Danyel
datadogie
The Red Seelie
rush99999
Xiro Zean
Cu Chulainn
Alfhedil
Ojiro Mashirao
Gerlando
Izurich
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.
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.