Healer's Hands

[Deleted]

Sideon's day had been going quite well. At the behest of his commanders, he had led a contingent to the border of Bromsland, threatening the Riders. While it was meant to be a suicide mission, it was also meant to be a warning that the Riders were not so far removed as they thought themselves to be. He, known for his killing of more than one Rider during the war with Galbatorix, had been selected for the task of ensuring that at least one of the defenders who would undoubtedly sent out to meet the enemy would serve as a suitable example. His thin lips twisted in a cruel smile. He had recently concocted a plethora of various poisons, each meant to kill in some slow, painful manner. It was a shame he would not be able to watch their effects take place.

The plan had gone very well. As soon as the Riders had gotten word of them, a small group had flown out to meet them. Among them was Varda, who was one of the Riders' most loyal agents. He could still remember when he had taken her and her brother from their father while their mother was away. He was most certainly partially to blame for the perversion Galbatorix had wreaked on the twins' minds. He had no doubt that the young female would kill him if given the opportunity. And her dragon was likely to hunt him down if he caught his scent. It was tricky, engaging the enemy whilst avoiding their notice, but, he managed. After all, he had been moving unnoticed for over a century before those two had been even a thought.

He turned his attention back to the battle, where his forces fought with the defenders, his black eyes scanning over his enemies as he looked for the one who would serve as his example.

[✧♏arie✧]

(This must be the one haha)

Earlier it had been peaceful. Evelyn had been quietly writing in her journal, which had been left back on her bed. She had been trying her hand at art; it had been a drawing of a small creek with as many details she could remember from the real scene. Evelyn had been halfway done with a long and complex description of what she had seen when the news had come. An enemy had decided to threaten their borders. Some of the riders took the news as a chance to beat Sideon and his crew to a pulp. Even if the force was apparently not meant to be a full attack, some still thought it was silly of them to try it. Evelyn recalled that one even laughed. Others were angry or worried it was a distraction or trick.

Evelyn had taken the news with a frown and a clenched jaw. She'd offered to help and tagged along with the group, since she'd been idle. Now everything was a mess, but not because they were doing badly, of course. All battles were a mess to Evelyn. People got hurt, others lost their loved ones. And did Evelyn truly know much about her enemies? All she knew was how they moved, how they fought, and how they acted when the fight was over for them. This was scary. They were other beings with emotions like her. They had reasons, aside from the shades. Evelyn didn't know these reasons, nor their memories.

Evelyn scowled when someone attacked her mind. They shoved against her barrier and tried to break in. She held her walls and kept them away. She wanted to fight with magic and sword, not attack with her mind. This was an annoyance to her, which the attacker had meant it as, but also as a distraction. Evelyn drew her second blade, Endeavor, to attack an enemy that approached from another side. She was fighting on the ground rather than riding Lyra. Lyra let purple flame fly at an enemy, then closed her jaws with a satisfied snap. Her scales made her easy to pick out, but Evelyn would know if she needed help. A magician spoke a spell from elsewhere where Evelyn could not hear him. Evelyn's wards "kicked" the spell away. She wondered what it had been meant to do; it had likely been something nasty.

Evelyn did a quick check on the others, then checked Lyra and the wards they both had. The others were alright so far. Everything was going smoothly enough. Evelyn sized up the enemies. Some were dead. She noticed who must have been their leader looking over her comrades. She took this as strategy. Evelyn believed he would try to target whoever was split from the main group or weakened. I think we should make sure no one is split up right now, Evelyn sent to the others mentally. She wanted them to draw together so that no one would be seen as a weak link, and viewed telling telling the others as necessary. Someone attacked her mind again, but Evelyn's barriers held.

(There you go! I hope the writing wasn't crappy haha)

[Deleted]

Sideon found his target easily enough. The elf woman who seemed to be doing well in the battle was as good as any. He drew one of his daggers slipping through the combatants like a wraith in the night. With his mind, he felt out her wards, constructing a spell to slip the blade through them so that it would strike her unhindered. The spell would most certainly take a toll, but, it was one of his specialties.

When he found a good place to make his shot, his eyes zeroed in on a chink in her armor. His cruel smile widened as he muttered his spell quickly, imbuing his deadly dart with magic to cut through her defenses. Then, with a well practiced movement, he let it fly. The blade flickered through the air, almost too fast to follow. Especially in a battle.

(OOC- I am so sorry. This is a crappy post but IDK what else to do)

[✧♏arie✧]

OOC: It's fine. You have Varda too; I would be interested in seeing how she feels and fights if you would enjoy checking in with her.

The battle raged on after Evelyn mentally contacted the others. Strands of Evelyn's hair were hanging messily out of her bun, and she had splatters of blood on her wrist. Lyra broke someone's ribs with her tail. Evelyn felt a drain on her energy again due to her wards. Lyra's got hit a few times by well aimed arrows. As annoying as the energy drain could be, the wards helped protect them. Evelyn was able to keep the two enemies in front of her for long enough to beat one, but more still came.

Evelyn noticed that some of the younger riders far in front of her field of view came closer together. Those that did made a mess of the enemies in their immediate surroundings. Evelyn was exchanging blows with someone in front of her while Sideon slunk through the crowd. She turned once, but the wrong way. The turn was to fight someone who had gotten close on her left. Evelyn was able to slash his side, over his lower ribs. Her sword hit bone. The dagger had been thrown just after the man dropped away from Evelyn. She needed to turn now, see what was going on around her. A pain struck up her from where the dagger hit her.

Evelyn opened her mouth in silent, angry curse. Someone had gotten something through her wards. Lyra, feeling the pain, looked and saw Sideon. She felt a pang of dread, subconsciously knowing that the leader would not spend energy to make something slice wards without good reason. Lyra didn't think too deeply on it, and instead reacted. The dragon breathed fire at enemies around her and took a few steps toward Sideon.

Evelyn felt two drains on her wards as the enemies in front of her started attacking furiously. The adrenaline in them after seeing Evelyn get hit caused them to recklessly try to kill the elf. Once they realized what was going on, however, they backed off. The men feared punishment from Sideon after figuring out that he likely wanted her killed slowly. Evelyn had to get the dagger out of her to move right again. While she was in pain, Evelyn was still able to quickly slash a man during his hesitation. She resorted to aiming a nasty spell to damage Sideon's bones since he was out of reach. Evelyn wanted to clear the area around her a bit so she could check the new wound.

OOC: Note: Lyra isn't just going to stand there, I'm leaving space for something to happen before she acts.

[hagvar]

Dana was stationed towards the back of the battle watching it progress. She used much of her energy to cast spells on both the enemy and her allies. she drained much of her reserved energy from the sash of blue diamonds she wore around her waist. she felt the anger and pain of a dragon and her bond farther in the field of battle. she pulled out her two swords and charged toward the scene. her deep blue armor and cape made her a sight to see in battle. People named her the midnight witch. She didn't much care for the name but it did bring fear to people and had a nice ring to it. When she reached the dragon she saw that it was Lyra and her rider Evelyn. Evelyn seemed to be hurt quite bad even still she managed to keep the soldiers at bay. Dana also looked and saw a man with eyes as black as night he must have been the person that hurt Evelyn. she reached out with her mind to both Evelyn and Lyra "get yourselves out of here I think he means to make an example of you two. you must get yourselves to safety i'll handle him." she said this quickly as to not keep her mind and their minds open for too long. she stalked onto the open field and pointed one of her swords at the man. " You are a coward to sneak through a battlefield and through knives. you're probably even such a coward as to not fight me sword to sword." she said taunting the man to face her. she put the remainder of her reserved energy to use heightening her abilities such as speed, awareness, and strength.

OOC: hope to refine this post later just to tired atm sorry, also hope you guys don't mind me butting in.

[Deleted]

(OOC- It's fine if you want to join . I will warn you though, the battle is just a reason for a couple of characters to meet, so, it won't be lasting very long in all likelihood. If you're looking for an action thread, feel free to shoot me a PM. If you're not looking specifically for action, feel free to stay with us for the ride!)

Sideon's thin lips twisted in a cruel smirk when his dagger made contact. The effects of the poison would take hold of the Rider soon enough. Until then, he would most certainly be kept on his toes. He could feel excitement beginning to pound through his veins, in tandem with the beating of his heart. That look of anger on his enemy's face, the barest flicker of recognition, the nearly tangible rage of the dragon. This was what he had missed about the war, the reason they called him Blohdlam. Destruction, death, fear, and a ground painted in blood. The dance that could at any moment end in his demise. How long had it been since he last killed a Rider? The prospect of again snuffing out one of the vaunted dragon-chosen made his black heart sing. He could well remember the power that had sung through his veins when he ended the kindly and oafish Nerof. That had been through slight of hand and a good disguise. To slay one in combat would be a feat indeed.

Sensing the Rider's spell crash against his wards, he reached out with his mind to the soldier nearest him, one he had been vaguely connected to as they utilized the method of placing a magic user in charge of the protection of a small group. It served him well here. In a moment's breath, the man was dead on the ground, his energy flooding through the wards of the assassin who had, supposedly, been meant to protect him in this combat. The spell was successfully blocked. For good measure, he took the energy from a second soldier, taking a deep breath as it rushed through him, easing the weariness from his previous spell work. The second man faltered, confused by his sudden loss of strength, and was promptly cut down by an enemy blade. He paid no mind to the death and rolled his shoulders, feeling a satisfying 'pop' in his back.

Now was the time to make an exit before reinforcements from New Doru Arabea arrived. He had just begun to slip away into the combat when he was challenged quite openly. He paused, and then slowly turned. Dark amusement danced in his black eyes as his slender brows rose. His smirk widened as he took in the girl who now faced him. A young human. Skilled in magic, it seemed. And so lively. How quaint. She was obviously not old enough to have heard of him. If she had, she would not have approached him in this manner. Those who knew of him also knew to strike quickly from a distance or with great force, before he could react to them effectively.

He stood tall and proud at his full height of nearly seven feet, pale face condescendingly amused. If she wanted to insult him, she would have to do so much better.

"Coward? Do tell me that is not the extent of your ability to insult me, child. How exiguous your experience in doing so must be." his velvet voice was mockingly pitying, "My own painfully inept people are more creative in their naming. Come, come, now, my dear," he purred, making a motion with his hand as though coaxing her through something difficult, "They called me Du Aurboda Orúm, hoping to ire me. Try once more. I'm sure that you'll be able to outdo them."

His slender hand casually held his sword, the edge yet unstained by blood. Maybe she would give him the chance to change that.

---

Varda had been doing well in clearing away the enemy soldiers, her blades flashing with the lightning speed common among her kind. She had slid from the saddle in order to better attack her enemies with both swords. Next to her, Blizzard let out a deafening roar, white fire streaming from his maw and incinerating one unfortunate man, the comrades of whom sustained a number of severe burns. Battle had always been confusing and unpleasant for the pair of them. For Varda, is was a whirlwind of present and past experiences. Her mother's memories, forced into her mind by Galbatorix's foul magic, served as a basis of experience. But, they mixed with her own, creating a dangerous concoction of self an other. If not for Blizzard, she would be overwhelmed by the memories' influence. The dragon was less effected by what Galbatorix had done to them after his hatching. It was a dragon's nature to be resilient, and they had escaped only a few months after the Mad King's perversion of their beings. With sixteen years to recover, he had become rebalanced. It was his rider who had not recovered. Nor was he sure she ever really would. Even with the help of more than one Ancient and their bondmates, she was prone to bouts of despair and near-constant depression. It was all he could do to keep her from going too deeply into herself and becoming lost. It was his duty to her to help her maintain sanity.

The dragon whipped his tail into a knot of the opposing soldiers, throwing and scattering them. Then, he paused, his head raising above the combat to catch the air. His serpentine lips parted and his nostrils flared. He knew that scent, the one he picked out from the blood and death. His thin pupils narrowed into bladelike slits and a growl emerged from his chest, shaking the ground around him. Sensing his sudden shift to anger, Varda reached out to him to sense what he had found. When she felt it, her blood ran cold.

Sideon was on the field.

The thought of him sent her into a bout of confused panic. Her mother's implanted memories of the assassin clashed with those she had gained herself. She gripped her blades tightly, as, having expected the reaction, Blizzard coiled around her, defending her in her weakness. The elf, no, he didn't deserve to be acknowledged as such. The monster Blizzard smelled had been the one to take her and her twin from their parents and deliver them to Galbatorix. After the mad king himself, it was the assassin's fault that they had become what they were. That her twin was lost to her in the pit of madness. She forced the memories back, more roughly than her mentor, Lucian, would have approved. Then, she sprang into the saddle on Blizzard's back.

Not even Lucian, an Ancient with possible millennia's of experience, had managed to kill the snake. His bond, Alorah, had not been able to crush or melt him, despite her huge size and the strength of her flame. But, they lacked the rage that Varda felt whenever she came into contact with Sideon. Blizzard's emotions ran hotter than Varda's own. He despised the elf with a loathing only a dragon could muster. For what had been done to his bondmate, he would gladly tear the assassin apart.

With a roar that vocalized his murderous intent, the dragon spread his huge, white wings and took flight.

(OOC- So, I'm wondering if I should throw in Eladan to cover the Shade forces' retreat and give everyone a good dose of crazy. Or we could have Lucian and Alorah get sick of the Shade army's crap and force a retreat themselves...what do you think?)

[✧♏arie✧]

(OOC: It's fine with me too. As for the question of Eladan and Lucian, I'm not really sure lol. It would be fun to see Lucian fight someone who can actually do something against him, maybe. He could get hurt if you want, and then I could see how he reacts to having two things "on his plate?" Lol, I just like seeing how other characters react to everything. Such a long post you have there. I apologize for any strange errors and typos that I didn't catch in advance...)

Lyra wasn't happy with this new enemy, Sideon, being in the way. She'd approached closer while Evelyn had prepared an attack. Lyra let her thoughts join with Evelyn's for a moment to sense how she would take his reaction to her attack. Sideon blocked her spell easily. A moment later, two men fell to the ground dead. Evelyn wasn't surprised at this development, but was disgusted that he would destroy his own men. Did he not have a gem to draw from, or was he just trying to scare them? if the latter were true, it would not affect Evelyn much besides the thought of whether the men had families. She'd meant to force him to drain his reserves, but at least the attack hadn't been completely useless. It had also kept him busy, even if just for a short time. His face bothered her. Sideon felt excitement and joy from the battle. This was something that Evelyn didn't get. She pulled one side of her mouth upward in discomfort, screwing up her face a little. She was angry that anyone could feel that way about killing, especially when it was comrades who died. Evelyn felt the instinctive need to kill or at least injure Sideon. She became confused for a second when she remembered that this was not like her, but then pushed the feelings away. Evelyn told herself that it was okay to kill. It was only for the sake of comrades.

Soon, there was a focus on strategy for the pair. Lyra and Evelyn both wanted to know how well he responded to multiple attacks, yet Evelyn was still dealing with just that from the enemies around her. She also needed to check on what Sideon had done to her. Evelyn didn't believe for a second that he'd just meant to injure her with the knife. Any elf-rider could just heal that sort of wound. The first possibility she could think of was a poison or spell of some sort. Evelyn expected it to be intended to permanently disable her rather than cause a slow, painful death. To her, something that she would have to deal with forever was worse than what she was about to get. Fear nagged at her, but she couldn't think about it now. Perhaps she would be able to remove the problem, anyways. Evelyn had dealt with poison before in her career, and had removed it herself with little to regret. 

Lyra rumbled unhappily. The muscles in her neck tensed. She wanted to let her flame fly at Sideon. Since an ally of theirs was coming to help, perhaps they could all attack Sideon from multiple directions as Evelyn had hoped. Sideon was not so close to Evelyn that Lyra couldn't breath fire at him. She was about to let it fly when a lady named Dana stepped closer to Sideon than Lyra was comfortable with. She'd come to Evelyn's defense, which Lyra was grateful for, but Lyra did not know her or how she fought. Lyra instead switched her little plan, trying to catch Sideon off-guard with a deadly swipe of her claw. 

There were two now confronting Sideon, and Evelyn had time to slash and kill the last enemy in her range so that she was clear. She worried for Lyra, attacking Sideon so suddenly, but she knew she could not worry all the time. Especially when she was hurt and she'd thought of a plan to attack Sideon from multiple sides only moments ago. Evelyn did not hide her worry from Lyra. The dragon didn't mind it anyways. She wanted to force Sideon to use more of his resources. Lyra thought it would be best if he would use his own energy, not someone else's. Perhaps he was out or nearly out, though. Lyra liked this idea. It excited her. She wanted to back him to an edge and then "push him off." 

Evelyn had felt a pang of indecision in her stomach at what was said to her. Dana wanted her to leave, to run from the battle for her health. Evelyn, however, did not want Dana to face Sideon alone. The abomination, as Evelyn now thought of him, was obviously strong. He'd been able to slice through her wards. Evelyn's magical abilities were not weak, either. She didn't know much about him, though had heard some facts. Apparently others thought he was quite the menace. Evelyn did not know about Dana's strengths. I will stay. I plan to stop for a moment to check the wound and what else he might have done to me. Can you help cover me while I do? If I can heal it, I can jump back in. Please don't focus on his insults. If you keep your focus, you might perform better against him. Don't let him get to you, insulting him is not important.

Evelyn had continued the mental contact for longer than she'd liked. Her concern for Dana had been made obvious, too. Evelyn didn't want to imply that she was weak, but she couldn't help warning her. Especially when that look on Sideon's face bothered her so much. He was amused by Dana, taunting her and wanting her to fight him. He was so sure of himself. Still, Evelyn didn't interfere. She allowed herself to check the wound despite the pang of worry in her stomach of what would happen to her younger ally and bond. 

The only effect Evelyn felt from the poison was a strange numbness in the wound site. Evelyn assumed any pain she felt was due to the wound itself. She watched her surroundings to make sure she could move if anything came to attack her. Nothing wanted to approach yet. Evelyn checked the wound site and looked for anything strange. She noticed the numb feelings and the fact that the wound looked different. Evelyn assumed it was poison and didn't just immediately heal the wound. First, she wanted to see if she could draw the poison out with magic, then heal herself. The wound started to sting more while she worked. She became aware of another bonded pair on their way. At first, Evelyn was confused. She had enough allies around her; they didn't need to help. Then she looked closer. It was Varda. Her bond let out a furious roar. Hadn't Evelyn heard of some history between Sideon and them? Either way, with how off-balance Sideon seemed to put the pair, Evelyn was just as worried about them as she was the others. Perhaps the pair fought better with the rage, however. Evelyn couldn't judge how they would do so early, but she knew that more attackers would help with the effort. Evelyn's wound bothered her again. She refocused her attention on taking care of it.  

(OOC: Everyone wants to kill Sideon~)

[Deleted]

The elf felt his blood begin to rush when the dragon swiped at him. He twisted away from the attack with all the grace his race was reputed for, his dark hair whipping out around him. As he moved, his sword flashed from its sheath, glistening brightly. It had been a while since he'd carried one, as he usually used smaller blades. Still, none of his skill had diminished, he had been a combatant long enough to know the foolishness in that. A bark of laughter left him before he could contain it, his black eyes lighting with excitement. This was what he lived for. The excitement of this game of life and death.

As he stepped out of his twist, he lashed out with another dagger, sending it speeding through the air at the pair, aiming again for the Rider. As this one wasn't magically imbued, it most likely would be diverted by her wards, but, she didn't know that.

He was moving again as soon as the dagger was set on its flight path, preparing for another attack. This was halted when he heard the roar from across the battlefield. A quick cut of his dark eyes told him that it was Blizzard and a smile pulled at his thin lips. So, they had noticed. Which meant that things were about to get very interesting for him. In fact, he might not make it out alive. With that in mind, he began to backtrack, again working on retreat. He would prefer not to be torn apart by the white dragon, and he knew the beast wouldn't stop hunting him until he'd done just that.

---

Blizzard was on the warpath. His translucent wings beat furiously, propelling him through the air. His and Varda's thoughts cycled through their bond, a desire for destruction of this foe. The dragon curled up into the sky, tensing in the preparation to dive. He sucked in a breath, the fire in his belly growing. On his back, Varda held one of her swords, clutching the saddle with her free hand. With this many allies around them, there was no way the assassin would escape them. Finally, after almost twenty years, they would have their revenge.

Blizzard reached the top of his coil and tucked his wings close. Then, he tipped his body downward and began to plummet towards his target.

All thoughts of murderous intent suddenly ceased when a deafening roar that shook the very ground itself echoed over the battlefield. Blizzard suddenly pulled out of his dive, recognizing the call. A few moments later, the a shadow began to cover the entire battleground, quickly cloaking the combatants in darkness. Overhead, a truly gargantuan green dragon extended its monstrous wings, hovering.

Varda looked up as Blizzard leveled out, her eyes widening in surprise.

Alorah-elda and Lucian-elda came?

She hadn't even heard of them leaving New Doru Arabea since the Shade War had begun.

[✧♏arie✧]

Lyra growled when the snake elf avoided her swipe. She saw the flash of a sword and felt a small rush of adrenaline and drive to kill. If Sideon was going to laugh at danger, Lyra was going to focus. The dragon needed to him be gone; then he would no longer be a danger. Instead of attacking Lyra, Sideon threw another weapon at her bond. Lyra indeed though it was a dagger with spells imbued in it.

Evelyn! Lyra sent a mental picture as a warning. Evelyn had still been dealing with her wound. Of course Sideon wanted to make it harder for her to work. She had to dodge, not use spells to block it. Moving hurt her wound, but she made it. Then she looked back again, expecting the blade to turn toward her magically. It didn't. The dagger had come so close that it could have hit her wards, but Evelyn felt no or minimal energy drain. Her body complained about the sudden movement. She covered her wound with one hand. It hurt more than wounds of that kind usually did.

Lyra let out a dragon sigh of relief, but then immediately repositioned herself. Sideon was moving again just after he'd thrown the dagger. This time she needed to block her rider from his view more; she would be a better guard now. Though, when Blizzard announced himself with a roar and came close, Lyra drew back and stood closer to Evelyn. Now that there was another ally to fight and Sideon was starting a retreat, Lyra could coil partially around Evelyn defensively. She struck out with her tail once, however, to scatter some soldiers. Some were killed by the spike at the end of her tail.

Now that Evelyn was more focused and had identified the problem, she could use some spells. The wound stung and Evelyn had been feeling some numbness. Those numb areas started to feel stiff and painful. Evelyn lifted her hand away from the wound so that she could use a spell to draw the poison out. When the spell was blocked, Evelyn hissed with frustration. Of course. Now she needed to do something about the spells that opposed hers. She spoke spells to get rid of them, but nothing seemed to be working. Instead, it felt like the growing effects of the poison were becoming worse more rapidly. Something like a cramp started in one of her back muscles. There was a small wince on her face until it stopped. Evelyn tried more ways to get the poison out before something else could happen.

Lyra definitely sensed the pain and stiffness from Evelyn, and watched her. She hadn't doubted that Evelyn could remove the poison and heal herself before, but now she wasn't so sure. It seemed like even the poison was somehow imbued with magic. It did not act like normal poison, either. Sideon was thorough. Lyra worried that it would soon render her bond unable to help herself, or that she wouldn't be able to remove the poison either way.

A roar shook in the air and disturbed the fighters. Despite shaking the very ground, Evelyn's only response was widened eyes while she worked on the spell. Lyra quickly looked up at the sky. She saw Alorah and assumed Lucian must be with her. When Lyra became aware of what was happening around her, she noticed that many others were looking up. Blizzard had even stopped his attack. This reminded her of Sideon's retreat. Lyra located him on the battlefield. She flicked the end of her tail. He was still in range. Some allies moved out of her line of sight and fire while fighting enemies. Lyra took this chance to breathe purple fire in a deadly stream at Sideon. She hoped it would at least cause Sideon to waste energy. Perhaps he would be distracted by Alorah. She closed her jaws with a snap, then glanced at Evelyn with one eye. Evelyn was still getting worse. The blood still coming from the wound could also be a problem. Lyra knew they needed to do something else soon, maybe she could get her bond to leave the battle.

[Deleted]

Sideon had indeed been distracted by Alorah's appearance, his thin lips twisting in a sneer. Soulless as he was, there were few things the assassin feared in this world. The green dragon, and her Rider, were on that short list. He knew he couldn't kill Alorah. She was too large to be brought down by a lone elf, unless he was very, very accurate. Centuries of unceasing growth piled one on top of the other had made the loathsome behemoth what she was, and that frustrated him. And then there was Lucian. How he despised the Ancient elf. He practically oozed kindness and goodness. Until he was on the battlefield. Sideon's scar throbbed beneath his clothing and armor as he remembered being on the receiving end of Lucian's Edoc'sil. For someone who loved peace, he fought with enough ferocity that he remained the closest anyone had come to killing Sideon.

How the assassin wanted to pay him back.

He was caught off-guard by the sudden attack from the dragon he'd briefly engaged with. A number of men around him were engulfed in the flames. Sideon barely erected a barrier of magic in time. The drain on his energy caused his sneer to become more pronounced. He disliked it a great deal when someone got too close. His pride didn't allow him to take a brush with harm lightly. He had so rarely been injured that it had become commonplace for him to remain untouched in battle. His scars were marks of failure, and none was so humiliating as the one that ran from his navel to his lumbar spine. Lucian had nearly cloven him in two. Had it not been for a change in the tide of battle, the assassin doubted he would have survived. As it was, he'd barely crawled away with his life, forced to call upon the aid of another, clinging to his life as it slowly bled away.

He hated the Rider for reducing him to such a state.

He also hated how he knew he couldn't face him, not with so many enemies about. He would have to retreat. He moved more quickly, away from the dragon and Rider he'd sought to kill.

---

From Alorah's back, Lucian could not see the battle below. His bondmate's wingspan prevented that. But, he could sense it. It felt as all battles did, a constant tide of death and injury. How he detested battle. But, he and Alorah had felt it necessary to make an appearance. To remind the enemy that it was not just students and a few veterans who guarded Bromsland. In Eragon's brief absence, he felt that it was his duty. Putting personal distaste aside, he had donned his odd green armor and flown out. He had hoped, maybe a bit foolishly, that the sight of such an old and large dragon would convince the enemy to turn back. He'd not been so fortunate. The sight of Ancients in the land had grown less uncommon as they went about their duties. The days when men fled at the sight of them was long past.

A pity. It had helped them to avoid combat.

What was fortunate was that he did not sense any fallen on their side, only that of the enemy. Had the Shades not sent Riders to combat them? He sensed that they had not. A folly, it seemed. Who, then was leading them? Alorah quickly answered that question, having briefly made contact with Blizzard, whose mind she was most familiar with. The assassin, Sideon, commanded the enemy forces.

Lucian's expression grew grim. He had tried more than once to end that menace, and nearly succeeded at one point.

Would that I had been more thorough in my attempt...I thought he would die of his wounds.

Alorah rumbled, wheeling to find a place to land. She was too big to do so on the battlefield without risking the lives of their own men who had mixed in with the enemy.

He is tenacious, like one of those flat hissing insects.

Lucian gave a flicker of agreement. The comparison to a cockroach was most apt. There was nothing to be done now but try again to end the elf. Or capture him for interrogation.

The Ancient opened his mind, again taking stock of things. He flickered from individual to individual this time, monitoring their conditions. To Varda, he sent a wave of calm. His time spent helping her sort her mind gave him all too much insight into how affected she was by Sideon's presence. It also made him better able to calm her. He moved on when he sensed her favorable response. His next target caused him to tense.

One of their riders, Evelyn, he recalled, seemed to be faring poorly. At least, his initial sense of her was not good. He sent a gentle mental probe, looking for more insight to the situation. Without any true communication between them, Alorah passed directly overhead, flying low and flipping over so that her Rider could drop from the saddle not far from the pair he was seeking. He controlled his descent with a bit of practiced magic and landed gracefully in a crouch. As he rose, he drew his sword, aware that he was in the midst of a battle.

Lucian maintained an open, welcoming link to Evelyn and her bondmate as he pressed through the battlefield towards them. Overhead, Alorah flew upward again, abandoning her original plan to land in favor of looking for an opening to fight from the air.

I sense that you are unwell, the elf thought at the other Rider, What has transpired?

[✧♏arie✧]

(OOC: Sorry, this has been a long time coming and is a short post too.)

Lyra saw her flame come close and nearly engulf Sideon before he set up a barrier to protect himself. She made a noise like a rumble and glared at him. Not knowing Sideon, Lyra did not make anything of her attack nearly hitting. Still, she had gotten the snake to waste some of his own energy, and perhaps this would weaken him. She did not know how much energy he had used when making the dagger cut through Evelyn's wards, but guessed he had replenished it all when sacrificing his own men. Lyra wanted to fight Sideon more, but he was already on the move and was too far away. She would not leave Evelyn right now. Lyra kept tabs on his whereabouts as he retreated instead. The dragon could attack him mentally, but that would not be wise. Though, her anger made her want to.

Lyra gave Evelyn a gentle mental nudge. I think you should leave the fight, the enchantments are too much. Lyra was rarely direct and demanding, even in situations like this. Evelyn didn't answer immediately, she waited until after she had worked again to try to remove the poison's powerful enchantments. She was also enduring more pain; Lyra could feel it.

You're right, Evelyn replied. However, what else could she do when they left anyways? Evelyn thought herself able to eventually remove the poison, but believed the effects would go too far before then. While her bond had hope, Evelyn's uncertainty worried her. Lyra was about to viciously attack the enemies nearby to make a much easier exit for them, but Evelyn thought she noticed someone extending their mind to them. The elf mentally groaned and readied herself for a mental attack while still trying to expel the poison. Lyra knew that Evelyn was strong, but she was dealing with many things at once. She also readied herself to help, not recognizing the mind.

Wait a moment, Evelyn said. The mental contact was too friendly, but she was still wary. Later, she was surprised to see Lucian drop from Alorah's back. Evelyn wondered if that was the one contacting her. When Lucian maintained a welcoming link with them, she decided he must be the one and likely wanted to know what was wrong. However, Evelyn was paying more attention to her wound now that there was new pain. She looked up swiftly when Lucian mentally spoke to her so directly.

The assassin Sideon has landed a hit on me with a poison dagger, She replied. I have been trying to remove the poison, but the enchantments are extremely strong and resistant. I think there are also other enchantments, because this poison is not normal. The feel of her mind was not as welcoming as Lucian's; Evelyn wasn't so open to mental communication with anyone besides Lyra. She did not seem annoyed or angry, however.

Lyra breathed fire at some enemies that were nearby. She then scanned the area to see how many were coming, but they did not seem interested in killing Evelyn. Lyra felt another wave of pain from her rider and turned to her. With Evelyn trying to focus, the dragon was definitely a better indication as to the symptoms of the poison. Though she sometimes winced or clenched her teeth, Evelyn did not yet seem fearful as she redirected her attention to her spells.

Lyra remembered who it was that approached them and looked at him. He was experienced and probably knew much of magic and poisons, she believed. Lucian? Lyra contacted him suddenly. Could you possibly help Evelyn in any way? 

[Deleted]

Upon learning of what it was that ailed her, Lucian let out a small hiss through his teeth. Already, he could tell that this task would be difficult. Sideon never relied on commonplace poisons, unfortunately. The ones that Lucian had experienced, sixteen years prior, during the war, had all been self-made and heavily enchanted with magic that should never have been used. His green blade, Edoc'sil, flashed as he moved through a small knot of the enemy with the precision and grace that all experienced elven fighters displayed. He did his best to strike quickly and accurately, ending their lives in the least painful manner possible. He had no wish to prolong their suffering. It seemed that the enemy had mustered a small army against them, which still made no sense to him. He knew that the assassin leading them had killed Riders and their bonds before, but not in a clash of large forces like this.

Lyra's question pulled him back to the situation at hand. His pale eyes narrowed slightly as he moved faster, pressing towards the dragon and Rider. Rather than truly fighting the opponents that approached him, he focused on knocking them aside and clearing a path. He needed to work quickly before the poison spread and did lasting damage. Overhead, Alorah swooped down, periodically lifting as many as five men in each of her front claws and gaining enough altitude to send them plummeting to the earth again.

I believe I can. However, we will need to retreat from the battle. Work to contain it at the very least.

The unwinding of spells was a complicated process that required concentration even for experienced spellcasters. Due to the situation at hand, he would prefer to turn his full attention on the healing process, without the distraction of battle. He dreaded to think of what could happen if the poison spread, especially when imbued with such foul magic.  

Within a few minutes, he reached the purple dragon. Blood streaked his green sword and was splattered on his armor, even a short time in battle leaving a visible mark. Quickly, he sheathed Edoc'sil, his eyes finding Evelyn.

"May I approach her?" he called to Lyra.

Even though it had been the dragon who asked for his help directly, he knew better than to approach an injured Rider during combat. Dragons were fiercely protective and a sudden approach may not be wise.  

[✧♏arie✧]

(kind of a crappy post, but here you go)

While she waited for Lucian's response, Lyra continued to fight and keep the enemies away from Evelyn. She made quick work of one man and tossed him away with her claws. Whenever there were no allies in her line of sight, Lyra would let out a stream of flame at several men at a time. She was not fighting like Lucian, who wanted to end the warriors' pain as quickly as possible. Lyra just wanted to fight as efficiently as she could, getting rid of the enemies before they could get close to her bondmate. Fortunately, she killed some of them swiftly with her claws anyways. Considering the size of the men compared to her, quick kills were not surprising. Still, Lyra wished she were bigger and more powerful; she could do more for Evelyn and their comrades. Lyra was only fifteen, considered small by many of the dragons that were around before the war against Galbatorix.

When Lucian replied, Lyra responded quickly. Thank you. She sounded hopeful that he would be able to save Evelyn. However, her next thought was grim and apprehensive. Yes, we should have left earlier. Lyra did not explain why Evelyn had made the decision to stay, and her thoughts were focused on fighting instead. It was left to Lucian to wonder about. That was, if his mind was not completely occupied with other thoughts already.

Evelyn stopped her spellcasting for a time when she found that she'd succeeded in doing something to the spells, but it was only a small dent compared to the enchantments that remained. It was no surprise that she was having a hard time with them on her own. Evelyn had never seen poison like that, not to mention the distractions from the pain and fighting. When a new symptom ailed her, she did not resume spellcasting and put pressure on the wound with her fingers. She now felt cold, and like a fever was coming on. Evelyn sighed, then looked around. She needed to continue casting, however Lucian was coming to help her. Evelyn muttered, scolding herself for partially being the one at fault for her current situation.
 
When Lucian did come, Lyra still had her mind in the fight. So when she sensed someone approaching, the dragon turned her head to face them. Of course, she did not automatically attack, but she wore a frightening glare. Seeing as it was just a reflex, Lyra’s eyes softened and she contacted the Ancient. An apologetic feeling went over the mental link. Yes, She replied. Lyra noticed him sheath his sword, so she made a quick scan with her eyes for enemies. She automatically swiped at one about fifteen feet from Lucian and to his left. Lyra’s body was still partially coiled around Evelyn, but less now that she kept moving. The dragon would let Lucian approach and would make sure to not get in his way as he did.