Hair still messy from sleep, Alesha groggily followed the humanoid glass golem up a set of stairs she'd never seen before. The gladiators' halls had been silent, empty, devoid of their usual occupants -- it was eerie.
The late hour didn't help.
Hours after she'd fallen asleep, she'd been roused from slumber by the incessant knocking of this golem. She had seen others like it before, so she knew what it was; what she didn't understand is why it had come for her then.
Who would have sent for her?
Eventually, they came to a rich-looking ebony door with a golden handle. The golem opened it and gestured for her to enter.
She did.
Inside, Alesha found herself spellbound by the lavish furnishings, intricate carpets and sleek aesthetic of the room. Everything was slightly oversized, which contributed a strange comical side to what was clearly meant to be a sophisticated and rich atmosphere. Maroon leather furniture coordinated with red and black carpets, curtains and paintings, with tasteful cream accents placed strategically throughout. On a waist-high table rested a cylindrical device of unknown function.
A few moments after she entered, a doglike dragon head perked up from behind one of the couches. It was gray -- dark gray on top and light gray beneath, separated by a white mask and stripe that continued down its neck. One ear upright and the other down, it blinked its four yellow eyes blearily. "Huh? Whosdere?" It asked.
The golem shut the door behind Alesha with a quiet click.
She spun around to look at the door, feeling somehow betrayed, then looked warily at the unknown dragon. It seemed rather small for a dragon, judging by the size of its head. It shouldn't be much bigger than a pony, or perhaps a very large dog.
Then, the dragon's eyes met Alesha's and it visibly woke up.
"No, seriously? Please tell me I'm not dreaming!!"
Before she realized what was happening, the dragon had knocked over the clearly pricey furniture and ended up face to face with her.
It seemed her initial estimate of its size had been accurate -- at the shoulder, it stood about 1.5 meters tall. Adding the length of its neck, it could easily meet her gaze. In fact, it had to lean down to do so.
The dragon grinned widely. Then, it pounced on her, licking her face all over with a tongue that felt disturbingly closer to that of a human than a dog. She found herself pinned beneath four forelegs (or were they closer to arms?) and its body weight.
"H-hey!" She managed to say. "Stop it! Hey!"
[Your life is an endless source of amusement for me, do you know that? Thank you for allowing me to accompany you on this marvelous journey,] Rogork said in surprisingly earnest tones.
This angered her enough that she snapped aloud, "Like I ever asked for this!! My life isn't some spectacle for you to enjoy, you perverted asshole!"
The dragon paused mid-lick, surprised by her words. Then, shaking its head, it nuzzled up to her, sniffing her hair.
"Stop it!! What the hell are you doing!? Who even are you?!" She barked.
"Orochi," the dragon replied, his voice a pleasant baritone.
Alesha stared at the ceiling with a half-lidded expression, not amused by this turn of events.
She had been part of a grand tournament earlier that day, fighting for her life, and now she was here, being licked and sniffed by a doglike dragon.
What even did anything mean anymore?
Could her life be any more unpredictable?
[Do you want to find out?]
"No, thank you," Alesha whispered.
[Darn.]
After that, the dragon Orochi spent a couple more minutes acquainting himself with Alesha (for that was how she decided to interpret his actions) before saying anything more.
"You've been through so much," he eventually said.
Alesha glanced at him sideways. He had fully laid down on top of her, which perhaps should have made her feel uncomfortable, but since he was rather like an oversized puppy, it was unexpectedly comforting. "And how would you know that?" She muttered, looking away.
"Because I've been following your progress this whole time!" He enthused, sitting up and gripping her face with his clawed, scaly "hands." He gently turned her face to look him in the eye.
"I've been watching you ever since Werewolf Island!" He explained.
A hard glint entered Alesha's eyes as she realized what that meant. "You… you're a Patron of the Games, aren't you?"
"Well, kinda," the dragon replied, rotating one hand left and right a few times to emphasize his words. "I didn't pay to be here. I got my entry for free because of my dad!"
"Your dad some kinda royalty or something?"
"Ehh kinda. He's the High General of Toltura's Army, Krogor the Unshackled! Since he's that important to Toltura, Zorhellian had no choice but to let me in. Muahahaha!"
Alesha froze.
[Well, I'll be,] Rogork murmured. [You're finally meeting someone related to us. Actually, doesn't this make you guys half-siblings?]
"You, you're related to Krogor? That damn dragon who destroyed my life?!"
Orochi cocked his head to one side, confused by her sudden vehemence. "Well, not by blood. I'm adopted. But yeah, why?"
Alesha shut her eyes and took deep breaths, attempting to calm herself. "I hate Krogor with every fiber of my being," she hissed. "And by association, I guess I hate you, too."
Orochi's ears drooped and he licked her face despondently. "But why though? I've been cheering you on this whole time, I don't understand why you'd hate me. I even tried to be your Sponsor, though someone else got to you before I could."
She opened her eyes and looked at the oversized puppy on top of her. He really did seem like a dog; from his doberman-like head to his sad, drooping ears and even the way his thick tail stilled when he felt disappointment.
"Don't look at me with those puppy eyes," she murmured, looking away.
"But I've been so excited to meet you this whole time!" He whined. "How could you hate me? Oh, I know, I have just the thing!"
With that, he (none too gently) pushed off of her and scrambled to the center of the room, where he picked up the unidentified cylindrical object, manipulated some controls, then set it down again.
Alesha sat up, wincing as the bruises and scrapes from his enthusiastic launch off of her slowly healed.
Thank goodness for Troll's Regeneration, she thought.
Orochi then disappeared in a whirl of color, replaced by a smallish bird of prey that shared his coloration -- dark gray main feathers, with a light gray underbelly rimmed with white.
Alesha stood up in alarm.
"Don't worry!" The bird of prey said. "It's still me, Orochi!"
[Haha! He has his father's talent for shapeshifting!] Rogork applauded.
… Krogor has a talent for shapeshifting? Alesha wondered.
Rogork's silence after that somehow seemed sheepish. Had the System revealed something it didn't mean to?