Heroes come in all shapes and sizes (IC)

[Annisthyrienne]

Despite her friend's words, she noted with a grin that Zarik took his time explaining his position in the matter, seeming to choose his words slowly and carefully, almost like a diplomat. And she listened patiently, nodding agreement with his assessment where necessary. By the time they each decided to proceed to their own points of entry, she figured Prrip had at least several minutes head start on them both. Unless she mis-estimated the leopard woman's abilities, it would be plenty of time for something unfortunate to happen to this slaver if he met up with his former captive.

She made her way to her door, noting the signs in the dirt of someone having left the structure in a hurry. It could possibly be the soldiers from within responding to the call to arms when the walls were attacked. Or it could be someone fleeing from within, she thought. She noted the information for later.

Bronwyn entered the structure quietly, determined to prevent this man from escaping if it wasn't already too late. In truth she didn't know what the man they were looking for looked like, but she figured she would know someone who looked out of place. This was a barracks, after all, and it would be logical to assume that the people who belonged here would have the look of soldiers or warriors, possibly squires or servants. She was pretty sure she'd recognize a scoundrel when she saw one. And by all accounts this man would qualify as that.

She was in what appeared to be a service area. There were servants present who were washing clothing, uniforms by the looks of them. She nodded politely and went about her business, searching the room for any sign of an intruder. When she was satisfied that there was no one there who didn't belong, she moved on down a short corridor to another doorway. She prepared herself for a confrontation just in case the man was inside, and then pushed open the door suddenly. Before her stood a well muscled man. She knew he was well muscled because he was standing there naked, about to enter a tub of steaming hot water. He glanced up at her with a surprised look, and the two of them just gawked at each other for a moment.

Bronwyn let her turquoise eyes scan the man's body from head to toe and everything in between. She noted with appreciation the toned physique covered in the bronzed skin, broken only by a few well earned battle scars. The man was tall, about six foot and four inches, and he had sandy brown hair. He was rather well endowed too, for a human, which made him very well endowed by elvish standards. Her lips quirked into a little smile of admiration before her eyes traveled upwards again to meet his face.

"Apologies for interrupting your bath, sir. Please do carry on." she said with a wink before leaving and closing the door behind her. The room wasn't a large one, and despite the distraction of the naked man, her attention to detail had allowed her to note that the rest of the room was empty. Unless the slaver was hiding in the tub, holding his breath, she could not have missed him. And it was highly unlikely that the naked man would have been about to step in if anyone had been hiding in it already. From behind the door, she heard a muffled, "Wait! You don't have to leave, Lass. There's room for both of us if we're cozy!" She just laughed a little and went on with her search.

++++++++++++++++

Prrip wasted little time entering the building. Her desire for vengeance burned in her chest, and she was not about to take the chance that the bad ma'an would sneak up on her and shoot her with the little pointy things that made her sleep, only to end up in a cage again. She didn't need to slow down to look for him in hiding places. She had caught his scent and followed it unerringly through the hallways. It was ripe with the tang of his fear. It was a scent she was familiar with.

He had run here, seeking safety from the attacking goblins, no doubt. When it came time to fight, it was like him to leave the fighting to others. He would seek a place of safety, where he could avoid risk to himself. He cared not if others were hurt or killed, so long as his own precious blood was preserved. She hated him like she hated no other.

Normally she was the sort of person who didn't feel hate. Life was simply what it was, and the circumstances that befell a person was simply the way it happened. If hunting was bad, you went hungry until you managed to catch something. That's just how it was. There was no usefulness in getting angry or blaming someone. Being angry at the gazelle who fled on fleet hooves to live another day was not going to fill the bellies of your family. Likewise, in the life she had led before the humans captured her and took her far from her homeland, if some calamity befell her, it was just a part of life. She dealt with it as best she could. Indeed, even when the humans had first captured her, that is how she treated the whole experience.

But the night that He had come to her and hurt her was when it had all changed. From that time on, He seemed to revel in showing her how cruel He could be, and not just to her alone, but to others whom He had power over. He taught her to hate. He taught her that there were some in the world who were worthy of hatred. And she learned the lesson well. Now she would teach him a lesson if she could; that there were some in the world that he should fear more than all others.

She followed the scent, ignoring the distractions of the armed men in their armor whom she passed as she made her way through the building. Their exclamations of surprise and alarm at seeing the unusual sight of a wild animal in the shape of a naked woman prowling through their sleeping quarters went unheeded by her. They were fighting men, like those she had been pitted against before. But she would not fight them this day. She was intent on her purpose.

Through the building, she followed the scent passing through chamber after chamber, corridor after corridor. Here he had paused to lean against the wall. Here again he had brushed his hand along a banister. And here he had stopped at a weapons rack. There was a sword missing from a bank of them, and she knew that if she caught him, it would be a fight. She hurried on.

+++++++++++++++

Bronwyn had just finished searching a room, and was coming to a turn in the corridor when a shorter furry person collided with her. An angry growl told her who it was in an instant, and she called after the figure as it hurried on. "Prrip, wait. I've already searched that way. He is not there." Prrip paused in her stalking a moment, listening to the words of the elf-human female. His scent had been fading somewhat, and she had been hurrying recklessly, hoping to find him before he fled. Now if what this woman was saying was true, it might be too late.

Bronwyn continued, "You're tracking him, aren't you. Somehow you know he came this way? By scent maybe? I'll go with you then, and we'll try to find him if we can." She continued alongside her shorter companion, who led them without hesitation back to the door she came in through. Just outside, they stopped. Prrip seemed to be testing the air for his scent, her nose in the wind and sniffing delicately.

Bronwyn watched her for a moment, noting the leopard woman's growing consternation. She touched her lightly on the shoulder, sensing the muscles under her fur trembling with pent up adrenaline. In a calm soothing voice she spoke, "Look here. I noticed these tracks when I came in. It looks like someone fled here very recently, and in a great hurry. The tracks don't continue very far before becoming unreadable, but they are headed towards the stables. I'd guess he stole a horse and has fled from this city, Prrip."

She showed the tracks to her friend, and the leopard woman examined them, even bending down to sniff them. Bronwyn knew when the leopard woman stood again that she'd had to admit to losing her prey this time. Bronwyn spoke calmly again, petting Prrip's shoulder soothingly to calm her. "The prey has fled this hunt for today. But there will be other days, and other hunts. We will get him, Prrip. We will get him. But come now, for Zarik awaits us. Let us find him and go to seek some good food and rest. There will be a time for finding this man, and I'll help you. Until then, I'll be at your side in case he comes for you. We'll not let him have you again, Zarik and I. We'll help you fight him if he comes back."

Prrip regarded the elf-human female with an appraising gaze. She understands, this one, Prrip thought to herself. This woman will make a good ally, as will the bull-man. Reluctantly she admitted to herself that the quarry had fled to live another day, and she let the soothing words of her companion calm her. She nodded, signaling her willingness to return to find Zarik.

Ten minutes later found them entering the room where he awaited them. Bronwyn quickly filled him in on what they had discovered. "We might as well join the feast now. But we'll watch for this man, and if he comes for Prrip, I have vowed to help her fight him."

 

[Mantra]

Nas

Nas considered the minotaur's words. What silly creatures these two-legs were; how did one 'own' another as Nas might own a sack of golden coins? He did understand the word 'enslaved' but not 'slaver'. It seemed clear however that a 'slaver' was the one who 'enslaved' others, but the concept was just...off to him. After all, this little town survived because he wished it to continue to do so, but he did not consider himself the 'owner' of the people within.

As Nas pondered, the minotaur again spoke, inquiring about addressing him. Quite honestly, Nas had never considered what others might call him. Oh sure, there were probably lots of 'names' he was called by those who feared him, but that didn't count. Fact was, nobody had ever come to just talk to him. those few that did come usually said some sort of bravado threat or claim...just before the conversation diminished into pleading and lots of screams but an actual conversation; never. So he had no answer for the minotaur. There was only one thing he had ever been called, even though it disheartened him.

"I am called Nas." he said quietly. "I have no titles. I have no name."

He heaved a bit of a sigh, absently listening as the thought of going after this 'slaver' who seemed to be hiding in the town.

"I do not think it would be well received should I enter the town." Nas said. "Unless you just wish me to smash this building to the ground."

 

[Mantra]

Nas and Maut

Nas watched the little group move off in search of this slaver creature. It was still a bit puzzled by the thought of ownership of one creature over another... Yes these two-legs liked to keep pets and animals as property, but they did not have the capasity to think for themselves in most cases. the cat-woman did not appear to fall into such a catagory however. It was something that he might have to inquire about. After all, he didn't have much else to do while waiting for his wing to heal; at least until the abomination chimed in of course;

He chuckled, mirthlessly of course,

"So indeed you are the dragon Nas. Your battle scar is of concern to me as I am the one who gave it to you. You must have been a much younger dragon since it was about a hundred years ago since I had that battle."

Nas rumbled deep in his chest as he came back around. He would much rather forget that this walking dead thing was still here, but it had the annoying habit of...being. With its last comment, Nas's suspicions were confirmed, yes, he did klnow this creature from the past.

He huffed and clouds of smoke puffed out from his nostrils as he spoke. thin whisps od vapor continued to drift upwards afterwards, but while the very mood of the air changed, the real heat was in Nas's words.

"Yes, I am Nas." he said, his displeasure evident. "And yes, I remember you now. I was indeed a much younger creature then, and you did not reek of decomposition as you do now and are either very arrogant,... or very stupid... to admit your role to me now."

"What do you want creature? Do you seek to remidy your past failure of not killing me? I am more now than I was as well. Do not think me easy prey for even an unatural such as you."

 

[milkmaiden38]

Bronwyn and Prrip filled in the big minotaur on what they had discovered.

“I was looking forward to finding the bloody remains of the slaver … we could have added some seasoning and had human tartar, YUMM!” Zarik joked drily as he returned his battle axe to his back. The joke was probably too drily as humans in this section of the barracks looked at him in dismay.

"We might as well join the feast now. But we'll watch for this man, and if he comes for Prrip, I have vowed to help her fight him." Bronwyn stated.

“I have taken the same vow … and shall help if he appears” Zarik said firmly and no one there doubted that he would not live up to his vow. “As for the feast … my belly has also taken a vow … and it will not stop grumbling until it is satisfied. But …” Zarik paused and looked down at his bull hooves, a bit sheepishly “I must reopen the far side door … It should take just a moment … I shall rejoin you at the feast … save a bowl of corn cobs for me!” he said grinning as he headed to reopen the far door from the bent candle lighter.

The Bronwyn and Prrip headed to the feast. All the tables, as before, were full with the only places available to sit down at the Baron’s table. The baron and baroness were waving them over enthusiastically as … “honored guests”. As they passed the elf captain’s table, one of the Idoor elf archers, who had had too much to drink said loud enough for Bronwyn and Prrip to hear “Oh … I guess these humans allow animals to eat at their feasts … see here comes a cat and a half-pig!!” This stupid comment was followed by laugher at the table that abruptly stopped, when Zarik appeared behind him and placed his massive hand on the elf’s shoulder. Gentle crushing the elf’s shoulder to the point his face became pinched in pain.

“They also invite half-bulls … and snobbish drunken elves that are too stupid to keep their overly clever comments to themselves …” He grunted then he released his shoulder “Please enjoy the rest of your meal, it might be your last” He grinned and joined the baron’s table.

It did not take long for Zarik to figure out the situation. The concubine was flirting with the Baron … and Baroness was pissed about it … and the Baron knew the baroness was pissed … and wished to find any escape possible from the situation. Thus when the three of them showed up … the Baron and Baroness seemed over joyed, waving them over to their table. Isola seemed a bit put off by the sudden arrival of the minotaur, half-elf and leopard woman, she acted like they had ruined everything.

 

[milkmaiden38]

Isola

Zarik was right. Isola was pissed. The baron was not even sneaking glances at her deep cleavage anymore. He just seemed interested in talking to Zarik about tactics and battle strategies. She needed to do something to regain his interest. She decided on the almost always effective, tried and true, tactic of appealed to the baron’s chivalry … but she could not decide between crying or fainting. Both would work … she decided fainting was the best choice … the baron would rush around the table and try to resuscitate her. Maybe giving her mouth to mouth … that would turn into a kiss …and that should seal the deal. She was getting ready for a good fake ... faint … When two of the town’s guards brought in a beaten but defiant goblin into the town’s square.

The feast became quiet as the two guards brought the goblin to the baron’s table. The baron stood up as they approached. “Why do you bring this goblin here?” He asked the guards.

“My lord … we captured this goblin in the forest trying to run away. He is one of the goblin prince’s sub-commanders …he claims … THE ELVES …paid the goblins to attack our town!!” The guard stated loudly and there were gasps throughout the feast. At the elf’s table, Captain Irtheel stood up “That is untrue … the elves of idoor live in peace with our human neighbors!”

“I disbelieved it too … but thought you should hear it from his own foul goblin mouth” The guard said as he poked the goblin to speak.

The goblin looked at the baron and smiled as if a devilish trap had been sprung. The goblin’s eyes were on the Baron’s new magical sword “Human gutter … looks good on you … Baron! You may not be aware, but the sword’s magic will corrupt your mind … it needs to feed on human’s … it is why the sword was created …soon the town’s folk will be more scared of you … than they ever were of us!” the sub-commander laughed wickedly as his little lie seeded doubt in all those that heard it.

“Perhaps your mind is too far gone already … you deal with a very evil dragon as if no one would notice … but the ELVES ” he looked over at the elf’s table “the elves are your real problem. They gave us gold to attack this town … ingeniously … telling us to do it on the day your forces are weakest. The day of the spring festival! Stupidly … we goblin’s fell for their sinister trap … attacking the town … then at the critical moment in the battle … when our allies were to join us … the elves, turned on us … fearing an attack from the flank … we retreated from the field of battle. Now your town is exposure … its walls destroyed … your army weakened … the goblins are also weakened …that leave only one power in this region … the elves! They are in control! They will dictate terms to everyone. Oh, it will seem like they are trying to be your friend … asking for “favors” because their archers “saved” the town. But really it was a fiendish plot developed by the elves themselves! They are your true enemies!!” He said pointing at the elves.

The baron was impressed. The goblin’s lies were designed to sow doubt and confusion amongst his town’s people and between the elves and human in this area. This would give the goblins time to rebuild their army … most of which was dead on the battle field around the town. The lie needed to be countered. It was at this moment an idea came to him … to solve all of his present problems of the goblin's words,the dragon and the concubine. The baron smiled like a grandfather that had seen it all before and was not going to be fooled again.

“I know honor. I have seen it.” the baron glanced out at the people in the town’s square. “Town’s folk …Look at those at this table with me … “ he pointed to the Bronwyn “this archer stood her ground as two trolls approached ... slaying them. After the battle she was ordered to defend us against the dragon, should he be dangerous. That is honor!” He pointed to Prrip “This creature was locked in a cage by an evil human … but when she got free … she defended humans … protecting the baroness from goblins. That is honor!” He pointed to Isola “One of our beauty contestants … fought the goblins that had gotten into the city …fighting them hand to hand …slaying some of them! Then she healed the wounded dragon …at great peril to herself. That is honor!” he pointed to the minotaur “A guest at our festival for the riddle contest … this minotaur stood at my side as we and a handful of guards held back the entire goblin army. THAT IS HONOR! I can see honorable people and I know you can see them too!” he said then his voice got quieter …but that only caused the town’s folk to listen more closely.

“I can also spot dishonor … a liar … a fiend and a deceiver” his voice grew louder and louder as he pointed to the goblin. “You most foul goblin … attacking while our back was turned … during our spring festival …ARE A LIAR!!”

The baron pulled out his new magic sword “This sword is not evil; it gutted the goblin high prince!! And it holds no sway over me. I shall have it examined by the high wizards of Palamar to confirm its purity … but until that time … to prove it does not control me …I shall give to my archer friend for safe keeping.” The baron handed the sword to Bronwyn. “The dragon that this goblin called “very evil” … slew many goblins today and saved this town. If I was a goblin … I’d call him evil too … but as your baron … I call him … A GOOD FRIEND! That dragon now has a broken wing from battling to save this town. His blood is on our curtain wall … but if he had not been here it would have been OUR BLOOD on that wall! However, so that there is no doubt … I shall ask the dragon to go on a quest. He will visit the elven homeland. It is said that nothing evil can enter their sanctified lands. It is the same quest that will also resolve this goblin’s accusations. I will request that this band of heroes, go to the elves of Idoor. And find out who truly hired the goblins to attack our town!” He paused for a second.

“My words are backed by honor and actions to prove they are real” he said to the crowd …then turning to the goblin “your words are backed up by your own trickery!” His speech ended and seemed to work …as there was a huge cheer … and everyone started clapping.

 

[DeathsKnight]

He looked at the dragon and it was clear that his defeat that day still was a tender spot in the dragon's mind. He could feel the eagerness of a distant entity rush in, pressing on him, trying to force emotions that wasn't there, he realized that there was a mighty foe at work, one that wanted him to slay the dragon and in the end be weak enough to be killed by a child. He tilted his head and stared at Nas for a few moments,

"Nay dragon, I am not here to kill you. Though your defense of this town was just as mine, not for the people inside of it, we both killed the slimy, sneaky cowards, like brothers in arms will do."

He looked away from the dragon, to a distant point and then back at Nas, he could feel the eagerness falter as the entity behind it failed to rouse him to action.

"Back then I was a human, filled with the emotions and the pride which is man's folly and now I am without them. I have been created by evil, yet I am not evil nor good, I just am. Nobody can stand me as I am not dead, alive or even a true undead, I have no wish to fight you Nas, it will lead to both our deaths as there is another magick at work, a magick I can not place yet."

 

[Annisthyrienne]

Bronwyn

The rude elf's comment did not go unnoticed by the young half-elf Ranger. The insult brought a flush of shame welling up within her, that colored her red to the tips of her ears in a heated blush. She hung her head out of habit, but then looked back at the elf as the laughter finally died down.

"My mother was Elven, and my father was human. I am half elf, and half human. Since I'm sure that you would not be so rude as to insult your human host, the Baron, I can only assume that the part of me that you consider to be like a swine is the elvish part. If that is what you meant, I don't see why any of you are laughing. What difference would one half-pig, as you say, make at sharing the same trough of the rest of you pure blooded swine? But if you meant to refer to the other half of my heritage, then perhaps you'd care to explain your comment to the Baron and to these people who have prepared the feast you now enjoy. Perhaps you'd like to explain why elves have no better manners than to insult their hosts. And perhaps the men of your company would think twice about laughing at the stupid remarks of one who provides such a poor, ill mannered reflection upon what it means to be an elf."

She went on to her seat, uninterested in hearing what response the lout would make, if any. But although she tried to pretend it didn't affect her, she reached for a tankard of ale as soon as she sat down, brooding into her cup, her appetite dampened.

Her attention was only partly focused on the events happening around her. She noted with mild interest when the goblin soldier was brought before the Baron, and listened to his lies along with everyone else. She didn't believe them. Say what you want about the elves, but they didn't strike bargains with goblins.

She listened to the Baron recount the exploits of her and her newfound friends, Zarik and Prrip. It surprised her a little when he singled her out for what little she did. She certainly didn't think her contribution was anything to remark on. But if she was surprised about that, she nearly choked on her ale when he declared he would give her his newly claimed magic sword! The feisty brew went down the wrong hole in her throat and left her sputtering in surprise as the baron handed the sword over to her. Her turquoise eyes looked up at him in surprise and question as she accepted the responsibility. Things had taken quite a turn from her intention of coming here to enter an archery contest.

She did not want to go with the elves to Idoor. She could not think of a worse fate to befall her at the moment. She would be traveling with an ill tempered, wounded dragon, and a troop of haughty snooty elves. She wasn't sure which would be worse.

 

[milkmaiden38]

The goblin was taken away … as the Baron returned to his seat. Zarik thought the baron had handled the situation as well as he could. But how did he get roped into going to the elf homeland of Idoor!! … Zarik HATED elves. They always made it a point to … make the big bull look stupid. He had come here to be involved in the riddle contest that was it. Zarik needed to talk the Baron out of this course of action. He turned to the Baron.

“My Lord, I thank you for the kind words … but I must decline a quest into Idoor …I have other pressing engagements” Zarik stated politely but firmly.

Isola heard the Minotaur comments and added her own “Yes, My lord … I must agree with the minotaur … I see no value in joining this quest … I’m a concubine not an adventurer … I should stay here” Isola said and then a radiant smile broke across her face, a sexy twinkle added to her eyes. “ … and be with YOU” She finished with a suggestive wink.

The Baron looked at both of them, anger in his eyes “I have made a ROYAL request to both of you … I cannot force you to go … But I want you to go … Zarik your strength and the fact you are not an elf …or can be swayed by them is critical to this mission. The people will believe you when you tell them the truth about this attack. Isola … you can heal wounds during the quest. you have a special relationship with the dragon. I have been told concubines are skilled in entertaining ... which would be very useful for this trip ….” He smiled at her and added “I would be very grateful if you would join the quest.”

He looked at everyone at the table, Bronwyn, Prrip, Isola, Zarik. “The town of Bulkenhold needs you. If you do not go on this quest … it will look like the goblin was right. ... the long friendship between the elves and humans will come to an end … it might even lead to war …can you truly not help us in this cause?”

Zarik grunted realizing the Baron was right “My lord … I’m honored you have selected me … I shall go on this quest”

Isola nodded as Zarik spoke. She knew the baron was right about the importance of the quest … there were probably better healers in the town … but he had selected her. It was her chance to make a difference in this world. She looked at the Baron and placed her hand on the massive forearm of the minotaur “I too am honored …I shall join the minotaur on this important quest.”

The Baron looked over to Prrip and Bronwyn.

 

[Annisthyrienne]

Bronwyn sighed. It looked as though she was not going to be able to get out of this. She held the Baron's magic sword, and had been 'honored' to be it's bearer. It seems that a substantial obligation went along with it. She was not looking forward to traveling with the elven troop, but at least her new friends had agreed to go along. She could keep company with them for the most part.

She turned to the one other new friend who had not agreed to go yet, and noticed that Prrip wasn't really paying attention to the Baron's speech. The leopard woman was doing her best to devour a hunk of roast. She had her priorities straight, Bronwyn thought. She leaned closer to the leopard woman and asked, "Prrip, we must go on a journey with Zarik and the elves. Will you come with us, my friend?"

Prrip looked up from her feast and regarded the half elf, then the bull-man before she signed, <Go away from here, no bad ma'an find me. Yes, I go with friends away from here.>

Bronwyn looked to Zarik for confirmation of what she thought the signs meant. She could understand certain signs, and get the general meaning, but she wanted to make sure. Zarik nodded and Bronwyn turned to the Baron to reply. "Milord Baron, it seems as though we all are ready to undertake this journey, if you wish it." She tried to be gracious, but a glance at the rude elf at the other table reminded her what sort of company she'd be keeping. She wondered how long a journey it would be.

 

[milkmaiden38]

The group at the table looked at each other … there was silence. It was that kind of awkward silence that the longer it went on the more awkward it got. No one wanted to talk about the logical 5 ton problem that remained. All of them were thinking about it but no one had a solution and certainly no one wanted to bring up the subject for fear they would be chosen to handle the issue.

Isola was trained to entertain and keep a party fun. The silence was eating her alive. The weight of it was too much and she finally had to say something.

“Who is going to tell the dragon about this plan?” She asked.

“An excellent question!” the baron said glad someone had fallen into the trap. “And since you thought of it, I think you should do it. I’m sure the dragon will be very excited to visit the elf homeland. Both races are so long lived … I’m sure that they have a lot of catching up to do.”

This comment seemed to relieve everyone, but Isola. Who seem to lose her appetite after being selected as the messenger. The rest of the meal’s conversation turned to less stressful topics and was more enjoyable as everyone seem to relax. As the feast grew to a close the elf captain got up, straightened his forest green cloak and walked over to the baron’s table.

“Baron, my men and I thank you for the excellent food and drink. Your hospitality is noted.” The captain said in respect and bowed to the baron. The baron nodded back to the elf captain. Then he turned to the rest of the table. “We shall be leaving at dawn. It will take about 5 days to reach our homeland. Please prepare appropriately.” The last part he seemed to direct toward Isola and Bronwyn in a bit of a condescending manner. He then turned to the baron again “Baron … I can only guarantee the dragon’s safety until that time. Should the creature turn out to be evil, the magic at the boundary will show no mercy. Additionally, I do not know what my leadership will decide if there is a wounded dragon at our door step.” Captain Irtheel stated.

The baron nodded “fair enough. And thanks again for your help in all this trouble, give my warmest regards to Lord Enos … and his beautiful daughter Allontree” The elf captain nodded and returned to his men, which were getting up and preparing to set up camp just outside the western gate.

Isola got up as well “My Lord … Thank you as well. The food and drink were wonderful. I shall go inform the dragon of the events and agreements that have been reached. Thank you again.” She bowed showing off her amazing cleavage one last time. Then she walked purposefully toward the outer wall where the dragon was resting, before her courage faded.

Isola had frozen the last time she was under the dragon’s gaze. “Resist the dragon’s freeze … silly” she said to herself as she walked through the broken curtain wall. The dragon was still where they had left him. He was massive and magnificent looking. A gleaming mixture of red and bronze scales, except for the splint on his one wing, the white cloth and wood seemed totally out of place for such a powerful beast.

Deathsknight was there too. They seemed to be discussing something. She approached and decided to wait for a break in the conversation, before she delivered the bad news to the dragon. What about deathsknight … was he to join them as well? He had fought on their side during the goblin attack. He had killed a bunch of the slimy green fuckers. He had even saved the dragon. The baron must have just forgotten to mention him. She would invite him to join them as well. The more the merrier!

Elf Homeland of Idoor

Allontree stood behind the wall of water that was the falls of Enos, looking out into the forest. She gently stroked her long blonde hair, like it was the hair on one of her dolls from her youth. Her long tapered elf ears listen for noise from the forest. Magically, inside the city the roar of the water falls had almost been silenced. Enos had been ingenious to hide the elf city behind the water falls. He had not wanted another elf to die fighting goblins … he had seen too many die that way in the goblin wars … the solution was simple … goblins cannot attack what they can’t find … the elf homeland of Idoor had been safe for hundreds of years behind the falls.

Allontree sensed something amiss in the forest. Something was wrong. Her ability to sense events far away had shown her the battle of Bulkenhold. She had seen the bravery of Deathsknight, the Minotaur, Bronwym, Prrip, Isola and the dragon Nas. She sensed these beings would be very important for the future of this world. Critically important, but were they tools of good or for evil? She did not know.

She sensed that something lurked in the forest. Something that did not belong. Was it the approach of the dragon? or deathsknight? Or was it something else? She was unsure. Her gently blue eyes searched the forest for what it could be … she could not see it clearly. But whatever it was … it would ravage the forest if unchecked.

She walked away from the waterfall and to the mirror along the south wall of this observation room. Her face looked prefect … youthful and innocent. Her nose was small and delicate. Her lips were thin and kissable, with shiny red lipstick that contrasted with her flawless pale skin. She was slim like all female elves. Her small waist and hips were paired nice with her long legs and her small perky breasts.

She looked like her mother, Calarin. Her mother had died during one of the greatest battles her people had fought against the goblins, when Allontree was still very young. The elves had been winning the battle, with a chance to rid the forest and mountains of the goblin curse forever. Then the goblin king, in a luck blow, slew her mother Calarin. Her mother dead, her father, Enos had ordered a full retreat. He had been in retreat ever since. The elves of Idoor had retreated from the world. They cared only for the small part of the Idoor forest that was near the waterfalls.

She adjusted the thin white almost ghostly gown that hugged her body. The gown design had a scoop in the front showing off the jewelry she wore. A necklace made of diamonds and sapphires, with matching earrings. Her thoughts returned to her father and the danger in the forest. The elves needed to return to the world; to help in the fight or all would be lost. But how could she convince her father, the time of grieving was over, and he needed to re-engage in the world?

 

[Mantra]

Nas

Nas did not trust the death knight, and he did have the urge to just burn the creature to ash for revenge as well as to just be rid of the creature's presence. Every time it came near, ther was that sickly feeling like grease on his tongue. Yes, the knight had once bested him in years past, but Nas was young and foolish then.

It was a great battle, which had left both combatants bloodied, but he did not take a single human on a horse seriously and had come away with a grevious injury for it. Discression being the better part of valor, Nas had withdrawn and the human was too battered to pursue his injured foe. Worse that the humiliation of being beaten, Nas had fallen quite ill that same winter because of his weakened state and had taken the better part of a full year to recover. A year which was spent practically seething at the world for his situation, but also a year which had tempered his bravado with caution and warning. Nas was a powerful creature, but a hard lesson had forged him into something far more dangerous, Nas was both powerful and cunning.

As such, for all his bluster Nas was wise enough to know that the death knight was a powerful opponent in its own right, and that Nas was injured and grounded. While the dragon was confident that he could defeat the abomination in battle should it come, victory would neither be easy nor guaranteed. It seemed that the knight did not want a confrontation, and to that end, Nas agreed.

"So be it then." Nas grumbled. "You will not kill me, I will not destroy you. We shall co-exist..."

"... For now."

There was another sound and the faint scent of perfume trickled into Nas's nostrils. He turned slightly to see the human female approaching.

"Has your great hero's feast ended already?" he asked sarcastically.

 

[milkmaiden38]

As soon as Nas’ eyes fixed on Isola, she froze. She knew it was happening … but there seemed to be little she could do about it. She used all her will power and caused her eyes to blink, freeing herself from the dragon’s freeze. The freeze had last only a few seconds. But she was sure Nas was aware she had been caught by his eyes again. The whole experience had unnerved her. Her brain rattled, she tried to say something to put both of them in a better mood … as they appeared tense.

“Yes, Nas … the feast was delightful … and may I say … you look magnificent as always with your gleaming claws, impenetrable skin, and sharp piercing teeth … and I would be remise not to mention your euphoric sulfuric odor … that smell really adds a fire and beam stone feel to your appearance … “She turned to Deathsknight “greeting to you as well deathsknight … you look great … shield and sword ready. I love how you have let the green goblin blood dry on your armor … it gives the armor that pleasant recently used look.” Isola said smiling, as she carefully positioned herself between the two warring parties. It may not have been the worst set of compliments the dragon and knight had ever heard … but it was damn close to the worst. Isola knew she had made a mockery of the introduction … but had no choice now … but to press on.

“I bring news from the feast. A captured goblin was brought before the baron. The creature cunningly accused the baron of being under the control of evil magic. The effect was his dealing with dragons and being in league with the elves. He went on to claim the elves were the ones that paid the goblins to attack the town.

The Baron had little choice but to attempt to disprove the accusations via the truth and actions. Stated more simply … he needs the two of you to come with us to the elf homeland. This will demonstrate the falsehood of the goblin’s lies. The journey is not far about 5 days.” She said both Nas and Deathsknight just looked at her, like she was crazy. She added “Did I forget to mention … the elves have promised loads of food and drink … so much so that a full grown dragon could not eat it all!! And there is lots of magic there too … great for deathknights!”

These comments only made matters worse. Isola did not know what had happened to her. She was usually a very smooth talker. She took a deep breath.

“Ok … I know both of you might not care … but if you do not go on this quest … it will look like the goblin was right. ... the whole region might end up in a war over this … this will allow the goblins to regroup and regain strength. We must not allow that ….Can you help us in this cause?”

 

[DeathsKnight]

He listened to the concubine and once again marveled at the folly of the living,

"Why would I not want a war? It means more death, more power to me and my lady whom I have served well. War and the destruction of a region feeds her more souls and gives her an even bigger army that can be summoned by me to do her bidding."

He walked back to the horse and swung into the saddle,

"I feel change on the wind, soon you will have to set your pretty dress aside and learn how to fight concubine, this magic that stirred this uprising and drew me here with the promise of death was of an evil nature. It's powerful and it is turning it attention towards mankind."

He paused, tilting his head as if to listen, then nodded,

"I will accompany you on your quest. In the elven homeland there is hidden magic that can help in the war to come. It must be retrieved and brought before the king."

 

[Mantra]

Nas

Nas only raised an eyebrow as Isolda explained the quest to him.

"You..." he began hesitantly. "Want me to go to the elves? On a peace mission??"

Birds took wing suggenly, animals for miles around started in frisht as the pealing roar echoed across the battle-scorched fields. The dragon practically keeled over, crashing to the ground and twitched about, the great tail flailing in spasmatic gestures.

Nas was laughing.

The dragon carried on for about a minute before he righted himslef, sniffling to choke back his mirth.

"I suppose you're serious." he said. "And I suppose that the barron says so as a part of our deal, yes?"

He heaved a great sigh. "Then I suppose I will accept, but I do not think I will be welcomed in elf-land any more that I am welcomed in your town."

 

[milkmaiden38]

Mission accomplished … Isola went back into town and tried to get a good night’s sleep. But she kept thinking about the dragon laughing … he was right of coarse … how was this quest was going to succeed? Elves and dragons just don’t mix well … she could not see a way for anyone to live through it and that included herself.

The following morning, she got up and dressed for the trip. She was again in her green corset vest, exquisitely crafted with the small flower designs. She wore skin tight black leather shorts/leggings. Her long tone and smooth legs were bare and ended in a pair of brown, calf high boots. However, unlike her arrival, she wore two long silver daggers on her belt and her burgundy hair was loose around her face. She carried a small traveling bag over her shoulder.

The sun had just peeked above the mountains as she joined the traveling group at the western gate. Remarkably, everyone was ready. Captain Irtheel signal for the strange group to head out … walking into the forest in about the same place as they had appeared during the battle for the town. The group consisted of the company of 50 elves, all clad in their green cloaks, with Captain Irtheel at the front followed by the minotaur, leopard woman, the dead knight, the dragon, Isola and finally the half-elf. Captain Irtheel had stated this order made the most sense from a tactical point of view. Pointing out that the elves would smell better if the scent of the lower races were not in front of them, thus preventing detection of danger. The snobbish insult did not go un-noticed by the non-elves in the group, however to maintain peace the non-elves grumbled about the comment, but complied.

After about an hour, the group entered the “deep” forests of Idoor. The forest got thicker and wilder. There were no people living in this part, save for a few isolated huts. Soon the trees grew thick and covered the path, making it feel as if they rode through a living plant tunnel. Little light made it through all the vegetation, so it became darker and more difficult to see. This was not a problem for the elves, Nas or Prrip (and deathsknight … but how he saw anything was a mystery). However Zarik, Isola, and Bronwyn had more trouble seeing. But the path was well kept, with only an occasional fallen branch to step over, so the group continued to make good progress.

Captain Irtheel guided them through the woods, leading them with skill and confidence. The forest was not a safe place, but he avoided possible trouble areas. He also had chosen a path wide enough for the dragon. Isola watched in amazement as Nas moved gracefully and almost completely silently through the forest despite his massive size. Captain Irtheel had warned them of dangers of the forest, but with a full sized dragon in the group … most forest creatures would not even think about attacking.

Deeper into the canopy of massive trees, they moved quickly and quietly. After several hours of travel, the Captain called a halt and allowed for a quick lunch break by a small creek. It was difficult for Isola to gauge their progress in this forest of oversized trees and little direct sunlight. It was a beautiful and majestic place. But there was also a sense of danger and mystery.

Isola wanted to talk to the Captain about their progress. So she moved past the dragon and made it to the area where the elves were resting. Again, away from the inferior races. The captain was talking to another elf, so she waited. She decided to dip her feet into the water of the creek. She bent over to remove her boots, giving both elves a view of her large breasts straining to bust out of her corset. Even dressed for travel, it was not hard to tell what a gorgeous figure she had. Isola slipped off her boots and placed her feet in the cool water. It felt refreshing, as she also refilled her water bottles.

This activity got both elves to change the subject of their conversation and make a few remarks.

“Human women … they look like milk cows with those big udders on their chests.” The one elf said. Captain Irtheel laughed and added “now be quiet … even with her small round ears … she might hear you and take offense … perhaps she will mooo at you”. There was more laugher.

Isola was use to comments about her breasts … so these did not upset her. But she decided to put on a bit of a show and see what else these two arrogant elves would say. So she raised both her arms and dragged her fingers through her hair, showing off her massive chest … a seductive gesture that men always seemed to like; it showed the slenderness of her waist, the nice curves of her breasts, and the richness of her thick hair. Both elves observed her gesture, but they did not seem impressed, only mildly interested.

“Human hair … it is so coarse and thick. Not like elven hair at all.” The Captain stated.

Isola looked over towards the two smiling “My hair may not be as fine and soft as an elf's hair, but I have other things, that are big and soft. Maybe you should try them before you judge so quickly?”

Both elves laughed “so crude … so direct, no grace in their mating calls!” The other elf stated in total disgust. But Irtheel seem intrigued by Isola comments “oh I don’t know about that … sometimes I think elf females could be a little more direct”

The other elf just shook his head and said “I wonder how she can even mate with a male … if those big jugs got swinging … they might knock him out!” Both of them laughed … but Irtheel seemed to have a puzzled look on his face. Isola could tell he was wondering what it would be like to lay with a human female … She smiled an extra sexy smile at him and mouthed “it’s magnificent!” when the other elf was not looking. She got out of the river and put her boots back on.

This brought Irtheel over to her. He was alone now. “Did you have a question?” He asked.

“No” she said and turned around … giving him a great look at her sexy ass …as she walk back to her place in line. He watched her the whole way, still wondering what he might be missing out on. She smiled to herself and whispered “I think I won that little battle of wits … I guess the inferior races aren’t all bad!” She giggled.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Maut al Feres

He sat on his horse as the rest of the company took their rest, he watched the little alteration between the concubine and some of the elves, still he marveled at the living, but he knew that if he was human, the concubine would have interested him. He watched the elves as they retreat, the arrogant of the races, he watched as Isola moved back to the group, humans the more diverse, but base of the races. If he had a breath he would have sighed, but instead he felt a small prickling up his spine, it brought a smile to his face. He urged the horse forward, his eyes scanning the surroundings, it was waiting, they will ride into it. When he spoke, he raised his voice so that the sharp eared elves would hear him, but he was close to his other companions so that they heard it as well.

"Ready yourself, my lady is waiting for us."

 

[milkmaiden38]

Deathsknight had sensed the build up of the magic. But no one understood his comment or chose to ignore it. Nonetheless, the comment still disturbed the perfect timing of the ambush. They had picked a spot that was very dark from the thick forest vegetation. The elven group were all eating and talking … too comfortable in their own forest. Deathsknight felt the final surge of magic and had only a few seconds to warn everyone again … he felt the undead creatures being pulled up from the ground. He had felt the foul magic before … it was Garliks and there would be a lot of them!! The evil magic was all around them. These Garlik creatures were undead … but he could not control them … he would need to fight them and destroy them.

He yelled "MY LADY IS HEREEEEEEEEEEEE”

There was a sudden scream as two of the forward elven archers died almost instantly. This was followed by a loud cracking sound … It was a massive tree that was falling directly at Nas’ head! More yells from elven soldiers trying to organize a defense from the sudden appearance of Garliks.

Isola saw one of the foul creatures grow out of the group like a plant about ten feet from her. It took less than a second and then the 4 foot monster was rushing at her, short short in hand. The soulless creature that looked similar to an imp, humanoid shaped, standing about 4 ft. tall, barbed tail, small horns on its head. Isola could feel the evil reeking from it.

What she saw had a chilling effect on her. She just stood there … not recognizing the danger she was in … but just before the little demon could strike her … Nas’ massive tail accidently? … or was it on purpose? … she did not know … smashed into the creature with a sickening cracking sound. The blow killed it dead. The shock of what was going on was over. She pulled out both her long daggers and prepared to defend herself. As she looked around there were black garliks everywhere she looked. One elf screamed as a garliks stab him in the back with its sword. Then she saw a massive ogre looking garlik appear behind Nas. The creature was headed directly toward Nas … a heavy spear in one hand. He grabbed a screaming elf and bit the elf’s head off, blood spraying everywhere. The ogre garlik roared a challenge at the dragon, dropped the dead elf … and charged forward with both hands now on the spear. Its misshapen head seemed to be smile at Isola … almost saying “I’m going to kill your pet dragon!!”

More shadowy figures ran by her … It was hard to see with small amount of light. There appeared to be elf archers and garliks and she saw two more huge ogres garliks in the path behind them. Everyone was running about, it was total chaos. She looked down at two dead elves at her feet. One had an garlik at his throat. The garlik’s ghastly face was covered in the elf’s blood as the creature feasted on him. With a quick swipe, and stab Isola killed the creature.

Suddenly, Captain Irtheel appeared out of the shadows, arrows flying into one of the ogres on the forest path. The huge creature did not even seem to notice. “Get out of here … hide in the forest … go to safety!!” He yelled.

“NO … I’m not leaving my friends … I can fight too!” the concubine screamed and rushed at the two ogres in the path. She past an elf screaming as a gang of garliks swarmed over him and ripped him to pieces!! She grabbed the large green emerald hanging from her necklace. The emerald was dull as it sensed the presence of evil. She tried to place a “suggestion” spell on one of the ogre garliks. But these creatures were totally controlled by another force. It had no effect. She had told the elf captain she could fight … but her most powerful weapon of choice had no impact and she was still running at full speed at the ogres.

She reviewed what she knew the gem could do … dull in the presents of evil … provide an antidote to a poison once a day. Enhance her “suggestion”, read emotion, heal, rejuvenate magic. None of that could help her right now.

Then an idea hit her. The elf captain had told her what to do. It was time to run and hide!! She stopped short of the two ogres … “HEY BUTT HEADS … COME AND GET ME!!” she screamed. In the darkness the Ogres stopped and looked down at her. Each tried to grab her … she quickly dodged out of the way. Slamming her dagger into one of their calves. The creature barely noticed. But that one tried to stomp on her. She ran off and stabbed at the other one’s leg … Both of them tried to stomp on her now. But she kept dodging, and running. She knew she could not keep this up for long … but she hoped it would buy some time for the real fighters to join in and save her!!

 

[DeathsKnight]

Maut al Feres

He reached behind his back, drawing a huge double handed sword, it looked more like it would fit one of the ogres than him.

"Your will be done my lady."

There was no undead soldiers to raise to help them, but there was fallen Elves, he knew that their kind would frown upon this, but let them frown.

"Riskos Alcone"

At the hauntingly cold voice that seemed to rush into the small clearing from everywhere, the fallen Elves rose to their feet, drawing blades and attacking the demons and ogres, Maut noticed the predicament that Isola was in, spurring the horse forward, he charged right at one ogre, swerving away at the last second, lashing out with the massive sword, slicing right through the ogre's leg it was standing on, he whirled the horse around and raced back, the ogre was trying to raise itself, looking at the stump under it's knee, moments later it's head rolled away.

The death of it's fellow drew the ogre's attention to Maut, but another well-timed stab by Isola drew it's attention away, a fatal mistake as it tried to stomp Isola again, the blue flaming sword cutting through it's leg and as it falls, Maut lands right next to it, the horse still galloping forwards, as the ogre looks upwards the sword gets slammed down, slicing it's head open along it's upper jaw. He looked at Isola, then turned on his heel,

"Better done concubine."

He ran towards the rest of the battle, more of the Elven archers have fallen, but also they had done their part, Maut knew that the wielders of the magic will have to come forward and he was saving his strength for that, but for now they still needed allies,

"Riskos Alcone"

The dead elves rose at his command and joined their brethren to withstand the onslaught, Maut felt a powerful presence and stopped, just as a bolt of magic shot from the undergrowth, sizzling through the space he would have occupied had he not stopped. He could see the energy of the being as it skulked in the dark, he dropped his sword and it dissolved into mist and seemed to pour back into his armor, he drew a long sword from his back and a black shield appeared on his arm, he leveled his sword at the creature,

"Step forth and meet my lady creature."

 

[Annisthyrienne]

Bronwyn started at the shouts of surprise and alarm as the company fell under attack. She reached for her bow, intending to string it quickly for use, then thought better of it. She could see Elven archers being slaughtered all around her before they could even get a shot aimed, never mind fired. The enemy, whatever they were, were in too close, right amongst them in fact. And it was too chaotic and confused to get a clear shot. The closeness of the trees and underbrush made the ranges extremely short and a bow was just not a suitable weapon under the circumstances.

She was no stranger to a blade, however, and thought about reaching for her own sword. But then she remembered the baron stating that the sword he gave her to carry was magical in some way. She thought she might as well try it, since they could use every advantage they could get.

Drawing the sword, she noticed right away that it felt lighter in her hand than it's size would seem to hint at, and she was able to swing it as easily as a dagger, but with the momentum of the full size blade. She was no magick wielder, so she didn't know what to expect from the blade. And for a moment, she wondered if the goblin was right. Would this blade turn out to be cursed? Would it begin to claim her soul and make her evil?

Only one way to find out, she thought as she charged at the ogre-sized opponent closest to her. Bronwyn had never been one to shout a battle cry or announce her presence. She was a ranger, for whom silence and stealth accomplished far more than bravado or shouting to intimidate. She let her skill say what needed to be said. And so it was with a deadly quiet that she attacked, laying about her with the baron's magic sword. Weapons were raised to stop her, blocks and parries attempted against her. But to no avail. The blade slid easily off the weapons raised against it, and swished through the air like a living viper, striking quickly and deadly to sow death's seed in the form of flashing steel.

+++++++++++++++++

Prrip had been enjoying the journey so far, though she could sense the tension in her comrades at traveling with the elves. For the most part, her excitement at being back in the wild forest overrode any apprehension she may have felt. Of course she kept a respectful distance from the large reptilian one, but as they traveled, he offered her no trouble, and eventually she became used to his presence.

The deathknight was another matter.

He just didn't feel right. Something that had that scent of carrion should not be moving, Prrip thought. It should be lying in the dirt until it's bones bleached in the sun. And not only the deathknight himself, but also his mount was the same unnatural creature. She kept her distance from both of them.

When the group stopped for a break, Prrip found herself easily distracted. While the elves talked among themselves, she discovered an interesting scurrying sound to investigate. Her hunting instincts kicked in, and she stalked her quarry off into the brush. She was sure she would hear the group when they started to move on.

But just as she caught the small rodent, a bellow of warning came from the direction of the clearing. Prrip scrambled up a nearby tree, unconcerned as it bent and swayed beneath her weight. Suddenly a loud crack sounded near her. Prrip started, and leapt out of the tree she was in, which caused it to swing back in the opposite direction from the way she had been swaying. As luck would have it, the tree swayed into the path of the one designed to fall upon the dragon's head, deflecting it to one side just enough to miss him. It was a good thing, because the desperate leap of the leopard woman carried her haphazardly onto the dragon's back before she sprang off to pounce one of the wretched creatures attacking the group.

 

[milkmaiden38]

“Would someone light a fire!!!

The Minotaur was a bull in a china shop. He had been trained to fight smaller creatures such as garliks or goblins. He had shown his skill at the defense of the western gate. But in this low light situation, with shadowy figures running about, he had difficulty acquiring targets for his battle axe. For example, he thought Isola’s traveling bag was a crouching garlik and had sliced it into two halves. “I’m going to hear about that …!!” he grunted.

“Would someone light a fire!!” He bellowed as he grabbed a garlik by its head with his free hand and twisted it, snapping its neck. He tossed it aside. He noted two elves surrounded by at least 10 garliks and charged. Horns lowered and bowled into them … three gralik were dead from the powerful collision. He turned and sliced the head off of one of the attacking garliks he had missed. Now the odds were 2 elves and one really mad minotaur versus 6 garliks. The garliks should have run! But they charged instead. Zarik kick one coming at him with all his strength … like a football … killing the creature instantly …the dead creature flew high into the air. The body went right through the dragon’s horns as Zarik said “3 points!”

The elves gutted the two attacking them and Zarik swung his might axe cleaving the remaining two in half with a single blow. One of the elves turned to him and said “thanks you … you saved us”

Zarik eyes glowed “Inferior races are smart enough not to hold grudges against snobbish arrogant superior races …” he grunted. “hold this right flank position, I’ll try to help out the other side … he across the clearing/path and entered a melee that was like a bar room brawl. There were garliks everywhere. Swords, arrows … he could not see well enough to fight effectively … so he BELLOWED at the top of his lungs “STOP … ATTACK ME!!!!!!”

There were return screams of garliks and suddenly he was surrounded by them. “AH BLOOD AND PISS” He cursed totally under estimating how many of the little shits were around him. They rushed in to attack all at once … jumping on his back … stabbing at him … one short sword sank deep into his leg … Zarik struggled like only a minotaur can …smashing several of them … killing a bunch with an axe swing … killing some even with his teeth and horns … but soon he was overwhelm by the attackers … buried under by a living pile of their evil reeking bodies!! All of those imp like creature wanting to feast upon his flesh!!

Deathsknight and the Creature

Deathsknight called into the forest “Step forth and meet my lady creature."

From the brush out stepped a giant winged creature. The creature’s eyes glowed with their own internal dark blood red light. The creature was a least ten feet tall. Its features were clearly demonic, with large fangs and pointed ears. But the red eyes, those were its most fearsome feature.

“I have already met her …” It hissed “I’m already dead … just like you …” It stated

Then continued “You must give up your independence …Deathsknight … serve the demon lords … or become a foot note in the sad history of this world.” It waited for the deathknight’s answer.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Maut al Feres

Maut leveled his sword at the creature, his voice dripping with ice, sending shivers up any living creature who heard it,

"You do not know my lady demon, if you had known her, you would serve her. The body you invest may have felt her embrace. But from her touch on you, I know that soon your evil soul will be in her realm, where your energy will feed her power."

He raised his shield as another one of the Gerlak's joined it's brethren,

"You have no hope of winning Maut, join us, lead armies in victory and send more souls to your lady."

Maut scoffed,

"Lead armies to victory and in the end you will throw me in a dungeon. I have lived it all before Gerlak, you're not the first evil I have come across."

The first Gerlak hissed it's anger,

"We waste time with talk! Let's kill him now and destroy his fellows."

In the mean time the undead elves have fallen on the undead creatures pinning the minotaur to the ground, behind his helmet Maut gave the two creatures a cold smile.

"Your resources are dwindling, you should have brought your warriors with you, the Elves and Humans are not such bad fighters after all..."

He paused briefly,

"Riskos Rekto."

The dead humans who was able to, rose from where they lay and fell on the enemy,

"Even if you kill me, they will fight on, but if I kill you, your creatures will be dead once more. You serve a lesser power. Come creatures, let's dance."

With a hiss of anger the first creature lunged at Maut, but he had been expecting this, he stepped to the side at the last second and the Gerlak fell headless to the ground, a group of the undead attackers fell with him. Maut leveled his sword at the remaining creature,

"Call your brothers creature, let's see just how good demons really are."

 

[Mantra]

Nas

Nas was bored. The journey had started out early in the morning with all these mammals lining up and marching off. The pointy-ears had 'assigned' him a position in line, but Nas ignored it. As it was, if he had followed along, he probably would have crushed three or four of them under foot as it was. Worse still, he had to walk! A journey that should have only taken him a few hours would instead take days lumbering alongside these silly little, earthbound creatures. Not for the last time he cursed his involvement which had led to his damaged wing and in turn ending up on this foolish little road trip.

At least the night had been worthwhile. During the night, Nas had supped on the cows brought to him, consuming them, meat, hide and bones all. That made for a tasty treat which had at least warmed his belly. Better still, while all the mammals had stupefied themselves with food, drink and whatever else they considered 'festive', Nas had discovered Marslug's corpse and claimed his crown as his own. It was battered, ugly and crude, but there was gold and precious stones included with its forging and so Nas considered it worthy compensation for his efforts. Nas had hidden the crown until he could return for it, then snoozed, waiting for the morning. As the journey began, it became clear that the night's activities would be the best thing going for the dragon.

Horses panicked when he came too near, the elves complained about the other mammals with them; which Nas considered mildly amusing at first, the lesser elves, complaining about the lesser humans and so on. (Surely they wouldn't have considered Nas a -lesser creature-; he was a dragon after all, and they were merely elves.) But the endless whining ceased to amuse quickly and Nas simply ignored them too. Things did not better when they finally came to the forest either. Many branches and young trees were gouged or broken against the dragon's scales as the massive creature passed by. His footprints stood out clearly along the soft dirt and loam of the woodland floor which surely caused many a woodland creature to glare and complain about his passing. Nas was no stranger to destruction being left in his wake, but he was oddly self-conscious about this passing. He did not like his clear lack of grace and mobility. He was not here to burn, loot and pillage, he wasn't even trying to intimidate the local creatures or impress them with his power, he was only trying to walk by the Hells!

It wasn't for another couple of hours before the canopy of the forest allowed Nas to be enclosed along with the rest of the party, but he still felt isolated. His companions were of no help. Most seemed either too consumed with their own issues or intimidated by his presence to do little more than keep from being stepped on. Of the lot, only the cat-female interested him at all. Of them all, only she did not just trudge onward, she explored . She leapt and bounded, seeming completely at home in the wilderness and yet seemed truly delighted with each new discovery, as if she had never been outside before. That creature may have been an earth-bound mammal, but at least she was alive . And so Nas's golden eyes often followed her as she ran and pounced to and fro. But the boredom always returned, always reminded him that he was crippled...and alone.

Then suddenly there was shouting and fighting! People screamed all around him as Nas snapped out of his boredom induced haze, the cat-female sprang off his back and a tree flashed next to his head, only to be slapped aside by another tree.

"Wha-?!" he began, looking about. Little creatures scurried all around the camp and the scent of blood and steel reached his nose. A tiny creature squeed as it flew past his nose and between his horns.

Nas followed the path of the little squeeing creature back from where it came, only to see the minotaur being piled upon by more little creatures. The tiny little creatures reeked of foulness and carrion. They were small but ferocious and had greater numbers. By that alone, Nas watched as the minotaur went down under a tide of little whatsits, even as his axe and fists flailed. To make matters worse, elves that shared the reek of undeath and sported wounds, fresh and bloody, likewise piled on.

""Hey!" Nas grumbled. His massive tail whipped around and smashed into the pile, sending dead elves, nasty whatsits and one slightly damaged minotaur flying, scattering their numbers. "Bugger off!"

The dragon stepped forward, crushing a whatsit underneath. His head dipped down and his jaws snapped up two more before they could stand. He bit down twice, then turned and spat the remains out into the trees. BLECH! they tasted horrid! His tail slapped down again, turning a dead elf into a red splatter mark in the ground.

"Stand minotaur." Nas said. "Lest you end up at the bottom of a pile again."

 

[milkmaiden38]

The Creature and DeathsKnight

The giant winged creature smiled, its eyes glowed brighter in the dim light.

"You are a foolish being … Abomination … the demon lords could destroy you with a flick of their fingers. Like the annoying bug you are.” The creature laughed in a series of sickening sputters and gasps.

“This was only a test … we shall not allow you to raise the dead next time …the lords plan to send a Mesobulbron against you … it cannot be killed by magic or sword …

Until the next time, ABOMINATION!” It hissed. With a small flash of light … the creature faded away. At almost the same time …an Ogre Garlik club came crushing down on Deathknight … baring missing him but slamming into the rear of his horse. The Ogre ROARED at deathknight … as he leaned in and tried to bite deathknight in half!

Prrip and Bronwyn

The pile of dead Garliks surrounded the two fighters … giving each a chance to catch their breath. They had defended the southern approach to the clearing and although greatly outnumbered no garliks remained standing to challenge them.

A smile was about to break across each of their faces … when they heard the crash of tree branches. Breaking into the clearing was two more of the ogre variety of garlik. Standing as tall as a troll each carried a club. They rushed at the two defenders, clubs over their heads ready to smash the half elf and cat woman to pieces.

Isola and the Wounded Mintoaur

Zarik went flying through the air and came to a rolling stop in front of Isola. She pulled her two daggers from the chest of the Garlik she had been fighting, and bent down to look at the big minotaur.

His armor was covered in dents and bite marks. The exposed parts of his body, his arms, legs, and head had numerous cuts. But the worst was the deep cut in his leg. “Zarik, you’re a mess …” She said.

The Bull looked up at the concubine “You think I look bad … you should see what the 20 Garliks I was fighting look like!” he grunted, a smile on his face despite the pain he was in.

Isola placed the green elemental necklace around his neck. “This should help” she said and activated the gem’s healing power. All the cuts all over his body started to close up.

“Plus you look cute with it on!” she giggled.

The big minotaur got back up on his feet.

“Cute?” he grunted and was about to pull the necklace from his neck regardless of its healing power. But the light given off by the gem allowed him to see much better, changing his mind.

“I shall show you CUTE!!” He yelled.

He stormed after a group of garliks. He was limping, but clearly pissed off. From Isola’s point of view … he was more dangerous now …then before his injury!

The light given off by the gem was so bright … Isola saw Captain Irtheel on the other side of the clearing …his back against a big tree surrounded by the black garliks … Zarik saw him too and the minotaur charged forward … and her conjecture was confirmed as the minotaur slammed into the group of garliks, black blood sprayed everywhere and numerous garlik body parts flew out of the encounter. Captain Irtheel just stayed out of the way of the battle axe …and soon every one of the attacking garliks were dead.

Nas

The small garliks were almost too fun to squish. They made a delightful popping sound as he crushed them … their internal pressure rose to a point that their insides busted out of their skin. It was fun … and the sound made him happy.

Then a Garlik Ogre’s club smashed him in the head. The club actually got stuck on his horn and the ogre was trying to pull it loose, causing Nas’ head to be tugged around. Nas saw there were two more of the Garlik Ogre creatures surrounding him, each with a club, ready to smash him!

 

[DeathsKnight]

Maut al Feres

"The ladies' will can not be denied creature."

The demon vanished much like the cowards they are when met with the death of the blue flamed blades, too late Maut felt the energy of the ogre and it's club smashed his mount. Maut felt a slight anger at this, the horse was a good one, the ogre leaned forward and Maut pointed his sword, black flames danced from his gauntlet, up the blade of the sword to explode into the gaping maw of the ogre. It shrieked in agony, drawing the attention of it's fellows ready to attack Nas, the melting of flesh and bones torturous to watch.

"Nas stop killing the humans and elves I rise, they're helping us."

The command was loud enough for the dragon to hear, as was it loud enough for the others to hear who wanted to hear what Maut had to say. Two of the ogres turned towards Maut and he looked at them with cold disinterest, they lumbered, they were slow and not deadly enough to challenge him.

 

[Annisthyrienne]

Bronwyn laid about her with the baron's magic sword, flinging off bits of Garlik blood and gore, severed body parts, and generally wreaking havoc among the smaller versions of the creatures. She was finding that she very much liked the baron's sword. As magic blades went, it had the fine quality of staying sharp as a razor no matter what she was hewing her way through. Still, she was afraid to let the sword have any real control, though she sensed that maybe it was one of those that could guide the arm of the wielder to make them more skillful in combat. Or maybe it was her imagination. She didn't put much stock in what the goblin had said, just because he was a goblin and they were known to be liars. But still, she didn't want to take any chances by subjugating her own will to that of the sword, just in case it was evil.

She waded into a new group of Garliks with vigor. She wasn't sure if it was the sword that seemed to give her the energy to fight with, or just the perverse glee she felt at flinging blood and other gross things all over the prissy elves who fought near her. She took the fighting seriously, of course. Combat is always dangerous. But somehow every time she heard a disgusted grunt or groan of dismay when either some blood spattered in the silky blonde hair of a too-handsome elf dainty, or maybe a severed Garlik hand spattered into the highly polished gleaming armor of the noble elf champion, she couldn't help the corners of her lips turning upwards in the slightest hint of a devilish grin.

And so she waded into the fray with all the enthusiasm of a young tomboy splashing in a mud puddle. She didn't even care if she got dirty herself, as long as the elves got it worse. It didn't take long before she had exhausted all the little Garliks around her, and stopped for a breather. She smirked as she caught the sight of the elvish dandy trying to wipe blood and guts off his shiny armor, only to have it smear in a blackish-red stain of ichor.

But her relief was short lived. She had just nodded at Prrip who had come up to fight by her side when two huge ogre type Garliks came out of the forest heading for them. The brutes were armed with mighty clubs, and it looked like one hit from them would turn the insides of a person to pulped jelly. Bronwyn's smirk disappeared as she prepared to fight the giant beasts with her special tactics for just such over-large creatures. Far from being intimidated by them as most people would be, as a ranger, she knew their weaknesses. They were big and strong, but also slow and often stupid. Still, one didn't want to underestimate them and take undue risks.

She whispered to Prrip, certain the cat woman would hear her, "Dodge their swings and quickly move behind them or duck between their legs. They are not very agile, and you can get at their hamstrings from behind the knees pretty easily. The bigger they are, the harder they go down when they fall. We'll cut them down to size, and then they won't be hard to deal with."

So saying, she moved in closer, feinting to the left to entice the brute to swing at her. But at the last minute, she ducked under the swing, rolled behind it to the right and slipped between his legs. As she passed under the arch of his crotch, she swiped the blade overhand, slicing open his genital area. The creature howled in pain and rage, doubling over to grab at his precious 'jewels'. But she was already behind the beast then, and slashed in a forehand, then reversed into a backhand slash at the back of each of his knees in turn. He crumpled like felled timber under the ax, and she wasted no time in bounding up onto his back and plunging the tip of the sword downward into the base of his neck, killing him instantly.
She turned to see if Prrip needed any help, but the cat-woman had her own foe scrambling after her as she nimbly ducked and dodged between and around his legs. Bronwyn grinned as she recalled many a time when some stray cat had wound around her own legs in such a manner, nearly tripping her up after a long evening in the local pub.

Just then, the leopard woman pounced on his calf muscle with all her claws extended, and sank her teeth deep in the flesh. The Garlik Ogre howled in rage and frustration, lifted his leg in a reactive attempt to get the maddening creature off his wounded leg. He hopped a couple times, showing unusual balance as he grabbed at his savaged leg. But in the end it availed him not. He hadn't the balance or coordination to maintain the one legged hop, and he came crashing down to the ground. Prrip was on him in the blink of an eye, rending and tearing muscle and flesh with her claws. Her growls and snarls were terrible to hear, and Bronwyn shivered to think of what would have happened to the slave master if Prrip had got to him before they could've held her back.

The anguished cries of the creature almost made her feel sorry for it, and she was just about to move forward to deliver a more merciful coup-de-grace when Prrip changed tactics and went for the creature's throat, tearing it out with a savage shaking of her head, like a hound worrying a rabbit. A huge bloody chunk of the beasts trachea came loose in her jaws, and she spat it on the ground as the Ogre died with a gurgling shiver. The last traces of the sound were drowned out with the exultant roar of the leopard woman's triumphant challenge as she tilted her head back to the sky and gave voice to her rage.