Some moments later
Talon lifted Soran easily, holding him with one arm around his shoulder and the other around Soran's waist. They'd left the building where Domieen had taken refugee in, of course, there wasn't much left of the building anymore. When Talon had gotten his surrounds cleared after being attacked by the Old Dragon God, Jennifer was the only one standing. The assassin had laid eyes upon a devestation that he had only seen once before, even so, it was hard to witness.
Outside, in the courtyard, Talon found a spot where he could put Soran down and get a bit of rest himself. Kneeling on one knee, he ran one hand through his blue-grey hair and looked up to Jennifer. The one thought in mind was where the other Dragon God was. Although, at the same time, he almost didn't want to know.
"You're alright?" He asked her, unsure if she'd sustained any injury during the short fight with Domieen.
Standing idly next to Talon, she looked down at him thoughtfully, "I'm good, actually. Better than I've felt in a long time." The mage frowned at herself as she recalled the transpired events. Domieen was finally dead, she had performed the deed herself and made certain of it. "It's just... really weird," she murmured, "I thought I would be happier."
"It's alright," Talon responded and sighed, releasing his stress at the same time, well some of it anyway, "At least your alright. That's all that matters."
He stayed in the kneeling position for some time before the rumble came. The earth beneath his feet shook violently and tossed him over to the side. The assassin caught his fall with his hand and balanced his body. Cracks began appearing all along the cobblestones near the palace that loomed over head. Seconds later the palace erupted, breaking apart into nothing but shambles as an enormous figure unfurled above them.
Talon's heart raced, his chest tightening at the sight of the dragon that far outmatched Domieen in both size and presence. The unearthly being swooped down, landing in the courtyard, dragging back it's lips to reveal yellowed teeth and growled deeply. The ground shuddered at his landing and Talon lost his balance, falling to his back.
"Hat Shath To'eiyan." The Dragon growled, the ancient language confusing Talon completely. The dragon loomed closer, lowering his head as his dark orange eyes burned with rage. Obviously he had threatened the assassin in some way, but it's meaning was completely lost to him.
"I think... he just said... bow or die... something along those... lines," Soran said next to him. Talon looked to him sharply.
"How the hell do you know that?"
Soran grinned, blood still smearing his face from his earlier injury, his fingers rapped against the onyx breast plate as an answer. Talon turned to Barthomel, eyes narrowed, "You first," he growled and got to his feet, the silver bracer glowing brightly.
Jennifer had never felt so inconsequential in all of her life. A sense of palpable shock washed over the mage, stiffening her limbs as she beheld the monstrosity before them. Its vast body engulfed them with shadows, distending into the lengths of a great wrym. Scattered stone drizzled like rain over the courtyard as the world around them seemed to crumble from his mere proximity. So this was Barthomel, ancient god and devourer of civilizations. "My my," she muttered, gazing defiantly up at the baleful eyes of the ancient dragon, "You're picture books depictions are much more cuter."
Sarcastic or not, the mage vaulted backwards and raised her right hand. A fierce grin of anticipation greeted her pink lips. "I've always wanted to fight an ancient dragon. World Fracture!"
Huge spheres of crimson light energy formed over her palms, crackling with furious electricity. "I guess we all attack at the same time?"
"Excellent idea," Soran panted in response, pushing himself up to his feet, using the wall that Talon had set him down next to. The assassin allowed the bracer to continue to gather power, trying to get as much as he could into one shot. From the corner of his eye, he watched Soran's chest plate also begin to glow.
In front of them, Barthomel gave a rumbling laugh and snaked backwards. He flexed his wings and shifted his head from side to side, eyeing them each. Talon released his power along with Soran and Jennifer. Their magic's mixed together and raced towards Barthomel who stood not but ten feet away from them. All of the power exploded across the giant Dragon, cracking loudly.
What didn't hit him, or was reflected off, took out buildings behind the dragon, causing a large portion of dust to rise and semi-cloak the God. Talon eyed the cloud of smoke warily, his heart racing. He had a bad feeling that they hadn't done anything at all to him. A soft rumble worked it's way across the open air, almost like a gurgling of water at the back of one's throat, except more of a growl. Wings outlined by the smoke extended outwards in a sharp snap.
The dust washed over them and Talon raised an arm to keep the particles from getting in his eyes. He just barely caught sight of the dragon's body lifting upwards, the long neck extended down with the head near the ground, maw opened wide. Light grew at the back of his throat and in the next instant, the magic exploded outwards at the three of them. Talon took in a gasp of air and raised the arm with the bracer quickly, erecting a sheild as best he could.
"Shit..." he heard Soran curse behind him.
"Don't just stand there!" Jennifer yelled. She hauled arse and ran over to Talon, spreading her arms out in front of her. "World Fracture! Slingshot!"
A giant sling wrapped around the trio, summoned out of thin air by her artifact's power. Hastily, she shoved her assassin into the device and then slapped the release mechanism. With a wicked snap, the band accelerated, releasing all tension as it carried them on its desired trajectory. Projecting all three of them into the air, they cleared the attack zone just barely. Jennifer winced, feeling the heat of it all along her back. Silver flames vaporized everything behind them indiscriminately. Stone simply vanished, dust ceased to exist. Such was the extent of Barthomel's power that it almost seemed like a empty void had been cut out of the courtyard.
"World Fracture! Mattress!"
Obeying her command, a carpet of quilted covers materialized in front of them. They hit the ground with soft thumps, their falls cushioned by the hastily erected furniture.
Talon hit the mattress, bounced in the air twice and then finally came to a halt. His breath was short as he looked over his shoulder to the devestation that could have been their end. Nothing was left standing, buildings and structures, gone entirely in a single blast of power. He directed his gaze over to Jennifer.
"Have I told you you're sheer ingenuity is amazing?" He asked softly. He got off the contraption that she'd created and faced the Dragon that had turned and glared at them.
"I'd love to hear all about it later," she chuckled, pushing herself upright.
Soran got up to his feet as well and stumbled over to the assassin, slightly doubled over from the sudden 'throw and catch' that was Jennifer's idea of saving them.
"Krat shath..." Barthomel growled once again.
"Again, with the 'dragon language'," Talon muttered as he wiped at the dirt that had accumulated across his lips and face.
"Want me to translate?" Soran asked with a bit of sarcasm.
"I can assume he's pissed off."
"He said 'Die human...' "
"Figures."
"Ask him if that does not include the dark elf then?" Jennifer said, putting a frown on.
Soran laughed lightly, resulting in a cough. He shook his head lightly at the mage and stepped forward. The breastplate on him began to take on a dark glow, radiating power that was mixed both with the dark elf's and a touch of Barthomel's. Talon looked over to Soran, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't think he'll make exceptions, dear mage. However, judging from his last attack, I doubt we'll last much longer."
"What confidence... Why did I bring you again?"
Soran chuckled soflty once more, "Because. I'm going to give you that chance, Lord V'lyn."
Talon's eyes narrowed as he gazed into Soran's mismatched eyes, "What do you mean?"
"You'll see soon enough," the elf said hoarsly and shoved at them both, using a bit of magic as well as he wasn't strong enough to do it alone. Talon stumbled backwards from the area. He'd been so engrossed with Soran's speech that he'd not noticed Barthomel's snake like movements in the dust that had ensued from his decimating half the city. The assassin hit the ground hard on his back. When he'd lifted his head, his sight took in the enourmous orange jaws of the Dragon God wrapping around Soran.
The elf hadn't done a thing to stop the attack either, only smiled grimly, probably far too gone already to notice any pain. However, the breastplate still glowed brightly as Barthomel lifted his head, opened his jaw again and closed them around the elf completely.
Talon turned away at the last second, unable to watch the elf in his demise. However, a loud sound caught his attention and the orange dragon dropped down to the ground suddenly. A peircing screech filled the air from the Dragon God's jaw. Blood overflowed from his gaping mouth and landed in puddles on the cobbles stones.
"What... happened... did... Soran do that?" Talon asked softly to no one in particular. He watched in amazement as the great Dragon was reduced to nothing but writhing and bloody coughs.
Jennifer had no words for him. Observing the widening circles of blood she made a small, sharp gesture she had not made in a long time. She bowed in reverance. Barthomel's violent twitching made her inhale deeply and focus her eyes back onto Talon.
"This is that chance, Talon. Let's finish this," she growled. Lifting her arms up, magical energy surged into a pillar around her, tossing her hair about madly. The winds picked up, whipping the fabric of her clothes as the force of her magic seared the ground and consumed great chunks of rubble from the streets around them. The red sparks developed into a howling inferno, an embodiment of her rage that lighted the ash clouds above. "So Barthomel, what'll it be. Submission or death?"
Talon stood up and moved to be right behind Jennifer. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, taking hold of her firmly whilst his bracer began to glow once more. The silver light pulsed, expanded and stretched to reach her necklace. The power touched her jewel and then exploded around them both.
"Darean Shath Ka!" The dragon hissed at them, blood spewing from his jaw to add to the pool of it before him. Talon frowned and leaned in to be heard over their howling power.
"Oh, what was that? I forgot I can't speak ancient dragon," Jennifer smirked.
"I don't think he deserves to live, love."
His gaze took on the usual silver molten lead when he was angry, but this was induced by the magic swirling around him and the beautiful mage. The crackle of Ieer's power mingled in the air, stretching forward, gaining more momentum as it built. Much like their first attack at Barthomel, he pushed all of his energy into it. Maybe a bit too much, for he winced slightly, his hand gripping the other with the bracer tightly. Even so, he wasn't about to falter.
"This time, stay dead, bastard," Talon growled and begun to let go of all the power they'd built, aiming it straight at the dragon. The dragon shrieked as death approached, blazing a hole across over the earth to reach it. Their twin powers combined reached out and swallowed the ancient dragon before exploding into a brilliant sphere of white light.
At the same moment, a massive spear pierced Jennifer through the chest.
The assailant cursed as he was forced to raise his hands up to shield his eyes from the incoming wave of illuminessence. The miscalculation saved Talon's life as the spear lost its momentum and stopped just short of hitting the assassin. Gasping for breath, Jennifer fell sidewards as the weight of the shaft carried her down. Landing before Talon, Collin grinning wickedly. "Well, that's the important one down at least," he said, spitting down at Jennifer's corpse disdainfully. He looked up and then skirted back, "That just leaves you."
Whispering an incantation, more ice spears appeared around Collin's head, their tips aimed threateningly at the assassin. "Impale!" he shouted, thrusting the lances forward with a flick of his wrist.
He felt her body jerk at a sudden impact and his heart shot to his throat. What happened? Hadn't they just killed Barthomel? Why, then, was she falling from his grip? He was shocked at what happened, something sharp had just barely pressed against his chest before she fell away from him. Talon caught her before she could hit the ground and knelt down with her, eyes wide with fear and shock. The spear that protruded from her mimicked the spear he was feeling in his chest.
Collin's voice reached him, and Talon turned his gaze upwards to direct his growing fury at the mage. What was this? Why was Collin standing right before him? Hadn't the little weasle died down in the caverns where they'd left him? His teeth ground in boiling rage and he stood up slowly to face the man who was Jennifer's brother.
Collin's incantation caught his attention and the assassin looked up just in time to see the incoming danger. His breath sucked in sharply and he was forced to move from Jennifer's side, that or be impaled. He had no magic left to defend himself with, having used it all against Barthomel whose charred body lay smoking in a smoldering mess not to far off.
Talon danced backwards, just barely missing getting hit by the falling ice. They impaled the cobblestones, creating loud 'thudding' sounds across the earth. He reached into his clothing and withdrew several throwing knives with one hand. In the other hand he drew his dagger from its sheath across his lower back. He manuevered his body so that he had a clear shot at Collin, and with a flick of his wrist sent the knives hurling through the space between them.
He followed his projectiles right after, reaching back to draw the other dagger as well. The assassin moved quickly, closing the distance between them. Both blades cut across the air at Collin in an attempt to slit his throat.
More words escaped his lips as Collin followed up with a shield in response to the throwing knives. An ice wall stopped the projectiles just short of his face before melting into a puddle. So predictable, so simple. He'd spent weeks learning, tailing and observing the young Talon's habits prior to their first meeting. Now it was time for his work to bear fruition. His eyes were just barely able to follow the assassin's lightning movements, meaning Talon had the advantage of speed over him, but Collin had plenty of magic to compensate and something more. A thunderous roar and the beating of wings filled the air as a red tailed swept aside Talon. Claws raked over the cobblestone as Collin's dragon bond landed, intercepting the assassin.
Shifting himself back, Collin narrowly dodged the deathblow that still came scything downwards. They ripped into his shirt, drawing tendrils of blood as the mage was too slow to avoid them completely before Talon was thrown away.
The mage stumbled backwards, hissing his name. "Talon, you've made a fatal mistake." Collin's arm lifted, creating another icy lance and aiming it. Rather than targeting Talon though, he steered the sharpened point towards Jennifer's incapacitated form. "I can anticipate your every move," he snarled.
He launched the spear without hesitation, impaling the wounded mage a second time. Jennifer cried out in shock as the lance sank into her waist. Then, abruptly she vanished.
"And you're about to die," a feminine voice chuckled.
Eyes widening, Collin looked sidewards at the source of the words. Jennifer lay propped up against a wall of stone, blood smeared across the pavement she had dragged herself over. She was grinning, as usual, though her eyelids struggled to remain open. Mockingly, she waggled her eyes at him, indicating he could look behind. With a slow and horrible realisation, he twisted to re-face Talon, knowing the assassin was already upon him.
The knives stopped, bouncing off a shield of ice that the crafty mage had erected just in time to save his life. Talon's eyes narrowed, teeth grinding in irritation. Collin reminded him how much he hated mages, cheaters when it came down to it. He continued his headlong rush at the man, fully intent of driving his dagger through the man's throat.
Just as he was about to cut into Collin's jugular, he was intercepted by the man's dragon batting him away with it's heavy tail. Talon's blades caught the man's chest though, as he was thrown away. He coughed hard as he was swatted by the dragons tail, he was sure that his ribs had been bruised greatly by the impact. The assassin hit the ground, bounced off the cobblestones and then slid slightly.
Talon winced as he finally came to a stop and coughed. Slowly he rolled to his stomach and got back to his feet just in time to see Collin fling another spear of ice at Jennifer's wounded body. He felt his stomach twist into knots, pure rage boiling through him. The bastard had wounded her already, did he have to make it worse? His heart pounded hard and he rushed across the distance that he'd been thrown.
Jennifer's voice filled the air, but the assassin didn't pay it any mind, even as her fake body disappeared into thin air. The fact that she'd been hurt in the first place was more than enough to enrage him. Collin's mistake was taking his eyes off the assassin who approached near silently and rapidly. Talon manuevered around the dragon as best he could and leapt up into the air with his arm pulled back in a striking position. His hand held tightly to the dagger that he'd managed to keep hold of after being hit by the dragon's tail.
The other hand reached out and gripped Collin's shoulder, near his neck as the man turned back around to face the assassin. With his knee, Talon collided hard into the mage's body, pushing him down onto the ground as he struck out with his dagger, his arm snapping forward much like a snakes. The knife plunged downward towards Collin's exposed neck.
Collin slammed against the ground, feeling the weight of Talon's bodily force driving the wind out of his lungs. He writhed desperately to roll away, already anticipating the final blow.
"You bastar-"
There was a flash of silver as the knife slashed down, piercing his flesh without pause. Blood sprayed from the wound as Collin choked on his own life fluid, mouth gaping like a fish caught out of water. His dragon experienced the pain too late to liberate its master. It let out a low keening, shaking its head as it lost all semblance of control. Collin lay gurgling, and ultimately helpless now that his speech incantations had been severed.
Blood covered his hands and got onto his clothing as well. Talon removed the blade as soon as he'd cut into the man's neck. He watched for a moment as Collin struggled to stay alive, his dragon screaming out in pain as well. The beast tossed, falling to the ground in it's drunken state. Talon was brought to the present by the motion of the enormous body crashing to the cobblestones.
He scrambled off of Collin and turned to look for Jennifer. In his rage induced fit, he'd hardly recognized that she'd spoken out to her brother before the assassin had killed him. His eyes shot around, trying frantically to find her. Once he did, he started towards her. The hit he took from the dragon hurt but he managed to keep his footing, up until he was right next to her. Grimy with sweat, blood and dirt, Talon dropped in front of her, hands shaking.
"Jennifer," he whispered, his eyes locked on the terrible wound that afflicted her. He was going to have to heal her, and quickly. He reached out, gripped the icy shaft and let the bracer take over. His energy was low, almost too low to even do any casting with the dragon magic. Even so, he pushed what he could into the power. The shaft shattered in his hands, and he reached down to the wound in her body.
"Not going to finish him off?" she slurred before chuckling ruefully, "That's going against the teachings of Riena isn't it?"
Silver light spiked around her, reaching deep into her body and working to mend the broken flesh, torn muscle and tendons. He was feeling light headed as he worked, his vision swam between bright white and a dull gray. His head lifted a bit to catch her words, his gaze barely making her out.
"He's dead..." he replied with certainty. Even if the mage wasn't, Talon would have no problem killing him a second time. His lips pulled into a tight smile as he caught the second half of her speech, "What.. teachings?"
He finished what he could with her wound before collapsing against her, completely exhausted and near ready to pass out. His breath was heavy, his body leaning dangerously off to the side. He could feel himself slipping off her slowly, and finally hit his side on the dirt.
Still suffering from the burning pain in her chest, Jennifer just barely caught Talon with a grunt of supreme effort. Her delicate limbs quivered, struggling under the pressure of his considerable weight. After gingerly easing his head down onto her lap, Jennifer exhaled a long, deep sigh. What a tenacious man. Always extending himself over and beyond the limits of whats necessary. The gentle serenity which descended over the smoldering courtyard seemed to herald their victory, so she granted herself the pleasure of stroking her assassin's cheek, finding a calming peace in the tranquility. "Thank you Talon, for everything."