With the second frame for Foreman's saw broken, the dwarves appear to be at a loss for what to do. There's discussion of ordering more wood, but he doesn't seem interested in doing that. We've still got two shackles on my ankles to remove, but the dwarves managed to weaken the second wrist shackle before Lauren startled me a second time.

  "Did you break their thing, Kira?"

  Turning to the street ahead of me, I spot Raya and a group of ten people. She isn't wearing her Kirarmor! Instead, she has managed to find some lovely, loose-fitting white pants tied at her ankles and waist. To go with them, she's wearing a longer overcoat covering an airy blue shirt.

  I can't ignore her question, and I want to respond with an indignant puff of smoke, but it might discolor her new fancy clothes. Dang it... These accusations are getting out of hand, though... I'm gonna change the subject!

  "You look great, Raya! Where did you find those fancy clothes?"

  Beaming with pride, she struts around in a circle a few times, showing off her new outfit from several angles.

  "I found a shop with some old elf who measured me all over. She said I could come back and fetch the clothes later, and look! I have pockets for my things!"

  To prove her statement, she pulls out a small piece of something unfamiliar. I can't tell what it is or even smell it. In fact, all I can smell is some sort of tantalizing spicy scent. There's something unfamiliar in the air, and it's coming from a short human-looking person in the group of people following Raya.

  As she notices my eyes drift toward the group of people, she gestures toward them before loudly declaring that she brought food. And behind them, there's a wagon loaded up with all sorts of delicious meats, but instead of bringing it to me, the elf and his friends just start getting scared.

  Her short stature isn't doing her any favors.

  "I found as many kinds as I could, and you can eat all of them!"

  The scent of fear grows stronger as the group begins to visibly tremble and the tingle of magic makes itself known. Someone is casting a spell of some sort, but I can't tell which of them it is.

  Focusing magic into my eyes, the group of people lights up with a colorful array of gaseous magic. The spicy one appears to be a deep, earthy brown with delightful streaks of blue throughout it and shining brighter than any of the others. Which is a bit rude, because it makes it very difficult to see through the magic to spot the people charging spells.

  As I look closer and let the magic in my eyes fade, the physical world comes into view again and from what I can tell, this person definitely isn't a dwarf or a human. As I move my head closer, the group steps back in unison with a few tripping over the wagon's handles. These people seem to each have enough magic to be mages, but they're all dressed in aprons and protective gear similar to Foreman's people.

  There are humans among them, but the only scent of dwarf around is from Foreman's guys, leaving me no closer to figuring out what the spicy earth person is. They don't have scales or fur either, so I think they might be the first of their species I'm meeting.

  "Hralthar! Please do get out here! The Dragon's gaze appears fixated upon me as it salivates."

  I hadn't even noticed, but with a quick lick, I clear the worst of it away and looking down, I appear to have made a puddle. It's not my fault that they smell so good.

  A boisterous guffaw alerts me to Foreman's presence, and as he walks past my arm, he gives me a quick pat before stepping in front of me.

  "Congratulations, lad. Y'got more magic than yer crew. Shame 'bout lookin' real tasty for th'slobberin' beast. See the flarin' nostrils? The beast's scenting yer fear. Ain't a place y'can hide it won't find ya. Dragons remember scents, lad."

  As the leader of the group turns pale, Foreman laughs again as he turns to leave. I'm not sure he understands how uncomfortable this guy is.

  With a shake of his head, Foreman walks back behind me, and I think he's just having fun if the attempts at suppressing his laughter are any indication. I'm not here to eat anyone. No matter how palpable the scent of fear becomes. Although mixing that with feeling hungry and the general discomfort from that, I might be in for a test of self-control.

  "Hralthar! Please, I know not which customs I must obey in the presence of a Dragon!"

  "How'd'ya talk to yer guild's leaders?"

  As fun as this is to watch, I can't have these people getting more afraid. The scent of fear is becoming strong enough to tickle my hunting instinct. And judging by the itch pushing me to bite something, I should intervene. Being sneaky about it, I hold a claw up and hide my face behind it before speaking.

  "You should bring the wagon to the Dragon. She'd like that and maybe be distracted by the meat. Then you can explain why you're here."

  "What are you doing, Kira?"

  "Shush, Raya. The Dragon does not speak. It is a simple beast you can placate with a wagon of meat while explaining why a group of people would show up here."

  Holding her own hands in front of her face, Raya looks up at me as she speaks.

  "Doing this doesn't hide who's talking, you overgrown lizard. Now get down here so I can sit on you. I don't want to tear my clothes on your scales."

  I'm pretty sure I have scales on my face, too, and I point that out as Raya climbs up on my face. Raya has a few things to say about that as well, as she explains that my face scales are smoother and smaller than those covering the rest of my body. My belly scales are the smoothest, according to her, but the scales on the inside of my arms have a firmness that makes them comfortable.

  As her explanation ends, she seems to question the decision to climb my face, and I suspect she realized that I'll be moving when I begin feasting on this delicious meal presented to me.

  "Do you want me to let you down again?"

  "Yes, but I don't know what to do while they work."

  The group of mages has moved past me and begun inspecting the shackles. And considering that they didn't raise the alarm, I'm gonna assume they aren't here to hurt me.

  The group of mages gathered around my ankle burst into discussion as to what happened to the enchantments, but I'm not interested in filling them in on that. Leaving the council of my ankle to their business, I focus on Raya and suggest that she check out Foreman's workshop. He's bound to have some neat things in there.

  With a mix of her protective spirit and being a shy little goblin, Raya hesitates to leave me with the council. But she can't miss an opportunity to learn about engineering!

  "Foreman! Come fetch your apprentice! She needs to learn everything you can teach her!"

  "What th'fuck's'ya talkin' about?! I ain't taken a 'prentice in an eruption's cool!"

  Okay, well, I have no idea what he's saying, but I didn't hear a 'no,' so I'm giving Raya an encouraging nudge and ignoring the doubtful frown I get in return. With a sigh, she slouches into Foreman's workshop.

  I have no doubt that Raya will be interested in learning about Foreman's business. She's a clever little goblin, and she might be able to come up with some great uses for mechanical power in Tuiran.

  And it gives me time to demolish this wagon. Dipping my head down, I grab a bunch of chunks and begin feasting as the background tingle of magic begins in earnest. Looking back, it appears that some of them are creating barriers around the shackle while others are applying consistent fire magic.

  The fire mages strike me as quite skilled in their application of magic, focusing it on specific parts while not letting the metal cool in their wake. As the metal softens, more barriers are created to apply pressure and squish the weakened area, reminiscent of a metal sheet cutter. One thing does stand out to me as wrong, though.

  "You guys should complain to the guild. Imagine if you had to remove those while I was less cooperative. You could get seriously hurt, so I hope you get hazard pay for the unsafe work environment. What if I got startled? Look at my talons, they'd slice right through you."

  I haven't heard anything about unions so far, but people dying appears to just be accepted among the adventurers, which feels odd. Sure, there's assumed risk, but do they get healing potions or access to healing services? What about equipment maintenance? It's my impression that they buy and own their own equipment without any of it being supplied by the guild. As I ask my questions, the group stops its work to look at me.

  "Such things must be bought by the Guild member. And the responsibility of maintenance and upkeep lies upon our shoulders."

  "Can you buy the equipment cheaper from the guild? Do they offer services to replace broken equipment? Do you get paid extra for using your own stuff? I'm guessing that not everyone can afford to replace their equipment if it breaks. What do they do then?"

  Muttering spreads among the mages as frowns dominate the expression spectrum. Grabbing another mouthful of delicious meat, I settle in to watch which conclusion they reach. From the sounds of it, they're leaning toward being offered replacements for broken tools, or at least intermediate equipment until they can replace them on their own.

  I should probably look into sorting out something like a union for the goblins back in Tuiran. I'd rather not have any of them risk starvation in the winter because they have to buy a new axe or whatever they might need. Especially the guards. Those guys are so weak, but they didn't hesitate to fight me when they thought I was dangerous or the panther.

  I do want to get rid of these chafing shackles, though. So with a few taps of a talon, I draw their attention and ask that they continue working. The muttering ends as they get back to work, but it doesn't take long before they start talking again. It seems they're interested in the idea of not being solely responsible for their tools.

  I do wonder what sort of things we can fix up back home to make people's lives better. I definitely want that dragon-accessible shower. Ooh... I could wash grime away or just-

  "Kira! Come look at this! It's so incredible!"

  I knew she would be excited to learn new things. She might be a little too excited, though, because...

  "Raya, I can't. I'm too big to fit into Foreman's workshop!"

  The obvious limitation of my size doesn't seem to deter Raya as she calls out for me to see something else.

  Lowering my head to the ground, I manage to get a look inside, and the ceiling is so low that even a human would struggle to walk in there. The dwarves and Raya have no such problem, zooming around from workstation to workstation. With a bright smile, Raya steps to the side and waves at me as the floor rises up. They've got a dang elevator!

  Judging by the height I saw, this place might have seven floors, including under the roof. Unless they have larger machinery somewhere and needed more room to the ceiling. A pair of windows slams open and Raya pops her head out. She hasn't done a good job of not getting her new outfit dirty, but that's something we can fix.

  "They have a thing to lift them up! And they have a belt that moves things! And they have a bucket to lift things up and down! All they use is wood and rope! Kira, it's amazing! I can lift an anvil by turning a crank, and it doesn't even feel heavy!"

  "Get yer arse back 'ere, ya scaly gobbo! If y'wanna learn, y'gotta study!"

  "I have to go, Kira!"

  Before I get a chance to reply, the windows slam shut again and Raya is gone. Those dwarves are making an even better case for kidnapping them since I want them to teach Raya everything they know.

  Dang it, all I can do is wait now. The mages appear to be done with the first shackle, and they've moved on to the last one. They're faster than Foreman's saw, but they'll also run out of magic eventually. I'm curious how many days they can work compared to mechanical force. And what if they were combined somehow?

  It should be easy to strengthen or sharpen the blades of the saw or maybe some sort of magic to make the work lighter. I'm sure I could think of something clever if I had paid more attention or given it more thought. Regardless of what we might come up with, it's time for some more food. I'm almost out of wagon meat and I don't know how to order more.

  The light is fading and night is approaching quite fast, leaving the streets emptier than they've been since I arrived. There are still a few people around, but most have left for the night. The quiet bustle of the city makes for great background noise for a relaxing evening, and the comfortable wind blowing through the streets creates a delightfully peaceful resting spot.

  The tranquility is interrupted by the sound of metal clanging against cobblestones, ringing out as a notification of my freedom. Looking back, the group of mages appears quite tired.

  "Thank you. Good job, I appreciate the work."

  Flexing my legs a few times, the lack of chafing feels wonderful. Though it's somewhat interrupted by the giddy sense of delirium coming from my connection with Lauren.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Hey, Kira, you big scaly oaf. How you doin'? Head elf's prob'ly headin' your way. Thought a head's up's better than bottom's up. Right? You undstand, right? Don' eat the fucker, you glutt.. you glottu... fuck, just don't eat her!"

  "Are you drunk?"

  "Nunya!..."

  "I don't know that word, Lauren. What does it mean?"

  "Nunya business! Ha! Gotcha..."

  Well, at least she feels happy. I'm curious about this head elf, though. There are a few reasons they might seek me out, but I'm not paying for any roads, that's for sure. I still haven't been paid for destroying all those undead. And I didn't even get to eat most of them.

  As images of delicious undead permeate my mind, a familiar figure turns the corner, though she's missing her better half. Sarah has shown up for some reason, wait... Is she actually important?

  "Kira... I feel that I-"

  "Sarah, are you the head elf?"

  "What?! I am not. Please do not interrupt me. Kira, I feel that I must-"

  "Phew. For a moment, I thought I might have offended someone important, but if it's just you, then it's fine."

  "Would you be quiet, you insufferable beast?! I came to apologize for my mistrust, but I see that my assumptions were not incorrect!"

  In her anger, she manages to pick up a rock to throw at me. It bounces off my throat before hitting the cobblestones, and in line with the sounds ringing out, she turns pale. Now it's my turn, and I unleash my most fearsome puff of smoke! Twice! Dual puff of smoke!

  "Would ya keep yer ruckus quiet?! Me crew's tryin' ta work! Oh, Lady Sarah. What brings ya 'ere? Found more of 'em gems for me?"

  "I have not. My apologies, Hralthar. My business did not involve your services. It has become apparent that my travels were in vain..."

  "Bah. Travel's only wasted if y'don' find somethin'. Don't gotta be the thing y'set out for. Share yer troubles wit' me an' we find ya somethin' ta make it worthwhile."

  It doesn't take long for me to become a background character in their heart-to-heart as Sarah begins talking. She's accusing me of all sorts of stuff, like trying to trick her and attempted murder. It's technically true, but the accusations are still rude.

  It seems she got sold on the rampaging dragon narrative as well. The guild really needs to get its shit together and stop lying to its adventurers. I feel like a lot of this could have been avoided by having more trustworthy leadership. I should ask, though...

  "Sarah, do you know where Henry is? I haven't seen him since we arrived here, and I heard he got imprisoned, but Foreman's guys were supposed to get him out."

  "I thank you for the concern. He rests at our inn. Though he was arrested, the guards felt it cruel to imprison him and moved to confine him within the inn by his word."

  Hearing this doesn't seem to brighten Foreman's mood. In fact, he might be getting angry, judging by the tension and redness in his face.

  "Oi! Davion! Get yer fuckin' arse out 'ere! Now!"

  A stocky dwarf comes jogging out of the workshop, and Foreman launches into a yelling rant about what's going on, demanding an explanation.

  "Axle broke. Was easier ta use them explosives instead o' carryin' 'em back."

  "So ya blew up a guardhouse 'cause it was easier?! Ya fuckin' knob! Y'know how much a fuckin' buildin' costs?! A fuckin' fortune! Comin' outta yer pay! Better get th' fuck back ta work, y'daft son of shale!"

  "You went against the guards to free my Henry, Hralthar? You shouldn't have. You know that they might retaliate."

  "Bah! Got them nobles pissed already. Guards're less likely ta bite. 'Sides, t'was her ask."

  With a thumb hooked in my direction, he shakes off blame for any buildings destroyed on the quest of freeing Henry, which I think is a little unfair. I didn't ask them to blow up a guardhouse. With a firm nudge, I tell him that I don't want any blame for what his people did. I'm innocent, dang it! As I lift my head in indignation, a scent of power wafts our way. Someone I don't recognize.

  "Kira... I apologize for-"

  "Shush, Sarah. I smell someone strong."

  Ignoring the rock lobbed at my throat, I focus my nose in the direction of the scent and take a deep breath. It's coming from the path we took from the square, made familiar by the ruined road, but I can't see anyone there. Empowering my eyes with magic, a cloud of magic becomes obvious, though it feels anxious for some reason.

  It doesn't take long for the air to fill with the scent of... It's stronger than fear, to the point that I'd describe it as terror. Whoever is hiding back there is terrified.

  "You don't have to hide. I'm not going to hurt you if you don't hurt me."

  As I call out, Foreman starts approaching the corner, and with each of his steps, breathing can be heard from the stranger, deepening at his approach. Someone is about to have a panic attack, geez. Nudging Sarah, I tell her that she might have to get ready to heal this person. With a nod, she gets up and approaches the corner.

  "Branch leader?! What're yer doin' here?"

  That must be the head elf Lauren mentioned, but I'm not sure how such a confident person could have a reaction like this on the way here. Instead of dwelling on that, I call out to Sarah and tell her to get the branch leader to take slow breaths and name five things she can see. As they get to it, the branch leader hesitates, but she manages it, naming windows, doors, cobblestones, and a few flowers.

  The next step is to name four things they can touch. I can't see what they're doing, but her breathing is less intense from what I can tell. As Sarah asks what's next, I ask them to list three things they can hear, but one of them turns out to be 'dragon,' which restarts the panic attack. So I think we've found the source of her panic.

  Rushing it a little, I give the list to Sarah: five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing around you that you can taste. Repeating this could calm her enough to break out of the panic attack, but my presence is making it worse.

  Getting up, I stretch before heading in the opposite direction.

  "No! The Dragon must not leave! Please, ask that she stay!"

  Okay, mixed signals. Lying down, I try to go as low as I can to make myself look less intimidating, but the branch leader has come out of her hiding spot. I don't think I've ever seen anyone that afraid of me...

  "Sarah, do something to make me seem less scary."

  With a face full of determination, Sarah walks up to me and pushes on my nose. She's brave, but I can tell that she's also afraid. Whatever her plan is seems to involve-

  "Open your mouth."

  "No! I'm not letting you climb into my mouth to show I'm not scary. What if you pee on me again? It's one thing to pee on my snout, but in my mouth? That's gross!"

  A visible mix of fury, embarrassment, and fear fills her face in shifting expressions as her cheeks turn beet red.

  "Ya pissed on a Dragon, Sarah?"

  "Shut your mouth, Hralthar! I did not!"

  "She totally did. It was very rude, and I didn't deserve to be mistreated like that."

  With her fury building, the possibility of renaming her punchy comes to mind as she unleashes a barrage of hits against my nose. She doesn't have Henry's power, but she's faster.

  Sarah's antics do appear to have a positive effect on the branch leader, though more in a 'what the heck am I seeing' sense rather than an 'ah, this dragon is safe, kind, and awesome' way.

  Moving my head backwards, Sarah follows to continue the punches, but she isn't realizing that she's getting in grasping range, and the moment she is, I grab her with my claw to prevent any further hits. With her secured, we can focus on the branch leader again.

  The elven lady is still quite afraid of me, but we're making progress. Whether it lasts is for the future to decide. For now, I'll just softly ask what brings her here.

  "A message... Though they began here, the living dead have begun attacks elsewhere. Esfjord is safe, yet we cannot reach others in need before the battles are lost... I beg of you, Dragon... please help them..."

  "No."

  The branch leader's face was pale the first time I saw her, but as I decline the plea, her blood leaves her face, leaving her white as snow. All she can muster is the simple question of why.

  I don't want to bring Raya and Lauren into a battle where they might get hurt, and I don't trust the city to be safe for them if I leave. The looming threat of a dragon attack, if they attack my friends, counts for something, especially when I'm close enough to act in time.

  As I explain, the lingering scent of fear dwindles as the branch leader stares at the ground. But if it were just Raya and Lauren's safety, I could drop them off somewhere and Raya could keep them safe. Which leads me to not trust the adventurers. I made an obvious display of helping them here, and I was still punished. And I was never actually paid for my help. Heck, the only payment I've received was from some random kid who sold my blood.

  These jerks are competing in decency with some kid who could have just kept quiet and held onto his money...

  I'm finding myself quite upset at this request, as if the responsibility falls on me to help when any other time, they would attack me for existing. Just like they have done already.

  "Now yer fuckin' went and done it, Tae'liri. First clue to a Dragon bein' right pissed? Scales clench up. Keepin' quiet's just gon' make shite worse. Y'want a trade? Give 'er a fuckin' trade. What're yer guildies willin' ta offer for 'er services?"

  Not leaving it at that, Foreman starts listing options like valuable materials, coin, and gemstones. Even with payment, that doesn't do anything to keep me or my friends safe. It might even do the opposite as they'd be more inclined to try to kill me to avoid paying...

  "You can also just look at her eyes. See how they're just red? That's very bad. Red means angry, so Kira is angry twice. You should avoid making Dragons angry twice."

  "Oh, is that how it is? I ain't never seen it b'fore. Got any suggestions for calmin' 'her down? I'd be a might upset if I lost me shop 'cause o' the guild's shite."

  "Would you want to be calmed down if you were upset about someone being mean to you? I wouldn't. I would want that someone to stop being mean. So we need the dumb adventurers to smarten up and stop attacking us. Wreyn already tried to tell them, but they're dense like... I forgot your rock list."

  As Foreman interjects with 'basalt' as his example of how dense the adventurers are, Raya opts to climb up my arm and her presence feels comforting, but I'm not ready to let this go. They didn't even offer me healing after the battle, so my wings are still torn to shreds. In fact, to prove that point, I unfold a wing, letting the ragged strips of membrane hang loose as I make a point of complaining about the lack of healing.

  "You couldn't even spare a fucking healer or two to heal her?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! May your ancestral tree find desecrated soil!"

  Color me surprised. The one to speak up is Sarah as she stops right over to the much taller elf and pushes the higher-ranked elf. Spinning on her heels, Sarah turns around to face me before stomping up to me and forming a spell. As she speaks her spell, comforting, bright yellow light shines as she presses a hand to my arm.

  "Sarah, you don't have to do that. I can heal myself once I regain-"

  "Shut up and lower your wing."

  Doing as she tells me and welcoming the distraction, she begins inspecting me, noticing that I have a lot more wounds than she had noticed. Only seeing me from the front does leave a lot to be discovered. As she walks along my body's length, she lets out a stream of curses, making her displeasure with the situation known. She's looking a lot more worn out from that single spell than I've seen her before.

  It appears that my affinity for absorbing magic from spells is having an adverse effect on Sarah's ability to heal me, but I do feel more energized.

  "I think we should do it, Kira. It's the right thing to do, and the regular people haven't done anything to deserve being left to die."

  "I know... But you wouldn't be coming. Neither would Lauren. I don't want either of you to get hurt by the undead. What if they have one of those bigger undead that spread the corruption thing? I'm resistant to it, but we don't know if you are."

  To my relief, Raya doesn't argue with me about it. Instead, we talk a little about what she has going on in Foreman's workshop, and it turns out she's learning how to assemble gears and figure out how many teeth they should have. There's even been some coverage of how ratios-

  "Oi! What'd'ya mean yer resistant ta the corruption? I ain't never 'eard of such a thin'!"

  "It's rude to interrupt, Foreman. Raya and I were talking."

  It turns out he's not alone in his questioning as Sarah joins in by asking what I mean again...

  "Fine. I killed a frostclaw, left its corpse, and it resurrected as an undead frostclaw. I got hurt and infected with the corruption, but the corruption didn't grow or kill me; it just sat there, menacingly. And then it got healed. That's the story, now I want to hear about Raya's ratios."

  "You expect us to leave that subject by the wayside? Kira, you must have more information than that."

  "Well, I don't. All I know is that undead are delicious, and I'm resistant to the corruption."

  "Yer fuckin' eatin' 'em?! By Irathmar's arsebeard, yer a fuckin' weapon 'gainst the dead fuckers. Y'got five fuckin' strengths in fightin' 'em."

  After bellowing at me, Foreman turns to the branch leader and starts shaking his head. The branch leader still appears quite demotivated, but Sarah, while exhausted, appears to be quite happy to hear about my interest in the undead. I feel like this whole thing has shifted away from me being upset.

  "Of course I'm eating them. First of all, as I said, they're delicious. Second, they stop attacking when they've been eaten. And third, it helps to recover my magic."

  "Y'can extract magic from 'em?!"

  A bonk on my head draws my attention to Raya. Naturally, since it's Raya, I expect wisdom and support.

  "Kira, I think you're giving away too many secrets."

  The sharer of secrets is telling me I'm giving away too many secrets?! Geez... I do seem to be shaking up some conventional wisdom, though. But even if I wanted to go, I'd need a lot of food to recover my magic and heal, and then recover my magic again.

  "Branch Leader, ya best be goin' ta gather up every scrap o' food y'can get if y'want ta convince Kira of helpin'."

  "Or get some mages to give me their magic. But they have to consent since it does have a bit of an effect on them."

  With a fierce frown, Foreman looks up at me before calling out for Davion, the explosives expert, again. As the stocky dwarf rejoins us, Foreman tells him to infuse me with magic. I bring up my demand for consent again, but Davion just shrugs and approaches.

  Placing a hand on my arm, he focuses his magic and passes out. Looking inward, my lake of magic has filled a bit, but I'm gonna need a lot of dwarves to fill it.

  Returning my senses to the real world, I see Foreman approach Davion's still body and, with a few shakes, he concludes that the explosives maniac has just passed out. Wasting no time, he turns to the branch leader and commands her to bring as many mages here as she can, but she still seems to be somewhat frozen.

  Pivoting, he turns to Sarah and asks her to gather mages, and she's much quicker to respond as she walks off. Soft steps on my brow alert me to Raya repositioning, and now she's stepping onto my nose.

  "You should ask Lauren to bring some mages, too. She knows these people."

  That's a great idea!

  "Lauren, if you have time, could you bring a bunch of mages willing to share their magic with me to Foreman's workshop?"

  She doesn't give me any response, so who knows whether the drunken cleric is even conscious. I have to say, for upper management, the branch leader is terrible at dealing with things not going her way. She's just been standing there, looking at the ground since I declined her request.

  "Foreman, do you think there's a chance I'll get paid for my efforts if I help out?"

  "Trust me, Kira. If they ain't payin', we'll take our pound o' flesh by force. I swear it on me honor an' me beard. I wouldn' be wantin' ta help the Guild in yer... footprints... but the folks hurtin' ain't gonna be the Guild. Peasants dyin' means not 'nough food. Then y'got folks starvin'. Then y'got folks thievin' t'survive. World's quick ta turn dark when needs ain't met. If the Guild ain't payin', I'll work the rest o' me life t'pay off the debt owed. I promise ya that."

  He deserves a nudge. Now I'm kinda hoping the guild won't pay. It'll be an excellent excuse to bring dwarves back home, although it wouldn't be under any sort of servitude pact or the like. I want dwarves, not servants or slaves.

  Appearing satisfied with my lack of response, Foreman walks into his shop only to return moments later with a crate. Walking over to the branch leader, he puts it down in front of her and steps up to better match their height. Taking hold of her shoulders, he starts shaking her. I'm pretty sure that isn't the correct way to deal with her unresponsive state.

  It does work, though, and she's only gripped by mild panic as she looks at me. We'll call that progress. Her reaction feels exaggerated for someone who spoke to me with such authority just earlier today. She must have had a long day dealing with the aftermath of all the undead attacking.

  "Tae'liri, if yer wantin' the Dragon's help, y'gotta give 'er somethin'. She ain't got the magic ta heal, so go fetch some willin' magefolk and vow to keep her people safe."

  I'm not about to trust her with Raya and Lauren, so instead I ask Raya if she's willing to hang out with Fenja the forest troll while I'm dealing with this nonsense.

  "Okay, but you owe me big time."

  "What?! You're already taking whatever you want from my hoard. How do I owe you big time, you greedy little goblin?!"

  "Because I say so."

  "Fine, but I get to disagree with it if it's too much."

  "Fine."

  Given the wide grin, I'm pretty sure she has a plan already. I'm not sure what her plan might be, but she's wily and clever, so I'm sure it will be either fun or interesting, probably both!

  With my attention on Raya, I hadn't noticed the branch leader approaching. And with an outstretched hand, she touches me, and I feel a spike of magic. While she collapses, I feel incredible. Throwing my senses inward, I see that my lake is much closer to full, and I feel confident that it's enough to heal my wounds.

  Focusing my magic and preparing my mind for the incoming jolt of pain, I begin the process of restoring my wings. The pain is so much worse than the original wounds, and I feel every part of my shredded wings stitch together and regrow. It freakin' hurts! Unable to hold back, I unleash a roar, rattling the structures around us.

  The process doesn't take long, but it does leave me a little dizzy, and I need a moment to pull myself together. Geez... This really drives home the point of me needing to watch my back more...

  Folding up my wings again, I settle in to rest. I believe I deser-

  "Y'broke me fuckin' shop!"

  Following Foreman's gaze, it appears that he's correct. During my outburst, I may have punched a wing through the upper floors of his shop.

  "Sorry. I'll give you a discount when the guild refuses to pay me."