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The volcano's smoke seeped everywhere, depositing a veil of gray soot even inside the buildings. Mastermind coughed loudly, his lungs burning from constantly inhaling the acidic ash. The heavy thud of footsteps made the stone floor vibrate, and a massive silhouette cast a distorted shadow over the cages lined up at the back of the room. Morrowseer. The great black dragon entered with a heavy stride, his immense wings brushing against the delicate instruments scattered throughout the laboratory. Mastermind wiped the dust from his glasses with a flick of his wing and looked up, a sincere smile spreading across his snout. He was always delighted to have visitors; the solitude of research sometimes weighed heavily, even on a mind as brilliant as his.
"Morrowseer! Research is progressing well. My hypothesis was that stress accelerated production. Indeed, the correlation between emotional state and venom concentration seems to be confirmed. It is fascinating, is it not? Soon, the invasion of the forest will be nothing more than a simple logistical formality. The structure of their venom is-…"
"I don't care about theories," Battlewinner's advisor interrupted. "The Queen is losing patience. I want results. I want to know the probability of ending up disfigured like Slaughter because of a panic attack, given that these mindless creatures seem entirely incapable of controlling their emotions."
Morrowseer cast a distracted glance at the test subject, a lethargic RainWing chained at the back of the room, whose white-flecked scales were turning a dull blue-gray.
"I know, I know, I am doing what I can with what I have... You know how protocols are. By the way, how is Secretkeeper? I have not had the chance to run into her lately. I understand she's been spending more time near the coast. In fact, that reminds me…. I would like to work on the benefits of living near the shoreline once I have moved forward on my current projects... Is the sea breeze doing her any good?"
His tone changed suddenly, losing its scientific rigidity to become friendly, almost entirely mundane. The prophet stiffened, his dark eyes fixing Mastermind with a glacial intensity, clearly unsettled by this sudden intrusion.
"She is... as well as one can be on this heap of ash," he finally spat.
"Oh, I did not mean to be intrusive!" the scientist hurried to reply, raising a talon in a gesture of peace. "It is just that... the health of our companions is paramount to the tribe's future."
He stroked the rim of a small vial filled with venom with the tip of his claw, his gaze lost in the reflection of the glass.
"Can you imagine, Morrowseer? A son or a daughter... Someone to share the pleasure of a beautiful discovery with. This idea of... leaving something behind, you see? I want them to know that all of this, all this work, I did it for them. So that their world would be orderly, so they would not suffer from hunger and have lungs full of sulfur. It is a beautiful motivation, do you not think? A father's love. I did not manage to bond with Fierceteeth, and it is been even worse since we had an egg with Farsight."
The scientist took a step toward the large black dragon, lowering his voice slightly.
"I was thinking about it just the other day. That egg you took away… has it hatched? Do they like scrolls? Is it a female or a male? Farsight was convinced it would be a fe-... No, no, do not tell me, I would rather it be a surprise! Oh, and also, have you noticed if they have the same star-dappled cascade under their wings as I do? I have hypothesized that it is a dominant genetic trait..."
Morrowseer remained silent for a long moment, his snout slightly furrowed. To him, Starflight was a pathetic dragonet who possessed nothing of the natural NightWing qualities, aside from intelligence. He would have gladly done without him if Fatespeaker weren't so extraordinarily stupid and exasperating.
"… They are passable. And they read. A lot. Too much."
"...Good, good," Mastermind replied with a nervous smile, a bit disappointed by the brevity of the response, though newly excited by this potential love for reading. "I was simply telling myself that, if circumstances allow one day… I would very much like to show them my work. I have noticed a positive correlation between the intensity of volcanic activity and the infant mortality rate, so perhaps it is for the best that they grew up away from this island..."
Behind him, the RainWing let out a muffled groan. Mastermind didn't even turn around. He simply huffed, slightly annoyed by the noise interrupting his train of thought.
"I believe she is discolored because she is dehydrated... On your way out, could you ask Strongwings to bring a bucket of water for the subject? And tell him to avoid spilling it all over my scrolls this time. Oh, and give my best to Secretkeeper!"
He waved a talon at his comrade, who was already stomping away, lashing his tail in irritation, before plunging his snout back into his research. Monsters were irrational creatures, driven by primitive impulses. He was a dragon of science. He had measured, calculated, weighed the pros and cons, even if it meant sacrificing a few passive dragons. He was entirely devoted to the well-being of his clan, and he was capable of deeply loving his child and his mate. Therefore, he could not be a monster.
Right...?