C1 RacksomAnd then, there was War(5th Board)

Jaden skidded to a halt as Static leapt to the side. He glanced quickly at Jack and the other dragon. Neither looked like moving soon, and with no backup and injured himself, he felt he would do better to back off than pursue the woman. She was badly injured anyway; she'd do little more damage. With a last glowering look and a display of neat white teeth, he turned and padded back to the dragon and human.
'We'd better get moving,' he said, primarily to the dragon. 'Can you walk? If not, I don't see what we can really do.' All he knew was he was going to get out and see if Rokam was alright; much as the younger dragon irritated him, he didn't want the only other card to die, and they could well be related. SO he waited impatiently for the lightning storm dragon to respond to him, occasionally scanning the area around them to make sure nobody was on the offensive; but lots of the attackers had been scared off by the display of magic and the three dragons rampaging.

Measle snorted - a chuckle deep in his throat. “I’d be a poor sort of dragon to have injured legs from a blow to the back.” He announced, slowly getting to his feet. Jackdaww jumped back as Measle got up, and began pandering to his broken wing again, fixing it in place a second time.
“Are you sure you’re ok, Measle?” he asked looking down at him (seeing as he was several inches taller than his dragon). Measle nodded, and turned to the card dragon. “Where are you headed?” he asked, looking around to see if he recognised anyone. “Because young Jackdaww here will probably want us to come with you.” Jackdaww scowled at him for that, but kept quiet, not wanting to anger Measle further than his defeat would do.

Seeing no one else nearby, starling made her way across the rooftops, half running, half gliding with her wings spread, until she could see the southern gate. There was a man standing there, by the looks of it, sp she decided to see who it was. She pulled her wings around her shoulders like a cloak of midnight-black, and leapt to the ground with the litheness of a cat. Her hollow bones made landing easier than it would have been for a human, and gave her a certain grace whilst jumping. She took a careful step towards them, trying to determine who they fought for, ignoring the calls for retreat still.

((ooc;; starling is attempting to talk to Mask, in case that was unclear ^^ ))

Jaden nodded as the dragon began to pick himself up.
'I suppose,' he said quietly, still looking around them. He then turned back to Measle as he headr him speaking.
'I'm not entirely sure, but somewhere around the centre. Rokam- the other card dragon- went to be healed, he got a nasty wound. And... It's Measle and Jackdaww? I'm Jaden. I can probably narrow down where Rokam is a little more when we're on our way... Possibilities are clearer,' he explained. He began to walk cautiously along, waiting for the others to follow him and trying t concentrate on the future and getting through the city at the same time.

Measle nodded, understanding clearly what Jaden meant, but Jackdaww looked confused. “Rokam? Who’s that? And how will you know more on the way? Also, why-” he started, before Measle cut him off by pushing a clumsy paw into his face, across his mouth. “You talk too much, Jack. Shut up.” He said, looking disgruntled and still a little dizzy from the electricity. Jackdaww opened his mouth again to protest, then closed it, not sure of how to react to that. Measle followed Jaden through the city, and Jackdaww staggered along behind, jogging a little to keep up.

Did… Did that dragon really just back off? Static took a glance back as she ran down the road, dashing around the first corner that she came across. It glared at her, then turned away. She made her way down the road a little further, sticking to the shadows- Which really were shadows, not like those that the card dragon had lifted. She turned the next corner, then feeling far enough away from her attackers for now, checked her sword was still in its scabbard- It was- and dissipated the shield over her side again. It was throbbing badly, and as she breathed in, sharp spikes of pain flashed up her side again.

Okay, so she didn’t have any more opponents to fight- That was good, but on the down side, Tamarisk had disappeared to somewhere, so transport across the city was out, unless she walked, and she was injured too- Also bad. First things first. Static left her shield down for the moment, heading out along the street. She walked slowly, gaining her breath again, before she spotted an open doorway, black against the building around it. Bandages. She poked her head in the doorway, then seeing the room was empty, walked in and started raiding. She dug though the random junk that was in any normal house- clothes, food, cutlery, that sort of thing, looking for some sort of medical kit or gold.
There wasn’t a medical kit, so she made do with ripped strips of cloth from the clothing, wrapping it around her middle underneath her shirt. Next thing to do was to find Tamarisk, then it was back to taking potshots at those dragons…

Jaden looked back, half exasperated and half amused. He knew it wasn't the best time to talk right now, but he supposed the human should know the basics, and he could talk while on the move.
'I'm Jaden,' he began, echoing his earlier words, while still pushing through the crowds. He barely noticed the fact that he was sticking to the walls and extending shadows to cover them a little. 'I'm a card dragon, the spade. There can only be four at once, and only one of each kind at a time. Rokam is the other black card, he's clubs. As far as we know, there aren't any red cards out there, but there might be even though we probably would know of them. Anyway, all cards have the power to twist fate. When we're on our own, we don't have much control of it and it's only within a metre or two of us. With Rokam, I can do things for about five to ten metres, and with a lot more control. Of course, it depends on how many distractions we have. We can also get a sense for what could happen, but it isn't hugely reliable. It all depends on decisions, chance, and timings. I would've got a whole different set of possibilities if we'd started walking a minute later, because different people would have ben in different places at different times. It's extremely confusing and difficult to make sense of if I let it all flood me, and I generally can't choose what i can predict, but I can focus on things I see happening. And black cards have a certain degree of shadow control, reds have fire.' He paused, pushing through a particularly thick clump of people.
'Rokam was injured pretty badly fighting, so I sent him to be tended to. And I'll find out more as possibilities become clearer. Ok?' He looked back at the two again, and slowed down a little for the human.

"Then it's settled." Zartear began, his tone stern, "Felren will stay within the walls of Racksom and be healed by our own. If you...both... change your mind the Captain will be accompanying you and some others. I think this is fair."
Hearing Deos' speak though his gut felt uneasy. She'd appeared quite suddenly, but she spoke with great confidence and certainty. Zartear rarely ever trusted anybody, and he didn't trust this woman- nor any other for that matter- but some were more predictable than others, this would at least give him some measure of her, what action she and Felren would take.

"It's good to know you can see what we do." A genuine smile parted from his lips, it was horrendously strange though, not a hundred yards away behind him from where he was sitting on the horse looking down at Deos, a man and woman were being hauled from out of their house, the woman shrieked maddeningly and the man was yelling- crying out to the Guardians that had not come.
Only one, and then nothing more.Anger toward the invaders burnt inside the citizens but so did betrayal and isolation
Where were their protectors now?

The screams fluttered into his ears and he turned for a moment.
"That is the sound of disbelief. It's a shame don't you think? That they will try to harm those that will ultimately save them."

He snapped back to the present, Cato addressing him- perhaps his most capable general. Reconstruction was already in progress, this was very good news. The storm through the streets seemed to have the intended effect, the peasantry of Racksom were divided and fleeing like prey-creatures.
"This is good General, you have performed well and shall be adequately rewarded." He then cast a look to Felren and back to Cato, "He is not a mere whelp General Aquila, this man, for all the oddity that is upon him, has still defeated our most potent enemy of the day. Although..."

A hint subtly whispered in his mind, now was a good opportunity to try and keep Felren here.

"I want all of the west gate magi brought to us here, it is important that he is in good condition; however," He met Cato's eyes then, this point of real importance. "None of the black or white magi."
Zartear didn't understand the way of the magical damage on Felren, nor what held the body under it's power but he was almost certain that in a healing process, to taint the magic with dark or light would be undesirable.
There was something bloody and blackened deep inside Felren, to excite it might not be the wisest choice.

Jackdaww understood vaguely what the card dragon was saying, so he decided not to ask any more questions. He was frightened Measle would snap at him again. Instead, he hurried after the dragons, his sword drawn and ready for battle. He caught a glimpse of the inscription inside the handle of his rapier, but didn’t try to read it. He was sure it was talking about a person, but he had no idea what significance they held. He wondered for a moment if the person mentioned was fighting in Racksom, but didn’t dwell on the thought.
As the heat an exhilaration of the fighting wore off, he felt cold creep into the thin scars on his forearm. A thin X shape trailed across the back of his hand, and there was something about the set of his wrist there that showed without doubt that it had been broken in the past. Thinking about it made him worry about Measle’s wing, but he knew he wouldn’t appreciate his help right then. He was better off helping find the other card dragon – Rokam, that was it, and asking the healer about Measle’s wing when they arrived.

Kagan scanned the ground like mad, trying to find Talos, whoever he was. Kagan had the creeping suspicion that it was the man swapping insults with Zartear before the battle began, but sadly Kagan was otherwise engaged at the time. But he did know that the man was an avian, which meant he was floating around somewhere. But there was too much movement, the battles going on making both armies look like one, destructive mass. Kagan shook his head absently as he picked out what few words he could hear from the dragon, wanting desperatly to get off but too excited to do so. "Nah scaley, gotta make sure princy makes it home well!" Bsides, this guy owes me a new pipe, and he can't get me one if he's six feet under.

Kagan's eyes darted to where Alteon pointed, hoping that this was the man he was searching for. But, sadly, even if it was, he couldn't tell, he didn't know Talos that well. "Well princy, you know what they say: If the water seems clear, jump!" He patted the dragon's side, not noticing his wound, and pointed. "Fly there, bud!"

Felren clung to the large horse as he listened to people speak around him. He didn’t really have the strength to be fighting back with anyone or putting in his opinions. Not like the dragon would let him…but, you never know. At the mention of Cato speaking to him he felt the dragon stir, anxious to taste his blood. “You’d do well not to speak ill of me, Aquila, my dragon does not take kindly to such…demeaning comments.” Felren hissed, forcing himself to sit up on the horse. While his human soul was not evil as his dragons, Felren knew that if he were soft on the people around here things could take a nasty turn for him.

Getting back on the topic at hand, Felren looked in Zartear’s direction and then Deos’. Something told him that Deos could get what he needed, or at least try to even if she may be using him, or plans to double cross him later. It was odd for a woman to have this much confidence and air of power about her and Felren wasn’t about to under estimate her.

“We shall try your healers, Zartear, but if they fail make note that I will have no hesitations leaving with this woman. I will not object to guards if you so send them though.” He spoke to Zartear more clearly now fighting back the pain from within. He gave one dark look to Cato before turning back to Zartear to await his healers. Something told him that this would not be solved so easily. He felt every sharp jab of the extended arms of the parasite, every bit of ripped nerves, muscle, and even bone. The faster he could get rid of this thing the better.

Guest

Xavien sighed heavily, turning quick. Making sure none were coming after him. He was susceptible to either side and he kenw it. For he really was on no side. He did not desire making an alliance that might cost him one day. He was never trusted by those with righteous hearts typically, thus joining DDC was almost out of the question. Yet, He knew better then to fight against Kevv, no matter what was against her and her kind. Plus DDC he knew, with the right guidance, was going to strengthen and rise up. It just was going to take someone strong and leaderly to really steer them in the right direction. Of course none of them had any idea what kind of leader they were indeed going to get, and pretty soon at that.

He saw her tears, felt her feelings go awry and strong... He watched ehr carefully, turning to smack someoen with his sword tht came at him, knocking them out cold. He growled a bit though, turning his gaze to her, and it was a bit sharp too. "That person was set free, I did see that." He told ehr softly. He was pretty sure he kne wwho had had a big hand in that too, considering the barriers they had ahd set around them all. "I care whats happenin to you though. I care what this ill lead into. I know all too well what corruption and vile intent does..." He said to her gently. "I was taught that the hard way, dont let yourself fall into that one.... " He stopped, listening to her last words. His own eyes threatened to water up by that point to those words too. "Siofra I myself had no intent of losing you. I have no intent of losing you even nnow.... it killed me within to think id never find you. all I did after I had gotten out of that city, was begin to find you once more. IT took alot to find where you had went too, alot of hiding, coercing of others and even invading some more secure places.... I stopped at nothing. I couldnt bear the agony to lose someone that seemed to mean so much to me in so short of a time. To mean... almost everything to me..." He said softly. Turning away a bit. Biting back tears of his own.

It took him a few seconds, but he turned. "Well, come with me." He said softly. "Ill show you exactly why I dont want you taking this way to do what I am thinking youre trying to do. The fate youre asking for its.... too harsh." He said softly. He sighed, beignning to walk too. not away from the battlefield, but into it some, into the oplaces buildings seemed at. Rather he felt the one building he wanted to go to. Kevvs' body still laid in the one building.... it probably was trying to destroy itself by then, for Kevv wanted no one handling her magical blood. Trying to learn its secrets. That could get bad, very bad.... But Xavien would show her, show her the memory HE Had of Kevv. Kevv at her prime in battle.... it was a sight truly, and not one an opponent would want to see against them. War had too many consequences, and all of them were negative... in the end it typically wasnt war that solved probelms, it was negotiations for peace. Why didnt people skip the fights and go right to that? It made no sense.

---------

Kevvile growled, keepin still for the moment. He listened through Felrens' ears, and listened through his own sensory too. Hearing the entire conversation. Ahh it amused him to no end. Such chaos he already was causing! All of them trying to figure out what was in this humanoid, trying to figure out how to get him out too. Ahh yes, this was so fun! He planned to sate their curiousity just slightly. Though They werent going to get hom out of his host. These healers here hardly had the strength of mind and body to go against him. He wanted them to try. Craving the slight challenge of probably killing whoever tried to extract him from this body. Kevvile was seemingly just a parasite, able to only hurt this one host. But they had a whole nother thing coming, if that was their thoughts. Kevvile was chock full of surprises, for anyone he wanted to deliver them to. He was going to deeply enjoy this oh yes.

He finally chuckled within his host. His mind touched those around him... Zartear, Cato, whoever was there, he didnt care, whoever was in close proximity of Felren. ~Such efforts... it does my heart such fine justice to see you all struggling so intently...~ Kevvile crooned sarcastically. ~Bring your magi fool, bring your healers, bring your weapons! I care none. This boy is mine...~ Kevvile growled. ~Ill invoke, and spread my chaos far as your land cares to spread, and al from this males' form...~ He said with a giggle. ~Behold... I can cripple instantly, quick as I please...~ With his words, KEvvile move a tentacle, stabbing into Felrens' spinal column, and twitcheda tendril in his brain. Taking sight from Felrens' eyes completely, and rather the feeling on the left side of his body as well. The right side was going to exlpode with pure pain too.... Ahh yes Kevvile kenw the body, knew it so well. Knew where every nerve stood, what all of them did too. ~You puny, futile mortals stand no chance against me and my Keepers' Wrath...~ He considered Kevv his 'Keeper', simply the title she had, fror holding his soul, plus some others too. Kevvile elt up on the spine and such in Felren. He just had wanted to make his point plain. Such a rush this all was, he couldnt wait, wanted those magi to come, wanted to try..... Wanting to crush hopes in these people.... wanting to feel the anguishand pain of their leader, when his and his peoples' efforts became so seemingly minuscule! This was gonna be a good day...

Ooc;; Don't worry, it's not at all. ^^; Even so, I wouldn't mind.

Bic;; The pressure and pain on her back suddenly seemed to die down a bit as the great man was thrown from her. She pushed up on her arms to try and haul herself up, but as she did so, the stabbing pain returned and she had to grit her teeth in order to fight it. Finally upon her feet, she turned to see the great man go down with an arrow sticking out of his leg, and she noticed the avian firing to help them from above. She felt shaky on her feet, but knew she had to stay standing. For if she fell now, she knew she may not be able to get back up again.
Then she felt someone grab her arm and looked to see Armeno next to her. Completely thankful for what he had done, she realised that it was now or never that they had to get out of this place. As he whistled for his horse, Sandy took a deap breath as she hauled herself onto the great beast. It had been a while since she had ridden a horse, but she hadn’t forgotten how to. With the last of her strength, she hauled herself up and hissed quietly in pain as her back seemed to scream at her for moving it in such a painful way.
Once on, she shuffled backwards a little in order to give the elf room in front of her. After all, it was his horse, and at this moment, he would probably be a lot better at riding than her. It felt like a great relief to take the weight from her legs, but she knew that this luxury wouldn’t last long. For soon, they would be galloping through the midst of people in order to get away and to a better ground. If her tiredness took advantage of her, then she would all too easily fall to the ground and be lost.
Quickly, she sheathed her horse and grabbed a hold of the horses back, preparing herself for what was to come. Then she heard the avian calling from the skies, but she didn’t turn to look at him. The Northern gate? Was that still up? If so, then maybe the Surahnians hadn’t won Racksom just yet.
All the while, she couldn’t help thinking about Silverwing. He had disappeared from sight in the air, but at least he was moving. That crash before was one that many dragons wouldn’t have been able to get up from, and who knew what damage had been done. But right now, she had to get out of here; with the help of the elf, she might actually stand a chance.

With every beat of his wings, he felt the pain over his body double, then quiet down. He was still in the midst of fighting, but no dragon in the air had dared to go of him since the fight with the battleblood. For this, he was thankful, for he didn’t know if he would be able to defend himself for much longer, he didn’t even know how far he could fly before he collapsed completely from the pain. But he had to keep going.
The fighting below him had calmed down dramatically, but still, too much blood had been shed, and right now he felt powerless to stop it all. The Surahnians were advancing indefinitely now, and he didn’t know how long it would take before they went for the tower. He knew it wouldn’t be taken easily, with the defenses around it, but no doubt, they would reach the stone eventually.
His eyes scanned the area as he hoped to find sight of his rider. He had only seen her for a quick second, and at that moment, she seemed to be intent on helping him with the battleblood. It’s why he had flown away, he couldn’t let her do that. He wouldn’t allow her to risk his life for him, because he knew all to well that she would. Yet now, she seemed to have gone completely.
Deciding to stop, he headed for the Western gate and let out a stream of flames before landing on one of the thickest walls that hadn’t been pulled down as of yet. He slashed his wounded tail down at some of the soldiers as they fled from his sight, and he was thankful that they hadn’t realised the state he was in. Since he knew he couldn’t do much else. The gate was pretty much overthrown, but still, he wasn’t leaving this battle until he made sure his rider was all right. On top of that, he needed to check to see if that man had been rescued. Even now he didn’t know who he was, for he hadn’t had the chance to get a close look, but nevertheless, he knew he was important. And right now, he needed to speak to someone like that.

Armeno glanced up as Talos took to the sky, then his head whipped round to look at the new dragon. Several sheets of fire decimated the soldiers around them, and as soon as Sandy was on the horse's back he too leapt up. He shifted in front of Sandy, then looked back at her.
'Ok?' he checked. 'Hold on, this could be a little rough.' With that, he squeezed Velox's sides and pulled the reins hard to the left. Velox reared up a little and swerved round on his hindquarters. His front hooves hit the ground hard one after the other as he broke in a canter and then a gallop, Armeno urging him on before the gap the flames had created closed up again. They managed to break into a slightly larger street before Zartear's men sorted themselves out. Looking upwards again, Armeno saw Talos shooting down the occasional arrow from above them.
'I have a few arrows, if you need them,' he yelled up to Talos before giving Velox another kick. Heading North through the city, it seemed that the flow of Zartear's men entering would never end. Several times he had to draw his sword to head off attackers, even though neither he nor Sandy bore any sign of allegiance to either side. He looked back at Sandy as they headed down a less busy street.
'You ok?' She was looking back at the sky as he spoke; perhaps she was worried for her dragon? 'I'm sure the, um, guardian will be fine, he's got far better natural weapons than you. The best thing we can do right now is to get out before we get killed.' With that, he twitched the reins and navigated another winding alley. The thin streets made it hard to get about in a hurry.

Rokam noticed a familiar set of colours through the smashed door of the house where he sat.
'Jaden!' he called. The other card dragon ducked in.
'Have you been tended to yet?' he asked, lookign at the white bandage around Rokam's shoudler. The club dragon nodded.
'I was losing too much blood, so they put new skin over it. I have to take care with it, though. They advised me to get out while I could.' Rokam noticed the dragon and the human, both lurking outside.
'Who're you?' he frowned, nodding towards them.

This time, Jackdaww took charge of introducing himself and Measle. “I’m Jackdaww, and this is Measle, my dragon.” He said. Measle grumbled, not believing that he belonged to Jackdaww in the slightest, but not arguing. He did argue, however, when Jackdaww dashed inside and came back with a roll of fabric. “Measle, you need your wing sorting, and I do have enough experience sorting broken bones to set it. Hold still.” He said, before grabbing at his wing. Measle winced as Jackdaww pushed the bone into place and bound it, but he had to admit that he hadn’t done a bad job. “Thanks.” He growled, before backing away from him. He didn’t want Jackdaww thinking that he was going to let him do that again.

"Lyrian! Tegan!" Relief washed over him when he saw the dragon and rider duo swoop out of the sky to their defense. "I'm glad to see the two of you still alive!" He had to shout over the whistling of the wind and the general uproar of battle to be heard, but it was an honest thanks. It would be a huge blow to their forces if any of the rider and dragon duos died during combat. The two looked a little beaten up, but he didn't ask what they had been doing this whole time. He could probably guess. He noticed though that there was no extra passenger between Lyrian's shoulders, and though he couldn't make out what was happening he still looked to the Southern gate. So, they couldn't rescue the prince, eh? Well, he would rather have live fighters than dead ones, even if it meant having to leave the Prince in Zartear's hold for now. There was another dark figure in the sky that marked the presence of a dragon, but he felt safer with Lyrian and Tegan here if that beast turned out to be an enemy. The party he was escorting on the ground was making good progress through the city now that they had a dragon clearing the way, and when Armeno offered his arrows, Talos gave him a short salute and a word of thanks. Extra ammunition would come in handy if push came to shove.

The closer that they got to the Northern gate, the less soldiers that they had to encounter. Civilians were flooding the street now, woken by the noise of battle. To them, Talos yelled for them to get out of the city, that Racksom had fallen and if they valued their lives, they would flee. The soldiers were gaining ground, but not with as much purpose or speed as the small group of survivors that Talos was a part of. He hoped that Lena had made it through alright and desperately hoped the the bulk of his surviving forces had made it to the Northern gate, out of harm's reach for the moment. From this height, he could see the gates and the huddled mass of survivors, his half-baked soldiers mingling with citizens of the city that had finally got the sense to flee when the soldiers started invading their homes. Of course, those on the ground would only be able to see the buildings between them and the gates, but it was a profound relief to know that everything had been set aflame yet.

.•º•.•º•.•º•.•º•.•º•.

The news that if she planned on taking Felren anywhere she was taking armed guards didn't phase her in the least. It was a good idea on Zartear's part and if he hadn't suggested it himself then his value as a leader would have dropped in her eyes. If he didn't have a clever head on his shoulders, then she would have been better off offering her service to the dodo that they had huffing and puffing orders for the Defenders. She bowed to his suggestion with a dip of her head, her face not changing expression at all. At the sound of the screaming from the man and woman, Deos snapped her attention to the struggling pair, her pleasant expression falling to one of mild disgust. It was always like this with the conquered. They simply never realized when it was a lost cause and that it may be better to give up. Of course the guardians hadn't given more than token resistance in the battle. The stories about their legendary prowess had probably been blown completely out of proportion after generations upon generations of elaborating on the tale by old men with too much time on their hands. Zartear's words piqued her curiosity and again her gaze swung to the black hair-leader, searching his face as he spoke. She wasn't quite sure if the savior he spoke of was his own self, or the guardians, and assumed the former. After all, she was sure that the man pictured himself as a great man here to save the people of Dragons Cove or something of the like.

The small conversation that passed between this man that Zartear addressed as Aquila and Felren went on without her comment, though she watched Felren carefully. Whatever was attacking him from the inside had him by the heart it seemed and every action was pained. Then suddenly, he was having another fit. This one seemed worse than the ones before, whatever it was that had been ailing him striking out with a vengeance. Something brushed her consciousness, insidious words slipping into her head. Deos had no desire to listen to whatever trite the creature was speaking, so she simply turned off her thoughts and blocked out the noise. Being a noble from Kaionar she had had extensive training on how to block out the invasive mental probes of others, and as soon as she had the voice out of her head, she let her mind go blank. This being, whatever it was, would glean no information from her even if it did manage to break through her mental fortress that she had constructed. Mental battles were all about force of will, and physical strength had little to do with it. Which was fortunate, because she had a very strong will that couldn't compare to her physical body and she had yet to meet any sorcerer that could take from her what she was willing to give. But now she was curious.

Felren was in no state to resist as Deos simply reached out and took hold of his forearm. The action would look like a gesture of concern to anyone else, but Deos was looking into the man, using her soul searching abilities to find out just what was under the human mask. The first thing she saw was Felren's face, torn with agony, then the facade was torn away, revealing the nasty little black creature that dwelled within him. It was ugly at best, hideous at worst, and had what was best described as tentacles stretched all through his body, the epicenter of the mess converging somewhere in Felren's stomach. She got the feeling of something else looking down at her with a menacing presence and looked up, coming face to face with a rather large and pissed looking dragon. With a cry, Deos let go of Felren's arm as if she had been shocked, her horse startled by the noise into stepping away. With a hand over her racing heart, she realized that the dragon she had seen was not a physical being, but one that was inside Felren as part of his being. "This is no ordinary magic." She hissed, trying hard to regain her composure. It wouldn't do to show weakness in the present company, especially since Zartear and this Aquila man already though very little of her for being a woman. "It is a physical being that dwells within him. A parasite, as real and tangible as you or I."

Lena had been at the gate for what seemed like hours, it was probably closer to a span of a half hour or so but time meant little when your husband had yet to show up. Worry had clawed its way into Lena’s gut and she was forced to keep herself busy helping people out of the gate in order to keep from taking to the skies to search for him. “He said he would be back…” she reminded herself, as she helped a solider with a wounded arm out of the gate.

Once she was free of people to help Lena knelt on the ground, looking at her wounded thigh. Cursing she snapped the butt of the arrow off, biting back a scream of pain. It would have to wait to remove all of it; she had no want to bleed to death now that the flow from the wound had finally stopped. She experimentally put her foot on the ground and winced, drawing it back up as soon as it hit solid ground. Damn that woman, damn her to hell. Unfolding her wings, Lena pumped hard to get herself to the top of the gate. Crouching, with her wounded leg hanging off the side of the gate Lena scouted the area. She squinted as a dragon came into view and for a moment she felt her heart stop. The beast could slaughter them all if it were an enemy dragon. On closer inspection she saw others, riders, and…Talos! That bastard. She felt the sudden anger well up within her now that she knew he was safe. She suddenly felt like a worried mother over a child that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hug or smack. Half flapping her wings a few times, Lena got herself back on the ground and leaned against the gate on her good leg as she waited for Talos to land.

~*~*~*~

Felren screamed at the sheer agony he was in, and at the point in time it didn’t matter if he could see. His eyes were shut tight as he yelled feeling half his body go numb and the other as if it were on fire. A cold sweat broke out on his body that soon drenched him. He felt someone touch his arm but could do nothing about it; maybe they were going to put him out of his misery?

You stupid human, do no think I would allow you to die so soon. The dragon spoke to him and went still as he felt Deos enter his hosts body. He saw her presence and glared at it and was more then happy with her quick response to leave. Right now this body was overly crowded and in no need of other people or creatures.

Felren coughed blood, spitting it up and down his chin as it soaked his shirt. As he tried to open his eyes he became aware that he could no longer see. Panic set in and the dragon within him roared the human to stillness. You weak imbecile! The dragon took action now, allowing Felren to see though his dragon eyes and borrow his strength. It would mean he could feel more pain but this would at least allow him to move about some and not be flailing around in pain.

Felren’s lavender eyes were rimmed with the ruby red of the dragons eyes as he went silent and sat himself upright once more in the horse. “Your healers will die if they step near me.” He said more as a warning than a threat. Felren’s voice was mixed with the hissed noises of the dragon and his own. “You have seen the dragon and parasite, haven’t you woman?” He spoke to Deos now, she was visibly shaken and was trying to hide it but that mattered little to him. “You’ve seen what lies within me, are you still confident in your ability to find a healer?” He asked her, lines of stress were on his face but he was holding his own now enough to stay composed. Who knows how long the dragon would keep feeding him power…

When Atleon suddenly spoke, pointing a finger over the broken city, Rilos veered off the course he had been holding, dipping one wing to glide over to where the prince had pointed. More excited rambling spewed from the goblin, but Rilos ignored most of it, learning quickly that a lot of it was nonsense. He dipped down, flapping his wings to keep a little height, peering at the avian who was fluttering much lower to the ground to see if it really was Talos. It was hard to see if it was the person they were looking for, and Rilos was grateful that he had met Talos before the battle, or he would never have known what he was looking for.

Rilos felt a little pat on his side and he flinched slightly, turning his head in surprise. Flying with passengers was strange, they always did such unexpected things. As he soared down closer, he recognised that it was, indeed Talos, his pale banded wings flashing brighter against the dark of the city. He was heading towards the north gate, and now the came in closer, Rilos could see movement down the streets, people fleeing, small fights breaking out here and there, and archers plucking victims at will from the rooftops. He swept onto one of the larger rooftops, the slates cracking and sliding beneath his feet. His front leg buckled as he landed, stinging where he had been slashed at by one of the guards earlier. He took a little of the weight off, flapping his wings and hailing Talos, who he had landed a couple of rooftops in front of.

Mask's first thought was enemy, but as the girl got closer he relaxed. She didn't seem to want to fight him. Still, could be a trap. He didn't completely down his guard as he got closer to her, his sword being pulled from the stomach of another Surahnian. He gave a small sort of bow, his eyes never taken off her from behind his masked face. After all, he really wasn't sure if he could trust her or not. "Hello, M'lady," he said causously. "Tis not safe to be out here alone, I thought most of the town's folk and fighters had made it out by now?"

Tegan waved to Talos, a small smile on her face as she kept her body low on Lyrian's back. She did feel that though that that little girl and her dragon had given them so much of a problem, and kept them from rescueing Atleon. After all, that had been her assigned job in the beginning, had it not? She sighed slightly, but looked up as a shadow crossed over her. Who was coming? Lyrian was aware of the presence above them as well as she shot out another blast of fire after making sure to be behind the elf and the guardian's rider, to stop anyone coming that way. She left the trail of fire she caused as she spurred her wings to beat faster to shadow the horse again, ready to go out infront if they needed the path any clearer, or not.

The Presence from above was coming down though, and Tegan looked over quickly. Relieved to see that the dragon knew Talos, but that also Tegan knew the dragon. And low and behold! Rilos had the prince! Then they hadn't completely failed, just left the job to someone else. A wider smile spread on Tegan's face. The battle still seemed lost, but maybe, just maybe, they still had a chance then? She would hold on to that faith for as long as possible. After all, how else would they go on?

Finally, that shadow that had been looming over them descended, the dark form morphing into the familiar shape of a blue dragon as it landed on a rooftop. Relief flooded through him at the sight of Rilos, and he paused his flight, hovering a few feet in front of Rilos to take stock of the dragon. Like Lyrian and Tegan, Rilos had been wounded, favoring one of his forelimbs from which dark blood masked the blue scaled beneath. Again, he resisted the urge to ask what had happened, for he could probably guess. Though, unlike before, the big blue dragon now seemed burdened by passengers. One he recognized as the green goblin from Turich, but the other...

For the first time during the whole battle, Talos felt genuinely nervous. He knew the Prince when he saw him, battered and ragged as he was from his captivity at Zartear's hand. Lena had told him a little about the man but she hadn't divulged much about his nature, only that she had traveled with him for a bit before they she and Talos had met. He was always a little hesitant about talking to those that obviously outranked him, being little more than a poor laborer from a tiny insignificant village tucked behind the wild white reaches of the Northern mountains. Under normal circumstances, he assumed that speaking to this man would be far out of line for someone like himself, but these were hardly normal circumstances.

"Your highness." He began with a small nod of his head meant to convey his respect. "It's an honor to meet you, but proper greetin's will have to wait. My forces are gathering at the northern gates. I suggest we do the same before those Surhinians get here and obliterate what's left of my men." Talos was not a soldier by nature and hardly qualified to be a leader of men, but he had taken that responsibility in a blind leap of faith and was doing his best for those that were relying on his guidance. Right now, cutting losses and getting out seemed like the best option. Once his brown eyes flicked to the Northern gates and he saw a flash of white wings in the sky. Some of the tension in his heart eased knowing that Lena was safe and alive. Very soon he could see her again.

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Felren's words cut through the shroud of fear that had clouded her mind, the cool collected calm that she was used to returning at the reminder that this was no place for fear. Sobbing like a helpless woman wouldn't get her the power that she craved with every fiber of her being. She had indeed seen the parasite, and though such a thing was foreign to her, she could guess at it's intention, purpose and capabilities. Felren was coughing up blood, wracked by pain, and even the dragon soul that he possessed seemed like it was helpless to push the being out. "Yes." Her voice was weak, so she cleared her throat and spoke again, lifting her chin and squaring her shoulders. "Yes, I am confident in my healer's abilities. If he can not cure you, then your illness is nigh incurable. He is the best that I know of." Unconsciously she folded her hands across her saddle horn, her horse dancing nervously under her. It was a war horse, but obviously not one that had been well-trained to deal with the stresses of battle, or else simply young. Either way, it was not dealing well with the scents of fire and the screaming that came from Felren or the fleeing citizens.

Starling dipped her head in an equally cautious bow, before finally folding her wings down behind her back again. “So they have, and I shall be joining them soon. I just wanted to see this city before we left.” She said. The mask that the man wore confused her a little, but she thought it best not to ask about it. Her charm bracelet jingled at her wrist as she moved – silvery charms flashing in the dim light, as did the metallic tips of her bow. The strange blue feathers that she had used to fletch her arrows seemed to sparkle too, but no more than the silver-green flecks in her own feathered wings.

Last edited by Eldarwen on Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:35 am; edited 1 time in total

Siofra barely noticed Xavien smack his sword at someone to keep them clear but she did halt in her anger when he mentioned Atleon being free. It felt like a weight fell from her heart at this and she took a deep, shuddering breath, hanging her head a little, if only to take her eyes off of Xavien, wanting to grab a hold of Xavien to hold on to him to steady herself but she did not. She would not show any more weakness now, she could not afford it. He would never believe that she had done this for her reasons, for right reasons, even though they might seem a little off now, but this would serve a purpose sooner or later and she was not going to fail her own decisions, her own principles. She had started this and she was going to end it, and not even Xavien, no matter how much he meant to her, was going to get her to change her mind completely.

As he continued talking, she nodded, looking back up to him. “I know you know, and I know it has not been easy for you.” After all, they had spent a lot of time talking about exactly that and she knew that he was probably not very pleased about the fact that she had thrown a lot of his advice overboard by joining sides with Zartear and giving in to her emotions. She wanted to stop his flow of words but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him not to say those things because, even though she would not admit this to someone else, she needed him to say them. She needed him to tell her that he cared for her, that he was there for her. When he turned his face away, it tore at her heart. She desperately wanted to throw herself into his arms, to touch him, kiss him, or at least just be close to him, but again she refrained from doing so. It would not help their situation. It was already hard enough as it was.

When he turned back to face her, she was searching his face, seeing resolve and a rather clear intent she could not figure out yet. Siofra quickly realised that Xavien had a plan and she was fairly certain that the end of it might not be something she would intent to follow up on, but nevertheless, she immediately followed him as – to her surprise – he began walking into the field of battle instead of away from it, like he had wanted to at first. She had no idea what exactly he wanted to show her and she did not ask. She trusted him, with her life, thus she would not question his motives and simply follow his lead for now as they walked towards the buildings towards the relative center of Racksom where the fierceness of the battle had been raging earlier on but seemed to have quieted down a little in the meantime. The battle had moved on, even though there were still fighting parties spread out here and there, yet at least it made Siofra’s awareness return to her surroundings as well instead of keeping exclusively focused on Xavien.

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Xavien walked at a steady pace. He saw no one coming for them either, most of the fighting was sparse and in separate areas now. There was little danger to someone like himself or Siofra, long as they kept inconspicuous. As he walked he wondered how he was going to deal with this madnes. Her on a side... he hadnt wanted to take a side. Was it possible... he was going to have to? He refused to go against Kevv though... he knew exactly how that would end, iit wouldnt be too pretty thats for sure. He was surprised anyone had gotten to kill her. Though he had heard of her dying before. But that was what worried him most. She would likely return and be even better then before. Plus he knew a good bit about quite a few in this already, with the research he had done. Why had Siofra joined these people? What was she hoping to accomplish with this sadistic madman who called himself their Leader? This leader had crossed quite a few lines this day, and one at least, he was going to throroughly regret, and Xavien knew it. It was a time ebfore Xavien saw the building he felt the familiar energy in. He opened the door cautiously, seeing no one living in there. Yet the body of someone remained in that building, still radiating magic fairly strongly. It was ebbing away yes, but the tumuluous amount of power within that body was naturally going to take time to truly die off.

He sighed, standing straight finally. "Many years ago, before I had even came to this planet... I had gotten a rather mysterious request from someone." He said. "He gave me more gold and jewels then ive ever had offered to me for a job. Then he gave me my target. Told me it was some creature, named Kevv. she lived in a big castle and seemed to be a leader of sorts. This didnt bother me in particular.... IVe killed emporers ebfore. I wondered why I was paid so much though, why the reward was so high for this.... I wondered that up until I encountered her. I didnt get to assassinate her simply. No, she had caught me as soon as I entered the room, and she had been in a dead sleep." He said to Siofra softly. He changed then too.... taking the demon form she had seen of him once before, at her home. He grunted, rolling his shoulders, adjusting quick to the body. Then he opened the same mind link betwen them too.... To let her not only see, but feel what happened in his soul and in this case, who he had fought. He just wanted her to see what she was likely going to go against in the future, if she followed her path this blindly.

What she got to see was.... alot. A younger Xavien, and a bit of a younger Kevv too. Though the two were locked in full-on combat. Xavien rather was in his demon form by this time as well in the memory, at his fullest potential. It was admittable he was making Kevv work of course.... she was not having such an easy time with him. Yet... Kevv was still in her original form too. She didnt take her Kevvx or Kevvile froms against him. She ahd known Xavien was a bit misguided in even coming there.... She just threww some random blasts of certain elements at him, and parried him when he came near, or knocked him back from her with a blast wave of some sort. Xavien was angry too, so angry, he couldnt sem to touch this female, couldnt get to her. Throwing a world-shattering blast at her, just for it to get absorbed in some type of void she procured in front of ehr. He just slashed furiously, his mind hell-bent upon destroying her too. Yet, Kevv did nothing yet. Until it seemed finally, she had reached a point in this.... Well Kevv switched quickly, very quickly. She took on the form of Kevvx.... at this point the tables switched, faster then Xavien could really predict too. Xavien fought with rage in his heart... he knew how to strike that was sure. But to fight a being who basically existed off of sheer rage, yet could keep the head to be a precise attacker.... it wasnt a good and balanced battle. Kevvx had almost killed Xavien in it. He slashed and struck, though it was noticeable Kevx had two maces for this instead of his swords. He didnt want to decapitate Xavien.... Kevvxs' heart pounded with the sheer, poisonous rage all through it. His anger beyond a level most would call sane. But he held himself together... Kevv, it seemed, keeping him in control some. Though once Xavien fell, after a very heavy blow to the shoulder.... Kevvx switched back. Becoming Kevv once more. Xavien could only feel that harsh ache in his shoulder, near hs neck and head.... he was sure bones ahd snapped with that swing. Though that hadnt lasted long either, no.... Kevv mended what was broken rather too. "You fight strong Xavien, but our view of the battle itself is quite strained and inaccurate.... you were sent to take my life. Yet.... taking my life is something I cant allow, of course. For even if you did kill me, I... I dont want to return with a grudge against you. For THAT Could be dangerous. Fo such a tormented being though, living from the blood he makes others shed for the glory of someone else.... hmm.... perhaps I can help some way." Xavien of course was no less then shocked by her... reaction to this all. Most who stopped an assassin after them would destroy them right away! Yet no.... Kevv sensed a better outcome for this being, if he just saw things clearer. At this point though the Real Xavien let the memory fall, let his form return to humanoid too... growling a bit at the sudden cange, the pain of it and discomfort...

He shook his head, giving a heavy sigh, looking to her. "I dont want you having to go against her. It seems she is here, and was killed by someone im sure was from the side you are on. I kept with Kevv for a few months after that day, because she had insisted on such... I left only because I didnt want my Father causing them trouble there." He told ehr. He had staed as a friend too, KEvv had not at all wanted a mate during that time it had seemed. Then again she was always pretty occupied, her time for that in that period of time was... too limited. "Im pretty sure ehr kind arent pleased with this, ill not be surprised if the Defenders gain a very powerful set of allies from this." He told ehr gently. Shaking his ehad. "But yet.... I am sure too that you dd this for a reason. I cant ignore that, oyu dont seem too hasty in decisions like that. I didn't wanna take a side when I had came to this place. But..." HHe sighed a bit. Was he really going to try this mess? Did he REALLY want to take a side in this? Or at least pretend to. "I think in the end, I will have to make the same move..... Though perhaps... for a different kind of reason." He said softly. He was getting a plan, a good plan, a solid plan it was. Yes, this could work, and work extremely well... It was just... how to do it?

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Kevvile chuckled inside his host. Oh this was so amusing. Kevvile couldn't remember when he had last had such a fulfilling, good time. This Felren, this powerful creature and the weak human side too, were on tap for him to do what he liked. He was known too, he kenw he was stirring everyone around there. Making fear, making panic, making hopelessness. Such feelings Kevviel thrived from. He was going to stress this Felren to hte max, and almost constantly... oh he could try to lead these people but Kevvile was going to make it almost impossible to keep up straight the entire time he was supposed to be looking strong for whoever was in his cmmand. He would wreak havoc. He dared them to come to get him out too. Oh he would make their effots seem half-futile... they could get close all they wanted. The Sahdow magics Kevvile could tap wee bound to make their efforts far, far difficult. Plus the other methods he had against those who would coemf or him in this body he now was rooted throughout.... he just dared them.

Though this Zartear was amusing most of all. Refusing to let Felren leae even, when he was pretty sure these mages he had were well, pitiful. Id take them probably more the they realized to get enar this parasite. To get near whatever you wanted to call Kevvile. KEvvile hismelf didnt even know what he truly was... before he ahd been this soul, he had been a very, very strange creature indeed, not a dragon at all, yet... almost undescribable. And tough to see. He was made into this, to actually save him from the wracking, horrendous pains and hauntings the shadowfiends had made that had constantly haunted him..... this existance to him was actually a relief. For before, he had been weak, and scared almost all the time. Depressd and hopeless... he could never escape them, there was no rest.... they hadnt even le thim eat properly, they were wicked as they come. Yet he had been given a way out, and took it... thus... here he was now. Though he had learned htis kind of change on his own.... and he was going to use it to its full extent too, to do what he was asked to do with it.

Siofra followed Xavien without hesitation as they wound their way through the streets, dodging people here and there so nobody would get any stupid ideas when it came to the two of them. Neither was in a fighting mood and if someone did decide to step into their path, that person would not meet a nice end. When Xavien steered towards a particular building, she began wondering even more what exactly it was he wanted to show her, though when they entered, the sight that presented itself had not been what she expected to find. The first thing she noticed however was the strong pulse of magic that was inside this building and coming from the body that was lying in it, or so it seemed. Siofra let her eyes gaze over the remains, wondering who on earth this creature had been when Xavien began recounting a story.

Feeling something change beside her, she looked at Xavien who was now transforming into his demon form and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Now she knew what he planned on doing and it kept her shivering. The last time he had shown her a memory, it had been very intense and exhausting with her body not lacking anything. This time however, she was not sure how she was going to get through it with the pain throbbing in her side, though at least the blood seemed to have stopped flowing completely. Siofra was already tired and she was scared that she might have to pay dearly for this experience, but the thought of refusing Xavien did not even cross her mind.

Siofra was thrown full in to the memory, combat raging, as was the fury inside Xavien’s mind and it struck her like a blast, making her breathe heavily. She had not bargained with such a strong emotion straight from the start and that had been a mistake. His anger at not being able to get to the dragon-like female in front of him was eating away at her and Siofra was stunned by the sheer force of the battle although it somehow seemed like their strengths were still not completely unleashed. To her dislike, it turned out she was right and when the female began changing into a different form, the darkness and fury of it threatened to crush her, even though it was only a memory. Though she jumped as the being almost killed Xavien, her heart racing at the shock, even though she knew it was a memory, it had already happened and he was standing before her, very much alive. A small wave of relief passed through her as Kevv healed Xavien where he had been struck, though she did not fully understand the gesture. And soon after, Xavien let the memory fade, leaving behind only the echo of the emotions, which was still enough to be tearing away at Siofra. She could still feel her heart pounding and she had never stopped trembling. “What… Why?” she whispered as Xavien switched back to his human form. She barely heard his following words however as the blood began rushing in her ears and the shivers set off the pain at an alarming level. That little avian bitch had hit her harder than Siofra had wanted to admit and now it was slowly beginning to take its toll. “I don’t want you to get involved,” she managed to whisper before dizziness hit her. Desperately trying to find a wall to steady herself, Siofra put out a hand in search of one, holding out her injured hand as well in an attempt for balance, as dots began appearing in front of her eyes and her knees began to buckle.

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Xavien sighed a bit, trying to think straight again. IT toko a bit to really focus, His form-shifting hit the senses pretty hard he would admit. But he refused to stay demonic-looking, it just.... didnt suit him too much. Plus it would draw too much attention out and about would it not? "Kevv doesnt prejudice herself agains thtose who seem vile, weak... or anything of the sort or close..." He said softly. "She was the only being, aside from yourself, to truly accept me for what I was and am. She did not care who I came from, where I had been or anything....It was the strangest time in my life too, The only time I had felt a true degree of trust for anyone. Aside from you of course." He told her gently. "But that power, that vigorous, unexplainable power.... I jsut... I dont want you being killed while invading. I dont think I could live with it if you did." He told her. Trying to just hold back emotion.

However once she leaned against the wall, and began to pale, Xavien went to her. "Are you alright?" He asked ehr. Though he knew the answer pretty much. "Damnit..." He muttered, but he picked Siofra up into his arms, cradling her gently. "Well Isuppose if im gonna get into this, might as well do it the easy way." He said. "And yeah, im gettin involved. I cant sit by and watch you go runnin into death and decay and not be a part of t at the very least. If I cant convince you to turn away from it, then by the gods im comin with you." He told her. Carrying her out of the building with him too. He wondered for a bit, how he was going to do this. He would have a bit to explain over it. Though he had a fairly good explanation too. Perhaps he would say she got hit with osmething earlier, and well it was getting to her now. For well if he were the one to do it, he wouldnt bring her to them would he?

Yes, that should work well. "Just hang tight, ill get you to someone who can fix it." He said to her softly. Rather somone sprang for him as hewalked with her, though completely regretted it. He swung around pretty fluidly, keeping Siofra steadily as possible. Bringing a foot to their neck, knocking the wind from them. Once they fell he took their neck in between his feet, and jerked to the side. snapping their neck... Then he shook his ehad. "Almost ruthless. But annoying as all hell." He muttered. Indeed these people needed to learn how to fight. Alot of them were so damn obvious about their moves and tactics, it was just alarming. How many of these people had been properly trained to fight? A farmer shouldnt be just running into war. No, theyd typically get their head lopped off so quickly! He found who he was looking for though. "Well, might as well make it formal..." He said with a bit of distaste. But he pressed onward. Well, heading toward Zartear with Siofra in his arms, seeming... well worried, and a bit angry too... ut whoever had made this move, was going to regret it. Xavien swore that one to himself... oh he would find whoever made this happen, and it wasnt going to be too pretty.

Last edited by Eldarwen on Tue Dec 28, 2010 7:14 am; edited 1 time in total

Distantly, Siofra heard Xavien’s words and attempted a smile, happy that there seemed to be a powerful, well, ally for him somewhere out there, someone who was good for him, someone who helped him, or at least had helped him. Even though she was still a little confused as to why he was so certain that this Kevv would be involved more in this battle, even though her body was there with them, she did not for once question his motives for this. She was simply happy that he trusted her, like she trusted him. It felt good after such a long time of fending for herself without really trusting anyone, Atleon being the exception. And even though Xavien’s individual words now got lost in the haze of pain that was obscuring her mind, she was very glad he was with her now, catching her just before her knees gave away completely. It was comforting to feel his arms around her, cradling her, it felt right, and she fully leaned against him now as he started to make his way out of the building with her and through the streets of Racksom.

She regularly blacked out now, the blood loss getting to her and she only heard the sound of his voice, but not the actual words, though she thought to catch the general drift of what it was he was saying, the determination in his voice giving him away, though how sure could she really be in her current state. If he really was saying what she thought he was saying, it was not something she liked but she did not argue; he would not let her anyway, but could she really let him do this? A few more seconds were lost to her and she regained consciousness when they were jumped by an amateur once more. “Xavien,” she whispered, “don’t do this to yourself. Don’t get into trouble for me.” It was a weak attempt, she knew it, but she had to try. There was yet time for him to turn around and not get involved. It did not need to happen this way. She tried to look at him but very soon let her head drop back against his chest, resting, for even such a small movement had sent her head spinning like mad again.

And then time had run out. Xavien had found the whereabouts of Zartear and seemed to be heading straight for him? “Oh this is going to be hell,” she muttered. Zartear already did not like her very much even though she was second in command behind Cato for the archers because of her skill, but he hated her guts personally, so this was going to be one fun conversation, she thought sarcastically, forcing herself to regain a little composure, which was not very easy with a still spinning head and severe pain, in the arms of a man, who she hoped was hiding that he had any kind of loving feelings towards her.

Kagan amused him, quite a lot so, and it was a rare thing to have someone like the goblin around, especially in times of battle, who managed to make you grin once in a while simply by being himself. Though Atleon did not pay any further attention to him, his eyes fixed on the scenes below him. The northern gate seemed to still be intact and a lot of people were heading towards it, being rallied together by helpful defender’s who seemed to be organising the evacuation with Talos. From the speech he had heard at the very beginning of the battle, Atleon had thought Talos had a little more sense when it came to fighting that what he seemed to be showing now. Of course, he could be doing the man injustice but the prince was rather displeased at the moment. The closer they got to the northern gate and to the many people gathered there, the more Atleon reined in his temper and adopted a fairly grim mask of determination, though his face did not betray any other emotions apart from that. There were quite a few people around the avian as well, though Atleon barely recognised any of them from anywhere. He might have encountered them at some point in her life, especially the girl on horseback seemed to look somewhat familiar, but he could not place her, at least not yet.

As Rilos brought them closer to the group, Atleon saw the relieved smile on Talos’ ace and that of the female dragonrider’s face and quickly after the hope that seemed to be radiating from her. He was glad he had that kind of effect on her, because it was exactly what he was going to aim for in every single person from Racksom gathered at the Northern gate. These people needed hope, and with a little decent guidance and some tactics, they would then form one hell of a battle troop, he was sure of it. Some of them might not know how to properly fight but he was going to keep those at the back, for organisational jobs that desperately needed done as well, while the fighters were going to hold the forefront. “Thank you, Rilos,” Atleon lightly patted the dragon to show his gratitude, though he remained put for the time being.

As Talos addressed him, Atleon listened intently, his face remaining unchanged. Proper greetings would indeed have to wait but it was already an opening Atleon did not much care for, though he still nodded silently in acknowledgment. “You have done well, Talos. Keep gathering the troops, but separate the fighters and warriors from those that have absolutely no idea what they’re doing. You may be right that losses need to be cut, but by fleeing you’re going to kill every single person in this city. The Surahnians will never show mercy and they will either enslave everyone or kill them on the spot. There are no other options. We will fight and we will show those little rebels who they’re dealing with.” Turning towards Rilos again, he put a hand on the dragon’s neck. “Do you feel up for giving me a ride down to the gate so I don’t have to climb down the roof? You need to get your wound checked before you doing anything else as well.” Looking over the others, the goblin, the elf and woman on horse that were not too far away from them that seemed to be with Talos as well as the girl on her dragon, he added: “This goes for all of you. I need fighters who can handle another few hours of battle, and if you want to participate, you will want to do so in your best possible condition.”

» (C1, Racksom) The Making of Men (12th Board)
» Tremors in the Earth....C1, Racksom (4th Board)
» (North of Azure caves, east of Racksom) ~~~~Peace in the Everplains~~~~6th Board
» The Destruction of Quinsilla.....T1 (1st Board)
» (C1, Racksom) Surnames in Surahnia (19th Board)

C1 Racksom~~~~And then, there was War~~~~(5th Board)

C1 RacksomAnd then, there was War(5th Board)