“Thanks, Sargent, for patrolling with me.” said the Orderite Captain, grinning at his companion, “I know you were on liberty and keeping a low profile, but with the Mara around...”
The Guardian Sargent, in full and unambiguous uniform, was unusual. He stood out from the Serenian landscape like the moon in the nighted sky. His blue skin – what could be seen through his very un-revealing uniform – was many shades too dark for an Orderite, as was his green, dredlocked hair. His eyeless face and long, gently-twitching, spined tail complemented his long, flexible wings and marked him for what he was: an Oblivionite. He trespassed on the Seren-blessed soil, and some would see him as a pollutant, fit only to be erased from the world.
He saw it differently. To Sargent Raemos Medrol of the Guardians, Serenia was his homeland, and he was blessed by every step he took upon it.
“Understood, sir.” Raemos said, inclining his head, “If the Mara still plague this land, then I am obligated to help.”
“... And you've got the experience to do it.” laughed the Orderite, “See, that's the attitude I wish my men and women had. If they were on liberty, you couldn't get them to move their a** for anything less than a full-fledged Oblivionite invasion.” He waved, sheepishly and dismissively, at his companion. “Sorry. Current company excepted.”
Raemos ignored the reference. He was used to it. “They require more discipline...” he commented, scanning the trees for the familiar signs of the rockmen, “I take it that their former Sargent was very... lax?”
“Yep.” said the Orderite, “Oh, by the by, you can call me Nall.”
“Nall Karin?” repeated Raemos, making sure he got it right.
“Thats me!” the Orderite laughed, “Yeah, their former Sarge was a pampered noble-boy, and they were given a cushy patrol of the city. Nice stuff.” His tone was droll – it was clear just what the Taliuma pureblood thought of such a patrol. “And then the Lady called everyone to the wall to defend it, and of course they screwed up.” Nall shook his head. “I guess the brass decided that a Taliuma-bred son of a whore might teach them better!” he snickered. “I'm just glad my bunch of featherbrains has a Tukyere-bred Ord among them. The only competant one of the bunch, for now, but between she and I, we'll have them fighting fit for the next time the Mara come..” his face twisted into an expression of chagrin. “I'm just glad they let me vouch for you.” he said, “They aren't ready to face a seasoned band of Mara yet.”
Raemos murmured assent, distracted by his vigilance...
(451/1500)
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 7:26 am
Faexa
Laesara was outwardly neutral as her military trainee unit, a group of six mostly upper-class youngsters out to continue their family's presence on the battlefield. Laesara had memorized their names, ranks, and the politics that connected them into the web of the nobility. They were all about her age, and were very nervous as they trekked into the forest for their first outdoor training exercise. They looked utterly out of their element, looking nervously around them as if bandits or monsters lurked behind all possible trees, rocks, and shrubs. They were greenhorns, and Laesara, who had been a woodsperson since she was a young girl, found them amusing. She knew she should have been placed with a more experienced group, but the group she would have been placed with had been a cluster of lowbloods, many classes beneath her, and older besides. Laesara knew she could handle them easily, but there had been enough worries that she would be overwhelmed by brutishness that, to assuage them, she had been put in this lesser group. The children here, after all, were her age and very socially acceptable and good to know. Indeed, the teacher – a harsh and experienced Orderite, a scarred veteran of close battles against the forces of darkness – had been delighted to have her. He was one of the best teachers, and he welcomed the chance to have a more experienced student to aid him with the, as he had put it, “Pathetic second and third sons of pansy nobles who can't do anything for themselves.” His frankness was his one saving grace, and he could get away with it, even to powerful old-money families like Laesara's own. He had saved enough nobles in combat, and had plenty of medals to prove his valor, that he could get away with a lot of things.
And he was good at what he did. His trainees were consistently lauded, bringing honor to themselves and to their families. He was a hero-maker and in high demand... but he didn't do it with a gentle hand. Laesara heard her fellows mutter unhappily at the fast pace, though she managed to keep up easily. Her bodyguard – not with her today – had trained her somewhat on his own.
Amused by her fellow's complaints, Laesara leaned in to the girl next to her, a pink-haired girl who she knew was not a part of the group.
”Well, Odette, what do you think?” she asked her. She had met her only that morning before class. Something about her had intrigued her – a similarity in posture and attitude to her own inner self. Laesara had a reputation for befriending the lower classes. Her squire had been forbidden to be in her trainee group for that reason: she was to make friends who were socially acceptable. That didn't stop Laesara from paying attention, however. Somehow, and not even Laesara was sure how it had happened, but she had convinced the girl to go with them on their training expedition...
Odette Duperion There she sat, with a bunch of kids she hadn't really met before. Upon entering Ashen City, she obtained her weapon. On her way out of the Citadel, she was stopped by another student, asking her if she was going to attend one of their dragon hunts. Closer inspection suggested that she would need to attend a couple classes and there would be a unit going out in the coming week. This intrigued the girl. She was going to go hunt dragons with these people? She grew up knowing some of the issues that her people struggled with, and dragons were one of them. The Orderite agreed and within a weeks time, was ready to go out with this unit.
Meanwhile, Evesi, her dearest companion and friend, decided to stay with the healers in the school and learn more about her art.
The morning of the hunt came and Odette, after meeting everyone in the unit, decided to leave with them when they were all ready. The leader of this pack was the teacher whom she knew was an experienced dragon hunter. His pace was quick, and his words were harsh, but that was to be expected, especially with how Odette was raised.
The greenhorns, or Ysali as she was taught they were called, were very prevalent in Serenia she found out. They were plant masters, and she did her fair share of research at the library before this trek out into the wilderness.
Finally, one of the girls -- the one with golden hair and light skin, approached her with some words. With a raised brow, she responded. "What do I think? I'm thrilled to be getting out. This will be my first time using this..."
She took out of her pocket a small circular disk with a hole in the middle. With a flick of her wrist she unleashed a weapon. Three blades came rushing out of it to reveal their shiny, sharp selves. "This is my chakram. A weapon that Aevah gave me. It always returns to me whenever I throw it, after slicing a bit. So I'm excited to finally be able to use it in a real battle." she concluded, a bright smile on her face.
"So how does this normally work? Where I lived before, I wasn't allowed to fight the dragons that attacked our village. We were told to go into the cabins and not show ourselves to them. I've never really even seen a dragon up close before." she stated. Her novice self really showing. It was true that she hadn't ever battled before, but she was eager and ready to learn.
(( Word Count: 439/1500 ))
~~~~~
Alduin, the Benevolent The Ysali awoke with a bouncing start the morning of their adventure out. It was the first time Alduin was going to be leaving the confines of the Okkovo Clan's premises. The ceremony had been completed the month prior and Alduin and his brother, Ysava, were to leave together and bring back information of their time outside of their campgrounds.
"Ysava, are you ready?" the eager Orakoir asked to his brother.
"I guess...as ready as I'll ever be." he said, stretching his back and wagging his tail.
"Nervous?"
"A little. But I have you to back me up, so how bad could it be?" the older Ysali said, cracking a smile.
"Okay boys, you ready?" their older sister, Laera, questioned from the cave's entrance.
"Yes!" both boys exclaimed at the same time.
Laera smiled as she turned around, her large wings almost hitting the insides of the cave walls. Being an Orakovan must be great, the little Ysali dragon thought within himself.
The two brothers came bouncing out of the cave with dragony smiles on their faces. Their mother gave them her blessing and with that, the two were off into the wilderness of Aurinead together to do their first exploration mission and bring back some sort of treasure from their time.
"Lets do our best, Ysava." the Orakoir stated excitedly.
Ysava nodded and gave his brother a kind smirk. He was ready to explore. With both Ysava and Alduin's magics combined, the art of poison and healing respectively, the two were confident they could protect themselves from whatever Serenia had to offer.
(( Word Count: 264/500 ))
DraconicFeline
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:48 am
They had been walking for a while now and there was no recent sign of the Mara. A few marks on some of the trees and stone outcroppings showed their recent presence, having had to build some kind of fortification and repair themselves from the damage of the elements, but the marks were months old at the least. There was no sign that the Mara had been in the area after that. Raemos suspected that they had moved on, which was almost worse than encountering them – if he found them, they could be destroyed. Unfound, however, they were like stony spectres, and could strike anywhere at anytime.
They had begun to turn around and head back the way they had come
“So... about that girl you were visiting...” Captain Nall began.
“My sister. Vona.” Raemos offered, distracted. “I visit her regularly.”
“Right. Vona. Is she seeing anybody?”
Raemos shot the man a vaguely affronted look and stared at him for a moment before saying, in an obviously clipped and prickly tone, “Not that I know of, no.”
“Sorry, I know it was indelicate and all.” said Nall in a way that implied he was not sorry at all. The grin gave him away. “I was just wondering if maybe I could, you know... court her.”
Raemos was silent for a long moment. “Are you asking me permission?” he asked incredulously, “To 'go out with' my sister?” he said, his use of Ashen city slang intentionally awkward.
“Well, adopted sister.” the Captain corrected him unnecessarily, “But, yeah. That's what I'm doing.”
Raemos was, again, silent. “Well.” he said finally, his voice carefully cool. He looked away, back to the wildnerness, “My sister” he emphasized the word, “Will do as she wishes. If she wishes to court you, or you to court her, she would allow you to do so.”
“So, do I have your blessing?”
Raemos decided he disliked Captain Nall in a very unprofessional way. But, then again, this whole conversation was unprofessional. “You do not need my blessing.” he said, curtly, “You require hers.”
“All right.” said Nall, “Well, then, if you don't mind...”
“It is not my business to mind hers.” said Raemos, his gaze fixing suddenly on an anomaly in the monotonous series of trees. He bent over to investigate, manipulating the object with a stick. “Dragon Spoor.” he said curtly, standing and surveying the area, “There are dragons nearby.” Another anomaly. “And... Bognotti bristles.”
“Dragons are one thing. This is a common training area for the army, and everybody knows how to handle some arrogant Ysali... but a borgnah...”
“Mmm.” Raemos remembered all too well how fierce the enormous spiders could be. A dragon was a fearsome foe that too few took seriously. A Borgnah... was single minded in its intent to kill where a dragon might dither and toy. “Since we're out here, shall we hunt down these beasts and slay them before they cause problems?”
“Good idea.” said Captain Nall, as they began to follow the trail of the Borgnah...
Lae has a weird ability to listen to bound weapons. If you don't want her to listen to yours, thats fine. Its not an ability that will go anywhere, not with her. Its just a thing she does and I forget why I did it with her... But its amusing for me to do. If you don't like it, again, let me know and I'll not do it with her when I'm playing with you.
Note, though, that they don't have to be NICE to her XD
Laesara gestured to her own weapon, demonstrating both the beautiful carvings in its bone hull and the ornate sheath it rested in – gifts, for continuing the tradition of soldiery. “Mine is called a 'boomerang' by the Eowynian Wild tribe.” she informed her, “Very similar I think, to yours. However, it is not nearly so elegant.”
/I hope so!/
Commented the weapon to her. It did not want to be considered elegant.
“... it does not cut, as much as bash. But I can control it in the air, and it comes when I call.” she smiled at the girl, “I am excited to see yours in action, however! It looks quite fierce.” She contemplated the girl a moment before moving closer, to add more privacy to their conversation, even amidst the group. “To be honest, most of the others with us have never seen a dragon up close before, either. Hiding from dragons is very sensible, and most of them... well, they live primarily in the city.” she admitted, “I can tell you this – you will not be focusing on their appearance so much as simply enduring their attack long enough to get a killing blow in.” her smile belied her eagerness to fight, however, “It is, though, definitely a memorable experience to kill your first dragon.”
She held out her hand in introduction. “My name is Laesara. Laesara Wymrith.” though the girl was clearly not of the social class that the others were, Laesara felt compelled to give her full introduction. And why not? “Only daughter of Baelen Wymrith, if you desired to know. But I would hazard a guess that you do not know the family?” It was unlikely in Ashen city, but the girl had said she had lived in a village before. Why should people living in a rural, distant place care about the power politics of Ashen city?
“All right, you all.” said their teacher suddenly, “Form up, like I told you, unless you all forgot while filling your heads with useless frippery. We've got dragons to deal with!” There was a loud roar from the trees, which moved and swayed in a very unnatural way, “Weapons out! Eyes open, Wings ready if you need to fly all of a sudden!” he drew his own weapon, a hooked blade. Laesara could hear it in her mind, a male voice singing the praises of battle that resonated with her own weapon.
She freed it from its sheathe, holding its pale, inked bone in her hand with ease as she readied her first throw, “Well!” she said, her eyes gleaming with excitement, “Here we go, then!”
The vegetation moved sinuously and, suddenly, a pack of dragons leapt from the trees, the vines following them like the tail of a comet, their jaws dripping with venom...
(977/1500)
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:22 pm
Odette Duperion Odette listened to the girl as she introduced herself and her weapon. It was interesting to hear how she seemed so formal. Sure, Odette hadn't heard of any sort of tribe, family, or clan within Ashen City, so she was pretty naive when it came to anything relating to the city. It was through her short time here that she realized how secluded she was from everything Serenia had to offer.
"Well, I'm Odette Duperion." she said with a smirk. This girl seemed nice, and reminded her of Evesi in some ways. "And thank you, I'm excited to finally be able to slit some throats with this bad boy." she stated, looking down at the feather-tipped blades the weapon had to offer. The same smirk lingered on her face a while.
Finally, the teacher spoke up. Odette got into formation with the rest of the unit and a look of pure determination fell upon her countenance.
As the Ysali broke from the brush, Odette let out a large scream in an attempt to intimidate the Ysali, as well as a strong throw of her ring blade in their direction. The battle was upon them.
(( Word Count: 633/1500 ))
~~~~~
Alduin, the Benevolent As the two brother Orakoir explored the lands of Serenia, they were quite unaware of the strength and power that was necessary to live outside of their clan's camp.
Both of them worried for the other's safety, and that was a great bonus. They hadn't found anything too powerful for them. A Ysali dragon here, whom had been quite rude to the youngsters, as though they were trespassers on their property. Alduin didn't understand the difference between them. Ysali dragons and Ysali Khehora were technically from the same bloodline. Like cousins, the Khehora were just slightly more powerful than their dragon counterparts, and much more civilized at least; but that didn't matter to the dragons. They were just as bad as the Magescians in their eyes.
As the two continued their journey, they came across a couple of Magescians who were following what they found to be a trail created by Borgnah. With curious inspection, the two followed the path behind, creeping forward to watch what would occur, and to help out if they needed to. Alduin, being as kind as possible, knew that if they needed healing, he would give his assistance to them. Ysava, being the aggressive Khehora that he is, made up his mind to help as well if indeed the two Magescians needed it.
(( Word Count: 482/500 ))
DraconicFeline
Yeah, you can listen to her weapon, I don't mind. that's an interesting power, hehe.
Captain Nall spotted the khehora tracking them before Raemos did, but he said nothing. The Guardians had been aided by wild khehora before, after all, and as long as the Khehora did no harm, Nall would do nothing about it.
When Raemos noticed the rustling of the leaves behind him, and identified their tracks over a series of brief glances, he was far more worried. He still bore scars from the khehora he had thought was his friend, and he knew that – like the dragons they so resembled – they were wild and untamed. More civilized, perhaps, but feral in every sense of the word.
He heard the roar of dragons and the battle cry of an older man and he realized that they must be close to the training grounds. The leavings of the borgnah, too, were fresher here, and – as the trees around them rustled with the wrath of the Ysali pack – he realized that the trail ended here.
“Nall...” he whispered, holding out a hand to stop the Captain's movements, “Very slowly, very carefully, look up.” Raemos drew his sword and summoned his magic.
“Seren's light!” the Captain exclaimed, and that was when Raemos let fly his magic, looping the thick, viscous shadow-mass of it into the canopy of the trees. The borgnah, lurking in wait for their prey, were taken unawares. One toppled to the ground, magic entangling its limbs. The other took its cue to pounce, dropping with disturbing nimbleness to the ground just beyond the young khehora, its mandibles chittering and dripping saliva as it pounced at them...
Raemos tried to force the Borg down to the ground with the pressure of his magic. It struggled against him, squealing and shrieking raucously as he drew his sword and approached. He hoped to get close enough to the beast to cut into it, and his hope was met: His blade sliced wetly through its flesh, limbs and bilious blood raining into the air around him.
It squirmed, flailing with gushing stumps and intact legs alike and, in a fit of tenacity, broke free of his spell, charging and knocking him over with a cold and terrible tenacity. Raemos fell back, fighting to keep from falling down as it bore down on him... only to find the side of its face sliced off by Nall's blade.
In a renewed show of force, they charged together, alternating between attacking and feinting to confuse the beast as they wore it down. Finally, Raemos's gleaming blade pierced its bulbous belly, and it oozed to death, twitching in its final moments...
(1405/1500)
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 9:21 pm
Faexa
Well, what does her weapon sound like?
Slit some throats with such a weapon? Laesara's eyes flicked over Odette again – yes, they had much in common. She readied her weapon for a throw, patient but excited. The other nobles in the group reacted in various ways – fear, hiding, and shaking were among them. Few held their weapons firmly and fewer still were enjoying the experience of their first dragon encounter.
Laesara was in her element. She didn't even try to hide the wild grin on her face, the outer reaction to the inner rush of excitement she felt at being here, in the midst of battle and chaos.
She released her weapon from the tension of her throw, drawing her saber and moving so that she was near Odette. She used her free hand to channel the invisible thread of magic between her and her gleeful boomerang, that guided it and made it glow with small, razor thin blades of magic. She slammed it into a dragon's chin as it surged at her, then into its head, before driving her blade into its chest, again and again until she hit its heart wall and it crumpled, spewing venom and ichor. With a twitch of her will, her boomerang returned to her hand, and she threw again, crashing into another dragon and making it lose its focus on its target, a noble who stared at the beast that would have been their death with wide, fearful eyes.
The boomerang returned again, and Laesara prepared herself for another throw, timing the fight by the ancient sea shanty that her weapon sang in her head. She smiled at the pink-haired Orderite. ”Well then, Odette!” she said, her voice charged with the blood and glory of battle. She threw again, striking the dragon in the head with a magic-charged boomerang. ”Let us see you slit those throats!” The dragon fell, its face crushed by the force of the throw. It struggled to rise, only to be based again by the boomerang's sudden dive from the air. It shuddered, and then, with a third crash of the boomerang, lay still and disintegrated before returning to her hand to recharge its strength. ”I look forward to seeing you in motion.”
Odette Duperion The first throw was more for intimidation and upon it's return, Odette smiled. She could feel the power and the adrenaline rushing through her body. As the girl spoke, Odette nodded with a grin on her face. "You won't be sorry. Here goes!" she stated.
With that, she tossed the ring blade once more, aiming now for the dragon. The dragon jumped up and the blade flew right underneath it. As the Ysali came back to the ground, Odette pulled the blade back with extreme force the same way it came, slicing the dragon from back to front, causing it to disintegrate into thin air.
As the blade arrived back into it's owners hands, her smile was still strong, and the look of determination could fight for itself. She tossed the blade once more towards another dragon, manipulating it within flight to turn upright. The dragon itself dodged the first attack and lunged towards the Orderite. She pulled back on the weapon, and this time the dragon learned from it's brethren's mistakes and dodged even while it was on it's way back. Odette grabbed the blade and narrowed her eyes. The dragon let out a call of intimidation and Odette readied herself. As it came charging forth, she quickly whipped the blade around her arm, much like hula-hoop, blades stabbing up through the chin of the dragon. As it latched itself in the dragon's jaw, Odette tugged back on the blade, pulling it's jaw out of place. A yelp of pain left the dragon's mouth. She then slung it around once quickly on her other arm as she began to run towards the dragon. With a quick slice downward, then up, then down again, and finally once final slice at the throat, the dragon fell to the ground and began to turn to dust right then and there.
Odette quickly scurried back to her companion's sides and smiled. "That was...awesome. We've got to do that again!" she said excitedly. She could still feel the adrenaline running through her veins. It was a grand feeling for sure and she couldn't (and wouldn't) let it go. She needed more and she craved it. A bloodlust like no other and she was alright with it. She loved the fight, it was her kind of thing.
(( Word Count: 1013/1500 ))
~~~~~
Alduin, the Benevolent The Ysali were both taken aback by the sudden attack on the Borgnah. Both were uncertain of what to do next. The "warrior-like" one of the two, Ysava, jumped back and ran into nearby bushes. Alduin stood his ground (more out of fear than out of courage), and let out a cry, vines growing up and around the Borgnah, wrapping around each of it's legs.
Alduin jumped back, truly showing himself to the Captain and Raemos; also somewhat in hopes to have them help kill the creature as it snapped the vines like they were twigs.
Ysava peered out of the bushes, hoping to see something, anything that could help aid his brother. He was supposed to be the warrior like their father. Not a coward. Though he stayed hidden in the nearby bushes with no real plan for attack.
"Help!" the scared Ysali cried as he scurried around the two Magescians to stand behind them. He readied some Ysali magic in the meantime, ready to heal them when the time came.
(( Word Count: 655/500 ))
DraconicFeline
Hmm...probably has quite an adventurous spirit, considering it's owner. So a vicious little girl, probably, almost borderline psychotic lmao.
Rolling for Mara Attack! I will calculate the exp for you because Mara are weird.
Mage Mara x 1 Metal Mara x 2
Raemos (Luk 75) (+5 to all rolls) Mage Mara: 26-100 Metal Mara: 16-100
Laesara (Luk 22) Mage Mara: 91-100 Metal Mara: 61-100
Odette (Luk 22) Mage Mara: 91-100 Metal Mara: 61-100
Raemos won against them all, which means:
Raemos 95 exp + 15 iron bars + 2 plain cloths
Laesara 60 exp + 15 iron bars + 2 plain cloths
Odette 60exp + 15 iron bars + 2 plain cloths
And we will roll individually to see what loot we get from the two metal Mara
Raemos could hear the battle against the dragons nearby, and from the cheers, he was assured that iwas going well.
Good.
Raemos moved between the young khehora that had taken shelter behind him, his complex wings opening slightly in a protective gesture. ”Do not be afraid.” he said, angling his sword at the beast that charged to him, ”I will protect you.”
Captain Nall rolled his eyes and attacked the beast. “We.” he emphasized, “Can take down this thing.” He attacked it with his blade as Raemos stayed behind, throwing bolts of magic that dented the creatures exoskeleton in discernable craters of force. Bit by bit, Raemos's blasts shoved the beast back, and Nall's sword sliced through the creatures soft joints and underparts with ease.
Eventually, the creature staggered and, seeing his opening, Nall leapt, his wings springing from his back to support him as he dove, stabbing through the beast. It screamed and struggled, but it was finished. It's black blood stained the ground as Nall leapt from its back with ease and cleaned his sword.
“Disgusting beasts.” he said. He was injured, no more than a few deep scrapes and lacerations, but injured none the less.
Raemos, however, turned to the young khehora behind him. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Laesara was, indeed, not sorry as the blade eviscerated the dragon before her and utterly destroyed another. ”Excellent moves!” she applauded as the chaos of the battle settled around them, the dragons defeated. She was slightly disappointed that the fight was over, but the fight itself had been far from a disappointment.
/Well, that was fun/
Commented her own weapon, very pleased with itself.
/I especially liked the part where I kicked the dragon's asses. That is, every part. Heh. Oh well, Now comes the boring part./
Indeed. Now came the boring, tedious part of the battle – the aftermath. Fortunately, it was not so bad at all, nothing like a real fight would have been.
The teacher began to take stock of injuries, and Laesara set about collecting her share of orbs, passing a few on to Odette in the process as she listened to the teacher's declarations, keeping count.
About half of their classmates were injured in the battle. About a quarter had fled and were quickly rounded up and admonished. For a first dragon encounter, with this group of mostly pampered youths, Laesara did not think that was too bad.
She turned to Odette, slipping her share of the orbs into her backpack. ”That was a good show back there. Tell me. You attend classes, but do you reside in the city? If so, I'd like to invite you...” she paused, an odd sound having caught her attention. She listened intently, puzzled. ”What was that...?” she asked, more to herself than anyone else.
It sounded again, a faint sound of metal on metal or metal on stone, unremarkable save for it coming from the middle of the woods. ”Odette, you are hearing this too, are you not?” she asked, seeking around for the source of the sound.
“STANDING COMMAND ACTIVATED. EXTERMINATE ANY PRESENT ORDERITES. PROTO-ORDERITES REGISTERED. COMMENCING.”
The voice was so strange and unnatural – as if made of metal and spoken through a cavern - that it took Laesara a moment to understand its intent. It did not take her long at all to react, however, to the unnerving rumbling of the ground, and the sudden surge of magic in the air.
/Ohhh yes!/
She heard Odettes weapon shriek. Laesara, glancing at it, could swear that its blades were nearly atremble with anticipation.
/More slicing! More blood! More more more! Ahahaha! Come and get some!/
Laesara dodged to the side, shoving Odette out of the path of a sharp spire of earth that erupted from the ground, other spires erupting from all around the clearing, apparently with deadly intent. ”What in Seren's name...?!” Laesara hissed, grimacing with pain. She glanced down to see a gash on her arm, not too deep but bleeding.
Unimportant she determined it, keeping it in mind for later as she looked around for the source of the erupting spines of rock and the shuddering ground...
Odette Duperion Taking a few deep breaths after the battle was over, Odette smiled. She was incredibly pleased with how she had defeated a few dragons all by herself and with the help of her unit.
As she was handed a few dragon souls, Odette nodded, accepting them and placing them in her pocket. "Thank you so much." she stated in response to Laesara's compliment. The dragon battle was over, and the dust had settled.
Finally, Laesara had spoken up to her, asking her a question, but before she could respond, a clamoring of metal clanging together caught her attention as well. She listened. "I...I do hear it. What is that?" she questioned. Just as she was able to speak, a voice boomed.
"Oof!" Odette shrieked as she was pushed and a tower of rock burst forth from the ground. She quickly jumped up and looked over the rocks protruding from the ground to see Laesara, bleeding from her arm. The girl had just saved her life. "A-are you alright!?" she called, but turned her attention quickly to where the voice had come from.
With narrowed eyes, she grit her teeth as a group of Mara came into sight. It was then that she tossed her blades with speed at the group, hoping to hit even one.
~~~~~
Alduin, the Benevolent Alduin looked at the Oblivionite, who had just told him not to be afraid. How brave, unlike his brother, this man was seemingly not afraid at all of the Borgnah.
He readied a healing spell just in case, and threw a few off towards the ones helping. Sadly, they were spent well before the captain was hurt. It was then that the battle was over. Ysava came out of hiding to see Alduin and his saviors. He said nothing, just watched the scene unfold.
Deep wounds on the man that saved his life. Finally, when the battle was concluded, the Oblivionite spoke to him. "Y-yes, yes I'm fine! But you both...you're hurt. Here, let me help you." he said, pawing at the ground a bit. He closed his eyes, allowing the plant energy to flow from him into the ground, then back into him. He opened his eyes and they glowed a powerful green. He opened his mouth and a small ball of green energy began to build up within it.
He then spit it towards the Orderite captain who had been injured. It floated in the air, waiting to be touched by the Orderite. "Take it. It will heal you right up, I hope." Alduin stated, eyes still glowing.
As the power dwindled, Alduin's eyes returned to their lavender state. "Thank you both so much for all of your help. My brother and I appreciate it greatly." he stated, bowing his head in a thanking gesture. He had only begun to learn about the Magescian people, but weren't Orderites and Oblivionites enemies? He wondered why these two were fighting alongside each other? They were the first two Magescian's he had ever met. Strange, but they both helped him nevertheless.
Ysava walked around and sat with his brother as he spoke. He, too, bowed his head in a thankful gesture alongside his brother. It was the least he could do.
The Captain touched the ball of magic with wariness, then relaxed as it flowed through him, healing his wounds. “Good stuff.” he commented, stretching his newly healed skin.
Raemos had no such qualms, but he did not need the healing as much as the other. “Of course.” he said, bowing. It seemed that they were at the end of their patrol – Raemos did not want to disturb the students training nearby with his cursed appearance, and the danger was removed. He looked Nall over and, determining that the man was all right, he was about to suggest that they take their leave, and perhaps wish the young khehora a good hunt or some such.
And then he heard a very familiar sound. He tensed, his grip on his wand tightening as he scoured the treeline with his gaze. His sword, however, was speedily sheathed, the light runes eclipsed by the ornate sheath. Instead, he put his hand on the small stone hammer at his side, only remarkable in that it did not match the rest of his gear, and that it's craftsmanship was unusual: pure stone, it was remarkably sturdy and well made, as if shaped from the rock itself.
“Captain...” he whispered, his tail lashing as he daringly strode towards the training area, “Did you hear that?”
“Aye.” Nall knew the sound, of metal on stone. He shook the borgnah ichor off of his sword and held it out to Raemos. “Spell this, would you? Otherwise...” Otherwise a blade would do little good against the creature they would face.
They both knew what was nearby.
Raemos touched the weapon, muttering a brief empowerment spell on it before turning to the khehora. “You two should clear the area. It has become... very dangerous.”
He would have explained further, but he heard the all too familiar sound of the Maran voice and the crashing horror of its magic. He turned and cast all common sense and racial awareness aside.
Raemos charged towards the clearing, freeing the hammer from its tie at his belt. He emerged, took stock of the situation, and, knowing well the priorities in such a situation, Extended his leathery wings and leapt to engage the cloth-garbed Mara mage.
His sheilds, born of darkness, guarded him from its razor-sharp magic, and his hammer dented and bent wherever it struck. He battled it, pushing it away from the group and from the other Mara.
“I deny you the blood of Seren's children!” he shouted at it, “You foul creature of metal and stone!”
The Mara blocked him and, with a summoned shard of metal, scored his face – but Raemos had had worse. His hammer came down – magically enhanced – on the mara's intricately carved arm, shattering it into uselessness. “Unnatural monster!” he cried, taking advantage of a drop in its guard to send a coiling, murky tendril of shadow into the magic at its core, “I extinguish you!” he wrapped his magic around the Mara's life force, “And stop your fell plan!” The Mara fought him with its own magical force, and Raemos struggled to hold on – this monster was seasoned, a veteran of battles. The stone it was made from was far from new: it was weathered, rain polished, and bloodstained. It was a merciless construction, a creature without a soul.
But Raemos had no mercy for it, either. “Begone!” he shouted, his magic surging and destroying the animating force behind the construct. The lights in it's 'eyes' went out, and it clattered to the ground. Raemos didn't even allow himself a breath – the moment it fell, he had turned to the other Mara and their prey.
They would be easier without the Mage supporting them, but they had a head start. Unconcerned for their comerades, they may have already killed some of the children he could see beyond the dust clouds kicked up by the Mara's spell.
He did not want to think about that. If some had been delivered to Seren, he owed it to their souls and to his goddess to save the rest.
He moved in, towards one of the metal Mara he could see amidst the dust, and, tugging it towards him with a sticky strand of shadows, he engaged it. Its sword was bloodied with fresh blood, he noted with anger, though he did not seek out the bodies it surely had left. That didn't matter at that moment.
“You shall kill no more!” he declared, entangling it with his magic as he forced it to him...
