Dragons of the Desert {Locke/Aeos}

[Locke]

The burst of wind magic flew true, slamming into Locke's chest and blasting the Earth manakete over, causing him to tumble twice in the sand before he arose, shaking himself and growling at the stinging pain of the wind magic. His foe was charging at him from the air, and so Locke sprang up, diving to the side to get out of the way. He lashed his tail, looking in interest at the diving wind dragon once more.

"Aeos! Perhaps we can learn much from each other... You fight well in the sky, and I on land. Teach me your skills! Let us exchange knowledge and become better together! Then when we spar, we will be able to fight both in the air and on land. As it is, we'll both evade one another by staying in the environment we are more comfortable in."

The Earth manakete studied the match, thinking back upon the fight. It had been brief, but there was much to be learned.

"If you want to fight on land, especially in the desert, you have to tuck your wings. They're the most vulnerable to getting broken or torn, and while that was a clever strategy, blocking my breath with them, you'd be in a world of hurt if there had been more larger stones. Likewise, I know cannonballing you was foolish - but I'm not quite sure how I could better compete with you in the air. You're much more quick and agile, so I can't keep up."

[Aeos]

He sailed past Locke and over the sands. The dragon flapped his mighty wings once more to stop himself then turned around and landed. He hit the ground with a bit of a thud.

"I thank you for not hitting me with thy spiky tail!" Cause that would have been so painful. The sandy colored dragon approached Locke with his wings tucked in. Aeos tilted his head quizzically for a moment at Locke's words.

"You speak true. An injury to my wings would hath been bad. But twas the only thing I could think oft in the face oft thy sand stream's presence. Unlike, you Locke my body lacks spikes for defense. This body's scales be smooth to help with moving in the air." He looked at Locke's dragon body. Noticing all of the differences between them, Locke's body seemed to be made of the earth itself. He restrained himself from poking at the jagged protrusions of stalagmites. Locke's scales had a slight shine to them that reminded him of the colors from smooth sides of seashells, and how they looked when they were held up to the sun. If an outsider were to place bets on who would win between them in a contest of strength, Aeos assumed the bets would go to Locke.

Then Aeos unfurled out one of his wings to examine it briefly. He wasn't sure exactly what to say to Locke that would help him in combat while flying. The cannon ball of spikes was a foolish play but it would have been incredibly painful for him if he had gotten crushed. His wings were massive and a testament to his element. He stretched it a bit then folded it back to it's resting position.

"I.. do not know what I can say to help thee move in the air. I might need to see thee fly some more.. and not as a cannonball of doom. Ah! Wait, How is the chest?"

[Locke]

"Hm! It is my pleasure. I do not wish to do you serious harm. You're friend, not foe."

The spiked dragon slowly made his way to the huge entryway of the Sanctuary, his scales dully gleaming in the moonlight as he entered the grand first hall. What used to be a mighty room now was cracked and the strong ceiling caved in, the arches remaining to mark what used to be a high, lofty roof. A brief sigh, heavy and melancholy, escaped in a low huff from his snout, and he swiped with his tail at the drifts of sand that covered the beautiful stone floors.

The Sanctuary... Once so mighty and beautiful, and now a ruin in the desert. The brutal attack during the Scouring and then the centuries of disuse had taken their toll on the building. The damage was not permanent, however - Locke had no doubt that if he were to spend many months working, using his uncommon gift for sculpting and his draconic power, he could have the building whole again. Would it be beautiful? No, he had no manpower, no materials... It would be rough sandstone at best. But he could do it... But why bother?

"How is the chest? It is fine, though the power of wind is nothing to trifle about. You have the force of a few human catapults behind your breath, friend. I cringe for any enemies you turn that weapon upon.

So... This is what used to be our most sacred and mighty temple, a gathering space for all Earth dragons and a meeting place for business between many tribes. Now it is home to sand spiders, scorpions, and dust... But the innermost chambers remain pristine."

[Aeos]

The wind Dragon started to collect both of their belongings. Aeos blushed lightly about his comment over his wind magic. To be honest he wasn't sure if scales could even change shades to blush. Regardless of the visible changes, Aeos followed Locke into the temple. The semi-sunlight tinted Dragon took a look around at the state of the temple. He had never been inside a building before in Dragon form. Even though he was in this larger form the temple's roof seemed to stretch on for several feet. Just how large were the dragons of the ancient times he wondered.

Aeos exhaled for a moment before shifting back into his human sized form. It was in this form he could truly get a grand sense of scale. Even if this first hall had seen better days it was still quite the sight to behold. The wind Dragon was silent for a while simply taking it all in. This was the first time he had ever seen architecture that was made by dragons. Specifically for dragons and Dragon related things. He had seen other artifacts and had an idea of building loosely based off of the descriptions of the books in his fathers possession.

".. I.. have no words. Only that I be saddened that I hath not seen this place in its prime. Now I wonder.. to what sort oft ancient wonders the tribe oft the wind dragons once had." He walked behind Locke. Careful not to get hit by his tail. Soon the pair of them would reach the inner sanctum of the temple.

[Locke]

“I do believe that the tribes each held their own halls to call sacred, their own Sanctuaries to the elements that bore them and the power that raised them from the raw energy of All. I am sure that somewhere in the halls of Arcadia’s library, a location will be found, and if the Sanctuary there requires the work of a builder to restore, you may count my hands yours for the task.”

With Aeos following, Locke moved quickly into the gloom. It rapidly got darker and darker, until the absence of natural light was clearly evident. No sounds echoed, save the footsteps on the stone, and the occasional drip of a water drop. The Manakete paid special attention to make sure he wasn't going too fast for his friend, while also counting the passageways.

Three, then a left turn.
Two, then right.
The passageway sloped sharply downward, and Locke moved his hand to touch the now lower and more rough-hewn ceiling. There. The air vent. 
Now right.
Right again.
Four passageways, then left.

Finally, a faint glow could be discerned, which grew larger as they neared it. Almost as if there was a hidden threshold, Locke stepped forward across what could dimly be made out as a doorway, and the light flared, revealing a room of massive proportions, with a gigantic altar in the center, and a huge dragon, poised to leap into the air, waiting behind it. On first glance, this dragon would seem to be real, but the glow coming from its exquisitely crafted stone mouth was only an enchanted flame, said to have been placed in the temple by Athos himself.

The dragon, which had been sculpted and built out of stone, was easily ten meters tall, and was exactly proportioned. Surrounding the altar and its protector were huge murals of important scenes in draconic lore, tapestries, and beautiful carvings.

"This is the inner Sanctuary. This is where the spirit of the Earth Dragon sleeps. It is the epicenter of our culture. It is the most hallowed place for us. I show it to you so that you may understand. I pray this will give you the ability to see the Earth tribe new light. This is our most hallowed place. This is where we come to celebrate birth, and death. This is the home of our Earth Spirit, who formed us from the rock and stone. This is my home.”

[Aeos]

“A whole temple of the elements.. Sacred.. to dragons.” Aeos put his hand on his chin and tilted his head. His mind was racing with thoughts about these temples. How they looked? What they did? What if his ancestors had been in one? How did they house the element? Clearly there were more to the spirits and elements of the world then he understood. More to the dragon heritage then he knew.

“Arcadia? What's an Arcadia?” He asked with genuine curiosity. The young dragon had never heard of the place. Or what he assumed to be a place as Locke had mentioned a library. The Raven haired dragon followed the green haired one. He memorized the steps and path. He repeated it in his mind much to the annoyance of his spiritual stone. It too repeated the mantra of the path in a more annoying voice. The dark halls slowly began to illuminate themselves until the pair of them arrived at a chamber hall of sorts.

A great stone statue of a dragon welcomed them into the chamber. It wasn't alive but it was still very impressive.

“Did you sculpt this yourself?” Aeos asked before he wandered off to stare at the walls. He was awestruck at the murals and carvings.

“Wow.” Wow. The murals each painted a story of the earth dragon tribe. Some described scenes of peace. Others of battle. Others of gathering places and meetings between other tribes. All of them beautiful.

“Locke your home is beautiful. There is so much history here. So much.. history I don't know. So much.. I wish to learn.”

[Locke]

Arcadia? What was Arcadia? How could Aeos not know about their city? Their one safe refuge on the continent of Elibe? His voice incredulous and his eyes widened in disbelief, Locke began to speak.

"Friend Aeos, I know not how old you are. I am seven centuries, a score and eight years upon this continent, and I grew up in Arcadia. It is our last refuge, our safe haven. Dragons of every type, of all the elements of our world, of age old and young, are gathered there. They live in peace and harmony, hidden from the human world by an impassable sandstorm. It is a place of hope, a place of life. Arcadia was created for us by the Lord Athos, the great Archsage. His wisdom and compassion were rivaled only by his magical strength. It is to him that we owe our safety and our security in that bastion of dragonkind."

As Aeos marveled at the Inner Sanctuary, Locke ran his fingers over what he could reach of the giant murals. This room was not made for humans, but for the grand scale of dragons. As he did so, it almost looked - and perhaps it was merely a trick of the light- as if his hand was wrinkled and old, like that of a man past his prime.

"I did not sculpt the Great Earth Dragon. I was not born when the sculpture was created, and the talents of its creator far surpass my own. In comparison, I am not yet worthy to carve the bottom of the claw.

The history of our people is indeed vast. There is much that I do not even know. But what is truly amazing is that it is preserved, our legacy, in the halls of Arcadia's library."

Locke approached the statue of the Great Earth Dragon and then shifted, standing before it and bowing his head in respect to the father of his tribe. All was still in the large room, and then the floor shuddered, briefly, as if sending a message. Locke let his power go, returning to his human form, and then turned to Aeos, his eyes shining.

"Now you see, my friend. The Earth Dragons are not dead, nor are any dragons. I will rebuild this place. I am the Guardian of the Sanctuary."

[Thread End]