Tamba and Pleexem exchanged concerned glances at Skobeloff's plan, and for a moment it looked like the latter might even object. While Tamba knew the trickster well enough to trust his plan, Pleexem did not and he eyed Skobeloff with a mixture of doubt and worry. However, after another glance at his sister, Pleexem conceded with a nod.

Tamba turned back to the blue drake and nudged him with her wing. [color=77DD77]"Good luck,"[/color] she said. [color=77DD77]"We'll be waiting and listening out here should anything go wrong."[/color]

Upon exiting the room and making his way to the kitchen, Skobeloff would note that same eerie stillness he had witnessed on his way to the stronghold, which made the subtle creak of the floorboards seem all the more noticeable. Fortunately, these sounds did not seem to alert Fogdance, and Skobeloff didn't catch any sign of the older dragon on his way down the stairs. Once he reached the kitchen and began searching, he quickly found what he was looking for: a cupboard full of various herbs and medicines, which he could only assume belonged to Vipereyes. The Myndoth scientist had likely gathered these from the surrounding wilderness and collected them as part of her research. While Skobeloff's knowledge of plants did not compare to that of Vipereyes, it didn't take him long to find a bundle of leaves that he recognised as being a strong sedative. He didn't know the name of the plant exactly, but he knew its smell as he had caught a whiff of it when pretending to eat the meal Fogdance had prepared for him earlier. 

[hr]

A long silence met Stargaze's words. Then, in the water, a few paces in front of them, several bubbles started forming along the surface before the water itself started to rise up and formed itself into the top of Echo's face. Her eyes regarded the dragons warily before settling on Stargaze, and the drakes caught a look in the elemental's eyes, relief mixed with a grimace. Echo approached the group quietly, more and more of her body forming from the muck until her entire torso was visible.

"Stargaze," she says at last. "It's good to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances." She smiles, but it's a weak smile, a pained smile. From this distance, the drakes are able to see that her body is barely holding itself together, as if at any moment it will start melting back into the elements that form it. The leaves that make up her hair are drooping and withered, and the bio-luminescent lights that dot her skin are shining dimmer than Stargaze has ever seen before.