A grey, stone mountainside under a grey, bleak sky. To anyone unfamiliar with this place, the sight might be mistaken for a particularly grim interpretation of Hell. For the people of Dragon's Cradle, however, it's an ordinary Autumn day.

The Dragon Spine is one of the most treacherous places in all of Charon. People who travel here do so at their own peril; as for those that live here, one would not be wholly unjustified in calling them mad. Whichever, all that must traverse the mountains rely upon what few safe trails there are, safety being a fickle commodity here. They must move quickly, too; the longer they linger, the greater the chance that they might be present when lightning crashes or a drake decides. This is why is is particularly grievous when one of these roads becomes unusable.

Chink. Chink. Chink. Chink.

The sound becomes louder farther along the descent. Curving around the face of a cliff, the trail leads through an old, abandoned fortress. Its name has long since been forgotten, but the people of Sky Peak Village call it 'Walker's Roost:' a strange, paradoxical name by most metrics. Its drawbridge has become encrusted into the granite, permanently bridging a deep striation in the mountainside. It leads into an ash-filled courtyard with only a narrow path cleared by the treading of feet and the rolling of wheels.

But that is where the trail ends, for a large gateway that should lead forward has been blocked by an unusual sight: a petrified drake. It is also here that the sound originates from; beside the drake stands a strange, mechanical being with a tin body and red, glass eyes. It holds a katana, of all things. It grips the hilt with one hand and the blade with the other, and is repeatedly trying to chink through the statuesque creature. It is making little progress.

It isn't alone, either, in its inprogress. In fact, there's an entire group of constructed beings, including two more humanoid ones as well as a bat, a jittery dog, a huge spider and a flaming horse. Among the small company, there is only a single living being: one Veliky, who is not an unrecognizable face to someone that's recently visited Sol City. She's sitting in a particularly comfy heap of ash, eating a spicy sausage sandwich and appearing bored. Two of the bots - one with a trident and another with a crossbow - guard her vigilantly.

The wagon clattered as it made its way along the mountain trail, pulled along by the huge Griffon harnessed to its front. The wagon was very large, made of wood with three wheals on each side to hold the weight. The shop window on its side was closed with wooden shutters and the the awning overtop of it was drawn in. At the front of the wagon, on a driver's seat, Beist sat and looked around at the scenery.

He knew mountains could be rather dangerous, especially one in the Dragon's Cradle. However, he couldn't help himself from risking a visit once he had heard of the possibility of rare plants or animals being somewhere. He had to go see for himself. And so he was now on the dangerous mountain path, hoping there would be something worthwhile at the end of this journey.

As they carried on, eventually a large shape started to emerge from the side of the mountain up ahead and noises could be heard like something chipping away at the stone. Is there a mining spot here? That's odd. He hadn't heard anything about such a thing on his travels or in his research. Shouldn't this be about the right spot for the old fortress called Walker's Roost? Beist stroked his clawed fingers through his beard as he thought about this.

As they grew closer, they finally saw it. A huge, petrified filled the entire courtyard of the fortress just beyond the bridge, being chipped at by a lone figure in front of it. Off to the side were several more figures, seemingly watching as the lone figure worked. Well, this is just about what one might expect from a road crew, isn't it? This may be very inconvenient for travel, but Beist was very excited to see the drake. It was in remarkable condition, ignoring the small bit that had been chipped away. He greatly wanted to study it.

The wagon stopped in front of the watching crew and Beist hid his second pair of arms within his cloak and stepped down from the seat to approach the relaxed crew to the side. He walked over, walking stick tapping on the ground, and did his best to seem friendly despite his rather intimidating stature. As he looked at them, he finally noticed that these figures weren't people at all, except for a single bored-looking halfling lounging on a heap of ash. The rest of the men and animals around her were made of metal with red glass eyes.

"Um, excuse me. A pleasure to meet you. Would you happen to know how that drake ended up petrified and on the path? Are you and your... companions... here to clear it away?" He called to them, one hand raised in a slight wave.

Streaks of lightning flashed off in the distance as a tall human with a wolf at his side strode up the switchback that led to Sky Peak. Z'Khrta Putok, known to most as Zak, took a deep breath, his mana reaching out and tapping into the powerful elemental forces pulsating in the very air around him. Tingles ran up his spine and sparks threatened to fly from his fingertips as he drank it all in, relishing the power of it all. This is what he’d come for, Zak thought as a satisfied smile spread across his face. He often returned to Dragon’s Cradle and its storm gales to seek closer connection to the chaotic power inherent in nature’s turbulence.

Chink Chink Chink Chink

Zak stilled. What was that? he wondered. Focus now diverted from the magnificence of his surroundings, the human and wolf picked up their pace. As they rounded a bend in the switchback, the path straightened out and led to a drawbridge. As Zak surveyed the scene in front of him, he frowned, incredulous. Across the bridge in the center of the courtyard of that old abandoned fortress the locals called ‘Walker’s Roost’ stood a huge mummified drake with several strange individuals surrounding it, one of them poking it repeatedly. Who were those beings? What were those beings?

As he pondered those questions, Zak and Gray crossed the bridge stopping at the edge of the courtyard where a wagon had stopped. A beast-man twice Zak's height stepped down from the wagon and addressed the group gathered around the massive drake.

Um, excuse me. A pleasure to meet you. Would you happen to know how that drake ended up petrified and on the path? Are you and your... companions... here to clear it away?

Now that he was closer, Zak sucked in his breath. What in the hells were these metal creatures with the red eyes? Sitting amongst the abominations was a small halfling, or was that a goblin, clearly in charge.

“Do you need help? Your creature there doesn’t seem to be making any headway,” Zak said with a chuckle. One had to have a sense of humor on days like this. A beastman, a petrified drake, metal men with red eyes, and a half-breed halfling/goblin. Just a normal day in Charon.

...Hmm. Veliky's certainly seen stranger sights in the past, but the monstrous man still gives her pause. She stares blankly at him while chewing on her sandwich. He has a strange mix of features, every part of him contradictory: he's both mammalian and reptilian, both animalistic and humanoid, both primal and civil. Of course, he's also huge, definitely the largest creature she's ever actually conversed with. Veliky barely reaches past the knee of most people; compared to this man, she isn't much taller than his ankle.

Still chewing, she looks at the wagon. It's shuttered, like a mobile shop. It is also suitably gargantuan. Were it floating in water, she could mistake it for a ship. Its beast of burden - a creature Veliky doesn't recognize - shares the man's disparity, being both mammalian and avian. Did they both come from some place where these combinations are ordinary?

She continues to chew as another man - this one more reasonable in stature and nature - walks into the courtyard alongside a wolf. There's far less to remark about him, though, as he speaks, his accent does remind her of the peoples of the Sunset Plains. The wolf appears tame enough, as far as wolves go.

Finally, Veliky washes down her bite of sandwich with some "Cheesy Bacon Bomb"-flavoured Blixt™. It is extremely regrettable that this is the only remaining flavour in her stockpile. That she does not flinch from the taste is a feat of its own. All the while, her bots just stand, reminiscent of palace guards in their stoicism. Now free to speak, Veliky does so with a surprisingly calm, mature voice.

"Assuming that you're both going this way, we all need help. I was travelling to the mountain's base. I arrived here almost two hours ago, only to find that blocking the road. No other ways through, no other trails." She wipes some crumbs off her face with a handkerchief. "As for what caused it, I don't know. I can't say I've heard of creatures turning to stone, but not much surprises me anymore. A thorough search of the area - we didn't have much else to do - revealed footsteps roughly matching the drake's feet, but nothing else." She looks with veiled discontent at the drake and the gateway it blocks. "...Of course, for obvious reasons, we haven't been able to search the area past the drake. I'd bet on danger."

She glances at the two travellers. The beast-man is tall and strong; he could certainly make more progress than Rook and his sword if he took to chipping away. The other one's a mage, clear as day - nobody else would come out here without weapons - so he could potentially have some helpful magic. He could also potentially have some harmful magic. Veliky dislikes mages for this exact reason.

"I am open to ideas." There's a sternness in her tone, surprising from such an otherwise unimposing person.

Beist thought about the Halfling's words, assessing the situation. They had no idea what had turned the drake to stone, but it was probably on the path past the fortress. It would be very troublesome if they ran into it. He didn't want Dora to be petrified while they were pulling the wagon along the trail. He would be devastated. No, it would be best if she stayed here for a little while while he and possibly these other people went ahead to deal with the creature first.

"Yes, I know a little bit about creatures with petrifying abilities from my studies. I believe the one most likely to be in a mountainous area like this would be a basilisk, though it could very well be a Gorgon, but those are a very rare being. A Gorgon is an intelligent humanoid person with snakes for hair. Either way, it's their eyes that cause the petrification..." Beist spoke to the others, but his speech slowly devolved into mumbling to himself as he thought about the possibilities of what creature might have caused this. "...but I wonder if they are a cockatrice. Maybe a variety better suited to the conditions of this mountain. But basilisks tend to live in stony places like this, so it would be far more likely. I would be very interested in meeting a Gorgon...."

He continued his long train of thoughts until a screech and an eye roll from Dora snapped him out of it. He turned toward the griffon and walked over to her, giving her a pat on the head. "Yes, you're right. I got a little distracted."

"Right, we should go ahead and deal with this creature, shouldn't we? But I suppose we must get past this roadblock first. Do you have anything better for clearing away stone than a sword? A hammer or a pickaxe, perhaps?" he said, turning back to face the other two.

The massive petrified drake loomed over the scene, mocking them with the daunting task ahead. Zak studied the group around him, made up of the most bizarre beings Zak had ever encountered, although he had seen a lot in his travels. Humanoid tin men, a bat, a dog, and was that a flaming horse? Zak’s gaze met their master’s as she explained the situation in a matter of fact manner, sternly asking the new arrivals for any helpful suggestions.

At her request, the beast-man quickly began listing creatures that had the ability to petrify a being. His stream of consciousness delivery delighted Zak while educating him at the same time. Zak had met many a scholar and mage that spoke in the same manner. An educated giant, eh? How interesting. When the griffon screeched, and the giant spoke to him in the same manner that Zak communicated with Gray, Zak smiled broadly, patting his wolf’s head. A kindred spirit, Zak thought. The beast-man’s appearance was an interesting blend of fur and scales, not off putting at all.

“I should be able to break through,” Zak said as he strode up to the drake and inspected it, poking it with his finger, keeping his magick in check for now. The metal man continued to chip away but was not making much headway. With a sigh he turned back and asked the beast-man. “You appear to know about these things. Is the drake still alive in there?” Zak stood up and looked at them both. “I’m Zak, by the way. And who might you be?”

Basilisk? Cockatrice? Gorgon? Snakes for hair? Anyone could throw together some random syllables, tell Veliky that it has beetles for fingernails and she'd be willing to believe that it's a real creature. Though, if this 'gorgon' is real... all its hair is replaced by snakes? But that's a question for later. Right now, introductions are in order.

"Veliky. No surname, don't ask." She looks to Zak, the probably-a-wizard. "If you can break through, do it. But nothing loud or explosive; these cliffs can be irritable." Her face sinks into a frown as she looks at the sword-bot, still fruitlessly chipping away. "Rook," she calls, "that's enough! You're just dulling your sword!"

The bot makes some odd beeping noise and holds its now-dented blade to its side. Its limbs hiss and clank as it shifts into a guarding stance beside the drake.

Veliky takes another gut-wrenching sip of "Cheesy Bacon Bomb"-flavoured Blixt™ and leans back in her ashen chair, which would probably crumble under the weight of anyone heavier.

"Unfortunately, no," she says to the beastman, "I do not have any good digging gear. In fact, I should probably start bringing things like that when I travel, or, at least, program one of these bots to swing a mace. Would make things like this much easier."

She looks to the wagon and its shuttered window. Veliky can only think of one reason to have an opening like that, unless the wagon itself was stolen.

"Big guy that knows monsters, are you a merchant?"

Beist was a bit embarrassed to be called "big guy", but he ignored it. He supposed it was true, after all.

"I suppose I am a merchant of sorts. An alchemist. I mainly sell potions and medicines. My name is Beistmild, but please call me Beist." he said to them both before approaching the petrified drake and looking at Zak.

"Hmm... That's a slightly tricky question. I believe the most accurate way to answer it would be no, the drake is not currently alive. It is made of stone. But if the question were whether or not it can be brought back to life, the answer would be yes. It is possible. So long as it hasn't sustained any damage that would kill it if it were alive. For example, if the head was broken off, or if the body were smashed. Then it would be unsavable." Beist answered, a hand to his chin as he thought his words through carefully.

Drakes are a very dangerous creature. Honestly, it's a blessing for them that they did not have to face it. Trying to bring the creature back would be extremely risky. It could attack them all the moment it awakened. Though, he would like to see a drake in the flesh instead of in the stone. It would be a very interesting creature to study.

"Why might you ask? Drakes are extremely dangerous, you know. Do you really wish to bring it back to life?"

Beist knew how to brew a potion that could cure petrification, but he would require the saliva of a basilisk to make it. It would be dangerous to get it. And it may not have even been a basilisk that did this, so he would wait until he heard Zak's answer before saying anything about that. He also knew that the potion would return the stone to back to flesh even if the creature would be dead once it was unpetrified. If it was drake materials the man wanted, it would make things much easier. If it was a living drake, that would be troublesome.

Zak scoffed at the idea that he would want to bring the drake back to life. “No, no. I surely don’t care one whit for the life of this giant drake. Just curious. Never saw anything in a petrified state before.” Zak turned back to the drake with a frown on his face. “If I blast it, it should break apart. Just trying to decide what type of elemental energy to employ that won’t cause tremors in the cliff face.” Zak concentrated and sparks flashed across the knuckles of his hands. “Let’s try fire first.” Glancing at the tin-man Veliky had called Rook, he added, “You might want to move back.” Moving back himself, Zak raised his hand and a fire bolt flew out of his fingertips, striking the section Rook had been working on. A large chuck of petrified stone came loose and fell to the ground with a thud.

Zak nodded in satisfaction with the results. “Good. That’s a start. I hit it with only minimal force, so I would guess that if I hit it full force several times, I should be able to break it apart. That is if we’re not concerned whether or not we kill the beast.”

While Zak was talking, a loud scraping sound could be heard from the other side of the drake. Was something trying to get through the pass from the other side? Was it the monster that had petrified the drake?

“Hear that noise? Once we open the pass, it appears we just might be in even more trouble.” He looked at his new companions. “Prepare yourselves and your crew. We’ll have to time it well. When you’re ready, I’ll proceed to destroy this thing.”

A merchant selling potions? That could be very useful; Veliky's always looking for new Blixt™ ingredients. Once this ordeal is over, she'll need to ask this 'Beistmild' if she can see his wares. The noises coming from the other side of the drake and Zak's statement about fighting whatever it is, though, rouse great concern from her. She stands up, leaving her ashen throne to slump to crumble behind her.

"Wait," Veliky says sternly, raising her hand. The gesture is so authoritative that it seems to send reverberations through the air. "Beist. Basilisks and gorgons: you said their eyes cause petrification. Elaborate."

"Do not make eye contact with them."

Veliky narrows her eyes and looks back at the drake. "So we shouldn't look at them or we'd risk being turned to stone? How exactly are we supposed to fight an enemy like that?" Her voice has an unsecreted undertone of anger. "We need to prepare for that possibility. I can't strategize properly without seeing, and I sure as hell don't want a mage shooting blind."

Veliky surveys the soon-to-be battlefield. She's assuming that whatever's on the other side of the statue is a threat, but that isn't an unwise assumption. The terrain is level and there's little in the way of cover, save for the ruins of a fountain and a very old well. Maybe they could set some sort of trap? There aren't enough supplies on hand to make anything automated... except for bodies. Yes, looking at the creature would petrify them, but they might be able to time some sort of coordinated attack on when they see something become petrified. The expendability of the bots never ceases to be useful to Veliky. She removes herself from her thoughts.

"Zak. Beist, too, if it matters. What spells do you actually know? We might be able to effectively ambush it if we use one of the bots as bait."

The bat-bot flutters toward her. She's called it 'bait' so many times that it now recognizes it as its second name. She glances at it. Yes, it'll do.

Beist looked at the robotic bat. He wanted to argue against the idea of using something as bait, but didn't want to cause problems. Besides, the bat was a robot. He wasn't sure it counted as alive. It seemed like it was more of an object or tool than a living creature. It might not be right of him to tell others how to use their tools.

He thought for a moment and answered. "I'm afraid I don't have any offensive magic spells or potions at the moment. It would be best to prepare by covering your eyes and relying on your sense of hearing. That, or looking at it through mirrors, but I don't have a mirror on me. The basilisk also has claws and fangs, but those are not nearly as bad as petrification."

He walked over to Dora, unfastening his cloak as he went, revealing a second set of arms underneath his other arms that were held behind his back and a long, scaled tail with a tuft of fur on the end. He threw the cloak over Dora's head and tied it to act as a blindfold for the Griffon. She let out a short screech of protest as he did it, but he patted her head and stroked the sides of her neck. "I know, Dora, but I don't want you to be petrified. This is for your own safety. Don't take it off, okay?"

After making sure Dora was properly protected, he pulled out a large cloth that was tucked into his belt. It looked like a hand towel for him, but was undoubtedly a full sized towel for anyone else. He wrapped it around his head to work as his own blindfold. It would be fine for him to just keep his eyes closed, but he preferred to stay on the safe side. With the blindfold on his forehead and ready to be pulled down over his eyes, he looked to the other two to see their preparations for the battle.

Tap Tap Crunch

Zak frowned. The sound was persistent, and kept growing louder and stronger, as if whatever lurked there was trying to tantalize them with its presence. How in the hells were they going to do this? Zak thought. He had never encountered petrification before and was concerned that if he used the wrong kind of magick, he would awaken the drake and they would have two enemies to contend with.

Zak sure didn’t want to end up petrified, but, unfortunately, he needed to see to use his magick. Beist had covered his critter’s eyes, and was prepared to blindfold himself when needed. It was a good idea, but Zak wouldn’t be able to do the same until he had completed his task. Perhaps if he kept his back to the opening while he destroyed the drake and the others attacked the beast, just maybe they could escape unscathed. Zak sighed in resignation, and pulled a kerchief out of his back pocket, wrapping it around his neck as a precaution. “Come here Gray,” Zak said to the wolf, his hand touching the pouch hanging across his chest. In a blink of an eye, the wolf disappeared, retreating into the pocket dimension the gray often called home.

“Using one of your minions as bait is a good idea, Veliky,” Zak said as his gaze took in the group of tin-men and strange animals. “I have to admit, I’m quite intrigued by this menagerie of yours, but…” he chuckled. “...we have more pressing matters to attend to. My curiosity will just have to wait. I’m reasonably certain that I can destroy this drake using elemental energy to blast through. I suppose the decision for me is which type of energy would be most effective without causing any damage to the canyon. Stick with fire, or try lightning, force, or… hmm, …perhaps even light energy?”

Zak walked toward Veliky, his mana building inside. “What do you think? How do we bait this creature? Timing is crucial. No telling how long it will take me to chip away at this thing. You’ll all have to be ready when it breaks apart and suddenly the pass is open.”

Veliky puts a hand to her chin. A plan... she's good at plans. At least, she should be. But she sees nothing useful around her. They could bottleneck the creature at the gate, wait for the bait to be petrified and then let out a barrage at the gate, but success would hardly be guaranteed. The creature could survive, and things would get messy. No, she needs a plan with as high a chance of success as possible. But what could that plan possibly be? She looks around. There's nothing but the people here, the petrified drake, a crumbling fountain, a dilapidated well, Beist's wagon-

"Idea."

She walks quickly and confidently toward the blindfolded Dora, then swings her gloved hand at the harness' trace. Surprisingly, the trace shatters with a small burst of light^[1], freeing Dora from the wagon.

"This wagon's going over the cliff. Beistmild, was it? I'll get you a new one. Rook, Fisher, pull this wagon through the entrance of the courtyard! I'll tell you when to stop."

With Dora out of the way, the two bots stand in front of the wagon and begin to pull with all their hydraulic might. It doesn't do much; Veliky orders Bishop to join them, which finally nets them enough strength to move the humongous vehicle.

Veliky turns to everyone else, explaining her plan as she paces back and forth.

"Here's what's going to happen: we're going to position the wagon in the gateway into the courtyard with the backdoor facing inward, open. Lag Switch -" she gestures to a bot that resembles some sort of canine. Its movements are odd, jittery... is it okay? "- Lag Switch will be in the wagon. If everything goes right, when Zak breaks the statue, the basilisk, gorgon, whatever it is will see Lag Switch in the wagon, climb in and eat it. Once it's in the wagon, we push the wagon over the cliff. Problem solved." She stops and looks into Zak's eyes. "Zak, you're a mage. Am I correct in assuming that you have some magic that could let you escape, even if the entrance is blocked? The plan doesn't hinge on it, it'll just be a bit messier if you don't. Other than that, we'll all be outside, in front of the wagon, when the creature comes through."

The bots not involved in the plan are already filing out of the courtyard, back onto the mountain trail, while Lag Switch does something indescribable and is now in the wagon.

---

1. Angelic Light

Veliky walks over and breaks the harness and begins to talk about a plan to kill the basilisk that involves throwing it down the cliff inside Beist's wagon. Beist was shocked for a moment. After coming back to his senses, he immediately goes and stops the bots that had begun pulling his wagon.

"Absolutely not! Bull is in there as well as all of my research and work! You will not throw it off the cliff! I won't allow it!" he yells at the bots and Veliky angrily.

He stands in back of the wagon and grabs the sides of it, easily stopping the robots from being able to pull it any further. He wouldn't allow them to destroy his home. Bull was also currently asleep in the wagon, his little vampire bat. They were a nocturnal creature, so he always allowed him to sleep the day away in the wagon comfortably. How could the Halfling even suggest such a thing, even if she would buy him a new one? He was furious. Beist was a very peaceful and forgiving man, but this truly angered him.

The bots tried in vain to continue pulling the wagon, following the orders of their master. They didn't notice as the beast man that was preventing their momentum started to grow from his already great height to towering over the wagon.

With a beast-like growl Beist began to grow, his horns growing larger until they resembled antlers more than horns. His arms and torso grew faster than his legs, which had bent into a digitigrade form. The robes he wore made from cloth draped over his shoulder slipped off the sides and hung from his belt at the sides of his legs. His torso and arms were disproportionately larger than his legs and extremely muscular, giving him a top heavy, almost gorilla-like build. His mouth and nose extended forward into a snout that resembled a bear's. When his transformation was complete, he stood fifty feet tall.

He stared down at Veliky angrily and wrapped his arms around his wagon protectively.

---

Giant Size

No sooner were Zak’s words out of his mouth, Veliky took control, making decisions and dictating the groups’ actions without consulting either him or Beist. As soon as she released the griffon without a word, Zak strode toward the halfling, his ire rising. How arrogant and presumptuous, Zak thought. How dare she expect Beist to sacrifice his wagon and precious possessions without any discussion or consent. Before Zak could state his objections, the beast-man made his opinion perfectly clear, growing several sizes bigger than his already gigantic presence.

Zak couldn’t help but chuckle incredulously at the scene in front of him. Beist stood taller than any beast Zak had ever seen, protecting his wagon with his life. Zak moved to help, not really sure what he could do, but knowing that he supported Beist’s position. No one had the right to use a person’s possessions without their consent.

Zak glanced at the canine-like bot that had started to get into the wagon. “Get out,” he yelled as he approached, prepared to pull the bot out of the wagon by whatever means necessary. “Veliky, call off your minions. Your idea is no longer an option. We’ll just have to come up with a different plan.”

Zak surveyed the courtyard, noting that there were several outcroppings that could be used for cover. “Perhaps I can work from up there,” Zak said, pointing to one of the ledges above the pass. “While the rest of you take cover.”