207, 2/2

 

The land outside of this [Fairy Stronghold] held rocks and scattered sand drifts, but there were still no truly distinguishing features on the horizons. Anyone who landed in here could surely [Scry] out and up to get their bearings, which was why Erick had placed multiple layers of Privacys and his own [Domain of Benevolent Light] around the outside of the meeting location. The inside held multiple overlapping [Zone of Peace]s, with more scattered outside to intercept any possible long-range Red Dots, or similar magics. Erick doubted that all of these protections could truly stand up to a hostile dragon, which is why it was only him, Poi, and Burhendurur in this space.

Erick had had a good half hour talk with the Death Dragon who worked for him about the undead dragolich coming for a visit, and everything he had to say was both good, and cautious, and how he wanted to be here to deal with the possible Benevolencing or [Reincarnation] of Zenipeq. Burhendurur was still a bit miffed that Erick hadn’t told him he was a dragon until that conversation.

“I would have preferred some more time to come to terms with you actually making Benevolence Dragons, my king. I have many conversations I have kept waiting for this day, if you ever chose this route. Warnings and nuances and… If I have given offense and lost your trust, please allow me to make it up to you.”

Erick said, “It was nothing like that, Burhendurur. I’m simply not telling people who don’t need to know, until they need to know. And now, you needed to know. Don’t tell the others yet.”

“… Fair enough.” Burhendurur breathed, then said, “Allow me to say a few small things while we wait, if you will.”

“Proceed.”

“This is complicated, but I will give you the overview: If you should choose a Benevolencing, you should ask her for her [Dragon Body] box, and if she asks for yours in return, you must deny her, for you are not meeting as equals in an exchange of information to better understand what children might possibly look like, or to plan around general capabilities in a strike-force-type situation. You are meeting with her as her superior, and thus she should not know all there is to know of you. After the transformation, she will end up with some form of [Dragon Body] that is not her current one, but is similar to yours. After the transformation, you must return her old [Dragon Body] to her, so that she will have a memento of her past.” Burhendurur said, “That whole thing I described is a small ritual of polite society, when it comes to the induction of a dragon into a House.”

“… Ah.” Erick suddenly recalled his ‘ritual of politeness’ with Al, and Al had spoken of that ritual with a lot less reverence than Burhendurur was giving it. “It occurs to me that I don’t have your box. Should I ask for it?”

Burhendurur said, “If I am allowed to see yours, in turn.”

Erick grinned a little. “But I am in charge here, am I not?”

“You are, my king.”

Burhendurur handed over a blue box without further word. Erick’s refusal had been a test, and Erick passed. Burhendurur’s [Dragon Body] was surely different than Erick’s.

Burhendurur looked at the box in Erick’s hands, and at Erick, worrying. But then Erick dismissed the box in front of Burhendurur, and the man relaxed. The Death Dragon said, “Thank you, my king.”

‘Thank you’ meant a big deal coming from Burhendurur, from someone who had lived in Ar’Cosmos his whole life.

Erick said, “So does ‘dead things’ mean dead skin and the dead parts of trees?”

“Bones, mostly. Everything else is too ephemeral to really grasp.”

“None of this capability was in your resume.”

“And it would not have been right to include those, either. We do not share things like this with those who are not dragons, no matter their power or our allegiances. The exposure of one’s true draconic self is a highly private matter, for showing off these sorts of things means your death if others should become aware of exactly what you can do.”

“A lot of things mean that.”

“… True. I suppose our foibles must be odd to someone in your position.”

“And I’m not from this world, too,” Erick said, smirking.

“… I have a book I wish to let you borrow and then return. It is a book of proper etiquette among dragons. Rules for approaching each other. Rules for displaying details of oneself, including, uh, wearing your horns like you should. It is a trifle of propriety to learn these small things, and in return, dealing with each other carries much less risk of destruction to the surroundings, or to each other’s properties.”

Erick grinned a little, saying, “I would like to read that—”

“There is a complication,” Poi said, interrupting the conversation. “Zenipeq is ready, but she brings three guards and one surprise. You will know of the surprise person once they are here, in this space. The coming conversation will involve them as well. She is unwilling to tell me who the new person is; only that you know them and would approve of their inclusion as the unannounced replacement for her previously-agreed upon fourth guard. Zenipeq seems sincere.”

Erick’s instincts were to allow it.

He asked Burhendurur, “Thoughts?”

“I would allow it. She has always traded fairly with Ar’Cosmos, and she might be surprising us with a last minute change, but she is still telling us that there is a change, and is asking us to allow it. She is likely not lying.”

“Even when it comes to the possible end of her life?”

“Especially then.”

Erick had already asked Poi if he wanted to be here for this, but he asked again, “And you want to be here for this?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then tell her that I’ll be opening the [Gate] at the agreed upon location. [Zone of Peace] is in effect.”

“She agrees, and is ready.”

Far away, on a mountainside to the north of the Wasteland Kingdoms, Erick had Ophiel cast a [Zone of Peace], and then he opened a [Gate] from there to this [Fairy Stronghold] in the Crystal Forest. Inside his Stronghold, a ring of lightning twenty meters ripped open, revealing that mountainside.

Erick watched a cloud of ice that hovered in the distance, between mountain peaks. It was a very conspicuous cloud, because while it was a kilometer across and rather fluffy, it was a shade too blue to be anything but a magical effect.

That cloud looked at Erick, and then it shifted, twisting and collapsing into one human woman with pale white skin and frost in her blue hair, and with a gossamer dress that floated around her like she was underwater. Her hair floated in that same way, Erick saw. Behind her were four people in full-body covering pale-blue armor. All of Zenipeq’s people were orcol-sized, which could have been an affectation, or a way to hide the one among them who was the odd inclusion.

As a group, Zenipeq floated forward, carrying her people behind her on airy Platforms made of mist.

She had no horns that Erick could see, though her whole ‘airy mist thing’ was a definite physical trait that marked her as something other than what she appeared to be, which was a rather beautiful human woman with some odd coloration.

Erick stood on his side of the [Fairy Stronghold], on his side of the lightning ring.

Zenipeq stood on her mountainside, on her side of the lightning ring.

Erick greeted her, “Greetings, Zenipeq, Ice Wraith Dragon Queen of Frostflower.”

Zenipeq breathed a little, then bowed just her head. She rose, saying, “Greetings, Erick Flatt, Benevolent Wizard King of Candlepoint and Ar’Cosmos and of Earth. Savior of Light, Fire of the Age, Conqueror of Ar’Kendrithyst, and Gatemaster. Father to Yggdrasil.”

Erick held a soft, professional smile, saying, “I am sure you have more titles, too, but I was not expecting you to go through most of mine.”

“If you have more, I will honor them.”

Erick had at least one more; ‘Dragon’. But Zenipeq did not know that yet; Erick wanted to know what kind of person Zenipeq was before he started offering that major power.

Erick gestured to his side of the meeting. “Would you care to come inside? The [Zone of Peace] protects us both.”

“I would have my extra person verify it for me, if that is alright with you.”

Erick said, “Proceed. But who is this mystery person you have brought with you?”

Erick was already looking over all of Zenipeq’s people with his mana sense, for they were in range, but as far as he could tell the people with Zenipeq were just orcols.

“That would be me,” said the man directly to Zenipeq’s left. He walked forward, past the lightning ring, saying, “It’s been a few months since I saw you last, Erick.” He glanced around, inspecting the space, then he turned back, saying, “Come on in and be quick about it.”

Erick… Was having trouble placing the man. The male orcol was using something more than simple obfuscation magics to hide himself, for he wasn’t actually hiding himself at all. He appeared like a dude that anyone would find on the streets of Treehome—

“Oh,” Erick said, thinking he might have got it. He was pretty sure this was either Quilatalap, or Syllea’s brother, Omaz. It was probably not Omaz, though, because that would be a stretch of believability. Erick would be fine with meeting Quilatalap again, though. Quilatalap had helped him quite a lot during Last Shadow’s Feast. “Hmm.”

The man who might have been Quilatalap looked to Erick and smiled beneath his mask. “Did you figure it out?”

“Maybe.”

Zenipeq and her other three people walked through the lightning ring.

Erick shut it behind them.

And now it was just the eight of them on a flat platform in a hundred meter cubic [Fairy Stronghold] somewhere in the Crystal Forest north of the Gate District.

Zenipeq bowed to Erick, and then bowed to her three people who were not the fourth, saying, “This one thanks you for your service. Please return home and ensure a smooth transition of power.”

The three unknowns had some deep emotions in their eyes and their stances. All three hesitated, but all three slammed their pale-blue armored chests with gauntleted hands, and said, “Our queen in life and death. We salute you.”

Zenipeq’s breath caught as she took one last long look at them, and then she turned back to Erick, asking, “Could you please put them somewhere safe, but not where we were? There were [Long Scry]s on us before we stepped into this place.”

Erick did so, opening a [Gate] to the side of the room that led to a beach. “This leads to the coast of the Crystal Forest, south east of Candlepoint.”

The three guards left.

Erick closed the [Gate] behind them.

And now, it was just the five of them.

Erick began, “So who is this mystery person?”

“It’s me.”

Without any visible magical effect, the remaining orcol in the room was suddenly someone else.

Quilatalap.

The undead orcol whom Erick had met at Last Shadow’s Feast, who had taught him quite a few crucial things about Soul Magic, who had protected him during that time while Erick lived in his house for a few days, until everything went to shit. This man had brought necromancy from the Old Cosmology to the New Cosmology, was a Black Priest and Holy Necromancer of Koyabez, and had Rozeta’s recommendation that he was a ‘decent’ sort of guy. But all the world hated him for his necromancy, and also because he was instrumental during the Rage Wars in ensuring the immortality of the orcol war machine. Probably more reasons besides those, too. So Quilatalap moved around a lot, escaping inquisition and crusade and otherwise. He had lived in Ar’Kendrithyst for a long while, though, pretending to be the Caretaker of the Armory; the Shade who oversaw the trials that people undertook in order to prove themselves worthy of the prizes that actual Shades had put up for the winning. He was an archlich at least 3,000 years old, with a soul that was more like a hole in the world, lined with teeth. He flexed those teeth as he winked at Erick.

“Hello again! You’ve been pretty busy since last I saw you.”

Poi went still.

Zenipeq waited her turn to speak, deferring everything to Quilatalap.

Burhendurur prostrated himself with a sudden kneel and a bow, not saying a word.

And Erick just stood there for a long moment, then he said, “Hello again, Quilatalap. How you doing?”

“Can’t complain, can’t complain. Zenipeq has treated me rather decently, but due to this dragon exodus thing, plans changed.” Quilatalap asked, “And so, I’m looking for a place to stay for a while. Got any openings at House Benevolence for anything at all? Zenipeq is looking for a new place to stay for a while, too, but as for me, I’m really just looking for some stability in my life, and I’m willing to support those who won’t try to kill or take advantage of me. Fair warning though: It’s usually better to use me to maintain some system, or something. If I’m requested to teach someone something, they usually end up learning too much and then they cause problems, of which I will not be held responsible.”

“Uh…” Erick said, “Yes. Yup. Sounds— Uh. Hold on. I need to think for a minute.”

Quilatalap smiled a little, waiting.

Burhendurur was still prostrated on the ground, but he was suddenly very, very happy about everything. He was also a little bit insanely mad jealous of Erick, though he was doing a very good job of hiding that, as his face was against the floor. Everyone in the room either had mana sense or mental senses, though, so he wasn’t doing nearly as good a job of hiding himself as he hoped he was.

Poi was concerned, but not nearly as concerned as he had been moments before.

Erick directed his thoughts to Quilatalap’s question: did he want the man here in Candlepoint?

Erick’s instinct was to say yes.

Quilatalap was very much an amoral sort of person, but he was not a bad person. When he was running the Armory, he ensured traps and summoned creatures killed whoever tried coming through that place, but he also [True Resurrection]ed people who died, and offered them an ‘out’; they could give up on their selected difficulty of trial, and just leave. No harm, no foul. If people persisted, though, he let them die.

When he was undercover as a Shade, Killzone’s thoughts on the man were mostly of the Armory, and a ‘don’t go there’ sort of warning.

Silverite did not like necromancers, but Silverite and Quilatalap were both Priests of Koyabez, and she didn’t really have too much evil to say about Quilatalap. She still hated him, though. Probably for a bunch of different actual reasons, too.

But Quilatalap could be a valuable resource.

Where would Erick put him, though?

Erick decided to just ask him, “Got any preference for a placement?”

Quilatalap smiled. “I could help out with Enforcement patrols, or perhaps I can reprise my role as Caretaker the Shade and run a library, or something like that. I’m fine with interacting with people, but I’m serious when I say that people always try to worm knowledge out of me and they usually can.”

Erick did not need to be a Mind Mage to know that Burhendurur was absolutely livid with jealousy, and if Erick did not choose Enforcement, then—

Erick looked down at Burhendurur, and said, “Stop that, Burhendurur.”

Burhendurur froze.

Erick said to Quilatalap, “I want other people to learn how to [Reincarnation]. Therefore, I want you to make a library at House Benevolence, and when we get students who are vetted through… I don’t know. All six offices? And me? Then you can teach them whatever you want to teach them, and also [Reincarnation], which I will teach to you when I am able. No teaching outside of those specific parameters, though… Uh… And I’m sure I’ll have more to say about that later.”

Quilatalap’s eyes went wide. “Oh wow. Okay! Yes. I agree. Sounds great to me. I. Uh. I got some gifts. I thought it might be more difficult to work that out. Glad to see I was mistaken. You can still have the gifts. Mostly magical plants.”

“Details to be worked out later. Before that, though,” Erick asked, “Do you vet Zenipeq?”

Zenipeq’s eyes went wide. This was it. She prepared herself as much as she could.

She was probably preparing herself for the wrong thing, though.

Quilatalap said, “Sure. She’s a pretty stable force. Has been for around 700 years. Few incidents with Dragon Curse slipping, but other than that she’s been as fine as any other leader of nations out there. After [Reincarnation] she’ll have lost everything, though, so it’ll take her a good 50 years to get it all back. She’d be good as an advisor in that time, if you want her for that. Any role is acceptable, though.”

All that boded well for Zenipeq, and she knew it.

Erick asked her, “I have a few things I want to change about how you run Frostflower, Zenipeq, and then we can talk about the rest.”

To his side, Burhendurur slowly rose, now that the conversation was not about Quilatalap; he would prostrate himself before the Archlich of Necromancy itself, but he would not do so regarding a fellow dragon.

Zenipeq’s frost-blue eyes narrowed. Her floating dress and hair turned frosty, and stiffer. “I will not be able to return there for quite some time, and possibly never, Wizard Flatt. It is my understanding that [Reincarnation] will strip everything from me, including my [Dragon Body] and my lichdom. If it will not affect my lichdom then… I still cannot return, for I will be bereft of my magic.”

Erick nodded, then asked, “And if I can help you retake your land? I am not interested in disturbing the order of the world more than I already have, and so I am trying to mitigate the upsets of the Dragon Exodus.”

Zenipeq’s eyes went wide again. She cautiously asked, “What requests do you have of me?”

“Acceptance of International Common Law in Frostflower. Ceasing all construction of magical items that come about through the use of criminal souls. You will pay for and maintain a Gate which will be opened in a quarantine zone set outside of Candlepoint lands, connecting to somewhere to be decided in Frostflower lands. Trade will happen, of some sort, which is what I understand you do all the time with Ar’Cosmos anyway. And you will comply with—” Erick interrupted himself. He had been about to say, ‘comply with Best Necromancy Practices, as outlined in the Arcanaeum Consortium Charter.’ as Zolan had suggested, but he could already tell that he was driving swords into Zenipeq’s soul with every extra demand. So instead, he said, “And that’s it.”

Zenipeq’s flowing blue hair and dress turned absolutely frosty, solidifying around her like armor. “You would have me return to my own lands a conqueror, to usurp my people and my way of life. All for what? Lesser power and needing constant vigilance, and constantly tied to Candlepoint and to you, constantly requesting power when what I have is not enough? You would turn me into a lapcat, and when I finally grow tired of your demands I would either kill you, or you would kill me, and—”

Quilatalap rapidly said, “Zeni.”

“What!” Zenipeq demanded. “He knows what he is doing! Look at him!”

Quilatalap said, “Please excuse her, Erick. She’s been a bit depressive since this whole Exodus thing—”

“And your refusal to answer my letter for four days didn’t help!” Zenipeq yelled, “Erick.”

“She would never turn on you if you helped her get her power back.”

“Quilatalap!” Zeni said, “You can’t just tell him that!” And then she looked at Erick, and panic subsumed her, and then came depression. She twisted in on herself and collapsed into a pile of blue mist and frost. “Fuck, I’m gonna die. I fucked it all up.” Her voice trailed into itself, “Fuck fuck fuck.”

Erick said, “I could already tell that she was just testing me, but thank you anyway, Quilatalap. Dragons seem to naturally wear their emotions like it doesn’t matter that people know what they’re thinking.”

Quilatalap said, “I think it’s more that they want people to know that they’re thinking… Most of the time.”

“Ah. Well. That’s true, too.” Erick said, “Anyway! I won’t be helping you take back your nation, anyway, because you’re going to do that yourself. Another option has come available besides [Reincarnation]. Thanks to a bunch of gods deciding they wanted me to be a whole lot stronger than I was before, I’m a Benevolence Dragon, and I can do that for you through a single spell which I already have, and which already worked on another dragon about two hours ago.”

Zenipeq froze in her mist form. Quite literally, too. Instead of being a pile of mist, she was a twist of unmoving frost.

Quilatalap looked at Erick. “Oh. Ah. Ha! I didn’t think you’d go through with that. Not in that way, anyway.”

“I thought about a Big Wizard solution, but everyone wanted me to go through established magics.” Erick said to Zenipeq’s frozen form, “If you agreed to some International Common Law, ceasing the punitive uses of souls, and the Gate to Frostflower, then I can transform you into a Benevolence Dragon right now. It’s gonna fucking hurt, though. Hurt you, I mean. I’ll be fine. Can undead accept Healing Magic? Because I had to use a lot of [Greater Treat Wounds] the last time and that was a mess.” Erick said, “I ended up with about a full dragon’s dismembered body on a floor very similar to this one.”

As Erick spoke, Zenipeq’s frozen form gradually thawed. When he finished, in one smooth motion, Zenipeq reconstituted herself into her human-ish woman form. “I accept your Benevolence, and your requests, though my city is not a monarchy, and so it will take time to run your Common International Law request through the Lords Court.”

“… Not a monarchy?”

“A democratically-elected Lords Court makes the laws.”

Erick stood a bit straighter. “Ah… Huh. Are there living people on that court?”

Zenipeq stared as one would stare at a peculiar bug she found on the floor. “… You wouldn’t put children in charge of the law, would you— Ah. Wait. You’re young. You would. Uh…” She paused. “I can put forth ballots to try and get at least one or two mortals on the court… That will take time, too.”

“One or two seats out of how many?”

Zenipeq thought about lying. Then she thought better. “100.”

“… Uh huh.” Erick asked, “And the population of mortals to immortals?”

“Oh like you’re any better! You got democracy here at all? No you do not.”

“It’s in the works. Long term plans. But I’m still trying to build the damned place, though, and you’re at 700+ years old.”

“… A thousand mortals to one lich.”

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

“I built the place for liches! Not always-dying mortals! The mortals just sort of happened. I try to do right by them but it’s hard to care about ephemeral things that can die at any damned time for any reason at all. They fall out of bed and die!” Zenipeq said, “And don’t get me started on babies. Ugh!”

Despite her words, her attitude was great.

When she was a Benevolence dragon she’d probably see a lot of things differently, anyway.

So Erick confidently said, “I’m ready to transform you whenever you want.”

Zenipeq froze again. “What? You are? After what I just said? I didn’t give you any confirmation at all that I would actually change how we do things over there?”

Erick smiled softly, saying, “I’m pretty confident that this will turn out well.”

“… Are you now?”

“Yup.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“… Fuck it. Let’s do this. Do I need to be a dragon, or do you need my soul, or what?”

“… I honestly do not know how this works on liches.”

Quilatalap suggested, “Let’s do this in a way in which it is least likely to go weird.” And then he brought out a shining blue crystal from a pocket. “This is Zenipeq.”

Zenipeq froze again upon seeing that little blue crystal. Her eyes darting from the object to Erick, and then back to Quilatalap. She was unsure.

Quilatalap held it out to Zenipeq, saying, “I think we’re safe enough, Zeni, and you should hand it off yourself. This is it.”

Zenipeq steeled herself, and then she strode over to Quilatalap. She did not physically pick up the blue gem; she held out her hand and the gem came to her without any visible magic. And then she clutched the gem to her chest, walked toward Erick, and held herself out in the air, about a meter from him.

“This is me. My real form. My body is a summoned construct, like all liches.” Zenipeq whispered, “I entrust myself to you.”

And the blue gem was not really a gem at all. It was a flowerbud about the size of a fist made of ice and sapphires and glowing blue-white magic. It hummed.

Erick looked to Poi.

Poi nodded; no trickery.

Erick asked, “Do you want to do an exchange of [Dragon Body]s?”

Zenipeq startled. “Oh! Uh. That old custom? Uh… How does it— Ah. Here. This is mine. Please give it back when you are done with it, or break it.”

Erick smiled a little bit as Burhendurur shook his head.

Erick said, “I’ll give it back to you afterward, since you’re going to have a new one.”

Zenipeq stood straight. “Ah…” She looked a bit sad. “Thank you.”

Erick cast his [Blessing of Draconic Benevolence].

It was not nearly as messy as with Al, but as the air filled with breaking razors of ice and a whole lot of [Cleanse] and the roars of a room full of mist in pain, Erick blipped Poi out of there, as they planned on if something like this should happen.

When the thrashing and crashing was over, Zenipeq’s phylactery was a pile of broken ice and chipped sapphires, scattered by an errant tail swipe that clipped Erick, but which did nothing but break his shirt a little. A [Mend] fixed that.

And now, Zenipeq was a 50-meter-long sleeping dragon, sprawled across the room like a tangle of blue-white 3-meter-wide pipes.

Quilatalap announced, “Well that was something I have never actually seen before. I was hoping to see a [Reincarnation], but that was almost better.” He looked to Erick. “So? Can I still stay with you?”

“Yes. Glad to have you. Zenipeq is going back to Frostflower, though.”

Quilatalap grinned. “I think you made a friend-for-eternity there, Erick.”