Given the circumstances, there were worse allies to have at one’s disposal, though Zikee made sure to keep an eye on their new halfling acquaintance.
The dragon known as Ty was about as well-mannered as one would expect of a wildling from some secluded lab. It took only a few days for her to make herself at home in their residence, forming what could charitably be described as a working relationship with the married couple. Not that she was much help outside her knowledge regarding Project Ranger. And even that turned out to be greatly exaggerated.
“I never truly spoke to the scientists,” she admitted while they were all talking over breakfast one day. “As you might imagine, they didn’t have a need to keep us captives informed.”
Andiz filled her glass with milk, the halfling giving him a gracious nod before sipping it generously. Though only half dragon, it seemed the cravings for goat ran strong through her DNA. She finished with a satisfied breath.
“What about the others?” Zikee asked. “Surely there were other facilities scattered across the nation.”
Ty shrugged. “If there were, the founders hid them well. I would still imagine we were the biggest facility by far given just how many humans were brought in week to week. And dragons. Out of curiosity, have you ever attempted to capture a dragon alive?”
“That would be pointless.”
“And dangerous,” Andiz added, pulling up a chair. “I’ve heard dragons grow vicious in captivity.”
Ty nodded. “Indeed. I suppose it’s a testament to the project that they caught so many.”
Saying that, Ty continued on with her breakfast, the rest of the morning mostly spent in silence.
When it came to hunting for either the founders or the Silver Dragon, leads tended to be slow to trickle in. Rumors they’d hear on the street. Tracks they’d come across. Occasionally they’d get lucky and show up at the right place at the right time. But as the days progressed, it seemed that wouldn’t be the case for a while.
That was, until Andiz came home one day clutching his groceries in excitement.
“Kiki! Ty! I bring news! I found us another lead!”
Zikee was sharpening her sword at the time, Ty lounging on the couch as had become her norm. At least she’d learned to wear clothes after a while.
“Oh? Got something, Andy?” the dragon asked.
Zikee raised a brow at the nickname, though Andiz’s excitement didn’t seem to wane in the slightest.
“Yes! Kiki, you remember that facility we sacked a while back. X-10, I think?”
Zikee smiled, remembering her fight with an augmented dragon. How could she ever forget that?
“What about it?”
Andiz set his groceries down on the counter, pulling out a scroll from his pocket and unfurling it. Across the page, a woman’s portrait stood with a grin plastered across her face. Zikee didn’t quite recognize her, but she did recognize the design of the parchment, one normally utilized for personal advertisements. Ty furrowed at the woman, looking from her to Andiz.
“I found this hanging in a tavern,” the healer explained. “A woman by the name of Qui Valentina has been leaving these around town. According to rumor, she’s been out hunting for any traces of halflings. She used the word halfling specifically. I made sure to verify that much.”
Zikee looked at the paper more closely, noting the bold lettering written underneath the portrait.
You know me? Come find me. 300 gc for information -Qui Valentina, Former Director of PR
“And this was just hanging in a tavern, Andy?” Ty asked.
“I know. It’s a bit suspicious. In fact, I wouldn’t advise we contact her any time soon. But knowing that there’s someone looking for information on halflings has led to a steady influx of gossip on the streets. Of which I also went about verifying for myself.”
He pulled out another scroll, placing it next to the first. It was another advertisement, but this time for an entirely different endeavor. A live performance.
“Of the many different halfling rumors I’ve come across, this was the only lead I could find that was concrete.” Andiz pointed to the lettering at the top, reading it aloud. “The Dragon Duet. Not quite subtle in their naming, but all sources point to them being genuine halflings.”
Zikee looked at Andiz a moment, the healer beaming from the revelation even as Ty still seemed sceptical of it all.
Admittedly, this was a lot Andiz was asking them to process. A woman out hunting for halflings and a duo that fit that very description? It seemed too simple to be true. But if there was one thing Zikee had learned of her husband, it was that he tended to excel best in the areas of information retrieval.
She smiled.
“I know it’s no Silver Dragon, but I figure we could-” Andiz began shortly before Zikee hoisted him in the air.
“Andiz! You simply are brilliant.”
She covered the healer in kisses, completely dismissing the annoyed look she received from Ty. He’d done his part. He deserved all the praise she could levy at him at once. By the time she finally set him back down, he was red in the face but undoubtedly beaming a bit brighter. Zikee slung her sword over her hip.
“Come. We have a lead. It’s time to hunt.”
She went to the nearby coat rack, grabbing a cloak and tossing it to a surprised Ty.
“Put that on,” Zikee explained. “This mask too. You’ll need both.”
The halfling regarded her with confusion.
***
Fortunately, town was only a short trek from their home near the forests.
Kison, the nation’s chief exporter in reptilian goods, had been the easiest place to settle in given both the proximity to dragon-kind and limited guild visibility. Though relatively small in size, the place served a dense collection of scale shops and meat peddlers always ready to earn a few extra coins. And with its constant influx of travelers coming to trade, safety had never been an overly large issue for the citizenry. Nearly everyone in town had a connection or two who would protect them for a price.
Zikee watched as adventurers drifted past, some carrying a stamp marking them as guild members. Though it had limited visibility, Kison was still protected territory. Every now and again there’d be people patrolling for dangers.
And yet despite the security of adventurers and guild members alike, not one person recognized the dragon wandering right past.
Zikee watched as Ty blended within the crowd, the halfling unrecognizable thanks to the fox mask and cloak she’d given her. It hadn’t been a perfect solution, a few travelers lingering on her appearance a bit too long, but it served its purpose. Without her scales to give her away, Ty looked no different than any other traveling human around these parts. Even her voice blended in well as she gave slight greetings to those she passed.
“Hello. Excuse me. I beg your pardon. Greetings.”
As she gave off simple pleasantries, Zikee couldn’t help but wonder if this was a new experience for the halfling. Though she’d told her not to draw attention, the dragon seemed too well-versed in blending in for it to not have been familiar. Practiced, even.
“Oh, this? I simply like foxes,” she said with a playful laugh when someone approached her directly. “Plus, it was a bargain to buy. Only twenty silvers. Can you believe that?”
No one seemed to pick up on how forced her pleasantries sounded. They all brushed it aside and continued along. It was only when they were alone again that Ty’s act would vanish.
“Petch, town is crowded to the bends and back. So annoying.”
Zikee couldn’t help but agree even despite her suspicion.
After talking to a few villagers, it became clear that several people in Kison had tuned in for the performance. The Dragon Duet weren’t very popular nationwide, but they’d made a name for themselves in enough places that word had begun to spread out to the neighboring city of Wishka. There would even be a few nobles in attendance. Were they truly so remarkable? In truth, there were no performance teams with dragons that Zikee could think of, though she’d never been much of a fan of performances in general.
Plays and such were Andiz’s forte. The closest she’d ever get were those gladiatorial bouts in her old village. Still, as they followed what was quickly becoming a small crowd, her interest slowly began to rise.
At the head of Kison’s central plaza, men and women gathered around an elevated platform, the bright lights casting down upon a stage filled with whisps of smoke and small wooden pillars. The trio shouldered their way through, finding a spot where they could finally see the performance in full view, two pairs of eyes staring out from beyond the white clouds.
With a sudden flick, the smoke blew apart, lights honing in on the two now standing at the center of the stage. Zikee couldn’t help but stare at them both. On one side, there was a man with shining blue scales and silky black hair. On the other, she saw a woman with twin pigtails and glowing red scales. They both stood barely a stone’s throw apart before they finally began to move, slowly closing the distance between each other.
It was like magic. As one moved, the other followed in kind. As one spun through the air the other was there to catch them. They used the pillars like thread, connecting one dance to another before they finally came together and continued on to the next movement. Zikee sat forward, the hush of the crowd allowing her to take it all in at once. An old sensation. One she’d thought had long since faded away.
It was only when she heard the roar of cheers around her that she realized the performance had ended.
Zikee sat back, feeling control slowly return as she remembered why it was they’d come here. She looked to Andiz, who seemed to regard her curiously. But Ty was already on her feet.
“Crowd’s thinning. Now’s our chance.”
Zikee looked around, both the crowd and the dancers themselves leaving the plaza. Now was no time to be getting dazed. She forced herself to refocus, one hand on her hilt as she and Andiz followed after Ty. Who knew how long it would take before they got another lead like this. They couldn’t let them escape so easily.
Given her size, the trio had to pursue the Dragon Duet from quite a ways off, giving them enough of a head start not to be suspicious. As expected, the two halflings didn’t leave the stage alone. They had a small entourage of bodyguards who kept them encircled at all times. It made the act of shadowing that much harder, though not impossible.
“Oh spirits, guide me. Open my ears so I may hear the voices of the world. Listen to whistles of the sea and cries of the insects. I beg of thee. Yui. Let me perceive them all.”
As Zikee whispered the incantation, she felt her senses flooding with magic, the sounds around her magnifying to the point that even the gentle rhythm of a butterfly’s wings could be heard. But she had no interest in letting such notions cloud her brain. With her perception strengthened, she zeroed in on the voices of the dragons ahead, listening to them converse on the off-chance it would reveal anything of note.
“Your balance was off, Sky,” one of the voices said. It sounded like it had come from the male dragon.
“Only because you missed your cue, Angel,” the female responded in kind. “I could have fallen you know.”
“Wouldn’t that be a pity.”
Zikee released the magic, only managing to have heard more of the two bickering before her senses returned to normal. Nothing remotely valuable for their search for the founders, the Silver Dragon, or anything about Project Ranger. Zikee stared ahead, noticing that the group had begun to slow down somewhat. Ty signaled for them all to stop, the trio ducking behind a corner to watch things unfold.
From the looks of things, the Dragon Duet had arrived at their home, the two bidding their entourage farewell before disappearing inside the admittedly large residence. Just how wealthy were these halflings? Zikee tabled the question for later, taking stock of how many guards she could see.
“I count six at the front and only the front,” she said.
“Same here,” Ty agreed. “Should we rush ‘em or…”
“No need.”
As she said that, the guards all dropped one after the other, much to Ty’s surprise.
“What was- Did you do that?”
Zikee shook her head, only looking to the healer at her side as he let out a sigh of relief, his hand lowering.
“It’s a simple spell, but they’ll sleep soundly for a while.”
He flashed Ty a smile, the halfling giving him a playful jab in response.
“Nice work, Andy. Never overlook the healer.”
Andiz smiled wider at the praise, Zikee already making her way out to the house and stepping over the guards. Given that Andiz’s sleep spell tended to last hours at most, she figured they’d have plenty of time to get in, bleed the halflings of what they knew, and get out unscathed. Assuming they didn’t try and fight back. These were dragons they were dealing with, after all. But between the three of them, Zikee was confident they’d handle whatever it was the duet might throw at them.
“Does that skill work on everyone?” Ty asked.
“Only those with little magic,” Andiz explained. “Be careful. Loud noises and trauma will still snap them awake.” Zikee pushed the doors open, stepping inside at the ready.
“Keep your guards up. We’re in enemy territory.”
Ty gave a sarcastic salute.
“Right. Of course. Let’s try to-“
A distinct click stopped them all, Zikee freezing in place the moment she heard it.
Oh. Spirits.
Only moments later, Zikee heard the doors slam shut behind her. And it was seconds later that the ground vanished from under her feet.
