It probably wouldn’t kill me, though. I held my breath anyway. Just to be safe.
User Health: 100%
The message appeared in a golden window at the corner of my vision. I smiled. So she hadn’t poisoned me.
That was a good sign. I'd have to find more uses for her after all.
If there was one thing that my time in this new body had taught me so far, it was that I had spent hundreds—if not thousands—of years unaware of what it was really like for the people living beneath me. If I was going to work against the [Hero] when he arrived, then that needed to change.
I set out from The Slumbering Drake sometime after lunch. Equipped with my new outfit, my dagger tucked into my belt, and my coinpurse. The streets of the Eastern Quarter bustled with people going about their business. Children played in the mouths of dirty alleyways, while women and men swept at stairs and stone porches with brooms.
A few of them eyed me, sizing me up, but nobody gave me trouble. I puffed out my chest in response and held my chin higher.
The city was poorer than I’d expected. I had always thought that we provided well for the people of Caelthara. But looking at the haggard faces of the men and women that worked the streets of the Eastern Quarter, I could easily see how far off from the truth that had been.
But, this was good. I could use this.
If I was going to garner the kind of backing that I needed to take on the [Hero], I needed to rebuild the Empire from the ground up in a new image. That was a massive undertaking to throw myself upon in just the next six years. After all, it had taken my father close to two thousand just to create the empire he’d left behind. But I could do it—I had to.
I just needed to find the right path to tread.
I wandered past the market stalls where I’d purchased my clothes, and out into the seedier parts of the district, where men played dice and cards on makeshift tables or on the stairs of their buildings. The eyes here were harder, and many carried their own daggers or knives stuffed into their belts. Some even carried swords.
We’d never outlawed the use of weaponry in the city. But seeing them so openly displayed, so threateningly, was not what I had expected. Despite their willingness to bear their arms so openly, nobody approached me. It seemed my new outfit, plus the dagger displayed at my belt, were enough of a signal.
We built a society that thrives on strength, where the weakest are ground beneath the heels of the strong. I shouldn’t be surprised they are drawn to preying on those who seem like they can’t protect themselves, I mused as I walked. It was the truth. Perhaps a part of me had always known it. But now, seeing it for myself as I walked through the city in my new clothes, eyes gladly watching me, but nobody moving to intercept me—it was clear.
Ruling by strength, protecting humanity from the monsters beyond, and paying them only the same attention that I might pay an anthill, had led them to emulate my own actions.
No wonder the [Hero] had torn us to shreds.
I had turned my eyes from my people for too long, and I had paid a hefty price for it. But, I didn’t have to pay that price now. I had been given a second chance, of sorts. Though, the fact that I’d come back as someone else—but still myself in some ways—was certainly troubling. As was the possibility that someone else might be out there pretending to be me. I really needed to sort that out soon.
I felt something tug at my belt, and looked down, pulled from my thoughts, to see the hand of a young girl as it ripped my coinpurse away.
My heart dropped and I twisted, looking for any sign of the girl as she faded into the crowd.
Thankfully the street wasn’t overly crowded, and I was just able to make out her vanishing form as she ducked between a couple talking to a man hocking wares from a street cart.
I darted after her, thoughts only on the coins jangling in that purse. I couldn’t lose those. It wasn’t much, but it was all that I had at the moment, and I wasn’t likely to end up with another lucky start.
I tore around the corner, my boots sliding on the cobblestones.
My shoulder slammed into the wall, pain flaring through my arm, but I straightened and kept running, barely keeping sight of the smaller figure moving through the narrow obstacle course in front of me. I couldn’t lose her.
The girl ducked through a hole in a wooden fence that ran the length of the alley and I cursed.
There was no way I was fitting through that. Up and over it was.
I steeled myself, hoped that the Dexterity level on the System’s [Status] information meant something good, and leaped for the wall to my right.
My foot met the stone with a crunch, pain glaring its way up my leg as my ankle twisted.
My movements faltered and I reached out my hands, barely catching the top of the fence. I pulled myself up slowly, dragging the weight of my body over the fence.
It wasn’t easy, but I managed it.
When I came down on the other side, my ankle screamed as I put pressure on it, lowering myself down. I couldn’t see the girl with a cursory glance, which meant I’d probably already lost her. I cursed again and turned my attention to the throbbing in my ankle.
Debuff Detected.
The System window chimed, popping up in the corner of my vision. I ignored it. I didn’t care what it had to say at the moment. I knew what the problem was.
My fingers felt along my ankle, touching the rawness beneath the skin.
“Sprained,” I muttered. “Of course.”
I pushed myself up straight and started hobbling down the alleyway, bracing myself on the wall.
“Right shame that is, ‘int it?” A chipper voice said above and to the right of me.
I glanced up to find the girl sitting on the windowsill of one of the buildings, my coinpurse bouncing in her hand. Now that I could actually see her, I bit back some surprise.
She was pretty, naturally so, with freckles similar to the ones that ran across my face. Her blonde hair was cut short, tucked behind her ears, and piercing green eyes stared down at me, a twinkle of playfulness shining in them.
“That’s mine,” I seethed.
“Wha’? Oh, this?” She juggled it between her hands for a moment, and then clapped them together. The purse vanished.
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I narrowed my eyes.
“Don’t see nothin’,” she said, a mischievous grin stretching across her face. “Just an ol’ lady somewhere she shouldn’t be.”
Clunks and clangs sounded ahead and a couple of slender boys in patchy clothing climbed out of the buildings on either side of the alley, carrying small clubs made of stained, broken wood.
“You got anything else good on you?” one of the boys questioned, tapping the butt of his club against his palm.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, you have to be kidding me.” I said, almost hissing.
Did a child really think he could take something from me? He was lucky he was still breathing and not eviscerated on the end of my claws at that exact moment.
He kept tapping the club against his palm, eyes watching me like a vulture circling a dying animal. Only, I was the animal.
I hadn’t intended to threaten them. They were children. Every instinct as their ruler told me to protect them. But the sheer audacity to stand there, beating that half-rotten piece of wood against his hand like it was a weapon, was too much.
“If you want anything else off me, you’re going to have to take it.” It was just too much. I couldn’t let that go. I’m the godsdamned [Empress of Dragons], I thought to myself, hand finding the hilt of the dagger tucked into my belt. I should be treated as such.
I let my lips tug into a devilish grin of my own. “Last fellow that tried to have his way with me didn’t like the outcome,” I said, eyeing the boys. Despite the pain in my ankle, I pressed my weight upon it, standing as tall as I could.
The boys eyed me for a moment longer and then the lead one shrugged. “We can get a stupid knife easier than that,” he said, turning his back and vanishing into the building.
I watched them leave and then turned my attention to the window where the girl had been. It was empty.
“Godsdamned humans,” I muttered and hobbled my way up the alley. I kept my hand on the hilt of my dagger the entire way through, eyes scanning the windows. The children never showed their faces again. At least they could be smart.
Hobbling, I made my way through the last bit of the Eastern Quarter and over into the first streets of Merchants Row. It was strange how much of a difference traveling one block could make, as the buildings turned from worn-down stone and wood to well-kept estates, and shops with proper windows in their fronts.
I hobbled along one of the side streets that ran the perimeter of the city region, watching the people that passed. Now that I’d been robbed, I’d need to find a way to make some coin. There were several things I could do, of course, but none that were fitting for an Empress.
I sighed and let the weight of the day’s disappointment settle on my shoulders, coming to a stop next to the entrance of an alleyway that led behind a shop with a window full of tomes on display. I stared into the spines of the books for several minutes. Eyes unfocused.
How did humans make money quickly?
I couldn’t really rob anyone. If I did, there was little chance I’d get away without trouble, since my ankle protested anytime I put much weight on it.
I could sell my dagger, but even the coin that netted me would be at risk, since I wouldn’t have anything to protect myself with. And considering I’d already had to threaten the master of The Slumbering Drake, it was unlikely that I’d be able to get a night’s rent for free. Pushing too fast would only get me caught up in nonsense with the city’s guards.
There was Irinda. She seemed intent to lean wholly into serving me, which was good, I’d have hated to have trouble with her. I still wasn’t sure I could trust her… but perhaps I could lean on her a little.
I didn’t really have much choice, did I? It was either to chance relying on Irinda, or find some other way to make a few quick coins. Going back and facing the children wasn’t really a valid option either, even though part of me screamed that they needed to be taught a lesson about knowing when they were dealing with their betters.
Forcing the thought away, I started to move again, but a flash of color off in the alley caught my attention. I turned, looking down at the grungy street, where a cat with alternating colors—one quarter brightly colored, the other dark, a pattern that repeated across its entire body—had appeared at my feet. I leaned down carefully, trying not to put too much weight on my ankle, and patted it on the head.
It meowed up at me, then started licking its paw, cleaning itself.
“Oi, stop bugging the passersby,” a scrawny old woman said, walking up the alleyway, a crate in her hands. Her hair was brushed neatly and pushed behind her head. Despite the wrinkles that covered her forehead and traced her eyes, she was still pretty, and the dress she wore was neither poorly kept or overly rich in taste.
“Oh, the cat’s not a bother.” I said, scratching it under the chin.
“Don’t mind her,” the old woman said, leaning her back against the wall next to the side door that led into the store with the tomes. “She likes newcomers. Has a thing for ‘em, I suppose. Though, she’s a bit of a newcomer herself. Only been here a few days, but always sits there watching out the alley. Like she’s waiting on someone. Everyone ‘at sees her has to stop and scratch her little head.”
The woman shook her head slowly. “Damned thing’s got it easy, I tell you, even the street cats. So many mice and varmint in this city. She don’t do that much, though. Usually just sits there getting her scratches. She must like you.”
I raised an eyebrow at the cat as she rubbed against my leg, her orange and black coat shining in the sunlight peering into the narrow space.
The old woman hefted her crate up, securing it against her chest and nodded to the door beside her. “You mind helping me, dear? Getting these tomes inside is always such a hassle, now that my son’s gone off to join the city guard.”
I stood, carefully pushing past the colorful cat and up the short stairs that led to the door. It was unlocked, and pulled open easily. I held it while the woman carried her crate inside.
“Ankle tender?” The woman asked, glancing down as she passed me.
I nodded. “Twisted it chasing some vagrants.” I pushed the anger that flushed through me at the thought of them back down. They’d get what was coming to them. One way or another.
“Vagrants, eh?” the woman shook her head. “Kids, I’m bettin’—they been causing a stir all through the Eastern Quarter and even here into Merchant’s row. Guard hasn’t done a damned thing about ‘em. Luckily, not much use in stealing tomes.” She grinned and carried the crate further into the back of the shop.
“Come on in,” she called after her. “I always pay my help.”
Pay, huh? I hobbled inside. Before I shut the door, I glanced back out over my shoulder, but the cat was nowhere to be seen.
Shrugging, I continued inside, letting the door close behind me. The back of the tome shop was stuffy, the shelves that lined the walls on either side of the room filled to the brim with books stacked one on top of another. Scents of paper, leather, and glue played at my senses.
“Name’s Henrietta,” the woman said, appearing from a doorway at the end of the room. The crate in her hands had been replaced with a kettle, which she held up. “Tea?”
I nodded, and she crossed to a small fireplace, where she hung the kettle from a rod that ran above the flames. She stoked the embers a moment, stirring the flames into more of a soft purr, and then sat down at an old round table in front of the fireplace.
“Pardon my mess, always workin’ on books back here. Folks always bring ‘em in in the worst conditions. Oh, where’s my manners? Please, have a seat, let’s take a look at that ankle of yours.”
I nodded. It was strange to have someone fussing over me so much, so soon after meeting me. It was more like what I was used to as an Empress, but to have it happening now that I was just a weak, human girl? It was so different from the past couple of days that I’d spent in the city since my awakening.
I limped over to the table and sat down in one of the chairs next to Henrietta. She patted her lap as she placed a towel over her dress. I carefully lifted my leg, placing the boot on her lap, where she started to untie it.
“My name’s Arian—uh, Aria.”
Henriette quirked an eyebrow, the wrinkles on her forehead crinkling together as she did. “Nice to meet you, Aria.”
She unlaced the boot and slowly pulled it off. I winced at the movement, but it was over in a moment, the lance of pain fading back to a dull ache.
“You did a good number on this,” she said, inspecting my ankle. The skin was already starting to turn dark blue.
I felt a wave of embarrassment roll up my cheeks.
The kettle began to whistle shrilly before I could respond, though, and Henrietta gently placed my foot on the floor before standing up and crossing to the fireplace.
“Cream or sugar?” she asked, holding up a small container.
I shook my head and she poured two steaming cups of liquid from the kettle. She placed one on the table in front of me, even pushing a few books out of the way as she did.
Once she had sat back down, she returned to inspecting my ankle, careful to pull it up into her lap again slowly. “I think I can help this,” she said, motioning to the cup of tea on the table beside me.
I reached out for the cup and took a sip slowly. It was still hot, but the tea rolled over my tongue like a blanket over my shoulders on a cold night. It was delicious. Full of deep, earthy flavor that reminded me of my early days of flight, my wings spread open, the wind rushing against my scales as I dove toward the forests of the Northern Continent. I sighed deeply.
“That’s delicious. Thank you.”
She nodded and pulled at a roll of bandaging I hadn’t seen her procure. “The tea should help speed up your body’s recovery. I drink it to help with my old bones. And this bandaging will help keep the ankle tight while it heals. You should be able to walk on it mostly like normal. But, I wouldn’t put too much stress on it.”
I nodded and took another sip of the tea. If it was made with some kind of recovery herb, then I needed to make the most of this old woman’s hospitality. At that thought, my eyes glanced around the back of the shop, looking for anything that I might be able to sneak away with.
I stowed the thoughts, though. This woman had been extremely kind to me, when she didn’t have to be. It was something I hadn’t really experienced much since my awakening, and throwing that connection away would only hurt me in the long run. Perhaps I could use it for something more…
Perhaps I could use her for something more…