A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: K3ystone on 12-06-2014, 05:15:20</h2>
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				Title: <strong>A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>K3ystone</strong> on <strong>12-06-2014, 05:15:20</strong>
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				The sound of slow scrapes hung dull and ragged in the heavy summer air. Dain turned to glance briefly up at the castle looming behind him before returning his focus to the sword unsheathed on his thighs. He slowly pressed a small whetstone the blade and ran it down the flat edge, then repeated the action.&nbsp; A quiver of arrows lay on the grass at his feet, each sharpened and primed for the fight to come. Flipping the sword Dain began on the other side of his blade. He was beginning to get uneasy. The clouds above were heavy and thunderous, casting shadows on all beneath them. But it was not the clouds that drew his gaze upwards; Dain’s squinting eyes scanned the skies for a familiar winged form. No birds dared fly when summer storms threatened, such winds were not for the weak or faint of heart. Much to his annoyance the dull skies would yield no view of what he sought. "He's late" he muttered, glancing back at Blackwater Castle once more. The defences weren't formidable, but then he wasn't supposed to be the one surveying the defences. What little he could see however confirmed his original belief that no small infiltration would work. Sheathing the sword Dain tossed it aside and lay back to stare straight into the sky. He hated being so far north of home, especially when he was left alone for any length of time.<br><br>Being summoned to the King's castle wasn't highly unusual for a knight in Dain's position, but being summoned with such secrecy and urgency was quite odd. He had attended the audience with a sense of interest and excitement initially, but his curiosity was not kept in suspense for long. The first (and almost only) words from the King's mouth were "My daughter", the poor man seemed to hardly have the energy in him to continue, repeating the words over and over. As it turned out the princess had in fact gone missing two days earlier while out for her daily excursion. It was no wonder there was such a secretive atmosphere to the place, the princess' hand in marriage had only been recently promised to the neighbouring kingdom, if anyone was to catch word of the disappearance accusations would be made and political relations would fall apart. After a day of panic the castle had received word of the princess in the form of a ransom, which had demanded a large portion of the Northernmost lands of the Kingdom. So Sir Dain, the famous dragon rider, was sent for and ordered to find the princess and return her to safety to avoid having to relinquish vital lands. Finally, after the journey north, he had manage to discover the whereabouts of the princess; only now he was stuck waiting about for his trusty steed to make a surveillance report.<br><br>In truth the whole mission worried Dain. He was used to the battles, the fighting and bloodshed. But storming a castle secretly? With no army? It didn't bode all that well. He might've viewed it all differently had he been offered the princess' hand himself, but it was just another paid job that expected a man and dragon to storm a castle, by Dain's reckoning it was safer in the middle of a battlefield outnumbered a hundred to one. Out there it was easy to take to the skies and swoop in to kill in droves. Finding the princess meant splitting up and searching the castle from tallest tower to deepest dungeon; whatever way one looked at it, not even spending time playing courier of a beautiful princess could be worth it.<br><br>A shadow passed over Dain startling him from his reverie. He quickly got to his feet to witness scales melding into flesh and claws into fingertips until before him stood what was beginning to look like a human form. Dain smirked and reached down to grab a bag of spare clothes, chucking it&nbsp; at a now perfect specimen of the human male . "You're late," he growled "what did you do stop to snack on a patrol?" He couldn't help but poke fun, it was his own way of showing he was relieved. Watching the man begin to dress Dain leaned over to begin gathering their belongings. "So? How bad is it?" he sighed.<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>12-06-2014, 12:31:41</strong>
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				Dragons weren't an especially common sight in the kingdom, having always been something of a rarity, but even among creatures as rare as that Zophiel was special for his ability to transmogrify himself into a passably humanoid form. Certainly it wasn't his favourite, being grounded and comparatively weak as a kitten, but he had developed a certain affinity for one human in particular and a definite liking for the race as a whole. Since Dain was a knight in service to a kingdom, Zophiel had also pledged to that same king and as such lived a typically peaceful life within the kingdom, passing as one of their own with little effort, so long as he wasn't seen transforming. There was certainly the odd 'hero' who sought him out in his lair but the young dragon trusted his friend to handle most of them peacefully.. The ones who couldn't be dissuaded added nicely to Zoph's treasure horde and provided a meal.<br><br>He'd swooped down, all brilliant scarlet scales on the upper half of his body, his underbelly a shiny blue-white which served as natural camouflage when he soared through the sky on any clear day, coming to rest on the ground below even as his form undulated and compacted into a more humanoid one. Even in that form he retained some measure of his power and vitality, stronger than he appeared and more durable as well, though he was grateful to Dain for the lessons he'd had in not only acting human but in fighting like one. His preferred weapons were his hands and feet, similar to his claws and talons if blunter and smaller and Zoph had taken well to martial training in that regard, though he was by no means even close to as skilled with a sword as Dain.<br><br>"You know how it is, you get hungry on the road and you just have to stop for a bite to eat." he snapped his jaws so his teeth clapped together and snickered, pulling his dark blue pants up and cinching them at the waist with a simple yellow sash. To say that Zophiel had odd fashion sense was to say the least, but the dragon (much like a magpie) loved brilliant colours, shiny things and valuable items. Certainly as he grew older and wiser he would make better choices and be conscious of such, but right then he was just enjoying the game of dressing himself, even if some people didn't agree. Finishing off the outfit, Zoph shrugged on a wine coloured vest that hid the odd ridges on his shoulderblades where his wings would have been in his larger form, as well as the fine speckling of crimson scales that traced a path down his spine. It was a sight better than his first attempt, an uncomfortable amalgam of all draconic features in a vaguely human shape, wings and tail and claws and breath notwithstanding.<br><br>He grinned broadly, amused as much as touched by Dain's chiding, "It's not so bad as the King thought. No invading army or even large force.. Seems to be about a dozen or so men in there besides, I'd imagine, our Lady Captive. I can lay down covering fire," he paused to see if Dain would laugh before continuing, "while you cut them down as they come. I'm guessing they're somewhere in between our kingdom and theirs, in that they don't want to see this alliance forged. Perhaps they were hired by some duke or other highborn to keep the marriage from happening." he shrugged, it wasn't important in the grand scheme, just that they retrieved his Majesty's daughter.<br><br>"I still don't understand why you insisted on me going in on foot." a lie, he knew why, but didn't mind grousing about how weak he was in human form when compared to his might as a dragon, "I could kill them all before you even found a way in." his tone was light, though, just ribbing the knight, "But we're here now so we might as well go with your plan."
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>K3ystone</strong> on <strong>13-06-2014, 04:51:21</strong>
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				Dain chuckled and pulled himself to his feet swinging his quiver and bow about his back before fastening the sword at his waist. "And here I thought dragons were meant to be all sly and clever," he taunted, "if you had your way Zoph, we'd always torch everything in our way, but hey maybe you'd like to be the one to explain to the king how we accidentally fried the princess? Or perhaps she'll just get swept away in the commotion while you're picking your teeth with a sword." In truth Dain rather hoped for some version of the latter; the whole rescuing side of things made the matter far more delicate than just slaughtering soldiers, so if the princess did end up out in the open it would only make the job easier. <br><br>Evening was beginning to settle in and Dain was certain he could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. Catching Zophiel by the shoulder Dain half dragged, half pushed the dragon along as he began striding towards the road that lead to the castle gates. "Let's get a move on Zoph!" he laughed, "Else you still be standing around fiddling with those fancy clothes of yours when that storm rolls in." Regardless of the occasion, the fashion sense of dragons never failed to bring a grin to Dain's face, a peacock had less vainity. "I'll explain what I have in mind along the way." Walking up to castle gates was definitely a new one for the team, but two men on foot hardly were of any consequence to the guards so it was unlikely any defensive measures would be taken when the pair was sighted. At the gates they would try pass themselves off as a messenger of the king and an escort, Dain filling the role of the escort being a knight, and Zophiel given his flashy appearance could pass for an important messenger. Whether or not they were allowed through the gates at that point would be of little significance, at the slightest hint of trouble Zophiel was to become a fearsome dragon once more. Needless to say they had the element of surprise on their side. Dain stressed the importance of keeping the rampage to a minimum, though he wasn't so sure Zoph was entirely heeding his warnings. "'I'll go into the castle and search for our imprisoned princess while you keep the guards..er....entertained," he continued "the moment we find her we're getting out of there Zoph. I don't care if you have to fly us all out, provided you can carry us both that is." Dain smiled, "Wouldn't want to overwork you after a meal and all that, I'm sure the indigestion would be terrible." <br><br>The gates grew ever closer now, the air making Dain's shirt stick beneath his armour. He was glad of the company at least, tramping towards any fight was always rendered less daunting when with a friend, the fact that the friend could become a fierce dragon was reassurance that certainly wasn't lost on the knight either. The nearer they got to the grand gateway the less the two spoke, until finally stepping under the long shadow of the fortress, they fell utterly silent. Only a few more steps and a man's shout resounded from the top of the gate "Halt! State your names and your business!" Dain straightened up filling his lungs with air before bellowing back, "A messanger of the King and Sir Dain, Knight of the Realm as his escort!" If they were refused entry they might simply be turned away, but there was a chance they could be shot at or worse. If it looked like it was going bad it would be best to simply attack first. The mutterings and voices above seemed to to suggest a disagreement, and in Dain's experience disagreements were usually bad news. Slowly turning his head towards Zophiel he grinned and whispered "Shall we?" then proceeded to slide his hand down towards the hilt of his sword. This would most certainly be very interesting.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>13-06-2014, 12:55:08</strong>
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				The young-looking man smirked and shrugged noncommitally, "I somehow doubt that even my breath could penetrate stone in one blast, you know. I mean, I'm pretty great and all, mighty as the day is long but some things just don't work." repeated blasts though and he could probably melt stone.. Of course, that would definitely take more time than they had. The dragon let himself be pushed by Dain toward the castle, laughing and bantering with the man the whole way. Even without his natural draconic urge to lengthy discussion, Zoph could have talked with Dain for hours. The two were close, in Zoph's estimation closer than brothers and never once had he found the human wanting in one regard or another except perhaps in the length of his short life. While the dragon was young, quite young for his kind, he would outlive every human he knew by a significant margin by the time he even felt the drain of old age putting a halt to his life. As it was, he planned to relish every moment he could with these humans so as to have pleasant memories of them when the time came to retire to a hermitage and ponder the place in the world he was to occupy.<br><br>Yes, life was hard for dragons, by Zoph's estimation. Why wouldn't it be though? Graced with beauty, power, intellect and long life, life needed significant challenge to keep one such as he occupied. (Arrogance, another classic draconic trait.)<br><br>"Mmh, we shall, but in case you didn't hear them up there they were a bit torn on letting us in. Five Denkats," gold currency in that kingdom, oh-so-originally named after the current King, "says they're going to hold us up with crossbows." Zophiel's voice was pitched at a low whisper but even his tone said that he didn't much care for the things in either form; stinging little needles if he was a dragon, potentially lethal lances that blurred in the sight due to moving so quickly if he was a human. Such mechanical contrivances always amused and enticed Zophiel, but not when they were aimed at him with lethal intent.<br><br>When they got through the gatehouse though the men in charge of the fort or castle or whatever their orders had said it was had indeed surrounded them and with weapons drawn! Swords, hand-axes and the odd javelin were held in hands either too eager for blood or uncertain of what to do due to their status to hold steady were clutched like lovers after a long absense. "Well!" Zoph sounded surprised, though not about the nature of what they'd walked into, "Maybe they couldn't afford them yet? Think that's what the ransom's all about?" he chortled even as the men looked startled, then confused, then angry. <br><br>One of them lifted a hand to point at them but by the time his mouth had opened, Zophiel was moving and changing, scales erupting down his arms and likely beneath his pants over his legs. His hands twisted into wicked claws and his bare feet arched up sharply as talons. His tail unfurled thick and strong behind him over the lip of his low-riding trousers and even his face changed, gaining scales and ridges, hornlets and sharpened fangs. The dragon had taken one of the first forms he'd managed, an amalgam of human and dragon that was more dragon than human, bringing much of his power to the fore while leaving him small enough to keep from crushing the place. In a single motion he caught the man about to speak, turned and threw him bodily to bowl over three others and open a path for Dain, a roar of challenge on his lips.<br><br>"Go! I've got these chumps taken care of, find the girl before someone does something stupid!" <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">I'm thinking something like this pic for his current form, if it matters. ;) Helps with the visual yes?<br>(http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/300/0/a/breath_of_fire_v___ryu_by_haouform-d4dzylu.jpg)<br></div></div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>K3ystone</strong> on <strong>16-06-2014, 04:08:05</strong>
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				"Looks like that hoard of yours just got five Denkats smaller Zoph!" the knight shouted, but the brawl was behind him before he'd even finished. Reaching a doorway the knight also found it sported two guardsmen. Charging forward Dain had his bow in hand and an arrow loosed before either could attempt to approach him. The arrow buried itself in the first guard's eye, the second began to close the distance between himself and the knight so there was no time to shoot again. Dain simply ducked under the slow and laboured swing of a longsword to jab an arrow up between the startled guards ribs. There was no time to check what bodies fell or keep count for that matter, all focus was bent on finding the captive. So Dain called out for the princess as he ran, over and over he shouted out "Princess!" only succeeding in drawing more guards to him. Not that it mattered much, they fell like flies.<br>&nbsp;<br>Staircase after staircase, hallway after hall and still no sign of the prisoner,he left no door unopened, no room unsearched. Precious minutes seemed to slither away faster than the sweat trailed down Dain's neck and back. He gasped for air, his ragged calls were garbled and hoarse. "Damn stairs," he snarled, reach the top of yet another flight. Even though he'd worn lighter armour the leather and metal were already beginning to chafe causing a dull and lingering pain. Stopping for a brief moments respite the man leaned back against a wall, his first big mistake. Almost the moment he stopped, tiredness washed over Dain's aching limbs so that he found continuing at any pace faster than a very slow jog unbearable. With himself already in such a state, the young man began to fear for his friend.<br><br>Veering down a hallway the knight encountered a young boy, most likely a servant, who carried a tray of food. Upon seeing the blood stained knight the youth attempted to scurry away, dropping his load with a small cry of fear. Reaching out and snatching the lad's tunic Dain lifted the boy's feet from the ground and held him suspended in the air. "Look kid I'm really not in the mood for a game of cat and mouse," the knight growled, " so you're gonna show me where the princess is or you'll end up like those guards downstairs." With this Dain drew one hand across his throat with a flourish to ensure the kid got the message loud and clear. Trembling the boy gave a vigorous nod before being lowered to the ground once more. There was little else Dain could try given the situation, yes the boy could lead him into some sort of trap but there was nothing else go on, they had to find the princess, and soon. The boy lead him quite a way until, after what seemed an eternity, they stopped at a barred door to which the boy signalled. Hoping the kid was telling the truth Dain kept a firm hold of the lad with one hand and made to open the hefty wooden aperture with the other. After all he'd need the kid to help find a way out (at this point he was well and truly lost). Pressing his shoulder to&nbsp; the door he gave it a firm shove, it protested fist, then gave with a creak and swung inwards.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>16-06-2014, 05:23:31</strong>
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				"That's what you think! I'll win it back!" but he doubted Dain heard him, as the man had taken off when he'd been told to.<br><br>While Dain was busy looking for the princess, Zophiel had gone ahead and cut loose. With no-one there he had to worry about the dragon took glee in turning blows aside with his thick scales and punching armour hard enough to leave debilitatingly deep rents in it. His claws shredded flesh and tore bone but before long he found himself being pressed by the sheer number of foes. They'd formed up a line and kept pinning him in with sharp jabs and lunges until the dragon lost his patience with it and roared at them again, scooping up one of the clumsy human weapons and taking aim. He threw the sword harder than he'd intended, pinning a man to the wall with it as the blade drove through his armour -and- the man within. "Heh, uh, whoops!"<br><br>Though unlike Dain the dragon wasn't getting tired, more the opposite the more he limbered up. Really he'd have preferred to fight in his natural form, rending flesh with his teeth and claws and crunching these men under his talons, breaking them with his wings and tail.. but would that have been as fun? Sure, fighting as a dragon was a cinch for Zoph, but the more often he took part in human activities as a human the better he could pass as one. Even while considering this though Zoph was busily handling the rest of the brawl, neither taking pity in his foes' lack of dragon-slaying capacity nor revelling in the bloodshed as a crueler person might. He was a dragon, he knew he was superior to some kidnapping cowards who help a young woman for ransom and a princess no less! He'd even done his friend a favour and let the man go to her first, knowing that by rights any and all virgins, princesses (or other royalty), sacrifices, treasure, or any combination of those things, were rightfully his as a dragon. Truly his was the kindest of hearts.<br><br>With the main courtyard cleared though, Zophiel found he had nothing to really do besides head on inside and try to track Dain down. So he set to following the path of bodies, keeping a low profile, for a dragon, which meant that he was literally parading down hallways sniffing to catch wind of his friend. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>wolventears</strong> on <strong>16-06-2014, 16:25:53</strong>
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				<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Gwen</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/hislipsonmine/tumblr_mp6ey94Zzp1qgheavo1_500_zpsxilg2y4i.jpg) (http://s150.photobucket.com/user/hislipsonmine/media/tumblr_mp6ey94Zzp1qgheavo1_500_zpsxilg2y4i.jpg.html)</div></div>Princess Gwendolyn, known as Gwen to those closest to her, looked up from the book she was reading, the same book she had read countless times while trapped within that room, as shouts and hollers reached her ears. And she was sure some screams of pain as well. She had been a prisoner in Lord Byron's castle for well over a month now. Finally, rescuers were sent for her. But in all honesty, this had been a kind of respite from what had been taking place at home.<br><br>For the last three months, she had been planning a wedding with a prince she had never met, much less set her eyes upon even once and the wedding was in another two month's time. It would have been the proper thing to come to the kingdom and introduce one's self to the woman who you were betrothed too, but she gathered not. Perhaps he was deformed or rather ugly. She hadn't had the pleasure to even meet the king or queen of the Heinsmark kingdom across the sea, yet, her father wanted what that kingdom had to offer, so what better payment than his daughter's hand to the prince. <br><br>She shook her head at the thought, but then stood, the book falling from her lap as the creak and groan of the heavy door to the room sounded. She knew it had to be someone whom she had never met before and they had never been to the castle as they would know how to cleanly open the big behemoth of a door. She heard something solid hitting it before it swung inward. <br><br>She stood in front of the chair she had been sitting at, her hands down at her sides, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible if this wasn't a person sent to rescue her but one of Lord Byron's enemies.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>K3ystone</strong> on <strong>21-06-2014, 03:25:14</strong>
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				The knight stopped short in the doorway and slicked back sweat soaked hair from his face. Dain had no doubt that the woman he faced was indeed the captive princess. He wasn't really sure what he'd expected, all he knew of her he had been told or heard of from local gossip or ranting admirers, regardless he was quite pleasantly surprised. The brief sights of her perched upon some distant stage at festivals and tournaments had never captured his attention so much as seeing her now. <br><br>The atmosphere of the room did seem rather awkward at first, Dain found his eyes completely transfixed on the flame haired woman opposite him; his mind even more so. Yet all too soon reality came crashing down about him in as the young servant boy took advantage of the distraction and slid from Dain's grasp. The kid had bolted down the hall before the knight could even move from the narrow doorway. Stifling a curse Dain turned back towards the Lady, clearing his throat before addressing her rather rapidly so that his sentences seemed to run into one another. "Princess Gwendolyn, forgive me for startling you. I am Sir Dain, a knight of your father's. He has sent me to return you to him safely. I must ask you to make haste and follow me, my companion deals with the guards and soldiers even as we speak, but time is of the essence!" Tearing his eyes from the Princess Dain signalled to follow and slid back out into the hallway.<br><br>Losing the kid was a foolish mistake, especially if the boy managed to alert any more guards.&nbsp; Dain scanned for signs of anyone drawing near, though in truth he knew it was unnecessary vigilance, given he would likely hear the approach of any guards first. For once the Knight felt rather unsure of himself,&nbsp; It was not often he had to face any woman, never mind a princess, in such a roughed up and bloodied state. Certainly in tournaments he had fought before people from all walks of life, but such events were cleaner than the crude butchery and filth of real battles. He wasn't accustomed to dealing with princesses of any sort; which was one thing that had made him so anxious to finish with the job earlier. Now however, after seeing the princess, he felt rather reluctant to speed her off to the king. He longed to let his gaze linger upon the Princess Gwendolyn, yet found himself fixing his gaze on everything and anything else, finally settling it upon the stone floor as she began to follow him out of the room.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>21-06-2014, 21:35:19</strong>
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				"Whoop! Where d'you think you're going boyo?" Zoph had caught the boy as he careened down a flight of stairs and offered him a grin that was all teeth. Sure they were human teeth, but the boy was out of his wits with terror right then and babbled something about only being a servant to one of the men here, to which Zoph asked how many men there were. A short conversation later convinced him that between Dain and himself the majority of the people manning this old fort were dead and gone, memories of the worst kind, "Alright then. Since I'm kind, I'll tell you what. You're free to go, head back to wherever it is you came from and tell everyone how the great knight Sir Dain saved your scrawny hide from this band of nogoodnicks." Zoph held the boy close and smirked, "You spread that story around far and wide, about how he single-handedly stormed in here, slaughtered these kidnappers to a man and rescued the princess, or I'll find you myself and you'll wish that you'd been one of the casualties today."<br><br>The boy swallowed hard and took off again when Zoph put him down, the dragon continuing up the stairs and down the hallway, whistling a cheerful tune. That ought to raise his friend's standing in the eyes of the people. Zophiel didn't really care how people saw him personally, besides good and kind and fashionable, gorgeous, a delightful conversationalist, witty, intelligent, charming, the list went on really, but he did care intensely that people felt that Dain was a hero in their realm. His friend had long since been due more than he'd received in life and Zophiel had taken pains to discreetly increase his standing. He honestly hoped Dain didn't know about these little things.<br><br>He could smell Dain now and hurried down the hall, waving at the Knight when he poked his head out of the room, though it seemed Dain didn't see him right then. "Hoy, Dain! Relax would you?" sweat was in the air, among the filthy battlefield smells Dain himself had noticed, though when Zophiel turned the corned, went through the door into the Princess' room and saw her there, he paused. Stared at the Princess in a way that spoke far too much of his mind's workings, then looked at the knight, "Dibs. By right of 'I am a dragon and have not eaten you alive.'."<br><br>Eventually Zoph cracked into a huge grin again and shook his head, laughing and looking for all the world like he'd come from some costume party and not a one-sided brawl downstairs, "Oh geez, you should see your faces! So.. this is the Princess huh? Not bad, not bad, she definitely looks the part!" he let out a low whistle and looked back to Dain before approaching the redhead, seemingly at ease with anyone let alone a pretty woman, "So we're here to rescue you from your kidnappers, but I gotta say.." he leaned in from one side of the princess, grinning that dragon's grin, "That keeping you for a little while longer doesn't seem like all that bad an idea to me.." this was said with the tail end of what Zophiel considered a seductively husky tone, though he kept his hands to himself, glancing to Dain, "We did go to plenty of trouble to get here after all, a little break might be nice!"<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">ooc</div><div class="spoiler_body">Err, sorry if Zoph's too aggressive or comedic, but I rather think he wouldn't consider 'self-consciousness' or 'shame' to be in his repertoire! ;)</div></div>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>wolventears</strong> on <strong>21-06-2014, 22:02:40</strong>
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				Gwen's eyes ran over the man who had came into her room. She had seen this knight before, but only in glimpses and hadn't been formally introduced. She nodded at his introduction, thinking at the moment, a curtsy wouldn't be exactly appropriate. Although when she went to take a step to follow behind the knight whom her father had sent to rescue her, a deep timbre of a voice reached her ears, rolling over her. Then who had spoken came around the corner to the room. Or what, she should say. <br><br>He had silver hair and red scales upon his hands and feet, which were clawed, red horns atop his head and eyes that looked to be full of fire. He looked draconic but she had never seen, nor heard, of a man who was part dragon, and that wasn't exactly something one could hide. He stepped in close, a grin on his face. Her eyes widened at his husky tone and what he was saying. <br><br>She felt herself blushing, but she chose to ignore that little bit. She nodded. "I thank you both, and if you have suffered any wounds, I can treat them. And as my kingdom is at least a weeks journey from here, if I remember correctly, I will have time to tend to you both." She looked from Sir Dain to the man in front of her. "But, I must ask, kind sir, what are you? I haven't ever seen one of your kind." <br><br>She had seen dragons yes, but not a halfbreed. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>K3ystone</strong> on <strong>03-07-2014, 04:16:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dain rolled his eyes at Zophiel's usual brashness and with a smirk added, "Whatever happened to finders keepers Zoph?" Even still, the half formed dragon proceeded to behave in his usual shameless manner in front of the Princess. At least she didn't seem too disturbed by Zophiel's appearance, indeed it seemed to have piqued her interest instead, and knowing Zoph he'd probably make the most of it too. Whether or not dragon's actually possessed a sense of humility or shame in any form remained a mystery to him, even after all the years spent with Zopiel. Certainly Zoph often claimed to have and grasp such emotions, though being a dragon after all, Zoph was given to making the most wild assertions.<br><br>The knight found he was smiling to himself as the Lady mentioned that she would tend their wounds. Though the few cuts and scrapes he had suffered were nothing out of the common way, he was in no way adverse to the idea of having a woman's hands tend to him. After all he couldn't just let Zophiel get all the attention, it would be bad for the dragon's already immense ego. <br><br>Of course the Princess just had to go and inquire as to what kind of creature Zophiel was. Expecting a long explanation, consisting of some far-fetched and extraordinary history of the mighty shapeshiting dragons, Dain quickly cut in. "Perhaps you'd like to give the lady an explanation in full on the way Zoph?" Then with a quick wink at the dragon added, "It'd be best to start away from here as soon as possible anyway, once we're far enough away Zoph can take as long a break as pleases him." <br><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Dain</div><div class="spoiler_body"> A quick twenty minute sketch up of Dain. Probably will add colour to it later, but I hope this shall suffice for now ;P<br><br>(http://th05.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2014/177/1/1/knight_dain__rp_char__by_k3ystone-d7o43yv.png)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>03-07-2014, 05:04:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Huh? Oh.. OH! Heh, I know what's wrong, don't worry your pretty head there princess." he walked around behind her and winked at Dain before letting himself shift to the slimmer, more humanoid form he usually kept, "Longish story short, since we're short on time to stick around, I'm a dragon and that was a useful form kind of in between this one and my normal one. Sir Dain over there is a good friend of mine and we're here to take you away from here." he flicked his eyes over to the window and smirked a bit, "As for finders keepers, Dain, I'm pretty sure I found her. I did the initial pass over that told us this was the place, remember? But.." and he grinned wider, "You know I'm not opposed to sharing what's mine with you, right? Right."<br><br>Zophiel stretched and shook himself a bit, "She's right though, it's a week's travel by foot, less by horseback. Probably six or eight hours as the crow flies, or the dragon. Still, it's been a rough day, we should get outta here and take a break. Who knows what's been stuck into my friend over there and I could use a bit of a go-over myself.. Steel here wasn't that sharp but I took a couple nasty punches that probably bruised." he wasn't averse to beautiful women's hands on him either, so even if he wasn't all that hurt he'd play it up a little for the sympathy. <br><br>"C'mon! Let's head down to the courtyard where I can stretch my wings and we'll take off, go somewhere quiet and make sure we're all alright. Get your things Princess, whatever's yours in here anyway. I'll wait for you two downstairs huh?" Zoph mock-saluted and patted Dain's shoulder on his way by, his clothes somewhat looser on this form than they had been when he'd walked in. Zophiel liked them like that though, they felt almost like wings, adding bulk to his body to intimidate others into thinking he was stronger. Once the dragon was back out in the open air of the courtyard he simply stripped the clothes off and left them folded in a pile for Dain to collect again, his body growing and shifting all at once until he was once more a red and blue-scaled dragon large enough to carry a couple of humans off on the wing. Zophiel let out a triumphant little roar, snapping his jaws as he shook himself, settling once more into that most comfortable skin.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>wolventears</strong> on <strong>03-07-2014, 16:00:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gwen's eyes widened as the dragon/man came back from behind her, now lacking the half look. He was smaller in this form, but still a rather large man. She looked between them, kind of confused as he spoke of sharing. Sharing what exactly, she hadn't a clue. But she nodded when he spoke of being looked at. <br><br>"Of course. I will take a look at both of you," she said before the man was leaving them and going out to the courtyard. After he left, she looked at the knight. <br><br>"Sir Dain, since he was rather excited, he didn't let me know what I should call him and even dragons have names. So, if I may, what is his?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>K3ystone</strong> on <strong>05-07-2014, 03:33:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dain chuckled as he watched a more mundane looking Zophiel skitter off down the hallway, clearly overjoyed at the thought of returning to his true form. "Yes he can get quite enthusiastic at times," he said turning towards the princess, "he calls himself Zophiel, but you can shorten it to Zoph if you like. I'm sure he won't mind." Signalling towards the room Dain continued "I'll carry anything you have here and we can follow after him when you're ready, my lady." With that the knight and princess proceeded to persue the dragon.<br><br>&nbsp;Even before they'd reached the courtyard a roar reverberated through the stone walls. "No doubt he's most delighted to have a new person to flaunt his magnificence in front of," Dain laughed "he values flattery most highly; perhaps a little too much." Unable to help it, the knight had focused his gaze upon the princess as he spoke. Just prior to entering the main courtyard their eyes met in a steadfast gaze. Quickly breaking eye contact, Dain took a few longer strides ahead and let out the breath he hadn't bee conscious of holding. It was at times like this he truly wished he had some of Zophiel's natural brashness and overconfidence. He often seemed to let such moments slip through his figures, whereas Zoph could almost snatch them prematurely.<br><br>A small pile of iridescent clothing greeted them as they entered the courtyard. Dain briskly stashed the clothes away, slinging his bag over his shoulder once more and smiling brief back a the princess as hid did. At least they'd managed to get away from her captors safe and unharmed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>07-07-2014, 06:02:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The differences between Zophiel and Dain were as night and day. Knight and day? There was a pun there that made Zoph snicker even in his draconic form. He curled his long neck around to regard the two with a massive slitted eye that shimmered in the pearlescent manner of any dragon's, "Fancy a bit of a flight, you two?" the dragon lowered one wing and settled to the ground to make it easier on the two smaller creatures to board his back. Thankfully he had a row of thick scales along his back that would seat one comfortably so long as they knew to hold onto the larger spikes that alternated them; it could be quite comfortable if one knew what they were doing.<br><br>Once they were on board though Zophiel took off, making a short dash to the opposite side of the courtyard, leaping up and kicking off the outer wall powerfully enough to knock quite a few of the stones loose of their mortar. They were airborne as soon as his wings made the first downward stroke, a comination of the elemental magics surging through his body strengthening his muscles and the muscles themselves in his chest and shoulders bulging with the easy effort. Honestly, dragons could have flown through the use of magic, but much like combat preferred to use their own bodies simply for the feel of such activities, being very hedonistic creatures.<br><br>Still once airborne the flight was at once likely majestic, awe-inspiring and terrifying, though Zophiel would never have let either of those humans fall they nonetheless had to know that all that was keeping them alive and aloft was him. He didn't mind that though, in fact he rather enjoyed the rush of power that came with it. The ground they covered was simply outrageous compared to horseback and while flying occasionally Zoph would roar a challenge out of habit, as this was all his territory, just in case something thought they could take it from him. He knew several likely places to take the Princess and Knight to, but he was considering on in particular, a remote cavern appointed with quite a few luxuries simply to allow both Dain and Zoph to get away from it all from time to time. "Think we should take her to that cave we like, Dain?"<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Hope it's okay to have godmodded this a bit but I didn't think we needed to blow a couple posts deciding to ride the dragon. ;)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>wolventears</strong> on <strong>07-07-2014, 06:24:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When her and Dain made it out to the courtyard, a beautiful, magnificent, red and blue dragon was there waiting for them. She could only look at the beast in awe. He put his wing down to allow them to climb atop his back. <br><br>She felt excitement well up within her. She had never seen a dragon up close, much less ridden one, so this, this was a chance of a lifetime. <br><br>She climbed up, sitting herself two thick scales and holding on to the one before her. She let out a giggle as Zophiel took flight. <br><br>She heard him speak to Dain, but she was too busy looking at the clouds and everything around them to hear exactly what was said.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>K3ystone</strong> on <strong>15-07-2014, 18:41:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Flying never got old. That first powerful leap towards the heavens was always exhilarating. Keeping a firm grasp of the horn in front of him Dain leant into the surging winds. Then they were airborne, each wingbeat distancing them evermore from the ground.<br><br>Zophiel's deep voice was easily carried back on the wind; his thoughts, similar to Dain's, were naturally still focused upon the princess. Dain laughed and nodded, then realising his mistake shouted his agreement. <br><br>The knight glanced back at the lady behind him wondering if she'd overheard, but she seemed totally engrossed in her surroundings. Dain was forced to snap his head back around as Zoph began a steep decent towards a familliar rocky outcropping.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>16-07-2014, 19:52:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				If the humans on his back were impressed by the flight, Zophiel was proof surely that the ability to fly wasn't ever taken for granted. A dragon was able to fly only a week or so after hatching, the instincts ingrained by generations and tempered by the greater-than-human intellect that was common for his race. Still, he was elated every time his powerful muscles lifted his bulky body off the ground and held him aloft, his wings flaring as he caught updrafts and kept himself afloat despite the improbability of such a creature as he.<br><br>The descent was much steeper than the climb however and Zophiel swept downward toward the craggy mountains that held the cave, swooping past trees fast enough to blast leaves from branches and startle a nesting of small birds into the sky. They'd covered quite a distance in a short time and soon he was coming to rest in a clearing with a soft thump, settling on his feet and roaring a challenge to any predators that might have made their lairs in his territory. Something bigger, meaner and vastly superior had returned, that roar said, and it didn't like surprises.<br><br>Still, he settled easily enough and folded his wings behind him, being careful not to knock his passengers off before arranging himself in such a way that they could climb down safely.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>wolventears</strong> on <strong>17-07-2014, 01:22:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Soon, Zophiel was lowering and coming to a gentle landing in a large clearing. The dragon roared out and it slightly startled her but then soon he was folding his wings and lowering so they could get off his back. She slid off him with ease, it helped that he made it so easy to dismount. She looked around them and wondered where they were at. She had been outside of the kingdom, but not this far north. She wondered if this was where they would bed down and she would tend any wounds. <br><br>"Is this where we will be making camp, or will we be going further?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>K3ystone</strong> on <strong>22-07-2014, 15:40:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dain dismounted and ensured the Princess had made it to the ground safely before beginning to gather their things. He restrained the urge to laugh at her remark, she really had no idea how much "further" they were inclined to go. <br><br>"I'll just throw these down the back and make sure the place isn't inhabited by a dragon or anything" he smirked. "You can go ahead and help the princess settle in Zoph."<br><br>Striding down through the narrowing cave he tossed the bags down at the back. As he was about to return to the others he saw some bright material out of the corner of his eye, it dawned on him that he'd probably put Zophiel's clothing into the wrong bag. Rather than grab the flamboyant attire he decided to play ignorant of the mistake and return to the pair. After all he somehow doubted it'd bother Zoph in the slightest, besides it was unlikely the dragon would have changed already.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>29-07-2014, 03:09:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Zophiel hadn't noticed Dain leaving with his clothing until after the two had dismounted and he'd shifted back into his humanoid form. Nude, he figured that the Princess' modesty might be worth preserving and looked for the pack with the clothing, coming up short and groaning under his breath. With a sigh, he looked over to the princess and tilted his head, "I'm pretty sure I'm the only dragon in the cave and what with that knight holding all the clothes.. maybe.." he frowned, uncertain as to why he even cared if she saw him nude. He'd been naked when she'd ridden him in, after all!<br><br>"Ehh, nevermind. Let's get inside and see what that knight of mine's been getting up to." he offered an arm to the princess, completely immodest about his lack of clothing or the very blatant way in which his trim, athletic humanoid form was shown off to great effect in that light, reflecting off the tiny scales along his hips and shoulders as it did. "Shall we?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Knight, A Dragon, and Their Lady</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>wolventears</strong> on <strong>01-08-2014, 16:32:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She couldn't help but feel her face heat at the sight of Zophiel's now naked human body. Her tongue slid out and over her lips. He still had smalls patches of scales on his skin, yet that only seemed to add to the beauty of him. <br><br>She forced her gaze down to her feet, grabbing the skirt of her dress to begin walking. "Yes, we shall," she said, trying her hardest to hid the way she had been staring and the way it heated her body. 
			</dd>
		</dl>
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