I heard Meatlug and Fishlegs were grounded in the Wilderness on their way to the old Gronckle. After giving Grump a thorough scrub on his back, something came to mind. For months now, I've seen many dragons and their riders struggle with saddle sores.
It'll happen after months of bouncing around on a saddle and I'd bet my good arm that Meatlug has them too. A sensitive saddle pad usually deals with the problem but I'm fresh out. Find Heather at Dragon's Edge and save my peg leg some wear and tear, will you?
A saddle pad's a great idea! Flexible and soft pads will stop the sores from getting worse, and make flying a lot more comfortable for Meatlug. I'm preparing for some experiments with a new material that could be perfect for this.
I've been trying my hand at making some natural rubber that comes from a few colorful and strange ingredients. When we apply heat to the ingredients, the substances change and gain useful traits. We'll be making an elastomer, which is a material that can stretch itself out and return to its original shape.
We're interested in the sap that we draw fresh from the rubber tree. It's sticky when liquid, but it breaks easily when solid and dry. The trees grow in warmer climes far away from our shores so it's quite hard to get enough to work with. Only Phlegma knows the Vikings that travel to these exotic places so she'd be our best chance at finding some.
Right now, she's here in Dragon's Edge trying to restock some of her local supplies. Can you see if she has some more sap for me?
Greetings, young Viking! My supplier is a tropical tradesman who tells me that getting rubber sap straight from the tree is very smelly work. Count Thor's blessing that you can take this solid lump and keep your nose safe.
Rubber sap alone won't be enough for the job. Heather is going to need a special kind of flower juice to make the saddle-pad soft enough for sores.
I've tracked down morning glory vines that will do just that. The vine has a thin stem that has trouble supporting itself, so it winds itself around trees for support. It 'climbs' the tree so that its leaves can get sunlight, so we call these types of plants climbers. Could you reach up there and gather three of the pink flowered vines by the wooden bridge?
Superd! These vines can be quite difficult to reach.
We'll need to work quickly so we can get Fishlegs and Meatlug back in the air as soon as we can. Bring Heather the morning glory vines and show her the rubber sap. Good luck! I hope nothing explodes.
Great timing, [your Viking's name]! Our cauldron is nice and hot thanks to Windshear so we're ready to burn rubber. Vine juice contains a chemical called sulfur, which is key to giving us the qualities we'll need. The amount of sulfur in the mixture will determine if the product is elastic or bouncy. We could make a stretchy strap or a bouncy ball if we needed to, just by adding more or less sulfur.
Meatlug will need the saddle pad to be soft for her sores, and Fishlegs could use some elastic for a nice cushion. I think this'll work just fine.
Now that the heat has melted our little mixture, some steady stirring will get the chemical magic going. The rubber looks like it's shaping up well. It has the right consistency to mold the saddle pad into shape before it cools down. I can't wait to see what Meatlug will think of it.
I'm sure Fishlegs will be relieved that this thick cushion will get them back up in the air. Please, get this to Fishlegs in Wilderness as fast as you can.
I can't thank you enough for bringing the saddle pad over so quickly. My darling Meatlug, I'm so sorry I missed your saddle sores! You're such a brave dragon to get this far and you impress me every day with what you'll do for friendship. To the cave, Meatlug!
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Oh no! It looks like the old Gronckle is stuck underneath these rocks and can't break free. The poor boulder class dragon must be injured for him to be trapped under rocks. [Your Viking's name], I could use your help over here, right away!
Meatlug, you've got this. If you can keep your old friend calm and reassured, I'm sure [your Viking's name] will get him out in no time.
One good shot should do the trick! Make sure it's a precise hit on the boulder or the Gronckle might panic. Could you have [your dragon's name] shoot the boulder away?
Excellent shot! The Gronckle looks a little shaken but he doesn't seem badly hurt. I'll stick around with Meatlug for a little while and make sure there's been no permanent damage. Thank you so much for helping out!
