Master of the Hoard - Chapter 6 (Patreon)

I spent a while looking around the place. A quick trot around the throne room left no doubt that the place had been thoroughly emptied. No piles of loot surrounding the throne for me, alas. The throne itself was very much not built for comfort - a huge carved granite thing that'd have you perched looking down on supplicants and slaves with a proper evil look because it wasn’t anywhere near comfortable.

With that part handled, I wanted to check out the remainder of the necromancer’s place. It was a short tour, though. Three openings led from the throne room. Left, straight out and right. The open doorway on the left pulled at me, and I felt forced to go explore. The door led to a semi-collapsed hallway straight ahead with still-standing rooms on either side. Both rooms looked like they had probably been used for sleeping chambers. They were large and spacious, though, both of them with sufficient room to hold the entire Talpus tribe. The hallway at the end looked like it was leading to a third room, except it was half-filled with earth. The only discernible items inside the sleeping champers were a huge rotten wooden chest, armoire and a couple of rusty contraptions that I took as bunk bed frames.

The room behind the throne was large, completely empty and I took it for my own right away. The remaining doorway leading from the right side of the throne room held only a completely collapsed hallway. My mind was going crazy with theories on exactly what had happened to leave the place empty with only a bunch of undead left to guard it. For now, however, I felt confident that no further undead groups were about to fall upon me and decided to spend a while plotting my approach for the Talpi.

With the panic of the battle behind me, I lay down and stretched, smiling at the thought that I’d already checked off one of the boxes on my “New World” checklist. Imminent survival? Check. That still left “long term survival,” “a good long term solution” and “real goddamn answers” unchecked, but for day one, this was pretty good.

Somehow, I fell asleep. In the middle of my excitement, way too close to the pungent zombie corpse and just out of sight of where the Talpi tribe was supposedly waiting for me, I managed to relax, drift away and grab a handful of hours of blessed, uninterrupted sleep. The first part was intentional - lying down to relax. Even though I had a good feeling about Aelis, I wasn't feeling too sure about how her entire tribe would act when they learned that there was an entire new home waiting for the taking down here. Resting for a scant few hours to recuperate some health and look more formidable before trying to browbeat them into buying what I was selling just made sense to me. My mind was a mess, thoughts of the near-death experience piling on top of the stuff that was already battling for attention inside my head. At some point, however, I gave up on making sense of it all and slid into oblivion.

With a huge yawn, I cleared my head, gathered my composure, and plodded back towards the entry where a huge discussion was underway. It was hard to tell exactly what they were debating, but we'd clearly passed into name-calling territory at this point. Aelis looked to be on the offensive, shouting and waving her arms, but nobody had spotted me yet. ‘Time to catch their attention,’ I thought and let a low growl slowly burst into a long, conquering roar. Sensations of fear and shock so thick I could practically taste them emanated from the crowd, and I could have sworn that a couple of them pissed their fur. I let silence rule for a few seconds, just to have them remember who the apex predator was, and then addressed them all with a mental shout. "What are you waiting for? COME LOOK AT YOUR NEW HOME ALREADY!" Okay, maybe I wasn’t going for all predatory on them.

That kicked them into gear. Instantly, a pair of Talpi started widening the tunnel entrance up above while others secured ropes and within a minute, they climbed down, fighting to be the first. Soon, they were bounding down the hallway, keeping a healthy distance from the dismembered undead. I ambled back into the throne room, content to let them have this chance to check out the place. I observed in peace from near the throne, as most of the creatures spread out through the place, chatting excitedly among each other, gesticulating, planning and pointing out details and tasks to be completed. Not all of them were partaking in the excitement, however. Some hung back, shooting fearful or outright hate-filled glances at me. I couldn’t entirely blame them - we’d only just met. They really were a shabby-looking bunch. There were about 30 of them present right now, most of them thin, bordering on emaciated. It seemed to me like there were a few different types of Talpi. Some, like Aelis, were thin, dark and tall, while others were more robust with larger paws and brighter coloring. A while later, Aelis made her way toward me, apprehension mixed with awe radiating from her.

"Milord. You did it." She knelt before me. "I do not know why you would honor us so, but a safe, well-hidden haven such as this will mean a world of difference for our survival."

I smiled at her. This time, I believe that she actually took it as a smile, because she responded in kind, beaming at me. "I'm glad to see you happy. We have more to discuss, though, and hopefully even more to celebrate when we're done. Could you introduce me to your leader?"

Her smile froze. "Sire. Our Chieftain may have been old for a Talpus, but he always led from the front, especially when it came to riskier outings."

I nodded, waiting longer than I'd care to admit before the penny dropped. Wow, didn’t see that one coming. "Oh. Damn. I suppose we had better gather everybody then. Want to do the honors?" The curiosity was practically burning within her, but she did as I asked and a few minutes later, I felt the weight of the gaze of every Talpus present. I was not a stranger to public speaking though and launched straight into it, projecting my thoughts to everybody present. "Only a short while ago, I slew eleven of your kind, including your Chieftain." Shock, anger and other, darker, emotions ran through the crowd at my opening, but I carried on, undeterred. "I'm not mentioning this to threaten or brag - simply in order to make it readily apparent how well the relationship between our two kinds, Talpus and dragon has evolved in mere days." Also to remind them that I could probably take them on, if they tried to attack me, but I was trying not to be obvious about it. "I hope you enjoy your new home. It is yours freely given and I wish you the best of it. There are no strings attached and from what Aelis says, it should provide a good haven for the future."

The chatter among the crowd increased and sensations of gratefulness, suspicion and hope appeared, almost overpowering the stench of fear.

"I have a proposition for you, however." I could've heard a pin drop in the ensuing silence, but I bulled on. "I'll be blunt - I usually am, but I like directness. I don't know much about the mountain yet - my existence on this plane has just begun. I'll swear upon this, though: You're going to lose this home again. I'm not telling you this to be mean or to lower your expectations. Yes, the place is well hidden, hard to get to and can be improved even further." I stamped my foot down for emphasis, causing some of them to shy away. "But you're weak." Softening my tone, I continued, "Not by choice, I am aware. And I do not doubt that you work as hard as you can. Still, if a clever or lucky monster were to track you down to your new home, you would be lucky to escape unharmed."

That did not go down too well. Truth is often a bitter pill to swallow. I needed no telepathy to see the resentment on their faces. One tall male, caked in dirt and inexplicably stroking a rock like some pet animal, stepped forward with a scowl on his face. "Easy to say others are weak, when you're strong. What would you have us do, lizard?" He said with a sneer.

I laughed at that, my raspy cough reverberating through the room. The male visibly blanched, but stood his ground. Brave fella, this one - I'd have to reward him somehow, for giving me the perfect opening. "Funny you should ask. I would have you train harder than you ever have, work to improve your safety and your lot in life... and start forming alliances."

Aelis clearly caught wind of where I was going. "Sire, are you suggesting..."

"Yes, I am. I have need of your knowledge and your skills in navigating and digging through this maze and you - you need a protector. I will offer myself as that protector." I let that sink in, while I took in their reactions. Shock, mistrust, disbelief... elation? "Don't misunderstand me, however. What I offer is a partnership with clearly defined roles - with me in charge. You will end up working for what you receive, but I will not be unfair and I will keep up my side of the deal. But it is still an offer and I will not pressure you into deciding which choice to make."

Aelis asked, "Exactly what is it you offer, Milord? What would you require from us?"

"Like I mentioned earlier, I want you to do the things you already do. Dig, hide, build and try to survive and thrive. However, in addition to that, I require your obedience. Any internal decisions in your tribe are for you to decide - but I'll be your leader and if I require you to do something, you do it. My offer in return is simple. Safety. I will defend you to the best of my abilities and work to improve the defense of this place. And give you the chance to become the builders I believe you were meant to be."

She nodded and glanced around. "Thank you. We would request a minute. This is not a decision to take lightly."

I nodded. "By all means - take all the time you need." It was damn easy to appear magnanimous when you already knew what the decision was going to be. Or at least should be. Relief, thankfulness and eagerness flowed from the group as one, along with just hints of suspicion and resentment. It was actually surprising that there wasn’t more suspicion than what I picked up on. I marveled at the gift of telepathy - not only did it seem that it would allow me to communicate with anybody, regardless of language, but it was definitely going to give me a head start in any future negotiations. What a wonderful cheat skill.

When Aelis returned, she seemed rattled and surprise was oozing from her. "Sire, we agree - and hope that we will end with a fortuitous relationship. Also... also, they have decided that I should serve as the spokeswoman for our tribe henceforth."

"What a great idea! Let's make this official!" I walked behind the throne, placing my front claws on the back of it to stand up. Towering in front of the Talpi, I let loose a roar while I shouted at the crowd. "For the prosperity of the Talpi. Today, we celebrate the founding of our new Empire."

There were no cheers. Instead, we saw a strange mixture of high-pitched squeals and grunts, clearly delivered with very varying levels of enthusiasm. Still, taking in the people in front of me, I had to restrain myself to keep from smiling. If this were a video on a nature channel, it'd be the sort to elicit fawning comments and outbursts of "d'awwwww" from the audience. We'd have to work hard to move from 'cute’ to something useful. For now, however, the reluctantly adorable, fuzzy creatures in front of me needed a win.

I dragged Aelis off to a side and we set to it, planning for an unheard-of feast. The Talpi were set to work removing the bloated remains of the undead - I was already enjoying having underlings. Meanwhile, Aelis took off with me and a handful of helpers in search of a proper celebratory meal, once they had cleared the opening enough, leveling the drop down to a steep incline I was able to climb. Our round trip was not too long. We were gone maybe a few hours at most, but it was an educational experience. I learned both that I still had a long way to go before I'd be able to navigate the twisted corridors by myself - and I also learned that both the flora and fauna of the place was rife with variation. Go figure. The Talpi filled a few sacks with glowing twisted blue lichen, a staple of their diet, I learned, en route to our target. They asked me to enter the large room first, and my Deafening Roar easily stunned a large swarm of giant, colorful flies feasting on a huge corpse. Immediately, the Talpi sprang to action, killing off the downed insects and separating the meat for consumption.

On our way back, my furred companions were in an uncommonly good mood, though still a little suspicious. Aelis was particularly jubilant, "Praise be the day we met you, Sire. Finding an Orugal corpse practically uneaten is the highest of luck, but Drainer Flies are an added delicacy."

"What's an Orugal? And Drainer Flies?"

"Orugals are some of the dumber beasts inside the mountain. No special abilities, but they are terribly strong and fast. Sometimes we manage one or two of them with a well-placed trap or collapse, but generally, we avoid them. Drainer Flies, on the other hand, are a menace. They will drain you of both your liquids and your strength. A couple of Orugals like the one back there might be able to take you on for sheer strength, Milord, but the moment they managed to attach and start draining the Orugal, it was doomed."

I nodded, deep in thought. Priority number one once we established a minimum of defendability would be the establishment of a map, replete with bestiary and the like. As it stood, even a simple outing by myself would be dangerous due to my lack of knowledge.

The rest of our trip was uneventful. I asked a multitude of questions, trying to acquaint myself with the surroundings and failing - but Aelis seemed to enjoy my interest. When we returned, I marveled at the difference in our new humble abode. "I've got to hand it to you guys, Aelis. You're hard workers." That was putting it mildly. Not only had they managed to remove all traces of the undead, except for some disturbing stains where the large zombie had kicked the bucket. They'd also made serious headway on the huge task of cleaning the worst of the filth from the throne room. It would appear that they had already appropriated the sleeping chambers on the left hand side of the throne room for themselves. One detail stood out, however. "What is ... that?"

Aelis followed my outstretched claw towards the pile of garbage that was gathered before the throne. "Oh. Your loot, Sire. For the hoard." Did I pick up a faint sense of incredulity?

I had to take a mental timeout to keep myself from responding "For the Horde!" right back at her. Her comment had me confused though. Which hoard? I mean, yeah, I'd read The Hobbit. I was well aware that dragons were supposed to hoard magic items, gold and other crap. I just hadn’t seen the point. I lumbered over to the pile, shaking my head in distaste. Low quality weaponry and... oh yeah, broken, rusted armor from the little fatso wasn't exactly in the manual under 'things I absolutely must keep at all cost.'

I picked up the offending armor with a claw, sneering. "Does this one spark joy? No, then..." My mental monologue ran into a wall, as I watched the notification appearing in front of me. "Can't be..."

[You have met the criteria for establishing a tiny hoard.

Criteria:

- Surpassed level 3

- At least one suitable item owned

Do you wish to establish your hoard? Yes/no]

Tentatively, I selected yes. For a moment, nothing happened and I experienced a sinking sensation in my stomach. The feeling increased, turning into a physical sensation - like being put under pressure from all sides simultaneously. The pressure increased, peaks of pressure roaming around my body, until the sensation became painful. I grit my teeth, trying to will the pain to dissipate. Moments later, the pressure moved on to my head and the ensuing spike of pain caused me to gasp. Then, suddenly, it felt like a valve was opened and something blue, white and utterly alien flooded into my brain, rearranging the furniture and knocking down a few walls in the process. I watched the colored wave streaming through the armor and into me, following where it came from back to its origin, through the floor and down -   and was abruptly thrown back into my body as the connection settled. Confused and overwhelmed, I watched the ensuing avalanche of notifications.

[You have established a Tiny Hoard, forming a connection with Deyra.

Your current Hoard size: 0 Mana Crystals (Tiny) grants you the following:

- Maximum Population size: 50. Current population: 42

- Domain size: 300 foot radius.

• Domain detection range: 10 Miles. Domains within range: 1

- Mana regeneration rate within your domain is increased by 100%

- Sub-species Specialization bonus: locked.

The connection and benefits will remain for as long as your Hoard is active.

Criteria to upgrade hoard:

- Reach a minimum of level 7

- Improve contents of the hoard

- Own at least one Mana Crystal]

[You have gained a new skill: Inspect.

Inspect allows you to see the details of friendly items and creatures within your domain.

The power of the skill increases along with the size of your Hoard.]

[You have gained a new skill: Apply Profession.

You are able to apply professions to your minions, increasing their effectiveness. Professions are permanent, but will be regained if your minion dies or otherwise leaves your service.

Current profession slots available: 3/3

Available professions:

- Fighter: Increase the damage, health and physical attributes by +25%

- Mage: Increase magical damage and mental attributes by +25%

- Builder: Increased carrying load +50%. Increased construction capabilities by +25%

The power, selections and effectiveness of the skill increases along with the size and content of your Hoard.]

[You have gained a new skill: Domain Map.

Within your map, you can now see the entirety of your domain in realtime, along with the placement and status of your minions.

The versatility of the skill increases along with the size of your Hoard.]

[You have gained a new skill: Construction.

This skill allows you to create and upgrade buildings and other constructions inside your domain. A new Construction panel has been added to your character sheet.

The selections within the Construction panel are increased along with the size of your hoard.]

The construction panel was an overview of constructions available for production, production times and costs. Currently, only four things were available:

[Habitat:

This construction converts an area of 30 x 30 feet into living space, optimal for any living creature to move into. Please note: While any race and species may take up the Habitat, not all are able to peacefully coexist. Increases health recovery for all creatures in the Habitat.

Mana cost: 100

Construction time: 4 hours.]

[Stone Door:

This sturdy Stone Door can be placed at whichever doorway you want and possibly buy several crucial minutes in a conflict. It is magically keyed to the creator and his minions and can be locked at a touch.

Mana cost: 100

Construction time: 4 hours.]

[Growth Boost

This energy field enfolds a malleable area of 60 x 60 feet. Growth of all animals, plants and vegetables within the area is increased by +100%.

Mana cost: 150

Construction time: 4 hours]

[Mana Crystal:

A Mana Crystal can only be constructed by a dragon. They are created from refined mana, hardened into a bright gem. When placed in a dragon's hoard, Mana Crystals improve the connection to Deyra, resulting in a number of benefits:

- they improve the automatic refinement of mana, allowing for more mana to be regenerated.

- they unlock further possible constructions in the domain.

- their mana contents resonate with the hoard, allowing for the possibility that items gain or improve magical abilities.

- Two times a day, you can consume a Mana Crystal to fully replenish your mana and health.

Mana cost: 200 (always set to a full mana gauge)

Construction time: 12 hours]

Hoooly asbestosis, Batman! I spent a while taking it all in. The possibilities here were endless. Right this moment, I didn't even care about understanding it all. Regardless of what else it meant, it also assured me that I had a home, people beholden to me and a giant step ahead compared to all the other races... or maybe, "Aelis, a question?"

She approached me. "Yes Milord?"

"I have just created my hoard and apparently... formed a connection with Deyra. What does that even mean? Can all races do that?" Man did I hate my ignorance!

She scratched her neck. "While I know a little, I would rather our shaman share his wisdom with you. Knowledge on magic is not my forte." Her snout split, showing off her tiny, sharp teeth in a smile. "But I know that you created your hoard. I felt the connection establish - right here." She indicated her breastbone with her bandaged paw. "We all did. I will bring Arthor right away."

“Please. But before you do that, I have a question. The message said that it detected another Domain within ten miles range.”

“Miles, Sire?”

“Erm… let’s say 5 hours of walking straight.” At least, if I tried to account for their short legs.

Aelis’ whiskers twitched. A sense of unease mixed with concentration emanated from her. “So maybe 8 hours of walking through the tunnels. Does it say anything about direction?”

“No. Just that ten mile detection range.”

She nodded. “In that case, I would not worry. Yet. Ten miles up means at least two layers up into the mountain. That is the third highest layer. It stands to reason that Selys has minor domains placed there.” She paused and nodded to herself. “I will ensure that our scouts keep their eyes open, however.”

“We shouldn’t worry about Selys?”

“No. She brought you into this life. Your brethren are the real danger.”

“If you say so. Does a domain always mean another dragon? And you’re certain that there’s no other dragon down here near us?”

She stood straight. “Nothing is certain within the Scoured Mountain. But we know all tunnels on this layer within a ten hour march. Any dragons dwelling within that range would be fresh arrivals.”

That didn’t mollify my worries. Any of the other eggs from my clutch would be fresh arrivals too, wouldn’t they? Regardless, as long as the scouts stay alert, I could only hope for the best and prepare for the worst. As I grumbled over the issues, Aelis left to fetch their shaman.

Preconceptions are a funny thing. The moment Aelis said 'shaman,' I was picturing a grey-furred, hunchbacked creature filled with wisdom and sage advice. Arthor, as it turns out, was the tallish, dirty male who’d defied me back in the throne room. Turned out, below the dirt, he held patterned brown and white fur and an atrocious sense of humor. Oh, and no survival instinct whatsoever.

"I can't believe you are ignorant of this. Pfah. Our young aren't the brightest, but they at least know who Deyra is. And how magic works." Whole lot of disdain coming off of him right now.

"You are aware that your people tried to kill me before I had even hatched, right?"

"Pfah.” He waved a pawlike hand, holding a large rock. “That doesn’t excuse a wavering attention. You will still have received the same introduction to the world we all did."

If I wasn’t confused before, I was now. "What introduction? And are you going to tell me who Deyra is?" Damn, what did I miss?

"Deyra is the essence of magic and life. We used to worship her a few generations back, you know? Silly idea, really. Might as well worship a river. Or a rock. We still do revere her, obviously." He snickered at the idea, staring into space.

I restrained myself from taking a bite out of his leg. I'd already tried growling at him and slamming my foot down right before him to catch his attention. He was scared, obviously, but obstinate enough to ignore me. "Then please explain to me how I have connected with the essence of magic and life."

His snicker made me grind my teeth. "Never in my life did I imagine having to have The Talk with a dragon."

"The... what?" This wasn't happening.

"The Talk. Explaining how the world, life and magic works. Now, pay attention, young airhead. See, this wisdom has been gathered from several tribes over centuries."

With an effort, I kept from groaning and prepared myself mentally. Hopefully there'd at least be a grain of useful info amidst all the unwanted mental images I was about to absorb.

"Deyra is us and we are she. At first, we were one. No conscience, no life, no multitude of peoples, simply existence. However, out of rest grew unrest and Deyra expanded... I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"What? Not at all." Okay, maybe a little. I'd just recently been fighting for my life, and now I was listening to creation stories – and the annoying beast was taking the longest time to answer a simple question. Not my thing. Did I need to work on my patience? Nah. This was just plain boring.

He didn’t buy it either. "Pfah. If ignorance is what you like, ignorant you will remain. I'll skip the knowledge and just answer your question directly. Maybe that will keep you from falling asleep." Finally. Let's get to the point already.

He kicked the throne a couple of times, deep in thought. "There are places in the world where magic life force is closer to the surface. Mana regenerates faster, wounds heal easier, children are more abundant - you see the general trend. This means that everybody wants to stay in that place and soon everybody's fighting over it. Bloody, would you agree? Well, some races are just born lucky and they have the ability to connect even further to Deyra - and basically leech more life force and magic off of her. Golden opportunity right? Right. And wrong. Because the moment you do that, you also become a target for everybody else who is already connected in the same manner. So, given that we've tied ourselves to you, you'd better get to work and prepare - because at some point, we're going to get noticed and we need to be ready! I’ll be damned if I’m letting my tribe die because you decided to rest in opulence." Well shit. Talk about giving it to you straight.

Aelis was nearby, listening to his words, flinching. She smelled... nervous, I'd say. She probably feared that their tribe would soon be short a shaman. In all honesty, there was no need for her to be anxious. I was used to dealing with cocky little shitheads and as long as their attitude didn't interfere with the job, I could handle the verbal diarrhea. Arthor gave straight answers - what more could I want? "Appreciate the answer. So the increased healing and fertility is what keeps you guys staying inside the mountain instead of just moving elsewhere, where the fighting's not so bad?"

He gave me a grudging nod. "It was also what drove our tribe here in the first place, or so the stories tell. The last few generations have been harsh to us, however. If we hadn't met you, we might have had to leave anyway. As it stands... well, we'll see." Doubt seemed to ooze off of him, whether with me or with the situation, I couldn’t tell.

"Understood. And the ‘painting a target on my back’ part?"

He shrugged. "I can't rightly tell you how it works if I can't do it myself, right? The stories tell how those who connect directly to Deyra are able to feel others. That's all I know.”

I sighed. “Okay. That might be the detection range I just received. Or it might not. Hrm. At the very least tell me what the hell you’re doing with that rock.” He’d been stroking the rock during the entire conversation, like a pet hamster, and it was terribly distracting.

“This? It’s an exercise in concentration and practice. I constantly use part of my focus to compact the rock, deconstructing and hardening it. Also, if my apprentices act up, I throw it at them.” To the side, Aelis nodded absently. “Now, unless there was anything else?"

He was already turning around, when I interrupted him, "I do have one final question. I want to learn magic. Can you teach me?"

For the first time it looked like he took me seriously. He pondered the question, looked me deep in the eye and responded firmly. "No." Then he turned on his heel and strode away. Arrogant shit.

Aelis and I watched him walk away. She looked lost for words for a moment. "Milord, I believe he was trying to say that there is a world of difference between shamanic magic that derives its power from the tribe and the sort of magic that you would be able to learn. I am sure that in time-"

"Mmmhm." I interrupted, looking at the little pipsqueak strut away. "Cocky little runt, isn't he?" She threw up her paws in response and I grinned. "I like him. We'll keep him." Returning my mind to the tasks at hand, I pondered how best to approach everything. I decided I'd best save any large decisions for later, when I'd had a chance to understand my capabilities. "Aelis, I need to do some thinking. I’ve claimed this room for my own - you can always talk to me if there’s anything."

"Thank you, Sire. We have everything well in hand. It will be an hour or two until the feast is ready. What are your orders?"

"For now, nothing. We need to get you properly installed - feel free to focus on your own comforts first."

"Thank you, Sire. We will serve you well. Please do call me for assistance, if there is anything."

“Alright. I will, me-for-assistance.” Aelis looked completely confused, but eventually bowed and walked away. I chuckled out loud. I could almost hear my daughter, Dina’s, voice. “Daaad. You are so not funny.” It was a stray, bittersweet thought that led me to daydream about all I had left back on Earth. Could I actually make a better life here, be a better person than I had been? Time and survival would tell.