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Introduction: Vermouth
Jun. 30th, 2016 06:12 pmThey noticed the roc almost immediately. It would have been difficult not to. The creature’s size was not the cause—after its arrival it hardly left its nest—but rather its regular piercing screams, which had everyone in the canyon constantly on edge by the end of the first day.
“Can’t we get rid of it?” Fang said, pacing in the hallway.
“I could cite it for noise pollution if you like,” Eureka said.
The guards were not notably more helpful, much to Fang’s frustration. Darnell’s explanation was that the thing was “flipping enormous” and therefore posed a threat to even all three ‘Claws working together, and Fang was forced to concede this point. The only dragons close enough in size to even consider trying to scare it off were the Imperials, none of whom was especially inclined to do so either.
“I have all this filing…”
“I am in the middle of crafting a masterpiece.”
“Are you joking?”
Which meant enduring the constant noise until the roc decided to nest somewhere else, and no one had any idea how long that might be. After three days of screeching, a meeting was called.
“I did some reading on the subject,” said Anodyne, “and it may be trying to attract a mate. You know, it’s claimed a territory, and now it’s advertising that territory to other rocs. If it sufficiently impresses another—”
“There are going to be more of them?”
“Very likely! The screaming will stop once a mate is attracted, of course, but at some point they’re probably going to try eating us.” Anodyne looked down at her claws, as if this were her fault somehow.
“Did you find anything about strategies for fighting them?” Caldwell said.
“’Run away’ seems to be the main suggestion.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Hendricks said, and was ignored.
“Maybe if we brought in the twins…”
“Yes, that couldn’t possibly go wrong. Besides, they don’t even do magic. Do you want an entire harpy flock descending on us when they get eaten?”
“We don’t actually know—”
“Do you really want to find out?”
The debate continued for some time, and was only interrupted when the curtain over the doorway was flung aside with great force, revealing Asch, though considering how soot-smeared her goggles were everyone at first thought she’d come in by accident.
“Eh, sorry to interrupt.” She didn’t sound especially sorry. “There’s a Skydancer down in the smithy who says he wants to speak to someone in charge.”
“We’re having a meeting,” said Vinegar.
“He’s in my way and he won’t leave.”
Vinegar’s fins twitched as if she were restraining something rude, but she jumped down from the table and followed Asch back down to the smithy. The Skydancer was sprawled out across the floor, but he leapt to his feet as soon as they came in.
“Good afternoon,” he said. “I hear you have a roc problem.”
“I imagine everyone along the canyon has heard it by now,” Vinegar said. “Do you have a method for getting rid of it. No offense, but you don’t look particularly threatening.”
The Skydancer shifted slightly, as if trying to emphasize his height. “It doesn’t matter. I have experience in this area, although I’ve never seen a roc in person. But I assure you I can handle it, if you can find someone to take me to where it’s nesting.”
Vinegar looked at him. She was not, as a rule, in favor of sending anyone off to their death; but he wasn’t part of her clan, and the roc did pose a threat, and one must have one’s priorities in order. At the very least he might annoy the beast enough to convince it to leave before he was chomped out of the sky.
“All right,” she said. “What’s your name, so we can notify your family if you don’t come back.”
“Vermouth,” he said. “But I wouldn’t worry about that.”
( Read more... )
“Can’t we get rid of it?” Fang said, pacing in the hallway.
“I could cite it for noise pollution if you like,” Eureka said.
The guards were not notably more helpful, much to Fang’s frustration. Darnell’s explanation was that the thing was “flipping enormous” and therefore posed a threat to even all three ‘Claws working together, and Fang was forced to concede this point. The only dragons close enough in size to even consider trying to scare it off were the Imperials, none of whom was especially inclined to do so either.
“I have all this filing…”
“I am in the middle of crafting a masterpiece.”
“Are you joking?”
Which meant enduring the constant noise until the roc decided to nest somewhere else, and no one had any idea how long that might be. After three days of screeching, a meeting was called.
“I did some reading on the subject,” said Anodyne, “and it may be trying to attract a mate. You know, it’s claimed a territory, and now it’s advertising that territory to other rocs. If it sufficiently impresses another—”
“There are going to be more of them?”
“Very likely! The screaming will stop once a mate is attracted, of course, but at some point they’re probably going to try eating us.” Anodyne looked down at her claws, as if this were her fault somehow.
“Did you find anything about strategies for fighting them?” Caldwell said.
“’Run away’ seems to be the main suggestion.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Hendricks said, and was ignored.
“Maybe if we brought in the twins…”
“Yes, that couldn’t possibly go wrong. Besides, they don’t even do magic. Do you want an entire harpy flock descending on us when they get eaten?”
“We don’t actually know—”
“Do you really want to find out?”
The debate continued for some time, and was only interrupted when the curtain over the doorway was flung aside with great force, revealing Asch, though considering how soot-smeared her goggles were everyone at first thought she’d come in by accident.
“Eh, sorry to interrupt.” She didn’t sound especially sorry. “There’s a Skydancer down in the smithy who says he wants to speak to someone in charge.”
“We’re having a meeting,” said Vinegar.
“He’s in my way and he won’t leave.”
Vinegar’s fins twitched as if she were restraining something rude, but she jumped down from the table and followed Asch back down to the smithy. The Skydancer was sprawled out across the floor, but he leapt to his feet as soon as they came in.
“Good afternoon,” he said. “I hear you have a roc problem.”
“I imagine everyone along the canyon has heard it by now,” Vinegar said. “Do you have a method for getting rid of it. No offense, but you don’t look particularly threatening.”
The Skydancer shifted slightly, as if trying to emphasize his height. “It doesn’t matter. I have experience in this area, although I’ve never seen a roc in person. But I assure you I can handle it, if you can find someone to take me to where it’s nesting.”
Vinegar looked at him. She was not, as a rule, in favor of sending anyone off to their death; but he wasn’t part of her clan, and the roc did pose a threat, and one must have one’s priorities in order. At the very least he might annoy the beast enough to convince it to leave before he was chomped out of the sky.
“All right,” she said. “What’s your name, so we can notify your family if you don’t come back.”
“Vermouth,” he said. “But I wouldn’t worry about that.”
( Read more... )
