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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3196623" data-attributes="member: 35788">Chapter Fourteen: FIDELITY THROUGH PIETYTwenty three days of as near of a normal life as possible passed for the people underground.  Life was made considerably easier for the people of the village with Semeion’s return.  Those who were venturing out into the caverns to collect water no longer had to choose between holding a shield and holding a torch.  Semeion magically enchanted shields so that they acted as beacons of light.  Within the cavern the villagers continued to light fires for heat, but Semeion’s magic helped everything else including improving the taste of the stored food.Outside the mountain, Grixanthrosilithiss lifted his head from where it laid upon the perch.  He thought for an instant that he saw movement along the horizon.  He focused hard as he looked to the north.  His scaled draconic eyelids squeezed together as the father dragon peered as hard as he could.  The glimmer of light that had caught his eye had vanished; but the dragon was not convinced that it had been in his imagination.The red wyrm lifted his massive body off of the rock surface and uncoiled his wings.  He leapt off of the mountain edge on the Quehalost side and plummeted toward the earth.  As he picked up speed he quickly unfurled his wings and pulled upward into a surge.  His wings beat hard and he easily climbed back to his original height and beyond.  He navigated his way along the mountain ridge until he approached his perch on the Tongra side of the mountains.  He landed upon his perch and examined the horizon from his closer position.  Once more his eyes squinted.  This time they saw the glint of light that he knew was there.  In fact, there were three glimmers of light, not just one.Grixanthrosilithiss smiled and spoke to himself.  “So, they finally come.  This is what the villagers have been waiting for underneath the mountain.  There apparently is a greater power working against me.  This time the force is organizing my villagers to rise up against me.  They will fail, and I will find those responsible and kill them.”  The red wyrm lowered his body to the ground and tried to blend in with the side of the mountain.  He had already seen the glint coming toward him.  There was no need to let them see him in return.Slowly the glint of light drew closer.  Scores of minutes passed as the red wyrm stayed still, trying to blend in with the side of the mountain.  He watch as his opponents came steadily closer, now skimming just over the top of the trees.  As they drew increasingly closer, Grixanthrosilithiss was able to identify his opponents in greater detail.  Again he spoke to himself, thinking out loud as he did.  “Of course they would bring the support of the dragons of the north lands.  It is no matter.  The cowardice of the gold, silver, and bronze beasts flying toward me will show through as they face against my greatness.  My wrath with overcome their timidity in battle.  Their noble ways will succumb to my raw power.”As the trio of dragons drew closer to the mountain they tightened up their ranks and closed in on the tops of the trees.  They planned to come in low.  Grixanthrosilithiss noticed that the silver dragon had a rider, but the rider was obviously not a mounted combatant.  The rider carried no lance or spear.  With the exception of being a sentry upon the beast’s back he would serve no purpose.  The red wyrm knew that there were few human magicians of whom he needed to have any fear regarding their magical power.The trio of dragons quickly reached the edge of the mountain and they began to soar up the mountainous incline.  Suddenly the silver dragon broke apart from the trio and landed just outside the tunnel entrance that Rhema and Ischarus always used to enter the mountainous depths from the Tongra side.  Once the dragon had settled lightly upon the rock perch the silver wyrm lowered his head and allowed the rider to disembark.The rider slid off the dragon’s back and continued to protest to the silver dragon.  “Ausaphaborishan, I do not see why I cannot at least watch the battle from the safety of this landing!”The dragon smiled and turned his head to face the rider.  “Ischarus, in my five hundred and twenty years of fighting evil – especially evil dragons – I know that it is no place for my children.  There may come a time when you can face a dragon and be victorious, but right now Llywessiar is correct.  You would be a pawn waiting to be used against us.  Should your life be threatened our position would be weakened.  Now go into the cave and bring forth your people.  The three of us led by Llywessiar will handle the red wyrm called Grixanthrosilithiss.”Ischarus frowned, but knew that the advice given by the gold dragon and relayed to him by the silver dragon would most likely prove correct.  There was little he could do in combat.  He knew that he wanted to watch simply for the sake of his own curiosity.  He smiled and raised a challenging finger toward the dragon’s face.  “You must promise to tell me stories of the battle when I return home, dragon father.  I want to hear every detail of your great victory.  I will hear of how Llywessiar the gold wyrm, Sappurapolician the bronze wyrm, and my dragon father Ausaphaborishan the silver wyrm defeated the red wyrm Grixanthrosilithiss of Quehalost.  I will tell those tales to my children!”The silver dragon allowed a deep rumble to issue from his chest.  “That is the fire that I have come to love, Ischarus.  That is why I sent you into the world – into Quehalost.  You make me proud with your passion.”  The dragon lifted its right front foot and very delicately rubbed the top of Ischarus’ head.  Although Ischarus was clearly a grown man, he felt very much like a little child again as he stood beside the great silver wyrm.  The dragon gave Ischarus a cue to leave.  “Now go, Ischarus.  Llywessiar will get mad if you stay too much longer.”Ischarus bowed lowly and turned into the tunnel.  As he did, Ausaphaborishan smiled.  He would give him one more gift.  He muttered the single arcane word that Semeion had used so often.  “Arack.”  Ischarus’ sword illuminated as if it were a torch.  The Drakontos man turned around and smiled at his dragon father before turning back and charging deeper into the tunnels.While Ischarus was talking with his dragon father, Llywessiar and Sappurapolician climbed a few dozen feet before performing a wingover maneuver and flying across the surface of the trees once more.  They circled just above the trees until they saw Ischarus head into the tunnel.  Llywessiar turned his great head in the direction of the smaller bronze dragon and smiled.  “Sappurapolician, the time has come to chase evil from our land.  The red threatens to push its way out of Quehalost and such an action will not be tolerated.”The bronze dragon smiled in return, knowing that it flew with a dragon who was much more experienced in these matters that he was.  In fact, Sappurapolician knew that he was the youngest and smallest of the three.  Yet the dragon council had chosen him to fly with both Llywessiar and Ausaphaborishan.  The young bronze dragon would make them proud.  “It is as good a day to die as any, Llywessiar.”The gold wyrm laughed as he approached Ausaphaborishan’s position.  “Especially if you are evil!”  The deep voice of the tremendous gold dragon rumbled across the valley.Ausaphaborishan launched himself into the air to join his flight partners.  “It is as good of a day as any, that is for sure.  Any day that an entire evil dragon loses control of all those he oppresses is a good day!”The dragons circled atop the trees once more and picked up speed.  The sight of the massive dragon flight was absolutely tremendous.  Sappurapolician was the smallest of the three, although in practicality he was only slightly smaller than Ausaphaborishan.  The body of the silver was more massive, but the bronze dragon’s tail extended out farther than his silver’s counterpart.  Both dragons were dwarfed by the older and more mature gold leader.  Llywessiar was easily over thirty feet longer than either of the other dragons and his tail itself was over forty feet in length.Perhaps the most impressive sight in consideration of their size was their tremendous wingspan.  Outside of coloration, the bronze and the silver looked similar from below.  As they prepared to climb the steep face of the mountains, each of the dragons extended their wings to the maximum possible wingspan.  The webbing between the bronze dragon’s forward three phalanges was quite visible.  The actual wing connected to the rear of the third phalange and both wings together spanned slightly over sixty feet in width.  From a position above the bronze dragon it was possible to see the sunlight glistening off of his metallic skin.  The dragon cast a large shadow below.Ausaphaborishan’s silhouette looked quite similar to Sappurapolician’s silhouette except that the wing connected to the back of the second phalange and there was no visible webbing between the forward phalanges.  Altogether, the silver wyrm’s wingspan stretched almost to eighty feet.The most impressive silhouette was cast by Llywessiar.  Rather than casting a silhouette like that of a bird and the other dragons, Llywessiar’s silhouette was like that of a kite.  The gold dragon’s wingspan was only slightly wider than that of the silver dragon’s wingspan, but the fact that the wing ran from the dragon’s shoulders all the way back to the tip of the tail gave this dragon an impressive shadow.  From below, the gold dragon looked like an enormous triangular kite rippling shoulder to tail in the wind.The dragons made the turn and began ascending the mountain face to meet the opposing red wyrm.  As they did, three cries sounded from within the forest beneath them.  At the sound of the cries, each of the dragons turned their heads back to see three green dragons leaping out of the forest.  The dragons were all smaller than either Llywessiar or Ausaphaborishan.  Most likely these dragons were a family unit that felt threatened by the sudden appearance of such powerful foes.The largest of the green dragons surged forward and was flanked by the other two.  “I am Kalliaxis and bring Starigonnilann and Aurigraphillienne to fight with me.  You will regret trespassing over our forest!”Grixanthrosilithiss saw the green dragons surge up behind the trio.  He laughed as he saw his advantage.  The green dragons were far from being his allies, yet he was not opposed to using them to lessen his own fight.  One last time before the battle was joined he spoke arrogantly to himself.  “The enemy of my enemies is my friend, at least temporarily.”  The red wyrm stood up with great speed and grace and leapt off his draconic perch along the mountain face.  He looked down upon the three dragons that were now outnumbered.  “You have come for me, gold?  Then meet Grixanthrosilithiss and meet your death!”Llywessair snapped his head around at the challenge from the red wyrm above the trio of dragons.  “Four on three, I like these odds!  You will grow up today, Sappurapolician”[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]Chapter Fourteen: FIDELITY THROUGH PIETYTwenty three days of as near of a normal life as possible passed for the people underground. Life was made considerably easier for the people of the village with Semeion’s return. Those who were venturing out into the caverns to collect water no longer had to choose between holding a shield and holding a torch. Semeion magically enchanted shields so that they acted as beacons of light. Within the cavern the villagers continued to light fires for heat, but Semeion’s magic helped everything else including improving the taste of the stored food.Outside the mountain, Grixanthrosilithiss lifted his head from where it laid upon the perch. He thought for an instant that he saw movement along the horizon. He focused hard as he looked to the north. His scaled draconic eyelids squeezed together as the father dragon peered as hard as he could. The glimmer of light that had caught his eye had vanished; but the dragon was not convinced that it had been in his imagination.The red wyrm lifted his massive body off of the rock surface and uncoiled his wings. He leapt off of the mountain edge on the Quehalost side and plummeted toward the earth. As he picked up speed he quickly unfurled his wings and pulled upward into a surge. His wings beat hard and he easily climbed back to his original height and beyond. He navigated his way along the mountain ridge until he approached his perch on the Tongra side of the mountains. He landed upon his perch and examined the horizon from his closer position. Once more his eyes squinted. This time they saw the glint of light that he knew was there. In fact, there were three glimmers of light, not just one.Grixanthrosilithiss smiled and spoke to himself. “So, they finally come. This is what the villagers have been waiting for underneath the mountain. There apparently is a greater power working against me. This time the force is organizing my villagers to rise up against me. They will fail, and I will find those responsible and kill them.” The red wyrm lowered his body to the ground and tried to blend in with the side of the mountain. He had already seen the glint coming toward him. There was no need to let them see him in return.Slowly the glint of light drew closer. Scores of minutes passed as the red wyrm stayed still, trying to blend in with the side of the mountain. He watch as his opponents came steadily closer, now skimming just over the top of the trees. As they drew increasingly closer, Grixanthrosilithiss was able to identify his opponents in greater detail. Again he spoke to himself, thinking out loud as he did. “Of course they would bring the support of the dragons of the north lands. It is no matter. The cowardice of the gold, silver, and bronze beasts flying toward me will show through as they face against my greatness. My wrath with overcome their timidity in battle. Their noble ways will succumb to my raw power.”As the trio of dragons drew closer to the mountain they tightened up their ranks and closed in on the tops of the trees. They planned to come in low. Grixanthrosilithiss noticed that the silver dragon had a rider, but the rider was obviously not a mounted combatant. The rider carried no lance or spear. With the exception of being a sentry upon the beast’s back he would serve no purpose. The red wyrm knew that there were few human magicians of whom he needed to have any fear regarding their magical power.The trio of dragons quickly reached the edge of the mountain and they began to soar up the mountainous incline. Suddenly the silver dragon broke apart from the trio and landed just outside the tunnel entrance that Rhema and Ischarus always used to enter the mountainous depths from the Tongra side. Once the dragon had settled lightly upon the rock perch the silver wyrm lowered his head and allowed the rider to disembark.The rider slid off the dragon’s back and continued to protest to the silver dragon. “Ausaphaborishan, I do not see why I cannot at least watch the battle from the safety of this landing!”The dragon smiled and turned his head to face the rider. “Ischarus, in my five hundred and twenty years of fighting evil – especially evil dragons – I know that it is no place for my children. There may come a time when you can face a dragon and be victorious, but right now Llywessiar is correct. You would be a pawn waiting to be used against us. Should your life be threatened our position would be weakened. Now go into the cave and bring forth your people. The three of us led by Llywessiar will handle the red wyrm called Grixanthrosilithiss.”Ischarus frowned, but knew that the advice given by the gold dragon and relayed to him by the silver dragon would most likely prove correct. There was little he could do in combat. He knew that he wanted to watch simply for the sake of his own curiosity. He smiled and raised a challenging finger toward the dragon’s face. “You must promise to tell me stories of the battle when I return home, dragon father. I want to hear every detail of your great victory. I will hear of how Llywessiar the gold wyrm, Sappurapolician the bronze wyrm, and my dragon father Ausaphaborishan the silver wyrm defeated the red wyrm Grixanthrosilithiss of Quehalost. I will tell those tales to my children!”The silver dragon allowed a deep rumble to issue from his chest. “That is the fire that I have come to love, Ischarus. That is why I sent you into the world – into Quehalost. You make me proud with your passion.” The dragon lifted its right front foot and very delicately rubbed the top of Ischarus’ head. Although Ischarus was clearly a grown man, he felt very much like a little child again as he stood beside the great silver wyrm. The dragon gave Ischarus a cue to leave. “Now go, Ischarus. Llywessiar will get mad if you stay too much longer.”Ischarus bowed lowly and turned into the tunnel. As he did, Ausaphaborishan smiled. He would give him one more gift. He muttered the single arcane word that Semeion had used so often. “Arack.” Ischarus’ sword illuminated as if it were a torch. The Drakontos man turned around and smiled at his dragon father before turning back and charging deeper into the tunnels.While Ischarus was talking with his dragon father, Llywessiar and Sappurapolician climbed a few dozen feet before performing a wingover maneuver and flying across the surface of the trees once more. They circled just above the trees until they saw Ischarus head into the tunnel. Llywessiar turned his great head in the direction of the smaller bronze dragon and smiled. “Sappurapolician, the time has come to chase evil from our land. The red threatens to push its way out of Quehalost and such an action will not be tolerated.”The bronze dragon smiled in return, knowing that it flew with a dragon who was much more experienced in these matters that he was. In fact, Sappurapolician knew that he was the youngest and smallest of the three. Yet the dragon council had chosen him to fly with both Llywessiar and Ausaphaborishan. The young bronze dragon would make them proud. “It is as good a day to die as any, Llywessiar.”The gold wyrm laughed as he approached Ausaphaborishan’s position. “Especially if you are evil!” The deep voice of the tremendous gold dragon rumbled across the valley.Ausaphaborishan launched himself into the air to join his flight partners. “It is as good of a day as any, that is for sure. Any day that an entire evil dragon loses control of all those he oppresses is a good day!”The dragons circled atop the trees once more and picked up speed. The sight of the massive dragon flight was absolutely tremendous. Sappurapolician was the smallest of the three, although in practicality he was only slightly smaller than Ausaphaborishan. The body of the silver was more massive, but the bronze dragon’s tail extended out farther than his silver’s counterpart. Both dragons were dwarfed by the older and more mature gold leader. Llywessiar was easily over thirty feet longer than either of the other dragons and his tail itself was over forty feet in length.Perhaps the most impressive sight in consideration of their size was their tremendous wingspan. Outside of coloration, the bronze and the silver looked similar from below. As they prepared to climb the steep face of the mountains, each of the dragons extended their wings to the maximum possible wingspan. The webbing between the bronze dragon’s forward three phalanges was quite visible. The actual wing connected to the rear of the third phalange and both wings together spanned slightly over sixty feet in width. From a position above the bronze dragon it was possible to see the sunlight glistening off of his metallic skin. The dragon cast a large shadow below.Ausaphaborishan’s silhouette looked quite similar to Sappurapolician’s silhouette except that the wing connected to the back of the second phalange and there was no visible webbing between the forward phalanges. Altogether, the silver wyrm’s wingspan stretched almost to eighty feet.The most impressive silhouette was cast by Llywessiar. Rather than casting a silhouette like that of a bird and the other dragons, Llywessiar’s silhouette was like that of a kite. The gold dragon’s wingspan was only slightly wider than that of the silver dragon’s wingspan, but the fact that the wing ran from the dragon’s shoulders all the way back to the tip of the tail gave this dragon an impressive shadow. From below, the gold dragon looked like an enormous triangular kite rippling shoulder to tail in the wind.The dragons made the turn and began ascending the mountain face to meet the opposing red wyrm. As they did, three cries sounded from within the forest beneath them. At the sound of the cries, each of the dragons turned their heads back to see three green dragons leaping out of the forest. The dragons were all smaller than either Llywessiar or Ausaphaborishan. Most likely these dragons were a family unit that felt threatened by the sudden appearance of such powerful foes.The largest of the green dragons surged forward and was flanked by the other two. “I am Kalliaxis and bring Starigonnilann and Aurigraphillienne to fight with me. You will regret trespassing over our forest!”Grixanthrosilithiss saw the green dragons surge up behind the trio. He laughed as he saw his advantage. The green dragons were far from being his allies, yet he was not opposed to using them to lessen his own fight. One last time before the battle was joined he spoke arrogantly to himself. “The enemy of my enemies is my friend, at least temporarily.” The red wyrm stood up with great speed and grace and leapt off his draconic perch along the mountain face. He looked down upon the three dragons that were now outnumbered. “You have come for me, gold? Then meet Grixanthrosilithiss and meet your death!”Llywessair snapped his head around at the challenge from the red wyrm above the trio of dragons. “Four on three, I like these odds! You will grow up today, Sappurapolician”[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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