Journey to the Capitol - Part 3 - Trouble on the Road

AN: With the introduction of two separate mental communication methods - Mahat simply reading and projecting thoughts vs. Daydreamweaving - I've realized I need to indicate when something is one vs the other. As before, Mahat and Ahsch talking in his head - and Ahsch's thoughts themselves - will be indicated by italics, while communication via Daydreamweaving will be in both italics and [underlined.

It was shortly after lunch on their third day of travel that the group emerged from the endless valley and entered the foothills of the eastern mountain range. At the crest of some of the taller hills, they could see the plains of the heart of the Kingdom of Starlight. Ironically, despite being deeper into the Kingdom's territory, it was in this more open terrain that they were at greater danger, outside the protection the mountains provided by screening their flanks.

The road widened some as well, allowing the six knights to fan out into more of a circular formation, ringing their charges. Ahsch and his girls were working on the buffing spell that the Dominant Mage had considered before, combining his twin's Edge of Glory and Arsenal of Ecstasy together. Ariin was blushing enthusiastic about the idea, and gave her agreement to be a test subject when he had something to test.

In a different vein from making Daydreamweaving, Ahsch found some difficulty in working with the Boon-based Edge of Glory, and since both spells were learned from his sister, there was an extra bit of unfamiliarity. He hadn't properly used either spell, only false-casting them in his mind, and while that worked for learning a spell at base, it left him a bit lost when trying to work parts of the spell into something new.

And for obvious reasons, he couldn't repeatedly cast the spells here, around all the knights and Lady Kirasiel fucking Celes. He still wasn't over that, three days after the reveal.

You act as though she betrayed you, Mahat giggled.

To be fair, I did spill about... oh, 90% of who and what I am to her; the least she could do is reciprocate even slightly. 'By the way, I'm part of the high nobility,' or something.

Isn't the whole point of an alias and all that to avoid having random people know who you really are? Ahsch's lack of response was answer enough. And besides, you don't even like her, why would her 'betrayal' be such an event for you?

The hrafthi boy wanted to protest, but his familiar was right. Mostly. He honestly wasn't entirely sure how he felt about Kirasiel. On the one hand, she was a bitch. Her breakdown three nights before didn't change that. On the other hand, from what he and his girls were able to figure, she wasn't well-liked, and while that was partially her own fault for being unlikable, how hard would it be for her to change without anyone supporting her? But even then, she was royalty, surely she could just order a maid to hang out with her and try and learn how to not be such a cunt?

Ahsch suppressed a growl. His frustration from being unable to really practice was getting to him - sure, he could cast a spell a couple times a day to see if it worked and it wouldn't be a problem, but constantly casting spells all day long was sure to get him in trouble with the knights. So he was stuck false-casting. Add to that the general tedium of travel, and he found himself getting... irritable.

Not to mention he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, despite Mahat reassuring him that if Kirasiel really wanted to punish him for his overstep with the commands, he'd be in chains and gagged, if not dead already. Knowing that and not being paranoid regardless were two quite separate things.

...And there was also the constant strain of Enhanced Senses being active 24/7. The smell of animals was potent, but so was the grass and flowers of the hills. The sun overhead was nearly blinding even though he carefully kept it out of his direct line of sight, and every twitch of every blade of grass was filtered through his awareness. Horse hooves and tilre talons striking the road made up the bulk of the sound, but the gently-blowing wind and...

Wait, is that... wingbeats? Mahat's attention snapped to his awareness while and Ahsch tilted his head to try and pinpoint the source of the sound. Behind...? The Dominant Mage deactivated Enhanced Senses as he turned to squint up into the sky, almost directly into the sun. He could just barely make out...

"Dragon!" he shouted, sparking a commotion from his companions. Immediately, the knights closed in, herding their charges into a tighter formation and keeping everyone - and especially the men - within arm's reach of at least two others. Weapons were drawn and made ready, and as Ahsch activated Mage Sight, he saw virtually everyone was activating various magics to buff themselves and each other.

Kirasiel was hunched low in her saddle, as were Michlas, Ahsch, and the two male knights. The royal keeping away from the dragon's grasp was a given, but it was unlikely the monster was looking for Lady Celes - almost nobody should know she was out of the capitol, let alone a dragon. No, she was more likely searching for a man to kidnap and breed with. And while they weren't much larger than humans on average, dragons possessed remarkable strength and often had magic to enhance it further. So swooping in and grabbing a man during a fly-by was entirely possible.

Ahsch activated Heart Sight as well, focusing on the descending monster. _Curiosity, thoughtfulness... boredom? ... Yup, there's the arousal._

Keep your head down! Mahat barked, and the hrafthi hunched lower, neck craned at an uncomfortable angle to watch the dragon, who was... descending steadily but looked like she would overshoot them by a wide margin?

I don't think she's here to matenap,_ Ariin suggested.

That's honestly more worrying,_ her brother replied as the dragon went over them by a good fifty feet, and the men and Kirasiel slowly sat upright.

The group watched as the dragon landed a good fifty feet away from them. Naked as the day she was born, with expansive wings, a sturdy tail, a pair of black horns, and shimmering green scales sheathing her body and preserving her modesty somewhat, she approached with arms outstretched, indicating she meant no harm. "You are him, the one Mother spoke of, are you not?" Her gaze was fixed on Ahsch. Everyone in the group glanced at him, though the knights quickly turned their attention back to the dragon, who suddenly seemed intrigued. "Oh... a hrafthi. A male hrafthi? Mother didn't mention that."

"I uh... I'm not sure who you're talking about," Ahsch called back.

The dragon huffed, looking almost exasperated. "Of course you do. Who was it you met nigh a week ago? One who I, a dragon, might refer to as 'Mother' with reverence that I know you can hear in my voice?"

He froze. There was no way... "You... _Phashak _told you about me?" The question came out just barely without squeaking.

"Who else? She instructed me to test and observe you, track your progress, as it were. At first I thought it a passing fancy of hers, but now, seeing what you are..." A dangerous grin crossed the dragon's face. "Now I may be as interested in you as Mother."

"What do you mean, 'test and observe?'" Dahil called, shifting her tilre forward enough to be partially between her son and the dragon.

"Ah, you must be... yes, your scent is much like his, you are his mother." The dragon's gaze flicked to Ariin. "Sister."

What, did she fucking track my scent all the way from... wherever the fuck she was before?

Doubtful, but she can probably smell what you had to eat most recently on your breath from where she is. Ahsch resisted the urge to smell his own breath.

"My question," Dahil insisted, shifting her sword slightly.

The dragon sighed. "How else would I test him but through combat? How else observe but with my own eyes and ears?"

"You want to fight him?" Ariin exclaimed.

"No. Test. Even when I best him, he will remain unharmed. If I aimed to fight, he would already be dead." Her eyes flashed with a surge of magic, and Mage Sight informed Ahsch of the substantial burst of mana she just pushed out of her body - wasted - to showcase how powerful she was.

"I don't suppose I have a say in this?" the boy asked.

"You do, and it comes down to a choice: accept and work towards gratifying Mother, or decline, and displease her. A simple choice, I would think."

Ahsch grit his teeth. Just by looking at her, he could tell that the dragon was easily Tier Three, possibly Tier Four. No way he could beat her. And while she promised not to hurt him - and Heart Sight betrayed no deceit or malice coming from her - he didn't like the idea of facing dragonsbreath with a whole Tier or two of difference between their power.

But disappointing a goddess was by far the more stupid thing to do.