What If...

[Pyrok]

Some of you probably noticed a familiar face among you at some point of your day. It brought back a story
I was thinking of when the tomes giving an outline of what happened during the Dragon War were
written.
Granted its a little... unprofessional, but I'm no bard or story teller. If I had a way to show the flashes
of imagery I had while writing it, it might make more sense. But alas, there is no such way. (Not that anyone would like to see inside my head I'll wager)

I couldn't think of a proper title, as what I'm about to show is basically as far as I originally wrote. Maybe.... Maybe a person from each realm can write from their realm's point of view. I leave what happens up to you, could be interesting no?
Here goes.
(Side note: There's some embellishment here, it just makes for a more... interesting story in my opinion.)
----------------------------

The wyverns and drakes surfaced first, coming from where only Karakus and other deities like Himself know where. Powerful creatures they were, and they took
the passersby unawares at first, their surprise staying their hands, freezing their cries in their throats, and stopping their hearts. Traders spoke of them, not directly
but they complained that they had to increase the amount of guards protecting their caravans when they traveled the Great South Road.
Some of us questioned the presence of these wyrms, thinking that maybe their more powerful kin were coming soon after. Aye, I mean Dragons.

Think for a moment, the only dragons we Akanbarians ever see are those tamed and controlled by the Elysian Wardens, and I've yet to see someone
who enjoys being on the receiving end of one of those monsters. There is tale that the ice dragon is not the strongest dragon available to the Wardens, talk
of dragons deep in the core of Akanbar. Reasonably so, as there is records of Karakus' children slipping into the depths, hiding from his remorseful killing.
The lore admits it, and I have little reason to doubt it.
So what do we do, should they arise? I have only the foggiest clue, I can hardly match powers with Mordikhan alone, even with my arts. Likely the
Golgonians and Elysians will take similar routes, and attempt to tame them, bend them to their will, Ysallyrans will send them into the Shadows, as
their ancestors did, leaving them for the beings and the Beast that lurk in that realm. Possibly to even leave further monsters in the dark Paths, for the Forsaken to
encounter.

Perhaps a fable is in order, a potential future for Akanbar based on the "what if" of the Dragons returning to the surface world, and hunting us
humans as we hunted them originally.


It was sudden, they came from everywhere, places we travelled frequently, places we could not access easily and places that were impossible
to traverse to. The walls of Elysium were closed to the non winged variety, their large gilded silver and iron gates were assailed immediately, and
the flying kin filled their skies. Wardens summoned their own dragons, and kin did battle with kin in the sky, the drumrolls of thunder filling the air
the Templars manned the gates, fighting valiantly and chanting their battle hymns against Dragons of every kind imaginable, fire dragons,
kryllian dragons, and thunder drakes lashed their tails and smote their powers against the Elysian gates and the Templars, the horn of Elysium sounded
long and loud. Even their harbour betrayed them, giving the great leviathans, dragons of the deep, an easy avenue of attack, Runesmiths and their g
olems fought, their rune stones flashing in the setting sun.
Elsewhere, Golgonath was also under seige from wyrms of an era long passed. The Inner Circle turned to their darkest powers, and broke the
seal between the Underworld, unleashing the hounds of hell, great daemons, and other dark fiends to aid them in their battle. Pyromancers
rose into the sky, their dark spirits filling the sky, and tangling with the Nether drakes flying above, hurling great balls of flame at them. The Flame
of the Underworld was just a small campfire they consumed so much power from it. The Forsakens fearlessly leapt from the palisades, their
talons cutting great gashes into zombie dragons, the dragons fetid breath rotting all it touched, eating away at the armor of the Legionairres'
black armor, but still their swords sliced through the air, and they still called upon the power of their dark Lord, Vorrakkar.

If one were to look to the north, to Ysallyra Forest, one would think the Ysallyrans escaped unharmed from this savage attack from the Dragon-kin.
Even in times as these, Ysallyra Forest remains a deceptive place.
The Forest of Ysallyra was empty, save for the ring of steel, the rustle of leaves and sound of boulders tumbling from Mount Fyriach.
The Dragons sent into the Shadow Realm had returned, changed by the hostile environment inside that eternal twilight. They became
Shadow dragons, little more than great glowing eyes, talons and fangs in a dragon shaped mass of shadow. Gangs of Assassins dropped from
tree tops, onto the backs of these twisted beasts, their daggers flashing as they sunk into the shadowy flesh below them. Warriors ducked and rolled
when the wyrms lashed out, retaliating for the great wounds their battle axes created. Changed by Shadow as they were, they still bled and their
blood still burned where it landed.
The Shamans, long secretive unleashed their power, sinking what they could into quicksand, encasing their allies in protective stone cocoons,
and healing what wounds they could.
The Dragons returned, and the denizens of Akanbar were fighting for their very survival.


Dragons hardly tire, they could fight for days on end, the peoples of Elysium, Ysallyra and Golgonath could as well, but their strength faded
with each passing day. The mind was willing, but the body was not.
Elysium abandoned their great alabaster walls, retreating to the Templar guildhouse, a fortress within a fortress. They barred the gates, the Wardens
and Runesmiths set up barriers against the dragons, and they prepared their numbers for a second push.
Ysallyra did the same, retreating into Mount Fyriach, the Shamans sealing the entrance with a landslide, and with the help of the Arch Druid Meldorno
severed the Pools of Shadow from the Shadow Realm. In the Great Circle of Obelisks, the Ysallyrans recouperated, licking their wounds like wolves.
In Golgonath, the Forsakens and some Legionairres held back the tides of the Dragon-kin, while the rest of their numbers were ordered back, to regroup
at the Great Altar, and the Black Tower. A secret passage known only to the Inner Circle allowed the two to communicate, and help keep control on their
Underworld allies.
The Three Realms all retreated to safe havens, wounded, but not beaten. Not by a long shot.

[ahmad]

XD Thats an awesome story. You should totally continue writing it. Really enjoyable read

[Pyrok]

Well, i did dream up more of the plot just before i slept, so there might be more.

[Pyrok]

What If... part 2

Now comes the time for me to name names, some of these names may not actually hold these positions, some of these names may not exist. I am simply
a storyteller, and for the moment, these people that I name will hold their positions only in writing, and in the fancies of their minds, it holds no merit
in real life. (In less flowery speech, just because I name you as say... the Master of Golgonath, doesn't mean I think you've got the makings of one.)
On a side note, if I misspell some part of your name or title, I apologize in advance.
-----------------------------


With the Dragons assailing their walls, the leaders of the Sun, Shadow and Demon realms all put their heads together and tried to make sense of
what had happened.
In Elysium, the Senate and Procounsul turned to their Wardens, their wealth of dragon lore suddenly invaluable.
Ichiban Kawahara, Praetor of the Military and High Templar stepped forward in the spartan halls of the Templar Chapterhouse, looking at Lawrence, Master
of the Four Winds.
"Lawrence, tell me you have a means to tame these new dragons, or at least a method of destroying them so that they will not harm us again."
Lawrence was silent for a time, his face drawn in deep thought. Slowly, as if he were weighing each word before speaking them he spoke:
"The dragons that we have now tamed, lesser, greater, fire and ice have all submitted to our commands of their own free will, bonding with the
Wardens out of respect more than anything. They were the dragons that did not wish us harm. The fact that there are other fire dragons at our
walls proves somewhat otherwise."
Lawrence paused a moment, considering his next sentence momentarily. He stood from his chair, and began pacing the room, his robes billowing
out behind him, and the staff of his office clanking on the floor like a third foot.
"Taming them may be out of the question. That is to say we will not try. Some of my more adept dragon lore Wardens said that their dragons
felt the rage of their kin, senseless and directionless. They could be only descendants of the survivors of the Dragon War. But as for destroying
the Dragons... elementally, we could defeat them with their opposing element. Fire to water, lightning to earth. I'd have to speak to Ilena about it."
Ichiban rubbed his temple, still slightly reeling at the thought the Dragons had returned in his lifetime, and feeling a little bit out of his depth with the Warden,
physical defense was his charge, the only arcane dealings he deals with in his position are the placement of the Wardens maintaining the gate wards.
"How much time... no, you don't have much time Lawrence. Soon these Dragons will overwhelm the defences on the Chapterhouse, and it will
be another bloodbath. Find a means to tame or destroy these Dragons, quickly. I don't care what it takes, I will not let these creatures ruin our
city."

Golgonath held a similar meeting in the Black Tower, the Audience Chamber of the Master of Golgonath was filled with the members of the Inner Circle, the guild leaders and the
more trusted Barons of the Realm. Lacking a Master or Mistress for the time being, that position was being filled by the Dark Lady Herself, Taezel. For a Goddess
to descend from the heavens, and oversee the events of the meeting was a hint to just how far this attack from the Dragon-kin shook the foundations of Akanbar.
"We seem to be attacked by the very things that comprise our realms. Our sources have reported that Ysallyra was attacked by Shadow Dragons, the
Elysians-" Dimetrius, Master of the Gold paused to make a disgusted face at the mention of their mortal enemies "The Elysians were attacked by thunder drakes,
and kryllian wyrms, and we were attacked by Nether and zombie dragons. It's like an ironic strike from the past."
Lady Taezel gestured to Her Master of War, Veran who sat farther down the long table, some poultices on the wounds suffered from the corrupting breath of the zombie
dragons, his chest plate sitting behind him, still smoking from battle.
"And you Veran, what say you about these Dragons?"
"My Lady, these Dragons are like nothing we have faced before, our Flame has dwindled to little more than a spark, and it takes ten good men to take
down one of these monsters, minimum, and even then that's still a hard fought battle. Mordikhan pales in comparison to what lay seige to our
walls today."
Aradiance, Keeper of the Secret Flame cleared her throat, and at a nod of assent from Taezel spoke her peice.
"Lady Taezel, Veran speaks true of the Flame, we are even throwing our own fallen soldiers into the Flame, just to keep it alive. It's difficult to keep
up with the demands of our guild, the Dragons keep eating the corpses of whatever falls in combat. Golgonian, villager, even their own kind. The zombie Dragons
are the worst for it, they eat their attackers whole, and recover from their wounds as if they never happened."
Lady Taezel frowned at this news, Dragons can regenerate much like a lizard regrowing a lost limb. But with the Dragon zombies eating their prey they would prove
to be the most dangerous of all they'd face.
There was really only one solution for Golgonath's Dragon enemies, drag them into the Underworld, where the Golgonian soldiers can fight to their full power.
"Open the seal on the Underworld, and lead them in with you. Any shortcomings you may have will be removed, Pyromancers will not need to consume more of the Flame,
Forsaken will be able to meld even further with the symbiote, and the Legionairres can make good on some of the more powerful pacts they could not perform before."
Most of the Circle looked at one another in eager surprise, no one had ever actually been to the Underworld, at least not to public knowledge. A chance to go where no Golgonian
has gone before, a chance to have true power, a chance to defeat the Dragons utterly.
"The Lady's will be done."

Ysallyrans paced back and forth in their mountain stronghold, the Chieftains were in a side chamber speaking with Meldorno. Some of the Ysallyrans had set their shadows
to watch outside the landslide, and kept a sharp eye on the azure crystals littered around the room. Ysallyrans could only sit and wait, while the Council made their decision.
"This waiting is killing me, Strum. What do you see with your shadow?"
Sturm closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them rapidly, he grunted in a noncommital way.
"They still prowl around the mountain, looking for an entrance somewhere, a weakness. Pyrok, where's your shadow hiding?"
"Oh the usual places, I want to know what the other realms are doing about this. Elysium's got Lawrence and his Wardens working on a solution."
"Oh? What kind?" asked Sturm
"One that I seriously doubt will work, well, one part at least. They want to try to tame them first." snorted Pyrok, finishing crafting an arrow.
"Filch and Vlar say they've got a toxin that should immobilize them long enough for us to put them in the grave."
"Cline got talked out of digging some tunnels by Cotter, too many places for them to sneak in through." mentioned Zuul, looking back down the dark tunnel to the outside.
"I just want the Council to finish up. Then we can figure out what to do." muttered Tenkai, leaning on his longsword.
Pyrok and Strum looked towards the darkened anteroom, leading into Lady Anath's Temple. Both wondered what exactly was going on in there.

Drogo scratched his head, completely flummoxed by the new turn of events. Dragons are nothing new, Mordikhan was frequently beaten into submission, so
these new Shadow Dragons had everyone in Ysallyra, the Council especially, grasping at straws.
"So, anyone got any ideas?" asked Drogo, his voice tinged slightly with hope.
Cotter, his thinking pipe firmly between his teeth, watched the smoke rings float through the air, his mind racing to find some sort of solution. Aishaa had a similar look,
though minus the pipe.
"We can barely scratch these Dragons, our blades just... pass right through, and any hit we do score is just healed by the presence of the Shadows." muttered Khole
"It's a definite dilemma." agreed Cotter, "We've only got a temporary solution so far with the crystals and sun orbs, thank the Gods for small blessings."
Meldorno was seated on a rock, his eyes showing the storm brewing with his thoughts. Being the master of Shadows, he was being looked to for guidance, help of any kind really.
But in all his years in the Shadow Realm he never encountered such beings, the power the Shadow Dragons wielded made the Shadow Beast look like a bear in comparison.
After a few minutes of thought laden silence, Meldorno spoke and this is what he said.
"We need to summon the Beast, we must convince it to aid us. Fight fire with fire, or in this case, Shadow with Shadow."
Khole shook his head, his thoughts plain in his speech.
"The Beast is only one being, how are we going to find more like it?"
Meldorno chuckled, a strange sound given the gravity of the situation.
"The Shadow Beast is not just one being, there are more like it, if you know where to look."
"So, summon the Beast then..." mused Drogo
"We have co-existed with the Beast before, I don't think it would be to difficult to convince it to aid us this one time."

Back out in the cavern, Pyrok finished filling his quiver full of arrows, and a spare quiver hung off of his tiger. Most of the other Warriors thought his plan of taking on the Shadow Dragons
was insane, but he still had the support of a couple others. Twin had returned from the Shadows after a long absence, and despite the circumstances, quickly remembered his training.
Filch wasn't exactly going to let Pyrok have all the fun either, likewise for Thomas, he and his guard both carrying longbows.
"So, the plan is to gate out, shoot like crazy and retreat to... where?" asked Filch, strapping his bandolier over his armor.
"I was thinking Carmena, there of all places should be safe from attack." replied Pyrok, not really having considered that part of his plan yet.
"And if we can't?" asked Twin, knowing full well that Pyrok never plans things well enough.
"Gate somewhere, and pray to Anath that it's far enough away."
"One problem, Thomas can't gate moron." teased Filch
Pyrok was silent a moment, his face churning with thoughts.
"...Fine, we play it by ear and hope to survive? That better?"
"You were hoping Luck would smile upon you again?" asked Thomas, his face apprehensive, and partly wishing he was a Warrior again.
"A smile from any higher being would be greatly appreciated.." muttered Pyrok.

[Dimetrius]

Love it!

Keep it coming, this is good.

[Pyrok]

Mankind now musters their might, and marshals their forces preparing to strike back at the Dragons, if mankind were to fall, mankind will sell their lives very dearly.
Survival is the ultimate goal, and our deepest instinct.
-----------------------

Back inside Fyriach, the Council had been moved to the Grove of Shadows, Lady Anath, Goddess of the Wilderness wishing to have the discussion
face to face.
"It's as Meldorno said, this is something we did not expect, nor even really... believe could happen. The Shadows are home to the Beasts, but there has
never been reports of seeing Dragons in there, not even skeletons." said Cotter, Drogo and the others nodded in agreement.
"The Shadows are a constantly changing place, occasionally new paths open in the darkness, changing the maps we have all learned. It is likely that
these Dragons have been hidden in an unexplored area of the Shadows." said Anath, a thoughtful tap of Her forefinger on Her cheek.
"These talks of where they came from are getting us no closer to how we send them back, or at least find a method of vanquishing them." said Khole, his temper flaring slightly.
Drogo had been silent since the meeting had been moved, suddenly he gave a grunt of surprise that quickly turned into a gale of laughter.
"What now?" asked Aishaa, arching an eyebrow driving the question further home.
"Two things. Firstly, seems that nut Pyrok has convinced Twin, Thomas and Filch to attack the greater Dragons circling the summit-
Everyone present gave a collective groan and simultaneously sighed at yet another of Pyrok's hare-brained schemes.
"And secondly, the answer has been staring us in the face for the past two hours. It's so painfully obvious." Drogo laughed when he finished.
"And that would be?" asked Aishaa
"The Dragons are made of Shadow, and what are most Ysallyrans extremely adept at controlling?"
The other three Council members looked at one another, the peices of the puzzle clicking into place for them all at the same moment. Lady Anath chuckled quietly, and nodded
at Drogo.
"You're right, the answer has been staring us in the face ever since they came. We can control them, or at least influence what they do." said Anath, Her smile appearing on Her face.
"So what do we do about Pyrok's little stunt?" asked Khole
"Let him be, it's not like he's harming anyone, Twin, Thomas and Filch are all smart people they wouldn't have been duped into going along with Pyrok. If anything they went with
him to make sure he didn't kill himself." chuckled Cotter, thumbing the stem of his pipe.



In Elysium, Lawrence and his higher ranked Wardens had finished discussing a potential solution to the Dragon crisis. Ilena put forth the idea of forgetting
the notion of taming these new Dragons, their rage too great to be quelled by the words of man. Lawrence returned through a celestial gateway to the Chapterhouse,
discovering the fortress preparing for a seige.
Ichiban saw Lawrence enter, and after instructing some Runesmiths to brand the Templar's equipment. he approached him disguised hope on his face.
"Tell me you have a solution." Ichiban said, his hand twisting the pommel of his sword
"I spoke with Ilena, unfortunately, taming them is out of the question. The Dragons' rage is to great to be assuaged, we are going to have to kill them."
"Why... Why are they so angry?" Ichiban mused out loud.
Lawrence was silent a moment, staring off into the distance, through the walls, through everything.
"They've been in hiding for centuries, never seeing the light of day, cursing our names in their own language. We were nearly overwhelmed by them before, it was only by the hand of Lord Karakus that
we were saved before. Now we have to do it ourselves, and if Karakus can hear me, I hope He forgives me for what I'm about to say. I sincerely doubt He has the heart to kill His children a
second time."
"Their rage blinds them." said Ahmad, passing by with a bundle of staves in his arms. "Blinds them to the fact that we are not the humans that they fought so long ago, but descendants. Some of
us are paying dearly for what happened so long ago. As humans, the only thing we can do, is survive. Unfortunately, to do that we must kill these Dragons."
"You are certain you cannot calm them?" Ichiban asked of Lawrence, hoping against hope.
"In order to do that we'd have to get close to them, but the minute they lay sight upon us they attack without mercy. I'm sorry Ichiban, but for once there is no peaceful alternative to this."
Ichiban's shoulders slumped, and he sighed in resignation. Turning away from Lawrence and Ahmad, he spoke to the people gathered in the Inner Courtyard.
"Elysians, a day of savage attack has descended upon us. Many of us have fallen fighting the Dragons, who returned from their safe havens, and are blinded by their rage. We cannot calm them,
our Wardens can sense their anger, and know they will not listen. With that said, we must take up arms, and strike to defend our realm from destruction, when this battle is finished, those
who survived must rebuild that which has been destroyed, and those of us who fall shall be remembered by those who survive as heroes to the very end."
Ichiban paused for a moment, catching his breath. He looked down at the faces just below him, and saw no fear in anyone's face. His Templars' armor and blades gleamed in the rising sun. The
enchantments having held through the night, and gave them protection long enough to prepare for a solitary assault. Ichiban was not certain the assembled Elysians below would all return, yet
still they stood, the enchantments placed on his Templar's armor glowing faintly, the Wardens astride their own Dragons, the Runesmiths quietly giving their golems instructions, and the Merchants
who wished to fight checked their armor one last time.
"For the Glory of Elysium, and Glory to Lord Aten! May the Light shine upon us all!!" Ichiban yelled suddenly.

He drew the Sword of the Dawn as the sun's rays spilled into the Courtyard, and lifted it high above his head, and the assembled troops responded in kind, blades were drawn,
Dragons roared into the sunrise, and everyone cheered at the top of their lungs.
As if the enchantment took that as a signal, the protective wards faded from the walls of the Chapterhouse, and the Elysians launched themselves into battle, fighting
against the ancient Dragons, and fighting for their survival.



In Golgonath the great obsidian gates were opened, and the Dragons lead into the city, towards Victory Square. There a great rift, a tear between our world and that of the Underworld
writhed with power, several peasants from nearby villages were sacrificed to open the rift further to allow the Golgonians cross.
One might wonder if the Golgonians had considered that the rift worked two ways, they could go in, and demons from the Underworld could come through.
I answer thusly, of course they considered it, but it was not their concern. In their minds it just gave them even more of an edge when their Dragon problem was solved.
Using the lure of unarmed soldiers, they lured the undead Dragons closer to the rift, when suddenly it dawned on Veran's mind and the minds of several others that they could just shove
the Dragons through the rift and summon them at a later time.
"Why didn't we think of this before?!" yelled Zinerva, leaping backwards to avoid the gnashing teeth of the zombie Dragon.
"Because at the time-" Draith paused in mid sentence to duck behind his towershield, deflecting an attack from a Nether drake "At the time we were focused on
defeating them by arms, not by brains."
Veran rallied the Legionairres, and with the help of Draith, quickly formed a plan to push the Dragons into the rift. The Pyromancers focused what little power they all had and
released a large flash of fire, blinding all who looked at it. Quickly the Legionairres slammed their shields into the sides of the Dragons, shoving them slowly into the rift.
The Forsakens leapt forward, their talons raking across the necks of those few Dragons who happened to miss the fire flash, their blood oozing into the cobblestone streets.
The Nether drakes fell, as some enterprising Crafters slashed at their wings and hindlegs, taking a leaf out of the Assassins' book, anyone not occupied by pushing
the dazed Dragons into the Underworld, took up arms and slayed the Dragons without hesitation, mercy was not spared for any of these Dragons as they would have not given
any quarter.
With a final push, the last Dragon was pushed through the nexus, and into the Underworld, to be tamed by things far more powerful than themselves, and they will listen to
their demonic masters henceforth.
"Well, now that's turning a frown upside down." sniggered Zorax, wiping his gore stained longsword on his sleeve.
"How so?" asked Danzibe, licking blood off his talons
"We were nearly obliterated by Dragons, now we have the potential to summon them when we wish to crush those who oppose us." replied Aradiance, smoothing her robe.
A couple younger Pyromancers blinked, and pointed out the fact the nexus to the Underworld was still open.
Quickly, the Inner Circle assembled, along with the Guild leaders and performed the rites to seal it once more, trapping the Dragons on the other side.
"It is done, not quite as our Goddess commanded, but we still stand strong." nodded Veran, looking where the rift once was.
Aradiance approached the great body of one of the Nether drakes, beckoning to a few of her Pyromancers.
"Now we need to rebuild what they destroyed, the villages we control will supply the materials." said Dimetrius, emerging from underneath the wing of a truely dead zombie Dragon.
"And these corpses will relight our Flame, it will be as if this attack never happened." said Aradiance, using her magic to levitate the dead Dragons towards a diminished Flame.
"It never did happen", said Veran, sheathing his sword, "but the fact is we are now stronger because of it, and I do not think the Elysians have recovered as quickly as us."
"A good chance to strike, sir?" asked a Legionairre.
"A very good chance."
Veran turned with the rest of the Circle and Guild leaders, heading back to the Black Tower. Each of them had pushed the fight of the Dragons from their mind, returning to their original eternal battle
with the realm of Elysium. A crippling blow was going to be taken advantage of, as the undead ranks of Golgonath, like the Dragons, never slept, and never tired.


In the northern reaches of Akanbar, Ysallyra had finally managed to shackle the Shadow Dragons in their forest, and the greater Dragons flying above were brought down
by volleys of arrows they were now presented with another problem. What to do with their captive Dragons.
"I say leave them here, they can prove to be useful for those who wish to walk our Forest." said Vlar, pulling his cowl down to his neck.
"We don't control them, they'll attack us as well." said Meldorno, his gnarled Staff in hand, and watching the Dragons with a thoughtful gaze.
"Well we can't banish them back to the Shadow Realm, they came from there."
"A dilemma indeed." nodded Phoenix, his hands hidden in the arms of his robe.
Aishaa looked up from conferring with Menarrus, who brought a dusty ancient tome from somewhere in the Caverns of the Shamans.
"Menarrus may have a solution, but one that requires vigilance from all of us, and potentially the act of us reclaiming the Forest."
Drogo turned from discussing Pyrok's slip-shod plan with Pyrok, and looked at Aishaa.
"Let's hear it, I don't think nightfall is somewhere I'd like to be around these beasts."
"Petrify them, several of the Shamans together can encase them in everlasting stone."
"Like the Gods turning a person to stone?" asked Cotter, raising an eyebrow at this new information.
"Something like that, except these Dragons will not be as... restricted, we are going to have to seal them in their prison with azure crystals to
prevent them from moving anywhere."
"They cannot gate?" asked Khole, surprise in his voice
"If they could, they would have left the Forest by now, likely have left while we were in retreat." replied Meldorno, Menarrus nodded in agreement.
Aishaa gathered her Shamans to her, passing along the knowledge of petrification. In groups of four, the Shamans took positions at the shackled Dragons,
Menarrus conjured up several azure crystals, with the instructions to a nearby Alchemist to grind them into a powder without losing their enchantment, the
crystal dust was showered onto the Dragons, who screeched in agony as the azure powder touched their miasmic flesh. Grey coloured motes of light flowed
up from the ground, circling the Dragons then settling on them. In a flash of light and shadow, the Dragons were sealed in stone, to remain there for eternity unable
to return to the Shadows ever again.
"Now if we could only tame the Beast like we originally planned." mused Tenkai, the silence making his voice carry.
All the Ysallyrans burst into fits of laughter, and all was normal again in the Forest, or at least as normal as things can get in the Forest.


Ichiban planted his Sword into the ground, and leaned on it, panting heavily. The glow of a healing scripture faded from his body, along with the power of the runes etched into his armor. The last of
the Dragons that tried to destroy Elysium were being tracked down by the Wardens, but other than that Elysium had won. Rumors had filtered through the villages that Elysium might have
been hit the hardest, but that could have been just the draw of the tamed dragons in the care of the Wardens. Yet another mystery that would remain unanswered, or at least unasked.
One did not ask too many questions in the land of Akanbar, frequently the answers are not what you wanted, or are far too cryptic to be an answer.
"What does it matter, my city is safe, my people can stop living in fear. The reason does not need to be known, we just had to defend ourselves." Ichiban said, silencing the whirlwind
of questions in his head.
Lawrence and Ahmad landed on the ground nearby, their dragons shaking the ground with their weight. They dismounted and stood next to Ichiban on the hill near Elysium, surveying both
the dead Dragons littered on the scorched, gouged and torn up fields bordering Dassa and Elysium. Ahmad scratched the side of his head, a slightly confused look on his face, but any questions
he had remained unspoken, perhaps he too did not want to know the answers.
Lawrence turned to Ichiban, putting a hand on the Preceptor's shoulder.
"We did well Ichiban, now we can continue doing what we do, teaching our initiates, spreading the Virtues of Lord Aten to the outlying villages and ridding Akanbar of the demonic
menace."
"Perhaps, but we are going to be a little strained for a while, we have much rebuilding to do, in our city and those under our protection."
"The Merchants and Runesmiths are already hard at work rebuilding our walls, once we get those fixed we can look to slowly rebuilding inside the city."
Slowly the talk turned back to diplomacy, damage control and retribution to all Elysian villages involved, and a smattering of neutral villages. Elysian scholars would mark this
day as the end of the Second Dragon War, and the potential beginning of a new era in Akanbar. A new era, but much of it was still the same.


~~~~~~~==========================~~~~~~~

So, there it is, a "what if" of the Dragons returning in our life time, perhaps this isn't exactly how things will occur, perhaps we won't even see the return of the Dragons. Perhaps we will
all sprout wings and soar on the air, I don't know. It made for a good story though, "what if"s usually do turn into a good story, in spite of their short length.
Would we truely survive the return of the Dragons should they come? Well, my friend, that is something that should not be asked, and never answered....
I bid you farewell for now, maybe I'll sit and tell of another tale one day. Maybe.
----------------


Just when it was getting good huh?
FYI, this is the longest unchaptered short story I've written in a while. I might do more what if's in the future, so long as i can keep finding something in Akanbar to draw upon.

[Dimetrius]

Brilliant!

This was the best story I've read in a long time, kudos to you, Pyrok!

[Loren]

Bravo pyrok!

Twas a great story. hopefully you do come up with more.

[ahmad]

Brillant! that was beautifuly woven. You have to write more

[Vael]

I want in! Put me in da story! ^^

[Pyrok]

Too late, story's over. maybe next time.

[Pyrok]

Good news!

I'm making a new one, its different from the last.... completely different.
So, who wants in on this? Vael obviously.

[Chyren]

Woo! Count me in. Traveling swordsman at your service.

[Loren]

me too!! =D

[Timulty]

Heh, I wouldn't mind, though you probably don't know me well enough for anything more than a "walk on and die"