The Dragon Cave - A New Era (IC/Started/Not Accepting)

[Ren✧]

Kobalt barely noticed as Ditzy and Matthew helped him off the ground. When he did realize what had happened his thanked Matthew and Ditzy for the assistance. He also thanked them for tending to Venus's injury, his healing spell hadn't worked as well as he had thought. Kobalt had nearly fallen asleep, from the drain of his geyser spell, leaning against Matthew when Jack's voice rang loud and clear in his mind [i]"[/i][i]NO NO NO! [/i][color=#5A5A5A][font=tahoma, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(251, 253, 254)]Screamed Jack. [/background][/size][/font][/color][i]WATER IS AGAINST THE RULES! YOU ARE ALL DISQUALIFIED!" [/i]Kobalt protested slightly, thinking to himself that the Pumpkin Dragon had not made that clear, but he kept these opinions to himself.

Thanking Matthew once again, he hopped off Ditzy and walked over to Venus. He prepared to use his healing spell, Goddess's Grace, again, but sensing his intentions Venus stopped him by saying [i][color=#ee82ee]"Please little one, conserve your strength. We may yet need it," [/color][/i]Kobalt nodded and stood beside his dragon, leaning slightly on her foreleg. All this time he silently listened to Jack's riddle. After hearing it through, he silently talked it through with Venus.

[color=#0000cd][i]"If they are all losing land, shouldn't they all have the same amount still?" [/i][/color]Kobalt asked privately to Venus, guarding their conversation from any telepathic wanderers. [i][color=#ee82ee]"That logic seems justified, but riddles have never been my strong point. Let us ask the others," [/color][/i]Kobalt repeated his suggestion for the answer of the riddle to the others, seeking their input.

[Yang Xiao-Long]

[i]Now that you mention it, I am feeling a bit hungry too...[/i]
[i][u]As am I; fortunately, there's a lake nearby for me to get some food.[/u] I'll go get something from the trees; I'll forage for something. [u]I'll get you some fish, too. [/u]Thank you, Soar.[/i]

Soar landed next to Inarovana, whereupon Zayne carefully slid down the dragon's wing and landed on the ground with a light thud. As Soar went to the lake for some fish, Soar looked at the trees and saw some apples hanging on the branches. Carefully climbing up the trunk of one tree, he swung himself onto a branch and sat there for a second before grabbing an apple. After wiping the apple on his clothing, he bit into it, and looked around.

[i]Any luck with the fishing, Soar? [u]Give me a- got one. This one's for me, seeing as you're eating an apple. Next one's for you.[/u][/i] Zayne chuckled lightly. [i]Alright, don't forget to get some food for Nevirath; Inarovana seems to be an herbivore, so he wouldn't want any fish.[/i]

Looking over at Nevirath, he noticed a Pygmy Dragon scamper over to her.

[Big Bad Pennar]

Nevirath then looked at the Pygmy and telepathically said to it [color=#4b0082][i]"Funny enough, I happen to be looking for one, A Specific one for that matter..." [/i][/color]to which Nevirath Giggled and simply pat the Pygmy on the head, She then smelled the Pygmy and said telepathically [color=#4b0082][i]"Tell me... Have you seen the one called Wrayym?"[/i][/color]...

While Nevirath and That Pygmy Dragon was having their conversation, Inarovana was eating the Leaves in the trees when he himself spotted the Pygmy dragon himself, He growled a little bit and telepathically spoke to Nevirath [i][color=#000080]"I don't trust this guy, Something doesn't feel right with him..."[/color][/i]

After seeing Soar Land and going to fish, Inarovana telepathically said to Soar [i][color=#000080]"Nevirath prefers to hunt for her own food, She told me it tastes much better..."[/color][/i]

[Yang Xiao-Long]

[i][u]If she wants to put in the effort for her own food when I myself am offering to help, then so be it, Inarovana.[/u][/i]
As Soar continued to fish, Zayne jumped off the tree branch and walked over to where Nevirath stood. Kneeling down and face-to-face with the dragon, he greeted the Pygymy courteously. [i]Hello there, Little One. Are you telling us to stay away from the Vampire Dragon known as Wrayym? We shall take your warning into account, but we must find her; the situation is most dire.[/i]
[i][u]The situation is indeed dire, [/u][/i]Soar interjected towards the Pygmy as the large dragon landed behind Zayne, his quarry of fish carried in a makeshift net of large leaves. [i][u]The forbidden Neglected breed of dragon is on a rampage of destruction, and we seek Wrayym for counsel as to how to best deal with this threat. If you happen to know where Wrayym is, we will gladly accompany you to her.[/u][/i]
Soar looked at the Pygmy and locked eyes to make sure any ill intent from the Pygmy would not come to pass.

[Cherz]

[color=#222222][size=4]The pygmy dragon nodded. He met the cold eyes of the other two dragons, and shuddered. [i]What leads you to mistrust?[/i] The pygmy dragon spoke in a riddle like tone. He sighed. [i]If you wish to die, I shall lead you to Wrayym. I have a nest in a tiny hole, where she cannot reach. The only parts that can reach my eggs are her fangs, but she can’t puncture my eggs. Are you positive you would like me to lead you to her? The situation may be grave, but what good would it do you to be trapped in a different dimen-[/i] The pygmy stopped there. He dove into the water, and surfaced with a fish twice his size. [i]I apologies for my rude manors. My name is Kemono.[/i] [i]Well, when you you are ready, I will lead you to her.[/i][/size][/color]

[Big Bad Pennar]

Nevirath looked at the Pygmy and Telepathically Whispered[i] [color=#4b0082]"Can you give me a moment? I'm Feeling a bit Hungry..."[/color][/i] Suddenly, She shot into the Nearby Lake, The one Soar was fishing from, Then A Few Seconds later and after a Brilliant Light show underwater, Nevirath Surfaced with a Fish about 3/4ths her size, Cooked to perfection using her own breath from underwater. She then slashed the cooked fish several times, Leaving only the meat, and Discarding the head and Bones of the Fish. She Devoured both pieces of Fish easily without any ill effects to her. She then returned and telepathically said to the Pygmy [color=#4b0082][i]"Okay, NOW I'm ready..."[/i][/color]...

[Yang Xiao-Long]

[i]Soar, eat all your fish now; I'll just have another apple as we go along.[/i]
[i][u]I understand.[/u][/i] In a swift motion, Soar descended upon his makeshift net, devouring his catch of food with incredible ease. While this was happening, Zayne walked over to a nearby tree, grabbed an apple, and took a bite from it as he once again stood by the Pygmy.
[i][u]Alright, I've had my fill.[/u][/i][i] And I'll eat along the way. Let's go.[/i]

[i]Alright, Kemono, [/i]he spoke telepathically to the Pygmy, [i]lead the way, and we shall follow.[/i]

Zayne turned to Nevirath, and telepathically spoke to her. [i]H[/i][i]ey, Nevirath...I know I can't do as many things as a Draconian can, but if the situation somehow turns into one of life or death, then I'll give my life to protect yours. I do not want to see anyone hurt, let alone die, and so I find it my duty to protect those I'm with. Even at the cost of my own life.[/i]

[Alice Moonflowyr]

Lintra turned to Kobalt and Matthew and said, "OK, we gotta solve this. It's one of those rambling riddles where the details mostly dont make sense." Lintra etched a rectangle into the ground with a stick. "If we assume the land is a large rectangle, then the obvious way to divide it is like this." Lintra divided it into three equal bars. "But then we wouldnt have a riddle. But he says that the land was all over the place....so assuming it's still orderly instead of just cuckoo, assume it's divided like this." LIntra then divided it into a nine-square grid. "Then the riddle mentions directions, so lets set that up..." She looked at jack questioningly. "Which way is north in the riddle?"

[i]Um...normally I dont allow questions...but seeing as you actually are trying to solve it....far right side of the rectangle.[/i] Lintra marked it.

"OK, so lets go from here...."

[Ren✧]

[color=#0000cd]"This is making my brain hurt," [/color]Kobalt complained. Once they started talking about grids, directions, and shapes he became totally lost.[i][color=#ee82ee]"Don't be such a whiner little one. But I would have to agree, the answer to alludes me. Is there not another option here? Should we not attack while he is thinking that we are solving the puzzle." [/color][/i]Venus carefully hid this conversation from Jack, only speaking in the minds of her allies. If he were to find out what they were planning it could be a problem. [color=#0000cd][i]"You're still hurt though, Venus. Let me heal it the rest of the way, please." [/i][/color]

[i][color=#ee82ee]"No little one, you must conserve your strength. And if Jack were to see you using a spell what would he think. Probably that we were planning an attack."[/color][/i]

[Alice Moonflowyr]

Jack was looking rather impatient. [i]Hmmm...maybe I better give you a simpler test of your intellect. [/i]Jack went inside his pumpkin and pulled out a single seed. The seed was about the size of someones head, and extremely slimy. [i]This seed is immune to all forms of enlargment, keening, and weight magic. Meaning you cant make it bigger, sharper, or heavier with magic. There is a loophole though. You can use an offering of blood to allow you to use one spell of one of those catagories on it. Each person can only offer once, and there are multiple options for each type of spell. It CAN be affected by shaping magic though. [/i]Jack signaled to one of the mini pumpkins, who went off. He came back five minutes later leading a green dragon. [i]This is Tialario. I want you to defeat her using the seed. She will not attack, only defend.[/i]

Jack stood back.

[Cherz]

[i]Oh, okay, if you insist.[/i] The small pygmy took flight around the mountain. He made sure the others were following, then he said [i]There is a short cut right here. [/i]Kemono slipped through a small crack, too small for a dragon that was not a pygmy breed. In a moment, a stone door slid open. There was a long passage way. It was dark nd dripping with water. It had an aroma that smelled of rust. Kemono led them through the passage, wich was supprisingly bright. At the end, there was a graveyard. A sudden thick mist shrouded the group. A laugh could be heard through out the group. Kemono dashed into a small hole near the ground. [i]I am sorry, I can not take you any further. You are on your own now.[/i] Kemono said, Shivering.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Matthew was fed up with Jack's riddles. "Do you think this is a game?" matthew angrily shouted at jack. "Many peoples lives are at stake!" He then glared at jack. "If you like riddles, why dont you try this. If the neglected ARMY were to come to this pumpkin patch, how many of these puny dragons would survive?" Matthew said, putting a new point of view out there. "You are wasting our time, lets get out of here!" Matthew siad more quietly, and beckoned the group to leave. But, if one was to look closely, they would notice matthew's pupils were gone. His eyes were just Ice blue.

[Big Bad Pennar]

Nevirath looked ahead as a Mist rolled in on her. She breathed out a small ball of Purple Stardust that Lit brightly, but she noted that It hindered her sight rather than helped. She then uttered to herself [color=#4b0082]"Drat, It's a fog... May as well make this quick..." [/color]She jumped down and spread her wings as the ball dissipated, allowing her to land gently on the ground, Inarovana did the same, but huffed, Telepathically saying to Soar and Zayne [color=#000080]"You may want to do the mental equivalent of plugging your ears... if you can..." [/color]as he went to Nevirath and held his tail in front of Nevirath, with the Moonstone on it glowing. Nevirath looked at it and Projected a very harsh Telepathic Message into the distance, but back a little bit behind her, One that could make a Human lose balance if heard: [b][i][color=#4b0082]"Wrayym! Are you here!? I would like to speak to you!"[/color][/i][/b] Zayne, Soar, Inarovana and Kemono heard the Message, and Wrayym was bound to hear Nevirath's message....

[Alice Moonflowyr]

A change came over Jack. He seemed less...energetic, and more dark. [i]Now thats interesting.[/i] His telepathy was eerily quiet. [i]If the neglected army came here, how many would surivive...on my side? All. On theirs? None. They wouldnt even reach the patch. [/i]Jack moved himself in between Matthew and the gate. [i]Do you know why nobody ever comes here? Why you are the first to arrive since the girl first stumbled into this place by accident? [/i]He straigtened, towering over Matthew, and making Ditzy seem like a pumpkin dragon herself. [i]BECAUSE I AM THE PUMPKIN KING! I AM MORE POWERFUL THEN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE![/i] His voice boomed this time, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. And they were knocked off their feet when Jack slammed them all with a giant forleg into the middle of the pumpkin patch. He had grown, and was five times larger than a normal dragon. Then again, he was no normal dragon. He placed a claw on Matthews throat, and swatted Ditzy away when she tried to interfere. [i]Well...what will you do know, o mighty warrior?[/i]

[Ren✧]

[i][color=#ee82ee]"I knew I liked this guy," [/color][/i]Venus said, referring to Matthew's challenge towards Jack. What happened next she was not prepared. The giant Pumpkin Dragon grew larger than he already was, towering over even the other dragons. The shockwave that the large Pumpkin Dragon produced knocked Venus off her face, as well as Kobalt. [color=#ee82ee][i]"Little one, are you alright?" [/i][/color]Venus asked, only projecting her thoughts to Kobalt.

[color=#0000ff]"I'm fine," [/color]Kobalt said out loud, rubbing his head after hitting in on the dirt packed ground [color=#0000ff],"but it looks like Matthew could use some help."[/color]Kobalt pointed to Jack, who had Matthew beneath his foot, claw at his throat. [i][color=#ee82ee]"Indeed, " [/color][/i]Venus agreed. The pink fog she had been producing before began to coil off her skin and out of her nostrils.

[color=#0000CD]"Hey, jack-o-fat-turd!" [/color]Kobalt yelled at the huge Pumpkin Dragon, trying to taunt him with the childishly insulting words. [color=#0000ff]"Does it make you feel good picking on people less than half your size?!" [/color]Hoping that he had gained the Pumpkin Dragon's attention, [color=#0000cd]"Terra ortum a vinculis et te illaquearet intra terribilis furor." [/color]Kobalt cast his spell, vines erupting out of the ground, wrapping around the giant dragon's foreleg. With a jerking motion, Kobalt directed the vines to tug on the leg, pulling the dragon enough for Matthew to roll out of the way.

While Kobalt was attacking Jack, Venus snuck around the other side and leapt onto his bulging, orange skin. She bit and tore with her fangs and claws, eager to do some type of damage.

[Alice Moonflowyr]

Jack howled with pain, and at the howl, the Hellfire yanked Venus off of Jack by her tail. And Jack, seeing the pink mist, used his counter. A rolling pink fog came off his scales, and enveloped the pink fog. He did soemthing to the vines to grow them back into the ground, then turned back to Matthew. [i]Your little friends are still wet behind the ears. Pathetic. You cannot even imagine how badly I'm going to torture you. [/i]At those words, Matthew dissapeared in a flash of orange light. Jack then turned his attention to Lintra and Kobalt. [i]Now. Prepare yourself, for death.[/i] He let out a howl, and rotted dragons rose from the ground. The zombies numbered at around thirty. [i]You think the Neglecteds were hard to beat...try to fight the immortal Zombie dragons![/i] As the Zombies got closer, encircling the group, Jack said; [i]I am the Pumpkin King. I am the Lord of Undead. I AM JACK![/i] He started laughing maniacly....as the zombies encircled them even closer.

...

As the Zombies closed in on them, Lintra screamed; "NOW ADREUS!!!!". Adreus screamed down from the sky, enfolded in a dark mist. [i]You may be the Pumpkin King, but I am Adreus! Keeper of Armageddon![/i] At those words, Adreus slammed into the ground in front of Lintra, and a shockwave of dark mist threw around ten zombies off their feet, and made Jack look sick.

[Ren✧]

Venus roared, not in pain, but in irritation. This Hellfire was becoming quite the nuisance. Trying a tactic she had used on many deer and other such prey, she sent a horrible, screeching, piercing telepathic sound towards the Hellfire. It was a specialty of hers and she had to encounter another dragon that could imitate it. The sound, she knew, would be both painful and debilitating. After releasing the power telepathic attack, she leaped towards the Hellfire, not holding back anything. She bit and tore with her claws, aiming for the jugular and other weak parts of the body.

[color=#0000CD]"I'm wet behind the ears? Funny you should say that!"[/color]Kobalt said, he quickly launched a few incantations out of his mouth and a jetstream of high powered water hit several of the zombie dragons advancing towards him. Several limbs and chunks of rotted flesh flew off in all directions, but it only seemed to slow them. Then Lintra, who finally decided to act, she had been silent for most of the interaction with Jack and had barely, finally pulled her ace card. Adreus, on Lintra's command, slammed into the ground spraying up some kind of dust. Despite the attack's weak appearance did seem to have some form of an effect on the zombie dragons and Jack himself.

[Alice Moonflowyr]

Suddenly, Jack and the Hellfire turned a green-black color. [i]Rot. [/i]Said Adreus. [i]A powerful spell. It literally causes its target to decay from the inside. Jacks flesh will slowly rot from the inside. Unfortunately, it wont work on the Zombies. We need to kill those dragons manually. [/i]With those words, he decapitated three zombies with a single blow. [i]Just decapitate the Zombies. No other way to kill them. [/i]Lintra smiled. She pulled out her longsword, and proceeded to decapitate a fourth dragon. "I knew I forged this for some reason." she said.

[Ren✧]

[color=#ee82ee][i]"Adreus, have you not though of the fact we still need information!" [/i][/color]Venus said. She would be quite irritated if all this proved to be for naught. With the Hellfire writhing about in pain, Venus proceeded to finish off the zombie dragons. She felt that her fog would be useless in the current situation so instead just went for the immediate onslaught. She quickly decapitated one, with a swift hit to the head with her tail. Another she brawled about with for a few seconds, each clawing and biting, but the zombie's weak muscles and bones led to its ultimate defeat.

[color=#0000FF]"Venus? Are you okay?" [/color]Kobalt called across the battlefield. He continued to shoot his constant stream of high-powered water at the approaching dragons. Picking it up from the others, Kobalt realized that going for their head was probably the best option. Adjusting his aim he quickly took out several dragons. He felt his magic power begin to wane and ceased the attack. The dragons' numbers had been cut down considerably and Kobalt was able to weave his way through the battlefield to get to Venus. [i][color=#ee82ee]"I am fine, little one. It is a hatchling such as yourself that should be worried about injury," [/color][/i]She touched a nasty gash on his arm with her tail, raising a scaly eyebrow. [color=#0000cd]"I'll be fine," [/color]Kobalt protested. He proceeded to grab his carefully crafted, wooden staff from her saddle. He figured that the extra reach it would provide would make it more useful than his knives.

[Cherz]

A laugh could be heard from the fog. It was eerie. [i]Try as you might, you will not clear my fog.[/i] A voice said, and even though it was telepathic, it seemed to be coming from all directions. [i]You are here for me? It has been a long time since I have had visitors. Now, why have you came to my grave?[/i] The voice projected. Skulls could be seen everywere. A shape began to form in the fog. A large vampire dragon appeared. [i]Good evening, my name is Wrayym, and I would like to know yours. Is there a reason you traveled here? Or did you stumble upon my grave. Im guessing you came in search of me, however, since you called out. [/i]Wrayym talked to them in a polite tone.

[Big Bad Pennar]

Nevirath bowed her head as the Vampire Dragon Appeared, She telepathically said to Wrayym in a polite tone, continuing to look at both Inarovana's Moonstone and Wrayym [color=#4b0082][b][i]"My Name is Nevirath, I was Sent by a friend of mine to you So I can Learn about the Neglected..." [/i][/b][/color]Inarovana Shook her head in a small amount of pain, who then Telepathically said to Wrayym in a Similar manner [color=#000080]"And My name is Inarovana, I came here for the Same reason as Nevirath here, That and I still need to Find her Brother..." [/color]

Nevirath looked at Wrayym with her eyes after getting in front of Inarovana, and spoke in an intrigued tone [color=#4b0082]"So this is what a Vampire Dragon looks like? Honestly, You're the first one I've ever seen..."[/color]

[Alice Moonflowyr]

[i]Obviously you dont understand the scope of the situation[/i] Adreus said scathingly to Venus. [i]Jack is insane. Matthew had the guts to insult him. Therefore, unless Matthew himself genuienly apologizes for his words, Jack will not cease in his attempts to kill us. And Matthews in some sub-dimension with Ditzy. [/i]"Sorry Venus. But thats the truth. In fact, I might kill Matthew myself when I find him. He ruined everything. I mean, the awnser to that riddle was so obvious! You use Transmutation to change the seed into a sword shape, then use Alchemy to change it to metal! The blood offerings were just tricks to throw us off-track." Lintra said loudly as she decapitated another Zombie. "On the other hand, I've been itching for a chance to try out my sword. So I guess it breaks even."

[Yang Xiao-Long]

With the fog in the way, it was hard for Zayne to discern anything immediately around him and his immediate group, and it was hard enough just to keep them in his field of view.
After Nevirath had called out to the Vampire, Zayne looked carefully in front of him as a form soon emerged, revealing itself to be none other than the very Vampire they sought; the dragon called Wrayym.

After Nevirath had introduced herself, Zayne and Soar in turn followed suit.
[i]I am Zayne[/i], he said, bowing respectfully. [u][i]And I am Soar[/i],[/u] added the dragon with a bow of his massive head. [i]What Nevirath says is true; we sought for you because we have reason to believe that you possess knowledge on how to stop the spread of destruction caused by this forbidden breed, the Neglected[/i].
[i][u]That is all we ask, Wrayym. We simply seek the information you can hopefully provide us, and that is all. If you cannot give us the information we seek, then we understand, and we will disturb you no further.[/u][/i]

[Cherz]

[size=3][i][color=#222222]Disturb? I have yet to have a guest that actually seeks me, and one that has been polite. Now, about that information you seek, I think I can help. But, I too seek information. One, how many Ally's do you have in your party. That much I need to know. Even if I did tell you what you wanted, you could not stand up to the neglecteds alone. [/color][/i][color=#222222]She told them. [i]Gather your ally's here, and then we shall talk. [/i]She said to them. She then dissapeared in the mysteriouse fog.[/color]

[color=#222222]________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color]

[color=#222222]Matthew had no idea what was going on. Everything was pitch black. He tried to find his way out of the shadows, but he had no luck. He felt like he was being crushed. [i]D-ditzy, are you s-still here? [/i]He asked. He was winded, and he was really feeling the pressure of this dimension. [i]Yes, I am here. [/i]Ditzy replied to him. [i]I-Is there any w-way o-o-out? Matthew asked. [/i]Matthew coughed out blood. [i]Yes, but I will not be able to fight Jack if I do. [/i]Responding to Matthew. [i]Then do-[/i] Matthew blacked out in the midst of his sentence. Ditzy felt it, and discharged his energy to force them out of the dimension they were trapped in. Matthew appeared right next to Lintra in a flash of light. Ditzy was lying on the floor next to him. Matthew remained unconscious, and Ditzy was too tired to do anything about the zombies.[/color][/size]

[Ren✧]

[color=#ee82ee][i]"Then let's hope that the Vampire Dragon is more cooperative," [/i][/color]Venus said, smashing her tail against another Zombie Dragon, cleaving another in two with her claws. Before she could say anything else, a blinding light engulfed the field making it impossible to move or see. When it finally died down, Venus could see that Ditzy and Matthew had returned. They were lying on the ground, not able to defend themselves from sheer exhaustion.

Sensing new prey, the zombies began to surge towards the two. Just as Venus was about to leap to their aid, Kobalt took the initiative. Using his staff to poll-vault over a zombie, he landed in front of the unconscious duo and began to whack the dragons away with his sturdy staff. Several strong hits decapitated a few, and the others became a bit more wary of the young staveman.

[Big Bad Pennar]

Nevirath looked as Wrayym Disappeared back into the fog, but as Wrayym completely Disappeared into the fog, She felt a Familiar Presence from within the Cemetery, Which felt like her brother's presence, but something was really off with that presence, But before she could go to search for the presence, She sent out a Telepathic Message into the fog, hopefully reaching Wrayym, but Inarovana, Zayne, and Soar could also hear her message as clear as Crystal, But it was not the kind of message that would throw people off balance [i][color=#4b0082]"I'm going to go in the Graveyard, I sense a Familiar Presence in there... It could be my brother"[/color][/i]. Nevirath and Inarovana ran into the fog, Both were following Nevirath's Instinct telling them where to go...