Draconic Defenders (Ranarath)

OoC: I suggest listening to "System of a Down - ATWA" while reading this.

BiC: Darril’s broadsword flashed through the air, trailing a crimson arc. Blood splattered across the dragoon’s shirt as he pulled his blade free from the wiggling body of a goblin. Digging the toe of his left boot into the soft, blood-soaked earth, Darril spun around, slicing the monster behind him in half. The young warrior continued the rotation, turning a full circle and raising Dragon’s Fire to block a descending axe. A scaled and clawed hand shot out to grab the shaft of the axe, Dragon’s Fire slipping under and into the axe-wielding orc.

Darril yelled in primal rage as he tore the broadsword out to the side, a fresh tide of blood flying through the air to spray both Darril and the goblinoids surrounding him. Pain lanced through the dragoon’s arm as a short sword bit into it. Another lance of pain coursed through his leg as an arrow embedded itself in his thigh. Screaming in rage and pain, Darril hacked furiously at his enemies, goblins and orcs dropping before his fury. Yet the dragoon took his own share of hits, overwhelmed by the sheer number of raiders.

Swords rang throughout the dale as the young man tried valiantly to turn back the tide of monsters. Blood soaked the air as well as the earth, blades throwing it into the air constantly. Death and battle cries echoed forever in the dale, orcs and goblins falling at every turn. Flames consumed Darril’s blade, setting his foes afire as it ran through them. The winged man fought not only with his broadsword, but with his transformed hands and feet as well, his talons claiming their fair share of lives. Flames spewed forth from the dragoon’s hands, raking the goblinoid ranks mercilessly.

Yet it was not enough, Darril knew. There were simply too many of them. Desperate, Darril dove deep down to the heart of his draconic powers, readying his trump card. His final card. Blood-red scales formed over the dragoon’s body as he began to grow. His limbs expanded exponentially, his entire form lengthening. A tail grew from his back as his legs bent and his head warped, his scale-covered face enlarging and lengthening.

The dragon that was Darril threw back his head, letting loose a roar that shook the mountains surrounding the dale. Flames devoured orcs and goblins furiously, gigantic claws crushed gnolls, and his spiked tail speared them all. Darril fought with everything he had. There was no other choice. He would fight, or he would die. Bodies flew through the air as the dragon raked them aside. He crushed countless foes under his clawed feet and snapped just as many with his razor-sharp jaws. Yes, he would fight. He would fight with everything he had to survive.

<====}=0 – 0={====>

Darril wavered dangerously as he glided through the air. Blood flowed freely from countless wounds, his arms, legs, chest, head, and back soaked with it. Too freely did the blood fall in a crimson rain, each drop leaving the dragoon overhead weaker and weaker. His vision wavered and twisted, the young warrior unable to discern what he was seeing. In the end, he had succeeded in escaping, but not without paying a heavy toll, though he did send many of his ambushers to the afterlife. But still, how could he hope to survive? He was too weak to describe, his powers exhausted. He had more wounded spots than he did unwounded. He wondered if he even had any blood left in him.

In his dazed, helpless flight, the dragoon slammed into a stone wall and crumpled to the ground in a sodden, bloody heap.

OoC: Right, so, Darril and Kai have to help defend a castle against countless hordes of goblins, orcs, gnolls, and whatever else our imaginations can come up with.

“Again,” her father stated calmly. Kai was kneeing on the ground, panting from the effort of sword-combat. Both of them held simple wooden weapons for training, albeit she held a smaller one than her father. She looked up at the large earth dragoon. He looked back at her with stern, silvery eyes, waiting for her to get up. Well, she had begged him to teach her how to fight. The young dragoon shouldn’t have even suspected that it would be easy. The female stood on her feet, which ached, and put her wooden sword in a combat position. Then she charged.

~

The song of a bird slowly brought the lightning dragoon out of her reminiscing dream. Kai yawned and then stretched, taking care not to lean to one side and fall out of the tree she had slept in. She preferred the outdoors to the cramped inns where humans liked to sleep. Though, a bed did beat out a tree branch most of the time. The woman blinked a few times at the late morning sun, she had slept in a little later than intended. I always seem to be sleeping in later now, she mused. Then she jumped to her feet and stretched again, mainly allowing her wings freedom now. The sunlight glinted of her violet wings. Well, what to do now? she questioned and glanced around the forest below her, I don’t really need to take on any more jobs. I suppose I shall just end up exploring this place a little more. She was about to jump down when voices made their way up to her. The guttural sounds of goblinoids.

“So, when are we suppose to attack this castle?” one gruff voice asked with annoyance, “I want to see some dead humans already.”

“If it’s not soon, more than half of us will go by ourselves, which I wouldn’t protest again,” a second, more nasally voice complained, “They say stuff about strategy when we could just run over them and rip their hearts out.” Soon enough, three goblins came into the dragoon’s sight. Their skin was a muddy green and brown color like dead leaves. They wore simple chain-mail shirts, tattered shorts, and horned helmets. Both their feet and hands were uncovered an showed sharp and jagged black nails. They carried an assortment of weapons: one with a broadsword, the second with a short sword and a small battle-axe, and the last one carried a crossbow.

“Who cares what’s being planned as long as we get to kill those stupid humans and raid their castle,” the third one said, seemingly annoyed by his partners’ bickering.

The first one waved his sword haphazardly, “But they’re taking up time. The humans will probably notice something since they’re always hunting us.”

The crossbow-wielder rolled his eyes, “Humans are too busy with their own stuff to notice us until we attack and by then we’ll be ripping their throats out.” He punctuated his statement with a throaty laugh. His laugh didn’t last long, however, as he was suddenly face-down in the grass with something heavy on his back.

“Interesting plan you have,” Kai said while drawing her sword. The other two goblins back away for a second but their courage seemed to return rather quickly.

“You’re just a human woman,” the one with the short sword sneered, “Goblins know woman of any race can’t fight.” He licked his lips as both of them started to circle her, probably thinking she would be a tasty morsel for their trip. When one leaped at her, instead of dodging to the side, she merely extended one of her wings quickly and knocked the goblin back. That left both in shock.

“W-what?!” the broadsword-wielder, the one that had been hit aside, stuttered, “You have wings!”

“That’s right. I’m no human and, if you don’t want to die, I suggest to run,” the lightning-alined woman stated calmly with her best threatening look. She really wasn’t interested in killing them but, thankfully, her little intimidation worked. Both creatures gapped at her for a second and then fled as though she was chasing them. She chuckled and then looked down at the one she was standing on. The crossbow goblin wasn’t squirming anymore, probably because he had heard the fact that she wasn’t human. However, he was shouting something that couldn’t be understood from his current position. So Kai stepped off his back and allowed him to get up, though she still had Raisen in her hand.

“Don’t kill me!” the scared creature pleaded as soon as he looked at her.

“If you tell me what this battle is about, I may consider it,” the dragoon replied.

The goblin’s body shook, “T-there’s an attack planned on a human castle in this forest. They’ve always hunted us and killed us whenever they could so now we have a plan to strike back and kill them all.”

Kai mulled over what he said, “And who planned this attack?”

“I-I don’t know,” was the shaken reply. She didn’t think he was lying. From the looks of it, this goblin and his friends were probably going to be part of the first wave which meant they would also be the first to die. The female had a feeling he wouldn’t see any victory even if there was one. Unfortunately, while she thought this over, the sneaky creature had loaded his crossbow and aimed a bolt right at her chest. He fired and it plinked right off of her chain-mail. In a flash, Raisen was stabbed into his throat.

The dragoon grimaced as she pulled the sword out and the dead body fell to the ground, I suppose that’s what I get for not paying attention. If I didn’t have this armor, I’d be dead instead of him. Then she looked towards the east, I remember seeing a castle near the beginning of this forest. That’s probably the one they’re talking about. I had avoided it on my flight in but it seems I’ll be making a stop there after all. She spread her violet wings and launched into the air. Flying away did make her feel better.

~

After circling the fortress for a little bit, Kai landed in the trees so she wouldn’t be seen. Humans weren’t suppose to know about dragoons in the first place not to mention she wasn’t sure how they would react when they saw her. Folding her wings behind her cloak, she walked into the opening and up to the gate.

“Halt or be killed,” came a commanding voice. The dragoon didn’t dare disobey. A human sentry stood at the top of the wall and looked down at her with distaste, “What is your reason for coming here?”

She looked up at him, “I have heard of goblins planning an attack on this castle. I came to warn you about it.”

He studied her for a second, “Goblins? There hasn’t been too many sightings of them lately and, just earlier today, we found a young man with wounds caused by goblin weapons. These are ill omens and make your claims believable. Come but be warned, any violent behavior and you will be executed on the spot.” The large gate leading into the castle opened. As Kai walked in, two heavily armored guards flanked her and led her into the castle itself.

Darril winced as he shifted his bandaged leg. The dragoon was literally covered in bandages, as well as a few splints. The white cloth wound up both legs, across his stomach, back, and chest, and around both shoulders, running down the length of both arms. On top of that, his left arm and right leg were bound tightly between a pair of boards, sticking out stiffly. And that wasn’t all; his head too was heavily bandaged, almost to the point where the thick layering could serve as a helmet. He thought his body looked oddly bulky with all of the bandages under his cloths.

Once he had regained consciousness, the young dragoon had found himself both bandaged and, curiously, chained. Darril currently sat against a cold, stone wall, his right arm held above his head by a thick chain and manacle. A similarly heavy manacle was clasped around his left ankle, snaking across the dirt-covered floor to the wall on his left. The cell was dark; the only light a thin, golden sliver that leaked under the iron door across the room.

Darril sighed. Again. The whole situation was terribly frustrating. Since he had arrived here—wherever here was—he had not been granted any explanation other than, “The Lord is considering your presence here.” Frankly, Darril couldn’t understand what there was to consider. He would stay a quiet guest in “The Lord’s” home until his wounds were healed enough that he could leave, upon which he would graciously and humbly thank the Lord for his hospitality. As far as Darril was considered, the need to chain him was beyond his understanding.

No, the young man told himself. That was a lie. He understood; understood as he always had. Humans feared him, feared him because he was different. In all aspects, he was the same as them—save for his wings. The same wings that were—ironically—the only part of him not completely bound in white dressings. Not only was the whole situation frustrating, it was angering, as well as depressing. The young man had done nothing wrong or suspicious (other than crashing into the castle drenched in blood), and yet, he was a prisoner until the lord decided otherwise. Why? He had wings. The captive sighed again.

Nowhere could he find acceptance. The damned fearful humans were too afraid of his appearance to listen to a word he said, the other outcasts were usually too damned creepy or untrustworthy for Darril to be around comfortably, and his own people rejected him. What a way to live life. And it was more than that. There were plenty of winged creatures. Angels, for instance. If a human saw an angel, they would fall to their knees and praise it without reservation. If a human saw a vampire, they would either try to kill it, or find someone else to kill it. But Darril. . . Darril confused them. Few humans had seen one of Darril’s ilk, and they did not know how to act. They didn’t know if they should try and kill him or welcome him; which often led to uncomfortable situations, usually ending up with Darril fighting for his life and freedom, for fear always won over reason.

It was too damned frustrating. And angering. And saddening. The dragoon shook his head and banged his splinted leg the pain awakening him from his depression. No, never, he told himself. Even if it was frustrating, even if it was maddening, he would not fall into despair. He would walk forward, as he always had, head held high. That was all he could do. Whatever befell him, he had to walk forward.

The warrior’s thoughts were interrupted as the door across from him swung open, the rusted hinges screeching loudly. A heavily armored man stomped into the room, his eyes narrowed as he looked down his nose at the wounded dragoon. Darril’s eyes narrowed right back at the man. Of course, there was always this type. The type who thought he was better than anyone and everyone not made of his own moldings. Prejudiced bastard.

“You with come with us, before the Lord Duke Kel’Rese.” The man said airily, his voice full of disdain and superiority. “He will decide your fate.” Darril scoffed at that as another, smaller man sidled around the armored one and bent to unlock Darril’s manacles. His fate was to be decided for him, was it? We’ll see about that! The dragoon though, using the wall to pull himself upright.

Neither of the guards said anything as they led Darril between them through a long series of staircases and hallways, each section gradually more grandeur-filled than that last as they ascended the dungeons. Finally, the group stopped abruptly before a huge set of double doors, another pair of heavily armored guards standing on either side of it. The tall, burly one who had spoken to Darril nodded curtly at them, and they pushed against the doors, straining even between the two of them. As the iron bound oaken doors creaked open, the main hall and throne were laid open to Darril’s eyes.

It was grander than anything the dragoon had ever seen before. The hall was huge, easily two hundred square feet, and decoratively carved marble pillars stood at regular intervals. Colorful tapestries inlaid with golden threads covered the walls, and banners sporting the same golden lion hung down in rows from the ceiling, which was so high that Darril couldn’t even tell if he was seeing the end of it or merely shadows. Between the gaps in the tapestries were tall, church-like windows, sunlight streaming through them gloriously. Darril loved it. Before, the dragoon had always stayed outdoors, the only buildings he ever entered inns or taverns. Even the dwellings of his homeland were not this grand. Oh, the royal residences probably were, but he had never even come close to viewing those wondrous sights.

He did not, however, love the countless courtiers milling about aimlessly. And the moment the doors swung open and the wounded, winged Darril stepped out onto the marble floor, every pair of eyes in the room swerved to stare at him. Silence grasped the crowd like an invisible, monstrous hand as the guards lead Darril into the hall. The crowd parted without a word as the trio approached the end of the hall, where Duke—and Darril couldn’t fathom how a duke alone could live in a place like this—Kel’Rese sat in a large throne. As expected, the man was as glorious as his hall. Even from the distance he was, Darril could see the obvious pride and power in the man’s posture. He was ruggedly handsome and richly dressed, looking more a king—no, an emperor—than a duke.

With a wave of a confident hand, the Duke dismissed court, the myriad of people instantly milling towards the large double doors, although their eyes remained locked on Darril, the guards, and the Duke the entire time. When the last of the courtiers had left, the doors closed slowly with a resounding thud, somehow leaving Darril with the impression of his fate being closed just as firmly and hopelessly.

“Pray, sir, be at ease and welcome in my court.” The Duke said, nodding his head graciously towards Darril. Despite the man’s warmth and politeness, Darril had to fight from laughing right in his face.

“Welcome? You call this welcome?” He asked exasperatedly, his eyes wide. Kel’Rese grimaced, although Darril could tell that his response was not entirely unanticipated.

“Please, forgive my men their caution and hastiness. I admit that they acted rashly and rudely. Had I know before the matter, I would have had you put in a more welcoming place.” The Duke paused a moment, his face thoughtful. “Although, they were not entirely without reason.” He added, apparently opting for a straightforward and honest discussion. “Forgive me, but you are . . . “ The Duke stumbled as he searched for the right words.

“Different?” The dragoon asked, one eyebrow raised. “Unknown? Weird? Dangerous?” The more he spoke, the more the young warrior’s emotions overwhelmed him, until he thought he would explode at any moment. Visibly calming himself, Darril looked back up at the Duke.

“Ah, well, yes.” Kel’Rese said somewhat nervously, although somehow understandingly. “You must understand that my men have never encountered one such as you, and were unsure in their actions. They did what they could for my safety and the safety of the land.”

Darril scoffed. It was always the same, although at least this one human was being honest. It did amuse the dragoon though to be considered ‘a danger to the land’.

“Yeah, well, you’re land isn’t as safe as you think it is, and I’m not referring to myself.” The Duke’s eyes immediately locked with the superior guard who had led Darril here, and the dragoon didn’t miss the flicker.

“But you already knew that, didn’t you?” He asked slyly, looking from the Duke to the guard and back again. Kel’Rese sighed.

“Yes, yes we did.” He admitted. “In fact, we were hoping that you might be of some assistance to us.” The Duke’s eyes went over Darril’s shoulder to look at another person standing in the shadow of a marble pillar. “Both of you.”

The two guards led the worried dragoon into the castle. She wasn’t too worried that they would attack her or anything but was more concerned about how her news would be taken. Would whoever lived in this castle heed the warning or simply shrug it off. Human could be exasperatingly carefree when dealing with creatures that they thought to be lower than them, the category which goblins and their kin fell under. Kai sighed slightly at the thought but not noticeably enough to attract the guards attention. Human could also be rather touchy and take offense to the slightest thing, something a short-temper man had taught her.

“Act courteous before the duke of this manor, Lord Duke Kel’Rese,” one of the soldiers stated suddenly, knocking the dragoon out of her contemplations.

A duke? she questioned while looking at the splendor of the palace, If this is the type of house a simple duke has, I’d probably get a headache from a kingly castle. The lightning wielder had never exactly understood why human had to flaunt their wealth. While she did take into consideration the fact that human and dragoon societies had little in common, the sheer number of gold, silver, and precious gems could blind a person. Not to mention that there were several, no, more around a hundred, people wandering around seemingly aimlessly in the grand hall. They, too, were dressed in clothes that only the wealthy could afford. However, the grandest of them all was the Duke Kel’Rese. No surprise there, Kai thought to herself. Best to keep her personal opinions about human under wraps.

“Wait here,” the same guard commanded as he walked up to Kel’Rese. The other male stood by her. His scrutinizing gaze could be felt traveling up and down her body. She shivered slightly and turned her attention directly on the lord of the castle. He was nodding in response to the soldier, mostly likely hearing about either her strange appearance or her strange appearance and news. The duke than said something to the guard which caused the steel-clad man to leave through a side door.

What is going on now? the dragoon wondered as her eyes lingered on the wooden door. Then she glanced back at the remaining soldier. He was still staring intently at her. She wondered exactly how good his metallic armor conducted electricity... As the door the guard disappeared opened again, Kai really didn’t have anything more entertaining to do than watch what was going on. However, she never expected to see another dragoon, heavily wrapped in bandages, to come hobbling through that doorway. Her breath caught, An... another dragoon?! But, I didn’t think others besides me had left Grydon. She looked more closely at him now, No, his attire doesn’t show that he’s from Grydon. But I didn’t think there were other cities left after the war. And his wings, I’ve never seen that color of scales before. Who is he? A hand resting on her shoulder caught her attention. She looked back to see the gauntleted hand of the soldier holding her back. Without even realizing it, her amazement at seeing another of her kin had caused her to take a couple steps forward. The winged-woman retreated and listened to the conversation between the duke and mystery dragoon until Kel’Rese called her up. She walked up and stopped beside the other dragoon.

“You seem to have information on this attack, correct?” the lord duke asked, his voice calm and controlled, just like all diplomats.

Kai nodded, “Yes, I overheard three goblins talking about it this morning. They claimed that some kind of leader had banned them together and was planning an attack.”

He nodded, “And, pray tell, kind of goblins were these that you happened upon?”

“Forest goblins. They had the brown-green skin common to their kind,” she replied immediately and stole a glance at the injured dragoon. He scowled at her. That amused her slightly, he probably thought she was just another human wary about a being with dragon wings. “Though, what others have joined them or who is leading them the goblins didn’t say,” Kai stated as a second thought.

The lord duke nodded, “Hm, this is grave news you bring us... if it is truth and not just lesser being boasting. I do thank you for this. My council and I will begin debating on what course of action to take with this new information. In the meantime, you will escorted to proper rooms unless you wish to leave. However, if we do decide on fortifying the castle, we would appreciate your help. Now...” he glanced at the two guards.

Taking the hint, the armored man by the lightning dragoon turned to her and stated, “Follow me.” He then led her to another door that opened to a flight of stairs. He brought her up to the second floor and then opened another door for her, “This will be the room you stay in.” The guard then promptly left.

“Well, he’s got the obedient part down. Now we only need to work on manners,” the woman muttered and entered the guest room. Like most of the castle, it too was lavishly decorated. The bed was covered with a thick, downy blanket and had feather-filled pillows. A writing desk was pushed up under the only window in the room so a person would have enough light to write during the day. Pictures of unknown, to her, people hung on the walls, all painted with utmost detail. The emblem of the duke, a griffon standing nobly in front of a large tree, was placed on the wall above the bed and on the desk, probably so a thief couldn’t get away with anything from this castle with ease. Not that I can see too many walking away inconspicuously with a wooden desk, she thought in amusement. She sat down on the bed, sinking into it slightly, and looked out the window, I almost wish I could just fly out that window and leave. Though, that would attract a little unwanted attention, not to mention I’d fell bad leaving these human alone to deal with the goblins. The dragoon looked longingly at the window but remained seated. Until she thought of something, Hey, I wonder if that other dragoon is in the room next to mine. I would kind of like to talk to him.

Darril peeked over the shoulder of the guard at the woman as they were led down a long winding hallway. The dragoon had immediately felt something out-of-the-ordinary with that woman, who had come forth with information on the invading force that had ambushed Darril. She obviously had to be a warrior of some sort if she had encountered goblins and survived. And yet, the dragoon felt that there was something more.

He wasn’t given any more time to think on the matter, for the guard leading the mystery woman led her through a door on the right, while the pair flanking Darril led him past that to the next door. Darril hadn’t taken more than a few steps into his room when the superior guard grabbed his shoulder roughly and spun him around.

“Make sure that you mind your manners—whatever little you may have—while you’re in the Lord’s manor.” He snarled, his hand tightening on Darril’s wounded shoulder. The dragoon hid his grimace of pain—probably unsuccessfully—with a snarl of his own, grabbing the armored man’s wrist and wrenching it off. The man backed out of the room, his eyes narrowed, slamming the door closed behind him. Darril grunted in frustration and anger, spinning around and stomping across his new room.

Actually looking around now, Darril couldn’t help but be impressed by the room. It was fairly large, although somewhat sparsely furnished. A huge four-poster bed stood on his left, light purple gauze-like curtains hanging around all four sides. A large oak desk sat across the room from him, directly beneath a floor-to-ceiling window. Strolling over to the desk, the dragoon pulled back a large cushioned chair and tentatively sat down. A rich purple, velvet cover was draped over the desk, emblazoned with a golden gryphon—which Darril had earlier mistaken for a lion—before a great tree.

The young warrior noted amusedly that everything was in an unbelievably perfect order. Inkwells, feathered pens, papers, paperweights, and a letter opener were all arranged neatly, and everything free dust, dirt, or smudges. What kind of cleaning force did it take to keep a room like this, let alone the whole castle? Darril shuffled the black papers around a little just to make it seem a little more real and slowly stood up. Scanning the room, the dragoon spotted a full body mirror set against the wall opposite the bed.

Walking over, the young man couldn’t help but wonder what state he was in. Darril was never one to care overly much about appearance, but his face immediately turned red when he saw his reflection. He couldn’t believe he had appeared before royalty and his whole court looking like . . . this. Dried blood and dirt was smeared all over his face, and his blonde hair could have been mistaken for red, caked in blood as it was. He didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed before, but his clothes were dirty and ripped almost to a state where they were unusable. Even his boots were in bad shape. Ironically, his wings were the only part of him that was in any decent shape. A sudden, hard rapping at the door startled the dragoon from his inspection, almost making him knock over the mirror.

“Ah . . . yes, come in.” He stuttered, unsure of how to respond. Without any hesitation at all, a tall, skinny man shuffled into the room briskly. He was wearing long, dark blue robes that trailed across the floor, tied closed with a forest green sash. Shaggy salt and pepper hair sat messily on the man’s head, trailing down the sides of his face to end in an equally shaggy beard. He looked around a moment as if looking for something, jumping slightly when he saw Darril. Without a word, the unknown man shuffled over and leaned in close to Darril’s face, his long, crooked nose poking into the dragoon’s. Darril leaned back as far as he could, but couldn’t escape the man, for he was pushed up flat against the mirror. As Darril stammered wordlessly, the man pulled back suddenly and shuffled around Darril, looking him over on all sides.

“Well,” The odd man said finally, scratching at his messy beard. “You’re an odd one, ain’t you? All dirtied up like that.” Darril stammered helplessly, trying desperately to get his bearings as the robed man pulled him forward into the middle of the room by his bloody tunic.

“Wait, who are you? What do y—” Darril started but was interrupted as the man pulled a small blue bottle out of his robes, popped the cork out, and jammed it in Darril’s mouth. The dragoon choked as the mystery liquid practically threw itself down his throat, his eyes watering at the burning taste that seemed to spread throughout his whole body. The warrior fell coughing and sputtering to his knees, but the odd man wasn’t done yet. When Darril stood back up, the man was already ready with a brush and small clay pot. Before Darril could ask what he was about, the man dunked the brush into the pot, wetting it with a mysterious blue paste. He slapped the brush against Darril’s face and swirled it around, the dragoon waving his arms helplessly.

“Well now, this won’t do, won’t do at all!” The man proclaimed when he had finished smearing the stuff on Darril’s face. He pointed at the neckline of Darril’s tunic and slowly moved his index finger down, a tear following it in Darril’s shirt and bandages. As the ruined tunic and gauze fell to the floor, the man slapped more of the paste on Darril’s chest, splattering it back and forth.

“What the hell are you about, old man?” Darril demanded, wiping the gunk off of his face with both hands as the stranger moved around him, painting the stuff all over his back and arms.

“Quiet you!” He said, whacking Darril on the back of the head with the brush. Before Darril knew what was happening, his trousers were on the floor in shreds, and the stranger was smearing the paste on his legs.

“DAMN YOU OLD MAN!” Darril roared, his face red even through the blue paste. Darril was just considering roasting the intruder alive when he stepped back, the brush and pot disappearing back into his robes. As Darril advanced on the man angrily, he clapped his hands and a downpour of cold clear water washed over Darril from out of nowhere, rinsing away the blue paste. The dragoon froze in shock as the cold water washed over his near-naked body, his hands held out in stiff claws.

Just as suddenly as it had started, the flow of water stopped. Darril looked around, expecting the floor to be soaked, yet he was the only thing in the entire room even wet. He turned on the man and was met with a thrown towel in the face.

“Dry yourself off, you’re all wet, man!” The stranger admonished him sternly, waggling a finger at him. “And then get dressed. There are some new clothes for you on the bed.” Darril’s eyes flickered towards the bed and did indeed see a set of familiar clothing folded there neatly. Looking back down at the bloody mess of rags on the floor, Darril immediately knew that the man had created new replicas. As he toweled himself off, the dragoon noticed that all of his previous wounds had disappeared. The dragoon’s eyes widened, everything starting to make sense at last. He dropped the towel on the pile of rags and walked over to the bed, his eyes on the wizard the entire time.

“Now then, young man,” The wizard stated matter-of-factly as Darril pulled on his new clothes. “The name’s Miguel, resident wizard at your service!” He said, bowing low and backing towards the door. “If you ever need my services, just let me know!”

“As if.” Darril muttered as the door closed. But his wounds were healed, and the dragoon couldn’t argue with results. Curious as to the state of his powers, the young warrior held up a hand, a large sphere of flame appearing in his upheld palm. Almost immediately, the dragoon felt weak, the fireball draining his powers faster than he would have believed possible. As the flame disappeared, Darril slumped to the floor and sighed. His wounds may be healed, but he was still incredibly weak. He had pushed himself to a point he had seldom gone before in his earlier battle. It would take several days before he was one hundred percent again.

His thoughts of the battle suddenly reminded the dragoon that he had not seen his broadsword since he had woken up in the dungeon. Looking around, he wondered if it would already be here. And indeed it was, hanging on a weapons rack mounted on the wall beside the bed. He sighed in relief with the knowledge that he had his weapon near even if his powers were still weak. Pulling himself to his feet, the dragoon scooped up the bloody rags and looked around for a trashcan or bin of some sort. Spotting one near the desk, the dragoon began dragging his feet wearily. This was not the way he had hoped to spend the day.

First he had been ambushed in the dawn, forced to push both himself and his powers to the brink. Barely escaping, he had then flown headfirst into a stone wall, where he continued to plummet to the ground. He had then proceeded to be thrown into a dungeon, and then hauled before a duke that was way too rich and way to powerful. And on top of that, there was a prejudiced guard who obviously wanted to kill him, and a crazy mage who had almost killed him in healing him.

Another knocking at his door interrupted the dragoon’s musings. As he strolled towards the door, he hoped—prayed—that it wasn’t Miguel back for another “treatment”. Darril sighed in relief when he opened the door to find the woman from before. For about two seconds. He hadn’t gotten a very good look at her before, but seeing her close up, he realized that she was quite beautiful. Darril didn’t have much experience with women, let alone mysterious and beautiful ones.

“Ah, come in?” He asked, stepping aside.

Getting up off the bed, Kai strode over to her door and opened it, intent on seeing this other dragoon. However, before she could take a step out, another man in long robes knocked on the male’s door and barged in when the door was opened. Well, I guess I won’t talk to him now, the lightning warrior thought with a small sense of irony. It wasn’t like it was imperative that see the blue-winged dragoon at the moment. Besides, maybe I can find out more about this place or what they are actually planning to do about this attack, she decided and started walking down the hallway, making sure to close her room’s door. The corridor was carpeted blue with golden edges while windows lined the wall, allowing ample sunlight to shine on every detail. A few portraits hung between the glass, probably of people closely related to the duke or previous owners of the castle. Hm, I wonder just how this Duke Kel’Rese came to power, she pondered for a second, Actually, I probably wouldn’t want to know. Humans never seem to get power in a... nice way.

Human, they always seemed to fight about... well, everything. Granted, there were some dragoons Kai didn’t get along with, the fire dragoon Arika instantly coming to her mind, but there wasn’t war among them. Homo sapiens, on the other hand, barely seemed to show any remorse about stabbing, literally, a friend in the back. Though, come to think of it, I doubt Arika would have trouble doing that. She’d probably get away with it, too, considering her family is the most powerful in Grydon, the female slightly fumed.

She then sighed and tried to get her thought train on a different track, thinking about that fire dragoon never put her in a good mood. In order to do so, the winged fighter turned and looked out of a window. It showed the left side of the castle and, from the number of humans in armor and supplies being hauled around the site, it appeared that the duke had taken her warning to heart. Or, at least, was convinced enough to strength the castle defenses slightly. “I wonder if those goblins really do have some leader,” she queried out-loud and leaned against the transparent glass. Kai wasn’t too interested in getting involved with humans problems but, on the same hand, she couldn’t just leave them if they needed her help. She somewhat wished the duke would send her on her way soon so she wouldn’t have to make the decision of whether or not to help the humans.

“Damn you!” a yell suddenly came from down the hall in the direction she had come from. Deep in her introspection, she had failed to notice a rather large commotion coming from the mysterious dragoon’s room. A few more words were exchanged, none loud enough for her to hear, and the robed man walked out of the room. He had a pleased and mischievous look on his face as he turned around and walked towards her.

“Ah, you’re the young woman that brought news about the goblinoid attack, correct?” he questioned, peering at her with eyes almost hidden by the mess of hair that grew all around his face.

“Uh, um, yes,” she stuttered, caught off-guard by the question. The dragoon was slightly worried about this man considering the racket he had caused in the other room.

But, after looking her over for a second, he merely smiled and stated, “Well, you look to be in good condition. My name’s Miguel, the resident wizard of the Lord Duke Kel’Rese no matter what kind of idiot he may be. Good day.” And with that, he ambled off leaving the lightning wielder at a loss for words.

Did he just call the duke an idiot? she wondered, surprised that he would voice such a strong opinion without any worry. Then she turned back to the other dragoon’s room, realizing that, since the wizard was gone, she now had the opportunity to talk with him. Let’s just hope he’s a decent person, she quietly prayed. Having never met another dragoon in the outside world and having first met this one in a badly injured state, she wasn’t sure how other dragoons would act. Taking in a deep breath, Kai knocked lightly on the door. It opened promptly, revealing the dragoon to be completely free of any blood or wounds. The sudden change in his appearance was somewhat a relief to her, he didn’t look nearly as strange as before. Apparently, her appearance was also appreciated for he let out a sigh of relief when he saw her. Getting another look at him, Kai realized that he wasn’t too bad looking. Realizing she had thought that, the female blushed slightly and prayed that it wasn’t noticeable.

“Ah, come it?” he asked and stepped out of the doorway. Stepping in, she saw that his room was as lavishly decorated as her own. The duke sure had enough money to throw around. “Uh, what do you need?” the dragoon asked.

Kai smiled, Straight to the point. “I was wondering, you are a dragoon, correct?”

He cocked an eyebrow at the question, “Yeah. But how do you know about dragoons?”

The lady fanned out her own wings slightly and chuckled nervously, “Because I’m one, as well.”

Whatever Darril had been prepared for, this was not it. The sight of the woman’s wings hit him like a hammer, his own wings fluttering slightly in response. The dragoon stood there, his mouth opening and closing multiple times as he tried to pick and grab a hold of just one of the many questions running through his mind.

“H-how? I—I mean, why? What—” Darril ceased his stuttering by clamping his hand over his mouth and forced himself to calm down. Recomposing himself, Darril let out a great sigh and looked the woman in the eye.

“Who are you? Are you a dragoon as well? What are you doing here? I thought I was the only one who had left . . .” As he spoke, he could see the same questions in her eyes. Realizing that mindless blabbering would get neither of them anywhere, he motioned for her to sit in the chair at the desk. The woman did, although it was clear in her posture that she was as wont to stand up and pace as much as Darril was. Sighing again, the dragoon searched for a clear, logical place to start.

“Alright,” He said, leaning against the oaken desk. “What is your name?”

“Kai Chosen.” The woman dragoon replied in a musical voice that struck at Darril almost as much as the sight of her wings had. How can a being have such a voice? As he shook his head to clear it, the woman asked for his name somewhat shyly.

“Darril.”

“Just Darril?”

“I forsook my family name when my family forsook me.” He replied a little bitterly. “Ah, never mind that.” He said, noticing the questioning look in the woman’s eyes. “Alright, why are you here?”

“I came to warn the humans about the goblins.” She said shyly, her hands fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“I heard that. What I meant was why are you here?” He reiterated insistently. “Outside of the dragoon cities?” While he spoke, he had unconsciously leaned forward, his eyes wide. The woman murmured something unintelligible, shrinking back from him. Darril suddenly sat back, realizing the effect he was having on her. Idiot! You’re scaring her! Why can’t you act like a sane person?

Standing up and moving over to pace around between the desk and bed, the dragoon warrior tried to calm himself. Goblins, Ice Elves, Orcs, blind swordsmen; those he could handle. A beautiful dragoon woman? God help him if he didn’t chase her away before she had been here five minutes.

“Ok,” He said, starting yet again and turning to face the woman. “Its fine if you don’t want to tell me why you’re outside the dragoon cities.” This was a lie, and Darril knew it. The only other dragoon he had ever seen outside of the city was his one and only friend, whom he had unwittingly led into a battle that had claimed his life. To him, another dragoon in the outside world was . . . unthinkable. “But why not leave after warning the humans? Our kind have little to do with them. Don’t you realize what they could do to you if they found out what you are?”

The woman stared at him, and Darril realized he was being awfully rude again. Damn. I am so not a people person. But still, his question remained valid. If the Duke discovered another dragoon—this time one who had entered his keep in disguise—he might start to suspect something less than pleasant. Such as Dragoon spies. Dragoon spies possibly leading a goblin force against him. Darril blanched at the thought and prayed that such ideas did not cross the Duke’s mind.

The woman took a deep breath and began. “Yes, I know. And . . . truth be told, I had not really planned on staying at first.”

“At first?” Darril asked in confusion. Kai blushed and shook her head embarrassedly.

“I mean, I can’t leave these people on their own, can I?” She said hurriedly, his hands clutching at her shirt. To her relief, Darril nodded in agreement and began to pace again.

OoC: I'm really sorry about the wait.

BiC:

As she watched the male dragoon pace around the room, Kai couldn’t help but smile a bit. Darril’s bluntness somewhat reminded her of the Arika without the insults. “Hey,” she said suddenly to catch the other’s attention, reminded of something, “What element are you associated with?”

Darril smiled proudly, “Fire. You?”

“Lightning,” she replied promptly. A fire Dragoon, huh. Well, that does definitely explain the forwardness, she smiled. “Though, I’ve never seen a fire Dragoon with blue-green wings. In fact, I’ve never a Dragoon with two-toned wings,” she mentioned.

“What, are Dragoons color-coded wherever you’re from?” he asked.

The Lightning Dragoon grinned, “Yes, actually. Fire’s red, Water’s blue, and Wind is green. If you were born in my city, you would’ve been a cross between a Water and Wind Dragoon. Though, I don’t know of any Dragoons that actually did inherit both elements from their parents.”

Darril nodded, “What Dragoon city are you from, anyway?”

The female opened her mouth to reply but quickly shut it. Should I tell him about Grydon? she wondered, I know Dragoon are suppose to be strictly kept secret but... he is a Dragoon too, after all. Besides, even if he did try to find it, he’d be attacked on sight. She looked back up at him and saw that he was silently scolding himself. Kai chuckled softly enough not to be heard, He worries just a little too much over my reactions. “My birth city was Grydon,” she replied, “As for why I’m outside of it, well... I simply left.” Well, that is what she did though she preferred to keep the reason as to why to herself.

The Fire Dragoon sat down on the bed next to her, looking somewhat intrigued, “Why? Where you bored with what was going on in the city?”

“Um, you could say that. I always did want to see what the outside was like,” she replied, trying to beat around the bush without lying.

His head turned down to the floor though his eyes told that he wasn’t really looking at anything, at least, not in the present, “Yeah, same here. Life in the Dragoon city was great but just not for me.”

At least I’m not the only Dragoon that was interested in the outside world, Kai thought to herself. The revelation that they had both left their cities under similar circumstances was comforting to the Lightning Dragoon. Suddenly, a knock on the door brought both of them out of their reveries.

The door opened and a soldier entered the doorway. “His Highness, Lord Duke Kel’Rese, has requested your presence.” He delivered the message with a monotone voice of a person that either took little pride in his job or had done this so many times it that he barely thought about what he was doing. Getting up off the bed, the two Dragoons followed the armored man.

“What do you think he wants?” Kai questioned.

Darril shrugged, “Either he’s letting us go because he doesn’t believe you about the goblins, is going to ask us for help, or wants to arrest us.”

“If he asks for help, what will you do? You don’t exactly seem keen on helping them?” she queried.

The Fire Dragoon snorted, “They may have bandaged my wounds but they still locked me up in the process. I suppose the only they did was have that crazy wizard heal me.” He sighed and scratched his head, “Well, I’m not very interested in helping them but nor am I interested in having them die because they needed my help. I suppose it depends on what he says.” The soldier led the couple through the throne room where they had first met the Lord Duke and passed through a well-kept door to the right of the regal chair. This room was clearly made either for a dinner or council session, probably both. At the head of the table was Kel’Rese while generals and other high-ranking people sat on each side.

“Welcome,” Kel’Rese stated in a warm voice.

Despite the wonder and awe he had felt out in the Throne Room, or maybe because of, Darril was much more comfortable here. Unlike the rest of castle, the War Room, or council Room, or whatever it was, was designed to accommodate basis comforts and serve a practical purpose. The dragoon much rather preferred this practical room to a showy room. The floor was hard, polished wood, with a wool rug in the center of it. Darril noted with satisfaction that the rug was plain, probably something a well-to-do weaver might make for middle-class people. A large, horseshoe-shaped table sat on the rug, with wooden chairs—though adequately padded for long council sessions—standing around the outside of it. The walls were concrete and windowless, lacking any concealing tapestries or banners. Darril smiled at that too. Apparently, whoever had furnished this room had the right idea. It was good to know that the castle wasn’t all show. Several standing oil lamps did ring the room however, providing a comfortable amount of light and heat. Said lamps were lighted now, backlighting the Duke and his generals and throwing their shadows forward towards the inside of the horseshoe, where Darril and Kai now stood. The dragoon wondered if the lamps were places to purposefully create an imposing and intimidating image of the men sited at the table. But whether or not that was the case, the blonde-haired warrior was hardly intimidated.

“So,” he began, turning to face the Duke. “We’re here.”

“Yes,” the Duke said, nodding. “And you already know why.” The Duke paused, looking around at his advisors and generals. “We have already confirmed the whereabouts of several overly large goblin groups in the area, and frankly, the collective forces are larger than we might hope to overcome without severe losses. Unacceptable losses. We have discussed the matter, and since you were the ones to bring this attack to our attention, we would appreciate you assistance in this matter.” Kel’Rese paused, waiting for a reaction from the dragoons. Neither of them said anything. Darril crossed his arms and stared at the man, thinking of the possibilities. “We’ve also decided,” Kel’Rese added, clasping his hands together on the table, “that should you aid us in our time of need, you’ll be put in a temporary position that best suits your skills and needs as you see fit.”

“Alright,” Darril said with a grin, the Duke taking him he was already about to go. “I suppose I could help you. But I refuse to do so without a couple of answers.” The generals’ faces took on a hard look at this, displeased by the dragoon’s apparent disrespect for the duke. “Firstly,” he began, ignoring the rude glares, “I want to know how you came by such wealth. This castle, this land, is hardly befitting that of a duke.”

“Ahh, yes.” Kel’Rese said, smiling warmly. “That is hardly a secret or scandalous matter. My land and my title are hereditary, passed down over the generations. An ancestor of mine was named duke and given a small part of what is now my land. It land was surrounded on two sides by sea, and two neighboring dukes. Over the years, the boundaries spread outward, the surrounding lands diminishing as war, poor economy, or diseases took them. By the time the land and title were given to me, it had swelled to the grandeur you see now.”

“Oh?” Darril asked somewhat skeptically. “And why was your ancestor’s land unaffected by said war, disease, and poor economy?”

“My ancestor,” Kel’Rese said, smiling rather smugly, “was an incredibly intelligent man. Rather than compete for trade routes as the neighboring dukes did, he sent his merchants across the sea, and had exclusive control over several markets in other countries that paid high prices for our “rare” goods. Trade became so profitable that he was able to buy some land from the suffering landholders. Although my official title remains the same as it was when bestowed upon my ancestor, the wealth and landmass under my rule is equal to that of a king.” Darril smiled and inwardly applauded the Duke. Whether or not his story was true, it was believable, and had good merit.

“Alright,” he said, deciding not to contest his tale. “If you hold such power and wealth, then why would you need our help? Surely two people such as us would not make a difference, especially when you have command over your own military force. Surely you are not for lacking in enforcement?”

“No, our armed force is quite adequate,” the Duke admitted. “But the force we now face is still beyond us.”

“Then why did you let such a force accumulate?!” Darril asked, suddenly and angrily, leaning forward to put both hands on the table before the duke. All of the advisors and generals took on a worried and angry expression, some even gasping. “I find it hard to believe that you were unaware of what was happening in your own lands! And if you were, then you are more foolish a human than I had believed possible!” Angry murmurs began to spread throughout the Council Chamber bow, more than one man fingering a weapon should the dragoon become violent. The Duke, however, took Darril’s yelling in stride, only wincing a little.

“Yes,” he said after the room had quieted down. “We were aware of what was happening.”

“Then why did you do nothing?!” Darril asked exasperatedly. Surely humans were the most foolish of races. This man had to power to prevent what had now escalated into a potential catastrophe.

“I’m afraid that you would not understand, were I able to tell you.” Duke Kel’Rese said quietly. “But be sure that my reasons were valid and another option was unavailable. However,” he said, his voice picking up volume as he looked the dragoon in the eyes. “Circumstances have changed, and we are free to act now. I agree that this force must be crushed as soon as possible, quickly and without hesitation.” Several of the advisors mumbled in agreement, and Darril stepped back from the table, crossing his arms again.

“So be it.” He said, resigned. “I will help you. And for the time being, I wish to take over the defense of the castle and immediate area.” The blonde dragoon had barely finished his sentence when angry yells overtook him. Clearly, everyone except the Duke was against the idea. And Darril couldn’t blame them. To give control of the castle’s defenses to a stranger, and a man of an unknown race nonetheless, was ludicrous. Yet there was hardly another choice for Darril. Even standing here, he felt his body weakening. His body was healed, but it was still incredibly weak, even without using his powers. If he was to be of help, he needed to act in a position where he wouldn’t have to perform any extraneous activities. Duke Kel’Rese held up a hand, calling for immediate silence. The duke and dragoon stared at each other for almost a full minute before the man slowly nodded. Several of the councilors groaned at the man’s assent.

“It is done.” He said, ignoring the groans and protests and turning to Kai, who had remained silent the entire time. “So, will you too remain to help us?”

Kai watched the conversation between Darril and the Duke with some interest. She had never been very good with politics but suspected that was one of the reasons that Kel’Rese hadn’t mounted an attack until. These others, she observed the council, They’re probably from neighboring castles or land. I bet they didn’t let Kel’Rese create an armed force because they suspected he might use it to attack them. They needed proof. Well, now the proof is about to knock down their doors. Humans, the dragoon shook her head, Why can’t they simply trust one another? Still, she did realize it wasn’t much in her position to criticize. Humans worked differently then dragoons, that’s all there is to it. Her attention turned back to the conversation as voices began to rise. She smiled unnoticeably at Darril. His heart was surely in the right place but he didn’t exactly have tact. Finally, the Duke Kel’Rese addressed her directly. “I will help,” she answered mildly, “But, please tell me, how many goblins have gathered again your castle?”

“For far, five thousand have been reported but that number has most likely grown considerably. We don’t know what the final total is,” he stated bluntly.

That’s quite a number, she mulled, “You have scouts that have reported this back to you?”

He nodded, “Of course. Several are stationed in the forest to keep watch over those goblins.”

Kai smiled; Kel’Rese was a brave man if not rather foolhardy. He could’ve fled when the reports came of such a force. Surely he had the money to make a petition to however ran this country for help. But he had chosen to stay behind and support his men. “I wish to aid your scouts and spies. Perhaps even some traps could be laid for the goblin force. I doubt they would do much but I have a feeling even a minute reduction in their forces would be helpful,” she replied.

“And what guarantee do we have that you wouldn’t run off? This isn’t your fight, woman,” one of advisors was bold enough to proclaim.

She looked directly into the eyes of the man, “It may not be but I’m not one to leave people who require my help. Being female means nothing.” The dragoon felt the blood rise to her cheeks in annoyance. Not that it was the first time she had been looked down upon because of her sex.

The duke raised his hand, “Silence,” he looked at Kai, “Any reduction would be appreciated. Kai, you may aid my scouts. Darril, you may take over the defense of this castle. I believe that concludes this meeting.” Several protests immediately started. Many of the advisors were not pleased that two strangers, one that they knew wasn’t even human, were placed in such strategic positions. Kel’Rese raised his hands once more, “Silence.” The protests continued and several others started quarreling amongst themselves. “SILENCE!” the duke bellowed, drawing a surprised look from the advisors. “These matters have already been settled. This is my castle that is being defended and I shall choice who assists and who doesn’t!” he stated firmly with a hard expression. No more words of dissent were uttered. “Now, this meeting is adjourned!” he stood up. The others followed his example and left the room in quietness though disapproving looks still adorned their faces. After they had left, Kel’Rese sighed and sat back down in his chair, “I apologize for their actions. It is hard to trust people in times of war, especially if they have dropped out of the sky.”

“Understandable,” Darril replied with his arms crossed, “Though their suspicion is misplaced.” Then he gave the duke a sideways glance, “Why did you trust us?”

Duke Kel’Rese chuckled, “Nothing more than a hunch, really. Although, bringing news of the goblin attack was trustworthy enough. If it’s any consolation that your troubles will be worthwhile, I’ll make sure you are rewarded for the help. Now, if you wish, you two may head to the armory if you desire more equipment. I’m sure your usual weapons and armor are enough for traveling and mercenary work but war can last for hours or days. The armory is to the left of my throne room.”

Darril nodded in thanks while Kai uttered a quick, “Thank you, Duke,” and they both headed from the council room.

“Humans,” the fire dragoon snorted as soon as they had left the duke.

“Well, they definitely make life interesting,” the lightning dragoon replied with a small sigh, “At least nothing too bad has happened.”

“Yet. I wouldn’t be half surprised if the soldiers refused my help simply because I am a dragoon,” Darril stated with distaste.

“Hopefully, in these circumstances, they’ll be too worried or occupied with war-thoughts that they won’t care who leads them,” she responded as they neared the armory and went in. Not to disappoint, this room showed the wealth that the Kel’Rese family had acquired. Shelves upon shelves were covered with pieces of full-body armor, both plate and chain mail. Racks were filled with many different weapons: swords, lances, axes, flails, clubs. Bow and quiver sets, with arrows, were hung neatly all around. It was rather overwhelming to the female dragoon who had never seen so much equipment in her life. What in the world do I get? she wondered. Then she noticed that her and Darril were the only people in the armory. Several hundred soldiers were also getting their own equipment. Thankfully, only a few noticed them and those that did glanced for a second before getting on with their business. Except for one human. He was fitting himself with plate mail and was almost completely covered except for his hands and head. The soldier had sharp features with short, blond hair and solid, green eyes. Those eyes settled on the dragoon with malice.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the wanders,” he said as he walked towards them. It took Kai a second but she recognized him as one of the advisors that had been in the Council Room. “I suppose Kel’Rese has given you permission to clean out the armory as,” he surmised with a disgruntled look.

“He gave us permission to equip ourselves as needed,” Darril replied with a firm tone.

“Eh, just like he put in charge of the defenses. Leaded by a sub-human, how insulting,” he commented under his breath.

“Subhuman?” Darril asked quietly, his eyes narrowed in sudden, burning anger. His hand tightened into a fist, the knuckles going white. “Don’t compare yourself to us, you pitiful, foolish meathead.” The man bristled, his own hand clutching a giant hilt hanging loosely at his waist. Darril shifted his own weight; ready to grab Dragon’s Fire should the foolish human attack. Until the lack of comforting weight on his back reminded him that his sword was, in fact, back in his room, well away from his grasp. The dragoon fought back a sudden feeling of dread, confident that he could still take down the man without his broadsword. Maybe. Strangely enough, this man, taller and broader than he, seemed unusually strong for a human. He practically radiated power.

“Just keep in mind, meathead, that your duke put us in charge. If I tell you to do something, you’d better damn well do it.” Darril spat acidly, thoroughly tired of foolish human prejudices. Why couldn’t humans just accept the other races of the world? Especially if they were stronger than they were.

“And he’s damn well foolish for it too.” The man snapped. “But I heard it all. But he only put you in charge here. At least I won’t have to deal with this stupid bitc-” The warrior was cut off abruptly as Darril’s fist—featuring newly grown scales and talons—slammed into his face. The man fell back, his nose and lip streaming blood onto his armor. Darril had this to say for the duke’s men; they weren’t pushovers. The armored man recovered remarkably quickly from a hit that would have knocked a lesser man out cold, a gauntleted fist flying through the air. Darril watched the punch come calmly—outwardly, at least—before his other hand shot upward, catching the gauntlet and twisting it to the side.

His face an angry mask, the dragoon raised his clawed fist over his head, drawing back to punch the man again. And would have, had a light, smooth hand not touched his shoulder gently. The fire dragoon looked back at Kai in surprise, lowering his arm. The woman gave him a look of unreadable, mixed emotions and shook her head. Clenching his jaw as he looked back as the half-kneeling man in front of him, Darril let go of his arm, his own hands shifting back to normal.

“Watch your tongue, meathead, if you want to live!” He spat, flames racing up and down his forearms threateningly before winking out of existance. Damn prejudiced humans! And sexist, too! Darril thought, spinning on his heel and storming back out the door they had come in without looking to see if Kai followed. It just made him so mad. Humans thought that they ruled the world, and any and every living thing in it! And to say such things to a woman, of any race! Fresh anger coursing through him, the dragoon brought his foot down in a heavy stomp. And froze, pain lancing through his entire body, centering on his hands and arms.

C-crap! He cursed, toppling forward in slow motion. I’m still this weak?! Way . . . .too . . . . . weak. . . . Darril hit the ground hard, darkness impeding on the edges of his vision as he fell away from the conscious world. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard someone saying his name . . . .

OoC: Sorry about the wait.

BiC:

Humans, I just can’t understand them, Kai sighed, Why are they so hostile towards other races or even people they don’t know. Then again, I suppose I shouldn’t say humans in general. Del’Rese was kind enough. He gave two people he hardly knew two positions of importance. The Duke is definitely an exception to the rule. The lightning dragoon quickly distanced herself from the armory, not interested in having another confrontation with the blond-haired man.

A thump jostled the lady out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw the fire dragoon slump to the floor. “Darril!” she cried in alarm and rushed over to him. He didn’t appear to be injured to anything like that. In fact, judging by the way he had looked this morning and his somewhat shallow breathing, Kai decided that he had probably used too much energy and hadn’t fully recovered it. Physical and magical welfare where often separate from each other. A person could be absolutely bloody and still have the magical power to clear out a castle as big as the one she was in. Now I just need to figure out what to do, she thought. He certainly couldn’t fight in a condition like the one he was in. If using that little amount of magic caused him to faint, Darril certainly couldn’t rely on it during battle. And unless he was trained to fight for long periods without magic, he probably wouldn’t survive the night. The lightning warrior let out a moan; things just seemed to be getting worse and worse.

“Why are you sitting on the floor there?” someone curtly asked. Turning, Kai saw the mage coming towards her. Pointing at the blue-green dragoon, he questioned, “And why is he sleeping in the middle of the floor?”

She scowled, “He isn’t sleeping. Darril fainted because he hasn’t managed to recover his magic. The only thing that can be done about that is to let him rest,” she looked back with a worried expression.

“With a battle coming? He should’ve rested today after I healed him,” the old man stated and held up his arms. “Wake up!” he shouted and suddenly water fell over the fire dragoon’s face. Alarmed, the female jumped back with a yelp and turned wide-eyed to the mage. However, the surprise attack did what it was suppose to as Darril leaped up.

“What?” he asked with a confused yet wary look. When he saw the mage, the look turned fierce, “What the hell is wrong with you, Miguel?!”

Miguel straighten his robe, “Nothing’s wrong with me. I wasn’t the one sleeping on the floor. Now, you two need to come with me.” Without waiting, he trotted off to a staircase that led to the opposite side of the second floor than where the two dragoon’s rooms where.

The fire dragoon let out a growl but managed to calm himself enough to respond with a straight voice, “I suppose we had better follow him.” Kai nodded and walked briskly after Darril. The stairs and hall was almost exactly the same as the other side except for the fact that the doors and windows where on the opposite sides. The otherwise exactness gave the lightning dragoon chills. She was used to variety in her surroundings, not strictness.

“Over here,” the graying man called. He beckoned them into a room that must have been his own personal quarters. It was much larger than the two rooms the dragoons were giving and the walls where almost completely lined with bookcases. Openings where only left for windows and the door. The cases themselves overflowed with books that were many different languages, some the winged female knew but most she didn’t. A large wooden desk sat almost in the middle of the room, a little to the left, and was absolutely covered in books and papers. Most of the papers where maps of the castle region and outlying ones. A neglected-looking bed sat to the left of the desk with rumpled blankets and a few books on it as well. She wondered if the mage slept in his bed or the desk. The floor of the actual room was a plush, dark red carpet while what could be seen of the walls was a creamy color. The combination gave Miguel’s room and rustic and homey appearance which was quite comforting the dragoon.

“This had better be good, wizard,” the winged male crossed his arms in front of him and gave Miguel a hard look.

“I wouldn’t waste your time if it wasn’t,” he replied and moved to his desk, “While the duke gave you permission to go the armory, it appears you were chased out by the... unruly soldiers. So I thought I would somewhat keep Del’Rese’s word and give you something to help you. Hah!” he pulled a small bracelet out of his desk and walked over to Kai, “Here you are.”

“What is it?” the dragoon asked. The bracelet looked normal enough. It was silvery in appearance and with four straight joints that made it look almost square. The joints were carved with runes that looked somewhat like the dragoon language but Kai couldn’t translate it. Eight colored stones were also placed into the bracelet, two on each joint. The warrior slipped it on.

“An amazing find,” Miguel explained, “This bracelet gives the wearer a slight increase in magical abilities no matter their element. But it’s greatest use is it’s ability to allow the wearer to see if something is imbued with magical properties, mainly protective wards. I found in some shop and purchased it for little money. The writing on it is an older form of the draconic language from which the dragoon language is derived. I figured a dragoon should have it.” He gave her an honest smile.

“How-?” Kai queried, shocked that he knew she was a dragoon.

He chuckled, “You honestly didn’t think you could hide something like that from an expert mage, did you? Now, if you want to help those scouts, I suggest you use the window and fly to the area.”

She was a little taken aback, “The window?”

“Well of course. You can fly can’t you? The window would be the fastest choice unless you’re interested in running the whole way which would be rather idiotic,” he waved her away.

The lightning dragoon chuckled and started walking towards the window. “Good luck,” Darril suddenly wished. He almost looked nervous after he said it.

Kai smiled earnestly, “Thanks.” Then she opened the window, leaped out, and spread her wings. It felt wonderful to stretch her wings. Then again, I suppose I can’t really relish in the feeling. I need to get to the forest and the scouts, she decided. Dropping a little lower than most liked to fly, she sped above the forest and just barely brushed the top of the trees. Flying around and between the trees was an invitation to a broken wing but she didn’t want to be too far up that the goblin force could spot her. This was her best bet. I just hope the scouts don’t try to shot arrows at me or worse.

“Alright, you,” Darril began, turning from the window to the mage. “What’s up with my body? I thought you healed me? If that’s so, then why is my body still in this condition?” He asked, somewhat annoyed. Miguel blew a raspberry and waved his hand dismissively.

“I only healed your body, you durned fool. Of course your stamina and powers have to build back up, especially after what you pulled.”

“What I pulled? What do you mean?” Darril asked, taken aback.

“I mean your little transformation the other day. Of course you’d be drained after something like that.”

“How? How did you—?”

“My dear boy,” Miguel interrupted. “I’ll have you know that I am a Master-Class mage. Very little magical occurrences go on in this land without my knowing it. When I felt your transformation magic, I took a little peek in this baby—” The mage held up a large yellow sphere—“And saw what took place.”

“In that case, why didn’t you do something?” Darril asked angrily. Miguel shrugged.

“At the time, it wasn’t really my problem. I have my own duties, you know. I can’t just go gallivanting off every time someone needs help. Besides, it was more important that I inform the Duke. Anyways,” He said, changing the subject over Darril’s grumbling, “We need to discuss the duties that you oh-so-chivalrously took upon yourself.”

The graying man turned on his heel and strode over to the wall-sized bookcase behind the desk. Snatching an armful of rolled-up paper sheaves, the mage turned back to the desk and unrolled one.

“Look here,” He said, beaconing the dragoon closer. “This is a map of the castle, including every single secret passageway I know of.” The mage unrolled another scroll over that one. “This is a map of the castle and the land immediately surrounding it. This one,” He said, opening yet another, “Is a complete map of all of the land under Kel’Rese’s rule. Take them, and make good use of them.” The mage quickly rolled each one up and shoved them into Darril’s hands. Darril fumbled with the scrolls for a moment before managing to get them all under one arm.

“And, before you go, I have one more thing for you.” Miguel said, ducking down under his desk. He came back up with a magnificent bow in his hands. It was long and seemed to be made of a golden metal, including the bowstring. Six long, sharp points rose off the main frame of the bow, one at coming off each end, two bracketing where the user would hold the bow, and the last two at even intervals between those.

“Incredible.” Darril said, taking the bow.

“There’s more. That bow is another artifact of you people’s heritage. I believe it is called something along the lines of ‘Dragon’s Flight’.”

The fire dragoon tucked the scrolls under his elbow and grasped the bow, drawing the string back with his other hand. He let out a small noise of surprise as an arrow appeared, it’s tip pointed at the mage.

“Hey, hey!” Miguel exclaimed squeakily, quickly hopping out of the way. “Be careful with that thing! I was just about to explain that part.” Clearing his throat, the mage tried to regain some of his dignity. “That bow requires no ammunition, as you can clearly see. All it needs is to be drawn back. More than that, you can summon several different types of arrows. I’ve never had a chance to test it out though. “He said, stroking his salt and pepper beard. “I’ve not the arm to use it, and there’s no one here I’d care to entrust that too.”

“Are you sure it’s alright to give something like this to me?” Darril asked in wonder, slowly undrawing the string and letting the arrow disappear.

“Didn’t I just tell you? I can’t use it. Besides, you’re in no shape for close range combat. I might as well let you have that, and have you be some use to us.”

“What different kinds of arrows can I draw?” Darril asked flatly, choosing to ignore that last remark in light of the gift. Miguel shrugged.

“I told you, I’ve not been able to test it. You’ll just have to find out for yourself. Now,” Miguel waved his hand at the door, which obediently swung open. “Get out and study those maps!”

The evening breeze rush through Kai’s hair and under her wings. A few treetops brushed slightly against her scales. An inch lower would have the branches ripping right through her wing’s webbing. I don’t think I have too longer to go, the dragoon guessed. A clearing could be seen ahead and steadily increased in size as she approached. Figuring this was close enough, she came to a dead stop, hovered for a second or two, and slowly dropped through the trees. The lightning female landed lightly on the ground and looked around for any movement that would show her the position of the scouts. I hope I didn’t overshoot their location, she wondered.

A knife suddenly poked her back and she tensed up. “You should be a little quieter,” a voice suggested, “If the goblins weren’t so caught up in their planning, they probably would’ve heard you.” The point left her spine. Whirling around, she came face-to-face with a red-haired boy that couldn’t have been much older than her. He held out his hand to shake, “Jacob,” the scout only gave his first name.

The swordwoman shook his hand, “Kai.” After a moment of wondering, she finally asked, “How did you know I was an ally?”

“That would be my doing,” another voice replied. A mage dressed in maroon robes stepped out from behind a tree. Several other scouts, about ten in all, followed. “I am Mathias, the student of Miguel. He told me you where coming so that we didn’t accidentally take you for a new enemy.”

“Ah, how thoughtful of him,” she commented then got down to business, “So, what’s going on?”

“From our last report, the number of goblins has increased,” Jacob stated, “We now have a total of about six thousand. Orcs and gnolls have also joined their numbers along with a few trolls.”

Kai thought about this, “These races usually don’t get along, do they?”

The scout snorted, “They’re usually busy chopping each other’s heads off. We aren’t quite sure why they’ve banded together so quickly or why at all.”

“What about a leader?” she questioned.

“It seems to be a group of about five rather large orcs. However, not even big orcs like to band together with each other. We suspect that they might be led by something different altogether.”

The purple-eyed dragoon sighed. This was turning into quite the predicament. Goblins aren’t too hard to kill, even in large groups. But orcs and gnolls were a tad smarter and stronger while trolls, definitely not the brightest, could only be completely killed with fire. But the part about the leaders was what worried her the most. Like the scout, she hardly believe a group of orcs could orchestrate something like this. The only question now was what could? “Do we know when they are going to move out?” she finally queried.

“They’re going through preparations at the moment. It will probably be another hour or so before they make their move,” the red-haired man responded.

“Okay then,” she planned, “Do we have any wires?”

Mathias smiled, “What do you take us for, neophytes?”

Kai grinned back, “Right. Then why don’t we set up a surprise for those goblins?” A few in the group, including Jacob and Mathias smiled. Soon, hard leather gloves and razor wire was being handed out each member in the group. Razor wire, as named, can easily cut through flesh. Arranged in a net-like pattern, it could completely devastate the front line of an army into bloody pieces. Not the most pleasant stuff to use but extremely useful for literally cutting down an attacking force’s numbers.

Though, while setting up, the girl dragoon did hear a few comments such as, “Why are we being led by a woman?” and “Who put this... thing in command of us?” She did her best to ignore such things. It wasn’t like the dragoon could expect them to be used to her in a few minutes. However, on a positive note, she was able to watch Mathias set several magical traps for the goblinoids. Some consisted of orbs of fire that would explode with the slightest touch, a few would actually trap a group in a magical cage that shrank and crushed enemies, while couple more could confuse foes into attacking their own. To say the least, Kai was deeply impressed by these. They worked to make sure about half of the path through the forest was littered with tricks and traps. It could take awhile but the result would definitely be worth it.

OoC: It's my turn to apologize for the wait! ^_^;

IC: Alright, let’s start with this one. Darril thought to himself, smoothing out the edges of the castle map on the table in his room. Once again, Darril found himself in awe of the grand structure, even if it was just lines on paper. Five stories high, the building was a near-perfect sphere, surrounded by a two-story wall. Four towers stretched even higher than the main body, posing as lookouts for the north, south, east, and west. Darril tapped his fingernail against his front teeth, thinking. Judging from what he had seen of the castle so far, Miguel’s room should be on the outside curve of the northwest section. Running his finger along the main hallway of the second floor, he quickly judged his and Kai’s rooms to be on the outer curve of the northeast section. And if he moved down to the blueprint of the first floor, he found the Main Hall and the duke’s War Room right in the very center of it all.

Four inner courtyards formed the separated pieces of a pie, each helping to divide the castle into the four sections. Moving his gaze outside the castle itself, Darril saw the outlines of stables, storage sheds, and a small pasture. Darril sighed, wondering just how on earth he was supposed to memorize a structure this large. Plopping down in his uncomfortably luxurious chair, the dragoon let his gaze wander towards the window. The late evening sun illuminated the outer wall surrounding the castle, yet it’s light did not reach the shadowed form of the forest on the horizon. The forest where Kai was. The sun was setting, and had already dropped more than halfway beneath the horizon. Darril wondered absentmindedly if the dragoon woman would stay out with the scouts for the night. He sighed pensively; it would have been nice if he could have talked to her again today.

The blonde-haired man’s head slumped into the palm of his hand, his blue eyes glazing over as his mind wandered. Several minutes passed before the dragoon realized that his thoughts were drastically elsewhere than they should be. Shaking his head, Darril leaned forward, intently unrolling the next map and looking it over. The castle—now depicted merely as a small hexagon—stood at the top of a moderately steep hill. Plains swept out to the south and east, but the land only grew hillier in the north and west, everything dotted by the occasional grouping of trees or shrubbery. Yet the cleared area only stretched on for two miles at most, the land quickly overtaken by dense forest. The dark shapes of trees spanned the entire northern region of the map, and extended just far enough to the east to create a sizable barrier against the rest of the world. Trees stood to the south as well, yet they ended quickly, and could hardly be called anything more than a large wood. Rocky terrain took over where the trees left off; breaking the land into uneven plateaus and shallow canyons. The west was the same, the hills falling to pieces as canyons snaked through them.

Darril’s gaze shot to the east. A sizable section of flatlands split the southern and eastern forests, leading off the map. Several roads ran along it, flowing it off towards the neighboring lands. That would have to be one of the main access routes, huh? And the others . . . Indeed, several cleared sections ran through the northern and eastern forests, one heading directly north, one directly east, and a handful more scattered in between. Looking again, Darril realized that the largest one was actually a massive river, which ran all the way through the forest and cut through the middle of the plains in the east, curving around south of the castle and heading off through the bottom left corner of the map. Unrolling the last map, Darril compared it to the last. The canyons and plateaus to the west and south ended almost immediately, rolling down into miles of beach. An almost constant line of dots along each coast proclaimed the locations of a dozen port towns. So, the duke wasn’t lying, eh? The dragoon couldn’t help but think wryly. Those ports would have to be bringing him some incredible income for him to invest in them this much. Well, that only means that the south and west should be safe enough to ignore for now. Instead, he turned his gaze to the eastern and northern boundaries. Apparently, the duke shared borders with seven other feudal lords. The border ran from the west coast to the south, forming a rough square.

Sighing, Darril plopped back again. He had the general gist of the land’s layout, but that was all he could do for now. Tomorrow he would need to check the duke’s stores, and see just what materials he had to work with. Without a doubt, he would have to send some men out to chop down some of that annoying forest. The warrior’s mouth quirked up at that. Oh yes, wouldn’t the human soldiers be more than happy to traipse out at the command of a mere subhuman to chop down trees in a forest that housed a five thousand plus goblin force? Nevertheless, it needed to be done. Timber was the most important source needed in warfare, even more so than iron. Wood would be made into any number of traps and defenses, from barricades to spikes to seize engines and more. But that would have to wait until tomorrow.

Only the rim of the sun stood above the horizon now, a golden sliver that melted into wondrous shades of royal blue, purple, and crimson. Unless she’s planning to spend the night with the scouts, she should be back by now. Darril leapt to his feet as suddenly as if an electrical jolt had ran through his body, turning and walking to the door on an impulse. His hand froze on the doorknob. But if she had come back, wouldn’t she have told me? Wait, why would she do something like that?! There’s no reason for her to notify me. Good lord, why am I even worrying about it?! Exasperated and confused, the dragoon let his hand fall from the silver handle, turning back.

He didn’t move. Part of him wanted to turn back around and march into Kai’s room to see if she was there. Part of him just wanted to flop down on that insanely large bed and fall away into peaceful oblivion. Another wanted to just sit and think. A fourth wanted to pace around the castle. The combination of them all made him want to rip his hair out. Throwing his hands up in frustration, the winged man settled for a compromise between the latter two. Meaning, he paced the room while thinking a great many things. Most of them only served to frustrate and confuse him more.

OoC: It's about darn time, right. ^^; I'm so sorry about the wait and the fact that my post isn't that great to make up for it.

BiC:

Didn’t someone say the eve before a battle could be worse than the battle itself? Kai was sure she had heard that somewhere before and the dragoon could now fully appreciate the wisdom behind those words. The small band had been up nearly all night watching the band of creatures, ready for the inevitable attack. However, that attack hadn’t come yet and it was starting to wear on the girl’s nerves. The goblinoid force hadn’t really settled down for the night, either. While some of them slept, others moved around numerous campfires and talked about the upcoming siege with their guttural voices. They definitely sound excited, she noted, but they also seem to be a little anxious. Goblins have never really been ones to wait around and make huge plans. That fact posed another problem. They just had to know who had brought all these beings together. It was driving her nuts. If they could only figure that out, they could probably stop the whole attack by just killing the leader. Without a strong one, the goblins, orcs, gnolls, and trolls were more apt to fight amongst themselves than again a castle full of humans. Nothing added up.

Kai sighed and reclined again the trunk of the tree she was sitting in. I hope Darril’s work is going better than mine. Well, I’m sure he’s figuring out the castle defenses if he hasn’t already. It would be rather nice to talk to him again. It had been such a long time since she had seen another dragoon that she had almost forgotten what it was like. Thinking of other dragoons allowed her mind to wander back to Grydon. She dearly hoped Terra was alright. Her younger friend had always been rather fragile. And Syk... “Oh Syk,” she dreamed.

“Kai!” a harsh whisper cut through her thoughts. Blinking and feeling foolish for allowing herself to wander, she turn to see Jacob beckoning her over, “I think we may have just found the leader.” That was an interesting bit of news. Hurrying and trying to be as quiet as possible, she crawled over to the scout and glanced out into the group of goblins.

Most of them were awake now, the ones that were still sleep were getting kicked in the face and other places to get them up and going. “My kin!” someone shouted from the middle of the group and gained everyone’s attention. Unfortunately, the mass group protected the speaker from the sight of the spies. “We are almost ready for the strike against the stinking humans! Preparations are almost complete and, when they are, victory will be yours!” A roar bursted from the group and all of the creatures held weapons into the air. It took awhile before they settled down enough for the leader to be heard.

“He’s speaking to clearly to be any of those races,” Jacob commented and the lightning dragoon clearly agreed. There was a bit of slur to the leader’s words but no where near the accent that the goblinoids had. He just couldn’t be one of their kin.

“The humans will try to defend their castle but, in the end, they will fall stone by stone. Nothing can oppose your combined might. Not even those who are helping the humans...” If Kai could’ve seen the leader’s face, she knew it would’ve been a smile.

They know about us, she hissed to herself, They know about Darril and me. I don’t know how but they do. The swordswoman also had a sinking feeling that the speaker knew they were listening right now. Do we have a turncoat among us even now? When did the traitor start leaking information? What, exactly, did he tell the goblins? Or... what if the leader can simply use magic to find us out. If Miguel has magical defenses around the castle and the goblins still know what’s going on, there’s no way this battle could be won. Her thoughts went around in circles like this for several minutes as the leader’s speech continued. Finally, she realized she was simply digging a mental hole with her thoughts. Creeping around Jacob, the dragoon moved to where Mathias was. “How do they know about us?” she asked, worry fully audible even though she tried to suppress it.

The mage shook his head, “I have no idea. Then again, we can’t be absolutely sure he means you dragoons but...”

“But it’s pretty obvious what he meant,” she finished for him. Kai cast her amethyst eyes back into the group of goblins. Something was said that had gotten them excited again and they were roaring with excitement.

“Don’t worry, Miguel will now about this right away,” Mathias stated. “We won’t be taken by surprise by these creatures no matter who they are.”

Wood creaked as the teams of sweat-soaked men pulled, their unified grunts bringing thoughts of war drums and battle chants to Darril’s mind. The dragoon physically shook such thoughts from his head and directed another group of soldiers to open the doors to yet another storehouse. The humans shot him a not-so-covert look of contempt and disgust, but moved to follow his orders anyway. Ignoring the looks, the blonde-haired warrior turned instead to oversee the assembly of a catapult. As Darril watched a catapult arm lift into the air, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to several hours ago, when he had the soldiers roused at the crack of dawn to prepare the defenses. At first, the men had been completely accepting of their task, eager even, right up until they were told that they were acting on the orders of a monster rather than their usual commanders. Suddenly, the men became sluggish, and complained about being forced to do intensive labor so early in the day. And the looks; Darril saw the covert ones anyway, but most of them didn’t even bother to hide their contempt for the winged man. Already, he had expected them and decided to ignore them stoically, but he couldn’t deny that they still hurt, down in that little pocket of his soul that he just couldn’t lie to, no matter how hard he tried.

Yelling for a lagging group of men to hurry and drag the frame of another catapult out of the massive storehouse, Darril marched across the courtyard. Already, they had several completed catapults assembled and sitting along the dirt road that went through the north wall, waiting to be pulled down the lane and positioned. The dragoon had set several more battalions to emptying, assembling, and positioning the siege engines in the warehouses around on the east, west, and south sides of the castle, huddled up against it’s larger stone walls as they were. He had ordered for half of them to be pulled to the north and east side, since that was where the goblin forces were coming from, but they couldn’t afford to leave the opposite sides entirely unprotected, in case the enemy tried to come around and flank them.

“Alright, pull the ballista frames out next!” Darril yelled as the last catapult arm as in place. The men didn’t give any sort of response or affirmation as they normally would have granted their regular commanders, but just moved to follow his orders instead. “After that,” he continued, as the frames and pieces of the giant crossbows were pulled out of the storehouses, “we’ll move on to the trebuchets!”

The dragoon and soldiers heaved and assembled the siege engines for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon before they were done, Darril helping push the last trebuchet into place behind the protective stone wall. Wiping the sweat from his face, Darril dismissed the men, with the exception of several of the quicker-looking soldiers, which he sent off to check up on the progress of the carpenters. Just has he had had the soldiers roused, the Darril had also had each and every carpenter living within the castle or it’s grounds to prepare shelters and lean-to’s just outside the outer walls. Alongside them were a number of ditch- and gravediggers, digging trenches behind the shelters. He also had several teams of the carpenters building protective platforms to cover the ballista’s and the men working them. Other teams (mostly carpentry apprentices) were building fallouts for the ramparts, where even a child could open a top-hinged, out-swinging door and easily pour out a cauldron of boiling oil on enemy heads. Or they could even fire arrows down through them while still being protected. He just hoped that the enemy never got that close.

And out past the catapults and ballista’s positioned outside the walls, several groups were digging long, deep rectangles in the earth, with the innermost side deeper than the outfacing one. No one could possibly figure out what Darril had planned for those, but he had ordered them dug all around the north and east fields at regular intervals. At the same time, even more men were out in the closest of the south and eastern forests, falling the tallest, thickest trees they could find, shaving them clear of any branches, and sharpening one end into narrow points. All of these tasks had monopolized every soldier, and most of the craftsmen in and around the castle.

“Good day,” A cheerful and familiar voice spoke up behind the dragoon.

“Good day, Miguel,” Darril replied absently, turning to look at the wizard. “What do you want?”

“I came to inform you of the scouts’ report.” The wizard explained, waving a rolled up piece of parchment in front of him. Darril’s stomach lurched, and the fighter had to restrain himself from visibly swallowing.

“They’re back?” He exclaimed, surprised. “I didn’t see them come back in; when did they—?”

“No, no,” Miguel interrupted, waving Darril’s questions aside. “They didn’t come back, one of my apprentices just sent me this,” he explained, waving the scroll again.

“Ah. Well?” Darril asked, attempting to keep his disappointment from coming through in his voice.

“They say they overheard an upper rallying a battalion—or whatever you want to call them. Apparently, the speaker seemed something more than goblinoid.” Darril’s eyebrow rose at that. “And it wasn’t a troll or giant.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, already contemplating the consequences of a spy. “A human, or something else? Maybe drow?” He shuddered at that; he didn’t want to think of what it would mean for them if the dark elves were behind this. But Miguel shook his head.

“They don’t know; they said they didn’t get a look at the speaker.” Darril sighed, but accepted it. For now, they’d just have to work on assumptions. If there was a spy among them, then he could only try and keep an eye out for him.

“Oh, and I’d also thought that I’d let you know that this isn’t information being spread around.” Miguel added. “It might inspire a lack of . . . confidence.”

Darril did swallow at that. If the men thought that there was a spy, he would be the first suspect. Moreover, if they decided that the spy wasn’t human, things would be doubly bad for him.

“Thanks,” He said dryly, and turned back to head into the castle.

OoC: Okay, let's see if my post doesn't stay up this time.

BiC:

It just felt like things were going from bad to worse. As unlikely as it was, someone had managed to band together some of the fiercest and bloodthirsty races to attack a single castle. Kai could only wonder if the Kel’Rese castle would hold against such a force. She felt like several human forces would be hard pressed to simply survive this; her heart thumped at the thought of what the battle could cost. Suddenly, an elbow landed itself against her arm. Startled, the winged female turned to see Mathias giving her a serious look and extending it the rest of the group, “Get ready.”

The dragoon just about asked what he meant when the speaker’s voice boomed above the noise. “Now, my brethren, it is time to take back what is ours. These humans have lived here too long and defiled the land with their pitiful structures. Too long have they allowed other, lesser races to walk freely through. But, when we take this land, we will allow only the strongest to come! If these humans want to keep this place, let them keep it with their own blood! Let them feel the sacrifice of territory!”

A roar of victory arose from the massive force of goblinoids. “Now!” the mage shouted, loud enough for the scouts to hear but low enough as to not attract unwanted attention. He grabbed Kai by her arm and pulled her into the forest. Just a few moments latter, the crashing of the attack force moving resounded right behind them. “Kai,” he looked at her seriously, “we need you to get into the air. You can get back to the castle and warn them much faster than we can.”

She took a quick glance behind her at the massive movement behind them. If that group caught up with the scouts, they would be slaughtered in seconds. She just couldn’t leave them behind. What if something happened that she could fix? The lightning swordswoman opened her mouth.

“Don’t worry about us,” the mage cut her off before she even started. Apparently, the fear for them was evident on her face. “Those things wouldn’t be smart enough to overtake us,” Mathias jerked his head at the goblins and then smiled. “Besides, they’ll be too busy with all the presents we put out for them.” Then the smile vanished, “Now, go so the castle knows about this.”

Hesitating for just a second more, the dragoon nodded and then flared her wings to leap into the sky. She hovered just above the treetops to watch as the scouts ran from the rampaging monsters. While she was watching, an arrow alight with fire flew to the right of her wing, causing her to give a little yelp. Arrows. I hate arrows. Several more flew past her, none hitting their mark, before she sped towards the Kel’Rese castle. Behind her, the lightning dragoon heard the screams of pain as the movement finally ran into the wire the scouts had covered the forest with. No doubt several of the front line soldiers were now just pieces bloodying the forest floor. She shuttered at the thought. It wasn’t as though Kai had never been in battle or seen blood before. However, she had never been in a battle this massive or desperate before. The thought of what could happen frightened her. More sounds erupted from the forest, explosions and roars of pain and frustration. The attack was getting closer. The castle probably already knew the attack was coming simply from all the commotion. That didn’t mean she could slack off.

The fortress came into sight quickly and the female noted all the construction happening. Darril had been busy. As she came closer, she heard warning shouts come from the castle walls. “Wait, I’m not an enemy!” she cried out and then cringed as several regular arrows flew past her. “Wait!”

A figure rose into the air. “Hold!” Darril shouted and then started coming towards her. But there was hardly any time.

“They’re coming!” she shouted and pointed to the forest. “The scouts are coming back but the enemy is right on their heels. We’ve got to get ready!"

Darril blanched as Kai zipped past him. It was time. The dragoon banked and shot back down to the ground, wings flaring as he alighted on the inner wall. Screaming orders down to the men below the wall, Darril glanced up at the sky. There was only an hour or so of clear daylight left; after that, they would have to fight in twilight, and then finally the complete dark of night. And with the night-vision of goblins and orcs, that would hardly bode well. Not that any of this boded well, mind you. He was glad at least that the soldiers had gotten a chance to rest for the rest of the day after the labor-intensive morning and afternoon. And they’d managed to finish the last of defenses, including Darril’s special surprise.

Soldiers streamed out of the castle, splitting up into several lines. Several ran up stairs to take their places along the inner wall. More run under the raised portcullises and up the stairs leading to the top of the outer wall. Another section went outside the walls completely, taking up their positions around the outermost catapults, ballistae, and behind long, heavy logs. Darril leapt into the air, gliding to the outer wall. The dragoon yelled for someone to retrieve his bow from his room and turned his gaze to the dark line that marked the forest on the horizon. Already, he could see pinpricks of orange lights moving out of the forest: the torches of the enemy.

The dragoon sighed as the commotion died away, turning into a heavy, unbearable silence. Now, they waited. It would take the invading force some time to cross the river and hills, which left the defenders with plenty of time to sit and grow nervous. The warrior had wished desperately that they could’ve built some sort of trap or defense line at the river, but they simply couldn’t spread their men that much. They had to settle for what they had. Shifting from foot to foot as inconspicuously as he could, Darril went over the plan in his head.

The enemy would arrive at the outer defenses, fodder-first, most likely, and plow into the largest traps, which included spike pits, burnable spike barricades, and animal traps. Next, after they’d move past those, the outermost catapults and ballistae would lay into them, thinning their ranks as much as possible. While they fired, the men would pull the wheeled siege engines back to gain as much space and time as they could. Eventually, they’d either have to abandon them, or they’d make it behind the entrenchments and second line. Burnable bridges spanning the entrenchments would be set alight to keep the enemy from crossing, and the men would fall back behind it. Once the goblin force made it past the flame and second line, as Darril knew they would, the men would retreat all the way to the third and final line. There, they would hole up in more entrenchments or take shelter behind barricades and lean-tos. And behind them, the rest of the ballistae and catapults would open fire. The men atop the outer wall would fire volleys upon Darril’s command, and behind them, the catapults and trebuchets residing between the two walls would launch projectiles over the wall and into the goblinoid force. If—and the fire dragoon prayed that the possibility remained an “if”—the enemy broke through, the men would retreat behind the outer wall, and the portcullises would fall, barring the invaders. And if they made it past that, the defenders would similarly retreat behind the inner wall. All-in-all, it was a strategy based on “get in the hits you can, retreat, repeat”. Not great, but it was the best Darril could come up with.

A wisp of fire caught Darril’s attention, and his head snapped up in time to see the first of the burnable barricades at the outer defenses go up in flames. Like blossoming flowers, the rest followed suit. Turning his gaze, the fire dragoon watched as the black tide milled around the flames, several small groups finding their way through the gaps and towards his special traps. They came on running, weapons lifted, straight for the heavy, horizontal logs. Darril couldn’t hear the men in charge yell the signal, but he saw as the heavy logs were pushed forward over the leaf-strewn ground. The logs fell into the concealed pits with a resounding thud. And as the logs pushed one side of rows of similar logs down, so the other, sharpened sides came up. The charging fodder his the suddenly appearing spikes full-tilt. Darril cringed; even though it was his design, he didn’t want to think about those in front when they plowed into the giant spikes.

Breathing deeply in a futile attempt to calm himself, the warrior watched and waited as the black tide of enemies gradually made their way past the outermost traps.

A rustle in the bushes signified that someone lurked there, watching the wall of soldiers and especially the dragoon. Silver eyes, wide with curiosity, could be seen in between branches.
The bushes rustled again and a small female figure stepped out. She was at least fourteen years of age, or so she looked. She wore simple garments; peachy colored capris, a tube top, and a simple jacket over it. A cinnamon colored, short-haired cat tail snaked out behind her, though at present it was drooping in shyness. Matching cinnamon-colored cat ears perched on her head, drooping to the sides. But, despite her fragile appearance, her eyes contained a dangerous spark in their depths.
She walked forward cautiously, aware of how close these peoples' enemies were. But she wanted to show them that she was no such threat; she wanted to make peace between them.