"Who are you calling a lizard boy!" Mylo lost his cool.
Aether did not even respond. He simply looked away with a grin on his face.
Before Mylo could say anything else, the being who sat next to him stopped him.
"That's quite enough, Mylo," her melodic voice was unique, to say the least.
This being looked more human than Mylo did. She had long flowing platinum blue hair that cascade down to the side of her waist. She had a long slender body, with matching blue horns on her head, webbed ears like Mylo and her body was covered in a layer of shimmering blue scales.
She turned to look at Vy with a soft smile, "My apologies but I can't suppress my aura."
Vy furrowed her eyebrows. Whether this being was being rude on purpose or genuinely could not do so, she could not quite tell. While this made the situation a little more difficult to handle, it was nothing they could not handle.
-Aether, do you have a solution?- Vy asked her trustworthy Familiar.
Aether slithered over to Lycster and coiled himself around the boy's neck. Using his own unique aura, Aether was able to create a dome shield around him. Without the crushing pressure, Lycster could finally breathe normally.
With that settled, Vy introduced herself to the two beings and they introduced themselves in return.
Mylo went first.
"I am Mylo of the Dracaena. I am the associate assigned to this convoy mission and this is-"
"I am Fruelle of the Sapphire Water Dragons." she introduced herself.
"It's nice to meet you both," Vy replied politely.
Not wasting any time, Vy summoned the trunk from her spatial storage. The trunk case looked almost as good as new. Fruelle's face lit up the moment Vy placed it down on the coffee table in front of them. Even Mylo looked intrigued by it.
-There must be something extremely important in it.-
"I heard that your journey had not been as simple as hoped?" Mylo asked.
"Yes, it has been a much longer journey than expected. Which did make us wonder what exactly were the contents that we were transporting," Vy recounted.
Fruelle placed her right hand on the trunk. She whispered a series of enchantments beneath her breath. The lock mechanism on the trunk emits a soft glow of light before it comes to life. Within a matter of seconds, the trunk was unlocked with the lid slightly opened.
Carefully, she lifted the lid to reveal the contents within.
Sat in a bed of lava rocks and deep water celestite, were three large egg-shaped gemstones. Vy took a closer look. These were not just regular gemstones. There was something in each of them, for she could sense a heartbeat in each of them.
"Are these... eggs?" Vy asked.
Fruelle nodded, "These are some of the rarest dragon eggs you'll ever find. Each of them was more unique than the last."
She continued to explain that each of them was born from the mating of two different elemental dragons. The fire sapphire egg was a fusion of fire and water, the aquamarine egg was ice and lava, and the deep blue diamond was deep sea and air.
Dragon eggs need specific conditions before they would hatch and these fusion eggs are met with even greater difficulty. Their unique heritage made it difficult to predict and decipher the conditions that need to be fulfilled before they can hatch.
"Where are the parent dragons of these eggs? Why aren't they taking care of them?" Lycster asked.
Fruelle let out a sigh as she closed the trunk. Worried that he had asked a question he should not have, Lycster shrunk back into the chair. Seeing as she was not comfortable to share the reasons, Vy did not want to probe her any further either.
"You don't have to say if you don't want to."
Fruelle shook her head, "Mylo can tell you why."
"Dragon eggs are highly valued. Not just because their shells are gemstones. Dragons in general are highly valued. Being in possession of a dragon egg…"
"... would mean that they could hatch a dragon. Which would fetch an even higher price," Vy put the pieces of the puzzle together in her mind.
Fruelle looked down at the trunk case as she lamented, "These eggs, in particular, were found during a raid of a black market. They are actually just three out of the six that were uncovered."
"What happened to the other three?"
"Regrettably lost," Mylo replied.
"Lost?"
Fruelle explained that the raid had been successful. But while the other three were being transported, they never arrived. Even the person who was assigned to the mission was never found or heard from again. The last communication received was that they were crossing the Bleak Lands.
"What is important, is that these three made it safely back here." Fruelle declared with a smile, "I am extremely grateful for your help, Miss Blackfire."
Vy gave her a soft smile, "I am glad I was able to help. If there is ever anything you need help with, do not hesitate to let me know."
Fruelle mused, "I might just hold you up to that, Miss Blackfire."
"I look forward to receiving your request. At a fee of course." she jested with a grin.
With the handover complete, Fruelle placed another enchantment onto the trunk before keeping it in her own spatial storage. After a short chat, Vy got to know that Fruelle would still be staying in Trilantis for a few days before she embarked on her journey back to her fellow dragons.
Her home was situated south of Trilantis, deep in the Salvato Trench.
"What will happen to these eggs?"
"We will keep them safe and hopefully find a way to hatch them." she assured Vy, "If you're ever keen on a deep-sea adventure, you are most welcome to visit us."
"One day... sounds good. Do you need added protection during your stay in Trilantis? My brother and I…"
Mylo was offended by Vy's offer to Fruelle.
"Know your place, human," Mylo barked, "Fruelle is under my protection, which is more than sufficient."
His nostrils were flared as he glared at Vy with his ruby-red pupils. Vy did not mean to offend the dracaena, she merely wanted to offer a helping hand. Aether glared at Mylo with a cold stare. Not wanting the situation to escalate any further, Vy quickly diffused the situation.
But then again, she was not about to take an insult lying down either.
"I am sure you'll be able to protect Fruelle, although judging from both your auras, it might end up being the other way around."
The evil grin on Vy's face was enough to force Lycster to stifle his laughter, and for Fruelle to chuckle. Aether revelled in the situation that unfolded. He need not always be the one to stand up for Vy, she could take care of herself.
The dracaena's face turned beet red. Not wanting to make a fool of himself any longer, he bit his tongue and kept quiet in defeat.