Ignite (Antonio & Ludwig)

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Drops of light began to kindle upon the arcane land, sun ready to awake the planet and all that dwelled in it. It was a gorgeous morning thus far, even if it was still in its infancy stages. The sky fusing with silver, purple and gold hues to create a beautiful dawn. Droplets of due resting themselves upon untamed vegetation as the birds began their songs to alert other lifeforms of the new day....

....Much to the dismay of some avians, life had long been stirring as legs trekked through the untamed Earth, pants drenching with water, grass sticking to them as well. Oh well, Feliks would have to deal with that at a later time. For right now he was on a quest that he was hoping wouldn't fail. He heard rumors about a monster that lived in isolation at a local cave. True, the blonde had heard tales about beasts that dwelled far from human civilization. Plenty. Congeniality he heard stories of a dragon that resided not too far from where he was located. A large thing supposedly with wings wider than a waterfall and a breath warmer than flames from hell, or so he heard. In order to keep his hide safe from a reptilian breakfast, he decided to trek to the dragon's sanctuary by foot, not like it really concerned him to begin with--it wasn't like the rules of danger or mortality effected him on a wide scale. 

Within time, Feliks soon found himself at the mouth of the creature's cave. Childlike wonder filled his optics as stared at the entrance with awe and glee. This was it. He sucked in a huge breath and began his way inside. "It's not like I have anything to loose any....and besides who else could say they saw a dragon up front and close and lived?" He smirked at the thought. He would of course. He was the phoenix after all. With little concern over the impending danger, he began his adventure within the cavern, praying that those stories were all accurate.

[Ludwig Beilschmidt]

The slow, soft glow of fire glistened off of green scales as the dragon prodded a few things in his hoard with hi snout—mostly to keep it in its proper piles and organized rather than spilling out all over the cave. Carefully, he picked out a few trinkets and brought them over to the fire to try and melt them together. Why was he doing this? Mostly because a dragon had no need of crowns and bracelets, but also if he could melt the metal into larger chunks, it would be increasingly more difficult for anyone to pick up. Additionally, the globs of gold wouldn’t look as appealing at first what with the lumpy texture and discoloration, so that would also deter anyone that wasn’t looking for more shiny trinkets that would be a quick and easy grab. Ha....no... Geragon fully intended to create a few blobs or blocks that couldn’t be carted out without the help of a team of men or some oxen.

Regardless, after depositing the gold, the beast returned to lay down next to the cave’s other occupant (who he was surprised hadn’t run away or tired to. Perhaps he was to afraid to try?). “Once zhe sun has risen, I’ll bring you a deer.” He shifted toward the Spanaird’s warm form, cutting an eye to him expectantly. “It’s as much as I can do at zhe moment.” He thought it a fair trade at least. Some food and perhaps something to use the skin and bone of in return for Antonio staying in the cave during the colder nights seemed like a fair trade-off …so long as the smaller creature didn’t turn on the gargantuan lizard. Regardless, having his own personal Halfling heater was rather enjoyable and he couldn’t say that the other annoyed him as badly as normal humans down in the village. He was at the very least tolerable..

Laying his head down and peering towards the entrance of his cave, Geragon sighed heavily. He would know it was fully daylight when the shadow where pushed back, but for now, the twist and turns of the black masses reigned supreme over the slivers of sunlight that had begun to peek in….and anything that had dared sneak into his abode was still lucky enough to be cloaked by the darkness and had gone undetected… for now.

[Antonio Fernandez Carriedo]

Antonio had watched the formidable creature melt some of its trinkets with fascination and respect. It was no secret that dragons would go to great lengths to protect their gold from thievery, but for one to go as far as melting its treasures and clumping them together... well, the elemental halfling had never seen the like. He wondered, in that moment, if being shiny and theft-proof were the only qualities that mattered to a dragon when it came to treasure, and if shape was thus unimportant.

Rather than voicing his curiosity on the matter though, he'd contented himself to simply watching and heating. He knew from experience that dragons tended to be drawn to warmth (with the exclusion of frost dragons of course), so when Geragon seemed content with his freshly fused lumps of gold and settled down nearby, Antonio focused on raising his temperature a little more. Chasing away the nippy air with a concentrated thought was the least he could do to express his gratitude for the promise of food soon; he'd been wandering and hadn't had a filling bite to eat in days. "Thanks. That'll be plenty, really." 

Antonio was very much aware that he could have been dinner had the scaly cave dweller been hungry when he'd happened along, though he probably would have given the creature a nasty bit of heartburn if eating him had been the beast's intention. He'd thus be a fool not to acknowledge that the ball was in the other's court, and that had been why he'd stayed put. He was a guest in his cave and would only leave when told he could.

[Ludwig Beilschmidt]

A long silence passed as the emerald-scaled dragon drew himself closer to Antonio and closed his eyes. The warmth was just too inviting and he couldn’t help but want to drift off as the other let the temperature spike a little bit more to drive the cold of the approaching winter air away. It was almost like having the summer sun contained in human form, actually. Which, of course, had its benefits. For one, Geragon would not have to sunbathe at the mouth of his cave or elsewhere, which could lead to his discovery and a small horde of angry villagers trying to jab him with pitchforks and fling boulders at him with the help of catapults. Secondly, the Antonio was portable and could adjust his heat depending on the preference of his companions—you can’t really do that with fire or the sun after all. Thirdly, it made for nice and useful company.

Truthfully, the Dragon had never been one of a conversationalist or one to gather around with others save for rituals and instinctive needs, but what with his increasing exposure to other beings (both magical and non-magical alike), he was quickly growing fond of the companionship that they offered. Not to mention, his weaker form yearned for it on occasion, but due to the circumstances, was always denied such company. For now, he could afford such a luxury.

“You neglected to specify,” the dragon cracked open one eye, peering towards the elemental with a mild curiosity, “vhy exactly you vere vandering around alone in zhe middle of zhe night like some fool.” He shifted some, bringing his head closer to the other and inhaling deeply as he tried to drive the remaining chill from his bones and keep his stomach from growling too terribly loud.

[Deleted]

Now, now what was this?

The blonde froze in place as he heard the Germanic dripped accent that boomed from inside the cave, nearly retreating out of raw instinct. Yet he managed to restrain himself, recalling his original mission; besides no one would dare to dub him a coward again. How dare they! (Truth be told that occurrence only happened once, and while he was imperishable...he was still human and had anxieties of his own) 

He took in a breath, re-examining the possibilities of dealing with a painful death, ultimately reaching the conclusion that broken bones and being burnt like a roast gone perfectly well was worth the price of his lethal stunt. What followed captured his swift attention, taking a few more ginger steps as he followed the sound...of voices?

Huh. Feliks thought, never one to suspect that the reptilian species act could verbally communicate, analyzing and dissecting the thought before ears fell on another foreign voice. Great, now he was confused as he couldn't tell whether which voice belonged to the dreaded beast as he continued to cautiously dip his feet deeper into the throat of the cave, trying to remain unwavered in spite of his own fear.

Citron optics soon glowed at the sight of the shimmering gems that scattered in groups throughout the stomach of the cavern, mouth nearly agape at the sight of the hoard, trying to lift it up only to droop again. The only ones who's loot rivaled this would be that of greedy monarchs. It was utterly terrifying and beautiful simultaneously. Still, Feliks had to remain loyal to the mission...no, but those jewels...that gold...oooh all that power associated with shiny treasures, he would be the wealthiest businessman in all of Valara!

Terror suddenly subsided for now, Feliks silently yet swiftly trotted to the nearest pile, still tucked away from the sights of the dragon and his guest as he began to stuff his pockets and mouth like a fox that struck the golden pot, fulfilling his wildest desires, and besides he could finally pay off that stuffy innkeeper whom he owed after one of his younger birds unintentionally burned down part (most) of his motel. What would the downfall of the blonde's rushed yet mentally perfect plan would be the slip of a turquoise as the gemstone slipped from the pile, gently bouncing and clinking against the hard earth. 

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Word Count: 403

Muse: Kitty Hawk-Ki:Theory
Notes: Augh. Sorry this is so short, just trying to get caught up at this point. Also the turquoise gem has a particular meaning in this context.

[Antonio Fernandez Carriedo]

Antonio lowered his head and gazed at the patch of cavern floor showing between his loosely crossed legs, his usual cheerfulness replaced by an air of sadness at the mention of his reasons for wandering through the night. "I was trying to make my way west… to see if a friend of mine is back at the cave we share. She vanished a few weeks ago while we were visiting the continent across the sea, and… disappearing out of the blue for this long isn't like her. I looked for her over there and asked around, but no one'd seen head or tail of her. She can usually take care of herself, but if she was outnumbered by men skilled at dealing with dragons…”

He trailed off, not wanting to put the likely outcome of such an encounter into words lest they prove true, and curled his hands into defiant fists. He’d referred to her as simply a friend to avoid a much longer story, but the lithe red dragon had been his provider and protector for as long as he could remember. If she’d met an ill fate while he’d been exploring the base of those foreign mountains he’d be crushed, but… surely fate had better plans for his guardian than to have her head mounted as a trophy.

Fueled by that belief, Antonio lifted his head to gaze in the direction of the mouth of the cave and beyond. “She may not be at the cave when I get there,” he began, acknowledging the disappointing reality of that, “but I at least have to hope she’s still taking to the skies somewhere.”

Embarrassingly, a few moments passed before the fire elemental clued in that he was currently in the presence of someone who also took to the skies. “Say… you haven’t seen her by any chance? Someone like you flying around, but smaller n’ red?” he asked, turning a hopeful gaze to the dragon currently lying beside him. He knew dragons to be territorial creatures with wide reaches in terms of hunting grounds, so if Ashara had flown across this one’s territory, perhaps he’d seen her do so.

Unfortunately for the anxious embodiment of flames though, an answer would probably have to wait. A delicate clinking sound could be heard following the posing of his question, almost as if something precious had fallen to the cavern floor. “...Either you stacked your treasure into unstable piles my friend, or… someone’s got an eye on your hoard but a poor grip n’… even poorer luck,” he commented with a troubled frown, knowing what the sound usually meant from experience but also familiar with the wrath of a dragon being stolen from. In short, he was glad he wasn't the poor fool who'd just fucked up.

[Ludwig Beilschmidt]

The dragon was comfortable near the humanoid and as the other began relaying his story, Geragon’s eyes opened partially in interest. Of course, anything that hinted at another dragon that could possibly be in the area was a glimmer of hope – save for one annoying hybrid, the dragon had practically come to terms with being one of the last of his kind. Especially in this particular Kingdom. However, at the mere insinuation that she had been taken by dragon tamers or slayers, the lumbering green beast let out a guttural growl of irritation and snorted, allowing a few flaming whisps to escape his nostrils . It was no surprise that Geragon was no fan of these dragon hunters…who, of his kind, would be? He merely clenched his jaw and allowed his piercing blue gaze to shift toward Antonio.

“Perhaps,” the dragon didn’t want to fuel the pessimism already brewing in his own mind. Though he hated to consider it at the moment, her existence could be the last glimmering hope for him as well… “Oftentimes, ve dragons are craftier zhan zhe humans zhat seek to hunt us. If she’s aged vell, zhen perhaps she’s outsmarted zhem und taken to wing und hiding.”

“Say… you haven’t seen her by any chance? Someone like you flying around, but smaller n’ red?”

Geragon lifted his head, brows furrowed. “Nein. Unfortunately not. However, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out.” He crossed his foreclaws and slowly began to lay his head down on them when his attention was diverted toward the mouth of the cave and a small clatter. His lips curled back, revealing his teeth in a snarl as he partially rose, wings threatening to extend ever slightly in order to inflate his already gargantuan size. “Show yourself,” the dragon growled out a warning, hissing in the direction of the noise. “ If I have to track you myself, you’ll end up as anozher blackend spot on zhe valls.” The beast was in no mood to toy around with a thief or a hunter, and he would not hesitate to turn them into an early morning snack.

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Antonio Fernandez Carriedo @po it's your move.

[Antonio Fernandez Carriedo]

Antonio contemplated not interfering & letting his intimidating new companion deal with the intruder however he saw fit because it was his hoard of treasure being messed with, but he put a hand on Geragon's side anyways. Why exert any effort going after the thief if he or she could be made to come to them? "Not that I want to overstep, but I can get them to come to us, if you'd rather," he offered. "Then their fate can be up to you."

Removing his hand from the other's scales, Antonio concentrated on raising his body temperature, wanting it to spike quickly before the intruder could escape the cave. Once it was high enough, the air around him started to waver like it would in a heatwave, and from that heat materialized three small beings completely made of flame. They looked innocent enough with their bright glowing eyes & lack of any menacing default features, but flamelings he'd learned were naturally mischievous & not to be underestimated. They could start terrible fires if enough of them formed, & could be extremely hard to dismiss/put out permanently if within their source's heat radius.

"I've got a job for you guys," he began, effectively grabbing the flamelings' attention. "Stop the other person in this cave from leaving. Push them back this way." Since he often discouraged them being too unruly when that was unnecessary, he felt he could probably throw them a bone this time given the nature of the task too. "Feel free to scare them."

Given that kind of a go-ahead, the flamelings grinned creepily and scampered off to block the thief's path with flames and terrorize them to the max until they ended up being pushed back to where Antonio & Geragon were waiting. That outcome probably wouldn't take too long either, given how quickly cries of fright could be heard after the flamelings' departure.

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Word Count: 317
Ludwig Beilschmidt