Fantasy Tipping the Scales

[Elfangor]

Elfangor just shrugged. "It's what I do. I accepted the fact that he'd come after me if he caught me. Of course, I assumed I wouldn't get caught but...Yeah he's powerful. I know that cause I was face to face with him."


The thief wasn't impressed with the half-giant's supposed knowledge, but he would need a big guy in the near future. Elfangor decided to try to keep him around.


At the gates, the two were stopped by the guard. It was approaching dawn, but the city had to be on alert with a dragon around. The thief was in the middle of a long, convoluted lie when the beast let out a roar not too far off. In the distance, smoke could be seen. The guards dropped their jaws and paled with fear. Elfangor saw his opportunity and took it. Grabbing ahold of Uro's arm he dashed through the line and into the city.


"Follow me. I have a room in a pub not too far from here. Gotta grab my bow."

 

[hisokun]

"Why should I?" Aria remarks. Raiku is curled loosely at her side, his snout lying on her thigh. She touches him gently, stroking the length of his forehead. "Raiku sees that you dispose of no threat. And from what I have seen, you won't hurt me, unless I anger you." She just has to make sure that doesn't, because as much as she trusts Raiku with her life, a dragon like Buras will surely kill them. "I have no intention of spreading you around. I know dragons don't like being hunted." That's why Raiku has decided to be her friend. He knows that Aria will never betray him.

 

[Soviet Panda]

((@Vyork Ashfin there is a sizable goblin tribe trying to work their way around you, they have somewhat pointy sticks.))


Oh yes, Vulcan was very angry. That was not his most prized possession however, he simply hated his horde having less value them what it could be. He had gotten that gem from a nobel with his guards, little good they did. And now, he wanted it back very bad. And if he could not get it back, then the galue would be made up from that oversized town. So on he flew, smoke trailing from his nostrils as his wings were spread wide, horns the color of blood and scales gleaming crimson in the light. He would not be hard to miss.


@Elfangor @Uroboros


---


"No threat? I hearld the god of storms with my breath. I rip open the earth with my claws when I walk. The dwarves cannot begin to imagine what riches I have seen. The elves cannot match my grace. And the Myddral (pronounce muh-drahl, creature curtisy of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.) shivers when it senses me. It's eyeless gaze does not petrify me with fear, I petrify it." he sated with a snarl, leaning closer to Aria, hissing at Raiku and revealing the lightning dancing across his teeth. "I do not spread. I am not hunted, I am annoyed by those so called hunters. I am a match for all thise who confront me." 'Temper.' a distinctly feminine voice said in his head this time. It was not the first time this has happened, it just doesn't happen often. Apparently some memory he refuses to remember still haunted him, or the goddess of tranquility and calm itself saw him as a special case. Either way, he reigned it in tightly, and brutally, jerking back his head and hiding the lightning that jumped his mouth from the world. 'Calm, like an undisturbed pond.' he thought to himself, picturing what he thought. That usually did the trick.


@hisokun

 

[hisokun]

This - this is raw anger. Aria's never seen it on a dragon before. It's even worse because she's talking to Buras, whom legends can't even understand themselves. She begins to stand up, just in case. She's not afraid of Buras, but she also doesn't want to die.


Raiku immediately shoots up, sensing the danger, baring his fangs when Buras starts to threaten his master, his friend. He produces a rough growl from the back of his throat as his own anger starts to build up inside him. Gusts of wind circles around them, whirling like a tornado as Raiku's own temper turns immense. The clouds up ahead gather together into a grey storm. Raiku opens his mouth wide, ready to attack, but Aria places a gentle hand on its snout. "Easy there, buddy," Aria soothes. "It's okay."


She turns her attention back to Buras. "I think of you as no threat, because you didn't attack us when we were in your domain," she says. "It's obvious that we're not here to hurt you."

 

[Soviet Panda]

Buras gave a half hearted snarl at Raiku, showing off once more his own teeth. From the looks of him, he was still young, well, to Buras anyway. "I do not have a 'domain'. Not all dragons are happy to sit in a cave on a hoard. I wander, I have seen many things. I have found the great goblin city, with buildings as large as a mountain and streets paced with gold. I have seen the great dwarven inventors at work in the Silver Mountains. I have seen the Mother Tree that elves worship so dearly. I have seen many wonders, and I plan on seeing more before I let the Earth Father embrace me and welcome me home."


@hisokun

 

[Elfangor]

Elfangor retrieved his bow and a quiver of arrows, but while alone in the room the thief considered just leaving, sneaking out of the city to safety.


I've got what I came for...why not just run, as I've always done?





Deciding to do just that, Elfangor exited the inn and started toward the gate opposite that which Vulcan would approach.

 

[Soviet Panda]

By this point, the town guard were manning the walls. There was little hope that they could do anything, except give the mayor some time to come up with a good enouph appeasment. They were armed with crowsbows and pikes. They wore padded cloth armor, with chain mail over that. It stood no chance, would provide little to no protection, against the claws, teeth, and breath of a vary pissed off dragon.


Vulcan, now, was coming. He was barely a soeck in the sky, yet everyone knew he was coming. And once he got there, death would follow. So, the streets were filled with families, and other various people packing whatever they could into wheel barrows, wagons, onto dogs and back packs, and fleeing in the opposite direction of the dragon. But a few brave souls stayed, and looked like ghosts peeking from behind their windows.

 

[Elfangor]

"You! Yer the one from the bar! Yeah...you asked about Vulcan."


Elfangor felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Looking over it, the thief saw a guard with some friends behind. It would do no good to fight or try to run. "Yes...what about me?"


"Then you left, and I didn't see you return. I was at the pub all night..."


The guards around them threw out accusations and insults. The man before Elfangor, perhaps a captain, took out some rope cuffs. "Yer staying with us until we figure this out..."


The thief held up his hands. "Don't be too hasty...yes I was curious about Vulcan, but only in the interest of slaying him! Please, take me to the wall, and I will put my bow to good use."


Normally, the soldiers wouldn't have bought such an obvious lie, an excuse to not be restrained, but the city needed men to defend the wall. A slayer would be a valuable asset. Some of them nodded, and the captain walked on, calling for Elfangor to follow.

 

[Uroboros]

Uro stepped out of the restroom to see Elfangor being escorted away. "What's going on with that guy?" Uro asked a bystander. "They believe he led the dragon to the city and they are taking him to defend the walls." the man responded. Uro thanked him for the information and slipped out the side door. He watched the panic in the city folk as they rushed to flee to safety. He caught up the men and Elfangor "Special orders from the Guard they need your help on the west wall. Leave this criminal to me." Uro told them. The men were tenative to believe him, but Uro showed them his badge of the Guard. They ran towards the west wall, not noticing the unconscious officer of the Guard in a nearby alleyway. "So, what's the plan bud?" Uro asked Elfangor.

 

[Elfangor]

The thief let a little smile slip at the rescue, but he quickly took back control and was serious. "We make for the gate and-"


"Which gate?" The half giant interrupted absently, admiring his new badge.


"The east one," Elfangor said, rolling his eyes. "Then, we'll-"


"Why that one?" Uro asked. "Vulcan should be hitting the western side of the city first. That's the best place for us to be if we want to fight."


Elfangor stared his new acquaintance. Obviously, we have different goals in mind...I want to live! Though it might be best to play along there's no way I'm going to the west wall. That place is going to be ruined by Vulcan's first pass.





"No, you see, the east wall is for us because that's the end of Vulcan's first pass. Some of his rage will be spent by then, and the dragon will be an easier target."

 

[hisokun]

Aria believes that Raiku can protect, but he will most likely get hurt. Buras is not the kind of dragon she'd like to deal with. He's too powerful, too old to ever be considered a target - not because he's worn out by the world, but because he feeds from it. Others say that time only makes dragons weaker, but Aria disagrees. The older the dragon gets, the more powerful it will be. Raiku is practically still a baby when compared to Buras. But his love for his friend is greater than his age. "How old are you really?" Aria asks. "How much have you seen?" How much have you suffered?


@Beowulf

 

[Soviet Panda]

((@Uroboros @Elfangor tag me when you are ready for Vulcan.))


Buras looked at her blankly. "I am old. I have not kept track of my age, and when I see a hint of how old I am in the world I don't like the reminder." he said in a rumbling tone. "I'm old enough to have seen the humans turn into something more then a handful of fighting tribes. I have seen the elves turn from savages to what they are now. The dwarves have come the longest of all three, but I have said I would stay quiet about them to a higher being." he stated simply. "I pray I will live longer, and resign mysekf if it is not to be. But if I can fight it, I will." at this point he was rambling slightly. "I once got Dragon Blight, an old disease long since gone away. It infected only dragons for some reason. I personally think it was Inkrous' making, he never liked our kind and loved his diseases, sickly welp. Anyway, it rotted away our scales, letting even mice nip us and draw blood. I laid in my cave for five months, a former friend bringing me food and water." he finished with a small shiver, remembering what it had been like. "But lucky for you younglings, it is gone."


((@hisokun))

 

[Uroboros]

"That's a good point." Uro agreed. "From what I've seen of you, you are a worthy opponent of a dragon. I've ended the lives of a few dragons in the past myself. This town isn't going to be able to kill that dragon with the meager skills they have. If it is going to die, we are going to have to be the ones to do it. Vulcan wants that gem back, so let's use it to make him come to us." Uro explained.


"You want to bring the dragon right to us?" Elfangor asked.


Uro shrugged. "Sure...we can handle it."


The scrawny man went quiet, but his face went through a range of expressions, like he was talking to himself. Then Elfangor shrugged as well. "If we need it, I'll get it out, but I don't think we should use that plan right away."


Agreed, the two readied themselves on the walls.


(@Beowulf Bring it on!)

 

[Soviet Panda]

By the time they made it to their part of the wall, Vulcan was now a sizable blob on the horizon. Only one person had to notice him to spark the hysteria that was brewing underneath. Some one screamed, then another, and another. Soon enough, it was a roar of people screaming in fear or pain, some of those less fortunate being trampled underfoot. All that mattered to those unarmed civilians was to make it away from the very angry dragon.


The guards showed no fear, but if you were aboe to smell emotions you would certainly smell fear. They were impressive, the officers with plate armor and helmets with a creat of horse hair down the middle polished to a brilliant sheen. They might survive, if they fought smart. Otherwise they stood no better chance then the regulars. Crossbows were aimed, the officer raised his sword, and swiftly chopped it down, ordering the release of hundreds of bolts. They did nothing, nothing except bounce off his scales for the majority and a lucky few finding a chink. Roaring with his built up rage, he dived the walls, and unleashed death. A fire so hot that it could melt anything given enough time. It was certainly hot enough to burn flesh.


((@Elfangor @Uroboros take it from there.))


By a cave of a certain dragon that could breath poisonous fire, was a rather well traveled road. No noise came from it's direction, for the wind was always blowing in one direction. However, as luck would have it, depending on your point of view, it did as a rather roudy caravan rumbled by. For the most part, they were lizard men women and children. Occasionally an elf or some other race could be seen sitting on or walking by the heavily laden wagons, some filled with goods to be traded and others more like small houses on wheels. They were heading to Royal, the capital city of the humans, to trade some Elf Wood, not exactly properly named just looking pretty, and some Elf Wood banzi trees.


((@Peachypants finally thought if something for you to do.))

 

[Elfangor]

Watching the west gate and wall burn, Elfangor realized how hopeless the situation seemed. He asked himself how slayers were able to do it, and he decided that magic was probably a big part of it, as well as big weapons. The thief looked at his long bow and arrows, his dagger and his blackjack.


I am not cut out for slaying...





Vulcan turned from the ruins of the west wall and saw the defenders on the opposing one. The dragon threw himself into the air once more and shot toward Elfangor and Uro's position. The thief lifted his bow and shot at what he thought would be good targets: the head, eyes, chest. Nothing fazed the beast. Hundreds of projectiles were stinging it like flies, but on it came.


"We better move..." Elfangor said, starting to run along the wall.

 

[Soviet Panda]

((@Uroboros @Elfangor tag me when you are ready for Vulcan.))
Buras looked at her blankly. "I am old. I have not kept track of my age, and when I see a hint of how old I am in the world I don't like the reminder." he said in a rumbling tone. "I'm old enough to have seen the humans turn into something more then a handful of fighting tribes. I have seen the elves turn from savages to what they are now. The dwarves have come the longest of all three, but I have said I would stay quiet about them to a higher being." he stated simply. "I pray I will live longer, and resign mysekf if it is not to be. But if I can fight it, I will." at this point he was rambling slightly. "I once got Dragon Blight, an old disease long since gone away. It infected only dragons for some reason. I personally think it was Inkrous' making, he never liked our kind and loved his diseases, sickly welp. Anyway, it rotted away our scales, letting even mice nip us and draw blood. I laid in my cave for five months, a former friend bringing me food and water." he finished with a small shiver, remembering what it had been like. "But lucky for you younglings, it is gone."


((@hisokun))

@hisokun


((@Vyork Ashfin the goblins are waiting))

 

[hisokun]

At one point, Aria thinks Buras looks tired from the world, but either way, he still wants to live in it, to breathe in it. She props herself on Raiku's body as they listen, intrigued by Buras' story. It must have been lonely, to experience all those things without a friend to enjoy it with him. Aria glances at Raiku and wonders whether her dragon has felt the same way, when he was still sitting in that cave. She doesn't know where his family is, or whether Raiku has known them. They both flinch when Buras mentions the Dragon Blight disease. She has heard legends about it, how the people in her village thought Raiku had it because of how odd of a dragon he is. "Do you . . . Do you not get lonely?" Aria questions, choosing her words carefully.


@Beowulf

 

[Soviet Panda]

Buras sat there quietly for a while, pondering the question. "It is only living nature to be lonely. So, yes, I have been lonely at times. But I have had friends, some grand, others not so much. Yet they were elfs, humans, and dwarves. They live long, but not compared to dragons. And through all my travels, most dragons were more hostile to me then every otger creature. Something about their horde or another." Saying that, brought up more memories, but one stuck. "One of these dragons, they did not feel right. Something was wrong with it, but I did not know what. She was as old, probably older, then I. Here scales dull and eyes lifeless. Yet she lived. And when I got close to her hole, for I will call it nothing else, I felt something radiating from it. It was a filthy, evil, disgusting feel. My best guess is that sge found something from a past age, something that was not meant to be found." Then an idea came to him. He could not do anything then, by himself anyway. But, perhaps, if they decide to help him. Yes, and the promise of a horde all to thenselves, except for one piece, may entice them to help. "Her soul is trapped, or controled, by that evil thing. I cannot do it by myself. But perhaps with some help..."


((@hisokun ))


---


Vulcan had cut a large swath out of the defenders, but some brave citizens took up arms and began to fight as well. The constant barrage of crossbow bolts barrelh faltered, once they realized that all they had to do was duck behind the stone wall to avoid most if the fire. He was now starting to get frustrated, and decided to stop trying to burn them out, instead he landed. Claws flashing, and jaws snapping, he attacked anything that moved. Pikes shattered, and swords sparked off his hide. Some pikes, however, found a couple of chinks in his armor, and swords snaked their way between his scales. This gave the defenders hope, dragons were not impervious. And they best part was, his back was to the slayer and theif, and close enough for them to jump on.


((@Elfangor @Uroboros))

 

[Uroboros]

"Here's our chance! You better get going!." Uro yells as he picks up Elfangor and throws him onto the dragon. Elfangor grasps the hard scale plating and slowing makes his way up to the dragon's head. Reaching his target, Elfangor takes an arrow from his quiver and plunges into the large, unprotected eye of the dragon.


As Vulcan feels the sudden sharp pain in his eye, he takes of into the sky writhing in pain.


At Vulcan's sudden reaction, Elfangor is thrown off the dragon's back tumbling to the earth below. When Uro sees his new friend plummeting down, he leaps from the wall, catching Elfangor before he hits the ground.


(@Elfangor @Beowulf)

 

[Elfangor]

Vulcan saw the man fall from him, even in his agony. The dragon was blinded in one eye by blood, or perhaps it was permanent, and the other eye was soon blinded by rage. For this man was the rat that had stolen his ruby! Vulcan would not stop until it was caught.


The beast landed on a taller building and searched the ground for the thief, and it didn't take long for Vulcan to spot Uro checking to make sure Elfangor was alright. Roaring, he dove down to street-level, fire streaming from his mouth.


Elfangor was fine, Uro had saved him. Nodding his thanks, they both turned to see the dragon coming toward them, mouth wide and aflame. "Watch out!" Elfangor shouted, pushing Uro away with his legs and rolling into the building they had landed near. Flames leapt out from Vulcan's mouth and down the street, and they soon began to bombard the building Elfangor was in.


Inside, Elfangor found himself surrounded by weapons. This was one of the city's armories. As he ran through it to the back door, the thief took a horseman's pick (basically a big hammer with a spike on the other side). Uroboros will like this...





Now he was in an alley, running for his life as Vulcan crashed through the burning building, shrieking. Elfangor realized at this point that the dragon would destroy the entire city to get him, or more specifically the ruby he had. Cutting left to return to the main street, the thief narrowly escaped Vulcan's head ramming into him, and then he had to jump as the beast lashed out with claws like spears.


Elfangor knew that he couldn't run forever, all it would do was cause more damage. Seeing Uro in the window of a building on the other side of the street, he came up with an idea. The thief tossed the pick up to his friend, turned and took out an arrow. Tearing a strip off of his shirt, he attached the ruby to the arrow and readied his bow, facing Vulcan.


The dragon's eyes fixed on the gem. Elfangor drew back the arrow. Vulcan roared. Suddenly, the thief aimed straight up and fired, yelling "Uro!"


Vulcan leapt after the ruby, exposing his soft underbelly, his tail whipping toward Elfangor. The last thing he saw before it hit him was Uro leaping out toward the dragon, pick up behind his head for a two-handed, overhead chop...


(@Beowulf )

 

[Soviet Panda]

Vulcan could only see so much with one eye, and he only saw the ruby. That chicken egg size ruby wasn't his prize of his hoarde, well maybe it was. But once he got it safely back into his cave, he would make sure this town would burn for sheltering that theif, and then go after him.


Around that point in his train of thought, he noticed something move from the corner of his eye. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, as Vulcan swiveled his head to get a look at the movement yet still see the ruby, he saw the half giant. Now, giants are of course incredibly strong, in legends they have moved mountaines and ripped dragons jaws off. Half giants, were less strong, but still able to take any human in an arm wrestling contest with barely a strain. And due to science (yay science) the tip of the pick would smash down with incredible force, a lot more then by the handle.


There was no way he could have avoided it completely, so it grazed the already wounded side if his head. So, instead of the kill, it was just a lot of pain. And it knocked him off course, and into a two story building. Lying in a heap, Vulcan lay stunned by the blow. Where in the Worlds did that come from?


((@Elfangor @Uroboros))

 

[Uroboros]

Uro, seeing the dragon stunned after his last attack decided to not waste anytime. He took his pick and slammed it into the wounded eye socket of the dragon, directly into the brain. On the blow, the dragon let out one final roar, and died. The on-looking town after recovering from the shock, erupted in cheers and applause. Not concentrating on the crowd, Uro ran to the aid of his injured friend and carried him to the overworked healers nearby.

 

[Dark_Psycho]

( wow never got notified on this )


Death to all betrayers

 

[Soviet Panda]

((Caravan of lizard people. Rather noisy, might I add.))

 

[Dark_Psycho]

( hilarious)


Death to all betrayers