Ymir twisted abruptly and caught the goblins by surprise. The hobgoblins thought they had flanked their prey but were instead caught by the swing of a massive red and silver great axe. The last thing they saw was a bored looking dwarven girl swinging steel at their heads, with a scaly red imp on her shoulder.
"Are you sure we are going the right direction?", Baalphzon asked. He stretched lazily on her shoulders while his claws dug into her stylish shoulder guard.
"Hey look, I'm the one with the special dwarven senses here, and watch the armor ", Ymir scolded the rude imp. The corridor was mist filled and appeared to be warped with strange angles, but the dwarf calmly stalked down them. Her voice changed mimicking the voice of a forgotten dwarven elder " Rule number 18 of dwarven dungeoneering, when in doubt go down! That's where the biggest monsters and the best loot is."
Baalphzon was about to argue how ridiculous the rule was , then thought of the hells, the abyss, Carceri, Undermountain, castle Greyhawk, even Moria and the Temple of elemental evil. He nodded and made a note of including it in his memoirs as his own rule.
Two robed dragon men stumbled out of the mists, their scaly skin were a deep red and their eyes hinted of caution. They seemed surprised at where they where and the dwarf ahead of them. Ymir boldly stepped forward and swung her axe like she was chopping inanimate wood. The lead dragonman fell before he knew what happened. The other jumped back , pivoted and ran. A hand axe whirled pasted him and flew into the mists, but a few seconds later it returned and caught him full in the face, before resuming its journey back to the dwarf maids hand. The scaly creature fell to the ground clutching his bleeding head. Ymir slammed her axe casually into his back as she continued walking down the corridor.
"I thought you were linked to Fetch or something, that's how familiars work right? Can't you see where he is?", asked Ymir. She didn't care what answer he gave , she was just making conversation. She was growing bored of the endless twisting corridors and the goblins , snakemen , and dragon people that inhabited them. The denizens they had encountered seemed as lost and as confused as her though. She figured she was in these corridors for the last 2 hours but wasn't exactly sure, time was hard to keep track of here.
"Normally I am linked. and I can even project my thoughts to him in quasi planes and pocket dimensions. But this place is ...different...It is obviously filled with arcane traps of deception. The Grand Sage Boryis earned his well deserved reputation.", said Baalphzon from her shoulder as his tail subconsciously twirled and played with the dwarf maiden's hair . He was shocked to discover himself doing such a thing, but Ymir didn't seem to mind.
"Reputation? HaHa! ", the dwarf stopped and started an exaggerated laugh. She bent over and started slapping her knee in a comical display. "The only reputation he has here is having an over-sized harem, and being crazy as a bat."
Baalphzon looked surprised," What wizard worth his salt DOESN'T have a large harem and the reputation of being insane. Boryis was known through some of the more learned circles of the Great Wheel, as being a learned sage and master of magic. He's one the few people from this dimension that is well known in the "multiverse". He's much more famous then this Monte Nabisco fellow I keep hearing of. I guess you can say he's this dimensions equivalent of Gandalf or Eleminster. "
Ymir almost fell over in laughter at the imp's absurd comment but instead held a finger up to her lips and Baalphzon grew silent. She flattened herself against the wall, and waited. A large crouched ogre made its way through the mists of the corridor. It was heavily armored and wielded a massive spiked club. A belt of heads adorned his waist. Baalphzon noticed a few were fresh.
The ogre stopped a few feet away from the dwarf girl. He stopped and sniffed the air. Ymir waited till his head was turned away, before she calmly walked underneath him, and brought her axe crashing into its stomach. It bellowed in rage and anger as his life leaked out of him. Ymir leaped up and slammed her head into its jaw, the blow stunned the beast and sent him crashing onto its back. The dwarf then shook her hair to get the ogre's dirt out of it , as she walked past the sprawling and dieing beast. Ymir kicked him again for good measure as she walked away.
The dwarf seemed distressed more about the dirt in her hair, then being lost in the wizard's mist filled maze or being stalked by monsters. Baalphzon tail assisted Ymir in her grooming. "Thanks ", said the dwarf and continued the conversation" Don't say the name Monte Nabisco so freely and without a hint of fear and respect in your voice. He might hear you and curse you. "
The scaly imp rolled his eyes at the last comment. " You backward people speak of him as he was a god or something. Look...Monte Nabisco..Monte Nabisco... Monte Nabisco...", Baalphzon stopped and grew rigid. He fell off the dwarfs soldier but appeared a few seconds later flapping his wings and giggling.
Ymir gave him a mortified look as she nervously looked around and behind her, " Don't say that! He might hear you! ", after a few nervous minutes she continued, " We have to find the others. I lost track of everybody after that big shadow creature attacked."
Baalphzon lightly landed back on her shoulder and puffed his chest out. "Fortunately for you I am much more observant then you. After you timed the patrols you snuck into the main ruins. You dispatched the dragonmen and snakemen guarding the entrance. However your attack was not unnoticed,..it seemed to have alerted the enemy and they attacked in force. The huge dragon that destroyed the airship earlier broke off its attack and smashed into your group. A massive pitfiend also appeared out of nowhere. I can't tell for sure , but I think it was Bel himself. The Archduke of Avernus.."
A pair of large bugbears jumped suddenly out of the mists to attack Ymir. Ymir mostly ignored their attack, and took a step forward to avoid the first ones attack. "Wait...Wait...Monte Nabisco!...and Bel of Avernus ! ...wait...who's Bel? is he someone tough? Like Monte Nabisco tough?", She swung her heavy gauntlet at the other bugbear , and he fell like wet sack of fish to the ground. The first bugbear recovered, but the dwarf reached out and grabbed his hairy arm. " I know what Avernus is . That's hells doorstep right? But I don't know anything about this Bel guy? ", before Baalphzon could reply she yanked the dazed goblin towards her and swung him against the wall, knocking him senseless.
Baalphzon watched her pummel the two hapless goblins from her shoulder but continued his tale " Bel is the only archduke that I have any respect for. He is the only commander general of Hell's legions. The other archduke's rely on the dark 8 to marshal their armies, but Bel takes a hands on approach for his legions. He was one of greatest of pitfiends and was given his rank for being a competent and loyal general. I would like to think of him as the second greatest pitfiend in history."
"Who's number 1?", asked Ymir as she savagely kicked the two downed goblins.
Baalphzon calmly pointed at himself, and Ymir rolled her eyes at his incredulous boast. "Oh and nice kicks by the way, I can hear their bones snap "
Ymir raised her boot proudly . It was a stylish curved metal shodded boot. " Genuine star steel boots, made from the finest craftsmen in Vorin Narg. Triple reinforced with an adamant tip toe. and the best thing is...I got these on SALE!, " she said triumphantly.
Brita with sword firmly in hand, crouched motionless. Her breathing nearly stopped and was almost statue like in her stillness. The yuan ti abomination slithered through the library deep in search. She waited like the lion of her order's namesake. The creature passed by the knight and stopped . Its slitted eyes narrowed as it sense something was amiss, but was too late. Spectral , and steel swords swirled around it , slicing, cutting and gutting the giant snakeman. Brita bounded through the air and landed lightly on the twisting thrashing creatures neck. She was mainly a sorceress but was trained first in the martial skills of a knight. Her great sword "Windsplitter" swung true into the creatures brain. It fell to the ground still coiling and twisting, but the danger was past. The death throes of the beast still managed to smash a shelf full of books and what appeared to be a large heart shaped chair/bed.
Some halfbreed snakemen were alerted by the noise and ran into the library with scimitars drawn. One in the back started intoning a spell , but was cut short by a massive winged lion pouncing on its back. The weight of the beast snapped the snakeman's spine as it was flattened into the floor. The other snakemen tried to leap back, but it was too late for 2 of them. The lion swiped one with its razor sharp claw and dragged a snakeman squirming and writhing to the ground. Its massive jaw chomped deeply into another snakeman's upper body. The noble beast shook the twitching creature violently before tossing its lifeless body into a corner.
The surviving snakemen scattered and hissed, but were soon surrounded by the flying and spectral swords that slew their much larger brother. A yuan ti still in the corridor witnessed the carnage and attempted to run, but a massive 8 foot sword of force streaked at him from across the library and impaled him silently. The sword stayed in the body for a second before withdrawing. The creature fell neatly into 2 bloody halves.
The lion blended back into the shadows once again as Brita herself remained motionless and silent. Satisfied that no more yuan ti were coming, she broke her cover and stalked out into the room.
"Nice work there.", said an unfamiliar voice. The sorceress was caught off guard and she swung her sword in the direction of the sound. A nondescript man calmly stepped inside her reach and was uncomfortably close to her , before she knew what was going on. He was calm and his posture was relaxed. He was casually twirling a runed metal tube in his hand as he spoke.
"Whoa...careful with that thing...look no scales.", Earl said while making a mock gesture of showing his open palm and then the back of his hands. The small metal tube had disappeared. " I was following those guys, hoping they would lead me to wherever they are going, but it seems they were as lost as us. From what I observed so far, there's several groups of yuan ti, dragonspawn, and goblins in these ruins. Most of them seemed to be on patrol or lost, but the yuan ti seem to be searching for something. "
Brita relaxed a bit, but was still uncomfortable around the mysterious stranger. " I take it you know what they are looking for. You seem to know a lot for a gardener...", she said the last bit with a seldom used sarcastic tone in her voice.
Earl gave her a half smile, and shook his head. " No ...Unfortunately I don't speaka their lingo. From the yuan ti I have encountered only the purebloods have bothered to learn our language, and most of these are abominations or half breeds. The only person I know that can converse freely in their tongue is our friend Fetch."
"Our friend is it? Odd he never mentioned you before. I can't imagine him associating with people like you. ", said Brita disapprovingly.
Earl was slightly taken back, but never stopped smiling." People like me. ? Ah...its that special paladin vision of yours. I admit it ...I'm guilty as charged. ", he said with a flourish and a bow. " We got off on the wrong foot , and I can see you don't trust me. Like it or not , we're in this together. If not for survival, then the survival of this city, and the survival of our ... comrades.",he was going to say "friends" but chose a different word since it went poorly the last time he used it.
Brita stared at him intently for awhile still gripping her sword, but she broke her gaze off and surrendered with a sigh." You're right, there's more at stake here then my personal honor. If Fetch trusts you then I guess I can as well. For the time being at least."
Earls smile suddenly disappeared, " You must be fatigued if I can earn a paladin's trust so easily . I figure we've been down here for almost 6 hours. Considering the 2 hours getting here, the fight and the party before hand and not even counting what you did the day before, I guess we both need some rest."
Brita nodded her head in agreement." Indeed I am tired but a few minutes rest will be sufficient for myself. My lion will keep watch." A low growl came from across the room as acknowledgement of her order. Earl waved at the hidden beast.
"So I'm at a disadvantage here, you seem to know who I am, or at least have some preconceptions of who I am, but I don't know anything about you , aside from the fact you are "The Mistress of the lion blade". ", Earl asked while making jazz hands during his pronouncement of her title.
Brita sat on some books and sighed. She rested her back on a book shelf and relaxed a bit. She didn't want to talk to this man, but acknowledged his question anyways. He was charming in a roguish way, and his manner disarmed her normally guarded nature. She wasn't sure if it was her fatigue, or the mans odd charms, but she found herself revealing facts about herself she normally kept secret " My name is Brita, I am the daughter of the last princess of the Ice Elves, and I am also the daughter of Sir Hildraxel. Yes.. "that" Sir Hildraxel. I was given the title because I am able to manifest a facsimile of the blade of the lion with my magic. I was a member of the now scattered Knights of Winter, I am also a knight errant of the Order of the Snow lion and am currently under a retainer from Master Clovis."
"Daughter of Sir Hildraxel? That's one of my heroes you know. I even have his autograph. ", Earl stated obviously impressed by that aspect of her lineage . " So ...more importantly are you single?", asked Earl with his smile returning to his face. He normally flirted with women he had no real interest in , but the woman before him was hypnotically beautiful. She claimed to be a daughter of a princess but she didn't appear to be one , she had raven dark hair, was tall and her body was toned and defined. She also had the generous curves typically found on the most successful and popular bar maids. Lastly, it appeared her skin was covered in the tattoos of a entwining dragon. Grommish Princesses and noblewomen wouldn't dream of defiling their perfect skin and bodies with a "slut brand" let alone having it cover almost their entire body , but Earl knew Brita's tattoos were mystic and tribal in origin. It presented quite the contrast of a disciplined and noble paladin sorceress who looked more in place plying her trade in a tavern then in a dungeon.
Brita shook her head, and her disapproving stare returned. " I have 2 grown children already...so I told you a bit about myself , lets hear your story, and don't tell me those lies of being a gardener."
Earl's smile grew wider ," Hey 2 children? That mean's your experienced . Old Earl knows mothers need luvin too!". The assassin chuckled to himself and watched Brita's expression grow red. He could tell this elven woman was uncomfortable with this subject . He let her embarrassment linger for awhile before changing topics. " To answer your question, my name is Earl. I do not know who my parents are, and grew up in a Grommish orphanage. Life in the orphanage wasn't that bad, but my prospects after leaving it at 15 were bleak. I joined the army and became a scout. My talents were quickly recognized and was soon promoted to the Royal Rangers, and then to a less savory organization I shall not name. My ability to get the job done became somewhat of a legend, and was soon given a commission as a royal adventurer under the tutelage of Sir Karak himself . My successes on the field made me many allies amongst generals, tax collectors, governors and other royal adventurers. I may not look it , but I'm one of the most senior of royal adventurers. I even have the title of the last official Sir Eggbert, though I seldom use it. I prefer being called a gardener , a janitor, a cleaner, or even a mechanic more then being called Sir Eggbert, heh. Through my travels I met Fetch and him and I have had a mutual beneficial relationship since then". His last statement brought him inches away from Brita. Most women would flinch away from his uncomfortable closeness but she didn't seem unnerved by his proximity. He broke it off when he realized his tactic was not working, and relaxed a bit, a few yards away from her.
Earl had been with many beautiful women before, it was part of the job. Seducing women to either assassinate or gather information was one his specialties. He had been with princesses , noblewomen, paupers, widows, sages, adventurers, even demonesses and vampiresses. He seldom regretted using and discarding them when he was done with them. He left a long trail of broken hearts and slain lovers. Despite his conquests he took no pleasure in them. Just a dull emptiness. One of the few pleasures in life was visiting the tiefling brothels. Not because the malformed women were beautiful or were to his tastes, but because he didn't feel as lonely amongst the menagerie of misshapen souls. For some strange reason , he felt comfortable with this woman. Perhaps it was her power, her brave and honest heart , or maybe he saw a similar loneliness in her.
The rogue and the sorceress both rested in the library . Both seemed more relaxed with the others presence after their brief exchange. Both wondered why they would reveal their secrets to a complete stranger.
"Did you see any signs of the others, while you were sneaking around these corridors?", asked Brita finally breaking their calm silence.
"No, before the dragon breathed on us I dove through the cracked floor and found myself surrounded by mists. I've been sneaking around since then. I saw the Avatar of Rawk fight and wrestle that large pit fiend that confronted us at the entrance. He was boasting how he was Monte Nabisco or something... and I saw Fetch fall through the weak floorboards after he grew 10 feet tall to challenge the fiend. I think the dwarf fell through the cracks as well, I'm not sure, I wasn't really paying attention to her.", stated Earl sounding suddenly tired. His cool and flippant facade was hard to maintain while he was so fatigued.
Brita nodded and added " I put up a mystic shield to absorb the main fiery blast but it broke fairly quickly, I bounded into the dungeon on my lion before it circled around again. Oddly I saw Frank mount a golden dragon and flew up in the air to engage the red one. I didn't see the outcome as I was quickly overcomed by these mists." Brita was suddenly surprised as she found she had crept inches away from Earl's face. She blushed as she realized what she had done.
The two opposites stared at each other uncomfortably and longingly. One a noble paladin sorceress, the other a scoundrel assassin rogue. Neither moved as their eyes locked and their lips were a mere whisper apart.
"I think its the dungeon.", stated Earl calmly and regretfully.
"Excuse me?", asked Brita suddenly . Her trance was broken after his strange statement and she finally withdrew .
"Boryis...he had a notorious reputation of getting women to fall madly in love with him, and fulfill his carnal desires. I think the dungeon , more specifically this room, is having an affect on me...on you too.", he said with a wink and motioned to the smashed heart shaped bed in the library.
Brita intoned an incantation and sensed powerful enchantment magic in this room. Despite being a sorceress, her knowledge of magic and its workings was better then most journeyman wizards. She nodded at his assessment . Her specialty was abjuration magic and she was a champion in its use . She blessed both of them with a simple protection spell that warded them from both evil and enchantments.
They left the room, both seemingly more alert and ready. Earl had his usual smiling and smug mood, while Brita felt embarrassed at what almost occurred.
"Thank you...for not taking advantage of me.", she said glumly as the pair and the lion continued their descent into the dungeon.
"Never mix business with pleasure , is my motto..unless the job requires it.", Earl said with a grin.
Brita shook her head but couldn't resist a smile at his last comment.
Earl suddenly disappeared from Brita's sight. She was quite observant but somehow lost track of him. He suddenly appeared inches behind her and whispered into her ear , " I'll take a rain check on the taking advantage of you , after this is over though."
"Hey is my armor on straight?", asked Frank earnestly. " If I'm going to go up against Monte Nabisco, I want to look my best . "
"Your armor looks fine ...", said an annoyed Galatea, " Don't you have more important things to worry about?"
Frank leaned back and urged his mount to dive upon on a green dragon. His dragon's wings were fully formed now, not stunted or withered like they were before. Its scales were a dull metallic yellow but its mane was bright and golden and its frame was scarred, lean and lithe. It was truly a beast of war. His draconic steed covered his prey in a sheet of flame. The green dragon was more annoyed then hurt, most likely a fire protection spell, thought Frank, but the fire did its purpose. Frank couldn't see through the smoke and flame, but he projected the green dragons path and speed. He leveled his lance as his mount plummeted downwards, and was awarded with a heavy shock to his arm and a ear piercing shriek.
His lance snapped, but Frank didn't mind, he had a few more . He instinctively reached for Galatea, but a slight electric field shocked his fingers.
"Not a chance, Sir Knight... you still don't get to handle me.", said the sword snidely.
Frank frowned, and considered a snappy comeback, but the green was twisting in the air and pulling away. He drew his flaming broad sword and hacked into the mists as best he could. His swings were wild but strong, and he hoped he would find his target. His first attack missed , but his back hand struck a leathery target. He repositioned his sword in his hand and thrusted hard before his target flew away. The strong thrust and his opponents velocity resulted in the ripping of flesh , scale and bone. As Frank and his mount flew out of the smoke, he was greeted with the sight of a plummeting , shrieking and writhing green dragon. It crashed mightily into the ground below. Cheers from the ground troops and the skyships erupted around .
The normally glory seeking Frank ignored the cheers, "I hope Monte doesn't kill me too fast...I hope to get a few rounds in, maybe he will stop and make a speech or something. Who knows maybe give me some pointers...even in the afterlife I could use a few new tricks. That would be cool, some one on one time with Monte Nabisco on the field of battle. How sweet is that?"
"Yes...to be maimed by my childhood hero is my biggest dream.", said the sword sarcastically.
Frank scanned the sky and the clouds for his target, he only spotted smaller dragons like the one he slew and Grommish skyships locked in battle. Satisfied that the great red dragon he was pursing was momentarily gone he continued the conversation, "Hey that's not fair. I'm a fighter, that's what we do...we fight. I consider it the ultimate honor to fight a master of arms and strategy, in the field of combat. But I'm not an idiot to think I actually stand a chance of winning. We are talking General Monte Nabisco here. The man who bested 9 Tribes of goblins all at once, the man who crashed landed in the Bloodwoods and fought his way out. The man who defended Monty Nargar from the gnome army with just 8 soldiers. The man who slew the demon queen of spiders and rescued King Alphonso . You know , the terrible drow goddess, that every other dimension except this one fears. "
Galatea sighed, "Yes ...I am aware of his reputation and his exploits. They are quite impressive and border on being myth and legend. I am not disputing the prowess of the man, I just think you're fawning over your defeat too much."
Frank spotted a white and black dragon flying in formation close to a skyship. He was about to spur his dragon to engage them when he noticed they had riders and were sporting Knightly colors. They both dove at a much larger serpentine red drake. Acid and frost bathed the surprised creature. It twisted in anger to meet its attackers , but was lanced deeply by the white dragons rider. The serpentine red roared in pain , and was momentarily stunned while the black dragon pounced on its neck. The black's rider hacked at the creatures neck with a single powerful blow , not quite severing it but rivers of burning blood sprayed down on the city below. A second later the beast fell weakly struggling to the burning city below. The two riders circled once to make sure their prey was down before continuing their search for new prey. The tall woman with the spear on the white dragon saluted Frank , and flew towards the north of town. The other rider didn't appear to see him, and followed the white dragon northwards. Frank was jealous as he watched them fly effortlessly through the air. Frank was a competent dragon rider, but the pair he watched were true masters of the skill.
"I didn't know we had allied dragon riders. I wondered when they signed up, I didn't seem them on any rosters. Maybe their special reserves or something.", said Frank as he watched the 2 speed away from him.
"I'm sure there are more assets in Olive's army then even she knows about. Like this gold dragon of yours", the sword said.
"Kind of Greyish now,...she's been getting a lot of soot and blood on her.", smiled Frank. This was the second time Molly the drake/dragon had come to his aid. Frank wondered where she came from. Did Arnborg place a spell on her so she would appear when he needed a mount? He doubt Arnborg had that power, he seemed more like a simple healer. And why did it not go to Tyris or Fetch? Molly was their drake before gifting it to the blind healer. Maybe Molly was secretly following him. It seemed implausible , but that's the only thing he could think of. It would be hard to follow him for so long without him noticing , but not impossible. Frank had an idea and directed his steed to fly barely above the rooftops.
"TAnkkkk! Tankkkkk!", Frank shouted a few times above the battlefield. He retrieved another lance from his magical bag and skewered a few hobgoblin snipers on the rooftops as he passed by. Molly took a few chomps and swiped at a few fleeing goblins as well as they circled over the war ravaged city.
A familiar banner caught his attention. It was the War Banner of the Crab . Frank directed the dragon to land in front of the flag . A young man , with battered armor and a sword stood proudly holding the banner over half a dozen dead goblins and soldiers. He was about to greet his brother, but Frank interrupted him.
"Hey Tank, while you were tailing me the last few months, did you see a big green gold drake follow me as well?", asked Frank scanning the horizon.
Tank was about to speak but thought better of it. He just shook his head.
"Hmm,...there goes that theory. Hey guess what? I'm gonna be going up against Monte Nabisco soon! ", said Frank proudly.
The normally silent Tank was overcomed with joy, " Don't let him kill you too fast! Bring honor to our Clan! Make sure you yell out the clan battlecry when you engage him! "
Frank looked at his brother curiously,"Ummm..I don't think so. Yelling "We'll get you to port in 14 days or your money back ", well that's kind of lame."
Tank stared at his brother , was this the man he was hoping to emulate?," Errr...thats the crab merchant marine motto...the battle cry is "We never stop!"."
Frank tossed his hands into the air, "Why didn't anyone tell me that! Do you know how many awkward situations I could have avoided when I was leading our order's charges!"
Frank tossed Tank a jingling bag , " Make sure you hire a top notch poet to write about the battle, I don't mind if he embellish it a bit. Monte Nabisco versus Hida Franksada...what an epic that would be."
Before his brother could reply , Frank and his steed flew into the air once again. He spied a flight of wyverns attempting to assault one of the smaller airships. He was confident that the airship could easily repel them, but he wanted some more dragon killing action to warm up before the big "showdown".
"Honestly , I can't believe you.", huffed Galatea.
"Eh?", said Frank while concentrating on his rapidly approaching targets.
"Here you are, a knight in his prime, riding a gold dragon of all things, fighting in one of the greatest sieges in the north's history..and all you can think of is to die gloriously to Monte Nabisco. Are you even sure he's here? Have you even seen him? If Monte Nabisco was really here , don't you think he would be making a speech on a rooftop somewhere, or showing off his swordplay as he stormed the main keep . Maybe throwing Olive's slain corpse off the tallest battlement . ", demanded Galatea.
Frank pulled the reins of Molly. The golden dragon jerked in mid air , and hovered in its position with a gentle flapping of its leathery wings.
Frank was angry at this line of questioning. " Look! Who would claim themselves to be Monte Nabisco if he wasn't Monte Nabisco. If the real Monte Nabisco found out, he would lay an ass whooping to the pretender. He would get beat like a 2 plat hooker riding a rented mule. This is the man that biatch slapped Lolth we are talking about, do you think he would tolerate someone stealing his street cred . ... In his home town no less!"
Galatea stammered...she knew his logic was flawless, "I...I guess you're right. I apologize ..I just enjoy playing devil's advocate a little too much sometimes."
Frank smiled and cooed , "That's ok. You're a pretty sexy sword when you're admitting you make mistakes."
The blade grew silent and Frank thought her scabbard grew a rosy red in color. He was about to comment when a thunderbolt of fire and scales streaked towards him.
Molly reacted before Frank could direct her. She twisted and shrieked as the red shadow barely missed her. The thunderbolt changed direction somehow maintaining all of its speed and momentum and flew back at Frank and his mount.
Frank urged Molly directly at the draconic meteor before him. He leveled his lance and braced his shield. The 2 objects flew at each other with incredible speed and power. The air around them rippled with waves of force at their passing. The sky seemed to light up as the two seemingly unstoppable forces were about to collide.
Franks blue eyes locked with the dragons sinister gaze. Its reptilian stare spoke volumes of tyranny and oppression. Frank never flinched and wavered . As the two were just about to meet, Frank urged his steed to dive. He blindly jabbed his lance upwards and was rewarded with a meaty *thunk*. The force ripped the lance from his hands and almost knocked the knight off. Molly mechanically twisted 90 degrees and dove and twisted in a tight circle . Unlike the huge red dragon in front of them, Molly was as much grace as power. The pair quickly turned and found themselves behind their streaking foe.
"C'mon Molly. We just kill this speed bump then we get to fight Monte Nabisco.", yelled Frank as he pursued his foe.
The red dragon's ears perked up, and his wings extended like massive air brakes. It was a foolish move , as Frank and Molly struck the dragon's hind leg. Frank chopped away at it with his blade while Molly ripped its flesh with tooth and claw. Molly's blow was infective as some magical barrier seemed to protect the dragon. Frank however managed to force his blade through the barrier and tore scaly flesh from the leg. The large red twisted violently in midair, it was filled with rage. Frank attempted to disengage but the dragon managed to violently grapple Molly in midair. The knight made the larger dragon pay for its close quarter approach, his sword slashed and tore at the dragons ribs and belly. The two grappling dragons plummeted from the sky . When they impacted, the force of the two falling beasts destroyed nearby buildings and shattered windows and glass hundreds of yards away.
When the dust cleared, Molly was on her back, incapacitated , she was twisting in pain and agony on the ground. Frank on the other hand appeared unhurt. He slipped on a ring that made him as light as a feather before they impacted to the ground and floated the last 100 feet down. The huge red was nowhere to be seen however. A wizard wearing a scaly red robe and cloak was standing in the crater clutching his sides. At his side was a glowing rod , it seemed to be disjointed and incomplete , it appeared to be made of 6 hovering metal rods but a key part appeared to be missing. The other 6 simply hung in place , held in place by some mystic force.
"How dare you ignore me in battle and treat me like a mere obstacle . Do you know who I am!", exclaimed the wizard.
"I'm going to guess ...soon to be dead ?", said Frank as he charged the mage. The wizard vanished from sight right before being skewered by Frank. He appeared 20 feet away and laughed at his foe.
"I am Dalton the Red. Conqueror of Cities, and Destroyer of Countries. All this carnage you see in front of you is my doing. I was the one who assembled this great army to destroy your pathetic city. ", his speech was interrupted with a gasp, as he attempted to laugh with his damaged ribs.
Frank smiled and gave a mock salute, "Oh...so your the big head honcho eh? A wizard that likes to change into a dragon or a dragon that changes into a wizard. It doesn't matter in a few seconds you will be eating cobblestones."
Frank charged the injured wizard and slammed his shoulder into the man's side. The force would topple any man, but the wizard stood standing , still clutching his side. Frank on the other hand was knocked flat on his back, momentarily disorientated from the blow.
"Ughhh... a dragon that changes into a wizard. ", gasped a woozy Frank.
The wizard calmly stepped on Frank's face and pressed downwards. The knight grasped at the foot and pushed against it with all his might. Frank was a strong warrior, and had a magical belt that made him as strong as a giant, but even he found it quite a struggle keeping the dragon wizards foot from crushing his head.
"Am I a mere obstacle now? ", the dragon mage taunted the struggling knight, "Oh ...no witty snipes? Before you die... let me repeat myself , know that I am Dalton the Red. Greatest practitioner of magic in the north, be he elf, man or dragon. I am the one who stole the great forge from the dwarves, slew the great silver dragon Argentia , and have almost assembled most of the infamous rod of 7 parts. As a crowning achievement know that before I sack your pathetic city, I have welded the northern tribes together under the banner of my general, Monte Nabisco, to recover the last piece of my rod, and as a monument to my ultimate victory to sit on a mountain of skulls of my enemies."
The wizard roared with an unearthly loud voice to the sacked city as he stood on his fallen foe. "This is the hour of my greatest victory... McDunnald's , the greatest citadel of the north shall fall to the forces of Dalton the Red."
His booming voice echoed through the war torn streets. Cheers from his fighting troops answered him.
Dalton savored his imminent victory. It costed him much magic items and a great fortune of gold to summon "The world's greatest general", but it was well worth it. Monte Nabisco's aspect was warped by the infernal plane he now resided on , he was apparently reformed as not just a mere devil ...but the greatest pit fiend Dalton had ever seen or summoned. The creature was deceptive in nature but assured him he was the greatest general in the world. Who else but Monte Nabisco would claim that title? Dalton was unsure of the plans he laid out at first, it seemed impressive at first but the casualties would be enormous. The tribes of the north were reluctant to join him, even with the great tributes he heaped on them, however when they heard General Nabisco would lead them, they all happily joined for the chance of revenge and plunder from the accursed Grommers . The final battle did not go as planned however, even with the outer defenses of the city breached, the battle was fierce and his forces casualties were steadily mounting. He knew Kerr the Sovereign of Lower Lueders was coming from the south, and his remaining forces would be unable to survive such an assault. They still had to recover the rod from the ruins of Boryis's tower before Olive's own forces threw them back. There were also the snakemen...Dalton didn't trust them. They served their purpose in gaining them access to the city, but they had a dark plan . He would have to torture one later to find out what it was. So many variables and uncertainties made the draconic mage uneasy, if this attack failed, they would hunt him down . Not only the Grommers, but the dwarves, the king of Frosthaven, and whatever survivors of the tribes he led . Still it was General Nabisco's plan , and Dalton had complete faith in his general...Dalton was a brilliant wizard but he knew he dared not to try to grasp the intricate strategies of the great man .
*CRASH*.
A surprised Dalton fell to the ground as he was lost in thought. The knight beneath his foot , surprised him with a sudden surge of might as the man rolled back onto his feet. The warrior aimed his flaming sword into Dalton and stabbed him deep in the gut. Even ignoring the flames, and with his formidable draconic defenses, Dalton felt the blade in his side.
"I've been slapped around by Yeenoghu himself and lived, I'm not gonna be ended by some big smelly foot of a dress wearing , finger waving dragon. Now summon Monte Nabisco and lets get this party started shall we? ", quipped Frank with bloodlust in his eyes.
Dalton was doubly injured now, first from the fall now from the blade. The knight could have finished him off , but was taunting him . He scrambled back with his hands in the dust, and intoned a word of stunning on his foe. The silver and rose colored sword at the man's side glowed as his spell dissipated harmlessly. Dalton was in a panic now, he might be able to still best this man in a physical contest, but he hadn't lived hundreds of years by gambling with his life. A quick transformation back to his injured dragon form and he flew into the sky back to Boryis's ruins.
Frank let his prey fly off before mounting his now recovered mount. They flew after the injured dragon in earnest.
"You could have killed him right there you know.", said Galatea.
"Yeah, but then I would never be able to meet Monte Nabisco...this way I get to kill him AND then meet the big man himself.", smiled Frank as he flew into the smokey night sky.