“Exactly. If something is stopping the healing, then we need to isolate what that is and then come up with a way to counteract it.”

  I knew the answer to her question. If I hadn’t been so unbalanced at the moment, I might have considered just keeping my mouth shut. Wait… that had to be what was going on. Evolving a part of me left me unbalanced. I’d gained in one area, but it threw the rest of me out of whack.

  Perhaps Edgar might have some insights into this. Not that I could go see Edgar now, because I opened my mouth and spoke before I realized what I was doing. “I know what’s affecting her.”

  Four heads, including Cami’s, all whipped around to look at me. There were guards throughout the area, but Serius was out organizing the university and trying to secure the rest of the students as the acting headmaster until something could be decided. Liam had left to hunt down any other monsters, along with some of the Imperial Guard stationed here. Overhead, I sensed the domesticated dragons with their pseudo-riders flying as they patrolled from the air. But now, all my focus was drawn to the four people staring at me.

  Cami said, “You do?”

  Cassandra smiled, “If you have some insight, we’d surely appreciate it.”

  Galbrecht looked strangely hopeful, as though he was looking at the brightest thing he had ever seen.

  Lisella said, “We know you didn’t like Modessa, and it would probably be easy to just let her die, but if you can help, then we would all be in your debt.”

  “You’re all already in my debt,” I snapped. “In the debt of my people. All of you are, even if you didn’t know it. I thought we already established that.”

  The expression on Galbrecht’s face fell, but he still didn’t say anything. Lisella looked ready to argue, but Cassandra spoke first.

  “I don’t know what the history is between you all, and I don’t really care. If you want to learn alchemy from me, young man, then you’re going to learn to do it properly. It’s a science first and foremost—and personal feelings have no room in science.”

  I nodded. Facts, I could deal with. “She has been infected with the essence of an eldritch horror. It is breaking down not just her flesh, but her soul as well. I can see the way it’s spreading through her. Each time you use healing magic on her, the divine power which resides in you pushes it back a bit, but eventually it starts spreading again.”

  “Wait… what do you mean you can see?” Cassandra asked.

  Lisella replied for me, “It’s a long story, Cassandra. Nico can see magic—Serius and I have been able to confirm that much. I’ve long since given up on guessing what all Nico can do.”

  Cami added, “If he says it's that way, then it is. Nico never lies. He may not tell you everything he knows, and he may allow you to believe false things, but he doesn’t lie.”

  My dragon knight looked to me. “Isn’t that so?”

  I shrugged. “Lying is for lesser beings.”

  Cassandra appeared thoughtful for a moment. Then she returned to her vials. She had set up a portable alchemy station, and she started mixing several chemicals and magical ingredients together as she hummed softly.

  I watched out of curiosity. I saw how she subtly infused her mana into what she did. It was mostly a matter of chemistry, but was also more than that.

  “I understand now,” Cassandra muttered. “There is something within the toxin that was in the dagger that keeps breaking down all of the anti-toxins I try.”

  “I don’t understand,” Lisella said. “Shouldn’t divine power be the logical counter to the power of a horror?”

  They all looked at me, but I closed my eyes and thought about the question for a moment. My mind raced and understanding seemed to be just at the tips my fingertips. It was almost like I could access more of the dream than ever before.

  Then the room around me faded as I saw a memory of a memory. A massive red dragon hovered in the air held aloft by his mastery of magic. “

  I have already driven you from this realm, godling. Why do you bother me again?”

  I recognized the god of magic then, as he took a physical form.

  “That wasn’t me. I am not alone, as you are not alone.”

  “If you want to war again, so be it. The heavens will burn.”

  The god of magic shook his head. “No, old friend. I am not here seeking conflict, but compromise. You wish to bar us from this world?”

  “I don’t wish for anything. I have already done so. And I am no friend of yours.”

  “No, I suppose not. But you have been before and will be again. Time is not as simple as most imagine.”

  “I despise your riddles, godling. Speak plainly or I will stop listening.” The dragon rose up higher into the air as he spoke.

  “Don’t be rash. I know you speak from bravado, but you know you cannot defeat all of us at once without losses. How many great wyrms would fall to secure this realm? And then there is the fact that by binding this realm to your kind, you have barred your own access to the spiritual realms.” The god of magic paused, studying the great red dragon. “Surely we can reach a compromise. The eldritch are willing to reach an agreement, as well. We can form a great Pact which will give us all what we need, while still giving us a hope to achieve what we want.”

  I felt the rumbling inside the chest of the great dragon. His power was unsurpassed amongst his kind. He seemed vaguely familiar. Still, he didn’t answer for what seemed like days as the two mighty beings stared at one another. For me, the time flew by, but I still recognized what had happened here. In the background, I even sensed an odd alien presence, which I took to be one of the eldritch horrors.

  “You seek balance, then?” the dragon eventually growled.

  The god of magic nodded. “We have a balance, of sorts, right now. But it is ever a fragile thing. We will do as we do, it is our nature. So will the eldritch, they cannot help it. What we seek is a warden to maintain this balance. As long as each side believes they can achieve what they want in the future, they will be patient.”

  “You ask much, godling. This will alter my people if I agree to it. I wish mother was here to make this decision.”

  The god of magic shook his head. “You know why that can’t be.”

  “Fine.”

  There was a hissing noise that I couldn’t quite understand, but the great dragon seemed to know what was being said. “You dare to impugn dragonkind? I have no need for lies. I have spoken to all the wyrms and we are in agreement. This was a forgone conclusion. For dominion of this world, we shall bear the price of your Pact in our bodies.”

  The god spoke one last time before the vision faded… “So our bargain is struck, Warden of Balance. And so is draconis born. Watch for the day when you lose sight of yourself.”

  Opening my eyes, I said, “The divine and the eldritch counter one another, but this is not their realm. They cannot negate one another here, so simply push back against the other. If you want to heal Modessa, you will need the blood of a dragon to do so.”

  Chapter 19 - Not So Secret

  Cassandra looked at me, tilting her head to the side. “Dragon blood is often used in a variety of potions. It can be a powerful magical augmenter, but the supply is also very limited. An order came down from the Emperor that the dragons demonstrate a willingness to have their blood taken, but only in small amounts.

  “No one seems to understand what that means, and the Crafters Guild is in disarray. Lawyers are getting involved, and that is never a good thing. What I’m curious about, though, is why you are so certain that dragon blood will be required. No one told me that you have any experience with Alchemy.”

  I felt tumblers in my mind turning over as I weighed this decision. Lisella, Galbrecht, and Cami were all staring at me.

  Cami’s mind reached out to me. “I know you’re tired of hiding, Nico… but are you sure you want to tell her?”

  “Nothing is sure, but it seems to be the right thing to do.”

  “Then you know I support you.”

  Lisella stood and took a step to cross the distance between us. She reached out her hand and lay it on my arm. “We should talk, apprentice.”

  The way she emphasized the word ‘apprentice’ made the muscles in my back tense up. I didn’t jerk my arm back, but only because my new instincts told me that it would send the wrong message to those in the room. That awareness was different; it was new to me. It was part of whatever the evolution had done to me.

  Something in the way I looked at her must have given her pause, because Lisella pulled her hand back.

  Galbrecht also stood. “Clear the room.” His voice seemed to echo and carried with it a tone of authority. The guards scrambled to obey, but I was more fascinated by how he’d done it. I didn’t sense any magic, a spell, or even a class based magical ability.

  He simply had a persona that commanded respect. I was immediately intrigued by that. Dragon respect was based on fear, yet the respect his aura commanded contained… something else. Soon the room was empty but for Cassandra, the three adventurers, Cami, and me.

  Looking around, Lisella said, “For the record, I don’t think this is a decision that should be rushed into, but I’ll do my best to protect you no matter what comes of it.”

  I nodded. “It is time that I spread my wings more and relied less upon hiding in plain sight. I don’t plan to fly around the campus, but it is also time for me to recruit more minions.”

  Cami coughed. “Allies, Nico... not everyone will be a minion. You want allies, too.”

  I paused. Yesterday I would have corrected her, but now I realized that she was right. Oh, I still wanted minions—that was the natural order of things—but there was room for me to work with others, as well.

  I felt a type of dissonance inside of myself as though my core beliefs were being shaken. It felt like one of those moments where a notification normally popped up from the system explaining what was happening, except nothing appeared. In fact, the absence of one almost felt like a notification all its own. Perhaps something was blocking the system.

  Cassandra’s voice dragged me back out of myself. “I pride myself on being a smart woman, and if anything, you’ve managed to pique my interest in you even more than you already had—but I’m certain that I am missing something.” She looked at the other three humans standing there. “And unless I miss my guess, I am the only one missing this something.”

  Galbrecht said, “Do not feel bad. My goddess is keeping you from connecting the dots—at least until Nico tells you himself.”

  Cassandra’s eyes grew wide for just a moment, but I appreciated the fact that she didn’t ask stupid questions about what was going on. This was a human who seemed to have less of their near incessant need to prattle on.

  I looked at her intensely, then said, “I know dragon blood will be required, because I’m a dragon.”

  Lisella groaned and Cami looked at the floor. The priestess said, “You should have at least let me get her to make a system oath to keep your secret first.”

  I shook my head. “I have a feeling about this human.”

  Lisella threw her hands up in the air. “How am I supposed to protect you, if you…”

  I cut her off. “That sun has set. Soon, a time for decision will be upon you, as well. You’ll either be with me or against me, then.”

  As for Cassandra, she initially appeared confused, but then it was like a rush of understanding came over her. Finally, with a sigh, she nodded. “This makes so much more sense. But I’ve met the dragons at the academy, and while they are smarter than most people give them credit for, they aren’t like you.”

  A low growl rumbled in my throat, and that was when a notification popped up.

  Previous quest has been modified and a new shareable group quest has become available. You may share this quest with anyone you wish, and they will become eligible for their own individualized rewards.

  Shareable Quest - Free the Dragons:

  Primary objective: Dragons have been altered by bondage. Free as many of the domesticated dragons as possible.

  Secondary objective: Find a way to restore the freed dragons to their former glory.

  Rewards: Personalized reward, based upon contribution.

  Hmm… that was a first. As soon as I got the shareable quest, I pushed it out mentally to everyone in the room. All their eyes glossed over with that expression I recognized as a human getting a system notification. All, that is, except for Galbrecht.

  He suddenly put his hands up to his temples and called out, “Why, my goddess?”

  Lisella immediately rushed over to the paladin, but he held up his hand. “No, I am fine. I just felt… something. I need to think it through a bit. Something is off.”

  As he spoke, more information came through.

  Cami Westfork has accepted the quest - Free the Dragons.

  Cassandra Thomas has accepted the quest - Free the Dragons.

  A moment later:

  A paragon of Miseria has tried to accept the quest - Free the Dragons. Subject is not eligible for quest acceptance.

  Modessa Lonerat has accepted the quest - Free the Dragons

  I hadn’t been sure if Modessa was aware enough to respond. I could sense the corruption within Modessa, as it ate away at her. A part of me tried to remain impassive. Another part told me that I was showing myself to be a lesser being.

  Dragons never owed debts. I didn’t need to like Modessa, but I would be a fool not to make sure of her. And if her trying to save me was balanced by her previous attacks on me, I didn’t want there to be any doubt I had failed to pay my debts.

  My exposure to humans told me that they placed an inordinate value on the concept of doing things for selfless reasons. But it was also true that most of this value was simply lip service. I would be a dragon, but I would be a smart dragon—smarter than those trapped within the flaws of my people.

  That was the point of evolving my mind, after all. I could do things which benefited other people while doing them for myself. It might not be what the humans called altruism, but it was being true to who and what I was. Only fools denied the self in what they did.

  Cassandra said, “This is a day for wonders.” Looking down at Modessa’s still form, she added, “And terrors. But, I still don’t fully understand why you believe that dragon blood will be necessary. Potions made with dragon blood are stronger, but that may not be enough. This sickness in her seems to go much deeper than just her flesh.”

  “First off, I don’t just believe it. I know it. Second, I’m not going to explain how I know it.” I paused, narrowing my eyes at the old woman. “Besides, you haven’t seen what my blood can do for a potion. You should ask my minions. The enchantments formed with my blood are significantly more powerful than anything they made before.”

  “Minions?” she asked. “What do you mean minions?”

  I started to answer, but Cami said, “We don’t have time to explain all that. For now, you’ve been told something that must stay secret. I’ll tell you about minions later.”

  Lisella Forlay has accepted the quest - Free the Dragons.

  I glanced over at her because of the late notification.

  She winced, but then replied, “I just needed a second to think about it. Forlay relies upon dragons and their riders to protect the border, which in turn protects the entire Empire. I’ve been raised to believe that while they are not the sole, or even the main part of our defenses, they are important for patrolling the mountains. But the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that I couldn’t support slavery… even to save my home.”

  I paused as I considered her words. After a minute of awkward silence, I said, “Words are easy. I suppose we shall see where you really stand soon enough.”

  It was clear that she wanted to say something more, but turned from me and started healing Modessa again. It wouldn’t do any good for me to donate my blood if she was going to die before the potion was ready.

  Cassandra said, “We should do this in my lab. Can you move her there?”

  Galbrecht looked at Lisella before nodding. “Let the grand priestess finish this round of healing and then I’ll carry her there. Go ahead and get started.”

  Cassandra started to leave, but when she hit the door, she turned and looked back at me. “You said you wanted to learn Alchemy?”

  I nodded.

  “Then no time like the present. You might as well learn what goes into a purification potion.”

  With that, I followed the small human out of the room. I didn’t say anything, but sensed that Cami would stay with Modessa. That was fine. I knew she felt some affection for the woman.