On those dehumanized, nature of local religion, and such...

Quickly gathering up their gear and loot (payment from the dragoness for service rendered) they quickly march off and then when far enough away settle down for the night to discuss possible courses of action.

"It occurs to me that we need to somehow confirm our suspicions about Nightfall's children before we head headlong into something we may end up regretting," Hilda begins, getting a few nods from that in agreement. "We're going to be facing one, possibly two dragons here sooner or later in our new quest and that is only the tip of the mountain facing us."

“More likely two than one,” Gilda grumbled. “While I am willing to bet my war ax that her mate’s recovery shall not be instantaneous, I do rather doubt he shall be still an invalid by the time we manage to track them down.”

‘If we manage to track them down,’ Gilda said, if only to herself.

She then chides herself for such negative thoughts. While perhaps they may be realistic, they hardly were . . .helpful at the task at hand. It was too early in the game to be hosting up the white flag of surrender, it was! OH not to say that it was going to be easy (hardly was going to be that). It was just too soon to give up. Heck, they had hardly even started!

So getting a fire going after setting up camp and setting up watches (Nightfall being an elf was going to be up both watches, what with elves of this world needing NO sleep but instead to sit and rest from time to short time) they get down to business.

“It occurs to me that for the moment we are off to a good start in ONE thing we shall need in order to make this work,” Hilda says, glancing over at the spot where the loot from their misadventure had been placed.

A key component to whatever they decided to do meant money, and money as in LOTS Of it. So far, they had a good start, but they all knew (well . . .Braveheart had an inkling) that much more was going to be needed. Wizards for hire were not cheap and wizards for hire were what they would be using since none of those present wished to return to being human beings! And even if they had returned to being human, surely they would still need the assistance of wizards - or of clerics, at least.

BLEH!

However, some kind of wish . . .

Well, here’s the thing that came out from side conversations

For the frost giantesses, even though they knew now that they had once been human and had either been a woman known as Astra Thessamer or a man named Frederigo D’Honaire it did not matter to them. They were non-humans now and wished to remain so, comfortable with their non- humanity. . . .though there was now some kind of siren’s call for them to be . . .something else. Frost giants were powerful, rugged and fantastic but the females realized that because of the markings on them (and not just the Mark of the Fey), they’d never be accepted back into the fold. Whereas with the “Wood Elves”, according to Nightfall, they’d be accepted into the fold with open arms…

That and there was a wild freedom that they could almost FEEL pulsing through the wild elfin female's veins....

Nightfall's case was a bit different than the giants. In actuality, all that was part of the same "crosswires" that make Nightfall's heart see both female giants as her long lost sister is in play here. In a "normal" case, both sides would begin to feel okay with the idea of abandoning their old forms for the other (i.e. the giants would have felt comfortable with the idea of becoming an elf while the elf would feel comfortable with the idea of becoming a Frost Giant). However, the same magicks that had made her species more at one with nature (i.e. the wolf within) and all that also was a VERY possessive b*tch. Sort of, anyway. It is more like as any mundane wolf, they cannot be domesticated and once the Wolf takes a hold of a person . . . Once it has you it would not let go easily (if at all). A wood elf Nightfall (Belinda no longer) had become and one she would remain, even IF she was forcedly transmuted. The wolf would always express itself for it was part of her mind, body, and soul now! And also it had . . .sensed the giantess' minds so . . . Well, within a week or two it'll soon become more and more difficult for the giants to even ever believe that they ever wanted to become anything other than Wood Elves...

...

The nature of the magicks upon the Wood Elves is seen by those who remember them before the Wood Elves became Wood Elves consider them accursed and there is something to that. The magicks are rather curse like in nature IF not actually a curse. Has REAL staying power!

As it stands, Nightfall had been too in love with her new sisters to laugh at the early suggestions by the giants at becoming like them. She loves them both too much to laugh at such foolishness. She likes what she has become and would only change it if no other way was available to save her cubs . . . er . . .children.

Even if it meant crawling back to her trecherous mother... But only that as a last ditch.

As for Braveheart? Well, no real urge to become human or an elf. The nature of his bonds as a familiar to the Frost Giantesses pretty much shielded him from the nature of the wolf within, but . . . he's growing increasingly fond of this strange elf who just dropped into his world out of nowhere. His mistresses will forevermore be first in his heart and he has no desire to return to being a human. Who he had been before did not matter to the noble beast. A gryphon he was now and such he would stay! Besides, this mage person he was before he'd been reborn Braveheart? Sounded like a bad man and the noble one felt best that the bad man remain dead, him being MUCH better that the previous person who'd worn this flesh...

Okay, that's what came out in side conversations and such. That and the giantesses let it be known that in order for this to work (the rescue), they'll need to know everything that Nightfall remembers from being a dragonslayer...

. . .

At least all now know not to leave any mates or such living behind after the first dragon is slain...

Why slay dragons again? What they must do in order to rescue their kidnapped children? Well, slaying the dragons was almost a given. Looting the dragons hoards also a given, being that they did not have enough money to otherwise have them all transformed (the dragonets and such) into their final forms (transformation magicks not being cheap).

The sticking point was how MUCH time they had to accomplish all this. Depending on how much time would determine just HOW desperate their future plans would be. How dangerous of jobs they must tackle in order to raise the assets needed and all that. And how to get a timetable?

Well...

"You want me to do what?" Nightfall asks her new sisters blankly, not sure she'd heard correctly. "You do recall that I was never much for belief in the religious beliefs before all this, right and . . . ?"

"Uh . . .we do not really recall our time as human besides that dream, sister," Hilda muttered softly, drawing Nightfall up short.

"We would love to at least learn more of our times with you and Astra together--putting aside the confusing and utterly unimportant business of just which of us actually had been Astra--because we ARE sisters," Gilda adds, smiling slightly. "But Hilda is correct, dear."

"Uh, right!" Nightfall blinks. "But that aside do you remember that I had been rather . . . anti against the gods and goddesses for what had befallen me and my family?"

"Do you have any idea how much less of a chance a Divination working from a cleric shall be if you at least do not belong so much as paying lip service to that particular cleric's diety?" Hilda deadpanned, deciding to cut to the chase and get down to business, even IF it sounds . .. Oh so cynical. Cynical, but even the most devout believers of this world understand . . . it's just the way things are.

If you don't belong, fine. The patron god (or goddess) may help, but it's MUCH more likely help will come your way if you're a MEMBER...

Yep. Cynical or not, that is how things work for a LOT of religious institutions for this world, and Nightfall knows this. Like it or not, she knows this. Like it or not she also knows just how much more shall have to be spent (almost all of their loot) if they should try to go the more . . . secular route of using a mercenary wizard.

As it also stands, the distance between here and the nearest "friendly" temple that won't throw out (or attack) such as them is just about as far away as any possible mercenary mages (according to rumor) who could help...

Oh, and lets not forget the fact that that shapeshifting ability the female gaints got which needs to be honed in order to not backlash upon them. If they wait too long it might take matters into it's own hands and shift them into gryphons at a bad time. Might just shift them at an inoportune time.

Might shapeshift them into gryphon females in season. THAT was something the dragoness had mentioned...

Anyway...

Needless to say that Nightfall. . . .is conflicted.

1. In the end, our beautiful elfin woman...

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