Return of the Dragon Tamers: The Plague of Ogual

[Soulserenity20]

[btn=modc|https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/return-of-the-dragon-tamers-the-plague-of-ogual-ooc.52827/]OOC[/btn][btn=modc|http://www.soulroleplays.com/]Information Site[/btn][btn=modc|https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/micro-return-of-the-dragon-tamers-courting-thread.154410/]Courting Thread[/btn]

Banner Current Events Current Plot Point Characters/Hexes Post001 Combat System

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  Return of the Dragon Tamers
  The time has come for the dragons and the humans to join forces once again...​
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Hunting the Blackshire Stags
  
  Narien, Illyria, Avren, Pomona
  
  Reverie, Xylia, Alder, Saira
  
  ​
  ​
• 
  
  Terria has been rescued and returned safely to the meadow. Her retrieval came at the cost of another talented tamer: Goliath, and his dragon Hezekiah. Terria slumbers in sickness of the body and the mind even as Merrik has spent more than a week at her side, healing her thrice daily, doing everything in his power to bring her back to the Order.
  
  The party that ventured to eastern Galidus to sort out the issues in Kibran returned with a new stranger who turned out to be the bondmate of the Valor dragoness, Andraste. Alder Grey has joined the ranks of the Order and now works to find his place.
  
  Shortly after the Order's reuniting in the meadow, a council was called the a vote was ordered for the army's next tactical move. With the votes in, the Order is now set on unlocking the memories of the strange man Bren and travelling to Galidus to meet with the new king, Kylvest Brohn of Trespa while simultaneously meeting with the People of Dragons elders.
  
  Before the Order sets off once more, they are taking time to return to their training at the meadow and heal their hearts and bodies. At current, Merrik has chosen to mix things up and brought the Order out to the north-eastern woods to hunt for Obsidian Nova's favorite game: Blackshire Stags. After a great deal of drama in Kibran regarding Merrik's decisions on leadership, he hopes that the Order will begin to sort itself out within the ranks and grow to trust each other more deeply in a time when trust among comrades is a necessity.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Character Hex Colors
  [spoili]
  Aerarya is #800080
  Saira is #33cccc
  Merrik is Red
  Nova is Black with Shadow and Italic.
  Avren is Green
  Viridian is Yellow Green with Italic.
  Terria is Dark Azure
  Taega is Medium Gray with Glow and Italic.
  Requiem is Maroon
  Aleria is Dark Green.
  Agni color is #999999
  Narien is #0092b3
  
  [/spoili]​
  Soulserenity20 ---- Merrik Tetra ----- Obsidian Nova, Nightmare Dragon
  Soulserenity20 -----Terria Tetra ----- Ataegana Kuu'iah, Lunar Dragon
  Soulserenity20 -----Avren Lebram ----- Viridian, Forest Dragon
  Rainjay -----Saira Rinien ----- Aerarya, Atmosphere Dragon
  Rainjay -----Illyria Rowena Renthir ----- Mirazh, Desert Dragon
  Firejay1 -----Narien Ki'ila ----- Angi, Arcane Dragon
  White -----Rèverie Gray ----- Celeste, Celestial Dragon
  Mowkie ----- Pomona Ayelet Muldell ----- Katla, Vanity Dragon
  Mowkie ----- Alder Balthazar Grey ----- Andraste, Valor Dragon
  Crimson77 ----- Xylia Kalei Iwalani ----- Deventh, Swamp Dragon
  
• 
  Tetra Estate - Coliseum, 8:17am
  
  The morning air was cool and crisp, the last signs of Winter nipping at Spring's hold on the lands. There was a deep fog rolling in over the eastern forest, blanketing the ancient trees with an eerie, chilling veil. A pair of deep green eyes scanned the surrounding landscape from a hundred feet in the air. Their owner felt no fear, no discomfort of the altitude, being as much at home in the skies as he was on the earth. While the height and the crisp morning air did not bother him, a deep concern was festering within the corners of his mind. It was not unusual for worry and concern to waft about in his thoughts, but the intensity of today's concern was unprecedented.
  
  There was a silence that surrounded him, cocooning him in its peaceful tendrils, broken only by the steady whoosh of powerful wings. With each heavy downbeat, the man in the sky would exhale, taking in the pristine air the ancient woods provided and letting it out in a meditative manner. His dark hair swayed gently, not by breeze, but by wing-beat. The man was concentrating on the legend that was about to begin a hundred feet below him. The man was sorting out his thoughts, organizing his concerns, perfecting his plan of action. Worrying. Concerning himself. Stressing.
  
  The mind is of no use when it is tangled and knotted with stress and worry.
  
  Merrik Tetra opened his eyes as a wave of reassurance swept into his mind, settling what had been stirred up, putting his last lingering thoughts in the right place, and shouldering the mental burden that so commonly threatened to crush him.
  
  "Your wisdom could not have been more welcome. But to execute concern would be unwise. Today the stories of the world will shift mid-sentence, a new chapter forcing its way into a tale of growing darkness. Today the legends of old will be reborn, history repeating itself at the hands of peril upon these lands." Though his lips did not move and no sound rang out into the air, his words found their way into the mind that commanded the wings beating powerfully at Merrik's sides.
  
  The man in the sky was not alone.
  
  A hundred feet above the Tetra Estate, a creature of myth lingered in the air, sustained by the grip of its thick wing membranes on the cool morning air. The creature was massive, larger than any common animal of the lands, and it wore a cloak of scales as black as a night sky devoid of any stars. Blood red eyes that made every onlooker feel like prey blinked slowly as they stared at the distant fog bank. It's vast wings, cloaked in the same obsidian scales that coated the beast's muscular body, wore rings, red as the most scalding lava.
  
  The creature was a dragon. A Nightmare Dragon, to be specific; a beast of legends and fairy tales from a time long ago, long before the memories of even the oldest human. For hundreds of years the sound of heavy wing-beats parting the air could not be heard in these lands, or any other for that matter. For hundreds of years, the great draconic race was thought to have been extinct, perished by the hands of elves or man or even time itself.
  
  Few would believe their eyes. But Merrik Tetra would not so much as blink at the site of such a creature, for the dragon of nightmares and terror that claimed the skies was his dragon, and Merrik was its human. They were soulmates, best friends, companions, one.
  
  More than 2 decades ago, when Merrik was just a little boy, he was brought down into a damp, dark cellar in the depths of his family's manor. There, he received an egg. From within that egg came a voice, though not one any other person would hear, unless it so chose to be heard. Within that egg was a hatchling nightmare dragon, the same drake upon which Merrik sat at that very moment. The dragon was given to him by a strange, mysterious old man who called himself The Oracle. This man changed Merrik's life, shifted his path of fate to one of severity and ultimatum. His life for the next two years was leading up to this moment, this cool spring morning.
  
  Today, Merrik was going to form an army, a re-birthed order of old, summoned up again to bring forth a the great protectors of Illos. Today, Merrik was going to change the lives of a group of individuals, the very same individuals that stood a hundred feet below him in the center of a coliseum. Behind the doors that lined the walls of the coliseum were more dragons. More disbelief shattered by flesh and blood. Two years ago, Merrik had once again been summoned into that musky cellar where The Oracle appeared once agian. This time, Merrik didn't receive one egg; he received an entire clutch, each one a different color, texture and size.
  
  From those eggs hatched dragons, one of each of the draconic species, apart from the Nightmares. Those hatchlings had spent the last two years of their lives growing and learning from Merrik and his dragon, Obsidian Nova. They were being trained and prepared for this very day, this moment. Each of the drakes behind those heavy wooden doors lacked a piece of its soul, a part of it that could never have been filled. Not until now.
  
  The group of people standing, uncertain in the middle of the coliseum, were chosen long ago, though they could not have known it. The Oracle had selected them at birth, when their souls entered into their bodies with their first breath. Each soul chosen, was the missing half of one of the dragons below. And today, those two souls would collide and fuse together, changing the fate of Illos forever.
  
  "They know so little of what is to come." Came Merrik's soundless voice from his own mind into the dragon's.
  The less they know, the less they can fear and fight what is to be. Though we know that each of the humans below is the soulmate of one of our yearlings, the yearlings do not know for certain. They believe that these are mere potential candidates for the bond. They will test them just as a wild dragon would have tested the first of the dragonlords so long ago. The humans will pass these tests, of this we have been assured by The Oracle. Everything is set into motion.
  
  Let their oblivion be their guide, for both dragon and human. Let the bond work in its natural ways, it will give them strength in the long run. The humans MUST prove themselves to their drake, not only for tradition's sake, but to unlock the power that hides within their blood. Tamers are not made, they are born at the very moment a dragon's soul awakens. In that moment, the two become connected, separated only by distance and time. The tamers have an ancient magic within their veins, though they do not know it yet.
  
  Today, the bond with unlock that magic and change their lives forever. We should not delay it any longer.
  
  Obsidian Nova had a way about him that commanded submission and trust. There was no one else in the world that could calm and reassure Merrik in such a way as the black dragon. Nova had an ancient wisdom to him that came with being a direct descendant of one of the first bonded dragons of the Order of Old. Though merely 21 by age, the dragon's wisdom went on for centuries. Merrik agreed without a word or thought.
  
  With perfect intent-directed synchrony, the dragon descended, lowing the pair and coming to rest on a great stone perch that sat at the head of the coliseum. As the dragon's talons touched down on the stone and his great wingspan retracted to a resting position, Merrik stood up from his place at the base of Nova's neck and slipped down off the dragon's back without a sliver of difficulty, landing on the thick, stone perch below.
  
  The attention of the visitors in the centre of the round mass of earth focused on him. Some eyes shone with excitement, others with a sly intent, and others with a plain annoyance. There was too much personality within that circle for Merrik to handle all at once. He silently thanked the gods of old that he didn't have to get up close and personal with the entire group just yet. For now, the focus of attention was on dragons, and Merrik was completely at home in the realm of dragons.
  
  "You have all be told of your purpose for standing her today. I can understand if some or many of your minds linger in disbelief, this is an event of dreams and myth. But make no mistake, you are here to become heroes, legends, and leaders. You are here to become one with beasts of old, powerful creatures not seen in these lands for hundreds of years." He walked to the end of the perch, balancing casually on the round, stone hold.
  
  "The doors that surround you are the temporary dens of the dragons of Illos. The doors will open in a few moments. You must all be strong, be fast, and be brave. Today, you become dragon tamers."
  Then, Merrik's deep green eyes became twice as vibrant as any human's and he swirled his right index finger in a curious manner, concentration clear on his expression. The doors slid open, lifting up to reveals cascading plumes of steam as the temperature difference made itself apparent. The cool morning air welcomed the sound of wingbeats, too many to count, as a mass of dragons shot out of the dark spaces and soared up into the air. Flames of every color decorated the skies, scaled beasts of every shape, size and color bolted about before peeling off from the group and honing in on select individuals.
  
  One of the dragons shot a jet of colored flame down at the ground, nearing searing one of the soon-to-be tamers. The tests had begun.
  
  Merrik and Nova watched silently as the young dragons they had raised from hatchlings attacked, questioned, chased, scared, and tested the group of visitors. Each was seeking a human worthy of their soul, of their life, of their bond. Each would find a human, though they did not know it, and until then, they would test their worthiness endlessly. Merrik pitied the men and women below, for they had not been informed of what the bond was, nor were they informed of the fact that the tests the dragons subjected them to would look more like an attack than anything, despite the fact that the drakes would not actually harm them. This pity went away mere moments after it arrived as Nova's presence in his soul shifted with the drake's emotion. Any amount of terror and confusion was worth the bond of dragon and tamer.
  
• 
  
  Combat Event Guide
  +Steps+
  

  1. GM Scenario Introduction.​
  2. Player Response. Combat Begins.​
  3. GM Response to Combat. Required die roll will be presented.​
  4. Player Response. Player Roll. Player may close combat.​
  5. GM Combat Close Response (if necessary)​

  
  +Basics Behind the Rolls+
  
  Three Types of Opponents: Basic, Challenging, and Boss.
  Basic: Just classic battling. It is generally expected that your character can handle this with general ease.
  Challenging: These will require higher rolls and a bit of strength in whatever technique the character uses to attack.
  Boss: These will require the best rolls, the most creativity, and the best weaponry/spells/approaches suited to the character.
  
  Three Types of Character Approaches: Strength, Weakness, Long Shot.
  Strength: The character attacks within their class/strength/ability.
  Weakness: The player attacks in a class/ability that they are not necessarily comfortable or entirely skilled at.
  Long Shot: The player is being an idiot and doing something that would never work unless the die gods are on their sides.
  
  +How Opponent Types and Character Approaches work together+
  BASIC OPPONENT
  Strength Base Roll: 12
  Weakness Base Roll: 14
  Long Shot Base Roll: 16
  
  CHALLENGING OPPONENT
  Strength Base Roll: 14
  Weakness Base Roll: 16
  Long Shot Base Roll: 20
  
  BOSS OPPONENT
  Strength Base Roll: 18
  Weakness Base Roll: 20
  Long Shot Base Roll: 25 (requires stat bonus)
  
  NOTE: In a boss battle, there will be much more discretion for creativity and teamwork between players. Successful rolls will mean successful hits, NOT kills. Furthermore, for boss rolls, because they are much more difficult, the player will get a 'second chance' roll if their first roll is not successful.
  In Step 3, where the GM presents the required roll, it will have the relevant stats already added in and will be presented in a manner to explain the reason the roll is what it is. Stats are applied by level of skill, as portrayed:
  5% = Beginner ----> No Mod
  10% = Applicable ----> No Mod
  20% = Novice ----> +1
  30% = Adept ----> +2
  45% = Advanced ----> +3
  50% = Expert ----> +4
  65% = Sage (Mortal Mastery) ----> + 5
  
  Example:
  Shirin Vs. Challenging Opponent, Strength (Longsword)
  Base Roll: 14
  35% in long sword, +2 Bonus
  14% in valor, +1 Bonus
  14% in strength, +1 Bonus.
  
  14 - 2 - 1 - 1 = 10 Required.
  
  The player will then post a blank post with "Rolling..." posted and then roll a 20 sided dice (D20) on that post. Then the player will post a SECOND post with their response in accordance with how their roll went. They can wrap it up themselves (Step 4), or the GM can add a post in at the end to wrap it up accordingly.
  
  WARNING: If you delete ANY POSTS in these events, I will assume you're trying to cheat and get a better roll. I don't want any explanations, I won't believe a word you say, and I'll roll FOR you with a penalty of 5 added onto the battle. This means, for example, Shirin would need a 15 instead of a 10. If you make a mistake, for example, roll a D6, or roll twice. LEAVE IT. I have eyes. I can see the mistakes.​

[spoili][/spoili]

 

[Shadicmaster]

Stallion Tribe

Daliath was a little unsettled by the silence she was met with, though the woman didnt seem to object at all... Deciding to offer no further words so as not to make a fool of herself, she took a step back and shifted her grip on her two weapons, sheathing the longer of the two at her hip and lightly tossing her dagger between her hands. The distance was short, just a couple inches, but it was something to keep her mind occupied and accustom herself to the weight. As her opponent drew two daggers of her own, both about the same length as the scholar's, Dalaith began to question her decision to fight this woman. She was silent and seemed to notice every little movement and intention she had and had made. In a way, this woman was who she was in most situations, only with a much more deathly glare and with far more skill in relation to using physical combat.

Almost having been caught off guard while exploring her own thoughts, Dalaith was quick to jerk her foot out of the path of the blade that had been thrown at her, only barely escaping its incoming, though it left her stance broken and her legs pressed together. Shifting back a couple of paces as the woman rolled forwards onto her hands, the more inexperienced of the women tried to mind the close quarters in which she was also fighting with her fellow tamers. In only her quick glance about to mark everyone's position, however, the eagle eyed woman had flipped forwards, a strong kick aimed right for her upper body at this angle. Acting reflexively, Dalaith attempted to roll under the flying kick.

Dalaith grimaced slightly as she quickly dropped to the ground, shifting her momentum to roll underneath the airborn woman. Now covered in dirt and grit, even having to spit a bit from her mouth, Dalaith turned quickly, hoping for the woman to have landed close by as she lashed out in a horizontal arc with her dagger.

 

[Soulserenity20]

Stallion Tribe

Rolling for response from Dalaith.

Successful evasion: 12+

As Dalaith slid under the woman's attack, a sharp blade cut through the fabric of her robes and made contact with her flesh. The blades, though slightly dulled, were still capable of damaging and the momentum of her leap wronged her as the dagger produced a long slice up her leg. Hissing in pain, she hit the ground uncomfortably and skidded to a stop before spinning to face Dalaith once more. She flipped the blades in her palms with frightening skill and lunged forward once more, diving toward Dalaith in an attack. Crossing her arms, she delivered a cross-cut that would no doubt leave the girl with a serious set of scars, if it landed.

It became apparent to Dalaith, simply by watching the woman's movements, that the woman was using her clothing to her advantage. The flowing movement of the robes allowed for the woman beneath them to fake her direction of attack. As the fabric flowed one way, she would leap in another direction. She seemed to be using her very attire as a way of increasing her ferocity in battle.

[Dalaith will avoid this attack with a roll of 13 or higher.]

 

[Shadicmaster]

The Stallion Tribe

Dalaith hadn't expected her wild blow to land, her mind trailing behind her body slightly, though upon realizing the difference in weight as the blade drug through cloth, and then made a decent cut across the woman's leg, the scholar couldnt help but feel accomplished. The hiss let out by the warrior woman as she landed was only further evidence that her mind hadnt played tricks upon her. The sharp eyed opponant was quick to retaliate, however, leaving Dalaith in yet another tense situation as she was lunged at once more. She was starting to get a little jittery and anxious, her mind still a couple paces behind and worrying her. She only managed to figure out a route of escape a moment too late. Leaping back so as to run herself up against the wall of the pit, Dalaith raised her arms in a cross over her upper body and face, attempting a last minute block in the absence of being able to provide enough distance to fully evade. Gritting her teeth and trying to contain a hiss of pain as long, though relatively shallow cuts were emblazoned upon her arms, Dalaith brought her arms down quickly with the intent to throw her dagger with one hand and grab her short sword. Even if the attack didnt hit, hopefully it would provide a decent enough distraction to buy her time to get out a better defensive weapon.

 

[Rainjay]

Stallion Tribe

Successful evasion: 13+
Rolling..
Successful!

By the time Dalaith had recovered from the attack and had begun to throw her dagger, the woman was already moving backwards and away, creating distance between the two combatants. She leaped back and to the side, out of the path of the flying weapon and leaving it to land someplace in the arena behind her. Then continuing without pause, she lunged again at Dalaith, feinting towards Dalaith's dominant side before shifting in the other direction, robes trailing in her wake. Blades angled in her hands, she drew them downwards in a fluid slash at her opponent's undefended torso. The attack would score deeply if Dalaith didn't evade or block the swing.

[Dalaith will avoid/block this attack with a roll of 13+]

 

[Shadicmaster]

Rolling
(will post tomorrow)

 

[Soulserenity20]

Stallion Tribe

Leaning on his good leg, Avren waited. He watched his opponent move and with each lunge, he danced or rolled back, occasionally tripping and pay the price with a cracking blow to his ribs and arm by the hulk's mighty mace. He had taken a fair bit of damage, but was insistent on defeating this foe. While he originally planned on treating the beast like a dire bear, having no desire to kill the apex predator, but instead subdue it out of self-defense, the more of a beating he took, the more Avren's views began to change. He lost his false reasoning that he could not harm this man. He lost his resolve that this man was a mere defensive animal and with each painful movement, Avren grew to view the man as a true opponent: one that must not be left standing.

By this point, two things had certainly come to pass: he had sustained a number of blows that crippled and pained him and he had learned the way the man moved and which attacks were most common. Despite the pain that stabbed at his body, Avren saw that it was now his time to strike. The lumbering beast lunged forward as he had many times before. He would put all of his weight into a quick, heavy strike that would leave Avren rolling to the side after which the man would push into a shoulder roll, taking his momentum and weight and delivering it into a crushing body slam which Avren had only narrowly avoided twice before. Instead of diving out of the way this time, Avren pushed against his screaming body's will to collapse and as the man's mighty blow fell down on him, he dove forward in what looked like a suicidal move.

The mace crushed down where he had been standing moments before and the man's massive body curled above him in the follow up of the attack. It when then that Avren lunged his blades forward into the leg muscle of the man. When the thorns released the flesh, blood sprayed all over Avren and instantly he felt the crushing weight of the man as he fell atop him.

Avren struggled to breathe as he pushed and squeezed his way out from under the massive man. He submerged from between the man's legs, having almost dived through them in the fray, and as he pushed past the wounds he had inflicted, he felt hot blood gushing over him.

For the first time, he felt sick at the sight of the red fluid. Perhaps it was the injuries he had sustained. Perhaps it was guilt. But shortly after, Avren would pass out. A massive welt growing on the back of his head from where the heavy belt of the man had collided with him in the fall. His leg was purple and swollen, as were his ribs and his entire right arm. His nose was bloodied and his left eye blackened.

The caretakers of the stallion tribe would remove him from the pit and take him to be healed in the healing tents, just enough so to get him up and moving again and within 24 hours, he was back in the pit: aching, sore, half dead but still, half alive, and he faced a new opponent.


This one was another male, but younger and less of a mountain. He held a long whip in one hand and stared with a complete lack of emotion that left Avren feeling like he was facing a rabid wolf.

"One day at a time, one opponent after the other. You defeated the bear, now take down the wolf."

The voice of Viridian soothed him, bolstering his confidence and despite the ridiculous pains and aches Avren felt (the likes of which had not been known in his body since a bad hunting trip and a run in with a herd of wild Uryaks four years ago) he held a resolve to improve. He now trusted the twin blades in his hands, knowing they could cut and cut deep. He knew he could control them and decided to put his trust in them once more for this battle.

At the crack of a whip, the second fight began.

 

[Chrome]

​

A collab written by @Soulserenity20 and @Wytchfinder

The Path to Power

Koruba eventually decided that there was no point in waiting for the following day to come before sending the tamers out on their first attempts at claiming the elixir. Goliath was already tiring after the sample training, and after Koruba made him do the entire thing yet another time, this time forcing him to use heavier weights, he could feel his body breaking down. Goliath struggled to stand, for his leg muscles burned and ached. His head hung heavy, his back screamed in pain, and his arms hung limply at his side. The soldier knew that such damage to his body was never a good idea. A soldier needed to be in good shape but to ever be in a position of absolute weakness often meant death. This feeling of complete physical uselessness would be a new one for Goliath, one that made his feel vulnerable.

It was in this state, broken, weak, and mentally tiring, that he would be urged out onto the worn down path into the jagged hills of the Dragon's Clutch. He was reminded that Hezekiah would come retrieve him if things got too dangerous, and warned with only a few ominous words from the village sage: "Very little in this world is what it seems. Do not trust anything. Not even your own mind."

He was not told which direction to go, only forward. He was not told what the elixir would look like nor how far away he would find it. He was simply pushed out into the wilds to venture on alone with nothing but his tiring mind to protect and guide him.

The landscape was hilly. Filled with ups and downs, sharp, jagged rocks, slippery grass slopes. There were regions of lightly wooded areas where the light of the day would fade and open up again as he passed through. There were deep valleys where the light could not reach and high hill tops where the heat felt stronger. There were sounds throughout the landscape, but none would sound familiar to him. He would feel as if he were alone, but part of him soon knew that this was not the case.

---​

Vulnerable as he currently was, the soldier slowly put on his tunic. The shirt slid on with the help of gravity and Goliath winced as he stretched his arms through the arm holes. "Thanks for the advice Koruba", he said blankly, If you could call that advice, the warrior thought to himself as he ventured to refill his waterskin. Hezekiah at first, was amused that his tamer had to complete the course a second time, but as the dragon watched his tamer walk to the nearby fountain, a small sense of pity formed. Seeing his tamer reduced to weakness was new to him as well.

Hezekiah and Goliath exchanged nods before Goliath left to traverse the Dragon's Clutch, <Our bond is strong, I'll make my mana ready for when you need it> and Hez added, <You got this buddy>.

Across the jagged surface of rocks and grass in sparse locations, Goliath dug his boots into the ground and paced himself forward. The soldier chose to wander to the wooded areas with more shade and walk as little as possible in the beating hot sun. He walked in diagonal patterns uphill to reduce the energy he would have spent walking uphill in a straight line. Before crossing over the second large hill, Goliath took a short break. Then soldier drank from his waterskin and poured water on his bandanna to cool his forehead. He focused on the cool sensation that soothed his scalp and set out after a couple minutes, cool beads of water falling from his face onto the stony landscape. Sitting down is a bad idea, I have to keep going. If I stop I may not be able to get back up again.

As the man crossed the hill, a distant cry sounded in the distance directly above him. Under the blaze of the sun, Goliath put his right hand over his brow and looked in the direction of the call.

---​

For some time there was no image given to the sound. Silence came and sat where the call once was and when the soldier may have been ready to give up on spying its source, the sound would call once more before a shape broke the horizon. The shape was foreign, but beautiful and took the form of a mighty cat with a flowing, long mane. Its fur was black, broken by lines of gold that broke into intricate shapes across its coat. Its eyes, lacking pupils and irises, were also golden. As the beast crossed the landscape and approached the wary soldier, these various features would become apparent. However, perhaps the most unusual and striking feature of the beast was a mighty set of wings upon its back, feathered and adorned with the same beautiful black and gold coloring.

It neared closer and closer and as it did, the call sounded once more. However, this time, as it did, it would ring through into the very mind of Goliath and soon form words, as a connection between the pair ignited. The great cat opened its mouth once more, as it had each time when it released the call, but this time, words would enter into Goliath's mind as the beast snapped its jaws and paced around a good, safe distance from the man.

"You should turn back, human. It is not safe in these hills. You appear weak." Came the deep, mighty voice. "Where is your protector? Should the great winged one not be at your side at such a time? I am Venerus, guardian of the lost souls of this landscape, and you do not belong here, for you have yet to become lost."

---​

The creature was magnificent to behold, so magnificent in fact, that Goliath blinked several times in an effort to make sure that his eyes weren't playing a trick on him as the beast descended and paced near the man from a distance. Fear washed over the soldier for a few brief seconds as the man composed himself. The cat-like beast snapped it's mouth as it peered into the blue eyes of the soldier with it's own, Goliath knew the beast was looking directly at him but the golden spheres gave no indication where the creature was staring. It felt to him as if the beast was gazing directly at his soul. The soldier did not trust the winged feline and Koruba's words echoed in his ears as the beast's own voice flooded into his mind and drowned the wise words of the monk.

Casually, Goliath took a long swig from his waterskin as he listened to the creature as it described how weak Goliath appeared and was perplexed when Venerus asked him of his winged protector. Does it know who I am and why I'm here? Does it know about Hez?, regardless of the outcome, Goliath remained calm and responded as such, shaking his fear from his thoughts like a dog would shake the water from it's fur.

"I have no desire to turn back, nor do I have the desire to stay."

Goliath attached his waterskin to his belt and continued to walk across the grassy hill, purposely he ignored the beast's questions about his dragon companion,"I thank you for the concern Venerus, Guardian of the Lost", the soldier exhaled a calm breath, "I have a task I must undertake alone by wandering forward through these hills, if I am to find myself face to face with an enemy... it is my fate. And a fate I must endure."

---​

The mighty lion huffed, expelling a deep wind that stirred up the dusty earth beneath them. His entire being exuded a feeling of divinity and power and as he stared down at the small, exhausted human, he could not help but shake his head. "You are as foolish as all the others."

He closed his eyes for a moment and when he reopened them, they had gone perfectly black. For a few moments, he stared into Goliath's own eyes. When he blinked, his eyes had returned to gold. "A great weight lies on your shoulders. You have been broken physically. The path will finish the process and break you mentally as well. I pity the realm of man, for their heroes will not last long enough to defend them from the great darkness." He stopped for a moment, staring at the human, before turning and making his way away, back the way he came. However, after a few feet, he stopped and turned to Goliath once more. "If you were meant to succeed in this battle alone, the universe would not have halved and wholed your soul. Be wary of whose help you turn down in the future. You may one day pass up the ally that could turn the tables in your battle."

---​

The soldier didn't bother acknowledging the mythical beast as the winged feline ascended back into the skies, he had no desire to waste another breath talking to Venerus, who seemed very opinionated on matters of humans and their heroes. What a pointless conversation, Goliath thought to himself briefly, The whole purpose of this venture is to travel alone, retrieve the elixir, and rely on Hezekiah and my own magick to overcome the obstacles on this path... yes, It is true I am physically exhausted, but my bond isn't weak. The man continued his traverse down slope in a zig-zagging pattern and he walked between the shade of the sparsely spaced trees until he found himself carefully stepping across the jagged spires of stone that lay between him and the next hill.

Pacing himself, Goliath adjusted his footing as he crossed over each spire, his legs shook and he relied on his hands for grabbing hold of the sharp rocks along his path to avoid stumbling. The man felt lightheaded as he balanced over the loose rocks along the features of The Dragon's Clutch and when he looked to his right hand he saw that he had several small cuts along the palm, his blood smeared and pooled inside the creases. The cuts were small and shallow, barely worth the time to wrap them. Goliath needed to press forward if he ever planned on completing this task.

On days like these, I wish I knew earth mana, The soldier mused as he continued to make his way in the forward path that Koruba directed him. The mid-afternoon sun beamed down on his back as he pressed on and up the next hill, rocks under his boots gracefully rolling down the slope as he traversed up. His bond with Hezekiah was growing weaker the farther he traveled, but the soldier still sensed the Iron Dragon and the mana the dragon gathered in order to provide his tamer with the relevant power needed to protect himself. The two practiced their bonded mana significantly more than the elemental mana, though their understanding of the elemental magic could prove useful in their attempts to 'block' the elements from their potential enemies.

Goliath was breathing heavy, but he tried to remain as alert as he could, knowing that soon he may need to defend himself against a unforeseen foe.

---​

As Goliath pressed on into the landscape, moving tiredly across the crooked paths that trailed across the hills like veins of scorching blood, he would come across a fork on the path, forcing him to choose one of two directions. He could feel now, as he put more and more distance between himself and Hezekiah, that his bond was slowly beginning to strain. The source of his mana now felt distant, and it was clear he was reaching the limits he would soon need to push.

Of the paths before him, one rose up onto the top of a large incline and dipped over the horizon, making it impossible for him to see what lay ahead. The other path descended down into a deep ravine in which he could see a fair ways more, but what he saw was a series of moving figures, cloaked only partially by the shadows.The figures were bipeds with little height to them. Them moved quickly and with ghostly ease across the landscape below.

The warrior had a decision to make: travel along the path towards a region he was now blind to, or venture into the shadowy ravine where the two-legged figures danced in the darkness.

---​

Goliath opted not to disturb the bipedal figures lurking in the shadows and instead the soldier used his same zig-zagging pattern to ascend to the top of the large incline. Once at the top he decided that he would look across the landscape for a better view of what was paved ahead on his path to power. His ankles hurt more than he thought possible as small rocks click-clacked as they fell down the steep incline while he paced himself. Sweat had pooled along his lower back and his shirt was drenched as the sun beamed down on him. Goliath felt his bond with Hezekiah flicker as the distance between the tamer and dragon continued to stretch, Maybe I should turn back soon, he thought to himself as he side-stepped along the hillside, I still need to walk back, today I will pace myself and learn what I can at the top of this UNENDING god-forsaken peak before I try again tomorrow, he brushed a strand of sweat covered hair from his forehead back under his bandanna, That way I can start fresh and I'll be strong enough to return to Koruba and his obstacle course. The soldier exhaled and pushed himself as he reached closer and closer to the top of the incline. "At least going back downhill will be easier", Goliath said to himself as he walked up the slope.

Safely back with Koruba and the monks, Hezekiah inched forward onto the path as he strained to stay with Goliath. The monks watched him closely as the dragon attempted to shorten the distance between himself and his tamer, in response the monks scolded the iron dragon and said that Hezekiah was 'interfering with the training'.

<But that hollow-headed goon needs my help! If he keeps going forward we might lose our connection and I won't feel him anymore!!>, Hez replied wild with anger, no doubt the separation between the two taking drastic effects on his personality.

At the top of the massive peak, Goliath placed his right hand as a visor above his brow and peered into the distance, looking forward at the path that remained between the soldier and the elixir.

---​

The following day, the exhaustion would come sooner. Goliath's body had not been given the proper amount of time to heal from its exhaustion the day before. This worked, to some degree, in his favor for it meant he was able to set off earlier in the day, giving him more of the cool morning hours to work his way across the landscape. He would venture back the way he came yet this time, oddly enough, he would feel less drained by the journey, as if it were shorter than it had been the day before. He reached the fork in the road once more and ventured up the hill, as he had done the day before. What he saw, however, was vastly different.

The last time he had reached the peak of the hill and cast his gaze across the landscape, he had seen gentle slopes that lead down to a small river, cutting through the landscape. As the terrain climbed again on the other side of the watery snake, he had seen a gentle forest covering the land until it crept over the rise in the distance.

Today, however, he saw a small hut, sitting next to the river. The forest had a massive stretch of it cleared and apparently used to make the house. Goliath could either venture down to the mysterious abode or turn back the way he came, facing the ravine. It was not clear what could have torn down the woods so quickly and created a structure of that size, but it was there nonetheless and a decision remained.

---​

His shoulder's ached from the obstacle course, the amount of weights he had the wear and lift was getting out of hand. The soldier knew the third day could be just as difficult. Goliath caught himself several times stumbling as he walked, Not focused on much but his feet moving forward.

After witnessing the change in the landscape from the previous day, Goliath stared into the distance at the hut with a confused look on his face. Am I really that exhausted?, he thought as he crouched low, unsure if he could be seen at a distance. I need to try and get past the hut unseen.

He barely felt Hezekiah, but he knew the dragon was still with him.

Goliath drew from their mana pool and used it to form his resistant barrier, though this time he formed it slowly around his skin. He inched his way down the hill as he collected the shield around his body and began to cloud his mind the way that Merrik had taught him in basic training. In the training, Goliath had blocked Hezekiah's sharp mind by bouncing it away with a cotton-ball shaped dome, and as the exhausted warrior ventured down toward the hut, he produced the same protective mana in order to ward off a possible foe.

Can our bonded mana mask my presence? Worth a try, he reasoned with his doubt. Once at the base of the incline, Goliath went the long way around the hut, his path became longer and warped as he moved in a elliptical formation. His eyes remained on the hut as he hunkered low in the grass, unable to hide himself completely but at comfortably far distance to observe the strange structure made at alarming speed.

---​

As Goliath snuck past the mysterious hut, he would go by without harm or hindrance. However, as he crept by, step by step, shielded from any mana-based attacks, he would not be invisible to the eyes that peered out of the darkened windows. As he climbed up the hill on the other side, he would glance behind him and see two figures standing outside the hut, staring up at him. They were humanoids, but appeared unnaturally thin and wiry. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about them was the fact that they were entirely black. From head to toe, dark as the night sky. Not at all the deep hues of some of the southern tribes whose skin wore the tones of dark, moist clay, but rather an empty, unnatural black. The color cloaked their features, making them appear almost two dimensional, not of this world.

As he climbed over the horizon at last, one last glimpse would reveal the two figures smiling with wide, white, ear-to-ear gapes and waving slowly, as if they were seeing him off on a journey he might never return from.

That was when the darkness hit.

Out of nowhere, blackness veiled the sky, the sun blotted out by some massive, black cloud. All around him, sounds would fill the air. Hooting, howling, screaming, wailing. A heavy wind would swirl around him, disorientating him. His mana shield seemed to have no effect here, even as he felt his connection with Hezekiah still intact. From within the whirling wind and chorus of dark sounds came a sound that stood out: one of a child's cries.

---​

Goliath's heart stopped.

Did I hear that or imagine it?, the sound of the child haunted him, it was a sound he had heard before but he couldn't place where the said sound was known from. It was as though he recognized the sound from his memory.

Goliath's heart was beating hard and fast, he paled as he stepped slowly through the howling abyss of darkness he found himself venturing through. Each step he made was shaken and unsteady as the sudden screams and wails slammed into his ears. Beads of nervous sweat rolled his cheeks and dropped from the warrior's chin.

The soldier heard the cry again.

He whipped his head in the direction of the sound, this time prepared to hear the cry and recognized it within the instant it sounded from the obfuscating black. He blinked and collected himself. Regardless if this is a trick or not, I must continue. Goliath drew mana slowly from Hezekiah and stored some of it within himself in case their connection was severed from their distance apart.

Upon hearing the cry for the third time, more clearly now than previously, Goliath knew he must follow the cry to its owner. For expedience the warrior had a burst of quickness escape him as he assumed a jog toward the cry of the child. His legs were sore, but his heart pulled him forward.

---​

By the time the sound drew near, its shrill tone piercing both his ears and his heart, the soldier's body was worn to exhausted. Any energy he had left within him was now expended and as all his muscles scream in pain, he would stumble across a small toy. Picking it up, he would examine the features of the small, carved, wooden bird. With hinged wings and faded paint that once offered the sad toy a cloak of blues, greens, and oranges, it sat lifeless in Goliath's hands. The darkness made it almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead of him but the crying was so close it took him little effort to navigate his way a few feet forward and some to his right and find a small child huddled in the dirt.

The child was young girl, no more than three years of age. She bore skin the color of golden sand and long, wavy hair the color of wet soil. Her tiny body bore only a raggy dress, but it was wrapped in a style similar to that of the tribesfolk back in Kona Petl and its color appeared to be white, beneath the deep stains and filth. She cried quietly to herself now, no longer screaming out in fear, but she had not noticed Goliath, nor had she looked up in the slightest. She lay huddled in the dirt, hands buried in her face, body folded over her legs which lay bent in the dirt.

From the darkness surrounding them, the sound of a hissing voice echoed through the stagnant air.

"A hero emerges from the darkness. Now this is the stuff of stories.." A gross, gritty bout of laughter rang out into the air. At first Goliath thought it was coming from his left, but then it sounded as if it were coming from his right, then from before him. It was impossible to track, as if space itself was beneath the unidentified force's capabilities.

Goliath could still feel his connection with Hezekiah, but it felt as though a meager trickle in contrast to the once powerful river that flowed between the two.

---​

His chest pounded with intensity, the soldier had diminished his energy to reach the shrill cry of the child that was huddled on the ground and fatigue settled in and placed it's roots in each of the man's muscles. The voice and the laughter that surrounded them confused him a great deal, but he knew what needed to be done, I need to bring this child back to Kona Petl... and protect her with whatever strength I have left, he reasoned and nodded to himself before kneeling down beside the young girl with dark brown hair and sandy skin. Goliath watched his surroundings with superstitious worry as he tried to calm the child and assure her that she could rely on his protection.

The warrior placed the winged toy in front of the girl and whispered, "I am here now sweet child, you have nothing more to fear", Goliath stood up and began to collect mana from Hezekiah at a great distance. He felt the slow trickle of magical energy collect inside him and took a deep breath; calming his mind and clearing it of all his fear.

Back at Kona Petl, Hezekiah felt the sudden pull of energy and sensed danger, with it he sensed an urgency within the pull of mana from him.. it was as though Goliath was worried for another, yet the iron dragon had not known who or why. Hezekiah pushed his mana forth to his tamer and aided the soldier in his acquisition of the energy needed to defeat whichever foe placed danger before him or the person Goliath deemed to need their protection. Though the push and pull of mana between the tamer and dragon was slow and time consuming, Hezekiah knew it was gathering. I hope you know what you're doing Gol, the dragon messaged through their bond knowing full well that the message was too far to reach his tamer. Wherever you are.

In the shroud of darkness, veiled with sickening laughter and an unknown force suppressing it's will onto the soldier and the little girl, Goliath clenched both his hands into fists. He breathed at a regular pace as he felt the mana he collected store within him and conjured a flame of crimson that surrounded his right fist. The man focused on protecting his hand so that flame did not injure him in the process, but he felt a subtle burn caress his skin as he maintained it's blaze. The flame blazed with anger and heat leeched into the air as it grew in size.

Goliath raised his flaming fist in front of him and shouted into the black abyss, "Show yourself coward!! Only the weak prey upon the innocent! AND WITH RIGHTEOUS FLAME I WILL DEFEAT YOU!"

---​

A sickening laughter filled the air and all at once a thousand voices whispered their dark messages. They were all around him, thickening the air with their presence.


"What are you to command the darkness?"

"A meager One in a sea of many."​

"Give us the girl."​

"She is not yours to defend."

"She is not of your people."​

"She is not your ward. "

"You are not a hero, but a fool."​

"Your blood runs with the salt of the south."

"You left your own people."​

"Where are you when they cry?"
​

Suddenly, he felt a sharp jab in his side, as if a bony-fingered hand was shoving him forward. Shortly after, a second shove, then a pull. Then, a tug at the girl, and then came the pain. It was as if each jab bore the gaping maw of a thousand vicious teeth, digging into him, snapping at the girl, violent and aggressive.

"Who are you but a meager One?"

---​

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH", Goliath did not have time to come up with a witty response, so he chose the next best thing.

​

Goliath's crimson flame grew larger as it emanated from his right fist with ferocity and he positioned himself closer to the little girl. The soldier had positioned his body so he could be hit by any attacks intended for her. After taking a series of devastating blows from the creeping darkness, the warrior far from his home timed his attack with calculated accuracy.

When the darkness pulled him after a series of shoves, Goliath punched in the direction he was being pulled and sent an intense blazing cone of flame from his fist, engulfing as it spread.​

---​

]The fire burned brightly, forcing the darkness back away from him. He felt his energy beginning to drain as the weak trickle of mana was forced beyond its limits. And yet, there was a strength that had not existed before. Suddenly, as if a dam had been broken by the violent force of the mighty river, his mana source overflowed with power. It was as if Hezekiah were suddenly right next to him, fueling his strength.

The warrior had given up all else and relied solely on his mana. He had found the elixir within his very arms: the innocent.

The darkness receded and the voices screamed and howled as they burned up and faded away and Goliath was left, fallen to his knees out of exhaustion. The small girl freed herself and stood before him. "Your elixir is your courage and bravery. Your strength will come from the innocence of this world and its integrity as you fight to protect it. Go now, hero, for you have grown beyond these hills." With one last gentle touch, the girl placed a hand on the soldier's cheek. He felt his energy growing rapidly more abundant and soon enough, he felt rejuvenated and revitalized.

The girl was no longer afraid, no longer oblivious and helpless. Instead, her eyes glowed blue and her voice rang with an ancient wisdom not of an earthly child. When her words were spoken, she turned and walked silently into the wilds once more.

It was not long then before Hezekiah flew to his tamer's side, nearly 30 km away from where he first started, though the distance was hardly real to any but Goliath for Hezekiah flew only 10 km from where they first were. The reality of the journey would remain muddled, but Goliath would feel within him a powerful flow of mana that would never again be so easily brought to a trickle.

FIN

​

​

 

[Soulserenity20]

[dash=white]

A week's time would pass and the tamers would draw their training to an end. They would offer their deepest thanks to their mentors and leave with new found friendships and alliances. Those who trained with the Stallion tribe were welcomed into the herd, their dragons seen as symbols of the ancient scaled horses of the skies and their tamers the great riders of legend and lore. They would depart with their chosen weapons as gifts and encouragement for them to continue on with their training. Those at Kona Pelt gained honorary welcome into the temples of the village and when their journey's would end they would be told the secret of their trials, one that would leave them all with a newfound respect for the mana-based beings of the world. The tamers who met with the seer in the darkness of the Forgotten Isles would leave with a healed mind and heart, their bonds strengthened after they dealt with their emotional and psychological issues, removing roadblocks within their bonded realm to open up the flow of their mana and increase their mana strength and capabilities.

As the groups all made their way back, Merrik and the others from the Forgotten Isles would come across the broken, lost figure of a silver dragoness, soaring high in the skies in the moonlight, restoring her energy before diving back to the lands to continue her desperate search for her beloved tamer. When the news of Terria's disappearance came to Merrik's knowledge, he remained cool and calm, refusing to break only days before war. The reclamation of Kuhl and the offensive moves on Ogual were now more important than ever before. Merrik flew on Taega the way home, after spending nearly four hours following her with the others, trying to calm her down and convincing her that Terria was no longer in these woods. Merrik had a sick, pitting feeling in his gut that made him sure his sister was in the hands of the dark one, likely in the very pit of his lair to the east. Merrik's soul was very different from Terria's, of course, but there were similarities in his memories. After all, they shared blood, memories, and a childhood. The entire way back, Merrik fed Taega his feelings towards his parents, times spent with Terria, and fond memories of the estate to help give her a sense of familiarity after several days of isolation and deep, intense fear. They eventually made it back to the meadows, and Merrik had managed to stay strong, though he wasn't sure how.

He dismounted almost immediately after Taega's feet hit the ground and swiftly made his way up to his loft where he ripped the curtains closed and took out his anger and frustration on the woodwork of the walls before sitting down on his bed in silence, several thing trails of blood emerging from his knuckles and oozing slowly onto the floor.

He had taken her. His own blood. His little sister.

He had infiltrated the integrity of the Order.

He was winning.

It had taken Merrik some time to regain his composure but eventually he surfaced at last from his quarters dressed in a black cotton tunic he wore over faded, dark brown slacks, tucked into his regular training boots, a worn, darn leather. He made his way out and gathered a bit of preserved meat from the kitchen, for there was no fresh baked bread or fresh picked fruit due to their absence, and he made his way outside. He looked around and saw that the tamers from the Stallion Tribe had arrived and settled in and the Kona Petl tamers were just dismounting and chatting among themselves and others. Looking north to where the pond lay nestled between tall fruit trees and long grasses, he saw Obsidian Nova and Ataegana laying quietly. Nova had not left Taega's side since they found her, for his love for the younger dragoness mirrored Merrik's own love for his little sister. The dragon ached with the heartbreak of his tamer, but Nova was better at controlling his emotions than Merrik and insisted on guarding Taega from her own loss and misery. They lay nestled into the grass, her silver body dwarfed by Nova's own, black mass but from the distance, the pair almost resembled the silvery moon nestled into the black, night sky.

He kept himself from the pair, but instead moved through the meadow, checking on the other tamers, asking about how things had gone and informing them that a meeting would be held at the Oaken Ring in an hour.
​

[/dash]

 

[Silver]

Dream Realm Conclusion

A Battle within a Dream
Her thoughts skittered when a black blade slammed into the very bolder she'd taken refuge behind. Aislin barely swallowed her shriek of alarm as she pulled herself to her feet and bolted to the next large stone. Behind her, footsteps thundered as they gave chase to her. Ducking behind the next large stone, Aislin listened, quieting her breath so she could hear better. But her ears strained. Silence. Where had the footfalls gone? Peeking out, she was met with an empty ring. Confusion hit her. What had happened?

She ducked back behind her boulder, turning to look to the other side. Only to jump back, taking a nick of the dark blade to her shoulder as it suddenly emerged from the very stone she'd been hiding behind. A startled yelp broke free from her as she scuttled backwards like one of the crabs she'd seen brought over in a trading caravan. She gained her feet once again as the dark armor finished emerging from the stone, lifting its head back to screech. It sounded like metal on metal, similar to what she'd heard emerge from a blacksmith once before. Her skin crawled at the sound and she darted away from the being. Unsure about what she could do for cover, her hand went to her shoulder. Pain came from it, but there was no blood. Instead, it looked only as if a chunk of her flesh had been carved away, like she where a piece of wood or a doll. She didn't have much time to pause and study it however as the adversary came charging towards her once again. The confusion at the oddity of it only added to the swirl of emotion invading her mind.

Panic reigned. For a moment, she forgot that this wasn't reality and she thought that death would be upon her, her limbs froze. There was no place to hide, she didn't have a weapon to fight back with. She wasn't even clothed! She felt tiny, compared to the darkness charging at her, and it ate at her. This alien place didn't want her, it was becoming more and more clear every moment she spent in the ever changing world. Helplessness curled in her gut as she watched the thundering armor grow closer, almost as if it fed from her fear, it seemed to grow larger and darker before her eyes, more twisted and sinister. How was she supposed to be of any help in this war? She wasn't a warrior and if she couldn't even face down this creature alone, how would she be of any help against an army of darkness incarnated?

But then a gust of warm and gold glimmered and swirled around her. It was warm, and it soothed her, comforted her.

Move.

All at once, life returned to Aislin's limbs and she ducked the large blade that came towards her head, pushing away with her feet and tucking into a shoulder roll. The hurt one twining loudly at her she again regained her feet and darted away from the creature. Her heart still pounded within her breast, but it was as if the gust of golden shimmers had brought back her mind. She could think again, she recalled that she couldn't die here, and that calmed her some. But she'd already learned that she could very much feel pain, and she'd never been the type to enjoy that.

This place was in her mind, maybe, and it was in the world of dreams. She'd always held some sway over her own, even before meeting Yumiru. This place was supposed to be the very thing that linked her to the dragon who held sway over dreams. The dragon she was paired with. Aisling came to a halt a ways away from the creature, looking around her. Her mind drifted back to the grove of glass trees. She held sway here to.

She looked down at her hand and imagined her bow there. She pictured the way it curved, and the feeling of comfort it gave her to grasp it in her hands. The way the wood grain ran, and the carvings she'd whittled in over time of the mountain lily's she was so fond of. She imagined the light scarring from the time Lovie clamped down on it, trying to help pull her from where she'd slipped down, and almost off, of a cliff. The proof and the means she could take care of herself in the snowy landscape that she'd carved out her own place in. Then, as if it where magic, it was there. The familiarity of it brought a surge of confidence, as did the memories of what she could do with it and how she'd proven even her parents wrong about how she could take care of herself in the harsh landscape.

She looked back up at the figure once again coming towards her. She could do this. But not from here. She took off running again. She needed to get to a point where she could have a chance to aim at the creature and study it without it catching up to her and beating her into mush. As she cast her gaze around the pit again, she took note that she was fresh out of those locations. So she skidded to a stop, pulled back her bow, aimed, and released. It took her two seconds to remember that she hadn't made an arrow. But there shooting away from her was one of her own. As if it was part of the very bow she'd just pulled into existence. A grin overtook her lips for a second before she began to rush away again, looking over her shoulder to see the feathered end jutting out from under the shadows helmet.

The creature screamed again, and the gooseflesh that had died down spread over her flesh again. It began to chase after her even faster than before, as if enraged. And Aislins smile died in an instant as she redoubled her efforts to dash away from the creature. Then an idea hit her as she looked around at the stones around her.

Well, if the armor could do that kind of nonsense, why couldn't she? Aislin closed her eyes, imagining the sensations that hit her whenever the world around her had shifted unexpectedly. Then she ran full force at the boulder before her. Three steps into the sprint, panic hit her, what if she was wrong and she knocked herself out against the seemingly solid stone? A warmth that echoed with a familiarity so known to her, it resonated in her very core of her essence whispered:

Believe

The falter disappeared and Aislin shoved herself at the stone. The feeling as she passed through the surface was similar to the sensation of breaking the surface of a lake. There was a density around her that was alien. But where water had been cool, this sensation was warm, nearly hot. Her eyes opened, and a familiar color scheme met her, that of a sunset, but now an ever moving swirl of gold shimmered and sparkled, some of it whisking around her as she looked around her. It was like she was in space, but the closest she could compare it to be like swimming in the midst of starry night sky, save for the coloration. Something inside of her resonated. The heat, the density, it gave off a feeling of home even as it almost pulsed around her like a living thing. The adrenaline inside of her cooled momentarily and a calmness entered her being, similar to the way that breeze had soothed her before, but greater.
Then all at once she was back in the arena, tumbling through the stone with a gasp. The comforting, pulsing heat leaving her. But she could still feel its pulse, from not just within the rock, but from under the grass at her feet, from behind the black armor lumbering towards her, from the very air. It was as if that galaxy of blues, purples, and golds lay hidden within everything around her.

Aislin turned back around, this time. She held her ground as she studied everything around her again. The bow in her hand pulsed. Everything pulsed. And as she listened, she noticed, maybe it was only to her own ears, that everything had a certain vibration to it, a different frequency of that pulsing heat. It was almost like music…She looked up at the giant suit of armor and decided on a gamble She dropped her bow, not noticing it disappear into a flutter of blue swirls that fell into the very ground.

The armor before her wasn't armor. It just looked like it. So. Like with the glass trees, she'd change that. She tuned into the heat pulsing from him and held her hand out. She remembered once, when a group of musicians had drifted through town, there'd been a man that stood in front of them with a stick, he pointed and gestured with it and the musician had responded to it. That's what she imagined now, her hand was like that mans, and the lumbering giant was an instrument under her control, and she imagined the way she wanted the shape to change before her and then she threw her will into it. Her hand bobbed up and down, and swished like she'd seen him do. Then, faster, than any of the other times she'd tried to manipulate the world around her, the form shrunk, changed color, and came to land with a skidding halt before her as a turtle, landing on its back and swinging its legs around madly. Aislin stared down at it, her body starting to shake a little bit as the adrenaline caught up with her and a headache formed behind her eyes. It'd worked. She'd gambled and it paid off. Her breath escaped her in a whoosh as she collapsed into the grass. The victory was hers.

She watched as the turtle continued to falter. But she didn't notice that stadium around her fade away, not until she now sat in an open field with a turtle before her. She could still feel the pulse and vibration of the galaxy hidden behind the shapes of this realm. It was if now that she'd fallen into it, she was part of it.

"Like calls to Like." She muttered aloud, a phrase she'd picked up from her father. She waited until her heartbeat calmed before she brought herself to her feet and looked around, stepping over the turtle she took a few steps before she looked down at the ground and willed herself to fall through it like she'd done with the stones. And again, it was as if she felt into a lake lit by the summer heat. Around her pulsed the essence of the dream realm. A vast galaxy around her. She willed herself forward. She faltered and came to a stop before she really looked around her, she took in the way the golden stars seemed to drift and she traced them until her eyes caught on a cluster of the golden shimmers. Curious, she pushed herself that way. Weather she did that by walking, running, flying, or swimming, she didn't know. She just knew that, that's the way she went. Towards the sparkling.

As she approached the cluster she squinted then started to find what looked like a window, just floating there, almost cradled by the glimmers. Curious, she came up to ti and peered through it, only to blink as she looked in on what looked like a home, far grander than her own had ever been. It glitneed with gold trim and the white of the stone that made up the pillars was quite grand. But there in the middle of it there was someone speaking to another, he knelt down before the woman and held up a box. She coul,dn't hear the words but she saw the delight on thew omans face as she accepted. Then the vision blurred and shifted, melted and reformed until it showed the same two people standing before a house, now outside, a child clutched in one hand, the woman reached up and kissed the man, swooning and looked as if her whole world was him. The picture blurred and melted again until a familiar black shadow fo armor appeared, facing the man that had been in the previous scenes. There was a battle in which the puny man with the pudgy gut flawlessly beat away the black shadow monster, the woman and children cheering them on, the only faces she could make out in the stadium stands. Then the world went black and the window faded away, the golden starts all beginning to drift. What had that been?

As if the glimmers where a trail, Aislin followed them, wishing to see what else would happen. The drifting was slow and it seemed like forever before another window, this one had shutters on it, appeared. The glimmers wrapped around it, and the world within lit up and began to play out before Aislins eyes once again. Once again, this realm baffled her. She left this window, still in act and began to travel further along with drifting sparkles. The more she traveled, the more windows appeared, they became more and more prevalent as the density of gold began to increase.

Soon, AIslin was gawking up at a golden swirling column, it was similar to the column of colors that the bond between her and Yumiru looked like. Only this one was massive, she looked up, and she couldn't see its beginning, and she looked down, and couldn't see its ending. It was as if the bond between her and Yumiru where a piece of this cyclone of imagination and magic. She also knew, in the back of her mind, that while she was allowed to view this twister of golden stars and shimmering sunset. She shouldn't touch. She wasn't that welcome here, not yet.

Yet the swirl drew her closer, like it enchanted and bewitched her. In the back of her mind, the voice that had helped her earlier told her to stop. But she couldn't. Her eyes where transfixed on it. A hand reached out and entered the swirl. By then, it was too late. The gold burned like fire and a scream ripped from her throat. Or did it? But it wasn't the burning that hurt, no, it was the sudden barrage of images, desires, feelings, hopes, wants, fears, she couldn't name everything that assaulted her. But it was endless, it was too much for her human mind to take and she felt like she would drown in it.

Aislin sat up with a yelp, a hand reaching out and clutching her skull as agony rippled within it still. Her breathing erratic, as she spun around, getting her bearings. Where had she been sent to this time? Only to meet the faces of her comrades around her and that of the woman who'd given them their tea. Yumiru's voice was in her mind, almost shoving away the presence of what hurt her. A snarl rippling through as the dream dragoness chased away the remnants of the backlash to the mind of her human. Aislin knew without asking. Yumiru had been the voice that helped her, and it was Yumiru who yanked her back before the barrage of feelings and images could damage her truly.

Thank you She sent towards her dragon as her heart thundered in her ears, realizing from the trickle of fear still coming from the dragon that, that had almost been really, really, bad.

Don't pull stupid stunts! Was the snapped reply from the normally quiet drake. Welcome back. Her voice softened and she sent a curl of comfort to wrap around the humans thoughts. Aislin gulped the air in, still breathing hard from that last foray. But she offered a forced smile at those conscious and awake around her.

Going Home

On the way home, exhaustion ate at Aislin. But she felt glad to have Yumirus voice with her again. While she'd gotten help from the dragon beneath her in the dream realm,she hadn't felt her presence like she did now. It was becoming more and more obvious the longer she was with the dragoness that Yumiru was the voice of reason between the two of them. Aislin let her herself lay into the mane of the dragon before her. Even now, her head still ached from the brush of what Yumiru had called the core. But between the softness of the mane and the wind whistling around them, Aislins heartbeat was beginning to take up a normal pace again. Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy. But how could she feel sleepy when she'd already been asleep?

Manipulating the dream realm is like using mana. Yumiru offered the explanation without needing to be asked. It's world made from the imaginations of the living and mana. So to manipulate it, you have to manipulate the mana of it, which I imagine is harder for you humans than it would be for those of my kind.

"hmm." Aislin answered aloud, the sound of it being lost to the sky as she let her eyes take a long blink again.

Do not sleep yet, dear heart, I wouldn't have you falling from my back at this height.

Aislin grumbled but pushed herself to sit up once again. The wind hitting her face more now than it had when she'd been surrounded by Yu's mane. Instead, she began to look around at the scenery below, letting her own imagination spark as she imagined what went on far, far below them as they ate the distance between the woman of black and home. Aislin and Yu's mind drifted, finding peace in the currents of the wind and the sound of wings beating around them.

Then they found Taega. The silver dragoness looked the worse for wear, Merrik had to ride her home to calm her down and the dream team stayed quiet in the back, as they flew behind their leader and the distraught dragoness. Their minds raced, Yumiru's heart aching for the silver and guiltily being glad it wasn't her own tamer that had been taken. Aislin chewed on her bottom lip, the exhaustion beat back as her mind raced. Terria had been the one teaching them mana not long ago. Aislin had thought she was as strong as her brother was….was that not the case? Sure, taiga was smaller than Nova. But…wasn't that just gender. Aislins mind ran in circles as backflashes of the magic she'd seen the younger Tetra perform flashed behind her eyes. Fear prickled at her gut again, if terria was so easily caught, how would the rest of them fair? How would they go to war without her? As far as Aislin understood, the younger Tetra was crucial…wasn't she? Aislins stroked the mane beneath her. Her mind drifting down further. Was Terria okay? Taega lived, so she did to….right? That's how it worked. But what was happening to her? Where was she exactly? Would they try to get her back before they flew towards Kuhl?

When they landed, it was grim, Aislin slid from Yumirus back and swayed a little as her feet touched the ground, her shoulder giving phantom ping of discomfort. Yumiru shuffled closer to her human, even as her eys drifted over to the lunar drake. Part of her ached to soothe the other dragon. But another didn't want to leave the human's side, they meadow was safe, surely, but Terria had been a gifted mage and should have been safe also. Now she was not. Aisling looked up before she took a step back and shoved her partners shoulder in the direction of the other dragon.

"Quit worrying about me, you've already saved me today. Go be with her." She ordered. Yumiru looked down, eyes narrowing. She was on edge and her human was a foolish one. Aislin made a face at her line of thoughts. "I'll go straight inside and lay down." She grumbled giving the larger creature another push. "I doubt she's slept in days and sleep is kind of your thing. Go tend to her." This time, the human pulled off the saddle and turned away pointedly and made her own way towards her loft. Yumiru growled quietly, tail lashing at Aislin, but she didn't take her eyes from the human's back until she disappeared into the depths of the building.

Turning, she began to make her way towards two dragons at the lake. What comfort could she offer other than sleep though? She may be able to guard her from nightmares, but she wasn't sure if she was strong enough yet to hold the dream realm at bay. As she drew closer, she was sure to make some semblance of sound and she paused a little bit away, as if asking permission from the two elders of the order.

Nova? … Taega? Her voice asked, quietly and unsure. If they didn't want her assistance she would leave them. But if she could help, she wanted to. The tendrils of her mane drifted towards her sister, even though they picked up on her ache.

 

[Mowkie]

[dash=#D2B9D3]

​

The End of the Dream

The air felt cold and sterile. Empty of all emotion or resemblance of compassion. It was as if she was alone, standing completely confined within the cold marble walls of this house that was not a home. For a moment, she stood silent and thoughtful, taking in the details of the undesired tranquility. For the first time since she had appeared in this strange, dreamlike place, she realized that she could not feel or sense the presence of the one she was supposed to share it with. She could not hear his voice or feel his mind in hers.

Then again, was this not the internal scape of their combine minds? Would she even feel him in such a space? Uncertainty filled her as her body trembled slightly.

Behind her, where the sounds of the party and the light of hundreds of torches and flickering candles suddenly fell away to a cold, empty darkness. A shadow passed across her, and Aiko suddenly found herself staring directly into the blank, faceless figure of what might have once been a woman. All around her, she could suddenly hear her mother's voice slithering like a serpent. "As a warrior, you are worthless to men. They will not desire you. And if you are not desired, you are worthless. How could you let these strangers talk nonsense into you? Unintelligent as you are dull."

Tears welled up in her eyes as the maiden realized how much her mother's words still stung to her core. "You are wrong, Mother. I am more than a warrior. I am worth everything." Even to her own ears, her words felt hollow and unbelievable. How could she convince her maniacal mother that she wasn't worthless if she couldn't even convince herself?

The shadow cackled without humor, the same manner in which her mother would laugh when she felt her daughter was talking nonsense. "You don't even believe your own words. How do you expect to bring confidence to anyone else if you can't even find it in yourself to believe that you are more than what I say you are? Pathetic. Nothing more than a dull, whimpering child lost in her own fears."

"Fears you gave me," Aiko felt herself whisper the words, her hands rising to clasp across the opposite arm in a hug for comfort. "A mother who only sees her daughter as a tool to use in her own diplomatic chess game…you never loved me. I don't even think you ever loved Papa."

The shadow before her wavered slightly, two red orbs suddenly appearing where the eyes should be. A hiss sounded, like a flame was trying to escape. As it did, a loud crack sounded within the marble…

And then, it all went dark, and Aiko could feel herself falling…falling…

~*~

There was more to this bond than just the side of the tamer, however. For the duration of Aiko's journey through the first day of the bonded realms, Zolykar found himself facing his own fears within the dulled colorscape that they were meant to share. At first, his dreamlike stupor seemed quite peaceful. He was not running away from anything or finding himself in a marble prison. Instead, he sat on an amethyst-colored vine staring out against the dark horizon. It did not twinkle like he felt it should…it was sad and lonely, not a star to be seen or had. The colors of the strange vines were grayed out, not a single vibrant color. It was not beautiful, but the fearfully boring scene that made the violet beast shudder with dread.

Zolykar knew he was a selfish creature. He felt rotten to the core, and he found himself reflecting on the past two years of his life. He never had gotten along with his siblings, nor had he really cared to try. He always kept to himself, only allowing the man and dragon who raised him near enough to touch. He found happiness only in the gemstones he collected, and through his selfish nature, he became quite possessive. He did not understand the meaning of generosity or selflessness. This was why he never trained, for the Amethyst was too beautiful to be a beast of burden in his eyes. This was why he was weaker than many of the other drakes. But what mattered most to him was his own flawless beauty, and he got that day in and day out. Not a single scale out of place.

Perhaps that was his problem. He found himself pondering this briefly, feeling very alone in the silence of the realm that was his bond with the human, Natreh'vyya. He could not reach her, for her own internal battles kept him from speaking to her. He had to wait and be patient. He had to keep himself from being selfish.

It was difficult to think about being selfless, even after having bonded to a human of immaculate beauty. He had a hard time sharing with her…and sharing her with anyone else. He felt his own battle brewing within his mind, heart, and soul. The bases of his instincts told him to hold her close and not let anyone else touch her. To protect her like the finest of jewels. On the other hand, the morals that he was raised with taught him to protect her, but not hoard her. Humans – while most were dull, dreary, and not worth his time – were worth saving. And it was her destiny to save them from the evil that had been created from them. He was meant to help her, not hoard her.

Still, the selfish part of him clung to her like the diamonds of his bed. He did not want her beauty to be destroyed. But the question was would he be willing to mar his own to spare her?

His eyes closed as he felt her first battle fall away, her body stirring as her mind left the bond realm. There would be more days to work on this, he knew. As he felt his soul drift back into his body and away from the colorscape of their world, Zolykar thought to himself, And it seems we will both need to work on ourselves…

~*~

The remainder of the night was spent in feast and slumber. All was quiet on the outside, but the inner turmoil could be felt within the bond from both sides. Zolykar grumbled at his human through the bond after a few hours of her incessant internal babble. ~Sleep, human. If you don't, tomorrow's battle will be that much harder.~

The babble paused for a moment, and the silence was surprisingly deafening. He gave a sigh of relief when she whispered to his thoughts. ~Zolykar?~

~What is it?~

Another pause, then the voice returned, sad and frightened, like a tiny violet flame. ~Am I worthless?~

The dragon gave a huff of violet smoke and a roll of his mismatched eyes before answering her with exasperation. ~If you were worthless, do you think the most beautiful of dragons would have chosen you to ride upon his back?~

~But I must also clean your scales and be a slave to you…are slaves not worthless?~

He growled at this one, both at himself for having insisted she put his needs before her own and at her for pointing out his most selfish of faults. ~Slaves are not worthless, but you are not a slave. You are worth much more than a slave.~

~How?~

The word stung him deeply, for he did not know how to answer her. Realizing he had a great deal more reflecting to do, Zolykar gave a sigh and whispered to her gently. ~Go to sleep. You will get your answer tomorrow.~

~*~

As the week wore on, the days in the bonded realm remained quite consistent, and the nights alone were just as so. Every day, Aiko faced the shadow of her mother once again talking her down. Every night, she would look to Zolykar for an answer as to whether or not she was worthless. Every time, he would say, "Tomorrow."

Before they knew it, it was the final day. Aiko had lost interest in her outward appearance, letting her beautiful white hair fall into a ratty knot behind her neck. She wore the same dress as the day before, and when she took a drink, she didn't bother to place a pillow beneath her face, letting her body fall to the ground aimlessly. The pain of seeing his tamer like so was almost unbearable for Zolykar.

So, he put forth all of his effort this time. He forced himself to make the choice between his needs and the needs of his tamer…and for once, he did not choose himself. For once, he felt his heart ache for another…for a human. And he realized then that he loved her…and he would do anything for her. Even if it meant his scales got dirty in the process.

~*~

Aiko once more found herself standing before the shadow. It was a repeat of the week before, the same words…the same phrases. Worthless. Pathetic. Dull. And as she once again repeated her own line, she found herself losing all faith in both herself and her dragon.

Laughter filled the air as the shadow wavered before the young tamer. "The lack of intelligence you show is truly astounding. You are nothing more than a whimpering child, forever unsure of herself and trapped even from her own dragon because of someone else's words. You can't even seem to talk to him in your own bond realm. How pathetic."

She hugged herself, squeezing her eyes shut as the words spoke truth to the nature of her bond with Zolykar. She was pathetic. Pathetic and stupid and dull…a truly worthless being.

It was then that something changed…a warmth filled the air, and suddenly a violet flame lit within the hearth before her, casting a strange glow on the faceless shadow. Zolykar's choice had finally broken through.

~Thinking like that will get us both killed, human. If you expect me to find some sort of value in you, you must first have value in yourself. See yourself not through the eyes of the monster of your mind, but through the eyes of me, the one who guides and guards you. You are a diamond, a gem that must be polished to keep from being dull and dreary, but a gem that sparkles like no other when finely groomed. Do you not think that is why I chose you?~

His voice was a blanket of comfort and confidence – confidence that she had never felt before. She opened her eyes then, taking in the warmth of the room with a lit hearth and the cold contrast of the shadow still standing before her. Suddenly, that shadow took a more defined shape, and she realized that she was staring at herself, pale skin now a dull gray, cracked and worn, riddled with battle scars. On the outside, she seemed ugly…but there was something about that shadow…perhaps the way it stood before her or the way the strange eyes glistened with pride...that spoke volumes.

"I'm afraid, Zolykar. I'm afraid to be scratched and marred. I'm afraid I will no longer look beautiful…not to you…or anyone else."

~Then protect yourself through me, my little human. For you are frail…but diamonds are strong. Be my diamond, and I shall protect you with ferocity that is unmatched by any.~

Confidence filled her at his soothing words, and suddenly, she felt herself melting into what was once the cold, hard floor of marble. She did not feel a sensation of falling, but floating, as though she once more rested upon the back of her dragon. Then, she once again found herself within the strange colorscape she was standing in so long before. Brighter than last time, each color sparkled like thousands of gemstones. And in the distant horizon, where the darkness once had begun to consume the world, there was now a black sky filled with twinkling stars. They sparkled like diamonds, white and pure and beautiful. She only wished she could be like them.

Beside her in this dreamscape, she could see the figure of her dragon, standing tall and proud with a wing stretched over her. As if he claimed her for himself and no one else. As if he took pride in her. She was not worthless to him. In fact, to him, she was worth everything. Even the occasional day of dull scales and constant repetition. For the first time since her father held her as a child, Aiko felt the warmth in her heart burn like a fire. She felt loved by someone. And slowly, like a tiny, timid flame, love for that someone sparked in her heart to burn forever.

~Are you ready to go back now?~

"Do we have to go? It's so beautiful here…"

~We have a duty to Illos. And together, we can achieve our goal…and then retire to being beautiful together. Do you think that is a fair trade?~

"I suppose we have no choice but to accept such an offer. But…Zolykar…can you promise me something?"

~Anything, my Ethiryn…my friend.~

"Promise me that you will always have my back…even if it means getting dirty."

~For you, I will journey through the stickiest of tars and the darkest of magicks.~

"Then I vow to do the same. Let's go be beautiful together. I'll see you soon…"

As though they now had full control over their bond, Aiko found herself back in a blanket of darkness. Only, this time, it felt more like a dreaming stasis than the bond realm. She could once again feel her body stir, and the silver thread that was her dragon's mana flowed through her and filled her with a sense of warmth and comfort.

Opening her eyes, she looked around slowly. Others had already woken from their journeys within…in fact, it appeared she was the last to wake. Her head rested in a lopsided manner across the hard stone floor, and her cheek burned slightly from what she could only imagine was a small scrape. But, looking down at herself, the maiden noticed that something was slightly different. Her skin seemed to shine unnaturally, and when she moved her arm against the stone, she felt only a tingling sensation.

Shock broke the concentration that had held the strange ward in place, and her skin returned to its normal, pale state. Blinking for a moment, she gave a huff and made a note to ask Merrik about it later. Tonight would be the last night they would sleep in this strange old temple, and tomorrow they would return home, if only for a brief amount of time.

On the morning they left, Aiko had returned to her normal state. Her hair was pristine, and her dress had been freshly washed. She seemed to glow from the inside, out, and her eyes sparkled in a way they never had before. She walked with confidence, and she flew with it, too. On her right cheek, there was a tiny scratch from where she had landed harshly on the stone the day before, but this did not seem to bother the maiden. In fact, she almost seemed to wear it with pride.

Her joy lasted until the group arrived back at the garden to find Taega in a horribly frantic state. Terria was missing, no doubt kidnapped by the evil that Aiko and the others were there to fight and hopefully defeat. It took a great deal of effort to get the dragoness to the ground and calm enough to not go back out searching for her beloved tamer. Aiko watched as Merrik dismounted the silvery dragoness and headed straight for his loft, knowing it was best to simply leave him alone in his grief and anger. Sighing, she dismounted Zolykar gracefully as he landed and looked back at her with a golden eye. "Perhaps it is best if we prepare dinner for Merrik and the other tamers? I think he would like that."

The amethyst nodded lightly. ~Yes, I think you are right, human. See if you can gather others to help you. I think I will go wade in the lake for a while and rest myself.~ He gave her a nudge and a huff into her silvery hair before turning and heading towards the open meadows. Aiko grabbed her things and returned them to her loft quickly before returning to search for anyone who would be willing to help her in the kitchens.

By the time Merrik came down, Aiko and those who agreed to help had almost finished preparing the food for everyone to eat. Upon the announcement about their meeting at the Oaken Ring in an hour, she spoke gently in question. "Would it be alright if we ate there as well, sir? I'm sure everyone is famished."

[/dash]

 

[Stiorra]

Most of the tamers arrived back at the meadow at this point, busy unpacking their belongings and settling in for the short amount of time that they'd be back. Kalona immediately headed into her quarters, wasting no time to drop off her things. She didn't bother with unpacking, as most of the items she packed were going with her on the battle of Kuhl anyways, save for her clothes which she pulled out to scrub and wash later.

After a quick visit to the bathroom to wash up, she returned to her room wrapped in a robe. She stood in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection, or someone's reflection. It didn't look like her. Her eyes were tired and heavy, her hair dry and brittle despite having just washed it. She looked a little on the thin side, and seeing this, thought she should eat soon. She once had a healthy glow, but now just looked sickly and worn. The mark had been taking a toll on her physically now. Maybe not directly, but with its effects on her mana and mentality, the stress started to eat elsewhere. It didn't help that she wasn't able to finish her trainings the past week, they becoming a heavy burden more than anything. She tried to fight it, push as far as she could, but Lyre wasn't taking it. She called it quits, and made Kalona return and take it easy while the others finished up. Kalona understood why Lyre did it, but she wasn't happy about it.

Wanting to feel and look feminine and beautiful again, Kalona spun and opened the closet as she pulled out a garment and put it on. She placed herself in front of the mirror and admired the simple rose gold gown. The dress held up by thin straps that lay delicately along her shoulders while the rest of the thin, silky material fell in just the right places along her body. Strips of laced detailing ran down the length of the dress, flowing beautifully into the folds. The warm tone of the dress already seemed to brighten up her skin. She quickly added a touch of color to her cheeks and lips, hoping this would allude to a more healthy appearance. If she could lie to herself, she could lie to the others, and she definitely didn't want to give way to what this mark was really doing to her. Her stomach rumbled and she placed her hand upon it. "Right, food."

Walking into the kitchens, she saw a few members of the Order, one of them preparing what looked to be a meal big enough for everyone. Most of everyone was rather silent, nobody really wanting to say anything, Terria undoubtedly on all of their minds. It was awkward, really. "Right. I'm going to go pick some apples, yeah?" Looking around, Kalona fished for a pairing knife and a basket on her way out.

She walked past Taega and Nova, the two consoling each other over Terria's disappearance, and right towards the grove of trees. She picked a number of apples, red, yellow, green, and twisted off their stems before placing them in the basket. She turned her back to one of the trees as she leaned against it and grabbed an apple from the basket. With the knife, she cut chunks from the apple as she ate them. The sweet, succulent juices made her mouth water instantly upon touch.

By the time she finished the apple, Merrik made his rounds and informed everyone that there would be a meeting in an hours time. She threw the core to the ground and then looked at the pairing knife for a long moment, hesitantly before rolling it in thin leather and then turning her head. As she looked around, she lifted the gown up her thigh and tucked the knife into the rim of her underwear. Smiling, Kalona grabbed the basket of fruit and headed towards the kitchens once more.

Kalona went to the cupboard, her finger running over the binding of cookbooks and plucked one titled Sephira's Sweet Delights. She opened the book's pages and flipped through, her eyes scanning the penned recipes of Lady Tetra. Some of the pages had been stained as ink bled into them, leaving darkened marks and some of the recipes indecipherable. Though, with some improvisation, perhaps even the smudged recipes could be saved. As she skimmed through the book, words came up like "decadent," "marbled," "silky," and she realized she knew nothing about sweets, just that they tasted delicious. "I'm not much of a cook or baker, but I think we could all use a little something sweet right now," she said to those that were in the kitchen. "Ah, here we are." She stopped flipping through the book and placed it on the table. "Apple pie. Should be simple enough, right?" She asked herself as she quickly read it over and proceeded to cut the apples. If she timed it right, the pie would be done just in time for the meeting.

---​

A warm breeze wafted through the meadow, swirling up little clouds of pollen which caught on the yellow gleam of the sun low in the sky. The heady smell of dainty wildflowers mingled with the fresh, earthy smell of dirt and grass. In the distance, Lyre caught sight of a large figure laying in the grass. She crouched low to the ground and inched forward, slowly creeping towards the unsuspecting Hezekiah. Oh, what a fool was he to sleep and sun-bathe in the open. As she neared, a small crack came from beneath her feet and she flinched as he cracked an eye open. Crap. There was a grumpy look upon her face. I was hoping to sneak attack you. I'm a bad sneak, she quickly smiled down upon him and spread her wings, an incandescent sparkle shone through her wings as the sun touched them. As she yawned and stretched, the movement of her wings cast a dance of blue waves upon the grass and Hezekiah before she tucked them in and plopped down beside him.

There was something quite different about Hezekiah, something she hadn't noticed prior.. He was certainly getting larger, maturing. It was normal for them to grow, as young dragons do, but this was different. Felt different. He was starting to fill out as new muscles formed and defined new features in his body, a sort of "manliness" as humans would call it, one she couldn't pull her eyes from. He was the Iron Dragon after all, and his physique was certainly portraying that. She caught herself blushing, looking for too long, and instead looked down at her claws as she dug them into the grass. You look....nice, she said quietly but then shook her head. What male dragon would like the compliment of looking nice? she said to herself. What I mean to say is, like, you could probably beat up a Mountain Dragon. And those things are massive, like huuuuuuge, she looked over at him quickly with a small smile and a thin tease of her teeth.

 

[Rainjay]

Arriving back at the meadow, Saira found herself overcome with a great sense of relief. They were home. Their training, though short, had wore the redheaded woman to the bone, and found herself beginning to lean into a deep sleep during their return flight home. But it was the event that disrupted her nap that washed away the feeling of relief almost as quickly as it had come. Terria was missing, and the whole of the Order knew where she had gone. It left Saira fearing the worst. Many of her concerns were trivial, small things that the Order could, and likely would fight through. This wasn't the first tragedy they had encountered. But the greatest of her worries was Merrik, and as it appeared after they arrived, he was only just holding himself together.

The man was composed--always composed, as required of a leader of his position--but it was his actions that spoke loudest. He emerged some time after each group had arrived with his hands visibly injured, though his collected face suggested he was recovered from his frustrations. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Despite the time Saira had spent in the new Order, she still knew little of Merrik. But it didn't take closeness to believe the man was hurting.

It was almost against her better judgement to speak to him as he made his rounds and spoke to the scattered tamers. He probably won't appreciate the prodding, she thought. Part of her thought otherwise. It was that part of her, the somewhat bolder part, that spoke up when Merrik came to her.

Their discussion was curt. He asked briefly how their training had gone--well, but tiring--and mentioned a meeting to be held before beginning to leave. "Merrik," she called as he turned. "Your sister is strong. It will be difficult for Ogual to break her. You'll get her back. You have our support, no matter what."

So stupid. She shouldn't have said anything, but the words were already out.

The thought is what counts.

 

[firejay1]

Agni and Narien were both completely silent during the flight back to the meadows. Narien was physically drained. Although he had had time to recover from the back-breaking workouts, the wounds he had received from the owlets had not all completely healed, and at the very least his whole body felt sore. Some of the wounds had split a couple times thanks to the hard trainings the next couple days, and were only now truly scabbing over. He felt like something had tried to eat him alive. Oh wait, something had. A lot of somethings. At the very least, he had the satisfaction of knowing a lot of them were now crispy owlet corpses. His body was sore, bruised, and just barely held together with torn skin and scabs. Or at least, that was how he would have described it. Having dressed himself strategically to prevent much skin from showing since he had lived in Solona, he'd had only had to master the winces and limps to keep the extent of his wounds on the down low. Those who had been with him at Kona Petl might have noticed, but either way, they would have to go to war. All he could do was rest and recuperate as much as he could over the next week.

Narien's exhaustion was affecting Agni as well. It was better when the two blocked each other out a bit, and this explained Agni's silence for the most part. On the other hand, she was worried about Narien.... The other reason the two of them were quiet - both were concerned about the other for very different reasons. As they landed in the meadow, however, both were greeted with deeply unpleasant news. Terria's abduction was bad on several levels. Agni's immediate concern was for Ataegana. She wished she could ease her sister's pain, but with Nova already by her side, and Yumiru heading to join them, Agni did not wish to crowd. Perhaps she would offer her silent comfort later. Now was not the time. Narien's concerns were a bit more practical. Terria was clearly one of their best mages, more experienced than most of the rest of them, but losing her was just another disadvantage of power in an already imbalanced game. The bigger problem was the affect it would have on morale. The fact that one of their strongest had been kidnapped, what it meant about what Ogual could do to the rest of them, it was a scary prospect, wasn't it? Narien's pale eyes quietly scanned the tamers who had returned, taking their reactions in. They were sombre, but fewer seemed frightened than he had expected. Clever dragons. Mmm, clever Fate. She chose her victims wisely.

Merrik, though.... Calm as he was, wading through them and telling them to meet in the Oaken Ring in an hour, the state of his hands spoke volumes. He could keep it together, obviously. After a time. Attachments were scary things, weren't they? As long as he remained a rational, objective, and calm leader, things would be fine. And if he couldn't, well, this was Fate's game wasn't it? He supposed it was more accurate to say she chose her pieces wisely. It would be as it would be. One of the newest members who had joined them, the other white-haired girl, seemed to deem it appropriate to prepare a meal, and he could not say he disagreed with the decision. It was better than the lot of them moping around. He would help them cut some things, eat a little, and then return to his chambers to rest. He looked up at Agni, wondering if she would do the same or go out flying more. He did not like the relic she had had to eat to get here, and encouraged her to stay and rest instead, communicating with her without words. Her eerie white eyes met his eerie blue ones, and they came to a silent agreement that tonight was a night of rest. This was not the time to be reckless with either of their strengths. The Arcane dragon lumbered off towards the stables, greeting the other dragons with silent nudges.

Narien paused for a bit, then headed off in the same direction, though his destination was the kitchens instead. As he did so, he brushed past Sairantha, briefly hearing her say to Merrik, "Your sister is strong. It will be difficult for Ogual to bre..." He didn't need to be able to hear it to know what the end of that sentence probably was. His expression did not change as he hurried to the kitchens after the Amethyst dragon tamer, but some small part of him mentally disagreed with Sairantha's kind words. Terria was certainly strong, but that did not mean she would not be broken when they found her. Not broken all the way, perhaps, the way the rest of them might be in their weakness, but broken nonetheless. Humans were fragile things. So easily... shattered. Still, if Narien had gleaned anything about the red-headed archer over the short few weeks he'd known her, it was that she was most usually well-intentioned, if not particularly warm.

Stepping into the kitchen, he found the newer white-haired girl already set to preparing some food. Kalona was there as well, with what looked like a very old cookbook in front of her, clearly about to make some kind of dessert with the amount of fruit around her. He wondered where she'd been, not recalling her being assigned to any of the three places the others had. She looked... normal, he supposed. But also not quite normal. He hadn't known her for very long, either, but the air she was giving off was just a little... frailer than he remembered. No matter. As long as it did not affect the war, it was no concern of his.

He stepped towards Aiko, and quietly asked, "Can I help you at all? I can only cut stuff, but still." He smiled lightly, willing to meet her eyes, though his body language was carefully nonthreatening.

 

[Soulserenity20]

[dash=white]

Dinner time approached and was soon upon them. Aiko's request to eat at the table was willingly met by Merrik as he realized he hadn't given the new tamers the full introduction the first batch had received. He helped the others collect all the dishes and bring them out to the table, thankful for the others having taken some of the responsibility of housework off his shoulders. The last thing he felt like doing was cooking and cleaning. As they made their way out, he cast a small smile to Saira as he passed by. She had offered her kind words to him earlier and he had thanked her simply before making his way elsewhere, wanting nothing more than to avoid the gentle reassurances and caring words that made him feel like he was wandering around a wake in his sister's honor. He knew it would come, most humans felt the need to express condolences and support, but right now he wanted nothing more than to shut all of that out and just focus on what needed his attention: the war. Of course he was hurting, feeling the stings of defeat and loss, but he hated pity. He would thank the others for any kind words, smile, nod, maintain his civil composure, but inside, he would shut it out and wait for them to stop so he could get on with his day.

Terria was gone. Ogual was her captor. The only solution was his defeat and Merrik intended on ensuring that solution be met.

As they all found their seats, Merrik noticed Kalona setting down a fresh baked pie that smelled of his childhood. He cast her a glance and saw a knowing look on her face. She had found his mother's cook book: the one he kept in the stables' kitchen cupboard. He smiled then, taking his seat. This time, it was a real smile.

As they all dished up and began eating, Merrik cleared his throat and addressed them all.

"So, I'd like to address to kraken in the pond." He paused, looking around. "Yes, my sister is now in the hands of a demented, ancient, powerful, dark mage. It's upset me. I'm sure it's upset a few of you as well. But now is not the time for pity. What I need from you is dedication, effort, and hard work. If I'm ever going to get my sister back we need to start by winning back Kuhl and that won't happen unless we are all at our sharpest, myself included. While I refuse to ignore the reality of Terria's capture, I hope that we can all handle it as professionally as possible and maintain our attention on the war. Each step towards Ogual's defeat is a step closer to Terria. Once the city is reclaimed we can discuss plans to rescue Terria but for now, Kuhl is our priority."

He stopped, taking a sip of water, and looked over to Goliath as he swiftly ended the discussion about Terria. "Now, I believe it's time we discuss our role in this battle."

He dipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved a folded parchment, pushing his plate aside and spreading it out onto the table. Passing it to Goliath to allow him to look over the details, he began to explain to everyone their specific roles, as well as overarching battle strategies.

"We have offense and defense, mana and physical. Healers and warriors. We also have more skilled tamers than others and that'll be put into play as well. Now, our first line of defense will be protective mana and mana dampening spells. Dalaith, you're to work with Narien to create mana siphons to prevent against powerful mana-based attacks. You're also on barrier defense duty as well. I'd like you to work with Illyria to have her aid you in keeping up defenses. Because of certain circumstances involving malevolent tattoos, I want you to use your wisdom and guidance more than your mana. Help them direct and concoct their spells, use your mana sparingly. Goliath, your bonded ability will be a last resort for mana-based defenses, but you'll primarily use it on the front lines. It's likely Ogual will use powerful mana-infused beings to try and get the upper hand on the Sylvian and Calidaran armies. We need to prevent any massacres on that front. You'll also be fighting on the front line with a battalion of warriors from both Sylvis and Calidar." He noted the numbers of the soldiers given to the Order on the page.

"Kalona, as it stands, I want you to stay on Lyre. Normally you and Terria would be our front line offenses mages but with your ailment I don't want to risk anything. Let Lyre use the magic. Be her wit and when you have the chance, aid in the removal of the injured and bring them to the healers." Looking over at Reverie, he continued. "You'll be on the same duty, and you too Aiko, Aris. I don't want any of your leaving your dragon's back, save for collecting injured soldiers. You simply don't have the experience necessary for this kind of a battle. Kalona will be your leader, you listen to her advice and follow her command."

He leaned over, turning the parchment to himself and reading over a few details before speaking again. "Now, Avren will be on healing duty. Saira, you'll be scouting and on archery duty. Aislin, I want you on dragonback as well, but you'll be with Saira scouting and dealing damage from the air by dragonfire and arrows. Requiem, you'll be on the ground with Goliath and I. I want you using your fighting experience to deal immediate damage. You're light on your feet, fast, and prone to surviving. Be careful and stay close to Goliath and I. This will be a fair bit different from fighting pirates on your ship."

He stopped then and looked around. "Questions so far?"​

[/dash]

 

[Rainjay]

Illyria stepped from the warm water, pulling the pale towel around her body and tucking it into place. It was the long, rejuvenating bath that had finally restored the energy to her body after the exhausting training with the people at Kona Petl. For a long moment, she stared longingly at the water, wanting nothing more than to stay for a few minutes longer, but the others were gathering for a meal and a meeting, and though she still felt a stranger, she knew she should attend. At least, she thought, she was finally clean. Every inch of her skin had been thoroughly scrubbed, and her hair combed and treated just as finely.

She ran her fingers through her hair as she retreated to her loft. It wouldn't be long until it would become dirtied again. She doubted there would be very many opportunities to clean at Kuhl, and she knew not how long it would be until their return. The thought made her heart sink. As had become habit, she would grin and bear it, but there was certainly disdain and frustration tucked away inside her that almost overcame her fear.

From the others, Illyria had learned of Ylandre. The way common people spoke of it, the battle was nothing but hard fought but well earned victory. Many had nothing but praise of the dragons and their tamers. She knew why; talking about the things that had gone wrong was unpleasant. There was no hope to be found in words of death. But silence didn't make things go away. She had heard about Shirin, about the lives of the people who lived in the town, about the injuries and the pain, and she knew that she wanted no part in it.

She also knew that her dreams of adventure were tied to it.

These thoughts and feelings she tried to keep from Mirazh as she passed and climbed the ladder to her sleeping quarters. The dragon watched her silently as she ascended, and said nothing--a quiet understanding had passed between the two after she succeeded in her trials at Kona Petl, changing their silent bitterness to unspoken forgiveness and peace. He would give her as much distance as he could when she needed it, and so he asked no questions.

Above, Illyria dried and dressed, and then sat on her bed in thought. She wondered what her family was doing at that very moment. Her siblings were probably fighting among themselves, still vying to be the favorite in the house. Their parents were probably frantic; they were possessive and loving and had done nothing to deserve not receiving a good bye before she left, but she knew if she had, they would never have let her go. At least her family seemed safe in Arinar. There was a reasonable distance between them and Kuhl.

What if she died there? What if she never had a chance to see her family again?

Of course I will see them again, she told herself. Don't be ridiculous. She would see them again no matter what she had to do. It was the exhaustion speaking, making her confused and scared. Pushing her hair back over her shoulders, she rose to her feet and climbed swiftly down the loft. The longer she sat up there on her own, the more those thoughts would breed. It was about time she made it to dinner anyway, a fact her stomach quickly reinforced. She followed the smell of food to the congregation of tamers and sat in the first empty seat she found, wasting no time in filling her plate.

She was quiet as Merrik began to speak about strategy and roles. She'd read about war and the strategy that went into it before, but there had never been a time to actually witness such planning. Each tamer had a place and a job to do--she had done little work with defensive mana before, but given the events at Kona Petl, she didn't protest. Dalaith would help, she was sure. It sounded a better place for her to be than really fighting. She cringed at the thought.

She opened her mouth to speak at the mention of asking questions, but was interrupted by Saira, who quickly piped up. "How exactly are we planning on retaking Kuhl?" she asked, glancing between Goliath and Merrik. "I don't suppose we can simply march right in and kill everything. You must have some plan."

 

[White]

The news of Terria's disappearance worried Reverie, it only showed that no matter where they were, no matter how good of a fighter you may be or how powerful your magic is, alone, you are vulnerable. Alone you don't stand a chance, only together can they endure.
Merrik's mention of his siters disappearance did nothig to alleviate her concern, quite the opposite, it only worsened it and her concern could not be hidden by an act of neutrality as her nails digged into her hand.
It has only been a while now, but ever since her waking, she could not help but feel compassion for those around her, for Terria, whom she originally thought to be oh so scary, especially now with her gone, she wonders why she had seemed so scary once.
"Poor Terria...," she mumbled before Merrik returned to the matter at hand, the reason they all came to be here now: The formation and planning for the battle.

Reverie listened intentively to Merrik as he laid out his plans for the battle, as Merrik gave to understand that she was in what she would refer as the support group. Kalona would be their leader, somebody she had no great opinion on - there was very little she saw to go on off anyway.
Merrik also assigned Aris and Aiko to the support group under Kalona's command, something Reverie internally completly agreed to, though, she felt concerned. Aiko has never seen a battlefield, though she noticed that Aiko seemed more... at ease. Aris had not seemed to have changed even a tiny bit, so it was specifically him she felt concerned about.
Would the child be able to endure it? To go through a life of war and to come out unscaved? To be free of the horrors of what cannot be unseen? Remmebering what was once her own curse, she felt doubt.

And so when Merrik inquired on the tamer's questions, her eyes turned to look at the others. Would any of them not be able to return to what was their home now? What about the thousands of soldier that may die on this field of battle, some of their names to be forever forgotten and unremembered.

A question was asked and her eyes turned to look at the questionàir: Saira. A question asked that she herself would be curious to know as well, with a quick but very visible nod her eyes turned to Merrik, expecting to be answered what was asked.

 

[Soulserenity20]

Merrik listened as Saira voiced her questions and allowed a bit of time for the others to offer their input as well before answering.

"A good question, Saira." He withdrew another piece of parchment from his pocket, this one larger, folded up several times. When he unfolded it, it revealed a large city map with faded lettering in the corner which named the image Kuhl. It was the layout of the great city from before the fall, with various forms of alterations made by a number of different quills and hands. He laid it out, trying to allow the others to see.

"We'll be approaching from the west, via the Bodhra and an underground mining tunnel that King Norvik has been working to clear for half a decade. Camp will be set up in the agricultural regions outside the city, where the mining tunnel entrance lays. The dragons of our newer tamers will journey through the tunnels, with Kalona and Lyre, to aid in the transport of the barricades and supplies. Set up will be swift but once we're established, we'll begin by breaking through the outer wall to gain entry to the city. Our overall plan of attack may be considered a corridor formation of sorts: we press through the city, clearing a large corridor to allow the armies to travel further into the city. Units are left behind to maintain the integrity of the corridor. A regular burn patrol by our dragons will help keep the outer edges of the corridor clear. If the fires grow to threaten our armies, we simply use fire mana to control the flames. I expect you all to be capable of this duty by now."

He pointed to a long, thick rectangle that had been drawn from the camp site to the heart of the city. "Once we get through the four outer wall rings, we simply need to force our way into the castle and reclaim it. Simple in theory, of course. In practice I'm sure we'll have our work cut out for us against Ogual's defenses. However, we'll have the upperhand: Norvik knows that castle like no other and he's assured me he has at least 4 ways into the castle that we can utilize to ambush Ogual's defenders from the inside. Once the castle is ours, we begin widening our corridor. Pushing the forces back until we reclaim the city. The war will be long fought, and difficult. But the monarchs and I believe we can win with this strategy. We have a lot of weapons at our disposal: everything from magic to elite Encilin forces."

 

[Chrome]

​

Hezekiah perked and opened his right eye as he lied on his back in the sun, he huffed at Lyre's compliment and turned over onto his stomach and inched closer to the sea dragoness, <I was having such a great dream>, he smirked, <And then it became a reality, I've missed you Lyre>, he nudged her with his wing. Lyre didn't need to use her siren ability to keep Hezekiah infatuated with her, because each time he saw her, Hezekiah would notice her features change as she grew into a masterpiece. The Deep Sea Dragoness, her slender athletic muscles displayed on a spectrum of blue. <You look far better than nice, I almost mistook you for the Vanity Dragon>, he winked and gave her a devious grin.

The iron dragon was happy Lyre had arrived when she did, because prior to his nap and after the group had met back up with Merrik and Taega, he had become anxious and nervous as he thought about if the same thing would ever happen to him and his tamer. Hezekiah needs Goliath just as much as Goliath needs him and he was depressing himself thinking about how Taega must have felt.

<How was your training with Kalona? She feeling any better?>

---

The soldier tossed Hezekiah's saddle into the corner of their loft and dropped the rest of his gear by the door. Goliath quickly untied his heavy leather boots and pulled them off his feet, he flexed his toes and removed his shirt before walking to the bathhouse quick to wash off the sweat from their rigorous flight. He was torn about the news of Terria's capture and with the siege of Kuhl so close there was little choice on which should be done first, with forces from Sylvis and Calidar venturing to rendezvous with The Order of Dragon Tamers, each force had to remain punctual. Still, Goliath wondered, If I was commander, I would probably risk it all to save Terria, she is strong and a very valuable member of our team, and without her... taking back Kuhl will be harder.

Dressed in a simple blue tunic and brown trousers, Goliath arrived at the dining hall and helped distribute the plates for the meal before sitting down. He was strangely silent, but that was because he was still thinking about Terria. When Merrik addressed everyone at the table and talked about his sister and her capture, Goliath stared blankly at his food and lost his appetite.

The soldier listened closely as the conversation shifted to talk about their role during the upcoming siege. He pushed his plate to the side and looked over the parchment Merrik passed to him, using his index finger to scan each role of each tamer and dragon as Merrik divulged where each of them would be positioned. So far it all makes sense, Goliath nodded as he listened and looked over the number of men provided by each province, I just hope the fighting men from Sylvis and Calidar are as ready as we are... Most fighting men from Calidar haven't seen the monstrosities that have scoured the North. Regardless, Goliath was feeling a little better as Merrik took on his role as commander and talked to everyone specifically about their role, he was glad that Merrik was becoming the leader they all needed him to be.

Goliath nodded with approval when certain tamers were given more responsibility, this was because their effort had been noticeable and observed by Goliath in the most recent weeks. Illyria and Narien had proved to Goliath while he trained beside them at Kona Petl that they both had the stamina and mental stability to survive their own paths to power, and had accelerated their mana based prowess in the process. Kalona was given a leadership role which made sense given the circumstances, We need someone strong willed to maintain morale with the newer tamers... and Kalona is the best we have. Once the new tamers see the carnage of combat with Ogual, we will need her to make sure things stick according to plan.

When Merrik told Requiem that the fighting would be far different from his experience fighting pirates at sea, Goliath smirked, Let's just hope he's sober enough to fight on dry land, he kept the comment in his thoughts but couldn't help but worry... he had seen many able-bodied men and women fall because of the drink. Goliath was no stranger to drinking before and after a fight, but once a fighter lets a substance have too much control, that's when the fighter becomes a sack of meat with a sword.

The man's grim thoughts were set aside when Saira asked her question and Merrik set out the map of Kuhl on the table. When Merrik had finished explaining the battle tactic with great detail, Goliath waited for his moment and added his own input, "Once we take the first outer wall, we will fortify the position so that it can't be taken back. Keep in mind that with each wall we take, we also control the gates for each wall... and this can be used to our advantage..", Goliath pointed at each gate along the first outer wall, "We can create blockades and push Ogual's forces into tight corridors or push them back to the middle of Kuhl, where the dark forces will be met by dragon flame from the sky and our forces making our steady advance. When we control all four walls, Ogual's forces will have nowhere to escape and we can deliver a swift blow to his power and foothold on the North. The siege may take several days before we have full control of the first wall, but I assure you that once the first wall is taken, the others will follow as we gain the upper-hand."

Goliath looked around at the faces gathered at the table, "Another thing to remember is that Ogual may have agents or spies working alongside or within the armies of Sylvis and Calidar, we all need to remain diligent and hide our thoughts from any intruder who may seek to learn of our plan before it is put into action. Much like our training hiding our thoughts from our dragon companions, we must do the same once we join the other armies." the soldier took a drink of water from his cup and then filled it with the pitcher from the table. He felt good about their mission and how they sought to bring their plan to fruition, but Goliath couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something. Maybe the others will think of it before I remember...

 

[firejay1]

Narien helped a little to make some of the food and set the table. He offered no words of comfort to Merrik, the thought honestly didn't entered his head. He simply obeyed whatever Aiko and the others told him to do, then sat down and began to eat, same as he would any other day. He listened quietly as Merrik started off speaking. His words felt rather obvious. Of course Kuhl came first. The kidnapping of Terria made their job harder, it did not supersede their priorities. Pity was for people who had time for such things. It was a good sign, though, that Merrik was willing to shove his heart in a corner and lead them as he should. The war strategies were of far more interest to him.

He was to be a defender for his bonded mana, which he found to be... confusing. What were mana siphons? How could he create them? Where would he be at the beginning of the assault as the "defensive" force? What was that about malevolent tattoos? He hadn't been told anything specifically, but it wasn't hard to discern that Dalaith and Kalona were the targets. It explained the odd sense of frailty he'd gotten from her earlier. Merrik had taken it into account, but perhaps it was something to keep an eye on. So far, everything made sense. He wasn't sure Requiem would take kindly to being told to "stick close" like a child, but it was another in a long list of things that were currently not his problem. When Saira spoke, Narien nearly choked on his food. Had she honestly just asked if Merrik had a plan? Even rhetorically, it was a stupid question. This was a war conference, crudely speaking, a little bit of patience and the war strategy was sure to come out. Merrik took it in stride, though, laying out his rough plan.

The sum of Narien's knowledge concerning war: nothing. He could lay a trap, defend a small house, kill a couple people here and there in self-defense or even preemptive "self-defense," and that was all very well and good, but none of it required teamwork. And in his opinion that made it as different from war as night and day. Many of the things Merrik and Goliath were saying made sense, but besides the "keep your mouths shut" bit, he certainly would have thought of none of these on his own. His mind immediately went to rope traps. Create a trap and harass the target towards it. It was very effective, but wouldn't work without a prior foothold in the area. Or at least an inside force to prepare such things. No, that wouldn't work at all. His skill set was rather useless in this context, and would continue to be so until it came to defense. He'd probably be alright as a siege defender, now that he thought about it, but the pre-planning he liked to do was a little closer to impossible on unfamiliar turf. Once they trapped them in the middle of the city, then there might be things he could do, but not for the beginning of a siege.

A couple questions for himself, though. How big were these tunnels. Since the supplies would be traveling through them with dragons for backup, it would be nice to know if the dragons could fly or be forced to crawl, if dragons like Agni would have a little trouble, how long it would take to get through them, if they were sure they were safe. The tunnels could be liabilities. You could trap people in them, cave it in. A little sabotage and they'd lose lives and supplies that could cost them the war. Was it worth the protection from above? And then there was the second thing. Why didn't THEY have spies on Ogual's side? There were always people who could pretend to be human supporters. Would Ogual know? And another question, did they have any idea what kind of defenses were around the city? Mana-based or physical? Would they have to go through the gates? Any secret passages, or could they perhaps break down the walls somehow? Did they want to do that? A siege was riskier with the main access being from a single point like a gate, but once they secured the outer wall, that had to be defensible. Did they have towers or battering rams or- This was not his arena. His mind went spinning with millions of possibilities, and yet he could not guarantee that any of them made sense.

Keeping his eyes down and continuing to eat a bit, he spoke up quietly. "Are you sure the tunnels are safe? If Ogual has spies and knows we'll be using it... it could be dangerous. Right? Is there a backup, just in case? And- And the city. What's defending it? Like, people or mana or something?"

 

[Silver]

[fieldbox= Sparkles Don't Blend, plum]

AIslin was still stifling yawns by the time dinner rolled around as she let herself fall into one of the empty chairs. Her stomach twisted a bit as she picked at her food and waited for the discussion to fall. She didn't have to wait long for Merrik to begin speaking. It sounded secure, or she supposed anyways. But what did she know of strategy and war? Aislin didn't mind staying atop Yumiru either. Until, Merrik mentioned that she'd be scouting ahead with Saira. Aislin blinked. He…wasn't serious right?

The flow of conversation continued to waft around the table. The brunette waited patiently for the leader to figure out his error on his own. But as more voices pipped up and he didn't say anything, her skin began to prickle and her leg began to jump under the table nervously. He did realize how hard it would be to stealth anywhere with Yumiru….Right? She wasn't the most noticeable of the drakes, but she was certainly one of the most noticeable. If scouting as what she thought it was, she'd be better on foot trailing the veteran tamer.

Even as she thought that though, a chill crept up her spine about not being with the dragon in a conflict. Last time with the lizards, she'd frozen up. But no, she was good at hunting, she'd be good at scouting and scouting wasn't an attack, it was gathering Intel and bringing it back. She'd be fine, besides, Saira would be with her. Besides, she'd rather be scouting than stuck lingering in the tunnels if she were honest.

After the last voice was heard, Nairens asking about the safety of the tunnels. Aislin couldn't help it, even as her patience urged her to at least wait until they weren't at the table to bring it up.

"Merrik….You remember that Yumiru sparkles….right?" The question slid out her voice sounding a bit confused.

[/fieldbox]