Chapter 5: Look, all I'm saying, is that dragons be bitchin' . . .

[Tavish POV]

I stood observing the outskirts of the festivities for the supposed dragon meet.

Dragons of multiple colors and variations wandered about the area with various dragonoid's and servants milling about with food and drink for everyone.

Everyone seemed to be congregating in groups of similar type.

Red dragons were gathering with other red dragons, while green dragons were all huddled over by their own group.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I was all by myself as far as races go.

Many of the other groups looked on curiously as I finally made my presence known and I started to mingle.

While it was gratifying knowing that I wouldn't have to answer to anyone, it was a tad lonely.

Plus, certain dragon groups were looking at me quite hungrily, as if I was the newest snack to wander into their den.

None were bold enough yet to approach me yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Dragons follow a very strict hierarchy with very few exceptions.

"The weak obey the strong."

Some of the smaller dragon groups that had gathered, were deferring to other groups as more and more dragons gathered.

My eyes eventually fell on a group of dragons that seemed to be emitting darker energies. Taking a quick sniff of the air, I almost sneezed at the familiar smell.

Fire and Brimstone. . .

[Observe]

Demonic Dragons

Lvl – 256

My lip started curling before I felt a poke in the side.

Glancing down, I lock eyes with a rather lithe woman with what looked like a pair of deer antlers poking out of her dark hair.

"Chill big guy. Nobody likes that they show up, but we must respect the dragon meet." She commented, her tail flicking back and forth behind her.

I was pretty sure that she was an oriental dragon of some form based off just her horn structure, but I couldn't be sure.

Most of the dragons here have taken on human characteristics, simply because it was a hell of a lot less conspicuous than a gathering of full-sized dragons.

"You're a new one. I haven't been able to determine your species yet." The girl mused, examining me.

"To be fair, you could ask." I offered, before she gave me a flat look.

"Well, that's not nearly as fun. Plus, the rest of the mooks here would try to use it to their advantage." She scoffed dismissively, several of the nearby dragons glaring at her.

"And how pray tell, would knowing my species, give them any sort of advantage?" I question, causing her to look at me closer.

"Some dragons have certain . . .weaknesses, or character flaws that can be played on to get them under control." She said, drawing out her sentence as she paced around in a circle.

"Ah, blackmail! Honestly, its just like being around humans again!" I cheerfully reply causing some of the dragons to growl at the comparison.

"Carful~. You might not make any friends with comments like that." The woman commented playfully.

"Then these supposed children need to grow the fuck up. I state things plainly and will happily murderize the first irritating fuck that attempts that shit." I cheerfully inform, causing some of the surrounding dragons to start, and examine me more warily.

"Hmmm, well in any case, the leader of my contingent would like to talk with you if you could spare a moment?" The female dragon requested, finally revealing the true purpose of her visit.

"Why certainly! I do enjoy when someone doesn't beat around the bush." I answer cheerfully.

"Aww, c'mon. If I didn't start off with the foreplay, you'd get bored." The woman replied suggestively, as she turned to lead me away from the general rabble.

"I'm Kaida by the way!" the dragon introduced as we walked.

"Tavish. A pleasure to meet you, Kaida." I reply our surroundings starting to change.

Each of the dragon contingents had their own area that they had claimed to represent the preferences of each group.

My suspicions on Kaida being an oriental dragon proving true as our surroundings slowly started taking a distinctly oriental theme.

I finally found myself sitting across from a very old man with his own set of deer antlers poking out of his head.

I was served tea as the older dragon studied me for a bit.

"You know, creatures evolve into dragons periodically. It not something that happens all the time, but it happens frequently enough not to raise an eyebrow when a new face appears at these gatherings." He started, as I took a sip of tea. The eye on my forehead opening as I observe him.

"But you . . . you are a definite oddity. Very few dragons possess such an eclectic appearance, or have the wherewithal to stand so tall amongst those that have been a dragon for centuries. What on earth could you be to have exceeded the standard limits of our race." He stated, leaving the question open to settle amongst the various dragons listening to the question.

"Funny, no one ever told me I was supposed to have limits." I reply lazily, watching him carefully for a reaction.

The corners of his mouth twitch upward; "I suppose not, but everything hits a wall eventually. You probably hit yours with your latest evolution." He commented taking a sip of tea.

"Limits are abstract concepts that individuals set themselves. But the only limits that I have, are those that I set myself." I state setting the tea cup down watching a servant of some sort rushing to fill my cup.

"I set the limit on how far I'm willing to go to accomplish a task. I set my limit of what I process as good and evil, how much I tolerate, or how much is needed. How much I allow to exist within my world view." I continue watching steam float up from the cup, the old dragon watching me intently.

"Others may impose their will on my intentions, or set limits on what an individual can do. But in the time that I have existed, I have yet to meet a being that can force me to comply with those so-called limits."

"Even if I met such a being that could impose those limits. I would rail and rage against those chains for every moment, every second, trying and trying again until I cause those restraints to strain, and then shatter against the means that I will use to surpass the limit."

"But now, I'm content to restrain myself a little bit as the world marches on around me. Because contrary to popular belief, the world doesn't always need a dragon rampaging around it." I finish, the older being relaxing slightly.

"A bold statement to be sure. Especially for one so young. The question is, can you back it up?" The dragon commented, I felt a massive weight settling on my shoulders, trying to force me into the earth.

I cut lose my power as to rifts open either side of the old dragon, the vacuum of space shredding our surroundings.

Time slowed down as demise energies started crackling about my feet, the three energies interacting as golden sparks start generating around us.

The earth shook in response as I continued unleashing more power, before the old wyrm was waving in a gesture of surrender.

Reigning my presence back in, I relaxed once more as he spoke once more; "Impressive. I have a feeling that this dragon meet will be quite interesting." He said a smile forming on his features, his followers rushing to put stuff back that was blown away by the short display of power.

"My name is Dailong young one. And let me be the first to welcome you to the dragon meet." He states formally.

"My names Tavish, a pleasure to meet you." I reply, observing some formality.

"I'm willing to offer our hand in alliance for at least the duration of this meet young one. It may help you pave the way for some of the less "amiable" groups here." He offered but I shook my head.

"I will accept it, but only after the meet. I must show that I can stand on my own feet." I state simply.

"Even against those that seek to subjugate you? There is a fair amount of them here, and not all of them are benign in nature." He stated, raising his eyebrow

"Especially those. I prefer friendships to alliances, and I must forge a path that sets me apart." I replied.

A low horn like sound echoed around the area.

"It sounds like the gathering is beginning, this is where most of the power struggles will occur as the delegates disseminate information." Dailong said grouchily, getting to his feet and walking towards the center of the woods.

I stand up and follow, occasionally spotting another dragon fliting through the dark forest towards a source of light that was gradually getting bigger and bigger.

We finally arrived at the entry of an amphitheater that appeared to be made for the purpose of this meeting.

Dragons were clustered in various groups usually centered around a specific individual.

I recognized Torian among the green dragons who nodded, and went back to conversing with his group.

Some of the dragons gathered looked rather weak and malnourished compared to others in their respective groups.

Their was a bright maroon colored dragon that had a pair of vampiric fangs protruding from his mouth that seemed to be leading the largest contingent.

"That's Apep, of the blood dragons. Do try not to collide with him on your first appearance." Tailong commented, his voice containing a hint of an edge as he observed the state of the oriental dragons in his group.

Apep, spotted the old man and pulled a chain filled with dozens of gems and sticks his tongue out at Tailong.

[Observe]

[Dragon Gem: Binding]

The essence of a dragon, it represents the life of a dragon being used to forge mighty arms and items to be gifted to family members at the end of a dragon's lifespan. This gem represents centuries of accumulated power condensed and formed over the course of a dragons life, the final act being the soul releasing into the gem. This causes the power to fully form. Some dragons forge their gems early at great risk to themselves, but to leave a more powerful tool for their descendants to utilize. These particular gems were created with enslavement in mind to "bind" the dragons to the owner of the gems.

"Tailong, what happens if a gem breaks?" I ask, a sinking feeling manifesting in my gut.

"It destroys the soul of the dragon who made it." He replied not facing me, a glare of hatred directed at the cocky dragon.

A loud boom drew our attention to the center where a gold dragon stood.

"Thank you all for coming! Quite the turn out for this dragon meet. I even see a few new faces amongst us!" The dragon stated enthusiastically.

"Now, earlier tonight, some friendly bets were placed to determine the dragon type for each of the new faces, so how about they come down and introduce themselves!" He announced and I felt a nudge from Tailong.

"Go on young one, time to make your mark on the community." He whispered, and I found myself on the main stage with two other smaller dragons, one possessing tree branches growing out of his head while the other had fins alongside her head.

I observed the other dragons as I filed away their reactions for later.

The man introduced himself as Torvald, a forest dragon while the woman had introduced herself as Aine, a water dragon. Finally, it was my turn.

"My names is Tavish, and I am an Ouroboros." I state simply and a silence falls over the amphitheater.

Judging by the disbelief from many of the dragons, I'm guessing that my species is very uncommon.

"Ahem, well that's quite a revelation. Unfortunately, we haven't had a Ouroboros in attendance for several thousand years, so I guess you'll be representing the whole of the Ouroboros faction. Unless, you have someone representing on your behalf?" the announcer left the question open, and I quickly realized what he did.

He just left an opening for the other dragons to attempt to seize ownership or represent on my behalf.

Sure enough, the voice of Apep was one of the first to raise up; "The Blood Dragon faction is more than happy to represent on behalf of the Ouroboros faction." He stated, a smug grin accentuating his fangs.

"Oh? Will you now?" my voice roars silencing the clamor of noise.

"Yes, I think we will." He replied, leering down at me from his seat.

"Very well, can you explain concepts of time and space within our current continuum?" I spat at Apep who's expression switched to one of surprise.

"Erm . . ." he struggled with an answer to my unexpected question.

"Perhaps that was too hard for you. Maybe an easier question; where is the center of origin of all choices?" I shoot another question at the flustered dragon.

" . . . center of origin?" He asked in confusion.

"Can you conceptualize a dimension into a power source?" I threw a third question at him, not giving him time to answer. His confusion was spreading amongst the other dragons as he failed to answer my barrage of questions

"You fail to answer these basic questions, yet you think you're suited to speak for the Ouroboros?" I question, dead silence meeting my rebuke.

"You just head incompetent amongst the rest of these power-hungry cunts." I snarled, causing many offended looks and growls from the surrounding dragons.

Apep was apocalyptic after my statement standing up for the first time.

"You arrogant little shit. I was going to let you join peacefully, but now, I don't feel as if you deserve a place here." He roared leaping onto the stage and stalking towards me.

"Take your shot boyo, but you better make it count, or I'll wipe you from existence." I grin savagely as he lunges, his claws extended.

Ducking under his strike and a rift opens up above, my foot slams up underneath his chin straight into the opening.

The opening immediately shut, leaving an astonished group of dragons silently watching me.

I start silently counting. Reaching three minutes of silence, I launch myself high above the gathering.

Another portal opened above me as the limp body of the dragon fell through. It fell past me and I dove grabbing the back of his skull and accelerating towards the ground.

Slamming him face first into the amphitheater floor, his skull shattered under my hand leaving me holding a handful of paste.

Turning my eyes on the rest of the audience, revulsion and fear were on the faces of many.

"Anyone else hoping for a free trip to the moon?" I threaten in the silence that followed.

Several of the blood dragons were glaring at me, but none raised their voice while I had the brain matter of their last boss in my grip.

Grabbing the corpse of Apep, I pull the chains of dragon gems from his neck.

"The fact that dragons of all beings are using such a practice, disgusts me. It makes me ashamed to be a part of your species. No better than humans really with all their slavery and backstabbing."

I gesture around me; "This shameless power grabs between factions is so deplorable that I mistake many of you as humans in dragon skin." The use of human as an insult seemed to be having greater effect than anything I had hurled so far, aggravating the gathered creatures at being compared to the "inferior beings".

"But lets not leave this on a sour note." I state, breaking a gem out of the necklace and tossing it to one of the dragons whose energy felt the closest to the gem.

"I don't intend to make you join my faction, so get your gem and go back to wherever you originate." I state dismissively, passing gems back to dragons.

They silently took their gems, some scarcely believing this tun of events.

After being left with a handful of gems with no owner, I turn back to the gold dragons still on the stage.

"I trust there is no difficulty in me representing the Ouroboros?" I ask sarcastically, receiving a hesitant nod in return.

"Anyone else have an issue?" I stated raising my voice so there was no mistaking my words.

Several of the dragons were still finding their way back to their clans so I waited making eye contact with many of the dragons that were "offering" to speak for me.

A man with blue scales on his face and fins alongside his head stood up causing my eyes to snap towards him.

"Looks like this young one has a bit o' fire in him." He chortles before crossing his arms; "The water dragons recognize the new head of the Ouroboros.

"The oriental dragons recognize the new head of the Ouroboros." I hear Tailong call from further back.

Then to my surprise, a drake from the demonic dragons stood; "The demonic dragons will recognize the revival of the Ouroboros."

I couldn't quite understand the phrasing of their statements, but after several more groups chipped in the gold dragon announced that the Ouroboros were recognized and allowed to represent at the event.

Was it a primitive voting system?

Something similar to a roman senate?

Or were they just dropped on their heads one too many times as a child.

Personally, I favored the latter but whatever.

The meet continued on with little incident after that, some dragons brought forth things of note, but just as many used this as a forum to air grievances against other clans.

Initially when I came, I was thinking of offering the services of my "computer", but after today's events, I decided to keep the fact of its existence to myself and a few select others.

Upon discovering the cesspit that was dragon society, I was quite frankly disappointed. Most fantasy genres portray gatherings of dragons to be a somewhat noble or distinguished affair.

Instead, it felt like dealing with corpo's, no this felt worse than dealing with corpo's. At least with a corpo I knew they would stab me in the back at some point.

Tailong derived great amusement from the crashing of my expectations, but I think he was happier to have his people out from under the blood dragon clan.

Apparently, Apep had isolated certain individuals and coerced them into various deals and agreements till the only way to feasibly pay him back was enslavement.

I threw all those questions at him for the sole purpose of throwing him off his game, but many of the other dragons were now viewing me in awe and apprehension.

Here they were arguing petty disputes, and I came along and raised foreign concepts to their understanding.

Tilting my head back to stare up at the stars, I contemplate my own answers to the questions.

Time and space. The natural process of the universe. Near everything interacted with it in some form or another. And nothing grabbed my attention quite like it.

It caused wines to age, food to spoil, and the seasons to change. Yet it was so much more than that.

Cells divide, memories fade, and the very fabric of the universe itself expands in accordance with its passage.

The very gods aren't even immune to its affects as they come into existence, and fade with the passage of time.

Two forces that are so intrinsically linked, it was often hard to distinguish where one began and the other ended.

How far did its power extend? Is there an end?

I smile slightly to myself. We really are such small insignificant beings in the universe, aren't we?

How did time and space move in a manner to create what we know as the universe around us? Something sparked its existence, so what lit the spark?

[The God of End and Origin stares in awe of your contemplation.]

["Demise" magic has been removed.]

New Affinities discovered!

[End Affinity] (1/100)

Your understanding of "End" has granted you the understanding to manipulate it.

[Origin Affinity] (1/100)

Your understanding of "Origin" has granted you the understanding to manipulate it.

It was as if something unlocked, I could see faint waves of energy in the air as my awareness expanded.

I could see the strands that made up reality around me like layers of fabric, weaving and unweaving, as emotions flowed and ebbed.

Felling a tap on my shoulder, I suddenly snap back to reality to see Tailong looking up at me in amusement.

The Amphitheater had fallen silent, and it took me a few seconds to find the reason.

Gold motes of light were drifting around the area, slowly emitting from me.

"Sorry, my thoughts drifted for a sec." I replied, blithely. I wave my hand and the particles vanish from sight.

The meet went back to debating whatever inane topic they were on eventually drawing to a close.

As dragons started to disperse, I glanced around one last time before taking my leave as well.

Overall, this was a waste of time. Outside of meeting a few interesting individuals, the entire affair was a massive letdown.

[Time Skip]

New Quest Added!

Path of the Bloodline

The Line of Ouroboros existed at some point, the question is, where are they?

Objective 1: Find traces of the Ouroboros

Objective 2: ?

Objective 3: ?

Reward: ?

I sat on a park bench in water town, turning a dragon gem over in my hand.

It was black in nature, but looking closer into the depths of the gem, you could see golden whisps of energy flicker through the gem.

[Dragon Gem: Ouroboros] (Legendary)

An artifact from a time long gone, this gem was designed to be used as an item, but never actually had its purpose designated by its creator.

Apep had it amongst the gems I had liberated from his corpse. I figure that he thought it was a gem belonging to a standard black dragon.

But this was the first actual evidence that I found that other Ouroboros existed, at least at some point.

I had been hanging around a cartographer guild trying to chart out all of the possible locations, but it was about as useless as I expected it to be.

Dragons kept to themselves as much as possible, and a rare variant of the species was even harder to track traces of.

But I heard rumors. Whispers of stories and legends, that possessed large enough grains of truth that bear investigation.

The map of the known world I had found in a dusty old corner of the guild, revealed the known world to be quite a bit bigger than I was expecting.

Vast oceans made up the world, with ships of all shapes and sizes traveling across them.

Sure, dragons could easily fly across, but that was less fun than what I had planned.

Which was why I found myself by the docks.

Water town had a flourishing naval trade that made its way through the port every day, all kinds of goods flowing through its ports as a major trading hub in this portion of the world.

Men and women moved about as they shifted various cargo to its intended destination, often having to dodge around each other as they make their way to and from various trading hubs.

After much observation, I started getting the base understanding of various skills required for sailing, even participating in a few short voyages.

Skills gained!

[Ship handling: Water] (15/100)

[Gunnery] (2/100)

[Navigation] (24/100)

[Ship building: Water] (13/100)

And with those newly acquired skills under my belt, I went to "liberate" a ship for my use.

Piracy was common in the area due to the high density of shipping routes, so I simply had to pick and choose which group of scumbags to terminate.

A slaver frigate, ended up being the ship that fell into my crosshairs, so after disposing of the crew and turning their cargo over to the authorities, I started the paperwork process to claim the ship in my name.

Finally, it came to the task of how to crew the ship.

Frankly, I did not want to. I found most of the crews that were available, possessed a dubious nature.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a pirate crew. I find that they tend to not be as stiff as other crews. But I don't want to deal with some power-hungry asshole trying to stab me in the back all the time.

Which left me with some interesting experiments to perform.

The Ouroboros stone I had obtained, as far as I could tell, was incomplete. The stone was made by fusing huge amounts of power with the intent of it becoming a tool.

My theory, is that it requires a base to be fused with it to develop further. And what better base than my newly captured frigate.

Walking into the captain's cabin, I fuse the stone above the inside of the doorway and start applying power.

The stone gradually lit up as motes of light started twinkling within the stone, the wood started warping as the stone sank its power into the ship.

Still feeding energy, I could feel a sense of familiarity from the craft as it started transforming.

Its hull started growing scales as the ship reshaped and reinforced itself, the wood morphing and glinting oddly in the setting sun.

The sails disappeared, a beautiful membrane weaving itself into existence in their place as windows fell out and quickly replaced by a material similar to the initial stone.

Energy surged across the deck as the weapons were consumed and replaced, taking a somewhat modern theme, with hints of draconic origin.

A pair of wings formed, sweeping back along the length of the hull, as intricate carving depicted leg under the bow and stern of the ship.

The figure head was the last thing affected, the wood twisting and creaking as the mermaid was replaced with the head of a dragon roaring with rage.

[Please name your ship.]

A name huh?

How about "The Endless"?

[It's a bit odd, but I kinda like it.]

"I felt like it fit." I agreed with Iris.

Reaching out with my power, I felt the various parts of the ship interact to my will, the sails drawing in and the anchor dropping back down.

[Observe]

The Endless

Lvl – 1

The ship created by Tavish Byrne, as he prepared to explore further into the world.

[Abilities]

[Living Ship]

The Endless has a sense of awareness as it starts generating its own energy, enabling it to repair itself given enough time.

[Shackle]

The ship has bound itself to its creator and will manifest as a bracelet of some variety

[Dragon Manifestation]

The Ouroboros energy used to craft the ship allows it to manifest draconic traits.

[Ship Manifestation]

The Endless is capable of manifesting itself from its item.

How odd . . .

A level-based item.

Does that mean it will grow?

I walk of the ship and down to the dock and the ship is enveloped in a surge of energy.

The energy coils around my upper right arm, finally coalescing into an armband, the Ouroboros gem gleaming in the center.

"Looks like we're in for an interesting adventure Endless . . ." I muse, the arm band warming slightly in response.

"Congratulations on your item ancient one!" I hear a voice from below the dock.

Poking my head over the side of the dock, a pair of eyes gleam from the dark, before a fuzzy head exposes itself from the water.

[Observe]

Otter Sith

Lvl – 48

Thoughts: curiosity

"You know, just when I think I've seen everything, something new always manages to surprise me." I comment, as the otter spirit shakes water out of its fur.

"I'd hardly call little old me something surprising, but I guess you land dwellers wouldn't see us too often." The little beastie commented.

"Aye. But I very much doubt you sought me out just to compliment me on my creation." I state very pointedly, and he shrugs before reaching into his satchel and pulling out a scroll.

"Straight to the point then. I guess that works." The creature cleared its throat and started reading out the scroll.

"The Water dragon clan courteously extends an invitation to the Ouroboros, Tavish Byrne, to visit the palace for the king's birthday." The otter reads out as I scratch my chin in thought.

Never really interacted with them up to this point. The first I even heard of them was at the dragon meet when they vouched for me.

My arm band pulsed in excitement at the thought of the journey, and I smiled a bit.

"All right, I'll be there. I suppose I should go find a present then?" I answered, the otter promptly handing me a map."

"Probably would be polite." The creature commented before diving back beneath the dock and vanishing into the water.

Standing up, I head back down the dock to start preparing for my voyage.

Frankly, I wasn't quite sure what I needed. I originally thought I'd need extra wood, tar, nails, sailcloth, and other supplies necessary for maintaining a ship. But the Ouroboros stone surprised me with its creation of the Endless. This replaced most of these materials with the correct amount of magic.

So, I just loaded up food, provisions and various projects that I intended to take with me. I left Rambo in change. I installed a second computer in the depths of the Endless and a teleport array on the off chance I needed something from home.

After about an additional month of prep, I was ready to set sail for the first time. The Endless was easily capable of sailing based off of how I directed it, but there was a certain feeling you could only get behind the wheel of a ship like this.

My new hat, and jacket just added to my image as a swashbuckling seafarer. Maybe I could complete the ensemble by eating a pirate.

. . . On second thought, pirates tended to be a bit filthy. And they picked up all sorts of diseases. Who knows where their grubby paws have been?!

It was cloudy the first day I had set out, a drizzle accompanying me as I leave the harbor.

[Time Skip]

"Captains Log"

"Date: Not actually sure, probably should have bought a calendar."

"Whoever is responsible for romanticizing a life at sea, or a pirate's life, needs to go eat a massive bag of dicks."

"Not the fun-sized bag, the full-on family-sized bag of dicks."

"I've been traveling for four days, and let me tell you, It's pretty fucking boring."

"While I can work on various projects in relative peace, its more out of boredom than actual interest."

"I'm glad I packed some of the parts and pieces for the "slime" project, otherwise I'd be all by my lonesome. Sure, slimes don't make the best conversationalists, but you have to work with what you have."

"I vaguely recall similar emotions when I was running about as a lich for a bit. Usually this is resolved when I was hanging around with other people."

"Unfortunately, the humans of this world tend to worship the very ground I walk on, while I haven't actually found a dragon that I enjoy hanging around with for extended periods."

"The sentience of the Endless is quite remarkable given its creation not too long ago, but its communication seems to be vague and implied more as feelings versus actual discussion.

"According to my initial calculations, I originally calculated that the Water dragon palace was roughly two months of travel if we were maintaining the correct course."

"Thankfully, my computer proved me wrong."

"Thanks to expanding its sensor net, it dropped the overall travel time to roughly six weeks."

"Just over a month, but that is certainly better than two fucking months."

"I'm still at a loss as to what to call the machine."

"Yes, it is a creation of magic, but it was built off the concept of a purely mechanical device."

" . . . ."

"Maybe an anagram?"

"Eh, something for future me.

"I've been toying with the End and Origin energies along with my ouroboros mana for some interesting results."

"I have a small collection of ouroboros gems capable of taking the shape of various weapons that I created on a whim with quite excellent results."

"Originally, I was debating on giving one to the water dragon king for his birthday, but I'm not quite sure I want to be handing those out."

"While I feel like a storm bolter would make anyone's day, I don't think I should give out weapons that fire conceptualized End energy."

"God . . . I cannot wait to use it on someone!"

"I kinda wished that the blonde that ambushed me in the woods was still around."

"Maybe I'll go eat a necromancer so I can bring him back just to blow him away."

"He was a massive twat, but he provided almost cathartic levels of relief when I took his head off with a spear."

" . . . ."

"Was that a cannon shot?"

"Maybe someone came to relive my boredom!"

I set down my quill as I stand up, walking over to the door of my cabin and throwing it open, the fresh breeze of sea air hitting my nostrils.

Another cannon boom rings out through the air followed by a splash nearby in the water.

"Ahoy there! Stand by and prepare to be boarded!" a gruff voice rang out as I spotted a chap with a megaphone standing aboard a ship that had pulled alongside us."

Oh goodie! I was needing this!

Reaching into my jacket, I pulled out a gem, and channeled energy into it.

A storm bolter manifested and I locked my sights onto the vocalist of the ship.

A massive hole appeared in his torso, almost cutting him in half as my first shot blew him open.

"Aye ya feisty bastards! I hope you're ready to pay a dear price for crossing the Endless and her captain; Tavish Byrne!" I roar as the Endless manifests its anchor on the deck.

Getting an urging from the ship, I heft the anchor by its shank, it chain wrapping around my arm and ending at the armband itself.

Grinning at the implied message, I take a running leap, crossing several ship lengths as I land on the deck of the ship.

With a roar, I swing the anchor, obliterating a crewman as I brought its full weight through the mast.

The mast teetered and fell on terrified crewmen as they scrambled for weapons.

[The Endless has leveled up!]

Oh!

Very interesting.

I unleashed a breath of fire across the decks, igniting sails, tar, and crew alike as I pick off other crew members with the explosive chattering of the storm bolter.

"Come On! You wanted to raid my ship. Run me down. Keel haul me. Shoot me. C'mon, lets see those bloodthirsty grins." The bloodthirsty rasp of my voice was heard throughout the ship, the door to the below decks slamming open and more men poured out to see the carnage.

"Get him lads, the person to take his head gets triple the loot!" A voice shouts out that I can't quite identify.

"Don't worry about not receiving payout. I've killed enough of your friends for that to no longer be an issue~. The sing song of my voice putting the crew further on edge.

Whirling the anchor around by its chain, I slam the weight into the crowd, straight up killing some, while throwing others over board.

A pistol shot bounced of my chest causing me to snarl at the perpetrator; "You better not ruin my jacket you damn cunt! I had to pay extra for the extra sleaves!"

"Don't ya worry laddie! Ye won't survive long enough to gripe about it!" A man with a bandana wrapped around his head commented, swinging an axe at me, which I blocked with the anchor.

Spitting a ball of fire into his eyes, I drive my foot into his stomach before gripping him with my foot and using him to intercept a swing from one of his crewmembers.

"And that is why I don't take advice from dipshit pirates." I sigh, making a mental note to look at using ouroboros stones to make clothing and armor.

Kicking a fallen blunderbuss up from the deck, my third arm catches it and fires it into a sailor who thought they were sneaking up on me. My fourth arm grabs the cutlass from the man's belt as he flew away, and drove it through the neck of another sailor.

As fighting continued, my sense of disappointment grew as the will of the pirates gradually broke. I was expecting fantasy pirates to have more trump cards to play with, but this was just disappointing.

Ah well, I think I can possibly find an appropriate present among whatever loot the pirates have acquired.

[Time Skip]

[Guard POV]

I leaned against the edge of the tower I stood guard at staring at the entrance to the harbor.

The king's birthday invited all sorts of dignitaries from all over seeking his favor. This made it a popular activity for various marauders and pirates to hit ships inbound for the event, as they were often filled with riches and gifts to appease or sway the mood of the king.

Merchants were another popular target around this time as they saw it as an opportunity to sell their wares and form new trading connections with other countries.

But the greatest danger that I was keeping a weather eye out for . . . was Tavish Byrne.

A wildcard among the dragons, who's temper had resulted in the death of one of the up and comers from the blood dragon clan.

His arrival at the last dragon meet, was closer to a rampage as he established his presence among the various representatives at the meet.

And he received an invite to this event . . .

Giving no quarter, and asking for none, the new dragon had expressed his distain at the dragon politics and set an example that had offended many.

Which was why I was confused when my king had offered his support.

What did he see in such a being that I could not discern?

A new ship finally sailed into sight, breaking my inner monolog.

The ship looked vaguely draconic in nature, yet it flew no flag.

What kind of ship would float into a harbor not flying any flag? That seems like a sure fired way to get interrogated by port officials, always on the hunt for pirates.

A faint tune carried on the wind, pausing my hand as I reached for the alarm bell nearby.

The tune carried, until I could finally make out the words.

"There once was a ship that put to sea~"

"and the name of the ship was the Billy O' Tea~"

"the winds blew hard, her bow dipped down~"

"Oh blow, my bully boys, blow!~"

"Soon may the wellerman come~"

"To bring us sugar and tea and rum~"

"One day, when the tonguing' is done~"

"We'll take our leave and go~"

The unfamiliar song, rang pleasantly against the ears as I tried to spot the singer as the ship got closer. . .

. . . and almost fell off my perch as spotted the culprit.

Tavish Byrne, was leaning against the railing near the wheel, one set of his arms cranking on a hurdy-gurdy.

While the fact that the ship seemed to steer itself relegated itself to an afterthought upon spotting the supposed "vicious dragon", as his appearance was something to marvel at.

A large captains coat was wrapped around his frame, extra sleeves present for his second set of arms.

His red hair was held in place by a bandana, and his whole ensemble was finished off by a tricorn hat that looked rather silly with the holes cut in it for his horns.

I watched dumfounded as the ship floated right past, the captains only acknowledgment being a roguish wink as he kept his tune, sailing into the harbor.

Was that really Tavish Byrne?

The character I saw now was a far cry from the fierce creature that stood before the assembly of dragons, hurling death threats and insults in equal measure.

I quickly am reminded of my task and send a messenger to the palace. If that was indeed Tavish Byrne, then this birthday just got a whole lot more interesting.

[Tavish POV]

Finally docking at the harbor, I stretched out, and stowed the instrument in my cabin.

I risked eating one of the cleaner pirates, and picked up this fantastic skill to pass the time.

Remember kids; always wash your pirate before you eat them, and make sure to check them carefully. They may carry disease!

Belting out tunes and learning the ins and outs of the instruments proved to be an excellent time passer.

Heaving a chest up on my shoulder, I walk out of my cabin, the Endless extending a gang plank for me to slide down.

Getting a lay of the land, I start meandering towards the port master to pay the docking fee.

The harbor master turned out to be a crusty old sea otter, which proved an interesting experience as I haggled for my docking fee.

I can officially check "Have a sea otter cuss me out" off my bucket list with this latest interaction. Its not something I knew I needed to experience, but I highly recommend it, as it can be quite entertaining.

After, I was free to make my way to the palace. Who knows? This might turn into an enjoyable experience after all.

So much lovely stuff to get distracted with after all.

Merchants set up and sold their wares from temporary stalls amongst a celebratory atmosphere. Catering to both the rich and the destitute, everyone seemed to be here to celebrate another birthday for the water dragon king.

Makeshift competitions were set up periodically as people partied and enjoyed themselves amongst the festivities.

I made a mental note of certain stalls, before maneuvering towards the palace. Truthfully, I had no idea what proper protocol for this place might be. I just kinda assumed it was standard birthday protocol.

Find the host, exchange pleasantries, deliver gift, host expresses pleasure, guest leaves to enjoy festivities, then guest departs before overstaying his welcome.

Simple!

[I hate how you break a delicate social interaction, into clinical, simple terms . . .]

Oh really? Am I wrong?

[ . . .]

[Technically no but . . .]

Then I believe I have an established course of action!

Setting off, a grin makes its way onto my face as I meander my way towards the impressive looking building that I assumed was the palace.

And if I get lost?

Well . . . that leaves room for another adventure!

[Omake: Kidnapping a Krieg, and catching up.]

[The Emperor's POV]

Initially, all I remember was vague darkness as I continued to fight the gods of chaos. I could feel the imperium that I worked so hard to raise, collapse brick by brick around me as I struggled to hold the materium together.

The webway railed against the warp seal I was using to keep the forces of chaos from spilling out into Terra itself and I provided support to the thousands of battles being fought around the galaxy.

Tyranids snuffed out world after world, as chaos tried to snatch away worlds when I wasn't looking. The Orks waged greater and greater WAAARGH's even as the Necron's awakened from tomb worlds. And even then, other alien species fought and died as ideologies clashed, each one simply trying to survive against the encroaching darkness of a hostile galaxy.

But then I sensed a presence messing with my form back on Terra.

Bringing a sliver of awareness to my decrepit form, I saw the redhaired man stab the injector into my arm.

And a thunderous jolt shot through me, the elixir targeting the wound that Horus left me so long ago.

Fresh power flowed, allowing my natural regeneration to kick in.

This new development was so shocking, I almost missed the merry little chase that the man and necron pair led my custodies on.

My consciousness faded in and out as I readjusted to my body for the first time in many millennia. Muscle and flesh regenerated as my body rebuilt, allowing to focus my power further.

Awareness returned once more, as I was loaded into a sleigh. The man, Tavish Byrne, I had found out, brought Christmas to a galaxy that hadn't seen it in thousands of years.

His Christmas cannon barked out again and again as he delivered his infectious cheer from planet to planet.

Christmas . . .

I can't even remember the last time I celebrated the holiday . . .

It was well before I united humanity at the very least . . .

So, I joined in much to Tavish's shock, and I enjoyed his expression of surprise thoroughly.

I now sat in a hooded cloak trying to avoid the awestruck contingent of the sisters of battle that had been hot on our heels since terra.

Examining what passed as alcohol here, I gave it a quick sniff before drinking deeply, the necron sitting next to me at the bar that was our temporary base.

"So how did you meet him? I cannot get a good read off of where he might be from." I ask the necron, referring to the enigmatic human.

-"He just showed up one day offering new avenues of trade for a collector like myself. Raiding an ancient library, led to pranking an Ultramarine chapel during a service. Now I somehow found myself here . . ."- the mechanical being trailed off.

"Do you regret it?" I ask, picking up a commotion nearby, but ignoring it in favor of hearing the necron's response.

-"Are you kidding? The guy is nuts, but it is certainly the most fun I've had since I managed to catch a fully intact hive fleet!"- The necron finished, pulling a cigar out of his cloak and lighting it up.

"Why on earth do you have those anyway?" I commented, wrinkling my nose at the smell.

-"Dunno. Tavish said they'd make me look cool."- Trayzn explained, blowing out a ring of smoke.

I was about to question the necron on how he was even able to smoke, the din I heard earlier, amplified with an explosive crash as the subject of our conversation came in through the window.

Bouncing over the panicking sisters, he landed next to us, excitement brimming in his eyes.

"Hey guys! I found him on my way home! Can I keep him?!" He said enthusiastically holding up a terrified guardsman of Krieg.

"G-guten tag." The poor guardsman stuttered out as Tavish continued. "He even comes with his own shovel!" He added "helpfully" holding up the Kriegsman's shovel.

I look past Tavish at the destruction, and almost wish I hadn't.

Krieg soldiers were entrenching outside the bar, quite possibly to retrieve their companion.

-"Did you check with his commissar?"- Trayzn asked, almost as if he was used to this particular ridiculousness.

Tavish's eyes were slightly shifty answering with a drawn out yes, as he glances over his shoulder.

-"Really? So, if I go ask his commissar myself, he'll be aware of his missing guardsman?"- Trayzn's voice taking a reproachful tone.

Tavish looks even more shifty, before he jumps back out the window.

"I'll go double check!" Tavish called back, leaping over the emplacements the Krieg had installed while we were talking.

After he vanished, I sighed in exasperation.

"I can't believe you have to deal with that every day." I said before quaffing the rest of my mug.

-"Nah, he's pretty mild today. Should be pretty easy to fix whatever mess he got himself into."- the Necron commented, causing me to sneeze mid drink.

If this was mild, I'd hate to see what true chaos Tavish was capable of causing.