The Ballad Of A Semi-Benevolent Dragon

Chapter 41: The Dragon Speaks About Cooperation

Corundum gazed at the people assembled before him. As one of Doomwing's doppelgangers, these people were his responsibility. "To survive, most creatures require five things: food, water, clothing, shelter, and defence." He bared his teeth. "Dragons are mighty because of how little these things matter or how easily we can acquire them. What need has a dragon for clothes or shelter? Our scales are proof against the elements, and even the most inclement weather cannot harm us. Defence? We have our claws, our teeth, and our flame, and these also make it easy to secure whatever food and water we desire." His eyes narrowed. "But you you are weak because these things matter to you and cannot easily be acquired. How many of you can grow your own food without aid? How many of you can hunt prey? Without clothes and shelter, how long would you survive? And how would you defend yourselves without the aid of weapons that only a few of you know how to make?"

The villagers listened intently to his words, as did the dwarves and the various monsters and ascended animals in attendance. Daphne listened too, her expression faintly amused where so many of the others were trying to conceal their displeasure or dismay.

"But that is acceptable." Corundum's lips curled. "Dragons are not the same as dwarves, humans, animals, or monsters. We were made by the First Gods, and they made us so that we could stand alone if needed. You were not made to do the same, so to hold your individual weakness against you would make little sense. You were made to stand with others, to build settlements, whether they be small villages or proud cities. Dragons build no villages. We build no cities. We live as we are because we have the strength to stand against the world. You do not, and so you must change the world around you to survive." He smiled toothily. "Be proud of that. It is commendable."

The people gathered before his relaxed ever so slightly. He meant what he said. There was indeed something admirable about the struggle that other creatures went through simply to survive. A dragon could live almost anywhere with minimal effort, but a human or a dwarf? No. They had to fight and scrape and claw to make homes for themselves, and that effort that determination to survive was worthy of praise, even if they were often weak, ignorant, and short lived.

"You were not made to stand alone, and yet it is rare for different groups to work together. Dwarves and humans often compete for the same resources, and monsters and animals are a constant threat in many parts of the world. But not here. Here, you all serve me. Here, you will all work together. Here, you will all stand together because you will be stronger together than you could ever be alone."

He let his words linger. There was resolution on some faces and doubt on others. Good. They might be ignorant about many things, but they were wise in their own way. They knew how little words alone meant, even if they came from a dragon.

"I am the ruler of these lands. I will not have my people live in hovels, not when they have shown a willingness to obey my orders and work hard."

And indeed, the villagers had worked hard. They had worked tirelessly with Daphne and the monsters to plant and harvest crops, and they had attended his lessons on magic despite few of them having any real talent. Those who had shown promise had thrown themselves into their training with enthusiasm that would have seemed maniacal if he had not already trained people like Elerion and Antaria. To a villager, magic was a terrifying and mysterious force, one they had occasionally seen but had never really been taught how to use. But they knew what it meant. Magic meant power. It meant influence. It meant a brighter future. They would spare no effort in seizing it for themselves.

"Specialisation is common practice in most societies. One man might work as a farmer whilst another works as a blacksmith. This allows both men to truly excel in their work, and by sharing and trading the fruits of their labour, both may benefit from their respective expertise. A farmer can grow enough food to feed many people while the blacksmith can make tools and weapons of much higher quality than any normal person. Each of the groups who serve me have their own specialisations. Sharing and trading your talents with each other allows you all to prosper."

There were nods now. This was something they all understood even if they had not necessarily put it into words. After all, it was common for a hunter to trade his catch with a farmer or a craftsman. Likewise, amongst dwarves, those who worked metal frequently traded their services with those who worked stone.

"You have made do with the materials and expertise available, but it is time for your villages to improve and better reflect the prosperity that will come under my rule. You no longer have to rely on whatever materials you can scavenge and whatever expertise you have. I am here. Daphne is here. The dwarves are here. The monsters and animals are here." He nodded at one of the dwarves. He had spoken to him earlier and explained his plans to him. "Hallbjorn, step forward and explain."

The dwarf stepped forward. His beard had begun to grey, but he was tall for a dwarf and broad-shouldered too. His arms were thick with muscle, and the hammer slung over his shoulder with casual ease was so heavy it would have taken four or five of the villagers to lift it. "I am Hallbjorn. I work with rock and earth and stone. Your houses are decent enough, but what do you think of houses with stone walls?"

There were murmurs from the villagers. All of their houses were made either of wood or mudbrick.

"I am a dwarf," Hallbjorn said. "We know rock and earth and stone better than anyone. After all, we live in mountains. We can shape it with tools and with magic." He drove his hammer into the ground, and his magic flared. A wall of stone rippled upward. "See? What would take you months, even years, to accomplish, we can do in days." His expression softened. "Growing up, I had to beg my parents to buy fruit, and we could never afford much. Fresh produce? A luxury. I remember my father smiling at me and passing me his share because he wanted me to grow big and strong." His gaze turned misty as it swept past the others and to the seemingly endless fields around them. "Here, nobody cares if I pluck an apple from a tree, and every meal is the sort of food my father would have broken his back to provide." He thumped his chest with one big hand as his gaze went back to the villagers. "You and yours can manage the crops and tend the land. Let me and mine see to your houses!"

His words were met by raucous cheers from the dwarves in attendance whilst the villagers looked equal parts grateful and bewildered. Even now, they could not quite understand what it must be like to live a life where an apple was a luxury.

"Hallbjorn speaks truly," Corundum said. "The dwarves can craft the walls and floors of your new houses out of stone, and they can put magic upon them that will make them warm during winter and cool in summer while avoiding many of the problems associated with the use of mundane stone. There will be no damp to worry about, nor crumbling walls or damage from rain. They are dwarves. There are none who know stone better than them."

"What of the roofs?" a canny villager asked. "Will they be stone as well?"

Corundum chuckled. "They could make roofs out of stone, but I do not think those would be best for you. Instead, I will instruct you on the making and installations of shingles." He used an illusion to show them what he meant. Those who had been to larger towns and cities had likely seen shingles before, but the villagers had not made use of them. Instead, their roofs were made of thatch. "They might seem labour intensive, but with the tools the dwarves can provide and the abilities some of the animals possess, it will not take long to make them. And once they are made, I assume you can all manage a hammer and nails."

There was some nervous laughter. Corundum had witnessed the villagers using hammers and nails before, and some had been left with very sore hands.

"But I have chosen shingles for a reason. We have a dryad," Corundum said. "The shingles we make need not be made of mundane wood."

"Indeed." Daphne stepped forward. "I am young for a dryad, but what Corundum plans is not difficult for me. Each shingle will be made out of wood that I have influenced with my powers. As such, the shingles will be far more durable and resistant to weather and other damage than regular wood. More importantly, I can weave magic into them. Rather than simply sitting atop your houses, those shingles can absorb magic from our surroundings, which you can use for various things."

The elves had used precisely this technique over the Ages, and Daphne had already been receiving instruction from the other dryads she was in communication with.

"A few of you have shown some talent in alchemy," Corundum said. He held up a claw, and a small, oddly shaped crystal appeared. "I will not say that this impresses me, but it is a start. It is something you made through your own efforts." He ran magic through the crystal, and it lit up. "A magical light something most of you cannot power for long. But the shingles will provide the power that you lack." His eyes gleamed. "No more relying on candle light to get by. No more burning valuable oil for lanterns. You can make your own lights powered by your own homes."

The villagers' eyes widened.

"Did I not promise that you would prosper under my rule?" Corundum chuckled. "But that is only the start. For what is a village without water and a means to manage waste?"

In many ways, the villagers handled these issues better than larger settlements. They lacked magic, but they possessed common sense. Water was drawn up from wells, and every effort was made to dispose of waste in a manner that did not threaten hygiene or their water supply. It wasn't perfect, but without magic, their methods were reasonable.

Larger settlements could use magic to obtain and purify water while also disposing of waste. Of course, some of the devices used to do so were from the Sixth Age or earlier, and he would not be surprised if they began to fail, which would be a major problem if those who used them had not learned how to repair or replicate them. In large settlements without magic, the situation could often be quite dire.

Dragons were virtually immune to disease, but humans and other creatures were not so fortunate. More than once Brother Tiger had bemoaned the difficulty the poor had in gaining access to clean water while wrinkling his nose at the poor sanitation practices he observed. As a tiger-man, his nose was sensitive. And as a monk, his heart was soft. He had often badgered Doomwing into using his magic to help those people, whether it was by making some device to meet their needs or by working some long-lasting magic that would help.

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Doomwing had not given much thought to those incidents, and he had helped mainly because helping would ease Brother Tiger's concerns. Yet now those memories were coming in handy, as were his memories of aiding the dwarves of the Third Age. Brother Tiger had been right in the end his good deeds would be repaid one day.

"At present, you draw water from the ground via wells using entirely mundane methods namely, having some burly young man operate the well." There were chuckles from the villagers. It was a rite of passage for the young men to work the well for the very young or the very old. "Again the dwarves will be of aid here."

Hallbjorn stepped forward again. "As miners, water is a constant danger to us. A flooded mine is a disaster that can result in the deaths of hundreds. Moreover, we also have many enemies in our mountain homes. Obtaining water without having to leave the safety of our fortresses is key. We will build pumps to draw water out of the ground using magic, and we will show you how to build and maintain such pumps of your own in the future. The process is easier than you would think, and it does not require a lot of personal power."

Doomwing had helped design such pumps for the dwarves of the Third Age. They used ambient magic to draw water out of the ground using a combination of magic and mundane methods. Few dwarves ever developed an affinity for water magic, so such pumps were a necessity.

"You're not dwarves," Hallbjorn continued. "But there are a few of you who I think would take well to our methods." He grinned and rubbed his beard. "I've not done much teaching as of late, but it should be interesting to see how well you humans can learn our methods."

"Magical pumps?" One of the village headmen nodded. "I saw things like that in the cities and towns I visited in my younger days. It was amazing. You would simply turn a knob or lever, and water would come out."

"We can go further," Corundum said. "We can build pipes to each home, so you will not have to go to the pump to fetch water." Such things had once been common. Indeed, by the end of the Sixth Age, plumbing could be found in any decently large settlement. Hikari had been fond long baths to the point that Elerion had often teased her about turning into a prune. Doomwing had found that particularly amusing since dragon scales suffered no such effects from lingering in water. Hikari's love of long baths had only grown when she'd realised that Doomwing possessed a formula for bubble baths that was vastly superior to anything the kingdom's alchemists or apothecaries could create. "Again, this is something the dwarves are familiar with, but I expect any amongst you who can learn to do their best."

"We'll be quite busy," Hallbjorn said. "But busy is good." He grinned. "We can rest when we're dead."

"What of the waste?" another dwarf asked. "That has always been the biggest problem for us dwarves." Many of the dwarves of the Third Age had adopted a simple strategy: dump it out of their sky ships. Doomwing had often smiled at the thought of such waste filling the ocean around the Lord of the Tides. It was petty, but his ancient foe deserved every bad thing that happened to him.

"Daphne," Corundum said. "I will leave that to you."

The dryad grinned. "I'll be happy to handle it."

"Oh?" Hallbjorn rubbed his beard again. "How are you going to deal with it? We dwarves have developed a multi-step process to ensure our waste is managed properly, but we've never had access to dryads either."

"My roots already cover most of this area," Daphne said. "If you dig a large pit and have pipes empty waste into it, then I can send some of my roots into the pit. Using those roots, I can use my magic to accelerate the natural process of decay to break the waste down into fertiliser that my other roots can carry to the soil beneath the fields."

Hallbjorn blinked. "That is very easy compared to what we have to do."

Daphne nodded. "A lot of people don't realise that growth, life, and nature magic can be used to hasten the natural decay of things. It's not about killing, so much as it is about accelerating what would happen naturally and converting waste into materials that can help other things grow."

"Makes me wish we had a dryad," Hallbjorn muttered. "Because, let me tell you, no dwarf likes waste disposal duty, but it's got to be done. Otherwise, you'll find yourselves knee-deep in "

"As you can see," Corundum continued. "I have already considered your housing situation in some detail. Better housing and buildings are a fitting reward for your service, and they will help improve your productivity even further. I will not be emperor over a land of beggars. For that same reason, you can expect the construction of roads and other infrastructure to hasten too."

Doomwing had informed him of their new recruits. With more dwarves available, along with some additional human mages, they should be able to dramatically improve their infrastructure. It should not be long before all the villages were connected by good roads, and from there, they could work on connecting the villages to the dwarves and then to the lands to the west.

"As for defence, let me be clear." Corundum's gaze bored into them. "I do not plan on turning you into an army. Most of you are not well suited to fighting and are far more useful doing other things. However, I firmly believe that everyone should know how to defend themselves. Whether it is with magic, their fists, or a pointy stick, it is always always better if you know how to fight."

"But we have the monsters to protect us now," one of the villagers said. "And you are here as well."

"The monsters are not invincible, and they cannot be everywhere at once. If, by some unfortunate twist of fate, you find yourself in danger without them around, will you simply lay down and die? As for me, I will gladly defend you from threats that are beyond you, but I am not here to protect you from everything. Complete reliance on others will only lead to stagnation and weakness. Learning how to defend yourself will make you stronger, both mentally and physically, and such training may even help you achieve greater power." He had explained Ascension to them, and many of them were drawn to the idea of becoming stronger and living longer lives. Who wouldn't be?

"Is that why you're not doing everything for us?" Daphne asked shrewdly. "With your power, you could easily surpass anything we could do with regards to housing."

"That is true," Corundum admitted. "I could make you houses that kings would envy, but what would be the point? I am your ruler, which means that I am supposed to lead you not do everything for you. What happens if I am wounded or am called away for an extended period of time? If I do everything for you, you will be helpless. It is a lesson that we dragons learn from a young age. To struggle is to grow and improve. To struggle is to obtain power. What I ask of you may seem difficult at times, but I will never ask you to do the truly impossible. I want to rule over a great nation, but great nations require great people. And to become great, you will have to work together, learn new things, and strive for more. You cannot do that if I coddle you. I will show you the way, but you must have the determination to walk it."

Silence fell over the group.

"Think of how helpless you felt when the soldiers burned your crops, slew your neighbours, and tore down your homes," Corundum said to the villages. "Do you ever want to feel that way again?" They shook their heads. "Then learn how to fight. Perhaps you will never need to. Indeed, if all goes well, you will never have cause to take up arms. But if the need ever arises" He bared his teeth. "Wouldn't you like to be able to kill the bastards who think they can harm you and yours?"

The fire blazing in their eyes said it all.

Corundum dismissed the dwarves and the villagers. They were to discuss matters further amongst themselves. He was a dragon, so no matter how closely he had observed houses in the past, there were things that he was bound to miss that somebody who actually lived in a house would not.

"This is training for me too, isn't it?" Daphne asked, running her fingers through the soft fur of a squirrel. "Spreading my roots over a wider area while taking on more responsibilities definitely seems like training."

"Yes. Dryads have two powerful advantages when it comes to magic. First, they can develop truly gargantuan magical reserves. Having you spread your roots as far as possible while handling a variety of tasks will encourage your reserves to grow even more quickly. Second, multi-tasking is something that dryads do better than almost anyone else. Many humans will never be able to cast two spells at once. Some of your older sisters can use tens of thousands of spells at the same time. You may not have realised it due to your prior circumstances, but you have the potential to do the same. Having you manage multiple things at the same time will improve your multi-tasking. This may not seem important now, but as you grow more and more powerful, it will become essential. You will be able to use more runes and spells than your opponent, which will often allow you to simply overwhelm anyone who might wish to harm you. Those two things are what make dryads so deadly in magical combat enormous magical reserves and the multi-tasking to make good use of those reserves."

"You seem quite familiar with how dryads use magic in battle."

"Of course, Mother Tree was one of my teachers. I sparred against her many times, and I learned firsthand how important multi-tasking is. Even now, there is no dragon alive who can use as many spells and runes at the same time as I can."

"How did you beat her?" Daphne asked quietly. "My memories of that are murky."

"Speed," Corundum said. "It was true that I developed magic specifically to defeat her, but it would have been worthless without the speed to use it. It doesn't matter how powerful you are and how many things you can do at once if I can strike a critical blow before you can complete your defences."

"Ah."

"In any case, we must begin. I want as many of the homes completed as possible. In fact, I'd like to have extra homes ready for our new recruits when they arrive."