aionlogs | [CLOSED] DRAGON QUEST

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estinien wyrmblood: firebrand

[CLOSED] DRAGON QUEST

WHO: Estinien, Himeka, Ryunosuke, Caitlyn, and THE MODS.
WHAT: Having recovered from his murder, Estinien is finally ready to Ujfa's request... with friends!
WHERE: Lohkimareen
WHEN: Late Visoseri
WARNINGS: Will keep updated.

It's fortunate that the Wanderer's shrine allowed them to get so close to the area Ujfa had indicated. Having set up the one half of a portal somewhere close to Greentruth, Estinien let the teleportation spell to get there, before flying above the canopy to reorientate himself once they'd arrived. Southeast... easy enough. Now all there was left to do is walk and hope that no beasts harry them too determinedly.

He has his concerns about the two newest companions he invited along, but nothing he doesn't feel will be settled by witnessing them in action. Ryunosuke had a potentially useful new power, combined with a need to have his mettle tested in a relatively controlled environment. Caitlyn seemed the honorable sort, competent in her specializations, but he can't help but wonder how she'll fare knowing that beasts of this size and ferocity may not exist in her home.

Regardless, if he wasn't confident that Himeka and him could keep them safe, he wouldn't have invited the two of them along. More important was his desire to give them a chance to prove their intentions to their new neighbours. They all had taken Greentruth as their shelter, and he would personally like to earn it.

It's only about one long day of hiking before their destination gradually becomes clear. Ujfa had said that they would know it when they saw it, and it appears they were right. At one point, the environment changes.

The trees have become blackened, as if by fire. All around them the air hangs as if frozen in the moment of time the damaged occurred, beckoning to some catastrophe of the past. Estinien pauses, frowning, his still purely white visage belying the way his stomach turns. He lowers the hood of his cloak, revealing the shimmering hair he'd bound beneath it. He couldn't risk the loss of peripheral vision, at this point.

This is the type of wreckage he's encountered before.

"We've arrived," he says to the others. "Be on your guard."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Estinien was right to be at least somewhat uncertain about Caitlyn's familiarity with dragons. She was not at all, as the beasts made their homes quite far away from Piltover, but she had at least read of them. A healthy bit of wariness and an abundance of caution was what every book she'd ever read about them had impressed upon her.

As the destination's dangers grew more clear, the devastation around them evident, Caitlyn conjured her gun as a precaution. Straightening, her eyes moving all around to take in the scene, she nodded her understanding to Estinien.

"Of course."

She paused, sparing each of her companions a glance.

"...Let's get this done."

If Estinien has his concerns about his ability to handle this, well, Ryunosuke must have twice as many. Even if this is a fairly controlled environment, everything about this mission is outside of Ryunosuke's comfort zone. All this hiking through monster infested woods, going on a mysterious quest at the behest of, as he's been told, a literal dragon? Absolute madness.

And yet, despite his fears and hesitation, he's here anyway. He's chosen to put his trust in his fellow Pleroma regarding the importance of this mission, even if he still doesn't fully understand what they're expecting to accomplish out here. And if nothing else... He does need the experience, getting out in the field like this. He can acknowledge that much.

That doesn't mean he enjoys hiking though. Or that he's particularly good at it. He's been exercising a lot more trying to increase his stamina, and doing all sorts of training, but a day-long hike carrying a pack on his back plus a bow and a quiver full of arrows is still demanding on his endurance. He's been taking it like a champ though, with minimal complaint. All despite the fact that his back and his feet hurt like hell, and he kind of just wants to take a month-long nap.

At least they seem to have arrived at their destination last. Wherever... this is. Ryunosuke is huffing and puffing a bit from exertion as he pulls up alongside Estinien and Caitlyn. He pauses to glance around with widened eyes, taking in the destruction. The way the air is here feels... Wrong.

"What... What is all this?" he manages to ask, still sounding a bit winded.

Edited 2022-06-27 04:05 (UTC)

Himeka is ever one to give the benefit of the doubt, so when they were looking for potential travel companions, she was gladdened at their decisions. Caitlyn had left a good impression on her from the start, thoughtful and aware in the ways that she appreciated in some of their more studious colleagues from home. Ryunosuke has expressed only fear and bewilderment when it comes to dragons and that in and of itself is a reason to prove his fears unjustified. Mostly.

She isn't sure where the dragon is leading Estinien but that is the point, isn't it? Sending him out to discover what there is to be discovered and to see how he handles it. Dragons do so like for the children of men to prove their worth and in her experience it's definitely warranted. As much as Estinien may grumble about riddles Himeka could only laugh at bit when he told her the request.

What they find is no laughing matter.

Himeka loves travelling--whether it's by foot or otherwise, a little hike does her well. But that mood is quickly diminished when the scene comes into view. She'd been dedicating more of her time in trying to get a feel for the beat of Lohkimareen, quiet moments spent in quiet communion with individual plants. This, though...

"..."

She steps forward and places her hand on one of the broken, blackened trees. Her gaze starts to look more distant as her irises begin to fade, turning a pale yellow that almost blends in with the whites of her eyes. Beneath her palm, the lines in the bark start to glow that same pale yellow that extends no more than a few inches away from her fingers.

She winces.

"They're in pain." She can feel it--as if her own skin threatens to turn to ash. "It's as if they've just been burned, but..."

Where is the smoke?

At first, Estinien just stares on wordlessly. It wasn't entirely clear from Ujfa how long ago whatever event they'd referred to was. The freshness of the devastation might have made him think it was fresher than he'd anticipated. He assumes this damage is from the 'Men of Shadowed Stone'... but even if it had happened back when they first arrived, surely nature would have begun reasserting itself somewhat?

"A corruption to their aether, mayhap?" He looks at Himeka specifically as he says that, since she'll know what he means. From his understanding, White Mages are particularly adept at sensing these things, but any Coerthan knows what aetheric distortions can do to a place. From her strong reaction, he can only assume he's correct in some sense.

He then turns to the other two.

"The Tamfa spoke of a cabal called the Men of Shadowed Stone... I assume whatever has happened here was by their hand. I was told that they destroy all they come across, and have been threatening the forest for some time." Her shakes his head. "I know not if we'll encounter them here, but be prepared for them regardless."

Lance in hand, he begins heading into the ashy remains of the devastated woodland. It takes some walking, but in the distance, a tree of particular heigh and girth will become into sight - or what remains of it. It could easily be mistaken for the sort of tree the rebels of Greentruth make their homes in, but it appears to have been split in two from the top downward, with its main body roughly intact. Like lightning, Estinien thinks. It has several alcoves and holes carved into it, sizeable enough to hold creatures much larger than any of them.

"Our destination, I suspect," he says. "The eldest tree in the forest, if Ufja is to be believed."

Men of Shadowed Stone? That's a heck of a name... Ryunosuke hopes they don't encounter them, but wishing for that feels like the exact kind of thing that would guarantee they DO show up.

He gets his bow off his shoulder and ready to go, just in case. It's a small comfort; he's still not sure he'll be able to bring himself to actually use it on another person, if it comes down to it, but he keeps that worry to himself.

He frowns, eyeing up the holes carved into the tree with particular curiosity. "Do you think the dragons used to live in there?" he wonders aloud. Tempting to take a closer look inside, but he doesn't want to stray ahead too far...

Aetherial corruption definitely seems like a possibility. She doesn't have Y'shtola's keen aethersight at her disposal, but her training in the Shroud has made her particularly keen at picking up disturbances in the natural world. Horos is different than Etheirys, yet some things do seem to be universal.

The light fades from Himeka's eyes and from beneath her palm as she drops her hand back to her side.

"Mayhaps," she agrees with a nod. Taking a sweep of the scape before them she can only imagine that "shadow and stone" may be very literal. These woods ought to be petrified with what's been done to them, as if a great storm passed through in an instant.

The large tree he guides them to in particular is a hallowing sight. Split as if struck from above.

"It doesn't look unlike the way the trees in Greentruth are hollowed out..." But Ryunosuke is right, the carvings are much larger. "...Would that mean then that Greentruth is fashioning their homes after the dragons?"

Caitlyn remains quiet, listening to Estinien and Himeka talk. It's all words she doesn't understand, stuff that she doesn't have any real context for, but the word Corruption sticks out to her. That could be bad, if it's anything like magical corruption she's read about. Aetheric must mean magic, right?

As they start forward towards the tree, she checks her rifle just in case. It's habit more than anything particularly useful, the gun is entirely artificial, after all. Her attention diverts to Himeka at her question, brow creasing in thought.

"That could be. But, would that imply a connection between the dragons and Greentruth? Or some sort of...I don't know...spiritual significance linking the two?"

It could be important, or it could be meaningless.

As they draw closer and the great tree looms overhead they will realize it is at least twice as large as the main tree in Greentruth. Some of it's branches lay broken on the ground, nearly the size of other fallen trees in the immediate area. The smell of soot and sulfur will grow once they reach the foot of the tree though it will be unclear where it is coming from.

If they decide to walk the base of the tree they will find the carcasses of forest creatures in and around the fallen boughs and burnt brush. The animals are mostly smaller reptiles and ambiguous dinosaurs and look like they are made of ash. They are extremely delicate and it is a miracle the wind hasn't blow them over. If they are touched, they will grumble into a pile of dust with a faint red glow that eventually fades as well. If they can look past the animals they may find pieces of curved shattered metal on the dirt.

If they decide to go inside they will find one large opening that is level with the ground. Even in the burnt wood they can see visible scratch marks along the walls and floor of the hollow. It is nearly pitch dark inside the hollow but Estinien may provide enough light for the group. The hollow is a tunnel that leads to an inner chamber that finally breaks out to the very center of the tree, now mostly open to the skies from the destruction.

Above and around them appears to be a honeycomb-like network of alcoves, each big enough to house several Tamfa-sized dragons and then some. Unfortunately, because the tree is split in two, the intricacies of the network are impossible to see. Very high up there appears to be a platform that is somehow intact, kept up by a lattice of smaller branches several stories above.

They can explore the alcoves and hollows closer to the ground if they wish. A few levels above them are accessible if they can climb. The deeper hollows are more well-preserved and structurally sound. If they want to go all the way up they will need to find a way.

Estinien leads the way inside without much hesitation, after only a cursory look at the ashy creatures laying around it. After all, this is what they were sent for. Conveniently, his hair is bright enough to light up a modest distance around him, which he finds himself frowning about. As grim as it is, at least it's being useful for once.

He'll soon arrive in the inner chamber of the tree, whether or not the others are quick to follow him. He looks up to the alcoves and the broken network of tunnels that used to wind through the trunk. The platform up at the top catches his attention, and he'll turn to anyone either inside with him or lingering near the entranceway.

"Unless anyone has any objections, I will ascend to the summit for a better view."

Ryunosuke follows him to the base of the tree, but lingers just outside; the corpses of animals are a grim and unsettling sight, but those pieces of metal have caught his attention, so he carefully picks his way around the bodies to take a closer look. Frowning, he gives one an exploratory poke with the tip of the arrow he already has in hand.

"No objections here," he says somewhat absently. What is this stuff...? Shrapnel of some sort?

Caitlyn kept at the rear, watching for signs of movement. The rifle remained barrel down, but ready to go if it was needed. The area is strange, and she's more than a little uncertain heading inside the tree, but there's nothing for it. She's trusting the people she's with.

"By all means. I'll keep watch down here."

She is not a climber.

The scene just continues to get worse and worse, doesn't it? The animals make it seem like they were burnt alive, but how could they retain that shape? Himeka does make the mistake of touching one, gently brushing her fingers along the snout of some small reptile only for it to shatter right before her. The pieces are picked up by the wind, sending what was once an animal away as if it were merely dust.

"Whatever happened...they couldn't get away."

How horrifying.

She spares a glance to Ryunosuke and Caitlyn. Since they seem to have the base of the tree covered, that leaves an obvious option to her. She steps up behind Estinien.

"I'll go with you."

Assuming he can provide her with a little assistance, of course.

It does seem like something that happened suddenly, with the way these creatures were seemingly flash burned, even more efficiently than dragon flame could offer. Estinien isn't one to let the sight of things like that distract him from the mission at hand, but it does mean that when Himeka offers to come with him, he isn't inclined to refuse. He can't heal or make shields, after all.

He nods his head to her. He could carry her even without his wings, so bringing her along won't be an issue. With a swoosh of fabric, he removes his cloak, letting it sink to the ground beside him. He scoops her up into his arms, just in time for his wings to unfurl from within his back.

"I'll focus on flying. You focus on our surroundings... ere we summon the attention of something unsavoury."

With that, he leaps, his wings aiding his ascent as he bounds from wall to wall of the split trunk.

In stark contrast to the hike that took them to this tree, Caitlyn will find that the forest here is eerily quiet as she stands guard. Every footfall of their team will seem loud in comparison. If she looks up towards the sky, she will find that there is even no evidence of birds, dragons, or flying reptiles overhead, but she will be able to see forms in the distance were the forest appears normal.

Ryunosuke will find pieces of the metal scattered about, but the larger pieces appear to be curved and with a bronze filigree on the edges. The design is not one he will recognize. If he is diligent he may be able to find enough to start piecing them together into something like the original object.

Estinien will need to be careful with his landing as many of the perches attached to the platform appear tenuous. One fell step and they can tumble. Estinien and Himeka will find that the platform is just as burnt as the rest of the tree and has collected a mess of debris that has fallen from overhead. But there are piles of shredded bark and ashen leaf that are much bigger than the rest, spaced equally from one another where they aren't entirely destroyed. If inspected they will find many round imprints in each of the piles that are as big as their heads.

He doesn't expect to be able to find all of the pieces. Luckily, he really only needs enough to be able to tell that, whatever this thing is, it was once spherical. Considering the shape of it, and the destruction that's been wrought upon the surrounding area, he can draw some conclusions pretty quickly.

He's not a weapons guy, but when he realizes what he has in his hands here, he almost wants to toss it away like some poisonous creature, just on instinct. But... It's a silly instinct. Its been detonated already, and though he can't really say how long ago that happened, he is pretty sure it can't be dangerous in this state. Right?

Chilling, though. He's become so used to magic after a few months here, he hadn't expected to find something recognizable at the heart of such extreme destruction.

"Detective Kiramman?" he calls nervously, glancing in her direction. "Could you... Could you perhaps tell me what you make of this...?"

She'd mentioned once that she worked fighting terrorists back home. Maybe that expertise will give her some insight he lacks? In the meantime, he keeps examining; squinting and tracing the curve of one of the larger pieces beyond what's physically there now, trying to get an idea of how big this thing was originally, and examining the surface of the metal for scorch marks or rust.

Caitlyn shifts uneasily, her gaze drawn towards the shapes in the distant sky. Her attention remains largely on that, keeping watch to see if any of them get larger or grow closer. None seem to yet, so she turns her attention back towards checking Estinien and Himeka's progress...when Ryunosuke's question breaks her out of her vigil.

She shifts, walking quickly over when she hears the nervousness in his voice.

"What is it..." she starts to ask, and then realizes what he's holding. "Oh! Goodness. That looks like a somewhat crude bomb."

She reaches out, running a hand along it, considering the strangeness of it.

"Where was it? It's clearly been detonated already. Maybe we can figure out what it was used on if we find the blast epicenter."

Despite the possible treachery of the ascent, Estinien handles it masterfully. After all, it's the things he's best at: navigating difficult airborne situations. He arrives at the top, letting Himeka dismount at his side as soon as he's able. He wants to be prepared in case there is anything waiting.

...There isn't, though. Not besides those piles of bark. It takes him a moment to identify, as the dragons of his world didn't have much use for wood. The shapes, though...

"Nests," he says simply, furrowing his brow at them.

Himeka takes stock of the tree as they ascend, the condition of the upper rungs looking just as destroyed as the rest. She steps carefully once she can dismount, looking about them with the same sense of discern and feeling of loss. This is a loss, isn't it?

These piles, they're...intentional. They're not debris. They're---

"Nests."

He says what neither of them want to acknowledge. It's just like Ultima Thule, isn't it? Himeka steps forward to inspect one of the nests, placing her hand in one of the large imprints that must have held eggs at some point. Large eggs, definitely dragon-sized. When she looks up she notes how many are close by.

"They're everywhere." The platform is destroyed in pieces, but it seems like wherever there is room there is a nest. "This wasn't just their home...this was were they bore and raised their young, isn't it?"

It will take some time, but if Ryunosuke and Caitlyn shift through the burnt underbrush they will find more and more pieces of similar explosives. Most of the pieces are close to the base of the tree with small shards strewn out closer to where the edge of the burn radius is. Some very few pieces are even as far out to the green areas of the unaffected forest.

Up on the platform, what Estinien and Himeka have discovered are indeed nests. They are empty but a few have shattered pieces of shell. If they continue to inspect the nests, they will find that a curious few have eggshell pieces that look strangely fresh.

Estinien isn't quite sure what to feel, beyond a certain grim inevitability. Is there no star which this is not the way of things? Dragons seem to flourish better here than elsewhere that he's seen, but even so... always will they be drawn into conflict despite their wishes.

He shakes his head to himself as he kneels by one of the nests, more tired than despairing. At least there aren't any corpses here, he thinks, remembering the revolting smells and stagnant fluids of the rotted brooding cavern they had found in Ultima Thule. Most of it seems old, at first, like something that has been sitting for some time, and he is mostly just finding himself thankful there are no malformed infants, ruined by the corrupted aether of their home.

That is, until he finds a shard of egg that looks a bit too fresh. The lining of it seems too intact, not yet fully hardened by the lack of moisture. He's seen the like a few times before, and it isn't hard to recognize.

"...Impossible..." he murmurs, looking at it, running his thumb over the material. Slowly he stands, looking around the cavernous interior of the tree, straining his senses. He's not had as much luck identifying the presence of Horos's dragons when they didn't want to be found, but what if they did...?

He spreads his wings, summoning up Nidhogg's power. Red, serpentine light dances around him, the fragment of shell still closed fast in his hand.

Outside, it's becoming increasingly clear that they're dealing with the remnants of multiple explosive devices, and not just one extremely powerful one. Ryunosuke's not sure if that distinction will actually help them, but he makes a note of it anyway. Makes sense that the tree would be the target, too...

"Do you think it's safe to take some of these fragments back with us?" he asks Caitlyn. "Perhaps someone back in the city might recognize this design..."

"It should be safe, yes. As far as I can tell the device was used. Metal doesn't blow up without some sort of catalyst, and it looks like this one had it's catalyst used."

She knew bombs and the like, and there wasn't a clear indication that it was anything more than a now-expended explosive. Just shards of metal, and unless magic makes things like this explode in ways she doesn't even know to consider, it tracks.

"A local might know something, yes, and that could be a lead. Save it, certainly."

Himeka is still inspecting the nests with a sort of reverence when she hears Estinien mutter something. She looks up then, dropping her hand from the relic of days past, face writ with sudden concern.

He's summoned his wings--but what for?

"Estinien?"

"If any remain, I must know."

He closes his eyes, allowing his soul to entangle with what remains of Nidhogg's, the power of it building in his throat. When he opens his eyes again, they are bright red - the first bit of colour his body has shown since it was seared white by the Innocence.

He lifts his head and roars. While the sound echoes throughout the tree and the forest out, while it may sound frightening, he knows very well that a dragon's roar can mean many things. Today, he hopes for it to communicate presence and protection. If any dragon life remains in this place, he would beckon it towards him, and let it be known they are not alone.

The roar scares the absolute daylights out of Ryunosuke. Eyes wide with alarm, he glances at Caitlyn briefly before sprinting into the tree, pocketing the shard of metal and readying his bow as he runs. He's assuming she'll follow.

Inside, he screeches to a halt around about where he thinks he saw their other two companions take off from, face tilted up towards the higher reaches of the tree, ears straining for sounds of conflict or distress.

"Miss Himeka? Ser Estinien! Are you alright!?"

"...bloody hell..."

Caitlyn's attention is similarly grabbed by the sound, her eyes shooting upward, gun coming up to start scanning the sky for threats. She doesn't see any approaching dragons and lowers it, but continues watching and observing.

"What's going on up there, guys?"

The pieces that Ryunosuke and Caitlyn have retrieved can be appraised either in Greentruth or Godsblood. The latter would need to be done with extreme discretion. One thing that Caitlyn may be able to discern with her explosives experience is that while the area seems frozen in time, the bomb shards appear to be more old and worn with time.

The roar echoes through the tree and out into the forest. Several small flying reptiles screech and leave the area outside of the ruined blast zone. But inside the tree? It is silent but for the shouts of surprise from Estinien's comrades.

But not all is lost. A nest that is half-concealed by debris and a fallen branch holds something that begins to faintly glow.

Estinien can hear the others shouting after him, but he's too distracted by his disappointment that no other life stirs at the sound of his call. If the eggs were fresh, where were the dragonets? Had they died, or simply left? He finds himself more bothered by it than he would have liked to be.

That means that as soon as he notices the glow he heads over immediately to inspect, latching on to any bit of hope he might find. Furling his wings closed, he starts carefully clearing away debris, looking for the light's source.

The colour in his eyes remains, the hue of them violent in contrast to his monochrome form.

Himeka keeps her gaze upwards at Estinien for along moment before moving towards the edge so that she can better shout down towards the others.

"We're alright!" That's the most important part, isn't it. "We found some nests! There...there are a lot up here. This may have been their breeding ground."

A beat as she watches Estinien suddenly move to one of the nests in particular. She's curious, but she wants to keep their companions down below in mind as well.

"Are you okay?"

Thank you, Himeka, for saving Ryunosuke from the inevitable panic attack he would be having if neither one of them had answered; his heart can stop trying to leap into his throat for the time being.

"Nests?" he calls back up, his voice pitching up in surprise. A beat, as he casts a brief glance over towards Caitlyn, imparting a wordless look of relief and mild exasperation, before he looks up and raises his voice again to add:

"Um... Well, I don't think we have any way of getting up to you, so we'll just... Keep investigating down here for the time being then, shall we?"

Caitlyn's eyes narrow at the mention of Nests. That's...a word that she doesn't particularly like hearing for some reason. Nests have eggs, eggs have parents, and there were those dark shapes in the distance. Surely, if there was something in a nest, a parent wouldn't be gone too long.

"...Nests? Himeka, please tell me there aren't eggs in those nests..."

The source of the faint glow is an egg after all. Beside it are others, not in pieces or dissipated like most of the other fragments around, but calcified and hardened into stone. But if Estinien were to look closely at the one that glows, he will see the barely visible outlines of a small dragon within. The surface of this egg does not feel hardened like stone. Instead it feels almost woody.

"Praise Halone..."

Maybe a strange thing to say given his people's history with Halone and dragons, but it slips from his lips instinctively. He runs his hand over the glowing egg, feeling the woody texture of its shell, before awkwardly bundling it in his arms. He turns to show Himeka.

"Eggs. One is still alive," he says, presenting it to her. "The others... lost, I fear." He spares a moment, disappointed that only one has seemingly been spared, but it's better than nothing and he will take it for what it is. "...We should bring them along regardless. They can be laid to rest with their people. But for now..."

He stands and brings the egg to Himeka so that she can hold it.

"We should ensure our survivor is taken to safety."

She hangs her head at Caitlyn's question. It's the worst news to deliver--that there aren't. That they all seem long since destroyed and--

"...?"

She blinks, looking up at Estinien and what he carries. Her eyes go wide as she graciously accepts the egg. A strange texture, but she suppose it's fitting the sort of creature Estinien is doing the bidding off right now.

"How is this possible...?"

But regardless, she tucks the egg carefully into the folds of her toga-like dress, keeping it close to her stomach so she can hold it with one hand.

"One's still alive!" Himeka shouts back over the ledge. "We'll be down with it and the others in a moment!"

"Alive?!" Ryunosuke repeats in slight alarm, only really loud enough for Caitlyn to hear. Himeka sounds very pleased though, so he supposes it's good news...?

"Alive?!" Caitlyn echoes, a bit louder. Her gaze whips up, staring goggle eyed at Himeka.

"Bloody hell..." she murmurs for Ryunosuke's benefit. "We should hope the parents are long gone..."

Were he listening more closely to Ryunosuke and Caitlyn down below, Estinien would think that maybe he should have explained more thoroughly the relations between man and dragon in this place. As it is, though, he's focused on the eggs themselves. Once Himeka has the living one firmly in hand, he will carefully scoop her up in his arms.

Spreading his wings, he allows them to soften their fall, guiding them down to the ground floor of the tree. They'll land nearby the other two with surprising grace. Estinien sets Himeka down.

"Keep watch," he advises. "I will return with the others."

With that, he starts leaping up to nests again. If nothing else, the petrified eggs can be given a proper burial... or whatever it is the dragons here do with their dead.

Once she's safely on the ground and Estinien back up in the air to retrieve the rest, she pulls back the linen of her dress to let them see the egg in all it's otherworldliness.

"They're not quite like this on our star, but it's different than the rest up there. See?"

They're welcome to touch it if they like.

Before Estinien lands with Himeka, Ryunosuke makes a startled noise and blinks in alarm at Caitlyn's comment. He's talked to Himeka about dragons before, and she'd claimed they're not as mindless or dangerous as humans think... But it does seem like messing with a nest would be a pretty good way of provoking one? Unless, this egg is actually the thing that they were meant to come out here and retrieve...

Hm. No... He's not sure why, but he has this eerie sense that if they do get attacked, dragons are unlikely to be the culprits...

In any case, Ryunosuke is a little bit too wary to actually try and touch the egg once it's in front of him. Not without direct, verbal invitation, anyway... It's an egg? Eggs are fragile. However, he IS leaning forward a bit and putting his peepers on it with wide-eyed amazement. Indeed, there's no doubt about what kind of egg it is once observed up close, the tiny little body cradled inside faintly visible through the glow. He's never seen anything remotely like this before.

"That's... Incredible," he breathes. Not even the fact that it's a real glowing dragon's egg, but the fact that it managed to survive all this devastation somehow??

Actually... How DID it manage to survive?

He straightens up, rubbing his chin pensively. "I don't understand the timeline of this place... How long ago was it attacked? How long has that egg been here? Did it survive the assault, or.. Did something recently come back here and lay it..?"

Caitlyn paces nervously as their companions descend, her eyes drawn to the horizon, focusing on watching for angles they may come under attack. Even if there weren't parents, if they were gone, surely this would be the moment it would happen. Something as momentous as finding a dragon egg couldn't come without trouble, could it?

Maybe she's just paranoid...

Her attention returns to Himeka and Estinien as they land, and she shuffles over to look at the egg.

"Bloody hell, you weren't joking..." she murmurs, reaching ah and out to tentatively brush against the ethereal-seeming thing. It doesn't make sense at all, but she supposes many things don't here on Horos, so why should they start now.

"...I don't understand how it's here, but if it is a viable egg, then is the plan to care for it?"

Meanwhile, Estinien is up with the nests, frowning ruefully at the stone-like eggs that remain. Like petrified wood, it seems... he can only assume they must be done for. Yet, he is committed to bringing them along, too. If there's something to be done with them, either sentimental or otherwise, they are owed that much.

He removes his cloak and lays it out, placing the eggs on top before folding the fabric into a bundle he can more easily carry. It's heavy, much the same as carrying a bag of large rocks, but he's carried heavier loads.

When he descends again, the lack of cloak has left him more exposed than he has been in public for some time now. His hair still shimmers in the darkened hollow of the tree, but if they look closely, they may notice that his eyes have faded back to a bluish grey, his face a bit pink around the cheeks. Notable only because, when they arrived, both were completely without color.

"I'm to return them to their people," he says, answering the question he overheard. "'Twas one of their kind that sent us on this quest. I was asked to return what they had lost... and I assume we have found it."

The group may continue their exploration of the tree if they wish. They will find bits and pieces that give clues to the life that the dragons once lived in this tree; hollows that indicate several family groupings once made the tree their home, remnants of what may have been the final meals, some claw markings that look deliberate and almost symbolic in the wood. But they will find nothing else that seems out of place. They are free to return to Greentruth whenever they wish.

They're good questions and ones that Himeka doesn't have answers for either. She shakes her head with a slight shrug of one of her shoulders at Ryunosuke.

"It both seems like it was only just hit but that it also happened long ago, doesn't it? I'm not sure how that's possible unless...something was able to freeze the aether?" But even that doesn't make sense to her.

What matters is that something did survive.

"Either way this is nothing short of a miracle."

Himeka nods in agreement. As tempting as it may be to want to take an egg under their proverbial (and literal, in Estinien's case) wing, if this egg is viable then it belongs with the other Tamfa.

"Did you find aught of interest?" she asks Caitlyn and Ryunosuke in turn.

“Ah— Yes!” Ryunosuke says, startled from his musings about dragons and eggs and the like. “Well… Maybe. We found some fragments…”

He pulls one of the metal chunks out of his pocket, holding it up for them to see. “We suspect several explosive devices were used to attack this place… I certainly don’t recognize the origin of it, though. I’d thought to ask someone back at the settlement about it, but... If we’ve found what we’re looking for here then I suppose there isn’t too much point. Is there?”

He's genuinely asking. Do they think it's a lead worth following up on? He's certainly curious about it.

"It can't hurt, I think. More information can help us understand what happened here, I believe."

That, at least, is her thought on the matter. Better to put together all the puzzle pieces than just accept the outcome. It may be useful in the future.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[CLOSED] DRAGON QUEST

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