Visiting his sister meant, sometimes, taking care of her problems for free. Of course, it wasn't so much HER problem as her friend's problem: they had a property by one of the great lakes of Serenia, and it was there that Vona was to have stayed, and where she had invited her brother to stay with them.
The problem was, between the Mara and the bandits that now called that forested area home, the balance of power had shifted and dragons, grown fat off of the travellers and bold from their own successes against the stone people, had decided to take back their land.
And a very big one had decided to call this person's property its home.
Of course, they had another property, but after a night of hearing them complain about not being able to go to their lake home and swim in the clear water there, Raemos – as a Guardian and a guest – felt obligated to offer his assistance. Vona had, of course, been somewhere between wary and delighted, but she'd relented and made sure he was well provisioned.
It should have been less than a day to reach the lakeside cottage, but Raemos knew better than to trave by the official roads. Serenite and Guardian though he may be, he was certain that none would welcome an Oblivionite in their lands despite his beliefs, and he did not want to impose on their sensibilities.
So, it took a little longer, through game trails and over ancient bridges, but he soon neared the shores of the lake – the wild ones, long a part of the forest. He knew he was headed in the right direction – his map told him so – but he truly knew it when a dragon came out of the brush in front of him.
It was enormous and beautiful, practically gleaming with the magic it had been born with – the magic of the goddess of light herself.
An Aedaun... he thought reverently. Dangerous and cruel though the dragons may be, they were a piece of Seren's power on this world, and he had a deep respect for them and for their magic. Still, they were dangerous – he drew his sword and wand and readied himself for battle as the dragon noticed him and roared.
He dodged blasts of its magic, dancing among the trees, and threw a few of his own in return as he tried to lure it into the deeper woods, where its size would not be an advantage and it would have to fight him on the ground.
Except, it didn't seem to want to follow. Though he taunted it, it refused to chase him, and finally, after waiting at a small swamp for its approach, Raemos returned to the beach, only to find it had left. Warily, he tracked it, to a bloodstained place that was empty of the carcasses it had dripped from.
“Hmmm.” thought Raemos, “Very interesting.”
He had an idea, now, for how to deal with the dragon, but for now he set up camp – it would be best, after all, to go after the dragon when it was night, and its magic waned...
(536/300)
