The Journey.

Autumn. In The East Of The Continent.

"Fuck" mutters Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit as he ducks down as a fireball sprays alongside the starboard side of the Quick Gull. The wards protecting the small airship, barely repel that spell.
"I can't hold the damn barrier up for much longer" says Mira Reinholt the mage who has ducked down beside the halfling who is from the Sultanate of Dreese, which is on the far east coast of the continent.
"Fuck it" mutters the once powerful mage who creates a mageglobe, and biffs it overboard.
The small round globe of living magic takes off from the Quick Gull, heading aft, streaking across the sunny sky, on this cool early autumn morning.
Behind the halfling and the human spellcaster from the Southlands, on the slightly raised aft deck, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy who has just left fly an arrow from his longbow, shouts "Dive!".
Both the captain and the helmsman push forward on the wheel, as the captain shouts out orders, and the Quick Gull, formerly in the Sultanate of Dreese's fleet, dives downwards at an angle.
The mage Reinholt grabs Jarjin Littlefoot who starts to slide forward along the deck as it starts to slope down as the small airship starts to dive.
"Thanks" mutters the hobbit who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of Jarjin Littlefoot, who is a former air sailor from the Sultanate of Dreese.
"Where the fuck is Helbe?" asks the halfling, who has to repeat that in common, as he initially said it in the hobbit language.
"Fuck if i know" says the mage who is from the city-state of Vexil, his homeland in the Southlands, that he's in exile from.
Then the two of them look straight up into the sky as the Quick Gull continues to dive, as they hear a loud crack.
Above them an airship is breaking apart, obviously from the magical keel that they see has split.
"There he is i guess" says the spellcaster who also happens to be highly talented swordmaster.
Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman grunts as they watch the twin masted airship, about five hundred feet above them, break into two, then break apart even more.
Then as Mira's mageglobe explodes against the bow of a following airship, destroying the wards infront of that vessel, and setting the front of that particular ship on fire.
The mage Reinholt shouts out "Beldane the wards to starboard!".
As the Quick Gull starts to level out again, and turn to starboard to avoid the falling debris of the ship that has broken apart above them.
Beldane the cleric who is in the bow, increases the strength of the starboard side barrier spells, that have almost depleted.
Next to the cleric, the war engineer Tovis is pulling on a sheet with two of the crew. Keeping the line taunt, so that the foresail continues to billow and catch the wind.
Then Beldane, who is a member of the church of Glaine, swings his mace, and casts a holy strike spell.
The next moment, a shaft of white light shoots down out of clear sunny sky, and hits an airship forward, and below the Quick Gull.
The shaft of white light, slams down through the wards protecting that particularly vessel.
It slams into the deck towards the bow, and punches down through the airship, all the way through below deck, and smashes out through the underside of the hull.
That vessel turns quickly away to port, to try and avoid taking any more damage.
In a midships of the Quick Gull, Mira Reinholt helps Jarjin Littlefoot to his feet.
And as he stands back up, the hobbit from the far east coast of the continent, looks around then asks "Where's Farque?" the former air sailor in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese adds "Where did you send him?".
The Vexilian mage in exile, who is draining a spell gem for power, quickly nods away to starboard, and says "There" followed by "That battlecruiser".
Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson looks that way, just as the large airship the once powerful mage mentioned, explodes, in a fiery explosion that lights up the morning sky.
"Fuck" mutters the halfling former air sailor as the burning debris of the battlecruiser falls from the sky.
Then both he and Mira Reinholt shake their heads, as a dragon flies through the burning debris, heading down through the air.
"Who would of thought it" quietly says Jarjin Littlefoot, who then adds in a tone of disbelief "Dragon riders".
Next to him, the once powerful mage nods his hooded head in agreement, as he too can hardly believe that there's dragon riders.
They're a few hundred miles north of the southern coast of the continent. In or that should be, above a kingdom by the name of Terrindim.
One of the many nations, that their maps and charts don't show much of. And which none of them have ever been to before. As they continue to journey back westwards to the Southlands.
Here in this kingdom, still in the eastern half of the continent. They find themselves in the middle of an air battle.
Between who. They're not too sure. Just that both sides, who are attacking each other. Are also attacking them.
They're not the only innocent party to be attacked. A merchant vessel about two miles away to the east. Has hit the ground, and broken apart after being attacked by a warship on one or the other side.
Another merchant's ship, to the north, nearly four miles away, which was flying south. Is fleeing to the north, as the battle takes up a fair bit of the sky above this area of the kingdom of Terrindim.
With dozens and dozens of vessels on both sides of the conflict trying to blast each other out of the sky.
With the Quick Gull stuck in the middle of it. The only reason the small airship that was formerly in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese is still in one piece.
Is because the small, sleek looking vessel is so quick. And that the warring airships don't have magetubes. Though they have plenty of spellcasters to dish out damage to those vessels on the opposing side.
But what's most unique about the battle the Quick Gull finds itself in the middle of. Is that there's dragons fighting on either side.
Dragons with riders too. Something that none of them have ever seen before, or even heard of. Dragons with riders, like a tamed wyvern has a rider.
But these are definitely dragons, as they're far larger than any wyvern. The fact that they spew fire, and cast spells. And are immune to direct magic. Show that they're definitely dragons.
Mira Reinholt, who never thought he'd see a dragon let someone ride them. For the simple fact dragons are a proud race. Nearly all powerful, who don't usually get along with others.
The Vexilian mage in exile, who was taught by one dragon at the mage college of Vexil.
And made friends with another dragon when he was living in the city of Leeabra, which is the capital of the kingdom of Druvic in the Southlands.
A dragon that he turned on, who would go on and bite off his left arm below the elbow, and then briefly kill him.
Looks at the falling burning debris of the battlecruiser, and slightly frowns as he thinks he spots something.
"What's that?" asks the once powerful mage who points as he knows the halfling has far superior eyesight compared to his.
As he looks to where the mage Reinholt is pointing, Jarjin Littlefoot murmurs "Fucking hell by the tundra gods".
The hobbit who is a former air sailor from the far eastern coastal nation of Dreese, shakes his head and says "It's him" as he watches lord Farque diving down through the air as burning debris falls down all around him.
As he freefalls through the sky, lord Farque glances up and to the left, and spots the Quick Gull about a thousand feet away.
The small, sleek looking airship that the others, with the exception of Helbe the elven thief are onboard. Is being pursued by an airship, that has it's bow on fire.
While another warship, is turning further to port of it, to give chase to the small, single masted airship that was formerly in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese.
The undead warlord can't worry about them at the moment. He's got other things to contend with. Not least of which, is falling out of the sky.
The heavily armoured deathlord extends his left arm, and left leg out to the side to change his trajectory.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque glances that way, as he steers himself in that direction.
Then the undead being, who also has the name of Draugadrottin which he's known by to the people of his lands.
Reaches out, and grabs a hold of a fairly substantial sized chunk of the battlecruiser's hull.
He hauls himself onto the burning debris, that's so big, that he can stand upon it, and run across it.
And as he runs across the burning chunk of hull, that's slowly rotating. And a screaming air sailor or soldier goes dropping by, just behind the debris.
The lord of the death realm runs through the flames, and when he gets to the edge of the burning debris, he pushes off it as hard and as far as he can as he leaps away.
Behind the faceplate of his full headed helm, lord Farque faintly smiles as he launches himself away from the large chunk of burning debris. He draws his sword from across his back as he does so.
The deathlord of Farque goes out about eighty feet before he starts to fall again.
He doesn't fall too far, just a hundred feet or so. Not that far, considering he's still about three thousand feet above the ground at the moment.
Lord Farque then crashes down onto the back of the dragon that just destroyed the battlecruiser he was on.
The undead warlord who was intending to destroy the battlecruiser himself. Stands as the dragon roars, and turns it's head to see what's on it's back.
The rider in the saddle on it's neck. Turns and looks too, to see what's happening.
What they see is the large, heavily armoured figure of lord Farque swing his massive sword, that has near six and half foot long blade, down at the back of the red coloured dragon.
"I bet that hurt" murmurs Jarjin Littlefoot with a grimace as he and the mage Reinholt watch the dragon roar in pain as lord Farque attacks it.
"Hell" mutters Mira Reinholt the mage as the dragon twists and turns, trying to dislodge the unwelcome passenger on it's back that's attacking it.
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil in the Southlands, who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster quickly looks around.
And as they're not being directly attacked at the moment. As the crew on the airship to stern, is too busy trying to extinguish the fire on it's bow.
He decides to help the undead warlord, who strikes the red dragon again, which once more roars in both pain and anger.
The mage, who like Jarjin aka Zubutai the son of Timagin beside him, is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Knows that he can't directly effect the dragon with magic. As dragons are immune to spellcraft and magic. So the exiled Vexilian mage attacks it indirectly.
Basically using up all the power he just drained from one of the spell gems he's got.
The mage Reinholt levitates a large chunk of the burning hull of the battlecruiser that was just destroyed.
Infact it's the same chunk of burning debris that the deathlord of Farque used to launch himself off.
The fairly substantial sized piece of the destroyed battlecruiser goes hurtling sideways and downwards through the air, going straight for the red dragon, that's gone into near vertical dive in attempt to dislodge the undead warlord.
Holding onto one of the spiny protrusion sticking out of the back of the red dragon.
Lord Farque, who is still kind of upright as the dragon has gone into a straight dive towards the ground.
Ducks down as low as possible, and a large chunk of burning debris from the destroyed battlecruiser barely misses him, as it comes hurtling down through the air.
It slams into the dragon rider, who turns around as he hears the burning debris approaching.
The dragon rider is wiped off the neck of the dragon, and the substantial sized chunk of the burning hull, slams into the back of the dragon's head.
And though the wards of the naturally magical creature protect it from the impact of the burning chunk of hull that hits it.
The burning debris as it shatters apart, severely depletes the natural wards the dragon has up.
So much so, lord Farque lets go off the spiny protrusion he's holding onto, and he dives down through the air, with his sword, The Sword of Power extended out infront of him.
The lord of the death realm, who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates to, The Destroyer.
Slams into the back of the dragon's head, driving his sword into the base of it's skull.
The six and half foot long blade goes through the remaining wards as if they're not there.
And it goes through the thick natural armour, which is pretty much impenetrable to anything apart from the claws and fangs of other dragons. With relative ease too, going into the brain of the naturally magical creature, killing it instantly.
The dragon's wings, which have a total span of about hundred and fifty feet, fold up as it starts to tumble down out of the sky.
As the now dead, naturally magical creature plummets out of the sky. Lord Farque who holds onto the hilt of his sword, that's still in the skull of the red dragon.
Looks up into the sky as the dead dragon twists and turns as it heads towards the ground below.
The heavily armoured deathlord quickly searches for the small, sleek airship that he and the others are traveling on, he soon finds the Quick Gull as he and dead dragon head downwards.
"Can you get him?" asks Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit as they stand in a midships at the starboard rail, looking down at the red dragon that's plummeting towards the ground.
"He might be a bit too far" mutters Mira Reinholt the mage, who then shouts to those on the aft deck "Dive!".
Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy moves forward and helps the captain and the helmsman to push the wheel forward on it's plinth. Hoping it doesn't snap as the Quick Gull goes into a dive.
Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman clings onto the starboard rail which he can just reach as the small, sleek looking airship that was previously in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese goes into a steep dive..
While next to him, the mage Reinholt, who is draining one of his remaining spell gems of power.
Carefully watches the plummeting dragon, that lord Farque is still on.
"Come on" murmurs the once powerful mage in encouragement as he waits to get within range so that he can cast.
Having disabled another of the warships that has turned towards the Quick Gull.
Helbe the elven thief as he floats in the morning sky looks around, and spots one of the dragons about a couple thousand feet away to his left. Hovering over an airship, which it's destroying with it's breath of flame.
Spell after spell hit the bright orange coloured dragon, all to no avail.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, which lies off the coast of the Southlands.
Shakes his hooded head as he sees the rider in the saddle at the base of the neck of the dragon, is giving it instructions.
Ponting to where they should go to next, as the airship that just attacked. Falls out of the sky, breaking apart, completely engulfed in flames.
The highly talented elven magic user, who is blurred and shielded as he floats in the air.
Keeps himself well away from the dragons. And though he's helped kill not one, but two dragons in the past. Both were badly damaged and wounded when he killed them.
He's seen four of them in this mid air battle, two on each side.
And from his best guess, there's nearly eighty airships in the sky this morning over this part of the kingdom of Terrindim. Split basically evenly between the two sides who are at war with one another.
The elven masterthief looks away to his right, and the warship that's in pursuit of the Quick Gull. A warship with it's bow engulfed in flames, that the crew are frantically trying to put out.
The young elven noble who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel is just about to shift to the underside of that warship, and bring it down by shattering it's magical keel.
When on his right shoulder, Narladene the ground pixie shouts "Down there!".
The elven master assassin looks straight down, beyond the diving Quick Gull.
"Shit" mutters Helbe the elven thief when he spots the dead dragon plummeting towards the ground.
The highly talented elven magic user who has the ability to cast multiple spells at once, and with ease.
Casts a quick, or speed spell upon himself. So he's able to do a lot more things at once, and far more quickly than he usually would.
Then the elven princeling from the Southlands, casts a mind blast spell upon the captain of the warship that is in pursuit of the Quick Gull, easily going through the protective wards of that vessel.
And even before the captain of that airship drops dead to the deck. The elven master archer has shifted away. Heading downwards towards the ground at an incredible rate of knots.
On the dead dragon that's falling quickly out of the sky, heading towards the ground.
Lord Farque who has a hold of his sword that's still in the skull of the dragon as it twists and turns uncontrollably in it's final flight towards the ground.
Who senses everything going on around him, in the air battle. Quickly glances upwards, then rips his family's sword out of the head of the dead dragon, and leaps upwards into the air when it's just a few hundred feet above the ground.
And as the undead warlord gets to the top of his leap, and the dead dragon slams into the ground.
The heavily armoured deathlord finds himself floating in the air.
"Thanks" says lord Farque "No problem" says Helbe the elven thief who is floating beside Des'tier.
While below them on the ground, is the body of the dragon the undead warlord killed.
While above them in the early autumn morning sky, the air battle continues to rage on between the two warring sides, that they and the others on the Quick Gull find themselves in the middle of . . . . . .