Where the name comes from

Once inside, the name ‘Drunken Dragon’ starts making a lot more sense. Firstly, the walls and high ceiling all appear to have been shaped from a single, massive piece of stone, giving the illusion of being inside a huge cavern, though the floor was covered in some kind of dark hardwood, polished to a high shine. Secondly, all the furniture, the tables and chairs, look to have been designed to look like they were made from gold and platinum, making the whole room look like a massive dragon horde. But the most obvious piece was the person behind the bar, and one look at her tells me exactly why Nerissa would have been nervous to meet her alone.

Standing close to seven feet tall, with swept back horns on her head, gleaming red scales, and wicked looking claws on the end of each finger, was what can only be described as a red dragon wrapped around a humanoid skeleton. The only reason I could tell she was female was that she seemed to have made a concession to the more humanistic form by giving herself very full, prominent breasts.

On the wall behind the bar was a sign, written in three different languages. One was the common tongue, then I recognized Dwarven, and I can only assume the last one was draconic. The two I could read both said the same thing:

Bar Rules:
1: No weapons, unless you want to feel mine ripping through you
2: No trickery magics. Permission may be granted for illusions as part of a performance
3: Touch any of the girls when they don't want to be, and I'll roast you for dinner

She glances up at us as we enter, and says "Find a seat, one of the girls will be with you in a minute," her voice deep and surprisingly smooth.

I stand there for a second, until Nerissa gives me a little nudge towards the bar, and when I look at her she gives a slight nod towards the dragon. I take a deep breath, and head to the bar, with Mel and Nerissa following behind. Once there, I explain "Actually, we were looking for Alymarrez? We're interested in the job she announced."

She raised an eyebrow, looking us over. Then she motions her head over to the side, saying "Wait at the end of the bar." We head over there as she finishes polishing the glass and sets it back on the shelf. Then she breathes a stream of flame onto the counter, before wiping at it as well! After repeating that a couple times, she looks it over and nods, then bellows out "KATY!! BAR!!" and I can hear a voice coming from the back in acknowledgement. Then a younger looking human comes out from the back, and the bartender glances at her, "Watch the bar, I've got business to deal with. And don't give out the good shit without giving them the test first!"

"Yes, momma, I remember."

Alymarrez starts to walk over to us, then looks over her shoulder and says "And if that damn dwarf shows up, tell him I'm busy and will see him when I'm done," which causes Katy to giggle a little, before agreeing again. We get led into a back room, where she motions to a handful of chairs. The three of us sit down, while she leans against a wall, crossing her arms under her breasts. She looks us over, "So, you three fancy yourselves treasure hunters, eh?"

We look among ourselves for a second, then I answer "Possibly. But one of our number does have a personal interest in finding the same treasure you are after, so coming here seemed to be a good place to start."

She gives a little snort at that, "Fancy that. Well, as long as you don't try to double-cross me, I don't really care your personal reasons. But, I gotta make sure you at least have a chance of coming back with what I'm after, so tell me. What do you three do?"

I hold my head up straighter at that, "I'm a trained swordsman, strongest in my family."

Nerissa cautiously adds "I am a prriesstesss, sskilled in healing magicss."

And Mil wraps up "And I am a capable scout and very good with my hands."

Alymarrez glares at Mil at that, "Not as good as you think you are. Word of advice, elf, you may have heard that a dragon knows every individual piece of their horde? Well, it's true, and we don't take kindly to thieves. So I suggest you take those gems out of your pouch before you leave." Mil's eyes go wide at that, and she sheepishly nods. Alymarrez then looks us over again, her eyes narrowed, before finally shrugging and saying "I suppose you'll do. Here's what I found out," but then there was a knock on the door. Alymarrez gets an annoyed look on her face, before saying a bit louder "Katy, this had better be important."

The door opens and Katy stick her head in, "I'm so sorry, momma, but there are two others out here asking to see you for the same thing."

Alymarrez raises her eyebrows at that, then her form starts to shift. She shrinks down, ending up a little bit shorter than me, her skin looses its scales, her head becomes a normal human head with blonde hair, her claws are replaced by normal (if a little long) fingernails, and an outfit similar to the one Katy was wearing appeared on her. She looks at us, and tells us to wait here, before heading back out.

Authors Note: Image used for Alymarrez from Anzatiridonia over on Deviantart