[Mkguild] Round Robin: To Fight for What's Right (Part 1)

[Indagare]

Apologies for the long delay in the Round Robin postings. A major battle
has happened and it took a while to get it all written and edited. Many,
many thanks are owed to both Rimme the Weasel and Kamau Lyon who made this
battle super awesome! I hope you all enjoy!

June 3, 708
Trey was feeling pretty proud of himself. The morning training was going
pretty well. He'd beaten his replica twice, and he was feeling more sure in
the training he'd received under Jack. Kasaima decided that they needed to
pair up since the replicas couldn't match true intelligence.

During the first round, he'd been paired against Aldwin, which was a fair
fight. He might have started a bit better, but Aldwin had been putting
great effort into improvement, so they were basically equal. Nyein was
working with Talo, trying to help him to get back into a form that wasn't
likely to burn the forest or knock everyone over. Kasaima and Rita were
facing one another, with Kasaima likely holding back. "Good! Excellent! A
masterful stroke! You're overcoming your changes well!"

"It's best to focus on what I can control and not on what I can't."

"A wise course! Excellent job everyone."

The rests were well-timed, enough to give some recovery, especially for
Aldwin and Rita. "Let's change partners. Trey-san, I'd very much like to
fight with you and see how you've grown!"

"Of course Kasaima-san!" Trey felt thrilled. Aldwin and Rita paired off.
Talo was looking a bit smaller as Nyein guided him. So far the Curse had
not yet manifested on Kasaima. "This is going to be fun!"

Kasaima smiled. "I certainly hope so! Learning should be fun! Now get ready
and..."

***
As combat practice continued the winged members of the group were doing a
different kind of practice some distance from the camp.

Nyein panted as he landed near Talo and gasped, “How did you learn to run
that fast so soon?”

“Kobolds run on all fours at times, especially if we want to make best
time,” he answered in draconic. “As a dragon it is not much different aside
from having to keep my wings tucked in.”

The bat mage nodded to the reply, “Well you certainly proved that you can
run fast. I couldn’t keep up with you after the first few yards.”

“I hope I can learn to fly soon,” he said lying down. “I think I’m going to
enjoy that.”

Nyein tilted his head as he heard this, “Don’t you remember earlier this
morning? You flew as masterfully as I’ve seen any dragon fly, though I’ve
not seen very many fly close to the ground as you did.”

“Hmm, Yes. That’s true but I was just letting the dragon do the hunting and
not really in control myself. It was rather strange. Like sitting behind
someone who’s riding a horse.”

“Well then let’s try and see if you know how to glide,” he suggested,
glancing over at the group who seemed to be taking a break. “Run again but
this time when you reach top speed slowly extend your wings like this.”

The bat showed with his own wings what he meant the dragon to do.

“Just keep them even and level until you touch down, then run off the speed
and stop. Can you do that?”

“I can give it a try,” the former Kobold replied quickly standing and
running off. The bat followed but could not catch up with the larger flier.
As directed Talo opened his wings and immediately rose sharply into the
air, quickly rising above the tree level.

“Talo! Flatten your wings. You're pitching them up too much.”

Doing as directed the dragon flexed his wings, but at too much of an angle
and was now into a dive.

“Pull up, pull up!” Nyein yelled but the dragon was already sliding along
the ground. The bat raced to his side.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, looking his scaled friend over for injuries.

“Other than my pride I am fine,” the dragon said, already rising to his
feet and looking at the deep trench his landing had made. “I’m not sure I
can say the same for the field.”

“Hmm, no, I think you have left your mark,” the bat glanced back at the
encampment and saw the others now standing about, talking.

“You rest here for a while,” the bat mage told him. “I am going to see if
they want us to rejoin them for some practice.”
And with that Nyein flew toward the encampment.

***
Before Kasaima could continue, vines rose out of the earth! Trey found
himself bound and saw even Kasaima was! The vines grabbed Aldwin and Rita
by the arms, knocking their practice swords out of their startled hands and
throwing the two guards down to the ground. A strange, cold fog rolled over
everything, and Trey found himself shivering. Even the vines were getting
icicles!

Nyein gasped as he saw the vines spring up and he started to gain altitude,
trying to stay clear, but one was already whipping out of the ground toward
him. With a violent maneuver he tried to avoid it but it was too late. It
grabbed a leg and spun him around, binding him in its green coils like a
butcher would wrap up meat in paper.

"So, I've found you at last. And training invaders no less." There was a
voice in the fog. It was calm, but deadly. "I'd say you ought to be ashamed
of yourself, but the dishonorable know no shame."

A figure appeared, shadowy at first, but becoming distinct. A man in some
kind of robe reminiscent of those Trey'd seen in the scrolls Kasaima had
him help with. He had a strange sword in his one hand. It was glowing
green. His free hand was glowing an icy blue.

"How do you have that sword? Yuèjiàn does not tolerate liars!"

"I am not lying. Your clan has one of the royal heirs, but what have you
raised him as? A mere puppet for oni to rule over humans with! This I will
not allow! I, Yuèliàng of Unoki, shall end the threat before it begins!"

"We have done nothing of the sort!'' The air around Kasaima began to glow
and warm, the vines withering. Trey took the time to change himself--the
cold vines let him through. He managed to jump onto Kasaima as he pulled
himself free and raised his iron club. From it came light and heat,
dispelling the fog.

After that, the two began to battle in earnest. Trey tried to jump from
Kasaima to his attacker, in hopes of distracting him, but he overshot and
landed somewhere in Yuèliàng's robes--unnoticed by either Yuèliàng or
Kasaima. A sudden blow knocked Trey unconscious.

***
Nyein was already shrinking to his smaller bat form as Trey freed himself.
The vines were fast, but the mage was ready and sent a fireball into the
one that pursued him, climbing high enough to be out of their reach. He
turned just in time to see Trey launch himself at the attacker and
disappear into the man’s robes. As he quickly ran through his spells for
what would be best, he saw the iron club of Kasaima land just above where
the rat had disappeared. He cringed at the thought of what it might have
done if Trey was still there. Pushing that out of his mind he looked to the
others still entangled in the vines to see which he might help to get free.

***
Aldwin struggled and panicked but could not weaken the grip of the vines.
Rita focused specifically on bringing her foot up, closer to her hand, for
a secret weapon that she had almost completely forgotten about.

Ever since her path became set on becoming a scout, she wanted to emulate
the heroic scouts of legend. One of their legendary tricks she remembered
was a knife tucked into the heel of the boot, so that even when disarmed
and staring down the blade of an adversary, they had one last attack at
hand. Unfortunately, Rita could see no way of keeping the knife in place
without the handle sticking out except by sewing the whole knife into the
handle. As a young man, the hidden knife was somewhat embarrassing to talk
about, and Rita had never had a need to mention it or remember it... until
now.

She wedged her toes into the crevices of the ice-covered vines as her
fingers clasped the seam of her boot. The nails were just sharp enough to
tear the thread. Quickly she peeled off the heel and grasped the small
knife, and shoved it into the vine against her thigh. The sudden wound sent
a jolt through the vine around her hips, just long enough for her to slip
the knife between her armor and the vine. The vines tightened again, but
recoiled as the sharp blade dug in. Rita pulled her free arm back in,
drawing the vines in to for the knife to slice through. The vines kept
growing towards them, and Rita twisted and rolled in the dirt to pierce the
vines in her legs.

On the field elsewhere, the warming rays melted the unnatural ice, though
the vines persisted and were strengthened by it. Kasaima and Yuèliàng were
well-matched in trading blows, but Yuèliàng was smaller and faster, able to
dart in and cut with his sword.

Finally, Rita cleared enough vines to stand up, slightly off-balance from
her heelless boot. She saw Kasaima and the stranger fight, but focused
immediately on her fallen sword, buried under the vines. A fresh set of
unwounded vines stretched out to grab her. They were little more than
vipers to Rita. Not something she'd ever personally faced, but something
she had often dreamed of fighting. With her scouting instincts on full
blast, she jumped back towards a free spot as the vines rushed past. They
pivoted in mid-lunge, the coils on the ground twisting in turn. Just as she
hoped. With a stab and a swing upwards, she pried one loose vine up with
her knife; with her opposite hand, she grabbed the practice sword and
yanked it free. It was too blunt to do any cutting, but it did give her two
advantages: range and leverage.

***
Talo was trying to push dirt back into the trench he had made when movement
in the camp caught his eye. A strange cloud seemed to be forming over the
encampment. He blinked in disbelief as he also saw vines entangling his
companions and a voice starting to speak. As the cloud dissipated, he saw a
man wielding a sword and Kasaima readying his club. Instantly his combat
instincts kicked in and he started to charge toward the fight. Suddenly he
realized he had no idea how to fight as a dragon. A moment later he knew
what he must do. It was risky but the only way to help. He mentally
released his body to the dragon’s instinct and with a roar launched into
the battle.

***
Rita turned her attention towards Aldwin, who was still pinned to the
ground. The curse was starting to accelerate on him, and his nose and lips
had a stiff yellow hook to them. "Careful! Easy!" she tried to call out
over Talo's roars. While her off hand bucked and battered the approaching
vines, her knife quickly sawed through one vine, then the other. Rita
barely had time to pull him up by the wrist before another vine burst
through the ground.

The dragon saw two he knew were friends freeing themselves from the vines.
If they could clear themselves enough, he could use his most deadly weapon,
but not until then. His size alone gave him a formidable weapon however and
he opened his mouth prepared to bite. But before he was near enough his
head hit something cold and hard thrusting his head, then his body skyward.
To Talo’s great surprise the dragon felt pain. Not from the impact but from
a deep cold that ran through his jaw. Spreading his wings the dragon used
his redirected momentum to take to the sky. This puny being would pay
dearly for his actions on the dragon’s next attack.

By now, Kasaima was bleeding in several places. Worse, ice seemed to be
slowly forming on Kasaima as he fought, despite the heat radiating from his
club. "What trickery is this?!"

"It is simple. Cold is the absence of heat. I'm simply draining your heat
away from you. A fitting end for a monster like you. Your kind will never
betray us again!"

"I and my clan serve the ruler of Zhongguo. *We* have never betrayed the
Emperor. I shall continue to serve until my death!"

"Then die," said Yuèliàng. The frost covered Kasaima's arms and his club
fell and went out. His body began to turn pale as his body heat was drained
away, until he fell to the ground beside his club.

Aldwin watched in horror as Kasaima fell. This stranger was far beyond
their ability to intervene directly. She ducked as Nyein swooped in and
blasted a fireball at the perimeter. Seeing a path clear, Rita pulled
Aldwin up by his feathery arm and practically shoved him through. "Aldwin!
Get to the Keep! Bring help! Go!" Aldwin stumbled on his webbed feet as the
vines tried to trip him up.

***
Seeing Rita using her practice sword he thought of a better way to help. He
knew a metamorphic casting that would greatly improve the weapon. This
school of magic was far from his best, but the situation called for taking
chances. After a moment of concentration he began the casting. Using both
words and gestures he threw the spell on Rita’s sword. He had no more than
finished when he found himself spun about by the huge form of a dragon
passing close to him.

Rita felt her practice sword sag with weight, and hefted it anew. The sword
was darker and glossier like polished stone. A petrification spell! It
wasn't iron, but it was strong and hard enough to cleave through the vines.

***
Rorlyn glided eastward once again as he zig-zagged down the valley. His
briefing before he started the patrol had reported a small encampment that
had lasted a few days. It was a point of interest mostly because it seemed
the Oni that had been visiting the library was among them. Another of the
local avians had told him that there was now a red and gold dragon at the
same site. While this could be trouble, the peaceful nature of those camped
there set the gryphon’s mind at ease. Turning back to the west he saw a
group of scouts making their way south. Even with his eagle-like vision
seeing them was not easy, but to know they were around if needed was always
a good thing.

His reflections came to an end as he heard something that needed immediate
attention. Dragons do not usually roar for no reason. Not only the rareness
of a roar but the nature of this one having the unmistakable tone of anger
caused the gryphon to increase his speed and his course was now directed to
its source. He hoped the patrol he had spotted would be doing the same.

***
-To Be Continued-
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