Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[Nanami Touko]

"Huh?" Suddenly there was a Lumi. "Uh, er, yeah... It's a Neviskotian dragon, so... I can talk to it. Eheh." The way she said it was pretty mundane, but it was probably a pretty cool thing. Maybe. "Should I not be?" she asked, cautiously. They weren't being set on fire immediately, so maybe it was a good thing that she was. Jam whispered in as well. "She wants softer trees. I guess stomping through a forest isn't very pleasant."

[Phoenix]

Not Here For Fighting

The dragon groaned at the question, her folded wings fluttering slightly at the thought. Of course she could fly. <"I'm not supposed to be over here, but the commander refuses to do what must be done, so here I am, banging my head every other step. It was important that I find you people.">

Maybe if the dragon's tired, we do have a chance, the guard captain thought to himself, noting the dragon's obvious fatigue. "Fan out, and watch your footing," he quietly ordered the few men still close by. The others had gotten away or were just out of earshot, but still captivated by the scene. They quickly followed suit as some of their own began to draw a semi circle around the dragon.

"Put your weapons away, Ursians," the dragon said, in heavily accented common, "I am not here for fighting ... ... well," the dragon glanced over at Sasha, "unless little one thinks he is match for all powerful earth dragon." A sinister grin appeared on her face as she finished. Needless to say they weren't putting their weapons away just yet.

[Mercakete]

Well. That had been an episode. Trying to control an untrained pegasus spooked out of her mind wasn't something Norbert generally recommended. In fact, if it hadn't been for the pegasus-targetting bandits who were specifically taregtting their mounts, he would have just dismounted and let Riz go her own way until she calmed down and came looking for him. As it was, every instinct in the mare was telling her to get the heck out of there, and no reins, rider, or anything else was going to stop her.

She'd actually succeeded in throwing Norbert off of her back -- she could be pretty brutal in that way when she wanted to be -- but the rider himself had his own reflexes. Though he hadn't trained Rizen, he had trained himself, and so, now, whenever something hit him or something like that happened, rather than loosening his grip on whatever he was holding, he tightened it. And, at the time of being thrown, he was holding Rizen's reins. The result was that when the pegasus finally and wildly managed to buck her rider, her own head got pulled down with him.

Now, Rizen was getting back to her hooves while frantically flapping her wings to get moving as quickly as possible. She was also shaking her head, trying to jerk control away from Norbert, who was essentially grappling her reins. He was a bit disoriented and confused from the impact of the throw, which had tossed him clear over Rizen's head and flipped him onto his back, and off to the right. It hadn't helped that his head and shoulders took the brunt of the fall. The clash of wills was further into the treeline, away from the others for the most part. Norbert had at least turned Rizen around before she got completely out of earshot, though.

[Nanami Touko]

"<Well that sucks,>" Eva replied, feeling some weird sympathy for a dragon that wasn't... Allowed? Allowed to fly, right now. "<What did you need to find us for?>" She'd keep this going as long as she could, so long as the captain didn't goof it and start attacking. If the dragon didn't want to fight, then no one needed to get set on fire. "<I'll make sure he keeps himself in check. I'd rather not get roasted because my wyvern was too antsy to fight something... Sasha, seriously, calm down...>" Even though he was still grumbling, he'd managed to get it low, and wasn't making any moves to try anything. That was for the best.

[Phoenix]

Talking and Digging

<"I'm an earth dragon. No roasting,"> the dragon shook her head a few times. That was when she noticed the unconscious bandit just in front of her. A quick scan of her surroundings revealed another one not too far away. She raised up slightly and leaned to her left side, giving her right arm room to maneuver, and began clawing at the ground with her massive paw, ripping through, dirt, small stones, and tree roots. <"There are too many of you, too well armed to be anything but a group of killers looking for their mark. That is why I had to find you. You will be most useful to me."> She looked down at the spot where she had been clawing away and found the two ditches to be sufficient. She took her right paw and reached out in the direction of the dead bandit, and his body began to slowly lift into the air only to stop short. The trap he'd fallen on was still firmly biting into his abdomen, and the trap itself was anchored to the ground with a chain and stake. Paying it little mind, she gave one good jerk with her magic and the trap was torn from him. She then brought him over and gently placed him face up inside the ditch.

"A grave?" Shadrak wondered. "There's two of them, though ..."

The guard captain's eyes shot wide as he realized what the dragon was doing. Just as the unconscious bandit's body began to rise up from the ground, he yelled, "No! Stop! We need him!"

"He's still alive," Shadrak pleaded.

[Nanami Touko]

What is she doing? Eva was confused once again, until the dragon started moving on of the dead bandits to the makeshift hole. But why is she burying them? "<We're not killers-- well, okay, I guess we are, but that's not why we're here. We're trying to find the bandit's fortress, so we can report back about it... Ah, wait!>" Eva chimed in as well, as the still alive yet unconsious man was being dragged towards the grave. "<He's still alive, we just saved him! We really do need him. Please.>" She didn't quite get why the dragon was trying to bury the still alive man; maybe she didn't know he was, and all it would take was a bit of pleading to keep him above ground.

[Mercakete]

It didn't take very long for the pegasus rider to shake the stun from the fall, and when he did, he quickly got to his feet. Giving his four-legged companion a determined glare, Norbert jerked her reins towards himself, sliding his grip right under her chin and forced the equine to look him right in the face. Rizen was back on her hooves now that her head wasn't restricted to being only a foot off of the ground, and though she didn't appreciate her head being held still like this, she was noticing that no one was running anymore. Right, right... Things seemed a lot calmer now, actually. Her ears still swiveled about, though. Had the danger passed?

Nope. There was some huge, rumbly sound relatively nearby. The pegasus jerked back in alarm, but at least now she'd calmed down enough that she wasn't trying to bolt outright. She was still visibly nervous, though.

Norbert sighed. Trying to take care of a wild pegasus sure had its fair share of work sometimes... Blasted 'Skotians and their wyverns and their dragons... It was true: if the scaled creatures didn't exist -- or at least if they didn't come into contact with them -- then things would be a lot easier. Thinking about it, actually, things sounded like they had calmed down some. Looking around, he could see a couple soldiers looking at something. It took leading Rizen for about a minute -- slowly and carefully, too. He wasn't about to rush her into potential danger -- but eventually, a bunch of the soldiers gawking at a dragon and a floating bandit came into view. ... Well. That was better than what he'd expected...maybe? The scene on the whole was kind of confusing...

That was when the guard captain made a plea for the bandit and Shadrak joined in, saying that the bandit was alive. Rizen was nervous enough as it was, having outright stiffened up when the dragon came into view, so he simply let go of the reins in order to get a better view, advancing toward the situation. It also sounded like someone was speaking a foreign language from up above. A quick glance confirmed it was Eva...or at least someone riding Sasha. Well, people were talking and no fighting had broken out yet, though people did seem pretty tense.

Norbert quietly sighed to himself in annoyance. Why can't anything ever go normally anymore? "What in Truth's name is going on here?" he half-asked, half-demanded of anyone willing to divulge in the immediate area.

[Phoenix]

Needs of the Moment

"Long story short," Doran addressed Norbert, "that dragon's about to bury our only source of information alive."

"Not alive, no," the dragon interjected matter of factly. That was when the bandit's head jerked violently; his neck was snapped by an overwhelming, unseen force, his head left resting at what would have normally been an impossible position. Next, she gently lowered the body into the remaining grave while the healer threw his hands up in silent protest.

"What?! Why?!" Shadrak exclaimed.

"Wrathdammit, what the hell was that for?!" Doran cursed. Their luck really was taking a dive all of a sudden.

<"The Ursians don't need this one,"> she shook her head at Eva. "Ursians," her gaze slowly shifted toward the others, "are needing me. Bandits are like infestation. They must be punished."

Edited August 25, 2015 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

Eva flinched slightly at the snap of the bandit's neck. She'd seen worse, and done about the same as some point, but it didn't get any easier to see happen. She shook her head, listening to the dragon again. "<Wait, are you... Offering to help us find them? That'd be fantastic, actually. Do you know where they all are?>" It'd be a huge stroke of luck if the dragon was actually here to help them. Even if she was Neviskotian.

[Mercakete]

"Aw, Merz," Norbert grumbled in annoyance as the dragon killed the guy they'd been questioning. There was also another thing to note, here, regarding the dragon. This one talks, too. It was definitely Neviskotian, by the accent. Of course, he'd assumed that anyway. Dragons weren't exactly native to Ursium. This one, though, was...odd. It was saying that it wanted to help them kill the bandits...or something like that. You'd think that a dragon this far into Ursium would want to divide and distract the Ursian fighters as much as possible. And the bandit had already said that they've been leaving the Neviskotians alone... Furthermore, It was also still talking to Eva in Neviskotian from time to time, while Eva spoke exclusively in Neviskotian. That was just a bad idea.

"Hey!" Bert called up to Eva, "The dragon can speak Common. Let's use that language so everyone can understand!"

Then, he turned his attention to the dragon again. He was still skeptical and wasn't trying to hide it. "Why do you want to get rid of them? You're with the Imperials, aren't you?"

[Phoenix]

Drakesplanation

<"I know where they are, yes, but I also know how you can reach them without dying,"> the dragon answered Eva. That was around the time Norbert tried to make sure others could understand her. The dragon wasn't exactly fluent in common, yet, but that was what practice was for, she reasoned. She'd assumed the wyvern rider wasn't fluent in common either until that moment, actually.

To Norbert, she said, "Again, bandits are like infestation. They must be punished. Should I be explaining myself so you are understanding better?"

"Yes, please," the guard captain murmured. Her common could definitely use some work, but at least her clumsy speech could be easily understood.

"Very well," the dragon crossed her paws and took on a slightly dignified posture. It resembled a dog or cat lying down evenly with a raised head. "The Empire will be conquering Ursium. This is good thing, yes? This is honorable thing, and is meaning less fighting in the future ... at least after total victory. Ursian people are Neviskotian people, they are simply not knowing it, yet. Commander is not understanding this, either, and is letting bandits harm Ursian people for bad reason. I am not caring which side people are on, today. Tomorrow they will be Imperial people, but bandits are problem, today, and they must be punished. I am needing you for that, and you are needing me for that."

What would the commander back in Ursaea think of this? the guard captain mused, working with a dragon to finally uproot the bandits in this area.

"That whispering voice said not to worry, and now I see why," Shadrak quietly said to himself. What Shadrak was still wondering was how the dragon even knew about them in the first place. Maybe that voice had something to do with it. He certainly felt inclined to ask, but maybe after they were absolutely sure of the dragon's intentions. She'd explained her position rather well, overbearing nationalism notwithstanding, but she'd said nothing of how she would be using them, which meant 'meatshields' wasn't out of the question.

[Nanami Touko]

"<Without dying, huh?>" Eva pondered what that meant-- probably something to do with the ballistae. That was before Bert started shouting for her to speak common. "Well, her common's not that good, and I was going to tell everyone what she said, anyway..." At this point, they could probably land, Eva leading Sasha back down to the ground. He'd finally calmed down, hearing the dragon speak enough Neviskotian to realize that it didn't mean then any harm, at least not right now. So while he was still staring and glaring a bit, at least he wasn't about to jump at her. "Well, I mean, I'm fine with that," Eva said, after hearing the dragon out. "We work together, kill some bandits, fix a problem for everyone. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?" That's how the saying went, I think... "<What's your name, anyway?>" She felt it'd be easier to get answers to pointless questions-- pointless to the discussion --by speaking directly at her in Neviskotian.

[Mercakete]

"Are you seriously telling us -- Ursians -- 'we're going to conquer you and you should be happy about it?!' Just how stupid are you overgrown lizards?!" Norbert snapped, keeping his glare focused on the dragon and his hands on his hips. He shook his head angrily. "You're almost as bad as the Fallen! You know what? Keep your blasted claws to yourself! We've killed bandits before without your help, and we can do it again!" Blasted Imperials, thinking they're so much better than-- ... So that's where Veronika gets it.

To be fair, Veronika was one Imperial Norbert didn't mind. Of course, she also wasn't blatantly telling the Ursians she came across that they might as well accept that they're as good as conquered and that that is a good thing. Speech aside, it was really the guard captain's call. He wasn't about to help a dragon, though. No way. Not when his sisters were out there dying for Ursian freedom against the things.

[Nanami Touko]

Oh no, you are not pissing off a dragon and losing us this help. "<Listen, ignore him-- he's an idiot,>" Eva said to the dragon, shaking her head some. "<I'm fairly sure the more reasonable people here wouldn't say no to a dragon's help. These bandits are bigger than we'd assumed, and they're led by someone who seems real scary. Any help we can get-- no matter who it's from, would be appreciated. And if we can help you get through it without getting hurt, then we're scratching each other's backs, and things come out fine.>" Norbert, Wrathdammit, you just don't know when to shut up. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[scorri]

"Bert. Shut up. We need help if we're going to rescue those people and pegasi you were talking about. We can't just keep blundering around the forest running into traps they set. Yeah we beat them this time around, but who's to say that they won't be better prepared next time. Please don't anger the dragon that could almost certainly murder all of us." Lumi glared at Bert, hoping he would see the bigger picture.

Hoshi had positioned herself comfortably on the wyvern's back and nodded to Haythem. "Very well. Let us try and find them. The sooner the better, no?"

[Ether]

Things had been going reasonably well... about as well as they could, considering that they were now face-to-face with a potentially hostile Earth Dragon. Potentially hostile, because of course, Norbert's rampant patriotism and over-inflated ego were apt to strike again, and now they were entirely at the mercy of said Dragon's humour after his outburst.

Maybe it would take him as a sacrificial lamb instead of slaughtering them all. That'd be nice... worst case, Angelica could only hope that the Dragon's wish to stay aground would be enough to allow her to make an aerial getaway in the event that the ground began to shake in it's fury. Those without the ability to fly would surely perish in such an event, but it wasn't as if she could actually combat the thing were it to attack.

[Mercakete]

"How do you know? Sure bandits have been trouble in the past, but not something we couldn't handle! We don't even know how much of a threat these ones are yet! How about you stop assuming we can't handle a pack of outlaws we haven't even assessed yet and take a look at logic? Why would this time be any different from anyone else we've fought?" Norbert snapped at Lumi.

Despite his outburst, Norbert was keeping a fairly careful check on just what he said. He was less concerned about the dragon, though, and more concerned about the guards around them. He didn't want to incriminate Raquel or the other mercenaries by stating specific battles. "And who said anything about 'blundering about?' We have wings, too, remember? And even besides that, this isn't my first time looking for a bandit stronghold. Even if I have to go alone, I can get the information myself! As for angering dragons, what do I care? I'm not going to just nod my head at people who want to subjugate us! That goes for the Imperials and the Fallen both! When we get to Kigen, are you just going to try to make friends with the Fallen, too, because it's less risky? That's not who I am -- sorry to disappoint you! And no, I won't 'shut up!' Just because I disagree with what you think -- just because I'm not going to bow my head to Imperials -- doesn't mean I don't get to say my piece, too! It's not like I have the final say in what the Ursaeans do anyway! If they want to work with the dragon, let them! And I'll love to see them try to explain that to their superiors, especially after being accused of making a similar deal and being beaten for it by these same people only about a week ago!"

[Nanami Touko]

Eva sighed. "<See? Idiot. Complete patriot. Not someone you need to listen to.>" Eva was seriously hoping that the captain and Shadrak had more stable heads on their shoulders, because if the dragon took Bert poorly, they could have a fight that they did not need on their hands. After seeing what she did to that bandit, she didn't want to risk it. She didn't even know what sort of magic that was. But if it snapped bones in less then a second with wrist flicks, it was not worth fighting. "Captain, Shadrak, can we get some less aggravated opinions in on this?"

[scorri]

Lumi stared at Bert and then sighed. "Well, they've already proven themselves a bigger problem than standard bandits, wouldn't you say? Otherwise we wouldn't be out here. As for our flying power, do you not remember last night? When you were yelling at me for flying around? Perhaps you've forgotten the part where they've been kidnapping pegasi and their riders. Maybe you should be the one to take a look at logic. If these bandits were the same as the type that have been fought before, none of this current situation would be happening."

She took a few steps closer to Bert and gestured at the dragon. "This? This is not something that we're prepared for right now. Sure she may talk about how in a year we'll all be subject to her people, but guess what? I could say the same about her people. Or the Kigenese. But as you alluded to, we have bigger problems than these bandits. So maybe we accept the help of the nice powerful dragon, and get the damn job done so we can go on our way. There are other people around who can deal with the dragon and her friends once we've done our part. It's not like they won't know about her."

Edited August 25, 2015 by scorri

[Toogee]

Between the dragon offering an alliance and Bert doing his best to to piss off said dragon, Jam wasn't sure what to think...other than to stay as far away from this as possible in case the worst happened. She dismounted off the wyvern and stepped back. Neither the dragon nor Bert were exactly cordial, even if both sides made good points. Being raised in the Rexian desert, the dancer didn't have a dog in this fight, so she stayed quiet.

That being said, she was rooting for whatever side wouldn't get them immediately killed.

[Afterglimmer]

After finishing his preparations, Luther climbed up Isis' side using the saddle harness straps much like Amon had done earlier. "I'm ready to go as well," Luther added before briefly scanning his surroundings for any possible stragglers.

[Phoenix]

Welcome Back

<"I am Sonya,"> the dragon quietly answered Eva as the argument began. Although Norbert was the biggest opponent to cooperation, some of the guardsmen clearly had reservations, as well, even the guard captain and Doran, though the former had concerns of legal matters while the latter just plain didn't like dragons.

"Merz, give it a rest, orphan trash," Doran groaned when the interrogation came up. He might have agreed that working with the enemy was inherently a bad idea, he wasn't happy that something he'd managed to avoid dwelling on for several hours had suddenly and randomly come up, again.

Norbert had brought up one point that the guard captain couldn't ignore. This wasn't just a wild dragon with a score to settle with the bandits, she was a member of the Neviskotian Imperial Army. Maybe if their two countries weren't in the middle of a war, things might be different, but right now, it would be borderline treason to work with her. The commander would remind him of that much if he found out that the unit had even been conversing with her. The captain had to wonder if she didn't have the same issue of potential treason to worry about on her side of the situation.

The dragon absentmindedly pushed the dirt she'd dug up back into the two graves and slowly buried the bodies as the argument ensued. She could barely keep herself from grinning in amusement as her gaze drifted from one person to the next. She would get a word in, eventually, but for now she was content to just listen, and see what kind of group she was dealing with.

Shadrak opened his mouth to speak, and then paused, unsure which of his concerns to bring up now that he had the opportunity. He decided to try to slip both in both his opinion, and his question. "This isn't the ideal situation for cooperation, but because the bandit's dead, we at least need information about what's waiting for us." Figuring he hadn't been perfectly clear, he said it, again, "We at least need to find out what she knows." He quickly looked to the dragon, who quickly met his gaze. "By the way, how did you find out about us in the first place?"

"Your comrade, Fizza, was telling me much about you. She is snickering beneath wing." Sonya moved her left wing slightly to indicate where Fizza was. Shadrak didn't have time to think about that, since Fizza gently slipped out from beneath the massive folded wing half a second later and began walking over, mouth covered, and indeed snickering.

"That rules out the whisper, then," Shadrak noted, not fully satisfied.

"Before you are arguing some more, I am telling you," Sonya held up a claw for the group, "I am wanting bandits defeated, and that is not happening if you are running into so many traps. I am not recommending flying to hideout, either; is very dangerous even for me."

They suspected as much, but at least now they knew for certain, the guard captain thought to himself. If they had to go on foot, the entire way like they'd planned then there was a chance they would run into more traps, but that seemed like less of a deathtrap than this Sonya or the bandit she'd killed were implying. Maybe they had more than just excruciatingly painful steel traps waiting for trespassers.

Aziz Airlines

"Okay, <let's go, Isis! Time to catch up to the others!"> Isis wandered a short distance from the wagon, and then took off, using her legs like springs for a small boost, and slamming down her wings with enough force to destroy anything that got in her way. All that power got them airborne in one swift motion. It was takeoff with a single rough bump, but all of her movements after that were smooth and only the wind rushing by was much of a bother.

"Okay, Haythem, follow the road for now. Once we get further up on the mountain, everyone should start keeping an eye out for the others." It was about all they could do having not brought Joanna along, but that still felt too risky to Amon after what they'd gone through in order to rescue her.

"We're going to need a way to signal them," Haythem noted, "otherwise they might not notice us and we might not notice them."

[Mercakete]

He didn't have a problem with Eva asking for Shadrak's and the captain's opinions in the least bit, primarily because if one person had the chance to comment, everyone did. They were keeping out of the air to maintain the element of surprise and because they didn't know where the base was, so they didn't know where any ballista bolts might come from. Now the element of surprise was dashed entirely, so that didn't matter anymore. Also, he didn't know how much experience Lumi had with fighting bandits, but even if these bandits' methods and goals were somewhat out of the ordinary, they weren't any harder to deal with so far than standard bandits. Bandits had the deceptive reputation as being disorganized and stupid. Norbert, however, had been nearly killed more than once by the outlaws, and not all of them had just picked something heavy up and started terrorizing farmers. Some even had had military backgrounds...which was why it was good to get as much information on individuals and groups as possible, generally, but they were in a bit of a rush here.

Another thing was that even as he'd addressed the problem with Imperials invading Ursium and the more immediate problem of the bandits, advice he'd received from another "friendly foe" kept trying to come to the fore of his mind. What Lumi said, though, after her short approach, cleared the way for it. After all, it was eerily similar...minus the few misconceptions.

"We only have the capacity to deal with one of the siege gates in any reasonable amount of time. If the other two remain standing, either through neglect or outright failure, then the immense destruction that follows will be a great lesson to your kind."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not our enemy right now...but you said it yourself: you intend to be, someday. Sure, you'll be stronger if you become the ruler of your country, so killing you before that happens doesn't seem like a bad idea. But it's true that the real threat right now is the one who is in power. He's the one we need to focus on crushing. The gates need to be destroyed, too. As soon as I heard about them, I knew that. What lesson are you talking about, though? The consequences to their prideful, lazy ignorance?"

"The consequences of focusing on the wrong enemy at the wrong time."

Blast that stupid featherduster. Before Norbert could say or do anything more, he was addressed again. He'd calmed down some, having gotten to considering what Lumi was saying pretty heavily. Now, though his annoyance flashed again and he shot Doran a glare. "I was just pointing out the fact, piglet! Merz, don't think I'm still bothered by how stupid you were back then!" He was, actually. He just didn't feel bothered by it at the moment. "And I'm surprised you're not objecting to this, given how against fraternizing with Imperials you were before, you hypocrite!"

That was when Shadrak stated his opinion. Norbert agreed that they needed more intelligence on these bandits, but he still had his reservations about working with an Imperial, whether said Imperial was Human or Dragon or Dark Avian. It was difficult to see them as anything other than enemies. Steinn's and Lumi's advice held him back from outright speaking out about it as readily as he already had, though. If nothing else, it was making him think things through a bit more before saying anything.

When the dragon mentioned Fizza, however, Norbert was surprised enough that he just stared at her for a bit. That was all the time that was needed before the woman herself was revealed. And he'd been intentionally not mentioning her to protect her from this thing! His face was curling into a snarl and he was about to start up yelling at the Rexian woman when the dragon held up a claw and more or less requested permission to say something before they began arguing again. The wording was enough that Norbert actually swallowed his words for now and glared impatiently at the dragon to hear what she had to say. And what she had to say was actually enough of a distraction -- being more important than scolding their mischievous ally -- that he shifted his focus to that.

"We don't have to approach from above," it was no less scathing, though, "If there's enough space between the trees, we can fly between them and never set foot, hoof or claw on the ground! It limits how many people we can bring with us, but that's not my point, anyway." By the end of it, he had to admit, though he wasn't very happy about it, "It's still a problem we'll have to address, though..."

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he was. All this talking was giving the bandits even more time to prepare, and if they had ears on their conversation, they were finding out more and more on how best to do so. This dragon was both wasting valuable time, and potentially saving them from running in blindly. That thought alone was one big mound of annoying to think about. The rider was caught between getting steamed at even the thought of working with one who was ultimately his enemy, and seeing the benefits of having someone around who would be an extra help in this upcoming fight. There has to be another way! Urrrgh I hate it when this sort of thing comes up! First from Steinn and now from this blasted bag of scales? What are even the odds of that?!

[Nanami Touko]

"<Well met, Sonya. Nice to finally speak to someone in Neviskotian. It's been a while.>" Well, that was a nice name. Nicer than this conversation. It still seemed to be going nowhere, in all honesty. At least the dragon wasn't trying to kill them over Bert's ignorance, but no one had agreed on anything. Eva had an idea, though she didn't know how good it was. "Alright, if it's like, against the law, treason whatever, for you guys to work with the dragon, why don't you head on back and let us do it?" It was... Something. "We're not exactly affiliated with anyone right now, so we're not getting anyone in trouble for working with her, and there's enough of us that I think we can get it done with a dragon backing us up."

[-Cynthia-]

Well this ain't too bad...just gotta remember not to look down. Nadya reminded herself. "I think I could use my light magic to create somethin' that looks like sparks. Although if they don't see a giant wyvern flyin' through the sky they probably ain't payin' much attention to us anyway," she noted.