Scale Hearts

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 settlement. 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. Some 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 seemed 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 some reason. She was the only person in the MAZE who actually had something 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 time to wait till-" the man stopped when looking at Hera properly, before taking a bow. "I am so sorry, Madam. I didn't expect someone of Noble Blood to come 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 me," 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 same treatment as you, Madam. Please, follow me."

Following the man for a few moments, 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 moment before shaking her head. "No, I did hear that term before, but I have no clue what it meant. I remember people talking about how they came 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 treatment just because I have scales?" Hera frowned.

"Could be. Also, the tail, you have to admit, yours looks pretty good in comparison," Nimbus mentioned as the court was summoned.

They all stopped to look around for a moment. At first, everybody seemed to be on the same social level as everybody else. However, on a closer inspection, there were some 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, sometimes 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 time ago. Wasn't there a story about you being known as the Flame 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 moment. I will announce your arrival." He walked inside and when he returned, the dragonoid stopped, now realizing the presence of the court. "One moment, I must have counted you wrong. Please wait a moment 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 seemed 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.

"Welcome. I was not expecting someone 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 mean 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 settlements who had forgotten the teachings about our origins. But at the same time, a cold wind washes over my soul knowing that some 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 me 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 came 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 time since anyone questioned those beliefs. In honesty, the answer is quite simple. Being of Noble Blood means that you are in greater control of your form than the rest of our kind. It means 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 same, 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 tame 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 means she's closer to our ancestors, her size actually means 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 someone doesn't have Noble Blood, they are treated poorly?" Hera frowned. 

"Not having Noble Blood is not anyone's fault. That is not something 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 some 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 someone 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 seemed 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 merely 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 something 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 me asking another question, would you have accepted this opinion if it came from someone who is not of Noble Blood? I'll take it even a step further. Would someone who is not of Noble Blood even be able to make a complaint about their treatment 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 same rights, and their complaints would be listened to and addressed, just as I'm doing with you. Alas, I also cannot remember the last time when someone who is not of Noble Blood approached me with an issue." A few other Scale Hearts opened their mouths, but the leader continued before they could say anything, "Let me correct that. I don't remember when someone who is not of Noble Blood approached me 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 came to do. However, I do hope you understand that if I see any mistreatment, it will be hard for me to not speak up or confront the person directly." 

"Believe it or not, I understand the sentiment, 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 judgment 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 some 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 seemed like she handled the situation quite well. It wasn't a perfect solution, but she made sure to get her point across and gain some leeway on the things she was allowed to do if they became 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 name." 

"There's no forgiveness to be needed. This was my lapse of proper manners, as it has been quite a while since I've met someone of Noble Blood. My name is Varamir, the Master of the Hunt, and the leader of the settlement." 

Hera gave a small bow, "It is a pleasure to meet 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 someone navigate the politics of the Scale Hearts like this. Much less seeing someone be able to convince the stubborn leader to hear them out. Sure, most of that influence came 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 someone else would follow the same line. And how much of that she could learn during these brief moments she was traveling with her?