Chapter 8 - Guild Leader Aegis Dawn

As we arrive on the top floor we are greeted by a female Naga sitting behind an oak desk, she sits on her own coils with a fancy chair with cushions behind her.

As we approach the secretary of the guild leader my eyes are drawn to a part of her brown scaled lower body, which has a black leather sheath over the top of her tail and snake body. 'Must be some kind of modesty keeping clothing, I must look like some sort of wild monster amongst this group with not a single piece of cloth over my scales, even the wild goblins and other monsters that came back from hunting for Forest Village had clothing.'

As Zutal stops staring and looks at the face of the secretary her brown eyes can not meet his own and her olive skin turns a shade of red, looking to the side as Zutal continues to look her over. From her wavy, brown hair done up in a ponytail to her business shirt with a black blazer over the top which accentuates her bust, to her lower snake half with a pencil skirt hugging her sleek snake scales and ending to allow here brown scales with a Kingpin scale pattern be shown in full display. At the end there is the black sheath for modesty.

Zutal has also partially learned how to read and speak this language of Sentient common, allowing him to read a wooden title card on the desk with metal letterings, 'Sssandra kasss.'

Sssandra (Referred to from now on as Sandra for convenience): "Ah, you have come a week earlier than even the best estimates."

Marie: "Yes, we had a guide to shorten our travel time, we would like to see guild leader Aegis Dawn for the mission."

Sandra "Of course please just go ahead through the double doors behind me and then up the foldable stairs up to the roof, can't miss guild leader there."

Marie: "Thank you Sssandra."

On the way to the guild leader Zutal spots Sandra taking glances at him when she thinks he isn't looking before the double doors close and they head up the unfolded stairs to the ziggurats roof.

The top of the roof is flat and easily traversed as they head to a man standing on the edge of it, peering down at carts and people walking in and out of the guild base. There is also a desk and chair, but they are off to the side of the roof and not particularly important at the moment.

The high elf in question turns around to look at the party that was commissioned by his secretary on his behalf. The long and pointy ears, combined with his silky, maroon hair that reaches his back give him a feminine look.

When Zutal looks at his smooth skin and into the Hazel eyes of the guild leader he thinks that he saw a look of recognition in the guild leaders eyes, but it is gone and Zutal is left wondering how old this elf is even if he looks like a 30 year old man with not a hair on his face.

Marie: "Adventurer party Ivy ready to give a report on guild mission."

Aegis: "You can begin your report Marie."

As Marie continues her report Zutal can not shake the feeling like he is being watched, but Aegis does not look away from the talking Marie making Zutal even more scared."

Marie: "That is all that I can report about the Pheonix and his encounters with foreign forces, however our party member Sofia has got her familiar that knows slightly more, but it will cost you 2 gold coin guild leader Aegis Dawn."

Aegis: "The nerve of some children, fine let us bargain then, a single gold coin and access to the seeing crystal for a one time check on your current challenge."

Marie: "A whole 6 silver taken off right off the start, how about a gold coin, the seeing crystal visits and 2 silver."

Aegis: "Final offer, a gold coin with a silver and the seeing crystal visits, that's the highest that I am willing to go."

Marie: "Deal!"

'Marie seems to be quite the capable merchant, even Sofia keeps quite and lets her negotiate.'

Marie: "He doesn't speak Sentient common too well, so he will need a translation spell.

Aegis: "That is fine."

As Aegis goes to the desk and pulls from one of the drawers a black amulet with gold engravings, he then tosses it to Sofia who proceeds to grab my neck and pull me down to clip the amulet around my neck, when I stand back up Aegis is staring right at me.

Aegis: "Good, now let us talk. What do you know about the humans entering our forest illegally."

'Oh, uh, Do I go back all the way to two years when I first saw the rogue? Maybe skip it, but no that probably wouldn't do my group any good.'

Zutal: "I first saw a human two years ago, I was in a clearing when I heard a loud snap of a twig and hid in a bush, there was a human rogue with daggers on his side and a short bow on his back, wearing full leather with messy blond hair, once he was in the opening he had a look around before leaving."

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts and remember again Zutal continues with the other humans that he saw, with a little embellishment to not give away him being much smaller until he fully grew into a dragonkin.

Zutal: "Then there was one other group, it was this very spring, when I had been trying to scavenge for food after a harsh winter I came across a clear path cut through the woods. A flaxen haired man in leather armour was swinging a sword to clear a path for himself and 2 others, heading from the mountains and to what I now know as Snout Port. There was a female ranger and a male mage with a metal stave with a sphere on top of it."

At this point allelu has a realisation and takes out the stave from her backpack.

Allelu: "Like this? When we found it there was also a piece of blood drenched green cloth."

Zutal: "Yes that is exactly like the staff, and the mage also wore a dark green robe. I do not know for how long they had been in the forest, however I had followed them for 2 days before they had come to an untimely demise due to a 13 metre (43 feet) long snake."

Aegis: "I see, and why did you follow them?"

'Oh he is on to me, can't say I followed them for small prey that they left behind in their trail of destruction. I have grown substantially since a 1 metre (3 foot) long lizard.'

Zutal: "Ahhh, I was just curious where they were going. Last time I saw such a being before I was too scared to do or learn anything about it."

'Saved'

Aegis: "Is that all?"

Zutal: "Have not seen anything else that you would consider as human."

Zutal then unclips the amulet and tosses it back to Aegis.

Aegis: "Well done, you may go to Sssandra to get both of your payments, keep the mages stave as it changes nothing for me."

As the party collects its 10 gold coins for the mission, and another gold and silver for the familiars information they are then led by Sssandra down to the basement. The basement has a lounge where adventurers can sit down and wait, but it is currently empty except for the Ivy party and secretary.

Sandra: "I will lead you in one by one into the chamber, so please would the rest of you like to sit back and relax in the meantime."

Allelu goes first as Sofia, Zutal and Marie wait outside.

Zutal: "Sofia do you think that Sandra was checking me out earlier?"

Sofia: "She won't be checking you out any longer if you keep saying her name wrong. But yes she was checking you out."

Zutal: "Can I take a bit longer in the seeing crystal room with her for a bit of fun?"

Sofia: "Sure I don't mind, but I will want recompense from you later."

Zutal: "Like what?"

Sofia: "I am sure that I can get a bigger share of todays loot by loaning you out. So you can do what you want to try and do with Sssandra."

'It is a good deal, and I don't even have to speculate who I will be loaned out to."

Zutal: "Deal."

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As everyone leaves, Sofia stays behind with Zutal who enters with Sssandra to have the seeing crystal show him his challenge.

The seeing crystal room is in stark contrast to the waiting lobby, the bare brick walls are made of black stone, with unknown glyphs on every surface of the floor except for a walkway to the centre with the seeing crystal. The completely black room is lighted by both the seeing crystals white light and the runes that shine in the same glow every now and then, as though on a pattern of some sort.

Following closely behind Sssandra turns around a circular platform around the human sized seeing crystal.

Sandra: "Please put your palm on the crystal and you shall hear its prophesy"

Zutal: "Thank you Sssandra."

Blushing slightly the olive skinned woman looks away as Zutal follows her words, soon words appear in his mind and overlapping with his vision of the crystal as something thinks for him.

[Entity: Zutal

Age: 645 days

Species: Dragonkin

Status: Familiar, owned by Sofia Emerald Jungle

Worships: Kukulkan, Dragon God, Storm God

Class: Unarmed Fighter, Claw specialisation.

Current Challenge: Rising from hatchling to a powerful dragon requires you to squash those lesser than you, Kill 5 humans. 1 human killed

Reward: Lightens scales, at no expense to durability, and gain wings.

Completed Challenges: Hatchlings require sustenance, eat 50kg of edible materials – Reward collected, received flower Orchid of dragon lineage which turns cold blooded creatures into their closest draconic ancestor.

Additional Modifications: Ate a gem called Artemis tear drop – Gained scale weight reduction and minor scale durability. ]

Zutal: "Sssandra what does additional modifications mean?"

Sandra: "Oh, that means that you ate a magical item and it has changed you, there are potions that can make you stronger or weaker for a time or indefinitely and they will show up on your screen."

Zutal: "it says I ate a gem called Artemis tear drop, no time limit on modification."

Sandra: "Fascinating, few creatures can absorb magical items to gain their properties, most creatures must ingest potions or have magic be applied to them for a temporary boost, I wonder if you ate a healing herb then would you get minor healing benefits rather than needing a refined potion."

'Did I just reveal too much? But I also need to know more about how people view power in this world'

Zutal: "Thank you Sssandra, Does mean my parent big an strong?."

Sandra blushes and looks away

Sandra: "Yes, since you have a lot of potential, however how you get there is based on your own skills and dedication to a certain path."

Zutal: "What mean class? I am unarmed fighter, specialised claw."

Sandra: "That is your path or main class and secondary niche in the class, like swordsman with a specialisation in using magic to assist them in combat. The Gods will give you challenges that fit such a role and rewards for that role, however if the swordsman starts using more magic than their sword skills then they might become a magician and instead of getting a sword they could get a staff, wasting their time and potentially ruining their lives as some mages are magically forbidden from holding a sword."

'Wow, having video game knowledge is so convenient right now, mage cannot use the battle axe and barbarian cannot use the mage staff as a club.'

Zutal: "Unarmed fighter good class?"

Sandra: "Good for you if you were able to get an Artemis tear since they are a ranger class reward for archers who worship Artemis, either way there are benefits and downsides for all. I would assume that your claws are easier to draw than a sword, so you are always ready for a fight, and the classes and their strengths are always situationally based."

Zutal: "That is all for now, thank you Sssandra. However, before we leave can I make a request from you."