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Short Stories of the Dragonring: MerchantaryIt was the most devious of rain that cascaded onto the long blunt muzzle of the dragon sitting just outside of Lia’ter. Water came down in a fine mist, so fine he could barely feel it against his scales. But the air was thick with it. In no time at all he was soaked and cold. He hated the rain, he reflected as he hunched his shoulders down, curling up as much as he could while sat on his haunches.Mylos shook his muzzle slightly, a forming puddle shaken free to splash down against his foreclaws. He had never seen the lands his ancestors hailed from… but he bet it didn’t rain much there. His scales were a creamy white, almost swirling patterns in the scales. His mother had always told him, it blended in with the bare rocks of the region. There, he could have prowled between sandstone boulders and been unseen despite his size. But the dragons of the dragonring had long since made their pact with the human primates… it was double edged for any dragons who still lived out in the world. Humans were more placid things now… but their expansion was protected by dragons. Join, or keep retreating further from the growth. So his mother had said of her parents. His colours may have made him a hidden predator there… here they only hurt his chances. In the end, that was why he was sat in the rain, watching the human settlement, waiting for a very specific building to light it’s fire.It was called the, intermediary. A way for dragonkind to indulge in the hoarded resources of humans. If they were willing to serve… and earn the tiny metal disks the humans used to mark their… Mylos cocked his head. Status maybe, he had heard the word wealth, but it meant nothing to him. It was a concept so far removed from the world of dragons. Finally light plumed beneath the sheltered roof of the small building… it was shaped like a tree trunk, cut about a third up, to Mylos’s eye. Straight, and thin, and round. Not the, textured lumpy, angled shapes he saw in the human nests. He eased from sitting, a winced hiss as he stretched his muscles… they felt so unwilling from the cold, it almost hurt to move them. But he was sure they would be fine once he got in motion.A lone human was in the building, little paws moving over the flat surface that faced in all directions, but for smaller pillars keeping the roof above. It looked, so small. Mylos’s stomach growled at him, enough that he winced. He must, must not have it sounding in front of humans… After a moment of hesitating to feel sure it had finished its objection, Mylos crouched lower, and padded to the intermediary, catching the human’s eye. As his muzzle got close, he regretted not keeping more distance. Hot air blew from the fire inside, carrying human scent to his nostrils. He wanted to eat it so badly…“Oh… Mylos, wasn’t it?” the human spoke, glancing briefly to the sheets on its desk“Yes…” Mylos murmured “I was here a few days ago, asking about work?”“Right…” the human mused “we set up your account, then you had to go hunting. Have much luck?”“Nothing worth mentioning” Mylos huffed, trying not to think about that… “I’m really quite interested in finding, work to earn me your… coins”“Well…” the human reflected “I thought about that once you’d left. I don’t have any requests on my desk right now. You could ask around the quarry maybe. They have a dragon who has been working there for years. Sadly, employment is more a… go and find it. Just ask around. Unfortunately, unless somebody comes to me with a desperate need for a draconic workforce, I don’t really know that much. My line of work doesn’t keep me social. I’d say other dragons here are your best bet. They should know if, you can do what they do, or if they’ve been approached with offers they turned down, or… something”Mylos felt his ears pin, a sigh escaping his muzzle, deeper than he intended. The human had to snatch at its papers “I had hoped this would be easier… but I appreciate your time”The look the human gave him, he took as pitying “sorry I couldn’t be of more help” the little creature’s eyes moved for a moment, a pointed, direct moment, down Mylos’s underside. A deep flash of embarrassment took the dragon. He sat quicker, snorting “I’ll go ask at the quarry…” he turned to pad, shaking his head with a growl. Even a human could see he was getting thin… he needed to eat, he needed a good meal. Whatever it took… even if he had to do what he once would have considered a sign of weakness… serving prey.“Sorry… there’s really no question of hiring you… I can’t justify it”The quarry was bigger than Mylos had expected. Hard to believe humans had cut most of this, immense hold in the ground, taking the curious, veined stone they liked to build with so much… Down in the bit he could see their resident dragon. He was big, adult, strong. There was a curious glint off his claws as he scraped in the stone, brushing aside boulders larger than a human with deep grunts that echoed up from the depths.“Please…” Mylos felt the word slip off his tongue with, a lot more of his true desperation than he intended to show “I’m still young, but I’m stronger than any human, I can help”“I’m sure you could…” the human who, he had been told was in charge answered “but I don’t need another dragon” he gestured down the hole “Greth works full time, only dragon I’ve ever known to do that. I won’t deny, having him around is invaluable. But I only need one”Mylos huffed, looking around the site “He digs... I can carry things maybe. I’m stronger than the beasts you have pulling the stone”“I’m sure you are” the man noted “but, I can’t stack your back like I can theirs, wings and all, and most importantly, they cost me only what it takes to feed them. Dragons are more expensive. It’s not worth it to me. I can get the same amount of pulling power, distributable over more area, for cheaper. Sorry, dragon”Mylos looked down at the… Greth dragon despondently “I could dig, like he does, surely I can outdo humans”“Look… I said Greth was invaluable, but you need to understand how costly it is to keep a dragon on staff. See his claws? I needed to have metal claw sheaths made for him specially. Cost a fortune, he’s still paying them off, and that’s with us splitting the bill down the middle. It’s to protect his claws from the wear. Those things will only fit a dragon exactly his size. Had to get him on a long contract before I’d even accept putting in an order for them. I don’t need another dragon so badly I want to go through all that again. If Greth quits when his contract is up, then talk to me. I can’t help you till then, dragon”Mylos opened his mouth to object, but the human was already walking away. He swallowed back the powerful urge to pounce, bite, and eat the creature… it was a struggle. This had been his best lead, he reflected sourly. Now where did he go… a part of him scolded, that this was all time he could be spending hunting. The pickings were slim, but he could get by… for now. But the animals were getting wise to his colours. Every time he hunted the beasts seemed to react a little faster. Spotted him a bit quicker… and there were less and less that strayed behind the herd. This had to be his best hope, he reasoned, hopefully. Earn the human coins and come here to buy a good meal when he got desperate. Keep his strength up so he could hunt at his peak.So lost in the sweet, alluring thought of food was he, that it took several moments to realise Greth was thumping his heavy way up out of the quarry. Mylos approached on quick steps.“Morning” the larger dragon greeted him; head faintly cocked “don’t think I know you”Mylos dipped his muzzle respectfully “you don’t. I am Mylos, I was looking to work, like you do”“Ah” Greth rumbled, padding off of the main path into the quarry, sitting beside Mylos “I wouldn’t recommend it, little dragon”“No?” Mylos cocked his head “I need to find some work; I need the food”Greth dipped his larger, dark brown muzzle lower. Mylos though found himself looking at the slightly bent and scratched claws of metal the big dragon was wearing, and also, a strange strap of leather hanging down from the bigger beast’s neck“The human who leads this working group, won’t want another dragon” Greth observed “he bemoans my salary often enough. He’s nice enough, when you get to know him”“I already asked “Mylos admitted“And he said no” Greth confirmed with a faint smile “you’re better off looking elsewhere. Besides… this sort of work won’t suit you well. I am paid, I am told, an immense amount, but also… equivalent to the work I do for them. I have been eating little but what I can purchase from humans for a while now… and it has its drawbacks”Mylos nodded along, ears perking at the mention of food“Humans cultivate food for their kind, and how much they can produce is, limited” Greth explained “in the end, humans put humans first. They won’t sell me livestock beyond what they have already promised to their kind. And I have competition for the surplus. They do, encourage their animals to breed more, but that then requires more land, more space, more humans to work fields… it seems a slow process. I take animals, whole… which I understand is a lot of meat… which is normally, a smaller part, luxurious addition to the human’s meal fare… that I eat it exclusively, makes my meals more, expensive than that of a human” he shook his head slowly “and this work, it has me active, very active. I feel so heavy with the muscle it has gained me; flying is a chore. I worry I’ll lose the skill. And my appetite only grows” he looked to Mylos “Spend too long in this sort of work, young dragon… and you lose the ability to do anything else. I would not fare well on the hunt anymore, but I have become an impressive digger. If you wish to find human work… I would recommend not losing your… dragon self to it” he snorted something close to a growl “and don’t be foolish…” he tapped a claw to the leather strap at his neck “these are… humans call goggles. They are for my eyes, to try and keep shards of stone away. It isn’t perfect, but first the humans spoke of metal. They forget sometimes that we are not human. Their heads sit atop their spines, it is fine for them to weigh their heads. I have even heard of humans who carry immense loads balanced atop where it doesn’t bend that vital cord. I’ve seen dragons ruin their lives, doing human work that is bad for their bodies, and then living with the consequences for their long lives… never let a human put metal on your face… your neck is a lever, and the weight will damage it”Mylos nodded along quickly “I understand…”The older dragon eased from his haunches with a sigh. Mylos would, certainly admit, the dragon was… bulging with muscle “and remember… humans largely don’t want to hurt their kind. That’s another reason the humans here won’t hire you. To pay and feed you, they would need to send many, many of their own kind out of work, and so back to their village every day, to angry snarls of humans now going hungry and coinless… and when humans do not get their coins, they start to claw and attack each other for them. Something to bear in mind, when deciding where to try and find work. Find something they can’t have a human do instead… and you’ll have much more luck”Mylos watched the older dragon wander back into the quarry. He felt bad, realising the elder had taken his, working break to talk to him… but what felt worse was the gnawing in his stomach. He supposed he’d need to ask around… there were other dragons who worked in this nest, he knew it… he just had to find them and ask…“Well… I work through the intermediary” the red male reflected, a faint purring sound breaking in the words, as the sleek, beautiful dark dragoness by his side licked up his neck. A, somewhat fetching piece of bright human cloth decorating her neckMylos felt his ears press to his horns “I asked there first”The dragon he had approached rolled a shoulder apologetically, glancing briefly around the road they were sat on for their talk, checking they weren’t blocking humans “the need for dragon labour is infrequent. You’d have more luck in a larger settlement I hear… where there are enough humans the need is a little more, constant. Most dragons I know though live it like I do. Check for work they like the sound of, do it occasionally, then use their gathered coins for, trinkets”The female by him chuckled, shoulder rolling to his. It was enough to make Mylos jealous…“I want to be able to supplement my diet” Mylos observed “my scales don’t do me any favours on the hunt. Humans seemed a good way to survive”The male scratched a claw at his jawline “that’s a little bit fraught. The price of animals is high here, what with that dragon in the quarry. The more you lean on their livestock, the higher the price gets. There’s a reason the land we forbid humans from is the one we chose, it’s lush and bountiful. Prey can breed wildly because there is plenty to nourish them… and we manage our numbers. Humans… they live anywhere, for different reasons. They live here for the stone they gather and trade, for example. There isn’t much contained prey here to begin with”Mylos sighed faintly “I’m not, strong enough to contend for territory near larger human settlements… there are dragons who have been living off humans for over a century, they won’t move… and the deeper woods are so traditional…”The other dragon nodded “territory is a challenge… this is a nice settlement of the humans, not too overwhelming… the bigger ones are, insane. You spend more time watching your step and tail than anything, it’s not enjoyable at all. This place… has its charm “he looked off down the main street it was built around “but, as I said, work for dragons is infrequent. Myself, I got hired to help them build a new nest. It was easy work, just hold things in place for them to save them time and effort. But I couldn’t live off of that little job. Though I’d do it again… it was fun” he rumbled “it helped pay for my mate’s decoration. But I was hungry while I spent time there. It’s a balance”“I need something more extreme” Mylos lamentedThe dragoness looked to him with a rumble “I might know a dragoness or two who would accept feeding you if you enthralled yourself to her demands…”Mylos grimaced “I have my pride… that’s a tradition that can’t die soon enough”The male hummed “well, unfortunately all I can tell you is to keep checking with the intermediary. Humans who need a dragon for one-time work will go there and lodge a request. There will be something, a human who wants to travel somewhere faster than their animals can carry them… construction maybe, or haulage… pulling logs or…” he hesitated “actually, there’s that dragoness who sits by the road past town sometimes. She carries larger loads for the merchants… and they don’t tend to go through the intermediaries as often… they travel around. She might know some work for you”Mylos perked up slightly. A slim home, but a new one “I’ll ask her… yes, thank you”“Good luck, young one” the male chuckled, though the female grinned “cute… I’d love to keep him…”Mylos padded away quickly as the male gave his female a slight chiding muzzle bump, before they padded on their way in turn.The dragoness who was strewn by the road, Mylos had heard of before. She was considered an eccentric of sorts. Mostly because she spent so much time idling time away with the human who did the majority of transit between the merchants and the town. Most would say reasonably surely that she was looking for a chance to eat him.Today she was alone, the human presumably taking something too small for her services into town.“The merchants, hmm?” she noted with a slight smile as Mylos sat before her “they’re a strange group, even for humans”Mylos nodded slowly, huffing “I’m just looking for work, I don’t much care about the humans”“They may have something, if you’re willing to travel” the mused “Best would be to approach one… one with a large cart, or several behind them. On occasion one has offered coin to me, if I was willing to fly, following the road they travel to the next settlement on their route, ask a few questions, and fly back”“Why?” Mylos cocked his head“I haven’t the faintest clue” she stretched herself out with a low rumble “the offer isn’t terrible for the time, if you have nothing better to do, but I don’t care to fly away from here. It’s not particularly much though… but considering the amount I used to be asked… it might be reasonably consistent?”Mylos frowned to himself… it didn’t sound like the saving grace he wanted… still, it was the closest thing he’d found yet “I see…”She rumbled to herself “unfortunately I can’t suggest much more than that… there truly isn’t enough work for even me to be here, but for, enjoying the company”Mylos snorted faintly, remaining quiet on that note “I appreciate the help”“Anytime” she noted with a gentle smile “good luck”It had been a long day, Mylos reflected as he sat by the edge of the human settlement, eyes considering the humans known as, merchants, or traders… He watched them move about their carts heavy with, things he gathered were important to humans, and tending to the delicious looking four-legged beasts that pulled them. His stomach growled, impatient and angry. Instinct demanding to know why he wasn’t filing his empty stomach with the living, moving food before his very eyes. In the end, he concluded, he didn’t have a lot of choice. If he did this, surely, he could get at least something to eat for certain… and, maybe if this worked out, and they wanted him to fly often… maybe the human livestock was less expensive where he’d be flying…Reluctant, both to get closer to his temptation, and to invite the exertion of flying on top of his weary, food deprived body, but yet determined this was his best chance, Mylos padded over towards the settled carts. Wary looks were thrown his way. He couldn’t blame them. A less than hearty looking dragon approaching them and their meaty beasts… he hoped his mouth wasn’t watering noticeably. Mylos sat himself again, lowering his stance to be as unthreatening as he could “I’m looking for work” he announcedSome of the humans seemed to relax at least, but he saw many of their heads rocking side to side in denial… he just, wanted to bite those off, bite, chew, eat… he could feel his breathing deepening… temptation was, so delicious… he wanted it to win… he wanted to eat them…“Hey, dragon” a voice called from his right, earning a look of his eyes. One human was wandering closer from a cart off to the side “I’ve got some coins for you if you’ll do something”Mylos swallowed back his urges, with difficulty, bobbing his head “I’ll do anything…”The human was a reedy thing, that helped him resist the urge to shove it in his mouth. The clothing was… bright, compared to the dull tones he saw most humans clad in… the way it drifted in the wind slightly seemed intended to catch the eye.“Simple” the human gestured past Mylos “down the road that way, can’t miss it, is the town of Areel” the human moved closer still, voice lowering, glancing to the others, which had moved back to their own carts “you willing to fly there and back?”Mylos sighed, relieved it was, at least the job he understood… “Yes, I thought that was what you would ask me to do”“Grand” the human grinned, flashing white teeth “flutter over there, and ask for a man called Michael. Tell him Jason sent you. Ask him how much wheat is going for, then come back and tell me what he said. Easy. I’ll make it worth your while”“How much” Mylos probed“Say… half a silver leaf” the human, presumably called Jason, respondedMylos hummed. He had no idea if that was a lot… but he didn’t feel he could afford to say no… “will that buy me a meal?”The human seemed almost, taken aback, cocking his head “I mean… it won’t buy you a cow, but you can buy meat with it”Mylos sighed, ruffling his wings “Michael… Wheat”“That’s right” Jason grinned “should take a dragon a day or less to fly there I reckon. I’m here for a few days. Get back before sunset tomorrow and I’ll get you an extra copper piece”Mylos snorted… he didn’t know what that was worth either… but more was more, and he had no reason to dally “I’ll see what I can do” he answered, rising to his paws, and turning to get himself some distance before spreading his wings. His eyes were focussed on the, beaten trail of dirt and stone that the humans followed… he just had to keep that in view, and fly. Do that and he would get at least something in his belly. It was the best odds he’d had all day…Mylos was tired, but he tried not to think about it, letting his wings beat on instinct alone as he glided, eyes on the path down beneath. But the sky was growing too dark for him to feel confident he wouldn’t lose the track. The world below had been changing. Hard stone had sunk below the ground, and in it’s bowl had formed a drenched swamp. The trees and soggy ground making the path harder to see, even looping around the edge as it did… fortunately there were still high rocky places he could land on and stay dry… for now. That last thought was what spurred him to descend for a perch that looked wide enough to lay on. The trip was making him miserable. There was the promise of food at the end, but he was tired, hungry, sore… he wanted to have a full belly and a warm place to curl up and digest it. This didn’t promise that future… but it promised the best one right now. But having to sleep in the mud of a swamp sounded like the worst thing in the world for the end to the day.The pale scaled dragon landed upon a rock, which matched his hues reasonably well, he noted a little sourly, and stretched out on it. Muscles collapsed under him, at the very suggestion of rest. His stomach complained at him yet again, that he shouldn’t rest without something to digest… but he didn’t have anything. Mylos groaned, folding a forelimb before himself, resting his head on it with closed eyes…Next he knew, the world was darker still… a sensation of both rest and fatigue eating at his mind… he was waking up, he realised… made sense to him, he noted with a yawn. He had been tired… but why awake now…? One ear perked, a panicked whinny of sound. The animals the humans favoured… the distressed cry of a prey animal put his body on full alert, pushing sleep out of his eager reach… it was very close though…Groggy and weak as he felt, he lifted his head, peering down off his rock and saw, a human foremost. Below his perch, amid the rocks on the swamp edge, was a human, with a cart. A flickering flame lighting the creature as it pressed closer to the stone. Fear, he could recognise in an instant… but of… then he saw the horse. Kicking wildly, mouth moving silently, neck clamped in the unyielding deathgrip of, a belly dragging water lizard, dragging its spoils back to the mucky waters. Mylos felt his stomach-ache at him desperately… there were animals to eat down there. The water lizards were heavy things… with strong jaws, if one of those got his arm in it’s mouth it could break the bone… his predator eyes dismissed the horse reluctantly. It was the juiciest, meatiest thing on display, and it’s pale hide showed even in the gloom, but it was sinking into the water for its grisly fate… no, his eyes moved to the easier prey… the human… who would miss it, his belly growled to him, nobody would know… and better yet. He noticed, the dark scaled creature crawling for the human across the ground. Another water lizard, going for the second, trapped meal.Mylos didn’t even need think. That was his prey. He sprang from his high place, wings bursting wide only to slow his fall in the midst of his diving pounce. The lizard saw him first, a deep, guttural, hiss of contest, though it was trying to turn… but the water was its domain. Its scales were heavy and thick, it’s jaws strong and immense. It was heavy and unwieldy when not supported by water. But he was light, scales thin as a razor, light as a giant reptile could be… the air was his domain… and the beast stood no chance. Mylos crashed down, hearing a shriek from the human, but it was for later, one paw hammered down on the jaw of the big water lizard, his teeth descending to grasp the tail and hind, biting in… but it was immobilised. It would be his prey too. No thought but finally filling his stomach, Mylos grasped with his teeth, lifting the heavy lizard with a pained growl, before slamming its bulk back to earth, stunning it. He jabbed, bolting more of it’s deliciously heavy flesh into his mouth, paw returning to keep the jaws shut as he ate… it was cold, it tasted like dirt, and it’s rough scales and claws were unpleasant on the mouth, but he ate like it was the most tender, succulent meal of his life. He took in the hips, swallowing the thick tail, jabbing, lunging, letting his teeth break scales just to be sure he had it held. He kept his head low as his neck swelled, jabbing, swallowing, jabbing and swallowing. As desperate with each swallow to have it where it needed to be, his stomach. He heard a hiss, confirming it still lived, before his head lunged, his paw away, and he swallowed the head, letting his throat squeeze those jaws of its shut.Wild eyed, savage, Mylos panted hard, just swallowing when the urge came, head raised and aware as the heavy, thrashing and long piece of reptile slid down his neck… into his chest, and in sweet relief, started to pool in and stretch the needy flesh of his stomach pouch. His senses detected the thrashing of the other one taking its meal in the water, but he dismissed it, unimportant… he heard, the faint scratching sound of human movements behind. His tail was rolled to block it in the corner… he listened to his own breathing, deep and excited, before his heart rate slowly dropped, his breathing came to normal… his wild burst ebbed back into the instinctive cavern it had sprung from, and he relished the sensation of his scaly hide swelling just slightly with the thrashing fight of the strong… but long and swallowable reptile. It was his food now… it would trouble him no longer. He sighed, relief. Relief from his hunger, and the competition was gone for the… prey.Mylos perked an ear, remembering where his mind had been… right… he was going to eat the human… he had gotten so, carried away. But his senses were returning gradually. He looked back, seeing the small primate curled in a ball against the rocks. Just eat it, a part of him reasoned easily. It was lost, alone, the water lizards could have eaten it… it would end this night so nicely and simply if he just gave it to the lizard in his belly and slept… it’s fear encouraged that… it was prey, acting like prey… it knew where his body needed it… but, those thoughts gradually ebbed as he stared at it. In it’s scared, whimpering heap. His belly felt heavy and full… he felt sleepy… and he wasn’t supposed to eat humans out here.Finally, Mylos yawned, closing his eyes a moment as he made his decision. He lumbered closer, off of the mud, to the rocks where the human had settled, and collapsed to his belly. He set a head on his paw, looking at it pointedly “I… need to sleep, wake me if they come back…”The human met his gaze, nodding mutely with a shiver “thank… thank you, oh, thank you…”Mylos snorted and closed his eyes. That would probably haunt him if he decided to eat it in the morning…“Uh… dragon…?” a voice probed into Mylos’s mind, and a touch probed into the scales of his snout.Sleepily he opened his eyes and saw a human in his view… lit by the sun. It was a relatively young human… though adult he supposed. It was dressed a bit like the trader he met… with that thought, he drifted his eyes to the cart it had… laden with odd shapes and boxes.“Oh… good…” the human murmured“The lizards?” Mylos queried, lifting his head with a stretch… a wonderful, warm feeling emanating from his stomach. He swore he could feel the life-giving nutrients flowing into his body, like water through a parched land“They’ve stayed away…” the human folded it’s arms “gods… the sheer size of you, I’m not surprised… they know who the bigger, hungrier lizard is…”Mylos rolled to his belly, stretching his wings slightly… he did feel good this morning… good enough that, glancing to the human, he was feeling charitable… he’d let the little thing live, he thought… “Look… dragon” the human murmured “I know, I’ve no right to ask anything of you… damn it, you saved me life from…” the creature paled, looking away from the swamp “gods… the fate of my poor horse… but, can you help me, please… I’ll pay… I can’t offer much, but I’ll pay”Mylos found himself watch the small mammal, a strange sort of sympathy welling. In some ways he hadn’t, ever had to imagine what it would be like to be torn apart limb from limb and eaten in chunks… or swallowed alive. This one had just had a very, close escape from both of those fates. His eyes strayed to the cart, putting the events together “you wish me to pull that?” he queried“If… you would be willing” the human noted “or… or carry me to the next town, if you… refuse to do that. But I can pay you more if you take me with my cart”Mylos considered the offer… looking to the human “are you offering more than a copper piece?”The look the human gave him was a strange one “good grief, of course, my life and my wares are worth more than that… I won’t cheat you dragon, I owe you that much… and, I can’t exactly afford a lot but… I’ve more dignity than that”Mylos yawned and stretched… he couldn’t go as fast if he was trying to move that thing… but if he got back to the other human before the… three days, he could get the promised coins… it would be worth it to help this one “you have a deal then”The next little while was a slightly confused blur for Mylos. The human guided him to stand, back to the cart, and had seemed to play with his tail for a bit, before a tight sensation had wrapped around it. He’d looked round to find, whatever had been around the horse’s neck, now wrapped around his tail... it was loose, hung, but the tip of his tail kept it from sliding off… still seemed nicer than pushing it, Mylos conceded… and if he could keep momentum it wouldn’t feel like his tail was being constantly tugged.The human scurried atop its cart, and Mylos started to walk… the first steps were uncomfortable, but then the wheels started to roll, and he could trot along at a decent pace.“I really am grateful to you, dragon” the human chatted at him as they moved around the swamp “I’m Riss, by the way”“I am Mylos” he responded, glancing back to the human. It looked very pleased… he felt some slight satisfaction in that“Uh, but I’ve got thinking” Riss mused “this town… the intermediary might not know you there… I can ask for a, transfer bracelet you can take with you back to, wherever you normally visit… assuming, you do… but paying you is starting to seem complicated”“You pay me, or I eat you” Mylos noted, his tone jovial enough… though he realised he, really did mean it. Fortunately, the human chuckled nervously“right… don’t worry, I was always taught you pay your debts to dragons on time” the human clicked their tongue “I’m just trying to think what I can do to really repay you properly… my coin purse is light at the moment…” the human’s tone lowered “and my horse… I didn’t have it long, but I liked it, it was a good one… I’ll need to buy another, and they’ll bend me over a damn barrel if they see I don’t have one… going to have to sell those at a loss… damn it…” the human muttered to itself for a fair while longer before going quiet again. Eventually it piped up again “so… Mylos… what has you out here anyway. I hope I’m not keeping you from something important”“I was going this way anyway” Mylos noted “A trader is paying me to ask a human named Michael about wheat in the next town”“Oh…” Riss responded, seeming to understand in an instant what Mylos was still puzzled over… it had to be a human thing“Oh, hear me out, I have an idea” Riss blurted, clapping their little forepaws together “I know how I can repay you, out of someone else’s deep pockets. A little, merchant advise, sound good?”Mylos looked back at the human suspiciously, but the little hands rose“Look, don’t kick me back into the swamp… If you’re a messenger dragon, I’ll set up a little account with the intermediary here and pay you, I will. But as I said, I need to buy a new horse, and a merchant without money or wares isn’t much of a merchant, right? I owe you everything, but if I give you everything, then I’m dying, right?” Mylos only fixed the human with the same long look, before rolling a shoulder “coins I understand, sort of… I’d prefer just more of those”“I’ll give you some” Riss confirmed “But I want to be nicer to you dragon, nicer than what meagre financial reward I can offer… let me give you some advice, it’ll earn you lots of coins, more than I could ever pay you”Mylos perked an ear… he needed more, much more. Yet… human ways were confusing and strange to him. In a way he was just unwilling to listen, not understand, and look stupid “I’m listening”“If I had to guess, whoever sent you is interested in one of two things. Whether it’s worth buying wheat there, or worth selling. It’s how we work. To put it simply, people want all sorts of things. Some they have a lot of, because they grow it there, make it there or so on. Others they barely have any of. So… we buy something cheap where it’s plentiful, because people don’t need that much, and sell it where it’s rare, and people really want it. We transport what people want from one place to another, and the difference in the passion of their want for it, is our profit, is our coin”“I have heard that” Mylos snorted “meat is more expensive where I am from… because little can be bred, and much is eaten”“Supply and demand, dragon” Riss added “Don’t believe what you hear about us though, we’re not as… mercenary as people think. A good merchant doesn’t cause harm but causes good wherever they go. If people have more, wheat for example, than they need or can eat before it spoils, then the coin we give them is more valuable, because they can trade it for things they really need. And, wherever we bring the wheat, if they need it then they have coin for it… or, can trade us something they don’t need, for something we do. If a merchant is fair, really all they do is distribute things around and get paid for their trouble. Only place it gets a little grey is when more people need it than you have it… but well, in that case why would you give it to whoever is paying least as opposed to whoever is paying most. We need to eat too, and you’d hope they earnt that money fair and square… and if they didn’t, well, that they have it isn’t our fault, that’s their problem to root out villains in their community, you know?”“I don’t, nor do I care” Mylos observed“Ok, ok” Riss muttered “well, your merchant is probably wondering whether the place you came from has more or less wheat than where he plans to go next… if less, he may keep his wheat till he gets there, if not, he’ll sell it now. Simple. Information is powerful in our business… which is where I want to help you, dragon” Riss grinned slightly “see… a merchant can be made or ruined by just a few minutes… Say a place really needs, something. It could be anything. The moment someone sells to them, the price goes down, because they don’t need as much anymore. They’re not willing to pay as high a price anymore. A little foreknowledge can double or more what you get” Riss chuckled “now… did the word, exclusive, cross either of your lips when you talked to this merchant?”“No” Mylos noted easily“Great, great” Riss chuckled “because… the information he’s asking for would be valuable to other merchants there too, I’ll bet. If two of them know that wheat is good, or bad over here, it could turn into a race to sell first. This isn’t the best example… but with time you could find better questions to ask, even just ask what they are hoping a trader will bring in… that’s valuable to know as a trader on your way there. It’s something we normally have to guess. Now… you have to be fair. Find out what he wanted, bring it back, give it to him… offer, say… two hours of exclusivity free of charge, before you put the information up for anyone to buy, assuming he doesn’t pay for a little more silence. He says yes, you just got more than you were expecting for the effort of uttering a few words, he says no… just offer to the lines of carts what you just came back from learning. Might be there’s someone there who has a whole lot of the stuff, who could make a huge profit or loss on the information. They’ll throw a few coins your way without blinking an eye”Mylos nodded slowly “I can do that…? They won’t be mad?”Riss chuckled “some might, some might not. But they’ll respect it. It’s all part of our game, dragon. If they don’t discuss exclusivity in their contract with you, then you have no reason to give it. You play your cards right, you could have a whole lot of merchants paying you, just to keep up with the advantage the others are getting. They’ll try things. Get informants, coded messages, your business will ebb and flow as they try to get out of needing you… but the others will crack those codes. Just act as information broker, and you could earn a lot more… got to be better than running one errand for one human at a time, right?”“It sounds too easy” Mylos huffed, shouldering around a tree… which held pretty firm. They were past the swamp now… couldn’t be far now“Well, maybe it is. Look, you will only earn so much, linking two towns like this. But you could expand. Make some friends, learn what resources places need, further afield, take notice of what traders are carrying. If you’ve a sharp mind, and enough time, you could make a living off this sort of thing, dragon”“You’ve given me a lot to think about” Mylos mused, glancing back to the human“Just trying to repay my debt” Riss countered, looking back over their wares “I’ll even try and help, if we run into each other again”“Just don’t ask me to putt this thing again” Mylos rumbled faintlyRiss laughed behind him “I’ll be honest, you scare me half to death. I’d go mad if I had a dragon pulling my cart”Mylos snorted slightly “you hide it well”“I’m a merchant” Riss noted, the tone just a touch less jovial “Nothing against dragons, mind you. Always wanted to see one when I was young. Born and bred in a village off the ring, no dragons have ever landed there in living memory. No reason to. First time I came to the ring, I was trying to be a merchant, trade between home and there. Well, I say merchant. Just trying to earn a little extra money really. First time I saw one, awe like I thought… and such a stab of fear I have barely known since, barring last night mind you. I knew they wouldn’t hurt me, but damn if my nerves and instincts didn’t get the message. I may have actually wet myself”Mylos snorted faintly “I must have seemed a feral thing last night”“Well, you saved me, can’t fault that” Riss observed “thought for a minute I was out of the frying pan and into the fire, and was trying to figure out which death would hurt more”The dragon glanced back again “I like you; I think… for a human. I’ll be honest, I did consider it. I was ravenous”“Yeah, I thought that” Riss offered a light smile “secret is safe with me. I owe my dragon rescuer a whole lot after all”Mylos rumbled faintly, trying to quicken his pace a little “You’re just lucky what wanted to eat you looked a lot meatier than you did”Riss laughed lightly “I’ll be sure to keep my next horse well fed then, thanks for the dragon tip”He rumbled a little, swaying his gait from the rocky rim of the wet region, pushing out into more even paths, catching sight of the distant structures of a new human settlement.“Just leave me off near where the other merchants are… one hell of a story I’ll have to tell. If you can try to strut a little and show off, I’ll appreciate it. If you make them want to hear this story enough, maybe I can get them to toss me a coin for it… sure would help the new horse fund”Mylos shook his head slowly. He was learning what that dragoness had meant… these merchant humans were strange… even for humans “It will cost you”A burst of a laugh erupted from his passenger, Riss reaching over to pat the tail attached to his cart “you, my new scaly friend, are going to be a natural”The flight home was a lot less eventful than the flight through. The nap and the stretch of walking had helped work enough of his meal through he managed to, return a fair bit of its weight to the swamp… enough the flight wasn’t too laboured. His wings were surging with the energy of a decent meal. He did contemplate diving in for another… but he had been lucky. Those lizards were easily overpowered on land… but in the water, they could damage him quite badly, especially if he didn’t see their well camouflaged shapes. Not worth it, never worth it. When one was strong enough to feel confident, then there were other, better prospects… and when one was desperate enough there were no better prospects, they were also weak enough they could even be overpowered. There were pristine white dragon bones under the murk in that swamp… not a whole lot of them, but they were there. A few of those lizards latched on would make any dragon too heavy to fly, and a set of those heavy, strong, clamping jaws around the neck could drag a dragon’s head into the water to drown, or even rip the plates off, and into the throat. Mylos had no intention of returning those parts of the lizard he’d already added to his blood back into the swamp…The sun had long since set by the time he got back, the humans were sleeping, and he had needed rest against a building, warm and solid till the morning. But the human he was returning to was right where he expected it.Mylos approached the, Jason human, who had ushered him away from the carts “good to see you” the human murmured, ushering a paw down “do… Michael have anything to say about wheat?”The dragon hummed, keeping his voice low “Yes, he said, the northern harvest was poor, no merchants brought wheat south this year”The human bobbed his head with a grin “very nice to know. I do think I’ll be shortening my trip here… do feel free to hurry on over to the intermediary. He recognised you by description. He’ll confirm the amount to be paid has been added to your account. Minus the… speed bonus of course”Mylos bobbed his muzzle slowly… he recalled what little Riss had said… if he understood correctly, this did seem, a particularly wanted piece of information… there must be very little of this wheat stuff over in that town… “actually, human, there is one more thing”The smile fell just a touch “is that so?”“Yes…” Mylos tried to feel confident about what he was going to say… he had to hope he wouldn’t look like a bumbling fool in this human game of words… “I am satisfied with, the payment for the information, and would like to enquire, if you want to keep it exclusive”“Exclusive” the human sounded out the word“yes” Mylos noted, looking along the human’s features, trying to judge the reaction “I need to visit the intermediary, to check on the payment, but when I am done, I was thinking there may be other humans who want to know what Michael has to say about wheat as well”The human’s grin returned slowly “I didn’t know you were sly, dragon… silly me. Tell you what, how about I come along with you to the intermediary and we discuss your next twenty-four hours, shall we?”Mylos lifted his head with a rumble “yes, lets do that” he tried to hide his elation... he might really, gain more coin just for flying into the woods trying to hunt like he normally would, rather than staying here and talking. He let the human lead, as he swayed along behind it. If this worked out, he might need to thank that little Riss… odd to think he’d have a human he actually wanted to spare from his stomach. ................
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