your hands protect the flames

[modforged]

Who: The Dragonsworn
What: The first arrival of the Dragonsworn goes a bit...awry.
Where: Scattered around the perimeter of Suramar.
When: Dawn on March 21st
Warnings: Please PM the mods if any warnings are needed

It is almost as if you've woken from a daydream when the ground meets your feet. The stench of fire is overpowering, and though dawn is just approaching in the canopies of Kalimdor, bright flashes of green can be seen between the branches of impossibly tall trees. If that doesn't snap you out of your surprise, then the sound of nearby spitting in demonic tongue may persuade you to get a grip and notice your surroundings -- you are not alone. There are others like you, huddled just a bit too close, with a somewhat familiar face keeping you from advancing further. Looking down at your hands may briefly reveal a momentary flash of color, but nothing lasting more than a few seconds.

The mages of each flight take the helm of their charges, and they are quick to notice any movement from their groups despite channeling some sort of spell to keep you protected. Stray fire will bounce off an invisible shield that ripples when anything make contact with it. There seems to be nothing in sight but your new comrades, and your guardian -- at least not on the ground. The sky has flying demons swarming a pack of dragons -- and the dragons are very clearly losing. Look just a bit farther, and you might find more dragons, though these clearly have different colored scales than the ones above your head.

While distracted, you may hear your guardian speak to you. "There may yet be wounded nearby -- if you care to, bring them here, and we will tend to them from the Sanctum." Briefly, they gesture skyward, toward the dragons flying overhead. "Do not bring to us any that are not our own, lest you invite their demise!"

But the mage is focused on casting -- they are in no position to halt your advance, and they know it. They speak with concern -- concern for you, concern for the dire situation at hand. The demonic cackling is drawing near. The forests are rapidly becoming overrun, and there are already a few dragons slain on the forest floor.

"Take care, Dragonsworn -- I am bringing us to safety, but it will take time. To wander far is to invite your ruin, and we cannot afford the loss of your life."

[OOC: You are free to mingle on this post as you choose, despite the flight groups being scattered through the forests around Suramar -- after this log, you will be separated into your sanctums, and your interactions will be watched much more closely. Attempting to enter the city itself will result in a vicious attack from demons that will kill. The Dragon Mages will be tagging sporadically to heroes of their matching flight, and the conclusion of this log will lead Dragonsworn through portals to their Sanctums.]

Comments

OTA, Redsworn

[bloodpainter]

To say she was disoriented was a complete and total understatement. Nepeta had gone from dying, to being in the midst of moving to the new place where the dead apparently went, to this.

Dragons were something she was... well, not familiar with, not in the flesh at least, but the concept was one she was well acquainted with. Thanks in particular to a friend of hers, who she was currently glancing around for, to no avail. It looked like she was the only troll here.

The other creatures... well, she knew monsters when she saw them, and these looked like very ferocious ones. If she could take one on in a solo fight she might actually want to test herself against it, but it was obvious that if she wasn't careful, she'd get mobbed. Old hunting instincts rose to the fore of her mind, and she looked around the battlefield, trying to find something, anything, that she could actually do to affect the situation.

A fallen dragon not far from her caught her eye. There weren't any demons too close to it yet, but judging by the sounds coming from the forest that wouldn't last much longer. She had to act fast.

She began to move. Carefully, deliberately, but determinedly. She wasn't sure how she'd get the dragon back, but she had to do something.

[seesbosscrotch]

"I swear I've seen more dragons fall than Azeroth has ever held three times over," grumbled a voice nearby as the plate-armored blood elf stepped towards the same dragon. Noticing her movement from the corner of an eye, he glanced her way, then did a classic double-take.

Huh.

"I hope you're intending to aid that dragon," he said, as neutrally as he could manage.

[bloodpainter]

She stopped mid-step and turns to the... human? His ears were all wrong, but she couldn't think of what else he could be.

"Well, I was hoping to, but I'm not really sure what I can actually do... it's a bit big for me to drag it back on my own."

And just as she said that, an idea popped into her head.

"Wait... would you help me? I purrmise, I'm stronger than I look. I can pull my share."

[seesbosscrotch]

"It might be faster to heal it, but I'm no healer. I probably can't get it back up quickly." Especially not the way he was feeling. He'd drain himself dry quickly, and though his mana would refresh in time, it likely still wouldn't be enough. "Got any knack for it?"

[bloodpainter]

"No, and I don't have any items with me to help either. But we have to do something and that's the only idea I have. I don't think we can take on all those monsters by ourselves."

Again, one or two, sure. An army? Noooot so much.

"Let's get down there furst. Maybe we can figure something out."

[seesbosscrotch]

"If we have to haul it, we have to haul it!" Mar said philosophically. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Welp! If they were on the same team, best to be prepared! With a quick gesture, Mar placed the Blessing of Kings on the pair of them, augmenting their strength in the hopes that it could make up for some of the weakness he felt. Then, without hesitation, he slung his shield free, drew his mace, and advanced towards the fallen dragon as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

[bloodpainter]

"Right!" Reassured by her new teammate's can-do attitude and somehow... bolstered by a force she didn't really understand, Nepeta resumed her slinking towards the dragon, focused completely on the task at hand as she tried to figure out the best way to go about this.

She was, however, interrupted by movement from the forest. A small squad of five little cackling creatures came bounding forward towards the fallen dragon, their intent quite obviously malevolent. Nepeta bounded towards them.

"No you-"

And abruptly reappeared behind the whole group, facing their backs.

"Don't?"

[seesbosscrotch]

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! ALWAYS LET ME PULL THEM!"

Mar charged forward as fast as his legs could carry him, hurling his shield as he did. It blurred into a golden disc of light, bouncing from one of the imps into a pair of its friends before returning to the paladin's arm as if guided. "If they attack you, run this way!"

[bloodpainter]

"I didn't mean to do that!"

Pause.

"Whatefur it is I did!"

Seriously what the hell, since when could she teleport? She's not a space player. Still, it's kind of cool. Maybe she could do it again?

No sooner had she thought it than she was suddenly warping around the battlefield, slashing imps one after another as though it was second nature. It only lasted a few seconds, but wow, the rush.

"W-wow... he wasn't kidding about unlocking potential..."

[wilder]

Zelos was standing nearby, still wrapping his mind around this situation. It's been a long day, okay? It was going to take time to process.

But he catches sight of Nepeta on the move. He's never really seen a troll before. Frankly, she looks something closer to a demon to him, albeit a very kid-like demon that was not nearly as intimidating as the ones who were in the sky, or back home in Tethe'alla. But still! Horns, gray skin- those weren't good signs!

Then again, it didn't seem like any of the mages were paying her any mind, and she was hanging around them. So..was she maybe one of them?

Ugh, maybe he should just ask before she gets too close to that dragon - if those guys were the ones who were going to make sure they live through this mess. His hand is on the hilt of his sword as he follows after.

"Hey. You're not a demon, are you?"

[bloodpainter]

"What?" She turns to the human behind her with a blink of surprise, then shakes her head. "No. I'm a troll." The fact that he basically just asked if she was one of the enemies kind of flies over her head for the moment.

Now that he's gotten her attention, Nepeta is looking him up and down quizically, the gears in her head turning.

"Hey. I was going to try to help the dragon down there, but I'm not sure I can do anything on my own. Would you come with?"

[wilder]

A...troll. That was something new alright. But her confusion and surprise seem real enough, so...Okay, sure. Maybe she was a troll.

"Uh, right. Troll. My mistake."

Whatever that was.

But at least he'll focus on her request. "Come with?" He considers it, pausing for a moment before he answers with a nod. "Alright, sure. What's the plan?"

[bloodpainter]

"We've got to get that dragon there back to the others so they can heal it. That's what the purrson who brought us here said, right?"

Granted, it was arguable that doing what a person who dragged you into a raging battle asked was not a good course of action, but the other option was just sitting back and letting the demons do as they wanted.

Besides, she liked dragons.

"I know it's big, but maybe we can get it to cooperate? I mean if we can wake it up we'd just have to purrtect it while it gets to safety."

[wilder]

"I think so? Something like that, anyway..."

Normally, Zelos would question doing what the person who kidnapped you said. However, it was pretty clear these dragons were the ones warding off the demons. And like anyone who grew up in his world knew, while dragons could be dangerous, demons were always worse.

So, this was simply a smart survival move to him.

"Yeah, waking it up would be best. I can try healing it a little, and see if that helps it regain consciousness."

[bloodpainter]

"You can do that?" Healing abilities were rare among her group, possessed by precisely one person, who wasn't here. It was a bit of a relief for her to hear that someone else was here who could do that.

"Great, let's get down to it and see what we can do, then."

She began to slink down, unknowingly to her slipping into that stealthy state where keeping track of her was difficult, her outline blurring in one's eyes.

[wilder]

"Heh, sure can!" Okay, maybe he didn't have enough mana in him to entirely heal a dragon, but surely it'd be a breeze to make him regain consciousness!

He was about to agree, when she suddenly disappears on him. His eyes as a human weren't very good, so the stealth is pretty effective.

"Huh?! Where she'd go?"

[bloodpainter]

"What? I'm right here!"

She waves a hand at him. "Can't you see me? I mean I'm trying to be stealthy but that's a bit ridiculous."

She glances at herself to make sure she hasn't turned invisible, only to find that while she indeed has not, she does look... odd.

"Huh. That's weird. It's like I'm... blurred."

[pouts]

"Whoa, you look incredible!"

Her actions may have been careful, but a sudden outburst from another girl near her height definitely were not.

"Is this your armor?"

[bloodpainter]

Why hello there fellow tiny girl. Nepeta just turns to her with a confused expression.

"Armor?"

She blinks a bit and looks at her overcoat, which is the only thing she can imagine the girl could be referring to. "Um... I suppurrse you could call it that. Mostly just armor furrom the elements, though."

Glancing over at Nowi, she raises an eyebrow. "You don't look very purrtected furrom those. Or... anything."

[pouts]

"I'm not scared of a bunch of mints anyway!"

Cheerfully optimistic despite the situation, she places a hand on her hip while waving the other one around in the air as she spoke ecstatically.

"This armor is the bestest armor I could ever have because I'm the bestest and that's what I say."

[bloodpainter]

"A bunch of-"

Nepeta just boggles at the strange... human? Does she really not understand what elements are or is she just trying to make a joke? She honestly can't tell.

"Um... well okay." It's about the only thing she can think of to say in response to all that.

[pouts]

"Do you not think so?"

Now she's in sudden distress as she looks down once over again. Heart buckles, short shorts, and a top that wouldn't be able to stand up on it's own if she grew into it. Definitely not what one might call armor.

"These are made of my own scales so I know they're really tough."

She's not even phased in the slightest on how disgusting that might sound.

[bloodpainter]

Oh no distress. Nepeta raises her hands placatingly. "I- I just don't know much about armor, that's all, so I'll have to take your word fur it."

That seems reasonable enough, but... wait. What did she just say?

"Scales?" Nepeta looks her up and down then tilts her head quizzically, as if this is a riddle she's trying to figure out. "You don't look scaled to me..."

[pouts]

"I'm not scaled to size, but I assure you that I have scales... usually."

Nowi deflates at the second part as she sulks a bit, a small frown spreading itself across her face. Plucking at her armor, she stares down at it in thought.

"I haven't been able to transform since arriving here. I think it's because I lost my precious stone, but no one's been able to find it."

[bloodpainter]

"Transfurm?" Nepeta raises an eyebrow in typical feline curiosity. "Into what, purrcisely?"

Then again, she's not entirely sure she even needs to ask that question. After all, if it's something with scales, one creature immediately pops into mind given their current situation...