A Mythical Match Up 2.5 (Patreon)

The third page was mostly blank with only a single line of text near the top. Nathan shuddered when he saw this; it implied that a long essay answer would be required for full credit. And, given the professor's track record, unless a very specific set of statements were incorporated into the response he wouldn't be getting many points for his effort. Nathan considered skipping the question for the time being but then saw how much it was worth. He sighed wearily and got to work. 

Midway through the second paragraph Nathan raised his head and yawned. He looked around. Nearly every other student in the lecture hall was madly scribbling away at the exam. A few were gazing up at the ceiling or just staring into space, presumably pondering their next answer or questioning their decision to take the class. The professor stood behind the lectern, gazing owlishly out at the rows of seats. The TA sat slouched in a small chair near a corner of room, staring down at his phone. Aside from the soft scratching of pen against paper and the occasional muted cough, all was silent. Nathan sighed and got back to writing. 

Suddenly, a metallic clink filled the room, soon followed by the soft hiss of a hydraulic door hinge. Both sounds had come from the rear of the lecture hall. Nathan smirked. If a student had just arrived he doubted they'd be able to finish the exam on time. 

"Nathan?"

Nathan's eyes widened. He immediately recognized the voice.

"Nathan? Nathan of th-...Nathan Veles?" Nathan heard footsteps on the hard concrete floor behind him. 

"Oh no," he groaned. "No, no, no..." 

He didn't dare look up.

The professor cleared his throat meaningfully. 

"Can I help you, young lady?" he said, not bothering to hide his irritation. "We are in the middle of an exam," he added meaningfully.

"I seek Nathan Veles. Where is he?"

Luckily, the professor hadn't learned his name. Nathan kept his head down and prayed she would just leave.

"Who?" asked the professor.

"Are you deaf? I seek Nathan Veles. Is he well?"

"Please lower your voice," said the professor. "Come down here and we can talk - quietly."

"Humph! Very well."

Nathan lowered his head until his nose was mere inches from the paper. He tried not to twitch as a figure on the periphery of his vision walked down the aisle towards the lecture theatre. Then, something occurred to him. No one was gasping or screaming. No one was running out of the room. The professor had addressed the newcomer as he would have anyone. Nathan risked a quick peek up at the lectern. There was a woman - a human woman, importantly. She and the professor were talking quietly, though the former not quite as quietly as the latter. Some of the other students were watching the two, if only through brief, furtive glances. 

Nathan listened. 

"...Unless this is a medical, family or legal emergency I am going to have to ask you to leave," whispered the professor angrily.

"Then you cannot expel me as this is both a family and legal crisis. Where is he?"

"Can the crisis wait for another half-hour?"

"I...suppose, but the soo-"

"Then please leave before I call campus police. This is highly irregular and incredibly disrespectful to my students."

There was a pause. Nathan held his breath. 

"Fine!"

Nathan heard the newcomer stomp up the aisle and shut the door behind her. He breathed a sigh of relief and started composing the third paragraph. 

* * *

Nathan grimaced and shielded his eyes from the glare of the mid-afternoon sun as he emerged from the lecture hall. His fellow students streamed past him, some heading for their bikes, others fanning out in every direction. Nathan stepped to the side of the building and scanned the area. It was the top of the hour and campus was growing crowded in the inter-period rush. 

Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Nathan warily turned and then yelped as someone slapped him. Hard.

"You lout!"

A dozen or so nearby pedestrians erupted in astonished laughter. Nathan's face reddened from both the slap and embarrassment. 

"I knew you were there and you said nothing! How dare you!"

"I was taking a test," growled Nathan, gingerly rubbing his cheek.

"You could have said something!"

"Come on, Melinanatha, I didn't-"

"Instead you let that decrepit sack of wrinkled skin berate and humiliate me. Me! A scion of the Eastern Regent!"

Nathan managed to keep his expression neutral. It wasn't easy. Although he had gotten over the initial shock of Melinanatha's sudden appearance he was still infuriated over how she had interrupted his midterm; the slap certainly didn't help. Another emotion, however, was rapidly overtaking his anger.

It hadn't previously occurred to Nathan that Mythic Matches could transport beings from the Realms of Shaltae to Earth just as easily as it could transport humans from Earth to the Realms. Obviously it could; Melinanatha herself had appeared on Nathan's doorstop just before dragging him into a portal. But while Nathan's presence in Melinanatha's homeland had barely raised an eyebrow he doubted a nearly nine-foot tall anthropomorphic dragon with a figure like a fertility idol would be treated with similar indifference on Earth. So if a being from the Realms wanted to visit Earth for more than a few minutes, the logical solution would be to disguise them. Or actually transform them into a human. Nathan wasn't exactly sure which, though he suspected the latter, as a slap from Melinanatha in her draconic form would have sent him flying through the air. 

Opening portals to other dimensions was impressive enough, but the magic and/or technology that had translated Melinanatha's shape into a human equivalent was truly extraordinary. Her human form was absolutely breathtaking. While not as ridiculously curvy as her draconic body her figure was still quite impressive, sporting large perky breasts and wide luscious hips. Thick green scales had been replaced by beautiful, flawless light-brown skin suggestive of Hispanic or possibly Indian heritage (though she was neither); her long black hair was just as smooth and silky as ever. Her arms and legs had only the slightest pudge and, upon close examination, well-developed muscles could be seen flexing beneath her flesh. Though she no longer had a reptilian beak, fangs or horns her brilliant blue eyes and feisty temperament were virtually unaltered. Even if Nathan hadn't heard her voicehe was certain he would have known it was her upon seeing her face. She wore a loose-fitting, open-neck white blouse, a long yellow sarong with floral patterns and brown leather sandals. Golden bangles dangled from her wrists. 

"I'm sorry, okay?" said Nathan, less harshly than before. "But why didn't you just message me with the app?"

"I tried!" cried Melinanatha. "But you did not response." She seemed to flicker between anger and concern. "I feared the worst."

"...I turned off my phone for the midterm," said Nathan, quickly putting two and two together. "But that couldn't have been for more than an hour. Come on, you can't expect me to immediately answer any message twenty-four hours a day seven days a week."

"I...was worried," said Melinanatha, a quiver entering her voice.

Nathan looked around. A dozen or so people were still watching them, a few surreptitiously pointing their phones in their direction. The slap, coupled with Melinanatha tirade (not to mention her killer body) had attracted more attention than he anticipated.

"Let's go somewhere to talk. Privately," he added, giving the voyeurs a dirty look.

"But-"

"Come on, I know a quiet place behind the building," said Nathan, gesturing for her to follow. 

Melinanatha hesitated for a moment and then hurried after him, leaving the disappointed crowd behind.

The spot Nathan had referred to was a small grove behind the lecture hall with a pair of dusty park benches and chairs. They sat on a small concrete slab and were made of blue-colored plastic-coated metal wire. A wooden box with a garbage can inside lay nearby.

"Okay, what's this all about?" asked Nathan, turning to face Melinanatha. "No, hang on," he added quickly. "How did you get here? I thought you could only visit if I invited you and you accepted. That's how it works for me."

"Ordinarily, yes," said Melinanatha absently. "But Mythic Matches has been rather...accommodating since the misunderstanding regarding the nature of your first visit. They didn't even charge me."

"No surprise there," said Nathan, grinning. "If you hadn't let me leave it could have put them out of business." He paused. "Uh, thanks again for doing that."

"Thanks are not necessary as I granted you your freedom in exchange for your continued counsel, among other things," huffed Melinanatha. "Which brings us to the purpose of my visit."

Melinanatha dipped her right hand into her considerable cleavage and produced a small scroll. She handed the tiny missive to Nathan, who took it and unrolled it. A soft, floral aroma clung to the scroll - Melinanatha perfume, Nathan realized. The parchment was covered in tiny yet legible writing.

"Uh, what's this?" asked Nathan.

"An offer for a loan of fifty gold lancs by the Trading House of the Broken Bone," said Melinanatha, folding her arms. "They are a trading house under the aegis of Skiilktri of the brood of Fahriladywin and Morgnashkrish - neither a rival nor a friend to my domain."

"O-kay," said Nathan, squinting to read the tiny font. It was in English; for whatever reason most beings in the Realms of Shalae spoke a language that was basically English. He hadn't questioned it and wasn't about to now. "Er, what do you want me to do?"

"Appraise its merits," sniffed Melinanatha. "Are the terms reasonable?"

"I..." Nathan shook his head, bewildered "I wouldn't even know where to start. I mean, what do you need the money for? How big a loan is it to you?"

"In that order, I wish to purchase a collection of puzzle sticks a merchant-prince in Do va Eins, and a considerable sum," said Melinanatha. "Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered contacting you."

A few seconds passed.

"Puzzle sticks are...they're just some kind of artwork, right?" said Nathan.

"Just some kind of artwork? Is the Titan of Eastwatch just some statue? Is the Eastern Regent just some monarch?"

"I get it, I get it," said Nathan, raising a hand. "They're awesome. But you told me your financial situation is a bit shaky and while art can be a sound investment it's not the sort of thing you should be buying right now."

"The collection in questions is easily worth twice the asking price!" hissed Melinanatha. And I have sought the Valen blackstone raccoon for years. I must have it!"

Nathan opened his mouth to say something but then shut it. 

"Tell you what," he said. "I'll...look over the interest rate, fees, penalties and stuff and try to dumb i-...clarify it for you." He hesitated. "Hold on. Why didn't you just ask your own trade house to look this over?"

For the first time since she arrived, Melinanatha looked uncomfortable.

"Because I doubt they would loan me the lancs," she said. "Yet they would surely take umbrage if I solicited another trade house before consulting them. And...I still do not entirely trust them. I suspect one or more of them may be in the pocket of a rival or worse."

"Politics...great," sighed Nathan. "Alright, let's have a look." 

He walked over to the bench and took a seat. Melinanatha turned and, to Nathan's mild surprise, sat down next to him. He could feel the warmth of her body and smell her sweet, flowery perfume. His cheeks reddened. He shook his head and focused on the document. Though its language was florid the concepts and terms it referenced were very familiar. As he read, his eyes narrowed.

"You shouldn't take this loan," he said suddenly.

"What?" said Melinanatha, caught off guard.

"This is predatory lending with a capital P," said Nathan, gesturing at the scroll. "I mean, the prepayment penalties alone are ludicrous, but coupled with the insane, floating interest? I know medieval loans were supposed to heavily favor the lender, but this takes the cake."

"Stop doing that!" snapped Melinanatha.

"Huh?"

"Babbling on and on in your merchant cant," said Melinanatha irritably. "Just explain why I shouldn't accept this generous offer."

"Generous offer?" said Nathan. "Holy sh...I mean, yes, at first glance the bimonthly payments seem reasonable but even if you paid every installment on time you'd barely make a scratch in the interest over five years. And if you tried to make extra payments the penalties would bite you in the ass." He took a deep breath. "Long story short, best case scenario you'd wind up paying back twice what the loan is worth. Worst case? You could wind up paying ten times as much over many decades."

There was a long pause.

"Damn," snarled Melinanatha, pounding the bench. She took a deep breath, and then seemed to deflate. "To think I was almost swindled," she said, lips quivering.

Nathan stared at her. She actually looked on the verge of tears. 

"We caught it in time so no harm done," said Nathan quickly. "Just tell this...other house you changed your mind and decided not to buy the puzzle sticks."

"It is not just the collection, Nathan," exclaimed Melinanatha. "The purchase would have also established friendly ties with the merchant-prince. He is well connected and may have been able to uncover why the price of copper is dropping." She gave Nathan a somewhat offended look. "I may not be wise in the ways of merchants and moneylending but I know politics."

"Oh, uh, not a bad idea," said Nathan. "But don't take this loan. And, honestly, if you do find a reasonable lender, invest the money in a new venture or business like we discussed."

Melinanatha stared at him with her big blue eyes.

"But I really want those puzzle sticks, Nathan!" she whimpered. 

Nathan gulped and looked around nervously. No-one had heard her. He sighed.

"Look...just out of curiosity, how much is a gold lanc?" he asked.

"Seventy...seventy-five dulancs," sniffed Melinanatha. 

"...How much is a dulanc?"

"One hundred and a dozen silver talents," said Melinanatha. "Or, I believe, two-hundred copper bits. Dwarves do not recognize the bit but will accept-"

"Nevermind, nevermind," said Nathan quickly, rolling his eyes. He took out his phone. "I finally got around to reading that damn user guide. There was something in it about exchanging dollars for Realm currency when you want to buy gifts for you match or something." He tapped the Mythic Matches icon and once it had finished loading selected the tiny 'options' button in the lower left hand corner. "Let's see how bad it is..." he murmured.

"It is quite a sum," said Melinanatha gloomily.

At last, he came upon the 'currency exchange' option. There were array of different Realm currencies and their exchange rates for Earth monies. He scanned through them until he came upon the lanc.

"Okay, one lanc is worth..." he said, selecting 'US dollars.'

He stared at the screen.

"Yes?"

"Uh..." said Nathan.

"What is wrong?"

"...It's still a lot, but I have some extra cash from my birthday a month back," said Nathan, giving Melinanatha an odd look. "You know, even though we're technically engaged I haven't bought you a gift yet."

"You...you can afford it?" gasped Melinanatha.

"Apparently," said Nathan, shrugging. "These exchange rates are insane."

Melinanatha squealed with joy. She grabbed the bewildered Nathan by the shoulders, pulled him close and kissed him on the lips. 

"Thank you so much, Nathan of the house Veles!" 

"Uhhh..."