Chapter 268: Dragons and Things (1/2)

Touch of Fate mobius_factor 47250K 2022-07-24

”He's always doing this kind of thing. Jerking me around on a whim. Never giving me an explanation but still expecting my obedience.” Morris grumbled as the two of them walked towards the dining hall. Characteristically, Count Graveston hadn't bothered to reconnect the doorway to his office before they'd been dismissed, meaning they now had a much longer trek back to the party.

[Judging from what little I can glean about his personality, I'm sure he has his reasons for this.] Mike thought while politely listening to his friend vent.

”And! And, whenever I ask him why, he just acts disappointed! Like I'm supposed to have figured it out already, or something!” The younger Graveston continued in a louder voice.

”Could he be trying to test you, or maybe teach you?” Mike offered. ”You know, like he wants you to pick up the ability to read people and deduce their motivations purely by what actions they take.”

Morris shrugged dismissively, ”I don't know...maybe. That's something he would do. However, that doesn't make it any less infuriating for me.”

Giving a sympathetic smile, Mike allowed the topic to drop, knowing that his good-natured friend would be back to normal in a few minutes. In the meantime, he made sure to pass a few bits of dried meat to Audra.

She was poking out of her specially designed pocket on the left side of his formal coat. He'd had the tailor modify it specifically for this purpose, even though it ruined the otherwise sleek lines of the outfit.

Ordinarily, she would have already had dinner by now, but his diversion with the Count meant that her meal had been delayed by roughly a half hour. Judging from the way that she's been chirping angrily at him, this constituted a sin against all dragonkind and demanded immediate redress. The dried meat was evidently enough to assuage the worst of her hunger, but she looked far from satisfied.

”Bear with it for now.” He murmured to her, ”As soon as we get to the dining hall, I'll find you something more substantial.”

Clearly understanding his intent, if not the full meaning of his words, the little dragon quieted down, and was content to merely peer around curiously from the safety of her pocket.

”Seems like you picked up quite the handful there.” Morris commented from the side. ”What did you say she was?”

Mike hesitated for a second, wondering if it was wise to share that kind of information, but immediately felt guilty for the thought. There were few people in this world that he trusted as much as the man walking beside him, and none that he trusted more.

”According to the last time I used Appraise on her, she's a Tempest Wyrm.”

Morris stopped in the hallway, face stoney. He glanced around quickly, before pulling out a rune-carved wooden stake and stabbing it into the floor, somehow embedding it there. The air around them took on a strangely mist-like consistency.

”Hm? What's wrong?” Mike asked, noting that his voice echoed strangely. He took a moment to Appraise the bit of wood.

--------------------

Privacy Stake

Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 1)

A magic item crafted from the wood of the Dampening Trees of the Whispering Forest. When stabbed into the ground it creates a temporary zone of discretion that prevents sound from escaping. Will also foil most Tier 2 or lower forms of magical divination for the duration. Functions for up to three minutes at a time, but must recharge for at least 24 hours between uses.

---------------------

”...You said Wyrm, right?” His friend asked in a monotone.

”Umm...yes?”

Morris clutched his head with both hands for a few seconds before simply sighing. ”Haaa...I know I shouldn't be too surprised considering who you are and what you've done so far, but sometimes it's just too much. Do you have any idea what this means?”

”Not really.” Mike replied with a shrug. He figured that Audra was a special case, especially after the whole mind melding thing she did, but this kind of reaction seemed a bit excessive.

”Wyrms, at least in the context of dragons, are one of the many kinds of the ancient creatures that once ruled this world during the First Age. Which is, by the way, the period of time where unrestrained mana led to the rise of beings so powerful and massive that they could sink islands and crush mountains with ease. They grew so dangerous that the Gods of Creation themselves fashioned the System for the express purpose of putting an end to their rampages.”

Mike looked down at the little dragon sitting in his pocket and had a hard time picturing her as the kaiju-like monster Morris was describing. ”That's all well and good, but now that they are functioning under the restrictions of the System, this shouldn't be an issue, right?”

His friend sighed and rubbed his forehead. ”Supposedly, the vast majority of the creatures that lived during the First Age couldn't function once the System was in place, and died out in short order. However, there are a few notable exceptions. Some of them were able to adapt to the new environment, and even came to take advantage of it. Wyrms, specifically, were one of the more successful species.”

”Ok, but then why aren't they all over the place, then? I doubt even the High Elves could do much to creatures like that.”

”Second Age historians have some theories about that, based on evidence gathered from High Elven ruins. While some believe that the Wyrms largely abandoned this realm for another, or that they retreated to the most inaccessible parts of the world, the leading theory is that they intentionally weakened their racial abilities in order to more readily adapt to the new mana flow. This, in turn, supposedly led to the creation of the wide variety of draconic beings that now reside in Ea. Some suggest that they even managed to take on humanoid forms and blend in with the developing High Elven society, and may even still be doing so, but that remains hard to prove. Perhaps the gods know for sure, but they remain silent on the subject.”

”While that's all fascinating, it doesn't really explain why you're acting so concerned.” Mike commented dryly, hoping that the bard would get to the point.

[Ah, this feels nostalgic. When was the last time I received one of Professor Morris's lectures.]