NOVEL NEXT Ch. 29: Banquet
A woman stood beside an enormous dragon. Both could be described in a word as night. She wore a gown of flowing black, her dark hair coiled in a crown of braids against her head. Silver pins were woven into the plait like stars in the dark sky. At her side, a silver sword hung from her waist. Over her left shoulder, she wore a lizard’s glass skull like a pauldron.
Beside her, the dragon was larger than a semi-truck. Its scales were black, shimmering with an iridescent shine, like oil in sunlight. Its horns curled back against its head, like a crown sitting atop a mane of fluffy ebony.
The two had the same eyes, sharp and dark as obsidian. They did not consider the crowd to either side as they strode from the banquet doors to the head table. The woman sat herself in the tower chair in the center. The dragon lay down beside her, its head resting to her left.
It was the woman and dragon from the stained glass in Alyx’s house and the statue in the plaza below the palace. That was the Grand Duchess and her dragon.
Out of morbid curiosity, Cass cast Identify on the pair.
Grand Duchess
Lvl 63
[This woman is powerful enough to shake the world where she walks. She has left the concerns of men behind her and rules with the eyes of dragons.]
Matron Dragon
Lvl 59
[All dragons should be feared, or if not feared, at least respected. This one has made a name for herself both as a vicious combatant and an esteemed mother of her own hoard. She is a queen among a race who holds no allegiance to any but their knights.]
Identify has increased to level 10.
Those were the highest two levels Cass had ever seen. They radiated power. Cass could feel it in her gut. Level 63 represented over three times Cass’s level 19.
Hm, not bad, Salos muttered. Nothing compared to the greats of my time, of course. But I can see how she rules a city like this with that kind of power.
Nothing compared to your previous level 74? Cass asked.
Obviously, he puffed up a little.
But it’s pretty close.
Hardly. The gap between 63 and 74 is greater than the difference between a child with no levels and an adult standing at the Gate. Those later levels are worth far more than any number of them where you are now. And the time needed to acquire them only grows as well.
Behind the duchess, a pair of much smaller dragons walked, no less proud but their body language more nervous. The pair were pony-sized, with white scales. Something about them seemed soft, more like the skin of a newt than the impenetrable armor of the dragon before them. There was something unmistakably incomplete about the two.
They followed the woman to the dais, seating themselves at the smaller table to the left.
Dragon Child
Dragon Child
[A child of the dragon race. As of yet unbound to their second half. Destined for madness should they fail to form such a bond.]
No level on the children? Cass commented.
Children under the age of nine don’t have levels.
Huh, why?
Why is the sky blue? Salos countered.
Light refraction, Cass answered.
What?
Light refraction, Cass repeated. At least, that’s how it works on Earth. It has to do with the atmosphere and the wave properties of light, specifically blue light. I don’t remember the details now, but that’s the general gist. Cass thought about it for another moment. Then again, how does your atmosphere work? This world is a series of floating islands, each with a fully functional atmosphere. Is that right?
Are they floating in an orb of Earth-like atmosphere or is it more like an infinite plane? Does the scattering effect work regardless of whether it’s being scattered through a sphere or not?
How do the sun and moons orbit work, anyway? Cass’s thoughts meandered down the train of thought, entirely distracted. Salos didn’t try to make any sense of it.
Before she could dive deeper into that question, the duchess raised her glass, and the music fell to nothing.
“Welcome. Welcome all to the Opening Banquet,” she said, her voice carrying to the far corners of the room without her having to raise her voice. “Tonight, the city below feasts with us on foods prepared by our sponsored chefs made from the bounty of our lands.
“Tonight, they give thanks for the noble protectors of our lands: the shining Scale stationed in their towns, the virtuous Wing that patrols their wilds, and the fearsome Fangs that answer their most desperate calls.
“Tonight, we give them another reason to thank us. Tonight, we introduce the next generation of dragons, who will grow to protect them too. It is my pleasure to introduce my Kairdrach’s youngest children: Emenes and Velkora!”
Their eyes, piercing silver, swept over the room. A shiver went down Cass’s spine as they passed over her.
It was similar, yet completely different, to how she and Salos spoke, like the difference between a cellphone call and a loudspeaker broadcast.
“Later this evening, all who desire it may have an audience with them. May they find their other half tonight. May you find your destiny in their souls,” the duchess continued. “I have more to say, but there is no reason you can’t enjoy what our chefs have devised for you while I do. Enjoy!”
She waved her hand and a full-course meal appeared before them.
Oh, impressive, Salos muttered. I can’t tell if that was teleportation, phase manipulation, or simply a host of servants with impressively low presence.
“Oh! Look at that! Honeyed cornhen! And is that sauteed pellbenny and rells?” Tiador hummed more to himself than anyone else, greedily scooping several spoonfuls of both onto his plate.
The other diners took more moderate amounts of a wider variety of dishes. Cass took a sampling of everything. Strictly speaking, she didn’t need to eat, but that would (one) look rude in this context and (two) she was deeply curious about what was considered fine dining here.
Identify it all before you eat it, Salos reminded her.
I know, I was about to, she lied. She didn’t think that such a public meal would be tampered with. Not when everyone at the table was eating family-style like this.
It’s a good habit, he insisted, sensing her skepticism.
Cass managed not to roll her eyes.
At the head table, the duchess continued. “Besides our young dragons, there are a few other young people I wish to congratulate tonight. First, would the 32nd Fang stand?”
A young woman in red and gold robes stood at a table across the room. She was tall, probably only an inch shorter than Cass. A long sword leaned against the table beside her, a second dagger hung from her hip. She wore an easy smile despite the number of eyes on her.
Vaisom Fang
Lvl 31
[A member of the elite strike force of the Dragon’s Duchy, Vaisom.]
“Fioreya Ahdain Veldor, 32nd Fang, reporting!”
“Tell us all of your recent accomplishments in Gelm.”
“Yes!” She addressed the hall, straining to be heard over the sounds of eating even in the furthest back of the room. “I was assigned to scout the Wilds of Gelm. My mission was twofold: collect evidence of Kingdom meddling in our territories and to subdue the Crimson Lord for the Festival.” To the duchess, she asked, “May I discuss the details of the evidence discovered, ma’am?”
“No, my council and Fangs will discuss the details of what you found at a later date. For now, everyone should rejoice that you were successful in killing a level 34 Kingdom warrior stealing from our country.”
The room spun with whispers at that announcement.
“Level 34, huh?” Kohen muttered.
“She’s level 31 already,” Alyx added in the same hushed tone.
“Despairing already?” he snickered. “This is a contest for the strong.”
“You’re not much better off than me,” Alyx shot back. “She’s a Fang for a reason.”
He shoved a forkful of the bird into his mouth, choosing not to bite back at Alyx at that.
“Last, but not least, I wish to revisit proclamations made at the Banquet of Storms a month ago.” The duchess took control of the room again, her voice silencing the rest. “At that time, we mourned the loss of potential. Not one, but two expeditions into blessed Uvana failed. Both the youngest child of my daughter Ashrel and the eager son of Lord Jenval lost their lives and their futures, striving for the glory of Conquest. It seemed like this year would be marked with naught but death for the young hoping to make their name in our bright duchy.
“Lo, my dear granddaughter volunteered to try her hand at Conquest herself, even though the season had passed and the grounds had already been fed twice over.
“Alyx Aretios Veldor, stand. Proclaim your conquest to my people!”
“Wait, what?” Kohen hissed. The crowd flew into a flurry of whispers.
Alyx stood. At her side, Cass could see her hands trembled, but her voice was strong as she addressed the banquette hall. “I am Alyx Aretios Veldor. I return with the Blessings of both the Pass and the Deep and the treasures of the Pass and the Forest. I returned with the roar of the Storm falling behind me as I left. Thank you once again for offering me this opportunity.”
“Blessing of the Deep?” Kohen’s eyes bulged out of his head. “You slew that lord?”
Alyx didn’t bow before the pressure. Her eyes instead met the man at the table below the high table. He looked back with cold disinterest.
“Such accomplishments honor your house and your lineage,” the duchess said. To the crowd, she continued, “From the embers of loss twice over, I present to you this year’s champion of Uvana!”
The whispers became cheers. Alyx stood tall, a satisfied smile slipping across her lips.
The duchess gestured for the crowd to settle and Alyx to be seated again. “But this has been more than enough of me talking. A guide will direct tables one at a time to greet tonight’s guests of honor. In the meantime, I open the floor to challengers. The 2nd Fang has graciously agreed to oversee them, so fight to your heart’s content.”
At that, she sat back down, toasting her wine glass and taking a sip.
“You can’t have slain the Lord of the Deep!” Kohen repeated, louder now that the whole hall’s eyes weren’t on them, though plenty of those eyes were still on them, she didn’t need Salos to tell her, she could feel their eyes burning into them.
“We did though,” Alyx said, leaning over the table with a malicious grin. “Remind me, when you went three years ago, what did you conquer?”
He glared at her. “You know exactly what I got.”
She smiled. “I don’t know. It was a long time ago. I don’t think I remember now.”
His jaw clenched. “The Lord of the Pass and the Forest Herald.”
Alyx nodded to herself. “Right, right. I remember now. You took your entire team—a team of six, was it?—and an entire seven months and that was all you managed. A very average showing. Nothing to be ashamed of at all.”
“At least I didn’t get my entire team killed.”
Alyx shrugged. “It was foolish of me to expect mercenaries could handle Uvana. There is a reason an invitation is needed to enter, after all.” A callous way to respond, perhaps, but that team had been hired to kill Alyx, so perhaps it was warranted. “Still, this one proved worth it.” She placed an arm around Cass’s shoulders. “The two of us managed that entire conquer on our own.”
His eyes darted over Cass again. Disbelief swirled in his dark eyes.
Alyx smirked and let Cass go.
“You’re trying to make me believe the two of you conquered Uvana alone?” he said.
“Make you believe?” Alyx scoffed. “When have I cared what you believe? We did. Believe or not, as you’d like.”
“No.” He shook his head. “She’s only level 19. Level 19 now. What were you when you went in?”
Telling him level 1, though true, seemed unlikely to help Alyx’s narrative. Instead, she said, “What level do you think I was?”
He scowled. “See. If she helped you kill either of the Lords, she’d be much higher level now. If it really was just the two of you, that’d be what, two or three levels a piece? Assuming you fought nothing else, that would have meant you were level 15 when you fought the Lord of the Pass, max. And that ignores the two Heralds you claim to have fought.”
Cass decided it would be best for everyone if she kept the fact he was right. She had been level 15 when they fought the Lord of the Pass to herself. And also that it had been the last thing they’d fought, not the first. And also they’d handled an assassin simultaneously while they’d done that.
Had she gotten experience for Levina’s death? Cass suddenly wasn’t sure. She hadn’t checked her level until well after that fight. How much of the four levels she’d gotten after the fact had been from killing the Lord and how much had been from the assassin?
Now wasn’t the time to think about it.
“If we factor in the two Heralds, assuming you should have gotten a level a piece for each, that implies you couldn’t have been over level 13 when this all started. No one would have let you into Uvana at that level. No one can do what you’re claiming at that level.”
Cass shrugged. Alyx had said the same thing when they’d first met. She wasn’t about to argue with him about it now. She also didn’t think she should have survived any of it.
He looked between Cass and Alyx, his scowl unmoved. “I should challenge you for trying to lie to me like this. It’s an insult to me and anyone else you try to tell this to.”
“Do it then,” Alyx said. “Let’s see if you can still bully me now that we both have the Pass’s Blessing and a recognized name.”
He glared, his hand clenching around his fork.
“Afraid to lose in front of so many people?” Alyx asked.
“As if I could possibly lose to someone like you,” he spat back. “Fine! Let’s see if you can actually fight the way you’re boasting. I challenge you. If I win, you need to make a formal apology for lying about your achievements in Uvana.”
“I accept,” Alyx said. “And if I win, you need to get me and my friend here, an audience with our father.”