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Post by Taenor Stormwind on Jan 23, 2017 17:54:58 GMT
Taenor stood as his charge tested out her wounded leg. The poison had been neutralized so far as he could see, but he'd only been able to staunch the bleeding a bit. He wasn't very well practiced at the healing arts, but the gryphon seemed to have her own abilities that were augmenting his attempt to patch her up. In fact, she had a great many abilities, it would seem, as she reacted before Taenor even knew of the danger. A dragon landed on the ship, rocking it a bit. Velaeri's wing knocked him back and lit in a fierce glow of runes. Were Taenor not fearing for his life as the gryphon and dragon engaged in melee on the deck of an airship, he would have been taking notes. As it was, he feared his abilities would be needed, and he was close to passing out from the strain of so much casting in so little time. 'If I could move around unhindered, I could etch a trap for the dragon...but it is doubtful this battle would allow me to carefully etch runes in a perfect circle around the dragon...' he thought to himself as he stood and backed away. 'I wonder how fire retardant this ship is...' he continued to ponder while watching the show. With deep breathes, he tried to dispel the tingling sensation that had crept in on him while he had been casting, honestly thankful for the rather unharmful way he was able to gauge his energy levels. He'd heard of some who were warned by increasing smells, or even outright pain. Both sounded frankly annoying. "Master Dwarf!" Taenor yelled to Aldacer above the sound of two great beasts fighting. "How resistant to flames is your ship?" The mage asked while watching the fight. Inscribing took magic, but often at a slow enough pace that he could do it even when fatigued. On the other hand, he could likely level a heavy spell at the dragon, then pass out from the drain.
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Post by Aldacer on Jan 24, 2017 0:27:02 GMT
Cursing, Aldacer ordered crossbowmen to fire bolts with a minor blessing on them he had prepared on Idmidium. It would do little enough against a dragon, but each hit would sting a bit even if not penetrating the vast hide. As he did, he pulled his sword from his sheathed and drew his blade. The possibly insane dwarf was channeling some others ship's captain as he charged straight at the beast with his blade raised high and shield across his body. There was no warcry, just a nod to the crew, who kept pummeling the beast with blessed bolts. Reaching close to the edge of the railing he hurled his sword out into the dragon's direction, as the sky rumbled and seemed to groan. The wind whipped his beard as his shield reared up and clanged to the metal deck. It struck hard, but even with the strength the brazen peel that sounded from the two meeting. A shockwave rippled out, and regrettably Aldacer realized the gryphon may be hit by the same. The cocky young mage was mostly summarily ignored. Any arcanist that would waste and expend their energy with a paladin around didn't register in his mind as a sound ally. From the sky several ribbons of white flame coalesced from the light that now pierced in rays from the cloud cover, hitting the ground and scorching the grass and boiling water where it hit them. The sword rotated, suspended in mid-air, and he fell to one knee as a giant rotating dervish of holy fire formed from the streaming ribbons of blessed rage made incarnate. The dervish went straight for the dragon, as the chirurgeon of the ship rushed towards the weakened Venator, and the ship pulled away from the insanity he had unleashed. The gryphon would feel only the vaguest of warnings and urgings to flee, as Aldacer was less than skilled in those arts. Velaeri - Taun-Lok - Mirielle Merlon - Taenor Stormwind -
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Post by Solaiel on Jan 24, 2017 2:22:09 GMT
Dawnbreaker made the mistake of pausing. He sought to glance down upon the sheer looks of terror upon the faces of his prey. Such a thing was a drug that had no equal. He simply lived for the smell of fear and adrenalin on the air. It was a very foolish notion not to immediately spray fire as soon as he landed. A foolish notion that saved many of the crew on deck that otherwise would have been burning alive at that very moment. Truthfully the beast didn't expect the almost instantaneous counter attack by the gryphon. Her smaller, but dense body was able to get up under his center of gravity and collide with enough force to throw him off balance. One of his rear talons was unable to get a good grip on the gunwale fast enough and his leg slipped down over the edge of the boat. Her continued momentum managed to send the rest of the massive dragon off of the ship completely. The apex predator flung its fore talons forward instinctively to grab anything close by that would stop the fall. That just happened to be the enraged gryphon that collided into him. Dragon claws dug into the feathered beast as both predators fell over the side into open air. His emerald green eyes saw tendrils of light crashing down into the ship where he had just been from Aldacer's attack. The view was quickly lost and replaced with the approaching and upside down ground below as the two mystical beings tumbled in air. Unfortunately the air ship had not gained a great enough altitude for his bulk to maneuver with ease. He violently kicked the gryphon away with all four limbs and twisted in air as his wings expanded to full span. Furiously the creature beat at the wind and was able to miss plummeting to the ground by mere feet. Dawnbreaker lost sight of his ironically named foe. He had to quickly gain altitude if he hoped to fight her claw to claw. Wings continued to beat furiously as the dragon soared upward. A two legged and two winged wyvern would likely have been able to match or beat Vera in aerial ability. Solaiel, however was a much larger and heavier four legged dragon. He was the age's literal definition of a flying tank, and a large specimen at that. He could navigate the ground easier than such a wyvern, but against the gryphon he knew he wouldn't fare well in the air. The advantage was lost. More altitude was needed. Velaeri
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Post by Mirielle Merlon on Jan 24, 2017 2:44:28 GMT
The dragon blotted out the sky. Its impact shook the deck until Mirielle could have sworn the ship was suffering an earthquake. Noise and concussion rattled her: the dragon's shout, the gryphon's titanic countercharge, the burst of light around the dwarf's sword. Instinct and judgment combined to press her farther into the shelter of Taun-Lok's sturdy frame and armour. Still numb and tired from the fight at the castle, unarmed in all ways that mattered, Miri felt uniquely helpless. This scale -- paladins and armies and airships and dragons -- was so far above her that she had no way to contribute, would draw no real attention.
And though the best outcome right now would be for the airship to get her home or to Taun-Lok's city, where she could be safe to pursue her inquiries...well, that sense of helplessness irritated her. Truth be told, irritation was just about the only part of her that felt anything.
"Another time," she muttered, trying to convince herself. "Another day when the fight means more and I have better options."
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Post by Taun-Lok on Jan 24, 2017 3:05:50 GMT
Taun-Lok couldn't do much about a flying dragon, a flying gryphon, or a flying ship. He couldn't do much about a mage's spells other than soldier on through them, and he couldn't do much about the noise they caused. The large reptilian warrior did his best to shield Mirielle from the light and noise with his bulk and scales but he sat beside her nonetheless. This wasn't a fight he could participate in, even if he was coming off a full night's rest and was well. His eyes peaked over the railing, eyeing the water below. If worse came to worst he would take her and make a jump for it. Better the chance of life for them both than the certainty of death for them both. The fall was far and the river wasn't all that deep, but it offered a chance for them if they required it. " Sssafe." The word was barely audible and low, the rumble in his chest from attempting it reverberating against her fingers. Mirielle Merlon
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Post by Mirielle Merlon on Jan 26, 2017 1:42:24 GMT
Taun-LokHis single word baffled Miri for a long moment until her brain caught up with her. They manifestly weren't safe, nor were they about to be. He was telling her that he would do his best to keep her safe, as the note had promised. Whatever significance she'd gained in his eyes by speaking with his god, he clearly meant to preserve it and her as well. Affection, person to person, probably didn't figure into it: they had so little in common, and they'd met less than two hours ago. The protectiveness put her in mind of how she'd once felt about a puppy. She eased up to look over his arm, and squinted past the airship's equivalent of rigging. They were pulling away from the castle and from the aerial fight, the dragon versus the massive gryphon. Any other day, she'd have been fascinated by that matchup. Today she just needed to sleep. Soon enough, she'd be at Taun-Lok's lost city, and she felt sure she would need all her energy and wits there. "I know," she said quietly. "Thank you."
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Post by Velaeri on Jan 26, 2017 23:28:11 GMT
The gryphon was saved from a likely gutting at the dragon's hind talons by the same runic barrier that had protected her from his molten spittle. Tumbling through the air, broad feathered wings bent and curled before catching the winds at the very last minute. She missed the ground by a head alone. Heavy beats churned through rising skies, lifting the massive creature after her quarry, twisting past glancing blows of Aldacer's divine magic. The dragon was on the run but she gave chase, leaving behind the dwarves, the winded Mage, the exhausted Princess, and the pensive reptilian King. There was only one way to ensure their safe escape, and that was to keep what was presently their greatest threat busy for as long and as far as she could. She meant to and she would not make the grisly beast's fleeing easy.
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