Disclaimer: I do not own Record of Lodoss War, Ashram, Pirotess, Groder, etc. Although I wish I did. Sigh

Chapter Four

Fragility

It took the party of four two days and a half to travel the expanse of the plains. No one said anything, but it was because of the two humans. Dark Elves were known for their speed - humans were not. Ashram was admittedly not slow, and he could keep up with most Dark Elves in battle, but in an all out race, he had no chance (unless of course he managed to trip the Dark Elf, but he hadn't done that since his adolescence). Hobb, on the other hand, was no athlete and the party is only as strong as it's weakest link, or in this case: as fast as it's slowest, which was rather slow.

Now, they paused at the foot of the mountain range, where the tall grass began to recede and rocks began to litter the ground. They waited for Hobb to catch up, and he slumped a bit, placing his hands on his knees as he panted for breath; his robes were a bit too heavy. Ashram placed one foot atop a nearby rock, and rested his arm on his leg while he glanced about, taking his surroundings and checking on his teammates. The sun was indeed as hot as it was out on the ocean; it was hotter here than Lodoss, that was for sure. He was amazed the whole place wasn't a desert with this heat.

"Sire?" Pirotess called from ahead. She spun around to face the three men behind her. "Doesn't it seem a bit warm?"

"I was just thinking that," he settled for saying.

"A bit warm, she says," Elensar whined, walking up to his cousin. "Yes, just a bit," he scoffed dryly. He then stopped dead in his tracks with unblinking eyes and perked ears. "Of course, a bit warm…" he murmured. "Come on, we need to get higher up! Faster!" he ordered abruptly and took off. Really, he took off. His feet moved so fast as he leapt from rock to rock that they seemed almost blurred, and the very lines of his body seemed to bend, and fragment.

"Hey, don't lose the humans!" Pirotess yelled after him as she started to follow, albeit a bit slower. Ashram gritted his teeth and sprinted, well as much as one can sprint in a heavy cloak and armor after the two Dark Elves.

"Ah," Hobb gasped as he struggled to keep up.

"Elensar, slow down!" Pirotess was growing angry, and Ashram was getting frustrated. The two of them were almost insufferable. Pirotess was usually so reserved and in control of herself. Perhaps working with her younger cousin was a bit much for her. Perhaps… ah, he didn't have the time to think of it now, as he scaled the path to the mountain pass. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Hobb was a considerable distance back; this was not preferable.

"Elensar!" he did not shout. He almost never shouted. That would insinuate he had lost control. He just called rather loudly. The young Dark Elf stopped and pivoted on one foot.

"Ah, yes sire?" he called, almost as if out of a daze.

"Hold there, we're losing Hobb."

"Ah? Oh, forgive me sire, but I realized we are very close."

"Very close? To the dragon?"

"Dragons, sire."

"Plural dragons?" Pirotess intruded as Ashram finally reached the two Dark Elves. Hobb was still a way back.

"Yes, there were signs everywhere. I just didn't put two and two together. It was so stupid of me," he stomped, "forgive me sire," the tattooed Dark Elf begged of the Emperor.

"How close?" Ashram ignored it.

"Very, within a mile, if my estimations are correct," Elensar replied and Hobb finally reached them.

"Sire, I'm so sorry," the Priest gasped in between breaths. Would people please stop apologizing to me? Ashram thought.

"It wasn't your fault," Ashram stated, looking at neither the Priest nor the guilty Dark Elf; but he saw Elensar shift uneasily out of the corner of his eye. "Elensar says we are getting close to the dragons; stay close," he ordered and Hobb straightened with a determined nod. "Elensar," Ashram said flatly as he stepped to the front of the group. "We're going to the mountain pass, correct?"

"Yes sire, there are caves there in which the dragons most likely reside," the Dark Elf explained oh-so matter-of-factly. This Dark Elf had apparently spent too much time inside a study. He spoke nothing like a normal inhabitant of Marmo.

"Fine then, follow me," Ashram ordered and began towards the pass once again, this time at a walk Hobb could easily match. It was much slower going of course, but they were all together, and that was the important part. The unbeaten path flattened out into an elongated trail in between two of the mountains. The rocks here were not a rich earth color like they had been near the plains, no, these were pitch black. Ashram glanced around as he took a step onto the black ground and it crunched beneath his feet. His nose wrinkled in disgust; the ravine reeked like sulfur. Ashram warily proceeded farther along the path, letting his gaze drag over the cracks and crevices in the mountains grew and formed walls. The two Dark Elves and the human priest followed closely, the flaps of his cape almost slapping their shins.

"Any moment now…" Elensar whispered almost to himself. Something else caught Pirotess' attention and she stepped away from the group, towards the rocky mountain sides surrounding them. Ashram remained silent, but he stopped and turned to watch her. She walked quickly to the side and stooped, brushing the sooty ground with a white gloved hand.

"What is it, Pirotess?" Hobb asked. Pirotess said nothing but began running her hands over the rocky ground and sifted something from the dirt. She stood up, and held a rusted spear at her side.

"We are not the first to have come this way," she stated with gleaming amber eyes.

"What?" Elensar gaped and hurried towards her, taking the spear in his own hands. "But I thought… this was the land of the Gods…" he murmured while staring at the obviously real spear. Pirotess was staring at Ashram, who looked away uncomfortably. His own cool grey eyes roved their surroundings. The tall, nearly vertical mountainsides boxed them in from both sides. "Ah, look at the ground!" Elensar cried as he shoved the spear back at Pirotess. Elensar swept the soot away from the ground to reveal rough, but obviously human carved, stone slabs.

"Lord Ashram?" Hobb pried and all eyes went to the Black Knight was pacing about the ravine like a caged tiger.

"I don't like this," Ashram growled. "We have very little mobility here."

"Perhaps I should scout up ahead sire; there may be hostiles," Pirotess suggested, hefting the spear to make her point. Ashram only spared it a quick look.

"No. We should stay together and by the looks of it, that spear is ancient. I doubt we'll run into anyone. Besides, if we did happen to run into hostiles, we would be better off together," he explained.

"Perhaps we should go back?" Elensar queried. "We don't know how long this passage is, and there could be several, or-or dozens, of dragons perched about these mountains, just waiting to swoop down on us," he added, looking up worriedly. Ashram followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

"We can't go back just yet," Ashram almost groaned; it would mean this had been a whole waste of time. "We have to deal with the dragons," he stated resolutely. He let his gaze fall to the young Dark Elf. "Do you know where they are?"

"No, they're too close. Or there's too many of them… it's so confusing," Elensar's Dark Elf eyes darted from shadow to shadow on the walls. Ashram scowled. His scouts were not doing a tremendously good job lately. He resisted the urge to sigh.

"We're going to continue to the other side of this ravine," Ashram stated firmly, setting his eyes straight ahead. Both Pirotess and Hobb nodded obediently and Ashram started walking again; Elensar still looked doubtful. Pirotess tossed aside the rusted spear and fell into step behind the Emperor with Hobb in tow. The younger Dark Elf lagged behind.

Ashram's mind was in turmoil. People had been here before. Was this really the land of the Gods? Did Barbas lie to him? A thought struck Ashram like a thunderbolt and he almost froze in place. What if Barbas was human? A sorcerer? Like Wagnard? Ashram's hand moved automatically to the hilt of his sword and gripped it tight. Had he led his people to the hands of yet another fiend? Questions, questions, questions. That's all he seemed to have and no answers for any of them at all.

His feet ploughed ever onward as his mind raced elsewhere. Was it just him, or were the mountains growing steadily closer together the farther they went? He kicked the sooty dirt with an armored foot and stopped. The ground was blood red.

A piercing shriek scattered the small group as they lined the walls and crouched. The Soul Crusher was out and gleaming menacingly within seconds. Pirotess was a bit more refrained in withdrawing her saber. Elensar was too busy looking around with glassy eyes to even think about the lance tied to his back.

"Elensar! You're the Dragon-Student – do something," Ashram commanded; he had to shout over the noise. He didn't like shouting. The dragon screamed louder and Ashram hunched his shoulders, unable to cover his ears as he held the Soul Crusher.

"Ah-Ah-" Elensar gasped as he scavenged through his satchels and pockets.

"Elensar!" Pirotess yelled, but her voice was lost in the dragon's. He pulled out a curving horn and fumblingly put it up to his lips. He blew and a resounding bleat echoed through the ravine in response to the dragon's cry. It was an odd sound; although it was barely feet away from Ashram, it sounded leagues away yet enveloped the space, fighting back the erratic roar assaulting their eardrums. The roar actually silenced and seemed to listen to the horn like the others. Elensar removed the horn from his lips and stashed it away in his bag once again, a steely glint in his eyes.

"I hope you're ready. She's coming," he stated quietly. Ashram stole a quick look at the young tattooed Dark Elf. His lance was still slung across his back, but his hand rested confidently on his largest satchel. Ashram readjusted his hands around the Soul Crusher and shifted his jaw.

"Hobb, you know what to do," he could just see a speck coming down from the heavens. That dragon had been a good ways up.

"Yes sire," Hobb nodded and raised his hands once again in prayer. Ashram welcomed the divine strength that washed over him. Angry thunder rolled in the distance but Ashram ignored it. The dragon was getting closer. Its scales were the same color as charcoal ashes and its wings were splayed out and its four legs were tucked in as it glided down towards them.

"That's her," Ashram heard Elensar say. "She's beautiful," he added, sounding as if he were in a dream-like trance. Ashram went to tell the Dark Elf to stay focused, but Pirotess beat him to it.

"Be serious!" she scorned, throwing him a murderous glare. "Are you ready to summon or what?"

"Hm? Oh, now?"

"Yes, now! Preferably before it comes down and eats us." Pirotess' voice was sharp as she stabbed at her cousin. Elensar once again reached into one of his several satchels and this time pulled out a little pouch, containing a multicolor dust. He blew a bit of it into the wind and began to chant, what, Ashram did not know.

"What type of dragon is it?" Ashram asked and Elensar paused.

"Draco Occi-"

"No, no, I mean elemental." Ashram shook his head and Elensar jumped from being interrupted so quickly.

"Oh, um, fire. It's fire."

"Then you're summoning water?" Ashram asked and he let his eyes move from Dragon to Dragon Lore Student.

"Yes, sire."

"Good, continue. Aim to kill," Ashram turned to Pirotess and opened his mouth.

"To kill?" Elensar squeaked and Ashram moved his glare back to the younger Dark Elf.

"Yes. To kill. I don't want this thing attacking our civilians while we try and build up our camp," Ashram explained; his patience was wearing thin and the dragon was getting closer.

"I – but I – the dragon – it – I – AH!" Elensar ducked and Ashram whirled around in time to see the dragon barely two meters from his face. Ashram threw himself to the side, swinging the Soul Crusher behind him. With a loud clang, it came into contact with the dragon's armored body.

"Lord Ashram!" Hobb cried as the dragon swooped over the Black Knight. Pirotess looked up from where she knelt beside her cousin.

"Ashram!" she barely whispered before she stood and held her hands up in front of her. She moved them apart and gave a mighty yell. The ground began to shake and an eerie figure shot up from the ground. The ghostly figure of the Behemoth loomed in between the dragon and the female Dark Elf. The Behemoth beat down the dragon and only then did Ashram realize how small it was, comparatively, around fifteen feet long. The dragon's wings folded with a snap underneath the Behemoth's muscular trunk and tusks. Ashram gritted his teeth and ran forwards; Hobb began his chant anew and Ashram was filled with a new fervor. He passed the Behemoth and pulled back the Soul Crusher. He drove it into the dragon's skull through its eye and another piercing shriek tore through the ravine. Ashram was so close, he felt his eardrums pop and the wind from the dragon's roar pushed heavily against Ashram's armor. He struggled to hang onto the Soul Crusher and tugged it out. As soon as he did he was catapulted backwards by the ongoing gust of steaming hot air. It flung him bodily against the opposite mountainside; there was a sharp pain in his spine and his vision went dark.

The dragon's cry slowly dwindled and it slumped to the ground with its tail and wings lashing out weakly. The Behemoth disappeared and Pirotess bolted to the Emperor's side.

"Lord Ashram! Hobb, get over here!" she commanded and her hair whipped around wildly as she turned from side to side before devoting her full attention to the fallen human. His eyes were closed but his eyebrows were still furrowed in the look of intense concentration he almost always wore. He was breathing raggedly, fighting the weight of the armor and heavy cape that weighed upon his torso. The cape, extra collar and shoulder plates were doing more harm than good, hampering his breathing. Pirotess' hands went for the buckles and Elensar looked up from studying the dragon's corpse.

"What are you doing?" he asked aghast and Hobb finally reached them, knelling as well.

"Trying to save Lord Ashram!" she growled through gritted teeth as she pulled her muscles tighter in an attempt to slide the heavy metal guards off his shoulders. "Help me!" she demanded and Hobb quickly obliged. They clumsily removed the extra collar and shoulder guards and unwound the cape from the Emperor.

"Save him?" Elensar repeated dumbfounded and within a second he reappeared right there with him. Hobb chanted a prayer and a sphere of white light appeared at his hands above Ashram's chest. The light shimmered off Ashram's his burnt face and his appearance steadily began to return to normal. Only when his marble white skin was back to its normal smooth state did Pirotess remove her hands from his shoulders.

"I don't think you realize just how fragile these humans are," she stated in a wispy voice.

Author's Note: I'm alive! And so is the story! Yay:dances around: Ho-hum, I really should be working on my Foreign Policy homework… but obviously I'm not! D

I'm sorry if Ashram seems a bit OOC (namely weak), but he still isn't 100 percent recovered from the trip and dragons' roars are powerfully magical and can "shatter a warrior's resolve" and getting thrown back-first onto a rocky surface isn't exactly good for the spine. … I'm so mean! I should be nicer to the characters.

Anyway, I'll be sending out individual review replies now, so be sure to log in and review so I can reply!

If I get enough time I'm going to watch the TV series and the OVA again sometime soon and I'll have enough time to continue working on this. We shall see. Thanks for reading, and please review!