It was a very slight relief to Ethelred when the children described the fire-breathing beast as having its wings as part of its front arms, indicating it was a wyvern and not a full-blown dragon. Ethelred wasn't particularly knowledgeable on dragons, but he knew that they were lesser, smaller dragons whose front arms served as its wings.

Reinhardt's description confirmed what Ethelred knew, but also dropped a rather worrying fact about wyverns generally living in close proximity to "true" dragons. It sounded like they might still come into conflict with a real dragon. Regardless, they had to push on and find Elnith.

While their mission was to bring their fellow knight back, it was becoming increasingly likely that they come into conflict with this wyvern. Ethelred didn't mind this, however. After all, this monster needed to be put down before it could burn more villages, furthermore it deserved to die for the destruction and death it had already caused. He had never fought such a beast, but he expected that Reinhardt, as the descendent of a celebrated dragon-slayer, would have useful information on how to combat it.

The other potential issue was that they might come into conflict with the Harzel Knights. Ethelred hoped that they'd listen to reason and if not help them, at least stay out of their way and not obstruct Sorcha's group in their quest to kill a mutual foe. If, however, they stood in the way of retrieving Elnith, Ethelred was sufficiently agitated by recent events, particularly the loss of Od, that he would not hesitate to cut them down. After all, it'd only be a diplomatic incident if someone survived to report it.

"Reinhardt's right, your strength would be a great boon to us." Ethelred supported his companion. "We already lost one of our own on this mission, and we'd be most grateful if you were willing to lend your aid so that we do not lose another."

@Guy0fV4lor@Cu Chulainn@Rune_Alchemist

The sound that left Fio's lips when she felt the Queen's hand find her chest was difficult to describe. The sheer and utter anger was eclipsed by the even more pronounced embarrassment, as the diminutive witch's cheeks began to burn. Indeed, the Sword Witch was practically glowing from the particular location where the Queen's hand had ended up.

This was too much. She couldn't deal with this. Not only was the Queen groping at her chest(what little of it there was, not that Fio would appreciate that comment), but it was somewhere where others could see it happening

Royalty was not exempt from retaliation. Not even royalty she served.

Clonk.

There was the dull sound of metal striking someone's head.

The flat of Fio's sword had come into direct contact with Queen Sorcha's head.

The small girl immediately took the opportunity to pull away, blushing furiously as she put the entire table between herself and the Queen's grasping fingers as her sword disappeared once more.

"What were you thinking!?" Fio cried, "Doing th... th... th-that sort of thing here!? A-asking me to drink? Of course I wo-"

She paused for a moment.

Indeed, there was no denying it. The Sword Witch was incapable of holding her alcohol. No sooner then she began to drink, she'd swiftly become intoxicated. She was perfectly aware of this, and it was one of the primary reasons she refused to drink alcohol.

But...

This time, she had a plan.

"...Hmph. Fine. I'll participate in this stupid little game."

Little did her opponents know, this was not going to go as expected.

@Pyromania99@Rune_Alchemist

---

Marduk thought to himself on the matter at hand, namely the beast that the duo was set to hunt. Rather than a Fomorian, it was a dragon. While he wasn't quite certain if his ancestry bore beast slayers of any variety, he also knew that his Ancestor would more than likely have slain a few dragons in their long lifetime. Still, even if that weren't the case, adding "Dragon Slayer" to his pedigree of titles may be a tempting enough reward for his participation in their battle.

"A dragon, huh?" The warrior stroked his chin at the proposition. "Heh... it is nothing to me. The Swordwind will slay all, no matter how many wings or claws it may sport. Very well, I shall aid you in this endeavor. However, my help does not come without a cost."

Marduk looked at his cloak and boots. While the enchantment they carried has proven quite useful for its more subtle properties, even he would admit the protection afforded would likely be inadequate if he wished to face off greater foes. Such artefacts of clothing also did not seem to draw the ire of his foes. He'd need something grander to denote his status and pedigree, for those he would face in battle to truly fear the Swordwind.

In other words, Marduk wished to upgrade his drip.

"I shall lay my first claim on its hide, and you may have what is left of it." The Elf declared, as he meandered onto his horse. "Well? Shall we head off then?"

As he would begin to set off towards their destination, Marduk could only chuckle to himself as he imagined how mighty of a foe a dragon would be.

"You lot think it's a Fomorian, as well? A... Fomoriwyvern, perhaps?"

Location:
Forest near Harzel
Mid-Morning

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

“A-a dragon!?” The boy shouted. “But…but aren’t…they all dead? Didn’t the King kill all of them…?”

“I-I knew it! There was no way that thing was a fomorian! I told you, brother!”

“If its a dragon how can we kill it?” The boy asked. “You seem awfully knowledgeable about them…” He’d question Reinhardt as the two would gratefully take up the knights offer of a ride. The two would settle in behind Reinhardt as the group would set off, leaving the burned village behind.

“...ehe, mister that was terrible.” The girl chuckled at Marduk’s less than clever joke, offering him a small smile as they’d head out.

Assuming there was nothing else that they wished to do here, the trio would set off. The ruins of the village behind them. The children contented themselves with talking to Reinhardt, or idly chattering to the knights. The boy seemed to take a particular liking towards Ethelred, now that the shock of the initial meeting wore off he seemed to think the icy powers and armor was rather cool.

It was about when they were halfway through the forest that they would stumble on something of an obstacle. Some ways down the road in the direction they were going, was a group of knights. Wearing fairly stereotypical chainmail and armor covered by a tabard bearing the crest of Harzelslack.

“What kind of children just run off? I’d be surprised if they haven’t become fomorian dinner already.” A red-headed, young looking girl near the front would say. She was wearing full plate armor, a well crafted blade at her side and seemed fairly important from the fact she was effectively leading the procession of about six knights, including herself and a purple haired fellow next to her.

“That’s enough, Gráinne.” He was dressed in black, well put together armor with a cloak hanging from his shoulders. “Just because we’ve finally arrested that Black knight doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. Whatever fomorian it is out here still. It concerns me that she went so quietly when she’s fought us at every other turn.”

“Haa, really Lonan?” The redhead replied with a grunt. “She was half dead when we found her, she’s probably just waiting to escape and taking advantage of our merciful laws. We should just execute her already.”

“The law exists for a reason.” He’d reply, whacking the redhead on the back of her head. “She may be a criminal, but I will not besmirch the law laid down by the King. Now think. If she of all people were half dead from this Fomorian, then how do you think we’d fare if we ran into it? Keep your mouth shut and eyes and ears open for those kids.”

…now, who could they be talking about? Regardless, unless they hadn’t been spotted quiet yet by the party as it had stopped and the five seemed to be discussing their next moves. The children seemed to shrink a bit at the Harzel knights appearance, trying to make themselves a bit hidden behind Reinhardt’s frame.

---

Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Early Night

---

@VitaVitaAR@Pyromania99

“Bweh~” Sorcha’s head would subsequently meet the table as she’d faceplant from the unexpected impact of Fio’s sword. Her hands released the small witch from her grip, allowing her to wiggle free and finally put some distance between the queen and herself.

Not that the Queen seem bothered.

“Ahahaha~!” She’d sit up, laughing boisterously at Fio’s bonking, seemingly completely unfazed by it. “How many times is that? Twice so far?” She’d laughed again, in response to being bonked a second time in fairly recent memory. “Ehehe you’re lucky I’m drunk and your cute or I might start taking offense.” She’d immediately turn around, waving down a server. “HEY! ANOTHER DRINK!”

She’d turn towards Fio offering her an excitable grin and passing the witch the mug she had been holding.

“That’s the spirit!” Sorcha would grab another mug as the server would bring them. “Lets make this more interesting too! A bet! Luna has to let me eat whatever I want if I win!”

@FrogRFlowR

---

Heading down the small hallway Niall would quietly make his way towards the room the Fomorian had disappeared into. Her back was currently towards him, her white dress brushing against the ground as she’d make small movements, seemingly stitching something together on the table in front of her. Niall had to get a bit closer to see exactly, but what he saw probably didn’t do much for his assumptions about this Fomorian.

A human body. Fresh, from the looks of it. She had made several long incisions on it, practiced. Medical. Precision.

“Hehe, almost ready. Once I finish you I can get onto that big guy in there…” She’d chuckle to herself. “But first…” The dark skinned woman would then, move from the end of the table with the head of the body towards the opposite, conveniently furthest from Niall.

“You are something alright, heh.” She’d bend over, attempting to lift what was likely the axe the Tuatha had mentioned. A large thing, bigger than a man was made from steel and bone it seemed. As she’d attempt to lift it, she’d make small grunts of exertion, clearly the weapon being far too heavy for her. But after a few moments, she’d manage to lift it over her head….and promptly swing it downwards with a little battle cry.

“Ahaha-wah!” And promptly nearly sling her own smaller body into the nearby wall from the momentum and heft of the weapon. “Gweh…so heavy.” She’d drag the axe and prop it up against the wall behind her. “Whew…maybe I’ll dismantle you and see if I can get some of that giant magic myself…”

She’d go back to the body, back still turned towards Niall. As long as he was quiet, or perhaps if he even could make a distraction of some sort again…even riskier, perhaps he could ambush her. She seemed pretty busy doing...something with the body, but he couldn't quite see what.

Luna had to stiffle a laugh at the Queen's expense. She probably should have stopped Fio from bonking the Queen on the head, but she couldn't help but feel that the Queen deserved that much. Still, adding some stakes to the challenge? "An interesting proposition, your majesty. Very well, I accept. Though, what do I get if I win? I already eat properly so I don't have anything to gain from the same reward as you." Luna said, putting down the rest of her drink and waving over for another one. "And, if Fio is joining, what does she get if she wins? You not groping her in front of everyone might be a good start." The woman mused as she was notably getting really red around the face.

The other drink came quickly and Luna downed the entire mug, slamming the vessel on the table in front of her. "Perhaps if either of us win, we get to lead your hand in a dance." The woman smiled a small bit as she seemed very confident in what she said. None of the soldiers around looked much too surprised at this shift in tone though. Luna turned to the tiny mage before speaking. "Unless Fio wants me to lead her in a dance instead." The Knightess was definitely drunk, though she hasn't thrown the towel in yet as she waved another drink over for herself.

And so the drinking contest began.

One would assume that the two taller women, with their size advantage and the fact they drank more frequently, would have an easy win in this situation.

And yet perhaps that assumption would be mistaken.

For, no matter how much she drank, Fio did not seem in the least bit intoxicated. Indeed, even after polishing off several mugs of alcohol, there wasn't the faintest flush on her face. She didn't sway or slur her words. No, she seemed quite comfortable, and composed, simply watching the Queen and Luna silently.

It should be common knowledge that the Sword Witch rejected alcohol for a reason. And yet, in this case, she was drinking mug after mug without the slightest bit of concern.

The drunker her opponents got, the more smug Fio's expression became. By the time they had each drank a considerable amount, she was practically radiating arrogance.

At with the final drink, the Sword Witch slammed her mug down, hopping to her feet with a grin.

"Wahahahahaha!" she couldn't contain herself. There was no doubt, her plan had went off without a hitch!

"You said this was a drinking contest, right?" she asked, cocking her head towards the Queen, then Luna in turn, "But, you never specified what we had to drink! Didn't you know? Water purification spells are common knowledge for any self-respecting mage!"

Certainly, if she'd been asked to purify any large amount of liquid at once, it would have been far beyond her reach. But purifying just what was in the mug, one at a time?

It was child's play for an accomplished practioner of magic like herself!

This was their punishment, to drink themselves into the world's worst hangover the next morning, when they never had a chance of beating her in the first place!

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

From what Niall had seen in the first room, he was not too surprised when it was confirmed the Formorian practiced some sort of surgery and tests on prisoners. He was disgusted by it, of course, but more so worried at the prospect of what she could do to the Tuatha if Niall was unable to save him. The Knight briefly through about the possibility of overpowering the creature to maybe capture her, but just like the last time he dropped that pretty quick. In fact, it helped that the Formorian played right into the knight's hand by moving the axe slightly closer to him.

He decided to go for exactly what the Tuatha suggested. If Niall could grab that axe without a sound and bring it back to him, they might be able to escape the camp afterwards - if what he was told was correct. The Formorian seemed absorbed in her work, and probably did not expect anyone to have snuck into the camp so that played in Niall's favor. For the rest, he had to trust his skills and stealth.

The weapon seemed heavy enough in the hands of the smaller female, but Niall was a bit taller and felt like he could move it. Niall would drop his lance against the wall in the other room then sneak inside this one. He remained ready to jump the Formorian if she as much as began turning around, watching her like an owl would it's prey. Close to the Axe, Niall would attempt to lift it off the ground so it won't make a sound. If that was doable, he'd then begin to walk back out of the room, thinking at least he was armed now if she spot him.

If everything went without a hitch he would move back to the other room, bring the axe to the Tuatha, go back for his lance, and stand at the ready close to the captive, prepared to help him if he so needed it.

"Please, hurry." He whispered "There is not telling when she or anyone else might come back in here."

Location:
Border forest
Mid-Morning

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

Elias couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle in response to the young boy’s shocked exclamations as the group began their journey into the woods. "I’d honestly thought them dead myself, and were it not for your sister’s descriptions I’d still think as such…"

The knight’s voice trailed off for a moment as his eyes performed a perimeter sweep, continuing to talk once he’d confirmed there weren’t any threats lurking nearby. "As for killing Dragons? There's a number of ways to deal with them, their success usually depending on how intelligent or crafty any given dragon might be. Sigurd the Dragonslayer; my great, great, great, great Grandfather– discovered and employed a great many methods on his hunts. He’d use anything from siege weapons, to traps, even poison… But what he found to be the most effective strategy; particularly on wyverns, was breaking their wings."

Elias raised his right hand, a single finger held skyward, "Because, in the words of Sigurd– even with scales like steel, teeth like razors, and any number more of a dragon’s terrible boons… A Dragon suddenly deprived of something it’s instinctually used its entire life; no matter how wise, or cruel, or crafty it may be…"

Reinhardt tapped his extended finger against the side of his temple, "Quickly loses sight of this, and becomes little more than just another beast to be slain."

Though the knight was keen to share some of the stories his father had given unto him with the children, the distant clamor of voices and the telltale clinking of armored figures moving about the path ahead. Raising a fist, Reinhardt silently gave his companions the signal to stop; taking a moment to glean as much as he could from the distant voices.

From the sound of it, Elnith had clashed once more with the Wyvern, and had been left in rough enough shape for the Harzel knights to apprehend her without resistance. The knight grimaced beneath his helm. It seemed that he would need to play diplomat; much to his own dismay, if the mission was to return to Airedale in success.

Elias craned his head over his right shoulder, speaking in harsh whisper, "Ethelred, form up tightly on my right side. Do your best to look menacing, but not like you're trying to threaten them. Should the situation turn violent, I'd ask you do your best to avoid freezing anyone unless absolutely necessary."

Turning his head to the other side, intent on asking their Elven tag along to hold his tongue as best he could for the time being– Elias would find the Elf to have suddenly vanished; seemingly having already taken the initiative to conceal himself nearby.

Gently clearing his throat, Reinhardt nodded to Ethelred as he eased his steed into a slow trot; puffing his chest out authoritatively as he would interject upon the conversation ahead in a stern monotone, "It isn't a Fomorian. What you're dealing with is a Dragon."

Elias slowly brought his horse to stop once more once he was at what one might consider a polite distance from the Harzel Knights, placing a fist diagonally across his chest as he'd give a short bow from atop his steed, "Greetings Knights of Harzel. I am Sir Elias of House Reinhardt; Blood of the Venerable Dragonslayer, and Son of the Lord Johann von Reinhardt. On my right is Sir Ethelred, my faithful comrade and fellow Knight."

Reinhardt locked eyes with the individual seeming to lead the small troupe; his calm gaze firmly affixed as he would posit their leadership with a question, "Are you too, hunting the beast that has burnt six entire villages to the ground in only a month's time?"

The knights and their small entourage would pause immediately upon hearing Reinhardt’s greetings. The one named Gráinne seemed like she was going to say something, but Lonan raised a hand, silencing his seeming subordinate as he’d coolly stare at the two in front of him. Curiously, he didn’t seem to pay Ethelred too much mind as he’d focus more on the one speaking to him.

“That is a name that carries a long line of respect and tradition.” The black clad knight greeted Reinhardt. “And it is quite a claim to make, too.”

“An absurd one. Dragons were killed ages ago-bweh-” She was given another smack on the back of her head by Lonan.

“Apologies, my squire doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut. We have indeed been asked by King Harzelslack to look into this matter and bring back the beasts head. I don’t suppose you have any proof of this claim…or proof you are who you claim to be?”

“...hey, aren’t those the kids that went missing?” The squire interjected, the two kids behind Reinhardt failing in their attempts to make themselves invisible behind the larger man.

"Indeed." Reinhardt responded flatly, shifting his gaze to Gráinne for a moment before returning his attention to Lonan. "We found them while investigating what remained of their original Village. It was through examination of what was left from the attack as well as the girl's description of the creature that leads me to believe we're dealing with a Dragon, rather than a Fomorian. Now as for proof of who I am… A moment please. It's a bit troublesome to flex the crest through this much armor when outside of combat. "

Elias closed his eyes, taking several slow, deep breaths– then letting out a small grunt of exertion.

At first there was seemingly nothing. But as the knight continued to push...

A fearsome glow erupted proudly from deep within his chest; its molten color gleaming forth like a star in the night, its undulating glow mirroring the rhythm of an unyielding heart!

The knight’s eyes opened; his hands gripping tightly to the reins to prevent his horse from bucking, "Rings, heraldry, and documents of pedigree can be easily forged or stolen… But this– the very legacy of Sigurd that lay within my every heartbeat is proof of who I am!"

Reinhardt allowed his body to relax; the glow slowly subsiding into near nothingness as he would set his attention firmly on Lonan again, "Does that suffice as proof enough? Or shall I remove my chestplate for you to see it more clearly?"

“...No, that is quite alright.” Lonan mouth slowly pursed downwards into a frown. It was a crest and emblem anyone even slightly familiar with the great houses of Albion would know at a mere glance.

“Eeh…guess he’s not lying, but something about them still seem fishy. Especially that icicle over there.” Gráinne rested her sheathed blade on her shoulders, tapping it lightly against her own pauldron.

“Unlike you two, these guys actually kill fomorians!” The voice of the young girl piped up, causing her brother's eyes to nearly bulge out of his head.

“Oi, brat what’d you say?!” Gráinne shouted in response. “You should be thankful King Harzelslack even sees fit to guard your pathetic little villages-”

“That’s enough Gráinne. If you’re going to let the words of a child rile you up then I’ll have you sent back to clean the stables for a fortnight.”

“I am sorry, please forgive me Sir Lonan.”

“That outburst aside…” The darkly armored man folded his arms across his chest, observing the duo in front of them. “I still find it difficult to believe there’s a dragon involved, even taking the word of house Reinhardt into account.” He’d move a hand to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. “...if I may be so bold to assume that you are here to slay this supposed dragon, then allow me to join you. I’ll have Gráinne here and the other soldiers escort the children back to the village.”

"Wait, there's another matter we need to discuss." Ethelred finally spoke up. "The black knight you mentioned, why have you arrested her? She was seeking to slay this beast, same as you and I. How has she trespassed Harzelslack's laws?"

Marduk watched the knights converse from the treetops of the forest, taking solace on a rather beefy branch of one of the more modestly-sized trees. Moving across the woodlands swiftly and silently was something that only came natural to one raised among the Elves, especially with the enchantments given to him by his boots and cloak. It was almost as if he disappeared entirely from sight.

The Elf, however, only sat and watched, chuckling a bit after hearing the knights of this rival kingdom are ruled by some guy named “King Hardlysack.” Humans from this part of the world had the funniest names. To be honest, he was having his own battle… that is, against drifting off to sleep. After all, he had spent a notable time of the day in the midst of combat. It didn’t help that the knights he traveled with had decided to do the ‘boring’ way of finding answers.

“Ha? What relationship do you guys have with that beast?”

“That…I have to ask why you’re asking such a question. I would not have expected the Noble house Reinhardt to collaborate with such people.” Lonan responded. “I’m sure you know of the rumors surrounding her. Shows up conveniently around the time Fomorians attack villages, the conflicts she’s had with the Harzel knights in the past.” Well, it was no secret that Elnith wasn’t quite well liked. The rumors of her being some sort of barbaric warrior that would kill you just as quick as ignore you with imperity wasn’t exactly something they wouldn’t know. “King Harzelslack has put a bounty on her head, alive, or dead. She is to be tried within the borders for various crimes.”

“Doesn’t matter if she was here to slay it or not. We’re bringing her in and she’ll probably be executed.”

"Executed?" Ethelred asked, clearly agitated, straining to avoid lowering the temperature around him. "She–"

"That’s enough Ethelred." Reinhard interjected harshly; punctuating his statement with a piercing glare directed toward the Ice-Bound knight.

"Forgive my companion– despite his appearance, he is of kind heart and tends to assume the best of people's intentions. He likely believes the woman in question to be horribly misunderstood, especially since the two children claim she saved their lives and drove off the dragon at one point.

Reinhardt looked between Gráinne and Lonan for a moment before continuing on, "And as I would like to prevent you from getting the wrong idea, the Black Knight is not affiliated with House Reinhardt."

Elias paused, allowing the message to sink in; attempting to allow any tension built up by Ethelred's outburst to dissipate before going any further, "That said… I would like to interrogate her. From what we overheard, she has faced the creature more than one time, and I surmise she may have even managed to track it back to its nesting grounds… If such is the case, it would be equal measures foolish and wasteful to not find out what she may know before continuing on our hunt."

"Would you be willing to afford me a chance to speak with her?"

“Good luck.” Gráinne harrumphed. “That bitch has refused to tell us anything and we even took the time to waste resources on her to patch her up.”

“Under Harzel law, such bandits and rogues are not typically allowed any visitors.” Lonan coolly replied. It didn’t seem he entirely brought Elias’ story, but he didn’t seem intent on pursuing it further now. “Especially one as presumably violent and dangerous as she is. While you claim no affiliation I find it curious you even asked about her in the first place, and now you wish to interrogate her? I see no reason to grant such a request.”

In the distance, there was a roar. Deep, guttural, but distant.

“That said…gathering information is part of my job. If you will allow me to be present during this interrogation, I suppose I could allow you.”

The roaring from beyond served as a proper alarm for the Elf, his instincts heightened at the sense of danger. Quickly, he climbed the tree he was in, looking to obtain a better vantage point for the skies above. In particular, he looked for any indication of where this roar came from…

… and how far away whatever this thing was.

Ethelred complied with Elias' rebuke and remained silent. Beneath his crystalline helmet, he looked over each of the Harzel knights, silently assessing the threat that they might pose. The reasonable thing to do would be to play nice, join up with the Harzel knights to slay the dragon, and only then press for Elnith's release. However, between the loss of Od still weighing upon him and the more recent irritation of being called an "icicle", Ethelred was not in a good state of mind. The most he could do was keep his mouth shut and let his more level-headed, more human companion handle matters. Still, could a peaceful compromise be reached? As reasonable as the Harzel knights' leader was, could he really be persuaded to release someone whom he deemed a criminal?

Elias’ head snapped toward the direction of the distant roar; determining that it was North of their current position.

"I agree to your terms." he calmly responded to Lonan; his eyes still locked on the Northern horizon, "But it seems the interrogation may have to be postponed for the moment… I believe another attack is imminent."

The knight guided his horse closer to the Harzel Knights, angling that the entourage could assist the two children with dismounting.

"I'll be leaving these two in your care Gráinne. As for you Sir Lonan, you're welcome to take their place since you don't seem to have a horse of your own at the ready… Much as I dislike being underprepared as we are at the moment, I'll be damned before I let that beast burn another village. Not while I'm around to do something about it."

“I’m glad to see the Reinhardt family is as reasonable as I had hoped.” Lonan nodded, glancing towards the direction the roar had come from as well as Elias positioned to help the children dismount. It was clear that the black armored knight didn’t trust Elias or the group, no doubt still being suspicious of them.

“Eh, but we don’t wanna go with her.” The brother huffed.

“Watch your mouth brat. You should be lucky you’re even still alive after running off.” Gráinne, in her attempts to help the children dismount would instead end up having the younger sister wiggle out of her arms before she touched the ground, who would then proceed to run around to the otherside of the horse, causing Gráinne to run after her.

“I appreciate the offer, but that will be unnecessary, Sir Reinhardt. We have a patrol to finish. I’ll send Gráinne back to the village with the children-” The skies roared again, closer this time, loud enough to interrupt their conversation.

By the time Marduk had managed to climb to the trees to get a good vantage point on what exactly had made that noise, he’d be the first to see the black winged death that had decimated the villages - and it was speeding right towards them! It was hurtling from what seemed to be northern Albion, from the Mountains towards them at a nearly impossible speed! Elias would be the second to sense it, aside from the obvious roaring. A familiar, somewhat nostalgic smell…but this one, causing his entire body to seemingly enter a fight or flight response.

Marduk had mere seconds to get down from the trees and warn everyone, should he wished.

In the next instant, the sky above the group darkened, a shadow passing above them as the creature would fly overhead, another roar which shook the heavens bellowed from its throat as it would start to descend, circling back towards the knights.

The moment that acrid smell; the stench of a sickly ash and all-consuming flame, reached his nose– Reinhardt's every hair stood on end. His every insinct screamed that this beast– no, this dragon was his enemy! A familiar heat began to build in his chest as he watched the shadow pass over the group of knights as his thoughts raced through his head. If he could smell the dragon… "Dammit– I think it smells me!"

Reinhardt glanced toward the now mostly panicking knights, "Get the children to safety, I'll lead it away from you!"

The knight whipped his head toward Ethelred, cracking his reigns fiercely as his mount would break into a sprint– "Ethelred on me! Don't follow too closely, try to stay out of it's sight until I give the signal!"

Ethelred nodded and spurred his horse into motion, following some distance behind Reinhardt. This was it, they had to put this monster down before it could cause any more destruction. He didn’t have the natural aptitude for dragons like Reinhardt did, but his cursed, frozen state should provide some protection against the dragon’s fire. At least, he hoped it would.

Leaping from treetop to treetop, Marduk had also moved away from the rest, aiming to split up in order to avoid being bathed by its fiery breath. As he did, he would whistle a tune of a certain songbird native only to the Lylmesari Forest. It was a tune the two knights should know well, as it is one Marduk was quite fond of repeating during lulls in their travels. He whistled just loudly enough for Reinhardt and Ethelred to have an idea of where he may be moving.

Of course, to those who have extensive knowledge of the avians of Albion, such a bird call would sound quite off. While Marduk didn’t expect the wyvern to be an ornithologist of any skill, perhaps the Harzel Knights may surprise the Elf with their own unique skills…

Needless to say, the Harzelslack knights had not expected to have something like this suddenly jump them. The normal soldiers shouted as the beast flew overhead, one of them falling onto his ass from the sheer sight of it. Gráinne gave a shout of surprise as she’d finally catch the young girl and pull her away from the horse.

“Gráinne, take the children back to the village!” Lonan shouted. “Use Stelbas, get there and rally the detachment to be on standby!”

“C-can I?” Lonan would bring his hand to his mouth to his hand, a sharp whistle shortly ringing out. Perhaps, to the surprise of Ethelred and Elias, from just behind Lonan a spectral steed shimmered into existence, reality rippling around it as its hooves left puddles in its steps. Its speckled blue and white fur similarly seemed slightly damp, but otherwise it appeared as a normal steed. Without another word between the two, the steed would quickly walk over to Gráinne, the children, at least understanding the situation would quickly let the redhead.

“The rest of you, on foot, move, move! Do not engage that beast!” Spurred on by their leaders words, the knights collected themselves, bolting from the area while Lonan himself would remain, running, at least, on foot after Ethelred and Reinhardt.

The massive draconic creature had slowly finished its long, arching turn back towards the group now. It was flying low enough now that its claws clipped the tops of the trees, the speed and size of the creature completely shearing them from their trunks. Lower it would fly, trees and plants from the forest being completely uprooted, the cracking and splintering of wood as it would soon slam into the earth, not far in front of Reinhardt. It slid across the ground, across the path and into the trees on the other side from the speed it was going.

The first thing he’d feel, was the sheer heat from the creature as his horse reared back, startled from the creature in front of its sudden appearance. Even from simply existing, they could see the trees and plants withering, charring, dying from the sheer heat this dragon gave off. The next, was its size - towering above the forest, larger than even the ramparts on a tower as it straightened its posture, imperiously glaring at the group before it.

It’s scales were completely black, the beasts eyes a burning, angry red. Along its neck were holes, red, dripping with what seemed to be liquid magma that fell to the ground, burning and scarring the land with its heat. These holes continued down its entire body, its back, all the way to its tail. Two larger holes adorned its body near its hind legs, along with two more on its underside in just the same position. Its ‘arms’ were much as the two children described, more wings than arms, covered in tough, hard scales. Its head seemed almost scarred, too, lacking any lips around its teeth, giving it a horrific looking, macabre grin as more liquid magma leaked from between its teeth.

Notably though, on its chest…was exactly as the girl had described. One third of the Reinhardt family crest was emblazoned on its scales, dripping with hot searing magma like the rest of its body seemed to be.

And impaled in that crest, was the very familiar sword of Elnith’s.

The beast reared its head, an air shaking, earth shattering roar echoing through the forest.

---

Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Early Night

---

@VitaVitaAR@Pyromania99

As the night dragged on, the lively trio drowned themselves further and further in their mugs. Sorcha would jovially engage in both talking and various amounts of camaraderie with both Luna and Fio either by giving the smaller girl a bone-crushing hug or challenging Luna to an arm wrestling contest too, which would typically end in a draw. Eventually, though, Sorcha and Luna both would have to admit, they had been backstabbed, bamboozled, and quite possibly betrayed by the resident witch. Leo had excused himself earlier, having wanting to go check on their prisoner and perhaps, do some interrogating before Luna could remember what she was going to do to her brothers.

As soon as the Witch made her sly victory apparent, Sorcha

“Lunaaaaa…” Sorcha slumped over the table, arms drunkenly stretched out towards Luna. “Fio cheateeeeed….” She’d whine, face puffed out in a pout as the Queen fumbled with an empty mug. “MMmnnngh…Fiiiine!” Sorcha would stand, slamming her hands on the table and nodding. “Sinsh…she won…her priiiize….is me!” The Queen, would then, somehow in a show of drunken dexterity would manage to grab Fio, picking the smaller girl up over her shoulder and start carrying her off to her bedroom…well, as best as she could. She was stumbling over her feet a bit.

@FrogRFlowR

---

The Fomorian, indeed was far too caught up in her own little experiment to pay Niall much attention. The sound of flesh being cut, calipers and scalpels squelching as the body was prepared for whatever horrid thing she had done to it. Once he had sneaked his way to the axe, lifting it would only be a small matter. It was certainly heavy, much heavier than even his lance or armor, but still able to be carried without too much trouble.

Upon seeing the armored owl knight with his Axe, the red-haired Tuatha’s mouth lit up in a grin, seemingly eager to get out of the bindings.

“Put it in my hands. Hurry up!”

Supposing Niall would do as requested, the instant the axe was in the Tuatha’s grip, there was an instant surge of magical energy from both the axe and its wielder.

“Ahahaha! Time to cause some havoc!” The Tuatha’s muscles visibly bulged, becoming more defined, sturdier, as with a swift yank of his wrists the shackles would snap in two, he’d rip the ropes off his midsection and immediately break the restraints on his ankles too, giving the axe a firm swing in front of him. “Thanks friend! Now I can do what I came here for!”

“Now, what’s this?” Of course, this ruckus wouldn’t go unheard by the Fomorian. “A little rat…bird? Curious cat? Whatever you are, you’ve decided you have a death wish coming here, huh? Or did you want me to give you a few enhancements?”

“Shut it bitch, no one wants your creepy fingers poking them!” The Tuatha would swing the axe overhead, slamming it into the ground. Niall would feel another surge of power as fiery cracks appeared alongside the ground, surging towards the Fomorian.

“Tch-” In a show of some decent acrobatic ability, she’d pirouette to the side as an eruption of flame surged from the cracks seconds later. “That wasn’t a request.” her mouth turned into a wide grin. “Do you really think I didn’t have any guards?”

Immediately Niall and the Tuatha would become aware of some groaning sounds and shuffling noises. From the room behind the Fomorian, the corpse she had been experimenting on had jolted to life. Its body was crossed with stitches and wounds, and from its beheaded neck, two black arms extended from its neck.

“He’s not done yet, but I think he’s more than enough to handle you.”

“I’m not scared of a creepy undead puppets.” The Tuatha grunted.

“Stuuuupid, you’re surrounded.” She wasn’t wrong, from the entry hall, there was the sound of more shuffling and growling as more of her experiments seemingly woke up, all sporting grotesque, usually arm like appendages to their body. “But if you insist on fighting…I’ll be able to collect more battle data, so by all means, ahah!”

As the drinking cmae to an end, Luna's eyes seemed a small bit hazy. Her eyelids drooped down as it seemed she was at her limit on drink. Between her and the Queen... They drank a lot. As the Queen "let" Fio claim her "prize" Luna stood and followed behind. Just as the Queen stumbled, the Blonde Knightess reached for, and retrieved Fio from the Queen's hands. "Your highness, it is not appropriate to carry a lady over you shoulders as such." There was some different tone to her voice from normal. Normally, she spoke with an air of confidence of course, but there was something a bit more to it.

"My Lady Fio, I apologize on behalf of our Queen." She dusted the small girl off as if the Queen had some dirt or something of the sort on her shoulder before looking over Fio with a nod. "You have won this challenge, Lady Fio, though I am unsure through which means." The Knightess' eyes seemed intent, though other than her looking at Fio, it was hard to tell what that meant. "That ponderance aside..." Luna knelt in front of Fio and took the girl's right hand. "Lady Fio, admittedly, I do not remember the stakes..." She brought the smaller girl's hand up to her lips and pressed a kiss, as Knight might give a Princess in an old story, onto the back of Fio's hand.

As Luna brought her lips up from Fio's hand, her eyes would do their best to look into Fio's. "But, if the stakes were the losers following orders from the winner... Then I must oblige... With Our Majesty taking you off your feet as she did... Was the prize you desired... That?" The implication was concerning but as Fio looked closely, she'd notice Luna making some uncontrollable swaying so she could definitely tell the woman was quite drunk despite her fairly collected although different behavior.

Her strategy had been executed flawlessly, that much was certain. There was not a single hole in her plan.

She knew they wouldn't be paying attention to the contents of her mug. Indeed, by the time they would notice something was amiss, they'd be too drunk to actually realize what was going on. Her timing, her execution, the subtlety with which she wove her water purification spells, everything was perfectly put into place.

Unfortunately for Fio Fan Falisse, Sword Witch, she hadn't thought well enough about what would happen afterwards. For indeed, the punishing hangover she knew would strike her opponents was not the only result of their drunkenness.

There was no time to react when she was suddenly swept into Queen Sorcha's arms. That lithe, slender, small body would weigh quite little to the Queen.

"H-hey?! HEY?! W-w-w-wait this wasn't th-the plan!" cried Fio in a rather undignified manner, squirming in an attempt to escape.

Her endeavor is fruitless, and it is only Luna's intervention that frees her.

At least for the moment.

Hardly happy to be tossed around like a prize to be captured, Fio was read to snap until Luna's behavior caught her entirely off-guard.

What was this embarrassing situation?! Did Luna just kiss the back of her hand?!

Aaah, she had to get out of here before Queen Sorcha picked her up again or worse! Much worse!

"I... I... y-y-you're all drunken perverts!"

Pointing accusatorily towards the both of them, the Sword Witch spun on her heel and turned to make her dramatic escape!

Unfortunately for her, her stamina, her physical capability, her athleticism...

All of these parameters were woefully below par.

Thus, it shouldn't have been any surprise to her when she caught her left foot on her right leg, and the world suddenly began rushing up around her.

Fio promptly fell flat on her face.

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

@Rune_Alchemist

The very moment Niall put the Axe in the Tuatha's hands it was as if he felt it was some sort of mistake. Up to that point it didn't really cross his mind that Tuathas, like Humans, could widely vary from one individual to another. The ones that raised him were calm, collected and secluded - what about this one?

It turned out to be revealed very soon that he wasn't as collected.
"W-what you came here from? No, we have to leave, if you follow me I..." but he couldn't finish the sentence before the Formorian lady caught them. Niall took the opportunity when the Formorian dodged the attack to grab his own weapon, now at the ready.

Niall knew he could take on the bandits outside if they came rushing in her - they could forge a way outside and, from there, escape the camp. He wasn't sure about the Formorian or her creations, so fighting a way out seemed like the safer choice.

"Look." he said to the Tuatha "I freed you to spare you their horrible fate. I have a duty and Oaths to keep - help me fight out of this camp. No point in throwing your life away now, is there? We can still take them if we go now." With that, Niall was ready to use his speed to charge the humans blocking his way out and take them by surprise before they could form up if the Tuatha agreed to fight their way out. If he refused, then Niall would need to use the chaos and escape anyway. He gave this man a chance, but his own Knight's vows were more important than dying for an...obviously not all there Tuatha.

Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Early Night

---

@VitaVitaAR@Pyromania99

“MMhm, But she’s mine? I carry her how I want too.” Sorcha responded as Luna took Fio from her arms. The queen’s posture had slumped a bit as she’d watch Luno place a kiss on Fio’s hand and proceed to ask her about the ‘reward’ for beating the two of them in a drinking game. “Oh my how scandalous, Luna.” Sorcha laughed, not being self aware of her own actions at all as the sword witch proceeded to flee from the scene.

Well, attempt to flee.

Before she could even get five steps, the sword witch was falling, tripping over her own feet. Thankfully, something caught her fall before she hit the floor.

Unfortunately, that something was someone else she probably didn’t have the highest opinion of.

“Kya-” A shout of someone not trying at all to sound actually distressed by being run into, Fio found herself face planting into the bosom of the maid from earlier. The two tumbled to the ground, Sucaria landing on her back, seeming just a tiny bit dazed as she’d slowly bring her gaze towards Fio. “...ah? Miss…Hm, did you want my heart that badly after all?” As usual, her tone of voice was entirely serious and without a hint of any teasing or joking, and it looked as though she was making a move to in fact, pull out said heart again.

“Eeeh, Fio’s not even the drunk one, ahaha…” Sorcha walked over, pulling Fio to her feet again as Sucaria tilted her head to the side slightly, observing the situation.

“...ah...” Upon realizing the situation, there was the faintest bit of a mildly pitying look towards Fio before she’d turn her attention to Luna. “Lady Luna…you’re drunk.” The Maid walked over to the knight before she could bother the sword witch again. “Don’t bother your guests…”

Fio, meanwhile, would find Sorcha happily pulling her along again...right up the stairwell and towards the bedroom she had been given by the Lightsword family. Fio's fate, was sealed. Like a princess being snapped up by a dragon, she was being princess carried off to Sorcha's bedroom. When the pair finally arrived, Sorcha rather unceremoniously plopped Fio down onto the bed.

This, in and of itself might have proved some manner of concern.

The fact the queen started stripping a few seconds later, probably proved moreso.

Thankfully for Fio, she only managed to get her shoes and shirt off before the Queen would simply pass out on the bed next to the mage, though not before wrapping her in a bear hug and mumbling something about Erahith and Gerainth. Maybe Fio managed to actually get some rest. Maybe she'd stay up all night, unable to sleep any at all - though it'd probably be a bad idea to tell the Queen that.

Regardless It would be almost dawn when she'd realize the queen was no longer in the bed with her.

She'd see just a flash of light colored hair from a nearby balcony just off of the room. If Fio was so inclined to investigate, she'd find the Queen just sitting on the nearby roof, gazing off towards the Llobrokor Mountains. She didn't seem to notice Fio, so she could also chose to leave too, if she wished.

@FrogRFlowR

---

“You should listen to the bird.” The fomorian chided the both of them wearing her usual grin. “But I doubt you’ll let your brain do the thinking for once.”

“My ‘brain’ thinks all the time, and right now its thinking that a good whack is gonna make you shut up permanently!” However, seeing Niall instead of engaging and choosing to flee, the Tuatha seemed surprised. Whether it was because he didn’t seem intent on fighting now or that he thought Niall was a coward for fleeing was difficult to say. “Hey! We’re not gonna get another chance easily to end this creep!”

Still, if Niall was intent on his course of action, the Owl knight would bolt past the rest of the undead experiments blocking the entrance, choosing to flee instead of engage as he’d barely avoid their clumsy, but powerful strikes.

“You should choose your allies better, ya know.”

“Shut it-” He barely managed to block a blow from one of the experiments strikes, its two extra arms attempting to reach and grab for the Tuatha’s head. “-Only Cecillia gets to ‘headpat’ me!” He’d retort, shoving the creature back and glancing between the Fomorian and the retreating Niall before swiftly coming to a decision himself. “Damn it…fine!” With a powerful swing, he’d cleave his way through another undead that was creeping up on him, following Niall out of the storage area.

“I’ll get my revenge on you some other day, creep.”

“Oh my, so scary.”

“Everyone you’ve killed, I’ll make you pay ten fold!” He’d blast out of the underground, just shortly behind Niall…but now the entire camp seemed to have been alerted to their presence. As they’d make their way out into the open, they’d find they were already surrounded not very far away from the entrance.

“Hey, got any bright ideas?” The Tuatha asked Niall. Gabriel was nowhere to be immediately seen.

Rather then directly hitting the floor with her face, Fio was at least a little relieved(if quite embarrassed) when someone caught her.

Unfortunately, the one who caught her was the maid.

And she was already offering to show off her heart again.

"N-no, no, I'm fine!" cried the Sword Witch, waving her hands frantically as she tried to pull away and resume running as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

For Queen Sorcha was already upon her, grabbing her arm and pratically dragging her up the stairs.

"Y-you-wh-what kind of Queen are y-you?!" cried Fio, frantically squirming, "Y-y-you're pulling to hard y-you... you idiot...!"

But no amount of protest would save her from being tugged right up the stairs and to the Queen's guest bedroom. Before she could even react, she was suddenly in the air, her surroundings whipping past her as she hurtled through the air and landed on something soft. It was with no small amount of concern that she realized the soft landing was the bed.

That in and of itself was worrying enough, but when she sat up and tried to desperately secure her escape, she could see Queen Sorcha shedding her clothing at a rapid pace.

"W-w-wait what?!" she cried, feeling the heat rushing into her cheeks instantly, "S-stupid! I-idiot! P-pervert! Y-y-you-th-this is-y-you can't my h-heart's not r-"

There was a soft thump as the partially undressed Queen passed out on the bed beside her. Fio was far too stunned to manage an escape, however, finding herself suddenly wrapped in Sorcha's arms and pressed to her chest. This was embarrassing in and of itself, but at the very least...

...

...

Fio remained there silently for several moments. Slowly, she averted her blue-purple eyes.

"Hmph... For a Queen, you sure are clingy..." she murmured softly. There was no way she could escape, and she was acutely aware her complaint would go unheard. Perhaps it was unfair to blame Sorcha for actions she undertook directly due to having drank too much trying to win an unbeatable drinking contest engineered by Fio herself, but the Sword Witch was hardly about to acknowledge her role in this outcome even internally.

It had been a long time since someone held her like this, hadn't it? The last time was when she was much younger.

And the person who did it wasn't a half-undressed supposed Royal.

And yet, maybe, even if she'd never admit it, it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened.

Maybe.

~

Fio didn't remember getting drowsy, but evidently, in spite of her situation, she had at some point. Blearily blinking her eyes, the petite witch pushed up off of the bed and yawned.

Queen Sorcha wasn't there.

Rubbing her eyes and grasping her hat, Fio returned it to her head as she sat up fully and stretched with another yawn. Ah...

She'd slept really well.

She'd never admit that she slept so well after being abducted by the drunken Queen, but she couldn't ignore that fact deep down. After a few moments, she stepped off the bed.

Where was Sorcha, anyway?

A flash of the Queen's hair from the balcony answered the girl's question. After some brief hesitation, Fio approached.

"I'm not some kind of doll, you know," she began, as she approached, "You can't just carry me off like that. Hmph."

@Rune_Alchemist

Ahh, Fio was running. A shame, truly. Perhaps she didn't desire anything at all and it was merely the victory that mattered? How curious. Still, the girl ran into someone rather familiar. "Do my eyes deceive me? Sucaria?" A wide smile spread from Luna's lips as her glazed over eyes studied the girl some as she walked closer. "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you'd be back home." The Knightess mentioned as she threw her arms around the maid. "Not that I'm upset that you're here. I'm quite glad to see you."

The knightess grabbed the servant's hand and gave her a kiss on the back of it. "Have you been..." Luna stumbled before finishing her sentence grabbing onto Sucaria to brace herself a small bit. "Well... Perhaps you are right. I might be a small bit drunk." With a small laugh to herself, Luna gave a small sigh. "I should probably lay down. Would you mind showing me an open bed? I can take one in the barracks of course if any are available." Luna always tended to act like this so it was of no surprise to anyone around.

"There are Horses waiting for us outside if we but reach them." Niall answered without looking back at the Tuatha.

When they stepped out, Niall immediately began looking around himself to determine the location from where he came and where he had left his horses. Niall looked up, at the moon and the stars to see if he could deduce how much time approximately passed. Gabriel was to meet him back at the horses a hour after they had split up, and that time was drawing close. Hopefully, the Lightsword knight would have the horses prepared just in case as Niall came back.

With this in mind, the knight's mind focused back at the immediate problems; they were surrounded. The Formorian and her creations were still behind them, meaning that - if they were lucky - between this aggressive Niall, his aggressive companion and freedom stood only some regular bandits.

"Listen. The gates are the more direct way of leaving here and heading to the horses outside, but chances are they're closed. I will cut a path, follow through and open those gates." A feat the man and his axe could probably do, judging by their feat of strength from earlier. With this, Niall lost no time and lunged forward.

With speed and grace he cut down the first few bandits closest to them while heading to the door. His strikes were precise and quick as he advanced, dodged and deviated strikes with his deadly weapon. Providing bandits were indeed the same sort he fought at the castle earlier in the day and no other surprised came their day, Niall would quickly cut a path to the gates to see if they were yet closed or not. If they were, he would expect the Tuatha to follow his plan. If not, Niall would move to keep them open at any cost.

The Knight could possibly rather easily go above the walls, but he did not know of his new companion's abilities completely yet. Maybe he could go above the walls, or through them perhaps... but he could not create a plan on maybe's and perhaps'.

Location:
Border forest
Mid-Morning

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

The beast reared its head, an air shaking, earth shattering roar echoing through the forest.

Marduk had stopped his leaping between the trees, taking his time to bask in the beast’s might. This was quite literally like nothing he has ever seen, its height towering over the very trees of this forest. While it would be a mere child in the presence of the trees of the Lylmesari, the sheer size of this beast was not not something to be trifled with.

Fighting this thing alone was out of the question. Having an idea of the strength of his newfound allies, just fighting it as a trio might have also proven to be no easy fit. It was good that they had at least one more exceptional knight in their ranks, alongside a few more who are expectedly trained in battle. After all, this single life form seemed to potentially have the strength of an entire army, the magma oozing from its very being serving as a testament to its sheer slaughtering capabilities. A true engine of slaughter.

It was good that Marduk, in comparison, was an engine of war.

With its sudden appearance and the sheer amount of destruction this thing could do against himself and the knights below, Marduk knew he could not hesitate. If he wished to strike at all, he needed to make his strike count. The element of surprise would quickly be rendered naught as soon as he struck, so this strike needed to work, to properly set the tempo of this battle.

“O beast, clad in midnight…” Marduk had begun his incantation, entrancing himself once again in the blood of heroes that flowed through his veins.

“O beast, who takes flight on black wings spanning all of Albion’s skies in its inky darkness…”

Golden light coalesced in his hand taking the shape of a keen spear, its edge howling a song of bloodlust. Unlike before, Marduk would pour his very power into this spear, to awaken more than a mere shroud of its true power.

“... Come the Swordwind, Breaker of Curses, Bane of the Accursed, who will rend you from these very skies, who shall turn night into day!”

Winding the spear back, Marduk took aim for a spot on the wyvern’s wings, a point of weakness, the gap in its obsidian plate. And with a quick, jerking motion…

“Behold, Tyrant, as I take the blessings of the winds from your blasphemous existence! Fly true, Bringer of Dawn! Fly, and put a stop to this endless night!”

… The Swordwind would release his spear, directly for the wyvern’s wing in order to tear it asunder, like a banner of darkness amidst the battlefield. No longer shall it hold tyranny over the skies. No longer shall it oppress the innocent from the light of the Sun itself.

Elias grit his teeth as his horse bucked; this Wyvern was far larger than anything he’d heard stories of– not to mention the fact that the beast was dripping with magma…

It was when he saw the crest upon the dragon’s breast that fury began to well within him.

This Dragon, this– abomination wasn’t something that should exist… It was made by something; just like the cyclops in Redwater, it had to be. And as for what was used in lieu of a true dragonheart…

It wasn’t hard for the knight to come to quick conclusions.

Releasing the reins, Elias dismounted his horse in a swift motion; the flame in his chest continuing to build to a fever pitch even as the sheer heat of the dragon’s presence threatened to cook him alive.

His fingers dug deep into the bark of a felled tree as he rushed the beast; intent on occupying it’s attention so his allies could land more crippling blows. With a mighty bellow– he hefted the tree in a powerful overhead swing!

"YOU SOUGHT ME BEAST? HERE I AM!"

Ethelred was in awe of the sight of this creature. He knew a bit about dragons and their ilk, but books and legends never compared to beholding the real thing. He certainly had not anticipated it being so…fiery. Lava dripped from what looked like sores, and its mere presence caused things to burn, and even at this distance, Ethelred could feel the increased heat through the faceplate of his helmet.

With Elias taking the beast head-on, Ethelred recognized an opportunity to flank it. He spurred his horse onward, his companion somewhat reluctantly and hesitantly responding. Avoiding the arc of Reinhardt’s tree strike, Ethelred galloped towards his foe’s lower leg. With all his willpower he channeled his freezing powers, and with all his might he thrust his lance at the back of the creature’s ankle, hoping that his ice would be able to resist the dragon’s heat just long enough to inflict injury upon it. He wasn’t even sure if his lance would penetrate the wyvern’s hide even with the momentum of charging, but until one of its more vulnerable spots, such as the strange holes in its body, was within reach, he was somewhat limited in his choice of targets.

Marduk began his chant, the power building as he channeled the power of his ancestor. Fury. Righteousness. Contempt and hatred all swirling together as he began drawing upon this power. It was a good thing the Wyvern was indeed, more focused on the man in front of it lest he be turned into deep fried elf.

As Reinhardt made his declaration, swinging the hefty, felled tree towards the draconic creature, the dragon would in turn, position its wing arm between its head and the tree catching the improvised weapon with its own body, deflecting Reinhardts attack as a low growl emanated from the beast.

It opened its maw, mouth aimed directly at Reinhardt as volcanic heat built, the crest on its chest growing hotter and hotter -

A pained, high pitched roar. A flash of light as a pale imitation of a true holy weapon ripped through the air. A gout of fire blazed past Reinhardt, just barely singing his skin as the beasts maw had been knocked out of its trajectory by Marduk’s spear that struck the dragons wing…but did not pierce. The heavy tree Reinhardt was holding slipped off its wing as the beast would now turn its imperious gaze towards Marduk and the Knight riding towards it on a steed of frost.

Ethelred’s lance struck the beast's leg, but alas, it seemed mostly to agitate the creature - though the ice that had formed from the blow was not immediately melting.

The beast slammed its foot onto the ground, shaking the earth with its weight, a stream of fire being pushed from the holes on the underside of its body as Ethelred sped past, scorching even his frigid armor as the beast reared its head back, turned its head towards the heavens.

“....FOOLISH.” It screeched. “We…are the Herald of His Return.” There was a mighty flap of its wings as it would rise to its hindlegs, the holes on its body glowing hotly before lunging forwards with its wings attempting to strike at Reinhardt in a series of brutal brutal blows with its wings before swiftly pivoting on its clawed feet, tail whipping outwards towards the treeline where Marduk had been hiding, a wall of flame shooting from its tail towards the forest, scorching them.

Ethelred felt the searing, painful heat of the flames even through his armor. It was not a sensation he had felt since he had been frozen, and while he normally welcomed old, lost sensations, this was not one he wanted to experience. It was as clear as ice that his armor's ability to protect him had its limits, and that he'd have to be more careful.

As the Frozen Knight desperately circled underneath the wyvern's tail as it swept overhead in an attempt to hit Marduk, Ethelred pondered his next move. With the beast's scorching aura of heat and vast power, this wasn't a fight they could win by playing defensively, but it stood so tall that all potential weak points were out of their reach. They needed to bring it down to wound it, but in order to bring it down, would they not have to wound it?

Perhaps there was another way to bring it down, Ethelred thought, harkening back to his fight with Cecilia. He approached the wyvern's other leg, still pivoting and repositioning in an attempt to strike Marduk.

Ethelred rode underneath the draconic monster, taking note of where its foot would land next. Then, careful as to avoid being stepped on, he thrust his lance into that patch of ground and channeled his freezing powers through the weapon in an attempt to freeze the spot beneath where its foot would land, with the intent of creating a slippery surface to unbalance his foe. This could be difficult to pull off in this scorching heat, but the ground should be cooler than the heated air above it, and the knight had noticed that the beast's foot was not hot enough to immediately melt the ice when he struck it prior.

As Ethelred did his best to sabotage the Dragon's footing; Reinhardt fought like hell to counter the beast's onslaught! Still wincing from the sheer heat of the blast that had only managed to graze him, and staggering back from the monster's parry of his opening strike– the knight let out a strained roar as he pivoted hard, only just managing to bring his improvised weapon to bear against the dragon’s opening swing!

The sound splintering wood echoed through the air; Reinhardt's footing failing to find purchase as the force of the blow would drive him back! The second blow came, and once again the knight brought his weapon to bear against the monster; continuing to lose ground as his weapon would splinter further. And though he managed to defend once more against the third– Elias would find himself flung violently back; what little was left of the log nearly exploding in his grasp!

Barely managing to catch himself from falling into a full-on tumble, Reinhardt wasted no time in acquiring a new weapon; violently kicking through the truck off a tree that had already had its limbs burnt off during the ongoing battle and quickly taking it into his hands.

The knight’s stance lowered into that of a Spearman as he pointed the crudely formed tip of his weapon toward the dragon. The Reinhardt crest surged with power as heat welled within Elias' breast, the Knight launching three quick thrusts– aimed at the dragon’s shoulders and throat!

"Some Herald you are! You aren't even announcing your master's name!

Ice formed beneath the massive wyvern’s feet as it pivoted, heat pulsing from its body as the two holes on its back began expelling fire from within the beasts body. The ice quickly was melting - but it would certainly do as Ethelred intended. As the wyvern’s weight came crashing down onto the icy earth below it, the ice cracked and splintered as the Wyvern’s claws were unable to grip the ground.

It fell, its right side careening towards the ground, barely managing to stop itself from falling entirely with its wings as Reinhardt made his assault. The first strike landed true, slamming into the Wyvern’s shoulder puncturing the creature's scales just enough for a trickle of boiling magma to spill from its body. The next would be deflected by the wyvern’s other wing, just enough to cause a grazing wound upon its neck while the third missed entirely.

“Uooooh…” The Wyvern’s rough, gravelly voice rang out as it would turn its attention back to Reinhardt. “HE needs…not be named.” The gargantuan beast replied to the dragonslayer. “For HE…He…is the king returned…Ooooh, our kiiiing….” The beast was quickly getting back to its feet, a stream of fire expelling from the beasts throat, right towards Reinhardt -

“I think not!” Just before the stream of fire would impact the dragonslayer, a suit of blackened armor would place itself between Reinhardt and the blast. “Allow me, Sir Reinhardt!” Lonan struck forward with his blade, an ethereal blue glow covering its body as the blast of fire was summarily split in two streams, burning only the ground and forest behind the two. “I can not offer much, but with Steblas’ blessing I can at least do something to douse these flames should they reach us!”

The beast was still somewhat on its side, the hole on its right side stomach just now within reach if one managed to get under the beast unscathed.

"Well met Sir Lonan! You couldn't have timed your arrival any better!"
Elias exclaimed as the knight of Harzel joined the ongoing fray, "If you could accompany me for the moment, I intend to get closer! Please continue your support!"

Bit by bit Elias pressed forward; his every breath beginning to cloud the air as the flame in his chest grew ever hotter. Alternating thrusts between the two wounds he'd already dealt the beast, the Knight seemed to almost hesitate slightly between each motion– as if waiting for something…

Marduk once again leapt from treetop to treetop, approaching the battle from a different flank. Avoiding the dragon’s blazing tail had forced him to disengage from the battle for a time, having scraped to the forest floor mere inches away from being smoked Elf brisket.

Instead, while his allies continued to face off against the beast, Marduk had chosen to watch and wait for a time. He faded into the shadows of the woodlands for the right time to strike, not wishing to betray his position again. After all, the more trees that would be scorched in the wyvern’s flames, the less angles of attack Marduk had.

Perhaps bows weren’t a cowardly weapon after all.

Ethelred and his mount barely managed to avoid being crushed when the wyvern slipped. His tactic had worked, and afforded them a brief window of opportunity to strike at the beast. Most notably, one of the holes in its body was now within reach of Ethelred's lance. With Elias busy attacking the dragon's front, it should be distracted enough to get this attack in. Steeling himself at the very real prospect of getting a face full of fire, he charged and thrust his lance into the hole, hoping that his cold powers and crystalline weapon would hold in the face of such immense heat.

“Understood! I’ll leave the offense to you! I’ll handle defense!” Lonan quickly retorted, the knights blade still glowing a light, watery blue as he positioned himself by Reinhardt’s side. The Dragonslayer continued his slow, but methodical assault but the Wyevern had grown wise to his methods, twisting its neck to avoid the injury on its side from being assaulted further. It could however, not prevent the wound on its shoulder from being gouged further as it would slowly rise to its feet. This left Ethelred only moments to take advantage of this opening, his steed bounding towards the underside of the great wyvern.

He plunged his lance into the hole.

The reaction was instant. The frozen knight channeled his icy powers to freeze the inside of the dragons body. Immense volcanic heat blasted Ethelred’s body, even his frozen body melting from the heat yet not enough to break through the entire layers. The beast roared, thrashing as Ethelred would watch with a manner of success as the hole began to freeze over slowly…but it was not fast enough.

“Ahh, futile, futile!” The beast managed to return to its feet, giving its mighty wings a powerful flap, jets of fire billowing from every hole on the beast. “MMmhm, very well! I herald…destruction. Perdition. You will burn…with the others, traitors…”

Ethelred would need to move quickly as the wind and heat from the beast's wing beats began stirring up a pillar of fire under and around the beast. Jets of flame ignited in the holes on the beasts underside, a terrible, loud screech from the sheer amount and speed at fire being ejected. With a single, mighty flap, the beast raised itself into the skies.

The only saving grace was, that there was noticeable difference in the hole that Ethelred had nearly frozen. The flame was much less strong, and a much duller color as if it had significantly cooled.

“I don’t know what its doing, but it can’t be anything good!” Lonan shouted.

Ethelred didn't need to think twice to realize he needed to get clear. His armor had taken a beating from the heat, and he wasn't sure how much more it could take. He spurred his horse to gallop away from the dragon as swiftly as possible, heading in the direction of some still-unburnt woods where the trees would hopefully provide some measure of concealment from the now airborne foe. He didn't want to give the beast a clear shot at him, or provide it a convenient target by heading in the direction of one of the other knights.

"Elias! Get clear!" he shouted as he fled, hoping his leader would hear him.

As he looked back, he noticed that his particularly taxing efforts had the results of weakening the fire erupting from that particular aperture, and its wounded shoulder, no doubt Reinhardt’s work, did not escape his notice. The dragon didn't seem like it was being slowed from its injuries but if the trio were able to continue hammering at the existing wounds, they might manage to bring this monster down.

As the beast took flight, Marduk’s eyes shone with killing intent once more. A golden glimmer in his hands, another spear shimmered in existence. Quickly, he had thrown his procured weapon at the wyvern’s wounded shoulder, hopefully to cripple its ability of flight further. Whether his attack struck true or not, the Elf was already on the move, producing a mere pebble from his pockets.

With a flick of his wrists and another tune of a songbird, the pebble flew, skipping past the branches of a few trees, ruffling their leaves ever so slightly. A trick of the Elves, a feigned sign of movement. Marduk, meanwhile, moved in an opposite direction, leaping closer to the ground before reaching his once-abandoned steed, the horse galloping alongside the likes of Reinhardt. He appeared at an instant, his legs poised atop his steed like he prepared to bound once more.

“Its wings… we need to cripple its flight, before anything else!” Marduk called to the knight, before preparing to steer his horse away, a direction different from Ethelred’s. “The sword in its chest is important, yes?! I’ll work on loosening it!”

"No Ethered! Group up with Lonan, and make the area cold as you can manage! I'll go for the sword– Sir Elf, be ready to grab it once I've knocked it free! Reinhardt barked in retort; breaking into a full sprint in pursuit of the dragon, a steady head of steam beginning to rise from the gaps of his armor yet again his crest flared to a fevered pitch–

"HNNNGH!"

A monumental grunt of effort accompanied the sound of wood straining and splintering as the crude tip of the Knight's makeshift spear dug into the earth and catapulted him into the air! Quickly detaching his harpoon from his belt, Reinhardt gave the head a swift spin before releasing it toward the wound Elnith's sword was buried in!

Ethelred heard Reinhardt's orders and quickly steered his horse in a new direction. Not wanting to risk getting closer to the dragon, he circled around it towards Lonan, keeping his shield raised and being ready to bolt if the dragon's terrible fire was to begin pushing outward. For all his distrust of these Harzel Knights, Lonan had proven himself a valorous companion and if it was Elias' will, Ethelred would do everything in his power to aid him.

A second shining spear hurtled through the air, Marduk’s assault aiming for the already injured part of the beasts scales. The Wyvern would thus fold its wings around it as though it was making a cloak out of its wings, the shimmering weapon nicking its wings and though it seemed to chip off a portion of the wings surface area, it otherwise didn’t even register the injury it seemed.

“...Sir Reinhardt! You fool what are you-” Lonan barely got a shout out as Reinhardt would in turn, also launch himself towards the scaled beast using the tree in his grip as a glorified pole to vault with.

“Nnnhmmn…Foolish!” The harpoon Reinhardt released was released from his grip, careening through the air. “Burn with…the other traitors…” In the same instant, a dense pressure formed at the dragon's maw, a sphere of roiling magma forming at the end of its muzzle.

“Sir Ethelred!” Lonan shouted. “I need you to trust me and put yourself between us and the dragon's attack! Elf, unless you want to fry, get over here!”

The harpoon, in the brief seconds this all was happening, would hit its mark. The tip of the weapon would dig right into the emblem emblazoned on the dragons chest, right above Elnith’s blade. The dragon still didn’t immediately respond, even as its fiery blood seeped from the wound.

Even as he stared into what he knew was about to be his end, Reinhardt faced his duty unflinching. Another surge of energy burst forth from the heart of his being; burning hotter and brighter than ever before! In a sudden jerk, the harpoon tore free– and a molten star ascended in it's place!

Reinhardt’s fingers wrapped the hilt in a vice-like grip around the hilt of Elnith's blade, delivering a violent stomp to the Dragon's chest as he would teat the blade free in an upward motion; cleaving through the beast's blackened flesh!

As the knight’s ascent at last began to stall– he released his grip on Elnith's weapon; the crimson blade hurtling free toward the earth below.

Reinhardt was left face to face with the beast, armed now with naught but his own cold stare.

He glanced over his shoulder once to his comrades; calling out once more before his gaze would return to the Dragon, "I leave the rest to you!"

"DO YOUR WORST WRETCH!"

Ethelred leapt off his horse, not wanting to risk its life, and ran up to Lonan's side. He saw the dragon's chest glowing and knew what was going to come next. And Reinhardt was right in front of it.

The Frozen Knight raised his shield, channeling his freezing powers through it, preparing to counter whatever terrible heat would soon come his way. A freezing fog began to form in front of him. His mount, sensing the imminent danger, retreated into the woods.

He hoped that his and Lonan's powers would be enough to turn aside the incoming attack. Unfortunately,they wouldn't be able to shield Reinhardt.

"Elias, you have to get out of there!" he shouted to his companion, desperately hoping that his companion would be able to disengage and get to safety.

The blood-red blade was pulled upwards. Flesh was cut, scales crushed under Reinhardt’s boot. The beast shrieked in pain, molten blood spilling from the wound. A gash had been cleaved right across the beasts chest, scarring the crest and creating a deep wound from the beasts chest all the way up to its shoulder.

The sword would soon start hurtling towards the ground.

Reinhardt would soon follow.

“Mmhm, if I am to fall…then…you…traitors…my kiiing, your herald will deliver them to perdition…!” The orb of fire had stalled in its growth, its power halted as its flight was thrown off, the beasts body flailing in the air barely able to keep aloft from the sudden assault, but not enough to fall from the skies right then. As boiling magma dripped from the sphere of fire and the beast itself, it craned its head downwards.

There was a flash of fiery light, as the dragon unleashed its attack. Thankfully for the people on the ground it had been thrown wildly off course…unfortunately the blast did not seem to be a mere breath of fire, and unfortunately, it would slam right into Reinhardt.

Heat.

His body burned.

Every bit of Reinhardts’ flesh was being near instantly vaporized from his bones. Armor, melted. Weapon shattered.

His body would be naught but ash before the beam of roiling magma even hit the ground. As the pillar of fire slammed into the ground, the beast flailed, still unable to properly maintain flight causing the beam to wildly strike and race along the ground. In its wake, trees instantly vaporized. The under it became little more than blasted, cracked, land unsuitable for anything to grow at all.

The beam, would thus, then race towards the group of gathered knights. Ethelred stood stalwartly between it and both Marduk and Lonan. Could he really defend against this blast of hellish fire? Ethelred would vaguely see Lonan drawing his blade, running a hand alongside its length. An otherworldly blue glow shining upon its steel.

“Spirit of pure water, Steblas, grant this one your blessing of water and quench the fires of conflict!”

Almost immediately, Ethelred would feel the ice on his melted armor reinforce, in fact, grow almost thicker and more sturdy than it had been previously. He could feel the powers of Ice he possessed grow stronger…more controlled, as though he could reach out further with them than previously.

As the beam of fire rushed towards the group, it slammed into Ethelred’s shield…yet, he felt no heat from it whatsoever. His body would strain against the force of the impact, but the beam itself harmlessly split down the middle, being deflected from the shield as the blast of fire would instead completely vaporize the ground to their side.

With the force of its own attack seemingly being the only thing keeping the dragon aloft, the beast would wildly flap one of its wings. A jet of fire blasted from one of the holes in its back as the creature would thus use the force to carry itself away from the trio, careening towards the ground…in the direction of the village.

"Elias!" Ethelred shouted as the fire subsided and he saw the terrible sight of melted metal and ashes where his companion once stood.

Ethelred dashed over to where Reinhardt was vaporized. "No, no no. This wasn't supposed to happen, Elias. You were the dragonslayer, the direct heir of the king's greatest knight. You were the strongest of us. You were supposed to be invincible!"

There was no response. The notion that there could be any response from the melted slag that remained would be asinine to a more lucid man.

He wanted to shout. He wanted to berate and rant, asking why Elias didn't heed his warning to get clear. He wanted to ask what he could've done to make Elias take his words more seriously. He wanted to shout his lungs out at the remains.

First Od, now you...

However, he couldn't allow himself to do so. Unlike distant ancestors, he was not a barbarian, to roar in rage and passion until his voice gave out. He was a knight of Sorcha, and as long as he still lived, it was his duty to see this mission through, to avenge Elias, to end the threat to the villages, and to save Elnith from an unjust execution. He would have to mourn another time.

"We cannot let that dragon burn down that village," he finally spoke, resolute. "We have to put it down before it can recover from its wounds, or we might never kill it. Marduk, I need you to find Elnith's sword in this wreckage." The frozen Knight turned back to Lonan.

"Sir Lonan, I understand you are a faithful servant of Harzelslack and its laws, but you’ve seen what this wyvern is capable of. Until we slay it, it is a threat to every unfortified settlement in Albion. You have my word that if you hand Elnith over to me, she will aid us in taking this beast down, and then depart without making any further trouble. I know that she has wronged Harzelslack, but punishing past wrongs should not take precedence over preventing future ones. We cannot undo past tragedies, but we can prevent future ones."

Ethelred was trying his hardest to act as he thought Elias would. He owed it to him, to make the effort to be the responsible leader that Reinhardt was.

Marduk was speechless, at first. The Wyvern’s final attack, the devastation of their forces, and most severely, Reinhardt’s demise at the beast’s hands all have indeed made the severity of this situation clear. They needed to stop the Wyvern, but they also needed to fight it at their full strength. Anything less, and Reinhardt’s sacrifice would be for nothing. It was only with their abilities combined that this beast could be stopped, evident by the synergy between Lonan and Ethelred’s peculiar magic.

Even still, the hatred of Marduk’s ancestor rumbled deeply within his heart even under these circumstances. As the Frozen Knight commanded the Swordwind, Marduk could not help but glare daggers at him. Another confrontation was likely to occur… However, Marduk instead stepped off his horse and made his way towards the burning cinders where Elnith’s sword would have dropped. Where Reinhardt’s ashes were likely scattered.

“I will continue to fight alongside you until the Wyvern's death, that much I have promised.” Marduk had stated, his voice strangely free of the haughtiness he had when conversing with the knights moments before. He was facing away from Ethelred, but the malice that exuded from the Elf was almost suffocating, “But I will not abide by being commanded by you, Cursed One. I stay my blade only out of respect for Sir Elias Reinhardt’s sacrifice, but I will not tolerate another slight. Know that I merely tolerate fighting alongside you, not under you.”

It was strange. The way Marduk spoke was as if he was a different person entirely. After all, this was the first time he referred to Reinhardt by his full name. Whatever the case may be, the Elf did not wait for Ethelred’s response. Instead, he sifted through the ashes, sniffing out the blade through his enhanced senses for the cursed.

“This sword was one that gorilla died for in order to retrieve it.” Marduk spoke, sounding much more like himself. “Why is it so important, aside from it belonging to this ‘Elnith?’”

A heavy silence hung over the group, the forest around them had been burned to naught but ash along with Reinhardt. Little more than a blasted, charred landscape behind. Lonan himself, shook his head, fist clenched around his blade as he’d sheathe the weapon.

“...I am sorry, sir Ethelred. That is not within my power to do.” He responded quietly. “Only the king may pardon criminals. Under Harzel law, those deemed criminals and enemies of the crown lose any rights to citizenship until their trial or execution.” He’d turn to face away from the ice knight. “However…this battle is certain to be chaotic. No doubt that wyvern will not go down so easily. If, by chance, she somehow manages to escape from the outpost we have nearby the village during the fight, well…we’ll have our hands full protecting the people.”

He’d whistle, the ghostly steed Steblas once more appearing by his side.

“I’ll go on ahead. Grainne likely has evacuated the citizens. We’ll need to come up with a plan before this thing makes another move if it hasn’t already. You both are more than welcome to help.” He’d kick Steblas into motion. “For what its worth, you have my sincerest condolences.”

"Thank you, Sir Lonan," Ethelred replied, nodding at the man's clear implication. Once the knight of Harzel rode off, he turned back towards Marduk.

"Cursed one?! That's rich, coming from a…" Ethelred caught himself. He couldn't rise to Marduk's insults, not now. "Nevermind. If you must know, Elnith's sword is enchanted to always hit its mark. It can't be parried or blocked, and I don't think it can be dodged. The fact that it was embedded in the dragon is evidence that it's able to penetrate the beast's hide."

Evidently his attempts to take charge in the aftermath of Reinhardt's death weren't going well. Was he that bad with people compared to the other knights? Or were people simply not inclined to heed the words of a cursed monster?

Ethelred let out a whistle, and to his great relief, his horse appeared, apparently unscathed by the dragon's uncontrolled attack.

"I'm heading to rescue Elnith at this outpost while the Harzel forces are busy evacuating the village," Ethelred spoke to Marduk as he mounted up. "Whether you choose to come with me or not, I expect to see her sword returned to her."

Marduk merely nodded to Sir Lonan as he left. He had no strong opinion on the Harzel knight, though his lack of quips to the spectral horseman likely meant he didn’t have a negative opinion on the man at the very least. As for Ethelred, Marduk had an almost amused expression on his face as the Frozen Knight’s cold facade momentarily melted. He had hoped just for that moment the knight would follow through with his insult just so he would have an excuse to blow off some steam. It was a fleeting temptation, however, as the Elf knew his boreal curse would prove useful against the fight against the wyvern.

As for the sword, the nature of this blade piqued Marduk’s interest.

“I’ve no care for a cursed sword in my collection, Icicle. I’ll catch up when I find it.” Marduk hollered back to Ethelred as he made his leave. As soon as he was out of earshot, The Elf sighed, allowing himself a moment of reprieve before he continued to search for the sword.

It was then that he noticed Sir Reinhardt’s steed meandering about, having somehow survived the Wyvern’s blast.

“Ah, blasted Wasteland. Leaving me with shit to deal with even when you’re dead, huh, gorilla?”

Seeing no use in letting it wander off, Marduk led the horse over to his own, tying the horse’s lead to his own. He would also take advantage of this new opportunity, removing some of the burdens of his own traveling gear from his horse and placing them all on Reinhardt’s. Quickly looking through the knight’s personal effects, Marduk procured one of Reinhardt’s unused swords. He wondered for a moment just why that gorilla didn’t use any of his other weapons.

At least it would serve as a proper memorial for the knight. Marduk lunged the blade within the ground of the newly made clearing, taking only the briefest of time to pay his respects before continuing with his work.

Now, to see about finding this sword…

The sword was easy enough to find in the blasted landscape, its red blade gleaming brightly even among the burned forest. Amidst the smoldering ground, Marduk would pull the blade out of the place it had embedded itself into. Immediately upon grabbing it, an unfamiliar magical energy could be felt from the blade - it was definitely a sword of fomorian make it seemed, this much was certain to the elf.

Yet, even if he didn’t particularly care for it, it almost seemed like as he held the sword, he could reach almost anything with it. All he had to do, was pick it up and give it a swing…

Well, perhaps he should get moving. Tearing himself away from that thought though, he’d head after Ethelred…

Lonan hadn’t exactly given directions to this outpost, likely for desiring some sort of plausible deniability. Yet, it wasn’t too difficult to find the location of this particular outpost. It might complicate matters a bit for Ethelred depending on how he wanted to handle this situation, but it seemed to be where the knights were helping the citizens of the village to evacuate too. He’d find a small procession of refugees being led by none other than Grainne who had retrieved a steed for herself. Notably, Ethelred and Marduk would see the two kids from earlier there too, riding along in a carriage. They were roughly traveling west, towards the harzel border and in the distance amidst a small copse the duo could see a fort, surrounded by what was an incredibly large encampment of knights. A number of civilians that had already been evacuated seemed to be present, too.

The fort itself was of a fairly standard size for something like this. Enough to house a relatively decent complement of soldiers to keep an eye on the border as it were. He could see two large ballistae on two separate towers, too. Maybe those would be useful later.

A forward operating base of sorts, just outside of the official harzel borders? Grainne and the small procession hadn’t seen the two yet at least. Perhaps it’d be better to try a more covert operation.

---

Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Late Night
@VitaVitaAR

---

The queen, perhaps oddly, didn't immediately respond. She’d raise a hand to her face, just so Fio couldn’t immediately see her. She’d proceed to stretch, presumably rubbing sleep from her eyes before quietly stretching her arms above her head and yawning.

“Ah? Fio, I thought you were enjoying the best sleep of your life. You certainly had a cute sleeping face.” She’d respond after a few moments, turning her head to look towards the sword witch with a tired almost strained seeming smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you. I couldn’t sleep very well…” A few seconds of silence passed as the queen looked back towards the mountain tops in the distance.

“...do you want to hear a story, Fio?” She’d question. “Something I doubt is written down anywhere in the histories of the old king?”

@Pyromania99

---

Sucaria’s dusky skin was overcome with a dash of red from the princely kiss delivered to the back of her hand. The maid at least, outwardly didn’t seem entirely bothered by this…save for the perhaps, loud thumping coming from her chest and a sudden trickle of blood coming from her mouth which was quickly wiped away by a cloth.

“I heard you were coming here…” Sucaria replied, supporting Luna by throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Lord…Lightsword let me come here…I’ve been busy cleaning.” She’d huff, shaking her head. “So dusty…this place is unfit for you…” Dutifully, she’d guide Luna towards a bed…though certainly not towards the barracks. Instead Luna would be finding herself brought towards the servants quarters. Specifically, towards the room that Sucaria was making herself at home then.

“Mhm, first…we need to let you relax from your long journey and battle today. I’ve prepared a warm bath…” She’d then, proceed to start undressing Luna.

@FrogRFlowR

---

“Ah? Opening gates? Well, that’s one thing I excel at, ahah!” The Tuatha replied with a laugh, hefting his axe. “Alright friend, I’ll knock those gates down without a sweat!” NIall would immediately start cutting his way through the bandits, precision and artistry with his strikes. The bandits, though, were proving to be just a bit more difficult than common rabble. In fact, they were perhaps a bit unreasonably strong for just simple brigands.

His lance repeatedly found its mark, cutting holes in the bandits but it seemed taking them down for the count was a bit more difficult. Still, it was enough to at least make some progress. He’d deftly avoid their strikes, for all their durability they didn’t seem any more skilled at least. Still, this meant they had gotten towards the gate, but were immediately in no less danger.

“Alright! Lets Just hold them off for a moment, yeah?” The Tuatha grinned as they’d run to the entrance of the stronghold, the gates indeed having been slammed shut by someone or something in order to keep them inside.

The Tuatha didn’t seemed concerned as he’d climb onto a nearby tower, monkeying his way up its tower and throwing out the archer stationed there. He’d then, proceed to hang off the side of it, feet pressed against the wall and hand gripped tightly to its roof while the axe in his hand hung freely from the other one.

“HEY, SHABBI! BREAK IT ALL DOWN GIRL!”

The shout, well, was almost more like a roar. Every single bird in the area immediately began to fly away, even the bandits seemed momentarily stunned by the noise as they’d regroup around Niall.

In the distance, there was a trumpeting of something seemingly returning the call.

About a dozen bandits had surrounded Niall, all lunging forward with swords, axes, spears, seemingly all having every standard weapon in the book. A few were even lobbing arrows at the two of them.

"This certainly complicates things," Ethelred vocally observed, looking at the fort. "When Lonan mentioned an outpost, I was expecting something a bit smaller than a fully garrisoned border castle."

If they tried to spring Elnith out of there, there'd probably be a lot of bloodshed. There were a lot of knights and soldiers in the fort, and they wouldn't think twice of turning those ballistae on the duo. Moreover, as much as Ethelred wanted get Elnith out of there, the thought of killing scores of good men and women who were merely doing their duty- especially while their fellows were occupied getting the villagers to safety- was a rather repugant prospect. The elf might be able to sneak her out of there, but that was a risky prospect. Given the the elf's burning disdain for Ethelred's cursed state, and his even greater hatred of Fomorians, the Frozen Knight feared that the elf would be tempted to leave her there, or even kill her himself.

"I've got two ideas, if you're willing to humor me," Ethelred spoke to the elf. "If the Harzel forces manage to regroup, they should able to bring that dragon down. However, if we're able to finish it off ourselves, now that we have Elnith's space-warping sword, the spoils will be ours and ours alone. I'd be willing to bet that King Harzelslack would be very interested in obtaining the beast's head, especially if he believes that otherwise Sorcha would get it, and would be willing to hand over a prisoner in exchange. Even with the wyvern's wounds, be quite risky, but I've seen you in action, I've seen what that sword you carry can do, and I think we might pull it off."

This would be a lot easier with Reinhardt, not only due to his dragon-fighting skills but the fact that his charisma and heroic bloodline would make it a lot easier for him to charm the king compared to the uncouth elf and cursed ice knight that were Elias' companions.

"My second idea is that we lure it here," he continued. "With those ballistae and a garrison of soldiers aiding us, it'd be a much easier fight, and in the chaos we should be able to spring Elnith out without trouble. It's lower-risk, but much lower reward. What do you think?"

@Cu Chulainn

"I-idiot!"

Sleeping face? Fio hadn't thought about that, but the Queen had totally gotten to see how she looked while she was asleep! Her cheeks reddened immediately, her small hands clenched into fists at her sides as she silently fumed for a moment, glaring at the Queen.

But it was clear something was a little off. The normally cheerful Sorcha didn't quite seem so upbeat as usual. That wistful stare out into the mountains wasn't like her, and although she'd teased the Sword Witch, at the same time she seemed rather melancholy. It wasn't the useful unbecoming royal she had become familiar with.

She hesitated for a few moments, before inhaling deeply and approaching.

"I joined your court in order to learn, so it's only natural I'd want to hear a story like that," the petite girl replied as she took a seat beside the Queen, brushing her hair back as she did, "It'd be foolish to think I'd pass up such an opportunity."

It simply wasn't something she could ever ignore.

@Rune_Alchemist

They're tougher than before...

As Niall noticed this, his tactic switched. Taking them down for good was not necessarily the tactic, and he began simply dodging, parrying and pushing them out of the way with hilt hits, kick and shoving if he could not lands a decisive blow instead. This allowed him to make progress and soon the two had reached the gate.

As the Tuatha began his ascent, Niall did not know what to think. His absence left the Knigth in a precarious position having to fend off this many enemies and they were closing in. With no other choice, Niall called forth the powers in his enchanted Lance yet again but to another extent this time. Seemingly coming out of the Lance's bit where the metal met the shaft, a black mist began leaking and rapidly expanding until Niall and his would be attackers were completely engulfed. From the outside, it literally looked like a mist descended on the area but it was dark and impossible to see through. From inside, it looked as if clouds suddenly covered the moon and they were in the pitch black of night. It did absorb light to a certain extent by any torches or light magic could help enemies see even in this magical darkness. Niall, as for him, had his enhanced vision and yet remained on the defensive for now. If anyone came forward to attack him, he would counter but otherwise was only playing for time.

"Whatever you seem to be doing, do it now friend before we are completely surrounded !"

---

Marduk was quite annoyed with the situation, all things considered. From who he was forced to work with to who they needed to free, Marduk knew for sure he was dishonoring his ancestors in some way. He kept it in the back of his mind for now, however, as they had a bigger foe to take care of. Indeed, they still needed to figure out how to deal with the dragon.

The fortification could serve as a potential point for them to fight the beast at. The primary concern was the civilians also all being here. Given the destructive capabilities of the dragon's attacks, it's likely they'll be risking more lives luring it to the fort than just going after it on their own. At the same time, they were a man short if they wanted to fight the dragon on their own. They needed to break that Fomorian-corrupted woman out if they wanted a chance at that, but at that point, fighting the beast on their own was moot.

"Luring it here is stupid, unless you don't mind the blood of those kids we saved on your hands. Would prove me right of your ilk if you really want to go with that plan, at least." Marduk began, heavy with his words as usual. "The two of us killing the dragon also is a fool's errand. Sure, we have a weapon that may help us fight that beast, but we're also a man down. We also don't have that Harzel knight with his fancy water tricks to help us.

"Unless you want to be responsible for more innocent lives lost, the better plan would be to focus on breaking your cursed 'knightess' out. One of us could start a distraction while the other sneaks in to break her out in the chaos. After all, the knights of the fort are definitely on edge. If all their focus is directed at one direction, they surely won't be focusing on guarding some prisoner if they're called to battle.

"Alternatively, we can just talk to 'em again. Seems like it worked the last time, and we do have a few others in there that recognize us. I spotted that Harzel brat alongside the two actual brats. They could make a good case for us. If they don't, we can just cause a ruckus and go with the other plan."