Tremulous Greetings

"Probe....I think I've just found our new analogs," the dragon mages says over the radio, "And....wait...... I think I better go in and help....."

"Do that," Probe says into his radio, and then feels like kicking himself when his captive audience looks at him oddly.

"Master?" the ex-dwarves ask in dull, confused unison. Probe sighs again as he sees that they are STILL jumping up and down on one leg. He makes a mental note that when he gets the chance to have Dragon Synizn look at these guys and tell him what the blazes is going on here!

Hopes and prayers that the Orcs will turn away (and not run through the area that the group is hidden) seem to go unheard when.....

A large black scaled dragon lands RIGHT in front of the advancing Orcs! The beast roars and shoots out a gout of flame that envelopes a large swath of the advancing Orcs. The dragon winces as several of the Orcs scream and shoot off panicky shots with their rifles. Another gout of dragon flame incinerates the few foolish enough to stay and fight (the others had already broken and ran.....some even tossing down their weapons to be able to run faster).

That done, the dragon settles and mutters a quick healing spell and sighs contentedly as bullet wounds close and bullets are ejected from his body. Another spell causes the blaze that had been touched off by his fiery breath to be snuffed out. Wouldn't do to have a raging forest fire, now would it?

Now comes the difficult part: gaining these people's trust......

The dragon turns and morphs into human form, hands to his side in a gesture of neutrality.

"Synizn?!" Joan nearly shouts, recognizing the diplomat from the Dragon Nation that had set up a peace treaty between the human kingdoms and his nation after the disastrous Human/Dragon war of a decade ago. It had laid down a foundation of a possible peaceful co-existence between man and dragon......and had also laid out the foundation for Joan's wondrous transformation . It had legitimized the position of "Dragonslayer" in the eyes of the Dragon Kingdom (that is.....a dragonslayer was unleashed on rogue dragons who failed to continually wrecked havoc on humanity.....thus straining the tentative peace between dragon and man). The Dragon Council had washed it's hands on the Dragon of the Southern Caverns and had left it's fate to the ministrations of the then male (and named "Fredergo D'Honaire") Dragonslayer. There had also been a court system set up to handle disputes between dragon and man, and apparently the necromancer who'd transformed Joan into this lovely form (which Joan was increasingly growing comfortable with) thought that the dragon still had legal standing in it......

But that is to the side and not important.

Joan coughs and straightens her outfit in vanity before continuing , making a mental note to see if the unicorn can somehow magically remove the spell that keeps the red gem in her navel from being removed (though she actually is beginning to like how it looks there)....

"I greet you, Citizen of the Dragon Nation," Joan says formally, all the while ignoring the stares from the others. "May we can partake in a parley, as per dragon etiquette requires?"

"Joan, what the blazes are you doing?!" Urnath, who was in human form, whispers as the dragon in human form smiles an odd smile, "We need to....."

"Shhh," Joan whispers back, "Urnath, you may have been able to light off that pile of black powder with your little spell, but this is a dragon mage. The elder dragons have an elaborate system of etiquette that they revere.....and if we play this game correctly we'll get out of this situation alive....if this dragon is not as noble as his counterpart back home! If he is, then a little bit of flattery on our part won't make things worse."

I hope your right, Joan, Hannah thinks nervously as she snuggles up to her lifemate for support. Because I sense that the dragon is able to detect our presence at this range even with unicorn magic....and we are too near this "Synizn" person to be able to run and get away.....realistically!

Yes, and besides, young Astra thinks to herself as she shivers and grips the staff that had been cut and made for her last night, I don't think that this stick and our few weapons will even scratch that huge dragon in his normal form......though I never though they could change into human form.....

It wasn't like they were all armed with this stuff the Freds and Joan called Dragon Bane (a metal deadly to dragons) or they were all wearing this legendary, mythical armor one Fred spoke of longingly called the "Flamebane."

The Fred and Astra who had unknowingly dreamed of Terra Prime (re: 2905), wonder if the dreams they had will turn out to come true....improbable as it seemed to them until just recently!

Dragon Synizn, having gotten over the surprise of anyone outside dragonkind knowing of the ancient (and defunct) practice of Etiquette, then speaks warmly.

"I would be delighted to parley, my friends," he smiles, "But perhaps another locale would do....since we do have some rather.....uncouth orcs running about, eh? Perhaps a location where we can even meet with an 'analogous' sister of the one of the group I will hazard to guess is named Anina?"

The dragon mage doubts that taking them to see Probe would be wise at this moment, considering the fact that his lord is still handling the Orcs that these others apparently escaped from.

Anina nods slowly, and hugs the young Astra closer who is looking over at the strange dragon mage in human form with wide eyes.

Moments later even the most jaded adventurer is in wide-eyed wonder and delight as they ride on the back of Dragon Synizn. Anina is especially delighted to hear the peals of wonderful laughter from not only from young Astra but her time orphaned elder sister. Somehow, it's all very rejuvenating.

The dragon smiles as his passengers enjoy the ride and then uses his radio to make contact with the alerted forces of Anina of Terra Prime.

1. Arrangements are made and the dragon lands at the spot where the hamadryad and her forces await......

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