Path of The Dragon Mage (Nomad) 75. Under The Milky Way (Patreon)

Note: Second of two chapters today! Make sure you check the first... uh, first.

To Corvus's relief, the city was not on fire. And aside from the bones of half a dozen goats and outstanding IOUs from Ratkin Queen bounty hunters owed from the treasury, Charm had not taken too much advantage of her position of power.

Their arrival was instantly noticed. Charm tended to draw the eye... even if she wasn't a dragon.

As soon as she landed on the rooftop of the Grand Palace, nobles and officials surrounded them. Corvus dismounted before the others and held out his hand to stay them.

"The princess and I will need time to refresh ourselves before we attend to other matters."

He caught Perry standing among the crowd. The man stood still, yet still seemed to be nearly bursting with excitement. Surely, he must have gotten a notification of some successes from his quest.

Corvus caught his eye and nodded, and the man broke into a grin.

"We have found something, which will be discussed at length," he added with a look to Perry. "But first, cousin," he turned to Starella. "Is there something you should be doing?" His gaze dropped to the egg.

She stared at him. "Here? Now?"

"Well... That's up to you."

"What do you mean?"

His smile turned into a full grin. "You have to re-learn to read, first."

***

The hatching of Starella's egg was not nearly as dramatic as Charm's had been.

For one thing, it was a public occasion, attended by every noble, official, and person with connections who could find a place to see.

They did the simple ritual on the rooftop. Starella insisted that she hatch the egg after the sun went down and all the stars had come out. Corvus trusted her instincts.

Besides, she needed a few hours to study books and scrolls to rebuild her Literacy Skill. She'd been quite unamused to learn she'd lost it.

"It will return quickly," Corvus assured her. "You still have the knowledge, but it's like your mind has to make new connections and filter it through a skill."

Starella only had to become proficient at writing down a single name. As Corvus promised, it didn't take long.

Though it was full night with the milky way a blaze of diffused starlight up above, they needed more direct light to see by. A small circle of bonfires had been set up in a circle to illuminate the scene.

Charm had offered the large rugs in which she had used to hold court earlier. She claimed it was good for atmosphere and decor.

Corvus, who hadn't the eye for either, decided it was a battle he didn't want to fight and let her decorate the rooftop as she saw fit.

Corvus's contribution was to enscribe the initial runic circle on the face of the blue and white speckled egg. He had the rune skills, and everyone wanted this to go off without a hitch.

Charm suggested he use his blood. When he'd asked why she gave him a look that told him it was a silly question and to simply trust her.

After he was done, he stood back and handed his knife to Starella. She didn't hesitate as she pricked her finger.

She escribed her dragon's name on the face of the egg. Then, with a thought, she poured her mana into the rune to activate it.

"Join the world, Cosmos."

The rune flashed into brilliant light. As it did, Corvus received a notification.

Hidden Path Quest Uncovered.

For assisting with hatching a royal dragon egg, you have been awarded 1000 experience points.

Continue quest chain?

Yes/No

Corvus selected: Yes.

Ongoing Quest: Friend of The Unhatched

Earn experience and fame as you help hatch new dragons.

(Experience and fame varies.)

He snorted and minimized the message just in time to see the first cracks spreading along the shell of Cosmos's egg. The cracks started at the point and snaked their way down.

Tears of joy streamed down Starella's face as a tiny snout peaked out of the top. It was so dark blue it was nearly black. As Starella helped pull pieces away, the rest of the dragonet was revealed. His color gradated from a dark blue at the head down to a lighter shade along his extremities, except for his wings which were a blaze of purple.

A little showy, Charm commented, but he could sense her deep contentment at seeing another Royal dragon born.

As he fully emerged, she tilted back her head and roared her welcome to the sky.

He remembered how small and delicate Charm had looked -- how he used to carry her around in the front of his jacket.

Gwen's found his own and squeezed. Then she leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Tell me helping her hatch her dragon isn't some form of self-sabotage."

"Starella doesn't need a dragon to betray me," he said. "But... in order to break the cycle of royals betraying other royals, I have to take this chance."

"And what if she wants to continue cycle," Gwen said darkly.

He shook his head. "I'm not going to live my life outside the palace as paranoid as I did inside. Besides," he added, "she rejected Daffodil's offer. She surprised me once. She may surprise us all again."

He stopped as he heard Cosmos squeak up to Starella. "The world's so big out of the egg..."

He'd only heard Charm in his head until she gained the spells to speak aloud. But she had been vocal. He hadn't realized her tiny squeaks had a language, too.

It might be his new sub-class... or the fact he'd used his blood to help hatch the egg.

Corvus and Charm exchanged a glance, and he grinned. He trusted Starella... but he was keeping the fact he could understand her dragon to himself.

The hatching was done and some of the more ambitious nobles had stepped up to Starella, begging the favor of a shard of eggshell to remember the occasion by.

Perry took the opportunity to pull Corvus aside. He was dressed in rich robes for the occasion and was flanked by a man Corvus had never met before, but who was similarly dressed. Perry didn't introduce him. He seemed to be vibrating with the effort of holding himself back.

"Tell me about this dungeon."

"Perry," the other man said chidingly, "You're being rude."

"Ah, of course." Perry motioned to him. "This is my husband, Lorne." He quickly turned back. "Now, please tell me of the dungeon, Prince Corvus."

Lorne rolled his eyes.

Suppressing a smile, Corvus gave a brief explanation.

If anything, Perry was more excited. "So, you're saying anyone can be a Path Walker," he said with a significant glance toward Lorne.

"It's not so simple," Corvus told them. "You must access the dungeon with an existing Path Walker to get through the barrier. But... yes, if they can whether the trials of the dungeon, it should be possible. Roan and Starella now have the Paths. But I will need a few days to... negotiate with the guardians of the dungeon."

He wasn't going to call them nest guardians and give a clue to what might be down there. If he had his way, it would be a type of hidden quest. Only those who were worthy would find their way to an egg.

Perry's enthusiasm hadn't dampened, and Lorne seemed to have caught it.

"My Prince," Lorne said with a bow, "I request to be one of the first to visit the dungeon when it is ready. I've seen the wonders Perry has done with the Path and I would like to join him."

"Yes, of course. As soon as I know it's ready."

Perry spoke, "My prince, as thrilled as I am to learn about this and the new Path Walkers... there is still the matter of the prisoner."

His mind went briefly blank in surprise. "What prisoner?"

He felt Charm's attention tear from the new hatching. She snaked her head over to butt into their conversation. "Oh, that. I ordered it thrown in this tower's dungeon. They say the demon beast eats children."

"What? It eats... what? What?" He stared at Charm, aghast.

"It's nothing that couldn't wait a few hours. The demon is half-dead anyway, and Perry assured me that catching one in the sea is not uncommon," Charm said, happily throwing Perry under the wagon wheels.

Perry cleared his throat. "Perhaps I should explain... though I was told that you would have been brought up to speed as soon as you got there," he added directly to Charm who looked unrepentant. "The fishermen caught a young demon and its host in their nets. As Lady Charm says, it's not uncommon. Apparently the demon kingdom’s version of exile is to place prisoners on small boats and send them out to the turbulent seas. Sometimes, they wash up on our shores. This one... was not given the grace of a boat."

He swung on Charm. "You didn't tell me?"

"Hatching a dragon is much more important. It is not an invasion. It is one demon, and they were more dead than alive. I was going to tell you," Charm said.

"Well, now I know. I'm going to see it."

"I'd like to see it too," Gwen said.

He turned in surprise. She'd been so quiet he'd forgotten she was there. She gave him a look that warned him not to argue. "I ain’t never seen a real demon before. It should be fun."