“Very well.” Sated the Mother, looking to all who gathered. Silence fell across the room, as they waited on the Mother’s next words. “I can not reward the good, if I do not punish the bad.”

“We understand and accept.” Firebrand stated, ready to accept whatever befell her. The others simply nodded, as there was no point in arguing now.

“You will not prosper or learn, for shedding your kin’s blood in my room.” The goddess declared. A system box appeared before each of the three, and a black glow emanated from the red dragoness. The rest of the room began to murmur in hushed tones about what they saw.

Divine Punishment {Echo}: Your XP progress to the next level has been reset to 00.00%. Lost: 60.00%.

Ouch. Wait, did that black glow mean she lost a level or more? Darin couldn’t help but wince. The higher a character’s level, the harder it was to gain experience. Firebrand lowered her head in acceptance of her punishment. “Blood Claw,” the Mother began, “you have failed to respect the elders. Right or wrong, they outrank you.” Oh, shit. A dark mist spiraled around the Den Mother, before another message appeared.

Divine Punishment {Echo}: You have lost 5 good Karma, reducing your total Renown by 5. Your new Karma is -1.

Before he could ponder what that meant for the dragoness, the Mother turned towards him. What did I do? “And you, little whelp. You were off key. You need more practice.” Faint black lines crawled from the ground, up to his beak.

Divine Punishment: You need to practice your singing voice. You will gain experience 5% slower, if you have not sung within 24 hours. Duration: 1 month.

“Yes, Mother.” Darin stated, as he cleared the message box. He was being careful not to give her any reason to do worse. Blood Claw and Firebrand both gave him odd looks as they closed their notices. Wait, so they need to sing too? Darin pondered, unable to avoid a touch of amusement.

“Are there any here who question or doubt that fair punishments have been dealt out?” The goddess asked, pausing to sweep her gaze across the chamber. The murmuring in the background, all fell silent in an instant. Not a soul dared to challenge the Mother’s decisions. The room was silent for many seconds, before the mother let out a deep and rumbling sigh. “Very well. Punishment has been resolved. Let no one else lift a claw or light a flame against them, for their actions today.” She declared.

“Thank you, wise Mother.” Blood Claw said, in a hushed tone. Around them, the noise in the chamber went up greatly as the elders discussed what the punishments meant. After all, when one’s patron arrived, it was wise to know how not to anger them.

“Don’t thank me yet, child.” The Mother replied, with traces of mirth in her tone. Oh hell, now what? “Now that punishment has been resolved, we focus next on rewards.” Declared the goddess, causing some confusion amongst the elders. A red dragon, flew from the entrance and landed on the dais. Darin recognized him, as one of the elders who had attacked him.

“I died in their ambush, what shall be my reward?” He asked, in a loud and demanding voice. From the Mother’s expression, entitlement and disrespect where not traits she approved of. So it’s fine when I’m out numbered, but unfair when it happens to you? My, aren’t we bold and stupid, Darin mused.

“As you wish.” Stated the goddess, as she speared the elder with a claw. He made a single startled gasp, before sliding down the claw to the floor. “Another death penalty, should be reward enough for your insolence.” She stated, flicking the blood off her claw. “Now where was I? Ah yes, you three.” She stated, turning back to Darin and company.

“Yes, Mother?” He squeaked out, his nerves getting the better of him. The others shot him a quick look to shut him up, but any damage was already done. The goddess looked at him and paused. A moment later, her deep and rumbling laughter filled the room.

“Relax, little one. I was speaking of rewards. I have not forgotten that you have already paid, for any trouble that was caused. And the others, they have paid far worse.” She looked at the red elder’s body, which was even now melting into a chalk outline. “Firebrand, you upheld the oath of the Fire Clan. And then you protected them, shouldering all responsibility on yourself. I did not miss that action, nor do I frown upon such honorable acts.” As she finished speaking gold and silver light swirled around the red dragoness.

Divine Blessing {Echo}: You have gained +10 good Karma, and you have gained +10 neutral renown. Your Karma is now: +9.

“Thank you, honored Mother.” Firebrand stated, giving a bow with her wings wide. I guess the gesture worked…

“Blood Claw, you have done well and fulfilled your duties with honor. You are not yet old enough or strong enough, to be an elder. I will not push you ahead, but I will give you the right to stand your ground with them. Use it with honor and wisdom, lest it be retracted.

Divine Blessing {Echo}: You have gained +10 respect from Dragons. You are now slightly respected by this faction. This may negatively affect your relationship, with factions who dislike dragons.

“Whoa.” Darin whispered, only to be amplified by the runes. Ack. He’d heard of gaining respect from factions, but one rarely gained it from their native people. With the extra respect they might actually treat me, well normal, he mused. Only to sigh in silence at the realization.

“And you little one.” The Mother stated, as she loomed over him. He looked up into her large, mirrored eyes and blinked. “I will not grant you any unfair power or blessings. Your path ahead will be long and hard.” She paused a moment to let that sink in. She waited until he nodded, and then continued. “The world has changed greatly, since the old eggs were sung to sleep. The falling of stars forever changed our world, and it forced my children to grow and change. You are a relic of the early world, as are all your kin who still sleep.” Despite the strength of her voice and the message it conveyed, the tone was gentle. She seemed to care about all of her children, even the sleepers. True, she practiced tough love, but she really was a Mother.

“I understand Mother.” Darin said with a nod. No lords of fiery death born today, he mused. She tilted her head to the side and gave him an odd look. After thinking for a few seconds, she clicked her tongue which echoed through the chamber.

“I wasn’t done yet, little one.”

“Oh, sorry.” Darin said, before offering a polite bow.

“I will not give you some great power. That would only end up causing you more suffering over time. Instead,” the goddess began, “I will give you a small blessing to ease the pain of your long journey.” As she stated it, she reached through the circle, and tapped a claw gently on his head. How did she bypass the-.

Divine Blessing: Tiamat’s gift.

Your XP penalty on death has been reduced by 5%. Current penalty: -20%.

“May this ease the hardships of your journey.”

Darin’s beak dropped wide open in surprise. He had to read the message twice, to be sure he understood it. When he cleared it, he realized the others were looking at him with similar expressions. So they got an echo of that blessing? Sweet! Regaining his composure he turned to Tiamat and gave a deep and formal bow. “Thank you Mother, for your kindness.” Darin replied. Beneath his feet, the colors of the recording showed truth and excitement. A few seconds later, those colors changed to fear.

“I believe an appropriate thank you, would be to offer me a new song.” The goddess declared, sending a shiver of panic down his spine. He’d witnessed a few songs, and many verses in the memories, but his selection was…limited. What can I sing?

“Pardon, but did you say an new song?” Darin asked, starting to realize what she meant. She nodded and gave him an expectant look as the color drained out of him.

“Yes, I haven’t been given a new song in ages.” Tiamat replied, causing him to think about all the songs he’d heard. None of the songs were too complex, he mused. She looked quite excited at the prospect of new music. To calm himself he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Screw it, I’ll have to wing it! Tiling his head back, his voice rang out. With the amplification of the circle, his voice filled the chamber.

“The Mother shelters all her young. As she has, since time begun.” He took a breath to find the next lines. When they formed in him mind, he approved and sang them too. “She made us strong and taught us flames. So we could earn our very names.” A few of the non-fire type dragons were glaring at him now. Sketchy line, oh well. It was still too short, so he for the music and came up with another pair of lines. “We seek to make our Mother proud. So raise your voice and sing aloud.” Darin paused for a breath. If his body was able to sweat, he was sure he’d be in a puddle by now. His mind was frantic, as it searched for another verse, but it could find nothing. Suppressing a sigh, he opened his eyes and looked at Tiamat.

“I meant,” she paused to laugh, “that you would write me one, in time. But I approve, little one. And you’ll write more songs for me later, right?” She asked. Darin had no choice but to nod.

“It would be my honor.” He stated, trying to calm his heart and lungs. It took him a moment to notice, that the end of his tail was twitching with his nerves.

“Stage fright.” Blood Claw declared, after glancing at his tail. Laughter filled the chamber, much to Darin’s chagrin. Even the Mother joined in with the mirth.

“Now that there is a new song, it should be sung.” Tiamat declared, once things settled down. There were a few murmurs amongst the elders, as not all seemed pleased by that. “The young one wrote it, so he will lead the first round. Then I would enjoy it, if other voices would follow him on the next.” She suggested, in a polite and less than subtle way. With a tiny sigh, Darin tipped his head back and began.

“The Mother shelters all her young.

As she has, since time begun.

She made us strong and taught us flames.

So we could earn our very names.

We seek to make our Mother proud.

So raise your voice and sing aloud.”

As the Mother had suggested, the first time through he sang alone while the others listened. He suspected, that was so they would memorize the song. As he repeated the song, Blood Claw was the first to join him. Within a few lines, hundreds of dragons had added their voices. The melodic humming of Tiamat underscored the horde of voices, and the song went on for several minutes. When the song finally came to and end, Darin was struck with one horrible thought.

Wait, is this going to affect my name?

- - - - -

Author’s note: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I’d have posted a little sooner, but my nap ran a little(lot) later than intended. It’s been a busy weekend, but it was neat being able to tell a few friends about my story. I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who’s written a review, especially the detailed ones. Those have brightened my day a few times, in the last several weeks. I’d also like to thank everyone who pointed out errors, I know I’m not perfect and many things have slipped past me. For all the Follows, Favorites, Reads and Replies…thanks. I have a running joke in the back of my mind:

“I’d get 2x the views if I added the Mature tag. I’d get 10x the views, if I added Mature + Harem.” But that isn’t the story I want to tell. So thank you to everyone encouraging me to keep going, telling the story I like, not the story that’s popular. Night all! Advertisement Previous

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