Fantasy Broken Balance

[Klader]

Gathrea shook his head at Starfall. "Unsure. Until recently, dragons have not come to my home. A question we drakes are trying to understand."
He then decided to add some humour. A bit of light in this dark time could be of use. "Perhaps our undying zealous loyalty to the Great Ones got to them. Some of us tend to get a little too comfortable around dragons."
I like this one. He's like a younger Fenris.

---

Sabato eyed Starfall with a stone-cold face. Letting him know he isn't one to be toyed with. The last thing the kitsune needs is to be annoyed by a dragon with constant jokes.

"From what Elijah has taught me. The Dragon spirit can quickly form attachments to its host. Even if it is absent. It has a way of leaving a strong influence. Valadir may be drawn to it. We must be vigilant when speaking with him. I believe Elijah called it dragon sickness." Sabato spoke further with Blade on how to proceed with Valadir. They have a very delicate case in their hands.

On the way to the sleeping gold dragoness, Sabato's worst fears came to light. Starfall is indeed filled with jokes. The dark kitsune's ears flattened, expressing his distaste.
"I'll take that as a compliment." A serious voice from him. Clearly not amused by his joke.
He didn't give the dragon anything else. Perhaps he will drop the jokes if he ignores the lizard long enough. Hopefully.

Sabato stood several paces away from Starfall in case he needed to get physical. He'd rather not be in the way.

---

"Grab her chains!" A booming voice interrupted her sleep. The white dragon's eyes snapped open. She focused on the entrance of her cell, from behind the black iron bars. A fat human with a menacing grin stared right at her. The torturer. Every time she hears his voice. Something bad happens. Six guards in black armour around him. One of them started to open the door.

The white dragon roared as best she could with the muzzle guard, restraining her from even opening her jaws. She got to her feet. Her wings are strapped against her back. A rough metal collar with a chain around her neck. Metal bracelets around each of her feet also connect to a chain, locked against the stone walls. This prevents her from taking a couple of steps in each direction. Years of wearing them have caused constant bleeding and bruising.

As soon as the door opened, she took a few steps. Everything in her body is telling her to run. There is nowhere to go under the city of Diabmoure. No one knows where she is. No one has come to save her. The guards rushed in with swords and whips, shouting at the top of their lungs. She heard the frightening crack of the whip, then pain across her neck. She whimpered and curled up to protect herself. Another crack. Instant pain in her thigh. They started unlocking the chains from the walls. With the combined might, they dragged her out of the cell.

---

The gold and white dragon flinched as soon as Blade made contact.
"No! Please, not another one! Leave me alone." She pleaded with Blade.

The dragoness snapped her eyes open, hyperventilating. She jumped to her feet. Swivilled her head left and right. Big dragons are around her, and a small fluffy creature looks like Ganjiro. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the kitsune.
"No. I don't want to go back!" Her voice was in distress.

She took a few steps back before crouching and covering herself with her gold feathered wings. Not wanting to look into the eyes of her persecutors.
"Please... leave me alone."

Sabato felt pity for the dragoness. This one has been through some shit.
"I will leave this one to you, gentleman. I suspect she does not like me."
The kitsune walked away.

---

"You're always thinking about something. Maybe she's telling you to stop." Jura sarcastically said back to Ashe. However, there is some truth. Ashe does tend to overthink. To be fair, she has a lot on her mind.

She nodded at Ashe, giving her approval to go with Valadir. She will be here if anything happens.

"Hello Cel. Good to see you." She opened with a greeting. First time seeing her in months.
"With Starfall with you, I'm sure your bags only contain food. Can you do me a favour and keep an eye on Valadir. I don't particularly trust him."

 

[CreareunderCreare]

Ashe raised an eyebrow at Valadir’s hesitation. He dodged my question, are we? she mused, finishing with the clean bandages on her thighs. “So, you’re a mage then?” she pressed, her tone casual but with a hint of challenge. “Having an affinity with mana and wielding it is nothing to be ashamed of.”

She glanced up, catching Valadir’s gaze. When we first met, all I saw was nothing but hostility, she recalled. Now, I see something more: a familial loyalty, grief... and perhaps, she speculated, an anger, it is buried but potent.

A snide comment from the dragon drew her gaze to Sabato, who stood nearby, solemnly engaged in conversation, the white fox perched on his shoulder. The kitsune remains an enigma, even to me, she considered, before returning her attention to Valadir. But one thing is clear – there is tension simmering within our group. It seems there is animosity amongst the group.

She replied with a slight smile at his remark, “Yes, I did appreciate the jewellery. So, how did you find Rhinehart’s lands?” Ashe’s eyes softened, recalling the bustling marketplaces of the West. The territory, though without a coast, was renowned across Eraylia. One day, I’ll see those vibrant days return, she vowed quietly.

She sobered, letting the memories fade. “But tell me, how does an experienced merchant like you end up caught in a continental war, and allied with its most powerful leaders, no less?”

 

[Friendly_Dragon]

"Damn it..." Starfall uttered. No way of knowing why his and Cellie's parents didn't say a word. He relayed everything to his dear sister. She didn't utter a word. She's processing it.

Oh. These people and his race do that thing together?
"Didn't see that coming. You all better leave my dear sister alone in that field. Or else" He firmly said.

"But well, dad had some really good hearing. I've inherited it"

Starfall smiled at Sabato's reactions of his jokes. Tough public. For that, he already likes him. In him, he sees a challenge. The little hairy guy will laugh. That's one of his objectives in this trip. No one can resist a good joke. Besides, he looks grumpy and in use of something to laugh at.

Starfall sat when the dragoness he recently beat came to her senses, just so he puts himself in a more vulnerable position and thus looks less intimidatie feels bad for her. Blade is slightly behind him. He's seen her... dream. Or rather, her memory. He feels bad for her. She's suffered. To an extent they share some of it. Both at Diabmoure but with a different trait. They have been slaves, but both have been submitted to a different kind of slavery.

"Young one, we mean to provide you with aid" The white dragon told the dragoness as she pleaded him to go away.

"I have gone through her mind in order to awaken her. She has been enslaved. She is in need of freedom and safety" He told Starfall.

"Lines up with what he said before passing out. Good thing we crossed paths. I love taking down slavery rings and overall criminals" Starfall sound half serious and half jokeful.

"I sense your social skills are greater than mine. This and your profession grant you greater capabilities for dealing with this matter. Hence, we'll obtain greater results if you communicate with her compared to me"

"Me having to make contact with an unknown person? Where have I seen that before?" He briefly joked. Then he went serious. "I hope you have my back if things get ugly"

"Take it for granted"

"We want to take you to safety. We can't do that if we leave you alone" Starfall said with an easy gentle voice. "Somewhere the little fox can't reach"

He briefly debated getting a bit closer to her but decided not to given she's on the defensive.

"I'm Starfall. What's your name?" He asked in the same gentle tonem

---

"Good to see you too. You been missed" Celestina matched Jura's greet. "As for our packs, not really..." She casually said after Jura's implications on the contents of their bags. "Meds and survival basics too. Tools. Surely you can see the sleeping pelt. It's just the usual mission kit. Oh and by the way, i'm keeping watch and he's sleeping after we reach a safe spot"

"You don't trust him, do you? But he's such a hotty..." Celestina told her former boss.

---

"I don't know what you are trying to imply" Valadir chose to dodge the question thrown at him. Evident he isn't comfortable talking about it. He briefly stared at where Ashley was when she turned her head, reminding himself that he has to ask about what happened to Crystal and see if the plan of burying dad is still going.

"It was a nice place. I could tell the effort put into it" He voiced his opinion about Rhineharts' place. "After all of this is over I'd love to return and see how much has changed. Bet it looks better than last time"

Crap. What's with this girl and her questions? For some reason she loves doing the kind of questions he doesn't want to openly talk about. Specially since he doesn't know where she stands in this yet.

"Survival needs. It was that or dying. Surely you know the benefits of having friends in the right places" Hopelly he doesn't ask too much.

 

[Klader]

Gathrea snorted and backed away from Starfall, surprised by Starfall's sudden lash. He gave him a confused look for a few seconds until he pieced together what he meant.
"My apologies. I did not mean to offend you, Great One. I should have worded that better. I suggested that we get attached to your kind. None of us would dare to impose such a relationship. Lest not by our own cause."

---

The white and gold dragon didn't respond to Blade or Starfall. She's heard enough lies. Every time they say that, she is beaten and whipped. No matter what race they are.

A couple of tense minutes passed by, and nothing happened. This isn't a part of the routine. Something is wrong. She lifted a wing to peek underneath. Daring to look at the two dragons.

They don't look like my torturers.

She peered at the dark dragon. He's the one who released her of the spell. It could be a trick to expose herself. The one behind him. The white one with purple wings. She recognised him as one of the fighters in the arena. She has seen him win his fights with magic. Blade is his name.

Why aren't they hurting me? Are they really friends?

She further furled her wings to expose her head completely. Evidently scared by her twitching movements.


Her gold eyes snapped back at Starfall.
"M-my name is Tala. A-are you really not going to hurt me?"

---

Jura nodded at Celestina as she described what they had brought with them. Sounded like they were well-prepared up until she said something despicable. Jura gave Celestina a disgusted look. Did she really just say that?
"Cellie... I hope you are joking. I have a bad feeling about him. Don't you dare do anything stupid. I'd rather avoid any sort of conflict."

The blue dragoness got to her feet with a wince and a grown. She quickly looked at Valadir and Ashe before turning back to Celetina.

With a more relaxed tone, Jura thanked her. "Thanks for saving our tails. I'm sorry I haven't been around lately. I was captured in Diabmoure. I have failed to keep you both safe."

---

Sabato took a step back away from the others, Crystal trailing him. He needed some time to think before they were on the move again. He walked along the shoreline, close to the water. Behind him are the drakes, who seem to have a small funeral for their two fallen brothers. It's a shame, but they did their job. Protect the dragons until their dying breath. One of the highest honours in their culture.

The others are recovering well and getting to know each other. He spectated the group for a few minutes in silence. It reminds him of a story Elijah recounted once, towards the end of the Dragon Age. A group of heroes lead a rebellion against the tyranny of the Great Dragon Diath. Defeating the dragon and thus starting a new Age. This group, while they are like a bunch of loose ends who happen to cross paths. They could turn out to be the New Heralds.

"What do you think, Crystal? You think they got what it takes?"

The white fox just stared at Sabato.

 

[CreareunderCreare]

Valadir's low voice rumbled like distant thunder as Ashe smiled faintly, her expression a careful mask. "Your words honour me, but I must advise you against visiting Eraylia anytime soon. You know well the enmity my people hold for yours, especially after the fall of the opposition." Her voice held the weight of a warning, though her tone remained measured.

He is cautious, she thought, noting his restraint in his every word. That is understandable. Shifting slightly, Ashe leaned back, settling into a position that her long-departed governess would have scolded her for. Decorum was a fleeting concern when weariness seeped into her bones.

“I mean no slight,” Ashe reassured, her voice calm as her sharp gaze fixed on the dark-scaled dragon. “Merely an observation.” She studied Valadir's face for a moment, weighing his guarded demeanour, before pressing forward. “You seem… ill at ease. It stirs my curiosity. Why does one such as yourself, gifted as you must be, falter in wielding mana with ease? Some might blame their circumstances—lack of tutors, poor guidance—but those are excuses for inexperience, not for discomfort. Avoidance, Valadir, speaks of something deeper.”

Ashe lifted her hand, her pale fingers catching the flicker of torchlight as she studied it absently. “I recognize the unease. It mirrors my own experience. Sometimes, what others call a gift feels more like a curse.” She lowered her hand, her voice softening with a note of bittersweet reflection.

“I do not wield mana,” she confessed. “But as you saw today, I can neutralize it. A useful skill, yes, but also a terrifying one. When it first awakened in me as a child, I nearly drained my mother and others around me dry of all their mana. Had fortune not intervened, I would have killed them all.”

Her gaze was calm yet met with Valadir’s eyes. There was no trace of self-pity in her expression, only the tragic certainty of someone who had survived. “There was no one to help me. The Herald Order had crumbled, and its wisdom scattered to ruin. No scholar, mage, or ancient tome knew my strange ability. Only whispers of the Rhinehart bloodline, of ancestors with peculiar powers, but the records were fragmented nonsense, really. Until an unknown mage named Elijah found me. He could make sense of the fragments and mentored me. It was like learning to breathe again, but with every breath, the risk of suffocation loomed.”

She paused, her voice firm. “I tell you this not for pity but as a warning. Strange abilities like yours—and mine— are deviations from the natural flow of mana. They demand unyielding discipline. Without it, the damage we can wreak may fall not on enemies, but on those we hold dearest. That guilt, Valadir, is a weight no mortal or dragon should bear.”

Her attention shifted to Starfire, the gleaming gold-and-white dragon standing alongside Blade and the other gathered allies. With a subtle motion, she directed Valadir’s gaze to them—the kitsune, the drakes, the dragons. “Fate has placed you among companions strong in the arts of mana. Though I see your mistrust of the kitsune, Blade has his confidence earned. You need their knowledge and strength to help you build the mental, emotional, and physical defences necessary to harness your power—or to suppress it, should the need arise. I caution you in its use.”

She let her words hang in the air for a moment, giving him time to absorb them, before reaching into her pocket. From its depths, she withdrew two small, intricately carved emblems, their surfaces gleaming with the insignia of the Castpoint Guild. She held them out, her expression solemn.

“These emblems grant sanctuary under the Castpoint Guild's protection. I cannot entrust one to you; you are a risk I cannot invite into our halls. But for your mother and the hatchling, should you wish to see them safe, these will provide refuge. Our territory is hidden and far from the reach of war. Should they ever find themselves in a guild-active territory, they need only present these, and Castpoint will offer them shelter and aid.”

Ashe’s hand closed over the emblems, holding them for a moment longer before lowering them. Her gaze returned to Valadir’s, steady and unyielding. “It is a sign of transparency, of reassurance. They may never need this offer, but know that it stands should they ever choose to accept it.”

Ashe allowed a faint smirk to touch her lips, her tone adopting a rare lightness when she quipped, “Perhaps Rega will see fit to whip the cooks into shape. It would certainly be a spectacle worth witnessing.” Her expression softened as she inclined her head slightly, her voice shifting to a tone of measured curiosity. “Was there anything else you wished to discuss with me?”

 

[Friendly_Dragon]

"I'll break your nose if any of you even try" Starfall's words on these guys trying to get into a relationship with his sister. She's his little angel.

Both dragons didn't act as they saw their new companion he scared shitless. Getting near is a stupid desicion.

"I'm starting to feel bad for her..."

"Your feeling are not unfounded"

"We will not" Starfall told the scared dragoness. "I swore an oath when I finished boot camp that makes me want to help you. Nice yo meet you by the way"

"A similar situation is upon me as well. I have also sworn during my mage training. It forbids me from considering such evil options. I am to use my knowledge to help. I am Blade."

---

Celestina smiled innocently when Jura looked all disgusted due to what she just said.

"I'm not" Its funny to see her like that. It was then when she realized Star is influencing her after being glued to him for the better part of a year. Ew.

Her smiled dropped when she was told about the reasons about her former boss' sudden dissapearance.

"You are serious don't you... Is it as bad as they say it is? Looking at the good side, at least you got some intel about their operations now"

Then she continued with a more reassuring tone.

"Don't feel bad for not defending us. While we like you doing it, we are grown adults with the same training as you. Don't let Star hear it but he actually does a good job as head of security"

Her runes started to glow and she banished from sight. She did so right in front of Jura to see if she freaks out. Silently, she trotted towards the forest until spotting her targets. She laid down and stared at them. She's biased enough to not expect anything too important to happen.

---

"Obviously..." Valadir spoke on Ashley's warning on not visiting her domains anytime soon. "Wasn't planning to before this is resolved. Otherwise it's me asking to get killed"


Huh. So the girl sort-of knows how his current situation feels, yet he finds her words to be oddly... offensive. Intrusive. It could be seen reflected in his body language. He stayed quiet in case he said something he could regret.

"Never said I distrust them" He said regarding his level of trust towards kitsunes. He's clearly still threading carefully about his 'power' matter. Not wishing to let out yet what he's done. Or at least not with her. Point to be taken about Blade though.

He looked interested in the talk about mom's safety. He feels slightly offended at being called a menace yet he's listening intently.

"That's a really nice offer... what's the catch?"

His expression and body language changed to a more casual and happy one when the talk about mom and the kitchen came.

"And a tasty one too... I really can't wait"

"No... I just wanted to make sure we don't have a bad standing"