Chapter 13-3

Almonihah took off, flying low over the mountain path, looking closely for any sign of anyone straying from it. He didn't think it very likely with how steep the sides of the path were, but they couldn't afford to take chances. Not with this.

He didn't see any sign of anyone leaving the path, though, so they made fairly good time. Zakhin'Dakh circled as much as flew, Garkhen dozing on his back as the big griffon stayed slow enough for Almonihah to do his work.

Hours passed with little change save in the scenery. The view here was truly beautiful—dramatic mountainsides, with snow-capped tops and wooded canyons feeding down into small valleys. 

Zakhin'Dakh was getting rather bored with it, though, since Almonihah had to go in and out of the canyons, following the mountain path, while he could just fly across them.

I fly ahead! He finally declared.

Almonihah looked up at him sharply. He should say no, but he kind of doubted the energetic griffon would listen. “Just be careful—fly back 's soon as you see someone.”

Okay! Zakhin'Dakh screeched cheerfully, then zoomed ahead.

By now Garkhen was feeling somewhat less fatigued, and so he opened his eyes as the big griffon flew. “I will keep watch as well, Zakhin'Dakh,” he stated.

The griffon screeched happily and nodded, and Garkhen smiled. “Perhaps someday I shall have to learn your language,” he murmured, to be met by another enthusiastic agreement.

They flew further from Almonihah than he would have liked, but it was too late for him to say anything—there was no way his voice would carry that far. If something happened, there'd be no way for him to catch up in time... Uneasy, he flew higher and faster, shoving the persistent whisper that always seemed to accompany the wind when he flew to the back of his mind.

And soon enough his fears were realized. A bolt of lightning lanced out from the mountainside, and the small shape in the distance that was Zakhin'Dakh dropped...

Zakhin'Dakh shrieked in pain as the bolt of lightning struck him, his muscles spasming as the electricity coursed through them. Quickly Garkhen called upon Bahamut to heal his friend, and soon enough the griffon pulled out of his dive. Turning his head, Garkhen saw a pair of figures on the mountain, too distant to make out in any detail. He swiftly started forming a ward around them, bringing it up just as another bolt of lightning struck.

Almonihah bared his teeth as he saw his friend stop falling. He had to get there faster... he pumped his wings as hard as he could, trying to close the distance between them.

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Look, more fighting! I did not know, when planning this, that I would get so tired of writing all this combat...

Chapter 13-2

Almonihah was less surprised this time when Zakhin'Dakh suddenly reverted to his normal size. Illusin had shrunk the griffon down to fit him in the building with them, then cast the spell to send them on to... wherever here was. It was up in the mountains, certainly, but not in the Madlands.

It was also a trap. Of course, they'd expected that, which was why Garkhen had warded all of them heavily before they'd departed. He grunted now as the barrage of arrows bounced off the air around the trio, forcing him to channel more energy into maintaining the wards around them. Almonihah, on the other hand, had a clear shot at the half-dozen archers around them, who were standing with no regard to cover, confident their ambush would have killed any pursuers.

An arrow to the chest quickly disabused one of the ambushers of that notion, and the rest quickly backed up, desperately searching for some sort of cover while they reached for more arrows. There was little to be found, however, at least close by—the teleportation circle had placed them on mountain path, in a place where the path spread out somewhat. The archers were on both sides of them, trying to back up down the path without getting to near to the steep drop-off on one side.

Zakhin'Dakh shrieked and leaped forward, wings half-opening in the time it took him to be upon one of the archers. His talons scrabbled for purchase on stone as he bit into one of the men, but there was simply not enough room for him, and he was soon sliding off the path with a dead archer in his beak. With a powerful leap he pushed off of the mountainside and began to fly, wheeling back around to rejoin the battle.

Almonihah had enough time to shoot another of the archers before they had recovered, though his arrow only hit an arm. Still, it was enough to cause the man to drop his bow. The remaining three archers fired on Almonihah, only to have their arrows again brushed aside by wards.

Zakhin'Dakh swooped back in before they could nock more arrows, seizing a pair of them and throwing them off the mountainside as he turned back towards open air. Almonihah's next arrow took the remaining, uninjured archer in the chest. The injured man had, by now, drawn an axe with his uninjured arm, and now charged at the two half-dragons.

Garkhen blocked his attack with his shield. “Surrender!” He growled at the attacker, whose only response was to lift his axe again.

Almonihah's next arrow made certain he no longer drew breath.

He then glanced around at their surroundings, then waved Zakhin'Dakh back over. “Better get out 'f his way,” He commented to Garkhen.

The two of them stepped back as the big griffon came in for a landing. “Get on,” Almonihah commanded the Warder.

Garkhen looked surprised. “I am...”

“You've been throwing around those wards all through this battle,” Almonihah interrupted, “'nd I'll bet you're about t' fall over. Get on, 'nd save your strength.”

Garkhen could not argue with that logic, and so, with some difficulty, climbed up into the saddle on Zakhin'Dakh's back.

“I'll figure out which way they went, 'nd then we can fly along th' path,” Almonihah continued, turning to look at the ground.

Zakhin'Dakh and Garkhen waited, the griffon watching curiously, the Warder closing his eyes for a bit of rest, while the Ranger searched for tracks. It was difficult to tell, with the path more stone than anything else, but there was enough dirt for him to gradually piece together which way a number of humans had recently gone.

He looked up at the sky, gauging which direction they had gone. “Southeast. Should've known.”

“Towards the Madlands,” Garkhen agreed, quietly.

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In other news, look at this fun Zakhin'Dakh picture!

Chapter 13-1

Chapter 13: The Wake of Chaos

“I often question why there are those who are so foolish as to believe the promises of power given by beings such as Jivenesh. Perhaps I should not be so surprised. There are those, after all, who look to drink or worse for joy. Perhaps rather I should be glad that I was shown another way early in my childhood.” --Garkhen

“If you would cease to state the obvious, I might have time to examine the scene more thoroughly,” Illusin haughtily replied to Almonihah.

Almonihah snorted, but said nothing more, instead examining the room. Garkhen did likewise, looking more closely at the bizarre collection of items in the room. He recognized few of them, for he had made little study of wizardry, and they seemed to be wizard's instruments to him. The repeated theme of the chained, multi-hued stone, however, was all too familiar.

Suddenly, something clicked in Garkhen's mind. The multi-colored stone, the implements of wizardry...

“They are Chaos Mages...” he breathed.

Illusin inhaled sharply. “Are you certain?”

“Certain? No. But I see nothing else that would fit,” the Warder stated.

Almonihah's quizzical gaze told Garkhen he needed to explain further. “Chaos Mages are those who combine the worship of Jivenesh with knowledge of arcane magics.”

“They are banned from within the city,” Illusin added. “The penalty for worship of Jivenesh is death.”

“'nd the Amulet's some kind 'f Chaos artifact,” Almonihah growled, catching on.

“Nothing good can come of its use,” Illusin agreed. “Fortunately, I believe we may discover where its bearer has gone, for that,” he pointed at a circle of runes in the corner of the room, “is a teleportation circle. It will take me only a moment to trace where it leads.”

He cast a spell, and concentrated for a few moments, then said, “It is somewhere to the southeast... near the Madlands.”

Almonihah snorted again. “Where else?”

“Can we follow?” Garkhen inquired.

“I can send you, but unfortunately, without the keyword to this circle, I shall have to remain behind when I cast the spell,” Illusin replied.

“Be nice t' have Zakhin'Dakh along,” Almonihah stated.

“That,” Illusin said, “I believe I can arrange.”  

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Oh, this is definitely safe. It won't be hard at all.

In other news, I got a cool new Garkhen picture! 

Chapter 12-8

There was a door at the bottom of the stairs... which was suddenly flung open as the half-blue dragon approached. Garkhen had only enough time to begin bringing up a ward before a wall of flame roared out of it. It broke through his half-formed ward, but it took enough of the energy of the spell that the Warder was only singed rather than badly burned.

Ilusin threw a ball of fire of his own over Garkhen's head, filling the room beyond with flame, but when it cleared he saw no one in the room beyond. Quickly bringing up another ward, Garkhen charged through the door. He saw movement to his left and quickly brought up his shield in time to block an axe, but the man on his right he saw too late to do more than jerk his head aside, turning what could have been a lethal blow into a nasty gash on the side of his neck.

Garkhen was reminded that he had not put his helmet on.

Already half-facing the man on his left, Garkhen simply continued to pivot, bringing his thick tail to bear on the man on his right. Said foe stumbled as the tail struck his leg, nearly falling over from the heavy impact. At the same time Garkhen pushed forward with his shield, surprising his other foe by pushing him back. The man took a sudden step backward, trying to put the half-dragon off-balance, but Garkhen simply stopped pushing for a moment, then suddenly lunged forward with his shield, striking his target in the chest and knocking the wind out of him for a moment.

A sudden burst of acid hissed against Garkhen's ward, eating at the air inches from him, but he did not take his attention off of the man in front of him. Behind him, the other man had regained his footing, and was again raising a sword to strike, when an arrow suddenly pierced through his left arm. He shouted in pain, almost dropping his weapon, but he grimly forced himself to raise the large sword with only one arm. Almonihah's next shot hit him in the chest, and he fell to the ground, gasping out his life.

“Surrender!” Garkhen commanded the man in front of him as he stepped back slightly.

“The Chains take you!” The man screamed, hacking again at the Warder's shield with his axe. Steel rang on steel as the blow glanced off.

A blast of ice shattered on Garkhen's ward. Shards of it sprayed into the face of his foe, who fell, screaming in pain. Behind Garkhen, Illusin fired a bolt of lightning, then in quick succession a lance of pure light, and another body fell to the floor.

And suddenly, it was done. The man Garkhen had been fighting thrashed for a moment, and then was still. After a few moments, Almonihah and Illusin followed him into the room.

“Big,” Almonihah commented. It was, indeed, a massive room, partially split up into sections by tables and chairs. Unlike the rooms above, everything here was clearly used for magic—odd glass contraptions, jars of oddly-labeled powders, and the like.

“Look!” Garkhen said, noticing something around his former foe's neck.

He forced himself not to think that this had once been a man as he called on Bahamut's discernment. When he did not sense any of the taint he expected, he grasped the chain he had spotted around the man's neck, and pulled out an amulet. It looked similar to the one they pursued, but it lacked the pulsating power of the artifact they sought.

“It is not the Amulet, but like unto it,” The Warder murmured.

“Indeed. And the Amulet is not here,” Illusin stated, frowning, as he finished a spell. “But it was here...”

“Better figure out where it went,” Almonihah growled, “Don't like t' think what they're planning t' do with it.”

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You should be careful what spells you throw at people fighting your friends. 

Chapter 12-7

 “Go on, then,” Illusin commanded, waving Garkhen onward as he approached himself. Apparently he had melted another hole in this wall for himself.

With a nod, Garkhen returned to where Almonihah was still trading shots with the archers within. The Ranger gave Garkhen a curt nod before again ducking out and firing an arrow, again returning to the side just before three arrows replied. Without thinking about just what he was doing, Garkhen charged forward, his shield raised, passing through the doorway just as Almonihah's shot sailed over his head. The archers, peeking over the overturned table that made the center of their barricade, looked worried as they fired on the half-blue dragon. Their arrows clattered uselessly off of Garkhen's armor, and soon enough he was upon them.

“Surrender!” Garkhen roared at them as he raised Silverflame, then brought it down upon the table. The flaming mace smashed a large piece out of it, spraying the archers with splinters.

They made no response save to back up, drawing their bows again. Then one grunted and staggered as an arrow took him in the shoulder.

“Don't bother. Too crazy t' listen,” Almonihah growled as he ducked to one side before the other two archers fired on him.

Garkhen shook his head. “This is madness! Drop your weapons, ere we are forced to kill you!”

Still they made no response, in spite of the fear clear on their faces. Instead they kept retreating, back towards three different doors, again nocking arrows. Then there was a crack of thunder, and a bolt of lightning leaped from one to the other. All three fell to the ground, eyes open wide in death.

Garkhen turned to see Illusin in the doorway, surveying the room. He was frowning. “The amulet... it is not here, but I cannot tell for certain where it is.”

“Keep looking,” Almonihah replied, cautiously making his way to one of the doors in the room.

But there was nothing of interest behind that door, nor, indeed, in any of the other rooms in the building. It all appeared to be just what it claimed—a guild for making chains. Nor were there any other people to be found. And so they went over everything again... and in a small storage room, Almonihah spotted something.

“Stones don't fit together right here,” he commented, looking at a spot of floor that had been covered over by an oddly light crate of assorted tools.

“Perhaps there is a hidden entrance to a cellar?” Garkhen suggested.

Almonihah nodded slightly. “One way t' find out.”

He searched around, and soon enough found a hidden catch in a small hollow in one of the stones that made up the floor. When pressed, there was a soft 'click', and the floor smoothly slid aside to reveal a staircase leading down.

The two half-dragons looked at one another. Almonihah gave Garkhen a slight nod, and the Warder started down the stairs, shield at the ready. 

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Hmmm... this isn't suspicious at all...

Chapter 12-6

An explosion rocked the building, rattling the bits of chain scattered about the room. Garkhen looked around.

“That sounded as if it were from outside,” he said, starting to turn.

“Illusin 'll handle himself,” Almonihah replied. “Got t' keep going or th' Amulet might get away.”

The Warder hesitated, then nodded, and continued his wary advance. He paused at the open door, then rushed through, shield and mace at the ready.

None opposed him. It looked like he was now in a large lobby area, with a low wall that separated the sides and back from the central area. Each wall held a door, though Garkhen was fairly certain the double doors to his left were the main entrance, and so not likely the way he wanted to go.

As he paused to look around, another explosion shook the building. Here, it sounded to Garkhen as if it came from the other side of the lobby, and so he began to work his way around the room to the opposite door, suspecting the explosions meant Illusin's presence. Behind him Almonihah entered, but as he passed the door opposite the main entrance, he paused. He thought he heard something...

The Ranger kicked the door open, then threw himself to the side as a trio of arrows sailed through the opening. Swiftly he nocked and drew an arrow of his own, then ducked into the doorway and fired. He had only a moment to see the three archers behind a makeshift barricade across another workshop room as he fired before he again ducked aside. When no return fire came, he suddenly opened one of his wings, then closed it again as bowstrings hummed and arrows flew where it had just been. His return fire was just as ineffective, however.

Garkhen, meanwhile, had reached the other door, and now threw it open. He had a brief moment to see an unarmed man turning to look at him, in which Garkhen thought to throw up a ward. It was fortunate that he did, for soon the man made a small gesture and then hurled a bolt of fire at the half-dragon. It splashed against the air in front of Garkhen, followed shortly by a great explosion of flames splashing off of a ward in front of the enemy mage.

While his foe was distracted, the half-blue dragon charged forward, his shield raised. He plowed into the man's side, knocking him down. The mage desperately began incanting on the ground, but before he could finish, a bolt of lightning arced into the room and around the table he'd been behind, then lanced downward. The mage jerked convulsively as it struck, then fell still.

“How many more are there?” Illusin shouted from outside of the building.

Gritting his teeth and pushing back the thought of what had just happened, Garkhen looked over at the Archmage. “I know not, but there are more archers within.”

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I really needed to draw this building out before writing this segment. XD

Chapter 12-5

 The first thing Garkhen saw when he reached the hole in the wall was that the room beyond seemed like some sort of workshop, with various tables and benches and tools scattered about—more than he would guess were needed for making chains, though he knew little of the process.

The second thing he saw was a bolt of lightning blasting into his face. He grunted in surprise as it actually injured him slightly—it felt... cold, somehow—but his draconic heritage let him shrug most of it off. He looked about frantically for the mage that had cast the spell, spotting him hiding behind some hanging chains, gesturing quickly as he cast another spell. Swiftly the Warder brought up a ward, just in time for a bolt of... flaming ice to slam into it, sending burning shards flying back into the room.

Pushing aside the thoughts of just what he was doing in favor of survival, Garkhen returned fire with his own lightning breath, only to encounter the wizard's wards. With his knowledge of wards Garkhen guessed that his foe was protected more from magic than from weapons, and so he started working his way forward, only to feel the abrupt impact of a sword striking his armor. He turned to see the injured archer, arrow still protruding from his shoulder, raising a sword with his other arm to strike again.

Garkhen raised his shield to block the blow, gritting his teeth as another spell impacted his ward simultaneously with the sword striking his shield. Before he could retaliate, however, another arrow thudded into the man's side, and he stumbled and fell, coughing up blood. The Warder closed his eyes for a moment to fight back nausea at the thought of participating in killing men, then turned back towards the wizard... only to find he had disappeared.

“Where'd he go?” Almonihah demanded as he cautiously stepped into the room, looking all around him as he entered.

“I did not see,” Garkhen replied. There were three doors in the back and side of the room, but all were closed. “He must have used magic to escape.”

Before he could say more, one of the doors burst open, and another arrow flew out of it, narrowly missing the top of Garkhen's head and sailing past Almonihah's shoulder. The Ranger growled as he ran for cover, bringing up his own bow and firing back before ducking back behind a workbench as he pulled another arrow from his quiver. Garkhen, for his part, jogged toward the door, shield up to block any more arrows fired from it, his armor clattering and scraping against the stone floor as he moved.

The archer in the doorway had wisely decided not to stay in it, meaning Garkhen was unmolested as he advanced. He wondered, however, where Illusin was, and if the younger wizard had gotten to safety.

Just then he heard a loud shriek from outside. Zakhin'Dakh had spotted a man running from the back, and now he dove. The man looked up in shock just as the giant griffon plowed into him. Zakhin'Dakh didn't use his talons, but he didn't need to—the impact alone broke his target's ribs, and he died as the griffon hurriedly backed off. Looking around, he saw no one else, and with the man dead, there was no reason to stay on the ground, so he took off again and resumed circling. 

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Zakhin'Dakh is not used to pouncing on things he doesn't want to kill.