"Huh..." Garath huh'd thoughtfully.
He conveyed the information on the prompt to Athios and Warrion. They all agreed that converting to a Guild was the better option and Garath couldn't help but get excited about what new possibilities a Guild could have in store for them.
The three of them conversed on the roof, burning through the remainder of Athios' cigarettes, well into the night while Daisy, apparently convinced that Aldrasyl was either sleeping or simply not a threat, put the massive Dragon to use as her own personal jungle gym. They agreed to meet in the main hall at 06:00 GST, 9:00AM Pacific Standard, to recruit a fifth person for the dungeon run, then everyone went their separate ways, leaving Garath on the roof alone with his thoughts.
After Athios, Daisy, and Warrion had retired for the evening, Garath remained on the roof with the dozing, great white Dragon. Lying there on the ledge with only his semi-transparent MENU panels between him and the star filled night sky, he zoomed in on the World Map to look again at the details of the dungeon he had plans to conquer in the morning.
Aquawood Depths
Maximum Party: 5
Disposition: Hostile
Monster Level(s): 13-20
Floors: 1
‘Of course it's fucking hostile,’ thought Garath to himself.
He immediately second guessed his reasoning though. If the disposition of the dungeon was among only four lines of (not incredibly descriptive) information provided, then didn't it stand to reason that there may be non-hostile dungeons? And what would a dungeon even be like on Earth? Would the mall just be buzzing with undead and the purpose be to fight your way to the middle? Would the objective even be clear when they got there?
He closed his eyes and imagined himself fighting his way through every scenario he could think of, employing his mind and his new Skills and Abilities to overcome whatever monsters and obstacles he would find there. His imagination painted a picture of glory and loot and he smiled, lying there in the warm evening air beneath the sea of stars.
*You seem to be quite enjoying whatever it is that you are thinking about, human,* came Aldrasyl's deep, calm voice into Garath's mind.
Startled, Garath closed his panels and sat up. *I was just thinking about tomorrow,* he replied in the silent language of the Dragons, one of a handful of things he picked up when the Fatalistic Accord was struck between the Necrologist and the Ice Drake.
*Ah. I thought that perhaps you had that dark haired female on your mind,* Aldrasyl speculated, picking his gargantuan, scaled head up from its resting place and swinging his long neck to bring it face to face with the little human.
Garath looked into Aldrasyl's intense, cobalt eyes with surprise. *What, Athios?*
Aldrasyl raised one white, draconic brow ridge in response.
*Fair enough,* Garath conceded. In truth, he had spent a fair amount of time with the indecisive Dimensionalist on his mind. She intrigued him. She wasn't the typical 'gamer girl'. In fact, he got the distinct impression that Athios, not unlike himself, had spent the majority of her childhood alone and that, left to her own devices, found not only endless entertainment from gaming, but also the camaraderie and challenge that her parents and peers could never offer her.
*Nonetheless, tomorrow occupies your thoughts.* The Dragon nodded slowly. *May I inquire as to what happens tomorrow?*
*You know, it's funny you should ask,* Garath said, getting to his feet.
*You found my inquiry humorous?*
*Well, not particularly, no. It's funny that you should ask because I wanted to ask you for a favor about tomorrow,* the Necrologist answered a little nervously.
*More of a coincidence then…* Aldrasyl said, more to himself than the Necrologist.
Garath made a face. He knew that, because of the Fatalistic Accord between them, Aldrasyl had a vested interest in ensuring Garath's continued good health. They had spoken of it on occasion there on the roof at night before the white Dragon left for his evening hunt. Neither the human nor the Ice Drake fully understood the bond forged between them during their fatal battle at the conclusion of The Culling, but they both knew on an intrinsic level that their lives were now tied to one another's. He and the Ice Drake had come to an understanding of sorts and Garath thought that they had even begun to like one another. That being said - even though a mysterious bond connected the Necrologist and the Ice Drake at a core level - Garath knew that Aldrasyl was no pet. With that in mind, he phrased the request as delicately as he could.
*A few of us are making a bit of a journey tomorrow. It's a fair distance away and would take quite some time on foot and I was wondering if...* he stopped speaking abruptly as the massive white Dragon lurched quickly to his feet.
*I am not some tamed beast, human!* Aldrasyl's voice boomed and echoed in Garath's mind. *If your request pertains to riding atop me then I suggest you keep it to yourself, lest you become subject to my answer.*
With that lightly veiled threat, Aldrasyl flexed his powerful legs and kicked off with great beating wings, taking to the sky without awaiting Garath's reaction. He flew west toward the ocean with his long barbed tail dangling behind. Garath found the Dragon's heading odd as the two previous nights the Ice Drake had soared east toward the mountains and the 'unsafe-zones' (depicted in red on the World Map).
Garath hoped he hadn’t upset Aldrasyl too much with his request, but it was worth a shot. Riding Aldrasyl to the dungeon would have only taken minutes. On foot, the ten mile trek would take close to four hours each way. They would be able to speed up their pace with Athios' Ally Transport Skill but, as he had learned on their trip back from the coast earlier that day, the Dimensionalist definitely had her limits.
Weary from a
