Dragonsongs and Demons

"Dragonsongs and Demons" is a Season 4 thread written on April 18, 2015. 
== Summary ==
== Full Text ==
=== Part 1: ===
Hrinthe Fishgiver: Hrinthe was still terrified as the ropes fell off of her.
O-okay… but rebels are rebels.  Father Midgardsormr is a god.  I cannot fight him!  I tried!  I do not know why he released me -
A booming voice rung through her head.
You will now know why.
The Dragonsong rushed through her once more, wave after wave of powerful burning rage engulfing everything.  It told her to complete her mission.
She screamed.
No!  NO! NO!!  STOP STOP GREY STOP ME NO NO FATHER NO PLEASE -
It overtook her.  It made her submit to the primal instinct and the commands of the Father.
Mankind shall burn.
And once again, she leapt at Grey, intent on killing her once and for all.
Nalaagura Ep'ha: Stop.
The voice rang through their minds and then the ghostly form of the Warden appeared behind the dragon, a hand outstretched and eyes burning. She thrust her mind into the crazed dragon’s, attempting to seize control of her. The demon put all of her efforts into stopping Hrinthe’s physical advance. 
Hrinthe Fishgiver: Hrinthe roared, staggering away from Grey as she flailed her head and her wings about.  The song commanded her, the Warden commanded her, and caught in the middle, Hrinthe struggled desperately to gain control of whatever was left of her. 
Out out OUT OUT OUT OUTOUT OUT STOP OUT OUT -
Grey Bergman: Grey watched in absolute horror as Dagger went from suddenly lunging to attack to struggling to fight the Warden’s possession. As grateful as she was for Nala’s rescue, she felt bad for the poor dragon. She wanted so badly to hug the Nadder and tell her everything was going to be okay. Nevertheless, she couldn’t take the risk. She ran over to Nala as she watched the Nadder struggle.
“Great timing, Nala,” Grey said running over to the demon. “Thanks.”
Nalaagura Ep'ha: Do not…distract…me…if you wish…to live…
She had never battled this fiercely for control, not even with Haddock. The song was smothering, all-encompassing, like a massive tidal wave; it took all the Warden had not to be bowled over and washed away by it. This was clearly the work of a god. 
Nala began to emit waves of smooth, rational calm to try and combat the insane rage. She walked around to the front of the dragon, ignoring the flailing limbs as they passed through her insubstantial body. Very slowly lowering her head, she kept her hand outstretched.If I am battling against dominance, then I must appear the dominant one. She did her best to appear solid and imperious, looking the dragon in the eye as best as she could. 
Ignore it. Listen to me. Listen. A low humming joined the clicks and warbles of the song as Nala pushed her essence into the dragon.Fight it, dragon. Remember whose side you are on. Ignore it. Ignore it. Listen to me.
Hrinthe Fishgiver: Hrinthe was buffered between two sides.  Rage, calm, vengeance, authority, but rage, rage, rage, continued to flood from the song.  She was a dragon.  The song was in her very blood.  It was in her nature, her instinct, the beat of her heart.
Going against it was unthinkable.  But it told her to kill.  She didn’t want to.  The sane, soulspeaker part of her didn’t want to.  The other side was offering her a way out of this maelstrom.
But the maelstrom kept roaring.
Nalaagura Ep'ha: A human would have been tranquilized by now…
The Warden stepped closer, gaze intense. Look at me. Listen. Listen. She started to surround and shield the dragon’s mind rather than try and unfocus it. She made her consciousness as thick and muffled as possible, trying to dull the impulse from ripping through the dragon. All the while she continued to try and relax her, sending tranquil feelings to temper the bloodlust.Come back to us. Listen to me. He has no power over you. Let him drown out. Let me drown him out. Ignore it. Listen to me.
The song - the direct influence into her mind - was muffled.  It still rung in her blood, still urged her forward, to kill kill kill- but she could resist now.  There was a calming sensation, a feeling of serenity, that was relaxing that urge to destroy all humanity, slay the Lady Grey, but most of all, the Dragonsong and its commands were distorted, changed, shielded from…
Hrinthe Fishgiver: I… will not… obey… the Father…
She blinked briefly.  The Dragonsong was banging against something, like a thick thick wall, but only the dullest of sounds reached her.  
It was only then that she even registered the appearance of the Warden.  The dragon squawked in surprise, staring.
Greg Ericson: Greg rushed through the halls searching for Hrinthe, sword drawn. He would have been there earlier but he couldn’t find his bloody sword. He searched all throughout the house and couldn’t find it. Eventually though he found it under the bed and made his way towards the bunker’s entrance.
However he had not yet learned the layout yet and got lost adding more time to his search. Eventually he heard Hrinthe’s voice saying something about obeying the father so he rushed towards the voice, his sword aloft and a battle cry in his throat. Rounding the corner though he just saw a few of the rebel, Hrinthe, Sayaka and her witch hunter, and Nala all staring at him like he’d grown dragon wings. He lowered his sword so the tip hit the floor and asked. “What did I miss?”
Grey Bergman: Grey ignored Greg’s question and immediately ran to calm Dagger down after her surprise squawk at the sight of the Warden. She placed her hands on Dagger’s chin and made soothing noise to make her still. 
“It’s okay, girl,” she said. “It’s okay. Nala just saved you. You’re free from the Father now. You’re okay.”
Hrinthe Fishgiver: The dragon’s eyes were wide, staring, still terrified after everything that had happened.
No… the Father is still there… she whimpered, backing towards the wall. The Warden saved me… but I am not safe.  You are not safe.  The Father will wonder why I do not answer.  He will be angry.  Make it stop! she cried, curling up on the floor.  I do not want this.  I am scared.  
… I want Kiri.
Grey Bergman: Grey stepped closer and hugged Dagger’s head rubbing the scales gently. “I know you do,” she said. “I bet she misses you too. I wish we could bring her back, but we can’t. It’s scary, I know, and I also know that I’m not Kiri. But I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. None of us will. You just have to trust us…trust me.”
Hrinthe Fishgiver: Hrinthe didn’t know if she deserved this after what she had done.  She wondered if Kiri had ever felt this way… either before or after the transformation.
But they were rebels; people she had known for a long time, before she could properly use the Soulspeak.  She had to trust them.  And right now, the Warden’s possession was the only thing keeping her from falling to the Father once more.
So quietly, with a small sad rumble in her throat, the dragon closed her eyes and pushed her head forward into Grey.  
… I am sorry.
Grey Bergman: “Shh…” she said hugging her tighter. “There’s no need to be sorry. It’s wasn’t your fault. He made you do it. I promise…everything’s going to be okay. We can fix this.”
Nalaagura Ep'ha: Nalaagura lowered her hand, though her body was still tense with the effort of blocking the Dragonsong. We need to stop this from happening again, she muttered.We are not safe with this compulsion running rampant among the dragons.
Grey Bergman: Grey placed her cheek on Dagger trying to soothe the dragon as best as she could as she thought about what Nala was telling her.
“I agree,” she said, “but it looks like the only options we have is to either bring down the Father or to convince him to let the dragons go. And I think we both know how the second one is going to turn out if he was willing to have me killed.”
Hrinthe Fishgiver: The Father… is angry…
Hrinthe pushed herself up, her mind still whirring after everything.  She could hear the song, though dimly and muffled; only the Warden’s influence gave her any sort of freedom from him.
Midgardsormr.  He is Father of all dragons, she began, looking at all of them.  A human army slaughtered the nest at his shrine.  Eggs, hatchlings, elders, all of them.  Dead on his altar.  He thought Ragnarok did this.  News of the Dragonsong.  So he sings.
I do not know who did it.  I do not know who that army belonged to.  The Father does not care.  But he loves his children.  He is not being rational.  Maybe talk to him, we can.
She lowered her head with shame though.  But Warden must stay here, yes?  I cannot trust myself.  I will submit to the song.  I cannot leave.  I will not hurt more humans.
Nalaagura Ep'ha: If need be I can control you completely, the Warden said grimly, so that you do not harm others. But there is sense in what the night rider says. Hel has taken care of the other armies for us…this would be an opportune time to go behind her back. Though her face was blank, everyone could sense a smirk in her words.
Grey Bergman: “That could work I guess,” Grey said thoughtfully, “but Dagger is right. Hel specifically told you not to leave this place so that you could guard it. And you’ll need a vessel to do that right?” She thought some more and took deep breath. “Maybe, it’s best that I go alone. Dagger can just tell me where to find Midgardsormr, and I’ll go there on foot. That way, everyone here stays safe and won’t get hurt because of me. Maybe I won’t appear as a threat, and I could reason with him.”
Hrinthe Fishgiver: They will kill you first!
Hrinthe stood up fully, flaring her wings in alarm at Grey.  The others are still outside the entrance.  The Father wants you dead!  They will come after you!  You will not survive outside alone!  You will not make it!  The Aaum Peaks are too far!
=== Part 2: ===
Nalaagura Ep'ha: Grey, you are not going by yourself! Nala snapped, stretched to the breaking point. One mortal against a god will do nothing. He will wipe you from existence. This is not some misunderstood, half-hearted demon. He–will–kill you. You mean nothing to him. If one goes, we all go. She fell silent at the thought of Hel’s mandate, frantically thinking of ways she could get around it. But the wording had been exact. She had to stay at the sanctuary Hel had created.
Grey Bergman: “Well, no offense, but I’m not hearing you coming up with any ideas!” Grey shouted back. “Unless we can find some way to take the dungeon with us, I much rather I die by the hand of this god than have everyone else die as well.” 
Nalaagura Ep'ha: Don’t be s…st…
Take the dungeon with us.
She nearly forgot to keep blocking the Dragonsong and quickly adjusted her hold over Hrinthe’s mind. 
Actually…Grey, that’s it.
Grey Bergman: Grey furrowed her eyebrows together at Nala’s sudden mood change. “W-What’s it?” she asked carefully. 
Nalaagura Ep'ha: The smirk had returned.
Let’s take the dungeon with us.
Category:Events
Category:Grey Bergman
Category:Greg Ericson
Category:The Warden
Category:Hrinthe Fishgiver
Category:Season 5
Category:BOTGD