[Other FULL] Riders [M] [IC]

Princess Sol Laetanas​

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Elflepathy​

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Max rode onward, with a determined gleam in his eye. If he was ever going to prove that he could excel out on his own, this was his oppourtunity. He felt a surge of releif, of authority, of freedom. Just him and his horse on the high road, and soon he would return as a hero. A grin crept accross his face as the rush of thoughts flushed through his mind.

"Now, young mistress, Khepri understands your frustration-"

Sol repositioned herself on Khepri's back, cursing silently at the thigh cramps the ride was giving her. "Oh, you do?" she replied sourly.

"Quite literally, in fact. Our emotions are interconnected, after all." the dragon said. "But as I was saying... This excusion might prove greatly beneficial to both you and the boy. I am aware of your distaste for cramped and dark places, after the watchtower incident, but is that not the essence of being a rider? Risking life and limb for others, courageously taking on the most perilous quests, enduring great hardships, facing your fears and anxieties? You may dismiss this as untrue, young mistress, but you do indeed relish this sense of adventure, do you not?"

The young elf said nothing, simply looking away. There was nothing she could say anyway - Khepri could tune into her emotions.

"What Khepri means to say is, do not feel angry or anxious. This is a great opportunity to show yourself to the world as a rider, and as a loyal friend to young master Max." Khepri comforted her.

After a while of flying in silence, Sol spoke up. "Did Layla mention how the boy was going to get there?" she asked. "We should make sure not to overtake him, or at least find him before we do."

"I believe horseback would be the only other option, since his dragon has been missing." Khepri replied. "What kind of wretched, selfish coward leaves their rider - and such a young rider, at that - to venture off and perish on their own? It disgraces our name and race as dragons."

"There is likely a reason behind it." Sol said. "The two must still be in contact, from the dreams Layla mentio- oh, down there!" she exclaimed. In the distance, galloping across a path was a lone traveler and their horse. "That could be Max. Swoop down a little lower, Khepri."

"Let us hope it isn't a regular villager." Khepri chuckled. "The sight of a dragon soaring above their head might give them more than a little spook."

Down on the ground, the young boy slowed his horses' gallop. "Rain?" He muttered to himself, confused as to what blocked out the sunlight so suddenly. He glanced up. Much to his frustration, it was impossible to miss the golden dragon that soared in the sky above him. "Why is..." Max began, taking a second to think about why the dragon would be following him. Maybe he was just being paranoid? "Hey!" He called out to the Dragon above. If he was lucky, he'd just coincidentally caught the large reptile on its hunting grounds. If so, he could continue on and complete his mission.

The dragon looked down at him, the crooked grin permanently eteched along its jaw smiling eerily as it flew above his horse. "Would you mind slowing down, young master? I believe you are the one we are looking for."

"Looking for me?" Maxwell questioned, struggling to mask his disapointment and project his voice loud enough for the dragon to hear him. "Why would you be looking for me? Does the old man not have another mission for you?" He continued in a thinly veiled attempt to feign ignorance. He knew that Layla was lying to him. If he could get these two to admit to it, then maybe he could take the moral high ground and convince them to go back to Pharus.

The dragon nodded. "That is precisely the case, young master. Khepri believes th-"

He was interrupted by a gentle pat on his neck by Sol. "Khepri, just land in front of his horse. I can handle the talking." she said, eyeing the boy from above.

"As you please, young mistress." Khepri replied, shifting his weight to overtake the horse. He then proceeded to turn around, before landing onto the path in front of them in a loud crash.

"Ow! I said land, not crash down!" Sol complained, rubbing her head where it had been violently slammed against Khepri's neck.

"Owww." Max groaned, as he clambered up from underneath his grounded horse. His first thought was that he regretted no speeding up. "There are easier ways of getting someones attention, you know." Max lied, knowing that what the dragon did would probably have been the only way to stop him. It worked. He didnt like it, but it worked. "So why are you looking for me? Dont you have your own mission?" He continued to whine.

Khepri bowed down respectfully at the young rider. "My apologies, young master. Khepri will allow mistress Sol to explain." he said, lowering himself and allowing the princess to slip off his back.

"You are Maxwell Tybault, yes?" Sol asked calmly, making her way over to Max's horse and helping him up.

"Y-" Max began, before stopping to think for a second. Maybe if he said lied, they'd go off to find 'the real' Maxwell Tybalt. If they did, he could complete the mission on his own. "No.. My name's...Tarmond. I have no family name." He said tentatively. He made a concious effort to sound as much like a commoner as possible, despite the fact he didnt look the part.

Sol struggled to keep her compsure as a smile crept up on her face. "I see... Well then, Tarmond, what would a young boy such as yourself be doing out here? Do you not have parents? Surely you would like the assistance of the, ah..." Sol tapped her chin pensively. She turned back to her dragon. "Khepri, what did Krotan describe us as again?"

The dragon perked up at the mention of his name. "Glorious saviors of this kingdom, heirs to the power of magic and icons of heroism and honor!"

"...yes, that. Are you not thrilled to meet such a pair?" Sol asked, smirking slightly.

"Oh, uh..." Max gulped. He had a sneaking suspicion that the elf had actually recognised him. Father had told him about Elves and their trickery, but he wasnt expecting her to pull such mind games straight away. As soon as he noticed her pointy ears, he shouldve known she could read into his thoughts. That confirmed it. She knew exactly who he was. He had to follow through though, she had to be the first to admit that she was lying. He'd have to act like he didnt know about the elven ability to read minds. "My father told me that Elves have the ability to project illusions, I wasnt aware you were actually one of the riders." He winced, immidiately regretting such a weak lie.

"Oh, did he now?" Sol asked, amused. "I suppose your father is as bad of a liar as you are." She looked him over, assessing his attire and equipment, before quickly plunging her hand into his satchel. She fished out what appeared to be a parchment - the type that was stuck to the mission board. "Now, Tarmond, this very mission is the one we are going to. I am curious as to how you got this, if you are not Maxwell."

"Khepri recalls seeing a mission about a thief. Maybe he is our thief, young mistress?" Khepri suggested teasingly.

"Ah, yes, most probably. I'm sure we would earn many great favors from master Krotan for completing two missions on the same day. Is that right, Max- oh, pardon me- Tarmond?"

Though she was talking about a fictional father, the elf's 'attack' towards his father still aggrivated him slightly. He took a few seconds to analyse the insult, before responding, being distracted by her reaching for his satchel. He put some semblance of defense, but she was quick in getting what she wanted, leaving Maxwell scrambling in an attempt to stop her reading the page. He turned away pouting, in response to being questioned, but was quickly frightened out if his tantrum at the suggestion that he may be the castle thief. It was obvious at that point that they truely were just messing with him. They knew exactly who he was. "I...ummm...have something to confess." He began, trying to conjure his best 'puppy dog eyes'. While he was certain at this point that the elf could read his mind, she could still be manipulated by cuteness, right? "I am Maxwell Tybalt. You must be Lady Sol, right?" He asked, trying to change the subject from the fact he'd just lied about who he was.

"Ah, good job." Sol said and smiled sweetly. She rolled the paper back up and handed it back to him. "And yes, I am lady Sol indeed. Now, I will ask this again - and I expect an honest answer." she added seriously. "Where is your dragon, and why are you heading on such a perilous mission on your own?"

"I dont know." Max responded with a sigh. "I'm going to prove that I can handle it. Alone." He added solemly. "I dont need Taragon, I dont need father, I dont need Zane..." He stopped, assuming that his point had been made.

"Oh, is that so?" Sol asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well then, Khepri! I suppose our work here is done!" she turned around promptly and marched back to her dragon.

"Ah, Sol..." Khepri began.

"You've heard the boy. We must respect his wishes. He is a rider after all." Sol waved him off, eager to get back to the castle.

"Is that not what madam Layla instructed you against?" Khepri asked, getting up on all fours to stop the elf from climbing on. "We cannot let her down after accepting to help her."

"But you heard what he said! Why must you make this more difficult?" Sol scolded, tapping her foot impatiently.

"I knew it." Max muttered to himself, with an air of resentment in his tone. "So Layla did send you?" He pressed, now taking more of an authorative tone.

The princess and dragon suddenly stopped, realizing they were bickering pointlessly in front of a child. Khepri sighed and lowered himself again.

Sol muttered something to herself, before taking a deep breath. She had to find a way to get the boy to agree with her, or she'd be stuck arguing between a child and an equally hard-headed dragon. "I... okay, Maxwell. Your family friend sent us to protect you on your way to the cave, yes. Just the trip, not the mission. As soon as we reach the place, myself and Khepri will leave. Does that sound fair to you?" she asked.

"Hmmm..." Max stopped, taking a moment to think. He had wanted to take the whole thing on his own, but it wasnt the end of the world if these two wanted to come along for the ride. If they wanted to seem helpful, he could at least give them that. Worst case scenario, he'd just have to sneak away when they weren't expecting it. He glanced up at the dragon, trying to blindly guague if it had the agility to out manuver his horse. "Fine." He sighed. "That works for me, as long as it's just the journey."

"I'm glad you understand." Sol said. "Besides, flying is much faster than riding on horseback. You'll be saving quite some time, too." She hopped onto Khepri's back, leaving some space behind her for Max to sit. "Well, what are you waiting for? You can let your horse go - all royal horses know the way back to their own castles."

"Uh...h-" Max began, attempting to lie again, before remembering that the elf could read his mind. He accepted the invitation on to the the dragon's back, before making a distinctive whistling sound to dismiss the horse and send it on its way back to Pharus. "Thanks." He sighed in defeat.

With that, Khepri nodded to the young rider and leapt up into the air, flashing his large golden wings to thrust his and his two passengers into the sky.

A joint post of Foxrally and Shak​

Princess Sol Laetanas​

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Guild Wars​

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Max's eyes widened, and his heart raced as the wind pummeled his face again. He'd been clutching on to whatever he could find for dear life. Nothing was working. Only when the dragon decided to do a twirl, did Max finally take to his last resort. He clutched desperately to the elf before him, refusing to let go. "Heyy...ummm..." He shouted, doing his best to get the attention of either the rider or the dragon. "You guys don't mind if we walk do you?"

Sol, despite her annoyance at the situation, couldn't help but feel amused at the young boy's predicament. "Oh, I don't know..." she mused mockingly. "What do you think, Khepri? Should we walk?"

The dragon responded with another graceful twirl, nearly knocking both passengers off his back in the process. Sol turned back to Max, who was gripping her even more tightly now, and slapped his hands away. "Now keep your hands away from me and quit being a crybaby." she scolded. "Besides, we are nearly there."

The boy let out a terrified whimper as he was left to fend for himself, hundreds of feet in the air. He had to conclude at that point, that letting Sol and Khepri join him on his way to the mission was a bad idea. It was made worse by the fact Sol had the advantage of straps holding her in place. Plus he was lighter, so he was much more at risk of flying off the back of the speeding dragon than she was. "How close is 'nearly'?" He gasped, almost shaking with fear.

"Close enough that if you fell off, they would find your body fairly easily." Sol teased, trying her best not to smirk. She did feel a little bad for worrying the boy so much, but she couldn't stop herself - he almost reminded her of her young cousins, in a way.

"Now, young mistress, let us not scare him too much. You should enjoy the ride while you can, young master Max. Khepri can see the campsite from here." Khepri said.

"Thank god..." Max sniffled, wrapping his body tighter around the tail of Khepri.


The travelling trio had landed right beside the scouting groups' campsite - or at least one them. For once, Khepri's diminutive size had helped them somehow. The campfire was still smoking and none of the tents were occupied, meaning the scouts had probably recently left their base.

A relieved Maxwell dived off the back of the dragon the moment they landed. He could still feel himself shaking at the thought the flight may have been their best mode of transport when returning to Pharus.

"Strange..." Sol mused, frowning. "Did you not say they were here, Khepri?" she asked as she looked around the abandoned camp.

"Khepri only said their camp was here." the dragon corrected. "However, I feel their light coming from this direction. Many individuals." he said, motioning towards the forest.

"Understood, then." Sol hopped off his back. "Myself and Maxwell will go investigate on foot. You stay here until I call for you, in case anything happens." she instructed. "Is that alright with you?" she asked, turning back to Max, who was still shaken by his enlightening first flight.

"Mhm." Max nodded meekly. He stood up clutching his arm, and followed obediently behind the elf, taking only a single glance up at the sky to recall despite knowing it would remind him of the terrifying experience he just faced.

It didn't take long for the two riders to find their 'clients'. One simply had to follow the noticeable crack the sinkhole had made in the surrounding area, and the scouts' footprints.

"There seems to be quite a number of them." Sol said. "Max, does the paper mention how many th-"

She stopped, as she was interrupted by the sharp zipping sound of an arrow whizzing past her head, planting itself into the tree behind her. The shot had been visibly deliberately missed, almost like a warning shot. Before the two riders had time to say anything, a voice called out from a distance in the trees.

"Drop your weapons and renounce your identities at once! This is forbidden hunting ground for travelers!"

Sol looked up to where the voice was coming from. The rather rugged human man was holding a bow, with an arrow notched and pointed straight at them. "For your own sake... You really should drop that bow right about now." Sol commanded sternly.

Branches snapped and trees crashed as Khepri's massive figure came tumbling down onto the bowman's hiding spot, the gust created by the dragon's wings nearly knocking over Max and Sol.

"That was... tactful, Khepri." Sol said, dusting off her dress. She quickly turned to check on Max. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be okay." Max nodded assuringly, the gust seemingly being just what the boy needed to get over his earlier tribulations. He flicked his cape back over his head, revealing the very determined expression on his face

"Ambusher. Despicable." Khepri spat scornfully as he retracted his wings. The tree he was standing on was now snapped in half, with the bowman's unconscious body lying underneath the heavy trunk, encased in a large glowing orb.

"Are you sure these are the guys we should be fighting?" Max asked rather flatly as another group of men came running in, presumably to aid the the man that had just been crushed upon Khepri's arrival. The first of the men looked rather threatening, but his two companions were far from it. The second man looked as though he was barely taller than Max, and the third was...to put it as nicely as possible, quite robust in his frame. The two looked like they could barely keep up with the man they were following behind.

"If you move, this arrow will be planting itself firmly between you eyes." The first man said through gritted teeth, staring directly at the elf. The conviction in his voice made him seem confident, although it was clear from his constant glances at Khepri that he understandably had his reservations. "So the elves sent you to take us out from behind. And with a dragon, no less." He added as his two companions were finally by his side.

"Wait, wait...we aren't with the elves, we-"

"So she's even captured another human prisoner?" The bowman interrupted Maxwell's attempt to intervene before he made the decision to shoot Sol. Realizing that his wording may have caused even more confusion, Max glanced back at his elven companion, in the hope that she could be a better negotiator than he was.

Despite her growing concern at the bowman's abrasiveness, Sol did her best to stay relaxed. Putting on her most genuine calm face, she glanced at the unconscious man. "Calm down. We aren't taking any prisoners here. Your guard here was pointing a weapon at us." she corrected.

She felt Khepri stir angrily in her mind. What sort of a man threatens a woman and a child? Khepri might just...

Khepri, no. The man was simply carrying out his duty. Stay silent. Sol commanded back.

She raised her arms peacefully at the man. "Now if you may lower your own bow, so we may talk under less barbaric circumstances."

"You fools are always talking peace, aren't you. Then you're quick to stab us in the back. So is that what was in your sinkhole? A dragon?" The man growled, tightening his grip on the bow.

"The sinkhole..." Max muttered to himself, pulling out the page with the help request. "You're the guys that requested we help you settle something with the sinkhole, right?" Max smiled, thankful that they could finally come to some sort of understanding.

The man raised a brow, disheartening the excited rider. "They're so determined to trick us, that they called for outside help, and even turned them against us." He looked back to his teammates, who were quick to affirm his suspicions. "How many of our men do you slimy elves intend to take?" The man yelled in an explosion of his retained anger.

Sol sighed, growing increasingly frustrated at the man's comments on her kin. "You men never take kindly to diplomacy, do you?"

In a blinding flash of light from her dragon, the elf sprinted at the man, slapping his hand upwards and causing him to fire his arrow, before snatching the bow out of his hands. As the three scouts reeled back she notched an arrow of her own, pointing it back at the bowman.

"Now will you listen?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "Explain what is happening here."

"Argh...bitch!" The scout yelled in a panic, as the series of events flashed before him. "Alright, alright, I'll explain what's going on. Just lower your damn weapon." He added, aware of the hypocritical nature of his response.

"Good." Sol said, smiling and lowering her bow.

"The elven hunters have been picking off our men." He began with a sigh, annoyed at the fact he was actually standing and explaining himself to someone of the same race as those whom he was cursing. "As soon as a guy goes solo hunting, he disappears. Meanwhile, those bastards seem to be having a field day with all their happy hunting. We made a pact. Humans get one half of the forest, elves get the other, and the prairie on the inside is split the same. Problem is, the elves have made a massive sinkhole in the prairie, and that's where our best hunting site is. Bastards ruined us, and have been picking off our men for weeks now. We only just found out about the sinkhole a few days ago, and all of a sudden, now that we know about it, the elves have started 'losing' men themselves. It's all fishy to me." He ranted, with his two companions nodding along with the story.

Max bit his lip in response to the story, before glancing up at Sol. He had witnessed the elven sadism first hand, so he had no reason not believe the men's story. "Well, isn't it a bit risky to be telling us all this? I don't know where the elves are, but they could be listening right now." He mused, thinking back to when he'd been told that elves have super hearing. "Not to mention...sleeping so close to enemy elves is probably a bad idea too, they can control your dreams, after all." He continued, rubbing in chin in broodingly.

The hunter seemed puzzled for a moment, but took in what the boy had said. "Really?" He asked, with a hint of desperation in his tone. His eyes widened with a mix of realization and panic, as Maxwell responded with an assured nod.

"What on earth- that is a blatant lie!" Sol yelled, stomping her foot. "We elves are just as normal as-" she suddenly stopped as she realized she was breaking her serious facade. "Ahm. I meant to say, that is not true. I assure you myself and other elves do not have any of the powers this child is telling you," she said, glaring at Max, "and I highly doubt they are behind your men's disappearances. If they are, then we will deal with them accordingly."

She returned the bow back to the hunter. "Take us to the sinkhole you speak of. If what you say is true, the elf hunters should be nearby."

With a sigh, the hunter turned, gesturing for Sol to follow behind.

Maxwell followed behind the group, contemplating the information he'd shared with the hunters that Sol had contradicted.

A joint post of Foxrally and Shak​

Princess Sol Laetanas​

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Swallowed Hole​

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With the human hunters surrounding them, and Khepri following behind, Maxwell and Sol soon found themselves face with a large hole in the ground. Despite the sheer size of the crevasse, it didnt really seem to burrow all that deep, but instead to shape itself more like a tunnel as apposed to a plummeting pit. Standing at the hole was a collection of around seven people: the two female elves, and the four male elves were positioned on one side of the hole, while the single male human stood at the side the riders and their guides were coming from.

"Rohan! We have...unexpected company. They claim to be these things called riders sent on a mission to settle this dispute." The second of the hunters Max and Sol had ran into called out. "They knocked out Brettan, but they say they're impartial." He continued, pointing toward the unconscious man that had been crushed under the tree trunk earlier, that was now being carried on the back of the same dragon that had knocked him out.

"A child and an elf." Rohan stated flatly, not even turning to face the 'prisoners' that were being presented to him. "So you called for reinforcements without informing us?" He called out, now addressing the elves across the sinkhole.

"You've done yourselves no favors earning our trust. We took matters into our own hands." The elven camp leader responded. "Please riders, if you would like to join us, we can gladly explain the situation to you, as I'm sure these barbarians have neglected to do." He continued, switching his attention to Sol, Maxwell and most importantly, Khepri.

"In fact, they have." Sol corrected. "And I expect as much courtesy from yourselves as I do from them when you are addressing another race." she added. Though it was pleasant to finally see another elf, the little race-calling game the two groups had set up for themselves was not going to help solve this dispute at all.

"Mistress Sol... Khepri senses the darkness coming from this pit... an evil light. This isn't good." the dragon warned, peering into the tunnel.

"W-wha?! Did that dragon just call her mistress Sol? From the Reena council?" one of the male elves exclaimed. The other four seemed to reel back in shock at the mention of the latter.

"The Laetanas girl? So the rumors about the dragon are true..." another gasped.

"The Elven princess? You certainly went all out to resolve this issue." Rohan said, doing his best to mask his surprise. "My men apologize for any disrespect they've shown you, ma'am. We still dont trust those fools, but you have our co-operation until this issue is resolved." He gave a small bow to Sol , before rallying his men behind him.

"Apology accepted." Sol nodded before peering into the cavern. "Hmm... From what Khepri has just said, I'm afraid my initial suspicions are beginning to seem more and more likely. I would, however, like to hear your side of the story." Sol said, crossing her arms.

"Of course, your majesty. We're not completely sure where it came from, but this hole appears to have something to do with the disappearance of both our men and those of the human group. At first we suspected that the humans may have had something to do with it, but as their numbers dwindled along with ours, we were smart enough to come to the conclusion that that probably wasn't the case. The humans, on the other hand, weren't so astute. They were quick to blame us, and chose to violate an otherwise peaceful agreement held between the two camps. Now here we are, fighting over something so dangerous, when we should be fighting together." He scowled for a moment, having allowed his attention to drift away passionately explained. "What we ask of you riders, is one of two things. We ask that you act as diplomats, and aid us in resolving this dispute so that we can all find our missing comrades, or, help us defeat the humans and save our missing comrades in the hole." He bowed his head respectfully. He spoke softly and hesitantly, as though he was reluctant to say as much as he had.

"We can never live peacefully with the humans, the riders have to wipe them out if we're ever going to save Tern." One of the female elves blurted out in annoyance. The suggestion that they end their dispute with the humans peacefully seemed to aggravate a few of the elves, but it was her who decided to speak up. Despite her challenging his apparent preferred outcome, the elven leader said nothing.

"We did not come all the way here to resolve whatever petty squabbles you are having over this piece of land. What matters at the moment is rescuing the people who are lost, and do so before whatever took them kills them." Sol glared at the elf, who despite her scowl took a small step back.

"Both of you have lost men to this creature. If anything, this should be a reason for you to work together, not fight over who did what. If we ever hope to see these need to go in at once."

"Creature? The hole has shown no signs of life whatsoever, but if you assume that there's a creature in there, then it would probably be best to go in there and deal with it that way. As you wish. We the elves, will be willing to accompany you into the hole." He glanced hesitantly at Maxwell, before respectfully looking back to Sol. "Will your...human friend be accompanying us?" He asked, with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I will." Max snapped back sharply, before reeling in response to the glares he received. The leader nodded back to his group, urging them to return to the site at the hole.

"I can only assume so." He sighed, before following behind his group.


"Stay on your guard, men." the elven captain ordered, making sure each of his hunters were guarding one of Sol's sides. "We don't know what we're dealing with here."

"We are dealing with a powerful creature..." Khepri mused, scanning the area around him. "Unlike the monster at the tower, however, mistress Sol. This beast is animalistic. Khepri can feel it now. Yet I cannot pick up its trace..."

Maxwell watched on. What was supposed to be his moment of glory had been stolen from him. He knew in retrospect he couldn't do this alone, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he'd failed himself. He couldn't appreciate the irony that his limelight had been stolen by the dragon of light and his rider. It frustrated him that he couldn't handle himself in the way that his brother or father would've. In his frustration, he kicked at the ground, knocking a small stone across the cave floor. The stone bounced through the group of elves and fell into a second hole deeper into the tunnel. The sound of it hitting the ground came very quickly and was followed by a sharp hissing sound that reclaimed the attention of the elves. Out of the second sinkhole shot a large black basilisk. It stared fiercely at those below it with its soul sucking red eyes.

Both sets of hunters immediately drew their weapons, taking cover wherever they could find it. The giant snake remained on the surface, quickly pursuing one of the human hunters.

"Sol...Khepri..." Max looked up in fear at his fellow rider and her dragon. It killed him inside, but he knew he wouldn't be much use here. He knew there was no way for him to truly face this thing or save these people. He couldn't be the big hero he wanted to be. He resented himself for it, but it was the truth.

Sol quickly unsheathed her sword and stepped in front of Max. "Stay back! I'll -oof!"

Both riders were suddenly knocked to the ground by a powerful gust of wind from Khepri's wings. "Get to cover! Are you fools, standing in the way of a basilisk's gaze?!" the dragon commanded, urging them towards a pile of tall boulders which the hunters had gone to. The two quickly complied, rolling over to cover and hiding with the rest of the group.

"Whatever you do, do not look into its eyes!" Khepri called out to everyone in the cave. Closing his eyes, the dragon's body suddenly glowing with a faint yellow glow. Even if he couldn't see the serpent, he could sense its light - or lack thereof.

The basilisk wasted no time leaping at the closest target it could find, striking instantly at Khepri's neck, the dragon fiercely keeping it at bay with slashes and tail slams - all of which seemed to prove ineffective to the basilisk's indestructible hide.

"What is he talking about?" one of the humans asked, turning to Sol and Max. "Basilisks don't have anything of that sort!"

Sol winced as she heard Khepri slam into the nearby wall - she could feel every blow echo through her mind. Doing her best to shake off her feeling, she turned to the hunter. "Basilisks are a very unresearched species. Khepri is most likely much more knowledgeable than you on the topic of ancient creatures."

The hunter struggled to argue with Sol's reasoning. While he still had no trust for the elf, nor her allies, he knew he was completely ignorant to the capabilities and wisdom of a dragon. "So what exactly do you plan to do now, rider? It's not as if your dragon is proving much of a match against this basilisk." He spat back, hoping to get under Sol's skin. "And that begs the question...why exactly are you here?" He added, turning his attention to Max. "Maybe if you had a dragon he'd be able to contribute, but as of now, you riders don't seem to be all that useful." As the man continued his terrified ranting, the dragon was again smashed into a cave wall, creating a harsh tremor that unbalanced the majority of the frightened onlookers.

Clusters of stone and dirt fell from the ceiling as a result of the giant crash. One of those stones fell to the feet of a frustrated Maxwell Tybalt. He stood with gritted teeth, listening to the pained roars of Khepri. Not only did it frustrate him to hear his ally going through this, but again he was unable to do anything about it. Even if he couldn't, he would. He'd find a way. He grabbed the large pebble that had fallen at his feet and stepped out from behind the stone pillar he, Sol and a couple of the human hunters had been taking shelter behind.

Sol's eyes grew wide. "Max, what are you doing?!"

"Hey! Stupid snake!" The young boy yelled at the fierce basilisk. Khepri growled, spinning his way out of the snake's grasp and slamming into the wall with his tail.

"Master Max, ret-Gahh!" Khepri began before being slammed back into the wall by the basilisk's powerful own tail. Though it had sounded one sided from behind the boulder, the heavy scratches on the basilisks hide showed that Khepri was admirably holding his own. Though admittedly, his own golden hide was the more severely damaged of the two. What Max could see though, was the near open wounds on the back of the basilisk. If he could hit them with his stone, he could be sure that would do some damage.

Without hesitating, the young rider tossed the pebble across the cave, with the pebble colliding almost inconsequently off of the scales. Though it barely seemed harmed by the attempt at an attack, the basilisk turned its attention to the source of the projectile that had bounced off of its back.

A joint post of Foxrally and Shak​

Princess Sol Laetanas​

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Swallowed Hole Pt.2​

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"You idiot! Get ba-" Sol began before getting violently pulled back by one of the hunters.

"Your majesty, no! We must keep you safe from the beast's gaze!" the elf pleaded, standing in the way of Max and Sol. "We cannot risk your safety for the boy."

Before the princess had any time to protest, a deafening, primal roar sounded throughout the cavern. Inches away from Max's face, the basilisk opened its jaw, revealing the poison dripping from its fangs, ready to clasp down on the boy. Suddenly, an audible hiccup was heard as Khepri salmmed into the serpent's neck, sending both creatures rolling along the ground. Taking advantage of the momentum, the golden dragon pinned the snake's head to the ground, momentarily relling his head back before releasing a destructive ray of light from his mouth.

"M-maxwell..." he grunted.

But Max never moved. The boy lay frozen in place, eyes wide open, stuck in the position he had been in when he threw the rock.

"H-he's frozen!" the human hunter gasped.

"Well then, get him!" Rohan ordered, dashing away from cover and sprinting towards Max.

"Khepri!" Sol screamed, tearing away from the elf hunter's grip and unsheathing her bow. She could hear his voice echo in her mind.

Get him to cover, Sol. Khepri has the strength to do this.

"No, no, you can't, you damned idiot!" Sol shrieked out loud, tears streaming down her eyes. She could feel the pain in Khepri's voice - the fading light. "It's too strong for you, GET BACK HERE!" She blindly shot an arrow into the darkness which the pair had rolled to, unaware that to the others, she was just screaming hysterically to herself.

The leader of elves put his hand on her shoulder. "Your majesty, we-"

"WHY ARE YOU NOT ORDERING YOUR MEN TO ATTACK?" Sol screamed, slapping his hand away.

"Princess, we cannot interf-"

She turned to him and stared straight into his eyes. "That's... that's a royal order." she spoke between her teeth.

Both groups of hunters stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Both sides turned to their respective leaders. They were no soldiers, but still couldnt help but feel a certain sense of duty at the order they'd been given.

"Understood." the elf leader nodded. He turned to the rest of his hunters. "You heard your princess! Keep the beast pinned down! Do whatever you can to keep it at bay! Do not let the deaths of our brothers and sisters go in vain!"

"Go." Rohan commanded, sending his men to join the formation of the elven platoon. If they were to ever prove to themselves that they could truly protect their families, it would be now.

While his men went to deal with the situation at hand, Rohan turned his attention to the frozen boy laying on the ground. He had heard his men being very critical of the riders earlier, but regardless of the titles that had been thrust upon them, these were still people. Rohan knew a good deal about the history of the riders. It was something he had studied in his hayday, back when he had more free time on his hand. They were mere puppets of destiny. It was no life he wanted to live. Just a boy, and a young woman barely escaping adolescence; in truth, these riders were no more soldiers than he and his men.

Sol winced as she heard another crash coming from the darkness in the cave. She had began hyperventilating severely now, and her hands shook as she notched another arrow. "Everything is fine, everything is fine, everything is f-fine..." the elf repeated to herself, taking a shaky step towards the darkness.

Instantly, she could hear Khepri's voice boom in her mind. Young mistress, what are you doing?! Don't take another step forward! This was followed up by a loud crash accompanied with another deafening roar.

Khepri, you cannot do this alone! Sol pleaded in her mind.

I can handle... Khepri can handle the situation, please! Just, please... do not get in the way of harm, young mistress...

Sol gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on her bow. All she needed was one hit... one shot to illuminate the darkness...


Sol's eyes suddenly burst into blinding yellow light. With all the strength she could muster, the elven princess pulled back a gigantic, illuminated arrow.

"KHEPRI!" she screamed, firing the arrow into the darkness. The dragon knew exactly what was coming. Grabbing the basilisk by the neck, Khepri held up the serpent, just in the right position.

The basilisk shrieked in agony as the massive light arrow shot through its skull, piercing both of its eyes simultaneously. It dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. Sol notched another arrow, aiming this time for the creature's soft underbelly. Any of the doubt the hunters may have had in Sol was gone. Both the humans and the elves, rallied behind the rider, firing a barrage of their own arrows to deal a finishing blow.

Then, limping out of the darkness, the sorry sight which was Khepri's figure reemerged. Battered and bloody, the dragon limped a few meters forward before collapsing onto the ground before the group.

"Khepri!" Sol exclaimed, dropping her weapons to the ground and running towardshim. She knew he was okay, but nevertheless felt a twinge of worry at the sight of him.

The golden dragon turned his head slightly to the huntsmen leaders. "Your men are... within this crevasse. Khepri can sense their light now that the darkness has... perished."

Sol suddenly crumbled to her knees, a feeling of unexpected exhaustion sweeping through her. What had just happened? How had she even managed to fire that arrow? Her mind raced with thoughts of what Krotan had told them about magic.

"Heh..." the dragon chuckled. "Do not worry, young mistress. It takes more than a spiked worm to defeat the mighty Khepri."

Panting, Sol managed to raise herself to one knee. glaring at him.

"And his darling rider, of course."

Another large crash followed the defeat of the monstrous black serpent. The crowd of hunters took stance, expecting the basilisk to re-emerge from the darkness, but instead, a purple dragon crashed in from the hole. As the familiar form stepped closer to the group, it was clear he wasn't the same as he was before. What was once a slender, sleek and jagged dragon, was now a bulky, bulging and muscular figure. This beast made the old Taragon seem like a skeleton of what now stood before Sol and Khepri.

"Brother." Taragon nodded to Khepri, before walking past the duo, and looking down at the frozen body of his rider. "It's pathetic. As if the rider of poison and toxicity is defeated by the venom of a basilisk." He groaned, as he stabbed a claw into the boys leg. While the large and poisonous dragon claw stabbing into his leg would normally have been a near fatal wound for the boy, the paralyzed body of Maxwell barely flinched upon being impaled. "Where is the basilisk?" Taragon asked flatly, to those behind him. While he had been aware of the event that had taken place, Maxwell's incapacitation had been something of an inconvenience to him in monitoring the situation.

Grunting, Khepri hoisted himself up, aiding Sol to get back up as well. "Well, if it isn't the gecko coming back to save our hides." he chuckled.

Sol pointed to where she had fired the arrow. In any other situation, she would have been thankful for the dragon's appearance - whoever the dragon was. But to her, it was finished. All they had come for were the lost hunters, all they had to do was take them out and escape. "The beast... is in the crevasse over there. But we cannot continue fighting it, we-"

"I dont think you have much of a choice. You invaded the basilisks home, and these creatures are far from forgiving. You honestly think you weakened it enough to escape with your lives." Taragon glared into the darkness, aware that the gargantuan could strike at any time. As he expected, the creatures head came at him like a bullet, despite the fact that Sol and Khepri were much closer. He quickly spread his wings, jumping over the incoming snake head and grabbing its neck, before slamming it back into the ground. "Maxwell, finish it!" He commanded to the boy, frantically trying to hold the struggling beast in place.

"I-uhhh..." Max began in a panic. He was faced with the massive fangs of a basilisk.

"DO IT!" Taragon shouted again, now losing his grip on the powerful serpents neck. Max stepped back, far from prepared for what was before him. The boy barely dodged the snakes attack. As it did so, it hit Taragon with a powerful slap of its tail. It quickly turned it's attention back to Maxwell, seemingly realising the connection between the boy and the dragon it had just sent flying into the wall. Maxwell stuck out his hands to protect himself, grabbing onto the fangs in the process.

Instead of using his far superior strength to crush the young rider, the snake reeled back, seemingly pained by making contact with Maxwell's hands, which were now engulfed in a murky purple toxin.

Taragon stumbled out of the thick cave wall, shooting a glare at his rider as he did so. The boy was far too preoccupied with his hands to even notice the message his dragon was sending him. Taragon looked around the room, trying to gauge who would be strong enough to aid him in finishing the basilisk off. "Khepri, how much more do you think you'll be capable off? The quicker we finish this abomination off, the better."

"A knight always finishes the battles he starts." the golden dragon grunted, spreading his wings threateningly. The tussle with the snake weakened him greatly - but a dragon's pride was worth far more than its safety. He snorted, his eyes bursting into light.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his head. "Khepri, no! You're too weak, you can't go on like this!" Sol begged.

"You are correct, young mistress." Khepri nodded, the permanent smile etched along his jaw making him look almost calm. "But with the two riders at our side, we can."

"I have a plan, but I need you to hit it with everything you have." Taragon said flatly, to no one in particular. He was beginning to grow frustrated with the debating over whether Khepri would help or not. "If I can get a hold of his head again, I'll try to drag him out of the hole. If I manage to get him, I'll need Khepri's help in holding him still. We don't know how big or strong this thing is with its full body. If I don't manage to get the full thing out, I'll need everyone down here to hit it with everything they have." He shot another glare back to Maxwell, knowing the boy was going to attempt to rally with the group as if he had any right to.

Despite them watching aptly for the basilisk's attack, the monster was nowhere to be seen. Again it had hid itself in the shadows, but this time it didnt seem nearly as eager to shoot out of the darkness.

"I think it's gone!" Max cheered in triumph. The group remained unphased by the boys hasty cheer.

Burrowing from beneath the smaller of the two dragons, the basilisk attempted to clamp it's fangs into Khepri, but his Jaws were quickly prised open by Taragon. Despite carrying three passengers, the powerful snake continued, forcing Sol, Khepri and Taragon through the cave ceiling, with the latter taking the brunt of the impact.

Having to act fast to keep his brother and his brother's elven rider alive, Taragon clutched onto the basilisk's head and spread his wings. Using the momentum the snake had given him, Taragon was able to carry all three into the sky, leaving amazed onlookers down below. The snake's long and muscular body stretched for at least 30 feet.

"ELF, GET A SHOT INTO HIS MOUTH! QUICKLY!" Taragon yelled as his momentum began to slow. His original plan was to drop the snake there and then, but with Sol and Khepri perched comfortably between its massive jaws, that wouldn't have been his best move. Taragon began to feel the excess weight become a strain. Even if Sol did kill this thing, Khepri certainly wasnt light. Getting back to the ground was something he'd have to worry about after. Pulling back the last arrow she had in her Quiver, Sol gathered the very last bit of strength she could muster, and fired it into the basilisk's maw.

The arrow shot through its body, illuminating its entire path down the snake's digestive system before shortly exploding into a massive burst of light.

With the weight of the snake gone, Taragon felt a huge weight lifted off of his own shoulders. Not that his job was done however. Khepri could be carried, but he wasn't holding Khepri. He used the last of his strength, hoisting the snake into the hair, and quickly catching the dragon before he fell again. The sudden shifting of weight did him no favours, but he was able to regain himself.

"I would suggest you hold on tight." He said to Sol, before practically nosediving until he stopped at a decent level to drop his dragon brother. As he himself hit the floor, Taragon felt the sharp pain of being shoved through so much rock finally hit him, finding himself falling to rest on his side.

"You did it!" One of the human hunters cried in celebration as he and his companions clambered out of the hole. A handful of unfamiliar faces resurfaced alongside them, presumably the ones that had been lost in the sinkhole. Both groups ran over to their new heroes. Maxwell stayed behind. Having seen his fellow rider and the two dragons pull off such a heroic feat was everything he'd imagined when he was told he was now a rider. What he didnt imagine, was standing aside. Watching from the sideline. He gritted his teeth, again considering how peripheral he'd been during the whole thing.

Almost pinned between the two dragons at her side, Sol gingerely pushed herself up. "Y-yes... it's dead now..." was all she could manage to mumble before collapsing onto Taragon's side.


"You three have done us a great favour kid. It's been a long time since these two camps have been able to sit together and share our spoils." Rohan smiled to Max as he watched his and the elven camps laughing and breaking bread together.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didnt do anything. That's why I'm the only one awake right now." Maxwell grumbled with a sigh. He had expected Rohan to rubbish his claims immediately, but the man didnt. Instead, he looked up, noticing that the elven leader was walking over to them.

"My men have apologised, I assume." Rohan said with a sense of obligation in his tone and demeanour.

"Of course." The elf responded.

"So what, you just return to being friends now, as if nothing happened?" Max asked skeptically.

Rohan furrowed his brows. "Of course there will still be tensions. Words were said, camps were raided. There are a lot of things we did that wont be forgiven so easily. You've done us a great favour in that regard." Rohan looked to the elven leader for approval, to which the elf obliged. Noticing Maxwell's disregard for his compliment, Rohan stood up, looking up at the stars as he did so. "You may not have killed the basilisk Maxwell, but what you did do is bring us hope. Many of us haven't seen our wives and children in weeks. They may not have treated you with the respect you deserved. Heck, they may not have even realised it themselves, but you were a reminder to them of their own families back home. You reminded them that those that they were fighting had families just like their own. You gave them hope." He sighed a sigh of relief, sitting back on his stump as he did so.

"It seems ironic that a rider that represents poison can be our idea of hope, but it was certainly the case here." The elven leader nodded reassuringly. Despite the certainty both men showed, Max seemed unsure. He was left no time to dwell on the matter, as the triad of heroes all emerged from the campsite. "Ah, it appears our heroes are rested up. What say you, stay and celebrate with us? We dont normally eat so much of our catch, but today is a special occasion."

"I'm never averse to free food, but we have more...urgent matters to attend to." Taragon responded to the elf, with a strage mix of remorse and excitement in his tone.

"Mmmh... what?" Sol mumbled, still groggy from just waking up. Khepri, who was now in much better shape, stood calmly by her side.

"Your fellow riders have fallen. Krotan wants you to head for Yaltan, where their replacements await. Or at least Ferrus' does. He hasn't said much for the replacement of the the nature dragon. Sometimes I wonder where that man's loyalties lie." He added, reluctantly showing some form of care for his sister dragon.

"Wh-what?!" Sol blurted out, her thoughts instantly racing to Tamber and Pyra for a second, before realizing Taragon had spoken of the nature rider and Ferrus. But then that meant...

"NO!" Khepri roared, slamming his front feet down angrily. "YOU ARE LYING! OUR BROTHER AND SISTER WERE SOME OF THE STRONGEST IN OUR-"

"It was their riders that were killed, they perished alongside them. As we all will." Taragon explained, hesitant to look at his flustered brother. He glanced over to Maxwell, suprised that the boy hadn't been flushed with emotion in the way that he had expected.

The golden dragon lah silent for a moment. "I..."

Sol put a hand on his shoulder. Though she had never gone on a mission with either Flynn or Idora, they had become close friends - almost family, in a way. Doing her best to control her shaky breath, she looked at Taragon. "Then w-we have to move to Pharus at once." She glanced at Max. If anything, she had to stay composed for him - she couldn't even begin to imagine how the young boy was taking the news.

"No. As I said, their replacements have been decided and are in just as much danger as their predecessors. If we are to avoid another incident like this one, we must become stronger together." Taragon stated assertively. "Both riders...and dragons." He ended, exchanging an assured glance with Sol and Khepri.

A joint post of Foxrally and Shak​

---

Maxwell Tybalt​

​

Choices and Intent​

​

The ride had been quiet, with only the off comment or half-hearted joke being shared between the Riders and their dragons. The silence was telling, no doubt each of them had their reservations, with news of their comrades deaths seeming to affect each of the four in different ways. Thus, there was no time for rest, and the journey to Yaltan was the only thing that could follow such news.

Maxwell on the other hand, had a different agenda. Of course fear was one of the obvious emotions, but the boy was now riddled with uncertainty and curiosity. Who was this new rider Taragon had said was replacing Flynn? How did the duo die? What would happen to Matthew now that things hadnt gone according to plan, and most importantly, could it have been him who suffered that fate had he taken on that mission instead? It worried him that he was so close to being in that position.

Alongside all those conflicting emotions, he felt burdened by a foreign sense of anguish, guilt and sorrow. In the thick of his thought process he hadnt remembered that he was airborne, much less that the dragon beneath him was breathing unusually heavily. He placed his hand on Taragon's side. "You seem shaken." He stated plainly, with a pinch of concern in his voice.

Taragon's gaze returned straight, having glanced back in the corner of his eye when he felt the small hand press against his side. "As you would expect from someone who has just lost their brethren." The dragon responded, with the same lack of emotive content as his rider's prior statement.

The boy paused, unsure of the best way to respond. "Did you even know them?" He asked, rather hesitantly.

Taragon glanced back, seemingly unprepared the such a nonchalant response. He felt the need to give the child some sort of explanation, but couldnt bring himself to say anything more.

Upon arriving, the group were amazed by the stoney architecture of the dwarven stronghold. Maxwell had heard tales of dwarf cities, but he had imagined them to be smaller than this. He'd always thought that dwarves lived underground, and rode on moles in order to dig their way to the surface. He'd read stories about the great dwarf Bordak, who was able to turn things to stone as long as he kept his head clean shaven. This town certainly resembled the one described in the stories of Bordak.

---

Having waved off Sol and Khepri after a short briefing on the local affairs, Maxwell's first thoughts were rest. The basilisk situation had worn him out, and he was honestly not sure how his bandaged wounds were holding up. Strangely, his thoughts turned to his other riders. He considered the fact that he barely knew them. Any one of them could be the next Flynn or the next...he didnt even know the name of the other one. Taragon had said that they were all being gathered here to meet this new rider. He'd have to appreciate moments like those more.

Zile was walking out of the embassy at a steady pace, Alyra glancing down at the town from above, upon a rocky outcropping she had claimed as her own for the visit, provided him with a birds eye view of the crater every time he closed his eyes and peered through hers. The city was a little bit larger than the Pharus township, which was highly impressive considering its location, at least Zile thought so.

A smaller, rather portly dwarf trod along beside him, one Darson Clifreach, steward at Yaltan's royal embassy. He was a rather flush fellow, with combed over black hair and a similar trimmed goatee speckled with white. "So, ehm, yes Master Zile, I assume the lodging was to your liking?" He spoke with the natural stutter yet surprising efficiency of a true busybody. "Yes Mr. Cliffreach, I do believe that the rooms should suffice nicely for the Riders, many of us are not beasts of luxury to begin with, so do not stress so much for the details." Zile was growing rather tired of the Dwarf's obsessive attitude, but he said nothing to the contrary.

"Do you have any idea when your fellows are to arrive My Lord? You mentioned the entourage will be arriving? The King will be most pleased by this tribute." Cliffreach spoke quickly as Zile struggled to get away with a quicker pace.

"Any time now, I expect you to deal with such when they arrive- Ah! Speak of the devil." Spotting Max in the crowd, whom easily stood out compared to the shorter, beardier fellows around him, Zile made a beeline for the other Rider, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and quickly walking away from the embassy... and the dwarf steward whom was struggling to keep up.

"Maaaax! Buddy... come on, let's get out of here and do that thing I said we'd do. Official rider business, all that stuff, you know what I mean, come on now." With that said, Zile began to drag Maxwell away and down some stairs, out of sight of their pursuer.

Max jumped a little as he was dragged away by the older rider. He had no idea what was going on or what 'rider business' was exactly, but he could only assume that for whatever reason, Zile wanted to get out of there and was heroically saving him from whatever torture he himself had just endured. It was a strange feeling, but he was somewhat happy to see his fellow rider, and he was certain Taragon would feel the same after reuniting with his fellow dragons.


Taragon flapped his wings, ensuring the safest softest possible landing onto the cliffside. "Sister." He nodded, acknowledging Alyra, was sitting absent mindedly, looking over the city of Yaltan.

"Brother..." She spoke calmly, quietly, watching Zile and Maxwell from above with great care. "I had wondered where you were when young Maxwell was training and departing for missions."

Taragon glanced over the city himself, taking notes as to the whereabouts of their riders as well as searching for others. "I was attending to some issues I'd left unfinished. Myself and the boy hadn't interacted much between the time I first left his home town and the time Krotan called to us. I was well aware that he was left isolated for that time, but I was also aware that he was far from ready to take on anything that may have threatened his life. That was until the idiot chose to take on a basilisk." He scraped his claws across the stone, leaving large indents on the rocky ledge.

"It is so strange... you and that boy, the way you two behave." She closed her eyes a moment and thought pensively. "We choose whom we spend our lives bound to, Taragon, yet you resent and reject the boy... Maxwell, is his name, in case you have forgotten." She rose from the ground, stretching her wings and turning gentle yet stern eyes to gaze into those of her kin. "It is not my place to judge you, brother... but if the boy is such a fool in your eyes then why did you choose him as your Rider?"

Taragon humbled himself, sitting as he was scolded by Alyra. He knew full well that everything she said was true and he knew the answers to her question. He had already accepted all of it. What he couldn't accept was that he may be wrong. Alyra's words made him fearful. It was his decision. It was a decision he would have to stick with. "What that boy can do..." He paused, rethinking how he worded his explanation. "What Maxwell will be capable of..." He paused again. He glanced down at Max and Zile with an air of curiosity. "Tell me first. Why did you pick yours?"

Alyra smiled gently and gazed down at the two once more, they were walking away from the embassy and down the lower streets. Zile was laughing and pointing some of the more interesting pieces of archetecture to Maxwell, whom he practically dragged along. "Why I chose Zile...?" She snorted a little puff of air from her snout, as if laughing. "Because Zile is a flawed crystal... that reflects the light in a way that spreads it farthest. He is strong willed and capable of great things, he has the potential to do so much more than he understands..." She trailed off and let out a gentle sigh. "But he is broken... he has been mistreated to no end and alone he was set on a path to self destruction. I offered him another path, I am the honing forge to his tempered blade. I chose him because the instant I noticed him I knew I had to... and I knew that together we could do things that might change the very fabric of this world."

She closed her eyes again, before continuing with a softer tone. "That is why brother, I do not understand why you are so distant from Maxwell... do you not think that together, side by side, you could both become capable of so much more? Is that not why you chose him?"

Taragon again scraped his claws the stone wall beneath him and watched as the dust fell onto the town below. "I chose Maxwell for exactly the same reason, sister. The only difference is..." He paused again reluctant to admit the truth. "I'm beginning to have my reservations. He hasnt become what I thought he would become at this stage. As an unhatched, I felt he would be powerful. That he would become, far greater than anyone else. Though I feel I may have overestimated not only him, but myself, and that's the truth of the situation. That is why I am reluctant to allow myself to be weak." His claw was now fully dug into the mountain side, almost tearing a chunk of stone straight out of the wall.

Alyra's eyes softened greatly at her kin's words. she felt a tinge of sympathy seep into her mind as her brothers reasoning became clear in her mind. He was afraid that Max would not become strong enough to live up to his position, so he sought to better himself beyond his limits to make up for what was lost. "Dear brother..." Her voice had softened considerably. "Your fear is something I understand, you do not wish for Maxwell nor yourself to come to harm... but isolation does not a strong one make. Zile taught me as much, when secluded and alone we do not grow stronger only weaker and more distant." She paused momentarily. "Maxwell... he needs-"

Suddenly Alyra froze. A strange sense of dread washed over her form, sending a shiver down her wings and a snarl to her lip. "Taragon... do you feel that?" She thought quitetly as a thought can be. "Something... is coming. We have to get to our riders, now."

Bottling away his vulnerable state, Taragon took to his feet, feeling the same sense of urgency that had alerted his sister. "Of course." He responded, tearing away the chunk of stone he had clasped in his hand.


"...so yes, he means well, but the little steward is rather annoying and pompous for my tastes. Sorry I had to make use of your presence like that to escape, but trust me it was for the best." Zile stretched his arms up Skyward, the warmth from the heated city making him somewhat drowsy. "Was the flight here alright for you, Maxwell?"

They had been walking for a good five minutes or so before Zile deemed it appropriate to explain what had happened. At that point the two Riders were just North of the bridge stretching over the lava filled crater the city was based upon.

"Uhhh...I guess okay works. I flew in here with Sol and Khepri, but neither seemed all that talkative. Taragon was as quiet as he always is, too." Max sighed, glad to finally have someone responsive to talk to.

"Princess too good to talk to you, huh? Ha! Figures..." He shrugged gently and looked down into the embers below. "Then again... the loss is probably hitting her hard too. Though I guess that's why we're here right? To make up for that... somehow. Did you two talk to the Old Man before setting off?"

"We came straight here. Taragon filled us in. Though he seems shaken up over the whole thing. He's not the same..." Max looked away pensively, regretting having mentioned it, but realising it was too late for him to leave a tale half told. "All three of them seemed pretty hard hit by the news." He sighed.

"As they should be kiddo." Zile said, exhaustion seeping into his otherwise energetic voice. "It could have been any of us... if for no other reason than that, it'll wear them down." Zile took the boys self neglect in the passive declaration of care for the fallen as a sort of stoic bravade common among boys his age. Even if he really didn't care about his dead comrades, he was certain that deep down the fear of his own death at least would affect Max. "You hungry? I'm sure the Dwarves make some decent grub in this city. We should grab a bite, my treat."

"Hey, before we do...how much do you know about this replacement Rider that Taragon mentioned. Can they really just have a new riders just like that?" Max asked rather pressingly. It was something he himself had been pondering ever since he heard the news.

"I'm not gonna pretend like I got all the details kid... but from what the old man told me..." He sighed gently and scratched his stubble covered chin. "The World takes precautions. It has... back-ups kind of. Other Riders, ready to take our place if we fall... something like that." He takes a deep breath and looks skybound to the rocky roof above. "It's not the most encouraging thing to hear... and I'm a little sour about the whole, immediate replacement thing but..."

After trailing off again, Zile stared forward for a few moments, lost in thought, before grinning and giving a resolute nod. "Look at it this way, whoever this new person is? They're gettin' exactly what we got. A forced new life and little time to change it... not only that but they've got something dangerous on their tail, ready to take them down at a moments notice if we don't get there first." He pat Max's shoulder lightly and started to walk past him towards the nearest smell of good food. "Way I see it? We Riders gotta stick together or fall apart. So we should do all we can regardless of who this person is, got it?"

"R-right." Max nodded, before following behind.


They had been walking for a good fifteen minutes more when Zile decided it would probably be for the best if he asked the locals for help regarding where to get food. They had found their way to the bridge that connected Yaltan to the lower reached of Nobillis. Reznak had told him how the lava beneath this bridge now concealed what was once a much larger city and Zile found himself wondering just how many buildings lay beneath the molten rock. "Something to remember Max, working folk know where to find the heartiest food in their cities," In response to which the boy looked across the line of intimidating and miniscule workmen. "... excuse me, madame!"

Zile hailed a passing Dwarf covered in grime and oil. There were many balistas, catapults and other siege engines set up along the bridge perimeter and Zile could only assume that this dwarf worked maintenance on one of them, her black hair was tied in a slicked back ponytail and her stern expression was one of tiredness and authority. "Sorry to bother you, my young companion and I are new to town and we were wondering-"


THOOM.

"What on Earth was-"

THOOM

A massive, repetitive beating noise began to resound around the city crater. Small pebbles shook on the ground... and gravel and dust began to float down from the cave top above. All went silent for a few moments, what had once been a bustling street of busy dwarves became a single part of a city of silence. Nobody said a word.

THOOM

Mass hysteria. Dwarven women grabbed their children and began to sprint to the upper levels, people were screaming left and right. Zile turned to Max an expression of confusion and worry on his face before looking back to the Dwarven woman in front of him. "What's going on here?!"

"Ach! I've no time to explain to you fancy pants humans, out of me way!" Shoving Zile aside quickly she moved to a large horn like object made of brass, screaming inside her voice was amplified to a greater volume and Zile found himself envious of Maxwell, whom covered his ears, as he was almost deafened by the noise. "BAR'KANDAL!" She screamed and in response. Dwarves all around moved to the siege engines and began to work them tirelessly, massive spears of Dwarven Iron were loaded into clockwork launchers and steam propellors and tubes whirred and whistled with the familiar sounds of working machinery... but then all went quiet.

"Did we do som..." Max began before being cut off.

"WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE?!" The female dwarf, clearly someone of importance, screamed down the pipe again. A group of armor clad dwarven warriors, at this moment charged down the staircases from the upper levels, thirty or so fully equipped men, trained to fight began rushing across the bridge... and that's when Zile saw it.

A massive lizard like creature, covered in crimson scales and with two eyes, black and empty like coal. It's huge fanged jaw was pulled into a monstrous grin. It's huge tail swung around menacingly, tossing stray rocks into the molten abyss below. It had no arms... but its legs were huge, muscular and taloned. Was this what the woman mentioned? Was this a Bar'Kandal?

A JP by Jay and Shak​

Princess Sol Laetanas​

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Bottoms Up​

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Tamber had never visited a city of dwarves before. Despite the heavy air that was still hanging about from the passing of Flynn and Idora, the white-haired gypsy felt a small sense of excitement being there. Of course, it was not the smoothest of sailings. The woman had a small bit of trouble at the city's gate, wherein the guards did not seem to be too convinced that she was Rider. Tamber could not figure out why they would have such an issue understanding that she was. Luckily, Pyra was able to somehow ease any doubts that they had... Or rather, the dragons of her fellow Riders helped to prove who they were.

Now, Pyra was off taking a rest after there long travel to Yaltan. All while Tamber decided to check out just what sort of sights the city had to offer.

"It's so different from Pharus or any of the cities I visited back when I traveled with father and the troupe," Tamber mused. "It's almost like being in another world..."

"I can understand your curiosity, but do you not think it would be a better idea to meet up with your fellow Riders?" Pyra inquired, concern evident in her tone. "Krotan did not exactly send you here for sightseeing..."

"That's true, but... We don't even know if the rest of our group has arrived, yes?" Tamber questioned back. A small smile tugged at her lips. "There is no rush into getting down to business until we have all arrived into the city. Don't worry, I'll be careful... For now, just keep me posted on when the others arrive."

Once she had spoken her mind, Tamber resumed her exploration of the city. Truth be told, the white-haired gypsy knew that Pyra had a point. Krotan had sent her and most likely the rest of her fellow Riders to Yaltan for a reason. However to be honest, Tamber was in no real hurry to act upon his orders. The loss of Flynn and Idora, though she really did not know either too well, had happened so suddenly... she really was not ready to fully move on.

"...mayhaps a drink would help," Tamber mused, her eyes lighting up slightly as she spotted a building that she would find familiar in any setting... A tavern.


Having taken their leave from Maxwell and Taragon shortly after a quick briefing, Sol and Khepri made their way through the wide streets of Yaltan.

"The city''s certainly changed since my last visit..." Sol said, looking around at the impressive structures the dwarves had built for themselves.

She was met with a quiet grunt of agreement from Khepri - an extremely uncharacteristic response from him.

Sol sighed. "Khepri, none of this was your fault. Moping over Ferrus and Morenth is not going to bring them back. The best and only thing you can do is to honor their passing."

Khepri suddenly stopped, bowing his head. "You do not understand, young mistress..." he began.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Khepri, we literally share a single mind! I understand completely what you're feeling!"

The dragon bowed his head and sighed. "But... If only we had gone with the original mission, then we-"

"Then what? Then it would have meant Max and his dragon's death, not to mention countless of innocent lives which we saved back there!" Sol interrupted again. Taking a deep breath, she patted Khepri on the shoulder. She could feel Khepri's struggle herself, how his knightly pride had been broken by the untimely death of two of his allies - but it was no time to cry over spilled blood, especially now that a new rider had been spotted.

A few more minutes passed with the two walking in silence, before Khepri suddenly stopped. He looked up at the sky. "I can sense lady Pyra and Tamber from here. If you head forward for a little longer, you should find the latter. Now if you'll excuse Khepri..."

Sol nodded, smiling. "Take care of yourself." she said, patting him on the head. She watched as the dragon took off and flew into the distance, garnering a few looks of wonder from the crowd below.


Heaven's sake, Tamber had to pick a tavern, of all places in a dwarf city... Sol thought to herself as she entered the busy pub. The entire place reeked of men and alcohol, the heat from the forges around the city only worsening the stench.

Ignoring the inevitable cat calls in her direction, she looked around nervously, searching for her fellow rider.

The elven princess did not get to proceed much further into the tavern before another cat call managed to reach her direction, one that sounded a bit more... feminine than the others, albeit with a similar slur added on. "And here I wash shinking that the only patrons here were a bunch of short, shtubby guys. It's nice to shee a change of shcenery, especially one as delishious as you~"

Sighing in exasperation, Sol marched over to the white-haired gypsy, who was in the company of 2 equally white-haired dwarves who had clearly had one too many drinks (which was impressive for their race, she thought). She grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the men.

"Tamber, please, let's talk outside." she pleaded, beginning to direct her towards the exit.

"Now hold on a moment... " Tamber began, a grin gracing her lips despite the fact that she practically stumbled forward. "Don't you think it would be rude of me to just abandon my new friends? Beshides, now that you're here, our group would be even..."

"They are not your friends, Tamber, they are drunk." Sol hissed. "And I'm starting to think so are you."

"Don't be shilly, I'm perfectly fine," Tamber slurred out with a giggle. "I've only had four or sho... I just needed to take some time out... relax a bit."

"Well, we can 'relax' outside. Now come, let's-"

"Wait a minute," Tamber said, fumbling back towards the table where she had been sitting just a few moments ago. The white-haired gypsy quickly grabbed the mug she had been drinking from. It was still half full from her current serving of ale, exactly the number of which Tamber had lost count of long ago. "You didn't come in here for nothing, did you? Come on, at leasht have a drink with me!"

"What? No!" Sol instantly refused, shaking her head vehemently. It was out of the question that she'd allow herself to partake in the activities of dwarves, let alone in one of their taverns. "I don't drink- you know that. Can we please just-"

"You're sho uptight, Shol! Don't you know how to let loose and have shome fun?!" Tamber inquired, a bright and somewhat goofy looking smile stretched across her lips. She took a moment to down the rest of the contents of the mug, letting loose a somewhat satisfied-sounding sigh as she smacked her lips. "We jusht losht two of our own and you were shuccesshful in your last job, right? I think this callsh for a bit of time to unwind!"

Somehow, without even looking back behind her, the gypsy managed to place her mug perfectly on the table. Without a word exchanged, one of the dwarves she had been sitting with took the mug, filling it to the brim with more of the dark-colored ale from a barrel located not too far behind him. He was quick to return the mug to Tamber, who in turn was quick to pass it towards Sol.

"Lemme tell you about life!" Tamber insisted. "It's short, even for us! Old man says we're immortal, then boom! Flynn and Idora get killed... Jusht showsh you gotta live it up while you can!"

Grabbing the mug to stop Tamber from spilling it all on Sol's dress, the elf princess looked down into the liquid. Her face scrunched up into a disgusted frown as the stench of the drink hit her nostrils. "Wha- those were our friends, Tamber, what's gotten into you?" she hissed, shaking off the smell. She looked in disgust at the dwarves in front of her, then back to the drink she was holding, repulsed by how this drink could change people so much - and so quickly. Drinking was a very rare occasion in Luxolis; with only royal weddings and important meetings having alcohol served there - the former of which happened so rarely she hadn't seen one yet - so the sight of seeing so many people revel in the drink was still an uncommon concept to the princess.

Sol tried her best to remain calm, and set down the drink on the counter, carefully avoiding the dwarves sitting next to Tamber. Hopefully Tamber was still able to make her way out of the building.

Tamber shook her head. "They were our friendsh, yeah..." she replied to the elven princess. "But they're gone now... and how do we know that none of ush are gonna be gone tonight... or tomorrow? Remember our firsht misshion? We could've died there, yeah...? And it'sh not like it'sh the firsht time Krotan sent ush on a job like that... What if next time shomething happensh to Zile, or... or Max... or you...?"

"I..." Sol stammered, but soon regained her composure. "I can take care of myself!" she said, stomping the ground with one foot.

"Come on... haff a drink wiff me... In honor of them," Tamber pleaded. Glancing over her shoulder, the gypsy gave a small look to both of the dwarves at the table. Despite the amount of alcohol on her breath and in the air, they both seemed to grasp the concept of what Tamber was getting at, both of them raising from their chairs and shambling off to other corners of the bar. Once they were gone, Tamber returned her focus to Sol, giving her fellow Rider a sincere look (as much as she could given her current state), before pushing the mug forward. "Please...?"

Sol frowned, hesitating. "Tamber, you can't be... I'm a..." she paused momentarily to look around, as if looking for someone who might recognize her. "It's... in their honor." she muttered to herself as she sat down. Looking back down into the mug, she closed her eyes before gulping down almost half of the glass in a single go. "T-to Fly... Flynn and Idora!" she blurted, raising the (admittedly fairly heavy) glass at Tamber.

A joint post of Foxrally and Jill Sandwich​