Touch of Fate

Chapter 268: Dragons and Things

Chapter 268: Dragons and Things

"He's always doing this kind of thing. Jerking me around on a whim. Never giving me an explanation but still expecting my obedience." Morris grumbled as the two of them walked towards the dining hall. Characteristically, Count Graveston hadn't bothered to reconnect the doorway to his office before they'd been dismissed, meaning they now had a much longer trek back to the party.

[Judging from what little I can glean about his personality, I'm sure he has his reasons for this.] Mike thought while politely listening to his friend vent.

"And! And, whenever I ask him why, he just acts disappointed! Like I'm supposed to have figured it out already, or something!" The younger Graveston continued in a louder voice.

"Could he be trying to test you, or maybe teach you?" Mike offered. "You know, like he wants you to pick up the ability to read people and deduce their motivations purely by what actions they take."

Morris shrugged dismissively, "I don't know...maybe. That's something he would do. However, that doesn't make it any less infuriating for me."

Giving a sympathetic smile, Mike allowed the topic to drop, knowing that his good-natured friend would be back to normal in a few minutes. In the meantime, he made sure to pass a few bits of dried meat to Audra.

She was poking out of her specially designed pocket on the left side of his formal coat. He'd had the tailor modify it specifically for this purpose, even though it ruined the otherwise sleek lines of the outfit.

Ordinarily, she would have already had dinner by now, but his diversion with the Count meant that her meal had been delayed by roughly a half hour. Judging from the way that she's been chirping angrily at him, this constituted a sin against all dragonkind and demanded immediate redress. The dried meat was evidently enough to assuage the worst of her hunger, but she looked far from satisfied.

"Bear with it for now." He murmured to her, "As soon as we get to the dining hall, I'll find you something more substantial."

Clearly understanding his intent, if not the full meaning of his words, the little dragon quieted down, and was content to merely peer around curiously from the safety of her pocket.

"Seems like you picked up quite the handful there." Morris commented from the side. "What did you say she was?"

Mike hesitated for a second, wondering if it was wise to share that kind of information, but immediately felt guilty for the thought. There were few people in this world that he trusted as much as the man walking beside him, and none that he trusted more.

"According to the last time I used Appraise on her, she's a Tempest Wyrm."

Morris stopped in the hallway, face stoney. He glanced around quickly, before pulling out a rune-carved wooden stake and stabbing it into the floor, somehow embedding it there. The air around them took on a strangely mist-like consistency.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Mike asked, noting that his voice echoed strangely. He took a moment to Appraise the bit of wood.

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Privacy Stake

Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 1)

A magic item crafted from the wood of the Dampening Trees of the Whispering Forest. When stabbed into the ground it creates a temporary zone of discretion that prevents sound from escaping. Will also foil most Tier 2 or lower forms of magical divination for the duration. Functions for up to three minutes at a time, but must recharge for at least 24 hours between uses.

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"...You said Wyrm, right?" His friend asked in a monotone.

"Umm...yes?"

Morris clutched his head with both hands for a few seconds before simply sighing. "Haaa...I know I shouldn't be too surprised considering who you are and what you've done so far, but sometimes it's just too much. Do you have any idea what this means?"

"Not really." Mike replied with a shrug. He figured that Audra was a special case, especially after the whole mind melding thing she did, but this kind of reaction seemed a bit excessive.

"Wyrms, at least in the context of dragons, are one of the many kinds of the ancient creatures that once ruled this world during the First Age. Which is, by the way, the period of time where unrestrained mana led to the rise of beings so powerful and massive that they could sink islands and crush mountains with ease. They grew so dangerous that the Gods of Creation themselves fashioned the System for the express purpose of putting an end to their rampages."

Mike looked down at the little dragon sitting in his pocket and had a hard time picturing her as the kaiju-like monster Morris was describing. "That's all well and good, but now that they are functioning under the restrictions of the System, this shouldn't be an issue, right?"

His friend sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Supposedly, the vast majority of the creatures that lived during the First Age couldn't function once the System was in place, and died out in short order. However, there are a few notable exceptions. Some of them were able to adapt to the new environment, and even came to take advantage of it. Wyrms, specifically, were one of the more successful species."

"Ok, but then why aren't they all over the place, then? I doubt even the High Elves could do much to creatures like that."

"Second Age historians have some theories about that, based on evidence gathered from High Elven ruins. While some believe that the Wyrms largely abandoned this realm for another, or that they retreated to the most inaccessible parts of the world, the leading theory is that they intentionally weakened their racial abilities in order to more readily adapt to the new mana flow. This, in turn, supposedly led to the creation of the wide variety of draconic beings that now reside in Ea. Some suggest that they even managed to take on humanoid forms and blend in with the developing High Elven society, and may even still be doing so, but that remains hard to prove. Perhaps the gods know for sure, but they remain silent on the subject."

"While that's all fascinating, it doesn't really explain why you're acting so concerned." Mike commented dryly, hoping that the bard would get to the point.

[Ah, this feels nostalgic. When was the last time I received one of Professor Morris's lectures.]

"Look, think of it this way. How powerful would you say a mature dragon is? You should have enough experience to form an opinion about that now."

Mike thought back to the Flame Dragon he'd spoken with a few days ago, and had to admit that he was an impressive being. Even with his Tier 4 abilities, he did not want to tangle with the creature if he could help it.

Finally, he nodded his acquiescence to the point his friend was trying to make. "Strong enough that I would think twice about fighting one.."

"Exactly! True dragons are some of the most powerful mortal beings in this world. Even the lesser ones ridden by the Dragonknights of old were sufficient to make them one of the most powerful organizations the Inland Sea Region has ever seen. Let me put it this way, if a lesser dragon could be considered a Tier 3, then a true dragon is at least Tier 4, right? Then what tier do you think the significantly more powerful ancestor of both would be?"

Finally understanding the implications, Mike looked down at Audra once more, watching her yawn sleepily and retreat into the confines of his pocket, not a care in the world. "You're saying"

"That dragon has the potential to become a god-like being. One of the creatures of legend that even the Creator Gods themselves couldn't control."

"Huh...cool?"

"Not cool! Don't you understand?! If the secret of her origin is leaked, you will become an even bigger target than you are already. I can't even imagine what sort of forces might mobilize to try and take her from you for her potential alone. That's not even considering her value as a source of materials for researchers and crafters." Morris replied, slightly hysterical.

"Hmm, you have a point, and I can see why you might be concerned. Alright, I'll try to be careful about who sees her from this point onwards."

"You think that's going to be enough?!"

Mike patted his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "I have no intention of locking her away somewhere just because of the possibility that she will be in danger at some point in the future. Whatever her potential, she's just a child who's still learning about the world. I don't want to deprive her of the opportunity to learn and grow. I'll be more careful now, since there is no harm in being prepared, but I've learned that trying to avoid risk entirely is a fool's errand. Besides, all I need to do is become strong enough that no one will try to mess with me. And that's something I've already been working on."

"Alright," Morris sighed. "While I don't have that kind of confidence myself, hearing the Hero of Almir saying it is strangely compelling."

"Now don't you go calling me that, too. At this rate I'm going to end up with another cheesy title."

His friend laughed at that, before reaching down and scooping up the Privacy Stake. The air around them regained its usual consistency.

Slipping it back into one of his pockets, he murmured. "Keep quiet on that subject for the time being. We can talk about it more later, once we're in a more secure location."

Mike nodded a little, and then grinned. "Alright, now how about we go find this party. I've just gotten an idea I want to try out."

"Oh? What kind of idea?"

"Let's just say that this should make my life a little easier for the next few hours."

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"They just spotted him in the Gardens! Hurry! If we move quickly, we can catch him before he escapes!" The woman yelled while picking up her skirts and hightailing it out of the room as fast as her dress shoes would allow.

She was quickly followed by a large portion of the other women in attendance, and quite a few of the men, leaving the rest of the party-goers staring after them in confusion.

After a few minutes, Mike moved out from the shadows where he'd been hiding and grinned at Morris. "See, I told you it would work."

With some crafty use of Light Magic, he'd been able to make a copy of himself that was conveniently 'spotted' in the gardens in order to lure away his pursuers.

"I know, I was the one that told you it would." His friend shot back with a rueful smile. "Also, it was my idea to have the illusion run into the hedge maze, potentially occupying them for the rest of the night. If we followed your plan, they would have figured out the trick in a matter of minutes."

"Bah, details. All I know is that I'm a genius."

"Well, genius, it looks like it didn't work on everyone, so I'll be letting you handle this." Morris said while waving and walking towards the refreshment table.

[What does he-]

"Sir Dragonknight, we've been looking for you all night. Do you happen to have a moment to talk?" A soft voice came from behind him.

The speaker was part of a small knot of poeple that had just emerged from the door leading to the ballroom. He was already acquainted with three of them, and could guess the fourth's identity from context, so he had no reason to refuse the polite request.

[Damn. I should have been paying better attention.]

Putting on a polite smile, he replied courteously."Why of course, Princess Andrea, I would be happy to speak with you and your family."