... all right. I think I may have convinced Karl to rejoin us, though I don't know for how long.
Nevertheless, since I'm still waiting for the plot to begin, I think I'll throw up a quick little character development side-quest for Nuli. The little guy deserves it.
Name: Nulirathra (Nuli) Gender: Male Age: 1 and a half years. Race: White Dragon Hybrid Alignment: Saradomin (Sartranomin) Weapons: Self-defence lightning-beam breath, claws, and modified tail fin. Armor: White dragon scales. Strengths: Small, nimble, and intelligently adaptive. Weaknesses: By Gia's last request, Alex had not taught Nuli the ways of combat, and he has yet to experience battle. Physical Description: A small, lizard-like winged quadrupedal dragon, roughly the size of an adult dog, yet small and light enough to be Alex's shoulder-pet (which he often is). Has three fin-spikes sweeping back on his head between his two sharp, swept-back horns and large, glowing eyes with curious yellow pupils. Due to age, his head is considerably large compared to his small, thin, developing body. folded up, his wings are merely the size of a small backpack on his back, but extended, they span nearly twice his size. Slight, dull bony protrusions jut out of his leg joints, which end in tri-claws that include an interestingly detached thumb-like extension on the inner sides, which he uses for that exact purpose. His tail ends off in a spade-tip, extending fluidly from his spine, and aside from head and tail, no other fins are present. The one at the tip of his tail, however, he stiffened it with a chemical, and notched out several groves and twists to turn it into a tool by itself. For example, he notched several places on one edge, keeping it sharp enough to saw through wood. His scales, being a bright crystal white, are as transparent as diamonds, and yet reveal nothing but a thinner, white undertone, covering his skin underneath. Stretching from under his neck down his chest to the end of his tail is a tough, leather-like section; the usual vulnerable areas of a dragon, but unless you can get past the lightning-focused breath which, unlike his father's blast of sparks, is much more refined and focused for added range and direct power, don't count on exploiting this weakness. Personality: Due to the discrepancies of being the offspring of an ancient 100 000 year old dragon breeding with a modern day one, side effects are present. For one, Nuli does not have a voice box, and cannot either speak nor roar the ancient dialect, resulting in the only communication he can make either emotionally or externally, like tapping or writing. Nevertheless, he will always find a way to make his point discovered, either through his bondings with Alex, or simply through subliminal gesture. For this reason, he had taken interest in psychology; learning to tinker with the predictable mind and make it react accordingly. Nuli is exceedingly curious and analytical, taking interest in the most minor of details and attempting to understand even the unnecessary. Despite his nature of being a young dragon, Nuli is incredibly obedient and mature for his age, avoiding childish pranks and scenes altogether in exchange for respect and appreciation, and he takes discipline to heart without a second telling. History: Being a young White Dragonyte, he doesn't have much history. Gia had helped support an injured female blue dragon they had encountered and brought back to the SWC, and them both knowing that she wasn't going to make it, he agreed to her final wish of having a child in the world. As a result, Gia had mated with her, and she succeeded in producing and fertilizing a dragon egg before passing away. Keeping it a secret from Alex, Gia dubbed it his "master project" and spent many hours in secret hatching the egg and caring for the offspring while Alex remained in the dark of his existence. Upon his death, he left Nuli's discovery purely on his interpretation of Alex's curiosity, which in the end, payed off with success. No longer with any remaining parents, Nuli was instead raised by Alex, who trained him in the arts of metallurgy and construction, while neglecting teaching Nuli of combat, as Gia would've wanted. However, Nuli had also taken interest in astrology and the mysteries behind the scientific views of the realm of reality, and to Alex's surprise, began using logic and psychology to outwit his opponents without the need for physical confrontation. This has made Nuli an incredibly tactical, behind-the-scenes observer. Nevertheless, Nuli has yet to experience any real battle; having so far only used his tactic to help Alex with minor tasks and favors.
… dang. Only 1 and a half years old, and I still wrote down more back-story for Nuli than Alex. … but then again, most of Alex's back-story comes from War of Lore, and he's an already-developed character unlike the brand spanking' new Nuli, so go read that if you want to appease yourself.
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ZANARIS ______________________________________________
Fairy Whael pressed her body behind the pillar, listening intently to the conversation. They didn't know she was here, and and change of status would result in dire consequence. Most likely, her getting her wings torn off and shoved down her throat. Ooh, that was not even the worst scenario she could think of, and even that rattled her nerves. No! Don't think of failure! Focus, she told herself. Focus! The Queen was in danger! If she failed, then her majesty would fall along with her! Everything was dependant on her success!
They stopped talking, and she dared herself to take a peak around the corner. She was up at a high, somewhat awkward angle to the scene, so it was unlikely that any one of the light-brown hooded beings would glance up at her; especially since they kept their hoods so far down their heads that they had to lean their backs backward slightly just to see in front of them. The pillar slowly gave way, and once she saw the tinge of brown appear from behind, she shot back to the safety of the shadows, forcing deep, shallow breaths. They had very good hearing, so she knew that anything louder and she would've exposed herself.
Fortunately, there was no reaction. One of them muttered, but it was something to do with its comrade's claws. She crept back along the upper rim of the pillar, keeping her footing as best she could. Of all the days to wear high-heels, she cursed herself. Of course, who was she to know that they would pick her to spy on them? Such a serious circumstance, she'd think they'd choose somebody more experienced. The only real reason they picked her is because of her own very good hearing. Trying to keep the tapping down to a minimum and avoiding using her wings altogether, she made her way to the other end of the pillar. It was much darker on this side, and therefore, she's be able to get a better look at the situation.
Upon getting close enough to peer around, she once again forced herself to focus, and with a nervous grip on a protruding stone, she peered around the pillar. Suddenly, she saw a tinge of light brown robe again, but she forced herself to continue. Soon, a figure emerged from behind the pillar. Then another. Then another. A total of seven of them, and they were all there. Three of them were standing guard around a fourth, and a fifth was peering down the entrance to the cavern. The final two of them were holding a large box between themselves, which was covered in small holes along the upper rim, and covered in chains. Despite it being shrouded in darkness, Whael knew exactly what the precious cargo of that box was.
One of the figures, wearing a black trim around its robes, tapped its staff on the ground twice for attention, and the rings of mushrooms next to him sparked slightly. That was the leader. It was going to speak, and she had to make sure she was listening to this. This was it; the reason she was here. Eavesdrop on the leader's instructions and report back. Learn where they were heading next. Nothing else. Once the location was down, the others would set up a trap there and ambush them when they teleported. That was the objective as it was explained to her. She had the easy job. No problem.
"Did we lose them, scout?" he spoke, in a deep growl of a voice. Squinting slightly, Whael noticed it was a man's mouth that said it. Interesting that the creature didn't have a man's mouth not two minutes ago.
The one peering down the entrance jerked his head slightly to the side, decided that what he thought he saw was nothing, and crept back to the rest on all fours.
"Is good." it hissed, in a more sinister-sounding dialect, "They gone."
The leader lowered his hood, exposing the short grey hair covering the majority of his face and head, and squinted towards the pillars to his left. Despite it being the opposite direction, Whael took cover, forcing herself silence until she heard casual speaking again.
"Almost too easy." he muttered, "As though they gave up the chase."
"Tha's good, eh?" one of his guards spoke up, shrugging, "They's scared of us."
"No, you fool!" the leader barked, threatening to whack it with the staff, "This is their queen we stole! They would not abandon her lightly! Do NOT drop your guard!"
She heard loud sniffing. Shoot, did she have a scent? Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and held it. She forced self-confidence on herself. I will be fine, she told herself over and over. There are too many mushrooms and shrubs around the ground for her smell to be distinguishable.
Five minutes felt like five days, but after they had passed for either side, the leader spoke up again.
"Gather, everyone."
The seven robed figures huddled together, standing just beside the newly operational fairy ring. Such a horrifyingly crude piece of work. The mushrooms had been planted by a hired adventurer, who had also told them about the hidden cavern and fetched them the staff from Entrana in exchange for a few undeserved gold coins. They didn't know where the scoundrel was now, but it was no longer the concern. Using the staff and the ring, the figures had warped into Zanaris with the staff, caught the fairies by total surprise, and amidst the confusion, grabbed the queen and bolted. There were originally a dozen of them, but their resistance had all but paid off. They had escaped here after they shut down the main ring, and now they were literally one step away from getting back into their homeland.
But that's where the complication rose. For the ring to work on multiple targets, they had to sync their minds. They all had to know exactly where they were teleporting. She therefore had full confidence that their leader was going to inform them all of the location to make sure none of them were left behind. They only had one dramen staff, after all, and therefore, only one chance to escape. They will take their time here. Hopefully, it will be enough for her to get back, alert the rest, and get an ambush set up in time. If it wasn't … then they'll lose the queen.
No. They'll lose much more than just the queen.
Whael listened. No need to peek behind the pillar anymore. They were all there, and they were huddled. Now, she just had to focus her senses and try to hear them as perfectly as she could.
"All right, ya lot, listen up." she heard the leader's voice. It was hushed, but not enough. Odd, she thought. She heard that werewolves usually have incredible hearing. Perhaps this was just the lowest their leader could intelligibly whisper.
"This is the easy part." he hissed, "We get to Canifis, we're home-free, and those foolish fairies have already helped us with that. We've got one of several of those rings in our land to choose from. All we need to do now is pick which one."
One of the guards spoke up again. It didn't sound like the guard that got whacked earlier, but it did sound equally as deserving.
"Tha's no problem. I saw theres one o' them rings front o' the tower. Jus' a brisk trot from there."
"Yeah, we all know where't is." another agreed, "Easy part indeed, s' what are we waitn' for?"
She heard a duet of loud slapping sounds, as well as grunts of pain.
"You fools! Think about this!" the leader barked, "I told you to not drop your guard! If you nitwits had brains, you'd think about this!"
She heard pathetic whimpering, and forced herself not to giggle.
"The reason they haven't been chasing us here is because they know there's a ring here." he hissed "Otherwise we can't escape from this realm. And if they stopped chasing us altogether, there's only one reason for that."
A long pause. A voice she had not heard yet broke the silence with his bravado.
"Cuz they getting' ready te' ambush us?" he asked.
The leader groaned.
"I see at least somebody's got half-a stick for a brain." he muttered, "Yes. This ring is our ticket outta here, but it's also their last chance to catch us. We don't know what's on the other end. If they really wanna save their queen, they'll have set up in the place they'd figure we'd show up. That being, the closest ring to Canifis!"
"Then le's hurry! Where d' we go?"
Here it came. She closed her eyes and focused hard. She heard a mild ruffling of robes, and then the leader spoke.
"Everyone, we are going to the ring in the Woods." he announced.
"Ah! Cuz we gots more cover there and stay hidden?"
"Exactly. Plus, it's at the other end of the village. That ambush will be looking' pretty dumb when they rot out there, waiting' for us. Course we'll already be at the bar, drinking mead and laughing the moon out of the sky."
She heard them laugh. This was it. That was their plan. She had to get out now, and warn the others. Risking a peek, she checked to see where they were looking. Their boss was kicking the box, and the 5 others were watching, hoping to take turns. If she was getting out, now was the time.
… wait. 5 underlings and one leader … that was six … wasn't there supposed to be-
Suddenly, she felt a chill up her spine. A shadow loomed over her. Rigid in fear, she slowly turned around, expecting the worst. She was not disappointed; no sooner then she made eye contact with his brown robes, the one known as "scout" shot a clawed hand right at her at unreachable speed and yanked her off the pillar by her wings between two claws, holding her up precariously in front of his face.
"Surprise!" he hissed, bearing his canine fangs victoriously.
_________________________
Everything seem to just fall apart. The world as she knew it. Everything she thought to be right was wrong. All hope seemed to just snuff itself out like a candle in a tornado.
Though she was only in the shadows for a few minutes, the light felt like it was burning her skin. Against her will, she was pulled out of hiding by her wings and exposed to the curious eyes of all the other werewolves, looking eagerly at their new prisoner.
"Check it, boss." Scout said, dangling her in front, "You was right."
"Of course I was!" their leader said, approaching, "They don't call me Fran the Brain-Pan for nothing."
He grabbed her by her waist; his fingers enclosing completely around her tiny frame. She shrieked and pounded her fists for a moment before she felt hard, merciless draymen wood press against her chin in one, swift blunt motion. The blow felt like it broke most of her teeth, and she dared not unclench in fear they would fall out.
"Search the room!" he bellowed, and the six darted around, sniffing corners and peering around pillars. The search didn't take long at all. In a manner of seconds, they reported back with the all-clear.
"You call yourself a spy?" Fran asked, flicking his trimmed robes back and holding her up close to his humanoid face, "Your perfume was so strong I smelled you coming in. Your heart also beat so hard I thought somebody was playing a set of drums in the next room. And what the heck do THESE serve in the stealth arts?"
He was flicking a nail at her shoes, knocking them both off. The other werewolves laughed. Save for one, who was too busy asking a question.
"Hey, if they're spyin' on us, does that mean they don't know where we'll go?"
Fran, who wan't laughing to begin with, had no trouble disciplining the inquirer.
"Duh! You imbecile! All this is is proof that they're gonna be ambushing us! Why else would they plant an ear at the route of our escape?"
Nobody spoke. The claw that was gripping her tightened, and she found it difficult to breathe. But it loosened slightly, and she felt she was getting shaken slightly. Her captor was chuckling.
"Those fools. They thought we were stupid!" he laughed, "Look at this! This is the best they can do? Does their queen really mean nothing to them?"
Whael lost all confidence in herself. She was shivering, and unable to move her body altogether. She wanted it all to just stop now.
Fran gestured everyone to gather around closely, and he whispered so silently that Whael came to the realization that their plan she heard earlier was a complete fabrication. He had intended to speak just loud enough for her to hear him.
"Just so your thick heads can understand it." Fran said, "We are NOT going to the Haunted Woods."
"So where we go?"
Fran gave one last check around to ensure there really wasn't a backup spy. Confident that they were truly in secrecy, he spoke.
"The fairy ring in Mort Myre."
All six underlings jumped.
"WHAA! THERE?!?" they shouted.
"What? Aww, afraid to get slime between your paws?" he jeered, "Or did you all not memorize its location? Are you forgetting the reason why I hired you lot in the first place?"
They immediately silenced. None of them had an excuse. They all knew exactly where the ring was.
"Think about it! It's our safest option!" Fran explained, "The enemy is smart, and wants to ambush us. I faked that we do the Haunted Woods because in reality, it's the least ideal area for us. There's so many trees there that an ambush would be no problem, so they wouldn't need many forces. Think, for a moment, as though you were our enemy.
First, let's pretend they think we're dumb. If this was all they had against us, they have completely underestimated us. But we had just snuck into Zanaris, and with one quick move, we swiped the queen from under their noses. This will not be the case, guaranteed, or we'll have an easy time regardless of our decision. They aren't that stupid.
But what if they wanted us to think that? For example, maybe this fairy was a decoy, and meant to be discovered while the real spy had already got away!"
Whael froze in terror. She had never thought of that. Her good hearing was perhaps the only reason she was sent in the first place. Now that she thought of it, wearing high heels and perfume, she was the worst possible fairy to send to spy on perhaps any enemy, forget werewolves. Did they really want her to be a decoy?
"If she was just a decoy, and the real spy had got away with the information, they'd wait for us there guaranteed!
Now, let's pretend they think we're smart. They are anticipating Canifis as well, in case we had a change of plan, or if they were anticipating that we'd catch the spy, we'd change our plan to Canifis, as they'd believe we're smart enough to think that they don't have an ambush there after all. Therefore, we can assume both those locations might be covered!
But what about the swamp? It's flat, and there are very few places to hide for an ambush. It's out of the way, open-fielded, and a considerable distance from the safety of our home. We would also have a terrain disadvantage. If they thought we were dumb, we'd never think of going to the swamp. If they thought we were smart, we wouldn't go there anyways because it's hard to move around, and they can fly. Plus, it's a danger to us as well as everyone else, so they wouldn't think we'd enter dangerous territory. Out of the question! And even if they did have the guts, let's also not forget the ghosts, and those fairies don't have much in terms of energy. They'd all get sucked dry before we'd even get there."
"But … the vyrewatch!"
"Yeah? What about them?" he asked, then in a large bound, he jumped onto the large chained box and sat cross-legged on it, "Look what we have here! We were gonna turn it over to Lord Draken anyways, so if they catch us, alls we gotta do is request an audience with him. Let them know we've got a gift for his unholiness."
He tapped the box confidently with a smirk.
"One look inside this, and they'll be all to happy to abloige. They'll probably even give us a formal escort and let us stay the night in the castle!"
There was anticipation within the ranks. Apparently staying in the castle was an honour too great to pass up. Especially since they had a meal ticket with such incredible calibre that not even the Lord Draken would want to pass up without some reward.
"Boss, you're the best!" one of the previously slapped guards complimented.
"The fairies were also too kind to give us a sacrifice here." Fran added, "What do y'all say I grind it up and use it as a seasoning for our next soup? Probably taste real spicy."
This time, they all laughed. Her head was pounding with every burst of laughter. She felt cold. Naked. Helpless. Nothing she could do would help her escape this horrifying situation. She wished she was still at him. That none of this ever happened. She wished, from the bottom of her heart, that she could just wake up from this all. Then she wished that she was dead.
Suddenly, she felt a powerful blow to the head, and a blast of stars overwhelmed her vision. She rubbed her head tenderly, and the world came back into view. She was in a large, dark box with holes of light coming from the top; barely enough to illuminate everything around her. That everything, of course, being the Fairy Queen. She had been thrown into the box along with her.
Her majesty was awake, and conscious, but without energy. She lay on her side in her tattered up gown, having endured a very rough experience not too long ago. Whael couldn't bring herself to keep eye contact. She dropped to her knees and covered her face with her hands; her wings drooping down in shame.
"I'm sorry." she whispered, unable to fight back tears, "I've failed you. I'm so sorry."
A caring hand rested on her shoulder. She smiled.
"You tried." she whispered back, fighting pain, "I thank you for that."
The box shook. The two carriers had hoisted it up, having just finished chaining it back closed. Whael drove herself to climb up and peek through the hole in the top. She could see all the figures gathering around their leader, who was holding the staff high into the air. He muttered out something, but the acoustics inside the box made the outside noises too muffled to hear properly. The others roared victoriously. Fran slammed the staff to the ground, and a wave of bright light flowed around them, showering them in an array of different colors. She felt herself getting very light, and gravity seemed to vanish for a moment.
*THUNK!*
All the light vanished, and she was launched back down to the ground. She couldn't see anything. Her majesty's crown had a faint glow to it, but that was about it.
She didn't want to know what was happening, but her body couldn't resist it. She found herself climbing up to the hole again and peering through helplessly. There they were, in Mort Myre swamp. A dim, green light glowed over the horizon; just enough for her to make out the shapes of her captors with their weapons out and ready, expecting an ambush despite the confident accusations of Fran.
Minutes passed, and with each one, the world seemed to just grow darker and darker. Within the hour, she would be entirely at the mercy of a town full of werewolves. Or vampires. Or ghosts. Or ghouls. She didn't even know anymore. They might as well all just bundle in one room and tear all her clothes off while prodding her with sticks and laughing non-stop. Her body grew incredibly numb, and she felt herself slowly fall down again. She hit her head again on the bottom of the box, but she didn't feel it anymore.
She lay on the floor of the box. She couldn't move. Her senses were dulled, and she could only just hear Fran's voice calling out in glee. The others roared in victory. She felt the box lift back up. It began to shake.
Her mind wasn't on what was happening around her anymore. All it was now was what was going to happen. Torture. Torment. Screams of agony. Even now, she could hear the loud whipping strike her. She could feel herself getting thrown to the ground in a dark, cold cell. Around her, yells of pain and suffering, and she was going to be next. Forget the queen, she had it lucky. She was a monarch, after all. What was she? Nothing. She was nothing but a chew-toy to these beasts.
*BOOOM!*
A loud rumbling?!? No, she didn't want to think about what would've caused that. She didn't want to think about anything anymore!
She didn't know how much time had passed. Time? Who cared? Everything took an eternity for her now. She was waiting for a long time. Stop waiting, she wanted to cry out. Just get it done! Please! The torture was going to hurt a lot, but it wouldn't be nearly as painful as this wait. Her imagination was doing an incredibly job at torturing her to begin with.
*SLASH!*
Finally! FINALLY! With the glow of the queen's crown, he saw a large, slime-covered set of claws pierce the box walls and begin to tear downwards. Her nostrils were filled with the horrid scent of blood. This was it. No matter what, it will all be over when they decide to finish her off.
… no. Forget that! Forget them! She'll just kill herself instead! Yes! It was brilliant! If she was dead, they could do all they wanted with her body. Let it rot! Let THEM rot! Perfect!
A sharp object. That would do it. One quick jab in the chest. What's sharp in here? The crown! Yes, it was her only source of light. It was her only source of salvation!
*FLASH!*
Augh! The light! She couldn't see. It burned her eyes, and she thrust both hands in front, dropping the crown. What was happening? What was her mind doing to her? Forcing herself to focus, she stared into the light and made out a silhouette of the creature that was pulling the box wall off with its claws.
It was an angel! A sparking white angel, with great wings that slowly retracted. Her salvation! Like a dream coming forth through the darkness. Finally, her prayers were answered!
"Please!" she shouted, "Take me away from this nightmare! Release me from this torment!"
The angel tilted its head, confused. Wait a minute, she thought. Angels don't have horns. And aren't their wings all feathery rather than bat-like? What kind of angel was this?
It turned its head slightly to look at … oh yeah, there was somebody else inside with her. The Fairy Queen. Yeah, that's right. Her senses were slowly returning. Where was she? A box, in the midst of a swamp. Mort Myre. She had been captured by a bunch of werewolves. Hey, where were they, anyways?
Her eyes adjusted to the light, and everything melded back into view. She saw the Fairy Queen slowly bring herself to her feet. A claw coming from the angel reached through the hole in the box, hooked the crown, and gently offered it to her majesty. She used it to pull herself up, then pulled the crown off and placed it back onto her head. Smiling hopefully, she gripped the claw with both hands, and it lifted her weaken body up and pulled her out of the box. For a moment, the light vanished, and she was shrouded in darkness once again, and Whael began to panic once again, but it suddenly returned, clasping its claws around the hole and pulling. With a burst of effort, it tore the wall entirely out of the box, revealing the swamp behind it.
Her mind was suddenly overwhelmed, and she fainted.
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First, it was black. Then, it was white. Whael's eyes once again adjusted to the light. It didn't hurt this time.
She was in a bed. She felt the soft pillow behind her head, pushed the thick blanket covering her upward, bounced a bit on her feather-filled mattress. Wait. The feel … the colors … this was not just any bed. This was HER bed!
Her bed! She was sleeping. She suddenly rose up, gasping for breath. This was her house, all right. All her trinkets and belongings hung in their designated places, and she smelled the familiar smell of boiling chocolate wafting through the open window.
She was not in a dark box, about to be carried off into the land of monsters to become a slave of amusement. She was in her bed, and she was awake.
What a nightmare! Thank goodness that's all it was.
"Fairy Whael!"
She knew that voice! Her friend! She was peeking through the window next to the door! Without any hesitation, she jumped out of bed, threw on a robe, and opened the door for her.
"Hi!" she greeting, "How are y-"
*OOMPH!*
The air was squeezed out of her as her friend embraced her in the tightest hug she had ever endured.
"I was so worried!" she half-shouted, "I thought they were going to boil you up!"
Her chest tensed up, and she coughed loudly. Restraining herself, her friend backed off, giving her space.
"What?" she asked, barely able to gasp out the words, "What are … you talking about?"
"The werewolves!" she half-shouted, "They had taken the queen and captured you as well! I thought you were both going to die!"
It was a miracle she didn't faint this time. Everything seemed to just stretch around her in a colourful blur of nothingness.
"Are you feeling all right?" her friend broke the silence and snapped her back to reality.
"Uh, yes." she lied, "I'm fine. Really. No problem."
"Then come on!" she said, pulling her by the arm, "The Queen has summoned you!"
She couldn't think. Her mind was too unstable to reject being pulled out of her hovel in nothing but a robe. Her mind with clouded with only three thoughts.
What. Is. Happening?
______________
The small, white-scaled dragon was the centre of attention. In the midst of an incredibly large crowd of fairies, fluttering around at all angles, it was difficult for such a different being not to be. It sat in the middle of the room, directly in front of the throne where their queen sat, wearing a brand new velvet gown with a large cup of hot, rejuvenating nectar beside her on the red, cushioned armrest of her almost overly-comfortable looking throne.
Whael knew this dragon. It was the one who gave her the assignment to spy on the werewolves in her dream. It was the one that they had been trusting to help save the queen!
… what was it doing here?
"There she is!" someone called out. Its head turned toward her, and Whael experienced a flash of white from its eyes before they dimmed enough for her to make out large, yellow pupils. It was smiling, and its smile was complimented with the roar of thunderous applause from the crowd surrounding them all.
"Quick! Let's get a picture!" somebody behind her said, and before she could react, she was getting push from behind closer to the friendly-looking beast. Everything seemed to just fast-forward, and there was a blur of light from the pushing around along with a lot of white noise from the loud applause overcoming her senses. By the time she recovered, she found herself mounted on the dragon's back with her body in a pose it came up with on its own as a row of fairies fluttered around, taking snapshots of the duo.
The dragon looked up at its rider, and its eyes widened. It had apparently noticed something about her, because it had then suddenly charged at the photographers with her clinging onto the scales on the back of its neck. They scattered, and the crowd grew deathly silent in surprise. Using a wing, he scooped the wreck of a fairy off his back and laid her down onto the ground, using the other wing to gently fan air into her face.
Everything returned to focus, and she could think again. The dragon gave a mean look to the regathering photographers, and they decided to simply keep their distance. The crowd started a soft applause, and the environment was much better for Whael to regain her grasp on reality.
"What happened?" she asked, "This … wasn't this a dream?" she asked.
The Fairy Queen rose from her seat and approached Whael. The crowd had done deathly silent, and her head didn't hurt as much anymore.
"He saved us, my dear." her highness said, putting her hand on Whael's shoulder again, "He saved both our lives. All by himself."
Whael looked over. The dragon nodded at her, regaining its confident smile.
Seriously?
"Fairy Dumm," she said, turning to her scribe, "You got the story from us both. Let them all hear it while she takes a break."
"Yes, my lady." the thin, somewhat clumsy-looking male fairy bowed. It trotted over to the throne, grabbed a stack of papers from an endurable beside it (spilling the rest of the nectar by mistake), and taking off into the centre of the room while fumbling with them.
_________________________
THIS IS WHAT HAD HAPPENED _________________________
"Did you get the adamantite warrior, Veek?" Fairy Very Wise asked. Although, she figured she know the answer already. The messenger floated in front of her, flying somewhat awkwardly, and the only presence of an outside race was the small, young, obedient-looking dragon sitting patiently behind him. Granted, she had never seen a dragon with white scales before, but she had heard of one being affiliated with the adamantite warrior. By the stories she had been told, she had envisioned a mighty, robust, sword-wielding brute of a warrior, ready to charge into endless and hopeless battle if merely to distract but for a second. Instead, she got something she doubted would even last a second.
The little dragon listened intently, despite the argument not directly involving it. Its large, glowing white eyes flashed for a moment before dulling to expose large, yellow innocent pupils. Long, thick spines jutted back out of his head alongside two sharp horns, arced downward slightly and as white as the scales on his mid-length snout. Not too long and sharp, but not stubby, either. Its lizard-like body, somewhat small and shrimpy compared to his head, sat upright like a dog would, and occasionally it would twitch one of its large, leathery wings to stay balanced and comfortable. Around his scaly body, strung over his leather-like chest pads, was strung a small, backpack-like pouch, tucked under his folded wings. The only thing Fairy Wise was remotely interested in was its tail, composed of a large, sharp arrowhead-shaped fin, but it had been hardened by some kind of chemical substance and notched into, creating a set of identifiable tools. Part of the spade-spike was cut off and thickened slightly to create a chisel, and one side of the fin was sharpened to knife sharpness. The other side contained several evenly cut and spaced notches, spiked and slightly askew to create a saw. Two other, bone-like protrusions jutted out the perpendicular sides of the tip of his tail - one of them slightly hollowed to create a handle, and the other bulging slightly with added weight, probably for use as a hammer.
Sure, it carried its own personal toolkit around, and no doubt had enough intelligence to build its own menagerie penthouse, but that wasn't what they needed at the moment. They didn't need a dog-house.
They needed a dog-slayer.
"I couldn't." Fairy Veek the messenger replied, "He was in a drastic hurry to get somewhere, and couldn't avert his plans even for such a serious situation! However, his pet joined us in his place, so that's better than noth-"
*HISSS!*
Both of them flinched. The White Dragon was objecting to the word pet, and it gave them both a glare that commanded respect. It was small, but compared to the Fairies, it was just larger than a horse, and if need be, he could even serve as one.
"What could possibly be more important than the kidnapping of our queen?" Wise asked, throwing her hands up in the air in panic.
"Uh, he never said. Honest. But, the warrior said that his pe- uh, sorry, that … what was it- Nuli! He said Nuli here would be able to help us!"
"WHAT? How can a baby dragon help us?" Wise half-shouted, getting right into Veek's face, "We need manpower! We need-"
*Plap*
Both fairies looked. Nuli had produced a sheet of papyrus on a large pad with a series of scribbles on it, sketched with a stick of charcoal. His pouch, now empty, lay neatly folded on the ground. A crown was sketched inside a bag, which was being "carried" by a large question mark. Fairy Wise took a moment to think before understanding that the dragon wanted to know what had captured their queen.
"Werewolves." Wise replied, trying to avoid taking her eyes off the messenger, "The queen was kidnapped by werewolves. There are seven of them, and they are big ones too!"
Wise only had enough time to turn back to her primary target before Nuli added a door-frame with a question mark inside where the door should be and series of arrows pointing towards it.
"Uh … no, they haven't escaped yet." she said, "And that's why we needed the adamantite warrior! They are being pushed back through the residential mine caverns. There's a big dead end at the end, but if they regroup and bunker down there, then we cannot get the queen back from them due to our lack of forces. And even if they wait it out, our majesty will perish from famine before they do. The best we can do is pressure them with a seemingly overwhelming force, but all they need to do is attempt to charge through, and they'll have no trouble getting through what little resistance we do have."
Nuli paused for thought. His eyes wandered upward, intrigued at something.
"What are you thinking about?" Wise asked, "There's nothing to think about! We need brute strength, and fast, or they'll overwhelm us, charge through, and jump through the main fairy ring!"
Nuli's eyes suddenly went wide. Another series of sketches on his papyrus pad created a wavy passageway with a large circle bulging out at the end with a series of small dots outlined in a circle in the centre. Nuli also added some effect by circling the ring with a claw.
"What?" she asked, "You think there's another fairy ring at the end of the pass-"
Nuli shook his head, but stopped with he saw Fairy Wise suddenly come to a realization. His eyes widened.
"Oh no! There is!" she shrieked, "There IS a ring there!"
She suddenly jetted off, and Nuli, after shrugging, took off after her, leaving the poor messenger to haul over the comparatively large drawing pad by himself.
__________________
There was argument in the ranks. Dozens of fairies were darting and zipping around, trying to organize themselves. The recent report was that the werewolves were slowly pushing their way through the residential area, fighting off all time-buying resistance with ease, and it was estimated that they only had a few minutes to plan. So far, all they could think of was to plan an ambush at the other end of the fairy ring after pulling their forces back for that reason, but they were deciding on a location. They only had enough forces left to create one ambush, and so they were debating the most likely place they would pop up. So far, it was the rings between Canifis and the Haunted Woods, which were both highlighted on a large map in the middle of the large, round conference table taking up the majority of the room. Amidst the constant ramblings, the secretary, sitting at the desk at the entrance to the conference room, was groaning in frustration and plugging her ears with both hands, aggravated by the loud bickering.
Nuli, however, was thinking by himself, sketching out figures in the dirt on his own with a claw. He had been hurriedly briefed on the situation. The werewolves had a dramen staff between them, and they used it with their entire force to get inside and strike out of nowhere. No doubt they still had the staff, and were going to use this newly created fairy ring, built by an adventurer to, hypothetically, "make it faster to mine clay" to escape. The only other thing he knew was how they used a staff to teleport more than one being, as he did it himself with the messenger to get into Zanaris in the first place. It involved synchronization of the mind, and Nuli had to have been informed about the majority of Zanaris' basic settings for a few minutes before it worked.
He would pause for thought, add a sketch, shake his head, and decide something else by wiping it out of the dirt. At least, that was for the first 3 minutes. After the fourth passed, he had a large diagram in the dirt, which he looked over, nodded, and approached the fairies with his idea.
Of course, they wouldn't give him any attention. At least, not until he let loose into the air with a blast of lightning-breath, refined into a thin beam of controlled electrical energy. He had been practicing, as it was far more useful when refined to a much more long-ranged capability. Especially for hunting rabbits, which couldn't really be caught any other way. In a moment, he had their attention, and he wasted no time. He gestured the fairies to follow, and he pointed at the diagram he wrote in the dirt, and the discussion turned from deciding which fairy ring to ambush into what exactly the White Dragon was trying to say.
"A spy!" one fairy shouted, "He wants to send a spy."
Nuli quickly nodded with a smile, wagging his tail several times.
"What good'll that do?" someone asked.
"Don't you see? They only have one staff!" the fairy said, "They will discuss where to teleport before they do so. We might have a chance!"
They nodded. It made sense.
"The dragon is clever." some wise-sounding fairy in the crowd complimented.
"Who do we send, then?" another one asked.
Nuli was way ahead of them. He immediately pointed to the secretary.
Tension arose, and the compliment was reconsidered.
"What? Her?" they half-shouted, "Why her?"
Nuli pointed to his ear in such a way that they understood in a moment. She was a secretary, and therefore, had experience in listening to detail. Also, she apparently had very good hearing, as she was visibly annoyed with the arguments going on a considerable distance away. With her, she could keep her distance and stay safe while listening for the location and reporting back in a hurry. Plus, she was convenient, as she was not part of the resistance forces and did not have to be sent out for.
"We have no time to get anybody else, anyways." the leader coordinator, Fairy Wise, said, "Someone give Secretary Whael the assignment and get her out in less than a minute!"
This was done. Nuli watched her stare for a moment in shock, but understanding it was for the queen, agree to the risky task and darted off.
"Well, that's done." a debater said, "Now we just wait for a report, and a well-organized one at that. Unless anyone has reason to think of where they are going to teleport beforehand."
To everyone's surprise, Nuli stepped forward again. He jumped onto the table, crawled onto the map, and confidently pointed a claw at a spot.
Everybody would've laughed had the situation not have been so serious.
"This is no time for jokes, dragon." Wise disciplined, "That's the Mort Myre swamp ring. They would not go in Mort Myre swamp!"
Nuli urgently pointed at the ring over and over; a desperate look on his face. Everybody, however, decided that the dragon didn't have any good ideas anymore. The discussion began to continue, but it was immediately halted to the loud banging on the table from Nuli's hardened tail fin.
"Look, if you're not going to contribute, then get out of here! We need to focus!" Wise shouted.
That only made the white dragon start jumping up and down, making even more noise than before.
"You have to go to the bathroom or something?"
A female fairy in her younger years took more direct interest in Nuli's actions rather then subliminal messages. At first, they thought it was an accusation meant entirely for humour, but suddenly Nuli jumped at him, nodding and wagging his tail excitedly, like a small dog about to go for a walk.
Fairy Wise rolled her eyes. This dragon was going to be causing heaps of trouble if they didn't get rid of it. She gestured the young fairy over and whispered in her year.
"Listen, just take it to Mort Myre swamp and come back right away. We really need to concentrate, and it can stay there on its own. It's a beast, after all. The ghasts wouldn't touch it."
"Understood, ma'am." she whispered back, then called for Nuli to follow.
The White Dragon raced her to the door, forcing her to fly fast just to keep up. Everybody stared, transfixed and surprised.
"Who suggested that the dragon would help us in this time of dire need?" somebody asked. All eyes turned to the messenger, who was still hauling Nuli's papyrus pad.
"The adamantite warrior promised me he would help!" he said, "I swear! I've got common sense too! I wouldn't have accepted it if he didn't say it himself!"
A positive thinker perked up, "Well, his spy idea was a good one, I'll give him that-"
"Forget it. There's no time to delve on that." Wise interrupted, "For now, we need to get an ambush ready. That's our main priority."
The debate started up again. However, Nuli's outburst had somewhat risen the urgency of the meeting, as a lot of time was wasted on him, so as a result, a decision was come to a lot faster than they anticipated.
They were going to ambush the fairy ring just outside Canifis. It was their most likely choice. When the secretary returns with the guaranteed location, they'll shift accordingly. For now, though, they had to be ready for anything.
___________________________
Upon entering the Mort Myre swamp, the young female fairy watched the little dragon bound around excitedly, sniff at the ground, and start tugging at the smily tendrils hanging from the nearby trees. She shook her head, disappointedly. It was just a pet after all. Once Nuli turned away, she wasted no time in jumping back into the ring and vanishing before it could race back.
Nuli watched the last of the light vanish.
Then he smiled. Exactly as planned.
He needed a means to trap the werewolves when they appeared. For a brief moment, he looked around, scanning his surroundings. Nodding, he then yanked the tendrils off a series of nearby trees, gathering them and laying them out in long, straight lines. Working fast, he used his claws to intertwine them into thicker, stronger ropes, stretching out a considerable distance. He then tied the rope into a large lasso, setting it around the fairy ring and pressing it down into the swamp ground to hide it from view with the pull-end moving down toward a nearby tree, just past a large marsh pond. Adding more rope, he looped the tendrils around the tree, and with all his might, he pushed the tree over into the pond, where it sank, pulling the rope down with it. However, he had more than enough rope left to leave on the ground in preparation for his next step.
Now he needed something springy. Unfortunately, the swamp air had decayed what few large trees did remain, and any attempt to bend a branch would result in its crumbling. All he had left to work with were the large strands of tendrils bobbing upwards from the swamp, almost seemingly defying gravity. But how could they help? They had barely any elasticity to them whatsoever. All they could be was more rope.
His mind raced. Maybe he doesn't need "springy" as much as he needed "powerful". Simply some way to generate a lot of moving force - enough to yank seven fully-grown werewolves off their feet. It didn't even have to be far, as the rope alone would just pull them all together and their own body weight would throw off their balance. Especially at the right angle.
… wait. Angle …
He dashed around, uprooting as many of the tendrils as he could, along with a long, stiff tree branch he sawed off with his tail fin. His claws worked vigorously, weaving them together and turning them into long strands of rope, cutting them appropriately with his "knife". Nearby the site, he found a set of four trees. Big ones, too. Three in a triangle, with one around the centre. Perfect! Adding to the rope attached to the fairy ring, he pulled the rope over, looped it around another tree nearby the pond in the same direction as the first from the ring, and pulled towards the trees. With a quick test-tug, he saw the ground around the fairy ring move. Good, it was still loose. He tied the rope loosely around the top of the centre tree, and hauled over the rest of his rope, constantly checking the ring in case they appeared before he was ready.
He jammed the tree branch into the ground until he could no longer pull it out. With the remaining rope, he tied all three surrounding trees to the centre by the bases to several different heights around the centre tree, ranging from the base to the middle, pulling them as tightly as he could. He then tied another three strands to the top of the surrounding trees, looping all three into the middle and stringing the fairy ring lasso through it from above. On top of the centre tree just under the fairy ring rope, he tied one more, and pulled it backwards, towards the pond. The centre tree pulled back, and as expected, crumbled out of its roots, but the three attached trees held it in place with their ropes. It was giving some intense resistance, and Nuli had to dig all four footclaws into the muck to prevent him from getting yanked off his feet. Barely able to reach it, he tied the rope to the tree branch he jammed into the ground, and it held, but Nuli doubted it would be for much longer. No matter, it only had to hold for a minute or so.
With the centre tree literally feet off the ground, he tightened the loose loop leading to the fairy ring, pulling the rope as tightly as he dared. Unfortunately, it emerged slightly. Quickly tying the strand securely to the primed setup, he dashed over to the fairy ring. However, he was only able to press the loop halfway into the ground before the ring started lighting up. Without any other options, he turned tail and dove into the pond with the fallen log, darting through the water and only emerging slightly enough to see through squinted eyes.
There they were. If his guess was correct, they now had the queen as well as the secretary. All of them were standing in a circle around a large chained box, with a figure in trimmed robes standing beside it. The staff he was holding was much more macabre then the weapons the other six brandished. That must be the dramen staff.
He kept low in the water, brushing up against small swampland creatures before they darted away in fear. Thank goodness for water-proof scales, although cleaning them out after this would be murder. Slowly, carefully, he made his way to the rope coming out from under the log. He didn't have time to rig a release for his trap. So, instead, he would have to rely entirely on its inefficiency. With both claws, he carefully pried the log apart, releasing the rope and allowing it to float upwards towards him. The loop he had tied, released from the log, turned into a knot that he immediately tightened the rope with, leaving as much slack as he dared dangle. Any more, and the trap would prematurely go off.
This was it. Either it worked, or it didn't. But he did the math. He tested the structure. He refused to think about failure. This was going to work. Their leader roared in victory, seeing that there was no ambush, and the guards relaxed. Two of them picked up the box. The angle was perfect! Now or never!
"Onward!" yelled the werewolf leader, and the others roared. None of them noticed Nuli's setup. Fools.
Without any further hesitation, Nuli yanked on the rope, pulling it from the rig.
The anchor suddenly snapped out of the ground, releasing the levered centre tree and allowing it to divert all its elastic energy in the direction it had wanted to go this entire time - backward. The intense force yanked the rope in the other direction, making Nuli quickly let go and dart away from the rope, and without anything else to stop the momentum, the lasso was pulled upwards from the angle of the tree across the pond. With all its force pulled back and released from the held position, the centre tree fell down, pulling the rope along with it for added distance.
The werewolves only had a millisecond to react, but it was spent entirely on bewildered confusion. The lasso yanked out from underneath, snaring the knees and passing right under the box as it was momentarily suspended into the air. All seven werewolves, yanked together and disoriented, had their balance completely thrown off. The ones directly caught by the lasso were thrown off their feet into their comrades, who were too bunched together to evade it, and any attempts resulted in them getting caught by the lasso themselves. Unable to control the momentum, every one of them staggered on the soft, unstable ground and fell right into the pond.
One more step. Nuli jumped out of the pond and shook himself off quickly. He was still covered in slime, but it didn't matter at the moment. Grabbing the rope, he pulled tighter for a more difficult snare. There was frantic splashing as the kidnappers desperately tried to untangle themselves and scramble to the surface for air.
Then, he took a deep breath. Let this be Lord Sartranomin's judgement on you, foul beings!
*TZZZZJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*
Out of his mouth came a blast of white lightning, striking the water's surface. In an instant, the pond came alive as millions of sparks blasted out, bubbling the surface and lighting up the entire swamp with bright flashes of electricity. Semi-transparent shapes throughout the air suddenly fled in terror. He drained his dragon-lung completely into the pond so hard that upon stopping, he half-collapsed, gasping for breath. The pond bubbled slightly, creating a large cloud of steam. Several creatures bobbed up to the surface, floating around lifelessly, and the water slowly began to turn a raw burgundy color. None of the werewolves, however, emerged from the depths.
Nuli looked over the pond sombrely. His father never wanted him to know combat, or kill living creatures that didn't deserve it. But he was a hunter alongside a scholar. Plus, these werewolves' intensions were to endanger the race of fairies. For their deaths, an entire race would be saved, and be free to live peacefully. He silently prayed that his father … all his fathers, would forgive him for what he had to do.
____________________________________
Diving back into the blood-colored waters proved to be somewhat undesirable, even for a dragon. Therefore, it was with relief that he emerged with the dramen staff, somewhat half-singed but otherwise intact, in its mouth.
The box was the only thing remaining on the fairy ring. Both the fairies were definitely in there. Hopefully, the trauma of capture had not made either of them go insane. He too was once kept in a small, dark area since he was born, having only met the outside world just after his first birthday. Very few could get used to the idea of being caged and taken away from what they held dear, and the only reason he didn't was because he had initially come to accept it as "home", since while the bars of a cage restricted your freedom, it was also a small sanctuary from the outside. Provided the circumstances were right, of course.
He tugged on the chain, but it was unforgivingly robust. So instead, he wisely focused on the exposed, wooden areas. With a claw and a lot of willpower, he slashed into the side of the box, cutting into it, and swiping it down to tear the wall away into strips. He heard a faint squeak of terror inside. That would be the secretary. The queen was much more mentally prepared for capture, as this was something that came as a natural fear to such a highly-regarded position.
He finally was able to pry out a small enough hole to peer inside. There they were, both her majesty and Fairy Whael, sprawled and on the ground either in pain or torment.
"Please!" he heard the secretary shout from inside, "Take me away from this nightmare! Release me from this torment!"
He tilted his head. Torment? Was it really that scary? He, for one, felt he wouldn't really be scared until the nightmarish things he was threatened by actually happened to him. This was a teaching to him by Gia, to prevent him from fearing the unknown. Poor thing; she was not subject to these teachings. Her imagination alone must've been more mentally devastating than anything the werewolves threatened her with.
Though she was about to break, she wasn't the priority at the moment. The fairy queen no doubt took a lot of rough-housing, as it was apparent by the number of bruises on her skin and her tatted-up robes. He had to get her to a doctor quickly. Scooping up the crown with a claw, he offered it to the queen as a sign of alliance, as he doubted she would immediately see a slime and blood covered dragon as an immediate ally. The poor fairy was only barely able to righten herself enough to get the crown back on her head, so he gestured again. Fortunately, his message came through to her, and she trusted her life in his hands; she gripped the claw and allowed him to pull her out of the box. Curling one wing in front of him like a hammock, he rested her in and rolled her up safely.
A scream came from inside the box. Fearing a ghost or leech might have gotten in, he grabbed the hole and tore the wall away. Oh, the secretary had just fainted. It was probably better for her this way, anyways. She'll wake up in her bed, and everything she had experienced will mostly cancel itself out as nothing but a nightmare. He scooped her up and placed her in his other wing, impressing himself with his own body control. Without any more hesitation, he grabbed the dramen staff in his mouth, kicked the box into the pond, bounded over to the fairy ring, and with a couple of taps, vanished in a shower of bright, colourful light.
____________________________________
He remembered how his father tried to teach him how to speak. Any attempts to copy the sounds he made turned up fruitless. He tried curving his tongue, exhaling incredibly hard, even squeezing his throat with a claw. But no, all he could manage was a hissing, and perhaps even a whistle by seeping the air through a few of his sharp, frontal teeth. Eventually, they had both given up on speaking, but Nuli never gave up on communication. Instead, he developed his own method, practicing subliminal gestures and figuring out his father's mindset to pick out interpretations and ideas so relative to his experiences that it could almost be like a hidden language. When Alex took him up, he found himself learning more and more about the conscious mind, interested in it as much as trying out a new flavour of wild game once a week for a while.
The reactions of the fairies were interesting enough to note in his long-term memory. Upon appearing, he was frowned on as being a "dirty, worthless" being. Apparently (to him, obviously), the ambush didn't go well. The spy never returned, and the werewolves teleported, but the ambush team reported back with no word, leaving the entire realm in a sombre, fearsome mood. After debating that the team was taking too long, they tried the Haunted Woods fairy ring as well, but there was no sign of them. They had gotten away. Many of them were shivering in fear, cursed by avid, relentless imagination towards the future of their race. Some were enraged, blaming others in frustration in sad attempts at relieving their anxiety and replacing it with relentless bickering and violent act. Others were in discontent, wandering about almost emotionlessly, and Nuli feared some of them may take the path less travelled if he didn't hurry. It was incredible at how much a monarch meant to their society.
He kept his wing curled up to avoid unwanted attention. The queen needed a doctor, not a pileup of observers.
Spitting out the staff nearby the fairy ring, he dashed over to the commons area. He found the headquarters hospital by smell alone, bounding in without hesitation or letting any of the small, fragile beings obstruct his path without scrambling to get out of the way. There were already several injured beings on the beds, most likely from the werewolf attack, and the doctors were speeding around as tense as the rest of them. With a whistle, Nuli summoned help, and an older female approached. Nuli read "Fairy Nuff" on her name-tag. He wondered if they all had silly names like that.
"We only admit fairies. Nothing else." she said while barely even making eye-contact.
She was about to flutter away when Nuli dashed over and grabbed her by the arm with one claw. He looked her in the eyes desperately.
"Listen," she said, apparently hoping not to have to explain herself twice, "We're just too overbooked to help you. If you need medical treatment, just get somebody to activate the main ring for you, and use the code-"
Nuli didn't let her finish. He held up a claw upwards to silence her, pulled both wings forward, and unwrapped them both. He hoped she would shift her priority and call over a stretcher immediately upon seeing the condition both his semi-conscious riders were in.
Instead, Fairy Nuff screamed, and the room suddenly came alive. Nuli had to close his eyes and flinch, because the confusion was so intense that he got jabbed in a few places before they realized that he was a rescuer rather than ransomer. Fortunately, the confusion only lasted a moment, and a stretcher carried the queen and secretary off as several other fairies darted out the door, screaming "The queen's come back! The queen is back! Hurry!" What were originally looks of discontent turned into looks of awe.
In came the commotion, but Nuli was already out of the hospital and into the open. The staff he dropped was still there, and after grabbing it in his mouth, he keyed in a code and jumped headlong into the main fairy ring in one smooth movement. Of course, he would return for the celebration, but looking like this? Absurd!
The mudskippers will enjoy the goo, he thought as he dove into the considerably cleaner waters.
_____________________________
He spared the details entirely to the scribe. They don't have to know the reasoning behind his actions, and how he knew what would happen in advance. That he had intentionally sent a bait fairy for the sole purpose of getting caught in order to test his opponents' mentality. To get themselves into Zanaris with such an organized strike meant they had to have had tactical prowess, so he figured he'd use that against them. They would definitely take their time and analyze everything, making sure there was no room for error whatsoever.
His first wonder was what werewolves might've wanted with the Fairy Queen. By all means, the race of fairies were inedibly toxic, delicately fragile, and in some cases, stubbornly uncooperative. Especially the queen, if she needed to be. All he could really think of was her being a gift to their Lord Draken, as he would have much better use for her, and would reward them with something they'd have much better use for than her.
He then thought of their key safe points. Canifis, definitely, as they would simply send for Draken in the safety of their homes. Otherwise, they'd probably go to Draken's castle, but there weren't any fairy rings nearby there. Not to his knowledge, anyways. He read up on all the books on the fairies and their teleportation network that Alex had in their library. Besides, knowing Draken's personality, if they went straight there in such a state, they'd probably get their meal ticket stripped from them faster then they could willingly surrender. Anywhere else wouldn't admit them for this act, or did not have hospitable conditions for them. No, it would have to be Canifis, and therefore, one of the three fairy rings within considerable walking distance. Haunted woods, Canifis outskirts, and of course, Mort Myre.
By catching a fairy that was obviously sent to listen in on them, it would be confirmed that an ambush was waiting on the other side, and by sending in a fairy so incapable of doing so professionally and stealthily would portray the message that they had underestimated their opponents. Of course, if she wasn't captured, then she reports back with the location, and the ambush is successful regardless. With such a precious cargo and comparatively little fighting power left, especially against an entire realm, the werewolves wouldn't want to take any risks, so the best way to get back would be to take a fairy ring that they'd know for a fact wasn't watched. The most likely candidate for this, being the one in Mort Myre. It was close enough for them to get back in a short amount of time, it was in a danger zone to the fairies (as well as themselves, but definitely manageable), and the fairies wouldn't think they'd ever go there, as he'd confirmed by the reaction of his suggesting the idea in the first place. Otherwise, it was either too far to travel, or too easily primed for an ambush.
Being able to predict another being's actions. That was his specialty. He couldn't fight anything head on, due to lack of strength and capability, so what better way to defeat them then to be one step ahead of them in every other possible manner? To be the first to cross a rickety bridge, with all the floorboards falling away behind him and denying anything else passage. He couldn't help but smile, proud of himself. His father would be proud. All of them.
But he still said nothing. Couldn't even if he wanted to. He would need Alex for that. His new father put in as much effort as silently deciphering him as he did making himself silently decipherable. Almost as though Alex could read his mind. For all he knew, perhaps he could.
"… and to reward you for your bravery, we would like to present you with this."
Nuli snapped back to reality as smoothly as possible. Most of the speech was the Fairy Queen's point of view on the events, as well as Whael telling everyone what she had been through (as much as she wanted to blame Nuli, she found herself not to be as traumatized as she thought, since it had felt like a dream more than anything, and no doubt was going to be forgotten in a manner of days). The celebration lasted throughout the rest of the day, and he didn't doubt that it was long through the next day. He was finally getting dismissed, and with a going-away present too.
A small, golden box was presented to him. After bowing respectfully, he smoothly flipped open the latch and pulled the lid open. Inside, lying on its own on a velvet cushion, was a small white shard, spiked at the tip and sparkling slightly.
Nuli tilted his head in confusion. Was that to be an amulet? Or maybe a charm or something.
"With this, you may re-enter the realm whenever you wish." the Fairy Queen said, "You have earned your trust among us, as did the adamantite warrior once long ago."
Nuli looked closer. By the shape and lustre, the object appeared to be a young dragon tooth. His size, too, which impressed him. The fairies had a reputation of stockpiling the things. By what it appeared, the tooth was going to be inserted into his mouth. But he didn't have any room for the tooth, as he pointed out by exposing his own and pointing at their flawlessness.
"Don't worry, we've taken care of that too." the Queen assured him.
*CLICK CLICK*
The sound made him stagger backward with his tail between his legs, shivering. In came a set of three fairies, carrying a large, metal handled device with a claw-like clamp at the end. Four others snuck up from behind, gripping him by the legs and yanking him closer. Not even flapping his wings frantically and squirming could widen the distance.
"Why do they always struggle?" he heard Fairy Nuff mutter under her breath as she pried his mouth open with two fingers.
As he felt the metal device enter his mouth, he shot a quick glare at the clueless creature of the realm.
"For good reason." he thought before his mind was filled with intense pain.
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