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Rocwylde
Welp. One of those cases of roleplaying serendipity where suddenly something kinda major happens, heh.
Sorry, no time for sight-seeing. Drama happening. XD Hopefully this doesn't need any major fixes to make sense.
~~~
Confound it that
goblins should be so
spritely! The Mirror would pick up speed, for the quarry to spring up to a higher vantage. He’d have the thief in plain view with a clear run to it, for it to change tack and leave him at a cul-de-sac. He’d pause to catch his breath, only for the creature to lurk but a few strides away. It actually took Octantis some time to realise that first, it had been a while since he’d last seen the goblin. Second, that he was in a part of town that looked rather different to where the chase had commenced.
“Huh, quite the hunt.” The Mirror remarked to himself. He wasn’t worried. After all, who said adventuring was easy? “Nils?” No response. It seemed they’d gotten separated. It’s hard to keep track of the path you’ve taken when you’re focussing on not losing your goal and said goal gambolled erratically. So Octantis, with an eye out for, well, anything connected to the goblin or the now sundered party, walked.
It didn’t take an architect to notice that the area he was in had seen better days. For a place of residence, it was quieter than he would have expected. The occasional patter of what might be crumbling masonry being the loudest thing he heard close-by besides his own footsteps. Octantis started as something collapsed from overhead behind him, to be quickly followed by a scrabbling of claws. Plainly not the goblin. So it became one of those rare occasions where the Mirror actually processed the fact that he was alone in unfamiliar territory that looked to potentially fall in on him. This was not somewhere to visit without Sarynid, he decided.
In a distant part of the city, a Fae’s frills twitched in the passing breeze.
One thing that Octantis had learnt is that some adventures involved a great deal of running. So it could be quite the reliable fall-back. The Mirror ran until he reached the canal and, without a second thought, leapt into it. He looked back and saw nothing. He didn’t pause to consider whether that meant there was indeed nothing. Instead he picked a direction and, to some cries of mirth and incredulity from sensible visitors who followed health and safety guidelines to not leave their gondolas during a tour, Octantis swam a rough hainu-paddle.
In spite of Faryelle’s reassurances, more time had passed since the two dragons had vanished than Giovanni was comfortable with. A gondolier had a duty of care, even if impulsive action on the part of passengers made that significantly more difficult to fulfil. Faryelle herself had become concerned. This hadn’t happened before. She barely processed as the gondolier described the plaza they were nearing.
“Can I have a moment? I’m going to see if I can find them.” Giovanni obliged and brought the vessel to a halt.
This must be what it’s like for those who call for a search party, Faryelle considered. She then focussed. Their group of wandering adventurers had sometimes aided in couriering supplies or messages to an expeditionary group, and yes. Sometimes finding lost explorers. Naturally it was far easier to sense a handful of dragons within an area uninhabited by their kind. In the city…it seemed Herculean. The maze of streets and canals seemed to flow with points of magical energy. It was dizzying. Faryelle held on.
Finally, something became apparent. A consistency. Faryelle raised her head and pointed a direction. “Something…is in a canal…Not where the gondolas are…Not a familiar.” From listening, there had been regularities: the paths of gondolas. Travellers in different directions stayed on opposite sides of any given canal. But there had been one signal which did not fit that pattern. That it was not someone letting their familiar paddle beside their gondola was instinct. Giovanni took a moment to ascertain their heading before setting the vessel in motion.
The gondolier did not find it regrettable that this should take them down a detour from their original route. For the neighbourhood nearest to the Belltower Plaza was not the most charming of spots to bring tourists.
Swimming, as it happened, was pretty tiring. So this was what those Mirror-adventurers meant when they spoke of doing training for a lengthy Mire expedition. Octantis blinked and started looking for one of those places where gondolas may be tied up ready for embarking and disembarking. It was time to get out of the water.
“Okky?!” A familiar voice came across the water.
“Faryelle?”
“I see him! Hurry!”
With several rapid oar-strokes Giovanni brought the gondola up and alongside the wayward passenger. Together the two Skydancers heaved the Mirror back onboard.
“Are you quite alright, sir?”
“I’m…fine. Just worn out.” He wasn’t making any plans to hop off the gondola again in a hurry.
“I can give you directions to a clinic where one of our city’s fine physicians may see to your welfare.”
“After the tour, thanks.” Octantis looked at the two Skydancers. “How did you find me? Faryelle’s luck?”
The Skydancer untied one of her bags, “I…” she tapped her orb, “looked.”
“In all this traffic?” Octantis had seen enough of it while swimming. “That’s amazing. Well done! And thank you.” Faryelle smiled and handed a traveller’s snack-pack to the Mirror and took a second for herself. “By the way, has anyone seen Nils?”
“Um…I don’t know.” For all she knew, Faryelle may have sensed the poet’s energy signature, but she wouldn’t know it from that of another dragon.
