Blood and Bronze: Dragon's Reign - RP version

[Moondust]

"F-fl-fly? Ummm... I can try..." Syrah said (I keep spelling the name wrong, d'oh) She looked round at her feathered wings. Four of them in all. It was rather confusing keeping track of them, and even more confusing to make them move properly at enable flight. Syrah lifted her wings, and tried a little jump into the air. However, she came back down to the ground with a thump. She tried again. To the floor with a thump. She hung her head, crestfallen.

[Galanor Rosewind]

"Don't give up," Reyx said, laughing at the young one's antics. "It will take time, and patience, to learn to fly, Syrah." He smiled again. "Let your instinct guide you. It will tell you how to move."

He'd never seen a dragon with four wings before. Two were easy to control, but when you added four legs to it, it was confusing to figure out how it all worked together. He'd learned by instinct and a lot of practice. He had faith that she could do it, too, if she tried. She looked young, besides. He didn't know if her wing muscles would be strong enough yet to hold her in the air.

"Here," he said. "I can carry you if you don't think you can do it."

[Moondust]

The strength of faith coming from the bigger dragon made Syrah stand tall. Her face scrunched with sheer concentration. She imagined her four wings were two, and with that she beat her wings in harmony. And with that, she lifted her body slowly off the ground. "Yay! I can fly! I can!" Syrah squeled, in aboslute delight. She had never flown before. With sheer excitement, she took to the sky. Her feathered wings, and her feathered tail made it easier for flight. She curved through the air, the wind whipping past her face, her streamlined body slicing though the sky. Although it felt fast to her, she was not flying any faster than a pigeon. But she was in childhood bliss, enjoying the open space of the sky.

[Galanor Rosewind]

Reyx chuckled, watching her as she discovered flight for the first time. "Excellent," he said, applauding with his front talons. "Truly magnificent. I told you that you could do it. And look at you now." He laughed again, voice deep and merry. "You're flying!" Reyx gave a mighty leap to get his bulk off of the ground, and his wings snapped open to catch the air. With a few wingbeats, he had caught up to her; not because he was flying faster, but because his wings were larger.

"Very good!" he called. "Beautiful."

He paused, thinking. "Ah, yes. Before I forget to introduce myself... Where are my manners? My name is Reyx. Reyx Greatwind."

[Moondust]

"Rexy Greatwind?" Syrah asked. She smiled, and wobbled a little. "That's a cool name. I don't have a second name. I never got given one." Syrah explained. "I never knew my mother or father. I didn't know creatures actually have parents until I asked a rabbit." Syrah said. "And I've never seen a dragon before! They are so cool!" Syrah beamed. She got a little nervous as the ground got further and further away from her feet. But she kept going straight, to try to impress the Reyx. But she had decided to call him Rexy, because it was easier for her to get her tongue around.

[Galanor Rosewind]

Rexy was fine with him, if she couldn't pronounce his name. He chuckled. "But I'm pretty sure that you're a dragon too," Reyx pointed out. "Although, admittedly, a dragon with feathered wings is rare. But a dragon with four of them is almost unheard of." He did the dragon equivalent of a shrug.

"Just keep steady. You're doing fine." He grinned. "I'll catch you if you fall. Just relax, and it will come."

"Well, I'm an orphan, too," he told the young one. "I never knew my parents either. They died of illness before I hatched. My egg was taken to the capital of Derinth, the city of Ninevale. When I hatched, I was raised by the Sages. They named me." He shrugged again. "I suppose I've never really thought about names. You could give yourself a last name. I know someone else who did."

[Moondust]

Syrah thought about making herself a last name. However, it might not be very good, or it would give away her secret... "Nah. I want a title! You know, like all of those cool creatures that do great stuff! You know, like the one who defeated Nightwing! I love that story!" Syrah exclaimed with excitement. She had always loved the old tales the woodland animals used to tell.

[Galanor Rosewind]

"Indeed," Reyx said. "And... what do you know about this creature? The one that defeated the dragon Nightwing?" He chuckled. "I'd love to hear the stories that you have been told of him."

He was not surprised that he had become famous. Though it was true that he had done a great service, he felt that he did not deserve such admiration. He had dissapeared from the world. And he didn't even know how long he had been gone; that was the trouble of it.

[Moondust]

"Well," Syrah began. "I've heard many a tale from the woodland creatures, and some from the intelligent beings too, as I have always been intruiged in stories. However, I have my favorites. This one is called:' The Great War '." Syrah said, in mystial awe. "A long time ago, there was a peaceful land, a land where peace regined, and where evil was unheard of. However, the creatures of this land did not know the coming threat- Nightwing the Foul was bored with his last domain. He wanted something more to conqour. And so, he set off, on a long jouney across the seas. He was found, close to death, by some innocent creatures. These creatures helped him, but then, Nightwing turned on them, and ate them all. And so, Nightwing began conqouring the realms. However, Nightwing was slack, and he let an opponant of his grow stronger and stronger. Until one day, the Great Bronze Dragon came to battle. He was young, but wise, not foolish, kind and caring. Armed with light and justice, the Great Bronze Dragon killed Nightwing the Foul, by sending him over a cliff to perish on the rocks below. But the Great Bronze Dragon was heavily wounded, and needed to escape. Ever since he flew from the Great War, he was never seen again. But the prophecy goes round still: Should the great Bronze Dragon ever appear, be wary of the future, and remember the past." Syrah finished.
"I like that story, but theres a new one I recently heard too. It goes a bit like this...
' The Great Bronze One shall return once again, when Nightwing the Foul is ressurected. But this time, he cannot do it alone. There is an even Greater Enemy standing in his way, an even greater Foe. The stronger force that ensured Nightwing's arrival. Nightwing is only the beginning in this War...' That's what I heard. I doubt it's true. Although there's a thing about the Great Bronze One unlocking a Memory, that will allow him to find a Phrophecy for defeating The Greater Force." Syrah mentioned. She looked longingly at the sky. Then she studied the big, bronzy dragon flying next to her... Then she realised something. "You look like someone I should remember." Syrah said, scratching her head, annoyed that she could not remember. "Ah well. They are only stories."

[Galanor Rosewind]

"Yes," Reyx agreed. "Stories...." The young one had given him much to think about. The prophecy that she had said. And then, the second story was far more puzzling. And far more troubling, as well.

"This greater evil..." Reyx muttered. "This force, that can use Nightwing as a pawn..." He shook his head. He was worried; it was obvious. The day was growing later, and evening was fast approaching. Beneath their wings, the ground had grown flat and grassy. They had entered the plains, the realm of many Zyxx villages which they passed above. Many of the people looked up in awe, as though it had been long since they had seen a dragon, let alone two. Some, though, didn't even look up as they passed. On the horizon, far away, the beginnings of sparse climps of trees were beginning to show themselves.

He felt guilty about hiding his identity from the young one, Syrah. But he supposed that if everyone knew his name, there would soon be panic on the streets. There would be chaos, and in this coming time of war, they would be destroyed. If they were to survive this tyranny, they would have to unite, grow strong. He had already told Syrah his name, though; he had to trust her not to reveal it. He would go by a new name for now... Nyph. That seemed appropriate. In the Dragon tongue, it was the equivalent to "Smith" or "Jones." A name that no one would notice. And soon enough, he would be dismissed by anyone that saw him as just another dragon. Though admittedly, he wasn't sure how common his kind was now. And he didn't know how common bronze scales were among his people, either. He hoped he wouldn't be recognized... at least not until the time was right.

[Moondust]

"Is it coming near night time already?" Syrah asked, worriedly. "We need to make camp. A sheltered one. I don't do well in the cold."
Her eyes flashed with fear. Would Rexy discover what she really was? A Half-life? It was the only reason how she had survived... She had advice from herself. Okay, so Syrah was good at leading (she'd helped a rabbit warren defeat another.) and she was... kinder. But her Half-life sharer had kept her alive. Techniqually, they were the same person, but Syrah hadn't worked that out yet...

[Galanor Rosewind]

Reyx nodded. "We may find shelter in one of the villages below. Possibly an inn." He flared his wings and began to descend in a slow spiral, toward a larger city below them. as they neared it, they could see that the streets were wide enough to allow passage by most any dragon; that was a good sign. This place probably had what they were looking for. It was a good sign also because wide streets meant that dragons still visited from time to time; they weren't as rare as he feared. Then again, he'd seen three others since he awoke - Wolf, then Nightwing's pawn, and now Syrah.

He gazed around with his sharp eyes, and caught a glimpse of a sign. The Dragon's Wing Tavern and Inn. "Ah, over there," he said. "Follow me."

All around them, people were going about their business, but a few were staring. Particularly, they were staring at Reyx. A few asked his name, and he told them his alias, and they seemed satisfied - some seemed dissapointed - and went about their day, preparing for night. Xyxx were carting around loads of interesting, alien fruits and vegetables; some were leading livestock, others peddling their wares on the street corners and in the market squares. They made room for Reyx and Syrah to pass. A lot of respect seemed to be afforded to dragons, and it was no surprise; they were one of the oldest races - and the largest, too.

In a few minutes, they had reached the Inn. The door was not nearly large enough for even a very small dragon to pass through, but that made no difference to Reyx. There was a huge archway outside the entrance to the Inn, which Reyx could easily pass beneath; another followed, smaller; more as well, growing progressively smaller until they reached the actual entrance. He knew that Syrah was probably puzzled.

"It's a brand of magic that was invented specially for use by dragon-kin," Reyx explained. "Each arch is strongly enchanted. As a dragon - or any other large being that could not normally fit in a Xyxx-sized establishment - passes through them, the magic compresses their bodies and effectively shrinks the being to a comfortable size. Watch." He passed through the biggest arch, walking steadily onward. As he walked, he steadily shrank in size, each of the archways glowing as their magic worked on the great dragon. When he finally stood at the doorway, he was small enough to enter without trouble.

"You try," he said, holding out his hand. "It doesn't hurt."

[Moondust]

"It, it shrank you!" Syrah wailed. She was not pleased with this 'arch.' "I'm small enough to fit through alright... I'll find a back entrance." Syrah said. But then a voice in the back of her head said: 'Come on. You're a wimp! It's just a magic arch. It ain't gonna kill you. Just go through, you wanted to impress that dragon, didn't you?'
"Oh shut up!" She said out loud. Rexy gave her a strange look. "Sorry, I'm a bit cukoo in the head..."
'You better not be calling me cukoo!'
"I'm not!" Syrah exclaimed. But she walked through the arch, angry. The magic tingled as it compressed her size down, making her feel tiny. "I-I'm really, really small... I feel microscopic." Syrah complained.

[Galanor Rosewind]

"Actually," Reyx said, "You're really just as big as I am now. It shrank you only enough to allow you passage. Besides, when we exit, it will work the opposite way. You'll be back to your normal size in no time."

He was puzzled by her behavior. And the magic aura that he had sensed before had flared just before she had spoken to herself. It seemed that as evening neared - which was not far away now - it was growing stronger. He didn't comment on it, though, and entered the inn, beckoning her to follow.

he went to the innkeeper, and after a few questions, Reyx nodded. He turned back to Syrah. "The inkeeper has kindly agreed to let us spend the night. He has a few rooms made specifically for dragons. For payment, we worked out a deal. Now, did we want seperate rooms, or just one to share?"

[Moondust]

"Oh, we'd have to be in seperate rooms. I have a tendancy to kick about when I'm asleep." Syrah said, well practised. She'd spent a while coming up with a whole complex web of excuses. "I've actually woken up eating some unfortunate tree root before." Syrah mentioned. I wasn't eating it, I was killing it! Yikes, get it right! It was fighting practise!
"I know." Syrah hissed, under her breath. "But what's the payment? And what deal is it... We aren't washing dishes are we?" Syrah asked.