Fable - Ask What Dragons Eat

[Kaveh]

Thanasis - Near the Borderlands

"As you can see, my Prince, we are on schedule to meet your families most generous quotas. In fact, if our harvests continue in the manner they have we may even exceed projections by forty percent."​

As the Plantations Governor continued to speak Kaveh did his best to keep the rage which he felt in his core at bay. Tying it like some great beast which was threatening to rip free and tear everything around it to shreds. In this particularly instance the fight which roiled almost constantly within himself seemed particularly fierce.

When he had asked his father for more responsibility, for something that he could actually do, looking over the farms near the Borderlands had not been what he'd had in mind.

The task was, admittedly, an important one. Thanasis could only survive if it was fed, and the lands of Malakath were not often the richest when it came to agriculture. Coupling that with the chaos of the Borderlands and the creatures which often threatened even subsistence farmers, the vast Plantations near the great walls were vitally important to the survival of the city. Yet walking around and listening to the prattle of an administrator felt like a humiliation in it's own sort of way.

One that Kaveh could hardly stand. "Well done, Lord Governor."

The Prince managed to bite out, the man practically beaming as Kaveh continued.

"Yours has been the most productive of the plantations I've visited the past three days. You put the others to shame." It was not a lie. The others had all been meeting expectations, but none had exceeded their mandate. Some of that was down to pure luck of course, but not entirely. Kaveh would be sure to note that in his report.

Bile flickered over his tongue at the very thought, and his rage flickered to the surface for a brief moment before a loud squeal of panic suddenly caught his attention. Kaveh's head turned almost instantly, spotting the massive form of Rayvath hovering over one of the Cooh pens. The six legged farm animals quickly scrambling away from her as she loomed above.

A piercing whistle caught the dragons attention, her head turning instantly towards Kaveh who simply stared in admonishment.

The Great Dragon seemed to linger for a moment, giving the Cooh's one last longing look before slowly she snaked away.

Besides Kaveh, the Governor cleared his throat.

"Shall we, uhh, continue, Your Highness?"​

The Prince tried not to scream.

 

[Evirea Nymbos]

Where Prince Kaveh had been assigned the dull task of inspecting the plantations for productivity, Evirea at least got something a little more exciting. However, the rider had yet to experience the thrill of battle on her mission, and she had to resist letting her mind wander. Indeed, there was a chance she wouldn't get to slay anything at all. Nonetheless, she was getting paid for her task, though not as handsomely as she would have if she'd gone across the seas to take care of a foreign lord's enemies.

Her white dragon soared lower than they would have if they were simply traveling, as he and his rider needed to be able to spot anything of interest on the ground. Taivas' neck slowly turned left and right as he scanned the ground below, four wings stretched wide as he glided. The updrafts he created kept him aloft, maintaining his altitude.

There was one curious sight, though it wasn't the one the pair were looking for: the unmistakable gargantuan form of the red dragon Rayvath. Evirea quirked a brow. Whether the prince's dragon spotted her much, much smaller white dragon, as a rider and a noble herself, she was obligated to greet a royal. She gently spurred Taivas to descend, and he obeyed. The drafts ceased, and he angled downward. His descent was slow as he circled above, giving the governor, the prince, and the red dragon ample time to sight the pair.

The wind dragon landed gracefully some distance from Rayvath, as if afraid the giant wouldn't notice him and accidentally crush him underfoot, and all four wings folded loosely. He looked up at the red dragon, comically small compared to her, but still large enough to comfortably carry a few riders and other cargo. He lowered himself to the ground, his rider swung one leg over the saddle, and she hopped off. Leather boots hit the ground with a soft thud, and a chainmail shirt shone under the sunlight. Taivas then craned his neck to look over the cooh pen, his sky blue eyes wide with hunger. Evirea shot him a stern look, making the white dragon withdraw.

The rider then turned to Kaveh and the governor, putting a fist on her shoulder and quickly bowing to the two, a soldier's salute.

"Lord Governor," she acknowledged one of the men, then the next, "and Your Highness. It's an honor to meet you here, and… certainly a surprise."

 

[Kaveh]

It was the low growl which echoed from Rayvath’s throat that tipped Kaveh to the approaching dragon. He was in the midst of telling the good Lord Governor that their visit would have to be cut short when the slim white wings flowed through the sky, quickly descending and allowing both the Prince and his companion to get a better look.

“I did not know we were expecting anyone else!” The Governor said quite happily. “Your father honors me! First the Prince and no-”

Kaveh quieted the man with a wave.

He did not recognize the dragon, or it’s rider, but that didn’t mean much. Though there were hardly many dragon riders in Thanasis, there were still too many for all of them to know one another.

“Greetings!” The Governor offered to Evirea as she approached, taking a deep bow himself in return to the Warriors greeting.

Kaveh, didn’t move, but only inclined his head. ”Welcome.”

The word was surprisingly warm from someone with his reputation. As a matter of course most thought of the Prince as a hot-head constantly raging. Never able to maintain any sort of emotional stability and often denigrating those whom he only just met. A supposed truth that did not seem true in the slightest right now.

”What brings you out here?” The Prince asked curiously. ”We are rather…”

He glanced at the Governor. ”Remote.”

Despite his current annoyance, there was no need to be insulting with the man actually present.

 

[Evirea Nymbos]

"My thanks to you both," the rider replied. "I am Evirea of House Nymbos. This is Taivas." She gestured toward the white dragon, and he rumbled, flexing the crests on his head. He ruffled his wings and settled down beside his rider. Taivas glanced at the red dragon again, lowering his head as a sign of deference. He was normally a playful, energetic dragon, but Rayvath was just so big.

"Inhabitants of nearby villages have reported livestock going missing at a rapidly increasing rate. Reports indicate that partially consumed corpses have been found. I've been sent to investigate."

Evirea crossed her arms.

"We've been searching for several hours now, but haven't found additional signs of monster activity." She shook her head and sighed. With Prince Kaveh's mention of how distant their current location was from the city of Thanasis, that raised the same question for her.

"Whatever business brings you here must be quite important," she said without even the faintest hint of irony. Truthfully, Evirea did initially assume that whatever sent Kaveh this way actually was an important task to draw a royal. The realization dawned on her that he was likely sent this way to get him away from civilization. Even the royals had their black sheep. Her lips started pulling into a frown before she quickly corrected herself.

 

[Kaveh]

"Absolutely critical." It was hard not the miss the sarcasm in the Prince's voice, yet somehow their other companion managed to. His face lit up, as though he were practically beaming at the 'praise' that Kaveh had just offered him.

"Of course!" The man declared quite happily. "Without us Thanasis would starve! The farms are what keep the city going!"

There wasn't really any arguing to be done with that fact. Truth was without these farms Thanasis would quickly begin to fall into disarray. His father, though not overly fond of him, had always ensured him of an education that would explain these things. Thanasis was more than a place, it was a city of life and blood.

That Included those that had not.

Men and women who were too poor to feed and house themselves. It was the duty of the crown to feed these subjects, to ensure that they were both well taken care of, and that they did not rise up within their famine. That was half of why he was out here, to ensure that everything continued just as it was supposed to. "Of course Governor, we all know the importance of this place."

The Prince glanced over at Evirea, practically begging her with a glance to just agree.

"It's good they sent a rider to deal with any pro-" Before he could finish speaking, the ground beneath their feet suddenly quaked. The earth itself shook, quivering as though someone had begun to violently shake it. The ground a hundred paces away seeming to shift in a straight and tumultuous line.

 

[Evirea Nymbos]

Even Evirea picked up on Kaveh's sarcasm, and had started nodding along when the earth quaked. The rider's eyes widened as she saw the ground heave and shift, as if some thing underneath it was making its way to the surface. It wasn't beyond comprehension that the land of monsters housed some truly great beast beneath its surface.

Taivas' fins stood taut in alarm and his tail lashed. Evirea whistled sharply to him. The white dragon immediately lowered himself to the ground to let his rider leap into his saddle, which Evirea did in mere moments.

"Governor!" she called, waving him toward her. "Get on!" Evirea leaned over Taivas' side, one arm extended to grab the governor's hand and pull him onto her dragon's back. Being the smaller dragon, it would've been much easier for him to climb on and escape with haste. Taivas couldn't carry many riders, though, and Evirea had assumed Rayvath had the prince taken care of.

 

[Kaveh]

As Kaveh sprinted, Rayvath was already sweeping herself up and off the ground. Two massive wings extended in an instant as the ground quaked, one massive swooping press enough to send the dragon flying off the ground.

Galeforce winds ruptured over the small clearing as the huge red dragon ascended towards the sky. Her tail whipping back and forth, lashing against the ground in strange sweeping patterns. Almost instantly she turned, another great beat of her wings sending her shooting directly towards Kaveh.

Behind the Prince, the ground itself shook.

The earth began to tumble in upon itself, rocks the size of boulders falling away into an everlasting abyss. A long line of earth suddenly torn and pushed away at the same time. Kaveh feeling the ground beneath him fall as he rushed faster and faster towards his dragon.

Feet kicking off the earth, hand extending to reach and grasp onto the leather strap around Rayvath’s neck as the ground faded…and suddenly exploded outward.

A massive maw filled with thousands upon thousands of teeth exploded just short of Rayvath’s backside. Pulling itself free of the ground with a screeching roar, a huge sand wyrm rivaling even the great Red Dragon appeared. It’s odd segmented body shifting and lashing out.

Clearly intent on taking its next meal.

 

[Evirea Nymbos]

The governor seated behind Evirea screamed as Taivas tumbled and spun from the force of Rayvath's wingbeats. He flung his arms around her waist, holding on for dear life, but the rider didn't pay him any mind. Her eyes widened as a chasm opened in the earth, then she clapped her hands against her ears as the sand wyrm's roar thundered across the plantation. The governor did the same, only to quickly throw his hands back around Evirea as Taivas jerked to the side and he began to lean off.

The monster made do with its next best option: the cooh pen the two dragons were eyeing mere moments ago. Evirea whistled, prompting Taivas to slam his wings and whip up a small vortex. The sand wyrm raised its head curiously at the twister, but simply burrowed and reemerged closer to the fleeing herd. Its gaping maw swallowed screeching, terrified coohs by the dozen. The governor's face drained of color, and he cried out in horror. Evirea's eyes narrowed, then she lashed the reins, spurring the white dragon toward Rayvath. His four wings stretched to catch the wind as he soared nearby, trying to get his rider as close to the red dragon's rider as possible so that he could hear her.

"Prince Kaveh!" she called. "Taivas can shoot lightning, but it probably won't do much against its thick plating. We need to hit a weak point. We can try to hit the inside of the mouth or peel off a segment to expose the soft flesh underneath. The former would be the safer option. He may be able to stun it for Rayvath to get a good hit in."

 

[Kaveh]

The beat of Rayvath's wings threw her into the air.

Soaring high above the farm, Kaveh's eyes focused almost entirely upon the great beast below as it rushed towards the waiting Cow Pen. Through the din of win and the cacophony of sound from the dying steers the Prince was barely able to make out the pained cries of the Governor. No doubt lamenting over the loss of his perfect figures.

He watched as the Sand Wyrm suffused itself with one great grasp of it's maw. Chomping through wood, flesh, and even steel as in one great bite nearly a dozen of the cows were scooped up and eaten. A quick thought ripped through his mind; If they didn't stop the Sand Wyrm, the blasted thing could actually manage to do some damage.

As Evirea called out to him, Kaveh nodded his head. "We'll rip free some of it's scales!"

The Sand Wyrm's plating was thick and heavy, but even from here he could see where it segmented. The creature was larger than Rayvath, but she would be more than enough to rip free some of those hugs segments.

At least if the worm gave them enough time.

"Distract it!" He called to Evirea. "We'll take the scale, and then you can blast him!"

While he shouted, his voice was surprisingly calm. Far from the constant rage that the Prince of Thanasis supposedly usually displayed.

 

[Evirea Nymbos]

Evirea quirked a brow underneath her helmet. So Rayvath was going to try to tangle with that thing after all. She normally would've gone for the safer option. It was difficult to say how easily this sand wyrm could double back on the red dragon. That, of course, depended on where Rayvath latched on. Sweat beaded on her brow; the royal family would've had her head if Prince Kaveh died. She figured as much, anyway.

"Distract it?!" the governor shouted. "I'm still here!" He frantically waved a hand. Evirea just groaned.

"You're in the safest place possible right now," the dragon rider responded. "Taivas is fast and agile. If we leave, we would have to take you leagues away to bring you somewhere safe, and by then, this wyrm could destroy everything you own."

The governor stuttered. He turned his head to stare at the writhing sand wyrm below, eyes wide at the destruction its mere movement wrought.

Evirea didn't wait for him to formulate a reply, digging her heels gently into the white dragon's side. He slammed his wings down, knocking the governor back as he shot forward. The governor screamed, but the rider tuned the sound out. Taivas swooped near the sand wyrm's head, and it whipped around to try to snatch him up into its jaws. They only closed on empty air. He twisted around like a serpent, a gust of wind pushing him back near the wyrm. Evirea faintly registered the governor heaving behind her, but he mercifully turned his head away.

The wyrm continued lunging at the dragon as he darted back and forth in front of the beast. It bellowed in frustration. For the sand wyrm, catching the white wind dragon was like trying to catch a particularly annoying fly. As it roared, a glowing lightning orb shot out of the dragon's mouth and straight toward its open mouth, but the wyrm inconveniently twisted away. The orb hit one of its plates instead, exploding uselessly into sparks. Evirea pursed her lips.

 

[Kaveh]

For a few moments the Prince and his dragon hung back. They watched As Evirea and her bond-mate moved expertly through the air. Wings shifting and following the flows of the sky as though it came at a natural whim. moving and weaving as though through water.

Kaveh couldn't help but feel impressed.

As Evirea twisted and shifted, leading the wyrm through a loop the creature seemed almost to forget about Rayvath and the Prince entirely.

With the wyrms attention raptly focused upon the other Dragon, The Prince spurred his great mount forward. With a swift folding of her wings Rayvath began to dive. The two fell, tumbling expertly towards the wyrm as the massive red dragon suddenly spread her wings.

The air caught beneath them, slowing the two just enough not to see either of their deaths as the great Dragon went crashing into the back of the wyrm. Rayvath's massive claws scraping and scratching at the plates of armor which covered the huge creature.

With a swift glide they rushed over the creature, until finally the dragon's claw caught. In an instant Rayvath's wings shifted, her talons dug into the loose scale, and with a heaving wrench of her wings the Dragons maw bit down. The sand wyrm twisted, letting out an ear shattering scream of pain as the Rayvath ripped free it's protective armoring.

Kicking free and away from the wyrm to leave an opening for Evirea.

 

[Evirea Nymbos]

Taivas sped off as Rayvath came crashing down into the sand wyrm with all the power of a meteor. If the white dragon was finesse, the mighty red dragon was power. The small white dragon hovered nearby as the red dragon tore into her prey with the ferocity of a wild beast. All too fitting for the breed. But it clearly wasn't mindless rage. No, it was controlled, directed wrath.

Evirea gave her dragon a mental nudge, prompting him to rush for the exposed patch of smooth, raw flesh, electricity crackling between his teeth and sparks flying from his jaws. As Taivas shot overhead, he angled his head downward and loosed the ball of lightning, which collided with the bare spot. The wyrm writhed, but its uncoordinated thrashing was still a clear danger. Evirea narrowed her eyes. Not good enough.

She hated taking risks, but she didn't have much choice. High risk, high reward it was, then.

Taivas twisted around and doubled back on the spasming wyrm, thin arcs of blue electricity jumping from his talons. As always, close-range magic was more potent. A snarl reverberated in his throat as he slammed his wings, rocketing straight for the wyrm. The governor squeezed Evirea's waist so tightly in terror that the rider almost felt like she was being suffocated. Probably a wise move on his part considering what she and Taivas were about to do.

The white dragon's talons sank into the wyrm's tender flesh, discharging built-up electricity into its behemoth body. The sand wyrm screeched again, and Evi slapped her hands against her ears as the noise rang through her head and shook the earth. The sand wyrm rocked and seized, thrashing about as Taivas unloaded as much charge as he could into the great monster. His two passengers were violently thrown left and right as the sand wyrm struggled to throw him off, but in moments, the creature collapsed to the ground, its maw and tail twitching.

Taivas tore off a chunk of its flesh as he took off, scarfing it down like a starved dog. He'd need the energy later, having expended so much magic to down the beast, but recharging to maximal power would take time. The white dragon winged away, leaving a clear opening for Kaveh and Rayvath.