As Renala and I flew over Altanova and toward Akeroyd Peak, I went over my character sheet for the first time in almost a week. I noticed a Rank-Up prompt for Devotion appeared shortly after my proposal to Anna, but I chose to ignore it in order to focus on what little private time we shared. Now I was back to the business of min-maxing.

«Survival has reached D-rank. You may choose one Survival Skill Upgrade, gain a new Skill, or Synthesize a Skill.»

«Devotion has reached D-Rank. You may choose one Devotion Skill Upgrade, gain a new Skill, or Synthesize a Skill.»

I set aside Survival again. I was still set on saving that upgrade until I properly assessed the size and scope of the Renalian force I would lead into the Rift. Devotion was my wildcard. Of all the Skills I had, it was the only one that had an unknown development path. All the other Skills had clear cut upgrades I could select and choose from. It was obvious my ability to control my character sheet’s progress was my greatest strength. As far as I was aware, no one else could do that, so relying on pure, random chance did not sit well with me.

I stared at the series of question marks beneath Familial Bonds when I selected the Skill Upgrade function. Just looking at it reminded me of the gacha games Rebecca spent ludicrous amounts of money on and I had a sinking suspicion that my luck was just as bad on Valeria as it was on Earth. Trying to Gain a New Skill was just as random and Synthesize a Skill was random by default.

I literally had no idea what the fuck I would get. Could Skills become detrimental? I knew Aspects could change someone’s personality, like what happened to Lydia when Dragonheart Ranked Up. Devotion might make me more fanatically loyal to those I loved. Not that I minded all that much. Wait, was that a side-effect? Was that why I was so tolerant of Lydia’s authoritarianism despite being an American soldier? The moment we had sex, my whole opinion of her changed overnight.

No, this is a bad spiral to fall into. I love Lydia and I’m going to make sure she doesn’t fall into the pitfalls of absolute power. It’s one of the main reasons I decided to become king. My love for Lydia was genuine. It had to be.

I cast aside my doubts and focused on my character sheet. Since it was totally fucking random anyway, I was going to just go for broke and pray to whatever gods, Seras and Bahamut probably, were listening.

I selected Synthesize a Skill. Devotion was automatically populated and left me with three more empty slots. I shoved all my Aspects into the slots.

RNGesus, hear my prayer!

I finalized my choice and in an unceremonious fashion, a brand new Skill appeared in a prompt

«You have gained the Art of War.»

Well, at least it sounds good.

I eagerly opened up the Skill and raised a brow.

That was certainly better than what I expected. The Skill said “under the user’s command” instead of soldiers or armies. That meant it would affect my Squad, since I was technically the leader and Renala since she was my subordinate and followed my orders. The very notion that I could command a force that felt no fear was motivating; morale was an ever present factor in combat and fear could break even those with the strongest will. Greater Demons could inflict some kind of Fear effect, so having my whole army be more resistant to it would greatly improve our combat efficiency in the Rift. Wait, did that mean it would also apply to all the citizens of Renalis after I was coronated?

Ah shit, this has more implications than I thought.

I knew Lydia had no problems ruling by fear and it was a core component in her early days of retaking control of Renalis. Would my Skill undermine her? I would have to place more faith in Lydia’s statecraft, if that were the case. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise? My Skill could force her to be a better ruler, to rely on her competence instead of her birthright. It would be an unseen check to her claim of absolute power. They said the best couples balanced each other out, so this would be my role.

The rest of the flight was completed in less than 24 hours. Renala was fast, but she couldn’t quite outpace a commercial jet plane. But at the rate she was growing, it wouldn’t be long before that happened.

Akeroyd Peak came into view just as dawn broke the next day. It towered over the rest of Renalis as the original roost of Goldfire Renala and her final resting place after the Cataclysm 5,000 years ago. Deep within was Renala’s tomb, a magical labyrinth built by the dwarves using long lost magical techniques. While a small fraction of Renala’s horde lay within Lydia’s treasury, it is assumed that most of it was buried and scattered within the tomb. It was upon the greatest forge within Akeroyd Peak that Laevatein was crafted. Veles may have been the capital of Renalis, but the true birthplace of the kingdom was Akeroyd Peak and Goldfire Renala’s first worshipers were the dwarves who lived within the mountain.

Lydia sent a missive to the dwarves about my arrival at some point in the near future, but I was not expecting a full-blown welcoming ceremony. As soon as Renala appeared on the horizon, I saw countless shadows scurrying back and forth between the many caves leading into the mountain through my magnified vision. We made for the largest, artificial opening, one big enough to accommodate a dragon over ten times Renala’s size. It was an architectural marvel on par with the Pyramids of Egypt.

Once Renala landed on the platform, a host of ceremoniously dressed dwarves in shining armor fell to their hands and knees. They began praising her in dwarvish, which took my Comprehend Languages Skill a second to automatically translate. Renala preened at the display and I gently slapped her neck to keep her from growing too accustomed to it. She craned her head back at me, and I could tell she was annoyed by how she rolled her eyes at me in a strangely human fashion. Then she lowered her neck and I half-slid and half-leapt off with far less dignity than I wanted.

There goes my first impression. Damnit, Renala!

I showcased Lydia’s signet ring on my finger and the dwarves scrambled up back onto their feet. One stepped forward. Unlike the others, he wore more priestly vestments.

“I am Balin, an Archbishop of Lord Bahamut and the Lord of Akeroyd Peak. I greet you on behalf of the dwarves of Akeroyd, Ranger Levin and the final offspring of Goldfire Renala. The Queen has ordered us to provide whatever assistance we can toward your endeavor.”

I expected resistance, but these dwarves were more subservient than Renalis’ human population. The guardsman from Dolor Keep didn’t give a rat’s ass about Lydia’s ring. But, I didn’t have Idyia by my side nor did Renala appear openly back then. Would they be as welcoming if the situation was different?

“It’s a pleasure. Should I refer to you as Archbishop or Lord?” I asked. Balin led me into the depths of the mountain, flanked by guards that cleared the way as many dwarves left their homes built within the walls. They crowded the streets just for a glimpse at Renala as she strolled alongside us. The roads were enormous for such small people and I realized they were originally constructed with dragons in mind.

“Archbishop is my preferred title, Ranger Levin,” Balin said. “Your taste in allies is strange and dangerous. I cautioned against allowing Dark Elves within Renalis, but the Queen insisted and even relied on her draconic aura to force me into compliance.”

“You vouched for the Dark Elves?”

“Yes, though I thought it was a futile effort at first. For some reason, the Archbishop of the Church of Seras also sided with the Queen. Together, we were able to convince the other churches to cede some ground in exchange for increased tribute.”

That threw me for a loop. Good shit, Seras.

“I appreciate that. The Dark Elves are my responsibility, so I came here to alleviate the economic strain.”

“So I was told,” Balin’s tone was subtly laced with disapproval, but I didn’t press. I knew how prevalent racism against Dark Elves was in Valeria. I just had to accept it and try to change it as best I could.

Balin led me into a huge building that looked like a mix between a cathedral and a castle. We made our way to one of the highest and largest rooms. The guards marched away in formation all around the hallway in a practiced fashion. This must have been their normal post. Renala was content to wander about the streets. It was the first time mortal architecture catered so heavily to her size, so she was more than eager to explore the entire city. I imagined she also wanted to bask in the attention she was getting from all the dwarves.

“I’m curious, why did you allow the coup to take place?” I asked while Balin poured some wine into a pair of goblets.

“The dwarves of Akeroyd Peak have no interest in the political affairs of men. But we would never allow the Queen to come to harm. Cedric Hasting promised the Queen would live and Renalis would be reborn under the rule of a dragonkin once more. King Folad was a good man, but he was ill-suited to rule Renalis. By the time I learned Hasting wished to transform the entire kingdom into some bastardization of the Arcadian Empire, the coup was well underway and we were simply too far from Veles to make any difference in the immediate aftermath. Rest assured, the dwarves of Akeroyd were prepared to exact holy vengeance upon Hasting and his collaborators if you did not overthrow him.”

“Why didn’t the Queen flee to the Peak?”

“Hasting was not a fool. Most of the Lords and Ladies governing the lands between Veles and the Peak were loyal to him. She would have never made it past their armies and into Akeroyd, hence she fled toward Altanova. His plot was entirely successful, until you arrived to thwart it in an act of divine intervention.”

Beur cultists or Hasting’s retainers. Which one was worse to Lydia? Well, the answer was obvious now: she would rather risk dying to demons than submit to Hasting.

“Divine intervention?” I parroted. Did Lydia tell him about Seras?

“Of course. You are a Hero blessed by Lord Bahamut, are you not? You soar through the sky upon the back of Lord Bahamut and Goldfire Renala’s final offspring. You even wield Laevatein, a sword only the royal family has ever awakened. I doubt anyone aside from those favored by Lord Bahamut could ever manage such feats.”

I blinked once and just allowed that misconception to pass over me. It worked in my favor. I sipped once on the wine, admired the taste, then moved onto business.

“My proposal and plans will take all day to explain, so if you want to rest, we can postpone this,” I warned.

Balin tilted his head. “Did you not travel straight from Calais to the Peak? Are you not the one who should seek respite?”

“No, my Constitution is almost transcendent.”

Balin’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded. “To be frank, my people have spent the last few days patiently waiting for your arrival without sleep or rest so that we may greet you in a proper fashion.”

I was floored. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“It is of no consequence. To see Goldfire Renala’s child grace our streets, as it was in the ancient times, was not something my people expected to happen ever again. The wait was more than worth it.”

“All right, well, I’ll take a room, a meal, and a bath, then. We can continue in the morning.”

After a quick meal, I changed into some bathrobes. I meandered to the hot baths, made possible by the dormant volcano. Renala ended up joining me; the immense bath catered to dragons, like the rest of the city. I took the opportunity to scrub her down and even brushed her teeth with a broom I took from Anna. The entire process took almost three hours, but Renala enjoyed every moment of it, so I didn’t mind too much. Bonding in the tub was an important pastime for a parent and child, after all.

The room I was provided was enough to fit Renala three times over, so for the first time since she reached her current size, we could sleep indoors together. Renala took to it with gusto and rested her head on my bed while I was in it. The bed groaned ominously but managed to withstand her weight.

Dwarven craftsmanship, huh?

I was excited to watch these people usher in a new age.