"What do you know about dragons?" Erumon asked again, as if making sure his question was heard by everyone present.
"I've only heard about them in legends," Neko raised his hand skittishly, glancing at the others for support. "I think the situation is the same for most of us, at least," he added, lowering his hand slowly, getting a nod of acknowledgement from Erumon.
"I know there are a few older members of our group who've likely heard more about them, but to keep a long story short, they are incredibly powerful and have a deeply rooted hatred for anyone who's been corrupted by Mideia," he said loosely. However, his tone suggested there was much more to the story than he let on as he began to pace.
"After what I saw with the Dericoed, I concluded that if this is going to be a war of attrition, then we're going to need all the help we can get," he said, pausing to look up at the canopy far above him that caught the final rays of sunlight.
"Like I told Lady Kalia, I spent many years hunting down my former comrades, and you should know that they are not small in number by any means. When I reached my conclusion, I figured it would be in our best interest to call upon one of the ancients to come to our aid, since our realm is facing challenges of its own," Erumon said, the weight of his words heavy on everyone's shoulders, though they couldn't begin to comprehend what he meant.
"So, what would you have us do, Lord Erumon?" Bernar asked, taking a step forward. "For starters, all of you here should merely address me as Erumon. We're going to be brothers and sisters in arms shortly, and I don't think it would be wise to keep grades of status between us, much like Aurae and Leona have asked you all to do," he said with as warm a smile as his stoic complexion would allow.
He wouldn't do that unless he really meant it, Taegin realized, forcing himself to blink several times.
"Secondly, I would like Taegin, Ardrin, and Bernar to undertake the mission of waking him up. His den, as he likes to call it, lies at the foot of the Rhydian Mountains just north of Soule. I would accompany you, but I must return to my master with the unsettling news we discovered during our interaction with the Dericoed," Erumon said, getting a surprised look from Thorsen and Gwili.
It's just a shame we weren't invited, Gwili wordlessly sent Thorsen with a glance.
"In the meantime, the rest of you should continue your training as much as you can. Knowing his personality, he will likely be much more… amicable, if he sees you putting all your effort into training," Erumon continued, prompting Neko and Marte to swallow dryly. "We will abide by your advice, Lo-... Erumon," Thorsen stammered at the more casual use of the warden's name.
Ardrin placed a hand on his chin pensively, twitching his head as if working something out in the depths of his mind. "Something troubles you?" Erumon asked plainly. "A lot, actually, but right now, my focus is on what we would even say to him, given that he's been asleep for so long," Ardrin spread his arms, but the large man moved forward and put a large hand on his shoulder.
"When the time comes to wake him, be mindful of your thoughts and emotions, as with the Wraithborn and their connections to each other, dragons can see those naturally. As for what you will say, I'm sure the words will come to you when the time is right," Erumon said with confidence.
After bidding the others farewell, Erumon stepped through the portal that brought him back to Polarion. This time, the others nearby caught a brief glimpse of the realm beyond the bright, swirling portal, leaving them in almost as much awe as they had felt upon discovering a dragon.
"T-This is insane. What if he comes when we're not training?" Neko asked, prompting Bernar to chuckle. "That's why you're not going to stop until we return," he said with a wolfish grin and a pat on the young half-elf's shoulder. "Aww, come on. You can't be serious," Neko said with a nervous chuckle, but Bernar's smile never broke.
"How do you think Thoma went from being a base-level third-stage to a high-level fourth, huh?" Bernar asked, his smile never once dropping, sending a chill down Neko's spine. "It's fine, Bernar. I'll make sure he gets enough rest in between," Anwill chimed in. "While I'll make sure he gets as much value from it as possible. Both of them," Nenvalur stepped in with an equally wolfish grin aimed at Marte.
"We'll leave them in your care, then. We leave at dawn, so we should prepare anything we'll need and get some rest tonight," Taegin said, but Ardrin raised a hand to stop him. "We could leave tonight and reach Soule by dawn," Bernar suggested, even though they'd already traveled a considerable distance to the communion chamber earlier in the day.
"Ardrin, what do you think? We might as well get a head-start, right?" Taegin asked, but Ardrin began moving without more than a muffled grunt. "I guess that's that. Let's move, Bernar," Taegin said, following behind his twin brother.
Bidding the others farewell with a brief wave, their mana rapidly surged, and they disappeared with three massive, concussive blasts left in their wakes.
As they ran through the city gates, the guards were forced to hold onto their helmets as the strong winds swept past. It took them the better part of the night to reach their destination, though it was much less time than it would have taken them by horseback.
Moving as quickly as they were certainly took a toll on their stamina when they finally came to a halt, but even with the vague description from Erumon and the distant light of the setting full moon, they were astonished by what they found.
"Do you sense anything?" Bernar asked between battered breaths.