Sphecidae » Lair » Greder

Greder

(#14162674)

Level 6 Mirror

Familiar

Amber Gulper

Energy: 0/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

6.95 m

Wingspan

4.2 m

Weight

401.3 kg

Genetics

Swamp
Ripple

Blood
Current

Crimson
Crackle

Hatchday

Jun 17, 2015
(8 years)

Breed

Adult
Mirror

Eye Type

Plague
Common

Level 6 Mirror

EXP: 3963 / 8380

STR

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

Offspring

Biography

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Fire Flight

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One of the difficulties traversing the Southern Icefields is the weather. No matter how many layers I have on the Icewarden's chill seeps through my bones. I needed a change in temperature and headed for the Ashfall Waste. I looked at my map of Sorienth and groaned remembering the Southern Icefield was separated from Sorienth's mainland. I had already traveled far from the castle of ice, and looking around all I could see were with tufts of vegetation protruding from the endless blanket of snow. I shivered. A cold wind whipped across the plains throwing a clawful of snow in my face. Once it died down, I opened my eyes and let out a frustrated hiss. The cursed wind had ripped the map from clawtips! I could easily purchase another map from a local market, but that map in particular held sentimental value. I sighed again. I knew if I continued heading east I'd be able to reach the edge of the Icefields, and potentially find a dragon who could ferry me across the ocean. My wings were too stiff from the cold and hunger constantly gnawed my belly. I was too weak to fly in any case...but I continued walking. Pushing against the sharp winds and trudging through the cursed snow. At some point I began to tire. My body felt numb and I struggled to breathe. My movements were sluggish and I just wanted to collapse.
But I knew if I did, it might be the end of me. My mind was fuzzy, and all I could think was going home.

"I'm so tired," I murmured wearily, collapsing into a drift. I closed my eyes, breathing in the cold, unfamiliar air.

...

I woke in darkness, feeling pressed against a very warm body. I breathed in faint smells of ash and firewood wondering where I could be. Suddenly Something began to move under me and a huge wing unfurled above me, blocking the elements, and also revealing an enormous orange guardian covered with purple scales. Little fires danced around its body seemingly immune against the Icefield's harsh winds.

The guardian's head turned to face me; soft, but fiery orange eyes glowing with warmth stared down at me. It rumbled,"You're awake. I was worried you might av' frozen to death out 'ere."

I stammered,"Th-thank you. Who might you be?" The guardian replied in a good natured tone," Kindle. And yourself?"

I said," Caomhan. I-" then was cut off by a sharp rumble from my belly.

"I've something that'll remedy that," said Kindle. She put a slab of roasted meat in front of me. My mouth began to salivate.

"Go ahead an' eat it." I gladly devoured the offer, not wasting a morsel. After downing the last bit I looked at Kindle and said," thank you for everything."

"No trouble at all. But what's a thing like you doin' all alone out in the 'arsh weather?"

"I've been traveling to visit all territories of Sorienth. I've been traversing the Southern Icefields for awhile now and decided it was time to move somewhere warmer. Ideally the Ashfall Waste. But I underestimated my supplies and ended up losing my map along the way...and then passed out." Kindle nodded.

"Good thing I found you. And if you're headin' out the Ashfall Waste I can take you there. I'll carry you cause you're in no condition to fly." I began to protest, but Kindle took me in her claws.

"You can whine all you want, but it's better if you take it easy," she said. I felt the cold wind again and shivered. I couldn't wait to get to the Ashfall Waste.

...

A green mirror clad in nice attire was waiting for us when we landed in the Ashfall Waste. The Flamewarden's territory wasn't as desolate as I'd thought; there was plenty of flora and fauna in the surrounding area. The ground itself covered in a dark, black soil which was warm to the touch.

The mirror came bounding over.

"That's Bardell, my mate," Kindle rumbled happily. I mentally chuckled looking at the mirror's small physique compared to Kindle's. Love comes in all shapes in sizes I suppose.

The mirror piqued," So you're back I see and with a companion."

"I'm Caomhan," I said noting Bardell's river royalist tail rings. Perhaps I could snatch them for myself later I mused.

"Where you headed Caomhan," Bardell asked.

"Er, nowhere in particular. Just wanted to travel around and get a good look at the Ashfall Waste's that's all," I replied, still eyeing the tail rings.

Kindle rumbled,"Well me and Bardell have places to be, and you're more than welcome to join us." I nodded a thanks.

"I think I'll be able to do fine on my own," I replied. "If you could point me in the direction of the nearest trading post I think I'll be able swipe, erm not really swipe, but purchase a map of sorts."

"A map you say?" said Bardell. "I think I have one if you'd like it. I found it on the ground a few hours ago." The mirror drew a familiar looking piece of parchment from his pockets. I happily clasped his claws into mine exclaiming,"Why thank you! I was afraid I'd lost it."

Bardell smiled,"Strange thing how fate works eh?" I nodded. "Well good luck and be careful of the surrounding area." The three of us departed, and turning away I looked down at the gleaming treasures I held in my claws; the mirror's tail rings were gently clasped in my claws. I then dashed across Flamecaller's blackened earth wondering what was in store for next.

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Lightning Flight

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The Ashfall Wastes was, quite conveniently, located right beside the rumbling deserts of the Shifting Expanse. As soon as I exited the reaches of the Fire domain, I took in a deep breath and heaved a heavy sigh, refreshing my lungs from the ashy air of my previous endeavor. The Lightning domain, it's skies crackling with seemingly constant lightning, lay before me, tempting me. Ah, the home of the overbearing Stormcatcher, the entity of thunder and lightning itself. I wonder what valuables lie within those jutting spires...

I slowly made my way through the Highland Scrub, trekking easily on the smooth sand, though it's dryness tugged at my throat. I began to scan the area, searching for signs of a river, or any body of water at all, so that I could be rid of my quite unpleasant thirst. To my luck, I found a small river that slid through the sandy plain, and I greedily lapped at it's surface. The heat here was nothing like the Ashfall Wastes, but it still threatened to burn my hide, it was a desert, after all.

Little to my knowledge, a presence hid quietly behind a group of rocks, that is, until I caught it's deadly, magenta eyes. I stopped mid-drink, staying completely still, my nerves itching tensely. I knew those eyes. They were wildclaw eyes, as bright as day, and as cold and fierce as can be.

I swallowed slowly, glancing around for my best option at escape. To my dismay, nothing but miles of desert surrounded me, and surely I couldn't out run a native...especially another wildclaw, for that matter. I didn't have much of an opportunity to think that through, for as I looked back at those rocks, the ferocious eyes now clearly belonging to a sleek, and obsidian-colored female. Did I mention that particular female was now raging towards me with claws outstretched?

I yelped awkwardly in surprise and turned to run, the vicious wildclaw's screams getting louder as she swiftly gained on me, and the very moment I shot a glance behind me, I pummeled into a rather solid force, causing me to crash into the desert sand face-first. I coughed and spat out the sand in disgust, all the while flailing on the ground quite pathetically, if I may add. A few moments later I had properly cleared my eyes and mouth of the sand and looked up to see a pair of deep, shadowy eyes staring down at me. Another pair of equally deadly wildclaw eyes.

I gulped, frozen in place. "H-Hi there..." I feebly spoke, and I glanced behind me to see the female from earlier, glaring down at me, her growls very evident in her huffed breaths.

"What are you doing around here, peasant?" The female spoke, her gaze never ceasing to burn with fury. However, though her voice was equally as fierce, it was smooth, and rather alluring.

"Valiona, he seems to just be a passerby, he doesn't look fit to even lift a claw towards another, I don't believe he is worth our time." I flinched at the deep horror of the other's voice, it seemed to boom in my mind, though it was calm, and very emotionless. The shadowy-eyed owner of this voice was a male, and he seemed to be decently close to "Valiona", seeing the female instantly dropped her ferocity.

"Fine," Valiona hissed through her razor-sharp fangs. "but it is protocol to deal with anyone that enters the Expanse unaccounted for." She looked down at me boredly, her gaze extremely disapproving. "No matter how useless they are..." With that, she turned and calmly headed back the way she charged from.

I sighed, a bit shakily I might note, for my nerves calmed ever so slightly now that she wasn't in my immediate vicinity, until I remembered her friend behind me. "I uh...she's...she's quite the feisty one." I said awkwardly, trying to hide my uneasiness, and I even added my charming wink as I nudged the leg of the towering male above me. Bad idea.

He growled softly, and in a single movement, he dove his head down and clasped his jaws around the nape of my neck, yanking me harshly to my feet. Okay, perhaps I deserved that.

"Walk." Spoke the male, who now threw me forward, releasing my neck. I nearly stumbled back to the ground, but I caught myself, just barely, and decided it was best to obey my newfound superiors.

We trekked the warm desert sand for a few miles now, neither of my "escorts" saying a word. I took this opportunity to get a good look of my betters, starting with Valiona ahead of me. I casually eyed her figure, noting her dark, obsidian scales were blotched with even darker, crackling pattern. I then noticed, not knowing how I missed it before, a severe and bright coloring of orange and pink, looking like fire throughout her skin. Were they scars? Whatever they were, they were brilliantly colored and gave her an even more alluring look.

My thoughts were interrupted as my captive behind me nudged me forward a good length, nearly knocking me over once more. I glanced behind me, getting a good look of him, as good as I'd get in my current situation. His scales were a violet color, and gleamed like a crystalline coating, and he had the same dark pattern as Valiona did. They must've been related, they looked very alike, except for their difference in eye color, and the fact that Valiona was blazing with those "scars", as I now decided to call them. I also took note of their spiked, deadly-looking armor that they shared, along with their gleaming purple talons.

I interrupted my own thoughts this time, as I focused now on our current location, and our possible destination. Before us lay the crackling spires of the Lightning Farm, but before I could get a good look at it, I was rushed into a cave-like tunnel, and my surroundings became dark. "Where are we...?" I asked softly, but got no reply. I soon found out when we reemerged into the light of day, and I gaped at my new sight.

We were in a massive ravine, towering slopes of rock and mountain all around us. Large spires covered the above ridges, and lightning surged through them, creating a soft and oddly pleasant hum. "Wow...is this your home?" I breathed in awe, not expecting a response of course.

"Be quiet, whelp. Don't make me change your mind about keeping you alive." Snapped back Valiona, and she flashed me those fierce eyes once more, and I couldn't help but mirror back my famous grin. Another bad idea.

"You think this is amusing?!" She roared, turning fully and literally launching herself at me, pinning me down with her full force, her wings flared and her tail thrashing. "I could eliminate you with a single blow if I desired!! And you choose to laugh at me?!" Her voice echoed through my being, and probably throughout the whole ravine. I honestly was quite impressed with her stature, despite my quivering in fear.

"Valiona, darling, do take care to our guest...you don't want to break another one..." I looked up, after hearing this light and friendly voice, to see a quite elderly-looking guardian. Her scales were the color of the deepest depths of the ocean, she seemed to swell with the very might of Water, despite her frail and weathered build.

Valiona hissed and reluctantly released me, storming off somewhere I wasn't sure of. The guardian smiled down at me and helped me up with her large claws. "I apologize for her...she's always quite...judgmental of strangers." She then slowly looked at the other wildclaw who brought me here. "Theralion, dear, will you arrange a place for this young lad...? He surely must be wary from his travels..."

"Ah, so that's your name, my mysterious captive." I smiled coyly at Theralion, trying to stir some sort of amusement in him, but his gaze never faltered. That blank, cold stare, one I'll never forget. All he did was bow his head at the elder guardian, and walked right past me, as if I were no longer there.

"My name is Orchidna, what shall I call you, young one...?"

I turn my head back to my savior-from-doom-times-two and offered her my famous, charming smile "Caomhan, madam ! I am a seasoned adventurer and cunning thief, I have travelled far and wide across all of Sornieth to strike my claim at fortune and exploration!" I then bowed gracefully, which made the old bat cackle quietly.

"My, a thief with manners! How quaint...welcome to my clan, and my home. Do excuse those two...they're a vicious bunch, but valued members of my family nonetheless. We are the Clan of Severed Lightning, we have thrived here for many years within the Expanse..." Orchidna slowly turned, her massive wings folding neatly along her abyssal-colored figure. "Come, Caomhan, allow me to introduce you to my more...friendly clanmates."

I nodded enthusiastically, eager to meet someone who wouldn't try to kill me for once, and I followed the ancient dragon as she made her way across the light sand. The ravine they dwelled in was massive, and probably very well protected and hidden from others. It seemed to form a labyrinth through the land, endless in length as I looked as far as my eyes could reach without seeing an opening. I shivered, imagining what could hide deep within...or what dragons could have been lost there.

"Here, we live in peace from our neighbors, hidden from the sun's scorching rays..." Orchidna's pace was rather slow, and I was confused as to why such a watery being has lived so long in a place like this. She seemed to have read my mind. "If you are wondering why I have lived here so long...I can merely answer you with the fact that I am actually a Lightning-born dragon, despite my cursed and sunken look." She sighed deeply, and I decided not to ask any further.

We neared a cluster of well-carved dens in the mountainside, and another wildlcaw emerged from one, his scales dark and blackened with the pale look of butterfly patterns. His armor was similar to Valiona and Theralion's, but red in color, and he wear a silky red scarf, along with a shimmering red banner draped across his wings.Great, another one.

"Orchidna ! You know you shouldn't be out and about midday like this, it's far too warm for your weak bones..." The male stopped, and glared at me with his gleaming red eyes. "Who's this?"

"Oh, Duskwood ! This is...Caomhan, yes?" I nodded slowly as she continued. "This is Caomhan, and he is a famed traveler and thief!" Orchidna smiled widely, her grand-motherly gaze looking between me and 'Duskwood'.

"Hmph. A thief, huh?" Duskwood glared at me once more, his eyes seeming to grip my very soul. "Thieves are traitorous monst-" He was interrupted as another wildlcaw darted out from the same den, his figure white with bright red wings and fancy drapes of white silk.

"Hi there ! I'm Thalassian ! It's a pleasure to meet you, stranger !" The wildclaw took my hands and shook them excitedly. "You can call me Thal !" Thalassian released my claws and handed me a red-colored lei of flowers. "I love flowers...and-"

Duskwood immediately put himself between me and Thal, his tail thrashing lightly. "Thal, this thief does not deserve an inch of kindness, don't offer him anything." His tone was harsh, but he wasn't necessarily angry with his white-scaled comrade. Thalassian drooped his tail and wings, and gave me a sorrowful look before turning and slowly walking back to the den.

Duskwood looked back at me, and then to Orchidna. "Be cautious, matriarch, he reeks of bad intentions..."

With that, he turned and walked off, and I grunted in amusement. "Are all your clan mates violent wildclaws?" I asked the guardian, who I now verified as the clan's leader.

"Ah, no, my warriors are quite the tough ones...they're bred to fight and it's all they know, they're just keen on protecting what's important to them. Having a family...and a charge to live for...that, is the greatest prize." Orchidna offered me her wise smile once more and I considered her words, feeling inspired by them, and being reminded of my homesickness. "You may rest for the night, or as long as you need, but I advise for you to only take with you your lesson here, and nothing more." Her latter note was a bit dire, her tone turning serious, before she left me there on my lonesome in the center of the ravine.

I sighed, must everyone point out my flaws? My need for change? Was this journey more than just for exploration...but for learning? I laughed to myself, shaking my head. That was silly, I don't need changing. I glanced around me and noticed an empty dwelling behind me, and I ducked my head and entered the dark cave.

The smooth, stone floor was cool to the touch, and very refreshing compared to the harsh outside heat. I slowly lowered myself against the ground, laying out and sighing tiredly. My body was sore, weathered, and lacking of nutrients. Pulling myself towards a conveniently-placed pool of crystalline water, I begun to drink to my fill, until I heard a soft shuffling from deeper within the cave. My eyes scanned the darkness as I made out a small coatl making her way towards me.

Swallowing my water slowly, I gave her a soft smile, trying to hide my I'm-slightly-freaked-out-look. "Uh, hi there...I'm sorry to intrude, I just ne-"

She interrupted me with a soft hum, smiling kindly as she waddled closer to me with a handful of herbs. She pressed a few of the plants against my small wounds, and I hissed softly, but I then felt very calmed and relieved. "Oh, that's wonderful...thank you." I smiled and she hummed again; I assumed she was acknowledging my thanks. She then handed me a small pouch of herbs, and I took it happily.The coatl disappeared back within the darkness of the cave, and I settled myself back down against the floor, finding sleep easily.

I woke up with a start, lightning had just crackled above the ravine, causing the stone walls to rumble and vibrate. I was terrified, standing my ground with my crown and wings flared, but I calmed as I remembered where I was. Sighing, I gathered my things and slowly exited the cave to the moonlit center of the Clan of Severed Lightning. Dragons were bustling all over now, as the moon hung high in the sky alongside the glimmering stars.

A few nocturnes were dancing happily in unison, magical lights and fires whirling all around them. Various coatls were gathered close together, grooming each other's feathers with their serpentine tongues, and even a few imperials were lounging in the scene. This clan was truly alive at nightfall, probably because it was too arid and hot in the day to leave the comfort of the cool dens. I smiled to myself. Family. Home life. It was wonderful, and I had begun to miss it even more the longer I was away.

My delight ceased when my eyes met those same gleaming, fierce Arcane-bound orbs. Valiona was glaring at me and I felt my spine freeze over. Luckily, this fear was interrupted when a very blue and glowing skydancer presented herself before me. "Hello there ! Caomhan is your name, yes?"

I smiled charmingly. "It is, and my dear lady, what might I call you?"

"Her name is Astranar." A deep, and frightening voice answered, belonging to a very ominous and hooded imperial. "I heard about you, little thief. You best make your leave here before that word gets around to the wrong dragons..." He bared his grievous fangs at me, growling softly.

"Oh, Stratholme, do leave him be ! He's only passing through." Astranar giggled and smiled at me joyfully, handing me a familiar crimson-colored lei. "Here, take this with you. Thalassian made it, he makes a lei for everyone he meets! He was too shy to come back and try again, Duskwood probably wouldn't have let him, anyways." She smiled and placed it around my neck, giggling once more. "It matches your eyes ! Oh Strathy doesn't he look lovely?!"

The imperial grunted, unamused, looking at me like he was going to throw me across the ravine. Astranar leaped up to Stratholme's shoulder, draping herself over his figure as she waved at me happily. The two left me be shortly after, and I looked down at the lovely-smelling lei that now adorned my neck. Despite my initial and intense coming here, this visit was wonderfully stayed. I sighed in content, securing my new herb pouch to my side and making my way out of the ravine from a nearby slope.

As I left, I felt a chill in the desert air, and I only heard the faint sounds of the clan behind me, and nothing else. Alone again, I set out into the night, remembering the words of the ancient guardian. I truly only left here stealing the very lessons I was taught, and that gave me a funny, fuzzy feeling in my core. Shrugging it off, I wandered through the quiet desert, seeking my next adventure.

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Earth Flight

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Earth was the only territory I hadn't hit yet so I thought, why not go for the full set and make it something really to brag about? Dragonhome, after all, was known to have some fancy tombs lying around. The living put up such a fuss about having their possessions liberated. Maybe the dead would be different. Easy would be nice for once, right?

...Except. Oh, yeah. There wasn't any easy way to get from Lightning to Earth, was there? Briefly, I thought back to every other territory I had covered. Flying over Plague meant flying over a place that was actually friendly but the thought of doing that also felt awfully like giving up, even for a moment. No point in going over Fire. I wanted to nope nope nope Light so badly but it was either going over that slither of Light territory and into Shadow or taking on the entirety of Water. The problem was that Shadow sucked, too. Seriously, screw Shadow. I met some great folks there, sure, but I also almost died and I think I still need a bit of time to get over that.

I changed my mind pretty quickly after considering that. I'd take Fire over Light and Shadow any day. As a plus, Wind was one of the few places that didn't want to kill me, too! But dang it, that meant I was going to have to pass through Plague. Ah well. There were far worse things than having to swing by spitting distance of home. At the very least, I could find a place to stash my loot so far. It wasn't the heaviest trove I'd had to carry but I was going to Earth. You know, Earth. Rocks. Gold. Gems. Heavy things. If I couldn't steal at least half my weight in treasure, then I'd probably have to die of embarrassment. I want to be a good thief, after all! Not that guy who keeps getting caught and put into cells, nope, that's definitely not me at all. Must be an identical twin or something, I swear I have at least a dozen of them.

In any case, I went back home, dropped off the loot, and then slipped right back out so nobody knew a thing. Boring stuff compared to everything else I'd done recently. At least I wasn't fleeing under fear of death again.

So there it was! Dragonhome! The, er, home to the Pillar of the World! That really brown region that was -really, really brown. Yeah, I wasn't that impressed at first. It was a bit of a dump, actually, and I'm glad I don't have to live there.

The very first thing I learned about the place is that there is nothing there. No, honestly, where was everybody? First I tried to be stealthy and find someplace worth robbing. Then I lost the stealthy and just tried to find anything remotely of interest. I found rocks, mountains, mountains made out of rocks, and rocks on mountains. Before I caved and decided just to lug some of these useless rocks home, though, I spied my first sign of life in the area. A big red ridgeback appeared against the drab, boring mountainside and at that point, I was so glad to see another dragon that I just about up and sprinted after her.

I've got to admit, though, she was much faster than I was and I almost lost her among the mountains anyways. I would like to say right here that I wan as doing a great job of not obviously following her. I was obeying all the rules: don't get too close, keep in the blind spots, et cetera. Act like you're not doing anything wrong at all. Keep one eye on the target and another eye on everything else. Remember that last part. I did it. I swear.

When she finally dropped by this rare patch of green, I didn't even get the chance to catch up with her. Some dragon who had come up next to me out of literally nowhere to scare the life out of me said, "You are following my daughter. Why?"

I froze immediately because I knew that voice. That voice was the last thing hundreds of charming rogues such as myself heard before meeting their god. It was the voice of an overprotective father who knew exactly what was going on and was about to disappear a problem over a steep cliff into a nearby chasm.

The voice of an overprotective father who also had brought along his mate to watch him torture the latest threat to one of their precious offspring.

A lesser dragon would have bolted or broken down in panic. Luckily, I am neither. Instead, I did my best to beam at him so brightly that it hurt my face. "Actually, I was just going to ask for directions but I'd guess you'd know best so this is so much better!" Were those- yep, he had tons of scars. Some of them were so bad that I thought they were wrappings at first. I swallowed my fear; that's how they knew to get you, you know. I'd learned that from earlier.

The lady with him was a ridgeback so it really went without saying that she was about four times my height and could have squashed me like a bug. Honestly, I tried to pretend that she wasn't there, since she seemed to be pretending I wasn't there either. I couldn't see her eyes and she wasn't making even the slightest bit of sound. She was obviously that other ridgeback's mother, though. Their genes and colors were about the same. She didn't seem to hate me at first glance, so I took that as a tiny win.

The skydancer looked right at me. "What are you looking for?" There was only the barest amount of inflection in his voice. Creepy.

"I'm just looking for a place to stay," I said honestly. "It's the first time I've ever been to Dragonhome. I was hoping to find something interesting."

"You're a tourist," he said after a long moment.

"Well, yeah." It was more or less correct, right?

He glanced at the ridgeback. She went right on ahead of him so I think we all knew who was the boss in that relationship.

"Our clan is undergoing some changes in security measures," he told me. "Moreover, you don't look to be a scholar so I doubt it would be of much interest to you anyways. You are free, however, to spend however long you need at our outpost. It's just over that mountain."

"Sounds great! Just lead on." But also, wow! That was almost painless! Shame about not actually seeing the clan's lair, though. I bet there would have been tons of stuff just lying around for the taking. On the other hand, yikes, what if every other dragon there was a war veteran sitting on his laurels? It would have probably been exciting, at least.

The outpost was, well. It wasn't much to speak of, just a mostly empty cave with some crates and tables around. The company was much more interesting, a real mixed bunch: one of those funny looking bogsneaks, two skydancers, three imperials, one of the tiniest nocturnes I'd ever seen, and a ridgeback, plus that family of three.

"Antares, who have you brought us this time?" The bogsneak asked the skydancer by my side.

"Just a traveler passing through," I said. "Nice to meet you."

Antares grunted. "Lost tourist."

"If you say so," the bogsneak said with a snort. "Haven't heard that one before. Going to be staying long?"

"Well, if that's what you want," I said, deciding to start laying on the charm. I mean, fine. She was in a full set of armor and carrying a cleaver but she also definitely seemed to have a sense of humor and that could only be a good thing.

"Depends if you're any good at stabbing things and not bleeding all over the place." She went back to talking to Antares. "Bryon's got the location of a necropolis that needs to be cleared out. If it's that bad, we'll have to call in for an exorcism. If it's not, we're supposed to smash all the undead we can find. The place wasn't a problem, apparently, until some group of treasure hunters set off the traps and ran. If he" -she meant me- "isn't gone by tomorrow, you're going to have to play babysitter until either we get back or he leaves."

"I've been in my fair share of fights before," I ventured. Sure, ran away from most of them but I was still technically there. Also, finally! Necropolis, tombs, graves, treasure. They seemed to be pretty skilled in breaking and entering so I should be able to snatch a thing or two. Or three or four.

She looked me over. "Got any magic?"

"Just a tiny bit," I said. Slight of hand, check.

"Weapons?"

"I prefer to improvise." Also true.

She sighed. I'm pretty sure she rolled her eyes, too, but it was hard to tell. "Cordelia, get the kid a knife he can actually hold. We'll see what we can do with him."

I needed to help my case some more. "I'm really good at not bleeding all over the place," I said earnestly.

"There's not enough blood in your body to fill a teacup," Cordelia said dryly. She did give me a perfectly nice dagger, though. "All right, we'll be leaving at dawn so let's just make sure you know how to stab to death stuff that's already dead."

Spoilers: it involved lots of learning how to carve the flesh off of dead people and breaking bones. The last part was a bit harder, seeing as almost everybody in that party was several times my size and were therefore way better at naturally knowing how to do that.

Because I maybe had a bit of a death wish, I asked her how I was doing.

In a tone of infinite boredom, Cordelia said, "Kid, I have seen hatchlings with better martial skills than you." Ouch. "When in doubt, just light it on fire. You can do that, can't you?"

Just for that burn, I went ahead and stole a pair of gloves and stockings while nobody was looking. They looked pretty thick and nonbreakable so I was sure they were good for something beyond just sitting there and being pretty.

The next morning we were off, having left the family of three behind to do their flower picking or whatever. And then -there really wasn't much to say, actually. We flew for a very long time and then we stopped and hunted a bit so we wouldn't starve. Then back to flying. Hunting. Sleeping. Flying. Cordelia roped her friends into "training the new kid up so he'd be useful" despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I was older than most of them. It was during one of those ground times that I learned something very important - namely that one of these dragons A) had seen me steal on that first night, B) didn't care I was stealing from them, but C) was insulted by how I was stealing from them.

"You're really not that great at making sure people aren't watching you," Sincere told me. Who had named him anyways? Did they know he was going to end up looking like a gangster? "You also didn't look twice at the stuff that was actually valuable. Good job on getting something that was but I saw that look on your face -you just went for the first thing you saw, I bet."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, because I was a self-respecting thief and that's what we did. I did let him tell about how to tell the difference between the really good stuff and their low-quality knock-offs, though, because that was just good sense.

When we actually got to the necropolis, I was the last one to know. The place was literally a hole in a ground and the moment we got in, it was scarily dark, with the sound of things moving in the distance.

The group's second in command, the pyromancer, set up the torch.

And suddenly, we could see everything. More specifically, we could see a giant city of bones that were steadily coming to life. The corridor that we were staring down? Yeah, that was the throat of a massive imperial, far bigger than any of the three in our group.

The bogsneak Kindra, our fearless leader, didn't even hesitate. With a shout, she was immediately swinging her weapon down to that thing's empty belly, with the rest of the group close behind. I didn't really know what I was doing but I did know I didn't want to die in that monster's jaws so down the throat I went.

There was, apparently, a method for how they handled these situations once there was a bit of breathing room. First, they let their imperials fighters crash into everything and try to break it. Next, they let their sole mage, their third imperial, try to crush some bones with earth magic. The last part was where the rest of us came in, just dividing and ganging up on the smaller undead that kept trying to swarm the imperials. That's how I understood it, anyways. Just to be sure, I always kept next to somebody who seemed like they knew what they were doing. Never hurt to be safe, after all.

As we went deeper in, though, I still managed to get separated from the rest of the group when we all dodged this maze of thorns that suddenly appeared. Kindra called for everybody to start setting the place on fire. I saw the tiny nocturne dart above it all to try and find the mage responsible. I'm fantastic with finding things, however, so I naturally found them first.

"Two stories up, ugly fossil face to my left!" I called out. Which, okay, yeah. It got everybody's attention.

Thorns whipped down on me in a frenzy and I leaped away, slashing randomly at stuff with my dagger. "Help would be great, by the way -ow!" The next thing I knew, my claws were empty and something really itchy in the painful way was spreading across my wings. I cursed a bit, just so the others knew I was still alive and not really impressed. The stuff started tearing at my arms and legs so I began to just punch it since I didn't have a weapon anymore.

When I got the chance, I dove into a nearby room for some temporary shelter. Clawing the stuff off of my arms and legs, I remembered that stuff I had stolen earlier. Since it couldn't hurt anymore than not wearing it, I put them on and was relieved to see that I could start no-selling the thorns a bit. Since there wasn't much else I could do -not even run away!- I took some bones out of the walls and chucked them at the enemy mage above. I didn't think I'd ever been prouder than the moment when I actually nailed them in the head with somebody's femur.

Duck, throw, rinse, repeat. I did a lot of that for the rest of the fighting. It looked like the others were having the time of their lives, though. Somebody out there was actually laughing, the crazy old tundra.

I jumped back as something crashed through the ceiling, burning and screeching. Just out of reflex, I kicked it hard into the wall to get it away. Abruptly, it fell silent and so did everything else. Holy snap, I'd actually killed the mage! Before anybody else got there, I honored the proud tradition of killers everywhere and looted the body before everything of value could burn up.

I had just managed to hide my prize as the others came stumbling in.

"Did you really just kill it?" Cordelia asked. Was it really that hard to believe?

"Of course!" I said, mostly managing not to be indignant because, wow! I actually did it!

"Looks like it's one of those spells that only has one anchor," our mage said, peering at the corpse. "Whoever that was, destroying their body broke the rest of the enchantments around here. It should all be quiet now. Pity that the crown was incinerated, though. I would have liked to study it."

To that, I said absolutely nothing.

Cordelia looked at me suspiciously. "Hey, aren't those-"

I blinked guilelessly and raised my arms. "Oh, you mean the gloves? Sincere gave them to me earlier." Hey, if he hadn't reported me earlier, then he just as well did. "I hope you don't want them back seeing as, you know." They were kind of thorny now, and I wasn't entirely sure I could get them or the stockings off without a bit of work.

"Kindra says to split up and comb over the area for any strays," an imperial said, nicely breaking into our conversation. She, in turn, was distracted by Bryon arguing that, no, there wouldn't be any strays, hadn't she just heard him? But blah blah paranoia and what about other independent blah blah magic.

I slipped away because, well, you heard the boss lady! With a prize already stowed in my pockets, I was motivated to find more valuables to bring home. Quickly, I made sure I was the first to reach where I had originally seen the mage shooting spells at us. Just next to it was a room with an opened stone casket, a shelf of dusty books, and a few chests lined up on the opposite wall. The casket was obviously empty and I wasn't going to waste time on paper so to the chests I went.

I took a little of the chests I could get open, a handful of yellow jewels here, a banner there, and a collar to match the crown.

When that was all nicely hidden away, I shouted for the rest to come on up and see to the leftovers. All in all, though, I was feeling pretty good, even though it killed me that I couldn't have just taken all of the jewels in that one chest. From what I heard from Bryon and Seshat, the books were worth something but it sounded like they were obscure and boring and hard to sell. I guess that's just what scholarly types liked to fight about, though.

I was ready to bolt after that. I'd gotten what I'd come for, after all, and even if I didn't have my weight in gold, I did have a pretty awesome story to tell. Just up and leaving, apparently, wasn't what one did around these dragons. So I helped them with removing all of the valuables we had found -which was a lot, actually, so I lifted a few more jewels until I could practically feel my pockets bulging. Nobody seemed to notice, except Sincere who smirked at me annoyingly.

I stayed with those dragons for one more night before hightailing it out of Dragonhome. They were an alright bunch and even all came out to give me a goodbye but Earth is one of the strangest places I've ever been and I can't really say I'm sorry that it's gone.

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A Journey Complete

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Home at long last

Weary from his travels, the young Wildclaw was relieved to see the faint glow from within the brambles as he made his way to the entrance of his home. The cheer that arose when he entered the main all was deafening, and only grew louder when they noticed the curious outfit and bulging sack he carried behind him.

The rest of the evening was spent retelling the adventures he has been on. Many of the Impavi were disbelieving of his claims of secret cults and shape shifters all out the destroy the Deities, beautiful Faes who defy their mothers, how he helped save a clan leader from an assassination attempt and clans of nothing but Skydancers with beautiful flowers that they can preserve forever. As the tales went on and on, more dragons cried out that he should save the fairytales for Jakodi.

That is......

Until he dumped his satchel out.

None could deny the magic radiating off the items he carried. A perfectly preserved corsage, an eerily glowing pendant and papers describing the Lyrens and their plot. Not to mention the thorns still wrapped around the flowing outfit he wore, tightening each time one of them would tug at them.

As the days went on, Caomhan proved just how much his time had changed him. Though his thievery was still sub-par, the reckless guile he carried when his would-be marks turned on him was far from the same attitude from before his travels. Laughing and dancing around his opponents in battle, a feat he never would have managed before, he'd gleefully shout taunts and mock their efforts. And, as is common amongst the Impavi, he spent much of his free time boasting,

'Why fear a sword when I was once cuddled by a rotting, rose covered Imperial.'

'You call that slinging spells? I've fought mages, er, a mage, far more proficient!'

'It's fine, Kasios, from my time on the infamous Dirge Rat, I've learned much of their language. Allow me to speak to the pirates.'

Needless to say, not all of his comments were proven correct...

To say the least, Sorneith carries more secrets than any of them had even imagined and Caomhan believes he's only scratched the surface of what lies beyond their caravan.

Murmurs begin between the Impavi, 'what else is out there?' they wonder.

There's only on way to find out.
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Cache

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Notes stolen from a curious Spiral, supposedly on a mission to stop a cult of Lyrens from destroying the deities, within the Arcane lands.

A pocketwatch swiped from the dragons who sail The Dirge Rat after a botched attempt to make away with nearly a chest-full of treasure and gems.

A pendant stolen from a mysterious Imperial who knows far more than she lets on. Hopefully she doesn't change her mind about looking the other way.

An exquisite, preserved black tulip corsage taken from a secretive Wind clan. Their leader later clarified that it was meant to be a gift anyway...whoops!

A glass knife gifted by a strange Tundra during an escape from the prisons of the Glacial Unions. Second in question to whom the ragged, rose covered Imperial was.

Beautiful tail rings swiped from a Mirror, almost too easy to slide from his tail. Perhaps not the kindest thing to do, considering his and his mate's help, but a score none the less.

A sweet smelling lei gifted by a lovely Skydancer, far kinder than the angry Wildclaws that roamed the area.

Beautiful, shining jewels snagged from the crypts. Completely disserving after that solo take down of the Mage who was causing all the problems, honestly. Probably. Hopefully.

More jewels from later on, still disserving considering the situation. If only that monochromatic Skydancer would stop looking so smug about it.

A pair of gloves snagged early on in the visit to Earth, mostly to spite the dragon's who seem completely unimpressed with any skills shown.

A matching set of stocking, have to have the pair after all. Only noticed by the cocky, and young, Skydancer who seems to enjoy boasting quietly about what he saw.

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.............................................................................................................................Thorns

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They’re everywhere. ............................................................................................................................

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.....................................................................................................................Oh Dieties.

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So painful. .........................................................................................

The crown of the Mage who was taken down solely before the so called experts had even arrived to help. Told them improvising worked.

A curiously styled banner that appears to match the crown found earlier. Well, as stated before, might as well have the set.

And a collar, too? Going to come home in a brand new outfit. Though, best not to put it on while still in Earth, just in case this clan notices.

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Art by Meese

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Art by Pannathian

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.	. Lore By …………... …….........................................................................................................................…... Desmondtiny \|

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