Seeking Answers
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 85610
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"Do not make this decision lightly. Are you certain of this path, Astra?"
"I am, Mother. This dragon is a blight upon the land, and the proud Aquilarian people can no longer suffer its existence. The men of the North have failed to act, and so we must." "Well spoken, my daughter. While I fear your choice is reckless, you are of the age of reason, and though I be Queen, and could order you to remain, I will not. If you choose this path, know that even if you return victorious, there will be severe consequences. If you leave Themyscira, you will lose your claim on the throne. The crown will pass to Maia." "I understand the consequences, Mother, but I will not waver." "Very well then. Go, and fight with honor, Astra." * "I don't remember much of the encounter itself." Astra explained. "I traveled north, alone and disguised as a royal guard. I found my way into the caves, and then...I..." Astra stopped abruptly the retelling of her tale, as though trying to unblock a memory that didn't want to be remembered. Her mind was a jumble of vague and confusing images, none of them pleasant. She had found Minestus...or had he found her? It didn't matter. He had bested her easily, stripped her, toyed with her, and finally encased her in an amber jewel. Astra shivered, and not from the icy wind or the snow in which she stood ankle deep. "I was a fool." she continued finally. I never understood Minestus' true nature. I had come to the caves expecting to fight a mere beast, a monster!" "You were headstrong and perhaps a bit naive." Euaristus told Astra. "A common trait amongst your race, it seems. You also had no experience with dragon-kind outside of Minestus. I cannot blame you for your prejudice and ignorance. Our Order has been withdrawn from these lands for a long while now, leaving renegades like Minestus to their own devices." Euaristus' face betrayed no emotion as she ran a hand through her silvery hair. Astra wondered what the dragon was thinking. She had listened to Elaine's more detailed recounting a few minutes earlier, and had seemed anxious to hear more. She was surprised that Elaine and some of their other comrades were Tellurian, and had wanted to know more of Belboz, of Minestus' dealings with him, of the stasis jewels, and the necromancer's ring. These were things that Astra knew little about, other than what she had witnessed. Elaine, for her part, seemed reluctant to discuss the ring and its effects on her, only going so far as to say she felt "empowered", and leaving unsaid some of the unpleasant things she had done under its influence, like stealing Matthias' voice. She had stopped after recounting her rather epic battle with Minestus. When she described her claiming of dragon-flame, she had seemed to falter, and almost fainted. Astra had reached out to steady her, and found that, despite the cold and wind, the sorceress' skin seemed on fire, and her robe and face were drenched with sweat. Elaine had asked for a moment to recuperate, sitting right down on a pile of snow. Euaristus had seemed a bit put off by the interruption, and so Astra had volunteered her own tale instead. Elaine seemed to have recovered a bit by now, and stood, prepared to resume her tale. "Are you certain you can continue?" Astra asked. "Yes, I'll be all right." Elaine said, though she still seemed unsteady. "I'll recount the next part of my tale now, but first, there is something I must know, Lady Euaristus." "Yes, of course. What is it that you wish to ask?" "What fate befell my homeland? What happened to the mighty Tellurian Empire? How could it have collapsed so quickly, that it is now a nameless ruin?" There was an edge in her voice, tinged with real hurt, grief...and mistrust. "There are many reasons for an empire to fall. Telluria was no exception. Its leaders..." "NO!" Elaine shouted, anger flashing across her sweating, tortured face. "After I defeated Minestus, I returned to Belboz's laboratory. I found a...strange machine there." "Machine?" Euaristus' eyes narrowed. "What kind of machine?" "It was complex, beyond my understanding. But when I looked upon it, I had a kind of vision. A vision of the Tellurian capital in flames, and under attack by dragons!" [83429] Elaine glared hard at Euaristus. "My former mentor, Celubar, was attempting to fend off the attack, but was alone. In the deepest levels of the Azure Citadel, he had a machine, the very same that was in Belboz's chamber." "No, that's not possible." Euaristus said. "Belboz could not have constructed such a machine as the one that existed in ancient Telluria. Humans, and indeed dragons, have not the magecraft or knowledge required to build such a device." "Belboz did, and build it he did. What do you know of these machines, Lady Euaristus?!" Elaine demanded. "Why did your kind destroy Telluria?!"
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Xavier
2/6/2009 8:44:00 PM
Extending Enabled
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