@WingsOfBronze

"You'll need your energy" Ophion insisted. "I don't know if there will be trouble, but you've got to keep your strength up. Ennave, please tell him that he needs to keep his strength up for this. It's good food, trust me."

@bloonewb

"Hmm? Oh, Kutur!" Rama quickly got out of the bath and put on his robe. He also had a light suit of leather armor which he had worn during the battle, but that had been put away in his room when the city had fallen. Kobolds didn't have the same sense of modesty as dracons did, but some kobolds had evidently picked things up from the dracons.

"Krakas and I were just cleaning up. It's not like I'm set to wed the queen mother or anything! We really should get on with inspecting the repairs along with our emperor, which is what we were just discussing, isn't that right, your majesty?" He was clearly keeping up a facade around others to feign respect for Krakas, although he respected her as a kobold, not as the queen mother of a newly-established state which was on very shaky ground.

@Eviledd1984

"You can go in a shirt and pants, robes, or anything you feel is right, although I wouldn't wear anything which would hinder my use of magic or movement in combat if I were you" Adykon advised. "We could be going into a fight, although the goal is to scout Traeton out, not to attack them if it can be avoided."

Ennave gave a teensy bit of thunder at Fasuto's shoulder and the fox recoiled slightly with an snarl.

"Keep your strength.. Idiot." Ennave muttered the last part and Fasuto started to walk behond Ophion.

@Aristocles

@WingsOfBronze

"We've got some bacon and beef ready, along with some of those flatbreads which Aurescia likes to make. Just don't ask us for eggs. Not a popular food among dracons. Comes with the territory of laying eggs ourselves" Ophion explained, pulling a chair over for Fasuto.

@Aristocles

"Oh look, Fasuto, you really took the food offer." Ennave pointed out the obvious. Fasuto was supposed to make it casual. He glared at the spider. "What?" She asked in bafflement.

Fasuto just took the chair and sat quietly. "Uh, Ophion, Aurescia, After the meal I would like.. to uh, get an Inn myself instead. It was kind of embarrassing to exceed at your hospitality, and I am sorry for that." He said, then smiled awkwardly.

@Aristocles

Smith was nodding his head and walking towards the house in a quick pace so he could get ready, Dressed and ready barefoot for the time being heading back towards where Adykon was. "Mhm i am ready...so what shall we do now?" He then asked rubbing the back of his neck.

Krakas, muttering obscenities, eventually pulled herself out of the water and put on another robe. The warm water, the polite company, she could almost pretend she wasn't swept up over her head in a never ending war led by her own son. Kutur, when he thought it was safe, turned back and started writing hasty notes about the statues lining the room.

"Good chieftain Rama, of the Bronze Tree clan, I believe?" he started. "His Might the Emperor Rughoi demands that I appraise the decorations of the palace for trade value, with the end goal, if I may be so bold to say, being to attract more kobold citizens and hire workers and mercenaries. Your eye for gold is better than mine. What say you about these statues?"

@WingsOfBronze "If you want to do that, I won't stand in your way" Ophion replied. "But you're going to have to pay for it yourself, and it isn't likely going to be as nice as my place unless you have a great deal of money."

Aurescia took Fasuto's dishes as soon as he was finished eating. "Are you ready to go now? There could be a fight." Aurescia was in no way related to Fasuto, but she was still a mother. Her instincts were to make sure that the young were healthy, comfortable, and well-fed. The thought of risking him weighed on her on a level.

@Eviledd1984

"Follow me, please. I'll get my portal stone and we can use it to travel to the walls outside of Traeton." Adykon led Smith into the house, where a stone lay on the table. While it looked like an ordinary rock from a distance, one could see that it had glowing orange letters carved into the side, an indication of the magic within. "This was my wife's first anniversary gift to me, did you know that? It charges up by absorbing sunlight, and can teleport us to any destination on this plane of existence as long as we are within range. Luckily, all parts of the dracon lands are." There were more conditions to it than that, but his explanation covered the basics.

"Just hold onto my hand. And if it comes to a fight, don't falter. If you're going to marry my daughter, it would be best that you fight well. I have powerful enemies as well as powerful allies, and I'll be placing her safety in your hands if you two wed."

@bloonewb

Rama examined the statues. "They all appear genuine, Kutur. Pry the gold off, but keep the ivory for now. We can use it as metal for coinage." It was a one-time boost, but it might help to pay for some mercenaries in the short-run, until they got the economy working again. If they did.

He began to walk out of the room. "Krakas, if you would be so kind as to accompany me, we can examine the walls. The royal walls, as I think they're called now. Something which the queen mother should approve of." He wanted to give her a chance to escape. Given that the walls were the physical limit of her son's influence, this would easily let her go if she wished.

@Aristocles

Smith had followed Adkyon nodding his head when the subject of their anniversary came up,While he was walking with him he was sort of searching for Kara so he could say goodbye to her and perhaps kiss her. But with no such luck he could not run into her, Now walking beside Adkyon blushing when the subject of marrying Kara came up nodding to what the dracon was saying.

Holding his hand wanting to walk with him though the orange portal.

"Sure, le-" Ennave cut off Fasuto with a pinch of electricity to his arm. Fasuto shuts up. "What he's saying is, he's okay to be here. Right, Fasuto?" Ennave glared at the fox and Fasuto nodded fast.

As the dishes was gone, Fasuto casted a glance towards Aurescia. "Uh, yeah. That's mostly my living. Fights." Fasuto said, then looked back at Ophion. Ready, gramps?"

"Your Might," said a guard authority, who unceremoniously approached Rughoi as he worked on the walls. "One of the citizens reported seeing a bright flash beyond that hill over there. He was not able to give details, but I and my compatriots have reason to believe they may be Mitronian Loyalists."

"This cannot come at a worse time," grumbled Rughoi, setting a brick. "All of the hands are on the public works. If they attack now, the city will crumble to dust. Especially if they were able to hire wizards or the like." He set down his tools and motioned to the guard. "Take over here. Perhaps it is best I return to the throne." Then, he rushed back to the palace.

"Kutur!" he shouted, the moment he burst through the doors. Kutur rushed up, papers flying everywhere. "Your Might!" he wheezed. "From my calculations, t-"

"Another time, Kutur," Rughoi interrupted. "A situation has come up. Tell me everything you know about magic. You learned some, did you not?"

"Yes, Your Might, I have," said Kutur. "The Red Discipline, from Bythesea. Effective stuff," said Kutur, catching his breath.

"Excellent," drawled Rughoi. "Start talking."

@Eviledd1984

(The stone wouldn't generate a portal; it just teleports them instantly)

There was a bright blue-white flash of light and the two were suddenly outside of the perimeter of Traeton, approximately one kilometer from the walls themselves. Adykon checked to make sure that Smith was okay. He pulled out his two-handed sword and examined the city walls. They were cracked and crumbling, despite the efforts of a kobold crew. Clearly, the walls had been suffering from neglect for many years before the attack. Rughoi's conquest of the city had only made it worse.

"Good gods, those things are a mess. I pity the poor fools who have to defend those."

Adykon heard the sound of another teleportation coming in not far behind them, sounding much like "fwooo-schwing!". He whirled around, sword drawn.

@WingsOfBronze

Ophion gave him a look. "I'm still in my prime child-siring years, you know. Ah, it's okay. Just take my hand and I'll teleport us outside of Traeton under my own power." There was a flash of blue-white light and Ophion found himself looking straight at Fasuto, Ennave, Adykon, and a human he didn't recognize.

"Whoa, Adykon!" The red-skinned dracon halted his blade a second before it would have cut the mage.

@bloonewb

(I might create another kobold character, since Rama and Rughoi are often separated).

Rama was touring the walls with Krakas when he saw two blue-white flashes of light in the distance. There were some figures where there had once been only empty sands, but he didn't know who or what they were. Too big to be kobolds, though.

"I think we're being spied on. I'm going to investigate, but please keep your head down and keep behind those rocks if you want to come with me" he told the female.

" . . . And that's my limits of knowledge on the matter. Highly paraphrased, of course," Kutur finished, gathering up loose papers as he spoke.

"So what should we do about the threat?" asked Rughoi, mostly to himself. "That will be all. Leave me to my thoughts," he said, waving in the direction of the front gate. "And if possible, send your reports to either Merat or Rama, whichever one you think will look at your data more sympathetically." Kutur bowed low, and exited through the gate, leaving the room looking far quieter and larger than when he did. Rughoi looked up and around him, at the towering stained glass figures, tapestries, and felt . . . like a child again. Gone for a few minutes was Rughoi the Unbound, Son of the Dragons, and in his place little Rughoi of the fields, who could only gaze in wonder at riches he had never seen in his life. Rughoi composed himself. Perhaps he was a little rash today. He should visit his mother. A search of the palace, however, found her nowhere to be found. "Where is my mother?" he wondered, slightly frustrated. "And for that matter, where is Rama?"

Merat was not within the bounds of the city, where Kutur was looking for him. "We are soldiers," he said to his guards, who were hard at work laying cobbles for the roads. "Not builders. Heard report. Bright light. Possibly dracons. With me," and with that, he and ten of his elite retinue left for the hills. They stopped at the near side of the hill. "Spread out," he commanded. "Find dracons. Capture, kill if necessary."

@Aristocles

Fasuto reached the hand of Ophion, and was teleported out to somewhere with trees and with soft dirt and tickling grass. Also a wall.
"Alright! Where is she?" He said in a forced deep and gravelly voice, making a Zweihander appear on his paws, in the making, teal hexagons are forming out in the air and formed this huge sword in just a split second accompanied with a bright light blue light.

@Aristocles

(Sorry)

Smith quickly turning around not pulling out his sword but instead readying a ice spell,"Anything wrong" He asked trying to figure out what was going on.

@bloonewb

Rama kept low as he approached the dracons and the other newcomers, turning back to see if Krakas was still with him every so often. They couldn't possibly be the only kobolds who had noticed them, so there was bound to be some sort of armed patrol sent out to investigate. He suspected that he had only minutes to deal with these dracons at most. Determining who they were, who sent them, and what they were up to was critical.

He stopped when he saw a large red-skinned dracon clad in blue armor wielding a greatsword.

"That dracon... Krakas, that's Adykon! The one who stopped Dememoras! If he's involved..." He was torn between a deep sense of admiration fort the dracon and the realization of what this meant. Adykon was allied with the major cities of Minbenthac and Naushindcalgoa. In fact, the king of the former city had granted him the land on which his farm now stood in the fertile valley. Either city was easily powerful enough to destroy the kobold's forces. Both were completely overkill. A word from Adykon could sway either or both cities, or so Rama feared. Of course, he didn't know that Krakas knew Adykon and Aerta.

Meanwhile, in Traeton's castle...

"Is everything alright, majesty?" A soft voice came from behind Rughoi. One of the shamans, a female named Kali. "I've been trying to clean up the temples, as you ordered. We've set up our altars in them, but I get the feeling that we're just not capable of the same rituals as the dracons are. I've heard something about invaders. Perhaps I can scry on them if you like. I just need a bowl of water and a bit of time.

@WingsOfBronze

"Where is who? Ennave?" Ophion asked. "She should be here with us."

@Eviledd1984

Adykon sheathed his sword, trying to calm the situation in spite of Fasuto conjuring a sword of his own.

"Nothing wrong yet, Smith." Adykon turned to Ophion and Fasuto. "Ophion, my friend! I didn't know you'd be here too. And you brought a Fauxen? No, too large to be one of those."

"This is Fasuto. I'll let him speak for himself" Ophion replied, gesturing at his new friend.

@Aristocles@Eviledd1984

Fasuto scratches his head and dematerialized the giant sword out of his paws, then waves at the new friendly faces then turns to face Ophion. "So? This guys are backup? What will we do anyway?" He asked while Ennave spoke loudly. "Just, answer already. He'll turn noisy."

@WingsOfBronze

"We could ask you the same thing" Adykon replied. "I was the one who asked for help, and Ophion was the only one who replied so far. Well, Ophion and you, Fasuto. If Ophion trusts you, so do I."

"As for what we have to do, we have to get a good look at the city" Ophion clarified. "It was seized by some kobolds and traitorous dracons. While I've never been a fan of Traeton and its corrupt government, there's no way that these kobolds will run it better. In the off-chance that they do, it will still likely be conquered by another dracon kingdom."

"Oh? Of course," muttered Rughoi. "Scrying. Yes. Erm . . . find yourself some water and return as soon as you have results. Find Magister Kutur if you encounter any trouble. Oh, and one more thing," he said, just as Kali was about to leave. "If possible, could you find my mother?"

Merat's unit scoured the hillside, searching every nook and cranny for signs of dracons or other possible threats. One of the scouts, patrolling the eastern front, saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he spotted Rama and Krakas sneaking through the sand and shrub. "General Rama! At your service!" he called, rushing up to meet them. Unfortunately, this also startled the multiethnic party Rama was stalking as well. Pulling on his bow, the scout shouted "Dracons!" and in an instant, Merat and his forces surrounded the group from a distance.

"Freeze, Mitronians. Under arrest," said Merat, readying his bow. "Chief Rama. Call your men," he continued. "Help us. Take them to Rughoi."

@Aristocles@WingsOfBronze

Smith gave a quick wave of his hand to the stranger as a sign to acknowledge him, "Hello" He said softly feeling strangely nervous around the two males. He would have to gather his nerves and when in combat show Adkyon that he is the perfect male to protect his daughter.

@Eviledd1984 @Aristocles

"Well, I'll assist you people, don't worry, you can count on me." Fasuto reassured, giving them a thumbs up. "Oh, anyways, you know, if there are errand you would like me to do or fetching something nearby, trying to get rid of, uh, adre..naline? Adrenaline." Fasuto said, folding his arms and resting his paws to the back of his neck.