Horizons of War - A Dragon Rider Roleplay

[TruthSayer]

Undra uttered a warning snarl at the soldier's approach that rumbled low in his throat as leathery lips pulled back from razor teeth the size of a man's fist. He pushed his girth harder against the tree upon which he leaned in an attempt to distance himself, the wide trunk giving a magnificent crack as it toppled.

"Do that again, Undra, and I swear by the holy tree I will vomit on you..." Ildrea whispered, voice faint and breathy as a sickly pale stole over her flesh and the world faded from view.

Before he could take the offered scroll and ring, Undra sudden reared up, toppling a tree in the process as his rider lost consciousness completely.

Undra! Frost exclaimed, moving forward to restrain the other dragon if need be.

"Healer, quickly! Can you see to them?" Rain shouted over the din.

[Tammika]

Cana dropped it in her pocket eyeing the rider for a brief second with curious expression. She left the elf in the others hands and stepped closer to the wounded dragon.

"I cannot hear you as clear as your rider but the magic within you and the voice of your wound calls to me. I can lessen the pain and tend the wound, but only by your leave." Though obvious and unnecessary she added out of great respect and awe of the dragon. Your magic is strong, ancient, but without my help now you will go into the Deep Sleep to heal your wounds. ...You and Hermel both know there is no time for that."

Her eyes widen as familiarity of the magic eating away at the flesh within the dragon's leg dawned on her. Her eyes darted about as if an unseen enemy would descend upon them at any moment. "They have returned? ... But how can this.." Anger seething and going on Healer instincts she moved around to the wound mostly out of disbelief. Where the average person would see what appeared to be a spear wound, Cana's healer eyes could see death itself in the foul magic the wove in and out of the dragons flesh. "For give me great one, you have little time for formalities."

Drawing her hands in front of her palms forward, index fingers and thumbs forming a triangle, she whispered softly with her eyes closed. The beginnings of a long and ancient chant she had memorized only a year ago fell from her lips as the injury began to glow with a blue light, instead of the black and brown of the infection.

After some time Cana began to sweat and sway with fatigue but she continued. Once the fibers of the invading force were contained, she only had to brush her magic against that of the dragon for the normal course of recovery to continued on its own. "Done.."

Thor raised an eyebrow as the Healer set to work.

However, now the Dragon rider was unconscious she was wavering bonelessly on the dragons back, and with all the movement it looked like she'd fall off and get crushed by her mount, which would be hard to explain to his superiors.

Giving a small leap (which was hard with the armoury on his back) and grabbed the riders ankle, just as she began to slip towards the dragons underside. pulling her towards him and grabbing her as she fell, keeping her supported as he moved away from the dragon, depositing her down on the ground. She looked fine (and distinctly not squashed).

He looked up to the healer "How is the Dragon Ma'am?"

[TruthSayer]

Undra uttered a surprisingly snake-like hiss as the healer set to work, creating a sensation in his leg that was highly reminiscent of a limb falling asleep; pins and needles coursed through his veins, followed by a numbing heat that was at the same time both soothing and annoying.

As the healer finished her work, Ildrea began to stir, slight color returning to her as the pain of the wound faded.

[Tammika]

"Cana. My name is Cana." The 'ma'am' was a bit awkward to her. Now thrust into a position of authority it was going to take getting used to.

She slumped to the ground unable to stand any longer. "The dragon is fine..." She debated on how much to say to the soldier. her eyes shifted from the dragon to it's rider and back, still unsure. The wound was healing on its own but she knew the dragon was aware of the sealed threat that she had shifted from the wound into her own body. It was often done but not with something so ...dangerous and foreign. And not alone. There should be another healer to balance the binding and destruction spell. The dragon could help but, she was unsure how to go about wording such a suggestion. Cana sighed, silently kicking herself for her lack of assertion.

Again she glanced at the other rider, unsure about his condition. He felt...odd. There were no signs of injury but she wasn't sure...

[TruthSayer]

OOC: Going to move ahead with this to keep it from dying

IC: Undra rose to his feet, the movement awkward as he kept his injured leg from touching the ground. He limped to his rider, touching her chest with his nose. Ildrea, he said, hot breath stirring the fan of her hair against the ground.

What a strange dream... Ildrea whispered, lifting a shaky hand to touch Undra's cheek, dark eyes fluttering open to regard the sky above; visions of white bursts of light and off-color blue stones faded from her mind, leaving her feeling oddly lackadaisical.

Strange dream, indeed, Undra said, puffing out a gust of breath as he lifted his head, gaze focusing on the healer as he opened the channel between his mind and hers. You are a brave girl to take such a thing inside yourself, he said, the only thanks he would offer.

"Maybe we should stop in town for the night," Rain said, deliberately avoiding the healer's gaze.

[Tammika]

Cana could only nod at the dragon in thanks, but soon found her words at the other riders suggestion. " I could secure lodgings if you feel that would be wise. I mean.. Do you know if... whatever attacked you still follows?"

[TruthSayer]

Ildrea stood, shaky on her feet as she leaned against Undra's neck.

"It's possible," she said, and walked toward the town in the distance, hoping that the trek would bring strength to her faltering steps.

Rain and Frost followed the elven rider pair on foot in silence. When they reached the town it was immediately apparent that something was wrong. Not a single person was to be seen nor was a single street lamp or torch lit.

Where is everyone? It's not that late into the night yet... Frost whispered.

Toth looked around himself. "This place was busy an hour ago." He told the group, "I even think there was a big celebration just getting going in the Inn when I arrived." he glanced at the darkened windows, "Even in the sticks I seriously doubt a village can shut down so quickly, Unless something bad has happened..." He left the sentence hang as he listened for any sound, but other then the breathing of them, the dragons and the wind not a sound could be heard.

"This is weird." The Guardsman said before turning to the Dragon riders, "What should we do Sirs?" He asked the dragonriders, their status automatically giving them rank over a mere lance corporal.

[Tammika]

"That's true it was..."

The faint buzzing in her ears caused Cana's entire body to stiffen in pure terror. She should have felt it, should have known before now. "It's too late! It's a trap!" Her voice cracked with despair as the final link in the sealing spell fell into place around them. With a frustrated growl and a wave of her hand she shattered part of the enchantment revealing the scene of carnage around them. Nearly a hundred townspeople, brutally slaughtered littered the main road.

[TruthSayer]

IC: Ildrea's hand was to her nose from the moment they had entered the town. Perhaps it was her elven heritage, but there was something within the city walls that smelled like death, though looking at the perfectly clean streets, she was unsure where the smell came from. Undra walked beside her, pace hindered only by a slight limp now, and sniffed the air thoughtfully.

At the healer's shout, Ildrea pulled the needle thin rapier from her side, eyes blurring with dizziness at the sudden movement, and took a split second to gape at the carnage, eyes locking on the frozen face of a toddler held within the eternal embrace of her mother's arms. The elf yelled a battle cry, and leaped back just as an arrow implanted itself in the ground between her feet, inhuman snarls erupting from every direction.

They were grotesque and misshapen, shadow and fog made nearly solid. Creatures, just like the Echo, that should no longer exist in this world.

Voidspawn! Frost cried.

[TruthSayer]

OOC: Posting order (except for no double-posting) is out the window! Let's amp up this awesomeness, loves! If your character gets left behind in posts, don't fret! Just jump in when you can ^^

IC: I knew I smelt death! Undra growled, swiping his long spiked tail at a mud brick building, knocking it down with a magnificent crash that crushed the two voidspawn hiding on the roof beneath piles of rubble.

Ildrea ran straight into the shadows of two homes at the center of the small town square just ahead, elven speed turning her into a blur, and slashed the throat of a voidspawn, hissing when its green blood touched her boot and began to sizzle.

"They are not normal spawn!" she shouted, cursing as she kicked her boot off.

Rain skewered one charging at him with his spear, then butted another in the skull with the blunt end, fighting back to back with Frost who was lashing out with claws even as the acid blood splashed and burned on the dragon's scales. Clearly these were a new breed of Voidspawn. Far deadlier than their predecessors.

"There's too many!" Rain shouted as he slashed at another.

[TruthSayer]

Not for long... Ildrea and Undra thought together, their shared thought sounding an odd echo between them as Ildrea raised her palm toward the dragon and the dragon swung his head around to her. A blue glow flashed, and thirty voidspawn fell where they stood, naturally rotten flesh glistening in the light.

Ildrea gasped, one knee hitting the ground as her heart pounded painfully in her chest, but rose to her feet in another moment. I dare not do that again, my friend, she said to Undra, who stepped over the carcasses with sickening crunches of bone and stood before the elf, shielding her with his body.

You shall not have to.

"Overkill," Rain said drily.

These were just the fodder. We should investigate further, Frost said. Their master is still here. This was a invitation, not a trap.

[TruthSayer]

Undra snapped his teeth at Rain, then took the top half of a rushing voidspawn in his maw, crunching down with his mighty jaw until he heard a snap, then spat the lifeless body away with disgust.

Ildrea batted one away from Undra's right flank with a flick of her blade. "Are you sure it's not just jealousy that a woman has taken down more than you, useless one?" she said, giving a wide sweep of her hand to indicate the fallen voidspawn.