Something's Wrong in the Palace!!! 5/22/09-? D:D

Lady Tia looked straight at Sir Ryan, her expression completely blank, so you couldn't tell what she was thinking. But inside, she was fuming, and was making in her head a long list of profanities for Sir Ryan, that she wouldn't voice out loud. Lady Tia stayed completely silent.

Great Mithros, I don't have my glaive with me. And I can't get to my daggers... None of them... This guy is holding me too tight. My magic won't work either. The drug must still be in effect. Sigh.. I guess I'll just see where this goes...

There was no surprise in her that Frozen Sparrow was here. But this guy... Tiger, was it? Eh! This is the Burning Tiger guy Frozen Sparrow mentioned before?! His expression made her want to poke at his cheeks.

As Lady Tia has awaken from the drug, something rustling in the bushes.

[Dragon roar!!!!!!!!!]

Out jumps a devil-like average human height dragon clad in black armor. It roars again and draws its dark blade from its' sheath and shield as it sees the party. Its' evil aura is enough to kill living plants around its surroundings.

Just as Lady Tia turns her head to look at the dragon, she remembers it from that dream with the mysterious White Knight and Dark Knights fighting him, along with his words "...find me..."

Lady Tia's face blanched when she saw the dragon looking "thing". Suddenly, the white knight and his words from her dream surfaced in her mind. Ah! Why am I remembering that now?! ... Jeez... Looking at Frozen Sparrow, and Sir Ryan, she wondered if they were going to do anything about the "thing" in front of them. She sighed, and resumed her mask of indifference and blankness.

As the party stares at the beast it speaks an incantation in an unknown language. The dragon's blade glows ever darker and casts some form of barrier around the party.

"hehehe foolssss"

"Okay, what the hell is that?!" He looks at Sparrow just as a barrier surrounds the unfortunate party. "Oh crap...." He draws his sword and dagger in preparation. "And I thought this day was gonna be dull following you" He stood in an attack stance and awaited the monster.

The dragon sees the hooded human and speaks:

"Foolish human do you believe you can defeat me."

He stares back and said, "Come and try me, I am more than a match for you" With saying that he disappeared in shadow and light.

"Hmm...shadow wielder...interesting ability human. Little do you know, I AM SHADOW!!!"

The dragon roared causing bloodshot ears.

Lady Tia watched the scene with bland indifference still. Her Gift was still gone, she was weaponless, and her strength had long diminished ever since she woke up. She sighed inwardly.

Yawning, she thought that Tiger's grip had gotten tighter on her. Her eyelids felt heavy, and without warning, she fell asleep.

As Lady Tia drifted back to sleep, she finds herself back on that battlefield again only this time, no battle. She walked aimlessly through the field until a shadowy figure appear...it was that mysterious White Knight.

"I sense that a dark dragon has appeared in the Forest of Amskir. Am I correct?"

Inside her dream, Lady Tia stared with disbelief at the knight in front of her. Jeez. Again? What is this, anyway? Communication through dreams?

"... Yes. One has. How do you know? And who are you?"

"Who I am is not relevant yet, but I am able to communicate with the help of my host. I understand your current condition and I have emerged to help if you so need it."

Help... That would be nice right now, but I should stay and see if I can get any information... I'm not in the condition to go anywhere either. I'm basically defenseless...

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't need help."

The bandit smirked as she watched Sir Ryan take on what seemed to be a dark dragon. "You can take him!" She shouted out sarcastically to nowhere, as Sir Ryan was nowhere to be seen. She took a few paces forward and stood in front of both Tiger and Lady Tia. "That dragon, he's here for a reason." Her eyes glanced down towards Lady Tia. She smiled mischievously, looked back up and watched as the dragon and Sir Ryan raged in a battle. Smiling, she knew that everything was going according to plan.

Tiger nearly jumped back as he saw the dragon approach their company. He clutched Lady Tia even tighter out of instinct, but soon let her go as he got a closer look of the dragon. Recognizing it, it was the same dragon that his icy friend had hired. Not sure of her intentions with this, he ignored it and thought that Sparrow knew what was best for them. After all, this WAS her plan in the first place. He merely helped her, because, well, he was not so sure of it himself. Deciding not to think about it anymore, he looked back up and joined Sparrow in viewing the battle between their dragon and this Sir Ryan.

"How is this supposed to turn out?"
"You know, obviously. One of them dead. Most preferably Sir Ryan."
"But what happens if Sir Ryan ends up coming out on top?"
"*scoff* Like that will happen. Just trust me."
"Yeah, but WHAT IF it happens.?"

Frozen Sparrow took this as a sort of shock. She never really did think about what would happen. She just focused on the next objective. Sighing at herself and her incompetence, she replied to Tiger with a simple statement.

"Don't worry. In the darkness, you don't see what stares back at you."

[[ I'm just gunna assume that when you said Tiger let me go, he's not holding me anymore. ]]

Her consciousness had a mind of its own. Without waiting for the knight's reply, it dragged Lady Tia to the surface, thus ending her dream. When she opened her eyes, she was on the ground, and the ugly dragon "thing" was still there. The only thing that changed was that she didn't feel weak and helpless anymore. Her Gift was back and ready for use!

Concealing her mind and all trace of her Gift, she sent little probes into the mind of the "thing". Eh... This thing really is intelligent. Working mind of its own. Check. No natural mind shields. Check. No farseeking abilities. Check. Perfect. Just what the healer ordered. Keeping her expression completely blank and her eyes with a faraway look, she continued to lay on the ground, staring at nothing. It was cold.

Still concealing mind and Gift, Lady Tia sent another probe to the "thing". Weaving her way through it's mind was easy pickings. She searched for a soft spot, a perfect place to hit, that would cause a domino effect of destruction in the mind that would kill it. Ah. There it was. A memory of the creature's creation, the memory of life. Destroying it could have minimal effect on the creation, or the big kaboom. Seeing as the creature was in a rage, its destruction would be even easier. Lady Tia pulled away from the mind, because if she didn't, she would die along with the creature, since she was connected to its mind.

With a big force, she reached out with her mind towards the creature. All the force was sent to that particulay memory. It had the exact effect she wanted. The creature stopped in its tracks, confused. It roared, and then collapsed on the ground, lifeless. It died.

[ D:< You killed the fun. ]

[[YAY!!!]]

A herd of centaurs, and more dragon "things" come out from the trees.

[[O_O]]

As the Dark Dragon lie dead on the ground, a dark purplish glow emanated from the body. Its' flesh ripped and a being emerge from it.

"Hahahaha. Foolsss you merely destroyed my host. He was merely a tool used for my incubation. I am the true Dark Dragon. I am a Dark Dragon Knight."

Lady Tia turned her head to stare at the Dark Dragon Knight. W-what in the name of Mithros, is that?! It's even uglier than the thing I killed...! Golly... Her expression blanched.

"What in the name of..." Sir Ryan whispered. He decided to shower it with the sleeping powder and threw his dagger. He was a little scared of this new being.

A smile slowly crept up on the young bandit's face. She pulled out her longsword to mimic a fighting stance. Crouching down steadily into her signature stance, she watched as the Knight revealed himself. Tiger shook his head slightly, himself annoyed at what Sparrow had become. First coming up with this plan and then even taking it as far as hiring this, thing. He shuddered as he thought of it, but he knew that Sparrow would never turn on him. But then he realized. Would she?

Lady Tia turned her attention away from the Dark Dragon Knight. Her senses were in hyper mode, since she was pretty much calm right now. A rustling in some bushes about 163 feet away came to her ear's attention. Giving her eyesight a magical boost, she saw kind looking eyes staring in her direction.

[[If this isn't as good as Tia's are, sorrrry DX]]

Meanwhile, back at the palace:

Tobe stood speechless in Lady Tia's private rooms. He started muttering to himself. "W-w-what's worng with milady?!... Who put her in a bad mood?!... She's never angry with me like that!..."
__________________________

"Lady Tia" stroked her dagger as she walked around the palace. Her newly cut hair fluttered in the breeze. Ah, how I love the wind. This weather. It feels cold and anxious, just waiting for its chance to turn into a storm. It can feel the tension everywhere. This turmoil is so comforting and exciting! Her hazel eyes glittered with anticipation and a sinister happiness. She giggled.

What shall be my plaything today?

Back in the Forest of Amskir, the Dark Dragon Knight speaks: "hehehehehe foolish humans, no weapon can kill me now for I am being of shadow."

As the party attempted to attack this creature their weapons pass right through it, even magic has no effect on it. The party stands tired as for every attack swung or thrown at it, the Dark Dragon Knight saps strength from them.

Lady Tia suddenly receives another dreamlike state only she was perfectly conscious. The White Knight appears, clearly enough that the other party members can see.

"Use weapons of Light to defeat this creature. It's the only element strong enough to kill it. Since the creature was borne of darkness it stands to reason that it's susceptible to weapons or magic imbued with the Power of Light. Heed my advice for my time in this Forest is limited. I must return to my host to survive." The White Knight disappears.

The party takes the advice given to them into consideration.

Sir Ryan sees the White Knight and hears his advice. He looks at Sparrow and says "Who the hell is that guy? Argh i feel so weak right now." He shoots one more crossbow bolt before fainting from exhaustion. The last thing he sees before falling unconscious is the Dark Knight getting closer to the party.