Deep in the forage men in suits of amour, fashioned to look like dragon scale where hammering away on an anvil, the sparks flew as they batted down the hammer to the strange black metal that was being fashioned in to a weapon. Their faces covered by their very helmet, not an ounce of the body was a target for the Brotherhood of Dragon slayers.
In a similar vain to the rangers, these warriors were isolated and recruited their ranks form the likes of those who had no where to go or proved them selves to their leaders. Their main goal was to hunt dragons and so where the only people to scour Middle earth to find the rare black metal for their arrows. But Dragons are fierce and not to be trifled with and so wile they where know to kill Dragons and had done in their time, the beasts killed many of their ranks until what few where left fled in fear for their own lives. Letting their ounce great and proud brotherhood fall in to obscurity.
One of the brothers stopped looking at the blade he had forged form black marital, it's blade was long and sharp the light form the forge bouncing of a wired shimmer it carried along it's side.
"It is done." he announced "My very own black blade." holding it high in the air before plunging it in to the cold water below.
"Ounce we've finished up the others, no Dragon-Kinn can stand in our way." boasted another.
"DRAGON!" shouted another bursting in to the dark forge.
Flame came raining down though the door as the brother fell, his silver amour now chard black.
"The arrows." called a third. "Were are all the arrows."
"We only have five left." said the first.
"No, four, out last one was left in the city of Dale."
A roar above cut him off.
"Come on." said the first yanking the blade from the water and charging out.
The shift in light was disorientating at first but ounce he saw the beast he was facing it became all to clear, it was not one but many dragons. They flew around the sky above circling around them, taking turns to dive in and attack their tower. Wile others walked and climbed up the steep rock cliffs and even climbed up the buildings to bring them down.
Positioned along the mountains of Mithrim their buildings where scattered along the lower area's of mountain range, with small patches of moss and few sparsely scattered trees, the rocky terrain gave way to small stone paths that connected them all together.
Raising the blade to attack the brother charged forward only to be meat with spear coming down on his black blade, forcing him to the ground. The wilder was a Dragon-Kinn in shoddy amour and tattered clothes hissing down on him, his forked tongue shot out. The Brother got his leg and kicked of the Dragon-Kinn, sending him backwards he grabbed his blade and shoved it down hard, the blood splattered out and coated his face in cold shower of red as he pulled it out.
Becoming more in emboldened he leaned back and let out a battle cry, before a spear pierced the gap in the amour between his helmet and chest plate, the narrow gap between two points had been left exposed. The blade was dropped and hit the mossy stone's of the floor as it clanked to silence, as the brother fell backwards on to the ground blood squirting out from the small gaps between the spear's blade and his neck .
The Dragon-Kinn who had thrown the spear came to collect it back but was sent flying by another black blade and was sent over the side of the rocky mountain side. The lost blade sat of the floor ever still, sitting on the rocky mountains.
That same blade now sat in the seethe held by Vincent as it was hidden under his robes, as they trekked up the the same mountains. The snow had been left behind as they found warmer grounds, no longer needing the fire stones to keep them warm.
"I never thought I see anything that wasn't covered I snow." said Elizabeth as he looked around in awe.
"We'll see a lot more, as we venture around." nodded Vincent. "But the higher we climb the more likely will encounter snow."
Snarlg lumbered behind before stopping and shooting off up the climb and stopped as he shot his eyeless face form place to place.
"It seems Snarlg has discovered something." smiled Elizabeth, and she hurried after him, coming to stop at his side."
Looking on she saw the remnants of the buildings scattered around, fallen long ago the stone and wood had cascaded down the mountain side, and much had been defaced by the harsh weather and time itself. Bending down Elizabeth ran her hand though the rubble, and Vincent arrived to see her pondering the past.
"The archives say this would have been the metal man's refuge." recalled Vincent "The first elders said they where the ones to forge the black blade."
"Why would they forge such a blade?" wondered Elizabeth standing back up "And why has their land been forsaken."
"Our best warriors allied with the last of the dragons who where willing to fight, all to being an end to the savage ways of the men who sort both our own and their demise." said Vincent with a heavy heart "Peace was never an option for both sides, when men only wish to hunt and kill."
"We should keep moving." insisted Elizabeth "We need to find civilization, it's the best way to find the silver."
"Yes." agreed Vincent pulling out his map. "We should follow the mountain's until we near the settlement and we should arrive."
"Won't it be best to try and head down the mountains and find safer ground." Elizabeth reasoned.
"Yes, and I think we can find a path west of here, that should also lead us to the town, and it might be more useful if we follow our current path." he retorted at the end.
"Fine." caved Elizabeth why don't we just find safer ground.
"The mountains…" started Vincent.
"As your queen I say we head down now."
"Very well." nodded Vincent. He looked to the map "This way." he changed direction heading south east away from the ruins.
As Elizabeth was leaving a sudden thought came over her. "Wait, would the silver be found here?"
Stopping Vincent had already gathered a distance between them "Not likely, the silver was not taken form them, only the blade."
"Then from whom?"
"Only the creatures know as Dwarve's would have it around here." he said carrying on.
"So, where did we get it form?" she asked cashing after him.
"The Elven where out most common source of silver."
Snarlg saw Elizabeth was gone and leapt after her, knocking her over they both tumbled down the rocky mountain. Reaching out his staff he shot it forward and bright light shone from inside, the two then stopped just shy of a sheer cliff edge.
Racing over to them Vincent bent down to help them up extending his hand."Are you alight?"
Putting a hand to her head Elizabeth only seemed to have a few scraped scales. "I'm fine, what about Snarlg."
The creature got up, only to find his body was battered and bleeding in place where the sharp stones and cut though his fragile flesh.
"Oh gods?" panicked Elizabeth. She tried to re-settle with the Gnarg, trying to see if he was okay wile he refused to be touched or held down.
"I think he's fine, this is the first time a Gnarg has been out this far, we should see how the body reacts."
"Okay." she said letting him go.
"Now we need to find a safe way down the mountain."
"Maybe we should follow the mountains further south.
"What a brilliant idea, shame I didn't think of it, oh wait." said Vincent becoming condescended.
"If you use that tone with me again, I will take that blade and run you though with it." she hissed.
"Okay." panicked Vincent putting up his arms.
"Now show us the way."
Back in city the many Dragon-Kinn carried on their days, and in the library Alistair was running his over the many books that coated it's walls, unable to pull one down he returned to the map with a sigh.
"Hurry Elizabeth, hurry." he uttered under his breath.
A knock soon came form the door.
"Come in?" he called.
Pushing open the door a Dragon-Kin guard stood in the door way.
"What news do you bring?"
"We've gathered all the food form storage, and warned the shops about selling to much to anyone snake." they reported.
"And the construction detail."
"Work has already begun, but we have little to work with."
"I know, gather the people it's time they learnt about what is going on."
"Yes sir?" he said spinning around. "Oh, and before I go, will the Queen be present?"
Alistair paused for a long time, his breath slowed and became heavy, as his eyes darted around the room.
"Sir?" asked the guard about to step in
"No." he replied "The Queen will not be in attendance."
"Very well." said the guard, as he departed.
Still looming over the table Alistair's changed his mind "WAIT!" he called out as he rushed over to the door.
The guard stopped and looked back, standing on the stairs.
"Keep the queens, absence a secret."
"Of course, sir." nodded the guard.
Alistair slumped back in and he closed the door before falling backwards and sliding down the door until he was perched on the floor. Lowering his head he put his hands up and dug his fang like fingers in to scales before jumping up and lashing out as he lunged forward in a heaving rage. Before then he started cooling down.
The flowing Langwell river came down form the north of the Misty mountains, down though the rocky landscape down to towards the abandoned ruins of Framsburg. The dishevelled buildings, and warn remains littered the landscape, as the only thing they housed now was something not native to Framsburg.
High above the town's remains, Queen Elizabeth had taken charge of leading them down the mountain. Staggering forward she kept her booted feet slanted as to keep her body weight form shifting forwards and pulling her down. Something Vincent was painfully unaware off, as he came racing down, running at full speed before losing his grip falling forward an tumbling down. Laughing Elisabeth smiled and followed after him wile Snarlg was on all fours making a slower decent.
Sitting up right form the tumble Vincent got his bearings as he made sure he was unscathed.
"That was enjoyable?" she smiled crouching down beside him.
"Yes." he said standing up. "If only I knew to follow your stance, I might have had a better chance of keeping my self up right."
"Were here now aren't we?" she asked.
"Yes." he agreed "We have fully passed in to the south lands."
"So, where are we, exactly?" she asked getting up and looking around.
"Fornost Erain, our ancestors where good allies to the king, and he allowed them passage further south."
Elizabeth was spinning around tacking in the vast empty space of the town, as Snarlg sped up and came tearing down.
"Out next step should be to find some one."
"Well how do we do that."
"I don't know, our ancestors would have left here Fornost Erain." said Vincent as he got ready to leave.
"How long have we been gone?"
"What do you, oh…"
"Oh what?
"I might have sent us the wrong way I though we had been travailing along the west region of the mountains, we went to far east some how." he muttered scrambling for the map
"Mistakes where made." said Elizabeth "So where are we."
"The map ends after those mountains."he panicked pointing to the steep trip they had just made.
"So you have no idea where we are."
"No, and we are now lost."
"We have to find help, there must be someone here." she insisted running over to the ruins of fallen roof as she started to dig though it.
"Stop, nothing is here, we can still find the silver, we just need to find help." reasoned Vincent.
"From who!" shouted Elizabeth, the anger in her voice steadily growing "Where on the wrong side of the mountains, no where near any sighs of civilization and our people are dying." picking up loose stone form the ground she tossed it high in the air, before collapsing her self on to the floor.
"Elizabeth." sighed Vincent being hole hearted, before changing his tone. "I mean my queen. We need to keep calm and carry on, we can't stop here."
"How can we go on?" she pouted "We have no idea where we are."
"We'll just carrying on walking until we find out, we can't give up. What good are we if we do that."
Sitting back up she came to reason "Okay, then lets start." she smiled half-heartedly "Which way."
"I have no idea." said Vincent flapping his arms as he looked around the vast empty town.
"Real helpful." she retorted.
"Well I'm sorry." Apologised Vincent.
The two then stopped feeling the ground shake around them, Snarlg grew agitated as he shot around and snarled at the shifting pile of rubble which grew skywards as much fell of to the side hitting the ground below.
"Vincent, I think we might about to find out what happened here?"
Soon enough the rubble fell away completely and underneath a set of off grey scales came in to view as the rubble parted. Soon enough a body lager then the hull of a ship, emerged with legs thinker then tree trunks and claws the size of blades. The creature soon spread out as their long flowing neck spread out and their tail uncurled, this added a greater length to the already ever increasing behemoth.
"What is that?" asked Elizabeth as she backed up.
"That's a dragon." said a flabbergasted Vincent.
The wingless dragon stood lager then any of the creatures on middle earth, shaking his slow moving body shifted the last of the lager debris form it's body, sending it careening of and crashing down to the floor.
"How long has it been?" yawned the Dragon as he sleepily looked around.
Snarlg began to bark at the dragon as he swung around his mace.
"Snarlg heal." snapped Elizabeth calling him over.
The Gnarg then still snarling back and and stood by Elizabeth who looked up at the massive creature.
"We need to leave." said Elizabeth looking at Vincent with fear in her eyes.
"Good point."
They where about to leave when the dragon spun around and bent down their neck to see them.
"Hmm. What do we have here?" it's voice echoing around them.
The two froze and Snarlg just remained aggressive.
"What creature are you?" it asked, turning it's head as so it large eyes could examine them.
"Uh, we are, uh." Splattered Vincent cowering as he tightened his grip on his staff with both hands.
"Vipera-Berus." blurted out Elizabeth "We are Vipera-Berus, know in common tongue as Dragon-Kinn."
"Oh yes, I remember Dragon-Kinn, I was there at the fall of the brother hood in the, second age." the dragon recalled "I was shot by an archer on tower as I burnt it down, the shot knocked me over and I fell here and decided to rest." he gave a throaty chuckle "But that must have been many years ago, dragons are know to lay dormant for so long that they fall to legend and myth."
"We do not know the age, in fact we out lost." said Elizabeth taking a step forward.
"Well, I'm no better to tell you where you are then you are." laughed the Dragon
"Can you help us then?"
"Why?"
"What."
"Why should I help you."
"Our ancestors helped you."
"YOUR ANCESTROS!" he bellowed "So it's been at least a generation or two then. Well they left me here, in this filth." he said looking away as he lifted up on of his feet. "And know you seek my aid."
"We only need to get to the other side of the this mountain." reasoned Elizabeth.
"And I only need to find my way back to my gold and my sanctum." Grumbled the Dragon.
Moving his head the Dragon showed of his full hight and Vincent jumped back, stumbling over the black blade pocked though his robes. The Dragon caught the shimmer of the light catching on the weapon.
"YOU CARRY THEIR WEAPONS!" he roared.
"No you don't under stand it's not like that." said Elizabeth trying to counter his anger.
But it did not good, the beast moved to turn around and tried to stomp them out.
"RUN!" shouted Vincent as she scrambled to his feet.
Elizabeth seeing the foot come down towards her darted out of the way as it came down. Snarlg still in it's wake, only tried to attack the scales with it's mace as the dragon jumped and leapt about with another foot step.
"Snarlg, come" shouted Elizabeth as he turned ran.
The Gnarg soon followed keeping stance of side steps before using his mace to act as way move forward. Shoving it in to the ground before lifting him self up and throwing himself over it using his weight to carry it with him before he landed and did it all over again. Wile Vincent had got a head start he was the slowest of the three as Elizabeth soon caught up and over took him.
As for the Dragon it's slow moving speed soon changed as it speed up, as it's large feet slammed the ground, before using it's claws to ding in to give it a good grip to give chase.