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Story Hour
Bitterness Overcome: (Now A Completed Story!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 2909338" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>The quartet of riders thundered hard along the trail that had been blazed through the trees leading up to the mountainside. As they rode hard, each of them had different ways of dealing with the piercing draconic wails that seemed to grow increasingly closer to the party. Ischarus, who was in the lead, focused his black eyes toward the coming branches, hacking at the smaller ones that came near his head so as to knock them out of the way for others as they passed by. His intense concentration on the path before him kept him from turning in his saddle too often.</p><p></p><p>Rhema followed Ischarus by a few horse lengths and worked hard to keep Shauvry at that distance. Shauvry was the natural leader of the horses, but Rhema knew that Ischarus was better suited to lead the charge to the relative safety of the mountainous passages. Shauvry fought the demotion to second in line with every step, but Rhema remained focused on keeping her mount in line. She allowed enough space between herself and Ischarus so as to not give Elistra or Shauvry any time to nip and kick at each other.</p><p></p><p>Charis wavered in her devotion to riding hard toward the mountain passage. In her mind she knew that the escape plan that she had been kidnapped into had a decent chance for success; but she also knew that failure would mean disastrous consequences for her and death for her new companions. With each cry from above Charis turned and focused on Rhema’s back, spurring Abijou on in her draconic tongue. After a few seconds of intense riding she would catch Rhema and Shauvry and her focus would begin to wane as she turned in her saddle to look in the direction from which she assumed the dragon would come. She stared backwards into the trees until the next cry; and then this cycle would start over again. Abijou ebbed and flowed between following Rhema tightly and loosely.</p><p></p><p>Semeion knew he was ill prepared for another battle with a dragon. It was not even so long ago that he had lost his master to a large green dragon. Most of that battle was his own fault, especially the disastrous consequences. He had learned from that mistake and desired not to be in a position to fall prey to such a powerful foe again. Although a great river of fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins, he also could see Charis’ wavering courage before him. Each time she turned to stare through the treetops Abijou would slow and lose the immediate pace of Elistra and Shauvry before him. Semeion knew that Charis must not be left, so he began to focus on mimicking Abijou’s riding pattern and causing Thana to slow and race accordingly. Soon Charis’ indecisive riding became Semeion’s motivation as their foe drew closer to them.</p><p></p><p>As they neared the mountainous passageway that they had used to cross from Tongra to Quehalost, Semeion noticed a small break in the canopy. As Charis rode under the break, Semeion saw the light that had been shining through the break vanish into dark shadow. A shrill cry came from directly above the canopy and as Semeion looked up he saw the heavily armored body of a great red wyrm. His biceps tightened in fear and his fingers gripped the reigns hard enough that his fingernails drew blood from the flesh of the palms of his own hands. As his body tensed in uncontrollable fear his mind raced under the training of his master.</p><p></p><p>The young mage whispered aloud to nobody in particular. <span style="color: Plum">“Why has he not attacked? He knows our position and could easily have attacked.”</span> </p><p></p><p>Semeion’s mind turned the question over and over again as his lips quietly spoke. He rode Thana underneath the same break in the canopy that now revealed the bright light as the dragon completed another circle above. Suddenly his eyes snapped open with understanding. As he began to open his mouth in a yell he heard another shrill cry and his voice failed him. His mind now darted completely with fear. Logic left him. As he looked ahead he could see the tree line break nearly thirty feet before the mountainous passage began. The dragon had been waiting for them here where it could strike without worry of the trees. His mind knew that was the dragon’s strategy, but his body could do nothing but grip the horse in fear. Blood trickled down Thana’s reigns.</p><p></p><p>In fact, all of the riders had frozen in fear. Ischarus’ bravery melted away in panic. Rhema’s strength of mind dissipated into sheer terror. Charis’ compassionate love for her people turned to selfish flight designed save her own skin. Semeion’s magical prowess left him in exchange for a simple dread. The dragon knew there were few intelligent creatures in the land that could withstand its awesome presence. It had planned this attack perfectly. It soared above the trees waiting to descend upon the quartet once the trees no longer sheltered them from the complete view of its fearsome presence.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly, Elistra broke through the tree line at full speed carrying Ischarus. Out of fear, Ischarus had stowed his sword so as to cling tightly to the reigns of Elistra. The dragon had just begun another circle and had misjudged the superior speed of the horses. Where the dragon had anticipated the horses to become sluggish and indecisive against the draconic fear they had actually become faster as their flight instinct took over. The giant red wyrm could only watch as Elistra easily galloped the open distance between forest and mountain passage.</p><p></p><p>Only seconds after Elistra sped Ischarus to safety the dragon banked hard in anticipation of the rest of the horses. It would have to cut its large swooping circle short if it desired to avoid the disastrous consequences of its oversight. Shauvry emerged out of the forest in a full gallop and shot across to open plain. The dragon knew it was still too far away to effectively use its fiery breath of doom and it contemplated casting a spell. At this range, however, the spell would be unlikely to have the desired effect. Much to its own anger it watched as Shauvry escorted Rhema into the caves and safety.</p><p></p><p>Abijou needed no encouragement from Charis, which was most likely a good thing since Charis was unable to give it courage. Charis dared not even look up as Abijou leapt from the forest edge into the clearing. The dragon had closed on its mark enough now that it could fire either spell or breath and hit Charis with ease. The beast recognized the rider as one of its own kin. In fact, the dragon recognized Charis as the one it was to mate. Internal jealousy fueled its rage and the beast uttered a guttural cry of anger in its own draconic tongue. <span style="color: Red">“If you shall not have me, none shall have you, either!”</span></p><p></p><p>Searing orange and red flames burst through the air as Abijou galloped for its safety in the cave. The heat crept up immediately behind the horse and spurred Abijou to safety with only minor scorch marks. The majority of Abijou’s problems were a singed hind quarter where the hair had melted from the heat. Besides these minor wounds, Charis and her mount had safely managed to flee into the cave.</p><p></p><p>Thana remained the only horse remaining in the forest as Abijou darted into the open. Seeing that Abijou was bound for making the journey Thana spurred herself into greater stride as the flames leapt across the earth before her. As the grasses ignited and spread a line of fire before her, Thana leapt into the air to avoid stepping into the hottest portion of the flame.</p><p></p><p>The dragon was ready for this maneuver, however. In mid-flight it had begun a minor dive straight for where it assumed Thana would leap. The huge tail of the dragon struck Semeion hard in midair, knocking him from the saddle. His bloodied hands clinched the reigns, but as Thana came back to the ground Semeion’s head thumped hard against the ground. The young mage was knocked unconscious upon impact. Landing in such close proximity to the burning grass did not help his condition any, either.</p><p></p><p>The large dragon surged upward as it performed a roll in mid-flight. It turned and spotted its retreating prey. A grim smile crossed over its lips as it spotted the unconscious Semeion being dragged by the wildly panicked horse. The great wyrm flapped its wings hard as it dove with all its speed toward the entrance of the cave.</p><p></p><p>Thana managed to clear the entrance only seconds before the massive dragon claws hit the soil heavily. The beast howled as its prey slipped away into the cave that was much too small for it to pursue. What it didn’t notice, however, was that as Thana entered the cave Semeion bounced his head solidly against the wall and jarred his unconscious grip free from the horses’ reigns. Semeion lay just inside the cave within easy reach of the dragon’s massive claws.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus and Rhema had regained their composure upon entering the cave and freeing themselves from the evil and terrifying presence of the dragon. As Ischarus noticed Semeion’s condition and the now uncontrolled fleeing Thana, he dismounted and shouted to Rhema. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Let Thana run out her fear and bring her back.”</span> The panicked horse galloped between them as he spoke. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Catch her while you still can and return to us. I’ll save the mage.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema nodded and in a single motion spurred Shauvry into motion and sped down the hallway. Ischarus charged to the entrance of the cave, hoping to grab Semeion before the dragon could realize that he was there. Ischarus was knocked off of his feet and into the wall when the dragon collided with the ground in his crushing attempt that missed only by seconds. As Ischarus reached Semeion and hefted his arms over his own shoulder so as to carry him slung down his back, the swordsman could see that the dragon was turning to position itself a dragon’s pace away from the cave. Ischarus moved as quickly as possible away from the entrance, hoping to elude the dragon’s reach. With his back turned to the dragon, he could not see what the dragon was preparing to do.</p><p></p><p>Charis could see the danger from where she sat upon Abijou. In the draconic language of her father dragon she yelled, <span style="color: Orange">“Run! Fire coming! Run hard!”</span> She turned Abijou away from the entrance and spurred him into motion, grabbing Elistra’s reigns and jerking her into motion in the process. </p><p></p><p>The ancient dragon had not stopped to check the entrance of the tunnel. Rather the beast had simply planned on incinerating the whole area. As it backed off from the cave it gave itself enough room to inhale deeply and spew fire for over a hundred feet into the cave. Ischarus felt the heat and saw the flames surround his feet and lick at his boots. He had managed to get close enough to the edge of the dragon’s range so as to only take minor burning damage. He also knew that Semeion had provided him with much needed cover being draped across his back. </p><p></p><p>The dragon howled once more as it peered into the cave and realized it could not see on account of the residual flames and the increasing darkness within. From outside the cave, the dragon had no idea of knowing how successful the attack had been.</p><p></p><p>The draconic howl brought Ischarus back into a deep focus towards moving away from the entrance. He realized that the sacrifice of an unconscious mage may well have been his last. Semeion had formed a rather effective barrier against the flames.</p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color Free Speech Section]</p><p>The quartet of riders thundered hard along the trail that had been blazed through the trees leading up to the mountainside. As they rode hard, each of them had different ways of dealing with the piercing draconic wails that seemed to grow increasingly closer to the party. Ischarus, who was in the lead, focused his black eyes toward the coming branches, hacking at the smaller ones that came near his head so as to knock them out of the way for others as they passed by. His intense concentration on the path before him kept him from turning in his saddle too often.</p><p></p><p>Rhema followed Ischarus by a few horse lengths and worked hard to keep Shauvry at that distance. Shauvry was the natural leader of the horses, but Rhema knew that Ischarus was better suited to lead the charge to the relative safety of the mountainous passages. Shauvry fought the demotion to second in line with every step, but Rhema remained focused on keeping her mount in line. She allowed enough space between herself and Ischarus so as to not give Elistra or Shauvry any time to nip and kick at each other.</p><p></p><p>Charis wavered in her devotion to riding hard toward the mountain passage. In her mind she knew that the escape plan that she had been kidnapped into had a decent chance for success; but she also knew that failure would mean disastrous consequences for her and death for her new companions. With each cry from above Charis turned and focused on Rhema’s back, spurring Abijou on in her draconic tongue. After a few seconds of intense riding she would catch Rhema and Shauvry and her focus would begin to wane as she turned in her saddle to look in the direction from which she assumed the dragon would come. She stared backwards into the trees until the next cry; and then this cycle would start over again. Abijou ebbed and flowed between following Rhema tightly and loosely.</p><p></p><p>Semeion knew he was ill prepared for another battle with a dragon. It was not even so long ago that he had lost his master to a large green dragon. Most of that battle was his own fault, especially the disastrous consequences. He had learned from that mistake and desired not to be in a position to fall prey to such a powerful foe again. Although a great river of fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins, he also could see Charis’ wavering courage before him. Each time she turned to stare through the treetops Abijou would slow and lose the immediate pace of Elistra and Shauvry before him. Semeion knew that Charis must not be left, so he began to focus on mimicking Abijou’s riding pattern and causing Thana to slow and race accordingly. Soon Charis’ indecisive riding became Semeion’s motivation as their foe drew closer to them.</p><p></p><p>As they neared the mountainous passageway that they had used to cross from Tongra to Quehalost, Semeion noticed a small break in the canopy. As Charis rode under the break, Semeion saw the light that had been shining through the break vanish into dark shadow. A shrill cry came from directly above the canopy and as Semeion looked up he saw the heavily armored body of a great red wyrm. His biceps tightened in fear and his fingers gripped the reigns hard enough that his fingernails drew blood from the flesh of the palms of his own hands. As his body tensed in uncontrollable fear his mind raced under the training of his master.</p><p></p><p>The young mage whispered aloud to nobody in particular. “Why has he not attacked? He knows our position and could easily have attacked.” </p><p></p><p>Semeion’s mind turned the question over and over again as his lips quietly spoke. He rode Thana underneath the same break in the canopy that now revealed the bright light as the dragon completed another circle above. Suddenly his eyes snapped open with understanding. As he began to open his mouth in a yell he heard another shrill cry and his voice failed him. His mind now darted completely with fear. Logic left him. As he looked ahead he could see the tree line break nearly thirty feet before the mountainous passage began. The dragon had been waiting for them here where it could strike without worry of the trees. His mind knew that was the dragon’s strategy, but his body could do nothing but grip the horse in fear. Blood trickled down Thana’s reigns.</p><p></p><p>In fact, all of the riders had frozen in fear. Ischarus’ bravery melted away in panic. Rhema’s strength of mind dissipated into sheer terror. Charis’ compassionate love for her people turned to selfish flight designed save her own skin. Semeion’s magical prowess left him in exchange for a simple dread. The dragon knew there were few intelligent creatures in the land that could withstand its awesome presence. It had planned this attack perfectly. It soared above the trees waiting to descend upon the quartet once the trees no longer sheltered them from the complete view of its fearsome presence.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly, Elistra broke through the tree line at full speed carrying Ischarus. Out of fear, Ischarus had stowed his sword so as to cling tightly to the reigns of Elistra. The dragon had just begun another circle and had misjudged the superior speed of the horses. Where the dragon had anticipated the horses to become sluggish and indecisive against the draconic fear they had actually become faster as their flight instinct took over. The giant red wyrm could only watch as Elistra easily galloped the open distance between forest and mountain passage.</p><p></p><p>Only seconds after Elistra sped Ischarus to safety the dragon banked hard in anticipation of the rest of the horses. It would have to cut its large swooping circle short if it desired to avoid the disastrous consequences of its oversight. Shauvry emerged out of the forest in a full gallop and shot across to open plain. The dragon knew it was still too far away to effectively use its fiery breath of doom and it contemplated casting a spell. At this range, however, the spell would be unlikely to have the desired effect. Much to its own anger it watched as Shauvry escorted Rhema into the caves and safety.</p><p></p><p>Abijou needed no encouragement from Charis, which was most likely a good thing since Charis was unable to give it courage. Charis dared not even look up as Abijou leapt from the forest edge into the clearing. The dragon had closed on its mark enough now that it could fire either spell or breath and hit Charis with ease. The beast recognized the rider as one of its own kin. In fact, the dragon recognized Charis as the one it was to mate. Internal jealousy fueled its rage and the beast uttered a guttural cry of anger in its own draconic tongue. “If you shall not have me, none shall have you, either!”</p><p></p><p>Searing orange and red flames burst through the air as Abijou galloped for its safety in the cave. The heat crept up immediately behind the horse and spurred Abijou to safety with only minor scorch marks. The majority of Abijou’s problems were a singed hind quarter where the hair had melted from the heat. Besides these minor wounds, Charis and her mount had safely managed to flee into the cave.</p><p></p><p>Thana remained the only horse remaining in the forest as Abijou darted into the open. Seeing that Abijou was bound for making the journey Thana spurred herself into greater stride as the flames leapt across the earth before her. As the grasses ignited and spread a line of fire before her, Thana leapt into the air to avoid stepping into the hottest portion of the flame.</p><p></p><p>The dragon was ready for this maneuver, however. In mid-flight it had begun a minor dive straight for where it assumed Thana would leap. The huge tail of the dragon struck Semeion hard in midair, knocking him from the saddle. His bloodied hands clinched the reigns, but as Thana came back to the ground Semeion’s head thumped hard against the ground. The young mage was knocked unconscious upon impact. Landing in such close proximity to the burning grass did not help his condition any, either.</p><p></p><p>The large dragon surged upward as it performed a roll in mid-flight. It turned and spotted its retreating prey. A grim smile crossed over its lips as it spotted the unconscious Semeion being dragged by the wildly panicked horse. The great wyrm flapped its wings hard as it dove with all its speed toward the entrance of the cave.</p><p></p><p>Thana managed to clear the entrance only seconds before the massive dragon claws hit the soil heavily. The beast howled as its prey slipped away into the cave that was much too small for it to pursue. What it didn’t notice, however, was that as Thana entered the cave Semeion bounced his head solidly against the wall and jarred his unconscious grip free from the horses’ reigns. Semeion lay just inside the cave within easy reach of the dragon’s massive claws.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus and Rhema had regained their composure upon entering the cave and freeing themselves from the evil and terrifying presence of the dragon. As Ischarus noticed Semeion’s condition and the now uncontrolled fleeing Thana, he dismounted and shouted to Rhema. “Let Thana run out her fear and bring her back.” The panicked horse galloped between them as he spoke. “Catch her while you still can and return to us. I’ll save the mage.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema nodded and in a single motion spurred Shauvry into motion and sped down the hallway. Ischarus charged to the entrance of the cave, hoping to grab Semeion before the dragon could realize that he was there. Ischarus was knocked off of his feet and into the wall when the dragon collided with the ground in his crushing attempt that missed only by seconds. As Ischarus reached Semeion and hefted his arms over his own shoulder so as to carry him slung down his back, the swordsman could see that the dragon was turning to position itself a dragon’s pace away from the cave. Ischarus moved as quickly as possible away from the entrance, hoping to elude the dragon’s reach. With his back turned to the dragon, he could not see what the dragon was preparing to do.</p><p></p><p>Charis could see the danger from where she sat upon Abijou. In the draconic language of her father dragon she yelled, “Run! Fire coming! Run hard!” She turned Abijou away from the entrance and spurred him into motion, grabbing Elistra’s reigns and jerking her into motion in the process. </p><p></p><p>The ancient dragon had not stopped to check the entrance of the tunnel. Rather the beast had simply planned on incinerating the whole area. As it backed off from the cave it gave itself enough room to inhale deeply and spew fire for over a hundred feet into the cave. Ischarus felt the heat and saw the flames surround his feet and lick at his boots. He had managed to get close enough to the edge of the dragon’s range so as to only take minor burning damage. He also knew that Semeion had provided him with much needed cover being draped across his back. </p><p></p><p>The dragon howled once more as it peered into the cave and realized it could not see on account of the residual flames and the increasing darkness within. From outside the cave, the dragon had no idea of knowing how successful the attack had been.</p><p></p><p>The draconic howl brought Ischarus back into a deep focus towards moving away from the entrance. He realized that the sacrifice of an unconscious mage may well have been his last. Semeion had formed a rather effective barrier against the flames.</p><p>[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 2909338, member: 35788"] The quartet of riders thundered hard along the trail that had been blazed through the trees leading up to the mountainside. As they rode hard, each of them had different ways of dealing with the piercing draconic wails that seemed to grow increasingly closer to the party. Ischarus, who was in the lead, focused his black eyes toward the coming branches, hacking at the smaller ones that came near his head so as to knock them out of the way for others as they passed by. His intense concentration on the path before him kept him from turning in his saddle too often. Rhema followed Ischarus by a few horse lengths and worked hard to keep Shauvry at that distance. Shauvry was the natural leader of the horses, but Rhema knew that Ischarus was better suited to lead the charge to the relative safety of the mountainous passages. Shauvry fought the demotion to second in line with every step, but Rhema remained focused on keeping her mount in line. She allowed enough space between herself and Ischarus so as to not give Elistra or Shauvry any time to nip and kick at each other. Charis wavered in her devotion to riding hard toward the mountain passage. In her mind she knew that the escape plan that she had been kidnapped into had a decent chance for success; but she also knew that failure would mean disastrous consequences for her and death for her new companions. With each cry from above Charis turned and focused on Rhema’s back, spurring Abijou on in her draconic tongue. After a few seconds of intense riding she would catch Rhema and Shauvry and her focus would begin to wane as she turned in her saddle to look in the direction from which she assumed the dragon would come. She stared backwards into the trees until the next cry; and then this cycle would start over again. Abijou ebbed and flowed between following Rhema tightly and loosely. Semeion knew he was ill prepared for another battle with a dragon. It was not even so long ago that he had lost his master to a large green dragon. Most of that battle was his own fault, especially the disastrous consequences. He had learned from that mistake and desired not to be in a position to fall prey to such a powerful foe again. Although a great river of fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins, he also could see Charis’ wavering courage before him. Each time she turned to stare through the treetops Abijou would slow and lose the immediate pace of Elistra and Shauvry before him. Semeion knew that Charis must not be left, so he began to focus on mimicking Abijou’s riding pattern and causing Thana to slow and race accordingly. Soon Charis’ indecisive riding became Semeion’s motivation as their foe drew closer to them. As they neared the mountainous passageway that they had used to cross from Tongra to Quehalost, Semeion noticed a small break in the canopy. As Charis rode under the break, Semeion saw the light that had been shining through the break vanish into dark shadow. A shrill cry came from directly above the canopy and as Semeion looked up he saw the heavily armored body of a great red wyrm. His biceps tightened in fear and his fingers gripped the reigns hard enough that his fingernails drew blood from the flesh of the palms of his own hands. As his body tensed in uncontrollable fear his mind raced under the training of his master. The young mage whispered aloud to nobody in particular. [Color=Plum]“Why has he not attacked? He knows our position and could easily have attacked.”[/Color] Semeion’s mind turned the question over and over again as his lips quietly spoke. He rode Thana underneath the same break in the canopy that now revealed the bright light as the dragon completed another circle above. Suddenly his eyes snapped open with understanding. As he began to open his mouth in a yell he heard another shrill cry and his voice failed him. His mind now darted completely with fear. Logic left him. As he looked ahead he could see the tree line break nearly thirty feet before the mountainous passage began. The dragon had been waiting for them here where it could strike without worry of the trees. His mind knew that was the dragon’s strategy, but his body could do nothing but grip the horse in fear. Blood trickled down Thana’s reigns. In fact, all of the riders had frozen in fear. Ischarus’ bravery melted away in panic. Rhema’s strength of mind dissipated into sheer terror. Charis’ compassionate love for her people turned to selfish flight designed save her own skin. Semeion’s magical prowess left him in exchange for a simple dread. The dragon knew there were few intelligent creatures in the land that could withstand its awesome presence. It had planned this attack perfectly. It soared above the trees waiting to descend upon the quartet once the trees no longer sheltered them from the complete view of its fearsome presence. Suddenly, Elistra broke through the tree line at full speed carrying Ischarus. Out of fear, Ischarus had stowed his sword so as to cling tightly to the reigns of Elistra. The dragon had just begun another circle and had misjudged the superior speed of the horses. Where the dragon had anticipated the horses to become sluggish and indecisive against the draconic fear they had actually become faster as their flight instinct took over. The giant red wyrm could only watch as Elistra easily galloped the open distance between forest and mountain passage. Only seconds after Elistra sped Ischarus to safety the dragon banked hard in anticipation of the rest of the horses. It would have to cut its large swooping circle short if it desired to avoid the disastrous consequences of its oversight. Shauvry emerged out of the forest in a full gallop and shot across to open plain. The dragon knew it was still too far away to effectively use its fiery breath of doom and it contemplated casting a spell. At this range, however, the spell would be unlikely to have the desired effect. Much to its own anger it watched as Shauvry escorted Rhema into the caves and safety. Abijou needed no encouragement from Charis, which was most likely a good thing since Charis was unable to give it courage. Charis dared not even look up as Abijou leapt from the forest edge into the clearing. The dragon had closed on its mark enough now that it could fire either spell or breath and hit Charis with ease. The beast recognized the rider as one of its own kin. In fact, the dragon recognized Charis as the one it was to mate. Internal jealousy fueled its rage and the beast uttered a guttural cry of anger in its own draconic tongue. [Color=Red]“If you shall not have me, none shall have you, either!”[/Color] Searing orange and red flames burst through the air as Abijou galloped for its safety in the cave. The heat crept up immediately behind the horse and spurred Abijou to safety with only minor scorch marks. The majority of Abijou’s problems were a singed hind quarter where the hair had melted from the heat. Besides these minor wounds, Charis and her mount had safely managed to flee into the cave. Thana remained the only horse remaining in the forest as Abijou darted into the open. Seeing that Abijou was bound for making the journey Thana spurred herself into greater stride as the flames leapt across the earth before her. As the grasses ignited and spread a line of fire before her, Thana leapt into the air to avoid stepping into the hottest portion of the flame. The dragon was ready for this maneuver, however. In mid-flight it had begun a minor dive straight for where it assumed Thana would leap. The huge tail of the dragon struck Semeion hard in midair, knocking him from the saddle. His bloodied hands clinched the reigns, but as Thana came back to the ground Semeion’s head thumped hard against the ground. The young mage was knocked unconscious upon impact. Landing in such close proximity to the burning grass did not help his condition any, either. The large dragon surged upward as it performed a roll in mid-flight. It turned and spotted its retreating prey. A grim smile crossed over its lips as it spotted the unconscious Semeion being dragged by the wildly panicked horse. The great wyrm flapped its wings hard as it dove with all its speed toward the entrance of the cave. Thana managed to clear the entrance only seconds before the massive dragon claws hit the soil heavily. The beast howled as its prey slipped away into the cave that was much too small for it to pursue. What it didn’t notice, however, was that as Thana entered the cave Semeion bounced his head solidly against the wall and jarred his unconscious grip free from the horses’ reigns. Semeion lay just inside the cave within easy reach of the dragon’s massive claws. Ischarus and Rhema had regained their composure upon entering the cave and freeing themselves from the evil and terrifying presence of the dragon. As Ischarus noticed Semeion’s condition and the now uncontrolled fleeing Thana, he dismounted and shouted to Rhema. [Color=LightBlue]“Let Thana run out her fear and bring her back.”[/Color] The panicked horse galloped between them as he spoke. [Color=LightBlue]“Catch her while you still can and return to us. I’ll save the mage.”[/Color] Rhema nodded and in a single motion spurred Shauvry into motion and sped down the hallway. Ischarus charged to the entrance of the cave, hoping to grab Semeion before the dragon could realize that he was there. Ischarus was knocked off of his feet and into the wall when the dragon collided with the ground in his crushing attempt that missed only by seconds. As Ischarus reached Semeion and hefted his arms over his own shoulder so as to carry him slung down his back, the swordsman could see that the dragon was turning to position itself a dragon’s pace away from the cave. Ischarus moved as quickly as possible away from the entrance, hoping to elude the dragon’s reach. With his back turned to the dragon, he could not see what the dragon was preparing to do. Charis could see the danger from where she sat upon Abijou. In the draconic language of her father dragon she yelled, [Color=Orange]“Run! Fire coming! Run hard!”[/Color] She turned Abijou away from the entrance and spurred him into motion, grabbing Elistra’s reigns and jerking her into motion in the process. The ancient dragon had not stopped to check the entrance of the tunnel. Rather the beast had simply planned on incinerating the whole area. As it backed off from the cave it gave itself enough room to inhale deeply and spew fire for over a hundred feet into the cave. Ischarus felt the heat and saw the flames surround his feet and lick at his boots. He had managed to get close enough to the edge of the dragon’s range so as to only take minor burning damage. He also knew that Semeion had provided him with much needed cover being draped across his back. The dragon howled once more as it peered into the cave and realized it could not see on account of the residual flames and the increasing darkness within. From outside the cave, the dragon had no idea of knowing how successful the attack had been. The draconic howl brought Ischarus back into a deep focus towards moving away from the entrance. He realized that the sacrifice of an unconscious mage may well have been his last. Semeion had formed a rather effective barrier against the flames. [Sblock=Color Free Speech Section] The quartet of riders thundered hard along the trail that had been blazed through the trees leading up to the mountainside. As they rode hard, each of them had different ways of dealing with the piercing draconic wails that seemed to grow increasingly closer to the party. Ischarus, who was in the lead, focused his black eyes toward the coming branches, hacking at the smaller ones that came near his head so as to knock them out of the way for others as they passed by. His intense concentration on the path before him kept him from turning in his saddle too often. Rhema followed Ischarus by a few horse lengths and worked hard to keep Shauvry at that distance. Shauvry was the natural leader of the horses, but Rhema knew that Ischarus was better suited to lead the charge to the relative safety of the mountainous passages. Shauvry fought the demotion to second in line with every step, but Rhema remained focused on keeping her mount in line. She allowed enough space between herself and Ischarus so as to not give Elistra or Shauvry any time to nip and kick at each other. Charis wavered in her devotion to riding hard toward the mountain passage. In her mind she knew that the escape plan that she had been kidnapped into had a decent chance for success; but she also knew that failure would mean disastrous consequences for her and death for her new companions. With each cry from above Charis turned and focused on Rhema’s back, spurring Abijou on in her draconic tongue. After a few seconds of intense riding she would catch Rhema and Shauvry and her focus would begin to wane as she turned in her saddle to look in the direction from which she assumed the dragon would come. She stared backwards into the trees until the next cry; and then this cycle would start over again. Abijou ebbed and flowed between following Rhema tightly and loosely. Semeion knew he was ill prepared for another battle with a dragon. It was not even so long ago that he had lost his master to a large green dragon. Most of that battle was his own fault, especially the disastrous consequences. He had learned from that mistake and desired not to be in a position to fall prey to such a powerful foe again. Although a great river of fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins, he also could see Charis’ wavering courage before him. Each time she turned to stare through the treetops Abijou would slow and lose the immediate pace of Elistra and Shauvry before him. Semeion knew that Charis must not be left, so he began to focus on mimicking Abijou’s riding pattern and causing Thana to slow and race accordingly. Soon Charis’ indecisive riding became Semeion’s motivation as their foe drew closer to them. As they neared the mountainous passageway that they had used to cross from Tongra to Quehalost, Semeion noticed a small break in the canopy. As Charis rode under the break, Semeion saw the light that had been shining through the break vanish into dark shadow. A shrill cry came from directly above the canopy and as Semeion looked up he saw the heavily armored body of a great red wyrm. His biceps tightened in fear and his fingers gripped the reigns hard enough that his fingernails drew blood from the flesh of the palms of his own hands. As his body tensed in uncontrollable fear his mind raced under the training of his master. The young mage whispered aloud to nobody in particular. “Why has he not attacked? He knows our position and could easily have attacked.” Semeion’s mind turned the question over and over again as his lips quietly spoke. He rode Thana underneath the same break in the canopy that now revealed the bright light as the dragon completed another circle above. Suddenly his eyes snapped open with understanding. As he began to open his mouth in a yell he heard another shrill cry and his voice failed him. His mind now darted completely with fear. Logic left him. As he looked ahead he could see the tree line break nearly thirty feet before the mountainous passage began. The dragon had been waiting for them here where it could strike without worry of the trees. His mind knew that was the dragon’s strategy, but his body could do nothing but grip the horse in fear. Blood trickled down Thana’s reigns. In fact, all of the riders had frozen in fear. Ischarus’ bravery melted away in panic. Rhema’s strength of mind dissipated into sheer terror. Charis’ compassionate love for her people turned to selfish flight designed save her own skin. Semeion’s magical prowess left him in exchange for a simple dread. The dragon knew there were few intelligent creatures in the land that could withstand its awesome presence. It had planned this attack perfectly. It soared above the trees waiting to descend upon the quartet once the trees no longer sheltered them from the complete view of its fearsome presence. Suddenly, Elistra broke through the tree line at full speed carrying Ischarus. Out of fear, Ischarus had stowed his sword so as to cling tightly to the reigns of Elistra. The dragon had just begun another circle and had misjudged the superior speed of the horses. Where the dragon had anticipated the horses to become sluggish and indecisive against the draconic fear they had actually become faster as their flight instinct took over. The giant red wyrm could only watch as Elistra easily galloped the open distance between forest and mountain passage. Only seconds after Elistra sped Ischarus to safety the dragon banked hard in anticipation of the rest of the horses. It would have to cut its large swooping circle short if it desired to avoid the disastrous consequences of its oversight. Shauvry emerged out of the forest in a full gallop and shot across to open plain. The dragon knew it was still too far away to effectively use its fiery breath of doom and it contemplated casting a spell. At this range, however, the spell would be unlikely to have the desired effect. Much to its own anger it watched as Shauvry escorted Rhema into the caves and safety. Abijou needed no encouragement from Charis, which was most likely a good thing since Charis was unable to give it courage. Charis dared not even look up as Abijou leapt from the forest edge into the clearing. The dragon had closed on its mark enough now that it could fire either spell or breath and hit Charis with ease. The beast recognized the rider as one of its own kin. In fact, the dragon recognized Charis as the one it was to mate. Internal jealousy fueled its rage and the beast uttered a guttural cry of anger in its own draconic tongue. “If you shall not have me, none shall have you, either!” Searing orange and red flames burst through the air as Abijou galloped for its safety in the cave. The heat crept up immediately behind the horse and spurred Abijou to safety with only minor scorch marks. The majority of Abijou’s problems were a singed hind quarter where the hair had melted from the heat. Besides these minor wounds, Charis and her mount had safely managed to flee into the cave. Thana remained the only horse remaining in the forest as Abijou darted into the open. Seeing that Abijou was bound for making the journey Thana spurred herself into greater stride as the flames leapt across the earth before her. As the grasses ignited and spread a line of fire before her, Thana leapt into the air to avoid stepping into the hottest portion of the flame. The dragon was ready for this maneuver, however. In mid-flight it had begun a minor dive straight for where it assumed Thana would leap. The huge tail of the dragon struck Semeion hard in midair, knocking him from the saddle. His bloodied hands clinched the reigns, but as Thana came back to the ground Semeion’s head thumped hard against the ground. The young mage was knocked unconscious upon impact. Landing in such close proximity to the burning grass did not help his condition any, either. The large dragon surged upward as it performed a roll in mid-flight. It turned and spotted its retreating prey. A grim smile crossed over its lips as it spotted the unconscious Semeion being dragged by the wildly panicked horse. The great wyrm flapped its wings hard as it dove with all its speed toward the entrance of the cave. Thana managed to clear the entrance only seconds before the massive dragon claws hit the soil heavily. The beast howled as its prey slipped away into the cave that was much too small for it to pursue. What it didn’t notice, however, was that as Thana entered the cave Semeion bounced his head solidly against the wall and jarred his unconscious grip free from the horses’ reigns. Semeion lay just inside the cave within easy reach of the dragon’s massive claws. Ischarus and Rhema had regained their composure upon entering the cave and freeing themselves from the evil and terrifying presence of the dragon. As Ischarus noticed Semeion’s condition and the now uncontrolled fleeing Thana, he dismounted and shouted to Rhema. “Let Thana run out her fear and bring her back.” The panicked horse galloped between them as he spoke. “Catch her while you still can and return to us. I’ll save the mage.” Rhema nodded and in a single motion spurred Shauvry into motion and sped down the hallway. Ischarus charged to the entrance of the cave, hoping to grab Semeion before the dragon could realize that he was there. Ischarus was knocked off of his feet and into the wall when the dragon collided with the ground in his crushing attempt that missed only by seconds. As Ischarus reached Semeion and hefted his arms over his own shoulder so as to carry him slung down his back, the swordsman could see that the dragon was turning to position itself a dragon’s pace away from the cave. Ischarus moved as quickly as possible away from the entrance, hoping to elude the dragon’s reach. With his back turned to the dragon, he could not see what the dragon was preparing to do. Charis could see the danger from where she sat upon Abijou. In the draconic language of her father dragon she yelled, “Run! Fire coming! Run hard!” She turned Abijou away from the entrance and spurred him into motion, grabbing Elistra’s reigns and jerking her into motion in the process. The ancient dragon had not stopped to check the entrance of the tunnel. Rather the beast had simply planned on incinerating the whole area. As it backed off from the cave it gave itself enough room to inhale deeply and spew fire for over a hundred feet into the cave. Ischarus felt the heat and saw the flames surround his feet and lick at his boots. He had managed to get close enough to the edge of the dragon’s range so as to only take minor burning damage. He also knew that Semeion had provided him with much needed cover being draped across his back. The dragon howled once more as it peered into the cave and realized it could not see on account of the residual flames and the increasing darkness within. From outside the cave, the dragon had no idea of knowing how successful the attack had been. The draconic howl brought Ischarus back into a deep focus towards moving away from the entrance. He realized that the sacrifice of an unconscious mage may well have been his last. Semeion had formed a rather effective barrier against the flames. [/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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