Introduction

"You realize that if anybody finds out about this, we're dead, right?" Lilia asked as she peered over my shoulder. I nodded. In fact, we wouldn't just be dead, we would be horribly tortured and made to regret our crimes before we were finally granted the sweet bliss of death. On the other hand, life was no fun if you never took any chances. "Why are we doing this again?" At twice the height of a human, Lilia had the habit of making necks hurt when people were talking to her. She was rather nice looking, with light brown hair, a slim body, and bright green eyes. She was really quite cute if you were into girls with eight legs. I was.

Lilia was taller than any human because her lower body was that of an enourmous black spider; for lack of a better term, I referred to her people as Spider Halflings. So I'm not creative with names; get over it. People usually freaked out when they saw this and started running, which suited me just fine. Lilia was my Familiar, my best friend, and my constant companion, and there were few other people I even wanted to interact with. Humans were boring. I was annoyed about being one.

"We are doing this..." I replied slowly, "Because spying on a visiting dignitary is a good way to get information." Lilia leaned over my shoulder a little further and looked with friendly interest at the image in the scrying plate. Don't trust Crystal balls; they're too unreliable.

"I don't think watching her bathe is going to reveal important political information." my Halfling companion noted. "You know that I don't care if you peep on females or not." True enough, actually. Lilia found it vastly more amusing than anything else when I did things other people would have been very upset about had they ever learned about them. She was quite simply odd that way.

"Well, she's hot." I countered. "Besides, people let their guards down when they're in the bath. Maybe she'll muse about a secret mission." I focused the image in the plate lower. I was interested in both purposes; seeing the ambassador naked and gathering information. I didn't peep all that often with magic, really, but I was making an exception since the Ambassador was not human. She was a human-dragon hybrid with large red wings on her back and equally lustrous and colored red hair.

Did I have a fetish for demihumans? Well, obviously. A moment later, a maid entered into the scene in the scrying plate.

"Ambassador, the King requests your presence at breakfast." the maid said. The Ambassador gave a small growl and crossed her arms in the bath, muttering something too quietly for my scrying spell to pick up. Lilia and I watched with interest as a short argument occured, which ultimately ended with the Ambassador throwing on a robe and stalking out of the room. I put the scrying plate back on the shelf after wiping it clear and stood up again. Lilia gave me an inquiring look.

"Well, we learned that she's unhappy about something." I offered. "And very, very hot."

"Don't most humans find people like me hideous, Mihael?" Lilia inquired.

"They have no taste." I answered. "Come on; class is starting." The Halfling nodded as I clambered onto her abdomen and rode out into the street from our apartment room. I had yet to formally decide what I wanted to do with my life, so I was studying both spells and sword to try and find out. The trouble was, both were highly appealing. If I became a blademaster of some sort, I would be building up my strength a lot and might even get to the high levels. On the other hand, how can you pass up the ability to throw fire at people? With a bit of a sigh, Lilia and I headed into the Courtyard as the students of the Gilthis Memorial Swordsmanship Academy just in time for the morning sermon. We were supposed to be very devout when heading into battle. Grimacing, I slid down from Lilia and moved into the highly uncomfortable kneeling position required for prayers. It certainly kept people from dozing off.

"Bless our blades, oh masters, and guide our spirits..." the Priest was saying. He was passionate this morning; maybe he'd had a nighttime visit from one of the Divines. Or thought he had.

"Come on..." I grumbled sternly under my breath. "A sign of some sort would help." The Priest fell silent. I looked up; I hadn't spoken loudly enough for him to hear. Moments later, people scattered as a bolt of red lightning came down and slammed viciously into the ground in front of me. When the dust cleared, two feet in front of me was what looked like a jagged red lance. However, its head was almost an arrow, and no weapon ever made was so... flat. Gripping it for use in combat would be impossible. Shrugging, I reached out and grabbed the weapon a moment later.

"Sacrilege!" the Priest howled. I blinked. Say what? Moments later, I was tackled to the ground by almost everybody else. Somebody clubbed me on the head, and all went dark.

When I came to, things were scarcely better. While unconscious, I had been dragged to what was clearly the palace dungeon and locked up in chains. Around my wrists, they felt like frozen death. Stupid frost-spells on chains... I'd have to work some counterspells when I got out. Assuming I did, of course. Priests were very fanatical, and unlikely to listen to simple reason. Oddly, the creepily flat red lance was resting against the wall inside the cell.

The rattle of my chains had evidently alerted the guards that I was awake, for a few moments later, lo and behold. The Emperor himself came striding down the hall until he was in front of the steps. I got the sudden uneasy feeling that he somehow had found out about me spying on that dragon-girl... I'd been very careful to hide everything, even inverting the spell so it couldn't be detected, but Emperors had their secret ways...

"Son!" the Emperor boomed. I was not at all related to him; to the Emperor, male citizens were sons and female citizens were daughters. The Priests said it was something about promoting a national feeling of unity, though it had always seemed to me like it was semi-incestual to have everyone be the sons and daughters of one person. "During prayers this morning, that weapon over there came down from the sky and struck the ground." Oh, so he hadn't found out about the peeping. Good. "Over one hundred eyewitnesses confirmed that you grabbed it... and the Priests have assured me that it is a Divine Artifact."

Ah. Oh, dear. That was pretty bad, maybe even worse than the peeping. Items came in several classes, the highest of which was a Divine Artifact. They were so holy that it was actually illegal to touch them without permission from the Priests, who got it directly from the appropriate Divine or Divines. I wasn't in here on some minor charge; this was a serious offense. Accidental, yes, but serious all the same. I suddenly began to remember how much I liked living and how fun Lilia was.

"The High Priest also noted that you were completely unharmed by the weapon, which leads us to conclude that you were supposed to take Lorelei. Then again, you did not get permission to do so from the Priesthood." I wondered what his point was. The Emperor did NOT just chat with prisoners about their crimes. Ever. "We are, however, prepared to pardon your crimes upon fulfillment of a certain... condition." Oh. Again. This was looking better; if he wanted me dead, he'd just have me killed in some creatively painful fashion. Such as using magic to slowly rip my body and spirit apart, to be feasted upon by a horde of starving demons. An Imperial Charge, however, which sounded like what he was getting to, was a completely different matter. Clearly, the fact that I was supposed to have that spear - Lorelei - had convinced him to be merciful. The Emperor was powerful, but the Divines were... well... Divine. Their decisions took precedence. "In addition, if you are successful, you will receive an estate, the title of Baron, and a tenth of the Country Treasury."

If I could have, I would have turned and ran right then. The highest title you can get without being royal, an estate, and a fortune that huge!? Either this task was going to be suicidal or it was so important that this reward was fairly small. Unfortunately, there seemed to be little I could do except pray rapidly. I was moderately well-liked by the Divines; most people worshipped only a single one, but I was more creative in that I bowed at every shrine I passed. Staying on the good side of everyone seemed like a healthy habit.

"Mihael Ak'Thias, I charge you with the escort of the Drathi Ambassador to her homeland's capital, at which point you will secure diplomatic relations with Drath in a treaty of alliance." the Emperor announced calmly. "Do you accept this charge?" Mutely, I shook my head. "Excellent. Ambassador!" the red-haired dragon-girl stepped into sight. I brightened immediately. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"I'll be counting on you." she said with a smile. "You have permission to refer to me by my given name of Flinder."

I bowed as best I could while in chains. One of the hottest females I had ever seen was being quite friendly with me, so I was quite interested in making a favorable impression. "It is an honor, Flinder." I said calmly. "I will do all I am capable of in order to protect you." The chains were unlocked, and I quickly grabbed Lorelei from its place by the wall. The weapon shifted under my grip, morphing where I gripped it so it could be easily held. That was certainly a nice feature. "Emperor, if I may..." the imperious man nodded, "Why me?"

"That weapon..." he rumbled. "Is sacred to her people. You have been chosen to wield it, and therefore, the Drathi will accept you as an emissary to their nation and be more amenable to an alliance between our countries. With the Legion in the East, an alliance with the Drathi is urgently needed."

Ah. Politics. The Drathi were dragon-kin; they not only possessed wings themselves, but rode the mighty creatures. The country was of moderate size, though not densely populated due to the amount of food necessary for every dragon, but its real strength was in its army. The Legion was the seemingly endless army of Daeis, and it was true that the Drathi would be of immense help against them. No wonder I was to receive such a reward if I managed to complete this.

"Well, then..." I said, cleaning my clothes with a quick, convinient spell. "Let's get started. I'll need a map, supplies, some-" the Emperor raised a had, and I stopped. "Noble One?"

"Your transport shall be taken care of." he stated calmly. "I have arranged for a carriage to bring you and the honored Ambassador to your destination. It is my fervent hope that this alliance will be created swiftly and easily."

Things moved quickly from there. Flinder and I proceeded out the gates of the castle and met up with Lilia, who was barred from entry due to her appearance. I really didn't see what other people hated so much about my friend; she was cute! I mean, even if you weren't interested in having her as a mate, you could at least consider her to be normal. We had long ago gotten used to her being barred from public places, though, so there were no hurt feelings.

My things were collected and thrown into a large carriage; an unusually large wagon had been converted to a carriage suitable for royalty in only two hours to accomodate Lilia. I refused to leave without my best friend and familiar, so they simply had to improvise. I was satisfied with the arrangements; there was so much more room to move around in than the usual transports had.

"Mihael..." Flinder said. I looked over to her. "How did... How did you come by Lorelei?" she seemed honestly interested, and with a face like that, how could I refuse her anything?

"I just... asked for a sign." I explained. "Lorelei slammed down in front of me moments later. That's all there really is to it." Instead of seeming angry at the short answer, Flinder seemed almost... thoughtful. Well, she was being friendly, so I supposed there was nothing to complain about. The carriage began moving, six soldiers sitting on the outside benches as a guard. Lilia sat down by bending her black legs under her body and pulled out a book on mathematics. I couldn't even begin to understand the sort of things she studied, especially because they seemed to have no practical use whatsoever. Annoying, that.

"Ambassador, you're not helping." Lilia said as she began reading. Flinder and I both looked up at our companion. "You may consider that new weapon of his to be sacred, but that's no exuse for flirting."

"Hey." I said with a pang of annoyance. "She can flirt with me if she wants. I don't mind." Lilia looked up again and raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just doing my job." my companion said calmly. "You like her for what she is, she likes you for what you carry. Neither of you is currently capable of seeing who the other really is, and ina relationship, that's a recipe for disaster. I'm here to help you, Mihael, and if that involves not giving you something you want, so be it."

I was very irritated. Mostly because she was dead right. People weren't seeing me, they were seeing a powerful Divine Artifact that I happened to carry. That was the whole reason I was on this crazy quest; Flinder's people would see me that way and, with any luck, be motivated to help because of it. On top of that, if was certainly true that when I looked at Flinder, all I saw was an immensely good-looking and rather friendly demihuman. Exactly my type, but as always, Lilia had a point. With a sigh of deepest regret, I took Lorelei and sat down next to Lilia instead. The spider halfling pat me on the head like a pet that had obeyed her properly. I twitched. Flinder, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, looked up at Lilia again.

"Why are you so protective?" she asked, sounding not quite as nice as she had before. If pressed, I would have to describe her as sounding like somebody who had just been denied a treat they wanted very badly. "We're not children. We can make our own decisions."

"Yeah." Lilia said with contempt dripping from her voice. "Like I'm going to let you rope him in so you can control both him and the proposed alliance." Flinder flinched. Wait... she was doing this just for politics? Aw, jekt miel... I was so pissed off, I was mentally cursing in the language of magic. "He's my Bond-Master, so I have to keep him out of the clutches of people like you."

"Lilia? It might be better if we didn't insult the Ambassador..." I ventured.

"Shut up, Mihael. I'm saving you from an extremely tedious existence as a political pawn; you should be thanking me. On your hands and knees."

Ah, Lilia. Cute as can be, even when she's annoyed. Her tongue is what cuts deepest, though.

The trip continued in relative quiet after Lilia's interjection. The Ambassador busied herself with reports she had brought along, Lilia continued her study of ridiculously complex mathematics, and I was left with nothing to do except study the spellbooks that I had brought along. Fortunately, I had thought ahead, and had raided the palace library before heading home. I had several new tomes to read, one of which looked like a forbidden book of dark spells that was wrapped in baby skin. Human baby. Well, given the opportunity, which would you have picked? The one that looked like it contained a hundred spells of apocalypse or the one about doing minor household charms?

I didn't bring out the book on dark magic immediately, however. Lilia would be even angrier with me if she knew about it, so instead of the prospect for unlimited power, I chose instead a book on the combat spells that were more my style. Yes, I was more concerned with staying on Lilia's good side than growing infinitely powerful; you do not cross that girl when she is angry. Seriously.

This tome was an excellent one, focusing primarily on fire and lightning spells for use against individuals or small groups. Having magic as a back-up to carving up opponents was certainly nice, though it rather looked like I would have to rely on destructive spells until I got used to fighting with Lorelei. When the Divines gave somebody a weapon like that, it was generally intended for them to use it until they died.

A black, creeping sort of feeling crawled up my spine and attempted to throttle me. I looked up immediately, then looked over to Lilia. She'd noticed it too, and without bothering to speak, grabbed me. I managed to snag my bag and Lorelei just before the girl launched out of the back of the vehicle, grabbing the Ambassador as she passed. Moments later, the carriage detonated in a fireball. Lilia landed on all eight legs and jumped around, already preparing to fight. Several laughs floated through the trees around us; we had long since passed into the forest that lay between my homeland and the area of the world that the Ambassador represented. A number of men who were, quite obviously, bandits stepped out of the trees.

"Well, well." One of them said, examining the three of us. "Kill the boy. We can sell the other two as slaves after we have a little fun." There were cheers from his men as they closed in, weapons pointed at us. The Ambassador snarled, flames coming out the sides of her mouth. With a roar, she took a deep breath and spat out a stream of flames that shot towards the man. He merely laughed as it was stopped by a protective field. "You think we didn't come prepared, sub-human?" Lilia stiffened.

Demihuman, the term I used, was commonly accepted as a polite term to use with those beings whose appearances were only half-human, such as either of the girls I was currently with. I could, for example, go up to a Naga (snake-human hybrid) in the middle of a city and say, 'Excuse me, Demihuman, but...' and not get in any sort of trouble. Sub-human, on the other hand, was an extremely crude and vulgar term. If I went up to that Naga and said, 'Hey, sub-human...', he or she would probably eat me. Painfully. Lilia did not like hearing the second term. Nobody who appeared only partially human did. I calmly held out my hand and spoke a few syllables.

The air in front of us detonated as I used one of the strongest spells I knew. Even if she was flirting with me earlier for the sole purpose of controlling me, the Ambassador was a travelling companion and somebody I had peeped on. I felt obligated to stand up for her because of that, especially against men like this. Unfortunately for me, their protective field was strong enough to block the explosion I had caused. I sighed, then held up Lorelei, which I had been keeping in a sheath on my back.

"Let me." Lilia said grimly, pushing my hands down. She launched forward and landed on the side of a tree. Before much time at all had passed, she had roped in the bandits with a barrier of webbing, trapping them in a relatively confined space. The first thing their leader did was try to cut through, but all that happened was that his weapon got stuck. With the barrier completed, Lilia calmly began to wrap up the men, working with the kind of skill you have to practice with a lot to acquire. Before much time had passed, the men were all roped up in the trees. Finished, Lilia began to feed.

I had gotten over this aspect of her existence, though it still made me a little queasy sometimes. Lilia had an unusual digestive system, complete with several stomachs, that turned meat and other foods into a liquid that her body could use for all sorts of things. These bandits had attacked us, though, so they should have been prepared to die like this. Or perhaps I was just making excuses to make myself feel better; that was always possible. With a smile, I waited until Lilia was done eating and rejoined us. The Ambassador looked a bit green.

"So." I said. "What now? The Guards are dead, our transport is gone, and we're in the middle of nowhere. Living in a forest with two good-looking demihuman girls sounds fun, but I don't think we'll be allowed that. Forward or back?"

"Forward." The Ambassador said, entirely unexpectedly. Lilia nodded in agreement.

"All right, then." I said with a shrug. "Forward it is. Time to see what else this crazy trip is going to throw at us.