War of the Dragons III

[Flarecobra]

They had reached the river. It was about 10 feet wide, and had a steady current. There was a nice clearing on the near side, and a small bridge had been built across. "Here it is. We'll stay here tonight." Draca said with a nod.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha wasn't hungry yet. That meant gathering firewood and deciding on a meal. The river definitely had fish in it, but fishing wasn't one of Neesha's strong points. Perfect for practicing, though. She'd hunt for a long, narrow stick that she could turn into a fishing spear later while collecting wood.
"I guess I'll handle the morning watch," Neesha said. "Unless someone else wants that and if so, I'll take night watch."

[Flarecobra]

"Don't worry about watches or anything like that. Bandits are never around here." Draca said, using her clawish hands to help climb up a tree.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha shrugged, giving it up. "You know this continent better than I do."
She was a light sleeper, anyways. The wilderness had made her particularly sensitive to things when they went out of order.
Draca's youth compaired to Neesha's initial impression of her made the girl sound both naive and arrogant, something that made Neesha feel like punching her. She disliked that particular trail of thought and tried to acknowledge Draca not by what was on the surface, but by what Neesha saw when Draca was ambushed. Raw potential just waiting to expose itself, but was overshadowed by the entourage of all those individuals. There had to be more. Neesha should had to be patient and she would see.

[Mesden]

Given how energetic Elaina tended to be, it was little surprise when she was lying by the river, dead asleep.

[Flarecobra]

After a couple hours, Draca looked at the others, all asleep, and then dropped down from the branch that she was sleeping on. She headed away from the main group, heading downstream until she reached a small cave. "Hope she's in...." Draca said to herself, as she walked into the cave.

Inside, it was dark, save for some biolumenscent fungi which helped light the way, but other then that it was dark. However at the end a small light could be seen, however, before she could reach it, a large blade suddonly was pressed agenst her throat.

"You know, it's never nice to come into people's homes unannounced." A female voice said, and Draca chuckled and said "Well, when you don't have a door, or any other way to announce one's self, it's the only option." The blade fell away, and Draca turned to face the wielder. She had shoulder-length purple hair, sea-green eyes, and rather pale skin. "Going to see your father I take it, Draca?" she said, putting the zwaihandler blade onto a harness on her back. "Yeah...however there's a group of people that are with be, but I doubt any of them can get past the Demon Gate. You were the only one I knew that can do this Erika, but with their help we might be able to make it....but we'd still need a guide." Draca said, corssing her arms. Erika sighed, and bit on her lower lip a bit, a fang appearing as she did so. "Let me see them. If they're capable, we might be able to take a way that I was hesatent to take with you, when it was just us." Erika said, to which Draca nodded and said "Come on, they're just upriver."

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha was waiting with folded arms when Draca and Erika returned to the camp, taping her sandaled foot on the ground. She had woken up in time to see Draca leave, thanking her refined survival skill of sleeping lightly, but didn't follow her. Every girl needed her secrets. Even Neesha. "I was wondering where you went," Neesha said. "Too much longer and I would've sent Tybalt to try and find you."

[Tarrin]

Balta watched as the two figures entered the camp, Taking note of the new arrival Balta decided to stay in the shadows for a dit to size up the newcomer.

The zwaihandler on her back gave Balta pause to figure out if she could truly weild the blade, Or whether she was just compitent with it.
Alowing a few more seconds to tick past he steped out of the shadows that concield him from view, "Welcome back" was all Balta said

[Dragonsbane]

Tybalt had set up a bedroll, although he still lay awake. He perked an ear at Draca's reappearance, and turned with a flourish of his cape, "I take it you visited the cave?" the Felidiae commented, with one uplifted eyebrow.

[Flarecobra]

"Hey, how'd you know about that?" Draca said, with a raised eyebrow. Then she shook her head. "Ok, it's not that important. Look, we know of a shortcut that'll knock off about a week of travel. It's known as the Demon's Gate. It was an old portal that a wizard once used a long time ago. However, since he's died it's now in a idle state." Draca said. "Erika here, she knows how to open it and to go through, as she was his daughter." Erika nodded and then said "I will let you know this: the paths inside the Gate lie in the Abyssal plane, so yes, there will be some demons. However since you all seem to be the capable sort, we can take a shorter path then the one I usually take Draca through....though it's a more dangerious path. If we take the shorter path, it'll be only a half a day through the Gate, otherwise it'll be a full day before we reach the other side."

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha looked at Tybalt, then at Balta, and finally shrugged. "Well, I'm a really good dragonslayer if I do say so myself. How hard can demons be in relation to dragons?"
Neesha wasn't sure if that was the right way to convince herself that it was doable. She never fought demons. Well, duh. Of course she's never fought demons. She hasn't had any sort of way to entering the Abyssal Plane until this opportunity. "Besides, why would the gate still exist if it was impossible for humans to cross?" Neesha observed out loud. "I'm sure it would've been destroyed or something if nobody could actually get through it in one piece. It sounds good to me."
Neesha whipped out her warhammer. "Monsters. Dragons. And now abominations from the Abyss. I'm kinda interested to see what they look like and how they fight."

[Dragonsbane]

"While caution would bid the longer path, our need is urgent. I will risk the shorter path, if the rest of the group agrees." Tybalt stood up, putting his plumed hat back on, and shook out his cloak before wrapping it around himself once again.

[Tarrin]

"Are you in such a rush that half a day is going to be a problem" Balta asked

"I don't mind either way just a question is all" Baltas gaze shifted from Draca to the new addition.

[Flarecobra]

"Hey, it's up to you all." Erika said with a shrug.

[Mesden]

"Let's go let's go let's go!" Elaina said, apparenlty waking up at random and adding her comment.

[Flarecobra]

Erika was caught off-guard, grabbing her large sword and held it out one-handed before she relized that it wasn't a threat. "Damnit! Don't do that!" she said, trying to settle down a bit.

[Mesden]

"Do what?!" Elaina stated with her chirpy smile.

[Flarecobra]

"She ment the whole "Loudly exclam something out of no where" thing that you do Elaina." Draca said.

[Mesden]

"Oh? Loudly exclaim? I do that?"

[Tarrin]

Balta droped his face into his waiting hands, His head shook, Wethe3r from disbelief or sorrow he himself wasn't sure.

"On one hand the long way will be quieter, On the other hand i've never seen a demon," Balta left his tone in such a way to commit to nothing.

[Flarecobra]

"Ok, we'll leave at Moonset." Erika said. "You all can get some sleep, I'll be around." And with that, she started back upriver, then looked back over her shoulder. "Oh, and just so you know, I don't drink human...or feliede blood. At least, unless they allow it, or I'm attacked." And with that, she was gone into the shadows. Draca chuckled and said "Yeah....for a vampire, she's quite nice."

[Armored Bishoujo]

"Vampire, huh." Neesha said. "I kinda just thought she was normally pale. Didn't see the fangs."
With that, she gave up and lowered onto her knees, rested her arms, and hung her head. "A dragon girl. A vampire. What's next, a mermaid that swims through air?"
Neesha closed her eyes and forced herself closer and closer to sleep. The day ahead was going to be quite a workout.

[Flarecobra]

Draca climbed up onto the branch she occupied earlior. "Hey, she's a family friend. And a mermaid? Come on, how would the be able to communicate?" She said.

[Mesden]

"With her mouth!" And there was Elaina again.

[Flarecobra]

Draca looked around on the branch she was on, and picked up a small fruit that was still growing, and threw it at Elania. "Geez, you don't have t ocomment on every damn thing we say you know." Draca said, sounding a bit annoyed.

[Mesden]

"Oh...alright, sorry. Didn't mean to be obtrusive." Elaina looked almost stunned as she plopped down on her rear and took a shallow bite of the fruit she was given, chewing slowly.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha woke up early, tired of just resting. She distanced herself from the rest of the party and began practicing. It was how she warmed up to the coming day and she didn't want her skills to dull with the current downtime.
"HA!"
"YAGH!"
"UrrrriYAGH!"
The sounds of the air being disturbed by her swings helped her focus.
"Ha! Ha! Siyagh!"
Her biological clock had been tuned by Master Hasman, who taught her more than just the proper use of a warhammer. Survival skills and self discipline were drilled into her finely honed mind as well.
"Huagh! Yagh! Hrrrgh!"
Neesha felt that instead of some kind of fighter, she had been trained more like a soldier or knight or something like that. She had always wondered if perhaps Hasman was some kind of retired veteran from some great kingdom, but she didn't ask him. Neesha couldn't care less at the time where Hasman got all of his talents. Being able to turn her into a dragon killing machine was all she wanted and needed.
"Onyx...Moon...Smasher!"
She executed the final move perfectly, but this wasn't a fight. In the chaos of conflict, one tended to lose their focus and their performance would be hampered. Neesha wasn't a true professional warrior yet, so she knew this would affect her as well. She brushed her arm across her forehead and found it to be a little wet. The first beads of sweat. Neesha assumed her battle stance again and continued.

[Flarecobra]

"Not bad." Came a voice from behind Neesha, and Erika slid into view out of the shadows. She gave a friendly smile and said "Well, mind if I join in?" while drawing her zwaihandler. "Been a while since I've had some fun."

[Tarrin]

Sitting in the shadows of the tree near the two females, Balta watched as they stood facing each other, Now he would see if these people he traveled with had any skill, None of them had been in a fighting position yet, The thugs on the street not being included.

The vampire Drew her zwaihandler, Neesha stood opposite beads of sweat apon her brow, She had already been training before the new addition had stepped out of the shadows, That may be an advantage to the vampire as surely Neesha would be tired as it was, While Erika would be fresh.

one thing was for sure this would be a good sparing match.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha eyed Erika for a while. "I don't know. I've never done any 'sparring' before, so I don't really know how to hold back."
Her left hand on her hip, her right gripping the warhammer, Neesha targeted the vampire with a slightly irritated glance. "Are you ready?"

[Flarecobra]

Erika smiled and then struck, spinning around with a one-handed cleave to the midsection

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha backed off, holding her hammer vertical to block the incoming strike.
"Damn it, I wasn't-"
She then swung the weapon in a broad horizontal arc. "Ready!"

[Flarecobra]

Erika finished her strike, and slashed upwards with the blade hald flat to the ground, intending on knocking the massive hammer upwards.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha promptly released her hammer, sidestepped to Erika's left, and came froward with a strong jab.

[Flarecobra]

Erika stepped back, rubbing her midsection, as she grinned. Then a dark purple aura enveloped her sword, as she stepped back. "SHADOW BLADES!" and with that, a trio of blades shot out, through they purpicely missed Neesha, if they did hit her, then all she would've lost was some hair anyway.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha drew back, raising her hands to ward off Erika's attack. Neesha was never good with magic, and seeing it in battle was a little unnerving. She swung her arms forward and down, hooking up her warhammer and then hurling it behind her, clearing it a good ten meters. "You're a little too fast for me to match with that hammer," Neesha said, raising her fists.

[Flarecobra]

"Well, I'll also say that you're pretty strong for a human." Erika said with a chuckle. "And I'm sorry, I don't think it'd be a good idea to fight barehanded agenst me. I don't want to accadently hurt you. Wile with that last attack of mine, I made them miss on purpace."

[Armored Bishoujo]

"But the hammer's just going to get in my way and slow me down, and it's not like I can use a weapon to block magic."
Was this really a duel or was it some kind of strategy meeting? Because Neesha was failing to see how Erika was making a point. There was no advantage to be gained from using the warhammer. Oh, well. If Erika wanted to proove something, Neesha might as well indulge her. She backed up, picked her weapon off the ground, and readied herself again.

[Flarecobra]

Erika said "Well, in that case, I'll try to move slower." She said, as she held the blade at the ready.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Neesha set her eyes on something else. "The moon is starting to set," Neesha observed, then turned to face those who were still asleep. "But I guess I can try to match you."
If Erika was indeed going to slow down, it would give Neesha something of a chance. But speed isn't the only thing vampires gained when...well, they became vampires. Listrum didn't have anything to say about them, but since Neesha became a traveler after the dragon incident, she's heard her fair share of tales on a lot of things as she went from town to town.
Neesha then targeted Erika. Probably the best way to start was with some kind of attack most people wouldn't use with this weapon. Rearing back on one foot, Neesha came forward and thrusted the head of the hammer at shoulder level with Erika, hoping to knock her on her back.

[Flarecobra]

Erika wasn't expecting that move, and went to dodge it, and only suceeded in being hit in the shoulder a bit, causing her to almost lost her grip on the weapon.

[Armored Bishoujo]

The move was a hard one to recover from quickly, but now was the chance. Neesha rushed forward and swung her free hand to grip the warhammer so she could swing it towards Erika. Not a powerful move, but rather one to keep the vampire stumbling.

[Flarecobra]

Erika, in a desperation move, brought the sword around in a wide arc, and the two heavy weapons struck hard, causing Erika to lose her grip.

[Armored Bishoujo]

A shoulder rush was the next obvious choice. There was also the slower, more lethal possibility of whirling around to swing the hammer again. But Neesha was a little off balance herself and the latter option would probably throw her right up against Erika, causing the two to fall and probably turning it into some kind of hair-pulling struggle. Shoulder rush, definitely. She darter forward, hoping to plant her feet a little more securely, and thrusted her left shoulder in the direction of the vampire.

[Flarecobra]

Erika dropped down, seeing her feet positioned for a shoulder rush, and countered with one of her own, however she drove herself into Neesha's midsection.

[Armored Bishoujo]

The blow surprised Neesha and knocked the air out of her, forcing her left to let go of her hammer. She tried then to put her hand forcefully on Erika's face to push her away.

[Flarecobra]

Erika stepped back, and looked at the moon. "Ok, time to get the others." She said, and after taking a moment to compose herself, she slid the sword onto her harness, and headed back.