The ward at the nest mouth burns bright, green-white static crawling over the seam. Thovik stands just beyond it, blue scales dulled with dust, head lowered against the sting.
Thovik
Give me a moment's respite, and I tell you what I know of the pale eggs. Their making did not begin here.
The Elder Knight
You stand at the threshold of a brood you would unmake. Speak plain, or move away and suffer it.
Erma
The eggs are the target. If he knows their origin, he knows who comes next.
Thovik lifts one claw, not crossing the line, only pointing deeper into the dark beyond the sanctuary. The ward crackles harder where his shadow nears it.
Thovik
The first-born did not leave those eggs by chance. They were set apart, guarded, and named for a claim. If you keep them, you keep a challenge.
The Elder Knight tightens his grip, and the tunnel feels narrower than before. Thovik's answer turns the clutch from hidden treasure into open war.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who claimed the pale eggs
✓ Quest Accepted
Listen to Thovik's full explanation
“I let him finish speaking, blocking any cursing”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Erma stills the chamber with his silence, and Thovik takes the opening. The blue dragon lowers his claw and speaks into the crackling ward instead of over it.
Thovik
The claim is old. The pale eggs were marked by the first-born, set apart as tribute and test. Those who laid claim meant to take them when they hatched.
The Elder Knight’s sword dips a finger’s breadth as the words land. Stone dust drifts between the ward sparks, and even the tunnel seems to listen.
Thovik
I did not come to hide that from you. I came to warn you before the ones who made that claim come to collect.
The sanctuary ward flares brighter at the nameless threat in his voice, then settles to a hard, steady glow. Behind Erma, the hatchling’s gaze stays fixed on him, wide and unblinking.
Thovik
If you keep the clutch, you are already in their path.
Quest Complete
Listen to Thovik's full explanation
Quest Complete
Learn who claimed the pale eggs
“I say, i am the first, what do i have to fear, i fear none”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Erma
I am the first. What do I have to fear? I fear none.
The words settle through the tunnel like a struck bell. Thovik stills, and the ward answers with a brief green-white flare before smoothing back to a steady glow.
Thovik
Then you understand why they will come. First claims invite first challenges, and first eggs draw first knives.
The Elder Knight shifts his footing beside the nest, not retreating now, only listening harder. The hatchling leans forward against Erma’s flank, awe fixed in its bright stare.
Thovik
I did not cross this dark to praise them. I crossed it because your ward is honest, and the old claim can still be answered.
Dust drifts from the ceiling in a thin silver sheet. Beyond the bend, the distant scraping sound returns once, faint but deliberate, then fades again.
Thovik
If you will stand as first, then speak your law plainly, here, under this light. What keeps the clutch yours when the claimers arrive?
✓ Quest Accepted
Define what keeps the clutch yours when claimers arrive
“I say, they are just hatchlings, deserving rights and protection, i will not let that be blurred by the silly game that has been built around them and me”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Erma lets the silence hold a heartbeat longer, then the ward brightens around his outline as he lowers his head toward the nest. The hatchling keeps staring, rapt.
Erma
They are hatchlings. They have rights, and they have protection. I will not let your games blur that.
Thovik
Good. Then you speak as a guardian, not a claimant.
The Elder Knight’s grip loosens a fraction on his sword, and the ward answers with another green-white pulse, steady as breath. Dust slips down in a soft veil from the ceiling.
Thovik
A claim is only strong when it is defended by fear. Rights endure when they are named aloud and held in witness.
He angles one claw toward the alcove, not threatening, but acknowledging it. The hatchling leans harder into Erma’s flank, awe fixed on the exchange.
Thovik
Then let that be the law here, under this ward. These young are not tribute. They are protected kin.
The ward flares once, as if sealing the words into the stone. Beyond the bend, the distant scraping sound answers with a single faint drag, then goes still.
Quest Complete
Define what keeps the clutch yours when claimers arrive