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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Anareline and Estel assist the paragons against the imperial mantid, as well as bringing Korven the Prime a snack he hasn't had in a very long time. ~1300 words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Anareline is sitting near the paragons, looking a little less ill at ease in the presence of the mantid. Kovok, now a rather large teenage kunchong, is settled nearby.
Kaz'tik is speaking quietly to Korven, saying, " It is an honor to serve alongside you, Prime. I have studied your work extensively. Thanks to the careful notes you kept while developing the preservation chamber, I was able to create a modified version that could preserve Kovok here as well," Kaz'tik gestures proudly to Kovok.
Estel is holding a turtle shell out like a bowl to Kovok as the kuchong eats noisily.
"Yes, he certainly looks… healthy," Korven says, eyeing the creature. "I never imagined my work would go so far. It is a testament to the great power of the kypari. Our civilization would never have recovered if it weren't for them. Remember that.”
Korven looks over to Estel, and then Anareline, and says, "Soft ones! I have a task for you." He peers at Estel. "You are the one who collects the sapflies." He may be learning to tell soft people apart.
"Okay," Estel says as Kovok takes a bite of the shell itself. "Okay, buddy, I'm just gonna put this on the ground for you to finish up."
Estel turns her attention to Korven. "Yep!"
"Kypari sap is truly a wonder. There are so many properties and applications," Korven says, to someone who clearly understands. "It can also be refined into a nutritious and extremely delectable elixir."
"I will trust you both on that," Anareline says, coming over to stand by Estel.
Estel nods. "You want me to collect some from the collectors?"
"I would very much like to sample the particular nectar from the royal palace," Korven says, clicking hopefully.
"We could… get reasonably close," Anareline says, glancing to Estel. "I could defend you."
"You know what? Sure. Okay, yeah, we can do that." Estel grins.
Kaz'tik looks over, stepping away from Kovok. "You are going to Shek'zeer? Then I will ask you to do what you can for the imperial kunchong. Free their young before the mantid can twist them. Disrupt their sonic control of the older ones."
"Yes, we can do that," Anarelines nods, and she looks over at Kovok with something like affection.
"Oh," Estel says. "Okay. I might smell enough like Kovok that they won't murder me."
"I have freed some of the young before," Anareline says. "They were… too frightened to be hostile."
"Oh, damn," Estel says. She follows Anareline out into the wastes.
Anareline pauses as they approach a kunchong and its manipulators. She strikes her tuning fork.
The kunchong and mantid attack one another.
"Oh boy," Estel says, and hangs back.
"Just there," Ana says, after the mantid and kunchong are finished destroying each other. Inside a cage is a little blue kunchong, huddled in what is probably fear. "They poison everything with the sha," Anareline says, looking down at the baby kunchong.
"Hey, hey," Estel says, coming forward. She puts her hand through the bars, which is a very dangerous thing to do near a creature who bites things. "Easy now." She draws the Fear Ward symbol in the air for the little hatchling.
The hatchling taps razor sharp little legs, but scuttles closer to Estel without harming her.
"There you are. Be brave, now. You can go that way," Estel points, "to be somewhere safe. Or you can come with us." She opens the cage.
The hatchling flies off. Estel had not considered Up as a safe direction.
Ana watches it go. "Not so violent, when they are small. Or maybe we smell of Kovok, indeed."
"Maybe, yeah." Estel cannot Fear Ward all of the kunchong they find, not so quickly after another, but she talks gently to them as she frees them.
Anareline remains quiet, exuding calm.
"Is it well, to use the fear ward for the kunchong?" Anareline asks, looking at Estel in concern. "Do you need it for yourself?"
"They need it more," Estel says. "I'm good. Thanks for checking."
Anareline nods. "I try to keep the fear at bay with meditation, and visiting Caspis, now that I can. I hope you have some outlet."
"Mmhm." Estel gives her a thumbs-up.
The Imperial Palace stretches ahead of them, a massive mantid structure.
Anareline spots a massive kunchong and draws in a breath.
"We should slay that one," Anareline says, pointing. "One so large could threaten the Gate at the Vale. Or the wall to the north or the south."
"There's just two of us. I wouldn't wanna risk it without the rest of the team," Estel says.
Anareline presses her lips together. "I don't like to think of Caspis in danger from something like this. Or your partner."
"Right," Estel says, "So we tell Cole and Shine an' Almeiria, and we come back later and get 'em."
Anareline nods. "We trust our team."
"I think the five of us could handle it, probably," Estel says.
"I think so," Anareline nods. "We did before, at the Gate…"
"With a whole lot more pandaren backup," Estel reminds her. "But also that one was like four times the size."
"That's true," Anareline says. "I wonder if they ever stop growing, or they simply continue… like the turtle that became an island."
The two of them continue on into the imperial mantid territory.
"We must be getting close to where they keep the sap," Ana says. "I hope it is not laced with sha."
"I'll be able to tell, when we find it," Estel says.
They find a kind of hut, guarded by mantid. Inside is a device that drips pure kypari sap.
Estel inspects the feeder. "They're infusing it somewhere else," she says. "This is pure."
Anareline lets out a quiet breath. "Then it is safe for us to bring for Korven."
Estel fills a jar, caps it, and nods.
"I think we have done what we can," Anareline says. "Shall we return with the sap?"
"We'd better get out of here before they sound some kind of alarm," Estel mutters, putting the jar in her bag.
They are able to return safely to Klaxxi'vess.
"You have the sap?" Korven says, limbs twitching with anticipation.
Estel passes him the jar. "Yep."
"Ah, ah yes, hand it over," Korven reaches out. "I cannot wait to try it."
Estel gives it to him and just accepts that she's not getting her jar back.
Kaz'tik steps over from Kovok and says, "I have seen the small ones rising in the sky. Well done."
"Yep!" Estel says. "We saw, uh, a really big one we might wanna take the team out for soon."
Kaz'tik chitters a little in worry. "Force grown, likely. Poor creature. We should free it, yes."
Estel nods. "For sure. Could use a break, though."
Nearby, the newer paragon is settling in.
"I have heard of your ‘heroism’, Locust. They say your raids on mogu labor camps and farmlands delayed completion of the wall by decades," Kil'ruk says to Ka'roz the Locust. "I cannot argue with your results, but how can a proud warrior of the swarm make his name chasing down peasants and farmhands?"
"Easily: You don't have to leap as far between kills." Ka'roz says sullenly.
Estel glances over, frowning.
Anareline looks askance at Ka'roz.
Kaz'tik, meanwhile, is nodding to Estel. "Yes, soft ones take break. We will handle the kunchong soon enough."
"Cool," Estel says. "Later, later!"
Anareline nods to Kaz'tik, and follows Estel towards the camp.