| Erix's waist length silvery-gray hair flared behind him as he rode at the head of the Bloodclaws. Two-hundred of the most elite that Emani had to offer marched behind his banner toward the Wurmsteeth mountain range, and none knowing the reason of it. Erix wished he had an answer for them when they asked him, but not even he was sure why Bane had summoned him to this range. All he knew was that he had left Emani in the hands of a Tiger, and one not known for his patience for more "domestic" matters. Lord Silvor was a hard man and Emani had grown from a small hamlet to a metropolis since Erix's reign as Lord. Erix was not going to see Emani fall while he was still breathing. Lighting crackled and arched across the now almost totally dark sky. Many mumbled behind him about bad omens and trouble ahead, but Erix paid them no mind. He had seen much worse things happen on bright and sunny days than on even the worst of storms, even with that in mind, the hair on the back of his neck tried to stand on end. Something bad was coming...and soon. "Lord Stogart!" Hawry's high-pitched voice seemed to pierce deep into Erix's spine. Erix glanced over his shoulder to see Hawry make an awkward bow as he jogged beside Erix's horse. "Lord Stogart, you summoned me?" Hawry had this bad habit of acting to proper around Erix, it seemed that many of Emani's populus suffered the same affliction. Erix had fought this at first, but now tolerated it in silence. "Hawry, I want you and Jion to report back to me as to the current status of Emani. I want to know everything. What the troops' statuses are, where they are positioned, how Silvor is treating the citizens, what the citizens are thinking. I need to know this." Erix's jade eyes pierced deep into Hawry, who shivered visibly under his gaze. Hawry gave a formal, but hasty bow and turned to leave. "Hawry!" The scout stopped dead in his tracks and turned toward Erix who lay a gauntleted hand on his shoulder. "You can not fail and be safe. May the Goddess of Love watch over you." Hawry's lips curled into a satisfied half-smile before he ran to find Jion. The hour was becoming late and there was still much land to cover so Erix pulled rein and turned toward his soldiers. "We make camp here tonight! Prepare fortifications and set watch! Two hour rotations!" As Erix finished the orders, the small army erupted into purposeful chaos. Each squad assigned their own tasks, within minutes, a very orderly camp had been erected and small perimeter fortifications had been set into place. Erix couldn't help but smile. The best of the best. But then the smile slid from his face as he began to think on Emani. "Bane, you better know what you're doing," he whispered under his breath. ~*~ Night fell over the encampment and with the dark, came the rain, winter rain. Soldiers bundled inside the tents and those on patrol held their cloaks closed and hoods up. It felt as if liquid ice was sliding down his back as Erix walked the rows of tents. None of the usual fires were lit and only a handful of the hardened veterans braved the weather. With Erix's cloak pulled up, he looked no different than nay other soldier in the camp, so he didn't have to deal with soldier leaping to their feet and saluting or the conversations dying they way they tended to do when authority was around. Anonymity definitely had its advantages. One group of soldiers openly questioned Bane's decision to send them to the Wurmsteeth Mountains, but when the same question was posed about Erix, the men said they would follow Erix to the gates of Hell and back again. Pride swelled in Erix's heart as he listened in the distance, but concern filled his heart as well. It was all well and good to have soldiers that would do anything for their commander, but blind devotion could also cause more problems than not. "Well its good to know that someone loves you." The familiar voice actually calmed Erix's nerves slightly. "Yes it is. But I feel I'm leading them into the very maw of Death itself." Erix turned and looked into the shadows of a tent where the voice had emerged. "How long have you been here Ri'Vion?" Stepping out from the shadows, Drax smiled at his long time friend. "Since the beginning Field Marshal Stogart." Erix smirked at Drax's exaggerated salute. "Seems as though your abilities as a General have yet to be forgotten." "So it seems," Erix agreed, the smirk not yet leaving his lips. "Do you have any idea why Bane has called us out here?" Drax smirked and shook his head slightly, "Not a damn clue, but when have we ever been able to second guess that old codger?" Erix couldn't help but laugh. "Good point. Come, let's get out of this rain." Erix looked around at the tents briefly. "Everyone is where they are supposed to be and we have a lot yet to plan." "I have a feeling this is going to be a very long night," Drax's eyebrow rose knowingly, and Erix nodded slowly. It was going to be a very long night. ~*~ Sharp gray and black angles and points jetted up from all manner of places as the army marched forward. Wurmsteeth lived up to its name as the volcanic rock made sharp teeth-like projections out of the slightly imperfection of stone. There were patches of large smooth areas where a volcanic pool had cooled, Erix could only assume that it was in one of these "pools" that Bane had wanted to meet with him. Traveling across such rocky and dangerous terrain made the army's speed drop to almost a crawl. So far there had been only one incident where someone had tripped and sliced themselves, but it was nothing that the man could not regenerate in moments. An ever-present dense fog clung to the mountains in which only the sharp caps were visible, which added to the mystery of the place. Stories were told that any who enter the mountain range were never seen again, or that they were driven mad by what lay inside. Erix's men were not fools and were well aware of the legends surrounding the place, but they followed unwaveringly and ever vigilant. Easing his sword in its sheath, Erix's eyes watched the surroundings for Bane, or any sign of danger, the uneasiness of his troops settling on him. He was not a fool either. "Erix," Drax whispered under his breath. His daggers sliding from the hidden sheathes in his sleeves. "I know," Erix whispered back, his hand clutching his sword, the other lifted and ordered a halt. Immediately the soldiers went on the defensive, each settling into their place and weapons in hand. The Bloodclaws knew what that order meant. Trouble. Stepping down from his horse's saddle, Erix watched the surrounding area intently. Minutes passed without any movement at all, then a voice called out from the ranks. "There!" Sliding his blade from its sheath, Erix turned toward the voice and saw a lone figure knelt on one of the rises of a nearby mountain. Clearly the figure was humanoid in shape, but something was different about it. If Erix judged the distance right, the figure was clearly larger than most men. It stood and lifted a hand in the air, palm opened toward them. In its other hand, it clutched a very large two-handed sword almost as long as the figure was tall. Erix watched intently and then a smile crawled across his face. Drax glanced at Erix and his brows furrowed with confusion. Lifting his hand, the Bloodclaws blinked at the command then sheathed their weapons. The Field Marshal and the figure in the distance moved toward each other, Drax shadowed Erix. As the figure grew closer, Erix?s smile widened, as did the other man's. When they were within arms reach of each other the two men hugged each other and laughed loudly. "I can't even believe this. Toul Auhven, how have you been?" Erix laughed as he stepped back from the hug of the large man. Toul flashed a toothy smile at Erix and Drax. Drax's eyes flashed in sudden realization, and then hardened at self-disappointment. "Erix Stogart. I have been very well. I had a feeling that you were somewhere out here. The other dragons have found where Bane's charioteers are camped and are bringing him in for questioning." Toul's smile dropped slightly. "You do know that there is still bad blood between some of the older of us and Bane?" Erix nodded carefully. "This may not be as civil as some of the audiences we've been part of in the past." "I don't imagine so. Well at least I have some idea as to what Bane had planned out here. Can you take us there?" Toul nodded and motioned toward a stone facing. "This is one of the few entrances to our home. You and your men will be safe because you are friends of mine, it is Bane that you should worry about." Turning toward Drax, Erix nodded toward the Bloodclaws, "Get the men ready. Tell them we're going to visit the dragons." By LLErix |
| Erix Rides to Wurmsteeth By LLErix |
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