Heart of a God Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Several dragons stood in the dimly lit room, orbs of different colored flames, the only source of light. Each of them wearing different vestments, a bright, ruby red dragon with four horns made of pure ruby, wore very royal looking robes, while the dragoness next to him, who had neon green scales, wore a healer's vestment. Across from them, a royal blue dragon stood, his horns were a little more difficult to see compared to everyone else's, since one of them curved back down the back of his neck, out of this horn, came three smaller horns, going further down his neck, was a set of horns similar to fins, which seemed to represent him as a sea dragon, his vestment, was a dark blue robe, which seemed to glisten a bit from the light of the nearby flame.
On the royal blue dragon's right, a dark red dragon wearing golden armor, compared to the others, this dragon seemed less regal, and more warrior-like, a mane stretching down the back of his head, and past his tail, although neither sets of fur connected in the least on his body. Around his eyes a patch of black scales, that seemed to hold a tattoo-like appearance. On this dragon's right, was a blood red dragoness wearing a snow white robe with grey trim along the edges of the robe itself.
Across from them, on the left of the royal blue dragon, was an emerald green dragon wearing a grass skirt. He had several spines on his body, on various locations, six horns traveling down the back of his head and neck as well. On his chest, were also various tribal tattoos, along with a tribal necklace, which consisted of several fangs, and beads.
The last remaining dragoness in the room, was the youngest compared to everyone else, and judging by her age, she was just observing what went on in the meeting, wearing a multi-colored robe, which appeared to have been hand colored. The scales on her body were a pure glistening white, while down her chest, was a bright, ruby red. She had two horns on her head, which curled forward, forming a backward 'C', both looked like they had been dipped in red very slightly. The unusual thing about her however, was not her paintbrush-like tail, but it was the considerable fact that her white scales had been painted. Patches of different color were visible, although the robe hid most of them, a few were visible on her arms, and one on her cheek.
Once everyone had taken their spots, the ruby red dragon cleared his throat, rather loudly. After he cleared his throat, he began adjusting the papers he held in his hands, before finally setting them down.
"First order of business...I'm sure everyone is aware by now, but, this is Idamarisa's first meeting, so, she'll just be observing...however, her inauguration isn't that far away, after all, she's almost seventeen, which means, she will be officially joining us as a full time Goddess." the ruby red dragon explained, as he shifted through the small stack of papers he had. "Next order of business, mission assignments, and unfortunately, these missions I have are of the utmost importance, and I apologize in advance for giving a few of you the missions I did." This only rose curiosity among the rest of the dragons, as they awaited the announcements, the royal blue dragon seemed to fidget a bit after hearing this, as if he knew he might not like what he would get.
"First, to you Crizon...your assignment is to a distant world, to help guide the heroes there, in a way without directly approaching them..to help them end the war right, Rose...your mission, is also to that very same world, to provide assistance to Crizon if he needs it." Both of the red dragons nodded simply in response, not having a serious problem with their mission, given the fact that Crizon had spent much more time, compared to the others in the mortal world.
"Next, we have Emerol's mission..." the ruby dragon began. "His mission, along with Sri, is to aide in the restoration of a world that has been ravaged by wars, which have finally ceased." seconds after hearing this, the neon green dragoness turned up to her mate, with a bit of a sad look on her face.
"Aw...do I have to go, Kyros?" she asked in a bit of a childish tone, trying to put on an innocent act, even though she knew this mission was business, and she had to do it, she enjoyed teasing him none the less.
The moment he saw the puppy-dog eyes she was giving him, he almost froze, being one of his greatest weaknesses, especially at times like this. He uncomfortably adjusted the collar of his robe as a fine layer of sweat formed on his scales, unsure of how to respond. Taking a moment to think, he leaned in closer to her, whispering:
"I'll tell you what...if you do a good job...I'll reward you when you get back, Sri" And those were the words the neon green dragoness wanted to hear, after hearing them, she smiled innocently, acting as though she hadn't done anything at all, which simply made the royal blue dragon roll his eyes.
Clearing his throat, Kyros spoke up yet again. "And for Alakai, your assignment is an observation mission in the mortal world, the world of Lithalia." Hearing this made the blue dragon's eyes widen a bit, however, in a moment, he relaxed rather quickly. "You must observe the lives of the mortals....for a full year, and once again, I'm sorry, but, compared to everyone else...you've spent the least amount of time in the mortal world...I figure...it would be good for you...feel free to enjoy yourself while you're down there too...you can consider it...a working vacation."
Hearing this assignment didn't seem to phase Alakai as his father had expected, instead, Kyros watched as his son quietly walked out of the room, to which he was thankful for, however he knew Alakai was still rather angry, judging by the way he had walked out of the room.
In Alakai's room, he had already began packing up for his year-long mission, tossing into a bag, first came a few of his books, most of which were his potion books and spell books. Although he was a god, even he didn't have a perfect memory, which is why he had the books, for reference, not only that, one of the books contained information that could very well help him in the mortal world. On top of the books, he placed a notebook, which had a fine silver quill stuck in the bindings, this would be his notebook for the mission.
On top of the notebook, he added a few stacks of clothing, after which, he quickly sealed the bag, and tossed it over his shoulder with the necessary supplies he needed. Just as he was making his way to the door though, he snapped his head around, looking back into the room.
"Oh! Almost forgot...I need money...and I'll need to change my clothes." he muttered to himself, sliding back into the room, first, changing out of his robe, and into something a bit more appropriate. A white vest, which revealed a fair amount of his chest scales, and pair of white pants that some warriors typically wore. Because it was a neutral outfit, and quite a common one, he would blend in rather well in the mortal world. After adjusting the fabric on his body a bit in front of a mirror, he once again picked up his bag, before making his way back to the door.
The moment he walked through it, he found himself in a forest, which had been intentional, a quick form of travel between the worlds, whereas a door acted as a way for him to get around to places normal people couldn't reach. Once on the other side of the doorway, he moved the door into the closed position, after which, the doorway itself vanished. Seconds later, a crack of thunder echoed across the sky, which caused him to look up slowly, feeling a few drops of rain fall on his face.
'Excellent timing...' he thought, moving a paw over his head to shield himself from the rain, as he scrambled to find a pathway. It didn't take him long to find one, thankfully, although, given the fact he hadn't been paying as much attention as he should, it caused him to literally crash into another dragon. Both of them were pushed back, landing on their butts, Alakai rubbed his head as a reflex to the burning sensation on the top of his head.
"Now that smarts..." the royal blue dragon said. "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention."
"Its okay, it was partially my fault too." Came a reply, by this time, the dragon had already dusted himself off, and was now offering to help him up. Alakai instantly took the dragon's offer, feeling himself being pulled to his feet.
"Thanks." he said. "And say...you wouldn't happen to know the direction of the nearest town, would you?" For a moment, the unnamed dragon gave him a look of confusion, before shaking it off.
"About half a mile back that way." he replied, gesturing back behind himself. "But I should warn you though...that town isn't exactly the nicest...I mean...its a beautiful town, but its also a port town, which means...it sees a lot of seedy individuals...not only that...some of the people who live there...are how can I say? Greedy."
"Money grubbers?" Alakai asked.
"More then that, some of the home owners tend to overcharge for the houses they sell...which is why my family and I live in the next town over, I was just in this town, checking the market." he replied.
"Oh, don't worry...I know how to handle people like that." Alakai said, leaving a bit of mystery in his words. "Thanks for the directions, and for the heads up."
"Its no problem, and take care." came the dragon's reply.
"You too." Alakai replied to the dragon's, waving to him goodbye, before almost breaking into a run along the path, trying to get out of the increasing rain shower. 'Note to self, next time when I choose a location, I have to make sure its not raining there.' he scolded in his own head.
Even though he was running at a breakneck speed, it still felt like it was taking longer than it should to reach this town, but finally, after what felt like forever, he finally came to the gates of the town. Just like the dragon had said, the town did indeed look a bit...seedy, from what Alakai could observe just from standing at the gates, he could tell it wouldn't be the most ideal place for his year long mission, however, it would be a good place to start. Although, what worried him was the factor of the rather large...pirate vessel currently in port, although upon seeing the crew, he seemed to relax quite a bit, seeing they weren't causing any damage, but instead buying what they need in a rather polite fashion, even given they were pirates, they were very well mannered.
After a few moments, he paid little mind to them, as he passed quietly through the gate, the guards paying him little mind. This worried the dragon rather considerably, but, since the land had an extended time of peace, it was understandable. As he made his way quietly through the streets of the town, he saw several stalls, which had items, ranging from jewelry, to weaponry, to even fruits and vegetables. Some of what he saw drew his interest, but he didn't really buy anything, as his focus was more on finding a place to stay, instead of buying useless items that he didn't need.
After nearly twenty minutes of walking through the town, he came upon a small neighborhood, which had quite a few "For Sale" signs in front of several of the houses. This made him wonder, growing a bit curious about the state of this town, but almost instantly he remembered that it was a port town, and he guessed that the fear that it may be attacked by pirates, whom had already departed from the docks, prevented quite a few people from living there.
"Hey, good sir." a voice said, catching Alakai's attention fairly quickly, causing him to turn in the direction of a bright yellow dragon. Thankfully, by this time the rain had stopped, but the clouds hadn't parted, which he was once again thankful for, because with this dragon's bright scales, it would probably hurt his eyes.
"Hmm?" he questioned, as his gaze met the yellow dragon. "What is it?"
"Seems like you're looking for a place to stay." he said. "Would you be interested in buying a house?" Alakai's eyes flashed for an instant, showing a bit of interest, however, the dragon failed to notice this. In truth, he did want to buy a house even if he was only staying for a year, but, he didn't want this dragon to know that, having read a book just recently on some good haggling techniques.
"It depends...." he replied in a monotone voice, making it look as though he wasn't interested. By the tone of his voice the yellow dragon grew rather worried, this would be his first potential customer, and he didn't want to screw it up.
"I-I'll give you a good deal! I promise!" he responded, in a rather rushed voice. This gave the royal blue dragon an indication that, this would be extremely easy.
"I'll see what you have to show me...but, it better be a nice house...or I'm taking my business to the next town." Alakai lied. The dragon swallowed hard at the intimidating look in his eyes, his nervousness growing. "Now...show me the best quality home you are permitted to sell."
The yellow dragon simply nodded in response, trying to keep his cool as he began to lead Alakai down the stone walkway. Five minutes of walking, and they reached a medium sized home, that had two windows on the front, as well as a small patch which had an herb garden growing in front. The home looked as though it had been very well taken care of, just looking at the outside impressed the blue dragon, but he wasn't sold yet, being the perfectionist he was, he of course, saw this as possibly too good to be true. Quickly, he reached into his bag, pulling out the notepad and the quill, which he began to write his first set of notes in it.
"Okay, let me begin...what is the initial asking price for this home?" he asked.
"I'd say...five hundred gold pieces." Came his answer, which Alakai quickly jotted down. Somehow, the quill itself seemed to be able to write, even without being dipped in ink, but that was namely due in part to the fact it was an enchanted quill, which allowed him to write, without having ink at the access, as long as he actually filled it with ink, much like a pen. After finishing two sentences of notes, he slid the quill back into the spiral binding of the notebook, before he virtually slithered like a snake over to the house.
He began with the windows, tapping on the glass to test their strength, then, he examined the paint detail on the walls, as well as the craftsmanship, which was fairly detailed. He scratched at the paint with a single claw, testing just how long ago it had been painted, since he couldn't tell just by the detail. Nothing chipped off from the wall, which left him a tad impressed.
'I see...looked as though it has been painted recently....' he thought, instantly spiraling around to the herb garden. "Were these grown by the caretaker of the house, or the previous owners?" he asked.
"Umm....I think the caretaker...since this house is actually pre-furnished." the dragon said.
"Then that answers my next question...that raises the value of the house depending on the value of the furniture and how nice the interior is." By this time, Alakai was acting just like an inspector, which made the yellow dragon grow even more nervous, since he didn't know a thing about the house either, just that, it was one of the hardest houses to sell in town. "After a brief tour of the home...if that's alright with you...I'll make my decision."
"O-okay, and i-its alright." this time, the dragon's voice shook a little, almost like he was about to buckle under the pressure that he was being put under, but, nonetheless, he still politely lead the dragon into the home. The first room inside, wasn't a foyer, but it was instead, the living room. The floors were made of finely carved wood, the grains lining up really nicely with each other, and the walls were painted a fine grey, which seemed to go well with the light color of the mahogany color of the floor. Hanging from the ceiling, was a candle-lit chandelier, which was made out of a shining silver, which greatly impressed Alakai. Underneath the chandelier, was the finely carved wooden table, although topside, it appeared to be finely carved, a quick look under and several cracks could be seen, which made the blue dragon frown, this was his first disappointment, after seeing such a wonderful room.
The table aside, what really tied the room together, aside from the beautiful dark blue carpet, was the beautiful stone fireplace, it really made the room feel like home, although he didn't have a fireplace in his room, it still made it feel homely for him, but not wanting to make a hasty decision, he simply walked over to the fireplace, beginning by first moving his paw over the stone, carefully searching for cracks, once he found it to be clean of cracks on the outside, he opened the grate, and began examining the flue. Although this was dangerous, he had little choice, it was at this time he saw it hadn't been cleaned out in a rather...long time... and that would save him a bit of money, but hurt the original asking price, but not by much, even adding the table, but it wasn't until he noticed one thing in particular, cracks in the stone, probably from the heat of the flames, this would significantly hurt the price, even if he could fix it with great ease.
Alakai quickly pulled himself out of the flue, shaking and dusting the soot off of his scales and clothes, before turning to the dragon.
"Well, I think I've seen enough...my offer is this...four hundred gold pieces, which is still a good price...but, with what I've seen, although this place is nice...there may be a few problems that would need to be fixed...aside from the ones I just saw." he explained, almost instantly, the yellow dragon's eyes lit up, seeing this as a chance to make his first sale, even if he himself wasn't thinking clearly enough on it, it was just, this dragon made him nervous, and he just wanted to get the day done with.
"Done deal!" he almost shouted in response, taking ahold of Alakai's paw almost instantly. He wasn't too surprised at this reaction, pulling out the necessary amount of gold, handing it to the yellow dragon in a small bag. After receiving it, he almost dashed out of the house, wanting to get as far away as possible from the royal blue dragon, before he himself got an inspection. "ENJOY YOUR HOME!" he shouted to his buyer, vanishing into the crowds of the market.
"I hope he didn't just rip me off..." Alakai muttered to himself, gently setting his bag down on the couch, as he himself almost collapsed on it, closing his eyes and drifting off into sleep.