Oh, THIS again.

[Coolpikaaa]

Coolpikaaa looked between them, unsure of why they were going to a gem dealer. Unless the stolen treasure had been sold already, what were they going to find out from him?

Unfortunately... it was the best idea any of them had.

"So uhm... Do we ride with you, Furnace?"

[Jent]

Alexander looked worriedly at the dragon's wings. "Er, I would believe we have to walk regardless, Cp. As Furnace doesn't need to strain himself on the way to the Encampment."

[Swix]

Furnace growled at the Norns assertion, insulted by the idea that held strain himself carrying the two tiny creatures just because of a broken wing. The idea that it was a genuine concern flew past the Dragon completely "Strain" he snarled "I am not that weak little soft-skins!" so saying, the Dark Fire Dragon picked each of them up in a foreclaw and deposited them on top of his head, just in front of his horns "Your teensy legs would slow me down anyway" he muttered, making his way to The Encampment.

[Jent]

At the settlement, the norn hopped of Furnace's head. "Yep, he should be in today. A villager told me he was being particularly generous this week." Alexander took out the blue cube from his pocket. "The guy is on the outskirts.... over there!"

Straddled on a small hill, a crimson pitched tent gleamed in the contrasted green background. The collector stood behind his wooden stand, observing rocks under a magnifying glass.

[Coolpikaaa]

"Perhaps we should be careful. We only want information from this guy. There is probably zero chance he actually has what we're looking for." Cp suggested.

[Jent]

Ignorant of Coolpikaaa's warning, Alexander bounded to the trader's stall. "Yo, Devon. Devon Parker!" the norn clamored himself to the man. Staring at the furry creature with disdain, he stroked the black tuft at his chin, discerning his intentions.

"Eh!? What is all the commotion about?"

[Swix]

Furnace strode right over to the gem dealers, holding his head up high over the man, at first, Furnace snorted.

Then he lowered his head, so his narrow armoured snout was just about touching the ground to get a better look at this Devon Parker "How's this hew-mon supposed to know about my jewel?" he asked, in a very unimpressed tone.

[Jent]

The Devon eyed the immense creature, "I've known many things since my time in Pax. Trades, theft; alliances, wars; very little eluded me upon my travels. A mere jewel is nothing in regards to the strangeness of this realm; far from stable compared to my native Tui La."

The gruff man put away the minerals on display as he brought out a tattered journal. "So, I'm guessing your possession was something personal? Not many dragons would cling to a random rock... Do you happen to have a piece or a similar stone with you?"

[Swix]

"The yellow rodent has it" Furnace said, baring his teeth

[Coolpikaaa]

Cp stared at Furnace, trying to figure out who the yellow rat he was so mad at was. Eventually he came to the conclusion it had to be him, but again, he wasn't so sure how he had managed to put Furnace in a bad mood.

"Uhm... Yeah! Here." Cp said, standing up on his toes to give the jewel to the Devon.

[Jent]

Accepting the draconic mineral, he set about detailing its physical and chemical attributes. The man moved a rustic lamp over Furnace's jewel from off the side. Tapping along the cone's sides, a weak green light beamed on top of its surface, tiny cascading smoke clouds swarmed around it as Devon prodded the item with some weird utensils.

"Hrn... magical residue, seeping a tad from the sides... a particular crystallization structure..."

Fascinated by the dark gem, his hand slowly worked against it as he brought it back to Coolpikaaa. "Never seen that exact composition before, certainty a sight to behold for the one you lost I assume," he mused. "However, there were some unsavory folk trying to quarrel at the prices I mentioned for some equipment I acquired down by the seaport east from here."

Devon thumbed through some pages in his journal, "yes, that group ventured east to barter for similar gear a couple days ago. Shouldn't be long for you to get there by flight I imagine."

[Swix]

Furnace snorted, he wasn't angry at CP this time, he was angry at the Devon person for figuring out the reason he wanted his jewel back and then blatantly pointing it out.

But.. It was that important he didn't even want to pull the soft-skin up about it and waste more time.

Flying wasn't an option with his wing as it was, and the myriad trees on the surface would slow him down considerably if he were to run.

Underground, though, that was an entirely different matter...

"I am incapable of flight for the minute, however, I am not an aerial Dragon" Furnace said, before he literally dove headfirst into the ground, forcing the soil to shift around him. Furnaces entire body seemed to slither down into the dark hole,right up until his spiky tail disappeared. After a few minutes, his narrow head popped back out "Are you two coming?"

[Jent]

Calmly, the irritating amber trader gave the stunned Alexander a slip of paper. "Your friends I imagine? Then I hope you don't mind the fee for the details concerning these possible thieves," Devon disclosed to him, the norn grumbling as he stuffed it in a pocket.

"Fine, fine. Yeah, I'm ready Furnace. Do we just walk through the tunnel or hold onto your tail?"

[Swix]

"... Probably best for you two to ride under my still functioning wing, your frames couldn't cope with the heat if I come across some rocks"

[Coolpikaaa]

"Heat?" Cp looked at both Furnace and the Norn. "Like... Lava heat?! How deep are we going?!"

He frowned. This was really seeming like a bad idea.

"You sure we'll be safe if we cling to your wing?"