The Legend of Vox Machina: The Curse of Zia Zircon

Ch 11: A Night of Travel

"Guys maybe we shouldn't stop..." Keyleth frowned, firewood from deceased trees clutched in her arms. Vox Machina currently hunkering down in the burnt forest they had sailed over that morning.

"My screaming feet say otherwise. It's late. We can't walk all night, Keyleth." Vex protested, rubbing at her aching soles. Her boots already next to her. Trinket a fuzzy warm pillow at her back.

"Yeah, I know but..." she looked around them, her voice losing power. "...the dragon could be laying waste to something right now. Trees...animals....people..."

"And?" Percy leaned back against a log. "We have no idea where the fuck it is."

Keyleth frowned hugging the twigs in her arms. She didn't like it here...it was like sleeping in a graveyard with unburied bodies. Trees were as living as people to the Druid.

"We need rest, Keyleth...we got our asses kicked." Pike spoke up. "We can't face that dragon without some sleep..."

"Not to mention, we aren't going to catch up to something with a wingspan as wide as a lake." Vax sparked two stones together and started a fire. He took some wood out of her arms and fed the flames. "Relax, Kiki, we'll get to Emon by tomorrow. Our best lead is finding the asshole who's working with that scaley fuck."

"I'm sorry we're just assuming that the fuckers a dude?" Pike raised a brow, her head tilting.

"You think it could be a woman?" Vax raised a brow at her.

"I think it's early to rule that out." Pike insisted.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" Scanlan's arm shot up. "I bet it's Allura! Cause she's so Alluring! That dragon just couldn't resist working with her."

"Yeah right. Great job Scanlan. You cracked the case." Pike smiled cheerfully at the gnome before her smile dropped and a pine cone was thrown at his head. The gnome blocked the attack with his lute smiling back at her.

The merriment and antics continued, Keyleth grew comfortable enough in the groups comradery to relax for the night.

The same couldn't be said for Zia.

Though the rest of her friends were fast asleep the very moment their heads met the dirt the statuette couldn't bring herself to close her eyes at all. Not with her glove still ripped. If she rolled, or her hand fell to the ground in her sleep, then she could wake up to a nightmare...all her friends encased in crystal.

She couldn't risk that. She wouldn't...

The statuette sat up, stood, and walked away from the roaring fire her group had huddled near. She sat down in front of the nearby pond that was filled with charred wood. She stared down at the water eyes focused on the twinkling stars reflected in the dark pool.

"Not sleeping?" The voice had a gentle tone as not to startle-cutting through the strange silence of the night. She didn't turn. Zia's eyes flicked over to Percy's reflection instead. It was an innocent question, but the answer was obvious given the look on her face. Though he didn't seem to be waiting for an answer given its redundancy.

He sat down beside her, one of his knees bent up so he could rest his arm on it. The other bent and stretched out on the grass. His body leant towards her.

"You've been quiet tonight." He voiced the observation quietly after some time. "Do you want to share what's on your mind?"

"Not really..." Zia denied with a small sigh. Yet, the words escaped her mouth anyways. "...it-it's just my curse. With my glove ripped...it makes me uneasy."

Regret lined Percy's eyes. "I'm sorry we couldn't find a quick fix for it in the village."

"I didn't think there would be anything anyways." Zia denied, "Shouldn't you be getting some sleep?"

"Hm." Percy hummed, head tilting toward the water. "Sleep and I seem to be having a disagreement at the moment." He cast his gaze to her reflection. "I'd much rather look at the beauitful scenery."

"There isn't much." Zia murmured her gaze swept out to the many burnt trees around them. "Sorry to disappoint."

"That's alright..." Percy murmured. "There's you."

Zia's eyebrows rose of their own accord. She turned her head to look at him with surprise in her eyes.

"Scanlan was right about one thing, you are beautiful Zia."

There was no wine in Percy's system tonight. His head was perfectly clear. Yet Zia couldn't help but wonder if getting dog piled by everyone earlier had given him a concussion.

His words were sincere, he meant what he said. She knew that much, yet still it floored her.

She leaned back on her hand, the wrong one,  her curse had all but slipped her mind in that moment. Crystal sprang up under her palm, and shot in a line along the grass. She jerked her hand up, her whole body springing away from the crystal as it coated a dead tree.

"Shit." Zia hissed, bringing her closed fist to her chest.

Warm arms wrapped around her. A hand on her shoulder, another arm draped across her front to settle a hand on one of her hips. "It's alright...it was just a bit of grass."

Her scramble had led her straight into Percy's lap. "And a tree." Zia added, fighting a blush unsure if she was embarrassed at her curse mishap or the new proximity. Both probably.

"That one was already burnt." Percy observed the tree for a moment. "Keyleth shouldn't give you shit."

"Right uh, sorry...I've got to be heavy..." She was about to shift to get off him when his hold on her tightened.

"You aren't. You're significantly lighter than Grog is at any rate." Percy denied, walking all day had already left his legs numb, she wasn't really causing him anymore discomfort. "Considering I had everyone piled on top of me today save for you- best not leave you left out...I'm not that fond of when you opt out of things."

"You know I have my reasons, Percy."

"I do, and I understand it can be difficult for you at times, I'm not denying that...have you thought about tomorrow? Coming in with us to tell the king and council that the fearsome creature is a dragon or...staying with the bear?"

"I'm not sure..." She admitted, "...it wasn't so bad last time I suppose...but with my glove...it's one thing to look like your cursed it's another for people to realize that curse is still active. I mean what if I trip and my crystal creeps like it just did with the grass and injures the king?"

"Oh, well that's a simple answer isn't it? We just have to make sure you don't hit the ground. I promise if you do decide to come inside, I won't let you fall in there." Percy swore.  "Vax isn't the only one with quick hands you know."

Zia couldn't fight down a smile. "I'm aware." She murmured her gaze sweeping back out towards the reflected stars in the lake. It was strange really...how safe...how at ease she felt in this moment. Whatever initial discomfort she had had was gone away now.

Her closed fist lowered down to rest in her other palm as she relaxed. She hadn't really meant to shut her eyes but she ended up drifting off to sleep in Percy's arms anyways.

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And that's a wrap for this chapter folks! Let me know what you thought of it in the comments please! Next chapter will be out sometime next week! I'm switching back to weekly updates for this story! Stay tuned!

Oh and before you go, if you have a minute, I have some questions for you to answer!

1. Are you liking Zia so far? What do you think of her character?

2. What are some of your hopes and wishes for Zia moving forwards in the story?

3.  Should she stay outside with Trinket or go inside with the rest of the group? What do you think?

4. Anything else you would like to ask, rant, and or tell me!