Open Chronicles Nutrition

[Aivrid]

Aivia

---

​

"Spit- SPIT THAT OUT. RIGHT NOW. TREES ARE NOT FOR EATING." Aivrid gave his daughter a bap on the snout, trying to get the trunk of the pine out of her mouth. Her gluttony had been less of a problem on the coast. Far more things in the ocean were edible, and she'd quickly learned that drinking the salt water was a terrible idea. But ever since they'd come back to the mainland it'd been a struggle to keep Aivia in control.

What was he to do? Her insatiable hunger was one of her greatest strengths. Yet if she could not harness it, bring it to bear against her enemies, control it when she needed, she would be no better than a common drake.

That would not do. If she was to surpass him, she'd need to learn there were things she should not consume. At least, not immediately.

He sniffed the air. They'd traveled far from home in their feeding; Aivia was flying nearly as quickly as Aivrid himself overland now. Barely a week. Soon she'd be ready for the skystreams. For now, they needed something to eat, and the little village at the foot of the mountain they sat atop was ripe for the taking.

Like most villages, it had a low wood wall and a watchtower to keep away the monsters. Wood was flammable, and the monsters the wall was meant to keep out were far from the power wielded by a dragon.

"ALRIGHT. Aivia, you may be a destroyer, but some things are better left untouched." He pointed to the village. "Go down there and eat your fill, but do not destroy any of their buildings," he said. "Oh, and don't forget to leave a few of them alive; you've got to begin building your myth."

He was pretty sure Aivia understood him.

"Go on now."

 

[Chaceledon]

Chaceledon was in the mountains collecting crystals. He was allowed to take trips every once in a while, as cold locales prevented him from becoming a dragon. What he would give to be flying over those peaks, tearing rubies and quartz from the earth instead of mining them in the caves like a human. Backwater towns were easy places to stash him; they were cold, the occupants were too stupid to actually help him, and he stuck out like a sore thumb.

Dragons like himself needed to be warm to fly. Chaceledon had been cold for longer than most dragons had been alive. Seventeen thousand years in cold and darkness, barely warm enough to use his flame for jewelry. Being a slave had quite a few drawbacks if you were reptilian.

So Chaceledon sat in the tavern in his human form. Of course, that didn’t mean one just fell to pieces! He was dressed in a beautiful shade of crimson, with gold embroidery of glittering crystals. The collar was a Golden ruff of mink fur, layered with wool and linen underneath. The robe was affixed with a sash of gold shot through with tiny seed rubies, tied in a graceful bow just above his rear. His eyelids were painted with kohl and gold dust, lips blood red with a line of gold. A little dusting of gold across his cheeks, and his purple eyes blazed forth from a nest of luxury. His copper hair was pulled up in a series of complex brass pins.

His nails, tapping lightly on the table as he graded and sorted today’s haul, were tempered glass.

Chaceledon seemed satisfied. He’d found a vein of emerald he liked here, and a few thumb-sized sapphires. Smoked quartz, a little amethyst. Yes, it was a good haul. He settled back to look at the lineup. He could work with these for quite a while.

Aivrid

 

[Saang Lusce]

The tree trunk flew from the snare of her maw, leaving behind splinters lodged between fangs now the size of a human hand. A week spent feasting on the high spoils and protein-filled meals of the ocean had seen to a sizeable growth spurt. Now fully capable of plucking a grown horse from the ground, Aivia's continued gains could only be fueled by a constant flow of food.

Hers was the hunger of a thousand dragons, furious as the volcano that devoured the lands.

Present snack fully disrupted, she snapped her head in the direction of the offensive father and spewed hot steam from her nostrils in defiance. Not a single word had yet to leave her tongue, so great was the distraction of famine's pangs, but words she understood all too well. Her gaze of molten need followed the line of Aivrid's claws to the village below and not even a heartbeat later did her wings cut through the sky above the forest tree tops.

A fervent roar followed the streak of crimson through the air, splitting the peace of the landscape as a dagger might split flesh. No sooner did she approach the wooden walls than the gout of dragonfire escaped her gullet and tore an explosive scar straight through the wall and into the town.

So much for leaving the buildings to stand...

 

[Aivrid]

Aivia Chaceledon

---

​

"AIVI- well, I suppose I should've expected as much." Aivrid sighed. So early, and yet this child was causing him so many problems that he was already loathe to try and do anything about her eager village-burning.

Yet what could he do? The screams of the little ones as their flesh was roasted alive and the silence they held as their meat fell from their bones was hardly as enjoyable from so far away. Still, he had no interest in eating any more, much less ruining his daughter's fun or policing her behaviour. When she tired out, he would be ready.

The dragon stooped to hide himself, making his way down the mountain towards the village. For now, Aivia rampaged unimpeded.

 

[Chaceledon]

Chaceledon was packing away the gemstones when he heard it. The unholy roar and a gout of flame. It couldn’t...there was no way. He stood up sharply and turned around...only for the entire tavern to be consumed in flame. Chaceledon was immune, but his clothes weren’t. The robes caught, and his jaw tightened angrily. He walked outside, throwing aside the ruined coat that represented months of stitch work.
He shed layers furiously, an enraged expression on his face. He didn’t give half a damn about the screaming and dying. What he did give a damn about was that brat who had ruined a perfectly good outfit!

She had also done him a favor. The flames and heat were alleviating the cold in his bones. His own flames answered, surging in his veins, and he shed the illusion of a man like he had the coat. He rose up out of the tavern, shoving the ruins aside with his forepaws. He bared teeth that glowed white, violet eyes blazing in rage. His ears were pinned back against his neck, looking down at the hatchling less than half his size.

He was fully grown, almost three hundred and fifty feet long, twisting like a snake up in the air. He lunged at her.

“Do you have any idea what you just destroyed you little whimpering pup?!” he roared at her, fully intending to grab her and fling her earthward. He wasn’t going to kill her, but the dragon version of hide tanning was definitely in order.

Aivia Aivrid

 

[Saang Lusce]

Neck deep in the viscera of an unfortunate cow, Aivia heard nothing of the seething occurring behind her within the flames of her destructive wake. She tore hellbore into the sirloin, ripping and crunching and smacking and slobbering. It was a mess that would have offended civil company, regardless of stature.

Did she have any inkling about the emergence of the other dragon behind her?

Nope.

Did she have any chance at all of dodging his incoming strike?

Yeah, no.

Chaceledon caught the young drake fully as intended, and got slopped with the mess of the cow in the process as she clung to it in her eating fervor. Aivia did not release her meal, as a matter of fact she bristled at the encroaching serpent and clung ever tighter, chawing away as though her life depended on it.

She hit the ground with a wild hiss, marking the surroundings with a great dragon-shaped imprint and several lancing veins of cracked earth. The throw did not seem to deter her any, nor scare her, nor mar her hide. Instead she issued a belch of firebreath which stank of fish and the 3-week-old beached whale she'd consumed not but a few days ago directly at the offending stranger.

 

[Aivrid]

Aivia Chaceledon

---

​

Like some great flood of power unleashed another dragon revealed itself. Long and serpentine as some breeds of dragons in the east, it was nonetheless as grand as even Aivrid, he who considered himself above all. The other dragon roared a challenge -- Aivia had, in her fervent gluttony, destroyed something of his.

Aivrid could only watch the battle begin. His most precious child, tossed to the ground like a dirty rag. Her scales had already grown strong. Thanks in no small part to the power imbued in her, she rose unscathed to attack the one who would dare interrupt her feast.

Even in her nigh-indestructible state, there were ways she might be contained, given her small form. He did not know the power of this other dragon, but he had to do something.

He pushed hard off the ground, a beat of his wings propelling him into the sky. He spread them wide, casting a shadow over the village as a mighty roar escaped his maw, rendering the destruction that had been caused before to seem almost as silence. Then, he looked to the serpent.

"Leave. Now. You may scrounge the ruins when we have left. But interrupt my child again, and I will destroy you."

 

[Chaceledon]

Chaceledon looked down at the young dragon. She was near-mad with hunger, but these piddling scraps of meat weren’t going to feed a drake of that size. He lifted his lip in a sneer at her. Her breath didn’t do much of anything but irritate him. He was far older than she. “Is this what you call hunting, you insipid little gecko? Clawing away at a cow like some common rat?” He lifted a paw and simply smashed the corpse in her talons, not particularly caring if he whacked her across the nose or not. “And I was wondering why our kind had become so rare. Has our blood run so thin?”

He heard the roar and turned to see the adult. An older male. Past his prime to be sure, but still full of strength. Chaceledon lifted his head high and gave him a decidedly superior look. “Am I to assume you spawned this starving lizard?” he said sharply. “May I remind you that I was here before either of you, having all the subtlety of a drunk orc in a brothel, barged into my business?”

Chaceledon’s tail whipped in annoyance. “Are you such a poor hunter? She stinks of fetid meat and no self control. Oh, I’m sure she’ll make a fine dray beast for some noble when she’s properly muzzled. Are you raising a dragon or some wanton brooding chamber lured around with sheep?” Chaceledon rose up to face the older male properly. He wasn’t going to be scared off so easily. He could help them find game. Could. The growing dragonet was practically starving with the way she licked up scraps. But her wanton destruction would incite the humans, like wasps disturbed from a nest. That wasn’t in his best interest.

Aivia Aivrid

 

[Saang Lusce]

Blah blah blah. SQUASH.

The insipid little gecko found her meal and her head flattened under the stranger's hand and squawked in offense, blowing a fresh spurt of fire up between his claws. Left otherwise undeterred, no further attention was paid to the dragon who blathered about things far beyond her care.

Nope, instead she turned her seething honey gaze to the humans now running amok, screaming and fleeing at the appearance of a second larger dragon, and a third in tow. Instincts triggered, she peeled herself away and took off to spread further wanton destruction and incite the humans.

No one's best interest was at mind here.

Aivrid Chaceledon

 

[Maxine Steelborne]

Maxine was bored.

This was normal but no more welcome than it had the day before. She sat in a tavern in this backwater garbage dump. There was a few fine people. Maxine noted a rather interesting man that had been passing through between the inn and mountains but he kept to himself and offered little than curiosity. The rest were just backwater leeches.

“Zet. This place sucks.” She said staring sadly into her tankard as if entertainment would spring forth miraculously. “It’s not for much longer.” They said.

“Soon we can pass through. Melaniphi should be along and back from her studies of the plant life in the mountain by the evening.” Zet replied neutrally.

They never did have a strong opinion on anything. Carter and Beth were arm wrestling in front of them at the next table. “Yes!” Carter shouted as he won. “You owe me a tankard!” He said as the blonde growled. “You cheated!”

“Did not!”

“Enough.”

Maxine interjected as they both halted in their argument. “We are guests here and we are steel legion in case you have forgotten. We are quiet and professional.” She finished as they both nodded ashamed. “I need some air.” She said with a sigh standing with a groaning stretch. “No it’s fine Zet I’ll only be a moment.” She said dismissively as her body guard rose to accompany.

“Watch them.” She said jerking a thumb to the other two legionaries that she had brought along for guard detail. Melaniphi had taken the other guard with her. Maxine wasn’t worried. The little elf got on well with Meghan. And Megan was one of the better warrior Maxine had seen from the new crop. She stepped outside and regretted it immediately.

For the love of blood and steel did anyone here ever bathe? From the stench the man that passed her she reckoned not. At least not with any regularity. She gave the man a wide berth to pass into the tavern before steeping onto the small main road that cut through the towns middle.

Her helmet left behind she was quite the sight. Her long raven hair and tan skin along with her religiously maintained armor reflected the light in a regal manner. The sigil of the grandmaster emblazoned on her chest and shoulders. A large two handed broad sword and shield with the same sigil were strapped to her back. Her nose twitched... Did she hear wings beats? Before she could do more than begin to look around another scene diverted her gaze.

“I swear it Delilah!” The older man was on his knees in the road. More well kept than the rest of the rabble Maxine knew him to be the tavern owner.

The woman he was speaking to was walking away but turned to respond.

“Shove it Magnus! Your a lousy two timing bastard! I’m leaving!” She said turning on her heel and proceeding to stomp off once more.

“Stop please! I was never unfaithful I swear!” He pleaded “may the gods strike me down with fire from the heavens if I’m-.” A blast of pure dragon fire erased the man from existence along with a portion of the houses right down the middle of town like a jagged, smoking, scar.

The woman stood frozen for a moment before running off screaming.

Maxine heard it too late.

The wing beats had returned. Dragons.

The rabble were panicked and Maxine didn’t blame them.

“Leave the city! Seek shelter in caves or underground for those that have cellars share your space with others!” She commanded. Zet seemed just to appear by her side. The dark shrouded shadow was always like that.

“Rally everyone up. We are getting these people safe and then maybe we can drive it off.” She ordered as her Beth and Carter showed up as well. “It? But what about the other one?” Beth interjected as Maxine turned.

“I only saw..the one..” She said with a clench to her jaw. More appeared. This was getting out of hand. Three dragons on this little skid mark of a village. Just her luck. They seemed to be communicating but Maxine didn’t care.

Getting people safe and keeping them from killing and trampling each other in panic was the main goal for the moment.

“Let’s go! everyone scatter.!Cellar owners let’s not be selfish!” She said as her shoulders began to do the same. They were only a squad of six. And at 2/3 strength squad for the time being in fact. She wasn’t ready for this.

“You didn’t want to be bored..” She muttered with a sigh as another splurt of dragon fire took out another portion of the village and judging by the screams not just the buildings were damaged.

 

[Aivrid]

Aivia Chaceledon Maxine Steelborne
​

---

"Your weakness is unbearable. I'd been hoping to wait a little longer, such that her power grew with her mind. But I suppose I'll allow her to feast on your remains, too!" he roared to the serpent that stood on the village.

Aivrid spat a hot gout of flame from his mouth. At first it surged towards his enemy, but the air soon turned cold as the fire retracted to Aivrid's palm. It shrank and shrank before disappearing entirely. Only a fool would believe he had simply tossed away his power. His other hand reached to the sky, sparks of the arcane encircling his fingertips. The clouds above darkened. "Kepesk," he spoke.

With his spell cast he beat his wings twice more, propelling himself towards the other dragon. His claws raised and maw opened, intent on tearing into the other's scales -- but moments before he arrived, a flash of lightning tore through the air, down from the heavens to strike the serpent.

 

[Solaiel]

Solaiel made it a habit to find time to escape his affairs in Vel Anir at least a couple times a year. He would disappear into the night sky and make his way to the mountains to feel the air beneath his wings and to hunt.

Something was unusual about this trip though. In the distance he could see a village nestled at the foot of the mountain beneath him. Flares of light drew his attention further. Figures came into focus. Two mature dragons in a standoff, with a drake underfoot of one.

Multiple dragons? It was unthinkable. Their numbers had dwindled to the point that territory simply did not overlap. Could something else be going on? He had to get closer and observe the fight. He needed to know who a potential rival could be. Perhaps even finish one off if the situation called for it.

Then the clouds darkened above him and suddenly his mind faded as consciousness started to slip. His wings rippled limply, and air rushed violently against his ears as his eyes fluttered. The dragon had been struck by lightning. It would not be enough to wound him, but the force of nature managed to catch him off guard.

What would wound him considerably was the ground that was coming up to meet him at an alarming pace. Solaiel’s eyes opened and closed a couple times as his mind began to regain a grasp of the situation. Then slitted eyes opened fully as his massive wings shot outward. Muscles strained to scoop and hold as much air resistance as possible to rapidly reduce his velocity.

It was too late to join the fray gracefully. All four of his wicked clawed limbs reached down toward Chaceledon and Aivrid indiscriminately. He would have to use the two of them to break his fall.

The obsidian dragon’s full weight crashed down into the two opposing dragon’s space as he instinctively tucked his wings and limbs to roll away after initial impact to mitigate damage. He nearly rolled over Aivia as well, but luckily had managed to stop a bit shy. Two to three tumbles and then his claws reached out and gained purchase on the ground as his wings shot up and he instantly sprung into a defiant stance toward the other two dragons in readiness to attack.

“WHO DARES TO STRIKE ME,” came the booming voice of the newcomer.

Now that he was on the ground, he could see that they too were indeed fully matured dragons all of a similar size. Normally Solaiel would have simply observed until he had more information before acting. Normally he would not have been shot out of the sky. Yet none of this took hold of his mind. All he could see was the blood red haze of hatred. His deep primal nature overrode the wisdom of his years. He wanted to taste blood.

 

[Chaceledon]

“Weakness? Child, when you were hatched I was amassing wealth larger than the backside you were laid out of!” Chaceledon sneered, coiling himself up. He wasn’t frightened of the flames; they would do little other than warm him. Chaceledon was a being of flames and fire. The hotter it got around them, the happier the reptile was. He looked down his nose at the younger male.

Arrogance, all arrogance. No wonder he hated other dragons with their featureless hatred of anything that didn’t bow down to them. He heard the lightning...but surprisingly enough it had struck a third dragon mid flight.

The dragon that crashed into them both, bruising Chaceledon and knocking the wind out of him for a moment. He coughed and scrambled out from under the other, shaking himself. Bruises on top of this?! When was the indignity ending? He eyed the newcomer angrily, tail lashing like a cat.

Even Chaceledon could admit it wasn’t a good situation for a male with a drake to protect. A bratty drake, without which they wouldn’t be in this situation. He lunged after her. “You arrogant, destructive little brat! I’ll beat some sense into you if it’s the last thing I do! Since clearly your father has all the intelligence of a mountain goat!” He roared at her.

Chaceleodon turned his head briefly to eye the newcomer. “It’s he who released this bratty hatchling upon me and called the lightning down upon you! I was having a gods be damned cup of tea when this all went down! Attack him!” he indicated the offending dragon with a flick of his tail and moved to grab the hatchling. He was going to beat her. Not kill her; they were far too few in number for that. But he had enough of pompous dragons. A little hide tanning would do her good.

Aivia
Aivrid

 

[Saang Lusce]

She'd leapt away from the squabbling group of elder lizards to indulge in the cat-like fancy of chasing prey. All manner of chaos had exploded before her as she made her way into the village proper, flinging herself into the air and landing upon a barn with a righteous snarl and a unceremonious CRUNCH of the structure folding beneath her bulk.

For a moment dust rose from the rubble and then the screaming began. Aivia, in all her wrathful glory, flung her head up through the rafters with a pig clutched in her maw, squealing bloody murder until the fangs slammed shut completely and quartered the swine with a snap and a squelch. She downed the bulk of its barrel in one gluttonous gulp and immediately targeted a human girl fleeing the scene of the crime.

At once the beast unfurled from the splintered remains of the barn, wings spreading, roar echoing after the girl, only to be cut short as she was grabbed by Chaceledon and yanked back through the barnyard with a confused snarl.

 

[Maxine Steelborne]

This was getting out of hand.

Four dragons in this mud hovel of a village.

The odds had to be astronomical. They could have driven out one and his drake with four now
The destruction of this city was little more than guaranteed. Maxine had gotten those around her to safety but the scream of a girl caught her attention.

Running and pushing through the chaos when needed she ran full tilt to the girl as the drake pursued her. She was going to be too late. Suddenly the drake was yanked away with a sound of surprise as Maxine reached the girl and scooped her up in her arms without breaking stride.

“I have a child! Who’s her mother!” She yelled to no avail as the girl simply wailed in her arms. She didn’t look more than 10. Maxine didn’t blame her. “We have to get out of here..” She muttered wondering where that stupid healer and her guard were off at..and if they were ok.. She hoped so..

 

[Aivrid]

Aivia Chaceledon Solaiel Maxine Steelborne

---

​

Aivrid took the brunt of their new arrival's landing. As large as he was, he was not unequalled in majesty among dragons -- for a moment he worried that the most recent visitor of this poor human village was his own brother, looking to strike a finishing blow after Aivrid had expended much of his power on Aivia's birth. For a brief moment the voice of the other dragon was a comfort.

Not that it made the situation much better. If the other dragons were as he had been, he was at a significant disadvantage. The magical strength provided by a veritable mountain of gold was no longer afforded to him. Yet he had his claws and scales and wings and fiery maw, and he intended to keep his child safe.

With a guttural cry he violently pushed the other dragon off him. It soon turned to a vengeful roar as he saw the serpent grab Aivia. He barreled straight towards his enemy, claws outstretched, intending to tackle the dragon -- then rip and tear, until it was done.

 

[Solaiel]

Solaiel took a step after Aivrid and then stopped as he felt a faint twinge of pain. Looking down showed that some blood was trickling from his chest. A couple of Chaceledon or Aivrid’s spikes must have managed to penetrate his hide when he was forced to land on them. It wasn’t a dire wound by any means, but it did cause the dragon to stifle the burning rage that had overtaken him.

Instead Solaiel looked up and took stock of the situation. It was unwise to further interfere. He was not some common street dog that would dive snarling and gnashing at a fight between two other mongrels. Such a thing was beneath him. For now, he would impose with his presence to keep them off balance.

The ebony dragon began to circle around the two fighting reptiles to get a better look at Aivia, who had caused all this commotion. However, a faint oddity in his peripheral vision caused him to stop and look down.

Piercing emerald green eyes locked upon Maxine Steelborne as she held close to the child barely saved from Aivia’s clutches. The knight had thus far managed to stay beneath the notice of the titans that clashed within this village. That was until now.

“Grandmaster,” spoke the creature in a deep rumbling voice. “Courageous to stand before your gods, young fire heart.”

The Steel Legion had been a force of enough renown for the insignia to catch his eye. The remnant of it still held a reputation. It was said that a fierce young woman had led it now. Solaiel had some interests brewing in Elbion. She could be of use to him later. If nothing else the desire to snuff out her life had been repressed by the curiosity to see what such a woman would do next. Killing one of her status would be a waste if she proved worthy of her lofty title.

 

[Maxine Steelborne]

She had cast around her gaze and no one came to claim the child..More than a quarter of this place was on fire or rubble...or both.

There was a good chance that this had been the girls last day with a family of any kind. Maxine hoped not.. but she was her responsibility regardless. She began to head for one of the few undamaged buildings the tavern and watch tower a part of the wall that hadn’t been blasted away.

“Let’s see who’s left and try to get them out of this place and quickly and safely as possible. Calm panic. Deal with dissent with a small amount of tolerance. Better to leave one of the rest fall in line and live.” She order her guard. Zet seemed loathed to leave her. An emotion they were able to convey with little more than body language as their face was masked as usual. But they obeyed and Maxine moved to follow.

“Grandmaster.”

Maxine froze as her blood ran cold. Her eye turning to gaze into piercing, glowing emerald green. They spoke of great intellect and understanding. But there was no fear. No empathy. Even the coldest of humans showed these traits at the end.. It shook her. But hearing a whimper from the girl she steeled her gaze.

“Courageous to stand before your gods, young fire heart.”

“I bow to no gods, and my brothers and sisters in the steel are my only concern.” She said plainly. Her expression only held a steadfast calm.

A calm that wavered as more violence was wrought on the village. The legion had worked with dragons in the past. Protecting hordes was lucrative providing they didn’t eat anyone. Most hadn’t. The idea of having a group of highly trained soldiers watching their hordes while they were away had been an asset most enjoyed enough to be gracious. Perhaps he knew of them. Perhaps he had worked with them in the days of their true strength.

Before the collapse.

If so then the fact he hadnt eaten her already and knew her title from insignia alone told her she had one chance. If he was looking for a favor from the steel legion once more then she had something he may find valuable enough...

”You know of the legion, and my rank by insignia alone. Not many do. But if you know of us then you know we can make a bargain I will honor no matter the cost.” She said carefully. Her tone more respectful and professional.

“If you would aid me in helping these people flee this chaos The legion would be indebted to you...I..would be indebted to you..” She said placing the girl next to her. She raced behind her with a squeak.

Maxine said nothing kneeling she quickly produced a contract scroll. The legion treated these contracts the same way a priesthood treated religious text. Often updated to avoid being taken advantage of changes to these contracts were extremely minor and careful to preserve the fairness and binding nature of them.

She threw off her left gauntlet and signed her name. In place of a seal she bit her thumb until blood flowed and stamped her thumbprint.

A blood contract.

She rolled up the scroll and offered it up to the dragon.

Desperation finally showed on her face as she looked up into the dragons eyes.

“Please.” She asked.

 

[Chaceledon]

Chaceledon was intent on punishing the young drake. He lashed at her with his tail, and attempted to buffet her with his forelimbs. He wasn’t aiming to draw blood, nor to actually kill the hapless drake, but he was intensely angry about losing his clothing to the mess. It had taken hours upon hours, and Chaceledon had finally snapped. Thousands of years of captivity, enslavement, and having someone take away what little joy he could squeeze from life had made him lose his temper.

“Do you know or care how long that took? My kind are artisans, you spoiled brat of a hatchling! You trample on the work of others because of your gut?! I should skin you myself and save the monster hunters the trouble!” he roared in her ears.

He felt the other dragon, her sire, fall upon him and claws sink into his scales. Chaceledon turned, sinuous body able to twist around easily, and blew violet flame into the male’s face. Hopefully it was enough to get those claws out of him; Chaceledon’s flame had been used thus far for forging but it was unbearably hot. “Get off of me! I am not here to kill your hatchling!” He roared at the male. “You both disturbed me!”

Aivia
Aivrid
Solaiel

 

[Solaiel]

The reptilian creature bellowed forth a hearty laugh as Maxine spoke of not bowing to any god. It was the genuine amusement of the cat as the mouse bared its fangs in defiance.

Amused expression faded to one of seriousness as she continued and knelt. He eyed the other dragons for a moment to insure the knight and he were still safe from intervention. Then Solaiel's body instantly transformed into black smoke before her eyes.

The smoke unnaturally traveled to the ground before coalescing into the form of a human man. The middle aged man that stood before her was of average height and built. Yet he had the regal bearing of a nobleman and wore silk garments to compliment this image. No weapons were apparent on him, and blood was starting to trickle into his doublet from the wounds to his chest from his dragon form.

Green eyes no longer glowed, but they still bore down upon Maxine intensely. He seemed to weigh her worthiness before snatching the parchment from her hand.

"Any cost you say," mused Solaiel as he unfurled the scroll to quickly glance through it. He split his attention between it and the battling titans nearby. It was obviously a dangerous place to negotiate a contract.

Another chuckle emitted from his lips though it was much more subtle now that he wasn't a towering monstrosity. Written contracts? It was one of the many delicious inventions of mankind. His kind were nearly extinct due to their ingenuities, but Solaiel reveled in it. He turned mankind's nature to his advantage. As such he was well acquainted with dealing with the grandmaster's kind.

After several moments the nobleman reached into his doublet to coat his thumb in the dragon blood pooling there. He then applied it to the document and rolled it up before placing it back into Maxine's hand.

"Very well, girl. I will shield you this day. Gather livestock to use as a diversion if my attention must be split."

This could be a dangerous proposition. It had been a long time since Solaiel didn't dominate a battlefield with his very presence. Three primeval dragons in one place meant that the odds could stack against him. Still the danger thrilled the ancient being. He stayed in human form as he turned back toward the battle. There was a chance that his transformation had gone unnoticed by Chace and Aivrid. Some element of surprise might still be available to him if needed.

 

[Maxine Steelborne]

Maxine gasped as he transformed. His eyes no longer glowing. Yet still Maxine held his gaze defiantly calm. She did silently grit her teeth at his sheer nerve. His chuckles while subtle were in no way lost on the kneeling Grandmaster, she was no ones fool.

She knew she would regret this....

Had she no child to protect and the number of dragons wasn’t dangerously close to taking an entire hand to count...

But those things were both a reality.

So she was dealing with things the only way she knew how. Silently she bore her humiliation as the man spoke and agreed. What he offered in way of plan made logical sense and as luck would have it, the community’s farm houses and pastures between the tavern and guard tower was about the only bit of the village that wasn’t flaming rubble and resembled what Maxine imagined the end times would look like.

“V-very well.” Maxine said with a nod standing and placing her left gauntlet back on. Finally breaking the gaze with a slightly indignant blush of pure rage. As he turned his back to the fight she stopped him. Her voice was calm, but deadly serious.

“I will repay my debt..but you will not twist the legion to your own selfish ends. I am not my predecessors..” She said turning away from the fight as well. Scooping up the child she whistled twice as the door to the tavern opened. Her guard was out in an instant. Running to the tavern entrance Maxine gave the girl a kiss on her forehead ruffling her hair before allowing her to run to the village at large.

“Who’s the new guy?” Carter asked. Gesturing to Solaiel. “Dosent matter let’s get these peopl ready to go.” Beth said giving the man a quick once over. “Fine..” Carter said rolling his eyes and gathering the group hiding in the tavern. Maxine felt Zet at her side. The darkly cloaked figure was shooting daggers with their eyes at the new comer. They did not like the vide they were getting from him.

“Leave it Zet.” She said to her bodyguard. “Besides I need your help. Get I. Position at the cattle barn as well as any in the pastures that aren’t obliterated. Try to release them all when we leave. Try to heard them as best you can. Please.” Maxine said with a warm smile.

Zet nodded slowly and left like the shadow they appeared to be. Seemingly there one moment and gone the next.

“ok things will be ready soon. Think they’ll be occupied with eachother enough to let us escape? “ She asked the dragon man casually.

 

[Saang Lusce]

She was, for several long and chaotic moments, caught within the throes of being battered by the elder dragon. Fervent squawks of general malcontent erupted out of the drake with every landed hit, though very little of her attention was on Chaceledon but on the fleeing specks of prey exiting the village.

Aivia hissed her own bought of rage, flailing in the larger dragon's clutches, tumbling about with every smacking hit. Turns out she had no ear for his wailing about his mangled and charred clothes, such was the ability of the youth to multitask ... or think about anything other than the center of their focus.

You bet your bottom the moment Chaceledon's attention withdrew she was off like a rocket, honing in on one speck in particular - a shiny one.

Its name was Maxine Steelborne and she looked tasty.

 

[Solaiel]

Solaiel eyed Maxine as she tried to hold her resolve as she spoke of not letting him twist her legion. He said not a word and simply gazed up at her eyes as she was a head taller than him. There was no need to argue with this human. He would twist her mercenaries to his goals if events aligned in such a way. Though Maxine’s life and affairs were merely a minor diversion from his schemes.

The transformed dragon simply placed his hands behind his back and walked alongside the Grandmaster as she ordered others into action. The looks of suspicion from her subordinates went unnoticed as he unfocused from the realities around them and began to reach outward with his mind. He had a sixth sense that picked up the life force of others. Solaiel could even consume it with relative ease if the creature were weak willed enough. He would refrain for now though to buy the mercenary captain’s loyalty.

He was so focused on the lifeforce of the fleeing villagers and clashing dragons that he almost missed her question. Would the other dragons be distracted enough to let her humans escape? Unlikely, though her chances of success had gone up considerly upon enlisting his services.

“Assume only that they will do as they please, fire heart,” he murmured as he watched Aivia untangle from Chaceledon and head their way.

His form faded to black smoke once more and then it expanded outward until Maxine was standing in the center of four dragon legs. His claws dug into the dirt road and his stance changed to a protective posture. The ebony dragon would not try to contain the drake with words as Chaceledon had done. Instead Solaiel knew to treat the youth with an animalistic show of force to get his point across. Maxine was his plaything and Aivia would have to fight him to take her.

The elder dragon reared up onto his hind legs for a moment before crashing his forepaws down into the ground with an earth-shattering crash. A ferocious roar erupted at the newcomer as he stood tall to gain as much size as he could muster for intimidation. Saliva ignited into flame as it dripped from a snarling maw, but no words were spoken. Instead, he simply fixed his eyes upon Aivia, daring her to make a move.

Aivia Maxine Steelborne Aivrid Chaceledon

 

[Maxine Steelborne]

“Don’t speak to me as if you know of hearts or the fires within them monster.” She bit back.

“Now if you’ll excuse me I need to gather a few things.” She turned on her heel and left up the stairs of the inn. Returning shortly with two slender canisters strapped to her side. Well insulated with a black leather coated in a strange substance. The people of Volta called it “rubber.”

Maxine hadnt bothered with the details. She had trusted the captain that gave them to her they would work.

A thick wire of copper insulated with the same strange substance ran to the bottom of her swords handle. The legion had long used these enhanced weapons and in many regards it was how they had risen so quickly long ago.

Now she was lucky to have these relics as the were. Many had been destroyed to keep them from falling into the hands of enemies of the legion and..Others in the legion. The stock piles that did survive were closely guarded secrets. Each guild having at least one or two and shared the resources with in sparingly at a huge mark up if at all. Never to an outsider of course, but Maxine was out of options. This weapon would either work...Or if the tank was ruptured it would explode in a decently large and very much fatal ball of lightening.

“Let’s see how they are getting on before we move.” She said with out a glance to the dragon as she pulled on her helmet and stepped outside. With that she As much as she was loathe to admit it..She knew the dragon was correct in his assessment. They would do as they pleased. If they were just distracted enough.. The door closed behind her as the guard gathered the villagers and got them ready to leave.

That was when she saw it. Coming towards her like a horse sized arrow of teeth. She drew her sword a rune lighting up on her gauntlet activating a rune on her handle. It glowed blue for a moment cracklings with the harnessed energy of nature itself....Before it flickered and died. The energy evaporating. “What...” Maxine glared at the blade.

“That old man is going to PAY!” She fumed punching the handle as the rune flickered back to life. It was then she realized she was underneath a dragon. Just as his roar shook her to her core.

She swore she felt her guts shift around as the ground shook. It was..Amazing though she would never admit it. Moving closer to avoid the flaming saliva dripping from his mouth she hopped this show of force would be enough so she could escape and begin evacuating people.

“When you said they would do as they wish you didn’t mean you’d let them did you?” She called up to him. “Just clarifying!”

 

[Aivrid]

Chaceledon | Aivia Solaiel Maxine Steelborne

---

​

The serpent bathed Aivrid's crown in violet flames, the slippery beast twisting with ease even as the black dragon searched for purchase in his opponent's scales. It was hot. No matter how often he claimed immunity to fire, the flames of his equals had enough power to chip at his strength. Were he born red or with Aivia's particular blessings he might've avoided it all, but against his opponent's barrage, he shut his eyes to keep his sight a little longer in his old age.

He didn't reply to the other dragon for two reasons. First and most important: they were locked in close combat, and any time he spent mincing words he could better spend crushing his enemy; but second was he'd already given the other a chance.

Aivrid reared his head back then slammed it forward, attempting to strike the serpent in the jaw. He tried to push the other dragon down and give him the surface needed to press his claws deeper.