RP:The Serpent Seeks The Dragon

Part of the Thy Kingdom Come Arc

Summary: Desparrow comes to Hildegarde's camp and makes an offer of assistance. However, Hildegarde is aware of Desparrow's devious nature and has heard much about him. Rather than accept his mysterious crystal, she elects to have him take up a task closer to her time of need.

Rolling Hills

Desparrow appeared as a streak of fire in the sky, a living bolt which came crashing into the hills splashing upon contact outwards but contained to a small radius before pulling back in and reforming as a physical shape. From this pyre did the sorcerer step forth, clothed, leaving behind a small patch of scorched ground as he approached the military camp whose existence he had verified with Odhranos only a day prior. Drawing his cloak closer he was quick to hide his satchel and whatever may be contained within it as he made his way into the camp looking for one person in particular. It could also be noted that anyone that could sense a magical presence would find his stifled, bound for unknown reason.

Hildegarde found it difficult to ignore the steak of fire in the sky, though stranger things had undoubtedly been sighted in Xalious what with the close proximity of the Mage’s Tower and guild. The knight was always circulating around the camp, checking in on her troops; checking supplies; hashing out battle plans and tactics, she never spent too long cooped up inside a tent and thus she was outside and able to see the streak of fire. “Mikael,” she calls, though she needn’t given the fact that the giant immediately sought her out at the first sign of the bolt. Some giants were proceeding to the patch of flames to snuff it out, while Hildegarde and Mikael watched and waited patiently.

Desparrow watched gaints pass him but ignored their existence all the same beyond a thought of trying to fight one that would be entertaining. He made his way into the camp to find exactly what he was looking for, a smile sent the lady's way. "Ah, Hildegarde, exactly whom I had bothered to come see. After all it is you who is calling people here is it not? I must say that although my home is in a rather grave situation itself, to come here is rather unlike me but perhaps fortuitous for you." Stepping up to the woman his hand shot out, offering to shake in greetings. "I see you aren't in the greatest of shapes, at least your uhh.. little camp here. And I don't see much of a force. How do you exactly plan to take on a glacier in this shape?"

Hildegarde did not dare to glance back at Mikael, for fear that her guest would find it rather impolite of her. Hildegarde never wanted to be rude, after all. Besides, the only look she could offer Mikael would be a look of: ‘are you hearing this crud?’ The Silver, however, forces a grimace like smile upon her face and courteously greets Desparrow in reply. “Desparrow,” she replies, “I would not say I am *calling* people. It is more of an open invitation, should people find themselves wanting to do some good in the world,” she explained, reaching forward to grasp his hand for a polite shake. Shake given, the knight relinquished his hand and retracted her own. As he assesses her camp and deems it poor, the knight’s fiery red eyebrow perks slightly and she smiles at him. It’s that face that says ‘oh really?’ but not the good sort of ‘oh really’. “You needn’t worry about that, Desparrow. I have allies and resources and the skill to do it,” she said it politely. “Besides, giving out a detailed plan right now would be… well, it would certainly be disadvantageous.”

Desparrow wasn't impressed and certainly wasn't lost on her body language and any other visual cues she might give off in response to his words and actions. "Well, I heard you could use help, and I've actually decided to do something for a change. I can see you have some manpower, you know what.. I'll stop judging. I am here to offer my assistance in any manner you could possibly have use for me. I don't know what you know of me, or about my capabilities other than what I displayed to you but I must admit that little bout was far to amateur for me. Disgraceful in fact. My performance I mean, you did quite well." he drew back his cloak and pulled out that satchel he had previously hid from sight, "I really don't know if you have use for this item, and really I wanted to keep it entirely for myself, for research but, I figured if you use it it could very well be put to much better use." he sighed, diving into the bag and withdrawing a purple crystal that was naearly as big as his hand before offering it to her.

Hildegarde had heard much and more about Desparrow since she had encountered him in Gualon. Even wounded and exhausted, she had still managed to fight against him rather well. As Desparrow gives up on judging her military camp and her current troops, the Silver straightens her posture a little. As he drew back his cloak, Mikael’s hand tightens around the hilt of his sword but he does not draw it. He’s ready, though. Ready to defend Hildegarde at a moment’s notice. Of course, Hildegarde is not one to just accept strange looking objects without understanding what they are. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… She wouldn’t be fooled again. “Perhaps if I knew what it was,” she said with a little smile.

Desparrow was more than happy to explain, "I am a magical existence, as you may well know. I radiate fuel for spells, created in my body via some manner I have not yet figured out. Either way when it has saturated my flesh to the point that I phyiscally can no longer contain it, it leaks into the world. Linn was helping me out because if I don't use large amounts of magic now and then, well for some reason, much like water that sits too long.. sours and becomes toxic to my own existence. This crystal here was drawing magic, keeping it flowing. I have another of my own, this is truly just extra. Its pure, raw magical energy condensed. There are other crystals like this one but so far this one has the highest condensation ratio. What I mean is it holds a lot more for its size in comparison to the others. You could probably decimate a good chunk of land with this, empower any spell considerably.. or whatever purpose you may have for it. Its just excess that I give off." he smiled, offering it once more, feeling as if he had been a bit too wordy in his explanation. "Consider it simply a gift, not me helping you. I still have desire to aid you in your quest to take back your home."

Hildegarde eyed the crystal with unconcealed curiosity. It would be a boon, surely, but it was quite a destructive tool. And Hildegarde had no intention on destroying the land or the buildings of Frostmaw if she could help it. Even so, she had no magical knowledge or magic in her that she could use in a malleable way. Her magic was just the magic of her existence and heritage; not the magic of a mage or user. “I appreciate the gift, but I feel that it would be ill used in my hands,” she meant it honestly; this was no snub. “I am no mage nor magic user. Nor do I wish to handle something that has the potential to be quite so destructive,” she said thoughtfully. “However, I imagine this might be a gift that would win over others, like Tristram,” that dragon liked to collect the unusual and the powerful if her little peek at his hoard had told her anything.

Desparrow frowned then, actually believing that perhaps it could be put to good use even though surely it was a loss for him. "I see. Well, I figured even if you couldn't use it that perhaps you had someone in your employ that certainly could. I've only heard of the dragon Tristram, not yet met him but perhaps I should seek him out, as I have not previously had any reason to." He sighed then, "Either way, I did come here to help, I don't know your plan just your intent and I know you could use help. Your message may not have been desperate but if you didn't need it I doubt you would have bothered. Again, how could I be of service Lady Hildegarde?"

Hildegarde’s brow, again, perked slightly at Desparrow’s word choice. She hadn’t sent out a message for help, nor had she been desperate when approaching allies. In fact, she had made an offer to Larewen and appeared to be in the position of power there. Tristram, being her ally, was obliged to help her. Perhaps he was the only one she came close to begging for help, not that she needed to given his inclination to stand by his alliance. “You can start by dropping ‘Lady’ from my name,” she told him bluntly. She wasn’t one for titles or fancy additions to her name. But again, she was being approached by someone and asked for a role or job that she simply couldn’t provide. How do you tell people to just be a soldier, to just follow orders? Even Kasyr came to her, requesting to be put to work. Ah, Kasyr. These two would need to be kept apart, no doubt of that. “I may need your assistance later. But I cannot describe what, why or where I need it until just prior to my needing it,” she told him, evidently skirting around the issue. It was not out of distrust of Desparrow, oddly, but out of distrust that her plans to retake Frostmaw could fall into the wrong hands and undo her work.

Desparrow shrugged, "So be it, I'll address you simply as Hildegarde." The crystal was slipped back into his satchel which was then hidden by his cloak before he smiled again, "When you need my assistance, simply speak my name. That may sound silly, as my hearing can only span several meters before it loses its acuteness, and then a great deal beyond that to hear at all. Just let me know. I guess that is it then, unless you have anything to say to me specifically?"

Hildegarde shook her head, “No, I don’t have anything specific to say to you,” she said. At least, she didn’t think she had anything to specifically tell him. “I’ll bear that in mind, though. Should the opportunity arise where I can tell you of my plan sooner, then I shall do so. But until then, Desparrow,” she said with a curt nod.

Desparrow offered a two-finger salute then, "Till we meet again Hildegarde, it was a pleasure speaking with you." He hadn't even offered a deal, perhaps he could ask a favor after everything was said and done. "Oh wait.. one more thing.. Where do I go to find said Lord Tristram?" He didn't want to leave without that bit of information as he may very well enjoy meeting this dragon if he had a thing for magical objects.

Hildegarde smiled slightly when Desparrow dubbed Tristram a ‘Lord’. She remembered the days when she had called him ‘Lord’. “Governor Tristram can be found in Gualon,” she informed Desparrow, “he likes to play chess at the plaza. Perhaps you can catch him there,” or bribe an orphan to find out, though she didn’t say that.

Desparrow nodded. "Alright then. I'll be seeing you." and with that his body shifted, becoming metallic and liquid like before he shot off into the sky bursting into a bolt of flame which as soon as he had pierced the clouds made a sharp trajectory change to the east and quickly vanished from sight altogether.