Dragonsbane - RP

[Drace]

The dragons lets loose a blaze of fire and havoc breaks upon the village. It lands on it's feet and scouts the buildings for a new target. From all of a sudden Bowen jumps of the building the dragon is next to and lands on the beasts gigantic neck. It lets loose a devastating roar and tries to shake Bowen off.

"You wanna play mr. dragon?! Come on! Try to get me off before I kill you!" Bowen shouts and pierces his sword between two scales, wounding the beast's neck.

The beast let loose another roar and it's wings start to flap. Seeing this, Bowen jumps on his feet and onto the beck of the beast and rips through the left wing of the dragon, making it uncapalbe to fly properly. The beast, however, manages to shake Bowen of and takes of in the air. But the beast can't fly properbly because of it's damaged wing.

Brother Gilbert, standing away from the actual battle, is noting down every event of this battle. He smirks.

"You've done it again, Bowen. You've done it again."

[Dragonium]

Dragonium cursed and stepped out from his hiding place. These damned hunters! They always jumped on the Dragon, and they always went for the neck. And that was the worst possible thing to do when a Dragon was starving, because...

The Thorntip, furious at its attacker, and at the prey which it could not catch, decided that it was time to use its signature weapon; its tail. For the first time it clambered up onto the roof of the house, since it could not fly, and from there it turned a wide circle, swinging that great spiked club with all the force it could muster. Even the man who had wounded it was forced to take cover, as the force of the Dragon's attack shattered the wall of a nearby house, smashing it into dust.

Dragonium cursed and wished he was fighting the hunter instead. These things always went wild when they were injured. But of course, he didn't have the proper training, or the correct knowledge to fight one of these. Idiot.

It wasn't his fault. He just should have stayed back.

Anyway, now that the Thorntip was horribly angry, Crag's life was in a lot of danger. He had to do something.

But he hadn't learned nothing in all the time he had been fighting Dragons, and he was damned if all that knowledge would go to waste now. He reached for his helmet at his belt, the shape of a Dragon's skull. As much the symbol of the Circle as the Seed of Ages. Carefully he readied his sword, preparing to block another swing. If one hit him he'd go the same way as Crag, and then they'd both be in trouble.

Seeing that the Dragon was looking about for the one who had wounded it, he strode forward, lifted his sword and delivered a vicious horizontal swing to its right hind leg. It yelped like only Dragons could and lost its grip upon the building's roof, falling down into the street below. That was the start of it, anyway, and Dragonium grabbed a firm hold on Crag and pulled him into the doorway of the house behind. He'd be safe there. Now then, to business. The Thorntip cried out again, as much in confusion as in anger, and tried to bite down on its newest attacker, who was just as ready for this course of action. Dragonium lifted his sword again, half attacking, half guarding, and riposted the Dragon's bite so that its snout crashed against the house's wall. For the first time he got a good look at the wound to its neck. Deep, considering it was only a longsword. That sword must have been sharp.

The Dragon whipped its head round to the left, intent on striking its new target. Dragonium readied his blade. As the teeth closed in, he stepped right, swinging his sword over his head and slicing into the Dragon's lower jaw. Another trumpeting cry. That sound almost brought tears to his eyes, but he knew he needed to press on. With a turn, he brought the blade crashing into its shoulder. At first he thought it had only been a shallow wound, but when the Dragon looked him right in the eye with that familiar look - the look which accompanied an almost audible "Why?" from the Dragon - he knew it could not fight any more.

The wounds to the neck and shoulder were enough. It lifted its weight, and moved away out of the village and onto the plains. Nobody followed it. The assembled warriors only looked on as the Thorntip half-flew, half-limped away over the grasslands. As it reached the ring of blackened grass where Dragonium had awoken, it collapsed, the wings and legs no longer functioning. It did not pull itself back up. It was dead.

Finally Dragonium was able to run to where Crag lay. He was only knocked out, it seemed, and his injuries were minimal. A bruise to the shoulder seemed to be the extent of the damage.

Once he had established Crag's condition, he was able to look around at the other warriors. The one who had first wounded the Dragon stood against the wall of the house opposite, occasionally looking up, but avoiding Dragonium's eyes. The monk stood taking notes.

Suddenly he noticed the other man, standing a short distance down the road, away from the fighting. The look on his face, a mask of disappointment and annoyance at the warriors' victory, told Dragonium one thing. His life was at this other man's expense. This other man had seen his chance when Crag fell, and yet had waited out of the line of fire.

This other man wanted them both dead.

[I Have a Sandwich]

No... it can't be. Singhin stood shocked in the same position he had been in for the past few moments, not allowing the emtion to spread to his face. The moment the Dragonium had pulled his helment it had struck him. The Circle... dammit... Of all the slayers he could have encountered, it had to be a member of the Slayers Circle. That means that the other man was one too. Of all the luck... Unlike the Guild, the Circle seemed to advertise themselves and their hunters. Meaning unless he took off now, any work within the next few hundred miles would be taken by them, and any job they take, thats one less job for him. Dammit.

He stared at the flaming houses and the scorched earth, flames bickering with each other over the ruins. Another strong wind blew through, fanning the waves of heat in his direction. That was an odd event to watch however, such massize property damage was uncommon for a member of the Circle, why had such destrcution occurred this time? Foolishness, thats why. Had he not wasted his time with the other man, that dragon should have been a simple kill. Another difference of the Guild, success comes first. Saving that man cost more property damage, more damage than he believed he would have allowed.

Of course, this was a thorntip, not rare, but to him it was one of the most useful species out there. Nearly every piece of carcass lying just over in the plains had a use he could find. His very satchel was made from the intestines of one of these beasts, and the grip on his blades hilt was many old layers of its flesh. Turning towards the dead beast, he loosened his grip on the hilt and began to leisurely stride towards it. Not too far from here was another city he passed on the way to this location, and in this area there's bound to be some form of work he could pick up.

The names of cities were never anything he considered worth memorizing. No matter where he is in a few days he'll be gone. He thought again of the men behind him. If he truly was a circle member, he would need to leave immediately. Wasting even the small amount of time with the beast is a loss. Things would have been even better off had he the thought to leave before the final blow was struck. He knew inside, the man wasn't going to die, that he had lost this price. But he stayed, a foolish thing to do.

[Moosetroop11]

Saint leapt effortlessly across the rocky ground, anxious to meet his appointment. In his dreams he had forseen a man on the mountain, battling with dragons and about to die. This man was important, Saint knew. It would certainly be a loss if he were killed so early in his life.

And there he was, the weary traveller. Haku was struggling up the mountain, clearly weary. Saint strode over to him, and caught his attention. "Greetings. How can I help?"

[coreystranick]

Crag awakens.
Knowing only know that the attack he only knocked him out. It has happened before, and there has always been another Slayer there to save him.

"It will not happen again!"

He stands up and looks around, Dragonium is still there looking at the damage dealt this time. He saw some other men, he knew not who they were. Nor did he wish to know who they were. He gathered his weapons once again. Said goodbye to Dragonium and gave hime thanks, and with that headed off to the village of Bjorn where another dragon was attacking.

"Seeing as Dragonium is not coming this time, I must not get knocked out, or it will be the end of my life for sure."

With the time that it took to defeat this dragon, the other must have caused alot of damage.

"But who knows it could be a friendly dragon. HAHA. Right"

[Dragonium]

Dragonium sighed and shook his head, removing the helmet and re-attaching it to his belt. The townsfolk began to come out of their houses and look around to examine events. Already merchants were leaving on their carts to be first to the corpse. It was sickening how after all this they only thought of themselves.

Some people were disgusting.

He noticed the man standing at the end of the road who had not moved. He was almost certainly a Guild man. Dragonium had known from the start, but the fact that this man would not move at all during the battle had told him for certain. Only a guild man would stand by and watch a Circle member fight for his life.

Anyway, they only think of themselves, he thought. Glory hunters and fools. What else can one expect from a group that accepts volunteers?

Now he had to choose a course of action. Of course, there was no point staying here, in Serradee. He would much rather go north, over the mountains, to Bjorn and beyond. But he did not trust this Guild man. What was he doing here?

Crag was going to Bjorn.

A thought came to him.

First, that the mounted man and the unarmed man had gone north, in the direction of the mountains. And where hunters went, there were Dragons.

And while he was mulling this over, something else struck him.

Crag had gone to Bjorn to slay a Dragon there. But Bjorn was a city of a good size, well-known throughout the world, and there were already two Circle men stationed there.

If they had fallen already, Crag was walking towards a lot of trouble.

Dragonium looked out onto the plains, where Crag was already a speck on the horizon.

He shot a glance to the Guild man, still not moving, then shouldered his sword and walked out onto the plains.

He never sprinted. No matter what danger he was in or how badly wounded he was in a battle, he never ran away. He always stood, stoic, and took whatever came.

But now was a good time to run.

He had to catch up to Crag before he reached Bjorn, or chances were he wouldn't have a chance to help him.

[Drace]

Into the local pub came Bowen, his sword cleaned and his sweat wiped of his forehead. A few people gave a quick gaze at Bowen, but that didn't last all too long.

"Over here Sir Bowen!" Brother Gilbert shouted, waving his hand at a nearby table filled with food.

"Is that feast for us, Brother?"

"Yes it is, Sir Bowen. It's already paid for, the same for the night at the inn. You have room six."

Gilbert hands Bowen the key and sits down.

"That was an excellent performance Sir Bowen. Though, it's a shame you couldn't finish him off."

"Those two, in the armor, they were from the Circle, weren't they?"

"Yes they were, I saw their emblem on their armor."

"I wonder what the Circle is doing in a village like this."

"They're probably just passing through on their way to Bjorn."

"Why Bjorn, Brother?"

"There have been rumours of a giant elder dragon terrorizing the area there."

"An elder... like Draco."

"Indeed, but from what I've heard it cannot speak the human tongue. Thus it's not Draco. I do, however, think we should check it out aswell."

"We will start our journey to Bjorn then. But after this feast and a good night's rest. Well, let's eat, Brother. You mind saying grace?"

"Of course not. I loved to say grace."

[coreystranick]

Crag stopped for a second and looked back towards the destruction, from what he could see people were starting to come out of houses. If they could savalge any eatable meat from that dragon it would last them a long time.

At first it looked as though someone were running to him, but he was not sure. He turned around and headed for the moutain range.

He thought to himself,"Why should it be that I was called to Bjorn? There are tow men there, could they need some help? I don't know alot about the men stationed there, they could just be rookies, younger then me. Or something is wrong."

From what he can remember, before the dragon attacked him, he saw a mna on a horse heading out towards the mountains. Was he heading to Bjorn? He was not sure, but no matter what Crag had to get there. There was a dragon to be dealt with. Crag always wondered when he would face that onix colored dragon again, and he just hoped that this is the one or he may not live threw another battle to ever face it.

[Emerates]

"Greetings!  How can I help?"
A strange man was smiling down at Haku, as he rested upon the mountain side.  "Um......  I don't really know what you mean, sir."
The strange man laughed. "Sir?  That's a new one."
"..... Would you like something to eat?  I've brought plenty of food with me, I could share some with you if you like."
"Certainly.  If you have any, I would like an apple," the strange man continued to smile as he sat down next to Haku.  Haku handed the man a large green apple, picked fresh from the apple tree in his yard.  The man surveyed the apple for a moment, wiped it off on his robe, then sunk his teeth into the skin and fruit of the apple.  As he chewed, Haku couldn't help but feel this man was somehow studying, testing him, for something.
"I am Haku," he said as he offered his hand for the man to shake.
"Saint.  Pleased to meet you, Haku," the man replied, as he shook Haku's hand with a firm grip and that same polite smile.

[Dragonium]

He couldn't carry on. Dragonium fell to his knees and struggled to catch his breath.

He had been running for ten minutes. Crag was not too far away. He could probably be heard if he shouted, but at the moment he didn't have the energy. He took a swig of his ale in the hip-flask, and was so exhausted that he swallowed it. It felt vile as it ran down his throat. That would no doubt make him very ill later, but at the moment he didn't have time to fall sick in the middle of the plains. There was business to attend to.

Slowly his energy came back, and he stood up. "Crag", he called, mustering all the breath he had, "Wait there. I'm coming with you". Crag stopped and waited for Dragonium to walk to him.

"I'm coming with you", he repeated. "I have a feeling you'll need help".

Crag smiled. "When you get a feeling, Drag, I know I'm in trouble".

"Well, I have supplies, and we're both adequately armed. We've handled big Dragons before, and we've survived. Let's get going before the hunter gets himself into a lot of trouble".

With that, the two set off up the mountain path, to whatever was waiting at the other side.

[Drace]

"Sir Bowen, I'm going for a walk outside."

"Sure thing, Brother Gilbert. I'm going to check on Rhiannón, she's probably lonely without me."

Brother Gilbert sat down outside on a grassy hill with a few trees. In the distance the sun was setting, sending off a beautifull red and purple glare to the sky.

"It's gonna be a beautifull sky again tonight. Shame we have to sleep early to get up early, caused I would've liked to enjoy it."

"It's beautifull indeed," a female voice behind Brother Gilbert says.

"Mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all, I enjoy company that know what beauty is."

Besides Brother Gilbert now sat a woman. She's young and good looking, somewhere around the twenty.  The two talk for a while till Brother Gilbert notices a wedding ring.

"You're married?"

"Yes, for a few years now. I know we're still young, but our love is real."

"And that is all what one really needs, true love."

"Yes. But I'm a bit worries. My husband has gone to hunt dragons, that is his job you see, to get us through once more. I have a bad feeling about it this time, like I'm not going to see him again."

"I see. Well my friend, Sir Bowen, is a dragonhunter himself. I could perhaps pursue him to check if your husband's safety. It's the least I could do for the pleasent company you gave me. Where is this place located? Where your husband went to?"

"You will? Oh I would be so gratefull if you could pursue your friend! He said he went to a cave filled with dragons, weak ones. He has done it before but I still fear it this time. The captain of the guards knows where this place is located."

"I will go with haste. Before I go, may I know your names?"

"Kiya. And his name is Haku. I'll be for ever gratefull if he comes home safe."

"Trust me, he will."

And with these final words, Brother Gilbert headed to the stables. He managed to pursue Bowen to check out the cave and gave the location he had gotten earlier from the captain of the guards and Bowen jumped on Rhiannón and rode out.

[Dragonium]

An hour or two later, Dragonium and Crag stopped walking.

They had made good progress, having climbed half-way up the mountain path. It had become significantly steeper, and finally the two had given up and established a makeshift camp on a plateau which looked eastward, out onto the plains and the wide river which ran past Bjorn. It was a rapid river, impossible to cross, so going over the mountains like this was the only option.

It was a good vantage point, and they were both expert Slayers. They'd be able to see any Dragons coming a mile off from here.

It was getting dark. Dragonium gathered some fallen brush, dried out from sun exposure, and was able to make a small, but nevertheless acceptable fire. Crag took a provision of dried meat from his satchel, and began preparing it to an edible state.

Once the meal was done, and both sat around their fire enjoying a scant bite of meat, Crag spoke.

"Drag, do we have a plan? For the long term?"

"Well", began Dragonium through a mouthful of food, "First we go north over the mountains, and check that those two haven't got themselves eaten. Then we bear northeast to Bjorn, and find that Dragon. If we're both still alive and well, we'll go northwest to Aravale".

"And when we get there?"

"I can't think that far ahead. It's getting dark fast. We ought to get settled down for the night". He finished his meal and stood up. "I'll take the first watch".

[Moosetroop11]

Saint sat down next to the small fire Haku had made to fight away the darkness. They were near the summit.

"So, you wish to fight the Wyrms on the top of the mountain?"
"Yes" Haku replied, a little surprised. But then again, with his gear and the way he walked he had made it no secret.
"I wonder if these are worthy of your attention" Saint postured. "You know the town of Bjorn?"
"I do."
"It's currently home to a very large, old Wyrm. And your comrades will be there fighting it. It is only right that we meet them in battle."
"My... comrades? I don't know what you mean, but I have a contract to kill the infestation on this mountain, and I intend to honour it."
Saint angered quicky. This stupid hunter didn't understand at all. He didn't know. He didn't know anything. Saint was in two minds- he wanted to unsheath his knife immediately and rid himself of this confused man. But he composed himself. He had done very well to provide a front so far, and he wasn't about to fail now. "They are just children" He said softly. "Surely you would not rob them of their lives so early?"
Haku did not hear. He was already dozing off. Saint glanced back down the mountain and smiled. The warriors were coming too. Perhaps all was not lost.

[I Have a Sandwich]

Singhin followed behind the others, but not by choice. Over this ridge was the only way to his destination. Just another nameless town. He should have left earlier, nt wasting his time with the corpse of that beast. Judging by the way these men were climbing he'd figured had he left earlier he would have a one, maybe two hour lead. Thats all it took to destroy a wyrm.

Setting up camp. Thank the lord. Now finally he could gain some lead. Claearing the summit was neccessary if he wanted to hve any hope of claiming this hunt. But then there was the villagers themselves.They had been plauged by the current beast for many years, and no doubt had spent much money to buy high hopes from the hunters. Clearly though, none had succeeded. The beast lived.

Unlike the Circle, very few were familiar with the Guild, and unlike the Circle, they can't sell a slayer on the name. He continued to trudge upward, taking a round but nevertheless upward climb. Staying away from the others was a matter of importance. If he was to continue in a straight, no doubt they would realize his intentions, and try to beat him to the edge.

He stepped on a bed of loose rocks, his foot slipping out from underneath him, tossing him into the angled side of the mountain. ****. He laid motionless, cringing as the rocks rolled down the edge of the peak. He was far enough away he didn't believe that they would have heard him, but two hunters were ahead of him. Dammit. He waited a few moments, slowly lifting himself up off the rocks. He wiped dirt off his face, feeling the blood flowing from a minor gash sustained from the fall. Even a hunter is still human.

Continuing onward, he pulled a smaller bag out of his satchel, made from the same material as its larger parent. Pulling apart the top against the will of its leather drawstring, he dipped his fore and middle fingers into the bag. A ground mixture of plants and minerals clung to his fingers as he rubed the mixture on the wound. Now healing would begin quicker. And wound is a sign of weakness, and he needed to be ready to take the offer for the beast.

[Dragonium]

Sitting upon the edge of the narrow trail, letting his feet dangle over the edge of the plateau, Dragonium had had a few thoughts.

Firstly, that the Guild man would have to come through this way at some point. He had learned enough as a Slayer to observe the alternative routes to a destination, and the only paths converged here. He had offered to take the first watch, certainly, but he knew in his mind that he'd offer to take the second watch. And the third. And every watch after that. Because there would be a Guild man coming through their camp. And he had to protect them both from whatever happened.

He looked back at Crag, already asleep, or putting on a good act. He was 300 years old, roughly. Dragonium chuckled, the words coming into his head - "Crag is old enough to protect himself". Well, that was certainly true.

Dragonium could lie to Crag, tell him that he "couldn't think that far ahead", but after they got to Aravale, he did not know where they would go, or what they would do.

That was if they were alive to do anything.

He shivered as a chill breeze blew across the platform, and reched for his sword. He'd very much like to keep it close to hand.

Somewhere in the distance he thought he heard a clattering of stones, a scrambling upon the scree. Someone was coming this way. Soon enough he'd realise he had to double-back on himself, to follow the main path up the side of the mountain. And then he'd be in the camp.

Dragonium stood up and let his sword hang at his side. Whatever happened, he'd be ready.

Just like always.