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Post by glamourie on Apr 15, 2009 17:34:05 GMT -5
Selenitas, be ready for the attack! Benden is here! Well wasn’t that inconvenient, she thought with a grim look toward the infirmary. She was a female brown rider, and one of the few. In addition to that, she was likely one of the most deadly riders at her Weyr. She was the most dangerous female. Simply put, the North didn’t respect anything with breasts. She’d fought hard for her position, killing many along the way, in particular no less than five bronze riders. Earning the respect of the Weyrleaders wasn’t easy - but she had it. Her fanatical loyalty to her home Weyr coupled with an undeniably vicious streak made her an imposing figure, and her brown’s willingness to tear apart anything that got in her way made her an asset. She’d had to be clever to earn that spot - through fighting, and garnering allies the best way a woman could in the North (her bed was rarely empty) - but she had it nonetheless, and Rian was unwilling to give it up. Even among her wing she was treated with some difference, though her group knew well that she’d fight for them. They were hers, and like all brown riders, Rian protected that which was hers. She was reliable… and very, very intelligent. Her group was comprised primarily of small, deadly greens and whippy blues. Let the bronze riders keep to themselves! She was not picky. Rather than submit herself to the size equals strength mentality many of her Weyr followed, Rian was very much for sheer speed. Hit ‘em fast and hard: they’d never see it coming. Bronzes made very large targets, in her opinion. Greens were fast, quick. Yes, they tired quickly, but the goal wasn’t to outlast Selenitas: it was to destroy them in a very short period of time. Blindside them. Somehow, they’d been caught, or at least, some of their people were seen. Hers were not. Not yet, anyway. The poisonous green and drowning blue of her wing, followed by the darkening browns, would be the last thing the infirmary would see. She brought no bronzes with her, and there were only three browns. A very fast wing, she had, and her dragons were skilled with aerial tricks. She’d taught them how to dodge, how to strike, always go for the wings. They’d listened. They learned. She believed them unstoppable. It made sense to attack the infirmary first, and she’d been the one to insist on it. Anyone injured would be brought there. Destroying triage meant that riders could not be patched up and thrown back into the fray. It would eliminate any organization that Selenitas could have in terms of caring for their people. While the idea of watching countless people lose their lives wasn’t terribly appealing to her, she was more for efficiency. Eliminate the infirmary, eliminate the healers, and eliminate the leaders. Everyone else would crumble. “You’re in charge of the ground assault,” Rian had been told. Like she intended to listen to that. Where was the logic? Dragons had wings. On the ground, a dragon could be hurt. She had no intentions of not using the dragons to their fullest advantage… but she also would not waste the riders on their back. Spread out. Surround. Leave no survivors. The infirmary was built in a tree. Selenitas’s founders were obviously not very intelligent. Most of their structures were built in trees. Fools, the lot of them. Trees burned. There was a reason that the Northern Weyrs were built of stone. Far, far safer from the elements. They may as well have pasted a target on the backs of all the Weyrfolk. In some ways, she pitied them. Many lives lost because someone didn’t think their actions through. Rian rubbed her nose and leapt from her brown’s back. Her boots crunched the ground and she signaled for the other riders to follow. “We’re going to block all their exits,” she whispered. They were on the rocky cliffs nearby - sure to be seen by any dragon flying above, but they were further above the riverbed, giving them the tactical advantage. Not in the air, but landed, crouched low; let the shadows play over them and hide them all from view. “Thinkin’ the best way to get rid of the infirmary all at once is to use accelerants near their exits. That’s all the windows, the dragon entrance, and the human entrance. Then we’ll let the dragons flame it, and stay nearby to catch anyone escaping out the door. Most of the people in the infirmary are injured, so only the healers and those with minor injuries will escape. Anyone wearing healer knots, take alive. We might be able to use ‘em. Anyone else - kill them. Don’t bother with the pointless torture our rankers usually like. It’s beneath us. Eliminate them and keep going. We want this to be quick: we’re needed other places. Any questions?” * * * * * * * * * * Benden was attacking? Ka’rys blinked and jolted upright. Most of his injuries had healed; the bruises were primarily cleared from his face and his torso. Only the broken arm and broken leg remained, but given his tenacity, it was little wonder he was still trapped in the infirmary. Any healer worth their salt would know that Ka’rys had no intentions of staying off the injured leg. His arm, he’d probably leave alone… but not being able to walk was a massive inconvenience, especially with his fractured ankle so recently healed on the other foot. It was a wonder he hadn’t managed to escape out a window, and hearing the blue’s announcement (he didn’t know which one it was) made him wish he had. The infirmary was not a good, safe little fortress like his weyr was. He didn’t even have any decent weapons. How - wait - Ka’rys took a deep breath, sitting bolt upright, and he turned as much as he could to look toward the window. His room mate was ignored as all of his panic shifted into an almost icy level of composure, not at all like he’d been acting for the past few months. Joking was gone. Serious remained. The outside looked painfully empty. Nothing. Just the darkness of night lingered, moonlight on the water. Ka’rys’s pulse sped up, not enough to be alarming, but his survival instincts were going into over-drive. His eyes narrowed as he mentally reached out to Ciceroth, who had been perched on the rooftop of the infirmary for the duration of his stay. His bronze was more than a little comfort. The friendliness the dragon usually exuded was gone, replaced with a razory personality that he’d never demonstrated before at Selenitas. There was a reason they’d survived at Fort: Ciceroth was a lot more than the sweet, innocent dragon he often pretended to be. The whirl of scarlet in the beast’s eyes and his tense posture, wings tightly clasped to his body to make himself appear smaller - smaller and half-covered by the canopy - was undeniable. Combat mode. Do you see anything? Is it really Benden? No, Ciceroth replied, not at all pleased. I don’t see anything near us yet. I’m watching. There are dragons above the Weyrling Barracks, but none that I recognize. And any dragons Ciceroth didn’t recognize were going to die very, very soon. Anything that came within range of him would be cut down. If only he had access to firestone…
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Apr 15, 2009 18:10:21 GMT -5
Minemineminemineminemine! Kalierre flitted out of her covers in moments, moving silently so as not to waken K'von. Even when she realized what was happening, the woman said nothing, knowing that the broadcast would reach him. He'd stop her if he saw her, but she couldn't be stopped; S'lain needed her at the infirmary. A gnawing of unease and - yes - muted fear worked it's way through her stomach, but she used the cane to propel herself quickly across the weyrledge. "Get back, as far back as you can. They don't have good sight. If you're out here, love..." Phremath was already pressing back against the stone, anxious. Don't go. Please. Don't go. Lust leapt up onto her shoulder possessively, eyes fixed on the vague shapes outside. Bad uglies kill dead, he hissed sibilantly. "It will be all right, Phre. Shh."
Actually, she was pretty sure it wouldn't be all right, but shards if she was going to worry her green any more than necessary. Kalierre slipped out onto the outer stairs, struggling to keep herself from hurrying and toppling down from a misplaced step. The idiotic wingleader and brownrider in her infirmary right now due to a fall down these same steps didn't need any company. Her progress was slow, although it picked up a little over relatively flat ground as she made her way along the bank, leaning heavily on the cane.
The internal damage was still healing, but no longer something to worry about. Her pelvis, however, was missing a few key parts, and even after the healing process ended she'd never be able to get around without the use of the cane. That didn't matter to her, though; she could still ride Phremath for short periods of time, and that didn't hinder her too much in her work, now that she had apprentices who could crawl over the dragons. Or help her up if she needed it. But it certainly was a pain in the arse to have to hobble over the ground when she wanted to be running. All was quiet here, though she could see the flickering flames that meant Jaxith wasn't just playing an ill-advised prank. Something was definitely going on.
The idea of that fire licking through her infirmary made her grit her teeth and push herself faster. It wasn't far now...but she had a river to cross, and that meant taking a boat because swimming was completely out of the question. Kalierre cursed beneath her breath.
***
Jessereth's mind plucked Z'hin's from sleep just before the announcement, the man starting awake, his hand instantly going for the dagger sheathed on his calf. And he hissed in pain as his collarbone twinged. Right. No dagger, either. He was in the sharding infirmary! A wildness manifested in his eyes for a moment as he rolled up out of the cot, ignoring the flare of pain spearing through his torso. Then it receeded, Jessereth and Z'hin less two creatures than one at the moment, and Jessereth was reacting with a nervous glee. Z'hin bared his teeth, eyes darting for something with which to defend himself. If it really was Benden that was not going to be very fun...he sure as hell wasn't going to be taken alive. Not that Fort would be much better.
They didn't have to communicate in words; Jessereth was in his position along the bank, his dark hide, for the moment, keeping him hidden. His gaze followed the dragons in the air over the Weyr and weyrling barracks, before darting back toward the infirmary. Even knowing Ciceroth was there, he could barely make the bronze out. For once, though, he was glad of it. The dragon would protect His as well as Ciceroth's, if he could. His eyes shuttered to dim the glow they might give off, Jessereth tried to determine if any of the dragons seemed familiar.
But he was not a creature who could see so well at night, and there was little way of telling. Z'hin glanced at Ka'rys, who was trying to look out the window. The man still was vastly immobile. And the brownrider wasn't much better off, given his collarbone was still healing and the left arm wasn't altogether useful anyway, without the cables that had been smashed during his tumble down the cliff. Useless slab of meat. He supposed he could always bludgeon someone with it, but the long and short of it was that together they might make almost a whole man, and still they were next to helpless. Nothing was moving yet, though. Going outside would be...stupid. Staying here seemed just as stupid.
And he might not have much of a choice either way to begin with. All that could be done was wait for something to happen, and hope that something was something he could deal with. He smiled suddenly. Just like old times, eh?
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Post by dragon on Apr 15, 2009 18:42:59 GMT -5
"Over here!" Dorava kicked the boat with some frustration, and the blow finally knocked the wooden craft into the water. It bobbed once, and then started down the river. Cursing her luck, Dorava dived after it, splashing into the river to catch the stern. Clambering into the boat, she deftly steered it toward shore again: now a lot closer to the hobbling Kalierre. Wouldn't it just figure, that nerves from hearing they were under attack would make one somewhat clumsy, at this hour of the morning?
It was nigh impossible to see!
She nosed the boat into shore again, and then stood up, dripping wet, to help Kali into the boat. She didn't bother to say that she thought they ought to hurry. It seemed the least said around Kali was the best option to go. And Dorava really didn't want the Healer mad at her at a time like this. It was utterly rediculous.
"Aonith is out in the forest." She mentioned, quietly. Scouting, is what the green had said. Nigh invisible in the heavy underbrush. Her scarring benifited her, there. Breaking up her outline, her coloring perfect for the summer growth color.
Once Kali was safely into the boat, Dorava started rowing them swiftly across the river, hoping to make it to the far shore unnoticed.
There being the flickering light of a large fire farther down the Weyr was not at all reassuring, either. It was not a good sign. Whoever was attacking, it was not good. Her eyes jumped to every shadow, up in the sky, and beyond. Where were they?!
Mandyr was sound asleep somewhere ... still ... the little fat blob. But Valiant was wide awake, splashing through the river and scampering ahead of Kalierre and Dorava to the far shore, scouting. His vision was far better in the dark than Dorava's, and he intended to do his part. So far, so good. He didn't see anyone he didn't know. Not that there really was anyone at all, yet.
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Post by kysseh on Apr 15, 2009 19:30:21 GMT -5
"I'm as sure about it as I can be, and-"
Both the goldrider and the anxious older greenrider beside her were startled by the sudden announcement, straightening their postures so suddenly that they nearly cracked heads. As it was, Savitri was distracted enough by the concept of the impending attack that she missed the fact that she had just narrowly avoided skull damage. Her mind was in a state of momentary panic at the thought of Benden being here, though from the snarl emanating from the woman next to her, Aliscia was less distressed and more infuriated. Aliscia was good at hiding feelings that did not involve anger. Savitri.... not so much.
"We'll worry about his eyes later," the greenrider said roughly, scooping up her infant son from the cot that the goldrider had rested him on for examination. Aliscia was fully dressed but seemingly short on weapons, though Savitri knew the older woman had a pointy object concealed somewhere. She always did. Savitri had considered the greenrider paranoid, but the actions seemed to have more basis now. "Do you have a weapon?" Aliscia asked sharply, gathering up Reiscia in her other arm and holding both infants close to her body. Neither child was very awake, but Silas seemed to be picking up on his mother's tension and whimpering softly, anxious about what was going on around him.
"Do you have a weapon?!" Aliscia snarled again, this time unapologetically stomping on Savitri's foot just hard enough that the goldrider snapped out of a daze of panic. The older woman had little time or tolerance for Savitri's inexperience, and her snappish attitude demonstrated that quite clearly. Immediately, both infants let out a whine of fright that Aliscia took great pains to hush while Savitri winced and pulled the knife hidden in her boot to demonstrate. It was hardly a fighting knife. She used it more as a last line of defense should she run into unsavory things out in the jungle, and her only other weapon was the tiny, thin little knife stored in its sheath beneath the neckline of her shirt. Unless plunged into an eye or major vein, the frail little weapon could scarcely kill someone. Shardit, but she hated being defenseless.
When the greenrider eyed her for a moment, Savitri replaced the knife in her boot and moved out of the room at a trot, Aliscia quick on her heels. "I need to find Kalierre. R'wign, Kalierre, S'lain, Meira... anyone with healing skills. We'll need them. Stay here until we figure out what's going on," she informed Aliscia, surprised by the strength of her own voice on that count. Healing, she could do. Fighting... she was useless at. That was fine. She could do the most good here. When the greenrider raised a note of protest, Savitri violently shook her head in the negative. "You've got them, Lish. You can't go anywhere. Tell Tanith to stay put." Her mental argument with her own mindmate was going much the same way. Hepaticath was awake, alert, and upset, and Savitri had to fight to make the gold stay put. Stay there and try to listen. she informed the young queen, only to receive a terse For now. in response.
Hepaticath disliked following orders, even Savitri's.
Leaving Aliscia and her twins near the center of the infirmary, Savitri found herself scurrying to Ka'rys's room to check on him, softly huffing as she saw him upright and craning to see out the window. "Are both of you all right? Have you heard anything?" she asked of both of the men in the room, frowning at the window from her stance in the doorway. She did not like not knowing what was going on. "Hepaticath can't hear anything, and I don't think Tanith can either." Her hands tightened on either side of the doorway, knuckles whitening with the force of it. If this was like the last time...
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Post by glamourie on Apr 15, 2009 22:58:30 GMT -5
No questions. Good. She wasn’t a tolerant woman and she had little patience for whining and idiocy. Rian brushed one long strand of mousy brown hair from her face and turned to look toward the infirmary over her shoulder. To the casual onlooker, she was neither beauty nor a beast; pale skin from months spent indoors, lifeless hair of brown with no highlights of any kind. She wore it tied back in a strict braid that was then looped into a tight bun, up and out of her face, severe but not enough to be masculine. Average brown eyes were barely worth noting. In fact, everything about her screamed average, except for her compact build. She was of an average height, but even clothed she was clearly muscular. Not bulky. Whippy. Like a feline. But when she smiled, it was like that of a snake. “Look what we’ve got down there, gents,” the brown rider said with one hand loftily indicating ripples on the river. “Looks to me like we’ve got company, wouldn’t you agree? I’d hate for them to ruin our show. Let’s make a game of it, eh? Whoever’s got the least amount of kills to their credit by the end of this has to buy the rest of us drinks, and boys, I promise I can drink you all under the table.” Her words earned quiet laughter; had they been somewhere else there probably would’ve been whooping. As it was, the ‘boys’ as she called them (even though several of the greenriders were female) knew better than to draw attention to themselves that way. Rian sniffed and brushed one hand down her clothes, resting at a knife on her belt, and her eyes narrowed. The look was a smile, but far, far from pleasant. “Let’s go get a head start. The dragons will be seen. We want things ready for them… and I want to play with our little… straggler.” The area was scouted for them in advance. Their Weyr had spies at Selenitas, and Rian made sure to find out all about the locations surrounding the Infirmary. She was prepared. Where they landed was a good cliff, in that there was a path down from the top of it, leading to the grassy shoreline of the river. The group moved stealthily along the rock crevices, with careful feet, crouched low to avoid being seen. At the end of the ramp, Rian gestured soundlessly for everyone to stop and crouched down low, her hands curling around the rocks. Her gaze lingered on not one, but two forms, illuminated by the moonlight. They were making their way into one of the boats, getting ready to push off… perhaps to go back to the infirmary. Let them? She weighed her options. It was possible (though unlikely) that she’d been seen. If her riders were spotted, it would sound the alarm. Not acceptable. They’d have to be dealt with. “Grab and subdue them. Order them to silence their dragons - if they’re riders. Tell them to keep ‘em quiet if they hope to keep their lives. We’ll kill them later. For now, we want them silent. F’rin, Faera, go.” F’rin and Faera were a blue and green pair respectively, and fraternal twins. Both tall and black-haired, they moved as shadows in the darkness. Both crouched low to the ground, to try and minimize the sound they made, and at Rian’s signal, the rest of the group moved forward. Already they had a boat ready for them. How nice. It would save them the trouble of hunting one down. Accelerants to burn the Infirmary were already present in the backpack that Rian carried. Countless bottles of chemical compounds were trapped beneath the fabric, just out of sight. Even if the fire didn’t kill them, the smoke inhalation probably would. She was not about to take any chances. Not with so much at stake. All it would take was one mistake to ruin everything. They’d practiced. They’d prepared. Two little girls weren’t going to stand in the way of victory. The bluerider struck first. Throwing himself from the shoreline straight onto the uninjured woman, his hands clasped around Dorava’s shoulders. He was aiming less to badly injure her and more to pin her down. He moved his elbows to jab into the bend of her arms, likely a very painful motion but nonetheless with a logical goal: if he kept her elbows pinned down with his arms, his weight would hold the rest of her. One hand moved up to cover her mouth to prevent screaming. He narrowed his blue eyes as he went to hold her down; she would be able to fight, but if she did too much, he wasn’t above crushing her throat. He recognized her, after all. “Dorava of Aonith, isn’t it?” he hissed through clenched teeth and a smirk. “Selenitas Weyr, Cowards Anonymous. Tell your green to keep silent if you hope to keep her.” And just why did he recognize Dorava? Answer: Because yes, they really were from Benden… just like her. Faera was the younger of the twins and smaller. Therefore, it only made sense for her to launch her attack on the injured woman instead of the one in the best of health. Like her brother, she ran forward at a very quick pace, but her speed positively blew his away. What she lacked in honest strength, she made up for in quickness, and she threw herself around the woman’s injured legs with all of her weight. It was meant to jar an existing injury (she was walking with a cane!) and if it didn’t, the sheer force of the impact would be enough. Jumping back up (or rather, half-crawling) with a ridiculous level of speed, Faera promptly grabbed both of the woman’s wrists and her eyes went wide before narrowing. “Two for two, aren’t we, brother? Kalierre the Dragonhealer. Oh, Rian is going to be thrilled,” she said, and there was no denying that she’d met the woman before. Who of decent age at Benden hadn’t, really? * * * * * * * * * * “There are dragons over the weyrling barracks, and they are not ours,” Ka’rys replied without looking at Savitri. He recognized her voice, but the majority of his attention truly was focused on the window. It was the quickest entrance to the room. If someone were to try and break in, it would be through the window that they came. It was also his fastest escape route, though it would dump him outside and near the river. With a broken leg, that wasn‘t the safest way to go, but what other options did he have? Ka’rys was the stand and fight sort, yes, but injured, he was at a natural disadvantage, and northerners weren’t like Selenitas. He couldn‘t defeat them with a broken leg. He probably couldn’t even protect himself from their weyrlings. Would they bring them again? Shard it all. Ka’rys closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and forced himself to relax. “Ciceroth doesn’t recognize them, which means they’re not from Selenitas or anyone from Fort that would stick out in his mind.” He paused for a short, brief interval, and then turned to look over at Savitri. “We’re going to need weapons, ‘vi.” It wasn’t meant to be bossy, and his tone did not sound that way, to his own surprise; in fact, he sounded disturbingly calm. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that was wrong, that there was something very out of place. If it was Benden attacking, his life was probably over. He was a former Selenitas Weyrleader but more importantly, he was a former Fort rider. C’leon would see him dead for that crime alone. “Make sure Hepaticath stays out of sight. Wherever she is, have her stay there and keep herself safe. If they find her, they’ll kill her. No one will want a gold to get in their way. Removing the first threats to their control is only logical.” Odds were, that statement would not be comforting, but… he couldn’t help it. Ka’rys wasn’t a creature of comfort, he was a creature of logic, and Selenitas was in very real danger. Turning to sit up properly, with his hands in his lap, the bronze rider focused his gaze on Z’hin. The brown rider looked so calm, so - so distant. “Does Jessereth see or hear anything?” It seemed logical to ask, though perhaps in a fit of arrogance, he doubted the brown could locate anything his beloved bronze couldn’t. Ciceroth was adept at locating threats. Having an extremely paranoid rider tended to cause that in dragons, and Ciceroth wasn’t freshly hatched by any stretch of the imagination. “Anything near here? We should probably work on turning this place into a fortress - set up guards at the entrances and exits. If they’re smart, or knowledgeable, they’ll be coming here looking for Savitri… and I don’t want this place to be an easy target.”
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Apr 16, 2009 0:00:36 GMT -5
Kalierre hissed through her teeth in response to the voice, not because of who it was so much as it sounded unbearably loud on the quiet, at least to the dragonhealer. So much for relative stealth. Casting a quick glance around, she wished the stars were more prominent tonight; she still couldn't discern movement. The woman lifted her hand perfunctorily at Dorava so the other greenrider wouldn't think she hadn't heard and call out again, just in case anyone hadn't heard her the first time.
Did she just fall in?! The dragonhealer sighed softly, picking her way down the bank toward the other woman. At least it was a boat. Without a boat, she'd be trapped on this side of the river with the injury to her hip. She supposed she should be thankful, really, given that Dorava could easily have just swam the river. Even if the noise and subsequent splashing had Kalierre's nerves all on edge. People were out tonight...most likely dragons, too. Both were problematic. It wasn't like a roving band of southern dragonriders, after all, and she was definitely not in the best shape of her life. A dragon attacking from the air? Yeah, that would qualify as bad, she thought wryly.
Still no movement that she could make out in the poor lighting. But light reflected off water, and she felt distinctly exposed. They needed to get across as swiftly as possible. The dragonhealer accepted Dorava's hand with a nod of thanks, growling at her salamandyr low in her throat as he eyed his nemesis, certain that she was the reason behind the baddies. They'd barely pulled away from the bank - Kalierre standing because it would take too long to get herself down without jarring her hip and they didn't have that sort of time - when a flash of movement was caught out of the corner of her eye. She instinctively twisted toward it as the second body slammed into her legs.
The woman somehow managed to keep ahold of the cane, which kept her from slamming her head into the opposite end of the boat, but a sharp cry left her throat as her hip veritably exploded with pain on impact, tears even coming into her eyes. Perhaps that was why it was so easy for her attacker to capture her wrists and haul her up, Kalierre's grip loosening on the cane as feeling in her hands deadened before it clattered to the bottom of the wooden boat. The dragonhealer knew anyone who'd been at Benden a decent amount of turns, and though she couldn't remember his name, the twins were not unknown to her. The woman must have her. Even hauled to her feet, though, her left leg wouldn't support her weight and she sagged back against Faera.
The words of the twins sent chills running through her blood. Phremath...before Phremath it was a simple matter to ignore such commands, but her dragon...She knew they wouldn't be allowed to live. Not with most Benden dragonriders, but Rian? Yet, with Phremath in the picture, she at least had to try to prolong life long enough that a chance to escape might occur. Her eyes flicked to F'rin, just to be sure he was still focused on Dorava, and Kalierre suddenly straightened, slamming the back of her head into the greenrider's chin with a sharp crack and diving for the cane. It was a distraction, however, that move, as she'd slipped the dagger from her wrist sheathe as she dove, twisting to slash out at the back of the greenrider's unprotected knee.
The dragonhealer didn't really think that this would work, but she hoped F'rin might release Dorava long enough to help his sister, and if one of them got away they could safely - relatively safely - use their dragon to alert the infirmary. The likelihood that Kalierre could escape was next to nil with her hip as it was, so the only logical move was to attempt to draw F'rin from Dorava. She just hoped she could handle Faera. She was no Rian, no, but Kalierre wasn't a stranger to fighting, and surprise was a powerful ally.
***
Z'hin's gaze flicked to Ka'rys briefly, taking in the news. Interesting. Jessereth didn't recognize the dragons, either...then again, Ciceroth had a better viewpoint, seeing as Jessereth was on the bank of the river. Yes, the brown thought, it was possible they might be Benden. Or Fort. Either. He...really hadn't spent a great deal of time at either Weyr, and he didn't pay that close attention to the dragons around them, besides. His rider suppressed a smile that even held a trace of amusement in there somewhere. Of course Jessereth wouldn't recognize the dragons; the brown barely even acknowledged other dragons most of the time. It wasn't too helpful, no, but it was familiar and that had its own form of comfort.
It was, perhaps, a bit unfeeling, but Z'hin still found himself muttering, "They always take the goldriders first." Despite what most would probably expect, given his oh so obvious disdain for queenriders over the time the two had spent in the infirmary, there was nothing particularly spiteful behind the words at all. It was simply truth. Z'hin was actually flashing back to the screaming, which was probably why he didn't notice right away when Jessereth's interest spiked at the soft calls and splashing on the opposite bank.
But when he spoke he spoke without any filter between Jessereth's mind and his, and it was rather comical, really, given that he sounded almost - surprised - by his own words. "More than one, less than four. They've got a boat. Maybe healers? I - Jessereth can't make out the shapes from this distance." He paused then, eyes narrowing. The cry was still a ways away, too far for human ears...and probably even Ciceroth's...to pick out. But Jessereth heard it. "Pain. A scuffle." He looked at Ka'rys, then, his expression holding far more of Jessereth than it did of Z'hin, a rather removed apathy with just a hint of excitement in the flared nostrils. "Someone took them. If we're going to fortify the infirmary, now's the time."
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Post by weaving on Apr 16, 2009 1:58:40 GMT -5
Menstrual cramps were far from fun, especially when they woke you in the middle of the night with their intensity. It had taken her several minutes of rooting through her weyr to realize that she’d run out of the usual herb that made all of her pains go away. She was tired, cranky and in pain which was why she hadn’t felt bad about waking up Amith to take her down to the infirmary. Not that the green had minded; Amith was too nice to mind being woken up, even if it was in the middle of the night. If her rider was in pain, she was the first to look for a way to cure, in no small part due to the fact that Lennae didn’t handle pain well. It made her irritated and liable to snap at anything that moved.
Before leaving, she’d thrown on a pair of pants and tucked several knives discreetly on her person. Since the weyr had begun preparing for a possible attack, she’d made sure to be armed whenever she left her weyr and usually while she was in it as well. She doubted that a quick glide down to the infirmary would be dangerous, but she was proud of that fact that she’d remembered even while half asleep. Besides, one could never be too careful.
Food? Hungry. The sleepy voice of Brat caused Lennae to pause and sigh. She debated leaving the ‘mandyr in the weyr, but didn’t trust the creature to behave herself with no one to look after her. She’d probably go about searching for food and then wind up lost or some such nonsense, which didn’t make for a good night’s sleep. Perhaps the infirmary would have some sort of food for the ‘mandyr to nibble on. It didn’t take much to fill her up for which Lennae was grateful. If Brat had been a dragon, she would have eaten everything the weyr had. “Alright,” she replied, scooping up the creature and plopping her on her shoulder. Not content with this, Brat proceeded to latch onto her earlobe, though her tail had looped around the rest of her ear so as to bare the brunt of her weight. The greenrider considered removing Brat, then thought better of it. It didn’t hurt and disturbing the salamandyr would only cause problems.
Alright, ‘mith. Down to the infirmary please, she requested as she swung up onto the back of the green, who rumbled her assent before pushing off of the ledge and gliding the short distance to the infirmary. If anything was amiss, neither of them noticed it.
“Alright love, I’ll be back shortly.” Of course, almost immediately after she’d entered the infirmary, the alarm had sounded for an attack. She’d frozen in mid-stride, unsure of whether to believe it, when Amith confirmed the blue’s warning. Amith. It’s okay. Don’t worry, just stay calm. She could feel the green’s fear rising and was doing her best to calm the green before she did something foolish. It seemed to work well enough, snapping Amith out of the panic she’d been working herself into. Shards and shells. At least she’d made it to her stronghold location, she thought grimly, heading further into the infirmary. Hopefully the others would make it through as well. She doubted that she, a handful of healers, and a bunch of injured people could properly defend the place.
The sound of voices caught her ears. It sounded as though a plan was already being made. She stepped closer to the door, not sure if she should intrude, but at the words “We need weapons,” she couldn’t help but enter. She had a few knifes on her and while they weren’t nearly enough to give each person in the infirmary one, she could spare three of the four.
“I heard you needed some weapons,” she stated to Ka’rys, Z’hin and Savitri with a grim smile as she reached for hers, pulling them out of her boots and right hip respectively. The fourth remained on her left hip, though it wouldn’t for long considering the state of things. She doubted that Benden would waste any time attacking them. “They’re not much, but it’s better than nothing.” She shrugged, holding them out in offering to the three. If they chose not to take them, then oh well, their loss, but she didn’t think that they were that stupid.
Outside, Amith had pressed herself as close to the infirmary as possible and was trembling terribly. She was doing her best to listen to Lennae’s words and not panic, but it was hard when the terror of Benden attacking kept racing through her mind. All she wanted to do was flee and hide in the trees, but the thought of getting plucked from the skies by one of the enemy dragons kept her rooted in place.
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Post by sai on Apr 16, 2009 2:16:34 GMT -5
Tanyl shouldn't honestly have been up this late, but she was, all too often, an insomniac, and even when she wasn't, she rarely slept long or deeply. Her restlessness on this particular, fateful night, had seen her meander to the archives, and then wandering the main hall and up and down the bridges connecting it to the infirmary, not out of any particular need for medical attention, but a need for the sweet taste of fresh air.
The call that broke the night, echoing even through her mind, however, very much upset that particular notion, and very nearly sent her directly off the little bridge she'd been pacing. Only a quick reaction saw her catching the edge of it, and it was only luck that she managed to dodge an injury in the process. Wouldn't that have been disastrous?
Shock left her momentarily stunned, and her near-fall saw her very low on the bridge, so she kept herself that way as she collected her thoughts and made swift analysis of the situation.
Selenitas was under attack. Benden was perpetrating. Now was not the time for careless action. However, haste was probably in order. Tanyl was not trained to fight. What little she knew came entirely from childhood scuffles, and there had not been many of those. Further, she knew nothing at all of weapons use.
She was not, however, completely unhelpful. The advantage of having photosensitive eyes, she had long since discovered, was that it took far less light for her to see clearly than it did for others. Had this been the light of day, she would have been at a disadvantage for it, but under the pale light of the moon, she could see rather well, considering. Oh, it was nothing like perfect, but it was good enough to make out rather clearly the two figures shortly off of the bank, which meant that it was also good enough to make out the pair being jumped, as well.
As though it were some sort of trigger, the action sent Tanyl into motion, slinking swiftly across the bridges to the infirmary. The main hall was always a risk, but it was the infirmary that housed the wounded and the healers, and if an evacuation was necessary, they would need the most warning. This particular judgment flitted through Tanyl's mind before she even realized it had occurred, but then, that was, often, the way of things, for the girl.
Slithering into the infirmary as stealthily as she knew how, Tanyl entered quickly and quietly through the door closest the bridge, cracking it just widely enough to squirm swiftly through before closing it again. Swiftly, she skimmed the area, but the only bodies she saw in the main portion of the infirmary were those of an unfamiliar woman and what appeared to be two very young children. That didn't match up well with what she'd anticipated, but she hadn't gone over any of the injury records recently, so she didn't really know what to expect, anyhow.
Moving into the center portion of the infirmary, she addressed the woman, saying softly, "Attackers took down two off the banks. Evacuation might be prudent. Are there any seriously injured?" As she asked, she found herself mentally cursing her recent inattentiveness to the Weyr's injury records. So much time could have been saved with a few extra moments of review. Of course, she couldn't have known that, but that hardly mattered.
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Post by hseru on Apr 16, 2009 8:43:21 GMT -5
What preparations he could make were completed. The large bags that held portable healing supplied were at the ready should they need to move, several of them equipped with dragonhealing supplies. With one of these slung over his good shoulder, S’lain reappeared from the back of the infirmary with a long blade strapped to his waist, opposite the side it was usually settled – someone had been kind enough to retrieve it from the feline massacre, and the bluerider had gotten into the habit of carrying it back and forth with him to the infirmary, leaving it tucked in the back rooms while he was busy. Why, he couldn’t readily say, but he’d gone over the fight more than once with a group of youngsters, using the blade as a shiny accessory to his dramatic story. He’d not had much time to practice left-handed after healing enough to get around, but the bluerider would be proficient enough to stay an attacker without a longer blade. It was the best defense he had, other than Jaxith.
The blue had curled himself as close to the building as possible to try and stay hidden, as per S’lain’s orders. His dark cobalt hide would offer him some camouflage in the darkness, and he was small enough to stay within the building’s shadow. His eyes whirled with quick flashes of red and yellow, but the blue was sitting perfectly still now, watching the bank and the bridges. He didn’t recognize the youngster who’d nearly fallen at his call, but he’d seen her pacing for a while now, and it was obvious that she was of Selenitas. He sent a brief warning to S’lain of the girl’s approach, and of what had happened on the bank. He was used to seeing Kalierre’s hobbling gait by now, and was glad that Phremath had passed on his message. He sent a comforting wave to the green, letting her know Hers was in sight, but bit it off when the pair got jumped.
S’lain cursed when Jaxith passed him the news. He saw the small group (half of them who were supposed to be in bed) and trotted over to them on the tail end of the girl’s announcement and question, still cursing as he gently dropped the bag to the floor. “Shardit, that was Kalierre down there. I don’t know who else, but Jaxi’s on the dragon ledge watching.” He scowled. “We need to get her back if we can, and quickly before they bring more to subdue them. We have precious few healers as it is to lose one so soon.” It was callous, but truthful. Healers were a valuable commodity. In retrospect, that made their feline escapade all the more foolish, but he’d been berated by Jaxith enough times already to start doing it himself. The dragonhealer had missed his arm almost on principle, but now he needed it, and he cursed himself for his earlier rashness. He also had no idea how they would get to the far bank fast enough to help the two unfortunates. He was no leader, but the infirmary was his to guard and protect, and by Faranth, he would do so! He hoped one of the other riders would be able to supplant his statement with an idea on how it could be accomplished. Otherwise, they would be down a healer before the conflict even started.
"The infirmary is to serve as a one of the places people will come to. We need to secure it as best we can until we can get more man and dragon power in here. I've got packs of healing supplies ready in the back should we have to evacuate." He continued, back to the topic he could work on. His gaze swept over Savitri. "It's good you're here, but they'll be coming for you and Hepaticath." He was unaware that the statement had already been made, more or less. It was an obvious tactic though, one used many times before. Either take or kill the Gold.
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Post by dragon on Apr 16, 2009 15:25:17 GMT -5
Dorava yelled, in surprise and in anger, when something crashed into her while she was working on rowing the boat. Of all times to get tackled by a man! "Your timing stinks!!" She yelled, before crying out again as her elbow was struck. Shards that hurt! But just as fast as he'd knocked her over and tried to pin her, she was retailiating. She was no small woman. Big boned and well muscled, she was powerful. More so than some of the smaller men. As she impacted the bottom of the boat and he left her one arm free to cover her mouth, she bit down, hard. Fully intending to sever chunks of his hand loose. All while her free arm, in pain as it was, he reached up and back. Bucking and heaving, she tried to get back up somehow. But he seemed to have her pinned that way. She she changed tactics.
When you can't go North, go East. Her feet scrabbled in the bottom of the boat as she continued to fight for purchase. But this time with a different outcome in mind. Her free hand grasped the hilt of her dagger, and whipped it free of the sheath. She slashed back at him with it, even as the toes of her boots finally lodged firmly on the boat bottom. What it was, she didn't know, and she didn't care. As the dagger found its mark ... where ever it was, she didn't know, and didn't care, either ... she ripped it out fully intending to make as big a wound as she could, all while shoving as hard as she could with her feet.
Her body lurched across the bottom of the boat from the kick, and she hoped that it unbalanced the man from her back. Writhing sideways, bloodied dagger lashing out again, Dorava tried to either buck him over the side of the boat with another heave, or somehow manage to get out from under him. Over him would have been better. But she'd take what she could get. Right now, her goals were to get loose, kick his lousy ass into the river, and then take an oar to that other one's head. Kalierre needed help, that was plain.
"You can't get my dragon! My dragon is dead, you dimglow! You crazies killed my dragon!!" Dorava issued forth, with crushed air and all the emotion she could pour into it. It was a bluff, but of the people present, only Kalierre would know. And hopefully the healer would not blow it wide open. Aonith ... if I die tonight, avenge me.[/b] Dorava called.
You will not die tonight, mine. You are strong. I am moving. I see something. Aonith responded. And before Dorava could reply, she continued. And yes, I'm being careful. I move slow. They won't see me. she assured her rider, resisting the urge to go in flames a roaring. Firestone ... she needed firestone. With that in mind, the scarred green started moving with a goal in mind. Fire. She needed fire.
"Get off me!" Dorava bucked again, keeping her previous tone of voice, hoping to keep up her facade. Aonith was safe ... for now. For how long, was to be determined.
MINES!!! BAD BAD BAD! MINES!!!![/b] Valiant veritably screamed, deafening into any and all enemies in the area. The blue and white 'mandyr zoomed across the ground, and launched himself at the nearest one. He bit the leg where he landed, drawing blood, and then scampered in a fast circuit up and around the leg. Worming inside the trousers at the waist band, he wiggled downward, bit them again on thier tender nether regions, and then started up again, inside thier shirt. He paused for a moment to consider the boobs he was faced with. Biting one of those, too, he continued upwards. Out the colar, around the neck, and latch onto that bottom lip. This time, he bit down hard, and tore with a quick shake of the head. Releasing again, he scampered up the face, over the head, and around the back, to latch onto a tender ear, now. He would defend his pet! They would not take his pet!! All the while he deliberately sank his talons in for all they were worth, regardless of how little mortal damage he could actually do with them.
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Rowana
Hive Mind
Handler Roivao Rider G'tor Rider Merridan Rider T'ke Rider N'rik Handler Porita Rider Farryl Rider Kyr'n[/color
Posts: 1,550
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Post by Rowana on Apr 16, 2009 15:51:10 GMT -5
Wynmuri jumped out of bed with cat like grace. She might look small and stumpy, but she could be quick when she needed to. Tonight she was going to need every skill she had. Selenitas wasn't built to reply attackers and Wyn only really had experience fighting off jungle felines. Fighting armed riders was going to be a lot harder. Wyn took a couple seconds to grab two knives from her bed side table, one to fight with and one to hide in her boot, and then she bolted for the door.
Wyn? Jarcith's voice was calm, but tense. We are ordered to help defend the infirmary. Wyn didn't even break her stride as she answered. Makes sense. It'll be one o' the main targets. They'll need all the help they can get. Jarcith rumbled agreement. Already her anger was building. She wanted to get her claws into those foolish enough to attack her home! Let me fly you. We shall drive these fools away! No, Jarcith! Stay! The green growled dangerously. I mean it! The air is likely full of dragons would would just love to get their claws into you. It they don't just char yah first! Fine. Jarcith relented. But leave some for me.
Good. Jarcith was safe for the moment. Now Wyn justed needed to see that she kept herself safe too. The infirmary was on an island, and she wasn't the best swimmer. She would need a boat. Wyn dashed down the shore. Hopefully the enemy hadn't reached them first. It would be very hard to get around without boats. As Wyn neared her destination, she skidded to a halt as sudden cries filled the air. The dock was just beyond the last few trees, but it was no very clear that Wyn had missed her chance to cross. She could just make out a large group of people waiting in the shadows. Just off shore, two people were being restrained in one of the boats. One of those was clearly Dorova. Wyn couldn't miss hearing her now that she was this close. The other was likely Kalierre, judging by the cane.
Shards! Wyn cursed mentally and clenched her teeth. There were far too many. She would never be able to help Dorova and Kalierre without getting captured or killed herself. She had to warn the others in the infirmary that attack was imminent. If they were lucky, they would be able to reach the captives in time. Wyn didn't want to think of what would happen to them if they didn't. Stories of what Bendan riders often did to women were horribly clear.
Wyn changed direction and started running again. She couldn't take a boat, so she would have to swim it. She didn't enjoy the idea. Swimming was not her favorite activity. But she had no choice. She only hoped she could get across the river before the invaders noticed what she was doing. Jarcith! I am here. Jarcith's tone made it clear she would much rather be somewhere else, preferably maiming invaders. Tell Jaxith that invaders are preparing to cross the river to the infirmary. Wyn's voice was quiet with fury as she went on. They have Kalierre and Dorova.
Wyn didn't slow down when she reached the bank. She splashed into the water, wincing at the loud noise. Too late to regret it now. Biting her lip against the cold, she started to swim for all she was worth. If she could just reach the island first, she could help mount a defense. Faranth willing, they would get through this alive. As she struggled to cross, Jarcith's warning cry went ahead of her. Jaxith! My Wyn has found invaders on the shore near the infirmary. They have captured Kalierre and Dorova. Wyn is trying to reach you before they cross.
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Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
Posts: 3,021
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Post by Rei on Apr 16, 2009 18:26:42 GMT -5
Danar had gotten up with the first warning, and after a few tense moments of preparation and talk, most of the candidates had decided to either evacuate with the common folk or go to the infirmary to help protect it. The candidate turned to Lanthos and handed the lad a belt knife. “Keep that concealed for now. We are going to swim to the infirmary, a boat makes to much noise. I sent Hero ahead and he already has assured me that it is clear for now. You ready?”
When the affirmative was given Danar slipped out into the hallway and began making his way slowly through the darkened barracks. No enemies where there to bar the way. Either they didn’t think the candidates were a threat, or they just hadn’t gotten there yet. As the two groups dispersed the candidate and his small group made their way a few miles down the river bank before entering the water as quietly as was possible. They began slowly swimming to the infirmary letting the current help where it could.
Hero was perched in a tree on the opposite bank and occasionally fired a warning into Danar’s mind. When that happened the lad gestured to those behind him to stay quiet until Hero gave the all clear. Who said fire lizards didn’t come in handy?
As the small grouping reached the opposite shore Danar waited until all where out of the water and making their way to the infirmary before he left the shallows himself.
Hero winged to perch on his bonded’s shoulder as the group entered the infirmary. Shaking his water logged hair out of his eyes he approached the loose grouping close to Savitri. “How can I help? I brought a few others with me. There’s no way I’m just gonna sit around uselessly if there’s any chance I can help.” The burly lad looked from rider to rider as he awaited an answer and Hero rustled his wings nervously.
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Vanity was less than quiet with her approach, but to be fair she was only a small mandyr. How much noise could she possibly make? Obviously a lot. The small green creature sprinted to the infirmary screaming the entire way. STUPID, dung heads, Bite, Kill, maul. Lust and Vanity firmary. We say you Die.
Making her way to the tree, she scampered up it and onto the window sill. Perching there she frilled at the small grouping. You Kill dungheads? I bite Maul. She cocked her head and examined the riders carefully before searching the floor. Where Love Lust? Obviously expecting an answer, she kept an eye on Ka’rys as she proceeded to preen herself thoroughly.
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Tashe
Shiny Hoarder
Weyrwoman Kaegan Dragonhealer E'rro Rider K'thay Woodcrafter E'iah Healer Raylanne Healer Ithanna Harper Zemaren [color=0BDA5
"When the Butterfly emurges, does the caterpillar no longer exist?"
Posts: 1,401
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Post by Tashe on Apr 16, 2009 18:54:15 GMT -5
Jerking out of his sleep, E'rro was momentarily confused, not knowing exactly why he had been roused. /Mine! UP. Benden is attacking Selenitas!/ He froze, fear sinking it's claws slowly into his muscles. /Now is not the time! Snap out of it!/ Forcing his muscles to move, the Brownrider leapt from his bed in haste. He was already to deeply involved with Selenitas, and despite what he told himself, he actually felt better here. Tossing on a shirt , E'rro strapped on his knives, only bothering to dally to pull on a pair of boots and his jacket. His medical bag was clamped between his teeth as he made his way to Ismaroth, using his hands to strap down a wrist sheath and trying to waste as little time as possible. Where have they hit so far? /The Wher Appartments... wait, Now I hear they are attacking the Weryling Barracks and the infirmary./ I need to go to the Infirmary. Thats where we are assigned. /I am not pleased to see you go alone, but I know that you stand a better chance on foot. I am here if you need me./
He hadn't fought a real hand to hand battle since the last time Benden attacked Selenitas, though as a pair they had constantly practiced their aerial techniques. But why now of all times? Was it because of Shmee's death? Of course, if they didn't cause the death themselves, they were certainly the type to take advantage of the weakened regime. And with Millieth having flown not too long ago... things could get very bad. Using the passage ways that the drudges use, E’rro began to make his way down to the canyon floor. Frowning as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the Brownrider stopped at one of the many entrance ways to the Riderweyrs. Searching through his bag, he produced a small polished piece of metal, using it to look around the outside area of the archway. Switching the strap of his bag out of his mouth, E’rro slipped it onto his shoulder. Moving as quietly as he could, the Healer made a dash for the shore, gritting his teeth as he saw all of the boats had been taken. Making sure that his bag was secure, he waded silently into the river, breaking a reed off at its base as he did so. Right now, there was no one in sight, but it was a long swim to the Infirmary. Once he broke off the other end of the reed, he could use the hollow tube to breath through if he needed to slip by unnoticed under the water.
The water was cold, but the more he moved the more resistant he became to it. /Be careful Ermine./ Aren’t I always? It was when he neared the next dock, that his eyes picked out the large black mass that could only be a group. Whether it was Benden or Selenitas members he couldn’t tell yet, but he didn’t exactly have the time to figure out. Shrinking against one of the pylons, E’rro placed the reed in his mouth before submerging his entire body. Moving with the current of the water, the Brownrider did his best to stay under the surface and in the shadows, but being underwater was quite disconcerting. His body wasn’t used to breathing out of the reed, and several times he almost choked on swallowed water. It seemed as though he had been under the water for a few minutes before he chanced a look. Moving so that only his head bobbed above the surface, E’rro saw he was much closer to the island than he had hopped. Striking out toward the land, the Brownrider faltered a few times, the water splashing into his nose and face. Dragging himself out of the water and onto dry land, he hid at the base of the tree before letting himself rest. By not using a boat, the River punished him by sapped a lot of his strength that he had received from the sleep he had gotten. Grunting quietly, E’rro moved for the one place to manually get into the Infirmary.
He had never felt so much out of shape as he did just then, nor had he realized how much he relied on Ismaroth to get him quickly into the infirmary. By the time he got to the landing, E’rro was breathing quite heavily. He couldn’t stop now, so he continued on. Sticking close to the wall, the Brownrider retrieved the polished metal once more, using it to look around the corner before heading toward the door. Getting to it in a few bounding steps, E’rro tried the handle, sighing irritably as it opened easily. Slipping in and then shoving the locking bolt in after him, he quickly made his way toward the Infirmary proper. Stepping into the lighted area, he frowned again before making his way toward the gathered group, he had to have made quite the sight. Sopping wet from head to toe, his eyes not lined with charcoal, and his clothing sticking to him making him look skinnier than usual. "I came... as fast as I could..."
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She didn't have a lot of time, and she needed to hurry. Wrapping a black scarf around her neck and face, Gina made her way out onto her landing ledge, immediately transferring the small dirk Saraina had given her from her harness bag to her belt. /How dare they! Quickly Ginmine! We must punish them for doing this!/ Our first and for most responsibility is to make sure the infirmary does not fall into the hands of the Bendenites. And you are not coming with me. Using her Green's leg to drop down to the ground, the Greenrider grimaced. /I want the chance to rip out their throats! You must let me go!/ No! If we go we’ll die, there has to be scores of Dragons above the infirmary. I stand a far better chance alone than I do with a Dragon. No offence love. But lets hope we can scare them off before it comes to total bloodshed. Feeling the wind kick back her hair, the Greenrider shivered uncontrollably for a moment, her body reacting to the fear she felt. /Please Mine. Be careful. I do not want to loose you./ Laying a hand on Dasmonth’s maw, Gina bit the inside of her lip before turning away and moving quietly through her Weyr to the main passage ways. I will see you when I get back.
Keeping silent, the Greenrider slowly made her way through the hall, jumping multiple times as other Selenitas riders appeared out of no where. Deciding it was best to keep a hand on her weapon, even though she was a novice at using it, Gina continued to apply pressure to the inside of her mouth. Once she arrived on the landing, the young woman made for the river with a quickened pace. Tensing as she leapt onto the nearest dock, the Greenrider immediately dropped to the planks. There was a large group across the river, and she didn’t want to get spotted. Inching sideways she untied one of the last boatlines, dropping off the edge of the dock and into it as quickly as she could. The river was already beginning to take her downstream, crouching down below the level of the sides, Gina did her best to evenly count to sixty, taking a chance and looking above the rim. She had gone past the group, but whether or not they had thought her boat had been a renagade was yet to be determined. Sitting up, she began to row as fast as she possibly could.
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Post by kysseh on Apr 16, 2009 19:13:14 GMT -5
Foreign dragons. Not Selenitas ones. Savitri inhaled deeply at the solid confirmation of the attack, her fingers’ trip on the doorframe tightening to the point where her hands immediately released on instinct from the pain. Violence and fights were not Savitri’s thing. She could do well enough with a practice stave and could throw a decent punch, thanks to some teaching, but… fighting with an experienced person? No. Useless. She would be dead in under a breath. It wasn’t just her own safety of a concern, though. Aliscia and the twins, Hepaticath, Ka’rys and Ciceroth… all precious to her, and many of them were lacking in protection at the moment.
“Hepaticath is in our weyr. She’s not happy, but she’s staying there. The only entrances are from the ledge and the doorway from my part, but… I’ll tell her to stay there. Not many places you can hide something her size,” Savitri commented, brushing her short hair from her face in a gesture of nervousness and agitation. It was not nice to hear she was going to be targeted. She glanced at her shoulder, relieved for the absence of her knots. Her healer knots were present, but the ones signifying her status as junior weyrwoman were cumbersome and resulted in a great deal of… problems. She usually left them off. Thank Faranth for good habits. “I’m not wearing my knots, and unless they know my face… they’re going to have to look for me.”
Did everyone have to point out she was going to be a target?! She tried to not listen to Z’hin when he said it, but it was hard to ignore the fluttering of panic in her gut. “We can barricade the doors. We have tables and such. Fighting isn’t my specialty. Tell me what to do, and it’ll get done,” she added, including both the green and bluerider as they came into the room. Someone… taken? By the river? She frowned deeply. Kalierre. That was not good. Unless R’wign could be found somewhere, that left the infirmary cursedly shorthanded. “I’ve got a knife. Two, thanks,” she told the greenrider, whose name… escaped her. She needed to get better about this. Amith’s, right? “They’ll need them. I can find some scalpels… some thick wooden rods that we use for bracing for broken bones. That’s… about all that comes to mind. Aliscia is probably has a few knives. I didn’t ask her.”
She could scarcely resist scowling just a bit at S’lain. “Yes, I know they’re going to fixate on me. Thank you for-“ Her tirade stopped mid-sentence, and the goldrider took another deep breath, trying to calm herself. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair of me. We need to get Kalierre back, but… until we have a safe place to keep her, that won’t do much good.” Her gaze flicked back to Ka’rys and Z’hin. They were obviously the most experienced of the group.
Aliscia, working intently on quieting her frightened children, had sensed someone on the approach for quite some time before the girl actually approached her. The greenrider’s focus was on survival, hers and her offsprings’. She had no time to deal with an idiot. “Do I look like a healer to you? If we could evacuate everyone, we would. I don’t think there’s a safer spot in the weyr that we could get to, though,” she noted grimly. Savitri’s weyr was possibly safer. It was made of stone and large enough to hold a few dragons on the ledge and dragon half. Unfortunately, the dragons on the ledge would have been easy targets. Where else could they go? They had to stay at the infirmary until… well, until they knew what was going on.
The girl was probably desperate to find a safe spot. The petite greenrider eyed her, idly kissing Reiscia’s forehead to calm the squirmy infant. It worked. “I’m not sure how many are here. I think the rest of them are down this way.” Yes, let someone else deal with the girl. Without waiting for her tagalong, Aliscia was off and moving. Despite her small size and the burden of her infants, she was quick, arriving just in time to hear Savitri’s comment. Inexperienced child, that one. Never had a concept of war. “Anyone’s dragon have firestone?” The southerners were probably going to be horrified by the concept, but if she could have fed Tanith a bit of firestone at that moment, Aliscia would have. Firestone cured many problems, human and dragon alike.
Aliscia deigned to ignore the little 'mandyr that was underfoot, trying to not sigh in frustration at the beast. Aliscia hated salamandyrs as a general rule. The arrival of a few more children made her sigh. She was feeling her age now and shifted Silas's weight on her right hip. She wasn't dealing with them right now.
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Post by glamourie on Apr 17, 2009 5:56:19 GMT -5
They’d expected to meet resistance. Selenitas wasn’t entirely pathetic (unlike High Reaches). However, the sheer level of fighting back was surprising - more than what was expected by far. It was probably that surprise that saved Dorava’s life. Her initial thrashing earned nothing more than an amused smirk from F’rin, but that was quickly eliminated by the screaming - which doubtlessly would be heard up the river - and her biting of his hand. That made him angry, though he didn’t cry out. He instead moved his free hand as though to hit the woman in the back of the head and that one movement likely saved F’rin from her blade lashing at his arm. She missed, tearing through his sleeve rather than skin, and her fighting only served to make him angrier. This one’s thrashing and shouting made him want to throttle the life out of her, but he didn’t. What he did do was slam his knee with alarming force straight into her back; if nothing else it would cause her enough pain to hopefully wind her, but he was praying for broken bones. He wanted that big mouth of hers silenced -- and if she was going to scream, he wasn’t above occupying her mouth with other things. Not that it did much good; the entire river probably knew they were nearby! To his side, Faera held Kalierre’s wrists firmly. She almost pitied the dragon healer as her weight came back against her. Such detrimental injuries - what was it, a messed up leg? Those were never fun. But pity, sympathy, call it what you would - none of it was enough to make her release her hold. She followed orders explicitly. At least, to the best of her ability. However, the sudden feeling of a skull impacting her chin made Faera fall backwards, eyes rolling as she hit the sandy shoreline with a stutter. It was she who released, and unintentionally she dropped Kalierre to the ground. Her stumbling was enough to save her from being slashed up, but not her face; her lip dripped blood and she snarled at the other greenrider, all attempts at kindness forgotten in that one second. Rage. From behind them, one of the blue riders shrieked and flung off his shirt, in the process slinging the little invisible menace out into the open. Little small bite marks were visible, and the male snarled at the slithering form. He was just about to announce its presence when -- STOMP. If Valiant managed to escape Rian’s boot, it would’ve been a miracle. The woman had good aim, and the sound of screeching (what in Faranth’s name was that abominable voice?) was enough to madden. Blue stood out even in the darkness, particularly the salamandyr’s white backside, and it was that she aimed for. While it was doubtful her stepping on him would kill, if she managed to hit, she’d probably wound the creature badly. She didn’t bother to stand by and see about how successful she was, though, because the sight of Faera on the ground had her moving forward at very quick speeds. Her boots crunched the ground in front of her as she grabbed Kalierre by the wrist herself and jerked the dragon healer to her feet. The force was enough that even Rian heard the quiet snap of bones breaking, but the brown rider could not have possibly cared less. Little witch! “Noisy mongrels, the both of you,” she snarled, at the same time releasing Kalierre to fall back to the ground. Without the use of her cane, she probably wouldn’t be able to stand and be a problem. “You just had to scream, didn’t you? You couldn’t just let yourselves get tied up and sit back, unhurt. You just had to scream. Well, we’re going to see how useful those lungs of yours really are, aren’t we, boys? F’rin - get the loudmouthed whore up. I want her to watch the show.” And what a show it would be. Already her mind was racing with a good way to deal with both of them. She glanced toward Faera, who was rising back to her feet shakily, but Rian offered the greenrider no sympathy. Weakness was an affliction to be dealt with accordingly, and she would not mollycoddle any of her riders. That was for those beneath them. Faera would have to earn back her dignity. “I want her to see what her extraordinarily large mouth and inability to act with sense has earned her… her and dear, dear Kalierre.” She remembered her. If she hadn’t switched sides, odds were, Kalierre would’ve been favored by Rian. But she had and treason was an unforgivable crime. A man or woman who couldn’t even display loyalty to their Weyr was beyond worthless in her eyes, and such a disgusting waste of life deserved nothing more than torment. She could provide. What to do first? Her mind raced and she tapped her lips, but her thoughts were abruptly cut off by the sound of splashing. Her brown eyes lifted and she moved just a step away from Kalierre (out of range of arm’s reach) before gesturing forward. “Find out what that was. Who that was. Bring them back here, and quickly. They mustn’t be allowed to reach the infirmary.” Not that she thought it would do much good, thanks to Dorava’s banshee yelling, but that didn’t stop the order. Keeping the Infirmary as closed off as possible was the best course of action. That and she wanted a show, shard it. She’d earned a show - and her boys were probably eager. And there were quite a few of them. While Threadfighting wings usually comprised of 10-20 individuals, combat wings were significantly larger. With her Rian had brought no less than fifty, men and female alike. “Boys” was her general term for them. Her instructions were responded to by a group of five, all men, who dashed across the sandy shoreline in the direction of where the splashing had come from, and Rian watched them go for a moment, before turning her attention back to her captives. She had every faith that her ‘boys’ as she called them would be able to catch the run-away and bring them back to her. Back to the more pressing matters at hand: the two annoying greenriders. “Now, where were we?” she inquired, in a false show of ignorance as she looked them over. “Oh, I remember. I was devising a proper punishment for you, wasn’t I?” The group that went after the splashing was oblivious to their leader’s speech. They moved as one, running across the sand and their ringleader, a bluerider named J’il, threw himself into the water first. He splashed quickly after the movement, but she had a hearty advantage on him. He was a fair swimmer, though, and he went after her with as much speed as he could. If only he’d be enough to catch her before she reached the shoreline. Unfortunately for him -- he was unaware of the fact that there were dragons guarding the infirmary as well… * * * * * * * * * * Why, exactly, was everyone repeating him? Ka’rys seethed silently. Savitri had to know she was in danger. Beating a dead runner got them no where. A hint of fury passed through his eyes for only a second before Z’hin stole his focus with an explanation on how many people were outside near the infirmary. His head cocked to the side. Someone took them? The explanation was somewhat confusing, or perhaps he was simply mentally rejecting it. He couldn’t say for certain which it was, but he was spared the immediate necessity of response by both a greenrider he didn’t know and Savitri. The greenrider had weapons and that made her useful in his book. He let a very genuine smile show on his face as he took the offered blade and nodded to the woman. She had blades; that meant she was a fighter. Fighter meant they may have had some hope of survival. Just how much remained to be seen, but all wasn’t lost yet. At least, he hoped not. S’lain it seemed was the perpetual bearer of bad news. Clutching the blade, Ka’rys bowed his head and took in what the bluerider said. Kalierre. Shard it. Not good. He heard movement around, but between S’lain’s words and Savitri’s, most of his attention was snared. He didn’t really notice any of the new arrivals enough to identify them -- at least, until E’rro spoke. That voice he recognized. “E’rro.” It was as much a greeting as irritation; not personal. “You’re from Benden. They trained you for this sort of thing. Recently at that. What can we expect?” Blunt much? It may not have been nice of him to suddenly bombard the newest arrival with that, but truth was truth. E’rro was formerly of the Benden Children’s Wing and he had to know some of what they were planning - or what they could expect. Knowledge was power and going in swinging blindly would be a mistake. Anything that E’rro could tell them would have been helpful, in Ka’rys’s opinion. Any insight into the enemy’s mind. Actually, he wanted to sit Aliscia down and grill her, too, but he doubted it would be taken kindly and they didn’t have time for him to pick people’s brains. He turned to look at Danar. “You brought other candidates?” he asked, voice soft. “If you did - help the healers. They’re going to need to set up some kind of triage somewhere secluded in here, somewhere out of sight. We can expect injuries. Anyone who knows how to fight should go toward the doors and windows. Any entrances. Ciceroth and Jessereth are outside, but they can’t be the only ones we rely on. We need people posted to prevent any kind of entry.” He glanced at S’lain. “Z’hin and I are too injured to handle that. Do you want to -- ?” Maybe it was very chauvinistic to shove that off on another male, but S’lain was one of the more experienced individuals there. He was also a healer. He’d know which areas needed protecting the most. Savitri would too, but Ka’rys didn’t want to put her in danger if it could be helped. He wanted to hide her somewhere safe. Salamandyr. Blink. That gave Ka’rys an idea. He cocked his head to the side and looked at Savitri seriously. “How good is Shadow at spying on things that don’t relate to fornication?” It was probably an outlandish question to anyone but her -- but he knew that evil salamandyr. He knew. That meant Shadow could be of use… if he was willing. [ All right, here’s the scoop: I replied to everyone in the infirmary that is speaking to Ka’rys, I hope, and I hope I caught everyone on the river that wanted to be seen. Let me know if I didn’t and I’ll round you up next post.
Locations:
- Rian is with the majority of her group, with Dorava and Kalierre. Kali is sort of dropped on the ground, and Dorava got kneed in the back. Injuries up to you guys, but Kali’s arm is broken.
- Rian almost/did stomp Valiant. Up to Dragon whether she managed to. Suggestions/ideas: Salamandyrs can drop their tails in a pickle and regrow them later. Don't know if that helps. Feel free to say she missed if you want, just putting it out there.
- There’s a group of people in the river led by J’in chasing after Wynmuri. Feel free to kill any of those NPCs off as needed. Drown ‘em, have dragons eat ‘em, let Gina mow ‘em over with the boat. I don’t care about them at all. I figure Wyn will want to get to the infirmary, so do with them what you wish. Fodder has been released?
- Late comers welcome still but remember that the shore has people all over it. Also, don't worry about posting order too much now -- it's not going to stay static by any stretch of the imagination. Just don't run off with it too bad, I'll try to reply regularly. <3
Any extra questions/concerns, smack me in PM. Meow. ]
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