Adykon was taken down past several halls in the palace, then was approached to be given a blindfold.
"We do not want anyone seeing this part of the palace without authorization. I hope you understand" a guard told Adykon.
He was reluctant to do it, but gave in. They would not harm the one who was, gods willing, the one who would save them. After being blindfolded and walked around in circles a few times to disorient him, Adykon was led through the throne room, behind a massive statue of a dragon, and, after a guard pressed a hidden latch on it, down a staircase. After passing through another hallway underneath the throne room, they walked into a magical portal, which looked like a large mirror with golden rims, but instead of glass, there was the shimmering image of a distant location.
After going through the portal, Adykon could smell fresh air, newly cut grass, and... he could hear birds singing. Was he in a garden? Behind him and the guards, there was a portal leading back to the palace, back to the portal he had just taken. As before, it looked like a mirror with a magical image in the center. He wasn't sure where he was going, but underfoot, he could feel the surface change from the smooth marble floors of the palace change to rougher brick... then to grass... then dirt, and briefly to water when they passed through a small stream. By the time he felt himself on brick again, Adykon's blindfold was removed, and he was saw a large
country estate... more like a country palace. Surrounding it were fields of grain, orchards of fruit trees, pasture for animals, and many, many trees. To the distance, Adykon could see Dracons working in the fields. He wasn't totally sure of where this was, but he had a good idea.
He was led a bit farther, to some cushioned seats set up near a large pool of water. It looked artificial... the king himself could be seen in the distance, surrounded by an armed retinue. This estate was not in the desert... but it was part of the Dracon lands. The rumors were true... the king of Minbenthac did have an estate out here, managed by his eldest son. Adykon had been taken to Acutha Valley. Derived from "achuak thaczil", which is Draconic for "green land", Acutha Valley was a place that had been made by one of the Dragons who had been responsible for creating the Dracons. This particular dragon took a tribe of Dracons, placed them in this valley, using magic and a naturally rich aquifer he knew was here, created a fertile paradise in the valley.
As time went on, even this isolated place came into contact with the other Dracon cities. Roads were built through the mountain passes, huge gates were constructed to secure the valley, and in time, the coastal Dracon cities came to depend on the food from Acutha Valley to support their populations. Minbenthac was not a coastal city, despite its riverine links to the sea. The coastal plains could only provide so much food for the quarter or so of all Dracons who lived within 100 kilometers of the coastline. Acutha's food exports were essential to them. Despite having enough food to support a large city, the King of Acutha never built a city much larger than what was needed to act as support for his palace and as a place to make weapons for his men. He knew of the ills that large cities were prone to. This policy had continued on across generations and dynasties...
Which left Adykon with one burning question; why had the king taken him to Acutha to talk? He would not have to wait long to find out.
"Welcome, brave warrior. There's no need to be so formal here. I hope you don't mind a change of venue" the king told him. "Every king of a major of our lands has at least some property here, mine is simply one of the largest. Have a seat. Would you like a drink?"
"Oh, no thanks. I'll have that seat, though." Adykon replid, sitting down on the cushioned chair. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about."
"Always down to business, I see. Very well. I want to know everything you know about the Dark Master, and how this whole thing began. How did you get involved in it?"
Taking a deep breath and trying not to forget the fact that he was the only one capable of telling the king the whole story, Adykon related the tale of how he had been recruited by Arcantas, how he had gone on the adventure in the Lost City, and a second adventure in a distant jungle, and how he had taken an unexpected detour into Hekaga. Dememoras came up about 3/4 of the way through the story. When it was all finished, the king did not quite know what to say...
"Hmm... I see... it seems you didn't know what you were getting into... but you have adapted well to the circumstances. I would have invited to rest of the party here too, but I do not wish to risk too many people knowing of this place... it is a vacation home, really, I enjoy it more than the crowded, filthy streets of Minbenthac. Rest assured that this valley is no secret to the Dark Master... nothing is. At least, not in the lands inhabited by our kind. I would reward you well for saving our lands, warrior. I'm not sure I can say I would give you ANYthing... but if you want wealth, property, fame, one of my daughters hands in marriage, or all of those things, I would be willing to grant it to you."
A reward was the last thing on Adykon's mind at the moment. He thought of righting the wrongs that the Dark Master had wrought... stopping Dememoras was a reward in itself... although...This place was very nice... so much better than the desert. Adykon wondered...
"When this is all over, do you think you can arrange for my party to enjoy a similar set-up?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you have a nice country estate here. I don't want something as large as this place, and I don't think any of my party does either. However, we cannot keep adventuring forever. Some of us might want to settle down and raise a family. I can't do that without something to raise a family on. The life of a mercenary is... less than ideal for that."
"So... you would like some land in Acutha valley?"
"Yes, and a nice house with animals, fertile land, and lots of space to raise a large family." Had Vaeri been alive, he would have brought all her children with him. As it was, he still had Kos. Adykon needed to find a new female, but until then...
"Would the rest of the party want some land as a compensation?"
"I do not know. Minna and Ilsa are already rich. Their father, Tallon, probably has a place here..."
"Yes. I know for a fact he does. Sales of food from it are shipped straight to the coastal cities... and when I say 'he has a place here', I don't mean that he has a country house like I do... Tallon is the second largest land owner in the entire valley, second only the Acutha's king, and far larger than my estate here, even though... my manor here is larger than his, it is only my fields that are smaller."
Adykon smiled. Even when talking about matters of dire importance, the rich loved to compare each other's status. Even a king was not immune to it.
"So, a large family farm. That's what you would like?" the king asked.
"Yes. A large farm with a large house, many animals, fertile land... maybe some pear trees... and goats." Adykon said with a smile.
"Okay..." The king replied, not quite getting the part about the goats. "That will be easily granted.
Although finding a wife would take some time, Adykon could see himself doing quite well when all this was over. He would set up his house, build a barn, raise some animals, maybe sell a few at market, plow some fields, plant some trees, pick the fruit with his own two hands, maybe make some homemade jam, and be the happy head of a very fertile farm, with many children, many crops, and, in time, maybe he would raise a prize-winning goat. Yes, it seemed silly now, but he had always wanted to do that since his childhood back on the goat farm...
"One thing more, your highness. I would like to have a portal installed in my homestead once this business is all over. I would like myself and my family to live in the country, but also be able to enjoy the city. Is there any place you could link a portal to safely?"
"Yes, we can install it so that it links to the portal in our main marketplace."
This was another aspect of Minbenthac, and all of major Dracon cities except for Hekaga. The central marketplace of their cities had a large series of portals that users could link to from a distance. It brought in commerce from distant lands, even from other dimensions. Of course, the portals had wards installed on them to prevent abuse... they didn't always work...
"Thank you. Thank you VERY much, your majesty."
After some formalities and a quick goodbye, Adykon was once again blindfolded and walked back through the portal. He rejoined the party, but noticed that Vespion was missing... he had gone with the high priest of the great temple... he would be back later.
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