Shadow over Gerelden IC

[DormantEvil]

((LONG POST IS LONG, and I apologize. But its a summary.))

Yurioni had dressed and remained in the room upstairs at the tavern. For one she would feel compelled to sit with Zelthuros if she did go down and he was waiting, and right now she needed to find space. Especially from him. This was the part of her that she hated, the inability to control her power absolutely. Shaking her head, she pushed herself off the bed, her shoulder still sore and looked at herself in the mirror above a set of drawers. Pouring some water into a bowl, she splashed it over her face. She repeated this several times, until she felt calm and collected once again. The desire was still there, but at least it was just a want, and not a need.

It was as she splashed her face that she heard the dragon, it would be the first she had seen since taking this form. However, before her imprisonment she had witnessed the world of dragons, when magic was stronger and humans were but a small race. When time seemed eternal, and endless.

Gathering her gear, she made her way down stairs. By now the tavern was in a panic, and she raised her hood to avoid suspicious glances. Instead she made her way towards the door, looking around for Zelthuros, but she couldn't see him. No doubt he had left quickly.

Outside she was confronted with confusion and a populace of people generally freaking out. Deciding to take a less cluttered route, she jumped up and took hold of a balcony. Without too much effort, although it did cause considerable pain, she hoisted herself up. Looking down over the town, she got a baring on Zelthuros, and began to climb higher still, up onto the roof.

Shouts and cries of alarm sounded from the southern edge of town, and without much difficulty she could see the back of the beast as it lumbered along the street. Something was keeping it at bay though. Sometime she couldn't see. It took her a while to find a place to watch the battle, and for a moment she was more concerned with the welfare of the dragon. But suddenly she heard the mental call for help from Angel, and hissed loudly at the situation. Why couldn't the dragon just play with the townsfolk. Why did it have to interfere with their mission. Whatever that was now.

Running from rooftop to rooftop, she withdrew her longsword, and prepared to launch herself into the air and make a go at stabbing the dragon in the soft base of its neck, sliding the blade under the plating as it breathed fire. It was only then that the spine became open to a precise attack. But right when she got to the edge of the building, something crashed through its roof , and she was caught in the shock wave and crumbling building. Thrown a short distance through the air, her twirling body smashing through a back window unceremoniously. Had Yurioni seen that black dragon that had joined the fight, she might have been more careful.

It took her several minutes to regain her senses. By this time the dragon had been slain, and the town folk rejoiced. She could hear the cheering from among the dusty tapestries and tailoring supplies she had tangled herself in. Sneezing several times, she became distressed after finding herself undoubtedly stuck. No mere thread of linen was going to keep her bound.

With a quick moment to concentrate her body burst into flames, and the ropes sizzled and popped as the threads snapped and burned brightly. A second or two later, she stood and dusted herself off. The most expensive item she had, was the enchanted flame retardant clothing she wore. And rightly so, considering how quickly she would end up naked if she relied on simple cloth. Finding her sword, she sheathed it again, knowing that it would come in handy as it always had.

Jumping out of the same window she had crashed through, she began to head for the street. Only to look back behind her as the shop caught alight and flames spread. Should she put that out?

No time for that it seemed.

"You!" someone shouted, a villager.

Turning, she noticed that he was pointing at her, and she innocently pointed at herself before looking to see if someone stood behind her.

"Wait...you're not the witch from before?!" he stammered, but then he noticed how she was smoking still, and felt the heat radiating from her body. He would also hear the roof collapsing as its support posts burned through.

"...but you are a witch!"

"WITCH!! OVER HERE!!" he began to shout at the top of his lungs.

Stepping forwards, she was about to try and simply push past him, but a small group of the Kings men backed him up. Spears and swords pointed at her.

"Good luck trying to burn me at the stake," she smiled, and erupted into flames instantly.

The men had to jump back, the heat too strong for them to withstand.

"Stand aside, and I'll leave town without a fuss..." she started to explain, but she was cut off as the military men charged towards her. Without hesitation, she drew a fireball into the palm of each hand, and spun around, throwing both of them into the group of men. Like some hell fire, the flames caught hair and cloth alight, and the men screamed in pain.

Yurioni simply walked through them as they spun around, panicking, in pain and agony.

The villager ran off, like a smart man should. But the Kings men had orders. And it didn't seem to include letting her get away. Withdrawing her sword, she ran her hand along it, and the blade slowly glowed red up. The men started to shake with fear, but didn't back up. As she approached closer, they shielded their eyes and faces from the heat, unable to withstand it. It was like walking towards one of the bonfires that had been lit to try to cook the dragon. Only it didn't let up at all.

One of the men lunged into the flame, hoping to kill her with one strike so the heat would die. But as he did, his sword began to bend from the heat, and his hand sizzled as his flesh cooked. He screamed, and with a swift thrust, she silenced him and gave him a merciful death. The others fell to their knees, crumpling to the ground as their bodies started to burn. Although flames didn't catch their clothing, they could smell hair burning, and feel skin blistering.

Without the need to fight anymore, she walked out into the street. To her right, she could hear horses running. Suddenly, she felt her body turn cold, and wet. And as she stood there, her body no longer alight, and her hair wet, and water running down her body onto the ground, she looked at the villager.

"You are not as dumb as you look, but you are quite stupid still."

Raising her sword, the red haired woman, with eyes still ablaze was about to slay the man where he stood, but instead she was distracted as a carriage rounded the corner heading for the gates. Smiling, she sheathed her sword and pushed the man aside, and with a few steps, she grabbed the side railing of the carriage and opened the door. Stepping inside she expected to have a fight with a few guards, but instead she fell against a whole lot of fur.

"Shadow..." she said softly, breathing in his scent. Hoping the wolf didn't attack her simply for touching him, or for suddenly jumping into the carriage.

"Mind if I ride with you?" she asked, putting herself in the other corner of the carriage, so the dire wolf had room. Not that their was a lot of room due to his size. Brushing off her clothing, she calmed her mind so that her body heat reduced to a comfortable level for the wolf. She didn't want to annoy him anymore than she had to.

"Or should I ride up top?"

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel followed behind the large man, her feet touching the ground lightly and making the barest of sounds. Her lips parted with a small sigh as they entered the town, and then curled into a smile as Grimlock slammed a man into a wall, cracking the man's weapon between their bodies. She trailed behind as they entered the stables and she watched him saddle up the large horse quickly and carefully. She walked up to him and climbed up in front of him, holding onto the horse's neck so she didn't fall.

She concentrated as they left the stables and thundered through the town, focusing a shield around the large horse to direct away the arrows and bolts being shot at them.

She nodded at his words, casting her mind out before realizing the carriage giving chase. She cast a glance over their shoulders in time to see the mage rid the carriage of the other two soldiers. She tilted her head, confused, as he took over the reins. She continued to watch as he shed his overclothing and revealed himself to be Zelthuros. A smile touched her lips as the resourceful Ranger once again proved his skills.

And if she was reading the air right, Yurioni was in the carriage as well, though she didn't know if Zelthuros was aware of the fact. Probably was. Not much escaped those eyes...

 

[LeoHawk35]

Zelthuros

Shadow narrowed his eyes as he felt a warm figure fall into him getting into the carriage. He turned his head to look at the woman leaning against his fur before moving over to a corner of the carriage. He moved himself to give her a little more room, laying his head down on his paws in the little room they had, his eyes never leaving her.

Zelthuros closed his eyes, trusting the horses to follow the path without his guidance as they were trained to do. He could feel the heat from Yurioni radiating through the cabin, the presence of an elemental not escaping the notice of the dragon within him. He pushed it back, but it wouldn't sit idle for long. For the moment it seemed it was content to watch this turn of events. He opened his eyes as a pair of thumps struck the carriage. He looked over his shoulder to find the pair of black clad figures moving up on him, a pair of blades in their hands. He slid sideways quickly as the first trusted forward with his blade. The Ranger grabbed the handle of the blade and cracked his elbow back into the man's face, shattering his nose and making him release the blade, falling back. He stood and checked the second man's slash, checking a second thrust and ducking under a bolt from a nearby horse's rider, his cloak billowing out behind him in the wind.

He spun to the side and checked the man's blade again, turning to check the other man's blade as he recovered. His own blade flicked out to strike a gash across his chest, spinning to check another slash and following it up with a cross blow with an open fist, knocking him off the carriage. A simple kick served to get rid of the other as he tumbled off. Zelthuros tossed the blade over the edge and dusted himself off, turning to get back down into the driver's seat. As he was getting ready, however, another dark figure swung over the carriage on the rope attached to an overhanging tree, slamming into him and taking them both off the carriage. The hit the ground, hard, and rolled, the figure grunting as the came to a stop and then staying silent as a hidden blade slid through his heart.

Zelthuros rose to his feet, casting his gaze around. He heard the horses and another carriage coming down the road, so he turned and took off into the forest. He dropped to his knees and bent backwards mid-run, sliding underneath the singing blade of a soldier, rising to his feet and continuing to run. He spun to the side and brought a knee up into the form blocking his path, then planted a blade in the base of his skull as he doubled over. He turned again, using the man's corpse to block the next slash directed at him, then threw the corpse into the man, ending his life with an easy lunge to the heart as he struggled to stand once more. He turned his gaze behind him, noting the horses and men shouting. Terrible day to be caught by the King's men, with so many in the area to investigate the dragon.

He stepped back quickly, then lunged forward, driving a fist into the next man's gut, then turning and breaking his spine across his shoulder. These men were all too familiar to him, their gear and their tactics. He turned, catching a blade in his skeletal hand, tearing it from the figure's grip and stabbing him through the chest with it. He wouldn't be able to take them if too many caught up to him, so he kept moving. He kept running and kept dodging the soldiers he encountered until coming into a rock quarry crawling with the King's men. The men in the woods behind him caught up and closed him in, forming a circle around him. He stood upright, his hands by his sides, carefully examining the soldiers arrayed around him. There would be no crossbows, no magic. This was a fight of pride, of honor.

He slid slowly into a ready stance as they started to close. He responded to each attack with calm, cold efficiency, dispatching each soldier that came close to him, becoming a whirlwind of death in the group of men. He felt a blade slip past his guard and make an incision on his side, under his arm. The pain bit into him, but he banished the feeling and cracked the man's sternum. He couldn't take them all.

But he could damn well take as many as he could with him.

Shadow heard the thumps, followed by the absence of someone on the carriage. He forced the door open and was gone in a flash, paws landing silently on the ground as he flew threw the forest, following the scent of his master, running past the bodies left behind. He made it to the quarry and slowed for a brief second as he identified Zelthuros, then sped up even faster, leaping onto a rock, and then jumping off that rock into the group with a loud, vicious snarl. Several startled and frightened looks appeared on the men's faces as Shadow collided with the group, tearing through metal, flesh, and bone with claw and tooth.

 

[DormantEvil]

The sound of something landing on the carriage roof prompted Yurioni to draw her sword. Leaning out of the window, she looked behind them to see several men on horses chasing them. These guys just didn't get the hint. Soon Shadow had departed the ride, and she got the feeling that she was now alone and not in control of a quickly becoming out of control vehicle. Grumbling something about interrupting what could have been a lovely carriage ride, she sheathed her sword and climbed out the window. Making her way up to take the drivers seat. The moment she got there, she pulled the horses up. Knowing that it would leave her exposed, she also knew that if the horses continued to gallop along, she would leave Zelthuros and Shadow behind quickly.

As the horses pulled up, snorting and breathing hard for the exertion, she used the carriage as cover. The sound of hooves was getting louder, and she peaked over to gauge how much time she had. Suddenly from her right, a shadowy figure lunged at her from a tree. With one clean sweep she drew her longsword and connected with the man with her arm 3/4 extended. The blade cut into his chest, and she followed through. Slicing him deeply in the process. Blood spattered the roof of the carriage, and he landed with a thud. He groaned in agony as he bled, and she pushed him off the side and into the mud below.

A crossbow bolt thudded into the wood under her feet, and with her free hand she formed a small fireball and launched it into the tree where the bolt had been fired from. The branches and leaves ignited instantly, and someone fell from it, flames taking over their clothing with speed.

The horses that continued to bring riders upon her whinnied, feeling the tension in the air. Throwing a fireball, that she drew to life once again, but this time with more time and focus, she lobbed it over the carriage and into the road. Sending dirt and sticks, now alight everywhere. The King's men yelled in surprise, and their horses skirted around the flames, putting some of the riders off balance.

Whispering, she called forth the air around her, drawing the oxygen towards her body. Stepping down off the carriage, she walked out into the open and began approaching the Kings men, still mounted and trying to regain control of their frightened beasts.

The trees on each side of the road began to bend in slightly, the leaves plucked off occasionally floated on the breeze to her, and circled her in a current of air. With enough energy, she ignited her body and became a swirling torrent of flames and heat. The speed increased until she was an orb of fire. She could sense people moving through the treeline, attempting to flank her.

"Seek out those who wish me harm..." she commanded, concentrating strongly on the hate and anger she felt towards the men around her. Small fireballs erupted from the walls of the flaming orb that surrounded her at random moments. And as if they had minds of their own, (which they did, for they were in essence fire spirits) they curved and sought out her enemies.

With enough fireballs seeking out victims, she turned her attention towards the treeline. Sweeping her arm around in a long arc, she formed a large ball of fire and threw it into the undergrowth. Fire quickly spread. She did the same on the other side of the road, sending someone screaming as they took an almost direct hit purely by accident.

A crossbow bolt whistled as it flew through the air, and she rolled to the side, dodging it. Once bitten, twice shy, she didn't plan on sticking around to become a crossbow bolt cushion. Instead, she ran off into the forest. Heading in the direction of Zelthuros and Shadow. Still engulfed in flames, the forest caught alight and burned behind her.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He drew Kelt in a bit and looked at the carriage, when Zelthuros got taken off and Yurione got out and ran in the same direction of where shouts of pain came from he did not hesitate, he turned Kelt into the right direction and they were off, several soldiers came into view, but they all were left behind cleaved open, the magic barrier keeping their weapons at bay. They burst from the treeline, just as a knigt crested the rise on the other side, Kelt knew what to do, with a scream of anger he thundered forward, having lack of a lance, Grimlock wielded the bigger of the two swords and extended it. The knight turned to them, his visor still up and shock clear on his face. That face got split by a blade, Grimlock let the sword go as the body toppled from the horse.

"I have to help Zelthuros,"

He slipped from Kelt handing her the reins, he gave Kelt a punch on the shoulder,

"You do as she ask you big lug."

Kelt gave a nicker and bumped his shoulder into Grimlock, then Grimlock ran to the aid of Zelthuros and Shadow, hacking into the ranks milling around the pair, once he broke through, he turned and parried strikes directed at him, then his blade became a deadly dervish again, sending soldier staggering back, dead or dieing. A thundering sound made the soldiers part and through their ranks came another knight, lance at the ready, shield up. Grimlock sighed,

"Sorry about this. Hope you can forgive me."

He parried the lance and swiped at the powerful legs of the horse, with a scream of pain it went down, Grimlock knew the pain, it had happened once to Kelt as well. In the shocked moments following the attack, he struck, before the soldiers could recover, four more joined the dead ranks. He whirled to find the knight, sir Kelvin from the standard on his shield, struggle to his feet, a well-placed blow to the juncture of the helmet and armor sent him to his forefathers. Then Grimlock fought for his life once more, holding one side as Shadow and Zelthuros held the other.

 

[Dramaticflare]

Twixt man and tree, metal and branch, even weapon and nature, an oddly dressed elven man ambled through the ranks. Those who noticed him in the small battle and gave attack were preternaturally dodged as if he was simply moving away from a gust of wind.
"Pardon me, excuse me, comin' through. Now then," Zanderheim spoke, standing somewhere between Grimlock, Zelthuros and the king's men, "Can anyone explain to me," Zander now roared, "why is there a battle disturbing my slumber?"
A few of the soldiers made to give step forward and were greeted by a wave of fire kissing their faces. A contingent of the king's men below the cliff noticed this fire and began working their way around the rocky perimeter.
"Some of us forest dwellers need our beauty sleep!" continued Zander, confusing the men in front of him. To his sides, the battle still moved with violent splendor. "Honestly, all parties of this size should at least be run by the forest owner's association. Mrs. Squirrel is having a terrible time keeping her children in bed."
Some of the soldiers started looking among themselves, considering how to deal with such a foppish and ridiculous character.
"And Mr. Badger wants you all off his lawn!" Zander continued. Truly, this was a good twenty seconds of a continuous train of thought which much be considered something of a record for Zander.Probably the longest run he's had all month.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late for my tea social with the pines and oaks. two very nice couples. Well, I don't want to keep them waiting. Why won't you move? Do I have to make myself clear? I said move!" and with that final word an intense, pressured cone of acid spewed forth from his orb and coated the soldiers to his front. It ate through light metals in seconds and flesh instantly. Most of the soldiers in that cone were reduced to nothing more than writhing, screaming, terrified man-children. Several more soldiers could be seen breaking off for the forest. Everyone in the circle began backing away from the strange, distempered mage.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel was about to turn forward again when she saw Zelthuros tackled clear off the carriage.

"Oh my," she commented, watching the tussle.

She raised an eyebrow as Grimlock reared Kelt in, sliding off of the large horse and telling her qhere he was going. She grinned wickedly and waved her hands in a semi-circle, her fingertipa glowing brightly. She murmurs a few words before nudging Kelt with her toes..

"Let's go, Kelt."

She rode the large horse without even holding the reins, firing lances of ice into soldier after soldier, a vaguely maniacal laugh escaping her parted lips, her laugh able to be heard even over the sounds of combat. She noted Grimlock as he held off waves of soldiers, Zelthuros as he becam a whirlwind of death amid the close quarters of the men, not a single blade seeming to touch him with Grimlock and Shadow at his side, and Shadow himself a fierce fighter. She shielded herself and Kelt from a small volley of bolts. She drops to the ground and gives the horae a pat.

"Get going, Kelt," she murmurs.

She turned and pushed a man back with a gust of air, whirling like a dancer.

 

[DormantEvil]

Yurioni moved through the forest as fast as her feet could take her, and soon she could see several men, illuminated by the flames that rushed across her skin. They had been moving among the trees around her. So far they seemed to have been moving into position to charge Zelthuros and Grimlock. She could tell that they wore mail armor, as their footsteps were heavier than that of a lighter man. Her main concern were the few that stuck to the canopies of the trees nearby, they were not wearing mail, in fact, she doubted they had anything more than cloth to protect them. That did not mean they did not have some armor enchantments though.

It was even more curious that at one time, she saw one of the cloth tree lovers drop down onto the shoulders of an armored man and killed him. Was this a personal grudge sorted out in the heat of a battle, or were there two sides working for the same end.

Dousing her body, she sent the forest into darkness again.

Somewhere off to the right she could hear the trotting of many horses, and the sound of many sets of feet marching along the ground. Dashing to her left, she spotted an assailant that was within range. He stood much higher than her, and seemed to have wide angry eyes. He wore armor consistent with that of the King's Guard. Yurioni dropped to the ground and rolled, the tips of her crimson hair getting cut by the long blade of a broadsword as it swung over her. During her roll, she withdrew her longsword, and struck backwards with a wide arc. The blade connected with the back of the man's knee. With a howl, he collapsed as his lower leg was amputated cleanly.

Recovering from her roll, she parried a sword just as another man burst through some undergrowth. She had just managed to hear the leaves moving apart to turn and see the flash of his blade in the moonlight. Deflecting the blow, she kicked harshly at his kneecap. Crackling it with enough pressure for the leg to become jelly. With him off balance and trying to recover, she head butted him in the face.

Leaving him behind, she tried to ignore the sound of his nose shattering and the gargling of him drowning in blood.

Having moved a few more yards closer to the King's Guard, she watched as the men began to form up into lines. Preparing under someone's orders for an attack. At the back she could see a line of cavalry, and further behind that a was a square of men, protecting someone within it.

She could hear the clashing of swords, and knew that the others were still in deep combat.

Sheathing her sword, she withdrew a short dagger and took off into the undergrowth again. It looked as though she was running away from the fight, and many of the men that were walking through the undergrowth seemed to not chase her. And those that stepped in her way found their throats slit, or the blade of a dagger puncture their lungs.

Igniting her body once again, she held her hands out, flushing the brush she passed through with embers enough to once again start a wildfire. Running as fast as she could, she ignited the forest in a wide arc behind the formation of men and cavalry. Effectively creating a bushfire that cut their retreat off. The fire began to leap up into the canopies of the trees and spread quickly. The entire area became illuminated by the light.

From where the others fought, they would see the wall of fire quickly spread. And because of the light, they would see the men that had been preparing.

Yurioni was beginning to tire by now, even though she was a fit fighter. She continued to run as fast as she could, until she burst from the undergrowth off to the side of everyone else. She saw Kelt run free from a small framed woman, Angel, and head off towards Grimlock.

Angel seemed to be standing out in the middle of the open, her wind attacks pushing men over and sending them flying. Moving to the elf's side, Yurioni threw a fireball in front of one of Angels wind attacks. It was caught and blasted further than she could throw it by herself into the men that were running with swords drawn towards her. The added oxygen making the fire burn brighter and hotter.

"Angel, give me a hand!" she breathed, her forehead dripping with sweat. It looked very odd considering it should have evaporated from the heat of her body.

Concentrating hard, she gathered her energy again. The fire that burned in the background making her feel as though here element was strong. Soon her body burned hot and bright, and the tips of her fingers began to blacken. Her hair also smoked, and smelled like it was burning.

"Ahhh!" she yelled, the heat beginning to burn her mortal vessel, but she continued. This was not the first time she had pushed the boundary of injuring herself.

"When I release, do what you can...to force it onto the gather...ing soldiers..."

Flames burst from her body as she walked out between Angel and the gathering army. The first wave seemed to still be battling the guys, and she just hoped they didn't rush Angel of herself from behind.

Like solar flares, whips of fire curled through the air, grabbing at anything living close enough by to suck the energy from. Leaves that floated by burst with little popping sounds, and the men that were on the ground from Angel's attacks before cursed and cried out as their bodies began to boil. Many scrapped at the ground trying to outrun the heat.

With no more energy left to concentrate into her attack, Yurioni dropped to her knees. From her, a large bird formed from the flames and cried out. Flicking her arms out wide she cast the large creature towards the men. Large plumes of liquid fire dropped onto the ground as it passed over.

The men caught were roasted alive, and the smell became sickly.

If Angel could summon the strength, she might be able to wash the phoenix over the gathering army and decimate their numbers. Enough to stop the second wave from attacking.

Yurioni hoped the King's men were crushed between the fires of her hatred on two fronts.

On her knees, she breathed heavily and watched her masterpiece go about its duty. Withdrawing her sword, she leaned on its hilt and slowly looked back at Angel with a tired but satisfied smile. If Yurioni was injured in this battle, she would be without her healing to help.