Last Minute Preparations

After my little half-time show wardrobe malfunction and the awkward interaction that followed, we began to loot the final level of the dungeon as a group. Taking the rest of the day to do so, we carefully combed over the ancient arcanotech that had set Talir’sahn ages ahead of the neighbouring nations. By the time we neared the end, our bottomless bags had become stuffed with relics and riches, including numerous high-quality weapons, crates of untouched potions and even more money.

Upon finding the fifth purse spilling over with golden coins, I had begun to wonder if I had underestimated just how much we would yield from this adventure. Even without selling the found loot, we already neared the two thousand gold a piece promise I had made.

“Iz, another scry-thingy.” Sharzin announced as she popped up with a flat slab of metal and crystal about the size of a book.

“Sweet, thanks.” I replied, taking it into my hands and inspecting it.

The scrypad was a device first conceived in the Age of Mortals before the Great Cataclysm destroyed Westerriton. The people of Talir’sahn, aiming to surpass their ancient predecessors, recreated the arcanotech using the fragmented remains of those original devices.

With a scrypad and proper knowledge of how to utilize the magical software, it was possible to control various arcane machines worldwide that had been left dormant for thousands of years. And once the remnant at the heart of the desert crater was reestablished, the device could be used to gain access to the intranexilore, a repository of all mortal knowledge.

I clicked the small inlay emerald, but, as with all the previous ones, no magical energy remained in the power source. There was only one universal charger in this world that wasn’t within the chronolocked portion of Talir’sahn or the Remnant of Westerriton.

The downside was that it accompanied the one person in Moal’aw with a functional scrypad. And its current owner? Lemon Poppy Seed, the edgy faerie of the hero group.

“Another bust.” I groaned, tossing the third scrypad into the bag. “They just don’t make arcane crystals like they used to.”

“Well, that’s everything,” Sharzin said, sitting on the ground and looking up at me. She giggled, her pale cheeks becoming rosy as she looked away. “Sorry.”

“Could we not! Please.” I whined, trying to forget about what had happened. “It was—no, it wasn’t anything. Let’s just chalk it up to a collective hallucination from the succubus’ natural pheromones.”

“Those weren’t the only moans.”

“Sharzin!”

The two of us bickered and teased each other as we walked back to the security booth, where Aesandoral and Rionriv had already returned from their search.

“Hey, how’d it go?” I asked, finally having the opportunity to direct my attention towards someone other than the tiny teasing terror.

“Good,” Rionriv answered, looking me up and down. “Surprised you still have your pants on.”

Uuuuuggggghhhh!

“Ri!” Aesandoral scolded in a hushed tone, trying to hide her blushing face.

“Well, monsters shouldn’t get him so flustered.” She nodded towards my crotch.

“Hey, don’t shame me!”

“I don’t think it's possible. You’re shameless.” She smirked at her own comment.

“Could we go over the plan for the dragon now?” I asked, trying to change the subject of the current conversation.

Slowly but surely, I navigated the triop away from a monster-girl intervention discussion towards a talk that was actually needed. This was, of course, after more obligatory teasing and preparation of our beddings for the night.

As Sharzin prepared the food for us, Rionriv and I sorted through the newest influx of loot. This led us to reevaluate our strategy for the upcoming dragon battle after considering our remaining supplies.

After fairly handing out the spoils amongst everyone and redistributing several potions, it began to feel that our preparations were complete.

As we ate Talir’sahn Fried Lizard, it was agreed upon that the animals would not join the upcoming fight. Seeing as they weren’t trained for what we would need, we didn’t want to risk their lives unnecessarily. And, personally, I feared that they would only distract us from the threat at hand—it was a dragon after all.

Then, with that topic settled, we went over the plan a final time.

Beginning first thing in the morning, we would take the platform lift down to the subterranean sand docks. From there, Sharzin and I would sneak along the cavern walls to a nearby crevice to provide us cover behind a handful of fallen boulders. Meanwhile, Aesandoral would set up in a flanking position on the opposite side of the docks, keeping herself hidden until I engaged with the dragon.

I reiterated that the young dragon, which was not nearly as tough as its older forms, would keep itself submerged in the sand, only raising its head to use its acid breath. Since I wasn’t particularly fond of rolling around in acid for fun, Rionriv would cast her elemental protection magic on me to guarantee I could tank the damage without turning into a puddle of sizzling goo.

Then, after I lured it in by walking on the sand, we would ambush the dragon. Our archers would then fill it full of arrows, and I’d give it a few good, well-placed smacks with my staff. Once it was nearing its limit and began to flee, Rionriv would cut off the exit and deliver the final blow with her supercharged lightning.

“Which should be even more potent with this.” She remarked, sloshing around a potion that she insisted would increase the effectiveness of her electrical output.

“Right,” I replied, hoisting my potion into the air and looking to Sharzin. “And ours will help as well.”

We also adjusted the plan to take advantage of a few old potions we had looted to give us a bit of a boon. Sharzin, in the moments before combat was initiated, would drink a potion of precision, which we all assumed would give her the best chances to strike the dragon’s vital weak spots. I, on the other hand, would consume a potion of greater strength to give my punches more power behind them.

“I wish my potion were cooler.” Aesandoral pouted.

“You can snipe at super long ranges. I think your elixir of clarity will do you well. Plus, with your already enhanced vision, you’ll be our eyes and ears at detecting the shifting sand.”

“I guess.”

Glancing over everyone, I gave my nod of approval. It was a perfect plan, and when all went well, we’d be able to enjoy the young dragons' horde.

That was, if everything went well…