Data Dragon Danika

Danika talked with Shinichi while she ate breakfast the next morning, and she complained about the idea that it wasn't a love story if both people simply arranged to meet with each other.

"It bothers you that the kind of romance that the game will provide, features heroic feats, daring deeds, and proof of dedication?" he asked instead of commenting directly.

"Kind of," she agreed. "It is built on stories and legends, which are almost never about easy ordinary things, but hasn't Kit already undergone enough trials and tribulations to qualify as a heroine without needing to perform legendary feats?"

"Who knows?" Shinichi replied unhelpfully.

"Lin Hao said that a lot of magic carpets might work to get her high enough, and there are probably still more in the undiscovered labyrinth in the desert," Danika told him. "Could we cheat and go discover them for her?"

He laughed and asked, "You've been thinking about ways to interfere in Kit's sweet romance for days now haven't you?"

"What, no," she protested. "Wait, are you trying to say that you think having to make her way to the top of the sky to meet him is sweet?"

"Maybe?" he agreed. "Picture Kit, arriving at last, where he waits in a beautiful windswept sky at sunset. She blushes. He smiles. She blushes again. They hold hands again after so long, if he has hands this time?"

"I just want her to be able to meet him sooner," Danika complained.

"I know," Shinichi agreed. "We all want to help her, but I don't think you need to cheat to do it. Have a little faith in the game that introduced us to each other, and is still finding ways that you didn't expect to make Kit happy?"

"That's true, alright," Danika agreed more happily.

--

Saturday night everyone in Endless Song who could log on to meet Kit, when she logged in as soon as she finished her shift, met in Shrubbery's garden. The guild hall tree was now six feet tall, but its rooms were still only centimeters wide.

Magna Silvam may not have cheated to get them, but Danika regarded her suspiciously when the elf handed Kit three magic carpets.

Kit laughed and said, "I'm starting to think that the storage band that Edwardian gave me is going to be the most useful item for this flight."

Shrubbery had used her gardener contacts to acquire the ingredients for an ointment, that her friend who was a witch as well as a gardener had suggested, and brewed for her. It would negate the weight of inanimate objects for an entire day, but the huge quantity of ingredients produced only a small amount.

ZipZing and Logical Heart had worked together to produce a pendant that would let Kit use the Featherweight spell repeatedly, like the silver ring that had let ZipZing use the shape cantrip until she learned it.

Danika had contacted the dwarven smith who had made her tail ring, after Shinichi suggested a way to let Ryullusion's songs aid Kit from the ground. Aishin, SilentSky, and Nao1 had paid for the pair of earrings that transmitted sound between each other the way the magic mirrors from the repeatable quest could.

MatchlessMinion presented a bag full of wind. It wasn't bottomless, but it was supposed to be holding quite a lot. He thought that Kit could use it like a rocket booster.

The three newest members had even collected high energy foods and potions, and gifted them to Kit the night before. Neither they, nor the members of Underneath were able to log in to see Kit's attempt.

--

Kit nervously requested that everyone stay in Shrubbery's garden while she tried to weave the essence of the dragon scale into her belt.

MatchlessMinion made faces at Danika when she kept zipping up to where she could see Kit sitting on the edge of the guild remembrance statuary. Danika just shrugged in silent reply. Shrubbery grinned at them both.

Ryullusion adjusted where his harp sat several times, and stretched his hands. Then he paced lightly back and forth, while breathing in a controlled way that Danika suspected was a real life habit before a performance, that probably wouldn't affect the game's music.

A few minutes later, Kit returned to them. She announced her success by simply transforming into a celestial dragon.

"Yes!" MatchlessMinion shouted, and his exclamation triggered a round of congratulations from them all.

Danika had asked her assistant dragon if it could fly up to the work spaces from the ground, despite its small size, and it had been very insulted.

"I am not small!" it had informed her in an offended manner. "I am merely presenting myself in a convenient size!"

When it had displayed its actual size for her, it had been bigger than most of the sky islands. Kit was only about the size of a pony. She was probably going to need all of the flight accessories that they'd collected for her.

--

Kit examined her new Dragon racial skills carefully. There were more of them than usual. The other races that she could transform into had only a couple of natural skills and a couple of combat skills.

She had prepared as well as she could, and read about all the possible skills an actual dragon might have, so it wasn't as confusing as it might have been.

MatchlessMinion was really cute as he bounced with excitement over her successful transformation and she smiled again.

All of the new enchanted jewelry that her guildmates had gathered for her fit comfortably on her dragon shape, and she felt amazingly light and strong at the same time. She'd worried about being able to access her inventories, but her clawed hands seemed just as dextrous as her human hands.

"Alright, I'm ready," she announced.

Ryullusion nodded to her, and began to play the Song of Swiftness that would boost her travel speed for as long as she could hear him playing. He wore the mate to the earring that she wore, that should let her hear him for the entire flight.

Kit took a deep breath, and then touched the ring that connected her to the traveling merchant's new identity. The string of light stretched into the sky. She felt nervous, excited, and a little afraid. What if he really was a dragon, or something even stranger?

Kit looked around again. Her friends were watching her with hope and anticipation. Looking at them made her smile. Tall dryad, fluffy chinchillamin, tiny fairy dragon, beautiful elf… and she, the only human present, was currently a dragon. It didn't matter what kind of being he was, he was up there waiting for her to arrive.

Kit launched herself into the air.