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The first thing Tecwyn noticed when he regained consciousness was the warmth. Unlike his last memories before fainting, he was surrounded by a comforting heat, though he wasn't yet able to discern where it came from before passing out.

A few times he shortly woke up, but had trouble making sense of his surroundings, as well as the passage of time. He could hear voices around him, but was too dazed to make out the words, or if he even spoke the same language. In a rare moment of lucidity, he reckoned that his body and mind were still in heavy shock from his wounds and fall.

Eventually, he woke up and regained consciousness fully, though he still felt disoriented and groggy. He seemed to be in a cave of sorts, lying down on his belly. It was a welcome but strange gesture, since it wasn't common knowledge for outsiders that this was preferred for dragons. The warmth he had felt came from several blankets over him, placed to combat any hypothermia he had.

Looking around, the cave seemed less like a random natural shelter, but rather deliberately made by someone, as the area he slept in was separated with a curtain. His personal belongings were nearby, but his clothes were absent, instead replaced by a simple set of travellers garb.

While he was taking in all his surroundings, he could hear footsteps approaching. By the sound of it, he suspected a reptilian being, considering the tapping of claws against the stone could be heard, familiar to him from his early life. The figure that came through the curtain was indeed one of the reptilian sort, though a lot smaller than Tecwyn himself. He recognised this as one of the Kobolds, a species that could be found all over the continent, making a name as merchants for themselves. They were one of the few groups that were allowed to enter the Kriun Academy aside from mages themselves, as they often commissioned enchanted objects to resell in other lands. It was a good deal for all as they could make a good profit, the objects were easy enough for the students to make, allowing them to practice, and it broadened Kriuns name as the capital of magic.

"Ah, we did not expect you to be up already. Welcome to our little trading outpost, we wish we could have greeted you under better circumstances though. When we found you, you were in critical condition, but luckily we managed to patch you up. My name is Keri, feel free to ask for any assistance you may need."

The kobold was cheerful and polite, seemingly genuine in her sentiments. She resumed her original task, changing Tecwyn's bandages, and made sure he ate something before she let him speak. "Thank you very much, miss Keri. How long have I been here?" "Let's see, today would mark your third day here. I think you might feel some strain from your wounds, but it should be enough to get you up again."

"Three days huh..." It would make sense due to the immense stress he underwent within a short time, after all, he had read about similar cases.

"At any rate, if you feel good enough to get up, our leader wants to have a word with you." She got up and started to leave, turning back one last time as she reached the curtain. "Oh, and in case you are wondering, despite our reputation, we are not charging you for the recovery." She chuckled as she said this "We have had other travellers in need that assumed that before, declining help because of those thoughts."

Tecwyn just smiled at Keri as she said this, knowing what she talked about. Kobolds were unique among most races, since they were the only race that specialised on a specific role, to be more precise, that of merchants. Sure, there were stories about kobolds seeking out other tasks, but their identity as a whole was based around trade. Many of his own conversations with the kobold visitors at the academy had been about this subject and their motivations, so he already knew a fair bit more than the average person. For them, it was never about the money, but rather what they could get with it. The kobolds had a natural attraction to all things magical, which gave them satisfaction just to obtain objects imbued with it. They themselves are unable to use any form of magic at all by themselves, and as such would need implements that had energies stored inside for that. As the histories go, eons ago, they used to take magical items by force, but changed their ways after realising that positive interactions would mean they could hold on to their obsessions without having adventurers going after them to reclaim these.

Crafty as they were though, Tecwyn expected that they would ask for a few favours in return for his rescue. He was free to reject those, but it never felt good rejecting people that helped you.

On the positive side, he could take time to recover without worrying too much about being a burden for them, which was good, as the reality of the situation started to sink in once more. He left home in order to go on a treasure hunt, but nearly ended up dead because of the greed of another. Would this journey really be worth it? For now he lied down again and decided to sleep once more to fully rest before meeting with the leader of this group.

Fully rested, he woke up, and headed out. The tunnel outside his compartment was illuminated by torches along the sides and headed into two directions. One of the directions showed more compartments like the one he stayed in, so he assumed the other was the way he needed to go. Walking in that direction, he was greeted by several inhabitants as they passed him, various objects in their claws, likely headed to some kind of storage room. Before long, he was in a larger room when he heard a voice call out to him. "Mister dragon, over here" The voice came from a chipper fellow that motioned for him to come over. "You are just in time, master Rezyk is currently free for a meeting."

Not wanting his host to wait longer, he followed the smaller kobold and entered the office of the one called Rezyk.

He was greeted warmly by the leader of this outpost and they were left alone by his assistant. "First of all, let me tell you that I am very glad you survived your wounds. We can only imagine what you have been through, and we are happy that we got to you in time. Now, before we continue, I would like to ask your name, as well as give you the opportunity to ask anything you want to know." So far, this man seemed trustworthy, although Tecwyn was still on edge due to Cecil's actions. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, Mister Rezyk. My name is Tecwyn, and I am merely a traveller wanting to pass the mountains. What happened to my old attire if I may ask? I did not find it in my room. Besides that, everything was accounted for save for a book of mine." "When you arrived here, your clothes were in tatters, word down by the elements and covered in your blood. We still have the remnants if you want them back, but we thought it best to replace them for clothes better suited for your current environment. It's a lot warmer here than up in the mountains. As for the book, we did find it, and I took the liberty of keeping it safe with me." He opened a drawer and pulled Tecwyn's grimoire out, placing it on the desk between them. Strangely enough, the book was still in perfect condition, as if the rough journey and fall hadn't so much as scratched it. "Curious isn't it?" Rezyk said. "It is rare for tomes to have such protective enchantments and by your look, I understand that you were not aware of this either. What you see before you is a book of great significance, though I suspect that you already know something about that."

Tecwyn fell silent for a moment as he wondered what the kobold could know about this book. If he had looked inside and saw the map, it was likely that he wanted the treasure for himself, just like Cecil had wanted Tecwyn's bracelet. His only hope was that this did not turn out violent, since he had no way to protect himself if this Rezyk made any sudden movements.

The kobold however noticed Tecwyn tense up, and immediately spoke up. "My apologies, I must be giving you the wrong impression, so let me clear this up. Whatever contents the tome holds are yours and yours only, I don't mean to intrude upon that. If this tome contains what I suspect it does however, that will open up some mutually beneficial opportunities." Tecwyn relaxed a bit as he was interested, but still did not trust Rezyk completely. "What do you know about this then? What does it hold according to you and how would you know?" Tecwyn asked tersely.

At this point, they were interrupted by the assistant coming back with two glasses of wine. The timing of this came across as very suspicious to the dragon as the kobold just thanked his assistant and sighed. "I had hoped to give you a drink as a friendly gesture, but I fear that the direction of our conversation has soured the mood for that. I swear I don't have any ill intent" "Just give me a moment, and I will clear this up then" As Tecwyn said this, he reached for the tome as well as his drink, placing it away from the kobold's reach. He opened the book, concentrating on using magic to discover poisons, and found a beginner level spell, developed back when mages first became prominent at court. A few simple gestures and an incantation of the old tongue was all that needed to be done. It did not get any responses, indicating that the drink was indeed safe. "I...suppose I can trust you" Tecwyn admitted, slightly ashamed as he looked back to his host, who looked mesmerised at the residue of the spell. He snapped out of his little trance with a smile "Sorry about that, we tend to get rather distracted by magic, it's just so much fun to see." He said as he straightened himself out and took his glass.

"Let's start with the tome. According to rumor, there was a book made by a powerful wizard generations ago. It was handed down to his apprentice to help him study and become his successor which he would earn by following trials. However, as the story goes, the apprentice got drunk one night and talked a bit too freely about this book, leading to his untimely demise and people hunting each other to get hold of this artefact. Many rumors agree upon these, so their truth is verifiable. At some point, the book got lost, and nobody could find it.

The book you brought looks similar to that of the stories and some drawings that remain from that time. There is only one thing left to verify. I could not read the contents of the book because it is bound to you, but within there should be a phrase. Would you be so kind as to recite it to me? It was about a gift..." Rezyk looked expectantly at the dragon.

Tecwyn was intrigued by this. He knew that the book had been powerful by its aura, but did not know much more. If he could really trust his host, then it could be very valuable to him. Despite his fears, he decided to hope for the best, and went back to the writing in the book.

"Prove that you are a worthy successor, and my greatest treasure will be yours" "Yes! That is it, it really is the lost tome! Where did you find this?" The kobold could barely contain his excitement, trying his best to stay professional. "I would rather keep that a secret, but I can tell that when I found it, it did not look like this. I need to put in effort to unlock its secrets." "I understand, and that does make sense, a sort of camouflage for the book to protect it. Regardless, this seems to be the real tome, and I would love to hear more about it another time. But first, I would like make you an offer. As far as the rumors go, the wizard had secret sanctums built around the continent, where he would conduct experiments. Of what kind, we cannot tell, but it is possible you will encounter them should you seek out his treasure. To that end, my request is twofold. First, find out what the treasure is, the second, find any location that holds one of these sanctums. Any information that you give to us will be well compensated to you. After all, knowledge of these subjects are valuable to the right person. We as merchants have learned it's not worth it trying to steal from others through deception, but rather find ways to profit from their journeys without impacting them negatively."

The dragon thought about this for a moment "So what you are offering me is to pay me for telling you of lost places I come across on my journey. And you aren't after my book or its contents?" "You are correct, your book is not worth anything without a mage to read it, and we likely cannot use the treasure, for it is most likely a spell. The same goes for your bracelet. We are honest merchants, and we would never stoop so low as to betray the trust of our guests or customers." "I suppose I will think about it then" Tecwyn reluctantly added. Once more the door opened as the assistant walked to Rezyk, whispering something to him.

"Oh my, it seems we have talked for quite a while now. It is getting late and it is about time for dinner now. Please take your time to think the offer over, but for tonight, you are our guest, so let us go to the grand hall and enjoy a feast."

They got up and as they headed to a central hall deeper in the tunnels, they started talking about the outpost itself.

They were in a slightly secluded valley at the northeastern foot of the mountain, where the river flowed through, close to the forestlands of Pelnos, with a larger mining town close by.

The townsfolk traded with them in regular basis, trading quality hides with the kobolds in return for practical objects like the enchanted lamps they made at the academy or food and ingredients that were scarse around these parts.

As they walked through the tunnels, Tecwyn did notice that there weren't a lot of guards around, but Rezyk assured him that they chose this location due to a distinct lack of animals or inhabitants aside from the town. To kobolds, danger wasn't something to combat, but to flee from, as they would retreat into deeper parts of their tunnel network instead.

In fact, Rezyk confirmed a rumor that they had long underground pathways to ship all their merchandise around between major cities. He told this in confidence, but clearly to garner trust with the mage.

For now however, Tecwyn wasn't focused on his journey, instead taking in this information with glee. He had a rare opportunity to get to know this folk better, and he was planning to use this as best as he could, forgetting his stress for the moment.

He was so focused on the conversation, that he hadn't noticed that they arrived at a grand hall.

Instead of the torches in the hallways, this room was illuminated by high quality lamps, crafted by experts, likely from the southern lands, enchanted to shine for at least a year.

Spread across the room were tables where kobolds already were gathered around, while others were rushing around, delivering food for everyone. In the middle of room were musicians, playing songs that he had never heard before on strange instruments.

As the dragon was guided to a better looking table, the smell of the food entered his nostrils. It was a rich mixture of herbs and vegetables, with the clear scent of cooked meat and a hint of spices. What he had seen looked delicious, but he had to wonder if this was a regular occurrence for them.

Rezyk gestured to a chair, indicating where his spot was, and explained it

"We usually don't have these big meals here, but seeing as we have a guest today, we wanted to have a little celebration.

Enjoy the food and the entertainment, for tonight we are having a grand feast."

Tecwyn noticed that he had been seated where everyone could see him. Next to him was Rezyk, as well as a few others that seemed important. He assumed he was a guest of honor of sorts.

"Have some wine too, it's from the far east, with a semi-sweet and surprisingly light taste."

"That sounds lovely. I have to ask though, is there a reason why my seat is in such a prominent location? Not that I mind"

"Well, us kobolds just like being around dragons almost as much as being with magic, so imagine our surprise when we found a dragon mage.

It's mostly a morale booster for everyone, so I am glad you don't mind."

Tecwyn was surprised, but thought it was flattering.

For the next hours, the celebration went on, as different entertainers put on a show while the rest enjoyed their dinner.

Back home there had been festivities, but they were not as expansive as what his hosts were doing here. No matter where he would go from here, Tecwyn knew that this would be a warm memory. In a way, he had his misfortune to thank for this, and his worries melted away at the moment as the cheerfulness of the party warmed him.

One thing that he liked in particular were the dancers. Various kobolds performing all kinds of dances they learned from afar, a few he recognized from home. He only saw them on celebrations and larger events, where he and the others were allowed outside for a short time, to keep in touch with the city they were serving. It was likely that he associated dancing with freedom because of this. Sure enough, dancing was one of the ways to channel ones inner magic, but that felt formulaic, stiff. The dances he saw at the festivals, that were performed in front of him, they were filled with life, the movements made with instinct, because they want to. Still, this came to an end, as the performers were done with their set for the moment.

After a while of conversing about nothing in particular, Rezyk attempted to get Tecwyn's attention.

"Say, if it wouldn't be too much to ask, Tecwyn, I would like to request you to give us a little demonstration of your magic. You don't have to do that of course, but we would appreciate it very much, as we don't get many opportunities to see it" "Sure thing Rezyk, I will give you all a show to remember." As Tecwyn got up to move to the middle of the room, he wondered briefly how casual and self-confident he spoke, before finishing his glass of wine.

"Attention everyone" Rezyk started his speech "Our honoured guest of the evening has agreed to grace us with a small demonstration of his magical prowess. So sit back, and enjoy the show" Happy murmurs came from within the crowd, growing quickly to an audience of kobolds staring at the dragon mage in eager anticipation. Tecwyn patted his robes but was unable to find his tome around, having left it back in Rezyk's office. This posed no issue however, as he summoned it to his side with but a snap of his claws. This already created a sense of wonderment to the kobolds, as Tecwyn noticed, and now he was looking forward to their reactions when he started the real magic.

The start of any magic show he had read about was with the element of wind. Easy to manipulate and to show off, while also marking the required distance the observers should stand. Once again, Tecwyn felt confident, back in his natural state of casting as he recited the old language, gathering his energy and control the very air around him. The air became visible, glittering softly green due to the magical resonance in the air as he guided it around him, using it to grab objects in its path and let them soar around. Sure enough, the kobolds looked on with glee, but he wasn't noticing them anymore, focused on his performance, imagining all he could do with his abilities.

Setting the objects down, he gathered the magic wind above him as he transformed it into ice with just a few other words, creating patterned fractals around him, slowly forming a dome.

From the outside, it looked like the ice suddenly began to glow with an orange light, when it started melting, giving way to Tecwyn, wreathed in flames. The mage had used fire magic to turn himself into an embodiment of fire itself, or so it would seem to the onlookers. In reality, it was merely an illusion of fire, often used in sorcery to create a dramatic flair, but convincing still.

For a while, Tecwyn continued this performance, changing between these three elements, for channelling earth magic in a cave would not be safe. The kobolds didn't mind though, as they just stared in awe and cheered at all the tricks he came up with. At the end of the party, feeling giddy thanks to the wine and the cheerfulness of his audience, he went to bed, falling asleep with a huge grin on his face.