Warnings: Strong and Sexual Language; Violence, Gore, & Death
The next day, Vox Machina returned to Emon and entered the palace to share their newfound information with the King and his council. As they walked in, they could hear them discussing amongst each other with Fince speaking to the council.
"I've been gathering intelligence we sorely lack. Seems your band of fools have gone missing. Safe to say you've sent Vox Machina to their doom?" he remarked sarcastically. Okay, that hurt a bit, but they did almost die so Athena guess it wasn't far off.
"Doom? We don't know the meaning of the word," Scanlan proclaimed, making known of the presence and that they were very much alive. Probably a bit despising to Sir Fince to see them there and not in the belly of the dragon.
"Uh, I certainly don't," Grog said.
"Sovereign, hold on to your goddamn crown. We've discovered that the monster is none other than a blue dragon!" Scanlan proudly stated.
"We know," the council unimpressed remarked.
"So we came here for nothing, great," Athena thought. They could have sent them a message then instead of letting us climb up all those stairs. Armor can get pretty hot underneath.
"Did you kill it?" Allura asked.
"I wouldn't say "kill," really," Keyleth replied.
"We're still kind of working on that part," Pike added.
"I can't believe you made it out alive. How did you survive?" Krieg laughed. Athena gave him a side-eye. She didn't like that laugh of his for some reason.
"Mm, trade secrets, I'm afraid, Kriegy," Scanlan answered.
"We hid and it flew away," Percy plainly stated causing Grog to laugh while Scanlan gave out a dumbfounded expression that Percy admitted it.
"Wait. How did we survive that?" he asked. Suddenly, Vex groaned in pain grabbing her head. She must have sensed the dragon's presence. Athena could rule out Lady Allura since the pain didn't trigger for Vex on the skyship. Though that left technically left the four other people, she doubt that Kima or King Uriel would be in contact with the dragon. This left Krieg and Fince but the latter seemed to be doing the most suspicious activity.
"These blabbering fools are useless, sire. Perhaps if we made an offering to the dragon. Gold in exchange for peace?" Fince offered.
"Why don't we shake its hand and offer it a fucking pint while we're at it?" Vax sarcastically offered back.
"A dragon cannot be bartered with. If it desires Emon's destruction, it will not relent," Vex stated.
"You heard her, sire. You know what must be done," Kreig said agreeing with Vex.
"But what if it attacks the city? We'd be sitting ducks," Kima relented.
"What would you have me do? Let it burn more farmland, slaughter more innocents?," Uriel asked pounding his fist into the throne, "No. We will bring the fight to it on our terms. General, you may move our soldiers at dawn," Uriel ordered. Athena leaned towards Kima in this argument. She didn't think it was wise to send unprepared soldiers towards a dragon that could wipe them all out in an instant.
"But sire, you know as..."
"I have made my decision, Lady Kima. This council is adjourned," Uriel snapped. The guards came towards them and began pushing them towards the doors.
"All right, you heard him. Clear out!" the guard ordered.
"Hey, hey, hands off. I'm leaving. Geez," Pike said. Scanlan began weaving himself around the guard avoiding being pushed.
"Uh, don't kill it before we do. Y-Your offer's still on the table, right?" he nervously asked as the guard grabbed his face pushing him out the door. After they exited the palace, they gathered at the entrance to put together a plan. Trinket came to the group, first cuddling against Athena who gave him a pat before returning to Vex's side.
"I felt it again, that same feeling I had around the dragon. There must be a connection. One of them has to be working with that fucker," Vex said.
"Uh-huh. Uh-huh, yeah. I bet... I bet it's Allura," Scanlan proposed, "I never trust anyone prettier than me."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh. I knew it," Grog blindly agreed.
"No, you dipshits. Fince," Vex retorted.
"The creepy one. Looked like a withered piece of scrap leather?" Percy explained.
"Oh," Grog chuckled "I didn't catch anybody's name."
"So, what do we do next?" Keyleth asked.
"Vax, Athena, and Pike go to Gilmore's. Buy us a weapon that can kill a dragon," Vex said.
"Uh, with what? We're flat fսcking broke," Vax replied.
"Please, with the way that man dotes on you, I'm sure you can work something out. The rest of us will split up and search for Fince."
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The trio made their way to Gilmore's Glorious Goods. Athena wasn't exactly looking forward to it. Gilmore was a great person and a good ally to them. Probably their only one in Emon. However, she always felt awkward having to watch Vax and him flirt with each other. She didn't know whether to chalk it up to their personalities or if they both had an actual attraction to each. They could do whatever they want and if they both liked each other in that way she would be supportive. She only wanted the best for Vax....even if it wasn't her.
"What!" she yelled out loud. Pike and Vax looked over at her with concerned looks.
"You okay, The?" Vax asked. Damn it, he was going to be the death of her. He had started recently using that nickname for her causing all her emotions to go haywire. She needed to stop thinking about it. He probably didn't think about her in that way anyways. Plus she would make a horrible partner for anyone.
"Oh...I just was thinking that I umm...actually, I remember something...but it, oh, went away. I will let you both know when I think of it again, but I am sure it wasn't important," she stumbled through looking anywhere but at him. "Great, if that wasn't obvious then I don't know what would be," she thought.
Vax looked at her suspiciously, not convinced but decided to let it go. They entered through the purple, silk curtains of Gilmore's shop.
"You have entered a realm of mystery, of magic, of marvel. Welcome to Gilmore's Glorious Goods! Enchanted curials and magical artifacts at discounted prices," Gilmore spewed his normal introduction, "I take gold, silver, platinum...huh!" he gasped notice Vax.
"Why, if it isn't the mysterious Vax'ildan?," Gilmore chuckled, eyeing down Vax.
"Oh gods, please help me," Athena thought to herself.
"Oh, I was hoping you would swing back through again," Gilmore continued, hugging Vax while giving him some greeting kisses on his cheeks.
"Glad to see you've lost none of your charm, Gilmore," Vax laughed along, flirting a bit.
"Oh, listen to you. Don't. Stop. I can't take it. I've missed your visits," Gilmore flirted back, close to Vax. Fortunately for Athena, Pike cleared her throat to gain the pair's attention.
"Hi," Pike waved, reminding them that both Athena and her were still very much here. The pair broke up as Gilmore began to wave his magic around causing various things to appear before them.
"So, are you here on business or pleasure?" Gilmore asked.
"Uh, business, I'm afraid," Vax replied, "We need information on blue dragons. Particularly, how to kill them."
"Well, for 20,000 gold, I'll sell you this handy-dandy magic Lance of Dragon Slaying. A fantastic bargain." he offered as a giant lance appeared before. Athena wouldn't mind a weapon like that.
"We can't presently afford such a weapon," Vax chuckled, "but perhaps some advice for a tiny fee?"
"Hopefully what you're offering isn't too tiny," Gilmore said. Vax tossed two of three remaining silver. "I-I suppose size isn't everything."
"We need to know if blue dragons have any weaknesses."
"Weaknesses, eh? Well, to start, they're egomaniacs. They hate being insulted and have tremendous vanity," Gilmore stated before chuckling, "Not that I can relate."
Pike jumped up trying to reach the counter.
"Hi, we're still here. Is there any way to stop them?" she asked.
"Honestly, there's no simple way to kill a dragon," he said before snapping a book with a dragon on the front before them, "Even in tomes of old, legends of their destruction are largely poetic drivel." He blew the dust off the book, causing them to cough.
""The Wyrm shall only find defeat in the gorge where the twin rivers meet." See? Cute, but..."
"Totally useless," Athena interjected.
"While dragon anatomy is a topic for many a scholar," Gilmore said while conjuring a purple dragon of energy, "Anyone close enough to find out seems to get themselves snapped up," he finished by causing the dragon to poof in Vax's face.
"Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but you get what you pay for," he said while weaving the two silver coins through his fingers. A trick he probably learned from Vax.
"Gilmore, this is all very helpful. Even the bullshit. If we survive this...," Vax chucked, "I owe you dinner," he flirted.
"You owe me more than that, my handsome half-elf," Gimore flirted back.
"All right, you two, foreplay's over," Athena said while grabbing Vax's hand, walking out of the shop with Pike following closely, "We should probably go find our friends."
They got a few blocks away from Gilmore's before Vax noticed that Athena was still holding his hand. He knew that she didn't realize that she was still doing it, but he wanted the moment to last just a bit longer. Their hands felt nice together like it was a natural thing for them to do. Without thinking, he began to interlace their finger together causing Athena to notice.
"Oh sorry," she apologized pulling their hands apart. It immediately felt cold to Vax.
"I-I didn't mean to rush us...but I'm sure that they are expecting us back soon," she said feeling bad for what she did. She was letting her heart lead instead of thinking logically which was completely unlike her. She needed to get over this feeling....whatever it is.
"Don't be sorry," Vax said, "I think I tend to get a bit carried away with Gilmore when I shouldn't."
"You think?" Pike intervened.
"No, umm...you can do what you want Vax. It's not a bother really," she waved it off even though deep down she knew that she was lying to herself. "But since we got a dragon to slay, we do need to rush just a bit, so we should hurry to meet back up with them. Hopefully, they found a lead," she said before continuing down the street. Vax released a sigh.
"Just great," he thought. He turned to the side to see Pike eyeing him suspiciously.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she simply stated before jogging to catch up with Athena.
A small part of Vax now hoped that the dragon would eat him.
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The trio found the rest of Vox Machina. Scanlan and Grog were actually the ones to have found a lead surprising the rest of them. They were currently at a house that Scanlan and Grog saw their dear friend, Sir Fince, enter. However, the door was locked so various members were trying to find a way to open the door. Athena, Percy, Vex, and Vax were standing guard while Grog was eating a sandwich.
Vax couldn't help but stare at Athena. He knew that he had fucked up in some way because it seemed awkward between them now. He hated that she had that impression of him. He didn't know what to do to fix the situation that he was in.
His thoughts were interrupted by his sister yelling at Scanlan, Keyleth, and Pike.
"Can you people do nothing right? It's just a damn door."
Vax passed by Grog, who was still eating his sandwich and plucked the toothpick from his sandwich. He ate the olive on the end before shoving the toothpick in the lock. He twisted it around a few times before he heard the lock click. He pushed open the door causing Scanlan to have a dumbfounded look on his face while Keyleth and Pike were embarrassed they couldn't unlock the door.
"All it takes is a little finesse. Amateurs," he said tossing the toothpick.
"That was my toothpick," Grog whined as the contents of his sandwich fell out.
The group entered the residence that was decorated in fine rugs and silk.
"Wow. This place is fancy," Keyleth remarked.
"Apparently Krieg lives here. And has dreadful taste in art," Percy commented on the giant portrait of Kreig in the entryway.
"Oh shit!" Scanlan exclaimed, "I bet Fince is here to assassinate his ass."
"Oh, you think?" Vex stated, "Why don't you three head to the second floor? Scanlan, Athena, and Grog, search the attic. Vax and I will start here." However, Vax had already uncovered a hidden entrance under a rug.
"Or maybe we all just go check the cellar."
As they were searching the cellar, they came into a larger room with books along with some alcohol, and Fince was right in the middle placing scrolls in his bag.
"Aha!" Scanlan proclaimed, "We caught you blue-handed, chicken humper! Drop your blade."
"What? No, no, you don't understand. I'm not stealing anything," he defended.
"Of course, you're not. And that sword isn't to murder General Krieg with, either, right?" Pike stated.
"Pike, I think it is," Grog whispered into Pike's ear
"You must listen to me. These documents are evidence. General Krieg is planning to...," Fince began explaining but a sword pierced through him. The sword pierce right through Fince's heart and was shoved even deeper. Fince plopped to the floor as General Kreig step out from the shadows.
"Krieg!" the twins exclaimed.
"Nice bloody technique. How do you stay so quiet in that armor?" Vax asked. However, pain exploded in Vex's head causing her to drop her bow. Luckily, Vax quickly supported her.
"He's the one, in league with the..."
"Of course it was me. I championed you because you're a bunch of witless oafs who no one gives two shites about. You've been lucky so far, but you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into." Everyone was surprised at the sudden reveal.
"I got him," Vax said rushing forward, throwing all three of his daggers. However, Krieg was able to block all three as he ran away into the shadows.
"Finesse, huh," Keyleth remarked at Vax's earlier comment, causing him to grit his teeth in frustration. The group raced after Krieg but came upon an empty study filled with books and equipment neatly organized.
"He's gone," Scanlan commented.
Quite the keen observation, Scanlan," Percy sighed, "There must be a hidden exit or trap door. Fan out. Look for some kind of fulcrum."
"Wait, a fuck room?" Grog asked.
"I mean, that's what I heard," Vax agreed.
"A lever, a button. Just... stand over there, Grog, and don't touch anything," Percy said knowing Grog's tendencies to activate any trap they would come across. Pike began to scan the room with her clerical ability. Everything in the room had a bright, radiant glow.
"Whoa. You guys, everything in this room is magical. Where do we even start?"
As everyone began searching the room, Grog went to stand where he was supposed to when he noticed the giant portrait of a nude Dragonborn woman, causing him to drool.
"Oh, how booty-ful," Grog gasped while eyeing down the portrait.
"This guy really has a thing for dragons," Athena commented noticing the seal on the ground with different colored dragons. Keyleth noticed that Grog was staring at the portrait while trying to reach out to the woman's bottom.
"Grog, it's rude to stare," she said but Grog didn't move an inch. "Grog, you're being gross!" Keyleth threw a book at his head that bounced off and went into the painting causing a ripple.
"Oh! Keyleth, you found it! It's a portal!" Pike exclaimed.
"Nice work," Vax complimented.
"Oh...it was nothing, really," Keyleth blushed.
"She threw a book at a head. It was nothing," Vex frankly stated.
Grog began shoving his arms into the bottom of the woman, going back in forth through the portal.
"My arms. Scanlan, lookit! They're in the booty. That is so cool," Grog marveled at the wondering. He wanted a painting just like that one.
"Listen, if we're gonna fight Krieg, we have to do this as a team, all right? Organized. As one," Vex said.
"Please, we...," Scanlan laughed, "We don't do organized. Look at us. We're Vox Machina. We fսck shit up!" he finished while making a pose.
"Can we at least try?" Vex pled with the group.
"Can we at least go already?" Vax stated while walking towards the portal, "Lead the way, big guy," he said while pushing Grog through as the others followed through. Vex let out a loud groan of frustration before going in as well.
The group came out in some sort of cave. Athena could feel the temperature drop on her skin. She could see her breath every time she breathed. They were definitely not still in Emon.
"So cold. What is this place?" Keyleth shivered.
"High in the mountains, I'd say," Athena answered, "Definitely far from Emon, at least."
They reach the opening of a clearing and came upon a mountain of gold, littering the entire floor. The entire place would set the group up for life.
"No way!" Scanlan exclaimed.
"Gold! Gold! Gold!" Vex shouted as she, Grog, Scanlan, and Pike took off to the piles of gold.
"Seems excessive for a council member," Percy commented.
"Seems excessive for anyone," Vax countered as the rest of them followed after the others. Everyone began shoving Gold into whatever pockets and crevices they could. Athena just stared at the gold. Percy was right, this couldn't have been just Kreig's wealth. She examined some of the gold pieces and recognized that some of them had markings from other cities and towns across Tal'Dorei.
"Guys stop!" she yelled. Everyone halted their actions looking towards her. "This gold didn't fall from the fucking sky. This is a horde!" Vex looked around, not distracted by gold as she realized exactly what this place was.
"This is the dragon's lair!" she exclaimed causing everyone to drop the gold they were carrying. Keyleth walked up to a stalagmite covered in onyx orbs.
"Those are pretty but.... so ominous," she commented. One of the orbs opened up revealing a green eye causing Keyleth to yelp, stumbling back.
"Intruders," a voice rang out.
"I didn't do that. Did I do that? I don't think I did that," Keyleth panicked. Vex groaned out in pain once again as Krieg stepped out.
"I must say, I'm impressed. To tell you the truth, I was certain you would die the moment you met the mighty Brimscythe. But it seems some vermin are harder to kill than others."
"You-you wanted Uriel to send the entire army out of Emon. So your dragon friend could wipe them out," Athena realized. It now made scene why he asked that of Uriel. Any general would know that it was a stupid plan but it was his plan all along.
"The Age of Man is coming to an end. There was a time when dragons ruled all of Tal'Dorei, when we ruled the entire world," he looked down upon them with an evil grin.
"Did he just 'we'?" Percy asked. Krieg's body began to contort as lighting burst out from him. His form got increasingly larger as his skin turned into grayish-blue scales. Wings protruded out from his back as he reached his final form. He unleashed a loud growl, unfurrowing his wings and causing a gust of wind to come onto the group.
"Didn't see this one coming, did you, Vex?" Scanlan mocked their 'dragon-expert'. Krieg, or Brimscythe now, took flight and fired a bolt of lightning at them. The group all dodged out of the way just in time. A big cloud of smoke from the attack fills the cave. Electricity conducted through the gold and shocked Grog causing a yell of pain from him. He fell to the ground as smoke came off his body.
"Are you alright?" Percy asked.
"Umm, no," Grog weakly replied. Brimscythe let out another roar, firing another lightning breath at them. Athena and the twins ran out of the way but were stopped by electricity sparking across the floor. One of the stalagmites began to fall toward Athena as she put out her arms to block it. Vax ran forth putting himself in between her and the falling rock as it fell onto them both.
"You okay?" she panicked.
"I'm fine!" he yelled as he pushed the stalagmite off of them, helping her up. Vex fired one of her flame arrows at Brimscythe but it bounced off of his scales.
"A ticked," he ominously laughed, "Let me return the favor." He breathed another bolt of lightning at them.
"Shit!" Vex exclaimed as he grabbed her hand, pulling both her and Athena along out of the way of the attack. Brimscythe relentlessly continued to attack them, inflicting wounds on the group.
"Fools, I'll devour you all!"
Percy tried hitting Brimscythe with his bullets put were not doing any damage either as Brimscythe flew in the air.
"Vax, did Gilmore give you any insight on how to kill this thing, or did you two flirt the whole time?" he yelled.
"Shit, Right, Right!" Vax exclaimed, trying to remember what Gilmore had told him. "Uh, uh, dragons are vain, arrogant, egotistical...," he began but the three of them had to dodge out of the way as Brimscythe tried to ram himself into them.
"I know that already. I studied them, remember?" Vex said. Grog tried to hit the dragon with his axe but he just flew out of the way.
"Doesn't matter. We can't do shit if it's in the air," Pike remarked. As they continue to dodge the dragon' attacks, Vax noticed that the veins along Brimscythe's neck were glowing in a pattern like in the book that Gilmore showed them. 'Where the twin rivers meet' he remembered.
"The neck!," he exclaimed, "We have to get it to the ground. Vex! Athena! Do you hear me?" he asked as Vex and Athena were hiding behind another stalagmite.
"Yes! This way. I've got a plan!" she yelled as Vax and Athena followed her, dodging another lightning breath.
"Aw, another one?" Scanlan sarcastically commented as the rest of the group gathered near them.
"Shut up!" Vex yelled. Another lightning breath headed their direction as the group ran up the side of the cave.
"Look, okay, for once, you were right. Maybe we don't fight as one. Maybe we do what we do best," she suggested.
"What? We have no best!" Keyleth exclaimed as the group hid behind a large fallen stalagmite.
"So, what do you want us to do? Run out and yell, "Hey, dragon man, we don't know what the fսck we're doing"?" Scanlan asked as Vex nodded. A lightbulb went off in Scanlan's head as a grin took over his face. Everyone else had a worried expression on their face as to what those two were cooking up. The two of them quickly explained the plan to everyone. Everyone quickly sneaked off to their positions while Brimscythe was distracted.
"Ha, you think you can hide in my lair," Brimscythe growled, frustrated that Vox Machina was still alive at this point. The smoke cleared from where Brimscythe had struck earlier, revealing the group.
"Hey taint smear!" Grog step forward.
"You're in my way again, you ape," Percy said.
"What'd you call me?" Grog yelled turning back to Percy who held his gun in his face, "Maybe I'll squash you, too."
"Oh, as if either of you could kill anything. A preening, peacoated peacock and a witless goon," Vax said.
"You watch yourself, peasant!" Percy countered. Brimscythe was heavily confused as to what they were doing.
"If the three of you will shut up already and let me kill this inflated windbag...," Vex said triggering a reaction out of Brimscythe as he jumped down in front of them.
"Kill me? I am the iron storm. You are nothing but insects!" he growled unleashing lightning on the group, hearing their dying screams as they were electrocuted. A cloud of smoke covered the area where they used to be.
"Pathetic," he laughed. However, as the smoke cleared, Vox Machina was still standing there seemingly unharmed, shocking Brimscythe.
"What?" Brimscythe questioned as they disappeared with a spiral of purple magic.
"Impossible!" he yelled. Scanlan cleared his throat causing Brimscythe to look over in his and Vex's direction.
"Gotch," Scanlan snapped his fingers.
"Now!" Vex shouted. Keyleth, Percy, and Athena rushed forward to their next positions.
"Oh, come on. Come on, come on, come on. You got this," Keyleth hyped up herself as she cast her vines. Percy shot a few times at the hanging stalagmites causing them to fall. The vines and rocks trapped Brimscythe's wings, preventing him from flying.
Brimscythe began to try to lift himself up but he felt his back legs give out. Athena hurried as she sliced his front ankles as well to further prevent him from moving. He tried to let out a lightning breath at her but with his trapped body, he missed her as she moved out of his range on his left side. His breath instead hit the top of the cave causing more rocks to fall.
Vax ran towards Brimscythe doing his best to dodge the falling rocks. One of the larger rocks was falling fast toward him. However, just when it was about to hit him, a giant purple hand from Scanlan smash through the rock. Vax fell forward from the impact but was grabbed by the hand.
"Scanlan's hand!" Scanlan sang as he launched Vax with his magic hand, giving him momentum. Vax ran across the falling rocks as he jumped towards Brimscythe. He pulled his dagger out and sliced down the dragon's neck as fell causing a massive hole to open up, revealing the twin rivers. Blood spewed out from Brimscythe and let out a roar.
"Light him up Vex!" Pike grabbed onto her holy symbol as she blessed Vex's arrow. Vex released the empowered arrow. It soared through the sky almost like a sun ray as it struck its target. More blood poured out of Brimscythe as he roared out in pain.
"I will sunder your bones!" he yelled as squirmed out in pain.
"Look who's nice and low," she said to Grog as he smiled.
"I...would like...to RAGE!" he yelled as the muscles in his body tightened. He propelled himself off the Grog at the fastest speed they have ever seen from him towards Brimscythe. In a last-ditch effort, Brimscythe tried to bite Grog but he slammed his axe into Brimscythe's head as a cloud of smoke and electricity erupted.
As the smoke cleared, the group saw Brimscythe's head split cleanly in half with Grog covered in a pile of blood and guts with sparks of electricity coming off from him.
"Is he dead?" Grog asked as he turned around with his face covered in blood.
"We did that. We did that, right?" Keyleth asked not believing they actually killed a dragon.
"It seems being a bunch of assholes has its merits," Percy marveled.
Grog grunted as he pulled on one of Brimscythe's teeth, ripping it out of what remained of his mouth.
"Souvenir?" Scanlan asked as he came up to him.
"Proof we killed the scaly turd," Grog scoffed.
"Huh. You know, you're a lot smarter than we give you credit for, Grog," Scanlan complimented.
"Yep, I'm a genius," Grog agreed. Their success was short-lived as the entire cave began to shake causing stalagmites and rocks to begin to fall.
"Ah, fuck this day!" Vax exclaimed.
"Exit strategy?" Pike asked as Vex ran past them with a pot of gold.
"Run!" she yelled with the others quickly following run through the portal.
"Wait...the loot!" Scanlan yelled as tried to carry a box full of gold and jewels. However, he tripped on the ground causing him to drop the box.
"Damn it!" he yelled grabbing a few pieces, including the troll dick. Keyleth wrapped a vine around him and threw him into the portal before going through herself. Vax and Athena were the only ones left in the cave.
"Vax, come on!" she yelled. Vax pulled out the silver coin that he gave the fisherman's son in between.
"We got him, kid," he said as flicked the coin into the cave before he and Athena jumped through the portal.
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Back at the palace, still covered in dirt, grim, and blood (especially Grog), they stood before Uriel and the remainder of the council after presenting to him the dragon's tooth as evidence of them killing the beast.
"Vox Machina, for your selfless heroism, I proclaim you all. Protectors of the Realm and honorary members of the council of Tal'Dorei," King Uriel stated, holding up a ceremonial sword piquing the interest of the group of honorary members status.
"I know, I can hardly believe it myself," he commented causing everyone to laugh. To be fair, no one, not even them at some points, thought they could do it. But never say never.
"Oh, how I've missed respectability," Percy said.
"Yes, yes, yes, that's all fine and good, but where is the...," Vex asked as the large gold chest was placed in front of them by the guards. "Ah. There we are." Vex began opening the chest with Vax and Scanlan peering over.
"Payday," Scanlan chuckled as Vex opened the chest. However, the expression turned sour as the only contents of the chest were keys and a piece of parchment.
"Uh... Keys? Parchment? Where's our reward?" Scanlan asked holding up the items.
"You're holding it. The deed to your new keep here in Emon. We need our protectors close at hand to, you know, protect," Uriel stated to them. Everyone gasped in excitement at the thought of having a permanent home. Athena was secretly the most ecstatic of the group. She never really had a home. Not at the orphanage or at the Ironamal. She felt at home with her friends but now...she had a physical place to call home. She couldn't be happier.
"Uh-huh. Uh, hypothetically, if we sold it, how much do you think that...," Scanlan stopped noticing the look Uriel and the council were giving him, "Okay, never mind."
"Sister, we have a home," he said to Vax as she grabbed the deed from Scanlan. They shared the same sentiment as Athena as they had been roaming all their lives since they left their father and discovered their mother murdered. They hadn't had a home in a long time. Their moment was interrupted by Keyleth however.
"Wait till I tell my father. Oh, the Ashari will never believe this," she threw her arms around the twins, "I bet...," she stopped realizing what she was doing, "I'm ruining a moment right now, aren't I? Yep, I'm just gonna go over here now," she said as removed her arms pointing the direction she was going and crept away.
"As protectors, you must understand that the threat is far from over. We suspect Krieg may have been part of a larger plot. As such, I have arranged an important banquet to discuss the security of our realm. It'll be quite delightful, really. We have a wonderful cook," Uriel pointed out.
"We trust you will all attend. In fact, several dignitaries should be on their way as we speak," Lady Allura added. The group agreed to attend the banquet. Who doesn't want free food and drinks?
They left to go to their new keep... their new home. Vax went up to Athena's side. Despite how they left it before their fight with Brimscythe, he wanted to make sure she was okay.
"Are you happy?" he asked, "With our new home?"
Athena turned to him with a genuine smile on her face.
"I am actually really happy. I know we both haven't had a home in a long time so it's nice that we have one together now," she replied. Vax let out his own smile at her statement. Nothing had made him happier to hear her say that.
"Yeah, a home together," he said as they walked side by side together to their home.
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Woohoo! We did it yall! The first arc completed: the prologue stuff.
I am having such fun writing this and hope you all are liking Vax and Athena's relationship so far. The ship is leaving the dock but not full sail yet. We still have a lot to develop between them and more moves to be made. They just need to discover how they fully feel about each other.
But they have to navigate that while dealing with a vampire and his crazy necromancer wife now.
Can't wait for the next arc to start! I know I have been on a roll releasing these every two days but I am going to have to break that because I need to do some homework this weekend. We will pick up back soon though next week with the Briarwood arc!
Please comment and vote! I will see you all soon!