.^^ Dragonborn Pirate ^^

— Devon —

The language of the western people's was a musical one, soft and swift, with many syllables that ran together naturally, and others that seemed to be out of place. Either way, Rune seemed to speak it exactly the same as the native-born speakers that had come with us, whom he introduced as Mèng Dian and Mèng Hikaru, the leader and his younger girl cousin.

They bowed to us when he introduced us, and we hastily bowed back, probably doing it wrong, judging by the icy expressions they wore the whole time.

Rune took charge swiftly, directing rations and weapons to be carefully inventoried, and making sure we all knew where all of our emergency supplies were located. He also handed out more flares, for those of us who had them from Dashiva's previous expeditions, as well as handing me a revolver.

"This is that weapon I mentioned building for you. It fires sharp, white-hot spikes, nearly silent, and it can use any metal you give it. I wanted to make it create its own, but with the time I had, it can take scrap and build the spikes nearly instantly, which is almost as good." He grinned.

I blinked, and took the belt, covered in spikes and the holster for the pistol. "I can't afford this..."

"Consider it a loan, and a you can owe me a favor if you keep it. And these, as well." He handed me an armored coat, similar to the ones that Yeshiva, Raava, and Dashiva wore, which I realized belatedly was a less-formal version of his normal black and blue overcoat.

It turned Red and Charcoal Grey in my hands, the colors of House Roland, and I chuckled, slipping it over my armor. Immediately, it seemed to sink in, leaving my basic look unchanged, but my form blurry, hard to see. My knives were still in the same places, and reaching them wasn't impeded by the coat, which was almost as interesting as the invisible coat.

"Wow... I definitely like it." I nodded.

"Good! Now let's get going while there's still some night left." He nodded, and led us all through the exit tunnel, his eyes glowing a light sapphire blue.

The weapon at his side became visible in a small movement of his cloak, and Mèng Dian spoke up in heavily accented common. "That weapon... you forged it?"

Rune shook his head. "I have forged many things, and I usually don't abide by other people's creations, but my father made that one. It has yet to see use."

The tall westerner hummed. "You wear a weapon, but do not use it?"

"I am not trained in the art of swords, and I have no illusions that I would be capable with it. I wear it more as a luck charm, than anything else." He responded, and then held out a hand, just before I could warn him of a trap he was walking into.

A giant log swung down, and smashed into his hand... halted in its tracks. He smiled at me. "I am one of the two who built these tunnels, Devon, I know where all the traps are." He assured me, and then walked forward, pressing a section of wall, and the swinging log retracted into the ceiling.

I smiled and followed, laughing softly. "Alright, that was impressive, I admit it."

"Indeed... but it would seem that Luck is something you have little need of." The smaller westerner hummed, her common less accented than her cousin's.

I blinked slowly, realizing that all of them likely knew common fluently, and my earlier idea of them ignoring us became even more realistic. We exited the tunnels before I could say anything rude, and Rune filled his canteen in a portion of the moat, before it all turned blue, and then halted glowing, just like the lake.

"Fill Your canteens. It's clean, and full of the energy of a Water Spirit." He glanced at the two westerners. They bowed, and walked a little ways away, filling large wine skins that had been hidden amongst the many layers of their robes, and then returning them to their previous hiding places.

Said water spirit materialized behind Rune, smirking, and pushed him in, giggling at his glare.

"Well hello, Ophelia, I was wondering when you'd show up to play a game! Try this!" He laughed victoriously as she was suddenly frozen in place, her water body turned to an ice sculpture.

He raised his hands in victory, and then yelled as the river itself wound around him, throwing him into the air, and then batting him back down onto the bank.

He stood up, -totally dry, to my surprise,- and sighed. "Couldn't let me win, just once? I'm trying to make a good impression on these people!" He complained.

She appeared again, and kissed his cheek, before mischievously covering his hair in water that actually stuck to him. "Nope!" She giggled, and dove into the water again.

He sighed, smoothing his hair back slowly, and I gasped in surprise at the beautiful and Mature visage he suddenly gave off, his hair perfectly groomed and his eyelashes glistening with small droplets of water.

A small voice in my mind purred in feminine approval. 'Dear god's... now that's a man...'

Then he ruined it, but shaking his head like a dog, and smoothing it out of his face casually. "Well! Let's get moving, then!" He grinned happily, and started walking, headed west.

"Wait, why are we walking? We have about 2,800 Miles of land to cover, shouldn't we fly most of the way?" I asked.

He paused, and looked back at Raava. "Is that an option? I was under the impression they were all too busy with the Harvest?"

Raava shook his head, and whistled at one of the flyers, waving it down. He spoke with the pilot, who whipped off towards the Sanctuary, before returning, and going back to work. "A few minutes of waiting, and we'll have a ride."

Rune hummed, and sat down on the ground. "Damn, I was looking forward to the long walk. Ah well."

A transport flyer settled in front of us, the one that Dashiva had arrived in, and we loaded in, as it started south-west.

"Why didn't we just travel by way of mirror?" I asked Rune as the flyer went.

"I can only go places I've been before with my Mirrors. I've never been to the west coast." He explained easily.

Dian looked up. "Mirrors?"

Rune nodded, and opened a small portal over his hand, catching a bag of metal pieces, apparently. "My Mirrors can move things from one place to another, including myself, so long as I've been there before."

The westerner's eyes widened slowly, the icy expressions broken, and the girl piped up, confused. "What magic is that? I have never seen it!"

He smiled, and laid down casually. "My own magic. I'm one of two who are capable of it. Anyway, everyone should get some sleep. It's a four hour flight, by my calculation."

I nodded and laid across the seats, my feet in Duncan's lap, and using my satchel as a pillow. "Good Point. We'll need the sleep we can get, considering we're walking back." I sighed.

"You Just brought up mirror travel, Devon." He said dryly, and chuckled, closing his eyes.

I blushed and threw an acorn at him from my satchel. "Shut up."

He caught it in mid-flight, and then presented me with a tiny oak tree, without opening his eyes.

I gasped and held it in my hands, watching it grow to a fully developed tree, but only six inches tall. I fed it a little water, and it doubled in size again. "Whoa...!"

Mèng Dian nodded appreciatively. "Ahh, a Bonsai tree. Impressive. You should come be a member of the Western Clans. We would welcome you, with your skills. You would be useful to the Emperor."

"Mm. I like the honesty, but I don't belong to anyone... I make good deals, though... if your Emperor would like my services, I am sure we could work something out, though he'd have to beat the Council's offer, to secure my personal work, instead of just my superior materials..." Rune shrugged casually.

Dian raised an eyebrow. "And what was the Council's Offer?"

"A license, free materials, and a workshop, in return for first pick of materials, or commissions. They chose first pick, the poor bastards." He chuckled.

Dian nodded. "Of course, your first works would be generic, commissions are specially crafted, with much time and effort put into them. They are superior in every way... I will relay your message to my clan leader, who will relay it to the Emperor."

Rune smiled. "I am only agreeing to meet and discuss terms. I never agree to a deal without properly sitting and talking to someone. A cup of tea reveals quite a lot about a person."

Dian smiled. "Indeed, as you say. I will keep watch. Hikaru, sleep." He glanced at her, and she nodded, laying against his shoulder casually.

"Your Clan is called 'Mèng', or 'Dream'. Is there some special ability to your sleep? A sending, perhaps? Or maybe scrying?" Rune asked casually.

Dian glanced at him, and hummed thoughtfully. "Tell me about Your Mirrors, and I will answer."

"Deal. My mirrors are lost knowledge from the Dwarves, discovered by contacting the souls of Long-Dead Dwarves. I sacrificed my arm to be able to access it... if I was a Lesser man, it would have taken my life, as well." He held up his arm, then let the illusion fade, and the metal show.

Dian gasped, and reached out impulsively, touching the metal of his wrist. After a moment, he flinched, and pulled away. "It's beautiful... but I am sorry for intruding upon your body."

Rune chuckled. "It's no issue. A deal is a deal, however?"

He nodded. "Our magic is Air-Based... and therefore Psychically attuned. We can communicate through dreams, leaving messages and visions for our family members. We can even receive messages from the dead of our clan, as their souls are immortal, within the Realm of Dreams, the Spirit Realm. That is as much as I will say."

"It's alright, I already know a lot about that particular process. The Ancient Dwarves invented that particular method of attaining immortality, and shared it with a few human clans, who were warring with the Elves, at that point in time. Though, to be used while you're living... that's new, and intriguing." Rune hummed.

Dian blinked slowly. "I was unaware, but you seem sure of this knowledge... it requires some study, I suppose."

"Mm. Sleep, then, Dian, and maybe one day you'll study in the Library of Somnus. I might even Guide you there eventually, for a price, if you join me in a dream." Rune chuckled, and then rolled onto his side, relaxing and slowly falling asleep, as the illusion slipped back over his arm.

The rest of the group slowly found our ways to sleep, while Dian and I had something of a staring contest, for the entire ride. I wasn't exactly suspicious of him, but I was definitely curious about his intentions, and my curiosity was the one thing that often got me in trouble, when all other means failed.

He seemed coldly stubborn, as if he was only deigning to partake in our staring match out of a patient arrogance, one that stated that he would win eventually, so he only needed to wait.

The moons were reaching their zenith when we reached a point where we could see the coast, some 5 Miles distant, and the five ships that were docked there for the night alongside a ramshackle pier. Two were clearly of northern make, while two were of western make, while the fifth was the odd one out, being of southern make, and entirely out of character, for this portion of the world... unless you counted the city of Armada, that shared many species' with the Southern Empire, sometimes called the Demon Isles of the Southern Archipelago.

Runes eyes snapped open, illuminating the air above him, and he hummed, making me flinch. "Interesting... ships from three different directions..."

"How could you possibly see that?" I asked, confused.

"I can't, but you mutter when you're thinking. I'm just a good listener." He grinned at me mischievously.

I blushed and kicked his arm. "Get up, then, this place isn't going to raid itself..."

He shrugged. "I'll handle it. You guys are just here to get paid for supervising me and making sure I don't kill them." He laughed at my incredulous look, and dropped through a mirror.

"DAMMIT! Land us, now!!! I will not let him take all the glory! This is my contract!!!"

The pilots flew us closer, Lower to the treetops, and landed in front of the crowd of partying pirates, whom I noticed to be Dragonborn, all of them except a few oddballs. Rune entered the scene as I leapt out, atop of the Construct, somehow summoned from thin air.

His voice echoed out, making the puddles from the recent rainstorm tremble visibly. "I want only two things tonight... just two. If you give me those two things, no one has to get hurt tonight... First: I want your unquestioned surrender, and Second: I want to speak to your captains, right now! Make your choice, before the Construct and I begin to get impatient!!!"

The Construct punched one fist into the opposite hand menacingly, just as flames erupted between the plates of his armor, giving him the seeming of a fire-giant.

The pirates slowly looked to a group of people set a bit apart, sitting around a large table. They spoke quietly, and laughed amongst themselves, before flicking their hands at their crews, speaking in their native tongues. The pirates nodded, and then turned to us with looks of determination, drawing their weapons, made from corral and different volcanic glasses, like many of the weapons made by the Gobbers in Armada.

Rune chuckled, and shook his head. "Very well... Pirate-Season is open, then!" He leapt off the Construct, almost exactly like when he'd jumped at the waterfall, but there was no water to break his fall this time.

I almost reached where he would land, thinking to catch him, but he hit the ground about twenty feet in front of me, bending his knees and sending out a shockwave that threw me onto my back, a dozen feet back.

"Sorry, luv! Rough landing!" He grinned wildly, and dove at the pirates, punching and kicking their scaled, reptilian hides hard enough that the dragon-armor that so many Dragonborn were proud of was actually denting visibly around his attacks, taking each of them out of the fight, one by one, non-lethally.

Dian hummed. "He is a mighty warrior... relatively brutish, but there is an artistry to his attacking patterns, a flow, not unlike water. It warrants study, Hikaru, to improve your own, tentative style."

The girl bowed to her cousin, and then drew her bow, which began to spark.

He held out a hand. "No. No magic. He has issued a challenge, and I intend to answer it. Stay back." He then removed his outer layers, standing in a red outfit that stuck close to his skin around the waist and ankles, billowing out gently elsewhere, and handed his clothes and weapons to her, before disappearing from my sight.

A loud, thunderous noise rang out instantly, and I looked over to see he had slammed his fist onto one of the enemies, right next to Rune, launching the unsuspecting opponent into the air.

Rune grinned at him, exhilaration the only emotion he apparently had at the moment, not fear. "Nice hit! How did it go? Like this?" He copied the movement, and I flinched as the dragonborn's chest caved in slightly from the impact.

"A bit too direct. It's a shockwave, not a direct strike. Like so." Dian demonstrated again, this time using a foot, which flicked faster than I could blink, and that sound happened again, even louder.

Rune nodded. "I see... interesting. Second attempt, then." He curled his fist into his poor opponent, and I hissed as the scales under his knuckles visibly shattered, not just dented, something I'd never thought possible without a firearm.

The enemy rippled, almost in slow motion, before launching backward, and slamming through the table that the captains were now standing around with their weapons drawn.

I saw them, and shook my head to clear it, sprinting towards them while their attention was elsewhere, using a metal staff from my bag to knock one unconscious immediately, then begin to work on the others, as Duncan saw what I was doing, and guarded my back against any small fry who came knocking.

Disarming them and knocking them out was difficult, but luckily they weren't mages. Dragonborn were notorious for their immunity to magic, but that also meant they couldn't do magic themselves, and magic went a little wonky if you tried to cast it around them.

One got by my defenses, and I braced for the attack, only to blink at the impact, which somehow didn't manage to cut through my leather armor.

I looked down, and saw the metal of the armored coat I'd been given, then laughed, knocking the confused opponent out. "I like this armor... I might have to keep it."

Rune laughed, apparently hearing me over the din of battle. "Feel free, Devon! I like people owing me favors!"

I tsk'ed, and leapt forward, cracking my metal staff down on the last captain's weapon, after she'd whipped it up to guard. When my feet were firmly planted, I twisted the staff, knocking her blade aside, then swept her feet out from under her, and cracked her jaw as she went down, knocking her out.

"Well, they're done... think they need any help?" I leaned against a rock, next to Duncan.

He snorted, looking at the two men who were thrashing a group of a hundred and fifty Dragonborn effortlessly, clearly competing to see who could drop the most, as they stuck next to one another, but only attacked enemies on one side of the group. "Yeah, No. I'm not diving in there. If any one of them manages to hurt Rune, I want to be at least this far back." He shook his head warily.

I hummed. "That Bad?"

"He punched a Gobber's head off. Spinal cord still attached." He shivered.

"Oh... that's hot." I grinned.

"And this isn't? I'm wounded, Devon!" Rune laughed, standing on a pile of his enemies, covered in blood from their broken jaws and teeth.

I laughed, and shook my head. "Pay attention, your opponent is beating more of them than you!"

He turned, his eyes shining a baleful silver. "Oh, we can't have that..."