Parallel Storylines: Fred and Velus

"So... is it one bark for yes?" Fred rumbles quietly, talking to the dog to try and give himself something else to think about. Velus gives a short, sharp bark in reply.

Fred grunts and nods at that confirmation before realizing that, if he had it backwards, he might've just received a one-bark-for-no instead.

"Er... two barks means no?" Fred tries again. Velus again gives a single bark in reply right as Fred realizes that he just made the same mistake.

"Damnation - I mean... bark once if that's the system you used with Astra." Fred says. It might be his imagination, but the little dog seems to be enjoying Fred's frustration a little more than is proper when dealing with an Allarian knight. There's a pause, but fortunately, Velus responds with another single bark before Fred's already-wounded pride makes the situation worse.

"So do you know where we are?"

A pause, followed by a bark that, to Fred, sounds a little less certain than the earlier ones.

"Where are we going?"

Velus turns to look behind at the dragon following him and gives a little snort before turning to focus again on the path ahead, all as if to say 'And how, pray tell, do you expect me to answer that?'

Fred growls a little before trying again. "Are you taking us towards Astra?" Velus responds by giving a strange whine-growl, which Fred interprets as some form of I-don't-know.

"Are you taking us somewhere useful?" Fred tries, not expecting much by way of response. He's pleasantly surprised when Velus quickly gives a confident-sounding yes-bark, but the dog tempers his answer with a slight droop in his tail accompanied again by the 'I-don't-know' whine-growl.

"That doesn't make sense," Fred grumbles. Nonetheless, Fred has no reason to prefer any one direction over any other... unless you take speed of progress into account.

"Are we going somewhere that will help us?" Velus gives a single bark without any hesitation. "To find Astra?"

There is a slight pause before Velus gives another affirmative bark in reply.

Satisfied, Fred slowly crawls behind the dog, occasionally practicing his slithering in case the tunnels get narrow again. The new-dragon shine has worn off of his transformation, and the stoic knight in him continues to be repulsed by such a lowly form of locomotion, but there's something about the smooth motion that keeps the energetic childlike part from disappearing completely.

Eventually, the tunnel arrives in another underground cavern. Velus is getting excited as they approach, and as Fred emerges from behind a stalagmite that has grown in front of the tunnel exit to see what lies within, he can see why.

1. One of the dragon's minor treasure hoards!
2. Food! Fred realizes that he hasn't eaten in ages.
3. A cleric of a healing order, meditating! Help for Belboz at last?
4. Garbage, of the sort that dogs love to roll in! ... Wait, how does THAT help?

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