RDM RP Page #21

Zhenjai tilted her wing tips and glided to where Erador currently flew.

"Nope!!! He he," Theria giggled. She seemed to be greatly enjoying herself and she adored the wind on her face; it was very refreshing. Gazing up at the sky, her only thoughts were that she hoped that her father was doing alright.

Sensing for phsycic activity, Erador's mind acted as a navigational array for locating the distressed Silver Dragon. Indeed, he was not suprised when it was coming in the direction of Morac's dark kingdom...in its general area at the very least. Course set, he wriggled powerfully through the air, gliding and rising on thermals as much as he could; the Great Dragon was still battle weary. "He'd be in this direction, can you contact him, Zhenjai?" Erador asked of the dragon he flew with, chosen language being in draconian respectively.

"How'd you be?" Erindor queried of Theria in a private thought, curious if he could perhaps help alittle in any way in her time of mourning.

I feel wonderful! Theria giggled, forgetting about tagic events. She seemed very occupied with the high world around her. and you?

"Stable, considering," Erindor replied, digesting the events of the night over again. The city was moderately to heavily damaged where the Hert'zar invaded...hundreds of families hear broken and left without loved ones, and the deaths of Malias and Illatrius. He gave a sigh, turning his last thought over to his duty to lead Sardan...it was not a burden he took lightly. "Simply giving thought to plan ahead a recovery for Sardan..."

Theria sighed. My uncle believed in you... So, I believe you can! hehe... it... it just won't be the same without him... Right now...I just hope my papa is okay...

"We shall see him soon," Erindor replied, giving the emotion of gratitude as well for her kind words. "Erador, move ahead of Zhenjai, fly as quick as you can, keep her in the ease of your jetstream..." Erin suggested to his brother, not wanting to tarry in either mission.

Erador gave a grunting growl in reply, tendons and muscles popping as they accelerated, the Great Emerald Dragon taking formation ahead of Zhenjai, his draft causing her to be sucked forth and eased her effort of flight, as Erador was planning to go much quicker than their current pace.

She closed her eyes, hugging Erindor tighter. Yay!!

Clear nictitating membranes slid over Erindor's eyes in two pairs, blinking back and forth to continually warm, flush, and wet his eyes. Their air speed was something just alittle less than one hundred miles an hour. "What's the fastest you've flown?" 

Not as fast as this! she laughed.

Zhenjai followed Erador, mimicing what he was doing. The emerald dragon was her teacher, after all.

Erador looked around under himself to view Zhenjai, "Tell me at any point if you start falling out of the jetstream, or if you're uncomfortable with our speed," he said to her in draconian. Facing his head forward again, the steady beat of his wings increased, folding his wings only alittle as he pounded faster, pushed faster...

"How much longer until we reach the castle!" Theria asked loudly, trying to down out the sound of the wind in her ears.

"Just after we rescue a soul in distress," Erindor replied, "...mindspeech will do just fine, easier to communicate," he said. "Have flying attire yet?"

Erador sensed for the Silver Dragon's distress, locating another call for help, weaker this time. The Emerald Dragon pulled out all the stops to physical flying, hurtling at his top speed.

"Attire?" Theria asked. "Clothes for flying? Um... No..."

"We'll have some fashioned for you then, you might've found that wind burn can be a pesty thing...the elements at these speeds are not kind as they are at the earth," Erindor replied, bending low over the front of the saddle, keeping his eyes closed for longer and longer periods of times as they shot through low lying clouds.

Um... Okay... Theria said calmly.

Zhenjai's wings pumped up and down as fast as they could, trying to keep up with Erador, the jetstream helping her along. 'Erador...' She called with mindspeech, 'I think it's up ahead...on the right...?'

"About near there, yes," Erador replied, gently altering his course to maintain speed without excessive drag. "His mind's grip on this world is loosening, I can't feel him as clearly, though he might already know we're approaching and is setting up protection...no way to be sure. At the very least we've a general search area of perhaps two-hundred yards."

"Um Okay?" Erindor queried to her reply, chuckling in his throat so as to not open his maw. 

He he... yep! Theria said cheefully.

"Alright, anyways, we're about to land, check leg straps, and hang onto me," Erindor advised, checking his own and bunkered down as they decreased in altitude, equalizing his ears frequently.

"Come Zhenjai, he is near. Land to the left and begin searching right, I will land on the right and search left, alright?" Erador instructed, banking and slowing, Zhenjai falling out of his slipstream.

Zhenjai gave a mentle nod to the dragon, and tipped her wings to come along his left side, banking farther to the left to land. Dust swirled in blinding strokes as her wings beat the ground; her feet touched, and she folded her wings, exiting her graceful landing. The dragon trotted over to the right to begin her search; extending her mind to cover the mile or so where they'd be looking.

Erador would do and did much the same, landing with an a seemingly uncanny ease. What life came to his mind was that of everything that was alive. Erador's mind wintessed a landscape of brightly glowing bits of it from microorganisms to a few mountain lions. Most priminant however was that of the injured Silver Dragon. "Might have a target," he said to Zhenjai, leaping over the rocky terrain in the direction he gathered from his mind.

Zhenjai followed him, leaping over boulders until she skidded to a stop in front of a dragon fledgling.

The little fledgling was terrified of this big dragon leaping towards him, but he had a message to give them. Ajin had told him not to be afraid of them, That they would help us, and hadn't Ajin been right every time before? Avarath let out a chirp, though wavering in note, seemed to hold confidance and trust. He let the message pour out of his mind, into hers. Ajin had practiced with him, properly relaying the message, so they could understand it.

Zhenjai looked down on the little dragon, when suddenly a message flooded her mind. It felt like the one before, only from another dragon. Whoever this little one was, Avarath, she heard from the message, he had some sort of tie with the silver one.

Avarath warned the dark blue dragon not to follow the path. That he would show them the way. He also cautioned against a battle at the entrance-'to wherever we're going.' Zhenjai thought. Zhenjai relayed the message to Erador, faster than the light reaches the Earth, and told him about the little dragon, Avarath. She gave him their location, as she sat with the little dragon, comforting him as they waited for Erador to arrive.

"Injured however not without guile..." Erador commented in reply to the early first contact. He did not tarry, and took to the air, arriving with a gentle landing twenty yards off to Zhenjai's right flank. "Lead us the way our anonymous kinsman, we're here in reply to a distress call from that of a draconian."

Avarath nodded and scurried off, jumping and landing with his winigs tucked at his sides. He didn't even open them for balence, a sign that, as Zhenjai picked up, meant he didn't know how to use his wings-that he'd never gotten the chance.

As the dragons followed their guide, a pair of eyes followed their progress. 'Brother.' Whispered a voice, her presence undetectable by all.

Silent questions scurried between the minds of Erador and Erin; logically plotting routine tactical senarios. "Trust is not something these induviduals are too familiar with likely," Erindor noted bleakly to those of their party alone. 

"Aye, our actions will be more telling than that of our words. Natural predators who have shared the role of prey do not take lightly to strangers," Erador noted in reply, again simply to their party. 

"They may test us, if they truly need help they won't inflict harm. Keep your eyes and ears careful; there's more than just this flightless little one about," Erindor said before shivering from a sensation of being observed. Then again, in these situations, it could very well be a small amount of paranoia. 

Theria blinked, watching with interest and tilted her head, listening.

"It's just ahead." The little Avarath piped up, still scurrying across the rocks. The green dragon was big. About as big as Ajin. Did he know that more than one dragon would come?   Avarath was so caught-up in his thoughts that he didn't see the boulder, right in front of him. He hit his snout on it and squeaked in surprise. Embaressed he said, "It's just around this boulder." And he circled it, and led them into the old battlefield, where his friend lay, and where he and his sister had once been caged...

"You alright, Little One?" Erador crooned with concern, having watched the accident. The Great Emerald Dragon's attention soaked in the scene, shivering from a the aftershock of passionate emotions inherant to this area.

"And you thought you were alone...look!" Erindor noted to his brother. Erador noted the observation with a dull feeling of hope.

Little Avarath ran over to the Silver dragon and squeaked.
'It's all right, Little One, I'm still here.' Ajin said in mindspeech to Avarath. Picking up on the dull hope, he opened his left eye, the one facing the newcomers and his eye shone like a jewel in the sunlight.

Erador trumpted a traditional draconian greeting; conveying a message of peace. He drew nearer and stopped, posturing and giving off soft bugles. The Great Emerald Dragon waited patiently for a reply from the Silver Dragon. 

"Erador is communicating in Draconian to the Silver Dragon...traditional peaceful greeting between dragons, completely by the book with a bit of a personal touch," Erindor commented to Theria.

Theria giggled. She was very amused. How nice! she replied sweetly. She clapped her hands once to show her joy. she loved watching dragons in whatever wonderful things they desired to do. I'm beginning to miss Ar'rias... I hope he's ok.

"I can understand that; it is difficult to be away from one's dragon. How is your connection with him? A bit weak from the distance perhaps?" Erindor queried, becoming just slightly more tense as he waited for the Silver Dragon's reply. Why tense? A dragon in this situation could reply in kind, or...lash out with flames, talon, and teeth.

A little weak, Theria said. It makes me sad when I remember what he's looking after...I don't want to remember it...I want to forget, I want to forget... She hugged Erindor around the waist for comfort.

"Forget it and live with it for the duration of your existence, or...accept it and put it behind you," Erindor replied softly, relaxing the sinewy, toned muscles of his midsection so he wasn't as hard as a rock. "Can you speak to Ar'rias? Can you only sense emotions and pictures?"

Um...I'll try to speak to him...I hope it works... Theria concentrated really hard to talk with Ar'rias, Ar'rias, you there? Can you hear me? If you can, are you ok?

Of course, I can hear you! Came Ar'rias's reply. He seemed very happy to hear her voice. Yes, all is alright? Everything going well? Wait... where are you? Are you close?

Theria thought for a moment. YAY! I can talk to you!! I thought I couldn't because we're so far away! Everything is ok!

Ajin took a deep breath, his sides pulling out with the air intake. Although he did not stand, he returned Erador's traditional greeting, picking his elegant head and long neck up. Showing that he wasn't to be a threat or be threatened, he trilled deeply and softly and turned his massive head to the side. He waited to see what the Emerald dragon would do, and if he would allow a greeting to the Riders...

Erador took a few measured steps closer and raised his neck in a way to expose his throat; a message of trust and peace. He turned broadside gently, exposing his riders at his back, nuzzling them. With growling and grunting over, Erador resorted to pure Draconian, "Dear Silver Brother..." he began, voice rumbling like distant thunder, "...I am Erador, and my riders are Erindor, my companion rider, and Theria. We already are on a mission of peace when my young dragon apprentice..." he paused and looked over at Zhenjai, "...detected a distress call. We followed the signal to this place. How may we help?"

Ajin's silver eyes whirled and he addressed the dragons and Riders. "Erador, Erindor, Theria, Zhenjai... I am Ajin and this is Avarath." He said, and Avarath squeaked a greeting, still young enough to not have a thundering dragon voice.
Ajin turned his head back to Erador. "Could you mind-call to see if any dragons, or captors are left hiding in this place, Avarath went to look, and didn't see anyone, though another check would be welcome, as this is a prison and no proper instruction was welcome here." Then Ajin attempted to get up and his scales seemed to moan in protest to this sudden movement, but being around other dragons who were free gave him strength. As he stood, he revealed heavy chains tightly knotted around his ankles, and burn marks on his soft underbelly flesh, accompanied by clean-cut slashes from sharp metal spears and swords. Next to Ajin lay a neck collar that had been picked by a long fore-talon. Luckily he had protected his wings as their soft tissue took a long time to become solid again.
"I was the one that dreampt of being freed from this place, and most of the dragons agreed with me. Although I was young when I was captured, I still remember the warm sunlight." Spoke Ajin. "Though I was the one who always fought our captors, and for that I bear the scars of punishment, being made an example for the other dragons who didn't listen. Like the way people do with horses, anyone who stepped out of line was severely beaten and never again did they try to be free again. They accepted their fates- were beaten into submission. I, however would not back down and for that I was not useful. For what reason they kept me here and did not just take my pelt, I have no true answer, but knowing our captors, it was most likely to be torturous."
He paused to see if they understood his explanation of the chains, and seeing they did, continued. "These chains are made of the magic of Old, when you and I were hatchlings." He looked at Erador. "There are souls intertwined with the magics and metals, creating a powerful restraint against anything. Resisting even DragonFire. Soul by soul, and thread by thread I've been unraveling the spells and the souls are being freed, but there are many barricades that my mind can not breech while being weakened and subdued by the chains. I ask your help." He said, ending in a soft draconic rumble, and looking at all of them.

Erindor was the first to approach, gently climbing down on loops from a saddle strap before jumping the last twelve feet to the ground. He landed gracefully, his tail giving a light slap to the gray stone of the place before he stood and strode closer, speaking in Draconian, "We are most willing to give it," he replied, watching the impressive Silver Dragon before him, "do you need the energy to break the barriers?"

Ajin nodded. "I am in your debt-all of you." Then he replied to Erindor, "Yes, that or both of us could unwind them. I've managed all but two of the inner locking mechanisms..."

"They may have used you as an example...but they've not broken your spirit," Erindor observed, slowly setting a hand surrounded in a golden aura on Ajin's massive foreleg. The trickle of magic worked its way to all the injuries in the ancient dragon's body, "We'll start with that...how does the magic feel?" Erindor asked, setting his other hand on one of the chains to feel the magics binded there. The Rider grimaced, "Do you happen to remember the mages, or mage, that constructed your binds?" he asked, working his mind and magics into the binds; just figuring them out for now.

"Thank you." The silver dragon said as his wounds were healed, the magic coursing over his body. "No, and these chains didn't even belong to the Captors. Their party came one night, late, and celebrated at the prizes they collected from the home of the mage...though no proper mage would soul trap this many healthy beasts into chains. So it ought to be the dark mage in this prison, Aigh-Lhir Rihin..." He responded, his large head cocked towards Erindor.
Ajin took a deep breath and his silver eyes became less responsive. He was wandering through the chains, breaking some of the locks unavailable when he was weaker. With help, the chains weren't so horrid...

"...You mentioned others may be imprisoned here yet?" Erindor queried, tapping into Erador's fountain of magic to heal the rest of the dragons wounds and even some nasty scars. When he adequately attended to the wounds, he transfered both hands to the chain by him; surging his power deep into the binds. "It may be magic of old, but I can too say that magic evolves!" Erin exclaimed triumphantly, ripping apart the binds strand by strand; the chain beginning to glow cherry red. 

Ajin nodded, "There might be, though I hoped they all had escaped." He could feel the magic running through his bindings as the dragon and Rider worked the magic through his bindings.

"...Perhaps," Erindor grunted as he attempted to stabalize the energy harmonics; which were jarring him with vibrations as the ancient spells fought back. "...Its...just...a...simple...matter...of...inverting...the...purpose...of...the...spells..." the Rider grumbled; his mind imagining flipping the ancient matrix on its head to repel the induvidual strands of itself; not to bind together. With an enormous bang, the bindings on Ajin's right front foreleg blasted into thirds, Erin jumping out of the way before the iron hit the ground. 

"Wumf!" was the sound Erindor made as his shoulder side landing knocked the wind from his chest. "...Alright...one down, three to go."

Ajin turned his large head farther around to look at the Rider on the ground. "Are you alright?" He asked, focusing energy into another lock.

Erindor chuckled, picking himself up with a hop and brushed the sand and dust from his leather. "Quite, quite...just an accident caused from my occasional fall from grace," he replied, jogging over to the next bind that Ajin was working on. "...Wait, which one are you working on now?" he asked.

Ajin rumbled a reply to Erindor. "The next closest to you."

Erin smiled, "I guessed right!" he said merrily, feeling more confident after blasting the first bind. Erindor layed his hands on the binds and worked his energies into the ancient matrix, pulling it apart in half the time as the first. "Watch your talon," he cautioned, watching cracks appear in the bindings as they failed.

Ajin rumbled in understanding and a moment later, the binding shattered.

Erindor leapt out of the way, his muscles rippling as they absorbed the impact of his landing before he sprinted around Ajin, bouncing over his freed forepaw with uncanny agility; breaking the fall to the earth with a roll. He skidded to the stop by the left forepaw; feeling rather exhausted from both the battle and the continued labor on his magical abilities. 

"Erador...I need your strength..." he said, his brother melding minds as a nearly boundless fountain of magic became available. Erin mercilessly lashed out at the third binding, vibrating it horribly until it shattered. With it gone, he moved and indeed climbed around Ajin to get at the final binding. "Last one my friend!" he cried out happily, clasping his glowing hands on the cold metal; light bending and distorting around his form as he worked.

Under Erindor's hands the last binding shattered, and the chains seemed to sizzle, disappearing into the ground. "Thank you," said Ajin to the group. There was no way he could thank them for saving him. "I am forever in your debt, if you need anything I shall aid you until death." He said in appreciation. The huge silver dragon then switched his vision to see heat, and cast out his mind to search the premises. The only humanoid and draconic presences that he detected were of the Riders, Erador, Zhenjai and Avarath. Although for a second he thought he felt the whisper of...could it be? 'Cantalith?' He asked in mind speech. But she was believed to be dead...skinned for her dark stormy-silver hide that some humanoid wanted.

He rumbled, thinking that she would've come back after the Captors were driven off. He turned back to his rescuers. "There are no other dragons here. You said you were on your way to a castle before you got my distress call?"

Cantalith filled her mind with emptiness as the silver dragon's mind brushed against hers. She was not going to be found yet. She had no trust for humans and yet Ajin called them to rescue him and her brother, Avarath. She escaped before them. She was clever, and little enough to escape the Captors. Well, then anyway. Now she was growing big and strong with freedom. Now she was at least twice his size. He'd catch up to her when he was free, but who knew what his freedom would be? She hoped her brother and Ajin were okay. The silver dragon had taken care of her and Avarath when they were egglings.
The storm dracona stepped back under the bush, still watching them, but now invisible. Ajin had taught her much, and that would now be useful...

"...Aye," Erindor replied, having felt a familiar tingle in the hindsight of his conciousness; a telepathic transmission. He felt a wave of sorrow wash over as he looked upon Ajin, his thoughts now pondering the condition the Silver Dragon was in. Malnourished, lack of exercise...could he fly? They'd have to see. Erindor bowed deeply, "I am honored, and deeply thankful I was able to save your life, Great Dragon Ajin," he replied, watching Ajin with kind eyes. "You're very much welcome...but we've to get you back into health first before I feel your salvation from this rock is complete. If you're strong enough to fly...we were on a mission to the castle of the Shadow Kingdom; you're plenty welcome to join, otherwise we'll rendevous with you on the return."

"I shall come." He said, his wings pumping in the cool air. He'd have to use all the thermals he could to stay aflight. It'd been so long since he'd flown.

With an expression of suprise, Erindor took a step back, "You've been doing exercises, haven't you?" he noted, seeing the diminished yet toned wing muscles. "Good...good, great! Thermals and fly in Erador's draft; we'll try to steer towards hills for thermals," Erin said. "Well alright, lets get on with it then!" he exclaimed, running back to Erador and scampered up the saddle strap to the saddle and buckled in. "Is Avarath arournd?" the Rider queried, keeping tabs on everyone as Erindor moved away in a slow gait, cocking his wings in preparation of takeoff.

Ajin chuckled. "Yes, they may have held my legs in chains, but they couldn't keep me from retaining a little bit of shoulder muscle."

Hearing his name, Avarath chirped and bounded out from behind Ajin, letting the quick breeze glide him into the air.

Erador bugled a happy reply, "I'm glad to hear it, my friend! They may have held you, but they never broke the Dragon Spirit!" he cried out, driving his wings down with immense force; bouncing them into the air. Erador quickly followed that one sweeping downbeat with five or six others to acheive a decent altitude, hovering there. "Where are the humanoids responsible? Did they flee?"

Ajin nodded, springing down and leaping into the air, beating his wings. "Fled to who knows where...They could be by the southern tip of the forest by now."

An overpowering sense of predator and prey came over Erador; he wanted to hunt them down. "...I will see to it that they are brought to justice..." the Great Emerald Dragon rumbled in a guttural growl, planning to bring them back to the war ravaged city of Sar'dan for trial. "...We should not dwell on them, for we owe a great celebration in name of the survival of you and Avarath!"

Again Ajin thought of Catalith, Avarath's sister. He wondered if she was sill alive, or if her spirit had just touched his mind. He grinned to Erador. "And a great celebration to the noble rescuers." He twisted his neck in mid-air to form a gracious flying-bow. Avarath did the same.

"In good time...in good time. I'm afraid we've not arrived from the best of situations; plenty has changed for us as well in a short period of time. Perhaps for the better...though, tragedy never quite feels like victory..." Erador replied, hinting heavily at the battle that just ensued. He smiled as they bowed. "Nevertheless, a celebration to victory, endurance, to heroes, and to the discovery of you two, my friends."

Ajin rumbled a nod, understanding the circumstances that Erador hinted at.

While Erindor realised it was proper to explain a bit more about such circumstances, it didn't feel appropriate to damage the mood of freedom in such hours of despair and panic. "And now to our last tidings bid so by a Great Friend...we shall see what adventure awaits us yet!"

Erador rumbled a deep chuckle in his emerald studded chest, "Zhenjai, come closer, Little One," the Verdant Dragon crooned, craning his neck to look at her. 

Zhenjai flew obidiently towards the large emerald dragon, and her maw vibrated with a soft croon of question.

"How're you holding up?" Erador queried, shifting in his flight position so his head was positioned along her centerline, about fifteen feet from her back. He was concerned about the poor dragon's emotional state, given the losses she had to endure. 

It was true that she was a young dragon and all these things were taking their toll, but she was determined to stay strong. For her Rider and everyone else. It was hard though because all of her Rider's emotions carried over to her, and she could feel the strain in the air. "Okay..." She replied, dropping off her voice at the end of the single word.

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