a collection of tales [[ chronocompass writing ]]

Terra was beginning to feel that life out in the desert wasn’t as fulfilling as she had hoped. There wasn’t any way to prove herself out here - the only trouble was the occasional bandit or a person or dragon in need of shelter and water. She and her dragons provided, of course, but it was only so good. Wandering the deserts was proving to be a bit lonesome, with only her pack of dragons for company.

Terra knew that Raphael felt the same urge to do great things that she did. The large dragon had been making comments lately about wanting to move on, maybe find a new thing to do, or discover some great beast to fight to gain glory. Terra had agreed, but she hadn’t quite known where to look for trouble.

It was a bit of a shock, then, when out of all the dragons, Radio was the one to hear about a brand-new opportunity. The quiet earth dragon was so often out on her own, conversing with the mice and the lizards and the coyotes, and whenever Terra listened in she didn’t understand very much of it. But this time, Radio came back home shortly before dawn, an odd black cat trailing lazily behind her.

Most of the dragons were still asleep, but Raphael and Obsidian, fond of waking early, were already outside to watch the sunrise when Radio returned - as was Terra. As Radio hurried up to the group with the cat, Terra wondered what was going on.

Radio’s mental voice appeared in the heads of the others present. Instead of speech, though, Terra got the impression of a new chance, of someone seeking assistance. “No offense to the cat, but he looks fine. What do you mean, Rad?”

Radio sent forth an image of a village in a forest, made of metal and teeming with dragons and riders expecting some horrible danger. Obsidian perked up at this. He knew hard work and hard reward, and little else - so the prospect of going wherever this place was, of helping out some folk, was a joy to him. He bent down to the cat’s level and the two began chattering eagerly.

“Hmm,” said Raphael, tail flicking in interest. “It doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. This could be what we’ve all been hoping for, right? A brand new adventure, people in need of our help. I just worry that this might be a trap…” He brought a claw up to his chin in thought. “Perhaps someone could have it in for us.” He too began to listen in to the conversation between Radio, Obsidian, and the cat. Terra, still not well versed in earth magic, was incredibly lost.

“A trap? Well, even if it is, we can take them all on!” Terra wasn’t feeling quite as confident as she sounded, but she was trying her best to think positively. She’d been wanting an opportunity for herself and her team for so long, and here it was! Trap or not, she was hoping for something big.

As the dragons and the cat spoke, Terra eventually decided to interrupt. “You guys find out anything more? What’s the problem in that town that we can help with?”

“Invaders,” Obsidian said fairly bluntly - “Or, invaders soon. Possibly.”

Raphael decided to explain further what Obsidian had said. “They’ve attracted the attention of the militia. Apparently they could be running into some trouble soon and need some extra hands on deck to defend the place. We could write our own stories this way, gain our own glory!”

Radio didn’t say anything to add on, of course, but Terra got the distinct feeling of hope for a new horizon and new opportunities. Terra just had to smile. It wasn’t one of fondness or curiosity, though - for the first time in a long while, Terra felt determined.

“Wake up the crew, would you, Raphael? I think we’re off on a new adventure,” she said. One hand reached out and pet the black cat on its head. The cat purred in pride, its job done, then turned around and started to trot off, head in the air. Radio followed after, enthralled by her wonderful new friend.

Terra and Obsidian were left alone just outside their cozy cavern home. After a few moments of listening to Raphael wake everyone up, with varying amounts of protest from those inside, Terra spoke up once again. “What do you think about all of this, Obsidian?”

“We’re moving on to new work and that is good! All is good. No matter where you go, I will follow you.” Obsidian flapped his wings, already eagerly imagining the feats of strength he could accomplish while protecting the innocent.

At last, Raphael emerged, the crowd of dragons following along behind him. “We’re ready to go,” he said.

“Brilliant.” Terra closed her eyes and searched out Radio’s consciousness. The green-scaled dragon seemed to already be at the location of this odd town in the middle of a forest. As soon as she pinpointed the location (Bestia isles, she thought) Raphael was already forming a portal that would take them closer to the new place.

One at a time, Terra and her dragon hopped through the portal, towards their bright new future. Raphael was the last through, and once his clubbed tail vanished into the mist, the portal closed up with a satisfying snap. The sands were all that remained behind.