<div></div><br> <br>A distress call was sent in the most unusual way imaginable, a voice travelling along the wind delivering a message for help, as well as the exact ways to get there. There doesn't seem to be many details in the message they sent. To make things worse, the people who sent it don't seem to have any reward they are able to provide. Nonetheless, the bounty was placed anyway, hoping for adventurers to venture the long distance past the forest to help them out pro bono.<br> <br>The Black 'Draguana' is in his natural form this day, giving him a set of shorts and nothing else other than that ever-present collar that has been around his neck ever since his rescue.  He is forced to walk this distance along with whoever else had decided to come along...or whoever had heard the call, however it works.  As usual in his case, no weapons or armor go along with him, just what comes natural...or what LOOKS natural, anyway.<br> <br>Ixitixl strides alongside Mazurek in sharp contrast, barely any of his scales visible beneath his bulky priest armour. He isn't making conversation, just plodding along, matching pace, looking fretful over goodness-only-knows-what.<br> <br>Kilsa hears the message and begins to travel in the direction that she things the voice might be in. She notices Mazurek and begins to follow the large reptiles, "Sir Mazurek." She shouts loudly, trying to get the males attention as she jogs up to him trying to see if he is on the same path as her. <br> <br>The route there has been rather uneventful, seemingly not even a stray beast in the forest.  A cold, unnatural wind blows through the leaves, rustling them and making the weaker trees creak slightly, as though the three were being watched. "What are you doing in our lands, strangers?" The wind whispers softly, barely audible in the hushed greenery.<br> <br>Mazurek leads the way in front of his fellow iguana companion, only to stop and direct his gaze toward a familiar voice.  A slight inclination of the head is given, "Lady Kilsa.  It has been some time."  He is about to say more when the voice(s) speak in the wind, his spinal crest rising swiftly along with his dewlap flaring, "It would seem that we are being watched."  He looks around them, snorting.<br> <br>Ixitixl stops and turns in tandem with the other iguana, and where hearing the title given the approaching badger, he bows low -- only to shoot right up to his full, if unimpressive height as the voice whispers in the wind, the many links and plates of his gear rattling as he trembles inside it. "We, um, we're answering your call ... for aid!" he calls, constantly changing directions as he speaks, not sure... where he's supposed to address the response.<br> <br>Kilsa smiles an attempts to be diplomatic, "As he asid we are answering a call for aid, Are you the one asking for help?" She looked around hoping to find the source of the voice. "I'm not used to helping invisible folk so if you could step in the open please do." she said calming while keeping her back to her companions and scaning the area.<br> <br>Suddenly, from nowhere, as if in response to the party, arrows fly out from every direction, pelting the group. Nobody's hurt though, as they're aimed as warning shots more than anything else. "Never cross us." The source of the voice makes himself visible at Kilsa's request, an arrow placed in his large longbow. The armed fox glares at the three and bares teeth, though whether he's snarling or smiling can't really be seen. He lowers his bow and keeps it behind him, tribal tattoos scattered all throughout his white fur. "So you've answered our calls for help..." He bows politely and kneels, looking down. "Forgive us for the greeting. In times of war, anyone can be an enemy."<br> <br>Mazurek turns his attention toward the source of the arrows, or at least what he perceives to be the source.  Regardless of whether that is true or not he turns to face the tribal-looking fox after he emerges.  He looks then to kilsa with raised brow before turning to address Ixitixl, "Remember what I said before.  You are the dragon.  You are strong, tough."<br> <br>Ixitixl gets his shield out ... of course by the time he's done that the arrows have struck where they were going, so it's a bit moot, not to mention trying to guess which way they were coming from in the first place when it seems like all directions, but he twists and turns around trying to block himself and his allies from further, direct assault... which doesn't come, thankfully. Swallowing with an audible gulp, he lowers the shhield as the fox reveals himself, and finally tucks it away again, looking like he feels rather foolish. "...Mmf." is all he can muster in response to Maz's encouragement.<br> <br>Kilsa looks angry as she smiles, "Are you reallly attacking us, Please tell me your reasoning before bad things happen." Her face widens into a scary smiles, "Your attacking innocent folk looking to do some good please explain. I'm a priest asking you to follow the creators path and do the right thing by putting down your weapons and being civil."<br> <br>The fox frowns a bit. "If we'd wanted to attack you it'd be over in a matter of seconds." He points to the arrows. "We don't usually miss. You can't blame us for being wary when-" He's cut off by a loud cry of pain in the forest and the sounds of combat happening nearby. "They've come again!" He points towards the stretch of forest in front of him. "You must come with me to our village /now/. Our scouts will hold the line until we can explain the situation." He looks positively worried now, more cries of pain coming from behind, slowly approaching...looks like its time for fight or flight.<br> <br>Mazurek rubs his fellow iguana's head, not paying attention to the diplomacy happening for the moment.  That changes with the sound of combat close by, and it has him turning to face their 'host'.  He nods slightly and starts off toward the sounds of battle, "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?  Time to at least have some fun out here, right Ixi?"<br> <br>"Ah! Aren't we going to...?" Ixitixl looks back and forth between the charging iguana and the tribal fox, brows furrowed in worry, but at last he takes off after Mazurek, drawing sword and shield and readying himself. "This ... this isn't a game, Mazurek!"<br> <br>Kilsa nods her head, "Alright Icizer or Ixi, Pleasure to meet you but introductions will have to wait." She begins to follow the fox with her weapon drawn, "lead the way!" She cries out as she follows.<br> <br>The fox hides a smile as his back is turned to the group, bow unslung from his back as he waits for the three to catch up to him before charging into the fray, taking a couple of swift shots and taking out his targets. The forest is a bloodied mess, foxes engaging in combat with shadow touched felines, arrows flying and axes being thrown. Immediately, some of the attackers who have just dispatched their opponents turn to the new group and charge without warning.<br> <br>The four savages are left sprawling on the ground before too long, the combined ability of the two dragons and the hammerbadger overwhelming them with ease, the rest of them beating hasty retreats. It's immediately evident why the fox's tribe is having problems defending themselves. They were great from afar, but clearly couldn't hold their ground when fighting close up, and the forest provided ample opportunities for ambushes and sneak attacks. The fox you met surveys the damage done with a sad frown. "That's most of the scouting party. We will have to inform their families..." He moves over to one body and closes the eyes, muttering a soft eulogy.<br> <br>Mazurek calls back without looking back, "Oh, lighten up a bit.  Ah ha!  Shadows!"  He brightens and definitely charges into the thick of things, biting, clawing, kicking, and otherwise making a mess of things around himself.  He's fighting unarmed and all that fun stuff and doesn't seem to really mind the carnage.  Afterward, he's a dripping mess.  When did he become such a savage?<br> <br>Ixitixl holds his own as best he may, remaining in his meek but still mighty iguana form for the duration of the battle, though he's left panting by the time all is said and done. He briefly looks Mazurek and Kilsa over for injury, making no secret of how apalling he finds the other lizard's state with his expression. "I'm sorry." he says at last to fox, once the eulogy has been completed. "I ... wish we could have done more for them."<br> <br>Kilsa smiles at Mazurek gust, "I am sorry for your loss, If you would like them to have services held, I am sure my church would be willing to help. I would pay for any arrangements that thier love ones will need rendered." She says with a somber note.<br> <br>"Thank you, lady." The fox sighs and stands up, shaken. It's clear that one he gave the eulogy for was a close friend. "My people will come to claim the bodies later...they couldn't have known where our scouting parties were. There's no way they could have found them all...what's making them so confident to attack us all of a sudden..." He continues his monologue, apparently having forgotten about current company, squeezing an arrow shaft until it snaps in his hands and the splinters making him bleed. He turns to look at the three, burning vengeance in his eyes as those tattoos glow lightly and a wind howls in the forest, a mournful, tragic sound.<br> <br>Mazurek is not injured beyond what his body can naturally heal on its own, and he rejoins the group soon after making sure none of the enemies are still around, "I've never fought like that before.  I think I've found a savage soul to learn from."  he chuckles, turning to the tribal fox, "It is never really known just how much the Shadow truly know about the non-shadows."<br> <br>Ixitixl can't do much else but stand there looking and feeling useless as the fox insists on injuring himself. Normally he'd step right up to offer aid for even such a miniscule injury, but on this occasion he keeps quiet, eyes down.<br> <br>Kilsa nods at the Fox, "We will help in anyway that we can." She looks grimly at the bodies, "The shadow is blight on us all." She turns to Ixitixl, "I'm Lady Kilsa by the way, I didn't hear your name clearly."<br> <br>"My name is Kiyasai." The fox mutters softly as his anger continues to manifest in mathemagic. "We asked for help. We want bitter vengeance on our attackers...will you help me?" His intentions are made clear especially with the last part of his statement.<br> <br>Mazurek nods, "I will help you, and I am sure the others will as well.  We have been fighting the shadows for a very long time, ourselves.  We have only started the task of understanding them after all this time."  He holds out a hand, "I am Mazurek, Kiyasai.  The badger is Lady Kilsa Ironsoul and the Armored Iguana is Ixitixl."<br> <br>"Ixitixl Ledgeworth." the green iguana answers with a slight quiver in his voice, keeping his head bowed to the badger. "Begging pardon, but it's Lady Kilsa Ironsoul, isn't it? I'm--" He cuts himself off, sparing a glance at the fox. Not the best time for discussion, he decides, so he shuts up, only nodding his head slightly when he's introduced to their tribal ambassador.<br> <br>Kilsa nods at the both of them, "Pleasure to meet you both, I am willing to help exact justice." She notes the green iguana and smiles, "I seem to have all the luck in meeting repitles. I swear I must be blessed by the Creators, Next you going to tell me your Draconic in nature like my friend Sir Mazurek." She chuckled and looked to Kiyasai, "Please lead the way, Kiyasai."<br> <br>Kiyasai nods, his hands still quivering with anger as he makes his way off the trail. "One of our scouts sent a message before he died. Through the wind.  If we take out the commander of the enemy brutes...we might be able to stop the massacre...if only for a bit..." The winds continue to billow in his wake. "I will not let the Windrunners fall. Not as long as any of us still stand." He's in no mood for jokes, sadly. Suddenly, he takes cover and he points to the camp visible just ahead, an armored lynx who seems to be giving the orders heavily guarded.<br> <br>Mazurek suddenly coughs after Kilsa's final comment toward the other Iguana, "Ummm.  Kilsa?  In that regard, you would be correct.  He is also my mate."  He slips an arm around Ixitixl and winks, "We haven't made it official yet, though."  He follows the fox in due course and does NOT hide when the camp comes into view, "So this is the camp, then?  Looks like a challenge is ahead of us."<br> <br>"Um." is all Ixitixl can say, before Mazurek goes and lays it all out in black and white. He nods with a sheepish grin, then bows his head in embarassment, keeping awful quiet as they follow Kiyasai through the woods... and then when the fox takes cover and the other draguana doesn't, well, he tries to drag Mazurek behind a tree with him.<br> <br>Kilsa eyes widen then she smiles evily, "I'm happy for you. After this is all said and done we will have to drink to such a union." She looks at the much smaller lizard and smirks, "We will have to get to know one another if you are Mazurek's mate. Now lets go." She then adds a little more quickly, "Being a mate to Mazurek grants you a 15% discount on armor from me." <br> <br>"We'll send our regards through the winds if the day does come." Kiyasai nods, looking slightly annoyed at the distraction but knowing that people have outside lives too. "Looks like there are a lot of guards...the place is on high alert."<br> <br>Mazurek tugs the other iguana's arm/hand away from him as he surveys the camp, studying what he can even while commenting, "He gets a discount while I never got such a thing?  My Lady, I am surprised."  He grins, tail swishing, "Do note, however, that recent events prevent me from transforming.  Hmmm.  Think we can get away with challenging the leader one-on-one?"<br> <br>Ixitixl doesn't make a sound, but he's clearly not liking this reckless new Mazurek one bit. He sits behind the tree with his knees tucked against his chest, daring only occasional peeks out to the camp beyond. "I... I hope you mean four-on-one..."<br> <br>Kilsa looks at Mazurek, "I doubt it, what is your assesment Kiyasai?"  She looked back at Mazurek seriously, "We need to get our act together and you normally get a discount on labor." She looked at Ixitixl, "You not much for fighting with terrible odds are you?" She asked before waiting on the foxes reply.<br> <br>"I could pelt them with some arrows first if you three'd care to charge. You know I can't fight head on. Or I could try to snipe one out of the picture." The tattooed fox frowns as he carefully prepares a shot in case they are spotted, but no, the commander's camp seems to stay there, frozen in motion. "I don't know how good you all are, but judging from Mazurek's display earlier..." He shrugs.<br> <br>Mazurek smirks, "From my display that was me being reckless against opponents who were not expecting us.  I have to wonder if you could try to coax a small number of the enemy to our position and we can just slowly wipe them out."  He trying to suddenly be a tactician?"<br> <br>Ixitixl heaves a sigh, pushing himself back to his feet as quietly as he can and getting his sword and shield ready again. "I just... prefer to err on the side of caution, Milady." he answers to Kilsa, inclining his head respectfully to her, then turning a look towards Mazurek, brows lifting. "That... that sounds like a reasonable plan..."<br> <br>Kilsa chuckles, "Peppering would be good but Mazurek is a force of nature while I'm just a really strong lady with the ideal that everyone else is nail. I've not seen much of Sir Ixitixl to say his prowess in battle." She hefted her hammer and smiles "Regardless when the first group is down and the coast is clear tail us and don't put yourself in harms way. We aren't here to cause more heartbreak."<br> <br>"Got it." Kiyasai nods and readies a shot, once the patrol has left the camp, leaving only the commander's guards, he fires three arrows, two of which explode into violent gusts of wind as a distraction. "Now!"<br> <br>Mazurek points to his collar, "Former force of nature.  Until this thing gets removed by one of the generals of the Cliffside Siege Army that was captured during my rescue I can't transform or use any magic.  Only they know the command phrase to remove it."  Once the battle is joined, he proves it by remaining in his normal form, not even trying to take the time to shift.  It's tough, but he goes after the healer of the quartet with a vengeance while everyone else does their thing.<br> <br>Ixitixl had begun his transformation the moment their vulpine guide had let loose with his arrows, and filling his armour out quite fully, he springs into the fray with a thunderous roar that's quite the contradiction to his usually timid voice. With shield and sword he keeps the enemy's attacks at bay, creating openings for the others to exploit.<br> <br>Kilsa settles for nothing more than a pray and her hammer as she strikes those around trying to give Mazurek a shot at killing the healer without interruption. "Come at me!" She acts completely off character for a priest with all her blows struck with the intent to kill.<br> <br>Kilsa draws all the aggression from the group of soldiers, the healer helpless against Maz's onslaught, falling soon after he is pressured. It's not long before the commander himself is brought to his knees, arrows sticking out of his back and sword wounds slashing through his armor.<br> <br>Mazurek's only methods of attack had been using his natural weaponry: clawing, biting, kicking, and slapping with his tail.  When the three aids are finally down and the commander is on his knees, he moves to stand behind the creature and grasp the shoulders firmly, nodding to Kilsa in silence.  The injuries he has sustained are visibly closing up.<br> <br>Ixitixl steps back when the fighting is over. His sword planted into the ground, both hands planted upon the cap of its hilt, he bows his head and beings to utter a prayer in mumbled, barely audible tones.<br> <br>Kilsa gives a grin to Mazurek, "Dragon or not, you haven't lost your thunder." She smirked and looked around searching for more warriors to face. "I doubt that this is the full weight of whats to come." She looks around expecting an arrow or lance at any moment. Her eyes darting around curiously.<br> <br>Kiyasai is heaving heavily, sighing. "Got you...at last." Without any more words, he unleashes a shot that leaves the commander blood splattered on the floor. "Thank you...we don't have much to offer. But if you need wind magic training...we can help." He bows again.<br> <br>Mazurek tilts his head slightly as one final arrow ends the commander's life, letting the being just fall backward, "I don't know about training in wind magics, but what about your own special training?  Or is that forbidden?"<br> <br>Ixitixl continues to mumble for a minute or so more after the enemy commander has been felled, at last opening his eyes and lifting his head. He pulls his sword from the ground and returns it to its scabbard, grim-faced and solemn, and turns to deliver a respectful bow to Kiyasai.<br> <br>Kilsa smiles, "I would seek training wherever if you don't mind a clueless noble trying to learn your art to better all of promise." She chuckles and looked at Ixitixl, "I think Sir Mazurek found a kindred spirit." She beamed at the smaller of the two Reptiles.<br> <br>"I am a Windrunner. We are the most advanced wind magic users in the world. If you seek special training...it can be done at great cost, but we can." Kiyasai points to his tattoos. Which are strangely familiar.