A vast blue presence eclipses the stars as Ehahase coils above Merllin’s rim, her arrival drawing cold radiance across the ash. She has come from the nomad camp to find her son.
Her attention settles first on the unconscious Obsidian Dragon, still safely anchored beside Huarti. Then her gaze passes to him, weighing the quiet summit and the sealed wound below.
Ehahase
You have taken responsibility for this mountain’s guardian. Tell me, my son: does your new authority protect life, or merely command it?
The Obsidian Dragon gives no answer. Unconscious, it lies beneath the stars with one wing half-spread, while the mountain’s steady pulse leaves Huarti alone before Ehahase’s judgment.
Ehahase
A command can restrain a threat. Protection must also leave the living room to breathe. Which law have you placed upon this stone?
Wind moves over the rim, cooling the black-red seam far below and Huarti’s scorched palms where his grip held the dragon. Ehahase waits without softening the question.
✓ Quest Accepted
Earn Ehahase’s trust in Merllin’s protection
“I answer "protection, i claim to be king of no man"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Huarti
Protection. I claim to be king of no man.
Huarti’s declaration crosses the summit without force or flourish. The mountain’s pulse remains steady beneath him, while the unconscious Obsidian Dragon lies safely at his side.
Ehahase
He draws a boundary around his authority rather than around the living.
Ehahase’s immense coils ease above the rim, and her cold radiance softens. Her attention remains stern, but the judgment in it no longer searches for a hidden claim of ownership.
Ehahase
Then let your protection remain a shelter, not a crown. I accept the distinction, my son.
A pale current passes from Ehahase through the night air and settles over the summit. The mountain recognizes protection without submitting its living guardian to a king.
Quest Complete
Earn Ehahase’s trust in Merllin’s protection