In Lucas' final lesson with Sir. Milen, he only reached 92% on his Fancy Footwork achievement. For weeks, he'd been laying all his hopes on that one, but he was going to have to fight the Dragoness without whatever bonus that might have given him.

That shouldn't be a problem, Lucas tried to reassure himself. I've got plenty of other things in my favor.

Still, it bothered him. Fortunately, his dancing instructor had other good news. "It's not a ring like you asked for, but my boss's contact was able to find a very expensive cloak you might be interested in…"

"Oh?" Lucas asked, "Will it do the job?"

"Against anything but dragonfire, sure," the knight agreed. "It better, for what they're asking for it."

"What's the damage there?" Lucas asked, even though he was afraid to.

"Two hundred and fifty dragons," the man said, pausing for a moment, "Plus Sir Tristain's fee for procuring it."

Lucas swallowed. He could afford it, barely, but the cost was liable to kill Kar'gandin when he received the note, and Lucas thought about that more than he should have for several seconds.

A cost like that wasn't just a fortune. It was a lifetime of labor. While he could make it back dealing hard drugs in a year or two and dealing more legitimate products like potions and cosmetics inside of half a decade, for a farmer, that represented eighty years of good harvests.

All that for a little magic, Lucas decided, sure he'd gotten into the wrong business.

"You know, I had the strangest feeling that you might ask that question," his instructor said with a grin, so I made sure to ask. "The seller said that it was made from red dragon hide and that its enchantments should hold against anything for a moment or two, but after that, well, he made no guarantees."

"Do it," Lucas said, "Pull the trigger. I'll send you back with a note for Kar'gandin, and I'll be in the city tomorrow to pick it up."

"That soon?" Sir. Milen asked. "Dealing with ah, Mages, doesn't seem like something you should rush."

"Nothing is being rushed," Lucas answered. "I've been making my preparations for a month now. Things are just falling into place."

"Well, if you need men to help you against your mages, Sir Tristan has authorized me to—" the warrior started to answer, but Lucas cut him off.

"While I'd love some help, I can't ask for that," Lucas answered. "Not only are these negotiations extremely sensitive, but they're almost certainly a death sentence, and I could never do that to my favorite teacher."

Sir. Malen didn't answer that immediately. He just nodded, and they sat there in a comfortable silence as all of the things he probably should have said went unsaid. Then, instead of arguing or trying again, he just shook Lucas' hand.

"I've had students go to great lengths to get out of my lessons before," the knight said, "But you would be the first to kill yourself to get out of fighting me again."

Lucas shook his head as he suppressed a laugh. "In your dreams, man. There's nothing you've got that a few potions can't beat."

"Well, we'll hope that's true for dragons, I mean mages, as well, then," Sir. Milen answered.

Lucas didn't attempt to deny it. Instead, the two of them walked back to his room, where Lucas wrote a long note to his dwarven friend authorizing the payment. He didn't explain what it was for, exactly. He hinted a bit but promised to explain all of it to him tomorrow evening when Heisenburgle's caravan skirted the city. Almost everything was loaded up now, and as soon as the gnome finished one final task, they would be ready to leave in the morning.

It was only when the warrior was riding away with the most expensive letter that Lucas had ever written that he returned to check on the gnome's electroplating efforts. He'd been working on it for two days, and by now, everything but the horse had been turned to gold. Well, coated in gold anyway.

"It's a crucial part of my plan!" the gnome insisted when Lucas asked if it was really necessary. Heisebnburgle certainly seemed to think so. "If I have to stage in one of the outbuildings, then she'll have all the time in the world to see me coming. To get close, I'll need to hide in plain sight!"

It was a ballsy plan, at least. Lucas had to give the guy that. He was turning his ugly metal horse and his armor gold so he could pose as a statue not far from where Lucas was supposed to lure her. It might even work, but the idea of standing there, waiting half the day for the right moment, struck Lucas as going a little overboard.

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Still, When Lucas arrived, he could see that the gnome had made a lot of progress. The armored exterior had been removed from the horse and was being dipped into a chemical that made it gleam before they were bolted back on. It was an interesting look, and as he watched, he couldn't decide if he was looking at a piece of modern art or a very expensive vehicle. Normally, he would have cared more about the alchemy involved, but not today.

Today, he could feel the hours ticking by like a physical thing, and all he wanted was to get this show on the road. They had hours to travel, key equipment to fetch, and a single night to set all of their traps before the moment of truth. Lucas was well aware that he'd been preparing for this moment for a very long time. For weeks, it was all he'd done, but right now, he felt more like he was rushing it, and as much as he wanted his vengeance, he wished that he had a little more time to slow things down and do them right.

Like I haven't been doing things right this whole damn time, he argued internally.

He had Heisenburgle's poison blade and spare potions. In half a day, he'd have the most expensive cloak known to man. He even had a few other surprises up his sleeve, but right now, he felt like he was forgetting something.

Still, there was nothing for it. Six hours later, Heisenburgle was done turning his steel horse into a golden pony, and after he tested the engine and refueled the thing, it was put in the wagon, and they were on their way, with only his most trusted servants in tow.

The convoy was nothing like the carriage he usually took. It was four wagons filled with various supplies, and it moved half the speed he was used to. So, toward sunset, Lucas rode on ahead, promising to wait for Heisenburgle on the road north once he'd secured his goal.

"Magic," the gnome spat. "You'd be better off putting your efforts into prayer."

Lucas ignored him, though. He'd seen what magic could do, and honestly, he wanted more one day when everything slowed down.

By the time he arrived in the small courtyard, as his letter had promised, the place was all but empty. Some part of Lucas was expecting an ambush, but that would have been hard to do unless pretty much everyone turned against him.

There, he found Kar'gandin and Sir. Tristin sitting alone on the usual bench, with the man's bodyguards far enough away that they wouldn't overhear anything. "What's up, guys!" Lucas asked as he tethered his horse and approached them. It did nothing to break the stony silence.

"Is there a problem?" Lucas asked.

"The problem is that this chisler just told me what ye' want the bleedin' gold for!" Kar'gandin bellowed.

"I mean, I would think it's obvious what I want a magical fireproof cloak for," Lucas answered with a shrug. "I've made no secret that I want her dead."

"Yeah, well, wanting and getting are two different things," Kar'gandin said. "Ye could throw armies against such a creature. You could contract the entire mages guild, and ye'd still come up short."

"The dwarf has a point," Sir. Tristen nodded. "Dwarves would know too. Most old dragons live in dwarven ruins for a reason."

Kar'gandin glared for a moment but said nothing. Instead, he turned back to Lucas and said. "A fireproof cloak… even one that can stand up to dragonfire ain't going to save ya', lad."

"No," Lucas agreed. "That's what the potions are for."

"Sir. Milen mentioned those," the head of the Bronze Knights chimed in. "You know if you wanted to start paying your bills to me in high-quality potions rather than coin until you've refilled your treasury from this… misadventure, I'd be amenable."

"So you think I have a chance?" Lucas asked skeptically.

"Oh, no, hot a chance in any of the seven hells," the knight laughed. "But if you survive your folly, then I'm open to it."

"Boy, a potion of strength ain't gonna let you stop an ageless monster the size of a house," Kar'gandin agreed. "You don't have to do this. You and yer g… Ye can just flee the city. She won't follow. We all can. We can set up operations somewhere else and build a new empire."

"It's not about me or even about the people she killed now," Lucas answered cooly. "She's a terror, and she needs to be put down."

No one disputed that, but they both tried to argue against it just the same. Eventually, Lucas just abandoned his efforts to explain it to them. They didn't understand the poison he was going to cook tonight to make it as fresh as possible since it broke down so quickly. They didn't understand how outrageous his potions were or how he'd been touched by the gods themselves, and honestly, he didn't feel like sharing all of that.

For now, all he needed from either of them right now besides loyalty was the thick leather cloak, which was quickly produced. The thing itself was gorgeous. Perhaps not a lifetime's worth of income, gorgeous, but lovely just the same. There was apparently no trick to it. The person who wore it was protected by it. No mana or fancy words to remember. It just worked.

"How sure are we that this isn't a knockoff?" Luca asked.

"I had a disinterested third party inspect it for a small fee," Sir Tristin assured him.

"Well, then, at least there's that," Lucas said as he put the thing on. "But I think I'll check it myself first, just in case."

He walked over to the brazier next to the nearest guard, and after putting one of his hands in the flames and feeling nothing, he shoved it into the glowing coals and was similarly surprised. There was no burning or even heat coming from them. In fact, the only thing that anything was amiss besides the fact that he wasn't screaming in agony was lightly glowing runes on the hem of his new and very expensive garment.

"Well, I guess it's worth the money after all," Lucas told his friends.

Then, almost as an afterthought, he pulled a sealed note out of his pocket, and handed it to the dwarf. He looking at Lucas in confusion, given that it wasn't marked, and the only answer he got was a vague one. "You know who it's for," Lucas told him. "If I don't make it, give it to them. If I do… well, burn it. It's pretty embarrassing."

"Ye' just come back to us, lad," Kar'gandin nodded.

Lucas smiled at that but said nothing. Instead, he walked back to his horse and mounted up and then rode toward the north gate to wait for Heisenburgle's lumbering ass to catch up with him.

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