Having left the town remnants of Framsburg, behind the three had fled south as they tried to out run the dragon, who slowly was making ground on them. Gnarg was in the lead with Elizabeth in close second and Vincent struggling to keep up, using his staff to shoot bolts as the dragon to keep it back, but this only allowed it to gain more on him. In last stitch effort Vincent shot a blast at the ground in front of him and as landed, the force set him flying forward and he landed just in front of Elizabeth who slowed to help him up.
"Thank you." he said.
"No problem." he replied.
The two then made haste, further forward, the raging water of the Greylin river was coming for the west and grew louder as they moved away form the mountain's that blocked them in.
"Uh, Vincent." Gulped Elizabeth.
"Yes." he panicked trying to keep up.
"I just realised, were stuck between a dragon and mountain range."
"Oh yes, uh." he said trying to find his words.
"Where do we go?"
Looking around nothing came to and the time he spent looking around the less his mind focused on running and he began to slow down. He took a brief brake to speed back up, as the dragon began to gallop behind them, soon his darting eyes rested on the woods just west of the river.
"There!" he shouted "The woods, we can hide there." he said as he began to run towards the trees.
Elizabeth whistled calling to Snarlg who perked up and seeing that Elizabeth was calling him over, smashed his mace in to the ground and used it to swing around and change direction, before turning in to run to reach her.
The Dragon caught on and stumbled to slow down as the three soon reached the waters of the river and began to wade their though, slowing them down. Stopping the dragon knew he was not going to be bale to catch them and so let out a massive blow of fire form between his fangs.
Looking back Elizabeth saw the sudden rush of fire. "DUCK!" she shouted.
Looking back Vincent also wet down missing the flame by the top of his cloak, Snarlg was least effect diving in just as the heat hit his tender body, just as the flame made contact, even bobbing just above the water to feel the warmth.
Having exhausted all he had the dragon stopped and waited, only to see them rise back up and come out the other side wet yet still alive, so as they tried to get away the dragon came down on them with another breath. Vincent shot around grabbed is staff held it out, as the fame close in, allowing him to part it around them, but as the breath kept hammering down Vincent grip of the ground began to wade and he leaned forward, only then to be pushed back by the fires eminence force.
Ounce the fire stopped he lowered his staff as he stood the beast down who looked at him, as he drew the blade and run it's edge across his hand cutting his palm before clenching a fist and holding it up, squeezing hard forcing blood to drip down from his hand to floor below.
"What are you doing?" panicked Elizabeth.
"Getting us away." he replied as he opened his hand now coated in blood and ran it over the orb on the staff, smearing it all over. "I hope this works." he muttered.
Elisabeth watched as the Dragon made his slow decent forwards, with on step he had already touched the bank of the river, another and he had stepped in and the deep water only reached past his clawed feet.
Stopping with the blood Vincent echoed some Serpentine under his breath. "Hold on he warned."
Elizabeth took hold to the excess of his cloak and seeing this Snarlg did the same, then just as the dragon's last foot had him cross over the river, and bent down his face now just in front of them. He opened his large mouth allowing them to almost step inside as a bright light and spark of fire began to erupt out, but before it Vincent blow on his staff. The dragon's breath was sent back down and the dragon was forced in to the mountain side as for them, they where sent flying back with such force both Elisabeth and Snarlg had to use other ways to stay held on wile Vincent and the staff where kept almost ideally still as they where flung back.
Ounce they stopped they where just beyond the border of the Mirkwood, Vincent was still the same and ounce he knew they where still he took a more relaxed stance. As for Elizabeth she stumbled back and forth before relying on tree to keep her up right, wile Snarlg just chose to fall to the floor.
"What did you just do?" asked Elizabeth, feeling flabbergasted.
"I think , what I think I did was isolate myself inside a stable force, that blasted out all directions form the staff." he said trying to figure it out himself "Then it sent us further away from our goal." he grunted becoming frustrated.
"So should we go back, can we go back?" asked Elizabeth.
"I don't now we need to find a help, a settlement that isn't destroyed and occupied by a dragon."
"Well, lets try and find our way out of the woods first."
"Okay." he nodded before spinning around erratically becoming lost. "Uh we would have come form the, uh the west."
"Lets head north and follow the mountains east." said Elizabeth.
"So which way is east?" asked Vincent.
"Good question." Realised Elizabeth.
Soon Snarlg's head spun around and tilted, before he grunted.
"What's with him?" wondered Vincent.
"He's caught something."
"Well a Gnarg's scenes are heightened above all else."
So Snarlg was off in to the woods, and Elizabeth gave chase racing after him, as they fled deeper in to the woods. Vincent sighed and followed after them, lurking deeper and deeper in to Mirkwood to carry on their quest.
Mirkwood was shrouded in lush green of nature, trees sprouted high in to the air to form a canopy over the woods. Bushes and other shrubs coated the ground with many secrets hidden in the depths of the green of the leaves. Remnants of old pathways long gone could still be found, and as Gnarg led Elizabeth and Vincent though the woodland. They kept close to a set of grass that was different to the rest, as it had seen the bottom half of boots for so long even know as it had grown back still showed the path others had travelled down in the years long since past.
As they pushed though the over grown plants that blocked their path they came to the sound of water in the distance. Coming out towards a clearing they came out towards the river bank, the ground was raised above the river on both sides. The only way to cross was a fallen tree that had fallen and now bridged the gap, the torn up earth that held most of the roots was now separated form the base along with the top half of the branches. Leaving only the trunk, that had been hollowed out and with it cut in half creating a small bridge like structure that acted as a way to span the gap over the river. They stood looking at the tree turned bridge and raging waters that ran deep and flowed bellow their very feet.
"How are we going to cross?" asked Vincent looking out over the river.
"The bridge." reasoned Elizabeth.
"That is not a bridge it's a tree." he complained.
"And now it's a bridge."
"Not even Snarlg wants to cross it." said Vincent pointing to the Gnarg.
Snarlg was pacing back and forth at the bridge not wanting to apply any weight on it.
"Well I'm crossing." insisted Elizabeth "Then I'll follow the path and find help." and she started to walk across.
It had only a short piece of itself on the solid ground at either end, and Vincent watched it keeping his grip on his staff in the need to act arrived. But Elizabeth crossed over and smiled having proven the bridge was safe.
"See it's fine."
"I'm still no convinced." said Vincent as he took his first steps on.
"Come on it's fine." boasted Elizabeth as she stepped back on.
Unknown to them the bridge was not fit to be used as with time the wood had rotted away, leaving it weak and unstable. And even as they stood on each end it withered away more and more.
"Why don't you just cross." Grumbled Elizabeth as he stormed across the bridge and stopped little of half way when she heard it creek."I think you might have been right." she realized.
"Don't move, any slight…"
He was cut of as the bridge dropped in to the river, both Elizabeth and Vincent clung to their respective pieces as they sank in to the water and bopped back up. Sitting in the logs they gripped the sides for dear life as Snarlg followed them above, they began to flow down the river, being thrown about by the waters as they soaked in the splashing water. Being thrashed in the logs Snarlg soon sprung at the chance and joined Vincent in his log, the force sent them knocking in to Elizabeth's log. Parts where knocked off as they smashed in to the hard earth of the side's of the river, loosing more and more they soon found them selves gripping to less and less.
"We need to get of out here." grunted Elizabeth as water rose up and splashed in her face.
"Use the ice sword to freeze the river." called Vincent as he was smashed in to the side of the river bank.
Going over the blade Elizabeth struggled to keep her self in the remains of he log as she was swashed around in the water. Soon enough she was able to to pull the blade free but at the cost of the log itself and found her self unable to stay a float in the water. But As she swung around violently in raging waters a section began to freeze around the sword and float up, soon it spread and engulfed Vincent's log. Frost spread up it's damp splintered wood scaring Snarlg who backed up in what was left. Soon enough the ice grew enough that it soon was unable to move down the river and they where now stuck as was small waves washed over the ice and Elizabeth pulled the sword free.
"That was, more then I was expecting on this trip." said Vincent.
"Is the book okay?"
"It should be fine, we just need to find a way out of here."
"Lets get of this ice first." said Vincent as he got up and started to climb the steep earth wall either side.
Elizabeth did the same and clambered off the ice over the earth bank and on to ground above, and Snarlg also climbed out and the three regrouped.
Davin and Daven where back in the pits and work was going on around them, as walls where being put up with arches to thin the gap between the pits.
"I'm getting nothing." sighed Davin as he waded though the pits.
"Me to." said Daven. "I think the cold is effecting the pits more and more."
"There's no point in staying."
"Not when there's little to be done."
Now in agreement the two brothers moved over to leave the pools and wiped the goo clean form their scales, they looked back to the workers trying to build walls and arches in the caverns. Daven picked up his coat the and two departed towards the doors
"Do you think Theodore will be the usual pain again." sniggered Daven.
"Do snakes sliver, of course." laughed Davin.
The two then passed though the doors still laughing before they stopped seeing that he was not in fact there. Tacking a double take they soon sped back down the tunnels
Walking though the woods they held fire stones close and moved them over their clothes.
"I have getting wet." said Vincent shaking his arms trying to throw the water form his robes.
"You live in tower of ice." Commented Elizabeth.
"We all live in ice and snow." he replied "But it's frozen and not sticking to my scales.
"Look keep using the fire stones." she said tossing hers over.
He caught it and put it back along with his own. "Maybe we should stop."
"If we do then our people suffer."
"Good point."
Snarlg just panted like a good boy.
"At least, he's happy."
"Snarlg is a Gnarg, they love moisture."
"And I'm a Vipera-Berus, and I hate being wet."
"Well lets hurry this up then." smiled Elizabeth.
Soon Snarlg tensed up and swung his mace around and he jumped in front of Elizabeth.
"What's wrong?" panicked Vincent.
"I don't know." said Elizabeth putting up her guard.
Vincent got his staff ready as Snarlg shot his head around as he kept his mace ready to hand.
Though he had no eyes, embedded in his head, he had a set of heat sensors, that lay just beyond the thin hide of his skin on his face. Allowing him to feel heat signatures of Elizabeth and Vincent bedside them but also of the tens of ones that hung around them in the very trees that surrounded them.
"Show your self." said Elizabeth as she drew the ice bow.
"Only shoot that if your sure you can hit your target?" warned Vincent.
"Why?"
"These weapons hold great power, if you miss there is no telling what the ice would do, it might not be stopped.
Pulling back the string an icicle was drawn in place of an arrow. "Snarlg." said Elizabeth.
He shot to one heat signature in tress and Elizabeth fired the icicle, hitting the tree it began to be coated in ice, thinning out the further it got spreading frost as it spread. Then flurry of arrows came shooting down form all around cutting though the cloth of their clothes but doing nothing to effect their scales. Falling off they dropped to the floor and plied at their feet, and as the ice spread the person the arrow was aimed at dropped down wielding a bow.
"Why didn't the bow price your, you have scales." they said gazing at their scaled skin.
Soon more dropped down until they surrounded by elves all pointing arrows at them, Elisabeth went to pull back the string again, and the elves tensed their bows.
"Uh, we don't mean you any harm." said Vincent trying to brake the tension.
"Says the person who shot first." Sneered the Elf.
"Yet it was in retaliation to having someone point arrows at us." retorted Elizabeth.
"You're a bold one."
"And your stopping us." she hissed back.
"Tell me what are you doing her?" the Elf asked walked around the trio.
"To be honest." said Vincent "We're lost, and need to find out way to Fornost Erain
"Then you better start walking east."
"Please our people are in danger." begged Elizabeth.
"And who are you people?" wondered the Elf.
"The Vipera-Berus."
"We've never heard of such a race."
"Of course not, in your tongue were know as Dragon-Kinn."
The elf shot around and sudden realisation, the scales that no weapon could pierce, the shape and build, of their bodies and fact they where not of middle earth decent, as far as he could tell.
"Take them to the city." ordered the Elf.
His men soon took hold of the trio in grabbing their arms as their belongs where stripped away.
"King will be looking forward to seeing you."
They where then forced forward being pushed form behind as they where held in place.
"Don't struggle." said Vincent. "We don't want to make things worse then they all ready are."
Begrudgingly Elizabeth fell in to line and called Snarlg to follow, as they where taken away.
A elf tried to make the Gnarg move.
"Careful." she warned "He's fond of live food."