#first nest gave both the perfect dragon and a primal. so i kept both of those

[the-chattering-tower]

I'm doing this at the worst time, but uhh, anyone want some dragons?

First image is all pure progen descendants, ranging from G2 to G5. Second image is randos, mostly just offspring from my pairs that have been ripening since June. Python and Horka are a pair bred only once, and Memory is one of their kids (the other two I kept)

All but the first one (trans coloured pure progen G5) are 10g on the AH for a day, and when their auctions expire, most of them are getting yote as fodder

[zenithlux]

End of Ascalon - 11

Catch up on the story here!

Having been informed of all you accomplished during your time in Falcon's Nest and Camp Cloudtop, Count Edmont wishes to express his heartfelt gratitude. He has scarcely begun to speak, however, when his steward bursts in: Tataru has been arrested by a knight of the Heavens' Ward─one “Ser Grinnaux”─on the charge of fomenting heresy. 

Journal - Divine Intervention

At first, Alphinaud didn’t know what to say, even though a million questions bombarded him all at once. How did this happen? Why Tataru? Why not himself or Z’iyanna? Did they think these charges wouldn’t stick on anyone else? But despite all of this, all he could say was, “why?”

“As far as we know,” Count Edmont said. “She was merely asking questions at the Forgotten Knight, but one of the Heaven’s ward overheard her at the wrong time and accused her of trying to spread heresy. We tried asking with she said, but they wouldn’t give us a straight answer.”

“So what does that mean.?”

“She will stand trial, either a simple one that she will likely lose or a trial by combat that she will also lose without a champion.”

“Who does the champion have to fight?”

“One of the accusers,” Edmont said. 

Alphinaud didn’t want to hear the answer, even though he already knew it was coming. “A member of the Heaven’s Ward?”

“Yes,” Count Edmont said. “Which means we need to find Z’iyanna quickly.”

“I’ll do it,” Alphinaud said. “I can fight.”

He knew he shouldn’t have been offended by the surprise on the Count’s face, but it did bother him just a bit. “Are you sure? The Heaven’s Ward is not to be trifled with.”

“We cannot always rely on Z’iyanna to fix our problems.” Alphinaud snapped. 

“This is nothing against you,” Count Edmont said. “But Z’iyanna can finish the trial quickly so we can all move on.”

“Well she’s not here,” Alphinaud said. “And we don’t have a lot of time.” 

Slowly, Edmont nodded. “I will delay the trial as much as possible. Prepare yourself, Alphinaud. I’ll find out who your competition will be.” Despite his words, Alphinaud had a feeling that Count Edmont was still hoping for more. 

Plumes of fire fill her vision as smoke sweeps through the area. Yet, nothing bothers her as it should. She does not cough. She does not struggle to breathe. She simply stands there, watching as the red moon cracks open. She knows what is inside; the dragon both killed and reborn. And she knows the future they will have together; the world she will try to show him. 

“It won’t be long,” his voice whispers in the back of her mind. “You will give in.”

Wings burst from the red moon as pieces of it rain down from the sky. 

“No,” She thinks. “I still have things to show you.”

He snorts. “Believe what you will, Warrior of Light. But I know the truth.” 

As he bursts from his prison, a golden light surrounds her. She watches as he sweeps through the armies, decimating everything in his past. 

“And I will destroy you… and everything you love.” 

Z’iyanna jerked awake, but the pile of thick blankets kept her still. Her eyes dark around the room, confused as her brain struggled to comprehend where she is. Haurchefant’s home, she finally told herself, taking a slow, deep breath to bring her thoughts back together. 

She’d had that dream before. Numerous times since she and Bahamut’s soul’s fused. His words were always the same. I will destroy you. For the most part, she brushed it off as his dominant soul wishing to be free.  But sometimes - in those rare occasions when she lost her confidence or forgot who she was - his words would embed themselves into her mind, stewing there for days before she could let them go. This time, she closed her eyes and shoved them back. She had too much to do and nowhere near enough time to dwell on the thoughts of a being that rarely showed himself. 

A knock at the door yanked her attention away. “Come in,” She said. Relief flooded her when Haurchefant stepped in, closing the door quietly behind him. Then she noticed his expression and knew immediately that something was wrong. “What happened?” She said, sitting up as she held the blankets close to her chest. 

The more Haurchefant spoke, the angrier Z’iyanna became. This was clearly some kind of attack on her. Tataru merely got caught in the crossfire. Why else would they arrest her? Though with what little she knew about the Heaven’s Ward, Z’iyanna wouldn’t put it past them to find any reason they could to arrest anyone, not just her companions. “And Alphinaud wants to fight for her?” She said. 

“That is his plan, yes.” Haurchefant said. 

Z’iyanna swore under her breath. If Haurchefant heard, he ignored it. “How long do we have?”

“My father is delaying the trial as much as possible.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“A few days, at most,” Haurchefant hesitated. “Though I fear they may force it sooner if they think you are injured.”

“Then we can’t let them think that,” She rose from the bed, letting the blanket fall from her lean frame. The tips of Haurchefant’s ears turned a bright red, but the rest of him simply helped her into her robe before she had a chance to stop him. “I’ll be fine,” She said as she met his gaze. “I’ve fought worse than the Heaven’s Ward.” He started to speak, but she pressed a finger to his lips and shook her head. “And in a much worse state.”

“As much as you would like to believe it, Lady Z’iyanna,” Haurchefant said. “You are not invincible.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“Are you certain?”

She sighed, but she kept the frustration out of it. She was only alive because he risked his life to come find her, among other reasons. It was fair for him to assume the worst. But she never had time to do such a thing. She was the Warrior of the Light. The Primal-Slayer and Dragon Killer. She was supposed to be a picture of perfect calm and limitless power at every given opportunity. She didn’t have time to rest, not when one of the few friends she had left was about to lose her life. 

“I’ll be fine,” She said quietly as she took his hand. “I need you to trust me.”

“I always do,” Haurchefant said without hesitation. “It’s the other people I don’t trust.”

She smiled and patted his cheek. “I won’t let you down.”

He softened under her touch, leaning just slightly into her hand. “I know.”

A sound drew her attention. A moogle? “Umm….” A voice said from outside the door. “Can I… come in maybe, kupo?”

She looked to Haurchefant, who just shrugged and opened the door. “I present to you, Lady Puklia Pachu.”

The moogle waved her arms in a panic. “I’ve never been called a lady before, kupo! Don’t startle me like that.” Then, her gaze landed on Z’iyanna and she froze. “Um… Hi, kupo?”

“Hello,” Z’iyanna said as she tilted her head. 

“It seems that the Lord Commander brought back a companion.”

“He was really nice, kupo!” Puklia said. “And I told him that I wanted to adventure with the greatest adventurers of all adventurers!” She waved her cane around as her pom bobbed back and forth. “So I came to you, kupo. Oh please, please please,” She waved her arms around again. “Let me join you.”

Z’iyanna stared at her. A moogle that wanted to go adventuring? She supposed it wasn’t the craziest thing for a moogle to ask for, but she hadn’t heard of many wandering outside of Gridania.  Unless they were postmoogles, but that was a whole different story. “Well I’m not going anywhere yet,” She said slowly.

“I’m a really good healer, kupo.” She said, presenting her little wooden cane like as a prized possession. “And I won’t get in the way. Promise, kupo!”

Z’iyanna looked to Haurchefant who just gave her one of those smiles and shrugged again. “If you can stay out of sight for now,” Z’iyanna said. “Then the next time I go adventuring, I’ll bring you along, deal.”  

The moogle nearly fell out of the sky with elation. “I won’t let you down, kupo!” 

------------

It always baffled Aymeric just how little power he had in situations like this. As the Lord Commander, he thought he could at least vouch for Tataru, but his voice didn’t matter when faced with the Heaven’s Ward. And after three days of delays- in no small part thanks to Count Edmont- only the Archbishop himself could stop this trial. And Aymeric had a sneaking suspicion that his father was keenly aware of what was taking place below his golden throne. What Aymeric didn’t know was what Thordan wanted out of this. He’d had Tataru arrested while everyone else was gone, and hadn’t sent any messages to Camp Cloudtop or anywhere else outside of Ishgard. But if imprisoning or, Fury forbid, killing Tataru wasn’t the goal… then what was?

“The accused, Tataru Taru, stands trial for the act of heresy,” The judge said. “And the accused has chosen to face her accuser, Ser Grinnaux, in a trial by combat.” He leaned forward on the bench, peering down at the terrified Lalafell before him. “I assume you have someone fighting in your place, yes young lady?”

Tataru looked up at Alphinaud and back to the judge. But before she could speak, the door snapped open. Z’iyanna took a step inside, glaring first at the judge, then at Sir Grinnaux who merely scowled as he crossed his arms. Haurchefant came in behind her, bowing once to the judge before joining Aymeric, his face pale. “I’ll be her champion,” Z’iyanna said. 

Murmurs swept through the crowd as Z’iyanna walked up to the arena. Aymeric swore he saw Alphinaud’s expression fall, but he stepped out of her way without a hint of an argument. She looked like a picture of calm. Pristine white mage robes. Thyrus strapped to her back. Her hair was perfectly braided and her tail and ears almost seemed to shimmer. It was a far cry from the woman who had nearly died in the Sea of Clouds. 

Aymeric hoped she felt as confident as she looked. 

“She needs more rest,” Haurchefant muttered. “But Lady Tataru needed her help.”

“Will she be alright?” Aymeric said.

“She has to be,” Haurchefant said. 

“The great Warrior of Light,” Ser Grinnaux said, raising his ax onto his shoulder. “Come to save your little friend?”

Z’iyanna scoffed as she hopped into the ring. “You’re nothing more than a bully, Sir Grinnaux. And I will have no problems proving it.” She grabbed Thyrus and gave him a dramatic bow before brandishing it the same way she would against any other monster. Sir Grinnaux’s eyes narrowed, but Aymeric noticed how his shoulders tightened and he stood just a bit straighter. Aymeric tried to hide his nerves. If Z’iyanna could be that composed, then surely he could handle himself from the crowd. But he could see the worry in Haurchefant’s eyes and the way he was standing straighter than usual. If her closest confidant was worried…

“Fine,” Sir Grinnaux said as he pulled his ax from his back. “But I won’t hold back.”

Aymeric finally let go of a breath when Z’iyanna smirked. “Neither will I.”

He moved first, barreling at her with astounding speed. But she simply hopped to the side and snapped her cane forward, knocking him back with a wave of rocks. She did it a second time, nearly knocking him off his feet. The third cast was a blast of wind. He skidded backward, and Aymeric could see small cuts in the few weak points of the knight’s armor. When he moved for another strike, she raised the staff. A blinding flash caused screams in the crowd, and when the light was gone, Grinnaux was on the ground with a broadsword pointed directly at his neck. Her robe was gone, replaced by paladin’s armor that looked even more pristine than the knight’s own did. “I have not heard if this was a fight to the death,” She said, her expression bored. “What’s the ruling on that one?”

Grinnaux grunted, glaring at her. “I drop my accusations.” 

She didn’t pull the sword away. “And you and the rest of your knights will refrain from making anymore against myself or my companions for as long as we remain in Ishgard.”  She tilted her head, pressing her armored foot against his leg. He winced for a fraction of a section before his steadfast glare returned. “Do I make myself clear?”

After a long moment, Grinnaux bit out, “I will inform the others.”

“Good,” Z’iyanna said cheerfully as she pulled away and tossed the sword. The crowd gasped as it transformed into Thyrus and her clothes returned to normal. She bowed to the judge - a bit more courteous this time- and turned to Alphinaud and Tataru. “Let’s go…”

“Z’iyanna.”

She froze as Sir Chariburt and two other knights walked into the hall. “I apologize for the… misunderstanding,,” he said with a pointed glare in Sir Grinnaux’s direction. “The Archbishop wishes to speak to you to discuss this matter in… private.” 

Aymeric’s heart dropped into his stomach, but Z’iyanna looked elated. “Then take me to him,” She said as she waved off the other two. She glanced up at Haurchefant, who simply nodded as she was lead out. 

“Well,” Haurchefant said stiffly. “She got her audience.”

“Hopefully she comes back out,” Aymeric muttered. 

That time, Haurchefant smiled as he lowered his voice. “I’m sure his holiness will give her a warm welcome.” He bowed. “By your leave, Lord Commander.”

“I need to speak with her,” Aymeric said. 

“I’ll let her know.” Haurchefant left them, escorting out a relieved Tataru and a slightly agitated Alphinaud. Aymeric shook his head, waiting for the crowd to disperse before retreating back to his own chambers for what he was certain would be hours of restless sleep.