\u201cUncle?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Drake was dozing, or just daydreaming absentmindedly. He looked up, startled, and then smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSelys! I was wondering when I\u2019d see my favorite niece.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour favorite<\/em> one? What about all the other ones you have?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys Shivertail smiled a bit as she walked over to the table, passing by a white Gnoll cub lying on the floor and snoozing. He pulled a chair out for her, as she eyed the cup and pitcher the Drake was drinking from.<\/p>\n \u201cDrinking alone? Or am I interrupting?\u201d<\/p>\n He chuckled as she sat.<\/p>\n \u201cHardly. But don\u2019t drink from the pitcher\u2014it\u2019ll knock you off your tail. I\u2019m always glad for company\u2014I was just sitting and reminiscing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds good to me. And yeah, Erin makes weird drinks. You should have seen this blue fruit drink she used to make.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys sat at the table. It was quiet in the inn, the only sound being the low buzz of Mrsha\u2019s snores. Zel Shivertail looked at Selys with a smile. She smiled, a bit awkwardly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time, Uncle Zel. When was the last time you visited? Four years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCould be. I\u2019d visit more, but you know how it is. Duties and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, fighting a war between the Trisstral Alliance and Salazsar?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh. You heard about that?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys rolled her eyes, and her tail curled slightly in mock annoyance.<\/p>\n \u201cUncle, you picked a fight with a Walled City!<\/em> Of course everyone was talking about it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was more of a trade dispute. Salazsar was trying to enforce its claim over its gemstone monopoly, and I was asked, so\u2026I won the dispute, as you may recall.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then the Goblin Lord showed up, and you followed him here. You stay pretty busy, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I said I came here to visit you and your aunt, would that win me any points?\u201d<\/p>\n The young Drake laughed. Zel grinned as he eyed her from head to tail. She hadn\u2019t changed much. Selys was a young Drake in her prime, just past twenty years of age. She didn\u2019t look all that different from other city Drakes her age.<\/p>\n She was dressed stylishly, despite the winter chill\u2014contrasting colors were in\u2014and she was a hard worker, stubborn at times, opinionated at others. But a far cry from Zel, who was older, a [General], who still wore his armor in the inn out of sheer habit. But they were family, however distant.<\/p>\n \u201cFavorite niece. I thought you were just humoring me whenever you visited when I was young, but Tekshia told me you\u2019d like me to say hi.\u201d<\/p>\n The younger Drake looked thoughtfully at her Uncle. He shrugged, a bit awkwardly.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t tell anyone I said that, or it\u2019ll cause some kind of incident. But I do mean it. Of all the Drakes claiming to be related to me, you\u2019re the only one who doesn\u2019t treat me like a hero or a symbol.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cReally? There\u2019s got to be one\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Zel smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh.\u201d<\/p>\n The two sat at the table for a little bit in silence. It wasn\u2019t a bad silence; for all they were part strangers, they had known each other too long to be uncomfortable with each other.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not good. If I\u2019m your favorite niece, how\u2019s the rest of the family? You see me once every year at most.\u201d<\/p>\n He grimaced and turned his face. Selys still saw it. He replied as casually as he could.<\/p>\n \u201cIntimacy leads to strife. At least, among the Drakes. There\u2019s not a single older member of my family who I\u2019ve had a half-decent conversation with. Well, except for a few distant relatives. Your Aunt Tekshia is one of them, I\u2019m glad to say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Did you see her? She said she\u2019d talked to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Zel nodded. He traced a pattern on the grain of the table\u2019s surface with one claw.<\/p>\n \u201cI visited her on the second day I arrived at Liscor. She kept asking me whether I\u2019ll have grandchildren. Aside from that, it was cordial.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys paused. An unspoken secret floated between the two. Zel knew that Selys knew, but Selys avoided the topic as adroitly as any [Receptionist].<\/p>\n \u201cGrandmother is like that. I hope you had a good time otherwise. She likes hearing war stories, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did entertain her with a few tales. She liked me talking about knocking out Wall Lord Ilvriss. He\u2019s in the city, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI heard. Why\u2019s he in Liscor? Didn\u2019t he lose his entire army to the Goblin Lord? Is he coming north for revenge, too?\u201d<\/p>\n Zel hesitated. Selys didn\u2019t need to hear about his mysterious meeting with Ryoka Griffin or the dark news she had imparted to him. She was a [Receptionist], not an adventurer. Ancestors, a [Receptionist]. It was such a mundane job. And he had known her parents\u2026<\/p>\n The [General] caught himself glancing at Selys, only to realize she was staring at him from the side. She looked away, blushing, her tail twitching. Zel eyed her and then sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t say anything!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but you were thinking it. I won\u2019t be offended. Believe me, I\u2019ve met Drakes with far less tact than you\u2019re showing, and that was my father. What\u2019s on your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n He waited as Selys mustered her thoughts. He expected any one of a hundred questions for her to ask. He hoped it was nothing that would open a rift between them, but she had been younger when he\u2019d seen her last. And too afraid then to ask. So he waited.<\/p>\n When Selys did come up with a question, it surprised Zel.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you\u2026lonely?\u201d<\/p>\n Zel blinked at her. Selys looked back at him. He wavered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have anyone in your life. And you keep moving from city to city. Everyone always talks about you like a hero\u2014unless you\u2019re telling the Walled Cities how stupid they are for fighting and not dealing with the Antinium, that is. But is it lonely? You don\u2019t have subordinates. You used to teach other [Generals] like Garusa Weatherfur. But now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Selys trailed off. Zel looked at her and felt old. What a question. Four years ago, Selys was a junior [Receptionist] in the Adventurer\u2019s Guild, still arguing with her grandmother. Now, she was an adult. He blinked and realized she was waiting for his answer. Zel coughed and replied after a moment\u2019s hesitation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a soldier, Selys. A [General]. I don\u2019t have time for personal relationships most of the time, and I\u2019m not inclined to cause a stir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know. But if\u2014no, never mind. Why are you staying at Erin\u2019s inn, anyways? She said you liked it here because of her cooking. But is that really it? You could stay at any inn in Liscor you wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys\u2019 tail twitched as she smiled at her uncle. She wanted to ask him more, he could tell. But maybe she wasn\u2019t ready. Selys turned the conversation away, and Zel felt a pang. Maybe in two more years he could talk to her about\u2014well, it wasn\u2019t as if he needed someone\u2019s shoulder to lean on, especially not his niece. But he smiled as he replied.<\/p>\n \u201cI like it here. It\u2019s peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys half-turned in her chair to eye Mrsha.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true. But only half the time. Erin\u2019s inn always<\/em> has something weird going on, Uncle. Have you seen her do anything crazy?\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cOccasionally. But I still appreciate staying here. Despite her mistakes, Miss Solstice is quite caring, and her staff works hard. The little Gnoll also keeps me on my toes. I\u2026well, it\u2019s better, being here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019ll stay here longer? Or are you going? No one asked you to fight the Goblin Lord, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. But it\u2019s my duty.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys\u2019 forehead wrinkled. It reminded Zel of her growing up, making the same expression when she was vexed.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you get a break?<\/em> You\u2019re a hero of two<\/em> Antinium Wars! Don\u2019t you wish you could tell everyone to leave you alone for a while?\u201d<\/p>\n Zel paused. He\u2019d taken a sip of the drink in his cup, and the inn pressed down on him for a moment. He lowered the cup and sat quietly for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, Selys. Sometimes. But whatever I want doesn\u2019t matter. I have to be the shield of the Drakes\u2014I am that symbol, for however much I\u2019m ignored politically. Drakes are a curious people. We fight, we squabble and tear each other down, but we sacrifice for each other, too.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at him, ready to be angry. But that anger drained away as she looked at her uncle\u2019s face. Zel shrugged self-consciously.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry about the philosophy. I suppose I\u2019m just nostalgic. Miss Erin served me what she calls her \u2018Faerie Flower drink\u2019, and it\u2019s quite something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that?<\/em> Don\u2019t drink that!\u201d<\/p>\n Selys reached over and pushed the cup away from Zel. She rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly! I told Erin that\u2019s not a drink you give\u2014are you okay, Uncle?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever better. And I\u2019m quite alright, Selys. Don\u2019t worry about it\u2014it was an interesting experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Zel sat up in his chair as Selys regarded the pitcher with a disgusted look. He smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cEnough about me. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard all the stories\u2014most of them untrue, I\u2019ll wager. What about you, Selys? Tell me about your job. Are you still working in the Adventurer\u2019s Guild?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. And there\u2019s nothing interesting about it, Uncle. It\u2019s just a job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTekshia tells me you work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHah! She never says that to my face! Look, I get paid and then I have fun. It\u2019s nothing, Uncle. I\u2019m not a child anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019ve given up on being a dashing adventurer?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys\u2019 scales reddened, standing out on her green complexion.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was when I was twelve,<\/em> Uncle!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI still remember you practicing with a sword and begging me to teach you how to claw fight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAncestors, please<\/em> don\u2019t bring that up!\u201d<\/p>\n The young Drake woman covered her face in embarrassment. Zel laughed and relented.<\/p>\n \u201cVery well. Your job is satisfyingly boring, then?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys nodded in relief.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most excitement I have is coming here. Did you know I met Erin the first week she arrived here? She walked into the Adventurer\u2019s Guild.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? Tell me about that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you insist. Okay, I was working at the desk when she just walked in and asked if this place was a smithy! She didn\u2019t read the sign or anything. Which, if you know Erin, is typical of her\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Selys scooted her chair closer to the table. Zel smiled as he abandoned his drink and his quiet mood. He let Selys talk about meeting Erin, her job, her attempts at dating, the fights she\u2019d had with her grandmother, and then they ate dinner together. They were more friends than uncle and niece, and when Selys said goodbye, it was fondly, with a kiss on the cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cNext time, you can visit me. Just not when I\u2019m at work, okay, Uncle? If you walk into the Adventurer\u2019s Guild, every Drake and Gnoll will want to shake your claw or kiss your feet or something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n Zel smiled as Selys bade him goodbye. Three days later, he left for the north. Selys heard of his alliance with Magnolia Reinhart two days after that. She never talked to him again. But sometimes she remembered what her grandmother had told her. And she wondered\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSelys?\u201d<\/p>\n She jerked and sat up. Selys Shivertail looked around as memory was upstaged by reality. She saw Erin looking at her and realized half the adventurers in the room were looking at her. Guiltily, Selys sat up.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, what\u2019d I miss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe were getting to the monster\u2014or thing these Goblins found in the dungeon.\u201d<\/p>\n Typhenous stroked his beard as he stood with his team around the table. Selys, sitting at another table Erin had pulled closer, glanced at the five Goblins sitting in the center of an audience of people. Five adventuring teams filled the inn\u2014the Silver Swords, the Halfseekers, Griffon Hunt, the Horns of Hammerad, and the team of Vuliel Drae. Added to them was Olesm and Selys, both of whom had been summoned at the news of what had transpired in the dungeon.<\/p>\n It was a headache, and Selys was already wondering how her grandmother would take the news. Probably by telling Vuliel Drae to go right back in the dungeon and get eaten. She glanced at Olesm, wondering how the [Strategist] was taking the news. Then she realized the Goblins were talking.<\/p>\n Well, sort of talking. Between the five of them, they\u2019d said very little. Their \u2018speaker\u2019, the Goblin that Erin said was named Numbtongue, was reticent, and the others preferred to gesture with their hands and bodies. They\u2019d plotted a course through the dungeon, pausing to answer questions from the adventurers of what they\u2019d seen. It was the mundane descriptions and pausing to ask \u2018what does that mean?\u2019 that had made Selys trail off.<\/p>\n Now however, the adventurers were focused, listening to the description of Face Collector, the monster that the Goblins had met. The name was what Erin had dubbed him, and it bothered Selys that his description was so close to Skinner\u2019s. It bothered the other adventurers too.<\/p>\n \u201cTell us again what you saw. And one of you answer in words<\/em>. I\u2019m sick of sign language.\u201d<\/p>\n Revi glared at the other Goblins. They glanced at each other, and four of them poked Numbtongue. He glared, but answered.<\/p>\n \u201cHead. Sticking out from around corner. Watching us. Like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Headscratcher got up and hurried over to the inn\u2019s door. He opened it, stared at the rain pounding down, and then hurried into the kitchen instead. All of the adventurers watched as Headscratcher\u2019s head poked out, wide and staring. Selys grimaced as she imagined that <\/em>following her down a dark tunnel.<\/p>\n Erin shuddered.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s creepy! You said there was a head staring at you? Just like that?\u201d<\/p>\n All four Goblins nodded. Halrac looked at Jelaqua.<\/p>\n \u201cRing a bell?\u201d<\/p>\n The Selphid shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing. And I\u2019ve seen freaks in Baleros who collect all kinds of things. But that\u2019s [Soldiers] and [Bounty Hunters]. Not a monster. Ylawes, you run into something like this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot us. And that paralysis effect\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did the heads look like?\u201d<\/p>\n Yvlon interrupted the Gold-rank adventurers. She stared hard at Numbtongue. He hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cBald. Man. Older. Beard.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at the others and they nodded. Yvlon turned to Selys. The blonde woman was grim.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes that match any of the descriptions of the missing adventurers?\u201d<\/p>\n All eyes turned to Selys. She hesitated as she flipped through her notes. Adventurers came and went, but she had a few written descriptions of some of the adventuring teams who\u2019d gone into the dungeon and never come back.<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2014bald? Human? It could be one of two adventurers that went missing in the dungeon. Oh wait\u2014one of those is female. Probably this guy, then.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded at the others. The adventurers listened as she read a description out, and the Redfang Goblins confirmed it. Selys saw two of the members of Vuliel Drae look at each other in horror. It was a grim meeting, for all the Goblins had emerged from the dungeon with treasure.<\/p>\n Treasure! <\/em>Selys would have been shocked at the latest developments, but today she couldn\u2019t find the energy. She was\u2026occupied. So much so that the continuing discussion was just wearying to her, rather than important.<\/p>\n \u201cRaskghar ambushes, some kind of guardian monster with a paralysis effect\u2014and an excessively punitive magical trap. Think this dungeon\u2019s anything but a vengeance dungeon, Jelaqua?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n Seborn looked up as he sat at a table, cleaning one of his daggers. Jelaqua sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got treasure, Seborn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know. But we might be in over our heads.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n Falene cleared her throat politely.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s focus on what we know before we worry about the dangers. These Goblins acquired the treasures Vuliel Drae noticed\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight! Which means they should belong to us!\u201d<\/p>\n The short Dwarf woman burst out angrily. Everyone turned to stare at her. Anith, the Jackal Beastkin, covered his face.<\/p>\n \u201cDasha, please don\u2019t embarrass us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, don\u2019t we get a cut?\u201d<\/p>\n Ylawes looked at his team members.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is<\/em> a fair point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. How about we give money to the idiots who didn\u2019t tell us they caused the attack on Liscor?\u201d<\/p>\n Revi looked like she could spit iron. Typhenous sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cRevi, please let it go for the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo! Honest adventurers come clean about their mistakes! What do you think would happen if we<\/em> lied about a disaster like that?\u201d<\/p>\n Ylawes glared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t have rights to compensation for information, Miss Revi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUp yours, Byres!\u201d<\/p>\n The adventurers broke out into loud arguments, punctuated by angry flashes of magic crackling through the air. Halrac breathed out slowly, irritation written all over his face.<\/p>\n \u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys felt a tug at her arm. She turned and saw Erin gesturing towards her kitchen. Grateful for a reprieve, Selys followed her friend into the kitchen as the argument got louder. Selys sighed in relief.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks Erin, I could use a break.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked at her friend.<\/p>\n \u201cYou alright, Selys? You were spacing out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpacing\u2026out?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys frowned. Erin corrected herself.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing like this.\u201d<\/p>\n She gave Selys a vacant, unfocused look. Her Drake friend looked dismayed. Erin grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t that obvious. But you seem distracted. Something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. It\u2019s\u2026well, it\u2019s a bit of bad news, Erin. Sorry, I know I should be invested. This is my job, after all. But it\u2019s just that\u2014well\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The [Receptionist] grappled with how to tell Erin. The [Innkeeper] waited patiently, occupying herself by finding a keg she\u2019d stored in one corner of her kitchen.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, it\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey Erin! Revi\u2019s about to pick a fight! Can you do something\u2014oh.\u201d<\/p>\n A Drake edged into the kitchen, looking nervous. It was Olesm. The [Strategist] saw Selys and Erin and broke off. Selys bit her lip, and her tail twitched in agitation. Erin sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cDarn it! And I was just about to bring out my secret weapon. Hey Drassi!<\/em> Help me lift this!\u201d<\/p>\n Another Drake hurried into the kitchen. She waved at Selys, and Selys waved back. Drassi was one of her good friends, but the [Barmaid] was working, so she headed back out of the kitchen at once with Erin to calm the fight with a stiff drink for everyone. It worked on Revi because, according to Erin, she was nicer drunk than she was sober.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry. I didn\u2019t mean to interrupt.\u201d<\/p>\n Olesm looked somewhat awkward. He and Selys weren\u2019t friends except through Erin. She shrugged. Selys had a bad feeling in her chest, like a cold lump.<\/p>\n \u201cForget about it. I was just telling Erin about what\u2019s happening tomorrow. You know, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow? Oh\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Olesm paused. He looked at Selys.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know about that? I got a classified report, but how do you<\/em> know?\u201d<\/p>\n She glared at him. For a [Strategist], Olesm was an idiot.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s my last name, scales-for-brains?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm. Oh\u2014<\/em>I\u2019m so\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n He turned red and stammered. Selys shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cForget about it. I guess it\u2019s just as well that I had to come here\u2014on my day off\u2014to deal with this. It\u2019s not like my week can get any worse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry about that. It\u2019s my day off, too. But this is a matter for the city, and you are<\/em> the best [Receptionist] in the Adventurer\u2019s Guild.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow wonderful for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys\u2019 mood was dark, and she really just wanted Olesm to follow Erin out so she could have a minute to herself. The last thing she wanted was to talk. Unfortunately, Olesm\u2019s sense of tact was horrible.<\/p>\n \u201cI know this is a bad time, but, uh, did you get a chance to bring up my proposal? The paperwork\u2019s all done, but I haven\u2019t gotten back a reply from the Adventurer\u2019s Guild. I sent two follow-up requests via Street Runner\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She couldn\u2019t deal with this right now. Selys flared at Olesm.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m working on it, Olesm! It\u2019s not my call to make! You can recommend your idea as much as you want, but since it involves an adventurer and<\/em> monsters, my grandmother has to sign off on it. And you know<\/em> she\u2019s not going to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut the proposal\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake it up with her, Olesm!\u201d<\/p>\n Selys stalked out of the kitchen, her tail lashing so hard it nearly smacked into Lyonette. The [Barmaid] stopped as she held Mrsha.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nothing. I was just taking Mrsha out of the line of fire if there\u2019s another fight. Mrsha, here\u2019s Selys! Say hi!\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll blinked at Selys. She\u2019d been running about excitedly ever since the adventurers had come back smelling of blood and adrenaline. Now she was exhausted. She waved at Selys, and the Drake found the energy to smile at her.<\/p>\n \u201cHi Mrsha. Are you sleepy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think she\u2019ll have a nap upstairs. Excuse us.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette hurried off as Selys reappeared back in the room. Everyone was drinking, and the flames of anger had reduced to dim embers, so to speak. Selys noticed Pisces hovering next to the three artifacts that had been collected. A bundle of cloth, a bell, and a necklace. No one had dared to unwrap the artifacts, but he was having a go at trying to discern what they did.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay. Let\u2019s agree that the artifacts are the Goblins\u2019. I guess. Dead gods, that\u2019s insane to say! But what if we paid<\/em> for them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUp to them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, come on<\/em>! You can\u2019t be\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the law, Revi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re Goblins.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Jelaqua stirred as Revi dragged her fingers through her hair.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, but our team had a Goblin in it. Not a good example, I know. But the Halfseekers have had this argument before. What applies to Goblins gets tossed at Selphids and Drowned Men more than you\u2019d think.\u201d<\/p>\n The Stitch-Woman colored.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t mean your team! This is different!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is different? Species? Gender? If you make an exception for those you call monster, how soon until that label applies to us?\u201d<\/p>\n Moore raised his head as he spoke slowly. No one had a reply to that. Revi looked like she wanted to stitch her mouth closed in embarrassment. Selys was wondering whether she should ask what was happening to Vuliel Drae when the door to Liscor swung open.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch Captain!\u201d<\/p>\n Olesm looked surprised as Zevara entered the room. She nodded to him and halted as she eyed the Goblins. And Vuliel Drae. She didn\u2019t comment on either though, and instead made a beeline towards Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Solstice, I hate to interrupt, but I need a word. Excuse us.\u201d<\/p>\n The adventurers let Erin walk away with Zevara, into the kitchen again. Knowing what this was about, Selys followed. She saw Zevara talking with Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, your Goblins aren\u2019t in trouble as far as I know, Miss Solstice. Ancestors, there\u2019s no law forbidding Goblins from raiding a dungeon! And no, I\u2019m not discussing Vuliel Drae either. This is\u2014incredibly\u2014another matter that involves your inn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? What?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to reserve your magic doorway. All day tomorrow and probably the day after that. We\u2019ll have people coming through. We\u2019ll pay you for the time, and we\u2019ll work out the mana costs, but I\u2019m telling you now. I know it\u2019s sudden, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? Is something big happening?\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara looked surprised. The Watch Captain glanced at Selys.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Shivertail didn\u2019t tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned to look at Selys, who avoided meeting her gaze.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The Watch Captain paused. She glanced at Selys, as if asking whether she\u2019d prefer to say. Selys shrugged, so Zevara went on after a lengthy pause.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019d heard. But General Shivertail\u2019s body was recovered from the battlefield, by the Humans, after the Goblin Lord retreated. Magnolia Reinhart took charge of preserving and transporting it. It took a while due to the situation in the north, but a carriage is due to arrive in Celum tomorrow. We will be requesting the use of your door to transport the\u2026remains here.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys felt a jolt in her stomach. She pressed her sheaf of parchment to her chest and closed her eyes. She heard nothing from Erin and then a faint voice.<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a sudden noise that made all three women look up. Upstairs, Mrsha suddenly began howling. Selys closed her eyes.<\/p>\n It was hard to be alive today.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Selys couldn\u2019t stay. Not after all that. Mrsha had heard Zevara\u2019s comment despite being upstairs, and the ensuing commotion had caused chaos at Erin\u2019s inn. Not least because there were five Goblins<\/em> in her inn. She was still\u2014she couldn\u2019t believe that Erin\u2014she knew that\u2014<\/p>\n Her head was a mess. The [Receptionist] left through Erin\u2019s door to Liscor and stomped through the wet streets. Her wet cloak was being used to shield her notes from the rain, so Selys got drenched on the way back to the Adventurer\u2019s Guild. It was raining. It always rained in the spring. Selys had no idea why, but something about the spring, and the fact that Liscor was surrounded by mountains, caused the intense rainfall each year. Or maybe it was a magical effect. All she knew was that it made her mood worse, as if the skies reflected her feelings.<\/p>\n The storm drains leading into Liscor\u2019s sewers were overflowing in parts, and Selys had to splash through backlogs of filthy sewer water and rain. Something was clogging the drains\u2014dead moth corpses, probably. It was a nightmare because, without those drains, Liscor would flood, surrounded as it was by water on all sides.<\/p>\n And that<\/em> was a problem that took top priority in Watch Captain Zevara\u2019s books. So she\u2019d given Selys an order to follow up on Olesm\u2019s request to the Adventurer\u2019s Guild, which had, incredibly, made Selys feel even worse.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDamn Watch Captain, giving me orders. Stupid tail-wagging idiot. I\u2019d like to see her<\/em> try and reason with\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Selys kicked into the Adventurer\u2019s Guild, letting the door rebound off a wall and slam shut behind her. She saw a few heads look up. No one wanted to be in the guild on a night like this. There was a [Receptionist] at the desk and a few Bronze-rank adventurers trying to claim bounties on Quillfish. Selys would have happily stabbed them all to death if it meant having an hour\u2019s peace.<\/p>\n Sadly, that was not to be. The [Receptionist] behind the desk was a younger Drake with pale pink scales named Nolsca. She opened her mouth to either comment about Selys dripping onto the floor, which she\u2019d have to clean up, or ask for help with the desk. She met Selys\u2019 gaze and shut up.<\/p>\n \u201cIs the Guildmistress still here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Selys.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood, I\u2019ve got to see her.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys stomped up the stairs to the second floor, wishing a pox on the idiot who\u2019d decided to put a four copper coin bounty on Quillfish. Drakes were supposed to be filial towards their elders, but Selys didn\u2019t care. A pox probably wouldn\u2019t even slow Tekshia Shivertail down.<\/p>\n The elderly Drake was sitting in her office when Selys kicked the door open. Her grandmother was sitting in her chair, going over reports\u2014and holding a spear in one hand. Selys paused as Tekshia lowered the spear that had been poised to be throw at her granddaughter\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n \u201cSelys, what have I told you about knocking? I could have thrown this!\u201d<\/p>\n The old Drake scowled at Selys. Selys, whose heart was slowly coming down out of her mouth, spluttered.<\/p>\n \u201cThrown<\/em> it? Who did you expect was coming in here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone. [Assassins], a hired thug, some kind of monster\u2014you don\u2019t get to be as old as I do without being prepared! What have I told you about knocking? And why are you wet? Didn\u2019t you bring a cloak?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys ground her teeth together.<\/p>\n \u201cI did. The cloak was used covering all the documents<\/em> you made me take with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should have put them in a carrying case! Honestly Selys\u2026here.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia tsked<\/em> as she got up from her chair and fished around her desk. She had a hand towel, for some reason, and offered it to Selys. Grumpily, Selys accepted the towel and began to dry herself. Tekshia sat back down and eyed Selys disapprovingly.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, how bad is it? Do I have to send a [Gravedigger] out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot enough pieces? An [Undertaker] to record the names, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Grandmother.<\/em> No one\u2019s dead!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean they haven\u2019t killed that Vuliel Drae team? What kind of soft adventurers do they let into Gold-rank these days?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not murderers, Grandma!\u201d<\/p>\n Selys was mildly horrified at what Tekshia was implying. Her only response was a snort from the old Drake. Tekshia had shrunk with age, so she was shorter than Selys, and her appearance was deceptively frail at first glance. She still had far too much muscle for someone her age, and her faded and patchy scales were the only real sign of her age. Tekshia had been a beauty in her youth, and she liked to say that she was still a match for Selys, much to her granddaughter\u2019s horror.<\/p>\n She was far different from Selys in many respects, not least of which were her old-fashioned views. She had grown up in a time when everything was tougher and Drakes took matters into their own claws, according to her. Selys didn\u2019t doubt it. The younger Drake sighed as she tossed her dry notes onto Tekshia\u2019s table.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see what everyone\u2019s so mad about. Yeah, Vuliel Drae caused a disaster, but why are they getting treated worse than the adventurers who survived Liscor\u2019s crypt? We nearly lost the city that time, too! What\u2019s the difference?\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia\u2019s brows shot together. She picked up one of the scrolls of parchment Selys had written on and tossed it to one side before glaring at her granddaughter.<\/p>\n \u201cThe difference, Selys, is that the Horns of Hammerad and the other teams went out fighting. They retreated and immediately tried to hail the city\u2014after<\/em> all but one team had fallen fighting the undead. They took responsibility for what they did. As you\u2019ll recall, they forfeited all their possessions to the city. This team hid from the moths they<\/em> provoked and then lied to everyone after they escaped the dungeon. There is a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, but\u2026killing them? Really?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The old Drake shrugged as she played with her spear. It was a normal spear as far as Selys knew. Barbed, a wicked weapon, but not the worst thing Tekshia had owned. She used to use an enchanted glaive\u2014but she\u2019d switched weapons for fear of her prized artifact being stolen. Selys couldn\u2019t imagine anyone stealing from Tekshia and living to tell the tale.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a saying back when I was an adventurer, Selys. \u2018The weak grow strong. Cowards are fine. The only hero is a dead one. But traitors and liars die first.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, but that was then. Are you really saying Vuliel Drae lying<\/em> about what happened is the worst thing they did?\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cRunning away is acceptable\u2014Named Adventurers will flee just like Bronze-rank ones. Even incompetence can be understood. Disasters happen. But failing to take responsibility for your actions? Lying to your fellow adventurers and your Guild? That is the one sin we do not tolerate.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys gave up and threw her claws in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cFine. If it\u2019s such<\/em> a bad crime, you can figure out what their punishment is. They\u2019ve confessed to everything\u2014I have Olesm\u2019s statement, and his signature, and witnesses from three Gold-team leaders like you wanted. And the Goblins got a bunch of treasures, by the way. Just thought I\u2019d let you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care about them. If they found out more about the dungeon, write up a report, and I\u2019ll decide who should know what. But those Goblins are not adventurers.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia looked pointedly at Selys as she said that. The younger Drake flushed. She had gotten into so much trouble when she\u2019d tried to spring Erin\u2019s crazy proposal on her grandmother.<\/p>\n \u201cThey went into a dungeon, Grandma. And got treasure<\/em>. Three artifacts! Why not let them be a team?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will not<\/em> have a band of monsters roaming around as a sanctioned adventuring team. This was your Human friend\u2019s insane idea, and I don\u2019t have to listen to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on,<\/em> Grandma! Please?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys didn\u2019t know why she was arguing on Erin\u2019s behalf. That was friendship for you. She could see why Erin wanted it for the Goblins\u2014they\u2019d be allowed to take requests and collect bounties on monster parts. A Goblin team? That would make them\u2026halfway respectable. But Tekshia was more stubborn than a Gnoll with a bone.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me some assurance, Selys. Just one and I\u2019ll agree to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow am I supposed to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFigure out a way. Now, was there anything else? It\u2019s late, and you should be in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia eyed her granddaughter sternly. Selys tried not to scream. It was unfair<\/em>. Tekshia still treated her like a child, despite Selys being the most experienced [Receptionist] in the Guild! Not that that was saying much\u2014it was hard to work for Tekshia, and the Adventurer\u2019s Guild had been a quiet place with little opportunity to advance one\u2019s class until now. But for all she\u2019d worked hard, Selys\u2019 opinions never seemed to matter to Tekshia. She could argue as long as she wanted, but Tekshia never agreed to try out any of Selys\u2019 proposals.<\/p>\n Aggravating. But at least Selys had one card left to play. She smiled angrily at her grandmother.<\/p>\n \u201cJust one thing, Grandma. Watch Captain Zevara and<\/em> Olesm want me to get you to sign the proposal letting Pisces put undead in Liscor\u2019s sewers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n The reply came back instantly. Tekshia didn\u2019t so much as blink. Selys groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on<\/em>, Grandmother! The sewers are flooding!<\/em> I walked through two streets filled with water! There are rat corpses clogging the tunnels, more of those damn moths\u2014none of the adventurers are going to do it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t trust necromancers. Neither should you. This Pisces is a former criminal. If his creations go rogue\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know? What happened to that skeleton the [Necromancer] made? The one that has an open bounty on it?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys bit her tongue. Why did the facts have to get in the way of every argument?<\/p>\n \u201cThat was different! This is a small undead\u2026thing. He\u2019ll let it work, and it\u2019ll be under his control. He\u2019ll check on it regularly, that\u2019s what the report says!\u201d<\/p>\n The old Drake leaned over her desk.<\/p>\n \u201cReally? Do you trust him? Will you take responsibility if things go wrong, Selys? Because it is my<\/em> job to do just that. And I do not know, nor do I care to know, this necromancer.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys met her Grandmother\u2019s gaze for as long as she could. It was impossible to stare her down. At last, Selys had to look away.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know him, but he says\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I thought. Until you\u2019re willing to give me something, you can tell the Watch Captain what I told you.\u201d<\/p>\n The young [Receptionist] was about ready to punch her Grandmother, family or not. She resisted the impulse, not because violence against the elderly was abhorrent to her, but because she knew that if she took a swing, Tekshia would probably knock her senseless and spank her. There had been an\u2026incident when Selys was eighteen.<\/p>\n Instead of physical confrontation, Selys resorted to words.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch Captain Zevara says she\u2019ll authorize it if you don\u2019t. With or without the Guild\u2019s permission, it\u2019s going to happen, Grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid she now?\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia\u2019s eyes narrowed. Selys knew her Grandmother was trapped and took bitter satisfaction in this small victory. The Adventurer\u2019s Guild had a say in the city\u2019s affairs, but the Watch Captain could overrule them. It was messy politics, but having a proposal go over Tekshia\u2019s head wasn\u2019t good for her influence. The [Guildmistress] of Liscor\u2019s Adventuring Guild muttered several extremely vulgar insults about Zevara\u2019s tail and other body parts, and then looked up.<\/p>\n \u201cFine. But you\u2019re supervising him the entire time he and his creation are down there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Selys had been all ready to gloat. She felt as though someone had placed a rug under her feet and yanked it out from under her. Tekshia believed in hardwood floors. Easier to clean, and they didn\u2019t stain. She gaped at her grandmother.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do I<\/em> have to follow Pisces into the sewers? Wait, why does he have to go into the sewers? The entire point is so that none of us<\/em> have to be down there!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to make sure his creation is doing its job. Watch it work for an hour. Or two.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAn hour\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWatch him. That\u2019s an order, Selys.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia didn\u2019t give her granddaughter a chance to shout, scream, or throw a fit. She had a Skill she employed in moments like this\u2014[Implacable Order]. When she said something would happen, it would happen, and Selys could only obey or try to refuse, not argue about it. For a moment Selys considered refusing. Then a minute. Tekshia looked over Selys\u2019 notes, grunting at the mention of the Face Collector as Selys fought internally. At last, she heard her granddaughter sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, my dear. What\u2019s this about a monster that collects heads? Face Collector? Why not call it Head Collector instead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t sound as good? I didn\u2019t come up with the name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPah. First this Skinner creation, now this. It makes me wonder what insane group built the dungeon. This fixation with flesh and body parts\u2026it speaks to a disturbing trend. See if you can find any mention of an older Drake nation that focused on necromancy and the like. Or have that [Strategist] do it. I\u2019ll write him a note. Or you can ask this [Necromancer] you like so much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like him, Grandma. He\u2019s an arrogant snob. Although\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Selys smiled wickedly as she remembered something that would get under Tekshia\u2019s scales.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026he is<\/em> a good kisser.\u201d<\/p>\n The elderly Drake looked up sharply. Selys looked innocent. Tekshia breathed out slowly, and then her mood changed. She glanced out her window at the rain pelting the streets below and shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow at midday will be the time when Zel\u2019s body arrives. Selys, I want you to come, but only if you\u2019re willing.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys froze. She\u2019d nearly been able to forget about that for a moment. She looked at Tekshia and gulped.<\/p>\n \u201cCome? For what? To see\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly if you want to. But I meant after that.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a painfully kind look in her grandmother\u2019s eyes. She got up slowly, her bones creaking<\/em>, and walked towards the window.<\/p>\n \u201cHis\u2026condition will be a matter for Watch Captain Zevara and I. You don\u2019t have to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia\u2019s shoulders were stiff. She paused and went on.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I meant was afterwards. Wall Lord Ilvriss has agreed to lend us his scrying orb, so we\u2019ll be in touch with the rest of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe rest of\u2014oh.\u201d<\/p>\n There were only two Shivertails living in Liscor. There had once been four\u2014Selys\u2019 father and her mother, who had married into the family. They\u2019d settled in Liscor, but there was a large extended family that Selys had never met. There had been nothing particularly special about any of them until Zel Shivertail had made their name famous. Now they were considered lesser nobility in some respects, Selys understood. She had never so much as exchanged a [Message] or letter with one of them. And she knew her grandmother didn\u2019t speak to her relatives that much either.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat will they\u2014what do they want?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAside from seeing him? Legal matters. They\u2019ve moved quickly. Too quickly, the greedy idiots. Couldn\u2019t they have waited\u2026? You\u2019ll need to be present while it\u2019s read to us by the [Mage] they hired.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRead what?\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia looked at Selys, irritated until she saw the honest confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cHis will. It\u2019s a matter of deep interest to your relatives.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys closed her eyes. The dull nausea flooded her chest again.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA will? I didn\u2019t know you had those.\u201d<\/p>\n The next day, Selys was eating breakfast at Erin\u2019s inn, a rare occasion. She had the afternoon off, but Selys really didn\u2019t feel like eating in her small apartment, or having a meal with her Drake and Gnoll friends. So she\u2019d come to Erin\u2019s.<\/p>\n In retrospect, it was just as bad as hanging out with her friends and eating alone. Erin was helpful, solicitous and she made an amazing omelette, but she didn\u2019t understand Drake culture, and Selys had to explain it to her.<\/p>\n Maybe that was better, though. Talking to someone helped. There was also Mrsha to consider. The Gnoll was lying on Selys\u2019 lap, her head being stroked gently by Lyonette. Her eyes were still puffy from crying, but not red\u2014Gnolls didn\u2019t have whites, so the difference was harder to spot. But sadness? Sadness was easy.<\/p>\n Selys shifted and offered Mrsha a bite of her cheesy omelette. The Gnoll just curled up, though Selys could hear her belly rumbling. Lyonette shook her head, and Selys guiltily ate another bite.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course we have wills, Erin. What do you think we are, savages?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, I don\u2019t know what\u2014you don\u2019t have lawyers, well you do, but they aren\u2019t called\u2014look, I thought it was new\u2014although we probably had them in the Middle Ages, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Erin grumbled to herself. Selys waited until she started making sense.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you have wills. Got it. And that\u2019s really important in Drake society?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone over the age of thirty has one, Erin. Everyone with anything to give away has one. I don\u2019t have one, but that\u2019s because I barely have more than a few gold coins saved up. I should probably make one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow. That\u2019s so dark.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDark?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah? Why are you thinking about all that? Is it important to Drakes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course it is! Erin, how have you lived near Drakes and Gnolls for so long without understanding this?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked bewildered. She glanced at Lyonette who was nodding.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. Someone explain this to me. Why do wills matter so much?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys smiled ruefully. Trust Erin not to get it. She was so observant\u2014and yet, she didn\u2019t like to believe the bad in people either.<\/p>\n \u201cErin, we\u2019re possessive. <\/em>Haven\u2019t you noticed?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin blinked.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah. Sometimes I hear about Drakes being greedy and fighting over stuff. But that\u2019s normal, right? Humans do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot like Drakes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSort of like Drakes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErin\u2014<\/em>whatever Humans do, however greedy you get, I don\u2019t think you understand how bad Drakes can be. Remember how I said we have wars between cities all the time? And how we\u2019re descended from Dragons?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, so you\u2019re greedy. But is it really\u2026?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette was nodding. The young woman cleared her throat.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone once said that if the world was destroyed and there was only dust left, Drakes would fight over who had the most dust.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, that sounds about right. Erin, you\u2019ve only really hung around Relc, me, Drassi, and Olesm, haven\u2019t you? And there\u2019s not much to fight over in your inn. Sorry, but there isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018S cool. I know I don\u2019t have much. Wait, so what do<\/em> you fight over?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThings that are ours<\/em>. That\u2019s why it\u2019s not bad in your inn. But let\u2019s say I was living in an apartment with my grandmother. Which I used to. We\u2019d fight over pillows, cups, chairs\u2014and since it was all Grandma\u2019s to start with, she\u2019d kick my tail if I tried to keep it!\u201d<\/p>\n Selys\u2019 own tail lashed angrily at the memories. Erin winced.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, you fight over stuff. But I mean, that happens\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think we need an example.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette leaned over to Selys. The Drake nodded. She and Lyonette barely knew each other, but the Erin education team was a group effort. She cast around and saw a Drake eating breakfast by himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed at Olesm. Erin frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cOlesm? But he\u2019s nice! He never gets greedy. At all.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys smirked.<\/p>\n \u201cOh really? Olesm\u2019s not nearly as bad as most. But he does it too. He doesn\u2019t share his food, have you noticed?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin opened her mouth to object, and then closed it. Selys could see her running through all the times when Olesm had been eating here. Slowly, she got up and walked over to his table. Olesm looked up and smiled at her.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Erin, thanks for the meal! This burger and fries thing is really good for when I\u2019m in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled at him.<\/p>\n \u201cNo problem, Olesm! Hey, I\u2019m a bit hungry. Mind if I have a fry?\u201d<\/p>\n She reached for a fry. Olesm gently covered his plate.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry Erin, but I\u2019ve got to eat and run. Captain Zevara wants me on duty, and, uh, they\u2019re my fries.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, but it\u2019s just one, right? Let me have a bite from your plate, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake hunched over his plate as Erin edged around him. Erin looked perplexed.<\/p>\n \u201cJust one? I made them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, come on, Erin\u2026<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Selys and Lyonette watched Erin try to sneak around Olesm and him gently protest while shielding his plate. He was as sociable as ever, but no matter how Erin tried, she couldn\u2019t get him to part with a fry, and Olesm was gobbling them faster and faster. Eventually she gave up and returned to Lyonette and Selys.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I think I get it. But Olesm wasn\u2019t so bad! And it was really funny.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys just looked at her friend.<\/p>\n \u201cErin, you tried for five minutes. Did you get a French fry? Even one?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin opened her mouth. Then she stood up.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Olesm! Give me a fry!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n Olesm practically shoved the rest of his food into his mouth. He ran out of the inn as Erin tried to get the food. Selys watched Erin try to tackle him, and sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s Olesm. There\u2019s a reason why Drakes have wills, and it\u2019s to stop blood feuds over inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette looked at her sympathetically, and Mrsha raised her head. Selys sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think it\u2019ll be important, you being there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I\u2019m just a distant relative. But Drake law says that we should be present or at least told, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Selys shook her head. She got up as Erin tried to pin Olesm to the ground to steal one of his French fries. He punched her and then apologized. Erin rubbed her cheek and decked him.<\/p>\n All in all, it was a fitting start to the day. And it was still raining.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Somehow, for some reason, Selys still had to work at her desk for the morning. Tekshia Shivertail had given her the rest of the day off, but Selys had to cover the first shift. It made her angry. So what if the guild was busy? Her uncle\u2019s body was coming today!<\/em> Why couldn\u2019t her grandmother give her a day off? Just one?<\/p>\n It was a miserable day, filled with wet adventurers complaining about monsters and petty problems. There was something about the smell of wet Gnoll that Selys couldn\u2019t ignore, no matter how long she stood at the desk. If there was one mercy, and it was a small one, it was that no one mentioned her uncle to her. They complained to her face, loudly, like any other [Receptionist].<\/p>\n No one had ever really connected Selys\u2019 name to the great General Shivertail, the Tidebreaker, hero of the Drakes. It wasn\u2019t as if she\u2019d gone around telling people her last name, anyways. Selys lived in Liscor, far from the city where Zel Shivertail had first risen to fame defending against the onslaught of the Antinium. And Tekshia Shivertail was a known figure, a former adventurer who\u2019d retired and run the Adventurer\u2019s Guild for over three decades now.<\/p>\n So no one knew or cared. And they were rude and annoying, so Selys could vent some of her anger on them as well. She glared at a Human woman who was protesting how she\u2019d been refused service by a Drake [Shopkeeper].<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then he called me a smelly Human!<\/em> I told the Watch, and they didn\u2019t do anything!\u201d<\/p>\n Selys rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what?<\/em> I\u2019m a Silver-rank adventurer! That Drake should open his shop to me! What if it was an emergency?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Selys sighed. Loudly.<\/p>\n \u201cRight, well you can file a complaint. Or drop it. And let me tell you that if you file a complaint, no one will care.\u201d<\/p>\n She watched the Human\u2019s face go red.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is outrageous! In Celum\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Again, Selys took a bit of satisfaction in cutting the Human off.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t a Human city, Miss. Adventurers don\u2019t get special treatment, and [Shopkeepers] can choose who they sell to. If you want your potions so badly, try Krshia. She\u2019s a Gnoll\u2014has a lot of good potions for a low price. You can find her on Market Street, every day, running her stall.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Did you want something else?\u201d<\/p>\n It was like watching one of the fish in the waters around here gape. Selys watched the mouth open and close, and then leaned around the woman.<\/p>\n \u201cNext!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n For a second she thought there might be trouble. But the female adventurer just stalked off after making a sound like a dying Razorbeak. Selys waved to the next adventurer impatiently.<\/p>\n This was her life. It wasn\u2019t glamorous or fun. It was just a job, and Selys took a minimal amount of pride in it. She wasn\u2019t an insane [Innkeeper] like Erin, who could reach Level 30 in half a year. Neither was she an adventurer.<\/p>\n Selys had learned to use a sword and bow at her aunt\u2019s insistence, and she had completed her mandatory training course and earned her Level 1 [Soldier] class, as all Liscor\u2019s citizens were obligated to do. But she wasn\u2019t about to join the army. She was a [Receptionist], Level 18, thanks. Higher than average, but she hadn\u2019t leveled in\u2026Ancestors, was it eight months, now? She just worked with no expectation of anything, really. She was a normal person.<\/p>\n Or she had been, right up until her uncle had come to Liscor. Right up until she\u2019d met a girl named Erin Solstice. Selys closed her eyes. Now she was running about, and the Adventurer\u2019s Guild was suddenly flooded with people.<\/p>\n All this new responsibility was bothering her, too. Her grandmother was giving her a lot of work. She wasn\u2019t letting Selys give any orders for now, but\u2026she was old. Selys knew her bones hurt in the morning. She wasn\u2019t young. If what was happening was what Selys thought was happening\u2026<\/p>\n She was just a normal Drake. Why did she have to do more than she already did? Selys\u2019 life used to be simple. Work, get off work, go to parties, flirt, have fun. That was all she wanted out of life. When monsters attacked, Selys did her part and hoped that the City Watch or adventurers could handle things.<\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t special. She had a special, unique friend. But her? All her life Selys had known only one claim to fame. A secret she was proud of. She had an uncle who was a hero. A living legend who sometimes visited her, and told her stories, and gave her money for treats.<\/p>\n And now he was dead. Selys looked at the Gnoll in front of her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Work passed by slowly. As Selys noted the position of the sun, she grew more and more impatient. By the time she\u2019d signed out of work and had met her grandmother by the door, she was trembling slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cSteady.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia\u2019s voice was soft as she led Selys through the rainy streets. Both Drakes kept their cloaks over their heads, and they headed towards the city council\u2019s administrative building. Watch Captain Zevara was waiting there to meet them with a small escort of [Guardsmen]. Selys looked for a\u2026a coffin or shroud and saw nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s already inside. I haven\u2019t touched the bindings. I\u2026will have to be present, but I\u2019ve insisted that no one else be in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Watch Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia Shivertail kept her back straight as she walked into the building. Selys followed her, conscious of the [Guardsmen]\u2019s eyes on her. They had to know what they\u2019d carried. There was an eerie silence to the building. It was never that busy\u2014Liscor ran itself a lot of the time. And it was in the conference room, on the meeting table that they saw\u2014<\/p>\n Selys gasped when she saw the casket. It was black wood, not furnished with any decorations. But the wood was expensive, and it seemed to take up the room. Zevara cleared her throat several times as the Drakes stood around the room in silence. A [Guardsman] closed the door behind them.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is\u2014I believe it came from Magnolia Reinhart. She was the one who sent the coach.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKind of her.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia\u2019s voice was without emotion. She hesitated as her claws touched the lid.<\/p>\n \u201cDid that woman say anything about what\u2026the condition of my nephew\u2019s body is in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe warned us not to touch it. Apparently there were complications with retrieving the corpse. And\u2026no, nothing more. But he died in battle. Miss Shivertail\u2014Miss Selys, that is. Are you sure you want to see this?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys had had that same question. She hesitated, then nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see. I have to see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well, then. I\u2019ll open the casket.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take this end.\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara and Tekshia reached for the lid. Selys couldn\u2019t breathe. She saw a flash of light as the two women lifted the lid\u2014the preservation runes to keep the body from decomposing. She heard a sound as Tekshia lifted her end of the lid and an oath from Zevara.<\/p>\n Then silence. Selys stared into the casket. She was too far back. She saw a leg. A leg she recognized. Then a flash of\u2014gold? Trembling, she stepped closer. Her breath, her heart, everything\u2014stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cUncle.\u201d<\/p>\n Zel Shivertail lay in the casket, his arms folded, his face staring up towards the sky. What remained of it. Half of his head was gone. His body was\u2014damaged. There was no other word for it. His arms and legs looked torn, and his scales had changed color from their regular greenish hue. As if they had been bruised or he had suffered some kind of internal damage before dying.<\/p>\n His body was ravaged. And yet from his neck down to his waist, there was only a single, unbroken piece of armor. A chest plate. It glowed in the dark room, shining gold and red with magic. It was beautiful. But Selys only had eyes for her uncle.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys had seen the dead. She had seen injuries. She had never seen so many wounds on a single body. Zel Shivertail looked like he had been burned, cut, battered, and attacked from every angle. But it was his head that Selys couldn\u2019t stop staring at. That had been the blow that ended his life. How had it happened? Who<\/em> had\u2014<\/p>\n Selys didn\u2019t realize she was standing at the casket\u2019s edge until she was there. She stood over Zel\u2019s body, too afraid to touch him. His face. His head!<\/em> What had happened?<\/p>\n Tekshia\u2019s face was pale. The old Drake stared down at her nephew, and her voice shook, the first time Selys could remember ever hearing such a thing.<\/p>\n \u201cA Goblin Lord did this? Goblins?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAncestors.\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara was just staring. Tekshia\u2019s claws clenched. She stared at Zel\u2019s closed eyes. He almost looked like he was smiling. It was just half a smile. Regret? Relief? Selys couldn\u2019t tell. Her heart hurt.<\/em><\/p>\n Drakes were talking. She heard two female voices as she stared at her uncle. If she ignored the missing part of his head, he almost looked\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cWatch Captain, I want every Walled City to form a strike force. I don\u2019t care what the Humans do. Drakes must answer this ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuildmistress Tekshia, I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll listen, but that armor\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe armor?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys blinked and looked away from Zel. For the second time she looked at the armor and finally took it in. Her eyes widened. Tekshia frowned at the metal.<\/p>\n \u201cZel never had an artifact so powerful. And this is no common breastplate. What in the name of Izril is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She breathed in sharply and backed up. Zevara and Selys looked at her. Tekshia\u2019s voice was a whisper.<\/p>\n \u201cThat scheming Human woman had it. This is it! The Heartflame Breastplate!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Both Drakes gaped at her. Zevara stared at the fiery metal, her eyes round.<\/p>\n \u201cThat can\u2019t be! It was lost centuries ago! You\u2019re telling me the Reinharts had it? And she gave it to General Shivertail? Why didn\u2019t she take it back?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. But it must be. Look at the metal. It\u2019s unscratched! She gave this relic to him. And still\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n \u201cShe left it with him. Why? To honor him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo apologize, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys\u2019 voice was soft. Both Drake women looked at her. Zevara shook her head, her wonder broken by the reality of the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cIf she did\u2014I\u2019m sorry Misses Shivertail, but this has to be reported. An artifact like this\u2014it was General Shivertail\u2019s, but I don\u2019t know what will happen to it after his death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing simpler. It will go to his heirs. His home city, perhaps. Or maybe he left it to a Walled City? Another [General]?\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia\u2019s voice turned bitter. She flicked her claws at the armor, staring again at Zel\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. It is a pretty gesture. That\u2019s all, Watch Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n They stood in silence again. Selys didn\u2019t know how long. She just stared at Zel\u2019s body. Part of her wished she could imagine him getting up. But she couldn\u2019t. He was dead. And the reality of that was smell and sight and\u2026what was she supposed to do?<\/p>\n Zevara was the first to speak.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have someone remove the\u2014the armor before the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n She sounded guilty, as if ashamed to say it. Selys and Tekshia nodded absently. Taking armor and the possessions of the dead was standard practice. Few people were buried with their artifacts, and those that were tended to construct entire dungeons to protect their treasures. Grave robbers would loot any corpse for the smallest of treasures, and this armor would see every graveyard in Liscor dug up within the week. Selys knew that, but she hated imagining someone touching Zel\u2019s body.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026suppose we should attend to the next matter. We\u2019ve taken a while as it is. Guildmistress Tekshia, Miss Selys. With your permission I\u2019d like to activate the scrying orb and\u2026let General Shivertail\u2019s family observe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Oh.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys started, remembering what Tekshia had said. Her grandmother nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe might as well. Activate your orb, Watch Captain. And may the Ancestors give them the decency to speak well of Zel.\u201d<\/p>\n That was a curious thing to say. Zevara paused before she lifted the palm-sized scrying orb. Selys didn\u2019t see what she did or said\u2014she was too busy staring. Again. It felt wrong to look at her uncle. She wanted to cover the casket, as if he was naked. She shouldn\u2019t have looked at him. She shouldn\u2019t have been here.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014Watch Captain. Tekshia. And is that your daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy granddaughter.\u201d<\/p>\n A voice made Selys look up. She stared into the scrying orb. An older Drake, perhaps ten years younger than Tekshia, was standing at the head of a crowd of Drakes, all with green or some variation of green scales. The most distinct colorations Selys saw were a pale yellow and a light blue.<\/p>\n The Shivertail family. They stood awkwardly, not one cohesive whole. But Selys recognized some of them anyways. If not by name, by the way they stood. Some were dressed richly, others in common clothes. One wore armor, another looked like he was a [Soldier] off-duty. They stared into the scrying orb, crammed too tightly together owing to the constraints of the artifact Zevara held.<\/p>\n \u201cAh yes. Your granddaughter. I forgot she was living with you.\u201d<\/p>\n The old male Drake nodded at Tekshia. She nodded back without any real love in her eyes. A Drake woman, younger than the male speaker, raised her voice impatiently.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t come to exchange pleasantries. We came here to read my brother\u2019s will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd see his body.\u201d<\/p>\n The old Drake looked at her with a scathing glance. She returned it. They were both dressed finely. Was the female Drake Uncle Zel\u2019s sister? Then who was the\u2026?<\/p>\n Zevara cleared her throat uncomfortably.<\/p>\n \u201cThe casket has been opened, and we have identified General Shivertail. I should warn you, though, Mister Shivertail. Your son\u2019s body is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n The word was a command. Zevara hesitated and then slowly walked over to the open casket. She tilted the orb, and Selys heard a gasp of shock from the assembled Drakes. One stumbled back, laughing nervously. Selys heard a scream and saw two Drake children staring at the body, pale-faced. The girl hid behind her mother. The other Drakes closed their eyes or turned away.<\/p>\n But Zel\u2019s father, if that was who he was, made no such reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cAh.\u201d<\/p>\n The oldest Drake stared at his son for a second. The sound he made was a bit surprised, but nothing more. Selys waited, but the Drake just looked lost as he gazed into the casket. He looked around blankly at the other distraught Drakes, and a flame seemed to ignite in him.<\/p>\n \u201cStand up.<\/em> Don\u2019t turn away!\u201d<\/p>\n The other Drakes obeyed him, straightening, forcing their heads back to grimace at the sight in the coffin. Some of them had never seen a dead body, Selys realized. It was something she had seen, however rarely, but these Drakes lived in a place where that was an alien concept.<\/p>\n Until now. Zel\u2019s father stared into the casket while the rest of his family fidgeted or looked away. Only the military Drakes could watch. Selys saw tears in the eyes of the one wearing armor. She envied him. All of hers had gone far away.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s enough. Close the casket, Watch Captain. I\u2019ve seen\u2014my son is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n The elder Shivertail\u2019s voice rasped hoarsely. Zevara nodded to Tekshia and put the scrying orb down for a moment. The lid closed. Selys stared at the black wood, remembering what was inside.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was he wearing?\u201d<\/p>\n That came from Zel\u2019s sister. She fanned at her lips with a handkerchief, looking pale. Watch Captain Zevara hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the armor General Shivertail was wearing when he fell, Miss Shivertail. It was a gift to him by Magnolia Reinhart, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA powerful artifact?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, ma\u2019am. Guildmistress Tekshia believes it may be\u2026the Heartflame Breastplate.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys heard a gasp.<\/em> She saw several Drakes lean forwards, and one stared at the casket.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you remove the lid so we can take another look?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou greedy hoarder!\u201d<\/p>\n Another Drake exclaimed in disgust. Zel\u2019s sister fanned her face.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t Magnolia Reinhart take the artifact back?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI believe she meant it as a sign of goodwill. It was the possession of the Drakes\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it was lost to war. We forfeited the claim to it as per the rules surrounding artifacts. If my brother died with it on, does that mean it was his?\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara exchanged a look with Tekshia.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps, Miss Shivertail. But we really can\u2019t decide\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a matter for the will.\u201d<\/p>\n Zel\u2019s father cut in harshly, looking at his daughter. Was she his daughter? There was no lost love in the glance she shot back at him.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, yes, the will. That is the reason why we\u2019ve all gathered here. Well, let\u2019s open it. We have a [Mage] and my brother\u2019s last written will.\u201d<\/p>\n She gestured to one side, and Selys saw a Drake in [Mage]\u2019s robes come forwards. He looked nervous to be at the center of attention.<\/p>\n \u201cMy lord Shivertail, my ladies Shivertail\u2026Watch Captain. May I take it that you are the\u2014the witness for the reading of General Shivertail\u2019s last will as to the distribution of his possessions and wealth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara nodded, looking pale but standing straight. The [Mage] nodded. He pulled out a sealed bit of paper and showed everyone the magical wax seal on the top.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will has not been opened or tampered with in any way. A Wistram [Mage] has certified this fact, as have I. With all members of his immediate family present, I will read the will\u2019s contents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t leave anything to anyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys blurted the words out. Everyone stared at her. The Drake [Mage] shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo others were listed in General Shivertail\u2019s will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo whom else would he have given his possessions?\u201d<\/p>\n Zel\u2019s father stared hard at Selys. She opened her mouth to reply. His friends? Then her throat closed. Her uncle had never mentioned his friends. He was a [General]. He had allies. But he was always<\/em> busy. After a moment, the elder Shivertail looked away from Selys.<\/p>\n \u201cContinue. Please.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well, I will read the will from start to finish. This was personally dictated by Zel Shivertail\u2026eight years ago, I believe. A long time, but the will is still quite valid. Ah, please save your questions until after I\u2019ve completed the reading. Everything I read is certifiable by truth stone. And I shall begin.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake cleared his throat a few times and read in a slightly trembling voice. Selys wondered if he was afraid of getting something wrong, or just conscious of whose will he was reading. His voice was a drone, though, monotonous despite the moment.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018I, Zel Shivertail, do record this will freely, of my own will and choice, that my last wishes be recorded and executed to the best of the ability of those individuals who should take possession of my remains\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The [Mage] ran through a lengthy and complicated opening to the will, specifying Zel Shivertail\u2019s assets be used to pay for any debts he might have incurred, and that his property be distributed to the best of his ability. Selys had heard the same clauses a thousand times in other Drake wills. Of all the laws in Drake society, wills were treated as the most ironclad. When a Drake gave away their possessions, few laws in any city could challenge that right.<\/p>\n At last, the [Mage] came to the first real line of Zel\u2019s will. He read it slowly as all the Drakes listened closely.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018To my family who have gathered here, I know not how I passed away or how I died. I trust I have died in service to Drakes, and wish for only the protection of my people in the times to come. I\u2014\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The [Mage] choked on his words, and Selys saw his eyes glistening. A few of the Drakes behind him looked moved\u2014some did not. That was worst of all, seeing the impatience on some faces, the greed<\/em>.<\/p>\n How dare they? Selys felt a bit of anger, the first real emotion in her chest since seeing her uncle\u2019s death. Slowly, the [Mage] collected himself and went on.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018I have but one request that I hope you will honor. Bury me with my\u2014\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He paused. This time, some of the Drakes made audible sounds of impatience.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. The will states: \u2018I hope you will honor\u2026bury me with my\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Now all the Drakes were staring at him. The [Mage] read and reread the line in silence, and his face went pale. He looked around. Zel\u2019s father stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cRead it.\u201d<\/p>\n Slowly, the Drake read the rest of the message. There was a perfect moment of shock after he\u2019d finished. Selys\u2019 heart skipped a beat. But that was nothing to the uproar on the other end of the scrying orb.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said what?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoes he mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat can\u2019t be right! That has to be a mistake! He doesn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n Zel\u2019s father stared hard at the [Mage], who was shaking. He snatched the will and read it himself, then looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is what the will says. It is a request, not a condition. It doesn\u2019t have to be fulfilled.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Mage] hurried to assure everyone. Selys stared at him. He had to know. Or to guess by everyone\u2019s reactions what Zel\u2019s final request meant. The rest of the Shivertails were outraged.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it may be a request, but it\u2019s in poor taste to add to his will!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s his will<\/em>, Aunt! Where else should he put it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t honor it. There is no way. The scandal it would cause.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d think he wouldn\u2019t cause trouble in his death. But no!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe quiet!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should I? When we have a, a Turnscale<\/em>\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSilence!\u201d<\/p>\n Selys saw the elder Drake whirl, heard a dull thump<\/em>, and saw another young Drake stagger. The older Drake was furious. He raised his hand, and the young male Drake retreated.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeak such slander at my son\u2019s funeral\u2014over his body again, and I will cut you down. Any of you!\u201d<\/p>\n He whirled, his angry eyes looking through the scrying orb at Tekshia, Zevara, and Selys. Zel\u2019s father looked around, and his voice was iron.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will is sealed.<\/em> No one is to breathe a word of it, understand me? My son\u2019s possessions will be divided up according to his wishes\u2014this line was never written.\u201d<\/p>\n No one said a word. Zel\u2019s father stared at the blank casket.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will remember him as what he was. A hero. Nothing less.\u201d<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t anything Selys could say. Zel\u2019s line burned in her mind. So. Tekshia had told her the truth. She didn\u2019t know what to think. After a while, the [Mage] went on.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018To my father, I leave what lands I have been granted, as well as a portion of my estates.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n There was a mutter from Zel\u2019s sister. The other Drakes seemed to sigh. Selys relaxed slightly. The reading was taking place. No doubt these rich Drakes wanted to see what they\u2019d get. Zel had already made them rich, but who would get the rest? He was a [General], and one of the wealthiest Drakes in all of Izril. This is what most had come here for, hoping for a small bit of his legacy.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018The division of my monetary wealth, held in the respective cities I have placed my earnings with, is to be as follows. To my father, I give\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n It was a lot of money. Zel didn\u2019t name numbers, except in the case of a few Drakes whom he gave a certain amount of gold to, or an artifact, but the sums involved made Selys\u2019 head spin. One Drake alone\u2014and who wasn\u2019t even his father or immediate family\u2014would walk away with at least six hundred gold pieces. And from the disappointed look on his face, he\u2019d been hoping for more.<\/em><\/p>\n Tekshia wasn\u2019t named in Zel\u2019s will as the [Mage] divided his money up, and his lands. Nor was Selys. They were distant relatives, and it would have been strange indeed for Zel to leave them more than a few tokens. Selys didn\u2019t want anything. But as she looked at the smiling sister\u2014or as Zel had named her, sister-in-law\u2014she felt strongly that no one should have anything else either. If Zel could see this, what would he say?<\/p>\n Would he care? Or just be disappointed? Selys shifted from foot to foot, her tail curling around her leg with her desire to leave<\/em> until the [Mage] reached the last few lines of the will. It was a simple statement from Zel.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018To my Aunt Tekshia, I give her the spears in my armory along with any of my monetary investments, holdings, or other wealth placed in Liscor.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot much, I fear. We\u2019ll send the spears to you, if you wish.\u201d<\/p>\n Zel\u2019s sister-in-law looked triumphantly at Tekshia. The old Drake just stared back, looking fed-up. The [Mage] coughed and went on.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Any other properties not accounted for in my will shall be turned over to my father, or my sister-in-law, or nearest relative in order of relation. However, I give whatever personal effects were on my corpse to my niece, Selys Shivertail, in hopes she will one day become an adventurer\u2014\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Selys heard a gasp<\/em>. She stared, uncomprehending, as the [Mage] paused. Every eye turned to her.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018\u2014or to use as she desires. If said artifacts are lost due to war or the circumstances of my death, I give Selys a blade of her choosing from my personal armory and a sum of coins to equal\u2014\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAncestors.\u201d<\/p>\n Someone breathed the word, interrupting the [Mage] again. Selys just felt blank. An adventurer? He\u2019d actually remembered her. She looked at the casket and then heard a shriek.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did what?<\/em> That can\u2019t be!\u201d<\/p>\n Selys stared at the sister-in-law. She was pointing at Selys, her eyes bulging and rolling in her head. Why?<\/p>\n \u201cSelys.\u201d<\/p>\n Tekshia, Zevara, everyone was staring at her. Selys didn\u2019t understand. Her mind felt too slow, as if she were underwater. She looked at Watch Captain Zevara.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? What\u2019s so important?\u201d<\/p>\n The Watch Captain stared at her. Slowly, Zevara raised a hand and ruffled the dark purple spines at the back of her neck. Her pale blue scales seemed almost ghostly as she looked at Selys. She spoke, her lips pale, her voice shaking.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Selys. If General Shivertail left you the possessions on his body\u2026that means you<\/em> are the inheritor of the Heartflame Breastplate and any other artifacts he owned.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys heard the words. She didn\u2019t understand them. She looked at the casket as the Drakes in the scrying orb shouted. She remembered the burning armor. She remembered her uncle\u2019s smiling face. She knew it was important, but she was just empty. She looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cUncle?\u201d The Drake was dozing, or just daydreaming absentmindedly. He looked up, startled, and then smiled. \u201cSelys! I was wondering when I\u2019d see my favorite niece.\u201d \u201cYour favorite one? What about all the other ones you have?\u201d Selys Shivertail smiled a bit as she walked over to the table, passing by a white Gnoll cub […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693085,349],"tags":[7224,250708,4330244,4472517,11693079],"twi_volume":[11693134],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-4781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-5","category-writing","tag-fantasy","tag-inn","tag-web-novel","tag-web-serial","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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