[Whisper: Shae to Nix] I'm about to start collecting the eggs with Deidra's help. I plan on bringing them all to my Fire Palace world unless you have objections.

[Whisper: Nix to Shae] Sounds good, when you visit Tai'Qui, don't take one of her viable eggs. We have made a deal.

[Whisper: Shae to Nix] Okay, Nix. I've already claimed the Salamander/Dragon hybrid egg from Deidra.

[Whisper: Nix to Shae] How did that go? I can't imagine Deidra was happy.

[Whisper: Shae to Nix] Fine, we've come to an understanding the past few days.

Quest Updated.

Quest: Unite the Eighteen Dragon Cities

Description: The once-powerful Dragon Nation has been slowly weakening. When the dragons started to falter, instead of working together, they separated their cities so that only the weakest would fail.

Objectives: Find a way to bring the cities together.

Locate the lost city of Elynmoor. [Completed]

Defeat Yandro and take the Master City Key. [Completed]

Find an alternative energy source to power the Dragon Cities. [Completed]

Become the City Controller for all the Dragon Cities. [Completed]

Reward: Flying mounts are unlocked for all of Everspire with the completion of this quest.

/Everspire: Announcement: Flying Mounts have been unlocked for the Everspire continent. A new stable that features Flying Mounts has been constructed in Free Trader City.

By the time Nix returned to Ionova, the sun had already set. A familiar face was sitting at the kitchen Island when he walked in.

Vooni stood and greeted him with a hug. The dragon descendant had been working hard at the academy while wrapping up loose ends. "All done, Nix. From now on, I can join Inferno full time."

"Go spend a few days at Haven, Rico has been asking about you." Nix tried to keep a straight face when he said it. It wasn't common knowledge, but his dad and Vooni were spending quite a bit of time together.

Vooni's pale face flushed slightly. "I do need a few days off."

Hyai nudged him with an elbow. "Need to get cleaned up before dinner?"

Nix shook his head. "Had a mud bath earlier."

"I just popped in to say Hi Nix. Going to head back to Haven." Vooni ran her fingers through her short dark hair, and the three suffered through nearly a minute of awkward silence.

Hyai's light laughter broke the spell. "Just go, Hun."

Nix took a seat at the island and watched as Hyai put the finis.h.i.+ng touches on a private dinner. "Fajii isn't coming back tonight?"

Hyai shook her head. "She's on some sort of quest. She took Mina, Milat, and the death squad with her."

Nix whistled softly. The death squad consisted of Sori Dah, the Chief Acolyte of the Scorched Earth temple, and a half dozen of her strongest followers. "That's a lot of firepower."

Hyai nodded in agreement. "I was asked, but I need to figure out this companion possession ability first."

Nix moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "You looked like a human torch, very hot."

Hyai leaned back against him. "Why do you smell so nice today?"

"The mud-bath was probably scented," Nix admitted.

They sat together at the kitchen island, chatting while they ate. Hyai had enlisted the help of her daughter to run her Inns while she was in Everspire. Nix told her about Dragon Master Tai'Qui and how he was able to help her with her son.

Hyai leaned against him, clucking her tongue. "How far did this go?"

Nix laughed at the innuendo. "Not that far, she granted me the Blessings of Earth."

"Fajii will love that." Hyai pushed her plate away and put an arm around his waist. "Don't you get tired of always running around?"

"The long quests that take up multiple days are tiresome, but I don't mind the daily quick-quests." Nix grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the living room. "I'll clean up the dishes after, let us relax a bit."

"Before I forget, you received a message from Zinu." Hyai handed him a small piece of paper with a short note scrawled on it.

Nix frowned slightly when he read it. Zinu was the Krayven cleric that he brought in during the Ashobel quests.

Nix,

Could you meet me at Free Trader City tomorrow?

Zinu.

"Trouble Nix?" Hyai had received the message second-hand through Pon.

"Not really," Nix stowed the note in his inventory and then took out the items he had taken from the Taxidermist. "We messed up today, but I did manage to grab a few items."

Hyai hid a smile; she had heard that all the crafters disappeared when the doors were opened. "You had no way of knowing Nix. According to Chiba, every crafter you guys killed caused the room aggression to rise."

Nix shrugged. "I guess, even so, we already have great armor."

Hyai watched as he placed the items on the floor next to the table. The last item was a beautiful reddish-orange bird. "You haven't heard since you were gone. Those smiths in the Armory are not only making the guild a set of armor but from now on, they work for us. On commission, of course."