Return of the Dragon Tamers: The Plague of Ogual

Soulserenity20 · May 24, 2014

[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]

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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]

Soulserenity20 · Sep 19, 2016

[dash=white]

Merrik continued to listen, patiently, and carefully to what the others had to say. He was growing more and more impressed with the group, his confidence in them following suit. They brought up very valid concerns and asked good questions.

"I agree with Goliath on all fronts. We can use the corridor to our advantage when delivering the final series of blows to Ogual's army. He also makes a good point about the integrity of our fellow armies potentially being compromised. We cannot assume ourselves to be smarter than Ogual, lest we underestimate him to our demise. Goliath is right when he speaks of guarding our minds. At all times, save for in the safety of these woods, or the monastery, your mind should be well protected. It is your most valuable asset. If you protect your mind, you protect your bond." He turned then and responded to Narien.

"You're right to show concern in regard to the tunnels. There is a risk associated with any form of travel at this point. But I will be journeying through the earth with the armies. My earth mana is not the strongest of my magicks, but I will be able to prevent against a cave-in with ease. Nova and I began training harder when we received word that we would be using them. Now, even assuming there are spies, Norvik himself has inspected the tunnels. We need to place some level of trust in him, but be prepared for ambush just as well. Holding the city will be an effort of teamwork and coordination between our three armies. We will use dragonfire to maintain a boundary as we take hold of the castle and once the city is taken, Norvik will remain in the city with his troops, calling in backups, as well as receiving support from a number of soldiers left by Valaeria. We will be tasked with visiting the city on a regular basis until this war is done to offer our aid in defending it against future attacks, when necessary."

Then, Aislin spoke up, a bit dreamy sounding in her words. Merrik couldn't help but smile. "Yes, I think it's hard to forget her brilliant sparkle. But your scouting mission will be more about agility, speed, and precision than stealth. Stay high, stay on your toes, and stay perceptive and I've no doubt you'll do well."

He turned then to address the group as a whole. "We'll be travelling half in the skies and half in the mountain pass. Those in the skies, crossing the Bodhra from above, will be Saira, Goliath, Narien, Aislin, Aris, and Reverie. Kalona, Illyria, Avren, Aiko, Requiem, and Dalaith: you'll come into the tunnels with me. We'll all meet up at the encampment on the other side and get started on our preparations. We leave in a week, everyone. That gives us just a few days to get our efforts in Order. I recommend you train hard over the next few days. Work on the skills you'll need in this battle. Familiarize yourself with the war tactics, I'll be sending around copies of the debriefing this evening."

He brought the meeting to a close then. Letting them all know he was available for questioning at any time.

They finished their meal. They went their separate ways and as the night bore on, the mood of the meadow seemed to shift with the shape of war on the horizon.

The next day would bring another challenge in the battle: two new tamers. Announced only hours before their arrival by a message from the Oracle, delivered into the mind of Obsidian Nova.

The news had come as an agitation to Merrik. He had enough on his plate with the war and the loss of his sister and now fate was throwing more inexperienced tamers for him to look after. He felt like a frazzled single mother for a time, unsure of whether to leave them at home or let them tag along to the war. After much consideration, he decided they would be dragon warriors and he would rely on the last two years of training Aegnor and Deventh had received from him. At the very least, he knew the two could look after themselves and so long as the two new tamers remained seated on their backs, Merrik was reasonably confident they would survive.

Nevertheless, it was another complication in an already very complicated battle.

He had gone to meet them in the woods just south of the Forest Garden. He had introduced himself, welcomed his two yearlings back to their home, and allowed them a little time to greet Obsidian Nova, who had been missing the two younger males quite dearly over the last several months. After introducing himself and giving the new tamers a bit of information about life at the meadow, he led them back and slowly waited as all the others gathered around to greet the new pair. He had only mentioned their arrival about an hour before they got here, so the older members of the Order were hardly prepared for the new meeting. Luckily, they were reasonably accustomed to new tamers arriving. After all, this was the third batch to show up and the last three, Aiko, Aris, and Illyria, had arrived just a few short weeks ago.

The war was a mere 4 days away and tensions were high in the meadow. But the new tamers arrived at a time of purpose and would be introduced into a welcoming, and knowledgeable Order. He did not bother assigning them any mentors, rather insisted they come to his with any questions so that he might get them up to speed as quickly as possible. He showed them to their rooms after everyone had said their generic hellos, and left them to unpack and settle in. As soon as he had the chance, he slipped away to the pond in the north of the meadow to work on his water and earth mana together. He found it calming to concentrate on more difficult spells and maneuvers when his mind was running wild. It centered him, gave him purpose. He expected the two new tamers to come and find him very soon with a plethora of questions, but for the time being, his training was his one and only priority.

[/dash]

Requiem · Sep 25, 2016

[fieldbox=Rage and Hopelessness, darkred]Requiem sat through the conversation, the discussion of tactics, the questions and comments, and through it all, all he could think of was the one who'd done so much to assist him since he'd arrived. Terria had been taken. The Pirate knew that the war took primary focus, but he felt the cold rage rising in him as he listened. When he received his assignment, he gave only the slightest of nods showing his understanding. When the discussion ended, he pushed his chair away from the table, grabbed the bottle in front of him, and left without saying a word.

Deep into the wooded regions he walked, taking long hard swigs from the bottle as he pushed himself further, pushing aside branches as they clawed away at his skin and snagged into his hair. He kept a brisk pace, stumbling occasionally on roots and thick brush. Aleria flew above, distressed by her tamer's mood. "Requiem! Slow down, you're going to get yourself killed, and then where would I be?" She called to him, trying to express concern in the only way she really knew how.

Seeing a clearing ahead, Aleria broke into a dive, landing hard on the ground. When he arrived she let out a sharp roar. "Enough!", she shouted into his mind. "What is wrong with you? Do you think you're the only one upset by the situation? Focus on your task. Prepare for the war. Do you think that you can do anyone any good in the condition you're in?" She chided.

The Pirate stopped in front of his dragon, bottle gripped tightly in his hand. "What am I s'pposed to do then? Train more? We're abandonin' her to 'er fate while we play at war." The more he said, the more his grip slacked until finally the bottle slipped from his hand, a quiet thud echoing off of the glass. "It's been nothin' but one tragedy after another. No matter what we do there is no end in sight." He said, giving out a sigh, falling back against a large standing stone.

The Dragoness watched her other half briefly as his anger faded. "Grow stronger then, defeat this foe, and then rescue her. You've been watching for too long. It's time you showed them why you became a pirate captain. It's time you showed them why you deserved to be my tamer. Bring the end." She told him. "Use my power to aid you. Together we can defeat this enemy."

Now, Requiem was silent. She was right of course. This was just an emotional phase. One he'd need to control before he went to war. Slowly he went to stand up, nearly falling over. He hadn't eaten, and the whiskey had gone straight to his head. "A'right, aid me then. I don't think I can make it back on my own tonight. Tomorrow we'll train. Might pray for an easy mornin' first though." He murmured as he wobbled his way over to the feathered dragon who was looking perhaps slightly more proud of herself than she should have for managing to work him at least partially out of his funk.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning was not kind to him. Not that he'd expected it to be. He couldn't get Aleria's words out of his mind though, and so he started the day with agonising training, followed by more training which was slightly less painful. He practiced his acrobatics and his swordplay until his body was bruised and his arms could no longer move and then set out to find someone who he could practice his voodoo and provide a strong resistance. He needed more than ever to build up his strength with his bonded magick. [/fieldbox]

Chrome · Sep 28, 2016

The soldier was far from home. He had been far from Encilis for longer than 4 years, fighting in the northern provinces of Illos against other warriors and the plagued armies of Ogual. Not until Goliath Atreus was bonded to the Iron Dragon did the man realize his true potential, the other half of his soul colliding with the restless spirit of the warrior. Once he had joined The Order of Dragon Tamers and secured his bond, Goliath knew there was no turning back; only to speed forward.

War was coming soon, this time a siege on Kuhl, and the soldier had decided to focus his training on more practical methods of strategy, with a partner who could become more fierce if his attention could be easily directed.

<So you want me to glide low to the ground and you're just going to jump off while I'm still moving?? No offense Gol but that seems kinda... suicidal?>, Hezekiah turned his head confused as they flew through the sky over the training yard in the meadow.

"Well", Goliath collected his thoughts with a short breath,"First of all, you're going to need to time your approach with me and secondly we need to make sure we can get close enough to the ground", Goliath laughed, "It shouldn't be too difficult Hez, we just need to use our bond and talk to each other, when you hear me counting down in my head, you need to focus on reducing your speed for me to jump and fall into a roll on the ground", the blonde haired man flexed his hands and stretched as they flew around. The man knew that his idea was a little crazy, but he also knew that if he and Hezekiah could perfect this strategy, that the enemy would be unprepared by their coordination, "We could show the others how once we have a technique down, and after they see it's combat effectiveness we can help them train."

<Easier said than done>, Hezekiah huffed, <I don't think you understand how fast I go when I descend>, the dragon was uncertain he could reduce his speed slow enough for his tamer to successfully land without injuring himself, but he figured he wouldn't know for sure until he tried.

Goliath chose to compromise with the beast, "How about we start at low heights today and work our way higher when we succeed?", the man patted the exposed part of Hezekiah's neck under a sharp blade, "Sound like a plan?"

<Yeah sure numbskull, but don't come crying to me if you hurt yourself>, the iron dragon smirked and slowly descended in a counter-clockwise motion as they resumed their flight at safer distance from the ground, <You ready?>

---

In the time spent attempting their trial and error... endeavor, Goliath had learned that he needed to adjust his saddle so that he wouldn't get his foot stuck when he decided to jump, that he needed to leap directly to the side he planned to land with the dragon's momentum in order to complete a successful roll, Tomorrow will be much harder with a sword and shield in my hands, he thought to himself as he sat on the grass and looked over his bruises along his knees and forearms. On the other side, Hezekiah had learned that he needed to give Goliath an appropriate window to coordinate his jump, to keep his wings close when Goliath jumped so as to not cut his tamer with his massive wing span, and lastly to pick up speed as soon as his tamer left his back. They both learned that they needed to communicate each action to each other and that when Hezekiah pushed air off the ground to gain speed after the jump, Goliath would need to position his roll under the draft of air so that the wind wouldn't topple him over.

Needless to say, they desperately required the extra days to perfect this strategy.

When they decided they were done for the day, Hezekiah nudged his sitting tamer, <Word is that we have some new tamers arriving today>, the dragon laid down beside Goliath, <Want to go meet them?>

Goliath stretched his arms back and rolled his shoulders, hearing the bones crack as they turned in their sockets. He yawned and replied, "It seems like we never stop getting new tamers", he smiled at Hezekiah and brushed a stray blonde hair under his bandanna, "It only feels like yesterday that Illyria and Aiko arrived, and it doesn't feel that long ago when Aislin, Narien, Reverie, and Requiem joined the Order as well. Sure I'd like to meet them, I just hope they adapt quickly..."

Through their bond Hezekiah caught a glimpse of Terria in Goliath's mind, of the night that his tamer had met Merrik's sister and another image of her showing the new tamers around the meadow. Hezekiah pieced together that Goliath felt as though she was the reason some of the new tamers adapted so quickly to life in the meadow. Her kidnapping was really troubling Goliath, and Hezekiah knew better than anyone else at the meadow how Goliath felt about the Lady Tetra. <I guess it is up to us to help the new tamers in Terria's absence>, Hezekiah looked into his tamers eyes as they spoke frankly, <She was always the one who took the reins while her brother went off to practice mana or have a picnic with one of the female tamers... and without her around it seems like everyone else is becoming increasingly more anti-social>, Hezekiah smirked at thought that popped into his head, <We already have enough Avrens and Nariens and Daliaths, and that's just boring!!>, he huffed in amusement.

Goliath laughed loudly at the dragon's offhanded comment, "Too true my friend", the man stood and brushed the grass from his training clothes, "Lets go make friends with these new tamers and dragons, lets introduce them to their new team and prepare them for war!". Energized, Goliath took a sip from his waterskin and walked to estate. And after we can save Terria.

---

Goliath had missed the first wave of introductions because of his training and decided to walk to one of the previously vacant rooms to introduce himself, he thought he heard rummaging in one of the lofts and proceeded to knock on the doors twice and waited patiently outside. He was still dressed in his muddled training clothes and blades of grass still clung to his tanned skin and golden blonde hair.

[OOC: @Crimson77 or @J_"Kraken", this is an opportunity to have character interactions with whoever wishes to respond (both can jump in as well), I look forward to meeting Nimrielye and Xylia :)]

ze_kraken · Oct 1, 2016

[fieldbox="A Cause Worth Dying For, orange, solid, Georgia"] [dash="goldenrod"]

Tell me, human, why do you fight?

Nimrieyle Elyen, sitting cross-legged before a massive, winged, fire-breathing lizard the likes of which belonged terrorizing towns, keeping princesses locked away, and sitting on massive hordes of golden treasure, could only snort in response, overtaken by the ludicrous nature of the entire situation.

Have I said something humorous? The dragon questioned, its great head shifting up and blowing a puff of steam towards his would-be rider. Even without the warm clouds of water, Nim could feel the raw energy the beast let out, a palpable aura of heat and discomfort. It was not the pleasant warmth of a summer's day, no, his was the fury of the forge, bellows breathing out heat so potent it made the air ripple with its force. If she squinted hard enough, she imagined she could see the distortion around the grey-orange dragon's body.

There is no levity to be found in the taking of another life, he harrumphed, followed by a sound not too unlike two boulders scraping by one another from deep within the dragon's throat. I ask again, human, why do you fight...?

---

The Wench and Tankard inn stood boisterous and lively. The fishermen and cattle drivers had finally returned to port in Halturn post, bringing with them the raucous persona of hardened sailors and seafarers. Across the table from her sat her crew, fourteen in all. They, like the crowd around them, sang merrily along with the old war boat chants and raised their mugs, beating rhythmically on the table with gloved fists or booted feet. Nim herself attempted to haphazardly take swigs from her mug while participating in the festivities, much to the amusement of her crew-

---

It is common courtesy to pay attention when someone speaks to you, her 'life companion' berated.

Nimrieyle mentally shook herself and nodded.

"I would say," she began, voice cracking from lack of use. She coughed into her sleeve as gracefully as she could manage and continued. "I fight because it is all I have known."

So you treat this matter with such nonchalance because others have laid you upon this path?

"If this Oracle was to be believe, my path was never mine to walk in the first place," Nim retorted. "I was destined to come to this moment whether I willed it or no."

Ah, the dragon countered. Though our meeting may have been destined, several paths may yield the same destination. Is it not so that a ship sailing for Encilis could go north or south, through the open sea or within sight of land?

"I suppose you could say so."

Then you fight for another reason, why?

The woman paused and considered the question for a moment, steepling her fingers in pensive reflection. Had she fought to earn the respect of her grandfather and rebel against her father? Had she taken up the sword in pursuit of glory and gold? Or did some part of her, nestled in some dark corner of her soul, find pleasure in not only fighting, but killing and winning? Images of battle flashed before her. Her at the helm of My Lady's Bitch, fighting tooth and nail with pirates, relishing in the glory of sweet victory. Brawls in the underhive of Encilis' outskirts, the satisfying crunches of splitting bone and sting of split knuckles. Was that what this dragon, this symbol of resistance, hope, and perseverance, wanted to hear? That Nimrieyle Elyen, destined hero and member of an elite order, fought and killed because she enjoyed it?

"Because I'm good at it," she finally stated, tone dripping with pride.

So because someone possesses a natural talent for something, they must pursue it?

Nim fought the urge to gnash her teeth in frustration and cast her masque of passive indifference aside. Still, instinctively her eyes narrowed to slits as she gazed up at the dragon before her.

"Would that not make sense?" She pondered aloud, drawing each syllable out as to keep her tone passable as considerate.

To some perhaps, though what makes killing a noble and worthy pursuit if you can take such enjoyment from your skill?

"I was told this was an army," Nim said. "Let's not beat around the bush: armies are tools to kill, as I'm sure you're well aware, dragon. I-"

"Ours is not to question why, ours is to do or die", he interjected. Then what is the worth in it if you are following another's orders? What is the glory in dying on the sword of a superior officer's orders? To what do you owe him or his cause? Ah, but I digress. This is about you, not this army.

"I feel as though no answer I give will ever be enough to satisfy you," her tone was bordering agitation now, and she knew the dragon could sense it.

Honesty with yourself, and by extent, with me. If you ever wish to bond and become a Tamer, then you must be comfortable sharing whatever may make you who you are.

"Then why not bond and get the fucking thing over with?" Nim demanded, pretenses of social graces gone.

Because some things you need to hear yourself say, the dragon's head had lifted from the ground entirely now as he fixated one large, amber-hued eye down at the small woman before him. His nostrils trailed steam once again as he considered the human. Lest you lose your way.

"I lost my way a long time ago," Nim grunted.

Do you truly believe that?

"I fight because I win, because I'm damn good at it, because I enjoy the thrill of life and death!" She exclaimed, rising to her feet, jabbing a finger at the dragon. He responded by snarling, flashing his teeth.

"Fuck your tradition!" She continued, not backing down. "You want me to stand for something? Here I am. Who're you to judge why I do what I do? I could hide, claim it was for my survival, but if I wanted to hide behind my skirts like some damn coward I would've run my father's business and grown fat and lazy. No, I fight and kill because it's what I do. I kill, and no one can tell me what to do with myself, least of all some fire-breathing lizard."

The dragon's eyes widened and it swiftly rose to its feet, mouth opening to bare all of its teeth as it glowered at Nim. Gingerly, with the same air of restrained fury Nim herself had displayed earlier, it rose a talon to her chest and rapped it against her softly.

That is the last time you will call me a lizard, human.

Nim could feel sweat pour down her face, though whether from fear or the dragon's unnaturally high body temperature she could not tell. The dragon's claw reclined and it laid back across the ground with a soft thud as it situated itself back into a comfortable position, the dirt around its clawed feet ripping up with the force of his movements. Re-situated, the dragon's breathing returned to normal and it fixed its gaze back to Nim, the restrained fury replaced with calm equanimity once again.

Though I cannot personally condone your reasoning, nor do I find it very tasteful, it is not my place to see to your morals. The only question remaining is do you believe you are willing to die for the very same reasons you fight?

"What good is a warrior without a sword in her hand?"

What good is a dead warrior?

Nimrieyle stammered and the dragon chuckled low in its throat, standing again. Heading swaying on its neck, the dragon lowered itself to its knees awkwardly, head leaning down towards the ground, its might crest facing towards Nim in some mimicry of a human's manner of bowing. A tugging sensation pulled at Nim's arm, and without second thought, the woman's arm moved towards the dragon's crest, fingers outstretched as if grasping for something. Her fingers brushed the bony, almost stone-like, tips of the dragon's crest and a burning sensation bloomed from the point of contact. At first believing that it was the dragon's immense heat that burned her, she attempted to withdraw the contact, but she couldn't move. Paralyzed, Nim stood frozen in horror as the burning traveled up her arm and began to bloom outward from her torso.

As the burning traveled throughout her frame, wracking her nerves and sending sweat pouring down her face and arms from the strain, Nimrieyle began to see images flashing through the foreground of her mind. She felt wings sprout and spread open from her back, though she could not see them. Fire rang from her fanged maw, only no flames came forth from her tightly-shut mouth. Scales sprouted over her body, layered and hard to the touch, though when her eyes shot down she saw only skin shot through white in terror. The euphoria of taking flight raced through her heart, easing the burning sensation for but a moment, but her feet remained planted firmly on the ground.

Then came the memories. Memories that weren't hers. Memories of flight instructions, of the workings of Mana. Lessons in etiquette and restraint. Of a man named Merrik, who she already felt as close as family. She tasted blood, and for a split second she thought she had bitten her tongue, only to find that images of prey flashing before her. When the burning faded, it left a disheveled, quivering woman in its stead. With as much dignity as she could muster, Nim fell to her knees and vomited, a shaking hand clutching at her stomach as she retched. When she recovered, she stood and wiped her mouth, bile still coating her tongue. In the back of her mind she could feel a presence,one not of her own consciousness. Alien in nature.

I.. Is that you? She pondered. Aegnor?

The name came as naturally to her as breathing.

Aye, he rumbled.

A pause followed.

Do you fight for this Geoffrey as well? He asked, breaking the silence. Your grief would-

"I don't fight for people who died," she replied coldly. "It's an easy way to join them."

[/dash] [/fieldbox]

[fieldbox="Social Pleasantries, orange, solid, Georgia"] [dash="goldenrod"]

For a mighty warrior, you are quite timid I must admit, Aegnor mused.

"Oh?" Nim shifted her attention over to her right, only to realize that no one was in the room.

Oh?

You have yet to speak to anyone, and you cannot tell me it is of an absence of time, the dragon continued. I can only assume it is because of some trepidation, perhaps even fear?

The woman shifted uncomfortably in her bed, mulling the statement over. Apparently the delay was all the dragon needed to cement his hunch into certainty.

It's difficult to hide intentions now, isn't it?

Nim sighed and sat upright, planting her booted feet on the floor of the bed chamber. The accommodations were humble enough, though she didn't mind: a bed, night stand, and proper mattress were far preferable to a cot with little more than a curtain to give a sense of privacy. Her only complaint, though minor, was the lack of the familiar give and pull of the ocean beneath her. Stable footing was something she had never expected to become accustomed to, and the stillness of it all was quite unnerving. She had gotten into the habit of toying with her ring on her right index finger to cope with the feeling, and without second thought, she did so now, foot tapping impatiently against the ground.

Perhaps worse than the feeling of earth beneath her feet was the palpable feeling of vulnerability, tugging at her mind every second of every day whether wide awake or caught deep in slumber. Nim's mental link with Aegnor exposed her, showed her most intimate weakness to someone else. If there was one thing Nimrieyle Elyen was not, it was exposed and vulnerable. The monks had told her of a way to shut off the link, to dampen its profoundly subtle presence, but they either had no intention of telling her, or (perhaps more infuriating) it was a simple matter that eluded her.

"Just one of many," she grunted.

Thud. Thud.

Nim leapt up to her feet, instinctively reaching for her dagger. Only, there was no dagger: the weapon lay neatly on the trunk at the foot of her bed, tucked away in its sheath. Giving herself a moment to relax, Nim strut over to the door, running a hand through her stubbornly uncooperative hair as she did so, and swung it open, propping herself up with an elbow against the frame as she did so. Before her stood a large man, caked in (relatively) fresh mud, bits of grass intertwined in his hair and clothes.

"Yeah? What you want?" Nim asked curtly, voice heavily accented with the fisherman's dialect of the east. She paused, shook her head, and offered an amused smile.

"Bah, i'nore me. Wasn't expectin' anyone," she extended her hand. "Given name's Nimrieyle, but that's always been too noble for my tastes, so Nim'll do just fine."

[/dash][/fieldbox]

Crimson77 · Oct 2, 2016

[fieldbox="No Boundaries, seagreen, dashed, 10, Tahoma"] Xylia wasn't exactly supposed to be where she was now. She awoken in the morning after spending nights with the Oracle who informed her almost about little to nothing on what they intended to do with her but instead she was taught about the existence of dragons and everything related to them. Xylia always knew they existed as Nepa Village spoke highly of them and how they taught the villagers how to preserve land and see the beauty of nature and its capabilities. They were to travel to the Tetra Estate after she was taught about the dragons and their existence. She had tried to ask so many different questions on the way to the estate but was always given short replies.

When they arrived, it was nightfall and Xylia was exhausted to no end. Even saying so, she had barely slept a wink that night; she was finally at her destination and she had been fed so much information but now she had no clue what was to happen of her. Being informed that she would be meeting several people at noon as she was lead to a room where she would be staying for the night, then left alone. All she knew was that she definitely wasn't leaving anytime soon, and this worried her. She had promised Mama she would return soon. When dawn broke, Xylia stretched herself out of bed and decided that if they weren't going to give her answers, she was going to look around for some. She had been patient enough, waiting the entire night and not to mention the journey here.

As she explored the outsides of the estate, enjoying being in nature after being so coped up in the Lunate Monastery and travelling for so long. She somehow found her way to very large doors. The doors seemed to lead to, what looked like, a stable, but the roof looked too high to host horses and other animals. She contemplated going in, and decided "why the heck not," seeing as she was only needed at noon. The doors looked too heavy for her to push, so she simply looked around and found an open window on the side. Even so, she still had to climb a tree to get it as the window was too high for her to reach.

She finally made it in, realising she hadn't thought her entire plan through thoroughly, as she hung from the inside of the window. She took a chance and kicked off the wall and to give herself space and tumbled onto the ground. "Oowh," she groaned, giving herself time to recover before standing up and stretching, patting the dirt of herself. "That could've ended 'orrid'ly," she stated to herself, not expecting a reply.

"Yes, it could have indeed," a deep, grumble replied in her mind.

Xylia's eyes were of a deer caught between hunters crossfire. The voice had been in her mind, she was sure of it. She looked around and observed the area she had trapped herself in and now realising that this must have been a dragon's nest –or whatever they called it. Xylia face palmed herself, now realising why Mama always scolded her when she got hurt. The voice offered a low chuckle, "You must either be very brave or very stupid to have entered without realising the consequences of your actions."

"Both…? I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to bother you, I was just exploring, and I didn't mean to intrude your home-" Xylia winced as she slowly turned around to look at the creature that had caught her red-handed. When her eyes finally landed on the beast, she couldn't help but stare, mouth agape at the size and the reality of seeing, what more being in front of a dragon. "Migty' dillweed! You're umongous'!" Xylia continued, exclaiming so out loud, before covering her mouth to prevent herself from saying anything that could further get her killed.

The Olive Green dragon eyed the human redhead with fascination –never had he met one that was so talkative and didn't watch her tongue. "And you are small…" he mocked.

Xylia shrugged her shoulders, "I was not expecting to meet A dragon, I was just-"Xylia cleared her throat, and looked everywhere but the dragon, "I'm not supposed to be ere'," she mumbled, "The oracle's goin'ta murder me." She thought, not caring for the creature in front of her in the slightest as she paced back and forth.

The dragon watched as Xylia paced before huffing warm air that escaped his nostrils to Xylia, to grab her attention. "I, a dragon, stand before you and you're worried about a mere oracle "murdering you"?" The low voice grumbled.

Xylia turned to the dragon and grinned, "Are you actually… jealous, dragon?"

The Swamp Dragon turned his head to the side, actually offended by the question. "The nonsense that spew from human tongue –I could kill you right now, do you understand that?" he claimed, voice booming in her mind as he turned back to Xylia, resting his head low on the ground, giving himself a rather scary demeanour.

Xylia was shocked for a moment before offering the beast a warm smile, "I understand that!" she claimed, and continued, "But if you ad' wanted to kill me, you would ave' already done so when my lowly buttom landed in this place." she stated.

The dragon could only stare at the human before him with such a strange look. "What is your name, small one?"

"Xylia Kalei Iwalani," she stated, "But you can call me Xylia, if you please." Xylia stated and returned the question.

The Olive Dragon bowed his head down to Xylia's level, and eyed the human before finally stating, "My siblings call me Deventh."

"Deventh's a brilliant name!" she grinned. "Sort'a fits a dragon like yourself, large and green!"

Deventh paused, noticing no filter in the girl's mind when she spoke, knowing it was something he had to get used to. Shaking his head he spoke once more, "Tell me, small one, do you know why you're here?"

Xylia stopped to think about it for a moment before shaking her head, "I was asked to visit the monastery by my Elders, and the oracle brought me ere'."

The olive dragon nodded his head. "You know of no other reasoning?"

Xylia paused, looking towards the stable's wooden walls, "I..." she paused. Xylia was always up for danger but she knew, once she said it it would be more true than she imagined. "I was brought ere' to be bonded, was I not?" she mumbled. "Dragon and hu- Tamer." Xylia had known her fate a little while back. She knew why her Elders had kept it from her but she was already having strange dreams that seemed so vivid, they almost seemed too real to be simply dreams.

After a moment of silence, Xylia smiled at Deventh before gesturing him to lower his head. Deventh, already fascinated at the human for being so oblivious to the danger that was before her and the opportunity that had just befallen her, lowered his head, curious.

Xylia then proceeded to reach out and pet the dragon, as though he were any other pet. She reached out slowly at first, unsure of her actions. But when her hand made contact with the smooth scales of the Swamp Dragon, she couldn't help but beam with excitement. "I wasn't expecting it to be hard, honestly. I thought your skin was going to be sticky, but it's not! And your legs…" she stated, the words just spewing out from her lips. "You have a beautiful shade of green! It reminds me of ome'!" she stated.

"You are very talkative for a human." Deventh stated bluntly, stopping Xylia in her tracks.

Xylia looked at Deventh in the eye, "Oh! You finally noticed!"she grinned and Deventh huffed, before resting his body on the ground and allowing himself to get to know the small human better. Later they were found, already soul and mind bonded and one.[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox="New Beginnings, seagreen, dashed, 10, Tahoma"]Xylia awoken rather groggily that morning. The feeling of a bed foreign and uncomfortable to her. She stretched and yawned like a forest cat before placing both her feet on the cool wooden floor before slouching and scratching her eyes, drowsy. "Ow' do people sleep on this?" she questioned with another yawn.

"I believe a majority of humans find the bed most comforting." Deventh eyed his Tamer.

"People find this comfortin'?! It felt like I was sleepin' on feathers! Too soft!" she commented before bouncing on her heels and ruffling her hair. "And look at this place, no green at t'all!" she frowned.

The dragon shook his head, "If I can get used to this so can you."

Xylia was odd to Deventh as she seemed more animal than human. Though Deventh had bonded with her, there were still things about her that remained a mystery despite how talkative she was. Her memories didn't go that far back as his siblings have said. There was a dark memory that even he could not access but the memory prior was Xylia waking up to Kalili, which puzzled him so.

Xylia frowned more, "No fair though, you have hay!" she groaned before fiddling with some of the books on her study desk. "Can't we switch, Deventh, please?" she asked, no, begged. But they both knew it wasn't possible. She frowned giving up and decided that she would take it into her own hands the interior of her room.

Just as she was about to comment on something else, Xylia perked up when she heard voices from outside. Slowly, she opened her door and peeked her head out of her room to spy on whoever it was. It's been a while since Xylia had spoken to anyone other than the monks and Nim. Though Nim was nice enough and Xylia saw her as an older sister, she couldn't help but be curious about everyone else that lived here and whether or not their dragons were alike in character.

"You have to meet them sometime soon, Xylia. No point hiding in this 'uncomfortable' room of yours." Deventh mocked, sniggering as his voice echoed in her mind.

Xylia scoffed at the dragon, and stood up straight head held high. She will prove Deventh wrong. She opened her door wider only to bump into someone as she walked out. "I'm sorry!".[/fieldbox]

firejay1 · Oct 2, 2016

~ The Day Before ~

Collab Knives, Bows, and Stalkers: Part 3
Narien x Saira

[dash=blue]

Narien was sitting a bit into the forest after flight training. Sairantha hadn't attacked him much yet, but he was giving her lots of opportunities. Opportunities consisting of three things: 1. Find a place with a decent amount of cover so the fight can happen without other people staring. 2. Don't be reading or practicing ropework. 3. Occupy yourself seriously, because a good opportunity doesn't necessitate an attack. So after flight training, he moved to the edge of the encampment, his glassy flame still bobbing around him like an obedient puppy, and began practicing his elemental mana - something he was fully aware he was neglecting. Although he was still not attempting to use it to fight, he was starting from the fundamentals, to his mind, working on controlling the mana so that it would come easily later. He pulled his little glassy flame in front of him and began manipulating it. First growing it, bigger and bigger, so it was a nice juicy ball in front of him, and then forming it into various shapes. A flower morphed into a serpent with a gaping maw and then coiled into a small hoop which then fashioned itself into a smiley face.

~~

It wasn't long after the day's training had paused for a break that Saira found herself stepping through the woods at the edge of the forest garden. She had strung her bow and held it in the off hand as she picked her way through the undergrowth, practicing moving light and quick on her feet as she did so. Saira considered herself a fairly quiet individual in the woods, but there was still much she had to learn; a brief meditation in the woods followed by a hunt had become a new habit of hers during their lunch break. While it was still bright out, she could traverse the forest with ease and still practice her skills, while potentially making a catch to bring back to for dinner, although it was difficult to do so in the time constraint they had between training sessions. But she reminded herself that someday, after this was all over, she would have plenty of time for hunting once again.

It was the noise of approaching footsteps that startled Saira out of the beginnings of her meditation. They were softer footsteps than a particularly heavyset or untrained individual, which narrowed down the list of possible tamers in her mind to a manageable number. Rising silently to her feet, she followed the sound out to the edges of the woods, peeking through the growth to see who it was that was interrupting her peace.

To her surprise, it was Narien. If she'd ever seen him come to the woods before like this, perhaps it wouldn't have caught her so off guard like it did. For a moment, she stood still and watched as he settled and began to practice with his mana.

It was a rather pretty display of lights, she would give him that. She'd yet to find herself comfortable enough with mana to do such a thing--or to find enough of an interest in it to bother. The thought of joining him crossed her mind, before another thought surpassed it.

To Saira, it was clear that Narien had been leaving himself rather open to her for attacking for some time since their last meeting. It was obvious in the places he stood, the things he did. There was a great chance he would be expecting her. But he was always expecting her. Perhaps the only way she could truly surprise him would be to climb into his bedroom at night, an idea that was truly out of the question. Besides, their training wasn't fully about surprise; she had to be able to out fight him, too. The surprise element simply helped.

She carefully leant her bow against the side of a nearby tree, and grapsed the two knives at her belt--for it had become habit to keep them by her side--tightly in her hands. She carefully approached from the woods, moving as silently as she could until she was several feet away from the tamer before pouncing, jumping out and tackling Narien from his left side. Her arms were outstretched so as to force him onto his side in a way that wouldn't particularly hurt him, and then she angled her blades inward at his neck and jugular. She smiled at him wryly--your turn.

~~

Sairantha was a quiet walker, and Narien was paying attention to his mana, not attempting to keep an eye or ear out for her coming. She would come if she came, and if not, that was no concern of his. Despite this conscious decision of his, Narien noticed her arrival mere moments before she attacked, something about the sound of the grass rustling just ever so slightly was off. Ever since the owl had brought him to its young and Narien had settled his soul a bit more, his normal paranoia had changed a bit. He was less jumpy and more just... aware, and to his mind the main advantage of that was that he could finally meditate without his brain wiring his body for an immediate attack. At times like this, though, it also felt more useful in a different way.

The archer went for him like a large cat might attack a mouse. There was a great deal more control to her movement now than there had been that first time they had fought. On top of which, some of the wounds he had received from the owlets were still there. Some had been quite deep, focused on his arms, sides, and back, as he had curled into a ball and covered his head when the attack had begun. There went his odds of dying again, skyrocketing magnificently. She seemed to like trying to push him down. Those perceptive eyes of hers no doubt had discerned his discomfort with the phenomenon. There was some snarky comment he could have made about that, he supposed, but he'd save it for later. For now....

He twisted his body a little so his back was angled a little bit more towards the ground and both his hands shot out to push her arms away from his neck, hands getting dangerously close to the weapons in her hands. The angle of her motion made it difficult for him to pop back up again, and he could tell he would not simply be able to roll over this time and get back up. The smile on her face did not escape his notice. She was enjoying this. As if it was some kind of game. Why had he agreed to help this female again? His hands closed around her wrists tightly and pulled far to his sides, shoving with all his might so that her arms would stretch out as well and they would end up rather uncomfortably close, her falling on top of him. His back screamed in agony as it hit the ground hard, but he ignored it to lurch upwards, open his mouth, and bite down hard on her left shoulder, which happened to be closer.

~~

As teeth met skin Saira released a yelp, straining to recoil but finding no space in their gridlock to do so. The two tamers were left almost chest-to-chest, the single inch of distance created by the redhead who was straining her muscles to break his grip on her wrists. Giving a sharp twist of her right wrist, a trick her uncle had taught her and Raya years ago, she slammed the back of his hand against the earth and, pushing her weight to her right side, lifted her left knee and delivered a nasty blow to his nether regions. Then she quickly braced her legs on either side of him, almost straddling, and readied herself for his hands to weaken. She wouldn't be letting him flip her over his head this time.

~~

A sort of vicious satisfaction filled Narien as he felt Sairantha struggle to break free. The better move would have been to let her go immediately and use her own momentum to give him space to scramble up, but for the first time in a long time he felt like himself again, so he stupidly kept his grip tight. As expected, she yanked herself free, and the next thing he knew, she smashed her knee into his groin. He roared in pain, legs and arms both cringing inwards at the feeling, snatching his right hand in towards his chest, releasing her instantly. Although he was feeling rather uncharitable about it, some part of him was also slightly pleased that she was not so noble as to avoid that kind of a blow.

His left hand was trapped under hers, and she was now fully on top of him, legs on either side. Almost the precise reverse of what had happened the first time they had fought. Not a place he liked to be. He had physically weakened a little after Kona Petl, and she had obviously gained some experience from her time at the Stallion Tribe. If she hadn't kneed him in the crotch, he would have reached for one of his knives with his right hand, but that one was a little hard to recover from, and he had just barely gotten his breath back from the way it hitched when he was in extreme pain. If he went for one of his knives, he'd probably just drop it on himself. And at this range, she'd get a perfect view of exactly where he hid his knives on him, which he most definitely did not want.

It dawned on him that he was getting a little too close and comfortable with this particular individual. After Kuhl, he had to put some distance between them, both physically and mentally. She knew him just a little too well, he believed, and he was getting used to her, as well. Too bad he wasn't allowed to kill her. Not that he would have, but someone trying to jump him so much and proving so much a threat in multiple ways, he would have at least tried by now. Then again, "try to kill me" had been his instructions, not her idea, so he really had no one else to blame for the unfortunate proximity. He did the only option he really considered left to him, though it was less than ideal. His weakened, but still free right hand shot up and grabbed her by the throat, digging his nails into the side of her neck as if to pierce, rather than to put pressure on. He just wanted her to recoil enough for him to be able to make some other move. Fuck. Everything hurt.

~~

She hated it, but some part of Saira was overcome with the rush of victory and satisfaction as she watched Narien recoil. It was a mean thing to do, but considering all Narien had done to her in the sake of training the last time they had met, it was almost warranted. In the time it took him to recover she'd re-positioned herself and readied herself for an ending strike, not about to give herself up after the brief success, but was taken off guard once more. He reached up, grabbing around her neck and digging surprisingly sharp nails in the delicate skin there. She flinched--it stung, but was little compared to some of the things he had done before--and then pressed her knees inside his side, pinching the skin and applying pressure.

With her free hand, she moved to press the edge of her knife against his neck, and with her other, she grasped the wrist of his attacking hand, digging her thumb into the pressure point there. "Give it up, ponyboy," she teased. "I think I win this one."

~~

A snarky response crawled up his throat with the desire to grin, as she forced his grip on her throat to relax, but he kept his expression neutral. Too close. Altogether close. She was tempting him to be himself. His eyes as he looked up at her were empty, as if he were somewhere far off. He did not respond to the ponyboy quip, muscles now loose, having altogether given up. Two reactions were warring in him - the desire to fight like an animal he had learned from his time on the streets, and the compulsion to lie there like a dead fish that he'd never fully been able to escape from his time in the Wellon household. It was the reason he hated being pushed down. Because when he was pinned down with nowhere to go, the desire to escape his own mind all but swallowed up the survival instincts he'd built up in every other aspect of his life. He was fifteen again, mind trapped in his body, not allowed to escape, though there were no shackles on him.

Ultimately, the persona he was portraying saved him from both instincts. This persona wouldn't do either of those things. Of course, this particular one would have laughed at the ponyboy comment, and the time interval for something like that to be natural had passed, but there was still a piece of the lie that could be capitalized on. He took a deep breath and sighed, a congenial smile of gracious defeat naturally coming to his lips as the breath left his chest. "Okay, you win." With a little laugh, he said, "I told you I couldn't really teach you much." There were a lot of things he probably could or should have said besides that - about how she should have used the knives, about how the low blow had been the right move, or that she should have actually gone for the kill - but he was sunk deep in character right now, this Narien saving him from being himself for the time being, and the other Narien would not have said any of those things, if he was even capable of thinking them.

Agni, who had been out flying on her own, had felt the momentary break, though, and it was not long after that she flew over their portion of the forest, and then landed heavily on the ground a ways from the forest, not wishing to make a ruckus by barging in. She would be waiting for him once he made his way out.

~~

He didn't laugh. Not until he paused and smiled with an odd graciousness she found difficult to perceive as coming from the Narien she was growing familiar with. Saira noted the moment silently, deciding not to press further. Maybe it was just a stupid joke she'd made--she wasn't particularly good with humor, after all.

Climbing to her feet, she extended a hand down to Narien to help lift him back to his feet, tucking her knife back to where it belonged at her side. The metal of the blade seemed to gleam a little bit more now that she'd made a victory. But she disagreed wholeheartedly with his statement of her success. "I have a lot to learn," she said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure there are a million things I could have done better, and I'm sure have been thinking of them. I won't always have surprise on my side, after all."

Then she reached around to her opposite side, grasping the hilt of the blade there and pulling it into her hand, showing the blade to Narien. "I got this during training," she explained. "The monks at the monastery trained me to use two blades... So I thought I would try to use this one with the one you gave me. It went okay," she said as she began to turn the knife in her hands. It was rather ordinary compared to Narien's collection, with a straight blade that was a few inches shorter than the knife he'd gifted to her and a simply decorated handle. "It's a close second. And it was a bitch to earn." She ran her fingers over her arm, gliding over hidden injuries from the Stallion Tribe training.

"Uhm, anyway," She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "I... Guess I'll leave you to it, then. It was fascinating, what you did with the mana."

~~

Narien took the proffered hand with a smile and a thank you, brushing himself off briefly as she negated his sentiment. She did have a great deal to learn, but not necessarily things he could still teach her. For one, she was getting too used to his style of fighting at mid-capacity. Knocking him over worked when he wasn't pulling out his knife, for instance. It was a death wish when fighting with multiple opponents as you would in a war. And, as she had said, surprise was another thing he did not anticipate she'd have on her side during a proper fight. Most of all, her instinct was to incapacitate when she was fighting him. It was clear to him now that her basic understanding was that he would not actually hurt her. True or not, it appeared to be giving her the confidence to try things a little recklessly, but she needed to learn to fight without that assurance. She needed someone she could practice with where the idea of "winning" or "losing" was moderately ludicrous. Maybe he should petition the queen to release the nastiest prisoners for use in training. It was a wry, joking thought, and Agni took it as confirmation that he was a little back to himself.

When she first reached for the second blade, he almost flinched (even as a persona, basic instincts did not die), but the impulse died quickly as she continued to speak. His smile brightened and he responded lightly with a, "I'm sure you do have lots to learn still, but if you can use two at the same time, you're already better than me. Someone like Requiem could help teach you, too. He uses two swords, too. I think. Right?" Why was she reporting this to him? He was not teaching her any techniques where such a knowledge would be useful. He was just giving her practice. His eyes flickered briefly to the movement on her fingers. Mmmm, her opponent had not gone easy on her. Good, though he sincerely hoped not everyone had been injured in these "special trainings." It was the last thing they needed.

He gave a light smile and thanked her quietly for her compliment. "Thank you. I'm still not really used to using it to fight, though." He could sense anxiety coming from Agni, but it would be rather odd for him to have just barely walked in to practice mana and then leave as soon as Sairantha had finished attacking him. He sat back down where he'd been and summoned the flame again. It seemed to spring from his fingertips naturally, and he coaxed it into an elaborate lion's head, frowning in concentration as he attempted the complex structure. If she wanted to leave, his focus would give her the chance to. If she wanted to watch, at least he'd have time to practice his mana.

[/dash]

Later, when he left the shelter of the small forest, Agni met him. She had been waiting the whole time, just waiting casually, as if nothing very important was going on, head on her paws. When he reached her, however, she lifted her head and turned to walk with him back to the stables, not offering too open a sign of comfort, as he did not seem to want that. The two of them returned to the confines of their quarters in complete silence, not exchanging the usual one-sided mental banter, though Narien did put his hand on her snout, as usual. The tamer did not let the silence stretch long. She knew everything already, there was not much explaining to do, and he was not shutting her out right now. His memories were clear and vivid in her mind, and her distress equally clear in his, as for once even her presence could offer him no relief. He knew she did not wish to ask him anything, but he preempted any possible questions, anyways, simply because he felt he must, and for once he did so out loud. "There are some wounds that the years do not heal, and the heart can never fully comprehend. Some horrors that exist only in the mind, and though no more real than the monsters under the bed we suffered as children, seem worse than the mangled bodies of the innocent. Worse than Death himself. There are some things that you can only dare forget, because they can never be defeated or even faced. And that is all I shall ever say on the matter."

Agni said nothing, but wrapped herself around him in their stable as he pushed his mana to life again once more, the clear fire twisting into vague, dark shapes of old memories. His back leaned against hers and his creepy, pale blue eyes watched the shapes, void of all emotion, as if he were simply an observer and had no control over the flames. Some things one could only dare forget. But what to do when forgetting was the one thing you could not do?

firejay1 · Oct 3, 2016

~ Present Day ~

New tamers? Now? This was madness. Absolute madness. Narien pressed his middle finger into his thumb, trying to ignore the discomfort of his back, arms, and sides, among other things. One week. One week, this was not good. Merrik seemed to believe they would be fine so long as they stayed atop their dragons, and Narien could not completely contest this, though it still felt crazy. Speaking of, he found Merrik's distribution of the tamers to be... curious. The ones he had asked to come underground with him had all been the weakened or less battle-experienced. EXCEPT for Requiem and Reverie. Requiem he had asked to be underground with him, and Reverie was up top with those led by Goliath, himself included, most of whom appeared to have some battle or hunting experience. It made him curious as to where he would assign the newest of the new ones - what it would say about their strength. Oorrrr, maybe Merrik was being random about it. He doubted it, but it was possible.

Agni, however, seemed pleased with the new additions, pleased and worried, of course. He could sense that she was very fond of the two other dragons. She loved all of them deeply, but she seemed to enjoy the company of these two males in particular, along with that of the other male Mirazh, as well as Sairantha's Aerarya. Their reactions to her, however, seemed rather mixed. Aerarya clearly shared her enthusiasm, perhaps even exceeded it, but it was a mystery if Mirazh and Deventh cared either way. Aegnor.... Rather like Zolykar, it appeared Agni believed the Fire dragon did not care much for her, though she found his company much more pleasurable than that of the Vanity dragon for reasons even Narien could not name. Momentarily, Narien's mind wandered to the prospect of Agni choosing one of these males to mate with, but he found it slightly horrified him to think of it, and rushed to the next topic on his mind.

He bit the inside of his upper lip nearly hard enough to break skin. Since the day before, he had been training his body lightly, and his mana hard. Though doing his flight training and daily jogging diligently, he was being careful. He had one week left to heal wounds that would normally take another two weeks for the scars to even form. Stupid owls. He'd never had any occasion to kill animals before. He was starting to reconsider that particular life choice. Why had he been wasting time being a city rat instead of honing his skills in the woods murdering owls and eating their intestines? Since he could not train vigorously in anything physical, he practiced his rope knots and his mana harder than ever. The fight the night before with Sairantha had not done him any extra good. Yet another choice he was regretting in light of recent events.

A thought came to mind that immediately made Narien feel like a moron. Mana. Healing mana. Oh, he'd been so stupid. Avren was a healer. How could he have forgotten something so important?! Narien stood up abruptly from where he'd been yet again practicing mana in his stable, back to back with Agni. Agni lifted her great head gracefully to acknowledge his leaving before setting it back down again, her own musings occupying her mind. The Arcane tamer opened the door to his quarters slightly quickly in his excitement, but stopped abruptly in slight surprise, upon seeing Goliath and the two new girls in the hallway together. Goliath looked a bit unkempt, blonde hair matted ever so slightly with mud and sweat, bits of grass still stuck to him. The two girls he had seen earlier, when they had done the introductions. Nimr.. Nimrail, he believed, was the one with the coarse black hair, and the red-head was Xylia. He could not simply pretend he hadn't seen them, so instead he approached, offering a silent smile, though not venturing to intrude on their conversation.

firejay1 · Oct 3, 2016

CURRENT SETTING: DINNER MUCH LATER THAT DAY, PLEASE IGNORE THE TIME PARADOX FOR NOW.

Avren : carefully makes his way to the table, collecting a plate full of meat and vegetables, sitting down on one of the chairs at the table in the center of the ring of white oaks

Requiem: wanders in stumbling a bit, a flask of a strong smelling alcohol in one hand and a cane supporting him in the other. Noticing Avren he waves his hand holding the flask, splashing a bit. "How's it goin' comrade?"

Avren : "Erm... well, I suppose. Comrade." He said said the last word awkwardly, unsure if he should be using it at all. What defined a comrade? It wasn't a word he was used to, in all honesty.

Saira: is sitting at the end of the table, oiling her bow while picking at a plate of food

Avren: glancing over at Saira, gulping uncomfortably while trying to figure out how to approach without being a creep.
Avren: to Requiem "Er, a question for you good sir- comrade. And such. I uh. You have friends, yes?"

Requiem nodded some, trying to resist smirking at the awkward man's reactions. "I suppose I do. What's on your mind friend?" He asked, taking another swig from his flask.

Avren: "Um.. How do you keep them from running off scared..?" Casts a glance down at Saira, a look of longing in his eyes

Requiem tilted his head slightly, though perhaps slightly further than he intended, processing the question. "I... Can't say I believe that running scared is something that needs to be worried really. Just take things easy." Saira was clearly in the man's focus so he turned his head towards her. "Saira, how about joining us for a drink? No need to hang out all by yourself."

Avren: pales, glancing angrily at Requiem

Saira: glances between Req and her bow and responds after a short moment "Alright."
Saira: gets up, moving bow & dinner plate over to take a seat beside Req

Avren: shifts uncomfortably, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks as he tries to hide his embarrassment in a cup of mead

Dalaith: wanders in, checking her bandaged wounds before sitting down with a plate of fruit, confused about what all is going on with the other tamers "Decided to try and be social, Avren?"

Avren: "Hello Miss Saira."
Avren: starts at the sudden words from Dalaith "What? Yes! No.. I... I'm social enough..." Then, quickly: " Or.. at least, I am trying to be."

Xylia: barges in and groans painfully, rubbing her shoulder "You'd think after all this you'd feel a lil' better bout' yeself!"

Requiem: smiles slightly, watching the situation unfold

Avren: Glancing over at the newcomer, curious about her.

Saira: "Hello, Avren. And being social is a good thing"

Illyria: coming in with Xylia "You don't?"

Requiem: stands up and gets a bottle of whiskey and starts pouring drinks for the rest of the tamers

Avren: feeling uncomfortable with all the women that have appeared

Xylia: looks over to Illyria "Should I be?" pouts slightly thinking of the training she was put under and shrugs "Maybe!" grins at Illyria

Illyria: grins back "It strengthens you. I find it a good feeling"

Requiem: hands a glass to Avren leans down to his ear and whispers "Drink up, it'll help"

Dalaith: chuckles slightly at Avren's verbal response, accepting a cup of whisky from Requiem

Saira: continuing to oil her bow "So... how did everybody's training go?"

Dalaith: "you know the gist of my story, but all in all, painfully."

Xylia: "Ahh, when you put it that way. I do feel much stronger!" flexes her muscles slightly in a pose

Saira: "But... I suppose it still helped?"

Avren: Drinks from the glass Requiem offered to him, glancing around with caution

Illyria: looking at Xylia's muscles in admiration "Nice!"

Avren: impressed by Xylia's muscular build "Say, how did you manage to get such a body?"

Xylia: "Thanks!" sheepishly grins at Illyria "Now!" walks into the dining hall "Let us feast! I'm as hungry as a wild boar!"

Avren: IMMEDIATELY TURNS WHITE "UHH. I MEAN..." begins stammering

Xylia: turns to Avren "Ah! These small things? I used to hunt! Back in the village!"

Dalaith: sits back, sipping on her whisky, watching Avren make the typical awkward fool of himself

Avren: "What uh," glances nervously at Saira "I mean.... I just." Quiets down as Xylia speaks

Illyria: follows Xylia and takes a seat, beckoning Xylia to join her

Avren: "What did you hunt? Where are you from?"

Kalona: saunters in a little late to dinner, glances around the table and sees a group huddled together. The faint smell of alcohol is on her breath, drinking her mark away. She shoves a cluster of food and dishware from the table and climbs up, sitting upon the table next to the group "Having a little secret rendezvous, are we? And didn't care to invite me? Shame on you."

Saira: "We didn't want to bother anybody. The traveling can be quite exhausted" eyeing Kalona with concern

Xylia: joins Illyria "Thanks!" turns to Avren "I was from deep within the forest! A dark path that takes hours of journey and travel. Some even DISAPPEAR when looking for it! Never to be seen again~"

Narien: slips in quietly, making very little noise and sits down some distance from the rest of the party. After a moment of awkward fidgeting, he pulls out his plain knife which he usually uses, a chunk of wood he got from goodness knows where, and begins fashioning a shape with it. He does not look at the others, but is listening.

Dalaith to Kalona: "Hey, Kal gal. Doin alright after training..?"

Requiem: steps back a bit to give Avren some space and to watch him interacting. Seeing Kalona enter however, he approaches and sits across from her, placing the bottle between them. They might not get along, but drinking buddies didn't necessarily have to.

Avren: Immediately growing uncomfortable with Kalona's presence. Turning to Xylia, a grin creeps across his face. "The deep woods and a long journey sound like my kind of setting."

Illyria: "Woah. You'll have to show me sometime. I've, uh, never been on a hunt?"

Avren: Cocking his head to the side "Really? You've never been on a hunt? How do you eat?"

Xylia: grins "Nah, isn't THAT bad of a journey." laughs "Is just a long ways from here, but tiring it may be. It's home." turns to Illyria "You've never hunt!? Yeah! agreeing with Avren. How do you eat!?"

Illyria: "The cooks prepare the food, of course. pauses Well... I suppose not everybody has cooks."

Avren: shaking his head, still struggling to understand the life of cityfolk

Xylia: mimicking Avren

Avren: "What do you do, Illyria? If you don't hunt and you don't cook?"
Avren: Realizing that sounded rude "I'm not trying to say you don't do a thing rather I just wish to understand your unusual life."
Avren: gulping "Which isn't to say your life is unusual but to me it is and I'm sorry!" Frowns and begins looking for an escape

Requiem: uses a bit of mana to heat his whiskey some "Relax Avren, you're doing fine."

Illyria: "Oh, no! It's quite alright. I stayed at home, usually. Read. Rode horseback. Swam. I... Well, I didn't really work."

Avren: Not trusting Requiem, but wondering why he'd be offering him so much to drink and what might appear to be some level of support "Er.. thanks.."

Xylia: laughs "Mama always said that someone who can't do one thing, always has something else up their- ehh"

Dalaith to Illyria: "you read? Anything in particular you preferred?"

Avren: glancing over at Xylia who, for some reason, seems to be able to relate to how he feels

Xylia: "In their pocket!"

Kalona: looks to Dalaith winks "Always." Her eyes quickly glance down at the bottle between her and Req. Her eyes raise to his and she smirks, grabbing the bottle and drinking from it "Hey there, buddy." She put an emphasis on the word buddy

Illyria: "Oh, I don't know. I think I've read about every book my parents could get their hands on! Textbooks, history, fiction, poetry. I heard the Tetra's have a library... I was going to ask Merrik for a look see, but what with his sister..."

Xylia: turns to Avren "What d'you like to hunt for?"

Narien: somehow succeeding at focusing on his sculpture, which was a small bear, rather than grinning or laughing at Avren, as he very much wanted to do. He mutters to himself just a little extra thing over.... he puts a little too much pressure on his knife and earns himself a small cut on the inside of his left palm, but ignores it

Requiem: heats his own glass and drains it. "Things go well wherever you went?"

Avren: At the mention of Terria, Avren grew solemn "Maybe books would help him forget about her?"

Saira: looking sideways at Nar "Be careful with that, eh?"

Avren: "BUT NOT REALLY FORGET IM NOT THAT TERRIBLE. He shouldn't forget her."

Illyria: "He shouldn't. But perhaps I will risk asking him."

Avren: "Rather help him.... survive?"

Requiem nods to Avren "A distraction I think is what you mean, yes?"

Xylia: shocks and looks around "Has something h'ppen with Merrik and Terria???"

Narien: jumps a little at this obvious reference to himself, then turns and gives Saira a quiet smile "Uhm... I will. Thanks."

Illyria: "His sister was kidnapped." nods solemnly

Saira: smiles and returns back to main conversation to leave Narien alone

Xylia: frowns "Oh deary, why am I always the last to hear of these news?"

Requiem: "We'll get her back. For tonight though we recover from our trials, and prepare for war."

Saira: "You're new. I suppose that would be why."

Dalaith to Illyria: "Well now the news is firmly out there... Um... Well I have quite the supply of reading material in my stall. I tend to transcribe things I find from the tetra library. Eventually I'm going to ask Merrik if we can use one of the extra stalls for a library"

Avren: Glancing at Dalaith and Kalona "We uh... there's been a lot go on since this whole dragon tamer thing started... injuries.. deaths... losses.. It's um. Not as glorious as it sounds, Xylia."

Illyria: "Oh! I quite like that idea. Could I perhaps take a look at your collection later tonight?"

Narien: looks up suddenly at Dalaith and Illyria "A library nearby would be nice!" he blurts, knife fumbling for a second

Xylia: offering a solemn smile to Avren "Never been init for the glory, my friend!"

Dalaith to Illyria: "of course. Well.. If I don't end up too tired. Can never tell when I'll get a spell of exhaustion."

Illyria: "A spell of exhaustion?--" frowns but turns to look at Narien "You like to read?"

Merrik: Makes his way over, hair still damp from a recent bath, a waterskin in hand. Taking a seat next to Kalona, he leans forward and collects a hearty loaf of bread and carves off a thick slice "Evening all."

Saira: "Evening, Merrik." pauses "Are you.. alright?"

Narien: instantly cowed by the new attention, he shrinks back a little "Well... a little."

Requiem: offers Merrik some of the bottle that was between himself and Kalona

Xylia: "Eve'nin, boss!"

Merrik: Glancing up at Saira briefly before returning to his food "I expect you want me to say yes, or perhaps you want me to say no. Honestly, I'm somewhere between." turning to Xylia then "I trust you've settled in to your stall?"

Illyria: "Huh. I bet you'll be welcome reading with us."

Merrik: politely waves away the drink Requiem offered

Xylia: nods her head "Alls going well! could use a little green though." (she whispers)

Dalaith: greets merrik before going back to her food, knowing she should eat to keep her strength up

Kalona: "Care to cut me a slice?" She asks Merrik. Quickly grabs the bottle from Req before taking a quick drink and them handing it back

Avren: Looking at Saira with fear, wondering why she would ask him so abruptly about his emotions. Surely he wanted food and not discussions about his emotions

Saira: "Nobody expects you to answer yes. Just... We're all here to help, you know?" awkwardly trying to comfort

Avren: Upon hearing Xylia, a big smile meets his face "Want to sleep with me?"

Requiem: takes the bottle back and refills his glass before setting it down again

Merrik: Smiling simply at Kalona "With pleasure." Cuts another piece and sets it on her plate, passing the butter.

Requiem: stops for a moment hearing Avren and laughs loudly

Illyria: snorts and turns away to not be rude

Xylia: looks up excitedly at Avren "How green!?"

Narien: smiles at Illyria, brightening a little "Thank you! I- It's nice to meet you." somehow succeeds at not laughing at Avren's statement

Xylia: turns to Req and Illyria "Is something wrong?" blinking blankly

Avren: catching on to everyone's responses, he begins to grow uncomfortable "Well, erm.. my hut is made of the woods itself... and my dragon, he's a forest drake. How much more green can it get?"

Requiem: shakes his head trying to stop himself from laughing "Nothing, nothing at all"

Illyria: grinning "Nice to meet you too, Narien"
Illyria: "And no, of course not! Nothing wrong here!" snort

Xylia: gradually gets more excited with every word "I wanna sleep with you! Deventh'll enjoy being outside too!"
Xylia: looks at everyone around her strangely

Narien: "Oh. uhh... my name! I... guess you know it. You're Illyria, right?" tilts head to one side "Wait, what's wrong where?"

Kalona: laughs quietly, looking at Avren as she spreads butter on her bread "My, Avren, I didn't know you could be so forward with the ladies."

Avren: having been around long enough to pick up on some of the more civilized behaviours of the order, glances with indifference at Requiem. There was nothing wrong with what he had said.. was there? It was a kind enough offer. "You're welcome to, Xylia. I've plenty of spare cots. My hut doubles as a healing space."

Saira: looking at Avren "Might I, er, explain?"

Avren: Growing frustrated "Okay, why not spit it out? What is it? What's wrong with what I said now?"

Illyria: "Oh, Saira gave me everyones names. And I suppose I have a good memory. And there's nothing wrong!" glares at Saira

Avren: immediately cowers slightly as he realizes Saira saw his frustrated outburst

Narien: in his head roots Sairantha to offer to take Xylia's place to -hem- "sleep" with Avren

Saira: unfazed, leans in a little closer to Avren to speak quieter "Usually a request to sleep with another person indicates intimacy."

Xylia: "Are the herbs around here as effective??" frowns "Explain what?"

Avren: Pales "I.... Saira.. I. No. You know I would never be intimate with another woman."

Saira: "I know. The others know too. They are simply making fun."

Avren: Blushing and paling "OR ANY WOMAN. I'M NOT INIMATE WITH ANYONE."

Xylia: frowns more "Intimate?"

Avren: Feeling foolish
Avren: Looking to Xylia "It means to have sex with someone. Or any of the things that lead up to it."

Illyria: laughing "I'm not sure we asked, Avren."

Xylia: face immediately reddens

Narien: bites his upper lip as if for concentration rather than to keep a grin from breaking out on his face, and goes back to whittling what is turning out to be a tall-ish humanoid, attempting to continue his conversation with Illyria, he mumbles to himself, "So... her name is Illyria, right?"

Xylia: "U-UH! IT'S NOT THAT RIGHT?! WEJUSTMET! YEMUSTBEOUTOFYEMINDIFIBEDAMNED--"

Narien: flinches at Xylia's shout

Illyria: "That would be my name!"

Avren: feeling supremely uncomfortable, glancing from Saira to Xylia "NO. THAT"S RIGHT. I-"

Saira: "Xylia. Avren. calm down."
Saira: "Nobody is making those claims."

Xylia: covers her mouth and breathes

Narien: flinches at everyone shouting, puts down knife and looks over at the others with a blank look "What is... going on?"

Avren: looking at Saira "I'm so sorry." A look of complete shame and defeat coats his face as he starts stuffing his shame down with a honeycomb and some bread.

Merrik: quietly chuckling, realizing how fond he is of everyone at the table.

Illyria: "Avren and Xylia are offended at the accusations of intimacy" explaining to narbear

Xylia: turns to Narien "I didn't know what "intimate" was, now I do and I don't want it!"

Saira: puts hand on Avren's shoulder with smile "No need to be sorry."

Merrik: "I think it best if we refrain from having slumber parties in the woods, Avren. I allowed your residence there solely for the sake of you feeling comfortable enough to work as our healer. This is an Order, not a camp out."

Narien: stares at Saira for a bit. "Accusations... of... intimacy? Oh." looks back down at his unfinished figurine

Xylia: makes a face "Mama always says I can't do the naughty till' I'm like 25 but I think I'll wait until I'm 40 or something."

Kalona: pouts "Ohhhh but I love slumber parties!"

Xylia: turns to Merrik "So... I can't sleep over?" pouts

Merrik: Chokes back laughter at the mention of a grown woman not being allowed to be naughty
Merrik: "Why not give the indoors a try first? We may be able to arrange an array of plants to be brought into your room."
Merrik: glancing at Kalona with a "don't cause mischief, it's already awkward" look

Illyria: "I'm sure you can find somebody to have a slumber party with indoors." struggling not to laugh

Saira: sighs, returning to oiling her bow

Xylia: feeling happier about the arrangement "A'right! Sounds better!" grabs a piece of bread and takes a bite

Narien: begins to whittle again, wood shavings collecting in a very small, neat circle around his hands "Sleepovers sound crowded." he mutters quietly, as if unhappy

Kalona: glances back at Merrik with a, come on, it's too easy, look

Xylia: turns to Illyria still as confused "Slumber party?"

Illyria: frowns "Don't tell me you've never had a slumber party."

Avren: curious about what a slumber party is

Merrik: To kalona "How are you feeling? Is the fatigue still severe?"

Xylia: mimics Illyria's frown "What's a slumber party?"

Illyria: "Pillow fights? Late night snacks? Naughty games? Never? What a deprived life.."

Xylia: tilts head to the side with bread still in her mouth "Pillow fights?"

Kalona to Merrik: "Unfortunately, yes. And getting worse by the day. There's actually uh...something I want to talk to you about. Later though, at our own time." She smiles and nods
Kalona: screams suddenly in a high pitched voice "OH THE GODS, PILLOW FIGHTS!"

Xylia: "I would love a late night snack, but Mama would kill me if I went into the forest to catch meat alone again..." mutters to herself

Narien: quite honestly has never heard of a slumber party and is listening curiously "Why would you have a sleeping party...?" but flinches at Kalona's scream, and cowers back into his sculpture

Illyria: sits up "See?! She gets it!"

Merrik: growing concerned, but forcing himself not to dwell "Very well. Perhaps the alcohol isn't the best idea... but I won't press the issue." His concern was present, but he was struggling to concentrate his care on anything but the thoughts of his little sister at the back of his mind. Instead, he turned to listen to the slumber party explanation

Illyria: "No no no, you wouldn't go out and hunt your food. You would have it already made. A snack."
Illyria: "And screw bed-times. You're an adult. I think this would be fun. Bonding time." grin

Merrik: amused at the diversity at the table

Xylia: "Bonding time?!" perks up excitedly

Narien: "Bonding time? Like with the dragons?"

Illyria: "No. With each other."
Illyria: "Something fun, before all this war stuff."

Narien: turns slightly pink and looks back down

Kalona: places a hand upon Merrik shoulder "It's the only thing that seems to disrupt it. It's the best idea I've got, right now." she smiles again and squeezes his shoulder
Kalona: "Can we pleeeeease have a slumber party? I love bonding time." She spoke gleefully

Merrik: smiling back at Kalona. He knew he could control her about as much as he could control the tide, as so lifted his water skin in a light cheers and went back to his bread

Illyria: "Well, we absolutely have to have one now."

Narien: notices Kal and Mer's little display of affection, but simply shifts further away as Kalona raises her voice again "I don't think I'd like bonding time..."

Xylia: "Oh oh! I want to experience this slumber party! Merrik! May we please?"

Avren: "Why is a slumber party okay but sleeping with others isn't? Why is one considered intimate?"

Kalona: "Nar, you would absolutely love it. I assure you. I'll make you."

Illyria: "Fine, be a spoil sport Narien. Xylia? Avren? Merrik?"

Saira: "Because one version requires sex and the other doesn't necessarily."

Merrik: Glancing up, looking around suspiciously "I uh.. I can't. War plans. Sorry."

Illyria: "... War plans? Can't you take a single night off?"

Narien: since when was Kalona allowed to call him nar? feeling suddenly irritated, but instead puts all of his focus into his sculpture - now turning into an archer

Xylia: "Booo" crossing her arms "War-plans-shmor-plans! You need a break, boss!"

Kalona: she glanced at Saira with a wink "necessarily". She made air quotes

Saira: turning a bit red and shrugs "For all intents and purposes, anyway..."

Illyria: laughing, again

Merrik: shaking his head firmly "No, I'm afraid not. We've less than a week till we march. I'll have to wait for slumber parties." In truth he just didn't want to find out if he could manage an entire night of awkward conversations

Illyria: frowning "Aw. At least stop by for an hour?"

Illyria: "A little downtime does everybody some good."

Merrik: "I'd call this downtime, wouldn't you?" he took a sip from his waterskin. Nobody knew there was malt liquor in it.

Kalona: "It's perfect downtime."

Xylia: pouts "But we could use more downtime! Especially me! I'd like to have some downtime to get to know my team! What's downtime?" whispers to Avren

Kalona: takes a bite of her bread before ripping a piece off and chucking it at Avren

Avren: whispers back "Like if you were to lay down? You could chat or eat but certainly not work or hunt or anything useful."
Avren: after taking a chunk of bread to the face, scowls at the sea-witch "What have you? Am I bugging you from way over here?"

Xylia: whispers, frowning slightly "City-folks are an odd bunch, aren't they?"

Narien: smirks internally at Avren's sudden bravery and at the two's ignorance. His sculpture is almost done, and is now distinctly, though still crudely, a fluid figure of what appears to be a female archer.

Kalona: laughs and kicks her feet "No, but I'm bugging you, aren't I?"

Saira: watching Narbear carve with an eyebrow arched

Avren: "Well, even Merrik is from these woods. But his family built a small city inside a single home."

Kalona: notices Nar's sculpture and leans in "Ouuu looks a bit like saira!"

Avren: scowling at kalona "Like a bear in a bee's nest."

Xylia: nods at Avren's words "Oooooh."

Narien: shifts a little away from Kalona when she leans towards him, but then face lights up as she mentions his sculpture, for the first time smiling at her "It's supposed to be."

Illyria: "Why are you carving Saira? Isn't that a bit creepy?"

Avren: upon hearing that Narien was carving a sculture of Saira, he glances over, wanting to see what kind of skill the man had "Hmm." was all he said, trying not to care

Kalona: giggles "Well Avren, someone's gotta be the bear and someone the nest. But in a way, the two have a lovely relationship, don't they?"

Avren to Kalona: "Even a parasite has a relationship with its host."

Xylia: It sounds a little sad though pondering to herself and perks up again at the mention of something else "You made this?!"

Kalona to Nar: "I'm very impressed, you have a wonderful skill." She grinned "you should carve everyone"

Narien: flushing a little, turns his face down and mumbles it was just easy to make not true, archers were hard to carve, but he wanted to see how Avren would react, so he turns to Avren, offering the sculpture "Would you like it?"

Xylia: getting up excitedly to look at it better "It's really good!"

Saira: sitting there awkwardly

Illyria: "Do one of me!"

Avren: startled at Narien interacting with him, let alone offering the sculpture to him "What? No! I... no. That's not for me to take."
Avren: glancing at Saira, hoping she saw that he wouldn't take a small figurine of herself

Saira: smiles gratefully at Avren for not being weird and taking a statuette of her

Xylia: "I can do a bit of whittling meself but only for sharp things" grins sheepishly at Narien

Narien: immediately acting uncomfortable at the sudden attention, he pulls back in his seat "I have ones of a couple of you already he said quietly, then anxiously pulls his hands back from Avren Sorry, I guess that was odd. You just seemed interested, but you weren't saying anything..."

Avren: shifting uncomfortably "I... well I just, everyone was talking about it. I was just curious. Not interested..."

Kalona: "Oh, what a creep." She said in the most compliment-y way possible

Avren: suddenly feeling threatened by Narien

Saira: sticking out hand "I'll take it." glaring at Narien

Xylia: gets confused at the situation and observes

Avren: breaks off another gooey piece of honeycomb and shares with Xylia

Narien: stands up abruptly "Sorry! I didn't mean to be creepy, I just... just like making sculptures and if there are people around me I do and bows and arrow thingies are just very distinct so it made an easy image in my head, so.. I really didn't mean any-thing by it!"

Illyria: "Oh, sit back down. Nobody's mad at you."

Avren: "Could you carve a bear?"

Xylia: stares in awe at the gooeyness and accepts it "Thanks!"

Kalona: "I didn't mean it in a negative way, silly. I certainly admire it." She motioned for him to sit back down

Xylia: nibbles on her honeycomb "Or a boar?!"

Narien: grips the wooden sculpture in his hand as if trying to crush it, but sits back down, not making eye contact "I can do a bear. It was going to be at first, but you guys kept talking... Boars, too. Big animals are easy."

Illyria: "How about a horse?"

Xylia: "Oh! Oh! What about a piglet?! They're so cute!"

Saira: has returned attention to her bow

Narien: pretending that he's trying not to be overwhelmed "I can do those, too, but this is the only piece of wood I brought with me."

Illyria: "I'm sure there's plenty of wood around this place you can use."

Merrik: "Or perhaps you'll stretch your capabilities and make a new carved arch for the back doors of the stables?"

Xylia: "I can get more! Great wood! All sorts of colours!"
Xylia: "Well, of course they're natural but... wood!"

Narien: thinks to himself, well I could use the table, idiot "I don't know. I've never done a carved arch. I can try, though. I mean, I have plenty of wood in my rooms, just not with me right here.... at the dinner table." Obviously not, morons.

Kalona: "Oh, I do like Merrrik's idea! I'm sure he would love to take a trip to the monastery and gaze at the wood work."

Narien: pretends he has not carved tiny dragon figurines in corners of his room where most people wouldn't notice them

Merrik: "I can supply the wood, after well we'd need a high quality grain, and we'd have to magically preserve the wood as well, when you're done. I don't see why the Old Order would be the only one to contribute to this place."

Illyria: "What about painting? That's a fine art as well."

Xylia: finishes her honeycomb and looks around the table for something else to munch on whilst listening

Merrik: "Painting... well I suppose the stained glass art here is much like a painting. I don't see why we can't add some paint to the place. Though, I daresay I won't allow the white oak to be colored."

Narien: "I really haven't done an arch before... I don't usually do big structures, just little ones. I can't paint. I've never tried it before. Sairantha makes her own bows, so she might be better at doing things like arches..." pushes back from the table a bit "I... should go.... back to my room."

Merrik: "I'm not sure if you lack the capability or just the confidence, Narien. A large piece can be carved into a masterpiece one small piece at a time."

Xylia: "Why not carve little sculptures and then put them altogether?" mumbled to herself as she munches another piece of bread

Saira: is busying herself with her bow to remain out of the conversation

Narien: still hasn't stood up from the table yet "I guess I could... but maybe later... After the war? I don't think it would be right to do it now." finally stands up to leave

Avren to Saira: "Say, what's that technique you use there... if it's alright of me to ask."

Merrik: "I agree. We'll keep in touch about it, hmm?"

Narien: avoiding eye contact "Uhm. Okay." leaves the table and returns to his room

Mowkie · Oct 3, 2016

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Aiko was glad for all of the help from the other tamers, despite the fact that she did not recognize all of them. The particular one who caught her eye was a woman of luscious, dark hair and shockingyly-icy gray-blue eyes. In the last weeks, the maiden could not recall this particular woman here. Of course, she barely knew anyone yet that she really couldn't be sure as to whether or not the woman was there all along. She knew Aris and Illyria, particularly because those two had come in at the same time she had. She knew Reverie, particularly for her fear of the young woman. And the others…well, she was beginning to recognize them, but Aiko was never one to remember names very well. After a brief moment of pondering, the girl continued her work in the kitchen, chopping various vegetables to go along with a large roast. She didn't really want to think about the kind of animal the meat had come from, but she was sure it would do for the other tamers.

It wasn't just the strange woman, who ended up making desert, that had come in to help. There were others that had joined in. When Narien appeared and offered to help, she smiled kindly and nodded, handing him the knife she had been using to cut the vegetables. "Just make roughly the same cuts as I have been. I'll start preparing the meat to cook. Thank you."

The meal took the entire hour to prepare, and only just as everyone had begun to arrive at the table were they beginning to set out the plates and wares. No one wasted time seating themselves and grabbing some food, and Aiko was no exception here. Her stomach howled at her to be fed, and she would not deny it the meal she had worked to prepare. She felt a little more satisfied, having finally done something simple to help the Order…even if it was just making dinner. Just as no one wasted time eating, Merrik wasted no time saying what he had to say.

Their minds turned to war, everyone listened intently. Aiko sat silently in her seat, having little to give in the form of strategy. She did not know what Kuhl looked like, and she didn't know how outnumbered they were. So, instead, she sat back and listened to the others, agreeing and confirming her understanding when Merrik stated where she was to go when the time came.

When the meeting came to a close, she stayed behind to help clean up. Only when everything had been cleaned and properly put away did the maiden finally go and tend to herself. Her dragon was strangely silent, but further inspection showed that he was far away in a dream. It was then that Aiko realized just how late it actually was. Hours had passed. Yet her mind would not allow her to sleep just yet. Instead, she went to the bath house to, hopefully, soothe her muscles and calm her thoughts.

As she settled herself into the hot water and began running the rag across her skin, she hummed to herself and let her mind wander. Curiosity over what had happened while at the temple perked up into her mind, and she wondered if there was a way she could do it again. Perhaps it would be something she could practice before the battle…would it be helpful?

She took the moment to pull on the little silver thread that linked her to her dragon. Though asleep, he accepted her tug and let a small amount of his mana flow into her. Her mind focused on her skin, trying to remember what she was thinking when she first saw the strange barrier appear over her. It was the kind words of her dragon, his promise of protecting her. It was their acceptance of friendship. Yet, none of these seemed to bring up the shield.

Perhaps, then, it was her thoughts on her skin, itself. She put her mind to that. Her fear of being marred in any way. But this fear wasn't as prevalent as it used to be. Then…maybe it was her acceptance of being scarred, for she knew her dragon would still love her.

At this thought, the strange blanket of sparkles appeared over her flesh again. Her eyes widened, and she ran the rag across it. She could still feel the touch, but it wasn't as noticeable. This effect, however, only lasted a mere moment before her tie to Zolykar was cut, and the barrier disappeared. With her curiosity once more piqued, she made a mental note of speaking to Merrik in the morning if possible.

When morning did come, the maiden woke with a sigh, having felt she had gone to bed way too late the night before. Groggy, she clambered out of bed and dressed herself simply, tying her hair into a simple ponytail for the first time since she was a little girl. With a single mission in mind, she went down, greeted Zolykar with a kiss to the nose, which resulted in a disgruntled huff before the beast turned himself away from her and returned to snoozing, and headed towards Merrik's room. It was here that she had found that the leader of the Order was dealing with other business involving more new tamers, meaning she would have to wait to ask about it, seeing as she didn't really know anyone else.

Or did she?

With a simple realization, she went to the room that housed Illyria, bowing her head towards the tan dragon, Mirazh with a smile. "Good morning. May I speak with your tamer?"

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Soulserenity20 · Oct 3, 2016

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EVENT NOTICE

This year's Halloween event will be a Chat RP event and will take place on a decided date, based on maximum player availability. Please be sure to sign up your availability in the google spread sheet located here. We will be using titanpad for the ChaRP. The link to the pad will be posted upon the starting of the event.

Please keep an eye out for an update on the chosen date and time for the ChaRP!

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Soulserenity20 · Oct 3, 2016

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Avren had been spending as much time alone as possible since their return to the meadow. He had put up with too much invasion into his personal space during his time at the Stallion Tribe's settlement. He had learned a lot during his time there: swordsmanship, fighting through the pain of injury, creativity in battle. He had also learned that even those he respected and honored could annoy him after a few days. He was awfully sick of all the brutality that took place there. Avren was no privileged prinny of high class, but he did enjoy comfort and ... happiness. The Stallion Tribe didn't seem like a place filled with either of those things. Nevertheless, he had gained invaluable experience and he had the fierce warriors of the tribe to thank.

Sitting on a stool by his workbench, Avren mindlessly divided up a large batch of burn heal into dozens of smaller bottles, one dose in each. He was staring over at his two jagged blades which hung on the wall, crossed in a rather cliche "X." He had grown rather proud of the blades and was quite honored to have been given the right to call them his own.

"You've changed, Avren."

He smiled. "I have not."

"You have. You're displaying a sincere fondness for the blades that marked your capability in combat. I may not have been around your whole life but I hold your life's memories clearly in my mind and I know as well as you that you've never felt pride in violence."

"It's not violence, Viridian. It's... defense."

"A shield defends, swords are made for attacking."

"Well who's to say they can only be used for their intended purpose?"

"You don't intend to kill with them?"

"Not without being attacked first."

"What kind of a warrior does that make you?"

"... Well... I haven't said I'm a warrior..."

"What do you call yourself then? With your blades and your combat training and your upcoming war?"

". . ."

The dragon let out a sigh, a plume of smoke filling the room adjacent to where Avren sat. He had stopped his work and now stared at the blades with a different set of eyes. He wondered what he had become, what he had been, and what he would one day be. He wondered if he liked who he once was. After some thought, he decided he had. But what of who he was now? He was preparing for battle. He bore blades that served no purpose in a hunt. They were built to shed the blood of his foes. Before then, his bow and arrow had been his only weapon, and they were only a weapon when he hunted. These swords... they were weapons no matter how he put it.

Brow furrowed, he decided he had had enough of his house. It seemed his reclusive nature was growing fouler each day. Even his house bothered him now.

Rising, he capped the large glass bottle to prevent the paste from drying and then left the confines of his hut.

The fresh air was calming and relieving for lungs that had suffered the smokey air of his hut. As he moved through the woods towards the meadow, it dawned on him that he had yet to greet the new tamers. From what he knew, they were both women. Not exactly his forte. But one of them was said to be bonded with a swamp dragon and this was fascinating and exciting to him. He would have to make himself known if he wished to meet the beast.

Breaking free from the woods, Avren stepped in the front door of the stable and ventured a ways down the hall before noticing Goliath chatting with a woman. "She must be one of the new tamers." He stared for a moment before he saw another woman step out of a previously vacant stall and bump into Goliath. She seemed less composed than the other woman, and so Avren continued watching, curious about which one was the tamer of the swamp dragon.

After some time, he realized he would have looked quite suspicious and when he thought of the two women noticing him staring at them and how uncomfortable that could be for them (and for him) he quickly ducked into the stall beside him, tripping over the rut in the ground that allowed the gate to slide and fell forward, sprawling out over the floor.

Looking up, he turned bright red as he realized he had literally stumbled into Aerarya's stall, which mean Saira was nearby.

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Chrome · Oct 3, 2016

In truth, the soldier was surprised by the dark brown haired woman's accent and eastern dialect, it strangely reminded him of home. He smiled reflexively as the words escaped her mouth, especially because the woman had abandoned all formality and false pleasantry in the way she presented herself. Formality was boring, and this new tamer was already making an impression on him.

"Then Nim it is", Goliath replied with a nod and extended his hand to meet with her own. Out of habit, he reached for her forearm and applied a warriors handshake, his piercing blue eyes met her own hazel green, "I'm Goliath Atreus, tamer to the Iron Dragon, Hezekiah."

"I had missed your arrival with the other tamer this morning and I felt compelled to stop by and introduce myself", he scratched the back of his head with his right hand and straightened the black bandanna that kept his mess of shoulder-length blonde hair behind his ears , "If you have any questions-"

Someone had bumped into him from behind and interrupted his train of thought. Goliath turned and saw another woman he had not met before, this one had dark red hair adorned in braids and what he observed to be feathers. "No need to apologize!", he smiled, adjusting his stance and positioning himself closer to the wall, beside the door to Nim's loft so that he could speak with both women more easily, "I'm glad to have met you both at the same time", he chuckled with amusement, "It makes it much easier to get the introductions out of the way.. My name is Goliath."

Narien had walked past the group in the hall and Goliath tilted his head to the young man, only to return to the conversation he was having with the two new tamers.

---

Outside Nim and Aegnor's stable, Hezekiah sniffed and recognized a smell. A distinct smell of sulfur mixed with charcoal... and one he could not ignore. <Is that Aegnor I smell? Don't think I've forgotten that you still owe me a rematch!>, he addressed the other dragon telepathically through the wall.

firejay1 · Oct 4, 2016

Narien moved to approach Goliath and the two new tamers, whose quarters were right next to his, but a slight movement caused his eyes to flick to the side, where a figure had ducked into one of the very first stalls. He brushed past the three in the hallway and walked towards where he had seen the figure disappear. It had looked like it might be Avren. Though... Avren's quarters were technically next to his, so why would he walk into someone else's stall? Perhaps he had been incorrect, but his intention in leaving his room had been to see Avren in the first place, not speak to Goliath and the two other tamers. He still gave them a small smile in greeting which was returned by Goliath, but then headed away with some purpose.

As he got closer he realized it was Sairantha's stall he was nearing. If that was the case, that seemed to make an odd sort of sense to him. Or if it didn't, at least it would be a good laugh. Mentally. From the first time he'd seen them together during the strange day with the lizards, he had gotten the impression that Avren had some interest in Sairantha. But Avren was one of the most socially incompetent people he had ever met. Every time he talked to Sairantha, Narien found himself barely holding back the laughter. In a few strides, he had reached the stable to see the door pushed to the side and Avren very gracefully making love to the floor. The woodland's man was looking up and had clearly just realized where he was. It didn't take a genius to bet the other man's face was red as a beet. "Uhm. Avren?" He asked, quietly, as if he had not noticed whose stall this was....

@Soulserenity20 @Rainjay

Soulserenity20 · Oct 4, 2016

Avren shrieked. The sound was a mix between a startled deer and a dying xixen. Not exactly flattering but Avren never much thought of what might flatter him or anyone around him. Well, except Saira. But he was certain the shriek wouldn't have flattered her at all. He wondered then what Saira might find flattering. Perhaps wildflowers, he thought. Perhaps he should pick her a bouquet of wild flowers, or perhaps even grow her a bouquet of wild flowers. "Hmm," he said as he furrowed his brow. "Are wild flowers still wild if you grow them yourself?" He looked up at Narien, from his place on the ground. He had now connected the startling presence from before with the now very apparent presence of Narien and his fear subsided with ease. It wasn't until he re-remembered that he was in Saira's stall that he began to fret once more, and not just over wild flowers. He quickly collected himself and stood up to look awkwardly around before gazing at Narien.

"Ahem. Fancy seeing you here good sir." He said with some terrible tone that sounded of some twisted nobility. "I do dare say that I hadn't expected to see anyone here! In fact that's the point of my being here: to avoid seeing or being seen by anyone else." He glanced around awkwardly. "But then I suppose an occupied stall is a terrible place for solitude." He produced a concerned expression and stared Narien hard in the eyes.

Soulserenity20 · Oct 5, 2016

Obsidian Nova

The arrival of the two new tamers and their dragons came as bittersweet news to the elder drake. He was pleased to see Aegnor and Deventh. Aegnor had long been one of his Most most cherished friends. He would catch up with the younger drake in due time, but for now there was little time for such pleasantries. The war neared and with each passing day the nightmare drake grew more and more concerned, more focused on daunting task of entering the battlefield with the others. He feared for the safety of several of them, including his own tamer. Humans were delicate and weak, not excluding his own beloved human.

Obsidian Nova had taken to the skies, leaving the meadow and the others behind, to venture into the peaks of the Bodhra to train. It had been more than a decade since he was able to practice his fire abilities properly in the meadow. The breadth of his flame now reached more than a mile across and as such, was no longer safe for the grounds at the meadow. Instead he utilized the barren peaks of the ancient mountain range to hone his fiery attacks. He could ravage no forests this high, nor burn no structures.

Soaring high above a naked peak, the dragon spiraled lightly into a dive and free near the earth. As he approached, he let loose a black, spiralling cone of fire that collided with the mountain and rushed out at either side as the impact of the flame moved the air. The waves on each side of the flames spread out far across the mountain, creating a wall of black fire in either side of him. He soared up again and circled back around for another approach. This time he dove at a steeper angle and shot a powerful ball of fire directly below him, concentrating the attack. The walls of fire spilled out in a circular shape now, creating a massive, burning sphere that coated the ground. Such an attack was ideal for isolating anything that managed to survive the initial blow. The former attack served to destroy and direct foes.

Next, he approached horizontally as he had before and unleashed two flames from either side of his mouth, leaving an unscorched hall between blazing walls of fire. The slighter angle dampened the force of the flame and resulted in a more concentrated, controlled wall. This was a herding mechanism, meant to create only one pathway for foes to follow to their mass destruction. The techniqie, combined with an initial fire spout would leave them horrified, heated, and with only one way to go.

As Nova withdrew and approached again and again, he moved on to altering the heat of his flame, the shape of the flame, and infusing the flame with his darker forms of magic. He could infuse the flares with his dark substance to creating a ohysical restraint that would burn until death. He could infuse his nightmare ability to project the deepest fears of the victims into the very flames themselves. He could create dark plumes of smoke from low heat fires which in turn created shadows he could hide in, making him invisible to almost anything. Hours passed, and he continued to train, burning the peak of the mountain until it bore black scars that would remain for years. Even into the latest hours of the night he burned the hillside, his black flames drawing no attention from the outside world. Any onlooker would see only the wavering shimmer of the black, starless mass and think it an illusion of the mind.

When he broke for a rest, he settled onto the charred stone and gazed up at the moon, a creeping sorrow filling his heart as his mind fell to the woes of Taega and Merrik. He felt the loss as strongly as they did, but out of duty, he stifled the pain, putting it in the back of his mind to allow him full concentration on the coming battle.

A deep sigh expelled plumes of residual smoke and as the last, gloomy tendril wafted into the night sky, the elder drake receded from the mountains, silently soaring home.

Crimson77 · Oct 7, 2016

[fieldbox="Xylia, seagreen, dashed, 10, Tahoma"]Xylia rubbed the top of her head. She felt like she had hit the bark of a juju tree. She looked up and saw a tall, broad and fairly muscular male standing in front of her. Xylia stared blankly at the male who just introduced himself as Goliath. She continued staring, merely observing his features and questioning his skills and capabilities and maybe even his hobbies and what kind of person he was like. Deventh was the one who pulled her out of her train of thoughts with their bond which she forgot about.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. Xylia beamed a grin before standing up straight, hand falling to her side, her red hair, filled with feathers, braids and beads rustling as she did and introduced herself, "Xylia Iwalani Kalei!" she greeted,
sticking a hand out for a shake. "Xylia is fine too, if it suits your fancy!" she shrugged.

Xylia's eyes trailed the other figure that walked past them but then a sound captured her attention towards the end of the hall where the male was walking too.Curious, Xylia tilted her head to the side only to pull herself back to a conversation with the two people in front of her. "Is it always this eventful?" Xylia grinned.[/fieldbox]

Silver · Oct 8, 2016

[fieldbox= Aislin, plum]
Aislin popped up onto the stump, crossing her legs and resting her bow next to her. She'd just made an escape from the meadow. She couldn't stand it anymore, the underlying rush that seemed to fill the air and the bodies bustling around. So as soon as she'd gotten a chance, she slipped out and away, wandering through the woods until she found a stump she could sit on cross legged. She wanted to think anyways. They were supposed to be training and there where so many things she could be working on. But she didn't have time for all of them. She held her hand up, palm upwards as she focused on the swirl of mana connecting her and the currently hunting Yumiru. For now, she'd work on building up her mana stamina again. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to use it too much at Kuhl, but she'd already found out in the dream realm that the force came in handy. So she'd practice with her little flame for a time while she thought about what else to do. Almost immediately the dancing blue and purple came to being in her hand. She'd gotten much better at summoning it to her. So she made sure to keep it up as her mind drifted.

She could practice her aim, but she always did that, she wasn't afraid of her bow failing her. Not like she'd floundered with the lizards. She was going to be with Yumiru, whatever she was shooting at would have to catch them first. Even though that brought her comfort, her mind flickered to worry for the sensitive drake, the flame in her hand flickered before she brought enough focus back to it to maintain it. Would Yumiru be okay that close to Oguls forces? According to the books in her loft, she wasn't as sensitive as Celeste would be, but her kind had hidden themselves away from the world for a reason. Perhaps if they stayed high enough it would be alright, but would she be able to see at what she was aiming for that far up? Was there a way to enhance someone's sight with mana? Terria wasn't here to ask. Should she ask Merrik? Or was he too busy? She should also probably try to work with her bonded ability, but Taega wasn't in the sort of mind to practice with her, she'd have to ask another of the dragons in the meadow for their help. Aislin began to feel a little overwhelmed and the little fire in her hand flickered again. Aislin just barely catching it this time before it went out. She'd also wanted to ask Avern if he could show her the basics of healing mana. Aislin knew enough first aid to take care of herself in the woods, but she wasn't sure if that'd be of that much help in the battlefield. Not that it'd matter, she wasn't supposed to leave Yumiru's back anyways. A prickle shot down the back of her spine and her leg twitched a little bit. Irritation. AIslin pushed it to the back of her mind, she could and would do her part. Yumiru trusted that Merrik knew best, and she trusted the Dragon. So she would trust that everything would work out. Besides, she'd never participated in war, what would she know of strategy? Best just to leave it to the Tetra. More thoughts invaded and pranced around her mind, her leg began to twitch more. But she held still until the sweat was dripping down her back and the flame in her hand was flickering in and out before finally going out and staying out.

A breath erupted from her lips and Aislin stretched her legs out and bounced off of the stump. She hated sitting still for too long and her thoughts had her feeling antsy. Wanting to do something constructive, she reverted to her default. Scooping up her bow, she began to wander further into the woods, changing the way her feet fell and melting into the familiar state of trying to blend into the background as she began to pursue some form of game. The further she dropped herself into the familiarity, the clearer her head became, her breath evened out and her thoughts quieted.

By the time she decided to head back to the meadow, she had three rabbits strung up and flung over her shoulder. She'd gutted them out in the woods, figuring some scavenger would appreciate the easy meal before she made her way back to the bubble of tamers. On her way abck, she passed by the healers hut and paused, peeking into a window to see he wasn't there and continuing on. She wanted to talk to Merrik about finding a way, and seeing if he could help her learn how to actually do it, to enhance her vision so she could keep her aim from high altitude dragonback. She wasn't sure if she'd be of any other help save that. If that didn't pan out, she'd work on how to bend the air to her defense, like she'd bent the world around her in the dream realm. Should be the same principle. Right?

Moving into the building, planning to drop the rabbits off in the kitchen first, her eyes fell on multiple forms and different bubbles of activity. One near Siaria's stall, and the other in the middle of the hall (though this is the one that kept her attention) A small smile flickering across her face a little bit at the sight of Goliath who looked like he'd been drug behind a horse over the ground. He spoke to two unfamiliar faces, the two new tamers who had just come in? Had to be, why else would they be in here. She moved so forward so she wouldn't interrupt them, adjusting her bow and on her back and pulling a branch out of her own hair. Offering the three of them a small wave and a smile as she continued towards the kitchen. She moved four steps past them before she turned on her heel. Goliath might know where about's their leader was lurking.

"Excuse the interruption," She started, "But, Goliath, do you know where I can find Merrik at?" She asked quickly so she wouldn't have them interrupted for long.
[/fieldbox]

firejay1 · Oct 8, 2016

Avren never failed to make Narien desperately want to laugh. He jumped openly at the other man's scream, truly startled at first. No one had ever had that reaction to him before. Well... he had surprised Sairantha before, he supposed, but she wasn't much of a screamer. What was with all of these tamers? He walked with a bit of a light step, yes, but he was no master hunter. His feet made sound when they touched the ground. Perhaps he was quieter than he had supposed, and had never realized it because he had associated with no one in Solona. On the rare occasion he'd had to actively hunt and kill someone, he'd been fairly successful at wrapping the rope around their necks before they had time to fight back. But even so, he did not think himself all that quiet.

"Hmm," Avren said, from his place on the floor. "Are wild flowers still wild if you grow them yourself?" The compulsion to laugh grew exponentially at this random question. Then again, considering the stall they were at, perhaps it was not so random a question after all. So Avren wished to give Sairantha flowers, did he? From the first day he had seen the two of them together, Narien had guessed Avren's little crush on the red-headed archer. He hadn't imagined it would amuse him this much, though.

Narien blinked at Avren as if in confusion. "Erhm..." But it seemed the other man did not hear him, because he went through a rather comical series of painfully transparent thoughts and awkward actions. He looked at Narien. Recognized him. Felt relieved. Stopped feeling relieved for some reason Narien wasn't quite sure about. Calmed himself again. Stood. Avoided eye contact awkwardly. Met eye contact awkwardly. Oh Avren.... The other man was quickly becoming Narien's personal jester, almost.

He coughed once, awkwardly, then bastardized a high-born accent in a cringe-worthy fashion. "Fancy seeing you here, good sir. I do dare say that I hadn't expected to see anyone here!" How emphatic of him. "In fact, that's the point of my being here: to avoid seeing or being seen by anyone else. But then I suppose an occupied stall is a terrible place for solitude." A bit. My. Dear. Sir.

He felt like he was being stared down by an antsy rabbit. He felt like he was supposed to feel like he was being stared down like an angry lion, so he reacted accordingly. Narien's pale eyes wandered away from Avren's gaze in an anxious, discomfitted fashion. and he took a couple steps backwards, stumbling his feet a little as he did so. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you and Sairantha or anything. I just... I saw you and I wanted to ask you a question, but if you're busy, of course I should- leave the two of you alone. G-give you your privacy. Uh- I mean-" He stammered slightly as he continued to back further away. Some days he hated this persona. Avren made him love it. The things he could slip in "accidentally" were absolutely priceless.

Rainjay · Oct 9, 2016

Saira paced in her loft, worn boots sounding against the aged wood as she stepped to and fro, her arms across her chest and her hands clasped over her shirt sleeves. Below, laying in her nest, Aerarya watched with her head resting over her tail, curled up much like a house cat would and watching. The tamer had been at this for the greater part of an hour, mind lost in thought. The dragonness wanted to help, but knew she could not. Saira's pacing was exhausting, and so was the racing of her thoughts. They would not stop to listen to Aerarya's assuring words.

For all that had happened at Ylandre, the plans for the siege on Kuhl were in the back of Saira's mind, the very least of her worries. It was the arrival of the new tamers that plagued her. Why would new tamers be sent to them days before war? Did the gods not want them to live the rest of their days? She hoped they were fairly experienced, lest they potentially fall to a fate worse than Shirin's. Saira released a heavy breath, her nails digging through cloth to pierce at the skin on her arms. The thought was awful. But she couldn't clear it from her mind. She was simply terrified for these new tamers--whom she had yet to meet, and didn't quite want to lest it worsen her fear--even though she knew Merrik would not put them in harm's way.

The last time they had been preparing for war, Saira had spoken to Terria, who assuaged her worries and somehow made her feel confident, ready. But Terria wasn't here anymore. The redheaded tamer mentally cursed herself for thinking of the younger Tetra; the name evoked her imagination, which ran wild with painful thoughts of what she must be enduring. Poor Terria.

She knew why they couldn't go to her. What with Kuhl, mounting a rescue was a near impossible task. They simply couldn't demobilize or put a halt on the progression of the massive Illosian armies in lieu of Terria's kidnapping, no matter how valuable an asset she was, or how important a person to the group and most importantly, their leader. It was purely impractical. But she desperately wished they could.

Saira was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't feel the pique of Aerarya's curiosity as a particularly awkward tamer stumbled into the stall, nearly falling into the nest where the silver dragonness lay. Lifting her head, she watched Avren, though didn't say anything as not to startle the tamer--though Narien's timely appearance elicited a shriek from Avren despite the quiet nature of his entrance. Pausing in her tracks at the sound, Saira turned towards the outward wall of the loft. For a few moments she listened, deciphering to whom the two emerging voices belong to. Although a little alarmed at the appearance of the two in her room, she unlatched her arms from across her chest and started down the ladder to the ground level.

Her feet touched the floor as Narien was backing out. With an eyebrow raised, she called out to the both of them: "And what brings you two gentlemen here today?"

White · Oct 9, 2016

"This is a very risky battleplan, should Ogual learn of this...," she mumbled in conclusion. In her eyes, she saw hundreds of thousands of soldiers burried beneath the mountain, suffocating, dying. "...but it would'nt matter," she continued mumbling as she remembered the Battle for Otamur and how it's army was obliterated.

The military meeting ended and with a slight curtsy, that anybody may or may not have noticed, she bid her good evenings, now making her way out of the room and out into the cool fresh air, like others she had noted were doing. Celeste had joined her and together they made their way to where they first arrived upon the meadow and met, what she then considered, to be proper tamer.

"You don't have to worry about them this much and Terria is strong...," Celeste spoke just after Reverie stood silently there, seemingly fascinated by the skies. "No, I do not. Yet I can'thelp but worry, especially knowing and remembering what a large battle looked like." Celeste stepped closer and carefully placed her head on Reverie's shoulder.

"I worry far more about you, little one. I would rather you stayed safe and did not do anything reckless, should you need to battle."

"Oh come on, how could anything happen to me with the great white dragonness on my side?" Her lips curled to a teasing smile, before it broke and sadness filled her eyes. "But if anything should happen to me, I need you to promise to me that you will continue on the fight, no matter what... they will need you."

"I have seen enough death, my dear Celeste. What is to come, what is to happen, the cruelties and the war. I feel prepared. I feel ready and I will go as far as I can but if this must continue where I no longer can, then you must continue for both of us!

Celeste remained silent, as she struggled to formulate a response. The complete bond seemed like something that was necessary for her to remain alive, but at the same time, she understood the burden that Reverie silently carried. Celeste could see clearly how it came to be, what it is, she was there when things begun and she felt responsible, needed, to see this through and with a heavy breathe Celeste agreed reluctantly. "I promise to you that I will go on where I cannot, but I expect you to do the same for me little one," the white dragon answered firmly on and after the but.

Reverie remained where she was for a long time, looking up into the skies, but not really into the skies. Rather, she pictures the dark caves, the sweat of the soldier, the blood, the dismemberments that would not escape her eyes. The brutalities of war she had seen before and the flags that would decorate the walls of the castle once the battle was won.

And finally... with a few last spoken words, she made her way back to her quarters, Celeste always at her side.

...

"This is the calm before the storm, the dawn before the battle is won. It is the mind that cannot sleep, it is the wish that goes so deep. Never weary, never quiet, these are the last nights before we fight."

---------------------------------------------

In preparations for the war, Reverie found herself recalling the realm of bonds and the mana she wielded in her hands, how "clean" it felt, how "pure" it was and has been attempting to recreate the same again. It turned out to be as easy as it was difficult, she had to keep her head clear, her breathing calm, her heart determined and had to reach deeply onto their shared bond, into that section, the feeling, their being of pure goodness. It seemed simple at first and came suprisingly easily to her, she then tried to form this mana externally and extend it from her hand like a small spear of light, to be used like a blade but just as she formed it, she felt her and Celestes energy dwindling away rapidly and stopped.

On her way to the clearing she visited weeks prior, she noticed new faces among the order, it seemed as if she missed that there have been new arrivals alltogether. Deciding against introducing herself, she only ever smiled gently when they looked at her and instead focused on meditating on this pure thing in their bond together with Celeste, curious, yet also convinced, that she could use this as a weapon with enough effort and practise.

Return of the Dragon Tamers: The Plague of Ogual

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