The Dragon Egg

As mortals sleep, the Dreamer counts his Blessed, and delivers them from ignorance. You hear alarms first, jolting your sleeping mind into the waking dream. You see a hallway made of marble, broken up by doors every thirty yards or so, every edge gilded and polished to shining brightness. The camera idles for a moment, and then Skiv runs beneath it, bleeding profusely from a cut along his ribs. We follow him now, looking over his shoulder, spotting a football-shaped object tucked underneath his arm. It appears to be some kind of egg, but instead of a smooth shell, it is covered with scales made of metallic silver. You hear guards howling from behind, screaming for the Tiefling to stop. But he doesn’t stop. Instead, his body becomes a shimmer, and he runs through the wall to his left.

The classrooms at the College of Biological Sciences are wider than most, made to accommodate all kinds of creatures. Lashunta mostly, but it isn’t rare to see their fellow humanoids, or even a Contemplative. But the creature waiting for Skiv in this room… Well, he isn’t welcome anywhere. The demon’s horns grind against the ceiling as he turns his head, filling the room even from a sitting position. Despite the halogen lights, the room is in darkness, but the demon’s teeth still shine like glowing pearls. You recognize him from a thousand posters, scattered all over the Pact Worlds - Vaughn Blackblood, Lord of the Black Market, King of the Spire.

Vaughn Blackblood: “Having trouble, Zane? Quite a vacation you’ve taken.”
Skiv (Zane): “Don’t say that name here. How did you find me?”
Vaughn: “Ha! You know me. Always watching the news.”

Skiv growls, and lifts one of the chairs from the floor. With little effort he bends the chair legs around the door handle, just as someone begins kicking at the door.

Vaughn: “Is that the one you couldn’t buy?”
Skiv: “Maybe.”
Vaughn: “Just one left! Impressive. But how are you going to get that one out of here? You’re surrounded, you know.”

The demon gestures to the windows behind him, where spotlights light up the glass, but fail to pierce the darkness inside. Skiv looks for a moment at the light, and then the door, and then back at the egg.

Skiv: “[Sighs] One job. You hold onto this one, and keep it safe - in all forms of my intent, and with honor to the Guildmaster. Consider it pawned, but with no sell date. When the job is done, I get it back, and the one you’ve got in inventory.”
Vaughn: “That’s quite the favor, Skiv.”

The Tiefling scowls, and rests his forehead on the egg. His hands are shaking. Vaughn grins from ear to ear.
Skiv: “What’s the job?”

The camera turns to the windows, and fades into the light. The Dreamer pulls again, taking you deeper, but something catches the device. It’s Skiv… But his skin is all smooth. And he’s missing an eye. Zane, the Haze tells you. This is Zane.

Zane (Skiv): “No more, Dreamer. [Pause] I’m sorry, Tesin. We’re going to have to wake you up early.”