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Five Dragons: TLoP: Chapter 18: Time is running out


The smith strained to lift the bellows handle and press it down again. A deep hiss accompanied the powerful gust of air into the burning coal stove. The heat emanated from the embers in a great wave. Beads of sweat gleamed beneath his bony faceplate as he pulled the glowing steel out of the fire place. He took out the unfinished weapon on the anvil and smashed it with his forging hammer. A bright clink accompanied the flying sparks as the tool descended precisely on the soft steel. One after another, he worked on the material and let the anvil sing.

He looked closely at his work. He put the hammer aside and wiped the sweat from his rough face. In a quick movement he dipped the hot steel into a filled pool of water. The metal hissed steaming in the cold water bath. With the still blunt blade pulled out, he skillfully twisted it once in front of him. His controlling gaze swept the straight edge as he moved the workpiece past his face. With a skillful movement he swung it towards the entrance.

“Oops!” Roland started and raised both hands when the smith held the tip of the unfinished weapon in his face. “What do you want?” He asked with his deep, harsh voice. He looked at the young man with his yellow, lidless eyes. The matt color literally stood out from his angular eyebrows.

Roland gulped once while looking at the Grasxen blacksmith and lowered his hands again. “I'm looking for someone who can sell me obsidian shards.” he replied. The smith raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Wait outside.” He said calmly and turned around. Roland nodded once without a word and his eyes widened. He went out a little unsure and waited for the owner of the smithy. Meanwhile, Kyndle sniffed curiously at the weapons and shields that were lined up on the narrow sales stand. “Hey!” Roland said loudly before she almost knocked one of the shields off the table with her nose. The female twitched briefly and looked playfully at her partner. She teasingly stuck her tongue out of her mouth and cooed quietly. A silent shake of his head was his answer.

The smith came out of the workshop with heavy steps and tossed Roland a small leather bag. A little startled he caught the small bag and shook it in his hand. It felt like there were little pointed stones in it. He opened the bag and looked at the contents. Numerous pieces of rock were in it, which had a matt black color. When he shook the bag, they sounded like broken glass.

“3 gold dragons.” The blacksmith said soberly. Roland raised his eyebrows in astonishment and looked into the eyes of the craftsman. “Uhm, yes.” He said slightly confused and pulled out his wallet.

Meanwhile, Kyndle sniffed excitedly at a plate armor, which was set up on a wooden figure. The small plates were stacked on top of each other like dragon scales. Size and shape looked like a gryphon, because the elongated helmet had the shape of a broad beak. Her nose touched lightly against the metal and the armor unexpectedly tipped over to the side. The female startled with a loud “Meep” before the noisy clanking flew across the street.

Roland was about to put three gold coins in the blacksmith's massive hand when the attention of the two, as well as that of the whole street, wandered to the fallen armor and an embarrassed looking dragoness. Roland tilted his face slightly to the side and waved him back and forth negatively. With her ears lowered, she gave a slightly whimpering “Chirp”. The smith didn't respond. He just raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath.

“Nice scales.” The craftsman surprisingly said. Kyndle cooed quietly and looked at the smith with questioning eyes. Roland exhaled in relief and turned back to the owner. “You don't know something about gemstones by chance?” He asked hopefully. The Grasxe slowly turned his face in his direction and looked at him seriously. “No.” He replied dryly and disappeared back into his workshop without looking at the chaos of his stand. Shortly afterwards the clink of the anvil was heard again.

Roland stopped in front of the smithy without a word and glanced blankly at Kyndle. “All right.” He said, and stowed the bag with the obsidian splinters in his backpack. “Then off to the market, hopefully we will find a gemstone there that is pure enough and still in my price class.” Kyndle hopped over the lying gryphon armor on the ground and nudged her partner gently on the nose with a coo. He smiled at her and slowly ran his hand over her cheek. Her gentle purr joined the bright sparkle of her deep blue eyes. “Let's go before you knock over more.” He whispered to her, pulling away from the pleasant visual contact.

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“GO, GO, Hurry up!” A man called to his colleague, breathing heavily, and waved him in his direction before running on. “I KNOW!” The second grumbled angrily. “It's not like I wouldn’t see the assholes over there!” He cussed, holding his hand to his side, exhausted. Behind the two followed four city guards with hasty steps and were catching up. The screeching echo of a gryphon flew overhead and both of them jerked their heads between their shoulders.

The two men left the narrow side street and turned onto the market square. In the lively place there was the usual hustle and bustle of countless dealers and buyers. The many sales stands with the distributed groupings formed a winding, ever-changing maze. Immersed in the crowd, they hid under a covered table. The guards stopped in front of the fountain in the middle and scanned the square with a careful look. Strong clawed hand stamped provocatively on the ground and a snorting chirp could be heard. White-gray feather fur showed under the armor adorned with blue ribbons. Massive armor plates covered the griffin’s front paws, which had sharp blade tips above the claws. Small chain links held the armor together, which lay overlapping in the legs, the flanks, the neck and his back. The massive helmet closed wide over the slightly curved beak, from which the attentive gaze of two red-green eyes pierced. Blue ribbons of fabric elegantly decorated the armor, and a wide scarf hung over the breastplate. On it was the symbol of a feather wing parallel to a straight blade. Next to it was the picture of two parallel swords. Two horizontal bars, one above the other, could be seen underneath the last symbol. Then curved letters were embroidered. The name Artemiz could be seen. The gryphon proudly spread his wings slightly. The small links of the wing blades clinked softly. Sharp pieces of metal showed on the edge of his wings and formed a moveable blade when the arm was outstretched.

Shortly afterwards, his rider jump off the saddle and tock a quick look at the turbulent surroundings. After quick, wordless gestures, they spread out and began systematically searching the market for the thieves.

Completely out of breath, the two men panted in their hiding place and looked at each other with a grin. “Damn it! I told you, just the box on the table!” He complained to his colleague and slapped his fist on the shoulder. “But no! The gentleman still had to work on the stupid wall decoration. Which upset our whole schedule!” “Don't get so angry, Harrison.” He tried to appease him. “We still got away in time.” He argued with a grin and reached into his pocket. “In time?! In time would mean that no guards would stick to our asses!” He accused him. Frantically he threw a shy look out of the hiding place and looked at the gryphon, which was precisely spying out the market place. “And to make our matters even worse, we also had to run in the feathers of a Karranter of the city guards.”

Harrison's colleague pulled out an oval cut gemstone out of his pocket and looked at it as if enchanted. “What do you think, how much we get for this?” He asked him. Harrison took a brief look at the stolen property. The big stone had a pure orange-red color and gleamed flawlessly. No notch or other damage was seen. “I do not know. But it could still prove difficult to get rid of it.” He argued somewhat unexpectedly and took a quick look under the cover. A brown-gray gryphon entered his field of vision and passed their hiding place at a leisurely pace while his gaze wandered attentively between the displays. This had a red marking ribbon around his neck, which hung down over his feathered chest. A gryphon head with a small crown over its forehead could be seen on it, next to it was the image of a small bag with several coins. Finally, white letters lined up in the name Matizz.

Harrison pulled his head back under the table and looked at his colleague seriously. “10 seconds, then to my left behind the feathers.” He said firmly, holding his index finger in front of his face. He then rolled out from under the table and disappeared behind the griffin that passed the hiding place. In the back of Matizz he crouched past the guard and then disappeared behind some baskets on the other side. He had just disappeared when another guard passed the table and looked around, searching. After a few seconds the uniformed man went on.

Harrison's colleague also rolled out from under the table and took the first steps towards the baskets, where his friend was taking cover and beckoning him frantically. He wanted to put the gem back in his pocket, but he fell from his hand onto his boot and rolled between the people in the square. “Oh, shit, shit, shit!” He muttered to himself and stooped with both arms outstretched to follow the rolling stone. Matizz stopped abruptly and held up its feathered wings in fright as this stooped young man crossed his path. He regarded him with skepticism and an amazed coo. The gryphon’s brief fright did not go unnoticed by the guards. Harrison watched him, completely puzzled, and shook his forehead. “No! What is he doing!?” He sighed annoyed and hurried after him.

“Come here, you little piece.” The man said when he finally held the stone in his hand again. With a satisfied grin on his face, he got up and smiled at the man in front of him. He looked at the uniform in astonishment when his amused facial expressions dissolved. The silver breastplate glittered in the afternoon sun and a blue cloak fell from the shoulders. Two angry eyes stared at him through the open visor of the helmet. “Uhm, oh!” He stuttered to himself, when he was caught by the guard.

The soldier grabbed his arms and effortlessly lifted him off his feet. “Not in my shift.” He emphasized. “Attention left!” Came a voice from the side. The guard quickly turned to the source. Harrison jumped up at him from a box and kicked the soldier's chest with both feet, which threw him to the ground with a swing. The young man sat up and looked quickly at the overturned guard before putting his colleague on his feet. “Move!” He yelled in his ears and ran. His comrade immediately followed when he saw the other guards in the crowd. The high-pitched screening of the Karranter followed shortly afterward, which had also noticed the two. The soldiers helped their colleague up and immediately started chasing again. The armored gryphon jumped elegantly over the group and also attached itself to the fugitives.

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A young man and an orange-red dragoness were out on the main road towards the market square. “Two carrots and an onion.” He listed, placing his hand on his dragoness’ back as they continued to approach the marketplace. Kyndle closed cooing her eyes and gave an affirmative “Churr”.

Roland smiled and looked ahead, where the lively market was already visible. Suddenly a gryphon echoed from the market place and a man quickly turned the corner and ran towards him. After a moment he recognized Harrison, who seemed to be in a hurry. Roland raised his hand in greeting and took a breath. “No time!” Harrison gasped, as he waved past him quickly.

Roland and Kyndle stopped and looked after him a little confused. A wordless shrug later, the two looked at each other and turned back to the market streets.

“Peng” it did, when a strange man bumped into Roland. The force of the collision knocked him to the ground, while the stranger stared at the now lying man in surprise. Kyndle saw her partner thrown to the ground and hissed at the unknown with her head bowed and her wings bent. The unknown man startled, when he saw the dragoness' razor-sharp fangs. He moved his legs in a panic and passed Harrison before they both disappeared into another side street. Shortly afterwards Roland heard heavy and fast steps behind him. The Karranter jumped vigorously over both of them and spread his wings. In a tight curve he slid elegantly across the street and turned sharply into the same side street as the refugees. The unmistakable screech of the griffin followed shortly thereafter, followed by the loud sound of breaking wood.

A little puzzled, both looked at each other for a moment. Roland straightened with a grimace and rubbed the back of his head while sitting. “Ouch.” he said with a weak grin. Kyndle placed herself next to him and put one of her dark wings protectively around him. Cooing, she nestled her head against his and comfortedly licked his cheek. Her gentle touch instantly silenced the aching back of his head. With his dragoness in his arms, they both watched a group of guards who followed the same path as Harrison and this other guy.

Looking into her sparkling eyes, they both rubbed their noses in love. The turquoise breath in it shimmered brightly. “So, where were we?” He whispered to her. Kyndle cooed gently and answered with a soft “Chirp”. He smiled warmly at her and ran his hand over her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned slightly against his touch. “Exactly, two carrots and an onion.” Kyndle nudged his chin with the tip of her tongue and released her loving hug.

Roland got up and was about to take the first step when he saw something shiny on the floor in front of him. He grabbed it in surprise and picked up an oval gemstone. Holding it between index finger and thumb, he turned it in the sunlight. He briefly looked up and down the street in amazement. But nobody seemed to have lost or missed this stone. “Well, if that's not a nice coincidence?” He thought to himself. He glanced briefly at the side street where Harrison's colleague had disappeared. “Could that maybe from ...?”

Kyndle looked enchanted at the orange-red stone and waved her tail back and forth excitedly. Roland squinted at the dragoness and winked at her once. “Almost as beautiful as you.” He added to his look in love. The female closed her eyes with a coo and snuggled her head close to Roland's chest. Shortly thereafter, she raised her eyes and sent a bright sparkle from the turquoise color of her deep blue eyes to him. Holding her nose tip against his, she looked purring softly at him in love. With the gentle vibrations of her body, he clearly felt their emotional connection.

The beautiful touch ended, he nodded confidently to her and stowed the stone in the backpack with the other things. “Only two items left on the list.” He looked at her confidently. “And then we'll go home.” He said with a smile. Kyndle closed her eyes with a coo and started to hurry ahead. Roland watched her and followed her into the hustle and bustle of the busy market square.

The dragoness sniffed around in the air, searching for something. With an affirmative “Meep”, she disappeared into the market chaos. Roland had a hard time not losing sight of his dragoness in the crowd. Fortunately, the nimble female stopped in front of a stand. Catching up with his dragon partner, he glanced at the goods on the table. Cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes and onions were in large quantities on the counter. Bundles of carrots hung from the beam of the narrow roof.

Roland plucked two individual carrots from one of the bundles and gave Kyndle a weak smile. “Well, did you find an onion?” He asked amused. The female sniffed curiously in the large selection. With a hectic inhalation, she pulled her head slightly back and closed her eyes. Her cute sneeze kindled a small flame that swept over the onions. The greengrocer was able to duck behind his stand just in time.

With a smoking cap, he cautiously put his head back up and found his onions as a heap of ash. Roland couldn't help but smile when Kyndle shook her head and looked at him with her innocent eyes. Only one onion survived the short inferno unscathed. “This one.” He said with a grin to the salesman and pointed to the non-charred onion.

“And the others?!” The trader asked slightly angrily and crossed his arms. “Alright.” Roland said, raising his hands apologetically. “How much?” The seller quickly glanced over the destroyed goods and added up a little. “4 pieces of silver.” He said dryly. “Here.” Roland said nothing more and paid the man without a grin.

“Stowed the vegetables in the backpack, he and Kyndle continued strolling through the marked, looking for the last item on the list. “What kind of medium should I choose?” He thought and let his gaze wander around the many possibilities. Kyndle stuck her head over the broad display and sniffed the various items: necklaces, rings, headgear and all sorts of other clothes. “Everything, but no walking aid.” He thought sarcastically, as he passed some walking staffs. With a bright “Chirp”, the dragoness snapped with her mouth for an object and came towards Roland.

“Did you find anything?” He asked curiously, holding his open hand under her mouth. With her soft cooing, she let a left glove fall out of her mouth: it was made of sturdy leather, showed some minor signs of wear and had cut off fingertips. “You sure?” He turned skeptically to the dragon lady. It was then, that he remembered: outside the house, he always wore a fingerless glove on his right hand to hide Kyleth's sign from prying eyes. And this one seemed like a perfect left counterpart. His eyes moved slowly from the glove to Kyndle's sapphire blue eyes. A warm smile followed the bright sparks inside. “Why not?” He serenely stroked his dragoness’ forehead, which elicited a soft “Chirp” from her.

“This one.” Roland said to the salesman and held out the glove, always looking into Kyndle's sparkling eyes.


Standing on the main road again, Roland looked up to the sun, which was already turning the horizon red. “The market is a real time eater, but we still can do it in time.” He said confidently, pulling his backpack into shape.

Shortly afterwards, Roland stood by the stables at the city gate and took a last look into his backpack. When he was satisfied with the existence of all the listed items, he threw it over his shoulder and climbed onto his horse's saddle. “And go!” He called to Kyndle, who joyfully flapped her wings and sent a happy “Chirp” to him. Roland left the capital with a quick gallop and looked confidently ahead. Kyndle ran after him with wide steps and jumped before spreading her wings, rising elegantly into the air.

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In Ironwing, Aaros and Torben stood on the training ground next to the barracks and cast their thoughtful looks at the setting sun, which was already immersed in the horizon. “He doesn't have much time left.” Aaros remarked confidently. “Just not so biased, my friend.” Torben replied. “The sun is still shining.”

Aaros sat on the floor and closed his eyes, breathing calmly. “What kind of bonus do you actually have for him? Assuming he is really back in time.” He wanted to know. Torben turned to him. “You'll find out soon enough.” He answered firmly. Aaros smiled quietly and devoted himself to his meditation again.

“By the way, did you hear about the Dragoner?” Torben asked his colleague. “You couldn't miss this creature.” Aaros replied, recalling the unmistakable sound of mighty dragon wings. “What kind of message did he deliver?” Torben thought aloud to himself. “It got Catherine completely out of the role. She hasn't left her study since he showed up.” He added thoughtfully. “We have other priorities at the moment.” Aaros said. “Just one by one.” Torben lowered his forehead with his eyes closed and exhaled calmly. “You're right.” He said and went back to the barracks.


The sun was still shining on the horizon with the last of its strength when Roland hurriedly turned into the Ironwing driveway on his horse. His orange-red dragoness hovered above him with elegant wing flaps. In front of the closed gate, his mount put all legs firmly into the ground and made a slowdown that almost knocked him off. Kyndle flew quietly over the gate and sent Roland down a cheerful “Chirp”. “You're in a really hurry, Roland!” One of the guards greeted him. Roland swung off the saddle and strode toward the gate. “If you say so, Anthon.” He replied, looking hopefully at the man. “Come on, I'll open it for you.” The guard offered with a grin and slowly opened the squeaking gate. “Thank you!” Roland called, sprinting between the open passage way and heading for the barracks.

The two guards watched the young man smile before their attention was drawn back to the street. The parked horse shook his head and pounded a hoof on the floor. “I'm not taking him to the stable.” One of them said, and retired to his post on the street. The remaining guard let out a long breath and looked a little annoyed at the horse.

Aaros was still sitting deep in his meditation on the place next to the training area. He slowly opened his eyes, when he heard the flap of dragon wings. An orange-red dragoness hovered smoothly on the blades of grass and began to land elegantly. A few last steps slowed her pace last and she proudly raised her head with her chest stretched out. Glancing at Roland, who emerged from behind the hedge at that moment, conjured up a bright sparkle in her blue eyes and she walked towards him, cooing with satisfaction.

He stroked her nose as she passed and headed for Aaros. Roland put the backpack on the floor in front of him and pointed provocatively to the last rays of sun on the horizon. “Before sunset!” He announced loudly, looking confidently at his teacher. Aaros chuckled to himself before he got up and reached for the backpack. With the bag, he went to the table with the training weapons and checked the contents.

“I knew you could do it!” Torben cried to Roland as he walked slowly clapping out of the barracks. He punched him hard on the shoulder and patted him on the back. “Aaros?” He threw to his colleague demanding. He reached into the backpack and took out the bottle with the Stronic brandy. He smiled at the label on the bottle before throwing it over his shoulder to Torben. “Fine, you won.” He said slightly disappointed, rummaging around in the pocket. Grinning, Torben held up the bottle and winked at Roland once. This stood there as ordered and not picked up. “What's going on here?” He wondered, looking at his teachers in confusion. Kyndle couldn't do much with the scene either and looked skeptically around.

Torben continued to grin and made his way to the property. “What is with the bonus now?” Roland asked curiously. “You will get tomorrow.” He replied quickly and waved at him briefly without looking at him. “Now I'm going to show Tim what a real calmative is.” He muttered to himself, and disappeared behind the garden hedge.

“Looks like everything seems to be there.” Aaros said calmly and turned to his student. “Honestly, I was completely convinced that you would be late.” He looked at him in amazement with his cloudy eyes. “But you have once again proved me wrong.” He added with praise. Roland smiled slightly embarrassed. “Well, I had a little bit luck.” Afterwards he threw his joyful look at Kyndle, who came cooing happily to him and huddled her head against his chest. With his eyes closed, he hugged his dragoness and held her. “But I couldn't have done it without you.” He whispered to her.

Aaros pinched his smile and put his hand on Roland's shoulder. “Now make sure you eat something and get a hat full of sleep.” He said in a serious voice. “Tomorrow's day will also be long.” Roland looked at his dragoness in the eyes. “Who’s there first?” He challenged her and ran straight towards the main building. Kyndle released a playful “Meep” and immediately chased after him.

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The night fell over the day and Roland had a hard time finding his sleep. He was too nervous and tense about the following day. He stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling, thinking of what to expect the next morning. Not even Kyndle's soft purr by his side could calm him. Holding her in his arms, he lay awake most of the night until the first rays of the sun were finally visible on the horizon.

The warm glow of the sun hit Kyndle's nose and gently tickled her out of her slumber. Cooing softly, she opened her eyes and was surprised to find that she was alone in bed. She sniffed around slightly and crawled out from under the covers. The door to the narrow terrace was half open and let a warm breath of air into the room. With her head she pushed the door open further and saw her partner. Roland stood half-dressed on the railing, leaning on it with his arms as his eyes flew thoughtfully over the garden of the property.

The female stood with her forelegs on the railing and rubbed gently against Roland with her head. He felt her velvet scales against his face and felt her soft purr. Smiling, he reached with one arm under her head and pressed her a little closer to himself. “Good morning.” He greeted her softly, rubbing her cheek with his hand. She closed her eyes briefly and gave a gentle “Chirp”.

He looked up at the barracks again. Aaros and Torben were already on the training ground. “Then let's go.” Roland said and went back into the room to get dressed. Kyndle glanced once at the barracks and followed Roland shortly afterwards with a bright “Meep”.

After the arrival at the training ground, Roland waved yawning at his teachers. “Be careful not to swallow a fly.” Torben greeted him with a big grin on his face. Roland closed his eyes with a smile and nodded once. Kyndle snorted heavily in Torbens direction and gave a welcoming “Churr”, which put a faint grin on his face. “Come on, I have something for you.” Torben announced loudly and beckoned Roland to the table with the training weapons. He strode up in surprise. He, as well as Kyndle, were curious and examined the table carefully.

There was a longer object on the plate, which was covered by a thin blanket. With a raised eyebrow, he looked at his teacher. Torben started to smile and reached for the blanket. “Since you helped me win the bet yesterday ...” He paused and cleared his throat once. “I mean, since you managed to get back before sunset, you get now your bonus.” With that, he pulled the cover from the object and revealed a longbow, which was made out of bones.

Roland stared in surprise at the masterfully crafted range weapon. “Go ahead.” Torben said, looking confidently at his student and holding out an arrow. Roland hesitantly reached for the bow and ran a hand over the material. It was, compared to other longbows, very light. He ran his fingers over the incised mark above the handle. A slightly curved feather was visible. “A masterpiece made by the famous master smith Griswolv.” Roland's eyes widened when Torben mentioned the name. He gently pulled back the tendon and found that it was extremely strong.

“I used it in earlier times.” Torben started and looked at the bow thoughtfully. “It is made of dragon bones and the bowstring also has a draconic origin.” A weak smile grew on his face. “Which gives this thing a strong impact when you are able to handle it.” He explained. “With the right arrows, you can even hit down armored dragons from the sky. But make yourself a meaning.” He added, handing him the arrow.

Roland took the projectile from his teacher and put it on the string. Aiming at the straw doll, which was hung on a wooden peg, he raised the bow and began to tension it. He was surprised to find that this weapon required much more strength to pull the tendon, than he was used to from his hunting bow. But this did not prevent him from calmly aiming for his target. He continued to pull the arrow back until the tip reached his fingers. His right arm trembled weakly, which seemed to have some difficulty in holding the tension. Along with his slow exhalation, his fingers loosened and released the arrow. The tendon lashed and the projectile hissed towards the straw figure at a tremendous speed.

There was a loud crack as the training arrow pierced the doll's head and even broke the tip of the wooden stake behind it. The projectile was also destroyed by this force. Astonished, his eyebrows raised, he looked at the figure that slumped headless. “Wow!” Roland said surprised. Kyndle let out a loud “Meep” and made a little jump of joy. “That's how it works!” Torben praised him and slapped him on the back with his hand.

Roland looked at the bone bow, gazed at the carved feather for a long time, and then gave his teacher a slightly skeptical look. “And you want to give it to me?” “Worthy for a fellow, isn't it? Besides, you are doing better with it than me anyway.” He said with a wink and slapped him lightly in the upper arm.

“Now that this has been settled, we can now concentrate on the important things.” Aaros intervened seriously and put a heavy backpack on the table. “Your goal is now to find Ansem.” He emphasized. “Unfortunately, I cannot tell you exactly where you can find him. You have to find out for yourself. My final clue is Ascom. Probably someone from there can help you.” “Ascom? Alright.” Roland replied confidently. “Everything is in here.” Aaros started again and handed him the full backpack. “I'll say it straight away: Ansem is insane, which could probably complicate the thing with the medium. I assume that his condition has changed even more over the years.” Roland looked at him in confusion. “Then how do I go about it?” He asked. “You got the carrots and the onion for that.” Aaros explained, and glanced briefly to the side. “At least that's how it worked for me back then.”

“And how does it work?” Roland wanted to know. Aaros smiled at him and looked into his eyes with his cloudy look. “You'll find out for yourself.” He replied with a smile. “And why is he insane?”

Aaros took a deep breath and looked up at the sky thoughtfully. “Ansem was the archmage in the Guild of the Three Towers.” He began to tell. “He has a powerful access and enjoyed a good reputation across the realms. He spent most of his life traveling to uncover the world's secrets. There are much rumors, that his hunger for knowledge drove him beyond the borders of this world. It is said, that he had managed to enter the portal in the Dragon’s Dogma from where he could speak with the Chronicler. He asked the Guardian of Time to get access to the Infinite Library. But his mortal mind was not able to handle this flood of knowledge and he went insane.” Aaros exhaled calmly. “At least that's how it is told, maybe he just ate the wrong mushrooms.”

“And now should an insane person create my medium for me?” Roland asked skeptically. “If you put it that way ... yes.” Aaros replied with a smile. With these words in his head, he threw the heavy backpack over his shoulder and looked at his dragoness. “Then off to Ascom.” Kyndle lifted her head slightly and gave a confirming “Churr” with a half-closed look.

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The sun burned down from a cloudless sky and spread its scorching rays across the country. Beads of sweat ran from Roland's forehead as he stood in front of Ascom's first houses after the long journey with the horse. “Phuu!” He breathed hard. His dragoness landed elegantly next to him and looked at him with a peaceful coo. He slowly moved his mount to the stables. Having housed the horse, he took the first steps on the main road through town.

As they followed the road, Roland started telling Kyndle about the city: “Ascom was originally a small working-class village, which was founded by the loggers of the Whisper-Forest and the stonemasons in the quarries of the Kaladros Mountains.” Kyndle listened carefully to his words and saw at him with a low coo. “But when a gold vein was discovered in the mountains, the small settlement also caught the eye of influential merchants, which led to an explosive growth. Now the city is thriving with the sale of fine gold jewelry and is a safe stopover for many traders.”

Roland stopped in front of an inn and looked thoughtfully at the sign hanging over the entrance. ‘Gold Rush’ was incorporated with golden letters. “Let's try it here.” Roland said to his dragoness and looked at her confidently. Cooing softly, she nodded and briefly closed her eyes. He smiled warmly at her and quickly adjusted her scarf around her neck. Then he entered the inn, followed by his dragon partner.

The interior of the tavern was adorned with long blue cloths, which were attached to the walls in large hanging curves. A large fire burned in a magnificent marble fireplace on each side of the room. Roland scanned the spread out tables. There was a low level of noise in the air, but it suddenly stopped when Kyndle had appeared. The guests threw their astonished looks skeptically at her. Everyone whispered about the dragon and hissed incessantly among themselves. Roland looked at the many faces in amazement and swallowed once. Breathed in new courage, he walked confidently to the counter, where he was immediately stared at by a grumpy man. Kyndle followed hesitantly and looked back and forth slightly nervously.

“I need some information.” Roland said kindly. “We all need something.” The man answered dismissively. He raised both eyebrows at the sharp reply from the landlord. “Have a drink or piss off.” The bartender added, slightly angry. “And take that with you!” Provocatively he pointed to the orange-red dragoness. “This kind is not served here.” Kyndle looked at the man very suspiciously and snorted condescendingly in his direction. Roland raised his eyebrows in anger and clenched his left hand into a fist. “That?!” He repeated the host's word. Kyndle showed her teeth and growled softly.

“Hey hey! No stress!” An unknown man intervened. “We don't want to do anything that we could regret later.” He looked at the bartender somewhat nervously. “And honestly. I wouldn't want to mess with this two.” He appeased him, pointing to Roland and Kyndle. The innkeeper grimaced and gave an indifferent throat clearing. With a shrug, he turned and disappeared into the back room. “You have to excuse him. He has something against dragons. So you need some information?” The man quickly changed the subject and led Roland to a nearby table.

Roland took a deep breath and loosened his hand again before stroking the forehead of his dragoness. Then he gave the mediator a surprised look. “You could say it like that.” He remarked and sat down at the table with him. “By the way, I'm Roland and she is Kyndle.” He stroked his dragoness’ neck. Cooing softly, she closed her eyes briefly and gave a quick “Churr”.

“Nice to meet you. I'm Walter.” The man replied with a grin on his face. “So what information do you need?” Roland supported his elbows on the table top and held his hands together. “I'm looking for a man called Ansem.” He began, lowering his hands. “He should live near Ascom. Maybe it sound a bit strange, but he's supposed to be insane or something.” Walter's eyes twitched quickly when he heard the man's description.

“I don't know an Ansem, but there is such a strange guy who lives in the Whisper-Wood.” Walter said. “Really?!” Roland asked. “Yes, an older man who came into the city several times a year and talks about something of time, magic, determination and soup.” Walter rotated his hands by his words. Roland raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That sounds like the man we're looking for.”

“What do you and your pet want from him?” Walter asked curiously. Kyndle gave the man a slightly angry look at the word pet and snorted hard once. Roland took a deep breath too. “She is not a pet.” He answered seriously. “No?” Walter asked suspiciously. “No. She is my partner.” Kyndle leaned her head against his shoulder when he said it and began to purr softly.

Walter's eyes suddenly gave way to a scowl. “Then get out of here!” He scolded and got up abruptly, which brought him the attention of the other guests. Roland and Kyndle looked at the man in surprise. “Didn't you hear you freak. Pack your fucking cattle and get out of here!” He added angrily and pointed to the exit. Roland got up and looked at him angrily. “Watch what you ...” However, he broke off his threat when he noticed that all the other guests had also got up and glowered in his direction.
Kyndle showed her teeth and growled at the many malicious faces with slit pupils. Roland comfortingly held his open hand in her field of vision, which silenced her soft growl. She looked at her partner somewhat confused. Roland took a serious look at the many angry people. Some were not afraid to express their opinion: “This is against nature!” “What a pervert bastard!” “Let Wyverex get you!” “We don't need anything like you here!” They scolded.

Roland glanced at Kyndle. “What's wrong with them?” He thought. He noticed a faint tear in her eyes and her look dropped slowly to the floor. With his eyes closed, Roland took a deep breath and held his hand to her flank. “We're done here.” He said tensely, leading Kyndle to the exit. Everyone watched them suspiciously until they stood under the door frame. “A second Hector, what an asshole!” Walter's voice echoed into his back. Roland stopped, while Kyndle went outside, his eyes down. Standing upright, he stared back at him and clenched his right hand into a fist. A faint blue glow shimmered from under his glove and he felt a strong pulsation in his arm. “Do us a favor and piss off!” Walter swore again and pointed to the door.

Kyndle took some distance between herself and this suddenly unfriendly place. With a sad expression, she sat under a nearby tree and looked back at the tavern. She thought hard about the words of these people. “Why should that be against nature?” Her eyes down, her ears drooped. “I love him and he loves me. What's wrong with that?”

There was a loud bang and a dirty cloud of dust came out of the door. Roland came out of the thick veil with slow steps and wiped his hands. Exhausted, he stopped in front of his dragoness and took a deep breath. “Assholes.” He thought to himself, and gave Kyndle an encouraging look. Cooing softly, she looked up at him and half closed her eyes. “Can we?” He asked her, pointing his head towards the forest. She gave a slow nod and stood up.


A short time later, Roland stood in front of the first trees of the Whisper-Wood and looked up wearily at the sun. Exhaling strongly, he held his hand between the hot rays and his face. He pulled his backpack into shape and looked at his dragoness, who was still trodden after him, a bit depressed.

He felt a queasy feeling in his stomach, which came without a doubt from her. “That will be an amusing day.” He thought, and lowered his eyes to the ground.

Unsure of her behavior, he entered the Whisper-Wood with a sad Kyndle. The condescending comments from Ascom swirled around in his mind. But still he took one step after another between the trees, searching for that insane magician. His dragoness followed him in a depressed posture.