[Mkguild] To Fight for What's Right (Part 2)

[Indagare]

Even after Rita had freed the vines around him, Aldwin was stunned. He had
never seen a battle between mages before, and never felt so completely
overpowered by an enemy so utterly indifferent to his presence. It had
taken all his strength to come to terms with battling a straw effigy of
himself yesterday, but to be battling the elements of earth and air
themselves, Aldwin was powerless.

Rita's sharp words were the only things that broke through his stunned
haze, and the only thing that kept his wobbly legs moving, dodging around
vines and fleeing the raucous battle behind him. Yes, the woods were
clearly much safer than the madness behind him. But no! This wasn't a
retreat! This was a mission! He just had to get away from the battle and
find his bearings, so that he could get to the Keep, and alert them to this
ambush!

He hesitated at the edge of the tree line, trying to find a clear trail to
get through the thick woods. A vine brushed against his foot. After his
feet had changed into bird's feet, he'd stopped wearing his shoes. Aldwin
kicked away the vine and felt his pants slip. For the first time, he
realized his body was rapidly changing from the curse. His pants had
slipped down to the middle of his thighs, which were themselves sinking
into his chest. Feathers had already covered his waist, protecting his
modesty.

Another vine smacked his leg. Seeing no alternative, Aldwin leapt into the
woods, and almost immediately crashed into a prickly shrub. He fell back
and jumped forward as another vine kept reaching for him. How far into
these woods until he was free of them? It was as if the vines had a mind of
their own, intent on trapping their easiest victim!

Between the shrub and the vine and the subsequent dash, Aldwin lost his
pants at some point. A layer of feathers had completely engulfed him from
his upper legs to his cheekbones. His arms were stretching outward,
sticking out awkwardly from his shoulders, as rough down and smooth quills
covered them to his wrists.

Of course! Flying! If he could just get some wind under his new wings, he
could fly to the Keep! No more running through the woods! Thoughts of
soaring on the thin air above were quickly broken by another slap of the
vines.

Height! What he needed was height! He jumped up to the nearest tree and
began scrambling up it. He'd always been pretty good at climbing trees as a
kid, but his task was made much more difficult by the creeping ivy climbing
behind him, and the weakening fingers in front of him. Stubbornly, he
pushed himself forward, grabbing the next bough with paddle-like hands.

Flashes of light and heat poured through the breaks in the leaves. Yet all
Aldwin could focus on was climbing. He was twenty feet up, maybe twenty
five. He grabbed a branch and lifted himself up. His shoulders were
straining against the awkward position he'd forced them into. His body felt
like it was being twisted in one direction by strong ropes, while he was
yanking himself in another direction. He stopped to rest his chin on the
branch -- a chin that was no longer there. He tried to grab the branch with
his elbows, but it was too late. His feet had already given way.

Aldwin dangled from the branch by his wing-arms as the vines reached
upwards towards him, pulling away from the trunk they were climbing to try
to pull him back down. A downed bird, of course, was already dead. Aldwin
would not let himself be downed that way. But his fingers were growing
weaker, sinking into nubs, as the feathers overwhelmed them.

Drop, a voice told him. Drop and change. Become the bird that you are.
Aldwin looked down, pressing his beak against his chest. The whole forest
seemed to shutter, the vines weaving and unweaving like a giant maw ready
to swallow him.

No! He needed more height! He kicked the vine aside and closed his eyes. He
lowered one arm, and with reckless abandon, swung forward and grabbed the
tree. He lost his grip on the branch above, but his other hand clutched the
tree and gripped it. His knees, already sunken into his chest, squeezed the
tree as his clawed feet dug in for purchase, and he lunged upwards,
grabbing a higher section of tree. Some strange resurgence of strength
entered his fingers, even as the feathers twisted and spiraled between the
cracks. All Aldwin could think of was escape, reaching forward and pulling
himself away from the pit beneath him, towards the open sky, towards
freedom.
***

Yuèliàng heard the dragon roaring and cursed. He’d foolishly let himself
lose track of what was going on! Worse, he could see another winged
creature approaching. *We have to leave!* Yuèjiàn warned. *I am well made,
but I cannot hold off an army! Also, that oni was telling the truth!*

*So it seems. I don’t understand! And I don’t think I’m likely to get a
chance to explain either!*  Yuèliàng could mentally kick himself all he
wanted, but he’d done what he’d always been warned against: rushed into
battle without learning about the enemy.

He took a defensive stance. These were his enemies because he made them so.
He could not, in honor, harm them. But he needed time to think, to
understand what he’d learned, and to figure out how to make any
reparations. The dragon roared as it flew closer. Time was almost out!
Yuèliàng hastily created a shield of ice in the dragon’s path of flight,
hoping to deter it.

After ricocheting off from the enemy’s ice shield the dragon continued to
soar upward. He glanced around at the battlefield and saw that all but one
of the friendly combatants had cleared the area. He continued to gain
altitude until those on the ground looked as small as ants. Now was the
time. He would have clearly been out of the enemy sight and he was free to
make whatever maneuver he needed. He chose to make a dive directly
overhead, as it would give the least amount of opportunity for him to be
seen. Drawing his wings inward he began to fall in a controlled manner,
gaining speed as his range narrowed. He had to be accurate, he knew, for
the one remaining combatant was vulnerable to this attack. He held some
hope that the icy cocoon that the enemy had placed him in would provide
enough shelter for him to use a goodly amount of his fire on the enemy. He
gave a toothy grin as the distance grew smaller. He felt the organ in his
mouth come to life which within seconds would engulf the enemy in lethal
Flame.

*I can defend you for a time,” Yuèjiàn said, “This land is rich in magic.
Use it to perform the Eclipse Technique. I sense a cave not too far from
here and I think it is well-hidden.*

Yuèliàng nodded. Normally he would never consider using the Eclipse
Technique by himself: it was a costly effect. But with the magic of the
land, he could just possibly manage to use it to escape. Yuèjiàn would
defend him.
***

By this time Rita had grabbed her bow and arrows and taken some time to
inspect the battlefield. She only now noticed that the vines didn't cover
the entire campsite; they branched outward from three specific areas. Oddly
enough, one of those areas was growing fewer vines than the other two, with
stems that shot upwards several feet before drooping down.

Of course! Each of those three areas had been where one of their party had
been standing. Aldwin and she had been on one side, Trey and Kasaima on
another. The last set of vines must have been aimed for Nyein.

She didn't know much about magic, but she could guess that the swordsman
had acted alone. No one else had created those vines. With him locked in
combat, he wasn't about to create any more vines. There were still new
vines growing, but only from those three stems. If she could take those
out, the battlefield should be clear.

***

Nyein had recovered sufficient Mana to resume casting spells. The
difficulty was he was the only target left and the enemy could swat him
like a fly. Had no more than cleared the area then he felt a great warmth
upon his back, so hot that it nearly brought pain to his mind. Moving as
quickly as he could he glanced upward and saw the huge mass of a dragon
spewing a Tight Stream of orange and white Flame directly upon the man. Now
he knew there was only one thing left to do.

The dragon relentlessly poured his flame out upon the spot where the
attacker had stood. Then with a great push of his wings he released his
flames and drove himself High into the air again. He looked back to see the
ground still covered in flames, the Earth itself, in places, from above
seemed to be Molten. While he could not see the target clearly due to the
smoke and flames, he felt certain that he had met a fiery end. He gave a
smile of great contentment but then his attention was drawn to another
flier that was closing in on him rapidly. At this distance it was difficult
to tell what it was. From what he could see he felt certain it was an
avian, but one of great size. Something in the back of his mind seemed to
assure him whatever was approaching him was not a threat. With this calming
voice getting louder he began a slow turn so as to meet the new arrival.

As the dragon’s fire reached down, Yuèjiàn both deflected and absorbed it,
keeping Yuèliàng safe. The Eclipse Technique took a great deal of time to
use, and was usually only done in major battles. Besides the dread caused
by the illusion making it seem someone was blotting out the sun, it also
caused complete cover for the person using it and all allies.

The gryphon was now close enough to see the battlefield and he shuddered at
the sight. Most of the cape was in flames and he saw what appeared to be
one body on the ground. Returning his gaze to the dragon, Rorlyn saw that
it was approaching him but not in a hostile manner. Suddenly the gryphon’s
ear folded flat in a protective reflex. The sound surprised him as there
were no storm clouds in the sky, but that sound had clearly been thunder.
After his survey of the sky, he turned his attention back to the dragon.
Rorlyn’s beak dropped open in surprise as it was tumbling toward the ground.

“Pull up,” he cried as loud as he could. “Spread your wings.”

The dragon had hardly begun the turn when something hit him. His head was
snapped back and his wings, painfully pushed backward. The world spun both
visually and mentally. He desperately fought to clear his mind and only
someone’s screaming told him what must be done. He spread his wings and for
a moment continued to descend. Then as he pushed them downward, he once
again came back to level flight. His mind finally cleared, he looked at the
camp to see a figure standing in the midst of the dying flames with a sword
raised and pointed at him.

Pure draconic rage answered the threat.

Flying at top speed, his mouth already alight with flame, he closed
distance. With one mighty roar he sprew a ball of fire at the man. Before
it reached him it flattened and spread, finally being pushed back directly
at the dragon engulfing it. But then the dragon was also pushed back as the
fireball had been. First rising into the sky and then tumbling to the
ground, still flaming in his own fire.

Seeing what was happening Rorlyn flew to the side, flanking the dragon’s
attacker. Seeing what was happening he immediately cast what appeared to be
a ball of lightning at him. As it drew close however a number of fingers of
light reached out for the man. As the first one touched him the blade of
the sword turned a silvery white and drew all the other fingers into it. As
the last one vanished a bolt erupted from the sword, striking the gryphon
in the chest and pushed him away from its owner.

As Rorlyn attempted to shake off the effect of the lightning that had
gotten through his shield he saw the man take a different stance and the
blade turn orange. Now Rorlyn found himself in a storm of sharp stone
shards that burst from the earth itself, pelting him relentlessly. Much to
his amazement some of these also penetrated his shield, each partly
embedding itself in his skin.
While the gryphon was under attack the dragon had gotten to his feet.
Staggering forward he
released another ball of fire which missed its mark but exploded close
enough to the warrior to set his back ablaze. With unbelievable speed the
man took a new stance while the blade turned blue. From the stream that ran
along the edge of the clearing a column of water rose and arced towards
him. It lightly flowed over him, extinguishing the flames, before becoming
narrow and rushing in the direction of the wounded gryphon. The half avian
found himself being thrown backward by the force of the water casting him
into the wood, breaking limbs, and branches along the way.
***

The canopy was still several feet above Aldwin when the trunk suddenly
narrowed, and the branches barely strong enough to hold his weight. He was
about fifty feet up now, which was about as good as the trees around here
would get. There was a clear view of the battle. A dragon and a gryphon
were doing battle against the stranger. A column of water suddenly erupted
from the stranger's sword and struck the gryphon, who flew backwards and
crashed into the same tree Aldwin stood in, twenty feet below. With a
startled squawk, Aldwin fell backwards off his branch.

A memory flashed before Aldwin's eyes. A memory of stepping carelessly out
an open hayloft, desperately reaching back for a rope, the ground rushing
up and crushing the air out of him. As Aldwin fell, those same arms, still
sore from his extended climb, now reached outward for the wind. As if a
door had suddenly come unbolted, there was a rush of wind through his mind,
knocking down all thoughts, all worries, everything that had been human,
even the tunic that fell off his head and disappeared behind him. All of it
would have been forgotten, save for one strong thread that tightened around
his human thoughts and held them in his mind -- something the albatross
could not bother to aid at the moment.

The albatross felt himself being lifted, gliding as if on a slope of air
pushing against his long wings. In an instant, he was flapping and twisting
himself around the intertwining branches, searching desperately for that
column of open air to hold his open wings. The world was getting darker on
all sides. The albatross beat his wings even harder towards a single thread
of the blue sky. The lashing twigs and smothering leaves fell away behind
him. He held his wings out and let a current of air sweep him up and above
a sea of green forest.

He glided over the trees, free and safe, wings motionless as the air
carried him north.

It was several minutes before his eyes caught the flash of a river, and the
albatross turned towards it, feeling a deep emptiness inside of him that
only fish could fill.
***

Reaching down inwardly, Yuèliàng pulled on the magic and let it flow
through him. He held his free hand aloft and overhead the sun began to
darken as an unnatural eclipse began to cover it. The darkness spread from
the ground as well, reaching out around him. He felt the strain as he tried
to complete the spell. He felt something else too, but ignored it. The
attacks were getting worse, and he knew even Yuèjiàn had its limits.
***

Rita hacked at the nearest cluster of vines, the ones where she and Aldwin
had been standing. The one by Kasaima and Trey seemed to have been
destroyed by Talo's fire. Arrows had been less than effective at getting at
the heart of the vines. The biggest problem was that with two sets of vine
growths, one could protect the other, but Rita had no one to protect her.
She could hack at one or the other, but could not make a finishing stab
without the other trying to pull her down.

A darkness fell around her. She looked up, startled as the sun seemed to
have turned as black as night, leaving a ring of fire behind. More magic?
She looked around, but the mage seemed to have disappeared.

Yuèjiàn also drew upon the energies of the Valley to bolster it. This was a
battle gone terribly wrong. Turning back to the dragon, who still struggled
to stay on his feet, the now green blade focused on him. Dozens of vines
flowed over the scaled body, dragging him down to the ground.

Rita's eyes widened. Talo was down! She dove into the tall grass before the
hidden mage noticed her.

Rorlyn, lying beneath the pile of broken wood, thanked his stars that his
shield had held against the fury of the attack.

“Rorlyn, are you hurt?” a quiet voice asked from above him. He looked
upward and saw Nyein hanging there. “Somewhat but nothing serious I would
say.”

“I am Nyein, an apprentice mage of Master Myrtice. Is there any way I could
aid you?”
***

Finally, Yuèliàng finished and the whole of the area was smothered in
unnatural darkness and fog through which only he could see.

With the last of his strength, Yuèliàng walked from the field as fast as he
could. He longed to run, but his legs would not support that. He followed
Yuèjiàn’s directions to the cave, hiding in what cover he could find. He
narrowly avoided a party of searchers: how had they gotten here so quickly?

In the time they took to pass, the spell began to break and the eclipse
began to end. He only just made it into the cave as the supernatural
darkness and fog ended. With the last of his energy, he thrust Yuèjiàn
ceremoniously into the earth, so it would stand erect, waiting a new
partner.

For, as he lay down, he felt sure he’d be found and slain. And he deserved
it.

***---***
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