| "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.
-
 Arrangements
are made and the dragon lands at the spot where the hamadryad and her forces
await......
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