Dragons of Gralfor

[Angelus]

Alezal could not help but let out a sigh and hoped that Atherron did not hear it. He hated having to explain things to everyone, especially when they showed up late. He waited until Anoth stopped moving through the air before he said, I know you have not been told about this, especially since you came to the battle right near the end but Amber told me a Dragon Knight she saw flying away from the direction of the orcs four days ago. I know that we should not be suspecting each other but given what just happened in the battle, how we were almost beaten it does sound a little true. Then you come flying along from behind us without a warning. I think what we did was reasonable after everything that has happened in the past few days.

He sat up in the saddle then, slid Judgement underneath it and reached out for Ari and Rhea once again. When he felt her just below him he asked Anoth to fly down lower and smiled when he saw the tip of a dragon's tail poking out from the sand. He asked Anoth to land next to the tail and as soon as he did he felt Ari's presence as clear as a bell in front of him.

He jumped down from the saddle and ran in her direction, hoping she was there.

 

[cats]

Amber

IC: Off in the horizon was the growing image of our comrades, clearly disturbed by something and on edge. However they appeared to begin moving again. All the same Opal was trying to show off due to my previous encouragement and may in fact be one of the fastest dragons in the land.

Closing quickly with the group. I announced our presence. So any sign of our comrades?

 

[Bladesman]

Malyn stroked his chin thoughtfully as he studied the maps. He touched several points on the maps and nodded to himself. He motioned to the Dwarven King and pointed out the spots he had been looking at.

"Use these spots here, have the dwarves make their stand at those points. its much narrower there. If you make your stand there, you can hold back a large amount of goblins with only a few dwarves. Tell me do you have any ranged weapons? Or for that matter pikes and or any other type of long spear or halbred?"

Malyn's look was thoughtful as he considered several things.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

Atherron

Atherron was silent as Alezal explained about the possible rogue that was on the loose, and then he remembered seeing a fifth dragon and rider show up briefly during the battle from the direction of Suivea. But Atherron waited to mention this until after Alezal had finished explaining things.

Yes, your reaction to a dragon coming up from behind unannounced was reasonable, replied Atherron, choosing wisely to not add but the lecture afterwards was not. That rogue dragon and rider that Amber mentioned wouldn’t happen to be the same one that showed up briefly during the battle and launched a fireball at the orcs, right?

By this time, Alezal was already on his way down to the ground. Apparently he had found Ari and Rhea. Atherron reached out with his mind towards the spot where Alezal was at, locating for himself the presences of Ari and Rhea. He found Rhea without much trouble, but Ari was another matter; from what Atherron could tell from the touch of her mind, she was exhausted and weak, and not to mention, out cold. Rhea, on the other hand, was at least conscious, if not just as tired.

Atherron began sending energy down to both Ari and Rhea, but only a small trickle to each of them; he needed direct physical contact to be able to transfer enough energy to overcome the amount of energy they were using just to stay alive.

Shela, put us down on the other side of Rhea from Anoth, said Atherron to his dragon. We don’t want to get too close due to his bad temper, but we still need to land in order to help Ari and Rhea.

With that, Shela began a slow, spiraling descent so that Anoth had time to accept the fact that they were going to be relatively close by due to necessity, with Shela eventually landing near where Rhea’s head was supposedly at.

 

[Kalika84]

Cherise and Shar nodded as they listened to Alezal and Anoth. Then a grin spread across her face and she whooped in joy. Calling out to the others she fair bounced on Shar with happiness. "They've found them!!!." Urging Shar on the plummeted down until Shar snapped her wings open causing them to glide swiftly along the ground before circling around infront of where Alezal and Anoth had landed and thumping down onto the sand.

Cherise saw the huddle of dragon and woman that was Ari and Rhea...speaking aloud she murmured..."Oh gods...are they alright?" She rushed over to see how she could help her friends. Dropping to a knee next to the dragon she rested her forehead against her hot scales...so hot...in the sun much to long."

Looking up to the sky she called out to Amber. Amber! you need to get down here...they are both very dehydrated...water would be a blessing right now. As well as shade...though I am not sure how you manage that.

She murmured continuously to Ari and Rhea that it would be okay, that they were here for them, while she waited for Amber.

 

[Wolfsister]

Rhea felt the barest spark of energy begin to flow towards them, she grasped at it with her mind and channelled most of it towards Ari. Along with the additional energy from Atherron, Ari's mind began to clear. But she would need much more attention once he got to her, to completely restore her. Or at least, restore her a little.

Rhea shifted in the sand, feeling Cherise's hands on her scales and she leaned towards the other dragons, feeding on there essences like a starving man feeding on the sight of a feast. Their collective concern rose from them in waves and the proud dragon was grateful for their friendship. She was still too weak too speak to them, the link she held with Ari too precious for her to sever.

Rhea sat and waited for Atherron to work his magic. At least enough so that they could begin to heal on their own.

 

[cats]

Amber

IC: Opal descended like a comet toward the ground and then broke the fall with two wing flaps landing with the grace of a sparrow. I quickly dismounted Opal who quickly turned a concerned head to Rhea, were for the first time in a long time he said nothing to her. I smiled considering it the first smart advance he's made to her.

I on the other hand spells to cast. I cracked my fingers and smiled. "Shade is simple enough, although Rhea may have trouble fitting in the shadows." I simply raised my hands upward and spoke "wall" in draconic dialog that involved twisting my nose uncomfortably.

I sneezed promptly after the wall was fully formed, certain draconic words just were not made for humans to say and this last one always seemed to make my nose run.

The result was an impressive wall, although it was little Longer then Rhea only tall enough to coat the injured pair in its shade. The rest of us remained in the hot sun.

"As for water," I reached for my water skin quickly noticing it was empty from when I last gave her water. My smile faded. I couldn't help here, sure I could conjure water but like all conjurations it'd be temporary and quickly vanish once my magic was spent.

"We may need to journey to a spring to bring some back."

 

[Jedi_Khan]

Atherron

Atherron moved towards Rhea, still expecting an answer from Alezal, but it apparently wasn’t forthcoming, so Atherron turned his attention to healing Rhea. He placed his hand on her neck, and closing his eyes, he began to focus, sending large quantities of energy towards Rhea. He stood like a statue next to Rhea for quite awhile, not even noticing as Amber conjured a wall off to one side for shade. Atherron had a feeling that Rhea was funneling a good deal of the energy he was sending her towards Ari; he knew Shela would do the same.

Atherron gave Rhea more than half of his available energy, which was a vast amount, but it would only be enough for Ari to recover on her own, not Rhea. For Rhea, Atherron needed a different means of energy transfer. Thankfully, he had a spell that would do the trick; it was one that he had created himself for times like this, and while crude and ingenious, it was effective.

Rhea, I need you to stretch out one of your wings into the light of the sun, said Atherron to Rhea. He had finally noticed the wall that was providing shade, and he didn’t like it because it would severely limit the effectiveness of his spell. He considered asking Amber to get rid of it, but decided not to, seeing as how it was necessary for Ari.

When Rhea stretched out a wing into the sun light, Atherron moved over to it and laid his hand on it. He began to silently chant a long, complex string of elvish and draconic words. When he was done, nearly a minute later, Rhea would feel a steady stream of energy start to flow into her from her outstretched wing. The spell that Atherron had cast had essentially turned Rhea’s wing into an energy collector, taking the light from the sun and converting it into energy that Rhea could use. The spell had very little drain on Atherron despite its complexity because it used a portion of the energy it converted to maintain itself, while still allowing Atherron to control how long the spell lasted.

If the wall that Amber had conjured up hadn’t been there, Atherron could have made Rhea’s entire body into an energy collector, increasing the flow of energy nearly fivefold. But as it was, only Rhea’s outstretched wing could gather energy.

Atherron then noticed Amber’s empty water skin and faintly recalled that she had said they would need to go find a spring in order to fill up.

“Ari and Rhea can’t leave here yet, so I suggest you try drawing water up from the ground below us in order to fill your water skin Amber. In the meantime, Ari can have some of the water I have with me,” said Atherron as he moved over to Shela and removed one of the water skins from her saddle, taking it back towards Ari and Rhea, waiting for Ari to recover enough to drink on her own.

I want you to leave your wing stretched out like this until further notice, alright Rhea? said Atherron. Now that you and Ari have some energy, how are you doing? Anything else that I can help you with?

 

[Angelus]

The first thing Alezal thought as soon as he laid his eyes upon Ari and Rhea was that they were dead, even though he could feel the slight trace of their life flowing from them. He hated to see one of his fellow knights in this predicament and wondered how it had come to this. In the past two hundred years they had not been in a battle that had drained them as much as this one and yet he knew there was another, an even bigger one ahead. As he looked around at the others he wondered if they were going to be enough, if the five of them could rid Kergal of the orcs that infested it. He closed his eyes, pondering that question. As soon as he did however Anoth's voice came to him We will be able to rid the city of those orcs; we had no problems with the others.

Alezal looked at him and wanted to say something to him but no words would come. It was as if he could not bring himself to say the right words or even the wrong ones. He stood there for a second longer before he looked in the direction of the mountains. As soon as he did he wanted to laugh out loud for not thinking of it in the first place. Why is it they had to go into the city with only five knights when there was a sixth inside the Citadel. He closed his eyes again and reached out towards the Citadel, finding it instantly.

Nicolas. We need your help. There are problems within the kingdom; Kergal has been-

Suddenly his message was cut off, as if a solid wall had slammed down between himself and the Citadel. He could still see it but it was as if it was in a dream, as if it were insubstantial. He opened his eyes with shock and opened his mouth to tell the others what he had found but when he saw that they were busy still tending to Ari and Rhea he shut his mouth.

Instead he sent a message to Cherise, Something weird just happened. I tried to send a message to Nicolas and was cut off. It was as if a wall just snapped into place and now I cannot see the Citadel clearly. I want to go and see what is happening up there but I know that I cannot. Can you see if you can reach the Citadel and Nicolas; just to see if it is not just me.

He looked back up at the mountains and wondered what was happening up there. He hoped that Nicolas was still alive and that the Citadel still stood. He knew that it would take a great amount of magic to even reach that place which sent a shiver up his spine and made him question again what was going on.

 

[Angelus]

As Rorg stood there and listened to the arguement raging before him he hoped for two things. That the dragons would join his cause and that they would not just kill him for coming here. As he listened to them he knew that there was no way he could understand what they were talking about but it would be rude of him to walk away from them, something that would surely get him killed. He continued to stand there, especially when he noticed that some of the dragons were looking in his direction. He could tell just by the level of their collective voices that alot of them were not happy with him being here.

Just then he got a snippet of something that he could understand from the one he had shouted at earlier, "-we have been here, under the heel of the humans for far too long. We used to rule these lands and now we cower here like lowly dogs. These orcs want to give us our lands back!"

The dragon he had been speaking to started to say something but switched to draconic and gestured to Rorg and the other orcs that were standing there. As soon as it did the warriors Rorg had brought with him started to move away until Rorg looked at them. They all stopped suddenly and moved towards him as the dragons began to shout at each other even louder. Rorg could tell that something was about to happen between the pair as they moved closer to each other, bearing their teeth and spreading their wings as they did.

Just then the one that had brought Rorg here backed away and said something else to the other dragon before taking to the air. Rorg wondered what was going on and was shocked when several other dragons took to the sky, enough to block out the sun. The warriors that were with Rorg made a frightened sound and Rorg knew they had every right to be afraid. He looked up at the dragons and held his weapon tightly in his right hand. He knew they were not going to kill him without a fight.

It was then that he heard a familiar voice. The one that had brought them here shouted out that he was with them as were the others but if they wanted to live they had to run now. Rorg looked up at the dragons then the ones on the ground, knew he needed no other words and moved away from the dragons as fast as he could.

 

[Wolfsister]

Rhea sighed as Atherron began to funnel even more of his vast power into her. She, of course, kept only a minimal amount for herself, and gave the rest in promotion to the recovery of her Knight. Nothing else mattered and she soon sensed from Atherron's behaviour that it was best she do this.

When it came her turn, she almost refused. Not in any sense of selfishness, she just simply wanted Ari to be better, she did not overly care for herself. But she did as Atherron bade, giving up much of the energy she had allowed herself to stretch out her wing into the sunshine. Much of her effort was then used to keep it there, but with every minute that passed, that effort was slowly becomming easier and easier to manage.

Soon, she would be recovered sufficiently enough to fly and do her other duties, though the crimson dragon suspected that most of her recovery would take time. As most recoveries did. But the energy that streamed through her system was enough to make her bellow and trumpet into the air with triumph - her voice growing louder as she sought out Ari's mind and sensed it clearing.

I want you to leave your wing stretched out like this until further notice, alright Rhea? Now that you and Ari have some energy, how are you doing? Anything else that I can help you with?

Rhea turned and stretched her neck towards Atherron, her draconic smile benevolent. We are doing well, Little Healer. There is no need for worry. I suspect that our full recovery will come in time. You have done well. She inclined her head his way, her eyes pinning him to the ground regally, I thank you, for Arianna's life.

Then she turned her massive head back towards Arianna who was still sprawled on her back between her wings. She obediently kept her wing stretched out, understanding that it was the touch of the sun that kept the spell from falling apart. She nudged the still unconscious woman, for a moment worried as to why she wasn't coming to.

She sustained many wounds during our last battle, Knight Atherron. Perhaps you could see to them next?

 

[Angelus]

Thoren looked at the elven Dragon Knight and wanted to ask him if he thought the dwarves were so stupid they did not know how to defend their own home but he kept his tongue and just looked at him. He had been the master of this hall far longer than he could remember; it felt like a lifetime that he knew how to keep its inhabitants safe. He knew though that these goblins were something different. They had not attacked in so large a number and had never attacked the hall before. He shook his head, trying to dispel those thoughts from his head as he once again looked at the Dragon Knight.

"We have done that elf but the goblins keep attacking those points until they 'ave been overwhelmed and the dwarves that guard them dead. We 'ave never 'eard of them do so before and this be something new but they do so now. It is as if they are scared o' going back out into the light, as if they 'ave to take this hall or die trying."

He then remembered the elves next question, "Aye, we 'ave crossbows but we do not 'ave near enough of them. We 'ave no long spears though as we 'ave 'ad no use for them until now. I wish that we could conjure them out o' thin air right now as they would be a great 'elp."

He looked down at the map again and did not was to admit that he might be looking at the loss of his beloved home. He wished that he could do something to stop these goblins here and now then raised his head to look at the elf.
"When are the elves ye called comin' 'ere? If there is any time they be needed it be now."

 

[BlueMary]

Kordra grunted in thanks as another orc sat a plate of food next to her and stepped away. Many of them respected her, but few cared to attach themselves to the volatile warrior. She stared hard into night as she tore a chunk of bread from the loaf, as usual pondering the purpose of this excursion. Of course it wasn't her place to question but still, her mind was naturally curious. She let out a low growl as she sighed, indicative of her brooding mood. She couldn't see it but in her mind saw the other orcs shy away a little at the sound. She smirked at the thought of the fierce tribe of fighters being scared of her. To look at her wouldn't bring forth thoughts of the savage fury she displays on the battlefield or even much of a threat compared to the more heavy orcs. A few moments before daylight broke over the distant horizon she heard the chief's harsh, guttural cry to begin their march once more.

She sighed as she hefted her axe and set it across her shoulders which was an interesting contrast to the whoops and happy cries of the warriors' who were eager for a true fight. As always the spot near the old orc was open for her. He gave her a wicked grin that implied his anticipation for battle, though most likely he would be at the back "commanding" instead of at the forefront of the upcoming skirmish. She forced a slight grin and took off running with the rest of the orcs. The several hundred in this particular group could care less if the enemy saw them coming and in fact loved the fact that their stampede was noticed. Maybe this time the humans would actually be ready for a fight.

 

[cats]

Amber

IC: I would more then happily draw water up from the ground had I much magic energy left, but the long nights battle had been draining on my reserves and I didn't have much talent at the subtleties of nature magic.

The best bet was to hurry to the spring and back. It wasn't to far, near the citidel in fact. I looked at Alezal with a bit of detest, little good it did he wasn't aware of why I was angry and knowing him it'd be a while yet before he did.

Alezal, I am going to stop at the springs near the citdel and refill my water skins.

I then turned to Opal who was hopelessly looking at Rhea long to flirt in some way and yet aware that now was a very poor time to do so.

Opal well be heading to the citidel to get some water, make yourself ready.

 

[Bladesman]

"A moment milord. I can aid you in the area of crossbows and longspears in a moment." He closed his eyes for a moment and opened his mind to Skye, He nodded in a reassuring way as he felt Skye's presence. Malyn put his hands on the hilt of his right falchion as he stretched out his mind toward the elven realm.

When he felt a familiar presence touch his own, Malyn began to talk in the ancient language of magic. "Lord Falco, the dwarves need your aid, they are under attack . I know our two races haven't always gotten along. But you know as well as I that what affects the dwarves will affect on us as well. Especially if the flow of fine steel is cut off by the loss of the Dwarves. As such Milord, request you a legion of rangers to aid me in helping the dwarves to defend their hall.

Malyn broke off the communication when he felt his kings acceptance and reply that they legion would be there soon. He looked at the dwarven king with a smile. "Milord king, the elves are on their way. Tell me how many pikes and long spears would you need to make a stand at the choke points?"

 

[AnonymousWryter]

Kodagon perched himself high on the cliff face, overlooking the council of dragons that had assembled deep in the mountains. Despite his colossal size, none but those in the air would be able to see him from this viewpoint, and he could safely watch proceedings without drawing attention. Before the council lay a host of orcs, they’re green forms could be seen shifting nervously. All except one. This one stood at the front of the host, his determination and steadfastness seaming to be the only thing keeping the 200 strong warband from fleeing. Kodagon mentally marked him down.
His attention was then drawn into the heated debate raging amongst the dragons. They seemed equally divided, his own followers, arguing for an alliance with orcs, and the other’s promoting the peace that had lasted two hundred years.
Just then a young dragon, the one that had brought the orc’s before the council switched into common and yelled,
"-we have been here, under the heel of the humans for far too long. We used to rule these lands and now we cower here like lowly dogs. These orcs want to give us our lands back!" Switching back into Draconian he gestured towards the warband. “These creatures have honour, they respect the strength of the dragon’s! They come here to negotiate and deal! Yet the elder’s tell us of our first meetings with humans, how they replaced words with cold steel! Yet here we sit, at PEACE with them!?” Roars of agreement and disapproval met those words, and they fell back into debate.
Kodagon had spoken many times with this dragon, had talked with him and many other’s since they were hatchlings, watching them grow capable and strong. They had spoken of many things, of times when dragon’s ruled this land, when all the skies were their domain. Then talk had turned to the travesty that was the human occupation, and the deaths of many of their kind at man’s hands. With distinct pleasure Kodagon grumbled in satisfaction. This new generation of dragons was regaining their pride, regaining the spirit that was to be dragon.
An explosion in the debate below drew him out of his musings. It had now formed into a fully fledged argument, tempers flaring on both sides. He knew now was his chance, for if the dragon’s decided that these orcs were a threat to their precious peace, they would surely be killed outright. He climbed to his feet, standing tall and proud. Taking a deep breath he roared into the air, a tremendous sound that caused rocks to rumble in place and pebbles to slide off the cliffs.
“Fly young dragons, for today is the beginning of a new day in dragon history, today we reclaim what is ours!” His words rang with conviction and authority, cutting through the din below. To the young dragon leading the debate, the one who brought the orcs before the council, he sent a thought, Protect the orcs, I sense great potential in the one leading them. Make sure they leave here alive!
With that, dragon’s took flight. And after little prompting the Orc’s turned tail and fled. Confusion reigned supreme, and few of the remaining council on the ground realised what was happening. With a satisfied snort, Kodagon spread his massive wings, and with a deftness and finesse that was truly stunning for his massive size, leapt off the cliff into the air. Spiraling higher and higher, he then broke off and followed the small trail the orcs had run down. With malicious humour he cast his huge shadow down over them, urging them on faster and faster.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

She sustained many wounds during our last battle, Knight Atherron. Perhaps you could see to them next?

Of course, replied Atherron, as he nodded and then gingerly climbed up to Rhea’s back so he could have a closer look at Ari.

While Atherron examined Ari, Shela was watching the others. Alezal appeared worried and confused from her understanding of human body language, and Amber had shot a look at Alezal that Shela couldn’t read. Shela couldn’t see Cherise, so she had no idea what she was doing. The dragons on the other hand were mostly focused on the recovery of Ari and Rhea.

Shela then saw that Amber was preparing to leave, apparently very intent on heading for the spring to get water rather than do as Atherron had suggested and pull water up from the ground. Shela, a little more rational at the moment than her knight, decided to have a word with Amber.

Knight Amber, Alezal told us that you had spotted a Dragon Knight flying away from the orcs four days ago, began Shela. In your current state, neither you nor Opal will stand a chance against this other Knight if he happens to be hostile. Even if the spring is close, it is best that we go there as a group. If you need water, Atherron and I brought plenty to share with you.

You don’t have to worry about Ari anymore, Rhea, said Atherron as he finished his assessment of Ari’s condition. She is a little banged up, but most of the wounds are superficial – bruises, small cuts, and the like. There are a couple that are a little deeper, but they aren’t life threatening and they can be allowed to heal on their own…that is, if Ari wishes to have scars from this encounter.

Other than that, she’s just exhausted, both mentally and physically, continued Atherron. Even with all that energy I’ve given her, she’ll be out for awhile yet. At least she’s resting peacefully now rather than struggling to stay alive.

Atherron climbed down form Rhea’s back, carefully bringing Ari with him so she could rest in a more comfortable position. He then laid Ari down in the shade where Rhea could watch over her without having to stretch her head around.

 

[cats]

Amber

IC: I looked at the Shela, This is how rumors get started. I saw a rouge dragon not a rouge dragon knight. What concerns me is that the orcs didn't shoot at it but instead shot at me. But along those lines in this last battle there was a rouge dragon knight, thin lanky fellow best I could see. The exact oposite of the dwarves I often deal with. It launched an attack on the orcs in the middle of the fight, looked to be destruction magic to me.

I paused briefly. The citidel is highly warded and only the ten of us can get in. The five riders and five dragons. Besides Nicolas is there along with his bonded, if there was any danger he would of sent word. No the spring is perfectly safe, and I don't have the mana left to pull water out of the ground. Besides elemental spells are usually a weak point of mine, that one of the reasons I often go with Ari.

I looked around and considered how tired we all were. But your right, we should head to the citidel togeather and rest between the magic stones until we are all ready to fight again. Then we can rid our lands of these orcs and that'll give me time enough to check in with the drarf king who is hunt some goblins or some such. He wanted my aid oddly, not like a dwarf to ask for help against some petty goblin band.

 

[Kalika84]

Something weird just happened. I tried to send a message to Nicolas and was cut off. It was as if a wall just snapped into place and now I cannot see the Citadel clearly. I want to go and see what is happening up there but I know that I cannot. Can you see if you can reach the Citadel and Nicolas; just to see if it is not just me.

Cherise's brow furrowed as these words played over and over in her mind. It surely couldn't have been Nicolas doing that on purpose? UNless he was very busy...but still he would normally say something before cutting you off. I will see what I can do, this is not normal and I am worried.

Sitting down on the sands with her back propped up against the wall she closed her eyes. Cherise? Shar murmured quietly in her mind, Is there anything I can do? Shar was picking up on her worry for Nicolas Cherise thought with a smile. No my sweet, I will be fine. But thankyou. Stretching her senses out towards the Citadel, Cherise pulled up short. Oh this was not good.

It felt as if a mental barricade had been slammed down around the Citadel preventing any sort of magickal entry. She gently probed at the barrier before receiving such a violent slap back it jerked her out of her trance and she spoke out loud. "Gods! What in the six hells is going on?!" That slap seemed to have a tinge of Nicolas on it...but it wasn't quite right. It seemed...off some how.

Closing her eyes and pushing out again once more she prowled around the edges of the wall like a wolf...slowly and steadily looking for any weaknesses she could attack. Nothing. Not a damn thing. It was a uniform impenetrable barrier. Great, just great. She tentatively pushed at the wall again and this time got hit five times as hard. She jerked back into her body as her vision went spotty, her mind swirling with pain as her body threatened to black out. Taking deep breaths through her nose and mouth she cradled her head in her hands and struggled not to cry out, pain was lancing through her body and singing across her nerve endings.

CHERISE! Shar was immediately there, her massive draconian head swooped down to her level and her massive eyes watched worriedly as Cherise reached out to pat her snout. Don't worry, its gone.

Ahh, Alezal? Cherise stood and brushed the sand of her backside, and grimaced...she was still a little shaky.We have a serious problem. She quickly relayed what she had discovered to him including the hits she took.

 

[Angelus]

As Amber and Opal talked to Atherron Alezal could feel the emotions that flowed from her. They were as bright as a beacon and they were directed straight at him which made him wonder wonder what he had done to warrant those feeling from her. He wanted to ask her that question but stood there and watched her keep talking to Atherron. He wanted to talk to her but could tell by the look on her face that she was concentrating on getting through to the Citadel.

He looked at everyone else and could tell just by the looks on their faces they were still a little shocked and surprised. When they had assembled they had expected it to have been so much easier that it had been. The orcs had surprised them with their numbers and Alezal realized that everyone had not fought as a group; especially himself in a long time. e knew that he had gone into the battle to fight by himself, only fight with the others when Cherise had gotten hurt. As he stood there he wonder how it had happened, whether it was because they were all over the kingdom or whether they had drifted apart.

He then looked over at Atherron and knew he had to talk to him. As he walked over to him he knew he had been harsh with his words and he had to apologize to heal any rift that might be between them. When he got there he saw Amber look straight at him but he looked straight at Atherron.

"Atherron. I know you are still busy with Ari which I thank you personally for but I am not here for that. I am here to apologize to you fro the harsh words I said earlier. I know they were not warranted and I have no excuse for them. I think everything that has happened has put me on edge; from the orcs taking Kergal, the battle we just had at the rogue dragon. As I said before I am not giving any excuses for what I said to you you. I know tht it was wrong and I don't want it to form a rift between the two of us. I know this may sound strang but we need to come back torether as a group. Even in the battle before hand we did not fight ogether; we fought together, helped each other but did not fight together as we used to. I hope though that we can start to fight well together, as we were originally meant to, especially as we are flying to Kergal."

He took a step back and put out his hand, hoping that Atherron would take it and shake it.

Just then he heard Cherise call out to him and looked at Atherron.
"I am sorry," he said before he turned and ran towards her.

As soon as he was by her side he could tell that something was very wrong with her and wondered if it she was like this because of what he had asked of her. He knew that if it was his fault he would never forgive himself. He held her close and looked at her.

I am so sorry. I know this is my fault; I should not have asked you do to it.
He knew that Amber and Atherron would be looking at him but he did not care; he did not want to let Cherise go. After a few more second he looked at them.

"I think that we have a problem. Cherise and I tried to get through to the Citadel to talk to Nicolas and we could not do it. Something stopped us, something strong."

 

[Angelus]

As he moved away from the dragons Rorg could not help but keep his eyes on the sky; noticing that there were several dragons following them. He could hear the murmurs coming from his warriors and wanted to stop so he could stop them talking. He knew thought he and his warriors had to keep going or the dragons; on either side of the arguement could end up attacking him. As he ran the thought that kept coming back to him was whether this had been a wise move. The dragons had been masters of the sky and land on the other side of the mountains until his people had driven them out and he knew just how unpredictable they were. While he had been fighting them the dragons had offered peace only to attack and kill many of his people later.

He had learnt not to trust them after a while and as he looked up into the sky as the giant one filled it he knew it was best not to and move as fast as they could. It was then one of his warriors spoke up,

"Warchief Rorg. Do you think these dragons will follow us back to the human city? Do you think they will let us keep it if they do?"

That made Rorg stop and turned to look at the warriors who had just stopped behind him. The thought had not occurred to him which made him curse out loud. His warriors looked at him but did not say a word for which he was grateful for. His anger at such an oversight made him want to pick up the largest rock he could lift and throw it at the closest dragon. Instead he just stood there and looked up at them, wondering if they had planned it all along. He picked up the closest loose rock and threw it as far as he could away from him with a shout. The warriors kept their eyes on him warily; none of them willing to say a word. They watched as Rorg stood there for a few seconds more before he said, "We will see if the dragons let us keep what we have taken."

With that he started running. A second or two later his warriors followed.

 

[BlueMary]

The orcs slowed a bit as they sighted Rorg's group and let out a chaotic war cry to announce their coming to Rorg and his band. None questioned Kordra's silence as she ran alongside the group, keeping a hard look on her face in her quiet contemplation of their raids. Her "father", Vek, and his tribe slowed as they reached the camp, acquaintances greeting friends, brothers greeting brothers and several brawls breaking out amidst those that gave another funny looks. Kordra was glad of the tattoos and markings on her body that marked her as a berserker as it gave her a wide berth while making her way toward a fire. She let a smirk slip as a seer near another fire was making a great show of what battles were to come and what their victories would bring. Such power and lands they spoke of!

With a grunt Kordra slipped the heavy axe from her back and sat down on a felled tree that served as a bench. She stared into the fire as her violet eyes flickered and barely registered the plate of food that set next to her. Her breath came out in a low growl as she stood and walked off, leaving the plate for another. As she wandered through the she spotted Vek and Rorg speaking, and Vek looking excited about something. Kordra could only guess that they spoke of a fight to come. As she wandered the outskirts of the camp a heavy, powerful hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Woman..what is it you are here for? Fun for the troops?" She let out a sigh, stopping for a moment even as she heard a trio of grunting laughs with the voice. "To fight. Go away." She shoved his hand off and continued her walk. Not a half a second later the same meaty hand stopped her, spinning her roughly to face the moonlit orc. He grinned wide and dumbly, stinking of burnt herbs and heavy liquor. She reached up a hand to grab one of the straps of his armor and tugged down with great force as she slammed her forehead into his face, breaking a nose and knocking teeth loose from his jaw. The heavier orc blinked slowly as she released him and slowly sagged to the ground into a tangled lump. The bigger orc's friends stared at her for a blank moment and she walked over to one of them calmly and swung a fist that barely registered as a blur, connecting with his groin and lifting him several inched off of the ground from the force of the blow.

She bent down and tore a piece of hide from his armor and used it to wipe her forehead clean of the other orc's blood then tossed it to the ground and wandered closer to the camp where the markings of a berserker were more easily seen. She tilted her head a bit as she heard the distinct voice of Vek speaking to the one who seemed to be in charge. Hmph. We reach Kergal tomorrow. Good...we see if this talk is worth this fight.

 

[AnonymousWryter]

Kodagon and the others followed the orcs from high above. It didn't take long for them to notice their very conspicuous stalkers. Good, thought Kodagon with satisfaction, let them wander exactly what they were up to. any creature could fight with adreneline and fear motivating his movements. but it took a true warrior to face his own imagination and fears in the quiet moments. Content to glide above and watch the orc's movenments, Kodagon and his followers almost lazily followed the orcs as they broke into a run.

Strange, thought Kodagon. they're heading south. He had expected them to run north, and rejoin raiding parties. instead they seemed to be running home. Unless they intend to meet reinforcements. A perfect time to begin my recruiting, he thought. With a wicked smile he rose higher and higher, till the orc party was just a dot even in his powerful Draconic vision. Let them think themselves alone and safe. Then we shall see they're true intent.

 

[Wolfsister]

Rhea inclined her head regally, as Dragons are wont to do, towards Atherron and murmurred a thank you into his mind. She knew that Ari would not want the scars from this particular battle and told him this, her own strength now lending to Ari's, allowing her to heal much faster. Thanks to Atherron's spell, she was able to do this without depleting her own supply of energy.

Though Atherron had said that it would take some time for Ariannah to come to, once she was laid down in a comfortable position, she was soon fluttering her eyes open. Her wounds healed as she came fully awake, but she stayed laying for some time, blinking at the blue sky above her. Rhea's head arced over hers and she felt the warmth of the dragon's breath tickle her hair.

Ari raised a hand and shaded her eyes before groaning and getting to a sitting position. She quickly surveyed her surroundings, finding Atherron first. She gave him a warm smile, but stayed silent, not trusting the strength of her voice yet. She knew she was here now because of him, though how he had gotten there was a puzzle in itself.

Then she noticed the other Knights arrayed around her, concern wafting off them in waves, though she felt that there were not all concerned about her. She didn't mind, it was just a blessing to see them all here, together and with her. Though Nicolas was not there, she knew that he would have been if he had've been able to be.

Rhea pushed one of Atherron's water skins towards Ari as she cast her gaze around. She did not bother to ask any of the other Knights to help her own, knowing that Ari would like it better if she did it by herself.

Taking the water, she was careful only to sip - though her throat was parched and dry. Once wet, she found she was more confident with talking, "Thank you, Atherron. Thank you -" she nodded her head at all the others, "For finding us. It was a bit scary for some time there, but..." she blushed and didn't go on. Not one for too many mushy words.

Groaning with some effort, she felt the surge of energy filling her now as she sought to stand. Getting to her feet wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, but it was still difficult. "So... did we win?"

 

[Angelus]

As he stood there looking at the elven Dragon Knight Thoren was seething. How dare this elf come here and tell him how he should protect his own hall? It was true the fighting below had been bloody and they had lost more dwarves than he had planned on but he did not need this elf telling him what to do! He kept quiet though and looked the elf in the eye, "Thank ye elf. Ye help will be very much appreciated. When ye fellow elves get 'ere I trust they will do everything to defend me hall."

He knew that what he had just said could anger the elf but it would be something he could live with. There were larger problems he had to deal with at the moment. He turned back to look at his generals as he leaned over the stone table in front of him.
"Hammerhand, how many troops can ye pull together?"

"I am not sure me king. So many of our troops are down below, it is hard to tell ye right now."

"Go and get as many troops as ye can. I have a task for ye. If the Dragon Knight be willing to 'elp I want ye to take these troops through the tunnels to the rear of the goblins so ye can give 'em a nasty surprise."

Hammerhand did not say a word. He just turned and walked from the room, leaving Thoren to turn and look at the elf.
"I know what ye be thinking elf. Ye think I be sending 'em to their deaths. That is one thing I will not do to me fellow dwarves, or anyone else for that matter. I want 'em to make the goblins look behind 'em and question if and when we are going to come out again."

Before the elven Knight could say a word to him Thoren looked back at his generals, "What can ye tell me about what is happening below?"