Exploring

[Valerie]

OC -- This is taking place AFTER the battle Draetrialis is in with the Rebelion.

IC -- Valerie padded down the corridor to the library in the castle. Once there, she grabbed a couple books, deciding to start with history to look for answers. But after looking for over half an hour, she still couldn't even find reference that the Shadowlands exists or even once existed. Well I know it exists, I just can't find books on it. She thought as she drew another couple history books to fruitlessly check. But she stopped short when she noticed there was something behind the books that was different than the wall. Now that's strange. She rubbed her hand on the odd looking material, noticing it was leather. She pulled out a few other books, allowing her to pull out the old, leather-bound book. Now this is strange. Well it was well hidden so it must be secret. So she took the book up to her room, allowing her to flip through the book without any unwanted eyes seeing it.

This is interesting. She thought as she flipped the page through the book that she now knew was about the history of the Shadowlands. I should just give the whole book to Drae. So she put the book into her leather side bag and was just about to leave to deliver the precious artifact when she yawned widely. Well, it'll do me no good to land in the middle of the fighting while only being half awake. So I guess I'll get some sleep. So instead of slinging her bag on her shoulder, she hid it in the nightstand that resided next to her bed and then flopped onto her bed for a short rest to regain her strength before she possibly engaged in fighting.

She woke up, feeling refreshed, even though she had no original intention of sleeping the whole night away. Oh well, I guess I'll just see if Drae is back yet. The Rebellion won't hold up long, not with the Shadow fighting against them.

She yawned and stretched, cracking her back in the process. Ah, that felt good. I'm not really geared up for fighting now...I guess I'll just head to the side courtyard that Drae likes to use the most. He has something against using the main one, something about discretion or something like that...like I care much. She shrugged at this and threw on a fresh gown and some of those soft-soled slippers she loved so much before heading off.

She was almost out of her room when she remembered the book she'd found. Can't be good to forget that. I guess I'll take it with me. So she reached into the nightstand she'd hid it in the previous night and slung it over her head to make sure it was secure.

She padded down the corridor, heading first and foremost to grab something to eat and then to the courtyard. But instead of having to go into the kitchen, she grabbed from one of the platters that the servants constantly left out and resupplied for dragons such as her who were hungry. Hmm, maybe this. So she grabbed her choice of meal and took it on the go to the courtyard.

Once there, she couldn't find Drae. Huh, odd. I guess maybe those stupid dark dragons actually put up a fight. Or were they too scared and hid like usual, I don't know. Either way though, he is most likely to come to this courtyard or he knows to find me here. So she took a seat on one of the concrete benches and settled in to eat her meal.

But a couple bites into it, she got bored and decided to take out her precious book and learn some more about the history while she waited. She flipped pages as she finished them, nibbling on her bun with meat and cheese the whole time.

The only time she put down her book was to brush the crumbs off of her gown and her hands. But she didn't have to worry about the book, she'd taken extra care to keep crumbs from falling on it, to help keep the condition of the must-be ancient book. Drae should know how old it is, or at least be able to figure it out better than me. She carefully book-marked her page with a leaf of a nearby tree before inspecting the condition of the magnificent find. I take one look at this thing and guess it as being old. That is not much of a find, I think even Lin could better date it than me. Oh well. She shrugged, dismissing her lack of judgment on the accuracy of the age of the book and went back to reading the interesting history of the Shadow Lands.

Though she didn't understand what most of it actually meant, since a lot of it pertained to activities/customs she couldn't even fathom, she still got the general gist that the Shadow Lands were troubled and were only blessed with short periods of peace (of which usually came after a war was fought). But she kept reading anyways, knowing that once Drae had the book, he probably wouldn't give it up for her to read since he also knew she had no clue what it meant and that it didn't particularly pertain to her. So she kept reading, waiting for her beloved to come back.

[Lin]

The air whooshed as Lin let her sword slice through the dummy in front of her. She was at the training grounds right now. After listening to the reports on the recent battle that had ensued on the frontlines, she needed to vent. Although sparring with a partner honed her skills better, Lin was afraid that she might get carried away and hurt someone. In another flash of movement, the dummy's head fell to the ground in a plop. Lin inhaled slowly before letting the breath escape through her lips. Her emotions had calmed and she had some control over them. In a swift motion she sheathed both her swords and exited the training grounds.

Lin didn't want to go back to the castle yet, although sparring had calmed her initially, she still needed a bit more time. Keeping her swords on her, Lin walked to the village markets to browse the stalls. After spending an hour or two looking and buying a few things, Lin headed back towards her home which lay in a more secluded part of the village. Once she had stored away her new bought items, Lin decided she was in a good enough mood to return to the castle.

The sun was still high in the sky; it was maybe a few hours away from noon. Perhaps she and Valerie could enjoy lunch together. Once Lin entered the castle, she went about looking for her dear friend. After looking around without finding her, Lin's mood was slowly regressing. "Excuse me, but do you know where Valerie is?" Lin asked a servant of the castle. The servant paused before replying, "I think someone saw her heading towards the courtyard." Lin thanked the servant and tipped him a small amount.

Lin walked back out of the castle towards the courtyard. There she found Valerie sitting on a bench with an old book in her lap. "Hello Val, what have you been…" As Lin approached Valerie she glimpsed the title of the book, "How did you get that?" Lin sat down next to Val still awestruck.

"That's The Lore of the Shadows of Light. It's supposed to be at least 800 years old. I've only read a little on it. It's supposed to hold secrets of what came before our race." Lin was still speechless. How had Valerie come across such a find?

[Valerie]

Valerie, slightly caught off guard (as she was too engrossed in her book to have noticed Lin coming) and, trying to cover up her jolt upright, she closed the old leather book. "Well actually I think you have a different book in mind. This one is only on the lore of the Shadow Dragons. It's really interesting, want to read it? I found it behind a few books in the history section of the castle library."

But now that she thought about it, it did seem strange that the book was found on Ammon grounds and not in the Shadows Lands, which is the content of the book. Interesting, it just may be the book Lin is referring to. I have never heard her wrong before, especially about books. If so, where is the section on us that she mentions? As she pondered this, she absentmindedly fiddled with the book in her hands, wondering what had happened to the book.

Then she had an idea and looked just within the first page of the leather cover, at the binding to be exact. "Hey, I was right. There were some torn pages out of this. I can't tell how many or where they went but there is some missing pages it seems to be." She handed Lin the book so she could have a closer look at it and try figure out roughly how much of the book they were in fact missing.

"But even more than just the idea of the fact there are pages missing, which answers why is this half here, where did the other pages go. Depending on the content of the missing pages, we could be onto a great find. If we found those pages, it could contain secret of how to train Elementally better and also how Drae should find the/train aspect powers (if he still is)." Valerie was getting excited but she refrained from letting it show. We haven't even found the other pages of the book yet, you cannot count your chickens before they hatch. And anyways, there is a possibility that the missing pages don't hold any great news.

[Draetrialis]

Drae groaned as he walked through the wilderness. The lightning strike was still affecting him and he couldn't fly, so he had to go through the wilds to prevent questions from being asked. Eventually, he got to the castle and he sighed with relief. Turning invisible, which was a major struggle for him, he crept into the castle and curled around where Val was sitting before asking, "How's... the search?" He suddenly became visible as he ran out of energy and it was clear he still hurt. His breathing was slow and he glanced at Lin, barely nodding his head to acknowledge her. Ugh... Note to self... Don't wear armor in a storm... ever... he thought, looking at the book and realized what it is. "So... you found a lost book from home..." the dragon murmured before bringing out the old stone. After another minute of slow breathing, he turned his head to Lin. "I assume you... got the battle... report?" he asked the water dragoness, his breathing slowing some more, but he breathed deeper. He turned to Val again and groaned. "I got hit... by lightning... Just recently was able to move again... Can't fly though..." He laid his head down by the tip of his tail, barely registering any movement what so ever.

[Lin]

Lin took the book with great interest. She examined the area where the torn pages were and traced a finger along them. The pages were thicker than normal and were somewhat soft with age. Bringing the book up to look at the binding she paused. There were traces of an older binding. "Of course," she murmured, "The book was supposed to be bound in a metal cover, but this is leather." With this Lin flipped to the last page and skimmed it. "It seems to start talking about something having to do with what came before us, but then it just ends. This is definitely proof that the already missing pages are nothing compared to what's really lost." She said closing the book gently.

Then Drae appeared from nothing. The sight of him caused a huge amount of disgust, loathing, and rage to burst forth. Setting the book down Lin unsheathed her twin swords with one hand. Since both were perfect halves they fit together like one sword. With this, Lin pointed it at Drae's throat.

"I received the reports." She said icily before continuing, "Get out of my sight right now. I'm disgusted with you. Your priority job out on the battlefield should be to protect the Ammon troops. How dare you put that aside to settle a personal grudge! You crushed several soldiers and killed them. I can't believe you! Even worse, you burned a soldier's corpse into an unrecognizable crisp! Do you have any idea how the person in charge of telling that soldier's family feels!? Do you have any idea how that family will feel at the funeral!? I can't believe the council lets you go on the battlefield. You aren't even aware of who you're killing! You even set part of the forest there are fire! Some of the deer and rabbits you eat comes from there! Worse yet, you let your emotions get in the way to the point where you disregarded your own safety and became a lightning rod and crushed several more soldiers. The only reason the council hasn't punished you, is because they think you’re a hero for killing more rebellion. Do you know what I see? I see an idiot and a murderer."

As Lin raged her sword pressed harder and harder against Drae's neck. Eventually a small trickle of blood started, but Lin didn't care. She was furious at him. He didn't deserve Valerie. "What would have happened if those dead soldiers was Valerie's friend? You're too careless." Lin hissed, "You don't even deserve Valerie anymore."

[Draetrialis]

(I had to respond to Lin's post... Sorry if we established the order and I messed it up... Like I mess everything up...)


Drae listened to Lin's rant without a word, and didn't even react to the blood trickling down his throat. When she was finished, he calmly spoke, "You're right. I was careless. However... My 'personal grudge'... Isn't so... Personal anymore... Ceana rallies the Rebels... I had to fight... Her alone..." The dragon coughed, rumbling the ground slightly before he looked at Lin with one eye. "You... If you only saw what I saw... You would understand... Neutralist." With another coughing fit, he looked at Val. "As for... Burning the soldier... I was defending... A corpse can still... Be danger... Ous... And it was thrown at me..." All the talking he just did really wore him out and he closed his eyes. Carefully, he held the old stone. "I cannot... Apologize for what I did... But I will apologize for letting... My emotions override..." He glared at Lin, which looked quite comical. "But... The one thought that kept me... From giving up... Was Valerie... You cannot say... I don't care..." With that, he dropped his head and closed his eyes again, struggling to stay awake. A servant stepped forward nervously and bowed. Before he could ask, Drae said, "A little dried meat... Please..." The servant looked at Lin fearfully before bowing and leaving.

[Valerie]

OC -- It's fine ladd, the order doesn't really matter as long as we can all post. And just go with the flow, that flowed so it's fine. And it was the logical order to respond to lin chewing you out.

IC -- Valerie didn't react to suddenly finding Drae wrapped around her. But she was very sympathetic right before Lin had noticed him. She's going to chew him out. And was only able to nod to both their arguments when she did. Valerie sighed, knowing this was now getting out of hand with the swords to her beloved's throat.

She shook her head at what was happening before her. "Both of you, cut it out. Drae was just trying to do what was best for the army. Lin, you don't see the battle front much but there's a lot of death in it so those few extra doesn't mean much to anyone.

Now before you chew me out for counting deaths collectively instead of 'the individual' hear me out. On a battlefield, a general can at any time decide you need to do a suicide mission and now. You don't argue and say you have a family at home, you just go and risk your life hoping that you are saving other people's lives so they can go home and tell their families they were heroes.

Drae, that was a stupid move to wear metal in a lightning storm...there's nothing more I can say to that, especially when you yourself probably thinking that a hundred times over. Lin, just heal him a little, you know you can. If I had control of Earth or Water I would but I can't and the little you can do to help now the better.

Wait until he's back to full health before you chew him out further, he's probably close to unconscious right now and it'll do you no good to lecture an unconscious body. Remember, we're here for this book right now and that's what matters. This book could be more important than anything else and we're just setting it aside." She concluded, noting it was probably the longest speech she'd made without preparation. Now that's funny, usually Lin is the neutral one, not me. Wow.

[Lin]

Lin growled before wiping her swords on the grass and sheathing them. "Wait," she called after servant and he returned, "bring me a large bowl of water and bring at least a stag's worth of meat." The servant nodded briskly before running off. He seemed a bit more at ease now that Lin had put away her swords. She had to admit that Valerie was right, somewhat. The book was important and could lead to great things.

When the servant returned, he carried a large bowl of water in his arms and two other servants were carrying large baskets of dried meat. After setting down their loads Lin tipped them and they bowed swiftly before running off to their other chores. "I don't know how much I'll be able to heal him. After all the earth masters are better at this, but I'll do my best." Lin said dipping her hands into the bowl of water.

When she lifted her hands out of the bowl there was a thick layer of water surrounding her hands like large gloves. Placing one hand on Drae's broken neck Lin made the blood stop flowing outwards and pushed it back to the proper course. "This next part my hurts him a bit." Lin said inserted the water inside through the wound. Lin repeated the process until the water bowl was empty. Still keeping in contact with the water through the wound, Lin manipulated the water through his system. Throughout his muscles, Lin relaxed the muscles with the water. It would have been easier if Drae was in his human form, but Lin would cope with the large body.

Lin started to perspire; healing a large animal required a lot of energy. Breathing deeply, Lin continued the healing process. After at least ten minutes Lin sighed, "All right, he's pretty much healed with a few exceptions, but the really painful parts going to begin. I'm going to remove the water. Ready?" Lin asked and then started the extraction. The difficult part about this was that she was pulling the water from all directions of the body. With a pulling motion Lin brought her hand away from the wound and a stream of water came with it. Once all the water was out, Lin used the last of it to seal up the wound.

Breathing heavily, she released the water and let it fall to the ground. "Done." She said before picking up a piece of died meat and biting into. She was famished, healing jobs were always exhausting. "All his muscles should be relaxed and movable."

[Draetrialis]

Drae jolted up and awake when the water was removed from his system, though it happened so fast, he nearly fainted from lack of blood to his brain. Dizzy, he slowly laid back down. "Thanks... A lot..." He muttered, barely preventing the slur of words as he recovered. He sighed and took a bite of meat before looking at the book. "I can't believe that book found its way here. How it got here is my question." The dragon briefly stared daggers at it before bringing up his stone. "Find anything on the poem? Preferably about the Deadly Hour?" He asked, blinking. He took another bite of meat, barely chewing. The dragon set his large head on the arm of the bench, almost ignoring Lin altogether, though the occasional glare was shot her way for chewing him out. I remember this book, though I don't think I read it... he thought. A bird cawed and Drae bolted upright, keeping his head down to prevent dizziness. "Gah... I've been jumpier than usual..." He muttered, laying down again. The Shadow sighed and could picture Ceana gloating and he could swear his body temperature went up a couple degrees. Then Drae noticed some pages were missing. "Hm?" He used a claw to gently turn the pages to the torn ones. "Those tears... Caused by a Shadow, but why?" He thought for a moment before shuddering. "We'll find out soon enough, I suppose... Knowing my luck." He chuckled slightly before glaring daggers at the book again.

[Valerie]

Valerie gently stroked the head of her beloved when he kept jolting. "It's okay, be glad Lin would heal you in the first place. It was stupid of you to go into a storm like that and think you could make it out alright. Especially with metal armor." She pulled her hand away and pursed her lips, deep in thought.

This just doesn't make any sense why it would lead up to something of our ancestors and then cut out. And why could someone bind such a treasure in anything but it's original binding? She held the book in her hands, idly running over the features of the leather with her fingers.

"But what satisfaction could anyone get from trading the book from it's original binding? There is no real reason to do such and it would last much longer than this make-shift can, I'm surprised it's lasted this long." This she was pondering the most and was very anxious to hear what the others said, especially Lin.

Well, Lin is the most level-headed of us in general. Especially now with Drae's mind probably as fried as his body was, even with Lin's healing. She handed the book back to Lin, hoping her friend could answer her question.

"And what is this leading up to ancestors of ours? All I knew of our ancestors was that they were very similar to how we are now, with the abilities to control the Elements while still running life very similar to how we have now. Though not as large a city as Ammon is now obviously." Even as she spoke, she had a feeling that Lin would know more then her and be able to flesh out her limited understanding of the past Ammons.

Well, history is more her forte then me. I was always more into the battles and land disputes. And of course, becoming Master of Air. Though she thought as much, she still had her doubts and hoped Lin would at least know something of their ancestors in the way it was mentioned in the book.

[Draetrialis]

Drae hummed slightly as his head was being stroked, then something else hit him. "Could it be...? Could those old stories I was told as a hatchling be true?" he suddenly asked, blinking. He didn't move his head, but it was clear he was trying to remember back a good 160 years. "Hm... Supposedly, there weren't just Shadows, but their polar opposites as well... Those with power that directly opposed our own. According to the myth, they lost their power and disappeared. I wonder... But I don't want to leave again..." He shifted his gaze to Valerie. "Do you want to see my old home? It isn't as grand as it was, but it is still handsome, in a fierce way." He shifted one eye to Lin. "The offer applies to you as well." He thought for a moment before saying, "If you take my offer... It will take a couple of days to get all of the supplies you will need, considering we might have to stay there a couple of days. I'm not sure you would like Shadowland fare." It was a slight joke, but he was serious about getting supplies. "Plus, I need to recharge gems so I don't have a repeat of what happened last time I came back. I would rather not have that issue again." he muttered, almost to himself.

[Valerie]

OC -- Ladd, there are a few things that were wrong with your post but I'll leave them in there as long as you can see what you've done wrong. One: you made the decision of traveling without us (especially since Drae is in no condition to fly after he's still INJURED) and two: Drae shouldn't be able to remember anything about the book, it contains history older then him and the rebinding was done in secret (along with the fact there probably isn't any children's fables in a book like that) and we really shouldn't be commenting on the specifics within it until we have the whole book pretty much written down.

IC -- Valerie nodded absentmindedly at the offer, kind of zoning. Hmm, wait, but why would we necessarily need to go there? She thought, suddenly realizing just what Drae had said. "Wait, but what reason is there to go? We might have more information available to us here. And besides, staying for a little while longer will allow you to heal." The response was really directed at the Shadow but Lin also had the option of answering.

She turned to Lin, having an idea. "We're going to need supplies, even if we don't plan to leave soon. And Drae is obviously in no shape to travel, so how will we get there? If we even have to leave of course. You know as well as I that the battle between the Rebellion could suddenly flare up again and we might be needed." She asked Lin, hoping she would have some answers.

Especially if they bring out their mythical Dark Dragons. I've heard rumors but I hope never to have to fight one. She cast a worried look at Lin, hoping her friend would understand the unspoken words. There is no telling what would happen if they brought out them. We don't know how strong, how powerful or how big they are. If they tower over even Drae, we're screwed. But yet again she left the words unspoken, guessing that if she voiced her worry about these Dark Dragons, her beloved would try to find and fight them in his current state. I cannot let him kill himself, even as stupid as he is sometimes, fighting a Dark Dragon could be suicide.

[Lin]

Lin observed the book while chewing on a piece of meat. Something seemed off, Lin tried to remember all the vague references to the book. Out of the hundreds of books Lin had looked at in stores and in the castle's library, only a spare few even hinted at it. Then it hit her, leather. In one little description Lin read, it said, "The lore bound in metal." It made sense, someone definitely split up the book.

Glancing briefly at Drae, she found him glaring at her. Snarling a little she slapped him in the head. "Don't glare at me idiot. I only healed you because Valerie asked me to. The book does not have its original binding. In one of the few scraps of information I've read, it was bound in metal. And as you can see here, this is definitely not metal." Lin said gesturing her hand at the book. Lin took the book from Valerie and examined the binding more.

"Although it's leather, this binding has been treated in way so that this'll last for possibly hundreds of years." Lin turned the book back to the ripped pages and ran a finger down them. In a way it disgusted her that someone would lay their hands on a book like this. Then a memory of a single ancient scroll surfaced in her mind. She found it hidden away somewhere. It was in fact, a detailed description of what lay hidden inside the book. "No, our ancestors were very different from us. Words cannot really describe the difference in ability. In fact, they were more advanced than us and were the creators of this world as we know it."

Lin listened to what Valerie said nodding silently. "It's true, for all we know someone in Ammon tore the pages out. In fact, I don't even know how long this book's been on Ammon grounds nor do I know if the pages were torn out before or after it was placed here." Looking at Drae she pointed a piece of meat at him, "You are in no condition to travel. You'll still be out of it for at least the rest of the month."

The worry in Val's voice about the war told Lin that worry about. There were rumors going around that Drae was not the only shadow dragon alive. Lin pressed her fingers together to think about this. Valerie knew that Lin would not participate in any of the battles. However Drae was out for the count and he provided the troops with a sense of security and discipline.

"I can't ignore the fact that there may still be pages back in the Shadowlands, however the fact remains that Drae is injured. If I'm not mistaken, Drae brought back another shadow dragon. I think her name was Sieltra? Not only is she in fit condition, but she would know the terrain better than Drae since she has been there for a while already. Valerie, I think it'd be best if you stay here though, if things do heat up, it'd be better for both sides if there were someone levelheaded on the battlefield. I also am aware that there are rumors of the rebellion having shadow dragons siding with them. Although the chances of that are slim, it would be better to have another elemental master with me. I believe, that taking Darryn would be best. I know just as well as any of you two that Darryn has an utter dislike towards griffins. If he were to take Drae's place on the battlefield I fear for the safety of both sides even more than if Drae were out there."

[Draetrialis]

((Okay... I thought we did agree we would go, or at the very least had two voting for it (me and you val), I know he can't travel, which is why I said 'a couple days to get supplies, meaning him getting rest, and he had been told stories from that book and told that it existed, but he didn't know it was originally metal or where it was located. He would recognize the tears as being Shadow-caused because most Shadows have similar claws anyway.))

Drae looked down. "I know I can't travel now... We should still be ready. And... I doubt that the Rebellion will attack while we are gone. I've planted the seed of paranoia into their hearts. They believe a team, or even a single assassin, is headed for the camp or may already be there." He sighed and started to rise. "I'm going back to the lake. I have to repair my armor and recharge gems..." He grabbed the stone and started to leave. "At least think of the offer. Sieltra is rather... Annoyed with me, so if she wants to go, it's her choice. I can't force her, despite being larger. She's... She's a lot like you, Val. Strong willed." He thought for a moment. "But if you do decide to go, forget about going naturally. The only way we can get there in a timely manner is through runic magicks. So, I will have to go." He continued to walk, leaping over the wall. The dragon sighed and muttered to himself. How the hell can I do this alone? I am not going to worry her again. As the Shadow walked, he began to mull over the poem again. The Deadly Hour... Wait a minute... That would mean the hour where most deaths occur! He turned back, but paused. They have to know this. he started walking back, at a faster pace, and jumped back over the wall. "I think I figured something out on the poem! What hour is when the most deaths occur, battle-caused or otherwise?" Drae asked, clearly excited. "Or at least the hour at night when the most deaths occur?" he added after a minute of thinking.

[Valerie]

OC -- Tears/claws? What are you talking about Ladd?

IC -- Valerie remained nonchalant on the outside when Drae mentioned Sieltra. I'll deal with her later. It would do me no good to show jealousy now, especially in front of my beloved. So she just looked over at the book, thinking before wording concern. "Well it might be true that the Rebellion is scared but you have little faith in them, they may recover quickly." As much as she loathed the rebellion, she had to give them credit that they were holding up a good fight. For treason rats, anyways.

She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling in the fighting mood. "If you need me to head over and shake them up a little though just in case," she pulled out one of the swords Drae had given her, smiling in a slightly evil way as she did so. Well, it would be fun; wouldn't accomplish much except maybe rattling their cages but there's no harm in that. He knows I'm as good a fighter as himself. She whipped the sword at a branch on the tree behind her, moving at an almost invisible rate. But instead of chopping off the branch, she merely chopped off half of one leaf, cutting it perfectly in half, showing the amount of personal restraint she had.

She held the leaf out before setting it beside her (since she had not moved at all and was still even seated) as she sheathed the deadly weapon. "Lin, I know you hate it when we kill the Rebellion but you have to admit that this could end up helping us when we leave, even if it's a while from now. If my little raid has to take place in a couple of weeks, so be it. Just to shock the Rebellion a little before we leave so our fighters don't need us nor needlessly die." She hoped her little plan would work, knowing Lin was really the only one in her way.