The tunnel settles into a rare hush. The ward line glows steady green-white, and the far bend lies quiet in deeper shadow.
The newborn dragon toddles up to Erma and presses its bright head into his flank, small scales shining with fresh, uncertain light.
Erma lowers his bulk and lets the hatchling lean in. The little one stays there, breathing against his side like it has found its first safe place.
The Elder Knight
A good watch looks like this, then. Quiet, and still standing.
The Elder Knight
I have guarded walls, roads, and kings, but this... this feels finer than all of them.
The Elder Knight
You have given this place a purpose, dragon. And the hatchling knows it.
Bracken eases his shoulders near the outer edge, while the Scarred Knight keeps a relaxed post at the alcove. Even the ward seems to breathe slower.
The newborn dragon nuzzles closer and gives a tiny, contented chirr. The moment opens wide, as if waiting for Erma to answer.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what the newborn dragon needs
“I let the hatchling speak”
SUCCESS (Poor Electric speech, rolled +0)
The hatchling lifts its little head from Erma’s side, blinking up at him. The wardlight paints its eyes in green-white glass.
The Newborn Dragon
Safe... warm... stay?
The Elder Knight watches with a softened grin, hand still on his hilt but no longer ready to draw. Bracken and the Scarred Knight keep their posts, leaving the moment undisturbed.
Erma
Erma answers with a low, gentle murmur, inviting the hatchling to speak more.
The Newborn Dragon
I need... this. Light. You. Quiet.
The Newborn Dragon
The far bend is dark, but here the dark is held back.
Its tiny claws knead once against Erma’s flank, then settle. Somewhere deeper in the tunnel, a faint scraping stirs and dies away, far from the nest.
Quest Complete
Learn what the newborn dragon needs