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Laesara and Aestival go out on a hunt. Maybe they come back with something


Peisio dragon x 4 luck 25 level 35 (21-100)

Luck = 32

Chances: 21-100

3 wins, 1 loss

Loot:
122.5 exp
Peisio Orb x 3
LUK x 2
LUK exp x 1

((One more dragon))

The Orakoir watched his mistress eagerly. “Aestival,” she said, glancing at him as she stretched her arms and sides, “We are hunting Peisio dragons today.” Yes - the Aedaun knew – They would be hunting dragons, just him and his bonded, the way it should be. He stretched as well, languidly and viciously, his dark hide shining dully in the sunlight. “We've trained for this, of course.” she continued, stretching her arms and legs.” Aestival admired her with hungry green eyes. His bonded was beautiful, like sunlight and fire captured into a person. Her wings were like a clouded dawn, her eyes like the clearest sky, her skin and hair like the sun itself. He sighed, rumbling with pleasure at her company. Normally, he was not the only one with such thoughts or comparisons. He saw how the other male looking at her, the one with the damaged leg. He heard the sighs. He saw the longing in his eyes. He didn't like it. A growl freed itself from his throat at the thought – he really did not like that male. But that male wasn't here, so things were...

Right.

As they should be.

“Aestival, I know you are excited for the hunt.” she said, having caught the growl. He flinched, meekly – he hadn't been intending to let that sound out. “But you must remember: enthusiasm can kill you.” Her hand touched his head lightly and Aestival purred at it's soft warmth. He loved her, his bonded. Her touch was the most wonderful ecstasy to him, her voice was the sweetest ambrosia. He loved her, very literally with all of his being. That he had to share her with others was an eternal frustration, but now... now it was just him and her, her and him, as it always was and always should be. “Please. Do be careful.” she said softly, “I don't wish to lose you to a mistake...”

He nuzzled into her touch. “You won't.” he reassured her, “I will not make a mistake.” He had, after all, had a good teacher.

~~~

I can't help but worry... Laesara thought, looking down at her bonded as he followed her through the riparian trail, that he isn't ready yet. He was but an Orakoir, not even a year old. Khehora matured quickly... but even then, she knew, even at his full size, he would not be at full power. She had taken it for herself when he had left the egg, a mad pursuit of power and companionship that she did not regret. But that left him in a precarious position. And, though he grew stronger every day, he was still young, and Magesc was dangerous, especially for the young and foolish. A warning I, too, should heed. she thought, turning her thoughts back to their surroundings. Yes - She had to be wary. She had killed many dragons, but that was no reason to think that the ones she tracked through these leafy marshlands would not surprise her.

She paced on ahead and then paused, waiting. She looked behind her to see Aestival sniffing at a stone, intent on whatever story it hid from view. “Aestival. Come.” He looked at her, pleadingly. This was not his first adventure into the wilds – how could it be with me as his bonded? Laesara thought sardonially – but it was a new place, and it was the first where they had no backup. He was getting carried away with its newness, forgivable – as if I have any choice but to forgive my bonded – by sheer virtue of his youth. Aestival had only grown in energy, seemingly tireless, and it was especially apparent in the sunlight. Come nightfall, his energy toned down to more manageable levels, but even then the Orakoir was still a handful. Several handfuls. She had once been able to fit Aestival's warm, scaled body into her lap. He had allowed himself to be placed there, for easy stroking and adoration. Now, she was lucky if she could share a chair with him, or even a bed... And he would become bigger still.

He looked at her for a long moment. “I know.” he said, finally, regretfully, “Distractions.”

“Did it at least smell of dragon?” she asked him, crossing her arms in patient amusement, masked with annoyance.

“No.” he said sheepishly, “Um. It was interesting.”

Laesara turned back to her tracking as he caught up to her. “Interesting how?”

“Merely... um... interesting.”

She sighed inwardly. I look forward to knowing his thoughts. she idly commented to herself, I dislike this vagueness. However, she knew she would have to learn to deal with it. Not only was he khehora, potentially possessed of senses far beyond her ken, but he was a bonded. Bonded were notoriously not as intelligent as their feral kin. I stole it from him. she thought. It was a factual thought, not one of guilt. That was simply how the bond worked...

'Sorry to interrupt yer philosophizing, girly'

Laesara smiled at her weapons voice, moving her hand to its bone edge. Jiae, she knew, was never sorry.

'But ye should probably take a look at those right enormous claw marks down that tree over there.'

Laesara squinted into the forest, frowning. There, sure enough, were a set of massive clawmarks, scoring the trunk of the tree. She touched them; resin still flowed and clotted in the scratches, dripping like tacky blood. Freshly done.

'I'm thinking they're near, and that this be a den. What do you think, girly?'

Much the same. thought Laesara, gesturing to Aestival to be wary as she gripped Jiae tightly, Much the same.

~~~

It was indeed a nest of Peisio dragons – two big ones and two smaller, more juvenile ones guarding a clutch of shimmering, mottled blue eggs. Shallow water burbled around the nest, unnaturally clear as it washed through the plant matter that comforted the eggs, before it returned to it's original stream. One Peisio rested nearby, watching as the other tended the washing water, using it's magic to redirect the stream's flow through the nest.

Laesara watched them from the shadows, her eyes darting between them, compiling a plan. Aestival watched her in turn, salivating, wondering why it was taking so long. He wanted to attack. He wanted to charge in, blazing with light, and fight for glory and gore.

Why didn't she do that? Why weren't they attacking already? He opened his sharp-toothed mouth to ask the question, fed up now from waiting, when she half-rose from her crouch. He stilled his voice in hopeful anticipation, and his patience (such as it was) was rewarded as she threw her weapon and initiated the fight.

It arced, dripping with light magic, around the dragons before slamming into one of them with the loud blunt sound of impact -

“Now!” she shouted, and Aestival needed no further prompting; As one of the dragons reeled from the impact, shrieking in rage; as the boomerang returned to Laesara's hand, Aestival exploded from the leaves, braying like the great beast he would be. His claws and teeth sank into the nearest dragon, his tackle bringing them both, writhing, to the ground.

Light flashed above them as Laesara threw her weapon again, and, beneath the howls of the dragons and his own bellows, he heard the sharp sound of metal – Laesara's sword, unsheathing, and the dying scream of, possibly, one of the small dragons... But that was the last thing of her that Aestival paid attention to. The dragon he attacked consumed his full attention.

He clawed ferociously at the dragon, dying the water red beneath him even as it rose to the dragon's magic. Slimy strands of magicked water coiled around Aestival, but he ignored them as he rent into the dragon's flesh, roaring – yes! This was what he lived for, this was his purpose! He was a beast, a weapon for his mistress to loose like a ballista bolt upon her foes. The dragon struggled, snapping at him, it's fangs sinking into his flesh, but Aestival didn't care – sun shone upon him, and he felt his strength surge like the burgeoning of day. He reared, flaring his wings, and then came down on the dragon with all his might with a resounding crunch, victorious.

~~~

Laesara dueled the other dragon, trying to ignore the gleeful violence that skittered over her bond like red lightning. Which bond, it was hard to say – was it her bonded, her weapon, or something inside her that howled for violence? Or all three? Nevertheless, she had to ignore it. She had to control it.

She focused on the dragon, on its movements, on the movements of her boomerang as she flung and guided it through the air on its tether of magic. Her fight was a dance of wind and steel and bone and water, intricate and intellectual, full of brutal blows and heart-stuttering dodges. When she had an opening, she darted in with her blade. When she didn't, she struck with her boomerang, indenting flesh and crushing bone. The dragon slashed at her with its claws and reached for her with its magic. It tried to heal, too, but she did not give it the chance to do more than cover surface wounds.

As it's mate screamed and, with a loud, painful crunch, was stilled, Laesara took her oppurtunity to sheathe her blade with light magic and plunge it deep within the dragon's chest. She left it there as it howled in pain, bringing her boomerang arcing down onto its head and using it as a focus, sending magic, furious and blazing, into it's skull.

It fell with a quiet moan, twitching before lying still in the ruins of its nest. Laesara watched it as it disintegrated, slumping in relief as the fight, finally, was done. Aestival trotted over to her, expectantly. His dark hide was splashed with red.

Gods she thought, a little giddily, he is covered in blood. shall need to clean him... the thought – that she would clean him, somehow, in the river they had sullied with dragons blood – nearly made her laugh. She could not laugh. The laugh that grows inside me she thought, swallowing a swig of water from her canteen to surpress it, is not a sane laugh.

“What now, mistress?” rumbled Aestival. Laesara picked up the dragon orbs and put them away.

“A wash, I think. Upstream.” Away from the battle and blood.

Aestival rumbled – he liked that idea.

~~~~~

The juvenile dragon watched them from it's hiding spot, it's blue eyes sparkling vengefully. This was far from over for it, and one day, it would show these lesser beasts true blood and glory, and true victory. But now, it had other concerns, like survival. It needed to grow up and gain in power, but that was fine – its vengeance was best served cold, and it would need to have a plan when it was time...