The Order of Things

The group camped on an overlook waiting for their prey to appear. The tension was starting to wear on the nerves of everyone. Lord Jessup was yelling at Alex and Weiland about even the smallest issue.

“You get more firewood. Alex I need more water, get it now. When will the monster show it’s self? This is taking too long.” On and on the unpleasant Jessup went. Soon Alex and Weiland found many other interesting things to do outside of their small camp.

The one time Jessup raised his voice to Dinatar about something inconsequential Dinatar growled back, “Lordling, I owe you no allegiance. It would be best if you didn’t cloak yourself in an authority you do not possess.”

“My father will hear of this!” Jessup squeaked.

A hissing laugh escaped Dinataur’s mouth. “Good, if you keep jabbering I will give you something else to tell your father about. The Daughters of Dragons respect those with honor. When you earn some, I may decide to give you that respect.”

Jessup started to say something when the dragonborn’s eyes slightly creased and her hand dropped to the dagger at her waist. This movement penetrated even this young lords shell of ignorance. He realized he was a long way from the protection of his father’s court.

Soon after Alex and Weiland returned to the camp. Weiland had shot a brace of birds. Alex started a small fire and Weiland started to clean and defeather the foul. Just as they started to lay their dinner on a bed of coals. The forest erupted, as birds flew from the trees. A sudden roar and the ground shook as the manticore landed right behind the Lord Jessup.

Alex had his sword out and he charged the manticore in an instant. Weiland and Dinataur jumped back and started to pull arrows from quivers.

The manticore struck out with its tail spines at Jessup. Several of the spines found open sections of the young lords armor. Blood started to flow freely from his wounds. Alex tried to get in front of his lord to protect him. With a wild swing he tried to wound the beast, but missed badly. He took the time to grab the lordling by his cloak and pulled him behind him. Having to concern themselves with Alex and Jessup, Dinatar and Weiland tried to get a shot but their shots ended up going wide. .

The manticore reared back and with a mighty blow sent Alex flailing back with a rent in his armor. With a roar Dinatar let loose one of her impossibly long arrows. It flew pass Lord Jessup just barely missing his head, causing a large tear in the Manticore’s right wing.

Weiland still trying to get a shot in the wildly swirling melee cried, “Out of the way! We can’t get in a clear shot.”

With that Alex pulled Jessup’s cloak and they start to roll down the hill in a flashing heap of red cloak and steel armor. Weiland drew back his longbow during a sudden lull in the melee. He loosed the clothyard arrow and pinned the monsters wing to it’s side bringing forth fierce a roar. The manticore tried to take flight and as soon as it tried to loosen its wing from the arrow, another flew into it as Dinatar renotched her arrow and let loose. The manticore wheeled and started to flee.

Alex and Jessup leaped to their feet and began the chase sensing the manticore was wounded.

Alex pressed his advantage as well as he could, but his earlier wound made him seize up and be unable to move. This seemed to confused the beast and caused it to mistake the direction of the attack. Jessup was able to come around from behind and sink his sword deeply into the creature’s vulnerable back side.

Another loud roar emanated from the blood slicked manticore. Weiland sent a arrow right into the wing joint. With a load crack the group could hear the snapping of the bone. Though it was still mobile, without a doubt the beast would never fly again.

The manticore slipped in its own blood in an attempt to unleash it’s fury at it’s would be assassins. As Jessup and Alex hacked at it’s body, the manticore lost most of it’s strength. It flailed back and forth as blood bubbled out of its mouth, but it still lived.

“WE HAVE IT!” Jessup screamed.

Just as the young lord was coming in for the final attack, a reptilian scream pierced the afternoon.

They then saw a great wyvern entering the clearing. A sound like a whip cracking and the beating of winged death could be heard. It only took a fraction of a second, but now the stinger was sticking out of the chest of Alex dripping with blood mixed with the off green color of it’s deadly venom.

Alex looked down at the stinger, then up at Jessup with a shocked look on his face. He attempted to remove the stinger, but it was in deep and seemed to pulsate as it dispatched it’s deadly poison. With his last breath Alex, ashen faced, turned toward the body of the wyvern. He swung his sword back and forth in a feeble effort to strike the fearsome foe. The motion was futile as it was just moments before Alex’s body relaxed in death and his sword clattered to the ground.

“NO!” Weiland yelled, drawing another arrow. Loosing it with deadly concentration, it struck true and a small grout of blue green blood flew from the wound. Dinatar, distracted by the sudden entrance of such a formidable foe was unsure of what to attack, so she sent another arrow into the manticore. It twitched for a moment in it’s death throws, then remained still.

When the wyvern flicked it’s tail, Alex still impaled, flew a few feet landing in a heap. It’s jewel like eyes then swiveled to look at Jessup. Jessup froze and stared at the towering beast before him. His face was pale and sweat soaked as his bowls released and panic overtook him.

“God no, this can’t be happening.” the panicking Jessup mumbled. He then pulled out the control stone for the portal which got them there in the first place. He said a couple of quick words, then dashed into the open portal with no thought or concern for the rest of the party behind him.

Weiland and Dinatar raced toward the portal, but it closed with a whoosh before they were any where close to it. With that they were now stranded and alone with the fearsome lizard.

With a roar and a hiss and gust of wind, the wyvern beat it’s powerful wings and readied itself to attack the ranger and the dragonborn.

“Run to the trees, it’s our only chance!” Weiland screamed. With that they turned and fled into the forest as quickly as they could. Weiland with Dinatar in front of him, pushed her into the wood. He turned and let loose a last arrow in the direction of the wyvern in the hopes of slowing it down. He moved into the undergrowth of the surrounding forest. With a high pitched scream the venomous reptile rose up looking for a chance to lash out with its whip like tail.

Weiland being one with the surrounding forest, was able to a make quick and traceless progress. Dinatar seemed to trip on every root or vine. Tired of the pursuit and growling with suppressed fury, she turned quickly toward the enemy intending to stand her ground .

The crest of spines of the dragonborn stood up in defiance. A cone shaped cloud of white frozen mist ejected from her mouth, covering the nearby trees in a coating of ice. The wyvern reared back for a moment disoriented by this surprising attack. At the last moment Weiland pulled Dinatar back as a flash of green of the lizard’s tail sailed out and dug a grove in the ground where Dinatar had last stood.

“MOVE!” Weiland screamed, throwing the much larger dragonborn in front of him. The enraged wyvern piercing cry cracked the air. “In there, the beast wont be able to follow us.” Weiland said quickly, indicating an incredibly thick growth of aspen trees.

The duo made themselves as small as possible in the under growth. For quite awhile the murderous Draco form circled above them. A few times it tried to land near enough to them to lash out with its tail. Luckily always in vain.

After an hour or so and tiring of the futile game, the wyvern decided it was hungry. Its much easier meal of a dead manticore was wasting away back in the clearing. With a last sky rending cry it turned and flew off in the direction of the manticore.

Wieland and Dinatar didn’t dare move for another hour. “I think its clear.” Weiland said after a while.

Dinatar nodded her head, started to shift her weight and stand. Just as she starts to move, a scream sounds behind her. She jumps and pulls her dagger, starting to push away from the sound. She was trying to clear some room for the attack she could feel was coming.

The dragonborn was clearly panic stricken. Weiland was unable to clear out of the way quickly enough, so Dinatar pushes over him, trampling him underfoot. Another screaming bark can be heard as a full grown badger comes barreling past him.

Dinatar, finally out of the trees, sees what is attacking her. Her tension breaks, her mighty roar dies and her dread turns to a semblance of a laugh as the badger stops at the edge of the wood blinking at them. Weiland wisely takes the long way round avoiding the enraged animal. He looks at Dinatar with exhausted eyes.

“Now what?” Weiland says, pulling out his cider, putting it to his lips only to discovers it was empty. He recaps the flask puts it back in place and bows his head.