as written by Vaifal and Tiko
A dangerous howl lurked from the other sides of the peaks, a string of the Hawk like entities flooding form where the roar emerged from, snow began to tip from the icy peaks, towards the direction of the howl. With the last of the howl and the last of the sound dispersed, naught could be heard from the other side of the mountains now, for a few moments anyway, not until the flap of a mighty pair of wings emerged in place of this howl and with that a mighty white dragon rose from the peaks and began circling, the wildlife of this place fleeing in fear of the mighty beast.
Circling for a small while and making some of the wildlife closer to extinction, a few less of the "Rabbit-Hawks" flying near the mountains now, whether this was because they were the quickest to get away or the first to get eaten was beyond all but the dragon. The dragon then proceeded to face where the Soldiers were, unsure of what they were, or their intent it quickly darted overhead where they were, and with that emerged something a bit more commutable , was he human? This didn't seem to be something you could be sure of looking at him. With a glance he looked at the soldiers, just like the dragon he rode.
"Calm Dakoren, I see no threat..." He then proceeded to fall down from the dragon, the heights he fell form being dangerous for a human, his eyes wincing as he made his way towards the ground, the cold icy air coating slightly over his eyes, and just as most would think he was a mad man, a pair or large black wings sprouted from his back, as large as he was tall, to slow him down and make him land on the nearest patch of ground big enough for him to land comfortably and with the dramatic entrance he smirked and placed his hand on the hilt of the sword on his hip.
"Step forth, State your name and business, if you don't you will be seen as a threat to me and my beloved beast..."
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As most of the men had made their way back inside the tower, it would be Jason that the man would be met with upon his descent to the ground below.
The militiaman had turned his eyes upwards as the shadow of the dragon passed overhead, and it was with a sense of awe that he had gazed upon the beast as it made its pass. It wasn't the first dragon that Jason had laid eyes upon, but it was certainly the closest he had come to one so large. And where dragons were concerned one never knew if they where to be met with friend or foe.
Much like with men he noted wryly as the one who landed lay a hand upon his sword.
Still, they where in a tough spot and in need of answers. He raised the Taiyou rifle up in a show of not intending to use it before slinging the strap over his shoulder. Of course, he had no comprehension of where he was, or that the locals likely had never lain eyes upon a rifle before. Jason also bore a sword on his hip - a weapon that had saved his life more than once during the long polar twilights of northern Terra. Ammunition was apt to running scarce after weeks alone in the Icy Peaks - a fact that was liable to present itself once more in this strange new land when it became apparent that such technology did not exist and they would have no means of replenishing their ammunition once it was used up.
There was some saving grace that the stranger spoke a familiar language - albeit it with a strange dialect.
Jason's own words would seem equally as foreign to the stranger before him. Two millennia of Aelora being lost to the rest of Valore had left the languages mutually understandable but with diverging differences in dialect and pronunciation. Though it was equally possible that the stranger had come to be in Aelora the same way Jason had - through a crossroads - and was from an equally foreign and alien place.
"My name is Jason Tommel," he called out. "I'm with the Windcrest Militia, we were on an expedition and ran into trouble. We have wounded," he explained.
He left the details of their exact predicament to himself for now, not yet trusting this stranger enough to reveal the true depth of their situation. Most of what he had revealed would make little sense to the stranger though. There were no known settlements in Aelora by the name of Windcrest. Of course, there where a lot of knew settlements cropping up all across Aelora for anyone to know the names of all of them. Perhaps these strangers where from further north, or even from east of the mountains - a land few had ventured far into since the voidlings had been driven back. The Feywilds.
"If you could direct us to the nearest town or city, it would be much appreciated," he added.
The closest settlement was likely to be Marne - capital of Aurelan - a good two weeks hard hike in the wrong direction from the signal that Nagala had received from the Forest of the Fall.
____
ahamur proceeded to relieve his hand from the hilt of his sword and released a sigh before looking sympathetic towards the soldier and thinking to himself, 'This man has an unusual tongue, he's not native, but he seems to pose no threat either, what action do I take?'
He the proceeded to raise his arm into the air and flopped his hand over, as if a signal of some sorts as the dragon began to hover over where they were, mere meters away from them, maybe an attempt to intimidate? Surely not?
"Dakoren, Keel!" Bahamur shoted this as if a command, and with it the dragon dispersed and left the immediate area, freedom to leave one another was a rarity, but Dakoren is hungry. Much like Dakoren, Bahamur was hungry, but only for information, he wanted the full intentions of this man, he wasn't a native like he was, though Bahamur may not know the ground the best as he spends a lot of time upon Dakoren, he knew if anything came to it, he has the home field advantage here.
"I think you aren't telling me the full truth, I believe you have wounded, I believe you want guidance, but I don't think you're giving me the full details Jason. Since I see no savage intent from you then I guess my introduction is in order, I am Bahamur Leviath, the first born and only son of Dakoren the Mountain Drake, but of course my mother doesn't to be here and negotiate with you..." He had a softer tone in his voice now, as if he was trying to make himself more trustworthy, but that soft tone turned to a cynical smile when he finished speaking, there were further intentions. "Now we both know there's no way I'm going to help you without helping myself, it's natural, now what say you? If I can join your band you will stand more of a chance in these harsh cold mountains... But you, you're foreign to this world, I want to come with you when you leave, so may I ask again, What say you?"
____
"The last man we crossed paths with out here killed one of ours, and left another wounded," Jason answered. "Forgive me if I'm not entirely forthright with you."
He remained wary of this stranger, and of his intents.
"Let's discuss it further inside, with the others. There's five of us left, and a prisoner - the man who attacked us," he explained.
He nodded his head towards the stone portal of the old outpost - still jammed ajar from the years of neglect. It was an invitation, but a guarded one. Jason had yet to make up his mind about the nature of this stranger, but neither did he seem malicious in his invitation.
It wasn't an entirely unhealthy precaution within Aelora, though Jason didn't yet know of the cut-throat nature many regions of Aelora had fallen to now that its common enemy had been driven from ts lands. Eager to reclaim their homelands, both man and brother had turned upon one another in their scramble to retake what they deemed rightfully theirs and ancient feuds had been rekindled once more. Others simply sought to eek out whatever living they could in such a harsh and unforgiving land as Aelora, doing whatever was necessary to ensure their own survival.
____
"That seems to be the nature of things lately, who can blame the land? A thousand years of torment followed by a thousand more, but you people, I guess you provide some hope... Hope we can leave..." Bahamur did notice the shunted way the invite was offered, he saw the man was trying to keep up his guard, doing his constant routine of thinking it over before he trekked forth, he thought 'He cares for his friends, maybe a display of what is at my disposal will make him see me as an asset more than a liability...'
Walking towards the portal hoping to meet the rest of this group of soldiers, he just hoped the man never lied, maybe asserting his dominance will make the man reveal everything there is to know.
Snapping his fingers Bahamur's sword turned to dust and many, many metal granules flew from his clothing and hair, the now seemingly vast amount of metal dust began to circle around him, cloaking his lower body in metal send as he proceeded to breath a small amount of fire, heating himself and Jason. Walking towards the portal and stopping just shy of the entry. "Now is there anything you'd like to add to your statements?"
