IC: Isabella and Nirexi had been walking for hours, ending up in a wide field. Iz was slightly surprised that there was no farming village on the outcrop of land, and wondered if there was anything to be worried about. She looked over at Nirexi, who simply gazed back at her, blinking his large gray eyes.

"Large open spaces aren't generally good for us in the Empire." She gently kicked a rock, watching it tumble over. Nirexi stopped and sat on his haunches, looking over to a group of trees around 200 yards away from them. He snorted, smoke flitting out of his nostrils, It isn't my fault that Raill gave us this information. He and Scout just said to find a way to get to the contact while they stayed in Surda. The black dragon sniffed, swinging his tail, The contact isn't in a large city, which means we have to pick our way through these small villages.

Iz nodded, knowing all of this already, "But we should have stuck to the tree cover. Even if it is our job to look for this village." She glanced around, fully aware of how scary they could look. A fully armored rider in black armor and a pitch black dragon. They stood out like a sore thumb. She turned again, thinking, "Lets just keep moving, towards the forest this time." She began walking again, quietly reaching her hand out to brush her fingertips over Nirexi's scales, scratching gently as he stood, his bulk moving forward, warily.

Iz, go ahead and strap up you're spear. I feel uneasy. The huge dragon glanced at his rider, watching her slim form, move to pull the long spear from the strap on her back, watching as she twirled in subconsciously for a moment. She flicked it around, balancing it against her shoulders and began walking again, "Keep you're eyes sharp. We don't have Raill to watch our backs right now." She turned her head to affectionately look at the big dragon, scratching his scales again.

Hawke felt slightly more relieved that they hadn't seemed to pick up on his embarrassment. Hawke listened to their story with interest. That they had escaped from Galbatorix was something he could admire based off of what he heard about the king. "Wow, you two have been through a lot. If I may ask, what exactly is the Resistance? I've heard of the Varden and the Empire, but I was under the impression that they were the two main war forces in Alagaesia," Hawke explained. He felt slight trepidation in the back of his mind, but he soon recognized it as someone else's. He glanced back at the forest behind him. He thoughtlessly conveyed that it was safe through his emotions, and Elisa sprang out of the underbush. She flew the several hundred feet separating the forest from them, and arrived quickly.

As she landed next to Hawke, he jerked a thumb towards his eager bond. "This is my dragon, Elisa," he greeted. Elisa had grown some, he realized. She was a head taller than Hawke now. However, she looked like she would be based more for speed and agility rather than strength. Elisa dipped her head politely. As my Rider said, I am Elisa. I am pleased to meet you she said softly.

IC: Elisa knew that he was close to her but she didn't turn her head this time. She continued straight ahead. She saw the female Rider jump behind Hawke and swiper her spear at him before Elisa looped around. She had been flying this entire time at nearly full speed, but she had yet to feel the accompanying toll of fatigue. It would probably hit her at once in waves when she finished this race.

Hawke ducked her spear and rolled to the side before quickly pulling himself up. Hawke held a solid stance, holding his sword so that it was parallel to the trees. He charged, letting loose several complicated manuevers in an attempt to break Iz's defenses.

Lakris felt them clearly now. Their minds were strong, each of the four. Even though he had yet to see them, they were within a few leagues. He readied himself mentally and physically; it was time to do what he was prepared to do.

OOC: Lakris will probably arrive on my next post. xP

Nirexi let something similar to a bark out as he made the turn, his bulk making him slip backwards slightly, however he pushed strongly with his wings, making them strain slightly. He bulleted forward, and came up to Elisa's tail. He spun over, flipping in the air to her other side, carefully, studying her movements. He pushed hard again, and came up to her stomach at her left side, then flipped over to her right by spinning over her.

Isabella jumped at each of his advancements, catching the edge of his sword with her spear occassionally, then spiraling over his head. She could feel her hair whipping around her face, and thought for a moment that it was annoying, but she couldn't do anything about it. She was so engrossed in their duel that she didnt sense the approaching presences.

IC: Elisa had to completely focus in order to keep her attention on flying with Nirexi flying around her in complicated patterns. She quickly realized that he was testing her, and she flipped around him as well so that if one were looking at them from in front of them, their patterns would look symmetrical. She felt a small wave of fatigue hit her and faltered slightly, but quickly resumed her previous pace. As she reached the tree, she went past the tree and looped around it, flying back towards the direction of the Riders. Her wings caused dirt and various, scattered leaves to flutter into the air. She didn't look back to see where Nirexi was, but continued staring at her objective.

OOC: You can decide who wins. ^^ And good, you're back.

IC: Hawke ducked and rolled when necessary, and applied counterattacks when the chance presented itself. The decision of whether or not he was on the offensive or the defensive was being particularly fickle today. At one point, he would be on the defense, and at others, the offense. His concentration was focused on her as he didn't allow his determination to falter or be directed elseware. The size of his sword and the size of her spear were almost the same size, so four or five feet of distance could separate them but they would easily manage to reach the other.

Lakris finally reached the four, and was surprised to see that there was not one dragon, but two. There was not one Rider, but two. However, he recognized the woman as his target and watched them for a moment as they fought. At first he had thought that they were enemies, but their fighting style wasn't suited to kill, but to disarm. When one or the other had the chance to kill, he or she chose not to. Of course, they could just be ill-experienced, but that was unlikely. Deciding to break up the confusion, Lakris clapsed his hands together before spreading them apart and pointing them at the two Riders. "Amaterasu Formula 7, Shard of Destruction," he murmured. A ball of energy composed of the four basic elements coalesced together, and shot towards the two at a quick speed. As it traveled, it reformed into a large, vertical spear that stood almost twenty feet tall and tore into the ground.

Elisa roared, suddenly taking notice of the large shard heading towards their Riders. Her alarm caused Hawke to falter, and he felt it as well. He quickly back-stepped the shard, pushing Iz with a gust of wind so that the shard would miss her as well.

Isabella noticed the shard and allowed herself to be blown backwards, feeling as Nirexi roared. She flitted her eyes to him as he tore toward her, she pulled a small knife out of a thigh holster, and quickly sent it flying toward the incomers. She landed gently on her feet thanks to Hawke's wind and nodded at him, spinning her spear into her hand at a defensive position.

Nirexi bulleted around the large energy-composed spear and landed beside Isabella, snorting, and crouching, ready to grapple for their new-found friends. Elisa, take some of my energy. He would allow her to take as much as needed, simply because she may yet need it to escape with Hawke.

"Pawn?" Lakris tilted his head questioningly at the word as if she had spoken a different language. Lakris shrugged his shoulders. "It's a wonder why he wants you in the first place. You're really annoying, and you have no sense of perception," Lakris stated. "I am no pawn of Galbatorix; he doesn't even know my true name. I am under allegiance to no one, and Sylverta is my only ally," Lakris glared at Isabella coldly. "Now it look like I have become talkative." He settled into a stance to where he could easily manuever, and Hawke tensed, ready for the man's charge.

Sylverta jumped into the air, easily climbing ten yards in a couple of seconds, and dropped down, charging towards Nirexi. Lakris himself maneuvered his hands in a complicated manner, and runes circled the air around him, and one large rune appeared in front of him, surrounded by a circle. He held his palms facing towards the circle and rune, which tilted itself automatically to where it was vertical and facing above Isabella. "Amaterasu Formula 19: Heaven's Roar," he stated. Many yards high in the air, the sky rippled like a lake. A beam of red light struck from the sky and his the magical circle Lakris had formed. It disappeared for a moment before redirecting itself at Isabella, using the circle as a reflection mirror. However, this specific "mirror" enhanced the energy of whatever was fired through it dramatically. The beam would he pretty difficult to dodge, even if the opponent was anticipating the move before it happened.

Sorry for any mistakes, I'm on my iPod.

Isabella smirked, she'd learned about him, "Oh you're still a pawn, don't doubt that for a minute. It makes you more of a pawn actually." She saw the beam and sighed, taking off running, attempting to get out of range of the beam. She sped as fast as she could, bolting quickly. She flicked a throwing knife quickly toward the Rider and frowned, looking back down at her feet. She knew she was fast, she was just hoping that she'd be fast enough.

Nirexi watched as the dragon dove toward him, and he jumped up, meeting the dragon halfway. He let his talons grip into the other's scales and spit fire at its chest. He pushed away, using his powerful wing to clip the dragons head and then kicked its neck, allowing him to fly several feet away where he hovered, snarling.

Its fine, dont worry about it :]

OOC: If you have a problem with how he captured her, just say the word and I shall edit. xD

IC: Lakris' eyes widened as she acted without being able to see, enabling herself to dodge all of the chains. That was unexpected. He didn't even think that she would be able to dodge it, let alone so soundlessly. He snarled, pointing one palm towards her quickly and another chain, this one quicker than the others, extended from his palm. The target was her arm, and as it attatched to her arm, Lakris pulled back, causing that arm to be pulled in his direction. Before she could retaliate, he extended another chain and did the same with her other arm, causing her to inevitably fall flat on her stomach. He extended a powerful paralysing shock down the chains which would numb her body allowing the rest of the capture to go by more smoothly. By now, despite not panting, he was considerably drained of energy due to all of the spells he had performed. Hawke ran over, his sword held at the ready and about to strike at Lakris, but the Shade raised a hand threateningly, pointing it at Isabella. Hawke growled, stopping in place.

Sylverta grappled in response with Nirexi, and he glanced over at Lakris, realizing that his Rider's fight was just about over hopefully.

Iz grumbled, knowing that she was caught, "Well, damn. At least I've made you mad." She smiled, a sort of sneer really.

Nirexi snarled as he saw Iz, he blew flames toward Sylverta again and held fast to him, not letting go.

OOC: Bleh! Short >.< Its fine though, she had to be caught sometime lol

"Annoyed, whatever. Yes it compensates, because you'll be grumpy the rest of the ride back." She grimaced as the chains tightened around her middle. If she was honest to herself, then she was slightly annoyed as well. She couldn't help but wonder how Galbatorix found out where they were.

Nirexi's roar was cut short when a tail hit his head, just before where his neck started. This caused him to lose conciousness, and he plummeted to the ground, luckily his wings were still extended, so he semi-glided to safety. The last thing he remembered was Iz whispering in his head, He has Elisa too, consider finding someone to help maybe, dear? It was an offhanded comment, almost lazy, but he knew that she was worried, so he was too.

Ugh sorry... short... :/

OOC: It isn't a problem.

IC: "And that's a good thing? If need be, I'll take my grumpiness out on you," Lakris quickly retorted before makng use of the wind to lift her while she was still chained. The little dragon was chained as well, and both of them were placed on Sylverta. Galbatorix would be very pleased at all Lakris had returned. He had met the King's standards and even retrieved a female dragon. Now the Varden's dragon was no longer needed. Sylverta flapped his massive wings and ascended into the air. Lakris hovered next to him, flying of his own accord. The two of them, along with the prisoners, began making their way towards the black citadel that was barely in sight: Uru'baen.

Hawke felt his mind growing black, and he tried to utter a yell as if it would help any, but his mouth wouldn't open. Rather, he could only watch Elisa and Iz being taken away before the dark depths of unconsciousness seized his mind.

Elisa nodded in response, smiling at Iz. "True, but I wouldn't have to here you talk," Lakris shrugged his shoulders in response. However, he decided to remain silent for the rest of the journey, which wasn't long. By now, he could make out the two very large, black gates that served as the only entrance to the city. A wall made out of various rocks and minerals surrounded Uru'baen, standing over a hundred feet high. Archers were pacing on the wall, guarding it rather half-heartedly. They recognized Sylverta, so they didn't shoot. "Here we are," Lakris murmured, glancing at the large city.

Hawke rubbed his head. At Nirexi's question, he pushed on various places of his body to test how much pain came. He had a few large bruises, but that was about it. "No, I'm good for now," he replied. He glared at the ground and slammed his fist at it. "Damn it!" he shouted. He glanced hopefully at Nirexi. "We will be able to get them back, right?" Hawke asked, worry evident in his voice.

OOC: Should we bring in another charry or two to help, or use NPCs?

"It's suited perfectly for you then," Lakris retorted almost in a whisper. The guards gave Sylverta cautious looks even though they had recognized him. However, Sylverta flew straight for one destination: the King's castle. As Sylverta flew over the various walls and towers that was Galbatorix's castle, a ripple affect occurred as he entered the castle's wards. Galbatorix's castle recognized Sylverta, and thus, didn't react upon his entrance. If he hadn't been recognized, he would have been burned to a crisp by the powerful energy supplying the wards. Sylverta flew down into the barracks, accessible from above by the dragons. Lakris glanced at Isabelle and Elisa, making sure that the chains were secured enough. He grabbed an end of each chain and pulled Isabelle and Elisa along. Normal prisoners would be secured in a cell before meeting Galbatorix, but Lakris was sure that the King would want to see these two.

Hawke nodded. No matter how much he wanted to believe that he and Nirexi would be able to rescue them, he would only be lying to himself. They needed help; that much was certain. Hawke smiled in return as Nirexi nuzzled Hawke's head reassuringly.

Sarai jerked her head up as she felt something brush against her mind. She tilted it. She recognized that voice. It was Nirexi. She set out at a clipped lope, weaving around the few trees that she encountered on her path. After running for several minutes she began to detect her friend, and another twoleg that seemed familiar. She ran faster. The twoleg she sensed was not Isabella. She skidded to a halt when she felt them a few yards away and trotted the rest of the distance. Once they were in 'sight', she stopped, inhaling the twolegs scent. Her eyes widened once she recognized it. Hawke! she exclaimed. She padded closer and rubbed her head against his arm for a moment, then turned to Nirexi. Isabella isn't here. And neither is Elisa. What happened to them? she said briskly, her eyes glittering with concern for her friends.

OOC:
This would probably be after the Allatik War, for me, I think.

OOC: Yeah, probably.

IC:
Elisa cocked her head to the side at Iz's reassurance. What about Hawke? Strong as Nirexi is, I don't think he can storm the castle all by himself. He and Hawke probably can't do it even if they worked together she replied nervously. She hoped against all odds that the king would be merciful in one regard and place them in cells next to each other. Things would be a tad more difficult if they weren't.

Hawke waited, and he squinted in the distance with his keen sight as something flickered. As the being came closer, he recognized it as a dragon. When it was a little over a hundred yards away, he recognized the dragon as someone he had seen before. Sarai? he confirmed in surprise. At her question, Hawke frowned, looking at the ground ashamedly. "They were captured by an agent of Galbatorix," he whispered in reply.

OOC: Lakris will be back. Eventually. XD

IC:
Hawke nodded, wrapping his arm around Sarai's neck. He stretched his mind out, sensing the multiple patrols scattered over the region. He informed Sarai and Nirexi of them, and responded to Sarai's question. "Not much, really," Hawke murmured. "After Elisa and I left the Spine, we ran into Iz and Nirexi. After a rather embarrassing encounter in which I mistook them for Galbatorix and Shruikan, we all had a little friendly competition." His tone then became grave. "That was when that man and his dragon came. They immediately attacked and managed to capture Iz and Elisa. I only hope that they're alright," Hawke murmured, his gaze downcast.

Elisa straightened indignantly when a few guards came in and strapped her onto a table. Her arms, jaws, wings, tail, and legs were restrained, so she could hardly move.

OOC: Would you be alright if this was after Crossroads of Fate, DS4?

OOC:
Yes, that would be fine. That works out pretty good, actually.

IC:
Sarai listened intently to Hawke, unable to help a small chuckle when he mentioned mistaking Nirexi and Iz for Galby and Shruikan. Her mood grew dark and her chest rumbled with a growl. What did the Pair look like? I might be able to identify them. she said, still idly keeping tabs on Nirexi's path as she ran.

Elisa awoke to another brief spasm of pain. Short as though it was, it left black and red spots to cloud her vision, and she felt awfully light-headed. She wanted to cast out her mind to contact Iz, but she figured that the magicians around might sense it and attack her own. She wasn't too familiar with the two-legged-mind-moves, but she knew enough to dismiss contacting Iz as a perilous idea. Elisa's vision swam, but she felt a little more control return to her limbs. Although, something about them felt. . .off. She couldn't put her claw on it, but she felt almost out-of-place. Like she was just a wandering soul inhabiting some foreign body. Being strapped down thoroughly, she couldn't check what gave her such thoughts, and she didn't have enough feeling in her limbs to move them more than an inch. She sighed hopelessly; she knew that there was nothing she could do currently. Only wait for Hawke and Nirexi, if they somehow figured out a plan to infiltrate the Empire's toughest castle.

Hawke blinked, "You doubt that he has changed his wards?" Hawke's tone was a tad skeptical. "So if he hasn't, then we'll all be incinerated into multiple pieces. No biggie," he sounded sarcastic, but he knew of the risks that they would have to take. Infiltrating Uru'baen was nothing short of extremely dangerous; who knew what creations Galbatorix would keep stowed up in there? No matter, him leaving Elisa and Iz leaving Iz in there would be even more dangerous. Galbatorix could acquire information about the Resistance Nirexi and Iz had been talking about, and much, much more. Sure, everything would be difficult, but attempting to rescue them was inevitable.

OOC: Try to leave anything related to Inheritance out of the thread, if you can. I haven't finished the book because of Skyrim and all.