[CC} Udua & Isa: Prestige and Hatchery Quest

"I don't want you hurt." she muttered, but shook her head, refusing to pout but hopped on.

"I'd like to know what the water is." Udua answered, bouncing over the enormous blocks. Peering at them occasionally as glyphs... runes? Letters or carvings caught her eye, there were an abundance of them, adorning the walls and jutting out here and there, some were familiar, and some seemed to be dragons. Bipedal creatures and strange depictions, clearly animal, but none she could identify. Then there were plants, aquatic animals. Fish and mollusks, she prodded at a fallen angelfish. Inspecting the curves of each scale so intricate and well crafted she could identify the species even, and her curiosity was only increased by that fact. Someone had spent an inordant amount of time and effort here, and yet it seemed no one had been here since. At least not until the trio arrived.

"Oro...What did they make this for?" she whispered, staring as the sound of water increased, and with it the intricacies of the decoration. It was like walking through three dimensional filigree, and she couldn't help a gasp as the end of the hall finally revealed a far larger, and even more elaborate, space beyond.

Whatever the place had been in its time it was surprisingly intact now. A series of pillars very obviously lined what once was a grand space, entertainment? Worship? She had no idea but now it served as a watercourse. Canals flowed through the space, toward a pool at its heart. From every direction streams pooled and whispered, echoing against the empty stone like amplifiers. Warily the stilla bounced forward, making her way along a narrow shelf - path- toward... the pool? Or something beyond, she couldn't tell but the layout clearly lead somewhere. Whatever this had been, the bat suddenly wanted to know. Badly. Still she wasn't foolish, and took care to ensure there were no traps here, no dangers. It seemed, however, this area had it's own purpose, and even defenses had no place marring it. Slowly growing more confident Udua nodded for the dragons to spread out, somehow confident the area was safe. The sound of water was still directional, even with the echoes. Pulling down, toward something deep below them, the fact combined with the spitting marine creatures and their still counterparts to make one wonder if the road had always been 'flooded' as such. If that wasnt the priority here. Water and its creatures, its wonders... but to what end?

Cams eyes widened as he looked out at the stunning area, in all his explorations (not that he had done many) none had been as elaboratly decorated as this, he peered closer at the carvings, fingers running over one he though looked to be a blue sea dragon; leaving it he trailed after Udua. Kyran took longer looking at things, not just at the carvings, but at the walls and cieling, and the immense space they were in, there'd been no sign of wear an tear here. And the waters, crystal clear as it run through the space. Both dragons spread out when Udua indicated, nosying around the area, but they followed her as the waters direction tugged at them. - Isa hummed, staring at the dead end.... it was sure there was another secret exit somewhere, but neither it nor Chusi had found it; then again both had gotten sidetracked by a rather large chest....... which had been hastily locked, and it had taken the dragoness only a few moments to break it open; gold, jewels and other gleaming valubles, as if someone had stashed something with the intent to come back later... and never had. Around them, running water sounded, and the odd pressure was still apparent...

The stilla's ears pinned suddenly as she spun toward Kyran, a sudden weight all around her, but she sprung. Tackling the serpentine form aside as the huge... seal? pounced. Its silvery fur rippling, she realized suddenly it truly was rippling as it hit. Barrelling her over the edge and toward the waters below; it was water. A beast formed of water, with shells for teeth and sparking arches of electricity for its eyes. The bat struggled, hard, but try as she might the pressure if the water around them only increased. Pushing in and trapping her wings. So she fell, until they exploded through the surface far below.

Everything was blackness, and the blorb unleashed an instinctive click hoping her ears might pick... something... from the same before remembering her assailant was water. She flailed for a moment, wings made for air cumbersome when the water was so... heavy. Why was everything so thick? Tired... still she fought, only to freeze suddenly as a whisper caught her ears, and two huge eyes appeared from the darkness. Glowing against the black as wings flared and tentacles surrounded her. Udua bared her fangs and bit at one, battering another with her wings, but there were too many and the stilla was swiftly enveloped as the wings flapped, and they surged up from the still waters. Kyran had spotted something rippling below and carefully peered over, his gaze just about catching something big below... when Udua slammed into him, turning he hissed as the water beast took the stilla down, the shelled teeth dangerous. "Cam!" He shouted, his companion sliding over, worriedly they both peered over the edge trying to see below and where Udua was, worry and helplessness flooding in.

Above them (sort off anyway) Isa stilled, the worry from the two youngsters filtering though the bond, its ears twitched, it still couldn't sense any hostlility... but the pressure was focused. "Si-nya?" It hadn't found the way out yet, but Chusi could help.

Chusi slipped into shadows, concentratind, spreading the darkness out and downwards, two shadowy limbs materising at the top of the 'room' and stretching downwards to where the other stilla wrestled beneath the waters, waiting to help...

The dragon was large, bigger than the two males by a good margin. Water dripped and misted from her wings as she spread them, seeming to hover as the long face turned. Rabbitlike ears flared and quivered, th indigo form watching with vibrant blue eyes. Her form marred with rippling marks and mottling, the refraction of the shattered waters mingling into her frame, making her seem to shift and distort as the tentacle like tails curled and twined, Udua still gripped tightly in one despite the leviathan's silent observation of those below her. Something between curiosity and judgement, even as the stilla squirmed in her grasp.

Cam and Kyran both inched back for a moment when the dragons surfaced, the sheer size and presence it exuded quite intimidating for the two youngsters, the shadows above continued to weave towards the might dragon; but Chusi was reluctant to attack, through the shadows she could feel the aura... and it wasn't a threat.. still Udua was stuck, so instead she manipulated the shadows to tap the dragon instead. "P-please don't hurt her-nya, we didn't mean to disturb you" He shouted up, Kyran to dipped his head. "We... didn't realise anyone lived here." Kyran added,

Isa felt along the wall, determined to find the secret door... or truthfully the mechanism to open it, it could feel Chusis reluctance to actually attack whatever had startled Cam and Kyran......maybe it should of mentioned that there some really large and independent dragons out there? "Ha-nya." It found it, a slightly off bit of stone., and pressed it..... for nothing to happen... maybe there was secondary mechanism.

The dragoness watched the young dragons impassively. Glancing over at the touch, but primarily ignored it. Amused by the talk, but watching the tiny creature in her grasp more than anything. Tentacles turning her occasionally, curiously, as a child might with some foreign toy they were suddenly introduced to. The tiny creature, and her resilience, was intriguing. The constant interventions despite its size, and the dragon hummed faintly. The tides shifting beneath her with each thoughtful sound.

Recognizing the change Udua's struggles slacked, the blob peering at the dragoness curiously. The interest - the study one to another - mirrored equally and an odd ripple shimmered across the surface below. Udua stared at it, then blinked, realization, before suddenly they dropped from the air again. Her eyes snapped up, only to notice Isa falling as well, though the other stilla avoided the water.

WC: 1405