By the time night fell over the drylands like a cold blanket, the dragons of the Skinscale hive were celebrating like never before. The cheering and noise that were previously only found in taverns and bars have now spread throughout the whole building, filling every street and every public area. People burst into song and more and more continued to join them. Soon, the whole hive sounded like a singular instrument. The traditional drums, usually reserved only for the four major festivals, were carried out of their storage. Their nose reverberated in the air, giving the entire hive a buzzing feeling. Such a unique event, however, asked for even more festivity, as many dragons suggested. Soon after, almost anyone who knew how to play any instrument joined the band that was forming in the halls. It didn't matter if it was brass, string, or woodwind. As long as it could make a pleasant noise, the dragons would play it. People began slowly gathering in the central rooms, which had a massive gap going through the middle, so they could see their neighbours even across several floors. From there, the sounds of the celebration truly carried themselves throughout the entire hive, from top to bottom. The tall ceilings and overabundance of space then inspired the dragons to get visually creative as well. The now-gone light of the runes that previously used to shine on the walls, was now temporarily substituted for all sorts of magic floating around the place and creating a plethora of colourful and mesmerising effects. Drinks were passed around in heaps as almost all the dragons wished to have a sip to celebrate and to help relieve some of the stress they had to endure earlier that day.

On the outside, the serpent's bones lay bare, ready to be taken apart and hauled away the next day. Every chunk of flesh was previously burned away as a safety measure. Nobody wanted to risk another living organism sprouting from the carapace.

Glavas entered the local restaurant accompanied by cheers and hollering. The locals have already grown accustomed to him, even though he had arrived not too long ago. Seeing the elf fight alongside them and help the dragons slay the beast that had been terrorising them for generations certainly made everyone respect the hunter a lot more. It didn't take long before they practically pulled him inside, inviting him for a drink.

"Hey! Shoo, you corpse-eaters! That's my friend. I will be treating him to a drink!" Veloc called out and waved at Glavas to come to join him at the table.

"Wow, you look like shit," Glavas remarked and gestured to the numerous bandages and stripes of gauze decorating Veloc's body.

"Yeah, I haven't gotten this beat up since my first real hunt. Everything hurts..." he let out a sigh and took a sip of his drink, which shared his bright yellow colour.

"But at least you're alive," Glavas remarked.

"True. Not everyone can say the same."

"How many–"

"Seven. A pretty small number when you think about it. Countless injuries, both small and serious, but only seven casualties. Funny, killing the beast took a lot fewer men than fending it off in the past."

Glavas noticed the sudden drop in Veloc's mood. "Maybe you need some time to... process?"

"Thanks, genius, I didn't know that. Of course I do! I trained many of them. Knew them all. It hurts, but my pain won't bring them back. At midnight, there will be a big burial ceremony. I will pay my respects there, grab a bottle, and go cry the fuck out of these feelings."

"Not sure that drinking is a good solution."

"Yeah, but letting the emotions out is, so it balances out." Veloc downed his glass and waved at the bartender to order another one. "But now is not the time to be sad. Now we celebrate! Sadness will come later." He slapped himself over the cheeks and his previous optimism clicked back on. "So, how did you end up? You don't look too great yourself," Veloc nodded towards Glavas, whose own appearance could also be described as "freshly patched up".

"I'm fine. A few cuts, some bruises, you know the drill. In our profession, it's practically daily bread."

"Might have some new scars to show off."

"I'm not one for showing off battle scars."

"Shame. I would, but my scales are bright so you can't really see them all that well." Veloc's eyes turned towards Glavas' knee, held straight by a splint he got at the infirmary. "And what about that?"

"Just bruised and shit."

"Can you hunt with it?"

"Not really. Need to take a few days to heal up first."

"Aw, shit. I was hoping we could go hunting tomorrow."

"Seriously?! Even after almost dying and getting the kill of a millennium do you still feel like hunting? Didn't you just say that everything hurts?"

"Well, I wasn't thinking about some crazy big hunt. Just some rodents, maybe a few moles, birds..."

"I don't hunt for food."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember, you're a wuss."

"Shut it! How about instead of suggesting further physical exercise you'd finally get me something to drink?"

"Well, what do you want then?"

"Anything. I can't read the menu, remember? Just something that is actually tasty and not debilitating for my mouth."

"Hah! Gotcha. Barkeep! Two Gloomdrops!"

"That sounds lovely."

"It's super sweet. Like melting a cake and drinking it."

"That's a disgusting image."

"Hey, at least try it!"

"I never said I wouldn't," Glavas smirked and Veloc soon mimicked him.

"What about your kids? They alright?"

"Oh yeah. Alma's got some bruised knuckles, but I'm not worried about that and she doesn't seem to be either."

"Yeah, she punched the fucking tentacles like crazy. I'm surprised she got just that. And what about the little guy?"

"Also okay. Got a migraine from all that spinning though, so he's sleeping in our room."

"Damn, he always misses all the fun. Poor guy."

"I don't think he minds. He's never been up for celebrations. Much more of a quiet fellow."

"Well, glad to hear they're okay. To be honest, we wouldn't have made it without them. Hah! You're raising two little monsters, you know?"

Glavas sighed. "I'm starting to be more and more aware of that, yeah."

Suddenly, Veloc got a lot more serious once again. "But when did you want to tell me the girl had no soul?"

"Never. I don't like passing that around."

"Really? Not even to your bestie?"

"We're not besties! We barely know each other."

"So far. We'll get a lot closer, I'll make sure of that. No, but really, how did that soul thing happen?"

"A demon killed both their parents. He wants to open a permanent path to hell and for that, he needed someone soulless."

"So he is the one you are running from?"

"Yeah."

"Well, how about you stop running? We took on the fucking serpent! We can take care of a little demon. I'll persuade Darmok to go with us and then we'll strike him all at once!"

"That is actually my plan. I have a... friend working on finding their hideout. Once I get word from him, I will depart."

"Then count me in! I'll help set your family free of that psycho and then we can really have some fun hunting!"

The two continued sipping their drinks and chatting for a least another half an hour. For some reason, Glavas wasn't sure whether he'd label Veloc as annoying or entertaining. Nevertheless, he couldn't argue against the fact that he indeed enjoyed his company.

"There you are!" they heard Darmok call to them from the entrance.

"Ey! Darmok! Care to join us? And before you say it again, yes, I know you don't drink, but you can still order something without alcohol," Veloc greeted him.

"I'd love to. But Glavas, I actually have a message for you."

"Ooh, is it from that mysterious friend? Are we going demon-hunting?" the yellow dragon smiled.

"Demon... what? No, it's from the chief of Skinscale."

"A chief? What does he want?" Glavas asked.

"Apparently to thank you for helping save the hive. And he also said about a permanent place to stay for you. Guess you could become a local. Or at least a more frequent visitor?"

"Yay! My bestie's my neighbour! I'll drink to that!" Veloc cheered.

"That's awesome. Do I have to go right away or..."

"Yeah, I was supposed to tell you to stop by. He wants to get it done as soon as possible because then he will be busy organising the funeral ceremony for midnight and then tomorrow he will jump to fixing the hive, so he won't have much time."

"Alright, alright, I'm going. But you better stay here and join us after I get back. We still need to celebrate properly."

Darmok smiled. "Don't worry, I will not go anywhere, so don't rush."

Glavas wasn't fully aware of how much the festivities have progressed until he stepped out of the establishment. Dragons were dancing right there in the open area, and the music has now evolved into a full-blown concert. Any dragons working in gastronomy have done the best they can to put up makeshift stalls and start selling little snacks for anyone passing by. It was a stunningly beautiful chaos of sound, lights, and entrancing smells. And amidst all that, Glavas saw a familiar figure swaying her body from side to side, nibbling on a little flat piece of pasty with molten cheese on top.

"Hey Alma," he called out to her.

"Glavas! What are you doing here? I thought you would go join your new friends inside."

"Actually, I was called by the chief."

"Whoa... You got into trouble?"

"No! I helped save this place! He wants to thank me."

"And how come I don't get an official thanks?!"

"Maybe you will. But he also wishes to discuss something else with me."

"Something else? You got into trouble?"

"Would you stop that?!"

Alma smiled. "Hehe, come on, spill it then, what's there to discuss."

"Well... apparently, we'd have the opportunity to... stay here."

"For how long?"

"For however long we'd want. We could be considered part of the hive."

"Huh... and you'd want that? I thought you loved travelling."

"Well, yeah, but this could be a great opportunity. We'd have a place to call home. Surdi could learn more about his own culture. Not to mention that if you'd ever get sick of travelling with me, you could stay here and maybe head towards a different future. This place has its own education system, job opportunities–"

"Ugh! You sound like such a boring parent all of a sudden."

"Boring?!"

"Yeah! We love travelling with you. Well, at least I do, but Surdi never said anything against it either. But... This place is cool. I guess having like a little apartment here that we could come back to would be nice."

"See? So I'm going to see the chief and find out what it's all about. And who knows? Maybe later tonight, we'll have a new place to call home."

He turned toward the staircase before Alma stopped him. "Wait! Here, have a Little Melty," she said and handed him a piece of the cheesy pastry she'd been eating.

"Ooh, looks nice. What is it?"

"Some... weird dragon bread I can't remember the name of, then a mix of molten cheese on top and some herbs. A great snack for going somewhere. It fits right in your hand. I got like seven."

"What did you buy them with? I thought I had our money with me."

"Perks of being the hero of the battle - free samples." she winked.

Glavas couldn't wait and took a bite. The bread was phenomenal. It was thin with a crunchy outer shell, but with a soft inside that almost seemed to puff up in his mouth. The cheeses were then perfectly balanced, mixing the tastes of something more common and mild along with sharper tones of aged cheese and then finishing off with a hint of a mouldy one. The spices on top then carried a very earthy flavour. Nothing too outstanding, so it wouldn't overshadow the other ingredients, but just strong enough to remain present despite the already unique taste.

Glavas thanked Alma for the snack and headed off towards his destination. By the time he reached the next floor, however, he stopped for a moment where the corridors branched off. His worries simply didn't give him a minute of peace. He turned to the right and kept going until he reached the small room he and his family have been calling home for the past few days. As he slipped inside, his attention immediately turned to one of the soft nests, where he saw his son peacefully sleeping. With another tap on the doorframe, he closed the entrance behind him and sat down beside Surdi. Seeing him resting all curled up in the bed warmed Glavas' battle-hardened heart. He carefully reached out and gently caressed the boy's head, right between the horns.

"You always get yourself into the craziest situations, don't you?" Glavas spoke to him, speaking softly to make sure he wouldn't wake him up. "First the Granitar, then the ritual of yours, now that show with the monster. You never cease to amaze me, you know?" He looked at the sheathed blade lying next to the nest. The idea that all the metal came out of that ritual was still hard to grasp. To create metal with magic. Something like that was a skill only very few have managed to grasp. "But... Even though I might not always agree with how you put yourself into the path of danger... I am really proud of you. You're strong and brave, with a kind heart. Although a bit crazy as well." He smiled. "Have some rest. You deserve it after today," Glavas said and quickly searched the room for an available blanket, which he then placed over the young dragon.

After that, it was back towards the chief's office. It was situated all the way at the top of the hive and had a very impressive round window with coloured glass, symbolizing the origin of Skinscale.

"Hello?" Glavas knocked on the door. "May I come in? I heard you called for me."

"Yes, yes, I did. Please, come inside." As the chieftain snapped his fingers, the rather massive door to his office lit up with red runes and slid open, revealing a large yet cosy room. The bookshelves running along all the walls probably contained more knowledge than most human libraries. At the end of the room then stood a massive wooden desk, and behind it an old red dragon. His scales were dark and matte, completely unlike those of Darmok or most of the other dragons in the hive.

"Pleasure to meet you," Glavas said and even did a slight bow, trying to imitate the dragons' custom.

The chief snapped his fingers again, closing the door behind them and then returned the gesture. "You have helped our hive a great deal, mister Glavas. You and your family. I would like to thank you for helping us in this time of need and for resolving the centuries-old problem with the serpent."

"Not a problem. I'm a hunter. It's my job."

"Yes, I know. Yet, I cannot imagine putting my own family in danger. For anyone." He turned around, facing the window. "How can you handle it? Aren't you worried about your children? About how they willingly take part in an extremely dangerous conflict?"

"Of course I am. If it was up to me, I would keep them as far away from any dangers as possible. But sadly, that's not really happening. Although I have to say, they seem to be able to handle the situations they get into quite well."

"Yes. They are strong indeed. You should be proud."

"I am."

"Good. I suppose some thanks must be given to your children as well. Without them, who knows how the whole situation would end."

"I'm sure they would appreciate it."

The chief went silent for a moment, watching a family with two little hatchlings standing just outside the window, celebrating with everyone else. "You would do anything for your family, wouldn't you?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

"I can tell. I could see it in your eyes. So would I, you know." He turned back, facing Glavas. His eyes suddenly looked different, full of tears. "I'm sorry. He has my children. I hope that as a father, you can understand."

With another snap of his fingers, the red dragon commanded one of the bookshelves on the far end of the room to slide to the side, revealing a secret passage. Out of it emerged a creature. A creature so familiar. Glavas clenched his fist as the demon spoke. "Hello, Glavas. We meet again."