Chapter 5: Tarren Mill
Kalec watches as Anveena pulls away at the timber, "What are you waiting for Kalec?" Tyrygosa asks him, as he refuse to move an inch from his spot. "We can leave anytime." she tells him, "I'm not going to abandon her. That would be cruel." he reports to her, Tyrygosa crosses her arms as she was annoyed. "She's not one of us. Her concerns are not ours." she tells him.
"She saved my life and lost her family because of me! That aside, I can't remove these collars and neither can you. At the very least, we need to find someone who can!" he informs her, "You worry over nothing, Malygos should be able to remove yours." Tyrygosa informs him, "But he'll never allow a human to enter our realm. I can not leave her like this." he said, clutching his fist. "She's a human. They survive." Tyrygosa informs him wanting to leave the human on her own. "No! We'll find someone else to remove theses!" Kalec said as it was his final resolve. As Anveena pulled away at the timber, she found an egg in perfect condition.
She picks it up as the shell started to crack, "Oh!" she said in surprise, as something was trying to get out of the egg. It was a baby dragon, it flew out of it's egg and, "Raac! Raac!" it said to Anveena as it was cheering her up. The two blue dragons were in shocking to see a baby dragon. "Kalecgos, what is that?" Tyrygosa asks of him. "I don't know- I've never seen anything like it. But it came from under the cottage." he answers and a though struck him. As the baby dragon was licking Anveena's face. "And the elf said he sensed the Sunwell's energy near…" he starts. "Surely you're not suggesting that thing-" Tyrygosa states. "I don't know, Anveena." he states, walking up to her and she turns and looks at him.
"Kalec? I'm sorry, I lost track of time." she tells him as the baby dragon had it's tail wrap around her wrist. "Anveena, your parents, I'm sorry." he tells her and she wore a sad frown. "It… it is all right, Kalec. You could do nothing." she tells him as she scratches the baby dragon's head. "Forgive me for asking, but do you know anything of their past?" he asks her. She looks up at him, "We have always lived here, but they knew someone in Tarren Mill, I think." she informs him, "Who?" he asks her, "I never met him, but they spoke of him a lot. His name is Borel. He seems to know quite a lot." she adds in.
"Borel? Maybe he can help. Tarren isn't far from here-" Kalec states and Tyrygosa huffs in protest. "This is preposterous! We're suppose to go to some human town and hunt someone she's never seen? Let her go by herself. The walk will do her good." Tyrygosa complains, Kalec looks at her, "We're going too, Tyri… it doesn't sound like it will long. It will be safe for us t return to the lair." Kalec informs her, he looks at him and smirks. "Well, if that's the case…" he said and transforms back into her dragon form. "Climb aboard and lets be away from this place!" she tells them. But then looks at the baby dragon. "Wait. That thing's not coming with us, is it?" she asks her.
Anveena looks down at the baby. "He's not a thing, he's name is Raac. He's my friend." Anveena protested, Tyrygosa sigh and stuck her nose up in the air, "Raac, how original. Maybe if we find a dog on the way, we can call him woof." she complains with her arms cross. "Tyri… for me?" Kalec asks her, she looks down at him and sighs, "Very well." she gave into his questions. Then the two climb aboard. "Hold tight." she tells them and took off into the sky.
"You're taking all of this well, Anveena! You have the straighten of our kind!" Kalec calls to her from the strong wind. "I just- it feels like the right thing to do. And Raac- I can explain, but when I hold him, I feel safer… more secure." she informs him as he just looks at her. From the ground below, the mage watches them fly over the trees, she pants from all the running she did. Then exhales and ran to Tarren Hill to beat them there.
"That's smoke on the horizon. That must be Tarren Mill!" Kalec calls out, "Hmm, good!" Tyri states. "Land in the woods there! We'll walk the rest of the way." Kalec informs her. And Tyri sets down in the woods, "Of course, you think I planned on landing in the square?" she sarcastly asks him, from the bushes, someone watches as Tyri set down and the two jump off her back.
~8~8~8~
The three walk through the town, "I have seen so many people. It is amazing!" Anveena said with such glee, making Kalec smile at her. "This backwater settlement? Amazing?" Tyri questions her. "They must not seen elves often here. We stand out." Kalec informs Tyri, her arms were cross and she scoffs. "I'll not demean myself by taking a human form. At least elves are aesthetically pleasing." she informs him as she did not care about the stares she was getting.
"Well with this neck ring, I'm stuck like this. That means the sooner we find this Borel, the better." Kalec informs her, getting a lone paladin's attention. -Borel?- he questions seeing the three travelers. They walk around, asking for Borel, but could dig up the tiniest bit of clues of him, that wasn't until the bump into a red-headed human mage. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Anveena apologizes to her, but the red-head smiles at her, "No harm done, my lady." she tells her, Anveena smiles at her. "Um… do you know anyone called Borel?" she asks her, the red-head looks at her and thinks to herself. "You know, that name does ring a bell." she tells her and the three look at her waiting for more, "Yes and?" Tyri asks her, wanting to hear more. "I said the name rings a bell, but I can't remember where I heard it from." she informs her.
Then Kalec just sighs, "Nothing, no one here has ever heard of this Borel and this mage can't remember where she heard him from. No offense." he tells her and she shrugs at him, "No taken." she tells him with her arms cross. "I am sorry, Kalec." Anveena tells him, he then places his hand on his face, "It's all r-right… you c-can't…" he struggles to speak as he began to feel dizzy. "Is he alright?" the mage asks him. "Kalec!" Anveena and Tyri went to his side. "I knew it, he overextended himself for you. He needs rest." Tyri informs Anveena. "But we have no money-" Anveena informs her. Then the red-head mage congers up some coins, making the two look at her, "The least I can do for giving you false hope by accident." she tells them and gave the coins to Tyri.
"Here's a hotel, you friend can stay and recover." she informs them, Tyri sigh. "It seems it's the only place, it will have to do." she states and the mage looks down at her, crossing her arms. "Well sorry this backwater settlement isn't to your liking, princess." she shot back at her, Tyri then glares up at her as the mage was glaring down at her and electricity was flying between the two.
~8~8~8~
Kalec laid in bed as he then felt someone next to him, "Mmm… Anveena? My apologizes… I push too har-" he said as he opens his eyes and as his vision focuses, he stop as he saw Harken with his gun pointed at him. "Hello, lad." Harken greets him and Kalec sat up, "Don't tempt me, at this range, I can't miss." he informs him and Kalec froze in his spot. Then he was pull out of the bed, "Up with you! My crystal says my dragon's near… and I have hunch it's very near." he said throwing Kalec to the ground.
"I've got a theory, lad- one that involves you and the lasses and it-" he starts, but the door was open as Anveena, the red-head mage and Raac were in the doorway. "Kalec?" Anveena asks as they step into the scene. "Run Anveena!" Kalec warns her, then the Mage grips her arm and they took off, but Voll stood in their way. Then the mage took out her staff and knocks his chin right up, "Go Anveena! Run!" the mage warns her and Anveena took off running as Voll grips a hold of the mage and she struggles in his grip.
Outside, Tyri was running up to the hotel, "Kalecgos!" she calls out, but then stops, seeing a net land on top of her, she yelps in surprise as the Groth and Srnee appear next to her. "Magic will not save you, female. This net is protected." Groth informs her with his knife at her throat, making her stop from doing anything.
Then Harken had his gun pointed at Kalec's back as Voll had the mage over his shoulder and she was kicking and pounding her fists into him."The other girl is gone, but she's no matter these are the three we want." Harken said as he forces Kalec next to "What did I do? I don't know anything! Let me go you overgrown bug!" she shouts, Voll sigh, can't believing that a human woman could put up this must of a fight. "We don't know where your dragon is!" Kalec informs him. Harken then took out his orb. "But I think you do. I heard dragon can change shape and this crystal glows most when near you near you." Harken informs her.
He then looks at the mage as she was glaring and growling at him, he walks up to her and held the orb in front of her, and the glowing dim down. "Huh, this mage's no drsgon, let her go, Voll." he orders and Voll throws her onto the ground. Kalec flinches at he heard her yelp out in pain from hitting the stone ground. Then Harken hits in in the shoulder, "What is wrong with you, don't you know how to treat a woman?" he questions him. And the mage pulls herself up, shaking off the throw, Voll walks over to her and pulls her off the ground and grips her arm tightly, keeping her from escaping.
Harken shook his head and turns to the two blue dragons, "The only question left to me is whether one or both of you are-" he starts but then heard screams of pain. "Now what is going- by Grim batol!" Harken said as his eyes widen in surprise.
~8~8~8~
Anveena ran to the outskirts of the town, panting, but stops and looks back at the town. "I have to go back and save them!" she tells herself and Raac agrees with her. But then the paladin step out from the shadows. "You don't want to return to Tarren Mill, my lady." Jarod calls out to her and she looks at him. "Who are you? What do you mean?" she asks of him. "You're lucky. They've just missed you when they entered." he informs her, "Who? You mean the dwarf and his hunters?" she asks of him.
"Would that it were, my lady." he tells her, then grips her arm and gently pulls her into the view of the town. "No, it is far, far more serious than a few brigands." he informs her and points out to the square. "Tarren Hill is under attack by the Scourge!" Groth shouts out as they were surrounded. As the red-head just growls at them.