Eragon, Where Dragons dare

[darkblade]

Leonidas

The King smiled at this. He liked these Elves' attitude, especially if they could back it up on the battle field.

"Of course. Spartans! To Arms!" The Spartans take up formation outside of the city and prepare to march.

***

Artemis

Artemis screams in pain as he raises up his shield to push the monster off of him. This is followed quickly by a stab to the beast's head.

***

Black Knight

"Where I come from bonding with a beast signifies something else entirely." Percy moves to disarm Eragon. Better to escape here quickly without doing too much damage than to murder the Varden's leaders and bring the remanants of the rebellion full force upon Camelot.

[industrious]

Raistlin

Cringing away from the warriors, the mage mutters "swordsmen" derisively. While he could end this fight, he prefers to stay out of it; he could not do much without compromising his cover. Moving to the dark-skinned lady, he whispers "I will defend you from any stray blows, mylady," in his most charming voice. Of course, the fact that he probably is lighter than she is, and leaning heavily on his staff probably doesn't fill her with confidence.

[doliest]

Lord Soth
So Soth did kill many a fool who got in his way on his quest.
And, having no interruptions, Soth and his companions sought the wizard west.
Many a battle and pillaging's did he fight. Fear and terror were heaped upon his name, and in time, he became a legend by his own hand.
.
..
...
Which is what would have happened, had Soth not merely continued in the correct path to find the Wizard and the Varden(The last one was unknown to him).
Bilbo
"Indeed, who cares who's king of where? We didn't have kings in the Shire, we just decided as a group what to do, and if it didn't hurt anyone, we all left each other alone when we could. King's usually aren't bad, but who knows what they have to do, and why? They like keeping to themselves about things like that."

[Cracklord]

Black Knight
Eragon needed no encouragement, dashing forward with a speed that would not shame a prize Surdan racing stallion. Extending his arm he pointed the gleaming point of his blade at the Knight’s armored torso, his face drawn in a snarl.

Artemis
The point of your sword drives right through his throat, a fountain of blood erupting over you as it convulses and dies.
Your men continue to fight, at the best, but the number of injuries is increasing. Still no casualties, but the Urgals show no sign of relenting despite having lost half their number.

Leonidas
The elves are lining up, their queen at their head. "try and keep up." She smiles, and then her soldiers dart towards Gil'Ead, running tirelessly.

Raistlain
Nuasda nods at him, still glaring at the Black Knight. You suspect the young Rider is out for blood. Even Caramon controlled himself better then this.

Lord Soth
You feel yourself getting closer. Ahead lies an enormous sprawling mass of buildings long since grown out of any attempt to organize or control, barely enclosed by a twenty foot stone wall.

[doliest]

Lord Soth
Soth stares up at the door, anticipation flowing through him that his quest is at an end. He moves towards the massive stone wall, and politely knocks throws a fireball THE SALMON MOUSSE attempts to find a gateway into the massive city.

[Cracklord]

Lord Soth
The guards are all cowering, and no one dares try and stop you.
The magic aura is coming from the palace.

[industrious]

Raistlin

Swordsmen. Thinking with their muscles and not with their heads. Waving around their sharped pieces of metal when they encountered problems, they really should be done away with altogether. Their one saving grace was how easily they could be manipulated. Calling on a fraction of his true power, Raistlin fills the room with light.

Shirak

Light. A bright, blinding light, where none save the Master can see, much less attempt to fight. "Now then," he whispers. "can we try to settle this like civilized beings? Or is that too much to ask from this motley horde?"

Lu-Tze

It was amazing what one finds in the middle of a battle. Like the point of the sword of an enemy commander, right at the tip of your neck. Still smiling, Lu-Tze looks at the man. "I don't suppose you've heard of Rule One, have you?"

[darkblade]

Black Knight

Raising his shield up to cover his eyes from the light of Raistin's spell Percy lets out a grunt of pain.

***

Leonidas

Leonidas leads his men just behind the Elves. They may not posses the elves natural advantages but they make for it in brutal training from infancy.

***

Artemis

His men are being severely wounded. Artemis himself starting to bleed out but there is no retreat and no surrender for a Spartan.

"Spartans! Scatter! Use the ruins to your advantage!" Artemis orders and so it is done. The Spartans not currently engaged in battle with a beast scramble to take cover behind the reamnants of buildings.

Upon seeing the odd man pop up Artemis pauses. "What rules might that be?"

[industrious]

((it isn't directed at anybody; its emanating from the staff Raistlin is carrying. Everybody is affected by it. Oh, and you've got a smiling wrinkly old man at the point of your sword(as Artemis)))

[doliest]

Lord Soth
Soth stalks directly towards the palace, his banshees following in tow. A thousand thoughts fly through his head as he moves quickly and with purpose; who was the wizard from his world that had found his way here? Could he send him back, or was his arrival accidental and was he just as stuck as Soth? What would greet him in this palace?

[Cracklord]

Black Knight
Eragon recovered quickly from his lunge with the grace of a born swordsman, withdrawing his blade and spinning it over his hand to thrust at the Knight’s face, whickering above the shield, the flames making it's speed and position hard to judge.

Leonidas
The elves set a brutal pace, but your men are able to keep up, if barely.

Artemis
Your men scatter, vanishing into the ruins. The Urgals bound after them in quick pursuit. A smiling wrinkly old man is at your mercy.

[industrious]

Lu-Tze

"The Rules, of course. Like Rule One, or Two, or...Nineteen. Nothing is ringing any bells?" Shaking his head, the man looks deeply disappointed. "Fine then. I'll show this world the Rules." Slapping away the point of Artemis's sword, the old man attacks with a series of unarmed strikes, designed more to subdue than kill.

[doliest]

Lord Soth
Soth walks up to the door of the Palace, and attempts to throw it open, now completely focused on the source of magic, which he has felt again. The wizard is clearly getting active, and has just used his magic again.

[darkblade]

Black Knight

Percy ducks beneath the sword and makes a run for the door. Obviously with wizard present this is not a battle he can win right now. Better run away and live to fight another day.

***

Leonidas

The Spartans keep pace, keeping their eyes open for soliders of the Empire.

***

Artemis

Blocking a few of the attacks but being struck by the majority Artemis is downed. He chuckles slightly as he tries to get back to his feet.

"Perhaps we can resume your lessons in these rules after these beasts have been dealt with."

[Cracklord]

Lord Soth/Black Knight
As you approach you see what appears to be a duel spilling into the hallway, a man in leather with a blue sword fighting a black knight. They are both clearly masters, although the young man seems considerably faster and stronger.
Abruptly the knight turns and runs nearly barreling into you.

Percy crashes into a figure wearing a full suit of plate mail of ancient design. Damage from many battles mars the delicate ornamentation, obscuring its intricate carvings of kingfishers and roses, leaving only a charred black rose on the breastplate. A long purple cloak hangs heavily on his shoulder, draped behind him almost to his knees. Only two flaming dots red as blood shine from the eye slits on the helm. He is surrounded by an aura of freezing unearthly cold, and for a moment you feel your heart quicken in naked terror.

Leonidas
After nearly an entire day, you can see a city on the horizon. It is extremely fortified. The elves simply stop, sitting, preparing to besiege it the next day.
Your men are exhausted, and you have let events carry you up. You have no plan or idea of what to do.

Artemis
Most of the beasts are dead, the remainder fighting a losing battle. The Spartans have merely suffered three casualties, one crippling wound, with perhaps ten injured at all.

[doliest]

Lord Soth
Lord Soth views the fight with mild interest, but sensing that neither of them is the wizard he is looking for. He stops again, memories of his time as a knight flying back; valiant battles and great duels, things bards would sing of for ages, but shakes his head and remembers; he needs to get back to Krynn. To Kitaria.
He was about to move forward, when the knight barrels into him. The knight pushes him down to the ground, and Soth practically screams in fury, pushing the man off him and pulling his sword from his sheath. Getting to his feet, "Who wishes to die first?"

[Cracklord]

Lord Soth
Eragon has his sword drawn and is out for blood. Seeing Soth, he stomps forward, swinging his blade. The flaming sword leapt up to meet the cold black one, long ribbons of blue flame trailing behind it like eerie streamers. The flame danced around the naked sord leaving azure and sapphire ghosts flickering along it’s passage, the air fanning them and making them burn brighter.
"To think I believed you!" He roars at Percy. "I see now that you are an assassin, and have already thrown your lot in with Galbatorix!"

[doliest]

Lord Soth
Soth blocks the blade strike, sensing some training and much strength in the strike, but nothing compared to his unnatural strength and the training he received in the final level of knighthood, augmented by his unlife. The sword is unsettling in it's power, something that a novice like this shouldn't be handling, "You dare imply I serve the king of these lands, whelp!? Why would I serve one so weak; I, who has burned his training ground of weak mages, I, who has slaughtered his soldiers in drove! You dare imply I would serve one beneath me? I have bowed to only one in my life, and Galbatorix was not fit to polish her armor!"

[industrious]

Raistlin

The wizard glances at the new arrival. His appearance is unfamiliar, but his extensive knowledge of arcane lore(and his propensity to gather intelligence on his sister's whereabouts) lead him to quickly deduce who the spectre before him was. Stepping forward, the archmage meets the dead knight's eyes squarely.

"Hello, Lord Soth. What are you doing away from my sister's side?"

[Cracklord]

Eragon parries the blade, then launched a fiery backlash at his neck. He is unnaturally strong, though not a match foryou, and fast, though not particularly fast. Ignoring Raistlin,he continues to try and overcome the death knight. He knew that prodigious strength was his, equal to even the fiercest Kull Warlord, and speed equal to even the fleetest elf, as well as training from master swordsmen, and plenty of tallent.

[doliest]

Lord Soth
"The Master of Past and Present; Raistlin Majere. I would offer a bow, if not currently dealing with more pressing matters. You should know better than any; she's dead, by your apprentice's hand. I sought a wizard to bring me to the plane her soul went too, but he landed me here. I assume it was your magic I felt among the untamed magic of this world?" As the blade hits his neck, Soth let's out an unnatural chuckle, "Boy, you should start looking for another tactic if you wish to actually injure me, rather than merely hurt me." The strike hurt far more than Soth is willing to let on, but best not to let that kind of thing show. He quickly brings his blade down at the boy before him; he will either move back allowing Soth more room, or block and suddenly realize his weakness.

[Cracklord]

Eragon ignored the discussion, but Nuasda heard every word.
Eragon had gritted his teeth, catching Soth's stricke, and locked Soth’s blade with his own, straining for every inch, until they were forced into a deadlock.
Nuasda removed a knife from the inside of her sleave, so quietly none of them noticed, and stepped behind Raistlin, the dagger pricking the back of his neck. "If you move, I'll kill you." She growled. "Who are you really, and what do you really want?"

[darkblade]

Black Knight

Knowing that the addition of undead warriors will only tilt the odds further out of his favour Percy continues to flee. As soon as he makes it a safe distance away he begins looking for a way to reach the roof.

***

Leonidas

The King had made some grave errors in judgement but he had a plan.

The elves mentioned that these men were "attacking" the forest. Surely that means there is an entrance along the woods and they are probably still undergoing their logging as he plans.

Under the cover of tree canopy and the the black of the night Leonidas lead his men through the woods to around to the other side of the city.

***

Artemis

It doesn't take long for the remaining monsters to be crushed. The Spartans begin to attend to each other's wounds without so much as a word from Artemis.

Artemis instead focuses on the stanger. "What is your name stranger?"

[industrious]

Raistlin

"Yes. Though I am afraid that I am at such a point in time that I do not have an apprentice." Realizing that there was currently a knife pointed at his neck(laughable. His robe had wards on it for that eventuality), Raistlin pauses.

"I suppose Eragon told you my cover story, then? The truth is that I come from a rather far off land; where, I will not say. Suffice it to say, that if it came to war between my (and Lord Soth's) land and the Empire, we would be crushed. I was sent here in order to prevent that from happening; my story about the device to separate the bond between dragon and Rider is still true, if its context is somewhat removed. Soth, stop fighting. Now. There is talk to be had."

Lu-Tze

The Sweeper bows. "My name is Lu-Tze, and I am attempting to beat some sense into this Disc-forsaken world. No sense of Narrativium, the Rules, anthromorphic personifications, time-slicing(I tried it several times), and no knowledge about the Way." The monk pauses for breath. He's really getting old; the centuries are wearing on him, despite his use of circular aging.

[Cracklord]

Leonidas
((You're half a day from Gil-Ead. far away from the forest.))

Black Knight
Eragon, sensing his prey escaping, lets out a low, animal roar, and increases the pressure, taking his blade in two hands. He still isn't strong enough to overcome the Death Knight. For a moment, he holds it. Then he says "Letta," and Soth is swept of his feet to crash into the wall at the end of the hallway, with bone crunching force. Eragon throws himself after him, his blade arcing lethally towards the deathknight.

Raistin
Nuasda removes the dagger, grudgingly, but she keeps it naked in her hand. "And who is he?" She asks. "And why did you lie?" You can tell she's still not convinced.

Percy
The guards ignore you, seeing you escorted in by Eragon obviously convinced them you are on their side. You follow a few seemingly identical corridors, then lead them up a staircase to another long corridor. This trend continued, until you began to feel hopelessly lost. At last it opens up onto the palace's battlements.

[doliest]

Lord Soth
"Clearly honor is lost on you, boy." Soth says, disdain in his voice. He quickly speaks the words to bind Eragon; a weaker version of the spell that robbed the wizard of his life. After he completes the words and the spell takes effect, he gauges the two others in the room; one is Raistlin Majere, master of past and present, one of the most powerful beings to walk the lands of Krynn. The other is...currently holding a knife to the wizard's back. Soth would smirk if he still could,"Fine; wizard, but I doubt this fight will end so easily. This boy seems to lack an understanding of what we can do. He's clearly never dealt with a being kept alive by a divine curse; not that it would surprise me in this land."

[Cracklord]

The spell slips off Eragon, as though you tried to target something that didn't exist. The blade slams into your shoulder guard, and the enchantments burn your essence. For the first time in an age, you feel pain. This blade could kill you.
Eragon recovered quickly from his lunge with the grace of a born swordsman, withdrawing his blade, and getting to his feet.
Steel rang on steel. No sooner was his first slash blocked then Eragon launched another thrust, and another, their two blades flickering between them, weaving a pattern of death.

[doliest]

Lord Soth
"You're better than you look boy; and more interesting." Soth attempts to catch the next sword strike with his hand, and slamming his sword into the boy's side with his other hand; hoping the blade wouldn't cause too much damage to his hand.

[Cracklord]

It is at this point that Nuasda has had enough. "Eragon, stop it." She yells. Looking like nothing so much a s a beaten dog, he backs away, glaring at Soth.
Pushing past him, the dark skinned woman advances on the Death Knight. "What do you want?" She hisses.

[industrious]

Raistlin

"That is Lord Soth. My sister's...protector. Cursed for failing a promise to a maiden, he is now bound as an unliving spirit, faithful beyond the grave. And I lied to protect my land; as a leader, I am sure you comprehend."