forum To Save Another // One on One // Closed

Started March 19, 2020 by @Mojack group

tune

The dragon went back onto all fours just as the arrow hit, but did not land its mark. It did hit the dragon, but on the much tougher scales, barely piercing it. It didn’t even seem to notice as its jaws began to fill with a familiar smoke.

Oton promptly realized what was happening and knew he would not be able to dodge this..physically, anyways. He knew he did have a resistance against fire, but he didn’t want to risk it just yet. Instead, Oton used some of his magick to transport himself to the nearest living thing NOT the dragon, which happened to be the woman hiding in the trees. He seemed to vanish from sight, almost in a cloud of black ‘air’, reappearing right behind the woman just as the dragon sent a blast of fire where Oton formerly stood.

The dragon opened its wings again and took off, but it wasn’t leaving the area just yet.

Luna watched the dragon’s mouth fill with smoke and promptly realize she wasn’t in the blast zone. However, her lich acquaintance was. Her eyes watched as he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Teleportation, if she had to bet the spell. For a moment she wondered where he could be until a deep chill settled into her and her heart began to pound. She quickly turned around and jumped just slightly seeing him reappear behind her. Sheer willpower kept her from speaking and after moving away from him ever so slightly she returned her eyes to where the dragon had been.

Head tilted, Oton recognized the woman from before, though there was no time to ask ‘what are you doing here?’ The dragon was soaring above, circling again, much like a vulture. But anyone with good eyes could easily see the electricity which crackled on the edges of its wings.

Oton moved forwards again, looking above at the dragon. The only way he himself could reach the dragon at this distance was using his magic..though he was unsure if it had any effect, given he wasn’t at full strength right now.

Luna spotted the electricity on the wings edges. She knew it was no good and looked to Oton as he moved forward. Was he crazy or did he just not see the danger? She didn't try and pull him away from where he was. It was his own mistake to make. Her hand reached and pulled out another arrow notching it quickly ready to shoot. The moment she thought her arrow would pierce the dragon, would she fire the arrow.

Oton turned towards the woman again. “Your arrow will not reach the dragon, given it’s currently using a magic shield to defend itself right now. But if you would allow me, I can place a spell on your arrow to help it reach the dragon from here.” He spoke, his voice somewhat calm for this situation.

Luna looked to him as he spoke. So that's what the electricity was. If her arrow wasn't going to make it like it was, then she would let him place a spell. She pushed the arrow closer to him aimed down at the ground. The chill was still there, but at least her voice wasn't shaking, "You may."

Oton nodded, moving his hands forward. In what looked like motions that seemed nonsensical, he casted a spell upon the arrow. For a second or two, a blue glow surrounded it, then faded away. Oton put his hands back, glancing at the dragon.

“Though you do not have to listen to me, aim for the chest of the dragon.”

"Will the arrow pierce the thick scales there?" Luna asked him pulling her bow back as she tacked the motion of the flying dragon. It was a consistent circle so it wasn't extremely hard to keep track of. She quickly found the pattern and so could shoot at a moment's notice once she got confirmation from the Litch. She wasn't going to waste a spelled arrow if it wouldn't hit.

“With the spell, it will, yes. And from the sky, it will fall.” Upon the dragon’s chest was a very faint scar, as though it had been struck there before. “If you see it, aim for the scar. It’ll make this a lot easier.”

Luna saw the faint scar and pulled the bow back the rest of the way. She lined her arrow up to take the shot and took a steadying breath in and out. As she released her breath she released the arrow letting it fly towards the dragon's scar at full speed. Her aim looked true and she had a slight smirk on despite her racing heart.

There was a small blue flash as the arrow bypassed the dragon’s shield and dove right into the scales. While not enough to kill it, it was enough to stun the dragon, it’s wings suddenly freezing up, and sending it onto the ground with a crash. The dragon stilled on the ground for a few seconds, although it began to move again, beginning to stand back up.

Oton watched, before standing up and approaching the dragon at a walk.

Luna pulled another arrow out and drew it back ready to fire. She couldn't cast magic as he did, but hopefully, the dragon's shields were down for good. She followed after the Lich trailing behind him ready to shoot. The dragon started to stand back up and she moved back into cover.

Oton muttered a few words under his breath, before the dragon almost seemed to be ‘chained’ to the ground. By a spell, probably. Oton had to monitor his magic usage right now. He didn’t want to use too much in one situation.
He didn’t walk too close to the dragon, however, as he stopped, a few feet away from it. Hopefully enough to dodge if he need be.

The dragon gave a snarl, before speaking in a gruff voice. “What is it that you want, really?”

“Answers,” Oton spoke.

Luna watched the exchange silently. Though the lich's sentence caused her to pause. He wanted information, well answers. Answers to what? Her questions grew and she stayed away from both the dragon and the lich. She didn't trust either and, and she wanted her dang physical conditions to stop.

The dragon snorted, curling its scaly lips back. With a slight lift of its head, although unable to do much in its current state, it looked at the sky. “Answers, you will not receive from me.”

Oton stayed silent as the dragon moved on.

“I have them, but do I give it to you, is the question?”

“Yes.”

“I refuse.” Lightning flashed in the darkening clouds a little ways away from them. Oton slightly looked over but did not move his attention away from the dragon. The chains that held onto the dragon began to fade - Oton could not keep holding onto them for long.

Luna stepped out from where she was. The chains were fading and she needed to do something or else the dragon would attack. Her bow was drawn back and aimed the dragon's other eye. Her voice was cold but quiet, "You'll give them to him or you'll lose your other eye."

The dragon turned its head to her, with a snort and a strange laugh it spoke to her. “I’ve already lost my sight, the Lich cast a spell which dulled my senses,” Although the dragon would regain them soon enough once Oton was far enough for the spell to wear off. The dragon seemed to recognize that as it soon said “But fine, what is it, Lich?”

“Who do you serve?” Oton questioned.

The dragon rolled its eye. “No one.”

“Alright, let me fix that - who did you serve?”

As if in thought, the dragon falls silent. The chains still have at least two minutes to go before they vanish, maybe less.

Luna didn't know the specifics of the spell. But that didn't mean she couldn't affect his vision once the spell let up. If she could help the lich and his magic she would have, but she didn't know how to either. She kept her bow trained on the eye, maybe if she shot another arrow the dragon would let up.

((Sorry for late response, I’m on a small break right now and I will be for the next few days so apologies if things are slow!))

The dragon inhaled, a deep inhale, then exhaled. It seemed to be in deep thought.

“Hurry up,” Oton seemed to command to the dragon. Time was running out, after all. You couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t at full power, he couldn’t keep the chains on the dragon for long.

“Yes, yes. A Sorcerer.. Inorim.” The dragon, at last, decided. “And the one who killed you oh so long ago. Are you really so upset about that?”

“I am, given that he did not properly kill me, and I am now a Lich.” Oton’s tone sounded almost annoyed, but it was clear he still attempted to be neutral.

The dragon chuckled. “I didn’t know that there was a proper way of killing things..you see, I’ve been doing that for the past few weeks now. Do you mind telling me how I can…properly kill people? Enlighten me, please.”

Oton did not answer to that one. The dragon paused.

“And besides, I highly doubt Inorim lives, it has been centuries since that event. I don’t know how he could survive that long.”

“He must be alive, if I am ’alive’. If he weren’t, I would not be here.”

The dragon sniffed. “Inorim was human, last time I checked. And humans rarely live over their 60s - much less to a century.” It stated. “Even if there was a possibility, he must have grown incredibly powerful over the years. You can barely handle me on your own, Inorim wouldn’t have to even look at you and he’d take you out.”

The chains on the dragon began to fade and loosen as it began to ready itself to soar into the air.

(Your fine! Take as long as you need.)

Luna didn’t know an Inorim or anything about sorcery. She stayed silent through the exchange taking in what information was given. Her eyes spotted the dragon getting ready to take off again with the chains fading. From everything she had read about dragons the skin on their wings was the least protected often being thin but hardy.

She didn’t want the dragon to leave just yet, but killing it here and now just wasn’t possible. But… She could make movement a little bit harder in hopes it kept the dragon away from her village long enough. Her heart continued to race as she pulled her arrow back and aimed for the skin in the dragons wings still debating if she should take the shot or not.

“I’m much stronger than I first was waking up.” Oton stated. “By the time I’m facing Inorim, when I find him, I’m sure I’ll be stronger by then.”

The dragon did not respond to that. Instead, the chains finally snapped, and Oton stiffened, backing up. “I have no need to be here anymore, now that I know what is going on,” the dragon growled, raising its wings, and beginning to take off.

Oton made some distance between him and the dragon, not wanting to be directly in front of it when it took off. He didn’t really want to use any magic on the dragon. Not right now, at least. And he also wasn’t sure where the dragon was heading or what it was doing.

Luna stepped back her body shaking slightly. She kept an arrow trained on the dragon hoping it would fly away from the village and not towards it. As the dragon said, there was no reason for it to be here any longer. Her family and home could finally be left alone, hopefully. If it flew towards the village, Luna had no problem tearing its wings to shreds if possible.

The dragon had made a turn away from the village, soaring higher and higher until it vanished into the clouds. Oton watched it go, having a feeling that may not be the last time he would be seeing that dragon. Now…

Oton turned to the woman, the archer who had assisted him. “Thank you,” he spoke after a moment. He fell silent after that, considering in what was next to do. He now knew Inorim, the name of the person who had killed him before. But he didn’t know where Inorim could possibly be.

Luna let her bow go slack as she watched it fly away. Her eyes never left the figure until it was completely gone. She looked back over to the Lich and gave him a slight nod, "Your welcome." What his party would do next she didn't know. She would probably go back to what she had done earlier, hunting these forests and trying to make a living for both her and her father.

Oton had all the time in the world anyways, to figure out who - or what this Inorim was. Where he could be, what he was doing all of these years. As long as Inorim lived, Oton did too.
Oton stared into the distance for a moment, seemingly at nothing, he wasn’t looking at the dragon. That dragon was long gone, flown off to wherever. Maybe to report to Inorim? Maybe not.
A thought sprung up in mind and Oton turned to the woman again. He recalled her earlier symptoms.

“What are you, exactly?” He knew she was not human at this point. Humans didn’t react to Lich like that.

Luna had almost forgotten about her chills and shaking as they had gone to the back of her mind due to the dragon. She felt them in full force though now it was just her and the Lich. Her head turned towards him as he asked his question and… She honestly had no clear answer. She had been told all her life she was human and now she was finding out she really wasn’t one. Her eyes glanced at the ground as she shrugged, “I, I have no idea.”