Here be Dragons!
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There may be M rated sections of this story. I will try and warn you when you reach them. There is also a touch of violence, however it is not too graphic.
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Chapter 1
Kate felt honored to be yet again called into the Government area and to a specific building. The last time had been to meet one of the city's council members.
The city was the largest known city in the land. It was also the largest trading city. Hundreds of vessels came and went every year. There were several that would come from very far to trade here.
For the people of this city it also meant that if it was made anywhere you could buy it here with only a few exceptions.
Her order was filled with philosophers and mystics, helping others find answers to esoteric questions and solutions to unusual problems. People in her order were worldly members who believed that temptation could only be overcome if it was squarely faced. A different order where those that rarely ever left their mountaintop retreats.
Kate could think of no place better than to face temptation then to serve the council members in the largest city known that was filled with temptation all around.
Yes, there were soldiers all over the city that could be broken up into two distinct and different factions. One was the City Watch. They were the local police force and in addition to capturing criminals, its members settled petty disputes, gave directions, summoned medical and priestly aid, and generally performed duties that promoted the idea that the city was open to all who knew how to behave themselves.
The other was the City Guard. They served as the city's soldiery and its members staffed garrisons, road patrols, watch posts, and served as bodyguards and gate guards.
The city was divided up into 12 different wards. There were also 11 main temples of various sizes in addition to a large number of unmanned shrines that could be found almost anywhere.
Then there were the temples to evil gods that were hidden away deep in the old caverns beneath the city. Even down there were a number of unmanned shrines to still more evil gods.
There were 5 official holidays that were celebrated citywide in all the districts. Others were only celebrated in their districts.
The city was characterized by its broad, busy streets and boulevards. Its heavy traffic which was constant during all day and most of the night, was monitored by traffic wardens of the City Watch. The streets were kept maintained and signaled by scribes and clerks who manufactured and installed labels and signs in all intersections. It was nearly impossible to get lost.
All that was necessary was to look at the side of a building to know the street name and in what section of the city you were presently in.
There were three methods of travel apart from riding your own horse and walking.
1. Drays were large, two-level collective carriages that held a large number of seats and traveled through present trajectories along the main boulevards. All that was needed was to pay the driver a fare.
2. Hire-coaches were two-wheeled, two-seat carriages that could be called and dispatched to specific locations. Hire-coach drivers roamed the city streets in search for passengers, who could call an unoccupied coach with a shout. Most fares were agreed upon in advance.
3. Carriages were luxury vehicles that could accommodate up to 8 passengers comfortably. Carriages were usually hired for an entire day.
Kate had hired a wandering coach to reach the front gate. It was there that she had to reveal her name and who she was there to see or what building she wished to visit.
She would have to wait for a runner to verify her credentials then wait for someone to escort her to the correct building. Only those that worked there really knew where they were going so an escort was necessary or you could end up lost in this area and risk never finding the building you wanted.
Once in the building she had to do that all over again. Wait for an escort to be taken to the correct room or end up lost in the building itself since some of these buildings could be a labyrinth and she would be forever lost.
The room was small and unadorned with anything. No chairs, no tables, no tapestries, and only two doors: the one she came in and the one on the far end that was only about 15 feet away. It was lit at least and since it was presently fall it was maybe a little cool.
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It had taken Rick 2 weeks to reach the outskirts of this city and he had no plans to enter it. He knew of the city even if he'd never set foot inside it. He actually had plans to go into the mountains and look for those that could use his help.
Mountains were famous for having Dragons hiding out in them, both good and evil. He would be looking for either. The good ones he would offer his serves to if they needed it. The evil ones he would hunt down alone and kill them.
Usually a small town might be being raided by a diminutive evil dragon who was looking to make a name for himself. Though how big the evil dragon was didn't concern him. Nor did it matter the size or age of the good dragon. He would help if it needed it.
He had been camping and actually doing a little fishing to get his dinner when suddenly the head of a dragon made out of mist rose up out of the lake where he was fishing from the shore.
His companion began barking. "Dog, sit." Rick didn't need Dog to alert him to its presence and watched as his companion sat and observed everything.
Rick dropped his handmade fishing pole, knelt on one knee, and bowed. "My master." He knew his God when he saw him.
"You may rise, my Vassal." Bahamut remained nothing but a mist on the lake and came no closer.
Rick stood and looked at his God. "How may I serve you, master?" He had served him before, however, Bahamut had always sent what was basically a messenger to talk to him. That messenger had been, he was sure, either a Gold or Silver Dragon in human form in most cases.
"I have a task for you, my Vassal. There is a council member in the city near here that will need your help. It will be extremely dangerous and will take you several weeks if not months to complete. However, it is vital," Bahamut imparted to him.
"You have come to the right man, my master. Who is it that I need to meet?" He would find him in the city even if he had to ask everyone there.
Rick watched as a piece of mist detached and floated toward him. He instinctively reached out and found himself holding a scroll case that was sealed with the seal of this God.
Rick was all set to ask another question though when he looked up the mist was gone as was his fishing pole. "So much for my fish dinner. Looks like we'll be eating in the city, Dog." Dog was looking up at him, ready to get moving.
"Well, let's see who we need to meet and maybe where." Rick broke the seal, shook out the scroll, and unrolled it to read it. Happily it didn't just contain a name it also contained a map of where in the vast city he had to go.
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Rick knew the city was large and as he rode up to the front gate and followed his map he was guessing maybe 2 million souls. He fully expected to see all manner of citizens and so far he wasn't disappointed.
He reached the gate and found it armed. They looked bored and not overly interested in who or what he was. They really needed to find better guards. Even the weakest of thieves could make it past these idiots. Still he was escorted to a building where he was handed off to yet another person.
Rick left his horse tied up outside and went inside with his dog right next to him. He was a good dog and Rick was happy to have him. They had been together for a while and it was almost as if they could read each others' minds.
Rick walked into what turned out to be a small room. There was almost literally nothing in it. There were only two things: another door on the far side and a woman.
She was certainly colorful. She wore an orange top with short green sleeves and pink pants; she had a quarter staff that looked to be hand engraved. Even though she was bald, which for a woman was a first for him, she was still extremely lovely.
He heard Dog growl low but not really threateningly. "Dog, play nice." Rick took his helmet off and held it under one arm. "I'm Rick."
"Kate." Kate looked him over. He was wearing bright and shiny platinum armor. The chest, arms, and legs looked to be made of scales. It was just pieces so not one of those full plates she had seen before. She didn't know how those men even breathed in that let alone moved.
He had a large sword in a scabbard, a yew long bow over his shoulder along with a quiver, and a backpack. He was maybe 6'-2" or 6'-3" tall and he was very handsome. She had seen handsome men before and none of them had held any interest for her. This man was drop dead gorgeous.
Then Rick felt it. He'd only felt it a handful of times before. In each case they were alone and each had been far from the other. She was a shifter and not just any shifter. She was a Dragon. He just didn't know what color though he didn't feel any waves of evil coming off of her.
Kate was still looking him over when she met his eyes. She was just starting to think of going swimming in them when she felt it. In her life, as large as this city was, she had only felt it once before. He was a shifter like her. The last one she knew had been a bear and they hadn't even talked. He had literally run from her.
This man was a Dragon. She couldn't help but wonder just what kind of Dragon. Though she couldn't feel any surge of evil coming off of him. As she was about to question him the opposite door opened.
It had the attention of both of them. He was dressed in colorful and rich-looking robes. He was also wearing a mask to hide his features. Rick was reasonably certain it was a male based on the way he walked.
"If I have kept you waiting, my apologies," he stated and the sound of his voice confirmed it was a man.
"No need, my lord." Kate bowed deeply before standing again.
Rick was glad that Dog, while watching every move everyone made, was keeping silent. "I was sent, my lord." Rick held out his scroll.
The council member took it and opened it. He was actually amazed. He had made no official request and was surprised to find him here. It was his mask that hid his features.
Reading it told him who had sent him. He had wished it but hadn't said anything. Now he was going to have to thank someone. "You are welcome to our city," he told Rick who relaxed a little.
"I have something that needs to be delivered before spring, summer at the latest. The offer is 1 million gold pieces for each of you. 500,000 now and another 500,000 from the person you deliver it to. I cannot tell you who or where until you agree," he warned them.
Kate was shocked into silence for a moment. What could possibly be so important that someone or someones would be willing to pay that amount?
Rick was interested in the offer, though to be honest he would do it, whatever it was, for a fraction of that amount.
"I am yours, my lord. No matter where it needs to go. Hopefully it's small enough to conceal." He had a pouch to hide it in but it needed to be small enough.
"I am yours, my lord. All you have to do is command me." Though Kate would gladly take the money.
"I need you two to deliver someone to Horustep III who is located in the city of Gheldaneth in the land of Mulhorand far to the east," he advised both of them now that they had accepted.
"Mulhorand is several weeks if not months from here, my lord. It will likely require passage on a ship across the Sea of Fallen Stars," Rick warned him since he had sort of set a time limit.
"How you arrive I leave to you two to decide. I can, however, warn you to expect serious attempts to take it from you. Secrets are hard to keep, especially in this city."
Rick had no doubt someone or several someones would be after it given how much he was willing to pay them to get it there.
"What are we taking, my lord?" Kate queried since so far he hadn't shown either of them anything. Though if he was hiding it on him now it much be easy to hide.
"This." He reached into his robe and pulled out a rod and handed it to Rick.
Rick looked it over. It appeared to be a little larger scroll case meant to keep a scroll from getting wet or dirty. Though there were some markings on each end. Rick twisted it, pulled on it, and even tried to bend it.
Kate cleared her throat, held out her hand, and waited. Rick groaned softly but handed it to her. He watched her examine it then she moved something on one end, then the other. She twisted it a bit and pulled a hollow tube off of it. She handed the hollow part to Rick and looked inside. Seeing something, she tipped one out into her hand since right behind this one was another one.
"OH, SHIT!" Rick recognized it instantly.
The sound of his voice had Kate worried even if it didn't look like anything to her. "What is it?" It was just a green gem to her. Though it didn't look like any emerald she'd ever seen before.
Rick used two fingers to take it from her hand and looked it over.
"You know what they are?" the council member asked him.
"I almost wish I didn't, but yes." Rick kept looking at it. Now he understood what his God had told him. Dangerous was definitely the right word for it.
"For the rest of us, please?" Kate asked him since she still had no idea.
"Green Star metal. It only looks like a gem. It's believed that they came from out there." Rick pointed at the ceiling with the tube Kate had handed him. "Far out amongst the stars.
"It's said that if you can meld this metal to your body using a magic I know nothing about, it will adhere itself to your body permanently," Rick began to explain. "It'll effectively make your body the equivalent of a permanent Stoneskin spell or potion."
Stoneskin was something Kate did understand; she even had a few potions of the stuff herself. It was just that that didn't sound so bad.
"Though if you have enough of this stuff you could turn your entire body into this substance. You don't have to eat, drink, or breathe any longer since you won't have a stomach or lungs. Or a heart for that matter.
"There's nothing left of you to die. You'll become immortal, impervious to everything. No physical item, it's said, can touch you. No magic can affect you. Supposedly you'll still be you but no one knows for sure." Rick walked over to Kate, dropped the Green Star metal back into the tube, and gave her back the other half so she could close it.
"Immortality? It sounds like hell to me." Kate shook her head. "Think about it. If your body is this stuff you can't feel anything. Taste anything. Never know what love can truly mean. To be forever trapped in something that isn't you." Kate put the empty tube back over the container and twisted the ends back into place.
"Please tell me there isn't enough of this stuff to accomplish this," Rick begged the council member.
"Unfortunately no one knows just how much of the Green Star metal you need to accomplish any of those things," the council member told them.
"Imagine a ruler of evil ever getting their hands on this stuff. They already don't care about life or love, only what evil they can achieve. To live forever and never be killed. The evil they could accomplish is almost unlimited." Rick shuddered at the idea.
"Aren't they going to need a magic user that knows the method to accomplish this?" Kate questioned.
"Horustep III has agreed to hide this Green Star metal in their cities great library. They have the largest library in the land. Caverns so dark and guarded that no one could ever reach them or find them. They also have the largest Lawful Good Magic school in the land to help hide the stuff.
"We, the other members of the council, have decided to entrust our Green Star metal with them. We just have to get it there. Instead of sending an entire army, given that the logistics of such an idea is impossible, it was decided to try and get it there hidden.
"Still it's likely that you'll encounter difficulty. Beyond what is between here and there. Secrets are a hard thing to hide so you will need to be vigilant."
"We will not fail, my lord." Kate was mostly speaking for herself but added Rick into this plan since he had come and agreed to this already.
"Nothing like a challenge." His God had given him a big one. All right, a huge one if he was being honest with himself.
"Here are your 500,000 in gold in the form of gems." He took two bags out of his robes and handed them over. "All expenses are up to you to handle."
Rick opened his bag just to take a peek given that he had never seen that many gems in one place before. They looked really shiny to him.
"May the Gods be with you. Your mission starts immediately." He bowed his head just a touch and left through the door he had come in.
Rick held out his hand. "I'll take it."
"Why should you take it?" She was perfectly capable of handling one little tube.
"Because I have a hiding place that even the thieves in this city or any other can't reach. Or would you like to lose it in this city and force us to get it back before we even leave here?" Rick challenged her.
"Fine, show me your hiding place," Kate dared him.
She was a little shocked when he took his chest armor off. She was not going to have sex with him no matter how incredibly handsome he was.
She saw he was wearing a light vest under his armor and watched as he unbuttoned it. It gave her a chance to see his bare chest and she cursed herself since she couldn't take her eyes off his chest. He was not only gorgeous, he was a hunk.
Then he snatched the tube from her hand and she watched it vanish into his stomach. "Tiny dimensional space that can only hold one small item. As such it can't be scanned for or detected using magic," Rick explained.
Kate knew what that meant. It was no longer technically on this plane. It was on another plane in a tiny space that was only accessible from this plane.
She was still kicking herself as she watched him put himself back together. Once he was ready he offered something. "Shall we go shopping first? And we need to come up with a plan on how to get there. I came here on my horse though you might need one." He didn't know, hence the need for them to talk.
"Agreed." They needed to talk all right and not just on how to get there. They needed to talk about them being shifters. She needed to understand him if she was going to be stuck with him for weeks and possibly months.
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They were still walking toward the front entrance so they could get his horse, go into the city, and over to her place most likely so they could plan.
"May I ask what your skills are?" Kate meant what was he?
"I'm a Ranger and a Vassal of Bahamut. I've dedicated my life to my God and expanding all the good that good dragons are capable of instead of being hunted down and killed simply because they're a dragon. I also help everyone else I can along the way," Rick explained. "Yourself?"
"I am a Tattooed Monk and an Initiate of the Draconic Mysteries. My God is also Bahamut. I willingly face temptation and overcome it while spreading the word of my God," Kate said. "This city is full of temptation." She meant the temptation of evil. Giving in to being evil and obtaining what you want at the expense of others.
"Good, at least we have two things in common." Rick was thinking this mission was going to be very interesting and challenging in ways he had never imagined.
"Shopping or planning first?" Rick questioned since this sounded like her city and he had never set foot in it until now.
"My place first." Kate wanted to plan first then go shopping for what they would need. This was definitely the city to go shopping in.
Rick swallowed hard after she said that. His mind had instantly gone to having sex in her bed. He couldn't help it. He was a guy, she was gorgeous even if she was bald and it had been a long time since he'd had a woman.
Kate grinned when she heard him swallow and almost missed a step. Though her mind was also on sex at the moment. He was gorgeous and he was a hunk and they were going to be together for a long time it looked like. Besides, it had been a long time since she'd had a man.