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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 16:50:17 GMT -6
This Friday night was just the same as any Friday night; the night that signaled the end of the week and ushered in another weekend. Many could breathe easy now, for prior to Friday night, they moved endlessly from place to place to earn their living and buy things with that living. Sometimes they had the livings already, and just spent it because they had something to celebrate. Or just because they had it. In any case, whenever you had currency at the end of the week, you needed something to celebrate it over and the pub certainly won't complain about getting your money. You'd think a tavern would be classy and extravagantly built, what with a name like: The Inebriated Palace and you would be the wrongest person alive in the east Kingdom. Turns out the place is like any other pub, only a story or so taller. Its entirely wooden; created with the finest Dirth Wood they could get from the garbage piles and seated upon a slanted piece of earth that made the building look just as drunk and wobbly as it's patrons. This castle of wine and liquor was illuminated by candles from behind windows, but was too dim for anyone to hope to see past the stained glass. The dirty thing sat on the edge of the small town of Z'funt, as if the other buildings had shoved it away from them in disgust. Even then, the sounds of cheering and yelling and laughing guzzling reached the ears of anyone who passed it. It was worse inside the building than outside. The entire floor seemed overrun with tiny janitor faeres, picking up debris from pasts fights and keeping from getting stepped on too. All the while, spittle and beer rained down on them from the gaping mouths of drunkards that laughed and drank some more. Their faces were quite reasonably merry tonight, unlike other days where liquid and entertainment fueled their smiles. For according to them, their city was saved from destruction by a greedy, marauding wyvern. The man responsible for the town's rescue was a rather unlikely chap; a wizard with an age far younger than the steretypical old man with a beard and a cane. This man seemed to be in his mid 20's with a very tall and average appearance. His body was garbed in a dark blue vest hugging tightly around the upper half of his body. One wouldn't have noticed thanks to the black cape sitting heavily around his shoulders like a shawl, green scribblings and runes etched into the odd fabric. His face was a scruffy-bearded expression of a laid back person, a pleased grin on his face. Drake was alone by now, after about an hour of thanks and money for vanquishing the dreaded Wyvern. They'd all gone off to party their night away, which was fine to him, or so he told himself. He was fine to be alone with a small mug and about 870 shillings of gold after all. It surprised him how, every time he went up against a powerful fiend, the people he saved agonized over how best to repay him for it. They always paid attention to the victory, and never how he did it. No one even questioned how the Wyvern seemed to be moving towards something, and not away from him and his harmless fireworks. Ah well. He thought and sipped gently. Business as usual.
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Post by Tiamat on Apr 2, 2018 18:27:24 GMT -6
The tavern door swung open with a low squeal of its hinges, the sound lost under the cacophony of human life inside. A woman strode in and halted dead just a few feet beyond the door, her pale grey eyes widening as they darted from person to person. Of average height, she wore a dusty, ankle-length brown cloak just a few shades darker than her russet, red-brown skin. The front of the cloak creased at her chest as if a hidden hand had clutched at the material from underneath. Although she stared at the sight of the diminutive faeries scurrying about the floor, she soon disregarded them.
Finally her gaze landed on Drake. The lone man looked rather out of place in the tavern, though that didn't appear to bother him. Kesstril advanced, weaving with care through the crowd to avoid bumping into anyone, and halted a good five feet away from the table. By the way she shifted it was clear she wished the distance could have been greater -- that, or perhaps her feet were sore. Both were true: the ill-fitting boots she wore hadn't been doing her any favors.
Loose strands of black hair fell forward on either side of her face, but did not obscure her vision. Taking a deep breath, her nose wrinkled at the stench of alcohol and human sweat that filled the close air of the tavern. Still, she forged ahead with her task and pinned the man before her with a fixed, unwavering stare. "You. Are you Drake the Wizard?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 18:54:26 GMT -6
Drake downed the last bit of his ginger ale, just as a thought occured to him. With the properties given by ginger ale, he could improve or alter the way his Stratus Nimbus spell worked for making ogres itch away in terror. He rotated his index finger around the middle of his opposite thumb and slowly the noise of the bar died away the more he focused. Or angle bubbles conjured their way into a parade, bobbing around his hand in a sort of march. Smirking at his own he--
...he gasped loudly as someone randomnly spoke up, breaking his concentration and leading the expanded bubbles to pop all over his hand. He gave a small shriek of disgust at feeling the gummy substance clog the spaces between his fingers in a slimy embrace and weakly pin his hand to the table. He raised his head to the speaker, a deadpan expression on his face.
Drake quirk ed an eyebrow as he looked this woman over. Her skin seemed tan with a blushing red hue to it, and her dark hair seem as long and as black as smoke. Her figure, what little he could make out, seemed somewhere between scrawny and thick. In all respects, she didn't look too bad at all...though she could be one of...those women that often wandered at night. He quickly got up and ripped his hand free.
"Sorry, Miss. But I'm afraid I don't 8ntend on sharing my bed this night. " He said plainly, marching past her without a glance back. "I'm certain one of these gentlemen in the pub would be glad to help you. Good night."
He was already halfway through the door when he finished speaking.
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Post by Tiamat on Apr 2, 2018 18:59:59 GMT -6
The floating bubbles the wizard had been manipulating intrigued her, but not enough to keep her from speaking up. Kesstril hadn't expected such a surprised reaction to her voice, especially when she had taken care to stand across from the man in plain sight before addressing him. She went still when he shrieked, her body tense and ready to move.
Drake showed no sign of attacking her, however. Taken aback by his wandering gaze, Kesstril could only stare as he rose and -- left? The woman burst into motion herself, hampered by her reluctance to bump into any of the tavern's patrons as she chased Drake out the door. By the time she got outside she had to pause and look around before she spotted him. If the tavern hadn't been situated on the outskirts of town it might have been more difficult; as it was, she only needed a moment before she hurried after the man. The air was marvelously cool and clean compared to the stale atmosphere within the tavern.
Quickening her pace, Kesstril skirted around Drake and whirled to face him. As in the bar, she maintained a healthy space between them. It was much easier to do out in the open street. With a sharp edge to her tone she explained, "I'm not looking for a place to sleep." Her steady gaze was once again locked onto his. "You're the wizard who helps people, aren't you? I need your help."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 19:20:29 GMT -6
Ew, it's all sticky." He whined to himself now that he was out of the loud bar. Orange goop leaked and clung to him like the drool of a Bogart Bird, and he knew firsthand how disgusting that was. His cleaner hand manipulated itself into a waving kotion, joining his first four fingers into two different pairs and angling his thumb a certain way. When he relaxed his fingers, water gathered from a pouch at his side and enveloped his hand in a large bubble of itself. The goop was much easier to clean off now, all things considered.
It was then that the seemingly persistent woman jolted in front of him and startled him. His next flinch of surprise caused part of the water bubble to spill down all over the front of his pants and he gasped. "D'oh! Now look what you...gah!" He face palmed with his freehand, barely listening to what she was saying and caring more about the mess that was his pants. He looked like he'd soiled himself now! He couldn't be seen like this!
He drew the Cape around himself and tossed it over his shoulder, trying it into a shawl of sorts. Sarcastically, he nodded and grinned at the petite woman. "Me? No. I'm the Wizard who's not willing to take on another job right now and simply loathes being followed and jumpscared. " He glanced down at his hand, grinning wider now that it was fully cleaned. Ah, you could always trust mermaid magic...mostly. Other expirements he'd done with it led to explosions, ironically enough.
"If you want an appointment, you speak with my Secretary, and we can schedule a meeting maybe a few months from now." He patted her shoulder sarcastically and moved to stalk past her. Ha! Secretary. If only.
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Post by Tiamat on Apr 2, 2018 19:25:08 GMT -6
More liquid magic. If Kesstril hadn't been in such an urgent situation she would have loved the chance to observe the wizard's work, but as it was... Her hands flexed with slow, deliberate intent but raked nothing but air. Annoyance clear on her face, Kesstril opened her mouth to speak and was shocked into stuttering. "M-months?" Then Drake touched her and she went deathly still.
Whirling, she repaid rudeness with rudeness and shoved into him shoulder-first to knock him off balance. She barreled forward, intending to push the man back and pin up against the side of the nearest building. If he wouldn't stand still and give her two minutes to ask for his help, she would force him to hear her out. She didn't have any other leads. The cloak fell open as she gripped Drake's shoulders hard, revealing a simple white tunic that fell to her mid-thighs. "Listen here, wizard. We don't have months," she snarled, leaning in close and glaring at him. "He's going to kill them all, if he hasn't already. I was told you're a miracle-worker, that you can help anyone with anything. If you're not going to help me defeat the sorcerer, break this curse, and free the dragons, you are going to tell me who will."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 19:49:59 GMT -6
She was a lot faster than he was expecting-- one minute he was making progress moving past her and the next he was right back at the building, pressed firmly against it by an elbow at his collarbone. The sudden change in motion left him blinking owlishly and wondering how she did that so beautifully. Ignoring most of what she inquired about him, one of his hands sneakily plucked a small red orb from a pouch at his side. Swiftly, he threw it down at her feet and it exploded into a giant plume of smoke that should briefly surprise her. He wrestled himself away from the building and paused once he was a good distance from the girl. He tried to be nice about this, but the good looks he was cursed with must have made him irresistible and he would have use other tactics.
"You dare to anger the great Drake?!" He said in a booming, threatening baritone voice thanks to a quick illusion spell that altered his vocal chords briefly. It came in handy when scaring pesky gnomes away from a village. "You challenge his very might by attacking him?!" He raised his hands skyward, and as he expected a giant cloud began to form above their heads, flicking out fake bolts of lightning and booming with soft thunder. He adjusted the lighting on his face with the clouds and made more bolts of lightning lash out at nothing in particular. "Then you shall know firsthand the wrath of a wi--..."
He suddenly relaxed himself and stared at her curiously. "Wait, did you say dragons?" That was a bit odd. Scratch that--really odd. The idea of dragons always interested him, and the news that some were apparently captured peaked his interest since...well, it was hard enough kill just one of them, let alone capture more than one. The baritone voiced man crossed his arms skeptically. "Why do you care about dragons,woman?"
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Post by Tiamat on Apr 2, 2018 19:51:39 GMT -6
A sudden shock of smoke had Kesstril bracing herself, but no burst of heat accompanied the attack. She only realized it was a distraction after the wizard had torn himself free of her grip. The woman spun around, prepared to chase him down again -- but this time Drake wasn't running. His voice boomed out, familiar but deeply disconcerting as it was coming from a human. Kesstril's pale eyes flicked to the sky, taking in the storm and the lightning, and then focused on the wizard once again. It didn't matter that she couldn't even smell the ozone in the air, not at the moment. Surely, surely this man could help her, if he would only listen!
Body tense and ready to move, she hesitated when Drake abruptly relaxed. It might have been a trick, an attempt to make her lower her guard, but she didn't think so. Lightning was near-impossible to dodge under the best circumstances, and she was hardly at her best right now. The wizard's posturing ceased, although the storm and his amplified voice remained in full effect. Kesstril remained partially crouched and prepared to dodge an attack, but hope flared warm in her chest. "Why shouldn't I care about dragons?" She snapped, indignant. "I am one, despite this form I've been trapped in. I mean you no harm, but I must know: will you help me?"
Her hands flexed again, gouging uselessly at the air by her sides. Knowing that she could do nothing against the sorcerer alone was infuriating, and having to all but plead with this human for his aid sat hard and heavy like an overlarge stone in her stomach. But Kesstril wasn't an idiot. She needed help, and word was that Drake the Wizard was the man for the job.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 20:00:30 GMT -6
Drake listened to her with an impassive face, but his mind would betray much more than that. It was shocking that she was a dragon at first and he was even a little skeptical, thinking her crazy. But then again, most of what anyone knew about Dragons was speculation and rumor. However, the rumor of dragons being able to change to mortal form now seemed more real than ever. He looked her over again; she didn't look like a dragon. "Just one moment. I'm thinking," He sneered in his booming voice.
Okay. So, apparently a group of dragons had been possibly killed, which wasn't exactly an easy feat at all. It seemed unlikely that anyone had killed more than one and lived to tell the tale, but she seemed a bit worried about that anyways. Then again, he supposed that with enough planning and weaponry, any sorcerer could kill a few dragons. That's right! Any sorcerer could have. One that could be scared off by his illusions and think him the more powerful one, if he played his cards right.
Plus, dragons were known for hoarding treasure from thousands of Kingdoms. He can be paid wonderfully for this!
With his decision hesitantly made, the sorcerer began to float into the air while pointing a finger at her. "Very well, Dragon! You have summoned a powerful alky to help! But in return for my services for you...you must become my bride!" After light thundered for effect, he immediately snapped the storm out of existence and his laughing voice was a normal dry chuckle. "Okay, Okay. I'm just kidding don't throw up. We will discuss payment later!"
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Post by Tiamat on Apr 2, 2018 20:05:22 GMT -6
Kesstril's upper lip curled in a return sneer of her own. The wizard was aptly named: arrogance of a dragon, he had. While she knew that humans were far more social than dragons, she had only interacted with a few in her ventures, and always in a limited capacity. This was the longest she'd spent in their company in her life, and if this was how... grating... it usually was, she could see why so few of her kin had any interest in shapeshifting to this degree. If she were able to shift back, she would be sorely tempted to roast the wizard where he stood. Or at the very least, perhaps a burn or two to remind him with whom he spoke. She still needed him, after all.
She stared, deeply startled when Drake rose up to hover in midair without any apparent effort. Humans couldn't fly. Just how much magic did this one man have? Then Drake named his price, and Kesstril's expression switched to open disbelief and horror, with no little confusion. He wanted what? Just what exactly did he expect to get from her? He did know that this wasn't her natural form; she wasn't going to stay human any longer than she chose. Once she could choose again, anyway. Kesstril stilled, and stared at Drake with obvious bewilderment. It was... a joke?
"You thought that was funny?" There was no anger in her voice, as confusion was still the dominant emotion after the wizard's little display. Kesstril straightened, easing out of her defensive posture now that Drake had agreed to help her. He wouldn't attack her now. Her grey eyes turned west, towards the road that led away from the town and most of human civilization. "He's out there. A few... weeks?... that way." Distances, she was learning, were so much more vast when they had to be crossed by foot in such small bodies. Days mattered more, too. Her attention snapped back to Drake. "Are you ready?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 20:08:37 GMT -6
Well...yes. " That was odd. He'd been expecting a bit more anger or annoyance with his little jokes and yet she hadn't done so much as sneer at him. Must be a dragon thing. "It's usually how comedy works. While I'm great at magic, I Excell at the art of laughter. " He complimented himself, then noticed where he was in the sky. "Oh. I guess I can't quite float my way there...though that would be very easy to do. No trouble for me at all. Hate to make you miss your wings is all. "
With a flick of the wrist he was back down to earth, still a bit taller than his non-human employer. He patted himself over when she asked if he was ready, and he held up finger before sprinting inside the bar. Seconds later he returned with a heavy looking satchel, it's contents hidden by a thick leather flap. "Okay. Now I'm ready. Good thing you know the way, because way-finding is not my forte. Lead the way, er...Kessandra." He guessed nonchalantly.
He passed the time during their walk with playful wiggles and twirlsr, creating a ball of 'lava' that hovered above his palms. When he blinked hard, it hardened instantly into ice. Most of his magic play was meant to impress, though he realized that dragons were all pompous and uninterested in the magics of other species.
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Post by Tiamat on Apr 2, 2018 20:16:51 GMT -6
Kesstril turned her head a few degrees away from Drake, as if peering at him more from one eye than both might somehow help her understand him a little better. No such luck. He rambled on, and made a comment about her wings. The warning rumble she automatically tried to growl stuck in her too-short neck and left her coughing. She scowled. Under normal circumstances this level of frustration merited a fireball, but she couldn't even manage that. Kesstril curled her fingers again instead, and pretended she could feel the earth giving way beneath her sturdy claws. Oh, what she wouldn't give to have that blasted sorcerer at her mercy! She'd roast him to a crisp, tear him limb from limb, and crush him to a pulp. Or maybe she'd eat him. Humans had far too large a bone-to-meat ratio, but for him she could make an exception.
She set off immediately once Drake returned from the bar with a large, well-made bag in tow. A second later she paused to give the wizard a piercing look. After studying him for a minute she said, "My name is Kesstril. If that draws too much attention, you may call me Kess." She gave her name a soft, hissed emphasis in both forms. Humans, she'd found, tended to stare and get hung up on her name when they learned it didn't match their conventional naming practices. It was a nuisance and a waste of time she couldn't afford.
The woman resumed walking. Now that she had the wizard at her side, she was anxious to get moving again. As they left the town behind she observed his idle magics from the corner of her eye. Such a strange power, she mused, watching Drake wiggle his fingers and sculpt a sphere of fire, then change it to ice. She almost missed a step at that trick. Draconian magic was nothing like that, being purely internal and self-affecting. That humans could play with the elements with such ease was... astonishing.
The ill-fitting boots she'd taken rubbed at her feet the longer they traveled. By the time they were a couple of hours out of Z'funt, Kesstril was limping. Despite the pain stabbing at her soft soles, and the negligible light cast by the waxing crescent moon overhead, she forged on into the darkness with no sign of stopping.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 20:27:57 GMT -6
Aw, she didn't want to comment on his abilities. It irked him a little that even dragons were too high and mighty to give a little praise here and there. He wondered what kind of Dragon she was based off of her human form. She was short and thicker in this form, so perhaps she was like this in dragon form. Perhaps she was from a western heritage, where the dragons were known for their stocky appearance. Pausing between fire and ice, he glanced at her without a hint of interest in his face. "Mildly curious, er...Kiss," He mused, somehow forgetting her name within second of hearing it. "Do dragons travel in prides as rumored? Or are you more like Mithril Tigers, meeting up only for...mating?"
Above them, a figure moved in the trees, almost slithering between the branches and over the canopy while keeping an eye on the sudden intruders. Where it had first been angry that a dragon had invaded, it was was now...perplexed that the scent of Dragon belonged to a human woman. A pair of slitted pupils honed in on the limping female and ignored the man, a forked tongue dripping with hungry saliva. Hisses surrounded it's head, but it shushed them all. Soon it would eat the pretty human. Soon.
Whatever she responded with, he eventually gave a look around their wooded surroundings with a tired gaze. He noticed the limping form of the Dragon and opened his mouth, before he shook his head--he didn't care, and she would rebuff his help anyway. "I don't know about you, but that is enough exercise for now!" He said, halting in the clearing of the woods and glancing around. "This would be a great spot for a fire, don't you think?"
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Post by Tiamat on Apr 2, 2018 20:31:36 GMT -6
"Kesstril," she corrected, with emphasis but a decided lack of heat in her voice. She glanced sideways at him, just shifting her head enough to avoid eye strain. Binocular vision was so... limited. It hadn't bothered her too much before, but now that she was stuck this way for the foreseeable future, every little difference -- every weakness -- that cropped up just nettled her further. After a minute spent trying to determine what reasons he might have for asking her about her kind, she relented. Maybe he was just curious. If he seemed the type to try to use anything she shared with him against other dragons, she could always kill him after everything was said and done.
"Both are true, to an extent," she finally explained. "Most of us are fairly solitary, yes, although we do come together now and then for other reasons. We don't mate as frequently as mammals do." The 'or you humans' was implied. Kesstril gave the wizard a direct stare. "Indulge your curiosity as you wish, but give me your word you will not use any knowledge I share with you to bring harm to any dragon." If he was indeed merely curious, then fine; but she would not hand over information that could be used against her kin in the future. Not when a single sorcerer had already found a way to bring so many of them down so quickly.
She stopped a few steps beyond Drake in the clearing. Kesstril looked around, at a bit of a loss. What made this part of the forest better than any other section? "Very well," she agreed. As long as the wizard didn't expect her to provide the fire, they shouldn't have any trouble. While she didn't want to stop, she could acknowledge that they probably needed to. Fatigue dragged at her body, and her legs ached in a way only her wings had when she had been very young, and pushed herself to fly faster, farther, in the fledgling games of her youth. Sitting down on the ground there and then, she fumbled with the knotted laces she could barely see on the boots, struggling to get the wretched contraptions off her feet in the dark. For the time being, at least, she was preoccupied enough to overlook the prickling sensation of other, unseen eyes watching her from somewhere in the trees.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 20:35:46 GMT -6
He pretended not to feel a bit of shiver from her stare, completely cautious and untrusting about giving dragon knowledge to him. Clearly she was patriotic about her species. He scoffed at her when she asked for his word. "Pfft. Trying to harm a dragon is the most painful suicide ever..." Straightening, he added :for a mere mortal that is. But The Great and Powerful Drake would not have to be worried. But because you asked nicely, you have my word that I will not harm any dragons with my unbelievably powerful powers! Of power!
He watched as she sat down, unlacing and shifting her feet around. He wondered how often dragons walked, or if they needed protection when walking over sharp objects. He dismissed that from his thoughts and patiently waited for her to stream fire from her lips...that she couldn't make. Drake conjured himself a small ball of flame but figured that it wouldn't last too long by itself. He glanced around for a set of twigs but found nothing nearby. He sighed and started to March off into the woods. "Since you're obvious pain, I'll retrieve wood for our fire. Growl at anything that moves, I guess." He explained just before stalking out of earshot and then out of sight. Only Kess remained.
Well, Kess and the Gorgon.
He poked out from behind in some bushes at a distance. One might barely know it's gender, given its inhuman appearance. It was a lanky creature, like a wily python in more ways then one. It's body sported the same brown and black complexion of a African python, with black Diamond patterns racing down its spine and tail. As a long forked tongue dripped with saliva, his dreadlocks wriggled and writhed as though it were a clump of worms. They were actually snake's of all kinds, from Boas to Gaboon Vipers, to cobras, to coral snakes; not a single species was missing from his wondrous hairstyle. And each snake was horribly hungry. The Gorgon smacked his lips quietly while his eyes roamed over the stocky form of the 'dragon'. She would make a nice snack. With a last look after the vanished wizard, he advanced forward.
His snake's were silently up in til he was right behind her, and they immediately burst into a cacophony of low hissing. One kissed the back of her neck with a flickering, Tiny tongue and the Gorgon himself winded around to face his snack from the front.
"Ssssay now," said the serpentine creature not at all trying to hide the way he looked her over. Perhaps he was intending to intimidate her, not knowing just who she was. His snakes hissed a sound similar to giggles, as if laughing at her expense. "I've ssssmelled a pessssky dragon. But I only ssssee a human..." The Gorgon mused, his grin wide and unpleasant . A cobra hissed again her neck as if faking a strike for amusement. "A delcccicioussss woman..."
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