Open Chronicles Those Who Play With Fire | Dragon Keepers

[Aivrid]

Tag: Dragon Keepers, Ashieron

Go up in flames, filth.

---

​

It'd been a long time since Aivrid had felt rage. It took a unique spark to once more light that fire within him that brought true, vivid emotion. Once he'd reveled in the fires of war, reveled in the power he wielded. It was because of that power that he rarely felt the need to be angry -- any pest could be swatted away with a healthy dose of dragon fire. Perhaps a few things could emerge from his flames unscathed; his brother was one creature who spurred his anger, and there was very little Aivrid could do about it.

But this...

He could change this.​

His flame was lit. ​

A great shadow flickered far above in the mid-afternoon sky. A few of the dragon keepers looked up, trying to figure out where it had come from -- had one of Sathirena's brood gone off for a flight? A few minutes passed, and they simply assumed it was a trick of the light.

No. He wanted to see the fear in their eyes when they saw him.
​

Without warning the black behemoth struck, strafing the dragon keepers' village, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. As their homes burned the dragon disappeared into the clouds once more. They would have only moments to prepare for his next attack.

 

[Zull Du'un]

What do you think of the eclipse, small ones? Zull Du’un wondered this as he flew. Their lives were so astoundingly short that they gave meaning to the mundane, seeking to attach themselves to some relevant event. To say “I was there.”

You were not there. A thousand mortal lifetimes would pass before a truly great event would come to pass, and when it did, they would have nothing to do with it. How could they? Their lives, their actions, were utterly inconsequential.

Well then rejoice! For this eclipse heralds a truly great event. The darkening sky above you is of Me, and My return! Amidst countless generations of your forefathers, you have the privilege of living in the age of My awakening. And when you die, purged by My fire for your heresy, you will be granted a footnote in My legacy. Resist not, there is nothing greater you can achieve.

The sun had indeed dimmed, veiled by soot. Ash and stone rained from his body, heralding his approach. Aivrid had gone ahead, to make the first attack. Zull Du’un followed behind. Slower, without grace. But like an avalanche, he would not be stopped.

Zull Du’un had been disheartened, at first, to hear the plight of his kind since he went below the mountains. Dragons had dwindled, the small people had grown. He did not understand how this was allowed to happen. Surely, had he not slumbered, their hold on this world would only have grown.

Still, it was encouraging that the one who had awoken him maintained the heart of a true dragon. Yes, he had grown complacent. Yes, he had not expanded his empires for some time, but such things could be forgiven. After all, the small people so infrequently demanded their attention. It would be easy to forget them for a few thousand years.

Until they stepped out of line. Until they perverted the natural order. Zull’s fires burned hot with furor born from what the great black dragon had told him.

Humans and elves, raising dragons.

Taking their eggs. Taming them as their own? No. No this would not stand. How far had his kind fallen that this was allowed to pass? Well no more. He was awake, and he would correct this imbalance. The small ones would learn their place. He could see the fires that Aivrid had lit, still some distance ahead, and this pleased him.

 

[Ashieron]

Ash was laying in his bed reading a book and enjoying a nice cup of tea. A few hatchlings fell asleep scattered across his bed. Tired from playing all day, and to be honest all the play took a small bit of a toll on the elf. But he enjoyed it a lot and it was worth it. Chasing the little ones down the halls and playing tag with them was definitely one of his favorite pass times.

His window was open, and a sudden gust of wind blow the shutters against the wall, scaring the hatchlings awake. Ash then smelt fire, burning wood and dragon. His heart sank.

Quieting down the hatchlings cries of fear with a few cuddles and soothing words. Ash tells them to go get the others and escape, have the larger dragons too young to fight carry what eggs they could to the meeting place. He knew other dragons might not be keen on them raising the dragons, but he was not about to let them freeze in that or get butchered like tigers for their coat of scales. Those dragons knew that such things were happening to their kin and yet they did nothing about it to cease it, not even lifting a claw to assist. So it made him even more irritated that they would have the audacity to attack good people trying to help their kin from their fate.

Sighing, he stretches out his hand a glaive appears in it. Armor made of specially made metals fromed to his body. This was not going to end well, as far as he knew he was the only one around of his fellow keepers. That village was nothing but an offshot of people who decided to join in, either for a new start or just someplace better to call home. They were innocent.

Sighing the elf grasps his glaive tightly, holding it behind his back with one hand as he went outside of the temple. Looking up he saw one of the dragons flying back into the air for another assault. Fire raged on the ground out in front of him. Holding out his hand he’d whisper words in ancient elvish, the fires would disappear into the wind. His people now were running to escape their fates, running into the hidden caves and mountain.

“You have no quarrel with the folk of this village!” He yells out to the dragons in draconic, “For they only live their lives here. Farming, hunting and nothing more! I beg you stop attacking the innocent people whom you think may have wronged you and attack the people whom have!” He opens his arms, “Come get those that may have, even though our intentions are good!” One of the older dragons walked up next to him, his blue scales glimmering in the afternoon sun. He’d nudge the elf will his talon, and a gentle hum. Smiling Ash looks at his friend with a nod waiting for the next response.

 

[Harrier]

She'd passed through the dragon keepers' village and kept going. People like that had little use for someone of her talents - and revealing herself came with huge, dragon-shaped risks. So she'd been just another traveler heading to the nearest portal stone, and that was good enough.

Right up until two huge old dragons flew overhead, and the settlement exploded in flame.

Harrier's breath caught. There'd be dragons playing defense too, and nothing was more hazardous to one's health than a battle between dragons. Nothing. When she raised a ghostglass to her eye she could already see death in progress.

That made it her business, in a way. She might not need to take sides. A dead dragon could be an unsurpassed servant.

For now, she waited, just a random traveler leaning on a walking stick outside town.


Aivrid Zull Du'un Ashieron

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Ashieron @Zull Du’un Harrier

Good, good, they are still young.

---

​

A call, in Draconic? At first, he almost thought it was Zull who was addressing him — but a voice as weasely and high-pitched as that could only belong to one of the small folk. His violet eyes scanned the landscape below, eventually finding the little one standing next to a young blue dragon. The wyrm could not have been more than a few years old; he was barely larger than one of the little houses of the village Aivrid had just razed. If they were still young, they could still be moulded. If they could be moulded, they could become taaldarax. They could ascend, become true dragons, not filthy creatures even lower than the little ones they might consider ‘friends’.

The challenge by the elf would not go unanswered. For now he’d stay his hand. Hopefully his companion would heed his request to stay back until he was needed — he would not want Zull to exert himself doing something Aivrid could do on his own. Still, the rune would be more easily drawn with the fire of two. For now he would entertain himself by speaking to this elf. He would enjoy watching the creature struggle with the choice he would be presented with. Perhaps they could solve this all with a few words… of course, he’d still crush them, but it would be more satisfying to destroy this filth after giving them false hope.

The black behemoth circled once around the village before making his approach to land at the foot of the temple where the elf and dragon stood. Sunlight glinted off his midnight scales, the black silhouetted against the blue sky. His sheer mass and velocity tore off a few hay roofs with his passing, but finally he slowed, flapping his wings. The force created a great torrent of wind, before the dragon set down, his claws breaking the earth where they fell. Aivrid’s head stayed far above the little one. They were beneath him, no matter where they stood.

“Your pronunciation is terrible,” the wyrm rumbled, his purple eyes fixed on the elf — for a moment they betrayed a look of amusement. It was always difficult to tell, what with the stoic masks of the giant reptiles. Still, it was rather disgraceful to hear such beautiful words butchered by one unfit to speak the language.

Aivrid’s tail swept over the village behind him, one of the spikes just barely grazing the roof of a house. “You care about the ‘innocent’. You will hand over all the dragons here, as well as any eggs or artifacts you may have in your possession, or I will continue to raze this little village of yours.” His tail swept above the village once more. “Quickly, little one. I have little patience when it comes to you. Do not waste my generosity.”

 

[Zull Du'un]

It did not take long for Zull Du'un to reach the village. He inhaled the smoke from Aivrid's fires deeply. The sweet ash and soot coursed through his nares and into his chest, where they combusted once again in the furnaces of his breast. True dragonfire was the purest of all things, and it brought back memories of ages long past. Of swaths of countryside set ablaze, loyal armies marching beneath red and black banners. Great spires of black stone, constructed to his exact demands by his priests. Perhaps some of those obsidian chambers still lingered beneath the charred husk of "Stonefoot," the insulting and blasphemous name that the ants had given his capitol city in the passing millennia. They were currently serving as an example, but he would rebuild eventually. Perhaps a century or two to rebuild the Cult, first.

Fond reminiscence, and he watched with eyes of magma as Aivrid soared and danced through the air. Equally impressive as the flame was the great beast's agility, how something so massive could appear so light. The illusion was broken upon his landing, of course, as great midnight claws shattered the earth and his very passing ripped homes from their foundations.

Zull Du'un stayed high in the air, circling the destruction. His rain of ash and stone now firmly blanketed the sky, and the sun was but a dim red orb in the heavens. Your gods cannot see you now. Well that wasn't entirely true now, was it? Their true gods were right before them, after all.

Due to Zull's slumber, Aivrid knew more about the world as it currently was, and the molten dragon was content to follow his lead, for now. While he would have preferred to bury the heretics in liquid stone Aivrid had proposed a more delicate solution. Still rooted in destruction, of course, but it had a certain... poetry to it. Speak to the small ones, perhaps give them hope before crushing them outright. It was something Zull Du'un had rarely felt necessary, but he was still building to his full strength, and he did not dislike the notion of mind games.

Still, he was uncertain of why Aivrid had stopped to engage the puny one so soon. "Lok paaz?" he rumbled in an ancient dialect. Roughy translating to "fair skies," he asked Aivrid "is everything alright?"

He had not heard Ashieron's words from before, he had been too far away. He could see him now, though, and the blue dragon beside him. His glow increased slightly, and his furor grew. Here was one of the Sizaan, the lost. The Zaam slave dragons that he had been told of. It was tragic, for no dragon raised by mortal hands could ever ascend to true divinity. His anger burned for the lives stolen by these Keepers. Aivrid seemed to believe they could be saved, perhaps, if they were young enough, they could reach their true potential. Zull Du'un was not so optimistic, but he indulged his companion.

The air had grown quite warm beneath his flight.

 

[Ashieron]

Ash thinks for a second, "I will not force them to leave this place, it is up to you to inquire them yourself. For they are free to do what they please." The elf replies, "Ask the mothers and the fathers if they want to move their nest to go with you. As for artifacts we have none." A smile forms across the elf's face. Ash himself had an artifact but it was one that virtually decided if he would get overcome by the dark arts or not. He was pissed that the dragon had the audacity to come and attack the innocent people, he was pissed the dragons had their heads so far up their asses that they could not see they were doing more harm than good.

"Good luck trying to get them to go with you now that you ruined their home, and terrified the young ones." He says with a red glow in his eyes the elf stood his ground. He was not scared of the heat bearing down on him, nor the huge dragon before him. He has dealt with far worse in his many years as being a part of the world.

 

[Sathirena]

She's been on a trail for at least a good while now. Passing whenever chasing the winds from west to east and east to west. There was this familiar tinge in the air, somewhere within the mountains, a tinge only found once upon a time in her now desecrated lair.
She felt a link almost, as clear as day. But she couldn't investigate then, no, not under mind control.
There was a rare opportunity when the blasted banshee queen was not invading her mind. And when the opportunity came, Sathirena merely made her way towards her source of growing anxiety, without a word or reason given to the Eternum corpus.
She would investigate, even if it meant to possibly come to term with the worst fate possible for her brood.

Death.

--- present-day ---

Her pearlescent black and white skeleton made her outline not as visible against the clouded sky as when she was a full-bodied beast. The once-great blue Eretejvan dragon was practically unrecognisable as one of her kind at this point of decay.
But what was clear as day was the smoke and rage coming from the mountains.
Two large dragons surrounding a petite village and keep.
And it can't be. was one of them Aivrid? Was this the link she was chasing instead of her brood? No, but they still had unfinished business between them. The she-dragon at the moment felt a particular strain of pain in herself, clutching and dragging her claws in preparation.
Still, the visage of two dragons on a rampage around a place where she felt the link to her young uns has unhinged her completely. Whether she knew them or not.

Picking up the face in dire urgency, it was a mere moment before the white and black visage of the deceased broodmother perched itself upon the keep for all to see. Mists of the cloud she exited from still escaping her cage-like body.
She emitted a low crocodilian like a rumble in an empty hallway like sound. Haunting and unnatural it was before yelling in an equally terrifying voice of an enraged mother.
»YOU WILL NOT BE TAKING MY CHILDREN« She flared her wings apart and arched her back to seem bigger, as the smallest of the titans.

While the little blue dragonlings may have imprinted on their human and elven foster parents. The very magic that cultivated them in their eggshell universes like a painting world song up to the point of sudden universal darkness...was present once more.
It was calming at this moment of terror.

Something was definitely up to those who observed the blue ones.

 

[Harrier]

The hundreds of books she'd assimilated in the Golden Library offered names for these dragons. The big black one with the halo of horns was Aivrid, who'd strafed and then landed in the village. The even bigger black-and-red one was Zull Du'un, who stayed airborne. And the beautiful undead one, smaller than either, who'd landed near Aivrid: that one, Harrier knew by reputation from her time poking around the Eternum. Sathirena the Broodmother. The perfect servant, if Harrier could find an opportunity.

Whatever this place was - she'd stumbled on it and passed through - the dragons found it Very Interesting Indeed. Harrier sat on the hill with her walking stick across her knees, and watched from a distance.

 

[Iliris]

Iliris had been away from the other dragon keepers lately more than she had been with them, and although it did made her feel guilty at times, she had a good reason for it. Now there was someone who needed her assistance more than her fellow keepers, at least for the time being, and she had no other choice but to take up her new responsibilities.

Since they had cleared the little island of the earth worm and rescued the last surviving dragon on it, she had grown closer and closer to their new friend. They had many things in common after all, having lost their families and old way of life, and they both had forged an instant connection, even if it was quite fragile to begin with. But very soon Iliris and Umno, the water dragon, found themselves getting closer and closer. And Iliris, being who she was, stayed behind for a while, to help the dragon learn how to live on his own.
She would have taken him to the Spine for good, but Umno had trouble staying away from the sea for long. He was still young, flying large distances wasn't easy for him, and water was the main source of his nourishment. Therefore, for the time being, they stayed on that same island in the gulf of Ryt, visiting the other dragon keepers as often as they could. After all, Umno still enjoyed the company of other dragons.

This time though, as they approached the little village in the Spine, Iliris felt her heart sink even before she could truly tell the tower of smoke apart from the rest of the cloudy sky. She saw the shadows next, those of creatures far larger than the dragons under their care.
Umno let out a distressed sound. "We should hurry, friend," Iliris called over the wind, as Umno flew as fast as he could.

The actual scene which they found was... horrifying to say the least. Long burning lines spread line gashes over the village, and what was happening in it seemed to be complete chaos. There were two giant dragons present, as well as one that Iliris couldn't begin to describe. It didn't look like a creature that should have still been alive, yet it seemed that at least this dragon wasn't trying to burn down their home, which was enough for her to be thankful for.
"The fire!" Umno roared, descending swiftly, to get closer to it and try to extinguish as much as he could with his watery breath. It wasn't a lot when compared to the enormous fire, but what else could they do?

Alas, Umno's powers were limited, and they soon had to retreat aside, getting closer to Ash by doing so. Close enough that they could hear him, even over the rest of the roars all around. And now was the time to be brave. Iliris could see the other dragons as clear as ever now, and they were so huge when compared not only to her but Umno as well, that she felt her stomach cover with ice.
What could they do against beasts like this?
But she had to be brave. They, both of them had to be brave, she could see the same thoughts and the same conflict flicker through her friend's eyes as she looked down at him. "What is the meaning of this?" Iliris finally called out, to Ash, to the dragons, but mostly to anything who would listen to her. Her voice didn't falter as the draconic words came out, her usage of this tongue definitely far from perfect for dragon's ears.
"Who are you?" Umno added in after her, and Iliris was proud to hear that he sounded as fierce as ever. Even more than usual. Even if they were almost nothing when compared to these beasts.

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Sathirena Zull Du'un Ashieron Iliris Harrier

Let's move things along.

---

​

Aivrid gave a quiet glance up to his companion as Aivrid heard his question. He locked eyes with the other wyrm, just long enough to send a short message, reminding Zull of the instructions he’d given earlier. Wait for my signal, he’d said, then finish the rune. The black dragon had no fears when it came to this situation, or any for that matter. The natural world had few surprises to offer to him, and he had long conquered his fears — for that was the way of a dragon. The proper education of the young was essential to preserve the future of their race; they had to be taught to fear a dragon. Without that, they would never learn to become a dragon to be feared.

“You have a defiant fire in you, elf,” the great beast said, a smile almost coming over his face. “But you offer nothing to your betters here, as I’m sure you realize. Perhaps you might make an amusing pawn in the Great Game,” he said, almost chuckling to himself as he thought of how many rules he’d broken by coming here and doing this. “Alas, you are worthless to me, for the most part. Bring out the dragons and eggs.” In truth he did not care for the ‘consequences’ of his actions. The lives of the little folk did not concern him, and this would serve as a good first lesson to the young dragons he was here to take. They needed to realize they were greater than these maggots, deserving of respect and fear, and that a dragon’s power could be absolute given time and guidance.

And yet there was another thorn that pushed deeper into his side, seemingly intent on ruining his plans and foiling the agenda of their race. Sathirena arrived, roaring nonsense as usual, and Aivrid was left wondering why he had not squashed this bug earlier. It was time to kill two birds with one stone. His calm tone remained, but a snarl played off his lips. “Please, Sathirena. When you defiled yourself in this way,” he said, nodding at the dracolich’s undead body, “You gave up any right to call your brood your children. There is nothing for you here but death if you stay any longer.” He paused, before his snarl turned to a rumbling chuckle. “Or perhaps you’ve hired these little ones to take care of your children? Are you afraid that they might be recoil at the sight of your ghastly form? They most certainly would. They should be disgusted about how you betray your race, both in failing them and failing yourself.”

The arrival of more whining little ones only stretched Aivrid’s patience further. There was a slight glow from the behemoth’s stomach as he spoke his final warning. “Go, elf. Bring them to me.”

 

[Zull Du'un]

These keepers had assembled quite an entourage. Zull Du’un was dismayed by how many dragons had sided with them. Was their way of life so far gone? Had the standing of true dragons fallen so low that siding with this insulting tribe was a profitable option? The more he observed, the more Aivrid’s words on the mountain rang true. There were painfully few of them left, and those that did had fallen to complacency, servitude, weakness.

The elf barked back at the great black wyrm. Foolish, but his bravery was to be acknowledged. Zull chuckled to himself in the sky as Ash pointed out how difficult it would be to get the young ones to join them. There would be no convincing, no trying. If Aivrid wanted the hatchlings he would take them.

Then some... [thing] swooped down upon the keep. Zull Du’un’s eyes widened in disgust at her appearance. It was draconic, that was sure, but some perverse magic had animated it long beyond its time. He did not recognize the broodmother by her appearance, but the name Aivrid spoke sparked memories.

Sathirena? This name he knew. It whispered at the back of his mind like a cold wind. So many years, so many memories. Had they been enemies in the past? Allies? Consorts? He dared not to think with this abomination before him. Whatever she had been, she was now nothing more than a monster.

There it was. His eyes met Aivrid’s, the time for prattle and games was over.

”Kren sosaal!” he bellowed as he dove from the sky. He hit the ground like a meteor. A wall of angry flame radiated out from the site on impact and engulfed a wide section of the village. Tremors rocked through the ground and toppled buildings, and as the ash cleared two gleaming yellow eyes could be seen peering through it. He could feel the hot ground beneath his feet, the familiar scents of destruction and conquest. It energized him, fueling his rampage.

He had landed behind Aivrid, far enough that the explosion had not reached the “negotiations,” but he began to walk closer, out of the crater he had created for himself. He heard the question of the young dragon Umno, and he would not deny the child an education.

”I am Zull Du’un.” His voice was like an avalanche, like boulders grinding into dust. ”I am eternal. I am fire and stone, the blood of the earth. I am power made flesh, the hand that pulls the chain of the world. I am life. I am extinction.” He had reached Aivrid at this point, the two titans standing over their foes. One dark as midnight, one pulsing with crimson light.

”I have risen.” He concluded. At his last words, he turned his head up to Sathirena and spat out a torrent of lava. The thick stream of molten stone rocketed towards her perch. Flecks on the outer edges cooled and hardened into obsidian, the motion of their descent shaping them into teardrop daggers.

Be gone from my sight, wretch.

 

[Harrier]

Harrier flinched so hard she almost toppled backward. Even here on the craggy hill outside town, the breath of Zull Du'un gave off heat sufficient to crisp the fine hair on the backs of her hands. A stink of burnt hair rolled over her, and then a stronger smell: a potent mix of undeath and flame. He'd attacked Sathirena, she realized. The two titans who'd come to raid this village had no patience for or kinship with the Eternum's skeletal dragon.

Aivrid was still talking; Harrier could just barely catch the edge of the dragon's demands. If her reading was correct, Aivrid was not known for patience with intransigent lesser races. There might be far more fire soon.

Ashieron Iliris

 

[Sathirena]

The she-dragon boiled on the inside, so much for her ice-cold nature.

Her claws dragged across the masonry of the keep, barely holding them back as she listened on.
How dare these males show such disrespect towards her.
What authority do they have over her brood.
They know naught of her plight.
Nothing of her pain.
And they think they could raise HER children.

»I intend to fight to the bitter end.« She lowly grumbled while lowering her head, her voice rattling like a crocodilian rumble.
»Hubris, Aivrid; pride comes before downfall.«

She gave no time to lingering words, the moment her mouth went still she lunged towards Aivrid. Claws erect and her hands extended forward, her maw open wide. The keep beneath her shooked and trembled, only to be set still by the solidified lava atop it.

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

Shadows and flames loomed over the Spine. Dragons flew over head once more.

Weylin sprinted through trees and snow seeming undaunted by the rough terrain. It was his home and yet again dragons were threatening a part of it. It hadn't even been a year that before they were myth and legend. But no. Oh no! In less than a year the young hunter had seen three of the things flying through the skies. What had happened to anger the gods enough to wake so many dragons from their slumbers?

As Weylin and White approached the location the dragons had flown off to, both were out of breath. It had been a long trek and the mountain dog was ready to collapse. Her kind were bred from pack hunters that liked to run down their prey but even this was a bit much for her. As the two tried to stop the burning in their chests, they got low in the cover of the trees. They were one with nature now, which was not hard given how much sap and dirt and snow always seemed to cling to the both of them.

A village appeared before Weylin's eyes as he finally made his way through the trees enough to see. When had this popped up? He looked close and it appeared to him that both people and little lizard things ran about. Was that baby dragons? His eyes trailed up at the booming voices. He counted the adults. One. Two. Three.... Wait three? There was three dragons now? Also was one of them dead yet somehow still alive? He frowned deeply. This was not good. It was not good at all.

White whimpered a bit feeling the raw anxiety and fear coming off of her human right now. She looked up at him as she stayed low to the ground. Weylin shifted his frown into a slight smile and patted her head. His eye refocused on the scene before him. Three dragons. Well he was dealing with three dragons that all seemed to be focused on each other. That was good right? Sure it was. He just had to be a mouse and sneak down there. Maybe find some way to get the people and little baby lizard dragon things to cover. He could do that. Right?

Rolling his shoulders, Weylin began to move as quietly yet as quickly as he could through what cover nature provided him into the village. He was hoping to save lives here as he knew he had no way to slay dragons. What good could a simple arrow, hatchet, or sword do against myths? White followed her human's lead and did as he did not happy at all about his terrible decision.

Sathirena Aivrid Zull Du'un Harrier Iliris Ashieron

 

[Ashieron]

Ash thiught for a moment when he was about to say something, when three new guests shown up. Illiris and her dragon, Umno. And from what he recalled, the ancient dragonness Sathirena. She was still pretty, even if she was undead. Then things started to spiral out of hand, the dragonness attacked the Sun Dragon. Sending the whole keep into a trembling fury.

And that is when the elf decided to check out. “I believe you got this Sathirena!?” He yells out as she linges at the other dragon. He’d look at the lava on and then at Illiris and her dragon. He never really had his own dragon, he usually raised them up, taught them some things along the way. Before he would let them fo their own thing. Much like what he did with little Azierion.

“Im going down to help them!” He yells to his human friend before disappearing into the crags if the stones and mountains. And reappearing down in the village and he immediately started to help young ones and people a like. As did a few of the older dragons. They swooped down and picked up their own little ones and flew off. Some hissed words at the two ancient dragons that Ash himself would never repeat. Particularly the older ones within the sanctuary that were around before its founding. And of which there were few such dragons. Maybe one or two at most.

The elf did what he could to hear the cries and moans of young people and dragons alike and did what he could to help those that were able go be saved. Or supported with magic.

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Ashieron Weylin Kyrel Sathirena Zull Du'un Harrier Iliris

So be it.

---

​

The Great Game was amusing to Aivrid, of course. The intricacies of thought, strategy, deception -- a battle of will with another greater being, a battle of the mind. Once he had shunned such foolishness, in favor of facing those he considered his enemies head on. Bathing them in flame, tearing through their flesh, crushing them underfoot... nothing else in the world felt quite like that.

Over time his enemies became few and far between. Sure, a few plucky adventurers might show up every few decades, and occasionally he came across something that he found worth showing up for, such as Gerra's ascent to the desert throne. But it was not enough to distract him from the dull day-to-day. He had to make his own fun, through organizing a battle against a foe who might not know it until it was too late. It was the Game, and truly there was nothing else, for when he was not playing he became a pawn in another's game.

And yet... nothing else in the world felt quite like this.

The dragon reared back, the glow in his gut beginning to intensify as Sathirena proclaimed her hostility. Suddenly he switched tack; as the dracolich shot forward Aivrid struck like a viper, matching Sathirena's open maw with his own as he aimed to clamp down on his enemy's neck then fling her away. However he did it, he would give himself a moment of respite, long enough for him to call out to Zull. "Do not forget our purpose!"

Zull was more than capable of accomplishing their shared goal -- Aivrid would deal with the wretch who dared face him in battle. And he'd savour every moment.

 

[Iliris]

As many as the obstacles had been in their way, as many as more and less powerful foes and magic, they, the dragon keepers, had always come out, often stronger than ever. At least Iliris liked to believe that it was so, that they were tempered by the most unfortunate events as metal got tempered by heat.
But now, watching the desolation of their little, humble home, the wrath of two mad titans washing over it, over the innocent and those of their own kin, her heart sunk more than ever. As the fiery dragon turned his attention to them, or Umno at least, his introduction booming in their ears, both the woman and the dragon flinched back. As pretentious as those titles would sound of a dry page, heard being said by a voice of this magnitude they were terrifying the least.

What could they be? A droplet on top of a burning bush-fire?

Only as Ashieron called out to them and plunged down, to try and help those that still could be rescued in the village, both of them snapped out of their shock.
Right. There were many lives on stake here, and even if the buildings and their little harbor of peace could not be saved, these people and dragons could be. The battles of the ancient, powerful beings were far above their strength, above what she could ever reach and above what Umno would be able to do for centuries to come, but they could still make a difference here, as small as it would be.
"Down there," she called out to the dragon, and he understood her right away.

They left the giants above and behind, following Ashe's lead. There were many injured, trapped and overflown with panic, far more than the three of them could save in an instant, but, as Umno put out as much of the fire as he could and Iliris supported the wreckage with her own body, or gave a helping hand to those who needed it, helping them get as far away as they could, it was worth it. It had to be.
There were those who couldn't be saved anymore, both humans and dragons. Fire didn't sort who to kill and who to spare. And the lucky survivors had to get out, choked by the smell of their scorching flesh.

It made her blood boil with fury, and her eyes sting with tears.

 

[Zull Du'un]

A great many things began to happen. The skeletal dragon charged at Aivrid, and he met her with equal fury. Zull Du'un felt a deep desire to join in, the break and tear at those unsightly bones. What foul practitioner had turned Sathirena into this? Perhaps he would need to bring them to justice as well.

But not today. As Aivrid called out, her restrained himself. They were not simply here to burn. They would take what dragons they could, free them from this oppression, teach them the true nature of their being. If they survived, that is.

He turned and made his way further into the keep. He could see many small creatures flitting about. Mortals rushing from their homes and young dragons panicking.

"Come, children," he boomed, "Any dragon who joins us will be spared." His message had already been lost on some, and he saw several older dragons carrying the hatchlings away. Hatred for him burned in their eyes.

Zull Du'un breathed cloaks of flame at them. Many swirled and avoided the blasts... a few did not. Were they strong enough to survive his fire? The eldest may be, the hatchlings probably not. No matter. He was nothing if not true to his word, and those who chose not to obey would be punished.

Besides, he did not care so much about the dragons. They were likely already lost, already turned from their true path. It was the eggs that interested him. They could still be molded, be saved. He looked through the smoke and flame, trying to pick out any dragons carrying eggs and trace them to their source. He moved in closer. He would find them.

 

[Sathirena]

Each second grew longer and more drawn out. No heartbeat nor breath of air came for her.
Her fury only grew within her.
She would not take it. Their heads collided as they entangled each other in tooth and bone.
Whatever respite Aivrid had gained as he flung Sathirena aside was minuscule, the dragoness was quick on her feet and recoiled just as quickly. Her forearms outstretched she aimed to ravage the male's side with the strikes of her bare claws.

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Sathirena

DIE.

---

​

Aivrid's mind raced -- it had been so long since he had faced an opponent of his size and power. The little ones who'd fought him were much faster due to their size, so in most cases he resorted to burning them to a crisp with his breath or blowing them away with his wings. If they were ever immobilized, he'd simply crush them with his little finger.

Against Sathirena there were different options. She was almost as durable as he was, and could actually harm him. She would not be fazed by his power and majesty; she fought with the fury of a mother against one who would harm her brood. She was smaller and a little faster; if he didn't have enough time to draw a full breath, the flames would not be hot enough to harm her.

He opted to fight her on the same terms that she had set out -- she may be faster, but he was much stronger. The fact that he had actual muscles helped with that fact. As Sathirena lashed out, Aivrid did the same; his massive claws sliced through the air to strike his enemy. The strikes to his sides shortened his breaths, but he did not hold back his physical assault. If he was given even a moment to recover, the dragon would torch this disgrace with flames hotter than hell itself.