Search for the Green Dragon

[Leah]

The night was windy, windier than it had been for a few weeks. A lone figure wrapped her cloak tighter around her body and shivered slightly in the biting chill of the gales. Her sword gleamed in the moonlight as it hung by her side. She gazed around the forest clearing in excited anticipation, wondering whether anyone would accompany her on her search for the Green Dragon, or if she was destined to fight it alone.

[Marcus]

Marcus stumbles wearily out of the darkness, and sees Leah, sword in hand.

"You're going after the dragon? It's suicide to fight it alone; no mortal can keep an eye on teeth, claws, tail and flame at once." He grimaces. "I'm no warrior, but...perhaps I can aid you."

[JackZackson]

:staggers out of the darkness ever so slightly inebriated:

Marcus is that you? Watsh you up to on a night like this

:focuses a little:

And who is your friend?

[X-Kal]

* A lone figure emerges from the nearby healer's hut, approaching the group. As he steps into the light, they immediately recognize him as X-Kal.

"There's a rumor going around that you're going to confront the Green Dragon. We've been swamped with her victims, and we would certainly love to see an end to this. However, this mission is dangerous; in fact, it seems too dangerous. As a precaution, I have been instructed to join the group as a cleric - but of course, only with your permission."

[Leah]

Leah watches as the others approach, inclining her head slightly in greeting. "I'd be glad to have the company," she replied. "And of course this mission is dangerous, but the tyrannical reign of the dragon must come to an end. Besides," she said, smiling a little, "I knew someone would accompany me."

[Marcus]

Marcus nods grimly to Leah before turning to Jack.

"You've been at the keg again, mate?" He sighs. "Ah well; someone who wants to go dragon hunting, are you interested? I always feel better facing danger knowing that there's an anchor-toting troll by my side." Marcus mutters, "Even if he is completely hammered..."

[Leah]

Leah laughed good-naturedly. "Anyone is welcome on this hunt. Goodness knows we need all the help that is offered to us."

[kickme]

Kickme walks by, bow in hand.

You going after that dragon? Will you need my elvish abilities?

[JackZackson]

:laughs: I wouldn't shay completely hammered. Just... uhhh somewhat pain resistant :sways slightly: Which might very well be a good thing.

:grins: Yesh I think an adventure at this time of the night would do me good. When do we leave

[Leah]

"Everyone here is needed on this quest. And we must leave immediately, if you are ready," responds Leah. "I received word earlier this night that the Dragon is currently near the city of Ravenclaw and is on the move, so we haven't any time to lose."

[JackZackson]

:nods: Lead the way

[kickme]

:kickme refills his quiver:

I'm ready.

:Starts to sing an elvish war song:

[Leah]

Leah points wordlessly to an overgrown path in the dark forest and beckons for the others to follow. Before starting off, she removes a small stone from her cloak pocket, whispers a few words in another language, and watches with satisfaction as the stone begins to glow with a light of the purest quality. She heads off with the others down the path, listening intently to Kickme's elvish war song. After he finishes, Leah comments, "That was beautiful... unlike anything I've ever heard before." She shakes her head in wonder. "I have never met an elf before. I'm half-human, half... something else that I am not quite sure of. I grew up in a quite sheltered all-human village. As far as I know, I was the only half-breed there." She falls silent as a torrent of memories floods her mind.

[JackZackson]

:socially awkward at the best of times Jack pats Leah on the back as gently as a troll can and lopes off in the direction indicated to ensure the trail is clear:

[Leah]

Leah sinks a few inches into the ground, but smiles warmly at Jack. "Come to think of it, I've never met a troll before, either."

[JackZackson]

:Turns and smiles back to Leah:

You should be glad for that we're not generally good company

[Leah]

Leah laughs good-naturedly. "I'll take your word for that, but you seem to be an exception." The path comes to a fork, and Leah points to the left fork. "That's the way to Ravenclaw. It's right next to my home village, actually..." Leah trails off, a dark shadow crossing her face. "If that dragon so much as toasted a leaf of my village, I swear I'll slay her faster than you can say firewhiskey!" she says darkly, her hand straying to the hilt of her sword.

[X-Kal]

"You're from Ravenclaw? I understand that town is quite a source of magical talent. I suppose you would be a wizard then? That'd come in great handy. Anyhow, have we got everything we need? My pouch is full to the brim with potions, and I've got my trusty wand to aid me."

[Leah]

"Well, not exactly from Ravenclaw, but from a smaller, lesser known village right by it. We trade a lot with the villagers of Ravenclaw, and there I was trained in the ways of magic by an old friend." Leah pats her wand pocket. "And I think with your potions, Kickme's elven bow, Jack's strength, my sword and hunting bow, and the both of our magical skills, we'll make a good team." Her mind wanders back to something her magic instructor had once told her, and she finds herself saying words that she hadn't heard in a long time: "Alone, one can cross a single barrier, but diversity overcomes a mountain of obstacles."

[kickme]

Kickme, nowing what an evil creature the dragon is, volunteers to be the rear guard in case it attacks from the back.

[X-Kal]

"Great idea - and great timing, too. There's bandits approaching - twelve of them!"

* X-Kal initiates Lightning Aura

[Leah]

"Bandits...?" Leah starts to ask, but she stops as she catches sight of the dozen bandits circling the small group. "Aha," she says, a slight smile playing at the edge of her lips. She conjures a Siphon Life Aura around her sword as she pulls her it from her side and holds it in readiness in front of her. A lone thief, slightly larger than the others, advances forward with a confident swagger and says with a wry smile, "Didn't we come across a nice li'l group 'ere?" He points his sword at Leah, who is staring fixedly at him as she grasps her sword. "An' there's a li'l human girl among them who thinks she can play wi' that sword!" the bandit exclaims, laughing at Leah. She looks calmly at him and says with a slight edge to her voice, "That's what you think. But unfortunately for you-" She feints as if she is going to make a thrust at him, but instead delivers a crushing blow to his head with the flat of her sword, knocking him clean out. "-I am not a full human," Leah finishes, inclining her head slightly at the other bandits, daring them to try anything.

[kickme]

As kickme puts a arrow in to his bow, it seems slightly warmer than it should.

He then speaks to the bandits:
`3"`#Just to let you now, I come with `$Ramuis'`# blessing`3"

EDIT: Whoops

[X-Kal]

* Approaching the bandits, X-Kal continues, "It happens that I am not human at all." He then hovers mere inches above their heads and across to block their escape route. With a flick of the wrist, he sends a paralyzing shock of lightning towards the rear bandit.

[JackZackson]

:faced with the prospect of death Jack sobers up a little:

:growls and swings his anchor in a lethal arc through the midst of the bandits, it's chain whistling as several bandits duck but a few are sent sprawling:

You know I think there may only be one actual human in our group

[Leah]

"It would appear so," says Leah, still half-smiling. She feels the rush of adrenaline flow through her at the prospect of battle, and her sword glows ever brighter. Secretly she hopes that that bandits decide to retaliate so that she can enjoy a good battle.

[Everlaster]

Alderin sits on his horse, walking slowly along. His mind filled with thoughts, most of all turned to his beloved Morina. He closes his eyes, and pictures her sweet face. Ah he couldn't wait to get hom, but first, he has to finish his quest. He open his eyes, and spurs Connie forward. He notes to himself to be aware of bandits, as they did not humans in their part of the forest.

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal picks off the few remaining bandits, then proceeds to tie their hands and feet together, then hang them by their feet from a nearby tree.

"So, what should we do with them?"

[kickme]

Light them on fire and shove banana's up their noses. They deserve it.

[Leah]

Leah laughs heartily! "Well," she manages through her mirth, "I personally think that first of all, we should take from them what they have stolen from others." She proceeds over to the leader, Lonestrider, and removes a bulging purse from his side, much to his dismay. "Thank you, sir," she says, bowing with a flourish. "Thank you for funding our quest so graciously, sir, and for bringing your men to give us a small warm-up before we challenge the Green Dragon."

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal takes another look...

"Wow, so it IS lonestrider. I need to scrye the hut and get a squad in here right away. Not only has he caused us so much trouble, but the bounty on his head would come in great handy. Of course, we set about half of it on our own. Degoulburg's on the way, so let's drag him along!"

* X-Kal carefully extracts all the gems from the bandits, and calls out into the wilderness, "Edgerrin! Edgerrin!" A large gryphon swoops down, landing with a huge thud. "Here, take these back to the hut - they'll need them badly." Edgerrin flies off into the night along with the loot. "We can't make these potions from nothing, can we?"

[Leah]

"What potions did you have in mind? And how long will it take to brew them?" Leah asks, gazing at the position of the moon. "The night is already half over, and we are only one-third of the way to the dragon's lair. I fear that she might take flight before we have a chance to battle her."

[X-Kal]

"Oh, don't worry - I have a decent supply with me now. However, many of these require gems to make. If the healer's hut doesn't get enough gems, they become more difficult to make in sufficient quantities. Now that you mention it though, it's getting late. We may need to camp out at some point."

[Leah]

Leah feels a sudden sense of urgency. "But we cannot stop!" she cries, her voice rising with her passion for their quest. "The dragon will most likely make her lair in another cave by sunrise, so if we stop our journey will have been in vain! And gems are not an obstacle, because in my town our main industry was mining, and we often had a surplus of gems to trade in Ravenclaw for weapons and armor. And I have added Lonestrider's treasure to my own supply, so we will not want for gems. But we mustn't stop until we get to the dragon, or I fear that ill fortune will befall the village of Ravenclaw... and perhaps even my own village."

[X-Kal]

"Alright, we march on."

* X-Kal quaffs an awakening potion and gets started on the path

[JackZackson]

:marches onwards a little less unsteady:

Hmmm Those bandits really sobered me up, if we want to make good time we may need to mount up

[Leah]

Leah, relieved that they are continuing to march, agrees with Jack. "I agree, but my mount is still recovering at the Inn from a terrible fever. Have you any means to acquire another?"

[Everlaster]

Alderin comes riding up behind the voyagers. He groans a little, for the sight of non-humans surely mean competition. He spurs up his horse, and flashes past them.

[Leah]

Leah watches Alderin ride past them and calls, "Hey, hold for a minute! Where are you going?"

[X-Kal]

"Edgerrin!"

* Edgerrin returns, having dropped off the load of gems to the hut.

"Alright! We have a dragon to kill, and we need your help! Shall we go?"

* Edgerrin gives an affirmative gesture. X-Kal saddles up and bolts towards Ravenclaw.

"Leah, Alderin means to compete for the dragonkill. Either that means that Alderan's foolhearty, or has a chance to take it on alone. Let's hurry then, shall we?"

[JackZackson]

:shrugs: Perhaps we can double up. My gryphon can cary two, how many here don't have mounts?

[Everlaster]

Alderin groans, having not been quick enough. He turns around, and bows to Leah on his mount." Yes M'lady, what is it?"

[X-Kal]

"I have a gryphon as well, so I can take an additional passanger."

[kickme]

I can shoot people, instead of arrows, if I have to. But I can run fast enough.

[Leah]

Leah asks with a smile, "Are you heading for the dragon as well? It would be foolhardy attempt to defeat her alone. We're going after her, and your company would be a welcome addition to our band." And to her companions, she answers, "I will ride with whomever will allow me, but we should not delay in our pursuit of the Green Dragon."

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal bows and extends his hand to offer a ride. "Shall we go?"

[Leah]

Leah accepts X-Kal's proffered hand, mounting Eldgerrin. "Your gryffin is a fine creature," she comments with a smile. "We are about one mile from Ravenclaw. How fast can Eldgerrin fly?"

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal looks at his wrist-sundial

"Is 10 minutes fast enough?"

[kickme]

A mile in ten minutes? Thats slow.

I'll wait for a minute then come after you just in cause the dragon is prowling and comes in from behind.

[X-Kal]

A mile in ten minutes? Thats slow.

I'll wait for a minute then come after you just in cause the dragon is prowling and comes in from behind.

"Oh right, you don't use the metric system. Let me think... 30 seconds should do it, in a worst case scenario."

* Edgerrin takes off, delivering them to the enterance to Ravenclaw.

[Everlaster]

Alderin wishes he wasn't delayed. However, he always liked adventure, so he agrees, and spurs his horse forward. " Love has yet to win over adventure." He mutters as he moves along.

[kickme]

As kickme waits for the others to leave, he sits down and hums to himself a song he is working on.

[JackZackson]

:Takes to the skies and follows the part to the cave of the green dragon:

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal hears the sound of an injured warrior, quickly coming to his aid.

The warrior groans, "Uuuuh... it was too much for me. She's down the cave, just take the second turnoff to the right. Oh, and be careful of the..."

He then passes out. X-Kal slips him a potion, in hopes to preserve his life. "We should get a change to help him out on our way out. However, we don't have much time to lose. I just wish I knew what he was warning us about..."

[JackZackson]

:lands before the mouth of the cave:

Who wants to go in first? It should probably be either Marcus or I.

I'm probably able to take a hit or two without dying and Marcus well he's got a way with fire

[Everlaster]

Alderin rides up soon after. " Maybe, I could stay out here, and hit the dragon with arrows. Or, I could lure it to sleep with my music."

[JackZackson]

:raises an eyebrow:

Could you enrage it with your music and lure it out of the cave so we can attack it from all sides?

[kickme]

:kickme runs up.:

I could get it out, if I have to.

[X-Kal]

:raises an eyebrow:

Could you enrage it with your music and lure it out of the cave so we can attack it from all sides?


"Sure!"

* X-Kal begins to sing

" Jiiiiig-a-ly-puuuuff, jig-a-ly-y-ypuff... Jiiiig-a-ly-puuuff, Jig-a-ly...."

* The green dragon falls asleep.

"What??? It fell asleep during my performance?"

* X-Kal runs up to the dragon in a fury, and begins to draw pictures across its face with a permanent marker.

[Mess]

*deep in the cave*
:falls down on his knees hearing a soothing sound of music. He digs his claw in the ground trying to keep himself from completely
"No.. gotta.. gotta stay awake. Ugh. Have to hit the drag... the dragon for unknown points of.. dama*yawn*shgge"

:gives into the sweet music and falls asleep, snoring aloud.

[Leah]

Leah, racing to the mouth of the cave with her sword drawn, ready for battle. She halts and watches amusedly as X-Kal draws on the Green Dragon's face with permanent marker. "What are you doing?" she askes incredulously, having missed the last few minutes due to some 'technical difficulties'... In other words, she had been attempting to disentangle her bow from X-Kal's mount's wing. She sighs, hoping that incident isn't an indication of how the rest of the night will go for her.

[X-Kal]

"I was... she was.... she fell asleep! I was giving a performance! *sigh* okay..."

* X-Kal pinches Mess on the ear to wake him up.

[Mess]

Mess wakes up rubbing his eyes and stares at X-Kal.
"Huh? Who are you?". But before X-Kal could answer, Mess pushes him aside and stares at the dragon lying motionless on the ground. He turns back to X-Kal,"What happened? Who.. are.. you...?"

[Leah]

Leah starts to introduce herself as well when suddenly the dragon begins to stir. Leah grips her sword tightly in her hand as the Green Dragon struggleds drowsily to its feet, glaring at the small party and giving a ground-shaking roar. Leah narrows her eyes as she feels the adrenaline rush through her body. This is it, she thinks silently, her life or mine. With a fierce battle cry, she lunges at the dragon with her sword outstretched...

[JackZackson]

:is roused from his dozing outside the cave by the dragon's roar and charges into the dark mouth of the cave with his anchor at the ready:

Death to the Green Dragon!

[Everlaster]

Alderin begins to play fast music, enraging it to come forward out of the cave to seek out the player. Alderin sets down the lyre, and pulls of his bow, and strecthes it, waiting.

[X-Kal]

"What's this waiting business all about?"

* X-Kal begins to create a lightning aura, which arcs across and causes massive damage to the dragon. The dragon roars with enough intensity to be heard all the way to Glorfindal.

[Leah]

Leah conjures a Siphon Life Aura around her sword and plunges it deep in the dragon's left forepaw with a cry of, "S'death!" Leah feels her strength building as the dragon's damage becomes her own energy. The dragon roars once more, shaking the very ground beneath the travelers.

[Mess]

Mess quickly hides behind a rock while others charge at the dragon. He mutters under his breath,"I think the mob found more fools like me. Hehe, let'em do the grunt work. I'll just stay here and watch."

[kickme]

Kickme stick 5 arrows into his bow and shoots at the dragon. He fells a shock run up his arm as his bow heals him while his arrows are doing damage.

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal, learning from past experiences, realizes what he must do. He breaks from the group fighting the dragon and heads to a new section of the cave. He then promptly begins to prepare omelettes.

"Which one's strongest, nobody will know!" he exclaims, as he scrambles up 2 tons of yolk.

[Mess]

Mess smells something cooking. Its been days since he last ate some decent food. His mouth waters as he sniffs harder to pin point the location of the smell. But his efforts come to an end abruptly as the air fills with the scent of the dragons fiery breath. He quickly leaps away from behind the rock to avoid being charred again and takes cover behind a stalagmite.

[Leah]

Leah glances behind her and sees X-Kal cooking. "What in the world are you doing?!" she cries as the dragon lunges violently at her. She flings herself against the wall of the cave just as the dragon's paw lands where she was standing. With another battle cry of "S'death!" she dodges the dragon's flaming breath and pierces the dragon's other forepaw, causing both of its paws to be unusable. The dragon bellows in fury, sending another blast of flame to the girl attacking it. This time Leah isn't so lucky- as she runs away, the flame sears up her right side and causes her to stumble to the rocky ground, hitting her head and falling momentarily into unconsciousness.

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal slips Leah an awakening potion and chucks a couple of the omeletts into the Dragon's eyes, temporarily blinding it.

"Leah, my cooking these eggs may not make sense now, but I call it a severe case of foresight. They must be taken care of *before* the dragon is slain."

[Leah]

As she is waking up, Leah gives X-Kal a strange look. "Right," she says weakly, "whatever you say." She winces as the dragon roars again and mumbles, "Ouch, I gotta do something about these injuries." She manages to cast the Regeneration spell, healing her burns and headache almost completely. "There, that's more like it!"

[Everlaster]

Alderin slings down, noting that unless you're mutated, it is impossible to do five arrows. He however, stops talking as the dragon stands in front of him. Alderin, blinks, then fire the arrow.

[Leah]

Leah comes to Alderin's side in an instant, firing an arrow of her own and watching with satisfaction as the dragon slows a little with arrows sticking from its underbelly like a pincushion. "We're winning!" she shouts jubilantly to the others, loosing another arrow.

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal, noticing that the dragon has only one hitpoint left, pokes it in the eye with his pinky finger.

"Defeated! Now what?" :lol:

* Noticing the dragon blood, X-Kal passes out.

[Leah]

Leah watches X-Kal pass out and starts over to offer help. She pulls a bottle of purple potion out of one of her pockets, and gives X-Kal half of it. Suddenly, she is struck with a feeling of dizziness. She then glances at the dragon blood staining her clothes.

Before you, the great dragon lies immobile, its heavy breathing like acid to your lungs. You are covered, head to toe, with the foul creature's thick black blood. The great beast begins to move its mouth. You spring back, angry at yourself for having been fooled by its ploy of death, and watch for its huge tail to come sweeping your way. But it does not. Instead the dragon begins to speak.

"Why have you come here mortal? What have I done to you?" it says with obvious effort. "Always my kind are sought out to be destroyed. Why? Because of stories from distant lands that tell of dragons preying on the weak? I tell you that these stories come only from misunderstanding of us, and not because we devour your children." The beast pauses, breathing heavily before continuing, "I will tell you a secret. Behind me now are my eggs. They will hatch, and the young will battle each other. Only one will survive, but she will be the strongest. She will quickly grow, and be as powerful as me." Breath comes shorter and shallower for the great beast.

"Why do you tell me this? Don't you know that I will destroy your eggs?" you ask.

"No, you will not, for I know of one more secret that you do not."

"Pray tell, oh mighty beast!"

The great beast pauses, gathering the last of its energy. "Your kind cannot tolerate the blood of my kind. Even if you survive, you will be a feeble creature, barely able to hold a weapon, your mind blank of all that you have learned. No, you are no threat to my children, for you are already dead!"

Leah's eyes widen in horror, and she attempts to run to the nearest stream to wash off, but she feels an overwhelming lethargy. Reaching feebly into her pocket, Leah uncorcks the small bottle of purple potion and downs the rest of it. She sinks to the ground, praying that the potion will work before darkness envelops her...

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal slowly works his way off to Edgerrin, finally getting ahold of his potion supply. Just to make sure, he quaffs five of the purple potions. Feeling more energetic, he mounts Edgerrin and rushes to find Leah. After a minute, he finds her.

"Oh no, no no no no.... this is bad. Oh no!"

* XKal picks Leah up and carefully secures her to Edgerrin. He mounts along with her and rides off to the Healer's Hut in hopes that he's not too late. Upon arrival, Leah's taken to the Emergency Room and the doctors feverishly begin work to aid her, while X-Kal paces outside, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

[kickme]

Kickme, only noticing a drop of blood on him, starts running to the healers hut.

After a while, he starts getting slower and can't run in a straight line. In the distance he glimpses the healers hut, only a few hundred metres away. He calls on his inner hoard of energy, but finds it almost depleted.

He stumbles along, trying to get just that little bit further before the darkness takes control of him.

Just a few metres away from the hut, he is overcome by the darkness…

As he falls, his bow hits the door of the hut.

[JackZackson]

:notes that he seemed far to slow to actually get a hit in however this means he actually hasn't got any blood on him either, he sets about using various potions he finds to clean the other people:

Hmmm perhaps there is something to be said for hanging back

(ooc: I would have to be busy when she gets slain :P)

[Leah]

Inside of the Healer's Hut, Leah lays on a couch, sweat beading her forehead. She mumbles incoherently about dragons, eggs, friends, and her village, and keeps repeating, "Dragon's eggs... must break the cycle!"

[X-Kal]

"Here, sit up for a moment. I've made you some omelettes that should help you regain your strength. And don't worry about those nasty dragon eggs; they can't hurt you, unless you're allergic to the yolk. Obviously, she wasn't paying too much attention to her nest! That ought to put one family tree to an end... I hope."

* X-Kal looks up as other workers at the hut begin hanging a sign, which reads 'Free Dragon Omelettes'

[Trystyn]

One man stepped forward.

"Hello, I am Trystyn. I too have remedies that can relieve you, but they are far better than those dreaded dragon eggs or those omelettes. They're quite soothing actually, easy to pick up but hard to put down. Would you like some? They don't cost much."

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal approaches Trystyn, wielding a cast iron frying pan. "Oh really? Better than my omelletes?"

[Leah]

Leah accepts an omelette, wolfing it down as if she hadn't eaten for days. Her eyes brighten, and she is able to sit up once more. After a minute of full conciousness, she suddenly understands why X-Kal had been making omelettes, and where he'd gotten the eggs. She laughs heartily, feeling much better than she had before. And, thanks to the purple potion, she lost none of her memory or power as a warrioress. Fully recovered, she vaults off the couch with renewed energy. She nods and smiles Trystyn in greeting and says, "I don't believe I need any other remedies, but I thank you all the same.

Turning to X-Kal, she bows low. "Thank you for bringing me here. I most likely would have died without your help. I would like to thank you as well for destroying the dragon's eggs, and putting them to such... creative use. Honestly, I believed you'd gone mad in the dragon's cave."

OOC: Heh, it took me until just now to understand the whole omelette thing.

[Everlaster]

Alderin looks down at his clothes. Lifting them up, he peers at them. They have a suspicious color. Feeling his strength weaken, he runs for his mount. Spurring it, the mount makes for the nearest healers hut. Soon though, Alderin passes out, and the bow and quiver fall.

[X-Kal]

* X-Kal issues an all-points bulletin, spread across all Healer Huts, offering a rewarad of 100 gems *EACH* for the safe return of his missing party members.

"Leah, are you feeling up for a bit of search and rescue? We'll need to bring more of that purple potion, of course - especially since when we find the remainder of the party, they'll be covered in dragon's blood."

[Leah]

Leah nods and pockets a few more purple potions. "Certainly. We mustn't leave our faithful companions." She heads with X-Kal out the door of the Healer's Hut, almost tripping over Kickme on her way out. "Oh no!" she cries, calling for the assistance of the healers inside. She administers the purple potion to him and makes sure the healers have gotten him safely into the hut before joining X-Kal once more.

[X-Kal]

"Excellent. Now, let's see what we have here... considering the circumstances, I think we'll need something to take care of any blood we may encounter during the search."

* X-Kal stops by the mount stables and awakens Leviathan. He then mounts it, offering Leah his hand for a ride."

"Or, if you would like, we have a fine selection of mounts, but they can only be used for clerical duties. I'd say this fits the description. Hmm... let's see... wyvern? Hmm... and given the new experiences, I think it's time for a new name. Daniel!"

* Daniel straps his mount with a proper blend of potions, ready to find his missing partymates. He then hands Leah a slip of paper, which reads: "OOC: That's my real name :wink:"

[JackZackson]

:Meanwhile somewhere close to the Dragon's cave a lone unbloodied troll is shoving (as gently as possible) the unconscious party members into a group with a stick to avoid touching any blood:

Now which potion should I use to wash the blood off these guys?

[Leah]

Leah pockets the note, accepting Daniel's proffered hand and noting his real name for future reference. She hopes that they can reach the others in their party before it is too late.

[X-Kal]

"Well, I suppose the first good place to go would be the dragon's lair."

* Daniel nudges the Leviathan, urging it on towards the Dragon's cave. As they arrive at the cave, they notice the pile of partymates lying at the mouth of the cave. He (and presumably Leah) step off the Leviathan.

"Leviathan, spray them down with warm water!"

* Daniel then watches as the partymates become Qwyxzlly Clean™

[JackZackson]

:looks up from his pile of salvaged potions:

That was a lot easier than I thought

[Mess]

Somewhere deep in the cave, behind a stalagmite, Mess stands alone, clutching at its rough surface. Oblivious of the fate of Green Dragon and others, Mess wonders why everything has gone so quiet suddenly, just then he notices a rock moving, no.. swaying, in at the far end of the cave. Out of sheer curiosity, he walks over to the place to inspect the happening. He realises that the rock is oval in shape with green moss colored patches all over it. He reaches out to touch it. "Heh! It feels a bit softer for a rock", he ponders and prods it again. Suddenly the rock starts shaking violently, cracks developing in its surface, eery sounds coming from its inside. It is at this moment that the truth dawns upon him. "Yikes, its an egg", his words never come out as he backs away and starts running to the mouth of the cave. Running madly to get out of the cave, desparate to see the light, Mess ignores where he is going. He steps in the pool of blood, loses his balance, falls face first into it and skids uncontrollably until he hits something making him come to a stop. Mess props himself up on his knees and looks up to see what he hit. All his strength goes away when he realises the mass in front of him is that of Green Dragon, the death itself. With a loud resounding scream of fear, he passes out on the spot.

[X-Kal]

* Daniel, having heard the commotion from the cave, wanders in and finds mess lying on the cave floor, passed out. He administers two of his purple potions, but mess appears to be reacting more slowly than the other recipients.

"Not enough... and, mess's still... well, a mess. He's covered in this blood."

Heading deeper into the cave, he spots the body of the green dragon. He quickly dons a mask, which should help him resist the noxious fumes emitted from the corpse. He then spots two gems embedded in the body. *PLUCK*

A roar comes from deeper within the chamber, as a new dragon flies forward and out the cave. The Green Dragon wanders to a new cave.

[Leah]

Leah runs over to the mouth of the cave after Daniel, watching him feed Mess the potions. As a roar comes from the depths of the cave, she throws herself to the ground just in time to avoid being hit by the new Green Dragon. "Didn't you get all the eggs, Daniel?" she questions as she gets back up from the floor of the cave. Leah glances at the place where she'd fallen and shudders as she realizes she almost landed in a puddle of the dragon's foul blood.

[X-Kal]

"I could've sworn I cooked them all... I'm not sure where this one came from, really! In any case, we still have some cleanup to do. My Leviathan is taking care of most of the washup, then we can go after the new dragon. It's a hatchling though, so it shouldn't be *too* much of a threat. Then again, that is much like saying a troll isn't as much of a threat as a storm giant; they're both menacing, all the same. Oh, watch out!"

* Leviathan sprays down the puddle of blood close to where Leah was standing (it had given her sufficient time to step to the side), careful not to splatter her.

[Leah]

Stepping out of the way of Leviathan's spray of water, Leah ponders what the former Green Dragon had said concerning her eggs. Aloud she comments, "The dragon said that her strongest hatchling would gain its strength by battling the others, right? So hopefully, this one won't be very strong. Then again," she adds more to herself than to Daniel, "with my luck it'll be the strongest of the bunch and we'll have to fight another battle like this one..."

[Everlaster]

Alderin thrashes about, and falls off his horse. The horse keeps going, then comes to a stop. Alderin stays, thrashing about violently.

[kickme]

Kickme wakes up, being a little dizzy, he props himself up on his elbows. Feeling a sudden pain across his chest, he lies back down. He then slowly props himself up and looks around. He notices the familiar walls of the healers hut, so, still being tired, lies down and goes to sleep.

[X-Kal]

* After finally finishing the cleanup, Daniel heads back to Mess, who is now somewhat concious by now. He then escorts Mess out, offering him purple potions along the way.

"Alright, so where's Alderin? Both he and his mount are missing."

[Leah]

Picking a disturbance from far away with her keen ears, Leah says slowly, "Can you hear that? It sounds like... like something moving around. It might just be a forest creature, but it'd be a good idea to check, just in case it's Alderin. What do you think?"

[X-Kal]

* Daniel turns to Leah and smiles, "Of course! Let's go!"

[Khaine]

*Khaine appears from the bush*

I'm no forest creature!

[X-Kal]

* Daniel nearly jumps out of his skin!

"Hi! Have you seen Alderin anywhere? He's disappeared after the battle with the dragon, and we haven't seen him since!"

[Leah]

Unaware that she is staring intently at Khaine, Leah listens to the way he moves, then concludes that he was not the noise she heard. "So you aren't," she states to his declaration that he isn't a forest creature. "But the noise I heard was farther away, and in that direction." She points southwest, toward the Healer's Hut and her own village.

[X-Kal]

"Perhaps we could visit your hometown while we're over there investigating?"

* Daniel starts in the southwestern direction, towards the noise.

[Leah]

As she follows him, Leah looks distinctly uncomfortable at the idea. "My village is... different. The people there don't take too kindly to non-humans. I was only accepted there because I look like a human, and act like one for the most part." She smiles for a brief moment as she remembers a few of her friends from her village. "Well, maybe a quick visit."

[Khaine]

*Khaine decides to follow behind them, not saying anything however*

[Leah]

Leah acknowleges Khaine with a nod of her head as she follows Daniel through the forest. "Do you know where my village is, Daniel?"

[X-Kal]

* Daniel laughs, "Come to think of it, I don't know where it is. Perhaps you should lead the way!"

[Khaine]

Khaine darts off to the side, into the forest. Remaining close by...

[Leah]

Leah casts a sideways glance at Khaine, but says nothing to him. Instead, she points to their left and says to Daniel, "It's this way, the same direction as the noice I heard earlier."

[X-Kal]

*Daniel wakes up in a strange room, alittle light-headed. The room is still alittle fuzzy, but he can make out the form of a few people nearby.

"Hmmm... did we kill the new dragon yet? Where am I?"

*After a few moments, he figures out that perhaps he's in Ravenclaw's infirmary.

[DruneSilentarrow]

Drune follows the little groop silently, hoping to "lighten" their load when they sleap...

[Mess]

Mess tears through a bush nearby and lands in front of the party. He stands up, dusts off his clothes and turns to leader of the group. "Oh thank the spirits, I found you!", he says reaching into his backpack to take out a map and a few gems, a small size Keg, and a set of armor and weapons for each (Don't be amazed, the backpack can hold entire town. Just imagine :P). He hands them over to the leader and says with a nervous tone,"Please! You gotta help me. There is an Angry Mob that wants me to find the dragon and kill it. It happened last time and I don't want to repeat history anymore. Please, take these. The map tells the location of Dragon, as always, X marks the spot. The Keg has enough Mead to last a week. And please, don't tell them you saw me, or where I went." And with that he darts off into the darkness of the woods.

[Grim Jestor]

...the quickly-recovering group, some with small holes still torn in their various memories of past days, continue down the path in search of their latest goal. A small, well-hidden wizard's eye follows after, seen by none. If the thief had continued to follow, he would have noticed the strange device floating slightly above head level and just out of view, carefully moving behind leaves and under branches. Although it has not yet been discovered, more than one party-member feels the odd and uncomfortable sense of being watched. Athough no one says anything, the general mood becomes somewhat uneasy and cautious...