Open Chronicles Sea of Blood, Sea of Mercy

[Iliris]

***
​

They came just past the midday. The sun was barely visible through the clouds, and even now, in its highest point, it shone with a sad bleakness to it, that could always be found this far north during the winter. It wasn't that cold here per se, the sea air was a lot milder than that in the mountains, even though it hit in the face with salty smell and wetness, that got to the bone. Yet the winter claimed what was its, even if the snow was sparse here, the darkness stepped away for a few short hours and crushed over the ground soon afterwards.
Not that it really bothered Iliris. She could see in the dead of night almost as well as during the day, even if her vision did loose certain sharpness then. Sense of colors. Fluidity of movements. But the night couldn't blind her.

And she was glad for that, because what brought them, her and some of her fellow dragon keepers here was no simple task. Even if it was the one they performed often enough, one that was written in the first aims of their group in the first place.
To save dragons.
And, if what she had heard was true, there were dragons here to be saved. Even though the conditions were far different than those they encountered usually.

Dragon keepers had found out about the dragons that lived in the Gulf of Ryt some time ago, and back then they had decided to leave them be, unless they would want to come to them themselves. They inhabited distant islands, too far north to attract many travelers, and they stayed hidden from the world for the majority of time. Some sailors had seen them, folk of the rare civilized islands had their tales and legends about them, but not much for, or so Iliris had learned. The dragons were there, but they minded their own business in peace, so the dragon keepers let them continue doing so.
Until came the news of dead dragons.
Young ones, small ones, two of them found near here. One was washed on the coast of an inhabited island, to the puzzlement and horror of its locals. The other one was found by a group of sailing merchants, stranded on a distant island by a storm, who found the dead beast up between the cliffs.

Both of the dead dragons got sold. Because the world was cruel like that. But only because of these rare deals Iliris had found out about them in the first place.

Tracking the sailors and then getting the location of the island from them hadn't been easy, because, of course, they weren't eager to share it. Yet certain threats were too great to keep silent about any secrets and Iliris could be... persuasive. When she wanted to be.

So they got the place. And they set out. This time Iliris didn't make the mistake of traveling alone, the lesson thought by the dragon killed by the Molthal's giant still too fresh in her mind. There weren't too many of them, but anything was better than one, especially when faced with an unknown danger.

"Let's see what we can find on this coast before nightfall. Stay alert. Anything could be lurking here," she spoke, turning to her companions, her face grim. Iliris checked her gear, her sword and armor once more, before stepping further among the rocks.
Her heart beat heavy in her chest, her spirit full of dull, distant sense of worry.

 

[Ashieron]

“You know Iliris I have never been here. Even with all of my travels.” Ash tells the woman looking around, feeling the sea breeze in his hair. He did not wear armor for he had no real need this time. After all there was no major armies clashing, with a fire breathing dragons burning unknown numbers to crisps. All he would need was his magic, but if need be he could make some armor out of the materials around him with some magic.

“And Im not sure if I like all the sand.” He’d comment with his armed bent behind his head, he’d watch Iliris mess with her armor and weapon. “Il, I know we’re here trying to figure the.. dragon killings...out but maybe if I use some magic instead of us going around trying to find clues good things might happen sooner rather than later.” He offers his friend looking at the gulls fly around them.

 

[Freya Thrakin]

A distant roar could be heard in the clouds, a familiar mass of scales and wings swimming in the sky above. When they heard tell of the dragons lying dead on the shores, Oris had insisted on joining the venture, a vague protectiveness over the younglings overtaking him.

Freya glanced up with a knowing look before returning her gaze to her companions, briefly checking to see that her spear was in good condition. "It's warmer than I'm used to. Still, we're here for a reason," she replied, stashing the spear on her back.

Nodding to Ash, she turned her gaze to Iliris, the one who had been tracking this particular case. "I can send Oris ahead to scout out the island, see if there any points of interest we should start heading for. That, coupled with whatever magic Ash has up his sleeves, should help us quicken our search. Whatever caused those deaths could still be out there, time may not be a commodity at our disposal."

She stepped beside Iliris, her eyes searching the expanse of rock and water. "Any ideas about what this could be, Il?"

 

[Iliris]

If something had changed about her, really changed, then it was the fact that now Iliris was no longer happier alone. Her fellow dragon keepers had become more than simply valued companions, they were her family now, family found and made out of bits and pieces of this and that. Beings for whom she was thankful, especially with quests like this in front of her.
As much as she trusted her own skill-set and the ability to perform such tasks without magic, Iliris had to agree that they didn't have that much time. And whatever could be alarmed by presence of Ash's magic or Oris, would probably find out about them soon enough anyways.

"That does sound reasonable, yes," she agreed after a bit of though, conflict visible on her face. She wanted to be careful, but she wanted to be quick as well. "You both could do that, and then we could figure out what to do next," she sighed, nodding heavily. Iliris hated to simply stand in one spot, while others did the work for her, but protesting against it would be immature. It was better to be patient now, so that they could find out everything as soon as possible.

As Freya stepped next to her, Iliris followed her gaze, her eyes reflecting the rare splashes of color around them. "Nothing concrete," she shook her head, "I'm almost sure it wasn't human, elf or orc, or any other sentient creature I could think of. Why leave the corpses then? And it couldn't have been a simple animal, predators capable of killing a dragon don't live here," those would have to be big mammals or birds of prey, and these islands were sparse with grand life, at least on land. "It would have to be something big. Something strong and vicious. And probably magical as well."
Something dark and bloodthirsty. But that she left unsaid.
"In any case, I'm sure we'll deal with it," she gave Freya a weak smile. She was truly sure about that, but, even if they were strong enough, it could be too late for the dragons. Iliris gritted her teeth at that thought.

***
​

If Oris did indeed fly over the island, he could see a large expanse of cliffs and stone, softened by moss or rare trees here and there. There were a lot of birds, some smaller rodents, but otherwise the island seemed quite deserted. Only on its most northern side there were traces of some bigger life: snapped trees, scratches in the stones, dents in the wet sand, almost invisible now. There were also caves. Many, many caves, their entrances like gaping mouths all throughout the stone.

Magic could detect some more, even if not by a long shot. There was nothing much to be found, after all. If it was aimed at searching for live creatures, after touching the birds and the smaller beasts, it could come to halt at those same caves. There was definitely something more there, but whatever it was, it wanted to remain hidden. As if somebody had hung a thick curtain between the caves and whatever magic could want to get into them.
And there were traces. Here and there, faint and almost lost now. Traces that said "dragon". And something more. Something darker, something yet unknown.

 

[Ashieron]

Taking a deep breath Ash looks ahead, he knew the others already knew something else was at work, be it being a darker creature or some other beast. “If it is magical I should be able to sense it somewhat better than this.” He looks towards the caves and starts to walk towards them.

Something was not right as how they seemed to sort of block his magic, flicking his ears to keep an ear out for danger he gets low and starts to sneak. It seemed like to him something was digging burrows and it seemed to be their target. He’d motion to the others before disappearing into the mouth of the cave.

 

[Freya Thrakin]

She nodded, a moment of silence passing before the dragon above them began to turn and fly over the island. "Could it be another dragon, perhaps?" Dragons, or at least a portion of them, were often solitary creatures. It wasn't difficult to imagine that an ancient dragon could've grown distasteful of the others residing on the island and kill them, leaving their bodies to drift onto the shore. "If it was something as large as such a dragon would probably have to be, though, there would've been rumors. A trace, myths or legends." It didn't add up, and though she returned Iliris' smile, dread rose at the thought of what was causing this.

Something is here. Northern side. Caves, snapped trees, dents in the sand. Use my vision.

Freya's eyes flashed an iridescent green, staring straight ahead as her vision was replaced with the sight of Oris. She could see the ground fly past underneath Oris, her gaze immediately gravitating towards the strange disruptions that littered the island. Trees snapped in half as though they were toothpicks, embedded claw marks entrenched into the rocks, and the faintest imprints of a form upon the sand. Then she saw the caves, a honeycomb of individual maws inviting entrance into the complex that hid behind the stone.

Her eyes returned to their normal, dull brown hue as she glanced between her companions. "Oris found something. The northern side of the island. Knocked over trees, scratches on stones, dents in the sand: all signs of whatever killed those dragons. There's a myriad of caves there too, I'm willing to bet that our mystery creature is somewhere within there." She glanced up to the sky, silently telling Oris to remain overhead and inform her of any movement.

She nodded to Ash, saying, "The northern side of the island is where the caves are located. So far, Oris hasn't seen any movement on the island, meaning it's probably lurking somewhere in there. We should head there before it leaves, it might be a bit of a walk. Crouching this far out might slow down our pace too much." She began to walk in the direction of the caves, slowly at first so as to inform the others and gesture.

 

[Iliris]

She had been right to trust her companions, because it took very little time for them to find out more. Simply walking around and looking for whatever clues they could see would have definitely taken a lot longer.
"I doubt it," Iliris responded to Freya, shaking her head. A dragon would have raised more word, as the other woman herself noted. "And they have resided here for so long in peace," she noted, talking about the dragons of these islands as a whole, "It seems far more likely that it was something from outside."

As their conversation was interrupted by Ash's words, Iliris frowned. "What do you mean? They aren't magical? Or you just can't sense them?" she inquired, trying to understand the somehow cryptic remark. Although Iliris had learnt a great deal more about magic in general and the one Ashieron and others used in particular, she still didn't grasp it fully. The intricacies of it, how it functioned in particular and what the different variations of it meant.
She really wasn't a scholar like Alistair.

Freyas report was a lot easier to understand, process and use to make their next steps clear for her. "Yes," she nodded and was swift to follow Freya and Ash, as they started their way north. As they did so, her mind wandered over all of the creatures and beasts she knew, trying to imagine something even closely resembling a being that could lurk here and be ready, and wanting, to kill a dragon. No matter how hard she tried, Iliris met little success. "This doesn't clear it up much, doesn't it?" she hummed darkly as they continued walking. They had taken a rather quick pace, but it still seemed too slow to Iliris. Although she knew that they could do little to beat time and the forces that bound all living things. They just had to hope that what they could do would be enough.

The scenery around them was soothing only in the sense that it was far too dull to hide anything truly dangerous. Or so it seemed. The bland colors, wet stone, moss and rare patches of grass, mingled with sad cries of many seagulls and rustling of the earth under the paws of little critters: they all were ordinary. Boring even. And the seemingly safety of it all made Iliris even more alert.
It wasn't right, not with the dragon corpses found here. It was trying to deceive them, and she would have nothing of it.

Although the peace was rather short-lived. Because, as they had made it around halfway to the other side of the island, everything seemed to still for a moment, brief enough for even Iliris with her sharp senses to only barely catch it.
Then the ground grumbled. Softly, with low, long sound, coming from somewhere far away, deep down. It was light, but impossible to miss, and it made Iliris come to a halt, bending in her knees a bit, alsmost as if expecting an attack. "I really start to not like this," she mumbled as everything slowly returned back to normal.
After a few more moments the island was once more flooded only by bird cries, sound of waves and moans of the salty wind.

 

[Ashieron]

Ash simply hovers into the air at the start of the next quake, just a few feet off the ground. “I meant after a certain point I was not able to sense anything, which is not right.” The elf looks around noting how everything seemed fine from the top earth, but how about the lower earth?

Placing his hand on the sand he thinks for a moment, “We should not attack it in its home. You two may or may not have issues with seeing in the dark.” Ash tells the two women, taking not that Freya had Oris, but he had no idea if it gave her his power of vision. “We should ambush it.” Ash suggests to them, caves were often very narrow and he would not want to face something like that in there for long. “Or if we want I can go in there and draw the stinker out. Now before you two say, “But you’ll get hurt,” Ash says in a very convincing womenly voice, “I would like to remind you I can blink if need be, and got the magic to be able to really hold it back if need be. With a pile of rubble or something.”

 

[Freya Thrakin]

Freya gave a light chuckle, more out of a grim acknowledgment than humor, at Iliris' remark. "No, not much at all," she agreed. Something from beyond the island, large enough and dangerous enough to kill two dragons, burrows through the ground and was apparently inhibiting any magic from sensing it. Each of those traits was startling on their own, but together it created a creature beyond what any of them have encountered before.

A monotonous, droning rumble seemed to come from the very earth below them, abruptly piercing her thoughts. The spear, which had been kept at her side, was brought up quickly to defend from an attack that never came. "Well, we now know it makes a sound," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words like poison from a blade.

Freya looked over to Ash, listening to his plan. "Oris can lend me his senses to see in the dark, but I agree. A confrontation inside of the caves this creature lives in doesn't sound like it'll end well for any of us. It would be too large to deal with in narrow tunnels, not to mention Oris. Luring it outside for an ambush gives us better odds," she agreed.

She raised an eyebrow at Ash's next suggestion, further raising it at the surprisingly well-done imitation of their voices. "It's certainly an idea, one that might work. That would require you be able to find it within all of those tunnels without magic, though, and even from the outside, it looks like a maze."

 

[Iliris]

So there was a barrier of some sorts in the caves, one that didn't allow Ash's magic to get through, one that stretched through them far enough. Iliris didn't like the sound of it, not at all. I meant that whatever the creature they had to deal with was, it was not only magical, but very strongly so. Maybe even borderline sentient, and beasts like that made the worst enemies. "Well then, it only means that we can't be careful enough."

"And that it isn't dormant during the day," she answered Freya's remark, her own voice serious and steady. Whatever had just happened, it showed that the creature was really here, was active and, possibly, had sensed their arrival. Or was hunting. Or simply wandering around. Whichever of these was worse she did not know, but it only made Iliris heighten her guard once more, fingers brushing the hilt of her sword. Whatever would come out from this, she would be ready to greet it with steel.
The most important part was to get to the monster in the first place.

And Ash had some ideas regarding that.

Iliris listened to the elf's proposals carefully, her eyebrows drawn together. "I can see in darkness well enough, but I agree with Freya. Right now getting down there doesn't seem like the best idea. We might cause more harm than good," her gaze wandered up in the skies, following the path of the sun. It wouldn't be too long until it got dark. Night came quickly in these parts. "If it likes caves, it might come out during the night. So an ambush seems like the most reasonable thing. In any case, we should get moving again." Iliris finally concluded, resuming her walk once again. They couldn't spend all day considering their options in one spot. Planning was good, but time was a luxury they had in very small amount right now.

After a bit more of walking, she spoke up again. "In any case, we could try to bring it out of its cave, and then one of us, Oris or Ash, could try to keep it there. And the rest could go looking for the dragons. If you weren't able to find them up here, they are probably down there."
It was a horrible thought, but realistically the most possible one.

 

[Ashieron]

Looking at the caves for a moment Ash smiles, “Let me do it. The thing is after dragons right? So it will know dragons as they are. Besides, no offense Oris, but it will be easier for me as I am smaller to slip by without causing a sort of mini earthquake.”

The elf smiles, “Keep in mind Freya there are other magics out there other than detection magic. Maybe it has this really particular scent or tracks I could follow.” He answers the woman, “For some reason a cave like this seems... familiar before my memory went poof.” Ash says rather calmly looking at the ground.

The thought made him a bit nervous, but he wanted to see if he could remember anything from that cave. Even if it was only a tidbit of memory. Just a flash of something that will confirm that he had indeed lost a huge portion of the older years in his long life. “Please let me go in.” He asks the women with pleading eyes and eyes of trust.

 

[Freya Thrakin]

Freya looked over Ash, as if to inspect him, a period of silence passing while she considered the offer. Though she wanted to say no and decline giving him such a dangerous and uncertain task, it was true that they had little choice in the matter. The elven dragon keeper was the best choice they had to lure the creature, whatever it was, out of the caves and into their ambush.

As he mentioned the cave being familiar, the Nord tilted her head in curiosity. "Familiar, you say? Strange," she murmured, glancing at the network of caves along the rocks. "Go in then, Ash. As Iliris said, we can stay on the surface to see if any dragons managed to hide away from this creature. We can aid you once you lead it outside. Something that lives in caves and comes out at night is bound to be somewhat apprehensive to light, so an ambush at day might be our best bet."

Pausing for a brief moment, she continued with a brief reminder, "Stay safe in there, Ash."

 

[Iliris]

Iliris was torn between wanting to say that Ash could absolutely in no case go into the very much unknown and possibly highly dangerous cave and the reasonable thought that it was their best bet alongside simply sitting down and waiting. With possibly very little outcome until it was all too late. She sighed, furrowed her brows, and finally nodded, "If you think that you might know it, let it be so." It was, truly, the best shot they would probably get.
She nodded to all of Freya's words, her voicing their plan and somehow making it final and concrete by doing so. So be it. Calmness flooded into her once more, brought by certainty, or at least something akin it. They had a plan, and it had to be good enough. But... "Yes, if you get a bad feeling about any of it, get out of there. Straight away."
They couldn't risk looking one of them, just as they couldn't risk any of the dragons. Which they might already be doing.

Iliris gritted her teeth, silencing those thoughts. No. No, this had to be enough.

"We could position ourselves over there for now," she finally turned to Freya, motioning to a low cliff not too far away, "Get a bit of a higher ground. Just in case."
That was what was left for them right now. To wait, be ready and hope for the best. Trust in Ashieron.

***
​

If Ashieron really did go into one of the dark, hungry mouths of the caves, he could soon understand that many of his assumptions had been right. Although no kind of tracking magic seemed to function here, as well as any finer magical matters, calling for basic spells and elements still worked just fine. As if there was something here, that had made the whole magic, circulating in the air and in his veins, somehow... more ancient. Dark, not as in evil, but as the darkness before dawn.
But, oh, there were plenty of smells, old and stale, and earthy, they masked anything else that might have been here before. And there were visible tracks on the cave's floor, ragged and bendy, they marked it all. As if some giant serpent had gone here.
And, yes, with this resemblance his memory might have finally, finally given in and showed him where the sense of familiarity came from. Those were old, old tales, but not too old for elves not to remember. Tales of dark beasts, eaters of life and magic. Earth serpents they were called by some. Earth worms by others.
Once ferocious beasts, now only names in fairy tales.
Or were they?
At a certain point, the tracks seemed to grow clearer, fresher. The scent got stronger. There was an almost tangible sense of motion in the air, somewhere there, behind the few dark turns of the cave.

At the same time, unknown to the elf or any of the group above the ground, there was also some other fluttering of life beneath layers and layers of stone and dirt. A small, young life, covered with scales, that might have glowed and shimmered in sunlight like a merry stream, but now, in the darkness, seemed simply dark blue. Almost gray.
This life was scared. It was alone. It hadn't ever been alone. But there had been a monster, there had been roars and screeches and there had been running, oh, so, so much running and trying to be brave and failing. Now it was simply alone.
There was a little lake here, which led to more caves, this time underwater. Maybe those led to the skies and the sun once more, but the little life was too scared to check. It had simply curled on itself, waiting, hoping.
Because someone would come, right?

 

[Ashieron]

Ash smiles ans gives them both a hug, “I will be fine. I’ve faced more dangerous creatures more than once.” He tells them remembering the Sirens Tongue, and the time he almost died to a possesed armor creature. Bright side is he had a good few scars from those ordeals. “Remember Im quicker than both of you on land.” The elf gives them a nod before disappearing into the cave.

Running his hand along the markings all over the wall Ash continues on following them. He did not fear serpents or their kind, in fact they were easily predictable. He felt a slight tingle on hus wrist and his new charm started to glow red. Fine. You can help, just keep things on the down low a d disappear when we going back to the surface. In his hand formed an orb of red light, swirling in the air as he got closer to the strong scent of the beast. Following the next turn then another, Ash stepped carefully. Once he saw his quarry he’d fire the demonic energy at it. Hopefully this demonic spell will work, since it was fresh from the source of Hell and from nowhere else in the mortal plane.

 

[Freya Thrakin]

Freya, briefly taken aback by the hug, eventually found herself relaxing and giving a dismissing pat on the back. Though they did tend to have differing views on some matters, it would be a blatant lie to say she did not grow to care for the elf in the time she's known him, along with Iliris. Hopefully, he doesn't get himself killed in there.

She watched him disappear into the shadows of the cave entrance, turning to Iliris and nodding along to her statement. "Sounds good to me. Oris can keep an eye around the island in case anything happens out of our sight, too."

The plan now in motion as they positioned themselves on the low cliff, they had little to do but hope and wait. A few moments passed in silence, dotted with the occasional brief interruption by Oris to inform her that nothing out of the ordinary has occurred around the island as of yet. "Iliris," Freya finally began, "what made you become a Dragonkeeper? You're passionate about it, of course, but what sparked that passion?"

 

[Iliris]

Hug, coming from Ash, was like an odd dive back into her past, when such tokens of affection were common between her tribe, her fellow warriors and hunters. And Iliris still had those same instincts to return it, trying to act certainly and without fear. After all, the setting had changed quite a bit, so had her motives, but the gesture carried the same message. Stay safe. Don't do anything stupid. We trust you.

And so he was gone. Iliris followed Ash with her eyes as long as her sight would allow, while they positioned themselves in their new spot. "That would be wise," she nodded to Freya's words. They could only see that much, and Oris had a way better chance at spotting anything important. For now, entrances to the caves were only visible here, but that didn't mean that there couldn't be more of them, hidden somewhere. Or that new ones couldn't be formed.

Waiting. A thing which was very familiar to Iliris, one that she had done many, many times beforehand, perfecting the solitary art of staying still and alert for hours upon hours. Not that it wasn't lonely doing it alone or that she didn't appreciate the company. Although, Freyas words did make her stiffen up for a moment, before she let out a long breath. The answer to that question wasn't something that she was eager to share, but staying silent or worse, lying, would be improper as well. Freya was one of her new companions, a sister-in-arms even. She had the right to know.
"My family was a part of a group of monster hunters who lived in the Spine," she began slowly, the air of story scarcely told before around her words, "We called ourselves The Tribe. I was raised as one of them, trained to kill all kinds of beasts. Including dragons." Her eyes traveled down to her sword. It had been indeed first forged with the intention to slay the very bearings she now protected. "And when we finally found one near us... Well, there was only one thing we could do. We went to kill it," she sighed heavily, closing her eyes for a second. But she had to stay on guard, even if the story made her want seek darkness, "Most of us went there. Only I survived. And, the thing is, I didn't kill the dragon, the look in his eyes... I just couldn't. But he didn't kill me as well, although he probably could have. We talked instead. And after that I knew that there was only one thing I could do with my life from then on." She didn't share the details of their conversation, ending the story at that. Iliris doubted that she would ever retell the words dragon had said to her, although they were forever burned in her memory.
After all, they were meant for her only.

***
​

Ash was quite correct to assume that his demonic magic would work even in these caves. After all, it was a power that came from sources far more mighty than even such ferocious beasts as the one that was hiding in the darkness here.
As he made few more turns in the tunnel, a larger cavern opened in front of him, although there was little free space in it. And even his eyes couldn't discern much, as there wasn't that much to be discerned, only giant twists and folds of a beast, that did indeed look like a giant worm, fine hairs covering its enormous body, seemingly shifting to Ash's direction as he entered.
The demonic energy was certainly enough to harm the beast, even more so, it seemed to make parts of its body wither away in an instant, as the rest of the beast began to shuffle in agony. A shower of rocks fell from the roof on the cavern, obscuring the sight into it for a moment. As the air stilled again, only the remaining parts of worm's tail were left there. The rest of the beast, as wounded as it was, had fled with great speed.
The caves weren't safe for in anymore. It had to go up.

Both women sitting on the cliff could soon start to hear faint rumble coming from one of the caves' mouths. Something was approaching.

The scared little heart deep down the caves started to beat even faster as it hear the distant falling of rocks, but the fear gave it the needed push. It had to get out. To the water. It was what mother had always told: you were safe in the water.

 

[Ashieron]

Ash smiles as the beast ran away, leaving some of its tail behind. He’d get out of the way of some of the falling stones but let the smaller pebbles bounce off his head. He’d pause bery quickly hearing the faint sound of movement and a panicked heart beat. Sighing he’d give up his chase of the worm. It surely was trying to get out of the caves at the speed it was running and towards his friends. They should be able to take care of what remained of the poor worm.

Patting the beast’s crispy tail he starts to make his way towards the sound of the panicked creature. Its heart did not sound like that of anything other than a dragon’s heart to him. They mostly beated at the same rate unless there was a deformity or something else lying wrong underneath its scales. Keeping quiet Ash starts calling out to it in draconic. Informing it to keep where it was and that he was on the way. As there may or may not be other worms in the caves.

 

[Freya Thrakin]

Freya listened in silence to Iliris, not wanting to interrupt her tale. Her face betrayed little emotion, showing no sign of disgust or horror, solely understanding. "Sometimes, tradition is to be broken and not followed. It's a difficult thing to do, but it was the right choice, Il. My tribe had a saying, the past means nothing if you no longer listen to what it tells you." She moved a hand over to Iliris' back, keeping it there as if to comfort her before returning to survey the landscape.

Without warning, rumbling echoed through the cavernous tunnels they watched over. It grew louder as the source drew closer, showing no sign of ceasing. "Ash," she breathed out. "It seems like we're going to finally come face to face with our monster." She drew her hand to her spear, keeping it there as she waited for it to make its appearance as Oris kept watch from the clouds.

 

[Iliris]

"Thank you," Iliris replied to Freya's words, touched far deeper than her cool exterior could ever show. She had told her story to only a few people behind, she could count them on fingers of her left hand and there would be spare ones left, and she had heard a few responses before. Pity. Comfort. Advice. Yet nobody had ever stated it this simply and directly before: you made the right choice. And that was the only thing she could ever hope for. "I do hope that I can truly make it the right one," she offered Freya a small smile of gratitude, before her own gaze was drawn back to the caves in front of them. Who would have thought that this one day, as heavy of a burden as it was, could lift such a wight off her soldiers. Now both of the people on this island knew her past, her having told Ash her story all that time ago, as he was still only gathering the first dragon keepers, now both of them knew, and none of them judged her for that.
It was soothing.

As the air was suddenly filled by a new kind of sound, coming from the caves, Iliris let out a breathy curse. They shouldn't have let Ash go in there, not alone! She shunned herself right away at that thought. Ash could keep himself safe, better than anyone else here, they had to worry about whatever was approaching from the caves now.
They had to trust each other.
"An anticipated meeting," she murmured, drawing her sword as well. All her worries and fear aside, Iliris felt rage towards the killer of so many magnificent creatures. And she would taste blood today.

***
​

It took little time for the beast to twist and turn out of its dark home, writhing in ever growing agony, one that only made its fury and hunger grow. As any creature of ancient days and dark magic, it felt life that was pure and young, and it wanted to taste it, devour it, prolonging its own twisted life. It went towards this sweet promise of nourishment, even if it meant going under the daylight the beast despised with all of its being.
But it could stand it for a bit. The evening was fast to approach, and the three lives above it would be worth it. It would swallow them, use them to heal its wounds, and then it would slide back down, this time prepared to meet the nasty little thing below.

As the great worm finally exited its cave, its dreadful mouth with thousands of sharp, narrow, blade-like teeth was wide open, releasing a cloud of rotten stench.

The little life, the one that indeed belonged to a dragon, froze as it heard the calls. Those were in the same tongue his family had spoken, the one that birds, rabbits and other creatures never knew. Only the voice was odd, somehow smaller, although still loud and clear.
It asked the little dragon to stop and wait.
But he was getting to the water! Where it was safe! Mother had always, always told to get to the water. Not like the voice. But the voice was so painfully reminding of those that he had lost, so tempting to be trusted, that the little dragon froze in place. Somebody who spoke the same tongue, the one that birds, rabbits and other creatures never knew, couldn't be bad, right?

 

[Ashieron]

Ash kept his ears out for the sounds, feelings and sight of the possibility of another of those worms coming around. If it did he would simply stick it with dark magic again. Nothing liked dark magic, it was not naturally from nature after all, like many of the other spells Ash knew.

He took another wuiet sniff of the air, it smelt of worm mostly. But some dragon smell it in. He was getting a but closer, hopefully. “What is your name little one? My name is Ashieron.” He calls out to the little dragon, “I’m here to get you out of these tunnels.” The elf was calm, keeping his voice relaxed and even. He was probably covered in diet and other substances now. But this would be worth it and he was right next to the sea in the end. He would just go to get a nice bath after saving the little dragon. Regardless he was getting that damned bath!

 

[Freya Thrakin]

Freya's grip tightened around her spear, her muscles tensing as the rumbling of earth grew louder and louder. She could hear the scraping of skin and scales against bruised stone, as whatever twisted facsimile of life and the macabre lived within those tunnels pushed further into the surface.

The writhing mass of flesh and dark magic burst out of the cavernous tunnels with an abrupt chorus of horrific shrieks and scraping teeth, its gaping toothed maw unleashing a plume of rotten stench that threatened to attack the Nord's smell from where she stood. The great worm 's visage was one of putrid disgust and vile, its presence clearly unnatural and ancient.

The Dragon Keeper turned her gaze briefly to her companion, nodding silently. If that wasn't the beast they were looking for, she didn't know what was.

A dark shape grew in the sky above, wings stretching out as it neared the vile worm. As the dragon's mouth opened, a surge of scorching fire and blackened smoke flooded out, coating the horrid beast's flesh with its heat. Oris continued the onslaught of flame as he descended onto the mountain, gripping onto the rocky cliff with sharpened claws. Eventually, the flaming breath diminished, leaving only a violent roar in its place and a few sparse flames which dotted the landscape. The Nordic Dragon Keeper charged forward, spear in hand as she ran for the creature.

 

[Iliris]

Iliris watched as the beast appeared from below the ground with terror, mixed with an equal part of wonder. Not about the monstrous worm, no, but the men and women she once lived among, who found the very purpose of their lives in massacring creatures like this. There were countless innocent lives they took, too scared by the differences in size, shape and tongue, yet there were beasts like this as well. Ones that shouldn't see the light of day, or feast upon the blood of their earth. Every fiber of her being screamed with the sensation that this thing, whatever it might be called and wherever it might come from, wasn't meant to exists, not anymore.
Perhaps there was some truth in the way of monster hunters. Perhaps, behind countless creatures killed without purpose, there were those that the earth had to be purged from.

Iliris responded to Freyas nod, snapping out of her thoughts and back on earth. Her senses were overflowing with new sensations, but she willed herself to keep them in check. She had to have every single bit of focus she could muster.

It was an eerily beautiful spectacle, to see Oris drown the worm in a wave of pure fire, clinging hungrily to the earth and rocks. Their dragon friend was indeed a force to be reckoned with, even if it was possible to forget it, seeing his calmer side all the time.
And as Iliris ran next to Freya, her sword ready to pierce the beast, there was a reflection of the dragon's flame glowing in her eyes.

***
​

There might be many things that ancient earth worms swallowed without hesitation, drowning them in rot and darkness, but a dragon's fire wasn't one of them. Fire was a thing even older than they themselves, it had smoldered in the earth when they first came to be, sparkling and destroying even then. Even worms feared fire.
And as the devastating shower came over it, burning the fine hairs and dark skin underneath, the beast writhed, opening its mouth to only meet more flames, more scorching heat. The worm had a thick skin, but as it got covered with black burns, the pain seeped through. The only good thing the fire did was seal of the wound, cutting it in half.
Yet, still, it brought no relief, as the beast trashed about, crushing rocks, trees and anything else that came in the way of the pained motions of its slowly deceasing body, burning in agony. The worm wasn't ready to die that easily. Even this badly wounded, it still clung to its twisted existence.

The little dragon was still very, very afraid, the terror not stepping away after this many hours spent in lonely darkness. But the voice did enough to encourage him to walk towards it, slowly, carefully.
And as Ashieron made another turn, there was a gleming pair of eyes, peering at him from a bit below. The dragon was very young indeed. Barely the size of a human.

 

[Ashieron]

Ash looked down at the young dragonling, his heart was about to break at the sight of how pitiful it was. "You poor thing." He'd sigh kneeling down. He'd smile, "I took care of the worm and chased it outside. My companions should be fighting it as we speak outside near the bay. So there should be a clear way out of here." he informs it offering his hand, "If you do not mind I can look you over if you are injured, maybe give you a bit of energy with some magic?" He asks the little dragon.

Ash knew the others were probably taking care of the worm outside of these disgusting caves. But he wanted to take his time getting the traumatized little one out of here. Since there is no way for even him to know how it would react.

 

[Freya Thrakin]

Embers danced in the sky, oblivious to the writhing mass of flesh that was their wounded stage. Though the worm's flesh was scarred with the burden of scorching fire, blackened and charred with a sickening stench, it continued to convulse in agony. The very sight of it felt like a scourge upon the ground it travelled upon.

The worm's continually writhing form laid waste to the surrounding landscape, causing trees to collapse and rocks to crumble to dust beneath its immense weight. One such tree crashed upon the ground in front of Freya, serving as a stepping point for the Nordic warrior. Her foot found purchase upon the fallen tree's trunk, pushing off of it towards the great worm. She plunged her spear into the beast's scorched side, gravity forcing the blade downward to create what was hopefully a sizeable wound.

Oris descended onto the plains from the mountain he had perched upon, taking the opportunity to swipe at the worm with his claws and dig in, trying to still the constantly twisting creature.

 

[Iliris]

The damned thing went up in flames that would have killed anything else, yet it still continued to move, to convulse in the same wicked way, even more so than before, making something in Iliris' stomach twist as she was running.
She would have been truly afraid, if not for Freya and Oris next to her. Solitary fights were the worst of them all, and, above all, solitary fights against enemies too great for a single person to handle. But now she had another fierce warrior and a great dragon fighting by her side, and that gave Iliris the courage she needed to do what she had to.

As Freya leaped at the beast, piercing it with her spear, Iliris took a couple of sharp steps sideways, watching the worm's movements. Its body had twisted away from her now, and, no doubt, it would soon return here, dropping new ash in the blackened trail already on the ground.
Her course of actions was very simple, almost impossible to truly fail, but it took all the power she had gathered, both in spirit and magic. She secured her legs between some of the many rocks around swiftly, extending her blade in a secure hold. Then, as the tail of the worm swept at her, all in the matter of split second, she drew a breath... and didn't let it out, her form now being made of solid stone.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Well, if the second one also has a sharp blade, a wound deep enough to go through anything. And now, as her sword cut through the beast, its guts covering her, Iliris was almost sure that she saw the other end of its flesh, before Oris' claws dragged it away.

As she was finally in the free air again, Iliris let go of her magic. She was filthy now, and felt as if she had taken a beating, but this had to be a hit that the worm must have felt.

***
​

There were great many things that the earth worm had lived through, sucking in life and light from others, to pull it into the depths of its dark and rotten mouth, carry it into the caves no other living being would ever dare to step into. Yet, there was always a moment that would come for the beast to die. That's what made good tales after all. The heroes came out victorious, the awful monster got slain and the innocent life was rescued.
And thus now, as the flames continued to feast on its flesh, wounded worse than the beast had ever experienced before, its movement slowed, turning into a twitch in the dragon's grasp. Then it ceased to be completely.
The beast was no more.

It had carried many lives, weaker or unsuspecting, with darkness and primitive kind of cunning, but the bright flame of a dragon, magic and weapons of three warriors had brought it down.
This earth where it now laid would bring no fruits or life for decades and more, until the last part of the beast would be gone, but there would be no more terror from the great, ancient earth worm.

At the same time, deep in the caves, the little dragon sniffed at the stranger, who was fussing over him even more than his mother sometimes had. A stranger who, as he had decided, was kind enough to trust. Not fully, not yet, but enough for now.
"I'm Umno," the dragon finally spoke, in a voice as small as could come out from a creature of this size and sort, "No magic. Out. Please."
If the monster was gone, if the stranger of a very odd species he had never seen before, really wasn't lying, Umno wanted to get out. To the sea, to the fresh, salty air. To the hope that maybe, maybe there was something, somebody still out there for him.