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I didn't want them to argue. "I'd love to come. May I bring a date?"

"Suit yourself. Eleven o'clock there'll be a group teleport from the Three Little Pigs. Don't be late, you two: the Castle is about an hour on foot. Make sure you've got all your combat gear with you. There'll be tons of competitions. You just might need it."

"Will do. Now where's that waitress of yours? I'm hungry as a bear."

I stuffed all the goodies back into the bag and found a moment to take it upstairs to my room. As I changed, I got an incoming message from Taali. She'd just logged in. She had missed me. She said she couldn't wait to show me a particular fragment from the Kamasutra: page thirty-four, second paragraph from the top. Probably, I should have a light meal, after all.

An idea struck me. I paused for a second and reached inside my bag for the umpteenth time that day. Then I went back downstairs and had a talk with the bartender. A fistful of gold changed hands.

Not a minute too soon. In a whirlwind of jewelry and minimal clothing, Taali burst into the hall leaving dumbstruck patrons in her wake, the heels of her suede boots clattering victoriously.

We had it all: a good meal, light wine and some pretty intimate dancing. Finally the girl gave me a meaningful look and retired to the ladies' room. I got the message. I said my goodbyes and smiled at my friends' simple jokes involving men's marital duties as I waited for her to come out. Then I scooped the girl into my arms and took her upstairs to enthusiastic applause behind my back. She hid her flushed face in my jacket.

When we reached my room, I set her back on her feet and pushed the door open.

She gasped, wide-eyed. "What's all that?"

The Torches of True Flame cast red, green and blue hues across the darkened room. Flowers littered the bed and the room's floor. A large sea shell on the table crooned a sad song.

I put on the air of a travel guide and began pointing at my exhibits.
 
"To your right, the Torches of True Flame. You should have seen that secret-service guy, he was chomping at the bit to get them. To your left, Romance Aura #5: a collection of wild flowers made to my own recipe. Finally, the Singing Shell from the Sirens' Island. You probably know that male sirens are absolutely brainless. So these shells learned to copy the female mating song to lure stupid human males into offering them some fish and fruit. Apparently, the sirens' mating song affects our subconscious in the most mysterious way stimulating sexual pleasure."

Her eyes glinted. Her nostrils flared, a sharp tongue licking the red lips. In a smooth elusive motion that only a woman can master, her dress slid down to her feet. She stepped over the silk heap.

Now it was my turn to gasp. Two masterfully tattooed roses entangled her body in a desperate combat, their buds opening and shutting down, thin shoots spiraling up to hug each other and part again. Pitiless thorns pierced the fragile leaves.

"What's all that?"

"This is a vibe tattoo. It copies the host's mood. There's only one artist in the whole city who does it. By appointment only."

"And what mood would this flower battle signify?"

Her eyes glinted again. She stepped close and whispered in my ear, "You're about to find out."

I had a long lazy morning to compensate for my night's exertions. Taali had left very early and I couldn't sleep afterward. The shell had kept crooning its sad song until I had finally thought of offering it a few pieces of fruit from the bowl. Taali wouldn't be back until later in the evening. I had no desire to go farming again. This felt like a good day to give myself a break. I had to look into my current affairs and maybe potter around the auction house a bit before sorting through all the goodies I'd amassed. Finally, I could just laze about with a book.

They sent me up some breakfast. Bliss. What could be better than the smell of fresh coffee in the morning?—only a cigarette. Unfortunately, the game was fighting tooth and claw for more audience and the 'no smoking' tag granted it the precious 12+ status. Good job their alcohol lobby had managed to sink a similar liquor ban allowing the likes of myself access to an occasional beer.

Having finished my breakfast, I opened the auction house. All the elixirs had sold, adding to my healthy balance. I followed the ex-bookkeeper's advice and put up the shield for a grand gold. Let it hang there and wait for its chance. Then I sorted through the herbs, turning whatever I could into elixirs and making a list of missing recipes to buy. When my alchemy skill finally hit the limit, I pushed the Transformation Box away. Tired. 'Nuff workin'.

I changed into some plain city gear and consulted the inn keeper about some places to see. Then off I trotted for a walk. Freedom.

First thing I paid two gold for entering the city zoo. Normally it was one gold, but that day they had a unique guest exhibit, the Bone Dragon—an enormous beast caught about a month earlier in the Dead Lands that was now touring all the big city zoos.

The zoo boasted quite a selection of animals. I'd expected to see the usual varieties and was impressed by their choice of infernal and lower-plane creatures. Every cage had a sign telling you everything about each monster's usual habitat and skills—a true bestiary of sorts. I was eternally grateful for my new absolute memory as I studied sign after sign, comparing and analyzing them. Dome shields rose over some of the cages protecting visitors from the animals' magic or mental attacks. The shields were powered by massive artifacts coupled with an accumulating crystal: the same type of protection the locals used widely for fortification purposes. The better-off castles installed similar magic umbrellas, large enough to cover the entire premises. Those not so rich made do with protecting key areas such as gates, towers, dungeons and the like.

Walking leisurely, I finally reached the main attraction. The dragon was overpowering. His massive bone frame stood four stories tall, filled with billowing darkness glinting gold. Utterly beautiful.

His heavy head turned toward me, reacting to that last thought. The green searchlights of his eyes stared at me. The powerful surge of emotion pinned me to the ground. A mixture of irony, contempt, eternal angst and finally, surprise.

Dark One?
 
resounded in my head.

"Well, hello to you too. Stop yelling, will ya? My head's gonna burst in a minute."

The dragon eased the pressure.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Been unlucky enough to be born here. Won't be staying for much longer, I'm afraid. We're not popular with the locals.

Another wave of hopeless angst flooded over me. People around me started to disperse, apparently feeling the same.

"Anything I can do for you?"

He replied with a mixture of skepticism and just a dash of gratitude. His eyes pointed at the massive cage made of some arcane metal and at the powerful dome powered by three artifacts, the crystals inside them enormous.
 
You're too weak and young, Elf.

I sent him a mental image of myself, taken when I was holding the Astral Mana Dispersal spell.

The Dragon was suitably impressed.
 
It could help, you know. Provided you could hold it for a good dozen ticks. And provided you were afforded that time.

Shame. Such a handsome creature. And so doleful... broke my heart, really. Leaving him there felt like pulling tails off puppies.

"Sorry, Mister Dragon, Sir. That's all I've got, I'm afraid."

The Dragon appreciated my honesty.
 
Don't worry. I can end my existence any time I want. I can always descend to the Fallen One's chambers on the lower planes. Which is a shame, really. It has taken me centuries to build up my current strength. In any case, time isn't so important for us. There's another thing that keeps me here. My nest. Once every ten years we lay an egg and share our magic supply with the growing chick. I've already missed three hatches, hoping to accumulate enough strength to grow a Phantom Dragon. Two even. I've laid two eggs—two potential Phantoms of power untold. And when I was circling the sky singing my song of triumph, I let my guard down and flew straight through a portal that opened in front of my nose. You can see where it took me.

I nodded. That had been a clever trick, whoever had done it. I needed to give those portals a good think. The inklings of an idea began to form in my head.

In the meantime, the Dragon lunged toward me. The mage responsible for the artifacts jumped up.

Help me, O Dark One! I have no hope of getting out of here. But my nest is hidden well, and few can break the egg shells. The chicks have enough of their own mana to last another couple months. After that, they're done.

New quest alert! Grief of a Dragon

Without access to life-giving energy, Bone Dragon's unique batch of eggs is dying in the remote and perilous Dead Lands. Share your Strength with them to prevent the rare creatures from extinction.

I accepted. The Dead Lands. Sounded like it could be on my way, anyway. Everything looked as if I was in for a long journey. The Dragon looked at me, hope in his eyes. What else did he want? Hadn't I just accepted the quest?

I'm afraid of even asking you...

"What is it?"

I wonder if you could find enough energy to help the chicks hatch?

"How much mana does it take?"

Not much. About a thousand from your current stores. More would be better. Each.

I choked. Not much! I'd grow old brooding the wretched things.

New quest alert! Grief of a Dragon II

Send enough of your Strength to Phantom Dragons to allow them to break free.

Reward: Unknown.

Hm. 
Accept
, no question about it. But I really couldn't promise anything.

Sensing my indecision, the Dragon hurried to add, 
I'll bestow my aura imprint on you. It'll help you cross the Dead Lands and enter the Valley of Fear. It's inhabited mainly by the undead. In the center of the Valley there's an abandoned Castle. The nest is on top of the North Tower.

"Wait a sec. A temple—is there a temple there?"

You bet there is. It's enormous. But it's dead like everything else around it.

"Oh."

You think you can help me?

"I'll do what I can."

Very well, then. Catch!

Inside his skeletal frame, darkness swirled, boiling, bringing golden sparks to the surface, then consolidating them into the shape of a gold spear. It pierced the power shield pinning me with the Dragon's aura. Alarms wailed. Teleports popped open, letting out guards, mages and paladins. The Dragon curled up and shoved his head under his wing. Not he looked totally harmless. Time to leg it.

The moment I was out of the warriors' sight, I activated the portal and teleported back to the inn. Whew. Looked like I'd got out safely. A lunch was called for. I'd have to think about this strange stroke of luck over the meal.

I got a message from Taali as I ate. Apparently, she'd managed to finish early at work so now, she said, she was completely at my disposal. Literally.

I shook my head free of all clever thoughts, switching to date mode. So much for my plans for the day. I hadn't even started with my sightseeing.

Taali had changed yesterday's dress for another revealing Elven attire. My life! Should we go straight back to my room? No, not if she had anything to do with it. My appreciation wasn't enough: her getup demanded some quality exposure. So we went for a walk.

First thing, we visited the Stele of Lovers. A fragment of a stone wall, tall as you like, was said to have been left from the ancient temple of Lada—the Slavic goddess of love and beauty. As tradition demanded, we had to splurge on a pot of indelible paint and the services of a steeplejack kid who climbed up the wall to immortalize our combined initials in stone. The cost depended on the brightness of the paint, the height at which
 
Laith + Taali
 
had to be displayed, and the size of the lettering. Taali tried not to laugh as she watched me decide on the price of this token of our romance. I paid ten gold to the business owner, inconspicuously shoving another one in the kid's open hand, which had the effect of enlarging the words twice the size. The business owner frowned, uncomprehending, while Taali cast proud glances at the bystanders.

After that, we went for a ride on a unicorn. Contrary to the legend, you didn't have to be a virgin to tame one. Also, this one had an unnatural penchant for sugar: for one or two lumps he allowed me to stroke his horn which, also according to legend, guaranteed you endless prowess in bed. It was Taali who brought me a handful of sugar lumps—not in the way of a subtle message, I hope.

Afterward we went to the Artists Quarter. Taali rejected the offer of a full-sized nude statue of herself. Instead, I happily paid for her portrait in oils—a wonderful work and very quickly done, God bless virtuality. By then, we were fed up with walking, so we teleported to the inn where we went up to my room to hang the picture on the wall.

For some reason, Taali decided she had to choose the right place. She climbed on a chair and leaned against the wall hugging the heavy portrait. I was faced with the strong curve of her bare back covered with the tattooed flowers rustling in the wind. Unable to help myself, I laid my hands on her waist. The flowers shifted, restless. Taali froze. My hands moved up and forward, gradually disappearing under the silk of her dress. The flowers raged, lifelike, beginning their combat.

The picture, you said? I did hang it the following morning.

One thing I liked in Taali was her punctuality. Dressed to the nines, ten minutes to eleven next morning she was trying to force the door into my room. Did I say punctuality? More like lack of consideration, really. We went downstairs and joined a small crowd of other people waiting to be teleported to the Vets' Castle.