Chronicles of a Royal Pet- Of Scales and Distant Shores

by Ian Rodgers

  “Did a riot break out there? What’s with the irrational hatred all of a sudden?” the half-elf archer demanded, as confused and worried as the rest of us.

  “You mean you don’t know?” a creaky, weak voice called out.

  We all turned to face the source and found one of the people I had paralyzed breaking through the spell to move their mouth. I was impressed, and after a quick look with my Magic Vision, noticed this farmer had above average mana levels. Interesting.

  “Know what?” Donali demanded, striding over and hoisting the man up by his collar. “Tell us!”

  “Ryegrid… it’s gone.”

  Deathly silence fell on the group, and we all stared at the man hanging from Donali’s fists in shock.

  “What?” he whispered in disbelief.

  “Everyone… everyone inside the town was killed.”

  “Impossible!” the mage shouted, stepping forward angrily.

  “It’s true! Men, women, children… no one was spared!” the paralyzed man wept. “It was the thrice cursed lizards! They did it!”

  “Now I know that’s a lie! Tensions might be high, but they wouldn’t massacre an entire settlement!” I retorted.

  “I know what I heard! What I saw! They found a golden ring covered in blood hidden amidst the wreckage of Ryegrid’s Adventurer’s Guild! A ring that belonged to a high-ranking Dragon Priest!”

  I felt a wave of vertigo wash over me as I heard that. No. No, this was… but could it…?

  “Was there any Dark magic residue? Did any mages scan the area?” I demanded, pushing myself off of the kind archer’s shoulder as I made my way over to the prisoner.

  “What?” the man gasped, confused. “No, there wasn’t any!”

  “What about the trees! Was there anything wrong with the trees in the town?!” I was practically shouting now, up close and right in the man’s face. Everyone was giving me weird looks but I didn’t care.

  “I-I don’t know! I guess? Maybe? Some of them were damaged in the attack, I suppose. Lost all their leaves and kind of looked dead…” the man trailed off as I stared at him, my ‘face’ close to his.

  “Did the trees have black sap anywhere on them?”

  “I don’t remember! Why does it matter, anyways?! The lizards killed everyone, who cares about some stupid trees?!”

  “I care because I found a dead Dragon Priest and his murdered escorts just a few miles from here!” I shouted back.

  A sense of dread settled onto everyone’s shoulders at my words.

  “What did you say?” the guard asked me nervously.

  “Yesterday, on the outskirts of the territory near Haven, I found over fifty lizardfolk, all of them murdered,” I revealed. “And they’d been killed by someone using Dark magic which killed all the plants in the immediate area. Worse, I found that the corpse of the Dragon Priest had been desecrated. One of his fingers was broken. As if a ring had been ripped from his cold, dead claws.”

  “Huh? Are you saying that whoever killed the lizards stole the ring and framed them for destroying Ryegrid?” the mage asked incredulously.

  “It’s sounds far-fetched, but it must be true! Nothing else makes sense! Why would the lizardfolk attack Ryegrid! Not to mention, how? It’s smack dab in the middle of New Castella, an army would have to sneak past several towns and villages to reach it and then tear it down before anyone noticed. It doesn’t make sense!” I argued. The people around me had skeptical expressions, but my logic resonated with them, and made them stop and think.

  “Jellik is right,” the archer said, speaking up in my defense. “Any force large enough to take down Ryegrid would have to maneuver past all the people in the way. And while possible, there would be signs of their passage. Not to mention, why bother with Ryegrid? If the lizardfolk could get an army into New Castella undetected, why not go for Windfish City or Pollastra instead, the sole two cities and major population centers?”

  “It could have been a small group of people,” the mage replied after thinking about it. “A couple of A-rankers could cause a lot of damage quickly, and I know the lizards have their own elite warriors they can call on. They could move fast without getting detected.”

  “It wasn’t the lizardfolk who attacked Ryegrid!” I shouted. “Why would they butcher one of their own leaders? And if they did do so, why wouldn’t they announce it and frame it on us first before attacking? Raiding us out of the blue would only make our reaction worse!”

  “Whatever the case may be, we have a real problem,” Donali interrupted before our argument could grow. He dropped the man he’d been holding and turned to face us, arms folded.

  “We have people rioting and attacking non-humans. That cannot stand. Whatever the truth behind Ryegrid’s destruction, we have to deal with the immediate issue of these bigots.” He gestured rudely towards the piles of stunned bodies around us. “We need to take care of this first. We can leave the investigations to others who are more qualified.”

  “Will you at least pass on what I found out?” I asked, trying not to sound like I was begging. Donali gave me a sympathetic look, and nodded.

  “Of course. I will pass this on to the Guild, who will relay it to the appropriate authorities. Right now, though, I have to take care of the mobs and riots. We can worry about impending war later.”

  I stiffened. Right. War. That was… oh sweet Cynthia, this was going to start a gods damned war!

  “I have to warn Haven and the other settlements,” I said, panicking slightly. The older adventurer laid a calming hand on my ‘shoulder.’

  “Calm! Be calm. And yes, you should. Fly, and inform as many places as you can about what is happening, and what might be coming.”

  I nodded rapidly, and took a deep, calming breathing. I didn’t need to breath, really, but doing a breathing exercise helped me regain a stable mindset. Made me feel more human. Reminded me I was not an instinct driven monster.

  “Um, Jellik, if you have time later, would you maybe be interested in grabbing a bite to eat?” the half-elf archer asked me as I prepared to take off.

  “Oh. I’m sorry, but I can’t. I don’t think there will be any time for that in future. I’m sorry,” I said apologetically. She had a downcast expression, but nodded all the same in understanding.

  As I rose into the air, Tara spoke to me. ~She seemed nice. Cute. Should have taken her up on her offer.~

  ‘No time for dates or romance, Tara.’

  She sighed heavily, and I could feel her shaking her head at me in disappointment. ~Well, at least you were polite when you turned her down.~

  I said nothing, and eventually the chatty Spirit of Knowledge faded from my mind, off to take care of something else.

  Behind me, dawn broke over the horizon, and the rising sun spilled blood red light over the landscape. I wasn’t much for omens, but I had a bad feeling settle into my core as I flew back in the direction of Haven.

  Chapter 15: Plans and preparation

  It was around seven in the morning when I returned to Haven, and I was exhausted. I had made sure to visit Hole’s Reach and Green Stump one last time before heading to the Soul Ooze settlement.

  The mining community has suffered worse than I’d thought. Some drunks had joined the mess, and caused a lot of damages before being knocked out and subdued. I offered what aid I could in the form of potions and a bit of Fire magic for a funeral pyre.

  My guilty conscience eased slightly when I visited Green Stump, and the farmers happily reported that thanks to my warning, the handful of bigots who had attacked were cornered and subdued with no harm to anyone in the close-knit village.

  New Castella’s jails would be stuffed full and their judges and Paladins run ragged for a while as this whole mess was sorted. Most of the rioters would likely be let off with a warning, maybe a fine. Only in cases where actual deaths and major destruction of property had occurred would harsher penalties be dealt out. Tara’s reassurance that the criminals would get what was coming to them helped
persuade me to fly my weary body back to Haven.

  After going around the towns and villages I was too tired to properly maintain my disguise anymore. If anyone had looked up into the sky that morning, they would have seen a purple and gold sphere shooting across the sky like a jam-filled meteorite.

  I landed poorly in the middle of Haven, my squishy self all but collapsing into a puddle from my exertions.

  “Ah, jeez, Jellik, you look like you took a stroll through the Hells to get here,” Katherine said with a wince as she, Rosa, and Valen rushed to my side.

  “You should see the other guys,” I quipped, though my core wasn’t into it.

  “What happened? Are the other villages all right? Did you solve the problem?” Valen jabbered at me, worry suffusing his entire body.

  I heaved myself in a vague approximation of a sitting position, and sighed sadly. “Riots swept the area, and the roads were crawling with roving bands of people looking for something to hurt. Hole’s Reach got hit hard, as did Clover Patch. Green Stump was lucky. No injuries on their end.”

  “As for the cause of all this, well, it’s not good,” I added soberly.

  “Why?” Katherine inquired, despite the apprehension on her face.

  “Because Ryegrid has been wiped out. Everyone living inside was killed. And worse, whoever did it framed the lizardfolk.”

  She and Rosa gasped in horror, while Valen slumped, his posture one of defeat.

  “And it gets worse,” I said sorrowfully.

  “Worse?! How can this get worse?!” the short thief demanded.

  “Because whoever destroyed Ryegrid was also the one who killed the lizardfolk procession I found earlier. Remember that?” I said bitterly.

  Katherine groaned pitifully, and I bobbed around sympathetically.

  “Yeah. That is how it is worse. The Dark mage who did this has set up both sides as the aggressors. Now we’re on the brink of war with the lizardfolk and kobolds, and I do not like our odds of this being resolved peacefully,” I commented.

  “What can we do? We can’t get caught up in a war, but we can’t just pack up our stuff and leave again, either,” Valen said, looking more depressed and defeated than I’d ever seen him.

  “I do not know, exactly,” I said softly. “But there might be a chance I can stall for time.”

  “How?” Katherine demanded, while Rosa looked at me expectantly.

  “I will travel to Xocxotl and try to get into contact with Rikee and Theep. Maybe, just maybe, I can use them to get an audience with one of their leaders.”

  “And what good would that do?” the dwarf maiden asked.

  “Because I think I know who did this. And I might have a way to show them proof that this is all a setup!” I said excitedly. “If I can get the lizardfolk to hold off on their war preparations, we can possibly find a way to sue for peace. And if my evidence can convince both sides that there is a way to stop this before it starts, then all the better.”

  “Are you going to use your connection with the princess of Varia to leverage the situation?” Valen asked hopefully. I sloshed around, mimicking a shrug.

  “I’ll see what I can do. I doubt she’ll mind too much if I use the Roan Family name to avert a war. Though how far that’ll go out here in Drakon is up in the air. I’ll just have to see.”

  (I’m coming with you!) Rosa declared, folding her arms and giving me a pout. (I’m not letting you leave without me!)

  “I suppose I have no choice then,” I said with a chuckle. “Alright, Rosa, you can come along.”

  The Carbuncle cheered and began to do a little dance in mid-air, and I raised a tendril to forestall celebrations.

  “We won’t be leaving immediately, Rosa. I am tired, and about to pass out. We have other preparations to make as well. So, probably tomorrow morning is when we’ll set off.”

  She nodded in understanding and I sighed in relief.

  “Good. Now, I am going to follow up on my promise. Just roll me into the shade, if you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Wait, what…?” Katherine began, only for the rest of her words to fade, as well her concerned expression.

  Unable to hold back the darkness that had been encroaching on my consciousness any longer, I collapsed and let emptiness over take me.

  .

  “Blurg.” Those were the first words I managed to utter as I woke up after my ‘nap.’ I struggled to move, my mind filled with grogginess. Bit by bit, my senses reactivated, and I was able to perceive the world around me once more.

  I had indeed been moved into the shade as I had asked. I was resting on the porch of the town hall, underneath the awning. The sun was high in the sky, and I assumed it was approximately noon.

  All about the town, Soul Oozes were hard at work shoring up defenses, gathering materials for weapons, and collecting supplies for later. It was a painful sight to see these formerly vibrant and happy beings now sullen and silent as they went about their work.

  I stretched out, becoming larger, before rolling down the steps towards the center of town where I could sense Rosa, along with Katherine and Valen. Here and there, some of the Soul Oozes waved at me happily, glad to see me up and about again, and I waved back with a tendril or two.

  ‘I’m awake! What did I miss?’ I asked my two companions over our mental link, and was immediately greeted with a pair of telepathic cheers.

  ~(You’re awake!)~

  ‘Ow! Volume!’ I complained, their shouts echoing painfully in my mind. Tara and Rosa shared a giggle before returning to my question.

  ~Not much. Valen and the other town leaders gave the order to prepare for the worst. They’re stockpiling weapons and equipment, as well as food and other resources,~ my Spirit of Knowledge said.

  (I helped dig holes!) Rosa declared proudly.

  ~She did indeed,~ Tara confirmed. ~She and Katherine set up a set of underground stockpiles, both inside Haven, and outside under the hills and marsh. This way, in the event of a siege or being forced to flee, the Soul Oozes will have little deposits of supplies hidden in various locations that they can use.~

  ‘Clever. I assume that was Katherine’s idea?’

  (Yup! Said it was common practice among the Dark Guild to have tiny safe spots and dead drops in case of a sudden need to flee the law,) Rosa said cheerfully.

  ‘Uh-huh. That’s good, I guess,’ I said, giving the two of them a telepathic version of rolling eyes. ‘Who says a life of crime doesn’t teach important life lessons of real world experience?’

  ~Someone woke up on the wrong side of the sarcasm,~ Tara said drily. I responded with a telepathic equivalent of a shrug.

  ‘What are you doing right now, Rosa?’ I inquired.

  (I’m helping Katherine and Valen make plans!) she declared proudly. (And an escape tunnel. Mostly the escape tunnel. They’re doing most of the planning with the other heads of the town.)

  ‘Good work. I’ll be there soon,’ I said. Seconds later I rolled over to a wooden table that had been set up smack dab in the center of Haven, where the town’s leaders were directing the various efforts going on.

  A large, crudely drawn map of Haven and its surroundings lay in the middle, with scores of sheets of paper and parchment littering the tabletop around it, detailing the various things they would need, and the items they currently had. Sadly, the ‘Have’ list was much shorter than the ‘Need’ list.

  “Jellik! Glad to see you’re awake at last!” Sistia exclaimed as I rolled over. Pallo looked up, surprised, but his expression morphed into one of relief a moment later.

  “You had us worried when you suddenly passed out like that. If not for Rosa assuring us you were fine, we might have panicked a bit more than we did,” the oldest Soul Ooze mentioned.

  “You were the one running around like a chicken without a head, Pallo,” Sistia teased, nudging her fellow leader. He coughed awkwardly.

  “Yes, well, if I recall you volunteered to hold him in your lap until he woke up, my dear,” Pallo shot bac
k.

  Sistia’s core flared dark pink in embarrassment, and she slapped her fellow Soul Ooze on the arm. “Shush!”

  She then hastily said to me, “It’s not what you think! I was just trying to protect you and keep you comfortable!”

  “Of course,” I said, mimicking Tara’s earlier dry tone. I could see her affection as clear as day, and Sistia’s core flashed again.

  ‘What is with all these women crushing on me lately?’

  ~Not sure. Might just be some sort of animal magnetism.~

  ‘…That sounds rather dirty, for some reason,’ I complained.

  (Oh, stop complaining! You’re very handsome for a round blob of grape flavored slime!) Rosa assured me.

  ‘…Grape flavored?’

  (I may or may not have been hungry one night and tried to nibble on you. Just a little bit,) my Familiar said, her ruby lighting up with her own sign of embarrassment.

  I stared at Rosa, and I tried my best to ignore the roars of laughter coming from Tara. In the end I just sighed in defeat and turned back to the planning table, growing to a larger size so my height was enough to poke over the edge.

  “What’s the situation?” I inquired.

  “Decent, so far,” Katherine said. She was trying to hold back her laughter for some reason. “Thanks to your warning, we have plenty of time to prepare all sorts of contingency plans. We have no less than four evacuation plans, and half a dozen secured hiding spots inside the town itself.”

  “Not to mention the hidden supply caches,” Valen added. “Rosa was most helpful with those.”

  The Ruby Carbuncle in question preened at the praise. I snorted and rubbed her head fondly with a tendril.

  “Noted. What about any other needs? Anything I can help with?”

  “If you can, could you provide Mana Replenishment Potions?” Pallo inquired hopefully. “If we have some of those, we can use magic and spells to speed up our preparations.”

  I bobbed up and down in agreement. “Of course! I don’t have many right now, but I’ll whip some up before I leave.”