With a belly full of steak, Darin leaned back and let out a contented little sigh. Having found steak already, he wondered if could find something that tasted like potatoes. Sure it had been awkward, eating with a beak. But he’d learned to shred the meat first. He had envied the others their teeth at first, but he’d soon realized their disadvantages. Seeing dragons try to pick bone shards out of their teeth, it was not a pretty sight.

“Finally full?” Blood Claw asked him. She’d wandered off for her own meal long ago. He suspected she’d been annoyed with his eating habits. Carving up your meal before chewing it, seemed to be playing with your food. When he saw her swallow a chunk larger than him, he decided not to anger her.

“Yes, thank you”

“Then get moving. If you are going to find your shell in the Hall, then there is someone you need to meet first.” She told him. Before he could reply she’d turned about and started down another hallway. She had a decent head start, so dropped to all fours and dashed after her. Just as he reached her, he noticed the dining hall had gone silent. Darin turned about and saw several dragons staring at him, food still in their mouths. I probably just broke some social rule again. Drooping his wings slightly he continued to chase his guide, but at a more dignified pace.

A few smooth tunnels later, they came to a stop outside a chamber with an actual door. Darin studied the hinges and handle, as he had seen no other doors in his entire stay. A metal sign was set into the wall, it was covered in a writing carved out by claws. As he stared at it, a system message appeared.

Racial skill unlocked: Read Draconic

Dragons have deep minds and long memories, so very little is written down. So what they do write down, is often important.

A few moments later the draconic script faded from the plaque. In its place new words formed in his native language. “Greed’s Lair. All who steal will be fed to the Mother.” He read it aloud. The dragoness gave him an appraising look, paused and then nodded.

“I see your blood is pure enough to read the Mother’s script. There are a few subspecies that are too diluted and can not make sense of it. And then there are some whelps, who are simply too stupid.” The disgust in her voice was clear. She’d been kind to him, but he doubted she’d have been as kind if he’d min/maxed his mental stats away.

“The Mother’s script?” He asked.

“The Mother of Dragons. She loves her children. But you would be wise to bring Honor to your name, before you meet her. Those brought before our Goddess in shame,” she hesitated turning somewhat pale, “most of them are never seen again. Others are stripped of their name and then banished. They may not return until they have redeemed themselves”

“And if they don’t redeem themselves, or if they can’t?” He asked. He didn’t like where this was going, but thought it wise to know. She gave him a long hard look and tilted her head to the side. Not a word was said between them for several breaths, until her decision was made.

“Those who give up hope of redemption often lose their minds. They are still allowed to respawn, but they are never allowed into our lands again. Even the children she is angry with, the Mother does not consign them to a true death. So they live and they die, time and again as hermits or monsters in the wider world. If you have to battle one, the Mother will not be angry at you. She can be emotional, but she is deep and wise”

“And those who don’t lose hope? Do they just wander endlessly until forgiven?” He asked. She sighed and nodded. She was holding back on something, but he didn’t press her for it.

“Enough of this, we are wasting time.” She grumbled. With a massive claw she gently knocked on the door, not bothering with the handle. “It’s time I introduced you to Greed.” He blinked at her, feeling a bit thrown off by her last statement. Seeing his expression she laughed as the door opened. Behind the door, standing on his hind legs, was a mid-sized black dragon. The odd visor he wore gave him a look of spectacles, though it appeared magical in nature.

“Hello again Blood Claw. Please tell me you’re not here because your ‘helpers’ or charges broke something important again.” His blatant statement made even the dragoness pause. When she didn’t respond right away, he took it as confirmation. “Oh gods, not again. It better not have been hard to replace…or I’ll bite their heads off myself!”

“Uh, no Greed it wasn’t-”

“Oh thank the Mother, last time it took months to replace.” He let out a heavy breath and relaxed. He didn’t even seem to realize he’d interrupted her. It seemed he was all too used to receiving bad news, when others came knocking. A moment later he cringed and asked her, “What is it, what did they brake?”

“Nothing. Nothing has broken, that I am aware of.” She replied, a playful tone in her voice. He looked like he was going to cheer up, but then braced himself. She laughed at his antics, causing him to look away. When he did, he finally noticed Darin standing there.

“Well I suppose a social visit would have been too much to ask for. So what’s with the little one there?” He asked, then paused to give her a stern look. “And no more ‘well guess what, you’re a father now’ jokes. It’s one thing if it was true, but that joke gets old quickly”

“I, but…” Was all she managed. This time it was her turn to look away embarrassed. Her rear claws scratched at the floor a moment before she turned back to him. “Okay, okay, I had that coming. But I am here on business, so to speak. I could use a favor”

“I make no promises.” Greed informed her, before softening his tone a bit. “But for you Blood Claw, I will at least listen to your request. Come in both of you. Business is not meant for open hallways”

“Thank you.” She replied. Darin thought he noticed a gentle undertone in her voice. As they followed him into the well lit shop, the reason for the door became more apparent. For the first time since he’d joined the game, he felt like he was in a proper civilized place. Shelves had been lovingly carved out of the walls, while standing displays held numerous trinkets and trade goods. Behind the stone counter, there was an assortment of locked chests and containers. Once they were all settled in, Greed took a few moments to study Darin.

“I take it there is a reason, why you didn’t have him eat his shell?” Greed asked in a soft tone. She sighed.

“There is a long version of events, and I could bore you with all the details. But the shorter one works just as well. Muse was involved”

“Oh gods, tell me he doesn’t sing! My ears can’t take another episode like that damned hydra.” He said, before shooting Darin a look. If looks could kill, Darin would have already been back in the afterlife. It took a moment before Greed returned to his senses. “Sorry, sorry. It was a rather traumatic incident for me. One of her heads wouldn’t stop singing, another bounced about banging into every display, while a third tried to steal anything that wasn’t nailed down. All the while, I couldn’t kill just the problematic heads, without harming the poor girl.” He explained, a shudder running down his fair sized frame. Blood Claws was looking at him with sympathy in her eyes.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry about that Greed. You know I am. I am told the Mother will keep all new Hydras dreaming indefinitely. But now Muse has dropped a new mess in my claws”

“Sorry…” was all Darin could offer in reply.

“It’s not your fault hatchling, but it will likely be Blood Claw who gets in trouble for Muse’s creativity. But I suspect, that leads us back to why you’ve come here.” Greed said. He looked between the two for any sign of argument, but found none.

“It’s true.” She agreed. She seemed reluctant to say any more. Greed sighed, this could only be leading in one direction.

“So what rare treasure do you expect me to give away this time?” He asked. His tone wasn’t sharp, but nor was it cheerful. Much to Darin’s surprise, the dragoness cringed.

- - - - - -

Author’s Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The side characters aren’t trivial, I swear. If nothing else, I like to go from A to B logically. I am also fond of the living world view in stories. A well written world needs to feel complete. As if it would still be there and would keep on living even if you weren’t watching. Advertisement Previous

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