Vargas turned, eyeing both corrupted trees sardonically. "Pegasus it is," he stated flatly, dry amusement in his tone. Then he looked back to the pair before him.

"Oliver, is it? I will not force the Sentinel to visit you, but I will ask him to do so. If you are hoping to build a relationship with him, I warn you now: the one who last held that stone is gone. The body is echoed in a new form, but when a creature dies, it is dead; he does not bear the hound's memories or feelings. Do you understand?" he asked, looking to the bird-dog. "This is not said in cruelty; rather, I want to be clear--I do not want you to think you are getting, in reward, something that you won't find!" Too, he didn't particularly want Sentinel distracted, forming relationships and strong priorities outside the Forge, really--but somehow, he doubted that (in this case) it was much of a concern. Whatever the bird-dog wanted from the Sentinel, it would likely be disappointed.

To Diot, he nodded. "Take your time! You could request the stone of one of our ancient dead, for you to return to life--as a servant, as a guard--or... anything else you can think of." He left that at--well, that--and moved on.

"Chaos-Two, take them into Pegasus, and look over prospective areas. As I've mentioned, we'll need somewhere with drainage; somewhere defensible, somewhere with light and water. And it needs to be a large plot. Were you to find a plateau shielded by trees it would be best but that is unlikely. Lastly, it must be by the tunnel entrance--not the other side of Pegasus. I had asked you, I think, to look at possibilities; take these two there, now, and let them choose together. In fact, I will come with you--lead on, and when a spot has been chosen, they can begin at their leisure."

He considered, briefly.

"You may come and go from Draco as you please, both of you. I will need a large farm built relatively quickly--I will allow you to select the plants, but they should be enough to feed five or six Valkhounds--ahh, creatures--who eat only plants. I would think vegetables, fruits; Creator knows Pegasus has enough in the way of grasses already. The details, however, I leave to both of you--Chaos-Two will not be overseering the planting, and so you will need to come to me with questions, should you have them. I will try to find someone to guard your work as soon as possible," he added--perhaps he could select someone after the meeting he had planned.

"Valkhound," began Master Vargas--lurching into a stride and speaking like a Chaos naturalist narrating a scene--"is a term for the Creator's soldiers formed in this nest. We are his hounds; his fiends, his beasts, and so that is our name. Others, outside this nest, look upon that name in fear," he added. "I clarified to 'creatures' because I knew you might not know the term! -But we will not harm you; you will be our allies, so the name need not worry you."

He suppressed an urge to glance at Oliver. He wasn't sure if he could trust that one; his words, in regards to Oliver, could legitimately be called a lie. He hadn't volunteered the dog-bird's father for the Trial--the hound had gone in himself. But he had still died. Been "harmed" until nothing was left but near-lifeless stone. If the bird-dog called him out on that, he'd have had a long and awkward explanation ahead of him as to what 'you' meant, and the difference between kidnapping (as Hag-rteho had done) and facing a Trial willingly.

Past this, however, he did not speak; he set an unhurried pace, interested to see the places that Chaos-Two would suggest.