The Siege of the Tor » Places

         It had been lonely days on her way south from Icemoor, leaving behind home was something that her instructions had not fully prepared her for, she was severely puzzled by weird concepts money, thief, law, guard, criminal amongst many others, when she had taken food by trial by combat and defeated their respective champions whom they named guards, they still tried to best her even when she had earned the right to that food, the culture of these southrons puzzled her, also the reluctance they had shown to share any information about the dragons and the fight against them

She had asked, and most of them had not been eager to give an answer but she had heard some interesting tales regarding the movement to cull the dragons once and for all, she had learned that they had been secretive for a reason, like the wicked cultists that had made a bastion of power in her homeland there were some lesser men who were willing to trade in their freedom, their independence and bend their will to the tyrants of the skies...

Weak creatures... The lot of them

She could not conceive it, that her fellow humans would recognize a power greater than them and knee and worship it... for this reason she too abhorred the giants, she had some hope however that there too where other people like her, in the roof of the world she had heard about a group of balts that too had heard of the united offensive, people like her that too would not break before they bowed or bent, she had paid keen attention to the landmarks that she had heard, marked the spot in which a band would set out to the south

Yet the wind filled her lungs, and its whispers did not sound welcoming... she saw smoke rising like a pillar of darkness as she made her way, something was amiss "Feller... do you sense this?"

The air smelled of burnt flesh, a familiar stench to a hunter such as she, yet this was no seal burned on coal, this was something stronger, deeper and much more seated and scorching fire was no stranger scent to her, she had seen a dragon zealot or two purified on flames before, but that was but a ghost of a scent compared to this impregnating odor. But burnt flesh wasn’t the only smell in the air. The smell of burnt steel also filled her lungs.

"Feller do you smell that? What do you think could melt steel out here? A hidden forge mayhap?" yet even as she left out the words she knew the nonsense in them.

It wasn’t a few more steps forward before a cry filled the air from somewhere nearby. "Die, Dragon Beast!" Followed by a battle cry and the clash of steel against, what sounded like, stone. But it wasn’t long before the battle cry turned into a shrill of agony, soon followed by the deep hysterical laugh of a man enjoying himself. A single word followed the mad laughter; "BURN!" Yelled the voice with a sinister glee behind it. Gripping her spear in her hand, Amargas looked for the source of the sound "Be ready Feller, something is wrong".

They were close.

She was weary on her approach, one could deduce that there were 2 combatants still out there and she was not keen on announcing her arrival until she knew what she was against, then at last she saw a scene that would have taken the hearth out of lesser women

In front of her, about 30 feet out, lied 5 corpses. 5 charred, scorched, burned bodies trapped in a steel coffin that had been previously their armors and arms, their limbs twisted in unspeakable agony even their helmets had been grotesquely melted into their flesh, their bones. To say the least the scenery was grim and unlike anything her eyes had seen before. Around their bodies were small flicks of fire on the burnt grass testament to their ill fated deaths, whatever had been their doom had possessed a mastery of flame unrivaled.

A dragon mayhap?

Despite this horrific scene, it was not the worst of it all... In the middle of the 5 bodies, which were scattered around in a circle, an imposing figure, a thing held a 6th man in his outstretched hand. The creatures back was turned to her, but what she could see was a sight enough. It was wearing no shirt; in fact it wore no armor to cover its naked, unholy flesh. Its skin was burned, charcoal black so dark and terrible that it seemed to absorb light around it, as if it was made of the roots of the very earth. Along its body stretched a series of red tattoo-like red lines akin to her own blessed balt stripes yet these signs were foul and wicked, for her life she could not decipher their meaning but there was no mistaking that they where heathen signs of a dark age, an age before men had known the tentative peace of this day. The beast's arms were even more like they were crafted from the heart of the earth, like 2 massive slabs of obsidian stone slabs, covered in peaks and jagged spikes, bathed in liquid fire. The man in its hands was still alive, but barely. His whole body was burned, and covered in the same melted metal as his fellow warriors, which must have been his armor at one point. In the hands of the beast, the man uttered out a laugh as his life started to leave his body.

"What are you laughing at...? Puny human!?" The creature laughed out, tightening his grip around the man’s throat.

Not saying a word the man silently grabbed the Dragonsteel dagger from its sheath, and quickly jabbed the dagger into the creature’s ribs. With a roar of pain, it dropped the man, with the dagger lodged in its chest... The beast was injured, vulnerable even.

Smarter, civilized creatures might have stopped and wonder what was happening, they might have ushered questions, tried to make sense out of the scenery, tried to figure who was who and identify the root of the conflict, but the champion of the howling mountains was not smart, civilized or logical... She was only filled with a vicious bestial cunning and right now it shouted only one action

Dragon Feller clutched tightly between her 2 hands she lunged forward aiming for its neck, then in a blur of speed the monster dodged as he fell back noticing the new foe. With a whicked grin the beast turned to the small girl before muttering out: "Ahhh... Finally! A combatant worthy of the Dragon's Flame..."

The black wind howls...

In a blink she unleashed a man knocking gust of wind at the direction of her foe he answered spitting flames from its mouth Great glacier! realizing the impending danger she strafed to her left dodging the proyectile that had been partially nulified by her own magic but then he was on her running with his arms smeared in foul flames and murder in his eyes, the fool has never fought against a spear before she realized she had the advantage with the Dragon Feller, she did not want to be on the end of those fists, the haunting memory of those poor souls with melted iron on their flesh was not how she wished to pass, managing her steps she kept him away where his arms would not cook her alive, every effort to get close was met with a thrust of her spear which left the options of retreating or finding oneself at the end of a weapon that had killed a dragon.

Yet she was now on the offensive trying to stab her enemy and pin it against the ground where she would have it at her mercy, yet the enemy was too quick most of her opponents had been either beasts like bears larger than herself or people concerned in keeping a weapon in their hands, a weapon that if parried at the right moment would leave an advantageous opening in which she had just to go for the kill, yet this thing was entirely different it possesed the speed of a naked man and the vitality that he featured made it seem as if the effort of dodging all the rain of blows was not taxing him at all, she had to think of another thing at this rate, she would tire herself out.

She gave then a combination of strikes to force him back, one at the knee which he dodged by stepping back, then she slashed at his head which he again avoided by ducking and then she gave him a hard kick on the head, this one landed and hard she then jumped back propeled by the wind and left a good 20 meters of distance amongst the two of them, so far so good better than these other ones at least so far the monster had proven to be highly resilent and quick, yet the attacks on her spear could not match his movements and her dagger would require to many risks out of her, risking getting so close and risking it failing to pierce that black obsidian skin that the creature had, the weapon was made for slashing not for chopping.
He was back on the attack running at her direction, again she simply jumped out of reach, she could go at this for a while wilst she figured how to deal with him and then the gears at her head began to spin and in a moment of briliance she realized it... she heard the voice of her mother the famed witch of winter whispering to her

Always mind your surroundings

Feigning the retreat she gave him her back and ran away from him, she heard a shout behind her and then something hit her, knocking her off. Then she felt the heat and looked as her fur cloak was now set ablaze she broke the chain around her neck and discarded it quickly, her enemy had still some cards in its hands after all, he was sending some sort of fireballs that came at great speed her way, she managed to parry those with her spear still jumping backwards now not allowing it to be free from her gaze, who knew what else it would pull if left unchecked, then the sound of running water finally became much more potent, and the river where the camp had been gathering its fresh water finally was displayed.

This better work

She then waited for him at the edge and the drake thrall did not dissapoint, here he was at her wake yet he stopped when he saw the water "How much of a fool do you take me for you insect!" he shouted with rage murking his message then she took her spear by the neck supporting the main wooden body on her right shoulder and with her left hand she drew out her fang dagger

Only one shot at this

The man that had wounded him previously had marked the spot, a weak and still bleeding wound where her dagger would easily go through, the opportunity that she needed.
Then she jumped forward, backed up by the winds her spear seeking his right shoulder and her dagger hunting for his chest, again he dodged the spear trusth by leaning to the left but that allowed her to sink her dagger deep into his ribs, it was followed by a screech of agony and in a blinding fury he countered her assault with a clean hellish punch that sent her flying on her back and finally falling on the river that had been intended as the grave of her enemy

She felt the water against her body but all other feelings had been numbed by the severity of the pain that now dominated her chest, that burning sensation consuming all of her senses she tried to rise up to the surface, the current was strong and was dragging her like a limp corpse.

I am not dying drowned, I am not dying like this, I am not...

The air leaving her lungs she fought to reach the surface, she would not forsake her spear to save herself it was either rising above with her sacred legacy or having a watery grave, either way she would be at Feller´s side be it in life or death

         The Crowd was cheering him on. He had fought the good fight and won. He cut off his opponents head and lifted it high. Blood was dripping off of the dead man's neck. He let out a battle cry and threw the head on the ground. For he won the tourney, he would set out on this task, and he would bring honor to his family and his city. The crowd went crazy over it. Osmond noticed somebody making their way through the crowd. When the person came into view, it was a short chubby man wearing robes. The man made his way to the center of the ring and started shaking his hand.

"Good show, it got pretty exciting there at the end with him picking you up and choking the life out of you. I was sure he was going to snap you like a twig. Now, here is a deed to a horse," Osmond took the paperwork and quickly glanced over it. It seemed that he was going to get a horse for travel, not combat. "You are to head to the Acropolis, you shall receive more information there when the time is right. Go now and keep your feet swift and your blade swifter." The politician offered his hand and Osmond shook it and one last time he raised his sword and let out a war cry. The crowd was cheering.

He decided he needed supplies if he was going to Acropolis. It was a way's away. First he would have to get through the Twilit Vale, then cross the plains. He smiled at the prospect of being in the forest again. He hurried home and picked up a few days worth of supplies. He could stretch a few days into a week if he really had too. He hugged his mother good bye and was on his way. He found the stables quickly. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. He had lost a lot of time at the tourney and saying good bye. He mounted his horse and was off.

He had made good distance. Night was starting to fall and he was about an hours canter from the edge of the forest. He knew a few shortcuts to get through the trees faster. He decided that the horse needed a break and set up camp for the night. He sat by the fire and looked up at the stars.

         "Father, half of Lorcliff fears you and the other half adores you. Any action you take, it will influence the rest of the nobility." Talina said calmly, looking to her father who sat across a expertly carved table laden with the finest food of the region. Her father's manor was one of the finest in Lorcliff, the walls inlaid with designs made of sparkling gems. The man across the table was equally bedecked in wealth, from the fine robes that he wore to the rings on his fingers that shimmered with enchantments.

Basir, her father, only smirked, one hand swirling about a goblet of wine while the other stroked his thin and carefully trimmed beard. "You flatter me, as always. But that, my dear errant daughter, is precisely why I have no intention of aiding your precious Acropolis. Why should I give aid to the barbarians that attack our own borders?"

"All I would ask of you is to offer the iron you dig out from your mines. It's hardly of value compared to the mithril, gold, and gems you desire."

"You are smarter then that, Talina. Those fools will not defeat any dragon with mere swords and spears, much less prattle of unity and brotherhood." He shifted in his seat, tapping his ringed fingers against the table.

"I know. They need Mayyssusian magic. But I do not presume to ask so much of you so quickly."

"You presume too much. I have been generous enough to let you leech off my wealth for your petty little adventures. And all for what? The thanks of a few wretched peasants? Have you forgotten what happened to your sister when she followed your example?" Basir sneered at her, his expression of jovial warmth abruptly vanishing.

Talina's brows furrowed and she let out a slow breath, but didn't rise to the bait. She absently traced a finger around one of the small rings on her finger, less elaborate then her father's, but containing more powerful reserves of magical power. "You should not dishonor her memory by using her in your argument."

"Then do not ask of me foolish things." He shook his head and sipped from his goblet. "Besides, even if I shared your bleeding heart sentiment for the barbarians, who else would I find to work my mines? Our grand city will collapse without the muscle that supports it. Detestable as they may be, they do have their uses. Muscle. Which I need."

Talina slowly shook her head, ignoring the scratching feeling she felt against the inside of her skull. She closed her eyes, rubbing at her forehead.

"Your empathy will be the death of you, dear daughter, and that is far from what I wish. If you would only learn to accept things are they are. Lorcliff's defenses are built around the most powerful magic in this world. Even the dragons will not breach it. Let the barbarians worry for their own fate."

The restless itching in her head was rising, in tune with her frustration. No. Not yet. I have work to do.

"Besides, this border raiders provide me with all the labor I need for my mines. I even heard one of the prisoners in the next batch to be brought in is a Balt king. Does this not amuse you, daughter?" Basir let out a mirthful chuckle and swigged from his goblet.

Talina didn't respond at first, but her eyes perked up at the mention of a king. If the Mayyssus would not extend the thought of peace first, perhaps a Balt would, certainly from a weakened position as a prisoner...

Standing up abruptly, Talina pressed down the wrinkles in her robes and bowed her head to her father. "Thank you for your generosity , Father, as always. But if you will excuse me, I have some matters I should attend to promptly."

Basir waved his goblet, apparently missing the hint of irony in her tone. "Give some thought to changing your naive ways, daughter. For my sake, hmm?"

Talina did not respond, as she was already halfway out the door and making her way through the winding stairs up the city and to the prison.

She paused at the entrance to dust off her robes, briefly pat down her hair, and put on her most charming smile. Stepping inside, Talina approached the nearest guard. "Excuse me, my father, Lord Basir Saiida, sent me to speak with the Balt king you are keeping prisoner here."

The guard shook his head, chuckling hoarsely, and promptly led her to the gaping hole in the wall. With another shake of his head, he departed.

"Oh, dear..." Talina peered out the hole, watching the rapidly shrinking figure it the distance desperately swimming away.

         The black wind howls...

Amargas closed her eyes, trying to listen to the whispers of the wind, putting her mind on deciphering its intent despite the roars of the blizzards she should be able to figure it out, then she felt it, she heard it. A graceful full turn to her right and she had dodged the wave, she stood there waiting for a second strike, eyes still closed.

Minutes felt like hours here, in this strain she could not keep up with so many things at once, she had to master her wind waker technique, being a capable warrior was not enough dragons killed them by the hundreds, she had to be faster, mightier, braver,better

She had to... she had to...

woosh

Again a graceful dodge from her part as she did a halfturn, then on to the offensive pulling her arms against her back and then unleashing the force to form a cone of ravaging wind to strike forward, but it would be folly to expect it to be all it took, a master was the rival to be faced today, another windstrike and another she planned to overwhelm the master with so much gusts that he would be incapacitated and give her a moment to figure the rest and it was working!

Gust after gust, the master just stood there and blocked the blows and then it was over... Amargas was kissing the snow, she found her feet and began to rise but already the gray haired hag stood next to her with a smug smirk "Your concentration is weak and your technique is betrayed by your nature girl, you only attacked on the front and never even contemplated that the wind does not blow just in one way" the crone extended a hand to help the champion up "Your time is up im afraid, I would see you depart the howling mountains as a perfect wind walker, yet time is not kind to us is it?" behind her closed helmet Amargas merely nodded in approval "Dammit girl would it kill you to talk to something besides that spear?" The tall lady stood at last and shook her head, the old woman let out a sigh and made her intents clear "Last time someone I held dear departed to go on a dragon slaying journey he did not came back, he left you on to carry his legacy... girl please... come back and let your mother see you with her own damned eyes before you leave"

Slowly Amargas took her helmet off, wheat colored braids of hair that was in severe need of care slowly fell on a face hardened by the hardships of ice and war, chestnut colored eyes peered shyly among the tangled mess of her hair and met the ones of her mother, and for a moment she was a little girl again "even if you drive the dragons to extinction you will always be my little baby, you know that?" silent as usual she merely nodded and hugged her mother in what well could be their last moment together "stop it now else someone sees you and realizes you actually got feelings darling" they then parted their embrace "Come on you cold, cold maiden tell your mother you love her before you go" this time the lips of the champion of the mountains curled into a smile and she said "Ill miss you mother, but I have to go now" Asigra Kroas laughed "doesn't kill you to speak to something that can talk back does it?, go and make us proud darling and don't forget to practice your wind walking its sloppy"

I will mother, father is watching over me

She walked then, to Icemoor it would be 5 days till she arrived there, then she could get more information regarding the united offensive