Threads of the Soul

As the pair each acknowledged their final questions, the marks on their palms flashed before fizzling out of existence. The binding magic that had been placed on them shattered, as the contract had been complete. A condition that it determined of its own free will, if it even had such a thing.

There was no verbal agreement to dissolve it, it seemed to know that the Dragon had no more questions and that Seth was assuming it was his last. It was a lesson for the future, if he did ever come across this type of magic once again, to create exit clauses or further conditions that worked in his favour.

This exchange was definitely in the favour of the dragon, but Seth chalked that up to ancient wisdom and more knowledge of the rules on her part. Further proof that knowledge was power, and that Seth had more power to accrue.

"I wish to forfeit my last question, in exchange for a request. I want you to help me with a problem I have stumbled across. Will you do as such?

"Hmm... Very well. I will hear out your little request, but that doesn't mean it will be solved for certain. It will depend on what it is, and whether I feel like solving it for you."

Seth clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, it seemed that this was the best kind of answer he was going to get from this giant lizard. He just really hoped that she wasn't going to be following him the entire time, breathing down his neck while he followed her 'instructions' under threat of destruction.

But it was best to play civil, at least until he had the power to fight back against her, and so Seth gestured towards the secret passageway she had most definitely seen him exit.

***

"Well now, are you a creative little thing."

"Can you help or not?"

"Patience boy, Patience. I'm thinking."

Seth sighed again, internally counting to ten as this lizard seemed intent on testing his patience. He knew that she was doing it on purpose, knowing that he couldn't do anything to resist her or stand up to her, just like many people who enjoyed tormenting others.

To her, teasing him was no doubt like a human using a laser pointer to play with their cat, simply amused at their lack of intelligence and making themselves feel better about their superiority.

He tapped his fingers against his leg as he watched the Dragon in Ladies' clothing strut around his workshop like she owned the place. He kept his spider-like, gangly puppet out of her way so that she couldn't interfere with him while she inspected the proto-puppets he had been working on.

Since she seemed to have knowledge, and access, to magic that he didn't Seth had used his last question to request her help on the autonomy issue, especially when it came to the issue of imbuing his carvings with intent.

Even if it was impossible, It was better to bow his head and ask for help now than to bash his head against the wall for months only to realise it couldn't be done. That was time better spent bashing his head against different walls

"You are trying to make Golems, I see."

"I haven't been using that term, But I thought I already had created them.

"Well if that was the case, then you wouldn't be needing my help on the matter, would you? Now hush."

She paced around the proto-puppets, examining them further. She would trace her fingers over them before looking at her fingers in disgust, as if they were covered in dirt from the mere touch.

"You know the issue with them, don't you?"

"Yes... They lack the ability to bestow intent. They are soulless beings, no free will or desire."

"Very good. Now tell me, what would be the solution to that, do you think?"

"To give them souls, obviously. But that's my issue. I don't know how, at least not in a way that lets them operate on their own. I had hoped that the cores would solve that issue, but apparently not."

"Yes, such a shame. But really, is this all you wanted my help with? The solution is so simple."

"You mean you can actually help?"

"Yes, I've decided that I will. As for the solution, like I said it's very simple. All you need to do is... go for a walk."

The Dragon lady crossed one arm across her stomach, resting the other arm on the first so it had proper support as she rested her chin on her free hand. A playful, mischevious smile danced on her blackened lips, a tinkle in her eye suggesting that she knew exactly how irritating of an answer that was.

Honestly, Seth thought that he had misheard at first. He simply stared at her with a blank, slightly irritated expression as he blinked a few times, as if he was waiting for her to correct herself. But when no correction came, he couldn't help but let out a low, groaning sigh.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Seth calmed himself down once more, telling himself how futile it would be to try kill this lizard now and that he should simply bide his time, but he could hear the dragon giggling at his pained response, which just irritated him even more.

"That... That's your solution? Take a walk? What, is it going to drop out of the sky and fall on my head like bird poop?"

"My my, Of course not. A walk will simply do wonders for the mind, your marketplace is coming along wonderfully. Perhaps you should wander over there when you take your little walk."

"You know... You could just give me the solution outright, the vague and mysterious stuff isn't fun."

"Perhaps not for you, but it's very fun for me. Now off you go, I suggest doing it quickly so you can follow my instructions. You'll find there are consequences for not listening to your superiors when instructed"

"Yeah yeah yeah, You'll melt my organs and such. I heard you the first time."

Seth rolled his eyes at the dragons behaviour. He preferred it when she was being all dark and dangerous, at least then he was just scared of her. But now he was getting a look at her true personality, he was just becoming more and more exhausted. Although that might have been his introverted tendencies.

"So lets say I take this walk, find what I'm looking for and follow your instructions. How exactly am I supposed to find this 'Progenitor'? Because I get the feeling he isn't just hanging out at the co-ordinates you jammed into my head.

I mean I don't even know what he looks like, so how am I supposed to find this guy never mind save him?

The dragons laughter cut short, the smile slowly fading from her lips as she stared at Seth. The question hung in the air, as her face twisted into a frown. A hint of mild panic twinkling within her eyes.

Clearly, it was an issue that she hadn't considered until this very moment. The mild, internal panic continued for a few seconds before one of her rings flashed, as a small object appeared in her hand.

Clutched tenderly between her clawed, gauntlet covered fingers was a glass vial. It looked similar to a test tube, although the sides of the vial were slightly oblique, causing it to be wider at the base than at the top. The entire vial as a whole was no bigger than one of Seth's fingers.

Contained within the glass walls of this vial was a sight that Seth had become all too familiar with. The crimson liquid that was blood.

Curiously enough, despite the blood shifting within the vial with every movement, the walls of the glass container stayed perfectly clean and transparent. Not a single stain was left on the inside walls.

However, Seth was completely oblivious to this fact, he was too busy staring at the liquid itself to notice how it interacted with the container. Unable to see the forest for the trees, some might say.

The moment the vial had appeared, Seth was enraptured by the oh so familiar liquid. You would have thought that with all the blood he had seen, that this would be nothing special. Yet he was unable to take his eyes off of it, even for long enough to blink.

The dragon was speaking to him, although he was unable to hear her words as a single noise was pounding within his ears, drowning out all other noises. It was a drum beat. A drum beat of four.

Four beats, over and over, pulsated within Seth's mind as he subconsciously drew closer to the vial of blood.

This drum beat came from his heart, or should he say, both of his hearts. Two individual heartbeats drummed within his chest like wardrums, calling him towards the blood within the vial like a moth to a flame.