An Unexpected Treasure
 

Karlin slipped into the cavern with a wide grin. Orange hair flared behind her as she dodged through one tunnel after another without much care about getting lost. There were certain heat signatures within the stone walls that could be easily followed. This ability to follow the tiniest bit of heat difference was one of the reasons why Karlin was so good at seeking out treasures, of various sorts. It was a good thing too, considering that treasure hunting was the only work the curvaceous woman cared to do.

This treasure was to be the last of the season. Rumor said that it was a rather large one, the remnants of an ancient civilization. Though Karlin did want to steal it, she didn’t intend on selling her loot to anyone who would destroy the artifacts. Rather her search was going to be for people who would treasure them, and try to find out all they could about those who had gone before.

Soon Karlin was in a large cavern. It appeared to be empty, it’s roof supported by large carved pillars and nothing to hide anything in within sight. With a grin the orange haired woman sauntered up to the nearest pillar to press upon the carving of a dragon she’d noticed. It was rather oddly placed, at eye level, and rather small. The sound of something moving had the leather clad adventurer turning to face the direction of the sounds. Stone crunched against stone as something quite alive, and yet not, began to take heavy footed steps towards Karlin.

Lexy had taken shelter in the series of caverns earlier, her pale hair wet but still gleaming as always like corn silk from the rain. Her body had been protected by her heavy coat which repelled water. It was a long dark blue coat styled more for a man then a woman despite it's intricate straps as were her tight pants and heavy leather boots. It would be easy to confuse her for a male at a glance in fact, particularly with her hair currently pulled back in a low but rather severe pony tail style that was popular for the men in nobility at the time. She was also unusually tall, standing at a full six feet. Only her face with her delicate nose, long lashes, and shining eyes gave away her gender.

Here, her gender did not matter though. All that mattered was her intelligence, how quickly she could move, and how strong her blade. The fiery blade made of the soul of a dragon and the spirit of a warrior was indeed strong, but she hadn't thought she would need to use it though she had summoned it out of habit. No, she knew how to avoid each trap and understood some of the symbology as she vaguely remembered visiting the secretive and strange people...despite the civilization being long dead. There were some perks to being trapped in true immortality since the beginning of man. To this civilizations dragons meant danger, and birds meant safety or guidance.

She had smirked at the thought when she recognized the style of the architecture. Dragons meant danger and dark magic to them... it was a thought she could sympathize with. Still, she had pushed that thought aside and followed the birds until she sensed another enter. Treasure hunter probably... She started towards the sound, knowing these types of ruins tended to hold traps designed to kill their victims.... or starve them if the first stage failed. She had little desire to be trapped in these caves as she did not quite know them well enough that escape was assured.

She ran as fast as she could only to find she had arrived too late. The dragon runes through the caves were already begining to glow and shut the entrance with a combination of magic and stone that even an ancient primordial dragon could not break. Well, if in his own true body he could the dragon spirit corrected in his usual arrogant way but she ignored him. She could only choose to try and save the girl or try to focus all her power into speed to try and reach the door. Oh well... the odds to making it to the door were low anyway...

She turned to the golem, ignoring the dragon who was telling her she was no knight anymore and did not need to protect the world. She leaped into the air, slicing the ethereal sword she wielded through the center of the golem. As she sliced it in two it was not drama she sought, or how good one may look. No, she sought the power source of the golem. She suspected it would be a crystal at it's center, as it often was with such things. She smiled as she heard the crack and felt the energy vibrate through her sword and into her strong hands.

"It would seem we have to find the back way out now......." She said with a dry humor as she landed in a crouch between the girl and the golem. She turned as she stood and watched the two halves of the golem fall to the ground without emotion. It shattered but none of the small stones seemed likely to hit either of the two women. The dragon keeper sighed softly and turned to gaze back at the treasure hunter critically. She was undoubtedly pretty, Lexy observed silently, but just how well Karlin would keep her wits about her when she realized she was trapped was a question yet to be answered.

Earth had shaken as the golem approached, making Karlin sigh. She hated having to use her abilities with fire to get out of any situation. It invariably led to more trouble then it was worth, minimal as the gift she had was. In this case she was prepared to make an exception, seeing as her knives weren't quite up to slicing through solid stone. Though it seemed that wouldn't be necessary. The woman leaned a hand against the curve of her hip as she watched an unexpected arrival take on the stone golem without hesitation. The worksmanship of the blade was something Karlin very much wanted to see.

Smiling slightly, she moved forward and held out her hand after shifting her shoulders to settle her bag into a more comfortable spot. "Sounds like a plan. The name's Karlin, and you are?" She said nothing about the way her unexpected companion was dressed. She'd been a pirate for a while, and before that a thief, so unusual wear for a woman was quite the opposite for her.

Her mind was already stretching out to test the heat held within the stone, or rather it's lack. Wind would cool rock, but not if it was already cold. That didn't help at all, not when they were so far beneath the earth. Karlin had gotten into binds before, but this was definitely one of the tougher ones.

"Lexy. A pleasure to meet you." She responded with a rather flamboyant, almost mocking bow. She was pleased that her companion seemed calm enough... Still she took Karlin's hand firmly in her own as she stood from her bow and gave her one more once over. It was a slow, lingering look that most assumed had sexual meaning. In fact it was designed to give that exact impression. Good muscle tone, fighter, not necessarily traditionally taught, speedy more then strong... that was the conclusion that she came up with as she studied her in that absent way she did everyone. Ultimately she would always be the warrior she was made to be no matter how much she played a harmless flirt generally.

"I would try to stay away from dragons, my pretty, this culture does not seem to like them much. Birds aren't bad though..." She said teasingly as she released the other woman's hand. She held her blade loosely at her side a moment as she stepped to the side slightly to review the column that the woman had been near. Yes... a dragon symbol. She figured as much, as her words showed. She sighed softly a moment and debated why the dragon was there. Was it to protect something? Or to distract from something important in the room.... that was the question wasn't it?

She eyed the other woman critically, just as she could tell Lexy did. Karlin had been on the streets long enough to know when a look wasn't quite what it seemed. So be it then. "And what's a lady like yourself doing in a place like this?" As far as she knew, Karlin wasn't attracted to women but that didn't mean she couldn't flirt with them. At the knowledge given freely the orange haired woman nodded. That still didn't answer why the dragon had been n that pillar, but Karlin intended to find out.

With a happy wave she began running towards the imposing door she'd intended on getting into all along. There had to be something interesting in there! Her lock picking skills were put to the test upon the strange metal contraption. Magic was intertwined within it's mechanism, making the task she'd imposed upon herself all the harder. Even so, with her unique abilities Karlin was soon through and walking into the next room. Shelves filled the space, and upon them were innumerable things. Many of them were unknown to the former pirate, and more piqued her curiosity. "Well, are you coming or not?" The words drifted out from the chamber with an echo of joy within them. This was worth being trapped. The thrill of finding something once lost made Karlin thirst for mre such adventures.

"Me? A lady? My you are a cute little thing to say something so silly," was Lexy's amused reply, followed by a deep and almost masculine chuckle that echoed through the chamber. She shook her head and looked over the other woman's shoulder to make sure she didn't do anything to get them in trouble again. Karlin seemed a bit of a risk taker to Lexy so trust would not come easily even if playing and teasing would. If nothing else the dragon intensified her emotions and casual flings had their uses in keeping that under control...

She said nothing as the other woman finished, only nodding. She would follow casually into the room,, her free hand in the pocket of her coat. She glanced towards the various objects, not seeming to interested. The dragon in her loved to collect all things beautiful, it was one reason it had chosen her as host, but she had little use for things. She mainly looked for traps and anything that seemed like a key. She found little useful, save a small stone with a bird on it. It seemed relatively valueless yet was in here so may have other meanings even if she felt no magic in it.

"might look for bird shaped recesses...." She remarked in reference to her find but otherwise simply slipped it into her pocket. Knowing how they felt it could simply be a good luck charm for the room but she felt no magic in it and it seemed so infrequently designed it intrigued her. Birds were so sacred they may not feel it needed magic though, so it could be nothing. It wasn't trapped at any rate though she wondered if the other more valuable objects were. Everything else seemed a more classic vision of treasure. Gold, jewel encrusted, or magical.... everything else seemed to fall under one or more of those descriptions. She stayed away from the magical ones herself, having learned the hard way with the dragon that even when dying already one should not necessarily touch magic.

Karlin was busy looking through the room very carefully. She took nothing that she was unsure of, and left the heavier items rest where they lay. If the people ever did return to their homeland, she didn't want them to come to a place stripped of all that was precious to them. Her bag was still rather light when she returned to Lexy's side. The little gem the other woman had found caught her attention, making her bend down to take a closer look. "I've seen those before. It's a lot more then it seems." She smiled and said no more, instead pointing to another door she'd noticed during her perusal of the room.

"So, what brings you here?" Her unintentionally sultry voice filled the room with more life then it had seen for a very long time. There was nothing to stop them along the way this time, though more danger awaited them not far off. It lay in wait, trying to ascertain the intentions of the two people intruding upon the place it had been created to guard.

"Things often are" Was Lexy's only response as she gazed at the objects. She could sense the aura of something new...or at least newly awake. She knew nothing could come from outside so she'd bet on the later. She gripped her sword, pushing her energy into it again to keep it summoned and strong. She turned back to the other woman only as she spoke of what brought her here. She chuckled softly and flicked her pony tail so the tip would brush feather soft against the other woman's cheek. It was wet but still silky to the touch and more like a gentle caress of a lover then a whip. Such was a trait of her now long dead people, this hair that was softer then any other substance but maybe the whisper of wind itself.

"It was raining. What about you my lady fair?" She said by way of explanation as she turned to glance at the door. She knew the answer already, the woman had made her treasure hunting rather obvious. Still, how Karlin choose to answer would tell her more about the girl. Just how honest was the other woman? And just how did she take the dragon chosen? How seriously did she take the warrior. Did she think Lexy was good or lucky?

Karlin sent the other woman an odd look after feeling the touch of hair so soft that she had nothing to compare it to. What a puzzle Lexy was. It made the thief want to find out more, which was sometimes a dangerous thing. Her senses played over rock and ground, through air, to find something even odder. A warm creature had awoken. It hadn't moved yet, but that didn't mean things would stay that way. "I came here seeking treasure. It's the only thing I know how to do, other then stealing." Her opinion of the warrior was still being formed, slowly.

They stepped into the passage, nearing the lair of the creature. It wasn't that per say, not a monster by any rate though it's form was strange. It shivered lightly, uncertain. Clawed hands and feet dung into the ground as it, no he, heaved himself up upon the wall to climb. Magic helped him into near weightlessness, his scaled and feathered form blending into the earthen tones of the stone ceiling as he traveled towards the intruders. He needed to see them with emerald eyes. There was a kinship of sorts with one, and that tempted him to leave them be. But no guardian could do that, and certainly not a guardian of his sort.

"Both dangerous professions, you must have a flair for the dramatic beautiful." Lexy teased, briefly looking almost... approving. She appreciated honesty and honor, a bit of being a knight that she couldn't quite shed. The dragon, despite his cynical attempts, had tried and failed. Then again, the same strength he ridiculed was what allowed her to stay sane when others had fallen to corruption and been destroyed on other worlds long ago. For this reason the dragon both loved and hated Lexy....and would never let her go. She knew this too, as the dragon knew her, and now sensed the presence of another. There were things that were dragons but not dragons within these walls...or at least one at any rate.

"As did the people here I think... I doubt golems is all they left to guard this place..." She added, briefly becoming a little more serious as she gazed down the passage. She frowned slightly, debating releasing her full half dragon form. It was a painful thing, skin tearing and muscles twisting tended to be. She shook her head and leaned her sword on her shoulder as she watched for the aura she sensed. The mystic flames did not harm her for they were apart of her. They were the flame of her own spirit, her own soul.

Laughter rang out, a quite incongruous thing considering the circumstances. "You've got that right, blue eyes." Their silent watcher smiled at the sound of such obvious joy. He could sense no true malice in them, not even in that powerful draconic force in sensed in one of the women, and the only things taken had been unimportant trinkets that even those who had once lived within the city would not have begrudged the woman. A long tail flicked, sifting softly against the ceiling and making dust flutter below. It drifted over Karlin, making her glance up and her eyes widen in wonder. The man, for he did seem like one, was beautiful. Firm muscles held him aloft as he gazed down upon them with silent delight upon his angular features. It had been such a long time since well meaning hearts had wandered those halls!

"I think we have company," stated Karlin belatedly as her steps halted. She nudged Lexy gently and pointed up to the ceiling to the man sporting feathers upon his ankles and wrists. Scales rand down his shoulders, over his chest, and covered his vital points in a natural armor. The man's hair was long, with bright green feathers intertwined with the dark brown locks. Only a loin cloth covered his groin, leaving nothing else to the imagination. "He looks worried all of a sudden," murmured the thief to herself with a frown.

Something else entirely had awoken, and this entity like not what it felt.

By the time Karlin had nudged her she was already watching the creature. Hiding one's aura was not like blending into the walls, especially from one so old as the dragon within her. She held no expression on her face really as she observed the creation. He was not a natural being, that much was clear. No, he was created though she was not sure how. She knew a spell or two and could do many powerful magics but creating a being such as this was beyond her. She tilted her head to the side, watching him silently a moment longer even as Karlin nudged her and spoke.

"So am I..." She said simply in response as she held her head a moment. The waking of the other triggered the arrogant dragon within her, his own fury writhing in harmony with the madness of another. The world eater hissed in Lexy's ear, soft whispers of 'tainted abominations' and madness. Briefly her pupils shifted to the shape of that of a dragons though her bangs and hand hid it fairly well. She took in a breath and released it slowly, pushing back the dragon's wrath and pulling his power away from the mad soul within. As she pushed back the dragon her pupils returned to normal.

"There is something here.... something quite angry and not quite sane." She finally stated with certainty as her sword flared in reaction. Despite the dragon within her, she had been a holy knight once.... a pure warrior for her people. That natural spiritual power of the life she led and the purification rituals she had undergone ensured her spirit naturally desired to smite such a thing. Unlike the one above them, this other...... thing was evil and much as the world eater had been in his younger days when he had no thought, no self, only hunger. For once she and the dragon were in agreement, this thing they had yet to see was not meant to be.

The thief pursed her lips and looked about. There had been a certain odd feeling in the air, but it was nothing more then that to her. Karlin was rather ordinary in her magics, or so she thought of it. The being who had dropped in upon their little group spouted words in an unknown language. He sounded angry and upset, like this presence was known to him. The guardian moved to stand between the two women and the direction from which the presence could be felt, a silent promise to protect them. It was what he had been created for after all, and this time he refused to fail. Already too many lives had been lost because of his inability to protect.

His strange behavior puzzled Karlin and made her back away warily from that direction. "So what do we do now? Should we help him?" Everything in her screamed to run away, but what an adventure she would miss if she did so! Absentmindedly playing with a dagger, slipped casually from one of her leather boots, Karlin mulled things over. They could always split up, but then their chances of finding a way out would be cut in half.

"I do not run, so i guess I'll have to help..... but it may be better if you lock yourself in the room we left to reward me on our victory." was Lexy's sassy reply as she gave Karlin a roguish grin and a wink. She seemed unafraid, and perhaps she wasn't though she worried for Karlin. She did not know if the other could fight or how well. She frowned towards the presence and then sighed. Flight and bladed tail would be useful, no matter how painful. She closed her eyes, calling on the heated dragon blood.

Wings first sprouted from her back, tearing through the skin and squirting blood across the dusty floor. Her nails became slightly claw like on her free hand and silver scales begin to cover her skin over her free hand and arm as well as chest. A tail was soon writhing behind her, a deadly looking blade at the tip. She panted, making soft sounds of pain as she transformed. Once it was complete she simply looked forward towards the coming enemy, her lips pursed slightly.

She was so very odd. Karlin smiled a little, though the thought of rewards unsettled her. There were only a few different things she could think of, and none of them she was used to contemplating of doing with a woman. Her eyes widened as wings and scales sprouted from the warrior for no apparent reason. It was precisely what the orange haired woman needed to distract her from the strange thoughts going through her mind.

"If you think I'm running, you're wrong. I'm not some pastry puff." To prove her words, Karlin slipped daggers expertly from sheaths at her wrists. They twirled and flashed in the air, a symphony of dancing metal created to distract and entertain long ago when there had been nothing else to use in order to win money.

Above them, the creature let himself fall to the ground. He smiled slightly upon seeing these women. They reminded him very much of the women warriors of the bird temples, and somehow he thought that they too would help fight his eternal opponent.

The insane thing Lexy had sensed scuttled forwards with glee. More deconstruction and havoc would come from it's claws!

"I doubt these people who were so powerful in magic were ..... pastry puffs either, but they are just as dead..." She said rather severely, her tone dead, lacking the warmth and subtle flirtation that Karlin had likely grown use to. The playful flirt was gone and the knight was back. Lexy held her sword slightly tighter, feeling the dragon in her writhe with desire to fight. It had been so long since it could fight a dragon relative.... Since scales had fallen to its fire as if they were not there at all.

Lexy did not miss the battle but she had been a warrior her whole life and was ready to meet it. She had led armies and protected queens, all with the quiet certainty that most breathed. She would always live or die by her sword even if the dragon made the last not so permanent. She had nothing to fear, even if she knew fear which looking at the firm lines of her face it would seem that she did not. Lexy was built for war, no matter what part she chose to play.