Onwards Ever Onwards

[Addis Hellfire]

*Addis was walking and thinking when he slowed his pace and took a careful look around. There were no sounds other than Flaccus hacking at random plants. Addis quickened his pace to stand right behind Flaccus and tapped his back, signaling him to listen but keep going.*

"'Tis too quite, brother. I fear we may be in a unfriendly area. Best to keep your guard up, but don't make it obvious."

*Addis whispered the words to a Displacement spell and disappeared from sight.*

[OOC: The Addis that is visible behind Flaccus is like a hologram of the real invisible Addis about 5 feet to the left.]

[Coriolis]

*Further up the road, a certain Animagus feline was doing his level best to keep travelling but the sudden flash of green from his neck stopped Coriolis dead in his tracks. The stone around his neck reacting to the Draconians magic, not totally disimilar to his own.*

[Growls] This is what happens when large groups don't move their collective arses..

*The cat shackled it's way up the nearest tall tree and motioned his passenger to disembark.*

Stay up here and if you have anything that'll keep whoever's after us at bay, ready it. Your lover and his sidekick shouldn't be too far behind. I'm going back to see what's going on with those two.

*He dropped back down to ground level and headed back the way they'd just come. Striped fur becoming a refractive trick of the light as he faded into the darkness.*

*It didn't take much to pinpoint "Friend" and foe. Ears as sharp as eyes caught the faint "Thwack, thwack, thwack" of a blade meeting bracken and Wrens whispered warning to travellers that had long since left the immediate vicinity. Training and instinct took over, 2 Green Glints belonging to the White Tiger moving slowly and quietly as He stalked the qarry and circled around behind.*

*He couldn't see Leytan or Wren at that moment. Hopefully they'd had enough sense to keep their heads down and avoid open conflict as well. The 2 scaled warriors, however, were plain to see. big, chunky and about as subtle as a chinese firework in a tin cup. The Watcher settled down amongst the undergrowth and broke fade, the Tiger pelt returning to darkened forest cloak and travelling garb of the man as He did so. There was a risk that these reptillians had the abilities of true sight meaning that simply fading would have been useless. They may also be sensitive to the skills He used. Coriolis had detected THEM after all.*

*He lay there and waited to see their intentions. Something was amiss. These 2 had a definate "Brains and Brawn" partenership but the one he'd have placed as the Brains didn't seem anchored to the reality He was in. There stood the warrior, as plain as the day He hoped to enjoy soon but the signs of life and indeed simple things like the sounds of breath and heartbeat weren't there...? *

*Damnit! If only that bloody Panther hadn't insisted on finding Her damn dragon again! Her training was tied into the lifeforce itself so much that a deception would've been spotted before it even happened. All Coriolis could do was watch and wait quietly praying that his senses were fooling him into thinking that something was trying to fool him.*

[Leytan]

*Leytan scanned the tree's and bushes trying to pinpoint were the sound was comeing from or to spot some movement that would give away the source of the noise's location.*

"Hmmmm something this way comes indeed Wren."

*Leytan reached under his cloke and un-hooked his crossbow he flicked the safty catch off.*

"Don't do anything rash though Wren this may just be some innocent Woodsman earning his daily bread. If thats the case lets not spill inocent blood."

"Even if its a Bounty Hunter aim for arms and legs lets try and avoid any more deaths. And what ever this is let them make the first move."

[Addis Hellfire]

[OOC: Arg, I forgot if Addis casted True Seeing or not . . . I know I chose that spell lol.]

*Addis follows behind Flaccus, his copy doing the same. I don't see anything . . . but . . . Why do I get the feeling that I am being watched?. Addis threw his voice so it seemed like the double was speaking.*

"Brother, lets rest here for a bit. I am sure there isn't a platoon of Knights following our tails. Keep on your guard, though, for I sence something amiss. I - I -"

*Addis tries in vain to fight off a sneeze. Both Addis' sneeze, but the sound is five feet away . . . *

"Damn forest."

*Addis turns his eyes, to double check that they were alone. His gaze passes by the two green glints of light, but continued walking. He became visible while dispelling his Displacment, so he stood right behind Flaccus. He tapped Flaccus once again, and spoke in Draconic.*

"We have company, two green lights. Could be eyes of something that can blend it with its surroundings. Hopefully its not a Baatasu or something else that is unpleasant."

[Flaccus Hellfire]

*Flaccus was startled by the sneeze and resisted the urge to turn around. He did, however, stop his hacking. After walking a bit more, he felt the tap and heard Addis' words. Deciding not to heed the countless times where looking in a situation like this was a bad move, he turned around and looked for the lights. He moved his sword in a defensive position and shoved Addis away.*

" I don't see anything. Come on out, who or what ever you are. We're tired of running. Time for a bit of a game."

[Addis Hellfire]

*Addis fell to the ground, and gave a curse. He looked up at Flaccus' bravado and shook his head. Standing, he brushed off his robe and took a few steps away from the mad Sivak.*

"Brother, how many times do I have to tell you not to look?"

*With that, Addis again used his natural ability to use the spell Improved Invisibility and vanished from sight. He began to move towards the lights, a hand raised and ready to cast a spell if need be.*

[Lady Mercury]

*Lady Mercury sat wearily on the branch where Coriolis had left her and glanced down at the forest below. Though she couldn't see the others, she closed her eyes and a brief glow surrounded her and she seemed to camouflage in into the tree itself*

[Coriolis]

*The warriors sudden change of position and then disappearing set their intentions into Coriolis mind. To him they were hunters, looking for trouble. Keeping low, slow and quiet, He moved sideways in a steady arc around the Draconians. Resisting the temptation to simply fade himself as they may still sense his presence by the act.*

*Sometimes, the old and well rehearsed tricks are the best.The Watcher looped around until He was about a quarter turn away from where He had been before deliberately snapping a branch underfoot and fading at the same time. Even if they weren't sensitive enough to his own personal skills, the sound should be enough to distract a high strung sword arm. He doubled back around toward his original position. His presence once again little more than reflections and refractions.*

*This time, the Oak quarterstaff thunked against a tree with the hope of scaring any birds in it's canopy. His voice contorted into the gutteral twang of a tavern brawler, he called out to them in drunken insult...*

C'MON OUT YE DUMB BASTAR'S! Y'think y'can take on the likes o' me?!? SHOW YERSEL'S!

*He breaks fade and runs headlong through the forest making as much noise as He possibly can. His direction AWAY from the warriors and back up the path towards Wolfenden and beyond. A hundred feet or so and He stops in the middle of the path. hooded, cloaked and still shouting and screaming. Anyone within a mile of there would know exactly where He was.*

[thinking to himself] C'mon... take the bait and the easy target.

[Midnight]

*In the mean time back over at a distant cave now....*

*Midnight had finished climbing the hill finally that lead to the cave, though from a distance the hill looked like a easy climb, the dragon had certainly choosen a well defensible spot and one difficult to get to with the breaks in the ground, the sudden fall of soil under neath ones feets if they did not move fast enough, also various wild animals that guarded the hill of sanctuary with their lives. Though she knew if anything was in the cave it would of left if it had any sense as soon as the dragon had arrived.*

*Finally she stood out side the cave entrance, her black body lightly shimmering with sweat that covered her form and her chest expanding rapidly in deep breaths as she regained her breath, waiting until she felt rested enough at least to be able to stand rather than fall into a deep sleep she began to change form. A blue shimmering light wrapping around her form as if a glove around a hand not too long later the form changed and in the place of the panther stood the humanoid shape of Midnight. Her body still lightly coated in sweat and her clothes clinging to her skin a little from it.*

*She took her time to enter the cave preparing herself for the arguement that was sure to come.*

Well better now than never, can't not wait all day.

*She peered into the darkness of the cave, it seemingly far larger than she expected it to be from the out side and then she slowly entered the darkness , letting it swallow her up, her foot steps becoming silent as she approached her charge.*

[Flaccus Hellfire]

*Flaccus turned towards the snapping sound, but could not see what caused it. Maybe it was Addis? He then heard the insults from a drunk who was just picking a fight. He shouldered his sword and laughed. he then called out:*

"Come to me when you're sober, and bring an army with you like the last time. That is the only way you could challenge me."

*Flaccus looked around.*

"Come on out, Addis. Stop using that damn . . . what was it called? Ah, Improved Invisibility. That's just cheap, y'know."

[Addis Hellfire]

*Addis watched a twig snap from a seemingly invisible force. Than, the glints disapeared for a brief second. Perhaps it was a creatures eyes, and the head turned away from Addis? He was not sure, but he did see something move. Reminds me of fighting displacer beasts . . . I hate those damn things. Addis thought as a drunken bravado could be heard runing away in a different direction. Probably a trick, or somebody casting Ghost Sound. Speaking of which . . . Addis pointed at the ground near where he guessed the source of the green glints were and casted Ghost Sound - a sound that can mimick any sound of the caster's choosing. For this one, Addis chose a slight rustling in the grass, like something crouching.*

[Coriolis]

*The racket abruptly stops as the stone around Coriolis neck once again responds to magic thrown his way. It's with a quiet growl that He realises they haven't moved. Whoever these travellers are, they sure as all the hells aren't the usual dimwitted guardsmen or townswatch He's dealt with in the past. They would have been in hot pursuit by now otherwise*

[thinking] An ARMY hmmm? Not many of them around here. Maybe a hunting pack instead?

*Travelling clothes return to striped pelt as the White Tiger headed toward His quarry. Waiting until He was only a hundred yards or so away, Coriolis launched himself up into the forest canopy and used the treetop route to get up and over the bunkered Draconians. He hadn't seen any major projectile weapons and they'd be almost useless with the tree trunks so close together anyway. Surely they would give chase to THIS?*

*Having spent an entire lifetime learning the ways of blending in and moving unnoticed, having to try this hard to make an enemy see him and follow was an almost alien concept. What was he going to have to do to get the attention of these walking turtles?!? Jump on their heads for a hundred gold?**

*Taking a risk, The cat dropped down at a tangent to the main path...*

*... and roared...*

[Leytan]

*Coriolis's roar not only reached the ears of the two Draconians but was also heared by the two Merceneries standing on the path on the other side of the forest Floraer. Leytan's eyes narrowed at the sound, he had heard that roar quite a few times.8


*Hmmm that sounded rather like Coriolis."

*He said out load not really talking to Wren more thinking out loud. He scaned the foliage again, then looked at Wren.*

"I don't know about you but i don't like the way this looks, sounds or smells. What you say we take the inichative and take a more pro-active role in this situation."

*Leytan started to move into the forrest keeping his crossbow ready to fire at all times.*

[Addis Hellfire]

*Addis, who was slowly circling the area, stopped in his tracks and stared at the roaring beast. He then looked it up and down, and began to walk around it, looking at it from different angles.*

"Brother, it would seem we have a guest. Please, chase the animal away so we may carry on. I do not like realms interfering with my magic and I would like to rest."

*Addis stepped back to watch, standing about ten feet behind the tiger, watching it and his brother intently. He raised a hand, and pointed at the tiger, ready to unleash a spell.*

[Flaccus Hellfire]

*Flaccus whirled around to face the new opponent bringing the sword to a defensive position, obviously surprised. When he saw what had scared him, he grumbled and lowered the sword.*

"Annoying cat."

*Flaccus turned his head to look at Addis (failing though), than sighed when Addis gave the order.*

"Alright, General Addis of Clan Hellfire. I, a lowly Sivak Draconian, am ready to heed your every command."

*Flaccus said the words with mock obediance, than walked towards the tiger, waving his sword around lazly in front of him.*

"Go on, get. Scram, stop ignoring me, scram."

*Flaccus stoped, than got a evil grin on his face.*

"Can we eat it instead? I-ouch."

*Flaccus rubbed the back of his head as a rock hit him.*

"Fine..."