Fantasy Saga of the Nineteen Islands

[Dominaiscna]

Though she was shaken, Isolde was calmed enough to properly listen to Kadri's words. As instructed, she quickly slipped into the boots the other lineaged had brought her, though she was rather confused at what Kadri was getting at... however she trusted her enough. She had a plan... of sorts.

At Keenan's words, her eyes flickered from his to the massive form of the dragon before them. Though she was still scared... there was a new emotion thrumming in her veins. Anger.

Her eyes followed the beast and widened as it turned, its tail swiping against the ground. Her voice caught in her throat and, before she could move or reach out towards Kadri, the other lineaged was sent flying. Her body hit the stone with a sickening crack and fell to the floor like a broken doll, painfully still. "KADRI!" Her voice cracked out, feet already stepping forward to her fallen companion, but then Keenan's words stilled her.

He was right. They had to do something... and fast. They were in no situation for anyone to act rashly... she had to think. "... I'll think of something... I'll slow it down, distract it somehow..."

Her mind raced as she tried to think of what to do. She doubted that the ice spikes could penetrate through the scaly armor of the dragon... so that was not an option. She didn't think she had the control to generate an ice storm... nor the resources to sustain one to slow the dragon down. She could try the spell she had accidentally used on Destrian... though would her magic penetrate through the dragon if she touched him? There was no guarantee... she needed a direct way into the dragon's body...

As she racked her brain, an unfamiliar voice caught her attention and her eyes flickered to another figure... a girl. Though she wasn't apart of their group, she seemed to be on their side. At her words, Keenan sprung into action and her eyes followed him as he vaulted up onto the dragon's back. Though she wanted to shout a warning, watching as the dragon took to the air, Isolde held her tongue. She had to trust him...he knew what he was doing. And she had to do her bit. Her eyes focused on the wound on the dragon's neck... blood. Though nervousness prickled at her spine, she willed herself to calm. Blood... a blood vessel... she could work with that.

She just had to get close enough.

As the dragon landed and darkness descended upon them, Isolde blindly stepped towards where the other lineaged had been. When her vision returned... she was gone. Though Isolde didn't think that she could have disappeared into thin air. The dragon worked with darkness... with shadows and with their minds. She had to be somewhere...

Nervously, she walked closer and closer to where the dragon was, trying her best to keep her head raised, her body relaxed and her gaze fixed on the beast. The built up magic from earlier still tingled at her finger tips, concentrating... and growing more powerful. The dragon, he treasured honor and was a prideful beast... she could use that. She just had to be careful. And she had to be brave.

"Don't speak as if you know better, dragon, those words are not fit for your tongue," she said as loudly as she could, her voice echoing in the chamber. Fear and anger threatened to shake her voice though she fought to keep it steady, calm and stable. Slowly, she stepped closer and closer to the creature. "You who hide in the darkness and torment your prey with their own memories... who turn your enemies against one another so that you won't have to fight. Do you think you are worthy of respect? of honour?" She closed her fist behind her back, feeling her magic grow. "Cowardly, shameful, hypocritical. You may be a dragon, but you are no better than the humans you mock."

Now standing a few meters from the dragon, Isolde raised her head and steeled her gaze to meet the dragon's eyes. She swallowed the fear that closed around her throat, willing her expression into neutrality. "Am I wrong?"

11254man Athanas A Not So Wonderful Story Baconhands SilverFlight

 

[Athanas]

At the sight of the Dragon charging at him,Destrian's only response was to draw his shortsword. The dragon appeared to have a short temper, And Destrian was about to use it's self-confidence against it. As soon as the Dragon had closed most of the distance, Destrian used his magic to propel himself several feet in the air, then slam down on the beast. His timing was quite great: He managed to land on the dragon's already damaged wing, his shortsword almost disappearing up to the hilt. Using it to cling onto the side, Destrian's other hand finished channelling the energy he had been amassing and unleashed it, creating a small explosion of mana on the wing. The force was so great it knocked him straight off, causing him to land, rather painfully, on the hard stone ground. A disgusting crack, in tandem with him yelping in pain indicated that he had not made the landing unscathed.

For a few seconds, there was no feeling: Destrian's mind had gone dark from the mere shock of the fall. When he recovered it, he wished it had remained that way. The pain was utterly excruciating, And his left arm was bent in an angle that it most definitely not supposed to be into. A very small part of his mind was consoled by the fact that He had just blasted the dragon's wing with A rather powerful blow-grounding the Dragon was the first step.

Slowly, he began to focus on this feeling: He was thrilled at having harmed the Dragon. He wanted to bludgeon it, tear it limb from limb, gouge it's eyes out. He hated it. He was in great pain and he hated the thing that was causing him pain.

The feeling grew. His pain subsided, being replaced by rage. With a violent, trembling movement, he jerked his arm back in place. Slowly, shakily,he got up. His entire chest was now glowing bright purple, as well as his arms. With another movement, he grabbed a halberd from a nearby loot pile. He turned, so that his entire body faced the dragon. He opened his mouth, and bellowed in a voice less akin to a human, and more akin to a rabid dog:

I...HATE...YOUUU!

It was just that: A declaration of pain, of anger so profound, so unbridled one could feel it emanating from Destrian. The cry of a lost soul, who had nothing left, but the will to destroy-inflicting pain upon others so he may be relieved of his own, even momentarily.

 

[A Not So Wonderful Story]

Velma would laugh in satisfactory as the battleaxe sank into the dragon's neck. She grinned maliciously with sharp fangs as she saw the blood spill out. Fantastic, she could help guys kill the dragon, and they would simultaneously help her with what she came for. She decided she would watch things out as she tended to her wound, pulling out a couple arrows and rolling them in her cut, but her pain of soothing would hide the pain. Aspects was she grateful for that! She would then hold her palm to her cut, using a bit of acid to seal her wound. She took a deep breath as she stuck the bloodied arrows back in her quill. She turned to see one of the strangers completely disappear in darkness, her eye widening slightly. She looked to Destrian as he raged, and to the girl as she began speaking to the dragon. She had high doubt that the dragon could be spoken too... then again, being alone in a cave for that many years makes you crave conversation, doesn't it? seeing as the dragon had quite a few things distracting him, she couldn't just let something like that go to waist. She had two potions left, but that was expected when fighting a fricken dragon. She took out her Potion of Distance, downing it while running forward. she tossed the bottle to the side as she leaped with a grunt, landing on top of the dragon with a slight tumble, landing on her back and looking up to Keenan with a sharp toothed grin.
"Hey Silver Boy."
She would plant her palms by her head before flipping to her feet skillfully. She wasn't too worried about being the first target of the dragon, seeing he would have two that are much more important right now. As she stood and faced the knight, it would be noticed how... small she was. Compared to the knight, anyway. She would look up to him with that grin that screamed that she had a plan.
"I think this guy is a little a-head of himself."
She would hold up her hands as they began to froth and bubble with acid, motioning to the front of the dragon.
"My acid seems pretty effective against this guy's scales. If you think you can get a few more hefty swings like earlier, we might just be able to take his head off..."
She wondered where the other stranger was at the moment, but her knowledge of illusion spells taught her that killing the caster would surely reverse the spell. Cutting off the source always did that with most spells. Velma crouched down to brace herself for any more sudden movements as she awaited Keenan's response.
Baconhands SilverFlight 11254man Athanas Dominaiscna

 

[SilverFlight]

When the dragon vaulted into the sky Keenan lost his grip, sliding down back to the beast's shoulders where he caught the edge of its wing. This was all the kept him from tumbling off into open air. The dragon landed again and Keenan scrambled for a better hold. By some miracle he still had hold of the axe Kadri had given him, it's edge corroded and steaming from the acid left on the ruin of the dragon's scales. Then, just like that Kadri was gone! Keenan grimaced as he struggled for purchase. The dragon was an illusionist, it could well be another trick. Someone landed beside him and he nearly lost his footing again as the archer from earlier popped into view.
"Nice day for a bit of dragon slaying." He shot back. "You look like you have an idea."
Keenan listened to her and thought for just a moment before speaking: "My sword can repel magic, your acid won't destroy it. If you coat the blade, perhaps I can use it to do the job!"
The knight juggled the axe in one hand while drawing his sword in the other. He held it out for Velma, praying that Isolde and Destrian could keep the beast distracted for just a moment longer.
A Not So Wonderful Story Baconhands
Dominaiscna Athanas

 

[Baconhands]

The dragon mentally grinned; while the attack against the lineaged of Arbuzs had been an accident, not only had it proven effective but it had also wormed itself into the minds of the other humans here in the form of anger and worry. Even as he made the girl vanish, it was apparent to it that the party would, in a way, but constantly distracted by a nagging feeling of doubt and unease - one that it hoped it could exploit. And yet, as it turned to face the insects, he found one approaching it. It spoke of hypocrisy, cowardice and shame - ironic, the dragon thought, for the woman before him had stolen a pair of his treasures and wore them on its feet. If it were to swipe at her, they might become damaged beyond repair. If this creatures was happy to talk, then he was happy to talk with it, though its ever-watchful eyes made sure it would not be surprised by any of the others.
"You are wrong. For if I did not use every tool at my disposal to dispatch you, then I would be acting dishonourably. I have not stolen anything of yours, I have not-"
Dominaiscna
The black scaled creature was interrupted yet again - one of the creatures had found its way onto its back yet again. Before the dragon could shake it off, however, the creature unleashed some strange form of magic onto his wing. A sound reminiscent of canvas tearing reverberated around the cavern, as a large hole appeared in the dragon's wing.
Athanas
Snarls turned to bellows turned to roars. Destrian's proclamation was drowned out in a cacophony of pain, anger and a need for vengeance. Two orbs of fiery yellow turned to face the being that had caused the damage and the dragon started towards the lineaged of Awramaar. As it ran, it knew something had latched onto it - the same mutt as before. The dragon ceased in its momentum, and reached round to its front left leg and snatched up Blue in a powerful claw. Blue didn't falter, snarling in defiance and repetitively trying to bite the dragon's claw so it could get free. The dragon roared once at it, before it started squeezing. A few seconds passed, until a crunch, a snap, and a whimper echoed around the chamber. The dog was tossed like a rag doll to the side of the chamber and the dragon once again began its pursuit, rid of one nuisance. Its jaws opened wide, and a black smoke launched forth, enveloping Destrian in a miasma of toxins and poisons.
SilverFlight Athanas A Not So Wonderful Story

 

[Athanas]

Destrian remained steadily in his position, despite the dragon's roars. While big, he had seen it could bleed: And if it could bleed, it could die. Destrian's mind had abandoned any reason that went beyond that, instead focusing on the mere animalistic joy the bloodletting gave him, a fact that he would probably never admit to his companions. Thus, he paid very little attention to the dragon's assault on the dog: He honestly wouldn't mind if the beast was maimed in the slightest, Keenan's feelings be damned. Instead, he continued focusing on fully unleashing his magic inside him, empowering him and allowing him to unleash one devastating assault on the monster.

Sadly for Destrian, just as he was about to start charging, the beast billowed smoke from it's mouth. He tried to scramble away but was a moment too slow. The noxious fumes engulfed him, and it seemed as if though light had been extinguished from the cave, leaving him utterly clueless as to his surroundings. Before he could even call for help, the ground gave way beneath him. A panicked whimper escaping his lips, he desperately clawed all around him, trying to get a grip somewhere.

Finally, the falling stopped. His vision returned. He would cry out in relief-but he had just realized something. A warning that he had managed to forget during all this time
...The knight in shining armor. He will come, when you think you're safe. He will rally everyone behind him, for he will be in the "right". Anyone you care about will turn against you, screaming "murderer, murderer"...

With a certain feeling of dread setting on his stomach, he realized he had been outwitted. They knew who he was. They knew what he was. They had used the notice as a way of flushing him out They had merely exploited his abilities to get this far and damage the dragon. Now, they would turn on him, claim the bounty on his head, and pass it off as another casualty of the beast.
Panicking, he scanned his surroundings. The only way out was closed off by a very angry dragon, and an equally-angry looking Isolde-Whom Destrian feared much more than the beast, especially after witnessing her power. The knight was standing next to an unknown archer: Clearly, a fellow assassin, to ensure the success of their plot. Raising his halberd, his voice cracking from the mere strain of the magic, he yelled at Keenan. While he made a pretty good impression of sounding intimidating, he couldn't entirely hide the fear in his voice

"Y...You think me a fool? You thought I wouldn't discover about your plot to kill me, oh "valiant knight"? Your intentions are clear as day now. You led me here to die! P..Pathetic Mongrel! You're the one Varestad warned me about, dog! You're the Knight! You've turned them all against me, huh? What did you promise them? Gold? Honor? Vengeance?"

He was waving his halberd around, pointing it at everyone in the room."I bled for you! I treated your wounds! I'm single-handedly beating this dragon for you! And this is my payment?! Treachery?"
Almost of their own accord, two purple bolts shot towards Keenan.

"Y..You Won't kill me! I don't die that easy! I'll gut you all instead! First the Knight, then his assassin, then the rest of you! You.. can't stop me!"

His eyes flickered to Isolde, trying to meet hers. A small part of his mind insisted that something was very wrong. He paused for a moment, trying to break free of the dragon's magic-but to no avail. His mind already clouded by his own overflow of magic, he could not hope to concentrate enough to do so. He had lost his calm, and his self-control along with it. He tore his eyes from her, Instead focusing on Keenan. Changing his grip on the halberd so that he held it with the blunt side facing forward(a useful tactic for bashing through armor), he began cautiously marching on the knight, eyes darting around to spot any attempts of attack from the others.

 

[A Not So Wonderful Story]

Velma would have widened her devilish grin, grabbing the blade of his sword with both palms. She purposely cut her thumb on the blade and dripped her blood into the acid as she covered the blade, giving the acid brown streaks as she coated the entire blade. It stuck like glue as it frothed violently, trying the deteriorate the sword. Velma wiped a bit of sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
"My blood has a poison that is lethal, though I'm not sure what it will do to a beast this size... perhaps if it gets in his neck..."
Before she could finish her thought her attention turned to the rambling Destrian. She wasn't a fool, this was obviously the dragon's doing. The drama between the two was of no importance to her at the moment. She couldn't afford any more obstacles to killing this damn dragon! She saw the bolts fly towards Keenan and immediately snatched his wrist, yanking him away and practically dipped him to keep him from falling. Ironically, she became slightly flustered, pulling her hands away and dropping Keenan onto the dragon's back, clearing her throat.
"Kill the bloody dragon! I'll make sure your friend doesn't kill anyone, or himself for that matter."
She would reach behind her to retrieve her final potion from her belt. A green bottle with a vomit looking liquid inside. She cringed at the sight of it before leaping off the dragon and tactically rolling towards Destrian, about fifteen feet away from him now.
"Oi! Big man!"
She gripped the potion in her hand a bit hoping it might intimidate him a bit. Magic was limitless, and that bottle could do anything, to Destrian, anyway...
"How about ya quit your jabberin'!"
She didn't draw any weapons. She wasn't trying to kill him, and ironically, she wasn't trying to calm him down either. She had no idea what this guy could do other than what she saw, and that was a lot. If he attacked recklessly, she would be able to dodge a lot more efficiently. And as soon as she saw an opening, she would neutralize her problem. Typical assassin training 101.
"The gold Keenan offers is too high to wait on, so let's make this quick!"
She grinned with sharp teeth as she vexed the angered man. That ought to do it, eh? She flipped the bottle in her hand, noting that Destrian was using the blunt side of his weapon, another advantage for her.
Baconhands SilverFlight 11254man Athanas Dominaiscna

 

[Dominaiscna]

While Isolde had kept up a brave front before the dragon, as soon as its attention had been drawn away, she felt herself deflate like a balloon, body succumbing to the fear that she had tried her best to hide. Though her hands were shaking, she forced herself to stay focused, tracking the dragon as it fought against the others, including the mysterious archer. The entire time, she kept withholding the ice magic at her finger tips, feeling the power build slowly.

The entire fight was utter chaos. But everything seemed to freeze when she focused on one specific thing - the dragon with Blue in his claws. Each crack of bone and weak whimper echoed painfully in the chamber and she watched as the dragon tossed Blue aside like a rag doll, the dog's form slumping down and still. Her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes focused on Blue, muffling a cry. Without even realizing it, she was running, her feet slapping against the stone as she slid down beside Blue's body. There was blood. A lot of blood.

She didn't have much experience with animals, but it was simple enough to check Blue's vitals and assess her more obvious wounds. Broken bones... internal bleeding, damaged or collapsed organs... Isolde couldn't bare to think of more possibilities. Quickly, she ran her fingers over the dog, feeling the weak pulse of her heart beat in her veins. Though it was not much relief, it was good that Blue was alive, even if just barely. "...Blue..." she whispered softly, feeling something painful in her chest despite having not known the dog for long. "... it's... it's going to be okay, Blue, we... we'll patch you up, just hang in there.." she spoke softly, trying to remain as calm as possible.

Gently, she carded her fingers through the dog's fur in a comforting motion, unconsciously releasing some of the magic she had built up at her fingers tips. The ice magic trickled its way into Blue's body, not only calming the creature, but also freezing up her bodily systems in a similar manner to what Isolde had done to Destrian the day before. In a way, it is a form of preservation, stabilizing Blue and protecting her body. Her body temperature would fall, all bodily functions would shut down and without knowing better, a person would think she's unconscious, or dead.

Athanas 11254man Baconhands SilverFlight A Not So Wonderful Story

 

[SilverFlight]

The explosion of things all happening at once threw Keenan for a loop. Through the dragon's mind spells Destrian had turned on them, or rather, on him, but before he could even register the bolts Velma had him over and down, avoiding the attack. Their faces were uncomfortably close and Keenan blinked back at her stupidly before he was released and fell flat on his back, by some miracle still managing to hold onto the dragon. It was when the next thing registered, the sound of a dog's scream in agony that his face contorted into a mirror of the pain.
"BLUE!! NOOO!!"
He knew the blade had been coated in poison, could see it foaming in the side of his vision, but his attention was fixed solely on the crumpled body of his faithful companion. Keenan gritted his teeth, and with as much vengeful spite as he had in him, he drove the blade down through the wound to pierce the dragon's heart. After that he felt himself tumbling from the beast, lurching forward on unsteady feet and falling to his knees at Isolde's side, afraid to touch the broken and bleeding body of his dog. He could feel the tears forcing their way up. Blue had been the last remnant of his past life, all he had left of home, and she lay dying before his eyes.
"No...Blue...please." He choked on the words, looking desperately around for someone to help.
A Not So Wonderful Story Dominaiscna Baconhands Athanas

 

[Baconhands]

A devilish smile tugged at the dragon's lips as Destrian turned on Keenan. A lineaged was now working in his favour, at least for the next half a minute or so, and this would ultimately prove a distraction - he was certain of this. The lineaged's brief tirade about how he was going to be assassinated amused the dragon to no end - in fact, it was quite distracting. The reptile watched with growing interest as magic flicked from Destrian's hand towards Keenan, and was somewhat disappointed when Velma dragged him out of the way. Its eyes did not leave the lineaged however, as it was hoping that more magic might erupt from the near frenzied Destrian. Ultimately, this would prove to be the dragon's downfall.
In reality it was only a few moments of a lax in concentration, but it was apparent Keenan could exploit this time frame as if he had an hour. The warrior had deftly maneuvered, moving swiftly towards the exposed wound created by Velma almost a minute ago. With a single powerful swing, the blade had not only pierced through the creature's neck, it had released itself from Keenan's grip. So strong was this swing, that the blade had been launched like a bow from an arrow down in to the dragon's body, the poison coated on it diffusing into blood vessels, veins and arteries as it continued on its route. Where its journey finished in the dragon's body was not initially obvious.
The beast tried to roar, but only gurgling came from its mouth. Dark, ichorous fluid began flowing from the wound and its mouth, but this time it did not stop. The creature thrashed from side to side, sending trophies flying across the room. It collapsed soon after, its body continuing to twitch for a short time. A handful of seconds passed, before the dragon's body began to melt, pooling into a black liquid on the floor. The trophies and relics from around the room dissolved moments later, and soon leaped into the pool of what used to be the black scaled dragon. The lights from the walls similarly made for the pool, detaching themselves from the stone that made up the cavern as if attracted to it like metal to a magnet. Darkness absorbed the room once more.
A single object in the centre of the cavern began to glow. It was spherical, no bigger than the palm of any one of the party's hands, and it seemed to hum and whisper in a language older than the continent itself. Kadri sat cross-legged next to it. She was staring down at it intently, though she appeared relaxed and calm. It appeared as if now physical harm had come to her.
Dominaiscna SilverFlight Athanas A Not So Wonderful Story

 

[SilverFlight]

Keenan was aware that something had changed. The looming sense of danger had evaporated, the ground growing slick with whatever substance the dragon had left behind.
His hand moved gingerly over Blue's wounded body, his teeth gritted against the anguish of losing her. He squeezed his eyes shut. He would lose her. There wasn't a healer with them capable of reversing this much damage. He lowered his head, wishing with all his might that he could fix her.
His hand tingled, but because he wasn't looking, he didn't see the gentle green light than began to radiate from his fingertips. It spread out, shivering across her fur and sinking down through her skin. Bones began to knit, skin to come back together. The dog drew in one long breath and then lifted her head.

A warm tongue on his hand jolted Keenan out of his mourning, and the movement suddenly made his head spin. He nearly lost his balance, weak and confused, but there was Blue! Sitting upright, her coat spattered with dry blood but otherwise completely intact. Her jowls parted in her usual gaping smile and she started stiffly forward to wash his face in a flurry of licks. She quickly turned to the other human present as well, trying her best to cover Isolde's face in a thick coating of drool. Fair was fair after all, she didn't want anyone to feel left out.
Keenan felt something burn against the center of his back and across his shoulders. Something felt different, but he ignored it for now, because for now...it looked like they had won.
Dominaiscna

 

[Dominaiscna]

Blue's body slowly grew cold and still under her touch and, slowly, Isolde pulled her hand away from the dog. She wanted to be optimistic... to by naively hopeful that Blue could be saved... but despite her words and despite what she wanted to think, the cold reality of the situation still cut through her thoughts like a sharp knife. They couldn't do anything. Blue was going to die.

A cold feeling lodged itself in her chest, the pain only intensifying at the sound of Keenan's broken voice and choked out words. She could not bring herself to look him in the eye, ashamed that in this time of need, she could do nothing for him... or for Blue. Though she wanted to reach out and comfort Keenan... she felt that she had no right to do so. This very last moment... it belonged only to Keenan and Blue. She should not.. could not intrude. So instead, she remained by his side, head lowered and eyes squeezed shut against the tears.

However in the painful silence that followed, broken only by the sound of Keenan breathing, Isolde felt something.... a pull in the fabric of space around them... a strange tingling in the air. Slowly, she opened her eyes to faint green light radiating from Keenan's hands. The light seemed to spread over Blue's body and, right before her eyes, she was slowly healed and seemingly brought back to life. The dog sat up and Isolde watched her assault Keenan with affectionate licks. When Blue turned to her, her goofy smile and licks made Isolde smile. A laugh bubbled out, releasing the tension that had been bottled up inside and she wrapped her arms around Blue carefully yet warmly, burying her face in the dog's fur. ".... Blue, you're... you're alright..."

SilverFlight

 

[Athanas]

Destrian was not Impressed by Velma's taunting-After all, it was merely an admission of what he had already believed. Determined to at least take her down before he was inevitably slain, He charged, leaping into the air, determined to bring down the halberd on her at full force, crushing her head and killing her in one blow.

Fortunately for Velma, but very unfortunately for his dignity, the dragon chose this exact moment to expire, causing all of his loot to be sucked into the pool of it's own blood, Including Destrian's newly-acquired weapon. The sudden tug towards the opposite direction threw his leap completely off balance, and he performed a very Impressive spin in midair, before crashing down on the floor mere inches from where Velma was standing. He was about to jump to his feet when he realised that, for one, he had been under the effects of the dragon's magic, and for two, he had probably just made himself the butt of countless jokes-At least from the assassin.

Staring at Velma with a slightly lost expression for a few seconds, he finally spoke:"The gold Keenan's offering is too high to pass up on"? Really? That wasn't the smartest choice on your part. I could've killed you!

Slowly, he stood up. He was in considerable pain from his multiple wounds, But he had gotten used to it after having received near-countless punishment, so he barely paid any heed, merely letting his magic heal him.
"Still, no matter how reckless, any help is appreciated. So, uhh... Thanks for helping us take the fucker out. You got a name, or are you one of them Psychos that introduce themselves with titles such as "gut-ripper" or "skull-stomper"? Not that I'd judge you if you did! I've known a few of their kind-couple of 'em even were my buddies." he gave a slight chuckle-everything did seem a lot funnier when your entire body was in considerable pain. Or maybe he was just utterly nuts, and he was enjoying the suffering after all. He really couldn't decide which of the two was true.

Scanning the rest of the room, he did a quick head count. Everybody still seemed to be alive. Big scaled thing appeared to be dead. Therefore, they had done it! He grinned. "We're all going to die, We're all going to die!" Pfft. Can't you have just a little bit of faith in my capacity for brutality?"
Don't you realize that had it not been for this "assassin's" poison they'd all be dead, right? By you, nonetheless? Responded his mind, ever-pessimistic

A pained yelp shook him out of his internal conversation, and made him focus on Isolde and Keenan. They appeared to be wholly preoccupied with Keenan's dog. From the looks of it, it had been trampled by the dragon. He Immediately knew that the dog was going to die. In his current shape the magic he could utilise was rather limited, and he wasn't very willing to push himself for the sake of a beast, either. Still, seeing it just cry out in utter pain... The tears on both Isolde's and Keenan' eyes...He felt a slight pang of pity. Sure, it was an animal. It would kill him as easily as it would aid him, much like the rest of it's kind-and yet somehow he pitied it. He could not quite understand why, he just knew it.

Very much to his surprise, Keenan, despite his claims of not having any sort of magic at his disposal, began emanating a green light-the light appeared to heal Blue, Almost as quickly and efficiently as his own magic, but without exerting any visible toll on the knight. He approached, albeit warily-he still didn't trust the bloody thing, pity be damned. For all he knew, it could very well wake up with it's last memory being him threatening it's master.
"Good fighting people, real good- I didn't think we'd make it for a moment there. But...Keenan... If you don't mind my asking, how did you heal your beast? I thought you said weren't lineaged, and it's probably not blood magic, either. Some sort of Amulet?"

 

[A Not So Wonderful Story]

Velma would take a defensive stance as he saw Destrian get even more angry. She grinned in excitement, ready to charge right before she twisted her body to dodge the halberd as it launched past her face towards the dragon. She turned to see the dragon fall, bubbling and melting with it's trophies. She blinked a few times in disbelief.
My poison did that?!
She thought to herself. That Keenan fellow really did have a hell of a swing huh? She almost jumped as she spun around to see Destrian, scolding her for her choice of actions. She smiled awkwardly as she scratched the back of her neck.
"Heh, yeah pretty dumb huh? Things usually work out anyway, I trust my gut!"
She put her fingers to her lips and whistled loudly. Her Krilk, Shrimp, came running from the cave's entrance, scuttling over to Velma with a back pack strapped to him as Destrian spoke to her. She retrieved several potions from the bag and attached them around her belt. Shrimp stared at Destrian with large, endless black eyes.
"Name? Ah, I believe introductions should be saved till we're with the others, eh?"
She pet Shrimp's head, who seemed clearly pleased, gurgling and swinging it's tarsal claws around happily. Velma smiled at it with clear affection before watching Destrian walk over to his group. She debated with herself. Should she leave? She supposed it wouldn't hurt to learn a few names, but then again she wasn't very good at keeping friends. Not many wanted an assassin as a friend, and that was fair. She walked over to the bubbling pool as she took out a crystal jar, Shrimp following closely behind. She watched as the knight healed his dog, and immediately liked him even more. She was from Yurron, so animals and wildlife were kinda her thing. She wasn't full blown hippie, though. She looked down to Shrimp, then the pool.
"Here goes nothing..."
She crouched down, slowly lowering the crystal jar into the black muck. She had a grand theory that this stuff could make quite the potion, she just hoped she could collect it with this jar of hers. It was made of minerals she knew to absorb magic. She bit her lip and hoped once again.
"C'mon, this has got to be worth it! Why else would it be in that damn book!?"
She wasn't foolish, and didn't plan on slaying another dragon. The jar was fairly large, compared to the little amount of this stuff was necessary to make potions. Or so she hoped.
Baconhands SilverFlight 11254man Athanas Dominaiscna

 

[SilverFlight]

Keenan was beaming from ear to ear, though his legs nearly gave out on him twice. Whatever he had done, it had cost a lot of his energy. He left Isolde to the warm, slobbery gratitude of Blue's and turned to the others that were gathering to him.
Destrian approached him and the knight smiled, seeming to bear no ill-will for what had been said before.
"I'm not lineaged." He told Destrian definitively, bringing his hand to the back of his neck without thought. "Neither my father nor my mother had any lineage, neither power nor the scales that mark them."
When he took his hand away he could not see, but at the back of his neck, the beginning of a layer or iridescent green scales were there, plain as day for everyone else, the glamour that had concealed them fading finally into nothing. "If I have anything that could have produced that effect I've never known it."
He paused for a moment, a different question on his mind. "Destrian, who is Varestad? Why did you think I would betray you?"

The archer that had joined them busied herself with other tasks, mainly collecting the sludgy remnants of the dragon, and bringing her pet to heel, which was to Keenan's eye, a hideous little creature, with bulbous black eyes and an insect-like character.
"Um...I'm Keenan." He said, still unable to tear his gaze away from her animal.
"This is Destrian, Isolde and..Kadri." He pointed as he named them.
"I suppose, thanks are in order. Without your bow and your poisons we would be in far worse shape."
He offered her a short and formal bow. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Once the formalities were through Keenan drew a piece of cloth to wrap their new prize, picking it gingerly out of the acrid black ooze and wiping it clean, to deliver the package neatly into Kadri's hands.
"One artifact, in your care, as promised. Now let's go, before we discover there was something else sleeping in this foul place."

He started to lead the way, Blue bounding to him happily, looking back to make sure the others came after.
"We have a camp." Keenan offered the stranger, "You can rest there with us if you like, until you're ready to travel."
Athanas Dominaiscna A Not So Wonderful Story Baconhands

 

[Baconhands]

Kadri took the artefact in her hands; immediately removing the cloth Keenan had wrapped around it. Her eyes were fixated on it - and she was certain that it was fixated on her. She turned slowly, looking over all of it. A gentle smile tugged at her lips as she noticed a small inscription written on it. The symbols were similar to the ones on her amulet; with a couple of minutes, a writing implement, and something to write on she would be able to translate the inscription and find the next artefact. The lineaged stood without any hindrance. The stranger who had helped them was desperately trying to collect the ooze, but whenever it entered the jar, it seemed as if it wanted to escape, trying to jump back to join the larger body of ooze beneath it. Kadri took a sideways glance at her before she continued forwards, back towards more familiar faces.
Following Keenan out of the cave, Kadri's eyes kept wandering back to the sphere. She pondered what it could do in the hands of somebody able to use it. The lineaged believed only someone descended from Tamsus would be able to unlock its potential; as was the case with hers, so probably too it was for this one. What powers would the aspect of Darkness be able to bestow upon someone who wielded a tool that they had created?
As the exit to the cavern neared, Kadri turned to face the people behind her. Her voice was somewhat optimistic, and yet the tone seemed almost monotonous "Ice is next. We'll be travelling Northwards, I'm almost certain of it. I shall try to summon Aezi later this evening."

The party found their way back to the camp site. The early signs of dawn were making themselves known on the eastern horizon. The moon was in retreat, about to set in the west, and the stars were being eliminated from the sky, one by one. The sky itself was in a transitional period from a dark blue that bordered on black to a shade that was resembling the sea. Kadri found herself sat with her back against one of the ruined walls able to see the ship, somehow already floating and back upright in the distance. She didn't find herself exhausted at all. In fact, she wanted to begin travelling immediately. One quick survey of the rest of her companions revealed the chances of this were incredibly unlikely.
Her eyes strayed across all of them, before they finally rested on the new person. Her irises settled into a dark, inquisitive shade and her voice seemed to match this.
"Several questions I think I need you to answer. First, who are you? Second, why were you down there? Third, do you know what this is?" With this last question she indicated to the orb.
She didn't wait for an answer before she started writing down the translation of the scripture on the orb into a book from her satchel.
A Not So Wonderful Story SilverFlight Dominaiscna Athanas 11254man

 

[Dominaiscna]

Isolde was smiling widely when she pulled away from hugging Blue. She beheld the grinning dog before her and a laugh escaped her as she was assaulted by licks from the Blue, gently stroking the fur of the dog's neck. To see her alive and well... it was a miracle.

At this moment, her smile faltered as imaged of the broken Blue crept back into her mind. She was on death's door... what had happened... what had Keenan done to save her? She turned to look at the rest of the group, still knelt beside the dog, just in time to hear Keenan explain to Destrian that he was not lineaged. However, as his back was to her, she could easily see the slight glimmer of scales along the back of his neck as his hand pulled away. Instinctively, her hand went up to feel for the cold smoothness of her own scales under the fabric covering her neck. Keenan... lineaged? SilverFlight

Though he floated in her mind, Isolde's eyes flickered to the rest of their group and followed their gazes towards the newcomer. A female who was busying herself with collecting the black, sludgy remnants of the dragon. Instinctively, she felt herself cringe. Those were the remains of the dragon... a powerful, majestic creature reduced to nothing but goop and sludge. Shuddering, she turned her gaze to the strange creature Velma had as a companion. It was a rather hideous... creepy little thing.. and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Blue. Though she found it difficult to look away from the Krilk, she didn't want to seem rude and did her best in tearing her eyes away from the creature. A Not So Wonderful Story

While they were walking, Isolde turned her attention to Kadri, worried eyes studying her fellow lineaged as their group picked their way out of the cave. She was standing, walking and interacting with the others as if she had not been broken against stone by the dragon and taken by the darkness. How the entire ordeal she experienced seemed to not cross her mind... it both puzzled and concerned Isolde immensely. Though she wanted to call out to her and check on how she was doing, Kadri's mention of retrieving an Ice artifact cut her off short.

An Ice Artifact. The thought of going through another battle like the one they'd barely survived moments before terrified her. Flashes from moments trapped in the grasps of the dragon's poisonous spell made her shudder. She didn't want to go through something like that again... yet at the same time, she was curious.. and excited. She wondered about the Ice Artifact... and the possibility of an Ice Dragon guarding it... the closest connection to her heritage.

However, as her mind picked up on the rest of Kadri's words, Isolde froze and the temperature dropped ever so slightly. They were travelling North... North into Frost Veil. Memories of a stormy night... of icy spikes and hot blood surfaced in her mind though she fought the fear creeping into her heart. She was... very slowly getting better at controlling the manifestation of her fear... but undoubtedly she had paled and made a face at Kadri's words. She just hoped no one had noticed.

~~

Once back at the camp, Isolde sat down against the wall of the ruins they had slept in the night before and drew her knees to her chest. Adrenaline had long since left her system and exhaustion was finally starting to settle in. She was tired. So tired, both mentally and physically. With a sigh, she rested her forehead against her knees, eyes closed as she listened to the others speaking.

Athanas 11254man

 

[A Not So Wonderful Story]

Velma would growl in frustration as the liquid jumped out of her jar before scooping more up and slamming the lid on top, watching it struggle against the seal with a grin.
"Hah! Gotcha!"
Velma would perk up as Keenan spoke to her, acquainting her with everyone. She smiled wide, showing sharp teeth and looking around the group. She noticed the eyes on Shrimp, and pet the top of his head. Her eyes particularly landed on Kadri, for many reasons. One, she seemed unfazed, which she didn't think was okay, and two, She was awfully persistent on collecting these silly orbs that dragons dropped. Velma wasn't one to question people she didn't know though...
"Nice to meet all of you, I think. I don't have good luck with making friends."
She spoke casually to throw the others off, but in reality, she was trying to distract the fact that she was in a lot of pain. She was used to it, yes, but using acid to seal wounds wasn't exactly clean and tidy, and her potion of soothing was wearing off. Alas, she refused to show weakness, so she kept a menacing grin with those pearly whites. It helped that Shrimp was getting most of the attention as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Velma followed the adventurers out of the cave system and to their cute little camp, sitting down away from the group, and close to the fire with her little friend. They both seemed to enjoy the intense heat. She perked up when she was spoken too by Kadri, keeping that grin up and strong.
"Name's Velma! I kill evil-doers. It's kinda my thing." She shrugged casually and leaned back on her palms. "This lil' guy is Shrimp? Ain't he cute?"
Velma scratched beneath his chin, causing him to swing his tarsal claws happily. Velma chuckled a bit in amusement.
"As for what I was doing in there... well, trying to find the cure to death."
Velma pulled out the jar of sludge, examining it closely and curiously.
"If dragons can be immortal, there's bound to be a recipe for revival. I want to be the first to find it."
She didn't delve into as to why, but her eyes were filled with determination as she stared at the goop sloshing around.
"As for your pretty jewel, I assumed it was none of my business. I got what I wanted, and you what you came for. I tend to keep to myself, but you guys caught me on a cheerful day!"
Velma looked to the dog beside Keenan and held out a hand to it. She looked up to him with a friendly smile of sharp teeth.
"Can I pet your companion, Keenan?"

 

[SilverFlight]

Keenan stopped to stare in disbelief at Kadri as she announced their next destination.
"Just like that?"
He'd watched his friends get hurt, he had watched his beloved dog nearly die, Kadri's bland indifference to both those facts sparked his anger.
"Not even a 'thank you'? We just risked our lives to get you that ridiculous trinket."
Blue looked up at him with a single, long whine.
"I don't see that you have any right to scrutinize Velma." He continued with added venom. "She did a far lot more than you did in that fight."
Velma's question distracted him and he found his anger burn down quickly.

Blue didn't wait for him to answer, she simply stepped forward and gave Velma a long, sloppy lick to the face.
"You're looking for the elixir of life?" Keenan asked, suddenly interested. "You're an alchemist then?"

Their camp was still in the hot sun but most things were where they had been left. Keenan stripped his heavy armour and examined the bruises that were already forming from their fight with the creature the day before. His green tunic was torn and dirty in places but he deemed it decent enough to live in for the time being.
Now that they were in a decent amount of light Keenan called Blue over and looked her over. Besides a few, gnarled scars their didn't seem to be anything wrong with her. Whatever magic had healed her seemed to have kept working and repaired every inch of damage. Keenan however, felt like death. He decided that if another dragon swooped down on them he'd probably just volunteer to be eaten, because he certainly had no strength left to fight it with. He left Blue to return to Velma, where she started to examine the insect-like creature she archer had called 'Shrimp'.

"Who has injuries?" He called out, hefting the medical kit, aiming to treat wounds with bandages and poultices like he had the day before.
Athanas Dominaiscna A Not So Wonderful Story Baconhands

He came to a slow stop beside Isolde and knelt down beside her.
"Are you all right?" He asked in a gentle voice. Then, with an encouraging smile he held up the kit in front of his face, peering sheepishly over it in an attempt to be funny. "Need anything?"
Dominaiscna

 

[Dominaiscna]

At the sound of Keenan’s voice, Isolde lifted her head, her eyes quickly finding his. However, as she was about to reply, he raised the medical kit to cover his face, peering over it sheepishly. Unconsciously, she cracked a smile at his antics, letting out a small laugh that she covered with the back of her hand. “I’m fine, Keenan,” she said softly, reaching out and pushing the medical kit down from his face, “I’m just ... very tired.”

Her eyes roved the rest of his face and travelled down to his neck. Though she could not see anything from where she was sitting, Isolde could visualize the green scales on the back of his neck. He was lineaged. She swallowed nervously, feeling the urge to ask but deciding against it. He had gone through enough in one day... perhaps when they were all rested and in better condition...

“...and you?” She asked, mustering a faint smile, though this did not hide the concern in her eyes. Afterall, he looked as if he were about to collapse at any second...yet here he was, making sure everyone else was okay. If anything, he seemed to be the one most in need of help. As she spoke, her voice was gentle, quiet and delicate, as if she was whispering to him some important secret. “...are you alright, Keenan?”

SilverFlight

 

[Baconhands]

Kadri let out a frustrated sigh at Velma's answers. Clearly there were two difficult people she would have to be dealing with now instead of one. Keenan's brief outburst frustrated the lineaged, who was now scribbling down the inscription on the orb into one of her books. It only took a few minutes to translate - it seemed somewhat more subtle than the last one. She didn't read out the translation; she closed the book, placed it back in her satchel and sat, looking contemptuously at Keenan. Was he trying to be difficult? Kadri couldn't remember a moment when they had been together when he wasn't criticising her, no doubt undermining any credibility or authority she had established with the rest of the party. Her eyes glanced to the amulet around her neck, and then down to the orb. In but a moment, she took the orb and placed it into her bag and started the ritual to summon Aezi.
A Not So Wonderful Story SilverFlight
Clouds filled the sky, dark, ominous and grey. Lightning crackled, the form of a pegasus appearing with its wings outstretched in the tumultuous formation above. A blinding light was emitted from the amulet, and only a second later, the white-furred pegasus, its wings made of lightning tucked against its side, appeared. Its movements were sluggish, though it tried to appear graceful and composed. It was apparent Aezi was still recovering from the wound he had suffered only a day or so previous. Kadri stood and walked towards him, stroking his neck tenderly. The pegasus seemed weary of her, Kadri mentally rationalised it as him being aware of the artefact. She continuously and gently shushed him, occasionally inserting a reassuring phrase or two. Despite his cautious nature, Aezi ultimately allowed Kadri to get close. The lineaged began envisioning a map of the Nineteen Islands, then her home island, and soon enough had focused entirely on a single mountain on it.
"Now Aezi." Kadri uttered. The pegasus' wings stretched out, lightning consumed them and soon the pair had vanished. A couple of minutes would pass before they would return.
Athanas Dominaiscna A Not So Wonderful Story SilverFlight 11254man

 

[Athanas]

Despite Keenan's attempts at denying it, Destrian could almost immediately tell that he was, indeed, a lineaged. Even if he hadn't seen the scales, he just felt a strange sense of familiarity coming from him now, similar to how he felt when looking at the assassin. Still, it didn't seem like something Keenan had known this himself. The why someone had gone to such pains to conceal the scales was also self-explanatory. Destrian could personally attest that being a known lineaged was no blessing. The fact that he was allowed to live in blissful ignorance was probably the only reason why he hadn't ended up like Destrian. He couldn't help but chuckle at the idea
"I seriously wonder if you'd have the guts to be the Valiant Knight had the scales been following you your entire life, Keenan. Perhaps you would. Probably not."
The thought in itself was a tad Undeserved-After all, Keenan had proved his bravery twice now. He merely smiled back and turned his back, ready to begin heading off, when he noticed the weird monster that had suddenly answered to Velma's call. Almost instinctively, he had raised his hands in a defensive stance, a shower of purple sparks jolting out from his broken arm- his magic trying to prevent him for feeling the injury just yet. He lowered them when he realized that this beast was trained by his ally-he remained weary nonetheless.
What the... What even is this? Why hasn't someone killed it yet? How the fuck did you even train it!

Shaking his head in absolute disbelief of what he had just witnessed, he once more made an attempt to leave. However, it seems like peace of mind was very difficult to come by in this place.

"Destrian, who is Varestad? Why did you think I would betray you?"
He froze, dead in his tracks, the question taking him utterly by surprise. Was Keenan getting suspicious? No, he was probably merely trying to decode why he had focused his assault on him. What would he tell him? Before he had the chance to think of an excuse, the memories came once more, finding an opening in his tiredness.

"Come on you whore! fight! Defend yourself! You were the one that wanted to oppose us, after all!"
Screaming. Sound of flesh being hit. At least one bone broken...
"I SAID, LOUDER! I WANT YOUR FUCKING KIDS TO HEAR, SO THAT THEY KNOW WHAT'LL HAPPEN TO THEM IF THEY TRY TO CHEAT US OUT OF OUR DUE!"
More Screaming. More pain. The sound of Varestad laughing gleefully. The other prisoners had been terrified-and rightfully so. They were begging for mercy. But he didn't help them. This was the damned man's debt, after all.


"But what was the damned man's debt, Var? I can't remember-Or maybe I don't want to."

Destrian stumbled momentarily, almost falling to the ground. The memories he had been trying to repress were coming back to him once more. Not in a concise and clear fashion, no-The adrenaline and the pain made sure of that. They were like noise, piercing his brain. Mustering all his willpower, he managed to avoid twitching and merely tried to dismiss the question"He is... was an old friend. I can explain later, when we're somewhere more comfortable. Let's head back to camp for now. His tone made it quite clear that this was a very painful matter to discuss. He clutched his scales-warmth. Not enough to be cause for violence, at least not yet. Maybe it would be wise for him to bandage up his chest wound. It was rather deep, and the magic trying to staunch the bleeding put him under more strain than it was safe for him to be in.

Once back at camp, he used his knife to tear the shirt loose-trying to pull it off normally would most likely just aggravate the wound. Once it was free, he examined it.
Honestly, it was a tad deeper than he had hoped. He had made the incision in a rush, and as a result, with not quite as much grace as he normally would have. Even so, it looked oddly in place on his torso. At least another dozen scars decorated his body, and of course, the biggest mark of all, his scales, right in the middle of his chest. Unlike the scales of the other lineaged, his seemed as if though several layers of skin and scales were contesting over that same space. They looked more akin to scar tissue as a result. They had a luminescence about them, and one could swear he could see them pulsating with every beat of his heart, slightly more intensely whenever Destrian made a move that caused him pain. Seeing as how Keenan was just now passing a medkit around, he lumbered over to where he was standing alongside Isolde. He spoke to Keenan in a moderately snarkier voice than he had planned for.

"Terribly sorry to Interrupt your lovely conversation, but could you please bandage this up for me? The bleeding is getting kind of tiresome."
He had intended for his request to be phrased in a more polite way, but sudden psychological and physical strain made manners difficult.

 

[A Not So Wonderful Story]

Velma hadn't heard Destrian's remark in the cave. If he was curious enough, perhaps he'd ask again. Velma watched Keenan with a bit of curiosity as he called out Kadri on her unnecessary aggression towards Velma, and she couldn't help but feel a bit flustered. She had never even been supported let alone defended. Her embarrassed blush was saved by the wet tongue of Blue, which immediately distracted her. She rolled onto her back with a combination of laughs and giggles as she got slobbered by the dog and pet her sides while kicking her legs lightly.
"Hah! Yeah! I'm a daughter of Olikah, after all!"
She answered Keenan between laughs as she played with the dog. She wasn't a literal daughter of Olikah, but that's how Velma saw it. As Blue left, she turned to Kadri to see her summon an elegant companion that made Velma stare in awe. She had heard stories of Pegasus, but never actually saw one in person. As the two vanished, Velma looked to Isolde with her sharp toothed grin.
"Is your team leader always this distant and problematic, or was it after she acquired her new toy?"
And with that, Blue had returned to her, and Velma continued to play with the dog until Shrimp huffed and head butted Velma's side in irritation from the lack of attention. Velma sat up and ruffled his hair.
"Don't be so grumpy! I can make new friends can't I? Here."
She pushed Shrimp towards Blue with a smile. She pet both of their heads softly.
"See? You guys are both nice! You should be friends!"
She talked as if they understood her. Shrimp scuttled towards Blue curiously as he sniffed her with his flat fuzzy snout. Velma looked back to Keenan as Kadri returned.
"You got anything for burn wounds? I'll take your help after Destrian."

 

[SilverFlight]

Destrian's ponderings had little impact, still not knowing he was lineaged the words made little sense in his mind, so he let them slide. Keenan watched Kadri go about her business, obviously not deeming any of them important enough to share her plans with. The little faith he had in her was beginning to slip quickly away. He watched Aezi shift uncomfortably, the gesture obvious to him being a master of horesmanship. Part of him wondered if she was even going to return at all.
Athanas Dominaiscna A Not So Wonderful Story Baconhands
“...are you alright, Keenan?”
The words drew him from darker thoughts and he regarded Isolde carefully, peering over the faded facade of strength he had learned to build as a leader. Something in him seemed to shift and he let it collapse, dumping himself into a sitting position beside her.
"I'm exhausted....frustrated, confused. I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm not sure it's the right thing, and if I am perfectly honest, I think our 'leader' is going to get us all killed, and I'm not even sure that would bother her."
He took a deep breath after expelling his thoughts into the heated air and then shot Isolde an apologetic expression. "But you've got just as many worries on your mind, don't dwell too much on mine."
Dominaiscna
A shadow slid over him and Keenan looked up to Destrian, looming with a hand clutched to his side.
He grinned at the barb, drawn to the abrasive humour despite himself.
"You must make friends so easily." He shot back, rising to his feet again, gesturing to the bedroll nearby. "Have a seat."
He worked on the wound as he had been trained, cleaning, sewing and bandaging, he didn't even notice that as he thought about the strange occurrence with Blue, that he was also weaving magic into what he did, drawing on his strength to help the healing. Once done he sat back, amazed at how tired he was. It must have been the excitement fading from the heat of battle...
Athanas
Blue sniffed Velma's pet tentatively, at first not sure which end to sniff. Shrimp solved the mystery by turning to her and Blue's mouth parted in a jowly grin. She pranced over to a ruined house, prying a large beam loose and shaking it in front of the creature in a invitation to play.
Keenan overheard Velma's question about Kadri and Keenan looked over at Isolde and then at Destrian in silent conference.
"None of us can boast knowing her that long...but, whatever was normal for her before...I think this might be worse."
A Not So Wonderful Story

 

[Dominaiscna]

Isolde cast several glances in Kadri's direction while she was summoning Aezi and preparing to leave. Though she didn't say anything, her eyes told enough of her inner feelings. Something strange was up... that was for sure.

At Keenan's voice, her eyes flickered back to him. She studied his face as he spoke, watching how he slowly took down his carefully constructed facade and let out the feelings he had kept carefully bundled within. Though she wouldn't admit it, it was... nice that he was opening up to her about his worries and all that was weighing him down. It was also refreshing in a way to know that him, and most likely the others as well, shared her feelings on their current predicament. Though she did not get a chance to say anything to him before he went to help Destrian, she did offer him a smile, a weak, tired... yet reassuring one. SilverFlight

Turning, she regarded Velma as the other lineaged asked about Kadri. Her gaze flickered to Keenan and Destrian, before going back to the archer. "...none of us have known her for long, but..." her voice trailed off for a moment. While none of them knew Kadri well... Isolde had a bad feeling about her. Something was definitely up. Something was different... ever since she was reappeared with the orb. "... but even so, I'm worried about her. Something doesn't feel right. I don't know if it's because of the orb...or the dragon... but Kadri is definitely different from before." A Not So Wonderful Story

Pushing herself to her feet, Isolde made her way to the fire, deciding to make herself useful. Fortunately, she had survived the ordeal with no injuries and a little exhaustion was nothing compared to what the others were going through...the least she could do was to help everyone get back on their feet. "I'll cook up some food, I imagine we all could do with something to eat..." she said softly, looking over what they had left from the night before. There was even less to work with... but any food at all was better than nothing. Kneeling down, she furrowed her brow and got to work.

Baconhands Athanas 11254man