In the hours following the madness aboard the Templeairships, the blockade ships recover their wounded and some of their dead. Not all of the mages were slain, as it turns out. Magical means have been used to relay the news to Rephidim … and to get responses. Save for the corpse retrieved from the underside of the ship, no Nagai or Jingai attacker has been found. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that a magical attack has been involved, even if no physical play of swords was used.

The air is clear now, and the surviving Lancers stand at attention on the deck of the Wind of Fate, as an Inquisitor paces before them.

Arch-Inquisitor Azrael, his lupine face enshrouded in a hood and cowl, turns to face the warriors. "The Empire has struck … and it claims that this was in retaliation for a massacre that the Knights Templar supposedly committed against a village on the surface, with the assistance of the 'rebel Savanites'."

( They confess to it. Bah… no honor at all. Thank the Star that I have armor on my back to save me from their fangs as well as on my front. ) Eclipse remains motionless, waiting to hear what the Temple plans in way of retaliation, although he's gotten a good idea already.

Azrael turns to face the group. "We have been strictly ordered not to touch Fetiss Sky Island. Not yet. We are to make a 'demonstration'." His expression can't be seen, but there's an uncharacteristically weary tone to his voice.

Eclipse's head rises a little. ( Not to touch it? I hope there's a good reason… but over an issue such as this I trust that there is. I hope to the Star that there is. This is a standoff I do not like, but the hand is a dangerous one. ) His armored mask tilts slightly to follow the Inquisitor's movements.

Arch-Inquisitor Azrael says, "I believe that Rephidim may soon change its mind. I have not been told this through official channels – so count it as hearsay – but it seems that the Empire has been spreading misinformation to all of its contacts amongst the surface nations. There is a rumor that the new leader of Babel may be moving to pledge her support behind the Emperor-Potentate … support to 'overthrow the tyranny of Rephidim'. If that is true… " The Arch-Inquisitor lets that thought trail off.

The Vartan Lancer resists the impulse to droop his head. ( Prince Boghaz isn't even cold in the grave yet – Poor captain. )

Arch-Inquisitor Azrael says, "This is not going to be a repeat of the Sabaoth's war against Rephidim. This is no madman seeking to posture and pose for his court. This is a very real threat. The Emperor-Potentate wants to drop a bomb on the City of Hands. While we may not be allies with the City of Hands, we cannot let this Exile weapon be used to destroy parts of Sinai's surface."

"Thus," continues the Arch-Inquisitor, "we have openly opposed the Emperor-Potentate. This is not just a matter of pride for the Emperor-Potentate … but for the whole of the Nagai Empire. They have been able to pretend autonomy and independence … but if they back down from Rephidim, that illusion will be shattered."

( So we won't let them simply dangle the boomer over the city; I take comfort in that. I get the feeling that the cost will be many times more than the few we lost today, though. But what will the next demonstration be? ) Eclipse's posture straightens a bit.

Arch-Inquisitor Azrael says, "This is where things get ugly. War has not been formally declared … but war is what we have. And in war, we hit strategic targets. In this case, a civilian target has been deemed 'strategic'. If the Empire is going to accuse us of attacking a village … then we are to show them what would really happen if we were to strike one. Our target will be Safar. The embassy has already been withdrawn, and an advisory has been issued to all citizens of Rephidim and its allies."

The Lancer stiffens again; his thoughts can't form into proper words. He can understand the significance behind Safar… it's a wealthy city and a hub for trading, not to mention a gem in the Emperor's crown of pride. Just… please… he hopes he's not going to be ordered to kill innocent civilians.

It's almost as though the Lancer's thoughts are being read. "You are not being asked to strangle babies in their cribs. We are going to be focusing on military targets first, and collateral damage to storehouses. Beware that some 'storehouses', despite the illegality of such trade under the Empire's own law, will have live 'wares' inside. Slaves, that is. We are going to be engaging the enemy on the ground and in the air, and at a distance with support from our remaining mages. It is inevitable that there will be civilian casualties. You are not to go out of your way to inflict them. But this is war. Nagai has been warned. Now we are going to let them know we are not bluffing."

Eclipse nods. Every battle he's been through has always caused innocents to suffer, but the fact that such casualties will be incidental instead of deliberate relaxes him a little. The fact that this is a war still leaves him uneasy… but this powder-keg was going to blow eventually.

"Cobalt Lance … Your duty will be to use your weaponry to collapse buildings. You will be shown a map of strategic locations to hit first, that serve as fortifications. Beware – there will be opposing fliers."

The black-armored Vartan glances at the Champion of Sound and his Lancers. ( He fought well against the Plaguebringers. He'll fight well in Safar. )

"Violet Lance," says the Arch-Inquisitor, "you will be taking a more complicated mission. We do not have any spirit mages with us, and our schedule does not allow us to wait for reinforcements. Shade will be employed to cast some protective spells on your group, and maintaining them from a distance, under guard. You will be employed to seek out opposing mages and deal with them. We believe that Spirit Magic may be heavily employed here. They may go so far as to use the 'undead' against us."

"Gold Lance," says the Arch-Inquisitor, to a group of armored felines, "you will be airborne for this mission, and we will be splitting you up to coordinate Guard units." That covers all the Lances present. All members of Crimson Lance are either dead or out of commission for the time being. The rest of the force is comprised of Guards and a few mages. It would seem a rather small force to send to trash a city. But these are the Knights Templar.

Arch-Inquisitor Azrael continues barking orders and explaining battle plans, and then the Lances and Guard groups are sent out to make preparations and to distribute themselves to what airships remain.

Shade stands next to the three Rakhtors on the deck, patting the neck-ruff of one of them. The fourth is off to the side, since there is no plan for Shade to go flying out on this run.

Eclipse glances at Silhouette, figuring he'd best keep an eye on her. She's probably never had an enchantment on her, even though it's only a ward. Still, there's something else that needs to be dealt with as well… After gathering his gear together, he walks over to Shade and softly clears his throat.

Shade abruptly turns toward Eclipse, then clasps her hands together and bows to him, tucking her wings behind her. She signs, "Please forgive me. I am shamed by my weakness."

The Vartan lancer unfolds his wings, granting a small screen of privacy between them and the rest of the ship. "Dream was supposed to feed on weakness. Only fools are without fear."

Shade signs, "I will not fail this time. I will end my own life before I slay a comrade."

"You… dreamed you was Third-Eye, didn't you?" Eclipse's signs are hesitant.

Shade signs, "I'm not sure what I was."

"I could be mistaken, could have been only my dream. I just saw Third-Eye holding a knife over a child, ordering her men to kill me. It was fact that I knew it couldn't possibly be her that brought me out of it." The Lancer shakes his head. "It is unimportant. The dream has passed. I want you to know that you should not feel ashamed. You will be protecting us in a way that not even the greatest warrior on Sinai could. And the sacrifice you made to stand in the place that you do makes me respect that all the more. Do not feel shame, sister Shade, I beg of you."

Shade nods. "I will not let shame lessen my ability to aid you."

Eclipse dips his head, "I'll try to let the guards know to watch you carefully. You may be safe from attackers with swords, but the mages could try to attack you as well. Whatever fear you felt, or weakness that was brought to your face… it might be used on you again. I know that you cannot resist their tricks as easily as I… but you can deny them. I trust you with my life, and I know you will do well. Just use wisdom before you opt to kill yourself. It could be that the Nagai plan to trick you into thinking you have killed us as a ploy of destroying you. After today, I would not put it past them."

Shade ponders this a long moment, then nods again. "It is possible. I shall be wary."

The Lancer takes his sister's hand and squeezes it, before releasing it to sign, "I am still honored that you fly with me. Part of me feared that you would hate me because of my friendship with your sister."

Shade signs, "I would be lying if I signed that I did not hate you once. But if I had any doubts, they fell away when I saw how readily you welcomed me despite the past."

"I do not blame you. You suffered greatly because of the people I chose to call my friends." He taps an armored talon against a gauntlet as he ponders something. "Did you choose to fly with the Violet Lance or were you chosen for us? I am still amazed at how you were allowed to become a Lancer. As far as I know you are the first of your people to attain such an honor. The sacrifice you made… "

Shade signs, "It was chosen for me. It was a surprise to me. The choice was made without full understanding of the implications. But I do not regret it."

"But why a Lancer? Why Rephidim? Eclipse signs.

Shade signs, "In truth, it is 'why a lancer' more than 'why Rephidim'. I could not find a place amongst those who I thought were my people. But amongst these, I have found acceptance and purpose. I am not the first of my family to find my path amongst this order."

Eclipse can't help but nod his head. "That much I understand. This path was not a choice for me as much as a calling. I wanted to be a protector." He glances over his shoulder again. "Speaking of protection, I feel that you and I both should talk to Silhouette. Her experiences with her dream have probably shaken her deeper than the rest of us, and we need to reassure her if we can. Could you perhaps explain how your wards work to her? Perhaps if she knows that it is more of a barrier to keep evil magic away than a targeted form of magic like the dream spell, she will feel better, and you protecting her will also calm some of her fears."

Shade nods. "But beware. My wards work primarily against Spirit Magic. Some magicks are weak enough that they cannot penetrate wards, regardless of the Sphere, but I can only offer limited defense. Your best defense against Dream Magic is simply to stay awake."

"I understand. If a mage decides to throw a fireball at us, best thing to do will be to try and fly out of way instead of hope you wards protect us. But if Naga do decide to use spirits and the undead as they suspect, you will be invaluable." Eclipse folds his wings back across his shoulders.

Shade nods. "Avenge our comrades," she bids in sign.

"Pray for us," Eclipse answers. "Magic is not the only thing we should bid for protection."

Shade nods solemnly.

Silhouette and Vague approach the rakhtors. It looks like the troops are readying to move out. The Safar Delta can be seen beyond the railing of the airship.

Eclipse nods to his two fellow lancers. "Are you both ready? It looks like the Violet Lance is going to be tested sooner and harder than we expected, but we would not be sent into this if the Temple did not think us capable."

Silhouette and Vague salute with their gunblades. "Ready!"

Shade signs, "My hopes go with you. I shall protect you from afar from Spirit Magic and elementals … but against other sorts of magic, you are best to be more cautious."

"Anything we need to do to help you wards? Or you keyed to armor?" Eclipse isn't too sure if he needs to wear a trinket or allow a cantrip to be said over his armor or such.

Shade signs, "That is already taken care of. You are all familiar to me, as is your armor and your weapons. I will begin work from afar. The airship will put down at a distance from the town, so I can work with a higher level of power."

"Then take care, my sister. I trust you and I know you will keep us safe." He salutes Shade and glances at Silhouette. At the very least, his show of trust might help comfort any nervousness that she might have.

Silhouette and Vague mount up on their rakhtors, assisted by waiting squires. Shade moves over to a circle she's already scrawled out on the deck, and begins her business.

Eclipse clambers up on his own mount. His ammunition will be mostly useless on the ground, but his sword still works and a crossbow bolt should serve almost as well as a bullet. At the very least, it looks like if the Nagai Empire wants a war, they will most assuredly get one.

A Rath'ani in Technopriest robes makes his rounds to all the Rakhtors, passing canisters to each. He comes up to the Shadow Lance, at last. "Here. These are minor explosives. Can't very well have these on board when we put down. Drop them at your discretion when you go in. At the very least, be sure to get rid of them before you drop in to land! They're stable at this altitude, but anything much below this is a gamble. If you'd rather not carry them, I can't blame you."

The raccoon has three canisters, each of them roughly egg-shaped, with four fins sticking out at one end, and "CAUTION" written in large yellow letters on all sides.

Eclipse nods and accepts one of the weapons. ( Maybe we'll be able to sense the mages while flying over them and get rid of them before they cause too much harm, with the help of these. )

Vague and Silhouette each take another. That done, it looks like Violet Lance is ready to fly. A horn blares out, signaling the start of the attack, and Safar is now in sight. Shadows rising from the city indicate that the battle is about to be engaged … and there are a few airships in the sky as well, emblazoned with the symbol of the Golden Serpent and the Silver Serpent, though they don't look to be full-fledged warships.

"Onward!" cries Silhouette, as she takes her aerial steed plunging over the side … though she's careful not to dive low just yet!

Cobalt Lance takes off from another airship, and even from this distance, the noise of their howls and instruments reaches Eclipse's ears.

"Vague, you gots best eyes for dark. Watch out for surprises for us," Eclipse scrawks, then he pulls on his steed's reins and plunges after Silhouette.

Vague nods and takes off last. The Golden Lancers take to the air as well, immediately splitting up, one guarding each ship, and the others accompanying airborne Guard groups.

Eclipse tries to keep his steed close to Silhouette and Vague, not wishing to lose his comrades in the dark. He eyes the countryside below and starts to lightly scan and focus, searching for traces of strong magic.

The buzzing of active magic grows stronger. None of the spellcasters, it seems, are airborne at the moment. They're probably opting for maximum strength on the ground as well. So far, magic seems to be based in the city … and the Lance hasn't reached the perimeter of the city just yet. It looks, though, like they will be encountering a flight of reptiles riding pteras, before they get that far. Cobalt Lance has already run into a ptera flight, and they seem to be off to a good start. There may be more pteras, but they're poorly armored and armed, and less potent than rakhtors.

Four pteras converge directly ahead of Shadow Lance.

Eclipse draws out his lance, "Outnumbered! Vague… can you see what they're armed with?"

Vague shouts, "Lances and heavy crossbows! Possible charges!"

"Best to confuse them." Eclipse shouts back. He waves to Silhouette and points ahead, angling one arm around to the right, then repeating the gesture to the left, and then making a third in a swooping down motion. He twirls his hand in a manner that he'd be open for other suggestions as well, Silhouette's rather proficient in tactics herself after all.

Silhouette nods, and makes a "spread out" sweep with her hand.

( I can be hurt more than the rest of you, best I volunteer for the thick of it.) Eclipse nods, jerks a thumb at his chest and then repeats his 'diving in the middle' gesture.

The Vartan lancer then pulls back on his reigns and kicks his mounts sides, urging it to swoop upwards.

Silhouette pops a salute to Zoltan, and readies her gunblade. Vague shoots off to the left, while Silhouette takes to the right.

Eclipse's rakhtor climbs with strong wing-beats, as the pteras glide into the middle of the group's formation.

The pteras quickly snake out, three shooting toward the Lancers, while a fourth one continues straight on through.

Eclipse readies his lance and abruptly flips his mount downward, intending to charge the ptera pursuing him before it has a chance to use that crossbow. Just in case, he keeps a hand tightly on the bird's leads in case he needs to suddenly jerk out of the way.

The ptera rider doesn't seem to be prepared to fire a bolt straight up. He tries to evade Eclipse's downward thrust … but he doesn't stand a chance. The ptera flies past, without a rider, while a Shiga squirms about, impaled on the Vartan's lance tip.

Over to one side, one of the ptera riders suddenly explodes in a burst of flame for no apparent reason.

The Lancer shakes his weapon free of its weight and then tries to use the momentum of his dive to catch up with the ptera rider that kept moving forward. He fumbles to put his lance away and ready his gunblade.

There's another explosion, this one near Vague … but he keeps out of the blast radius. The ptera rider going after him manages to get in close enough to evade Vague's lance … but the Tiger-Khatta leaps from his rakhtor, and … well, in a flurry of claws and bladed feathers, one more Shiga rider is done away with, and a ptera flies on aimlessly while Vague returns to his mount. Having one's own wings has its advantages.

Eclipse is now behind the fourth ptera rider. The Shiga turns about, lobbing a bolt back at the Lancer…

( I keep forgetting that I have blades on my wings. I'm so used to fighting with my hands. ) Eclipse yanks on his mount's reins to dodge out of the way while he fires a bolt of his own towards the Shiga.

The Shiga's bolt explodes somewhere below, having missed its mark. Eclipse's own bolt fails to hit a target as well, as the ptera keeps snaking back and forth, making itself a hard mark to make.

The Lancer tries to take advantage of the few seconds it takes to reload a weapon and leaps at the ptera's rider, his sword flashes out in front of him.

It's all over in a flash. One more Shiga gone. So much for that ptera flight.

Eclipse hastily makes his way back to his own mount to rejoin his brother and sister Lancers.

The Lance makes its way further in, as other ptera flights meet the other flying Lancers. Those that aren't cut down by Cobalt Lance are driven off by the strange instruments they use so enthusiastically. The edge of the city is now below the flying groups. Here and there are explosions as flak-bolts are launched by ballistas from the makeshift gunships hovering over Safar.

Again Eclipse focuses on the ground below, trying to pick up on an area where the glitter of magic feels particularly strong. "Remember we need to drop the explosives before we head groundwards. Silhouette, do you think we should save one to clear out a safe place to land, or use them while up here?"

Cobalt Lance makes a run over a bunker … and they drop their little bombs. Two of them explode mid-air, doing nothing but raining bits of debris down on the city. Three of them manage to hit the ground first, and make bright flares, though it's not clear if any hit their mark.

Silhouette scrawks, "Doesn't look like they're too precise! More useful to scare than to do damage! Let's use them to scare out a clear spot to land!"

The "gunships" appear to be setting up a defensive line against the larger airborne Guard units. At first, it seems as if the Nagai might be ignoring the "smaller" threat of the Knights Templar, unable to tell who is whom … but then it soon is evident that there is something assigned to deal with them…

The light of the Procession limns the wings of a great lizard that rises from the outskirts of the city on torn, leathery wings. It takes a moment to fully appreciate just how large this creature is … comparable in girth to an airship. It appears gaunt and withered despite its size … its leathery hide sticking to it in patches, and gaps showing through its ribs and other bones. Its eyes glow eerily red in that way that just broadcasts that this is no natural beast.

Eclipse waves to Vague and Silhouette, points to the explosive he carries, and then at the great beast.

Silhouette nods, flicking her talons to mean "new plan". The Lancers turn toward the undead "dragon".

Meanwhile, the ghastly creature rises up from the city, borne upon wings that don't look solid enough to sustain it. (But then, what is the surprise? This is magic, after all.)

Eclipse swallows and traces a talon over the egg-shaped explosive, tracing the shape of a holy symbol he remembers across the weapon's surface while his other hand keeps a tight grip on the reins. In the stories he's heard about dragons, they breathe fire, and he'd rather not get caught in an inferno.

With mighty wing-beats, the dragon shoots forward, easily outpacing the swiftest of rakhtors. It opens its maw, and curls of wispy smoke puff out, forming a cloud that the beast passes through, dispersing in its wake. It is coming on a line that will take it to Violet Lance … and if it breaks that line, to the airship beyond.

"It might be poison, be careful!" Eclipse scrawks and tries to move his bird close enough to drop the charge on the great beast. "If the explosions don't stop it, then switch to gunblades We can't let that reach the warships!"

The Lancers fan out, making themselves that much harder to catch in an area-of-effect attack. Eclipse is now in position to drop a charge on the monster. Silhouette has already dropped hers, and Vague is next in line.

Silhouette's charge strikes the leathery skin of the monster … then breaks through … and falls out the other side. It explodes somewhere down below, in the streets.

Eclipse looks ready to drop his charge, but as he sees the result of the previous one he grabs for his gunblade, aims at the head of the beast and fires.

The shot hits, the recoil enough to knock most warriors from their saddles – but not enough to dismount Eclipse, naturally. There is a sound of shattering bone and bits of leathery hide peel away where the shot hits. As it does so, Eclipse gets sight of what looks like not a single giant reptilian skull … but what looks like a mass of bones, all stuck together in a way that builds up the shape of a much larger skull. Likewise, the leathery hide appears to actually be made of countless smaller skins sewn together.

Vague tosses his charge down at the creature. It impacts the skull, disappearing into the mass of bone comprising the dragon's head, but it does not detonate. There's no sign of it falling out the other side and exploding below, either.

The Lancer lets out a shrill whistle to get the attention of Vague and Silhouette and then leaps from his mount with his blade drawn. He tries to hit one of the creature's wings with the brunt of his sword to hopefully shatter bone, and his armored wings flared out to slash at the membrane. Maybe he can at least slow this creature down a bit if not cripple it while in the air.

The sword cracks into a thick mass of bone, and splinters and smaller bones fly apart, along with torn segments of hide. However, it's more like chopping down a tree than anything else – Damage is being done, but this is not going to be an instant kill.

The undead dragon-thing at that moment twists in mid-air, its sheer force flinging Eclipse back. With serpentine agility unwarranted for its size, its toothy maw shoots back, opening wide to snap at Eclipse.

Eclipse is struck with the sensation of a "magical buzz" … as if some sort of magic were to be working on him, originating from this foul creature … but whatever it is, it isn't working. That's quite probably a good thing.

Eclipse snaps his wings backwards, trying to scoot out of the way of the beast's mouth while he fumbles to reload his gunblade.

Alas, Eclipse's agility is not sufficient. The great jaws shoot out and then close upon the Vartan, pinching him between rows of tusks and horns that serve as this unholy construct's teeth. If it were not for Eclipse's armor, even with his girth, the fight would probably be instantly over for him. As it is, he can feel the plates pressing in under the strain of the crushing jaws, but nothing punctures, and his arms are still free to move, outside of the creature's mouth, while his legs are inside. His wings, for the moment, aren't clear enough to be able to fly or to effectively slash.

"Eclipse!" scrawks Silhouette, as she darts by on her rakhtor. Vague tries to repeat Eclipse's maneuver, leaping from his mount to alight upon the back of the beast. The beast whips and twists about, trying to buffet and shake him, but Vague digs into the leathery hide and gnarled bones, keeping secure purchase through all the tossing.

The Lancer tries a different approach. He grabs at the outside of the creature's mouth with his hands, braces his feet underneath him, and tries to force the monster's mouth open, if not rip it apart from the inside.

It's a valiant effort, and the Vartan is no weakling by any measure, but it seems that this monster's jaw is not prying open just yet.

Vague hacks away, out of Eclipse's line of sight, while Silhouette continues to harass the creature, darting around it with her rakhtor. It's hard to tell just where the monster is located in relation to the airships right now, what with all the tossing and turning and shooting about.

Eclipse keeps pushing at the monster's mouth, if only to keep it from crunching down on him. "I'm all right! Just be careful with the head! There's still an unexploded charge in there!" he shouts out as he fumbles with his gunblade. "You've got to slow it down before it reaches the warships!"

Silhouette darts up next to the dragon's head. She scrawks, "Eclipse! The pressure is through the teeth! If you can break some, it won't be able to keep a clamp – " Before she can finish that thought, she has to dive away to avoid a slash from the dragon's claw.

The Lancer nods and grabs for some of the tusks holding him in. He starts making grabs at them and pulling.

Individual tusks are less robust than the collective "dragon head". With a mighty heave, Eclipse manages to crack out one of the teeth just to his side. That doesn't relieve any pressure on his torso, but at least his left wing is freed up.

The Lancer begins flapping his free wing, hacking at the flesh and bits of bone to distract the beast from the other two lancers while his arms focus on pulling out more of the tusks before he's crushed.

There is a loud crack, and Eclipse can see Vague go tumbling off the side, along with a broken conglomerate horn, and his gunblade.

Silhouette makes a power-dive after the falling Lancer.

Foul fumes pour out through the dragon's mouth, all around Eclipse. Remarkably, though, he doesn't seem to be having any trouble (yet) breathing. Maybe it has something to do with those "filters" that the Technopriests were babbling about being incorporated into his helmet.

Eclipse's eyes widen inside his helm and he grabs at the beast's mouth again, hoping it's suffered enough breakage to be pried open finally.

CRACK Another tusk breaks free, and it has something of a "domino" effect, as the force of Eclipse's efforts breaks free several more. The dragon now has a hole in the side of its jaw, where several teeth has broken free, such that even with the beast's mouth closed, there is no longer any pressure on Eclipse. However, as soon as this beast does another one of those twists, he isn't likely to be there for long…

The Lancer hastily tries to pull himself out of the beast's mouth while he has a potential opening.

The pressure has been relieved, and the Vartan manages to snap out, taking his gunblade with him.

Silhouette sweeps by, overhead, taking another shot at the dragon. Vague appears to be back in the action as well, though not on his mount.

Eclipse angles himself upward and whistles, pointing at the beast's head and then folding his hand into a fist and rapidly opening it again as he tries to signal his idea. There's still a charge in that beast's head somewhere… might as well try to put it to some use.

After signing his intentions, he aims his gunblade at the creature's head at the spot where he hopes the charge is resting.

Silhouette fires off a shot after a hasty reload … but her shot goes wide.

The dragon banks, but Eclipse manages to keep the skull in sight.

Vague has his gunblade, but he must be out of ammunition or otherwise unable to fire at the moment.

The Lancer swallows, whispers a prayer to the Star and then fires at the dragon's skull.

The shot rings out … and it is rewarded by an explosion of flame and bony shrapnel as the dragon's head bursts apart, detonated by Vague's canister!

Vague punches the air, and then pops off a salute to Eclipse!

Eclipse resists the urge to let out a whoop of his own; instead he waits to see if his effort was enough to bring the beast down.

Bits of bone spill away, and the beast's wings beat in slow motion … then slowly begin to break apart, as individual bones begin to rain down on the city, and a foul cloud billows out from the dragon's innards.

"One down. Vague! Are you all right? Did you lose your mount?" Eclipse looks around for his own rakhtor.

"It flew back for the airship, I think!" calls out the Tiger-Sphynx. "It got hit pretty bad."

Eclipse's own Rakhtor is circling above, crying out every now and then.

Silhouette glides by. "I don't see any more of these!" she scrawks. "Let's move on before they send something else our way!"

"Come on. We'll share mine. I've still got my charge and we'll probably need it to clear out a landing space." He starts to fly up after his mount. "I agree, Silhouette. Do you want to land in the thick of things or on the outskirts? I think I can pick up where the magic might be coming from, but I'm not very accurate about it."

Silhouette scrawks, "Wherever we land is going to become the thick of it, I'm fairly certain. Let's try to pick a target and take it out, then go airborne, regroup, and go for another. The enemy has fliers, but most of their troops are ground-bound – We might be able to keep them rushing to react to our strikes, if most of their fliers are tied up dealing with the air assault."

"Sounds like an excellent plan!" Eclipse catches the reigns of his rakhtor and focuses again, trying to feel out the strongest 'pull' below him.

As Eclipse scans with his senses … he picks up a number of odd feelings. There is a warehouse over that way that has a prick of magic, and the "feeling" associated with it reminds him of that undead conglomerate "dragon", as if the two sensations are connected. In another direction, there is a sensation of building levels of energy, coming from the tourist section. And a third sensation carries another sensation of building energy … something more potent, but slower, somehow … coming from alongside the river.

"I feel something there." Eclipse points to the tourist area. "That is probably the most immediate threat, but something stronger is building up next to the river, and a weaker feeling in that warehouse. If we're going to hit several targets, I suggest we hit them in that order. But we can't dally too long."

Silhouette nods, and wings toward the tourist district. Vague flies over to meet with Eclipse and his rakhtor.

Vague mrowls, "Thanks for the ride!"

"Happy to oblige. You have better night eyes than I do… you should probably drop the charge." Eclipse pats the weapon and then helps his fellow lancer in behind him.

As the group flies over the tourist section, it's evident that there are lights … as if people were actually daring to be having business at this ridiculous hour. It looks as if there is a congregation out in the street. The magic sensation is definitely coming from within that group.

"What do you see down there, Vague? I don't want to drop this on a bunch of tourists watching a magic show," Eclipse scrawks.

Vague peers down. "I see what you see, I think. That might be a magical ritual in the center. I see lots of people … Nagai … Jingai … some other species … they're chanting or singing or something. Lots of Savanites, too."

The intensity builds up … and then a ball of fire leaps up from a circle in the center of the crowd. It shoots up like a rocket, into the sky!

"Savanites? But… AWK!" Eclipse yanks on the reins to fly his mount out of the way of a potential explosion. "Silhouette! Be careful!"

Silhouette keeps clear, as the bolt shoots upward … but it looks like her dodging attempt may have been unnecessary. The shot continues upward, arcing … then slowly coming back down. It is angled such that it appears to be coming down toward a position somewhere at the perimeter … somewhere where there is a lot of fighting going on, no doubt.

Silhouette scrawks, "Long-range magic support! And they've got civilians all around the ritual!"

"We'll leave our mounts up here and save the last charge for later. Best thing to do now will be to try to take out the mages without hurting the civilians. Do you have a crossbow?" Eclipse kicks his rakhtor's side again and scrawks the command for it to circle and wait for him to return.

"Mine broke when the dragon sent me tumbling," says Vague, "but I still have my gunblade."

"I have mine!" scrawks Silhouette. "Sniping is going to be nigh impossible from the air – I'm going to take to the rooftops nearby!"

Eclipse hops from his mount. "We'll do what we can, even if it means dropping in the midst of the crowd and landing on the mages' heads." Eclipse loads his crossbow and grips his gunblade, then jumps down from his bird and starts to fly down to the rooftops, seeking a target.

On the street, there are countless circles drawn out, and countless people – some of them obviously far too young to be real mages – dressed in cheap-looking "mage robes".

Someone must be the real mage. Or mages. And it looks like many people have been pressed into service as decoys.

Eclipse focuses himself again, trying to pick out the source of the feeling of magic here.

There's an explosion above the square … as streamers shoot out. And another. Before too many feathers get ruffled, though, it's quickly evident that the explosions serve little tactical purpose – they're just "fireworks".

Alas, the Lancer's sense of magic is not so keen that he can pinpoint an exact location in which might be found the real mage or mages.

Vague mrowls, "This is disgusting. If they're all conspiring in this, then they've made themselves all warriors … ?" He looks askance to Eclipse.

"Take my crossbow. They could have been threatened to do this or think it's a game. Some of them are children." Eclipse stiffens. "I'll try to draw the real mage out, you and Silhouette kill him the moment you spot him. Now go and find a good spot to shoot from."

Vague nods. He looks around … but Silhouette appears to have done a good job of hiding herself – a necessary prerequisite to serious sniping. Already, it looks like a few four-armed Rokugas are fanning out with violent intent, searching for the landed Lancer.

"Go hide, and keep a keen eye. Remember that the real mage might not want to be seen." Eclipse scuttles off to another rooftop and gets ready to make his presence a bit better known.

Vague slinks off, and quickly vanishes into the shadows … definitely at one with his element.

The rooftop Eclipse finds himself on rumbles lightly with the sound of rushing water. The front is fashioned to resemble some sort of temple or tomb, complete with clinging vines, and plaster statues.

After seeing his companion vanish, Eclipse stands up and looks down at the people below. "I am Lancer Eclipse of the Knights Templar! Those of you who do not wish to fall victim to this war, I ask you to leave now. This is not a game. I do not wish to claim civilian lives, but if he chooses to play a coward and hide behind innocent people then I will be left with little choice lest I endanger my fellow warriors. This is my only warning." He draws out his gunblade.

There's a bit of murmuring amongst the members of the crowd, and a few of them bolt. Others start hurling garbage. "Booo!" cries out a red-scaled Naga. "Back to Rephidim with you! This is the Nagai Empire! You have no place here!" Others hurl more colorful epithets … and the children mimic their elders, picking up rank vegetables and hurling the pieces at the rooftops.

"An empire that thinks nothing of using its own people as a shield – to keep the people who are supposedly sworn to protect them safe. Leave the fighting to the warriors and go to where it is safe." He scans the crowd, looking for someone that might still appear to be chanting during his distraction.

There. A green-scaled cobra-Naga deep within the crowd. He looks to be quite intent upon chanting, and not upon hurling vegetables.

The sensation of building magic reaches the Vartan. Something's about to fire off again…

Eclipse draws out his blade and points towards the Naga scrawking loudly in Vartan, "THERE! The green one with the hood! HURRY!"

The Naga suddenly sprouts two tusks … crossbow bolts piercing his skull from two different directions.

The sensation of magic suddenly collapses in on itself violently in the Vartan's magical perspective…

The Lancer bristles. "Now everybody get out, unless you wish to be torched by one of your own mage's backfires! Go where you will be safe and tell your Emperor that the Temple finds his acts of using innocent lives to protect his warriors deplorable." His wings open up as he prepares to fly.

… and as the end result of that "inward collapse", the built-up magic of the spell suddenly explodes outward from the deceased mage's body, in a fiery conflagration. The visor of Eclipse's helmet protects him from being blinded by the flash, but with the smoke it is hard to tell out what exactly is happening – save for a glimpse of a mass of screaming, running, slithering and rolling people rushing for the safety of the buildings.

( There was no clean way of doing this. At least some were wise enough to leave. ) The Lancer snaps his wings downward and takes to the air. "Silhouette? Vague?"

With a flutter of wings, Silhouette swings near Eclipse. "Here," scrawks Silhouette. "Here," scrawks Vague – though it seems his arrival was completely missed. (Though, granted, the explosion provided ample distraction.)

"Perfect shots. Now we need to get to the river and stop the ritual occurring there," Eclipse scrawks, a bit more gravely now. "If there's no civilians there, we'll drop our charge, otherwise I'll be open to ideas." He flies up to his rakhtor.

The other two fliers take off as well, Silhouette with her Richter, and Vague catching up with Eclipse's. They see a few silhouettes of a patrol coming to investigate the conflagration, but for the moment Shadow Lance is keeping ahead. It is only a short flight over to the river.

As soon as the Lance flies over, several ear-piercing shrieks cut through the sky, as dagger-like birds (if that is what they can be called) leap into the air, fashioned of ice or crystal.

Eclipse jolts from his seat. "Dismount and signal the Rakhtors to fly away! They don't have armor!" He tries to peer down at the source of where the attacking birds came from.

There is a thick cloud down by the river that the birds have flown out of. Silhouette flies from her mount, sending her rakhtor away. Eclipse's likewise takes flight, in the opposite direction.

The ice-birds ram into the armor of the three Lancers, shattering and splintering on impact. However, none of the pieces get through.

Vague suddenly cries out … as ice spreads over his wing armor!

"Vague!" Eclipse quickly flies to his fellow Lancer and grabs him, trying to support him if he loses the use of his wing. "Try retracting the armor! We need to stop those mages!"

Vague tries, but the feather sheathes are wedged in place. "Got to land!" he mrowls. "I'll continue on foot … and break the ice free when I get the chance!"

The Vartan Lancer nods and starts to circle downwards alongside Vague. "Silhouette… you all right?"

Silhouette slashes back and forth, knocking ice-birds from the air, her blade getting a tinge of frost on it. She has a few patches of ice on her armor, but nowhere that causes any reduction in functionality (unlike Vague's wing).

Vague touches down to the ground, then quickly draws in his wing and furiously tries to knock pieces of ice off of the feather-sheathes.

"Silhouette can't keep up forever. Hurry." Eclipse grips his blade and tries to look for the source of the magic. "You're a better tracker than I am. Think you can find them before they find us?"

Vague gives up on the ice, trying to fold his wing at least partway behind himself. "Yes," he mrowls, sniffing at the air. "Incense. But you can probably smell that as well as I can." He drops into a low crouch, and heads toward the mist, holding up his gunblade in a defensive pose to shield off any would-be surprise attackers that might emerge from the low-hanging cloud.

Suddenly, Eclipse feels a tingling sensation.

The Vartan Lancer follows behind the Sphynx. At the tingling, he bristles, grabs Vague and rolls sideways.

Not a moment too soon … for as Eclipse knocks the Tiger-Sphynx aside, a brilliant flash of energy shoots out from the cloud – a bolt of lightning that rips through the air, filling it with the smell of ozone, blasting apart a tree near the bank.

"We've got to hurry. If we can't see them, then they might not be able to see us. Hopefully that means they might think that bolt got us. Either way we should probably keep moving." Eclipse scuttles forward again towards the smell of incense.

Vague nods, and joins after the Vartan. They are soon lost in a swirling mist, the air full of the smells of dust, of the river, of incense … and the sound of chanting.

Eclipse squints through the mists, trying to make out a shape through them – a target, or a clearing, or any idea of how many mages are here.

A silhouette resolves itself … into a humanoid figure with four arms, making a lunge at the Vartan with two heavy swords!

The Lancer leaps back, and holds his blade in front of him to parry the swords.

As Eclipse leaps back, he slams right into Cryptic! The Tiger-Sphynx, already off balance from his ice-laden wing, falls down, though the Vartan manages to keep his feet. One of the swords barely misses Eclipse's helmet, but he neatly parries the other one.

Eclipse presses forward this time, his slashing blade seeing an opening in the Shiga's attack. "Vague, your wing might be an advantage. Remember that Nagai don't like cold," he scrawks.

Eclipse's blade traces a red line across the four-armed reptile … a serious wound, but still not killing the combatant just yet.

Vague gets to his feet, and makes a slash with his blade … which gets parried by the four-armed fighter … but his wings get through. Another red ribbon, this time across the enemy's throat, and the four-armed fighter drops to the ground, clutching at his neck.

Vague shrugs. "I suppose they'd hate that, cold or not."

"Hurry. We're probably outnumbered. We need to find the mage." Eclipse grips his blade and moves deeper into the mists.

"RARGH!" cries out a voice from the right … and the left. And ahead. Several Rokugas charge in, swords swinging!

Vague is immediately taken by several heavy blows, and goes down without even getting a chance at a return attack!

Eclipse rushes to his companion's side, trying to protect him from the others. His sword slashes out Vague's attackers while his wings open up, slicing out as well.

Death comes swiftly on bladed wings and a sweeping sword for several Rokugas. In a flurry of strokes, most of the attackers have been cut down, and the fog clears enough to reveal a circle of mages by the riverbank, guarded by a group of hulking Rokugas.

Eclipse take a moment to check on Vague's condition, praying that the Lancer isn't dead.

No, but he's been seriously wounded. He won't be helping Eclipse fight off the Nagai anytime soon.

The Lancer takes a moment to drag his companion under cover and then starts sneaking towards the circle of mages – his intent focused on trying to attack suddenly and get to the inside of the circle before the guards know what hit them.

A white snake mage whirls around, his mouth opening wide as he sees the black Lancer coming upon him. Behind him, a blue snake in more elaborate robes seems to be deep in concentration, as are several other mages ringing the circle.

Eclipse knows he has only an instant to react as the snake spies him, and he uses that instant to charge forward, his bladed wings slicing outward while his sword slashes out.

*shkt* *shkt* *shakt* *shakt* The Lancer makes short order of the mages … and whatever ritual they were performing. Something about the way the winds pick up, thunder crackles, and the fog suddenly blasts away hints that it had something to do with the weather.

Eclipse readies himself against the guards, while trying to pick up a feeling of whether or not he stopped the ritual in time.

The guards look like they're about to charge Eclipse … then they stop … and bolt away.

Silhouette shrieks, "ECLIPSE! GET OUT OF THERE! A FUNNEL CLOUD IS FORMING!"

"Blast it all!" The Lancer charges towards Vague and picks him up, praying that his wings are strong enough to bear them both up in the air until he can reach the rakhtors.

If his usual strength doesn't suffice, adrenaline supplies the rest, as the Vartan gets to the air. Lightning flashes about, striking buildings, while hailstones fall from the clouds. Sure enough, a funnel cloud is forming right in the middle of Safar. If this was the Nagai plan, then it would seem that the Knights Templar shouldn't have gone to so much effort to cause collateral damage.

Eclipse hastily makes his way to his rakhtor and places Vague across its back. "I believe that the Nagai have done our work for us. How nice of them," he scrawks.

It looks like the Nagai airships are casting off their moorings … and trying to get clear. Already, one of them has been caught up, and smashed against the ground.

"I think we are done, and we need to get Vague to a healer soon." Eclipse climbs behind the Sphinx and carefully holds him steady while he guides the great bird. "The last group of mages I felt were in the city, and I suspect that their ritual has been disrupted without us."

From the deck of the Wind of Fate, the Guards and Lancers see the spectacle of Safar being devastated by a magical storm run amok. It's doubtful that the Knights Templar could have done any better. Meanwhile, healers – practicing the mundane and magical arts – tend to the wounded, and squires try to calm the rakhtors.

Eclipse leans on the deck, clad in his robes and his helm while the rest of his armor is tended to. He looks quietly at the city below and nods to himself, satisfied for now. Although he wonders, what will happen tomorrow?