ORIGIN

Dragon bellowed laughter.

"Magicka doesn't always obey," he surmised. "Tell your Seven, too, if your king is interested in these truths." Envy hadn't seemed, the rather observant alligator had noticed, as interested in the secrets as Pride had been. But perhaps the story could be spread to more Gembound, nonetheless.

"If that's everything, I will take the horse off your hands! I will need to show him the offering pile, among other places, and introduce him to those that I can."

The alligator turned, hauling himself with that one damaged leg out through the false tree, his body seeming to vanish through its hollow trunk and out the other side.

"...No, it doesn't," Pride agreed through half-gritted teeth. The tree finally faded, revealing Dragon waiting outside it.

"I will pass his story on. If you need us--if either of you need aid--I will be in Orion, or in Eridanus. The Seven intend to be protectors of the caves, henceforth, so if you are attacked, try and send word and I will do my best to at least personally assist you. Though my magic seems to hate this place," he added irritably, glancing around through the mists.

"Khloros, if you ever wish to return and speak with us, I am certain that Mercurius will welcome you. Meanwhile--Dragon, thank you for hearing me out--for hearing both of us out, in fact--and I wish you survival and knowledge indeed."

Trying to ignore the failed spells of before, Pride swept his antlered head into another bow. He felt foolish, what with his backfiring magic, the laughter of the alligator, and his mud-slicked legs. But there was little that could be done about any of that, and so he pushed it all indifferently aside as best he possibly could, and turned then to leave.

Khloros turned to look after Pride, for a moment.

"Thank you," he said simply, and then--"and please pass on a final thank you and farewell to Mercurius, and to Ayr as well. They have been very kind."

He looked back to Dragon, then, pacing slowly after him, picking his way through the thick muck. Every hoofbeat squelched, a little--not as much as Pride's, it seemed, but still enough to make walking not so much a "stride" as "floundering."

He'd have to find out more about Aquarian, about this offering pile, and about all the rest of it.

Khloros was wondering just how to tackle all of this. How did one "keep their head down," staying out of all attention, while simultaneously spreading the word of what they had seen, and done..? Dragon's idea of spreading it for him would work well enough--but how long would it be before Astraea caught wind of it, and began asking questions? How long would it be before he discovered where the tales had come from, and came to Cetus to finish the job?

It wasn't that Khloros was afraid of the stag--he wasn't. Not like that. But the white, gentle-faced being had asked him to perform a task. He did not know if she was Life, or perhaps if she'd been Death itself, his rider all along, welcoming him into the afterlife only to send him back to finish his work. Perhaps it was that; but he could not risk simply being killed again before his work was done.

He'd have to consider how best to handle it before he made a move.

The alligator grunted at Pride's words.

"You are welcome! And I thank you for bringing us knowledge, and your warning." Though I think the cat is just a fool, was the part he left unsaid.

Still, he had no patience for fools. IF she'd done all that deliberately, but not maliciously, she'd have to be taught the error of her ways. It wasn't as ominous as it perhaps might sound; Dragon wasn't one for inflicting violence on others, though he did relish violence for its own sake, in the form of fire, and combat. But a stern talking-to, at the very least, might be in order.

For now, however, he had Khloros to attend to. He'd give him a tour, of course--and then consider how best to handle this, himself. Should he gather the Children, and share this new knowledge with them all--or keep Khloros from them, for now, and protect them from this potentially-dangerous secret? ...No, he'd have to share it with them--it's what they were about, after all--but he'd have to think on how best to do it.

These thoughts turning in his mind, the alligator made his way deeper into the swamp, the squish of the horse's hooves in muck behind him assuring him that Khloros wasn't far behind.