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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Iron Sky" data-source="post: 4885916" data-attributes="member: 60965">Session 22, part 5It snowed all day as the turtle made its slow progress south.  As they neared the site of the Iron Sky battle, Harold motioned for them to stop and rode on ahead, dismounting and crawling through the fresh snow as he neared the top of the hill. Aside from jutting wooden weapon hafts protruding from the snow like the branches of a dead forest and the irregular mounds of the corpses, it was hard to tell there had been a battle.  He crawled on a little further, scanning the skies for Gem Eyes or any other sign of Iron Sky.  There was none, but there was a dragon.  He stood back up and mounted, then rode ahead, trotting slowly around the body of the large copper. His horse snorted and shied away at the scent of dragon, especially as he rode to the belly side where something had torn it open and scattered its entrails across the snow.  Bloody chunks of dragon meat lay scattered in the snow and blood spattered a wide, flattened swath of snow that led to the hills to the west.  He thought briefly of investigating on his own, but changed his mind and rode back to get the others. *** “This was an adult dragon,” Suniel said.  “I'm guessing it was killed by Iron Sky, then something else chewed on it.” “Harold, did you get snackish while you were scouting?” Kormak said, squatting next to the dragon's bared ribs. Bail stared at it and patted it on the flank. “Friend of yours?” Kormak said. “No,” Bail said, shaking his head.  “I've never-” A dozen creatures roared to the east, their ferocious cry only slightly muffled by the snow. “Everyone stay on the turtle,” Suniel yelled, sending his acolytes and followers scrambling back onto the scaffolding on the turtle's back.  Harold, Bail, Kormak, and Suniel spread out in an arc around the turtle awaiting whatever monsters might come. When they did come, it wasn't a they, but an it.  It came around a boulder at the base of the nearby hill, the pale blue scales of its dozen long necks gleaming.  Its massive body and long tail dragged through the snow towards them by two massive legs as a dozen heads twisted, thrashed, and roared. “Hydra,” Suniel said calmly, wondering where he'd heard about them as he detonated a blast of fire that flash-melted all the snow around the creature.  The hydra came on, snapping at the arrows that Harold sent into it like a dog biting at flies.  Kormak began to circle around behind it as Bail readied his massive adamantine greatsword. “Come beast, I'm waiting,” he shouted. Its heads all roared in unison and it charged Bail. Suniel began chanting another spell when it reached the half-dragon and all dozen heads exhaled gouts of ice and freezing air, enveloping Bail in a freezing hellstorm. Suniel unleashed his spell, blasting it again with fire as Harold rode around it and feathered it with arrows.  A moment later, Kormak leapt atop its back and sent vicious kicks thudding into its necks.  A minute later it lay still in the snow, heads splayed out in the disjointed, unnatural angles of death. Suniel joined Kormak pulling away the necks to dig out the unconscious half-dragon. “He alive?” Harold said, gazing down at the dead Hydra from atop his stallion. Kormak leaned an ear down next to Bail's mouth.  “Seems to be, though he's just about frozen and the ice cut him all over.” “I'm going to go scout where it came from, make sure there aren't more of them,” Harold said, turning and riding off. “Thanks for the help,” Kormak grumbled as he and Suniel struggled to lift the massive half-dragon. “Fortunately, we have plenty of help at hand,” Suniel said, turning and waving to the slowly emerging crowd atop the turtle.  “It's safe everyone.  Guntl, Shruka, everybody, come help us get him inside.” They were practically mobbed by helping hands lifting Bail away from him and hauling him into the open mouth of the turtle, Meepo walking along beside him holding one massive hand in his own. “Come on, Kormak,” Suniel said, climbing over the turtle and heading after Harold.  “Lets make sure he doesn't get himself killed fighting an actual pack of the things.”</blockquote>

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