[DragonMerge] Dreaming In Shades

[Morgan]

Vorasyr and Rohinder were forced to forge a pact that would save both dragonkind and mankind from annihilation at their own hands. Atop that lonely, frigid mountain, the two leaders performed the first of many DragonMerges.

From the Great Wyrm's maw came an arcane whisper of ancient, Draconic power. As his serpentine lips formed the words, an iridescent sphere that fluctuated with a warm steady rhythm arose from within the core of the golden dragon; a sliver of the dragon's soul. Massive jaws opened to reveal a small, fist-sized pearl before it rolled to the tip of Vorasyr's forked tongue.

"Rohinder," it began as a tickling whisper; a thought that penetrated Rohinder's mind until he could hear the gentle voice of the Golden Dragon as clearly as if he were speaking aloud, "King of Men, do you agree to enter this pact with me and pledge to keep balance between what is right and that which is wrong, between righteousness and injustice, between all that is good and all that is evil?"

The tip of Vorasyr's tongue extended to Rohinder, exposing the soul fragment. The mighty king accepted, "I do," as his hands reached up to clasp around the pearl. The palms of his hands were seared and the pain was immense. Rohinder's body shuddered and convulsed and still he clung to the orb. His mind reeling with pain, he'd nearly released his pain when a sliver of his own soul was suddenly drawn from his body, swirling about his arms, wrists, and finally, his hands where it merged with Vorasyr's and then split in two. One receded into the core of Rohinder and the other, into Vorasyr.

And thus, the DragonMerge was formed.

Spoiler:

The Red Dragon, the Crystal Dragon, and an additional traveller.

THE KB, Sorano, and Keira

Eons ago, a bond of brotherhood was forged atop the peak of a mountain long since forgotten, and yet the remnants of that bond echo throughout time to reach your unknowingly attentive mind. You have slept little, your dreams riddled with scenes of war and brotherhood, and deep within you it is apparent that you are destined for something greater than what you have now. You feel the call of your brethren, yet unknown. How will you answer? Where will you go? And what do your dreams mean for your future?

[Sorano]

The lush green grassy hill was now stained crimson by those whom had met defeat. Moans, cries, and screams echoed for as far as one could hear. She ran. Sword at the ready, her comrades fighting around her, dying around. The clash and clank of metal deafening, as she swung her mighty blade only to offer a fatal blow to her foe and trek onward...Above all else, there's always one thing that stays forever etched in her mind, something that doesn't seem to fit the images she sees. A sound. The sound. A great beast, and its deep roar. A roar that seems almost unnatural.

Drenched in sweat, she sat upright. Breathless, her hands felt tired as if grasping something for a long time, and the muscles in her arms and legs burned with exertion. Vividly, she remembered the dream, and every one before it that caused her sleepless nights, and exhaustion.

Hours were spent daily trying to remember bits and pieces of her past. Could she have been a warrior before her rebirth and her memories are starting to resurface? She couldn't answer that. She only knew that she needed to know the truth. For these dreams that haunted her also called to her, and she decided to no longer deny them the attention that for some reason was refusing to be ignored.

Through half opened eyes she dressed. Sleep would be such a welcomed friend, but for weeks now the dreams just came and came, and every time she woke up the same-more tired then when she had laid her head down, and feeling as though the dreams which played in her mind were actually occurring as she saw them.

Tossing her meager belongings into a satchel, she made sure Xolomon and Xeshua were secured behind her back, and covered well with her coat.

The same rowdy crowd that had been there the past couple days, were still there. She wondered what kind of person could spend so much of their time in a place like this. The stench of cigars and ale, not to mention the worst food she had ever tasted, were the only impression left on her from here. She beckoned the young girl over that was tending to the tables, and held a canteen out toward her. “Fill this with fresh water please. And fetch the provisions I asked about earlier.”

It didn't take the girl long to return with what was requested. And silently, Sorano tucked them into her satchel as well. “Anything else ma'am?” With a nod of her head Sorano quickly searched her mind for the right way to question the girl, without coming across insane or ignorant. “Tell me of the lore here. Were there any great battles taken place upon this land?”

The girl giggled for a moment and looked back at the tables closest to them. The men had fallen silent, their eyes wide upon Sorano as she passed them a glance as well. “Well miss, there are a lot of things said about this land. Doesn't make'm all true.” Without a change of emotion about her face, Sorano fired back at the girl. “I didn't ask what you believed, I asked about the things said...”

The men were consumed in laughter while the young girls face turned every shade of red. The largest of the men stole the attention from the girl. “Depends on whatcha believe 'round these parts missy.” A toothless smile stole his features as he motioned her to come closer to the table.

“They say around here was the first. People useta come from all over too look for the place where it all started.” She was confused, but didn't interrupt the mans broken story. “The dragon's soul from the Golden dragon was said..” His words were quickly cut off by another mans quip. “Is all malarkey you know, else we'd never be in this hole. Else they'd come and make things right again. Not a souls been to those mountains in ages searching for that rubbish. Hush your foolish words.” The toothless man let out a grunt and nodded his head toward the others. “Like I said missy, it's all in what you believe.”

Sorano raised a brow, noting the mention of the mountains. She tossed the toothless man a few coins and offered him a nod in thanks. Her lips curled into a smile...

“Indeed.”

[THE KB]

A weary, shaggy beast fell into each step on the stony road as it pulled along the weight of a small covered cart. The driver of the vehicle seemed equally worn, wavering back and forth as eyes dully closed and opened. Neither the aged man or his companion fell however, each step and bump in the road being overcome. It seemed death from exhaustion would claim the pair at any moment, and yet miraculously they continued onwards.

Inside the cart the vampire sat amongst basic supplies, unceremoniously covered by dusty blankets and other materials. By the light of day the creature was conscious of danger, knowing too well the thin cover of the cart afforded little protection. A corner of the tarp flapped lazily in the midday sun, having come undone by a gust of wind. KB remained complacent even as the line of sunlight crept closer and closer to his exposed face.

Lost in thought, his will urged the beasts in front of him. It would not be long before the animal's bones ground to dust and the driver simply died outright. Still, unconsciously his desire to pursue this new fascination would drive them to the brink of death and beyond. Their corpses would become infused with his will once they perished, eyes rolling into the back of their heads as they transitioned into a mechanical gait. It would be a slight improvement in speed, if not too noticeable to passer by.

Still, there was no denying the constant machinations coming from within the deepest recesses of his mind. An entity that was distinct from the other creations of his insanity. While the others were mimicries of people he'd met, this voice whispered with an authentic originality. With his body having been virtually destroyed in the past, KB knew the only way for such a potent blood to live within him was for it to have imprinted on his necrotic core itself. Such power was beyond the vampire's scope, and he knew he had never consumed a necromancer of such mastery.

He had abandoned his campaign on Terrenus to seek the answer to this mystery. The trip had been expensive in many ways, but every step forwards was reassuring. With every inch of the landscape the creaky wheels of the cart covered, the intensity of the apparition increased. It seemed impossible to pinpoint the location, but with each passing moment he knew he grew closer. Not to solace or peace, but to an increased understanding of brutality and carnage. To an entire world inundated by the blood of its people, with every living thing lashing out at one another. Unbridled and absolute violence.

A red world.

[Sorano]

The sun hit her face the moment she exited the establishment. It was refreshing, and empowered her to move onward. For a moment though, perhaps even longer, she leaned against the building and watched the passers by. It was not a rich town per se, the people were poorly dressed, and worked feverishly just to put food on their tables, none the less it had been a pleasant place to stay.

With her pack securely on her back, she dug her hands deep in her pockets, and leaned her head back against the building. Even with the beautiful day before her, her lids were heavy and the spurt of empowerment gone as quickly as it came.

Lazily her lids fell shut, her mind going over and over what little she had been told. Even within quips she found information that could be useful for her journey. Though she didn't really know the lands well, she was not above asking around for that in which she sought out.

It didn't really take her long to decide that her first order of business was to find out where these mountains were. Perhaps there she would find the answers to the dreams that taunted her mind in sleep and while she was awake.

[THE KB]

When the cart came to a stop, reality rushed back to the vampire's sense. Shaking his head free of idle thoughts, KB leaned forwards and glanced through a hole in the ratty material. Outside in the sun was a plain village full of plain people. The place was entirely unlike what he expected to find when awash in visions of battle and glory. Nonetheless some meaningful thing stayed his will, causing the driver and beast to stare off into the distance lifelessly.

Leaning back into the comfort of the shadows, the vampire slouched. By day it was hazardous to search the town, and he had no idea what he was looking for. Waiting until nightfall and then assaulting the community seemed like a waste of considerable time by comparison. Weighing his options against one another he sighed. The voice that had urged him this far had fallen silent offering no clues.

Thus the cart did not move. Instead, the creaky mud-stained wooden wheels remained firmly glued to the ragged stone road. The canopy of the makeshift transport shook in the wind gently, the driver and beast swaying back and forth like branches in a breeze. An eerie silence encompassed the otherwise unremarkable vehicle.

[Sorano]

Upon opening her eyes, the first thing that struck were was a massive beast bearing the cart. While it was unlike anything she had ever seen before, she learned a long while back never to doubt much of anything. Oddly enough, it seemed the town folk paid no mind the the creature or the cart, and slowly..she approached it.

“Oi there! Did you happen upon a mountain range on your journey from that direction?” There was nothing behind the eyes of the driver, who seemed to be in a trace like state. “Sir?” She moved around near the beast, cautiously reaching out and touched it ever so lightly.

While curious as to what the contents of the cart were, she was not rude enough, nor inclined to tear the tarp back and look. “Perhaps I could offer you some sort of tender for a ride? I doesn't matter what way you're heading. Sir?”

[THE KB]

The driver groaned in response, a gruff noise bordering on a growl. By comparison the beast was silent, its flesh cold to the touch but its shaggy fur still comfortable. Neither of the two seemed to pay the woman any mind, instead the beast simply shuffled its feet and tugged gently at its harness.

"Mountains..." KB answered, smiling to himself at the vision that flashed in his mind. A sloping landscape made slippery with the entrails of men and animals alike. Gibbets strewn across the battlefield with such severity that it was impossible to tell which guts had come from which bodies. Every stone was painted red, every splintered bone stained darkly with drying blood. Pulling open a flap of the cart, KB clung to the shadows without making his preference too obvious. "What would take you out into the wilderness all by yourself? A lady should always travel in company."

Inside the cart the sole occupant dominated the senses, the pale man offering a warm smile. There were no attempts to hide his nature, between the surreality of his features and the color of his eyes it was obvious humanity had long ago left him. The piercing gaze was at once dead and alive, a hellish inner light illuminating the otherwise dull red eyes of a predator. Just by meeting a vampire's careful stare one would feel their will being pressed upon, easing them into an enamored state of servitude.

[Sorano]

His voice pulled her attention away from the puppets outside the cart. She leaned her weight on her right leg, peering around the beast whose fir she still tangled around her index finger. Careful foot falls carried her to the now open flap of the cart, and within the shadows he clung the death in his eyes apparent.

“I never travel alone creature.” She simply left it at that for now, while she decided if what she was speaking to was friend or foe. She caught his gaze and canted her head ever so slightly to one side. Perhaps it was the divine touch that she was blessed with when reborn, or simply the fact that so much of her mind was lost during her rebirth that didn't allow his intentions to reach her mind, however a grim picture show played through her mind of the mountain that commanded her dreams.

“I'm on a personal quest to find a great mountain where many lost their lives in a historic battle that now is only spoke of in childrens fairy tales it seems.” There was an innocence about her that one could not mistake, but also a wisdom that was more downplayed. “Forgive my manners, or lack there of. I'm Sorano.” It quickly dawned on her that her words toward the “creature” could come across more then offensive, and frankly she wished to make no more enemies. “And you are?”

[THE KB]

"My name is KB." He answered, taking her disposition in stride. Noting that his probing stare hadn't the usual effect on the young woman the vampire turned his attention ahead of him. At an unspoken command the cart lurched forwards, then began to crawl at a casual pace. It was slow enough that Sorano would easily match them by walking, but the fact that he had them going proved he was intent on pressing onwards.

Shoving aside some basic living supplies in an unceremonious manner, the monster let the noise settle before continuing their conversation. "I'm also searching for a place of some importance." He added, then remained quiet for a few moments. Allowing time for Sorano to think about the situation and enjoy the experience of walking the road was his priority. Hopefully having contact with the area would jog her memory. The living were often so... sensitive.

Gesturing to the spot next to him that had become reasonably comfortable looking, the vampire made his offer. "I am a bit lost though so I'll make you a deal. You can ride with me a ways down the road in exchange for you telling me some of these fairy tales." Motioning for her to join him, it was obvious he was unarmed. Despite his face and hands appearing untouched by the elements like the common folk, the vampire was dressed in unremarkable clothing. In any case, the space being offered was somewhat cramped but not enough to put them uncomfortably close. "How about it?"

[Sorano]

“A pleasure.” Her lips curled upward ever so slightly in a pleasant smile. As the cart lunged onward, she took a step back, moving at the same pace as the cart, still half eying the creature known now to her as KB.

Carefully she listened to his words. What were the odds that in a town as small and insignificant as this one, that two strangers of such different backgrounds would meet, both searching for a place of great importance? Slim to none she would guess, but none the less here the two of them were.

Backing up only a foot or so from the cart, she quickly allowed the moving wheel to become a makeshift foothold and with an almost feline precision, hopped over the side of the cart and joined her new undead friend. Assuming that that was answer enough to his question, the agreement to his offer, she made herself comfortable, arching her back enough so that Xolomon and Xeshua weren't digging into her back.

“These people haven't offered up information easy.” She ran her tongue across parched lips, keeping her eyes in contact with his as she spoke. “With anyone else I may start off by saying to you that, I know this is going to sound odd, but for some reason, I think you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.”

She smiled almost wickedly at her own words, yet there was nothing malicious behind her eyes. “It started in my dreams. A battle, a great war it seems. Bodies of the dead strewn from here to there, limbs and entrails everywhere. Red. Everywhere was red. Crimson. The blood of the dead and dying.” Pain, it seemed, stole her features. War was never an idea that made much sense to her.

“But that isn't what really draws my attention. It's the sounds etched within my mind that words almost cannot describe.” She leaned toward the vampire, dangerously close, and her words not but a whisper as if she herself did not believe the words she was speaking. “The roar of a beast. A great beast. For no man, alive or dying could draw from the depths of themselves something that piercing.....And it calls to me."

[Morgan]

@KB

Spoiler:

A series of gutteral clicks can be heard somewhere above you. The sounds do not seem to be random. In fact, it seems likely the creatures are in the midst of plotting an attack. With the sun baring down on the world below, you realize that the protection provided by your carriage may very well be in danger.

@Sorano

Spoiler:

You, too, hear the sounds of beasts not so high above you. Should you grow curious, or cautious rather, enough to extend your view towards the skies, the sight of four Gale Runners await you. It seems they may be unarmed, but the mid-day sun skews your vision.

[THE KB]

The vampire listened to the girl quietly, but intently. Her story conjured images of many long-forgotten battlefields. Grisly places that had seen horrible acts of warfare. Some of them were imagined by the vampire, others were contributed by the memories of his victims - a few were of his own experience. When she mentioned the sound that called to her however, the illusion was dispelled. The monster had had his fair share of experience dealing with dragons in the past, but that had been in a confrontational manner. Being summoned by an immensely powerful creature proved different from hunting it.

"Interesting." he noted. Taking a few moments to think about their situation, he decided to divulge a fact or two about himself. "Normally I would expect this to be some sort of spell or divine intervention, that someone or something was trying to force us along. I'm normally immune to such endeavors though, on account of my... constitution." Smiling warmly, KB pulled a ratty blanket up over his head like a makeshift hood. It spilled over his body like a poor man's robe, obscuring most of him from sight. "That would suggest to me we aren't dealing with a mage or a god, for better or for worse."

Shrugging he bent forward and started to rummage around through the scattered supplies. The noisy affair ended with the vampire holding a pot. After inspecting it and finding it suitably clean ( that is to say it was only a little bit grimy ) he reached up and stuck on his head. Adjustments were made to have the "hood" cover the "helmet" and then his attention turned back to Sorano. With a serious look on his face that didn't match his newfound apparel, he pointed to the ceiling with a pale finger.

"Did you hear something?" He asked.

Before she could answer, the cart jumped forwards as the decaying driver put the lash to the rotting beast. Their adventure had begun in earnest, and for it KB demanded a grueling pace.

[ Here's hoping we dodge malaria and snake bites. ]

[Sorano]

She nodded in agreement. “I too, do not think a divinity has anything to do with this. I'd feel it much differently then how I feel this.” Her words seemed lacking, as if she had already dealt with the divine before. “I do think that we were meant to meet, and travel this journey together.”

She watched curiously as he dug around for random items to cover himself with. She only wished she had something of more comfort to offer him. For a moment she considered telling him her story. Who she was, and how it happened that was of course a dreadful sound assaulted them.

“Aye, I hear it.” She reached behind her back. Either weapon would protect her, but what of KB? The sun was bright, and obviously not his friend. Xolomon would make quick work of whatever was out there. Before her now was a brilliant platinum revolver. She would need his strength, and quietly he hummed within her palm, happy to defend his master.

“Any idea what's out there?” She was scared, there was no doubt, but she had a faith that most men would never understand.

[Morgan]

@KB

Spoiler:

Genius idea, your makeshift suit-of-armor. You barely manage to don the 'helmet' when the first of many aerial assaults against the carriage begins. At the spot where you pointed, the spear of a Gale Runner pierces the fabric and rips it apart before the creature takes to the skies as another Gale Runner plummets towards the carriage, spear in hand. He's looking to turn you into a kebab a la undead.

@Sorano

Spoiler:

The fabric above you is ripped open and hovering over the carriage with clubs in hand are two more Gale Runners. One of these creatures decides that your skull would be perfect for batting practice and takes a swing at you.

[THE KB]

If KB was interested in an explanation he didn't have time to stop and listen to it. He pretty much only had a second to register the firearm and smile before a spear tore open the makeshift roof of the cart. When the sun hit the vampire the result was anti-climactic. No immediate signs of harm were shown by the monster, even though his discomfort was obvious as he cringed. Reaching up towards the Gale Runner as it assaulted him, KB was quick to redirect its spear into his gut.

A satisfying and distant pain came with the weapon impaling him, finding itself stuck fast in his hands and his torso. The vampire sneered at the hideous winged creature and twisted the spear, wrangling up his own intestines on the thing like spaghetti on a fork. Dark blood stained the primitive weapon and slowly oozed from the gaping wound onto the supplies littering the cart.

The driver and beast would maintain their pace, heading down the road. A careful calculation had the cart swerve off the road partially, putting the wheels on one side into rougher terrain. The sudden jolt of the cart caused the vampire to bounce in place and turn, driving the Gale Runner into its club-baring partner. After the two beasts smashed into one another the cart would right itself, lurching back onto the road properly.

"Not sure what these are... but they're fucking ugly." he admitted with a laugh.