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Sent Kobold

Chapter 5: Legend's Fall

By Twilus Santari

Author's Note: !Warning! Extra long story, I think I gave it a bit much, fair warning. On another note, if you have any questions, please make a comment here or at my user page, I know I take some time making these and it's nice to respond to a question now and then.

Wandering, the two will find that deciding about life and death brings new, and sometimes unpleasant, thoughts to consider.

---

"...forty nine, fifty platinum pieces," counted out the captain of the guard as he handed the reward money to Baous' hand. Splitting it in half, he tapped on the Serhis' shoulder and handed over his share.

Serhis turned his attention back to the wall of glowering faces of assorted species sitting down on the bench, all of them gagged and bound by the hands, but their eyes spoke for them, four pairs of eyes staring death at the pair of Kobolds.

Well, three pairs and one, if you counted the one with the swollen face. When he had summoned the giant bee, he didn't expect such an allergic reaction from the bandit.

A week had passed since the incident at the village of marionettes, traveling towards the hills and mountains. It was a quiet enough trip, though the both of them had taken every opportunity to crack a joke whenever the chance came up or they had witnessed some really stupid decisions made by someone else.

They had dropped a letter off at the first town they crossed with full details about the incident, only to be detained at the next one. Someone had decided to send a message spell to the surrounding area about looking out for a pair of Kobolds to be stopped for questioning. One of which was why they both called themselves Kobolds. It wasn't that they were rude about it, but the guards could have been nicer when they took them in. After again having to repeat everything in detail to the captain of the guard to his wrinkled gnomish face, they were free to go, but Serhis had inquired about anything of note in the area and the only thing was a rash of bandit activity and the reward for the group's capture.

And how here they were again, inside the guard house, this time a bit less roughly handled when they came though the door and this time towing in the whole gang. It wasn't that they needed the money, though it was a nice bonus, but more of something to do to pass the time.

Looking for a Kobold undercity was a hit-or-miss affair, usually looking at someplace with some form of mineral vein was a good start, but same could be said of any race that had a knack for mining and industry. The reason Serhis wanted to stay in the town rather than continuing on was that he'd hoped to find some indication that a Kobold mine was nearby, instead of aimlessly looking around and poking his nose into some random cave that had the same chance of being a hill giant's home instead of an entrance. That, and he needed to shed again, which he rather preferred to do in a nice and comfortable inn instead of in the middle of the woods somewhere.

Fixing his goggles in front of his eyes, Serhis walked into the sunlit streets of the town of Boneridge to go to the inn they had been staying in, Baous going off to the market to sell the stuff they had picked off the bandits. It was a nice enough inn, the beds were clean and the food was relatively fresh, though he could have done without the all the looks he got.

This was mainly a dwarf town, a dwarven mine had been set up some distance further up the mountains and this place dealt in the trade or manufacturing of the iron ore they dug out of the ground. Though the tensions between the Kobold and Dwarf races weren't as bitter as between Kobolds and Gnomes, there were still some stereotypes that held sway. Lately that had lessened the longer the pair of them stayed here, they turned from objects of ridicule to a minor curiosity, it was an odd sight to see a furry dog creature that claimed to be a Kobold belting out Dwarven traditional songs with all the nuances that most non-dwarf speakers missed and even more so when he reached vocal ranges that were reserved only for instruments and highly trained singers.

Serhis still couldn't figure out how Baous could drink so much without even the barest trace of it affecting him. The strongest thing he'd ever consume would be sacramental wine or something similar every now and then, a health practice he picked up from Helena, but seeing the canine going toe to toe in a drinking contest comprised of the legendary dwarven ales and beers was baffling. Turns out that it only took affect after a while, when Baous started howling at the moon and going off in tangents in his head later that night. In the morning, no hangover, no nothing.

What was it about the saying about "the hair of the dog that bit you"? What about the dog himself? Serhis kept scratching away at the patches of scales while in his room. He occupied himself with these idle thoughts, he had nothing better to do while he was in his room.

He had asked Baous about his drinking habits, finding out that some years ago, during a Dwarven holiday, part of the festivities involved giving out ales for a toast. He was suppose to get a juice or a near-beer at the most, but a mix up wound up give him some of the stronger stuff. Innoc and Rosa had the strange experience of feeling both a sense of pride and distress when they found that he'd drunk some strong stuff and it turned out he both could handle it and liked it somewhat. Baous confessed he'd only take drinks when he felt it was appropriate.

Apparently that meant establishing his credentials for being an honorary dwarf. Serhis shook his head, flakes falling off, whenever he thought he had him figured out, the deceptively simple Kobold turned out to have another side.

Finishing off the last patch, Serhis dressed and laid down on his bed, wondering about his next course of action. If they didn't get anything that indicated that a Kobolds might be around, they'd move on in two days.

No sooner had his head hit the pillow, there was a knock on the door, Baous asking, "Serhis, you finished in there?"

"Yes, finished," replied Serhis, the door opening with a small squeak.

Baous walked in, holding a small pouch filled with gold coins, then taking a seat on the opposing bed, the coins making a small clack when placed on the bedside table, "When I wanted to come along with you, I didn't imagine that I'd get rich."

All Serhis could offer was a chuckle, flopping back down on his bed. He could hear as Baous put down the hammer next to the bed. Serhis had already rigged the windows and the door was easy enough to trap, but neither Baous or himself would risk another ambush. Almost two months and Baous had already picked up some advanced self-preservation techniques.

It was past mid-afternoon and the two didn't have much to do. Baous still flipped though the book every so often, but since he had gotten what he was looking for, the rest was random facts. The first thing they had bought when they got a chance was a pair of dice and a deck of cards, as well as two small books with blank pages. Serhis needed something to do while on the road and he was running out of hymns, writing out their experiences in a journal seemed to do the job, the small little book hanging from a piece of rope on his waist.

That, and it could serve other functions.

Serhis rose from the bed with a small grunt, "I going downstairs, see what I can find out or make some more gold."

Baous waved from his bed, a feather pen in his hand. He also used his book for a journal, but sometimes when Serhis glanced at it, it had some drawn pictures or pressed flowers.

Making his way down the stairs, Serhis took up a seat near a wall and set up a small sign. It read "Healing and repair services available" in dwarven script, something Baous had made for him, and waited for any takers. There wasn't many who would need immediate healing or had something that couldn't have been more cheaper just to replace, but every now and then someone came in with a cracked ancient heirloom or something with sentimental value. The innkeeper abided the impromptu shop since it brought in more potential customers.

There was even a person that had a broken ankle, which caused Serhis to ruefully recall the past experience and the irony that soon after that he could have healed it himself. After the half-orc walked out of the tavern without a limp, Serhis put the small paper sign away and settled for ordering dinner for himself and Baous. Miners were coming in from a day at work, some still carrying dirty picks and shovels which they put next to a wall before coming in further. Almost all of them gave a passing glance at Serhis, but they left him alone, keeping their distance.

Serhis kept his own eyes on his food, but he kept his concentration on the conversations around him. He didn't expect to hear anything interesting until after enough alcohol had been ordered to drain a whole keg, but it sounded like he just had to wait for someone to vent.

A dwarf and human male had seated themselves at the bar, ordering stiff drinks. They didn't appear to be the average miner, they didn't look as dirty. Then again, they still had dirt on them. The dwarf had the look of an overseer, dressed for the task of being constantly underground in a potential hostile environment, the human had very nice but worn out boots, his garments more suited for traveling and presentation.

They both took a long drink before they started talking, "So, how's business lately?" asked the human.

"Ah, no troubles so far and the new iron vein is a blessing. No accidents for over a year, that's even better," the dwarf replied before taking another drink.

"You might not have troubles getting the ore out of the ground, but I've been having trouble moving the stuff," the human said with a mixture of friendly banter and irritability, "the price you give me is good, but dammit, sometimes business is rough. Some gnome out in Lusion is selling iron and copper at prices I would find insane, I don't even know how much he'd make in profit, he made any. He only seems to come every once a month, but he floods the market every time and I have to wait to off load what I've got. It's not even bad quality stuff, not great, but the buyers don't complain, even if it is a little worse than our product."

"Oh? You think maybe something shady is going on then?"

"Could be. Maybe he's got workers that are only getting crap wages or something to cut cost, I even asked one of the guys that worked their wagons. All he did was look at me funny and another one just shrugged and said no."

"Don't know what to say. But you say our stuff is better?"

"Yeah. Saves my business since the smiths with higher quality projects know I can supply them, but for bulk, I just can't compete."

The dwarf patted the human on the back, "Ah, no worries. If you say I got an eye for quality, then I'll see to it that we're known for quality."

"That's the thing, sometimes they have some really good stuff as well. And I'm talking some top work too, just on the rare occasion. The good thing is that I've know when to avoid the town when he comes in and when to start selling when he's not."

"Well, what's his name? Maybe I know him."

"He's got this strange nickname, Hoc Pot' Tnuent."

Serhis nearly spit out his food laughing when he heard that. Everyone around looked at him when he started coughing, but they paid no more attention while Serhis drank some water from his cup to clear his throat, taking out his small journal to write down the name as well as looking a little eccentric.

Not that he needed to remember the name, it was easy enough to remember.

Though he had been listening to at least two other different conversations at the time, this one sounded like it was the most promising. Undercutting the competition and selling in large bulk sounded innocent enough, relatively speaking, it was something you would expect in business practices. To Serhis, those raised flags, as it was standard practice for Lehaskeral if they ever needed to trade for something on the surface, but this wasn't enough to fully determine if a Kobold city was the one supplying the goods.

The absurd name was more than enough to convince him. Rearranging the syllables in Draconic translated it to "stupid gnome".

Definitely a Kobold merchant in disguise, who likely was laughing all the way back to the mine with bags full of money about the name he'd made for himself and the unintended insult others would commit whenever they spoke his "name".

The human finished up his drink, reaching into his pocket to pay his tab, "I'll probably take the next load to Aveamaria. Longer trip, but at least it'll pay well. It's not like I've got a good option here, Hoc Pot' Tnuent is going to be in Lusion in three days and I'm not going to sitting here waiting with nothing to do."

"Good luck to you," said the dwarf as he took one more swig, "I'll have the standard shipment ready for you tomorrow.

By now, Serhis had already finished his dinner, picked up some for Baous, and was already half way up the stairs. It was all he could do to keep his back to the crowd as he stifled laughter from hearing that name again. As much as he tried to be unbiased, that was too much to handle.

As he opened the door to their room, Baous looked up over his book with a degree of caution, his hand almost twitching to reach for the hammer until he saw Serhis enter, "What's so funny?"

Serhis shook his head, "Nothing, nothing," he replied, but he did have cause to be happy, "Now know were to go next. We can leave tomorrow morning."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was a two day walk to Lusion though wooded lands, but quick and quiet enough on the roads. Baous asked about what a Kobold town was like and Serhis had provided what detail he could.

"What do you eat then? Without sunlight or fields of land, how do so many get something to eat?" asked Baous.

"What is word... ah, fungus. Mushrooms, that sort of thing. Can grow on ceiling and walls as well as ground, need to use an exhausted mine shaft for something. Other times, just trade for stuff to eat, flour, dried meats, other stuff. If underground river nearby, sometimes fish. If that is not available, meat can be hunted, there are some things underground readily available, but mostly insects."

Baous made a face of curious disgust, "Insects?"

"Well, a specific type of insect if we can find it. Ever had lobster?" asked Serhis.

"Once when I visited big sis during the Harvest Festival."

"Almost like that. Almost. Texture a bit off and definitely different taste, but yes, like lobster. Helena gave me some lobster when we were next to ocean once. Think that butter with both does great things," Serhis was about to continue, then saw that they were nearing Lusion.

It was trade town next to a river, they could see caravans and groups of people coming and going on the roads and boats. The walls may have been built of stone, but the town itself was mostly built of wood, the surrounding forest supplying enough for a good lumber industry. The town itself spread more along the length of the river, though it wasn't by any means thin.

The town was slightly smaller than Aveamaria, but that still meant that looking for one specific individual was going to be a difficult task realized Serhis. The option to watch the roads for a specific caravan wasn't available, since the long stretch of the town made it difficult to keep track of what was on all the roads, never mind that who they were looking for might be on the other side of the river, and they had only about a day before whoever this disguised Kobold was came and left.

He took a resigned sigh as he kept walking, "Anything else you want to know?"

"As long as we're not going to eat in the next hour or two, yeah," Baous said as his curiosity kept on getting the better of him.

They reached the town gates soon enough, thick oak door open for all travelers, but with the town guard keeping watch of the entrance. Baous and Serhis thought that maybe at most the questions would only involve what they were and their business here, the standard fair.

Unfortunately as soon as the guards spotted them, they got the gut feeling that might not be the case.

"You there! Stop!"

The two stood their ground as a pair of guards walked towards them, spears not pointed directly at them, but they could tell that there was a lot of mistrust from the wielders.

They were a pair of human males, maybe in their thirties, wearing basic leather armor with no helmets, one a bit shorter than the other, but with more muscle mass than fat. The people that were near the gate kept a wide berth as the two pairs neared each other, some moving away quickly, others staying out of curiosity.

"Right, that's definitely a Kobold," said the taller one, announcing the obvious, "Don't know what that thing is."

"Hey! I'm not a thing," protested Baous.

"State who you are, what you are, and your business here," demanded the other.

Serhis got the impression that the second question was more directed at Baous and that it definitely wasn't suppose to be an official inquiry, "Serhis, Kobold, Cleric of Bahamut, going into city to trade for supplies and heal for a fee. This Baous, also Kobold, travels with me."

"Him, a Kobold? Never mind. Empty your pack, we're going to inspect for contraband items," asked the shorter one.

With an irritated growl, both Kobolds empties the contents of their packs. Most of the things were benign, trail rations, some rope, ink and paper, but it was when Serhis pulled out his snares that the guards kept an much warier eye on him, "You, what's that for?"

Thinking fast, Serhis thought of saying they were devices for clockwork or some other deception, but decided to go the route of offering a shade of truth, "Wonderful little leg snares, perfect for going on the hunt and getting animals. No damage to meat, hide, or fur and if something you don't want, just let it go. Since you are guards, maybe not for hunting, but if you want to catch fleeing thief, it would work just as well. How about a deal? Buy two, get next at half off. If city want to buy more, it might take some time to make a lot more, but give ten percent discount," Serhis inhaled deep as if to continue, but the guards had already looked at each other with perplexed expressions and started waving their hands.

"No, no, we're fine," both said when they had a chance to interject, "Just... pack your things up, you're blocking the road. I don't see anything dangerous here, no lethal traps or one of those bloody ditherbombs. Move along."

As the two walked back to their post, Serhis suppressed a smirk. As much as he hated Faresterear's now rotting guts, he had to admit acting like an overenthusiastic salesman tended to scare off more people than walking around like a menacing psychopath. Putting everything back, Baous and Serhis walked though the gates without further delay.

An unpleasant fact had made itself clear, that the city wasn't going to be a cooperative place to stay in, and they knew of some Kobold related things, that they even knew what a ditherbomb was made it clear that there was a Kobold presence around here.

They only had a day to find this trader. The suspicious glares the guards gave and anxiety that the others around them made it only too much apparent that for the next twenty-four hours, asking for information about one person wasn't going to be pleasant.

Instead, they found that the city was more or less uncaring about them. Two hours of wandering the market had shown that this trade city had a cosmopolitan outlook, it was simply that though Kobolds were known to be somewhere in the nearby mountains, but they kept to themselves, the incident at the gate was unique since none had entered the city.

Aveamaria was a city built on a plain, acting as a central hub for all the towns and villages with rich fields and farms, but important as it was, it wasn't as major of a trade stop as Lusion.

Lusion was the city which ran on the movement of goods and services, which meant plenty of traders from around the country had to stop here eventually. It was easily accessible by land and water and all sorts came and went from this place, this was a city of unique sights and smells from around the continent.

Smells were a definite thing to remember, though Baous as he stood on the stone bridge suspended over the river. He'd never smelled so much fish in his life. Even though the river was too wide for any conventional bridge, enchantments had been put in place that allowed for this wide path of stone to hang over the ships floating underneath. Some stores had even set up shop on it, Serhis was busily asking a blacksmith while he looked down at the river.

Baous thought to himself as he listened to the waves of water. He tried not to let the horrors had witness affect him, but that wasn't what was bothering him now. It was what he did, or couldn't do, that bothered him the most.

Where Serhis had problems determining a purpose to pursue, Baous had issues with how well he fulfilled his own. When he left home, he thought he it would be like when his own father started out, with a clear goal of protecting his friends and allies, and doing it well, that they'd be known for great deeds of saving townsfolk from an encroaching evil. He'd hoped that by journeying with Serhis, he'd find some indication of where his own race resided, if only to know that he wasn't alone in the world, that he even if he parents were dead and gone, he might have grandparents, cousins, or other relatives.

For two months, neither of those could be fulfilled. He didn't expect to find a nomadic people easily and the book they received from Helena was a boon, but he would have thought he could have done better in his role as a protector. Even if in the small little tussles with the occasional hostile wildlife and brigand where he'd perform admirably, during the critical parts of the journey, he had been constantly unprepared.

The incident with the undead dogs, being ambushed in his sleep, he had to rely on Serhis to pull his fur from the fire. When they moved to retaliate, it was Serhis who would shift the movement of battle decisively. Le Nurl was a place where it had been made starkly clear that Baous could do little to contribute, his only goals were to hide and to place the ditherbomb when it was time, while Serhis would be the one constantly endangering his own life as the target of the whole village.

Absentmindedly flicking a rock off the bridge, Baous watched as the stone took several seconds to reach the river, making a small splash that he couldn't hear and a small ripple, before being overwhelmed by a the waves of a passing ship.

About as powerful as I am bitterly thought Baous.

He didn't hate Serhis for what he did, he admired the scaly Kobold, but Baous was saddened that he was constantly outperformed and that he had little to contribute. What was worse was that he didn't know how to change it.

"Finally found the place we looking for," came Serhis' voice, breaking though his distracted thoughts, "You okay? You look a bit sad."

Baous stood up from leaning on the bridge wall, shaking his head, "No, just thinking to myself. Well, maybe I am a bit hungry."

"We can pick up something to eat along way," Serhis said as he pointed towards a vendor, "No need to rush, we have time."

Coward. Why couldn't I say the truth.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They reached the warehouse which "Hoc Pot" Tnuent rented out every once a month, the place abuzz with wagons and carts as blacksmiths and craftsmen came from all over town. He was easy enough to find, being at the center of it all, talking to customers and managing inventory. He wore a rich assortment of clothing, dyed in reds and browns, wearing a black cap and looked very much like a well to do businessman.

Serhis hoped to find out his real name soon, he couldn't stand having to mention the pseudonym any more. He tried to restrain himself from enjoying it, he tried his best to realize it was an unfriendly joke, but it was something that had been drilled into his skull from an early age. It wasn't at all helpful when he had to speak to a gnome craftsman earlier that day, almost breaking into hysterics when he spoke the name right in front of the man and he replied that "Hoc Pot" Tnuent was a great guy with a friendly personality. It made Serhis all the more disgusted with himself because the gnome he was talking to wasn't unfriendly to him at all.

Waiting nearby, the Kobolds watched the fake gnome go about his business, waiting for a chance to speak to him in private. When the mass of customers subsided, they approached.

As soon as "Hoc Pot" saw them, his demeanor shifted from amicable businessman to cold enemy, speaking in a clear and loud tone even as the pair were some distance away, "What are you doing here, Kobold? Shouldn't you be back in your cave, wallowing in the muck?"

Serhis stood in surprise, the greeting far different than one he had expected. He was about to say something, but was quickly cut off.

"Ah, I know! You've come to purchase quality iron that you can't make for yourself. As much as I think it's a bit of a waste on you lot, I'm not one to turn away a customer. Just... go inside the warehouse and into my office. I'll discuss it with you later."

Nobody could mistake what he uttered beneath his breathe, "And away from my sight as long as possible."

Serhis and Baous looked at each other, thinking that this might have been a mistake, but walked into the warehouse together. Serhis had the uncomfortable feeling he might have been wrong and that this was an actual gnome.

As they sat and waited inside the small nook that was considered an office, nothing more than a small desk with a few cushions to sit on, they looked at the workers inside the warehouse. They were the size of gnomes, but all heavily draped in clothing to the point that someone had to be lucky even to see the eyes, whispering to one another as they watched the new visitors warily.

Serhis had the unpleasant feeling of being in unfriendly territory and of being outnumbered. He was already looking at the walls and windows for a way out if this became a violent confrontation. Kobolds and Gnomes in close quarters and away from the view of the public did little to encourage his thoughts on the matter.

They waited uncomfortably for an hour, watching as the workers moved back and forth with crates, still able to hear the Gnome outside complete transactions, broker deals, give rates, and other assorted business lingo. He finished up with his last customer, then immediately striding back in, snapping his fingers to close the doors. By this time Serhis had his hands on a length of rope, looking at a window, and half ready to fill the area with an obscuring mist.

He needn't have bothered as the Gnome removed his cap, a Kobold was striding forward to them now, seating herself comfortably behind the desk.

"My apologies for that performance out front. What can I do for you?" asked the Kobold, her Common a far cry from Serhis' broken speech, a bit less smooth than the practiced guise she wore.

Relaxing considerably, he introduced himself to the friendly face, "I am Serhis, Cleric to Bahamut, explorer of the city of Lehaskeral located in the Hyllian Ridge," speaking in Draconic.

"I, uh, Baous Winterstone. Please to meet you?" came the unsure greeting from Baous.

Serhis appreciated the irony, were he had some difficulty in speaking in Common, but little trouble with listening and reading it, Baous had the same issue for Draconic. Listening to it now, he realized this was how others would perceive him.

"Feel free to speak in Common or Draconic, whichever you prefer, I'm fine with both. I am Nastrad Dustclaw, merchant and liaison for the city of Tiichi di Soves," she concluded.

"Introductions concluded, I would like to ask to enter your city when you finish your burgeoning and successful business here. I offer my services as a healer and messenger, as well as offer the gift of information of nearby mineral veins as well as distant cities and places you may not be familiar of at this moment. What can I offer you, Lady Dustclaw?" he finished with as much diplomatic respect as he could.

He specifically called her Lady for Baous' sake, most species had great difficulty in telling the difference.

Nastrad raised an eyebrow, "Tactful and courteous. Flattering words aside, as liaison, I'll guide you towards our city," she finished, quick and to the point.

Serhis laughed weakly and scratched the back of his head, maybe he did lay it on a little too thick, "Well, thank you. I gather you're here to determine the disposition of this city, as well as making a tidy profit?"

Reaching into her desk, Nastrad pulled out a piece of fruit, chewing on it as she answered, "Correct. So far, it would seem that this city isn't inherently hostile to our presence, but wary all the same. Feel free to report that to Lehaskeral. The reason I lambasted you out there was to more solidify the perception that Im a gnome businessman, I hope you dont take any offense to that."

"No, no offense taken. I would think that a lot of gnomes are going to aren't going to be as forgiving if they find out what you name meant," said Serhis, working up a little banter.

She cracked a smile, "Heh, as if they'd be intelligent enough to figure it out. Even if they did, I'd just say it was a horrible coincidence and "Hoc Pot" was just a name I got from some time ago selling random things."

As much as Serhis wanted to quash his bias, he felt it best if he didn't try to do the same with Nastrad. Merchant and liaison Kobolds tended to be an altogether different creature than normal Kobolds, having a larger capacity for independence and more influenced by surface cultures and ideas, "When do we leave?"

"We'll pack things up in three hours, but you're going to have to wait outside the city, on the road near the Unhild Forest tree line. Can't have you leaving here with me, that would draw some attention."

"I understand. See you in three hours then," said Serhis as he rose from the cushions.

As Serhis moved to leave, Nastrad asked, "Before you leave, I think I'll take up your offer for healing. One of the workers took on a bigger load than he should have and sprained something. Consider it a gesture of trust, that'll go over well with the All-Watcher."

Accepting, Serhis found the worker easily enough, leaning against a post and holding onto his back. The workers in the warehouse were all Kobolds to a one, just heavily clothed. Others came forward with minor scrapes and abrasions which he fixed up quickly.

Baous looked on, having had nothing to contribute to the conversation. Nastrad approached him, looking at him up and down with curiosity, "May I ask what are you? You look like a Gnoll, but much more different. You definitely smell better than a Gnoll anyway."

"Prepare to be surprised. I'm a Kobold," he replied with all the absurdness he could in his tone.

She regarded him speculatively, "Hmm. Well, whatever you call yourself, what's your relation to Serhis?"

Baous wasn't sure what to say, he couldn't bring himself to say he was his protector, but settled for what he felt best, "I'm his friend. I help him on his journeys and he's trying to help me find other Kobolds. Well, tall furred Kobolds."

"As long as the Dragonwrought trusts you, I trust you to keep your discretion about the location of our city. We will reveal ourselves on our own terms, if we need to. Count yourself lucky for having a worthy companion" she finished, giving an odd mixture of a friendly warning.

Done with the healing, the two left the warehouse, hearing the door slam violently close behind them. Nastrad looked to be the type to keep a firm hand on her image. Having to wait three hours, they took the rest of the time sight seeing the city and picking up a few needed items.

Leaving the city, they made their way to the outskirts, waiting in the shade of the forest. One of the things they had purchased was a map of the surrounding area. They watched as a trade caravan left the city, approaching them, Nastrad seated in the seat of the lead wagon in her gnome disguise, searching around to see if anyone was looking in their direction before beckoning them to get into the covered wagon and to keep their heads down.

It was an hour before they were allowed to be let out and by this time Baous didn't know why Nastrad had bothered to give him the warning, an hour of looking at nothing but the inside of a cloth covered wagon and playing dice and card games doesn't make anyone aware of where someone is going.

Inside the thick woodlands, the only thing that indicated where they were going was a dirt path, the earth packed down by numerous heavily loaded wagons. By the time another hour had passed, they had abandoned the established roads and were essentially on animal trails or open areas. In four hours, they had reached the tree line that bordered the Dialan, a long ridge of mountain that span the plains to the coast.

The wagon train reached what looked to be a very wide and tall cave opening, only to keep going past it after Nastrad hammered at one particular rock, going further up to find an opening Baous could have sworn wasn't there as they went up the slope. Entering the tunnel, the opening closed, cutting off all light. He spent a tense ten minutes waiting in the darkness, edging close to Serhis.

"Don't worry, this passage safe. Place before was decoy entrance. I think safe anyway. Might have a back up," Serhis wondered aloud, "But don't worry, I'm here. Want a protection spell?"

Baous wasn't encouraged by the possible safety of the tunnel, but was glad enough of Serhis nearby, "Umm, no I'm fine."

He was used to small spaces, his home hadn't been much in the name of room, but it was comfortable. The unfamiliarity of the place around him offered little assurance. Baous hoped he didn't develop claustrophobia just by coming here.

The trip down was silent however, he heard the Kobolds around him talking amongst each other, getting snatches of conversation in Draconic. In the safety of their tunnels, they began to unwind, idle conversation echoing though around the walls. The only other sound was the sound of the hooves of the horses, Baous laying down in the wagon trying to get comfortable.

Listening to the chatter, he concentrated on the wagon behind, "Why is Nastrad letting in an outsider?"

The responding Kobold answered, "Don't know, but I think that one named Serhis has something to do with it. Did you see the symbol he wore? I don't recognize it."

A third one entered the conversation, offering, "I think that it's the symbol of Bahamut. I'm pretty sure anyway. A Dragon god," he finished almost reverently.

"Makes sense. But why are we bringing it?" asked the first one again, trying to figure out a better answer.

"That was uncalled for. His name is Baous, not an it, a valued ally and a better friend," Serhis broke in. It looked like Baous wasn't the only one eavesdropping.

There was an uncomfortable pause among the three, the first one offering the apology, "Sorry. We'd just feel better if we actually knew what he is."

"I am a Kobold, just different kind," said Baous.

An even more uncomfortable pause if that was possible could be heard, "You could understand us? And youve been listening?"

"Yes."

"No insult to your intelligence of your servant there Serhis," the second voice said quickly.

"He's not my servant, he's a trusted companion, and he wouldn't betray my trust in exposing your home," Serhis coldly replied.

"Right, our apologies."

"Shut up, just shut up you're only going to make things worse. Just close your jaws and be done with it."

"At least I'm not a kiss ass."

"You're a worse one than me! I'd swear to Kurtulmak you're the best contortionist I've ever seen, kissing the tail of that pretty priestess you've had your eye on while still having your foot in your maw!"

From there, it devolved into pointless bickering, Nastrad had her claws over her eyes and tail thumping against the wagon to the count of ten.

"This doesn't happen often?" Serhis hazarded, knowing he wasn't right.

"I wish, those three are the worst blabbermouths I've ever met. I'm just fortunate they know to keep their mouths closed when outside, but once they get the chance, they go on and on. And I can't help but get a bit intrigued by the whole thing, I even know the priestess they're referring to, Beaca, I met her once. At least they pull their weight, those three are the strongest load lifters I could recruit. I only have to deal with them once a month, the rest of the time theyre in the mines."

Serhis asked, "How are operations in this city? No complications?"

Nastrad spelled things out for Serhis, but Baous was both figuratively and literally left in the dark. It was like listening to Dad and Mom talking about mining terms, and this was a similar case, and he never picked up on any of it. Now that he thought about it, he wondered about his family back home. Even though he was on this journey for the purpose of finding his actual bloodline, they were his family to him.

Try as he might, he kept wondering how Innoc and Rosa were fairing, then his sister and brother. Regarding his brother, Crusein Winterstone had left home shortly after his sister set up the tavern, for no known reason, only leaving a letter announcing his intentions of leaving home and for the rest of the family to be well. For months, nothing indicated where he went, no one saw him leave, no letter arrived. They eventually received a sending spell, sent to indicate he was alive and well, that he was traveling with others. It was a sign of life, but beyond that, any further messages were similarly barren of any indication of where he was or what he was doing.

Crusein tended to be a focused and serious dwarf, concentrating intently on a particular subject, but was also known for being a joker when the mood stuck him and for roaring laughs if something struck him particularly funny. After he had left home and sis in Aveamaria tending to her tavern, the home seemed so quiet.

Baous had wanted a place out near the woods and river as a measure of independence, not wishing to rely on his parents more than he had to, a part of the dwarven culture. When he had settled in, his father had smiled and congratulated him, but thinking back, there was a hint of sadness in those black opals of Innoc's eyes. The same could be said when he left with Serhis, but even more so, for a reason he couldn't explain.

The home must have been so quiet. All of their children leaving so soon together, Baous realized with a pang of regret.

The next time I get a chance, he thought to himself, I'm was going to find an chance to send a message back home.

It wasn't long before they reached their destination, a pair of heavy set steel doors with a multitude of arrow slits, murder holes, and spikes fortifying the surrounding walls. Nastrad stood on her wagon, announcing their presence, "The trade caravan to Lusion has returned, no complications, and we have two visitors. Open the doors!"

The doors rumbled open, wide enough for the horse and wagons to enter. Baous nearly dived out of the cart as he saw a ballista pointed at the middle of the road, right were the wagons were situated, Serhis already had his hand on Baous to restrain him. Still further ahead was another pair of gates, only opening after the first set had shut, leading into the city proper. What struck Baous was how low the ceilings are, his head fur barely brushing the smoothed rock as he rode in the wagon.

"Hmm," thought Serhis as he looked up at Baous, "going to be some tight spaces further on, so watch your head. Also, we need to go through several guard posts, stay close to me and it'll be fine."

As they passed though several checkpoints, all eyes were on Baous, looking with suspicion or curiosity of what had just entered the city. When they saw Serhis next to him, they did not act any further aside from moving eyes, some offering their respect as they saw his wings and gold scales, others offering a form of reverence. It took passing though two areas under heavy guard before Baous could stand taller without knocking his skull on the underside of a mountain.

They entered a large open cavern, the floor covered wall to wall with Kobolds, a sizeable number in regiments in the progress of training and sparring, a few trap makers going back and forth with something in their arms, what looked like big weasels that were almost as big as he was if he needed to walk on his hands and knees, and many Kobolds with boxes and wheelbarrows moving things around.

In this cavern alone, he might have guessed perhaps a hundred were here at any one time, looking on with wonder as Serhis felt right at home.

"I bid you welcome to Tiichi di Soves, population seven thousand something," announced Nastrad in a very blasmanner to them both, seeming far more relaxed outside her role as a cutthroat businessman, though that probably made her a relaxed, but ruthless businesswoman, "we're going to store the wagons and horses here, unload the supplies we purchased, then you and me are going to the All-Watcher for a debrief."

"All-Watcher?" Baous whispered to Serhis.

"The leader of this city, doesn't control everything, but makes the most important decisions," offered Serhis.

Parking at the far cavern wall, Nastrad issued instructions of where the items were to be stored while Serhis and Baous stood near the wagon.

Watching the staging area, it reminded Baous of a ant hill or a bee hive, though neither had the advantage of rigging the area around the nest to be as hostile to intruders as possible, but both had the similarity of breaking down a larger foe into a curled, pitiful ball of pain and tears.

He was reminded of an infamous story in the book, where a group of Kobolds would face intruding groups infamous for slaying powerful creatures, only to find themselves helpless against a creature most would regard as a mildly dangerous nuisance. They were aided by a fey being named... Tuck was it? He had to brush up on his Draconic again. The fact that they lived in a mountain that demons deeper inside had also called home was something that made it more interesting.

Now that he thought about it, he wondered just how far under the mountain they were, going through the tunnels and checkpoints had taken several minutes, all of it going down a slope.

Finished with her task, she prodded for the two to follow, "All-Watcher Gixbias is likely in his quarters at the moment," striding ahead without further elaborating.

They walked though the crowd, Baous sticking out like a sore thumb as he walked though the sea of Kobolds. The regiments he had spotted earlier was watching him, all of them, he watched nervously to his side. Turning his head back forward, he avoided eye contact, and found he was lost.

He had been constantly bumped into and slowed, while Nastrad and Serhis flowed around the traffic with an unconscious ease. Now he lost sight of them, standing still and unsure where to head. Wanting to shout to call Serhis' attention, he felt the eyes burning into the back of his head from the armed fighters, any sudden moves or unexpected actions would rouse their ire.

A flash of blue ran though the crowd at Baous, Serhis robes billowing as he moved quickly to reach him, "Careful, get lost in a Kobold mine, could find yourself wandering around for hours," Serhis cautioned.

"Sorry, it's hard to walk around here with so many around," Baous said, a bit relieved.

"Well, come on, don't want to lose you again," Serhis said as he took Baous hand.

Serhis lead the way as he held his paw, "I was nervous, everyone's looking at me," Baous spoke.

"I know the feeling, the first time I went into a surface city with Helena. She did the same for me and I always remembered what she said."

"What was that?" asked Baous.

"You're not alone, you're holding onto a friend."

The way he said that was both was a way of speaking of the past, as well as saying what was happening now. Anxiety subsiding, they found Nastrad waiting for them next to the staircase leading down to the next level.

They went down a further two levels, before being lead to what looked like a small wooden room barely ten feet wide and half as tall, more of a closet than anything, Baous asking "Why are we going in there?"

"Don't worry, it's like a shortcut," offered Serhis.

Having to crouch to get in, the little room was cramped, Baous a bigger creature than this thing was built to house and a winged Kobold tended to take up more space than normal, Nastrad gave a word of caution, "Make sure you don't have your arms or legs sticking out, and definitely watch your tail, someone almost always forgets that," before pulling on a lever.

There was a brief jolt as the "room" shook, Serhis shifting a little, Baous almost grabbing the walls for support, Nastrad barely affected, then the slight sensation that they were falling or at least weighed less.

Serhis tightened his grip on Baous, "You're not in danger, just an elevator."

"Elevator" was one of the terms Baous had heard and labeled a mine term, something that was only built if the mineshaft was very deep. Now he wished that he read some of those books regarding the underground, or Underdark if it was particularly deep.

Feeling completely at odds with the entirely new environment, he watched as they passed several levels and felt a bit warm, flapping his tunic a bit to allow for some air. Holding onto the hand, he noticed that Serhis was also a bit warmer than usual, that he was much more comfortable the further they went down. And far down they went, passing ten levels, catching brief glimpses of the city as they passed, hallways full of Kobolds, a gate under heavy guard, hallways where the walls were etched with carvings, an underground river with farmers tending to a crop. A crop of what, he didn't recognize.

So this is what Serhis must have felt like going to the surface for the first time, thought Baous, except I'm the one going beneath. When he said a sense of wonder, he was right. Would anyone else feel the same way? I guess some others wouldn't care, they'd just think this was a Kobold infested hole. Remembering Alaric and the rest of his group, they wouldn't care less. They'd go top to bottom without caring. Where was the bottom?

Baous' question about how far down they were rising to the fore, "How deep is this place?"

"From the entrance to the bottom of the city, two hundred and fifty meters. With the mine shafts, I'd add another fifty meters," answered Nastrad.

"Almost as deep as Lehaskeral. Total would be three hundred fifty meters," Serhis thought aloud.

Reaching their intended level, Nastrad lead the way, "You'll be giving full details soon enough, don't need to explain them to me."

If Baous thought that the top cavern was big, this one could fit one or two colossal dragons. The cavern shaped like a downward tapering cone, half way down it reversed, a pinnacle with the point squarely in the middle of the entire cavern, though it was more platform than point, four staircases leading from top to bottom of the shapely curving cave, he almost swore that everything here was at a 45 degree angle. The entire central cone was engraved with images of Dragons and the surrounding walls lined with seats, most in use by Kobolds busily writing on parchment or appeared to be in the middle of a class.

Walking down into the pit, they could hear almost everything around them, the place was built for as close to perfect acoustic purpose as possible. Reaching bottom, they circled past the raised pulpit and back up more stairs to the opposite side of the chamber reaching a highly decorated door, the form of a ascending dragon carefully carved into the stone. There stood a pair of Kobolds on guard duty, bigger and tougher from the looks of them, heavily armored head to tail and with long spears set across the door.

"Open them up," ordered Nastrad as they approached. The two looked at each other with a bit of confusion as they spotted the Dragonwrought and taller Kobold behind her.

"These two are with me, now open up," she repeated. Shrugging, the two uncrossed their spears and opened the door, admitting them entrance. Beyond the doors laid a brief hallway just as extensively engraved as the door, except for a bare path to walk on that reached five meters in before opening into a wide and somewhat taller than normal room.

The reason for that was clear, the All-Watcher needed room for his wings. He was a Dragonwrought, same was Serhis, but his scales were a deep shade of Lapis Lazuli as were his eyes. And old. From the way his eyes looked up and the how he was seated, Serhis had to guess over a century, possibly two decades or more on top of that. Though his Draconic blood could stop the ravages of time from affecting his body, there was something about his eyes that showed that the Twilight was upon him.

Now that they had entered the room, Serhis and Baous could clearly see the whole place. Tapestries draped the every wall, positioned so that they hung like a hexagon around the whole room minus the ones leading from the hall and the one opposite from it, which displayed a detailed map of the whole city, looking as it must have been constantly modified over the years, the ink near the top and middle cracked and fade, while the ones near the bottom and going outward were less faded. The objects in the room made them think of a mixture between a bedroom and an office.

"So you've returned, and with strange guests," noted the ancient Kobold as he looked up from his low desk, standing as he held a scroll, putting it down.

Nastrad bowed deeply as she approached him, "that I did. Come on, introduce yourselves."

Wasting no time, Serhis quickly ran though the basics, "I am Serhis and this is my companion, Baous. I am acting representative and scout for Lehaskeral, located in the Hyllian Ridge, population ten thousand. Information is two months old, probability of a Split having occurred by this time is high. Primarily excavates silver, platinum..."

Sensing that this might take a while, Baous occupied himself by looking at the tapestries. They were of fine craftsmanship, or craftskoboldship if someone wanted to be that specific, weaved out of a fine silk that he'd never seen before. It depicted the eras of the world, grand wars, interventions of deities, cities rising and falling, though most of it was from a Kobold centric point of view.

He tried to place names on the major events of history, a way to occupy himself, in a dull, no other alternative sort of way, until something caught his eye. It was the first tapestry of the series that fascinated him.

It was from a time where the gods were far more direct with their dealings with mortals and each other, where they might appear in the battlefield themselves to alter the course of a battle and may very well be opposed by another god in the same field, often devastating the land. In one of those depictions were rows of the creatures that the gods had either made or recruited to their cause, and one of them was a Kobold. Not one that was short and had scales either, this one represented Baous in a vague shape and form, the two dimensional image of a canine creature in full battle gear.

That's not a gnoll, is it? Baous peered at the figure made of cloth, questioning if he was interpreting it right. No, I see a gnoll over there, looks completely different. But is it really what I think it is? It's too blurry and faded to tell.

As he stared, Baous looked on in quiet contemplation, then realized, why is it so quiet? Looking back, all three Kobolds were looking at him with different expressions, the All-Watcher with a neutral, but sage and analytical face, Serhis with wonderment as he also seen what Baous had been looking at, and Nastrad thinking what the hell was going on.

"Find something strange over there?" asked the All-Watcher.

"Umm, no, not really. Well, maybe I did see something... Did I do something strange?"

Serhis tried to speak, but didn't have the chance as the All-Watcher minutely nodded his head towards the tapestry. It billowed outward towards them, too strangely to it to have been wind, and suddenly found themselves looking at a being few would ever see.

A Trumpet Acheron had graced them with her presence.

"It would seem your visitors has exceptionally sharp senses," she spoke, her voice clear and undoubtedly beautiful, and though her words did not match how her lips had moved, there was no mistake of what she had wanted to say

That was the purpose of Trumpet Acherons, to be as heralds and messengers of unmistakable intent. Serhis knew she was speaking in Celestial, but Draconic is what he received. The green skinned angelic humanoid looked on at them with white pupil-less, looking briefly at Baous and Serhis, himself knowing she was looking at his very soul, as if saying I know what deeds you have done.

The barest hint of a smile was a good indication they had done well.

"If you wanted to hide, you could have simply teleported away, or exited from this plane of existence entirely," the All-Watcher noted.

"And you, Gixbias Drakesblood, know full well why I should not," she responded, saying his full name with the faint mixture of being a friend and judge.

Nastrad's face was the definition of perplexity, "Would someone care to fill me in on this? Who is that, what is that, why is that here, and how do you know each other?"

Though Serhis wouldn't have dropped his courteous and diplomatic manner, he would likely have asked on those same lines. What was a powerful being of Celestia doing here?

"The Acheron is here to aid us. And has done so for many, many years," the All-Watcher, Gixbias, explained, "with her aid, she has ensured the prosperity of Tiichi di Soves. I trust you all never to speak of this to anyone you do not absolutely trust," his tone turning from knowledgeable sage to deadly seriousness. Serhis had the impression that behind those old eyes was someone who knew how to clear a room full of warriors in under a minute.

Everyone made a slow nod. Something of critical importance was about to occur, there was no doubt about that.

The Acheron spoke, "You may speak freely, about my involvement, and because I guarantee nothing is spying upon us."

"Hmm, yes, but should we involve them?" Gixbias emphasized the last word.

"Yes. I feel that there can be a purposed served with the visitors, and the potential new All-Watcher should know as well."

Nastrad's head swiveled around to face Gixbias in one quick motion, "Potential new All-Watcher?"

"As the Acheron said, potential, though I'd have preferred until after the confirmation to reveal your existence to that one person," Gixbias turned his attention from Nastrad to the Acheron, "And all of our past efforts for the past few months are in preparation to that, namely the trade missions to the surface."

Awe stuck wouldn't begin to describe how Nastrad felt, mouthing the words "Nastrad Dustclaw, All-Watcher."

As Gixbias looked on at the Acheron, he turned to face the guests, then back to the Acheron, "You had something to do with them arriving, didn't you?"

There had never been a more enigmatic silence in Serhis' and Baous' life, the angelic being smiling serenely. Considering what she was, she could even make silence ironic.

"Bah, never mind. Did you know I've known her over a century, and I still can't find out how she thinks? For all I know, she had no knowledge of your arrival at all, and shes just finding out a way to put you into the plan. Or make a new one. Just trying to think of her potential schemes is a sure way to get insomnia," muttered the All-Watcher, then stopping to think. "Damn, I'm rambling now. I am getting to old for this."

"What does it all mean? You haven't explained anything yet," asked Nastrad, breaking out of her silence.

Though Serhis and Baous had never met the old man before, they had the distinct impression that he was far more lively, his shoulders and wings sagging as he slowly lowered himself into the cushions behind his desk. It looked as if he had taken off his mask of a role as All-Watcher, revealing the ancient one beneath.

Scooting over to Serhis, Baous leaned down to whisper, "What's happening?"

"Some very important things. I have to say we dropped in at a very awkward time, I'm not ever sure we're suppose be in here," mutter Serhis.

"Cleric of Bahamut, your being here can be a major influence," spoke the Acheron, causing them both to look uncomfortably at her, whispered conversations not being missed by her divine senses.

"Dammit, I knew it," crowed the blue Dragonwrought, "planned out before or not, never misses an opportunity. Not that I mind, I've benefited quite well from it."

Everything going a little too quick for Serhis, the normally patient cleric needed to speak out, "Wait, just wait. No disrespect to you, Acheron, but what can I possibly hope to do that you can't just as easily accomplish, and why should I do it? I would do as you ask, if only to a reasonable point, but right now I don't see why I should involve myself in the matters of others. Well, I would involve myself if someone was in trouble or something like that," he finished weakly.

Baous looked on his companion curiously, Serhis wasn't always this assertive unless it was for a very good reason. Maybe it's the heat?

Gixbias and the Trumpet Acheron passed each other a brief glance, a silent agreement made in a split second, Gixbias shifting on his cushions as he explained, "Very well, since Nadia here wants your aid, I will make the information available to you."

"Nadia?" asked Baous aloud before he could stop himself, his brain just figuring who else possibly had that name.

"My full title is Nadiaverinos Biancliarmillopharia," offered the Trumpet Acheron.

It was the silent consent of the room that they didn't try pronouncing the name out of respect for the many syllables that inhabited it.

"And thus, Nadia," mirthfully said Gixbias, "Had the same reaction the first time I heard it as well, beautifully made name as it is. I've been meaning to ask you, why do all the divine beings always have those names that love tearing though poor vocal cords?"

The Acheron, or Nadia as they came to know her, shrugged. There were simply some things that just were.

Propping himself up with one arm, Gixbias seemed more energized as he contemplated, "Where to begin? A century's worth of experience in a shorted version." The old Kobold straightened himself, ready to bare his mind and soul in the surprisingly energized fashion that most aged beings of any race tend to do when speaking of "The Good Old Days". That fact made the three Kobolds understand that this was an unguarded moment for the All-Watcher and that they should feel honored for it.

Serhis casted an eye on the Acheron, wondering if she had anything to do with that feeling.

"It was a hundred and eight years ago that I met Nadia, as a scout like you Serhis. Appeared in a flash of light in front of me, asking that I aid her as she would aid me and I nearly attacked her. A stupid, stupid thing to do, not because she could have handed my tail to me, though that did have a bit to do with it, but I truly needed her help. The city I came from was almost to capacity, a Split was needed, and for a year, nothing. All the prospective sites were either too dangerous, lacked defendable locations, or mineral poor. I exhausted myself trying to land even on blow, sometimes I got lucky, but she shrugged them off to the point I doubt I did anything, and she didn't retaliate. I was frustrated to the point that I simply walked away and left, she wasn't doing anything to me."

"Though had anything endangered either you or me during that time, I most certainly would have taken action for both our sakes," Nadia chipped in.

"Thank you Nadia, my pride was more than dampened at that point, no need to point it out," voiced Gixbias, their manners like two old friends remembering fond memories and teasing each other for it, "I was a very arrogant Kobold at the time, the thought of accepting assistance was not an option to me. Made me angrier than anything that I couldn't do anything about her, even more so when Nadia just following me. Always stayed some way off, calm and always looking at me, hand slightly outstretched so I could take it. A month. A whole month it was like that and nothing I could do could stop her. I once lured a bear towards us to try and maul her. Take a guess how well that worked. Regardless, I was getting more desperate, finding a location to settle wasn't working. The general consensus back home was that war would have to be waged against a neighboring surface city. That would have spelled the death of many Kobolds, the surfacers had fortified the city extensively, so I ranged farther into the wilderness to extend my search. What I found almost had me killed, trolls are very territorial and thought I would make a fine meal. There were three trolls and I didn't have the right tools to combat them, no fire or acid. Nice of you to stand just a ways off looking at me get turned into a bloody mess," he scolded Nadia.

"I would only aid if you consciously asked of me. Which you did. And if you had died, raising you would not have been too detrimental."

"It would have been very detrimental to me! As she said, I asked for her help then. After killing them off and healing me, she asked if I had anything else that I needed. Swallowed a lot of my pride that day. She gave me directions to a temple of some deity I didn't know. Not that I cared at the time. For her aid, I was to clear the place out, top to bottom, and destroy it. Of course I asked why she couldn't do it herself, she went on about how her direct intervention would have had some unpleasant consequences. Apparently, "no direct intervention" meant she could put all the protection enchantments that were available and sent me off. I went straight in, left no survivors, blew the whole place up in one tremendous fireball, and even peed on the main alter!"

"As I recall, you snuck in at the dead of night, ambushed whatever stood in your way one at a time, attached ditherbombs to the main structural supports as the rest of the temple were in the main hall for their evening prayers, while you snuck back out, causing more of a cave-in than an explosion. That last part is unfortunately true," lamented the Acheron.

"You wanted me to desecrate a temple and I did, so no complaints. Could you at least let me embellish my story just a little?"

Someone did a building collapse as a trap a hundred years before I did, and with far better results, Serhis thought to himself.

"After the dust settled and my task finished, I demanded that Nadia show me a land which met the needed specifications. It would seem that the area I had just cleared met the criteria, highly defendable, next to a mountain, and mineral rich. I had just dealt with the "dangerous" part. First time I realized that she is far more cunning than most think of Celestials, underhanded tactics and all. The talk about Devils being manipulative bastards can just be easily applied to any Angel if you think about it long enough. She had effectively wiped out an opposing deity's temple indirectly, didn't need to fear any repercussions if it failed, and if I succeeded her tracks were covered. Anyone who didn't know about her would think that the temple was destroyed due to the migrating Kobolds moving in. Teleporting me back home, I revealed the location and was appointed as the All-Watcher for the new city to be created. And thus, Tiichi di Soves," he finished with a bit of flare.

"The next hundred years was spent stronghold building, though there were events that needed my direct intervention and Nadia indirectly. For the whole time, she gave her counsel. I did not always follow it, for good or worse, but the times I did tended to work out well. And as of now, I can no longer work alone, we can not work alone. I had intended for only you to know of her, Nastrad, but I think she'll have something to do with those two as well. Does that explain things?"

"Some things, but still, why are you involving two strangers in all of this," Serhis referring to himself and Baous.

Nadia stepped forward, extending her hand towards him, "I wish to request your aid, Cleric of Bahamut, as well as your friend's. If you succeed, you will be rewarded."

Serhis looked at Baous quizzically, seeing him raise his hands in a shrug, then back to Nadia, "We don't have anything to do at the moment and I'm willing to aid you, but what is it that you want us to do?

"Ensure one last action that will protect this city when I'm gone," interjected Gixbias.

"I'm sure you've figured it out by now, especially you Nastrad. I'm old, and soon this body will be too weak to hold on to my own soul. That will not stop me from ensuring the safety of Tiichi di Soves, even with me gone. What I have done is searched for a Dragon to make to make this city it's protector," announced Gixbias.

"Understand why I've done this," he continued, slipping back into his persona of All-Watcher, "and the decisions I have made. You are to be the next All-Watcher as you are skilled in diplomacy, trade, and construction, all will be necessary when we reveal ourselves to the surface. For a hundred years, secrecy has protected us, but as we reveal ourselves, not only will this mountain defend us, but a true Dragon, establishing ourselves fully. That is why I've been sending you out, to become familiar with the surface, as well as determine their disposition once they realize such a large city has been near them for so long. They will likely react with surprise, but not with violence, you yourself have determined that they will eventually come to accept our presence, even encourage it when they see it will be beneficial for both. A Dragon will dissuade any hostile action even further. Will you accept the role when it is time?"

No noise could be heard as all eyes looked on Nastrad, raising her head and gave her definite answer, "Yes."

Gixbias gave a contented sigh, "Then we have much to discuss. Nadia, would you take our visitors somewhere comfortable. Or send them on one your plans. If you need something, feel free to trade for what you want."

Nadia's hand was still extended, "Your friend, Baous, will take hold as well. We will go to a private area so that we may have a discussion of our own."

Serhis and Baous took the hand, feeling as though the pressure of the situation was making things go in a direction no one knew. It most certainly felt that way when a sense of displacement overcame them both and instead of the stone room of the All-Watcher, they were in a glade of a forest.

"Teleportation," she explained, "For trade of one task, I will also aid you later. Do you wish to know what I ask of you?"

Serhis and Baous both had so many questions. Where did we go? Did you really plan that we would have been there? Why us?

For just wanting to find a Kobold city, they had landed in some very critical matters.

Baous quickly gathered his wits, as well as his slightly upset stomach, "What is it that you want from us? You keep saying that there's something we can do."

"And why are you doing this?" added Serhis.

"I shall explain this simply. Gixbias has managed to contact a dragon. What he does not know is that he has attracted the attention of two dragons, one of them by me. One of my agents has made aware another aside from the one Gixbias has contacted. The agent has met with a gold wyrmling, while Gixbias' found a green wyrmling. I wish for you to delay the green one as he travels here."

"You want us to confront a green dragon?!" both asked at once.

"Delay, not confront. You are going to be greeters and guides from Tiichi di Soves and will meet him on the road. Take a roundabout way here, and you shall easily accomplish what I wish to achieve. As for why, this is something Bahamut himself would bless. As you yourself are no doubt aware Serhis, most Kobolds are not known for their kindness, but they revere any dragon they meet good or bad. Under the auspices of a metallic dragon, they will follow his or her command not to commit atrocities. Do you understand what I am attempting to accomplish now?"

In a vague way, Serhis did, "Everything you've done for the past hundred years... and you have even more long term plans, don't you?"

A nod was given, "A major Kobold city who's inhabitants are just and fair, built from the ground down. A hundred years of peace and understanding has dampened their xenophobia, though not their fighting spirit, being guided by their All-Watcher to accept others as partners and not as enemies. A dragon that will protect them as well as set their outlook on life, giving them a symbol to aspire to become. An entire population that will serve faithfully and also serve as protectors to the dragon as it grows more powerful by the year."

"A dragon that will be your ally from the start," muttered Serhis in awe. The magnitude of it all was staggering, and he was asked serve as an instrument to it. Whatever machinations this Acheron had laid out, it might span centuries, maybe millennia considering the lifespan of a dragon. "But why us?" he finally asked.

"As a servant to Bahamut, you already know the answer," Nadia answered in the enigmatic manner of a being who's wisdom offered answers that few could understand, "I cannot ask of any other to do this. My existence must remain a secret to Tiichi di Soves, I cannot ask for anybody to do this. Any Kobold of this city would be repulsed by the thought of deceiving a dragon. Any non-Kobold sent would arouse suspicion from the dragon. And though I regard Gixbias as a friend and ally, I cannot allow an innately evil creature to gain control of what has been built, for all our sakes, though it saddens me that I must deceive him. As to why specifically you, understand the teachings of Bahamut."

Those last words contained a lot of meaning to the small Kobold. He was essentially elevating the lot of Kobolds when this was done.

Baous might not have all the symbolic references that Serhis had, but he understood the nature of what would occur when their part had been played, "Is just making this green dragon late going to do much?"

"If the gold wyrmling reaches the city first, he establishes his claim," explained Serhis, "Dragon politics can be a dangerous thing, but it can draw some similarities. The first one to plant the flag, in a manner of speech. Any other dragon can attempt to remove the first, but until then, that one will be at an advantage. Such as receiving the aid of a Trumpet Acheron."

"Now that you comprehend what has been asked, do you now fully commit yourself to this task?" she said in a full, regal tone.

"As a Cleric of Bahamut, I accept this task given," Serhis confirmed, "Baous, do you also want to follow me on this task? There only needs to be one to mislead the dragon."

No, I'm not going to become something useless again. "I'm going to follow wherever you go Serhis, you know that."

Nadia placed forward both her hands, palms upward, "It will be three days before they arrive. For two days you can prepare, on the third come back to the All-Watcher's room and I will be there waiting to transport you to the road which the dragon will be traveling."

Before Baous took hold, he asked, "about that one thing you'd help us with, when we're done, can you tell me about the first tapestry that was in the room? About those Kobolds?"

She paused, thinking, "The First War. Very well, once your task is completed, I will tell you."

Baous now had his own reason for joining this.

The teleportation back was just as disconcerting as the first, though they both were a bit more prepared for it. Gixbias and Nastrad were next to the desk, looking as if they had finished their own important discussion.

"Baous and Serhis have agreed to lend support," announced the Trumpet Acheron.

"Well, whatever it is, I wish you luck," said Gixbias, "Nastrad, same to you."

Serhis, Baous, and Nastrad walked to the exit, though they could overhear one last exchange before they opened the door.

"Promise to keep safe the people after my death," they heard from the elder Dragonwrought.

"I've already promised that the day you asked for my assistance. But if that doesn't comfort you, know that I will also visit you in Celestia."

"Yes. That would be nice."

The doors opened and shut without any more words.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For two days, they experienced a sense of normalcy.

Serhis felt right at home in the mountain and even had taken on a few duties as he waited, healing injuries and mending a few broken objects. As for offering blessings, he refrained from trying, not knowing if his relation to his former gods was on strained terms and it would have been awkward offering blessings of Bahamut in the midst of the rest of the clerics of Kurtulmak and Gakulak. Instead, he had quickly located the workshops and obtained ditherbombs, materials for more portable traps he had mind to create and, to his great relief, more bitterleaf oil for his scales.

For Baous, it was a chance to experience what kind of life Serhis had experienced before he left his own home, following him as he went though the undercity on his business. As the All-Watcher had made it known that these two were to be respected guests, they were free to come and go as they pleased and Baous could have went off on his own without having to be constantly in Serhis' presence.

What he experienced for certain was the heat. It wasn't hot, but a dry warmness that permeated through the whole city. If he had to stay here any longer, he was afraid he would have to fulfill Serhis' joke and shave himself to alleviate himself from the heat, but for now he made do with the classic scene of a canine with his tongue hanging out and panting.

Though he wanted to stay by Serhis, there were parts of the city he was warned not to enter. These areas were the mines, the temple, and the hatchery. The reason for not entering the mines was simple enough, it was hard enough trying to keep himself upright in the tunnels and he had little reason to go there. The temple was where the treasures of the city were kept, not the wealth, but the important objects held dear by the residents. As for the hatchery, he was especially warned to stay away. Honored guest or not, that place was a deathtrap to any non-Kobold in every sense of the term.

He was fine not going near those areas, but Serhis had asked that when he went to the workshops that Baous not follow. It wasn't that it would have been bad if he went there, but more for Baous' safety. Traps in various states were always in the workshops and alchemical products could be smelled through closed doors. The rooms sometimes had floors and walls that were built in, sections of it still had small indents in the floors or holes in the walls. Accidents might happen, someone could have set off a trap, something could drop, something was shaken too hard, or it was simply the wrong mix of chemicals. There was usually a team of healers that was stationed on that level, on station to aid the soldiers, but also as an unspoken accident clean up crew. Whenever Serhis had picked out a room to work in, those around him would feel a bit more at ease.

It doesn't take much to figure out why anyone wants to be behind at least a meter or two of solid rock whenever a Kobold utters the words "Uh-oh".

As Serhis spent most of his time in the workshops, Baous had went down to the underground rivers. It was easily the coldest area in the whole mountain, the air surprisingly fresh as it breezed though the fields of mushrooms.

Feeling the wind ruffle though his fur, he wondered where it came from and where it went. Baous had taken to looking at the various fungi that grew in the caverns that served as the farm for the city, taking special interest in the ones with medicinal properties, scraping a bit off the walls and into his pouches for potential use.

As he took a bit, he heard from behind him, in a small voice speaking in Draconic, "What are you?"

He turned around to find what could be called a flock of Kobold youths looking at him. They all observed at him curiously in the way a inquisitive child watched a potentially dangerous creature they had found might suddenly run at them, but were far to fascinated to simply leave it be.

"I don't think it knows what we're saying."

Baous recalled the first time he had met Serhis and the limited vocabulary he had mastered. He shared Serhis' conviction that fate had a sense of irony and that Bahamut loaded the dice for events like this, "I Baous, am Kobold."

"Hah, see, it does know what we're saying!"

"Why did it call itself a Kobold? Really doesn't look like one."

"Maybe it's confused or something."

"No, different kind of Kobold, but still Kobold," Baous tried to explain. Key word being "try".

"Yep, definitely confused."

"Maybe it's a human, it has hair."

"It can't be a human, humans have hair only on the top of their heads. Reminds me like one of those big weasels in the stables, but this one walks on its back legs."

"Uh, not weasel, is... canine Kobold," he tried to explain a bit further. There were six of them, roughly the same age, but how old he couldn't be too sure. Even if he read up on the Kobold life cycle, he didn't have a reference aside from Serhis. "Who you?"

They all looked at each other, agreeing among themselves that they could give their names to him.

"I'm Jiyir," declared who could be considered the leader of this little gang. He wasn't the tallest, but he certainly had a force of personality to him that seemed to make him a bit bigger than he actually stood.

"Navihie" softly said another, clutching at something underneath loose robes, her hands and feet bound with wrappings. Baous thought that this one is a female, he still completely sure how to tell the difference, but he was getting better at it. Her hands and feet were bound in wrappings.

"Quilias" grunted the tallest and biggest. Where the others were poised to run, he looked as if he'd made a grab at Baous, even if he was much smaller.

"You can call me Mertal" said one female wearing spectacles. Mertal seemed to fit what would be called the bookish sort, she even carried her own tome, with eyes that suggested she had read every bit of written word passed in front of her. That she was eyeing Baous' own little journal seemed to reinforce that.

"Ayit" briskly said a female Kobold. She seemed a bit cold, looking at Baous up and down, hands held behind her back in what could be considered a professional manner.

"Reatxil" said the smallest male. He looked to be the very active type, his hands holding on to each other as if to stop them from going everywhere else. Too much energy in too small a frame.

Baous guessed, "Hatchmates?"

"That's right" answered Jiyir, "two years old and apprentices," he said proudly.

"Did you need something?" asked Baous.

"Not really. We should go back now," warned Navihie, tugging on Jiyir's sleeve. At least he thought it was Navihie, he was going to have a little trouble remembering all their names at once.

"That's why I said we had to finish early, so we could find the surfacer."

"And we did, We don't need to stay here too long, do we?" It's cold," responded Ayit.

"Wait a sec, I wanted to ask the surfacer what's it like up there," protested Mertal.

"Hurry up then, but I'm not sure it know how to talk right," muttered Reatxil.

"Sure, I guess I have time," Baous gave with an unsure grin. All of them gathered closer, both to listen better and to keep warm.

Jiyir crossed both his legs and arms as he sat down on a toadstool, "Tell us about the Dragonwrought."

With all of them sitting down, Baous resigned himself to being the designated story teller. He didn't have much else to do as he waited. That, and this group looked to be way too interested now just to let him leave. "We met two months ago, near river by home near Dunben..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Baous didn't have the same method of story telling that Serhis did, but he had a certain theatrical element to his actions where the golden Dragonwrought would explain in through detail and words that would enrapture. For the whole time, the Kobold youths had asked for details that would seem common to someone who lived above ground, the sky and sea, the sun and moon. Between answering the questions in a way that would make sense to them and actually making progress in his tales, neither knew how much time they spend in that one spot. It started simply about what Serhis was like, but then it kept going, resulting in his retelling of all two months as well as Serhis and his own past.

On the subject of the undead marionettes and the baby of Mrs. Nikolen, he had hoped in the beginning to avoid it and spare them what was essentially a horror story. He needn't have bothered, as it turned out that they had been listening to the stories of the past, involving wars, grand schemes, and other things that made Baous blink when they explained a small story to him. When he asked where they got all of that from, they all pointed at Mertal.

She was snout deep in the book Baous had received from Helena, which she had asked to borrow when he mentioned it during the course of the retelling. He had also presented some of the pressed flowers from inside his journal and drawings of the countryside that he made to pass the time.

He still felt that he seemed ineffectual for the course of the story, but was pleased that they had enjoyed it when it was finished.

"So that makes you're his guardian angel or something, right?" asked Navihie.

Chuckling a little, Baous asked, "What make you say that?"

Mertal spoke from behind the book, "I heard from the guards that always around the All-Watcher that sometimes they might see something that looked like an angel or hear the most beautiful whispered voice. I don't know if it's true."

"Well, true or not, you're definitely real and you did save the Dragonwrought's life the moment you met him, right?" said Navihie.

"Yes, I did save him, but that do no mean some angel or something. Sometime I saw who need rescuing."

"Yeah, but you're real! Not like one of those strange things that might come and save someone every now and then. That means he always knows you're there to help and sometimes he needs to rescue you so you can rescue him," thought out Jiyir.

"That's right. And he's also a cleric, so that means you really can be his guardian. You're a special Kobold with no one else like you," said Reatxil.

Against the logic of children, Baous didn't know how to respond. It was going to be difficult trying to explain it further while hoping he didn't mix something up in translation, "Uh, not right. Most definitely not an angel. And hope that I not only one. I really do," he spoke softly.

"I don't think he's an angel," said Mertal without putting down the book, "but he's something else. A special kind of protector that makes sure that Serhis can do what needs to be done safely, because without you, he would be in much more danger."

Baous was helpless, he didn't know what to say. Nothing he could say would sway the view that they had made of him and the more important part of it was that they made it sound convincing. Not about the angel part, but that if Baous hadn't been there, Serhis would have more than likely failed or even died. He still felt that he could do more, that didn't change.

"Maybe not guardian angel, but still good friend. Serhis going to help me find others like me and I do what I can to make sure nothing bad happen to him."

"What are you going to do next? After you leave, where are you going?"

He hadn't told them about the arrangement they had with Nadia, "Going to find out soon. Going to finish doing something important here, then find out what I need to find most," he said with all the truth in his heart.

"Before you go, can you please give something to us? It'll show that we really did get to meet the protector of the Dragonwrought," asked Navihie.

"Oh, I know!" Reatxil jumped up and plucked out a hair from Baous' head.

"OW! Ah, you could ask before you do something like that. That hurt," said Baous as he rubbed his head to get rid of the stinging.

"You always move too fast without thinking," came a muttered reprimand from Ayit.

"Sorry."

"Well, that's alright. Just don't do that again please. I could spare a bit of fur," he reached into his pocket knife and cut out a strand for each of them. He looked at Mertal, who clutched her piece between the book and her claws, "I'm going to need that back soon."

"... okay," she said reluctantly, still wanting to read more.

Baous put the tome back into his pack, thinking of a better idea, "Maybe I've got a better gift. Here," he said as he opened his journal, carefully pulling a few pages out. The pages he picked were pictures of landscapes and one of a street view of Lusion he had quickly made during their time there. With the greatest care, he pulled out one last page, a detailed drawing of both himself and Serhis that he had made. He had wanted to give it to Serhis, but it seemed that this would be a better use. He could always make another, he would always be near the actual subject he wanted to draw.

The Kobolds held the pieces of paper, looking at them and seeing if they could recognize what were called trees and clouds, each saying thank you, even the icy Ayit. Leaning down, Baous helped to identify what he had drawn, helping to distinguish between a dwarf and a cow.

He nearly jumped as he felt a claw petting him on his head.

"What are you doing?!" Navihie shouted at Jiyir as he kept on going.

"Making the spot that got pulled feel better. Sometimes the weasels like it when the soldiers do it, I wanted to see if he likes it too."

"They also like it if you scratch behind the ears," Quilias offered as a suggestion.

"You don't have to... ahhh," Baous couldn't finish, he could hear the little claws scratching softly, his tail going back and forth on its own accord. He would have bitten off the arm of anyone else that would have made this demeaning, but he was again helpless to these little Kobolds. More hands started petting and scratching, adding to his embarrassment.

"I'll have to keep that in mind," the familiar voice belonging to a gold scaled Dragonwrought breaking through Baous' distracted head. Here was a humiliating moment that wouldn't be forgotten any time soon.

"Whoa! It's Serhis!" Reatxil shouted.

"Very good. I am glad you decided to tell us the only other Dragonwrought in this city is here," dryly commented Ayit.

All of them bowed to him. Even if he no longer was part of the clergy of their deity, he was still worthy of great respect, "You don't need to do that, come on, stand up."

They all looked up as one, watching his every movement. They were fascinated by his shiny scales and his wings even more so.

Jiyir spoke first, "What is it like flying, tell us, please?"

"Huh, oh. I can't fly entirely, but once I'm strong enough, I can. Its like the wind became a sea to swim in, with nothing to stop you from rising as high as you can if youre strong enough, like you can go anywhere you want and be carried on the breeze," Serhis answered, "Had a nice time with my friend, huh? I see he gave you something."

"Yep, and he told us all about you. What was it like destroying all those zombie marion... mario... things, only the two of you?"

"It was scary, that's what," quipped Serhis.

"You were scared?" Navihie asked, again clutching at something near her chest.

"Yes. Scared for Baous, scared for myself. Even Dragonwroughts fear some things, but you shouldn't be commanded by it. Became a storyteller while I was busy?" he directed at Baous.

"They would not leave alone unless I do."

"And played up my role it sounds."

"You're both cool!" Jiyir declared, "we always hear about the heroes in the stories Mertal gets, but we never met actual heroes right in front of us!"

"Everyone else is going to be soooo jealous," smirked Reatxil as he held up the piece of fur and drawing.

"If you're done holding on to my friend while I was gone, I'm sure he'd like to get something to eat by now," asked Serhis.

Now that he mentioned it, Baous and the little gang did fell hungry.

Baous blinked, "I just ate an hour after I went down here. How long did we stay?" he asked, all sense of time had been lost without the sun as an indicator.

"I was in the workshops for four hours," announced Serhis, "Didn't take me long to find you afterwards, everyone knew where the tall and furry Kobold went."

"FOUR HOURS?!" echoed though the cavern, the group of children all in various states of dread.

"Oh no, master's going to be pissed today," groaned Jiyir, head tilted backward as he slapped his forehead, "it's going to be another double shift tonight."

"We are so late," Mertal lamented, "we should have been back three hours ago."

"Not to worry, you made sure my friend wasn't lonely while I was gone. Tell your masters that you asked him all the questions you needed to know firsthand from someone who lived on the surface and that you were helping me. You can even tell them that if they have any other questions, they can come either to me or Baous," Serhis reassured them.

All of them relaxed, the word of a Dragonwrought was gold, his scales being gold tinted didn't hurt that analogy one bit.

"Quilias, Reatxil, we need to feed and get water for the weasels," Ayit beckoned them both to follow as she marched, regardless if they followed or not. They most certainly did with haste.

"Thank you sirs," Navihie politely said as a goodbye, "Hurry Mertal, we need to finish getting those scrolls," she was heard saying as they rushed off.

"What were you making?" Jiyir could resist asking one last thing before he went off.

"A few improvements to the leg snares," Serhis offered, "Sounds like you really paid attention."

"I really need to pay attention since I'm an apprentice to the master trap smith."

"Master trap smith? She would be the Lorivis I met there, right?"

"You met her? Wow, I really am not going to get in trouble, thanks Guardian Baous!" he shouted as he ran off, waving to them.

"Guardian?" Serhis asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, they think I'm your guardian angel, even if I kept saying no," he shrugged.

"Well, even if you think so, I say you're even better," acknowledged Serhis.

"Wow, that sounded cheesy. I think I might be a better storyteller than you."

"You think so? Maybe I should scratch behind your ears, then you won't be able to say anything at all."

Baous emitted a playful growl, "you do that, and I'll have to find out what dragon tastes like."

"Before you start gnawing on my tail, we should get something to eat then," Serhis motioned his wing towards the exit.

"Alright, but if it's mushrooms again, I won't make any promises."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

What they got was a large insect that the Kobolds raised as a type of cattle, which was surprisingly similar to lobster, if only because Serhis had bought a jar of butter beforehand.

Waiting for another day, the only things of note was the Kobold high priest that came to see Serhis to confirm that his apprentices were aiding him the other day, which later devolved into a discussion on the subjects of Bahamut, Kurtulmak, and Gakulak. He was thankful that the children had a bit of discretion, not mentioning why he became a cleric of Bahamut in the first place, otherwise the stay would have gotten very awkward.

Approaching the All-Watcher's area of residence again, the guards let them though, expecting their arrival. The room was empty until the doors closed, Nadia reappearing before them when privacy had been established.

"Have you prepared?"

They nodded dually, waiting to be teleported away.

"Your only objective is to delay the green dragon that Gixbias has contacted until I send an indication that the gold dragon has arrived and established himself. I will take you to the road that he will eventually arrive on, he is traveling by land as he is also accompanied by his small entourage that is carrying all of his hoard, so do not fear that he will simply fly over and pass. Announcing yourselves guides to Tiichi de Soves, you are to lead him on this trail that I have marked on your map. If he inquires why such a roundabout route has been taken, explain that you have been instructed to provide a tour of his new holdings. As he will believe that since you were sent out to rendezvous with him, he will think that the city already acknowledges his claim and has no indication that a rival might take residence before him. If he decides to press the matter or desires to head for the city immediately, admit deception. Claim that you have been instructed to delay him as Tiichi de Soves wishes more time to prepare for the coming of his majesty. Say any other words that would stoke his ego, his belief that he has surpassed your duplicity will only serve to enhance that. When you arrive back, the dragon that I have contacted will already be briefed on what has and will happen, ready for combat should the latecomer challenge his claims. As he will have been enhanced with enchantments, the probability of his victory is high."

They listened to the extensive briefing in the hopes that when all was done, they would come out unscathed.

"You've planned for any probability that might happen, haven't you?" asked Serhis.

"I cannot discern everything that might happen, but I can heavily influence matters in my favor," she admitted, her hands outstretched, "His name is Iskdiwercaesin Thurkearseoyl. Remember it to avoid making an insult, there is great meaning to the names of Dragons. Remember that I cannot aid you until you reach me."

Taking her hand, they went from the warm depths of the mountain room to the shaded path of a forest road. As soon as the released their hands, she vanished. Making themselves comfortable near a tree, the thick trees and the twisting path making it difficult to see far, they would likely hear the dragon approaching before they would see him.

They laid out the map and waited.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Serhis leaned against a tree, taking in some sun shine that was not blocked by the leaves above, "It's almost been an hour, how long did she say we needed to wait?"

"I don't know, she didn't say," said Baous as he laid on the grass, staring through the branches and leaves to a covered sky above. He was again drawing in his journal as he waited, hoping to have one more ready to give as another gift, but that didn't distract him from his more important thoughts.

When this was finished, he would have a information about the nomadic Kobolds that were his people. He kept on remembering the cloth image, trying to discern anything from it, but he had nothing aside from the obvious. His repayment for this would be to ask for everything she knew about the matter.

"Serhis, when she said "The First War" what did she mean?"

"The First War was the first battle between entire pantheons, gods and goddesses in direct conflict," answered Serhis, "I have some knowledge on it, but not much."

About to give more detail, Serhis was drowned out by a noise that inspired wonder and terror. The roar of a dragon echoed though the forest, clearing every thought out of his head.

Looking around, they couldn't see where it originated, the path they were watching was barren. Another roar was heard, then they looked up.

A green dragon could be seen in the sky through the foliage, flying in an erratic manner.

"Didn't Nadia say that, uh, Isk... Iskdi- the green dragon was going to stay on the path?" asked Baous as he watched, the flying figure dropping in and out of their blocked line of sight.

"She did. I don't know why-" he couldn't finish as another roar screamed into his mind, directly into the part that told him that he should fear whatever it belonged to.

This one was deeper and carried more force, and they caught a brief glimpse of why this plan was going to the infernal pits in a hand basket. A full fledged adult dragon was in the sky. Framed against the blue and white, even the briefest glimpse gave the perfect profile, the twin forward jutting horns marking it a black dragon.

Both Kobolds looked at each other, unsure how to proceed, each seeing movement in their peripheral vision. Turning, they saw a large creature lumbering full speed down the road they were on, a troll wearing what appeared to be a harness. They jumped off the road, it looked like it wasn't going to stop for them, but they needn't have bothered. It let out a primal scream as it started to trip and fall, three arrows sticking out of its back.

The troll laid out on the ground, its ability to regenerate not of any use, and with it no longer blocking the view of the road, they could see why. A trio of drow stood at the turn in the path, fingers already drawing back the next arrow.

"Who are-" Serhis tried to demand an answer, but not before they loosed their arrows, and not before Baous yanked hard to get him out of the way. Two missed outright, sailing past both, but the third struck Serhis directly in the chest. Taking cover behind a tree, Baous risked a peek to see if they were coming at them, but they stood their ground, waiting for another opportunity to fire.

"They aren't friendly, that's who," angrily spat Baous, "those look like drow, right?"

"Those are drow, but what are they doing up on the surface?" Serhis asked, already knowing the answer as soon as he said it. These were the forces of the dragons, righting one another. His chest felt pained, he wasn't sure if the arrow had punctured his chain shirt or if it had simply left a bad bruise. Feeling around, he felt blood on the wooden projectile. It wasn't a deep hit, it didn't puncture his lungs, but it was still a piece of metal and wood lodged inside of him, nauseatingly painful.

Serhis had tended enough arrow wounds before to know not to pull it out without preparing first, but that wasn't what worried him. He could feel a numbing cold radiate out from the wound, forcing him to recall one of the specialties of the Drow that was akin to Kobolds and traps. Poison.

"Poisoned arrows," feebly warned Serhis, trying to fight off the toxin. He could fight it off for now, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep conscious as it kept spreading throughout his body.

Listening for the sounds of crunching leaves, the two heard nothing, the three drow did not come closer, but they could hear the sounds of a pitched battle further behind them, the curses of the Underdark mingling with the enraged bellows of Trolls.

"Looks like they're waiting for more of their friends to join them," said Baous, "Do you anything for the poison? A spell, something?" he asked worriedly.

Taking a vial of antitoxin out of his belt, Serhis gingerly applied it, hissing from the stinging, "I don't have anything that can help get rid of it entirely. Drow poison makes the victim go unconscious, so don't worry about me dying, but I am worried about what they'll do if they capture us. They might have more poison, maybe not, I don't know."

"Looks like we failed this plan," Baous said dejectedly, hopes for a lead dashed.

"Let's concentrate on getting out of here alive first, then if we see Nadia again, she might know what went wrong. Aside from a big dragon coming out of nowhere," he said with an attempt at dry wit. He wanted to keep both their spirits high. Keeping a bloodied claw around the arrow wound, he used the other to touch Baous, concentrating though the hazy pain.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be healing yourself?!"

"I said I can't do anything about the poison. If we try to run, I will just collapse and we'd be worse off than before. Those three, we need to get rid of those three. After that, start running back to the city," he explained, pouring all his strength into the divine magics, granting the protection of Bahamut as well as strengthening his companion.

Baous felt unusually powerful as Serhis expended the last of his energy, the claw letting go as it clasped his crossbow, "Defeat them quickly, I know you can, I made sure you can. Guardian," Serhis finished with as much emphasis as he could. Even if this was a title given to him by children enchanted by simple tales, he aimed to make it as true as possible. That Baous needed to carry his unconscious lump of scales away afterwards made it a bit too true for comfort.

He was glad Baous understood Draconic know, he didn't know how to say "guardian" in Common, at the risk of sounding like an idiot again. As Baous charged forward, his enhanced strength and speed closed the distance between the drow far more quickly than they would have liked, their readied shots at him curving off course as the protection spells interfered and he was in their midst before they could draw their swords.

Charging forward, his first hammer blow stuck a female drow in the face as she dropped her bow and was reaching for her rapier, the hit powerful enough that she was dead before the rest of her body knew it had lost its head, twitching as it hit the ground. The other two frantically drew their own swords as Baous turned in their direction.

They weren't hardened veterans he could tell by the way they held their swords, Innoc would have reprimanded the lot of them for such a sloppy stance. Even if he was outnumbered, Baous had the impression he had spent more time in combat than the both of them combined, and that the only reason they weren't in worse shape was that the forest was blocking direct sunlight from shining into their sensitive eyes.

Holding his war hammer for another strike, Baous shouted towards them, "Drop your swords and I'll let you run away!"

He wasn't sure either of them understood him and from the way they were reaching into their belts for vials of poison, they didn't care. He surged forward and brought his war hammer at a horizontal blow, the chain mail that she wore did little to prevent the damage that resulted.

Facing the remaining one, he cautiously held his ground, her blade coated in poison, ready to dodge and end the fight. What he didn't expect was being dropped in complete darkness, a spell cast by the drow.

Having to depend on his hearing, the sound of footsteps in his direction alerted him that the drow was coming at him, then he heard the sound of a crossbow firing, then the labored breathing of someone dying of a punctured lung. Baous turned in one direction and walked forward, hoping not to bump into a tree as he left the supernatural darkness.

The sight of the forest returned to him as he walked out of the sphere of darkness, looking around to see what had happened to the remaining one. He couldn't see the body, it might have fallen into the pitch black sphere, but he could see Serhis crossbow in hand, "I thought you might need a bit more help before the poison got to me."

"Thanks. You can still walk, right?"

Serhis' legs answered for him, buckling under his own weight and he fell to his side, grunting as he hit the dirt path, "Not lucky enough to fight it off completely," he muttered as the poison took full hold of him after a minute of spreading thought-out his system.

Baous picked up the unconscious cleric, wondering how this could have happened. Looking back to see if any other hostile beings had arrived, what he saw answered only some of it. Though the trees, he could see drow and trolls darting back and forth, fighting amongst each other, wagons filled with treasure off to the side. This was a running battle, the wagons being pulled away from the battlefield, but at the same time the combatants were trying to inflict as much damage as possible to the opposing side. Baous left at a run back towards the city before it could reach him.

Up above, he could hear the two dragons, their wings beats audible though the pitched battle behind him. The flew and swooped around each other, looking to find a vulnerable area to attack while trying to prevent the other from doing the same. The much younger green dragon was more maneuverable than the older and bigger black dragon, making tighter turns the other could not match, but this battle was decided.

They were immune to each other's caustic breath, more liable to destroy the surrounding countryside than harming each other with the acidic clouds they bellowed, meaning this aerial brawl would have to be fought with tooth and claw. As spirited as the green dragon made in his attempts to slash and bite the black dragon when he had a fleeting opportunity, it would only take a few strikes from the larger to end it. Until then, it was a drawn out fight in the sky.

Baous heard nothing, to busy running to care until he was miles away. Only then he had his mind collected enough to listen to his surroundings.

He could hear nothing aside from the sound of the forest leaves.

Looking at the map, he tried to find their position, hoping to get back and warn Nadia of this unexpected and dangerous complication. The route she had drawn out reached every scenic point that she could imagine, taking half a days travel if they needed to drag it out for that long. From where Baous stood as he held Serhis and the map, it would only take three hours of going though the forest to reach Tiichi de Soves.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Uunggh. Baous? Where...?"

Baous was still carrying Serhis as he awoke, the drow toxin still fogging his mind. He was walking in the forest, not far from the entrance to the city, "We're almost back. Nothing hurts? Should I put you down?"

Blinking his eyes, he still felt a bit dizzy and slightly nauseous, though if that was from the poison or from being carried though rough terrain, he wasn't sure, "I don't feel any pain, but I don't think walking is going to be good for me right now. You don't mind carrying me for a bit long, do you?"

"I've carried you nearly all the way back, I can carry you the whole way," affirmed Baous.

"Thanks," Serhis said as he tried to shift his head, leaning against Baous' right arm as a pillow, "What happened after I passed out?"

"Nothing, I just carried you and ran."

Question answered, the only thing they could think of was what would happen next. Nothing would be clear until they got back, so they kept those questions silent. After a little while, Baous did have something to say, "Your Guardian? What possessed you to say something so... sappy?"

"Huh. Oh. Part of a spell that makes you feel better, Elation."

"A spell? Who would make something like that?"

"Chaav, god of Joy."

"There's a god of Joy?"

"Yes, as well as for community, glory, wrath, pleasure."

"Couldn't you have said something else that would have done the same thing, it makes it sound so..." Baous strained to find a word to describe the ridiculousness of it all.

"I was under a lot of pressure! I had just been shot, I was poisoned, whatever plan we were following was dead and buried, it was the first thing to come to mind. And I think it's true," those last words barely a mumble, but Baous heard it all the same.

"Your welcome, I guess?" came an unsure reply, "So I'm your Guardian protector or something and your friend. Aren't they the same thing?"

"I guess they are for the both of us."

Walking up the hill, they continued to speak to each other encouragements. It was all they had now, having nothing else after the loss of their Acheron sent mission. It was not any fault of their own, but they were still involved in this.

Having reached the road that lead to the entrance to the city, they saw Nastrad in a wagon coming down the path towards them.

"What are you doing out here?" all of them said together.

"We knew there was a dragon coming here, so we were sent out to meet it," answered Serhis, not sure if Nadia had explained the situation to her.

Pulling the horses to a stop, Nastrad halted the wagon next to them, "You're a bit late for that. The dragon arrived two hours ago. An adult black dragon, not the green wyrmling we had been expecting."

Baous looked into her wagon which was filled with supplies, "Are you going somewhere?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, she said with some sadness, "The All-Watcher wanted me to leave the city."

"What for? Another trade mission?" Serhis asked.

"No, he wanted me to leave Tiichi de Soves for good. My home..." she whispered bitterly.

"It's because of the dragon, isn't it?" thought out Serhis.

"Yes. We had expected the green wyrmling, a dragon that would understand that trade and secrecy would be beneficial, but this dragon is not like that, he wants conquest. He is strong enough to not care about subtlety, and he made his intentions clear when he claimed the city. He is Dianekesswhedabkeari Nocudithroden, and he wants to establish his dominion of the surrounding country. But to do that, he needs to prepare, and he wants to convert the mining operations to make weapons and armor for an army of Kobolds. It will take a while, maybe a year."

"But why would the All-Watcher want to send you away?" Baous asked.

"He wants to protect you," answered Serhis to Nastrad, "this Dianekesswhedabkeari is not going to have a need for a potential All-Watcher that deals with diplomacy and trade, he's going to pick a Kobold with conquest in mind. The best Nastrad would expect would be to part of the new army he hopes to create. By making you go away, you're going to be safer than being part of that army."

Nadia nodded slowly, "I thought that as well. He gets a much more powerful dragon than what he expected, he should have been happy, but he was so sad when he knew he had to send me off. I've only known you for a few days, but I thank you for helping the All-Watcher for doing... something," she said unsurely, not knowing what the Acheron had sent them to do.

It was an uncomfortable feeling knowing that they had done no such thing, "We were told to go and make the green dragon late, so that a gold wyrmling would arrive instead. Something went wrong and this Dianekesswhedabkeari came instead," said Baous, wanting to lay out what happened.

She looked perturbed by this, but shook her head, "doesn't matter now."

"Where are you going to go?" asked Serhis.

"I don't know. I have a detailed map to guide me, but I haven't been anywhere else besides Lusion."

"Bahamut's blessing of good luck to you," said Serhis, raising the Star as a way of respect. Flicking the reins, the horses continued down the path, carrying a Kobold that Serhis knew was unsure where to go as he was the moment he left Lehaskeral.

As they watched her pass beyond their view, Baous asked, "Where do we go? Back to the city and try to find the All-Watcher and Nadia or should we leave?"

"Not sure if finding Nadia would do any good, she already knows that something unexpected has happened, I don't think we'll be any use against an adult black dragon."

"Indeed. I would be loathe to waste your help on a meaningless quest," a serene voice came from behind them.

The surprise passing quickly, they saw Nadia among the trees, away from the view of the road and the sky. Beckoning them closer, they approached, uncertain to what the Acheron wanted. She looked around to ensure they weren't being watched, talking when she was confident of their privacy, "This black dragon has disrupted my plans to a great extent, my ability to remain in Tiichi de Soves is now fleeting. I risk detection the longer I remain there as long as he stays, my ability to aid Gixbias is now limited," she stated.

"Sorry, we weren't able to do anything," said Serhis.

"Apologies are unnecessary, you could have accomplished little in preventing this or even making yourself aware of this possibility. I could say the same for myself, Dianekesswhedabkeari Nocudithroden was an unknown factor, and I've yet to discern how he became aware of any of this. I have a suspicion that he may have intercepted messages between either Gixbias' or my own agents' to our respective dragons, I'll have to determine how later. There is also the possibility that this was random chance and he encountered either with no knowledge of any of this, but I doubt that. It would appear as soon as he was victorious against Iskdiwercaesin, he headed immediately for the city to establish his claim. I know little of what has happened to the gold dragon. Gixbias was enthralled at having such a powerful ally, but also saddened that he will have to abandon his vision for a Kobold city to be acknowledged though-out the region as a desirable thing to have, but he will accept Dianekesswhedabkeari's desire for conquest."

"What are you going to do now?" asked Serhis.

"Watch and observe. I am not willing to reveal myself, but I am also not willing to allow this to continue or for this interloper to pervert what we wish to create. I must find a method to remove this dragon, but indirectly."

"I guess we should leave now," said Baous, though he still wanted to ask about the image on the tapestry, he still wanted to know it's meaning.

"Though you could not aid me now, know that I may come to you in the future to ask another task. As I have said before, accomplish it and you will be rewarded, though hopefully without the interference of a completely unpredictable occurrence."

As they turned to go, Nadia said one last thing, "Baous, as to your question of your origins, I offer this. Go to the city of Saletvarin, you may find answers there. Consider this a token of trust in your abilities when you aid me."

Baous stood still as he repeated the name over and over in his head, memorizing it, before turning to face Nadia, "Thank you! I..." She was already gone, whether to her home plane of existence or somewhere else entirely, they weren't sure.

"I guess we go to Saletvarin," said Serhis, "but before you do that, can you put me down? I think I can walk now."

Baous became aware that through this whole time, he still was holding Serhis, "Oh, right."

Setting him down, Serhis was still a bit wobbly, but he could walk, "Since we don't have anywhere else to go, it wouldn't hurt to go there. Saletvarin is on the coast, we'd be able to take a ship from Lusion to there, but it might take over a week, it's some distance away."

"You've been there?" asked Baous.

"No, but it's famous for it's library and academy, the biggest for some distance," Serhis shook his head, "actually getting in is going to be difficult."

"You don't mind going all the way there, do you?"

"I did say we didn't have anything else to do. Besides, I promised your parents that I'd help you however I could. Basic tenet of Bahamut. Funny thing is that they thought I'd be like your guardian angel. Looks like it's going the other way around."

"Maybe. Think you can grow me a pair of wings?" Baous joked.

"I'm sure there's a spell somewhere that can do that," Serhis gave as a half joke and half answer, chuckling, "I'll refrain from saying you're my guard dog."

"Yeah, but a guard dog's bark is worse than it's bite," he grinned, showing the large array of canine teeth, "and I'm sure you won't say jokes like that about me.

The friendly banter continued as they went down the mountain road, away from an uncontrollable failed mission towards a source of hope.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You smell that?" asked Baous as he sniffed the air.

"Yes, smells like... burning flesh," Serhis responded with disgust.

They had expected that the hours long walk to Lusion would be uneventful and that they would be well on their way to their next destination, but something as strange as this all but destroyed that little bit of normalcy. Walking off the road to investigate, they made a cautious advance. As far as they were concerned, they simply hoped it was a hunter who's catch was put on the roasting spit for too long. Getting closer to the source of the smell, the shape changes in the smells didn't help.

"Ugh, smells horrible," whispered Baous, "I'm not going to be smelling anything else for a few hours."

There was a mixture of smells that didn't belong on a cooking fire, lacquered wood, heavy amounts of cloth, burnt hair...

"Troll," both said at once, the smell all to easily remembered from a few hours before. They thought about turning back, but aside from the sound of the fire, they heard nothing else, and trolls were not known for their silence. Coming closer to the source of the sounds and smells, they found a the remains of a battlefield. Drow had been bludgeoned to death by either the fists of trolls or whatever the had uprooted from the ground to serve as a club, trolls had been turned into green pin cushions, the poison accomplishing what the wounds couldn't and a fair number of them had been put to the torch as they laid unconscious.

"I don't see or hear anyone moving," announced Baous, "what are we going to do if we see someone still alive and walking around?"

Serhis' answer would have to go unsaid, as they found what could be called the center of the conflict. Laying at the base of a shattered tree was the green dragon, in a pool of blood and surrounded in a ring of bodies of drow warriors. Wagons had been circled around as a form of protection, but against the trolls, they had offered little, some turned over, others completely smashed in. Some of the horses had survived the fight and were still tethered to the wagons, but the wheels were locked, forcing them to stay put.

"Someone made a last stand here," said Serhis as he looked at the carnage, trying to fit together what had happened, as well as determining if they should be leaving this area at a run, only to have his thoughts interrupted by the sound of heavy, labored breathing. The green dragon was still alive "by Bahamut..." That was all he could say as he looked at the wreak of the dragon.

Claw marks raked the sides, the neck bearing a bite wound, damage from the black dragon from the battle in the sky, but those were not the cruelest wounds. On it's back, bloodied stumps where it's wings had been savagely slashed off. The black dragon must have let him drop after that, the impact likely to finish the kill. Only it hadn't.

Baous stood still as it struggled to breathe, watching to see if it was still conscious, only daring to speak when he was sure it wasn't, "I think that the drow are with this dragon, and the trolls are with the other one."

Serhis dipped his head, "Iskdiwercaesin Thurkearseoyl," recalling the name. The little private armies of the dragons were still fighting when he came down, forcing the drow to protect their fallen master. In a running battle, the drow could hold against the superior strength of the trolls, but being stuck in one location, they were slaughtered. But where were the victors?

Searching around a bit more, they found a troll with a multitude of arrow stuck in it as well as sword wounds, it had likely finished off the last of the drow before it had succumbed to the toxin, probably pumped so full of poison it wouldn't wake up until grass grew over it.

They were, in an odd sense, safe.

"Should we leave?" asked Baous, "I've read the book that Helena gave to me, aren't green dragons suppose to be nasty, mean, cruel? I don't think it would be a good idea to help it."

As much as Serhis hated having to support a stereotype, there was always something that held true. Dragons are creatures who's very essence made them think in a certain way, operate in a certain fashion, if not in a specific manner. There are a few that have defied their nature, but those are a very few and all with extenuating circumstance. As a cleric of Bahamut, his duty was clear, to eliminate the spawn of Tiamat, the Five-Headed dragon goddess. As a Kobold, long held values made him want to serve and revive the fallen dragon.

If he walked away, the dragon would die from its wounds, it's condition had been stabilized by the drow, bandages had been applied to some areas, but it would die from exposure. He most certainly knew that if he healed it, it would obey the supernatural need of it's very spirit, and eventually he would have to stop it. It wouldn't take much to end it's suffering, even a simple tap would cease the dragon's heart from the enchantment of the war hammer.

"Baous, I think..." he paused, knowing something had to be done. He would be ordering the execution of a wyrmling, a wyrmling that would grow to become dangerous, callous and hostile, and it his training as a cleric of Bahamut essentially meant that this had to happen eventually.

But it was still a wyrmling, only obeying it's nature.

Options, Serhis sought options to take, the decision for it to live or die wasn't enough, he had to think of something else. There was an option, but it wasn't pretty, and there was a chance that the dragon would die anyway, but he had to stop dancing around the fact that he knew of something that could change this situation, if not to his advantage, then to his preference.

"I think you should see if the wagons still usable," he decided, going up to the fallen wyrmling, taking out his healing kit.

"What? What are you doing?"

"Sorry, but we're going to have to wait before we go to Saletvarin," said Serhis, "I'm going to make sure this dragon doesn't die. Maybe. I'm going to see if I can find a reason to so that it doesn't have to. I'm going to make one if I have to."

"But... it's a green dragon. Once you wake it up, I don't think it'll just stop being something that doesn't care about anyone else and we're not going to be able to stop it if it wakes up."

"Not going to use healing spells," grunted Serhis as he tore off a strip of bandages, "just going to stop the bleeding, maybe a potion for his internal injuries, and disinfect the wounds. Bahamut must think I'm crazy," he muttered the last part. "We're going to take him to Milianso. There's a temple of Io there and the head deacon knows me from when I traveled with Helena. But first, check the wagons, see which ones we can use, and find some chains. After I'm done, we're going to put those on, make sure to restrain the arms and legs by the joints as well as the extremities. Especially the mouth."

Making sure he heard that right, he boiled it down to one statement, "We're capturing a dragon. A live dragon..." this wasn't a question, just something that had to be said aloud so the brain could hear itself say something that sounded absolutely insane. Perhaps to reassure itself that it wasn't.

"There's no rush. From the looks of his skull, he might be suffering from a concussion. Going to be in some pain when he wakes up from that," Serhis said in the way a doctor would examine a patient, "going to have to monitor that constantly. He'll be unconscious for the minimum of a full day, if not a week. Yes, we're capturing a dragon." He said it himself, knowing the full impact of those words. This little Kobold was about to commit an act that few would dare to do and what was needed at Milianso was more ambitious still.

As he finished with the last of the salves and wrappings, Serhis heard the clanks of chains, seeing Baous carrying a large number of them, "I found some wagons that we can use," he said. Serhis wanted to say that he should put them on, but something in Baous' eyes and voice told him that he had more to say, "and I found something you should see."

Repacking his kit, he stuffed it back into his pack and followed Baous back to a wagon. He was about to ask what, only to have his jaw hanging open when they got closer. It was filled, front to back, with gold, jewelry, fine and rare cloths, and other assorted treasure. Not only were they going to be holding a dragon in chains, they were going to take his hoard.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was going to take several days travel past the mountains though a pass to reach Milianso. It was roughly in the direction of Saletvarin, but travel by land was going to add to the time it was going to take to reach it. Serhis sat on the pile of gold, looking at the bound dragon resting across from him in the wagon. He dearly hoped that Bahamut would accept what he was doing, and if he convinced the deacon to lend his aid, he just might. Serhis had no idea what Baous was thinking, but he seemed fine going along with this, directing the horses up the path. Carefully maneuvering his claws, Serhis had been counting how much he was sitting on since they had started going up the rocky mountain roads, putting them into neat little stacks.

"One thousand two hundred fifty three, one thousand two hundred fifty four..."

*Thump* *Clink clink clink clink clink...*