It was early yet. }{ open

[Summerchika]

She knew Deraj wanted to stay; being wrongly accused of something like this could not be an easy thing to withstand. But the crowd's power and their angry hunger would be a great force to reckon with, even if Deraj was a great mage and she a young elf.

It was with great relief that Ainutsa began to run with Deraj, only for a shiver to go up her spine as the man who should have been dead in the earth spoke again. Deraj glanced back, but Ainutsa could not bare to look upon that man's deteriorated features again.

The creature's words caught up with her and her eyes widened. "Dragons!?" she exclaimed as she picked up speed. She had only seen one dragon before, and it had been kind and noble. She doubted any dragon under this master mage would be kind or noble. She tried not to imagine what they would look like.

Looking to Deraj to see what he thought or if he had a plan, she noticed the haunted look on his face and she was glad that she had not looked back. "The forest will give us shelter." she offered, hoping they might not meet the dragons on the way, but thinking that it was probably a likely possibility.

"Unless you have a different plan?" she asked, glancing behind her at the angry mob. Were they gaining on her and Deraj? She couldn't tell from a glance, but she doubted it.

[deraj]

He knew that they could outrun the mob easily enough but if they didn’t get out of the city soon, the dragons would seek them out, destroying anything in their path. Deraj considered Ainutsa’s suggestion of seeking shelter in the forest but was hesitant.

"Unless you have a different plan?"

“Do you want to risk your forest? The dragons won’t just give up. They are as proud and stubborn as I am and if I had to guess, ‘his lordship’s’ don’t have the same needs that we do. One of the benefits of being dead is that you no longer have silly distractions such as hunger or sleep. This might sound crazy but it might be safer to face them head on. If they aren’t already dead, we might even be able to sway their allegiance.”

[Summerchika]

Biting her lower lip in worried thought, she weighed the options. She had believed in the strength and protection of the forest since she was young. She knew intimately its secret power. But she did not know how it would fair against two stubborn and dead dragons. Deraj was right; she did not want to needlessly hurt the forest that had harbored her for so many years.

His option seemed a better one, crazy as it may sound. If the dragons were not already dead, then they may be more inclined to help. She remembered the silver dragon she knew as Night, and hoped that it was not an oddity among the dragon kind. If these dragons were dead, then... Ainutsa refused to imagine anything further down that path.

Looking up, she saw two shadows against the sky. Would those the dragons above them? Or were they common birds? Ainutsa should have known, but the happenings of late threw her senses off. Dead, rotting things that spoke and hunted others were not a part of her world.

"You know more than I." she conceded. The mob's noise grew ever quieter as they left them behind. She was glad to escape their misdirected anger. Anger was something Ainutsa avoided at all costs. She knew well its danger.

"Let us hope these dragons have not succumbed to death yet."

Grimly, she thought of her supplies in the forest. With only a dagger on this journey, she would have to rely more on her magic, which was both good and bad, she supposed. Her supplies and belongings were few, but she had learned to survive with them. Now she was without supplies and the forest. This journey would be interesting to say the least.

[deraj]

Deraj could tell that she disliked a direct confrontation as much as he did. He had wished that there were more options but these were the only they could come up with. They could not hesitate now. One small deviation, one momentary lapse of courage, and it could mean the end of the both of them or even the death of an entire village.

Two great shadows flew overhead and blocked out the sun. There was no mistaking them at this point. Just high enough that anyone not looking for dragons might just dismiss their massive forms as stray thunderclouds. The great beating of their massive wings, dismissed as the rumbling of thunder on the horizon. The dragons were making themselves known and above all else, taunting Deraj and Ainutsa.

Before long, Deraj and Ainutsa soon found themselves trapped within the boundaries of the massive town square with the mob closing in all around them. Deraj, seeing no easy option at this point, jumped up on a raised platform that was used at various public events in the town.

He was going to attempt to pacify the crowd when the two massive dragons dreadfully swooped down from the heavens and landed in the square. Deraj was surprised that they would land in such a way as to seem to avoid collateral damage. The crowd drew back in fear but did not withdraw entirely.

Suddenly a deep booming voice that seemed to resonate with Deraj’s very soul said, “Shall we dispatch them for you, my liege?” Deraj looked around him, and took note that none of the crowd showed reaction from this voice that he knew to be one of the dragons. He looked up and to his right to behold the countenance of the fell beauty that Deraj knew had addressed him. “I await your order, sire,” the beast continued with what appeared to be sincere respect. Deraj was tempted to admire such a subtle act but was not unfamiliar with the wiles of dragons.

However, he still played along, taking on somewhat of a smug air himself. He imperiously looked over the crowd as if judging their worth and looked to Ainutsa, hoping that she too had heard what was spoken by the creatures and would play suit.

[Summerchika]

Yes, those were the dragons. They made their presence undoubtedly known, at least to her and Deraj. Unable to keep a frown from her face, she watched them pensively for a moment, then brought her eyes back down. She did not like the message the dragons were giving Deraj and Ainutsa. The taunt was as unmistakable as their forms in the sky.

Skidding to a stop, she realized they were trapped. How had that happened? The mob came at them from all sides; their anger was now unavoidable. Deraj jumped up on the raised platform in the middle of the town square, and Ainutsa, liking the idea of being above the crowd, followed suit.

The crowd closed in, but not enough before the two dragons interceded their advance with their extensive masses. The crowd, despite the appearance of the massive dragons, did not flee as Ainutsa would expect towns people to do. Was their anger that blinding? Or were they simply that used to odd occurrences in this town?

A powerful, reverberating voice shook her being. Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch as she looked around and then at the dragons. It had come from them. Of course. she admonished herself. This type of communication had not by any means been her first. The dragon addressed Deraj with... respect? She moved her gaze to Deraj to see what he would do.

Deraj almost surprised Ainutsa for a moment. That was not a Deraj she had known before. The look he gave the crowd was... But when he met her eyes, she understood.

It took all of her training and will to do what she was about to do. Every fiber of her being yelled to protect the crowd at all costs from being harmed by these dragons, however much they desired Deraj's and Ainutsa's blood at this moment. Her peaceful nature would not stand aside lightly. But she trusted Deraj's decision and recognized it for what it was; a good plan.

Surveying the crowd with thorough disgust, she sniffed and threw back her hair in displeasure, trying to equal the imperialistic quality Deraj had donned. "This dim-witted filth does not deserve such honor." she replied, implying that the dragons should not have to concern themselves with such "lowly" beings.

Never had she uttered such awful and shrewd words. At least to her ears, they were horrid. Was that a face she recognized from her wanderings in the village's streets? She hoped not. She locked her horror and sudden self-hatred away in a deep place as she acted the part. She would not jeopardize these villagers' lives.

Her upper lip curled in a dainty display of superiority. Her hand went to her hip as she leaned into it, awaiting either Deraj's or the dragons' reaction.

From above her, Ciar called to get her attention. He had a message for her. She did not look up, but she recognized his presence. She sent a silent, private, and hasty "One moment." to him; she did not want her attention split at this moment.

[deraj]

Deraj was shocked and disgusted to see such a sweet and kind person act in such a manner. He hated that he was capable of acting in such a manner but it seemed like a greater sin for an innocent creature such as Ainutsa to be able to. But she pulled it off well, that was all that mattered.

"This dim-witted filth does not deserve such honor." The dragons seemed to solemnly nod in understanding. The mob, drunk on their rage, was slowly overgrowing its initial fear of the dragons. Deraj began to suspect that the dark wizard had done more to this village than just animate the corpse a murdered man. However, Deraj knew that it didn’t take magic to overthrow such charms.

Deraj nodded at Ainutsa and then stepped to the very edge of the platform. “People of Tamasha Village,” Deraj boomed in a tone befitting his new imperious persona. “Leave now or abandon hope! I only came looking for a successor among the living and I have found it in this elf. If you value your little village or your lives, GO!” The crowd drew back with his words but did not flee. Seeing that many of them were now frozen with fear he added, “NOW!”

The two dragons roared and lifted their massive necks skyward and let out two columns of dark purple fire in response to his words. The heat even from the platform was nearly unbearable but again Deraj was amazed that they did this in such a manner as to not actually catch anything on fire.

The crowd disbanded, screaming into the night. Deraj gave a sigh of relief and shook off his façade.

[Summerchika]

When the dragons signaled that they understood, she almost sighed in relief. As Deraj nodded to her in a similar way the dragons had, she reminded herself that it was not yet over. The crowd, far from ready to run, seemed to be getting rowdier and angrier. At their reactions, her heart saddened. How could they still want blood?

As Deraj addressed the crowd, still imperialistic, at the edge of the platform, her heart constricted painfully at his words. She did not like him like this. But as he referred to her, she flipped her hair again and gave the crowd a cold look, her lip in a smirk.

The roar and fire of the dragons startled Ainutsa and she stepped toward them in alarm. But they did not harm anything. Unreasonably grateful, she watched the crowd disperse in a cacophony of screams.

She heard Deraj's sigh and she watched as his smug manner left him, relieved. But she worried. Would they have to keep up their façade for the dragons? She hoped not simply because she could not bear to be so awful. The emotions that she had locked away as she acted so awfully were released and they came to her in waves. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to just be grateful that no one had been harmed.

Raising a hand for Ciar to come to her, she realized she was shaking. Tensing her muscles, she reproved herself for showing such weakness. She willed the shaking away, taking control of her body with her will.

Landing on her outstretched hand, Ciar perched on her finger, eying her with his all too familiar green eyes. She smiled, liking the familiar feeling. "I found the red-skinned man, but he said to inform you that he is visiting the Ruins and will not be able to join you." Ciar informed her and she nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, Ciar." She put her cheek to his head, needing the comfort of familiarity for a moment. She would allow herself this for only a moment. Their connection told him all he needed to know, so he pecked her on the nose.

Why did both he and Faolán target her nose? They had since she was little. Chuckling, she blew on him and he lifted off into the sky, but not before eying her companions with what would be raised eyebrows if he were human. "Make sure to come back to tell us of your travels, young one." he said as he flew off to meet Faolán in the forest.

Taking a slow, deep breath, she turned to Deraj. "My friend will not be accompanying us." She eyed the dragons cautiously and then gave Deraj a questioning look. What was to be done now? She had no idea how to effectively deal with dragons. Would they ride with the dragons to this master? She was beginning to dislike this master, whoever he was.

[deraj]

He cast a casual glance at Ainutsa to see if she had any plans for what to do next. It was then that a bird descended form the sky and landed on her outstretched hand. Taken aback by this whimsical and majestic sight, he just stood agape as she communicated with the creature, cuddled, and then was pecked on the nose by it.

"My friend will not be accompanying us." Deraj just nodded understandingly and tried his best to act as if such sights were common. He reasoned that then was no the time or place to make any more inquiries of her. She appeared to size up the two dragons and the situation before giving Deraj a questioning look. What I wouldn’t give for one look inside her mind…

Suddenly the square began to shake with the warmest and most wholesome laughter Deraj had ever heard. He tried to brace himself so as to not fall off of the shaking platform. Then it gradually ceased and one of the dragons again spoke to them without words. “Most excellent, my lord. Our former master would have had us lay their town to waste for their impudence. You are wise beyond your years. It shall be an honor in serving you. What would you have us do now, your Excellency?”

His eyes grew wide as the full weight of its words sunk in. There was no hint of deceit in their great eyes. If anything there was the profoundest of relief. However, something seemed off. Their wording seemed very precise and no one aside from the author of the journal had explicitly stated that this master or former master was dead and gone forever.

“You have done well. I should never have doubted that such fine dragons would catch on with our little rouse. Nor could it have been easy to land without damaging any of these buildings. However, I fear that I may not completely understand the situation at hand. Though I am flattered, why do you refer to me with such honor? I am not your master. You speak as if the one who sent you is already dead.”

The dragons looked at one another in confusion. “He doesn’t know…”

The bigger of the two turned and spoke to Deraj again, “My lord, he is dead just as we are. However as perhaps you alone may understand, he is our natural lord and master all the same. Without him and his magic’s, we would surely succumb to our old age fall back to that dust from which we were all made. He sent us here to find you, for you are to be his successor. Despite his power, he is not long for his world. It is too late for him but he hopes to grant you that which you want most on the condition that you carry on his work and maintain those who were loyal to him. As you see, your Highness, that it is of dire importance that we go to him as soon as possible.”

Deraj was amazed at all this and again his hope was renewed. He would never have been able to tell that these noble dragons were dead unless they had told him. This master or former master of theirs had done an amazing job in preserving their bodies. His power must indeed be great. However, it did not make sense that he would be able to maintain these two great beasts but not sustain himself.

He wished he could actually speak with Ainutsa but he did not want the dragons to overhear. She had already proven herself to be quick witted and he knew that she might very well have a new plan of her own. He looked to her hoping to glean what she thought of the situation.

[Summerchika]

Laughter. Earthquaking laughter. It was so full that Ainutsa had a hard time not smiling in response. It was made easier to not smile, though, because she needed to keep herself from falling off the platform; the laughter cause quite a disturbance. These dragons were capable of laughing?

The laughter came to a gradual stop and again she eyed the dragons cautiously. Listening so carefully to the words the dragons spoke, she stayed quite still -- almost stiff. What were they saying? She narrowed her eyes in thought as their words and the meaning of their words circled about in her mind.

Deraj spoke, wide eyed, but still in control. Our little rouse? Despite herself, Ainutsa almost snorted at that. It had worked and they had effectively chased the crowd away. However to her, it was far from little. It was not an experience she liked and would not want to repeat if she could help it. Deceit was something she very much disliked, which was the reason her grandmother had drilled it in her even more. It is more difficult to learn something you do not want to learn.

The rest of the dragon's words made her thoughts fly like children with candy. They tangled themselves with this new information and despite her sharp mind, she could not make sense of it all. So many contradictions. So many complications. And something, she felt, was missing.

But the words promised much to Deraj. This master, seemingly still in some state of living power, was naming Deraj as his successor. In return, what Deraj wanted most, what he had enlisted Ainutsa to help him find, would be given to him. Looking at him quickly, she saw in his eyes amazement and... hope. Yes, there was hope.

Biting her lip uncertainly, she had one question in particular that was bothering her. Who was this master, really? He was the source of all her questions and contradicting facts. He truly was a mystery. And powerful. And seemingly cruel.

Despite her misgivings, questions, and tangled thoughts, she knew they really only had one option. They needed to meet this master face to face. They needed to gather information. And Deraj needed to find that which he was looking for, if nothing else.

Blowing out a long breath, she looked to Deraj who was looking down at her as if expecting something. What did he want from her? Their options were limited and only one she thought was good enough.

Goodness, she had so many questions that needed answers. But she would have to let time sate her curiosity; this was no place for the conversation.

For the first time, she spoke to the dragons directly. "You really give us only one option." she informed them. "Or was there another purpose to chase us into a corner?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

[deraj]

“There are no other options for us, m’ lady. Either Deraj comes with us to the old elven ruins and accepts the title of lordship offered him, or we will surely perish. Already, our master’s power wanes. If we did not get to him before the townspeople did, all hope would have been lost.”

Again Deraj weighed their words in his mind. If what they say is true, then they have no idea that the horrible old man sent the mob on us. Perhaps the murdered man was just a horrible old man with or without magic. A second chance doesn’t always mean that a person would take full advantage of it and better themselves. Deraj could see how this master might be a decent man after all. He, much like Deraj, could have just been misunderstood in his research and high hopes for finding a means to escape death.

Deraj had made up his mind. “I am ready to go. Ainutsa, you are not obligated to join me. The going may be rough yet and you have not been afforded time to prepare for the journey. I would not think less of you if you choose to go back to your forest but it may prove difficult to escape from the village alive after what just happened.”

[Summerchika]

Intrigued, as she always seemed to be, she felt a resolute look come into her eyes at the dragon's answer. She wanted answers and she would get them. A zing of excitement met her cautious mind, demanding action. The mystery of this would be unfolded, she vowed.

As Deraj spoke, she felt enslaved to her curiosity. He brought up good points; she was not nearly as prepared as she would have liked. Even so, her curiosity gripped her and began to tear at her caution.

There was still the fact that she had already vowed to protect him in this quest. Her honor, which was slightly wounded that he would propose her leaving, would not let her go now, even if she had wanted to leave.

But she didn't want to leave. And she blamed it on her curiosity.

A slow smile took her lips as she answered him. "You underestimate my curiosity." And my ability to hide. she thought. The villagers would have a very small chance to catch her if she were left alone to survive. She had years of practice behind her.

"I have vowed to make sure that you do not fall in this journey. I would not dare to turn back, even if I should." she said.

Turning to the dragons, she gave them the same small, slow smile. "Let us go." She spoke those words boldly, seeing as she had not an inkling of how to 'go'. How was she to ride a dragon? If that was indeed what they were to do. Trying not to let her hesitation show, she waited for any of the three of her current company to react.

*Plot continued in "The Ruins of Qua'elai" in the Ularian Ridge: unlimitedfrp.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=mountains&action=display&thread=1571&page=1*