These Roads We Walk -- First Interlude
Author's Note: We'll get back to the rest of the story in the next update, which will be much longer than these planned interludes. For now, a seemingly unrelated event.
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ELSEWHERE -- ???
The dragon yelped and whined more like a dog than the creature it was, battering itself anxiously against the wards and protective magical shields that lined the enclosure. It was young and stupid, mind stunted by constant magical experimentation, and would never achieve the greatness of it's cousins, would likely be killed for it's disfigured mind to hide any disgrace to the species if it crossed path with another of it's kin. It was still massive and deadly, however, and it's talons scrabbled at the rock floor, gouging out chunks in it's eagerness. The keening it made was almost deafening in the space, and ropes of saliva spurred on by long periods of starvation hung from it's open jaws.
The tall, thin man tilted his head back towards the lip of the pit. "I'd really rather you didn't do this."
"I'm sure you would." came the ingratiating, mellifluous voice from above. "What a pity I have to anyway."
The thin man's companion snorted. "Don't waste your time with that one. He'd sooner lick the hind end of a dwarf than he would turn against his master."
"I know." said the thin man, almost apologetically. "But I had to give him the chance. How would you feel if later he said we'd never given him the opportunity."
Another snort, this one even more disdainful. "I'd say, rather pleased with myself."
The dragon opened it's jaws and belched forth a steam of acid in frustration. Although it was ineffective against the wards that still held it back from the two figures less than fifty feet away, it was still potent enough to slough the skin off the body of a man.
"Is this how you thought it would end?" came the voice from above again, inquiringly. "I'd like to know, so I can tell people when they ask what became of you."
"No." said the thin man honestly. "And I still don't. We'll find them, you know."
There was a speculative sort of silence -- a silence if one didn't count the din from the increasingly frustrated dragon. It snapped and bit at it's own flanks in anger, eyes bright with madness and hunger.
"No." said the voice finally, with a note of satisfaction. "You know, I really don't think you will. I'm dreadfully sorry about this."
"This," said the thin man's companion to nobody in particular in tones of deep disgust, "is just one of the reasons I hate mages. But only one."
"You'll have to tell me about the rest some time." commiserated the thin man.
An instant later, as the magical wards were dropped, and the dragon screamed in triumph, thundering forward ungainly with none of the grace of it's kind, both men bolted in opposite directions.
For a time, there was only chaos.