Walking into the dungeon, Hera and Pandora were greeted by a blazing sun in the sky. The Empress was a bit surprised, since the temperature in the room was not supposed to be that high. But the dwarf just kept going like it was a regular Tuesday.
Inside, they were in a settlent. But a very different one from the one created by the harpies. There were no tree houses here, instead everything was on a flat land. The forest was replaced by an open plane overlooking the ocean. And the buildings were completely different. Small huts made out of wood and clay with one larger yurt-like building where a lot of people were coming and going.
The inhabitants were also quite unique. Hera was expecting the almost dragon people that Pandora told them about. But seeing them first hand was very different. They truly looked like dragons in bipedal bodies without wings. Strangely enough, their tail situation was very diverse. So had small stubby ones, while others had long tails that dragged around them. The tips were also very different. From simple rounded out edges to spikes and blade-like horns growing from the sides. Yet, all of them were strangely disproportionate to the rest of their bodies. Large people full of muscle had thin tails, and people who seed to fly away at a gust of wind had large ones that had to be dragged behind them.
Still, no one had a tail as long as Hera. Which made the Ophidianite feel a sense of pride for so reason. She was the only person in the MAZE who actually had sothing like that. So understanding how people should be proud of it was still a work in progress.
They walked a few steps ahead before stopping and waiting. Hera wasn't really sure what the dwarf was doing, but she followed along. About a minute after they arrived, one of the Scale Hearts approached.
"Hey, you two, get moving. I don't have ti to wait till-" the man stopped when looking at Hera properly, before taking a bow. "I am so sorry, Madam. I didn't expect soone of Noble Blood to co along."
Pandora didn't know how to react and just kept staring at the Empress, who stared back at her.
"Is that normal?" Hera asked.
"No, they are always super rude," Pandora replied.
"Quiet you!" the male Scale Heart snarled at the dwarf.
"Hey. Why are you talking to her like that?" Hera protested.
The man blinked at Hera and then to the dwarf. "Is she with you, Madam?"
"Yes, she's with ," the Ophidianite frowned.
The man nodded. "My apologies. I'll be sure to let everyone know that she's part of your retinue."
The Empress gave him a blank stare. "She's not a part of my retinue. She's my friend."
The man's eyes went even wider than they were before. "Of course. I'll make sure she has the sa treatnt as you, Madam. Please, follow ."
Following the man for a few monts, they were guided to the yurt. But during the walk, Hera turned to Pandora. "Do you have any idea what this Noble Blood thing is?"
Pandora thought for a mont before shaking her head. "No, I did hear that term before, but I have no clue what it ant. I rember people talking about how they ca here with full sets of scale armor, but even then, the Scale Hearts didn't give them this kind of reception."
"Maybe that has to do with the scales?" Daskka suggested.
"Such a big difference in treatnt just because I have scales?" Hera frowned.
"Could be. Also, the tail, you have to admit, yours looks pretty good in comparison," Nimbus ntioned as the court was summoned.
They all stopped to look around for a mont. At first, everybody seed to be on the sa social level as everybody else. However, on a closer inspection, there were so subtle differences. People who had more pronounced scales and whose tails were more proportional to their bodies were treated better than the others. It wasn't egregious, but there was a difference there.
Hera sighed. "You know, sotis I just wish I could go to a dungeon where I wasn't going to be such a big deal."
Viper chuckled. "I think that ship sailed a long ti ago. Wasn't there a story about you being known as the Fla Princess? And that happened even before any of us were around."
"There was!" Daskka smiled. "That happened in the dungeon where we got Nimbus' tonfas."
The Scale Heart stopped walking in front of the yurt. "Please wait a mont. I will announce your arrival." He walked inside and when he returned, the dragonoid stopped, now realizing the presence of the court. "One mont, I must have counted you wrong. Please wait a mont so I can correct the mistake."
He went back inside and a few seconds later telling them to get inside. One by one, the group walked in, with Hera taking the lead, since the Scale Hearts seed to be more accepting of her.
Inside was a group of five people, each with a unique color of scales and a tail with different shapes, with most of them on the sidelines and a single person sitting on a large chair in the center of this room. It was clearly the leader of his people, his arms adorned with jeweled bands.
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"Welco. I was not expecting soone of Noble Blood to join our hunts. Still, I am glad you are here," the Scale Heart with dark grey scales that reflected the lamplight from the room said with a smile.
"Thank you. And if you don't mind, what do you an by Noble Blood?" Hera asked.
The golden eyes of the dragonoid leader flickered with surprise. "You are unaware of what you are?"
Hera shook her head. "I know who and what I am. But I can't say I ever heard the term Noble Blood before. Where I'm from, no one ever says that."
The Scale Heart leader nodded and sat back in the chair. His yellow robes shifted as he got to a more relaxed position. "I see. The fire in my heart is reignited knowing that our great civilization is spreading far and wide. I was unaware of any settlents who had forgotten the teachings about our origins. But at the sa ti, a cold wind washes over my soul knowing that so of us out there don't know how close they are to our ancestors," he glanced back at Hera, his eyes full of warmth. "Thank you for enlightening this old man and allow to repay the favor. Noble Blood refers to those who are closer to our ancestors, our true ancestors, the dragons. Those among us with more pronounced and more even scales, with tails that are proportional to our bodies, have a greater connection to the majestic beasts that ca before us."
Hera frowned, "But why is that? Why our connection to ancient beasts matters? And how do you know that just because my scales are even then I'm closer to one of them?"
The Scale Heart leader chuckled, "It has been a long ti since anyone questioned those beliefs. In honesty, the answer is quite simple. Being of Noble Blood ans that you are in greater control of your form than the rest of our kind. It ans that you are able to utilize all aspects of Who You Are to the best of their abilities. Those of us who do not possess Noble Blood struggle with controlling our instincts or even our bodies. We might look the sa, or at least very similar, but our nature ends up being quite different from each other." The man glanced up towards Livy who had just entered the tent.
"Take your companion, for example. Both of you are clearly of Noble Blood. However, it seems the blood in her is a bit less ta than the blood in you. If that wasn't the case, she would not have grown to such a magnificent size. Although many would believe that this ans she's closer to our ancestors, her size actually ans the opposite. The blood in her is not as well controlled as the blood in other Scale Hearts, who have Noble Blood."
"So just because soone doesn't have Noble Blood, they are treated poorly?" Hera frowned.
"Not having Noble Blood is not anyone's fault. That is not sothing they control. And their dedication and struggle to hold back their more animalistic instincts must be praised. However, we do understand that those of Noble Blood deserve greater respect."
Hera glanced at Pandora, "I'm not sure that you're teaching people that properly. The man who guided us here was quite rude to my companion and only behaved adequately once he realized who I am or what I am, I suppose."
The Scale Heart leader gave a solemn nod, "My apologies. We teach everyone to be respectful of all. But it seems that so of our teachings are not being passed on to the next generation properly. I'll make sure to rectify that in that case."
"I have to ask. Are those teachings not being passed on properly, or is soone stopping it from being passed on?" The Empress glanced around the room to see if there was anyone who would react to the accusation. As much as she hated that, this was the standard issue that a lot of civilizations have. No matter how grand their teachings seed to be, there will always be people working to change them to benefit themselves. Unfortunately, neither she nor her court noticed anything.
"I am afraid I am unable to answer right now. My belief is that it's rely a mistake. But I will take this matter into my own hands and confirm if that inadequacy happened simply out of incompetence or if it was sothing done with malice."
The Empress stared at the man. It was a good result, but she still felt she had one more thing to say, "I appreciate your honesty. But if you don't mind asking another question, would you have accepted this opinion if it ca from soone who is not of Noble Blood? I'll take it even a step further. Would soone who is not of Noble Blood even be able to make a complaint about their treatnt here?"
The Scale Heart leader was taken aback, and the people surrounding him started to mumble in protest. However, the Dragonoid raised his hands, the jeweled bands around his arms jingling as they moved, "You have brought a good point. I am honestly unsure how my reaction would be. My initial thought is to just say that everyone has the sa rights, and their complaints would be listened to and addressed, just as I'm doing with you. Alas, I also cannot rember the last ti when soone who is not of Noble Blood approached with an issue." A few other Scale Hearts opened their mouths, but the leader continued before they could say anything, "Let correct that. I don't rember when soone who is not of Noble Blood approached with an issue without being prompted to. Once more, you have taught this old man the true way of living. I thank you for that and hope we can still count on your support during the hunts."
Hera nodded, "Of course. We have a job to do, and that's what we ca to do. However, I do hope you understand that if I see any mistreatnt, it will be hard for to not speak up or confront the person directly."
"Believe it or not, I understand the sentint, but still would appreciate it if you could hold back any confrontation. But I also understand that in many situations, expedience is a matter of importance. I trust your judgnt that you will not cause any unnecessary issues and that any intervention you see fit to perform has been done with care."
The Empress felt so pride coming from her court, which only then made her realize that she should be proud of herself. She was never very good at politics. But even if this was a dungeon, it seed like she handled the situation quite well. It wasn't a perfect solution, but she made sure to get her point across and gain so leeway on the things she was allowed to do if they beca needed. She could only imagine that if Typhera was here, she would be proud.
"I thank you for the vote of confidence," Hera paused, "And my apologies, but I don't believe I was told your na."
"There's no forgiveness to be needed. This was my lapse of proper manners, as it has been quite a while since I've t soone of Noble Blood. My na is Varamir, the Master of the Hunt, and the leader of the settlent."
Hera gave a small bow, "It is a pleasure to et you, Varamir. Now, could we discuss the hunt that we are called to aid?"
During the entire conversation, Pandora was staring at Hera with wide eyes. She had never seen soone navigate the politics of the Scale Hearts like this. Much less seeing soone be able to convince the stubborn leader to hear them out. Sure, most of that influence ca with the Empress's skills and the fact that she was physically similar to the Scale Hearts, but the dwarf couldn't help but wonder if every interaction Hera had with soone else would follow the sa line. And how much of that she could learn during these brief monts she was traveling with her?
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