Let's Get to Work

[Anonymous]

"I ORDER YOU TO STOP!", Angel screamed as she began to chase after four Raiders through the mountain side.

These Raiders just severely injured a traveling merchant and stole all they could carry from the poor man. Angel just happened to be in the area and as a Knight, it was her duty to stop them and bring them in for punishment. The Raiders knew better then to tussle with a Knight and now Angel had to give chase which she hated more then anything.

"Get back here!! I swear it will only get worse if you continue to run!", Angel said as she began to gain on the four Raiders before they took a quick right turn.

"I got you...now...", Angel said as she turned the corner and saw even more Raiders...six to be exact come out of virtually no where, two of them blocking off her exit.

"I see...An ambush? Fine.", Angel said with a huff as she snapped her fingers starting a white flame fire amongst her hand before a loud roar came from above.

"Two can play that game.", She said as she flickered the flames between her fingers before her Dragon, Aria, came down from above and landed on top of the two Raiders behind her.

This made the battle more...even to say the least but with six remaining fully armed Raiders against the two of them, This battle could still cause some injuries to Angel and Aria if she was not careful. She didn't like these odds very much but as a Knight, Angel needed to do what she has sworn to do.

[Anonymous]

"Why do they steal? It is not their property, and yet humans insist upon taking what is not theirs. I do not understand it. Why are you people so confusing? It was the thought of a very large flying lizard, more commonly known as a Dragon. It had very deep purple coloured scales, with a completely black stomach. The large creature flew lazily above the action below. There were some people having a disagreement of some sort, no doubt about who owned what. A female in armour seemed to believe what the men had just taken from the merchant didn't belong to them. Rightly so, it probably didn't.

"Don't group me in with them Morrigon, I'm not human, you know this." The chiding male voice shot back. On the back of the female dragon was a strange figure, holding onto some reigns that were fasted securely to the dragon. There was no saddle of course, not that he needed it. The man wore muted oranges and deep crimsons, simple pants, thick leather boots, and a long sleeved shirt with a strange collar that covered the lower half of his face. This allowed only the top half of his face to show, with his incredibly creepy eyes, that were yellow, with red irises and gold pupils. At least his hair, the dull black mess was mostly normal. Helped to make his red transluscent skin almost...normal. Almost. It didn't help that occasionally on his face one could see strange veins that glowed brightly and then disappeared. It happened to a rhythm, as if a beating of his heart controlled it...and who knows, maybe it did?

"Sometimes I forget, you two legged creatures often look the same to me." The dragon sniffed as it watched below. "Thanks, I always remember which dragon you are and don't start riding some feral thing." The male shot back sarcastically. "Only teasing. Let's go take a closer look...I think I see another dragon." The large creature retracted its wings and let the descent began, diving downward toward the ground to get a better look. Once they were a lot closer to the ground, she unfurled her wings and they were back to circling above the carnage. Though, they were quite a bit closer now, watching as the six raiders faced off against the dragon and her dragon rider. While it was rather intriguing to see another dragon rider, he wasn't particularly impressed by the woman. Then again, he wasn't impressed by much now a days.

"You think we should help Paenloch?" The dragon asked her rider as she looked over her shoulder, a large black eye staring straight at the man who shrugged with a bored expression on what part of his face could be seen. "Might be interesting. Roll over, I want my halberd." The great dragon continued to beat its large wings as the man stood up and began to run on the dragon like it was a log on the water. Soon he was on the creature's belly while it flew and kept itself in the air. In of the creature's claws was a halberd, which he grabbed and began to run again across the stomach. Soon everything was righted, he held onto the reigns of the dragon with one hand, halberd in the other. He squeezed what side of her ribs that his legs could reach and the great dragon dived to the ground. The great beast let out a mighty roar to confuse and scare the raiders as it landed upon the ground. It wasn't fair of course to be on the back of the dragon, so he slid off the side of the dragon to land near the knight.

"Need any help?" Paenloch asked, his voice cutting through Angel's head. It was apparent that the seven foot five man was pretty adept in the use of telepathy. His psychic powers were impressive, but there was no need to really show them off now.

Time enough for that later.

[Anonymous]

Angel held still when the man spoke telepathically to her. From the corner of her eye, Angel could see that he looked quite unworldly and different but battle was not a time to react to such things and with a shake of her head, Angel declined the man's help, however formidable he and his dragon partner seemed. There were laws about vigilantes and without the necessary proof of knighthood or guard status or the like, She couldn't endanger a civilian no matter the circumstances.

"Unless you can provide some sort of papers sir, I cannot allow you to intervene no matter the situation. I will need both your partner and you to stay out of this. We have this covered...", Angel said before flickering the flames between her fingers once more before the Raiders charged at both her and Aria.

Aria was a fearsome creature, quite large for a female dragon of her breed, and with a mighty roar and a bat of her wings, she proved her power and size but Aria wasn't the only female the Raiders needed to worry about. Even though Aria was the more dangerous LOOKING one, Angel was the one that they needed to fear.

Angel held up to her knight status and charged the men head on whilst her hands burned for the chance in battle. The violet haired beauty's eyes flared up before she spun, creating a a flame tornado, right towards the men. They could only halt their charge and look on as white flames barreled through the mountainside right at them and without the proper training or magic to aid them, They were sitting ducks. Angel broke away from the tornado as it engulfed the group of Raiders, burning them severely and tearing apart their armor quickly and viciously. And just like that, The threat was taken care of as the flames dispersed and the men fell to ground unconscious but still breathing.

"They'll be alright, I didn't use a lot of force with that one.", Angel said to Aria who actually seemed a bit concerned.

Aria stomped over to the injured men and with Angel's help, she thrusted the men onto her back. Angel quickly secured them and gave Aria the signal to go and at the same instance, Aria took off for the capital city were the men would be taken care of and tried for theft, attempted man-slaughter, and avoidance of capture. She smiled at a job well done before finally facing her "heroes" that came to her aid.

"I'm sorry for that sir. I do not wish for you take my words as an insult but I couldn't allow you to engage them no matter how formidable you and your partner seem to be. I do hope you accept my apology.", Angel said with a polite smile and the mannerisms of a true noble lady.

[Anonymous]

She was declining his help? She must have been rather powerful, which no doubt she could be of course. Even still, who declined help, especially by a person like him? She shook her head, and she didn't want the help? Well, that was...interesting now wasn't it. It would actually be funny if they managed to overwhelm her, but the woman had a rather...knightly air about her. Not to mention he could skim over her mind. If she was trained in psychic attacks, she might be able deflect or stop him to some degree. But he was gentle for this particular skimming. It would be a light brushing, just a gentle one, he wanted to situate himself near her mind to pick up on those thoughts at the surface.

Then he'd be able to get in a bit deeper...just a little by little.

"Papers? What an interesting idea. I could but...as it was said...you have this covered." Well, if she wanted to show off her prowess, then he'd go ahead and let her show off that prowess. He was always interested in seeing battle techniques that weren't his own, and this would be particular interesting. He'd never had any use for magic, not when he had strong psychic powers that people found hard to defend against. When you could blind a person with a thought, make them hear and see things with a glance...well, magic just seemed so trivial. Sure, he couldn't make fire or lightning at will...but he could directly affect a person's pain control centre...lock it into place for an unimaginable pain.

"Do you think that she carries around papers to show others?" Morrigon asked her rider who chuckled in response, shaking his head. He buried the tip of the halberd into the ground and watched the ensuing fight. The fire storm that she was able to create was rather impressive actually. Was that really necessary anyway? It seemed excessive. Was she trying to show off to him? An interesting thought now wasn't that...however, it was probably not true. She seemed very...knightly. He heard that they could get very...strange, very noble.

He had to admit...the fear that the men felt were so satisfying. He closed his eyes for a moment and just absorbed the emotional feast before him. Oh how good it was...fear tasted good...it always tasted good. Jealousy was spicy too...but fear...ah how fear was good. Because people tried to fight fear, tried to stand against it...but...they often failed when staring down a fire storm before them.

Now that was interesting...she sent her dragon off to take those men to jail. Well, that was something that he wouldn't dare do. That would be absolutely...unthinkable. Morrigon and Paenloch were a pair, and they barely separated for such a long time. Not to mention, they were going to Ketra...and that was just...really. That was too far for Morrigon and himself to even consider.

"No apology needed. You were able to handle it, and didn't want me underfoot." Paenloch said with a wave of his hand before blinking. "Oh, my apologies...you use your mouth to talk. It has been a while since I have needed to." He scratched the back of his head and took a deep breath. "I believe this will be...less intrusive for you." Paenloch bowed slightly, which, for someone of his stature was rather nice no doubt. "But Paenloch, you love being intrusive, especially to those female kinds." Morrigon commented to her rider, who chuckled mentally.

He was so glad she couldn't hear their little conversation.

[Anonymous]

Oh...But she could. She may not have telepathic powers but when it comes to dragons, her own or others, she could feel their thoughts and words and nothing needed to be uttered. Angel didn't mind very much though. What others talked about, especially partners such as them, was none of her business but decided to show them she could hear their conversation...at least half of it.

"No, I don't carry papers with me to show others, only this emblem here...", Angel said to the large female dragon before holding up her arm to show the Knight's Emblem on her gauntlet which glows a white and red light for a second to show authentication.

"...and if your partner wishes to know more about me, Great Dragon, he only needs to ask. I have nothing to hide so there is no need to intrude upon my mind.", She said with a smile towards the large and beautiful creature standing before her.

Now the man was much different. He was no Dragon...so whatever he decided to say BACK to his dragon friend was a complete mystery to Angel. She didn't mind that though, He seemed kind enough even if looks can be deceiving. His telepathy was indeed impressive and she was certain he could do many more things easily to those untrained and even to Angel herself. Using magic and memorizing spells and incantations as well training ones body and mind to support the element made her slightly more durable to mental attacks as well as magic attacks but she most definitely wouldn't want to find herself this man's enemy nonetheless. She was no God...far from it and avoided battle when she could for this reason. She fought for her kingdom and her people...nothing more and nothing less.

"My name is Angel Anasari, A Dragon Knight for the Kingdom of Adela. I thank you for offering your aid so swiftly sir. If there were more people like you, perhaps Raiders and Bandits like those wouldn't be so swift to take advantage of the weak.", Angel said with a small huff at the Raiders Aria carried away.

This man was certainly would be intimidating if Angel took appearances as such. Tall, other worldly, mysterious, a Dragon Rider, a Telepath and many more things made someone like him have an air about him that most would even find fearing. Angel feared no man though, no matter the strength mentally and physically. She only saw opportunities to grow stronger and learn from such people.

[Anonymous]

"Oh, would you look at that, she can hear your thoughts. We must be getting sloppy. Shield your thoughts her Morrigon." It was rude after all, no matter what, to listen in on a conversation that wasn't directed at her. Sure it was about her, but...it wasn't at her. No no, that wouldn't do at all. The great dragon nodded slightly and focused on her mind, putting that protective barrier around it to stop this woman from hearing her thoughts. No matter what amount of psychic powers she had, the dragon had years upon years of experience on her.

"You only need ask her Paenloch, so if you wish to know more, shouldn't you?" The dragon teased her rider, who shot her a flat look in return. "You know, she's talking with her voice, her mouth, I can understand perfectly. No need to repeat everything." It was Morrigon's way though, she was acting a little...standoffish perhaps. She didn't like people reading her mind, honestly, she had hated having Paenloch in her mind for a hundred years, but she got better with time. Now here they were again with someone in her mind.

"It looked like it was going to be a fun fight Angel, too bad you made me stay back." She had an interesting tactic when it came to fighting though...using such magic. However, magic usually required you to be able to see your opponent, or you'd have to know which opponent was the right one...he could definitely take her. Though, he'd have to convince her that fire didn't affect him and lightning was his enemy. Buuut...that was for when she was fighting a group of people, maybe she would use a weapon when fighting one on one.

Not that he was planning on attacking her. No, he never attacked outright...he always had...other plans really. "Oh, you need a name for me. It has been so long since I've bothered to converse with anyone other than my dragon. I am Paenloch. I hold no allegiances except to my dragon, Morrigon, and to myself." He wasn't afraid to tell this Knight of Adela where his loyalties lie, hopefully she would understand that he not one to defend the country. After all, this wasn't his world...though he had found a nice creature in it. He'd die defending Morrigon, but not defending one of the nations.

"I still can't believe that you let your dragon fly off without you. I couldn't really imagine being so far away from Morrigon." He looked to his dragon, who almost let out a pleased little purr. "I still think she put some sort of mental addiction in my mind." The dragon let out a growl at that comment and he waved his hand dismissively. "Only joking Morrigon. Only joking." He focused his eyes on Angel, and smiled a deceptively evil smile. It was only good that she could not see the lower half of his face, thanks to his attire. She might actually be fun. He often found it fun to torment the lesser mortals of the world, more so if he managed to awaken any latent psychic abilities. The only problem was he never tried it with a person that could use magic before.

This would be some sort of adventure now wouldn't it.

"So are you to wait for your dragon here Angel? I'd say you'd be bored if I didn't happen to come along and provide some conversation for you."

[Anonymous]

"Aria has been around much longer then I and she can easily handle herself. Being apart from her physically doesn't separate our bond though and it never will.", Angel said smiling while thinking about Aria.

Angel held great respect for Dragons but Aria in particular. She was a proud dragon and a powerful one at that. Fast, Stronger, a White Fire Breather, and held a special place in Angel's heart that could never be replaced. The battles they have faced together was now countless and their partnership was rivaled but few, especially in Adela. She could trust Aria...and sadly no one else...

"Besides, I still have more Raiders to hunt down here in the Thunderblacks. I am on round up duty for the time being as the Raiders' numbers have only increased in the past few months. I'm here to shrink those numbers.", She said with a proud smile as she spoke.

Angel listened intently as Paenloch spoke about his allegiance only to Morrigan and his disappointment in the battle he missed. Angel could tell he was one of those warriors who fed upon the trophies and emotions of battle. A person who ENJOYED battle and what came with it. Angel was not such a woman mostly but she didn't judge others based on their personal pleasures. She only saw Paenloch as what he was...a warrior and dragon rider; Nothing more, nothing less. She was however a bit interested in his fighting style with such a large weapon but then realized riding such a dragon would require a pole arm or long range weaponry to attack from Dragonback, much like herself.

"Paenloch...Well its a pleasure to meet you.", Angel said with a smile before turning to Morrigan.

"You are a beautiful dragon. Such a fine coat and those fangs...Dragons never cease to amaze me. It was the reason I first became a Knight actually...My father was a Knight and fought the Dragon Hunters of the plains and my hatred for them stems from what they would do to such wonderful creatures. By the time I became a knight however, the lot of them were already gone and the laws were passed.", She said before looking back over at Paenloch.

"She's a fine partner. You should count your blessings.", She said with a playful tone to her voice.

Angel wasn't sure if she could trust this man yet but trust was something you gained, especially in the knighthood. He was an ally nonetheless though as he was willing to aid a stranger in battle so quickly on the side of "good". She, of course, wouldn't drop her guard so easily but was willing to let someone new in.

"So, what brings you and your partner so close to the capital if you don't mind me asking?", Angel asked before removing her gauntlets and cape to allow her hands to feel the breeze as well as to cool down.

[Anonymous]

"Aren't you the lucky one?" Paenloch commented after she mentioned that she was able to leave her dragon. Paenloch could as well, but he had gotten so used to her mind, and while it was difficult to hear them over great distances, he still could. He just...didn't much like to do so. Why be away from his only friend when he didn't have to? It didn't make sense, and he didn't much care to either.

Morrigon was his dragon after all, they had chosen each other...and lucky at that too. He had almost been a meal for her, and managed, just barely to convince her otherwise. She thought him a wild man, having landed on this world naked and starving...Ah, he remembered the day like it was yesterday. It had been a thousand years ago, but his memory was usually quite excellent too.

"Really? I come across them once in a while...I find them good targets...they usually flee from a dragon swooping down on them...such delicious fear." He chuckled and shook his head. It was quite fun to scare the raiders, but it never scared them enough to stop being raiders. That was okay, because it meant he would continue to have people to scare and feed on after all.

"She thinks I'm beautiful." Morrigon sniffed as she looked haughty, raising one large claw to look at it and clean it with the other, standing on her hind legs like a human. "She has a fetish for scales." Paenloch murmured in return to his dragon, who glared at him. "Only kidding Morrigon." He shot back quickly, looking innocently. "Well, I thank you and your father for your valiant efforts in protecting us...but we had it covered." Morrigon told the young knight, opening her mind up so she could hear her thanks. Indeed, Morrigon was grateful for what they had done, but it was nothing that they couldn't handle after all. They were dragons after all.

"Close to the capital? I don't know if you know this but you've wandered into the Thunderblacks. It's a couple days by foot, and at least half a day by dragon flight." Paneloch told the young woman as he glanced toward the direction of the capital. The question now is...what to do with her? "You will continue to hunt the raiders without your dragon until tomorrow, when she finally returns?" Paenloch had seen how fast Aria could fly...almost as fast as Morrigon, and that meant that she would be gone for quite a while. A whole day away from her dragon? Tsk. That would be something now wouldn't it?

"But, to answer your question, this is where Morrigon and I live. In the Thunderblacks. We were just out to see if there was any fun that could be had." And they had found some! How lucky! They had found quite a bit really. He had gotten himself a meal, and found himself a dragon knight who let her dragon fly off. Lucky times for all.

[Anonymous]

Angel smiled when she heard Morrigan's thanks but she was right. The Dragons could easily have handled the situation themselves but no species should be hunted like that and it was the Knight's duty to protect the inhabitants of the kingdom, Dragons included.

"I meant close by Dragonflight but I suppose you are right. Aria isn't taking the Raiders to the capital though, only a fort near here.", Angel said before sitting down for a moment to retrieve a map from her armor compartment.

"But yes, I will hunt more of them until she returns. What I wanted to accomplish this trip to the Thunderblacks is crushing one of their strongholds completely. This will halt their activities around these parts and severely hinder their numbers. I could take the stronghold with Aria's help but I'd need to locate it first...", Angel said with a puzzled expression as she looked at the winding mountain map.

Angel looked up at Paenloch and Morrigan and got a pretty obvious request. If she just asked these residents of the Blacks were an encampment was, She was sure to succeed in crushing their numbers. Paenloch was also looking for a fight it seems and enjoys the pain of others so she could see no reason for him to refuse. Being a Knight, Angel had certain powers of the law as well on her side as long as she remained in Adela.

"Paenloch and Morrigan, would you two mind aiding me? It will surely be a fun battle and everyone would win. I really do need the help in locating the base so...Would you both be willing?", Angel asked as politely as possible.

With their help, Angel wouldn't have to wait for Aria to return to locate and crush the Raiders and it would save time which was always valuable. She just hoped she wasn't being so forward with her request...they had no obligations to the knighthood and Paenloch made that clear.

[Anonymous]

"Ahhh, that would make a lot more sense." There was almost a note of disappointment in Paenloch's voice as she said that she was only going to a fort not far from here. That wasn't particularly fun now was it? It meant that if he wanted to have any fun...well, it wouldn't do them any good now would it? He watched the young woman as she retrieved a map from her armour compartment, an eyebrow raised. Maps. It was so easy to make a map when you had a bird's eye's view. He hated reading them really, considering how...annoying they could be. People never seemed to get it right, but he put that annoyance away.

"Yes, you would need to find now wouldn't you?" In the Thunderblacks you were smart, you didn't go ahead and let yourself be out in the open. When it came to Paenloch, he had to know where a food source was, and he had to know quickly...in the Thunderblacks, you either fed off dragons, or the people hiding in the hills. The people were a much better choice too, all things considered...Morrigon never let him feed of dragons...for obvious reasons.

"She wants you to help? She must be desperate. I hope you don't plan on going in for nothing." Morrigon cautioned her rider, who just shrugged as he looked over the map. "Well, I'm willing to help...and...I know where one of their strongholds are...there are some...complications if you will with the whole thing." While a good battle can be incredibly fun...it didn't outweigh the fact that he would be giving up a source of food! While during the fight he'd get a nice little meal...but it would be gone after that, the site would hold no more for him.

"I am a unique creature...I feed off emotions, instead of chewing on material objects. If I show you where they are, and help you scare them off...I will no longer have a spot to go and feed off of...so you see, it raises a certain...problem for me." He stood over her, tapping a finger against the side of his cheek. What would she be able to offer him he wondered? "I'm quite fond of you females though...such delicate soft things...I might be willing to trade the location, and my expertise in battles for...perhaps a little fun."

"Do you think that she will agree?" Morrigon asked curiously. "We'll see how far her dedication to her cause goes." Paenloch replied enigmatically to his dragon.

[Anonymous]

"Fun?...What kind of "fun"?", Angel asked with a a stoic expression on her face.

Angel simply hoped he did not mean...THAT. Not that he was not attractive in his own rights, Angel just wasn't that kind of woman and a noble knight never used...cheap floozy talents such as those "parlor tricks". If that king of "excitement" is what this man wanted, it would have to be gained elsewhere or with someone else.

"Please forgive me if I am jumping to conclusions with your request, But if this means my body Paenloch, that is not for sale no matter the cause. I'd wait for Aria before that happens.", She said with the utmost respect to both him and Morrigan.

"If that is the case, I'll leave you both be. It was a pleasure to meet you.", She said with a slight huff before turning to leave the two of them to their...pleasures.

It wasn't easy to get Angel peeved but this did it. Her body was a temple...and an unused one to be frank. She wasn't a thing to be traded with, not even for the sake of Adela. She was a knight, not a whore...

[Anonymous]

Oh this wasn't going the way that he thought it would.

"Uh oh Paenloch. Looks like you're in trouble." Morrigon chimed somewhere in the back of his mind. He put a hand behind his head and scratched as he tried to figure how to make this sound good. No, that probably wasn't going to work out now was it. It wasn't as if he wanted all her body! Though, something was nice...she thought he was attractive. That was a plus, that was an in he could use, but...later. Right now he had to figure out a way to get back from this little...mistake. She didn't have to be so unreasonable, if her body was a temple, then it should be preyed at...

Or at least give some lip service.

"You're a pig." Again, Morrigon chimed in the back of his mind but he quickly ran forward in front of Angel, putting a hand on her shoulder. "No, there is no reason to go, I apologize for being so...forward. I don't often go to cities, the last time I was there the women were quite different than you. It was quite inappropriate of me to even suggest such a thing." He had to be very careful now didn't he? "Without putting you in any such position...what about just a kiss? Just a harmless kiss on the cheek. Surely that wouldn't put an imposition on your temple." He asked as he removed his hand from her shoulder, reaching up and pulling down the cowl that covered his mouth and nose. By all means, he was surprisingly normal looking for a creature not of this world. He looked almost...human really.

"A kiss, and I shall show you the location of a good stronghold." He was surprised by his particular actions. He could have gotten anything he wanted just be a few thoughts...but really...this wasn't about how easy it would be. Besides, maybe it was because she was a dragon rider, he had a little more respect for her. More respect than he usually did. "Maybe you're just getting older darling. Compromising even, I'm so proud of you." It was very hard to not show any emotion on his face when Morrigon made a comment, but Paenloch was very used to her, and kept his expression from betraying him.

[Anonymous]

Angel stopped when Paenloch stepped in front of her. She wasn't sure if he was being sincere in his apologies but he did show her his face and a kiss really didn't hurt anyone. She thought about it for a moment and stayed silent during this time. She was on the fence at first but as she thought before, he wasn't without his charm and if it made everyone happy then why not? Degrading a bit...yes but she was a woman and this was just one other "tool" she had in her arsenal.

"Fine...One kiss. Your hands or your mouth move elsewhere, I will light myself on fire killing us both.", Angel said, hinting sarcasm...yet meaning her words at the same time.

She put on a pleasant smile and looked up at the man in front of her. She could feel Morrigan's large, powerful eyes staring and her and felt a bit..uncomfortable. Angel had kissed others before...her boyfriend in high school and that one knight after her inauguration party but those were in privacy and also it never went any further then that...at ALL. She was conservative, very much so, but never without her urges.

"Close your eyes...both of you.", She said nervously.

[Anonymous]

This was actually going to work out for the better now wasn't it? He was a tricky creature after all, and he had his ways about him. It wasn't particularly evil, to ask for a kiss, though a kiss could be a gateway after all. He was already on the outermost rim of her mind, and the more she thought about him...the more he got into her head. The more he could hear his name and see his face inside of her mind. Oh how nice it was to have someone thinking of you, and not in the way that Morrigon did...which was often like a pet.

"I promise that my hands and my mouth will not move." Not that he didn't think it would be a really good idea...she looked like she had soft skin, a supple neck that just begged to be kissed, and of course, such tender flesh that would reflect every mark he could make. He kept control of himself however, knowing that he had to be very...very smart about his actions.

After all, he still wanted to fight beside her.

Morrigon was rather interested in this exchange, more because she wanted to see what Paenloch would do. She had seen what he could do to a person, both mentally and physically, and she was really wondering what he was up to. He often got what he wanted, and he wasn't one to just...well, give up so easily. Nor did he have any plan to, but this would take a little more subtlety. He didn't much like the idea of tangling with her, she used fire, and that was a painful thing for him. He just had to...well...get into her mind as much as possible.

"But I want to watch." Morrigon pouted as she closed her eyes. "Oh just relax Morrigon, this will be fun. After this, we'll go scare us up a meal of bandits, and maybe see what else can be done with Angel." Paenloch shot back to his dragon before he leaned down to her level and closed his eyes. "There, should make it a bit easier for you." He was after all, quite a bit taller than her, and this should make her little deed a bit easier. He didn't understand her prudish behaviour for the most part, but it was sweet in a way. That she thought she could really hide herself from him. He was a great telepath after all...he could get into her mind quite easily and just...look and tweak as he wanted.

Small wonder he hadn't already, but he wanted to have fun with this.

[Anonymous]

Angel felt a bit uneasy as he edged closer. His powers and his person both brought this up on her. She could feel his mind constantly clawing away at her person. If he wanted too, he could just force his way deep into her thoughts or even worse. Angel had nothing to hide, absolutely nothing from her past or her present so she didn't mind what he could learn but it's what he could force her do with such powers. She actually wished she wasn't alone at this moment but duty calls and he seemed eager for battle at least so that bought her some time to feel this situation out. When Aria returned, She'd have their bond to shelter her mind but for now, Angel was a sitting duck against a telepath and a dragon.

"...", Angel was silent before she reached up one of her ungloved hands to Paenloch's cheek gently.

With that, she reached up and kissed him, blushing heavily at the act of kissing a complete stranger. She kissed him on the lips, against her better judgment, and they were surprisingly soft. She kept a mental eye on his movements though...she was serious about the whole "lighting herself on fire" thing....

[Anonymous]

Fear.

Oh he could feel it from her. It was radiating from her very person, and it was oh so delicious. The strange veins pulsed with the beat of his heart, which grew faster as he fed. While one couldn't actually see inside his body, look through his chest at his organs and bones...you could see those strange veins. If one looked really closely, they'd see that the veins completely disappeared after the pulse raced through them, and then appeared again when the pulse of energy happened, though each time they weren't completely the same. He found this particular thing was either ugly to some people, or hauntingly nice. He could control it of course and stop it from appearing, but that took effort, and it made him feel dizzy for a few hours.

He preferred to keep it on during the day anyway...at night...it just gave him away. Maybe that was why he wore such clothes, to hide his veins from people, when he forgot to turn them off.

Paenloch almost twitched when her hand touched up his cheek. She was a little bit...colder than he was...but he was alright with that. He had almost been a warm sort of individual. Heh. He hadn't actually expected her to kiss his lips either, he had thought at most she'd kiss his cheek. This was a good surprise though.

He didn't move however, he wouldn't dare as she kissed him. He did however...stroke the pleasure centre of her brain to send a wave down her spine. He had been careful of course, she knew that he was in her mind, but he didn't want her to think that he was able to manipulate her. That's why it was only a brush, a gentle almost invisible touch, just in case she was aware of his mind more than she was letting on. He broke the kiss from her and stood up, putting a hand to his lips, letting them linger there for a moment before pulling the special cowl up around his face to hide his lips. "Do you think she'd be willing to kiss me? Even I felt it from here." Morrigon commented with a silent chuckle in his mind. He didn't roll his eyes but nodded.

"That was...lovelier than anything I could have ever hoped. Thank you Angel. Now, show me that map again, and I'll point us in the right direction."

[Anonymous]

Angel nearly pushed him away from the sensation she felt when she kissed him. It only worried her more that he was able to stimulate such feelings without the normal necessary touches required to do so. She decided against it though and went with it till he parted ways from her lips and spoke. She smiled at his remark and shook her head to rid herself of the embarrassment that came with his words. Angel silently retrieve her map once again after putting her gauntlets and cape on once again.

"I had word they were somewhere in...this region.", She said standing next to Paenloch whilst showing him the map and place her informants thought the Raiders were hiding.

The region of the Thunderblacks they said they were in was covered by trees and was vast. The stupid green things were blocking an aerial view they would be able to get via Dragon so she would have to normally search out the entire forest just to locate them. Hopefully Paenloch knew of the best places to camp in the forest and they could start there.

"I had originally planned to use...underhanded means to rid them of lands such as weakening them with a slight poison in their water supply but with you and Morrigan here and us all itching for a real battle, We can just strike them head on.", She said with a pleasant smile at the thought.

It'd been awhile since Angel was forced to use her real spells in a battle. The numbers of the Raiders insured a "good time" for them all even if they were ill-equipped to fight a telepath, a dragon, and a flame magician. If Paenloch wanted to fed on their fears...he certainly was about to get a buffet of it.

[Anonymous]

Ah, if only she knew what he was really capable of. He hoped of course she chalked the pleasurable wave that went down her spine simply to the kiss and nothing more. Because really, what more was there? It was just a kiss to her, she didn't know the extent of his powers, and he wasn't going to tip that hand to her so easily. He had to make sure that she was thoroughly confused, and that she didn't discover anything about him that she didn't need to know.

He looked at the map and scratched the side of his cheek in thought. "That's just a temporary spot, there isn't many there actually." He knew of that spot, and if you were lucky there were a couple of people camped there, but it was nothing actually great. If anything, it was an ambush spot for her. Paenloch of course had a certain advantage to his credit, being able to read and locate minds easily. He found all their little places, just so he could ensure a good feast when he needed it.

Damned if he didn't need it either.

"A knight wanting to poison a water supply? How interesting...how...deadly. Imagine all those that would die, human, elf, and animal alike. Imagine if a few dragons took a drink of it." There was a growl from behind him, from Morrigon, and he only laughed to himself. "Oh never you mind Morrigon, I highly doubt a poison meant for humans would do too much to your kind. Just trying to worry her." Paenloch shot back at his darling dragon in order to calm her, which it seemed to do thankfully.

"But this is where the real action is." He traced his finger up a river and into a mountain. "There. Main entrance here..." He said as he pointed to what looked like a nice flat area. "There's a stream that feeds into the cave, it's a very large place...and there are two exits...here." As he pointed to a spot a ways away from the main entrance. "And here." He pointed to a last area that looked like it led into a small river. "The river feeds into an underground source as well...but I can't imagine they can hold their breath long enough to actually use the river." He laughed, just the thought of them trying to use it. One had tried he heard, and some men were still afraid of whatever happened to him. Probably drowned...or maybe a nice underwater dragon of some kind ate him. Hah, that would be something now wouldn't it?

"If we put Morrigon and Aria at the two other entrances and go through the main entrance...we'll have them trapped. Any that run out the sides will run into our dragons...and we can take on the ones that want to fight. Shouldn't be more than a couple dozen...thirty at the most." He'd be able to figure out the exact number once they actually got there of course. Once they made it to the little stronghold thing they'd be able to work out more of a plan.

"Good plan?"

[Anonymous]

"The poison I had in mind would only WEAKEN them for awhile. A hindrance at most and it wouldn't really effect other animals besides making them dazed for a bit but you are correct. That was the same trouble I had with my initial plan.", Angel said to answer his little remark about deadly poisons.

She felt a bit uneasy at how eager he was to watch people suffer but alas...he had a good plan and Aria would be returning soon so it was foolproof. The Raiders were used to hiding and running from Dragons, not fighting them, and even if they had weapons and tools to do so, Angel was sure Aria and Morrigon could handle anything thrown their ways. With Paenloch at her side, driving the lot out in an ambush seemed like the best plan of action indeed.

"I like the sound of that. As long as we are careful and attack swiftly, we should have little to worry about. If it isn't to much trouble to ask, try not to kill to many of them if none at all. I'd rather avoid casualties as it simply looks bad for Adela if a Knight, a Warrior such as yourself, and two dragons massacred a group of people, Raiders or not.", Angel said, knowing all to well that her request wouldn't float over to well for someone like Paenloch.

"But that doesn't mean we can't severely hurt them and if we can't avoid killing them...then so be it.", Angel said with a resolve would scare most people.

It was her job...and she did it well...

[Anonymous]

"Best to go with something a little less...underhanded." Trapping them in a cave to either get attacked by the four of them, or drown themselves in a river was pretty underhanded but...it was a lot better than poisoning the water supply with even just a mild poison. Paenloch would rather just burst in there and start a fight with all of them...that was his style. He had backup anyway. While the dragons couldn't fit in the cave, they could at least help with anyone who tried to run.

"All these rules and regulations, this is why I prefer to work outside of any government or military organization." None would probably have him either, not with the way that he acted and what he really liked to do. They'd probably be appalled by it and would try to arrest him. That wouldn't go over very well. The ensuing fight would be terrific of course, but still scary to say the least. He didn't feel fear very often...but taking on an army was a rather frightening idea.

If only he could feed off his own emotions.

"See, now there's a terribly sexy thing to say." Paenloch grinned and winked at her, realizing she could only see the wink and not the grin. No matter. "If of course you don't mind me being so forward." He chuckled afterwards before looking to Morrigon and his halberd, picking it from the ground. "Well Morrigon, are you up for a nice fight?" He asked her as he grinned. Paenloch didn't care if people couldn't see it...they didn't need to. "Wherever you want to go, I'll take you there. Besides, maybe they have a horse or two." The dragon sighed, resigned to there being a rather impressive fight later. Could be fun.