(Additional Aedaun)
Night had cloaked the land of light for about an hour before Raemos packed up his campsite and crept out into it, cloaking himself with his magic to hide himself from predatory eyes. Serenia was the land of light, but it had its own nocturnal dangers, just as Soldul did, and tonight Raemos intended to join them.
He returned to the beach where he had lost the dragon, and stalked along it. His sister's friend's property was nearby, he knew, and he only had to move a ways up the beach. If his assumption was right, the Aedaun would be there...
As would its nestlings.
Why, after all, would it not chase him? Why would it take meat back to its nest? The mighty dragon had young to feed – that was the only explanation Raemos could think of. They had to be dealt with. They had to be slain, so that the area could be inhabitable by Orderites again, who could use the place for recreation, relaxation, and pleasure. It was his duty to make it so.
He came upon what remained of the property. It was not large, but it was a sad sight to see – it's roof and rooms had been smashed to create a nest for the dragon – he could see its pale shape glittering in the moonlight. Shapes - of course, there were two parents guarding the nest.
Raemos crept closer. He could smell the scent of carrion and meat, raw smells that lay heavy on his nose, and he could see the remains of what had to have been dinner for the dragon – some of them magescian. He shuddered.
Killing an animal along with its young was cruel, he knew, and Aedauns were blessed with Seren's light, but they were vicious creatures. Fewer Aedaun dragons meant less danger on the road, and less danger – most of all – here, at this lake of healing. This was a place for Orderites to feel safe and to heal. Though it had not helped his mother, it would help others. He had to make it safe for them.
He readied his sword and wand and crept to the very edge of the nest, careful not to let his magic escape a zone around him and alert the beast. He could see it clearly now – the Aedaun dragons, curled protectively around their young nestlings – barely out of the egg, it seemed, by their proportions and by the shimmering pieces of shell next to them. They were tiny compared to their parents, tiny and innocent, but they would grow up to be terrible monsters of the light.
Raemos gripped his sword tightly, and cast his spells. First, a spell of holding, to keep the dragons where they were, even if they awoke. Then a spell of constriction, to bind them and begin to choke them.
The dragons awoke, struggling against him, the little ones trying to keen, but unable to get the air to do so, the adults trying to dispel his magic with their own.
He focused on the adults first, sending magic into its open, gasping mouth to still its heart and snuff out its light. It fought him, but he sliced into it with his sword, ending its life. He did the same to its mate, dispatching it with ease - upsetting ease for such a beautiful and monstrous beast, but such was the way of strategy - he had snuck up, and struck when they were vulnerable. He was well trained, they were beasts... they had failed to spot him, and so they stood only a sliver of a chance, one which they failed.
Mechanically chopping away, Raemos sword made short work of its small offspring, and soon the dragons were no more than piles of ash and orbs. He took the orbs of the adults, but placed the tiny orbs of the hatchlings in the water – they were too young to have deserved their fate, and so their souls should not be used as currency. Hopefully, the water would take the energy in those orbs and put it to good use before freeing them into Seren's care. At least, he hoped so.
Orb in hand and job completed, he started back towards the port town to report to his sister's friend... she would need a carpenter, but at least her lakeside home was safe for inhabiting. For now.
