By: Texas-SabreFox

As it turns out there were a few things we needed to get done. All of which contributed to the same overall objective: survive long enough to find civilization.

First on the shortlist was to find water. We brought water with us, however it’s better to use the local resources when you can.

Next was to find a clearing to launch the long-range recon drone to get a bird’s eye view of the area to set a course to find civilization. Raphael found water a few hundred meters in front of him and others by driving Tact-less into a small forest lake. That particular surprise got a resounding ‘oh shit’ from Nick when they hit the water. After the surprise of ‘hay look, water’ Raphael put Tact-less into reverse and drove back out. Much to everyone’s amusement which they happily squawked over the radio.

“Ralphy, if you want to go swimming you don’t need to take Tact-less with you.” Carla barked over the radio riding along with Jasper in Deucelot.

“Yeah, you want to go swimming just ask, I’ll more than happily oblige.” Jasper added in.

“Oh, looking for a reason to grope Ralph’s ass? What’s wrong? Nicky boy didn’t want any so you’re going after the oh so fearless Raphael. You’re such a player.” Wilson said with much amusement.

“Oh, you’re just jealous because I’m not giving you any attention.” Jasper fired right back and sarcastically added. “It’s just Nick and Ralph getting me, and I can’t seem to connect to anyone else.”

Carla said something over the radio that the mic didn’t catch.

“Speak up sis, the class couldn’t hear you.” Raphael said over the radio, seeing a clearing a kilometer down the shoreline.

“I said that you’re clueless with people. You’ll need a woman to be wearing nothing but a sign that reads ‘Fuck Me’ in order to get a clue she wants to have sex with you.” Carla snipped; with a “I want to watch the world burn” voice.

“Aww, savage, I don’t know how I’ll ever recover.” Raphael replied sarcastically. “Okay people enough with the jokes for now. I saw a clearing a kilometer from here. There we’ll set up camp and launch Nick’s drone. Along with finding out what gravity is because if any of you chucklefucks haven’t noticed gravity is less here.”

“Yes Ralphy, we can feel the gravity of the situation.” Carla deadpanned; Raphael could feel her unimpressed stare aiming at him.

Luckily, because of how gargantuan the trees in the forest were, the vehicles had more than enough room to maneuver. The trees kept the area in a permanent state of twilight due to how thick the canopy was, so we drove with our head and flood lights on.

“These trees give the redwood trees back home a run for their money. I could probably fly the recon drone comfortably below the canopy, shit probably even my older racer.” Nick said to himself awestruck, looking at the trees around them. “Whoa, 1:30 high, catwalk in the trees!”

The group came to a stop to look up at what Nick saw. Three-fourths of the way up the tree trunk, but below the canopy were catwalks going from one tree to another. Raphael grabbed the mic still looking at the catwalks. “Jasper, let’s set up Nick’s antenna and get the quad up there. Nick you’re up.”

Raphael shut down Tact-less getting out and walking over to Deucelot and climbed up to the window as Jasper rolled the window down. “Jasper, I’m getting a bad feeling about this place. might be a good idea to break out the rifles and battle belts after we set up the antenna.”

Jasper nodded. “Glad we’re on the same wavelength, something doesn’t feel right.”

Jasper got on the mic as Raphael jumped off. He landed and double timed it to the latter at the rear of Deucelot hearing Jasper talk as he got out of earshot and watched Wilson respond followed by him getting out of Mule’tard. When Raphael climbed up the ladder to the top of Deucelot, he was joined moments later by Jasper as the door to the camper closed. Jasper and Raphael undid the tie downs for the antenna mast and pushed it up and locked it in place.

Raphael turned to see Carla and Wilson walking over to them armed with their equipment. “Let’s get inside.” Jasper said, moving to the ladder. We got down and put our battle belts on and climbed inside the camper with our rifles slung over our shoulders. “Nicky Boy did you find anything?”

“Yes, I did. It looks like a small abandoned settlement up in the trees.” Nick called over from the controls station with a VR headset on. “Camara feed is on the main.”

Raphael looked at the screen as everyone gathered around Nick. What we were looking at could be best described as a Mongolian yurt made into a tree house with the catwalks as a patio and walkways between the other tree houses “Wow, it’s… wow. This place has seen some better days.”

“Whoever lived here left in a hurry. Look, there’s blood on the ground and broken arrows as well.” Wilson said

“Blue blood? Look, some of the arrows are coming out of the walls. Nicky moved the drone inside, let’s take a closer look.” Jasper said, as Nick moved the drone into the yurt. What we saw was utter chaos. furniture thrown into a makeshift wall for cover with only broken arrows left behind. There was lots of blood covering the place.

“Looks like there was a raid or skirmish here?” Nick said, speaking his thoughts out loud. Nick moved the drone behind the furniture, and everyone gasped at what they saw. On the screen was the dead body of a small white dragonborn with wings and an arrow in the center of its neck. The dragonborn had white wing arms with a light blue wing membrane and light blue scales running down the front of its neck. Raphael guessed the scales continued under its clothing and on its head were dark metallic blue horns. “I… I think it’s a child?”

“I think it’s a little girl. Look, that’s a doll in her arms and she’s wearing a skirt.” Carla said as Raphael clinched his fist. God damn this was striking too close to home, too close to Korea. She may have not been human, but the look of horror seemed to be universal. That’s when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey man, still with us?” Jasper asked with brotherly worry. Raphael had to swallow the lump in his throat before replying.

“Yeah. yeah. Still here, Jasp.” Raphael answered before walking back outside. Looking up at the tree. ‘Why are the shadows getting deeper in the canopy, wasn’t it midday when we arrived here?’

He did a double take thinking he saw a soft green glow in the branches above the village. He raised his rifle and turned on the light. He didn’t see anything in the branches, but he noticed that the yurt had a ladder leading up to it.

“Found something Ralph?” Wilson asked from his left.

Raphael turned to see Jasper and Wilson next to him. “Yeah, a ladder leading up to one of the yurts. I’m going to head up and check it out.”

“We’ll go with you. I’ll get the radios and helmets.” Wilson said before giving Raphael a pat on the shoulder.

After a few minutes of waiting and climbing Raphael, Jasper, and Wilson stepped inside one of the yurts. Thankfully not the one with the dead kid inside it, but it was still just as chaotic as that one. Nick pulled the drone back to provide us with a little overwatch. Turning our helmets lights on we spread out to look around.

(////)

Jasper went right as Raphael went left and Wilson took the center catwalk. The first yurt was the one with the dead kid and Jasper sighed. “Just my luck?”

Jasper walked over to her. He closed her mouth and eyes. Afterwards he laid her to rest with her arms by her side with her hands on her chest holding the doll she died with, he broke the shaft of the arrow in her neck and then grabbed one of the blankets laying on the ground and layed it over her. With his work done he said a quiet prayer. “Dear god, lord of heaven, please hear my prayer. Today a child has been laid to rest before her time. Please welcome her into your loving arms and guide her to the way to heaven for there she may forever rest in peace, Amen.”

Jasper wiped a few tears away from his eyes and pressed on. The next yurt was a little less chaotic. While the yurt was a mess with things thrown about, however there was a distinct lack of arrows and blood.

“Everyone check in, did anyone find anything?” Raphael said over the radio.

“Wilson here, nothing here so far moving to the largest building in the village looks like a type of fortified keep.”

“Jasper, just dust and echoes. Laid the kid to rest and said a prayer for her.” Jasper said over the radio. Jasper had finished searching another yurt when Wilson came back on the radio.

“Okay this building is definitely a keep with a thick ass wood front door with iron reinforcements but whatever bashed in the doors didn’t give a fuck about the iron reinforcement, will radio back in when I’m done searching.” Jasper walked into the next yurt when the sound of wood-on-wood scraping filled the yurt. Jasper snapped his light over to it.

“Guys, I might have something here.” Jasper said as he slowly moved to the area of the bed and dresser.

“Where are you Jasp?” Raphael asked as Jasper moved over to the dresser.

“Second to last yurt on the right-hand side.” Jasper answered

“I’m coming to you as well.” Wilson called out.

“Negative Wilson, keep searching the keep. Requesting radio silence for a moment.” Jasper said as everyone stopped talking. The yurt filled with an eerie quiet like the rest of the yurts in the tree house village. He could hear his steady heartbeat sounding like gunshots in his ears. He moved quickly keeping his breathing steady. He moved to the bed beside the dresser and looked underneath it. He came face to face with a house cat sized dragonborn child and the shrieking scream that followed only added to the fact that it was a child as it backed out from underneath the bed. Backed up against the dresser was a kid in poor shape, all skin and bones.

“Whoa, whoa, I’m not going to hurt you kiddo.” Jasper said in a soothing tone slowly lowering his rifle to the ground getting onto his knees. The kid looked to be hyperventilating in fear. “You must be starving and thirsty?”

Jasper got out some salted caramel he was planning on snacking on after the search. “Here, have some caramel.”

Jasper unwrapped it and held it out to the kid. The kid, still fearful with its ears flat to their head, slowly moved forward to Jasper’s hand. The kid snatched it up and backed off as quickly as it could. The kid probably believed he would do something at the last moment. Poor kid here all alone.

The kid kept their eyes on Jasper as the child licked the caramel with its blue forked tongue. The kids eyes widened with the ears shooting straight up then proceeded to inhale it in a single bite. Jasper grabbed another and held it out to the kid as well. When the kid was done with the second it ran over and hugged Jasper and cried out. “Jawnox seenona vod seenana!?”

“I guess you must be asking where’s your mom and dad?” Jasper asked more to the world than the kid. Jasper picked the kid up into his arms and hugged the little kiddo. “I don’t know kiddo but I got you, you’re safe. You’re going to be okay.”

The kid hugged Jasper around the neck. He slung his rifle over his shoulder. The kid felt cold to the touch and the kid hugged him a little tighter and sniffed. “Daskraw zawvox.”

Jasper stood up holding the kid in his arms and keyed the radio’s push to talk button. “Found someone alive, it’s another kid and they’re in bad shape. Starving and dehydrated.”

“I’m on my way to you now, Jasper. I have some water with me.” Raphael said. Jasper smiled and turned around only to find himself being held at bow point.

(////)

Zasta crouched in the branches overlooking the trading outpost. It’s been three days, it’s been three long days since she escaped with three children and one young adult couple. Just before the outpost fell to the enemy.

She was about to glide down onto a catwalk when she saw lights in the forest below. These weren’t the dull yellow flame of torch light but bright white light. Like someone took the sun in their hand and used it to light their way with a loud unnatural rasping snarl emanating from the direction of the lights.

Looking down into the twilight of the valley forest floor she saw the light being emanated from… what the fuck! From a cart? No, from three dragon sized carts!? She watched, mouth agape, as the largest carts she had ever seen came to a stop. The sun-like light shut off as the loud rasping snarl stopped on two of the carts. The largest one in the middle kept up its rasping snarl as figures emerged from the carts and started moving around, looking like a honey hunter kicked a bee’s nest. Looking at what she could only guess were people, “What the fuck are you?”

She kept watching until it was too dark to properly see, and the strange people walked into the one with a cabin on the back. She moved to the lower branches of the heaven oak to get a better look at one of the strange people coming out of the cabin cart. She activated her magic. The world became a thermal gray color scale white being hot and cold being black. The person showed up as white to lighter shades of gray. “Interesting, you’re warm blooded?”

The carts were the same with something extremely hot in the front of the carts producing a heat shimmer visible even to her magic. That was when she noticed the person was looking right at her. Shit!!

She backed up to the thickest part of the branch and laid down on her back. This recon and supply mission had just become quite interesting. She turned off her magic and blinked her eyes rapidly to see color again as the branches around her were lit up with more sun-like light. ‘Guess that person is a mage.’

When the light went away she went back to watching them, more cautiously now. She watched them explore the outpost making her job far more challenging. They were certainly not dragonettes, nor were they creatures of the dark. She watched through a window one of the strange people lay to rest a 6-year-old girl she knew all too well. Elsa, she was born the year Zasta arrived at the outpost and ever since she could walk and fly she had been a little daredevil. With the look of where the arrow hit her, she most likely drowned in her own blood. Zasta clenched her fist driving her claws into her palm hoping that the pain would drive the sorrow away. When she returns to the outpost with the others they’ll need to give her a proper funeral and she’ll grieve for Elsa then. It touched her heart to see how much the stranger respected the dead body. They must be deeply compassionate people.

She followed the strange person as they walked into her old house. Zasta was perfectly content with waiting for them to be done. She was here to see if it was safe to come back home and find out what if any supplies were left. The dark knight and their darkling regiment would have taken all the supplies they could carry. There might be enough for us to survive long enough for the nomadic tribes to arrive. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the unmistakable blood curdling scream of a terrified child.

She could no longer stand by, she didn’t know if the strange people just scared a lost child or were actively bringing harm to the kid. It was her responsibility as one of the last guardswoman and huntress of the outpost to protect them. Whether they escaped with her three days before or, like this child, lost but now found. Gliding stealthily to the catwalks she pulled up into a stall to arrest her momentum and grabbed the railing. She climbed over and got her bow ready, nocking an arrow with a slender case-hardened head. It wouldn’t do shit to enchanted or mithril armor, but it’s great for punching holes in normal armor.

Walking to the entrance of her old home, she pulled the bowstring back, ready to let loose with deadly precision. The strange person was holding the child in one arm as the child in question hugged it around the neck. The person looked at her in shock. It was stranger up close then from afar. Brown skin, brown eyes, a face that looked like it had flown headfirst into a tree… and… and was taller than her?!

(Whoa, relax, I’m not going to hurt you or the kid.) Zasta heard it speak in its strange language with a deep but soothing voice. The strange person slowly lowered his metal staff to the ground. Standing back up it stepped away from the staff with its arm up. The other was still holding the child. She slowly lowered her bow and walked to it…. Him? Yeah him, she believed it was a man. Well, to her it sure sounded like one.

“You okay, it’s Zasta?” Zasta said when she got within arm’s reach. The child looked around at her and her heart sank. It was Owen. The last time she had seen him was when she was on night duty before the attack on the outpost. His family must have found a hiding place to put him before they died, because she didn’t see them in the keep during the siege. “Did the strange man hurt you, Owen?”

“No, he gave me honey…” Zasta didn’t have time to show her surprise. Instead, she blinked rapidly as Owens asked the all-important question. “Where’s my mom and dad?”

“I’m sorry Owen, they’re gone.” Zasta said with a heavy heart, Owen broke down crying, hugging the man back around the neck. Zasta’s heart went out for the poor little guy, all alone in this outpost with only dust and echoes as company.

(Sshh, sshh there, everything is going to be okay.) The man spoke in his language with a comforting tone petting Owen on the back. Then he moved his hand to a box on some rope and touched it. (Guys, be aware, I’ve run into another local. Carla was right to say they were children. The adults are a lot taller.)

(You don’t say.) Zasta damn near leapt out of her skin when she heard another voice way too gods damn close. She turned in her frightened jump to look at the source of the voice to see one of the other strange people within sword range of her.

HOW… HOW THE FUCK!? Zasta screamed in her mind looking at yet another stranger eyes wide in surprise. I didn’t hear him, how the fuck did i not hear him?

(Your new friend is jumpy.) He spoke in the same damn strange language with an amused grin on his face.

By. The. Gods. Seriously, do they not fucking speak draconic or something!? Wait, maybe not. She filed that question away for later and watched the new strange person walk over to the other one, his footsteps now audible on the wooden floor.

Oh, you did it on purpose you sneaky fucking basterd. Zasta thought, glaring a hole into the back of its head.

(Here’s the water for the kid.) The person that snuck up on her said while handing the other one a strange bottle. The bottle wasn’t made out of leather or metal. To her it looked like colored glass. The stranger part was when he opened the bottle by twisting it off.

Wow, it doesn’t have a cork. Zasta noted while watching the man give Owen some water. Once Owen realized it was something that could be drunk, he greedily drank it. She mentally kicked herself. He was obviously thirsty and hungry, and she completely forgot to offer anything. Gods damn it Zasta, you should have offered Owen some water. Wait, I do have some food.

At that moment the man that snuck up on her walked over to her. She just now noticed that he had light copper skin as he then proceeded to point to himself. (Raphael)

Seems like time for introduction has decided to come. She could get behind that no problem.

(Rakael?) Zasta tried, well, introduction wouldn’t have been a problem if she could say his bloody name right. She heard Raphael chuckle with a smile then pointed to the brown one. Who took the bottle away to keep Owen from over drinking.

(Jasper) the man named Jasper waved his hand at her.

(Jasker?) Owen tried and also failed to say the non-dragonette name. Jasper chuckled with a wide fatherly smile and nodded.

(Jasker) Jasper said with amusement but a fatherly tone. Zasta nodded and pointed to herself.

“Zasta” Raphael and Jasper looked like they were chewing it over.

“Zaska?” Raphael tried.

“Zosta” Jasper said, getting the closest.

Zasta let out an amused chuckle and smiled at their attempts to pronounce her name. Glad to see that she wasn’t the only one having trouble with names.

“Owen!” Owen yelled out with his hands raised in the air looking adorable despite being half starved. Which she had better do something about. Walking over to Owen she reached into her excursion pouch on the right side of her skirt and pulled out some dried meat.

“Owen, here I have some food. You must be starving.” Zasta said, handing him the meat. Owen grabbed it before remembering his manners. He thanked me before ravaging the piece of meat. That was when she heard the helmet begin to talk in their strange language. The voice was muffled so she couldn’t hear what it said, but it’s not like she could understand what they were saying anyway.

Is that an enchanted helmet? Zasta mentally questioned while looking at Jasper’s helmet with a head tilt.

(I see…) Zasta’s head would turn to Raphael as he started to speak again. (Wilson, get back to Deucelot and get a pemmican bar alone with a one-shot vitamin tablet. We’ll meet you there.)

Another enchanted helmet, how fucken rich are these people?! Zasta watched, surprised by the sheer amount of very expensive magical equipment around her. She watched Raphael start to walk out of her old home with Jasper behind him, his metal staff in his off hand. Zasta followed them out, staying just behind them. Well, this should be interesting.