Deadsponcelling
By Carly Robb and James Clair Lewis
Deadsponcelling Chapter 5
Tara drew her sword and backed away from the mirror, and out of the shop as quickly as possible exclaiming, "Goddamn it, why can't I just stay the hell away from mirrors?" She spotted Sephera across the shop, "Hey, Tippereth! We've got company!"
Sephera laid into the attackers with a fury, thrusting and blocking. She severed a head that bounced across the floor to the front door. The shop owner cowered behind his counter, as his store was destroyed, blood splattering his wares. "I could use some help here!" shouted Sephera.
Outside, six dragons and riders swooped in for the attack. Semaj hurled a fireball at one, and it burst into flames, crashing into a building. Daath shot one rider with his crossbow, then slashed another as he flew past, "I think this is a trap!"
Tara turned back yelling, "Damn you, Tippereth! I meant to lure them outside so the shop would't be destroyed. These people respect us and you let this man's livelihood be ruined!" She growled as she jumped into the fray, slashing angrily at the rogues, trying desperately to keep the stranger in her head from killing Sephera instead of the enemies. The initial subject of her rage blocked a split second too late and was only half decapitated. One less rogue to worry about.....
Outside, Semaj, Daath, and the dragons did battle with the attacking Rogues. The people of Nemeth paniced, trying to run away from the battle, although some began fighting the fire that was beginning to rage where one of the attacking dragons had crashed into a building.
Nearly half the goods in the shop were ruined. The owner looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Tara thought to herself, "It's a good thing I know CPR, just in case," and headed over to the next rogue. She was lucky that rogues usually kill their own kind just as quickly as they will kill others, else she would have had no way to keep herself from attacking Sephera. She really hoped, for her own sake, actually, that Tippereth kept her distance, she knew that if it came down to it, she would have no chance against the woman. Her second rogue was more skilled, and it took a heated battle to fell him, but eventually she was victorious.
Sephera dispatched the last of the Rogues, and then stoped to collect their heads in a sack before going outside. The shop owner leaned against a wall weeping at the carnage, and his ruined store.
Tara looked back at Sephera in disgust, and turned to the shopkeeper, remembering being told of the credit that they had in this town. "Sir, I am extremely sorry. I tried to lure them outside before this happened, I guess Tippereth is a little overzealous." She looked back at the ruined goods and thought of all this man had lost because of this fight, "We will pay for your losses, don't worry about your livelihood being ruined. Is there anything else I can do for you?" The shop owner looked at Tara from vacant eyes, all he could say was, "the blood... the blood... the blood..."
"Come on, Tara. We need you out here! Don't worry about that guy, he's insured. They'll take care of him."
"But... this is... you disgust me sometimes you know that? Who cares if he's insured? The man's in shock..." She cast a final glance in the shopkeeper's direction and regretfully joined Tippereth. "One thing though, I have very little control over what I do in combat, please, for my sake stay away from me during battles. I'd hate to get myself killed, because I couldn't keep this person in my head from attempting to kill you.". She stepped outside and was hit in the chest by the carnage, "Too much!. This is supposed to be a neutral zone... What"s going on? These people know nothing of war."
She didn't hear herself scream vile curses, as she joined the battle, as far away from the others as possible. Shadowdeath swooped over the battle, until he saw that Tara was ready to climb and fight on his back. He swooped down and instinctively, Tara hopped on him as she'd done a thousand times before. In his gracefully deep and soothing voice that seemed out of place for this harsh battle, yet still calming, Shadowdeath sighed, and then spoke while in flight. "Tara, I have always liked you, and we are so great together; I hope that you are ready for some non-practice formation now. Don't worry, I know what to do, but you must not only hold on tight as you did last time, but fight and defend us both as well. Can you handle it?"
More confidently than she actually felt she responded, "Of course, I can handle it, Shadowdeath... These bastards have to die." The person in her head agreed with her, but somewhat dulled her confidence in her dragon. She hoped that eventually she would have better control over this with time, and urged Shadowdeath on. If it was dangerous on the ground, it was all but certain death in the air. Dragons on both sides spewing fire, long falls and sharp talons and teeth. These things did not contribute to a safe environment, but as Shadowdeath neared one of the rogue dragons, Tara lashed out with her sword and cut through the membrane of it's wing as her companion bit at the other's throat.
While Tara and Shadowdeath fought on their own, Daath and Tippereth employed coordinated attacks, singling out a Rogue, and dispatching him and his dragon. Semaj fought on the ground hurling fireballs at the opponents, while Qlippoth picked off strays on the outside of the fray. Six more Rogues had joined the melee on their dragons. Fires were breaking out all over the city, as the battle raged on. Shadowdeath spewed fire and the opponent dragon fell smoldering to the earth. Tara still hadn't noticed the new rogues and was startled and confused when Shadowdeath turned away from the main melee.
Tara shouted, "Oh, shit, more, dammit. Too many... How are we supposed to do anything useful here? They'll overpower us by sheer force of numbers. Oh, well, can we take them, Shadowdeath? Are we outmatched or might we have a chance?"
"If I knew that, battle would be certain, and what point would there be to fight? I don't know. I think that our group is far more skilled that these. Yes, they have an army, but as long as we keep our eyes open and our swords are quick, we have a chance. Do you think that I would still be here if we didn't? Still, it might be good to start to try to loose them, if we can get all three of the others together and try to lose them in a lenticular cloud. They are not very good with directions in those... the clouds seem to have a disorienting effect on them... I say we try it.", Shadowdeath suggested.
"Good idea, Shadowdeath, let's do it," agreed Tara.
They wheeled back around to the others, and Tara brought their attention to the incoming wave of rogues, pointed to the lenticular cloud and yelled at the others, "COME ON PEOPLE! LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!! THIS IS NOT GOOD!"
Somehow, Shadowdeath was able to dodge the rogues and their dragons and headed toward the lenticular cloud. Qlippoth landed, and Semaj leaped to his back. "She's running. We have to follow her or she'll get lost in the cloud." Daath and Tippereth were reluctantly follow. Most of their attackers were dead, and their reinforcements were no match for them. They flew toward the lenticular cloud, leaving the city in a smoking ruin with a quarter of it on fire. Semaj shouted, "Tara, don't enter the cloud without us. You will get lost!"
They caught up to Tara, just in time, and entered the cloud together. "We could have taken them all, Tara. You didn't have to run.," Sephera led them all deep into the lenticular cloud, and selected another tunnel. As they emerged, they found themselves flying over a desert. Not far away they saw a lone dragon and rider. When the rider saw them, he bolted, flying quickly away from them.
Semaj noted, "He must be one of the Deadsponcellors that got away, and thinks that we are the rogues hunting him. You stay here while Qlippoth and I catch up to him." Qlippoth followed in pursuit.
"What? Stay there and let the whole city be destroyed as wave after wave of rogues come for us? I think not. If I have to go back alone, I will help those people, I could not stay there and let their homes be destroyed when there was an easier way out; that's supposed to be neutral ground, and look at all the destruction that took place there, because you guys couldn't think to take it elsewhere, don't any of you give a shit about what happens to other people?" Tara and Shadowdeath sought what little shade they could and rested.
Sephera retorted, "We had no way of knowing that a trap had been set there. We did not start that fight. The Rogues attacked us, remember? We have visited that city a thousand times in the last hundred years or so, and never had a problem before. AND, note this : you were the one who ran when the fighting got thick. The rest of us would have continued fighting."
Daath interrupted them saying, "It looks as if Semaj is catching up to that stray Deadsponcellor. We should wait here awhile while they talk, so that he will know that we mean him no harm, before we join them."
Semaj caught up to the Deadsponcellor, "Hello there! I am Semaj. I am not one of those who has been hunting you. You are in no danger from us."
Back with the others Tara informed them, "I ran not from cowardice, I ran out of compassion, something the three of you seem not to have for any other than your 'chosen' ones, and even that compassion is a bit thin. I know you had no way of knowing a trap had been set, but it could have been handled in such a way that no innocents were lost," she looked Sephera dead in the eye, "or driven mad. I hope that stray eludes us, if he's going to be brought down for showing compassion to those with no defense. You honestly sicken me; honestly, truly repulse me sometimes." She moved to the other side of Shadowdeath, so she wouldn't have to look at them any longer and gazed out over the horizon.
Sephera looked at her, "Tara, perhaps we seem hardened to you, but we have been involved in this war for centuries. You do not know how depraved the Rogues can be, have not witnessed their depravities. I liked Nemeth, and its people. I was fighting to save them, as much as I was fighting to save myself. The only chance those people had to survive, was in our winning that battle. We need you, and any other stray Deadsponcellors we can find, if we are to have any chance against the Rogues. They outnumber us so greatly. Sadly, now, because we left the field to not lose you, Nemeth, and its gentle people, are no more."
The lone dragonrider responded to Semaj, "I am Malcuth, and this is my dragon, Kether. I don't know what is going on. I went in dream through my mirror to where I used to go Deadsponcelling, and there was a terrible battle raging. Dragons and riders I didn't know, were slaying the Deadsponcellors with whom I was familiar. The battle was almost over when I arrived. They were mopping up, collecting the heads. They saw me and gave chase. I flew into a cloud to evade them, and then a strange tunnel in the cloud swallowed me, and I ended up here. What is going on?"
Semaj informed him Those were the Rogues. They are conducting a Harvest, killing off all of the young Deadsponcellors that they can find. My companions and I are what you might call, Solitaries. We are Deadsponcellors who evaded the Rogues centuries ago. When we can, we try to rescue young Deadsponcellors. Pray join us."
Tara looked dumbfoundedly at Sephera, '"No. it can't be, they were after us, not the Nemethians, or whatever you call them. There must be some survivors. You could have stayed and fought and lost, it was an ambush for us. I would have found a mirror eventually, and thus would have found you guys, if you had made it out alive. Continuing the battle there would have meant death and insanity of all of them. The rogues weren't after them, it can't be true, there's always an option in an ambush... dammit... they were after me, not them. why...? Tara stared out to the horizon and trailed to near inaudibility and mumbled to herself about how the city couldn't have been destroyed and how the rogues had left and gotten lost in the lenticular cloud.
Malcuth looked at Semaj with a gleam of hatred in his eyes, "I'll join you old man, revenge must be had," and followed Semaj back to the others.
They joined the others and Semaj said, "I smell an ocean on the breeze from the south. We will probably find a lenticular cloud there." He took the lead, and the others fanned out behind him, with Daath and Sephera in the rear corners, and Tara and Malcuth in the center.
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