Stolen Away
As they got back from the spring, Roland's joints started aching again, much to his annoyance. He could fly easily enough, but the pain made it not worth it. He didn't think he'd be doing anything intensive for a while.
But hey, he'd made a new friend in the form of a dreadwing. He couldn't complain. At least he hadn't been ground into little pieces by the thousands of fangs lining Bone Grinder's mouth. He'd never seen so many pointy bits on anything before. It freaked him out.
He alighted on the stone, the entrance to the sewers, with Ashlyn right behind him. Myrtle hadn't been very supportive of the idea that Roland wanted to see the dreadwing again, out of pure curiosity, and had left for the city a little vexed. Roland was sure Bone Grinder wouldn't just attack him the next time he came back, though. Why would he listen to him then and not later? The dreadwing had hugged him, for crying out loud!
Meanwhile, Ashlyn didn't have anything to add, and only followed in contemplative silence. Sure, naturally, they'd disagree with his intentions, but he was far too excited by the prospect of this friendly beast. Roland knew he was being far too trusting of Bone Grinder, but there would only be one way to find out if he truly wasn't aggressive towards him.
The more he thought on it, the more excited he became. Strangely, it brought back memories of asking his parents for a pet bird. One day, he'd just been so fascinated by the little critters – he'd made a little nest (although shoddy) and everything for one. He kept asking and asking, yet his parents only declined. His father seemed to have all the power in the decision. He was the one who kept saying it was too much work. His mum agreed nonchalantly, too focused on her own thoughts to care.
He didn't really think he could compare the dreadwing to a pet, though. Bone Grinder was a huge, aggressive, feral beast, with a gullet full of needles and talons that ripped through flesh like thin parchment. The name definitely did him justice. That just made him want to look into dreadwings in spite of the terror, though. He wasn't exactly sure how much information he'd find, especially since the library wouldn't let the infamous Red Rodent wander inside, but he would definitely try.
As he walked down the halls of the sewers, he was reminded of the attack again in the market square. That dreadwing had ripped everything to shreds. This one could so easily pick him up and turn him to paste... He shivered at the thought, but he remained excited. It was too strange to just be a coincidence. The dreadwing only liked him. Why was that?
Was Harper right about him being connected somehow to all this? Maybe it was the lack of an element that made the dreadwing passive towards him. They loved the taste of them, apparently. Maybe it didn't go on a frenzy when it couldn't sense it. And, again, the dreadwing had listened to and hugged him.
Bone Grinder had seemed angry when he ran off, too. Maybe he'd been looking for the red dragon, and was furious his objective had tried to flee from him.
But that would connect Roland somehow to all this. And he didn't want that. It was just too coincidental.
He didn't like feeling special...
"You seem very focused on your thoughts, Roland," Ashlyn said a bit later. "Is it... m-me? I-I'm sorry for yelling, I just have a bad temper and–"
"No, I'm thinking about Bone Grinder, Ashlyn." Roland stopped at the little crevice Ashlyn called her room. It barely had enough room for her. She didn't realise it, but he'd been leading her over this way for a reason. "He's got me real confused."
"Roland, I... really think you should just forget about it." Her eyes were apologetic. Roland shook his head, but she kept going anyway. "I-it's a wild animal. You can't just trust it so easily. What if it hurts you, or worse? It could've so easily done that when you were there. You're extremely lucky."
She almost sounded like a worried mother when she put it that way.
"I can't just forget about it, Ashlyn. There's been too many weird things happening lately, and I'm desperate for answers. And the only lead I've got for any of the bullshit happening is that dreadwing."
"Look, Roland, I... I don't want you to get hurt," she exclaimed.
Roland just smiled.
"It's cute you're worried about my well-being."
She tensed up at that one, and she seemed to realise she did. She'd gotten attached to these sewers pretty quickly.
"But seriously, don't worry. I'm just another dumb thief. What's it to the world if they lose someone so insignificant? People die everyday."
"Th-that's a horrible thing to say!" She looked at him with more concern than he'd ever seen in a dragon's eyes. He didn't feel that important, but Ashlyn seemed to think he was insane for uttering such a thing. "You matter just as much as anyone else, Roland. Don't let anybody ever tell you otherwise."
"Eh... maybe that was little over the top," he said, shrugging. "Anyway, enough of that. I've been wanting to talk to you about this for a while." He gestured towards the hole in the wall. "You need to get out of that hole. You need a room."
"I-I thought all the rooms were taken after looking at them all. They're all furnished differently and all feel really personal. I thought I'd be doing everyone a service by not taking their beds."
"Pfft, there's hardly anyone here most of the time." Roland laughed. "They come back to drop off goodies for us every now and then, and sleep a little, but otherwise they don't stay here. You cannot sleep in that hole and be comfortable. If someone comes back and screams at you for taking their room, tell them to direct themselves to me. I'll give them a piece of my mind."
"B-but that feels really rude..." She looked to the floor.
How polite that she'd rather everyone be comfortable. She was being way too polite to the people that weren't even here, however.
"Listen, it's probably more comfortable out on the streets than in that tiny gap." He would've been stern, but making Ashlyn mad wasn't on the table. "We're finding you a room. Come o–"
"Rolan'!" a voice called. He turned to the interruption. It was that kid who'd been trying to thieve Carolin's plush cheetah a while back. He was one of the only people Roland didn't know the name of down here, despite being here most of the time; he'd just never bothered to ask. The little fire-breather had Carolin's toy held in his claws. "P-please! Help! S-someone h-hurt her, and–"
"Woah, slow down." Roland knelt down to get on his level. The dragon's orange eyes were shining with tears. "What happened? Who was hurt?"
"Carolin!" he exclaimed, thrusting his wings straight into the air. "Sh-she–"
Roland swallowed hard. Who in their right mind would...
Oh no. He didn't...
Not after everything before. Not now. Not her...
Roland got up, gaze stormy. He breathed, but it came out hitched.
"Where is she now?"
"J-just around the corner, she–"
"Thanks." Without another word, he stormed forward, barely able to keep his anger contained. The strings on his growing resentment for Seth had been pulled too far. The cords had snapped. His chest burned with a volatile rage.
Seth had already gone too far with Drevon. But this was irredeemable. Roland wouldn't take this anymore.
He was done with it. And so was Seth. That brown dragon was no more in his eyes. His scales were as dark as his heart.
Before, he'd been willing to accept an apology. But now, that would no longer cut it.
It was time for Seth to leave.
Roland turned down the corner. He hardly noticed Ashlyn behind him, trying to grab his attention.
"Roland, y-you need to stop! Seth's stronger than–"
"I have had enough of this, Ashlyn!" He didn't bother turning to her. "I'm done with it. I'm sick of his shit. He's not the dragon I used to know."
"Don't do anything rash, Roland. You–"
"Just shut up..."
"Rol–"
"SHUT UP!"
Fire blazed in his eyes, and he was hoping that would scare Ashlyn away. She narrowed hers, though, snatching him by the throat, glaring, face centimetres from his. He could only just breathe.
"Let g–"
"You listen to me, Roland." Her tongue could slice steel in half. He shivered under her touch. "Stop this shit. Calm down. He'll see your anger and he'll use it against you. You're smarter than this, and you know you are. Don't be a reckless dumb-arse."
"But he–"
"No. Fucking. Buts. Stop this right now. Breathe, Roland."
She'd silence a dreadwing with those words. Roland did as he was told.
"I'm mad, too," she said, the poison leaving her system. She let go of his neck, and she even looked sorry she'd done such a thing, but the glare remained. She had a temper, one easily shattered, and he kept on forgetting that. "Carolin's been one of the kindest people I've ever met. I just don't want you getting yourself hurt. Seth won't give a damn if you hit him. He'll hit back harder. Let's just try to solve this calmly... alright?"
He breathed. In, then out. He looked down, then back at Ashlyn. The flames dissipated as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving only embers of hatred for the brown dragon.
Anger wouldn't get him anywhere. He was stupid to think so. It was wrong to think he still wasn't a little mad, however.
"...Alright."
"Good." She started leading the way. Roland followed a step behind her. "Let's hope Carolin's not hurt too badly."
They rounded the corner, the sewer stretching into a wide compartment before them. Two murky streams coursed down the sides, the middle made completely of cobblestone. Carolin sat in the centre, paw clasped against her head, and another dragoness – he believed it was Leurona, the one who'd brought Ashlyn to the sewers – tried to comfort her. He knew Leurona for crazy antics, but her blue face was dead serious now. She held a piece of steel in one paw, speckled with blood, and she seemed to be examining it.
Roland and Ashlyn rushed towards the two; Seth wasn't in sight. He'd run off once again, left everybody else to pick up the pieces he'd left in ruin behind. Roland knelt as he reached a teary-eyed Carolin. Behind her paw, he could see a sticky red coursing from the side of her head and down her cheek.
"Seth hit her with this," Leurona said, holding the slice of metal up. It was thick and, shockingly, barbed. It could've shattered Carolin's skull had he hit the wrong place. "I hope you don't mind my language, but... he's an arsehole. This is just wrong on so many levels."
"We've already established that," Roland replied, putting a paw on Carolin's shoulder. She didn't look up at the new touch, focused on her blood steadily dripping onto the ground. "Carolin? Are you okay? ...No, stupid question. Where's Drevon?"
Carolin didn't respond. Her head moved slightly from side to side. Ashlyn waved a paw in front of Carolin's eyes, and only then did she look up. She didn't look straight at her, though, instead into the empty space of the pipe.
Ashlyn shook her head. "I think she might have a serious concussion. She needs spirit gems and a bed. Can you do that for her, Leurona?"
"I have a few gems of my own. And to answer your question, Roland, I haven't seen Drevon around. Last I saw he was flying somewhere." She wrapped a wing around Carolin's frame and lifted her to her feet. Carolin's legs buckled under the immediate stress, and she whimpered in pain. "Hey, Kage, get over here and help me out!"
The little orange dragon had been waiting around the corner the entire time, but now he came sprinting to help. He did struggle to get his wing around Carolin, being a tiny bit smaller than her, but his strength was of use to Leurona who was only just a little bigger than Carolin.
"Where did Seth go?" Roland peered down the corridor, but there was still no sign of him. Part of him had been hoping he'd show up to confront them about this.
"He went down there." Leurona pointed down the hall and to the left. At least, I was walking the other way when he passed me, and that's when I found Carolin."
"Thanks," Ashlyn said, standing up. Leurona nodded.
"C'mon, Carolin. You've been hit pretty bad." She and Kage walked down the pipe until they turned the corner, in the opposite direction Seth had gone. Roland stared after her for what felt like a minute.
"She'll be fine. She just needs a lot of rest." Ashlyn's smile was reassuring, he couldn't deny that. The confidence just seemed to come out of nowhere with her. It was almost like meeting a new person everyday. But he guessed that was just her. She obviously felt the need to be confident and commanding in this situation. "Now, come on. You need to talk some sense into that brown dragon – you know him better than anyone – but first we've got to find him."
They didn't run, but their pace was quick nonetheless. The place Roland assumed Seth would go was the office, and so he turned down that way. The door was fast approaching. Now that he wasn't blinded by rage, he felt scared walking down this way.
He'd been hoping Seth would give in to his rage earlier. Expected it, even. But that was idiotic to believe. Seth wouldn't just back down. He was stubborn.
But Roland needed to succeed. Seth had to go. He'd done too much.
For Drevon and for Carolin, he'd make it so.
He placed his paw on the door handle, grip quivering. Ashlyn looked at him and noticed his apprehension, and only gave him another smile. It was reassuring enough. He'd have somebody with him every step of the way.
"Let's do this," he said, and turned the handle.
The office was dark. Seth's lantern wasn't lit. For a second, Roland thought there was no sign of him, but Seth's form was faint in the darkness. He was behind the desk in the centre, his spine to the back wall. He didn't look up from his position as they entered.
Roland had had a few words in mind, but he faltered when he saw him like that. He carefully reached for the electric lantern and flicked it on, his eyes unmoving from Seth's position. The light barely glowed. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it a few moments later. Ashlyn shuffled awkwardly beside him.
"What do you want, Roland?" Seth spoke. He seemed to choke on the words, and his voice was nasally.
Roland trod very carefully around the room to Seth's position. He cleared his throat. Just looking at the brown dragon angered him, but... there was something different about him that Roland couldn't quite see in the lamplight. "...You need to stop, Seth."
Still, Seth didn't look up, his eyes pinned to the ground. As Roland got closer, he realised Seth was missing part of a horn, and there was a small dent in the stone wall above him. The piece that'd snapped off lay a few metres from him. A dragon's pride, shattered.
"I can't," Seth said. Roland stopped where he was. Ashlyn wasn't following him anymore, waiting in the doorway. She didn't try to interrupt.
"Why?" Roland asked. "It's wrong, and I think you know it."
"Because I don't want to get hurt."
His answer confused the red drake at first, but then he knew what he spoke of.
"You're scared of Drevon, aren't you?"
Seth didn't react for a few moments. He didn't make a move. "...Yes. I am."
Seth was more so now than he'd ever been. He'd been fearful of the power Drevon contained, but when Drevon was pushed to his limit, he'd witnessed that full force. He'd nearly died because of it.
"And now I realise I've fucked up more than ever," Seth continued. "I didn't even want to hit her. She approached me about her brother, and... I just couldn't handle thinking about him. I've felt so alone for a long time... My mother used to tell me it was okay to do what you want to get what you want all the time. It felt... good, when I was down, when I was scared. Now I know that's just wrong."
Surprisingly, Roland found his words genuine. Even if Seth sounded genuine, though, he was still ready for anything the brown dragon would throw at him. He couldn't be trusted so easily. "You could've killed her, Seth. Very, very easily. You hit her with a block of barbed steel."
"I know. That's why I'm in here, hiding from it."
Roland didn't remove his gaze from Seth as he walked to cracked shard of silver horn on the ground. He took the piece in his paw, and studied it and Seth with the corner of his eye. An act of self-loathing.
"Why did you smash your head against the wall?" he questioned. Seth's breath shook.
"I don't deserve it. To be a dragon. We're the most powerful creatures in the world, Roland, but I've only used that power to do awful things." Seth finally looked up. His eyes shone with tears. "I've rammed into the wall behind me so many times before this. T-today it finally broke."
Roland sat on the floor, discarding the brittle shard. "Drevon would never willingly hurt anyone, Seth. Purple dragons have never had a good reputation, no. But other than a few more elements than you, he's just a normal dragon."
"That dark power, though, Roland... Aren't you afraid?"
Roland leaned against the wall, eyeing the doorway. Ashlyn had since left the room to the two of them. He was sure she was just waiting outside, however. "No, I never have been. It's his dark side. We all have one. As long as we all keep each other happy, though, it'll never have to be brought out. That's what I've always wanted to have down here. More than wealth. I might be greedy, but I'll always put everyone else above greed. But you going around and doing what you've done..."
Seth's eyes fell to the floor once again. The room was quiet, except for his occasional shaky breath.
"Even after all that, I... I still want you to be happy, Seth." It was the truth. Roland found he did still care, if only slightly. Maybe if Seth was happy, he'd stop what he was doing. The red dragon didn't know if he wanted to wait and see, though. "...Drevon wants to be normal like the rest of us, you know. He would never let dark aether consume him on purpose. He's scared of it, Seth. And you were the one to bring it out. If you think trying to scare him will hold it back, you're wrong. You're just making it worse. You're making everyone's life more diff–"
"I've realised all that, okay?!" Seth raised his voice. For once, though, the anger left him quicker than ever. "Just... what if it comes out one day, and nobody's at fault? It happened to Spyro. It could happen to him."
"I believe in Drevon not to succumb to that," Roland said. "Drevon's a perfectly fine person if you get to know him. He's just like any of us, Seth. Just another thief."
Seth didn't say a word. He didn't seem to believe Roland at all. The red dragon exhaled.
If Seth couldn't believe that Drevon was a good person at heart, there was really only one option.
"Look, if you have a problem with Drevon," Roland began, "then you've gotta leave. I'm not making Drevon go anywhere over purple scales. If he really scares you that much..."
"Yeah, I was waiting for you to say it." Seth sighed. Roland didn't really feel like he needed to continue, but he did anyway.
"You're the one with the problem. It might do you better to get away from here if I'm being honest. If you can't deal with Drevon's presence, this is your best option. And I really don't want you to stay only to keep hitting him, to satisfy yourself."
Seth nodded. "I understand... Roland, I... I was planning to, anyway. I didn't want to tell you. I knew what my issue was and I just couldn't help it. So, I need to get away from it. That's all there is to it."
Roland was kind of shocked he had been planning to go after all this time. It made him feel bad for telling Seth himself.
"I'll get going now," Seth said, lifting himself to his feet. He started walking past Roland. "I'll find someplace else. It's for the best."
Roland didn't know what to say. His mind was full of questions, but none of them would leave his mouth. Seth had been wanting to leave of his own accord. He could barely register that.
"You can keep everything in here." Seth pointed to the entirety of the office. "My gift to you..." He walked through the door. "See ya, Roland."
Roland was about to tell him to wait up, but Seth poked his head back in a second later. "Oh, before I go. I... left a little something in the top drawer of the desk for you. It was supposed to be a birthday present, to make up for everything, but I'm not gonna be around to give it to you. It's getting cold, Roland."
"S-Seth, wait–"
"I-I'm sorry, Roland, for... everything."
Then, without another word, he left, leaving Roland alone in the gloom.
He felt like he'd betrayed Seth somehow.
Seth had only ever been frightened. If he'd realised that and hadn't thought up all those other reasons, maybe he could've stopped all this earlier.
Maybe Seth had never really had to leave. Maybe he could...
"He never wanted any of this..."
Roland peered after him one last time, a brown speck that faded seconds later. He almost ran after him, but his legs held firm.
No, Seth had left. It was done. There was no coming back.
"See you, Seth."
He fell to his hindquarters. Ashlyn stepped through the door, the surprise apparent in her eyes.
"It was just like that, huh?" she asked. "Gone?"
"Yep."
"N-never coming back?"
"Yep."
"I... guess I overestimated what Seth would try to do to you."
Roland leaned his head against the wall Seth had smashed his against. He picked up the shard again, studying it carefully. The only memory left, the good inside of him.
Everything Seth had done to Drevon was terrible, no doubt about it. Roland still felt sickened Seth would do such a thing. He... loathed Seth for all that. He despised him more for bringing Carolin and himself into this. Those actions were inexcusable, no matter the reason.
At least Seth had tried to leave on a good note. Maybe he could've redeemed himself in time, but it was done now.
Roland made a move, throwing that piece of Seth leftover away. It was already weak, cracked, and crumbled as it hit the floor again. He paced over to the desk, Ashlyn eyeing him worriedly.
"Do you hate him?" she asked.
Roland opened the top drawer. Folded neatly inside was a thick red scarf, one that matched his scales perfectly, the end trimmed with a yellow that would accent his horns. It was like it'd been knitted specifically for him.
"I'll always hate him after what he did." Roland lifted the scarf and found a creased note underneath it. He picked that up as well. He read through Seth's final words.
'In the winter, we were always cold when we were younger. Remember when we used to huddle up next to my matchbox? How dumb we were, thinking a lit match could warm us up. We could never find anything to use as tinder, and someone would surely spot the smoke inside these confines.
Nevertheless, this will keep you warm. It's the least I could do. I hope it brings back good memories, not the stuff I've done in recent times. I just want you to smile again. Properly, Roland. An actual smile.
I'm so sorry.
Seth.'
"But," Roland continued, rubbing a paw against his eyes, "I can respect him for what he tried to do in the end. He at least deserves that."
"So, where did you go?" Roland asked, pacing down the pipelines. Drevon walked a few feet away from him. He'd only just gotten back from wherever he'd headed, and now they were moving towards their bedrooms. Roland had sat down with his pocket watch, which read midnight, in the entrance for some alone time.
"...Nowhere, bud. Just over the seas for a bit." He shrugged. "I flew around for a little while. And... then I had another hallucination, while I was in the sky."
Roland's interest was piqued. "What did you see?"
He sighed. "Fire. Lots and lots of fire, Roly. Firemore was burning."
Roland's eyes widened. "I had that exact same vision..."
"Visions and hallucinations are different things, bud," Drevon said, looking over at him. Roland could swear he saw a faint smirk trace his mouth. For once, Drevon was the one with answers. He probably was well-versed on the subject, considering he received them both frequently. "Visions transport your mind to other places. You can see them, hear them, even taste them sometimes. Hallucinations are just things I see when I'm out and about. They're distracting, but they don't make me fall unconscious like visions."
"Well, I saw Firemore ablaze, too," Roland replied, trying to relate. "I was inside it, though, and I could hear people screaming. There was this black shadowy thing with white eyes."
"Just saw everything on fire for a bit, I did. I had to blink a few times before it went away. And I was so distracted, I almost fell into the water. I was flying pretty low."
Roland lifted a brow. "You shouldn't be flying low against the water, Drevon. That's sea serpent territory out there. Those things will snap up at you and swallow you whole. Exports here have a hard enough time keeping to the shallow parts of the sea."
"I do know the routes, actually," Drevon said, shrugging again. "But yeah, you've got a point."
They fell silent. Drevon didn't seem to know what to say, and neither did Roland. There was this awkward air between them that Roland found peculiar. They were never usually this quiet.
Drevon looked in thought, with the way he stared blankly forward. That excitable purple dragon didn't generally think so deeply, but he had been doing that for quite some time now. It pained Roland to not see him happy anymore. These past weeks had changed him.
Roland decided he really didn't like that change. As irritating as Drevon's previous excitability had been to him, he still loved that far more than the depressing aura he carried now. And when Drevon caught him looking at him, Roland thought the purple dragon sensed the awkwardness silencing them too, and tried to lift his head and put on a small smile.
He only sighed in response.
"Roland..." Drevon started. He was in thought still, but probably for something to spice up their conversation. "That's a... really nice scarf you've got there. Where did you get it? I guess it is getting a bit cold."
He'd forgotten he'd even been wearing it. Then he remembered he needed to tell Drevon the news.
"No, it was a parting gift... from Seth."
Drevon looked taken aback. The red drake wasn't too sure how Drevon would react to such a thing.
"Parting gift?" he asked. "You mean he left?"
"Yep. Exactly that." They finally arrived at Roland's door. He already had his paw on the handle. He was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. "He thought it was the right thing to do. He... was scared of you, Drevon."
Drevon shrugged. Somehow, he didn't sound relieved at all. "You know, I... I kind of figured. People were scared of Spyro's darkness. It only makes sense somebody's scared of mine. It was the things he was saying to me. You weren't there, but he said all sorts of things about how I was going to destroy everything and... I don't really want to think about it, Roland. Weird of him to just pack up and leave... Did he do anything after I left?"
"Yeah, he hit Carolin with a block of steel," he said calmly. The purple drake's head jerked towards his.
"What!?" he exclaimed. "Is she okay!?"
"Y-yeah, she's fine!" he hurriedly explained. "Ashlyn thinks she's got a concussion, though. She's resting right now, and Leurona's watching over her. I really don't think we should disturb–"
"No, I need to check on her." Defiantly, Drevon jogged towards her room, on the very far end of the pipe they were in. Roland exhaled and ran after him. He desired no more than the warmth of his bed, but he didn't exactly want an aching Carolin to deal with her fretful brother for too long. He should've been expecting this as soon as he told him.
Drevon stopped at her door and put his head up against it, listening for Carolin. He wasn't satisfied with that, though, and before Roland could tell him to leave her be for now, he opened the door with almost a barge.
"Carolin?" Drevon called. "You in here?"
Roland's tired eyes swept across the room, but he found only darkness, the lamps attached to the walls not reaching the end of this pipe. Carolin kept a wax candle on a bookshelf next to her door, however, and he'd struck a match by the time Drevon had stopped walking around the room.
Her room consumed by firelight, Roland looked to her bed, but was startled out of his exhausted daze when he saw a figure right beside it. Leurona had been watching over her, but now he saw her unconscious on the floor. Had she been knocked out?
He nearly approached, then realised he was being an idiot. No, she'd just fallen asleep. It was midnight after all. A youngish dragoness like her wouldn't have the energy to stay up on watch, not that she really needed to down here.
There was a dragon-like lump in the bed, anyway. Carolin was deep in her sheets, swallowed whole by them. Drevon had made his way over to the side of her bed.
"Carolin," he spoke again, placing a paw where her shoulder would've been. "Wake up."
The green dragoness didn't even stir. She definitely had been needing this rest. Drevon did go too far, Roland thought, when he pulled the covers off her body. Why couldn't he just leave her–
Drevon gasped, putting a paw to his muzzle. Intrigued by his concern, Roland walked over and got a better look at what was there. Or rather, what wasn't
That lump in her bed had been no more than a few pillows. Drevon ripped them off her bed and found absolutely nothing.
She was gone.
"You said she was resting!" Drevon said, looking towards him with frightened, almost blaming eyes. "She shouldn't be up at a time like this, especially not with a concussion!"
"Well, I don't know where she went!" Roland flared his wings. "Leurona was supposed to watch over her, but she's fallen asleep. She probably just went out on a walk."
"W-well, like... don't assign somebody so young to watch her!"
"I didn't really have much of a choice, considering Seth was the main priority!"
"You could've taken over when you were done! I trust you more!"
Leurona groaned and the two dragons looked over. She had a paw to her forehead.
"Ouch... My head..."
Drevon turned around, desperately hoping Leurona would have an answer to this problem. It would only be futile, though, considering she'd been asleep.
"Leurona!" Drevon startled her with the frantic calling of her name. "Where did Carolin go?!"
"W-wait, what?" Leurona angled her head, and then looked over to the bed. Her eyes widened. "...Oh, shit."
"So, you don't know?" Roland rushed over to the other side of the bed. She looked like she was in serious head trauma.
"N-no... Somebody hit me hard in the head. Ouch..."
Roland's heart skipped a beat. "Wait, what?"
"I must have been knocked out..."
He had assumed correctly before. And if Carolin was gone, that meant...
That meant somebody had taken her!
Drevon didn't seem to know what to think. He was in utter shock. Leurona realised what her explanation meant only moments after. And Roland felt like he couldn't move.
Who in the name of the Ancestors would take Carolin?! First she'd been whacked in the skull with a block of steel, and now she'd been stolen away from them!
He breathed, trying to calm himself. He remembered Ashlyn telling him that when he got angry earlier. It definitely helped. "O-okay," he started a few seconds later. "Let's not assume the worst just yet. You never know, m-maybe they had good intentions."
"Roland, that's completely fucking stupid!" Drevon yelled. Roland wasn't at all taken aback by his shout. He'd expected that, but he did feel like an idiot for suggesting such a thing when he thought harder about it. "Who would just knock somebody out if they didn't have bad intentions?! Someone's kidnapped her!"
"M-maybe she... knocked Leurona out herself?"
"She couldn't hurt a dragonfly, Roland!"
"Stop arguing!" Leurona shouted above them. "And Roland, stop being stupid!" The smaller dragoness had a voice bigger than the pair of them. She looked at Carolin's little clock, sitting beside a lamp on a small cupboard. "I was hit five or ten minutes ago. They can't have gone far, and we're wasting time just standing here!"
"You're right," Roland replied. "Leurona, who's here in the sewers?"
"Myrtle, Kage, Flare, Trix, you, me, and him. I'll round them up."
"What about Ashlyn?" She wouldn't be out at this time, surely. She liked her sleep.
Leurona shrugged. "She said she went out for a walk and hasn't come back. I'm sort of worried, honestly. She kept saying things about you before she left, Roland. I think she wanted to impress you by stealing something."
Roland was flattered, but now was no time to be worrying about that. They had a dragoness to find before it was too late.
"Alright. We'll all go through the moleholes, because I didn't see anyone come through the entrance. Look for any sign of Carolin."
"Got it." With that, Leurona rushed off, sprinting down the corridors. Roland looked to Drevon.
"She better be fine. If not..."
Roland put a paw to his shoulder. "I'm sure she's okay. They haven't gone far with her. We'll get her back."
Drevon stormed off, tripping Roland up. "We better..."
Roland really did hope so. He knew it was not only Carolin at stake here. It was his friend, too. Roland could only imagine what would happen to Drevon if he lost his little sister.
He didn't want to imagine it.
There was absolutely no sign of her anywhere. The more they looked, the more panicked Drevon became, and the less hope Roland had. Firemore was a huge city, almost as enormous as the great dragon city to the south. It occurred to Roland that searching the vast breadth of his hometown would take aeons if they couldn't find her this night.
Drevon hadn't stopped jogging aimlessly through the night. Roland kept close, but running forever into the thick gloom of Firemore's older streets was taking its toll on him. Every muscle in his body had already been aching, and he felt as if his bones were about to collapse in on themselves.
It had been hours of running. Roland had only kept up for the hope they'd find Carolin quickly, but the darkness had eaten her. Drevon, once again, called out his sister's name.
"Carolin! Where are you?!"
Nobody came.
Roland stopped as soon as they happened upon a street light, a rusty iron bench right beside it. He'd run a marathon already. Drevon came skidding to a halt, and rushed over to Roland.
"No, we can't stop running, Roland! We have to find her!"
"D-Drevon." He gasped for air. "J-j-just... give me a second."
"The longer we wait, the less time we'll have!" he exclaimed, pulling on his best friend's leg attached to the bench. Roland kicked his paw away. Drevon was taken aback by his aggression.
Roland held onto the bench for support, wiping his brow of sweat with the scarf wrapped around his neck. "I'm exhausted! We can't run forever, Drevon! It's been hours."
"She's still out there, Roland, we can–"
"Drevon!" he yelled. His desperate attempts to cling onto hope had finally failed him. His body was poisoned with grief and guilt. No amount of searching this night would ever find that green dragoness. "Sh-she's gone! I can't run anymore..."
"She is NOT being taken away from me!" Drevon shouted back. "If you won't keep going, then just fuck off!"
Roland's heart ached at those words. But he knew there was no point. It was a fruitless effort; it had always been in vain. "Drevon, you can't keep running; we're not getting anywhere. We need to sit down and–"
"FUCK OFF!" Drevon screamed, setting his body alight. He knelt down for a second before blasting off in a furious comet dash. Roland tried to grab at him, but he was far too late on that front, and would've been singed had he reached him.
His eyes fell to the ground. He couldn't blame the purple dragon. Carolin was his world.
That world had been ripped to shreds, though. They weren't finding her in this darkness, if not ever. She was gone...
He planted himself on the metallic bench. The black was thick, almost choking. It reminded him of Drevon and what he'd become. If Carolin was gone, then it would only come back. And Roland didn't know what to do about that. He wouldn't be able to convince Drevon again, not with his sister gone.
Not with him thinking she was dead.
Roland still clutched onto the belief that she wasn't yet. But the longer he waited, the more the light of hope shining through the cracks of his melancholy would dim and give way unto the night.
Minutes passed. Drevon hadn't come back. That purple dragon wouldn't stop at anything, not until his bones ached and his eyes closed. Roland knew it was time to give up, though. Nobody would help their guild find Carolin, nor would anyone be able to.
He felt a drop of rain hit his snout.
"Almost comical how well that's timed..."
The bench was low to the ground, so he dragged his tail along the ground. He scratched shapes into the stone with the edge of his tail blade.
There was a metallic jingle as the end of his tail knocked something skidding across the pavement. Just a stray coin, he thought, fallen out of an unfortunate soul's wallet. His curiosity got the better of him, however, and he just had to examine it. What else could he do?
He paced up slowly, and bent down to look at the rocky floor. It didn't turn out to be a coin, in fact. It was a ring, golden and embedded with a small sapphire. It might fetch a nice price on the market, but otherwise it was rubbish. Any greed had left him as despair took over. He decided to merely throw it away...
Almost.
His eyes scanned it further as memories flooded his mind. He'd seen this before.
"Wait, this is Ashlyn's ring," he said. The design was unmistakable. He'd never seen another of its kind. It shined so perfectly, just like the scales on that blue dragoness, in spite of her time in the sewers. It was recently polished, too, and that was enough to conclude it was hers.
He frowned. Ashlyn's ring out here? Had she lost it on the walk she'd taken? He ought to give it back to her. She'd be worried sick, knowing she'd lost something so valuable. He didn't know where it was from, but it was a trinket that definitely meant something to her. Oh, she'd be overjoyed to have it back.
He'd thought she was more careful than this, though. How would something so snug and tight on one of her toes fall off like this? She'd notice if it ever came came off.
"...Why did she go on such a long walk?" he asked himself. "It's the middle of the night now."
She hadn't been trying to get away from anything, as far as he knew, not like Drevon. Who would just go out like this? Maybe she was becoming one of their thieves who took to staying outside the sewers.
She hadn't seemed very insistent on going at all, though...
Maybe she was still trying to find a way to impress him, like Leurona said. He hoped she wasn't going to work herself too hard. She'd be buggered at this time.
He had no idea what to make of this anyway. He looked at the ring in his claws once again, and frowned, a single thought overpowering all.
"What if she took Carolin?"
As soon as he'd said it to himself he felt disgusted by the words. No, he couldn't be blaming her. That was just straight up wrong. She wasn't like that at all. As long as you didn't get on her bad side, she was one of the kindest, most polite dragons he knew. She would never just up and go with someone too weak to fight back.
He thought harder about it and his experiences with her. Their first meeting, she'd been very shy. He'd gotten used to that. But she'd mentioned something bad after he explained what they did in the sewers. He'd taken it as nothing then.
"No, Roland, it's nothing," he growled at himself. "Stop being a dickhead."
Her strange need to run off during the heist... Why had she done that again? Her old home, and she'd felt scared of the place?
He frowned. She had been pretty mysterious this whole time.
He was just about to call himself another name for thinking idiotically when there came a crack in the distance. Looking to the dim skies, he thought it was thunder, but the rain was still only a sprinkle and hadn't picked up yet. No, something had broken to the north of him, and it wasn't far away.
He wondered what before it came again, louder.
Roland decided to run after it, placing Ashlyn's ring in his pocket watch, the compartment big enough to house the small clock and the jewellery. He could go back and return her ring soon, after Drevon came back, of course. He had a noise to inspect first. Letting go of his thoughts, he jogged down the streets
Another crack, louder, closer, followed by a blast. Loose rock and dirt sprinkled across the ground. Roland was all too familiar with that noise. Earthen magic.
He stopped in his tracks.
It couldn't be him. Not after leaving... Was he really still at it?!
"L-let go!" a faint young voice cried, the rain growing thicker. Carolin! He didn't waste a second. It had all been a farce after all. Seth would never mean any of what he said. Roland sprinted around the corner and down the street the brown monster had taken her through.
"Carolin!" he called above the noise flooding his ears. He could barely hear himself, but the response he received rekindled the hope in his chest in an instant. An inferno of determination burned inside him.
"Roland!" she yelled back. "Hel–"
The rest was either cut off by the torrent now falling, or Seth shutting her mouth up. He was able to hear where she was, though. Not far now.
"I'm coming, Carolin! Hang in there!"
He dashed through the alleyway, hearing muffled feet scamper along the sopping ground. He leaped straight over the wall on the end and sprinted through to the other side. Seth couldn't run far, not with an injured dragoness by his side, pulling on her.
Roland would put an end to this, once and for all. This was as far as Seth would ever go again!
When he reached the other end of the street, he saw a jumble of bodies, one struggling to free herself, the other trying his damnedest to rush forth. They were taking the next alleyway. He'd surely corner Seth there. He wouldn't ever get over that wall with the dragoness weighing him down.
Seth did try to leap it, but he failed, clawing at the bottom. He looked to be panicking, and was helplessly struggling to hold onto the green dragoness. Roland bared his fangs and charged forward, the speed of the Ancestors behind his legs.
"R-Roland!" Carolin screamed again. He could see her desperate eyes now. Seth had stopped trying. He knew he was going to be cornered. He knew he was going to have to fight.
And Roland knew that, too. He hadn't fought a real battle in his life, but he charged in there as if he'd fought thousands.
"Stop!" a different voice yelled. It was the other dragon, but that feminine tone couldn't possibly be Seth's. Roland came grinding to a halt at the unexpected voice.
"J-just... stop."
Roland couldn't believe his eyes. Lit by an iron lamp on the side of the building, her eyes glimmered in the dim light.
"Ashlyn?"
"Roland, please!" Carolin yelled, her face soaked in the rain and tears. "Help m–"
Ashlyn put a paw over Carolin's muzzle and had her restrained in the grip of the her wing. "I-I'm s-sorry, Roland, b-but..." She could barely say the words. If Roland looked hard enough, he could see tears pricking at her own eyes as well. The fire growing in his veins couldn't be doused by even the downpour, however.
"What are you doing with her, Ashlyn!?" he yelled at her. "Let her go!"
Carolin's paws glowed, but Ashlyn immediately took note and slammed a paw into her gut. The green dragoness choked on her own element. Roland had half a mind to thrust his body into her right then.
"Roland, I-I... p-please let me expl–"
"Let her the fuck go, you monster!" he cut her off. All doubt had left him. It was her. And he didn't know what to think. "If you do anything to her, I'll make sure you fucking pay!"
He took a single step towards her, his entire body shivering with rage. Everything he'd known about her was a lie. She'd been lying to all their faces, just so she could get a hold of Carolin.
But why in the hell would she do that?!
"Roland, j-just–"
"You can explain right after you give her to me!" Yet another step. A few more, and he'd been in striking distance. And, if she didn't do anything this instant, that was exactly what he'd do. He didn't care if she was stronger; he would hit her as hard as he could.
She looked to him, defeated. Roland huffed. Tears flowed from Carolin's eyes.
He started shaking in fear, then. She had nothing more to say. That was scarier than whatever she'd been trying to tell him.
He breathed through clenched teeth.
"Let her go, Ashlyn."
Only a sob came from her muzzle.
"I-I'm sorry, Roland."
He thrust a paw forward as soon as she opened her mouth again. Carolin's eyes rolled in the back of her head as she choked, red splattering against rain-soaked stone. Roland rushed forward and barged Ashlyn out of the way, catching Carolin before she hit the ground.
She was limp in his paws, a sharp icicle driven through her skull. The warmth faded from her body. Emotionless, green eyes stared back into his.
He fell to his knees. His eyes watered.
Gone, in no more than a snap. Life ended before his very eyes. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, her body falling from his paws. He could only stare at that icicle and the gathering crimson around it, washing away. Her blood, her memories, everything, drained in the gutter.
"No..."
It was all he uttered. All he could utter. There were no words.
Carolin was gone. She was gone.
That young soul hadn't even lived, and here she was, a cold corpse on the ground.
He turned. He didn't even know what he would say to Ashlyn, but she wasn't there. She'd sprinted far, far away, before he could retaliate.
He clenched his fists.
He fell to his knees again in front of her, the rain melting the icicle. All that was left was a gaping, bloody hole. He thought he was going to vomit at the sight.
Scampering, wet paws met Roland's ears. He didn't bother turning. Drevon had been too late.
"Roland," the purple dragon said. "I heard you yelling and I–"
"She's dead, Drevon. Ashlyn killed her." Roland choked at the words. Drevon ran forward, stopping at his sister's feet.
"C-Carolin..."
Drevon's world crumbled. Everything he lived for was gone. He fell to his knees.
He wrapped two paws around Carolin. Roland draped a shaking wing over his best friend as he sobbed into his sister's shoulder.
Roland knew what it was like to see someone die. He'd seen those people in the market square. His mother had driven ice through her own skull. It was just fact that they were dead now. Nothing more than that.
But Carolin, a young friend, kind to all... he couldn't deal with that. She'd had so much more life to look forward to. She deserved that, more than anyone. And yet, here she was, slain by her own kindness.
She, of all dragonkind, shouldn't have died.
It should've been him...
It felt like hours before Drevon finally sat up. He wiped his eyes on his paw. He opened his maw, lip quivering.
"I... I'm going to find her," he said, voice tight. "And I am going to kill her. Mark my words, Carolin."
In all honesty, Roland felt Ashlyn deserved it. She fucking deserved it. She wasn't allowed to have that honour, to decide the fate of someone everyone cared for.
Drevon ran off once again into the night, and Roland didn't try to stop him this time. He didn't care anymore. Carolin was sitting dead right in front of him. Darkness, or no darkness, Roland didn't give a single shit.
All he did was lift himself up and walk away into the darkness, back to the sewers, the body of the one stolen away from them all hoisted onto his back.