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[Gnaborretni]

The Bard looked around the inn, noting the amount of people in the dining room.Wow, all the tables are full, looks like a good night. And I'll be able to make a killing off of this crowd. But there's one small problem. Spoon was referring to the other bard who was already playing music near the bar. But he had ways of dealing with competition. Digging into his bag, he pulled out a vial of white powder, from which he pinched out a small amount. Placing it back into his bag, he walked towards the bard, and with his other hand, he pulled a coin out a bag on his belt. He walked over, threw the coin into the hat that the other bard had placed for this reason. It was overflowing already. He then pushed his way through the crowd, sprinkling the powder into the brew which the other musician was drinking from. The Bard then leaned against a wall, and waited.

Soon enough, the other bard packed up, claiming to be too tired to continue. He took his treasure hoard with him, and went upstairs, where you could almost hear snores immediately afterwards. It worked like a charm, but then again, it always does. That'll teach him to share. Without music to entertain them, the crowd was beginning to get a little rowdy. Spoon walked to the bar, grabbed a pint of some kind of booze, and walked to where the other bard had been. He set his drink on the edge of the bar, threw down his hat, and asked one of the men at the bar for a song suggestion.

"Hey, Bard, ya know 'Greasy Bob'?" The Bard, of course, knew the exact song that the man was talking about, and began to play it, a good ol' drinking song. A few coins had already appeared in his hat, even though he had just started. Man, I hope I can carry it all by the end of the night...

Everybody, ye ever heard of Greasy Bob?
If ye ain't, 'e's the one filling 'is gob!
He'd eat all ye have, and then git some food,
Always hungry, ne'er in a good mood.
He'd eat yer cow, he'd eat yer dog,
He'd eat yer horse, and even a log!

Oh, if ye ever come 'cross Greasy Bob, and ye can't get out,
Ye take 'im to the pub, and ye give 'im a nice stout.
Though he eats 'nuff to feed a small town,
He drinks less than yer marm!

Amid raucous shouts and laughter, the Bard caught the eye of a very pleasant looking serving-maid. In under a minute, a big bowl of stew, as well as a meat pie, had been placed beside his booze. He tossed a coin at her, which she caught deftly, and placed in her pocket. She then gave him a warm look, and the Bard knew that he would be a very lucky man tonight. More and more people were cramming themselves in the dining area, and it seemed like the entire inn was in the room. This will be a very busy night.

[RandomEd]

Here I go...

Name: Ravi Geisler
Age: 38
Race: Human male
Appearance: 5' 11", 170 pounds.  Blue eyes, bleached brown hair.  Well tanned, with age wrinkles just beginning to show. Keeps a full beard, shaved close to his face.
Clothing: Ravi wears your standard traveling clothes: a pair of long brown wool pants with leather shoes, with a short sleve white cotton tunic and a full-brim, heavy cloth tan hat.  On top of his shirt, he wears a green vest marked with a ragged emblem of the Order of Paladine on the front left side.  Walks with a solid oak staff.

Occupation: Vagabond Cleric
Background: Devoted by his parents into the priestly class at the age of 6, Ravi was trained as a young servant in minor religious and clerical duties.  As he grew, the teachers noticed that Ravi had a special aptitude for healing (white) magic, and so was given as an adept in the Order of Paladine at the age of 13.  During the next several years, Ravi's training expanded to include philosophy, history, and especially training in the white arts.  The head clerics of the Order saw him to be a very good, if not exceptional, student, and believed him to be a good candidate for ordination when he came of the age of consideration at 21.
   Unfortunately, he never made it.
Ravi began to have serious questions about his beliefs in religion and philosophy as he entered his late teen years.  He increasingly asked his teachers in the Order difficult questions about Paladine's role in the world,  and his standing among the adepts began to slide.  His teachers and fellow adepts believed that Ravi's faith was weak, and rumors began to fly that Ravi was involved in heretical systems - rumors that while unfounded, had a devestating effect.  One day when Ravi was 19, he was aggressively confronted by another adept about these rumors, and Ravi could no longer hold his anger in being so maligned.  He attacked and severely hurt the fellow adept - a crime worthy of expulsion in the White Order.  After a long trial, the Order's Elders told Ravi that he was condemned to be a Vagabond Adept - forced to wander the world until he could return and give a full account and repentance of his actions and beliefs.  It was just 1 step above total excommunication.
   However, Ravi's Vagabond status has long stopped being the demeaning role is was designed to be - to Ravi, it is his identity.  He doubts, but he still seeks after the reality behind the mysticism of Paladine.  His white magic powers have become strong through his constant use in wandering - powerful enough to become head surgeon for one of King Lance's military brigades for 2 years (a position that normal Order member cannot apply for)  It is the acquired letters of commendation from his service that have given Ravi a slightly easier wandering life, even if many in the Order are still suspicious of him.

Personality: 20 years is a long time for anyone to be a Vagabond - usually, an adept returns after a few years to repent and rejoin the Order.  Ravi still doubts, and it is this heavy burden that follows him.  He is very throughtful, given to reading, studying, and the occasional bad joke.  In a confrontation, Ravi is far more likely to try and reason with an opponent; so long as he doesn't feel threatened, Ravi is easygoing and pleasant, but usually keeps to himself.

Abilities: Wits and wizardry.  Ravi, if he was in the Order proper, would be considered a low-level master.  He has wide-ranging knowledge in healing magic, and some experience in field medicine and herbalism from the military.  He also has a few defensive spells as well, as he never studied much in the way of martial arts.  He could probably fend off a bandit or 2 with his staff alone, but nothing more.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ravi hated walking in the rain.  The storm had passed a while ago, but the fact was Ravi was still wet and miserable as he set up a cloth tarp on the edge a forest clearing to sleep under for the night.  A a wet pair of clothes were laid on a nearby rock to dry in the dimming evening light.

I'm nearly out of food, too, Ravi thought.   I'll head into town in the morning and see what I can do.  In the meantime... Ravi laid his head down on top of his hat as he sprawled out on his groundcloth and pulled a wool blanket over him.  The night was going to be overcast, and Ravi could hardly see as the twilight slowly faded away.

It was about an hour later that Ravi awoke to the dim stench of burnt wood.  As his bleary eyes adjusted in the dark, Ravi began to notice a slight reddish tint in the west, just on the horizon.  Ravi stared at the dull red glaze on the clouds.  I should still be miles from town, he thought.  A bonfire maybe... nah, too bright.  It took about a minute before Ravi's sleppy mind finally snapped into gear.  "Fire!"  Ravi jumped up and measured the distance between him and the distant blaze.  I wasn't too far from the next town... What is going on out there?  As tired as he was, Ravi's sense of emergency overrode his sore muscles, and he began to look around for his gear.

Ravi hastily gathered his belongings, put his hat and still-wet clothes back on, then rolled his blanket into a large knapsack and hefted it onto his shoulders.  He trudged through the damp grass and forest humus in the dark for a few minutes before finding the worn, muddy path that he had been traveling on for the past several days.  Turning right, he began to head down the path towards the firey red glare.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arriving in the small town, Ravi could see that the worst was over.  A hastily assembeled fire brigade (or perhaps "mob" would be a more appropriate description,) had nearly all the fires under control.  Walking through the massive crowds, Ravi spotted one young man who seemed to be directing a group of firefighters.  Ravi waved to the gentleman as he approached.

"Excuse me, sir!  Uh..I just arrived here in town, and I am..."

"A cleric, right?" The gentleman interrupted and pointed at Ravi's vest.  "A Paladine?  We've setup triage just down the main road, beside Sir Lorenthelm's keep."

"Thank You!" Ravi said hastily as he rushed down the street.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ravi was quickly able to find the hastily assembled medical tents, and managed to integrate himself into the care center easily.  There were no skilled doctors there, besides himself, but most of the injuries were severe burns and broken bones; nothing that he hadn't seen before.  Laying his knapsack and staff aside, Ravi began to concentrate on the critically injured.  The first man he found had his entire left arm severly burnt.  Placing his hands over the injured man's arm, Ravi began to focus his healing magic into the burned area, dulling the nerves and stabilizing the arm.  An hour passed, and Ravi was able to help stabilize several patients, although he wasn't so sure about a dozen or so of the injured - they likely would not survive into tomorrow.  As he sat down on the back of a haycart nearby, Ravi plopped onto his back and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.  He hadn't seen a sight quite this bad since before his time with the army's surgical corps.  As Ravi stared into the sky, he heard someone else walk up to the cart.

"I assume that you are the man that's been helping with the injured?  I wanted to thank..." the cleric's voice tailed off as Ravi sat back up and let the priest see his vagabond emblem. 

"Hmm?" Ravi asked.  The cleric recovered from his daze and stammered, "I didn't realize that you were a wanderer.  Uh.. still, I thank you for what you've done.  I am Sir Lorenthelm's chief surgeon.  and you?"

"I am Ravi.  I have to say, I did not expect to find a cleric here.  Why were you not assisting with the patients here?  They could've used another healer's help."

The chief surgeon drew back at the question.  "You are in no position to lecture me, Vagabond.  There was a far more unusual victim that Sir Lorenthelm called me to look at.  And I would expect that a wanderer as old as you would have a little more respect."

Ravi turned away and sighed.  "I have been a vagabond for 20 years, cleric, and I seem to be little closer to finding the answers that when I was first kicked out of the Order.  Respect vanished long ago.  My faith is a lost cause."

The cleric seemed suprised at this.  "Surely, Paladine does not abandon one of his own?  He has been guiding you here, most likely.  It was providence that brought you here after the fire..."

"Providence?  I don't see god's hand in this - only coincidence.  I am sorry, but if want me to believe that Paladine guided me here, I hope that he said something to you, because he hasn't said a thing to me for decades."  Ravi groaned as he slowly stood back up.  "I'm sorry, but I will have to talk more later - in between the trip here and the healing, I'm exhausted.  Where's the nearest inn?"

The cleric gazed down at his feet for a few moments.  "I see.  Go to the 'Light's Prophecy', down on the edge of town, although by now I'm sure they are full.  Wait," the cleric said as he reached into his pocked and fished out a gold coin.  "Here's payment for your help tonight.  Light willing, I'll see you in the morning?  I would like to speak more."

"Hopefully."  Ravi made a quick bow to the cleric.  "Have a good evening, Revered Son."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cleric was right - the inn was swarming with both firemen and refugees from the fire.  Great... there's no way I'll get a room tonight.  So much for luck.  Ravi shook his head and sat down beside the wall, close to a bard who had just finished up his bowl of stew.  Resigned to his fate, Ravi pulled a few silver coins from his pocket, then turned to the bard and got his attention.

"Excuse me!  Would you happen to know any of the classical Ballads from the Westernlands?"

I'll be out until Saturday evening, FYI.

[Chevalier-Ange]

Post containing historic spell reference


Still sitting on the floor across from RM 404 for what seemed like ages now, Quinn started to become slightly impatient.  She then decided she was going to knock on the door anyway, as rude as that may actually be.  Standing she approached the door and was just about to knock when the sounds of applauds and laughing from the dining area caught her attention.

"Hmm." She thought to herself  "I wonder what that's all about."

Quinn looked at the door, then the stairs, and then the door again.  Finally she decided to scamper down to the dining room to see what all the excitement was.  After all she thought, Kristen would surely have to leave this way, and Quinn would see her and speak to her then.

***

Daemon was on his ninth breath by this point, and Kristen was growing weary of the mans explanations and talking.  She was also tired, since she really had not slept that much in the past few days. Standing to stretch, she approached the window and stuck her head out a bit to get some fresh air hoping to relieve her grogginess.  That's when she noticed the half dozen or so men ride into the South part of the Village just beyond the Inn. 

"Dammit." She said out loud "I have a bad feeling about those guys." She continued as she noticed they lacked any Insignia but yet...were armed to the hilt.

Quickly ducking her head back inside, she put up a hand in a silencing fashion.  "I see trouble out there." She said, "You want forgiveness and understanding?  Then come with me to check it out."

"..."

"Well?" Kristen asked as she fastened her breastplate on quickly, and grabbed her helmet and spear as well.

"Sure." Daemon replied, "Sounds good."

"Perfect..." She said as she placed her helmet on her head "We'll continue this talk at a later time then." And headed for the window again.

"Umm?"

"There's too many people downstairs for me to go that way." She answered "Especially dressed like this." And slowly began climbing out the window.

A few moments later, Kristen and Daemon were on the small rooftop ledge outside her window, and Kristen was scanning the area for the men she had seen a few minutes ago.

"There." She said pointing to a few tied horses "lets go." She added as she began to climb down some of the rafters in a slow decent to the ground.

"..."

"Come on." She said, "It's not that hard really."

"Yeah, but..." Daemon began as he was cut off by the sudden sensation of him floating, and the obvious fact that Kristen 'was' floating.  A few seconds later, they were on the ground facing Kori who had his arms extended, Aidan who was grinning widely, and an unknown person who was all but speechless.

"Going somewhere in a hurry Kristen?" Kori asked.

"No...Yes..." she replied relieved to be back on the ground "Next time let me know you are going to do that ok?"

"I was unsure if you would fall if I tried to get your attention, so..." he began "...this seemed the best course of action."

"Well, thanks I guess." She said "Anyway...I think I just saw a load of trouble entering town, and we" she added pointing to Daemon "were going to investigate. You coming?"

"Hehe...count me in." Aidan piped up with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, me too." Illyas said flexing his bowstring.

Kori just looked around at everyone for a second, then stared at Kristen as looked at him questioningly. "What?" he said, "Like you have to ask?"

"Ok.  We'll save the introductions till later." Kristen ordered "Lets go then." She added as she began walking towards the tied horses she had seen from the rooftop.

Before they even arrived, they could hear the roaring of a few men, and the sound of breaking glass.  Kristen paused for a second and looked at everyone, then began a dash for the area the noise was coming from.

Arriving, they saw what could only be described as eight well-armed thieves, or marauders, terrorizing a group of people passing by.

"Cease and desist immediately." Kristen ordered.

"Hahaha...looky guys." A burley man with a large two-handed sword said "A group of wanna-be heroes."


EDIT: typos of course

[Mike Caron]

"Hur, 8 on 5? I like those odds!" One of the thugs said, chuckling to himself. This one had a set of brass knuckles on each fist, and he looked as though he knew his way around them.

"Me too." Kristen replied, readying her own weapon. "In the name of his Majesty, surrender now, or we will have no choice but to take you in forcefully."

"Ha ha ha, this chick thinks she can push us around?" A third guy said. He was tall and lean, and was using a long bo as a walking stick.

"Pfft, like we have to be scared of a girl." Another guy said, who had a few knives on his belt. Anyone looking at Aidan who could use magic would notice that she was reading a spell of some sort.

"Hey, boss, I think she might be serious. She's gripping that stick pretty hard. Maybe it's too heavy for her?" Someone else said. Kristen took a step forward, and the thugs readied their own weapons.

"I take that as a no, then?" Kristen said. "Then, I have no choice but to place you all under arrest."

"Arrest? Aha ha ha ha! Looks like we might need to teach them a lesson on respect." One of the remaing thugs said, drawing a sword of his own.

"If you attack us, we will have no choice but to respond in kind." Kori said, with nods from the rest of the group.

"Heh, I think we're willing to take that... 'risk'. Get 'em!" their leader said, pointing with his sword.


Bo swung low at Kristen, aiming to knock her down, but she jumped quickly, and brought her spear down to hit him over the head. The thug quickly raised his weapon, and blocked her. He then quickly twisted it and swung down. Kristen jumped back, out of his reach, and he stumbled due to his momentum. Kristen jumped forward, and brought the spear down on the back of his head. With a sickening thud, the man went down.


Aidan decided to target Knife, due to his comments earlier. To her pleasure, he was joined by one of the Swords.

"Hey, baby! You'd look a lot better in my bed than in the grave you're digging for yourself!" Sword said, smiling.

"My grave? Oh, heavens no. This is your grave I'm digging."

"Ha! She's so cute when she's ruffled." Knife said, taking one of his weapons in each hand.

"Cute, am I? I'm flattered. In fact, why don't you have the pleasure of looking at two of me?" Aidan raised her hands, and was surrounded by a glow. The glow seemed to part into two glows, which then faded, reaving two Aidans.

"Hey! No fair!" Sword moved forward, and slashed at one of the Aidans. It passed through her with no resistance. The man stumbled, not expecting this.

"Bzzt, wrong!" the other Aidan said. She raised a hand, and a ball of ice formed, which then flew out towards Sword. It struck him in the back, and he crumpled.

Knife saw what was going on, so he quickly threw one of his knives at the non-illusionary Aidan.

"Bounce!" she quickly said, causing the knife to reverse and fly back at the man. It struck him in his shoulder, and he fell to his knees, struggling greatly not to scream.


Knuckles and another Sword decided to gang up on Kori, and he just smiled at the challenge. The big guy made a roundhouse punch at Kori, who put up his hand to block it. Kori caught the fist, surprising the owner.

"Hey, what?!" Knuckles said.

"Sorry to disappoint you guys..." Kori began to turn, pulling Knuckles with him. "... but, I've got other plans for tonight."

After revolving a few times, he swung Knuckles towards Sword, and with a bit of Force artistry, the man flew towards his buddy, and they both fell down in a big heap.


A second Knife wielder pointed one of his weapons at Daemon, and smiled wickedly. He then sprinted towards him, clearly meaning to finish this quickly. Daemon just smiled, crouched and held a hand out close to the ground, which began to shake just a tiny bit.

When Knife was close, he quickly stood up, with a slab of earth following. Knife, obviously not expecting this, ran straight into it at full speed, knocking himself out.


Illyas, realizing that his bow was useless in melee combat, slipped away. He quickly scaled a nearby wall, onto a roof, so he had a slightly aereal view of the battle. He notched an arrow, and scanned the combattants. Last thing he needed was to hit an ally, so he took a tally of who was who.

"Four, five, six, seven... Hey, hang on. Wasn't there eight?" He looked up and around, and saw a man with a bow in a tree on the far side of the melee. He too had an arrow notched, and was aiming directly at Kristen. "Oh, shit."

Re-aiming his bow, Illyas fired, and hoped that his shot struck true, as he would not have another chance undetected. At first, he was not sure if he did hit, but a few seconds later, the man fell out of the tree, writhing in pain at an arrow sprouting from his leg.


Kristen had not so much as wiped her brow before the last member of the gang was in front of her. His great sword was imposing, but she felt confident.

"Grr... We may have underestimated you guys, but don't think I'll let you go easily!" The man said.

"Don't worry, we won't let you get away either." Kristen replied, gesturing with her spear towards the man. He quickly moved forward, holding his sword in a defensive position in front of him.

Quick as a cobra, the man sliced forward. Steel rang out on steel as the sword hit Kristen's breast plate. She stumbled back, but wasted no time in lunging forward with her spear. The man dodged, and raised his sword over Kristen.

She quickly raised her spear as the man brought the sword down on her. It did not cut quite through the spear, but when Kristen pushed back, to throw the man off balance, the shaft broke in two. She scowled, and threw the useless half away, keeping the top of the spear.

The man regained his balance, and saw that he managed to all but destroy her weapon. He drew his sword back behind him, preparing to slash her. Kristen just threw the remaining demi-spear at him, striking him in the chest. The man roared out in pain, now pissed.

"Oops, did I hurt you?" Kristen said, coyly.

"Grr, die, bitch!" The man replied, furious.

"Oh, dear. I better cauterize that wound!" Kristen held out her hand, and a ball of fire flew out, striking the man in the same spot. He collapsed in agony, leaving Kristen standing there, panting.


Once everyone had taken care of their targets, and the guards had been notified (and after their questions were answered), they regrouped in the doorway to the inn.

"So... uh..." Illyas said, scratching an itch on his arm. "Who's up for a drink?"

[Gnaborretni]

Not a bad stew, but I hope that the meat pie is a lot better. Oh well, I know that the dessert will be quite nice. He caught the eye of the serving maid, and gave her a big wink. She giggled to herself, and came over to the Bard, to take his empty bowl of stew. As she knelt down to grab the bowl, she whispered in his ear,

"It's a little crowded in here, isn't it? When we're both done here, I'm sure I can find a place for you to sleep." For her kind words, Spoon passed her another coin, which she pocketed with a smile. He then took a large gulp from his brew, which he had to admit, was not half bad at all. He then grabbed his lute, and stood up, ready to play for his crowd again. A cleric, in a ragged green vest, caught his attention.

"Excuse me!  Would you happen to know any of the classical Ballads from the Westernlands?" He gave the cleric a more thorough inspection. He had the tired look of a man who had pushed himself farther than he should have. He also had the slightly drained look that came after using too much magic. His clothes were coated with a fine layer of dust, the kind that comes only from walking everywhere. The Bard himself was quite familiar with this, and he deferred to this man, who was also a vagabond, but one who had been on the road much longer, and one who had seen much more. Yes, he knew the classics, but he suspected the cleric knew them better.

"Yessir, I know all the classic Western Ballads." Seeing the melancholic expression of the cleric, he decided on a more upbeat song, to try and liven the atmosphere. "How's 'Sir John and the Dragon?'" The cleric nodded his acceptance, and Spoon had a feeling that he would've accepted anything.

Sir John, he fought the fearsome dragon,
Armed only with a keg and a flagon!
But he didn't fear,
Cause he had beer!

With a swig of this great brew, his fear shrank, his courage grew,
And with great strength, he threw the glass, and the drag'n soon knew,
The taste of beer, the grandest of booze,
A memory that he'd not soon lose.

Sir John, he fought the fearsome dragon,
Armed only with a keg and a flagon!
But he didn't fear,
Cause he had beer!

With a giant claw, the dragon grabbed the keg and drained 'er
Smacked 'is huge lips, marveled at the great flav'r.
Sir John was not amused,
Now he was out of booze!

Sir John, he fought the fearsome dragon,
Armed only with a keg and a flagon!
But he didn't fear,
Cause he had beer!

Now Sir John, on this he had plan'd,
Went to the drag'n and shook 'is great hand.
They became friends in the middle of May,
And now they go to the pub every Friday!

Sir John, he drank with the fearsome dragon,
They finished off five kegs and eight flag'ns
And no one now fear'd
Cuz they were all beer'd!

Spoon finished his song, and watched the cleric put a few coins in his hat. He then took another suggestion from someone else, took a swig of his beer, and began to sing another song.


After many such songs, the crowd was beginning to thin out, as people left to go to their rooms, or to their own homes. The Bard grabbed his mug of beer, and the meat pie that had been placed for him earlier, and took a seat beside the cleric. Even though he had barely met him, he felt he could trust the cleric, something that he couldn't say about most people. Besides he was sure he had great tales, from his time on the road. He dug into his meat pie, content to listen for a while.

Just then, a group of people walked into the inn, looking like they had just been through a fight...

EDIT: I just formatted the song, to make it in the middle of the text.

[Chevalier-Ange]

Kristen and Illyas were the first ones to notice the empty seats. 

"How about there?" he asked pointing.

"Looks like a good place to me." Kristen answered as she and Illyas walked towards the table followed by Aidan, Kori and of course Daemon.

Kori trying to be a gentleman pulled one of the chairs out for Aidan to sit on. But of course, when she gave him that flirty smirk, he totally blundered it and ended up knocking the chair over instead. Every head in the place turned to look as the heavy wooden chair hit the ground with a loud thud.  Some people laughed, some stared, and some people looked as if they were trying to figure out who everyone was.

"Hahaha..." Kristen began with a laugh "Kori, why does she make you so shy like that?" she continued.

"I-I'm n-not s-sure r-really." He managed to answer as he picked the chair up and tried it again. 

Successful this time, Aidan thanked him and gave him a wide-eyed smile.

"For someone so fierce Kori, you sure don't have a way with the ladies do you?" Illyas quipped in.

Kori didn't really answer, but the look on his face was speaking a thousand words. Aidan grabbed his arm gently and motioned him to sit, as Illyas pretended to look around, no longer wanting to exchange gazes with Kori.

The group spent the next five or so minutes chatting as they waited for the bar keep to come to them.  Finally he did, and they ordered both food, and of course drink, and began to relax a bit...the adrenaline obviously wearing off a bit.

Leaning forward towards Kristen, Aidan softly spoke directly to her "Do you know those two men at the bar?"

Kristen gazed over "Which ones?"

"The Bard and the Cleric over there."

"No..." Kristen replied, "Why, do you?"

"No" Aidan began "But they seem to be staring at you pretty intensely."

"Hmm..." Kristen said "I'll keep an eye on them then."

"Ok...me too." Aidan added with a coy squint.

"Oh Kristen." Kori interrupted "I have a message for you by the way."

"From?"

"Crystal says hi, and for you to stay out of trouble." He replied with a slight laugh.

"You saw her?"

"Yeah, I did too. She's a wonderful..." Aidan paused as she looked around the table "...'person'.  She's quite funny at times as well."



"Person?" Illyas piped up wide-eyed. "And funny? Yeah...right. We are talking about the same dragon here right?"

"You spoke to her?" Kristen asked almost angered. "And she's a drake." Kristen glared at Illyas at this point.

"Hehe...kind of." Aidan began "Kori was interpreting for me."

"Oh?" Kristen asked now furious at Kori alone "And why would you do that Kaze Tatsou Kori?"

"W-well," He slowly began "W-we w-were..."

"Actually..." Aidan interrupted much to Kori's relief "I snuck up on them as they were finishing their business."

Kristen stood abruptly "Business?" she said now fuming at Kori. "What 'business'?" she added as her face turned a deeper shade of red.

Aidan stood and whispered something softly in Kristen's ear.

"Oh" Kristen said "Oh!!! Hahahaha..." she added in a fit of laughter "Yeah...no problem."

Kori blushed deeply not knowing what Aidan had said, but by the look on Kristen face, he knew he wouldn't like it.

"Umm...did I miss a joke?" Illyas asked.

"NO!!!" Kori answered in a huff "You didn't."

Aidan, Kristen and Daemon just continued laughing.

A few seconds later, their meal arrived.

"Careful Kaze Tatsou Kori." Kristen said as she began laughing even louder " it may not be quite asleep yet."

Kori just glared at Aidan as his face flushed with embarrassment.  Well, as flush as his face could that is.  Aidan then leaned over and put her head on his shoulder in a sly way and whispered in his ear "Take me upstairs Kori."

"Huh?" he asked completely taken off guard.

"Please?"

Kristen rolled her eyes "Room 404 is mine, and it's empty."

With Illyas, Daemon and Kristen staring at him, and Aidan still on his shoulder, Kori was almost ready to completely die of shyness. A moment later, he stood and put his hand out towards Aidan.

"Hehehe..." Aidan giggled as she took hold of it gently and stood up. "See you guys later."

"Hmm..." Kristen said quietly "Who'd of thought 'Mr. Shy and Mighty' had it in him?" she added as she watched them walking towards the stairs.

***

Once they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Kori released Aidan's hand and turned to face her "I will take you to your room if you want, but I will be returning to the others immediately after that.  I will not stay up there with you though."

"As I was hoping actually. I just need to be alone for awhile." She said with a genuinely happy smile "Thank you Kori, but I can get there from here." She added as she gave him a peck on the cheek, and started off up the stairs.

"G'night" He said.

"Night." Aidan replied not turning around at all.

Kori inhaled deeply and turned around and headed back to the others.

No one said a word, but rather continued to eat their meal.

***

About half way up the first set of stairs Aidan noticed a young girl sitting there watching the goings on in the dining area.

"Oh, excuse me." They both said in unison as they got out of each other's way.

Aidan now stopped for a moment and watched the girl as she continued down the stairs. 

"Hmm..." she pondered to herself.

[WhiteRoxie]

Aidan shut the door to room 404 behind her and paused for a moment. Then, slipping the bag from her shoulder, she flopped across the bed. From her pocket she pulled out the package Mr Smith had delivered only hours ago. She tipped it upside and a tarnished silver pendant on a chain fell out. It glowed darkly in the moonlight.

"Aidan," her reflection on the window was only just visible against the dark sky, "are you sure this is safe?"

Aidan smiled and picked up the pendant, letting it slide across the palm of her hand. "No. Not at all. But when has a little thing like safety ever stopped us?"

"I'm serious, Aid'. What if something really bad happens? I don't want you getting hurt for my sake."

Aidan sat up and unclasped the pendant. "Don't be silly, Kegan. This is my fault to start with."

Aidan slipped the chain around her neck and did the clasp up. And waited. Nothing happened and Aidan frowned.

"That's strange, I-" Suddenly, darkness rushed up and engulfed Aidan, sending a rush of cool air swirling over her. Aidan blinked, but when she opened her eyes she was still surrounded by darkness. It seemed that some parts of the darkness where... well, darker than other parts if that was possible. Something was moving in the far distance. Aidan stood in the darkness and reached out for the shapes. Walking towards the shapes, Aidan saw it was two identical little girls with dark hair were weaving a daisy chain seemingly out of the darkness. As Aidan got closer she could see that one of the girls had blood running out her eyes. Aidan stifled a scream and backed off, tripping in her haste and falling backwards.

The little girl with tears of blood smiled and finished off the chain, letting it fall into the other girl's hands.

"It's okay, it may look bad, but Aidan's going to come save me," her voice was eerily familiar and Aidan felt fear prickle up her spine. The other girl nodded and put the daisy chain around Aidan's neck.

"That's right. And I'd do anything to save Kegan. Anything."

Aidan blinked back tears and reached up to the daisy chain around her neck. The darkness disappeared and she was back in the inn. Aidan screamed and ripped the pendant from her neck, throwing it across the room. Her hand and neck where the chain had been were both burnt. Her reflection pressed against the window.

"Aidan! Aidan, what happened?" Aidan brushed the built up tears from her eyes and tried to cast a healing spell.

"Nothing. Nothing happened. There was just darkness - and gods be damned! Why won't this spell cast?!" Aidan hovered her non-burnt hand over the other and cast again, but still nothing happened. Kegan frowned.

"Are any of your spells working?"

Aidan lifted her palm and tried to cast a fire spell. "It's... it's all gone, Kegan."

"Are you sure? Check for anything, anything at all!"

Aidan closed her eyes and reached into her mind. She frowned.

"There's one spell. One I haven't seen before." Aidan opened her eyes and saw Kegan's worried look. 

"Don't cast it, Aidan." Aidan scowled.

"But it's the only one-"

"So what?!" her reflection cut in, "look at what kind of spell it is! You know how dangerous it is to mess with spells like that! Please Aid', just leave it."

Silence fell over room 404. Aidan glared moodily at the floor, while Kegan shifted nervously in the window. Aidan flexed her burnt hand and flinched.

"I'm going to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." And with that, Aidan kicked off her shoes, tugged off her cloak and crawled under the covers. Kegan glanced at the pendant sitting in the corner of the room, then went to sleep in the reflected bed.

BLEARGH....

[Chevalier-Ange]

About an hour had passed since Kori returned to the table.  In that time, Kristen, tired of the two men staring at her from the bar, had gone over and asked them what was up.  After a few semi-snide remarks from each of them, Kristen shook hands with the Cleric and the Bard, and they joined her and her new friends at the table as well.

Conversation ensued, as one would have expected.  While trying to get to know one another, there was an air of caution and of course the ever-present mis-trust, but Kristen and the Cleric were in the same military service so that proved to be an icebreaker of sorts.  Seeing as they both answered to the same King that is.

Slowly, the conversation turned to the rumors of the cult, and to the mysterious fire of course.  Kristen gave Daemon a sideways glance, but said nothing.  She felt it wasn't her place at this particular time, especially since she was tired, and not in the mood to publicly interrogate anyone right now.

Over hearing the word fire, a girl approached the table and in a slightly angered voice, asked what they knew of it.  Having all but screamed her parents were killed in said fire, and she wished to meet the person responsible so she could make them pay for it...with their life.

This brought about a few laughs from everyone seated, and as Kristen glanced at Daemon again, the girl was quick to see this.

"You know something don't you?" she asked.

"No I don't." Kristen replied harshly, "Part of what I am doing here is investigating that fire as well."

"You're lying to me." The girl responded, "I can tell, I can sense it."

"Oh?" Kristen replied in disbelief,  "I am sure, no...I am positive telepathy and telekinetic abilities were banished from this land long long ago."

"I'm an empath." The girl replied smugly "and that means I can sense emotions.  Like fear from one who lies."

"Look it..." Kristen said standing abruptly "whatever your name is, I don't really care what you think you can sense, now get out of here before I slap you one but good."

Simultaneously Kori stood and the girl responded to Kristen "My name is Quinn, and I want to know who killed my parents."

"Well Quinn" Kori began "We do as well, so perhaps if you SIT, and talk rationally, we can help each other, no?"

"Fine." She replied with a huff as she grabbed a chair for the adjoining table and dropped down in it harshly "Start talking then."

Kristen had a look on her face Kori knew meant he was going to get screamed at sooner or later, but right now, he wanted to keep things quiet and as peaceful as he could.

"Daemon" Kristen said "I need to get something from the bar, come with me." She added glaring at him.

"Sure." He replied in a very uneasy voice.

Kori watched them leave, and noted Daemons body temperature rising quite rapidly. "Did he know anything, or was he just terrified of Kristen." He thought to himself.

When the two arrived at the bar, Kristen took out a few coins and passed them to the bar keep. "We need a few rooms, or at least a place for all of us to sleep." She said "I don't care where, but we need them, so make it happen ok?"

"I will do my best." The bar keeper replied with a bow.

"And you?" Kristen whispered to Daemon "I will assume because you didn't finish your story, that's why Quinn over there didn't see right through me.  So, don't tell me anymore ok?"

"Umm...sure."

"And, if you are hiding something, why does she not sense it?"

"Oh, that's easy..." Daemon replied, "I'm not human." He added with a smile.

Kristen grabbed him by the collar quickly "Well be thankful for that, otherwise I have a good mind to let her vent on you."

"..."

Kristen then released him, and headed back to the others.  Daemon, feeling slightly relieved, followed.

"Ok..." Kristen said when she arrived "The bar keeper is going to provide us with rooms."

"Is everything ok?" Kori asked in a way Kristen knew no matter what she said, he would not believe her.

"Yes, it's fine."

"Ok then." He replied, of course, seeing her temperature rise. "I'm going to go check on Aidan, if you will excuse me please." He added as he headed for the stairs.

***

Kori knocked on the door softly, but Aidan did not answer, so he knocked again even louder.  Still, she did not answer.

"Hmm..." he thought, "she must be really sound asleep." He added as he heard a rustling sound now coming from the room.

Assuming it was her coming to the door, he put his hand on the handle, and pushed the door open only to see Aidan lying in the bed, tossing and turning restlessly.  Quietly and slowly her approached her as she continued to toss and turn.

"She must be having a nightmare I guess." He thought but then the burn marks on her hand caught his attention.

"Aidan?" he asked concerned, "Are you alright?"

Aidan did not reply.  Placing his hand on her forehead, he noted that she was slightly warm.  Warmer he thought then for someone supposedly an ice mage.

"Aidan?" he asked again this time louder. "AIDAN!!!"

Still no reply.

"Dammit." He said as he closed the door quickly and ran down the stairs.

"Kristen!" he yelled when he arrived at the bottom. "Come here now please." He added as he turned and ran back up not even waiting for a reply.

"Wait here." She said to everyone at the table, and then dashed off up the stirs as quickly as she could.

When Kristen arrived, she saw Kori forcing Aidan's boots on.  "What's wrong?" she asked slightly out of breath.

"I'm not too sure, but she is warm."

'What?" Kristen asked in amazement "Is she ill?"

"I don't know" he replied "But in this case, only the ancient one can tell for certain, so I am taking her there...now."

"Alright, I understand I think." Kristen replied "Will you make it back by the morning?"

"Probably" he replied "The ancient one is a gifted healer, so...I do not see why I wouldn't."

"Ok" she said "...umm, where are we going to meet up though?"

Kori pause for a second, then as he was throwing his clothes off, spoke "Tell Illyas and Daemon we will meet by the trees where Crystal now is."

"Where is that though?"

"They know, and ask them to show you." He added as he put his belongings in his bag "Here, bring this with you please."

"Umm...ok." she said as she now stared at a completely naked Kori "You don't seem to be too shy now Kaze Totsou Kori." She added turning her head away a bit.

"I don't have time to be shy" he replied "She isn't well, and ..."

"I know..." Kristen interrupted as she watched Kori wrap Aidan in her cloak, and head for the window.

"Someone might see you that way."

"I don't care right now actually." He replied.

"Of course not." Kristen responded as she watched him climb out the window.

"I'll be back as soon as possible." He said.

"Ok, safe journey." She replied as she watched him float up a few feet, then turn into his drake form and fly away quickly.

"I hope she's going to be ok." Kristen said out loud as she turned and headed for the door.

"Hmm...what's this now?" she asked herself noticing a pendant on the floor of her room. "It must be Aidan's." she thought as she bent down and picked it up. 

Giving it the once over, she then placed it in Kori's bag, and headed down stairs.

***

When Kristen arrived back down stairs, everyone had a questioning look upon their face.

"Our friend is not well, and he has brought her to a healer." She said.

"Well, I can look at her if you wish?" Ravi piped up.

"No" Kristen remarked, "She requires a special healer I am afraid."

"As you wish." He replied furrowing a brow slightly.

"Umm Illyas?" She asked "Kori suggests we meet in the morning where Crystal is.  And he says you and Daemon know the way?"

"Yeah, I do." He replied.

"Yup, same here." Daemon added.

"Ok, then this is what I think we should do." Kristen began "Get some sleep, and anyone who wants to go, meet here at say 930am, then you two can lead the way."

"Sounds good to me."

"Yeah, me too."

"Sure."

"Alright" Kristen said, "Goodnight, I am going to sleep now." She added as she grabbed her belongings, and began her walk back to the stairs.


About 20 minutes later Kori arrived on the mountaintop with Aidan.  Gently landing, he placed her on the ground, and called nervously for the ancient one to come out.

Arriving shortly there after, the ancient one gazed at his prodigy curiously.

"Kori?" he asked perplexed, "You have brought an outsider with you? I assume you have good reason?"

"I do ancient one, and please forgive me." Kori replied bowing his head "My friend is the ice mage you sent me to seek, but now...she is warm!"

"Warm?" the ancient one questioned, "She is human, so they tend to be warmer."

"That's not what I mean ancient one." Kori added "It's like...her magic is gone, and she has burns on her hands, and...she will not wake when I try to rouse her, and ancient one..."

"Ok my child, I understand you now." The ancient one interrupted "Bring her inside, and I shall look at her then."

"Thank you ancient one." Kori replied with a bow, as he gently picked up Aidan again, and brought her inside the cave opening.

The ancient drake then gazed upon her as if he was trying to see right through her.  A few moments later, he called for another drake, and turned to Kori.

"You should leave now Kori." He began "What occurs here, is not for you to see, and not for us to disclose to you, it is up to your friend to do that."

"I understand ancient one." He responded, "Her name is Aidan, and she will be ok right?"

"Time will tell Kori." He replied "Now go...I will send for you when we are done."

"As you wish ancient one." Kori replied, as he looked at Aidan sadly "Please be ok."

***

Kori slept on the ridge just outside the cave entrance.  Not very soundly, but...he slept nevertheless.  His mind was too preoccupied to sleep well, and his thoughts were of Aidan and his friends below in the town.
At one point he must have drifted off deeply though, because he found himself waking in a foggy place...a foggy place, he knew could not be real.

"Kori?" a soft voice called.

Kori popped his head up and looked around. Even in the fog, he could still see almost perfectly, but he did not see where the voice was coming from.

"Kori?"

"Hello?" he said, "Is someone there?"

"Kori, I'm over here."

Kori stood and gazed around curiously.  He still could not see anyone, anywhere for that matter. "I can't see you." He responded.

"I'm right here." The voice replied, "Right in front of you my son."

"Mother?" he asked confused.

"Yes Kori, it's me." The voice replied.

"But how, umm...why?"

"Kori?" the voice called again.

"Yes, I'm right here." He replied.

"Kori?"

"Mother..." he again replied, "I'm here can't you see me?"

"Kori?" the voice asked in a very perplexed way "Mother? No, it's me Aidan." The voice continued as Kori opened his eyes to see Aidan crouched down beside him.

"Aidan?"  He said gazing at her sleepy eyed "Aidan!"

"Hi." She replied with a grin "Dreaming were you?"

"Yeah...I guess so." He replied. "Are you alright?"

"Uh huh." She replied.

"Oh, that's good." He said "and you feel ok?"

"Yup" she replied, "I'm fine actually."

"I'm relieved." He said as he stood to stretch a bit.

"Thank you Snow." She said with a large warm smile "Oh, and the ancient one wishes to see you inside."

"OK." Was his response "and you are quite welcome Aidan." He added as he walked inside cave entrance "Umm, you are coming in?"

"No." She replied "I will wait out here for you."

"Ok" he replied, and with that walked inside to see what ancient one wanted.

"We have healed her physical wounds Kori." The ancient one began before Kori even arrived "But the rest is up to her."

"The rest?" Kori asked perplexed.

"Yes." The ancient one replied "And, it is not for me to discuss with you my child.  You brought a human here, and in doing so, I am bound by a promise we had made to them thousands of years ago."

"Yes ancient one." Kori replied bowing his head "I understand that.  She will be ok though right?"

"That is up to her my child." Was the only reply.

"Yes ancient one." Kori said with a feeling or sadness. "I shall watch out for her then."

"As I suspect you might." The ancient one replied with what looked like a drake smile "you are very surely your fathers son my child. That...is without a doubt."

"I will take that as a compliment then." He said with a bow.

"It was so intended." The ancient drake replied, "Now...there is still the matter of the cult occurrences. Listen carefully now."

-30 minutes later-

"Ok, I understand and I will inform the Dragon Knight the moment I see her." Kori responded with a bow "We will need transport over the mountains though."

"I will arrange that my child." The ancient drake replied with a grin "Where shall I send the mounts then?"

"In the tree line beyond the town.  Where to fire eater rests."

"As you wish my child.  Now go, and take care of your friend."

"I will ancient one." Kori said as he bowed honorably "and thank you My Lord."

The ancient drake only smiled again, as he watched Kori head out the cave entrance.

"That didn't take too long?" Aidan said seeing him emerge.

"Nope...it never does." He replied "Are you ready to go back ? I am sure by now, Kristen and the others are waiting for us."

"Yup." She replied with a grin.

"Umm, shall I carry you, or do you want to get on?" he asked getting down on his haunches in front of her.

"I think I'll get on." She replied with a sheepish grin.

"O-ok." He said, "j-just h-hold on t-tight o-okay?"

"Hehe...you're still so shy." She said as she climbed up on his back, and held his neck tightly.

EDIT: Added missing paragraphs.

[Mike Caron]

Kristen finally was able to remove her armour after what seemed to be an age. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, and saw that it was already close to 11:30. She was dead tired, having had only had a short nap earlier, and then a four hour adrenaline rush.

Kristen pulled back the covers on the bed, and sat down on its blessedly soft surface. She knew that if she laid down, she'd be out instantly, so she finished undressing, and set her alarm spell before succumbing to the temptation to lay down.

Sure enough, the moment her head hit the pillow, she was out.


"Huh?" Kristen asked, turning to see Steven standing in her doorway.

"I said 'hi'." Steve walked in to the room, and sat on Kristen's bed, next to Kristen. She was sitting at her desk, with a text book open, and a stack of notes in front of her.

"Oh, heh, sorry. I was a bit... uh..."

"Engrossed?" Steven said, smiling. "Yeah, happens some times." Kristen smiled back. "What's on the board tonight?"

"Hmm? I've got a lot of studying to do for the exam on Friday. Elementalism, it's easy, but there's a lot of material." Kristen gestured at all the paper and sighed.

"Yeah, and you need to score high on that if you want to get into the Dragoons, right?" Steven asked, glancing at the notes.

"Yup... I'm confident, though. Prof says that I've got a natural talent with fire, so I should do fine."

"Ha, yeah, doesn't surprise me." Steven leaned in close, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Your element matches your temper." He grinned, but Kristen did not follow suit. Instead, she glared at him. "I'm kidding!" He said, throwing his hands up.

After a second, Kristen couldn't help herself, and she broke out into laughter.

"..."

"Heh, you're fun to tease." Kristen said, taking a breath. "But, I really have to get back to studying."

"Really? You know, I've never had to study."

"... So I've heard, repeatedly." Kristen was no longer smiling.

"Heck, I've even crafted some spells that my profs haven't seen."

"That's interesting. However, not as interesting as learning about the Nature of Fire when Exposed to Other Elements."

"... Hey, no need to be rude."

"I'm not being rude, I'm trying to study."

Steven got up from his spot, and slowly began to walk back towards the door.

"You know," he said, looking back. "I'm willing to do some... 'private tutoring' back in my room."

"Real subtle. Like a brick to the head. As if." Kristen said, flatly.

"Hey, it's your loss."

"Couldn't agree more. However, I'm always ready to lose an arrogant jerk like you."

Steven pursed his lips. He wanted to say something, but decided against it. He just turned around again, and left the room, leaving Kristen to herself.


The next morning...


Kristen woke up before her alarm went off, as usual. She hadn't slept too well, but it was better than many nights. On the downside, she'd had that dream again.

She dispelled the alarm, and threw back the covers. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and sat up. She stretched and yawned, taking liberty of her extra time this morning.

Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was only just before 8. She was due to meet the others in just over an hour, so she decided to grab some breakfast, a luxury she rarely got a chance to enjoy.


One bath and one set of clean clothes later...


Kristen walked down the stairs into the common room of the inn once more. She glanced around, but did not see any of the group from last night.

Hmm, she thought. Well, it's only quarter to nine, maybe they're only just getting up.

As she looked around, she shifted the bag on her shoulder. Kori had left it last night, and she figured that he'd want it back next chance he got.

She picked one of the many empty tables and sat down. Shortly, one of the waitresses came around to take her order. While she waited, she took the time to reflect on the events of the past 18 hours or so. Almost immediately, she found herself thrust into the middle of one major life-or-death situation, and one confrontation.

Further, she found herself acquaninted with no less than seven other seemingly random people. Well, nearly random. Kazi Tatsuo Kori was a legend amongst Dragoons. And, he seemed to like that Aidan person, a feeling that was clearly reciprocated. Beyond that, it seemed more or less random.

And, none of this was at all related to her mission. Or... was it? More than once, she'd been saved by mere... 'coincidences'. The right person at the right time, that sort of thing. And, Kori seemed to have something to say about the cult. Maybe the others did too.

On the other hand, the whole mission was classified, and if the wrong people found out about it, her life would be in grave danger. Could she trust these people? Certainly, Kori was trustworthy. He had a higher clearance than she did. But, on the other side, that Daemon guy seemed a bit shifty. She would have to be careful what she said.

And, then there was that girl. Quinn, she thought it was. She had no home or family, suspected Daemon of the fire, the very fire that Kristen pulled her out of. She did not want to involve children in this, but she suspected that Quinn would not let her leave her behind.

Kristen's train of thought was interrupted by the waitress bringing her food. Kristen gave her a gold coin, more than enough to pay for the food, and dug in. It wasn't half bad, compared to some places she'd eaten.

"Bleah, what is this? I orded sausages, not raw piles of mushed puke! Take it back, you stupid girl, and bring me back something that might actually have a slight chance of nourishing me!"

Kristen jumped when she heard that. She turned in her seat, and saw the Bard from last night sitting at the table behind her. He was busy berating the waitress for some transgression in regards to his food, food which looked exactly the same as Kristen's.

"Excuse me," Kristen said to the bard. "Was there something wrong with your food?"

"Hmm? Oh, hello. You're the cute girl from last night."

"..."

"My food was raw, and it tasted horrible. My standards are high, and if I don't get any real food soon, I might kick that incompetant oaf out of the kitchen, and make something myself."

"I see. Well, will you be joining us for the meeting today?"

"Assuming I don't die of malnourishment before then, than I shall."

"Ok. We're leaving at 9:30."

"Of this, I am well aware. I managed to avoid eating much of that food, so I still have my wits about me. Ah, here comes something which nearly looks palatable, so I must bid you adieu for the time being."

"... Okay."

Kristen returned to her own food, and continued eating. Over the course of the next 15 minutes or so, Illyas, Daemon and Ravi showed up from their rooms. Ravi sat down next to the Bard, while Illyas and Daemon sat next to Kristen.

"Good morning." Kristen said, nodding to each in turn. "Did you guys sleep well?"

"Well enough, I suppose." Illyas said. Daemon nodded in agreement. The waitress came by again to take orders from the two new comers. Her eyes were a bit red, likely from having to listen to the bard earlier.

"Just get me a coffee... A big one." Illyas said, rubbing an eye.

"And you?" She asked of Daemon.

"Nothing for me." He replied. The others glanced at him, but said nothing. Instead, they made some small talk. Soon, everyone was done with what they had ordered, and it was time to go.

"Looks like we're all here." Kristen said, looking at the group assembled around her. There was the Bard (whose name she really needed to ask), Ravi, Illyas and Daemon. Kori and Aidan were elsewhere, and so that was everyone.

"Looks like it. Let's go, then." Daemon said, walking towards the entrance.

"Ahem." Someone said behind them. "Forgetting me?"

Everyone turned to see Quinn standing there at the foot of the stairs.

"What? No, we didn't forget you. We weren't bringing you." Kristen said, flatly.

"Oh? Is that right? Very well. Don't bring me, as I know that my magic won't come in handy anyway."

"Ok." Kristen said, and everyone left the room.

"... Jeez, doesn't anyone know what sarcasm is?"


After about 20 minutes, the group arrived at the designated spot in the clearing. As expected, Crystal and Kori were both there. Unexpected, however, was Aidan.

"Aidan!" Kristen shouted, as soon as she saw her. "You're okay!"

"Hello, Kristen. Thanks to Kori, I'm just fine." She smiled at Kori, who blushed.

"That's good. I'm glad you made it back in time."

"As am I. I swore that I would keep this information secret, but I haven't even learned what it is yet."

"Well, you're going to have to wait just a minute. This information is a state secret, and all of you must swear to keep it secret from everyone. Period."

"Secret? What secret?" The Bard asked, cocking his sideways.

"About the cult." Kori said. "We talked about it last night, and I have some new, concrete information. We talked rumours last night, this is the real deal."

"Hmm, if anything, this will give me inspiration for new tales. I swear to keep everything I hear a secret."

"Good." Kristen looked at the man standing to his left, Ravi. "How about you?"

"I have been trained since I was young to be discrete. I have kept many secrets in my time, one more shan't hurt. I swear it."

"Ok, what about you, Daemon?"

"Um... I have no reason not to swear. I swear it."

"Illyas?"

"Of course I'll swear, and keep it too. My reputation's at stake. I swear it."

"Ok, that's everyone. So, without further delay, Kori, tell your story."

"Ok. Here's what I learned from the ancient one. We Ice Drakes have watched over these mountain passes for millenia." Kori glanced at the mountains which were just visible through the trees. "Although passage is permitted, generally those travelling do so in groups, as the mountains are treacherous, and prone to blizzards and what not. We long ago swore to look after them, in case someone was trapped. But, recently, in the last year or so, there have been... strange goings on."

"Goings on?" Aidan asked. "Like what?"

"I... I'm getting there. It's strange. People travelling alone, usually in the middle of a snowstorm. Some of them pass through to the other side of the mountain, but not all. Some never leave the mountain at all, vanishing altogether. And, sometimes they descend without having climbed up first."

"Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that there was something up there. Maybe the cult is based up there?" Illyas proposed.

"Perhaps. But, whenever one of my brothers investigates where the person goes missing, their tracks just end. They literally vanish. We assume that these lone individuals are members of this cult, but where they go, we have no idea."

"Hmm... Sounds intriguing. But, where could they be going?" Daemon asked. Kori just shook his head.

"Hmm... Likely, they want privacy to do... something." Kristen said. "But, I have no idea what..."

"Do you know what they're called?" Ravi asked. "The name of the cult might have some sort of indication of their goal..."

"Hmm, I think I read somewhere that they called themselves, 'The Dark Lord's Servants', but I can't remember for sure." Kristen said, chewing her lip.

Hearing this, Kori spun back around, and stared right at Kristen.

"No... This can't be." He said, closing his eyes.

"I think it is. Why?"

"... An ancient story passed down amongst us drakes... It tells the tale of the lineage of the Dark Lord..."

"Wait, so the Dark Lord is actually a person?" The Bard asked, raising his eye brows.

"You know of him?" Kori asked.

"I know bardic stories, probably greatly exagerated even since when I learned them."

"Mm. We keep our tales pure, so that the knowledge of the past can be used in the future."

"..."

"Kori, why don't you tell us your tale?" Kristen said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"I could, but it would take all day. Instead, I will tell the last chapter of it. The term 'Dark Lord' used to refer to a particular power that was passed on in successions of blood and hate, but the last Dark Lord took the title all for himself, and ended his line. He is the Dark Lord.

"Millenia ago, he raised an army, and sought to conquer the world, by capturing ancient artifacts known as the Holy Crystals. But, he was resisted by a group which called themselves the Crystal Warriors. They strove to gain the crystals themselves, to keep them out of the Dark Lord's hands. But, they were too late, he took them anyway. He then used them to enhance his power, and redouble the ancient power which formed his being as the Dark Lord.

"Still, the Crystal Warriors fought on, and they had a terrible battle. It is said that the earth shook and the skies were torn asunder with the fury of their fight. And, eventually, the heroes won, and sent the Dark Lord to his grave.

"But, the Dark Lord had one last trick up his sleeve. He had tied his soul to the very stream of chaos which was the Dark Lord. As long as this power existed, so would the Dark Lord. So, in effect, he gave himself eternal existance.

"However, he did not expect what happened they way it did, and so it took him a long time before he was able to resurrect, and exact his revenge. When he did, however, he did not take long to set his plans in motion. Not satisfied with ruling the world, he sought to destroy it instead. Fortunately, the descendants of the original Crystal Warriors rose up, and opposed him. However, they were not as strong as their ancestors, and were unable to destroy the Dark Lord.

"Instead, they were forced to seal him away. The seal was powerful, and it is said that the power that was required to break it was greater than any mortal could possibly wield, and thus he would be sealed away forever."

"... Maybe the cult wishes to break the seal, and raise the Dark Lord once more?" Aidan said, holding her cloak tightly around her.

"Maybe..." Kori said. "But, again, the seal is very strong. It would take hundreds of mages to even come close to breaking it..."

"Well... Perhaps-" Kristen started, but was interrupted by a growl from Crystal.

"Huh?" Kristen asked. Crystal said something in Draconic, and Kori's eyebrows furrowed.

"Really? Over beside that tree?" He asked, and Crystal nodded. Kori went over to one of the trees which had a bunch of bushes around it, and pushed one of them aside. Sitting behind the bush was Quinn, who looked terrified.

"..."

"Quinn. What are you doing here?" Kristen asked, flatly.

"I... I want to help you. I want to find who killed my parents, and I want to help you beat this cult."

"... How long have you been there?"

"... Since you all have been talking."

"Sigh. Go hom... Er... Surely, there is somewhere you can stay. We can't take you along. You're too young." Kristen said, closing her eyes.

"Are you saying that having an empath with you is a bad idea?"

"I'm saying that having a little girl with us is a bad idea."

"I'm probably better at magic than any of you."

"Oh, is that so? Well, guess what. Magic isn't everything. Now, go away, before I have Crystal take you away."

"No, I know something about this cult. My dad had this book, and I read it, and it was scary, but it talked about the cult!"

"...? What book is this?" Kristen asked, crouching down next to Quinn.

"I don't know what it was called, but it said how the cult wanted 'to see a return to darkness'."

"..."

Everyone fell quiet, as they thought about this.

"Did the book survive the fire?" Ravi asked, finally.

"It's doubtful. Everything was destroyed. I think we should take a look for our selves, in the mountains." Kristen said.

"I thought you might say something like that." Kori said. "I asked the ancient one for some help, and he's sending several drakes to give us a lift. They should be here within the hour."

"Good. We'll leave as soon they arrive. Everyone ok with that?"

Everyone nodded, and so it was settled.

[Chevalier-Ange]

Kori walked over to Aidan and asked how she was feeling.

"I'm ok Kori, really." She replied.

"Ok" he said, "I am just making sure."

"Thank you." She added with a smile, "If anything changes, I'll be sure to tell you ok?"

"Alright." He replied, "Umm, and there is something else as well."

"Oh?" she asked curiously.

"Y-yeah." Kori began as his shyness began to show through again "I-I promised the a-ancient one I would look after y-you, so, umm I was hoping you would consider rid..."

Aidan smiled widely "Yes, I will ride with you Kori."

Kori smiled back then turned his head to the side a bit "Ok, let me just out of theses clothes, and..."

"Ohhh, can I watch?" Aidan asked sheepishly.

"Haha....you are feeling better aren't you?"

"I told you I was."

"Yes, that you did.  And no...I will be right back ok?"

"Fine." Aidan answered with a phony pout again. "But hurry."

Kori nodded and snuck off behind the trees.  He noted that Kristen saw him, but she just kept talking to everyone else.  A few moments later, a large drake appeared from behind the trees, and walked straight over to Kristen, surprising everyone who didn't know it was Kori...especially, when he spoke.

"Kristen?" he asked, "There's a strange pendant in my bag, umm, how did it get there?"

"Oh..." Kristen began but was quickly interrupted by Aidan.

"That's mine actually." She said, "I wondered where that went."

"Yeah, it was on the floor in my room, so I just put it in Kori's bag assuming it was yours."

"Thank you." Aidan said to Kristen "Kori, may I get it out please?"

"Yes, of course." He replied as he passed her the bag.

"Thank you." She said, "And I'll carry it on the trip if you want?"

"Sure, I would appreciate that, since it does inhibit my flight a bit." He said looking up as he spoke.

Crystal said something directly to Kori, and then walked beside him. This caught Kristen's attention as well.

"Of course Crystal" He replied, "It would be better to stand here, at least until the introductions are complete."

"What's that mean?" Kristen asked.

Kori looked up again "The drakes are arriving." He replied "And since Crystal has yet to meet them..."

"Ah, I understand." Kristen replied as she watched the drakes land in front of everyone.

[RandomEd]

(The previous night, back in the bar,)

Ravi had to admit, he hadn't heard "Sir John and the Dragon" for years.  Despite his fatigue from the long night, a faint smile formed on his face as he leaned back against the wall and listened to the bard play.  After the song was over, Ravi gave the bard a satisfied nod and placed a few silver coins in his pocket.

As the night wore on and the crowds thinned, Ravi passed the time sipping on a hot cup of coffee at the bar and listening to the Bard's tunes.  I gotta admit, that guy's got some serious talent.  Ravi's mind began to wander to the events of the past day, especially on his meeting with the local Cleric.  At least he was thankful - half the clerics I meet wouldn't have given me the time of day.  I doubt that he can help my doubt (ppth, bad pun,) but I owe him a visit in the morning before I press on.  As he was deep in thought, someone slipped into the seat beside him.  Ravi turned to see - it was the bard, picking up a mug of ale.  He gave the bard a friendly nod, and the bard replied in kind.  The serving maid came past behind the bar, stopping for a minute to talk with the bard - and from the sounds of it, Ravi guessed, the two of them were on rather... how to put it?  Friendly terms.  A second small smile escaped from the cleric, and he began to signal the barkeep for another cup when a ruckus arose just outside the front door.  Both Ravi and the Bard turned at the same time, just in time to see a group of five oddly assorted adventurers enter the inn.  The villagers were giving them a respectable berth, which piqued both of the traveler's attention.

"What's that all about?" the Bard was the first to speak.

"What is this?" Ravi replied, raising an eyebrow.  One of the newcomers stood out to the cleric - a knight, a dragon mount actually, judging by her clothes and armor.  Ravi waived a young villager aside.  "What just happened out there?"

"W...well, sir, we used to have a bandit problem - the Baker gang.  They've been haunting the road just to the east of town for several months, and I guess they saw the fire and figured that they could take advantage of it to loot us.  But those folks over there, they fought them - outnumbered, mind you - and stopped them in their tracks!"

Ravi thanked the villager and finished off his lukewarm coffee.  What is a drake rider doing here?  And those others - there's hardly a weapon between them, aside from that archer, and he doesn't have any arrows!  That is a magic-heavy group to be sure - did they help with the fire?

The Bard seemed to take notice as well, and smirked.  "Well now, I don't see a group like that too often."

By then the mysterious group had taken a seat at an empty table, and one of them - a young lady - had noticed the two gentlemen at the bar.  the Bard spoke up first and nudged Ravi:

"Hey buddy, looks like that knight's got the hots for ya.  You oughta go over there and introduce yourself."

Ravi rolled his eyes.  "What, am I a twenty year-old bar-hopping cleric?  I just want to know what a group like that is doing here.  Besides, she was staring at you.  Too bad you've already got company tonight."

"Exactly!  Come on, I'll be your wingman, ya geezer."

"Well, you never know.  Perhaps later."  The bard chuckled and shook his head, then returned to his mug.

A few minutes passed, and finally the knight stood up and walked over to them.

The bard slapped a hand on Ravi's back.  "Woah - looks like it's your lucky day, mate!"

"Get bent, ya spoony bard."

The knight reached them, and the lady folded her arms and glared at them.  "Well?"

Ravi spoke up first.  "My, uh... colleague and I were trying to figure out..."

The Bard interrupted "...figure out what such a pretty knight like you is doin' in a burnt-out, backwater town like this, and if you needed a place to sta..." (thunk) "..Ow!"

Ravi put the empty coffee cup back on the bar table.  "Figure out why that party of yours is doing, and if the fire had anything to do with your being here."  The knight squinted her eyes at them, and Ravi had to think fast.  "...not that we're accusing you at all.  It's just an interesting coincidence, and I was wondering if I could help out in any way, miss..."

The knight relaxed a little.  "My name is Kristen Arthas, Drake rider in the King's service.  You're curious about the fire?"

Ravi nodded.  "I am Ravi Geisler, ex-Surgeon for the 2nd Heavy foot brigade.  This nutjob ('Hey!') is just some Bard ('The name's Spoon, for your information.')  If you're looking into the fire, I'd like to help out, however I can."

Kristen thought about it for a moment, then nodded.  "Alright.  Come on, I'll introduce you."

----------

Ravi and Spoon walked back to the table, with Kristen, who filled them in on what was going on, and even helped them to get a room for the night.  Both agreed to help out the group, however they could.  Interesting... a cult investigation?  Sounds like they may well need a healer before it's all over.  Ravi soaked it all in - the mysterious Daemon, the wild-eyed little girl looking for vengeance, Aiden's urgent illness (Odd...)  Finally, the group broke up for the night, and Ravi went up to his room - which, to his surprise, was already occupied by several others.  Oh well, at least it's warm and out of the weather.  Ravi unrolled his blanket and found an empty stretch of floor to pass out on.

----------

In the morning, Ravi excused himself from the group to briefly see the local cleric.  About 20 minutes later, Ravi arrived at the clearing rendezvous point, just in time to hear Kori's story.  As they waited for their rides, Ravi lapsed into absent-mindedness once again as he leaned against a tree on the clearing's edge.  For the first time in months, Ravi closed his eyes and silently said a quick prayer.  This is going to be an interesting trip...

Edit: Typos, and smoothed out a few clunky spots in the conversations between Ravi, Kristen, and Spoon.

[Chevalier-Ange]

When the last of the Ice-Drakes landed Kori approached them, intent on being sure they did not get skittish what with seeing a 'fire-eater' now before them and all.  After a few minutes of draconic conversation, Kori turned to the others noting the look of relief on Crystals face as he did.  Not that the site of an ice-drake worried Crystal at all, but 6...well, that was a different story altogether.

"Ok everyone." Kori began "My friends are aware that most of you, if not all of you have never ridden a drake before so, this is going to be a slower then normal ride.  I remind you it's going to be very cold at times, so if you have any extra wraps, I suggest you don them now." He added seeing everyone nod in agreement.

Of the six drakes that landed, only 5 of them had bridals and reins.  The last one, the largest of the 6, did not and was going to act as escort more then anything. The intent was for Ravi, Bard, Illyas, Daemon and Quinn to each be on a mount solo.  Aidan had already agreed to ride on Kori's back, and of course, Kristen had her own mount, so...that included everyone.

Kori gave everyone a quick tutorial on riding procedures, with Kristen jumping in every now and again to answer questions from a rider's perspective of course. Since Kori could not do that in any way, he would ask her to answer for him.  He also made mention that the reins are usually for directing the mounts, but in this case, they were actually leading the way, so they were only for the riders stability and comfort.

Once everyone seemed to grasp what he and Kristen were saying, they slowly climbed upon the drake that now crouched before them.  Quinn of course, on the smallest of the mounts.

Crystal spoke in draconic to the drake Quinn was climbing on, and she replied in kind.  Crystal then called for Kori, who was standing in front of Aidan talking to her.

"Excuse me a moment." He said "Heh...duty calls." He added and walked towards Crystal. Aidan only smiled wide-eyed and then shook out her scarf, creating her cloak once again.

"What is it Crystal?" he asked politely.

Crystal replied and the drake Quinn was on added a few remarks as well.

"Oh...yes of course." Kori said, "I agree completely. I'm sorry I over looked that little detail."

"What did they say?" Quinn asked slightly worried and confused at the same time.

"Oh, it's nothing really." He replied "You mounts name is Kirin, and although you can't understand what she says, she can understand you perfectly."

"Oh...ok." Quinn responded sounding somewhat relieved. "That's good to know."

Crystal again said a few words, and Kori then gazed at her and Kirin with a look, similar to pride in his eyes.

"Of course." He said, "Also, Crystal and Kirin will fly very close to one another so that if you need anything, Kristen will be close by." He added looking at Kristen who only nodded affirmatively.

Kristen then smiled and rubbed Crystals neck slightly "The perfect Knights mount you are indeed." She said. Crystal responded with the equivalent of a drakes purr. <_<

Kori walked back to Aidan at this point, and crouched down for her to climb on. "If you think you will be cold Aid, you could always put my cloak on as well you know?"

"I'll be fine." She replied with a smile, "My cloak is plenty warm."

"As you wish." He answered as he stood up slowly, making sure Aidan was stabilizing herself ok.

"You ready?" He asked her.

"Hehe...compared to the first 'ride' you gave me, this should be a snap." She replied sheepishly.

Kori rumbled a slight draconic laugh "Ok." He said as he looked at Kristen and nodded.

Kristen bowed her head to the side slightly, the spoke "Alright..." she began, "If everyone is ready, we're off then."

With everyone nodding, Kristen and Crystal began their accent. With everyone following soon all eight drakes were in the air.

Looking around at everyone, Kristen saw a few looks of fear, some of awe, and a few of "..." Giggling to herself, she then turned to Quinn and Kirin who were now right beside her.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Perfect." Quinn replied as she leaned forward and hugged Kirin's neck "This is so cool." She added with a wide-eyed smile.

"Ha...ok." Kristen replied "just yell if you need anything."

"Yup...but I wont." Quinn replied as she sat back up and gripped the reins firmly.

"Looks like all is well Kori!" Kristen yelled to him noting how relaxed Aidan looked as well.

"Understood." He replied then spoke loudly in draconic.

A few seconds later, the solo drake took the lead, and began his flight upwards towards the mountains.

Their destination was the town of Port Lovis which was on the coast in the South East part of the island continent.  Going around would take weeks, and walking over...days. But going over it as they were now going to do...6 hours at the slowest pace.


***

As would be expected, it was a bit colder and slower then everyone had hoped, but...it was necessary to ensure the safety of the new riders.  Everyone seemed to be getting quite used to the trip as well.  The drakes, especially Crystal, were very used to having humans on their backs, or at least human like people considering Daemon and all. 

They had just passed the highest peek, when Kori and Aidan saw something that did not look quite right.

"Kori?" Aidan asked, "Is that a camp I see down there?"

"I believe so." He replied, "And there are at least a dozen people there."

"Kristen!" Aidan yelled. "Come here quickly."

"Be right back." Kristen said to Kirin and Quinn and maneuvered a quick in flight turn to join them.

"What's wrong?"

"Down there!" Aidan said pointing.

"Ah shit." Kristen replied, "I hope they didn't see us yet."


"I think they have." Illyas replied over hearing "INCOMING!!!" he then yelled as he and the others watched at least 6 fireballs and several ballista type projectiles heading straight towards them.


EDIT: Forgot to add their destination. Umm, done now <_<

[Ares]

Usually the fighters with higher ground had the advantage in battle. A surprise attack from below, however, was a different story.

As the fireballs, arrows and other projectiles flew towards the group, most of them panicked. They had only just learning how to ride drakes; there was no way they could maneuveur away from an attack yet.

Luckily, the Ice Drakes knew what they were doing, even if their riders did not. Weaving between the multiple attacks, they quickly picked up speed, attempting to cross over the campsite as quickly as possible.

Kristen, however, had a different idea.

Avoiding the fireballs with ease, Crystal flew out beside Kori and Aidan. "There shouldn't be that many people here. Especially not such a well equipped force." Kristen said, motioning to the ballistae below them.

Another arrow flew up towards the drakes, but Crystal was quick to destroy it with a small fireball.

"Hey, what's going on exactly?" Spoon shouted back to them. The other six Ice Drakes had moved quite far ahead. After all, they were told to deliver their riders, not to fight.

"I don't think waiting here will make them stop attacking." Illyas added in, his bow now in hand.

"They want to fight." Quinn said, looking at Kristen.

"It is strange to see so many weapons up here." Daemon added. "Maybe they know something. If we could get in closer, perhaps we could fight."

With the others quite distanced, the campers redirected all their attacks at Crystal and Kori. Aidan put her head closer to Kori's, ducking under a fireball. "Let's go for it." she smiled.

Kori whispered something to Kristen before flying out to the others. Gripping her spear, Kristen directed Crystal down to the campsite, twisting through the air to throw off the attackers.

"Should she really fight them alone?" Ravi asked, his hands tightly wrapped around the reins of his drake.

"Not exactly." Aidan replied. "Get ready."

With a few words in draconic from Kori, the seven Ice Drakes shot towards the ground in unision, with all the riders holding on for their life.

By this point, Crystal had reached almost ground level, where she found a few melee fighters waiting for her. Aboard Crystal, however, they were no match for Kristen.

Weaving past them, a few skilled strikes of her spear brought down those unlucky enough to be in Kristen's way. Thrown off guard by the Ice Drakes now heading towards them, the attackers tried desperatley to begin their ground-to-air assault once more, but Crystal proved to be more than enough of a distraction.

"Maybe I'll see how they like being pelted by arrows!" Illyas exclaimed, attempting to conjure a wind arrow while gripping both his bow and the drake's reins in his other hand. "Assuming I can stay on this and still fight..."

With a bit of a struggle, Illyas managed to let off one arrow, but it merely grazed one of the ballistae. Not that it mattered; all but one of the attackers had  been...incapacitated. 

Unmounting Crystal, Kristen walked up to the one man left standing. He appeared to be a mage; one that had been shooting fireballs earlier.

The Ice Drake army landing behind the man, though the one unmanned drake continued to circle the area for any other attackers.

"So, a group of mages with some ballistae atop a mountain." Kristen began, walking towards the man. "That's what I see. Now you need to explain."

[Mike Caron]

The man before them simply sneered.

"I need to explain nothing." He said, crossing his arms.

"That, my friend, is where you are wrong." Kristen thrust her spear up against the man's neck, so it was just poking his skin. The man's eyes fell to look at the spear, but kept his composure.

"You are tresspassing on our mountain." The man said calmly.

"What, you own the mountain?" Kori growled.

"All the lands around us belong to our master. As far as the eye can see, in all directions."

"Who is your master?" Illyas asked, but the man said nothing.

"Are you part of that cult I've been hearing a lot about recently?" Kristen asked, cautiously.

"When our Lord and Master returns, you will all perish in the flames of damnation!"

"... Oh, is that so?" Kristen said, not impressed. "Kori, would you mind doing a bit of recon work?"

"Not at all." Aidan jumped off, and Kori took to the sky again. He flew up and around a peak, where he vanished.

"Where is your base located?" Kristen asked of the man, but he remained silent. She pressed the spear harder, and she could see it breaking his skin, though he did not flinch.

"My life is forfeit to my Master, I fear neither death nor torture." The man said, and Kristen relaxed the spear a tad, lest she twitched, and accidentally killed him.

"I'll see how you feel about that later, but you're coming with us."

"Haha, that is where you are wrong." The man said. Quick as a flash, he raised his arms, and sent a massive fire ball towards the nearby peak. It struck, and began to crumble.

Instinctively, Kristen drove her point home, and the man dropped without a sound.

"Shit, that's gonna fall on us!" Kristen said, quickly running back towards Crystal. "Let's get out of here! Aidan, get on with me!" They wasted no time, and everyone else was back in the air before Aidan had re-mounted. But, they didn't tarry too long either.

As they were ascending, Kristen looked back towards the peak, and saw Kori flying back around the near side again... right underneath where the rocks and snow were about to fall.

"KORI, NOOO!" Kristen shouted, but it was too late. The avalanche fell directly on top of Kori, and they lost sight of him in the pile of debris.

"KORI!!!" Aidan screamed, when she realized what happened. "Kristen, Crystal, turn around!"

"No, it's too dangerous!" Kristen said, forcefully. "He's an ice drake, he's probably fine!"

"But... But... No..."

"Aidan, calm down. He'll be fine." Kristen said, although her own heart was racing from the excitement. "Almost certainly, we'll see him again. I'm sure of it. But, we have to press on. We have to gather info from the next town, so we can track down the cult."

Aidan pursed her lips, but said nothing as they continued to fly.

[Chevalier-Ange]

Just as Kori heard the screams of his friends, he also felt the first wave of rock and snow pile upon him...specifically the rather large boulder that hit him across the snout causing him to lose his flight composure, and begin to fall.  Struggling to gets his wings out spread again, he tried to nose up, but again the massive amount of rock with the falling debris foiled him at every attempt and he continued to fall in a very ungraceful fashion.

***

About an hour later, Kristen and company arrived on the outskirts of Port Lovis.  Reluctantly dismounting their drakes, the group wore a sad face as they walked towards Kristen who was speaking to Aidan at the time.

"He's going to be ok Aidan." She said only truly half believing what she was saying, "It's snow, and he's an ice-drake, so..."

"It's the other stuff that an avalanche brings that worries me though." Aidan replied sadly.

"I know" Kristen replied, "That's why we had to leave Aidan." She added "Kori would have done the same thing if it were me."

"That he would have Knight." Ravi piped up. "The safety of all is our main concern...not just the one."

"Hmph..."Aidan sneered back "I'm getting back on one of those drakes and going to find him myself then."

Crystal let out a loud roar, as Kristen grabbed Aidan by the arm gently "Aidan...you should stay with us."

Crystal again roared, and one of the drakes replied in kind.  A few seconds later, they took off in a hurry.

"Thanks a lot Crystal." Aidan said angrily "Now how am I..."

Crystal again roared, and walked over to Aidan and stared her straight in the eyes.

"Crystal at ease!!!" Kristen demanded.

Crystal complied and looked around quickly.  Only Ravi, Kristen and Aidan were close enough to be of any significance.  Quinn, Illyas and Bard were looking at the mountain, and Daemon was watching the drakes fly off.

"They're going to find him Aidan." Crystal whispered softly, "He's my friend too you know." She added in a sad but firm tone.

"..."

Ravi looked not too surprised, and turned on his heels quickly and headed for the others.  Kristen could hear him suggesting that every one prepare for a slightly long walk.

"You are fortunate that he is ex-military Crystal." Kristen said in a very stern tone.

"You can talk too?" Aidan managed to whisper through her surprise.

"Yes...and as I said," Crystal replied, "He's my friend too."

Aidan then smiled and squinted slightly "Hehe...only when he's a drake though."

Aidan and Crystal then began to laugh, as Kristen rolled her eyes. Although, she was very relieved at the same time.

"Don't worry Crystal." Aidan said rubbing her neck, "I wont say anything."

Kristen smiled and thanked Aidan "Don't worry, I am sure they will find him safe and sound."

"I hope so." Aidan said as she began to laugh a bit "It should be interesting when they do though."

"Oh, why is that?" Kristen asked confused.

"I have his clothes." Aidan replied sheepishly holding up his bag.

All three began to laugh very loudly as they walked towards the others.

"Did we miss a joke?" Illyas asked smiling.

"Nope..." Aidan replied coyly "Not at all."

Again Kristen, Crystal and Aidan began to laugh out loud.

"Fine." Illyas replied, "Shall we go then?" he added as he pointed towards the buildings in the distance.

"Yup." Kristen replied "A flare Crystal?"

Crystal made a slight sound, and then took off for the nearest set of trees.

"Where's she going?" Daemon asked.

"It's a little hard to go unnoticed while a fire-drake is with us now don't you think?"

"Ah..." Daemon replied "Of course.  She's gone to hide."

"Yeah." Kristen replied semi-sarcastically.

Everyone got a good chuckle out that of course.


"Kori?"

"Kori...wake up!"