The young archmage sat quietly on the ground, looking out over the
desert town spread out below her. The occasional cry of a bird could be
heard, but otherwise silence was her only companion. The breeze played
with her hair, tugging the silvery strands into knots around her face.
Sitting here like this reminded her of how much she missed the
mountains of the Northlands. She missed her former home in Stonehold,
where she had first met her Lord and patron. This lonesome spot
reminded her of that place. The two of them used to sit together under
the night sky, simply talking and enjoying each other's company. Those
days were long gone now. Almost constant warfare and new dangers swept
the land of Dereth, and much had happened to her since those days. Now,
she lived by the edge of the western ocean, helping to carve out an
oasis of peace for the Light and her fellow dragons to live in. But
still, she remembered the days of her youth, and a promise made to her
Lord, sitting on! the mountain like this. She had said to him that one
day, she would be strong enough to fight at his side as his equal, and
together they would work to bring the Light to this dark land. He had
laughed quietly, and said he looked forward to that day also. Then,
smiling to herself, she remembered how she had finally fulfilled her
promise...

"Rhyssa,
will you come with me to assist a new brother of ours? He needs help in
getting to our new home here." Bennoc's quiet voice filled her mind and
Rhyssa quickly responded that she would be glad to help. Ivanhoe, newly
sworn to the Bard Aytalya, would meet them the town of Cragstone. The
town itself was not the safest, being frequented by assorted brigands,
riff-raff and servants of darkness, but it was the closest town for the
new dragon to reach easily. Rhyssa went to meet Bennoc, accompanied by
her own newly sworn vassal, Armand von Draeka. The swordsman offer to
come along to h!
elp protect the two mages.

While preparing themselves for the
trip to Cragstone, the voice of her patron, Steele, filled her
thoughts. She quickly explained the mission they were about to
undertake, and Steele also agreed to come along. Rhyssa was privately
ecstatic, for her recent intensive studies had helped her learn new
spells, and there was one in particular she wished to show her lord.

After
making sure that her own protections were complete, she then turned her
attentions to Steele, who was waiting with his newest axe in hand. The
lightnings danced along the blade and haft, mesmerizing her. A gentle
mental nudge from him recalled her to her duties and Rhyssa began to
speak the words of power she had worked so hard to memorize. She
focused all her energies on this spell. The magic surged through her
and power danced around Steele's motionless form. Twice more she cast
her magics over her lord and when she was finished, Rhyssa stared in
awe at the axe he hel!
d - the lightnings now seemed to crackle and leap from the blade almost
as if alive.

A
portal was quickly summoned, and the four dragons leapt through, eager
to start on their way. Quickly and easily avoiding the monsters that
lie waiting on the other side, they ran north towards the portal to
Cragstone. There was a lifestone next to this portal, and for a while,
many of the dragons had lived near this particular spot, but none lived
here any longer. Now, many evil persons had moved into the area. They
would have to be vigilent when they got nearer.

"Stop here and
make sure your protections are still good before we go through the
portal" Steele commanded. He was the most experienced of the group,
having been a Black Dragon for quite a while. She was double-checking
all of her spells when a harsh, mewing cry sounded behind her. Seconds
later, Bennoc cried out in pain, and before any of them could turn, he
cried out again - this time a death cry. This was not a goo!
d start to the mission.

Bennoc mind-spoke their fellowship,
"Ivanhoe is waiting for you and there are enemies in town. He is in
danger and needs help as soon as possible. Go now and I will rejoin you
when I am able." The decision was made to simply run to the portal and
through it, ignoring any enemies who may be in the immediate area.
Faces and names of residents blurred in her mind as she ran past them,
but one stood out clearly: Chao Chao. He was well know to her as a
follower of Shollos, one of the most powerful dark lords in all of
Dereth. The three dragons sprinted past and clamored down the slippery
stone stairs into an underground lair. The small room was lit by the
lurid glow of a portal. Mindful of the danger that was behind them,
wary of the danger ahead of them, she strode into the madly whirling
storm, and closed her eyes against the dizzying swirl of energies that
surrounded her.

Emerging outside of the town, they contacted
Ivanhoe to get his locati!
on. Moving off, they stayed close to one another and keep a watch for
the enemy. Their flight to the portal had not gone unnoticed, and as
soon as they began to move away, another figure started to appear
behind them. Almost as if recognizing him had been an omen, Chao Chao
silently attacked her vassal from behind and with the element of
surprise on his side, Armand was quickly slain. When her magics
coruscated around his form however, and he saw that Steele was
preparing to attack him in return, Chao Chao ran like the dog he was.
Fear obviously lent him strength, for he managed to outdistance the
remaining two dragons and fled into another portal.

Rhyssa
frowned at the message she had just received, and turned to Steele to
tell him the news. Not only had Armand fallen to the enemy, but Ivanhoe
had been caught also and slain. He was now at the nearest lifestone;
they would meet him there. Bennoc waited for Armand to regain a bit of
strength, and the two of them began t!
heir journey to recover their corpses, and rejoin her and Steele if
possible. Steele lead the way to the lifestone, and gathering up
Ivanhoe, they moved off to a spot of relative safety so that she could
summon a portal to a dungeon near their home. She cast hasty
protections on him, and then, giving directions, sent Ivanhoe off on
his way. They stayed behind to guard the portal while it remained open,
and then went off to find the treacherous dog who had killed their
fellow. Renewing their protective magics, the two headed into a portal
that would take them to Zakhail, a den of villainy and scum known
throughout all of Dereth.

The
portal drop area was empty, and listening to the conversation of Bennoc
and Armand, she could tell the two of them were still safe also. Steele
headed off towards town, with her following closely behind him. A
figure in one of the far buildings looked up in startlement, and seeing
who they were, fled out a back door trying to escape. They ga!
ve chase, but suddenly, the magics that had bound the four dragons
together in fellowship dissolved, leaving her disoriented for a moment.
A moment was all the quarry needed, and he made good his escape. Her
Lord then recast the spell of fellowship for the two of them alone, and
they continued their patrol.

A
fleeting glimpse, another enemy to target, and the chase was on once
again. They followed this enemy easily, and fearlessly charged into the
unknown portal after him. This coward used foul magics to halt his
passage through the portal, and there was no one waiting inside the
dungeon. Steele charged ahead to search the lower levels of the dank
place. The only creature found was a miserable slave kept here by
force. They quickly dispatched him to his lifestone.

Returning to
the entrance hall, Rhyssa saw the tell-tale disturbance that signaled
the entrance of another person. Her skills let her read the villains
monarch before he had fully arrived: Crum'. This t!
oo was a follower of evil, and he would pay for that choice. As soon as
his figure appeared fully, she spoke the words of magic, and cast the
spell that would make him more susceptible to the lightnings of
Steele's mighty axe. With one swing, Steele cleft the startled victim
in two, killing him instantly. Almost immediately, another began to
materialize in the hall. It was their original quarry - finally
returning to the world. His attempt to deceive them had failed, and he
soon visited his lifestone of choice.

Leaving
quickly, Rhyssa and her lord headed back towards the portal to
Cragstone, planning on returning there again. Pausing outside, she
renewed the spells on Steele, and making sure her own spells were still
working correctly, they prepared to enter the portal. Out of the corner
of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a running figure headed towards
them. It appeared that the follower of Crum' had returned and was set
on trying to extract revenge.

Once back !
in Cragstone, they decided to lead him out of town in an attempt to
lose him, but he followed closely on their heels. They spoke quickly
while they ran, and decided that today would be a good day to die if
needed, the two dragons stopped suddenly and turned to face their
opponent. The surprise attack startled him, giving them precious extra
moments to prepare. Once again, her spells surrounded his form and he
fell to Steele's axe. Even the intervention of yet another enemy could
not prevent them from claiming victory. She turned to this new threat
and desperately began to drain his mana energies from him. Steele
charged and ferociously attacked, and she used the mana energies she
had stolen from the enemy to cast a spell on him. Almost too fast to
realize, the fight was over. The bodies of two enemies lay sprawled in
blood on the ground, and two victorious dragons stood above them.
Gathering the spoils of their victory, Steele told Rhyssa to return
home, he would follow afte!
r her.

Back in town, Steele told the tale to the acclaim of
friends, while Rhyssa stood quietly smiling to herself. Finally, after
all this time, she had fought beside him, as his equal, and they had
been successful. The One was obviously pleased with this union of
talents and persons. She realized that not all fights would end this
well, but for now, this first victory was a wonderful omen. She
wondered if he remembered the promise she once had made to him...

The
sunset over the distant mountain range glared briefly in her eyes, then
the sun finished its slide behind the mountains, leaving twilight to
descend over the desert. She looked up at the clear, starry sky, trying
to find the familiar constellations she knew from up north. This spot,
while not the mountains she was used to, was very beautiful and
peaceful in it's own way. She would have to remember to mention it to
Steele. Perhaps they could find the time t!
o come here, and simply talk again, away from the pressures of the
outside world. Every warrior of the Light needed a break, in order to
look around and remind themselves what they were fighting for. The One
knew, this spot had helped her remember good times, and the first of
her victories over the darkness.

Stretching,
the mage stood up and fastened her outer robe against the desert chill.
Then, she began to walk down the hill, towards the still peaceful town
below her.