Diaval

hatched by mE on the day obbies were released owo

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“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing!? Don't eat that!” The effort to yell cost her, but Diaval blamed the storm-blue fluff ball that popped out of a gem she touched on a hallucination or poisonous gases, only to find it at her camp eating pages from her research journal.

It looked up at her in surprise. “Why not? This quadratic agenda is quite delicious. It was made from papyrus, handcrafted at that! Your ink choice is not ideal, but the flavors you've put into it are scrumptious and quite enjoyable. There's a good deal of sourness, but it balances with the salty taste of pride and achievement. I applaud your writing.” The fluffy horned head tipped in her direction while yesterday's entry crumpled its way into its mouth.

Disturbed by the creature's understanding of Draconic and distracted by the headache worming its way to her forehead, she replied dumbly, “You like to eat paper?”

“Well, yes! Quadratic agendas in particular. There's just something sublime about the consumption of higher thought, which is obviously best found in the form of literature. It is a fact of my whole species.” The creature stopped chewing to regard her. “Our extravagant begetter the Arcanist even applauded us for it, and rewarded us for our unique and tasteful habit by sending us up to examine the stars. My crew was fated for a star through Program Portion, and we were sent back down to Sornieth to requisition the materials and technological prowess required to formulate a ship for that very purpose. I do seem to have been left behind, but I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation for my absence. Most likely, I have been given command of my own crew. I am a vice captain of my original crew.” A more somber expression took over as the small speech continued. “I do hope my family is okay. It'd be very sad if a great amount of time has passed, and their son never returned to visit like he said he would.” After a moment's pause, he added, “All of that is confidential, of course, and it would be best if it did not leave our company for the time being.”

Diaval's head spun. Her injuries ached. She needed to eat and sleep. If only the rest of her expedition had escaped. She could have afforded to hand this latest problem off to a grabby researcher who would inevitably inject themselves into her discovery of a new dragon breed, but it felt more than worth it at the moment. “From the Arcanist?”

“Indeed, we were the begetters first formulation for a macrocosm all his own! The Aethers, he named us.” He went back to tearing pages out of her journal and stuffing them into his mouth.

“An Ancient.” Just her luck. Another dragon species, and she was the first to make contact, while all she wanted to do was pass out and stop thinking. These dragons could change the world by appearing out of nowhere and hiding in gems. How she would have loved to learn about them anytime but now.

“Ancient? That's an odd term for it, but I suppose so. Am I the first 'Ancient' you have ever met?”

She shook her head, the motion making her gasp with pain. “No, no.” She took a moment to breathe before continuing. “There are lots of Ancient breeds emerging from hiding. But your abilities are unlike anything I've seen. Can all of your species become such small gems?”

He went on chewing, oblivious to the dragon sitting right next to him. “The Compacted Crystalline Multi-Facet Hibernation Chamber, you mean? Acronym of CCMFHC. Its an invention, and unfortunately, it only works once. I certainly can't remodel my physical form into such an efficiently sized item without another, and most definitely my entire species can't.”

That was disappointing. She vaguely wondered how long it would take for the cavern floor to stop spinning. “What about the vanishing? How did you poof like that?”

“Poof?” A look of genuine concern settled on his face. “However do you mean?”

“You poofed! After I, after I touched the Compact Facet Chamber. Magic swirled into the gem and you were suddenly in front of me. Then you disappeared into thin air.”

He stopped chewing on her journal and carefully set it beside him. “You mean to say you couldn't see me?”

Her tongue wasn't really working. “Yes, that's what I just said.”

“Not hide or hair?”

She grunted.

“Fascinating...” He crossed four of his six limbs. “But you saw the CCMFHC... well, that doesn't exactly track, but...”

Diaval interrupted, “Sorry, I need to sleep. Whatever you're saying, I'll hear it later.”

“Ah, that's quite all right.” He waved a hand vaguely in her direction. “Truthfully, I thought you were being an incredibly gracious host when you led me back to your camp and didn't say a word when I began to eat. Thank you so much for sharing what you have with me; of course you should be allowed to avail yourself of your own supplies.” He turned back to her.

The Obelisk slumped over where she sat and was beginning to snore.

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The unlikely pair walked briskly through a hall, the amber light of the lamp bobbing on the ashen walls as they did. The Aether shouldered the extra pack, and Diaval walked painlessly. They had traveled together for some days now.

“What do you suppose infected all of your pack-mates for them to run themselves ragged?”

Diaval shrugged and said, “Could have been anything. These expeditions are simple enough when you plan carefully, and the cave was supposed to be safe. Next thing I know, everyone's lost their minds, and I'm running with them.”

“You really heard something, something that drove you along with them?” He masked it well, but she could hear the incredulity in his voice.

“I can't say for sure that I did. Its hazy, like I said, but with the fluxing magic and other craziness in this generation, it's possible.” If she really told him how it felt to have your mind trampled under the claws of a hundred running dragons, to lose yourself among the whispers and goading and desire, he would politely disbelieve her, just like he did the first time she told the story. It was supposed to be just a training camp—two weeks to prove you were a worthwhile investment. Two weeks to showcase what you learned and could do, two weeks she couldn't recall, lost in a mist of fear and pain. She didn't know how she was alive, or why there was no one else. She couldn't even recall where she first woke up.

Fear burrowed into her life, and she didn't know if it would ever leave.

Silence filled their conversation for a while until Diaval interrupted with a question. “So what was all that about going on a separate mission?”

“Hmm?” The Aether looked up from the wall he was observing. “Ah, that. Yes, me and a select few were chosen to inspect the closest star we could find to Sornieth from up close. Last I remember, we were going back down for supplies and new tech. We planned to land and go to the star in the CCMFHC; it is very far away from Sornieth, and the CCMFHC is the latest tech among Aethers, fashioned from our scarce amount of rare metals, and is our greatest magical accomplishment yet. A bit on the experimental side, but incredible. It's an interesting side effect, this ability to go invisible. I think it's a very nice bonus when I was warned it could kill me! Just look! Poof, I'm gone. Where could I be? Over here! No, now I'm over here! And now I- oof!”

Diaval carefully kept a smile from her voice as she asked, “Did you trip?”

“Regrettably... Not being able to see one's feet while running is more difficult than I imagined.” Diaval could hear a huffing sound.

Diaval grinned. “I'm just glad you know how to control it now. It was so strange to see you eat.”

They shared a laugh as the Aether popped back into sight. The two fell into step once more. The two ran out of brought food yesterday, but had been very lucky in finding plants for the Aether and insects for the Obelisk. They were by no means full, but they could keep on. A survivors ration is better than nothing.

“Diaval, do you hear that?”

She looked around. Nothing stood out as unusual. The distant ringing of a bell goat climbed through the hall, some snail slime glistened a slippery path to the other side, and the dripping from the pool behind them. The cave glowed with the light from her delver's lamp, a bright and cheery yellow against the heavy shadows and gloom of complete darkness. But then again, what the Aether heard could be something not normally found in a cave. She turned back to him, but he was wandering away, his attention trapped on the bend in front of them. His mouth was moving, muttering something. And then she did hear it.

The sound of overgrown claws scraping across stone clamored down the hall like a spotted scout. Diaval's heart slammed into her ears, drowning her thoughts in its striking, steady rhythm. She took the Aether and covered his ears, pulling him with her behind a cluster of stalagmites. She shrouded the lamp as his chewing stopped, and his widened eyes focused on her face as he placed all four of his arms over his eardrums. The scraping grew louder until they could see the dragon it heralded. But neither of them dared to look. They squeezed their eyes tight as they listened to the drips, clacks, and whispers. Still as death, they hid until the sounds stopped echoing through the cavern.

“What was that?” The Aether hissed, removing his hands from his head.

“Do you think I know? There are monsters down here, strange happenings.” Diaval leaned back, waiting for her heart to slow.

The Aether frowned and said, “I apologize, Diaval. I thought you lied, or were confused. But no, everything you said was true.”

After a moment, she replied, “Its alright. I wouldn't have believed me either. We need to go.”

They quietly rushed down the hall, taking the first turn they came across away from the bend. Paying little heed to where they were going, they eventually ran into a dead end. And both were utterly flummoxed by what they found.

The rest of his crew made it too. And they had set up a functioning, glowing base.

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A few more days later, an Obelisk stepped into the light.

“What are you doing in here?” A very harried Banescale marched up to her with an unmistakable air of scorn. “Are you not aware this cave has been closed off? Did you somehow manage to miss the giant sign saying no entry or did you just ignore it like the dunce you undoubtedly are? You know, this cave, this exact cave, that you have just meandered into is the recent site of an entire training expedition's disappearance! You could have been next. Gone, just like that. Poofed. Think, if you can manage that, before you trespass again.” And with that, the Obelisk was pushed off.

Diaval shrugged her pack up, sighing to herself as she did so. The rift fell away before her, intimidating as always. The many ramps, elevators, and walkways hanging on the sides did nothing to change the constricting walls squeezing into your vision. She looked down over the edge. It was exhilarating to be submerged in this deep ridge, to see the fathomless depths below in this giant mar upon the world, and to feel like you floated just above the danger it represented.

“Excuse me, but could I have your attention for a bit?” An intimidating Guardian, bearing a sword and a determined look, approached her. “Did you come from the expedition, by any chance?”

She had hoped to deal with the questions on her own time. “Yes, why do you ask?”

His expression changed to awe as he continued, “You did come from inside, then. With the camp that's disappeared. I'll need you to come with me for questioning, hopefully get some answers to the dragons that need them.”

“They haven't come back, then.”

“No, they have not.” He hesitated, before asking, “How did you survive? Its been months, but you're the only one to come back from that training camp.”

She gave a grim smile in return. “Months... I don't suppose you could allow me a bath and a decent meal before I answer?”

“Of course.” The two flew up to the rim of the breach, heading into the Colonnades.

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“Miss Diaval, I am given to understand that the half eaten contents of this book are completely true. As such, you have made no concrete contribution to our society besides the gem containing the Aether, whom we still have not met, that can become invisible. And seeing how you never discovered how the gem worked and were unable to bring it back for examination, all we really have to consider you for a promotion suitable to allow self-study in the cave formerly known as Cave 82 is the fact that you somehow survived and came back while none of the other children of this guild did. To stand before this court and ask for our support is either the gutsiest thing I have ever laid eyes on, or the stupidest, and I'd like to believe you are not stupid, Miss Diaval. So tell us, what did you really find down in Cave 82 worth the astronomical amount of books and dried insects you have requested?”

Diaval shuffled her feet, the granite floors as unforgiving as the members of this council. When the Aether pulled her aside from a discussion with his crew about the values of sediment, she knew exactly what he wanted and cut him short with a flat 'no'. But when the others joined him in asking, and she found herself surrounded by a sea of wide eyes in fluffy faces, her 'no' turned into 'yes' before she wanted it too. Honestly, she had no clue how to bring books and dried insects down into Cave 82, nor did she really want to go back. But the Aethers happened to have a meteorite with them, and she wanted to study it, plus it really did seem like they needed the help. But still, she had known this would happen when he also requested that the base remain secret. “A dead-end, sir.”

“Mm, a dead-end. Well, I hardly need to say it, but for the sake of our secretary, denied.”

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Salt Minerals & Ores Never put salt in your eyes. 15

Salt Minerals & Ores Never put salt in your eyes. 15 Salt Minerals & Ores Never put salt in your eyes. 15 Salt Minerals & Ores Never put salt in your eyes. 15 magic, madness, heaven, sin idk the rest of the lyrics, but this is where the relevant text goes for the bab

Salt Minerals & Ores Never put salt in your eyes. 15

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