Chapter 102 – Perfect Timing

---Should be back to the usual routine this week but no guarantees, you can blame late-night panic attacks this time around for that.

__________

"Feel like we need a glass bottle to smash against them when they dock"

"Heh, I'm pretty sure that thing was for newly built ships leaving the harbour though Ikarus"

"Yeah but... huh, your memory is weirdly specific at times"

And so, today's the day the first of our gold is about to be sold off, me and Petra are currently watching the two dwarven ships come into port and the anticipation is actually not that exciting. It's probably down to the fact we've been juggling the other duties like constantly flying back to the mine, dealing with 'politics' and even needing to buy a storage facility really close by to these docks. There's also the issue of needing to merge it with the treasury and building a new town hall but there's always boring things to do in the background.

It's been... two weeks roughly since the first egg and unfortunately I haven't laid another since then, apparently it's a monthly thing according to Petra but still, I kinda want another soon. Is there any way to speed up fertilization or whatever it is us non fertile birds do? Hang on... it wasn't long before the first egg was laid me and Petra turned this relationship not safe for work, does that speed it up? If so, that's extremely stupid but also nice to know, the breakfast a day or two after that happens will be egg related.

"Erm... Petra, do you se-... feel who I can see in the distance?"

"Yeah Ikarus, it's definitely them"

Just as the ships are docking into the only two docks of this place, I can just about see three specks off in the distance above the mountain range across the island channel. Whoever thinks jinxing something isn't a thing, we cannot be friends, ever.

"Really? Couldn't they have thought of any other way to arrive?"

"In their defence, it's not exactly like they can get a boat over here, unless they can swim that length in human form... or know how to even use a boat"

It should be pretty obvious why it's just me and Petra doing this. As much as I like one of the other two phoenixes, both of them really aren't the sort for 'working' unless it's specifically healing related or spilling blood. I actually have no clue what they're off doing and frankly, this is our thing anyways so it doesn't matter that much really.

At the very least, the visiting three dragons have started to go much higher now instead of flying directly towards us at the shore, they are still quite the distance away and it's not exactly like anyone is going to look directly up and over there so I'm hoping they just pass by and land somewhere no one can see. I'm going to try and put that in the back of my mind for now... unless I hear screams and terror in the background.

"Drop the anchor gnome!"

"Urgh, I hope it lands on your foot"

And just like that, both ships have now arrived and have stopped moving. Unlike most wooden style ships in this world, dwarven ones appear to be a little more advanced than most but still in theme with the design you'd get with something between medieval and Victorian eras. The main differences are that metal can be seen wielded in certain parts, the cannons are highly superior to any other and this leading ship seems to have this weird looking metal device on deck. It doesn't take a genius to figure out it's used for weighing but with that odd locking crane and platform, it's like nothing I've ever laid eyes upon before. The only comparison I could make is maybe to something steampunk themed but it really is difficult to describe.

"Garry the gnome, what brings your sorry arse over here?"

"Urgh... I've just had an entire journey of this Petra, give me a five-minute break"

"Be kind to her Garry, you do basically owe her your life"

So we have Petra greeting the gnome walking off the deck, him getting annoyed with the nickname and his wife telling him to be less grumpy. It's just occurred to me a lot of relationships in this world follow that trend, the man always getting nagged by the woman, pretty surely nearly all of them deserve it though. Father's a cheat, Zeki's just obnoxious and Garry gets himself constantly in dumb situations despite me only experiencing one of them in person. I'd say me, Petra and the brown haired boring two are the most normal... I'm actually missing Nathan and Charlotte now.

"Seriously though, what brings you over here?"

"Well that's... erm...-"

Before the gnome can answer Petra, the captain of the ship barges past him to speak with me and Petra. It's of course a little rude but they are dwarfs after all.

"You'll never guess who's pissed off the Jarl and gotten himself banished for the next ten years?"

Petra can't help but facepalm and sigh from the dwarf's dumbness. That's actually the first time I've seen her do that trademark facepalm in quite the while now, I guess Zeki is normally the cause of it even I have caused it once or twice.

"*Sigh*... what did you do this time?"

"I erm... it was nothing really"

"My gnome tried to convince the young Jarl Denver to buy a large stock of tonics. It went well at first until he realized most of the bottles were basically more water than tonic"

"Now you're even calling me that wife? This is why I don't wear hats anymore"

"Don't try and change the subject husband, why did you try and cheat him like that? You know trying to trick the boy would be impossible"

"I didn't! There was a very small marking saying that some bottles may contain more water than others... it's not my fault he didn't have a microscope on hand to actually see it!"

Even I can't help but facepalm now, there's a reason why he keeps pissing people off. Despite those two dwarfs being at fault I had to kill protecting his store, it's obvious he must've have tried something with them to get to that point. His business sense does seem based around pissing people off.

"That still doesn't explain why you're here old friend, you looking for protection from the new jarl?"

"Nothing of the sorts Petra, it's just a small banishment really. The thing is, I'll never forget I'm a blacksmith at heart and knowing you two are in the market for blacksmiths, I come offering my services in exchange for a vast pay of golden coins"

"He'll work for peanuts really"

"Damn it wife! Quiet, alright?"

Listening to those married dwarfs brings a small smile to my face but I really should be focusing on something else. If this guy is actually willing to stay here and work for us, then there's no chance we can turn this down. Even by dwarven standards, Garry the gnome is legendary despite having his quirks. As long as he doesn't handle the business and money side of things, then we'll be set.

There is someone getting a little impatient with our reunion though, can't say I blame the captain for wanting things to be done quick even if the reason is a little crude.

"I'm all for this old relic getting a new job but can we speed things up? Start packing on the gold, we'll give it a final check and then payment can be made... no offense but I'd rather leave these parts as quick as possible knowing that those devil eared elves also live on this island... the sea already provides enough sickness as it is"

Ah, turns out the captain despises elves, it's a good thing Garry and his wife are alright with them otherwise we could be getting racist moaning everyday. There's only a handful of them on this island though but one elf is too many for most dwarfs... despite being completely hypocritical about trading with them.

(Ikarus) "Sure sure, it shouldn't take that long..."

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Now that the business deal has concluded, we have chests and boxes full of silver coins needing to be dragged into the warehouse we bought on the sea front. Both the new residents of the town are helping us drag them over, I could just do the trip a few times filling my storage up every time but they offered to help do this after all.

We're going to have to hire guards as well soon for this building but that's another problem for later, there is some logic in leaving something not noticeably protected though. What I mean by that is if we hire a load of guards, then obviously it will look like we have something to steal but I'm not that careless. I might just hire a bunch of people to sit inside and the second a thief breaks in, they're screwed. I'm not forgetting about Petra's magical barrier but that actually uses up continuous magicka while in use so it's not something that can remain for days unfortunately.

While we're doing this, it seems Petra has something to say about the contents of the chests though.

"You know Ikarus, it might be best to set up a different deal with the empire to exchange a lot of this currency"

"Why's that Petra?"

"Just the imbalance really. If we're only bringing mostly silver coins in from exchanging the gold, there could be problems down the line when smaller currencies aren't being brought in as well. Unsure what it's actually called but slightly remember a problem like that in the dwarven kingdom"

(Garry) "Petra does have a slight point really; it wouldn't surprise me if that child Jarl 'forgot' to tell you both about that. Silver has always been something we have too much on"

Ah shit, that's a completely new issue, why did I not think of that? If the only currency we're bringing in is just damn silver, then the entire currency could fuck up simply because we don't have enough smaller coins. This place doesn't exactly have any banks and sure, silver is worth a lot but it still is basically a hundred normal coins.

"*Sigh*... at least we can make a trip of it I guess; it'll be nice to do some travelling again"

At least that give me a good time to recap what's apparently gone on in the capital told by Ariza and Zeki. Long story short, there was a lot more bloodshed than anticipated meaning both of them had a surprising amount of work. Ariza in particular was actually helping priestess out going around the city looking for injured people from both sides and Zeki by the sounds of it became a walking flamethrower for the empire itself targeting anyone that goes against the new rulership. I'm guessing they both got paid well enough for the role but with Zeki, blood is always payment enough.

The thing is, the riots didn't even last a week but what did last longer was the constant subtle attacks like assassination attempts on the new emperor. By the sounds of it, both phoenixes have spoken more with Desmond and Esmerelda even if they didn't have much to say about it. Maybe it's shyness on Ariza's part or stubbornness on Zeki's, it sounds like they've been assisting the new leaders in quite the few ways.

It's kinda funny really, these two stay-at-homes have finally come back out to enjoy the world so to speak, it obviously turns out it wasn't that much anxiety after all. Maybe they just got so used to staying indoors that they just needed a bit of a reset or a goal. For Ariza, it's helping people. For Zeki, it's very clearly finding blood to spill or corpses to burn...

Anyways, now that the money is stored and we've given the gnome the location of the grumpy blacksmith's shop, there's a more immediate issue at hand.

"Petra, you have any idea where those three have gone?"

I'm honestly surprised they haven't just walked into town yet but since Minos is with them, I'm guessing even they know bringing him in might be a little much, it's not exactly like he can do a form change yet.

"Can feel their auras on the outskirts of the northern side of town... pretty sure they're walking in now"

Well shit, we need to move now.

"Okay, we need to get over there fast then..."

__________

"What in the goddamn..."

Entering the town right now are three 'humans'. The first two I've seen before, one of which is an emo looking dude who might be as old as the dinosaurs, the other has two gravitational orbits around her chest and the third is a brown-haired child holding their hands between them. When in the fuck did Minos gain a human form!?

'Hold up one sec... status'

[Name: Dermakvar | Species: Dragon | Level: 522]

[Health 30,500/30,500]

[Stamina 48,491/50,000]

[Magicka 50,000/50,000]

----------

[Name: Minos | Species: Dragon | Level: 65]

[Health 4,500/4,500]

[Stamina 6,235/7,250]

[Magicka 4,500/4,500]

----------

[Name: Kellearzar | Species: Dragon | Level: 1,000]

[Health 100,000/100,000]

[Stamina 72,727/75,000]

[Magicka 75,000/75,000]

'Huh... Minos has gone up six since last time, his development is starting to slow down it seems'

[<Aesa should also advise -user- that target -Dermakvar- has somehow lost 2 levels since last update when -user- first unlocked G.A.P system>]

'How has he managed to do that?'

[<Aesa is unsure. If Aesa were to speculate, some species may potentially have an effect that kicks in when getting closer to death>]

'Don't just say that so casual like! Is father actually dying?'

[<Aesa shouldn't have to repeat what was just said -user-, it is only speculation after all>]

While I'm worrying about father's inevitable doom now, all three of the hidden dragons have finally noticed us, although it appears we're not getting a greeting from the parents though.

"Cu!"

"This blasted form makes my scales crawl"

"Shut it Dermak, seeing your daughter is more important than that stubborn dragon pride"

"I strongly disagree"

(Petra) "Heh, it's nice to see everyone again"

Of course, father just can't help but complain. While also adorable, cute child Minos is greeting Petra and making me uncomfortable since I'm really weird around human kids, I still don't know why I get like this around them even though he's not a freaking human kid. Just forget that for now, I can't let this potential scare go.

"Father... remember when I told you all about that whole blue box thing that shows numbers and power? Apparently you've gotten weaker since then by a couple of levels"

"Have I little one? I guess that makes sense, I am getting older and will depart this life someday"

So hang on, he actually is dying!? Why isn't this a big deal? Even if it's old age, there are ways we can make him live longer, at least there are human methods. I'm not sure if it'll translate well to dragons but we've got to try something, right? His reaction is more concerning than anything else though.

"You seriously don't seem to care about this father, you make it sound like dying is of no concern"

"It's really is of no concern though; I reckon I've still got a good few hundred years left in me. There's no point worrying about it all that much, every creature has an end date in sight and it's inevitable really. Immortality is a thing reserved for the Gods and a few select others but I'd rather be worm food than dine with those insufferable beings"

Sighhh, at least I know who I get my pure stubbornness off at times. This does actually bring up a good question about getting old with Petra, obviously phoenix lifespan isn't correct compared to the actual Greek myth but there's got to be a way to make Petra immortal... maybe the Greek myth might be truer than first realized. If her 'curse' is keeping her alive like the same with that mage we killed, then wouldn't that mean breaking the deal could kill her? We'll have to discuss this another time, Petra dying is something I'm not allowing. I'll go to heaven and hell to destroy everything in my path if something like that happens, that's a guarantee...

"So you weren't kidding about the whole feeling old thing Dermak? Didn't you say you'd get to ten thousand in our younger days?"

"Hmph, there's no chance I'd want to get to ten thousand with the live I've lived. I know dragons can get to ten thousand but there becomes a moment in time where's enough is enough. That's not to say I plan on leaving anytime soon darling, I'm just not young anymore"

...

Well fuck me, this is a rather depressing family meetup. I'm going to try and be positive about this though, father still has hundreds of years left in him even if he's adamant he'd rather die sooner rather than later...

"I'm all for getting depressed here but it might be better to go to the inn we're staying at... ah, this is the perfect time to sort some clothing out for you mother"

"Heh, Ikarus does have a point"

All three dragons could use with more than just the furs they're wearing, it's alright for Minos and father but with mother, it honestly looks like it might fall off at any moment and cause this planet's orbit to combine with hers... I've got that breast orbit joke stuck in my head now.

"Lead the way then little one... I'll try to control myself if any mortals stare at your mother"

"I can always increase your curfew you don't 'try' hard enough Dermak"

"Hmph... yes dear"

"Cu!"

It's a good thing Petra and child Minos get on so well and she's even picked him up on her back now, I just can't get over that child thing really. Ah well, he's still Minos at the end of the day and Petra's always gotten on well with him.

"Heh, you know can speak more, little guy"

"Sure but sister says her heart can't handle it if I don't use cu"

And of course, Minos's cute telepathy voice is just as bad speaking as human. I need to ask when he even learnt how to do such a thing but we can talk more about it soon. I'll need to get used to that as well otherwise he'll be only saying cu until he's fully grown. For dragons, that could take ages, he does only look a little bigger than a toddler as well right now.

'Urgh, damn Minos's voice, let's just get back now...'