Asher walked confidently through the narrow and cramped halls of the old town hall building that served as the center of all of Rannoch's various governmental branches. Conall was just behind him as they made their way directly to the Cardinal Guard's office. As they approached they found her door was left open, and inside they found Petra still in her armor and uniform with her arms crossed as she stared into the ceiling with a serious look on her face. Asher cleared his throat causing Petra to jump, she sat up in her chair and gestured for the boys to come in. "Close the door and report what you found, quickly. It's far too late and I can't be fucked to care much about a distant monster right now." The pair entered and stood before her desk. Now that Asher had a better look at her he could see the exhaustion the normally fierce woman was showing.

  Conall stood in an oddly formal position Asher hadn't seen him take before. He spoke in a professional, rehearsed, sounding tone. "Cardinal Guard Petra, before we continue I'm required by the Fists to inform you I am no longer under your direct command. The Great Patron Zephyria has taken me in as her warlock and my interests are now aligned with hers." Petra's grumpy and tired demeanor instantly vanished as she flashed a broad grin. She immediately stood up and pulled Conall into an awkward handshake mixed with a hug. When she broke away from the odd gesture Conall looked embarrassed and she said, "I knew the moment I saw you next to that dragon she was going to be the right one for you, Conall. I'm truly glad you found your place again. I don't give a shit what the High Warlock or the Fists say about you. You're a good, dependable, man and she's as lucky to have you as you are lucky to have her. She didn't dig her fangs in too deep with her pact, did she?" Conall smiled slightly as he said, "I obviously can't discuss the details, but no. She was incredibly generous, far more than I expected from a patron. And certainly more than I ever expected from a dragon. She doesn't think like us, Cardinal Guard, but she's a good person at her core. As badly as she scared me at first, and truthfully even now at times, I'm lucky to have met her." Petra clasped the man on the shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze before she sat back down at her desk.

  "I think it's time we discussed whatever fucking beast we sent you to hunt, I can't order either of you to say jack shit anymore, but every scrap of information helps right now so long as your willing to share." Petra said, her weariness catching back up to her. Asher gave Conall a small gesture to keep talking and so the warlock said, "We understand and want to help. Following the information you gave us we found a Loch Viper in the lake and no signs of any other large monsters in the area. The snake's features and the local environment matched the reports so we're reasonably sure it was your target. We killed it and then returned here once we had a chance to rest and recover." Petra crossed her arms with a metallic clank and frowned. "A Loch Viper? I suppose that could have taken out some patrols but normally they are pretty fucking weak to being outnumbered. They're actually fairly well known for taking out large magical beasts who aren't careful around lakes that aren't regularly checked. One of the few fuckers out there that can actually manage to kill any of the Great Patrons, honestly." She sighed before continuing, "I wouldn't have sent your team against one had I known, but none of the reports matched up with a Loch Viper so I didn't consider it. Sending a patron in to fight one unaware is practically sending them to their deaths. Is your patron alright, Conall?"

  Conall gave her a quick nod and responded, "She's fine. Zephyria is a water dragon of some kind and the snake didn't stand a chance. She was pretty pissed that its ambush tactic would have worked on any other dragon. She also credits me with saving her, though I wouldn't give myself all that much credit." Conall smiled a bit as he kept talking, "You should have seen it. The snake yanks her underwater before any of us can react, and then a minute or two later she marches out of the water with a massive snake coiled a half dozen times around her chest with its fangs still stuck in her shoulder still actively trying to strangle her to death. She just looks at us and says 'Our prey yet lives'. I was speechless." Petra gave the warlock a smile and said, "I'm glad she made it out alright. The survival rate of any creature that falls for its ambush is terrifyingly low. It's always a wonder to watch a patron survive something they shouldn't possibly have come out alive from."

  Asher finally spoke up and said, "You've been repeatedly saying how dangerous this particular creature is to patrons and I find the timing suspicious. On the brink of war a new patron arrives and is immediately send to their death on an ill informed suicide mission. I am not accusing you, Cardinal Guard Petra, but I would suggest looking into the survivors of those alleged ambushes. That's an awfully out of the way place for a patrol to find itself, much less multiple, and a creature poorly suited to killing so many. You may have been fed bad information with an intent to kill Zephyria."

  Petra frowned deeper and crossed her arms again before slamming a fist onto her desk. "Son of a bitch, I didn't even put that together! I'm too fucking tired for this. I'll start looking into it tomorrow once I've had time to rest properly. That said, what makes you so sure it wasn't me? Last we spoke we butted heads worse than two Ironhorns in heat. If I remember right you even dared to growl at me. Funny as hell, by the way. Never seen a human do that before." Asher shrugged. "You like Conall too much to jeopardize his future by killing a patron that's favorable to him on purpose. You seemed to think the Fists sent us for some reason as well. I've seen nobles act worse over problems far less important than their entire town being under threat of invasion. Doesn't mean Zephyria or I appreciate it, but with the benefit of hindsight I respect where it was coming from." Petra let out a small relieved breath and said, "You're more reasonable and clever than I gave you credit for, human." Asher cocked an eyebrow at her phrasing. Petra sighed and put her head in her hands, "By the patrons claws I can't stop putting my paws in my mouth." She straightened back up and said, "I appreciate your confidence and understanding for my previous actions. That said, I'm quickly believing in your theory of a spy of some kind even faster. You said I seemed to think the Fists sent you, right? That's because I was told the Fists sent you two not long before that little fight of ours. Once could be a coincidence, twice is something to seriously investigate. You have my word I'll be ripping through my information sources with a flea brush."

  Petra paused and then looked at Asher with a focused stare for an uncomfortable moment. "Do humans normally have fangs? I cannot tell if I am so tired I simply didn't see them before or if you just have fangs now for some fuckin' reason." Asher bared his teeth at her in a grin. "You truly have no filter, do you?" Petra just laughed and said, "I got this position due to my skill at handling complex military situations and picking the right person for the job, not for my beyond shitty social skills. Now spill, are those fangs new or am I losing my mind as I spend yet another hour awake when I shouldn't be?" Asher just shook his head with a little smile. "They're new. I'm Zephyria's chosen, apparently. I'll probably keep changing, might not. We'll find out with time." Petra gave him an an appraising look, "Fair enough." She spoke with a genuine combination of caution and humor as she asked, "You won't go crazy on me, will you? The chosen tend to be a little crazy." Asher gave her a fierce smile full of his new little fangs and said "The day before we first spoke I punched a blood and gore soaked, severely sleep deprived, and angry dragon in the snout as hard as I could while cursing at her." Petra laughed uproariously and said with mirth, "So I'm talking to 'already crazy', then? I can work with that."

  Asher gestured a hand vaguely behind him as he changed the topic, "A the risk of making an impatient dragon that's almost certainly already wandered off somewhere wait even longer. Lets address the beast in the room. What happened out there tonight, Petra, and how can we help?" Petra's smile fell and she just sighed and then gestured for the two to sit down instead of standing at attention. She rested her elbows on her desk as she sat forward. "I don't know much yet, to be honest. Bandits came in the night, set fires, then ran. I have my guards scouring Rannoch to see if it was a diversion or not, which is why I'm even awake at this awful hour. If it is one we haven't seen it yet. If it wasn't some clever strategy, it could simply be we happened to catch them early by pure chance and they wasted their shot at some kind of ambush. I didn't make it to the position of a Cardinal by relying on good fortune and coincidence. As soon as I have more information I'll be able to act in the defense of our town, for now I've doubled the night guard patrol and that will have to be enough."

  Petra gestured at the pair as she spoke, "Before you walked in tonight I believed I needed some heavy hitters to shore up my dependable but individually weak guardsmen. I realize now what I need more than ever is people I can actually trust. I'm going out on a limb and risking that you three are the ones I can rely on right now." She sighed as she started to fiddle with a drawer in her desk while talking. "I recognize you all aren't under any obligation to follow my orders or even stick around to see this conflict get worse. So let me make an offer. A mercenary contract set to last one month or until the active threat of the bandits and northerners is stopped. You do as I say as though you were one of my own guards, including your patron, and I'll pay as well as I can manage. And before you ask, yes, I will be more gentle about ordering you around next time. I'm desperate, not suicidal." Petra opened her desk and pulled out a pouch of coins that hit the desk with a satisfying thunk. "On top of that, you'll have priority when putting in an order from any craftsman associated with the town. Weapons, armor, equipment, all made first and to order at reduced rates for the duration of the contract or a month passes, whichever comes last. If the conflict extends past that first month I'm willing to offer an equal amount of coin and the same contract."

  Asher exchanged a glance with Conall and said, "Sounds like something we might be interested in, but I can't agree to it without Zephyria's agreement. Before we even bring this up with her, I'll need more details. A lot of details. And no matter what, if she says no then we're out and there's nothing I can do about that." Petra nodded in understanding and began to explain the specifics of the mercenary contract.

  Zephyria was doing her best to remain patient while sitting outside, but she was truly bored. For the past hour people had been coming by and either ignoring her, giving her thankful glances, or outright bowing at her while professing their thanks she was there. Zephyria didn't know how to handle the awkwardness of the situation so she took the easy route out and simply did her best to ignore them, and to her relief none of them tried to press the issue of getting a response from her. "What is taking my mortals so long? I wish to lay down and sleep some more, not stand around watching the moon crawl though the sky in the late hours of the night. I should have brought the book Asher bought me, at last then I would have something to do. If it is as durable as my little dragon says, perhaps I should find a way to take it with me. I will have to ask my mortals about this, later." She shifted uncomfortably and let her mind wander further as time passed. "I must speak with Asher about this chosen business. I have not spoken to him of the unusual dream I had with the dragon-like mortal upon my back. Seeing his fangs sprout makes me more certain than ever that the strange mortal was Asher. That form may very well be his future. I do not know what I will do if he wants to try to avoid that fate. I cannot force it upon him, and yet that unbridled joy I felt soaring through that storm with him is something I desire greatly."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  As Zephyria was letting her mind wander she heard voices she recognized from within the town hall, "I'm not sure where she will have gotten off to. Likely to the stable but knowing her she could very well have wandered off to who knows where. Once we find her we'll-" Zephyria watched as Asher, Conall, and Petra all walked out of the town hall and then all slowed in surprise at actually finding her there. Zephyria leaned down towards Asher and spoke in a soft tone, "Little dragon, I am tremendously bored. I have been stuck here watching the moon slowly swim through the stars as random mortals thank me for things I have not done while stuck in my own mind. I wish to sleep away somewhere private or kill something. Can we leave?"

  Asher stifled a laugh as he said, "Sorry Zeph, we've got some politics to discuss first. We don't have anywhere private to discuss this where you'll fit, so behind the hall will have to do." Zephyria huffed and grumbled but followed as the trio to a semblance of privacy. The group made their way behind the town hall into a small garden and courtyard not visible from the main square. Asher began by saying, "Cardinal Guard Petra wants to hire us to protect the town, specifically we'll be hired for a month or until the conflict ends. And if the conflict runs longer than we hope for it could be several months at the worst." Zephyria slowly whipped her tail about in annoyance. "I said I would help you, did I not? If that is how it must be done then so be it. I do not care about the specifics so long as you are satisfied with this deal." Asher frowned and then glanced at Petra cautiously before speaking in a cautious tone, "I would have thought you would be at least a little annoyed by the time frame, what about how long this might take given our 'business' up north. Are you sure?" Zephyria was even more annoyed now. "Little one, I do not know how long a month is and I don't particularly care. Those I wish to hunt should be alive for at least another 50 cycles. If we have to spend a few of those cycles here to sooth your conscience then so be it."

  Asher blinked. "You don't know how long a month is? I would have thought you would have read about it in one of your books." Zephyria let out a sharp breath and growled softly. "One of the greatest frustrations of reading while not actually talking to the people is the things you all take for granted. When was the last time you specifically stopped to say how long a month is? It is simply understood by everyone so there is no need to repeat it, or write it down. There are many little things I do not understand that you likely just assume that I do. It is frustrating. I know a month is a long time and it is counted in days, that is all." Asher frowned slightly and said, "Sorry, Zeph. I never thought about that. A month is 28 days which is a long time for a mortal but not very long for a dragon, I suppose." Zephyria's worked to calm her restless temper as Petra awkwardly stood there watching their little spat, "You are right, little dragon. That is not long at all. It still does not matter to me. If the mortal's deal is something you wish for then I have already agreed to it. Let us get on with it already so that I may speak with you about something important then sleep to finish recovering from that horrible snake." Asher gave her a curious look at the mention of talking about something but didn't press.

  Petra cleared her throat, "Well. This has been both uncomfortable and seemingly something I didn't actually need to be present for. I had thought you might need more convincing, especially around the chain of command and the argument we had last we spoke. Rather than bothering with a prepared speech or anything I'll just give you this and move on with my shitty evening." Petra drew from a bag on her hip a smaller pouch that let off a feint but familiar odor. She opened it up and Zephyria instantly recognized the delicious smell of Wyrmgrass. "Take this as an apology and a peace offering, dragon. I just want to see my people safe." Zephyria wanted to take the pouch, badly, but had nowhere to put it so she glanced at Conall as he was closest to Petra and subtly swished her head towards the pouch. Zephyria responded, "Wyrmgrass? That is an appropriate apology, I accept, mortal." Petra gave her a lazy partial bow and then said, "Glad to hear it, I hope can work together in the future more smoothly. I'll finalize the contract and get it ready for you three to sign tomorrow. If the guards don't have anything for me, I'm going to fucking bed. It's truly an awful hour to be awake, and an even worse hour to be doing gods forsaken politics of all things."

  As the trio watched Petra trudge off into the darkness of the town Asher spoke to Zephyria slightly nervously, "You said you wanted to talk, Zeph? Something the matter?" Zephyria nuzzled his chest and then extended her wings to make sure she had the room to take off back here, "Not here. Let us go somewhere where we truly won't be overheard, let us fly for a little bit." Asher and Conall shared a glance prompting Conall to speak up, "Should I go? I wouldn't want to intrude if it's private." Zephyria gave the wolf man a little nudge with her muzzle as well. "You are mine now, little wolf. My secrets are your secrets and this matter concerns you as well, now." Asher climbed up on Zephyria's back and then helped Conall up after a moment. Zephyria carefully adjusted her stance to not accidentally hit any of the nearby buildings on their way out. She braced, leaped, and then took into the skies in one clean movement.

  Zephyria didn't bother to soar very high and just began a slow gentle circle around Rannoch as she finally addressed the matter that had been bothering her all evening. "Little dragon, do you remember the odd dream I was having before we were ambushed in the forest?" Asher responded hesitantly, "I almost forgot about that, you barely spoke about it so I assumed it couldn't have been that important. I'm sorry, is it still bothering you?" Zephyria growled softly, "Yes, but not for the reasons you assume little dragon. I never spoke of what happened in that dream. I found myself soaring through a lightning storm like the one that was above our heads that very night. It was a joyful and otherworldly flight." Asher nodded and said, "That sounds like a pleasant dream, but why bring it up now?"

  Zephyria grumbled out, "Let me finish, little dragon. I have much to say and difficult feelings to work past. The part that is bothering me is that upon my back within that dream was a mortal. A mortal I did not recognize until I saw your fangs first grow. That mortal was slightly larger than you, and distinctly not human. He bore scales just like mine, a muzzled draconic face, the backwards legs that non-humans have, fierce claws, and a tail not unlike my own. At first I believed that dream was just a way for me to better understand the storm, and by extension my own lightning. Now I believe it was a premonition of some kind. Should we continue to travel together that form may be your future, and 'little dragon' may become a more than an affectionate nickname. I withheld this dream from you until now for selfish reasons. I cannot deny that I wish for that future to come to pass so very badly, to soar through the thickest of storms and swim the deepest of depths with you at my side is an exhilarating thought. And yet, I also cannot bring myself to force such a thing upon you without your permission. Should this come to pass you will be unrecognizable to yourself or to anyone you once knew. Your humanity will be entirely forsaken. I will do all that I can to prevent this future if you do not wish it. Even... Even, if it means we must go our separate ways." Zephyria snarled and growled, "Bah! This bond is frustrating. I should not care so deeply for the feelings of a mortal, I am a dragon! And yet here we are."

  Asher sat there quietly for a long time as he clung to Zephyria's back. The group made several slow loops around the town before Conall couldn't take the quiet and spoke up, "Asher? What are you thinking? Know that I have your back no matter what you choose, but I'm getting nervous back here with how quiet you're being."

  Asher began to speak softly, "I've been excited for the changes, I truly have. I was even getting excited for more! I had hoped maybe I would get eyes like yours, Zephyria, or maybe a few scales. I never let myself consider that I might get a lot more than that. The moment I heard about that first chosen, the one that was turned into a bird person of some kind, I mean. I knew this might be a possibility. But it is like hearing about freak accidents, you never think it's going to happen to you until it's too late. Thank you for warning me, Zephyria. And thank you for considering what I want over your own wishes, I know that's not easy for you." Asher was quiet for a while longer as he continued to think. "I don't know. I'm scared, honestly. It's a terrifying prospect to change on such a fundamental level. I'm a little bit afraid of the pain as well. The fangs hurt when they changed, and that was tiny when considering the scale of what's to come. And yet despite the terror, I can't help but want to leap forward and embrace that future with everything I have."

  Asher hugged Zephyria's neck for a moment before continuing, "I rarely speak of them, but the Sunsvegards, my old family. They did everything they could to get me to be like them. Endless physical training, a rotating cast of magic tutors, even some sketchy potions to supposedly boost my fire affinity that just made me sick. Then they sent me to the streets with only some basic gear when I couldn't so much as conjure a bit of smoke, much less an entire flame. My twin sister is a prodigy, beloved and acclaimed, and the most cruel to me of them all for not keeping up with the absurd standards she set. And yet, some deep part of me still hopes that if I can just earn my flames somehow, I can go back. Maybe even get her to accept me, for once. It makes no sense, and yet I can't help but feel it. It makes no damn sense, but accepting this change to its completion still feels like a betrayal to them somehow. I'm terrified to lose something I never even had. How childish is that?" Asher sniffled and wiped a tear from his eye. "And now I'm crying, what kind of man am I?"

  Zephyria suddenly regretted choosing to fly as she wanted nothing more than to wrap her little one up in her wings. Before she could find her words Conall pulled Asher as tight as he could and embraced the man as he got his feelings out. Once Asher was a little bit calmer Conall asked one simple question in a gentle and kind tone, "Despite all that, it sounds like you really want this. Don't you?" Asher leaned into the other man and said, "Yes, I do. What you said, Zeph. About soaring through the storms and swimming the depths? That sounds like a fucking dream come true to me. If it means I'm happy then I don't care if it means I won't look how I do now. But it's so fucking terrifying to consider for my own shameful little reasons."

  Zephyria began a slow decent towards the stable and she and Asher had been sleeping in. As she did she spoke as kindly as she could, "Then we do not need to decide anything tonight, my little dragon. It is very late and should we keep flying we very well may watch the sun rise and not get any rest at all before the trials of tomorrow drag us away. Let us sleep and handle the problems as they come rather than trying to bite off more than we can chew at once. Perhaps the answers will come to us in our dreams once more, or perhaps we will simply better understand ourselves with time and rest."

  Asher smiled slightly and said, "Look at you being all wise and patient, Zephyria. Where's that dragon that kept getting herself hurt by rushing into things?" Zephyria couldn't help but let out a growl mixed with a laugh at his friendly jab, "I am impatient and temperamental, but I am not stupid. Believe it or not I am capable of learning from my mistakes. Sometimes." Asher pet the back of Zephyria's neck and said, "Thank you for being patient with me, Zephyria. You're right. Let's rest, it has been an extraordinarily long and stressful day. So much has happened in such a short period of time, it is exhausting."

  The trio gently swooped down to the stable and Conall bid his farewells with a yawn. Zephyria and Asher dragged themselves into the shelter of the building and laid down together with Asher held close to Zephyria's chest and cocooned within her wings. They both quickly fall asleep, and although they did not discuss it later, they both dreamed of flying through the skies as one that night.

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