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Malik nodded lightly.

"I know he knows about Zahara. So unless he thinks her nothing of importance, then he probably won't bother with us. but he had things rather planned out for that encounter. Revenge is his motive, genocide to redeem one fallen lover. Bloodbath maybe powerful, but if genocide is his goal, it doesn't seem too logical to come after little outposts or kingdoms when the real test is the Drow empire itself. Why risk damaging your ace in the hole on a minor outpost when there's a far more dangerous and battle tested imperial army to confront."

A lean back again, mussing his son's hair some and keeping him close, before letting Keely have him.

"It's a test run. he's testing the strength of bloodbath without magical power. the drow outpost has the smallest chance of injuring bloodbath and can stil show how his abilities hold when there's no magic. is it possible you or Serenity can arrange for Nel to meet me someplace? It might be better to simply ask the elf what his intentions are toward my kingdom than sit around and hope he just passes by."

"Feel free to do so. and let me know what's going on."


the guards saw the light, looked at eachother, and sent thier reports on it. for the moment, they were told to watch it, monitor it's movement, and try, and first opportunity, to see what it was. the rest of the outer guards were placed on high alert.

Malik sat there for a moment.

"Pull people down out of the battlements. get those that can ride, mounted. lizards preferably. get Ramoth ready for battle."

Betrayed by the Triumverate. but which member. him? piper? or dimitri.

"Get them equiped with breaker meathooks. if it has scales, they can be pried off or used to mount him. Bring me Ebony as well. Sevilin, prepare yourself for conflict. Keely, take the kids down to the Arena. the lower they are the better the stonework can protect them from flame."

A slight smirk, sheathing Ebony at his back and Malvolence at his side. Bloodbath. how apt a name. lets see then if he might have better luck then the others.

Fin and Leaf climbed atop the horse, both careful not to hurt or jar him in any way. They had become concious of such things, after the lat dragon to transport them dropped Leaf because she pulled at a scale. There was still a nasty bruise on her hip from the fall.

"A hundred and fifty miles north-east, we should come to a ruined city of sorts. Mostly stone. That is the only solid information we have on this location, anything else is hersey, rumor."

Leaf nodded. "The underdark is vauge."

It obviously did not take them long to get to where they were going. The structural pile of rubble was just that. The crumbling buildings appeared to be made of limestone, and the air was difficult to breathe with the dust floaring around.

Leaf got off the horse, who's name hse had now observed to be Serino. Fin followed suit, taking out one of his assormtent of weapons and looking around. Leaf as well.

"From here we are on our own. The Oracle was not privy to information about what lay here."

It turns out that the explosion visible to the Fortress was just an oxygen pocket being relesed too close to a fire started by a lightning strike, somewhere on the lack near Vesendor.

It was a relief to the Druid who returned to scouting out the area that Vesendar was in perfect condition, except for the few warriors killed accidently by the brute.

Blood Bath was merely teasing the drow living in the village, not eating or killing any of them. He spat small flames at them, merely mocking their inability to get passed his armour. Without powerful magical potions of disintigration, it was apparent that unless help arrived soon, the Vesendars would be destroyed rather thoroughly.

Nel was no where to be seen.

Malik looked down at his son, and picked him up and looked at Sevilin.

"Bleeding does not bother me."

then a look at his son.

"There's a dragon on the loose. much bigger and meaner than Rawr. and we're going to have to face him. He's mad at daddy for something I don't know about."

There he is the druid though, though in his beastial form he could barely tell one elf from another. The devil ninja used special cloth woven y the most experienced professionals to blend in with the surroundings when challanged by the dark vision of elves (drow, surface, Andalean, etc), but could not hide his scent from a Vah, wolf, bear, or cave tiger.

The druid leaped upon the unsuspecting elf, who's battle instincts probably rivialed Kimmuriel's.

The ninja had his sword impaled into the tiger without much thought or effert, but was brought to the ground by the beast's wieght.

Nel had been waiting for someone from Vesendar to send for aid, so he could ambush and kill that person. But now, he would have to fight with this cave tiger, indigeonous to the Northern lakes...

"Foolsih Druid. Do you not know who you aid?" The elf whispered, which in these circumstances was as loud as simple talking.

The cave tiger learched away from the blade, and polymorphed back into his half elfish form. "Silly Elf. Making everyone life hell because your wife sucked at fighting."

Nel could not argue against that logic. If she was stronger, she would not have died against that raiding party. "Still, killing them makes me feel." A volley of shurikens lurched at the druid, glancing him in several spots.

Aschellaeon fell over, the first stab seemed to still be affecting him even though he changed form (which normally would have healed all his injuries). He coughed out some blood. At least he didn't feel the poison.

"Cave Viper poison has no effect on your body." The elf flipped back and tossed another volley of shurikens.

Aschellaeon fell flat, and let them hit the back of his armour. The hide prevented the blades from sinking deeply into his flesh. "We paid you too much."

Oh, that was an insult. The elf almost stabbed his sword into the druid's neck, but saw the trap for what it was before he shifted the wieght in his legs. He verred away from direct attack, and made an indirect one in its place. He tossed a shuriken into the tree above him, which hit a rope and allowed a log to fall onto the half elf.

The druid rolled away from the log, haphazardly. He rose up, "Without your magic, you are nothing elf."

"Ditto, twit." Nel replied.

The ninja drew out his main gauche, and balanced his duel weapons.

Aschellaeon rose up to his feet, and smiled evily.

Moments later, Nel was fleeing for his life back to his displacer beasts and ship.