Shattered Lines: The Expansion IC

[Pockets]

Joc

It didn't take long to get the group mounted, for those that would ride. Even Mithnal agreed to take a horse even though he knew from experience that her strength and conditioning would have allowed her to keep up without the beasts aid. Perhaps more had changed over the decades since he had last seen her than he had thought?

He dismissed such concerns. It wasn't the time to worry about what couldn't be changed. He eyed everyone, making sure the humans and other creatures were properly mounted. The Rune Golem would mostly likely run beside the Kin and as he glanced over he realized that yes, the metal creation had declined a horse, if even there were a creature capable of bearing his weight. Even though Cog was shorter than any of the Kin, Joc briefly wondered if he might weigh more than they. Metal did tend to be heavier than bone and muscle, even Draconic bone and muscle.

A half a dozen soldiers joined them, despite Joc insisting they wouldn't be needed. They were all of High Elf descent, obviously assigned by Gareth. Interfering old coot that the Elf was Joc couldn't entirely fault him. As the High Priest of the Church Gareth was in a position to be privy to more information than most in the world and as such he knew better than anyone just how important the Brush Strokes could be. Or how terrible they could be.

The guards were there to protect them, or to protect the world from them, should the situation arise.

Joc raised one hand and all eyes turned to him. He paused for a moment before he dropped the arm in a sharp chopping motion. The signal known by all soldiers within the Fists. The sign for 'Move out'.

----------

Mithnal

The landscape outside the Church was a startling counterpoint to the beauty of the city itself. The continent of Aegean was a barren rocky wasteland. Short, tough scrub brush was all that grew in the rocky soil and the only animal life consisted of scorpions, crabs when one got closer to the ocean, snakes and the occasional herd of mountain goats. No one was quite sure how they got there being as there were no mountains really on Aegean.

In the bright moonlight the land all around looked devoid of any life. Cold, dead, barren. The only thing to break up the monotony of the land around them was the ocasional rock jutting up from the ground, some reaching hundreds of feet in height and the very road that they traveled on.

Next to the ground around them the road was a thing of beauty. Pearly white, almost luminescent in color it seemed to glow brightly under the light of the moon. A pattern, almost like scales was etched into it and the horses hooves clacked loudly as they clopped across it. The Scale Road traveled the width of Aegean from the Church all the way to Lord Aegis himself and it's existence was precisely why the Church of Light had been built where it was. The road predated every artificial structure on the whole of the continent and as they traveled heading North West from the city it could be seen like a widening glowing ribbon extending off into the night before them.

Far to the west was darkness. The Dark Lands, as she knew the area to be called. A section of Aegean had been blackened long before even the barriers were erected when a Tyrant and his army had sought to destry Aegis. The Great Dragon had used the vast power at his command to sear the land and to this day nothing grew or lived there at all, making the rest of the land seem like a lush and fertile paradise in comparison. Black shadows had clung to the land, even on a clear day that no amount of magic had been able to penetrate.

It was hours now into their trip, and there were hours yet to go before they would arrive and Mithanl was beginning to become exceedingly bored.

"What is that?"

Jasons oice startled her slightly and she almost jumped in her saddle but was able to suppress the instinct. Joc would never had let her live it down. She turned to face him to find that he was staring off to his right, eyes glowing brightly and even more gray filling in his hair. He had almost completely changed and she felt, somehow, that she should probably talk to him about the changes that he didn't even seem to be aware of yet but shelved the thought at the back of her mind to revisit at a later time.

"What is what?" she asked and followed his gaze. She saw nothing to the side of the road, nor further out into the surrounding land to indicate what had caught his attention.

He lifted his arm and pointed, fingers seeming longer and more delicate than they had before but no less scared or tattooed for it, off to the side. "There," he said. "About a hundred yards that way there's something glowing out there." She looked again but saw no glow, nothing to indicate what he meant. A thought occured to her and she glanced again at the glowing silver in his eyes and the gray of his hair.

"Is this item you see made out of metal?" she asked.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Yeah I think so. It looks like it might be a large axe of some kind. A battle axe?"

"That is the correct term." She straightened more in her saddle and looked ahead to where Joc and JD lead the group. Keldarious took up the rear as the Kin were physically the strongest of the group and made excellent fore and rear guards for any traveling party. "Joc," she called. "Jason here has seen something to our right. Would that be what I think it is?" she asked.

Joc looked back and then out to where Jason was still pointing. "I don't see anything but if he says he can see metal out there I'll take his word for it." Kin hearing was rather sensitive and neither Mithnal nor Jason had kept their voices low. In the open air their conversation had carried clearly to him and he understood as Mithnal did the changes that were taking place in the soon to be Wild Elf. "I can only imagine it is what you think. The Tyrix are out there."

Mithnal nodded and turned back to Jason. "What he said. The Tyrix are out there," she said as if that explained everything and removed all reason for any concern. It did little to reassure Jason however who continued to stare until the gleaming aura around the metal faded from his sight.

"What the fuck is a Tyrix," he muttered.

[Mr Odin]

His breath had never left him and thinking back on it JD was sure that despite the effort he exerted during the training session with Joc he had not even broken into a second wind. As he rose from his sitting position against the arena’s wall he smiled thinking about the abilities he was slowly coming to know. He wondered if what his human mind had thought was a beast that now resided in him was something more than that, something that was becoming a unified whole, each half tempering the other. He adjusted the tunics and mail that rested against his scales. JD made a point of noting the weaknesses that were explained to him, thinking he would have to alter some of his technique. Joc had made a comment about him having fighting experience and JD nodded his head, a faraway look entering his eyes for the briefest of seconds.

The metal door crashed in violently with a twisting metallic shriek as the breaching charges obliterated the doorframe in a shower of mud and stone. The home was suddenly flooded with blinding LED light that poured in from flashlights attached alongside gun barrels. Deafening noise echoed in the wake of the blast as Marines piled into the structure, muzzles first shouting at the top of their lungs for anybody and everybody to get down. They peeled off one by one entering the structure. The number one and two men digging the corners of the entry room the number three man pressing through into the main room. As Sgt Maddox entered with his squad as gunshots echoed from the main room, the walls of the room being lit by the double orange flash from an M4 that indicated a controlled pair into a target, the follow up shout came from the Marine that fired. “One down! Pushing!” Sgt Maddox knew his lead man was moving into the next room and he moved from the entry out of that fatal funnel and into the room to cover his lead Marine.

It was what westerns would call a living room, a woman and two small children were huddled on the ground in one corner covering their ears and shouting. A body lay against a wall, AK-47 fallen beside its limp arm, a small streak of blood tracking down from where the man tumbled back and slumped against the wall. Maddox looked back at the Marine that followed him taking his left, none firing, hand from his rifle, pointing to his eyes with his index and ring finger and then pointing to the woman and children shouting back at the Marine, “Cover her! If she moves light her the fuck up!” Two weeks ago they had been conducting a similar raid and the woman of the house had held a grenade until the Marines had past, killing two Marines once everything had gone quiet.

Sgt Maddox pressed into the next room, a kitchen with stairs leading up. His lead Marine was already pressing up the stairs, two more Marines that had followed Maddox in were pushing to cover their ascending buddy. Maddox barreled into the kitchen and saw the flash of gunfire as he turned the corner. Knowing, in that fraction of a millisecond, that if he gave ground he could be trapped in that entry way he pressed on towards the shooter. The enemy’s rounds smacked into the plaster around the door frame, the panicked shots from the hip missing wide and left. JD was shooting from the shoulder, JD was one of the best shots in the company, JD, while bombarded by adrenaline and breathing hard, was not panicked, and JD did not miss. The brilliant explosion of muzzle flash cast the shadowy silhouette into sharp relief, a young man with an RPK. Two rounds impacted hard into his chest, the last punched into his face just under his left eye, three 5.56mm casings tumbled through the air away from JD’s M4 and towards the ground. JD advanced on the body keeping his eyes on the target while another Marine entered the kitchen, his M249 barking off two quick bursts of automatic fire that stitched a line across the chest of a man JD had missed in an alcove. In the back of his mind JD knew the Marine had saved his life but his attention did not divert to from the target until he could confirm it was down.

The raid had taken 46 seconds, had netted nearly 300 pounds of IED components, and had resulted in six known Taliban fighters dead. As JD and his Marines finished calling in the after action and were stepping off he could not ignore the violent, sobbing shouts of the woman they had left shocked and terrified but unharmed. If any man in her family was not a Taliban fighter already they would be once they heard about this.

JD blinked and came to at the sound of approaching horses. “Yeah, not exactly a cherished hobby but I’ve had a lot of practice. Seems the world is only making me better as times go on instead of just letting me get old and relax.” JD was clearly commenting to Joc on the natural factors that seemed to lead to kin being more apt to combative natures than anything else. It was hard to tell if his tone embodied a subtle happiness or a growing reluctance but before anything more could come of it he moved on towards the approaching vanguard of troops. As everyone approached he walked out and around the group, coming up on the left side of the horse that the woman addressing Joc had just dismounted. A brute of a draft, the horse was massive and if JD had been human he had the idea that it would have been even more impressive. When he had been growing up JD had ridden a number of draft crosses when he fox hunted and this horse looked as if it would have been magnificent. He walked around to the front of the horse, noticing how its left ear had tracked him the entire time he walked until it could catch JD in its eyes. He stood looking at the animal but not making a move to touch someone else’s horse, especially one that may be trained to resist the advances of anyone but its rider, as many war mounts are. “Your impressive buddy.” He said as the horses ears flicked forward. Too bad, I think I am a bit big even for you. JD stepped back away from the horse and watched as the pair of human women that were a part of this group mounted up, one much steadier in the saddle than the other. To her credit the one with the skill began instructing the other and soon it seemed neither would be in danger of tumbling to the ground.

As everyone began moving off JD took a spot at the front of the column at Joc’s insistence. Joc had told him that he would be able to keep pace with the column on foot now that he was a kin and JD knew, instinctual on a level he would have once called his gut, that Joc was telling it true. Moving through the urban areas it was easy enough for JD to keep pace by lengthening his strides a bit. As the streets opened to a road the Joc called the Scale Road the pace picked up and JD matched Joc’s which kept them in the lead of the horses.

The run revitalized him, as a human JD had loved running and this was one thing that did not fill him with trepidation when it came to his kin abilities. His feet hammered along the ground and his legs carried him without significant fatigue. His lungs filled with air that almost tasted sweet to him now as he huffed out the excess in deep long exhalations. JD wondered what his old marathon times would have looked like if he had had this kind of ability during the races. This thought gave him the idea to test just what these abilities were when it came to running and endurance. He spent some of his time farther ahead but within sight of the column. At times he would take off a bit, testing the limit of his new endurance before falling back to the group. Other times he would run closer to the rocks and pillars of stone that they came upon on their journey. He would test the limits of his agility here, getting used to not only his new form, mass, and center of gravity but the gripping power of his hands and feet on the stones and getting a feel for the weight of his clothing, weapons, and mail as he moved. He felt how the heavy hammer on his back slowed his ability to rise up from a crouch ever so slightly, an important discovery. He also found the limits of the power of his grip as he moved along some of the lower ground stones before coming back to the column.

JD returned as Joc and Mithnal were having a conversation concerning a word he did not recognize. Tyrix. He fell in to the pace that Joc was keeping along the column and cast his glance out in the direction he had been looking. JD could see nothing of consequence out there and focused his eyes back on the road ahead. “So what are the Tyrix? Is it something we should worry about?”

[Pockets]

Joc

“So what are the Tyrix? Is it something we should worry about?”

Joc turned his head as he ran next to JD and considered his question. "Well, yes and no, to be honest." He was silent for a moment, listening to the even sound of their breathing and the rhythmic slapping of their feet against the road as they ran. His eyes scanned the terrain around them and he began to notice where they were, easily keeping pace with the Kin and their mounted companions. Five of them, out in the darkness. They blended into the terrain seamlessly.

"They live out here," he said. He kept his voice raised slightly so the others could hear him as he spoke to JD. He glanced back for just a moment and Noticed Jason's eyes regarding him seriously, a thoughtful expression on the extremely youthful face. Jason Keln, JD Maddox, those two would have perhaps the most difficult time with their new position in the world than the others. They were once human, and had a human mindset making them both adults in their own eyes and minds. But the races they had and were becoming lived for much much longer than a human lifespan. They were barely infants to the eyes of the races they now belonged to and would find themselves in a difficult situation in trying to express themselves as respected adults amongst their new peers.

He pushed the thought aside and continued. "There are only five of them. A family group that bonded themselves to Lord Aegis eon's ago. The rest of their race died out in a calamity that only affected them. A disease that ravaged through their race like flames through dry brush and left even the most powerful of them so weak that he was killed by an unarmed human of advanced years. Their purpose is to Guard Aegis, to prevent anyone that would wish him harm."

"How could anyone possibly hurt this Aegis though?" Jason interrupted. He moved his horse up closer to the two of them to be more involved with the conversation. "He's a dragon right? How could anyone hurt something like that."

"He is not a Dragon," Joc corrected. "He is the dragon. The only creature on the whole of the planet that can truly be considered a Dragon. We Dragon Kin are only called so because of a superficial physical similarity to Lord Aegis. And we are not the only race known as Kin. There are also Wolf and Tiger Kin out there in the world. But to answer your question there are two things that could harm Lord Aegis. A spell of extreme power, which would also require a large number of Mages or Wizards to simultaneously cast it. They would need to be very close however and to get that close they would need an army to protect them from the Fists of Light. And after the Fists they would need protection from the Tyrix."

"The second thing that could harm him would be someone stealing a small amount of his blood."

Jason blinked. "His blood? I don't understand."

"Blood is powerful. Every creature in the whole of existence has it moving throughout their bodies. Blood is the one thing that all living creatures have in common and therefor blood magic is the most powerful, and most feared of all branches of magic. Even a few drops of his blood could be used to power a spell that could kill him from anywhere in the world. As such the Tyrix guard Lord Aegis' body in order to prevent the possibility of a single person slipping through the guards that surround him and stealing some of his blood."

"But then why would they be out here guarding the road? Shouldn't they be guarding him?"

Joc turned his head around on his neck, much like an owl and looked back at Jason. "They are guarding Lord Aegis. This road, the Scale Road, is Lord Aegis' tail."

----------

Jason

He blinked and glanced down at the road beneath them and the scale pattern that appeared etched into its hard surface. His tail? he thought. "We're riding and walking on a living creatures tail!" he practically shrieked in his surprise.

Joc stopped running and signaled for the rest of the group to follow suit and turned to Jason. "Yes, this is Lord Aegis' tail and that is why he needs guards."

Jason stared, wide eyed and with his mouth gaping open in astonishment at the blue Kin. "B-b-but," he sputtered. "If he's so large what does he eat? How could five creatures possibly guard him?" He fell quiet for a moment and took a deep steadying breath. "I don't understand. Magic. Dragons. Kin. This is all rather a lot to take in."

Joc stepped closer and placed one massive paw on Jason's arm. "I understand. Let me give you an analogy to try to explain. Say, for example this horse is Lord Aegis," he indicated the large roan that Jason rode. "In comparison to something like a mosquito, this horse is a truly gargantuan creature. How could something as small as a mosquito possibly harm him. Right?" Jason nodded mutely.

"Think of this though. A mosquito, carrying a rare disease feeds from the horse, where it cannot reach by flicking its ears or tail. It drinks of the horses blood and the horse contracts the illness which will slowly and painfully kill it. Now if that horse had a small flock of birds patrolling around it at all times, they could eat the mosquito's and protect him from a tiny bite, something he wouldn't even really notice, but could still kill him in the end."

"So you would compare us now to Birds, Joc? Have the Tyrix been so lowered in your eyes?" a new voice cut in. It boomed out over them like a wave, huge and powerful. While Joc had been talking they had appeared. Five of them seeming to melt out of the ground as if they had swum beneath it. Each was fifteen feet tall, their skin was rough and looked like pebbles over textured leather in a mixture of grays, browns and greens. They had not come from beneath the earth. They were simply skilled at concealing themselves.

As the leader, no standing on the road ahead of them stepped forward the massive muscles beneath his skin bulged and rippled, power and strength pouring off of him so strongly it was nearly visible in the night air around him. A massive battle axe hung from a leather loop at his belt sized to fit the gigantic hands.

Jasons eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he took in the creature. "Tyrix?" he gasped. "That is not a Tyrix. That's a fucking Tyrannosaurus Rex!"

[Pascal]

Deidre

One would suppose that after hours of riding a horse, Deidre would become comfortable on the beast. However, that was far from the case. Deidre was still terrified. So far they had been walking, but should the need to run arise, Deidre was sure that she would sooner fall off of the creature and try to hide somewhere. Looking at the foreign landscape as they passed didn’t help either. She felt completely out of place, surrounded by strange creatures and plants. Deidre had nothing to call safe and familiar, except for Jackie, and her friend seemed to be quite lost in her thoughts. Deidre wished that she had voiced her concerns more before getting on the horse. She wished that she had found some way to not be on one at all.

The nervous girl paid little attention to the others. They were not human, that was enough for her. They all obviously seemed to have better command of the horses than her as well. She tried to imagine she was just on a bumpy car ride, but cars weren’t this slow, or smelly, or nauseating. Was it possible to get motion-sick from on top of a horse? Deidre would have tried to get closer to Jackie to ask her friend, but just making sure that the creature followed the rest of the horses was a chore for her; she didn’t dare try to actually direct the horse in some way.

Of course, the horse would have been quite accepting of Deidre taking control, but the mare could sense Deidre’s fear and anxiety. This, in turn, made the horse scared and anxious, and intensified Deidre’s fear. The rest of the party was either unaware or unconcerned by Deidre though, and they trekked for hours in relative silence. “Why couldn’t we just take one of those gem things to Aegis?” She asked. Deidre wasn’t trying to whine, her discomfort with the animal was clearly what initiated the question. The question wasn’t posed to anyone in particular, though, as she didn’t know the names of most of her traveling companions. Joc was in the front of the group, with the kin who had been human, JD. Sil’Vex wasn’t very close to her either, and she was curious if she had done something to offend, or if Jackie had possibly steered in her another direction.

A while into the trip, Jason spoke up, and the topic of a battle axe came up. Deidre saw nothing in the direction he pointed, but shifted even more nervously (if that was even possible) in the saddle. If she had been on foot, Deidre would not have been as scared. Perhaps that was not the reaction that most would have. They would be delighted to have a potentially quick get-a-way when there was something that might have been dangerous coming their way. However, Deidre felt like she was carrying a live grenade with a missing pin. The smallest actions could send the horse into a frenzy, and Deidre had no idea what the triggers were. Deidre managed to stay on the horse, only just barely, and tried in vain to move up a bit closer to the conversation.

At the mention of blood being one way that Aegis could be harmed, Deidre looked to Sil’Vex, and she was far from the only one to do so. She remembered the blood rose that he had made before, but he certainly had not seemed to be filled with any ill intent. Deidre wondered if the Tyrix were coming for him, to ensure that he did not get close enough to the Dragon to harm him. Joc soon stopped the horses and pulled them around to help explain it all to Jason, and to Deidre and Jackie who were thinking the same questions. Somehow Deidre’s horse managed to stop, though she still wasn’t sure how the horse had known. Did horses follow the actions of others naturally?

Before Deidre could figure out the answers to her own questions, a deep and powerful voice thundered. At least, it thundered compared to the conversation that was taking place just before. Deidre turned to the sound and didn’t even register the words before she squealed and pulled hard on the reins. The horse decided that there must have been some sort of danger, and stood up quickly on its hind legs as Deidre pulled. Unfortunately, the girl had no way to control or compensate for her panic, and she let go of the reins and tumbled off of the horse.


~~
Jackie

The walk was peaceful for the first few hours. Jackie watched JD testing out his strength. She wanted to test out her horse, to see what the horse was capable of. At the same time, Jackie knew that she had to keep an eye on Deidre. Usually Deidre was the one taking care of her, holding her hair back after she had too much to drink, or cleaning up her laundry, or making sure that she took a shower before work. Jackie smiled at the memories. At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder if Deidre had felt as…obligated to help her as she did to help Deidre now. Jackie wanted to run with the horse, but she owed it to Deidre to help protect her, right?

After a few hours, even Jackie was anxious. The handsome motor-boy she had flirted with was losing his humanity. Either he was becoming something…inhuman, or he had a very unlikely case of premature graying. Jackie couldn’t see his eyes as he was a bit ahead of her, but she would have found the new cold gaze a bit unnerving. That left three humans in her mind. The mechanic who had panicked when they first arrived because the short one was trying to take off is pants, herself, and Deidre. Were they all destined to become strange creatures? Jackie looked down at her hands. She certainly didn’t feel any different. Deidre looked much less comfortable than usual, but Jackie believed that was just because of the horse. Her ears were not pointed, her hair was still brown, and she did not seem to have any scales…Perhaps they were both in the clear.

The commotion about the Tyrix bothered Jackie, but largely for the fact that the supposed hunters could not see this potential threat. Well, the fact that they had said that the Tryix might have been dangerous didn’t help either. And…well the idea of walking on the tail of a creature certainly was not a comforting thought either. The more Jackie thought about it, the worse she felt about the situation. Why was she here? This was terrifying. Jackie wanted more than anything in that moment to go back to her mundane job, spending time with friends, and being oblivious to this entire world. Of course, the world as she knew it simply didn’t exist anymore. It was being torn apart. And according to Joc, they would have been dead if they stayed. No, being dead was a far less pleasing option than walking on a Dragon’s tail with creatures from fantasy by her side, with her companions gradually losing their humanity, and infamous guards watching them from a distance….Well maybe not far less pleasing, but it certainly wasn’t a question of which of those two positions Jackie would rather hold.

The Tyrix appeared, and a voice in the back of Jackie’s mind said the same thing as Jason. First it was a dragon, then it was creepy blood-colored elves, then some robot thing, and just when she resigned herself to the fact that she was not on some sort of acid trip, here was a dinosaur. The dinosaur was speaking, but Jackie only heard a few words before the sound of a horse panicked drew her attention away from the leader. Deidre was on the ground, and her horse was running off, rider-less. Jackie moved quickly to her friend. “Deedee, are you alright?” She asked. Deidre managed a small nod, and Jackie could see that there were no wounds.

Her eyes scanned the surrounding area, following the path that the horse had taken. She then turned her horse sharply and kicked her heels into the creature’s side. She probably should have stayed longer to check on her friend, but Jackie was itching to ride, to really ride the horse. They practically flew, Jackie’s experience as a rider shining through as she caught up to the panicked horse and brought her horse alongside it. Jackie reached out and took the other horse’s reins, pulling them both as she slowed them down. Jackie was now a bit of a distance away from the others, but took a few moments to calm Deidre’s horse before trotting them both back to the group. She climbed off of her mount and held both sets of reins as she approached Deidre once more. Her friend was standing now, but obviously shaken by what had happened.

[Mr Odin]

*** Cog***

Back at the Lantern Ring Cog had moved off to an area that the dragon kin had left alone for the most part. Here the straw dummies all held wooden shields and swords, mock pikes and spears, and each dummy was attached to a clockwork base of gears and pegs that disappeared into small brass lined channels that cut across the dirt in a complex pattern. In the lamplight Cog saw an orc sitting in a chair off against the wall, some type of complex glasses were low on his bulbous nose, a tool in his right hand, and a set of interlocking gears in his left. He worked the tool into the gears, twisting and turning, muttering quiet curses as his eyes narrowed through the glasses. Cog walked over towards the orc, the flickering light of the lantern ring casting a fiery glow over the brass plates of his body. The orc ignored Cog upon his arrival beside him, consumed as he was by the interplay of the gears in his hand. Some were moving others were not and this seemed to trouble the orc greatly, a deep furrow creasing into his brow. Cog stood and watched the orc work for a moment but was soon beginning to lose patience with the waiting; the sounds of the kin training across the ring were kindling a desire in Cog to participate.

“Excuse me, Sir? What is this part of the ring?” Cog asked politely.

A grumpy huff answered him at first before the orc placed the gear assembly and tool in his lap and turned to what he was expecting to be a human in armor. The sharp intake of breath was a signal to all that the orc was surprised to find no such human standing there. He jumped up quickly the orb of gears flying from his lap and sailing to the sand covered ground five feet away. Taking a step back the orc adjusted his comical looking spectacles and rubbed his thick hands together. “Ur’lag must have sent you, how brilliant…” The orc began pacing around Cog, craning his head like a bird interested in a bug. “…how he crafted such a complex voice emitter is a mystery to me.” The orc came back to the front of Cog.

“A bit small for Ur’lag’s latest creation I would say, most of his golems are brutish things.” The orc with no regard that Cog was actually a “person” so to speak and not a golem pushed his face closer to the joints of Cogs body, peering into the inner workings under the brass plates. The orc tapped a clawed finger to his chin and the puzzlement was visible on his face. He made a tsking noise under his breath before rising back up and looking into Cogs face.

“This work seems far too complex for Ur’lag, perhaps more complex than any golem I have created.” The orc stared at the brass facial features of cog for a long minute and Cog was growing uncomfortable with the inspection. Just as Cog was about to say something the orc took a step back and attempted to command him. “Creation…” he said in an authoritative voice “…raise your left arm; I would have a closer look at your shoulder mechanism.” The orc approached expecting Cog to lift his arm; instead he held it out, stopping the orc with a hand on his shoulder. Cog’s facial expression glowered as much as the brass plating of his face would allow.

“No, now I asked you a question. What is the purpose to these contraptions in this ring?”

The orc tumbled back sputtering as a lively exchange began between Cog and the orc, centering on the fundamental question from the orc, what are you, and the confused reply from Cog of, I don’t know. This exchange continued throughout the time the kin were practicing and by the time the horses arrived and everyone was planning to be off Cog and the orc had gotten no farther in their discussion. Cog shook his head, disappointed at not getting the opportunity to train and turned to walk away.

“You must know what you are! You are a machine you must know your purpose, your designation!” The orc called after him. Cog remembered what the King said back at the church proper and looked over his shoulder before exiting the Lantern Ring.

“A stroke is apparently what I am.”

After refusing a horse, he remembered how much the stone surfaces in Italy had cracked and crumbled when exposed to his weight, making their way out into the countryside had been a relief to Cog. The stares and inquires by people were getting frustrating, with all the fantastic things going on he had never guessed that he would have been such a point of interest for so many. That blasted orc from the Lantern Ring must have ran and told his friends because it seemed every orc in the city was marveling at him. Once they left the city though the gawking stopped.

His legs kept him moving at a steady pace, heavy footfalls and rhythmic motion keeping him alongside Joc and JD. At times JD would go off and seemed to be testing himself, enjoying himself almost as a child did and Cog could understand that, after all he had just become a kin, Cog assumed that normal kin had had many decades to become accustomed to what JD was experiencing. Once and while during their trek Cog would fall back and observe the surroundings and once when he slowed up the human named Jason had passed him. When the rider and horse past, Cog had the strangest of feelings, the runes inscribed on his brass skin seemed warmer, and there was an undeniable heat that suffused his body and grew. Cog noticed that the human’s appearance was changing as well. Cog backed a distance away from Jason and circled around wide the next time he returned to the front of the column, avoiding the sensation of being close to him. For now Cog filed it away, it did not seem the subject to bring up while moving down…

“They are guarding Lord Aegis. This road, the Scale Road, is Lord Aegis' tail."

“His tail?” Cog shouted out “Does it not bother him that we are stomping along down his tail?” Cog moved off the scale road and continued his run there before Joc signaled them all to stop. As Joc explained his mosquito metaphor it did make Cog realize how insignificant their presence may be, even though he himself had, for obvious reason, not been bitten by mosquitoes. As that thought was stewing inside Cog’s head a voice boomed out around them and Cog practically stumbled backwards at the sight of the Tyrix.

Cog took a wary step back; the creatures were massive and looked to be powerful enough to shred their party to ribbons of flesh and steel. He had thought he had heard Joc explaining their purpose and intent but right now, even the with the his brass hand loosening the blade in its scabbard, Cog felt he understood what a mosquito must feel like upon coming face to face with a bird.

“These are friends of yours… right Joc” The trepidation was apparent

*** JD***

JD listened thoughtfully as the concept of Aegis was explained. For some reason the explanation seemed to make sense to him, more so than anything else had recently. As the troupe came to a halt and Joc continued explaining the concept of Aegis, his protectors, and his vulnerabilities, JD knelt down to the road. The tunics pooled around him and with his free hand, the other held the massive hammer, he tapped one of the scales in the road, the impact of the small claw on his fingertip leaving no mark along the scale, just as the horses iron shod hooves, Cogs heavy metal footfalls, or the kin’s clawed feet had left no track all along their path down this... tail. Standing JD spoke after a break in the conversation arose. “I am guessing it takes a mosquito with a pretty sharp bite to get through this.” He said tapping his foot on the scale road.

Shortly after his question he heard a deep bass of a voice fill the air around them and before JD could register anything five creatures he could only assume were the Tyrix were all about the column. Oh they were good JD thought, this would be fun. His hand gripped tighter around the hammers haft, the beast inside of him wanted to fight these things. Despite their stealth, their size, and obvious physical prowess, not to mention the massive axes on their backs, something inside JD still wanted to go at them. The urge to swing the first blow was powerful, it boiled just under the surface in him and even though the calm mental faculties of a practiced solider told JD he would lose, he still wanted to go at it. On another, conflicting level, he knew it was wrong, knew that not only should he not be the one to provoke the fight but it would just end up seeing him and others dead. Still the urge was difficult to control, why it was so difficult was a mystery to him. JD was squared off with one of the creatures, not the one that had spoken, and was looking up at its face, it was nearly twice his height but something in him wanted to lash out at it, hungered for the fight that would bring. It was a belligerent and temperamental feeling, there was nothing rational about it, he wanted to fight for the sake of fighting and nothing else.

A cry of panic shook the thoughts from his mind, the shout was human and that seemed to rein in whatever was trembling just beneath the surface, looking for a fight. JD turned and saw that one of the human women had taken a fall from a panicked horse, why that horse had panicked when others hadn’t could only mean that what little, if any, riding experience she had, had not prepared her for riding amongst Tyrix. JD doubted many of the people brought here had experience enough for that. The hammer he so eagerly had wanted to crush bone with was dropped to the road with a heavy crash as he moved towards the riders of the column. The green kin covered the distance in six steps and came to a halt in front of Deidre before kneeling down as the horse galloped away from the road.

“Are you alright?” He asked and she nodded in much the same manner as she had to Jackie. JD let her stand on her own but towered over her as the horse was brought back by her friend, the other human woman, Jackie. JD took the reins of Deidre’s horse and walked it slowly in a small circle for a moment, the horse was apparently used to kin and that was good but the kind calming words JD spoke seemed to do more to relax the horse after the bolt and chase. JD patted the horse’s neck and gently worked his claws to scratch under the curve of its jaw, the horse pushed against the claws in an effort to scratch more but JD pushed the mare’s head away with the flat of his palm, trying not to encourage too much bad behavior. Before long had passed JD lead the horse back over to Deidre looking over his shoulder at Joc and Cog still at the front of the column. Seeing that they were still there and chaos had not erupted he turned his attention back to Deidre.

“I think if those things were hungry they may have tried to eat us already. So we might be safe” He said as jokingly as he could. Though the appearance of the creatures had shocked him, his metamorphosis into a kin had unlocked some kind of deep mental acceptance of the fantastical things that had come to pass. It was a part of him that constantly told him that this was all normal, so it seemed he could more easily come to terms with the giant dinosaur like creatures ahead of them and all the other things that had come to pass.

“Either way, friend or foe, I imagine we will be moving again soon so you’re going to have to get back in the saddle.” He offered a massive hand and arm, one that could probably lift her easily enough if she needed it, or just serve as a sort of mounting block.

“The mare was just scared because the reins were yanked hard when you saw the Tyrix, perfectly understandable. Once you are up again, I’ll lead her for awhile if you want, until you’re comfortable.” JD had almost forgotten about the Tyrix until he just mentioned them, his urge to fight seemed to be abated by the distance from them and the task that now preoccupied his mind.

[Affili]

Keldarious.

He had drawn up on the travelers just as they were selecting horses and getting themselves familiar with the beasts. He was unsure how these horses compared to those the humans might be familiar with but for the most part, a horse was a horse regardless of size or build and although some seemed uncomfortable on the broad backs of these horses, it seemed they would manage alright.
As expected a whole escort had been assembled and judging by the group it would seem that Gareth had selected these personally and Keldarious could not blame the priest for is concern. There were some monumental events going on and no telling what they would encounter along and around the scale road to Aegis.

Keldarious checked in with Joc and learned that he and Cog would be bringing up the rear of the guard, and Joc and JD would be at the head. He was impressed at the organization of the new comers Joc and the escorts once the signal was given to move out.
As the dust settled from the party Keldarious gave one more look over the departing group before catching up with them and matching the pace of the riders, not too close to them but not too far away. It would be his duty to head off any threats mounting from the rear and so he put some space between him and the rest of the group still close enough for his sharp ears t catch any news from the head of the party or to shorten the space between them should something approach from their flank.

Sil’Vex

The head blacksmith had been willing to mend his leather tunic for him and after he had sharpened the blade of his sickle he bid farewell and was exiting the armory just as the attachment of high elves were assembling with mounts for the travelers, At least most of the were High Elves anyway. He eyed the odd one out from a distance, the scent of his blood tugging at the back of his mind but decided to ignore it for the moment as Deidre and Jackie started to converse with him.

Sil’Vex circled around the group towards the horses and after inspecting each animal he made his selection. The blood in this horse’s veins flowed particularly strong so he extended his hand slowly to give the animal time to get used to his scent before stroking its face then proceeding to remove the saddle and bit. For as long as he could remember he had been riding horses and other beasts without the need for a saddle. He set the saddle down on a nearby fence and swung himself up on the horse’s back where he was certain he would be spending a great many hours. With a click of his teeth he urged the horse forward and took it for a short ride so it could get used to carrying the weight of a rider without a saddle.

It took to his method of guiding as he leaned his weight to whichever side he wished to move while squeezing the corresponding leg against the horse’s side quite easily, as most animals did and Sil’Vex figured most animals would prefer the shifting of weight over a hard tug of the bit against their teeth. He followed a small path through the city as it looped around and returned to the group who was just about ready to depart. A few moments later Joc took up position at the front then signaled for them all to leave and the pathways of the city filled with a dust cloud as everyone left in unison towards Scale Road.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^

Keldarious

Keldarious watched in amusement from his vantage position whenever JD took off to explore his new body. There was not much conversing going on so any antics were welcome right now as the group made their way through the countryside.

A few hours into their journey well into the night, Keldarious was still scanning the horizon and taking in all aspects of the landscape. The edge of the forests the ominous dark lands far to the west when the Tyrix were mentioned. The personal body guards of Lord Aegis. Yes they were out there, they were always out there, in the shadows; Massive creatures yet as silent as assassins, a formidable combination by any standards. These were the ones that could cut you down with one silent swoop of their massive Axes if they saw fit, and the only warning you would get was the breeze of the mighty swing.

Sil’Vex

The Blood Elf had spent most of the traveling time circling the group or moving at pace off to the sides of them. He had drawn up beside Deidre and Jackie a few times and rode in proximity to the Wild Elf and Jason while taking in the vast rolling plains of the continent. It was only after his senses became muddled by the overwhelming scent of a rich blood supply that seemed to cover the lands immediately surrounding the road that he had decided to rein in closer to the others. He stared off in the distance as he felt the glares of some of them burn him at the mention of the fear of Aegis’ blood being stolen and used to kill him by those who would use blood magic. Half of them that stared seemed to forget that the Blood Elves were not the only race out here that used Blood, but he remained silent, a hardened stare plastered on his face as he glanced out to where the others were pointing. The dragon Kin had some explanation that seemed to settle any curiosity and they continued their journey until they were forced to stop when a number of creatures seemed to appear from the darkness.

The Tyrix, it seemed, were personal body guards to Aegis. The rearing of his horse had alerted the Blood Elf of a new presence before he had even seen them and a few moments later a massive voiced boomed over head, and it was all he could do but slide from his mount and rush in front of his horse to settle it before it took off running with him on it. Although, running may not have been such a bad idea if these things were personally guarding Aegis’s, who’s to say they wouldn't slice him apart on sight just because of his race?.

He stroked the horse’s head and spoke softly to it in attempt to calm the beast and a few moments later it calmed enough to allow him to remount and then he eased the horse forward slowly. The last thing he needed was this Giant who had just responded to Joc’s words, to think he was sneaking around in the darkness a midst this commotion , looking for a chance to tap into Aegis’ Blood, which he now knew, was rich scent that had been with them since they started along Scale Road. Evidently proving that this road was indeed a living thing, a very piece of Aegis himself.

[Pascal]

Deidre/Jackie

When the dragon kin rushed up to her, Deidre’s heart was pounding. She thought for a few moments that she was in trouble, that the creature was angry, furious even. She struggled to read the facial expression of the creature and was mostly paralyzed until he spoke. She hadn’t even been sure which kin it was until he spoke. Then she remembered that this was JD, the human. Deidre managed a nod, but she was still processing all that she had seen. There was just so much, and she began to stand slowly, searching around for Jackie. Deidre watched as JD interacted with the horse. It responded to him in a way that Deidre knew she could never manage. If she hadn’t been so terrified of the horse, then perhaps she could have a chance to ride it properly, but that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

While JD was walking with her horse, Jackie came back and asked Deidre exactly what had happened. Deidre was embarrassed. Being the only one who was utterly inept on a horse was a dreadful feeling, and she half wanted to quickly disappear from sight. Deidre managed a shrug though, and said that she got nervous. Jackie asked if she pulled on the reins, and Deidre just looked up at her blankly, forgetting for a few moments what the reins even were. Jackie stopped asking questions, realizing that she was only ticking off her friend. It was entertaining to piss of Deidre at home, but here it was an entirely different story. Here, they were both truly vulnerable, not like in their own home.

Jackie stayed close to Deidre even when JD returned with her horse, and smiled at his joke. Perhaps it was because she was on a horse, and not being towered over completely by the dragon kin that she could see him as humorous. In any case, Deidre didn’t find him entirely funny, but she did give him a small nod again. “I suppose you are right.” She said finally, looking at the two columns. Deidre let out a heavy sigh, really not interested in getting back on the horse. Resigning herself to her fate, Deidre gripped part of the saddle with one hand, and grabbed onto JD with the other to pull herself onto the horse. Luckily, her upper body strength was not as poor as her riding ability, and she got back onto the horse with only mild difficulty.

“Thank you… I would really appreciate that.” Deidre said, looking down at the reins with an unhealthy mixture of fear and apprehension. JD took the reins, and Deidre felt like she owed him some sort of reason for her ineptitude. [b]”I’m from DC, we don’t…We don’t really have horses.” She said, cracking a smile. “Or grass, trees, or fresh air.” She added, letting out a small chuckle.

Jackie stayed close to the pair for a while. She wasn’t nervous about JD, oddly enough. Over the last few hours, she had actually grown more comfortable than she had expected with the strange companions with whom they now traveled. No, Jackie was still nervous about Deidre. No one should have demanded that she be on a horse. Deidre was only comfortable when she had a good amount of control over a situation. Now was obviously not a situation that would lend itself to Deidre being in control, and Jackie wondered if they were going to be riding horses for a great portion of their travels. The ones that she would have asked were out of a normal speaking range, and the question wasn’t worth calling out and getting everyone’s attention, so she let it go.

[Pockets]

Jason

He paid little attention to the madness carrying on behind him as Deidre was taken away by her horse and JD and Jackie went to help her. Not that he wouldn't have helped himself or didn't care but Jason was struggling to keep from exploding into an apoplectic fit. The Tyrix on the road ahead of them strode slowly forwards. From a distance he was tall and imposing and Jason thought that he would only get worse as he came closer but with each step he appeared the same size, even as he came closer and closer to the group. Finally he stopped next to Joc and Jason realized that the creature that had once towered nearly fifteen feet in height had shrunk until he was half a foot taller than the eight foot Blue Kin.

Or maybe he had only appeared to be fifteen feet tall? Jason shook that thought away. he was defenitely fifteen feet, at least he thought. What the hell is going on here?

It has been a long time, old friend," the Tyrix said, clapping Joc on the shoulder in a familiar, friendly way that did much to set Jason more at ease. No one preparing to attack would be so calm and familiar, even if he and Joc were truly old friends as he said. There would be more tension in his voice and body.

"Sixty years isn't it?" Joc asked. "Since you last showed yourself to a visitor?"

"Sixty-three years, three months and twelve days." The Tyrix grinned, showing two rows of wickedly sharp teeth. "But then again, who's counting, eh?"*

"Everyone, this is Jasper," Joc turned and put a hand on the Tyrix's shoulder. "His wife Willow, brother Ash and his children Yew and Elm," he pointed to each of the other four Trix in turn and as they were named they stepped forward, visibly shrinking until they were equal in height to Joc. Jason arched an eyebrow curiously at that. They could change their size, but they each made certain they were shorter than the leader. That must have some cultural significance.

"Why show yourselves now?" Joc asked, turning his attention back to Jasper.*

Jasper laughed, a mirthless tone if ever Jason had heard one. "Haven't you hear?" he roared. "The world is coming to an end."

----------

Mithnal

She watched everything with the steady, unblinking gaze of a predator hunting her prey. There was little to do at the moment, to be honest, and she found herself bored by the constant interruptions to their journey. They sooner they got these fool 'Strokes' to Aegis, the sooner she could get back to her solitary existence, as far away from idiots and morons as she could manage.*

Idiots and Morons comprised something equivalent to 99% of the worlds population in her opinion, so there were very few people that she felt comfortable interacting with. She briefly considered returning to the Church, the ban on violence there would at least see that she wasn't attacked even if she wasn't accepted...

She shook her head. No. Best to return to her wilds, a place where she was comfortable. She glanced over at Jason as his eyes began to glow dimly again and the last of his hair faded to a steel grey color. The only thing left to change that would make him indistinguishable from any other wild elf at this point were the ears. His ears were still rounded and human like. His magical heritage had nearly fully revealed itself, but Mithnal had the feeling that it wouldn't completely manifest until he had a reason to use his elemental powers in some more overt display. In other words, he had to accept that he was no longer human before it would be complete.

----------

Joc

There was a Blood Elf in their group. A Blood Elf could kill someone through their blood. The Tyrix were charged with protecting Lord Aegis from anyone stealing a sample of his blood and there was a flaming *Blood Elf in their group.

Panic gripped at Joc, he knew the slightest misstep could mean terrible things for the entire group. The humans wouldn't know what happened until after they had been hacked to pieces by Jaspers axe. His wife Willow would put two arrows in Jocs own head before he had a chance to react, Joc had seen her shoot before and knew she could do it.

If they wanted to continue on their way they would need to be very cautious...

"Well?" Jasper asked, suddenly far less serious than he had been moments before. "On your way with you, Lord Aegis is waiting." He cast an eye over Sil'Vex, seeming to struggle internally with something before he turned away. "No harm will befall any of you on this journey," he said and began to walk away, growing gradually in size once again as he did so. "The Tyrix swear it."

A moment later the five of them stepped back from the road and faded into the surroundings, vanishing so completely they might as well have teleported away. Not even Joc, who had known them for centuries, could be sure of where they were hiding themselves.

He stood for a moment, staring out at the surrounding landscape. This was not like the Tyrix. They should have at least questioned why a Blood Elf was present so near to Lord Aegis but instead they simply let them continue on? Joc glanced at Sil'Vex out of the corner of one draconian eye. Perhaps there really was more to this Elf than he had first thought?

----------

The rest of the journey passed in relative quiet and with a distinct lack of excitement. An hour after the meeting with the Tyrix found them climbing a steep incline of stone and dirt. A mountain of rock stuck up out of the ground like a bur on a sleek fur coat. It seemed entirely out of place out there in the vast emptiness.

Eventually the journey led them to a solid rock face. They stood on a round platform some fifty feet across and roughly circular, obviously a natural formation and before them a smooth solid stone wall ascending high above them. There were strange carvings and markings in the stone and Jason edged his horse closer, trying to get a clearer look at them when something happened that startled his horse so badly that it reared violently onto it's back legs, throwing Jason clear off. The cliff face moved, sliding up like a giant curtain to reveal a gleaming, glowing circle of brilliant amber beneath, split only by an oblong slit of darkness running vertically beneath the glossy surface.

He landed on his back on the ground with a pained thump and a whoosh of air as the breath was forced from his lungs. He lay there for a moment, gaping and gasping like a fish out of water until he was able to start breathing normally again.

Then he simply gaped, mouth hanging open in astonishment as he realized what the cliff face was. It was an eyelid and he was staring directly into the giant eye of Lord Aegis, The Great Dragon.

[Affili]

Sil'Vex

He had ensured that he moved slowly when he rejoined the others and it looked as though he would not be cut down this day. He acknowledged Jasper's glance with steely glance of his own but remained silent and sighed to himself as the Tyrix ushered them on before receding into the shadows once more though clearly he grew to his original height before then.
"Amazing, big as they are, they are capable of vanishing into the darkness with such ease"
He spoke aloud, catching Joc's sideways glance
He had noticed the Dragon Kin's tension a few moments ago and now it seemed Joc had relaxed a bit.
"Seems to have went a lot smoother than you anticipated Joc?" he asked with a smile. "I'd hate to meet one of those guys in combat" he added with pause before falling to the rear of the columns as they resumed their journey

An hour past and the landscape had changed, or if it even was a landscape anyway, the giant mound they were climbing seemed quite out of place against the flat lands they had been travelling all this time and the place reeked of blood thus setting the Blood Elf to Wondering. Although he had heard the stories of Lord Aegis, he had always figured they were the exaggerations of bards as they often did so to make a story more gripping, but what if, all the stories and legends were true. That would make Aegis almost unimaginable in size.

By the time he reached the summit of the slope, Sil'Vex senses were so out of control, he had to slide from his mount for fear of falling off. He found a nearby rock formation to lean against as his head swam with the overpowering scent of blood; so much so that it was as if an endless blanket of blood had completely enshrouded him. Never had he witnessed such a vast amount of blood flow in all his years and it took every ounce of strength he had not to be overpowered to forced to his knees.

He heard the ruckus as Jason fell form his horse, but he was unable to focus on anything but the scent of blood, and the entire event did not even register with him until he looked up from between his hands and saw the massive eyelid as it swept open to present the glossy orb of an Eye, with the definitive slit of a pupil that proved the eye was reptilian in nature.

Keldarious

The Dragon Kin found himself slightly disappointed when the Tyrix decided not to challenge the Blood Elf, however hard it had been for them to leave him be but after all, they were in Aegis's Territory now; if it could be described as that. He had only visited the Great Dragon once in his life and it had been an experience he'd never forget. Who the hell could? The Great Dragon was terrifying, yet gentle enough and Keldarious' had always looked forward to seeing him again now it seemed it would come to be.

If memory served the dragon Kin well, at the summit of this slope, would be their destination, and the smooth cliff side that was Aegis eye, could already bee seen reaching skyward as the parties reached the top of the slope and came to rest on the smooth round platform.

He watched wearily as the Blood Elf suddenly dismounted and stumbled towards a perch to lean against, but Jason dismounting demanded his attention. He blurred to the now almost completely transformed Wild Elf's location and took a firm hold of the horse's reins to steady it so it would not trample the poor elf to death before his powers even manifested. From what he had seen, this Elf would be attuned to the metal elements and there were so few of them in existence these days they couldn't afford to lose another under a startled horse's hooves. When the horse had steadied, he reached up with his free hand and dragged Jason to his feet. "I Advise you steer yourself Clear of this horse right now, he seem's quite finicky right now and I'd hate for you to get squashed"

He glanced over his shoulder at Aegis and offered whatever formal greeting he could to the might dragon given the current situation but left the formal introduction of Aegis to Joc as it was one of the privileges and duties of his rank, and besides, Keldarious was terrible with the formal ins and outs of court and things of this nature.

[guinness]

The happenings around the world confused and intrigued her. It appeared as if the world had begun to purge itself of sentient life. The idea of total eradication at the hands of an entity that could not be defeated was highly unappealing to her. Death was not what concerned her, rather the inability to do anything about it did. Death in itself was meant to be savored in a way that many didn't quite grasp. No fate was worse than a meaningless death.

Death was the least of her worries however as she was unceremoniously thrust into a world she didn't understand. A world of elves like her yet not like her. They spoke in a odd manner, speaking of things that she didn't understand. These elves may have looked like her, ears and all, but they were not cut from the same cloth. They were the weak that hid behind false walls of grandeur, fearing what actually lay outside them.

Fear ruled that city, evidenced by the strange defense system. They had devised a system to prevent violence from taking place within it's walls. Sheltering the weak from the animals that lay beyond. Unsurprisingly this meant they needed warriors to fight for them. She found the inability to act themselves quite pathetic. Any person unable to defend themselves from danger was unworthy of the right to take in the air they so carelessly breathed.

Despite her distaste the situation did provide quite a bit of intrigue. If what the weak elves had said was true than she had been summoned for a reason. Given her skill set that only meant one thing, war was coming in some form or another. Combat and tracking were her only skills, no other explanation made sense. If a war was truly coming than that meant a chance to face foes beyond her imagination. That thought alone had caused her to accept the proposal.

The thrill of battle would be worth having to deal with the others who had departed before her. Due to her less than cooperative nature she had fallen behind. How had the supposedly great and wise dragon not known how she would react? Perhaps he had and everyone was expendable in his eyes. That meant she to was merely an asset to be used in a greater game. She could deal with that. The reasoning for fighting didn't matter, the fight itself did.

The real question would be if her teammates fully understood why they were here. She was quite curious to see who they were even if she preferred working alone. The journey to Aegis was an arduous one, that team better garner her at least some entertainment. Maybe it would contain humans, she had heard stories of their kind before, never seeing one in person. The stories of their kind were often far too fantastical to consider truth.

Truth be told she merely wished their was a distinct lack of dragonkin to deal with. In her experience they were dim witted and blindly stampeded into situations without thinking. They often thought themselves righteous or meant for a greater purpose. That thought process was quite wrong, but they were too dumb to realize it. At least they were worthy combatants, that she could give them.

Her horse began to buck into the air, nearly throwing her backwards onto the ground. In front of her was a massive creature the likes she had never seen before. It's head was huge, razor sharp teeth lining it's mouth. It towered over her, much to the dismay of her four legged companion. Placing her hand on the horse's neck she cooed into it's ear, lightly running her fingers up and down.

“Who are you?” the large creature spoke, voice booming.

“I'm a wild elf. What exactly are you?,” her eyes narrowed, hand still brushing her horse's neck.

“What I am is of no importance. Why are you here?” two similar creatures seemed to appear out of thin air behind the speaker.

“Is this meant to be some form of intimidation? Your lord should know I don't scare easily. He summoned me after all,” she cocked her head to the side, trying her best to look the tall beast in the eyes.

“We could kill you where you stand,” as he spoke she could feel a draft of air run up her neck, sending her hairs upright.

She bite her tongue to stop from talking back. It was her nature to be a bit hot headed, but she wasn't dumb. They had all of the advantages and could most likely kill her before she could even utter an insult. It was best to state her business and be done with it.

“My business is with Aegis. I imagine he summoned me for a reason so if you feel the need to end my life than so be it,” her voice remained stern, eyes staring back at the creature undaunted.

“You speak as if you are an elder yet you are a mere girl. Youth blinds you. The way is clear for now, know that we are watching,” the three creature's disappeared before her eyes. The breath at the nape of her neck followed suit.

If that lone encounter was any indication than she knew the right decision had been made. Patting her horse gently on the head they continued on, soon to reach their destination.