>>6186848“Who got— ahh— the smart idea of carving the stairs like these?” Sandora scoffs, holding onto her wall with her hand as the shackles given to her by the Crows clink and clatter at her side. She has taken them out to use them as soon as you find the Asterite, or what remains of him. She has assured you they will work on him even if he has lost human form by now.
Not to mention, she has chugged down her waterskin, which is now completely empty.
“This is not— aaahh— just some decoration,” you explain, helping yourself stay upright by using the Asterite’s shoulder. “This is the Cantankerous Worm.”
“Pleased to meet it. Enchanted.”
“I can’t expect a heathen like you to understand, do I?” You grin and Sandora grins back.
“Enlighten me, Knight of Ansàrra. I feel like I owe your goddess something after getting a free tan.”
“You spoke with… ahhh—” you hesitate, taking in a huge gulp of heated air. This is getting to your head. You should probably try and rest, or you risk reaching the bottom and suffer a heatstroke. Maybe as soon as you find a larger room. “— with Soralisa, on our way up. You know about Uxoria, don’t you?”
“I knew about it. But I thought it would appear more like a serpent of a sort.”
“Nay.” Maybe it’s a difference in how such ancient history was transferred over to the Throne.
“I have read about her,” Sandora continues. “About how similar she is to you, Argia Candente.”
“So nosy.”
“I told you that it’s an Asterite’s province to find out about information. Mine, especially. Ah, a moment, please…” Sandora falls against the wall, taking deep slow breaths. You grit your teeth, but you do the same. Starless Night, it’s getting harder and harder to breathe. The Sanction burned through the entirety of the Temple, it seems. “So I studied the legend. But we usually call ‘worm’ a type of land-dwelling dragon. Maybe that’s the reason.”
“Dragon?” You ask, rubbing your throat. “Are there dragons in the Thronelands?”
“One too many,” she grins. “But I will soon change that.”
[cont.]
