Asher the Insane

96 - The Dragon's Lair

Papia's eyes widened in fear as she watched Asher approach the dragon. "What on earth would he want to confront a dragon for?!" she thought to herself. "Get the hell out of here before that monster eats you!" But Asher seemed undaunted by the creature's size and ferocity.

Papia continued to cower, keeping a safe distance from the dragon.

"Come on, girl," Asher thought, already noticing the hiding girl, "you live in a fantasy world like this and you still think dragons, of all creatures, are mindless monstrous beasts who'll just eat you? Jeez, you still got a lot to learn about how these things work."

Asher seemed to be quite knowledgeable about dragons, though. He wanted to remind Papia that in many works of fantasy, fiction in general where they appear, dragons are often depicted as the most intelligent creatures around.

"Proud, sometimes arrogant, and the primary source of scalie smut out there," he remarked to himself in his mind.

Despite this knowledge, Asher wasn't taking any chances. "...But now thinking about it, I'm just going to make sure. I don't want to be shredded to cheese when waking it," he said, cautiously approaching the dragon.

"Hey, you're smart, right?" he asked the dragon, his voice tinged with a hint of nervousness. He readied himself to run away at the first sign of danger.

The dragon growled lazily in response before speaking, "depends on who is the measurer." Asher breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't seem like there was any immediate danger.

But Asher still had some reservations about the dragon's temperament. He wasn't even sure if it was a male or female, and he didn't want to offend the creature by asking outright. After all, he knew that manners were of the utmost importance in dragon culture.

"I'm Asher," he introduced himself, hoping to gain some insight from the dragon's name.

The dragon, who was about three times Asher's size, looked down and spoke, "A high-elf? I have not seen your kind in a few hundred years. I am Ravana."

To him, it sounded female, though he didn't have any 'real' preferences.

"Can you shape-shift, Ravana?" he asked.

She chuckled, "what kind of dragon would I be if I could not perform such paltry parlor tricks as this?"

"And what form do you prefer most?"

Asher's worst fear was that she would transform into a very generic humanoid woman.

"I do not prefer taking forms at all," she replied, "as I am now is the most preferable to me."

He was relieved to hear that.

"Are you single by any chance?" he asked.

Ravana laughed heartily, "I already had a mate in this life. I will neither search nor accept another."

He should have known that was a long shot, but for him, it was worth a try.

"Why are you here in this human castle, Ravana?" he questioned. "It's not everyday you see a dragon inside a human dwelling."

Ravana laughed heartily at his question before responding. "I am not here at the behest of humans, but for your kind, Asher of the High Elves," she said. "Before the humans came to claim this land, even before the Faen claimed this land, you, the Skadian, did. And so long ago, I was tasked with guarding it, and ever since, I have faithfully kept my bargain. Phosa Wroufs Tinenge has never fallen once, and forever I intend it to remain so."

However, he couldn't help but express his skepticism about her loyalty to a specific group of people. "You're pretty loyal to a specific sort of knife-ear," he commented, his tone slightly sarcastic.

Ravana didn't seem offended by his remark and responded calmly, "There are not many a true dragon could call an equal, but the high elves are among them. But the human ruler of this land is not one of them."

This led Asher to ask her opinion of the King and current ruler of the land. "I'm just gonna throw it out there. King Paddy; In your honest dragon-y opinion, what do you think of the guy?" he asked.

She responded, "He's a simple man who means no harm to anyone, as long as he is not threatened. His preference is for peace, which is admirable. However, if Phosa were to face a crisis, I don't believe he could handle it alone without the assistance I would provide."