Dragon Cave: Tales of Galsreim

[brisingrrider1]

((Sorry about that, I did assume a few things there. I tried to leave it open for you but I didn't do that early enough it seems.))

 

Gaolin's sword swung through empty air, his untrained blow striking steel, but no flesh. He looked down at the assassin who had tried blocking his blow- he seemed too young for his line of work. Much too young.

 

With Edwain now aware of his presence, Gaolin no longer had the element of surprise, so he retreated. He took a few steps backwards but tripped over a fallen bench, landing hard on the ground. He scrambled to his feet, looking around for his dino friend. The sword was uncomfortable in Gaolin's grip as he searched for Setin- but soon found him stepping forwards toward him.

 

"Setin!" Gaolin exclaimed, "Are you okay?"

 

Gaolin saw out of the corner of his eye wine flying towards the assassins, a clearly improvised attack. It certainly wouldn't do much damage. He turned away from Setin to watch the mage he had just tried to attack, making sure he was in the clear. A quick glance upwards confirmed that the king was okay, and returning his gaze down it was apparent that the mage did not seem to want to attack Gaolin himself, but that he had sent a different assassin to come towards him instead. However, the attack of wine had hit the blue assassin directly in the eyes, so Gaolin had a moment before he would need to prepare to fight.

 

He turned back to Setin, "Can you fight at all? I recommend you leave if you cannot."

[Riath]

Setin took a few more steps nervously, standing by Gaolin. He didn't have much experience in combat. The most violent thing he had to do recently was tackle a Vine dragon. He had no experience in fighting with or against magic. However, the dino still seemed willing to help out Gaolin. The guys in blue were trying to kill the king. That much he understood. If his new pal was willing to help out, he would do his best to aid him.

 

"Yeah, I can. What's the plan?"

 

Setin, though not very confident, did his best to put on a brave front and follow whatever Gaolin planned to do to the best of his ability.

 

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

 

The young assassin, seeing that his opponent was distracted, attempted to scramble backwards. Away from the ridiculously strong man and his dino companion.

 

'Edwain' lifted his hands once more, creating three purple fireballs. He didn't seem to be up for a performance this time though. They hovered in the air as the mage looked between Gaolin and Enrich, deciding who was the bigger threat. His companion had managed to somewhat recover from the wine spray, and was back into a fighting stance. He started moving towards the king and his knight.

 

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

 

Frederick stayed in a defensive stance as the man approached him. Behind him, the king was staring intently at the mage. Frederick prepared to run the cloaked assassin through the chest as he approached.

[skwerl56767]

Those blue-cloaked guys were definitely not performers; they were bad news. Even after dismissing the first two cloaked beings Havoid saw as acting violently due to drunkenness, those confronting the king made it undeniable. They were here to wreak havoc.

Whimsy was squealing her lungs out as Havoid rushed into the ever-thickening crowd; specifically squealing, the Forest Sprite seemed incapable of a true scream. Both a blessing and a curse, Havoid could easily find her when she was far away, but couldn't hear a thing when she's right behind her head.

" Whimsy HUSH!" Havoid cried for the umpteenth time. " I'm trying to concentrate!"

She quieted by a few decibels, at least. But didn't help that there were hundreds, if not thousands of other creatures rampaging past the dragon, also all screaming their lungs out!

Look for fire... She chanted over and over in her mind. Fire. Fire. There! Havoid spotted a column of blue fire reaching up toward the ceiling; clearly from a dragon. As she jumped toward it though a panicked party-goer charged into her.

" Oof!" Havoid grunted. There was a roar of surprise from the party-goer, accompanied by some apologetic telepathy.

" Oh! So sorry! It's just-! Oh dear!"

Assured by Whimsy's tight grip around her neck that the Sprite hadn't fallen off, the Guardian righted herself and turned to address the blubbering dragon, only to stop at its coppery coloration. All thoughts of chasing down the fire-spewing dragon left her mind.

Cassare.

 

" Are you okay? I mean, with all of this - what are you doing?!"

Havoid had snatched the unfortunate dragon by the nape and began dragging it back to the battle! The poor dragon didn't have much of a choice; the fledgling was just small enough to be drug by the Guardian. Luckily, dragons didn't need their jaws to speak.

" You prevent magic yes?!" Havoid asked over the din.

" Well! Yes! But let me go!" The Cassare protested.

" I promise it will only take a moment!"

" Haaavooooid!" Whimsy cried. " I'm so scared!"

" I know, just hold on!" Havoid answered. In her heart she wanted to leave Whimsy someplace safe, but the thought of abandoning her somewhere made her instincts scream. Hopefully she won't wet herself or lose her grip with all of this commotion...

 

Just meters away now... Havoid thought; she might as well give the breakdown to the poor dragon though.

" No, don't take me back there! Those horrible men!"

" Look, it'll just be a second, all right?! I need you to run next to the guy with the purple stuff in his hands! It'll be quick!"

" WHAT?! I'm not going next to that rat!"

" I need you to cancel out his magic!"

" Ooh nooo!" The dragon moaned.

" You just need to stand there!" Havoid's patience was running dangerously thin. She let go of the Cassare and pushed it out in front of her, close enough to be in the fray and hopefully tamper with the magic in the area.

" Oh dear oh dear oh dear..." The dragon's only reaction was to freeze in place, tail quivering and shaking greatly.

That works. The Guardian thought. She had a feeling that running into this dragon later on would be seriously awkward, but if her plan worked it was worth it.

 

" Hold on Whimsy." She told the Forest Sprite on her back, even though she knew there was no way she would let go. The fight had progressed a bit since her brief absence: one of the cloaked figures was now on the ground, scrambling backward from a... human? A green dragon was backing him up, and the king was still defended by one guard, albeit threatened by one more foe. What concerned Havoid though was the mage, still standing in the middle with his magic at the ready.

The good news was that things were looking bright for Galsriem.

We're winning! Come on, Cassare, still two left... She thought, then quickly afterwards: A distraction! We need a distraction! HEY! Pay attention to me!

With that, Havoid dared a vocal challenge. She braced herself and opened her maw, directly behind the two remaining assassins...

And let out the loudest roar she could muster.

Granted, in comparison to a Brute or a Howler, her roar wasn't much, but she could still feel her unwonted chest vibrating from the noise. Her ears were flattened as far as they could go, and still they rang from it! Havoid hoped that would at least startle the assassins, if not redirect their attention for even a moment; having only fought dragons in the past, she wouldn't want to find out the hard way that these guys really know how to deal with large, scaly beasts...

 

((Apologies for being so slow to post. I hope I didn't unbalance the fight too much...))

Edited June 24, 2016 by skwerl56767

[Riath]

As the young dragon entered the fray, the purple fireballs shrunk. They were nothing more than tiny little puffs of unnaturally coloured flames now. Swearing, the mage lobbed one of the severely weakened fireballs towards the king. Frederick stepped forward, lifting his free hand. He touched the fireball with the hide braces on his armour, and the magical attack dissipated completely. It seemed like Frederick's bracers were made of Cassare hide too, or some other magic nullifying material.

 

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'Edwain' returned his attention towards the other man in blue. He opened his mouth, about to shout new orders, when a loud roar from behind startled him. He turned around, looking at the guardian dragon with the child on its back. His companion didn't seem as disturbed. Wiping the last of the wine off his face, he charged towards the king's knight. The much younger assassin, the boy who had fallen over at Gaolin's feet, broke into a sprint. He seemed to be running away from the confrontation, towards the edge of the fray... The boy, still running at full speed, focused on the fledgeling Cassare. He leant forward as he ran, attempting to use his momentum to carry both him and the young dragon out of the battlefield in an attempt to stop it's magic-nullifying effects. These assassins knew at least something about dragons, it seemed.

 

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Elsewhere, their surroundings now mostly empty, the twins and the knight were about to finish their fight. One of the twins had been badly wounded, a large gash across his arm. The other had multiple scrapes, bruises and cuts. The knight, however, was in comparatively worse shape. His eye seemed to have been smacked by the hilt of a sword, and he had a black eye as a result. His face was also covered in an assortment of cuts, and it was likely they would turn into permanent scars. His armour was streaked with blood. As he backed away, he slipped on a puddle of spilt mead. The twins took the chance to step forward, sinking their blades into his stomach, through the armour plates. As the knight lay there on his back, the twins stood up. They nodded towards each other before heading towards the throne.

 

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At the entrance of the tavern, a large number of royal guards were entering, pushing past the partygoers. There seemed to be around twenty in all.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Riath

[brisingrrider1]

Gaolin surveyed the room as fast as he could. Events were progressing almost too fast for even his honed observational skills to process. The young assassin appeared to be leaving, and a Guardian dragon had just entered the fray, dragging another dragon with it. A Cassare dragon, maybe? Gaolin did not have very extensive knowledge of dragons. However, that dragon's presence seemed to be weakening Edwain's magic. And my magic as well, Gaolin thought.

 

Unfortunately for his new allies, Gaolin didn't notice that the young assassin was headed towards the Cassare. He was too busy peering across the tops of heads to see a flash of steel- and the notable absence of the knight who had gone to fight the twins. Two more skilled assassins would soon enter the battle, and they would get there before the royal guards who had just entered the grand hall.

 

Gaolin had a few options, or so he thought. He could use the sword he still held awkwardly against the twins who were rapidly approaching, he could chase the abnormally young assassin, or he could head for Edwain and hope that his strength would hold. He stood in a ray of sunlight, his mind working as fast as it possibly could. He could not hold his own against the twins alone, or even with Setin, so he ruled that option out. The young assassin appeared to be fleeing, and he was unlikely to prove much of a challenge, but Gaolin could still go after him. That left the mage. Edwain. But, the guard in front of the king seemed to be able to handle himself as well as the magic that was thrown at him. The young assassin it was.

 

"Setin, let's go after that one," Gaolin pointed before bursting into action. He dodged passerby and darted in front of the Guardian dragon, bodily tackling the assassin as he ran. In the fray, he noticed that the Cassare had not moved at all. The young dragon stood stock still even as the fleeing assassin had been racing towards it.

[PureDark006]

Edwain deflected the improvised projectile, but Aurel managed to hit the other assassin and distract him for a few seconds; however, the warrior that had been on he offensive earlier retreated. Wasted chance, but he guessed this was what happened when there was no coordination.

 

The good thing was that no one seemed to be paying too much attention to him. Granted, Aurel wasn't much of a threat right now, especially compared to the warrior or the king's knights, but maybe if he could use it to his advantage... if he could figure out how, that is.

 

The crowd that had been surrounding the throne to watch the performance had all but disappeared, fleeing from the conflict. Time to put some distance then; if someone went at him wielding a weapon, he wouldn't last three seconds. Good thing he hadn't gotten too close in the first place. Breathing in, Aurel began materializing water under his hands, the spheres of liquid increasing slowly but steadily, to give him something he could use without tiring himself.

 

That is, until half the liquid fell nonchalantly to the floor. He barely had time to register the Guardian, a child-like winged creature holding onto its neck and a smaller, brown dragon by its side, before it roared.

 

Aurel lost the rest of his concentration, letting the rest of the water splash down as he covered his ears. It was the first time he had been at a short distance from a roaring dragon, and they were really loud. He was lucky he hadn't been able to made enough water for it to cause a significant splash; sprouting a fish tail in the middle of this situation would not be pretty.

 

The small pause caused by the roar made him notice something: the two cloaked figures that had started this whole mess, one bleeding heavily from his arm, hurrying towards the throne.

 

Dammit, he still didn't know what was causing his magic to weaken, and without it he was useless - he couldn't let the cloaked figures reach the throne, but-

 

No time to think. Kneeling, he put his hand to the ground, making the water that had splashed down quiver slightly. It felt like trying to control honey; his head hurt and he couldn't properly move it, but somehow, he managed to make the effort needed for the liquid to quickly expand towards the figures, covering just the first centimeter above the ground. With any luck, the sudden slippery floor would hinder their advance and make the others notice the new danger.

 

 

 

 

((I'm assuming Aurel's magic still somewhat works since he's further away from the Cassare, tell me if the magic nullifying field should've been bigger and I'll edit))

[Riath]

The young boy, looking to be around 15, was tackled by Gaolin. His face smacked directly into the ground, breaking his nose as he lay there under the man. The Cassare was still right there, weakening the magical abilities of both 'Edwain' and the Merman. The boy was still conscious though, and struggled violently as the green Dino approached to back up the man who had tackled him. It was unlikely that the boy would be able to break free, but still he struggled, his fingers reaching out in a futile attempt to seize the Cassare fledgeling that was still metres away.

 

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The twins, in their hurry, failed to notice the pool of liquid that had suddenly appeared. The one with the injured arm fell, his sword clattering onto the ground. He retrieved it and was helped up by his brother, but the sound of the metal sword would be audible from where the others were. They continued to move towards the others, the two of them heading towards the guardian dragon and 'Edwain'.

 

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Edwain looked up at the guardian dragon, preparing to dodge whatever it threw at him next. He seemed reluctant to draw his own blade, and if Havoid paid attention, it would be noticeable that the mage had skinny, weak twigs for arms. It seemed like the blade was just an emergency weapon, and he was reliant on his magic.

 

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

 

The final assassin stopped dillydallying, and lunged at Frederick. He parried the first thrust meant to pierce his midsection, sending the knight's sword swerving to the right. The two began to duel, steel clashing against steel as the King took a few more steps back. He didn't have anything he could use to fight on him. He was still relatively fit in his old age, but it wasn't like he could lift up his throne and bludgeon the blue-garbed men with the golden seat. Frederick seemed to be doing well, but so did his foe. The two were still in perfect shape, neither having scored a hit yet.

 

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

 

"Gaolin! Two more people!"

 

The green reptile yelled, as he noticed the twins approaching. One of them fell and his sword clanged against the ground. The Dino prepared to run towards them, worried about what it could mean if two more enemies joined the fight. He looked around. The room was mostly empty apart from the people fighting. A regiment of knights were making their way across the long room, but it was likely that they would not reach in time to stop the assassins from spearing the King in the heart. Not unless the combatants intervened.

 

((Edit: Did I get everyone's positions right?

 

))

Edited June 26, 2016 by Riath

[Riath]

((Bump?))

[PureDark006]

((Still here; don't really have much to do rn so was waiting for the others to post))

[brisingrrider1]

((Sorry, was working on a response yesterday but was unable to finish. Here ya go. Also, I love the graphic.))

 

Gaolin kept a grip on the boy's wrists, holding him down. Setin called, and Gaolin looked up where he was looking, to see the twins he had noticed before headed towards the party, and gaining quickly. The knights would not make it in time. Gaolin looked at the young assassin below him, "Why are you doing this? What caused you to be here?"

 

A cursory glance back at the rest of the fray showed that the twins were headed towards the larger dragon, closer to the king.

 

"Setin, we need to move over towards that dragon," Gaolin nodded his head in the direction of Havoid, "They won't stand a chance against the twins and the guards won't be here in time."

 

He looked down again at the struggling assassin, waiting for a response.

[skwerl56767]

((I have a post in progress but I'm curious, do the assassins have any sort of insignia on them? Or do they just have the blue cloaks that stand out the most? Also I think you nailed everyone's positions, so it should be good!))

[Riath]

((Nope, no insigna. However, while the banners of Galsreim are mostly green, the Nepharim banners are blue. The same shade as their clothes. I'll describe the Nepharim banner in greater detail later on.))

 

The assassin boy wriggled, gritting his teeth. There was no way for him to overpower the man pinning him. That he knew. As the blood streamed from his broken nose, he spoke, his voice filled with hate and venom.

 

"Death to Galsreim. Death to King Enrich."

 

Not even having the strength or leeway to turn around and spit in Gaolin's face, he opted to spit on the floor ahead of him instead.

 

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

 

While this had happened, Frederick and his adversary had each managed to score a few hits. Both men were bleeding, though not severe. Frederick's armour was the only thing stopping the man from running him through. Already the man had landed several blows that would have disabled him, had the plate-mail not protected his torso and abdomen. They continued to duel as Edwain stared at the Guardian Dragon. The mage still had his weapon sheathed.

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

 

"Yeah! I'm on it!"

 

Setin started moving towards the twins, who were now several metres away from Havoid.

[skwerl56767]

Havoid was gleeful about startling the assassins. Good, that will distract them! Only problem now was that she had the full attention of the mage, making her wary of doing anything; not with Whimsy still hunkered down on her back, anyway. Being so focused on her new target, Havoid only hoped that the Cassare wasn't pulled into anything. Saving the king would be great and all, but she would still be reproved for endangering a civilian for the sake of it.

She was also pretty oblivious to the twins clamoring up to her, though with her tail sweeping from side to side in agitation her back was at least clear.

 

The mage... how to deal with the mage... He looked pretty frail, but the whole purpose of mages were to cast spells. She only knew he had fireballs and only glimpsed his tentacle spell from earlier; what else could he pull? Was he an amateur, or an accomplished master?

Wait... where did these guys come from, anyway?

Havoid began to circle slowly, trying to pick out a weak point in the mage and keeping a low growl going for intimidation. She had a feeling he wouldn't let a break slip through his defenses, which meant she had to act first and strike hard. With his magic weakened she would stand a chance against anything he might throw at her, but she still had to anticipate some pain; something she occasionally forgets about.

 

Growing impatient, and with the mage giving away no hints about his thought process, Havoid decided to attack. Her growl broke into a snarl, and in an attempt to confuse him she advanced on his right side with the implication of striking there, only to swing her tail around to her left to strike him with its metal tip; with any luck he won't anticipate it and she'll send him sprawling! That will give her enough time to do some actual damage before he can react.

[Riath]

((Sorry I took so long. Was waiting for someone else to post so I could reply to 2 at once. Also, happy 4th of July, you guys!))

From the way he reacted to Havoid's attack, it was clear that the mage was inexperienced with melee combat. He lifted his hand to cast some kind of orange magic, as the dragon headed towards his right side. The magic fizzled out and he panicked, ready to dodge to the left. He dodged right as the dragon swung its tail, knocking him aside. He hit the ground with the air knocked clean out of his lungs and a bruise forming on his chest. However, the two twins were right behind Havoid now. With the tail having been swung, they both tried to leap onto her back and stab her with the blades.

[brisingrrider1]

At the venomous response, Gaolin knew for a fact that the boy would be unable to be swayed. He took a deep breath. Young minds may be considered fickle, but it seemed that the boy was holding on to that mantra for his life. Gaolin roughly threw the boy to the ground a bit further ahead of him, deciding to focus instead on the twin assassins.

 

"Faster, Setin!" He called as he watched the twins gain on the other dragon. Lunging forwards also, Gaolin extended his legs and forced them into a run. He may not be very fast but he could use his strength to run a bit faster for a short while through sheer effort. He used this ability now, rushing towards the twins and gaining on Setin. Blood pumped through his veins, warm and fresh. Gaolin took in gulps of air with each step, pushing himself further ahead.

 

The twins leapt towards the dragon just as Gaolin leapt towards the twins- all three jumping into the air.

[Riath]

The boy hit the ground, his already injured nose slamming into the smooth floor yet again. He continued muttering his previous statement, albeit barely audible this time. He would be fine. But it was clear he wouldn't be getting up in time to intervene further. That was two assassins down. Four more were still there, and a danger to the King.

 

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

 

Frederick seemed to be doing badly now. He hadn't managed to touch the assassin in a while, and he was tiring out in the armour. The protective layer could very well turn into a shiny coffin if he had to continue the battle with the added weight. As a senior knight, he had been trained to fight with armour on. But this set was purely decorative. It was meant for formal events. Much different from the lighter, yet magically stronger and sturdier equipment the rest of the royal guards had. If he lived through this, he would have to speak to the quartermaster about modifying the formal armour. His sword continued to swing through the air as his foe slashed and parried. The man seemed to be getting faster, as though excited by how close he was getting to taking down the knight.

 

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

Setin sped up, having already been moving towards the two. Colliding with one of them, the hooded man went flying, crashing down heavily on the floor past the throne dais. His head stopped an inch from the wall behind the pedestal, and he begun to get up. Setin winced as he looked at the gash at his side. Their swords had cut through his hide. That was going to scar, he just knew it. Those blades were sharp. Good thing Gaolin had taken one earlier. He looked over at his comrade, seeing how his attempt to tackle the other twin was going.

[skwerl56767]

Havoid wasn't paying the least attention to what was going on behind her, instead feeling a rush of adrenaline at her successful attack. Like a dog with a captured gopher, she decided to snatch up the mage in her jaws and give him a little shaking. Not enough to tear him apart, but definitely enough to daze him and maybe cover him in slobber. Her rather primal response though was cut off as an assassin was thrown out to her side, the green dragon from before getting up from him.

Huh. I should pay more- Her thought was cut off as she felt something land on her rump, followed by a sharp pain. She dropped the mage with a startled roar.

AGH! That was deep!

Her priorities switched and she started turning in circles, stomping and snapping her jaws while trying to get at whatever had stabbed her. She remembered this strategy from her past and anticipated someone lunging underneath her to get at her softer belly, and started beating her wings as well. Of course, that didn't solve the assassin getting off her back.

With a small hope of no allies also being back there budging up underneath her frantic thoughts, she tried a drop-and-roll maneuver, falling on her side and immediately rolling to squash whoever attacked her; but if she didn't, she would at least get it off of there!

She almost forgot about Whimsy, who saw that she was falling and bolted off of the Guardian to hide under something. Problem was, there wasn't much to hide behind except the King's throne, so she aimed for that. Rushing around the fighters and tripping twice on upturned objects, she managed to bolt back there, hoping no one saw her.

[Riath]

((Oh, uh, I meant that Setin got stabbed, not Havoid. But you can have the other assassin Gaolin was trying to tackle do that, if you want. I'll wait for Ubby's action first, before I reply.))

[brisingrrider1]

((I think they both were stabbed, like you suggested, because you wrote that Setin was and skwerl wrote that Havoid was by the other twin.))

 

Gaolin leapt and missed the twin by mere centimeters. The assassin landed on the dragon's back, slicing a deep gash in her. Once Gaolin was back on his feet, he turned quickly to go after the assassin but found himself unable to figure out what was what in the blur of the dragon's wings and limbs. So, he turned to the assassin Setin had tackled.

 

Have to do something... he muttered to himself. The king's guard was beginning to tire and the reinforcements still seemed to be miles away.

 

Gaolin ran over to Setin, glancing at the wound, "Are you okay?" he asked, a bit worried for his newfound friend. The assassin was just getting up. Gaolin gripped the sword tighter in his hand- he had almost forgotten he was holding it. The wicked curve seemed to light on fire in the sun. "Light on fire..." Gaolin whispered. He had a plan.

 

With his free hand he reached into his pocket and grasped the amulet. The magic coursed through Gaolin as he laid the sword on the ground. Slowly, he imagined fire, the warmth of the sun fueling his magic. A flame appeared, small, at the edge of the blade. Soon the metal was bursting with the light of fire. Gaolin released his grip on the amulet, dedicating part of his mind to keeping the fire alive. As the assassin began to come back towards Setin and Gaolin, the half-orc held up a flaming sword to block the man's way.

[Riath]

'Edwain' struggled as he was snatched up. As the dragon dropped him, he sat there on his rump, disoriented. He unsteadily lifted what looked to be a ball-bearing from his pocket, chanting softly as he tottered back and forth where he sat. The ball glowed a pale blue, before flying towards the Cassare hatchling. The ball seemed to speed up as it went, and even if the magic pushing it was cut off, the natural inertia would knock the small dragon quite a distance away if it made contact. It would likely bruise badly too, if anyone else stood in its path.

 

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

 

The assassin on Havoid's back was using the blade as a tool to cling on, grabbing on to the blade for dear life. As the Guardian dragon began to roll, the cloaked figure fell off, the sword out of his reach. He was able to fall in the right direction to not be crushed completely, but a sick cracking sound echoed through the area as his left arm was caught in the roll. Howling, he backed away, grasping for his sword with the intact arm. His left was visibly broken, a shard of bone sticking out through the skin.

 

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

 

At the relatively far end of the circle of fighters, Gaolin's magic would be beyond the dampening effects of the young Cassare. The flaming sword wouldn't have its magic hampered in any way, all of Gaolin's magical abilities able to be utilised. The man stopped in his tracks and held up his own sword. His gaze flickered to his wounded brother, and his face contorted with pain. A guttural scream emerging from his lips, he charged at Gaolin recklessly, swinging his blade side to side and charging right into the path of the flaming sword. It seemed like he was in a hurry to reach his brother, and wasn't really interested in fighting Setin and Gaolin.

 

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

 

Setin nodded reassuringly.

 

"Small wound. I've had worse."

 

He braced himself as the assassin approached hastily, getting ready to charge him. Gaolin seemed to have enchanted his weapon somehow. That was neat. With how their opponent was wildly swinging, it would be easy to hit him with the flaming blade. Maybe catch his clothes on fire too, while he was at it.

[brisingrrider1]

Gaolin eyed his companion curiously, where would a young dino like him get worse injuries? For now though, he focused on his opponent. However, the assassin didn't seem all too interested in fighting him. Gaolin noted that the assassin in front of him seemed just as hurt by his twin's broken arm as the physically injured one.

 

Gaolin blocked the assassins path, bluntly knocking the assassins blade aside and holding his own sword towards the man, the flames reaching out just far enough to touch the assassin's clothing. And, just as Gaolin had hoped, his sword sparked a bit of flame on the assassin's cloak, which quickly spread.

 

He double-checked that Setin was still okay before asking, "Hey, do you think the twins feel the other's pain?"

[Riath]

As his clothing caught fire, the man stopped his reckless swinging and ceased running, startled and in pain. He attempted to dive towards the ground, hopefully away from Gaolin, so as to roll and put out the flames. His brother didn't seem to be affected by the pain of the flames, still occupied with reaching his sword and fighting off Havoid. His arm was bleeding heavily, and the blue-garbed assassin was breathing heavily. Apparently, they weren't truly linked to the point where they could feel each others pain.

 

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

 

Setin seemed to be doing fine. The wound was bleeding, of course, but nothing he couldn't handle. He considered looking for some kind of healer later. He didn't want to have a nasty scar there. He'd been injured by predators as a hatchling, but his parents had always gotten to a local White dragon in time to stop the injuries from making horrible scars on his hide.

 

"I don't know 'bout that. They're both hurtin pretty bad though."

 

The dino gave the twin a cautious look as he started to dive onto the ground.

[skwerl56767]

((Yeah, the twin that Gaolin would have tackled was the one who stabbed Havoid. Also sorry for being late... again.))

 

Havoid couldn't tell if she was pleased or mortified with the crunch that accompanied her decision to roll over. One part of her wanted to just lay there, keep the enemy pinned, but without considering it twice she was already rolling in the opposite direction back onto her own feet.

Eugh. He wasn't dead, but he might want to be.

Dismissing the wounded assassin as a fighter out of the battle, Havoid looked around for a new target. The green dragon and his humanoid companion were spectating the other assassin, who had somehow caught on fire, and the king's one guard at the moment wasn't going well against his own foe. And then there was the mage, who had recovered enough to throw a ball of magic at the Cassare. Being in total shock from the battle in front of it, the dragon didn't even twitch as the magic struck its side; its passive ability of dampening magic helped somewhat, but the force was enough to knock the poor thing back several feet and leave a burnt mark on its scales.

It got up, whined, and scurried away to hide under a table to nurse its bruised flank. Well, that was one defense down.

 

Havoid wasn't feeling guilt about having a citizen be wounded because she dragged it into the fray, but was instead contemplating her new target: a mage who just received his power back, or an assassin just moments away from breaking through a royal knight's defense?

The flicker of fire caught Havoid's peripheral; its source was now rolling on the ground in an attempt to put it out, though a more stable source was the weapon that the humanoid-that-might-not-be-human was holding.

Magic? Was he a mage too? Or did he just happen to bathe the blade in liqueur and hold it up to a torch?

However it happened, it was giving her an idea.

 

Havoid spun around in a circle and spotted a small puddle of mead. It was quite the spattered mess now, with everyone trying to fight around it; not enough to dip a blade in, unfortunately. But... hopefully the king won't miss his tablecloth too much?

And hopefully the stuff was strong enough to knock out a dwarf?

The Guardian turned and look at her side of the room. Only one table was close enough, and it had quite the expansive tablecloth. Without hesitation she bolted over to it, grabbed a corner in her jaws and started to tug.

Too heavy. She thought. She let go and tried nosing off some of the dinnerware, only to find that much of it was either gold or mixed with gold. She couldn't drag a tablecloth covered in gold!

Sorry your Highness... Havoid lowered herself to get her shoulder under the table, and finding it difficult with her wing in the way she tightened them against her sides and flattened herself on the ground, getting her wing shoulder under the table before pushing up on the edge.

Wow, this was really heavy!

The dragon gritted her teeth and grunted, shooting a frantic glance back at the battle. This is taking way too long! This table is way too darn big! IT'S NOT MOVING! Errrrgh!

She finally got up from underneath the table, huffed, and gave it a big kick with her back legs. Her feet stung from the blow, and the table rocked back and forth, but the majority of the weight stayed. Her determination fueled by anger instead of logic, she kept kicking, rocking the table more and hoping that the heavy dishes would finally fall off.

 

----------

 

With her guardian... kicking a table?... and being surrounded by danger, Whimsy could only think about how much she wanted a better hiding place. The sounds of battle were close, the clangs of weapons on armor occasionally punctuated by torn cloth as wounds were made. Breathing was becoming laborious as the fighting went on. The Forest Sprite hugged the back of the throne with her head cradled in her arms, but she couldn't shut out the noise. She couldn't take it anymore!

Suddenly, a flash in her mind; darkness, burning buildings, a memory of some kind that wasn't her's. Havoid was sending her something now? Of all times?

The memory went on. Arrows were flying, lit up with flames like shooting stars. Figures were fighting, but they were indistinguishable silhouettes. Dragons were in in the background, roaring out challenges but for some reason were unanswered. There was something at her feet that was glowing.

Throw the glowy! The words erupted in her mind. Her mind-self was picking up the object and running off with it, looking for a target, but Whimsy shook her head clear of the memory; the words still rang in her head.

Throw the glowy! Throw it! Throw it at... at...

The voice faded, blending in with her own thoughts. Throw it at the mean guys! Yeah!

 

With the idea planted in her head, and unable to listen to the fighting any longer, Whimsy uncurled from her panicked fetal position and used her wings to jump up to the top of the King's throne. She grabbed its edge and pulled herself up, looking around to make sure no one saw her.

Her eyes caught a nearby candle sitting in a sconce. A nice tall one, glowing softly.

She kicked off of the throne and grabbed the edge of the sconce, bracing herself against the wall. She tried to pull out the candle, expecting it to be firm but finding that it was very loose; it came out with no trouble at all!

Whimsy dropped to the ground and ran up to the battle as close as she dared, watching the knight and the assassin fight for a moment before she saw her chance. With a random shout, she jumped up and threw the candle as hard as she could at the assassin, the determination from Havoid's memory fueling her and burying her urge to run and hide.

[Riath]

((Sorry, will reply soon. Been busy lately.))

[Riath]

The assassin fighting Frederick was close to winning. If he could only get the tired knight to take a step back, he could then finish him with a thrust right through the skull. Ah, the armored warrior was doing just that, retreating subconsciously. He pulled his sword back, ready to bring it forward....

 

His attack was interrupted by a stick of hot wax hitting him right in the face. Swearing loudly, he blindly retreated to wipe the wax out of his eyes. Where the burning wick had touched him, there was a dark red spot now. As his vision cleared, the wax having been wiped off by the back of his hand, the first and last thing he saw was a sword swinging sideways, towards his neck...

Thunk!~

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

 

Frederick panted heavily as his foe lay before him, dead and in two pieces. A clean cut. He turned towards the direction the candle had been thrown from, smiling at the courage of the child. Was it a child? The little girl didn't seem human. Still, she was brave. And that had saved his life. Flicking his bloodstained blade, he started towards the remaining assassin. The mage. 'Edwain' was now backing away, his back facing a wall and looking at all the combatants. The royal guard on the other end of the room were drawing closer, and it didn't look like he would be able to kill the king in time.

 

The magician dropped his blade, looking at the ones who had thwarted the assassination. The knights. The human and his green dragon companion. And the guardian dragon. It had caused the most damage. He hardly paid attention to the little girl, nor the two merfolk he had interacted with earlier.

Edited July 19, 2016 by Riath