Prompt:
A character in your world is forced to work together with someone they loathe. What was the result of this interaction and how did they get along?
Misasys and Sylvester in the Lair of the Greatwyrm
The job is simple enough, break into the lair of a greatwyrm, steal an ancient artefact said to have been passed down from Durgix of Chrome, get out without being melted into a puddle of goo by it's acid, and give the artefact to their employer. The problem, however, is that for some godsforsaken reason, the employer had specifically requested Sylvester Filiam and Miasys Urizana. How their employer even found Sylvester when Miasys - with her vast network of connections - couldn't, is a whole other infuriating problem. Sylvester, the damned sun elf, was smug as ever and oh so obviously flaunting her stolen ring. But, they had both been contracted, and while Sylvester was a traitorous bastard that deserved to rot in the Shadowfell or worse for all eternity. Bob had taught them well. Whatever personal feelings you may have, never bring it into a job. You do your job, you do it well, and deal with the rest later. Unfortunately Bob hadn't taught them anything about having to live in close quarters to said source of personal feelings for months while travelling to the job location.
The two months spent on that blasted ship with that infernally smug man were torture for Miasys. Only her years of discipline prevented her from attempting to murder Sylvester in his sleep. Finally, however, they made it to the shores of Calaeqia. Standing tall above the massive forest was an even more massive tree. This forest had to have been centuries old, with massive trees stretching so high with branches they could barely see the tops. But even amongst these verdant giants, the lair of the greatwyrm stood tall, an enormous tree whose trunk could easily fit their entire ship inside and then some. Under the cover of darkness, they disembarked. Readying their packs and tools, pulling up hoods and securing masks, they prepared to enter the woods. According to their employer, they'd have to be more cautious than they already were. Many reptilian folk lived in and around the forest, worshipping the greatwyrm and making offerings to it. As they made their way into the forest, slipping between the trunks and through the underbrush, their quiet steps dampened further by the thick layer of needles littering the floor, they began to feel the rush of a job. Their focus narrowing in until all that existed was each other and their goal ahead of them.
After many nights of camping in the trees during the day and creeping closer under the cover of darkness, they arrived at the base of the greatwyrm's tree. Here they camped out for a few days to observe how offerings were made. Sepha blessed them, for they remain undetected and the dragon did not truly leave its lair, only stretching out one giant claw to pull the offerings in from the gap in the tree's roots. When night fell once more and the low rumble of the greatwyrm's snores shook the ground, they made their approach. Silently dropping to the forest floor once more, they made their way to the gap in the roots. They only had the night to do this.
At first light the reptilian worshippers would come to make a modest morning offering and their tools could not be discovered. Working quickly they secured ropes around the roots and tied extra lengths together anticipating a drop of over 50 feet. A quick nod to one another and side-by-side they began to descend. Miasys almost felt glad to have Sylvester beside her. He was probably the only person in the world as skilled as she, and growing up together under Bob's care had been good. They had been friends once, they could have been even more. She brushed away the thought and put her focus back on the job, down and down they went, counting their blessings they had the good fortune to see in the dark. After what felt like hours but was probably only 45 minutes, they touched the ground of the lair. The rumbling snores were even louder here and they moved as quiet as they could. According to their information, from the tree's entrance, the treasure room of the lair should be deep within, due north and northeast. They made their way there, blood roaring in their ears. One false step would have their life. The seconds dragged into minutes dragged into hours as they made their way through the ginormous lair. Finally they could make out the shape of piles upon piles of gold, trinkets, and artefacts. There at the top was the artefact they had been contracted to retrieve.
A large green orb, said to contain the very essence of forest dragons. This would be the most challenging part, while both could move silently over steady ground, and even over loose ground, moving silently up and over piles of treasure was a challenge. Another silent exchange. Sylvester slid back into the shadows while Miasys began creeping her way to the artefact. She cringed with every loose jangle of treasure, but the overwhelming snores continued. Closer and closer, finally she could lay hands on the treasure. It was heavy and difficult to grasp with how smooth its surface was. But into her pack it went.
Sylvester motioned for her to pass him the orb and she begrudgingly turned it over, knowing he could move better with it than she could. As they made their silent escape, her senses screamed at her that something was wrong. She strained her senses to figure out what it was, then a bonechilling realization came over her. The snoring was gone. The dragon was awake. "Go!" she gasped in a harsh whisper, moving quicker now while still being quiet. But Sylvester wasn't near her she realized. When had he slipped away? How had she missed it? As she got back to their ropes and began shimmying up, Sylvester's smug, stupid face peeked over the edge. "Sorry Mees, but I'm not sharing that reward." Then a flash of shining metal, her rope was cut. She was falling, flailing helplessly in the air before she hit the ground with a painful thud. She gasped as all the wind rushed out of her and as her air came back with it came rage. The dragon let out a deafening roar, certainly aware of them now, and she began sprinting through the lair headed towards the hidden exit all dragon lairs had. Heavy footsteps sounded behind her, slow at first, but getting faster as the greatwyrm shook off the pull of dreams. She desperately scrambled up and out, grateful that twilight had not yet dawned, but by the time she made it to the shore, their boat was gone and she was stranded.
She'd spend the next year hiding from the greatwyrm and trying to make her way back home, and when she finally succeeded, Sylvester was long gone, and so was her reward.
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