Tribulations of a Dragon

Not only is it daunting to return to school, but Joras is bringing out all sorts of books. I’m getting a bad feeling about this, and I’m starting to think he might demand unreasonable things of me, like paying attention and sitting still... or worse… that I won't get into trouble.

“Kira, please lie down and place your chin on the ground with your cheekbones off the ground.”

Odd request, but okay. I do as he tells me, and he starts hanging bags on any horny protrusion on my skull and the spines on my neck. I’m no beast of burden! In an act of dignified defiance, I raise my head whenever he’s about to hang another bag on me, staying just out of reach of him.

“Kira, if you can carry these to the square, I’ll ask Lily to cook a meal from her homeland.”

That is very tempting, but first I need to try to counter his very obvious bribe by using guile and my keen dragon brain.

“Lily, can I try some food from your homeland?”

“Oh! What a wonderful idea, Kira! I shall fetch the ingredients we lack and order the rest right away!”

Joras watches as Lily runs off into the street, no doubt impressed by my outstanding skill outperforming him in this battle of wits. Giving him a smug look, he lets out an exasperated sigh that I feel is wholly undeserved.

“Kira, I can’t carry all of this by myself, could you please just do it for me?”

“Of course, Joras, all you had to do was ask. I love helping my friends.”

He lets out a chuckle as I settle down to let him load up his bags. I am curious about any ideas he may have about my venom. With a few pointed questions, he’s quick to explain a few things.

“I’ve worked through the night, and I’ve found a few interesting things. First, your venom becomes concentrated when exposed to elemental heat, but when I sent Lily to attempt the same with the blacksmith’s forge, it had no effect. Second, the way it interacts with magic is as acid would interact with metal. So it might be a misclassification to call it venom.”

For one night, he seems to have tried a few things already, but I’m not sure how any of that works to save Lauren.

“Third, you know that you’re a magical being and I’m a material being, but there’s another: a spiritual being. But those are just archetypes, and as such, they are not mutually exclusive. As far as we know, all beings touch all three realms of being. The magical allows us to make thought manifest, the material allows us to shape the world to our will, and the spiritual anchors us to the world.”

Wait, does that mean I’m less real than Joras? Dang, I’m a powerful thought. Nudging the ranting elf, I bring up these things about what’s more real, earning a chuckle in return.

“I can’t say, Kira. Am I more or less alive or real than a tree? We’re both material beings, both living our own lives, but we’re so vastly different. Many scholars have been stuck trying to create a distinction, but without righteous fanaticism, a distinction hasn’t been found to my knowledge. But it is this overlap between archetypes that will be my focus. The soul is said to reside in the center of what makes a being. And based on what Lauren has shared of the wretched Vile Steel, it attacks and consumes the magical aspect of what makes someone who they are until it reaches and tears apart the soul.”

Fuck, that sounds awful... I might have to face the music and apologize to Skelly’s patron for blowing up the bony weirdo. I can’t hoard my secrets if they can bring an end to this grotesquerie and it’s becoming quite clear why they call it the affront…

“Now, my idea so far is to concentrate your venom as much as I can, but I’m gonna need to harvest more. My hope is that it will burn away the Vile Steel’s food source, but that could also destroy Lauren’s magic. It will have to be her choice because this path will leave her unable to interact with the magical world.”

Geez… She loves her magic and healing people. Every time someone asks for help, I feel a tinge of joy and excitement, but being alive has to be better. I’ll need to be as supportive as I can be going forward. I’m feeling inclined to ditch these language classes and just focus entirely on her, but when I suggest that to Joras, he waves me off.

“You need to recover between harvests. Your current supply is too diluted to be helpful, so we would need four or five times as much compared to simply waiting a day or two. The last two bottles were scarcely more than saliva, while the bottle I filled with the aftermath of your licking me was many times more potent. But rest assured that I am hopeful that this is the path forward.”

Crap… That means I have to be patient… On the other hand, it means we’ve got a proper plan for how to help Lauren. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna have some words to say about potentially losing her magic, though. Yeah, thinking about her yelling at me about it is making me a little anxious, so I’m gonna use a different tool from my toolbox! Changing the subject!

“Joras, how does Tuiran’s economy work? It doesn’t make sense to me when traders from the east have stayed away until now.”

The moment of hesitation and raised eyebrow suggests to me that he considers the answer pretty obvious and common knowledge. I’m not sure I appreciate his non-verbal tone.

“Tuiran trades with other tribes in the west and the south, there are even some dwarven traders stopping by from time to time. You have to know, Kira, that goblins come in all sorts of flavors, just like every other species. If you had only met the isolationist elves of Coille-Cridhe, you would have the impression that elves were murderous and warlike. Now, if you had only met my kin, you would think elves were aloof and arrogant. While you can create art with only a few colors, greater variety helps bring true life to your creation.”

I haven’t really given this stuff much thought, but I think he might be onto something. What about Lily’s kin, though? She seems different from Joras. One day I’m gonna get both of their origin stories, but not today, today we’re learning languages and worrying about Lauren!

With Joras just standing around, I realize he finished loading me up with cargo a while ago and we’ve just been standing around blocking the street. We should probably get moving.

Heading toward the town square, he throws a question my way.

“Do you know any God-given words yet, Kira?”

“Faro. [Fuck.]”

“Outstanding… Remind me to reprimand Lauren.”

Instead of being impressed by my vast vocabulary, he just sighs and keeps walking. A bit rude, if you ask me. I do mention a few more words, like I know ‘themar’ means 'dragon' and ‘siresse’ means ‘surrender,’ which does bring a little more light to his eyes.

Arriving at the square, I see Raya surrounded by a bunch of children, that’s definitely more gobbies than I sent to fetch her. Turns out Raya is great with children, who knew?! They’re all excited to play with her and she’s engaging as many as she can, spreading the laughter and joy. Joras is gonna have trouble wrangling all of those gobbies, that’s for sure.

Greeting the children, Joras wanders over to the wall of one of the larger buildings and pulls out a piece of chalk as he lets the children know where to sit. Following his instructions, they’re quick to gather into small groups as Raya helps him manage all of the rambunctious gobbies.

I’m not sure where he wants me, so I just settle down between a few of the groups, and as I do, they scoot closer to touch me. Sneaky little things.

Watching Joras, he starts drawing a bunch of symbols with impressive accuracy. Every single line seems to go exactly where he wants it. Oh! I know that one, that’s Wria! Pointing it out only earns me a raised eyebrow and a question of how I know it, and my answer of ‘because I’m smart’ isn’t enough, it seems.

I don’t know why he’s questioning my intelligence like that, but he’s not at all satisfied with my answer, so he keeps prodding as I keep refusing. Unfortunately for me, he’s an evil mastermind, and now he has the children asking me about it too... Admitting that I got lost and Tara drew it for me only earns me a laugh from both Raya and Joras. It seems that’s more in line with what he expected.

“I’m not doubting your intelligence, Kira, I just found it odd that you knew one letter of the God-given alphabet.”

That’s fair, I guess. With Joras settling down again, he hesitates for a moment before shaking his head, making me quite curious about what he’s thinking. I’m sitting too far away to nudge him, so I have to actually ask…

“Oh, it isn’t anything important. It just occurred to me how retelling what’s going on here to anyone in the world would get me mocked as a teller of tall tales. Having an outdoor class on language with a Dragon in attendance is unusual, to say the least. Though perhaps it would do well as a bard’s tale.”

I wouldn’t mind having a bunch of musicians around singing to me, so maybe we should look into starting a band in town so we can have some reliable music. That would make food stall day even better!

“We should hire some bards and musicians to play at the food stall day! We can even make Turo pay for it! Music and storytelling are good for you and they help people find themselves, that makes it important and worth the expense!”

“While I agree that cultural subjects like songs and music are important, would you mind if we got back to the topic, Kira?”

He got serious again all of a sudden, but I’ll allow it. With my confirmation, he launches into a rant about how the hen- prefix denotes a negative word, such as hennaw meaning worse, and sarnaw meaning better. From that, I can deduce that the sar- prefix is a positive affix.

“Very good, and you can combine them into a neutral word, like Hensaryt, which means attitude. An attitude by itself is neither good nor bad, but it can be both. Similarly, Hensaristota means magic, but with time, istot has become the word used for magic. The prefixes can also change the subject of the word, such as hensora meaning beast, and sarsora meaning animal. An animal is typically not seen as bad, but a wild beast is. If you want to refer to a person, then the -eff suffix would be used. Sareff curnu heneff, friend and enemy.”

Wait… Lauren has been calling me Hensora all this time, and I didn’t realize it was negatively charged!

“Lauren! I just learned about the hen- prefix! I’m not some wild beast, you dang first-aid kit!”

She’s just amused by my outrage, and I can tell that she’s laughing it up. I’m gonna have to find a way to punish her…

A pebble bouncing off my neck brings my attention back to Joras’ class, but as I look around, I don’t see the shooter anywhere… That’s peculiar. Oh well, now that I’ve spoken my mind to Lauren, I can focus on class a bit more.

It turns out there are a bunch of words for making up a language, and this one seems to be made of a bunch of prefixes and suffixes. It’s surprisingly easy to learn, but the rules are weird. Like ‘Enoblet’ means ‘mine,’ as in something that belongs to me, but ‘my weapon’ is ‘enui fegyvet.’

Geez, someone needs to stop it with all these rules.

“And a subject you should study more is Buvilamuro, Buvi means old and Ilamuro means knowledge. Combined, they become history. We’ll go over some history once things have settled down a bit, but today we should continue to focus on the language.”

Joras is a surprisingly enjoyable teacher, sprinkling in positive reinforcement and keeping most of my attention on the subject. Looking around, the children are doing a pretty good job of following his lesson too, especially with Raya jumping in whenever it looks like one of them is struggling.

I think he might have earned himself a new job, but I’m not allowing him to bring Raya! Even here, I haven’t really had a decent opportunity to engage with her. She keeps focusing on the little gobbies, helping whenever one of them struggles. It’s quite impressive, but I’m reminded again that I haven’t been around that long, and there’s so much I need to learn, like how responsible she is.

“Now, the prefix ber- indicates a pronoun, so Kira would be a berci. Berci ti un Themar curnu eb bercin sareff.”

A bunch of the kids start murmuring about what it means, and I know this! It’s ‘She is a dragon and I am her friend!’ And he’s right, he is my friend. I may be too far away for a nudge, but maybe I’m not too far away for a lick! Stretching my neck, I give it my best as he scurries away with a chuckle. Rude. I’ll get him eventually.

“I think we need to make it clear that assaulting me, with tongues or any other limbs, is not how we express our understanding. A simple raised hand is sufficient, now everyone who understood, please raise your hands. If you need a little more help, remember to let Raya or me know, and we will be right with you.”

Most of the gobbies raise their hands, but a few look timid as they keep their hands down. Joras is quick to praise both those who are caught up as well as those who aren’t, encouraging them to ask more questions in the face of confusion.

All of a sudden, an important question springs to my mind, and I need answers fast.

“Joras, when is the next food stall day? I have to attend, it’s been too long!”

I didn’t ask for you to cover your face and sigh, Joras! Geez, he’s just being rude now.

“It’s tomorrow, Kira. Is your focus spent, or can you keep going a little longer?”

I think I might be spent, I need a stretch and a snack. Letting him know, he’s quick to dismiss his students, and instead of leaving, they help him gather up his books. Getting up, I move to him to nudge him, thanking him for taking the time to help me out with this.

“When you’re ready, we can continue, we should also discuss other topics, such as this Skelly character and your upcoming meeting with Wreyn. But before that, I wish to apologize, Kira. I didn’t mean to become frightened of you, and I can imagine it being hurtful.”

Aww… he deserves a lick.

“Get back here, Joras, and let me lick you!”

Chasing after the unexpectedly agile elf, we leave Raya to deal with the children, but I’m having no luck at all catching up to Joras.

He easily navigates the tide of people, while I have to wait for them to split and let me through. It’s cheating! He’s definitely cheating, and it isn’t any less cheating that he can take the side passages that are too narrow for me!

I might have to enlist some help to subdue the wily alchemist. Being able to see over buildings isn’t helpful at all when Joras isn’t tall enough to be spotted over them. I can still track him, but I’m pretty sure he’s just going home, so that isn’t helpful either.

I’m just gonna give up for now, I’ll get him eventually. Dang it… I have to take a different route, I can’t turn around here without causing damage. He knew! Oooh! He’s gonna get so many licks!

“Lauren, if you see Joras, I demand that you lick him for me! He has offended the Great Guardian Dragon of Tuiran!”

As expected, I just get a wave of amusement back.

“You better not be laughing, Lauren! This is serious stuff! Lick and poke the offender!”

Yeah, she’s definitely laughing at me. I need some backup, and I know just where to find it. Following the streets I fit through, I make my way toward the square again. They take me through some of the streets I’m less familiar with, and I’m quite pleased to see a few taverns serving food.

This entire street smells fantastic, and I’m inclined to sample the goods. It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper meal, and I haven’t eaten today, so that works out nicely! In retrospect, I should have tried some of those pastries.

“Hey Kira. Wanna get some food before you see the messenger?”

Raya is here! And she knows me so well. Wait, what messenger? I don’t know about any messenger. While I’m busy wondering about this development, Raya jumps onto my face and slides down my neck to reach the ground. I wanna go dragon surfing too.

“I do want some food, Raya, but what messenger? This is the first I’m hearing about it.”

“He wouldn’t say, just that he was sent to talk to you from Oakhold. I’ll be right back with something good. Wait here!”

Ooh, something good sounds good. Though I’m pretty sure this messenger situation is because I didn’t show up to Wreyn’s meeting yesterday. That happens, I can’t be everywhere at once.

That being said, I should go there soon and join in on this meeting stuff. I’ve been doing very important stuff, but- Oh! Raya’s back! And she’s got two bowls of something delicious-smelling.

Holding one out for me, I maneuver myself into a position to allow me access to the deliciousness. These streets really weren’t built with me in mind, I’m having to back up slowly to get into a position where I can comfortably lower my head down to the ground.

But now that I have sorted that, I open my mouth and Raya just chugs the entire bowl in. If I didn’t like the extra crunch, I’d be a little offended by this callous disregard for the possibilities of splinters. More importantly, my nose was right! It’s delicious!

Before I have a chance to nudge Raya for more, I see her eyeing her bowl with curiosity, and then she just takes a bite out of it! Well, hearing what she thinks of it will be interesting. Judging by the spitting, I’d wager she does not like the woodsy flavor.

“How can you eat that, Kira?”

“Like this!”

Her bowl isn't empty, so I quickly close my mouth over her hand and snatch the bowl with my tongue! Hah! More for me.

“I’m getting seconds, Kira, and you’re paying!”

What?! When did this become my treat?

“Get me seconds too, Raya!”

Yeah, getting some more of that delicious stuff is important enough to pay for. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s some sort of thick chowder or maybe gruel; it’s delicious.

Something smells afraid... Sniffing the air some more, I notice it coming from behind me and there’s some human guy standing there. He looks very unimpressive, wearing some sort of quilted outfit with an insignia on it.

“Lady Kira, by command of Lord Wreyn, you are to appear in Oakhold by nightfall to discuss a matter of grave importance.”

Well, that’s a surprise, I did not expect him to speak Raya’s language. And for how afraid he is, he did a very good job of saying that with a straight face. Though the murmurs from people around us do serve to make his resolve falter. I’m not sure I would be able to keep up my bravery with the locals around me talking about well-fed dragons and butchers losing business when fools appear.

I don’t just eat people, folks! It has happened a few times, but it’s not THAT common! They are right, though, I don’t like this ‘command’ business, but I’m not sure Wreyn would have told someone to command me to do something. I suspect it’s a moment of artistic license on this guy’s part.

I’m gonna have a little fun with him.

“Why would I listen to someone speaking to my back, human? Stand before me or leave.”

He’s quick to scurry by me, taking great care not to touch me, but my people aren’t making it easy. Between standing in his way and my focused gaze, he’s encountering some struggles as he tries to reach the street in front of me. As soon as he manages it, he bows and repeats his message, saying ‘command’ again, causing the small crowd forming to grow temperamental.

“Am I not worthy of a ‘please,’ messenger?”

Emphasizing the word please with a show of teeth, the tantalizing scent of fear kicks up a notch. It’s quite enjoyable.

“Kira, don’t be an ass. I already got the message from Neithro, and Wreyn ASKED you to join him. You can leave this dumb human alone now.”

With Raya speaking up, the crowd calms down and starts dispersing, leaving the messenger as the sole focus of my watchful eye. I’m not sure he likes that. Wait…

If Raya already got the message, she could just have told me and we could have avoided all of this. Oh well, I don’t mind, it was fun messing with this guy, and I’m sure he’ll get some sort of reward for delivering the message. He did do it twice, and it takes some impressive fortitude to walk up to a dragon and throw around commands like that. Well, fortitude or being Raya, she’s a beast in her own right.

I haven’t had time to learn all that much of Lauren’s language, but it will have to do. I can’t keep postponing this meeting Wreyn wants. I am a little curious to see how Shaft is holding up.

“Wanna join me for the trip, Raya? I could use someone who knows how to handle a political situation.”

“Sure! But it’s my turn to burn down a town.”

To emphasize, she conjures a ball of fire in her hand. I’m pretty sure she just told me to stop messing with the messenger, and there she goes making him smell delicious again.

Giving her a nudge of disapproval, she squeezes the fire into a poof of smoke and takes the opportunity to jump up and grab my horn, swinging herself onto my head. She’s way too good at that.

With a gentle suggestion, I let the messenger know that he can start walking toward the nearest gate so we can head to Wreyn’s place. He seems hesitant, especially about walking in front of me, but he’s doing a good job of keeping it together.

Reaching a fork in the street, he stops, not knowing where to go. Lowering my head to him, I breathe on his neck, eliciting an adorable yelp. I think I’ve teased him enough, so I give him some quick instructions on the carvings of Tuiran’s streets. He seems quite receptive, and he’s quick to learn. Good job, messenger!

Well, he did a good job until he turned down a street I can’t fit through. Honest mistake, but the look on his face when he realizes is very funny. Raya stands up and walks onto my nose, fixing her gaze in the messenger’s direction.

“You dare offend the Guardian Dragon?! What would Wreyn think if he knew you were creating a crisis like this by not considering the needs of the esteemed and girthy person you’re escorting?!”

Okay, that might be going a bit far. The messenger is more horrified than I’ve seen him since I met him about an hour ago. Moving my head into the narrower street with the messenger, I pick him up with my tongue and move him to a more appropriately sized street so we can continue.

Raya really did a number on him, he’s terrified. With a few reassurances that it’s fine, I’m not offended, he calms down a bit, looking quite relieved. Raya even apologizes, but I think that’s just for show, she had too much fun with him.

To his credit, he tries very hard to be subtle as he steals glances whenever we reach a junction. I’m pretty sure this guy is used to dealing with uptight people in a very specific and firm way.

As we reach the west-heading main road, he starts guiding us toward the gate, but I already know that I’m too big for the western gate. So, clearing my throat, I share those details with him and let him know that we’ll be heading toward the square instead.

The longer we walk, the calmer he gets, which is both a relief and a little disappointing. He has been an excellent scent stick so far, but at the same time, I can’t just keep frightening the guy.

Instead of focusing on this guy, my thoughts wander back to Skelly, and I’m curious how bad turning to dust actually was for the skeleton. They did mention phylacteries, so it’s possible that they have one and we’ll meet again. If we do, I’ll apologize for the whole disintegration situation.

I wanna ask Raya what she thinks, but not while we’re being listened to.

All that ‘command’ business aside, this messenger has been quite reasonable, so now that we’re in the square, and I have enough room to take flight, I pick him up with a clawed hand around his waist and take off. It turns out I can keep frightening the guy, who knew.

With Raya sitting on top of me and a screaming human under me, we fly toward Oakhold for an important business meeting! Speeding up helps quiet him down, but rather than him getting used to the situation, he just passed out. I’ll have to keep an eye on him now. If he stays passed out for too long, it could be quite a problem.

Going even faster, we hurry toward Oakhold, and to my relief, he seems to have transitioned from passed out to gently sleeping. I have no idea how he’s managing that, but it does mean there’s one thing I must do.

By the time we reach Oakhold, the sun has just begun to set, which is perfect. With as much focus and care as I can possibly muster, we land in Wreyn’s garden, and I put Sleepy Guy down in the grass.

It’s time to make some preparations. In full sneak mode, I break away pieces of the stone wall surrounding Wreyn’s garden and spread them around in a general ‘ruin’ aesthetic. With the scene ready, Raya helps move the messenger to the now broken wall, and I spread out my wings to cover him in darkness, the last light of the day shining through my membranes, creating a surprisingly spooky scene.

With a soft slap, Raya wakes him up and he’s looking mighty confused.

“Good! You’re awake, Messenger! You’ve slept through millennia and I, the Mighty Dragon of Endless Night, have come to bestow upon you a mission of utmost importance! Only you can save the world from the evil dragon-goblins!"

To really drive it home, I pick up Raya and show her to the messenger. She immediately gets into character and starts clawing and chomping in his direction as I hold her just out of reach.

“No! I can’t! I haven’t received proper training and I’m no fighter! Please! I have to return to my family! You have to help me back! By the Gods! Did Lord Wreyn reach Lady Kira? Please tell me that he managed to convince her to help with the cultists! Is this because he lost?!”

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind me ruins my fun, and I fold up my wings again. Raya loses control and bursts out laughing, adding to the messenger’s confusion. She did so well holding back her laughter and staying in character. Putting her down on the ground, she falls over, clutching her stomach.

Looking back at the folks behind me, I see Wreyn and Shaft standing there. I have no idea what that expression on Shaft is, but Wreyn appears to be both amused and annoyed as he casts his talky spell.

“The Mighty Dragon of Endless Night, you say? A powerful ally to have. Though I must say, the next time you feel the urge to terrorize someone, please do leave my walls intact. And what did he do to deserve this?”

Okay, that’s fair, it’s possible I took it too far. And since Wreyn asked, I give him a quick rundown of how I met his messenger, causing the old man to draw a sharp breath before composing himself again and relaxing his shoulders.

Instead of dwelling on unimportant stuff like that, Wreyn suggests we get down to business since it seems Shaft has shared some critical details that supposedly change everything. This idea of changing everything does make me a little curious about what the original state of things was.

With a finger pointed towards a window on the second floor of his house, he starts explaining how we are gonna do this.

“My office is through that window. Maya and I shall go through the house, but I will open the window, allowing you to join us, Kira. Neithro will be arriving shortly. Gregory, you may take the rest of the day… no, the week off.”

It seems he’s in a hurry to get started, so I give Raya a nudge as she calms down and spends some time lying in the grass.

“My stomach hurts, Kira.”

Yeah, that’s what happens when you almost laugh yourself unconscious.

Helping her up again, I lower my head to the ground and she climbs on, struggling a little more than usual as the cramps from laughing have taken their toll. Lifting her to the window, she jumps in as soon as Wreyn opens it, and I place my head on the windowsill, ignoring the crunch of wood and the side-eye from Wreyn.

“So, first of all, Maya, I understand that you feel great animosity toward Kira, for good reason, but if you truly wish to help, you will need to set that aside for now. Kira, Maya tells me you ate her hammer. Is there any chance she can have it back?”

Oh, right. That’s why I call her Shaft. Well, as luck would have it, I haven’t added it to my hoard yet, so I regurgitate the hammerhead onto Wreyn’s floor, alongside some money I had forgotten about. When did I eat those… Doesn’t matter, they’re mine, so I want them back. Trying to angle my head to get them, I’m interrupted by a frantic Wreyn.

“Stop! Kira! My home cannot withstand such abuse!”

Shaft sits by a large table as Wreyn and Raya start picking up my money and feeding me. Delicious as always. Returning to his seat, Wreyn brings the heavy hammerhead to Shaft, which she takes hold of and drags toward herself. She doesn't look happy to have it back as she glares at me.

Giving Wreyn’s office an inspection, I notice that it’s far more humble than I expected. The walls have a couple of paintings, one of a landscape, and one above his escritoire depicting a beautiful woman holding a baby. I’m curious about the history, but Wreyn has looked at it a few times, and every time, he pauses for just a second.

“Now, Kira, Maya has brought to my attention the presence of Vile Steel in Plainshold. It is clear that you need to be informed of the threat it poses to you, but also to the entire region. To keep secrets from causing strife in the future, I fear I must inform you that I knew of Lord Awirtatin of Plainshold’s fascination with darker arts and how he used bandits and lawbreakers to feed his interests. But trust me when I say that I did not know the depths of his depravity! If I had known, if I could have done anything, I would have put a stop to this!”

Well, at least I squished him, so that part is dealt with. And Plainshold is a ruin, so that’s not much of a base of operations for these cultists.

“Fului are we averilanei this with that beast, Megnar Wreyn?! Udu muto nura turn on us like udu did Plainshold! [Why are we discussing this with that beast, Lord Wreyn?! It will just turn on us like it did Plainshold!]“

Well, I caught most of that, so I’ve got the gist of what she’s saying. I don’t see a reason to reveal that I’m learning their language, though. Besides, Raya is quick to translate the whole thing for me, so I can use this to learn even more words! I will soon be the Mighty Dragon of Linguistics!

What I do reveal is that I know about the Cultists of the Affront and that we have killed a few of them. Wreyn relays it to Shaft and receives another earful of her disapproval of me.

“Maya, if you cannot focus, you cannot stay. Without Kira, we have no way of finding these cultists. She has found and killed several, we have found none.”

Okay, I incapacitated one by eating it, Skelly killed it, and Raya took out some others, so I don’t really have a kill count yet as far as I know. Wait, I killed the barrier guy, that’s one cultist I killed. But returning to the table of animosity, I’m feeling a little annoyed at all of this aggression aimed my way by Shaft, so I may be letting my vindictive side out to take a jab at her.

“Shaft says I’ll turn on you, but she’s the one who fought side by side with the cultists to attack me.”