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Sent Kobold

Chapter 8: Library's Seal

Entering a mage's library is a difficult task. Entering an enclave of mages' library is decidedly much more difficult, and dangerous, as the Kobolds and wyrmling are about to find.

---

"Faster! Move!"

"Watch out!" Coming in for a rough landing, Serhis was readily caught by Baous after nearly crashing into the deck again.

Iskdiwercaesin shook his head, berating the kobold. "Wrong! All wrong! Didn't you hear me? Don't force your wings to go against the wind and keep your head up. And you're not being flexible again! You're moving your wings like a single piece of wood."

"Yes. Yes," Serhis said as he climbed up the mast of the ship again.

It had been their fifth day on the ship and already those on board had gotten used to Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin's presence. Some of the crew were actually watching and taking bets, sometimes with other passengers.

"Oy! While you're up there, work as a look out, will ya?!" one of the sailors laughed.

"And if you wind up in the drink again, see if you can at least knock off a few barnacles when you climb back up."

Not heeding their calls, Serhis wearily entered the crow's nest again. So far, the trip had been bearable. Despite not having been one a ship for a single moment in their lives, Baous and Iskdiwercaesin weren't the sort to get seasick, but the movement of the deck on the waves had made the first deck an experience on how to walk on a ship rolling on the waves. Serhis had already been on a ship once, riding along with Helena, so he already knew he wasn't going to have an issue. What he did have a problem with was Iskdiwercaesin's nearly constant criticism.

"Aren't you a bit hard on him?" Baous asked.

"Hard?! He's learning how to fly, of course it's going to be hard. Any dragon can fly just an hour after hatching, and he's taking all day to learn. The only reason I'm still out here watching him is because he's making an utter fool of himself and I'm not going to miss seeing that."

"You don't have to yell at him like that though. A few tips would do just fine."

Iskdiwercaesin huffed at Baous, the slightest bit insulted. "He's the one who came to me about learning how to fly, and even without my wings, I'm still the most qualified to teach him, so he better get used to my teaching style. He hasn't complained one bit, so that's fine with me."

"You alright Serhis? How are you doing up there?"

"I'm fine!" he shouted from the top of the ship.

Shifting himself, Iskdiwercaesin sunned himself on the deck, "He better learn fast. I'm not going to be able to fly for the moment, so he better learn how to do it for me. I really damn well wish that he learned how to do it just like that, like everyone thinks how when someone gets wings, they instantly know how to use them. How ridiculous."

"Ready down there?" Serhis yelled, Baous giving a thumbs up that he was ready to catch him if he fell again. He paid no mind to some of the crew passing around a few coppers. Raising himself above the sides of the crow's nest and feeling the winds that filled the sails, he spread his wings.

"Jump! As hard as you can!" Iskdiwercaesin shouted, "don't just hover on the wind, actually stay on the breeze and ride it!"

Doing more than just spreading his wings now, he had to be aware of how the wind flowed and was mindful of it's currents. Leaping up as hard as he could, he used muscles he barely used all of his life as his wings curved to the flow of the breeze, no longer just trying to glide, but fly under his own power. The first few wing beats were frantic, he could almost hear Iskdiwercaesin sighing over the sound of the waves and wind. Then he heard the intake of breath as everyone that was looking at him saw that he was going higher. Serhis would have howled with laughter if he didn't need all the air in his lungs to keep breathing.

"Keep moving!" Iskdiwercaesin shouted up to him, "Make sure this isn't a fluke! Circle around the mast."

For nearly ten minutes, Serhis circled the ship, taking a few seconds to gain a bit of altitude, then gliding, losing a bit of the height, then went up again when he felt rested enough.

"Hmm. I think he's got it now," commented Iskdiwercaesin.

"Was that just a compliment? From you?" said Baous.

"What? No. He's still sloppy and he's not able to keep himself up high constantly, but he passes the definition of 'flying' I suppose."

"And for a moment I- uh oh. He's coming down pretty fast."

His wings straining from constant use, Serhis went in for a landing on the front deck. Considering the fact he was landing on a moving ship, just gliding was going to be a task.

"He's too far forward! He going to overshoot," Iskdiwercaesin yelled.

Baous was already running to catch Serhis before he flew in front of the ship, landed in the water, and get run over by the passing ship, but Serhis had already passed the point of no return. His heart froze as he watch the gold scaled Kobold pass in front of the bow and out of sight.

"Serhis!" Baous shouted as he looked over the railing, then sighed in relief. The ship had a large net on the front, meant to catch sailors that fell while they dealt with the rigging. This time it had caught a winged-Kobold that was watching as the surf passed underneath him through the hemp rope.

"I'm fine," Serhis turned over, only able to see Baous' head from down below. He could only utter two words and was smiling all the while, despite nearly being caught beneath the passing waves, "I flew."

Iskdiwercaesin's head poked over the railing, looking down at the slightly entangled and very tired Serhis, "I would have hated to think a whole day's effort went to waste just now. I'll be going into our room to sleep now. Wake me when dinner is ready." Without much else to do, his head went back out of sight.

Helping Serhis back onto the solid deck, Baous patted Serhis on the back, "That was great! How do you feel?"

"Like I should be running and dancing for joy. But then, what I feel right now is being tired. I think I'm going to follow Iskdiwercaesin and go take a nap."

"Sounds like you need it. Here, up you go." Serhis was about to protest, but Baous already had him on his shoulders for a piggy-back ride, "I'll see if I can get the ship's cook to get you something special tonight. I'll pay for it, don't worry. You're probably going to need it, since you're so spent." They passed by the crew that were arguing that since Serhis had went over the side, the bet was invalid, but the winner wasn't taking any of it. One of the crew, just a few minutes before losing a bit of his money was now happily taking the coins of his fellow crew.

He was lightly placed in the bed and let his fatigue carry him off to sleep. Iskdiwercaesin was already in his nearby bed asleep. Or at least they thought maybe he was. As much as he wanted to shout and scream in victory, he was content being carried off to sleep, the dream of flying having been carried from sleep to the waking world.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The week long trip to Saletvarin was mostly without incident. After reaching a port town by a river, they bought passage on a ship that was heading that way. Serhis and Baous didn't mind taking the usual accommodations and sleeping in a common room with the other passengers, but Iskdiwercaesin had demanded that they take the best rooms that were available. At first, they weren't interested in taking the better rooms and services, but when Iskdiwercaesin mentioned the weevils that usually infested the stores of ship larders, Baous quickly changed his mind, though Serhis didn't care as much.

The crew and passengers took to their presence well. In fact, the captain rather liked having the notion of having a dragon on board, and the passengers thought the idea rather novel. They had heard about their work at Natade as well as revolt and thought that having the three on board would be a boon to their safety, though everyone still kept their distance. A few had still come forward to ask about the entire story of the revolt and Iskdiwercaesin had obliged, spinning the tale so that he was looked on in the best possible way, though Serhis and Baous would still give a few corrections. The few passengers turned into many more, listening to pass the time as they traveled, and Serhis suspected that a few of the crew where taking tasks that involved being nearby so that they could listen in as well. Iskdiwercaesin didn't have Lilthian's skill at enthralling his audience or projecting vivid imagery through word and song, but he did spectacularly well regardless using natural charisma, and the fact they were listening to an actual dragon talk to them didn't hurt.

In their own effort to fend off the boredom of traveling, Baous had taken to practicing on the deck of the ship with his war hammer, that practicing on the rolling deck would be a challenge. This in turn attracted attention as people watched. He would have preferred to practice in private and shyly accepted the applause as he finished his routine. As for Serhis, he offered his healing for anyone for free on the voyage, mostly helping the crew with deep bruising and rope burn, which put him in favor with the captain.

After almost a week on the ship, traveling up the river for a short while before sailing near the coast, they were nearing Saletvarin. The coastal city was large, it's whitewashed walls looking like large clouds as it stood near the sea and the clear horizon, the building's mostly painted white as well with a few painted blue that stood out. The sails of the large ships in port added to the image of the floating clouds, while small fishing boats were going back and forth between them. To the side of the city was the Academy, contain the largest library for a great distance, the closest rival being on the other side of the continent, as well as the largest mage's academy. A spire rose from the center of the Academy, serving as a symbol for the city as well as a lighthouse for ships in the night, the top light with the enduring arcane fire. The way the city was built made it look like a miniature mountain range, low near the docks, rising and coming to it's highest point at the Academy, then descending lower until it reached the walls of the city. As they came closer, they could look at the city in better detail.

The streets were rather clean and the people they could see on the docks about the same, though the smell certainly wasn't , the stench of fish pervasive throughout the docks and had poor Baous holding his nose as the ship passed though the fishing fleet in the midday sun. Landing on the docks, they waited as a crane lifted their wagon out of the cargo hold.

"Do you want to head straight for the Library?" Serhis asked Baous.

"Sure. Since we can tell where it is, we don't have to stop for directions or anything to get there."

"Assuming that they let us in," said Iskdiwercaesin. "The Academy isn't known for letting just anyone walk in and look at their books. From what I've heard, one of the main ways of getting in is to give a rare tome before they let anyone in."

"What? Every time someone goes in? And for each of us?" Serhis asked.

"I don't think we have anything they would want and we even if we did, we probably don't have three."

"If I recall, it depends on the rarity of the text. But that isn't the only way to get inside, it's just the easiest. You have to either join the Academy and spent a few years there before they give you full access or you do a few tasks for them. The sort of tasks that no one in the Academy wants to do and is a bit life threatening."

"Eh, that doesn't sound good," Serhis said as he turned his head as he heard the *thunk* of the wagon being set on the docks.

After harnessing the horse, they rode the wagon in the direction of the Academy. "Looks like we either need to find some rare books or we're going to have to work for them. I don't want to spending a few years just to get inside," Baous said as he directed the wagon.

"What's the matter with spending a few years? I bet they would love to have a dragon in their ranks, they'd think it would give them some prestige. They might let you two in as well, after you agree to let them examine you," Iskdiwercaesin laughed.

"Staying here for some time isn't going to be worth it. What do they teach here anyway?"

"The usual. Mathematics, philosophy, theology, music, engineering and architecture. Then there's the study of magic," Iskdiwercaesin said with a dark chuckle.

"I guess we can figure out why you'd want to stay in a place like that."

"Actually, the more I think about it, the more I'd prefer not to."

"Why is that?"

"Let's simply say the study of new spells, incantations, and other related things tend to make living nearby an adventure in itself. It would be an anatomy class, consideration of the physics of fast moving objects, and a lesson in damage control all rolled into one when something goes horribly wrong with an experiment. Or right. That's why they brag to have the most extensive underground structures, but really, it's because the city kept on complaining about having to clean up all the rubble that scattered around the city every five years or so. Longest record they had was ten years without an accident and two kilometers."

"Two kilometers?"

"The distance of the farthest block from the Academy."

"How do you know all this stuff."

"I have an interest in the workings of the arcane. The main reason I'm don't mind going with you to the Library is because I want to see the newest spells they might have come up with that isn't available to the standard hedge wizard. Knowing a few spells most others aren't even aware of is something I would enjoy. I'd just prefer to learn it without the risk of becoming a fish or being spread out over a large distance and have only the width of a Halfling's foot hair. Thick as it is, that's still going to be nasty."

"You want all the benefits without the work," Serhis summed it all up.

"If I could, but I know when to do a bit of heavy lifting myself. I'm curious though, you're searching for any information that could lead to others of your kind," Iskdiwercaesin directed at Baous, "how do you know that anything is going to be there? The Library is rumored to be so extensive, it would probably take a years in itself to find a particular piece of information if you don't have a starting point or a reference."

"We know it's there," Baous said confidently, "an Archon directed us to come here as a favor for us."

"Oh? An Archon? You haven't told me anything about being acquainted with such a powerful being."

Serhis and Baous tensed up. This was a discussion that could easily turn for the worse if things weren't said carefully. Iskdiwercaesin finding out that they were meant to keep him away from Tiichi di Soves on Nadia's behest might quickly lead to him becoming violent.

"You're keeping secrets from me? That's new. Consider me surprised, I didn't figure either of you to be so deceitful." From his tone, he had managed to sound both hurt and oddly satisfied.

"It wasn't something we thought you would be interested in," Serhis said evasively.

"Maybe, maybe not. Tell me about him."

"Her," Serhis corrected. "Her name is Nadia, which is the shortened form of her full name."

"I'll bet. When did you meet her and where?"

"A few days before we encountered you at Tiichi de Soves." Serhis was now the subject of Iskdiwercaesin's stare and was already more very nervous. His sense of self preservation was currently fighting a lifetime's worth of revering dragons not to say everything.

"And? There's something your not telling me, something very important, I can tell. You're never this vague."

Baous kept quiet as he watched the road, "Serhis. Should we tell him?" he asked with no small reluctance.

"I think it would be best to clear the air, since his suspicions are correct." Serhis sighed, hoping not to upset him too much as he explained in full detail what Nadia had planned out. Iskdiwercaesin's expression gradually changed from suspicious bemusement into a dark glare.

"So, this Nadia... She was working against me? And you were helping her?" Iskdiwercaesin wasn't really asking a question and understood in full what the implications were and was more interested in their responses.

"Yes," Baous answered grimly after stopping the wagon. "It's not the same now, since you've changed."

"That's not much of an excuse. If Dianekesswhedabkeari hadn't interfered, I would have lost my claim anyway because of you."

"You have a right to be angry at us," Serhis acknowledged, "but the situation changed."

Iskdiwercaesin snorted, "Damn right I'm angry. The two I thought I owed my life to were going to make it a misery, if it already wasn't one when you found me almost dead in a forest. I don't think any apology is going to correct this mistake. Why shouldn't I pay you back for this betrayal of trust?"

"Because it wasn't a betrayal. I admit we had intended to deceive you, but the reason we're telling you all of this is so that there isn't any more. I feel that you're no longer the same person we intended to deceive."

"You're telling me all this because you feel guilty? Hah, what a laugh," Iskdiwercaesin said with no hint of mirth. "Fine, so you've told me. What about this Nadia? Is she still contacting you? What plans does she have for me now?"

"We haven't talked to her since we left Tiichi de Soves," replied Baous. "Unless she's been looking in on us without knowing, she doesn't know we kept you alive or that you're with us."

"Hmph. If she does talk to you again, tell her I've got a few words for her, but I'm not going to attack her on sight. A Trumpet Archon is not an opponent I can face. Yet."

"If we tell her about the ritual, she might not think that you're a threat anymore," said Serhis.

"Oh, I'm very much a threat. Don't mistake that. I'm just not a threat to you lot. She owes me for even trying to put you up to this."

"She might have a way to help you," tentatively suggested Serhis, attempting to save the conversation from very dangerous waters. Taking everything into consideration, he offered a suggestion. "Since Dianekesswhedabkeari is now in control of Tiichi de Soves, she is trying to find a way to remove him. If she trusts you, if she knows that your interests can work with hers, she might be willing to help you be the new guardian of the city."

"I would have owned the city without her interference and I fully intend to destroy Dianekesswhedabkeari by any means possible. As she's the one that had you carry out her plans, I don't think you're fully responsible, but she owes me something for the trouble she would have caused."

"Nadia would help you while as you rule the city, giving her protection and offering her power."

"Are you going to go on your own now?" asked Baous. "If you have a reason to distrust us, this would count."

Contemplating, Iskdiwercaesin remained still and silent for some time. "I will keep going with you. You haven't actually done anything against me and you seem intently interested in my well being as much as what I do. I'm still going to be wary of what you do though."

"I understand," Serhis said. "If we encounter Nadia again, we'll put forward the suggestion that you become Dianekesswhedabkeari's replacement. Look, we want to earn your trust back. We could have lied to you about the whole thing, denied anything, but I respect you, and that's why we've come clean."

Iskdiwercaesin quickly leaned forward, wrapping a claw around Serhis' neck, making him try to pry the strong claws off while Baous quickly turned around, reaching for his hammer. Serhis stopped struggling when he realized he was still able to breathe. Iskdiwercaesin wasn't choking him, but the grip he has seized on the Kobold's throat was firm as he leaned in close to Serhis' face, speaking in a threatening tone. "You owe me a favor. Both of you swear that you will aid me in whatever I want if I call on it. If I thought you were fully to blame, I wouldn't bother with this, so consider yourselves lucky that I still trust you in the slightest."

Giving a glance at one another, Serhis and Baous agreed. If it was what it would take to earn his trust, it was acceptable. Though it wasn't something that betrayed his trust, it certainly was something that would sour things between them, but they still respected each other. Releasing his grip on Serhis, Iskdiwercaesin sat in the wagon, looking intently at them. "Just go. Get to the Library. We'll talk about this later. Maybe."

Baous flicked the reins for the horse to move forward, keeping his eyes on the road, but still taking a glance at Iskdiwercaesin every now and then. As they arrived at the gates of the Academy, all of them were uneasy and no one was certain how things would turn out.

The layout of the Academy was in an oval shape, with a large ringed wall encircling the entire campus, both in an effort to keep people out and whatever loose bit of magic in. Considering how a few parts of the wall they could see had a fresh coat of white paint compared to other areas, it was mostly for the latter reason, since most wouldn't want to enter the property without permission and find themselves in a mage's equivalent of a target range. Within the walls was the main complex, a ring of buildings with roofs that sloped gradually inclined so that it made the illusion that it all was once building made of tiles, until they reached the center and the incline increased dramatically, the main tower one of the highest structures in the city. Standing in front of the iron wrought gates, a few other people with business in the Academy waited for the clerk on duty at the front to admit them inside. When it came to their turn, the clerk looked up at Iskdiwercaesin, then at Serhis and Baous, then at his parchment.

"Has someone requested new specimens?" the not quite out of his youth human asked.

"Uh, no," politely replied Baous, "we want to go to the Library."

"Standard policy is that only those with authorization from a senior wizard are to enter the Library," he briskly replied. Since Iskdiwercaesin was already in a foul mood, he didn't need to do much to scowl at the man. "Uhm, well. If you don't have any other business, please move your wagon. You're blocking the path."

"Brave human, aren't you," snorted Iskdiwercaesin. "Where is one of these 'senior wizards'. We'll straight to him and get out of your way."

"They, uh, they- one of them, I think, is at the entrance of the library. Maybe. I don't know. Professor Rilink usually is there during this time."

"Can you let us in?" asked Serhis.

"Uh, sure," the clerk was more than happy to pass this along to a senior official and pulled a lever to raise the gate, which seemed to move by force of magic instead of any mechanisms, moving much faster up and down than a normal gate. "The Library should the second ring to the tower. Just keep to the main path here."

They rode inside and the gate closed behind them with a noisy clang as the metal touched the stone, though that didn't muffle the sound of the man popping the cork on a flask and swigging a whole gulp from it.

Iskdiwercaesin looked back at the clerk, "A specimen? Pfft."

"Sounds like they bring in an assortment of creatures from time to time," said Baous.

"Probably in an effort to study them, or more likely, to use as reagents for spells.

Now inside, they looked around at the interior of the Academy, stopping the wagon to watch a line of scribes carrying volumes of papers out of a building and pass in front to walk on the main path, though all of them were also watching them with a bit of surprise. The main path lead directly to the base of the tower, a bulbous oval dome that the tower stuck out of, the road lined with grass and trees to shade those that walked it. More than a few people that were in deep discussion halted mid-sentence as they rode past, though a few were hotly in debate and paid absolutely no attention to them. The scribes were plainly dressed, while those that they figured where the scholars were had some finer quality robes, most of them dyed in specific hues and colors. There were also a few people that were dressed in more workable clothing, likely craftsmen or artists that studied here.

Reaching the second ring, they found themselves in front of a pair of doors, one on either side of the road that both lead to the Library, since it went in a near circle with the exception of the break where the main road crossed.

"I don't see any windows," Serhis said as he viewed the Library, "I think they take keeping people out of there very seriously."

"No windows? How do they see in there? I don't think always having to carry a torch or lantern where there's a lot of paper is really smart," commented Baous.

"We'll see when we get inside, though most likely they use magical lighting. They can afford it, since they're the top exporter of magical items. Having the high population of mages in a city has it's benefits. And risks," Iskdiwercaesin grunted.

Taking the door to their left, they entered the entrance hall of the library. Despite the lack of windows, the room was well lit, though they couldn't see where the source of the light was. The paneled wood walls were lined with stacks of books and numerous scribes coming and going, putting books and scrolls down or picking from the stacks and leaving the Library or going further inside. As they entered, the rhythm of activity skipped a beat as everyone looked at the visitors.

"We looking for Professor Rilink. We want to find something in Library," said Serhis. Almost every scribe with a free hand pointed at a human with a desk to one side of the room, then when about their duties.

Approaching the professor, the human turned in her seat by the desk and regarded the group as they came closer, and they the professor. She was a human past middle age, but not quite old, her short red hair was beginning to gray and a few wrinkles on her face indicated her age, but her stance and posture indicated that she still held plenty of strength, as did her brown eyes. "I am Professor Rilink. Who are you?"

"Serhis. This Baous and Iskdiwercaesin. We want to talk about permission to go into Library."

Calmly regarding the strange visitors, she replied, "Serhis...? Ah, you were the ones involved at the incident at Natade. I suppose you know what is usually asked of those that want to enter?"

"Yes. A rare book or a service. We no have book, so we want see if you need something done."

Standing up from seat, she went to a nearby stack of scrolls, taking one out and laying it out on her desk, displaying a map of the Academy. "I have no tasks that would require your services, unless you are eager to help sort out the mess that is my current office. You will want to see Professor Gabvil," she pointed out a building close to the outer walls. "Or Professor Vollinger, but he is in a bit of a mood, so perhaps not today. But then, he has always been somewhat gruff," she said as she pointed out another, closer structure.

"Will Professor Gabvil be a nicer person talk to?"

She seemed to hesitate before she answered, "He certainly is likeable and nice, but compared to talking to Vollinger, a degree more dangerous."

"Care to explain that?" Iskdiwercaesin pointedly asked.

Sighing, she rolled the map up, "I think it would be best if I took you to him. I have something to give him, so this would be convenient." Placing the map back in the pile in the same place, she went back to her desk and retrieved a thick book, then went to the door, with them following behind.

Getting into the wagon, they followed Professor Rilink's directions as she gave a tour of the Academy on their way to their destination until they got to a rather distinct structure. It wasn't like any of the lower surrounding buildings, but it looked like it had begun as one and someone had built upon it several times, with clear indications which sections where added before the next one was built on top, but here and there were parts that weren't as clear, looking they were more repairs and renovations, and all of those were to one side, facing the wall. The fresh paint on that wall was a telling signal that something had happened here. Repeatedly.

Getting off of the wagon, the Professor asked, "Why do you want to enter the library?"

"I want to find anything that can help find others like me," answered Baous.

"Yes, I have heard that part of the story as well," she nodded, referring to their previous exploits and Lilthian's detailed stories regarding them. "I am curious as to the ritual that they say was worked on you," she said to Iskdiwercaesin, "it would be interesting to hear of the workings of that ritual."

Iskdiwercaesin glared at her, then at Serhis and Baous. "Ask them. I couldn't have cared less at the time."

"Sorry, but have to keep that a secret, since other that work with me don't want any other finding out."

"I will respect that decision, though I am interested how effective it was. It's the most fascinating aspect that I've heard and since you are here, I wanted to find out more about it. How hostile has he been with strangers? What are his primary motivations? Has he been hoarding precious objects or has that remained unaffected?"

Iskdiwercaesin was extremely ticked off. "I am. Right. Here," he said with a lot of heat. "Don't talk like I'm not here."

"Oh, sorry. You did ask I refer to your kobold companion. How about this question, do you have urges to act wrathfully? Any feelings of intense anger?"

"Not until recently," he said, while Serhis and Baous couldn't help but cringe.

"What about your motivations? Why are you traveling with these two that seem to have a different goal in mind than you?"

"I'm going along with them because they know someone that could aid me in killing the one that took my wings. That should answer both questions."

"Ah, vengeance. It would seem the ritual was... effective, though he has a rough personality. I'm apologize if my questions were uncomfortable, but your restraint does you credit. I'd like to ask you all more questions later, but you have business with Professor Gabvil and I do not want to delay you any further. I will be at the entrance of the library if you wish to ask something, or at least I will be there until they finally find a new office for me." Opening the door for them, they entered the building.

They had come into what was a workshop, though it was one of the messiest ones they had ever seen. Mechanical contraptions that they had no idea what were for covered many areas of the room and the open windows that let in streams of light illuminated the motes of dust that was in the air, though the dust wasn't from disuse or from lack of cleaning, rather from the fact that any attempt to clean would be futile as a cloud of soot was rising out of one corner of the room and not all of it was leaving the windows.

Professor Rilink yelled over to that part of the shop. "Coggins! Coggins! Are you over there?"

"Huh? Oh, Amelia! Did you find the book I asked for?" a slightly grainy, but young voice asked, the rising cloud of soot ceased as they heard what sounded like a metal rod being put down.

"Yes. We also have visitors," Professor Rilink said as she set down the book one an already large stack. "Do you need me to bring these back for you?"

"Hmm? What do you... oh! Those ones. No, no, no, I still need them. All of them."

"Please do not tell me you've written your notes in them."

"No, I haven't. Not all of them," the voice muttered as the sound of loud hammering filled the shop.

Sighing, the professor took a book out and flipped through the pages. There were sketches and notes covering the sides of many of the pages, some of them extremely detailed. "Coggins, really. These books belong to the Library, you cannot simply treat them like your own personal notebooks. You already have access to as many as you want."

"Now it's not that bad. I've only written on the common stuff, nothing like back when I wrote in the rare editions. Besides, it's really inconvenient when I look through the books and I have to go and find which page I made notes on in a separate book. Having the notes right there on the page is useful!"

Serhis wasn't sure if he should say anything as the professors talked, instead he tugged on the Rilink's sleeve. Baous was deeply engrossed in a nearby contraption that they couldn't begin to guess what it's purpose was for, while Iskdiwercaesin was also looking at the odd assortment of devices, but seemed to want to give the impression that he wasn't that interested.

Feeling the tugging, Rilink put back down the note filled book, "Coggins, you might want to put whatever you are doing on hold, our visitors want to speak with you."

With one more loud thud as the hammer was put down, Professor Coggins Gabvil emerged from his current project. He was a gnome of around eighty five years of age, which was under middle age for gnomes, with a thin brown beard and shaggy hair, wide blue eyes, and somewhat wide nose. He wore the brown clothes of a craftsman and a leather apron, and there was a general impression of dirtiness to the man and the reason that he wore brown was so that he didn't have to go through the trouble of washing his clothes every day.

As soon as Serhis and Coggins caught sight of each other, tension could be easily felt.

"Professor Coggins, this is Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin. Do you recall the events that occurred at Natade?" said Rilink.

"So these would be the ones in that mess, huh? A kobold..."

"Please sir, no trouble want here," said Serhis earnestly. "Me nice kobold, don't mind gnomes. Much. No need worry."

Coggins regarded Serhis warily. If there was one thing Serhis knew that anything that would get him into an awkward situation, no questions asked, it would be the meeting between a kobold and a gnome. A meeting of kobolds and gnomes was usually five minutes short of a brutal brawl, though it was usually less time if both parties were already carrying weapons and skipped the frantic search for a correctly shaped rock.

"These are the visitors? What do they want?" asked Coggins.

"They want to enter the Library," replied Professor Rilink.

"What? Don't you have anything to give them?"

"I would have thought that you would be in more need of assistance than me. You've been complaining about the shipments."

"Fine, fine. You, kobold. Serhis, was it? Go ahead and take a seat there," he pointed over to a sturdy looking chair.

Not wanting to make the situation any more tense, Serhis complied and sat down in the oversized chair. And almost immediately jumped off when he realized that Coggins had pulled out a crossbow when he was walking to the chair and had already fired a bolt at him.

"Coggins! What was that for?!" Professor Rilink demanded as she snatched the crossbow out of his hands.

"Don't be so alarmed. It wasn't like it was going to hurt him. I needed someone to test if the enchantment worked."

"Well you better warn people about that before you try that again. This kobold's friends don't seem to appreciate it."

Baous had his war hammer and was ready to beat the stuffing out of Coggins if Rilink hadn't taken the crossbow away from him. Iskdiwercaesin, however, was rolling on the floor laughing, "Ahhahahaha! Oh, ah, sides hurt. Hah, oh, you should have seen the look on your face Serhis. Baous' was even better."

Serhis was face first on the floor and was about to get up until a hand was offered by Coggins to get him off the ground. "Well, at least I know it works. Sorry for the scare there, but anyone I told what I was about to do just plain refused to get in the chair. Since you were willing to go along with that, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you're not here to stick a dagger in me."

Serhis dusted himself off as he got to his feet, "uh, thanks. I think. Why did you fire crossbow at me?"

"As I said, to test the chair! It's got an enchantment to protect the person sitting in it from projectile weapons. I figured that somebody out there sits on a throne all day, worrying if he's going to get shot by some assassin, so this will solve the problem. You'd be surprised how many people find a person sitting in their seat with an arrow sticking out of their chest. Problem is that it's not going to do anything about someone creeping up behind the poor sod and slicing their neck, still have to work on that, but I'm sure a few in the political works out there would appreciate this immensely. Maybe a few paranoid people out there as well, but it'll sell."

"So we get to go into the Library?" asked Baous.

"Huh? Of, sorry no, this isn't the thing I needed help with at the moment. It's just that it didn't take long for everyone here to learn about my need for a tester and the chair, so I figured, why not? Since you just arrived, I figured you hadn't heard about it. And if it somehow didn't work, I do have a healing potion on me."

"Then what we need to do to get inside Library?" asked Serhis.

"There is something you can do to help the Academy, that's usually all it takes. You see, there's-" Coggins interrupted himself as they heard the sound of someone entering the workshop, who was dressed similar to Professor Rilink . "Ah, hi there Kenneth, nice of you to come. Finally took up my offer to help, I've got this new invention that-"

"Professor Gabvil, please address me by my formal title as Professor Vollinger," the man interrupted. The professor was a half-elf as far as they could tell who definitely fell into the category of old age, with short white hair, but not balding, with facial features like an owl; he had large eyes, a small pointed nose, and gave the impression that he was more active in the night time.

"And I keep telling you old friend, titles aren't much worth here, especially if I have to shout out a warning. It's much easier to say 'Ken, don't sit on the new bulk compressor' rather than 'Professor Vollinger, Head of the Chair of Magical Studies, don't walk under the personal size reducer'. It's bad enough you want everyone to enunciate the whole thing whenever possible. Hopefully, it such a thing did happen, it'll shorten your title as well as your height, " Coggins said with a bit of humor.

Professor Vollinger didn't look amused. "Professor Vollinger will do. I hate it when you take me so literally, you do this every time I ask it of you just to annoy me. Now, to answer your first question, no, I am not here to aid you in any of your experiments or inventions, I'm only here to inform you that someone else who wanted to enter the Library came to me yesterday. Since I don't have anything for him and you seem to be the one who has been taking all the resources he can get, I told him to come back today and he will be here in half an hour. Who is this?" he waved his hand at Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin.

"These would be the ones were involved associated in the revolt in Natade," Professor Rilink explained. "They have come and asked for permission to enter the Library as well."

"Is that so?" The professor approached them to inspect them fully. "If you have time, make sure to ask them to give full details of those events. I want the first hand account written down and put in the archives."

"We'll have plenty of time for that later," Coggins said to him. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay for an experiment? I've always wanted to find out if half-elves had the ability to trance, since you are able to resist a sleep spell."

"No, I am sure. Have one of your assistants help you with that, I have more important duties to attend to," he said as he left at a brisk pace.

"I suppose I need to get back to my own as well," Professor Rilink said to everyone. "Good luck with what Coggins has for you."

"Thank you for the tour Amelia- I mean Professor Rilink," Baous said politely to her.

"Professor Rilink or Amelia will be fine. Do not mind either Professor Vollinger or Coggins, they are only like that when others are around. It is almost as if they need an audience, so that Professor Vollinger can flout his rank and for Coggins to bring him down from his position. If any of you do have the spare time, come visit me so that I may record the events at Natade. I will see you enter the Library once you have permission I suppose, seeing as my new office will not be ready any time soon," she said as she bid them farewell while going out the door.

Now alone with the gnome, Serhis asked, "What is it we need to do for you?"

"I'm afraid nothing yet."

"Wha-? But Amelia say you have something for us to do."

"In fact I do, but since Kenneth had met a fellow yesterday, I've got to see him first before I can give anything for you. Sorry, it's a first come, first serve type of thing. Come back later, after I've determined if this fellow I'm going to see is capable of what I need. I already think you bunch are fine enough for the job, but, he was first."

Nodding, Serhis extended his hand as a farewell, "meet you later." To his surprise, Gabvil shook it without hesitating, then went with to the door to bid them goodbye.

"That was almost pointless," Iskdiwercaesin said as he got into the wagon.

"I don't know, we met some nice people," said Baous, flicking the reins to guide them out of the Academy. "When should we come back?"

"Maybe an hour or two later. Should we go somewhere while we wait?" asked Serhis.

"Go anywhere. I don't care," Iskdiwercaesin said as he laid down in the wagon, "but if we happen to pass a market, get me a thick blanket or some pillows. I don't mind laying down on this thing, but feeling every bump isn't going to make sleeping easy."

"I guess the market will do. We might as well pick up a few things," said Serhis.

As they reached the Academy gates, they stopped to alert the clerk to let them through. "Sir, sir! We'd like to pass through," Baous shouted to the outside. The clerk looked at them only once and the path was clear. "We'll be back in an hour or two," he said as they passed by.

"I don't see why they bother having the clerk outside," muttered Iskdiwercaesin. "What's the use of a gate if it can be opened from the outside."

Serhis shrugged. "Maybe there's something more to it than it looks. He might be doing something we're not noticing as pulls a lever. I wasn't seeing if he was using any magic or if he was-"

All discussion stopped as they saw who was coming through the gate as they were leaving, a familiar face. A familiar face that wasn't any way friendly. Striding through the open gates was Alaric, cleric of St. Cuthburt, who was just as surprised to encounter them so far away from home.

"You! What are you two doing here?!" demanded Alaric as soon as he got over the initial shock.

"Us?! What about you?" asked Baous.

"I asked you first! It's astounding either of you are here in this center of learning, why did they even let you through!? I even more astounded that the kobold there didn't stab you in your sleep or lead you into a den to be devoured!"

"Our business our own," Serhis replied coldly, "now we go on our way. Just go past him Baous."

"Hold it there, you aren't going anywhere until you answer my questions!"

Iskdiwercaesin raised his head above the side of the wagon. "Who's the idiot that's shouting?" he grumbled.

There was another moment of surprise as Alaric saw him. "So the stories are true. You've been journeying with a green dragon."

Flicking the reins, Baous started to move the wagon clear of the gate at a brisk pace, but Alaric was determined to keep up with them, "I told you to stop!"

"Why should we? All you going to do is shout at us more," said Serhis. It was bad enough he was troubled with admitting everything to Iskdiwercaesin, but Alaric showing up was making things worse. It was like the man never knew when to keep his voice down and many that they passed by were looking at the unusual sight.

"Who is this guy?" Iskdiwercaesin pointed at the pursuing man.

"I, Alaric Fethgian, cleric of the judge of just retribution, St. Cuthbert, am ordering you to halt right this instant!" he shouted with as much force of authority as he could, holding the silver cross of his deity up. To Serhis and Baous, it was the thought that he actually thought he had authority over them that was the most irritating.

"Yeah, yeah, hail the man with the big stick," Iskdiwercaesin said irreverently. "Do either of you know who this man is or why he wants us to stop?"

"He's someone we know from my hometown and who's always had a problem with me. If my father ever saw you doing something like this, he'd call you a fool for making so much noise," Baous said as he pulled the wagon to a stop, wanting to answer Alaric's questions so they could go away quickly and with some degree of silence.

Reaching Baous' side of the wagon, Alaric slammed a hand on the side of the wagon, "Your father was a bit of a fool himself when he took you in, but I won't insult the man, even if he made me promise never to hurt you. Well? What in the Nine Hells were you doing in there?"

"We were looking to go into the Library. There, that answer question?" Serhis pointedly replied as he stood up on his seat.

Scowling at Serhis, Alaric was equally mocking in his reply, "I'm shocked to see that you even know what a Library is. For what purpose did you want to get in there, not that any sensible person that runs that Academy should have even let you through the front door."

"We're going to find anything that could help me find other Kobolds," Baous snapped at him, amazed that he was responding so forcefully. A few months back, he would have been cowed by Alaric, but now, he was holding his ground.

"Find more of your kind? I should have known. It would make sense that you would... Oh damn! What time is it?! I'm going to be late for my appointment with that senior wizard," Alaric looked back towards the Academy from several streets away, the gates were still open and the clerk with an expression of befuddlement.

"Then hurry back. We not keeping you," Serhis said as he sat back down in his seat.

"I'm not done with any of you yet! We're going into the Academy and I'm going to see to it that I get access to the Library. Then, we're heading straight to the inn and we're going to have a discussion about you."

"Bossy thing, isn't he?" said Iskdiwercaesin to Baous and Serhis. "Why should we follow you anywhere? You're obviously not friendly and it's not like we owe you anything."

Alaric was fuming. Casting an eye at Baous, he had lowered his voice, but all the hostility was still in every spoken word, "I'm going to find out if all these stories I've been hearing are true, that you lot have overthrown a corrupt town council, 'saved a city' from a demon."

Sighing, Baous looked at Serhis. "Should we go with him? I don't like the idea of going along with him, but it might make dad happy that we've settled things with Alaric."

Heaving an equally exasperated sigh, he nodded his head. If only for the sake of Baous and Innoc, that they could at least not make the situation any worse, and as long as he didn't do anything aggressive, he was willing to put up with the demands of the enraged man. At the very least, if Baous went back to Dunben and Alaric went back to visit as well, they could say they had settled things here to Innoc.

The clerk had no objections as they passed back through the raised gates, he was even dutifully putting into his log book that they were passing through, all the while with an expression of disbelief and shock. Alaric walked in front of the wagon, warily keeping an eye behind him at Baous and Serhis, and would have preferred if he could also see Iskdiwercaesin, but as he was still in the back of the wagon, he was out of his line of sight and likely causing Alaric to be even more wary. When they arrived back at Coggins' workshop, their guess that he was the one that had the appointment was confirmed.

"So Alaric, why do you need to go into the Library?" asked Baous.

Without giving an answer, Alaric strode into the building. "Professor Gabvil, Professor Gabvil!" he shouted over the din of the gnome still working on his latest project.

Again, there was a clank as the professor set down his tools and emerged from behind the indeterminable object. "Ah, hello there! You must be the one Kenneth was talking about. Hello there Serhis, Baous, Iskdiwercaesin. Did you forget something?"

"Kenneth, who- ah, you must mean Professor Vollinger. He has no more tasks for us, so he recommended that we contact you for more tasks before we could enter the Library. Eh, might I ask something a bit off topic sir, but what the hell do you think you're doing allowing them in?"

"Well, if you're speaking about letting them into the Academy, we don't have a policy of turning away anyone as long as they have a reason to come and aren't going to make trouble about here, so you might want to take it up with Meos outside," the professor responded, referring to the clerk. "But if you mean why I let a kobold of all things into my workshop, well, he seems useful enough, and from what I've heard is trustworthy."

Seeing as how Alaric didn't have anything else to say about them that would do anything, he chose to ignore them. "About the task sir?"

"How many of your group are there?"

"Four of us, including me."

"Hmm, no good, no good. There has to be more..." Coggins said, his eyes looking downward and hand on his chin as he thought. "Well, looks like I do have a task for you," he said to Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin, "you're going to be helping them!"

"WHAT?!?" Everyone aside from the professor shouted in a mixture of confusion, anger, surprise, and outright bafflement.

"What possible task requires that I have to take them along?!" Alaric demanded.

"Don't you have something for us that won't need for us to work with him?" pleaded Baous.

"I take it that there's some conflict between you. I'd inquire as to why, but Amelia would say I've been prying again. Well, I'm sorry, but there's no other way. You're just going to have to put up with each other, as what I need from you depends on your skills and your numbers."

"Isn't there someone else? Other petitioners that wish to enter the library?"

"Yes there are, but none of them are skilled in combat. That's why Vollinger sent you my way, as I currently have problems I am sad to say require the application of blunt force."

"What you need that need all of us?" asked Serhis.

"To hunt pirates," Coggins explained. "You see, there's been some problems lately on the trade routes. These high seas brigands would always want to hunt after ships carrying Academy supplies if they see them. From what the crew of the ships say, it seems to be the same ships, so I need you to go after them."

"This task seems more suited for city's navy, doesn't it?" asked Iskdiwercaesin.

"We've already tried asking them for help, but the pirates have a fast ship, and the damn thing is that they've been using any magic item they've found to confound any further pursuit or to drive off the escorts. We've also tried to hide a few marines on the ships, but that doesn't work either, these pirates are the skilled sort. And they've got their hands on my newest request!"

"And since there are probably going to be a lot of them, this is going to need all of us," sighed Baous. "Newest request?"

"It's something I've specially ordered from a distant country. It's called a 'cannon' or 'bombard'," Coggins fished through a pile of scrolls and presented what looked to be the designs of a large hollowed out cylinder. "These pirates intercepted it! And using it on more ships!"

"Eh, what do this cannon do?" Serhis asked.

"From what reports say, it's capable of sending an object speeding through the air with incredible force using an explosive powder. It's an interesting specimen, but it was so expensive to acquire, they are so difficult to produce, not to mention that it's also reported to spew out so much smoke, a ballista would be more accurate after the first shot and it can fire faster, but if it doesn't carry the same amount of force."

"And the pirates going to use it against us?"

"That I don't know. They might have run out of the smokepowder or it could have gotten wet. The important thing is that you get rid of them. The bombard isn't necessary anymore, but if you could,

"Is this thing to scale?" muttered Alaric looking at the as he rubbed his temples, his displeasure with this arrangement clear to all.

"No, the scale is 3 to 1 to the plans. "

"Unless we actually take over the ship, getting it back isn't going to be easy," said Baous.

"I don't expect to get it back, but it would be nice if you could. As I said, all I need for you to do is get rid of the pirates. There's also a bounty for their capture, as they are plundering other trading ships as well, but they are primarily our problem."

"Sinking them seems to be the most practical option though," Iskdiwercaesin said. "Anything else? Like how we're suppose to go after these guys without a ship."

"I'll notify the next ship leaving that you will be coming aboard, which will be tomorrow morning, though I have to say there's a chance that you won't encounter them at all. After the captain makes his delivery or you find these pirates, you'll head back here. And no, nothing else."

Nodding to the professor, Alaric turned around to face them. "Since it's going to be necessary for us to... work together, I expect for you to pull your weight," he said through grit teeth.

"I could say the same to you," muttered Iskdiwercaesin. "What's this guy's problem with you?" he asked Baous and Serhis.

"I've known him for as long as I can remember," said Baous. "He always had a problem with me and he never tells me why when I ask. It was just before I left my home when he seemed to explode at me and Serhis. My dad wants us to get along though."

"Master Innoc expects much from us then," grumbled Alaric.

"Let's go," said Serhis as he headed for the door. "He not in much talking mood, so just go away. We work on the pirate problem, then hope next task not need him. I think I saw inn near docks."

"Hold it there," Alaric said sharply. "If I am going to have to work with you, I want see if I can trust you at all. Clearly, you are going to have to explain about him," he pointed at Iskdiwercaesin.

"Fine. What you want to know?" Serhis.

"Oh, can I ask a few questions as well?" Coggins chimed in, "I am very curious about this ritual that I've heard about. I've never heard of such a variation."

"Perhaps later professor. You three are going to come with me," ordered Alaric.

"What for? If you have question, ask now."

"My companions are going to be as interested in what you have to say as well, since they are also going to be on the same ship."

"Wow, did stuffy Alaric actually make an allegory," said Baous.

Ignoring Baous, he continued. "We will see if you are dependable," he stressed the last word, "and to that end, we are going to meet with them at the inn we've been staying at. Professor, good day. Now, you will follow me," Alaric said to Coggins with a small bow and went out the door. With a great deal of reluctance, they followed him.

As they went out of the Academy and towards the inn, Baous explained to Iskdiwercaesin about Alaric and his party, about how he was trained by his father, and anything he felt was relevant. Serhis listened and added nothing. Passing under the blue sky, he had his own feelings and thoughts to contend with at the moment. The meeting with Alaric had reminded him about what Innoc had told him before they left Dunben and why he was so hostile to the furry kobold. And the uncomfortable fact that he still hadn't told Baous about how he came into Innoc's ward. He didn't know if there would ever be a time when he could. Admitting that they had intended to mislead Iskdiwercaesin before they actually knew him wasn't as difficult, if only for the reason the deception never took place and the situation had changed. As his friend, Serhis knew he had to tell him. The more he thought about it, he kept wondering why Innoc had placed this responsibility on him, rather than telling Baous before he left instead. To give Serhis this task, someone he knew no more than a month, but had become quick friends with his adopted son, was extremely demanding. If Serhis had known how difficult it would have become the longer the journey continued, he would have been far more reluctant to have given the promise to the dwarf. Perhaps that was why Innoc couldn't admit that he had played a part in depriving Baous of his parents, that the longer he knew him as he raised him, the more impossible the task. One thing Serhis could decide now was that if they did manage to find others of Baous' race, it was that he would say what he knew before they returned to Dunben. This also raised one more question, what would Baous do if he did encounter other kobolds?

"We are staying at 'The Silver Horn'," Alaric interrupted Serhis' thoughts, "it is to the left of this street."

Arriving at the inn, Serhis would have to ask Baous that question later he thought as he climbed down off the wagon. Something that was absolutely certain, he would make no mention of it as long as they were near Alaric or any of his party. He didn't know how Baous would react, especially if he was in direct contact with the people who destroyed his tribe. One of them certainly was the one that killed his parents. Those events occurred before Baous could remember anything, but meet the potential killers of your own parents would give anyone reason to give into anger and fury. With some dread, they entered the 'Iron Horn', though Iskdiwercaesin had no such feelings.

The inn was likely for passing merchants, not nobles or other high class citizens, as could be told from the quality of its furnishings and the clientele. Serhis could tell who were the ones that were with Alaric after scanning the room a bit. He might only have met them once, but one near death experience on the side of the road and river did more to make someone recall a face than a hundred meetings. Baous could tell them from sight and smell. The same couldn't be said for them, they had likely long forgotten his features, if they had bothered to remember at all, one kobold gave little need to remember anything about him. They assuredly recognized Baous as they approached their table.

"Alaric! What's he doing here?" one of the humans with a clean shaven face, dark black hair, and alert brown eyes exclaimed as he saw them first.

"He'll be explaining that to us soon," grunted Alaric as he took a seat next to the man.

"And... is that a green dragon?!"

"How observant. I really did hope you didn't somehow mistake me for a very green hydra that that lost it's other heads or something else. Looks like my wish came true," Iskdiwercaesin mocked him in a deadpan tone.

"Settle down Talver. I'm interested in what he's doing HERE, in this tavern. Why did you bring him here? And what's with the other two?" asked an elf.

"Hi there Samuel," Baous icily greeted him, not bothering to take a seat on the crowded table.

"The next task that has been assigned has been deemed so important that the professor has made it necessary for us to work with them," Alaric told his teammate. "I tried to dissuade the man, but it was for naught. I have brought them here so that we might see how much of a liability they could be."

So many judging eyes, Serhis thought with a degree of agitation. They had already come to the conclusion that he, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin were nothing but trouble and dead weight. Seeking to calm himself, he met each gaze with a steady one of his own.

"So what's so damn important that it needs these guys?" asked the one called Talver, his shifty eyes constantly observing every stray motion.

"We have been tasked with ridding this city of pirates that ply the nearby waters, having stolen items of great value from the Academy and using them to attack passing ships with greater fury and fire. I will explain the details momentarily, but first we must question them."

Baous groaned and shook his head. Again, they were treating him with disdain and with little to no respect, thinking that he was answerable to them.

"From what he has told me already, they wish to enter the Library to seek knowledge of any kobolds that he may seek. What concerns me is the company he keeps."

"Oh, any reason for this concern?" asked Iskdiwercaesin.

"Aside from the fact that you are a green dragon that claims to have been altered by a ritual, for which you give no details about or where this ritual took place."

"Because to tell about ritual endanger those that help us," Serhis said sternly.

"So you say, and that is why I remain unconvinced. Again, I've attempted to see that you carried a dark and evil heart, by the grace of St. Cuthbert, and again, I've detected none from you, but that the dragon does not either is most surprising. That doesn't mean that you may have hidden yourself from such spells in an effort to lend strength to your story."

"Paranoid jackass, isn't he?" Iskdiwercaesin said. He didn't say it in a loud voice, but just the regular volume was enough for all of the tavern to hear. If he was looking to provoke Alaric, he was making very good progress.

"And it would seem that he has a bit mouth on him. This arrangement will not do, and I would suggest- Would you stop that snickering!" he yelled at a female half-elf in medium armor.

"Sorry, sorry. I wouldn't have used it so... vulgarly, but yeah, if I had to describe you Alaric, you always do poke and pry too much. It's just..." she stifled another laugh, "so many people are so damn polite, they never say it to your face. I remember this noble that you really were being a jackass to, and he was probably thinking the same words. And the only one that ever is going to say that is a dragon?! For the whole world to hear, finally?

"I don't find it funny. Now is not the best time for you to express your impression of me Mirines. I could easily say you have an inappropriate sense of humor and no sense of priority. Going back to the main point, what indisputable claim can you make that you are worthy of our trust?"

"Didn't you say you've heard about us already? Isn't that enough?" asked Baous.

"We've heard about what happened at Natade. We heard that you aided a demon in destroying the town council, as well as part of the town," a well-built human said gruffly.

"We didn't know that she was a demon and she was a succubus that got into our heads!" Baous said with some exasperation. "How were we suppose to know that? I'm not like you Jonathan, I can't just see if someone is from the abyss, and I don't go around sensing if the people I just met were demons."

"You were far to trusting, but I can't say I know the full story. At the very least, you did try to correct what was wrong, killing the demonic creature and revealing what crimes the town council had committed, if they are true."

"Humph. Seeing as how we have no recourse but to allow you to accompany us in our task to bring justice to these pirates, I pray St. Cuthbert, in his wisdom, will grant us victory despite our questionable allies," Alaric huffed.

"It's not like anything we can say is going to convince you otherwise," Iskdiwercaesin said in a low voice.

"What do you expect? You claim to have been placed in a ritual that changed your very nature, something that I've only heard in very questionable tales, and make no mention of who aided you, as there couldn't have been any possible way that the reptilian kobold could have accomplished it by himself. Your actions to date have been misguided at best, and I cannot comprehend why the same dragon would keep company with the ones that altered your mind. This sounds more like an elaborate story to misguide and allow you to travel without speculation. It's an arrangement that you must be happy to be party to."

"I going to have to disagree with you. On many points," Iskdiwercaesin growled. "Serhis' ritual might have been unwanted, but he's also the one that kept me alive, and I'm not one to brush off such a debt. Between that ritual and my death, the ritual is preferable, though I didn't feel the same before then. Still, the price of going through it wasn't too bad, it wasn't as if it wiped my mind clean and replaced it with something else, it only made me..." he was at a loss for words as he tried to sum up the effects, "it made me less unsociable." Even as he said it, it still didn't seem right. "And as for 'happy', that's a load of crap. To be accurate, I'm sort of pissed that the same two that hauled my tail over a mountain also had tried earlier to deceive me in some sort of conspiracy. Not that it happened, but them even trying to do so is pretty irritating."

Reactions around the table were mixed, with Serhis and Baous taking this as stoically as possible and the others listened silently, but their eyes in deep thought as they judged those words. "At least you have some sense of honor to acknowledge a life debt," said Alaric.

"That still doesn't explain why you go with them or what you intend to do," said Samuel pointedly.

"Aside from survive and get mountains of gold you mean? Pay back a certain individual for this," Iskdiwercaesin moved the stumps of his wings.

"That we've also heard about," Mirines said. "You were lucky when they found you, that's for sure. What with you in the middle of nowhere and... damn, I can't pronounce that black dragon's name.

"Dianekesswhedabkeari Nocudithroden is his full name," Iskdiwercaesin said, always speaking that name in a smoldering fury, and said no more of it.

Among the details of the ritual being left out when Serhis explained to Lilthian their journey here was the fact that Tiichi de Soves even existed. Despite now being in control of a powerful rival dragon, Iskdiwercaesin also felt that to expose it's location to the world would serve little purpose and Dianekesswhedabkeari wouldn't have been hindered by lack of secrecy, as it would mean that he would hasten his plans to compensate for it. It was a dim and near nonexistent hope that they would eventually rid Tiichi de Soves of him with the aid of Nadia, but it was something they hoped in anyway.

"An adult dragon? You? As much as I'd like to see a foul creature fall, such a goal is unachievable by such as you," said Jonathan skeptically. As Serhis looked at the paladin, his green eyes, rounded chin covered in stubble was certainly not what he had expected from the helmeted mounted nightmare he had feared.

"Why do you think that?" Iskdiwercaesin's temper still hot as he snapped at the paladin.

"You do not seem skilled or experienced enough to attack such a creature. From what I hear, you are still relatively young, no more than a mere child, and that doesn't help. This Dianekesswhedabkeari has also crippled you."

"What do you know?! Someday, I'll get him, and it'll be in the skies that he thought he tore me down from! And why the hell am I answering to you!?" Iskdiwercaesin looked around for the innkeeper. "One room for me! You two get another one," he said as he left Serhis and Baous while tossing a platinum piece to the innkeeper.

"Shouldn't we say something?" Baous asked Serhis.

"What can we say? We should leave him alone for now."

"I suppose so," Baous didn't sound sure.

"He has a quick temper," remarked Talver as he took some ale off a passing serving tray, "Is he always like that?"

"No," said Baous. "I wonder though, why do you want to go into the Academy Library as well?"

"That is none of your concern," said Alaric.

"Why? You the ones that been asking us questions, why not you answer some back?" Serhis said.

"Kobold's got a point. You were the one to drag them here," said Mirines. "It's not like we need to not tell them."

"After they prove their worth," said Alaric.

Sensing there wasn't anything worth left talking about, Serhis motioned for Baous to go with him to the innkeeper to get their own rooms, leaving the rest to their table. As they went up the stairs, Serhis thought about what they had said. One thing that struck him was that Innoc made them swear they wouldn't harm Baous, but they still treated him roughly. "Are they always so mean to you?" he asked.

"Yeah. This was one of their louder times. Sometimes they don't talk to me at all. I've also asked dad about it, why they always like him, but not me, and he says that they're only ignoring me in their own way, that they need time to come around. He told me that seven years ago, but I don't see them doing it anytime soon."

Passing in front of Iskdiwercaesin's room, they knocked on his door. "Who is it?" he said, still sounding angry.

"It's just me and Baous. We just wanted to check on you," Serhis said.

"So you did. Now let me sleep."

"It's early in the afternoon," Baous said.

"It hasn't stopped me before. Just tell me when those assholes aren't downstairs anymore. Otherwise, just tell the innkeeper to bring my dinner up here. A platinum piece should at least give me that service."

"Alright then," Baous said, then went into their own room. Sitting down in a bed, he took a look out the window. "Looks like I wasn't the only one they have some sort of unreasonable grudge against."

"I understand they have a few concerns, but that doesn't mean they have to treat us like that," Serhis agreed as he sank into the other bed, his chain mail making him sink even further. "This is going to make tomorrow very awkward."

"You mean having to be in ship with them and not being able to just leave? Yeah, 'awkward'," Baous said as he put down his war hammer on the bed stand next to him.

"You've know them better than I do, what can you tell me about them, aside from them being unfriendly?"

"I don't have much to tell then. I might as well start with what I know about Alaric."

"Is he their leader?"

"Kind of. They don't really follow anyone, but he's the one that leads them towards an adventure most of the time, always going after some 'wrong that must be righted' and that sort of stuff. From what I've heard, he does a good enough job of it," he said grudgingly. "Dad thought him a few things, like how to fight, St. Cuthbert, told him all about his own adventures before he came to Dunben. I understand he wants to be a very faithful cleric, but he's always so persistent. I know there's a description for him..."

"A zealot?" Serhis offered.

"Yeah, that was it. He's part of the Order of the Chapeaux of St. Cuthbert, just like Jonathan. Jonathan, he's not as 'loud' as Alaric, but he's more forceful about things. When he's in a fight, he always likes being at the front of the charge."

Serhis nodded, understanding what he meant since he was in front of one of his charges before. The blinding pain of his arm being broken, a desperate struggle breathe as he sunk under the water, those were the things he would have preferred not to understand at all.

"He also trained with dad, more than Alaric did, horseback riding, how to handle a shield, how to move in a battle. They still go out drinking sometimes when he comes back to Dunben. I know his dad, he's a blacksmith, and he's a whole lot nicer than Jonathan. As for Talver... well, he's not like them, that's for sure. He still gives he this look whenever we see each other, but what I mean is that he's not all... straight and narrow like them. He likes to bend a few rules when he can and play pranks. Especially on me." Baous ear flicked and tail twitched, as if recalling something, and Serhis knew it wasn't something to ask further into. "He's pretty loud when he brags and isn't shy about insulting someone if he feels like it. Not that he's said anything to me, but I've heard what he says as he mutters when he leaves. He also brags about being good at insulting too, like how he can 'make a troll get pissed by smiling at it funny'. What he doesn't brag about is being good at nicking stuff that isn't his or being very good with a blade, those are something he doesn't want anyone to know he's good at. I don't know much about what he did before he joined their group."

"What about the half-elf? I can't recall her name, but she seemed a bit nicer than the others, since she agreed with me."

"Her name's Mirines, and she's not as nice as she seems. She likes thinking about things practically, but she's the one that ignores me as much as she can, acting like I'm not there, but that's better than her glaring at me if I get her attention. I swear she wants to freeze me solid on sight and I'm always not sure if she can't do it. She's a duskblade, someone that can use spells along with her sword at the same time. I haven't seen her fight before, I so don't know how good she is, she uses a different style than dad, and I think she's self trained. She used to live on his farm outside of town, but she and her family moved into the town after she got some money from adventuring. Nothing big like Lilthian's house, kinda like the one dad lives in."

"And the elf? I saw his staff, so he's a wizard?" Serhis guessed.

"That's Samuel. Dad said he's a bit surprised he didn't become a duskblade as well, but I think it's because he likes being able to destroy stuff. He trained to be an evoker, so he sure knows how to throw a fireball. Not much to say about him, he keeps to himself a lot."

"Are they good at combat then?"

"I haven't seen them in actually fight, but they've been doing this longer than us, so I think so," Baous grudgingly said. "Anything else?"

"No, that's fine." With nothing else to do, Serhis opened his pack and started tinkering with a trap to pass the time. "After we deal with the pirates tomorrow, I hope that anything else Coggins needs us to do doesn't require them. For now let's just get some rest before we head out to sea."

Baous nodded in agreement, spending his time to make sure his equipment was in working order as they waited.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Deciding to have their dinner in their room, Serhis and Baous had went downstairs to get what they could. Thankfully, none of the group was downstairs and so they paid for their meals and left.

"Hey Serhis, I'll go and drop off Iskdiwercaesin's dinner," Baous picked up a second tray.

"Make sure to knock before you enter our room, I already set a few things up."

Knowing what the 'things' were, Baous was sure to remember, not wanting to wind up on the floor with a sore ankle or head after walking into his own room. As Serhis went into their room, Baous stood in front of Iskdiwercaesin's both of his arms full with the trays of food. Putting down a tray to knock, he paused as he was about to get up. Listening carefully, he wasn't sure if he was hearing correctly. Carefully picking the other tray up, he opened the door and went into the darkened room, "Iskdiwercaesin? You alright in there?"

Even as he saw the dragon turn around, he was still couldn't believe it. Iskdiwercaesin was crying.

"What are you doing in here?! Close that door!" the wyrmling yelled, tears dripping off his snout. Mind still in disbelief, Baous quickly shut the door behind him. "No, I meant leave! Get out!"

"I- uh- your dinner. Here," Baous went to the nearest table and placed the tray down hastily, spilling a few things.

"Now leave. And don't say anything about this. Anything," Iskdiwercaesin's voice sobbed with anger and humiliation.

"I won't, I won't. If it's anything that Jonathan or the others said to you-"

"Like they could say anything that would bother me," Iskdiwercaesin muttered, but a small part of his voice said that a small bit of it was true. "They don't know anything about me and they're idiots. I don't care about them."

"Are you hurt then? Maybe Serhis can help."

"No! Don't bring him in here!" Iskdiwercaesin wasn't shouting loud enough for anyone to hear, but he spoke with a forceful tone. "And you, you're probably the biggest idiot of them all. You think someone's hurt and you go rushing in to make it go away. You can't make this go away."

"What do you mean?"

"These!" Iskdiwercaesin screamed, indicating the remnants of his wings. "I want them back. I want them back." Still crying, he wiped the tears from his eyes, "Dammit, it hurts."

"What hurts?" Not knowing what to do, all Baous could do was ask what was on his mind.

"Why do you care? Why do you stupid kobolds care about me so much? First you wanted to lie to me, now all you care about is how I am, it doesn't make sense!"

"No, I guess it doesn't."

"I keep thinking that I'm better just going my own way, but every time I want to, you do something that makes me think again. You stake your lives in your trust in me, always looking to see if I got hurt in a fight, pulling me up after falling off a roof."

"I think it's because we got to know you. We got to know that you care about how we feel and what we think. I don't know why Serhis did it, but I think he saved your life because he had hope that you could be a someone that also went against what most others like him are, cruel and evil, by your own choice. I might be totally wrong though."

"Either that or he only did it out of some religious duty to Bahamut. And what about you? You didn't want to have anything to do with me and I get on your nerves as much as I do. I thought you would be laughing if you saw me like this."

Baous simply said what he thought, "I've been laughed at before, so I don't want to do it to anyone else. No one should laugh because someone is hurting or in pain. You're something of a pain to deal with yourself, but you've done a few things for us that you probably didn't think too much about either. Tackling a succubus all by yourself was pretty gutsy."

"I did what was needed, that's hardly something to like about."

"Well, it depends. But... I know Serhis is grateful for you teaching how to fly. He could have done it by himself, but you helped."

"I told you, it's because I don't want to be stuck in the same damn thing like in Natade. Great, he can fly now, we don't have to worry about it ever again," Iskdiwercaesin dismissed Baous' words.

"It's not just that he can get away from something like that, it's that you taught him something he's been wanting to do his entire life. You should have heard him after you left, he sounded so tired, but he was so happy too. He probably would have thanked you if you were still awake when we got back to our room."

Even before Baous finished speaking, he began to hear the low rumblings of Iskdiwercaesin growling. "And!? A 'thank you' isn't going to do anything about my own wings! He rides the wind while I'm stuck here on the ground!"

Baous realized with some shock that Iskdiwercaesin had become envious of Serhis. The wyrmling would never admit it, but the fact that a dragon was jealous of a kobold was something he would be ashamed of in itself. "I think it means more to Serhis than a simple thanks. If he could, he'd probably find something to give back in return, if he knew what you wanted and if he could get it."

"If he wants to repay me, he better find something damn good," sighing, Iskdiwercaesin sunk his head down on a pillow. "Why am I even talking to you? Hell, why am I even listening to you, some dumb mutt that's never seen the world until now, but talks like he's some great sage? You probably gave more sappy advice than Serhis ever did. You done being some sort of weird friend by giving me that little meal? Because I don't think you heard me telling you to get out."

He waited for Iskdiwercaesin to say something else, but the dragon stayed silent for some time. "As... As a friend then, and an ally, can I ask something? What did you mean when you said 'it hurts'?"

"You're a nosy mutt. 'Get out' doesn't mean a thing to you, does it?" Either way, Iskdiwercaesin admitted what was troubling him. "Even with my wings gone, it sometimes feels like they're still there. Not exactly 'there' but... it feels strange. And sometimes it hurts, like little needles pricking every part of it. Sometimes, every once in a while, it's like hot coals, and I'm being ripped apart again."

He didn't have to ask, Baous could tell now was one of those times. From the way Iskdiwercaesin was speaking, just talking to Baous was a way to distract himself, and again he'd never admit it. "Serhis should have something to help. If he knew about that, he'd want to do something quick."

"I'm not going to ask him for anything," Iskdiwercaesin muttered.

"You don't have to ask. If I could, I'd also try to do something, but I know Serhis can do better. Good friends don't have to ask to know something's wrong."

"You actually think we're friends?" incredulous and mocking, Iskdiwercaesin had gotten off his bed to get his dinner.

"I'm not sure we are yet. It's not something that's all formal and stuff, it just happens. But you wouldn't mind, right?"

"What kind of friend are you? The sort that places those that aren't into dangerous, untested, life threatening rituals and tweaks the head just right until they do? Or the type that lies the first time they meet someone?" snarled Iskdiwercaesin.

Baous didn't like the way this conversation was going. He didn't like where it had started either. There was even a chance that Iskdiwercaesin would get angry enough that he would attack, and since Baous had left his war hammer in his room, that was something he needed to avoid doing. "No, I didn't want to become any sort of friend when we first met you. Or ally. Or anything really, we thought we were just going to go away from each other sooner or later. Then things changed and we started traveling together and we started to get to know each other."

"Oh? Just because we 'know each other', that makes it better? You barely know anything about me! I'd like to say I don't want to know anything about you, but the whole damn reason we're heading anywhere is because of you and your search for other kobolds and it makes me wonder how that happened."

"You don't talk about yourself much. It would have been rude to pry," Baous replied weakly. "But if you want, you can ask me anything about myself."

"What I want is for you to leave me alone. I also think that I should go away and never see you two again. And every single time I do, something makes me change my mind, like I'd regret it. Why is that, why the hell do I keep thinking that? The only thing I can think of is that ritual." Iskdiwercaesin approached Baous slowly, a low rumble as he spoke. "Perhaps you did something more, maybe that ritual made me into a slave, and all I'm doing is going along with the master of the ritual."

Backing into a wall, Baous wished that were true so that he could make Iskdiwercaesin back off, but instead, he tried to calm him down. "You know that that ritual didn't do that. I don't know exactly how it worked, but I know Serhis would never do something like that. If something like that were cast on you, he would try to break it, and I'd help him too."

Sighing, Iskdiwercaesin went back and sat at the table. "He would. That would be just like him. But that still doesn't explain why I feel regretful going my separate way."

"Maybe you were a little right about it being what happened to you in the temple. I think it's because it's allowing you to feel that, and not because of the ritual itself," Baous was tripping over his own words and didn't make himself completely clear.

Looking a little perplexed, Iskdiwercaesin looked at Baous to explain further. "What? Try and keep that simple mind together and make sense."

"I mean, the ritual did do something, but it's not making you do anything. It's, uh... it's... allowing you to get to know others better. Connecting to someone better. I know there's a word for that, Serhis said it once."

"Empathy," the dragon said between a morsel of food, "yeah, he said that. What you're saying is that I'm not being forced into thinking something, but I just have the capability now." Baous nodded, his words being summed up quickly. "You actually think I see you as someone I'd care about?"

"Well, I don't know. Sometimes you're a big jerk, but you didn't turn your back on us when you had the chance, so yeah, we care about you. Who do you care about?" asked Baous.

Iskdiwercaesin looked Baous for some time, as if waiting for some trick or for him to burst out laughing, while trying to sort out the complicated relationship between himself and the others, considering the deceptions, the ritual, and their trust. "Just get out. Serhis had better have something to get rid of the pain."

It wasn't an answer, but it wasn't an outright rejection. As he turned to leave, he could feel Iskdiwercaesin's claws catch the back of his tunic. "As for my favor, this is what I want. You're never to speak of this to anyone. Got it? Swear on you life that you'll never tell anyone, and that means Serhis too."

Nodding vigorously, he was sure he could feels a few holes in his clothing as the claws let go. "Good, and I meant it when I said your life. Breath a word to anyone about what you saw, and you won't have to guess what happens next."

Going into the hallway at a quick walk, he heard the door shut behind him, then the bolt slamming close as Iskdiwercaesin wanted to make sure that no more unexpected guests entered. Walking back to their room at a much slower pace, he was still trying to figure out what had just happened. All he knew for sure was that his dinner was cold. He almost forgot to knock.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yawning and rubbing his eyes, Serhis donned his chain mail and his vestments, looked at the Northern Star as he said his prayers, and went downstairs for breakfast. Baous was still sleeping, so he decided that he would bring up some for him later. It was a wonder that he and Iskdiwercaesin always seemed to get into shouting matches whenever they had the chance, he didn't hear any distinct words from the dragon's room last night, but he could still hear something through the wooden walls, and Baous wasn't at all bothered about admitting that they had been arguing again when he asked why he had taken so long bring Iskdiwercaesin his dinner. All Baous would say about it was that Iskdiwercaesin thought that the meal was only a small portion, but he did mention that Iskdiwercaesin sometimes felt pain where his wings were. Easing pain wasn't one of the usual spells that he prepared, he was usual trying to get rid of the wound that caused it, but Serhis had thought it would be a good idea to soothe Iskdiwercaesin. He had knocked on his door as he passed, but there was no answer and the door was locked, so he thought it best to keep to an old proverb and let sleeping dragons lie.

As he went down the stairs, he saw that a pair from Alaric's group were at their table, the ones called Mirines and Talver. They kept their attention on him as he went past, and after he got his order from the innkeeper, they motioned for him to come over. Warily, he approached them, "What is it you want?"

"Your name is Serhis right?" asked Talver. As he nodded, the human set down his mug, "I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Talver Brook and this is Mirines Yewarch."

"Thank you for introducing selves," Serhis said, tactfully not say 'nice to meet you' since it wouldn't have been true. He was about to turn to leave as Talver spoke up again.

"How about you sit here with us? We want to know a few more things about you."

"What? Going interrogate me again like Alaric?"

"Alaric is a bit... rough when he sees something he encounters something he disapproves of, I speak from experience. I'd like to know more about what I've heard from those stories they've told out of Natade and maybe I'll tell a few of my own, but you can go on your way if you like."

Considering how harshly they treated Baous, Serhis wasn't going to expect too much from them and did consider simply leaving. However, he was looking to see what more he could learn from them, so he sat across from them and set down his breakfast. "What it you want to know?"

"We've heard about the dragon and what you say you've done to him. I'm not going to go disputing what's what, since both Alaric and Jonathan aren't positive on him being 'a servant of evil and tyranny' and they're usually on the mark on those things. The part why he doesn't have wings though, we've heard lots of different reasons why, the stories get fuzzy on that part, but we gathered it was the one about the other dragon being true. Same could be said for yourself, there's a few things they say that can't possibly be real, but what I want to know is how rich he is?"

"I know he got thousands of gold pieces, though not sure how many. Had lots more before though, but not anymore. Er, what different stories about us?" Serhis had wanted to ask about why they were interested in them, but this had made him wonder what the world at large made of them.

"It's just the way tales get mixed up in the retelling," Mirines answered. "There are a few that say it's because he was born without wings and that he only wants to say they got ripped off to make himself look good or that he got some wizard ticked off and only shrunk the wings as a curse. It's not true, is it?"

"No, not true." This was going to be one of the more awkward breakfasts he would ever eat, Serhis thought. "Any false thing about me?"

"Here's one of the good ones, there's one that says you're a golden dragon that's disguised himself and only left the scales and wings as a very subtle warning not to make you angry."

"Flattering thought, but not true."

Mirines set aside the bare plates of her finished meal. "Here's an important one. How good is the dragon in a fight? Not having wings is certainly is going to make him less dangerous."

"For who, the pirates? Or you?" Despite the conversational tones, Serhis was still wary.

"What a thing to say," Talver said in mock surprise, before becoming slightly more serious. "Look, we're going to be in a fight on the high seas. That means if things go bad, there's no way to run and get another chance. Unless you got a spell or shoes that lets you walk on water, but that's something else." Toying with his food, Talver was skillfully using his knife to make the ham on his plate into perfect cubes. "It's kind of in our best interest to know what he's capable of."

"He breath acid and know how to use claws."

"Yes, yes, obvious things, anything else?"

It wasn't that they were pressing him for information, but Serhis knew that anything he said would be soon given to the rest of their group, but at least he had the opportunity to learn about them. "He also know how to cast some spell. What about you? What stuff you good at?"

"Ah, a spell caster. That explains why the succubus fell so easily to his claws," said Mirines.

Talver seemed to grin a bit as he was asked about his own skills. "Better to ask what I'm not good at. I know five ways to get past a locked door with a nail, and ten if the person who locked it is still home. Two dozen ways to tie a rope, some of them useful and holds real tight, some of them just look that way. Ah, fifteen orcs, that was my highest record, right?" Mirines just drank her ale and nodded, looking like she had heard this all before and had stopped bothering to talk now that he was starting to talk. "And let me say three thousand gold pieces isn't as light as it seems, especially the way they were tucked in my pants and you have to walk past one of the guards of the estate. I get in a fight, you better hope you don't see me and not because I ran away. It just means I'm even better at what I do. Nice to know I'm on your side, huh?"

"Can't sing half a damn," Mirines said, her voice echoing through her mug as she finished draining it.

"Oh come on, it was one time. Having a Duke asking for a performance is an honor, especially after I left his home stuffed with his gold, though it's not like he gave it to me. That I was leaving at a run has nothing to do with it."

"Where rest of your group is?" Serhis said.

"They're prepping for our little cruise," Talver said.

"Jonathan and Alaric have gone out to a temple of St. Cuthbert and are going to meet us at the docks. Samuel went to purchase a few scrolls that will aid us while out at see," Mirines said. "I have to ask, what exactly happened to you and Alaric a few months back after we left Dunben? He told us about how there was a kobold in town and how Innoc stopped him, but he didn't get into anything specific."

Serhis had loosened up a little around the two. They weren't exactly friendly, but they weren't as hostile as Alaric, they at least attempted to be cordial. They still watched where he put his claws. By the time he had finished explaining the incident, they had finished their breakfast.

"I guess I should say sorry about attacking you on the road like that," Talver said as he knocked back the last of his ale. "I guess it was a bit unprovoked, but when Alaric gets it into his head that someone's an enemy, it's a bit hard to change his mind. But that's usually after the other guy's either in an infirmary or a hole in the ground."

"What about Baous?" Even if they were polite, Serhis had seen the way they looked at Baous the night before.

"You mean Alaric's opinion of him, or ours?" responded Mirines, her previously neutral tone taking an icy edge.

"Both. Innoc ask that you be nicer to him, but you not. Why?"

Mirines leaned back into her chair, looking at Serhis skeptically, "So you've heard about that. Look, we owe the old dwarf, he taught us quite a few tricks that saved our lives, but asking us to accept his adopted son with open arms is too much. No one can just ask that two people are friendly and that's that."

"But why? He done nothing to you, but you still not nice."

"It's complicated, alright? I bet you and that dragon have a few issues yourself," Talver tried to deflect the question.

Looking up the stairs to be sure that Baous wasn't coming down yet, Serhis lowered his voice so that only they could hear, "Innoc told me how Baous became adopted. You responsible for that."

The two of them seemed to have had a needle prick their backs from the way they looked at him with a little shock. Talver looked over his shoulder towards the stairs as well before whispering to Serhis, "I guess he told you the whole thing then?"

Nodding, Serhis watched as they adjusted themselves in their seats. Mirines' also kept an eye towards the stairs. "He made us swear that we were to never to speak to him about it. At least that I agreed to. I'm not even going to ask why he told you about it."

"That still not tell me why. Baous still not done anything to you."

"Tell me, what do you think he'd do if he found out, hmm?" Talver said. "Then how quick do you think he'd become some bloodthirsty animal?"

"I don't know what Innoc was thinking, he actually trained him. And it looks like he gave him his war hammer. It's absurd," muttered Mirines.

"Then you know there were two tribes. It was accident that you kill all there, but that still mean something wrong happen there. Maybe if you say sorry to him-"

"Say sorry? For what?" demanded Mirines. "All of those kobolds were armed, all of them. That doesn't sound to me like peaceful settlers."

"They still need something to defend themselves, they still need to hunt for food," protested Serhis.

"Look, let's just drop this," said Talver. "What's done is done. I don't agree with Innoc's decision to keep the pup as his son, but that's it. The old dwarf was just asking for a mess of trouble when he did that."

Serhis sighed, knowing that this discussion wasn't going to go any further than this. "So nothing Baous can do going to convince you that he not going to be dangerous to you, huh?"

Talver and Mirines hesitated a bit as they thought.

"No, he might not be 'dangerous' to us, but if he comes after me, I'm going to have to put him down. That'll be hell to explain to Innoc," Talver said.

"What would you have us do then? Give him all the details that led him to becoming an orphan and 'hope for the best'?" asked Mirines, her words cutting deeply. "It's better to leave it alone."

"I... Innoc ask me I to tell him. Sometime. That's why I ask. Maybe he forgive you. Then maybe you say sorry to him. That was all big mistake, very big mistake, things could have be different, but yes, things done. But things could be better. So please, even just a little, be kind. Baous go all this way to find out about other kobolds and don't need more problem. Please, rude not do anything, kind things do better."

"Innoc asked you to do that?" Mirines said more to herself than to Serhis. "What was he thinking?"

"Fine. If you're going to open that bag of worms, you're welcome to it, just make sure you do it away from us," Talver said. "Why do you want to do that anyway?"

"Because Baous needs to know," answered Serhis. "One thing I want to know, why you want to go into Library?"

"I'd say it's none of your business, but then we did kinda pry about why you are here as well. We pretty much have to find a few maps," Talver said.

"Maps for what?" asked Serhis. He actually didn't care at all why there wanted access to the Library, but any change in subject was needed by that point.

"We have need to access a fortress that is well guarded, but is rumored to have a second hidden entrance," Mirines said.

"You hoping to find this place soon?" asked Serhis.

"Thankfully, we're not in a rush," Talver said, putting his feet up as he leaned back and put his clean and polished boots on the table. "We've been in this city for over a month and a half. Normally, I'd say that this was a waste of time, we aren't even getting paid for the work we do for the Academy and we've been spending our own coin while we stay at this inn, but then again, there's the treasure. Oh, there's going to be so much treasure," Talver said dreamily.

"You doing this all for treasure?"

"No, not exactly," said Mirines. "There is a certain object we want to get inside that fortress, but the object is also inside a vault holding other valuable objects as well. Pardon us if we don't want to tell you what this object is or where it is."

"Does not matter. Maybe soon you go on you way and me no see you again," Serhis said as he got off his seat. "See you at docks later." He went back up to his room, distracting himself by tinkering with one of his traps until it was time to sail. Talver and Mirines weren't bad people, he knew that, but they were still the sort that made Serhis uneasy. When Baous woke up, Serhis only told him of a few details of what happened in the tavern and why there were hear, but nothing more than that.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Standing on the deck of the ship, they waited as a few more pieces of cargo were being lifted into the hold. There was a stiff wind today, the sea breeze ruffling clothes and Baous' fur, and a thick blanket of thick fog had rolled in. With nothing else to do, Baous was practicing, trying to maintain his balance on the deck as the waves passed underneath the ship.

"How long before we leave port? I thought we were hunting pirates, not going on a trade voyage," remarked Iskdiwercaesin as he craned his head up as he watched another crate being lowered into the hold.

"Didn't one of the professors tell you? We actually have to be a trading vessel before those sea dogs try to attack us," said the captain of the ship as he approached. He was a human that looked to be in his late thirties, with a trimmed mustache and beard, wore tight fitting clothes, and looked like he had been in a few tussles and came out better than the other guy. Adjusting his cloth hat, he introduced himself. "Captain Cossel, at your service. So you're the ones that are going to be bringing those rat bastards down?"

"I guess so," Baous said, stopping his routine to talk.

"I'd have asked that you don't swing that thing on deck, but from the looks of it, you don't fight out at sea much, do you?" All of them shook their heads. "I thought so. Just make sure you do it far away from my crew, it makes 'em nervous. And keep a tight grip on your weapons, once those things go flying off my deck, they're going right to the bottom, and you'd be something less than useless when we actually find those curs. They robbed a few of my buddies and I'd like to see them get a few holes in their sails for their trouble. We'll be out at sea shortly, don't you worry." Tipping his hat, the Captain went to see Alaric and the others.

"How many do you think there are going to be?" wondered Serhis.

"Supposing that these pirates also have on a caravel, I'd say around thirty. Any that are going to be dangerous, I'd say maybe five or six," Iskdiwercaesin said.

"They also have that bombard thing. What do you think it can do?" Baous said.

Serhis shrugged, "Who knows. I think it's more to scare the other ship, since if they actually sink it, they don't get anything. How do you feel?" he asked Iskdiwercaesin.

"Since you used that spell, nothing," Iskdiwercaesin said.

"If the pain ever come back again, you just tell me," Serhis said.

"Keep in mind that I never asked you to waste a spell."

"I know, but since you had some phantom pains, even if it's slight, I can always do something."

Serhis noticed that Iskdiwercaesin looked at him and Baous oddly for a second before walking away toward the other side of the deck to look at the busy port instead of the sea. He was about to continue watching the seagulls and the other boats bobbing on the water before Iskdiwercaesin came rushing back. "That gnome professor is here and he's brought something."

Going to the port side of the ship, they could see Coggins talking to the Captain, both of them making gestures towards a pile of barrels. The Captain seemed to be flustered as he argued with the professor. "Look, I'm not having those things on the Trollsteeth. I've heard about what just a handful of the stuff can do, and mostly involving how there isn't a hand anymore afterwards. Now you're proposing that I bring two barrels of it on board?!"

"It's perfectly safe as long as there isn't any open flames nearby. And the barrels aren't flammable by themselves, it's when you open them up is when you have to be careful," Coggins tried to reassure Captain Cossel.

"Perfectly safe? You must be joking, especially considering why you even want it on board my ship. You might have hired me and my crew for a lot of things, but being part of your experiments is most certainly not one of them. I don't like even being this close to them."

"Is there a problem? I thought we were well underway," Iskdiwercaesin said.

"Oh, hello there!" Coggins waved to them. "I'm just trying to explain to the Captain how my latest experiment is going to help you in your rooting out our pirate problems."

"Or how it might end up leaving me with no ship at all," Captain Cossel said.

"Say, are any of you familiar with explosive?" asked Coggins.

Baous and Iskdiwercaesin shook their heads, but Serhis tentatively nodded. "Er, why you ask?"

"Splendid! See Captain, these barrels are going to be in good hands. Or claws as the situation might be. I could also send along my assistant for extra safety if you are still concerned."

"You haven't told them what this stuff is. Maybe then they'll talk some sense into you."

"Oh, right, right. I'm here because I wanted to help a little with the pirates and I was hoping that you would help me as well. I want you to test the effectiveness of smokepowder on the open sea."

"Smokepowder?" Despite his concerns, there was a hint of glee in Serhis' voice. "All of it?"

"I don't see how you could, but I suppose if you needed to."

"What do you want us to do with it, chuck it over on the other ship and sail away as fast as we can before it blows up?" Iskdiwercaesin asked.

"You don't need to do that, you have this." Coggins pushed something that was behind the barrels into view and they recognized the iron cylinder from the plans. "Though if you have an opportunity, you could try that as well. Not a bad idea actually, though you must be out of the blast radius. Just make sure to record the results, how much cloth canvas burned, what effect it has on wood, did the projectile have enough force to go all the way through the ship."

"Where did you get that? I though you said the pirates took it," Baous said.

"I made it from the plans I had. It's a crude copy though, its certainly is a lot smaller than the original plans, and I'm afraid it has a few imperfections, but I've tested it, it won't explode after you try to fire it. As long as you keep it cold by dousing it in water," he added.

Captain Cossel sighed, having been left behind in the conversation, "If you need to have it on board, send your assistant as well." Grumbling, he went to talk to a crew member about lifting the barrels and bombard into the ship. "At the least with him on board, I can bill you for making my keel go faster than the prow."

Moving his arms, Coggins gestured for his assistant to come over. It was the same person they had seen at the gates of the Academy, and who was very nervous on seeing them again, but mostly Iskdiwercaesin. "Hey, your that guy at the front gate. Meos, was it?" Iskdiwercaesin asked him.

The man who was barely out of his teenage years looked like he had a few years chopped off just then. "Professor, please, I didn't mean it when I said that the gate job was boring," he pleaded with Coggins. "I- I know I've been asking that I get transferred into doing some research for you, but this isn't what I meant! I was fine with handling the smokepowder barrels, but I didn't ask to be on a ship that's going to be hit by pirates!"

"Nonsense boy, this is exactly what you've been asking for," Coggins said to his assistant with absolutely no hint of duplicity. "What better way to get field data then when in an actual practical applications? You're going to be helping these chaps load, arm, and fire the bombard. You've been repeatedly been requesting that I find you a place on my team for field research, and now here it is! Go on, get on board, this is going to be the first of many of some fine tests. And make sure you keep that thing well maintained, it might be crude, but it's still a working prototype."

With the look of a man that had just gotten in way over his head and had now found that it was only going to get deeper, Meos walked stiffly up the gangplank like it was going to drop out from underneath him unexpectedly. Coggins nodded to them as he passed. "He's a good lad, although he makes a bit of trouble now and again, sneaking out for a night on the town. Keeps getting caught getting back in though, all that alcohol doesn't help, and that means he get gate duty and stop others from doing the same thing. Keep an eye on him for me, will you? I'd hate to have to get him back with a few cutlasses in him, all the tuition fees we get isn't going to make a raising any cheaper."

"We'll keep an eye on your assistant," said Baous as he gave a thumbs up. Serhis was expectantly waiting on the side of the cargo hold as the barrels and the bombard were being lowered in, eager to ask Meos when he had the time about the ratio of the mixed chemicals and what would be an optimal amount to send a heavy rock speeding though the air at a horrendous speed. Iskdiwercaesin had lost interest by now and was currently practicing a few tricks of prestidigitation on the sailors and was having fun making one sailor look long and hard for a bottle of grog that he was constantly misplacing every time he looked away. All the while, Alaric was silently watching them, or another of his group so that they would be under observation at all times, a fact that Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin hadn't failed to notice.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For three days at sea, they cruised around the main trade routes towards a city that neither adventuring parties knew, but apparently imported large volumes of grain and wood as far as they could tell from the contents of the cargo hold. So far, both groups kept their distance from each other and any conversations they had were quick and to the point, and if any of them were on deck, they would stand on the opposite end of the ship. Serhis had spent the whole first day basically interrogating the slim Meos, who's complexion showed that he wasn't the type to spend his time in the sun for long stretches of time, but his body suggested that he spent just as long honing it to work on tasks that the gnome professor couldn't do, but had none of the large bulky muscles of a body builder. He was a mage and had some training as an engineer, but his mind tended to wander from tedious study towards more entertaining activities, like looking for a party, finding attractive women, and other things that most traditional wizards would scoff at. The only reason he was enrolled at the Academy was because he really was interested in higher learning, but he couldn't get rid of his habits. One reason for Serhis learning of this was that he himself had told of his own past to the curious assistant that had never encountered a kobold before, either of Serhis or Baous' kind, and he was most definitely interested in the story behind Iskdiwercaesin. Meos, who's face looked like it should either have spent most of it's time either smiling, had hazel eyes that had never seen most of the outside world. He had never been outside of the city except on occasions where he would go to a relative that lived in another city, but never really explored the countryside. They discussed at length philosophy, theology, and other related subjects during their trip.

Serhis had also asked Meos about his impression of the senior professors he had met. Meos' opinion of Coggins was what he had expected, that the gnome was brilliant and loved inventing things, but he didn't display any of the eccentric tendencies that were usually related to those types of gnome. Instead, Coggins was a focused individual that concentrated on a particular subject like a vorpal blade edge. Intensely focused, as Meos would make clear. Professor Amelia Rilink was a trickier subject, Meos didn't know her that much aside from the fact that she was basically in charge of the library and had lead several expeditions to recover rare tomes and had a personality of a interested school teacher, but with a professional demeanor. On the subject of professional demeanor, Meos' thoughts on Professor Vollinger was that he was stuffy old man with no life. Serhis thought it polite not to comment. Vollinger was a senior member of the Academy and dealt with most of the major decisions that came up. By this time, it was dark enough for the candles to be lit and Serhis and Meos quickly remembered to stow the barrels of smokepowder somewhere dry.

Baous' experience of the Trollsteeth wasn't as conversational and spent most of his day practicing on deck, trying to make sure he didn't lose his balance as he moved. He had caught the attention of the sailors, who were watching with interest at his style of combat, but more importantly, Jonathan had his attention on him. Being bored himself, he suggested that they sparred, he wanted to see how much Innoc had taught him and the old pupil wanted to know that he was better than Baous. Baous would have preferred not to have anything to do with Jonathan, but he also wanted to know if he could best the paladin one on one. The result was that Jonathan won slightly more of the matches, but only slightly, and a few were considered draws. Baous didn't mind that he didn't win as much, but he liked knowing that he could stand against him and be able to win, instead of losing every time. This didn't help his relationship with any of the other group though and things between them remained icy throughout the three days. The only bright spot for Baous was that Samuel got sea sick on rough waves and would spend long hours at the side of the ship, his head at the ready over the railing. The best part was when the morning's breakfast landed in the water and a mermaid appeared nearby, using her beautifully serene voice to cuss out the wizard for nearly dropping vomit on her.

Spending most of his time on the prow, Iskdiwercaesin was content to lay out on the planks on sunny days and read a book he had bought before they left the city or conversing with the sailors on the ship. They didn't mind Iskdiwercaesin's presence on board too much, a few had objections, but most of them liked having a dangerous creature ready to hunt pirates from them. They had also heard about what he and the others had accomplished at Natade, they were one of the first to hear these stories and spread them around to whatever port they arrived at. Since voyages at sea weren't entertaining, these types of stories were a way for the crew to amuse themselves. Iskdiwercaesin listened to them recount what they had heard and corrected a few parts, though he was sure to make himself look in the best possible light whenever the opportunity presented itself. He also listened to them tell of other stories of distant lands and interesting events, of large battles between cities and important marriages between important families. Nothing was mentioned of a kobold city hidden in the mountains suddenly conquering nearby lands and being controlled by a black dragon. Baous approached him once, asking if he wanted to speak about the night at the inn, but he refused to talk about it, not wanting anyone to overhear, but he wasn't going to let the issue lie unresolved. He scolded himself for allowing the mutt to find him in a moment of weakness, scolded himself for allowing there to be a moment in the first place, and wanted nothing more than for Baous to forget the incident even happened. But since he didn't have Lilthian's memory potions on hand, he had to make do with explaining things to Baous later when he was much more composed and able to steer the conversation in his favor.

During the course of the voyage, the captain had asked Samuel to detect the presence of any ship in the area and had recruited Serhis to fly as high as he could and report of anything he could see that wasn't the horizon. Captain Cossel would steer towards these ships and attempt to determine if they were the pirates. If they didn't match what the accounts of what the pirate's vessel looked like, he would trade information with the other captain, such as news, prices of goods at certain ports, and if the other ship had spotted what could have been the pirates. There were a few times where a captain or a crewmember would remember seeing a ship similar to the description, but none of them came close enough to verify it. One thing Captain Cossel would be looking for was any ship that was robbed and the ship sent on it's way, it would mean that the pirates would still be nearby. By the fourth day, he didn't need to bother, as he found the pirates as they found him

"All hands on deck!" Captain Cossel rang a bell to alert the crew. Serhis looked around as they scurried, picking up weapons and putting on light leather armor, just enough protection to turn aside a badly swung blade and not heavy enough to make them sink if they fell overboard. He was a little tired after gliding back down from his reconnaissance in the air, but he was sure it was the right ship, it had all the right markings and it was battle ready.

"So the flying lizard actually found them. Dropped the ball there Samuel," Talver taunted his comrade.

"I don't prepare many of those spells, I can't cast it constantly. It leaves no room for practical combat magic if I did," Samuel rebuffed him. "And now what are you going to do? Shouldn't you be helping that student with his contraption?" he directed at Serhis.

Serhis looked at Baous and Iskdiwercaesin. "Want to help with the bombard? The shots look heavy and he might need help getting them into the barrel." They nodded, happy enough to just get off the same deck as the others. "What you doing? Fireballs at them?" Serhis said to Samuel.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do have a few prepared, but from what we've heard they also have a mage of some kind on board, and they are likely to counter any spell I toss at their sails, so I'm forced to rely on these crude measures." The elf pointed at a catapult being set up on deck. "Of all things, we are forced to lobbing rocks at each other," he said distastefully.

The catapult was being assembled quickly, most of it was already prepared and they were only securing joints that would make it working and stable. A ballista on the stern was being aimed at the approaching ship, which was sailing in their direction. Captain Cossel yelled down at them from the helm, but directed all of his attention at the incoming pirates. "Wizard! You've got that spell ready, like we said?!"

As his answer, Samuel pointed at the sails which then were filled with a favorable wind, the whole ship leaning a few degrees as it turned to meet the approaching ship.

"So we'll be able to outmaneuver them with this wind?" asked Jonathan.

"No, look at their sails. They're coming towards us at full speed as well, so they've got the same spell happening," said Captain Cossel. "Right now, all we're doing is seeing to them not having an advantage. Brigsby! You see any on deck that's doing the same things as the wizard here, shoot him first!" he ordered the man in charge of the ballista team.

"It'll be a while before they're in range. Until then, it's a waiting game," said Iskdiwercaesin. Alaric and the others were going to stay on the deck to repel any boarders and help with the catapult while Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin were going to help Meos underneath. They would have to rush back up if they did get boarded, but as the range closed, they would be answering the pirate's shots with their own.

Meos was frantically packing smokepowder into the bombard, but they could see that he had a bit of difficulty loading the heavy shot as they came down. Baous and Iskdiwercaesin helped with that as Serhis checked the distance of the pirate vessel. "This was not in the school curriculum," muttered Meos as he checked to see that the shot was firmly in place. "Any of you good at measuring distances just by eyeballing it?"

Baous was already trying to aim down the crude sight that had been put on the top of the barrel. "How far does it go?"

"By range increments of fifty meters if you don't want to miss, same as the catapult. This sucks, the plans for the original one says that the one they've got can go over sixty. When you start firing over two hundred, things get inaccurate."

There wasn't much they could do about it now thought Serhis, they had planned this the best they could. Though they had a rocky relationship with Alaric and the others, they still needed to plan this assault and had discussed it over the course of those three days, mostly over dinner when they say each other as they got their meals. Alaric didn't trust them fully, but having dragged them over to the inn to determine if they could trust them at all, he felt that they at least could be included in the plan. Alaric and the others would be up above, ready to repel boarders. Those that had been robbed by the pirates had noted that they had been taken by surprise when creatures had been summoned on deck or creatures capable of flight swooped down, disrupting operations and attacking the crew that were at the heavy weapons. It was by this point that most of the ships surrendered, but those that resisted were soon boarded by the pirates after being shot with the bombard into the hull or a fireball onto the deck.

The plan was to shoot as many holes into the sails of the pirates as possible, enough so that they could catch up and take the fight to them. By that point, Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin were to get back to the top deck and help. They wanted to hide Iskdiwercaesin down below as a shock tactic, so that when he emerged and breathed acidic fumes onto the limited space of the enemy ship. There was a small hope that the pirates would surrender by that point, but if the fight continued, then Iskdiwercaesin, Alaric, Talver, and Jonathan would sweep the ship deck by confined deck while the others would stay on the Trollsteeth and deal with any boarders.

Plans rarely go the way they should.

From down below, they could hear some of the sailors curse, swear, and use other colorful bits of several languages as a literal bat out of hell appeared in the skies and started to attack the catapult crew just as they closed the range.

"Are we close enough yet?" asked Meos urgently as he held a burning wick to set off the smokepowder.

The other ship began to turn, then they all heard a the sound of a distant explosion just before a spray of water erupted between the ships. "That was very off target. I'd say they still haven't gotten the hang of it yet," Meos said with a large degree of relief.

"But they're still out of range," said Baous. "They're not coming any closer."

"They want to soften us up first. They're probably aiming for the catapult and the ballista," said Iskdiwercaesin.

In response, they heard the *chunk* of the catapult firing a stone shot. They could see it fly through the air in an arc, reaching it's peak, then come hurtling down into the prow of the ship, embedding itself in the wood, but it would take more than that to punch through the keel. There were whoops from the crew as they had just drew first blood and Captain Cossel complimenting the crewman who aimed the shot.

"What are you waiting for, fire!" said Iskdiwercaesin, as if he didn't want to be outdone.

"Uh, cover your ears!" Meos said as he ignited the powder. The sound was deafening, even with their ears plugged, or in the case of Serhis and Iskdiwercaesin, membranes. Baous hadn't aimed as well as the catapult crew, but it scored a hit on the prow of the ship as well and knocked a few more boards loose. Baous would have cheered if he wasn't on the floor after nearly getting his foot run over by the bombard as it rolled violently backwards from the recoil before coming to a stop, scraping his toe claw.

"Oh, sorry!" Meos apologized, helping him get back on his feet. "I should have warned you about that. That why there's those thick ropes tying it to the hull."

"Who's in more danger, who we're firing at or what's doing the firing?" Iskdiwercaesin almost had his foot run over as well, but had been in shock and was trying to retain composure.

They almost didn't notice the ballista bolts being fired from both ships, all of them aimed at the sails and ripping apart the canvas. What they did notice was the thick fog that was starting to fill the ship.

"What the hell! I can't see shit!" someone said above deck.

"Their mage must have put a fog over us. Damn pirates want to get around us while we can't see them," yelled Captain Cossel to his crew. "Wizard, can't you blow this stuff away?"

"It's not just fog, it's a solid fog," noted Samuel. "Only a severe wind can blow it away and what I'm making isn't enough!"

They realized that he meant solid very literally. Trying to move their arms and legs was like trying to pass through molasses. They also noticed that the ship was barely moving at a crawl, worse than trying to sail into a headwind.

"We're not moving!" shouted the Captain as he looked at the limp sails, realizing he had been outmaneuvered and now that they were both blind and almost at a standstill. "Can't you do something?"

At this point, all of them were at a loss. The next few minutes were agonizing as the ship tried to sail out of the fog, and every minute another loud boom could be heard as the pirates fired into the cloud as they didn't have to guess where the Trollsteeth was at that point in time. Three shots struck the ship and nobody was hit, but the ship had suffered horrendous damage to nearly all sides before the spell dissipated and the fog lifted.

"I need options!" shouted Captain Cossel as he swung the well hard to starboard, more concerned about avoiding the next shot instead of closing the range. "A few more hits like that and we'll be going back to shore in a rowboat! And I'm not about to be rowing for three days!"

"Are they getting closer?" asked Baous, unable to see the pirates from his position.

"They're a quarter astern and have the wind to their backs. Damn!" shouted the captain as he flung the wheel as quickly clockwise as he could, trying to turn the ship to avoid giving them any more easy shots.

"Then we're going to have to do something desperate," muttered Jonathan. "Everyone stand back!" he shouted before summoning his mount from the celestial planes right onto the deck of the ship, it's hooves clattering on the wooden deck. "Talver, you're with me! We're going to ride over there on our own and directly engage them. Try and shoot any of them that are aiming for the ship, but try to get their mage if you can, I want to give Samuel a chance to get a fireball into their sails without it being countered!" He had gotten on top of his horse and was reciting a spell from a scroll. By the time he finished, the horse had sprouted gills and fins.

"Well, I was about to ask a stupid question," muttered Talver as he got on top of the mount as well. "Uh, maybe not. How are we going to get there?" Jonathan flicked the reins, then the horse had went into a gallop and leapt over the railing, "I was afraid of thaaaaaaat!"

All those below deck could see was the brief streak of the underside of a horse that was half fish and a splash in the water before they could see Jonathan and Talver riding off. "Why didn't they do that in the first place?" wondered Meos.

"Because they're going to be under a lot of unfriendly attention," noted Iskdiwercaesin. "At least that self-righteous paladin is making himself useful."

"How about us? We've got a target," said Baous as he moved the barrel a few degrees and stepping well out of the way before Meos lit the fuse again. Another shot sailed into the prow of the ship, but the enemy ship wasn't going to sink soon, the pirates had repaired the damage with a few spells of their own. The catapult and ballista crews up above soon followed with shots of their own. The rock from the catapult fell short far from the target, but the crew of the ballista team were either experts or they got very lucky as the bolt landed dead center on the deck.

"Excellent shot Brigsby," said Captain Cossel as he lowered his spyglass. "You seemed to have skewered the siege engineer for the bombard, that thing's not going to landing a shot on us anytime soon. Was that on purpose?"

"Tell you the truth sir, not really."

"Well, good shot anyways."

"I see Jonathan out there," said Serhis. "Almost to ship now. How he going to get on board?"

Almost as if in answer to that question, the now amphibious war horse flung itself out of the water like a dolphin in a very high arc over the ship. At this distance, he could barely see Talver let loose three arrows in rapid succession and landed on the other side of the ship in the water, out of their sight.

"Damn, I thought those at the Academy were insane sending so few to get these pirates. You're friend over there just hit their mage with all his arrows," said Captain Cossel. "Glad I bought this spyglass with my top coin, I can see his expression. Looks very surprised."

"They aren't our friends," Baous muttered to no one in particular.

"I think we've just been upstaged," commented Iskdiwercaesin. "I can already guess what the sailors are going to tell when we get back to port."

"Well, they have been doing this for over fifteen years," said Baous.

"Finally, opportunity!" they could hear Samuel shout from up above, then a bit of Draconic and then they could see a little red dot streaking into the mast of the pirate's ship, leaving a large portion of canvas and rope as nothing more than ash.

"You said you can use spells as well. Can you use a fireball as well?" Meos asked Iskdiwercaesin. The glare he received from the dragon was all the answer he needed. "Just asking. Can't do much more than a light spell myself. Don't hurt me."

"I'm not going to stand around and look useless. Hey wizard! I want this back when we're done here!" Iskdiwercaesin flung the rod he had taken from another certain wizard's residence in Natade.

"Where did you get this? These things are- You know what, never mind," Samuel sent another fireball out, this time onto the deck and hitting the crew, this explosion of fire decidedly more powerful and sending a few of them flying into the water.

"Can't let them say I didn't contribute," said Iskdiwercaesin.

Now without most of their sails and some of their crew, the progress of the pirates had slowed enough for the Trollsteeth to catch up. Jonathan and Talver kept harassing them with arrow fire and the last and only shot the pirates managed to fire was extremely off target.

"Throw the grapnels! Defend yourselves, but let these adventurers do what their good at!" ordered the Captain as he brought the ships side by side.

"Oy! Move out of the way! Er, is that thing loaded?" Talver was currently outside of their ship, trying to get inside by the way of the gun port along with Jonathan. Meos shook his head and they entered. "Dragon, it's time for you to do what you do best," Talver pointed behind himself at the opposing ship.

"And what is that?"

"Destruction, fear, general acts of mayhem, and the soiling of pants."

Serhis and Baous couldn't tell if Iskdiwercaesin had been insulted or he had actually been complimented and from the way Iskdiwercaesin looked, neither did he. They all climbed onto the top deck in time to see the crew fling hooks onto the pirate's ship, pulling the ships close together.

"You! Those who take the just dues of those that travel these seas, be prepared to face your own!" shouted Alaric, attracting the attention of everyone on both ships. "Surrender and you will be taken to be judged for your crimes." The response was a volley of arrows and crossbow bolts, most striking the wooden railing that he had taken cover behind. "As a cleric of St. Cuthbert, I deem you criminals, violent and dangerous. Your souls be judged by his grace!"

Most of those on the pirate's deck had been hit by the fireball and were in no condition to fight, around a quarter of the ships crew had been incapacitated, but the rest of them were ready for a fight, some swinging on board with ropes or leaping on board when they got close enough, turning both ships into a chaotic melee.

"Do you see their captain?!" shouted Captain Cossel over the brawl.

"Who can say? It's hard to tell if any of these guys are in charge!" said Mirines.

The fighting was short and fierce, most of the pirates were cutthroats that only dealt with crews that barely knew how to hold a weapon, not battle hardened adventurers. At least one other part of the plan held when Iskdiwercaesin sprayed the deck with acid, forcing most of the crew to retreat below deck and leaving a few struggling to stay conscious as they fell to the wooden planks.

"Adequate. Perhaps you are redeemed," said Alaric to Iskdiwercaesin.

"They didn't surrender though. Looks like we're going to have to root them out," said Mirines. "Their captain's probably holed up down in the hold. Looks like we're going to have to go after him."

"Dragon, you're-"

"Iskdiwercaesin."

"Iskdiwercaesin. You're breathe will be useful in the confined decks below. Like we planned." As they cautiously went down below, Serhis, Baous, Mirines, and Samuel helped the wounded and gathered any prisoners, all the while hearing the fighting continue on the other ship.

Captain Cossel was inspecting the damage to his ship, shaking his head at every hole in the sails and groaning at the wreaked hull. "No bounty's worth this. That professor had better pay for repairs."

"Least no one on crew die," said Serhis.

"Count our blessing on that. These bastards sank a few of my buddies ships and I can't say they haven't lost a few friends," the captain nudged one of the pirates with his boot almost hard enough to bruise.

"What's going to happen to them when-" Baous' question would go unanswered and unheard as a loud explosion ripped through the air from the other ship, nearly knocking everyone off their feet, and a plume of dark thick smoke escaping through the cargo hatch. "What was that?!"

"They must have set off a lot of smoke powder!" shouted Meos, as everyone's hearing was slightly deafened. "Not enough to damage a lot of their ship though."

"It was trap? Should we go over and help others?" Serhis growing concerned. He was mainly worried about Iskdiwercaesin, but also felt that the others didn't deserve to die, even if they were extremely unfriendly to him.

Mirines nodded, "Then you better get going, Alaric might be hurt and we're definitely going to need a healer. We should-" Again, words were cut short when the ship violently lurched and threw them all to the deck, this time to the sounds of ropes snapping. To their astonishment and dread, the pirate ship was pulling away from them, despite the lack of sails and anyone at the helm.

"How the hell are they doing that?!" Captain Cossel was baffled by the sight of the retreating ship.

"Uh, I think might have used some magic items they took off of the other ships they managed to catch. I'm pretty sure they found something that can propel a ship for a while," Meos responded.

"Damn, I should have asked for a full list of the inventory they stole! Why didn't your professors tell me about this? I knew about the fireballs and your stupid little stolen project, but this would have been important."

"We didn't know! They could have taken it from a ship that they robbed and then sunk and never found out! We asked the captains of the other ships about what was stolen and they never said anything about a spell or device like that."

"We have to catch them!" Baous watched as the fleeing ship gained more distance from them.

"Captain, can we catch them?" asked Serhis.

The man's face blanked as his eyes glanced over the departing ship, the movement of the waves, and a rag blowing in the breeze, taking in many factors before he answered. "We could, but we're going to have a hard time of it. They're not going quick and we'll have the wind on our side, but they've got a head start and we're going to need some time to set the sails in this mess. Men, get to work!"

As the ship turned to pursue, Serhis, Baous, Samuel, and Mirines went to the prow. "Right, we're going to be in another fight soon enough," said Samuel. "I want an assessment our abilities. Serhis, how much support can you provide?"

"Some. Made everyone stronger during fight, but don't have that no more. Best can do is hold person still or make person panic. Of course can heal."

"Hmm. I'm fine, what about you Mirines?"

"I'm a little winded and a few scratches, but nothing that requires healing yet."

"I think I need a little healing now," said Baous with a few shallow cuts on his arms and a number of unseen bruises underneath his fur.

As Serhis went to heal him, Samuel held out a hand for him to stop. "You might want to hold off on that. We don't know how badly injured the others are yet, so you better save it for them."

"But Baous need healing now. We going to need everything now to fight pirates."

"The others might be critically injured. Conserve your energy until we've rescued the others, but of course heal any of us if we become critically injured ourselves. Who knows how big a blast they've sustained."

"It's alright Serhis," grunted Baous, wrapping up the wounds with some ripped cloth. "What about you? Do you still have a fireball left?"

"Unfortunately, no. I'm spent as far as my best spells are concerned, but I can still use a scorching ray and a few other basic spells."

Mirines spoke as she checked her armor, "I've got about half of my own spells left, the most useful is probably being able to use a dimension hop and get onboard their ship, but only if they get really, really close, but it's a lot better than trying to get onboard and getting all of their attention. Otherwise, I can still put out a lot of hurt."

"So things can be better, but we still can fight," said Serhis. "How many of them you think still can fight?"

"I don't know," said Baous. "I'm a bit more worried about what they might do to the others. They might try to use them as hostages."

"So sinking them is out of the question," Meos dropping into their conversation.

"You're the Academy student? What sort of spells do you know," Samuel asked him.

"Sorry, when you say student, you're pretty right, I can't do more than send a jolt of electricity. Maybe you can use the barrels of smokepowder, there's still a lot of it left. One of them is still completely full."

"And risk blowing up everyone on the ship? No way," said Mirines. "Maybe it can serve as a distraction?"

"For what? We've got nothing that will rescue the others quickly enough for it to matter," said Samuel. "The best we can do right now is hope the others are alright and we can fight to them. As for them being hostages... I'm don't know what to do."

"We do what we can when we find out," said Serhis.

The Trollsteeth caught up after a few minutes, the pirates losing distance slowly until they were nearly side by side. Everyone had been ready to rush onboard to overwhelm the remaining crew, but what they saw on deck discouraged any such action. Iskdiwercaesin, Alaric, Jonathan, and Talver were bound in lengths of rope, Iskdiwercaesin looked to have twice the amount the others did and was the only one gagged by having his snout clamped shut and his expression promised a quick and messy end for the first pirate he could reach if he got loose, and probably many more after that one. Alaric and Jonathan looked to have taken the worst of the blast, their cloths had spots of blood where shrapnel from the blast managed to hit, while Talver looked to have been completely unscathed, likely surrendering when he realized he was going to be badly outnumbered if he had tried to fight. They were sitting on the deck, all together in one group. All together in front of the bombard.

"You there! Haul anchor and don't come any closer if you want to see this bunch as anything except a messy bunch of gibs!" An elf shouted to them from the deck. He seemed to be the leader, or was now the leader if the previous captain had been slain earlier, but that didn't concern any of them now.

"Do what he says," growled Baous.

Captain Cossel signaled his crew to roll up the sails. "Those are your pals on their ship, so do things your way," he said to them.

"You have some of our people on your ship!

"Try anything and you'll be getting them back in pieces! We don't need more trouble here." There were about twenty of the pirates on the deck, most of them had a few injuries, but none were badly hurt.

They had probably gathered up the wounded and the dead and brought them below deck, thought Serhis. That would mean a few more are unaccounted for, but if a fight broke out again, they could probably win, the last skirmish had shown that the pirates weren't very skilled except for a few, but a fight starting would mean four lives ending very quickly. They would have to play this situation blind.

The elf had a short sword out, his grip on it tight was nervously watching everyone on the Trollsteeth. "No on do anything they going to regret," said Serhis. The elf glanced at the kobold for a moment. "Kill them and nothing going to stop us from coming after you."

"Yeah, but as long as you're coming after us, we're not letting them go," replied the elf, his voice was high strung and his short blond hair was matted from sweat.

"Then let's negotiate," suggested Mirines. "Or parley. Whatever the term is. First, who are we talking to? What's your name?"

"I'm not about to give out my name, not going to do that," said the elf. "What we want is for us to go on our way, no troubles. What can you offer besides that?"

"We have a few of your own crew on our ship," said Baous. "How about we exchange, All of your crew for them?"

"What's to stop you from coming right back after us when you get them back? Any of our crew we get is going to wind back in the same place, either floating on the surf or to the axe man's block. No, that's not going to work. There's no damn way we're also trusting you to say you won't come after us either, so don't think promising us that is going to work."

"Any suggestion?" whispered Serhis to the others.

"We can't let them sail off. Once they think they're safe, they won't have a reason to keep them alive and might slit their throats," said Mirines.

"I can jump over and go after the one that's at the bombard, but he might fire before I can get close. How far can you teleport?" asked Baous.

"Seven meters at most. I can get on the ship, but he's not going to be close enough."

"Keep talking, keep thinking of something," said Serhis as he asked the elf, "are you captain of ship?"

"I'd be the bosun. You've got our captain with you and we want him back."

"Maybe we talk with him? Let his make deal," said Serhis. The elf looked a little relieved at the suggestion, but he still was suspicious. "I go down below get him. What he look like?"

After he described the features another elf, they entered the hold of the Trollsteeth to look among the ones they captured. Mirines signaled for them to come over to her. "Shit. He's one of the dead ones," she kicked one of the corpse's boots, "what did you have in mind anyway?"

Serhis shrugged, one impromptu scheme dead on arrival. "Have suggestion spell scroll. Would have used to make talking easier, make them give us others. On pirate captain orders, maybe that would have work."

"We can't let them know they their captain's dead. There's a chance it'll set them off," said Samuel. "It might not, but let's not risk that."

Looking around the rest of the hold, there were nearly six others that were still alive and twelve dead, including the captain. "We've got to do something soon, but I don't know anything we can give them that they'll want," said Baous.

"What other scrolls do you have?" asked Samuel.

Serhis laid out the contents of his pack. "Nothing that get all the others to safety. Try cast a spell, they going to fire before you finish too."

"We're going to have to do something risky to get them back then," said Baous.

"As ridiculous as it is to agree with you, I'm going to have to," said Samuel. "We're going to have to force their hand."

Poking the wizard, Serhis made a suggestion. "I have something that can give big distraction. I think. Going to have to talk to Meos about it, so when you back on deck, send him down."

"What are you planning?" everyone else asked.

"No time. More we spend talking, more pirates going to get anxious. Get ready to jump to they ship. They all going to get knock off feet."

Samuel and Mirines looked at Serhis doubtfully. "I am loathe to simply trust you," said Samuel, "but at this point I have to agree. If any of my friends die because of your actions, I am going to hold you fully responsible," he warned as he went up the stairs.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Baous looked worriedly as they went above deck.

"Be fast and strong," Serhis motioned for Baous to go above deck as well.

As the kobold left them, Meos looked over to the other one as he prepared the bombard to fire another shot. "I don't think one more hit is going to do anything to them except make them more angry. We're definitely not going to miss at this range and if you're thinking about aiming for their gunner, we're out of luck, because I don't think I'm that good of a shot."

As he finished loading the smokepowder charge in and started to pick up a stone shot, Serhis held up a claw for him to stop and started rummaging through his pack. "Stone not do much, but this might." Very gently, he placed the ditherbomb into the barrel and couldn't help but wince as he heard it hit the bottom. Before Meos could ask what he had put in, Serhis was already looking for the fuses to ignite it.

"Don't rush it, I've still got to tamp the shot!" Meos urgently made sure the sphere of explosive chemicals was secure in the packed powder before aiming the cannon. They could hear the bosun's yelling, demanding why they couldn't see their captain. "Where do you want it?"

"Aim for very middle. Let me fire, can work well and blow hole in their ship or explode in face and make on here."

"Wait, what?!" Meos' feet were already moving before his mouth, his apprenticeship with a gnome inventor instilling a few reflexes in him as he tried to maximize the distance between himself and a potentially hazardous explosion.

The loud boom heard on the seas was startling, but the second one as the ditherbomb exploded inside the pirate ship far more so, especially where it concerned those that were on the side facing the Trollsteeth before they either fell into the ocean burned, dying, or dead. The pirate that held the flame to light their bombard was not among them, Serhis was sure that any attempt to get him inside the blast radius would endanger the others more than they were now, but he was now off balance as he tried to stay on his feet while several meters of ship turned into splinters in front of him. He would have done better if he had fallen down to the deck as a ballista bolt connected with him, pitching him over the side. A very morbid thought entered Serhis' mind, wondering if the nameless pirate would sink to the bottom or stay afloat due to the piece of wood and metal. "Good shot, uh, Brigsby?" Serhis wasn't sure if he had remembered the ballista operator's name, but since the crewman gave a thumbs up as he came up from below deck, it didn't matter.

Captain Cossel had ordered to let the sails loose and the Trollsteeth was closing the distance. Samuel had already flung a bolt of heat at the bosun, using Iskdiwercaesin's rod to give it a bit more power and was satisfied to see the pirate fall, but Mirines had no intention of simply waiting until they got closer to engage as she had climbed onto the mast with rope in hand, swinging and releasing at the highest point to leap aboard. It had looked like she had timed things too early and would miss by a good five meters, only to see her blink from one spot to another, covering the remaining distance and started slashing at the crew around her.

Seeing him come up, Samuel coldly looked at Serhis. "That was your brilliant plan? That could have gotten everyone killed!"

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to say that it was a bit risky," agreed Meos.

"Not smart, very risky yes, no argue with that," Serhis said. "But needed to change things and it work. We winning though."

It wasn't much of a fight beyond that point, especially when the ships were connected to each other again. The damage the ditherbomb had inflicted was tremendous and had not only hit those on deck, but some of the crew that were below as well, made worse with Mirines holding her ground, soon bolstered by whatever aid Serhis could provide when he flew over. When Baous leapt onto their ship and removed the bonds of the prisoners, Iskdiwercaesin's roar of fury as he was freed destroyed any remaining morale the crew had left. The short brawl was messy and only a quarter of the crew were going to see shore, though in chains.

Serhis, finished with healing Iskdiwercaesin's numerous bruises and cuts, he went to heal the others, but saw that Alaric had already finished doing so with his party. Finished administering healing magic, the cleric of St. Cuthburt glared at Serhis. "I suppose it was your idea with that explosion." His glare wasn't one of anger and his tone echoed that, but it wasn't like he was pleased with how things went either.

"Best I could think of at time."

"It put our lives at enormous risk."

"Technically, our lives were already at 'enormous risk'. I don't think a bit more would have done anything. More like it helped actually," Talver had been completely unscathed in the fighting and was merrily picking the pirate's pockets clean. "Not what I would have done, seeing as there was a big bombard pointed at my head, but I think I'd have done only a little better."

"I wanted save your lives and not much time to think. No one had suggestion, so had to make something fast," Serhis said.

Alaric looked at him for a while before sighing. "Fine. You did what you thought was best. I simply hope we don't have to endure a similar fate again."

"What is it with you kobolds and those ditherbombs?" asked Iskdiwercaesin. "Not that I'm complaining, but do you stay up at night just thinking about more devilish ways to apply those little spheres of doom?" Serhis smiled and shrugged, his upbringing as a trap maker likely had a huge influence on how he thought.

"Speaking of an explosion, the fact that they caught you so quickly is a bit of a surprise," Mirines said.

"As you suspect, they used the smokepowder to harm us, but it was in the resulting cloud of soot that allowed them to capture us. They caught us in nets, throwing them blindly into the thick smoke, but it was enough to stall our efforts to retreat or advance," Jonathan answered.

"Nasty bit of work they did, would have thought of the same thing myself and I've already got a few ideas on how to improve it, if we ever had a keg of smokepowder and a few nets laying around," said Talver. "I didn't get caught in the explosion or the nets, but when you're the only one that can swing a blade and a lot of pirates start looking only at you, I figured it would be better if I just give myself a bit of grace and get captured honorably. You know, so when I get free, I can fight at my best."

"Nice to know that they had a bit of faith that we would get them back," muttered Baous.

"Actually, I was expecting for Samuel to make up some brilliant plan involving some rope, a bit of waving of the hands and shouting eldritch nonsense, but the whole blasting of the ship nearly in half did well enough I suppose."

"Nearly in half is right," Captain Cossel said as he finished inspecting the cargo of the pirate ship. "Aside from the cargo, there's nothing left to salvage from this wreck. I had hoped that I'd be able to claim this ship as my prize when the fighting was over and just had to drag it back to patch up a few holes, but now it's just not worth it. Better if we just scuttle the thing here and now. Just from my boots feeling the creaking of the wood here I can say that a strong wave is good enough to bring her down."

"Found out what propelled this ship Captain?" asked Samuel.

"You tell me," the captain said as he tossed a small spherical object at the wizard. "Found it on the navigator. I can't make heads or tails how it works, but I'd guess it only moves the boat fast enough to beat out the wind."

"You'd be right. It gives a form of crude propulsion to a ship when properly activated," Samuel said as he examined the sphere. "I suppose it's more utilitarian purpose is for careful maneuvering."

"So that means we're done? We go back Saletvarin?" asked Baous as they went back to the Trollsteeth.

"Looks like. The crew's finishing up loading up whatever we can get from this ship, since the Academy is letting us keep it all for our service here. Aside from that thing." Even as Captain Cossel spoke, a whole team was busy trying to haul the large bombard onto their ship, which was a dicey proposition since the timbers groaned underneath them as they moved.

"Finally. We can get inside that damn library and get what we need," Talver took out a bottle from the confines of his pockets and downed the draught. "I don't envy you lot, you bunch are just starting," he said to Serhis.

Iskdiwercaesin massaged his snout, the pirates had wrapped them up tight after seeing what had happened to the others. "Joy. Any helpful advice or are you fine letting us find out how badly we're in for it ourselves?" Talver only smiled and shrugged. "This had better be worth it," he said to Baous.

"That should be everything," announced Captain Cossel as the last crate was brought onboard. "I guess that this was a profitable venture. Not much, but it'll keep us afloat for a month."

As they sailed away from the floating wreck, Serhis didn't feel all to well knowing that more assignments would be like this one.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Damn it, I hate it every time I get off a ship. Legs go all bendy," Talver took a few steps on the dock and swayed a little on every step.

"I won't miss being on that ship," Samuel said.

Alaric was busy talking to the local sheriff nearby while the surviving pirates were being lead away in chains. After finishing, he came back over to the group. "Justice has been served this day. Blessed are we to follow St. Cuthbert's will." His eyes glanced at Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin for a moment.

"Do you have anything else to add or can we get over to the Academy and tell the good professor we're finished," Iskdiwercaesin said, moving a bit out of the way for Baous as he pulled the wagon up.

Alaric didn't say anything further and waited with the rest of them for Meos as he busily fussed over the bombards as they were lowered into the wagon from the crane. The trip back to Professor Coggins was silent, the only words spoken were by Meos to the clerk that was currently assigned to the gate for them to pass, as well as arranging to meet later that day to get smashed.

Arriving in front of Professor Coggins' workshop, they got off the wagon as Meos opened to the door to start bringing in the bombards. Seeing them arrive, the professor went out to meet them. "Ah, you've brought them back! In one piece! Splendid!"

"We've done as requested. Do we have permission to enter the Library?" asked Jonathan.

Coggins was already busy looking over the large bombard, taking measurements and looking at it's structure. "Ah, so that's how it's suppose to look. Hmm, oh dear, that won't do, the barrel has to be a bit longer to accommodate the pressure and maximize range and-"

"Professor, your authorization," Samuel interrupted Coggins mid-tangent.

"What? Authorization? Right, here you go. You were of great help," the professor fished through his numerous pockets and handed a crumpled piece of parchment to him bearing the seal of the Academy and signed with Coggins' name before going back to examining the bombard.

"We can finally leave this city," Mirines said with some satisfaction, "and then back to the road for us."

"See you back in Dunben someday then," Baous said to them in a neutral tone.

"It was... eventful, working with you," Serhis said. "I hope this show we mean well."

Again, that same glare from Alaric. "I will reserve judgment, but you have done well in aiding us. As for you, Baous, I see that master Innoc's skill at teaching others has not faded. Give him my regards when you see him again." Now that they got what they came for, they left in the direction of the library.

"I couldn't tell if that was a compliment to me or just to dad," Baous said as they went.

"I'm amazed you lived in the same town with them," Iskdiwercaesin said.

"Yeah. I always get uncomfortable whenever I see them."

"I'm even more amazed that your adopted father is a dwarf. I bet it must have been awkward when you realized you got taller than him."

"... now that you mention it, it is now."

Finished with inspecting the bombard, Coggins looked up after poking his head down the barrel. "You're still here? Did you need something else?"

"We will have to do more to get inside library, since we not with others," Serhis reminded him.

"Right, right. Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't think I've got anything else for you to do, not unless you think combing the countryside for reagents and spell components is suitable, but the newer students already do that, and I've no interest in having my workshop smell of bat guano for a month, no, made that mistake the last time."

"If you don't have anything else, maybe another one of the professors?" asked Baous.

Coggins shook his head. "I'd have heard someone requesting some assistance. We don't get too many people asking to get into the library since almost everyone knows that what's required for entry is very time consuming, but just enough to get some of the more critical things done. Always an adventurer somewhere needing some sort of information and they come here."

"What we suppose do? Wait for something happen?" Serhis wasn't inclined to the notion of just waiting around for something to do and he suspected Baous and Iskdiwercaesin felt similarly, though he wasn't too sure with the later, who might be content with the waiting.

"What precisely are you looking for? It could be that what you need is in the upper parts of the library and you don't have to do much to get in there."

"I was hoping to find out more information about Kobolds. Well, Kobolds that are like me with fur," Baous said.

"Do you have a reference or a specific book to look for this information?"

"Well, not exactly. The closest thing I can think of is someone mentioning 'The First War' but-"

"Hmm, that might be problematic. Accounts about that era are relatively easy to access, but for documentation actually made during that time period, that is going to be extremely difficult as anything that ancient is going to be in near the lowest area of Library. It usually takes a large amount of effort to be granted access."

"So we're both going to be stuck here doing nothing for an unspecified amount of time AND we have to do a lot more life threatening missions? Fun," Iskdiwercaesin huffed.

"What about you? We've had dragons visit before on very rare occasions, looking for very obscure and esoteric bits of knowledge and they usually bring a book as ancient as themselves in trade."

"I wasn't looking for anything specific. Just the supposed locations of large amounts of treasure, artifacts, and maybe looking up bits of information on how to use magic effectively."

"Hah! I don't think you'd be surprised how many of those same adventurers also look into those subjects. I wouldn't count on the accuracy of those accounts, though that might have to do with those people going directly to those places to plunder the site, assuming they deal with whatever dangers are there. The only places that I would give a very high probability of still containing their treasures would be in the lower areas of the Library as well."

Taking Coggins' at his word, Iskdiwercaesin didn't look to have been consoled in the least. "So what else are we suppose to do? Not that I miss those guys, but tackling other dangerous pirates or anything like that without them isn't going to be very survivable."

"I'd say... two more high-risk situations. Don't worry, we're not interested in deaths occurring because it is something you can't handle, but that is a very subjective thing. Most petitioners usually do one or two missions before deciding they've had enough. Perhaps after the next one and getting access to the mid-levels, you might find what you're looking for there. It won't be full access, but it might be enough."

One more mission was going to be unpleasant, thought Serhis. "Go back to inn? Come back tomorrow?"

"I suppose that will do, though I'd like for you to stay a bit longer. I'm interested in my assistant's recounting of the testing and I'd like for you to share your experience with it as well as how effective the pirate's strikes were on your ship. I'm especially fascinated with your use of an explosive sphere in conjunction with the bombard. At first I thought it might have been a blast globe, but it would have blown up the moment the smokepowder was ignited., then I realized that it must be one of those ditherbombs that I've heard about. Perhaps you could give me the details on how to create one of my own, the applications would be most beneficial."

"Professor Coggins, can I ask you something?" Baous rummaged through his pack and pulled out the book he received from Helena. "Do you know if there are other editions of this book in the mid-level parts of the library or even the upper ones? I was thinking that since this book had a bit of information about kobolds, maybe the same author-" Baous stopped talking, having noticed that the gnome was staring with a keen interest on the book.

"You do realize what you're holding?" Coggins asked, his previous inquiry forgotten. Serhis was grateful for the distraction. He wasn't bigoted towards the gnome, but he wasn't keen on giving him any information regarding any kind of explosive material. Not that the professor was lacking in the ability to create them, but the potential "applications" for ditherbombs was something that he didn't want to see any time in the future.

"Um, the title reads 'Skirian's Guide of Creatures'. At least I think it does, my Draconic isn't that good and I probably messed up the name."

"That's 'Skirathen', and I think that's one of his original works. May I?" Coggins reached out for the book and Baous gave it to him. Raising up a pair of goggles that was dangling around his neck, his eyes focused on the volume. "That is indeed his handwriting and that stitching he uses to bind the pages is practically a signature."

"Who's this Skiraten and does he actually matter?" asked Iskdiwercaesin.

"Why, he's one of the more avid creators of books from the time of the First War. His works regarding many of the creatures on the multiple planes of existence are of the utmost detail and complete and many a traveler in that time used them as a means avoid some of the more dangerous creatures, as his books told of their strengths, weaknesses, where they usually inhabited, their habits, and how they usually acted when confronted. It wasn't like someone could completely know every creature and monster they came across. Some of these species have been extinct for centuries! Here, here's one that I don't even recognize! This is certainly a volume we don't have."

"What you're telling us is that all along, we had something to trade to get in? We didn't have to go on that stupid boat and hunt some idiot pirates?!" yelled Iskdiwercaesin.

"Well, um, yes," Coggins chuckled. "Shows that sometimes, what we want is what we already have," the professor said, oblivious of Iskdiwercaesin's ire.

"If we give you the book, we can go in?" asked Serhis.

"For what you're searching for, yes, this will grant you enough access. Though..." Coggins looked around, making sure no one else was around. "You don't have to necessarily give it to me."

"Professor, please explain clear," requested Serhis. Professor Gabvil's personality almost made him seem endearing, but there were times it was simply grating and made him hard to understand.

Placing the book down on a lectern, he kept looking at the door to his workshop as if he expected someone to walk in and see him doing something he wasn't suppose to as he retrieved another lectern from a side room and placing it side to side to the other one. "I want to see if I can make a duplication of this book."

"That's it? Go ahead, do whatever you want with it as long as we get into that Library," Iskdiwercaesin said, past the point of frustration and just going along with it all.

Sprinting over to the workshop door, Coggins peeked his head and looked outside before closing and locking the door. "I'd prefer if you didn't mention this to anyone," he asked.

"Uh, yes?" Serhis wasn't exactly sure what he was suppose to keep secret.

Going from the door to his desk, then back to the lecterns, he deposited several sheets of parchment onto it with an open leather book cover next to it with a feather pen and an ink well. "I've been meaning to test this for a long time, but old Ken just seems dead set against it. Keeps on telling me how the Library is this Academy's finest and most exclusive collection and just making copies is going to undermine the very foundation it was built on. Fie I say to that!" By now, Serhis, Baous, and Iskdiwercaesin sat down, kept quiet, and let him rant. They didn't know if he was like this with or without an audience. "How about having the city with the largest literacy rates on the whole continent! Hah, that's going to bring some of that prestige that he seems so keen on garnering. Can you believe only about half of the people in the countryside are able to read? Maybe even less? It's appalling is what it is. A complete travesty! Not so anymore, if I have a say in it," Done with setting up whatever he was planning, he took the feather pen and dipped it into the ink, placed it on the blank pages, and removed his hand.

Everyone watched as it raised itself and began writing at a blistering speed over the pages, far faster than the most dexterous scribes with a haste spell placed on them and within five seconds had created a perfect duplicate of the first page of the guide works, pictures, and foot notes, including the little ink splotches and imperfections of the original page before turning over, repeating the process for the second page and then seating itself on the next parchment while the completed page floated to the book cover and nestled into the bindings. In slightly over a minute, the pen deposited itself back into the ink well and a fresh copy of the guide sat on the lectern.

Opening the copy, Coggins giddily compared it to the original, then handed both to Baous. "All done! Just hand it to Amelia and she'll handle the rest. Oh, the original please since the copy isn't as aged. I have to say it's surprisingly preserved anyway."

"Thanks, I guess?" Baous put the copy back into his pack and kept the original in hand. He was ecstatic about not having to wait or have to provide any further services to enter the Library, but the just dealing with Coggins made everything seem so awkward.

Bidding farewell to the professor, they left his workshop. "The whole past week was a waste of time. We go risking life and limb, and for what?" grumbled Iskdiwercaesin.

"Some good came out of it. Alaric and the others might trust us better. I think," Serhis said.

"I'm not really looking for their approval. At the very least Coggins could have given us something for our work."

Baous flicked the reins, moving the wagon towards the Library. "What do you think they might say if they see us walk in? They spent a whole month here and we get inside in just a week."

"Might be better if they didn't find that out at all," snorted Iskdiwercaesin.

"We'll find out if we see them at all. It's a big library," Serhis said.

After tying the horse to a post outside, they entered the Library. The entrance was still packed to the ceiling with books and it looked like even more had been added, leaving only a few of parts of the walls visible. Professor Rilink was at her desk, dealing with the stream of paper work that came to and from her desk.

"Hello, Professor Rilink?" Baous said to get her attention. As she looked up, he presented the tome to her. "We'd like to trade this so that we can get inside the Library."

Looking over the book with her glasses, she inspected it with a care that an archivist would give to rare works. Placing it down gently, she nodded to them. "One of Skirathen's works and a volume not in our collection. I believe this will grant you all access to the lower levels, though I assume Coggins already explained this to you beforehand, seeing as how you could not have know that. Might I inquire where you obtained this? Perhaps there are more books near the location where you found it."

"We got from a friend named Helena, from her collection. Don't know where she got it from though," Serhis informed her.

"I see. If you see this friend again, please ask her if she knows of any other rare books." Serhis nodded, knowing that Helena would have many more books, but doubted if she would part with many of them.

"So that's it? Can we go in now?" Iskdiwercaesin said as he watched the controlled chaos of frantically moving scholars moving books around like a formian colony.

"If you had wanted to access the upper levels, I would have suggested that you come back tomorrow. We received back a large amount from the Enskeen University that we had loaned out and we need to finish reorganizing that section. As this tome grants you access to the lower areas, you would not be hindered."

"You seem a bit swamped," Iskdiwercaesin agreed.

"And it would appear it will take even more time before my office is cleared," she sighed. "There is one more thing though. Considering that you have already completed a task assigned and that this tome has already given you clearance to the level that you wish to enter, fair compensation is in order. You may ask for a sum of gold for a reward totaling in two thousand pieces, a discount of five percent whenever purchasing enchanted items from us in the future, or full access to all levels of the Library."

"Huh. Looks like I was wrong. Dealing with pirates wasn't so bad," Iskdiwercaesin said.

"You want the gold," Baous flatly said.

"No, tempting though. The discount is rather nice, even five percent is going to knock a chunk off of the more powerful items and could make up for the two thousand in the long run. But full access... being able to have at claw knowledge most would never be able to reach..." Iskdiwercaesin dreamily relished the thought.

Serhis thought on the offer. The money could be used for plenty of things, but he had to agree that the discount would work out better eventually. As for full access to the lowest reaches of the Library, the benefits were far less tangible. Whatever they could learn from there might not be useful to them compared to being able to purchase magic items more cheaply, but if they ever need to learn of rare and esoteric knowledge, being able to get into that part of the Library without having to be tasked with one more mission would be good. "Full access would be my vote."

"Same for me. I don't think what I'm looking for is all the way at the bottom, but I don't want to take that chance," Baous said.

Iskdiwercaesin took his time considering the benefits. "Might as well go with that. I suppose the discount is mainly useful if we always had a reason to come here and we'd always come here for the discount. Since we don't and the main reason we'd ever come back here again is to get back in here, it'll do."

Retrieving a key from her pocket and unlocking a drawer in her desk, she took out three small platinum pendants the size of a coin and gave them to the three before taking a parchment from the same draw and writing down their names. "You may now enter any part of the Library as long as you have those pendants. There are wards in place that will prevent entry if you do not have them on your person, so do not forget to bring them. A few others already have. As for using the Library itself, approach a table on that level, request for a particular subject, and the appropriate books will be placed on the table."

"So you've got the place fitted with a few spells then. Why don't you have whatever brings the books deal with this mess?" Iskdiwercaesin looked at all the stacks of books around them. All of them felt amazed that none were toppling over, which would have likely caused a riot.

"Someone has to manually make the enchantments recognize these books and what area it belongs to. I suppose that you wish to enter immediately?"

Indicating that they did, she lead them to the entrance proper of the Library. The large, thick stone doors swung open smoothly to let them pass, likely due to another enchantment, but the way it moved gave a hint that if the heads of this Academy didn't want to give someone entry, those doors were going to be as heavy as they looked.

What struck Serhis as he entered was how much light showered into the Library. All the walls were lined in a large circular bookshelf with more shelves between each wall, each similarly curved like the building. The stone ceiling emitted a warm glow, as if the sun had no problem passing through the roof. Fortunately for him, this place was nowhere as windy like in the temple of Io and he loosened his scarf. In fact, the air felt completely still, but without the hint of staleness of a closed off space. Perhaps it had something to do with the numerous people that were coming in and out with books. They could see the bookshelves go on row by row until the curvature of the building cut off the view. This was because they were on a large balcony that overlooked the tops of the shelves, where were considerably high in the range of fifteen feet. This place was so roomy, he could fly around this Library some hindrance, but that wasn't needed due to the lecterns he could see that were at the edge of the balcony, the clerks and a few students using them to return books or to bring one from the shelves. The hindrance would come from the large volumes that flew through the air, going from lectern and shelf and the other way.

"Seven hundred eighty two thousand, nine hundred and fifty four books, including your latest addition," Professor Rilink said. "Ten levels, this being the top floor and the stairs are at both ends and one at the north end for ease of access. Would you like to hear the history of this place?"

"I think I've got some of the main parts. The Library was actually here long before the Academy was made. It was actually because it was here that the Academy was made in the first place, since it was this huge trove of ancient knowledge that had survived being buried in the ground and several wars."

Rilink nodded in agreement. "Correct. The Academy was built around the Library in an effort to learn of the secrets that it held, which in turn lead to the city of Saletvarin being created around it. Sadly, not all of the Library was in working condition when the founders of the Academy located it, parts of the lower levels had caved in and needed to be repaired and some areas where dangerous to enter as the wards protecting it were active. Some of them have since been replaced and a few more added. We suspect this Library was part of a much larger structure, but we have yet to determine for what purpose. There have also been evidence of looting, entire shelves stripped bare, likely during the event that lead to the destruction of the surrounding structures. We know that they were stolen as the previous administrators had kept detailed accounts of how many books were kept and where they were stored."

"Thanks for the history lesson. Anything that we should know before we go down?" Baous asked.

"Though you have full access to all levels, there are a few books at the lowest level that require either the headmaster's authorization to access or two other high ranking members."

"What books in particular?" asked Iskdiwercaesin with keen interest. Whether it be treasure or knowledge, the fact that someone else held them in high value and for a reason had perked his interest.

"As I have only been granted access to a few for purposes that my position requires, I can say with a degree of certainty that those highly guarded pieces are of either extreme rarity, some with no other copies, or contain knowledge that would be extremely dangerous if someone with malicious intent claimed them, either due to them being spell books that had belonged to powerful individuals or simply because the knowledge contained inside those texts would destroy most minds that had the folly to lay eyes on them."

"Lucky we not looking for that type of books," Serhis said. "Thank you for letting us in."

"And thank you for your contribution. Seeing as how I do not recall any records of a canine species of kobold in any earlier works, you may wish to begin at the third level, it houses the texts from the First War era." Rilink replied in kind and went back to the lobby.

Baous looked around for the stairs, excited that he was so close to finding a solid lead to finding others of his race.

Seven flights of stairs downward, they could all feel the changes in the air. It felt drier the lower they went, the light breeze persisted despite the whole place was a closed system.

"This whole place is drowning in arcane energies," remarked Iskdiwercaesin, likely using what skill he had to detect them as they went lower. "I can't say for sure, but it looks like most of the enchantments are new, just barely a century old. Others... much, much older."

"So we shouldn't stay down here for too long?" asked Baous.

"No, not unless you plan to stay here for a few decades. I can't say just what would happen anyway, someone just absorbing the little leak of magic might either come out of it with something good or bad."

Perking his ears up, Baous came to a stop as they reached the fourth floor landing. "I think I hear voices. Alaric's. And Samuel's."

"I don't know about you, but I'm fine with not disturbing them," Iskdiwercaesin said. Tactfully agreeing, they went down a little further.

Serhis stopped, looking up at a plaque on the wall. "We're here, the third level," he announced. Nearly hundred meters underneath the earth, there was still the warm light. He would have preferred a bit of darkness so he could have taken off his goggles.

From the landing to the balcony, they could see that all the level probably had the same structure, the room laid out in a circle and the bookshelves likely we lined up with the ones above and below to the smallest unit of measurement possible. What was different was that these shelves weren't as filled, some with one book missing from a row, others missing vast sections.

Walking up to one of the lecterns, Serhis was pleased to find one that was his size, the surface actually at eye level for once and he didn't need to resort to standing on a box. "Professor Rilink said to ask for a certain subject and the appropriate books would come to us. I suppose asking for Kobolds is going to bring books with reference to both yours and mine," he said to Baous, "unless... Furry Kobolds!" After a bit of waiting, nothing. "I guess it wasn't as easy as that. Kobolds?" They could hear the sounds of leather bound books being softly moved out of their places and then they saw multiple flying books race out from the canyons of bookshelves towards them, then being gently deposited on the lectern in neat, orderly stacks, while others were put on the large desk near the middle of the balcony behind the lectern, each opened to the page where the first reference of the word "Kobold" showed up. There were over a hundred books.

"Have fun going through all that," Iskdiwercaesin said as he went back towards the stairs.

"What? You're not helping?" Baous looked at the growing ranks of books filling the table.

"If you're going to spend your time looking for things that interest you, I might as well do the same thing. I'll be downstairs." As his tail disappeared down the staircase, they could only wonder what kinds of ancient secrets and hidden bits of knowledge he wanted to dredge up.

The next couple of hours were monotonous as they peered through all the different books available. Some were hard to understand, the handwriting almost illegible or otherwise full of terms neither could understand. A few were in languages completely unknown. What books they could read through, what references they could find for "Kobold" were mainly of those of the reptilian nature and soon enough, a pile started to form. Fortunately for them, the atmosphere of the Library prevented things from seeming dreary, the warm, but false light was a step up from having to read everything in flickering candlelight.

"That's another one," sighed Serhis as he put another book down. "As much as I like learning about ancient trap designs, it's not helpful. Any luck yet Baous?"

"Nope. Whoever wrote this wasn't an expert, that's for sure. I know already can see stuff that isn't right, though maybe that's because I've talked to you," Baous slid a book away and reached for another. Whatever enchantments that were in place also kept the Library from being dusty, a feature they were both thankful for, otherwise they'd have to endure large plumes of it as they sifted through the ancient tomes. "Eating their own shed scales? Yuck."

Serhis replicated Baous' disgust and stuck his tongue out. "Here's a nice passage. 'Deplorable little beasts that should never see the light of day. These horrors of scale and claw are a plague in the earth that come forth to plunder the land, their small stature and furtive nature only demonstrating how they are deceitful and hold no honor.' Clearly someone had a bad experience with a migrating city after a split."

"All I've found is what I already know from Helena's book. I know that I'm looking through centuries old books for locations where other kobolds might be today, but I expected something helpful. Maybe an old map or some place that is known as a homeland."

Flipping a claw through more pages, Serhis was ready to consign another book to the pile before noticing a small subsection after the first entry regard his own kind. Reading further to make sure, he beckoned Baous to come over. "I think I found something. It might not be accurate today, but it might be something."

"What? What?" Following where Serhis' claw pointed, he read the entry. "Though not a subspecies of the common kobold, there have been accounts of other creatures bearing the same name. Canine in appearance, they appear as dogs given humanoid shape, though not in the same nature as werewolves, having only one form. They are also not a subspecies of gnoll, though there has been speculation and debate on this point. Attempt to verify have been difficult, as they are difficult to track on the Ceritun Plains... YES!" Baous shouted at the top of his lungs, completely ignoring one of the golden rules of the library. If they listened closely, they could hear the echo go around the library and come back from the other side. "There's something here! We have somewhere to start from!"

"We should finish reading through the rest of these. After that, we'll start asking for those areas. I don't know of any place name the Ceritun Plains though." Having found one tangible lead, the hours combing through the other books moved by much faster. What they found was scant, but enough. More entries pointed towards the Ceritun Plains as well, while a few also mentioned Giyun Forest and the Lenship Peninsula.

"That's the last one," Serhis laid the small book down in the pile. "How are we suppose to put them back?" Going to the lectern, he tried a few words, hoping that they didn't have to put them all back by hand. "Back!... Done!... Return?"

Baous reflexively ducked as the books flew over his head, though they were a good five feet above his head before they dived into the canyons of shelves below. In the space of five seconds, the lectern and table were cleared, ready to receive more when asked. "Maybe we should ask for books on those places. I don't remember hearing of any of those names before."

Speaking to the lectern again, Serhis requested books on those locations and again the enchantment brought more books to the table. They didn't have to search as hard this time, the locations were easy to spot, while some books with maps displayed the world. They did have some trouble finding where they were, since all the locations had strange names, likely having changed over the centuries, but eventually they found the location of the Library and worked out where the Plains were from there. "Ah, found it. It looks like all those these places are around... here." Leaning back so Baous could have a clearer look, the ancient map was detailed enough to have mountains and major rivers laid out. The Ceritun Plains and the nearby Giyun Forest were located a long distance from any coast, the plains actually becoming desert the closer someone went to the ocean. As for the Lenship Peninsula, that was an entire continent away, across the sea from the plains.

"It's almost all the way across the continent from here," Baous said sadly. "And maybe nobody is there at all."

"If there isn't, there might be clues where they might have gone," suggested Serhis.

Scanning the map a little more, Baous found the area where Dunben was located, obviously the town hadn't been established so long ago, but he recognized the river that flowed nearby. "Here's home. It's a long way from either of those places. I wonder why my parents were doing there?" he said softly, this thoughts contemplating these maps. Here he was at a Library, looking for answers, and found traces of the past, only to bring up more personal ones. He always did wonder why his parents came near Dunben and why he became lost to them. Now that he knew they were so far from home themselves, he could only guess why they had traveled such a long way. He then noticed Serhis' claw tracing from the river, past another river some distance away, then into a mountain range.

"I can't say for sure, but they might have gone through this way. They probably didn't have any ships or boats, so they had to follow the river. I'm no druid, but I'd say there were following the rains." It was speculation, but was a sound guess. Following the path of rain clouds was going to be a necessity if a traveler didn't know if they were going to meet a stream of fresh water soon, particularly if they were knew to the land. "But for us, if we took a boat upstream, we could try to get as close as possible to the wilderness before we'd have to start using the wagon. If I have the scale right..." Accounting for the terrain, it would take them over two months to get to the plains and that was a very generous estimate, which didn't take into account delays from rough weather, bad road conditions, or any other delays which could easily double or even triple that time. Serhis knew that for sure, he spent three months traveling from Lehaskeral to Dunben. Now that he knew the way, it's would have only taken one, if not less. That sparked a thought for Serhis, who checked and rechecked the map.

"Two months? Maybe longer? That's going to be some journey," Baous said as Serhis voiced his estimate. "I guess that's better than landing near that desert and trying to cross from there. I've never gone across one, have you?" Serhis shook his head. "Better not try then. I hear it's easy getting lost in one without some sort of guide."

"If it's alright with you, maybe we could spend a few days going a bit out of the way before that," Serhis said. Baous tilted his head with curiosity to his suggestion. "Well, if we're going that way, Lehaskeral isn't too far off the path. I was hoping that I could visit while we nearby."

Baous grinned. "Sure. I'd like to see where you grew up."

Heartened, Serhis laid out the book between them. "Too bad we can't visit Dunben on the way as well. The river we're going to use isn't the same one that will take us there. I'll go get Iskdiwercaesin," Serhis patted Baous hand, glad to have a chance to see his friends before hopping off the chair and towards the stairs. Baous kept on looking at the maps, still puzzling out ways to get to his destination.

Heading one level lower, he didn't spot Iskdiwercaesin on either balcony. Going to the very bottom, the wyrmling could be seen at a desk, looking through a few books at a very old and worn table. This level was different from the others in a number of ways. The warm light had turned into a dim, pale blue with only the table well lit, and there weren't the canyons of shelves down below. Instead, it looked like it was all covered in a layer of glass, or ice, this place was cold enough that Serhis wrapped his scarf securely around his neck, the shelves visible beneath that layer, each with their own covering of glass.

Looking up, Iskdiwercaesin saw Serhis approach. There weren't many books on the table, five tomes with no title and all looked different from one another. "What is it? Found what you're looking for?"

"Yes. What about you? What are you looking at?"

"A bit of arcane theory and applications, possible locations of valuable objects, whatever I can find," Iskdiwercaesin had returned his attention back to the book in front of him. "This whole place is full of books from different ages. These aren't the oldest books, but the rarest, the most obscure, some that can hold power. Too bad I haven't actually found one I can use," Iskdiwercaesin griped. "I've learned a few things that I can use. What about you?"

Explaining what they found, Serhis told him what he knew while Iskdiwercaesin still read on, also mentioning the route they were going to take. Closing the book, Iskdiwercaesin glanced at Serhis. "So that's it then? Off to some plain in the middle of nowhere?"

Serhis shrugged. "We could also go to any place that interests you on the way."

"You're going to have to explain something to me. Why are you going with Baous? You don't seem to be getting anything at all from this, you're not going to find much if these kobolds are even there. Baous says he tagging along with you, but it looks to me that it's the other way around."

"He saved my life we I met him. It's only fair I help him."

"So that's it then? You're helping him because you think you owe him your life?"

"No, that's not the reason, but that's part of it. He wanted to leave his home to follow me as I went around in service to Bahamut and he wanted to see if he could find something about his race while he was with me. I think he wants to find more about them because of how he was separated from his parents." Serhis treaded carefully here, he wasn't sure if he should tell Iskdiwercaesin about how he ended up an orphan to Iskdiwercaesin. It was one thing to fully admit their deceit, but this was a very personal matter. "Maybe it's because other kobolds like him are so few now."

"So what's your actual reason?"

Serhis did some thinking about that, having never asked himself. "It's because he's one of the few people that treated me kindly when we first met. Not many on the surface do, but he did." Iskdiwercaesin thoughtfully looked at Serhis, as if this was an avenue of thought he hadn't considered before. "Why are you asking?"

"It's... nothing. Just wondering." Iskdiwercaesin's thoughts interrupted, took the books back to the lectern to return. Why did I ask, he thought to himself. It's not like I should care, all that matters is that we're headed off into the wilderness looking for some dying race that might not be there at all. "Head up then, show me where these kobolds might be and which way we're taking to get there. I'll see if there's anything we should collect on the way, at least anything out there isn't likely to have been looted."

"Until you get there."

Iskdiwercaesin gave a small chuckle with no need to hide his intentions, and with the books seemly sliding underneath that glass floor, they went up the stairs. Baous hadn't found a more efficient path to get to the Ceritun Plains, so heading up the river and then traveling by land was the accepted way. Iskdiwercaesin pointed out at least six places on that path that could potentially hold one form of treasure or another, adding at least another two weeks to the already low estimate, but they weren't in a rush, so it wasn't going to affect anything. Copying down as much of the map as they could, they went back up the stairs to leave. Going past the next level, they could see that Alaric and the rest of his party had already left, probably long before Serhis and Baous had found the first hints in the books. Bidding Professor Rilink and later Coggins farewell before they left, they headed towards the docks to book passage on a ship that would take them nearer their destination, then another one until they reached the river.

Watching as Saletvarin became smaller and smaller the farther they sailed away until it passed the horizon, they stood on the top deck as the afternoon sun's orange glow filled the west and stars starting to show in the east. "I know it'll be a while before you have to anything, but what are you going to do when we find furry kobolds?" asked Serhis.

"I guess I just want to know more about them, myself, anything really. They might not even be the same tribe as my parents, but I don't even know what tribe they were from. I'd give them some help for telling me, but after... I'll go back to Dunben and see dad again." Baous had been thinking on that for a while, on what he was going to ask and if anyone there knew about him specifically.

"So you're not going to stay with them or anything like that?"

"No. I might visit the plains sometime later and it might have been my home when I was a pup, but Dunben is my home."

"You're going to stay in Dunben?"

"I don't think I'll do that too. Maybe for a month or two and catch up with my mom and dad, visit my sister, but after that I think I'd want to go out on another adventure, like the ones that dad did. Sort of like what we were doing before we found out about where some kobolds might live, but this time, I don't have to worry about looking for clues anymore. What about you?"

"Me? If you're going to stay in Dunben, I think I'll stay in Lehaskeral when we pass by on the way back. After that, you can come and get me and we'll go on that journey together. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah. What do you think he's going to do?" Baous turned this head towards Iskdiwercaesin, who had been retelling the events of Natade again while they were on deck. There presence hadn't gone unnoticed and again, a few had heard about the revolt, and Iskdiwercaesin wasn't going to let a chance for some glory pass him by.

Serhis shrugged. Who knew how the wyrmling thought. He could either be selfishly impulsive one moment and cunningly patient the next. As far as he knew, if his reputation spread wide enough, Iskdiwercaesin wouldn't need to be around either of them and would set off on his own, not wanting to stay around someone that had intended to deceive him, even if that was no longer the case. Or he would hang around them because he didn't care about it anymore or thought it would be profitable to keep the image of a group of adventurers of a strange and unusual nature. Serhis didn't know how to describe this kind of relationship.

"We won't have to look after him," Baous said. "I really don't think he'd try to ruin that good reputation as soon as he thinks he's out of our sight, so it'd be safe to go our own ways. If we're lucky, anything we find in those places he pointed out on the map are stuffed with treasure and he'll be happy with that."

"Makes me wonder how he managed to get so much treasure in the first place. And the drow mercenaries."

"Talking about me?" Iskdiwercaesin walked up to them, having finished spinning the tale of treachery, betrayal, and triumph. "I might tell you all about it some time later. Right now, I'm hungry. Do you know when it's dinner?"

"The captain should be telling us to get something now," answered Serhis as he was about to go find out.

Iskdiwercaesin waved for him to stop. "I've been thinking... About those favors I've asked, forget them. You didn't actually accomplish anything and you clearly don't intend to do anything like that anymore. It would be a petty favor to ask for."

"That's... really generous of you," Baous said, although he knew that he told anyone about what he saw back at the inn, he'd certainly owe him a favor then.

"Yes, aren't I generous. Before I tell anything about me, I'd like to hear about your own pasts. In case we run into any more unfriendly neighbors," he smiled.

Serhis gave a mental sigh. He had basically said what he was giving up was worthless, but still acted like the act itself had some weight. But then again, Iskdiwercaesin had changed his mind and had acted thoughtfully, so maybe it wasn't so bad. "Let's go below deck. I made sure the cook roasted a whole pig for you."

Sailing onward, they continued toward a home that had been left behind, towards a home that couldn't be remembered, and towards a chance at reclaiming some old power.