Trouble Blown

[doitean]

Ali Di'lika was meditating in his people's camp, clearing his mind. Felix, his condor, was flying around the camp searching for food. Ali's hûthvír was laying in front of him. He was sitting cross-legged on a rock on the outskirts of the camp. He had his defences down and opened his mind to his surroundings.

The desert was soothing to him though something was troubling him. It was like a dark cloud hovering over him. What it was, he didn't know. Though he figured something was going to happen. He just hoped it wasn't going to be a dragon rider attacking the camp. As it was right then, he was the strongest spellcaster there. The stronger spellcasters from his tribe were in Illeria with Queen Nasuada.

He got up and grabbed the hûthvír. Felix, full from feeding, flew to his shoulder. Ali stood on the rock looking out in the distance. He then turned around and strolled back to his tent. Lifting the flap he entered his tent but left the flap open. He grabbed a bowl and filled it with water. After muttering a few words, an image appeared in the water.

Ending his scrying spell of a location in the desert, he poured out the water and sat cross-legged again. His hûthvír resting in the corner of the tent and Felix resting on his perch. Ali looked at the bird smiling. Of all the creatures around, that condor was his most trusted friend.

[Trinn]

On a distant dune, Ralgr sat upon his Beor wolf and peered through a telescope with one green eye. He watched the temporary settlement of the wandering tribe, saw that the people were calm and peaceful. These men were supposed to be good warriors. He would see if that were true today! Grunting, Ralgr tossed the telescope down to one of his urgal men. Speaking in the deep urgralian language, he commanded his men to form up. Together, they started off towards the wandering tribe.

Traveling in the strike group was a dam, younger than most of the elder female urgals of his tribe. He had commanded her to come with them to cast spells. She was one of the few urgals who knew magic. They traveled now under a dome of invisibility. Smirking in satisfaction, Ralgr patted his large pet, who responded with a snarl.
~~~

The urgal warriors were half a mile from the wandering tribe now. Ralgr lifted a hand and called his men, and the dam, to a halt. "Attack!" He growled, and immediately the female urgal let fall the charm she had placed over them, and the urgals and Ralgr were all suddenly visible. They all gave their war cries, and his wolf howled savagely, as they all broke into a mass charge towards the tribesmen.

[doitean]

Ali heard a commotion from the warriors. He grabbed his hûthvír and exited his tent. Looking at where the warriors gathered, he saw urgals attacking.

"Urgals, here." Ali said to himself.

Felix was perched on his shoulder as he got to a large rock behind them. He got on top of the rock and noticed some plants scattered between the two forces.

"Brisingr!" He shouted pointing at the plants.

The plants burst into a red flame. He hoped that would slow them down as he prepared another spell. The fact that the urgals were able to get that close had Ali thinking there was a spellcaster there. The tribe warriors had formed up on the edge of the camp. Swords and spears were gleaming in the light. Their archers fired.

"Brisingr" he shouted again, igniting the arrows.

[Lozza]

It was hot, and Karou was lost. It had been an idiotic idea to attempt to cross the Hadarac Desert, even if it was only a small portion of it. She had been certain that she was going in the right direction, but apparently not. However, there were so many people travelling these days, she would be sure to run into someone. Karou just had to. Even though she would rather get out of here on her own, she was running out of water.

Running her tongue over her dry lips, Karou peered around with her blue eyes. It was then when she thought she heard something. Did someone just shout? No, it sounded more like a large of group of men roaring and crying out. Cursing, Karou looked around for somewhere to hide, which of course, there was no where due to the lack of trees in the desert. Looking around, she saw a large dune and moved over to it, crouching behind it. Scowling, Karou cursed herself. She hated magic users with a passion, but they were the only ones who knew about others of their kind. She was also not in the mood to get involved in a battle.

Looking over the top of the dune, she saw a large group of urgals running towards a encampment. This was just brilliant. Not only was there a magic user that she could plainly see, but a quite a few blood thirsty urgals. If they caught her, Karou would not be able to fight them. Perhaps if she tried to get away now, she could outrun them if they got her scent. However, she would not survive long. Her only hope was for the camp to survive the attack and they be able to help her. If they survived the attack.

[Trinn]

A sudden wall of flame crackled to life before the line of Urgals. Ralgr watched as his warriors attempted to leap over the flames, while some simply ducked their horned heads and ran through the inferno. He growled at them, watching as some fell to the flames. As for himself, he clutched the neck fur of his Shrrg, and the giant Beor wolf leaped easily over the flames. Urgrin landed in a spray of sand, and in front of him a human thrust a spear towards the wolfs snarling face. Ralgr came to his wolf's defense, bringing down his battle axe down on the spear to chop it in half. He laughed as his wolf, Urgrin, then proceeded to tear the human tribesman apart. Letting the wolf do as he wished, Ralgr was carried into the battle. He looked around, searching for the spellcaster among the humans. The sooner Ralgr killed the humans magic man, the sooner he and his urgals could win this battle!

[doitean]

Ali noticed the wolf rider. He muttered a spell to make the sand sink around the rider in the hopes of stopping it. The spellcaster watched as the tribe and urgals clashed. The wolf rider was tearing into the warriors. He was not about to let him defeat the wandering tribe.

Ali's spells would put a stop to that, he hoped. If not, the strength of the hûthvír should suffice.

[Lozza]

Karou watched with blue eyes as the battle commenced. She wanted to hide further behind the slope, but she was the type to find battles interesting. The young woman liked to watch how others fought and compare them to herself. The Urgals were tough and strong, whereas she fought swiftly and gracefully.

[Trinn]

Urgrin yelped when the sand underneath his feet began to give away, and he scrambled to escape the pit that was beginning to entrap him. Ralgr sneered and looked around. There! He spotted the spellcaster standing somewhat apart from the main fray, a condor perched on his scrawny shoulder. Raising a muscled arm, Ralgr balled his hand into a fist and pointed at the human spellcaster threateningly. "Herndal!" He shouted, summoning his own spellcaster to his side. The urgal wisewoman seemed to appear from nowhere. Immediately she chanted something, and the sand beneath the Shrrg's feet stopped sinking. Urgrin immediately bounded from the pit, shaking his fur and snapping his fangs.

Reaching down, Ralgr unceremoniously grabbed the herndal by her arm and threw her up behind him onto Urgrin. "You must duel the human's spellcaster." He grunted in the brutish sounding urgal tongue. "And I will kill him when he cannot use his tricks!"

With a kick in the giant wolf's side, Ralgr directed Urgrin towards the human magic man. They reached him in short time, and he heard his Herndal speaking in that strange language of the elves. He didn't know it, but the urgal woman was attempting to bind Ali with thick bands of air.

[doitean]

The presence of the spellcaster troubled him. He chanted a spell to flash and make a loud bang to distract the urgal. Hoping to do that he was going to use a different spell. They were close though so Ali grabbed his hûthvír. An urgal may be strong but his weapon was sharp.

Some warriors gathered around him. The other spellcasters also began chanting. The wandering tribe wasn't going to be beaten easily.

[Lozza]

Now, Karou was a skilled swordswoman, and her unique fighting style made it difficult for her opponents to determine what she was to do next. The wandering tribe needed help, and there were many urgals in the surrounding area. However much she hated them using magic, and having to watch the silly art, Karou still did not want to leave them. The urgals should not of attacked them. Karou did not have any experience with fighting urgals. They were big and swung heavy weapons, while she was small and sliced with her twin swords. She did not like just sitting there and not helping. Besides, the urgals would find her sooner or later. If the tribe had one more person to help fight the band of urgals, they would stand a sightly higher chance. Karou could not just sit back and watch as they were slaughtered, not that she doubted their warriors' ability. Besides, they had a spell caster who might be able to help her on her own quest - one that had been going on for far too long.

Anger built up inside her at these thoughts, and she stood to her full height, reaching behind her draw her two swords. Running and jumping over the sand dune, Karou jumped down and ran towards the urgals, making sure to steer clear of the leader. One of the urgals on the outside saw her out of the corner of his eye, and began to charge towards her, broadsword prepared to swing at her. Luckily, urgals were slow, and she was much quicker than them. Karou easily dodged the attack, and slashed out in several places with her twin swords. Running around the wounded urgal in a circle, confusing him, she slashed out again, then stabbed him. Tugging her right sword free, she turned, ready to help the tribe. The urgals should have expected that some of their own would die.

[Trinn]

The loud bang caused Urgrin to yelp and side step, his tail tucked between his legs. The wolf had thought something was exploding next to him and acted on instinct. Ralgr cursed in the urgal tongue and bounded off the wolf's large back. He landed before Ali in a spray of desert sand. The herndal was a safe distance behind him, chanting in the elven language. Urgrin ran back towards the main fray, snarling as he lunged at one of the human tribesmen.

Ralgr unsheathed his giant battle axe and swung it around his body as he strode towards Ali. In his hands, the battleaxe felt as light as a longsword. He swung it a quickness that frightened most fighters away. He felt himself grinning when the human warrior continued to stand his ground. Bursting into a sudden charge, Ralgr rushed Ali, bringing the battleaxe up in an eviscerating upward swing.

[doitean]

Ali, swordstaff in hand, chanted a tricky worded spell. His intent was to send a strong gust and push the urgal back. He hoped it worked. He prayed to the gods that the enemy spellcaster gets killed. He knew his wards might protect him from damage for sometime, but they wouldn't last long.

[Lozza]

Jumping into the fray, Karou saw that the urgals were targeting the spell caster from the tribe. She needed him alive if she was going to get any information out of him. Slashing her way through the group of urgals and men, she made her way towards the spell caster. She had dealed with spell casters before, and knew how they worked. They silly worded spells could not compete with the speed of her blades.