Ascent of a Dragon

Through the eyes of a dazed spider

Ugh... This must be what it feels like to go through one of those washing machine things... Lyla pries herself from unconsciousness looking around with fuzzy sight to grasp her surroundings. The subtle rumbling of the storm above permeates the dimly cave she's in, the vibration still felt despite her apparent depth. Stone walls surround her, lit only by the dim white glow she emits, and the violet and gold reflections of her light from her companions. How long was I out?

Lyla rises from her perch, shaking away the lingering nausea. "What did I miss? And when did we find such a deep cave to hide in?" "Oh! You're awake!" The dragon wags her tail, peering up at the groggy arachnid. "Didn't you say you had no instincts?" "Yes?" "Then how do you explain the tail wagging?" "How else am I supposed to let people know I'm happy?" "Cute..." "Hm?" "Nothing. So what's happening?"

The dragon shifts her gaze to the monkey, who's currently scraping away at the rocky floor, peeling away one layer at a time as if slicing through annoyingly tough butter. "Goldy dug us a tunnel down." "It won't work." "Yea, we realised that. I think there's Mana in the rocks here, and it gets harder as we go deeper. I tried pushing it out with Aether, but I'm running into the limits of my ability to do that." "Wait, is that how you're able to break my threads?" "Yes." She cheated! Pride saved! I knew it couldn't be brute strength!

"Guess we should head back up then... Goldy! No work. Go up." "No? Huuu..." The monkey ponders for a moment before pointing up. "Uff?" "Yes, up!" "Huhuhu." Proud with his correct understanding, he grasps the walls and pulls them in, earth sliding below the trio and raising them up. "Wait... Have you been teaching him? Seriously, how long was I out?" "I just tought some of the basic stuff, you know like yes, no, directions, and such. It's important to start with the stuff you'll use a lot so you can reinforce it over time." Damn... I was still struggling to get him to say my name...

"So how'd you know it wouldn't work?" "I got desperate once and tried digging around the floor I've been stuck at. The stone between layers gets insanely tough." As they reach the top of the tunnel, capped by a stone dome, the sounds of the storm pick back up. The walls tremble as they're battered by the ongoing tempest. "Does the storm never end? I don't really want to go back out there..." The dragon complains. "Ugh, me neither. But I've never stuck around to find out. I usually just stick to small crevasses and hope I don't get caught in the storm. We can find the next floor by following the wind though, so that should help at least."

Lyla wraps a thread around the dragon's neck, attaching the end to the monkey and clinging to it from her perch. "Ready when you are..." The monkey waves his hands down, the dome receding at his command. Heavy winds slam against the trio, threatening to lift them back into the throes as they cling to the ground, crawling their way through the tempest. Violet bubbles spiral close to the dragon, the occasional orb getting caught in the storm before fading away. Wisps of gold emit from the monkey, unfettered by the winds as he grasps the earth and pulls himself forward.

Following the direction of the wind, the trio steadily spiral out around the blue core generating the cyclone. As another orb of blue light subtly comes into view the winds begin to coalesce, rivers of dust funnelling into a gap in the ground. The trio make a straight line towards the exit, leaping in the moment it comes into view. The tunnel curves and shifts, the wind helping push the trio through. It's a tight squeeze for the dragon, but with some help from the monkey pushing the walls out of the way they manage to break free, viewing the next layer from a hole on a cliff face.

Dust streams past them, blocking their view until the dragon flares her wings, redirecting the flow and revealing the scenery before them. A world of white lays before them, the horizon blending together in layers of white snow covering pale rocks, betraying any sense of scale or distance. The occasional specks of life dot the cavern, white birds hovering around the light blue cores in the sky, and small critters hopping in and out of the snow.

"Finally here... We should stick around for a while. This place is safe, with barely any predators. The next few layers are going to be scarce of food, so we'll need to stock up and I'd like for you to be able to fly before we go down. Having the monkey able to talk would be nice too." "Sounds great! I'll start practising now!" "No wai-"

Crack! Swoosh! Flap!

...

...

...

Poof!

Lyla peers down at the fool submerged in snow, sharing a dumbfounded look with the monkey. Skittering down the wall then sliding down a slope of snow Lyla comes to meet the dragon writhing beneath the snow, unable to surface. The monkey hops down with her, sliding down the air gracefully and landing atop the snow without sinking into it. "Can you pull her up?" Lyla asks, pointing to the writhing mass of scales and claws losing the battle against the snow. "Uff?" He asks before shaking his head. Grasping the snow, he pulls it away, letting it wash to the side and leave the trio in a crater. "Huh. That works too I guess. Good monkey." "Huhuhu." Did she teach him what good means?

"Fuuu, I was about to panic there." You weren't already?! "Maybe let me finish before leaping off a cliff next time." "Wehehe sorry." The monkey approaches the centre of the crater, opening a pouch on his waist and pulling out a palm-sized ball wrapped in cloth. Laying it down, he swipes it with his finger, leaving behind a lick of flame which grows to encompass the ball. Is this what they call a magic satchel? A mystery device which lets you pull out anything needed to the plot? How fancy! She muses to herself.

Through the eyes of a magic monkey

I only have two more candle balls, and it looks like I'll need more for this place. I'll have to find suitable creatures to hunt with plenty of fat and thin hides. The warrior holds his hands over the small flame, basking in the spot of warmth as he rests from a long journey. The emissary wraps its long tail around the warrior and the flame, snuggling by the fire as the bright one nestles into its perch. They are indeed unusual beasts. I had never anticipated such a nature from them.

He shifts his gaze to the emissary, the violet beast laying snugly around the flame. This one shows much affection. More than most of my kin even. I cannot discern whether it is young or old though... It handles itself like a child, showing a recklessness and playfulness ordinarily unbefitting of such a beast. And yet... there is an undeniable depth to it. It stood on equal grounds with the titan of stone, a beast I could do nothing but cower before. Though I neither heard nor felt a response from the emissary, it appeared to converse. What manner of creature, so young and so old, could it be?

And then the bright one... The critter rests atop the emissary's head, tiny squeaks accentuating its breaths as it lays asleep. I cannot gauge this one's stance on me. It remains distant to me yet shows no open hostility. Even the ancient rite of skill only seemed to confuse instead of impress it. And those eyes... Even asleep I feel as if meeting the gaze of a thousand eyed beast. A white creature of many eyes... Perhaps the legends are true? Yet this one holds no enmity to me or my kin. If anything, it indeed appears to better resemble the almighty light, moreso from being companion to one who resembles the great shadow.

The warrior yawns, leaning back to rest upon the emissary. No matter. Speculating about the gods will not serve me here. If I am curious, I should simply make myself worthy to descend and ask them myself.

"My name..." "Yoor nnaiimm."

Crack! Swoosh!

"Is Lyla!" "Ish... Isjj... iszz Lyyyyah!"

Flap! Flap!

"Yes! Progress!" "Huhuhu, phrorresh."

Flap! Poof!

"I got further!" "Nice! Progress all around!" "Yesh! Mmusch phrorresh!"

The trio celebrate their... phrorresh... The warrior having learned enough to understand basic conversation, and the emissary now able to walk further along the air. "Hey! Hey! How's your language practice coming?" "Huhu, very well. I can nearly pronounce Lyyaah." "Sounds great!" Truly, the emissary is a terrifying creature. She has learned my tongue in a mere fistful of rests where I can barely pronounce their own. And to think they are both female! I knew not that these beasts could even have gender! I do hope my fine looks don't give them ideas...

Their training continues, the emissary learning to walk the sky while the bright one teaches the warrior their tongue. As they come across wildlife, small fur-coated critters, and large leathery brutes, they hunt them, leaving the bodies to the warrior to prepare and preserve. Over time they have built a stockpile of food, stored in satchels made from leather of the local beasts, and hung over the emissary's robust form.

Hanging around a tunnel to the next floor, the trio settle into a rhythm of hunting, practising, playing, and resting. After another fistful of rests, the emissary manages to walk a perfect arc through the sky with the warrior in tow. With this as their signal, they take their stock of supplies and begin their descent to the lower floors, aiming to reach beyond the icy layers below in one fell swoop.

Blue Sweeper

Appearance:

An enormo-- -v-an creature s-aped like three crescent m-on- --id in sequence. A series of blue and --ite ribbon-like feathers adorn its underside, creating an almost whimsical look as it glides. It reminds me of some of the old toys I was given as a child. They are quite large for avians, their wings spanning t-n ---ides across, and reaching five strides from head to ta-l.

Behaviour:

This creature is v--y territorial, and will attack any creature that comes too close in ----ms. Their --imary method -f a-t--k is to ---p i--cl-- fr-m ---ve, sk---ring any intruders with enough force to cause a small ex------- -- ice.

These creatures are pathway dwellers, nesting in a complex network of tunnels traversing at least b---een the 61st a-d 63rd layers focused around some supporting pillars.

Other Notes:

Their method of attack was of little threat to me, and so with a simple display of force I was able to scare them away. They seem to possess s--- -orm of -o-y m---p---tion m-gic, tho--h I was unable to d--cern its effects before they fled.

They taste fine. Fairly unremarkable actually, considering their extraordinary appearance. Quite bland, and exactly how you would expect a bird to taste. The marrow tastes like berries though, which is nice.

Addendum:

S--- of my notes -ppear to be d--rading a- I desc--d. My earl--r -o-es seem to be fine, -- wha--ver is causi-g this only seems t- a-fe-- the Ma-a in my ink, preventing it from ----l--g properly. -iven how the crea--res in these --eper

Fuc- it. I've re-writ--n t--- enou-h times alre---. I'm not wr--ing this on all 583 page-, ---l j-st send these up -- -s.

-Excerpt from sect--n 62 chapt-r - of the Lost Hero's Journal

This is the last instance containing the Lost Hero's final addendum. All future pages become increasingly illegible as he evidently travels deeper within the labyrinth. It is uncertain exactly why his notes began to degrade like this. Though he makes mention of a corrupting energy, this type of degradation is much too different from anything we are familiar with, especially if we are to consider the distance at which his notes imply it takes effect.

Many believe these to be his last words, though equally many believe him to still be down there, decades later still exploring the depths.

-Excerpt from a transcript from renowned scholar Caeron's lecture on the Lost Hero, circa 3679 PR