Thread: The Dragon of the Blue Moon

Chapter Two The night was cool and clear, the moon waxing about a quarter full without a cloud in the sky to obscure it's light illuminating the capital city of Roland in a silver shadowed, glow. A person walking out and about at this time of night was rare, but those who did brave the streets did so without fear. With the city Watch constantly patrolling, even with the constant influx of strangers and merchants traveling in and out of the city, they kept the street clean and the sleazy Underground you'd find in most places was tame in comparison to the size of the metropolis. The winding streets all formed straight lines and angles leading up in a woven pattern to the large castle in the middle. Tall, golden spires were turned silver in the light of the moon and jutted every which way from the main girth of the stalwart structure, the pristine walls holding an elegance as well as a noble might. In the shadow of the castle sat nestled a small two story inn. The painted sign hanging above the door donned the image of a waning moon, with the words The White Crescent beneath it. All of the windows on the ground floor glowed with warmth and music filtered through on a cloud of softly playing music and uproarious laughter. Inside the main room spread out on either side of the front door with a hearth on one end and a bar along the other. Tables cluttered the sawdust covered floor and patrons crowded the space, every seat occupied with serving maids weaving through the open aisles between them. A lot of the patrons in this night were soldiers from Roland's army and among them sat Nicholas, his fist wrapped around the handle of a thick mug of ale and his eyes already glazed with the heavy weight of the drink. A few of the men had been with them for the battle at Leads Hill, Christian and Blister and Tristan all present, but a few of them were newcomers from a battle to the west in Brock Marsh. Two of the four men were robust and well-known among their battalion for their expertise at womanizing there wasn't a woman on this earth that they hadn't had the pleasure of enjoying in their beds. The other two with them were a tad bit inexperienced in that regard, the one a lad no older than 19 and the other a 36 year old warrior with a stone cold demeanor and streaking scars crisscrossing his face. According to them The Marshes were unbearable in the heat of summer, especially the bog which put a lot of weight on the men as they marched through to meet up with the enemy. The Sorboldians in their leather armor and tough animal hide clothes had no better a time and that was probably the only consolation. The bog itself led upwards alongside Roland's border and if the Sorbolds made it on the other side of it, they could spring their forces in from the north-west. Despite the difficulty of the terrain, Roland was keeping a firm hold over the area with the help of border patrols along the neighboring land of Corbair. The current conversation was not on the topic of the war however, but rather the women the men thought about to keep them sane while marching through the harsh lands with sweat pouring under their armor and bugs flying around eating them alive. Ajala Lopar, Nihil, one of the Brock Marsh soldiers said, cocking a knowing eyebrow and lewd grin. Olive skin, brown, wavy hair down to the middle of her back, and breasts the size of ripe Orlandan melons. Nicholas smirked around his mug and murmured, Oh? We're including Sorboldian women in this conversation? Guess it is possible not to hate them all, despite the war and everything. Nihil put up his hands in a defensive gesture and shrugged with that same haughty grin on his face. I'm not gonna ask who her father is and she's living here. Personally, I'm fond of the women from the Hintervold to the north, Blister put in. Porcelain white skin like the snow, and long, straight black hair like the deepest night. This one sweet thing I met up there, kept me up all night. Not much to say for her breasts, but her hips were wide and that waist fit between my hands like the two were made for each other. He illustrated by connecting the thumb and forefinger of both hands forming an oval with his thick fingers. Long legs and big eyes is what I'm looking at, Nicholas said with a shrug. The dragon within him noticed that the scarred soldier had not said anything ever since the conversation began and let him know that where all the men at the table's heart rate had increased with the descriptions of glorified body parts, Gareth's had not. In fact he seemed to be trying to mimic a stone statue with as much emotion and interest he was showing. The man hadn't even ordered a drink, refusing to consume anything other than plain water. What about you, Gar? Nicholas said with a small smirk, gesturing at the soldier. What occupies your thoughts when endlessly marching across country? Nihil and the other man with him, Fal Dar shared a look but waited for their comrade to answer. They'd traveled with the man for 6 months now and knew what to expect from him but hoped this wasn't going to be a repeat of other times. Shaken from his thoughts, only Gareth's eyes moved to regard the slender soldier who'd addressed him, letting out a small Hrm He did not care for this topic or any topic, really, but looking around at the expectant faces, decided to answer as honestly as he could. As he spoke, the rest of the noise in the room seemed to dwindle even further into the background and everything around their table was completely still as his deep, hollow voice spoke. Torture and death. Constantly, my mind is consumed by thoughts of the enemy, fantasies of my sword cleaving heads off left and right, disemboweling those who dare stand in the way of my blade. My battle axe slamming into rib cages and skulls, rivers of blood flying everywhere to spray me in it's wet warmth, and always the sounds of their screams in my head... Crying and pleading for their lives before my sword slices through their vulnerable flesh and I-- Alright, Tristan said instantly cutting the guy off in mid-sentence and relieving the tension that had gathered among them while he'd been speaking. I think you've made it more than clear that you need to get laid, mate. Both Nihil and Fal Dar shook their heads with an uneasy laugh wondering yet again why they even dragged the guy out to go drinking with them. This wasn't the first time Gareth had been included in a conversation only to completely kill the mood. Nicholas on the other hand was highly amused by the whole thing, enjoying not only the guy's description of his obsession with death, but also entertained by the reactions of the others at the table. He was in the middle of taking another sip from his mug, when a doe-eyed bar wench passed by the table with a tray of bowls of stew and ale mugs for a group at a neighboring table. She had strawberry blonde hair tied up in a loose bun, the light from the lamps and hearth causing it to shine like burnished gold. Her big eyes were a bright green, offset by the slender, smooth angles of her face and neck, her skin a light pink from the warmth in the room. Within, Nicholas felt the dragon stir at sight of her, whispering deep inside. I want this, it said in an urgent voice, greed and treasure lust gleaming in it's serpentine eyes reflecting through Nicholas's own. And the obsessive quality of the dragon's desire was contagious, threatening to take him over. Ever at ease and in control, it was smoothly put under control and he felt the jolt of electric energy as the white dragon insisted, I WANT THIS. Whether the dragon was influencing him more than he realized or if it was his own attraction talking, Nicholas could not help but agree. Speaking of getting laid, he drawled out lazily, finishing his ale and setting a gold coin on the tabletop. I'll talk to you gents later. Without looking back at the men seated at the table, he rose gracefully from his chair, proceeding to walk after the young woman who was now weaving back through the crowd. Tristan's hand on his arm stayed him and for a moment he felt the dragon within growl in venomous protest. I don't want to keep you, but tomorrow evening I've got some meetings to attend in the castle. Did I tell you my father requested to meet you? Tristan asked. You mentioned it, Nick said with the slightest bit of annoyance. In fact, I told you I'd go if you promised to stop bugging me about it. Hint, hint. Alright, alright, Tristan said, letting go of the other man's arm. I just wanted to make sure to say something because I probably won't see you until later tomorrow. Don't want you to make any other plans. Nick broke into a wide smile and spread his arms wide as he started to back away in the direction the barmaid had gone. Tristan, you know me. When do I ever plan anything? And with that he'd stepped out of earshot, the dragon helping point the way she'd gone through a swinging door beside the bar. Minutes later in a secluded hallway behind the kitchen, Nick had the strawberry blonde wench up against the wall and was severely assaulting her neck with his lips, his hands on the wall either side of her and barring her escape. Please, Amber said with breathless insistence, her voice begging for something - mercy or freedom, it wasn't quite clear from her voice what she was desperately pleading for. Her body, on the other hand, told a different story, molding to his rock hard muscles and squirming with heated sighs at the ministrations of his lips and tongue. I need to get back to work... You told me you were on break, Nicholas purred against her flushed skin, with a knowing grin on his lips. He loved it when they played these little games - it was almost like role-playing. And that you could take the rest of the evening off if you wanted to. It was becoming very difficult to speak and even though she was more than willing, she did not want to give in too easily. She'd never been the type of woman to just hand it over, but this man...made it so hard to keep her will firm. The power of the dragon within his rib cage burned brightly, it's scaled crest unfurled and shining as it dominated her. She wanted so badly to submit, but continued to struggle. Well...I sort of...lied--Oh! a sharp gasp left her as Nick's teeth dug into the dip between neck and shoulder and a deep chuckle rumbled up from his throat as he felt her shiver and practically melt in the cage of his arms. Damon will get mad if I...don't go back out there... she wasn't really worried about the bartender - there were enough other maids flittering about this evening to take care of business without her - and the dragon sensed it allowing Nick to see straight through her. Retreating back from suckling on her neck, he let his lips hover at her ear, his hot breath cascading over her tingling flesh and making her tremble. If he does...you can blame me... he whispered huskily, his tongue snaking out to tap her earlobe. Searchingly, his hand reached underneath her skirt and between quivering thighs. Her whole body folded up and blossomed around his long, slender fingers, no longer fighting against the touch that had the potential to kill thousands of men in the blink of an eye.