Dragon Sorcerer 2- Chapter 74 (Patreon)

Okay- so 2 chapters today and may get back to it this week but really do have to focus on getting Prism done. I know I keep saying that...


Chapter 74- Outside the City

Cami stepped forward, but I held up my hand. “Only Cami. Lisella and Liam you can stay there and watch.”

I tried to make some of the human gestures with my back turned to Matilda. I don’t know if I managed to communicate anything and started to feel very silly. This would have been so much easier if I could have simply spoken telepathically to them. Then Liam allowed his hand to stray to the sword on his hip. He loosened it in its scabbard and I hoped that meant he had taken my non-verbal cues and knew to watch out for any misbehavior on Matilda’s part.

I could speak to Cami though, so I said, “Move slowly. Remember, she hates humans with a passion. Don’t try to demand anything of her and show that you can be trusted. If she does anything, I’ll kill her.”

I felt magic gather around Lisella and then appear around Cami.

Do you wish to learn the spell Divine Armor?

Lisella had cast that one before, but last time it had been when we were preparing for a fight and I’d been distracted. I’d grown much since then, even if I did say so myself.

I waffled about whether to learn it or not. I really wanted more offensive or utility magic rather than defensive, but maybe I should have taken it. But then the moment was gone. The spell form had passed and settled onto Cami.

Through our bond, it was easy for me to check the bond.

Divine Armor- enhanced by caster status with Miseria. +20 Armor. This spell protects better than plate armor and showcases the might of the gods.

Armor was a variable concept. Sometimes it was more useful than other times. It didn’t prevent damage in the same way that damage resistance would, but it did deflect or otherwise stop an attack from getting through. It would be better to think of it as a way to prevent the damage in the first place rather than taking it, but not being affected by it. In that sense it was more like my scales rather than my magical ability to resist damage.

Cami replied to my caution. “I understand, and I trust you to protect me.”

She walked forward and knelt down by where Matilda’s head was on the ground. She held out her hand but didn’t actually make contact. “I’m sorry for what was done to you. I promise to help you gain your freedom.”

Then she sat there without moving. I was pleased to see that Cami was learning to be patient. I watched closely, but there was no indication of mal-intent from Matilda. Eventually she raised her head enough and stuck her snout forward until it touched Cami’s hand.

“You’re so beautiful aren’t you? Don’t worry, Nico is strong, he’ll save you.”

Then Cami began stroking Matilda’s scales. She seemed to instinctively know how to do it in a way that would feel good for the green dragon. After a few minutes of that, without any more talking, she made a fuss over the eggs and then stepped back.

“Well done, Cami. Matilda, you can trust Cami, but I’m still worried about leaving her alone with you. Will you make an oath on the system not to harm her by action or inaction unless she attacks you first?”

Matilda’s head shot up, and that spark of defiance showed again. I was actually not bothered by that. To me it just meant there was still some dragon inside of her. She slowly said, “Ask much, but yes.”

Then, without her saying anything further both Cami and I got a notification.

The domestic dragon, Matilda, has sworn an oath binding under the system to never harm Cami Westfork either by action or inaction unless Cami should attack her first. As a monster type existence, you do not need to accept the oath is has automatically become active.

The system designates the punishment for breaking the oath depending upon the severity, but will act to prevent any harm from Matilda to Cami. Should the regulations be circumvented then equal or greater harm will be inflicted upon Matilda up to and including death?

It was stringent, but it gave me a bit more confidence. I still wasn’t thrilled by the idea that Cami would be alone with Matilda and the despicable pseudo-dragon riders, but there was no other way to execute Serius’ plan and as far as I could see it still had the best odds of rescuing the eggs. Now that I knew those eggs could become true dragons, I had more incentive.

I needed to think about it more before I shared it even with Cami, but I believed that the domestic dragons were causing harm to the dragon dream itself. So it was far from purely altruistic reasons that I wanted to save the eggs. I could admit that I liked the idea of being the hero of dragonkind. Perhaps I could become as famous and powerful as Draconic. But I also wanted to do this simply to prevent more harm to dragonkind in general .With a generation of free dragons, the fate of humanity might very well be altered, although I wasn’t sure they’d like being the subjects rather than the subjugators.

After that, Cami and the rest of us went down to Modessa. She was grumpy, but that only helped put me into a better mood. We said goodbye to Rollie and Patch while the adventurers spoke to the guards. They introduced Cami and told them they should expect her and perhaps sometimes me to come back. Modessa was definitely good for one thing. She could intimidate humans fairly easily.

From there, it only took us a short time to leave the university on horseback and then half an hour later we were outside the city gates. I never would have guessed how happy I’d be to leave the city. It stifled me in ways that I didn’t understand. That we were going hunting was only that much better.

I felt like I’d been too passive lately. It was time to be a dragon, even if I did it in human form. Liam led the way. “There have been reports from all over the island about new monster appearances. I’d like to get a good distance away from the city and university. There’s a fishing village about thirty miles to the north-east and that’s our goal. We won’t make it there till tomorrow likely, but maybe with some hard riding we can sleep in an inn there rather than on the road.”

Lisella sighed. “Any night in a bed is better than one on the ground.”

“Take it from the princess. She probably knows all about comfort. She probably had servants who fluffed her pillows for her.”

Lisella winked at her. “Of course, I did. Doesn’t everyone? Oh wait, were you talking about some other type of pillow fluffing? Maybe your mind is still stuck on a certain paladin.”

Modessa laughed, but I could see that it got to her a bit. They continued with banter like that as we rode. Liam was quiet as were Cami and I, but I could feel her excitement. Her hand ran over her enchanted spear more than one time. She’d told me about gaining a weapon proficiency once our bond had risen and she was hoping not to be as helpless in combat. With that in mind, I decided I should share my new spells with her.

Before that could happen, though, Liam pulled his horse out in front of the rest of us. He held up his hand. “We need to have a talk. I wanted to wait till we got further out of the city, but Nico deserves to know certain things.”

I was immediately on guard, but what made me feel lighter was the way that the others around me reacted. Lisella nudged her horse between me and Liam. She didn’t completely shield me, but her intent was clear. Cami moved her hands so she could quickly free her spear and I felt magic gather in her. Modessa pressed up against Cami’s horse and I saw a dagger suddenly appear in her hands.

Up until this point, I had been thinking of the adventurers as a single unit. Apart from some teasing given to Modessa, I had not seen any division amongst them. The silent actions spoke volumes to me. I wasn’t going to suddenly start trusting Lisella, but she seemed to be putting her role as my mentor above her role as a member of their party.

Liam held up his hands. “Wow, didn’t expect that. It’s nothing bad, or not exactly. Can I reach into my satchel and pull out something? You have my word that it isn’t a weapon and can’t harm any of you.”

I saw a look pass between Lisella and Modessa before Lisella did that giggle she did when she was trying to seem weaker than she was. “Sorry, you just sounded so ominous.”

“That was intentional. I want Nico to think about this and what it means. I wasn’t given any instructions not to tell Nico about this item or who sent it to us, so I’m not violating any oaths in sharing this.”

Modessa said, “The art of crafting a good oath always leaves room to wiggle.”

He then reached back slowly into the satchel on his horse before pulling out something that flashed green in his hands. At first I almost thought it was one of Matilda’s scales and I felt outrage rise up in my throat at what new indignities were being pushed onto dragons. Then I saw it better and realized it was a small jade statue.

“Oh…” The sound escaped my lips before I even realized it. Jade was valuable. Gold might be the best, but precious gems and stones were a close second. I shuddered as I felt my desire for the sculpture surge through me. I studied it closer and watched as it was held up in front of me.

It appeared to be a fat human, a man, I think, although it was small enough and worn enough that it wasn’t obvious. The figure was carved of solid jade and was cross-legged with something running across his lap, a sword maybe. What struck me next though was the magic of the item. I could feel the magic, but not anything about it.

“What’s that?” I asked, after making sure I was in control of my voice. It wouldn’t do to show how badly I wanted that thing.

“This is an artifact sent by the emperor to Serius. He is fairly certain that you are being targeted by monsters. We already discussed how odd the number of encounters we had on the trip to Urgoi were. It is not proof, but it does suggest that monsters are drawn to you. Is that the case with other dragons?”

I thought about it for a moment but didn’t have any recollection of such a thing. “Not that I know of.”

“That’s what Serius and apparently the emperor were afraid of. Then it suggests that bonding with Cami put a target on your back. It could just be that monsters are drawn to that bond, but the more scary proposition is that someone or something is sending them after you.”

He paused to let his words sink in before continuing. “I know you have no reason to trust us, but we are going to try to protect you from this. How the emperor knew this would be helpful is beyond me, but he seems to always be a step ahead. Anyway, this object will hide any magical auras and prevent any detection back even up through epic level spells. But it only works within a 500’ radius, so you can’t be too far from me.”

I grinned. “Just give me the statue and then I’ll always be safe.”

“It isn’t that simple. The item was sent by the emperor with instructions that one of the party attune to it. Serius decided it would be best if I did that. Inside the city, you should be relatively safe, but out in the countryside you’ll be exposed. This is where I’m at my best and I’m likely going on any hunting trips you go on for at least the next two years. So, it will only work if it’s with me.”

My mind raced through what I knew about artifacts and attuning. There wasn’t that much. Dragons tended to collect magical items as treasures for their hordes rather than items to use. Now, from my current perspective, I could see how short sighted that was.

“Fine, so is that all?”

Liam nodded. “I wanted to make sure you knew the emperor sent this and not hide it from you. It will have the added benefit of keeping Archmage Tolston or any of the other mages from keeping track of what you’re doing. I know the goddess had pledged to hide your secret, but consider this back up.”

I nodded and then stretched. “I need to some action. I don’t like all this sneaking around.”

Modessa groaned then, “Be careful what you wish for.”