| Turning from the cave entrance, Erix looked in at the Bloodclaws. They seemed fairly content to be hid in a cavern from whatever dangerous lurked around outside. It is a foolish man who stays in the sight of danger when he could rest and prepare outside of danger's grasp. Toul walked up to Erix and placed his hand on Erix's shoulder. Toul's hand almost encompassed Erix's shoulder with sheer size. Looking up, Erix smiled at his long time friend. Toul was a very large man, standing a good foot taller than Erix at over seven foot and was almost a full pace across the shoulders. Despite his size, Toul was very gentle and could become a roaring forest fire of vengeance when the need arose. Gray flecked Toul's shoulder length black hair betraying his age; a Dragon with silver in his hair was growing near his six hundredth year. Erix remembered meeting Toul, it was not long after he had first been changed into a Lycan and had it fused into him by an absentminded priest making Erix the Jade Jaguar. How long had it been? How long? "Four hundred years ago," Toul began and Erix smiled, "I met a small boy with short silver hair and wide, scared jade eyes. He had stumbled into a world that he had never imagined and now was totally lost and alone." Toul smiled and looked down at the Jaguar. "Who would have thought that that scared little boy would some day be leading an army? Especially one to protect a city and a nation?" Erix smiled and looked to the ground, "Four hundred years is plenty of time for a person to assume many different roles my friend." "Farmer, soldier, protector, Lord, general, and paladin?" Toul chuckled, "Most do not accomplish a single one of those in a lifetime, yet you have somehow managed to accrue all of them." Erix chuckled and looked up, "What can I say? I'm an over-achiever." Toul let out a loud laugh, "And let's not forget over-zealous, proud, and vain." Erix laughed and shook his head at the Dragon, "Hey now. Don't even get me started mister 'High and Mighty sitting in my cave above the world.'" Chuckling, Toul's hazel eyes peered out of the entrance to the cave. "I am aren't I?" The two old friends laughed and walked back into the cave. ~*~ If the sharp rocks above ground were teeth, then the rocks in the passages below ground were razors. More than once, Erix had placed a hand on a rock to steady himself as they moved about and each time he had a nice slice across his palm. Mutters from the Bloodclaws said that they too were having difficulties not touching the stones as they traveled the uneven caverns. Sometimes Erix was amazed at some lengths the Dragons went to just to keep intruders out of their homes. One look at the way Toul easily navigated the caverns reminded Erix that Dragons were a lot more adept at traveling below ground than Lycans ever were. Erix again slipped and drew back a bloody hand. A lot more adept than he ever could be. "We are now a good mile from the Dragonwatch. We should be there within the hour." Toul's voice carried all the way to the back of the army, silencing every one of the Bloodclaws. They were good soldiers and knew when to talk among themselves and when to listen when a superior was speaking. One could never tell when something your superior said could save your life in the near future. For the most part, the Bloodclaws moved as silently as two hundred men with full equipment could move. Torches were lit, arrows nocked, and blades at the ready. Even as the soldiers talked amongst themselves, their eyes were always searching dark corners or side passages for any signs of trouble. They truly were the best of the best. Torchlight made a glowing nimbus around the travelers, but the travelers eyes could see well beyond the aura of light, their Lycan vision far superior to Human sight, and the Dragon's sight was far more than the Lycan's. Shadows mysteries were revealed under the gaze of a Lycan and the pace the army set, made sure that no shadow was left viewed. Even though Erix was walking in the company of a Dragon in a land of Dragons, he still was not fool enough to think that they were safe from any harm. "Toul," Erix spoke softly, "What have you heard of your wife?" Toul's eyes hardened slightly as he looked forward. Toul Auhven was a hero in the Dragon world and had been summoned to help defend the Wurmsteeth Mountains from an over-zealous orc chieftain by the self appointed name of Gorunshk Dragonbleeder. Surprisingly, Gorunshk had amassed an army that worried the Dragons, so they called in help. Toul left his wife behind to defend his ancestral home. "I've been planning on writing Tamra for some time, but my duties give me little time to write," Toul turned toward the Lord Jaguar, "Have you heard anything of her?" Erix shook his head slightly. Tamra, Toul, Silk, Prog, and himself had once been a force to be reckoned with many a century ago. None had suspected that Toul, a Dragon, and Tamra, a Raven, would have fallen in Love and married. Of coarse it made for some interesting comments among those closest to them, but all could see that they were genuinely in Love; which did Erix's heart good, being a paladin of the Goddess of Love herself. He had even been given the honor of performing the wedding rites for them. Truly good friends. Dust drifted down and into Erix's eyes. Blinking and turning his face away for a moment, he realized Toul had stopped moving. Toul's hazel eyes stared directly above them, concern painted on his face. The Bloodclaws quickly passed word to keep watch and ready weapons. Erix knew this look. Something was wrong. "What is it?" Erix whispered, easing his sword out of its sheath. Toul's eyes never left the stone ceiling above. "We are still a few miles from the surface." This time Toul did look at Erix. "Something major is going on up there. Something is wrong." ~*~ Stone slammed against metal of armor as Erix and Toul led the Bloodclaws out of the cave opening into the area known as the Dragonwatch. Ruins of an old watchtower lay here, but nothing else could be seen. The trip from the caverns below the earth had been hazardous at best, but the sense of urgency in Toul"s voice had commanded nothing but full speed. Heavy fog still clung to everything as the small army searched the land and the skies for any sign of trouble. Then they saw it. Light glimmered off of something gold and red in the sky as it flew away from some unseen force. That strange red lighting again lit the sky and the shape vanished from sight. A call from the ranks made Erix's helmeted head jerk to the side. Calvary and chariots flew from one of the rises and crashed onto the ground nearby. Black armor marked the charioteer in the lead as Bane himself. All were whipping their large northern bred horses for more speed as they charged up the path. Erix dashed after Bane's chariots and could hear the Bloodclaws in close pursuit. Moments passed and Erix saw the first sight that chilled his blood. A Dragon High Guard lay on the ground, its stomach ripped wide open and its contents spilled upon the soil. All Erix could do was continue the charge as they passed more and more of the dead. Lycans were now visible, some were crushed behind chariots, some impaled upon the sharp stones, but all had the lifeless gaze in their eyes. Something awful had happened and it had just happened. It was then that a smell entered Erix's nose. Smell of fierce decay, burned flesh, and brimstone were the only way he could describe the horrid stench that silveron made a Lycan body produce. He knew the smell all to well, having fought in many a war against the Vampire scourge who each carried silveron daggers to dispatch the fallen Lycans. Erix himself had almost been one of those who had fallen to the dagger. Palaces quickly came into sight, or what used to be palaces. Charred and smashed piles of rubble stood in all directions. From some of the rubble nearby, Erix could see that these buildings had once been made of a pearly white stone. He could only imagine at the splendor it once been. Bodies littered the ground and from what Erix could see, all were either Lycan or Dragon. Had the Dragons and Lycans gone mad and fought each other in the streets? What could have possibly have done all of this damage? The fog cleared slightly and exposed a very high arched building before him. It could only be a royal palace. Dead lay in droves near the entrance to the palace. Toul had long since drawn the massive two-handed sword, and Erix and his Bloodclaws had drawn their weapons. Raising his shield, Erix lowered the winged visor of his helmet and all became clear. His helmet had been a gift from the Elves that had made his sword, it gave the wearer True Sight, the ability to see through even magical darkness and invisible things. The Bloodclaws and himself had little trouble walking through the doorways built for Dragons and upon looking at the vaulted ceilings, Erix now understood the beauty and power of the Dragon Kingdom. Toul pointed ahead at an entrance and Erix nodded. He knew what must lay beyond. Giving a quick order for the Bloodclaws to spread out and search the palace, Erix and Toul continued forward. What Erix had found, he wished he had not. Columns held the mosaic covered ceiling up as it led toward the throne. Before the throne lay the Dragon Queen herself. At the moment his eyes fell on her body, Toul covered the distance between him and the Queen in what seemed to be three steps. Watching all directions at once, Erix moved forward and heard a low thumping. His eyes quickly found the source of the noise. Standing next to a large hole in the wall, Bane slammed a black gauntleted hand into the stones and tears made ruts in his face. Blood and green puss came from his wounds and the foul silveron made wounds reeked the sickening smell which meant death to a Lycan. Glancing into the hole in the wall, his sword almost fell from his grasp. Hundreds of eggs lay within, each smashed open and tiny Draconic bodies lay ravaged nearby. The Emperor shook slightly and Erix grabbed Bane's arm as the black clad man collapsed to one knee, his head now resting on the scorched stone wall. "What...?"Erix began but Bane pointed and what he saw cut him short. A strangely shaped corpse lay on the ground; Erix could only describe it as demonic. Reptilian skin with long skinny arms and short stubby legs. Its fingers glittering in the morning light, silveron, and an acrid green poison leaking from its long muzzle-like mouth. Never had Erix seen a creature like this. A loud cough brought his attention back to the Emperor. Wavering, Bane lifted his hand to reach for Erix and collapsed onto his side. Quickly, Erix dropped his shield and sword to lift Bane's head from the floor. "Erix" Find my son Zoushan, tell him, his day has come." Bane's eyes drifted shut. "Bloodclaws! To me!'" Erix yelled. Within moments, the Bloodclaws had converged on his position. "Quickly, find Hawry and the fastest chariot still intact. I need Hawry to take the Emperor to the Glenmalden. Only the elves can help him now. Jion, Emani can wait, send word to the Empress. Tell her what you have seen here, I trust you will be tactful when you speak to her." Jion nodded his head slowly, almost like a dog who had just been cowed. "The rest of you, search the area for survivors. Once everyone has returned, we return to Emani. There is nothing more we can do here. Move!" Bloodclaws scattered as if threatened with pain of death and Erix looked down at his Emperor. Where was he going to find Zoushan? He had only met the man once. He knew nothing of him. Almost a full hour had passed since the discovery of the sacked Dragon city and the Bloodclaws were slowly returning, each empty handed, save for a single chariot that was hastily repaired. A young jaguar soldier stepped up to where Erix and Toul sat near Bane and the Dragon Queen. "Sir, there are no survivors," Mokai reported breathlessly as he saluted. Erix took the news better than he expected and nodded. How could they fight an enemy that could cause so much destruction and not leave but a single body behind? "You are dismissed Mokai." Giving a quick salute, Mokai jogged back to the rest of the troops, whom some of which were weeping over dead companions found in the searching. Laying his head in his hands, Erix felt a tear roll off the tip of his nose and a large hand gently encompass his shoulder. What was he going to do? By LLErix |
| Into the Fray By LLErix |
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