Ember took Yuki’s hand and began to pull her along as she pointed out buildings left and right. Though the way the buildings were put together was haphazard, Ember seemed to know the city like the back of her hand. She went between buildings, their path twisting and turning, as she took the fastest routes toward the places she wanted to show.
One of the areas was the center of the city. It was circular in shape with a statue of a dragon made out of a material that had a metallic sheen. The dragon was posed regally, his head held high as his two front legs stood on top of a boulder.
“Who is he?” Yuki asked.
“Hmm?” Ember glanced over at the statue. “Ah. That’s the founder of this city. His name is Dylik.”
“Are all the cities named after the ones that started them?”
“Indeed they are. The town I come from was started by Vernon, a well known naturae dragon,” she said. “You might have a chance to meet him depending on his mood.”
“He’s alive?” Yuki frowned. These cities must have been founded thousands and thousands of years ago.
“Yes he is. Stubborn and cranky, but still very much alive,” Ember laughed. “He lives in Vernon, so I’ve talked to him a lot more than I have the other council members.”
“Oh, so he will be in the council meeting.”
“Depending on whether or not he wants to come,” Ember shrugged. She turned away from the statue and pulled Yuki along. “Let me show you something here.”
“What do you mean by whether or not he wants to?” Yuki asked as she followed behind. The rest of their group had spread around the city center. “Are the members not required to attend?”
“Not for something like this,” Ember said with a shake of her head. “It’s not an emergency, so they’re not forced to attend. The council actually meet up quite a lot to discuss things about the city and the rest of the world. It’s not always important talk though. I’m there almost always because of my position, so I can say with confidence that most of the time it’s like a gathering of friends.”
“It’s not a super formal thing then, hmm.”
“Not at all. Dragons live different lives from most other groups. We’re more independent. We don’t have formal jobs. We don’t have societal obligations. We just live how we want to live. If I wanted to stop being head of the guard, I would simply just say I don’t want to and someone else would be asked to do it.”
“How do your cities run then?” Yuki said. It sounded like the perfect recipe for chaos.
“We live a long time. Long enough to know that what helps one person can help another. Long enough that personal vendettas become tiresome and drawn out. We do what we need to keep our civilization, though that word is used loosely, running.”
“What about food and crimes like theft?”
“We don’t eat that much in the first place,” Ember smiled. “You know that. And stealing just isn’t worth it most of the time. If someone crosses any lines, the community will reprimand them.”
“And if someone sways the community?”
“The council will deal with them. Trust me. We’ve had experience with this.” Her tone grew grim. Then she shook her head. “Enough of that. Look at those.”
She pointed toward a set of large buildings that were the size of a warehouse. Each one looked large enough to house a dragon and give them room to walk around and sleep in.
“You were wondering about how other types of dragons that the natural environment around here couldn’t harbor lived. Those are how,” she said.
“What’s in them?” Yuki asked.
“Let me show you,” she smiled. “I’ll take you to mine.”
“Should we call the others?”
“No. If they want to catch up, they’ll be able to find us easily. It’s not that far away.”
She went ahead, her feet carrying her quickly, as Yuki followed a half step back. She led Yuki to one of those buildings off to the left of the city center. It was behind one other building.
“This is my home,” she said. “Haven’t been in here for ages. Might need to clean it up a bit if I get a chance later.”
She touched the handle of the door to the building and pushed a bit of mana into it. Runes engraved onto it glowed and she pulled the door open a second later.
“Come on in,” she said.
Yuki stepped inside, lights automatically turning on as they sensed her. The thing that hit her first was an intense wave of dry heat rolling over her. It sucked away the moisture on Yuki’s skin. The floor of the room was a field of short grass. Off to the side was a desk and a wardrobe. Next to that was a cabinet.
“No fire?” Yuki asked, glancing over at Ember.
“Not for me. I prefer more mild heat and I like grass. Summer nights in the fields around Vernon were always great,” she said. “Some other fire dragons though need things to be a lot hotter for them to be comfortable. I can only tolerate that type of heat. Fire is also just for mages. They use it to practice. I do more physical combat, so I don’t need it.”
“Oh. Not a lot of decor here,” Yuki observed.
“This is an apartment for me, basically,” Ember shrugged. “I only sleep here when I’m in the city and that’s usually only when the council needs me to be here. My house back in Vernon is a lot more comfy.”
“You should show me one day.”
“I’m planning to. There are a few people back home I want you to meet as well.”
“I look forward to that.”
“Anyway, I showed you this because I just wanted to show you how other dragons live in the capital comfortably. We just adjust their rooms to fit their climate needs.”
“How do you keep the grass alive in this heat?” Yuki asked. She squatted down and touched a blade of grass. It felt very real. “I assume the heat is constant?”
“Spells, magic, and science,” Ember explained. “The grass isn’t normal grass that you find in a field. It’s heat and fire resistant. If you tried to light it up, it takes a while for the flames to catch.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They grow around fire dragon settlements. Vernon has a bunch in the fields around it. We use them for potions too.”
“Fire resistance potions I assume.”
“If you’re using them as a main ingredient, yeah,” she nodded. “Other ones as well, but I’m not too knowledgeable about potion making and all that stuff.”
“How about other buildings? What are they like for ice dragons and lightning dragons?”
“Ice dragons just get really cold rooms with a few requesting for snow and some for a pool of icy water to swim in. Ice dragons don’t really enjoy greenery as much. A few do, but most of them only want evergreens at best. The rest is just ice or a more elven looking home.”
“Oh, so some dragons live in places that look more like the houses back in Libra.”
“Of course. It’s way more convenient for some from what I heard. I don’t like it personally since I like nature and I want a lot of space to move around.”
“How about lighting dragons?” Yuki asked.
“Well, they’re unique compared to the others. They’re kind of like earth dragons in that they don’t need anything special to live comfortably. Just give them a room and they’ll request whatever they prefer. Not special requests. Usually.”
“Earth dragons are like that too?”
“Yeah. They’re a hardy group. Can live in both the cold and the heat. Some like greenery others don’t. It’s a toss up, but they don’t need anything special either.”
“This must be pretty hard to maintain,” Yuki thought out loud. “There are a lot of these buildings and they each have their own settings.”
“It’s not that bad. Each run on the same spell, so we just basically copy and paste,” Ember smiled. “They’re all the same design so no need to worry about that either. Maintenance wise, it’s your room so you take care of you, if you know what I mean.”
“Hmm. I guess that fits with how dragons live.”
“Well, this was fun, but we need to get going to the meeting,” Ember said. “It should be taking place tonight.”
She opened the door again and let Yuki out before shutting it softly. Then she started strolling down back toward the city center.
“Do you know where it is? This meeting?” Yuki asked. She didn’t see Ember talk to anyone or look at anything that would hint at this.
“No. We’re going to town hall to ask,” she replied. “Then we’ll know where we’ll be going. But before we do, I’ll need to tell you about a few things.”
“What things?”
“Not now. I’ll tell you before the meeting. You’ll need to know these things before going in.”
Yuki frowned.
“Is it something about me that I’m not aware of?” she asked.
“No. It’s about the council members,” Ember explained. “It’s about how to conduct yourself and what to say. You need to remember what I tell you well, otherwise the meeting won’t be pretty.”
“What could happen?”
“Well. For starters. You might die.”
Ember took Yuki’s hand and began to pull her along as she pointed out buildings left and right. Though the way the buildings were put together was haphazard, Ember seemed to know the city like the back of her hand. She went between buildings, their path twisting and turning, as she took the fastest routes toward the places she wanted to show.
One of the areas was the center of the city. It was circular in shape with a statue of a dragon made out of a material that had a metallic sheen. The dragon was posed regally, his head held high as his two front legs stood on top of a boulder.
“Who is he?” Yuki asked.
“Hmm?” Ember glanced over at the statue. “Ah. That’s the founder of this city. His name is Dylik.”
“Are all the cities named after the ones that started them?”
“Indeed they are. The town I come from was started by Vernon, a well known naturae dragon,” she said. “You might have a chance to meet him depending on his mood.”
“He’s alive?” Yuki frowned. These cities must have been founded thousands and thousands of years ago.
“Yes he is. Stubborn and cranky, but still very much alive,” Ember laughed. “He lives in Vernon, so I’ve talked to him a lot more than I have the other council members.”
“Oh, so he will be in the council meeting.”
“Depending on whether or not he wants to come,” Ember shrugged. She turned away from the statue and pulled Yuki along. “Let me show you something here.”
“What do you mean by whether or not he wants to?” Yuki asked as she followed behind. The rest of their group had spread around the city center. “Are the members not required to attend?”
“Not for something like this,” Ember said with a shake of her head. “It’s not an emergency, so they’re not forced to attend. The council actually meet up quite a lot to discuss things about the city and the rest of the world. It’s not always important talk though. I’m there almost always because of my position, so I can say with confidence that most of the time it’s like a gathering of friends.”
“It’s not a super formal thing then, hmm.”
“Not at all. Dragons live different lives from most other groups. We’re more independent. We don’t have formal jobs. We don’t have societal obligations. We just live how we want to live. If I wanted to stop being head of the guard, I would simply just say I don’t want to and someone else would be asked to do it.”
“How do your cities run then?” Yuki said. It sounded like the perfect recipe for chaos.
“We live a long time. Long enough to know that what helps one person can help another. Long enough that personal vendettas become tiresome and drawn out. We do what we need to keep our civilization, though that word is used loosely, running.”
“What about food and crimes like theft?”
“We don’t eat that much in the first place,” Ember smiled. “You know that. And stealing just isn’t worth it most of the time. If someone crosses any lines, the community will reprimand them.”
“And if someone sways the community?”
“The council will deal with them. Trust me. We’ve had experience with this.” Her tone grew grim. Then she shook her head. “Enough of that. Look at those.”
She pointed toward a set of large buildings that were the size of a warehouse. Each one looked large enough to house a dragon and give them room to walk around and sleep in.
“You were wondering about how other types of dragons that the natural environment around here couldn’t harbor lived. Those are how,” she said.
“What’s in them?” Yuki asked.
“Let me show you,” she smiled. “I’ll take you to mine.”
“Should we call the others?”
“No. If they want to catch up, they’ll be able to find us easily. It’s not that far away.”
She went ahead, her feet carrying her quickly, as Yuki followed a half step back. She led Yuki to one of those buildings off to the left of the city center. It was behind one other building.
“This is my home,” she said. “Haven’t been in here for ages. Might need to clean it up a bit if I get a chance later.”
She touched the handle of the door to the building and pushed a bit of mana into it. Runes engraved onto it glowed and she pulled the door open a second later.
“Come on in,” she said.
Yuki stepped inside, lights automatically turning on as they sensed her. The thing that hit her first was an intense wave of dry heat rolling over her. It sucked away the moisture on Yuki’s skin. The floor of the room was a field of short grass. Off to the side was a desk and a wardrobe. Next to that was a cabinet.
“No fire?” Yuki asked, glancing over at Ember.
“Not for me. I prefer more mild heat and I like grass. Summer nights in the fields around Vernon were always great,” she said. “Some other fire dragons though need things to be a lot hotter for them to be comfortable. I can only tolerate that type of heat. Fire is also just for mages. They use it to practice. I do more physical combat, so I don’t need it.”
“Oh. Not a lot of decor here,” Yuki observed.
“This is an apartment for me, basically,” Ember shrugged. “I only sleep here when I’m in the city and that’s usually only when the council needs me to be here. My house back in Vernon is a lot more comfy.”
“You should show me one day.”
“I’m planning to. There are a few people back home I want you to meet as well.”
“I look forward to that.”
“Anyway, I showed you this because I just wanted to show you how other dragons live in the capital comfortably. We just adjust their rooms to fit their climate needs.”
“How do you keep the grass alive in this heat?” Yuki asked. She squatted down and touched a blade of grass. It felt very real. “I assume the heat is constant?”
“Spells, magic, and science,” Ember explained. “The grass isn’t normal grass that you find in a field. It’s heat and fire resistant. If you tried to light it up, it takes a while for the flames to catch.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They grow around fire dragon settlements. Vernon has a bunch in the fields around it. We use them for potions too.”
“Fire resistance potions I assume.”
“If you’re using them as a main ingredient, yeah,” she nodded. “Other ones as well, but I’m not too knowledgeable about potion making and all that stuff.”
“How about other buildings? What are they like for ice dragons and lightning dragons?”
“Ice dragons just get really cold rooms with a few requesting for snow and some for a pool of icy water to swim in. Ice dragons don’t really enjoy greenery as much. A few do, but most of them only want evergreens at best. The rest is just ice or a more elven looking home.”
“Oh, so some dragons live in places that look more like the houses back in Libra.”
“Of course. It’s way more convenient for some from what I heard. I don’t like it personally since I like nature and I want a lot of space to move around.”
“How about lighting dragons?” Yuki asked.
“Well, they’re unique compared to the others. They’re kind of like earth dragons in that they don’t need anything special to live comfortably. Just give them a room and they’ll request whatever they prefer. Not special requests. Usually.”
“Earth dragons are like that too?”
“Yeah. They’re a hardy group. Can live in both the cold and the heat. Some like greenery others don’t. It’s a toss up, but they don’t need anything special either.”
“This must be pretty hard to maintain,” Yuki thought out loud. “There are a lot of these buildings and they each have their own settings.”
“It’s not that bad. Each run on the same spell, so we just basically copy and paste,” Ember smiled. “They’re all the same design so no need to worry about that either. Maintenance wise, it’s your room so you take care of you, if you know what I mean.”
“Hmm. I guess that fits with how dragons live.”
“Well, this was fun, but we need to get going to the meeting,” Ember said. “It should be taking place tonight.”
She opened the door again and let Yuki out before shutting it softly. Then she started strolling down back toward the city center.
“Do you know where it is? This meeting?” Yuki asked. She didn’t see Ember talk to anyone or look at anything that would hint at this.
“No. We’re going to town hall to ask,” she replied. “Then we’ll know where we’ll be going. But before we do, I’ll need to tell you about a few things.”
“What things?”
“Not now. I’ll tell you before the meeting. You’ll need to know these things before going in.”
Yuki frowned.
“Is it something about me that I’m not aware of?” she asked.
“No. It’s about the council members,” Ember explained. “It’s about how to conduct yourself and what to say. You need to remember what I tell you well, otherwise the meeting won’t be pretty.”
“What could happen?”
“Well. For starters. You might die.”
