Elisdrasil accepted the stew with a gracious smile and a nod of thanks. Humans favored a thicker, greasier stew than he usually preferred and this bowl wasn’t any different. Even so, Elisdrasil wasn’t about to turn down the offering when his stomach was nearly cramped with hunger. Besides, it would be rude to turn it down after he’d asked for it.

The stew was hot, and just as greasy as Elisdrasil expected of it, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. The inn used an interesting combination of spices to bring the gamey meat to a semblance of life. Elisdrasil tore into the first three spoonful, barely tasting that initial hint, but settled down once there was a solid dollop of sustenance in his belly. A flush of life spread across his cheeks, banishing the last chill dampness that the fasting and the damp air had given him.

He listened to the others speak their plans as he munched, casually reaching for Cain’s offered bread and cheese, though politely declining the meat. He made the appropriate murmurs of interest as the others shared their experiences with the subject at hand.

“I haven’t had much experience with dragons,” he said when it was his turn. “But I’m well versed in the magical nature of crystals. Part of my specialty is channeling the energy found in crystals which should prove useful given the unstable nature of the Dragon Amber.”

That was all good and well, and the chorus of approving nods told Elisdrasil that the others had taken him at his word. They were all in unfamiliar territory here, one way or another. But there was another reason why Elisdrasil had been hired to assist Remedy’s work. As fickle as the Dragon Amber stones were, and given the untested nature of Remedy’s containment devices, a successful operation might need a guiding hand to ensure that the paths of fate were threaded cleanly.

Elisdrasil sat back and listened as the conversation went on, but his thoughts soon drifted back to the crystalline web and how best to direct his companions along it’s more favorable branches.