Tabula Rasa: Adventures In A New World

“Hhhah...” The back of the Drakling’s hand brushes across her forehead, wiping away a few beads of sweat. “Is this right?”

Adeline anxiously shifts her weight back and forth between her short little legs. “Y-yes.” She softly stammers, those big hazel-brown eyes of hers glancing at some far off point on the other side of this garden as her trembling fingers idly tap together, nervously fiddling with nothing.

That absolutely adorable sight forces Krvavy to smile against her will. “Good.” She nonchalantly returns, doing her best to avoid bringing attention to how utterly naked they both are. Well, technically Krvavy is a bit more exposed than that tiny and timid blonde, but not by much at all. “We just need to do it a few more times now, yeah?”

The Halfling hastily nods, the loose and slightly askew bun on the back of her head bouncing alongside her big and floppy bunny ears.

It has been a long and slow process, but Adeline is getting accustomed to the constant nudity in and around their home. Sometimes she can treat it fairly casually, other times she is much more embarrassed. Today seems to be one of her more skittish days.

No doubt due, at least in part, to the fact that she is wearing nothing but a pair of gardening gloves.

Being completely and utterly naked is one thing. Choosing to then put on something small like shoes or gloves or another little accessory – doing nothing to cover up what normally would be covered – is an entire step beyond that. It is intentional. It makes that person’s nudity all the more obvious, all the more enticing~...

“W-w-wait!” Adeline suddenly and shakily shouts, the panic in her voice causing that distracted Drakling to jolt upright. “N-not there...!” The timid girl gasps, shrinking even further into herself. “Dig h-h-ere...”

Krvavy sharply exhales, the deafening beat of her heart rapidly drumming away in her ears, slowly slowing back down to a more normal pace. “Right... Sorry.”

The vaguely triangular head of a sturdy wooden shovel stabs into the ground, scooping up a sizable mound of stiff soil and shifting it aside. The dirt over here could be a bit better. But neither is it particularly bad. Slightly too clay-like, perhaps...

“Eeeeie...” A quiet squeak squeezes its way past the heavily blushing Halfling’s quivering little lips, that short girl shivering a fair bit as she shifts her weight around, wondrously wide hips swaying from side to side. Her gloved hands tremble and shake as covers up her nearly flat chest, arms not quite forming an ‘x’ as her wrists press down atop the perky peaks of her nipples, those tiny tits of hers squished in such a wonderful way...

But despite that beautiful sight... a tinge of concern finds itself creeping into Krvavy’s tone. “You... don’t need to be naked if you’re cold.” She reassures this humble girl of hers. “Thea wears clothes every now and then, so you wouldn’t be the only one.”

Adeline’s already rather red face burns just a bit brighter, her blush spilling down her neck and to her shuddering shoulders. “I-I... I’mnotcold...!” Her fur-tipped tail twitches, flicking to the side and exposing her crotch to Krvavy, even if just for a split second. But that brief moment is all that is needed to see the slick and glistening sheen that covers her flushed skin, arousal freely flowing from her puffy pussy.

The barbarian’s brow immediately shoots up in surprise. With hardly a thought, she stabs her shovel into the ground and takes a single large step towards this Halfling of hers, dropping to her knees in front of that tiny girl. Who, even now, she still towers over.

Adeline’s breath catches in her throat as that Draconic giant gently grabs onto her gloved hands.

“Are you feeling okay?” Worry underlines those softly whispered words, compassionate and caring. But, as quiet as that question was, this timid and trembling blonde hears it all the same, shakily nodding in response. “Is it... your heat?”

“N-n-n-no!” This embarrassed bunny-mouse nearly chokes on her response, hastily turning her head away. With more confidence and honesty than she is currently capable of... Her thin tail whips forward and loosely wraps itself around Krvavy’s waist, the tuft of fur at its tip brushing over pale skin and black scales alike, love and affection obvious in every little movement it makes. “I... I j-just...” Adeline’s words almost immediately fail her. “Eeeeeeeiieee...!”

Krvavy’s fingers glide over the coarse fabric of that adorable girl’s gloves, trailing towards the one part they leave uncovered. “Its alright...” As delicately as can be, she strokes the tufts of dark-blonde hair sprouting from the back of her Halfling’s hands. “There is no shame in getting turned on while naked like this.”

Adeline’s big hazel-brown eyes go wide...r than they already were. “N-no!” She hastily denies that assumption, shaking her head back and forth with enough force for her floppy bunny ears to flap around, nearly slapping Krvavy with them. “It...! Y-you!”

“Oh.” The barbarian rather blankly blinks. “You’re getting turned on from seeing me naked?” That question gets a shaky and incredibly embarrassed nod. “Well... there’s no shame in that either. It’s only natural. And, uh, I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, or anything.”

The bunny-mouse girl quivers and audibly gulps, unable to stop herself from glancing down at the Drakling’s mostly soft dick, that thing still so huge compared to her. It twitches slightly, causing her to jump just a bit.

Unable to help herself, Krvavy leans even closer to this little Halfling, the corners of her lips curling into a playfully sadistic smirk. “Poor thing~...” Her voice drops into a rumbling purr, emerald eyes gleaming like bright gems as she plants the gentlest of kisses on this beautifully blushing girl’s big but small forehead. “I can’t just leave you like this, now can I~?”

Like a defenceless little bunny cornered by a fearsome Dragon... Adeline freezes in place, the little nubs of her nipples stiffening as her every breath grows more ragged than the last. So very slowly she tilts her head back, hesitant excitement filling her wide eyes as she nervously meets Krvavy’s gaze.

“Well~?” Krvavy doesn’t even bother to hide the eager anticipation in her own voice, looming above this Halfling’s whose head hardly even reaches her shoulders... despite this Drakling being on her knees. “Would you like some help with that~?”

Again, Adeline audibly gulps, struggling to push her embarrassment aside. “Y-yes...!” She abruptly blurts out, gasping for air. “Yes p-please!”

A mouthful of sharp and carnivorous teeth are bared into a wide and joyous grin. “Don’t worry~,” Krvavy quietly whispers, her strong hands trailing up along Adeline’s trembling arms before gliding down her heavily blushing bunny-mouse girl’s slim sides. “I’ll take good care of you~...!”

That bottom-heavy blonde shudders and shakes, her hazel-brown eyes already going hazy with arousal. “Hhhh~!” She sharply gasps as the perfect handles of her wondrously wide hips are so firmly grabbed, black-scaled fingers digging into her ample ass. “Eeip!” The Halfling can’t help but squeak as she is so effortlessly hefted up, a meandering trail of kisses dancing over the slight swell of her breasts and travelling across her soft belly, the Drakling’s mouth reaching its destination in no time at all. “Eeiiieeie~...!” Her thick thighs squish around a horned head, bunny paw feet locking into place atop a bed of crimson hair.

A lovely warmth surrounds Krvavy’s face, the tip of her tapered tongue engulfed by a needy heat.

“Eeeiiihhhnnhnhh~!” Trembling little fingers grasp onto the Drakling’s upper horns, the lower pair curved in just the perfect way to help hold this Halfling in place, giving the girl some support as she half sits and is half held so ‘high’ above the ground.

Joy and love and lust swirl through Krvavy’s increasingly blank brain, her head emptying of all thoughts as she simply basks in the bliss that comes from tasting this tiny blonde’s delicious juices, indulging in those lewd liquids just as much as she savours the sweet and adorable sounds that her beautiful bunny-mouse can’t help but make...

Thunk.

Krvavy rolls her shoulders and steps back, feeling a hint of pride as she looks over her work. It may not look like much, but a lot of time and effort has been spent down here.

This tunnel used to be open and broad. A river passed through its center, cascading over a fairly short cliff-like ledge... But now it is almost entirely filled in, that rushing stream of water reduced to what is effectively a rather wide pipe.

The once widely spaced walls angle inwards, funnelling this vast space into a narrow passage that winds through the looming stone, inside of which rest dozens of slits and holes connected together via a maze of access tunnels. Anyone walking through there will be vulnerable to attacks from nearly every single angle at nearly every single moment.

Though, technically speaking, it isn’t entirely finished just yet. There is nothing to stop someone from just walking from one end of that narrow passage to the other. No gates or portcullises block the path. Not yet at least. A few spots have been marked out for those sorts of things, so it won’t take much work to install them when the time comes.

Still, what is important thing is that Krvavy is finally done constructing fortifications.

For now.

Going by Inanna’s plans... this is supposed to be just the first line of defence for their home. Perhaps the most important one, yes, but not the biggest. There is a lot more work waiting to be done. But that is a problem for later. Krvavy doesn’t have to worry about building those other half-dozen lines of defence right away. She can take a well-earned break.

“Hhhhh...” The Drakling takes a long and deep breath, rolling her shoulders and stretching her arms high into the cool cave air. “Hahhhh...” A slow sigh escapes past her parted lips... her brow furrowing as a frown finds its way onto her face.

Now that Krvavy is done down here, what else is there for her to do? There are still a few days until she’ll need to leave for Raseyne again. A few days until...

Krvavy quickly shakes her head.

She doesn’t want to sit around and do nothing that whole time. She needs something to keep her busy. Preferably something other than getting to work on the ‘second’ line of defence. Or the ‘third’, ‘fourth’, ‘fifth’...

The barbarian’s brow shoots up as an idea suddenly pops into her head. There is something that she can do, something important, something that has been put off for quite some time now...

“Mmm. I would say that there are still more important things for you to do, but if you insist.”

“Come on, this is plenty important.” Krvavy quite seriously states, meeting her Dwarf’s gaze with a faint smile on her face. “No need to downplay your work like that.”

“I am not downplaying anything: what I have now serves me well enough, my Ushumgal.” Inanna plainly replies, shrugging so very subtly. But even just that faint motion is enough to make her titanic tits jiggle and quake, covered as they are... “But, as I said, if you insist on doing this, then I will not protest.”

The Drakling claps her hands together. “Alright. Where should I start?”

“Since you are already here, the interior walls.” Inanna immediately answers, letting a couple seconds pass before elaborating on her answer. “The exterior of my workshop is more malleable in design, so if changes have to be made I would prefer it to be out there.”

Krvavy tilts her head and quizzically stares down at this grey-skinned shortstack. “Changes?” She curiously questions. “I thought you were mostly done building the place and just needed all of the bricks to be merged together?”

“No, no, my Ushumgal. If you are going to help me finally finish off my workshop, then we will make a whole job of it.” Inanna replies, reaching behind her neck to untie the leather strap holding her thick and heavy apron in place. The corners of her lips and eyes shift slightly, letting an echo of amusement enter her otherwise neutral expression. “Worry not, it won’t be as ambitious as the various fortifications I would have you build.”

“Okay...” Krvavy narrows her gaze, peering down at Inanna with a healthy amount of skepticism and suspicion. “Anything specific then, or should I just get to work...?”

The Dwarf places her blacksmith’s apron aside, exposing those distractingly large tits of hers in front of this Drakling. “Yes, in fact. My workshop is, for the most part, a freestanding building. Thus, your usual method of turning everything into what is effectively a singular stone structure will not be ideal. Brick and mortar is preferable on account of the latter functioning as a sacrificial element to the former, ‘forcing’ any cracks to appear in between the structurally stronger bricks, making it easier to repair while also lowering the chance of catastrophic damage.”

Krvavy opens her mouth... only to be immediately silenced by a single raised hand.

“And yes,” Inanna’s copper-orange eyes pierce into the Drakling’s emerald pair. “I am aware that your magic makes that redundant to a degree, but I would still prefer the certainty of a properly constructed workshop. You will not be around all the time, ready to fix any cracks as they appear.”

“Alright...” Krvavy slowly nods her head. “So... you want me to try and replicate mortar then? I suppose that if we had some sandstone, or something like that, then I could squish it into the gaps? Or maybe I could leave lots of little bubbles inside of the ‘mortar’ bits?”

A proud smile plays at Inanna’s pleasantly thick lips. “Wonderful, my love. That is precisely what I had in mind. Here,” the shortstack steps back, turning and heading towards a shelf across the room. “I had Beryl gather some river rocks a while back. They will now serve their purpose.”

The faintest of frowns finds its way onto the Drakling’s face, unconsciously glancing off to the side, turning towards a cluster of hot springs choked by countless vines... regardless of the walls that stand in her way. But she isn’t given the chance to linger on those intrusive thoughts for long, her mind quickly getting dragged back to the present by a rapidly approaching rock.

Krvavy just barely catches that smooth and round stone before it hits her in the head.

“Are you familiar with... [with pumice or scoria]?” The Dwarf resorts to using her native tongue to ask that question.

“Uh... pumice... ahem, [pumice],” Krvavy repeats herself, so that Inanna knows just which one she is talking about. Not So Cunning Linguist is such an odd trait... “That is the kind of rock that can float in water, right?”

“Yes. It is highly porous with numerous ‘bubbles’ trapped inside of it. [Scoria] is similar but much denser.” Inanna explains, before getting straight to the point. “If possible, I would like you to replicate such a structure when filling in the gaps between these bricks. The very fine grains of that rock interspersed with very, very small bubbles should replicate proper mortar well enough for our purposes.”

Krvavy gently chews on the inside of her cheek, thumb glancing over the surface of the smooth greyish stone in her hand. “I should be able to do that. The bubbles might be a bit tricky to recreate at first, but I’m sure that I’ll get the hang of it after a few tries. I wonder how much mana I’ll save by ‘making’ them...? Probably not enough to be noticeable...”

“Good.” The grey-skinned Dwarf smiles and gives that Drakling’s toned thigh a firm pat. “Now, before you begin, may I make another request regarding the walls?”

Krvavy slowly blinks. “Of course.” She replies, almost incredulously so. “This is your workshop.”

Inanna’s hand lingers on her larger lover’s leg, stout fingers brushing across black scales. “My people do not usually build with such small bricks, but instead use much larger slabs.” She plainly explains. “So, if it is not too much trouble, could you fuse them into larger blocks before adding the ‘mortar’ in between? I will help mark off suitable bricks,” only now does the Dwarf pull her hand away, grabbing and holding up a stick of charcoal, “to ensure that the end result remains relatively evenly sized.”

“Okay...” The Drakling idly shrugs, having no real issue with that. It might just make her job easier. Merging a bunch of bricks that are already touching sounds much simpler than trying to fill in those narrow gaps with a different type of stone. “Anything else before we get to it?”

“No.” Inanna calmly replies, the corners of her lips subtly curling upwards. “Not until we’re done with the walls, at least.”

Krvavy’s brow furrows just a bit. “And here?”

“A rock garden, of sorts.” The Dwarf’s copper-orange gaze sweeps across the isolated ledge nestled behind her workshop. An area mostly cut off from the rest of this expansive cave. “For growing the rarer Ore Seeds, and perhaps a crystalline equivalent. If such a thing exists.”

“Speaking of...” the Drakling idly drums her fingers against the freshly finished wall she is standing beside. “Do you want get some more of those?”

Inanna’s normally neutral expression quickly becomes quite conflicted. “Getting more Seeds sooner rather than later would be ideal... They require nothing but time to produce pure metals, and appear to do so with no limit to the number of harvests...” She thoughtfully mutters. “But the output is not the greatest in volume or frequency, especially for the more valuable materials...”

“So is that a yes or a no~?” Krvavy playfully questions, an almost teasing smile plastered across her face. She doesn’t often get to see Inanna acting so uncertain. It is honestly kind of cute~.

The grey-skinned shortstack takes a deep breath, causing her more than bountiful bust to rise higher and higher... falling so beautifully as she heavily exhales. “Do you not have something better to spend your Favour on? If not now, then in the future?”

“Kind of.” Krvavy plainly shrugs, letting herself be a bit more serious. “But I’m getting two points from each level up now, and I levelled up twice the other day, so... I can afford to spend a point or two here. And remember, a single point can get six seeds from the assorted box. Random ones, but still.”

“Mmn. I loathe relying on chance...” The Dwarf grimaces, dark-grey lips pressed firmly together. After a few long seconds, she sighs. “Alright. Just one assorted box though. Let us... try our luck.”

“On it.” It takes only a thought for that particular ‘shop’ to get brought into view, another to find exactly what it is Krvavy is looking for. A moment later, an unadorned wooden box pops into existence, balancing precariously on Krvavy’s hand. Taking a moment to get a better grip on it... she holds it out towards Inanna. “Here you go.”

Pressing her thick and dark-grey lips firmly together, the dour Dwarf reaches over and unceremoniously opens that rectangular box. Just as with the previous ones they’ve opened, six dull metallic bulbs are sitting inside of it, resting atop a bed of simple grey fabric. “Copper, silver, and zinc. Repeats, but not unwanted. [Nickel] and [tungsten]. Both new. And...” Inanna pauses, finding herself smiling... if only slightly. “My. We were incredibly lucky already, but this... My Ushumgal, this is the first inherently magical metal we have acquired: Dark Iron.”

“Oh?” Krvavy leans her head in, staring down at those Ore Seeds. They just look like plain balls of metal. Of course, Inspect would tell her otherwise if she bothered to use it. But that would rob Inanna of the chance to explain it herself. And that would just be cruel. “What’s so special about it?”

The busty shortstack shines with excitement. Well, compared to her usual near-emotionless demeanour. “It is a mana sink. Quite useful for dealing with excess energy in runic arrays. Of course, and perhaps more to your interest, the pseudo anti-magical properties of Dark Iron can also be leveraged for use in weapons and armour. Primarily weaponry, as it is quite adept at leeching mana from whatever it comes into contact with. Which is not an ideal trait for armour. Unless you intend it to exclusively protect against magical attacks without care of your own mana being drained.”

Krvavy smiles as her Dwarf’s normally neutral tone grows ever more animated. Though obviously she isn’t quite as lively as, well, any of Krvavy’s other girls. But still, there is passion and excitement in this adorable Dwarf’s voice. Not much, but it’s there.

“Additionally,” Inanna gently grabs the assorted box of Ore Seeds, taking it from the Drakling’s hand. “Dark Iron in its purest form – which this Seed should produce, as the others do for their metals – is exceptionally good at draining mana from living beings. And that effect even lingers for a while in the flesh, making wounds inflicted by pure Dark Iron difficult to heal via magic. This has led to some viewing it as a counterpart to Cold Iron, as it has similar effects on the living as Cold Iron has on spirits. Though I should point out that that comparison is in effects, not nature. Dark Iron is not a type of iron, it only has this name due to similarities in appearance and other more mundane aspects. On the other hand, Cold Iron is a type of iron, created through specific and intensive metallurgic processes.”

“Sounds like it’d be a good thing to add to my axe.” The barbarian comments, peering down at that unassuming metal bulb. It looks a lot like the iron ones did. Just a bit darker. Unsurprisingly.

“Mm. Perhaps.” This busty Dwarf rather dismissively shrugs. “Your Soulbound Weapon should already contain a small amount of Dark Iron, for it is an important – if comparatively minuscule – component of Tenebrine Steel. Were your weapon not so unique, then I would say that keeping what you have now is the better choice, for Tenebrine Steel is stronger and more reliable. But perhaps pure Dark Iron would provide a better boon than the additional twenty percent magical damage that Tenebrine Steel provides? We would need to grow and harvest the Seed before being able to find the answer to that question. And for that, we need to plant it.”

“Right. Guess you want to build this ‘rock garden’ for that?” Krvavy asks, looking over the empty space ahead of them. “This does seem like an important enough ore to grow back here.”

“Mm... I would prefer to improve my forge first...” This busty shortstack brushes aside that idle thought, prioritizing their present ‘needs’ over her own wants. “I suspect that the planted Ore Seeds are something which we can relocate by simply moving the stone beneath them, as you would move a potted plant. We should test that theory on one of the copper Seeds. They are the most expendable. But before that...” Inanna’s copper-orange eyes climb up Krvavy’s towering body, peering deep into her Draconic lover’s expectant gaze. “Can you first check your Points Shop to see if there is a crystalline variant available?”

“Yeah, sure.” The Drakling nods and brings that window back into focus. “Let’s see... Uh... No... not that... maybe...? Ahh, this looks similar.”

Assorted Box of Geode-Tree Seeds: 1 Divine Favour. A carved wooden box containing four (4) random Geode-Tree Seeds, the rarity of which depends on the abundance and value of the crystals within.

Geode-Tree Seed: A magical geode that, when planted in solid stone, will spur the growth of an earthen tree which, when matured, will produce geodes along its branches. The rate of growth of the geodes depends on the type of crystals within, each with a random degree of variation that resets upon each harvest.

“Interesting...” Inanna slowly comments, having patiently waited for Krvavy to finish reading those descriptions aloud for her. “Not entirely what I expected, but that does appear to be what I requested. If you are still willing to spend another point of Favour, then could you purchase one of those assorted boxes? The random chance matters not when we do not yet have a single such ‘tree’.”

“Yup, here you go.” Another wooden box abruptly appears in Krvavy’s hand. It is completely identical to the one containing the Ore Seeds. It even has the same plain grey fabric inside of it. But the ‘seeds’ themselves are different: rather than metallic bulbs, they are large round rocks with crystal veins scattered across their surface.

“Predictable. It appears that we got two quartz Seeds from this. Perhaps they can flank the main door to my workshop...?” The Dwarf clicks the Ore Seed box shut and fully turns her attention towards these new Geode-Tree Seeds. “The third is... [Mineral corundum]... Mm... Curious. Quite curious.”

“How so?” Krvavy’s brow ever so slightly knits together, her gaze lifting up from the seed that her shortstack had poked to look that Dwarf in the eye.

“There is no singular type of crystal that comes from what this Seed claims to be, my Ushumgal.” Once again, restrained excitement fills the shortstack’s expression, if not her tone. “For this is the category in which rubies and sapphires of different colours reside. They are all varieties of [mineral corundum]. So does this imply that the ‘Geode-Tree’ doesn’t produce a single pure material like the ore seeds, but a range of crystals that fall into a greater category? I wonder if that is the case for the quartz Seeds as well...?”

“Huh. That’d be cool.” The Drakling slowly exhales, all but salivating at the thought of having a functionally endless supply of shiny gems. “What’s the last one?” She asks, almost impatient enough to just use Inspect.

Inanna’s enthusiasm wavers, the reason for that becoming apparent as soon as she opens that mouth of hers. “Beryl. So emeralds and aquamarines if my theory is correct.”

Krvavy can’t help but frown, her excitement cut short by the mention of her absent Elf’s name. It actually takes her a moment to remember that Beryl is named ‘after a rock’, as that Elf herself put it when they first met. Because of her beautiful blue-green eyes...

“Come now, my Ushumgal. My love.” A tender smile plays at Inanna’s lips, her hand coming to rest on the Drakling’s wrist. “Soon. Only a couple more days.” She softly states, doing her best to let warmth flow from her voice, letting her tone lighten up. “And while this Seed will almost certainly not be fully grown by that time, do you not think that she would find this situation funny? As she is getting her own tree of wood and leaf, we are getting one by her name made of rock and gemstone.”

“Heh, yeah...” Krvavy hesitantly admits. “She would probably laugh at that.”

Those stout, grey-skinned fingers so lovingly pat some black scales, the slight awkwardness of that gesture made irrelevant by the sheer amount of affection underlining it. “Good,” Inanna’s touch lingers for a good few seconds longer, reluctant to pull away. “Now, how about we get to work on making a ‘garden’ fit for this ‘tree’ to grow?”

“Haahh...” A long and heavy sigh slips past Krvavy’s parted lips as she blankly stares down past her dangling legs, watching this sad little stream trickle on by. If she sat like this over a week ago, then the water here would have been just below her knees. But now it doesn’t even reach her clawed toes.

And most of that water is coming from the hot springs right next to her home, not the ones deeper in the cave... As a result, this part of the river is almost flowing backwards... Not quickly, it is pretty much stagnant, but the few small tributaries over here are overpowering the runoff of over a dozen hot springs ponds. The runoff that isn’t being swallowed down and drained by the massive cocoon of thorny vines...

The Drakling’s shoulders slump even further, elbow digging into her toned thigh as black-scaled knuckles press into her pale cheek.

It has been a week. A long week.

Krvavy has done her best to keep busy in that time. She has done a pretty good job. But she can’t keep her head empty, not constantly and not forever. The complete absence of her sweet berry is hard to ignore. Especially around breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or at night, when they should all be in bed together...

A puff of misty steam slowly rolls by the barbarian. She shivers despite that warmth.

The sun fully set over an hour ago. Just the faintest bit of light emanates from the magically rejuvenating waters of these hot springs, and her home gleams like a lighthouse up on its ledge. But other than that, darkness fills the entirety of the cave and the grotto below.

Krvavy should be in bed right now, trying to fall asleep. She needs the rest.

If she wants to make it to Raseyne in time to take Rina’s job offer, then she’ll have to leave first thing in the morning. And the whole journey will have to be rather rushed. She’ll be... cutting it close.

Warm water laps at her inhuman feet.

Krvavy has already pushed back the date she was supposed to leave by a day. She can’t do that again. She can’t keep waiting around like this.

Though maybe... maybe she can just not leave...? Rina will be disappointed, no doubt, but Rina isn’t one of Krvavy’s girls... No. No, the others would be disappointed as well. Everyone is expecting her to leave. She can’t just chicken out and miss this opportunity... Especially not since it was the... the catalyst for...

A faint rustling sound reaches the Drakling’s ears, just barely audible over the waterfalls behind her.

Strong, rushing water pushes against her calves.

Krvavy’s heart freezes as she stares down into the river below. It isn’t stagnant. It isn’t a trickle. It is almost back to normal, shimmering and steamy waters flooding through a channel carved into solid stone over countless eons.

Her head snaps to the side. A faint glimmering light shines through the darkness far off to the right, upstream from where she is sitting. It is gentle and soft. Flickering and shifting through a thousand pinholes, those cracks growing thicker and spreading further, mists bleeding outwards into the cave beyond.

A single leaf bumps into her leg, before being carried further down the river.

The Drakling slowly scoots back from that river returned to life, rising up onto her feet. The drumming beat of her heart echoes through her ears, drowning beneath it any doubts of what she sees.

Throat dry and chest tight, Krvavy takes her first step towards the light.