Agrigon.

[Lord Anglekos]

Closed/Solo.



THE BEAST LIVES...?
Class: C+


I had heard rumours about this creature, but I believed them fanciful stories made to keep humans from travelling to other areas of Dheathain. Now I know I was wrong. It lives underground and according to the legend only attacks humans. I didn’t see very much of it when my caravan was attacked, but the ground tended to shift and rumble all around me. Then the ground beneath me caved in and I found myself in some kind of tunnel. Two large glowing eyes stared back at me from the darkness. Then some kind of clawed hand reached out and slaughtered my horses right in front of me. I abandoned my wears and fled back to Talmhaidh as fast as I could. The creature is to be found in the plains between Talmhaidh and Luthmor.


Signed,
Tobias deHall


P.S. I can be found at the Drake's Roar from the 19th to the 30th.


REWARD: 300gp




Eric studied the bounty for a couple moments, a small smile gracing his lips. He'd come to Talmhaidh only on a whim after meeting a Fae warrior in Scara Brae, seeking to learn more about Althanas and its inhabitants, but instead it seemed he'd found a job opportunity. He'd never considered becoming a bounty hunter before, but now it held a sort of mysterious appeal to the swordsman. Hunting lawbreakers, keeping the peace, earning fame and fortune simultaneously? Now that was something he could get used to.

He crossed his armored arms as he considered the option. Hell's mouth, why hadn't he thought of it before? He could still travel the world, depending on the bounty. And who knows, he could even learn something about himself while he was at it. All while getting paid.

This bounty would be a good start. He looked at the rating of the job and saw it to be C+. "See plus..." He muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He didn't know the ratings, though, and didn't want his first bounty to become his last. "...What does that--"

"It's a fairly low-level bounty." A throaty, female voice interrupted his thoughts, and he turned around to find a draconian standing there. She stood about as tall as he, with thick, crimson locks framing a harsh, serious face. Strange emerald eyes framed by black irises locked with his as she adjusted the short sword at her side, and he noticed that she wore black plate armor that did nothing to hide her figure. A femme fatale'.... He thought with amusement as he lifted an eyebrow at her. As she spoke, he also noticed her pointed canines, almost like fangs. "I was thinking about taking it, but it seems I'm too late."

"Sorry about that." He apologized, but he could tell by her expression that she knew he truly wasn't. He gestured to the scrap of paper on the board with his head. "We could team up, if you'd like. I always welcome company."

He wasn't surprised when she shook her head, her red hair moving like flame around her face. "The bounty's not large enough. Besides..." She slightly sneered at him. "...I work alone. Weaklings just get in my way."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged and gently ripped the bounty from the wall. "I'll be at the Drake's Roar if you change your mind anytime soon." And with that he walked away, his black cloak flaring out to reveal the blade attached to his hip as he lost himself in the hustle and bustle of Talmhaidh.

[Rebellion]

Dheathain. It'd been far too long.

Nearly a year away from her home, and Rose could still remember everything. Every sight, every smell, even the unique taste of the air around her jogged memories in her brain. She felt she was travelling not through the city of Talmhaidh but through a road made from those very memories. It was disconcerting to the former dragoon, and even though she enjoyed seeing her kinfolk and comrades again, she felt it would be best if she left as soon as possible.

Still, while walking through the port city, Rose couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of coming home that no matter where she went she couldn't shake. Her scales itched with familiarity as she found the bounty board where she'd first started out as a bounty hunter. She'd tracked a fugitive all the way from here in Talmhaidh to Scara Brae, and while the gold had barely been worth the effort, it had started her on her journey.

As she approached the board, however, she spotted something that was new. Or rather, someone. Rose grit her teeth at the sight of a human standing in front of the board. Oh, cthara... She cursed silently at the sight. While she knew that it was racist, she couldn't help but feel an inherent distaste for humans. To her, they were weak, pathetic creatures with no respect for the gods above, save a few, and they needed to learn their place in this world. Why Dheathain had opened itself up to these scum, she didn't know, but every time she saw one in her home country she could feel her blood boiling in anger.

Quietly, she walked over to the board and behind the human. He was about her height, with a black cloak that hid most of his body, save for two crossed arms that were covered in iron armor. Dark, shaggy hair covered his head, spiking in various directions here and there. Looking over his shoulder, Rose quickly studied the bounty he was examining. It was a Class C+, and the reward money was small. Silently she sighed in disappointment. Of course. Another weakling. She was about to walk away when she heard him muttering to himself; "See plus...What does that--"

Before she could stop herself, Rose interrupted him. "It's a fairly low-level bounty."

The man turned around, and the former dragoon found herself staring into a pair of clear, blue eyes framed by a youthful face. Unconsciously, she adjusted the short sword at her side as she looked back. He may have looked young, but Rose could smell the stench of battle upon him. Blood, sweat...and tears. Those sky blue eyes flickered over her form for a moment, and Rose could feel her face turning almost as red as her scales. How dare he?! A mere human... But before she could voice her indignant thoughts, his eyes returned to her face and an amused eyebrow lifted in a silent question. Feeling the need to break the silence, she cleared her throat slightly and spoke again. "I was thinking about taking it, but it seems I'm too late."

"Sorry about that." His voice was soft, and fit the rest of his figure perfectly. It was as if he were afraid of speaking louder. With a small gesture of his head, he indicated the bounty on the board. "We could team up, if you'd like. I always welcome company."

Again, Rose felt indignant rage fill her body. How dare a mere human treat her like he was her equal! She shook her head before giving him a pointed stare. "The bounty's not large enough. Besides, I work alone. Weaklings just get in my way."

He didn't react to her insult the way she expected him to. Instead of growing angry, or threatening her, or ignoring her, he simply shrugged as if he hadn't been expecting anything less than that and took the paper off the wall. "Suit yourself. I'll be at the Drake's Roar if you change your mind anytime soon." And on that note, he walked away from her towards the merchant section of the city, his cloak flying out behind him to reveal an iron breastplate and a long sword attached to his hip.

Rose watched him walk away in surprise before shaking her head. He was just a human, after all. Nothing to think about. But as she studied the board before her, she saw that all the good bounties had already been taken. All that were left were Class D's and, she saw to her dismay, Class E's; the bounty hunter's equivalent to getting a cat out of a tree. That...boy? Man?...had taken the last worthwhile job.

She grit her teeth and checked her purse, and was unsurprised to find that she was nie-broke. Of course she was. Right at the time when she needed the money the most... With a frustrated sigh, Rose looked to the direction the man had gone. Trying to convince herself she was only doing this because she had to, the bounty hunter set off in that direction with an angry stride.

[Lord Anglekos]

After a while of wandering, Eric finally came upon the Dragon's Roar. It was a small pub, compared to the others he'd passed on his way there, and its wooden frames and structure suggested humble beginnings. He tried to ignore the dirty looks and the way most of the city's inhabitants tended to avoid him, but it was hard. He wasn't accustomed to such blatant rudeness. He thought that the draconian he'd spoken to earlier just had something against men or humans in general, but it seemed that the same attitude was common amongst most of the population as well. Why were they so antagonistic? Why the dirty looks, the blatant disrespect? Those were questions he intended on getting answers to. But they would have to come later. He'd reached the pub, and the job came first. With a sigh, he pushed the wooden door open and stepped inside.

As he'd expected, it was slightly cramped. With tables covering near the entire floor, there was barely any space to move. It didn't make matters any better than almost all of the tables were already taken, as well. With a couple of grunts and squeezing past angry-looking draconians, Eric managed to make his way to the bartender, a bald draconian with black scales covering half of his head and face. "Excuse me..." The swordsman spoke, and the bartender stopped wiping a dirty bottle and eyed him suspiciously with one reptilian eye. Eric showed him the bounty. "I'm looking for Tobias deHall. Is he here?"

The bartender lifted his lip in a sneer and grunted, jerking his head in a general direction. Eric looked and saw a thin man, a human, sitting all alone at a table in the corner. "Thanks..." He told the bartender, who simply grunted and returned back to wiping the dirty bottle. Shaking his head at the attitude, Eric walked over to the table and pulled a chair up.

Now that he had a closer look, he could see that Tobias was not just thin; he was barely more than a stick. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days. Loose, grey clothes barely clung to his form, and two branch-like arms protruded from the sleeves of his robe. A shock of platinum blond hair protruded from his scalp, giving him an almost bush-like appearance. But the most disturbing thing, to Eric, was his eyes. Sunken in and dark, they had the look of a man who'd spent too many nights visited by nightmares of his past.

Tobias looked up in surprise as Eric sat down until the warrior slid the piece of paper before him. "You need an exterminator?" Eric asked quietly, with a small smile upon his lips.

The merchant before him looked at him like he was some kind of angel that had suddenly appeared and offered him a place in Heaven. "Something like that." Tobias finally said, with a sad chuckle. His voice was raspy, as if he'd lost it screaming. "I wasn't expecting a human to take this job. There aren't many of us around."

"So I've noticed."

"Heh." The merchant ran his long fingers through his shock of blond hair. "So, you're completely sure you want to take this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Eric gave him a small smile of reassurance. Tobias didn't look reassured.

"What's your name?"

Before the warrior could answer, however, the door was thrown open and every head turned to it in reflex. Eric blinked in surprise as he saw the very woman who he'd talked to just barely an hour ago. And she looked furious.

[Rebellion]

Rose was furious.

First this guy...no, this human checks her out, then steals her bounty. And then he leads her on some wild goose chase through damn near the entire city, only to finally end up where he'd originally been heading to in the first place hours later! If she hadn't needed the money so bad, she would have left long ago and had nothing to do with him. Too bad she had no choice...

Still, that didn't stop her from snarling across the room at him, sitting there with his stupid grin. "By the GODS you are annoying!!" She could feel one of her fangs pierce her lip as she restrained a growl. "Is it your goal to piss me off or something?" Without waiting for an answer to her rhetorical question, she stalked forward, and the crowd of wide-eyed draconians and Fae parted like the sea before her. When she reached the table where he sat with a platinum-blond stick of man, whom she could only guess was the petitioner, she pulled up a chair and crossed her arms and legs. Silence reigned for a couple moments as she felt all the eyes in the room upon her, until she spun around and turned her glare on them. Like magic, everyone went back to what they were before, albeit a bit subdued.

"And who might this be?" Said the thin man.

Before she could answer for herself, the swordsman beside her spoke up. "She's my partner."

She gave an incredulous look at him, but he remained focused on the man before him and missed it. Fortunately, so did Tobias, as he'd given a similar look to the swordsman. "A human and a draconian working together?" He blinked, then shook his head. "That's not something I expected I'd live to see."

"Yeah, well, miracles happen every day." He winked and gestured a waitress over, a dark-haired draconian with a shapely body. Rose made note of the fact that he barely looked at the waitress, while he'd checked her out, even though most of her body was hidden beneath armor. What an odd man. "I'm Eric Anglekos. This is..." He lifted both a hand and eyebrow to her.

She didn't lift her glare off him, even as he took a small glass of wine from the waitress. "Eros." She gave her draconian name instead of her humanized form. She didn't want him to start thinking they were friends. "Eros dar Decarabia."

Tobias noted the tension between the two with a small sigh. "Very well. Mister Eric and Ms. Eros...the job's all yours."

[Lord Anglekos]

What was her problem? Eric wondered silently as he examined her out of the corner of his eye. She was acting like he'd personally insulted her or something. And as far as he knew, he hadn't, so he was kind of irritated that she was acting like a spoiled brat. It was her choice to come, after all. But whatever. He'd handle her later. Right now he had to focus on the job. "Thanks." He gave Tobias a slight grin before taking a sip from the golden-looking substance he'd taken from the waitress, and blinked at the sweet taste of it. Wow, that was some good stuff! He wondered what it was. Yet another mystery he had to solve, it seemed. Setting the glass down, he went back to his original thoughts. "Now, how much did you see, exactly, of this creature?"

The merchant shook his head. "Not much, I'm afraid. I was too much of a hurry to run away. All I remember is two huge, glowing eyes staring out at me from the darkness within the tunnel, and a huge, scaled hand came out and dragged my horses, along with my wares, towards those eyes." He shuddered at the memory. If he was acting, Eric thought, then he was a good actor. "Then I fled. I fled for my life."

Eric leaned back and crossed his arms, thinking. What sort of creature lived underground that attacked like that? He glanced over at Eros, who'd remained silent during this exchange. "Well? What do you think it is?"

She snorted at his question. "How the Eadhochas should I know? I've never encountered anything like that before." Even as she finished speaking, however, he saw her eyes grow haunted with the burden of a memory, and she looked away.

He rolled his eyes at her attitude and started counting off on his fingers. "Well, let's see what we know about the beast. One: It only attacks humans. Or according to the legend, right?" He looked to Tobias, who nodded. "Two. It lives underground, so we can safely make the assumption that sunlight is uncomfortable or lethal to it. And three. It's big." He looked around again at Eros and Tobias. "Anything like that sound familiar to you two?"

This time Eros didn't respond with sarcasm. She simply shook her head, and in her eyes Eric saw a slight measure of respect from them. He grinned at her. "Tobias?" The other man sighed and shook his head too.

"Look, if I knew what it was I would have gone back and killed it myself, if I could." The merchant sounded frustrated. "I just need you two to go and make sure it doesn't ever come up again."

Suddenly Eros spoke up. "Where do we find this beast, exactly?" She uncrossed her arms and legs and leaned forward. "Hard to kill something that isn't there."

She had a good point, Eric thought. Tobias waved his hand impatiently towards the sheet of parchment on the table as he spoke again. "In the plains between here and Lu--"

"We know that." The draconian snapped, and Eric suppressed a chuckle. She didn't have much skill with people. "Where exactly were you attacked?"

Tobias looked back and forth between Eric and Eros, as if trying to make one of them understand, then sighed and ran his hands through the shock of hair on his head again. "If the legends about the beast are true, it will find you long before you find it." With that dramatic and ominous sentence he stood up and walked away from the two, leaving Eric looking thoughtful and Eros looking, well, pissed.

[Rebellion]

Rose said her goodbyes to her new "companion" shortly after and left for her room, a small, cozy spot in an inn by the sea. They made their meeting arrangements for the next morning shortly before her departure, and finally decided upon the East Gate out of Talmhaidh after much debating back and forth. "I'll be there from eight to nine tomorrow morning." She growled at him before leaving. "Don't be late."

He'd simply grinned at her, and she'd stormed off.

As she walked back to her room, the daylight fading quickly, she stopped by some stables and came upon a fat, rather stout draconian with blue scales covering most of his bare arms. He was chewing on something when she came up to him, and spat it out into the gathering darkness. "What can I do for ya." He asked rather gruffly.

"I need two horses..." Rose said, and looked around. Most of the beasts around her looked well groomed, but they lacked the muscle and strength she was looking for. "...preferably two that can go a long distance without dying."

He nodded. "That'll cost ya."

She winced inwardly, but refused to show her discomfort on her face. "How much?"

"80 gold pieces." He said without any apology in his voice.

Eighty?! She tried to keep the incredulity out of her voice. "Let me see them first."

He nodded and gestured to the back of the stables, where he led her to a pair of golden-haired horses with bright eyes. Rose sucked in a breath as she recognized the sheen of their hides and the shape of their hooves. "Dear gods above, you have mithandirlon?"

The mithandirlon were supposedly horses blessed by the Elven gods above. Whether this was true or not, no one knew, but no one could deny the prowess of these beasts. Many warriors of legend were said to have ridden these horses into battle, their hooves flashing across the ground at such speed that they could outrun arrows. And no one could deny their intelligence, either; although they did not speak, they seemed to understand just what was said around them, and replied as such with their actions.

No wonder he'd wanted so much. For these, a warrior would have paid anything for. "Aye, that I do." He grinned at them proudly and stroked the one to the left, which rubbed itself against his scaled hand with compassion. "Raised 'em since they were 'ittle more than foals. Knew I was gonna 'ave to give 'em away sooner or later, though." He turned his gaze on her, black eyes wide. "So, whaddya say."

Rose reached into her purse and silently counted her gold. She had enough, but barely. It would leave her with little more than enough to pay off the innkeeper, and that was it. She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, but in the end silently handed the stableman eighty gold coins and took the two horses by the reins.

[Lord Anglekos]

Eric awoke the next morning to the blinding rays of the sun piercing him in the eyes. "Ow!" He cried out as he threw one arm over his arms. "By all the powers that be, who opened those shades!?"

"I did, m'lord." A dainty voice said, and Eric peeked underneath his arm to see a small Fae girl standing there, an amused smile gracing her lips. She stood about five foot three, much shorter than he, with a bluish tint to her skin and membrane of her wings in the glare of the sunlight. Her hair was an even lighter blonde than the merchant's that Eric had met last night, almost so that it was white. Her face, however, was one of a young girl, and had she not been a Fae Eric would have guessed her to be fifteen or sixteen at the most. Eyes sparkling with happiness gazed at the swordsman as he sat up from his bed and groaned, cracking his neck.

"Hello, Aingeal." He muttered. He'd stayed at an inn called Fairy Wings, and unsurprisingly he'd found it mainly populated by Fae. While the lack of unoriginality had been slightly irritating, their friendlier attitude than most of the draconians made up for it. In fact, he found their attitude a little disconcerting, and even more so when one girl, Aingeal here, had declared herself his personal servant for the duration of his stay. He'd tried to protest, but eventually he'd given up and just let her do whatever. After all, it was her job, wasn't it? "...That's right, I told you to wake me up shortly before seven, didn't I?"

"Yes you did, m'lord."

Last night was a little fuzzy to him. Damned drinks... "Did I do or say anything stupid last night? I can't remember..."

Her amused smile grew a bit wider, and he groaned. "Great. What'd I-- no, wait, nevermind, don't tell me." He waved his hands and cut her off as she'd opened her mouth to answer already. "It's probably better off that I don't know, right?" She looked thoughtful, then nodded. "Just great." He shook his head and groaned again.

"If it helps, m'lord, you passed out before you could finish completely undressing."

"No, it doesn't help." He raised an eyebrow. "Just...get my stuff, will you?" She laughed and bowed before skipping off, her wings bouncing happily. He rolled his eyes and clambered out of his bed and into bathroom, where a hot shower and shaving kit awaited him.


~~~~~~~~~~~


Using his unstrung yew bow as a walking stick and slinging his quiver of arrows across his back, Eric made his way through a bustling city of Talmhaidh to the East Gate as fast as possible. He was unsurprised to find Eros standing there with a scowl of disapproval upon her face. However, he was surprised to see that she had two new companions with her.


"And who might these be?" He asked her as he approached the draconian, gesturing to the two horses. They were magnificent animals, with golden coats that seemed almost to be burning in the morning sun. Dark, intelligent eyes stared back at him as the two horses sniffed his hand before snorting with approval. He grinned as he turned back to Eros. "Don't tell me you went and bought me a pony while I was gone."


She didn't appreciate his humor, it seemed. She pulled at the reins of the larger one and brought it closer to her. "This is Morlor'ien." As if in response to her words, the horse neighed. "He's the dominant one, so I'll be riding him. You can have his mate, Senalia." She gestured to the smaller one before putting her foot in the stirrups and lifting herself up and on top of Morlor'ien. Eric took note of the fact that he hadn't been the only one hiding weaponry yesterday; she now had, in addition to the short sword at her side, a large glaive upon her back that seemed not to trouble her movements at all.


He walked over to the other horse and took off one of his gauntlets before stroking her face gently. She whinnied in pleasure and rubbed her head against his naked flesh, and he grinned. "Hey there, Senalia. My name's Eric."


"What're you doing?"


He looked up to see the draconian warrioress looking at him with cool interest. "I'm introducing myself to her. Letting her know I'm a friend."


She stared at him for a little while, and for not the first time he wondered exactly what she was thinking about. Finally she spoke. "They're only rentals. We're to bring them back after we're done."


"Still." He patted Senalia's head once more before slipping his iron gauntlet back on, and for the first time Rose saw him wear a completely serious expression upon his face. "All living things deserve love and respect, in one way or another. Just because she's an animal doesn't mean she deserves any less."


Completely unaware of the chord his words had struck within her, Eric went to stringing his yew bow before slipping it on his back, next to his arrows. For one so young to be so wise... Rose thought as she watched him prepare. ...he must have gone through the trials of Eadhochas and beyond...


Eric pulled himself upon Senalia with a little effort, and was at first worried that she wouldn't be able to hold his weight. However, the horse didn't seem to have any trouble moving with him on her after testing out a couple of steps, so he looked over to Eros and said "Let's go."

[Rebellion]

The two bounty hunters spent a good amount of time in silence as they travelled through the grasslands, having exited the bustling port city long ago. The sun was high and bright in the sky, as it had been for the past few days. This was odd, Rose noticed, as Dheathain was normally a very cloudy and humid place. She found herself sweating beneath the layers of her armor from the sun's heat, and cursed her luck. Even though she'd traveled around the realm of Althanas and suffered through all its climates, she still was not used to its dramatic changes, and had been hoping for a return to the nice, cool humidity of her home.

But it seemed the gods above were not done testing her yet. She grit her fangs in frustration as Morlor'ien moved beneath her slowly but constantly, and she congratulated herself on thinking ahead and renting the horses. She would've hated it if she'd had to go on foot in this heat. She glanced at her companion and saw he'd put the hood up on his cloak, making him look like some grim specter upon his horse. He'd been surprisingly quiet this entire ride, and while she'd appreciated that the human was keeping his trap shut, it unnerved her. From what'd she'd seen, he was a talkative one. Why he was keeping quiet, she didn't know.

Ah well. It wasn't her problem. As she turned back around, however, his soft voice cut through the silence. "I have a question for you."

She restrained herself from groaning. Of course. As soon as she started thinking about it..."What?" She snapped at him, expecting some idiotic question about her heritage or the horses.

However, he surprised her. "Why'd you join me?"

She turned to look at him, and saw him watching her with a thoughtful expression upon his youthful face. "I needed the money." She said without pause. And it was the truth, but...No, she cut off those thoughts. She needed the money, and that was it.

He looked back at her, and his face revealed nothing. Nothing at all. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"Then I have another question for you. If all you're after is the money, then why didn't you just take the bounty yourself? Instead, you waited for me at the Gate, whereas you could have gone out and got it yourself."

Rose opened her mouth, about to answer, when a screeching cry from above interrupted the both of them. Simultaneously the two warriors looked up to see a large shape with a wingspan of about ten feet circling above them. The sun glared in their eyes, preventing them from seeing any more, but Rose still had a good guess about what the creature was.

"Is that a dragon?" She heard the human ask calmly as he unhooked his bow from his back and began to knock an arrow. She noticed that his horse, while looking nervous, hadn't been spooked by the wyvern's cry, and she was glad she'd spent so much money on them.

"No, you fool." She sneered at him and reached one armored hand out, stopping him from taking aim at the beast. "That's no dragon. If it were, we'd be dead already if it wanted to kill us. Besides, it's too small." She looked back up at the wyvern's circling form. "No, that's a wyvern. Distant cousins to dragons, but nothing like them except in appearance slightly."

Yes, it was a wyvern, but they rarely hunted out here in the plains. This one was a Cailpis, and they were known throughout Dheathain for being extremely territorial, and those usually hunted mostly around their nest for prey. For one to be this far out...it was unnatural. First the changes in climate, now this...

Something was up with the nation of Dheathain, and Rose didn't like it.

"Will it attack?"

She was brought out of her thoughts by his question, and she looked back at the human. "No, probably not. They only hunt things smaller than us, usually, unless starving and desperate. And if the wyvern above us was either of them, it would have attacked by now."

Eric continued to eye the flying monster above them. "How do you know when it will attack?"

"It'll make a series of screeching cries, like--"

Suddenly the wyvern opened its maw and from it erupted three earsplitting cries that pierced the quiet, upon which is flapped its giant leathery wings and swooped down upon the two.

Eric gave her an amused look. "Like that?"

She gulped. "Let's run."

Rose kicked her horse into a gallop while Eric followed close behind.

[Lord Anglekos]

He was astounded at the speed of his horse beneath him. One moment they were walking calmly upon the soft grass of the plains, then the next it seemed Senalia was not running but flying. Where'd Eros had gotten them, he didn't know, but these were some damned fine animals, and before he could help it, Eric threw his head back and laughed into the air. The wyvern behind them shrieked, as if it were angry at his fearless sound despite the circumstances.

Ahead of him, the draconian's flame-colored hair flew out behind her, and he got a glimpse of her back, partially covered by more of those crimson scales that marked her as part of her race. A sudden surge of heat went through him at the sight of her skin, and he felt himself growing hard beneath his trousers. Even though they were being chased by a bloodthirsty flying monster that wanted to consume their flesh and use their bones as toothpicks, he still wanted his newfound companion in ways that unsettled him. To reassure himself, he reached down with a free hand and touched the soft hair attached to the hilt of his blade, bringing Amalia's face to his mind once more. Almost immediately, his lust surged down, and he felt his blood returning back to the temperature it was before.

"What's wrong with you?"

He looked to Rose again and saw her scowling at him again. "Nothing." He said, and grinned back at her. She snorted and was about to turn around, but then her eyes widened as she looked past him. Taking that for some sort of warning, he threw his upper body down across his horse, and both felt and heard a pair of huge jaws snap above him where his head had just been. That was close... He thought to himself and leaned forward more so he could whisper in Senalia's ear. "Faster, faster!"

She neighed in agreement and almost immediately picked up the pace, flying past Eros and Morlor'ien in a blur of gold and black. There was a whinny of indignant rage, and soon Eric saw out of the corner of his eye the draconian and her horse, keeping match with him and his. He grinned at her and laughed as the wind blew his hood back, and he swore he could see a small smile grace her own face before another shriek, closer now, brought them back to matters at hand.

Eric risked a glance back, and his eyes widened. The wyvern had picked up pace as well, and was gaining. What in God's name... "Eros!" He shouted across to his partner, and pointed at the flying beast. "How's it doing that!?"

"I don't know!!" She shouted back, and he saw her draw the large glaive from her back, holding it out to the side slightly. "I've never encountered one this fast before!"

He grit his teeth and twisted his upper body, bring his bow up to bear. "Keep going!" He told his horse, and she huffed to tell him he didn't need to tell her twice. He ignored her and took aim, sighting down the length of the arrow he nocked, trying to get a clear shot despite the bouncing of him upon his horse.

He couldn't aim for the main body. He knew that his arrows weren't strong or sharp enough to pierce the thing's scales, and wasn't foolish enough to abuse his luck by trying. No...But maybe the wings..."Senalia, move closer to Eros!" She whinnied as she did as he commanded, shifting her weight over to the draconian and her horse.

"What're you doing!?" Eros yelled, but he ignored her. He took aim again, and focused on the beating wings. Up...down...up...down...He counted the strokes as pulled back harder on the string. His timing would have to be perfect. One...two...up...down...one...There!

He let go. The arrow flew straight at the thing's upturned wing, and he bit his lip. Would it hit? It seemed it would hit. Yes, it was just about to...

Then the creature veered away, and the arrow zoomed right past it. "Damn!" He swore, and nocked another arrow as it spun back around to shriek at the two again, this time with a triumphant note in its sound. The thing was getting closer...forty feet...thirty five...thirty...twenty five...He aimed for its left wing again, and this time didn't wait for the right moment. He just let the arrow fly and trusted fate to guide it.

However, it didn't turn out as he expected. Instead of hitting its wing, the beast tried to veer away at the last moment, and suddenly the arrow struck its open mouth with a resounding THUNK. Eric saw the arrow's point pierce the inside of its fleshy maw and explode out the skull of the beast, stuck there like some bloody decoration of pain and death. The wyvern blinked its reptilian eyes and tried to flap some more, but eventually the light from them faded and it fell to the ground below, creating a great gouge it the earth as it slid several feet to a stop.

And so did Eric and Eros, pulling back on their horses and trotting slowly over to the fallen beast. Eric stared at it dumbly, amazed that his luck had been that good. As if she could read his thoughts, Eros looked over at him with wide, emerald eyes and complimented him. "By the gods above, that was a nice shot."

He gave her a small smirk and shook his head. "Thanks, but it was mostly a lucky one. I'd been aiming for its wing, anyways." As he got off his horse to examine the body, he noticed that Senalia's legs were shaking, and her breathing heavy. He looked over at Morlor'ien and noticed the same thing. "We should camp here tonight."

He saw that his partner was starting to get that look upon her face whenever she was irritated with him, so he held up a hand to belay the stream of disagreement he knew would be coming. "Our horses are tired, and they need to rest. Besides, I'm hungry. A rest would do both of us good."

Eros looked from him to the wyvern and back again. "Fine. But we leave at first light." She stepped down from her horse and looked to the fallen wyvern, and this time he was certain he saw a smile grace her serious face. "At least neither of us has to hunt for food tonight."

He blinked. "You mean...?"

She grinned sardonically at him. "Ever had roasted wyvern before?"

[Rebellion]

By the time they'd set up camp, put up a fire, tied the horses to a stake they set in the ground and began to roast pieces of the wyvern meat, the day had fled and night had fallen upon the plains of Dheathain. Rose sighed irritably as she sat down across from Eric on a small boulder, the flames slightly distorting his appearance as she examined him while he was busy sharpening the edges of his long sword. Upon the hilt of the blade was tied a lock of golden hair she hadn't noticed before, and she wondered whose it was, and what it meant.

He wasn't unattractive, for a human, and more than once Rose caught herself watching him as he went to work cutting into the fallen beast before them or grooming the horses. However, he was obviously young, and that reminded Rose of the difference between them. No matter how handsome he may be, he was still human, and thus unable to be her equal, whether as a mate or a warrior. As she shifted slightly, she groaned at the subtle ache in her body from riding so long, and the weight of her cold armor upon her flesh. She wished she hadn't gone along with his wish to camp here. She would have liked to camp near a place where she could have had a bath, instead of out here where they were vulnerable to the chill winds and beasts of the night...but she was a warrior, by the gods, and she would deal with it.

"You alright?"

Rose looked up and shifted her shoulders slightly as she saw Eric watching her from across the fire, the flames reflecting strangely in those crystal-blue eyes of his. "I'm fine." She snapped.

"No you're not. You've been moaning and groaning for the past two minutes or so, and even if you say you're fine, I know you're hurting underneath all that metal." He grinned wryly and tapped the metal breastplate he wore. "I can feel it too, y'know."

Well, she couldn't argue with that. "Forgive me, I misspoke. I'll be fine." She glared at him and crossed her arms across her breasts.

She saw him roll his eyes and get to his feet, and she tensed. "Take off your armor." He commanded.

She blinked. Surely she'd misheard him. "What?"

"I said, take off that armor. I'll not sit around and listen to your muttering and groaning another second." He reached into his bag and took out a small bottle of some dark-looking substance. "This is something I picked out in Talmhaidh for cuts and bruises, but the lady I talked to said it also worked great as a massage oil substitute."

Now she understood, and rolled it over in her mind. "Fine." She spat out bitterly, and slowly began taking off the top of her armor piece by piece. "But be quick about it."

Eric said nothing as he walked behind her, and she heard him take off his gauntlets and drop them to the ground as she finally managed to get the rest of her armor off. As she sat back down, she heard him draw in a sharp intake of breath, and spun her head around to look at him. "What?"

"Nothing. Turn back around." She noticed his face looked slightly flushed, but in the end blamed it on the light from the fire as she turned back around to stare at it. At first, she felt nothing, and was about to yell at him to hurry up when he touched her.

She gasped and bit back a moan as what she imagined must be the very hands of Siolmhar caressed her back, sending unimaginable pleasure and soothing sensations through her body. Each finger was like a lover, gentle and yet urgent, strong but kind, flowing across her scales and skin in a symphony of healing that no cleric or healer had ever made her feel before. As Eric's hands moved to her neck, she closed her eyes and leaned back into them, needing to feel more, more of this pleasure...and before she knew what she was doing, one slightly scaled arm lifted from her side and wrapped itself around Eric's neck, pulling him down to her so she could meet his slightly parted lips with her own.

She was surprised when, just as his lips grazed hers, he threw himself back from her and landed on the grass, breathing heavily. Rose opened her eyes and shivered as reality returned to her with the slight cold, and her eyes opened to see Eric sitting a few feet away, his eyes closed as he took several deep breaths. "Oh, by the gods..." She whispered in horror. What had she done? Had she hurt him? What was wrong? "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost control like that."

"No..." Eric shook his head and slowly got up to his feet, brushing himself off as he picked up his gauntlets and slid them back on, not meeting her wide gaze. "...no, don't be sorry."

"I tried to--"

"I wanted it."

She blinked, and a faint flush of heat when through her again. "W-what?"

He finally met her gaze, and in it Rose saw that steely resolve that she'd first seen back at the bounty board. "You're not an unattractive woman, Eros. And it's been...too long." She noticed that as he spoke, his hand drifted down to the blade still at his side and touched the hair wrapped around the hilt. She could only guess, now, what kind of hair it was. "But...I'm not ready, yet, to go on. Even though it's been years since..." He closed his eyes and walked back to the rock across from her, sitting down. "In any case, I'm the one who's sorry."

Rose looked at him, and saw that he was telling the truth. He really was sorry. Hating the lust still raw within her, she tried to grab hold of her composure once more. "It's fine." She managed to say evenly, and began putting her armor back on. "We should get some sleep."

He nodded and stood up, pulling his hood over his face so she couldn't see his expression. "Right. I'll be right back--have to check on Senalia and Molor'ien." And with that he walked off into the darkness.

Once he was gone, Rose sighed and bit her lip. How had he...how had this human made her feel such lust? And why, why was she disappointed that he hadn't tried to sleep with her? Things that were to be dwelt on later on. But now as the fire was leaving her bones, she felt weary, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Standing up, she noticed he'd left behind the oil he'd used on her back. Curious as to what this wondrous substance was, Rose bent down and picked it up before pouring some on her hand.

To her amazement, she found it was only water.

[Lord Anglekos]

Morning.

Eric was already awake when the sun rose, and the fire had died down to a pile of smoldering ashes and wood, smoke rising it from it like a beacon to the day. He sat across from where Rose still lay, breathing softly in her black armor as she continued to sleep. He noticed than even in sleep, she was prepared for battle; her right hand lay on the length of her large glaive that rested at her side, ready to be grabbed at the first sign of trouble. Ready to move that body of hers...

He shook his head, clearing his head of those thoughts, and looked down at the hands that had been so intimate with the draconian last night. He'd lied to her. He hadn't used any special substance or anything, but instead a technique he'd learned long ago from watching the Paladins of Saleria heal soldiers. They called it the "laying of hands", and at his insistence, they'd taught him the basics of it, at least. He had never been able to do it before, as it involved circulating one's power through the body and into another, but now that his own power had awakened...It seemed all he could do was make a girl horny. Grinning ironically to himself, he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to Eros, shaking her slightly by the shoulder to wake her up. "Eros...its morning."

Her eyes opened almost immediately and focused on Eric's face. "You're awake already?" She asked, and he was perturbed by her ability to be so alert after just waking up.

"I woke up about an hour ago or so, to my count." He grinned slightly. "I don't sleep all that long."

"Neither do I, usually." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Whatever you did to me last night made me wearier than I thought, it seems."

He shifted uncomfortably. That was a topic he didn't want to approach at the moment. "Yeah, well... must have been more to that oil than the woman told me, eh?"

There was a moment of silence as he started to walk away, then she spoke again. Her voice seemed a bit subdued. "It wasn't oil."

He stiffened. How did she know? "Yes it w--"

"I checked the bottle. All it was was water mixed with a little mud to give it a thicker feel and coloring." He turned around and saw her emerald eyes, encroached by black where the whites should be, staring at him in accusation and apprehension. "What are you, Eric? No human has ever been able to do that to me. No draconian, either."

He sighed as her met her gaze, then looked away and touched the hair on the hilt of his blade. Amalia... "I'm just a human."

"Liar."

"No." He shook his head and sighed. "I'm only human, Eros."

She continued to watch his face, then extended an armored hand to him. He smiled slightly before he reached out and helped her to her feet. "Rose."

He blinked. "What?"

"You can call me Rose."

The two of them looked at each other for a little while, each with a small, knowing smile on their lips, then Eric broke away and began picking up his stuff. "We ought to get go--"

A small explosion a little ways off interrupted his sentence, and as Rose and he looked in the direction it came from, they heard a panicked neighing. "The horses!" She cried, and without waiting for him, sprung forward, running at a speed he could never imagine could be reached in that armor. He followed shortly behind, grabbing hold of his quiver of arrows and bow before sprinting off in her wake.

[Rebellion]

By the time Rose got there, one of the horses was already gone. There was a large hole in the ground; about eight feet in diameter, and the screams of the missing horse could be heard even outside the hole. She stood outside the hole, seething from fury both at herself and at whatever had done this. Cthara! I was concentrating so much on Eric that I didn't even... Gritting her fangs, she snarled and was about to step down into the hole when she heard Eric's voice behind her.

"...whoa, whoa there girl." She turned and found him calming down Senalia, who was flailing and kicking in panic and fear. After some reassuring gestures and words, he managed to, but she still neighed nervously and glanced to the hole. "It's alright. Stay here, okay?" She whinnied softly and stepped back from the hole in the ground.

Eric walked up to Rose with a small, if pained, smile gracing his lips again. "Well, it seems we've found our monster."

"So it seems." She bit her lip as she glared down at the hole.

"Hey. It's not your fault."

"Like Eadhochas it isn't!"

"It would have taken Morlor'ien anyways, and you with it if you'd tried to stop it." He pulled around so she would look at him. "Think! Look how big that hole is! And notice the fact that none of us, not even the horses, knew it was there until it attacked!" He glared down at the hole, and slowly nocked an arrow to his bow. "Even though I hate that it took him, better Morlor'ien than you. We're just lucky it didn't attack us directly."

The first thought that went through Rose's head then was; Does he really mean that? He would hate if I died? The next was more realistic and on-track; And just how many battles has this boy been in anyways? He must be barely eighteen, but assesses situations as if he were twenty years older! "Good point." She took a deep breath and calmed her anger down. It wouldn't help her, and it wouldn't help Eric. "So what do we do?"

He blinked at her as if she'd asked how to fly to the moon. "How should I know? I've never fought anything like this before, and by my accounts, neither have you."

She repressed a smile. He didn't know his own potential or just how special he was. Even for a human, she was impressed at his self control and level head. "Give it a shot."

He gave her a suspicious look, then went back to peering down the hole. "Well, at first glance, this looks like your average monster attack. Monster comes, monster takes food, monster leaves."

She blinked. At first glance?

His peering turned into a glare, and for the first time Rose saw what looked to be anger flit across his face. It was a frightening look, one that didn't enhance his features but instead made him look more like a monster himself. "But there's a couple things wrong with that. For one thing, nothing, nothing this big would be able to move that silently. Even after it took Morlor'ien, I could feel rumblings beneath the earth as it moved away." He glanced at her. "But nothing before that."

She blinked. By the gods, he was right! "So that would mean..." Her eyes widened in apprehension and horror.

"Yeah." He nodded and looked back at the hole. "This thing was lying in wait. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was spying on us, assessing our capabilities. And anything that smart doesn't just run away; it retreats. I think you know what that means."

"But why attack now? Why not before?"

"I don't know. I know I said before it must be uncomfortable in sunlight...but now I think that's not right." He grinned at her. "In any case, it's lying in wait for us, down there. Feel like springing a trap?"

One moment he was subtle and tactical, the next reckless. Just who was this youth, really? Rose took up her glaive and spun it around her fingers a couple times, testing it out, then took it firmly in her hands before giving a small, tight lipped smile back at him. "Why not."

[Lord Anglekos]

Not far beneath from where Eric and Rose were talking, something stirred from its meal. It looked up vaguely as it felt vibrations from their footsteps, and from the rapidity of them the creature guessed that they were in the tunnel. If it could have grinned, it would have. It had fed from countless others such as them. Warriors, mages, clerics. The works. These two were no different.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. The reason it had not attacked before had nothing to do with the sun or the moon; the reason it had not attacked was because it was cautious. No matter how many times the beast had tried to convince itself, these two were not the same as others. It never fed on the draconians, for they were its kin, and thus not to be touched. Or, so its master had said. But these two approaching were neither draconian nor human. Gifted with the ability to be able to sense power, it had first lay in waiting the day before, ready to spring up and snatch the two riding on their horses to drag them down into the depths below...but then, as they came closer, its senses gave it a terrifying vision.

The one on the left, the boy, turned into a being made of thunder and lightning, a god amongst his kind. The one on the right burned everything she touched, spreading chaos and fire wherever her blade chose. For a moment the creature trembled beneath the earth, afraid to face these mighty titans of power...but then its sense returned, and saw the two riders to be naught but a human and a draconian.

However strong it may be, it was only mortal, and as such could make mistakes. No such beings like that existed upon this earth. And even if they did, there was no way these two-legs could be those nightmare creatures. Even so, it had refrained from attacking, and had chosen when it judged the two to be weakest; in the morning, right when they would be groggy and unable to fight back.

It had chosen wrong, though, and instead of attacking them had gotten the smells mixed up and had attacked the horses. One managed to scamper away, yes, but it had managed to lock its jaws upon the male and drag it down to its nest, where it had made a delicious meal. Now the two-legs were in its tunnel, and once in, nothing ever came out.

In the darkness beneath the earth, the creature's eyes gleamed.


~~~~~~~~~~~


Using a makeshift torch made from lighting a bundle of sticks and some cloth, Rose and Eric made their way through the tunnel, following a trail of blood from where the monster had taken Morlor'ien, presumably to its nest. As they ran, Eric's mind drifted to his female companion, and again, despite the circumstances, he found himself thinking of her. She was definitely warming up to him, it seemed, and more than once he'd caught her looking at him too. But every time his mind drifted to her, eventually he'd start thinking of Amalia, and he'd return to the situation at hand.


But still...Eros, or rather Rose, held a disturbing hold over him. She wasn't his type, and yet...unconsciously he licked his lips and his grip on his bow tightened. Later. He'd deal with that later. But now...


"Eric."


Rose pulled to an abrupt stop as she said his name and pointed ahead at something with her glaive, as she held the torch in her other hand. He looked at where she pointed, and saw in the flickering flames of the torchlight the body of Morlor'ien. His head had been ripped off, and it seemed the monster liked the guts of its prey the most. Eric grit his teeth and slowly walked past the fallen horse. He'd seen enough bodies in his life. He heard Rose move behind him. "Think its nest is up ahead?"


He nodded in the dark. "Yeah."


"It's probably waiting for us."


"Probably."


"Are you alright?"


No, he wasn't, but this wasn't the time nor the place for nostalgia. "Yeah, I'm fine."


There was a moment of silence, then; "Alright. Let's go."


They took off running again into the dark, where who knew what awaited them?

[Rebellion]

Rose took notice of the fact that the farther they went, the larger the tunnel became. Not anything dramatic, but it slowly expanded to the point where the ceiling was at least fifteen feet high, double the height of what they had judged the monster to be. Either it was somehow larger than they had thought, or, Rose grinned slightly as the thought crossed her mind, the creature had done some "home improvement". In either case, the width of the tunnel also increased, although not nearly as much as the ceiling had. Rose wondered just what they were dealing with.

Eric had been remarkably silent during their run, and by now she knew that this meant he was deep in thought. What he was dwelling on, she didn't know, but it was troubling him. His past was his problem, but still, Rose couldn't help but feel empathetic to her partner. She knew what it was like to be haunted by the past. As she returned her gaze to her front, however, all thoughts about Eric and the past disappeared as the light reflected off something sharp.

Without a second thought, Rose swung her glaive into Eric, and he let out a whoosh of breath as he was caught unprepared by her weapon and knocked back into the wall, while she herself jumped aside. Something large and clawed shot past the two a split second later, and as it landed on the ground behind them it made a soft WHUMPF that echoed down the tunnel. Rose turned the torch to it, and gasped as she saw the infamous monster for the first time.

It had a head like some malformed shark, pointed with a gaping maw filled with serrated teeth. However, that's where all similarities to that creature ended. From the neck down it was covered in some shell-like armor that gleamed maliciously in the light from the fire, and it had four legs ending in the same number of claws on each foot. As it slowly drew closer, Rose saw it looked more like the nightmare result between some mad crossbreeding of a giant snapping turtle and an armadillo.

Contrary to what she had first thought, she did know what this thing was.

Eric had regained his footing and had knocked an arrow at the thing's exposed head, sighting down the length of the shaft. "What the hell is that?!" He murmured, more to himself than anything, and so he turned a surprised look on Rose when she answered.

"It's a bullete."

He blinked. "What in God's name is a bullete?"

She slowly positioned her glaive between her and the creature, never keeping her eyes off of it as it looked between the two in what she thought was a faint air of disdain. "They're a mad scientist's idea of a joke. Long ago, a man by the name of Heliarth sought to create the 'ultimate hunter', a thing that could rival even dragons in the world." She narrowed her eyes. "He failed, but another scientist took up his work and created these abominations. Or, so the legend goes."

She saw Eric raise an eyebrow from the corner of her eye. "Legend?"

"No one's really seen one before. They're supposed to be extinct."

Eric opened his mouth, but before he could say anymore, the bullete rushed them. It didn't make any sound, like a normal animal, so the only warning the two got was a slight tensing in its body as it sped through the air like a torpedo. Before diving out of the way again, Eric released his arrow at it and had time only to be mildly disappointed as it bounced off the thing's shell before he felt it rushing above his head.

Rose had some better luck, however, and as it passed by them she swung her glaive at its unprotected underside. She felt the tip of her weapon dig into its flesh and cut a thin line into it before it passed her completely, and the creature gave a roar of rage and pain before it did something neither of them was prepared for: It spoke.

"Aaaaagh! Filthy two-legs!" Its voice was harsh and ragged, like nails being scraped over armor, but by the gods above Rose would have sworn to anyone it spoke words. Rose blinked simultaneously with Eric in surprise as they registered the fact in their minds. If the thing spoke, it had some measure of intelligence, and his theories had become more than such. "I was going to kill you quickly, but for that you'll die slowly and painfully!"

Rose stood up straighter as she glared at the beast from down her nose. "The only thing that will be dying here, creature, is you."

It grinned. Rather, it tried to grin, but what came out was some mangled version of a smile, almost as painful as its voice. "Oh, I like fiery ones. Especially females. The way they struggle and scream..."

Rose stepped forward and was about to give the creature a reason why it should fear her, when Eric stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Stop, Rose. It's baiting you." She growled beneath her throat and was about to tell him to get his hand off her when she saw him smiling grimly. "Which means it's afraid of you."

She blinked as reason and logic came back to her. Of course. "Afraid? Ha! You two-legs are all the same." The creature continued to speak in its terrible voice, but Eric ignored it as he stepped forward, dropping his bow and his quiver of arrows at Rose's feet.

"Tell me, monster..." Eric's voice was calm and collected, just as he'd been when he shot down the wyvern. "...do you have a name, or must we call you 'monster' and 'creature' over and over again?"

If anything, the thing's grin grew wider. "You wish to know the name of your killer, two legs? Fair enough. My name is--"

"I don't really care what your name is." Eric glanced back at Rose, his next words directed at both the bullete and her. "Only that you have one. And for you to have a name, someone or something had to give it to you."

Rose gasped as his words hit home. What he was saying was that there was someone, or something, behind the creature. A puppet master. Of course. "Eric, the wyvern was odd as well." She said as she walked forward to stand by him, torch and glaive in hand. "Far beyond the norm."

He nodded and his hand went to the hilt of his sword. "So tell me, bullete." The creature's eyes had widened in comprehension and its smile had turned into a snarl. "Who is behind this whole thing? Who created you?"

"I'll tell you nothing!"

He nodded as if he hadn't been expecting anything less of the monster. "Fine with me. Rose?"

"Fine here as well." She narrowed her emerald eyes at the monster that had taken so many lives. "By the gods above you are going down."

The bullete only roared in response, and charged.

[Lord Anglekos]

As soon as it moved, Eric drew his long sword and dashed forward, swinging it in a vertical swipe at the creature's stomach as the bullete flew over his head again. However, it seemed the creature had remembered that vulnerability, and just as he swung it flipped over in the air, making his attack useless as it struck its hard shell. "Dammit!" He swore, and switched his feet as he slid to a stop, putting his blade before him in a defensive position.

However, it seemed he didn't have to worry about a counter attack as Rose was keeping the bullete busy with strikes of her own. She swung her polearm wildly but effectively, keeping the creature on its toes as it had to retreat or block with its armor to keep her blade from piercing its fleshy head. He ran forward, ready to help...but then a movement to the left of the bullete caught his attention, and his eyes widened as he instinctively threw himself in front of her, blade held vertically in front of him in defense.

It was his blade that saved him from being cut in half. The creature's previously hidden tail whipped around and struck it, and while Amalia blocked the blade attached to the end of the tail like a scorpion's, the sheer impact of the attack knocked Eric sideways into the wall. The impact knocked the breath out of him and, if he could, he would have screamed at the searing pain as a couple of his ribs cracked. Shit, shit, shit! Was all he could think as the beast turned on him with a roar of rage. He'd barely stood up when that deadly tail of its came swinging around again to cut off his head.

Then Rose was there with her glaive, like a flame-haired goddess in Eric's vision. Her weapon spun around and not only blocked its tail but, as he watched, cut it off at the end, severing the sharp blade off before it could continue its deadly mission. If he could have, he would have breathed out a sigh of relief, but as it was the monster wasn't done yet. It shrieked in pain and agony and charged at Rose in an obvious attempt to bulldoze her over. Seeing his chance, Eric leapt forward despite his injuries and swung his sword at the creature's head, intending to sever it and end the battle right then and there.

To his disappointment it saw the blade coming, and while it had not enough time to stop completely, it managed to slow down enough that instead of slicing off its head, the swordsman's blade dug a deep furrow into the side of the things head and down across its eye, cutting it open and causing dark blood to spurt out across the steel of Amalia. It gave a roar of agony before backing away slowly into the darkness, giving howls that echoed down the tunnel before it faded out of sight and sound, leaving the two warriors standing there, leaning on their weapons as they breathed heavily.

"Well..." Eric finally spoke as he sheathed his bloodied sword, panting slightly. "...we hurt it. Think it'll give itself up quietly at our awesome skills?" He grinned slightly at Rose.

She returned the grin with a tight-lipped quick version of her own. "No, the damned beast is too stubborn." It faded just as quick as it came, and she grit her teeth as she stared off where it had disappeared. "By the gods, it's fast. I didn't even see that tail coming. Had you not been there..."

"I barely saw it myself, to tell the truth." He shrugged and stood up, wincing at the pain in his ribs. "Ow."

She looked sharply at him. "You hurt?"

"Yeah, a little." He drew in a sharp breath as he tested out his movements with a couple of stretches in his arms. He could move fine, but it hurt like hell. Well, he'd get used to it. "Nothing that a healer can't fix, though. I'll be fine."

"Good." She stared off into the darkness again. "Because it's coming back."

Even as she spoke, he heard shuffling into the darkness once more. Damn it all. Eric unsheathed his sword and held it two hands before him, cracking his neck. "We've got to take it out, hit it with everything we've got. If it continues playing with us like this..." He winced as a sharp pain went through him again.

Rose got the idea. "Yeah. But it'll just block obvious attacks. So what do you suggest?"

He looked over at her, and noticed how the light from the fire flickered over her scales. Red scales. Red dragon? Hunh. So that meant...He caught her eye and grinned. "Up for a little risk?"

[Rebellion]

Curse those two-legs! The beast that called itself Agrigon whimpered with pain in the safety of the darkness. It had underestimated them, and now not only was its deadliest weapon taken away, but that cursed human had cut open its left eye! It would kill them, yes it would, once it got a hold it would rip into them and never let go! Filled with rage, it stumbled slightly from blood loss before it got a grip upon itself. It would heal...yes, it would go to its master and he would heal it, just like before. All it had to focus on was killing these two.

As it came closer back to where its prey was, it could see by their light that the two were huddled together, obviously planning something. It wouldn't help them. Agrigon grinned and charged forward with a roar that echoed down throughout the entire length of the tunnels, awakening several other subterranean dwellers in the process. It had expected them to be surprised at the ferocity of its attack despite its wounds, but instead the human leapt back from the draconian and yelled, "Now!"

And suddenly the entire tunnel was plunged into darkness as she plunged the torch, fire and all, into her mouth.

Agrigon blinked in surprise. Had she just committed suicide? No...but how...how had she...Before the bullete could think anymore, there was a giant inhaling sound just before the earth was alit with flame and light once more, and the creature backed up a step as the draconian launched a gout of fire straight from her mouth at Agrigon. It wasn't a massive blast, but rather a focused line of flame aimed straight at the bullete's head.

It was dangerous, but Agrigon ducked down and the fire deflected off the armored hide upon its back. There was a small impact as it struck, and for a moment the creature thought it was a bit heavier than the amount of flame that'd been sent at it, but soon put that out of its mind as it snarled at the draconian. "Was that your big plan?" It sneered, but remarkably, she was smiling. Wait...it looked to the two-leg's side. Where was the human? "Where is..."

"Looking for me?"

Agrigon glanced up with its remaining eye and saw the human standing there upon its back, an expression of cold triumph upon his face. His blade was glowing with light, and lightning crackled around the blade with ominous power. He must have used the darkness for cover and approached it from Agrigon's now blind side, only to jump on the back of the creature when the fire struck. With a cold chill, the bullete remembered the vision it'd had about the two nightmare beings, and realized it'd not been mistaken at all.

"You...you...monster!" It gasped, just as the human lifted his glowing blade in two hands above his head and speared the blade right through its head. The two-leg's glowing blue eyes were the last thing it saw before everything went black.


~~~~~~


Rose watched in wonder as Eric's sword began to glow bright blue and lightning formed around it. Without any hesitation, he impaled the bullete's head to the ground with a fierce, but silent, stab. The only sounds made in the tunnel was the crackling of the small fire that she'd caused in the tunnel, and the wheezing of the monster as it tried to get up, stumbled, and finally collapsed to the ground, its tongue lolling out of its mouth to the dirt floor.


It'd been Eric's idea for her to swallow the flame. At first she'd thought him insane, but he told her to trust him. Hard, but in the end, she fought past her instincts and done as he'd said. As soon as she did, her body felt like it was overflowing with heat, and without thinking at all she opened her mouth with a roar. Flame poured out from her mouth like a giant snake shedding its skin, and cut through the ground to the bullete. How'd he know that she would do that? How did he know more about her than she did? It was as if...she shook her head of those thoughts as Eric hopped off the monster, and she noticed his blade was no longer glowing blue.


"Well..." He said with a weary smile, and he winced as he clutched at his ribs. "That's finally done."


"Yeah." Rose frowned. Was he alright? "You should sit down."


He waved her off. "I'm fine. Like I said, I'll just get a healer to fix me when we get to town."


"That reminds me..." Rose sheathed the glaive upon her back and looked at the monster. "...we need to bring back proof that we killed it."


Eric groaned, and she repressed a smile. "I am not dragging that thing's corpse all the way back to town."


"Relax, we just need a piece."


"Good." He also looked in the direction of the beast, and she saw a smile cross his lips. "Y'know, for all our trouble, I think a measly three hundred gold doesn't cover it. We should reward ourselves for a job well done."


She raised an eyebrow at his words. "What do you mean?"


"Well, that Tobias guy is a merchant, right?" He jerked his head towards the darkness ahead of them. "And he said he left his 'wares' behind. So maybe we should bring some of it back...y'know, be good samaritans and all." His grin grew wider.


Rose got the picture, and she had to admit it had merit, though part of her didn't like the idea of taking someone else's stuff. But that part was small and insignificant, so she squashed it. "What if he notices some of his stuff is gone?"


"Monster ate it." Eric chuckled.


Well. In that case..."I think you're right." Bending down she used the remains of her torch and the flames still burning to make a new one, before stomping them out and looking to Eric. "Let's go be 'good samaritans', shall we?"

[Lord Anglekos]

As Rose and Eric finally exited the hole, someone stood far above them on a cliff's edge. He was a bald man, with a thick white beard, and eyes like golden orbs. Wearing a long black coat with gold and silver designs intercrossing it and a vest underneath, he cut an imposing figure, even as he stood slightly hunched over with his hands behind his back in black gloves. He scowled down at the two dainty figures down below, and when he spoke, his voice was like silk caressing skin. "Well, I'll be damned. They actually defeated Agrigon." He sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "The lord's not going to be happy about this."

"What am I not going to be happy about, Astanoth?"

The man named Astanoth turned around to find another figure dressed in a black, hooded cloak, a draconian with black scales covering most of his skin and eyes like hellfire. While parts of this figure were whole and alive, other parts of him were rotting and fell to the ground in bits and pieces of flesh. One eye was reptilian and cold, the other was a gaping hole filled with a void of darkness, a place where sanity had no meaning and death was a commodity easily bought. The smell from the figure was of a thing that had been dead for weeks on end and left in the sun, and the scientist had to physically keep himself from retching. He stared at the man before him with an almost apathetic gaze, and Astanoth could feel the power behind that gaze bring him to his knees. "My lord D." He murmured in subservience to the god before him.

"My servant. Rise." The voice from the being was huge and terrible, like a mighty hammer striking a giant anvil, and had the scientist not been under the god's service for so long he might have been afraid of the two warriors below them hearing it. But, he knew now that only he was able to when the god so chose. Astanoth did as D commanded and went to his feet, turning to the two whom which he'd just been spying on.

"My lord, they defeated Agrigon."

"Ah..." The draconian god hissed in a breath of displeasure. "That is unfortunate. But alas, it could not be avoided. He challenged two stronger opponents, and lost. I have no room for fools like that in my plan."

Astanoth nodded, knowing the god was right. Had Agrigon lived, he might have disrupted the plan with his independent streak and attitude. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise that he had been slain here, before the battle had truly even begun. But still... "My lord, what about the two who slew him?"

D looked at the scientist from beneath the darkness of his cowl. "What about them?"

"Shouldn't they be eliminated? If they killed Agrigon..." He left the sentence hanging.

Instead of directly answering, the god said, "Astanoth, do you swat every fly that bites you?"

"No, my lord."

"It is the same here. These two are just flies." The god looked down upon them for the first time and sniffed. "They are ignorant fools. Let them keep their pathetic lives."

"Yes, my lord." Astanoth bowed in respect to the god's decision.

"After all..." For the first time, the scientist heard what he thought to be emotion in the god's voice. Satisfaction. "...Agrigon was but a mere pawn in what I have planned. Once the rooks, knights and bishops are assembled, I shall take my Queen." As D spoke, he slowly began to fade away into wisps of smoke, lifting draconian arms up into the air in triumph. "And then I shall be King!"

On that ominous note, the god faded away completely, leaving Astanoth trembling and shaking. The god's presence always had that effect on him, and he never realized it until D was gone. Looking down to where the human and draconian had managed to tie Agrigon's head to their horse, along with a cloth bag filled with who knew what, he realized that the world was in very great trouble indeed.


~~~~~~


All in all, it wasn't a bad load they'd found in the creature's nest. They'd found Tobias's "wares", as he'd had papers identifying them as his, and that he was an armor and weapons merchant. He'd been transporting the goods from Talmhaidh to the capital of Suthainn when the bullete had attacked him, making him drop his goods and run back to Talmhaidh in a panic.


Amongst them, Eric found a pair of nicely crafted twin prevalida daggers with the inscriptions "Acheron" on the side of one dagger and "Styxx" on the other, complete with leather sheaths for both. On the hilt of each was a small fingerhole right underneath the crosspiece, like the trigger hole on a firearm. Using these holes he found he could spin the daggers around his finger quite easily. Not going to waste the chance, he'd taken them.


Rose herself found a strange metal gauntlet that extended up her entire arm, and on the back of its hand there glowed a single ruby. She also found by squeezing her hand just right, a single edged two-foot blade protruded from the wrist part of the armor, making it both a weapon and protection at the same time.


They spent the rest of the time cutting off the monster's head and finding a way to tie the rest of the items they'd found to Senalia, who bore the weight without complaining. However, once they tried tying the thing's head to her as well, that changed.


"Hey, c'mon!" Eric complained as he tried to calm her indignant neighing down. He held his hands out as she kicked in the air. "It's just till we're back in Talmhaidh, then it's not your problem, okay?"


She'd calmed down and allowed them to tie its head to her, but didn't do so happily. As they traveled, Rose and Eric walked beside the horse to keep the head and supplies from falling, and she would "accidently" step on one of their feet or neigh when Eric tripped. Needless to say, it was a long walk back for the three of them, and none of them spoke much on the return trip.

[Rebellion]

By the time they got back to Talmhaidh, night was falling and most of the crowds had gone back to the safety of their homes or the nearest inn. That was a relief for the draconian; she didn't want to attract much attention at the moment. The head of the monster had already begun to smell, and she wanted to be rid of it. At the moment, though, her thoughts were turned to the strange things she'd seen and the words of the bullete. While she tried to stay out of politics and wars and such, there was something going on in the land of Dheathain, and it troubled her greatly that her home was changing so much. And from what she'd heard, there was someone or something behind this change. And as no one else had seemed to notice these changes, they couldn't be good. Once she got her reward for the bounty and said her goodbyes to Eric, she would focus on finding out just what was behind it all.

Her thoughts turning to Eric now, she saw he still looked weak and tired. Whether from the blow to his ribs or from the magic he'd performed earlier that day, she didn't know. And speaking of which, just what had he done? He didn't seem to be a spellcaster, but that was undoubtedly magic he'd performed back there. Either way, there was more to him that met the eye, and if they'd had more time together she would have tried and found out more about him. He was no human, even if he believed so. As it was...

"Eric..." His head jerked up at his name. "...what was that back there? With the lightning."

He raised an eyebrow at her as if she were stupid. "Awesomeness."

Rose couldn't help it. She laughed. He grinned at the sound and turned back, but she wasn't done yet. "Seriously."

"Magic."

"I got that. But you--"

"--don't look like a wizard?"

She blinked. "Well, yeah."

"I'm not." He looked at his hand, and she saw something that looked like sadness flit across his face. "I....come from another land. There, everyone was born with power. How we used it was up to us, but...well, I was different."

She lifted her eyebrow, a gesture for him to continue. He didn't. Instead, he pointed ahead and said, "There's the Drake's Roar."

They came to the small pub and the three of them stopped, before Eric sighed and cracked his neck. "Ow. I'll go in and get him. I don't feel like trying to shove that thing through the door."

"Okay." She agreed and began taking the head off and the bag of armor and weapons. "I'll be here."

As Rose waited, she went over the expenses in her head. Three hundred gold divided by two was one hundred and fifty for each of them...and then there was cost for the horse they'd lost. She groaned as she realized as that would probably cost her a fortune. Ah well, she'd swallow her pride and take up some other bounties to help pay for him, even if she did have to climb a tree to get a cat to do it. But she wouldn't enjoy it.

"By the draconian gods above, you did it!" Tobias's voice exclaimed, and Rose turned to see the merchant standing there with his robes covering his sticklike form, mouth agape in astonishment. Eric stood slightly behind him with a wry smile. "When he told me you'd done it, I expected to see the head of some wyvern or other monster with you claiming it--"

"Yeah, we get it." Rose growled irritably. She was too tired for rants. "We also brought your 'wares' back as well, so I think we should get a little for that as well." As she spoke she handed him the bag from the horse.

He took it eagerly and began rummaging through it almost immediately. "Yes...yes...this is them, thank you, but..." He frowned as he looked at Rose and Eric. "Is this everything? I mean, it seems a couple of items here are missing. Not that I'm complaining, but..."

Eric kept a straight face as he said, "The monster must've eaten them."

Rose almost laughed at how ridiculous it sounded, but Tobias seemed to be convinced. "Of course, of course...Well, I'll add an extra hundred onto your fee, does that seem fair?"

It did. "It's fine."

He nodded and immediately added a few coins to a small pouch he pulled out with a drawstring, and handed the pouch to Eric. "Now, what is this thing?" He went over to the head of the creature, but before he got too close he stepped back and covered his nose. "By the gods, how long has it been dead?"

"Nearly ten hours or so." Eric responded, looking at the pouch of money with an odd expression on his face.

"Hmm, well..." Tobias took a deep breath. "The council will probably want to see this. May I...?"

"It's all yours." Rose said gratefully, and untied it before it dropped to the ground with a sick, wet THUNK. The merchant went to it and immediately began poking it with his finger carefully; as if he were afraid it would jump up and bite his hand off.

"Thank you, again!"

"Yeah, whatever." Rose grumbled. Right now the only human she seemed to be able to stand was Eric, who was still looking at the bag of money with that odd expression up on his face. "Want to bring her back to the stables with me?" She pulled on Senalia's reins as she spoke and began walking.

He finally looked at her. "Sure." He said, and began walking with her.

They were silent for a time as they walked, and for the first time Rose found it awkward. This was just weird. "Are you alright, Eric? Ever since back there..."

"I'm fine..." He sighed and rubbed his ribs with a wince. "Just tired. Need to rest."

She understood that sentiment. "I understand. I'll drop off the horse, then we can go get you to a healer."

He looked at her sharply, and a smile of amusement crossed his face. "We?"

She blinked as she realized the slip of her tongue. "I mean, you can see a healer. You." He continued to stare at her with that same smile, and she could feel her face heating up. "It was just a mistake. Don't misunderstand me."

"Uh huh. Sure." He turned away, still smiling, and she could feel her face grow even redder. Why, you... She growled in thoughts, but didn't finish them. She was too tired, and if he wanted to think that, she'd let him. "So, what do you plan on doing after this?"

Rose turned to him slightly. "I plan on finding out just what's going on here. There's something wrong in Dheathain, and I need to find out just what. Yourself?"

He smiled a bit. "Nothing so grand. Figure I've spent enough time here in Dheathain...will move on to somewhere's else." He paused, then handed her the pouch of money. "Here. Take it."

She blinked as she looked inside. It was the full three hundred gold, plus the extra hundred they'd gotten from returning Tobias's wares. "But...what about you?"

"Eh, bounty hunting isn't my thing, it seems." He sighed and cracked his back. "Besides, you said you needed the money, and I really don't."

Still, the gesture said far more than his words had, and Rose abruptly remembered his hands upon her and blushed. "Thank you." She murmured.

"Don't mention it."

They came upon the stables shortly after, and the draconian she'd met before was sitting outside of it, staring at the darkening sky with apparent apathy. "Here's your horse back." She said as she came forward with Senalia.

He looked at Eric and her, and his expression darkened. "Where's the other one?"

Eric stepped forward. "Eaten by a monster." He said.

"Oh cthara..." The burly stable master swore and stepped up from his seat to come before Rose. "That'll cost ya, even if she's not worth cthara to me without her mate."

She heard Eric muttering underneath his breath, but before he could say or do anything stupid she reached out and put a gauntleted hand on his shoulder. "How much?" She asked the stable master.

"One hundred."

Luck was definitely favoring her at the moment, and without pause reached into the pouch Eric had given her and drew out a platinum piece, putting into the larger draconian's outstretched palm. He grunted in acknowledgement and walked away, grabbing Senalia by the reins and leading her away without a word. She whinnied once in protest before going away with him.

Rose turned to Eric and saw him staring after the horse wistfully. "Damn, she was a good horse. I wonder..." Then he turned back to the draconian with a small smile. "Anyways, I suppose this is where we say goodbye?"

"I suppose." She grinned slightly. "You're not bad, for a human."

"Of course, for a human. And you're not bad for a crazy psychotic dragon lady."

She grinned, then did something she'd never done before. She extended a hand out, and shook Eric by the hand. "May our paths cross again."

"I hope so." And with that, Eric walked away, cloak floating out behind him like a pair of wings. Rose watched him go before he turned the corner, then walked away herself.

It was time to get behind the mystery of Dheathain's change.

[Lord Anglekos]

"Does that feel better, m'lord?"

Eric sat up from his bed and twisted around, testing his movements. His ribs didn't hurt a bit. "Yes it does." He turned to the dainty Fae smiling proudly, her hands glowing with soft white light. "Thank you, Aingeal."

"It was my pleasure." She bowed slightly to him as he stood up and put his shirt back on. "I'm glad that m'lord is feeling better."

"Me too." He cracked his back as stretched and looked at the ceiling. He'd gotten back to the inn late after saying goodbye to Rose, and had fallen asleep despite the pain in his side. Thank God Aingeal here happened to know some healing magic and had offered to fix him up for him. "What time is it, by the way?"

"Six o'clock, m'lord."

He blinked and looked outside. It was still dark. "In the morning?"

"No, in the evening."

He groaned. He'd slept the day away! With a sigh he reached into his bag and drew out the twin prevalida daggers he'd gotten the previous day, complete with their sheaths, and attached them to his belt on the back, where he'd be able to reach easily in case he needed them. Walking over to the mirror, he examined his face in the mirror and saw a bit of stubble there. Wincing at it, he finally decided he'd take care of that later. Right now, he was in the mood for a drink. "C'mon Aingeal. I'm going to head downstairs and grab myself something light."

She grinned slowly, and he remembered the last time he'd drunk something here. He pointed one finger at her and said sternly, "If I start acting loopy, just take me upstairs, no matter what I say, okay?"

Her grin grew wider, and he rolled his eyes before heading out the door and heading downstairs to the bar. He found the normal assortment of Fae and other light creatures, but this evening brought something new to the crowd. In the corner was a large armored Draconian, drinking heavily and speaking loudly. Most of the room's inhabitants were focused on his words and didn't notice Eric walking down the stairs. However, the bartender, a female Fae with dark hair, did, and jerked her head in acknowledgement as she saw him, and he walked towards her and took out a seat.

"Hey Lola." He greeted her.

"Eric." She nodded and went to the taps with a mug. "Same as last night?"

"No thanks. I want to keep my clothes on this time, thank you." She laughed, a full, feminine sound, and he grinned. "Just give me something light to pass the time."

"You look like you need it." Nonetheless, she sat a mug down in front of him filled with a dark brew, and he sat a couple gold coins on the table. She took on and put it down into her apron.

"Yeah, well..." Before he could continue, however, the Draconian's words reached his ears and he listened in.

"...and by the time I got there, there were hundreds of the things! I mean, you couldn't even see the ground from how they were massed. They pressed the elves back into Eluriand until they were forced to retreat, from the..."

Eric lost the rest as the draconian's lowered once more, and he turned back to the bartender who watched him with a single eyebrow raised. "What's he talking about?"

"Oh. There seems to be some kind of war going on in Raiaera, it seems. I'd heard rumors about it, but..."

"A war?"

"Yeah. Some necromancer got some ideas of power and raised an army of the dead, and now he and the elves are at war." She sighed. "From the sounds of things, though, the elves are in a great deal of trouble."

A war, huh? Images of the hell he'd suffered back in Saleria flashed through his head, and he shook his head. "Hold this for me, will you?" He sat his drink on the table before him and got up to walk to where the Fae were gathered in horror and shock at the news.

He went unnoticed until he slapped a couple gold pieces on the table before him, causing all of the room's eyes to focus on him. Ignoring them and addressing the surprised draconian before him, Eric said with a cold smile, "This war. Tell me about it, if you will."


End Post.
REWARDS: As specified here. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showpost.php?p=69557&postcount=1)



Lord Anglekos gets Twin Prevalida Daggers, above average quality (as they are new and unused). The blades are each blue, a foot long and straight, with the inscriptions "Acheron" and "Styxx" upon them.

Rebellion gets 300 gold pieces.

OTHER SPOILS:

Lord Anglekos gets:


- "Laying Of Hands" ability. By directing his power into the other person's body, Eric can heal small cuts and bruises on a person and restore stamina. Can be used up to __ times per thread/battle. (I leave the number of times up to the judge.)


Rebellion gets:


- "Spitfire" ability. Rose can "eat" fire and fire-based magic up to level __ or lower strength and return it at twice the power. If she eats regular flame, she can direct it in a stream 10' long and half a foot wide or launch it all in a fire ball 3' in diameter. Can be used __ times per thread/battle. (Again, I leave the level and number of times up to the judge.)

I didn't add in the gauntlet she got for I felt it would be too many spoils. Assume that she lost it somewhere.


If the judge has any questions about the spoils or the thread itself, please PM me and I will answer them as best as possible. Thank you.

[Taskmienster]

Agrigon


As requested, little to no commentary; if you have questions just IM me, we can chat.


STORY (18/30)

~ Continuity ~ 6
The opening did not give me too much as to who your character Rose was, but you opened and wrote well with Lord A. The ending of it was a good way to wrap up the story and set an opening for the next part to come.

~ Setting ~ 5

~ Pacing ~ 7



CHARACTER (18.5/30)

~ Dialogue ~ 6
Shouldn’t repeat dialogue that was just said in the previous post, only really did that in the very beginning though.

~ Action~ 6

~ Persona ~ 6.5
A bit more persona would have helped, especially in the way of the awkward relationship that the two characters had. Why they suddenly felt the way they did, such as with Rose going from hating humans to feeling Angelkos’ allure. Things like that would help a lot.



WRITING STYLE (20.5/30)

~ Technique ~ 5
Not too many really ‘advanced’ literary techniques used. The writing style itself was alright, but nothing spectacular. You did, however, do a very good job of transitioning from one person to the next, and kept your style constant with both characters.

~ Mechanics ~ 7.5

~ Clarity ~ 8


WILD CARD!!! 6



TOTAL

(63/100)


GAINS/REWARDS!

Lord A: 625 EXP | 170 GP
Lord A receives the two daggers as specified in the rewards section of the mission board. He also receives the “Laying of Hands” ability with the stipulation that it can be used once per battle (on himself if necessary) and twice per quest (also on himself).

Rebellion: 600 EXP | 400 GP
Rebellion receives the bonus gold, added above, as specified by the mission board. She also receives the “Spitfire” ability with the specifications of fire equal to her level or below, and up to one [1] use per battle, two [2] uses per quest. I would also like to request that if you are going to use it before the level up that you have it only go 5 feet for the stream, and have a 2 foot diameter fireball when returning it. Due to the fact that most level 0’s can only cast a fireball that is roughly a foot in diameter at most.

[Taskmienster]

Exp and GP added!