Krakal frowned up at the bright blue sky and then around at the endless grasslands; they’d been traveling long enough for the sun to cross half the sky and yet the grasslands still stretched before them without a break. It felt like they were trapped in an illusion, going nowhere despite the trail of disturbed grass behind them and the passage of the sun overhead.
Every so often she’d spotted a herd of some sort of grazing beast just on the horizon and some unknown birds circling overhead, but other than that it was almost as if the grasslands were entirely empty. She knew it wasn’t true, knew there had to be small beasts hidden in the grasses and insects all around them, but this place was so different from Theldesia, so strange and unknown, that it definitely felt like they were the only ones around.
And she could tell that the emptiness was wearing on the others as well; they were all constantly scanning the sky and horizon, searching for the danger that the past few years had taught them was always lingering just out of sight.
No signs of civilization, no signs of monsters, barely any sign of wild animals… what sort of place had they ended up in, anyway?
“Dragon on the horizon, five o’clock!” Shiva announced sharply, jarring Krakal from her worries and straight into combat mode.
“Combat formation!” Beryl shouted as she hauled her mount to a stop and dropped to the ground, drawing her katana as she oriented towards the threat. “Don’t engage immediately, but be ready to fight if it aggros on us.”
Krakal followed Beryl to the ground and drew her dagger, mentally preparing to summon Unicorn the moment the dragon displayed any aggression; they were dangerous monsters even with a full party, and without knowing where they were or where they’d resurrect when they fell…
She refused to take any chances.
“Let’s just hope it’s alone,” Varix grumbled as he pulled his sword and shield from his back and set his feet. “Anyone recognize its type?”
“Not a wyvern,” Shiva announced grimly from his perch atop his mount, one hand shading his eyes. “It’s a true dragon, but it looks smaller than some we’ve seen.” He hissed and threw himself out of the saddle, blade drawn and body tense as he said, “It’s coming this way, pretty sure it spotted us.”
Their summoned mounts whirled and bolted, hoof-beats fading into the distance as the summoning released them back into the ether they came from.
Krakal carefully stepped back until she was shoulder to shoulder with Lerya and spun her dagger between her fingers. She only needed to speak a single word to call Unicorn to them — could feel Unicorn’s alertness as her summon prepared itself to appear — and then—
::Hello there!:: a bright-cheerful-curious voice echoed through her head as the dragon landed not far from them, its opalescent eyes bright against its deep, reddish-brown hide. Its head swung around to take them all in, wicked teeth visible where they protruded over its lips, but… it was small, just like Shiva had said, and looked nothing like any dragon she’d ever come across in Theldesia. ::Are you all from Clan Akelara? It’s not often I spot anyone out here in the northern plains!::
(‘Clan Akelara’?)
(So there was some sort of civilization out here!)
Beryl let her stance relax slightly and took a step forward, drawing the dragon’s attention to her as she said, “We were simply doing a bit of exploring,” while gesturing behind her back for them all to begin spreading out a bit.
::Oh! I’m sorry about scaring off your mounts, then,:: the dragon said almost sheepishly, bobbing its head a bit. ::If none of you are bonded, do you want me to call someone from the Clan for you? You’re a long way from any of the Clans on foot, and it can get cold out here during the night if you’re not prepared for it.::
“Rather talkative, isn’t it?” Lerya asked barely loud enough for Krakal to hear, and then a touch louder added, “Shiva?”
Shiva shook his head, his feline ears flat against his skull and his eyes fixed on the dragon as he murmured back, “I’m not picking anything up.”
Krakal took a careful step to the side and called up her menus, trying to keep mental tabs on everyone’s placement as she planned; if the dragon suddenly turned hostile, they’d need to scatter to avoid its initial lunge — or did this one have a breath weapon? Damn, she hated unknowns! — and reassess. Its small size boded well for their ability to handle it alone, but her HUD wasn’t giving her much more than a name (Shemorth) and a level in the mid-eighties, which together indicated that it was a boss creature of some sort.
(Great, just what they needed.)
Shemorth swung its head around again, opalescent eyes swirling with pale yellows as it observed them. ::Wait… are you all afraid of me?:: Its wings folded against its side and sank to the ground almost like a gigantic cat, as if that would make it any less threatening to them. ::Are you not from the Clans, then? It’s been nearly a decade since newcomers have arrived on Nyracii!::
“Were newcomers common, then?” Beryl asked warily.
::To an extent! Most of us here are settlers from other worlds, so new faces used to show up all the time before all the worlds of the Nexus drifted apart,:: Shemorth told them cheerfully, as if the idea of everyone being settlers from other worlds wasn’t completely absurd. ::Oh! I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself yet: I’m Shemorth, bonded to S’dar, of Clan Vecira. Who are you?::
Beryl stared at Shemorth for a moment, then slowly straightened up and sheathed her blade. “I’m Catsoberyl of the Chiming Bones guild, and these are five of my guild-members: Michiyo, Varix, Lerya, Krakal, and Shiva.”
A rumble rose from Shemorth’s chest as the dragon bobbed its head again and said, ::Welcome to Nyracii, all of you. Would you like me to bring you to Clan Vecira? I’m sure Renoth and Darasath can figure out a way to help you if you need it!::
“Can you give us a moment, Shemorth?” Beryl asked.
::Of course! I came out here to hunt, but I can wait as long as you need me too!::
Beryl turned back to them and tipped her chin at a spot a little distance from Shemorth, and Krakal moved cautiously back towards the spot indicated, making sure not to let Shemorth out of her sight; the dragon had been nothing but pleasant so far, but… who knew whether that would remain the case the longer they stayed around it.
(If Shemorth was right, they were on an entirely new world for the second time in their lives.)
(And this one they didn’t even have the benefit of know what the rules were before they arrived!)
“Well?” Beryl prompted once they’d all gathered in place.
Lerya pursed her lips and cast a sidelong glance at Shemorth as she tucked her staff back into her magic bag. “It sounds sincere enough,” she admitted slowly, her fox tails swaying as she spoke. “We’ve been traveling for about half a local day and that dragon is the first creature we’ve encountered so far. And with the way it spoke about the Clans, I’m not sure we’ll find them easily.”
“Didn’t sound like this place is a good one to camp out, either,” Shiva added with a sigh. “What a mess… I vote we just accept the offer and hope for the best.”
“Bonded to S’dar, it said,” Varix mused as he rubbed at his chin. “And it also said ‘if we’re not bonded’… what do you think that all means?”
Michiyo hummed a bit and crossed his arms over his chest, one ear flicking towards Shemorth as the dragon shifted position. “A form of contract, maybe? Like Krakal’s summons.”
“There are a few dragon-based summons,” Krakal agreed, thinking back on everything she knew about her own class and how things had changed after the Catastrophe. “Some of them can talk, too, though… not like Shemorth does. But if we’re on an entirely different world, then I’m not certain how reliable our guesses will be.”
“Probably not very,” Lerya said with a heavy sigh. “We’re going to have to do our best to adapt.”
Again was the unspoken implication to her words, and Krakal clenched her jaw and glared at the ground, hating how easily their lives were upended yet again. As much as she had come to enjoy Theldesia and the freedoms it brought, to have it all torn away from them a second time without even a hint of warning…
(And this time, they didn’t even have their guild around them.)
(They had nothing but themselves and the equipment they’d brought with them.)
(Damn it all!)
Silence stretched between them for a moment, before Beryl snorted and said, “What a load of long faces we have here. You realize that if every resident on Nyracii is originally from another world, then that implies some method of interstellar travel. Which implies…?”
“They might know how to get to Theldesia,” Michiyo immediately responded. “And if they don’t, they might know how to find out how to get to Theldesia.”
Beryl nodded in agreement and gave all of them a thoughtful look. “What do you think, shall we risk it?”
“You already know my opinion,” Shiva said with amusement. “I’m all for somewhere we can lounge about while our problems get solved.”
Lerya barked a laugh at Shiva’s words and said, “I have a feeling we’re going to have to work for it a bit more than you expect, but I do agree. Going with Shemorth seems the best option we have available.”
“I agree,” Michiyo said.
“You have my vote,” Varix added.
“Yes,” Krakal agreed right after them; if there was a way back, any way back, they needed to look into it, and if Theldesia had taught her anything it was that allies could be found in unexpected places. If that meant going along with intelligent dragons then it meant going along with intelligent dragons.
Beryl took a moment to gather herself, then nodded sharply and turned back to Shemorth, striding across the ground to get within comfortable speaking distance again as she said, “I think we’ve all agreed: we’ll go with you to Clan Vecira.”
::Sounds good! I’ll call for another few dragons so we can carry all of you there at once,:: Shemorth said, mouth opening a slight bit into something that look almost like a dog-grin, though the amount and size of the teeth on display was… concerning.
“You’ve mentioned that before, but what do you mean by ‘calling’ other dragons?” Lerya asked once she’d gotten within speaking distance.
::Most of us in Clan Vecira have telepathy, which is how I’m speaking to you right now,:: Shemorth explained easily. ::Those of us who have lived together for so long can easily speak with one another even when we’re not nearby, so long as we’re on the same planet. And— ah, yes, Luzuth and Lombeth will be here—::
Two more dragons abruptly appeared in the sky overhead, their shadows falling across Krakal and the others, before the two figures began to spiral down.
::—right now,:: Shemorth finished with a touch of amusement. ::Luzuth, Lombeth! Thank you for coming to help me!::
Krakal swallowed at the sizes of the dragons that landed just a bit behind Shemorth; the deep green and pale bronze were nearly of a size, and while they had nothing on some boss mobs she’d come across in her time in Theldesia, they were still massive creatures that stood well above her head. And if her eyes weren’t deceiving her, the green had a poison barb on the tip of its tail, alongside the positively dangerous looking horns on its head and trio of spikes along its neck. The bronze looked slightly less deadly, but it, too, had great forward pointing horns that looked like prime weapons.
“What do you want to bet that teleportation is how they travel between worlds,” Lerya murmured softly, a touch of awe in her voice as she stared at the two newcomers.
“No bet,” Krakal murmured back, then flashed Lerya a grin when the woman scowled at her. “I know how often you’re usually right.”
Lerya snorted but otherwise didn’t protest, just tipped her head up to take in more of the two dragons that had arrived, a touch of calculation slipping into her gaze as she did.
::Everyone, meet Luzuth and Lombeth,:: Shemorth announced. ::Luzuth’s the pale bronze — he’s what’s known as a Vella Crean Light Court dragon — and Lombeth is the dark green — she’s a Vella Crean Dark Court dragon. They’re two of the original members of Clan Vecira, just like the two dragonesses we’re going to meet with when we arrive.::
Luzuth stepped closer, his head cocked slightly and eyes clearly scanning the group. “Well met,” he said with a small head bob, then nudged Shemorth with a paw and continued, “You’ll meet others like Shemorth at the Clan as well. Though none quite so… cheerful.”
“Dragons that look like him are what we call ‘Old World’, though there’s quite a bit of variation in that category,” Lombeth added as she sank into a crouch and swept her head around to indicate her shoulders. “Two to a dragon, hop on and grab hold.”
“Grab hold of what,” Shiva muttered as he slunk towards Lombeth, eyeing the distance between the ground and her back even with her crouched the way she was.
Krakal huffed a soft laugh and followed him, pausing a moment to set her hand on Lombeth’s dark hide — and it was hide, not scales like she’d almost expected, soft and supple and warm under her hand, though she had no doubt that it was tougher than almost any hide she was used to. She eyed the way up onto Lombeth’s back, then pursed her lips and leaped, relying on her Adventurer’s body to carry her the distance that she’d have never made back on Earth.
Her hands found a set of thin straps tucked around Lombeth’s neck — clearly what the dragoness had meant by ‘hold on’ — and she did her best to find a comfortable seat aside the great dragon.
Moments after she was settled, Shiva leapt up to join her, a flash of relief crossing his face as he also found the straps.
“Ready?” Lombeth prompted, then rose smoothly to her feet once Shiva and Krakal had given their agreement. “Hold on tight. I’ve been informed that the first few times riding a dragon can be unsettling if you aren’t used to it.”
Krakal grimaced and took a firmer grasp of the straps as she felt Lombeth tense, the dragoness’ large wings sweeping up, and then—
With a great leap, Lombeth launched herself into the sky, powerful wing-beats driving the further up-up-up, and then she said, ::Brace yourselves, we’re about to teleport,:: and suddenly the world went black, went empty, with only the sensation of Lombeth beneath her and Shiva behind her to give her any sense of direction.
And just as abruptly, the world was back, mountains slicing through the sky just to her left and a vast plain extending off to her right.
Krakal shivered at the transition, so much like the fairy ring but at the same time not, and did her best to force her tense muscles to relax.
“Check your menu,” Shiva hissed softly in her ear.
Frowning, Krakal pulled up her menu and glanced through the information once more.
[Server: Nyracii]
[Location: Clan Vecira]
“Well, I guess we made it,” Krakal murmured back, even as Lombeth began to spiral down towards the open ground below them.
“I guess we have indeed,” Shiva responded as he glanced up, watching as Luzuth and Shemorth appeared in the sky above them soon after, both clearly carrying the other members of their party. “Let’s hope this turns out in our favor.”
“About all we can do,” Krakal agreed as Lombeth landed with a surprising lightness and then knelt for them to dismount.
She slid down the dragoness’ shoulder and stumbled forward a few steps, brushing absently at her robes as she took in the area around them; they were clearly on some sort of landing field in front of Vecira itself, the space flattened out of the hills around them, and in front…
In front of them was a vast entrance, easily large enough for a dragon twice Lombeth’s size to step through without ducking its head. More entrances dotted the mountainside, and she could spot bright splashes of color — dragons! — lounging on ledges near those entrances.
It was a grand sort of place, different than anything she’d imagined, and the scale of it took her breath away.
(A clan made up of dragons…)
(Incredible.)
“I’ll lead you to Darasath and Renoth,” Luzuth said as soon as he’d landed and let Beryl and Lerya dismount from him. “Come, this way.”
Krakal shared an incredulous look with Shiva, then squared her shoulders and hurried after the others, not about to be left behind simply because she was gawking like a tourist.
(Hopefully the two dragons they were about to meet would have some sort of answer for them.)
(She really, really hoped that was the case…)
The trip through the Clan was an interesting one, Shiva decided as he took in the painted carvings covering every inch of tunnel not otherwise covered by tapestries; there was nothing dark or depressing about the place, not with the bright, cheerful light radiating from the varying spots on the ceiling and keeping everything almost as bright as the outside. It was certainly a shock compared to actual dungeons they’d been in, but it only emphasized the differences between Theldesia and here.
Even the other beings that they passed in the hallways — both dragon and humanoid — were relatively friendly, greeting them with small nods of acknowledgment and then moving on about their business; here and there, Shiva noted alcoves of different sizes, some with carved benches along the edges, some without, where beings could step out of the way of traffic and talk or rest or otherwise take a moment to themselves. The whole place seemed designed from the start to (mostly) work for both dragons and humanoids, though the sheer size that it had to be was… rather mind-boggling.
(How much of the mountain was carved out into a home for these beings?)
(How deep did it all go?)
Shiva shook his thoughts free as Luzuth turned down another corridor and led them into a vast cavern where multiple dragons of Luzuth’s size could gather—
Which was good, he realized with a sinking sensation, because the two dragons at the very end were definitely larger than Luzuth; both dragons had hides that shone like gold in the light of the cavern, though one was almost pale enough to be white gold, and the other much darker, almost like antique gold.
“Darasath, Renoth, I’ve brought you the travelers that Shemorth discovered on the northern plains,” Luzuth announced once they’d crossed most of the cavern and the two golds had turned towards them.
“Welcome to Clan Vecira, travelers. I’m Renoth and this is Darasath. May we know your names and where you hail from?” the darker gold— the Dark Court gold, Shiva reminded himself— said, her voice kinder than he expected to hear.
Beryl stepped forward and bowed slightly to the two golds, saying, “My name is Catsoberyl, the guild master of the Chiming Bones guild, and behind me are five of my guild members: Lerya, Michiyo, Varix, Krakal, and Shiva. As for where we’re from… that is a… complicated answer.”
Darasath chuckled and shifted position, her wings rustling as she moved. “I believe you’ll find that ‘complicated answers’ are more common than not here on Nyracii. Go on, tell your story.”
“Very well.” Beryl pursed her lips and glanced back at them, as if checking to make sure that they were all still there, then turned back to the two golds and said, “In short, we six are Adventurers from a world called Theldesia, transported here through means unknown while we were on our way to a dungeon. I have no idea what happened to the rest of my guild, or why we landed here instead of where the fairy ring was supposed to bring us, but I would ask your assistance in helping us find our way home and our missing members if possible.”
Renoth hummed and tilted her head towards Darasath, the two of them seeming to enter into a mental conversation for a moment before Renoth bobbed her head and said, “While we have never heard of a world named ‘Theldesia’, that doesn’t mean it is beyond our abilities to find it. However…”
“The best way to do so is to find yourself bonds of our own,” Darasath picked up before any of them could ask what ‘however’ meant. “For many draconic species, the ability to teleport relies upon a mental image or a level of familiarity with the place to be teleported to that none of us have. While it is possible for one of us to pluck the image from your mind if you think it at us hard enough, there remains the possibility for mistakes when doing it like that because you are neither dragons nor accustomed to thinking like dragons.”
Shiva frowned at Darasath’s words, trying to find a loophole in a situation that he barely understood; her words seemed logical, but without knowing exactly what sort of rules this world operated under, he couldn’t say for certain if she was lying or not.
“And what, exactly, does ‘bonding’ entail?” Beryl asked sharply, her arms crossed over her chest and her stance firm as she stared up at the two dragonesses warily. “Shemorth mentioned something about that — about being bonded to S’dar — but never explained what that means.”
“To bond a dragon is to form a mental connection between yourself and the dragon,” Renoth explained, then swept her head to indicate herself, Darasath, and Luzuth and continued, “Some species, such as ourselves, don’t require a bond, while others, like Shemorth’s kind, often do.”
Darasath chuckled a bit at whatever expressions were currently on their faces, and said, “Bonding is highly regarded here among the Nexiian worlds, and I can sense that the six of you would do well on the sands. I would offer Clan Vecira as a place to bond, but it’s unlikely there will be a clutch here in the next few months.”
Shiva exchanged a look with Krakal at that, not liking what Darasath’s words implied; if he was understanding her correctly, then dragons… bonded at hatching? Which meant that they’d have newborn dragons to take care of on top of trying to find their way home?
Beryl cleared her throat and said, “Unless your kind ages quite rapidly, I’m not so certain that we have the time necessary to do what you’re suggesting.”
“True, if you were required to wait until the hatchling had grown before attempting to return,” Renoth said in agreement, then spread her wings a bit and snapped them closed. “But even a hatchling can assist us in forming the mental image necessary to teleport you home, even if they can’t carry you themselves. And if your other guild members have been caught up by the same thing you were and were brought to other parts of the Nexus, spreading the knowledge of your presence around will eventually reach them.”
“Many of us are also capable of teleporting through time as well,” Darasath added with a touch of glee, something mischievous in her gaze that put Shiva on guard. “In fact, I think I know just the place to send a few of you, if you’re willing. It’s an old weyr that existed long before we Vella Crean dragons came to be, but Istabitha’s Weyr has recently sent out requests for candidates.”
Beryl grimaced and turned back to them, arching an eyebrow as she asked, “What does everyone think?”
“Sounds like the only damn option we have,” Varix grumbled.
Michiyo made a thoughtful noise and stared up at Renoth and Darasath for a moment, then turned his attention back to Beryl and said, “Varix is probably right.”
“Either way, it can’t hurt to try,” Lerya said with a nod.
Shiva clicked his teeth together and gave Luzuth a sidelong look, trying to imagine what being mentally bonded to such a creature would be like. How different would a dragon’s mind be to his own? Would them being Adventurers change anything about the bond? Would the dragons become like Adventurers?
He grimaced and rubbed a hand over his face, wishing he could simply set his worries aside like he usually did, then gave himself a mental shake; he needed to focus, needed to be the scout that Beryl had relied upon for years, which meant…
“I’ll go,” Shiva declared as he dropped his hand from his face and let it rest on the hilt of his katana.
“Shiva?” Beryl asked worriedly, her brows drawing together and her elven ears twitching. “Are you sure?”
“I’m your scout, and this sounds like our best bet,” Shiva said firmly, tipping his chin up a bit and giving Beryl a stubborn look when she seemed about to protest again. “Let me do my job, Beryl.”
“I’m going, too,” Krakal declared a moment later, as she drew herself up to her full height and crossed her arms over her chest, stance stubborn as she stared Beryl down. “Darasath said ‘a few of you’, and this way Shiva and I will have backup while we’re there.”
Beryl stared at the two of them, her lips compressed into a thin line, before she finally grit her teeth and spun back to Renoth and Darasath. “There. Your two volunteers. Unless you’d rather more of us?”
Renoth chuckled softly and shook her head. “No, two is perfectly fine,” she said soothingly. “You have my word that no harm will come to your guild members.”
“Luzuth will take them,” Darasath said with a nod towards the light bronze. “And he’ll stay to make sure they settle in well while waiting for the hatching. And in the meantime, we’ll set you up with dens here in the Clan and do what we can to find your homeworld and the rest of your guild.”
Luzuth bobbed his head in acceptance and glanced down at Shiva and Krakal. “Whenever the two of you are ready, let me know. Time is relative between the worlds, so we’ll arrive in good time.”
Shiva blinked up at the great dragon, then snorted in amusement and murmured, “Of course we will. Right then… lets stick around to see where our rooms here will be, and then we can get moving. That okay with you, Krakal?”
She nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
A hand landed on his shoulder and gripped tight, making Shiva glance over to see who it was; Michiyo gave him a tight smile as soon as their gazes met and murmured, “Don’t oversleep, you lazy cat.”
Shiva scoffed and bumped his shoulder against Michiyo’s in silent reassurance. “It’ll be fine. You just make sure Beryl doesn’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.”
“I can only do so much,” Michiyo said sagely, then squeezed Shiva’s shoulder again and let go.
He clicked his tongue and shook his head, then turned away to follow the rest of the group out of the cavern and back into the corridors that made up Clan Vecira.
Whatever happened next, he refused to disappoint or worry Beryl, and he knew Krakal felt the same.
They’d do this.
Together.