Never has such a simple string of words every struck so much terror into the goblin. The fact of the matter became hard to deny, though, when the drake's eyes did indeed lock directly onto Rictus.
"You stole my eyes," The drake growled, it's feet stamping against the ground as circled around the still kneeling goblin. "You stole my eyes and are on my territory! What is there to explain?"
Rictus swallowed thickly, fingers reflectively clenching and unclenching. He slammed his hands against his legs, hoping to still them.
The goblin's mind raced. He tried to come up with an excuse powerful enough that even a drake would buy it, but every hypothetical idea he came up with ended with him dead. This wasn't like trying to lie his way past a group of angry orcs, or trying to deny a bar tab: this drake had every right to be pissed at him and very few reasons to spare him. It wasn't going to buy some lame fabrication that the goblin pulled out from under his hood.
Maybe the best course was not to lie, then. Or, at the very least, augment a lie with some truth.
"I came a-as a part of a small messenger group," Rictus blinked as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, slipping down the edge of his brow and pooling next to his eye. "W-we have come to deliver an important message directly to the dragon lords themselves. We wished only to cross your…lovely territory without disturbing you, and thus cast a spell of sleep so as to not wake you. We must have, uh, used the wrong spell."
Rictus threw up two shaking hands.
"I-i-it was obviously very rude of us to pull such a stunt, but the message we must deliver is so very important that we couldn't risky being denied! That's why I started to run about when you did awaken."
Rictus' heart was beating like a war drum in his chest, but he could feel some surety return to his breathing. These precious few moments were giving him some valuable time to breath, and more importantly, might be giving Lusca some time to come up with another spell. The goblin was fairly unfamiliar with magic, but assumedly it took some time to cast a second one so soon after performing the first, right? That was likely why he hadn't already cast another spell. Admittedly, Rictus couldn't actually see the merman from his position, but he was certain that Lusca was already trying to come up with an idea.
All he could do was wait. Either the drake brought the lie or Lusca came flying out of the woods with a spell. In both cases, Rictus was in the laps of the gods.
As Tyrian held his defensive stance he knew there was little he could truly accomplish at the moment. Dive head on into danger with a blade was foolish at best. Using his magic on a beast in the water would not be effective. He could easily use his bow he only had to take in the risk of hitting Malak or worse...a tougher more resistant area of the beast's scales and wasting his arrow altogether.
His gaze briefly held account of the dwarf and saw her struggling a bit on the icy path before Malak drived his spear into place within the Wyrm's flesh. It took him only a moment to connect what was about to happen and the rarely beheld power of the woman that stood ready at his side. Few people truly concerned Tyrian but Layana held her magic back in check for an important reason. It was deadly and powerful beyond most individuals grasp. Abandoning his soon attempted shot on the eye of the Wyrm and releasing the tension in the string of his bow before Layana began to unleash her power upon the beast with Malak having jumped free of it for that exact purpose. The spear making the attack all the more lethal.
Through all of this it would seem a near perfect kill until he returned his thoughts and gaze to Dodrelda and saw the ice crack and her body descend far too late. His eyes going wide and as soon as Layana's assault had concluded, Tyrian ran over into action jumping into the shallow end of the water after making sure the water was safe and nw lacking the magical charge it might have held before grasping and pulling on the floating chunk the dwarf had now clung to enough for him to carry her and safely bring her back to the swampland by the hut.
Giving Malak a glance only checking to see if he was alive and uninjured which seemed to be well enough the case did Tyrian continue to move forward and gently rest his fellow adventurer down. Already he could feel the guilt Layana would be feeling towards this but as he began to assess his comrade he spoke. "You could have not predicted such a thing. That was the best chance to take the Wyrm down and save the rest of us here. You did well". He said before getting to work.
First he began to check for her breathing as well as for a pulse. All while taking a moment to ignite a flame over his hand and try to dry her off a bit. In the midst of switching between these tasks he considered and wondered if she would need to be reciprocated while pulling forth his canteen at the ready. "Come on...I thought you dwarves were supposed to be tough cookies" he said light heartedly.
The. The dragon understood them. Was talking to them.
Liika had stood her ground, though barely. Her entire body had been tense with anticipation, calculating, and failing to find, the perfect time to swing such that they might not all get roasted alive her. She'd withstood the heat and the breath that smelled like death though all the time doubting the decision to try to sweet talk a dragon, questioning Duras's sanity at suggesting a bow -- how was a creature that didn't understand their language going to understand what such a gesture signified -- but maybe that's why it had singled her out. That and maybe she was the only one with weapons actually in hand.
But here they were, standing, not on fire, a dragon before them. Talking. Negotiating?
What did a dragon want?
All she could think of was how Ermina had been right. Something else lived here. They had to get out. They were going to get eaten. The eggs would hatch and then they would get eaten. Meat. The answer had to be meat. Were the eggs going to hatch soon? Was that what pulsing meant? Or did all dragon eggs just do that.
The only issue was they didn't have meat except for themselves. As much as Liika wanted to offer the troublesome crocolisk (she didn't need non-dragons chomping at her), she respected the troll enough to know that wasn't an option. Not really.
Liika so wished that she could look back at her companions for some sort of clue, but with the dragon's attention on her, she didn't dare. Even if they were talking, never take your eyes off the enemy. That was when Duras stepped forward beside her. She breathed again, not realizing she'd been holding her breath since as soon as that hot air had started washing over her. He had a plan. Maybe he knew what dragons wanted. Liika looked at what he held toward the dragon. Coin?
Well, honestly, it would work on her. For the right price, she'd spare a life. Same as taking a life, really. And with Duras offering, there was no reason for her to dip into her own pockets. Well, perhaps there was, but she'd wait to see if the dragon took his coin before pulling a sliver out.
But hoards aside, what was a dragon to do with coins when what it had were eggs? Meat. It came back to meat. The eggs would hatch, and the little babies would need to grow. (Well, not growing would be preferable, but it wasn't really Liika's opinion on this that mattered as far as their surviving this chance meeting.) And then they'd have a chance to wreck terror on the Ten Kingdoms, have their chance to die at some --
"Peace?' she practically whispered to herself, under her breath, as she finally, finally lowered the heads of her weapons to the ground slowly, resting them, though entirely not be accident, taking a firmer grip on them.
"A chance at peace,"' she repeated louder. She could feel her past self laughing at herself. Liika knew better than to pin hope on peace. She made a living off the very idea that peace never lasted. But if she walked out an alive fool, she'd take it. At least it was cheap to offer. "You want them to grow up without the threat of being hunted? Then let us turn back. We took a wrong turn, but we're here, we're here to talk to --" shoot, what was his name? She was going to have to study up for sure. Sit that goblin down and make him spit out everything he knew. "--to Fenygan the Ancient, and later Lord Dagmar."
Seriously, what was she doing? Half a moment ago, she hadn't even known whether the dragon could understand them, and now she wanted it to comprehend something so abstract as peace? Definitely an idiot. If she were the dragon, they'd be dead already, turned into nicely charred pieces of meat for the young to arrive.
This was not good. Not good at all! She had dimmed her light so much already. Any more and she would be alone in the dark! Well, certainly not completely alone. There were her comrades and a dragon... One mustn't forget the dragon. Lula had been using Duras as a shield. He was broad-shouldered and well built by nature, and so the perfect capacity for a shield. His girth did nicely to hide her luminous presence from the large predator that owned the cave that they had been trespassing in. And then he had gone and moved revealing~ what would have been a rather humorous sight under any other circumstances~ the one and only fairy of the Cloud Accord, hiding her face behind her own hands.
It would do well for her to recall that the myth of "If you can't see them, they can't see you." had been disapproved long ago. However, Lula was a dunderhead, and dunces of her caliber were quite well known in failing to remember pertinent information at the worst of moments. So assuming the dragon preferred larger appetizers, the sight of a low-burning sprite attempting to literally hide in plain sight was likely nothing more than a slightly-more-laughable-than-saddening-but-not-by-much shtick.
If that weren't bad enough, said fairy did not in fact come baring gifts as their reluctant hostess seemed to believe. Unless of course she wanted the mud in her pockets, which in actuality the young botanist was very hard-pressed to give up. The microbiota alone contained in those samples let alone the very likely nematodes and water bears and other such tiny, living things might be just what her beloved home needed to right itself again. She wished she had had some gold like Duras. It would have been a lot easier to give it up than her specimens. Liika was on to something though! Peace was good; she would definitely hop on the peace wagon!
Waiting. Waiting with bated breath. Jojin did not like it, not one bit: They were left more vulnerable every second they spent in the nest, the dragon looming over them, slowly creeping inside. More out of fear than trying to keep him in line - Jojin figured Hokum knew of the danger and would dare not attack an egg with a mother dragon watching - she gripped tighter on his whiskers.
What would they do if the dragon attacked? They were nearly trapped, the only exit behind them the slippery slope in which they came. She did not know if dragon eggs were fire resistant but Jojin hoped that they weren't, and that the risk of hurting her younglings would deter the mother dragon from blasting them with a fierce wave of heat.
The mother dragon tilted her head more at the proposition of coin, of peace, looking almost owlish. "Coin?" her eyes dilated, looking at the shining objects in the orc's hand. "Acceptable. You may go."
Jojin stared, brows lifting, as the orc was dismissed. "Group leave?"
"No," the dragon said. "Only him and..." her eyes, dilated still, looked up and down the centaur curiously. "You offer a future for my children," she said, "you may go as well." She turned to Lula and Jojin, then, appearing expectant.
It dawned on Jojin that if she and the fairy were to leave, they would need to appease the dragon's greed each. There was only one problem:
Jojin had nothing to give.
An idea struck her, suddenly, and it twisted her gut cruelly. She pursed her lips, glancing down at her crocolisk briefly and then letting her eyes fall on the small, glowing form of the fairy. "Meat," she said after a time, not bothering to ask for permission from Duras because there was a dragon and that dragon was going to eat them otherwise. Every word she spoke next tugged at her heartstrings, burning her very core: "Buffalo, liger. Meat. Fairy," she pointed to Lula, "troll" she pointed to herself, "feed you."
A slow stream of smoke rose from the dragon's nostrils and she looked to Hokum the crocolisk. "Croc-"
"No," Jojin felt her voice shake. "Buffalo, liger. Outside. Not crocolisk."
The dragon narrowed its eyes. More smoke rose into the air and Jojin reached slowly for her bow. And then it stopped: "Accepted. You may leave the buffalo and the liger. Go... should you meet Fenygan the Ancient, Nymara has given you her blessing."
And then she was gone, sliding her head out of the cavern, claws scratching across the floor to collect her coin.
[Lusca and Ricky]
He ran. There was a drake back there, yes, but Rictus - should he have survived - was there and it was a hell of a lot better being in danger with someone else than it was taking on whatever killed their mounts by his lonesome. Lusca wasn't a fighter by any means and his magic left him at the same disadvantage as his opponent.
Without someone at his side, he'd likely get himself killed.
So he ran fast, chest heaving with the exertion, not even caring at this point how the muck of the swamp would undoubtedly stain his uniform. He'd been stupid to think they'd stay even remotely clean during the journey. I'd been stupid to come here in the first place!
*** The Drake's Rock
Growling, the drake stepped forward, shoving its snout far too close into Rictus' bubble. It snapped - though not at him, simply the air - in frustration. "I do not know if you are lying," it grumbled. "I do not know. I do not know! How do I know if you are lying or not? I feel like you are lying."
The bushes rustled and out stumbled Lusca. He came to a quick halt, eyes wide. The merman had, for lack of a better explanation, greatly overestimated the distance he'd put between himself and the two. "Oh-"
"You, I smelled you before! You smell like magic," it said. Another sniff, then. "Magic and fish. You took my eyes."
Lusca glanced to Rictus, his own body frozen. Now was the time to work his charm, his silver tongue, but how did one schmooze a dragon? Especially one who looked very, very angry. Rictus was still alive, though: Perhaps kneeling had done something. Swallowing dryly, Lusca dropped low in mimic. "I..." Lusca wracked his brain for something to say that wouldn't give away the fact that he'd abandoned Rictus - he needed him to like him, to protect him - but he had no clue what words the goblin used to survive this long. "I returned them?"
The drake narrowed its eyes at that.
"I-I mean, I... my colleague and I simply wished to pass through. We... did not want to disturb you, so I cast a spell, but you woke and pursued us. U-Understandably, of course! We were simply protecting ourselves, is all," Lusca said. Cleared his throat. "Once we realized you may be good for conversation, I returned your eyesight." That was the farthest thing from the truth, but the drake didn't have to know that, now, did it? "We wish to talk."
A low grumble sounded in the drake's throat, but it moved back, away from them. Leveled the two with an interrogative gaze. "What message do you have?"
Message? Lusca glanced at Rictus. Perhaps he'd mentioned their quest? "We... are part of a delegation seeking peace between the ten kingdoms and dragonkin," he explained, eyes still boring holes into Rictus, as though simply looking at the goblin would help him recite the purpose of the Cloud Accord convincingly enough for the drake.
The grumble only grew, the drake seeming displeased. "You seek peace because you are losing," it growled. "So why should I care about peace?"
[Dodrelda, Layana, Tyrian, and Malak]
Slowly, Dodrelda's eyes opened. Then she sputtered. Coughed. Leaned over the side to spit out grimy marsh water, lips and skin tingling but otherwise fine. "Cah!" She let out a final cough. Wiped her mouth. Rubbed her eyes. "Feels like I drank too much ale," she said groggily. "Ungh, me head is throbbin' somethin' fierce, but..." her words trailed off as she caught sight of the wyrm's backside, sticking out of the water, unmoving. Dodrelda's jaw dropped.
"Ye killed it?" She looked to Tyrian. Beyond him, Layana and Malak who had made their way over. Despite the pounding in her head she grinned, broad and wide, smoke-stained teeth gleaming. "Ye killed it! My gods, ye killed it." Dodrelda covered her mouth though couldn't suppress the smile. "I'll be damned, ye mages are strong. 'Mind me never to get on ye rough sides, eh?" Her eyes twinkled with amusement, though she seemed paler than before, the headache still a pain.
She glanced towards the fallen wyrm one more time. "So... what say ye? Get goin' an' find the others?" Dodrelda nodded her head towards the cabin, realizing too late that only made her head throb more. She winced, bringing a hand up to massage her temples. "Lots'a corpses in there bu' we di'n't get ta check upstairs. Dunno that it'll be much different, though."
Funny. Death felt a lot like life...even smelled the same. Imagine that. She had been expecting more bright light and pretty music, but eh, no one ever lived to tell the tale after all. Lula was sure she had been eaten at that point. The lack of pain was just a fortunate perk. Maybe she had been swallowed whole and didn't feel it because of the natural layer of stickiness that seemed to coat her body at any given point in time.
Only when she heard her name mentioned in Jojin's plea bargain did the fairy dare to open her eyes and realize that they were still within the devastatingly dark cavern with a humongous dragon and her eggs. "Hey, I'm alive." She'd speak to herself more than anyone else, her brightness increasing with her jubilant thoughts. This was great! Not being eaten was the best thing that ever happened to her! She was quick to fly over to Jojin hugging one of the troll maiden's cheeks with glee, "Thank you, thank you, thank you... I shall enchant many things for you!"
For the love of her blade, that worked!? Liika did her best to keep the surprise from breaking out. Lula, clearly was overjoyed. Duras was now a few coins lighter, and she was thankful that he had had something to offer first. And Jojin who had offered the mounts... Liika frowned at that thought. That would make their travels slower, and, well, they were slow enough already. They hadn't even made it through one of the five territories. They hadn't even made it to a leader and they were giving up this much territory?
"Hold on," Liika started, turning back to the exit where the dragon had slid out from. There was a little more heat in her voice than was probably advisable, emboldened by her first victory, irritated by how unreasonable the dragon could be. Smart enough, it seemed, to talk, but not to think. That the dragon could wish for peace yet whittle down their ability to achieve that.
Though she didn't take a moment to reconsider what she was doing, she did take a second to steady her voice. She couldn't seem angry. She had to appeal to the dragon's authority. This was like those job negotiations where she had to deal with some dumb lord or another who wanted such-and-such done without providing the right tools or means to acquire those tools. Not … that she was calling the dragon dumb. And usually, her life wasn't on the line, just the job. But now she had an idea as to what this dragon wanted. Beyond food.
"This future -- this future that we both want..." Who was she kidding? Speaking as if she were on the same side as a dragon. "I need them, and their mounts if we're to get Fenygan the Ancient and all the other leaders before your children grow." How much did a dragon care for her children though? She at least had instincts. And could talk. Seemed at least somewhat intelligent. Enough to talk. "You have the coin. You have our word. Leave us the mounts. When our mission is finished, we can bring you ... meat." Liika was careful there -- they easily had the manpower to bring down some wild animals so as to not have to offer the mounts. A well-trained companion was much more valuable than just a source of food. And then the only matter would be finding the dragon again. Who knew how long they stuck to one nest? Did they migrate? Liika had so many questions for the goblin on their return.
Tyrian sighed with relief and smirked at her dawning realization of the fate of the wyrm. "Ahh well I did the least of the damage to it unfortunately. Not much I could do to a beast of the water and before I chose to try to harm it with my bow I saw that Layana and Snowflake had already come to terms on a lethal plan of action." Tyrian spoke not hiding his amusement to her excitement over the moment. The only thing dawning on him was that this was the first of many obstacles to come before them.
Igniting the flame in his palm a bit brighter to further aid in drying her off the simple use was very natural and took but a sliver of his abilities. Soon helping her onto her feet Tyrian looked to the group as well as the hut. "You two said you found some pretty dark stuff in there huh...I think it is bound to be expected. Checking upstairs may be an option if one of you wish to do so but afterwards I believe we should return to our main mission and focus on returning to the others. I am confident they had just as much 'peace' as we did if not less." he spoke with a bit of concern. Crossing his arms and looking over to each of them as he moved over to Layana. He was still wishing to hear the rest of their ideas, even Malak.
"Looks like my reflexes saved you once again my love" Tyrian teased in a purely joking manner as he gently and briefly brushed his hand to her cheek in passing as he returned to his steed and expected Layana to call hers back in turn as Elio came back down from the sky to once again perch on his shoulder. He would send his bird out to search for the others. But in dragon country that would only be a risk.
Malak made his way on over to the group, hiding his own relief that his Dwarves friend was very much alive. In the Elf's head brewed a mighty storm, for he had not fought a dragon—or anything of that size, as of yet. The thrill, the excitement blended in with the hassle of combating larger foes, and it was a memory that came as quickly as it passed. He brushed his now disheveled locks of ivory as he paced. Malak placed a palm over his shoulder, shaking his head and, much like the rest of the trip, making his ire quite known. For a mage of ice, this Elf's temper was quite fiery. "Oh how I've forgotten how much I hated dragons!" For a second, he had forgotten the Accord's pursuit of peace.
He looked back, feeling displeased at the outcome of this battle… even if the Wyrm was dead. "As much as I'd like to enter this damn hut, I've no energies left. And worse yet, my weapon's gone." Looking back at the hut, Malak couldn't help but feel a bit of dread. He turned back to Tyrian and crossed his arms."Be useful and burn this goddamned house to the ground." Malak said straight, walking past the party and a bit into the woods to pluck his sword-staff from a tree or fish for it should it have sunk beneath the muck. He bothered not to say the many reasons why, though—for one, the house could have eggs, or criminals, or other dangers. There was a slight possibility that there were beings inside, but at this point, the Elf cared little. You might as well die living in dragon country. He didn't look back, but shouted: "Aleguard, show the lovers that big gaping hole we saw out back, yes?" Malak said, looking for his blade.
Layana watched the creature fall to its fate as she watched with a form of horror to dwarf falling freed from the creature and skidding across the ice in a lump. She felt her own powers drain from her body whilst her breath became ragged to said taken actions. The creature screamed in horrendous pain as she fell to her knee to gather her breath as electricity played over the skin of her body and left her gaze to remain clouded to the sight of the three in the distance. Tyrian himself had run to her aid as he slid downwards to take at her side as she wished to but could feel her stamina needing to re-gather before she dared to move. Her gaze soon filled with relief at the sight of Dodrelda breathed life once more and she couldn't help the soft chuckle that parted from her lips as she lifted and began to cross over at Malak's side as she pulled her sleeve down over her right arm. There , she hid the burn mark that had formed under the igniting of her lightning as she barely used it and when she did in mass amounts it would always leave her with a reminder of such and the divide in her blood.
She offered a lingered smile of warmth down to Dodrelda as her lips twisted into that of a playful grin."So the rumors are true about how thick skinned your kind is. Perhaps we need more of your kind in battle." She teased only to watch Tyrian rise to near her as she pulled her sleeve further down and offered a soft smile up to him as her head turned to press her lips in a brief kiss to his palm as he passed to ready their horses."You've always been a man of quick reflex but , don't forget who ensured your handsome self would still be standing to save Dodrelda." She finished only to turn her look on Malak to raise her freed hand to him in a motion of stopping."I wish to go in and look over what is held to the upper level. You both can remain out here with Dodrelda whilst Tyrian keeps an eye on you , Malak." Layana said firmly as she met Tyrian's look with knowing as she knew he would try to stop her as she quickly loosened her blade with her freed hand and pushed the door open with a creak as the scent of death filled her nostrils. Her breath became deepened as she entered and began her way up the stairwell as she stepped over the rotting corpses in passing to her steps.
Letting out a deep sigh as the dragon exited, Jojin brought a hand up to drag down her face. Weary, is what she was. That had been entirely too close of an ordeal. Too close of a dance with death. Luckily, it seemed they had made all of the right moves, if only for the fact they all remained healthy and alive, if not shaken.
A small, glowing body pressed against Jojin's cheek, arms wrapping around her face. The troll's eyes widened almost comically. She tentatively patted Lula's back, not entirely sure what to say except: "Fairy welcome."
Jojin did not know what kind of enchantments she would ever need, but she supposed it was the thought that counted. She appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Offered the small fairy a smile, even, as she detached herself from Jojin's face.
And then her smile fell, because the next step would be to leave the cavern. Mountless. Guilt churned in Jojin's stomach for offering up the innocent creatures - life, as she'd been taught growing up, was sacred - but what else could she have done?
What else…
And so, the scouting group left the cavern. They resurfaced the way they came, thin rays of sunlight beaming down through the thick swamp leaves overhead. Nymara stood off to the side, claws wrapped around the reigns of the mounts, the animals cowering at the proximity. Jojin frowned, the sight pulling at her heartstrings.
What else…?
Liika spoke up, then, and Jojin froze. A rumble sounded in Nymara's throat and the troll couldn't quite place it. Wasn't sure if it was a good sound or a bad but, with dragon's, she always assumed the latter. The dragon's eyes flitted to each of their faces before settling back on Liika and narrowing.
"A deal is a deal," she said, "but you make sense."
Slowly, she uncurled her claws from the mounts' reigns.
"Do not betray your word. I will be watching."
Jojin let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Wary, she stepped forward to collect her buffalo, eyes never leaving the dragon staring them down. She ran a soothing hand along its snout, the poor thing - much like Duras' liger - too terrified to move. The troll opened her mouth to say something to Nymara, perhaps a thank you, but no words came out.
Once the mounts settled, the group left Nymara's cavern and began tracing their steps back to where they'd all split up.
[Lusca and Ricky]
Feeling the merman's eyes on his back, Rictus knew it was his time to shine. Or, at least, save their lives. Same thing, though, right? Clearing his throat, he attempted to will the nerves away. It worked… somewhat.
"Peace! Ah, peace would be quite good for all parties, especially drakes such as yourself because…" Come to think of it, how would peace benefit a drake? They'd often displayed more blind aggression, only rivaled in such a trait by their cousins, amphitheres and wyverns. If anything, having something to slash and chew would likely be more fun for them.
Unless they were aggressive for an entirely different reason than simply being a hybrid. The theory had never been confirmed and what Rictus had in mind would go against all he'd been taught as a dragon scout, but he had to try. Let his intuition take the wheel and hope it served him better here than it did with the ladies.
"Less stress!"
"Less stress? You are joking-"
Rictus felt a bead of sweat trickle down his brow, but plastered on a genuine smile. "Less stress for you, as a drake! Peace means no more war, and no more war means a lowered strain on resources, right? It can't be easy competing for food in such dire times."
The drake narrowed its brows, but its body seemed to relax. It looked curious. Inquisitive.
"So… that's why you should look forward to peace with the Ten Kingdoms!" Rictus felt himself running out of steam. It had been a long shot, but it appeared to be working.
After a long, pregnant pause, the drake took a step back. Huffed loudly through its nose. "I do not trust you, but I do like food," it said. "If you are lying, I will find you and kill you"
Lusca's eyes widened: Had the goblin actually done it?
"Now leave me alone."
His jaw dropped but he clamped it shut just as quickly. The goblin actually did it! Before the two could converse any longer, Lusca grabbed Rictus by the arm and hauled him back towards the brush. "Appreciate it, Sir-"
"Leave!"
"Yes. Yep. Right away."
The two fell out of the small clearing, concealed by flora, and Lusca didn't stop until they were a safe distance from the drake's rock. His heart hammered in his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins and making him feel mighty. He turned to Rictus with a smile… only to find the goblin wearing a solemn look of concern. "What is wrong?"
"I…" Rictus frowned, brows knitted. He brought a hand up to scratch the side of his face. "That was a close call, huh? I…"
"You…?" Lusca prompted, not sure where this was going but not liking it one bit.
"I think I should go home."
The merman's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that, not at all, but he found he couldn't blame the goblin. His original plan had been to find an ally in this mess and use them as a means for survival. If Rictus was leaving, well, he'd just have to find someone else to protect him. The two stood in silence for a long moment, both gathering their thoughts. Eventually, Lusca spoke: "I understand, but you're escorting me to the others before you leave."
Rictus chuckled at that. Flashed him a grin of camaraderie. "One last adventure, then!"
"If you can call it that," Lusca said. And then he remembered the mounts. His lips pursed. "Well, actually, our mounts are dead. So it will be an adventure avoiding whatever ate them."
"The mounts are dead!?"
Shrugging sheepishly, Lusca glanced around them. No sign of a threat, so he figured it best to head out before something did show up. With a flick of his wrist, he motioned Rictus to follow him.
From there, the two trudged through the swampwater, following the trail they had made.
[Dodrelda, Layana, Tyrian, and Malak]
"Thank ye. Helps to no' be so cold," Dodrelda said as Tyrian helped dry her off. Took his hand and rose to her feet. Gathered up Ysolda from a few feet away, a final ping of electricity going through her system, feeling more like a tingle than anything. She did not even flinch. Instead, looked past Tyrian at Layana. Took a bow at the compliment and swung Ysolda up to prop against her own shoulder. "We be small bu' mighty," she grinned. "People like to und'r'estimate us. S'what gets 'em in trouble, indeed."
She looked to the troll hut, then, lips twisting into a grimace. "I ain't goin' back in," she said. "Would much rather watch it burn. Though… tha' might make it smell worse…"
Despite Malak and Dodrelda's distaste for the hut, one brave adventurer did offer to venture inside: Layana.
***
Troll Hut - Upper Floor
Upon stepping up the damp and moldy wooden stairs - many of which crumbled underfoot, forcing Layana to take great care lest she fall - the lightning mage met with an open, rotting wall. There was a door but it was useless, for she could very easily step over the walls remains and into the next room.
Inside smelled like death. There were no noticeable corpses, however. Only a small pile of scaled eggs, all of them cracked and empty, all of them a unique color of alabaster and covered in dust. They looked very fragile but perhaps, with great care, Layana could smuggle one down to the others.
Pocketing one of the small, broken shell pieces from the floor, Layana hurried back down the way she came. It would be an interesting conversation piece later, if anything.
From there, the group set back towards the way they came, following the marks they'd made in the trees.
"I see them!" Lusca pointed towards two groups converging down the way. Quickly, he raced towards them, Rictus at his heels. Within seconds all three scouting groups had been reunited. He was relieved to see everyone was there - even the crocolisk.
Squaring off with death gave him a new perspective on things, even if he still thought the creature below him. "I see you all made it in one piece."
Dodrelda smiled past a mouthful of smoke. "Nearly di'n't. What 'bout ye? Lost yer mounts."
Lusca exchanged a rather proud grin with Rictus. "Ahh, yes. The mounts were not so lucky. It was close, admittedly, but we convinced a drake to leave us be," Lusca said. His smile faltered then and he glanced at Rictus. "Well, actually… that was mostly Rictus, here. Speaking of which… Rictus?"
The goblin's smile fell into something sheepish, weary, perhaps a little embarrassed. "I have decided to resign from the delegation and head home. Fenygan is one of the more amicable generals, or so I've heard, but I'm not too eager to face a dragon, if I'm honest."
Before anyone could protest, Lusca raised a hand. In it, a small journal. "His notes on Fenswich Marsh."
"There's not much there," Rictus said, "but I hope what is will help."
What had they done? Wandered unwittingly into a dragon's nest and saved their hides through negotiation. To explain that in the common language would be beyond difficult, so Jojin would leave that for someone else to explain, either now or around a campfire later. Plus, she had other things to worry about.
Rictus was leaving.
Frowning openly, Jojin felt her heart fall. They needed him. Did he not know that? He had so much information, so much potential, yet… perhaps it was for the best. The journey proved itself today to be dangerous and it would only become moreso. She did not want to see anyone die, least of all Rictus, for she'd known him long - if not in brief intervals - before the delegation had formed.
"Beware crocolisks," she said after a time, adopting a smile as she referenced their first meeting, sharp teeth showing. Rictus grinned in response, eyes flicking to Hokum, who gave a good snap of his jaws in response. The goblin skittered back, his usual response. Her smile softened.
Yes, perhaps it was for the best.
A waft of aromatic smoke blew from her lips, around the stem of her pipe. Dodrelda didn't know the goblin well. It struck her as odd how quickly he decided to leave but, then again, she hadn't experienced what he had. A drake? She'd squared off against a wyrm, though that had been in a team of four. As far as she was concerned, when Rictus paired with the merman, he may as well have gone at it alone.
With that thought in mind, she found she couldn't blame him. Especially if Lusca, the snubbiest of them all, wasn't.
Instead, she thrust a gloved hand out. Rictus raised his brows, then smiled and shook it. "Ye be careful headin' back, then," she said. "Dunna ge' caught by any more drakes, eh?"
"I really hope I don't at least."
Jojin tilted her head, a curious look befalling her features. "Ride buffalo?"
In response Rictus shook his head quickly. "No, no. You need that more than I do. I'll be fine. Probably. We're not too far from the border, after all, and I've scouted this area plenty of times. I know my way back."
"Well," another puff of smoke, "'least let us give ye a story to tell 'em back home." Dodrelda took her pipe and held it away so she could speak, both with her mouth and her free hand. "Snowflake, 'ese two lovebirds, an' myself stumbled upon a troll hut!" Jojin looked intrigued by that. "Massive, but molded and rotting. Fallin' 'part, piece by piece, I'm surprised it di'n't collapse right then an' there."
Before anyone could speak, Dodrelda shushed them with a dramatic wave of her hand. "Best par', though? We fought a wyrm. Big as the trees 'emselves. Maybe a whole castle wing! Mighty, mighty beast." To those who had been there, it was obvious Dodrelda was exaggerating, but she had a playful glint in her eye. She enjoyed storytelling. And so she continued on, detailing the battle with great embellishments.
"I'll definitely tell them, don't you worry," Rictus grinned, no doubt planning to use the tale as a means to catch conversation with the ladies. He looked at each one of the delegation members. "Well, I should head back, then. Ah… be safe on your journey. I know you'll do well."
That Liika was willing to count as a victory as great as slaying a dragon. The number of people that could claim to walk away from a dragon was few enough, and Liika had been lucky to count herself among them. But how many of those could claim to have walked away from a living dragon without drawing a weapon (or, using one, really)? Now, the four of them, she supposed. Only now, after the dragon had agreed to this new deal, did Liika follow Duras's suggestion -- she bowed.
They had an agreement with a dragon. Not one of the leaders, but one a dragonkin nonetheless. It would be so much easier, so much simpler to just swing an axe at them. None of that terror, none of that accidentally giving them the upper hand.
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"Wait you're leaving?"
They had barely returned when Rictus announced it. Liika feel irrationally betrayed. Sure, she understood if someone were to back out of a job for real reasons, like money, like finding a better gig, but a wee drake and that was it? Danger was a given! This was cowardice.
Not to mention, she had piled up an entire book's worth of questions. "But I need to know -- Are dragons territorial or do they wander? Do they form… packs or always end up solo? Do their eggs burn? I saw them glow. Does that mean they're almost hatching or do they just do that? Do they all talk or is it just some of them?"
How was it others could be so cheerful about him leaving, sharing stories, wishing him well in his show of selfishness? They had nearly lost their lives, nearly lost their mounts, did in fact leave behind some coin, and now they were to lose one of their delegation members? They were hardly into the swamp at all, and they had more territories to go.
"You know what, forget it. Leave if you want." They had met Nymara, and were still standing. Liika wasn't afraid. The knowledge would have been helpful, but what was knowledge from a deserter? She would rather have someone at her back in dragon territory. Let those who would leave leave. Better now than during a crucial moment in which she was depending on them.
"You better not be giving him that buffalo after what we went through," Liika warned. "Might as well have left it with Nymara, then." Nymara. It unsettled Liika to think she thought of the dragon by name so easily. Surely, she reassured herself, it was simply because they had made an arrangement and she needed some way of distinguishing this one dragon from all the other dragons. But that, too, was strange. She had said what was necessary to get them out. But did she really intend to return and feed the beast? She had offered plenty of empty promises in the past. Why was this one any different? Just because it was a dragon who could easily find the few specks of sentient non-dragonkin in the area didn't frighten her. Oh yeah, and that was another matter. Sentience. They spoke. They reasoned. They swallowed what should have been empty promises.
"We also met our own," she added by way of explaining what she had said. "Ermina saw the situation coming from afar, but it was Duras who paid our way out." To say nothing of the crocolisk nor anything of the words she should have no reason to keep. The dragon hadn't offered anything … other than their lives. And what was that worth! It was the dragon that ought to be thankful she was still alive and none of her eggs had been smashed.
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OOC: @Baddamobs For all Liika's dislike of the situation, I'll miss reading Rictus posts and wish you the best!
Tyrian noted each of their thoughts on the matter of joining the group and as expected found annoyance towards Malak's words. "It baffles me how you continue to hold such entitlement and arrogance even while being behind bars for so long. While I appreciate you aiding in the fight we just had, you do not give orders here." he said holding back his annoyance but through the exchange he was distracted as Layana went ahead towards the home. He turned and stopped to warn her but knew of her stubborn ways as well as the fact he could not just follow and leave Snowflake with the dwarf all by herself after what happened.
~Back with the group~
Tyrian's eyes opened a bit with surprise. The goblin seemed one of the least likely to lose his nerve originally to the human ambassador. Looks like even he could slip on judgment of character. Even so he respected the decision. This was not an easy choice. It was wrong to call him selfish even as committing to this delegation meant much more than the prospect of losing your life, it held the truth of the fact you carried the lives and hope of the kingdoms you served and represented.
Stepping forward and offering his hand in turn he nodded and expressed his hopes of safe travels to the goblin. "Leaving us your notes should still help us greatly. Thank you for even attempting this task. Most cower from the description of this land alone let alone the actual fact of the beasts that we face beyond them". he said before stepping back. There was no point getting upset with him they still had a mission to focus on. Turning to the others he listened to the tales of what they themselves had gone through or at least summaries of them.
Running and crossing his fingers over his chin as he thought, Tyrian expressed in some detail what had happened with their group as well as the note of Malak's and Layana's use of magic. "It might be close to the time to make camp unless we all feel comfortable with continuing on as a group once again".
Rictus appeared sheepish at Liika's reaction but, while he did feel small pangs of guilt for leaving them on their own, his mind had been made up. The answers to her questions were within the journal, but it wouldn't hurt to verbalize them anyway: "From what I've seen, most dragonkin appear territorial. There are always outliers, however." He scratched his head at the second question. "I've never seen a social pattern with dragonkin; Some build families - packs - and others don't. Ah, but I do know Fenygan is on friendly terms with Icarus and Hickory!"
"The generals." Lusca quirked a brow. "How friendly?"
Rictus pondered this, not exactly sure from what little information he had. He shrugged. "Friendly enough to meet in the Marsh often. They gossip often." Turning back to Liika, he shrugged again. "I... admittedly don't know much about the eggs. I've heard they tend to glow, but the stories vary. As for the talking, dragons and wyrms are known to talk. Talked to a drake today, so... I'm not sure, but it might be that they all are capable of speech."
Dodrelda paused in puffing her pipe, a look of concern crossing her features. Rictus saw her glance to the other three - Tyrian, Layan, and Malak - who'd accompanied her earlier. She said nothing, though. Simply resumed her smoking, but with darkened eyes.
Jojin, on the other hand, looked deeply interested in what he had to say. Confused, but interested.
"Well," Rictus offered the team a parting smile and stepped back, preparing to make his leave, "the rest of what I know is in the journal." He made eye contact with Tyrian and nodded. A thought struck him, suddenly, and he stopped. "I don't know if it will fit everyone comfortably, but there is a goblin tower North of here. Follow the path straight. It's by the water's edge."
And then turned away. Departed quickly, lest he find himself convinced to stay.
Lusca watched Rictus leave for a few seconds before looking to the others. He glanced down at his soiled uniform. Suppressed a long overdue grimace. "I am of no mind to sleep out in the muck, so I say we follow his instruction," he said. Then, with a haughty air so as to suppress his embarrassment, he looked to Liika. "Also, I will be needing a means of transportation from hereon," he said. "There will be coin in it for you, of course."
"Go North," Jojin said suddenly, appearing less confused than before. "Goblin tower. Camp."
With a roll of his eyes, Lusca crossed his arms. Propped an elbow in his hand, twirling his wrist as he spoke: "That is quite literally what I just said. Although less elegantly."
The troll narrowed her eyebrows at him but said nothing more.
Day One. Evening. Camping at the Goblin Tower.
Settling down around a crackling fire at the foot of the goblin tower, Dodrelda stretched her arms above her head and leaned against a wooden foundation pillow. Rubbed her eyes. It'd be foolish to stay up much longer, yet still the delegation remained awake.
"And then it agreed," Lusca said. He'd rehashed the story of the drake. "Of course it did, though, otherwise I would not be here to share this with you. Note for the wise: Drakes do not appreciate being blinded."
"I dunnae think anyone'd be glad to be blinded," Dodrelda pointed out. Drew her lips into a line, brows pinching.
Jojin quirked a brow at the dwarf. Ran a hand down the smooth scales of Hokum's back, the crocolisk hovering in the shallow water nearby. He let out a satisfied hum at the touch. "Dodrelda upset."
"Maybe." Shrugging, Dodrelda looked to Tyrian, Layana, and Malak. Then, eventually, the rest of the delegation. "Do ye think we messed up? Killing tha' wyrm, I mean."
Layana had finished pitching her tent near the base foundation of the tower as she unstrapped the large bag held to the spare horse that had been deemed the one for Malak to ride upon. From there , she hauled the bags to her and Tyrian's tent as she spread the furs and blanket there for them to sleep upon as the plush material held beneath her feet. The tent itself was large enough for their horses to be led into the back area to ensure their safety and ability to receive the rest they needed. She smiled softly to her horse who stood freed and blanketed eating the current bag of oats laid at his hooves with a mix of grass. Layana soon maneuvered out to meet the sight of several others gathered around the fire in rest as a few ate and the remainder laid back in needed rest. She found her look briefly connect over him in passing as she joined to take a seat at his side again. Her hand absently fell to cover over his hand as she listened to the talk as she kept her cloak hood drawn in closely to her face under the fading light of the day.. She could feel her body still held weakened after the great amount of magic she had under-gone to lead to the safety of her group. Layana sighed lowly and shook her head a small bit to Dodrelda."If we hadn't done something than none of us would be sitting here now and we would have been unable to protect the group.. We did the right thing at the end of the day." She stated firmly to her as her head came to rest with exhaustion to her and let her own words fall in question to the other two as she squeezed his hand and looked between the three as she had offered up her words but was curious to know the mindsets of the others."What about you all.? Do you think we did what was needed to ensure this mission go as planned?" She asked with true seriousness as her gaze seemed softly clouded with the marks of tire and concern for the mission itself.
"I'm a poor, lonesome gnome boy. I'm a long, long way from home. And this poor, lonesome gnome boy has got a long, long way to roam. Over mountains, over marshlands. From dawn 'till day's last hour. My ram 'n me keep riding, t'wards that goblin tower." The gnome's small voice was accompanied by the occasional strum of his ukulele. While he didn't want to make too much noise and attract unwanted visitors, the darkness creeping up on the nearly defenseless rider and his mount had both of them quite nervous. Singing might not have calmed down the mount, but the brains of the duo was certainly at ease after a nice tune. According to cousin Rictus, whom Hallen had met somewhere along the way, it shouldn't be much further to the goblin tower the delegation was headed.
And then a light, no, a beacon of hope shone in the distance. A campfire! Hallen pet his ram on the cheek and pointed forwards, hoping the poor thing understood what that light meant. "Look there, buddy. We're nearly home-free." He said gleefully. The ram obviously didn't understand his words, but any kind of interaction was welcome to ease Hallen's poor nerves, and maybe the soothing tone of voice was understood by the mount nonetheless. Hallen put his ukulele back into the pile of tools, gadgets and things his poor ram had to carry along with himself, then retrieved two metal sticks and a ball, and held them close. If he was going to meet the others soon, he'd better make a good first impression.
Yes. From a distance he could clearly make out the goblin tower, dimly illuminated by the fire freshly lit at its base. It was quite an impressive build out here in the mucky marshes. Cousin goblins were very bright minds, he'd come to admit time after time. And there, settling in at the foundation of the outpost were a funny gathering of varying faces and sizes, definitely the delegation he was looking for. It was probably for the best to let his presence and goodwill be known, lest they be startled by the unexpected and decide to shoot first and ask questions later. There were a couple among them Hallen wouldn't be surprised to be of that mind. "Hey there! Over here!" Hallen called out to the group, still a relatively safe distance away from them. "I'm supposed to join some sort of delegation that's severely lacking in gnome representation! Mixie's orders." He added with a small chuckle. Gnome and ram were slowly approaching the group, completely at their mercy by now, but as he got closer he was able to make out the various races he'd been briefed on and was supposed to meet. What were the odds of another ragtag group like this out here in dragon country?
Malak smirked as Tyrian spoke to him. They had just killed a Wyrm, and though it was a cause of celebration, there brewed once more the tension between fire and ice. The Dark Elf stepped forth, the two men now chest to chest and eyes deadlocked unto each other. He was no threat. They were no threat. "This arrogance is apt. You save the Princess and suddenly you're by her side. What did I get for saving her fa–" and he stopped. Dodrelda was practically choking on her smoke at the sudden spike of drama. He was in no mood to expound on his words. Thankfully, Layana was inside the disgusting troll hut before the Elf had shed some light upon the truth of the matter. When they returned to the group, Malak was honestly unconcerned about Rictus' departure. He gave the little monster a wave, but that was that. Could they have become friends? Perhaps… but there Malak was, his walls still up even after winning a fight with a Wyrm.
The group found themselves in the Goblin Tower, where they could have avoided everything if they had just listened to those who voted to go here as opposed to the left. When the fire was lit and it crackled, the Elf sat before it at once.
"There's no need to question ourselves," Malak muttered as Dodrelda spoke. Her expressions painted a guilt-ridden picture, and the Elf could do naught but sigh. Despite all the frost that had glazed and formed within him, the Dark Elf prisoner found himself the one closest to the fire. His hands were practically touching the crackling tips of the flame, when he turned to the Accord's stocky, diminutive member. "I had the whole peace in mind, even asked the damned Wyrm to concede because death was unecessary… in the end, we did our parts. It should've done the same. There was only so much we could do." Malak felt the group's actions were justified. His gaze was locked unto the ember, and from his cold, crisp lips emerged words of warmth. "So don't doubt yourselves." His position was calm and collected, and he paid no sound mind.
He laid before the flames, resting his head upon his palms. "That Goblin honestly had the right idea." He loosed a short chuckle before his ears twitched to the sound of… song?
Regrouping with everyone did hold some minor form of comfort even if it was only for the moment. The event with the Wyrm truly showed how dangerous this mission would be but hopefully Rictus would be the only one to shy from this delegation. They needed him. Needed capable individuals for this mission and losing such a knowledgeable scout would surely strike a blow but not one they could not overcome, Tyrian hoped at least.
Assisting Layana in pitching their tent together the ambassador went behind the tent where a small porch of sorts was able to house their mounts to a degree as well as a nice little spot for Elio who he patted affectionately and made sure to feed as he looked over the others around the campfire and relieved their tales they spoke. But before this night was over. There needed to be a few things addressed as well as their plan for the morning.
Stepping out and beside Layana as he set his hand on her shoulder as Malak finished he held his confident and sure expression. "We did the best we could have in that situation. The alternative would have been to ask the Wyrm from inside its mouth if it would play nice." He joked lightly before taking a step past to be more centered in that of the resting area with the crackling embers of the fire before them.
About to speak Tyrian stopped as he to heard an incoming voice immediately catching his attention. A Gnome? Tyrian reached behind himself for his weapon just to be safe as he could now draw within a matter of moments. "Greetings. Approach slowly. I assume you have some sort of letter or something to prove you are supposed to join us here." He said keeping his alert up but ultimately knew worst case this man would be just a wanderer or someone trying to join under his own wishes. He slowly released his grip on his weapon and crossed his arms to return to the group as he would speak after letting the Gnome identify himself.
"We all need to discuss some important matters here. Obviously we need to try to get what rest we can but we need to break camp early in the morning. We should discuss exactly our plans for when we mobilize again as well as who and how many individuals to have on watch tonight and how long those watches should be of course. We need to all for the most part agree on these matters. I think our plan is straightforward as long as the map continues to hold true we should be able to encounter Dragon General Fenygan without too much further land to cross. Hopefully the more peaceful approaches from the other groups will leave the dragon in a better mood." Tyrian only hoped as even with his skill in speechcraft and diplomacy it's not like he had dealt with dragons. Rictus was their best bet in that regard until now. Tyrian himself was human but it could not be helped of the dragons natural hate for his species.
"I think two members on watch would be best and we could do one or two hour watches depending while trying to allow rest for us all. On a final note I do have a important matter to discuss." He said looking to Layana and nodding slightly as they had come to agree on their views on this before placing his gaze to Malak. "I do not see the wisdom in why Magister Alre would send a prisoner on such an important mission. I am sure the thought has passed through most of everyone here. I am not here to debate on that fact as it would prove pointless. While you will prove to be useful as you were with the Wyrm.... I will not give you the trust the others here have and hopefully the rest of everyone can agree with me that it would be foolish to do so. You were a prisoner for a serious crime." He said before shaking his head. Tyrian did not even need to go into the other reasons he had yet to trust the elf. He was one of the few of what Tyrian considered to be their kind that had yet to accept him and he reminded Tyrian of what he had to encounter during his first years in Elloris. Besides the distaste of him being human there was more behind his cold dark gaze that Tyrian did not trust. Being an ambassador reading individuals was more than a vital skill.
"Malak needs to be severely watched at all times. I would even recommend binding him if possible at least at night. Letting him have free reign with no one to observe would not be wise. I will still stand by that he helped a great deal with our own encounter and I am also not the leader of this delegation, we are a team so please. Let us discuss this and have those share their thoughts on the matter". Tyrian finished before standing ready to listen. Other than discussing the topics at hand he would plan to set up traps around the camp both for small game and to alert for intruders..not that it would help much but any security would be better than none. While Tyrian was confident in his little speech he still glanced to Layana to view what she thought of it all. Hopefully in the future the delegation could truly form into what he claimed it to be. A Team.
She was content to keep her trap shut once they were heading towards the rest of their group mates, especially with Nymara meeting them again outside. Her little heart was going to burst in fright, but thankfully the dragon lady had decided not to eat them! She was left beaming brightly as they moved back toward the others. They were alive! Today was a glorious day indeed, riddled just a bit with some sadness at the announcement of Rictus' departure.
"Travel safely! We will miss you!" She'd speak genuinely to the goblin man. He was funny and brought much laughter and levity to the party. And no doubt some knowledge that had yet to be tapped. However, if he felt unsafe then, it was important to do what he felt was best for himself.
She was content later, setting beside the fire not very far from the big, frosty elf. She was tempted to warn him away from his closeness, but he seemed to be closer and closer to it each time she blinked. This made her curious enough to leave her space and invade his, hovering toward his left cheek and leaning to make contact with his eye, "You are cold? How come?"
Of course, she tended to block out sounds when she got focused on something, but Tyrian was speaking about the same elf, so she was inclined to listen to the conversation. Be bound? Why? They were in dragon country... She'd listened to the stories along the way to the encampment. Everyone had encountered some form of dragonkin today. Even if the dark elf decided to make a run for it, he was likely to get into trouble along the way. She didn't know how good he was with magic, but... everyone had a limit. Even if he had good luck, his chances of being eaten before he left dragon country were quite high.
"I don't think we should tie him up... What if something attacks in the night? He'd be a sitting duck. Er... elf? And if he was a bad guy, he would have tried to do something bad by now right? Didn't he help in the wyrm fight you guys had?" She was notoriously naive and not always very sharp-witted, but she gave Malak the same benefit of doubt that she did for everyone else. Maybe the world wasn't fair, but she tried to be.
The same went for this apparent newcomer. A gnome? She'd boldly flit up, standing atop Malak's snowy head to get a better look at Rictus' replacement. Meanwhile, in the back of her head, she registered her suddenly chilly feet.
"Lusca," Liika smiled, "You know your coin is good with me, though a saddle will be extra, and if we hit danger, it'll probably be best for you to slip off."
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It was strange to think that Doldrelda was as unsettled by her experience as Liika felt about her own, though in dramatically different ways. Raise a blade against the dragonkin -- that's what Liika was familiar with, comfortable with.
"What's done is done," Liika offered from where she was standing by the fire, looking from Doldrelda to Layana to Malak and Tyrian. She was glad that they had all made it back. Maybe a little worn, but all present. "The only thing you can do is learn from it." Honestly, she would've thought the dwarf, of all people, would understand that. They had both had their share of what others might consider misdeeds, the sorts of people who didn't sit on regrets. Stick on the word delegation, and it still shouldn't be any different.
Speaking of which -- Liika turned her whole body to face the sound of the voice that wished to join them to find a diminutive silhouette out in the distance. And to Tyrian's words, she added rather less cautiously, "Come join our fire." Unlikely as it was that the gnome was danger, if he proved to be, Liika preferred him to be so in arms reach, somewhere clear and visible. But really, how many individuals would willingly walk into dragon territory? And of those, Liika was willing to welcome any of them to share a fire with her.
As for Tyrian's issues… one was easy. "I'll take first watch." Being half horse, she needed far less sleep, and there was no reason not to take advantage of that. The other about Malak, however, sounded like more politics, and she'd used up all her energy in that arena dealing with the dragon earlier. From an unpolitical standpoint, the obvious answer was to have the two extra hands, the extra frost power. As Ermina had it, that was their best chance of survival. But -- Liika glanced at her half-elven friend -- she was inclined to trust Layana's judgement, especially on these sorts of matters. And on the other hand, Liika hadn't been there, but likely the elf would have had opportunities to slip away amidst a battle with a wyrm if all he cared for was himself.
"What do you think of the delegation and of the Accord, Malak?" In a way, it would have been more straightforward to ask if he would leave or if he would continue on with them of his own accord, if under other circumstances he might have volunteered. It was obvious what he thought of being chained and about not having a choice. It was obvious, too, what Tyrian thought on that matter. The rest of them had had to, in one way or another, agree to be here. But Malak? Who knew.
