A child's cry, an adult's scream, followed by a monstrous roar. The all too familiar facet of life for the denizens of Earthmounds.
As soon as the noise was heard, every villager, be it man, woman or child, scurried for the burrows, dropping whatever they were doing in an instant. There, townsfolk congregated in deep underground chambers, while the warriors armed themselves in preparation to defend the tunnels.
Naturally, like any group of stressed out civilians crowded in relative, but not guaranteed, safety, the settlers of Earthmounds began to chatter among themselves.
"What do you think it is? It sounded different than anything I've heard before."
"Has anyone seen my husband?! Or my daughter?!
"Maybe ol' Red Eye is in musth?"
"Wrong season. Then again, the old bastard never gave two shits about how other fiends do."
"Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?!"
"All of you shut yer traps! I hear sumfin'."
True to these words, even this deep underground, a series of deep, reverberating growls could be heard.
"Hey, young Buk, any idea what decided to make itself cozy up there?"
"Dunno, elder Kamik. Cap'n said to guard you here, so I do."
"Gods, I hope it's not a kikimora queen. We wouldn't survive her spawn swarming the tunnels..."
"When have you heard a kikimore roar or growl, ya dolt?! Kikkimora screech, fiends bellow, dragons roar. It's a dragon!"
"Last dragon that tried to settle around these parts had his spine used as a backscratcher by Red Eye. I doubt there are any of them left stupid enough to even sneak around, much less cause ruckus so close to his territory."
Any further discussion on the nature of the village's assailant was cut short by the arrival of a rough-faced, armored kobold.
"Elder Obok, elder Kamik, we are in dire need of your wisdom."
---
"What do you mean a dragon wants to negotiate?!"
"As far as we understand, elder Obok. A silver-scaled dragon escorted Korek and his daughter here, creating a projection showing a dragon and kobold talking. The serpent is now waiting before the main mound's entrance, growling in what we believe is its tongue."
"And the idea of it being a trap never crossed your mind, captain Turok?"
"It certainly did. And that is why I seek the wisdom of the elders. Me and my warriors will escort you to the surface, where you will hopefully be able to divine the dragon's purpose here. And should it deceive us and attack, I will not hesitate to sacrifice my life to save yours."
The old shaman grunted in disapproval. "Perish the thought, captain. You are young, strong and gifted, while my body gets weaker every year, slowly crushed under the passage of time. For the good of the village, you must survive, even if it means leaving me behind to die."
Obok sighed. Turok was a bit too solemn for his liking, but still was a capable kobold, one of great use to the clan at large. She shouldn't pay for Hik's mistakes, especially with her life.
And even though the elder had let his distaste for the fool color his judgment, and given him advice that may have somewhat influenced current circumstances, he had no doubt that the blame still laid squarely on the cretin.
After all, it was his idea that, instead of doing the reasonable thing and relocating, he will try to bribe a dragon into letting him hunt on claimed territory. And he tried it with unseasoned, badly cooked meat, doubtlessly offending the creature's substantial ego.
In legends, dragons were uniformly self serving and greedy creatures. Thus, what Obok expected, was an assault aiming to correct the slight and get rid of potential competition in one fell swoop. To his relief, Hik had at least the luck of annoying one that seemed willing to rise above its nature and parley.
The nature of intelligent, social creatures was primarily motivated by two things, self-interest and personal gain. They banded together to achieve things they were incapable of doing individually, reaping the benefits of the group's accomplishments, while spreading and mitigating its failures.
For pack animals, it meant that the majority of individual effort was made to benefit the whole group, as its well being automatically elevated the standards of living of all its members.
For not only intelligent, but fully sapient beings such as me, it entailed simply playing the role society expected me to play, all while enjoying the boons only civilization could provide. Thus, the best way to be accepted by the public was to offer it a desirable set of skills, one that guaranteed steady contributions.
As an individual aiming for a peaceful resolution with a whole civilization, albeit a small one, I was naturally expected to make my proposal of co-existence beneficial to it.
The list of things I could offer was, however, distressingly short.
My education, both as a HR manager and as an officer, laid predominantly in administration. The only such positions in ancient societies were advisors and rulers, both of considerable social status I couldn't demand as a part of an offering.
The technological knowledge I possessed was surface level at best, and superficial at worst. For example, to create guns, every time travel story's favorite cliché, civilization needed to advance in multiple fields of material science to attempt, even with proper instructions. I may know what gunpowder was made of, but had no idea how to refine saltpeter, or even where to look to acquire it.
I had my doubts that what was, based on their wrought iron tools and primitive smelters, an early iron age civilization would be able to fill in the gaps.
Since I lacked the expertise necessary, and Being X didn't deign to reincarnate me with a smartphone, even one with no internet connection or a way to charge it, I won't be able to contribute towards their scientific advancements in any meaningful way.
That left my physical attributes and magical talent as bargaining chips. I was much larger than the child sized beings, which coupled with a reinforcement formula, made me a decent blue collar worker. I could dig burrows, cut down trees, and haul materials to required stockpiles.
I of course would prefer a position of a magic instructor, using my modern understanding of formulae that directed mana to educate those with mage potential. A safe job, requiring minimum of physical effort.
One thing I was unwilling to grant was endangering myself, barring mutual defense. I'd rather relocate deeper into the forest. The only reason I decided against doing that already was the prospect of intellectual stimulation through contact with other sapient beings.
Speaking of which, some of them finally emerged. A column of twelve warriors, armed with spears and protected by lamellar armor, followed by three other individuals, two of which I instantly recognized as the scouting party I followed here.
Before I could react, the biggest, and judging by their appearance youngest, member of the civilian entourage all but threw themselves towards me, kneeling before me while hissing something in his indiscernible tongue.
It was at this moment I realized how much I hated both cultural and language barriers. Not only am I unable to understand what the representative is saying, I also don't know the meaning behind the gesture and how it should be followed.
Displeased with my inability to communicate, I nodded. That, at least, was a near universal sign of acknowledgment, at least in human cultures.
---
The dragon was angry, and it showed. Between the narrowed eyes and the flews pursed in what was almost a snarl, one needed not the wisdom of the elders to divine the serpent's simmering wrath.
That it simply nodded at Hik's display of deference, instead of crushing him beneath its paws, told Turok about a level of self-control expected in a trained warrior, not a mighty beast.
The dragon badly repeated Hik's apology, in obvious show of mockery, followed by a series of guttural growls. With a motion of serpent's paw, the air suddenly shimmered and coalesced into an image of a kobold. The beast growled again, while the illusion moved its jaw in imitation of speech. Then, the projection of a kobold was replaced by one of a dragon. Hik's speech was mimed again, but the new apparition's mouth remained completely still.
The meaning behind the display was obvious. Speak my language, for I will not speak yours.
The elders Kamik and Obok began to mutter among themselves, no doubt looking for a solution in ancient wisdoms. The knowledge of previous generations passed down to them were now needed like never before.
---
Non-verbal communication was difficult almost by definition. It required a set of symbols and gestures which both parties agreed to the meaning of, which could take months to establish, depending on intended nuance.
Considering that, I was justified in being proud of my efforts. They succinctly conveyed my inability to understand the speech of the creatures, while asking for an effort to be made regarding this. Considering what the elder diplomats were doing, I had hopes for something more than months of hissing and roaring.
After I conveyed my request, they retreated underground, returning with an assortment of items, including charcoal, a circular stone tablet, herbs, a clay vessel filled with water and various other trinkets.
The herbs proceeded to be grounded by one of the fur clad individuals, while the other was busy boiling the water through a familiar, if strangely inefficient, heating formula. The result of their efforts was mixed in a small stone bowl, then drank by the mage. Afterwards, the elder proceeded to draw a complicated sign on the tablet, placing a small bone on it upon finishing.
The shaman pointed at the bone, hissing something, then gazed upon me expectantly. Uncertain at what to do, I continued staring, in hopes that one of them will be able to elaborate on what was happening.
Clearly sensing my intent, the bone was taken off the tablet, then presented to every member of the gathering, all making identical noise. Placing it back in the middle of the sign, the shaman hissed again, then made a courteous gesture towards me.
I finally understood. The ritual must in be able to help both our parties understand each other. Comprehension dawning upon me, I tried replying in Japanese, but, as always, what came was a growl. "Bone". The sign proceeded to light up and change shape, becoming more intricate.
What followed was around an hour of sticks, rocks and other items being placed upon the tablet, all while the glyph continued glowing and increasing in complexity, to the point of near impossibility.
Satisfied, the shaman placed a hand on the sign, and started speaking his tongue. Mana surged as an unknown formula ignited.
"GrEetINgS, stRongGg-g fiRE-brEatHerrrrr. I meE-eXisTssS wONder-saGe NeAr-HEaare. GrOuPpp-Us waNt tO poLlliTe-asK prIVIlagE oF YoU-pOSseSS nAMe" (Greetings, oh mighty dragon. I am Shaman Obok. Our tribe wishes for you to grant us the honor and tell us your name.)
The sound that came from the tablet was the Japanese language, however atrociously spoken.
---
After another hour of further refining, Obok was finally satisfied enough with the Sign of Tongues to allow the negotiations to begin. What puzzled him though, was for what reason the dragon insisted on trying to speak a language that obviously couldn't come out of the serpent's throat, never mind be its native one.
Placing his palm on the tablet, he spoke. "I greet you once more, exalted dragon. I am an elder of this humble village, Shaman Obok. Please, grant us the honor of hearing your name."
The dragon was deep in thought, it's piercing blue eyes firmly locked on Obok while contemplating the request. Finally resting one of its claws on the tablet, it spoke.
"I had many names through my life, and I am unwilling to share my true one. Some called me the Devil, others, their Shining Silver. You can call me what those names represent. I am Tanya Degurechaff, or Tanya for the sake of brevity."
Obok tried his best to hide his confusion. The dragon before him, Tanya, was still an equivalent of a small girl if her lack of crest and tiny horns were any indication. Yet she possessed numerous names, which in all honesty sounded more like titles. If he had to guess, Devil and Shining Silver were two facets of the title the dragon went by, Tanya Degurechaff, gifted to her on top of her true name by her parents.
Introductions made, Obok steeled himself to confront Tanya about her possible demands.
"Now that we know how to address you, lady Tanya Degurechaff-"
"Tanya is sufficient, unless courtesy demands otherwise."
"Then lady Tanya, allow me to apologize in the name of the tribe for the slight that fool Hik caused you by trespassing upon your grounds. That the fact that he then tried to impugn your honor and bribe you into forgiving him with such a pitiful gift will not go unpunished. We will hold no ill will towards you, regardless of the fate you have in store for him."
The dragon blinked, no doubt expecting more pleading. Well, unluckily for Hik, him being gone will represent literally no loss for the village, and be an outright boon if it meant placating lady Degurechaff.
"If that were your only concerns, shaman Obok, then rest assured I am not mad. The roast, while amatourish, was decent enough, and the fact that he apologized for something so... insignificant speaks well of your people."
Obok swallowed in fear. On the surface, lady Tanya's words were pleasant enough, but her predatory smile and the emphasis on the word insignificant told him the whole story. You are worms beneath my claws. Now, beg.
"Nevertheless, you no doubt seek something from us. State your wish, and the tribe of Earthmounds shall do everything in their meager power to grant it."
The dragon chuckled, flashing the shaman another terrifying smile.
"While I appreciate the sentiment, it is nothing so overt. I wish to simply coexist in peace with your kind. Although, I would greatly appreciate being able to move my lair into your village. We could greatly benefit from combining our efforts."
Obok failed to stop himself from stuttering "I-in what way, l-lady Tanya?", then nearly jumped away in fear when the dragon flexed its claws, producing five translucent blades of light. The beast's vicious smirk took on a new, sinister light, illuminated by the blades.
The demon, no, Devil, purred, far too pleased with herself. "While not especially powerful, I am a mage of some experience. If needed, I can show this community the application of many magical formulas I learned over the years. Should you accept my offer, I will additionally use them to aid the village, should it be attacked."
So that was it, then. Serve or perish. The village couldn't fight a dragon armed with unknown magics. It's people couldn't hide in the forests, the predators lurking there would eat them within a day. Their only choice was to either bend the knee, or die fighting for freedom. And Obok knew what choice to make.
"As you wish, lady Tanya. The village of Earthmounds welcomes you with open arms."
There were legends of kobold tribes, even kingdoms, ruled by dragons. Most famously the ones of Golden Ridge and Redstone. Tales of cruelty and slavery, of great wealth that, instead of going to the people who earned it, was used to try and quench the dragon's insatiable appetite for riches.
The only benefit of the whole debacle was the village getting a powerful protector. Well that, and if one counted Obok's personal satisfaction, something else.
"Unfortunately, lady Tanya, there remains the matter of communication between you and your subjects. As making over three hundred Signs of Tongues is beyond my abilities, I instead suggest that I gift you the original, and make a copy to give to a herald, one that will never leave your sight. As young Hik was the one who made the effort to contact you, I propose him as the most deserving of this role. What is your opinion, my Lady?"
"I suppose that would be reasonable. However, I am afraid there must still something faulty with the formula used for translation..."
"Such things will have to wait until after the feast, as I exhausted my willpower. For now, let us celebrate the begin of your reign." Obok said before turning to the populace which started to leave its shelters "All hail Lady Tanya Degurechaff the dragon!"
"All hail!"
An unreadable expression upon the dragon's snout was the last thing Obok saw before he returned to his burrow. He needed time to rest. And grieve.
---
"How did it come to this?!"
In modern Japanese, Shogun was a honorific used in addressing highly placed military commanders, and C.E.O's of companies if one wanted to be flattering. Thus, when the elder kobold started using the words Kenmei and Shogun I dismissed them as the translation formula's imperfections, believing him to be talking about my prospective career as a magic instructor and the subjects it entailed.
Only after the feast, when the shaman returned from his rest, was I able to confirm that no, Obok meant Kenmei as in feudal servants and Shogun as in military ruler. At that point, the reveling ended, everyone went to sleep convinced I was their new leader, and I became responsible for over three hundred people.
Wonderful, simply wonderful.
I could simply run away, but after five years of living alone I was willing to admit that I started to miss contact with another intelligent being. So I could either take the job society has given me, or risk lack of contact for possibly another five years.
Another question was, why the creatures, introduced to me as kobolds, made me their leader in the first place?
It could be a cultural inclination towards making dragons their rulers. Our bodies, while subscribing to completely different body plans, had many similar characteristics. But that would be like humans electing a giant ape their king, just because it was stronger. Another possibility was...
Oh no...
Oh no no no...
"Answer me Hik, do kobolds tend to worship dragons?"
"Errr, kinda...? N-no, I-I mean, it depends, Lady Tanya. According to our myths, the first kobold was born when a goblin named Byrnak drank the blood from a wound of Eternal Alhattra, gaining her incredible strength, cunning and immortality. He then proceeded to share a small portion of his gift with goblins he deemed worthy, creating the first kobold tribes and ascending to godhood. So no, while the dragons aren't really worshiped, that's more of Byrnak and his Divine Tribes' thing, they are seen as children of the being that is the source of kobolds' strength."
"So, demigods?"
"Right you are, Lady Tanya."
Are you happy, Being X? Do you honestly believe that being unwillingly worshiped by a gaggle of primitives will make me see things your way? Well then, prepare to be disappointed. I swear to you, here and now, that I will make this civilization realize the power of the free market's principles, and the obsolete, wasteful nature of religion.