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Post by Venus on Jun 6, 2009 14:05:52 GMT -5
The chamber was large. Vaulted. Expansive. There was no other way to describe it, that bubble of normality in a place where all larger life ought to be dead - lying in the soil and melting into the circle again, feeding the small to feed the larger and the largest. Unfortunately, magic defies the forces of nature. Instead of becoming food for the latest generation of earthworms, Tiamat was very much alive.
The dragoness was seated comfortably in the sphere of light cast by one of the flame spells burning merrily in the ceiling, talons gleaming as she unrolled a musty scroll inscribed with the old speech. Some of the characters shifted uncomfortably on the page - too long sitting in the safety of the shadows. She felt the spell squirm and quieted it with a hum, mane rustling and jangling with the movement of her aura.
At the entrance to the main chamber, Aisling peered from the tunnel at the poised form of her mentor. The sun was up outside; she longed to go on the hunt for breakfast, but whether Tiamat would want food or not was another matter entirely.
Work is more important, after all. If she's making a spell, she won't want to be disturbed... urgh. I'm starving!
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Post by Fury on Jun 6, 2009 14:13:26 GMT -5
Aleiko shot Aisling a sympathetic glance as he uncoiled himself from beside a pile of scrolls. The young Eastern dragon had long since been wishing to eat. His stomach had been pining for at least a small bird for hours. Still, getting up every day at sunrise had not tempered his appetite and he had to do his best to keep from sighing. Best not disturb Tia. Seems to be the logic we're both running off of at the moment. he thought to himself. A breeze blew throughout the cave from its entrance and nearly upset the pile which he quickly wrapped his tail around to keep steady. Still it did manage to push a strand or two of his thick red mane into his face which he looked up at with a sort of pleading glance as if he could get it to move just by asking it to. Deciding there was no other way he promptly blew it with a puff of smoke. Unfortunately it didn't obey and re-fell back into its previous place in front of his line of vision.
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Post by Venus on Jun 6, 2009 14:18:08 GMT -5
(Just a heads up - didn't describe it too well in the board-thing, but Tia's Earth is a long series of underground chambers and passageways. Thought I'd let you know, as it'll probably be helpful. xD)
Aisling chuckled, darting into the small antechamber and carefully untangling Alieko's mane from his face.
"I think someone needs a haircut!" Her teasing was playful as she scooped a few of the runaway scrolls into her arms. "Where are we putting these? You know what happens when everything gets disorganised; like that time when I wanted to a wind spell and ended up with lightening instead? Tiamat's fur didn't grow back for weeks!"
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Post by Fury on Jun 6, 2009 14:28:43 GMT -5
Aleiko nodded his thanks for the help with his hair then burst out into laughter. How could he ever forget that particular event? Poor Tiamat's mane had been a mess for ages afterward. "I think," he began, "that they should go with the historical documentations. These are really all just archaic language references... minus two which are spells. Unfortunately thanks to that stray breeze I can't figure out which two now! Mind giving me a hand trying to figure it out?"
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Post by Venus on Jun 6, 2009 14:31:24 GMT -5
Aisling nodded easily, joining his laughter with a wry chuckle as she started sifting through the scrolls. "And she couldn't even use a spell to put it back to normal because it would've taken longer to write the spell than it would for the fur to grow back! That was- ouch!"
She pulled a talon away, the ivory smoking gently. She blew on it, throwing the scroll she'd been handling a sharp glare.
"I'm guessing that was one of the spells. How rude. Just because I'm not Tiamat!"
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Post by Fury on Jun 6, 2009 14:33:33 GMT -5
He winced and grabbed her wrist, looking down at it. "Not too bad this time. At least you didn't pick up a whole fistfull of them. It could have been worse." He let her go and turned back to the rest of the scrolls. "Well now we've found one. Time to find the second. I guess if one of us says 'ouch' again we got it."
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Post by Venus on Jun 6, 2009 14:41:59 GMT -5
Aisling snorted, piling up the language scrolls and stowing them on the meticulously carved shelf with their archaic compatriots.
"Got that right. But I suppose the security spells are there for a reason, otherwise anyone could come and steal them. And that wouldn't be good."
She picked up another scroll, examining the seal signature when there was no immediate pain. Language. Again. A new pile was started, growing as scroll after scroll was revealed to be 'safe'.
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Post by Fury on Jun 6, 2009 14:46:27 GMT -5
Suddenly he let out a yelp which echoed loudly through all of the chambers until it faded out of existence. "Well it seems I found it!" he replied, looking at the scroll he'd just dropped on the stone floor. Aleiko wondered if he should pick it up or not. He glanced back at Tiamat to make sure his yell hadn't disturbed her. "...Should we just get Tia to handle it so we don't end up getting hit with the darn seal's defense again?"
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Post by Venus on Jun 6, 2009 14:51:37 GMT -5
Aisling returned his earlier favour, grabbing his hand and searching for any burns or scorch-marks. Satisfied that Aleiko was suffering from no life-threatening damage, she cautiously poked the deceptively innocent scroll with her tail tip. It sparked, and she withdrew it hastily.
"Having trouble, you two?"
The voice behind them was warm and comfortable, the embrace of a soft blanket after a long day. And it was also highly amused. Tiamat leaned against the solid stone supporting the entrance to the antechamber, smiling. The items collected in her mane jangled as she padded easily to her apprentices, tail plume fluttering in the still air.
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Post by Fury on Jun 6, 2009 14:55:25 GMT -5
Aleiko sighed a sigh of relief. This meant they wouldn't have to spend the next several hours sitting here trying to pick up the treacherous piece of paper. "Admittedly a little," he said blushing a light silver which stood out brightly against his brown scales. "Mind giving us a hand please?" In turn he picked up some more of the remaining few language scrolls. Having a long body could help every once in a while it seemed as he not only picked them up in his talon but also by coiling his tail around one or two.
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Post by Venus on Jun 6, 2009 15:05:18 GMT -5
Aisling greeted their mentor with a grateful smile and took a step back from the spell scroll.
"We were having a bit of trouble, yeah. Those security spells burn. Oh - need some help with those language scrolls, Aleiko?"
Tiamat chuckled, picking up the scroll from the cavern floor; it lay silent and tranquil in her grasp, no sign of the painful bite it gave the two apprentices. "I really should calibrate these to recognise your auras so they stop burning you. I've done most of the important ones, but the obscure ones like these..." She unfurled it, studying the contents with a quick eye. "Well, I don't think we've quite got along to a spell which grows the correct plants for forest brew yet, have we? It's been a while since I've seen this one!"
The dragoness allowed the paper to curl shut, reapplying the security spell with the tap of a talon - this time, with allowances for her two unlucky apprentices.
"I'm sorry we haven't had any food yet Aleiko, Aisling." She smiled, sheepish, and rubbed the back of her neck ruefully. "I got caught up in some news. But we can go now, if you want?"
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Post by Fury on Jun 6, 2009 15:08:38 GMT -5
Absolutely grateful to hear that, Alieko nodded. "Sounds good to me!" he agreed. He placed the scrolls in his grip carefully back in their proper place and then stretched out a little. He smiled at Aisling to thank her for her help then looked to the direction of the exit. Soon enough! he snapped mentally at his stomach shortly after it decided to growl.
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Post by Venus on Jun 6, 2009 15:15:22 GMT -5
Aisling settled her own set of scrolls before turning back to her friend and mentor, eyes sparkling with excitement at the thought of a hunt, however small.
"Same here! Let's go!"
Tiamat's indulgent smile returned, and she led the way from the small antechamber and into the main passage, along the sloping surface. The lighting spells activated as they walked, flaring into life from the ceiling and casting the earthen passage into flickering firelight.
Aisling was still smiling broadly. ~Food!~
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Post by Fury on Jun 6, 2009 15:34:11 GMT -5
Though he was happy about the prospect of food, Alieko didn't share her enthusiasm with hunting. True he was good at flying after birds and could easily keep up with their flight patterns he wasn't quite the best at hunting anything much larger. The best he could manage was maybe a hare or two.
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Post by Venus on Jun 6, 2009 15:38:13 GMT -5
Tiamat emerged from the Earth, eyeing the small hanging lantern as it lit with magic. She used one claw to scrape away accumulated dust. Trees fanned outwards as the Morganwood unfurled before them. The scent of pine was both crisp and refreshing, the afternoon air cool and still.
Aisling nodded, green eyes shifting to the sky and ebony horns catching the light in their ram-like curls. "Feel like some birds, Aleiko?"
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