Legendary Skyscale

Kotys Doomsinger One of the many cubs of Bangar Ruinbringer. He is def not proud of them, Bangar actually tried to unalive them. Kotys lost their right leg due to it. Chill fella until they've got to fight. Rytlock is some sort of father figure to them.

***

"You didn't go to any of the colleges - where did you learn from?" Taimi asked.

"What does it matter?" Quilkka shrugged, inspecting the room's safeguards.

"Because it does!" Taimi insisted. "And...well, there's just so much about you I don't know. We're from the same family but...I never got to learn anything from you."

"Eh, you're not missing out - " Quilkka paused. She looked up from the boarded-up windows, ears twitching.

Taimi got up from her chair. "What is it?"

"...A breeze."

"Oh, yeah, it gets pretty drafty in here. Not exactly the most well-kept place."

"No. This is coming from inside."

Quilkka took off her glove and licked her finger, then held it out. She felt the coolness again, and with her wet finger, was now able to pinpoint the direction. "This way." She pulled her glove back on and went toward the origin of the strange breeze, a simple bookcase at the back. "Here. Feel that?"

Taimi joined her, most curious. She put her hand where Quilkka showed her. Sure enough, she felt a very very faint, sporadic breeze. So vaguely perceptible she was sure she wouldn't have noticed if Quilkka hadn't pointed it out.

"There's an opening behind this bookcase." Quilkka said.

"No way!" Taimi breathily exclaimed.

Quilkka put an arm out. "Stand back."

They took a few steps back together. Once they were a safe distance away, Quilkka whipped out a clawed wire and snagged the top of the bookcase before yanking down, tipping it forward. Taimi ducked behind her and Quilkka shielded her eyes as the bookcase crashed to the floor. Once the dust cleared, they both looked up to find, indeed, an opening revealed. Quilkka hopped up on the back of the toppled bookcase and peered inside the hole, though it was too dark to make much out. She narrowed her eyes and donned her shroud. Taimi excitedly peeked in beside her, but Quilkka shot an arm out to hold her back.

"Wait here." She warned. She grabbed an old energy rod from Scarlet's equipment pile, smacking it so it lit up, then clipped it to her hip as she cautiously entered the hole. Taimi, pouty and desperate to unravel more mysteries, started to step down after her.

"Hey, just because we're related doesn't mean you get to boss me around!"

"No, I get to boss you around because I've killed a dragon. And - " Quilkka suddenly scooped Taimi up and plopped her back down, away from where she was about to step. " - because I notice when someone's walking into a trap."

Taimi scowled at her before looking down and seeing what Quilkka had seen. Threaded wire stretched over a hole in the floor. She sniffed and turned her head.

"What was Scarlet doing putting traps down here anyway?" She grumbled.

Quilkka inspected the trap more closely and found the filmy wire wasn't wire at all. It was silk. A grim realization dawned on her.

"These aren't Scarlet's."

Quilkka whirled around to see a giant canyon spider creeping down on a thread toward the unsuspecting progeny.

"TAIMI!"

At Quilkka's shout, Taimi looked up to suddenly face the spider's eager eyes. She let out a fearful yelp as it launched down at her, but before it could take her, Quilkka grabbed her in a tackle. They tucked and rolled, just out of reach. Quilkka immediately popped back up and rushed the hostile creature, blocking its fangs head-on with her daggers. The block knocked her down onto her back and her energy rod rolled away. It was all her strength to keep the hungry arachnid's maw at bay. Quilkka's technique relied on misdirection and evasion. When it came to brute strength, she was at a disadvantage...but with Taimi right behind her, she had no choice.

"Get to Scruffy!" Quilkka called, straining.

Taimi scrambled to her feet as fast as she could. The moment Taimi was back through the room opening, Quilkka let go and slid down, making the spider stab its fangs into the dirt above her. Now directly under its thorax, Quilkka thrust her daggers. It reared back in pain, allowing Quilkka to kick it off her. She jumped back, drawing her dual pistols, and noticed the energy rod rolling against the pitch darkness of the basement. She shot it, and the consequential explosion of light revealed an entire nest approaching its prey.

"...Should've guessed." Quilkka groaned.

*** Post-spidey fight

Once the nest was cleared, Quilkka turned to Taimi.

"You good?"

"Me?! You're the one who got jumped!"

"I'm fine - "

Suddenly, a felled spider behind Quilkka twitched to life and in a flash, it fiercely bit into her arm. Taimi gasped and Quilkka wasted no time in stabbing its head before Scruffy shot the thing off her.

Quilkka held her punctured arm, venom oozing out of the wound. "Okay, I take that back - " she managed through gritted teeth. She stumbled, the venom working fast through her short body.

"Oh no no no no what do we do, what do WE DO?!" Taimi panicked.

"Stay in your golem, I'll handle this." Quilkka said, hobbling back through the hole to Scarlet's room. Taimi followed close in Scruffy.

"But the venom! You'll die!!"

"I'm not gonna die, relax." But her nonchalance couldn't hide a clear weakness.

Quilkka reached her pack against the wall and rummaged through it. She set out a leather tool roll filled with vials and a syringe. "This is why we have - " she plucked one vial out and fit it into the syringe, " - antivenoms." She stabbed her poisoned arm with it and relaxed, taking steady breaths.

"Oh, g-good!" Taimi breathed with a tight smile, still coming down from a nasty adrenaline rush. "And now, we're out!"

"We've got plenty to make more." Quilkka said, taking her coat off and digging through her pack again. "Thanks to Mr. Sneak-attack and his buddies." Quilkka pulled out the med kit she was looking for and started to clean her wounds.

"That was still way too close. I've read that canyon spider venom can kill prey in one minute flat!"

"Forty-three seconds. I've counted."

Taimi stared at her as Quilkka one-handedly pulled on a tight, temporary bandage. She saved her. Again. Taimi thought. And she was bitten because she was distracted, checking up on...

Taimi sat Scruffy down and stepped out of the golem.

"...Can I help?"

Quilkka glanced up and realized Taimi was looking at her earnestly, worried. Worried. She paused. Taimi's kernel of guilt was difficult to hide.

Quilkka held the bandages out. "Sure. I need you to wrap it for me."

Taimi gingerly took the bandages. "Wrap it? Uh, I-I don't really know much about treating wounds that need more than a med patch."

"Then start knowing." Quilkka chuckled. "You said you wanted to help, didn't you?"

"I was kinda thinking in terms of supplies, not...?" Taimi swallowed and shook off that hesitation. She recomposed herself with a deep breath. "Oookay. I can do this."

Quilkka couldn't help but smile at her little self-affirmations. When Taimi was ready, she sat down next to Quilkka for the explanation. "There needs to be constant pressure to stop the bleeding, so make sure you wrap it tight. Like this." She reached over and wrapped a small part of the bandage on Taimi's wrist. Nice and tight. Taimi nodded fervently, hyper-focused. Quilkka nodded back at her and removed the temporary wraps she'd put on to slow the loss of blood. She revealed the two deep, red puncture wounds. Involuntarily, Taimi made a sharp inhale at the sight close up.

"Looks worse than it is." Quilkka said with a wry smile. She took the trailing end of the bandage. "I'll hold this end. You do the rest."

Taimi took another quick second to gather herself and began wrapping, doing her very best to match Quilkka's fast, coordinated motions. But the veteran made it look easy. The bandage ended up a little loose and uneven.

"Oh, darn, hang on - " Taimi grumbled. She started to try undoing it, but Quilkka stopped her.

"Oh no, you finish it up. I could care less about perfect if I wasn't bleeding out here."

"R-Right - "

Quilkka's morbid sense of humor oddly had the ability to put Taimi both at ease and on edge. She diligently went on wrapping, tighter and tighter, using up more bandage, and finished. Quilkka took the other end of the bandage from her and pulled on it one more time for good measure, tied it off, then told Taimi where to cut.

Quilkka raised her newly wrapped arm, showing it off. "There!" She dropped her arm and her voice. "Bet you're second-guessing learning anything from me, huh?"