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 Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:33 pm
((Actually, I think I will depart from my customary steel blue text, due to the nature of this character.))
Kreen slowly walks through the center street of the town. He is dressed not in his customary suit which he wears on his missions, but civilian clothes. His equipment is currently in a hiding spot which is easy to get to but impossible to find. He still, however, wears his mythril-chain armor beneath his shirt, and has a pair of daggers stashed within his clothing. The assassin turns into a bar, where he takes a seat toward the back from which he can see the door and everyone within the building without too much difficulty. He orders a cheap drink, just so that the barkeep won't run him out for taking up space without paying, and sits. This is how he determines which warlord to go after next, whichever one is getting the most talk at the moment. It is a lonely existance Kreen leads, but that is a small price to pay for the chance to strike down those who oppress the people for personal gain.
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Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 10:21 am
Deep green eyes watch from beside the road as the small traveling group of wagons moved through the forest. A young man in common leather and cloth garb watches the approaching wagons casually, making no attempt to conceal his presence. The only weapon he carries is what appears to be a large black dagger in a wide and tastefully decorated sheath at his waist. He steps out into the road slowly and raises one hand, hailing the leader of the caravan. The wagons halt slowly and the young man, obviously human and no older than his early twenties, steps forward to speak with the 'man in charge'. He exchanges some brief words and a small amount of silver coin with the man before stepping to the side as the wagons start moving again.
Once half of the wagons have passed him he hops onto the back of one just in time to be jostled by an encounter between the wagon's wheel and a hole. He grasps the side of the wagon and manages to steady himself without too much difficulty before sitting down. He turns to look at a young elf in rather formal looking attire, a calm and politely interested look in his eyes.
The clouds flash by beneath the great black dragon as he soars, far too high to be detected by creatures on the ground. Valden strokes the air with his black wings, looking forward with his shining emerald eyes but not truly using them. His mind is focused on the human who he now called partner by bond. The young human, Zeal, who is even now riding with a caravan that is heading toward some danger. Valden growls faintly, irritated that the best course of action involves endangering the human who shares his thoughts. He is mature for a dragon, about 16 human years old, and his mate is brooding over their first clutch. He keeps track of Zeal's location and status as he flies high above him, knowing that Zeal is doing the same in spite of the interesting elf boy.
The amusement that Valden detects in his partner's mind makes him curl his scaled lips slightly in silent laughter. The two have shared many adventures and fought many battles in the past two years since their first meeting and those two years have changed both of them. The source of the danger to the caravan is growing closer and Valden narrows his eyes as he prepares to handle his end of their plan.
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Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 12:39 pm
A young Fae boy sat and watched from afar as his latest prank unfolded, all the time eating the pie he had just stolen. The woman who had baked it and left it to cool off approached the window where there now only was an illusion left. As she tried to lift it, her hand went straight trough it and she instead squished a small ball that had been hidden in the illusion. From his hiding place he couldn't confirm it first hand, but from the reaction the woman had and personal experience he knew that she had just made the odor in the ball leak out. He didn't only have stinky ones, of couse, sometimes he liked to complete his illusions with smells, but most of the time he preferred luring people into traps like these. After he thought he had seen enough he quickly went home to get an alibi. Of course, alibi or not, they'd still blame it on him, after all, they knew what kind of person he was.
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Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 8:21 am
The young elf looked at the human with some confusion, but then realized his rudeness and smiled. He scooted his legs up, paying mind not to wrinkle his clothes too badly, and allow his fellow traveler room to sit down and be as comefortable as the jostling wagon would allow him to be.
Once the traveler had seated, he offered his hand in greeting, saying, "Welcome, sir. I am glad to have company, though I'm afraid that I have no better comefort to offer you than room to seat yourself." He giggled a little but quickly stopped. Cursing himself inwardly. It wasn't propper. He cleared his through and said, "I am Artes Mystheart from the nearby Elvin village."
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:17 am
The young human takes the hand of Artes Mystheart with a slight bow of the head, his eyes never leaving the elf's face. "It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of an elf, I am called Zeal. I was raised in a region that lies far to the south west, past the Swamp of the Fae, the Pot Thief Mountains and west of the Gray Waste." Zeal has a calm smile on his face and his voice is even and relaxed.
Zeal blinks once and his smile disappears suddenly. He places his right hand on the dagger's hilt at his waist and raises the first finger of his left hand to his lips in a sign for silence. There is no immediate aggression in his manner but it is obvious that he is paying attention to something. A chilling cry from above reaches the wagons. The animal's roll their eyes in fear and stop moving, effectively paralyzed. Zeal Jumps off the stopped wagon and pulls the straight, double-bladed dagger from its sheath. The blade is totally black, more like stone than metal in appearance.
He looks up and grips the hilt more tightly as he speaks to Artes. "Monsters. Stay in the wagon and let me handle this. If you run the monsters will focus on you." The eerie cry washes over them once more, the kind of sound that sends chills down the spine. Zeal's dagger begins to glow faintly, a pale blue nimbus like transparent flame flowing over it and up his arm. The blade seems to stretch suddenly, elongating until it is the same length as a greatsword. In spite of the apparant weight of the weapon Zeal continues to hold it easily in one hand as shapes burst through the clouds, flying rapidly toward the wagons.
Valden spots the monsters easily, long before they notice him. The pitiful twisted creatures were apparently hawks at one time. The feathers and talons are the same but the numerous teeth and forked tongues that are revealed when they cry to each other are definitely not normal. Neither is their size, each one having the wingspan of a house's length and a suitably sized body. The monsters stay within the upper fringes of the clouds, disappearing and reappearing constantly, but Valden counts about a dozen of them. They are heading straight for Zeal and the wagon group. It is time to act.
Valden inhales slowly, concentrating on where to strike, as he speeds his flight and begins to gain some extra altitude. He is aware that Zeal will be ready in a few moments to protect those on the ground and he takes careful aim before releasing his breath. A stream of intense blue light blasts from his open mouth, illuminating the tops of the clouds briefly as it smashes into five of the lead monster hawks. The monsters fall, badly stunned from the impact force, and burst into the view of the humans by the wagons. Two recover and speed toward the humans and Zeal just above the treetops that have received their less resilient peers. Valden dives suddenly, engaging the other monsters in close combat and quickly dispatching two of them. Their bodies plummet toward the forest below, already forgotten by the black dragon.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 12:55 pm
Artes did as he was told. These strange creatures were horrific. He had never seen such abominations of nature before. He was in shock. Surely these were once nature's creatures, but now, they were nothing of the sort. There was nothing there but blackness, hate, unrest, terror, and pain.
His trance was interupted though, when he caught sight of the great creature in the sky. It couldn't be. It just wansn't possible. A dragon? A living, breathing dragon? This was the greatest find ever. Unbelievable.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 2:19 pm
Zeal is aware of the two monsters flying close above the treetops, far closer to the wagons than the others. He bows his head slightly and swings his sword slowly until the tip of the black blade barely touches the ground before him. The blue nimbus spreads to encompass his entire body and grows brighter, far brighter. He raises his sword's point toward the sky and opens his eyes. A surge of sapphire light flows from the blade's tip into the air above him. The light splashes, as if it had hit something, and flows downward, gently forming a smooth dome over the entire wagon train.
The two monsters that had survived being struck by Valden's breath fly right into the dome of light, smacking into it with more than enough force to snap both of their necks. They crumple to the ground, twin thuds that penetrate through the chaotic and eerie cries of the five remaining monsters in the sky. Zeal lowers his sword, allowing the barrier to fade, but the nimbus around his body remains strong, especially around the blade of his sword.
Valden watches with his mind's eye as his partner handily deals with the two survivors of his first attack. He dodges three of the monsters as they dive at him and blasts them with his breath as they try to turn, visibly breaking their wings and driving their crippled bodies into the forest hard enough to shatter the trees that they impacted. The two monsters that remain try to attack him from behind, attempting to strike at his wings. They encounter his tail instead and the blade at the end of it that cuts them in two, silencing their cries long before their riven bodies reach the forest. He spins once in the air, shaking off what little blood had gotten on his scales, before turning to fly toward the wagon train and his partner.
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:08 pm
Artes stepped slowly out of the wagon train in astonishment. He watched the magnificent, reptilian creature dispatch it's final apponents with grace. He couldn't believe his eyes. Nothing could have prepared him for this. He almost passed out from the sheer excitement.
His eyes then finaly fell on the Human. "Z-Zeal! Wh-what in... What was that all about?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 11:52 am
((Zeal is obviously human, too tall for a Fae, being about six feet tall.))
Zeal does not immediately respond, his eyes tracking the black dragon's progress along with those of the other humans in the wagon train. As the dragon nears them the humans panic, rushing off into the trees in great haste. Zeal doesn't even seem to notice the other humans. His eyes never leave the dragon as his sword shrinks back to dagger length and the nimbus dissapates. He puts the dagger back into the sheath at his hip as the black dragon lands near the head of the caravan, some distance away so as to not panic the animals too much.
Zeal turns to Artes with a slight smile. "Do you want to be introduced?" He seems quite relaxed, although his smile has a slight tinge of amusement to it as he watches the excitedly shocked expression of his elven companion.
Valden sweeps his wings casually as he maneuvers in for a landing a short distance from the horses in the caravan. His emerald eyes taking in the panicky humans and the nervous animals easily as he lands on the packed dirt. He folds his wings and blinks slowly, watching the elf through both his own eyes and those of his partner. Interesting... I have not met an elf before. His thoughts ripple with amusement that matches Zeal's perfectly. He bends his neck and moves his head forward slightly so that his eyes are at about head level for the smaller biped races. His scales are uniformly black, setting his eyes off grandly.
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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 1:00 pm
Artes almost did a backflip at the offer. "D-do I? Of course! This is... This is the chance of a life time!" He watched as the grand black dragon moved in, landed, and faced him. He wasn't really scarred, more nervouse than anything else, and more excited then he could ever remember. He wasn't sure what to say. How do you address such a grand, powerful and legendary creature? He wasn't sure, and so, he did what he had been taught to do. He gave a graceful low bow, not saying a word, and not rising until it was accepted.
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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 5:38 pm
Zeal smiles at both Artes' words and his bow. There is no mockery in the expression, just good humor. He is pleased that Artes is showing no true fear and Valden mirrors that pleasure with his own. Zeal turns to face Valden and gestures toward Artes as he remains bowed.
"My Bond Valden, Black Dragon of the Silver Sea, may I have the honor of introducing Artes Mystheart, one of the elves who are native to these forests." Zeal's manner is grand and formal, showing nothing of the fact that Valden already knows everything about the young elf that Zeal does.
Valden's mouth quirks slightly in amusement and he closes his eyes and dips his head in response to the bow, listening to the introduction by Zeal with close attention. He meets the elf's eyes with his own and shares in his Bond's pleasure, adding his own approval to their joint opinion of the elf.
"It is a pleasure to meet one of the Elven with such unfearing manners. I am glad to make your aquaintance, Artes Mystheart of the Elven Forests." Valden's spoken voice is low and smooth but powerful, seeming to resonate off of the trees and rocks. He blinks slowly and speaks again as he raises his head to a more comfortable height.
"Perhaps I should introduce my Bond, Zeal. He is a most remarkable human from lands that even I have not seen except through his eyes." While these words would commonly indicate a telling of tales, they indicate the bond in this case. Although, only Zeal and Valden truly know the meaning of the word.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 7:26 pm
Artes slowly raised himself, never loosing eye contact. He stood still with a wide grin. His heart had been filled with such enormouse glee at the acceptence and he responded, quickly, "I, as well, take great pleasure in meeting thee, Great Dragon, Valden. I must respectfully say you are the most fascinating creature I have ever seen. Oh, pardon me, 'creature' is such an... an impolite word," He laughed a little at himself, noting to pick his words more carefully. "I wish to thank you and Lord Zeal for your valliance against those... abominations. If there is any way I can repay you, I will gladly do so." He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but..." He looked slightly unsure, "I 'do' need to make my way towards the human capital. It is... Mmmm... slightly urgent. Please forgive my rudeness."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:21 am
Zeal smiles faintly at the obvious care that Artes is taking with his words. He has been in silent communication with Valden for some minutes now about this young elf and have reached something of a concensus. Zeal steps closer to Valden, stopping a few feet from his left fore-claw. He turns back to face Artes and replies with a serious voice and a smile.
"We came to this place to destroy those monsters." He shrugs, dismissing the praise. "May I ask what business you have in such a place as one of the human capitals? Most elves avoid such places." His manner indicates minor caution and curiosity but nothing else. Zeal and Valden would have no objection to taking Artes where he wishes to go, or as close as they could safely get him, but they are both curious as to the mission of an elf that would require a trip to a human city.
Valden's features don't change much but he is impressed with Artes' caution. Although he is rather even tempered himself, Valden does know that not all dragons are to temperate. He is also aware of the visual effect of having Zeal stand so close to his fore-claws without discomfort or caution. He refrains from replying to Artes' words, letting Zeal voice the ideas that they both share in common. Valden has a strong approval in his mind for this elf. He will do nicely.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 12:43 pm
"Well..." the question made Artes fumble a little. It was rather something he wished to keep as his business, but if these two heros wished to know, he could not see any reason to not tell them. They had, after all, saved his life.
He cleared his throat with a refined air and looked to them both, meeting their eyes in turn. "I am afraid," he said, his voice somewhat shakey, "that my mission is no pleasure trip. As you may know, our village does common trade with the Human capital, since it is only about a week's ride away. Five days ago, there was supposed to be an important shipment of medicine that our village payed deerly for." The young elf began to loose face. His voice shook as he continued, "My people are becoming sick. Some of our food has been somehow blighted, and the foregers who found them encountered strange creatures which attacked them, much like those which you dispatched. The food's taste and color actualy seemed richer, but now it has caused terrible plague upon us. I am going to find out what happened to that shipment, and I'm going to bring it back to my village. I humbly request your aid, for I fear my village will... will not hold much longer." Tears flew from Artes's eyes as he fell to his knees in dispair. He couldn't take this feeling of hopelessness within him. He could not let his family down.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:04 pm
Zeal frowns in silence for long moments as he converses with Valden. The conversation is not one of words but one of feelings, memories and judgements. Zeal walks over to Artes and puts a hand on his shoulder, a grim look on his face.
"I see. We will get you as close to the capital of the nearest human land as we can, that should be your destination. We were aware of the monsters gathering in this area but we had not yet discovered this problem of which you speak. You will ride behind me." Zeal's eyes show a focused look that is not often in the eyes of humans. His mind holds a strange thought that quickly passes. Why was this elf not surprised by my barrier? Any elf familiar with humans would know that no human has ever had magic before... He shrugs off the question for the moment as he jumps casually onto Valden's neck, just behind his head.
Valden's eyes narrow at the little elf's tale. His displeasure at the news is clear and he quickly comes to a decision along with Zeal. As his voice is considered by most creatures to be intimidating, he remains silent and lets Zeal speak for them both. His eyes shift toward the south-east briefly as he thinks of another pressing matter. Then he lowers his head to nearly touch the ground near Artes. Zeal's concern is valid but secondary to Valden. The lives of the elves and that other pressing concern are more important than a momentary lack of comprehension in an elf who is unused to stressful circumstances.
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