Our war, their burden.

[Katzyn]

"Just for tonight, Drago," she responded, laying a hand upon Drago's side again. "Just so we can fill our bellies and sleep soundly tonight, and then we can continue on tomorrow morning. I'm mostly concerned about Astras," she said softly, looking over at where a young woman was showing the little hatchling where her family grew their own puny vegetables. "I think he needs to eat more, a lot more, than he has been. I don't want his growth to be stunted..."

[Quackerz]

"Alright, then. We shall leave tomorrow" Drago responded and turned his attention to Enya for a moment, then looked around. He considered hunting to the south of the village, there would likely be something there for him. Whether it be bear, moose, buffalo or deer, he didn't really care. Though he also knew Enya would most likely like to continue their talk which had been interrupted prior.

[Eldricht-Aviary]

And with General Talikia's encounter was where her scout Nilos and his Rotter Twins met them. She recalled that clearly, and the burst of hope upon receiving the news of their confirmed alliance. She nodded, as if processing the information. " I see . . . Doesn't sound like I missed too much, thankfully! Though I wish I might've been present to get a clawful of those turncoats." Though her reply was calm, the last part of such was left as a bitterly envious mutter. Even if it wasn't her claws that killed Jolenar and Castello, Almas could only imagine how much enjoyment there had to be in the brutal beating of turncoat dragons. That Lumina hadn't felt that in years.

 

With his call to arms, she swept up with a graceful flap of the wings to tail him, also coming up on where Caecilius and Grenack now waited. Now that the grunts were finishing off the human civilians, Kievo's revival was imminent! Yet - that still left her with doubts. No, not doubts on Kievo, of course, but - - if the humans still inhabited, still guarded this fortress after all this time, and Kievo truly was here . . . " Then I suppose, all that preparation considered, you have a plan for whatever's waiting for us in the mountain?" she asked, sparing the ominous tunnels a glance before catching back up. He could've sworn her voice almost grew warmer, but it might've been the Kievoan loyalty talking. Having Generals die as soon as she came didn't sound promising at all, and even if the others cared none, and the grunts never earned it, she did concern herself over them. " If the humans were still here guarding it, and Kievo's truly here, then they'd have backup defenses planned, wouldn't they? there's no doubt about that. Traps, constructs, elementals, whatever could be conjured or set . . . "

 

" I'd hate to take you and the others back to the Deathtrap missing limbs, peeling scales, or worse. That'd just make a mess."

 

Alright, yeah, that sounded more like her colder self. Back to business.

[Melomancer]

"Finally!" Eidolus grinned and followed Bielgrath up. "I've been waiting for this moment. Though definitely not as long as you.." She addressed him.

 

Nar stopped at a small pond to bathe. He had been traveling for a long time. He had left everything far behind. Now, all he wanted was to find somewhere quiet to live. He sighed and looked at his pathetic wooden branch. His club had been snatched by an angry brute dragon. He couldn't get it back. His most prized possession was now gone. Sighing again, he crawled out of the pond and dried himself off. He looked around, and saw a village. "Perhaps I should go there.." he dug around in his knapsack for a piece of cloth. He found a large white banner. Tying it to his stick, he walked towards the gate of the town with his makeshift white flag raised high. Getting closer, he caught sight of a large black dragon inside, with a large number of people crowding around. He stood there, waiting for the guards to notice him.

[Katzyn]

Sonata was looking around, enjoying being in a safe, quite town with her hatchling, when she noticed some of the guard around the town square gathering together. "Yeah, I saw some guy out towards the gate, waving some white cloth, like a 'peace' sign...what should we do?" one asked another. "I guess we let him in...seems like today's a day for visitors. We can't afford to feed too many guests though," another replied, and yet a third cautioned, "Just be careful. We can't just go trusting everyone who walks, or flies, into town..." The first man started walking towards the gate where he'd seen the stranger.

 

Sonata decided to follow, leaving Astras with the kind young lady who'd been feeding him her best leafy greens. The woman had seemed to take a liking to Astras, and he to her, so Sonata thought it was best for both of them to get used to being around another race.

 

"Hallo there, fella," the guard called out to the stranger at the gate, as Sonata trotted near. "We don't usually take in strangers, but we...er...well, today's your lucky day, in any rate. What can we help you with?"

 

((When Nar gets closer so they can see him properly, I'll have Sonata freak out a bit ;D

 

...Um, but...I'm gonna head off to bed now, and try to sleep this pain away since Tylenol isn't doing much. G'night!))

Edited March 22, 2014 by Katzyn

[Melomancer]

"You're the first village who hasn't attacked me on sight." Nar remarked. He put down the flag." I was just looking for a safe place to spend the night. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." He looked towards the direction of the dragon. "Do you have an Inn I could rest in?" He walked closer to them.

(Good night! Hope you feel better in the morning.)

[Quackerz]

As Bielgrath prepared to respond to Lady Almas, Caecilius scoffed loudly as what she had said, "The only human that knew was a mage, who was incinerated by General Drago after the seal was placed. This was an oath taken by the traitor generals, that only they would know. You should know the humans cannot keep their big mouths shut once they know about something. Else the entire world would know if they knew." Caecilius snapped, he did not care that she was a valuable ally, as in his mind there was no time for talk or politics.

 

Krevkant was the first to begin looking for a tunnel, to which he promptly found six of. "Caecilius. There are six tunnels. Which one is it?" Krevkant yelled out, causing Caecilius to turn his attention away from Lady Almas. Opening his wings he took of to where Krevkant was, followed by General Grenack. "That one. That one right there." Caecilius stated as he pointed to a tunnel, then flew at it. Krevkant followed close behind along with Generals Grenack and Bielgrath, the tunnel was self-illuminated inside, in a purple fashion. Magic seemed to radiate out from the rock walls of the cavern, with many sharp turns as they went deeper into the mountain, anyone who stopped would not be able to regain flight.

 

 

-------------

 

Drago turned his attention to the gate as their had been talk about it, taking note of the visitor that was now at the gates, "A lone orc? Hmm. How strange." he said to himself.

 

((Good night Katzyn, hope you feel better tomorrow!))

Edited March 22, 2014 by Sean175

[Melomancer]

Eidolus turned the corner, her wing almost scraping the wall. "Caecillius, what is this purple stuff?" She kept following them, making sure not to touch the walls.

[Quackerz]

"It is ancient dragonic magic, enchanted wolves blood that will illuminate so long as it remains dry and not washed away. It was a magic forbidden by the Dragon Elders long before even the Great Drought, as it was unnatural. Brought back into our world by the order of Kievo, as a way of bringing eternal light to certain areas rather than the continual need to light torches." Caecilius responded to Eidolus' question, taking another sharp corner he stopped and landed down. Directly in front of them was a large brown stone wall, with many green markings across it glowing brilliantly.

 

Krevkant was next to land, then Grenack and Bielgrath. "Is this it, Caecilius?" Bielgrath asked, "This is the tomb of our Lord Kievo?" Grenack asked, the two eager for an answer. Caecilius examined it momentarily before answering, "Yes... This is it." Caecilius responded, looking at it closely, there was a human skeleton leaned against the right corner of the door, completely charred and black it looked as though it would crumble as soon as it was touched.

 

"Then let's crack it open!" Krevkant yelled, lifting up his tail ready to try and bash the stone door in with sheer force.

Edited March 22, 2014 by Sean175

[Melomancer]

"Wait!" Eidolus yelled. She stepped forward. "Do you think they would make it that easy? You'll probably be killed the moment you whack the door. The safest option would be to let Caecillius detect magic. They brought him all the way here, they wouldn't leave him unguarded at the most important part." She examined the door closely.

[Quackerz]

"A wise conclusion, Eidolus." Caecilius responded, closely examining the door he closed his eye as he attempted to dispel any magical barriers that were on the door. In the process, a few sparks flew off from the green markings as Caecilius' attempts were repelled. "Hmmmmmm? Impressive for human magic!" Caecilius suddenly remarked as he opened his eye again, "It doesn't seem as though I can dispel it... But I can weaken it to a point Krevkant could knock in the door, thus forcing it to dispel." Caecilius finished, looking up and down the door closely he was truly amazed that a single human could of casted such a strong protection spell.

[Melomancer]

"Alright, but be careful. Something tells me this," She prodded the skeleton with the tip of her tail and it crumbled into black dust."Was the last result of trying to make it inside." She took a step back. "What does this spell do?"

Edited March 22, 2014 by Melomancer

[Katzyn]

As the Orc, as Sonata now realized the "person" was, talked to the guard, she took a step back in fear. An Orc?! Here?! she thought, stepping behind the corner of a small, nearby house, to watch the creature suspiciously.

 

Astras was instantly at her feet, not bothering to hide at all. "What a coincidence!" he exclaimed softly to his human friend. "We were just talking about uniting the races, and here one comes!"

 

"Shh," she shushed him, her mind taking in his words, but her heart wanting to run and flee...which her mind knew would be a very bad way to start the unification of the races in this area to fight off Kievo's followers. "Give me time to think, Astras..." she pleaded softly, not sure what to do.

 

~~~~~

 

The guard looked back at the newcomer, Drago, once, then looked back at the Orc standing in front of him, asking for shelter for the night. "We do, indeed, have an Inn you could spend the night at. However, the price is usually quite steep for travelers, and I can't say that we've ever had someone stay there who isn't...human." The guard's eyes met the Orc's. "Why don't you let me see what kind of a deal we could make for you, hm?" The man started to turn away, then stopped. This was his village's first contact with a possibly-friendly "envoy" from another race, and his Wisewoman's words came back to him, "We cannot just tromp up to the nearest Orc village, or Elven dwelling, or even Dragon cave, and ask them to be friends with us." They must seize this opportunity now, and make a good impression, while they could.

 

The guard turned back to the Orc, a grin on his face, deciding that fate must have sent this Orc to him, specifically so he could have a big part in making peace with at least one of the other races, at least for now. He thought of the acclamation and rewards he might get for his service if he did well... "Say, fella. What's your name?"

[Eldricht-Aviary]

Of course she figured he wouldn't know everything, but it didn't hurt to ask if they were prepared. She'd almost forgotten how bitter Caecilius was. Nice to see that hadn't faded with age like his old sense of humor did. Regardless, she bit her tongue to keep from snapping at him, deeming it the more mature thing to do so close to Kievo's revival, and only followed the others along to the proper tunnel.

 

She made sure not to graze the walls or ceiling while flying along behind them, mentally cursing her larger size, and wishing she'd remained the runt of the family as she kept back the urge to vomit from before due to the smallness of the tunnel overall. Adding that to the headache Caecilius didn't help with his snapping and she prayed to the Court in their graves that she actually wouldn't kill someone before throwing up her - - well, she hadn't eaten that day, actually. That might explain part of her problems. But then if she threw up it'd be more stomach acids than food. And that would hurt.

 

Looking over the door to the tomb, she only gave a disapproving click of the talons. They could've at least given Kievo a more regal tomb, but that thought was outlandish. He was their prisoner of war, not a guest. Besides, the less assuming it looked, the easier it was to set up traps, and if this was all they found leading up to the door, there had to have been something else set up inside. Something more than just a magical door spell keeping it protected.

 

She instinctively backed away just the slightest from the investigating individuals, keeping her eyes on the exit. It'd be best to make sure nothing blocks the exit so they had a swift getaway should the traps prove more than overpowering.

[Melomancer]

"Nar Helionisk. Former leader of the Helionisk tribe." With a smile on his face, he continued:"Again, I appreciate you not killing me on sight." He took a few coins from his pocket." Dammit. I don't have money. Perhaps we could barter something?"

(Is your head feeling better?)

[Katzyn]

((@_@. A little? But every noise seems so loud, so I'm sure my head will start pounding again soon, lol. Noisy birds and cats are not really the best pets for a beaten up head! Thanks for asking though <3))

 

The guard nodded in acceptance. "Come, we'll talk to the Head Wisewoman, and see if we can work something out." He beckoned with his hand, and began walking in the direction of where the older woman in her well-worn smock stood, talking to other higher-ups of the village.

 

As the guard and his guest approached them, the woman smiled warmly at Nar, and nodded once in welcome. "Welcome to our town of Dusty Trails, Orc. Today seems to be the day for unusual travelers," she commented, her eyes drifting over to where the large black dragon, Drago, stood, watching the proceedings from listening distance. "That dragon arrived today, as well, bearing two also unusual passengers - a small white hatchling dragon and a young human woman." She fell silent for a moment, and turned her gaze back to Nar, clearly expecting the guard to introduce the newcomer.

 

"This is Nar Hel...Helionisk," the guard stammered a little, unfamiliar with the tribal name. "He is looking for a safe place to stay for the night. He has little money, but I figured that, given the circumstances, we could make some other deal." There was slight emphasis on the word "circumstances".

 

The woman nodded. "I see; well met, Nar. My name is Wisewoman Elana, and while I am not the Leader of this town, I am in charge of making sure everyone has what they need, and that includes the rare travelers we get here." She paused, obviously thinking, then asked, "Where is your tribe, Nar?"

 

~~~~~

 

Sonata watched as the kindly older Wisewoman met with the Orc. The woman didn't seem alarmed at all, and in fact seemed rather pleased to be meeting with Sonata's most feared enemy. "They're certainly taking our words to heart about trying to unite with other races, aren't they..." she murmured to herself, sounding doubtful, but Astras nodded in response.

 

"Yes, and so should you." He looked up at her, concern in his bright blue eyes. "We can't unite all races against Kievo's followers if one of us can't get past the fear from the past."

 

"It wasn't that long ago that you and I were attacked, Astras!" Sonata replied angrily, tears forming in her eyes at the memory from just before they'd reached the last town. "I know you weren't hatched yet, but surely you could feel how much they enjoyed scaring me, and how they wanted to hurt me! Orcs are the worst of all the races we'll have to work with!"

 

Astras turned to watch the Orc in the town square, talking with the Wisewoman. "They can't all be that way, Sonata..."

[Melomancer]

"Thank you. And as for my tribe.. They split apart. We were on an expedition, and disaster struck. Some of them rebelled, most of them were killed. A few dragons were to blame, but I've since forgiven them." He sighed. He used to hold grudges relentlessly, but the long period of solitude had let him think about things, and he decided to let everything go. "What Circumstances are you talking about?"

 

Drakaht nodded."Alright. Another town then. Maybe the one Cloud mentioned is safer on foot. The sooner we get you professional help, the better."

[Katzyn]

As Nar told them about his -former- tribe, the townspeople around him glanced at one another. "Well, you see, Nar..." the Wisewoman began, "That dragon who arrived today with the human and hatchling, also brought us words of warning and advice. Here, I'll introduce you to them." She beckoned to Sonata and Astras, who had come out of the shadows a moment before, and Sonata grudgingly obliged. "Nar, this is Sonata and her little friend, Astras."

 

"Nice to meet you!" Astras said cheerfully, sitting down against Sonata's leg and looking up at Nar.

 

Sonata tried to smile politely, but failed rather miserably, then jumped slightly when Astras knocked his tail into her thigh. "Hello there," she said quietly, her eyes anywhere but on Nar's face.

 

Wisewoman Elana blinked, then smiled. "Sonata, why don't you tell Nar what you told us?"

 

Visibly, Sonata took in a deep breath, and began, "We came to this town to warn the people that Kievo's followers, his Generals, are trying to resurrect him, and that the races cannot defeat his followers unless they band together and each use their advantages to overcome those who wish to destroy us all." Having finished her small speech hurriedly, she looked up at Nar, anger in her eyes, though she wasn't sure if the emotion was directed at Nar or at the evil dragons. "They destroyed another town recently, looking for information. They'll stop at nothing until they get what they want." Her hands were clenched at her sides.

 

The Wisewoman nodded. "And that is precisely why we chose to believe you, young Sonata. Some of our Merchants had reported hearing of such tales from friends and family. You're not the only one around here with friends in 'high places'," the woman responded when Sonata turned astonished eyes upon her after hearing that news of the destruction had reached them so quickly. "You and your friends simply confirmed what we had heard, and you pushed the rest of the town into accepting that we must band together if we are to survive." The Wisewoman now turned to Nar. "We were hoping that you would be able to help us by introducing us to your tribe, and maybe we could work out some sort of peace treaty...but I see that this may not be possible..."

[Quackerz]

Caecilius exhaled deeply as he backed off a bit so that Krevkant could make full use of his own destructiveness, closing his eye again he seemed to concentrate heavily. Electricity began to rapidly dance off the stone door and fly in all directions as the green markings started trying to fade away, but also faded back in a bit. As the result of Caecilius' mental powers were hard at work, it began to have a slight effect on his nearby allies... Bielgrath and Grenack both suddenly felt tired, as though they would rather lay down and sleep then continue onwards, as did Krevkant.

 

But rather than give in to the feeling, Bielgrath and Grenack proceeded to shrug it off. "Sleepy..? I'm not sleepy...! I'M ANGRY...!" Krevkant suddenly yelled out and slammed his tail into the door, with a loud thud the door cracked slightly and the walls shook slightly, a few tiny rocks falling from the ceiling and walls. A surge of electricity went through his tail in the process, roaring angrily he reared up withdrawing his tail and immediately moved forward slamming the full force of his body into the door. The stone door broke all at once collapsing into itself as the green markings instantly disappeared, as Krevkant went forward part of the stone chunks landed on him and injured him, but as he leaned to the side they slid off of him...

 

Now, directly in front of them was a large dragonic skeleton. It's arms held in the air by large metal bracelets around the wrists, it's feet held off the ground also by large metal bracelets around it's ankles, it's long slender tail also had many metal bracelets on it keeping it held up in the air and immobile.

 

Normally, it's head would of been lowered from having died long ago but because of yet another bracelet around it's neck just below it's head, it was also head up high in the air. The skeleton was obviously thousands of years old and the skeleton of a black dragon, fairly larger than normal... The bracelets all head long metal chains attached to them and were bolted into the walls and floor. The bones of the skeleton, mostly the rib cage showed many signs of having been damaged then healed over in the past, a large crack was along the right side of the skull just above the eye...

 

 

----------

 

Drago watched the humans and Orc for a few moments, before deciding to go off for a hunt... He had not eaten for several days and his stomach was beginning to bother him and if the Orc should for any reason turn hostile, he imagined Enya would be able to simply silence it. He opened his wings a bit as he prepared to take flight again.

[MetalDragon]

After completely sealing off the Eastern gate, Salazr had received an order from Bielgrath to stop messing around with the humans and to accompany him to Lord Kievo's tomb, the current resting place of the King of the Dragons. After heading through the tunnels and witnessing Caecillius removing the seal from Kievo's tomb and Krevkant breaking into it, he was now looking at the skeleton of none other than Kievo himself. Salazr, upon seeing the skeleton, lowered his head in a respectful bow, even though the dragon was dead, before looking at Bielgrath. "We've finally found him." he said, with a wide grin. "Do we have what we need to bring him back to life?" the copper dragon asked, now anxious for his lord's return.

 

 

=========================

 

 

Enya noticed Drago preparing to take take off and raised an eyebrow. While the arrival of an orc at the human town had caught her attention, she wondered what the black dragon was up to. "Are you heading out? What are you going to do?" she asked. "Well, regardless of what it might be, keep your eyes open if you go out there - I might have lost the trackers, but they're likely still lurking around hunting for me. There were nine of them, but they split up on their search, which means at might run into one or two of them."

[Eldricht-Aviary]

A nap nearly sounded good to Almas, truth be told. A long fight, lack of breakfast, nauseating side-effects from the one necromantic spell, and the lack of rest purely from the flight from the Deathtrap all the way to the mountain definitely made it sound more enticing. However, as soon as the door was thrown asunder, she snapped out of her haze, nearly jumping out of her scales doing so. Once she realized it had only been from Caecilius' powers working too hard, she only grimaced.

 

That grimace fell as soon as she saw the dust and rubble settling before the skeleton. Maybe she would've been warier about the door, or maybe she would've barked off Krevkant for making such a reckless endeavor, and getting himself hurt, but - - honestly? Not a lot of thoughts came to mind. In fact, looking upon it, her head had emptied somewhat with the image. Struck in awe, struck in shame perhaps, she quietly moved to land, padding forward between the generals forward to get a closer look.

 

Though she remembered how strong Kievo was, both growing up and fighting through warfare, she supposed she was wrong before. Maybe they didn't need a spell to keep him held down, with all those chains. She had to admit to herself, though, she was hoping for more than a skeleton. But it was to be expected.

 

Her jaw fell only the slightest bit open, slack before the massive bones, before closing back up in just the momentary beginning of a smile. That smile fell when she looked back to the chains. No, those weren't going to stay. Stepping forward to the joints on the wall where the chains fastened, she inspected their bases. The chains definitely looked dwarf-inspired, that was obvious, possibly with a hint of orc handiwork, maybe more. There was a brief wonder on whether they could be carefully picked off or had to be forcefully torn free, but . . . otherwise, they looked like any other chains.

[Quackerz]

As Bielgrath and Grenack attempted to step forward, Caecilius moved his tail in front of them as though he was encouraging them to get back, which they promptly did. With a snarl Krevkant also proceeded to back away to make space for Caecilius, since the tomb did not have room for much other than Bielgrath's skeleton. As Caecilius went closer he examined the chains quickly "Hmm... The chains are also imbued with magic it seems... magic to prevent the chains from moving once firmly locked in place, to completely immobilize whoever it holds..." Caecilius said, picking up a small pebble and tossing it at one of the chains.

 

As the pebble hit the chain it suddenly blew apart into a bunch even tinier fragments as it came in contact with the defensive magic of the chains. "Still potent after all these years... Not that it matters." Caecilius said as he lowered his head slightly, the room faded a bit as the chains began to turn yellow with energy rapidly flowing through them.

 

 

-------

 

"I'm off to hunt. I haven't eaten in days." Drago responded to Enya and listened to her as she continued to speak, "So if they attack me, I'll turn them to ash." He once again responded, beating his wings and taking off for the south, staying low to the ground as he flew.

Edited March 23, 2014 by Sean175

[Melomancer]

"That sounds like a good enough deal. I may no longer be the leader, but I still have influence. I can seek them out. Chances are, most of them returned to our village. I am more than willing to help out. But I need supplies for the journey. My weapon was stolen by an angry dragon, and I'm out of food suitable for long travel." He looked down at the little dragon." Hello."

 

Eidolus watched the pebble break apart with awe." That's some strong magic. Be careful." She looked in amazement at the skeleton." I remember you saying we only needed a small part to revive him. Instead of bothering with the chains, why don't we just break apart the bones that are chained? It'll free the rest of the corpse, and we can just lightly pull out the broken bones. Or we could incinerate it, and then use the spell on the ashes." She walked around the room, trying to think of ideas." I know you may not want to do that, showing respect for the corpse and all, but I'm sure he won't mind as long as he's alive at the end. Or does the spell stop us from even touching the bones?"

[MetalDragon]

"Just don't get yourself killed yet." Enya watched the black dragon take off into another direction, on the hunt. And speak of hunting, she was beginning to feel hungry, too. All she had with her were two water bottles, her entire stock of food was left behind at her home in the desert. "I knew I should have brought something to eat with me... the mage thought, dismayed. It didn't matter, she'd just look for food to buy at the town... Oh, right. She had spent all her money with that water in that other town. Enya growled and clenched her hands in clear frustration. When money was an issue, stealing or looting often solved the problem, but doing that right now wasn't a good idea. The sorceress walked over to where Sonata was and stood right by her side, noting the orc that was also by there. "An orc being welcome in a human settlement? Strange."

 

At a glance, it appeared as if they were negotiating, her guess was that the humans were proposing an alliance with the orc. But she wasn't sure of anything, she didn't pay attention to them while talking to Drago. "Mind if I ask what's going on here? I'm afraid I didn't hear you." Enya asked, her eyes briefly shifting towards Sonata. The girl looked rather nervous, as if something was bothering her. Enya wondered what it could be, but now wasn't the time to ask.

[Katzyn]

Sonata sighed in relief when Enya joined them. Her head bent toward Enya's in an effort to stay quiet as Nar and Elana talked. "We told the town about Kievo's possible resurrection, and this...Orc," Sonata said softly, barely keeping the malice out of her voice, "just happened to come upon the town. So the Wisewoman is trying to some sort of deal with him to ally with other Orcs..."

 

A few arms' length away, the Wisewoman was discussing Nar's offer with him. "Influence, you say? Well, maybe this crazy idea could work after all, then. However, if you go back to negotiate a truce, it would be best if we could send a small party of our own people with you, don't you agree?"

 

Before Nar could reply, Sonata spat out recklessly, "How do you even know you can trust them not to murder your people as soon as they enter the Orc village?!"

 

Beneath her, Astras crouched on the ground, his wings and tail tucked in tightly, in fear of what the Orc's reaction would be.