Where Eagles Dare

[Lion]

The wind was fierce this morning and the sun was reaching high above the mountains, but the people that rode above the clouds, race across the sky at high speed, did not fear the wind or the clouds or the sky.  They were born to fly.  Dram was straddled across the black giant eagle that was his mount, Bane.  Red feathers matched the fiery coloration of his mohawked, styled hair that fluttered along the streams.

He looked across from him, Seranth, also high on clouds on his own giant eagle.  Though it was so early and he had been an early riser since birth, Dram was looking rather grim today.  He didn't like the mission they were on this morning and there was something about it that smelled trouble all over.  Meeting with the leaders of the Darkridge Crescents, another bandit group that were slowly starting to spread their territory into the Thunderblacks.

He knew that what they were knew was not only ballsy, but immensely stupid.  Not just because of the sheer fact that they were encroaching on rival territory, but there were darker secrets within those mountains that he was sure that that Crescents were just not prepared to handle.  And on top of that...a meeting in Zantaric?  The whole thing smelled like a trap to him.

As they flew, he looked across again and frowned deeply.  "King Hawk, are you sure making a truce with these slimy sons-of-bitches is a good idea?"

[Scythe-Nova]

Seranth had since long on this trip tired fo the long flight and looked at Dram when he talked to him, He frowned lightly and looked down on the clouds and sighed before looking back at Dram.

-"No i'm not Sure it's a good idea..."

He said with a sigh before looking down towards the clouds again, He then smiled a bit and laughed a bit before looking back at Dram with an amused smile.

-"But then again With you here i wont have too much to worry about"

He said with a brightening smile and stroked his hand over Kafei's scalp making her Coo loudly. Seranth had packed two satchels which he carried on his belt, Seranth had not even told what were inside the satchels but to Dram it would be obvious that they were packed with small bombs.

[Lion]

The Zantaric was not a place to be taken lightly.  Any idiot with half a sense in their brain knew that.  Even if he was a criminal and well-balanced one, even Dram was not the kind of person who would walk into a place filled with such simple-minded scum that would do anything for less than a copper.  Dram had dignity, even if it was just a little bit, and considered himself above the likes of alleyspawn.  He was a professional.  The Hawks were professionals!  The best of the best!

And just as he was being insulted by the very idea of coming to terms with the likes of the Crescents, he couldn't help but be amused by the Kid's  own amused grin.  "No, no you won't." he said.  He had a point there and for as long as he could remember he'd watched over the youngster turn into the kind of thief his mother would have expected him to be.  She would be proud of his bravery.  But would more than likely not think that this was such a well-conceived idea either.

He looked at Seranth with old eyes as they flew and wondered how much the boy reminded him of his mother.  Even if he was a grown man, he would always be the Kid to him and he still had a lot left to learn.  But life was a learning experience and needed to be taken in strides.  If all went well, this would be one lesson well learned.  Or if they escaped with their lives.

Dram stroked the feathers of Bane and the bird shrieked loudly and flew over remaining mountain masses on the bottom.  Through the forests below, just barely, Dram could see the town of scum that had served as the meeting place where the truce was going to take place.  He pointed down.  "Look.  That's the spot.  Shall we swoop down and leave the hawks in a clearing...or should we just jump off, surprise them?"  Dram grinned at the thought of plummeting through the clouds without Bane, but he knew they would be fine if they landed in that thicket of trees before long.

[Scythe-Nova]

Seranth smiled as they flew over the clouds feeiling the wind through his hair and also he felt the familiar feeling of Dram's gaze, It made him feel much more secure than otherwise. Seranth held Dram in high regards as the best and most loyal officer he had, To Seranth Dram was almost like a father figure since he took care of him after Almina passed away.

-"Suprise?... I like that idea"

He said when Dram asked him about how they should land, The feeling of falling through the air was one Seranth really loved. Landing safely was also one thing Seranth preferred to do, So he looked down through the clouds before looking at Dram with a wide smile.

-"Let's do this with style"

He said before standing up on Kafei who realized what Seranth was doing and stabilize herself so that Seranth would not lose the balance, Seranth then made a backflip jump before diving through the clouds. Under the clouds were a large forest with big poofy trees, "Heh These trees are perfect" He thought to himself as he dived towards the ground gazing quickly to the side to see if Dram followed as fast as him.

[Lion]

Dram was not unaccustomed to diving through the clouds, either on or off Bane's back.  He was the Red Hawk, therefore he better learn to fly like one didn't he?  It was hard trying at first, but Dram had never been afraid of heights.  It was the sheer and utter weightlessness that he had to get used to first; that and the image of the ground rushing up into his face.

But when he saw Seranth go ahead and make a dive for it, he was right behind him every step of the way, prepared to follow the King Hawk into death if he had to.  Dram squint his eyes as the air burned through them and he flew through the clouds alongside him.

He dove through the clouds, motioning for Seranth to follow him as they made for the patch of trees.  Within minutes of freefalling, they landed safely in a patch that wasn't too far from the village.  He still had a sour feeling in his gut as he took a nasty tumble in a high branched tree.  But he caught a branch just before hitting the floor and waiting for Seranth to appear through the trees.

"You okay King Hawk?" he asked.  "If you're not broken, then we should be on our way," he said bluntly.  He knew he'd be fine, but it was his job to ask.  As Dram turned, he paused the instant a crossbow made its way into his face.  "Seranth...er, you might want to take a look at this."

They were met by a group of five strangers who were in the purple colors of the Crescents, three of which had crossbows ready at their faces.  The other two stood like officers, a woman with black hair and the other an ugly son-of-a-bitch with a burnt face and jagged eyes.  "You the welcoming party?" Dram asked.  His hand was already on his kopis, but he wouldn't strike at them unless commanded to do so.

[Scythe-Nova]

When he saw Dram besides him he grinned widely and looked downward once again preparing himself to land safely, He noticed that Dram waved him to follow and he smiled and curved in the air gliding closer to Dram and then held his arms close to his body making him speed up and shooting downwards to the ground.

-"Haha!"

He laughed as he catched a branch in a tree gripping on to it tightly and looking down on the ground below before letting go of the branch and landing softly besides Dram looking to the side just to see the point of a crosbow bolt aimed at his face.

-"..."

He raised an eyebrow and looked at Dram with a smile and laughed a bit, His arms raised to the sides showing that he were not doing something strange.

-"Of course i'm okay Dram, Though i guess we have to ask these fine people if we can be on our way"

He said with a smile and looked at the people surrounding them with eyes that were more home on a demon of fear, Seranth did not like this one bit killjoys the whole lot of them and they were going to pay for ruining his fun.

[Lion]

Dram didn't like the looks of these bastards, sallow-eyed, shaky hands.  They looked like a bunch of no-good rookies to him.  Some bandits they were.  Dram's hand gripped on hook of his sword and slipped an inch of it free before anyone could notice.  His eyes were on all of them at once and though the bolt in his face certainly did not look pleasant, he knew he could move faster than three of them combined.

The female officer stepped forward and looked at Seranth then to Dram and back again.  "So you're those bird boys we were told to expect, huh?  Gotta admit, we weren't thinking you'd get here this fast.  And, King Hawk, yeah you with the demon eyes, call off your Hound here.  Ain't this supposed to be a peaceful meeting?  Tch.  Follow us."

Dram huffed at being called hound, but tucked the blade away anyway.  It was Seranth's call anyway.  And they could just as easily have shot at them when they came through the trees.  Dram went along as they led the way through to the town.  The crossbow men, took their aim off them and walked beside them steadily.  Two to five?  He didn't like the odds, but he could handle it if they decided to get smart.

One pushed at his back as if he weren't walking fast enough and that was enough to send Dram whirling on him, pulling out his sword in the process.  In a flash, the silver shining blade glittered as it cut at the man's hand, making him drop his crossbow and he screamed in pain, clutching them against him.  Dram held his sword at the bandit's throat with eyes ready to kill.  

"Didn't I say hold off your damn dog!" the female officer shouted to Seranth.  The remaining crossbow men aimed their sights on Dram.  But still he did not budge from his place with his own weapon at his victim's throat.  The man trembled and looked at the Red Hawk with fear and anger simultaneously ready to combust.

"On your call, Seranth."  Dram said.  He wasn't going to obey the orders of two-bit thugs, such as these fools.

[Scythe-Nova]

Seranth just smiled as he looked over the bandits, if they could even be called that. His face darkened as the female officer reffered to the hawks as bird boys and almost got angry when he called Dram a hound, But he kept his cool and followed the female when she urged them to.

-"I must say i expected a better reception though..."

He said with a smile as he heard the familliar sound of dram drawing his blade and glanced back at him when everyone had stopped walking. He calmly looked at Dram and then at the man he had cut before looking back at the female officer who now shouted at him.

-"If your pup had just behaved like the little ugly puppy he is maybe he could have kept his hand intact"

He said with a very serious tone in his voice as he looked into the eyes of the female officer using his magic ability to inspire love in the female officer, There was nothing visually showing that Seranth used his ability but Dram would surely notice as Seranth rarely made real eye contact with anyone he did not trust.

-"So what say you? Let's lower those crossbows so that this does not get ugly.."

He said and winked discretely and seductively at the female officer with a charming smile on his face.

[Lion]

The officer was quite ticked off and would order Dram to be shot in an instant.  But she had to do a double-take from Dram to Seranth when she noticed an unusual look in the King Hawk's eye.  She stared at him for a while and her own eyes seemed to slant and a small smirk appeared on her lips.  After a while of tense silence, she looked at her men and ordered them to put their crossbows down.

Dram looked at the man who clutched his missing hand.  "And you were just ripe for the slaughter, swine," he said viciously and with a snarl, and kicked the man to the ground, twirling the kopis and putting it back in its sheath before long.  He turned his back and nudged Seranth to continue.  "We have no time to waste on these goons."

He cast a look on Seranth and the female officer.  He knew that look before.  And it wouldn't be long before she'd drag him off to some darkened alley, she looked like the type of woman that would do that.  The officer cast her eyes to look at Dram's behind when he knocked shoulders walking passed her.  But she sighed and continued walking behind them.

It wasn't long before they hit a hidden doorway in the backalley of a building and the officer knocked on it in a coded fashion that raised Dram's suspicions.  The door opened after a minute or two of consideration and a slot in the door opening to look at them.  "In you go," the officer said, showing them the way in and keeping her eyes on Seranth.

[Scythe-Nova]

-"Yes yes Let's be on our way"

He said with a smile on his face as he walked, When they got to the building he smiled and looked at it before listening to the knock that the Male officer used when he knocked on the door memorizing it. When he were urged to go in through the door he looked back at the female officer and winked at her seductively before walking through the doorway.

-"See Dram this is not so bad"

He Said and Patted his Red Hawk on the shoulder and smiled widely before looking around in the room they was in. "It's lucky i brought some bombs with me, in case we have to get out from here fast" He thought to himself and smiled charmingly.

[Lion]

Unfortunately, he could not be as enthusiastic and positive as Seranth.  He wanted to knock some sense into him, but it wasn't currently his place to do so.  They had to present a united front and a single break between them could be seen as a weakness to these dirty, insolent scumbags.

"Welcome boys, to our home base.  I'm glad you can make it, though I admit you're earlier than I expected," said a voice hidden in shadow.  The whole room was dark, but Dram's eyes cut through the shade without issue and he saw the voice had come from a bald man wearing a headband on his head, with a huge cigar in his mouth.  He puffed on it after a while and soon appeared into the light of the room as the door was closed behind him.

At the commander's side, the female officer took her place and crossed her arms over her chest.  The look on both their faces seemed like this was just another deal they were cutting.  The commander of the Crescents, motioned for them to take a seat, but Dram just stood by Seranth's side.  He wasn't here to sit, he was here to support his leader and didn't like even being in the vicinity of these vagabonds.

"It's good to finally meet you, Seranth Hawk.  I've heard a lot about you," the commander said.  "I'm Orland.  And this is my lieutenant, second in command, Sasha.   He took a seat at the desk where he was seated before and put his feet up on the table.  "Cup of coffee?  Snack?  Can I offer you boys anything at all?"

"Just this," Dram snapped quickly.  "for you to take your 'boys' and pull them out of our territory."

Orland laughed and put his hands up.  "Easy there, Dark One.  I'm just being a good host.  But...if it's business you want to get down too so fast, then that's fine."  He puffed on the cigar some more and blew the smoke at Seranth.

"So you wanna talk business, fine we'll talk business.  We're a fast growing syndicate, Hawks, you know that.  We might have been around as long as you guys, but we know when we're in over heads and when the future is looking rather bright.  Right now, my eyes are the horizon line.  And you and me, Seranth, we're a lot alike you know.  You got your boys, I got mine; you got your territory, I got mine.  But we both want to expand.  Why don't we do it together?  Now...what can I give you in exchange for letting our boys stake some place in the mountains?  I'm sure there's something we can work out."

Dram looked at Seranth with livid eyes, shaking his head.

[Scythe-Nova]

Well inside the room Seranth locked eyes with Orland for just a second before gazing back at the now introduced Sasha, He looked her quickly in the eyes and Injected a bit more love before returning his gaze to Orland with a smile och his face. When orland motioned for him to take a seat he happily did so and crossed his arms over his chest looking at Orland loosely.

-"Well if your boys hadn't ruined my fun i'd have said the same"

He looked around the room quickly before looking back at Orland still smiling lightly and were about to reply when Dram snapped at Orland, He looked at Dram for a second before smiling and looking back at Orland and listening to what he says.

-"Yeah... i'm not buying that Orland, Just i have been the king hawk for almost two hundred twenty years and the whispers about the Cresents only started about fifty years ago, And Also Orland We are nothing alike"

He said with a very cold voice and his smile had dissapeared throughout Orlands little speech there, his eyes had become like ice as he stared into Orlands eyes with intimidating eyes. Seranth did not even need to look back at Dram to know that he was shaking his head, There was no way that he would give the Cresents any part of his territories. and With that Seranth stood up and looked at orland coldly.

-"I think we are done here"

He said and gazed sideways to Dram nodding lightly then looking at Sasha for a moment giving her a seducing wink before using his magic to inspire some loyalty for Seranth into her, He then looked at Orland loosely just wanting to hear his reply.

[Lion]

The look on his face appeared that it was obvious Orland expected to hear a reply like that.  But the grin on the man's face had gone from jovial and cunning, to a frown, sharp and sinister.  Dram didn't like the look on the bastard's face, and instinctively reached for the hooked handle of his kopis.  "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Orland said contemplatively.

The Crescent leader leaned back in his chair and placed his hands on the armrests, gripping the wood with frustration.  "I might have known that you were going to say something like that," he said with a quiet tone and looked at Seranth with dagger eyes, almost returning the gaze that the King Hawk placed on him.  It almost seemed as if he were immune.  The man stood up and leaned with his hands on the table.  "We'll be done when I say we're done.  I'm not the kind of man that will just let my rival walk out here.  Now I thought this was a negotiation.  Don't think you can walk out of here so easily.  My men have surrounded you on all sides as soon as you walk out that door...and have orders to kill you unless you cooperate.  Now, please have a seat, Mr. Hawk, and let's discuss this.  Is that clear!?"

Dram despised the tone in Orland's voice and had let go of his sword handle.  It seemed he'd only been paying attention to one of his hands, while the other was behind him and had reached for a series of darts in his hand.  In a flash of movement, he shot out a handful at Orland.  Sasha, distracted by Seranth's subtle flirtations did not see the darts in time to stop them.  They imbedded themselves into the crescent leader, one of them landing in his throat and causing him to choke on his own blood.  Orland was too in shock to scream out loud and make horrible gurgling sounds as he died painfully.

As she regained herself from the shock, Sasha turned her attention to Dram and Seranth and without hesitation she screamed out, "GUARDS!"

[Scythe-Nova]

Seranth raised an eyebrow when orland mentioned that they could not walk out easily, and were about to make a snappy comeback when Dram flinged his darts into Orland. Well maybe it was better this way he thought and looked at Sasha as she screamed for the guards, He sighed dissapointedly at her and then threw some knifes in a flash nailing Sasha somewhat unhurt to the wall, He really disliked hurting Women and would avoid hurting them if he could.

-"Well Dram i hope you have an idea on how to get out of here now... actually just hold the door closed i have an idea."

He said as he walked up to Sasha and pulled out a small but sharp knife which he held at Sasha's throat, He then looked her in the eyes and smiled widely.

-"now we wouldn't want to have any more blood running on the floor huh?"

He said as he stared into her eyes and poured more of his magic into her infecting her mind greatly now that he was so close to her, He poured love into her for some seconds before releasing her and taking some steps back.

-"So you wouldn't happen to have a hidden escape route around here do you?"

He said and looked at Sasha with his casual charming smile.

[Lion]

He knew a conflict would be inevitable, especially in a town like this.  Dram could sense an oncoming fight a mile away and with the way that bitch yelled out for the guards to come no doubt they'd be swarming the building quicker than ants to a honey-covered child.

"We don't have time for this, Seranth," Dram warned.

Sasha was pinned to the wall and the weapon at her throat only made her angry.  She didn't like being corner like this apparently and she knew something was up with the way this Hawk fool kept looking at her.  Where she might have dragged him off to a dark corner before, she was more than willing to drill that dagger into his own throat right now.  Her anger blocked off most of the effects of the magic, and she knew she was only going to be manipulated before being discarded like a scrap of paper.

"Escape!  You're not going to escape," she snapped and spat in his face.

Dram was already by her side and drew his sword to her throat.  "You will show us a way!" he warned.  "Or it's your head that's next."  Dram pulled back and quickly intended to take her head off at that moment.

"Wait!" she shouted and put her hands up.  "Okay!"

Shouts were heard outside the door and the wood would only be so resistant to the bashes that persisted against its splinters.  "Where!?" Dram demanded.  "Show us!  Now."

Sasha turned and shoved the body of her captain out of the chair and moved it away as well.  Underneath him was a wooden panel, one that she slid open which led to an underground staircase alit with torches.  "You first," Dram ordered to Sasha.  "King, you go next and would you mind handing me one of those explosives you brought?"

[Scythe-Nova]

-"Oh?... That's unusual"

Seranth said as he dodged the spit that Sasha had sent his way Before taking a step back to give Dram some room with his sword. He raised his eyebrow when Sasha complied and sighed some when Sasha shoved Orlands body out of the way and opened up a panel on the floor.

-"Well would you look at that"

He said and smiled and looked at sasha and then as Dram with a grin. He casually picked up one of the explosives he had taken with him and tossed it lightly into the air towards Dram before following Sasha down the escape tunnel.

-"Remember the fuse is three seconds long!"

[Lion]

Dram frowned severely.  Three seconds was hardly enough time...but Dram could improvise.  He would make it enough time.  Already splinters were coming off the heavy wooden door and the voices behind them were getting increasingly frustrated.  He climbed up from the hole and pulled some twine he had from his utility belt, thin wire that he tied to the fuse of the explosive.

Dram secured the explosive carefully to the wall with the twine before attaching the length from the fuse to the door knob of the door, and when it opened, the fuse would pull and strike it lit.  Dram knew that three seconds would have be stretched as long as possible, and they couldn't afford to waste a second of it.  He rushed back to the staircase and dropped into the hole, sliding the cover over them.

Just as he suspected, the door was knocked down within seconds...and within seconds, he felt the flare of the explosive burst and then the abrupt yells and screams of the bandits that got the brunt of the explosion.  He almost wanted to laugh at their pain, but there was not time to enjoy it.  He made sure they made the most of those three seconds and had rushed them down the stairs and through the tunnel as quickly as possible.

But it seemed to go to a dead-end.  Dram turned to Sasha with a snarl.  "You better be taking us the right way!  Where is the exit!?"

But she was getting stubborn again, looked at them both defiantly.  "What are you going to do with me!?" she demanded.

[Scythe-Nova]

Seranth smiled when he heard the loud blast of his explosives and looked at Dram when he came down and ran with him through the tunnels and when they stopped he looked at Dram who snarled at Sasha.

-"Well well sweet Sasha what would you like us to do with you?"

He said and leaned in between Dram and Sasha looking into her eyes inspiring both a Calm feeling and Respect towards himself and Dram, He twirled around Dram after that and walked back some in the tunnel and picked up two bombs and started to make a tripwire to set of the bombs.

-"There we go"

He said and walked back to Dram and Sasha with a confident and happy smile as he walked past them both giving Sasha a seductive gaze as he stopped beside her and looked back at Dram with a wicked smile.

-"What do you think dram there should not be any need to just throw her away"

He said and shrugged stretching his arms out and looked at Dram Mischiveously.

[Lion]

Sasha was furious.  But at the same time, the fear of survival made her blood hot and her face red.  She could just as easily have been killed like her boss...  She did not expect Orland to die so easily, so quickly, but she had warned him not to try to make a truce.  Had warned him and now he was laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.  She hated these two, hated them with a passion and if she still had her weapons, she'd tear their damn throats out.  She especially feared the Dark  One that looked like a drow with that nasty scar on his face.

And the other one, he kept making her feel weird, like she didn't want to feel angry.  But everything in her screamed that anger was the only way to get out, to keep her alive.  But Sasha wasn't a fool.  The only way to get out of this alive would be to stay away from that dark elf.  This Seranth fellow was her best bet at that.  She let herself be calmed down, but still remained wary of the two of them.

Dram didn't look at her, only to Seranth, and he rolled his eyes.  He suddenly gave a back hand to his leader, a light snap of his wrist that would draw blood to the man's face and away from other parts of his body.  "Snap out of it!" Dram said savagely.  "We're trying to escape!  She knows the way!  Now either make her talk.  Or I will...and you don't want me to make her talk!"

Sasha's eyes grew wide and looked in confusion at Seranth.

[Scythe-Nova]

Seranth Smiled as he looked at Dram before Gazing back at Sasha just to be smacked over the face by Dram's freackin backhand, He took a step back when he came over the initial shock and looked at Dram before briskly shaking his head to clear the stars out of his vision.

-"Okay Okay Playtime's over i get it"

He said putting a hand on his now very red cheek before feeling with his tounge that all of his teeth were still there yep all teeth still there. He then turned towards Sasha clearing his throat loudly before taking a deep breath and opening his eyes again looking Sasha in the eyes, Now there were no sweet feeling flowing out of him just pure fear, horror, illusions of death everything aimed into Sasha.

-"The deals Like this okay, You get us out of here and you get to live however you want to"

He said with a very scary grin as he took a very intimidating step towards her almost like enjoyed this far more than he should, The Change in his mannes were almost as if he had spontaneously been possesed by a horrible Demon.

-"And we don't have the time to debate on this i need an answer like NOW!!"

He shouted looking directly into her eyes with his own demonic eyes sending waves of pure fear at her taking another step towards her and grabbing hold of her shoulders pinning her againt the wall.