The Endless Forest

For Eri, the day was finally starting to wind down. Her talk with Gil had turned out to be about designing the dormitory, something she was rather confident about. It didn’t hurt that she knew exactly what the dragons needed.

At least Kyrith and Zira will be comfortable, she thought with a wry smile. Her partner made it clear what he wanted, to be as close as possible to her. Their current living arrangements made that rather difficult.

Sleeping on the floor isn’t the best, and I know the dragons want a private space. Honestly, that was the tricky part. Coming up with a room layout that would be comfortable for both dragon and elf, or in Felix’s case, human.

And all of that was before taking the weight of Kyrith or Zira into consideration, or the fact that they were still growing. Even the little jewels wouldn’t stay small for much longer, they alone were growing at a blistering pace.

One thing’s for certain, this will be a massive structure. It has to be, unless Felix decides to not find any more candidates for the eggs. That was another issue that needed to be tackled. How many rooms should be built?

For now, that question remained unanswered. Gil was busy at work turning her ideal room into something that could be constructed…

Now, what should I do? Eri honestly had no idea. Kyrith was napping and Felix had, once again, disappeared. Though, now that I think about it, I probably teased him a little too much. That thought caused her to wince.

It hadn’t been her intention, but her and Zira had spent a good amount of time poking fun at him. Besides, I don’t think he’s that clueless. Naive to a degree, sure, but even then I find that endearing.

She took in the scene before her. Elves were hard at work, gathering, storing, and constructing various tools and equipment. Even the kobolds were out in force, helping in any way they could.

No, Felix isn’t clueless. Just look at what he’s managed to accomplish already. It was true that Aluin played a large part in this scheme but, from what she understood, it was Felix’s negotiating that allowed for all of this to happen.

And to think, it hasn’t been a year since he was revive– Woke up. And since then, things have been rapidly changing. For the better, in my opinion.

Eri’s smile returned. If he is truly clueless, then I say let him stay that way. He’s done more in his short time here than anyone else.

Filled with a new sense of determination, Eri made a vow. I will make it up to him and show him that I care, that I love him. He deserves that much, at least. An idea began to form, A gift… But what–

An old memory struck her. An ancient tale that Aluin had once told her. One that she had completely forgotten about. Ah, that’s perfect…

She set her sights on the distant structure that was the shrine. It was there that the key piece she needed could be found.

However, before she could take a single step, a commotion broke out from behind her. Turning around, Eri found a large group of elves coming around the side of the manor.

Another group? I wonder who it could be? There were a few tribes within a couple days of the manor, but she didn’t honestly expect any of them to make it here until tomorrow.

Setting aside her thoughts of a gift, she put on a smile and started walking to the new group.

“Hello!” she called out, waving a hand in greeting.

These elves looked exhausted but determined. Only a few waved or grunted out a response. The rest simply gave her a nod as they came to a stop.

“Make way! Let me through!” A voice called out from somewhere in the middle.

Eri frowned, she knew the voice but couldn’t instantly place it. Who could it be–

The person in question appeared and came to stand before her, his arms crossed and his face locked in a perpetual sneer. Only then did it dawn on her who it was.

Gods, please! Not him! She had to refrain from letting out a groan.

“Chief Calsen… A pleasure to see you a–”

“Where’s that human?”

Eri held back a frown. “Felix is currently busy.”

Calsen surveyed the area before speaking again. “And Aluin?”

This time, she didn’t bother to hold back her displeasure. “The same. It is just me for the moment.”

He let out a grunted, “But of course… Fine, tell me where you want my people to set up their camp. It’s starting to get late and we’ve been traveling through the forest for the last few days.”

“The people of Bernel have set their camp over there,” she gestured and continued, “You may set up your camp nearby.”

“It’s going to be a bit cramped, don’t you think? What about over there?” He unfolded his arms and pointed to the area between the manor and the hatchery.

Immediately, Eri grew suspicious of the other elf. She only had a few interactions with the man, but every time it had left a bad taste in her mouth. Thankfully, there was a good reason why his suggestion was a bad idea.

“Unless you want two big dragons to tear up your camp, I would suggest somewhere else.”

He raised an eyebrow at that. “And why would they do that?”

“Two simple reasons. First, all the dragons have to enter and leave the hatchery through that area. And second, Kyrith and Zira use that space to take off.”

There was a pause as Chief Calsen studied her, his eyes roaming up and down her body. It sent a shiver down her spine that she tried to hide.

“Can’t they use another area to take off from? And we don’t have to camp right next to the hatchery. We certainly can set up closer to the manor.”

What exactly is your game? She decided to not voice her question. Instead, she furrowed her brow and said, “I’m sorry Chief Calsen, but the dragons already use that spot. I’m not going to tell them to stop, especially because they live here.”

The Chief continued to stare at her for several moments before finally relenting. “Fine, I understand. We will set up our camp over there.” He pointed to an open area a little further away from the villager’s camp.

There was nothing wrong with the spot itself, but there was a hill and just beyond it lied…

“That should be fine, but–” she started to say, however Chief Calsen cut her off.

“Good, then we will set up immediately.” He turned to face his group and began barking orders to them.

Meanwhile, Eri could only shake her head. I guess he can learn about the kobold village by himself…

“Calinna! Calinna, get up here!”

A moment passed before a timid looking woman pushed her way through. She had short, brownish-red hair and hazel eyes. Her stature was similar to that of Noria but somehow she looked even smaller.

“There you are… What were you doing in the back?” Calsen asked. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Sorry, father. I was… I was resting.” Calinna said, her voice barely audible over the noise of elves moving.

“Resting?” He asked before quickly shaking his head. “Never mind, and listen. This here is Eri, she is one of the other challengers for the throne.”

Challenger? I mean, I suppose he’s not wrong… She let the thought go and bowed. “Hello, Calinna. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh! It’s a pleasure to meet you as well!” The other woman quickly mimicked her bow. “I’ve heard a lot about you–”

Her father quickly interjected, giving her a stern look. “Anyway, I have to go and help get our people situated.” He turned his attention to Eri. “Could you give my daughter a tour of the place?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you,” he said before suddenly lowering himself towards his daughter. He began whispering something into her ear.

Calinna perked up and nodded before addressing Eri. “A tour would be lovely, thank you!”

Eri gave her own nod, unsure what to make out of this situation. He’s definitely instructing her to do something, though. The question is what?

“Well then, I will be on my way," the Chief said before giving a quick bow and leaving.

A few awkward moments passed while Eri debated where to start. Honestly, she agreed to show Calinna but she, herself, wasn’t entirely sure where everything was. Maybe I should take her straight to Gil?

That didn’t seem like a bad idea, but before she could open her mouth Calinna spoke up.

“So… You’re a dragonrider?”

The woman said it innocently, but Eri decided to correct her. “I’m not a dragonrider, please don’t call me that. Me and Kyrith are partners.”

“Partners? But he’s bound to you, right?”

Bound? Eri gave her a confused look. “I…think you mean bonded. I didn’t bind him to me. In fact, I would say it was the opposite.”

“Oh… Do you think I could meet him?”

Eri hid a frown, Calinna’s question seemed innocent enough. But if she’s really Calsen’s daughter then I should be careful. Although… Kyrith is pretty good at judging someone’s character.

She peeked over to his side of the bond and found him stirring from his nap. Hey, Kyrith, do you want to meet someone?

Hmm? It took him a moment to realize she was talking to him. Wait, did you make a new friend?!

She couldn’t help but let a smile show, much to Calinna’s confusion. Maybe? But I’d like your opinion of her–

I’ll be right out!

“Is something wrong?” Calinna asked.

“Huh? Ah, sorry. No, I was speaking to Kyrith. He wants to meet you.”

The other woman looked surprised. “Really? Oh, I haven’t met a dragon before!”

Weren’t you the one who asked to see him? “Well, get ready. Kyrith can be a bit of a handful–”

As she said that, the ember-colored dragon came barreling out of the hatchery. He didn’t slow down as he sped past elves and kobolds, forcing them to either dive out of the way or dodge.

“H-he’s not slowing down… Should we move?”

Eri shook her head. “Relax, he won’t run us over.”

Calinna clearly didn’t believe her and took a step back as the dragon picked up speed. Meanwhile, Eri stood her ground.

Just as Kyrith got within thirty yards of them, he suddenly dug his talons into the earth. His weight carried him forward but Eri had faith, and soon he came to a sliding stop, a single foot away from her.

She reached out and patted his chest. “Did you have a good nap?” she asked.

“I did, but…” He peered behind her. “Is that your new friend?”

Eri let out a laugh before giving him a nod. “Kyrith, meet Calinna–”

“Hi!”

She turned her attention to Calinna who was now several feet behind her. “Calinna, meet Kyrith.”

“H-hello.”

When Felix came to, there were three things he noticed. The first was his pounding headache, and the second was how much time had passed. The sun was much lower than it had been before the vision.

The third one? Well, Felix needed to speak to a certain kobold.

Are you okay? Zira asked immediately, sounding concerned. Your dreams were leaking through our bond again. Felix… Who was that?

I’m fine, I think. But I… He trailed off. Parts of the vision had been seared into his memory, but the rest was blurred and indistinct. I think I met a Goddess?

A…Goddess? Zira asked, sounding just as perplexed as him.

I think so, and I think I have a good idea of what’s been going on. Just– He let out a groan as he struggled to his feet. He felt exhausted, despite apparently falling asleep. –Give me a moment. I need to speak with Watcher.

She gave him a mental nod, and with that Felix turned his attention to the shrine. He quickly found Aluin and Watcher sitting and discussing something.

With a wince, he staggered his way over to them.

“Master!” Watcher shouted, standing up.

“I’m fine,” Felix said, plopping back onto the ground next to them.

Aluin gave him a nod before gesturing for the kobold to sit.

“So, can you explain to me why we have a Goddess watching over us?” Felix asked Watcher, pointing directly above them.

A large glowing orb hung over them, larger than the dragon spirits he’d seen before.

“I think, Felix, the better question is,” the Sage started with, glancing up.

“How did one manifest?”