They had spent several days chasing a Flowerbirth storm around the northern fingers of the Draig on the first leg of their world tour. It had curved back over Hak Etme, and in the wake of the rain the arid region had blossomed, giving those in the skyboat a rare glimpse of the desert's hidden beauty as they passed overhead.
Tal had shared his quest from Ludo and his need to spend the night on the Sea of Dreams. It was just their luck that the on the evening of the fifth day as they came over the Sea it was filled with water, reflecting the fiery sunset sky like a perfect mirror. Tal kept the skyboat aloft so that as the light faded and the stars came out they could watch the points of light beneath and above them, as though they were sailing through the sky, untethered by gravity or any solid ground below.
It was beautiful but also more than a little dizzying, and he had eventually brought the Peregrine down cautiously, testing the distance with her anchor to ensure they didn't scrape the ground.
As luck would have it a spread of dark flowers were poking through the shallow water providing a point of reference and Tal aimed for them, bringing the boat down to hover just above the dark-petaled blooms so that they nearly brushed the keel.
"This should be good enough," he called quietly to Alys across the utter stillness of the night, tugging his Goggles off to hang around his neck. "Looks like we'll be eatin' rations tonight. Not much t'forage out here."
Below them, the scent of the otherworldly lotuses began to rise...
Void Lotus (infected variant - Hak Etme): Once a symbol of purity and enlightenment, the Void Lotus has been tainted by the void. Its petals, once pristine white, now shimmer with ominous shades of deep purple and black. The serene fragrance has transformed into a haunting scent that induces a sense of unease. Those who linger too close risk being drawn into a nightmarish dreamscape.
Tal had shared his quest from Ludo and his need to spend the night on the Sea of Dreams. It was just their luck that the on the evening of the fifth day as they came over the Sea it was filled with water, reflecting the fiery sunset sky like a perfect mirror. Tal kept the skyboat aloft so that as the light faded and the stars came out they could watch the points of light beneath and above them, as though they were sailing through the sky, untethered by gravity or any solid ground below.
It was beautiful but also more than a little dizzying, and he had eventually brought the Peregrine down cautiously, testing the distance with her anchor to ensure they didn't scrape the ground.
As luck would have it a spread of dark flowers were poking through the shallow water providing a point of reference and Tal aimed for them, bringing the boat down to hover just above the dark-petaled blooms so that they nearly brushed the keel.
"This should be good enough," he called quietly to Alys across the utter stillness of the night, tugging his Goggles off to hang around his neck. "Looks like we'll be eatin' rations tonight. Not much t'forage out here."
Below them, the scent of the otherworldly lotuses began to rise...
Void Lotus (infected variant - Hak Etme): Once a symbol of purity and enlightenment, the Void Lotus has been tainted by the void. Its petals, once pristine white, now shimmer with ominous shades of deep purple and black. The serene fragrance has transformed into a haunting scent that induces a sense of unease. Those who linger too close risk being drawn into a nightmarish dreamscape.
