Legend of Ransera

If the man and the child seemed odd, it only stood to reason. Any person desired by a greatwyrm was going to be different somehow, and it made sense that strange, unusual people would be drawn to them. He didn't have his sister's insight nor her sembling, but he was alert.

"I can," he affirmed gravely, but it cracked into a genuine smile. He loved to fly more than almost anything.

"You could too," he opined. "It wouldn't be quite the same, but there are magi who learn to shift their shapes. You would have to learn from the birds or from the bats or from the dragons, give yourself not only wings, but the musculature and bone structure to support flight. People do it, the ones who really want it." He considered for a moment. "If the dragon wants something from you, perhaps you can bargain for the means to fly. Your friend seems almost as helpful in that regard as a solicitor."

Kaus didn't mind staying with the civilians; he was just planning to stay out of the airmen's way in any case. He winced as they turned toward where he knew the dragon was. Now he felt the child and the dragon, and a part of him thought he felt the man, as well. Surely that was just a trick of the thing, though.

"How shall I call you?" he asked, eyes flicking up to the man to take him in as well.

"Ah."

Kaus tapped the side of his nose. If Gruntraum was Kindred like Torin's friend Sivan, he may or may not be licensed. The Avialae lordling was cooperating with the ZADC in order to fulfill this quest born of dreams, but that didn't mean he had to turn in witches for interrogation or worse.

When the airship halted and Stadelmayer approached, Kaus knew it was time. And in the interest of time, he hurried things along. He took the child's hand, as well as the Kindred's, and then he pushed them aloft with his mastery of Kinetics and they flew without the use of his wings to meet the dragon. Let the doughty soldiers remain beyond the effects of the dragon's aura.

Things had gone well, he thought, later back aboard the ship. He was leaning over the taffrail, eying the spot where he had landed and where they had left the child to commune with the Hollow One. So far, there had been no violence. All the same, Kaus remained perturbed. He awaited a sign from the dragon that all was well or that he could return.

Or Guntraum might saunter over and tell him with his mysterious ways that the child had been devoured or otherwise co-opted, making Kaus complicit in the abuse of a child. He didn't suppose the powers that be in Zaichaer would mind if the rest of the citizenry was left alone, though Stefan Dornkirk didn't seem like a bad man. Back when Kala had first met him, Kaus had wondered if she would attempt the difficult courting of a Zaichaeri. Few intrigued her and he was one of them. And fewer still were those whose presence caused a spark of something akin to alchemy...

He sighed, his Air joining the winds even sedate as they were under the dampening field of the airship.

It had seemed like a hero's quest. Now he wondered if he was hero or villain.

It felt anticlimactic somehow.

The dragon had its child, and the Kindred who had advocated for them seemed as content as possible, all things considered. Whether he was a hero or not, he still didn't know. The dragon wasn't evil, nor was it truly chaotic. The terms applied to celestial and infernal, Dragon God and Mistlord, seemed reductive somehow, and he supposed he was growing into true adulthood if he was starting to see how gray the world actually was.

His lips compressed into a line, but he nodded to Gruntraum and shook his hand.

"Aedrin, red of tooth and claw," he murmured. Nature seemed to encompass order and chaos, but was amoral by most standards.

Kaus wanted to ask whether they followed Nazam the Star Lord, whose mantle had come upon Kala later. Unity was new, a gift and a burden from Mother Naori. Sivan hadn't said much about the Kindred, and Kala hadn't asked. He kept her divinity a secret and she didn't have the wherewithal to do more than assist Zaichaer with humanitarian aid and its leader with an open mind and a willing ear.

His mouth relaxed from its tension, and he nodded.

"I will bear your message to Her," he said solemnly. To Unity.

But first, he persuaded Stadelmayer to ferry Gruntraum whither he would go, and only then did they seek the capital. Kaus spent the remainder of his trip quietly on his best behavior, standing at the prow, keeping his magic and his self to himself. The airmen had supported him, and he had no wish to make them more uncomfortable.

Did I do well, Stormlord? he asked, but Mythori was dead.

But then who had come to him in his dreams and set his feet upon this path?

Points:
Kala: 30
Stefan: 15

Injuries/Ailments: None

Loot:
- 1 questionable child
-1 Hollow Dragon
+ 1 dream quest accomplished
+ 1 trade agreement between the government of Zaichaer and Starfall

Notes: Thank you for helping me tie off this loose plot end. I hope the ones it opened are fun for you later!

Mod XP: Rune: 26