Sorry guys...*deep sigh*...life. You know how it is. So, I'm gonna try to update more frequently. Thursdays was both ambitious and an epic fail. I just got super busy and uninspired but now my inspo is back. So expect more updates.
Not sure what the new schedule will be but I will let you know when I come up with something manageable for myself.
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Zia held her breath for five seconds, but she didn't hear the dragon anymore. He was gone. Her friends must have come to the same conclusion because Scanlan's voice sounded from the depths of the rock-echoing from the protective sphere of vines.
"Uh, get me out. Get-get me out!" Scanlan pleaded voice muffled from wherever his mouth was pressed. "I'm trapped under Grog's ass!"
In response to the request, Grog and Trinket burst out of the rocks making an opening- the vines did the rest, working to clear the rest of the rocks away-Zia included.
The crystals that had formed cracked under the pressure and shattered as the boulders passed over them.
Zia slid down the pile as it shifted, careful to hold the hand with her ripped glove close to her chest and not touch anything else.
"So... this is what rock bottom feels like." Percy commented from where he lay on the ground.
"You were under Zia?" Scanlan rubbed at his head as he walked out from the dome of vines. "Lucky, her ass is way better than Grog's."
"I was under everyone if you couldn't rightly tell." Percy complained from where he lay. "People really need to stop piling on top of me. It's becoming quite cumbersome. Would you all get off me already?"
Vex rose to her feet Vax following the action.
Pike followed the half elves out of the structure. "At least we're still alive, thank the Everlight." Pike turned to Zia as the gnome cleric brushed some dirt and crystal dust from her arms. "And you too, Z. That was some quick slashing you did. I don't know what we would've done if it came down in one big slab."
"We likely would have met our ends for real." Percy walked out, righting his glasses. "Thank you, Zia."
"And thanks to Keyleth for the giant shrub." Vax pulled a thorn from his ass. "But did you have to make it so thorny?"
"Forget the thorns. How about we talk about the damned crystals, shall we?" Vex shook her bow free of the sparkly stone. "Zia could've skewered us." Vex glared at the statuette. Seemingly short on thanks to give. "Care to explain darling? Last I checked, you said that curse of yours was well managed."
"It is!" Zia protested clutching her ripped glove hand even closer. "The gloves work...when there's not a gaping hole in them at least. Do you know how sharp that dragons scales were?"
"Clearly not as sharp as you trying to change the subject." Vex looked at Zia unimpressed.
"That dragon." Keyleth's voice sounded from within the dome of vines, panicked and shaken. Ending Vex and Zia's argument before it could take root. She sat still in her dome of vines knees bent underneath her as she trembled. "Vex is right. It wanted us dead. We almost... died."
"Except we didn't die." Pike walked over to her and rested her hands on the other druids shoulders. "Because of you, Keyleth. You hear me? We're alive because of you."
"It's true." Zia looked to Keyleth as she was guided out of her vine dome. "Real good spell casting."
"Heh, thanks, Zia." Keyleth smiled at her, but frowned as her eyes shifted to Grog. He was wounded.
"Grog." Keyleth's eyes held concern. "You're hurt."
"Nah." The giant was quick to deny the claim. "Just a flesh wound."
"The dragon got you that bad?" Keyleth wasn't swayed by the denial one bit.
"Nah." Grog denied again, but this time he winced. "Crystals got me."
"Damnit. Evidentially one of us did get skewered. " Vex glared Zia's way. "You need to do better Zia, those gloves only mitigate so much."
"It's no big. Don't give her shit." Grog groaned as he lifted his hand. "Question: Is this normal?" As he lifted his arm blood poured from his room as if he was a tankard of ale.
"Oh, no. -" Percy took a step back from the stream of blood-and pulled Zia back with him as well, saving her boots from getting splattered with blood.
"Holy sh¡t." Vax remarked in unease.
"I'm gonna throw up." Keyleth was queasy.
Pike stepped forwards, necklace clutched in her fist. Her other hand glowing with a golden light. "Hold still, old friend. I got you."
Pike shut her eyes, and the others watched on. Zia slunk a little still in Percy's hold. She was happy her friend's wounds were being healed, but there was a part of her that was envious of Pike in that moment. Her hands could heal- Zia's own they could only hurt. She felt Percy squeeze her arms- perhaps in a show of comfort, but Zia took it as a sign that she was leaning a bit too heavily on him and stepped out of his arms.
"Oh, I feel better already." Grog remarked as soon as he was fully healed and Pike lowered her hand from his ribs.
"Thanks, Pike. You're the best." Grog grinned down at the gnome.
"You also don't look so good..."Zia noted pressing towards the pair. "...Pike? You okay?"
"Yeah..." Pike began, beginning to appear unsteady on her feet. "That... took a lot out of me."
She fell back but Scanlan was already there to catch her. "I got you."
"Oh. Uh, thanks." Pike's eyes flicked away from his face. Very aware of all of the rest of the group still watching them. "Oh, uh, you can put me down now."
"Oh. Yeah." Scanlan cleared his throat and let her straighten up. He rubbed a hand at the back of his head. "Uh... yeah."
"All right, fսck Uriel and all of this, we're done here." Vax brushed some dirt off his shoulder and crossed his arms. "We didn't sign up for certain death."
"Must I remind you we gave our word to the council?" Percy spoke up in protest. "That should probably mean something."
"Oh, who gives a soggy anսs about the council?" Scanlan was quick to protest. "The only word I care about is "Scanlan Shorthalt." And yes, I know that's two words, Zia, but you know what I'm saying. You all do. Even Grog."
"Yeah." Grog agreed. "What have those fuckity-fucks ever done for us?" Grog began to complain. "Except give us a job and a bunch of gold and treasure and stuff?"
"And a mystery monster that was seemingly worse than they thought." Zia reminded.
"We've fought a lot of things... " Keyleth spoke up from where she clutched her staff. "but a dragon? An actual dragon?"
"It's not about the council, or the contract... it's about these people." Pike looked around imploringly. "They need us. We can't just run away."
"This is why I hate traveling with holy people. They're too goddamned good." Percy pinched at his nose. "And what's your stance, Zia? Taking Pike's side in this again no doubt."
"I..."Zia hesitated, shifting awkwardly. "I don't know. Running actually seems pretty good to me right now. Maybe that's what we should get the townspeople to do too. We could tell them to evacuate? That the area isn't safe and we did all we could?"
"What?" Pike's eyebrows rose incredulously. "Since when do you want to run from a fight?How can you say we've done everything? We fought that thing one measly time. These people aren't going to just leave their homes and livelihoods behind."
"What's the alternative? Have them lay in wait to die or be picked up as a roasted snack? When the dragon left-it took a shitload of my crystal in its paw....and-and the way it grabbed me...I think it wanted to take me. I'd rather not give it another chance. Hiding might be the best way to go for everyone."
"You can't be serious. Z, Cmon, you can take that thing!" Pike protested, as she looked from the statuette to the others around her. "We can all take that overgrown lizard. We just have to get the drop on it."
"Pike... this creature is beyond us. Zia has a right to be fearful. When Vax and I were young, one of those monsters killed our mother. I've studied dragons my entire life, hoping to find the one that did it. I can... feel when they're close. A horrid pain in my head."
"Then it's settled." Percy nodded his head. "We'll go back to the palace and get out of the contract."
"You don't understand, Percy." Vex denied. "I felt it there, too, at the palace."
"Y-You're just telling us this now?"
I'm sorry. I... I wasn't certain until the dragon... It's been years since Mother...
Are you sure, Vex'ahlia?
I know what I felt. Someone on the council must have been in contact with the dragon, or... I don't know, but I-I'm sure it was real."
"I think it must've been." Zia spoke up. "At the palace, I-I thought it was just nerves, and maybe it actually was, but I felt watched. The same feeling crept up on me here in the woods right before the dragon showed."
"Dragons do tend to like eyeing pretty little stones," Scanlan frowned at Zia. "Not that I blame 'em." Scanlan angled his head, towards that statuette but getting his ass kicked had left the flirtation rather muted.
"The best thing we and the villagers can do is get out of this things sights." Zia insisted, voice firm.
"Then we walk away from all of this. It's not worth it. You heard her. My sister too." Vax spoke up a final time. "One of them castle fuckers might be working with that monster. Let's just get the hell out of here and never set foot in Emon again. Can we all agree on that?"
Vax turned away from the group with Vex'ahlia at his side. Percy and Zia followed. Scanlan and keyleth soon after. Grog lifted Pike on his shoulders and they too began to make their way back through the forest towards town.
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I know, I know, my chapters are short, sorry, but my life's been a bit crazy with my summer job. Next chapter will be longer though! As that'll be them journeying back to the town and to the castle and whatnot. I'm debating if they should steal transport or not. But it's definitely going to be mostly original and they'll be lots more Zia content!
1. What are you looking to learn about Zia?
2. Who would you like to see Zia interact with?
3. Should Zia and Percy do more kissing?
4. If I wrote a book where vox reacted to the contents of this story would you read it?
5. Anything else you'd like to ask, rant, and or tell me!