[Plot] Death's Demise

[Rei]

The chaos that interrupted had Danar almost flailing. Shard it all he wasn’t trained for this kind of thing! Taking a half step back and bringing his blade up to chest level he barely had time to prepare before the battle was drawing to a close. Ka’rys and E’rro where forgotten as his two bunkmates where slaughtered like heardbeasts in front of his eyes. Fury blazed in the boy’s eyes and instead of trying to dodge the knife hurled his way he flung himself to the side and then forward.

The hurled knife grazed his cheek, slitting a nice bloody gash in it, but the pain didn’t stop Danar who smashed his body into the woman in a full body tackle. As both sprawled onto the floor the candidate grabbed her neck and squeezed allowing all his fury to waste itself on the woman. “You sharding monster! They where my friends!” He yelled out loud, no doubt startling a few people, His grip tightened even as she tried to fight him off but eventually her fighting lessened and she grew still. Danar released her and stabbed at her chest just to make sure she stayed down.

Straightening up, he gave a couple of heaving breaths as the shock of what just occurred hit him. He had killed someone, and with his bare hands. Shoving more morbid thoughts out of his mind he turned to re position himself near Ka’rys and E’rro keeping his head down to avoid meeting their gazes. Danar figured he really had no other choice. It was her or him. So why did he feel so sharding horrible about it? For Faranth's sake she had killed his companions didn't she also deserve to die?

Hero gave a reassuring croon and winged down to circle his bonded once. Oh his was good and brave. He was protecting their home. He did not need to be so upset. The candidate closed his eyes and returned a wave of love to the flitter, as well as a request. Would he please go see how the front entrance blockade was holding up?

The bronze gave a chirp of acceptance and sped through the doorway into the infirmary proper.

[Kisha-Ra]

The green shrieked in pain and rage, and flamed as Azrath turned. A lance of flame came directly for the blue and though he dropped under it with surprisingly quick reactions for a dragon who’d never faced any real combat, the damage was done. Bright orange light reflected of Azrath’s night sky streaked hide. He furiously thought every expletive he could remember from Darya’s vocabulary as he turned on a wingtip and spun away from a second burst of flame. Not only was he now fighting a faster more agile opponent, and one with fire at that, but also his cover was utterly and completely blown.

Azrath weaved and dodged around a few more attempts to flame him out the sky, one of which burnt along the last foot or so of his tail, he couldn’t move fast enough to evade the closing green, nor even keep the damage minimal for much longer. Time to change tactics. Azrath went for height again, temporarily leaving the green confused, as he’d been dropping every time she attempted to flame him. Long enough for him to reach a height to drop on her again at speed. This time he struck closed fisted like a falcon, aiming for the green’s neck, his front talons struck too far along, knocking the green for six, but not the deadly blow he hoped for. In desperation he opened his talons out and grabbed and bound with his hind claws, warm ichor flowed over his feet as chunks ripped out of the stunned green, she howled and lumbered in the air, unable to fly. By sheer blind luck Azrath had managed to sever a major flight muscle with his second strike.

Azrath let the pieces he’d ripped out of his opponent drop as the green flapped her right wing desperately and finally vanished between. He spun slowly in midair, seeking his next attacker, only to find there was none, yet. Either the other dragons had trusted their wingmate to get rid of him, or they were holding back for fear of being flamed themselves, or they had something greater in mind. Well he wasn’t waiting around to find out what it was. Azrath headed up again, in a convoluted path that would hopefully confuse the dragons that now knew where he was. Without Darya he didn’t dare attack the group again. The blue drifted above the infirmary, looking for a target. The bright green was dead, and so was Jessereth, Azrath recognised the brown from tangled with the green one with something akin to shock. His impression of the brown was that Jessereth was just too nasty to go down.

Azrath’s four talons clenched and unclenched with tension, his lips peeled back from his teeth in a dangerous dragon grin. Strike with the front talons, bind with the back, he had a good trick going there. All he needed was someone to use it on…

---

Ylonth was clearing an area around him with his attack on the benden riders, advancing step by step, flinging wounded, maimed, or dead bodies aside without discretion, mostly because he couldn’t really see who he was attacking and he knew he no friends in this mass of humanity. He hissed and snpped his head sideways and back to try and grab at an enterprising, or insane, rider who had dropped from somewhere and was now slashing at his wing membrane with a belt knife.

Ironically it was this rider that probably saved Ylonth’s life. by forcing him to turn and try and get rid of the human attacking his delicate wings, the young man clinging to the blue’s back had the dragon at such an angle that the hurled jar of fellis shattered against the back of his skull rather than on his face as it was intended to.

Ylonth froze in shock, realising what had hit him. His main attacker took the opportunity to tear another long rent in the dragon’s wing. WATER IDIOT! GET IN THE RIVER BEFORE IT GETS INTO YOUR CUTS. R’fuin’s voice, sharpened by fear, cut through Ylonth;s paralysis and sent the blue spinning and plunging into the dark water, complete with his young greenrider still attacking him. Anyone in the panicked dragon’s way was crushed under his weight.

[kysseh]

They were dead either way, Aliscia noted grimly as the female Bendenite gave them an ultimatum. If they put down their weapons, they would be killed. If they stood and fought, they would burn to death. The simple difference was whether or not her children were escape, and Aliscia’s eyes narrowed as her mind raced through the possibilities. If the dragons flamed the infirmary, their own riders would die, which meant the dragons would between and leave the skies open for Tanith to arrive and snatch Aliscia and some of the others from the inferno… if she could arrive in time. If she put down her weapons, her children would be left alive… and most likely taken back to the weyr she hated. It was a decision she did not want to make.

It quickly became a decision she would not have to make, as Tanith suddenly and abruptly warned her that Jessereth and Jarcith were… gone. Though never especially close with either rider, being on a wing with both had made her at least familiar, and Z’hin had taken it upon himself to plant one on her as the chaos began. Aliscia, in the space of about half a breath, moved respectfully to the side as first Z’hin and then Wynmuri charged to their deaths. Even battle-hardened and experienced as the woman was, she could not help but feel a twist in her heart at the sight of them throwing themselves into the arms of death. But death came in the form of both bereaved riders as well, and Aliscia was nothing shy of stunned by the horror they left in their wake. Wynmuri went over the edge with one of the attackers, and Z’hin was simply… still now. Gone, both of them.

Now, however, was not the time for mourning. If the woman was right, they could expect flame at any moment, and the greenrider tensed and edged closer to S’lain and the others that were still standing. “Kill any survivors if they attack us. Then be ready to run for the patients if the dragons start to flame. We’re not going to have much time,” she murmured quietly, flipping her wrists outward and brandishing her knives in an obvious threat at whatever Bendenites happened to be standing after that. She could grieve her wingmates after her children were safe. “Be ready.” Why bother giving an answer to the ultimatum now? It was decided. Tension had wiped the shock and grief from her face, and the scarred little woman was fully prepared to wreak havoc if she had to. Anything, anything for her children.



Savitri heard Hepaticath’s intonation that Jessereth and Jarcith were gone. The goldrider pressed the back of her free hand against her mouth in an attempt to calm herself, turning to the wherhandler and the children. “Two of ours are down, at least. I’m not sure about the rest.” Her voice was very quiet, the panic slowly starting to pass into frightening calm. There was no question of survival now. She had to live, and shards if she was going to let ego-driven cowards slit her throat here and now. Her green eyes narrowed, and she prowled toward the door, opening it just a crack to peer out and see what was going on. All she saw, though, was a female someone moving toward her hiding place, and Savitri immediately closed the door as silently as she could, praying the intruder had not seen her. That face was not familiar. She snagged one of the chairs and tried to jam it against the door in an attempt to keep people out. Shardit, shardit, shardit.

“Someone’s coming. Stay quiet, and keep them close,” she whispered softly to the wherhandler, nudging the young woman lightly. She needed the other woman to focus now. Savitri’s normally tanned face took on an ashy hue, however, when Hepaticath relayed from Tanith the situation in the front of the infirmary. They were going to flame the infirmary with everyone in it, and Savitri quickly nudged the wherhandler again. “You need to be ready to stand up and move soon. They’re going to burn us out,” she hissed out, brandishing her makeshift weapon and preparing to club whomever came through the door.

[glamourie]

Claws scratched up Haelstrath’s shoulders, ichor spilling from the long indentations. But it wasn’t even close to enough to slow him down. The brown twisted and growled, his gaze following the female he’d attacked. As she vanished between a hint of remorse filled his eyes; she died well, like a warrior, and though it meant nothing to any but him, Haelstrath could recognize and respect that strength. He did not keen for her… but if there wasn’t a dire press for time, he would have; she deserved that much. The brown did linger for a split second, giving her a moment of mourning as was due to a dragon who died courageously. Then he turned and abruptly descended toward the water, picking up speed as he plummeted downward. There was splashing in the water, dragons betweening, a blue and a green not his own, and one of his females dying to the other beast. The brown didn’t make a sound, flying fast and hard, and rather than hit the water directly, he pulled up just above Aonith to rake his claws at her wings and back. She’d have to be quick to avoid getting swiped nastily.

The green that Ciceroth threw came to impact the dragon landing platform with a loud crash. At least one of her bones would be broken. The platform actually shook, some of the wood cracking underneath her as she shuddered visibly. But she wasn’t dead… yet.

The two riders’ reactions to their dragons dying left most of the people at the front of the infirmary stunned. There wasn’t enough time for them to react except with the barest minimal of defenses - cutting, slicing, but to someone who felt no pain any longer, it was useless. By the time that both the brown rider and the greenrider were through, there were almost no people left at the front. Their numbers weren’t that good to start with thanks to the dragon in the water killing people before they could climb back up, like a sea monster. The one who survived the initial attack was flamed -- burnt alive by the wher as it came back up the ramp. The man screamed, running in circles for a moment, trailing flames all around the infirmary; whether she realized it or not, Crevesk had just unintentionally started the fire on the building. The rider finally collapsed next to the door, and the flames sprinkled up the walls.

The infirmary was on fire.

The dragons in the back were doing an excellent job of chasing off the attackers. Nevertheless, several still managed to filter in through the doors. The large group that arrived advanced, slashing through a greenrider near the door and a candidate. Both of them fell and two men jumped forward to grab Ka’rys by both arms (despite one of them being broken). He was abruptly slammed into the wall to keep him from fighting too much, the blade falling from his hands (and jarring his injury most effectively). Then a man threw himself at E’rro, just as another of the Benden riders ran at him. The goal was to incapacitate him, then kill; they needed to eliminate as many people as they possibly could, as quickly as they could. The fight was droning on too long as it was, and the infirmary wouldn’t last long with flames already started.

Rian paled and came to an abrupt halt near the door as the flames suddenly began near the entrance. Shard it, not good. They needed to hurry and get out -- but… what was --

There were dragons outside. She needed someone to block her way. They’d never let her and the surviving members of her wing (what, five?) get out alive, and she needed to make sure they all stayed. The brown rider narrowed her eyes, defiant. Then a boy stabbing one of her riders caught her gaze and she acted on instinct, throwing herself forward to grab Danar around the shoulders. Her blades came up to his throat and she jerked him along toward the dragon entrance -- intending to use him as a hostage to get to Haelstrath. She felt the brown fighting, knew he was busy, but she needed time anyway - time to get outside. And hopefully there wouldn’t be enough survivors to be worthwhile. She saw a lot of dead bodies, and a lot of people injured in the infirmary. Her spilled chemicals would be enough to kill them, she was sure.

“Stay quiet and I might be nice and let you live, kiddo,” she said snidely to Danar as she forcibly dragged him along. “Might. You just killed one of my riders, and I’m not too keen on forgiving you for that transgression.”

What she didn’t realize, however, was that her entire body was laced with the chemicals that were poured through the window she’d climbed in…

* * * * * * * * * *

Ka’rys barely had time to react. By the time he was off of the one he’d killed, two more Benden riders were grabbing and pulling him back. He felt Ciceroth’s remorse, and knew without words that at least two of his wing riders were gone. He just didn’t know which two, and he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Agony flooded through his shoulder, and Ka’rys kicked and fought to the best of his ability as he was slammed into the wall. The second he was released, he slashed out with his good hand, cutting one of the riders across the face, then he forcefully shoved the man into one of the women. The result was an almost domino effect, with both of them falling out the doorway to the dragon landing platform. He knew through Ciceroth’s sight that Jaxith was nearby, and he hoped the blue would take the initiative of getting rid of them; his wounds were such that he couldn’t do it on his own.

And then he turned around. E’rro was under attack and so was Danar, but the smell of flame alarmed him; they needed to get out, and fast. He also smelled chemicals coming from… Danar? The woman - her clothes were wet. Was it possible…? He knew her face. He knew. Though Ka’rys had never met Rian before, she had a reputation that carried even to Fort, and she wasn’t new. He recognized the wingleader when he saw her, and he knew that eliminating her meant that Benden’s attack would stop. At least on the Infirmary. They’d be able to take back their airspace, or at least get out of the building before it burnt - burnt up and left everyone dead…

Ciceroth--

The bronze didn’t need telling twice. Even as he circled the infirmary (almost all of the attacking Wing had betweened, giving them the advantage of the air), Ciceroth spoke directly to Danar, Rysmine says to push her backwards. There was a definite force in that instruction, and it didn’t even occur to Ciceroth to introduce himself. Considering how rare it was for him to speak to anyone but Ka’rys (he saw such behavior as beneath him), it was a tribute to the dire need he felt that he bothered. She is their wingleader. The bronze did not tell the candidate about the flames dancing along the walls, spreading quickly behind him. If he did, he might have hesitated, and Ciceroth did not want him to hesitate. Neither did Ka’rys.

As Ciceroth spoke, the bronze rider threw himself forward with all of his weight, tackling over one of the attackers moving for E’rro. He just hoped the brown rider was aware enough to get the second one off of himself… because Ka’rys wasn’t a big enough person to deal with them both.

[Rei]

Danar froze as someone grabbed him roughly around the shoulders. His first instinct was to try and fight her off but the blades cold against his neck stalled that instinct. Stupid he may be but the candidate wasn‘t that stupid. One wrong move and the Benden rider would slit his throat. Sharding Faranth, karma caught up fast.

“Stay quiet and I might be nice and let you live, kiddo, Might. You just killed one of my riders, and I’m not too keen on forgiving you for that transgression.” A woman? The voice was obviously feminine. Great he was gonna get killed by a girl. As his mind frantically searched for a way out a strong voice echoed from somewhere else. Rysmine says to push her backwards. She is their wingleader.

Push her backwards? That was really all the dragon needed to say, for Ka’rys word was law as far as Danar was concerned. In a sudden movement the candidate dug his feet into the floor, hefted all his weight backwards and shoved. As the twosome tumbled backwards he felt the blades slide and cut into his throat. Not deep enough to cause instant death, but it sure sharding hurt.

The impact of the fall knocked Rian loose and Danar instinctively rolled away from her as the flames caught the accelerant and flared up in a sudden inferno. The blood dripping down his neck and the pain was momentarily forgotten as the candidate yelled at Hero. “Evacuate the building! Get everyone out! Now!” A chirp and the bronze flitter betweened. The candidate raised himself up off the ground and staggered as his vision momentarily blurred.

Hero winged along the hallway shrieking and sending pictures of the quickly advancing flames. Out! They needed to get out! Now!

[dragon]

Crevenaire gasped, mind assaulted by the pains and attacks made on her wher. "No no no no no..." She wailed softly, trying to be quiet even as her wher weathered the attack and then came back up to the infirmary... after her. She was touched, really. As vicious and bloodthirsty as her wher was, she was finally starting to see reason. See the mess she'd gotten them all into!!!

And then the smell of smoke started filtering in, along with the stench of chemicals. She jerked to her feet, clutching both children tight. "Fire!" She cried, barely over a hoarse whisper. "We have to get out of here, ma'am! There's no windows to escape from!!" Crevenaire started for the door, hoping that the woman with the rod-club would realize the situation they were in, and that now people with knives were of little concequence. Riders and knives were by far a better way to go than burning to death and smoke inhalation.

She put down one kid long enough to yank the door open. Snatching up the babe again, she pelted out the door with all the speed her long legs could give her. All her time spent dancing in the starlight wasn't for nothing, apparently. She deftly sidestepped and jumped over fallen and falling bodies, never losing her balance as she did so. Frightened beyond thought, her body worked merely on instinct and muscle memory. Door ... she needed a door. One that wasn't blocked by fire ...

The front entrance! It was on fire!! But that was also where Crevesk was, calling to her. The wher could get them away, safe enough. Clutching the babes tight to her chest, Crevy took a dive at a window near the front. Spilling through, she rolled to land on her shoulders on the platform outside. Rolling to her feet, she gasped at the pain of it. But the babies were safe still, if slightly jarred. "Crevesk!" She cried, desperate.

The wher charged forward, mowing down the last person in her way to do so. Coming to a halt next to Crevenaire, the wher crouched. She would take hers to safety... and ... babies?

Crevy clambered aboard awkwardly, and gripped on tight with her knees. "Hurry!" She called, to Savitri, hoping that the woman was going to follow.

Crevesk only waited a moment, at the behest of her handler, for the second woman. If she didn't make it aboard in that moment, she simply wasn't going to make it. Turning, Crevesk ripped the railing off the ledge, and jumped. Wings flaring, she slowly plummeted to the semi-safety of the river. They splashed down, but not as spectacularly as they could of. Though not built for true flight, and also somewhat torn up from her battle with a dragon, Crevesk's wings were still enough to slow the fall.

Resurfacing with a heave, the wher started swimming for the bank with strong kicks. Her hide was in agony, being touched. By human flesh, by water... it was in sheer agony. The cuts, the burns. It was awful. But she was in sight of the finish line. Soon, they would all be safe. Heaving up onto the bank and out of the water, the green wher wearily hauled her load of escapees onto dry land before collapsing.

---

Aonith screamed as talons ripped into her hide yet again. A deep gash along her spine, and yet another in her other wing. Now she'd have matching scars, if she survived this! Flailing in the water, Aonith ignored any other falling humans to fight off the brown that was attacking her.

Sinking into the water, she huffed a fountain of bubbles... glad to notice that he was flying onward, across the surface of the water instead of following her down. Enough of this! It was time to get out of here. Hers was not in danger.

And then she noticed through the shimmery water that the infirmary had a light source it didn't used to have. It took her a few watery moments to realize the place was on fire.

Oh.

Oh!

That couldn't be good. She turned her attention to the sky. There didn't look to be so many dragons up there anymore. Flaring her wings out from her body underwater, she stroked out and down, powering her way back up to the surface. Breaking water, she continued to beat her wings hard, working to get into the air. Tail lashing, she made her way up. Clawing at the edge, she closed her torn wings and scrambled up onto the ledge.

Hurry! I can take some out! Two! I can take two! She called into the infirmary, hoping to be able to take some out of the fire before being forced back. She waited and crouched low to take on passengers, before turning to launch off her precarious perch again. Wings spread, she managed a raggedy glide to shore. There she landed and then started trotting, furling her wings.

((Anyone can leap aboard Aonith if they don't have another way down... also a spot aboard Crevesk is open for Savitri if she wants to take it.))

[Tashe]

Ducking the blade, E’rro rammed his elbow into the attacker’s gut, and then struck upward as he doubled over, his knife slicing into man’s throat. He grunted as the man toppled over onto his shoulders. After pushing the dead weight off of his body, the Brownrider stood and surveyed his surroundings, eyes focusing on Danar and the woman behind him. Rian. So that was who had been the brains behind the attack. He remembered the Brownrider well, having had seen her on more than a few occasions when he had still resided at Benden. Twitching slightly as a body passed directly behind him, E’rro flipped around and brought up his knife to parry the man’s dagger, knocking it away. Barely avoiding another thrust, the young rider leapt backward to put distance between them.

Sucking in air as the man’s blade glanced off of his arm, he leapt away again, growling with agitation. He knew that there would be a time when he’d have to battle someone he knew, but he hadn’t expected the hesitation that filled his chest. C‘aal, the mousey haired man, had been one of his friends back when he still rode in the Weyrlingwing. He was a year his senior in Dragonriding, but they had been close friends despite the ranking difference. Deflecting another of his blows, E’rro tried to push away all of the memories that had been brought up by her appearance. Neither he, nor the other, were the same. They were on different sides, and he had always been a devote follower of the Benden ways. He had to now see him as a traitor, just another enemy who needed to be killed off, there were no more gentle feelings on his side toward him. But E’rro apparently still had some for him.

As C’aal thrust his dagger forward once more, E’rro ducked to the side, reaching out to grab his wrist with his open hand. Pulling him into him, the Brownrider pushed his weapon into his gut, his eye’s widening slightly as he realized the full extent of what he had done. Falling to his knees as C’aal slid downward, E’rro pressed his face into the other’s hair, vaguely hearing the clatter of his dagger as he dropped it. Why was it that he could kill strangers and acquaintances with no remorse, yet a single person who he had known but had not seen in over a year, brought him a considerable amount of sorrow. He was his enemy, he shouldn’t feel that way about a fallen attacker. He felt like a wounded animal. “Sorry... C‘aal... Sorry…” For a moment longer he held the man in his embrace, laying him down gently onto the ground. Danar’s yelling pulled him away from the fallen Rider, glancing back toward the Candidate, his mind slowly putting the words together in his mind. Standing up, the Brownrider slid his knife into its sheath as he stepped over a body to get to Danar, he was surprised to see that his bag had made it through all of the fighting. Grabbing a small pad of material, E’rro offered it to the young man, his other hand held out in case the candidate decided to pass out. “Press this firmly against your wound, and if you can help it, try not to run. I’ll patch you up when we get out... Lets hope you can walk, and remember to breath.” He wouldn’t be able to deal with having to support two injured people, one would have to wait until he got back, especially because of the encroaching flames. Moving quickly over to Ka’rys, E’rro offered his hand/arm to the wingleader, they had gone into the battle together and they were going to go out together too. It didn’t look as if they had much time to escape the flames.

---

First the Brownrider, and then Wynmuri. A heaviness settled down onto her shoulders as she watched both run to their deaths, taking out large chunks of the attacking force in the process. She had never seen a person commit suicide before, and it was a harrying ordeal. Wrenching her gaze from the place where the Greenrider had disappeared, Gina looked to Aliscia as she spoke, wanting to do anything to keep her mind off of the fallen riders. Nodding her head as words failed to form, the Greenrider bit the inside of her lip fearfully. It wasn’t long before the infirmary itself caught on fire.

Remembering what the woman had said, Gina quickly turned to run into the burning building, something she honestly could say she never expected to be doing. She would rather face the flames than the people outside, so therefore, she decided to help carry the patients out to safety.

[kysseh]

It was too late. The infirmary was already on fire, and Aliscia hissed as the heat of the flames near the door burned her exposed arms and reddened her face, reeling backward away from the inferno. The charging wher was briefly registered, and the greenrider was immensely relieved when the creature left with its handler and her two offspring aboard. Reiscia and Silas were safe and away from the inferno, and that satisfied Aliscia. Unfortunately, her lack of attention meant that the flames had sparked onto her clothing in her brief two seconds of distraction, and Aliscia screamed as the pain lanced through her back. The greenrider had the presence of mind to dash right out the door, heedless of the flames. Between the door and the edge of the landing, her blades were sheathed, and she dove inelegantly into the river, the cool water providing bittersweet relief for the searing pain.

By the time she staggered out of the river, she had the presence of mind to wonder about Savitri for the briefest of moments, sending word to the queen via Tanith to tell the goldrider to get out. She managed to get down the bank on shaky legs toward the wher, handler, and her children. Her hands drifted over both sopping infants, relieved to find that despite being wet, chilled, and frightened, her babes were fine. “Thank you,” she stuttered hoarsely, hissing at the agony in her back. Silas seemed to respond to the pain in her voice, and the little boy cried, blindly reaching a hand up for his mother’s face.

“Thank you. We… can your wher get up? Queen weyr is close, and we can hide in there. Don’t know how many more there are…” she managed to get out, pressing the little boy’s hand to the side of her face. “We need to get out of the open, and my Tanith can’t come to us.”



Savitri made sure the wherhandler and the twins were out of their “safe room” and sent them on their way, relieved when Hepaticath affirmed that they and Aliscia had made it out safely. The goldrider left the safety of her hiding spot and emerged into the gathering flames and smell of smoke, coughing a bit as it tickled at her lungs. Her bag was still dangling from the strap across her chest, and she scarcely even noticed it as she moved to check on their less-than-mobile patients. “If you can move, move! Get to the dragon on the landing platform, or get into the river!” she spluttered out, aware that Shadow, in his panic, had fled back to Hepaticath. She was blind to the outside, though she did recognize that the dragon on the platform was Aonith.

The goldrider felt a sudden surge of panic at the thought of where her bronzerider was, and she glanced toward the dragon part of the infirmary, recognizing a voice that yelled to evacuate. “I’m trying!” she spat out, hoping that there wasn’t a Benden rider near enough to hear her. “I’m not strong enough to carry them! I need help!” she called in exasperation, glancing in concern at the flames. “Hurry!”

[weaving]

At Jessereth’s words, Lennae had promptly changed the direction in which she’d been running. Something about getting squished between the brown and green didn’t sound very appealing to her. The weight of the flamethrower on her back unbalanced her as she turned suddenly, causing her to trip over her own two feet and fall. Mumbling unintelligible curses, she tried to stand and promptly fell back. Pain was radiating up from her left clavicle, making the simple act of getting to her feet difficult. She needed to, and quickly, or else she’d be dead. It wouldn’t take anyone long to realize that she was injured.

Using her right arm, she managed to get to her knees and push herself upward. The movement nearly knocked her off balance again, but she caught herself in time, clenching her teeth together as another wave of pain washed over her from the sudden motions. This was bad. It was worse than the time she’d broken her arm and she had thought that had been bad. Still, there was no where for her to go, so she gripped the handle of her remaining knife. At this point, the flamethrower was practically useless. She’d take it off and leave the sharding thing to rot, but that would just be giving the benden riders more ammunition to use against them, so she kept it to her back, though she flipped the switch off. No need to go accidentally burning everything down.

She backed herself up against the wall of the infirmary, leaving attackers only one way to come at her. It made things easier, though focusing was getting more and more difficult. The weight of the flamethrower strap was constantly applying pressure to her collarbone, which she had long since decided was most definitely broken. She held her ground for the most part, though as the pain became more and more unbearable, she found it difficult to take down her opponents and in the process gained several cuts. None of them were deep enough to be fatal, but the blood was making things sticky and her shoulder hurt and still they kept coming.

She wasn’t actually finishing off most of them, but her slashes with her dagger were good enough to debilitate them, leaving them for others to finish off. The stream of attackers was slowing, she was able to notice, and inwardly she felt relief. Perhaps they actually had a chance of winning this thing. Amidst the smell of death, there was something strange. Burning. That was odd… It took her pain-ridden mind a moment to comprehend that she was indeed smelling the wood of the infirmary burning. She needed to get out of here, and quickly.

I’ll catch you. Jump over the edge and I’ll catch you. The green had recognized the danger and had moved out from the safety beneath the landing dock. She waited for Lennae to react to her instructions. It didn’t take the young woman long to realize that safety was in the water and so she bolted from the infirmary, slipping the flamethrower from her back and letting it fall as she did so. She wouldn’t be able to swim well as it was and the weight of the thing would only drag her down to the bottom. Ignoring her pain, she leapt from the edge, reaching for Amith as she did so. The shock of hitting the water nearly knocked her unconscious and it was only her green’s foreclaws that kept her afloat. At least she had made it to the water. Lennae allowed herself to relax; she was as safe as she was going to get here.

[glamourie]

There was fire behind her. Rian’s eyes went wide in alarm as she stumbled, barely aware of her surroundings. The scream that escaped her lips wasn’t entirely human, and after a moment of screaming like a banshee, she crashed to the ground, still. Her last action as a living entity was a silent demand of Haelstrath, her last request of him before he betweened one last time: Burn it down. Burn it all down. Then her eyes fell closed, and the life left her still-flaming body, the fires crackling and spreading all around the accelerant that her wing had poured in through the windows. It wouldn’t be long until the infirmary of Selenitas saw the end of its days. Even the rain pouring from the skies did nothing to douse the fire. Chemical flames burned on and on despite the rain, without a care in the world for nature’s attempts to put them out.

The sound of keening was undeniable as Haelstrath jerked in the air, flying backwards up and away. The pain in his eyes flared visibly and he reeled for a moment before Rian’s last request stuck with him. Rage passed over his gaze, painting it scarlet, and the brown circled around to fly straight at the infirmary. And he flamed - not just a little, but enough to catch the entire roof and all the surrounding branches on fire, sending the place into a veritable inferno. The brown ignored the other dragons nearby, even those taking to the skies. They were outnumbered now, but it didn’t matter - nothing mattered. So long as the infirmary went up in flames, then he didn’t care anymore. He’d done what his RianLove asked… and that was all that mattered.

With one last loud cry, the brown winked between for all time.

* * * * * * * * * *

Ka’rys was busy with the second attacker that had moved toward E’rro. For that reason, he didn’t immediately notice as Rian died. He rolled, using his smaller size and speed to his advantage. His enemy’s blade clipped his cheek under his eye and down the line of his chest, but it wasn’t enough to stab. Mainly because Ka’rys was moving much too quickly. He rolled off of the Benden rider quickly and swung his good leg between the other man’s ankles. Then he sprung forward and pushed both of his hands onto the man’s throat. Quickly he jerked, snapping his neck with an almost ruthless efficiency, and Ka’rys choked from the smoke clouding the air around him. He’d always been a fast attacker. Kill quickly and efficiently. His strength was in his speed. Killing someone with his bare hands was rare, but his blade was stuck in the other attacker’s neck, and he didn’t have time to pull it out.

Pain. Pain flared up through his arm and his leg momentarily, before Ka’rys turned to see how the candidate fared. The woman was dead, on the floor and spreading the flames, and the boy was shouting. Turning his gaze back to … whatever his name was, Ka’rys offered him as reassuring a smile as he could muster amidst the worry passing through him. Flame and chemicals. The infirmary was going to burn - no, explode - and they all needed to get out. Quickly.

Where was Savitri?

E’rro. Ka’rys looked up at E’rro and took the offered hand to pull himself to his feet as best he could before pointing to the door. “Ciceroth is outside. You should get the candidates out,” he said. He wanted to go with him, he did, but - Savitri was more important. “I have to make sure Savitri gets out. Ciceroth will see you to safety. Tell him where you want him to take you, and he’ll do it.” He knew that E’rro’s brown wasn’t near enough to carry them off, but Ciceroth was. He was big enough to take all of the surviving candidates. The bronze didn’t exactly like Ka’rys’s idea, but the man tuned that out with remarkable efficiency. He bowed his head slightly in a silent show of respect, before hobbling away; if they all got out of the building alive, if every one of them survived, he’d thank E’rro for his help later. He wouldn’t have lived without the brown rider, he didn’t think, and if nothing else, it showed him that the boy was reliable. Ka’rys respected that… and he respected his ability to do what needed doing. It took a lot to earn his respect.

Sweeping down, Ciceroth landed on the dragon platform as the green writhed in her spot. One quick swipe eliminated the riders that Ka’rys had pushed back, and the dragon quickly betweened; Hers had obviously died, though of what, no one could quite say. The bronze swiveled his head around and crooned toward the doorway, encouraging. They needed to hurry if they were to have any hope of surviving!

What was she doing? Couldn’t she see the flames? Ka’rys shook his head abruptly and hobbled through the smoke and debris to seize Savitri around the waist. “There’s no time to get the patients out, Savitri. There isn’t. They poured chemicals in the windows, ‘vi, the place is going to --” Another fresh rush of flames seared the roof, causing one of the beams to crash down between the dragon landing platform and the entrance. Something was flaming them? Probably the brown dragon that Rian rode. Probably. “We don’t have time to save them Savi, we don’t.” He didn’t wait for her response. The idea of leaving people to die bothered him, too - but they were hurt, and most of them were probably already doomed to start with. Smoke inhalation if nothing else. He flashed an apologetic look to the remaining patients, and then forcefully pulled Savitri back toward the entrance. The movement sent a surge of pain through him, but what was more important? A few patients who would probably die anyway, or a healer who could save the lives of countless others from the rest of the fighting? Logic dictated the healer.

And Ka’rys really was tired of losing people he cared about.

[kysseh]

Why was no one coming to help her?!

Savitri was sure most of the survivors were out of the infirmary. Hepaticath confirmed that Aliscia was out, and the gold added that Ciceroth seemed to be picking people off the dragon platform… or trying to. The goldrider wanted to yell at the people to help her with the remaining patients. Most of them seemed to be unconscious or well on the way from smoke inhalation, and Savitri heard her own coughing joining with theirs. Her face was flushed from the flames, and she wished for a wet rag to put over her mouth and nose in an attempt to keep the acrid fumes from burning her mouth and nose.

Before she could make an effort to move closer to those needing help, arms seized her around the waist, and Savitri let out a cry of surprise, instinctively jerking as to move away. Only the voice, odd as it sounded in the smoke, stopped her. She turned to look at the bronzerider, her expression a picture of horror at what he seemed to be implying. “I can’t leave them,” she insisted, her voice reaching an almost unnatural pitch. The crashing of the beam had her flinching back against the bronzerider, but it didn’t make her decision any easier. She was in absolute agony with indecision, unable to leave anyone to burn to death, unconscious or not. It was a horrible way to die, and the healer threw in her heels almost reflexively, unable to accept the logic that if she stayed, she would die along with them. No, no, n-

The hatchling, Mine. Hepaticath said urgently. The gold was fighting her instinct to help Hers, tensed and poised as she stood on her couch, wishing that she was not wholly helpless in combat. Hers needed to get out of the fire, and she pressed against the young woman’s mind, exerting force that she rarely deigned to use on Hers. SavitriHers was a sensible creature but also an emotional one, and the emotions were overriding the logic. Hepaticath needed her love alive. SavitriLoveMine, please. The hatchling too. You can not help the others, but you can save the hatchling. Leave with RysCiceroth’s.

Hepaticath had demonstrated her keen intelligence. Where little else could sway her, the thought of her unborn child could and did spur Savitri into action. It did not stop her from regretting the situation, and tears slipped down her cheeks as she, a bare few breaths after Ka’rys’s intital pull, awkwardly tried to slip a supporting arm around the bronzerider to help him out. She had two good feet to his one, after all, and the blood coating him was far from reassuring about his state of health. If nothing else, the slump of her shoulders signaled her acquiescence to his demands. The others would have to find their own way out.

Shards, but she hated Benden at that moment.

[hseru]

S’lain barely had time to react as first Z’hin and then Wynmuri practically threw themselves at the invaders, all sense of finesse gone from the pair. The brownrider had just about tossed the heavy body before doing so, almost clipping the dragonhealer in the process. He didn’t have long to wait in confusion though, as Jaxith gave him the newest names to add to the growing list of dead. The pair were crazed with hatred, and seeing the sheer pain of losing ones dragon gave his heart a brief twist in shared agony. He was fiercely glad that they were able to act out their vengeance in such an immediate manner though. The pair decimated the numbers at the main entrance before they were finally brought down.

Aliscia’s words broke him from his brief reverie, and he nodded tensely. The woman had a good head on her shoulders. It was a plan that they would have to implement immediately however, as the last man standing after Z’hin’s and Wynmuri’s sacrifice suddenly burst into flame from behind and suddenly there was fire everywhere. S’lain jumped back, immediately heading for the injured he’d placed in the main room earlier, pushing their remaining candidates towards an opening that wasn’t on fire yet. Lanthos caught the hint and dashed through, but his sleeve caught fire on the way, and he yelped, jumping off the ramp and into the cool river below to put out the blaze. He was glad he hadn’t gotten any of that stuff on him!

The accelerant had the fire blooming up around everything, and smoke was getting thick, what with the windows being blocked up as they were. Taking the arm of the woman he’d helped before with the injured leg and slinging it over his shoulder, S’lain bit back a grimace at the pain in his sheered-off shoulder. Jaxith, I need your help![/i]

The big blue had caught many more riders on teeth tail and claws, and the shuddering crack of the green’s landing brought him out of the infirmary in full force, claws first into her hide. It wasn’t the same green, but he relished feeling dragonhide under his claws either way. His jaws went for the throat, and Jaxith earned his first real injury as the crippled green slashed out at his face, trying to dissuade the jaws heading for her vulnerable spots. Narrowly missing his facetted eye, the green’s claws found purchase and ripped a deep hole along the blue’s face and neck. His own jaws fastened on her before she could do more, and a vicious rending jerk heralded a loud snap as he broke her neck. Dropping the corpse, and dripping ichor from both mouth and wound, Jaxith was alarmed to note the smoke that had started pouring from the doorway behind. Lainhis urgently sent his need for help, and Jaxith might have partaken in his never-used sarcasm to agree, if the fear of losing His to the fire weren’t so great.

Moving forward, he rounded the infirmary to a window on the human side that wasn’t ablaze, and easily clawed through the blockade, creating an opening through which smoke poured at a terrifying rate. Lainmine, here! He could just make out the figure of His as the dragonhealer struggled towards the window with his burden of patient. He clawed at the window in a frantic hurry to make it easier for them to get out, wood flying behind in chunks.

S’lain had to all but drag the injured woman, as she’d gone into shock from the attack, and the smoke, and she just barely put forth effort to help. It seemed like ages before he reached the window, the fire flickering all around and encroaching on the opening Jaxith had torn out. He coughed after each inhalation, bringing back up the smoke in waves. They slipped through, and it was all S’lain could do just to get the woman on the blue. About to go back for another, Jaxith moved to block his way. “Jaxi, move! There are still patients in there! They can’t get out on their own!” He tried to shove the big blue aside, but it was like trying to move a mountain. Jaxith gazed at him with whirling eyes. If you go in again, you will die. Then I would die, and this human you have managed to save will go between with me, or be dropped into the river below. S’lain froze, the pain on his face as he started coughing. He heard crashes from inside, and the decision was taken away from him as he saw their only opening blocked by a fallen support. He didn’t want to leave, oh Faranth, why wouldn’t anyone help them!? Closing his eyes and trying to close his ears to the screams he knew would be happening any second, S’lain climbed onto Jaxith, holding the woman before him as best he could and leaning down to clear the tree as the blue launched off, gliding down to make a water landing a safe distance away.

[Kisha-Ra]

Azrath wheeled sideways, as far as he could see there weren’t many dragons left for him to attack, most of them were vanishing as their riders suffered fatal injuries from the dragons, riders, and singular wher down on the ground.

Among the scents of blood, ichor, strange chemicals and death Azrath caught a new component. Fire. Burning wood. Even with a dragon’s poor night vision he could see the starting blaze in the infirmary now that he looked down. Dismissing his battle plans the blue dropped, and pulled up again sharply as a benden brown streaked by, and flamed.

Flame.

The whole building was blazing now. Azrath, lit clearly by the orange glow of firelight, bellowed and went for the landing platform. His rider wasn’t in there but he could carry others out, just not between. The landing platform was getting to be a bit of a squash with all the dragons, riders, and rescued patients. Somehow he landed safely and stood, patiently waiting for passengers. Hurry up in there.[/color] He felt the need to broadcast at those still in the infirmary as if the knowledge he was waiting would spur the injured to make a better effort.. Come to the dragon entrance. I wait.[/color] Azrath would wait as long as he could for anyone who could still make it out.


In the water below the infirmary Ylonth rolled around and swam in various directions, trying to get rid of both any fellis contamination and the highly irritating rider who was still ripping holes in the blue’s wings despite being half drowned. At first neither combatant noticed the flames above them. It was only when the rider paused and looked up at a flaming brown dragon, one that winked between, that Ylonth thought to look up. What he saw panicked the dragon further than fear of death. Fire.

Somehow the sight sent him into a calmer kind of panic, he dived as deep as he could, forcing the young man clinging to him to let go and swim away before the blue drowned or savaged him. Ylonth circled the infirmary, he couldn’t fly with so many rents in his wings but he could grab anyone who came out of the windows, keep them from drowning, run away with them.

[dragon]

Crevy looked to Aliscia for a moment, then then nodded slightly. "I'll try." She got to her own feet, quite releived to be out of that place. Though she took a moment to stare back at it as it went up in an even bigger inferno. She hoped people would be able to get out of that ... she felt lucky to have gotten out... what with her having been in the room with no windows.

And then she turned to her poor, ragged wher. "Crevesk. Get up, love. We have to move." She moved to push on the green wher, but didn't. The wher's skin looked awful. Boiled in places, rent in others. And her face was a mess. It was a good thing she had not been pretty before, because she surely would not have been anymore. This new set of injuries nearly obliterated the scarring she'd accumulated from past injuries. And that was saying something.

Crevesk grumbled about it, but did eventually push to her feet. She would go ... but only if they hurried. Crevy looked to Aliscia again. "Alright... lead on." She said, quietly. It was plain to her that she would not be going home any time soon. Not with Crevesk in her current condition.

---

Aonith walked to the nearest weyr on ground level that she could see, back twinging in protest to carrying anyone atop the gaping wound there. But she held her silence, moving stealthily as she could. She did not want to attract unwanted attention, even if it did seem that Benden was falling back ... or dying off. Walking into the weyr she'd found, she crouched down for her two passengers to climb off. Easy there. She mentioned, trying to hold steady for them.

[Rei]

E’rro’s words where a confusing mesh of sound but he pressed the offered cloth to his neck and lurched forward. The desire to escape the heat and pain was almost instinctive. As he staggered towards the chaos of the exit, a cold flash of air heralded Hero’s arrival. Winging out in front of his bonded, the bronze chirped encouragement as the candidate slowly made his way toward Ciceroth.

Stumbling to the bronze’s side he looked up at him and blinked. Holy cow how was he gonna get up there when he could barely feel his legs? Hero shrieked as the blaze suddenly seemed to intensify the heat becoming unbearable. The screams of the dying were mixing with the roar of the flames, and the candidate shuddered as he pulled himself up onto Ciceroth with help from some unknown rider.

The rest was a blur of activity that the candidate really couldn’t process. Next thing he knew they where in the air heading away from the horrible place. Hero clung to Danar’s back crooning softly. It was over. All over.