Dracopical Isles: Rise of the Underground

Chapter 7

The days couldn't stretch any longer than they could ever appear to be. Each hour of the passing sun feels like a decade in the following days of Emeraldus' life. It has been no more than a casual routine of hunting, studying, checking on the eggs, and so on until dusk. All the while, the death of his mate is still weighing heavy upon Emeraldus' shoulders.
Looking through one of his spell books, he sighs. "Nothing new.. Nothing new," Emeraldus mumbles to himself as he flips from page to page. The new days have grown boring pretty fast, and now Emeraldus is left with a dry cycle of rinse and repeat. He has gone through his spell book collection 3 times today even, just to kill time. Ever since Midna's death, he had put his newest studies aside. It felt like all his motivation was murdered along with her. He can't even encourage himself to lift a pen.
Looking at another spell book volume for the third time, Emeraldus curls his lip with an agitated shake of the head. Snarling, he throws it into the blazing fireplace, just barely missing the cauldron set above it, where orange flames lick the pages black.
"It's not fair!" He roars, banging a fist against the study table. A container of ink sways, then falls spilling black liquid in a thin puddle, the feather quill having its bristles slowly caked in the mess.
"Of all the dragons it could have been," Emeraldus wrinkles his muzzle to expose his teeth. "It was my Midna.." He growls the words with an edge of pure venom. Nothing can describe the sheer hatred that now boils within Emeraldus' veins towards the human race. For being wounded so deeply and so cruelly.. he will never forgive them.
Turning his glance back to the cauldron holding his eggs safely in the heat of the fireplace, his anger waters down into sadness. His snarl becomes a frown and his furrowed brows droop. Another sigh is released from his lips. Wiping a sorrowful hand across his face, Emeraldus gets to his feet and departs from the desk. Walking over to the weathered window entrance, he collapses again, head hanging out in the outside air.
He stares at the ground several yards below, grasses swaying and insects buzzing in the daylight breeze.
Emeraldus just lies there, staring off into his head. If only he could bring Midna back. If only he had the magic to give her back the life she lost. If only he could undo the tragedy that befell them. If only...

The nearby woods are still quite the maze for Slim. In the following few days, he had been going in countless circles with his poor memory doing him problems. Every tree, shrub, and boulder looks the same. There are no particular landmarks that stick out to give Slim hints of where he is or where he's going. He pauses to sit down beneath an overhanging cluster of pine branches.
"Oh this is hopeless," He sighs wearily. "I'll never find a new place.."
The sullen thought returns once again, Slim is convinced he should give up. He's never meant to be out on his own. Alchemy dragons live in groups for a reason. They may still be tough on their own, but a majority of their existence depends on numbers. They need companionship.
Looking around at the surrounding brush, it is no different than it has been in the preceding days - birdsong twitters merrily and sunlight leaks through the branches from above. Bugs buzz on by nonchalantly and a soft summer breeze blows through, rustling loose foliage. Slim lies down on his side, his breath disturbing a spot of weeds in front of him as he sighs.
If only he could've been better. If only he didn't have such a bad memory. If only he could find a place where he belongs. If only...
The forest ambience is his only company in the passing minutes. As time ticks, Slim's eyelids eventually droop shut and he begins to doze. His mind is adrift in a light slumber as nature continues to sing its song - that is.. until it suddenly stops. Birdsong ceases and the insects all hide.
A twig snapping flashes open Slim's eyes and he quickly lifts his head in alert of his surroundings. Soon aware of the shift in ambience, Slim's heart sinks a tad. Is someone nearby?
"Hello..?" He speaks with a soft and reluctant voice, scanning the trees with his uneasy gaze. His dragon senses soon join in on the suspense - he can feel somebody approaching. "Hello..?" He repeats, now carefully rising to his feet.
A few seconds later, a voice behind him startles Slim and he flinches, flashing his gaze over his shoulder: "Hello Slim,"
He is slightly surprised to see a familiar face coming out from the shadows - it's Cigoura. The elder Alchemy approaches with his head and tail low, a scowl fixated on Slim's face. Dapples of sunlight bleed through onto the flickering silver and gold of his scales.
Slim's eyes widen that much more. "...Sir..?" He briefly scans his surroundings for any extra details of this sudden meet. "Wha, what brings you 'ere..?"
Cigoura stops a couple feet away from Slim and lifts his head. "It's a long story, but I've come looking for you. No surprise that it didn't take that long."
Is Cigoura coming to bring him back? Did he realize another possibility for Slim? ... Or did he think he didn't give Slim enough of an exile?
"Well, what is your beef with me... erm, Sir?" Slim doesn't even try to hide his nerves. At this point, he's got absolutely nothing to lose - just a poor lone Alchemy dragon in the wild woods exposed to endless danger at every possibility.
Cigoura's expression doesn't change. "I've been thinking.. things have definitely changed since you left, and so quickly." He sits down where he is. "Mind sharing your experiences thus far?"
"Ya.. you just wanna chat?" Slim asks, still keeping a wary and discomforted glance on the elder Alchemy. "That's it?" Subconsciously, his feet shuffle a tad backwards in an attempt to create distance.
"For now, yes," Cigoura admits with a small hint of a sneer curling his lip. "And especially since you're still alive. Did any Sorcerants give you trouble?"
Slim looks away at the ground. "Not really.. well, except for one.. but he let me go."
Cigoura lifts a brow in reaction to hearing this outcome. "Did he?" But his surprise is quickly followed by a humored chuckle. "I don't suppose he thought you weren't worth the trouble anyway, huh?"
Slim shuffles his forelegs, a bit unsure how to take that. He can't exactly tell if Cigoura meant it as an insult or a joke, but his general presence is giving Slim a sort of eerie vibe. He can't quite decipher what it could be that's giving him such feelings, but in the back of his mind it prowls. It is apparent that something isn't quite right. Seemingly taking notice of Slim's uneasiness, Cigoura speaks again, except with a more sympathetic, underlying tone. "What is the matter? Think I'm going to bite your tail off?
"Why are you here, man?" Slim immediately replies with his anxiety now at the forefront. With it, he seems to forget how to properly address Cigoura in an instant as well. "I thought you didn't want the likes of me anymore. Did the alpha send you?"
A huff of breath escapes Cigoura's sneer curling his lip a bit further, but with no other additives to tell what caused it - amusement? Anger? Dismissal?
"And if she did?" Was his reply.
Slim's attention is quickly taken off the elder Alchemy by more supernatural sensory. His senses now detect more dragons closing in. He takes his eyes off Cigoura to look around himself once more. Still, the surrounding brush is no different than before, except now it seems even quieter. The thought that something isn't right grows stronger and Slim's brows begin to sweat.
"Listen, Slim," Cigoura's voice snaps him back to the convo. "If you want this to be quick, you'll cooperate. If you do not want to talk, that's fine. It isn't the most important part anyway."
Slim turns wide eyes towards his former leader, a rock feeling like it had just dropped into his stomach. "Important part..?"
As if to try to ease his rapidly rising nerves, Cigoura proceeds with his gentler tone. "Oh I wouldn't worry. It's not like I plan to kill you," He breaks eye contact on that ending statement, looking to his left at an angle, to appear less threatening. "Nah, even I wouldn't dare to do that. I mean, if I did, I would've done it by now."
Slim utters a pathetic, "Uh..." from his discomforted frown in response, but Cigoura proceeds before he can speak another word.
"Then why am I here?" Cigoura says, now rising to his feet. "Oh it's simple. I just want a little something from you. That's all." His sneer now mellows into a somewhat genuine smile - again, probably to appear less threatening, but of course, this doesn't convince Slim in the slightest. It is then now that the other approaching dragons show themselves - it is the rest of his former ring. They come closer only to stop just mere inches away from the clearing he and Cigoura stand, eyeing Slim with rather neutral expressions.
"Erm, ma.. Sir..?" Slim manages to choke out from his ever rising panic. "I don't think I like this... What is it that you're wanting from me?"
Cigoura's smile finally disappears. "Cowardly as ever, not willing to cooperate - as always, aren't you, Slim?" He then narrows his eyes giving the trembling, slinky male an unfriendly gaze. It seems now that he drops his gentle facade, much to Slim's dismay.
In reaction, Slim takes a few more uncomfortable shuffles backward. "Look man, I don't want any trouble here, okay?" He speaks while looking at the fellow Alchemies just standing where they are. "... Is... is this gonna hurt?"
Cigoura's next reply makes Slim's blood freeze in his veins, "Not as much as it would if you struggled."
At that moment, Slim's muscles all lock into place and his mind seizes up with fear. But didn't he say they weren't planning to kill him? What exactly could they want from him anyway, and in the case that it may hurt him?
"Alright troops," Cigoura begins, now taking a couple steps towards Slim. "Let's get this over with."