#yaegr the great girros

[ask-the-monsters-guild]

A short story I wrote to accompany Ask #52 on my askblog:  https://ask-the-monsters-guild.tumblr.com/post/176181306329/

This was a lot of fun to write, and it felt good writing it. It’s also much longer than my TP’s Full Name story at six pages in OpenOffice :D

I'll open up the Vale Crew to Asks at some point in the future too, even though they’re technically not part of the Guilds ^^

Read the full story beneath the ReadMore linebreak below....

A great Girros scurried rapidly through the dark musky depths of the Rotten Vale, clambering over rocks and piles of bones. He had been summoned to the depths of the caverns earlier, in the middle of a meal he was sharing with his pack too, but when Varynea requests your presence you do not ignore that call.

Varynea was a Vaal-Hazak who lived in the deepest depths of the Vale. She oversaw the Vale and ensured that things ran smoothly, such as keeping track of new arrivals – whether deceased or still breathing – and dealing with anything that may disrupt things for her home and those that dwelt within. Lately, this has mostly taken the form of relatively frequent intrusions from hunters and their less well-armed but nonetheless equally annoying researchers.

The Great Girros continued down the path leading into the deepest depths of the Vale, wondering what exactly she was calling him for. Whatever it was, it had to be at least somewhat important – Varynea didn't call monsters like him for idle chatter. Somehow, this concerned him a little.

He was mulling over these thoughts when a gruff sounding voice called out to him.

“Hey, Yaegr! Wait up!”

The Great Girros quickly came to a stop and turned towards the source of the voice. An Odogaron leaped down from the ledge it was standing on and down a slope before approaching him.

“Varynea send for you?” the odogaron asked.

“How'd you guess?”  Yaegr answered back.

The odorgaron shrugged. “Why else would you be heading down this way?”

“You're right on the mark Odo,” Yaegr said, bobbing his snake-like head in confirmation, “she called me to her but I don't yet know why. To be honest it's made me a touch nervous.”

Odo chuckled “Your first time seeing her I take it?”

Yaegr fidgeted slightly before responding “Yes, it is...”

Odo patted the Great Girros on the shoulder and grinned widely “Don't fret any about it little guy, she probably just wants your help with something.”

“My help? With what??”

“Well you'll find out when you meet with her.”

Yaegr's concern wasn't alleviated any by this. If anything it made him even more anxious somehow.

Sensing Yaegr's doubt, Odo tried to reassure the great girros. “Really kid, don't worry about it too much. I've met with her many times, she's a reasonable elder take my word for it.”

Yaegr thought about this for a moment. When Varynea rose to power here in the Vale one of the first things she did was chase out a fair number of monsters from this part of the Vale, claiming it as her own and bringing a sort of order to the chaotic underworld. This helped the daily lives of the weaker monsters dwelling there, such as his own kind.

“Before you leave I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you though” Odo spoke up, interrupting Yaegr's thoughts.

“Oh? What sort of favor?” Yaegr asked

“I wanted to know if you could lend me the aid of some of your pack to help me out with a new arrival in the Vale.”

“Is it living or deceased?”

“Deceased. And recently at that.”

“Why do you need the help then?”

It was Odo's turn to fidget, and he was quiet for a moment before continuing in an almost awkward tone. “Well you see, I hurt my shoulder earlier...” the fanged wyvern paused briefly, then continued quickly “And so could use the help with bringing the corpse into the Vale proper”

“So you slipped and hurt your leg on your way back down into the Vale earlier?” Yaegr asked bluntly.

“I did not say that!” Odo barked hurriedly.

Yaegr chuckled briefly “Your secret is safe with me.”

Odo huffed indignantly. He wasn't sure how the girros was able to tell he had hurt himself simply traveling back down into the Vale, but he didn't seem like he was going to press the matter and when Yaegr said he would keep a secret, he would indeed keep it.

“Now then, you said you wanted some help...”

Yaegr reared back and let out a wave of sound from his neck frills, a strange and curious sound that to anyone else would have been meaningless noise. To the girros however, that brief display conveyed a far more complex message, and one that could be relayed over a greater distance than simply yelling could. Within minutes, two Girros came scurrying down the path to join them.

Yaegr turned to address the pair that answered his call.

“Number 8, Number 17! You two follow Odo here and help him with the newcomer, when you're done head back to the den.”

Odo watched as the two girros scampered rapidly past him.

“You didn't even give them names?”

Yaegr shrugged. “Girros tradition. A girros life expectancy was pretty low before Varynea came around. If it wasn't starvation or the effluvial vapor, it was clan rivalries, predators, or the hunters.”

Yaegr shook his head sadly “Not many made it to adulthood. So naming the younger ones was pointless. If you made it to adulthood though, you earned yourself a name.”

Odo titled his head to the side quizzically “Why do you still call them by number then, now that things have changed?”

“Like I said, it was tradition. Some things don't change that easily”

The two monsters said their farewells and then headed on their separate ways, Yaegr toward the path that circled down to the Vale depths and Odo the opposite direction and towards the eastern caverns. He followed the path through until it opened up into a brighter area, kept lit by the glowing pools of acid that dotted the cave. Avoiding the dangerous fluids he proceeded into the deepest portion of the cave where Varynea waited.

Yaegr found the Hazak waiting in the penultimate chamber, rather than her den proper. There were several girros nearby her, possibly the ones she kept personally as “pets”. As he approached he noticed her fiddling with something in her claws. When he drew closer he recognized it as a Raphinos, and it didn't appear to be moving.

“Lady Varynea?” Yaegr called out as he approached, “Y-you asked to see me?”

“Yes, just one moment.” she replied, without even glancing in his direction.

Varynea lifted up the raphinos' limp body with her claws and then swung it into her mouth, thrusting her head forward slightly to get it fully inside and then swallowed it whole, displacing the scales on her neck slightly as it traveled down her throat.

The elder then turned to Yaegr.  “Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm glad you've come so soon.”

She was keeping me waiting? Yaegr thought to himself, somewhat surprised but a touch amused as well.

“Now then, as to why I called you.”

Yaegr swallowed nervously. This was what he was concerned about, and he tried to remember what little he knew about Varynea, and Odo reassurances that she was a reasonable dragon.

“I don't know how else to phrase this, but I need someone to look after my Girros while I'm away.” Varynea explained, gesturing at the handful of girros by her side, one of which was climbing up the deceased flesh covering her wing.

“That's... Not exactly what I was expecting to hear.” Yaegr replied.

Varynea smirked.  “Oh? What were you expecting then, may I ask?” she asked teasingly.

“I-it's just t-that.. I mean...” Yaegr stammered, trying to pick the right words and then actually get them out of his mouth. Preferably without offending the Elder.

Varynea raised her hand, stopping him. “It's fine. I understand you're nervous about this, but you don't have to be.”

Yaegr took a deep breath, then exhaled. Having collected himself, he made a second attempt at conversing with her.

“Did you have someone else watching them before?

“I had another that watched after them, but when he came to age he asked to leave so he could find a mate, and hopefully raise a pack of his own.”

Varynea returned her attention to Yaegr.  “And that's where you come in. I'd like you to fill in for him.”

“You just let him leave?”  he asked.

Varynea nodded. “Of course. He has every right to live his life the way he wants to. I wasn't keeping him here by force.”  

“I have a pack of my own, what will they do while I'm here?” he asked, having concluded from Varynea's previous comments that it likely wasn't a permanent position. Though in the back of his mind he couldn't help but harbor a sliver of doubt that maybe she was lying. You never could tell what was running through an Elder's mind after all.

“There's plenty of space in the caverns for them, and my girros may appreciate some of their own kind to play with.”

Before Yaegr could respond a pair of Raphinos flew in to the chamber, one of which swooped up to the elder and chattered something into her ear. Despite his excellent hearing, Yaegr wasn't able to make out what it was saying.

“Alright, tell him I'll be up there in a moment.”

The Raphinos bobbed its head rapidly in acknowledgment then flew off back up the tunnel with its companion. Varynea lowered her wing and gestured for the Girros that was climbing on it to get off. Once it was back on the ground she stood up.

“I'm sorry to cut this short but I need to be going. You can give me your answer when I return. In the meantime you can return to your den.”

“But what about your pack?” Yaeger asked as she walked past him.

“They'll be fine on their own for now, I won't be gone long.”

Upon reaching the mouth of the tunnel, she stopped. “Ah, before I go...” she glanced back at Yaegr, “I don't believe I got your name.”

“It's Yaegr”  he responded,  “But didn't you know already?”

Varynea shook her head. “I simply asked Hyurem and Myurem for the nearest Great Girros.”

She was referring of course to her two Raphinos that she trained to be messengers for her, and to keep an eye on the Vale where she could not. The two were the third generation of raphinos she had raised for this role, having replaced their predecessors after they had passed away from old age. They weren't terribly experienced yet, but they were taking to the role rather quickly.

With that, the two monsters left the brightly lit caves, Yaeger to his den and Varynea towards the surface. Along the way, Varynea passed various monsters going about their business and daily lives. Several stopped to greet her as she passed, others continued their current tasks without distraction. She wanted to stop to converse with the monsters that greeted her, to ease the frustration that was swelling up inside her, but she kept going. Better to get this over with quickly.  

She was still dwelling on this when she reached the surface. Upon reaching the designated meeting spot she found the elder already waiting for her, a Valfalk by the name of Victor. He had dull silver scales, golden bracers on his wrists fashioned after those some humans were seen with, and a pair of goggles over his brows held in place with leather straps around his neck.

At his side was a bird wyvern from the Coral Highlands, known as a Tzitzi-Ya-Ku. She had her light-emitting frills retracted, and was fidgeting uncomfortably in the cold. Varynea knew that the Valfalk would be coming but she didn't know he'd be bringing the bird wyvern as well.

Varynea glanced at Hyurem and Myurem who were perched nearby, the two bickering with each other over something. She was slightly irritated the two neglected to mention that Victor brought the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku with him, and decided to request that they inform her of any guests he brings along in the future once this meeting was over.

“Varynea, it's been a while.” the Valfalk spoke, being the first to initiate conversation.

“Only seventeen days since your last visit.” she responded, not taking any care to hide the irritation in her voice.

“Good to see you again too, Hazak.” squeaked the bird wyvern.

Varynea sighed. The Tzitzi-Ya-Ku was like this every time Victor brought her along. Why he still brings her to these meetings baffled her.

“Now then, I feel it's safe to assume you still want to discuss letting your... What did you call it again... Questing Group, to be allowed into my vale?” 

“Guild,” Victor politely corrected her, “Questing Guild. But yes, that much has not changed.”

“And neither has my answer to your proposal.”

“Told you so.” Zeeki quipped to Victor.

“I don't know why you're so insistent about this”, Varynea huffed, shaking her head, “I already said that I wasn't interested in joining your group nor did I want others making a mess of the place.”

“Isn't it already a mess?”  Zeeki asked, a hint of sarcasm in her squeaky voice.

Varynea glared at the bird wyvern. “The Vale might not look like it, but it does have a semblance of order,” she then turned her attention to Victor and continued, “an order that I work hard to keep it in and do not want disrupted by you and your friends rummaging through it.”

“I can sympathize,” Victor started, “Running an organization with many varied individuals can be stressful and complicated. I assure you though that the monsters and hunters that would be--”

“Hunters??” Varynea interrupted, “You want to bring them down here too?  Absolutely not!”

“They won't be a problem. I explained before it'd just be duels in controlled environments, nobody would be coming to any harm.  Any lasting harm that is.”

Varynea fumed silently, her tail whipping from side to side in agitation and tapping the gravely soil with one of her hooked claws. She wasn't too concerned about the hunters as a threat. Since they'd begun poking their noses into her caverns she'd sent each of them packing without issue, and if what the valfalk was telling her was true then they wouldn't be any further problem for her at all. Not directly anyway. She had other reasons for wanting them out of her caves.

“Varynea... I understand you have your reasons for not wanting to get involved with us.”

“Then why do you keep pestering me about it?” she growled

“Because it'd be of benefit to all of us.” Victor replied.

The Vaal-Hazak turned away, saying nothing.

Zeeki fidgeted uncomfortably, and tapped Victor on his shoulder.  “Hey can we wrap this up?” she chirped, “It's getting cold and I want to go home.”

“Be patient Zeeki, we're almost done here.” he whispered back.

“Almost?”, Zeeki squeaked loudly, “I think the walking corpse has made it quite clear she wants nothing to do with us. Let's leave her be and focus on getting our latest arrivals settled in.”

Through the corner of his eye, Victor noticed Varynea glancing in their direction, clearly having heard the 'walking corpse' remark.

Victor sighed. “Alright Zeeki, let's go...”  

Varynea watched as the valfak picked up the Tzitzi Ya-Ku in his arms and took flight, quickly disappearing from view. He'd be back, she knew he would. That valfalk was persistent, and she had to admit, was almost as stubborn as she was.

“Hyurem, Myurem... Come along.”

The two wingdrakes leaped from their perch and fluttered after the Elder, and the trio made their way back into the depths of the Vale. Varynea did not like remaining on the surface for very long, and she wanted to get back to Yaegr and see if he'd be willing to monstie-sit for her little girros pets.