Searching the rubble

[Bloodwing]

A horse walked up a steep hill with a rider atop it the rider was a sorcerer by the name of Bloodwing. The horse had no name as it wasn't quite as important it was a loan from the barracks. Well the Barrack had no idea there had been a withdraw, but that really didn't matter it was a beast that made travel easier that was all.

Once they where over the hill their destination was visible. a land of ruin and rubble that had once been a a grand city of magic. Bloodwing spurred the horse into a gallop and a about an hour later he was reigning the horse to a stop. he got off of the horse and stood there a moment; before him was the crumbling remains of an arch that was once a door way to the city the doors them self lay smashed and thrown to the side by battering-rams.

Looking at the doors he imagined the Army of Avaren's soldier holding a giant log tipped with a bronze ram. The soldier pushed forward smashing the great oak door over and over until finally the door gave and fell. Mages on the inside getting crushed and trample before those be hind them had a chance to come forward with volleys of fire. The smell of blood and burning flesh filled the air. Oh the battle had been brilliant.

Once he finished reminiscing about the cruelties of war he walked forward into the city. There where rumors of a dark force no residing here. He wondered briefly if that old magician had become a lich. He laughed to himself at the very thought. As he walked the disheveled streets he imagined from memory where he was he was looking for a library the one the dragons, the one that he helped watch over over. He had a ways to go and many of streets where gut of by fallen rubble so as he made his way through the ruins he would face many detours. If there was any credit to those rumors he would be running into resistance any time now.

[Cadorius]

Cadorius' minions worked both silently and efficiently. Undead did not need to eat, they did not need to breathe, they did not need to sleep. Undead needed nothing more than the dark energies that bound them to this world and their common hatred of the living. Once he gave them a task, they would relentlessly pursue it until it had reached completion or their bodies had been destroyed.

Now, Cadorius had another purpose. He had heard the calling, some greater power that was leading his way. It was this calling that had prompted him to undertake the grand excavations that had been going on for some weeks now in the ruined city of Aesir. For weeks, he and his hordes had moved about, searching as they dug.

He did not know exactly what it was he was searching for, only that he should recover any and all powerful magical trinkets that he come across. Perhaps one of these was what the distant calling asked for? Perhaps the calling itself was only a piece of the dark knight's mind, urging him on to greater deeds. Either way, he heeded it's call unhindered. The fools of Avaren feared the ruins, for good reason. Little would be done to halt his progress.

Yet, there was a presence in the ruins, a living soul invaded the realm of the dead.

From the ruins that Bloodwing explored, there came the sounds of shuffling feet. Perhaps half a dozen or so skeletal figures began to appear from around pieces of masonry and out of the shadowed doorways of shattered buildings. With no sounds other than those made from their skeletal feet on the stone floors, they began lurching toward the lone man, hands outstretched to tear him limb from limb.

[Bloodwing]

A brow raised with intrigue on Bloodwing's face. He watched as the unliving husks of the once proud mages and warriors of Aesir and Avaren lurched towards him with nothing more or less than lethal intent. His lips curled into a pleased smile, sure they couldn't feel pain, he couldn't derive pleasure for their physical agony, he could still unleash some of his rage. Rage that had been building since the fall of his kind. The idea that he needed not restrain himself for fear of revaling his intention made this such a beautiful moment he could cry.

"Yes, come to me. allow me to end your suffering." He said he turned his head as one of the undead stepped on to a fallen wall. there was a loud CRACK! and the wall folded crushing the husk. He held out his hands in one a ball of flame apeared as he ignited the air, it lengthened and became a a flaming serpent the flew and other one appear in the other and the to flames danced around him like two electrons revolving around its nucleus, Any body that got in the way of the flame would be cut down in the flame.

He continued to walk down the path he had already been moving on. he kept the flame serpents swimming around him. As one of them got through the firey ring and grabbed hin he grabbed the creature by the wrist, grabbed a stone fron a wall the was propped up by rubble next to him the rock became molten in his hand turn and slammed it into the creatures shoder the contact was exposive tearing the creature apart. He then turned and continued on his way until he saw the ruins of the library that he remembered so well.

[Cadorius]

So the intruder could dispatch a few measly skeletons, could he? Cadorius was not impressed. Many were there that could defeat the lesser undead. those charged with divine power alone could cut a swathe through dozens of them. This lone adventurer was probably another one of those foolish mages who wanted to reclaim some of their goods, in a petty attempt to return to the paradise they had once enjoyed.

He recognized the path the adventurer was taking. A library? Typical. the fool wanted some musty old magic tomes he had likely studied when his city was still floating safely among the clouds. Cadorius knew a shortcut to that location, one that had only existed after the fall. For the devastation had caused towers to topple and buildings to shatter, thus barring normal roads one might have taken and forcing denizens to learn new pathways through the city.

Standing before the library, he drew his longsword from its scabbard and pointed it at the intruder. "This city belongs to the dead, human. So shall the dead feast upon your very life force as payment for the crime of trespassing. Only upon joining their ranks shall you be welcome within this city."

[Bloodwing]

HUMAN! Oh how he wished he had his claws so that he could rip this being apart. In Avaren he would have held his anger in check, here there was no one that could ruin him with the knowledge of what he was. "I seriously dislike being called human, fiend. I was, I am, and I always will be a dragon I seek the power of our ancient gods. I will purge this world of humanity whether it be their wills or their life I care not. None shall stand in may way.

Especially not some mindless fiend proclaiming dominance over objects that there neither this life or the next. The tow serpents still flying around there master came closer to Bloodwing and then flew strait at the thing wielding the longsword.

[Cadorius]

What an arrogant man. He may be able to dispatch lesser undead with his elemental powers, but all this power served to do in the end was make him headstrong. So it was that he threw serpents made entirely of flame at the dark knight. As they reached the knight, he sidestepped, lashing out with his sword in the process. As the blade swept through the serpents and their flames were quenched and they winked out of existence.

"Such petty magic, powerful enough only to protect caravans from bandits and perform in the streets for petty cash cannot harm one such as I."

Yet, there was one thing the man had said that stuck in his mind. All that talk about being a dragon and purging the world of humanity. Though the dark knight knew better than to trust the boasts of a petty hedge wizard, it didn't stop him from wondering if any of his words might have credit. If so, then Cadorius might be very interested in laying his hands on exactly what the man sought after in Aesir.

"Foolish man, the dragons went extinct during the war. Their like have been neither seen nor heard from since."

[Bloodwing]

"I take no real pride in destroying your minions just like the destruction." He conjured the fired serpents again and this time the burrowed into the rubble and came back up as molten serpents of stone and fire. "True many of my kind have perished, but it was not Genocide but pure trickery by a god of the humans that loathed us. We cared to trust an unknown force because we wanted this war prolonged, the weaker man became the sooner we could rule. We where betrayed and here I am a red dragon transform into this pathetic form."

He glared at the man that stood in his way. "I seek a god my kind can trust to rid us of this curse and spur us on to victory. The only thing standing in my way now is you. This time the serpents spread out and attacked from either side. Not only that but the earth before Bloodwing heaved up in a wave moving towards the dark knight to knock him off of his feat as the magma serpents attacked him from the sides.

And just for good measure as he sent the wave at the knight he created a shock wave to knock any undead that might be sneaking up from be hind onto their backs

[Cadorius]

"Plunging into the unknown in a wild gamble for power, was it? From where I stand, it seems your punishment was a just reward for your presumptions. Gambled your very lives away simply to prolong a war? Clearly, you know nothing of history, for war it eternal!"

As the new barrage of attacks sailed to wards Cadorius, he stood his ground. Welling within him was unholy power, the power of his dark faith. As the attacks were about to strike, he plunged his sword into the ground. There was a tremendous explosion as the two opposing forces of magic made contact, yet when the dust settled, Cadorius was still standing, unscathed.

"There are those who say dragons blood has potent magical properties. Perhaps I shall find out for myself once yours has been spilled." Pulling his sword from the ground, he charged at Bloodwing, swiftly closing the distance between them.

[Bloodwing]

"Fitting reward? In a sense maybe so to abandon our old gods and turn to the new, maybe that was just punishment." The dark paladin rushed at Bloodwing. And Bloodwing readied his magic the Pompous being would find it diffcult to attack with a stone spike in his chest. But just as he was about to act he changed his mind. The ground onder his feet heaved up and Bloodwing leaped over his attacker. and landed behind him.

Come to me. Came a silent whisper no not a whisper it was some sort of magical prod something within the library was calling to him. It was as if the urging was more important than this fight. He ran he ran towards the library. His power over the earth helped propel his feet and as he used the gound to speed himself up he left a trail of flame behind him.

[Cadorius]

So, the dragon wished to run away after all. It figured. This was hardly the battle Cadorius had expected. He had naturally assumed that a dragon would give him at least something of an interesting fight. Perhaps he was making up all that dragon nonsense after all, instead only seeking to make Cadorius hesitate long enough, listening to his interesting story, in order to plan out the best way to run.

Cadorius had much experience with thieves attempting to loot this city. Thus he never threw all his minions at intruders the moment they showed themselves. No, he had plenty in reserve, guarding the location the intruder seemed to be heading towards. Now, they leapt out of dark corners and from where they had been hidden among debris, awaiting prey. They sought primarily to inflict minor harm and hindrance to the intruder. That way, they would slow him down enough for Cadorius to finish the job.

So it was that Cadorius gave pursuit. Touching his armor and uttering a few words, he made himself resilient to the flames that the man left in his wake. "Surrender, intruder!" He boomed after the man, "Nothing awaits you in this city except death!"

[Bloodwing]

The creatures sprang from their hiding spots. Instinctivly he lashed out with a hand flaming claws curled around his fingers like that of his tru form as swept the creature in front of him aside like so much refuge. "Indeed Death is here. But Death has yet to stop me knight." He said he made it to the library the undead where every where. He was trapped between a mass of undead and the knight. or so it seemed.

Down the presence again it felt closer. And it felt almost as if his very instict where telling him what to do, instructing him. For some reason or another he obeyed. "My kind will be reborn with the fires that brought them into existence." He said no longer was he thinking he was acting on impulse some how he knew he was close. With his power hi opened the groune wich happened to be a ceiling to a sealed chamber.

In the chamber where about a hundred books. PURGE The voice was all around him. Without hesitation he obeyed The room was fire. Any being in the room that wasn't in the ten foot patch of air around blood wing would be incinerated. And with them all the books, except for one. Before the voice said anything he was already running towards it.

[Cadorius]

So the mortal had decided to go underground had he? Some hidden chamber, was it? Exactly the sort of chamber that Cadorius had been digging for. This was perfect. He had both trapped himself below and opened new areas for exploration.

Still, Cadorius needed to kill him first.

Cadorius strode through the flames the man left to hinder his foes. Though they flickered about him and caressed his armor, they had no true effect on the dark knight. Arriving at the hole, he looked around to see which minions he had left in his immediate area.

Perhaps a handful of skeletons, bones blackened by the flames, but otherwise ready for duty, were all he had with him. It mattered little. Cadorius leaped into the hole, his skeletons following suit. Landing hard on the ground, his mail-covered feet cracking the stones floor, he looked around to find the man. There, he was still running.

Gripping his sword in both hands, he charged toward the man, swinging a powerful two-hand stroke at him as he got within range.

[Bloodwing]

The book was so close. he could almost feel its power. He heard the knight in his heavy armor land in the hole. He persistence was annoying, but he needed to get the book. the fiends heavy foot steps got closer and closer. NOW His power pulled stone from the rubble of the caved ceiling as well as fron the floor bringing the book to him and launching it into his hand as he turned, and lifted an arm the stone coated his arms like a second skin stopping the knights blade like a shield. Whit the other came in with a hail marry to the knights upper body he wasn't aiming so the hit could contact anything fron the knights face to his chest. Since fire seemed to be no hindrance the mass and power of earth would have to do instead. Also the book was encased in the stone like his arms and hands where so he no longer had to worry about that.

There was no fear in Bloodwing's eyes, he did no fear this knight. But the knight was between him and his exit now. all he needed was to get under the hole and the earth would do the rest. He really didn't have much of choice. He gave a low bout loud whistle with his lip and hoped it would work.

[Cadorius]

Cadorius took the blow full in the chest plate of his armor. Staggering backward, he let go of his sword with one hand, holding it only with his right hand now. He hadn't been expecting the man to stop running away and actually turn to face him. Though, now that he had what he had been looking for, so it might very well be a different game entirely.

Unless he didn't have it after all. Though he had the book covered in the layer of stone that also coated his arm, Cadorius need not attempt mundane means to try and retrieve it. Not when he had unholy magic at his disposal.

Pointing the finger not encumbered by his sword at the stone sheath, he uttered a word of power. Instantly, the stone covering shattered, bits and pieces of rock flying in all directions. With a mental command, a skeleton lurched forward from the darkness and grasped the book, attempting to drag it back to the shadows.

Meanwhile, Cadorius, gripping his sword in his other hand, thrust at Bloodwing's chest, aiming to run him through.

[Bloodwing]

F**king undead, what Cadorius did only pissed him off and he felt another rage like some other force wasn't so happy with being taken. As Cadorius jabbed Bloodwing made the ground beneath the knight corkscrew upward. so that the sword wen the wrong way and Cadorius went towards the sky or into the what was left of the ceiling if he was standing under it.

Mean while he turned and sent a blast of incinerating fire at the skeleton, cremating the remains on the spot and allowing him to pick the book back up. And he was about to open it, Not yet there was another voice but it was similar to the other this one was calmer and more benevolent. Not really what he was going for but he wasn't going to question what he had yet to learn about. Instead he encased the book in stone and the melted the stone around it. Now he needed to get out and if that pillar didn't fix his knight problem he'd have to deal with that some more.