Nova

As the wyrm scion quietly glides through the earth, she reflects on just how strange scouting duty is. While she’s finding she quite enjoys it, that doesn’t make the duty any less strange. It’s the juxtaposition of heightened awareness with lessened need to actually do anything that makes it so strange. Feeling for vibrations keeps her mind active enough to pay attention, but not so active that her mind doesn’t start to wander.

She’s certainly had a lot of things for her mind to wander to lately. Take magic, for example. She’s known affinities can be expanded upon, but knowing and seeing are two different things. The way Rocky taught the Stag to embrace fire… it seems so obvious after, but so impossible before. While she can’t use the specifics of light, she has been trying to focus more on her magma affinity, to see what she can do.

From the vague hints through the bond with the Guide, he seems to think she could expand to earth affinity, but her own efforts are leading her towards fire, she thinks. She feels more attuned to the heat than the magma itself. On the other mandible, her work with sculpting might lead her to earth affinity after all.

She rumbles happily at the memory of the elf making a beautiful flower from her unnoticed obsidian. She had never thought about the molten rock she leaves behind, or the cooled rock that comes eventually after. She also hadn’t thought that an affinity could be used to make something like that. It would be basically no use in a fight, it probably wouldn’t take any interesting enchantments, it can’t even be eaten by most things. She took a little nibble, but it tasted like any other obsidian.

And yet that little flower made from volcanic glass has captivated her like nothing else really has. She’s been trying to make one of her own, but her first try was such a failure that she almost gave the entire idea up. But she changed her focus to simpler flowers, and she thinks she’s making good progress. She doesn’t like how they always come out looking a little melted, even though she can feel the Guide’s happiness at each one.

Her thoughts are interrupted as she hears footsteps that don’t belong to the Guide’s chosen party. They’ve been dodging rangers and scouts for a day or two now, but this is the first group they’ve found! She retreats a bit before waving a bit of magma through the earth behind her, letting the earth mage of the party feel the moving absence of her element as the signal to hide.

She’s been trying to listen in on the people they’ve been avoiding, but they were all solo, so they didn’t say much. This feels like a group of four, so hopefully they’ll talk amongst themselves, and she can get some information. She feels the chosen party hide themselves, so she glides ahead, being careful to not get too close, lest one of them is another earth mage.

She stays back, far enough to get an idea of the group’s composition before trying to get close enough to listen in. They’re almost certainly from the dungeon, as they seem to be two pale elves and two pale dwarves. An elf with a spear is in the lead, with a dwarf with either a thick wand or a thin mace clanking on his belt behind them. Behind those two are the other elf and dwarf, who seem to be trying to keep an eye out.

While Nova isn’t an expert, she’s pretty sure an actual scouting party would be quieter, and probably not wear as much armor as some of them. The dwarf in the back has armor to rival Ragnar!

After a few minutes of them not seeming to notice her, Nova slowly drifts closer, letting her finally pick out words from the indistinct noise of their conversation.

“What about this spot, Jayle?” asks the spear elf at the front, sounding like they’ve asked the question many times before. The dwarf nearby seems to be looking in a book and glances around before speaking.

“Maybe? We’re definitely far enough away now. The field guide says we should try to find clean water, and I see a little trickle out of the wall there.”

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“It’s a bit cramped,” speaks up the elf in the back, and Nova agrees with his estimation. They’re in more of a tunnel than a cave at the moment. As she understands it, a good camp should let wildlife easily go around. If they camp in the tunnel here, they’ll have to deal with local things having to wander through their camp, and some things might be more ornery about it than others.

“I’ll mark it on the map, and if we can’t find anything better in an hour, we’ll come back,” suggests the armored dwarf, which seems agreeable to the others. Nova is a little less confident in that, since the nearest actual cave is the one the chosen party is hiding in. While they are sure to have their camp fully sealed off, she doesn’t know how well they will handle needing to stay there and stay quiet.

“I’m glad you two got cleared from recovering to be able to come,” speaks up the spear elf after a few minutes, and the bookish dwarf nods.

“Yeah, if it was just me and Dergol, we would have had to stay home and probably just keep doing drills.”

“I’d rather get impaled through the shoulder again than spend a week doing drills,” dryly answers the other elf, who Nova is suspecting is some kind of caster. He walks much lighter than the others. Or maybe he’s some kind of rogue?

“If it’s one or the other, I think I’d rather do drills,” snarks back the spear elf, before he continues with a bit less sarcasm. “So, how was it in the enclave? I’ve always wanted to sneak in and get a look at the kobolds, but mom always said she’d round my ears if I tried it.”

The book dwarf snorts. “She’d probably do it, and be in the right, too. You shouldn’t mess with the Great Maw’s kobolds. They’re busy.”

“I know! But they’re so mysterious! I only ever get to see them at the sacrifices!”

“Well, I wouldn’t suggest going and getting yourself injured if you want to look at them,” answers the armored dwarf, pulling the conversation back on track. “I only saw one a couple minutes a day, and that’s partially because he was also checking on Merrik.”

“Being in the same room is still better than I’ve ever been! What’re they like?”

The group continues walking in silence as the two who were injured consider their answers. The possible caster, Merrik, comes up with his, first.

“Special. There’s a certain weight to what they do, even when it’s something as simple as changing a bandage.”

“Like they know the weight of their… purpose,” adds the armored dwarf, and Nova realizes she’s a she, or at least sounds like one. She can’t exactly surface right now and take a look.

“That’s so cool. Oh, the tunnel’s opening up.” The group quiets their conversation as they enter the cave, and see another small pool of water near the wall.

“Ah, that should do! The field guide says multiple water sources will help keep wildlife away. Even if we camp right next to the one, the other one is right there and can be used instead of trying to contest us.” Nova can hear the book being consulted as the dwarf doublechecks, and soon the group sets about deciding specifically where to set up.

“Think you two can handle this part? Me and Merrik should probably make sure there’s nothing too nasty nearby before we get too settled,” speaks up the armored dwarf.

“Sure, I think we can handle it. Hang on a sec though, Lechula. I got us all a little treat! You and Merrik can snack on yours while ‘securing the perimeter.’” The spear elf, Dergol, Nova reminds herself, digs through his pack for a few moments before exclaiming in victory.

“Yes, they’re still sealed! Catch!”

“What is this?” asks Jayle, the bookish dwarf. Nova tries to keep the names straight, just in case it’s important with her report.

“A cheese kobold,” answers the caster elf Merrik, earning a gasp from Dergol.

“You know?”

Lechula answers. “Yeah. They gave us some at the enclave. They’re… really good cheese.”

“Aw, I wanted to surprise you. Oh well, at least I know the cheese is good now. The guy I paid for these said it was good, but he was trying to get my money. Anyway, go secure, shoo.”

The two leave, and Nova slowly moves to follow, though she catches a bit more from the two who are staying.

“The field guide says we shouldn’t split up.”

“Pft, it’s fine. If we had to follow it to the letter, the Great Maw would have just sent denizens instead of us. We’ll just need to keep an eye out until they get back.”

“We still shouldn’t split up.”

“Jayle, give them a little privacy. I think they want to spend a little time together. They’re acting a little different after the stay at the healers. I think they finally hooked up!”