Beers and Beards-Chapter 71Book 4: : Valarienne - On The High Seas
Valarienne, Chosen Catalyst of Yearn, sighed as he relaxed in his lounge chair on the deck of the Seafoam Surprise. The svelte schooner plowed through the waves with a ruler straight wake, as sailors performed their duties and the flag of Grandia whipped and snapped in the stiff breeze. The scent of brine and wax permeated the air, and the sun beat down on the deck as though it sought to set the ship on fire. He adjusted his blouse and unbuttoned his vest to take full advantage of the warm sunlight.
He swept an errant blonde hair from where it was bothering his nose, and scratched at his chin. The constant need to shave was annoying, but at least he was what his old self would have considered ‘dashing’. A lithe muscular frame, if short for a giant, and a bright smile with good straight teeth. He smiled at a passing sailor, who tripped on his mop bucket and went down with a series of oaths.
Things had gone surprisingly well so far. Especially as far as the other Chosen were concerned. Val had been a bit concerned at the start, especially given what stories he’d been able to dig up regarding previous Great Games. But meeting the other Chosen in Tree had been practically pleasant!
He could definitely see himself getting along well with Mirelda, and Peter seemed nice, if a bit unserious. That aspect of him was one of the reasons Val hadn’t asked for more help beyond the beaven. Pete was not one for tight lips, and he’d probably run straight to one of the Dukes or the King of the elves if things got really hairy.
He already had, in fact.
At least Crack and Awemedinand’s responses seemed measured. The Tender Sprites, as fellow victims of the old King, were being given a small measure of clemency. If they promised not to attack any adventurers, and continued tending to the spiritual herbs of Anima Dungeon, they wouldn’t be subject to a subjugation force.
Yet.
If Ezrael hadn’t been burned at the stake, Val would’ve found a way to kill old king himself. All that planning, all that preparation, all that peacemaking, up in smoke.
Much like the old King.
And the worst part was being unsure if his own Goddess didn’t have a hand in it. Who knew what that maniac was really after? Was it just the joy of something new and the chaos of uncontrolled sapience? But Chaos was Solen, not Yearn. Did she take joy in the complex new webs of relationships that were springing up as dungeons became more than just landmarks, but nations in their own right? She was the Goddess of relationships.
Val thought back to when he’d met the mercurial Goddess and shivered. He’d prefer not to remember, actually.
He popped the cork on the lovely clay-pot drinking vessel Peter had given him – he’d called it an onggi – and took a swig of the soju. Phew! It was some heady stuff! Just what he needed right now. The beedles had been standoffish, and somewhat alien, though Henbeetta had been personable enough. There was something about a sapient race so utterly devoted to a single being that was just… odd.
At least they were already a protected species in the dungeon, which took a load off.
Wind. Waves. And relaxation. Maybe he needed a vacation soon too. Kirk had said that Brightstar and the other Chosen were going to spend the next few months just relaxing in Grandia. Henbeetta was probably with them by now. Perhaps he could go on vacation too?
Assuming they survived running into the trolls of course. They were skirting the far eastern edge of a massive storm that the trolls had set up to cover the entire archipelago. And wasn’t that a neat trick. Val believed that one or more of them had absorbed a boss core, because that was the only way he could think of to impact such a large area. Black clouds sat on the horizon, crackling with lighting, yet the water beyond was calm and crystal clear.
Yes. He could definitely use a vacation. He already had the wind and the waves, all he needed now was –
*Bing!*
A notification. Of course. Val took another deep drink of soju. He really didn’t need a notification right now. He toggled it open and read it. It took a few tries until he was able to understand what it was saying.
New Quest: Dragonslayer 0/1
Very few people have ever slain a dragon!
Can you?
Dragons Slain: 0/1
Rewards: [Dragonslayer]
Why would it mention dragons? Unless…
Val opened his mouth to shout, but was interrupted by a cry from the crow’s nest.
“DRAGON!!!”
A shadow fell over the Seafoam Surprise. Then whipped away in a flutter of reptilian wings. Then another. Then another. Soon the sea around them was nearly as dark as twilight, filled with the sound of beating wings and a thrumming that he could feel in his very bones. The sky overhead was filled with teeth and scales and claws and whirling crimson eyes that looked down like predators upon prey. Ｒἁ₦ốBĘ𝐬
There was screaming on board the vessel, as sailors fell to their knees and prayed to the Gods while others foamed at the mouth and collapsed to the deck in sheer terror. Val felt his throat go dry and his bowels clench. Dragons? But Dragons hadn’t been sighted in North Erden for millenia!
There was a sucking sound, like someone slurping down a noodle, and the shadows vanished.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Val staggered to his feet, activating [Selective Greater Nothingness] as he did so. The sky was once again blue and clear, the wind whipping some happy clouds up into nondescript shapes, like the moment before had been a lie.
But it wasn’t a lie.
Fifty figures now stood in the center of the ship. They wore a mishmash of clothes, from dated West Erden royal accouterments to ‘modern’ elven sarongs. They towered over the decks, a full head taller than the tallest of humans. They even looked faintly human, though their skin had the shimmer of scales, ranging from red to gold to black, and a few grinned at the terrified sailors with mouths full of sharp teeth.
The tallest of them, a white skinned dragon-man with an enormous mane of black hair set between a pair of sloping silver horns swept the deck with a steely gaze. He wore a style of clothing that Val didn’t recognize – a pair of pants with oddly flared legs that nearly looked like skirts. Red patterns were finely stitched into the pants to give them a look not too unlike flames. The top of his robe only covered one side of his body, the other half hanging open to reveal a set of chiseled abs and a pectoral that would’ve been at home on a marble statue. His muscular bare arm hung lazily at his side, resting on an ornate scabbard. He radiated power, fury, and more masculine energy than a public sauna.
Oh no, Val thought, his face heating up, he’s hot!
“Who is the captain of this vessel,” the dragon, because that’s what he had to be, asked. His voice was a deep bass, cultured, but with a hint of menace behind it.
“Who caresYi. Let’s just take their supplies, torch it, and move on,” a red dragoness in a strange white frilly dress complained, yawning. Her mane was the colour of blood, her skin the colour of redwood, and she had a pair of golden horns. Her honeyed tones belied her mocking demeanor. “We don’t need to know the names of mortals.”
“Move on, Annabeth??” Another, a lithe black dragon with white horns grumbled. “Let's stay and rest for a while; that storm was massive. A few months here and we’ll be good to go. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re tired, Yi! You promised!”
There was a general grumbling amongst the other dragons, which stopped when the one named Yi snarled at them. “If you properly circled your chi and practiced daily body strengthening you wouldn’t be tired! Especially you, Darkanen!”
“Ugh! Enough with it Yi! None of us have managed! I don’t think it’s even possible!” Annabeth shot back. “Just be happy that a few of us got some traveling Milestones out of all this and be done with it!”
“Ugh. It's worse than dealing with mewling, unmotivated, peasants!” Yi practically spat. “You’re all making me tired!”
There was some more muttering amongst the dragons. A few of them stalked across the deck to sit on the stairs to the forecastle, or slump against the masts, the sailors splitting before them like water before the bow.
“I’m – I’m the captain…” The leader of the merry band of adventurers that Val had hired stepped forward. “Captain Harold at your service, mighty dragon. How – how can we be of service to you?”
The captain removed his tricorn hat and held it in front of himself, meekly. The captain, normally so fierce looking with his black leather duster, and fierce black goatee looked like a drowned cat as he practically whimpered.
The dragon named Yi snorted, looking Harold up and down. “So, you are one of this world’s humans? No chi, no dantian. And not a single open miridian. Pathetic. I don’t know why I was expecting anything else.”
This world? Val’s eyes widened. He trembled, and held his elbows to keep himself steady. It can’t be.
Harold had served Val long enough to catch it as well. His eyes widened. “Erm. Yes?”
“What're you doing this far east?”
“Just – just traveling! There’s that big storm there and we’ve been trying to avoid it!” Harold stammered. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
“He’s lying,” Annabeth said lazily. “Want me to eat him?”
“No. That’s disgusting. Go eat some fish if you’re hungry.” Yi frowned, reaching down to lift Harold into the air like a child with a doll. “And what might you be lying about?”
“I’m bored of fish,” Annabeth whined quietly.
Harold stammered and gasped, his knees knocking together. His choked pleas came out as sobs of fear.
To this world’s denizens, dragons were just a step below Gods. Mighty beings of legend, with powerful magic and evolved Abilities at a level that could only be obtained from an immortal life. Back on Val’s world, dragons were just slightly stronger magical beasts. Proud and arrogant beyond their means. He'd even killed some, back when he was high priestess.
Yi’s face grew more and more stormy as Harold stammered on. The dragon’s arm began to subtly shift, his hand coming to rest on the pommel of his sword. “You’re wasting my time. Mayhaps your men will have quicker tongues.”
He’s going to kill Harold. Val realized. The captain had been a chance hire years ago, but he was a close friend by now. He couldn’t just let him die.
Val sighed, stepping forward and releasing his Ability.
The dragons didn’t react to his sudden appearance, though the one named Darkanen subtly shifted into a ready stance. Yi turned his gaze and met Val’s eyes straight on. His eyes are black, with flecks of gold. Val felt a shiver in his belly from the sheer force behind those eyes.
Val chose his words carefully, to avoid lying or revealing his status as a Chosen. If this dragon was who he suspected… “We’re observing the trolls. I don’t know if you’re aware, but they’ve come out from the dungeon and begun attacking ships. They somehow kicked up this storm, and we’ve been circling around the outside to see what information we can gather.”
Yi tossed Harold aside to the deck. He stepped forward to look Val up and down. The wood creaked audibly under every footfall.
“What’re you going to learn skirting a storm like wet rats?” Annabeth asked, absently sharpening her nails on a terrified sailor’s axe.
“Not much so far,” Val admitted. “But we’re hoping we’ll run into some so we can talk.”
“Talk? With trolls!?” Annabeth laughed. “They’re monsters!”
Val shook his head. “Not anymore. The Goddess Yearn did something to them. They have souls now. And can think and speak.”
The dragons finally reacted, but not how Val had expected. There was a faint hint of fear in the air as they muttered amongst themselves. Even Annabeth looked askance at the storm and hissed.
“Interesting…” Yi mused, looking Val over. “And who are you?”
“Valarienne of Grandia at your service,” Val said, sweeping a courtly curtsy that changed halfway into a bow. “Adventurer – “
“And where did you get that??” Yi interrupted. His eyes had snapped from Val’s face to his belt, where a rustic clay pot hung, festooned with rope and glittering gold.
Val’s eyes widened. Damn! He hadn’t thought –
Yi’s tongue licked at dry scaly lips, his nostrils flaring. “Is that… soju?”
