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Story Hour
Bitterness Overcome: (Now A Completed Story!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3156821" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>While Semeion and Rhema had climbed the stairs to enter the dragon’s main chamber, the exodus from the village was already into motion. Few retrieved anything out of their dwellings knowing that there was little they would need beyond what they already carried. They would be waiting for some time under the mountains for the dragon’s wrath to burn itself out, anyway. The main priority was to get the caves. They had trusted Charis and her friends thus far; it only made sense to think that they would trust them for future protection.</p><p></p><p>Over the past few days Semeion had written out a few copies of the spell that he had earlier used to give Druff a bit of free time out from the cage in the confines of the planning session. Once Semeion had begun shouting for the villagers to run, inside his cage Druff quickly unrolled one of the parchments. He wasn’t a natural arcanist, but his innate magical abilities did allow him the capacity to somewhat understand the process of how magic happened. He couldn’t read the arcane writing, but he reached back into his mind to hearing the words that Semeion had spoken to him earlier. Not only had Semeion used the words on the day that he had given him free time, but Semeion had also taught him the words when the young mage delivered the parchments to Druff.</p><p></p><p>Druff looked at the black ink on the parchment before him. He could make out the two arcane words easily enough. In truth he couldn’t read the words, but he could tell that there were two words present. The gap between the letters was a clear enough indication. Druff spoke the words from memory. <span style="color: Lime">“Soo-ah Skree-tahk”</span> </p><p></p><p>The words on the parchment before him began to glow with a magical green aura. The paper began to hiss, almost as it the parchment contained the sap of a tree that was being boiled out by an open flame. The parchment warmed after only a few seconds and then erupted in an explosion. Druff looked down where the parchment had once rested upon the floor of cage. There was a small black outline revealing the location of the parchment. His body and clothing were dusted with a thin layer of black powder.</p><p></p><p>Xando approached the cage as the rest of the villagers began to amass at the edge of the woods. He had initially run to the woods to inspire the villagers to move forward. Once they were in motion he had circled back to pick up Druff. <span style="color: Lime">“Please tell me that was not your only copy, Druff.”</span> Xando’s face demonstrated that he was amused by the reaction of the parchment yet concerned about Druff’s inability to be an effective master of the arcane inscription.</p><p></p><p>Druff returned Xando’s expression with a smile of his own. <span style="color: Lime">“Thankfully, no. Semeion gave me several copies. He assumed that it would take me more than a single try to get the arcane words correct.”</span></p><p></p><p>Xando looked into the cage, careful not to get too close in case another parchment reacted to Druff’s command in a similar manner as the first. Two other men flanked him and looked inside patiently. Xando slightly lifted his right hand from his side, holding their position beside him. Xando continued the conversation between himself and Druff. <span style="color: Lime">“I did not think you were able to master the arcane magic of our dragon father.”</span></p><p></p><p>Druff replied honestly, <span style="color: Lime">“I cannot. In fact, this is not my arcane power that I am trying to master. Instead, this is Semeion’s latent magical expression that I am trying to harness. That is part of the difficulty. I must harness Semeion’s energy and control it. Obviously I did not do that quite so well on the last attempt.”</span> Druff smiled once more.</p><p></p><p>Xando returned to smile. <span style="color: Lime">“Obviously,”</span> he added.</p><p></p><p>Druff had another parchment before him and he was ready to try again. Xando and the men beside him stepped back to allow Druff the opportunity while not enabling themselves to be caught in the effect of any possible magical backlash. <span style="color: Lime">“Su-ah Skrie-tok.”</span></p><p></p><p>This time Druff smiled, realizing he had spoken the words exactly as Semeion had told him. As happened the last time, the words glowed with a green magical aura. However, the sound of the boiling sap was not present within this parchment. Instead the words glowed with an increasing intensity for a few seconds before bursting into radiant light directed upon Druff. </p><p></p><p>For an instant Druff was enraptured in a thin veil of the green light. His body reduced to a fraction of his normal height and weight. When he opened his eyes he could see that the spell had worked. He bent over to pick up the piece of parchment, but Xando approached the cage and addressed him. <span style="color: Lime">“Let me, Druff. You get yourself out of the cage while the spell still holds. These two men have volunteered to carry you to the mountains. We’ll make better time with them carrying your burden for you than if you traverse the ground yourself.”</span></p><p></p><p>Druff was not pleased at the thought of depending upon the villagers and his face showed it. However, he could not refuse to acknowledge the wisdom of Xando’s words, either. With a quick sigh and a nod to the men Druff slipped out of the cage. The smaller of the men stepped forward and offered his back. Druff sat down upon the edge of the cage and wrapped his small arms around the villager’s neck. At his reduced size, the grip was difficult to maintain. However, this would allow the villager to carry Druff in the easiest manner. Once he grew back in size this position would be easier to maintain.</p><p></p><p>The smaller villager spoke as Druff climbed upon his back. <span style="color: Lime">“I’ve got charge of you until you gain back your old size. Then I get to hand you off.”</span></p><p></p><p>Druff smiled. The other villager was taller and by default a bit stronger. Their plan was simple but effective. <span style="color: Lime">“Ready when you are.”</span> His assertion was to nobody in particular and perhaps not even necessary.</p><p></p><p>Xando gathered up the parchment that Druff had successfully used to cast the spell. Before he rolled it into a tube he noticed that the parchment was now blank. He nodded a few times and stuck out his lower lip in thought. Turning around and hearing Druff speak, he further added, <span style="color: Lime">“Let’s go, men. We’ve got a decent journey and not much time to make it in.”</span></p><p></p><p>They nodded in reply and Xando walked briskly to the edge of the woods where the villagers were gathering. He called out loudly to the villagers as he approached. <span style="color: Lime">“Gather by family for a count!”</span></p><p></p><p>The villagers immediately responded to Xando’s command. There would be no time for a search should anyone go missing. The count would only take a minute but save them from hours of worrying later on. Xando pointed to one side of the people and the villager who had been designated to carry Druff once his size returned headed off to count from that end. Xando began the count from his own end.</p><p></p><p>The two counters met about halfway and exchanged totals. Xando smiled when he realized that the total was correct. He stepped through the crowd of people and into the forest behind. As he moved, he spoke one last command to the people. <span style="color: Lime">“We travel in silence from here on out. We don’t know how long our dragon father will be captivated by our friends. If we move quietly we will not only move more quickly but we’ll also help avoid detection. I know the way, so you will follow me. Erik and Degrahss will carry Druff at the back of the caravan.”</span></p><p></p><p>Xando didn’t wait for a reply. He didn’t expect one to come. The villagers were prepared to follow his orders – even the children. They would not speak again until they had reached the safety of the caves. Of course, that assumed they even got that far. Regardless of their success or failure they were indeed long gone before Semeion was forced from the dragon perch above. There was nobody left on the ground below to witness his sacrifice for the sake of the Provenience.</p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>While Semeion and Rhema had climbed the stairs to enter the dragon’s main chamber, the exodus from the village was already into motion. Few retrieved anything out of their dwellings knowing that there was little they would need beyond what they already carried. They would be waiting for some time under the mountains for the dragon’s wrath to burn itself out, anyway. The main priority was to get the caves. They had trusted Charis and her friends thus far; it only made sense to think that they would trust them for future protection.</p><p></p><p>Over the past few days Semeion had written out a few copies of the spell that he had earlier used to give Druff a bit of free time out from the cage in the confines of the planning session. Once Semeion had begun shouting for the villagers to run, inside his cage Druff quickly unrolled one of the parchments. He wasn’t a natural arcanist, but his innate magical abilities did allow him the capacity to somewhat understand the process of how magic happened. He couldn’t read the arcane writing, but he reached back into his mind to hearing the words that Semeion had spoken to him earlier. Not only had Semeion used the words on the day that he had given him free time, but Semeion had also taught him the words when the young mage delivered the parchments to Druff.</p><p></p><p>Druff looked at the black ink on the parchment before him. He could make out the two arcane words easily enough. In truth he couldn’t read the words, but he could tell that there were two words present. The gap between the letters was a clear enough indication. Druff spoke the words from memory. “Soo-ah Skree-tahk” </p><p></p><p>The words on the parchment before him began to glow with a magical green aura. The paper began to hiss, almost as it the parchment contained the sap of a tree that was being boiled out by an open flame. The parchment warmed after only a few seconds and then erupted in an explosion. Druff looked down where the parchment had once rested upon the floor of cage. There was a small black outline revealing the location of the parchment. His body and clothing were dusted with a thin layer of black powder.</p><p></p><p>Xando approached the cage as the rest of the villagers began to amass at the edge of the woods. He had initially run to the woods to inspire the villagers to move forward. Once they were in motion he had circled back to pick up Druff. “Please tell me that was not your only copy, Druff.” Xando’s face demonstrated that he was amused by the reaction of the parchment yet concerned about Druff’s inability to be an effective master of the arcane inscription.</p><p></p><p>Druff returned Xando’s expression with a smile of his own. “Thankfully, no. Semeion gave me several copies. He assumed that it would take me more than a single try to get the arcane words correct.”</p><p></p><p>Xando looked into the cage, careful not to get too close in case another parchment reacted to Druff’s command in a similar manner as the first. Two other men flanked him and looked inside patiently. Xando slightly lifted his right hand from his side, holding their position beside him. Xando continued the conversation between himself and Druff. “I did not think you were able to master the arcane magic of our dragon father.”</p><p></p><p>Druff replied honestly, “I cannot. In fact, this is not my arcane power that I am trying to master. Instead, this is Semeion’s latent magical expression that I am trying to harness. That is part of the difficulty. I must harness Semeion’s energy and control it. Obviously I did not do that quite so well on the last attempt.” Druff smiled once more.</p><p></p><p>Xando returned to smile. “Obviously,” he added.</p><p></p><p>Druff had another parchment before him and he was ready to try again. Xando and the men beside him stepped back to allow Druff the opportunity while not enabling themselves to be caught in the effect of any possible magical backlash. “Su-ah Skrie-tok.”</p><p></p><p>This time Druff smiled, realizing he had spoken the words exactly as Semeion had told him. As happened the last time, the words glowed with a green magical aura. However, the sound of the boiling sap was not present within this parchment. Instead the words glowed with an increasing intensity for a few seconds before bursting into radiant light directed upon Druff. </p><p></p><p>For an instant Druff was enraptured in a thin veil of the green light. His body reduced to a fraction of his normal height and weight. When he opened his eyes he could see that the spell had worked. He bent over to pick up the piece of parchment, but Xando approached the cage and addressed him. “Let me, Druff. You get yourself out of the cage while the spell still holds. These two men have volunteered to carry you to the mountains. We’ll make better time with them carrying your burden for you than if you traverse the ground yourself.”</p><p></p><p>Druff was not pleased at the thought of depending upon the villagers and his face showed it. However, he could not refuse to acknowledge the wisdom of Xando’s words, either. With a quick sigh and a nod to the men Druff slipped out of the cage. The smaller of the men stepped forward and offered his back. Druff sat down upon the edge of the cage and wrapped his small arms around the villager’s neck. At his reduced size, the grip was difficult to maintain. However, this would allow the villager to carry Druff in the easiest manner. Once he grew back in size this position would be easier to maintain.</p><p></p><p>The smaller villager spoke as Druff climbed upon his back. “I’ve got charge of you until you gain back your old size. Then I get to hand you off.”</p><p></p><p>Druff smiled. The other villager was taller and by default a bit stronger. Their plan was simple but effective. “Ready when you are.” His assertion was to nobody in particular and perhaps not even necessary.</p><p></p><p>Xando gathered up the parchment that Druff had successfully used to cast the spell. Before he rolled it into a tube he noticed that the parchment was now blank. He nodded a few times and stuck out his lower lip in thought. Turning around and hearing Druff speak, he further added, “Let’s go, men. We’ve got a decent journey and not much time to make it in.”</p><p></p><p>They nodded in reply and Xando walked briskly to the edge of the woods where the villagers were gathering. He called out loudly to the villagers as he approached. “Gather by family for a count!”</p><p></p><p>The villagers immediately responded to Xando’s command. There would be no time for a search should anyone go missing. The count would only take a minute but save them from hours of worrying later on. Xando pointed to one side of the people and the villager who had been designated to carry Druff once his size returned headed off to count from that end. Xando began the count from his own end.</p><p></p><p>The two counters met about halfway and exchanged totals. Xando smiled when he realized that the total was correct. He stepped through the crowd of people and into the forest behind. As he moved, he spoke one last command to the people. “We travel in silence from here on out. We don’t know how long our dragon father will be captivated by our friends. If we move quietly we will not only move more quickly but we’ll also help avoid detection. I know the way, so you will follow me. Erik and Degrahss will carry Druff at the back of the caravan.”</p><p></p><p>Xando didn’t wait for a reply. He didn’t expect one to come. The villagers were prepared to follow his orders – even the children. They would not speak again until they had reached the safety of the caves. Of course, that assumed they even got that far. Regardless of their success or failure they were indeed long gone before Semeion was forced from the dragon perch above. There was nobody left on the ground below to witness his sacrifice for the sake of the Provenience.</p><p>[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3156821, member: 35788"] While Semeion and Rhema had climbed the stairs to enter the dragon’s main chamber, the exodus from the village was already into motion. Few retrieved anything out of their dwellings knowing that there was little they would need beyond what they already carried. They would be waiting for some time under the mountains for the dragon’s wrath to burn itself out, anyway. The main priority was to get the caves. They had trusted Charis and her friends thus far; it only made sense to think that they would trust them for future protection. Over the past few days Semeion had written out a few copies of the spell that he had earlier used to give Druff a bit of free time out from the cage in the confines of the planning session. Once Semeion had begun shouting for the villagers to run, inside his cage Druff quickly unrolled one of the parchments. He wasn’t a natural arcanist, but his innate magical abilities did allow him the capacity to somewhat understand the process of how magic happened. He couldn’t read the arcane writing, but he reached back into his mind to hearing the words that Semeion had spoken to him earlier. Not only had Semeion used the words on the day that he had given him free time, but Semeion had also taught him the words when the young mage delivered the parchments to Druff. Druff looked at the black ink on the parchment before him. He could make out the two arcane words easily enough. In truth he couldn’t read the words, but he could tell that there were two words present. The gap between the letters was a clear enough indication. Druff spoke the words from memory. [Color=Lime]“Soo-ah Skree-tahk”[/Color] The words on the parchment before him began to glow with a magical green aura. The paper began to hiss, almost as it the parchment contained the sap of a tree that was being boiled out by an open flame. The parchment warmed after only a few seconds and then erupted in an explosion. Druff looked down where the parchment had once rested upon the floor of cage. There was a small black outline revealing the location of the parchment. His body and clothing were dusted with a thin layer of black powder. Xando approached the cage as the rest of the villagers began to amass at the edge of the woods. He had initially run to the woods to inspire the villagers to move forward. Once they were in motion he had circled back to pick up Druff. [Color=Lime]“Please tell me that was not your only copy, Druff.”[/Color] Xando’s face demonstrated that he was amused by the reaction of the parchment yet concerned about Druff’s inability to be an effective master of the arcane inscription. Druff returned Xando’s expression with a smile of his own. [Color=Lime]“Thankfully, no. Semeion gave me several copies. He assumed that it would take me more than a single try to get the arcane words correct.”[/Color] Xando looked into the cage, careful not to get too close in case another parchment reacted to Druff’s command in a similar manner as the first. Two other men flanked him and looked inside patiently. Xando slightly lifted his right hand from his side, holding their position beside him. Xando continued the conversation between himself and Druff. [Color=Lime]“I did not think you were able to master the arcane magic of our dragon father.”[/Color] Druff replied honestly, [Color=Lime]“I cannot. In fact, this is not my arcane power that I am trying to master. Instead, this is Semeion’s latent magical expression that I am trying to harness. That is part of the difficulty. I must harness Semeion’s energy and control it. Obviously I did not do that quite so well on the last attempt.”[/Color] Druff smiled once more. Xando returned to smile. [Color=Lime]“Obviously,”[/Color] he added. Druff had another parchment before him and he was ready to try again. Xando and the men beside him stepped back to allow Druff the opportunity while not enabling themselves to be caught in the effect of any possible magical backlash. [Color=Lime]“Su-ah Skrie-tok.”[/Color] This time Druff smiled, realizing he had spoken the words exactly as Semeion had told him. As happened the last time, the words glowed with a green magical aura. However, the sound of the boiling sap was not present within this parchment. Instead the words glowed with an increasing intensity for a few seconds before bursting into radiant light directed upon Druff. For an instant Druff was enraptured in a thin veil of the green light. His body reduced to a fraction of his normal height and weight. When he opened his eyes he could see that the spell had worked. He bent over to pick up the piece of parchment, but Xando approached the cage and addressed him. [Color=Lime]“Let me, Druff. You get yourself out of the cage while the spell still holds. These two men have volunteered to carry you to the mountains. We’ll make better time with them carrying your burden for you than if you traverse the ground yourself.”[/Color] Druff was not pleased at the thought of depending upon the villagers and his face showed it. However, he could not refuse to acknowledge the wisdom of Xando’s words, either. With a quick sigh and a nod to the men Druff slipped out of the cage. The smaller of the men stepped forward and offered his back. Druff sat down upon the edge of the cage and wrapped his small arms around the villager’s neck. At his reduced size, the grip was difficult to maintain. However, this would allow the villager to carry Druff in the easiest manner. Once he grew back in size this position would be easier to maintain. The smaller villager spoke as Druff climbed upon his back. [Color=Lime]“I’ve got charge of you until you gain back your old size. Then I get to hand you off.”[/Color] Druff smiled. The other villager was taller and by default a bit stronger. Their plan was simple but effective. [Color=Lime]“Ready when you are.”[/Color] His assertion was to nobody in particular and perhaps not even necessary. Xando gathered up the parchment that Druff had successfully used to cast the spell. Before he rolled it into a tube he noticed that the parchment was now blank. He nodded a few times and stuck out his lower lip in thought. Turning around and hearing Druff speak, he further added, [Color=Lime]“Let’s go, men. We’ve got a decent journey and not much time to make it in.”[/Color] They nodded in reply and Xando walked briskly to the edge of the woods where the villagers were gathering. He called out loudly to the villagers as he approached. [Color=Lime]“Gather by family for a count!”[/Color] The villagers immediately responded to Xando’s command. There would be no time for a search should anyone go missing. The count would only take a minute but save them from hours of worrying later on. Xando pointed to one side of the people and the villager who had been designated to carry Druff once his size returned headed off to count from that end. Xando began the count from his own end. The two counters met about halfway and exchanged totals. Xando smiled when he realized that the total was correct. He stepped through the crowd of people and into the forest behind. As he moved, he spoke one last command to the people. [Color=Lime]“We travel in silence from here on out. We don’t know how long our dragon father will be captivated by our friends. If we move quietly we will not only move more quickly but we’ll also help avoid detection. I know the way, so you will follow me. Erik and Degrahss will carry Druff at the back of the caravan.”[/Color] Xando didn’t wait for a reply. He didn’t expect one to come. The villagers were prepared to follow his orders – even the children. They would not speak again until they had reached the safety of the caves. Of course, that assumed they even got that far. Regardless of their success or failure they were indeed long gone before Semeion was forced from the dragon perch above. There was nobody left on the ground below to witness his sacrifice for the sake of the Provenience. [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] While Semeion and Rhema had climbed the stairs to enter the dragon’s main chamber, the exodus from the village was already into motion. Few retrieved anything out of their dwellings knowing that there was little they would need beyond what they already carried. They would be waiting for some time under the mountains for the dragon’s wrath to burn itself out, anyway. The main priority was to get the caves. They had trusted Charis and her friends thus far; it only made sense to think that they would trust them for future protection. Over the past few days Semeion had written out a few copies of the spell that he had earlier used to give Druff a bit of free time out from the cage in the confines of the planning session. Once Semeion had begun shouting for the villagers to run, inside his cage Druff quickly unrolled one of the parchments. He wasn’t a natural arcanist, but his innate magical abilities did allow him the capacity to somewhat understand the process of how magic happened. He couldn’t read the arcane writing, but he reached back into his mind to hearing the words that Semeion had spoken to him earlier. Not only had Semeion used the words on the day that he had given him free time, but Semeion had also taught him the words when the young mage delivered the parchments to Druff. Druff looked at the black ink on the parchment before him. He could make out the two arcane words easily enough. In truth he couldn’t read the words, but he could tell that there were two words present. The gap between the letters was a clear enough indication. Druff spoke the words from memory. “Soo-ah Skree-tahk” The words on the parchment before him began to glow with a magical green aura. The paper began to hiss, almost as it the parchment contained the sap of a tree that was being boiled out by an open flame. The parchment warmed after only a few seconds and then erupted in an explosion. Druff looked down where the parchment had once rested upon the floor of cage. There was a small black outline revealing the location of the parchment. His body and clothing were dusted with a thin layer of black powder. Xando approached the cage as the rest of the villagers began to amass at the edge of the woods. He had initially run to the woods to inspire the villagers to move forward. Once they were in motion he had circled back to pick up Druff. “Please tell me that was not your only copy, Druff.” Xando’s face demonstrated that he was amused by the reaction of the parchment yet concerned about Druff’s inability to be an effective master of the arcane inscription. Druff returned Xando’s expression with a smile of his own. “Thankfully, no. Semeion gave me several copies. He assumed that it would take me more than a single try to get the arcane words correct.” Xando looked into the cage, careful not to get too close in case another parchment reacted to Druff’s command in a similar manner as the first. Two other men flanked him and looked inside patiently. Xando slightly lifted his right hand from his side, holding their position beside him. Xando continued the conversation between himself and Druff. “I did not think you were able to master the arcane magic of our dragon father.” Druff replied honestly, “I cannot. In fact, this is not my arcane power that I am trying to master. Instead, this is Semeion’s latent magical expression that I am trying to harness. That is part of the difficulty. I must harness Semeion’s energy and control it. Obviously I did not do that quite so well on the last attempt.” Druff smiled once more. Xando returned to smile. “Obviously,” he added. Druff had another parchment before him and he was ready to try again. Xando and the men beside him stepped back to allow Druff the opportunity while not enabling themselves to be caught in the effect of any possible magical backlash. “Su-ah Skrie-tok.” This time Druff smiled, realizing he had spoken the words exactly as Semeion had told him. As happened the last time, the words glowed with a green magical aura. However, the sound of the boiling sap was not present within this parchment. Instead the words glowed with an increasing intensity for a few seconds before bursting into radiant light directed upon Druff. For an instant Druff was enraptured in a thin veil of the green light. His body reduced to a fraction of his normal height and weight. When he opened his eyes he could see that the spell had worked. He bent over to pick up the piece of parchment, but Xando approached the cage and addressed him. “Let me, Druff. You get yourself out of the cage while the spell still holds. These two men have volunteered to carry you to the mountains. We’ll make better time with them carrying your burden for you than if you traverse the ground yourself.” Druff was not pleased at the thought of depending upon the villagers and his face showed it. However, he could not refuse to acknowledge the wisdom of Xando’s words, either. With a quick sigh and a nod to the men Druff slipped out of the cage. The smaller of the men stepped forward and offered his back. Druff sat down upon the edge of the cage and wrapped his small arms around the villager’s neck. At his reduced size, the grip was difficult to maintain. However, this would allow the villager to carry Druff in the easiest manner. Once he grew back in size this position would be easier to maintain. The smaller villager spoke as Druff climbed upon his back. “I’ve got charge of you until you gain back your old size. Then I get to hand you off.” Druff smiled. The other villager was taller and by default a bit stronger. Their plan was simple but effective. “Ready when you are.” His assertion was to nobody in particular and perhaps not even necessary. Xando gathered up the parchment that Druff had successfully used to cast the spell. Before he rolled it into a tube he noticed that the parchment was now blank. He nodded a few times and stuck out his lower lip in thought. Turning around and hearing Druff speak, he further added, “Let’s go, men. We’ve got a decent journey and not much time to make it in.” They nodded in reply and Xando walked briskly to the edge of the woods where the villagers were gathering. He called out loudly to the villagers as he approached. “Gather by family for a count!” The villagers immediately responded to Xando’s command. There would be no time for a search should anyone go missing. The count would only take a minute but save them from hours of worrying later on. Xando pointed to one side of the people and the villager who had been designated to carry Druff once his size returned headed off to count from that end. Xando began the count from his own end. The two counters met about halfway and exchanged totals. Xando smiled when he realized that the total was correct. He stepped through the crowd of people and into the forest behind. As he moved, he spoke one last command to the people. “We travel in silence from here on out. We don’t know how long our dragon father will be captivated by our friends. If we move quietly we will not only move more quickly but we’ll also help avoid detection. I know the way, so you will follow me. Erik and Degrahss will carry Druff at the back of the caravan.” Xando didn’t wait for a reply. He didn’t expect one to come. The villagers were prepared to follow his orders – even the children. They would not speak again until they had reached the safety of the caves. Of course, that assumed they even got that far. Regardless of their success or failure they were indeed long gone before Semeion was forced from the dragon perch above. There was nobody left on the ground below to witness his sacrifice for the sake of the Provenience. [/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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