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| | ''The first thing they said when we arrived was, “Where have you been?”'' | | ''The first thing they said when we arrived was, “Where have you been?”'' |
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| − | -- From the journals of [[Rivers Between Us]], twilight caste sorcerer
| + | From the journals of [[Rivers Between Us]], twilight caste sorcerer |
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| − | ==Old Allies==
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| − | “Traitor!” The dragon king bellowed again in Old Realm. [[Leaf Shakes the Wind]] flung himself sideways over a low wall as a nine-ring saber as tall as a man swept through were he had been a moment before, its red-gold blade ringing like crystal as it clove stone instead of flesh. The massive creature leapt after the Night Caste, claws crushing stone tiles into gravel as it landed.
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| − | Leaf was astounded by his attacker’s skill and power. The highly-cultivated nature of his Essence was obvious, but the ferociousness with which he attacked was like a wild beast. The first attack had come as a complete surprise, rising as the creature had from a hidden hatch in the ground; only the soft but adamant whisper of Leaf’s Essence had kept his head on his shoulders.
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| − | “Look,” Leaf began to respond, “I know we did some pretty awful things back then, but we’re trying to… oof!” A clawed hand caught him in the chest, driving him back against a vine-covered pillar.
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| − | “I give no quarter to the Usurpers.” Hot breath momentarily fogged Leaf's visor, the dragon king’s claws still holding him against the stone so that his feet dangled above the ground. The saber rose again. “You will make a fine sacrifice to the Unconquered Sun.”
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| − | “Like hell.” Leaf’s body melted into shadow, slipping through the fingers that gripped him. He leapt backwards as his body re-solidified, hurling a handful of throwing knives at his opponent, each striking hilt-first. Where the knives struck, great bony plates and scales shifted, wedging slightly against one another in painful and awkward positions.
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| − | The dragon king’s eyes widened. “Joint wounding…?”
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| − | Leaf’s jump carried him to the top of a nearby pile of rubble, but when he landed, the dragon king was already there, the rage on his face moments before suddenly transformed into what seemed like abject desperation. “Who are you?” he bellowed. “Who? Show me!” Thick, clawed fingers scrabbled at the helm covering Leaf’s head.
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| − | The two tumbled down from the rubble, landing with a crunching noise, the dragon king pinning Leaf to the ground. The seal on the neck of Leaf’s [[Panoply of the Sun|Most Fearsome Armor of the Fire Dragon]] released with a soft hiss, the helm pulling free, and for the first time, the two combatants locked eyes.
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| − | ''[[Lun Kuai]] wrestled with [[The Nemacor]], the demon’s flexible, barbed mandibles searching for his face. The trap had been perfect: his team lured away by pitfalls and illusions, the walls lined with arcane sigils and devices which had imperceptibly drained away his essence. The weapons and armor that had so often been his salvation were now his greatest hindrances, as even the essence he had committed to their use dissipated, leaving them heavy and unwieldy against his limbs.''
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| − | ''His struggles became weaker, and The Nemacor smiled, mouth-parts spreading wide and wriggling with Malfean glee. It leaned in, as though to kiss the hapless Solar, then jerked back again as two sets of long talons wrapped around its head from behind, wrenching it away; at the same time, the the claws seemed to lengthen, their edges growing sharper as they grew directly into the demon's flesh. With a sick tearing noise, [[Bones Like Jade]] wrenched The Nemacor’s head from its shoulders and stood, grinning at Lun Kuai, as the lesser soul collapsed.''
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| − | Something spattered on Leaf Shakes the Wind’s face, wrenching him away from the sudden flood of memories. Tears ran in rivulets down from the reptilian eyes of the dragon king he now remembered, splashing down onto his own upturned face.
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| − | “Bones Like Jade?”
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| − | The dragon king nodded. “Lun Kuai… you’ve returned.”
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| | ==Will to Power== | | ==Will to Power== |
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| − | ''Bones Like Jade told me that after the Usurpation, he had personally offered up the hearts of three Dragonblooded to the Unconquered Sun in my honor.''
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| − | ''When I asked him if that was normal for back then, he actually seemed a little embarrassed, and said, “Well, it should have been more, but you weren’t the easiest person to get along with back then, so…”''
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| − | -- From the journal of Leaf Shakes the Wind, Night Caste spymaster
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| | [[Heaven's Mandate]] | | [[Heaven's Mandate]] |
