Dragon Sorcerer 2- Chapter 69 (Patreon)

Chapter 69- Another Surprise

Serius shifted and stood up. He walked over to Liam and whispered something to the half-elf. I would have liked to know what he said, but these stupid human ears weren’t sharp enough. Instead, I just focused on hiding my frustration by remembering the way that Modessa had been shaking.

It really was rather petty, but since I couldn’t do this the dragon way, I’d have to try my hand a human revenge.

When Serius returned, Liam left without a word, leaving just the three of us. Lisella seemed unsure what was happening, if I was reading her body language correctly, but she didn’t say a word. I simply waited for the wizard to reveal what was going on. I hoped we were going to make some progress.

“I asked Liam to leave because I’m hoping to reveal some more information. Some of it would have been fine, but some of it relates to secret orders that I have. I’ve received permission to share it with Nico, but as I thought about it, if you’re going to be a true mentor to him, then you need to have this information as well, Lisella.”

She leaned forward in her seat. “What information?”

“That’s it, you’ll have to make an oath to keep it secret absent a direct verbal command from Miseria.”

Lisella whistled. “That serious?”

The wizard only nodded.

I watched the two of them, realizing that there were more of their group dynamics on display here. If I paid attention, there was much to learn. Lisella asked, “And this will cause no harm to innocents or to the interests to the church of Miseria?”

I couldn’t help but be curious about her turn of phrase there. “Don’t you mean the interests of Miseria?”

She broke off eye contact with Serius and looked at me. Her expression softened in a way I hadn’t expected. She had been staring rather intensely at the wizard with a stern look on her face, but now she looked casual and relaxed. “They’re mostly the same thing, Nico, but the goddess has tasked me and the rest of her followers with completing her work in the mortal realm. I can only look out for those I’m responsible for. I’ll just have to trust Miseria to protect her own interests or to tell me if she needs me to.”

I didn’t reply, but was intrigued by the answer. Was it possible that even the followers of the gods knew that they had secret plans they kept from all mortals?

Serius said, “It is actually in line with your interests so you don’t have to worry.”

Lisella’s head snapped back toward the wizard. “Very well, then I swear in Miseria’s name that I will not discuss or otherwise divulge what you tell me today except with you, Nico, and those you allow me to, unless you give me leave or it is contrary to the interests of Miseria… or my apprentice.”

Serius frowned at the last part. “I suppose that’ll have to be good enough. Nico, will you also keep this secret?”

“Yes.”

He stared at me, presumably waiting for more.”

I snorted. “Dragons don’t need all the wasted words you humans use. I gave my answer and I recognize no greater authority to swear by.”

Serius nodded. “The emperor knows about you. And before you accuse me of breaking my oath, remember that the gods or system or whatever would have taken all my levels. No, he knew before we even got back here. Before you ask me, how he knew is beyond me. I suspect his class is some type of seer, but no one knows for sure, or at least I don’t know.

“Who’s to say what an epic level seer can learn even when a goddess is hiding it? Or, he may have another patron god. What one god can hide another can reveal.”

“And what does this mean for me?”

“That is for you to decide,” Serius said, “I can only tell you what the emperor has given me permission to tell you, but he also had a something teleported her for you.”

My mind stopped churning about what the emperor’s involvement might mean and then asked, “Something for me? Like a gift?” I felt my fingers start to itch. I liked gifts.

d

Lisella made a chuckling sound behind me. She must like gifts too. It was good that she was excited for me to get a gift. Maybe she wouldn’t be such a bad mentor. She was getting me the two thousand gold after all.

“Yes, and I’ll give it to you as soon as we finish our discussion. You have to open it alone, even I’m not allowed to know its contents.”

I nodded. “Okay, well what else do we need to talk about?”

“Lisella has some training plans to talk about with you, but you should know that we’ve been tasked with hunting down the extra monsters which are appearing on Urgoi. I still can’t take you into a dungeon before you complete two years at the university. It would raise too many questions and the emperor doesn’t want anyone here to know who you are. He believes that Miseria’s protection will continue to shield you from Archmage Tolston.”

“Okay, when can we go? A hunt sounds good.”

“I have commitments here and if I go with you it would seem strange, but you and Cami can go. Once they discover the change in her class, she probably won’t be allowed outside of the university grounds for a while,” Serius answered.

I wanted that gift, but I also realized that we had come to discuss some things. I forced myself to focus. “You still haven’t told me what the plan for Matilda is.”

“I was getting there. You may not like it. I’m unsure how the bond between you and Cami works. But our idea is that we’ll kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”

“Wait, why would you use stones to kill birds? I just swoop down on them… oh, yeah, that’s right you can’t fly.” I grinned.

Serius shook his head. “The plan is that since Matilda is now a dragon without a rider, oh and you have no idea how hard it was to hide any evidence which magic might have revealed about what actually happened there…” His voice trailed off for a minute and stared at me. I just stared back.

Finally, Serius continued, “Anyway, since Matilda doesn’t have a rider, the plan is to set Cami up to be trained as her rider. Will that be a problem for you?”

I was about to snap that of course it wouldn’t be, but then I realized I did feel a twinge of jealousy. Cami was mine. I wouldn’t go so far as to say she was my rider, but she was definitely more than a pet.

“It would just be a show. With that understanding, I’ll allow it.”

Serius and Lisella exchanged a look, but I didn’t pay them any heed. “Is that all there is to your great plan, then?”

A vein seemed to bulge in Serius’ forehead. He took a deep breath and then said, “There was quite a bit more behind the scenes, but for now that’s the next step. We just needed to make sure you were onboard. You’ll have to explain it to Matilda, I won’t risk Cami even to save Matilda.”

I nodded. “I’ll make sure she behaves. No one hurts what is mine. Speaking of which, you had a gift for me?”

“Yes, but don’t you want to hear what Lisella has planned for your summer training?”

I shook my head. “We can talk about that tomorrow while we’re out hunting monsters.”

Lisella just shrugged and said, “You might as well give it to him. He isn’t going to be able to focus until he sees what it is.”

Serius reached into what I think must have been a spatial pouch and pulled out an ornate box covered with intricately carved dragons. The eyes of each of the dragons were made with sapphires, and the box was bound in gold. It was just a little over twelve inches long, eight inches deep, and six inches high. I liked it already.

“Remember, don’t open that until you get back to your room.”

“You don’t think the archmage can spy on my room?”

Serius said, “I’ve checked it every day so far and there has not been any scrying type magic placed there.”

“But isn’t the archmage an epic level caster? Maybe he has tricks you don’t know about.”

“It would be a serious violation for him to do that, but fine, you can use one of the guest rooms here. If you’re worried about being spied on, we can have you move in here. It would be appropriate since you’re my apprentice, but people would spread rumors,” Lisella said.

I thought about it for a second. “I’m not sure I’m ready to give up my privacy or to be used any further to advance your agenda. Speaking of which, we never discussed what you all are going to do for reparations or even what your mission was in the first place.”

Serius rubbed the bridge of his nose as he said, “Just read the emperor’s message and then you can ask us any questions you have. I’ll answer them as best I can.”

I picked up the box. “Fine, show me this room, I can use.”

Once I got to the room, I waited for Lisella to leave. She didn’t have any servants there because of our meeting, so she was stuck taking me herself. Then I sat on the side of the bed and opened the box. Or I tried to open it.

Instead, I found that it had some type of internal locking mechanism. I looked for ways to open it. Normally, I’d grow impatient with such an annoyance, but treasure was always worth the trouble. So, I patiently examined it. The thought of crushing the box, never entered my mind as the box was itself a piece of loot in what would become my hoard.

When I used Identify on the box, it came back without much detail.

Dragon Design Gift Box Quality: Masterwork

Properties: Unable to identify

The last was a first for me, but I took it to mean that there was a magical aspect to the box. I couldn’t see the magic of the enchantment, but then again, if it was magic meant to keep the box locked then it might also obscure the magic itself.

Eventually I realized that if I shifted a panel on the front of the box that it revealed a small metal plate with five crescent-shaped spaces which roughly formed a circle. At first, I thought it was a lock which, I’d need to either hire a rogue to open or learn a magical spell for. Neither option was very appealing as they would require me going to Modessa, as she was the only rogue I knew, or Lisella, respectively.

Then it dawned on me. Those shapes looked familiar. I grinned. With a flexing of my will, I transformed just my right hand into a draconic claw. I formed a circle with my fingers, and the tips of my claws fit into each of the spots. With that, I felt a click and saw a flicker of magic. I’d been right.

When I opened the box, it was filled with plush blue velvet. I definitely approved of the design choices for this box. On the top of the box was a small scroll with a wax seal on it. I picked that up and admired the pair of silver, rune etched bracers beneath it. They clearly emanated magic.

I almost cast Identify on them but decided that I could be responsible and even a little bit patient. I really should see what the letter said in case there was anything about the bracers in it.

I picked up the rolled parchment and used one of my claws to break the seal before transforming my hand back. No sooner did I break the seal though than an image sprang up in front of me. I would have jumped back or attacked, but was clearly a type of illusion magic.

The man who appeared before me was a couple inches short of six feet tall. He looked to be older than middle age, but not truly old by human standards. He was wearing rich purple robes and was decked out with jewelry galore. Here was a man who knew how to appreciate treasure. I could admire that, even in a human.

“Greetings Nicosandumas. I am Ferdinand Castine, emperor of Taliea, and the fourth of my line to claim that title. I wish that the first time we spoke could have been in person, but perhaps it is best that it wasn’t, as you no doubt, have a number of misapprehensions about me. This spell won’t allow for a long enough message to address all your concerns, but I do want to set the record straight on two issues.

“First, I did know, or at least hope that you and your clutch mates would be true dragons. I know that your kind are every bit as intelligent as humans and far older. The need, however, is great, and I wanted to make the offer to you in person, as I have done with your sister. She is still considering my offer, but I’m optimistic.

“Second, it is the everlasting shame of the empire that the condition of the domesticated dragons you have encountered is at least in part the responsibility of a previous emperor. My family only ascended to the throne four human generations ago, and we did so by ousted a corrupt emperor. His entire family had been using the empire solely for his benefit and not considering the responsibility of those who rule.

That is a human matter though and I won’t bore you till I have more information to share. Most of the records from that dynasty have been destroyed or were hidden. Once I know more about how to help the domesticated dragons, I will let you and any other candidates we discover know about this.

“As you no doubt caught, your sister is alive and well. She is an honored guest in the City of the Dawn. I had at first thought to request that you join here, but I’ve learned you have made excellent progress and may have already bonded with a rider. Again, records of what a dragon bond entails have also been lost to history, but I continue to try to learn more.

“In the meantime, I hope you will learn what you can at the university. I will not reveal your identity unless you give me leave to. If you do, you will be treated as the hope of Taliea and perhaps the world. But that is up to you. For now, based upon what I’ve heard about your human disguise, I thought you might appreciate this gift.

“One last thing, as the spell is about to end. I can tell you that my family and your race share a long history. I don’t know if this name will mean anything to you but an ancestor of mine, from before my family bore this name was a shaman named Reegor. That much has been passed down in my family. The details are unclear, but I believe he had something to do with dragonkind.

“Till we meet, you have my best wishes and sincerest apologies for how you were introduced to the empire.”

Then the figure bowed before winking out of existence. The parchment burnt up without any heat and the ashes faded into nothingness before they even hit the ground. That spell might me useful someday when I had a large territory and needed to send messages to my minions.

The emperor’s use of the name, Reegor, was intriguing but far from enough to make me trust him. For now, I decided to see what his gift was, and based upon its quality I would decide if I should listen to him in the future.

I cast Identify on the bracers and my grin grew broader the more I read.

Matched Bracers of Natural Power

Left Bracer  Quality: Epic

Weight: 1.0 Durability: 125/125

Passive Effect: +3 armor, Durability: +5

Passive Effect: Natural Armor- with this ability you may store within this item the natural armor of any being. The benefit will vary depending on that status of the being at the time its natural armor is copied. You will gain 10% of all natural defenses of a dead being, 15% of a tamed being, or 25% of a willing being. The bracer must be pressed against the being in order to duplicate its natural armor.

Right Bracer  Quality: Epic

Weight: 1.0 Durability: 125/125

Passive Effect: +3 to unarmed damage, Agility: +5

Passive Effect: Nature’s Might- with this ability you may store the impact of up to three natural attacks from any being. The benefit will vary depending on that status of the being at the time its natural armor is copied. You will gain 10% of all natural defenses of a dead being, 15% of a tamed being, or 25% of a willing being. The bracer must be within 10 feet of the impact point in order to duplicate its natural armor.

Set Bonus: Nature’s Senses- with this ability you may copy the senses of any being, but the same principles as Natural Armor apply.

I smiled. Okay, so the emperor wasn’t forgiven, but I’d certainly be willing to listen to future messages he sent and accept further gifts.