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Bitterness Overcome: (Now A Completed Story!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3160933" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>While the exodus was occurring and while Rhema and Semeion were climbing the long steps up to the dragon’s lair, the light-gray figure clutched the large ruby as he slowly descended to the ground and the forest that would protect him. The red wyrm had already made several passes at the figure, but each of them missed by narrow margins. There could be no doubt that the dragon had a greater speed, but the light-gray figure possessed a sleek sense of timing that had served him well thus far.</p><p></p><p>The light-gray figure slowed his approach to the treetops to allow the dragon one great pass before immersing himself into the cover. Grixanthrosilithiss saw his opportunity present itself and as he made a final turn he leveled off just above the tallest leaves of the forest. The wyrm flew in fast and hard, its leathery wings beating hard against the air. As he flew over the trees the thin branches at the top of the trees surged upward behind him as the breeze from his quick passing pulled them into the near vacuum that followed his presence.</p><p></p><p>The dragon knew that the light-gray figure would not make the tree line before it could be intercepted. Grixanthrosilithiss was no slouch in regards to the presence of the ghost, either. Time and time again the dragon had snapped at the ghost’s body with his magical fangs but grasped towards the gemstone with its claws as it sailed by. This approach would be no different. In preparation for the attack the dragon parted his lips on approach and viciously snapped its jaws together in a mock bite of intimidation.</p><p></p><p>The large dragon surged forward. At the last moment, the light-gray figure surged straight upward and above the dragon. Grixanthrosilithiss had not anticipated this maneuver. His fangs narrowly missed the ghostly figure’s feet. The wyrm thought about rolling over to allow him to attack upward with his claws. Yet the beast also knew that to do so would risk crashing into the treetops. The natural aerodynamics that lifted him into the air would only serve to assist gravity and pull him into the trees should he roll over this close to the foliage. Grixanthrosilithiss roared in anger as he sailed harmlessly past his stolen gemstone. The beast curved his neck in order to look behind him and watched the ghostly figure descend into the forest unharmed.</p><p></p><p>Once the figure knew the dragon could not interfere, he relinquished his ability to hold onto the stone with a smile upon his face. It was time to allow gravity to work. Without releasing his fingers, the dark ruby fell unhindered from his grasp and down into the forest canopy. Now that the ghostly figure was no longer bound by physical laws, the ghost was able to follow the stone easily through the maze of branches toward the ground. While the gemstone ricocheted off of countless branches the ghost merely passed through them until he reached the ground. Once the gemstone had come to rest upon the soft ground below the trees the light-gray figure reconstituted his ability to grasp the stone and he bent down to pick it up.</p><p></p><p>By this time the dragon had managed to loop around and come to a hovering position where he had seen the gemstone disappear. Grixanthrosilithiss sucked in a large breath of air and prepared to usher forth a great display of his most impressive draconic ability. As he exhaled, a torrent of orange, red, and blue flame poured forth from within his throat. The intensity of the flame singed the leaves on the trees below, although there was enough live wood in the way to prevent the flames from endangering the light-gray figure standing upon the ground below. The trees were in little danger of catching fire; the dragon’s breath wouldn’t last long enough to ignite the still growing wood. The burning of the leaves provided the dragon with the ability to see to the forest floor below him. For a split second he locked eyes with the ghostly figure that had stolen his gemstone.</p><p></p><p>Rage continued to build up within the dragon at each successful attempt in which the light-gray figure eluded his draconic grasp. The dragon decided that the branches in the area could not resist his heavy weight. His claws spread out and his wings opened to smooth his decent. Slowly he began to fall into the trees, branches bending, groaning, and then eventually snapping as they slowly bore the burden of his great weight. The gray figure below saw the dragon’s tactics and smiled. Once the dragon was on the ground the density of the tree growth would limit his effectiveness in combat.</p><p></p><p>The ghostly figure grasped the stone solidly and began to move off further to the east. The chase hadn’t lasted near long enough. By this time the village had enough time to be vacated and the villagers would be well on their way; but Semeion and Rhema should have only reached the dragon’s lair on foot by this point. He would need to lead the dragon deep into the thickest parts of the forest. That strategy would prevent the dragon from surging upward out of the forest as soon as the inevitable happened and the dragon caught up to the ghostly figure. Grixanthrosilithiss would have to backtrack on the ground to come to a place where the foliage could be broken through.</p><p></p><p>The ground thundered below Grixanthrosilithiss once he finally crashed to the ground. The ghostly figure did not feel the vibration as much as he noticed his surroundings shimmer slightly before his eyes. He didn’t need to turn around to sense the dragon’s fangs surge through the empty air behind him. The heat from the dragon’s normal breath was easily enough of a clue for him to realize that the pursuit was close behind.</p><p></p><p>Grixanthrosilithiss slide his long neck between the trees and snapped at the retreating figure. Once again the gemstone was just out of reach, his neck fell a matter of feet short once it was fully extended. The light-gray figure gained a few seconds advantage while Grixanthrosilithiss had to recoil his neck and find a path through the trees that his large body could follow. In the end, the great wyrm decided that it was simply easier to stand on his back feet and use his weight and front claws to topple the smaller trees than it was to find a path. It was slower, but it would get the job done and make it easier to fight once the battle was joined.</p><p></p><p>The light-gray figure smiled as he heard the trees snapping behind him. The reality was that with the trees snapping the dragon would likely not have a clear path to take to the sky once he was caught. It would be even more important that he kept the chase going as long as possible.</p><p></p><p>A short stone outcropping which rose up from the forest floor stood just ahead of the light-gray figure. The figure knew that Grixanthrosilithiss’s great strength was allowing him to gain from behind and this stone outcropping might provide him with the minute or two delay that he desired. The figure turned around to face his pursuer. Timing would be greatly important. The ghostly image looked up once more to judge the distance of the rock ledge above. When he returned his gaze back to the dragon he could see that Grixanthrosilithiss had slowed his approach. The dragon could sense that the figure was pinned between the dragon and the rock wall. </p><p></p><p>The wyrm began to chuckle. Grixanthrosilithiss looked as though he thought about talking and reminding the ghostly figure that the situation was hopeless; but at the last moment the dragon’s neck shot forward without having issued forth a word. The beast’s fangs snapped apart, spraying spittle across many of the trees in the area. The figure looked for only a fraction of a second into the dragon’s throat.</p><p></p><p>In a flash of motion, the ghostly figure tossed the dark red ruby up into the air once he was sure that the dragon’s jaws were open far enough to obscure the movement from his vision. As the stone flew into the air, the figure closed his eyes and stepped backwards into the rock behind him. Less than a second later the dragon’s jaws collided solidly with the rock outcropping. Grixanthrosilithiss roared again in rage as the figure eluded his grasp once more.</p><p></p><p>It didn’t take the wyrm long to understand what the ghostly figure had done to outsmart him. The part that took the most time was figuring out how to overcome the obstacle. The rock stretched far to both the left and the right. The dragon could easily go over, but the beast would need to clear several trees before there would be a hole large enough to jump upward. Even so, this seemed like the quickest option. Grixanthrosilithiss turned around as best as he could and began to wildly use his weight to knock down trees. It took the better part of a minute, but the wyrm eventually cleared a large enough hole to spread his wings and spring upward in a jump.</p><p></p><p>In a single bound Grixanthrosilithiss was able to leap onto the top of the rock. The gemstone wasn’t on top of the rock. Then again, Grixanthrosilithiss hadn’t expected it to be there. The dragon lowered its head to peer through the woods on the other side of the rock and could see the stone in quick retreat away from his position. The dragon smiled grimly as it realized that the chase was on once more. Grixanthrosilithiss roared and breathed forth a cone of fire in the direction he planned to go. The heat of the fire singed the smaller branched and shriveled the leaves, making the trees easier to knock down. After knocking a few trees to the ground from the top of the rock face Grixanthrosilithiss was able to jump down to the ground and continue the pursuit.</p><p></p><p>In spite of the best efforts to flee, the light-gray figure knew that he could not run forever. Instead, the figure determined that the rock face held his best chance for success. Slowly and surely the light-gray figure led the great wyrm in a circle and once again found himself approaching the rock face from a new direction. The dragon was closing once more. The figure had kept him busy long enough. It had been over an hour now. It was time to give up the chase. The task should have been accomplished.</p><p></p><p>As the figure approached the rock it released its grip upon the dark red ruby. The gemstone clanked solidly against the rock and fell to the bottom of the rock face. The figure vanished safely as it passed into the rock surface. Grixanthrosilithiss roared once more in fury as it realized that it would not have the opportunity of beating the thief who had tried to steal from his horde. Still, he had been gone from his horde long enough. The dragon roared once more and expelled another breath of fire in order to mark the forest. Rather than retreating to the place that it had originally descended to the forest floor, Grixanthrosilithiss spent a few seconds knocking over a few more trees. In this way the beast give itself room to run a few steps before surging upward into the sky.</p><p></p><p>Once it had taken the gemstone and launched itself into flight, the dragon looked down. From the sky it could trace the thin path of destruction that the chase had taken through the forest. The thin line of toppled trees showed the brilliance of the light-gray figure’s route. There was a strong intelligence behind the act. Yet Grixanthrosilithiss knew that the wyrm had not been able to be beaten. His horde was safe and once again complete. The dragon roared once more in an attempt to assert himself over his domain before turning straight for his lair.</p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>{Yes, I realize that for this post this section is redundant because there is no colored speech in the main post! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> }</p><p></p><p>While the exodus was occurring and while Rhema and Semeion were climbing the long steps up to the dragon’s lair, the light-gray figure clutched the large ruby as he slowly descended to the ground and the forest that would protect him. The red wyrm had already made several passes at the figure, but each of them missed by narrow margins. There could be no doubt that the dragon had a greater speed, but the light-gray figure possessed a sleek sense of timing that had served him well thus far.</p><p></p><p>The light-gray figure slowed his approach to the treetops to allow the dragon one great pass before immersing himself into the cover. Grixanthrosilithiss saw his opportunity present itself and as he made a final turn he leveled off just above the tallest leaves of the forest. The wyrm flew in fast and hard, its leathery wings beating hard against the air. As he flew over the trees the thin branches at the top of the trees surged upward behind him as the breeze from his quick passing pulled them into the near vacuum that followed his presence.</p><p></p><p>The dragon knew that the light-gray figure would not make the tree line before it could be intercepted. Grixanthrosilithiss was no slouch in regards to the presence of the ghost, either. Time and time again the dragon had snapped at the ghost’s body with his magical fangs but grasped towards the gemstone with its claws as it sailed by. This approach would be no different. In preparation for the attack the dragon parted his lips on approach and viciously snapped its jaws together in a mock bite of intimidation.</p><p></p><p>The large dragon surged forward. At the last moment, the light-gray figure surged straight upward and above the dragon. Grixanthrosilithiss had not anticipated this maneuver. His fangs narrowly missed the ghostly figure’s feet. The wyrm thought about rolling over to allow him to attack upward with his claws. Yet the beast also knew that to do so would risk crashing into the treetops. The natural aerodynamics that lifted him into the air would only serve to assist gravity and pull him into the trees should he roll over this close to the foliage. Grixanthrosilithiss roared in anger as he sailed harmlessly past his stolen gemstone. The beast curved his neck in order to look behind him and watched the ghostly figure descend into the forest unharmed.</p><p></p><p>Once the figure knew the dragon could not interfere, he relinquished his ability to hold onto the stone with a smile upon his face. It was time to allow gravity to work. Without releasing his fingers, the dark ruby fell unhindered from his grasp and down into the forest canopy. Now that the ghostly figure was no longer bound by physical laws, the ghost was able to follow the stone easily through the maze of branches toward the ground. While the gemstone ricocheted off of countless branches the ghost merely passed through them until he reached the ground. Once the gemstone had come to rest upon the soft ground below the trees the light-gray figure reconstituted his ability to grasp the stone and he bent down to pick it up.</p><p></p><p>By this time the dragon had managed to loop around and come to a hovering position where he had seen the gemstone disappear. Grixanthrosilithiss sucked in a large breath of air and prepared to usher forth a great display of his most impressive draconic ability. As he exhaled, a torrent of orange, red, and blue flame poured forth from within his throat. The intensity of the flame singed the leaves on the trees below, although there was enough live wood in the way to prevent the flames from endangering the light-gray figure standing upon the ground below. The trees were in little danger of catching fire; the dragon’s breath wouldn’t last long enough to ignite the still growing wood. The burning of the leaves provided the dragon with the ability to see to the forest floor below him. For a split second he locked eyes with the ghostly figure that had stolen his gemstone.</p><p></p><p>Rage continued to build up within the dragon at each successful attempt in which the light-gray figure eluded his draconic grasp. The dragon decided that the branches in the area could not resist his heavy weight. His claws spread out and his wings opened to smooth his decent. Slowly he began to fall into the trees, branches bending, groaning, and then eventually snapping as they slowly bore the burden of his great weight. The gray figure below saw the dragon’s tactics and smiled. Once the dragon was on the ground the density of the tree growth would limit his effectiveness in combat.</p><p></p><p>The ghostly figure grasped the stone solidly and began to move off further to the east. The chase hadn’t lasted near long enough. By this time the village had enough time to be vacated and the villagers would be well on their way; but Semeion and Rhema should have only reached the dragon’s lair on foot by this point. He would need to lead the dragon deep into the thickest parts of the forest. That strategy would prevent the dragon from surging upward out of the forest as soon as the inevitable happened and the dragon caught up to the ghostly figure. Grixanthrosilithiss would have to backtrack on the ground to come to a place where the foliage could be broken through.</p><p></p><p>The ground thundered below Grixanthrosilithiss once he finally crashed to the ground. The ghostly figure did not feel the vibration as much as he noticed his surroundings shimmer slightly before his eyes. He didn’t need to turn around to sense the dragon’s fangs surge through the empty air behind him. The heat from the dragon’s normal breath was easily enough of a clue for him to realize that the pursuit was close behind.</p><p></p><p>Grixanthrosilithiss slide his long neck between the trees and snapped at the retreating figure. Once again the gemstone was just out of reach, his neck fell a matter of feet short once it was fully extended. The light-gray figure gained a few seconds advantage while Grixanthrosilithiss had to recoil his neck and find a path through the trees that his large body could follow. In the end, the great wyrm decided that it was simply easier to stand on his back feet and use his weight and front claws to topple the smaller trees than it was to find a path. It was slower, but it would get the job done and make it easier to fight once the battle was joined.</p><p></p><p>The light-gray figure smiled as he heard the trees snapping behind him. The reality was that with the trees snapping the dragon would likely not have a clear path to take to the sky once he was caught. It would be even more important that he kept the chase going as long as possible.</p><p></p><p>A short stone outcropping which rose up from the forest floor stood just ahead of the light-gray figure. The figure knew that Grixanthrosilithiss’s great strength was allowing him to gain from behind and this stone outcropping might provide him with the minute or two delay that he desired. The figure turned around to face his pursuer. Timing would be greatly important. The ghostly image looked up once more to judge the distance of the rock ledge above. When he returned his gaze back to the dragon he could see that Grixanthrosilithiss had slowed his approach. The dragon could sense that the figure was pinned between the dragon and the rock wall. </p><p></p><p>The wyrm began to chuckle. Grixanthrosilithiss looked as though he thought about talking and reminding the ghostly figure that the situation was hopeless; but at the last moment the dragon’s neck shot forward without having issued forth a word. The beast’s fangs snapped apart, spraying spittle across many of the trees in the area. The figure looked for only a fraction of a second into the dragon’s throat.</p><p></p><p>In a flash of motion, the ghostly figure tossed the dark red ruby up into the air once he was sure that the dragon’s jaws were open far enough to obscure the movement from his vision. As the stone flew into the air, the figure closed his eyes and stepped backwards into the rock behind him. Less than a second later the dragon’s jaws collided solidly with the rock outcropping. Grixanthrosilithiss roared again in rage as the figure eluded his grasp once more.</p><p></p><p>It didn’t take the wyrm long to understand what the ghostly figure had done to outsmart him. The part that took the most time was figuring out how to overcome the obstacle. The rock stretched far to both the left and the right. The dragon could easily go over, but the beast would need to clear several trees before there would be a hole large enough to jump upward. Even so, this seemed like the quickest option. Grixanthrosilithiss turned around as best as he could and began to wildly use his weight to knock down trees. It took the better part of a minute, but the wyrm eventually cleared a large enough hole to spread his wings and spring upward in a jump.</p><p></p><p>In a single bound Grixanthrosilithiss was able to leap onto the top of the rock. The gemstone wasn’t on top of the rock. Then again, Grixanthrosilithiss hadn’t expected it to be there. The dragon lowered its head to peer through the woods on the other side of the rock and could see the stone in quick retreat away from his position. The dragon smiled grimly as it realized that the chase was on once more. Grixanthrosilithiss roared and breathed forth a cone of fire in the direction he planned to go. The heat of the fire singed the smaller branched and shriveled the leaves, making the trees easier to knock down. After knocking a few trees to the ground from the top of the rock face Grixanthrosilithiss was able to jump down to the ground and continue the pursuit.</p><p></p><p>In spite of the best efforts to flee, the light-gray figure knew that he could not run forever. Instead, the figure determined that the rock face held his best chance for success. Slowly and surely the light-gray figure led the great wyrm in a circle and once again found himself approaching the rock face from a new direction. The dragon was closing once more. The figure had kept him busy long enough. It had been over an hour now. It was time to give up the chase. The task should have been accomplished.</p><p></p><p>As the figure approached the rock it released its grip upon the dark red ruby. The gemstone clanked solidly against the rock and fell to the bottom of the rock face. The figure vanished safely as it passed into the rock surface. Grixanthrosilithiss roared once more in fury as it realized that it would not have the opportunity of beating the thief who had tried to steal from his horde. Still, he had been gone from his horde long enough. The dragon roared once more and expelled another breath of fire in order to mark the forest. Rather than retreating to the place that it had originally descended to the forest floor, Grixanthrosilithiss spent a few seconds knocking over a few more trees. In this way the beast give itself room to run a few steps before surging upward into the sky.</p><p></p><p>Once it had taken the gemstone and launched itself into flight, the dragon looked down. From the sky it could trace the thin path of destruction that the chase had taken through the forest. The thin line of toppled trees showed the brilliance of the light-gray figure’s route. There was a strong intelligence behind the act. Yet Grixanthrosilithiss knew that the wyrm had not been able to be beaten. His horde was safe and once again complete. The dragon roared once more in an attempt to assert himself over his domain before turning straight for his lair.[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3160933, member: 35788"] While the exodus was occurring and while Rhema and Semeion were climbing the long steps up to the dragon’s lair, the light-gray figure clutched the large ruby as he slowly descended to the ground and the forest that would protect him. The red wyrm had already made several passes at the figure, but each of them missed by narrow margins. There could be no doubt that the dragon had a greater speed, but the light-gray figure possessed a sleek sense of timing that had served him well thus far. The light-gray figure slowed his approach to the treetops to allow the dragon one great pass before immersing himself into the cover. Grixanthrosilithiss saw his opportunity present itself and as he made a final turn he leveled off just above the tallest leaves of the forest. The wyrm flew in fast and hard, its leathery wings beating hard against the air. As he flew over the trees the thin branches at the top of the trees surged upward behind him as the breeze from his quick passing pulled them into the near vacuum that followed his presence. The dragon knew that the light-gray figure would not make the tree line before it could be intercepted. Grixanthrosilithiss was no slouch in regards to the presence of the ghost, either. Time and time again the dragon had snapped at the ghost’s body with his magical fangs but grasped towards the gemstone with its claws as it sailed by. This approach would be no different. In preparation for the attack the dragon parted his lips on approach and viciously snapped its jaws together in a mock bite of intimidation. The large dragon surged forward. At the last moment, the light-gray figure surged straight upward and above the dragon. Grixanthrosilithiss had not anticipated this maneuver. His fangs narrowly missed the ghostly figure’s feet. The wyrm thought about rolling over to allow him to attack upward with his claws. Yet the beast also knew that to do so would risk crashing into the treetops. The natural aerodynamics that lifted him into the air would only serve to assist gravity and pull him into the trees should he roll over this close to the foliage. Grixanthrosilithiss roared in anger as he sailed harmlessly past his stolen gemstone. The beast curved his neck in order to look behind him and watched the ghostly figure descend into the forest unharmed. Once the figure knew the dragon could not interfere, he relinquished his ability to hold onto the stone with a smile upon his face. It was time to allow gravity to work. Without releasing his fingers, the dark ruby fell unhindered from his grasp and down into the forest canopy. Now that the ghostly figure was no longer bound by physical laws, the ghost was able to follow the stone easily through the maze of branches toward the ground. While the gemstone ricocheted off of countless branches the ghost merely passed through them until he reached the ground. Once the gemstone had come to rest upon the soft ground below the trees the light-gray figure reconstituted his ability to grasp the stone and he bent down to pick it up. By this time the dragon had managed to loop around and come to a hovering position where he had seen the gemstone disappear. Grixanthrosilithiss sucked in a large breath of air and prepared to usher forth a great display of his most impressive draconic ability. As he exhaled, a torrent of orange, red, and blue flame poured forth from within his throat. The intensity of the flame singed the leaves on the trees below, although there was enough live wood in the way to prevent the flames from endangering the light-gray figure standing upon the ground below. The trees were in little danger of catching fire; the dragon’s breath wouldn’t last long enough to ignite the still growing wood. The burning of the leaves provided the dragon with the ability to see to the forest floor below him. For a split second he locked eyes with the ghostly figure that had stolen his gemstone. Rage continued to build up within the dragon at each successful attempt in which the light-gray figure eluded his draconic grasp. The dragon decided that the branches in the area could not resist his heavy weight. His claws spread out and his wings opened to smooth his decent. Slowly he began to fall into the trees, branches bending, groaning, and then eventually snapping as they slowly bore the burden of his great weight. The gray figure below saw the dragon’s tactics and smiled. Once the dragon was on the ground the density of the tree growth would limit his effectiveness in combat. The ghostly figure grasped the stone solidly and began to move off further to the east. The chase hadn’t lasted near long enough. By this time the village had enough time to be vacated and the villagers would be well on their way; but Semeion and Rhema should have only reached the dragon’s lair on foot by this point. He would need to lead the dragon deep into the thickest parts of the forest. That strategy would prevent the dragon from surging upward out of the forest as soon as the inevitable happened and the dragon caught up to the ghostly figure. Grixanthrosilithiss would have to backtrack on the ground to come to a place where the foliage could be broken through. The ground thundered below Grixanthrosilithiss once he finally crashed to the ground. The ghostly figure did not feel the vibration as much as he noticed his surroundings shimmer slightly before his eyes. He didn’t need to turn around to sense the dragon’s fangs surge through the empty air behind him. The heat from the dragon’s normal breath was easily enough of a clue for him to realize that the pursuit was close behind. Grixanthrosilithiss slide his long neck between the trees and snapped at the retreating figure. Once again the gemstone was just out of reach, his neck fell a matter of feet short once it was fully extended. The light-gray figure gained a few seconds advantage while Grixanthrosilithiss had to recoil his neck and find a path through the trees that his large body could follow. In the end, the great wyrm decided that it was simply easier to stand on his back feet and use his weight and front claws to topple the smaller trees than it was to find a path. It was slower, but it would get the job done and make it easier to fight once the battle was joined. The light-gray figure smiled as he heard the trees snapping behind him. The reality was that with the trees snapping the dragon would likely not have a clear path to take to the sky once he was caught. It would be even more important that he kept the chase going as long as possible. A short stone outcropping which rose up from the forest floor stood just ahead of the light-gray figure. The figure knew that Grixanthrosilithiss’s great strength was allowing him to gain from behind and this stone outcropping might provide him with the minute or two delay that he desired. The figure turned around to face his pursuer. Timing would be greatly important. The ghostly image looked up once more to judge the distance of the rock ledge above. When he returned his gaze back to the dragon he could see that Grixanthrosilithiss had slowed his approach. The dragon could sense that the figure was pinned between the dragon and the rock wall. The wyrm began to chuckle. Grixanthrosilithiss looked as though he thought about talking and reminding the ghostly figure that the situation was hopeless; but at the last moment the dragon’s neck shot forward without having issued forth a word. The beast’s fangs snapped apart, spraying spittle across many of the trees in the area. The figure looked for only a fraction of a second into the dragon’s throat. In a flash of motion, the ghostly figure tossed the dark red ruby up into the air once he was sure that the dragon’s jaws were open far enough to obscure the movement from his vision. As the stone flew into the air, the figure closed his eyes and stepped backwards into the rock behind him. Less than a second later the dragon’s jaws collided solidly with the rock outcropping. Grixanthrosilithiss roared again in rage as the figure eluded his grasp once more. It didn’t take the wyrm long to understand what the ghostly figure had done to outsmart him. The part that took the most time was figuring out how to overcome the obstacle. The rock stretched far to both the left and the right. The dragon could easily go over, but the beast would need to clear several trees before there would be a hole large enough to jump upward. Even so, this seemed like the quickest option. Grixanthrosilithiss turned around as best as he could and began to wildly use his weight to knock down trees. It took the better part of a minute, but the wyrm eventually cleared a large enough hole to spread his wings and spring upward in a jump. In a single bound Grixanthrosilithiss was able to leap onto the top of the rock. The gemstone wasn’t on top of the rock. Then again, Grixanthrosilithiss hadn’t expected it to be there. The dragon lowered its head to peer through the woods on the other side of the rock and could see the stone in quick retreat away from his position. The dragon smiled grimly as it realized that the chase was on once more. Grixanthrosilithiss roared and breathed forth a cone of fire in the direction he planned to go. The heat of the fire singed the smaller branched and shriveled the leaves, making the trees easier to knock down. After knocking a few trees to the ground from the top of the rock face Grixanthrosilithiss was able to jump down to the ground and continue the pursuit. In spite of the best efforts to flee, the light-gray figure knew that he could not run forever. Instead, the figure determined that the rock face held his best chance for success. Slowly and surely the light-gray figure led the great wyrm in a circle and once again found himself approaching the rock face from a new direction. The dragon was closing once more. The figure had kept him busy long enough. It had been over an hour now. It was time to give up the chase. The task should have been accomplished. As the figure approached the rock it released its grip upon the dark red ruby. The gemstone clanked solidly against the rock and fell to the bottom of the rock face. The figure vanished safely as it passed into the rock surface. Grixanthrosilithiss roared once more in fury as it realized that it would not have the opportunity of beating the thief who had tried to steal from his horde. Still, he had been gone from his horde long enough. The dragon roared once more and expelled another breath of fire in order to mark the forest. Rather than retreating to the place that it had originally descended to the forest floor, Grixanthrosilithiss spent a few seconds knocking over a few more trees. In this way the beast give itself room to run a few steps before surging upward into the sky. Once it had taken the gemstone and launched itself into flight, the dragon looked down. From the sky it could trace the thin path of destruction that the chase had taken through the forest. The thin line of toppled trees showed the brilliance of the light-gray figure’s route. There was a strong intelligence behind the act. Yet Grixanthrosilithiss knew that the wyrm had not been able to be beaten. His horde was safe and once again complete. The dragon roared once more in an attempt to assert himself over his domain before turning straight for his lair. [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] {Yes, I realize that for this post this section is redundant because there is no colored speech in the main post! :) } While the exodus was occurring and while Rhema and Semeion were climbing the long steps up to the dragon’s lair, the light-gray figure clutched the large ruby as he slowly descended to the ground and the forest that would protect him. The red wyrm had already made several passes at the figure, but each of them missed by narrow margins. There could be no doubt that the dragon had a greater speed, but the light-gray figure possessed a sleek sense of timing that had served him well thus far. The light-gray figure slowed his approach to the treetops to allow the dragon one great pass before immersing himself into the cover. Grixanthrosilithiss saw his opportunity present itself and as he made a final turn he leveled off just above the tallest leaves of the forest. The wyrm flew in fast and hard, its leathery wings beating hard against the air. As he flew over the trees the thin branches at the top of the trees surged upward behind him as the breeze from his quick passing pulled them into the near vacuum that followed his presence. The dragon knew that the light-gray figure would not make the tree line before it could be intercepted. Grixanthrosilithiss was no slouch in regards to the presence of the ghost, either. Time and time again the dragon had snapped at the ghost’s body with his magical fangs but grasped towards the gemstone with its claws as it sailed by. This approach would be no different. In preparation for the attack the dragon parted his lips on approach and viciously snapped its jaws together in a mock bite of intimidation. The large dragon surged forward. At the last moment, the light-gray figure surged straight upward and above the dragon. Grixanthrosilithiss had not anticipated this maneuver. His fangs narrowly missed the ghostly figure’s feet. The wyrm thought about rolling over to allow him to attack upward with his claws. Yet the beast also knew that to do so would risk crashing into the treetops. The natural aerodynamics that lifted him into the air would only serve to assist gravity and pull him into the trees should he roll over this close to the foliage. Grixanthrosilithiss roared in anger as he sailed harmlessly past his stolen gemstone. The beast curved his neck in order to look behind him and watched the ghostly figure descend into the forest unharmed. Once the figure knew the dragon could not interfere, he relinquished his ability to hold onto the stone with a smile upon his face. It was time to allow gravity to work. Without releasing his fingers, the dark ruby fell unhindered from his grasp and down into the forest canopy. Now that the ghostly figure was no longer bound by physical laws, the ghost was able to follow the stone easily through the maze of branches toward the ground. While the gemstone ricocheted off of countless branches the ghost merely passed through them until he reached the ground. Once the gemstone had come to rest upon the soft ground below the trees the light-gray figure reconstituted his ability to grasp the stone and he bent down to pick it up. By this time the dragon had managed to loop around and come to a hovering position where he had seen the gemstone disappear. Grixanthrosilithiss sucked in a large breath of air and prepared to usher forth a great display of his most impressive draconic ability. As he exhaled, a torrent of orange, red, and blue flame poured forth from within his throat. The intensity of the flame singed the leaves on the trees below, although there was enough live wood in the way to prevent the flames from endangering the light-gray figure standing upon the ground below. The trees were in little danger of catching fire; the dragon’s breath wouldn’t last long enough to ignite the still growing wood. The burning of the leaves provided the dragon with the ability to see to the forest floor below him. For a split second he locked eyes with the ghostly figure that had stolen his gemstone. Rage continued to build up within the dragon at each successful attempt in which the light-gray figure eluded his draconic grasp. The dragon decided that the branches in the area could not resist his heavy weight. His claws spread out and his wings opened to smooth his decent. Slowly he began to fall into the trees, branches bending, groaning, and then eventually snapping as they slowly bore the burden of his great weight. The gray figure below saw the dragon’s tactics and smiled. Once the dragon was on the ground the density of the tree growth would limit his effectiveness in combat. The ghostly figure grasped the stone solidly and began to move off further to the east. The chase hadn’t lasted near long enough. By this time the village had enough time to be vacated and the villagers would be well on their way; but Semeion and Rhema should have only reached the dragon’s lair on foot by this point. He would need to lead the dragon deep into the thickest parts of the forest. That strategy would prevent the dragon from surging upward out of the forest as soon as the inevitable happened and the dragon caught up to the ghostly figure. Grixanthrosilithiss would have to backtrack on the ground to come to a place where the foliage could be broken through. The ground thundered below Grixanthrosilithiss once he finally crashed to the ground. The ghostly figure did not feel the vibration as much as he noticed his surroundings shimmer slightly before his eyes. He didn’t need to turn around to sense the dragon’s fangs surge through the empty air behind him. The heat from the dragon’s normal breath was easily enough of a clue for him to realize that the pursuit was close behind. Grixanthrosilithiss slide his long neck between the trees and snapped at the retreating figure. Once again the gemstone was just out of reach, his neck fell a matter of feet short once it was fully extended. The light-gray figure gained a few seconds advantage while Grixanthrosilithiss had to recoil his neck and find a path through the trees that his large body could follow. In the end, the great wyrm decided that it was simply easier to stand on his back feet and use his weight and front claws to topple the smaller trees than it was to find a path. It was slower, but it would get the job done and make it easier to fight once the battle was joined. The light-gray figure smiled as he heard the trees snapping behind him. The reality was that with the trees snapping the dragon would likely not have a clear path to take to the sky once he was caught. It would be even more important that he kept the chase going as long as possible. A short stone outcropping which rose up from the forest floor stood just ahead of the light-gray figure. The figure knew that Grixanthrosilithiss’s great strength was allowing him to gain from behind and this stone outcropping might provide him with the minute or two delay that he desired. The figure turned around to face his pursuer. Timing would be greatly important. The ghostly image looked up once more to judge the distance of the rock ledge above. When he returned his gaze back to the dragon he could see that Grixanthrosilithiss had slowed his approach. The dragon could sense that the figure was pinned between the dragon and the rock wall. The wyrm began to chuckle. Grixanthrosilithiss looked as though he thought about talking and reminding the ghostly figure that the situation was hopeless; but at the last moment the dragon’s neck shot forward without having issued forth a word. The beast’s fangs snapped apart, spraying spittle across many of the trees in the area. The figure looked for only a fraction of a second into the dragon’s throat. In a flash of motion, the ghostly figure tossed the dark red ruby up into the air once he was sure that the dragon’s jaws were open far enough to obscure the movement from his vision. As the stone flew into the air, the figure closed his eyes and stepped backwards into the rock behind him. Less than a second later the dragon’s jaws collided solidly with the rock outcropping. Grixanthrosilithiss roared again in rage as the figure eluded his grasp once more. It didn’t take the wyrm long to understand what the ghostly figure had done to outsmart him. The part that took the most time was figuring out how to overcome the obstacle. The rock stretched far to both the left and the right. The dragon could easily go over, but the beast would need to clear several trees before there would be a hole large enough to jump upward. Even so, this seemed like the quickest option. Grixanthrosilithiss turned around as best as he could and began to wildly use his weight to knock down trees. It took the better part of a minute, but the wyrm eventually cleared a large enough hole to spread his wings and spring upward in a jump. In a single bound Grixanthrosilithiss was able to leap onto the top of the rock. The gemstone wasn’t on top of the rock. Then again, Grixanthrosilithiss hadn’t expected it to be there. The dragon lowered its head to peer through the woods on the other side of the rock and could see the stone in quick retreat away from his position. The dragon smiled grimly as it realized that the chase was on once more. Grixanthrosilithiss roared and breathed forth a cone of fire in the direction he planned to go. The heat of the fire singed the smaller branched and shriveled the leaves, making the trees easier to knock down. After knocking a few trees to the ground from the top of the rock face Grixanthrosilithiss was able to jump down to the ground and continue the pursuit. In spite of the best efforts to flee, the light-gray figure knew that he could not run forever. Instead, the figure determined that the rock face held his best chance for success. Slowly and surely the light-gray figure led the great wyrm in a circle and once again found himself approaching the rock face from a new direction. The dragon was closing once more. The figure had kept him busy long enough. It had been over an hour now. It was time to give up the chase. The task should have been accomplished. As the figure approached the rock it released its grip upon the dark red ruby. The gemstone clanked solidly against the rock and fell to the bottom of the rock face. The figure vanished safely as it passed into the rock surface. Grixanthrosilithiss roared once more in fury as it realized that it would not have the opportunity of beating the thief who had tried to steal from his horde. Still, he had been gone from his horde long enough. The dragon roared once more and expelled another breath of fire in order to mark the forest. Rather than retreating to the place that it had originally descended to the forest floor, Grixanthrosilithiss spent a few seconds knocking over a few more trees. In this way the beast give itself room to run a few steps before surging upward into the sky. Once it had taken the gemstone and launched itself into flight, the dragon looked down. From the sky it could trace the thin path of destruction that the chase had taken through the forest. The thin line of toppled trees showed the brilliance of the light-gray figure’s route. There was a strong intelligence behind the act. Yet Grixanthrosilithiss knew that the wyrm had not been able to be beaten. His horde was safe and once again complete. The dragon roared once more in an attempt to assert himself over his domain before turning straight for his lair.[/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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