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The curse has re-awoken, and now a nightmarish beast of a dragon roams the lands burning the country side, destroying villages, and eating what's still alive. Every now and then, it goes back to the mountain top, where it's fallen ancestors once lived, dissapearing from the eyes of the seers below. It has been terrorizing the Land between Mountains : Ictharr, for quite some time. And now the Rulers of all the Realms have joined in one place, in the King's Sanctum in the village of Ni'Or.

They have declared that all men and women able to lend a hand, gather at Ni'Or to help save the lands from the devil that's plaguing it. The hearing will begin at high noon. Better get going...

The Land of Ictharr, a region filled with rolling hills, grassy plains and meadows, and cold shady oaken forests. A series of roads connects all known villages to the grand walled city of Ni'Or, the King's Domain. Though recently, burning houses, livestock and villagers looking like they've been slashed to death, and missing persons are a common thing nowadays with that accursed dragon flying about wreaking havoc. Oh, and would you look at that. It's almost Noon!

The City of Ni'Or is a grand one. Stone walls reinforced with moss covered steel supports and bracing, rising high above the carriages, caravans, and numerous platoons, armies, and merchant camps set up surrounding the city. A numerous amount of plated guards are on the walls ramparts and stations, most likely keeping a look out for anything suspicious or potentially dangerous, while the city's steel and wooden gates remain firmly shut. The feeling of tension and worry is high in the air, while the King, covered in heavy steel armor from head to toe, stands at one of the city's stations on it's walls, looking down at everything from above.

Zero sat on a roof somewhere in the sprawl of economical high, staring up at the sky with a small tinge of curiosity. He would visit his home soon after whatever this turned out to be in the end. His son and kingdom were fine of course, but like many things, he held a certain responsibility to these two things. He lifted a hand up to feel the warmth of the sun's rays on it. Such a radiant energy regardless of when exactly he felt it. Nuclear fusion, as it was called. He wondered why Amosis, his father, hadn't thought to harvest the burning ball of gas. That amount of energy probably would have made his own existence useless. "Had he done so..." thought Zero as it dawned on him, "I wouldn't exist."

Again, he reminded himself of how great it was that Amosis had decided to create Zero. And then he reminded himself of the royal adviser who took over the kingdom while he wasn't there.

"Surely Shilln can take care of the two."

It had dawned on him as he had stopped momentarily here to take in the sights, that there was not only a dragon, but a resistance group being gathered to take out the dragon. This made Zero grin. It wasn't every day that he got to deal with dragons or really anything or anyone that matched up to the power of one. When was it... Noon! That's when the gathering was happening. Zero wasn't worried about being late. He didn't need a pep-talk about taking on an adversary. This was what he was created for after all. He took joy in just the thought of slaying something that powerful. Though. Zero had only met the immortal a few times.

Zero moved to stand, placing his feet under himself and standing to a height of about six feet, if not maybe a little bit more or a little bit less. Something seemed different about him now. If one looked at him, they may have noticed a small discoloration in the edges of his person, though barely noticeable unless compared to the light of the sun. Upon getting close, one would notice the air around Zero having a strange and energetic feel to it. Almost like the hyper-static feeling that you got when realizing just how close someone was to you. He appeared to be young. An outsider could only assume he had recently reached adulthood, but there was something strange about him. He had sharp blue hair the stuck together in sharp blue clumps messily about in every direction with deep blue eyes to match that color. His skin was fair, and showed only a slight amount of pallor. He wore a strange white coat that appeared somewhat skin-tight with tails on it and a hood that hung back. On his waist, there was a scabbard with a two-handed broadsword which happened to be clear. In fact, the entire sword appeared clear. All except two small, diamond shaped black crystals embedded on either side of the guard. A full sized, pitch black staff rest on his back.

Zero cracked a small smile and began to move towards the gathering spot, hopping between rooftops as he moved casually towards it. No stress this time. No one to impress. This was for him, and no one else. He didn't even care about the reward that they'd probably be entitled to.

He was here purely for enjoyment now.

A chill ran between buildings, as heat was devoid from the shaded alleyways hiding Suyana the elf. She rested upon a short barrel, awaiting the herald of noon, the crowds headed for a gathering. The young elf had come from a far off land to aid a town worth naught to her, as she often did. The traveler did not look the noble part, protected by rusty armor and hidden and warmed by a torn, holey cloak.

Time swiftly passed, and as noon came forth the elf waited. Suyana would not move until the rest of the gathering was gone, she would move with the rest of the stragglers. So to pass the time, she drew her blade, looking and after inspection withdrew a rag from her gear to clean the weapon. A slight chilly gust of wind came with the passing group, not bothering the snow-worn elf, however it signaled that she soon should move. Suyana sheathed her weapon and rag, moving to the edge of the alley and leaning upon one wall, patiently waiting.

The boredom that came with sneaking about was often filled with a drink, but today the elf entertained herself with a coin, tossing it up. She turned her head to all the passing villagers, noticing they were becoming sparse. Another minute and she would leave.

Drago walked to the place, where was the gathering. He was wearing his black cloak with a hood, hiding his tail and horns. I am curious what will happen, he thought. Yeah, Drago. Always really excited even about really dangerous things, like adventures.
He was almost running there, when he realized that it is almost Noon. I must make it in time! he thought.

The sun shown brightly in the middle of the cloudless sky, it was now noon, and the hearing shall begin. The king stationed atop the walls with his guards, with a blow of a horn, he began to speak.

"HEAR YE ALL WHO HAVE COME TO HELP SLAY THE DRAGON! I appreciate your willingness, as do the other Rulers of the far off regions. This is an important matter that will most likely determine the future of all the known Realms. Right now, the beast is resting up on the top of Ancient's Peak. This will give us time to prepare for it's next coming attack, as well as our plans of offense. Right now, we need a majority of you to help with the city's defenses. If any of ye know anything about carpentry, engineering, blacksmithing, runesmithing, or protective wards or magic, please assemble in the main square of the city to await to be met by appropriate task masters and officers!"

With that, the gates of the city swing open, revealing the lively marketplace and the paths leading to other parts of the city. A numerous amount of people began separating from their companies and groups and entering the city. From dwarves, to elves, to nagas and orcs, it could be seen that this matter was taken seriously by all the lands.

"Now with that out of the way, the next course of action for the rest of you all-" It was at that moment a harrowing, distant roar could be heard coming from the West. Of course, the westward paths eventually lead to Ancient's Peak, where the dragon is. A gaseous beam of crimson energy could be seen being shot into the sky, aimed directly at the sun.

"...Anyways. The rest of you all should head toward the villages and temple to the east of here. Some of you need to stay and protect the towns in case anything happens, and the rest of you go towards the temple, where the Dragon Eater sword is. Retrieve it from there and bring it back to the city. From there we wi-" He gets cut off again, as an ear piercing otherworldly screech echoes across the land, seemingly coming from the sky itself. It was then, that the sun was turning a deep crimson coloration, bathing the lands in red light.

The king spoke once more after covering his ears. "GET GOING!!!" He pointed eastward. The rest that were standing outside the city began moving out eastward, some at a quicker pace than others.

Zero heard it all, and as he watched the beam pierce the sky, he had a jolt of excitement. Time to get to work.

As Zero hopped from a somewhat low roof to the ground without so much as a flinch, surrounding civilians tossed him glances as he began moving into their crowd. Zero tossed around the idea of killing the dragon in his mind, justifying the death of such a powerful species. They never were beneficial. More selfish and angry than anything. Zero had rarely ever met a kind dragon, and those that he had met he had spared. Beyond that, he had little care for the morals of slaying the them.

Everything dies after all. In one way or another.

To anyone who saw him, they'd notice two things. The first of those being that wherever he was from, it was very far away. The second being that he was definitely armed for battle above that of most people, despite any type of armor. Nothing but a leather cloak.

Suyana followed loose, a good distance behind. As she came upon the gathering, she halted to listen. She stood still as a sentinel, catching the notes of the noble voice. As the final words rung in her ear, the elf swung her eyes about, locally sighting what seemed to be a leaping man who then survived a decent length fall. "How odd." Thought Suyana.

She shook the image, proceeding to the gate of the city, hoping for a chance at the dragon herself. She had her mind in stone that she would be the one to strike the killing blow, and preferably the first to boast as well. Her stories were unwritten, not sung by bards. Ideally today would change her fate.

Drago was walking behind the crowd. He was feeling... A little bit weird. He now had to slay almost his own species. Almost. But he didn 't feel guilty at all.
This will be interesting... he thought, while looking at the large amount of people.

As the King left his station on the city walls, the large amount of people who had been attending the hearing kept moving eastward. The unnatural red light bathing the lands coming from the now crimson colored sun made the situation feel even more so dire in it's circumstances. A lot of the companies and soldiers have already dispersed out of the city's front, and are on their way.

The villages to the east were not far, but the temple which houses the blade sure is, with the only way to it is to ask directions from the townsfolk or carefully follow the road signs into the eastward highlands.

Zero took his time making it to the gates, deciding it might be a good idea to latch on to someone else for the journey. Otherwise he'd get bored. As he searched the people, no one really caught his eyes. Most were dressed like you'd think, armor and swords. It was cliché to Zero. Though he didn't question the reasoning. As he searched through people, he very quickly became overwhelmed by the amount of people. And the sheer similarities in each. That was, up until he laid eyes on a smaller figure in a cloak. Female in shape, and obviously avoiding people.

Perfect, Zero thought to himself as he moved towards the figure. Hopefully he'd strike up a small bit of conversation with whoever they were, and get familiar with them. That in mind he made up beside the cloaked figure and smiled, keeping pace from the side, "Nice day for an adventure, no?" he asked, a kind and calm voice flowing out from his throat.

Hopefully that wasn't an awkward thing to say. Zero had a reputation of making horrible first impressions of course, and it wouldn't surprise him if the figure just ignored him.

Suyana kept her own pace, a slow one behind a mass exodus of hopeful adventurers, fools and the like. She was vexed horribly that her normal speed of movement was hampered by the sheer amount of people.

As the elf trudged along behind the people, she kept her eyes downward, memorizing their exact pace before she did as to not hit anyone.

Suddenly, a brief gust of cool wind passed the elf, lending the idea that someone had come beside her. That thought was verified as true as a voice rung out beside her, attempting to speak with her.

Suyana took a moment beofre she answered, inhaling and sighing heavily. "I suppose so." She responded in a slightly annoyed tone, and remained facing downward.

Drago saw them. Everyone has at least one person to talk to... Except me... Looks like I will be alone... Again. he thought and sighed.
Yeah, but I wonder... If someone saw who I am... How would the person react? he thought and chuckled, he would probably try to kill me, as always... He frowned a little under his hood. He looked around.

As they continued onward, the village began to show itself over the hills. With many companies and travelers weaving through the dusty pathways, while others go into the tavern or visit the fletcher or smithy. The road signs a long the way continue to be the guide to the temple, where the legendary blade lay, awaiting it's new wielder.

The village is a rather large town, mainly an agricultural one, with many plots filled with farms of parsnips, sweet potato, and barley, with some of the folk currently harvesting or tending the fields.

Zero caught the annoyance and noted it for his next response. However, for the moment he didn't say anything further as he walked alongside the elf. Maybe it might be best that he found someone else to partner himself with for the journey. He didn't know yet, and honestly he wasn't too terribly sure how he'd go about that if every person who he tried to talk to gave him that kind of tone.

He reminded himself that it probably just was a one time occurrence, though in the back of his mind, he reminded himself that he wasn't from around here at all anyways. He might have caught her at a bad time, or, he might have just been a big weirdo to all of them that were around him. If anything he felt a little embarrassed that he bothered her so early on, and he really just didn't want to come off bad, "I apologize if I bothered you." he said, genuinely.

He might start looking elsewhere if he couldn't get a good response soon. Even if their conversation had just started.

So... What now? he thought, while walking. He smiled again under his hood. His good mood was coming back. This will be... Pretty interesting. So many people going there... But how many of them will come back?
He only shrugged.

Suyana kept on, blankly looking outwards. "Everyone bother me, you slightly less. Good job." Came the familiar tone with an air of sarcasm. As the elf walked, something struck her from behind, apologized and fled.

The elf grumbled, looking to her new travel partner. "I grow bored of this mindless movement, follow me should you care to, your own call." She offered his and leftz exiting sight through a small gathering of warriors, breaking their circle and patience as the elf hid herself behind a large building within a patch of rose bushes, skillfully avoiding scratches.

The town would now be filled with the companies, merchants, and caravans that came to help with the problem of the dragon. Many of the townsfolk could be seen trading with the merchants, wether it be getting new tools, or buying things of exotic nature. The town initially became five-hundred percent more lively than it usually is, with plenty of local business to go around.

The red sun could be seen drooping near the horizon of the sky, telling that it is somewhat past noon.

Internally Zero cackled. Outwards-ly, he simply smiled as she made the comment. Well then he supposed it would only be right that he followed an invitation to see where it went. Apparently it went that way. Zero followed easily, making it through all the people in his way without so much as a brush against them. In fact, his coat swaying never even so much as came within an inch of anyone as he moved with skill towards the back of the building. Instead of hiding within the bush as well, he simply leaned against the wall of the building next to the bush. Again, he held a smile, "Well this is certainly more interesting than walking through countless mercenaries. Tell me. Is it normal Elven nature to hide in rose bushes when there is no one after them?" The detail was plain to see for Zero, she was firstly, an elf. He had come to that conclusion early on. Slim body, short stature. And even the pallour of the skin spoke loudly to him. He'd seen her face of course, and that showed it as well. If she had intended to keep her species hidden from him, she wasn't doing a good job. The second thing he noticed was that she was anti-social. Distrusting by nature. Elves were commonly very terse when speaking, generally avoiding sarcasm in favor of being up front with their cruel opinions. This one had been upfront, but he'd never met an elf who resorted to sarcasm after being upfront. Wherever she was from, it wasn't a traditional Elven kingdom, and that might contribute to both her presence and her anti-social attitude.

Zero was no longer unsure, but now he was curious. He chose smartly.

Suyana sighed angrily, binding her rage to her mind alone as the man entered her natural cover. "It is not a thing to be generalized, as wood elves mouth's never stop, hill elves are just-" She grimaced, shaking her head. "And then my own snow elves, most are hermits. Look to me and wonder why." She jested. The warrior lay back, staring blankly into the heavens. After a silent moment, empty of all thought and speech save the chatter of sellswords, Suyana turned to Zero. "What do you want?" She asked curtly, raising herself to better level her eyes.

Drago looked at them again, considering if he should go over to them. No, he finally decided, it is too dangerous for me... He sighed. He really wanted to be in some group, but he knew that he couldn 't...
He looked around as he walked. Yeah, everyone is in a group... Except me. He considered going over to soneone again. Okay...