Despite being a Ferelden native, Esme had never been this far south. (Never been much of anywhere at all, if she were being honest.) Wrapped in her cloak, she drove the wagon over the marshy roads, wondering about the job. The pay had to be good to bring them here – though not so good as to cut in their friends, the Red Dogs.
“Yeah, I do think they’d be mad, actually.” Presumably they wanted the whole carcass. Otherwise this endeavor was even more wasteful than it seemed. Why couldn’t they just leave the wyverns alone? If people wandered into wyvern territory it was really their own fault if they got eaten. A thousand-pound lizard was not a subtle creature.
Ceren called a halt and Byrne handed out orders.
“Soften stone just a bit? Can’t you do that better with your magic?” She’d seen him heave up a picnic table from the earth, among other things— but whatever. Fine. It was an interesting problem. Esme retreated into the wagon and got to work. She had three ideas.
First, something that wasn’t what Caro asked for at all but seemed most likely to serve his purpose – a large batch of the substance she used for her tangle bolts. It expanded on contact with air and cured hard as cement. In theory, it could anchor stakes or pitons. Second, an acid that would turn even solid stone soft and spongy if left to set over the course of a few minutes. Third, several dual flasks that contained elemental essences and a catalyst. When splattered over a surface, the contrasting hot and cold would be enough to crack stone through sheer thermal shock. Scales too, in theory.
Soon after that, it was time to meet back up. Esme sat with her creations, unsure if they’d be of immediate use.
“Yeah, I do think they’d be mad, actually.” Presumably they wanted the whole carcass. Otherwise this endeavor was even more wasteful than it seemed. Why couldn’t they just leave the wyverns alone? If people wandered into wyvern territory it was really their own fault if they got eaten. A thousand-pound lizard was not a subtle creature.
Ceren called a halt and Byrne handed out orders.
“Soften stone just a bit? Can’t you do that better with your magic?” She’d seen him heave up a picnic table from the earth, among other things— but whatever. Fine. It was an interesting problem. Esme retreated into the wagon and got to work. She had three ideas.
First, something that wasn’t what Caro asked for at all but seemed most likely to serve his purpose – a large batch of the substance she used for her tangle bolts. It expanded on contact with air and cured hard as cement. In theory, it could anchor stakes or pitons. Second, an acid that would turn even solid stone soft and spongy if left to set over the course of a few minutes. Third, several dual flasks that contained elemental essences and a catalyst. When splattered over a surface, the contrasting hot and cold would be enough to crack stone through sheer thermal shock. Scales too, in theory.
Soon after that, it was time to meet back up. Esme sat with her creations, unsure if they’d be of immediate use.
05-28-2024, 09:17 PM
