-Walls of Jericho [Self Modded]-

[Kour'el Kha'Serith]

Timestamp: Fifteenth day of Melora, Winter Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum.

The Gray Cliffs of the Carmelyan province stretched from the once frozen city of Jaedaxia to the city of Arkdun. At a point where the imposing Citadel Uth Draconus was visible like some great beast perched bloated on the cliffs above the city of Archadoon, perched a statue made from emeralds, jades and sapphires. Golden eyes of the statue were staring vacantly out to sea. Below the statue, falling sharply away as if sheared by a giant knife was a cliff of a fair, killing drop.

Behind the statue, the ground rose steeply from the flat rolling plains, transforming from snow covered, frozen ground to jagged rocks that shot up into sharp, coarse ridges and overhangs molded by the waves. Snow covered these cliffs as well, but it wasn't like the plains. Only a dusting of snow covered most places, at it's deepest point, the cold stuff was only a foot deep. In the lee of the cliffs, the rock faces were exposed like old bones, gray and sharp.

Only the city of Archadoon showed any evidence of human settlement in the area, and virtually none could be found roaming the cliffs. The statue on her precarious perch was the only sentient creature amidst the barren rocks for miles. A cold, biting breeze swept past it, flattening the crude hides and animal fur it was wrapped in for warmth against it's scaled skin as it blew from the southwest. It bore faintly whispered tales of the awesome blizzard that raged on to the south, slowly creeping up the peninsula.

From her perch on the jagged and sharp cliff that fell into frozen edges and corners of stones, and the barren, white and black brush that tenaciously clung, the cold amber eyes watched the sea. Its waters were gray and black today, mirroring the gray overcast sky above. It was a wild, depressing place, and one that suited the gaunt draconess' mood.

The waters below rolled and pounded relentlessly against the rocks, seeking to break the stone before the sea's might. And slowly, over the eons, the sea was winning the battle. Foam sprayed across their slick surfaces before the water was forced to retreat over stones into the sea by it's foe, gravity. In the sky the dark clouds stretched to the horizon where it embraced the seemingly endless sea. The sound of the pounding waves was entrancing and all consuming, enough to hypnotize and drain one's mind until it was vacant but for the endless crashing of the surf.

The statue stirred, coming to life as a tingle swept down her spine that had nothing to do with the chilly air. Raising her horned head, the draconess blinked, the reptilian eyes slowly focusing as her mind came back from the dark waters it had wandered into. The sea had lost it's latest hypnotized victim and the moment was punctuated by a particularly violent wave that threw itself at the rock face, icy fingers reaching high into the sky as the sea raged. Turning and peering over her shoulder, the draconess scanned the cliffs with narrow eyes, wondering why one of her scaled kin had dared to disturb her brooding.

Standing, her wings spread slightly to keep her precarious balance, the draconess turned fully to face the rocks and snow behind her. Her golden eyes narrowed as she stroked the handle of her saex with a talon, caressing the leather wrapped hilt like a lover. The Call still echoed in her mind and traveled up the nerves of her back, raising the scales on the back of her neck. " I know you are there, why are you watching me?" She spoke her accented draconi in a low voice, deadly but curious, waiting for some sign from her unknown watcher.

[Kour'el Kha'Serith]

The emerald draconess stood swaying in the cold wind, waiting for a reply to her statement and daring her kin to produce themselves. Time, as it often did, had changed things, Kour'el most of all. Before she would have welcomed a member of her own race with open arms. However, harsh dealings with her race, the death of her brother and torture, along with the madness that ate away at her mind made Kour'el paranoid of virtually everything.

Since nothing was in the sky, and she could see nothing before her, the draconess was certain the unknown dracon was a Moraden, hiding within it's filthy chains, stalking her. Moraden were almost as bad as the soft skins they tried to emulate, cowards with no sense of pride. They would rather wear the skins of the people that would happily slaughter them then live with no shame of what they were. Some of them even mated with softskins, the greatest taboo. The Moraden could be slaughtered with the rest of the soft skins, since they loved them so much.

Then a voice came, the dracon was versed in the call. Probably a good thing given the loud noises from the waves beating themselves against the rocks. However, the person in question was either a fresh trainee or an idiot. The voice that seared across Kour'el's brain like fire was loud, as if the hidden dracon was standing beside her and screaming in her ear. <How will the knife help you when you can't see your foe?> Rather than being sarcastic or mocking as one would expect of such a question, the voice had a vaguely curious, detached sound. Like the person was day dreaming while speaking.

However, Kour'el failed to notice this, or anything else, since she was clutching her head, shrieking in pain. And since she was on the edge of the cliff, where balance was everything, loosing one's footing usually meant a long fall and a quick stop. Slipping as she held her head and swore a blue streak at the dracon for their idiocy, Kour'el went over the edge. Luckily for her, she cleared all of the rock. Hitting an out cropping would likely have broken a few bones, if not her neck, and ensured more than a splitting headache before she splattered across the ground as colourful gore.

She was buffeted by the strong winds as she fell, twisting herself desperately till she could open her wings without dragging them across or snaring them on the cliff face. She she did snap her wings open abruptly, she felt a bright flare of pain across her chest and shoulders as her wings were wrenched by the winds, the left tip touched the wall. Screaming again, her wings were forced shut by the wind, a few tiny droplets of black blood falling behind her from her wing tip.

Snarling, refusing to die like this before she got a chance to shove a taloned foot up her fellow dracon's scaled arse, Kour'el strained to open her wings in a more controlled, slow manner. She winced as she felt her muscles protest but slowly her wings opened and held against the wing this time. Just in time to, angling them, she pulled up enough to skim over the rocky shore and waves before she began to flap ponderously back up, each wing beat accented by a pain filled hiss between gritted teeth.

Landing roughly near the spot she had fallen off, Kour'el stood panting and glaring wildly around her. The voice came again, as loud as before, mildly surprised and still lost in thought. <Oh you made it. I had just contacted my Grandmother to come fetch your remains for burial> Kour's anger proved to be a somewhat useful blockage to the pain, and she snarled and screamed in common. "Shut up! Shut up! Stop using the call moron, you're going to make my head explode."

[Kour'el Kha'Serith]

"I tend to do that at first, till I can find a range that's comfortable." The voice came, moving as slowly as molasses. It seemed the only time the speaker was quick was when using the Call, the rest of the time, she ( the voice was obviously female) seemed to be too lost in thought to reply all that quickly. Coupled with her obvious stupidity when it came to actually using the skill, it made her seem a little... slow.

Kour's eyes flickered slightly as the rock wall to her left stepped away from itself. Slowly, the texture and colour bleeding away, leaving a naked draconess with the murderous one. This trick was something new to witness, though Kour'el had heard rumours of it. Skin dancing. Not shapeshifting but still hiding. Her lip curled in disgust and she regarded the strange draconess with blatant hostility.

The female was perhaps the strangest looking dracon of all her kin. Kour'el had seen. Just above Kour 's height, she was covered in silvery white scales. Her eyes were a light blue, an odd colour for a dracon and they had a vaguely unfocused look to them. She seemed to look past or through things, instead of at them. She also had no wings. None at all. There weren't even any scars gracing her back, she had seemingly been born without them. A mutant dracon. She would have resembled a saurid if not for the delicate horns that spiraled from the back of her skull and the way she stood. Coupled with the vacant, serene look, and the fact that the female had not apologized for her rude use of the call, Kour'el was itching with sink her blades in the female.

Fixing her blue eyes on a point to the left of Kour's shoulders, the draconess spoke in her slow vague way. "It's usually nice out here but today the view isn't that good. Springtime, when the flowers are blooming and the sea has colour is nicer don't you think? My name is Leilani, what's yours?" Bristling, Kour'el sheathed her knife. She would rip this female apart with her bare hands. Killing a fellow dracon in this fashion would be a new experience. Usually when her scales were stained black it was from her own tainted blood.

"Kour'el. Not that it matters, since you'll be dead in a few minutes." Snarled Kour as she stalked towards Leilani, claws ready. The draconess briefly meet Kour's golden eyes her blue ones, looking mildly surprised. " I'm to die today? Like drop dead? Are you psychic? I wonder what it would be like to drop dead. Would you feel the dropping or would you already be dead? Infuriated at the gibberish, Kour'el clenched her teeth and spoke through them with effort. "You won't be dropping dead, because I am going to kill you, and I assure you, you will feel it."

[Kour'el Kha'Serith]

Though the silver female seemed slow, even she seemed to realize that Kour'el was telling the truth by Kour's voice. It was a dracon's voice, confident, accented, filled with casual power, but it was also wrong. Something in Kour's voice was twisted, and it scraped against Leilani's bones. It was as if a ancient, murderous evil had awoken from a deep sleep and demanded attention... and blood. The vague smile that had cross her face, like she expected this to be some grand joke, faded somewhat and her blue eyes meet Kour'els clearly and the golden eyes locked the blue ones in. Leilani's smile faded entirely as she stared into the golden eyes.

They were dark but not empty. The emerald draconess' eyes were holes in a face that had drawn itself tight around a sorrow like a burning stone in the throat. Leilani met those dark, dead eyes and seemed to recognize a measure of the grief, rage and suffering locked and buried within. The silver female whimpered and took a step back as she realized that the green female before had lost something, and was broken, a shell of her former glory, fated to live out the rest of her wretched existence in a world she hated, alone.

Kour'el continued to stalk the female, murder dancing in her eyes when again the silver female's mental voice slammed into her, this time it was a wordless stream, louder than even before. Gasping, Kour'el was driven to her knees as the assault built up, until she was convulsing on the ground like a fish out of water. Even after the mental scream had ended, she was frozen, until a new voice came across the vast length of the call. It was serene and calm and cooled the ache left behind by the silver draconess.

Vaguely Kour was aware of someone making a soft mewling sound of pain, and she was disgusted when she realized it was her crying like a babe on the cold rocks of the grey cliffs. Inhaling sharply, Kour'el lashed out at the mind, suspecting Leilani's work before she again retreated beyond the haze of the pain, seeking refuge in the familiar if distorted contours of her crazed mind, shunning the cooling voice who sounded like the mother she could not remember.

She opened her eyes with effort, there were several new dracons standing about, most of them looked like guards of some sort, and they were standing between the fallen Kour and Leilani. Each of them held a gleaming, well used matare but none had them pointed at her yet. All of them were Diantars. Which made sense since the cowardly Moradens would have taken a lot longer to get here on foot. The last dracon was kneeling beside Kour'el and looked odd. Dressed in light flying leathers, she regarded the emerald draconess with troubled eyes.

Even kneeling, the draconess was larger than Kour'el. Standing, she would be almost eight feet tall. She was also different than any other dracon Kour had meet thus far. She also looked... more wild and dragonish. A row of spines started from her head and worked their way down to the tip of her tail. Other small horns studded her eye ridges, chin and nose. Her claws were longer, and her teeth more prominent, even with her mouth closed and her wings didn't seem to match with her height. And her colouring was gorgeous. Like a sunrise or a sunset. It started with a burnished gold colour on her snout, hands and feet and worked it's way up her body through oranges, reds and finally shaded to a deep purple on the outer most tips of her wings.

Snarling, Kour weakly tried to gain her feet, only to have the red female make shushing sounds and lay a cool hand against her aching forehead. "Peace young one, no one here will harm you." Flinching away from the hand, Kour'el dragged herself into a sitting position and directed a hate filled glance at Leilani before she snapped. "Speak for yourself, that one has harmed me, nearly killed me and will be dead before the day ends."

Now the guard's matares came forward, as they closed ranks around the silver draconess to protect her, against her protests. The red female continued to watch Kour'el with troubled eyes before holding up her hands. "I apologize for any harm my granddaughter caused you, she is still learning how to properly use the call." She paused a moment, unsure of how to continue before she did, her voice quiet and questioning. "You seem to have a large chip on your shoulder young one. Perhaps we could talk over a warm beverage?"

[Kour'el Kha'Serith]

The gaunt draconess snarled at the red female's words. " Do I look like some drooling moron who can be bought off with a cup of tea and sent on my way? Your granddaughter is an idiot and a menace to any dracon she attempts to communicate with. She should be put down before she does kill someone." Kour'el hissed, fixing Leilani with her burning amber eyes. The silver female flinched and tears became apparent in her eyes as Kour'el's words hit home.

A grin spread across Kour's gaunt face at the site of the crystalline tears on the silver scales and she licked her lips slowly, seeming to savour the silver draconess' distress even from where she crouched. The silver female turned, putting her back to Kour'el, she couldn't face her terrible eyes anymore. Kour laughed then, and her laugh was worse than her words, coloured with cruelty, coldness and other harder to place emotions, hatred but directed inward at Kour herself, though there was little to give way of the meaning her laughter.

One of the males guarding Leilani bristled at her laugh and before it had died, he left his position, all but shoving his Matare in Kour's face. Her was large, though the red draconess was still bigger. He also had more horns on his skull, and was covered with scales that were dark green. He worked his matare under Kour's chin as she continued to chuckle, and lifted her chin up, trying to force her to rise. Kour'el however was not about to play his game, and she stayed where she was, laughing at him, even as the blade cut through her scales and a thing line of black blood began to run down her neck.

"Enough!" The red female said, placing a hand on the haft of the matare, staying the male from making a serious cut on Kour'el's chin. The male looked mutinously at her for a second, and hissed in draconi. "She insults you and your granddaughter and would have killed her. Obviously she is mad, look at her, she looks half starved, half wild she doesn't even know who you are! She's been consumed by her cyraxian blood. No doubt she would have killed Leilani. We should end her misery now and hope Diana will forgive her for her crimes."

Directing her death head grin at the male, Kour'el spoke in a dangerous, silky voice, goading him on. "And why should I know any of you? For all I know, you are the city garbage collectors." The male looked like he was about to choke on his own rage. With a shouted word, he jerked the haft of his matare around and clubbed Kour on the side of her snout. Hissing, she wiped the back of her hand across her snout, finding her lip had been split. Turning her glittering eyes that promised death to the male, she bared her teeth further. "I'll kill you after the bitch and fly your wings as a kite over the city." She promised him quietly.

[Kour'el Kha'Serith]

"Those who Fight Further"~ The Black mages

"I said enough!" The red female flared, her words carrying weight that could be felt by the assembled group, but especially by the dark green male and Kour'el. After the brief flash of pressure in the dragon's minds, it dissipated before the red female stepped in front of Kour'el both protecting her from the male and the rest of the group who had raised their own weapons at her threats and preventing her from attacking any of them.

"Torin. bring Leilani home. The rest of you go as well, I wish to speak to her alone." A group cry rose at that statement. The green male, she presumed was Torin was the loudest, loudly arguing with the red female about her safety. Most of the guards seemed to agree with Torin's early assessment to put Kour down and the useless silver female was still facing away from the gaunt emerald female, likely bawling her eyes out. Pathetic.

Kour'el herself responded by baring her teeth and lifting her bloodied head defiantly at the weapons pointed in her direction. They probably could kill her with little effort, she only had her knives with her, her own matare had been left behind when she had fled her home. Still if they wanted to kill her she would make a good showing o9f herself, As long as she got her claws into the green mall who had hit her and the silver female she didn't particularly care if they killed her or not.

Finally the red female force and orders got the rest moving, one by one the dracon's climbed into the sky, Torin carrying Leilani. As a group they wheeled away and winged back to Arkdun and the citadel perched on the cliffs. Then the two were alone on the cliff. Kour'el was still crouched where she had fallen, making no move to regain her feet or to wipe the blood away from her chin or her neck, her dark eyes glittering at the red female who turned and settled down on a rock a little away from the gaunt female.

The red female, who was still unknown to Kour'el watched her just as intently with her vibrant eyes, a distant frown on her red scaled features before she spoke softly in draconi. " It's odd but you remind me of my sisters. They died long ago." Kour'el made no movement, though she was tensed in case she would be the recipient of anymore more voices in her head or attack from the large female. Her lip did curl up into a sneer however and she spat bloody spittle onto the rocks before she turned her face away from the female, gazing out over the gray sea waters a moment before turning back, a look of bored disdain on her thin face.

"You wish for my sympathy? I have none for you or your stupid family." She said harshly in her own accented draconi. She didn't know why this draconess was so interested in her, but Kour wanted to be rid of her and her memories so she could go back to being consumed by her own. The tip of her tail flicked from side to side like a cat impatient for it's food.