Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Sorry, delayed by classes and such.))

Zeal turned to look at Artes just in time to see the type of breakfast he had. He blinked once before looking toward Kreen, confirming his continued survival. His sword remained in his hand but with no enemies obviously present in this particular area and the main purpose of their trip complete he is quite a bit more relaxed.

"Nicely done, Artes. You will need to practice killing your opponents at greater ranges so that you don't suffer like this again but you did quite well." Zeal's voice held a slight pride and pleasure in the elf's preformance.

He turned his gaze toward Kreen again and nodded once, conveying clearly that the assassin's preformance was fully satisfactory. He then turned to look with a rather calculating glance toward the next order of business, this other rather capable stranger who Valden had been talking with.



Valden smiled widely, showing a tiny amount of fang. This human's surprise and confusion do have merit. He seems to possess some common sense, although he hasn't shown any higher intellect... he might do quite well. His voice was even and speculative as he spoke again, turning to look away toward Zeal.

"My mate and I still have more eggs that will need protectors. If you are interested and accept the chance you would be bound to the task for life but you would gain rather powerful friends. If you refuse we can always take you to the capitol of Iracund in the east." Valden kept his voice even and steady, betraying nothing of what respect he had for this human who could survive so long on the surface of the Gray Waste.

Kreen, who is now covered in the scorpion's blood up to his elbows and spattered all over his upper body, pulls his blade from the carcass with little ceremony or flourish. With an almost instantaneous spell, whose motions and words are clearly said with a great deal of familiarity, causes the blood to appearantly fade from existance from his clothes and sword (though in actuality it merely evaporates it). The Fae turns his golden-red eyes toward Zeal, nodding at the look of approval. It is odd, he reflects, that he now seeks this human's approval. He wants this human to respect him as an equal. This is, of course, hardly the time for such thoughts.
Right now we must turn to the task at hand, he thinks, walking toward the dragon, rider, and stranger. The elf boy can take care of himself. If he cannot, then he must learn to do so at the earliest possible time. Otherwise, he may not be able to survive living with a flock of purely carnivorous flying reptiles.

Zeal began walking toward the stranger at an even stride, dismissing Artes' apology as unnecessary with a wave of his hand. He stopped when he was slightly outside the human's personal space and watched him for a moment before speaking.

"You'll need to be introduced and tested if you intend to join as these two have." Zeal, well aware of the common reactions of some humans, does not mince his words and makes no explaination for why he was aware of the topic of the earlier conversation. "If you're serious then get on Valden's back so we can proceed."


Valden's smile spread at the human's charmingly pitiable attempt at formality but does not speak, allowing the newly arrived Zeal's words to carry the significance of both. He folded his wing again, removing the shade from this human and lowered his body to prepare for taking off. Artes performed fairly well but below average for an elf. Normally an elf would be able to inflict lethal damage on such creatures long before they were close enough for the sight to disturb the elven sensibilities. Kreen performed as well as could be expected but his rapidly growing attitude of respect for Zeal was a pleasant surprise.

He turned to the other man walking toward him. He spoke, understandably, with strength. Er...howd he know? "Alright." He replied as the sun hit his eyes and he squinted against the powerful light. It suddenly got warmer. He turned back to the dragon and stood for awhile, awkwardly, not realizing how to mount a dragon. He walked closer to the black creature and jumped up on his back.

Zeal paused for a moment at Artes' question. He blinked and turned to address the elf. His face bore a slightly confused frown, tinged with mild irritation.

"I have no intention of killing you two off, so no. Get on Valden's back and make sure this guy doesn't freak out." Zeal gestured toward the human who was sitting uncertainly on Valden's back with his chin before turning to jump onto the back of Valden's head. "Let's go back. This has been quite successful as a test. I believe that further training is in order for you, Artes, but not here."

Zeal's manner was rather distant as he focused on what to do in the future. The number of men in this group was growing and the little experiment seemed to have promise. Where should they be taken next...?


Valden waited for all four of his passengers to be properly situated on his back before leaping into the sky and smoothly turning toward the Silver Sea and his lair. The minds of the great black dragon and his bonded partner were attempting to deal with another difficulty. While Valden can easily handle the weight of more than four bipeds on him at once he did not have a large enough body to accomodate any more. This could pose a problem in the future if more encounters result in this kind of conclusion.The flight back was fairly swift and Valden backwinged to a landing on the ledge without incident.

Kreen leaps easily from Valden's back, turning to look at those still atop the dragon. He is, regretfully, unsure as to what he ought to do at the moment. He does not know the layout of the island, now what sort of leisure time activities there might be here. The Fae has never seen fit to cultivate any sort of a hobby, for he has never had any free time, and even if he had he has nothing but the clothes he is currently wearing on his back.

Zeal hopped from Valden's head to the stone without effort and took several steps forward. His eyes turned to meet those of the black dragon quietly. This man needs to have things explained to him. He has the basics already but... A frown touched his face. He is not ready to meet Mirage yet.

Zeal turned away and started walking toward the main entrance with a thoughtful look on his face. He looked down, realizing that he had been too preoccupied to return his blade to its sheath. The ornate blade seemed to ripple as it returned to the size of a dagger. He slid it back into its sheath and turned around to look at Artes' troubled expression.

"You aren't a warrior yet Artes. You have the ability but not the training. Don't let it bother you so much." Zeal's mouth turned up at one corner. "I want you and Kreen to brief your newest roommate on what he has gotten himself into and get him settled. I have some matters to discuss with Valden and Mirage before we head out again." He turns to look at the sky, identifying the first signs of dusk. "You might want to get some food too. It looks like the flights took longer than I thought they would. Don't worry if I don't come get you tonight. Tomorrow is early enough for the next step in your training." Zeal strode smoothly into the darkness of the cave, accompanied by his subtle blue illumination.



Valden watched and listened to the human's rather open speach. It was Valden who noticed the elf's despondency. He met his partner's gaze seriously. I agree. While he seems to understand what his job will be, he does not seem to be taking it very seriously yet. I believe that he needs some time to calm down from the excitement before Mirage looks him over. Valden folded his wings and stood in silent approval until Zeal began moving into the lair.

He then moved carefully after Zeal, his black body disappearing quickly into the darkness within. His bulk blocked his partner from the sight of the others outside as the two disappeared within. They walked at the same pace, both gathering their thoughts for the coming discussion.

Artes flushed deeply at Zeal's words, "Y-yes sir... Of... Ofcourse, sir." He looked down at his feet, his spirit pretty much broken. He fealt so inferior. He did not possess the amazing skills and abilities of his comrades. He probably would not have survived an hour alone out in that desert.

His self-disgust made him forget about the new-comer. He simply began to walk towards the rooming cave that had become his new home.