1061 New Era.
150 years before the birth of Geralt of Rivia.
Shaerrawedd.
One week later.
Merinelteratsin, also known as — Merlin.
“And why did you have to kill them personally?
You could have just collapsed everything with magic and let them suffocate…” Nimue chided me for the umpteenth time over the past week…
To her credit, she had been fussing over me the whole time.
After all, that fight had been…
Not easy.
Back then, still running on adrenaline, I hadn’t paid much attention to the wounds inflicted by the rock dragon’s, which were still effective, claws under the Hive’s control…
But later, when victory came and the crash hit, oh-oh-oh…
I felt so bad that I didn’t just collapse unconscious right there.
Because a fair amount of blood had flowed out, and in some places the gashes reached my ribs, making them visible to the naked eye…
My slashed chest would have given me a magnificent set of scars…
If it weren’t for the accelerated regeneration of dragons, which leaves no wounds on the body.
Moreover, it had a somewhat different nature than simple enhanced wound healing — dragons could even regrow their horns!..
“No, no, no.
You have to burn out the infection with certainty — otherwise it’ll come back in a hundred years, and then you’ll be sitting there blinking from the feeling of your own stupidity and shortsightedness.” I snorted, looking at my nearly healed bare torso and chest.
Although phantom pains still managed to torment me…
With my imagination.
“That biped who leads their clan, Fuchs, could have handled that.
Now he’s grateful and indebted to us…
As you say?
For life?” the golden dragoness inquired with a somewhat indignant expression on her face, while I dressed back into elven clothes.
Though the locals had modified them to be more convenient for me.
“He did lose quite a bit of strength…” I noted slowly, making some calculations in my head.
“As you know, among dwarves, warriors and mercenaries are far less respected and therefore less popular than jewelers, bankers, or even miners.
And it was much easier for Gunnrad to find more miners and take losses among them than to waste his troops.
Do you think he would have gone scouring and cleaning everything up the way he’s doing now?
Would he have been so persistent about it before those black Brain Breakers inflicted such losses on his clan and it almost became a blood feud?..”
I couldn’t help but recall the fury with which Gunnrad Fuchs returned with us, gathering new troops.
We had agreed that the official story would be this — the great sorcerer Merlin and his companion Nimue saved him from terrible monsters.
It gives me a reputation boost in dwarven society and keeps the dragon secret from everyone except a narrow circle, and for him — our public testimony that Gunnrad fought valiantly (and didn’t escape because he was near us), and that his warriors also died.
Not from my fire and the Brain Breaker creatures, but in an honest battle against a maddened rock dragon.
“Looking at it from that point of view, then…” the fake elf hesitated a bit, scratching behind her long ear — which was slightly more protruding than a normal elf’s.
It’s not immediately noticeable, but it seems someone didn’t recreate their appearance perfectly.
Though, it’s stupid to blame her for that — I was going by a movie, and she was going by ordinary paintings…
Or maybe just one.
“…then I have a pretty good understanding of how those in power operate.
And anyone can understand that — because profit has always come first.” I shrugged, being a proponent of that very theory.
“Especially among dwarves, whose relationships are tied to wealth and prosperity perhaps even more than humans’.
Miners, bankers, jewelers…
All of them are no less popular in their society than their most famous blacksmiths.”
“And you decided to order a lair from such…
mercenary folk?” the elven beauty raised her eyebrows in bewilderment, even setting aside her book of notes on elven developments in the air elemental aspect of magic. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Yeah, and dragons don’t value treasure more than anyone else and don’t want to get it?..
Oh, my beloved double standards.
But don’t worry, we’ll cure you of that too…
“Weeeell…” I finally got fully dressed and leaned back into the soft pillows.
Elves sure know how to create comfort, they do.
“At the very least, Gunnrad and his heir definitely won’t betray us, even despite their greed for our theoretical treasures…
Dwarves know how to be grateful and aren’t stupid; they understand that feuding with two dragons who are also sorcerers is foolish.
Especially when you yourself own a diamond mine…
But the builders…
Hmm…” I paused for a couple of moments, trying to grasp the situation.
“Hmm…
Yes…
Well, okay.
I suppose, even though they’ll know the location and layout of our lair, we can always change the defense measures ourselves…
Let them at least do the interior finishing of the cave.
As for the location…
Well…
Illusion charms are our help, we’re not ordinary dragons, we’re also sorcerers!”
“You didn’t plan all of this out, did you?” Nimue looked at me with a distinct smirk on her lips and amusement in her eyes, which flashed pure gold.
“Weeeell…” I drawled again, glancing away…
“Let’s not talk about uninteresting things!
Especially when there are more interesting ones, even if they are no less unpleasant.”
“I don’t know why the probable death of some…” the dragoness snorted with still palpable notes of disdain.
“They’re not even elves or those amusing short folk.”
“Nimue…
Okay, let’s try again.
Magical creatures are, of course, inferior to us.” I saw no point in denying that, when among all the living creatures on the Continent, you could count on the fingers of two hands those who could pose any kind of threat to an adult (and sane!) dragon.
“But we can’t be everywhere.
We can’t gather rumors by relying on our numbers and unique innate skills that even dragons don’t have…
We can’t just go and demand help from other dragons — only for a share of the treasure…
But now, when elves and humans are escalating more and more…
That is, increasing the scale and brutality of their conflict, and the time for a massive defeat, but the survival of the former — hasn’t come yet…
But soon, these creatures, more than anyone else, will need the protection of great and wise beings, like gold dragons.” Oh-oh-oh, I knew what to push.
Look how doubt mixed with pride flared up on Nimue’s face!..
“Who they will then be eternally grateful to and worship even more.
Don’t you like it when the elves praise and exalt you after seeing your progress in magic?..”
“That’s…” the golden-haired girl began to actively digest my substantial speech.
“Are you talking about servants?..
Some of us had them, but it was all just entertainment…”
“Well, let’s not go back to the typical representatives of our kind.
We don’t want to only do four things — eat, sleep…” I began with a sneer, but was interrupted almost instantly by Nimue, who threw her hands up.
I understand!
I won’t use other dragons as examples anymore…” she muttered resignedly, putting on such a pensive-offended expression that I only barely managed not to burst out laughing.
Though I did start grinning quite broadly.
“So what’s the conclusion…
We fly around saving all sorts of little creatures so they’ll serve us later?”
“More like cooperate.
Though, what difference does the wording make, as long as both sides are satisfied?..” I shrugged, not giving up on the idea of becoming famous among all sorts of pribozhki, dopplers, dryads, and other creatures as the great benefactor and sage Merlin.
“But no, we won’t be saving them.
Right now, they can still think everything will be fine.
That they won’t be touched…
It’ll be easier to convince them when the fire of war singes them a little.”
“Your philosophizing again?
Fine.” She waved a hand at me, shrugging indifferently and returning to her magic book.
“I generally understand your motives, and if you want to become the master of every kind of beast — go ahead.
That sort of thing doesn’t interest me, but dragons are allowed to do almost anything.”
Oh…
Yeah, it’s going to be hard to get her used to saving all sorts of supposedly sentient monsters.
I…
Well…
I just don’t want to let them go extinct in the future.
They’re amusing, they’re cool, and besides, they’re living, sentient beings who don’t harm anyone.
If I have the strength and opportunity for it, why not do a good deed?
I haven’t turned into a purely cynical and practical beast yet, have I?..
And even from the latter perspective…
Even the smallest magical creatures as friends will bring me considerable benefit.
Say, some potential hunters come after me…
And some pribozhok sketches them and passes the info to me.
Then I fly over and deliver a preemptive strike from the air — and that’s it, no more dangerous hunter team!
Died on the job, heh-heh!
As I have repeated and will repeat to myself a thousand times…
Dragons are not defeated because of superiority in raw power…
Not at all.
It’s just that other races aren’t such loners, who don’t notice anyone or anything except their own kind.
Total underestimation of bipeds leads to deaths from, seemingly, some pathetic handful of five humans.
Or dwarves, or elves…
It doesn’t really matter.
The main thing that the more numerous races have is cooperation.
“…So.
Since the beasts…” I snorted.
“Don’t interest you, shall we get back to magic?
I think it’s time to shake down our Elder for some new lessons.
Otherwise, he’ll die, and then we’ll have to negotiate with the other elven elders…
Besides…
We need something to do while the dwarves are building our lair anyway, right?..”