Smoke from the woods wafts into town, leaving a murky haze. He smoke smells of death and burning decay. Several of the merchants are talking of leaving. The smoke blocks out the sun and the plants seem to be suffering.
Wreynn looks up as Corvax enters the tavern and nods at the druid. Choking on the smell and the weight of the air from outside, Wreynn shits his gaze to this bandana - serving as a small napkin under his tea cup. Gently, he steeps the cloth in the tea, and places it over his face to mask the smell.
"So you actually set the wall of corpses on fire?" Wreynn inquires mockingly to Corvax. "And here I thought you were just as likely to have an individual funeral service for all of them. Granted, they probably deserve it, and I should have more respect for the dead, but you actually burned them?" Wreynn ponders for a moment, trying to come up with a weasely remark, but finds himself too sickened by the smell to so do. "So much for the element of surprise. Then again, I'd be shocked if the dragonkin didn't see us if we tried to climb over it. Too many weak stomachs to do it quietly, mine included."
The dust that collects in the air of the tavern floats thought he air silently. The dust seems to linger longer than it should as it fills the air around Wryenn. Suddenly the dust pulls together forming into the visage of a woman warrior. The body forms wearing chain and the hands are armed with two swords. She shrieks in pain and backs toward the door.
Corvax looks at Wryenn and begins to verbally defend himself saying " Look that mountain of dead needed to be dealt with, the fastest thing--" Corvax stops as the vision of the woman appears. Crovax pulls his shield up and tries to get with in casting distance of Wryenn
Contemplating other productive ways to circumvent the mountainous pile of corpses, Wreynn stands oblivious to the could of smoke convalescing into the form of a woman beside him. Barely noticing Corvax raise his shield, he instinctively does the same, and is suddenly snapped back into reality by the loud shriek.
"There's something nasty behind me, isn't there?" Wreynn says, looking at Corvax while unsheathing his sword. "I don't question the fact that the pile needed to be dealt with, thats in the past now. Now, it looks like its time to clean up the mess. Truce?"
Kirell enters the tavern rubbing his stomach.
"Tynn, what ever you’re cooking smells delightful."
Digging in his pocket for a coin, the distracted Angori passes right through the ghostly manifestation before looking up and seeing Corvax and Wreynn.
"So I overreacted.”
“ OK OK, I apologize for kicking you chair out from under you." "Is it cold in here?"
“Catch the Detroit Lighting out of Santa Fe. The Great Northern out of Cheyenne from sea to shining sea.”
A loud *thunk* sounds beneath Wryenn's table as the shriek wakes the pixie, causing her to leap up like a spooked cat.
"Ooooooow!"
Ripper pokes her head out, between Corvax's ankles as luck (or the lack thereof would have it) and looks around, rubbing sleepy eyes.
"Who stepped on Ari--MEEP!"
"OOOOOO, where did you come from?"
The Angori whispers as he steps backward, nearly tripping over Ripper.
Kirell steadies himself on a nearby chair.
“Is this a friend of yours Corvax, or is she here for the Barbecue? ”
“He came dancing across the water with his galleons and guns, looking for a new world, and a palace in the sun.”
“We came here to destroy the dragon soul. We came to cleanse the land of insubordinate life. We came to help!” the specter shrieks. She slinks onto an invisible knee, as if readying to spring into attack. “the ogres were powerful and smashed our physical bodies. We lie in heaps for a year, rotting in the sun. We feed most beasts on this shard, those consumed were dammed to a prison within a living form.” The specter fades slightly and disappears from view, her face a study in sorrow.
“But you, you freed us from the bonds of our physical prison.” the specter reforms, an evil smile contorts her beautiful face. “We must continue our task to kill the dragon soul. We shall see you soon.” Her gaze falls upon Kirell, and she salutes with her blades. With a flash she disappears in a swift wind through the crack under the door.
Cries of laughter can be heard in the streets of Jastery as thousands of voices scream Dragon soul!
Fiddling with the heel of his boot, Wreynn walks a large circle around the Angori, leaving a black coal stain on the tavern floor. "Now Ripper, just how many times do I have to tell you sleeping under the tables in the tavern is bad? Between the ants, and the ghosts, and the werewolves, and Muralakrum knows what else, one of these days, I'm afraid that something is going to swallow you whole."
Waiting until Kirell is just barely leaning on the chair, Wreynn leans over, placing one arm on the Angori's shoulder, and the other on the chair. "No hard feelings about the chair Kirell, I'm sure that I probably deserved it, maybe not for joking about Dalgoon, but for something I did." Focusing on the chair Wreynn continues, "I'll forget about it this time, it seems you have bigger things to worry about from our new 'friends.'" [Dismantle - wooden chair].
The pix crawls the rest of the way out, retrieving the candy-chest from some hidden nook of the Corners and plops down on the floor with it, chomping away.
"But I ~like~ sleepin' in teh tavern. That way I can make sure teh noms are safe. Plus, ~PLUS~, I always know when everybody's up."
The pigtailed faerie noddles sagely, nibbling at a piece of gum very like a squirrel. When the chair falls apart, she offers a little squeek, blinking twice at the angori,
"Too much candeh?"
Kirell staggers toward the table looking at the remnants of chair in his hand.
"I'll take care of that Tynn" Kirell says as he bends over to gather up the pieces of the chair.
"Yea friends, I'm starting to think this is not going to go well for me."
"Never mind the barbecue Tynn, I've lost my appetite."
The Angori looks around for Ece, and flips her a gold coin as he walks quietly out of the tavern.
"In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey."
"Kirell, wait!" Wreynn shouts after the Angori as he walks out of the tavern. Kneeling over the pile of broken chair pieces, he gently pushes a few pieces together and watches as they begin to mend themselves within the circle. [Mending - Wooden Chair]
Darting out the door after Kirell, Wreynn says to Kirell, "What makes you think this is going to go any worse for you this time? We've fought off the dragonkin for several mestruns, not once have you ever said that you think its going to go bad for you. Maybe for me, or Corvax, or Dreygor or anyone else, but you were to be the herald of our good deeds and tell our story upon your triumphant return! Did you find Dalgoon, or a piece of him? Have you found any scrap of information thats turned you so sour? Was it the chair I broke underneath you? You are the unshakable rock of Jastrey, a pillar of courage. Things must be dire if you're ready to give up and roll over. Whats wrong?"
Kirell turns in the doorway.
"Well it starts with a wizard that crushes me under a pile of books when I ask him if I will survive the ordeal. Next a giant red Ogre comes into town, looking suspiciously like the giant blue Ogre that traveled with the Dragon cult that is to perform the ritual to remove the Dragon essence from me, which tells me I should run for my life. Finally a Ghost comes into town vowing to kill the Dragon Soul. I at first saw the Dragon in me as a gift, but I’m starting to think it will turn into a curse.”
“The grass ain’t greener, the wine ain’t sweeter either side of the hill.”
Corvax enters the tavern his clothes covered in a thin layer of the dust and soot that is flying in the smoke. He brushes himself off at the door and says to no one " Damn those bodies sure have been burning along time." Corvax gives a little cough to clear his throat and sits down at a table.