The surrounding hillside was barren... more so than usual. A greenish-grey vapor hung over the mountain and surrounding area. Fertile brush and grass once green and lush now stood black and burnt. Twisted and broken. Peaceful animals and livestock were now pink and hairless. Their bodies covered in white bloody boils and scabbing ooze. All cried out in pain as the mist ate away their flesh and burned their lungs. The river ran red as if blood were poured in at its source, dead fish floating on its surface.

The surrounding farms fared little better as crops suffered the same blight and a plague descended on the inhabitants. Festering sores and coughs of blood, the people, nay, the very land was sick and dying. All knew from whence the calamity had come. The dragon. The great red dragon who now slumbered in the mountain cave.

A terrifying beast, ancient and terrifying. It had awoken from its hundred year slumber and now the valley suffered for allowing it to live so long. And so the people had called out for those willing. Those who would help them in their our of need and end the reign of the red dragon.

Four figures wearing thick cloaks entered the town. Felt rags covered their mouths and quartz--crystal goggles hung from around their necks. These were the heros. The ones assigned to end the dragons heinous crimes and return the valley to its once fertile state.

On the far right stood a figure with light purple hair and dark red eyes, half lidded. Slim of build yet his frame belied his hidden strength.

On the other end Darren, the oldest member of the group trudged alongside the three.

Tharsis he thought as they were walking in the area. He looked around to see it was the afternoon here, cloudy and with no ominous feelings in the air. It just feels nice today he thought aloud as they made their way towards the nearby village.

Hey Pops, anything new here? he asked the inn keeper as they settled down.

Najiko and Marie had heard of a dragon problem, and pestered Mortimer about going with him when they found out he was going to try and slay it on a mission. Whether they went with his permission or without they didn't care, Marie asking the question. "Mortimer can we come too?" She asked, making the big puppy dog eyes up at him. Even if they didn't have permission they were so eager to go that Najiko had plotted out several alternative plans with involved stowing away.

Lagging behind the other three was a figure with his hood was kept up, so only his makeshift mask was visible.

His ears flickered every which way under his hood. He picked up chatter of him, and his master. He examined the inn they entered as Darren went straight for the inn keeper. He found a nice little, dark corner to occupy. He sat on the stool in there while Darren, Mortimer, and his other party-mate took their time doing whatever they were doing.

He sighed. I hate this mask... He mumbled to himself. He peered at each of the faces in the inn and realized that most of them weren't looking at him, but Darren who had made contact with the inn keeper.

Wonder why they're staring like that...

"Yer not welcome here anymore Trick blue... not after that LAST stunt yeh pulled wit us... not ta mention that the day after ya left, that there dragon showed up... yep I seened im wit my own two eyes. Red wit green smoke pourin out o' im. Gone right up into the old cave and been poisenin the town ever since. Now get gone afore another dragon winds up comin ere sniffin fer you."

Apparently "pops" was not necessarily on speaking terms with Darren. However given that Darren had more experience with bandit types in out-of-theway towns, Mortimer thought it best if HE took care of this.

Lyon being in the inn at the time saw someone hiding in the corner and watched them out of the corner of his eye (Pyoh). Lyon was also somewhat in a shadow wearing dark cloths and a pure black mask that didn't obscure his vision. He was hidden enough and didn't move enough to make a sound. He was hired by some rare collectors that wanted some part of a dragon. A tooth, a scale, whatever he could get. He was also told there would be good reward in it but he wanted something like they did too. He figured it would be best to stay hidden for now even though he recognized Darren. Lyon also remembered hearing there was other people hired to get the same things. That is why he payed attention to Pyoh, although he did not know who this was.

Taurou had the eerie feeling that he was being watched, but shrugged it off. He laughed to himself, as quietly as possible, as Darren was shut down by the inn-keeper. He heard some mumbling about Darren then, and smirked. "He's here? Why?" "He's so stupid, trying to get the inn-keeper to speak to a stranger...". Taurou took out his book from his pocket and started reading under the largeness of his robe. His dark attuned eye allowed him to read in the dark. He was actually quite bored waiting for things to finish up so he could fight a dragon.

Aww quit complaining Reg. That orphanage attacked us first! Albert saw it, Beck saw it and Phil lit it on fire! Anyways thats all in the past right? he threatened pulling out his paper and spoon and setting it on the table looking at the innkeeper with a death stare.

So tell me where can we find this mythical Dragon? he asked putting the cold metal of his spoon to the Reg's throat. UUUhhhhHhh It's at the far corner of town. Near the farms and... oh good god keep that thing away from me! he whimpered as Darren put the rest of his stuff away.

Darren then smiled, Alright! Thanks a Bunch Reg. he said making his way out of the tavern. Hey he said it's across town and that's probably where the mountains are he shared motioning the group to leave the tavern.

Much as they hated the stupid suits and masks Najiko and Marie were quite eager to fight the dragon. After all the sooner they defeated it the sooner they could take this stuff off. Marie and Najiko were in the middle of the group, as they had the least endurance. But Marie was mainly defence and Najiko mainly offense, so really Marie was the one in front of the younger ninja...

The group filed out of the tavern, (wit more than a few tagalongs hiding behind them) who would have thought the innkeeper to be afraid of a spoon and a paper bag? Mortimer would have to ask Darren about that some day.

In the here and now, the group made its way to the edge of town (the tagalongs remaining out of sight of the initial trio. Apparently when the innkeeper had meant "near the farms" he meant "the closest thing to them" because the farms stretched out for what looked like miles (and probably was) before the path between the wooden fences steepened into a goat-trail up the mountain... and directly to an ominous large looking cave two thirds of a way up it. Thick green smoke-fog hung about the cave and occasionally seemed to billow out.

And their affects were highly visible. Had the trees not died and fell over, the cave would have been indescernable, however most of the trees were gone now, leaving only black brittle ash. The remaining trees seemed brittle as well as if they had been burned leaving only charcoal in its wake.

Least of all were the crops (apparently not getting the full effect of the blight but still a fairly decent dose) which consisted of little more than stubby brown plants with brown brittle leaves, and brown rotted fruit. Quite simply everything looked to be dying and the closer one came to the cave the worse it became. There was only one option for the group of course... to head forward, up the mountan and into the dragons lair.

"So any last minute questions?" the shadow mage asked to no one in particular.

Lyon watched from the shadows but never forgot about the strange person in the corner. Lyon now knew where the dragon was which made this a lot easier. He was in no hurry to go though because of the person in the corner. Lyon, sure no one knew he was there decided to wait a bit longer. "What could they be up to..." Lyon thought to himself. "When I get the chance it shouldn't take me long as long as I can avoid Darren... and these other people..." Lyon continued his thoughts. Lyon was given this armor especially for this mission but if he liked it enough he was more than likely going to keep it, this dragon mission was the perfect way to test it out too. He was even eager to test it's special ability, which was perfect for this type of mission. He knew it had limited use so he wanted to wait for the right time. After watching everyone leave he watched intently for the corner dweller to make his move.

Watching his companions leave, Taurou waited a little bit longer. He still had the eerie feeling he was being watched. He wanted to wait for that feeling to go away, but knew it wasn't going to. So once his party was a couple of meters away from the inn, he slowly got up, and left. He walked slowly back to his party, and walked along the rest of them, still keeping his hood over his head, keeping him concealed.

Once they made it to the cave, they all stopped and Mortimer asked if anyone had any questions. Taurou knew he was being watched still, so found it wise to say nothing. He didn't have any questions, but nevertheless, kept quiet. The mission was simple, stop the dragon from killing everything with its poisonous smog.

Taurou's mind was thinking subconsciously and he wanted to try and get a look at whoever was giving him the eerie feeling. So he just turned around, and coughed, hoping to get a glimpse of someone.

Darren was still in a good mood as they made their way over to the caves. It was close to the outskirts of town already and all that was left was going to be only barren land and dead plants. He turned to see what looked like Taurou nervously make his way back to the group before looking behind him.

Ahaha! He said roughly hitting his back. There's nothing to be afraid of dragon hunting is a blast he said remembering his first would be dragon slaying mission. Of course the thing was injured and poisoned but that didn't put a damper on his spirits. We gonna keel this thing and probably get injured in the process he said with confidence. Something like dragon hunting to him seemed like a proud endeavor to be a part of. Live or die. Win or lose.

What's the game plan Morti? he said looking at the area's recent decimation. Sneak attack when we get the chance? he grinned.

Taurou stopped coughing and turned around and whispered to Darren, I'm not nervous about the dragon, I'm nervous about the thing following us... I can't tell what it is and I'm worried it will kill us when we're fighting the dragon, you daft git. He said the last part in Welsh so Darren wouldn't understand.

Taurou looked at Mortimer and said, Yes, what are we going to do? Who is going to be which role?

Lyon waited a bit to follow the group. Lyon knowing better than to just follow someone kept a distance and also stayed more to shadows, when Pyoh turned around Lyon was at a good distance and in a nice shadow so it was unlikely he would be spotted. His armor seriously helping with his stealth. He was however close enough to hear it was Pyoh. This set him at ease, he figured Pyoh was less likely taking missions like this and Lyon now confirmed Pyoh was with Darren and that group. A name that stood out to him was Mortimer though. With his resent training with him he had a pretty good idea what Mortimer was capable of. This could be a problem but Lyon still would rather not show himself to them. He continued into the shadows but took it even slower now that he knew that Pyoh knew about his presence.

"You... don't need to worry about the ones following us. Just focus on the task at hand, they shouldn't bother us. As for the plan... I haven't got one" As he said this last part, one couldn't help ut get the feeling he looked a lot like the monkey. Maybe it was he ears which now seemed large, maybe it was the blank face smiling dumbly without a nose and eyes that were essentially white circles. The arm looping up and over his head only to come down and scratch his hair only added to the image. It also didn't help that the area behind him had temporarily changed to harsh monocrome pastel colors and their were three dots seeming to float in the air on said background...

Mortimer fully expected to be attacked by his students crying out BAKA at this point but he wouldn't try and avoid them. He figured they would need to get their frustrations out some way.

Still, the reason he had not made a plan was that they had no idea what the dragon could actually DO, other than emit poison. Nor did he know the structure of the cave system or the dragons lair. In this situation they would all need to "wing it".

Several minutes later the group ran into what looked like a pack of eight diseased wolves... apparently the mist had affected them as well, and they were ravenous and partially rabid. Circling around the visible members of the group, the first three struck at Darren, Lashing out at him and trying to drive him back into the waiting diseased jaws of the alpha.

Oh Hell Yea!!! he said at Mortimer's plan. Now that's a plan!!! he smiled before they were confronted by the wolfs.

Eww...that's unsightly he commented as he moved closer to Mortimer and Pyoh as they were attacked. It seemed however that the wolfs weren't going to let that happen as he was forced to the side trying to evade all the attacks from the three. Hmm...he said quickly summoning Albert to help defend him.

He was rather annoyed by then, not by the wolves, but rather, the wolf's condition. Something is wrong he thought as he saw the very feral but very look weaking wolves. Dragons are suppose to help keep balance in a region if they are the only ones. ...maybe I might be wrong he thought aloud as he shundo'd in between attacks sending out some counters from his daggers.

Hmph this is getting me in a bad mood he said looking at the animals with a concerned look. ...and this pastel look didn't help. He looked stole a glance at Mortimer with a look of change-it-back! before he faced the wolves again.

The remaining five wolves made their way to Mortimer and Taurou trying their occasionally nipping each other and pushed into an aggressive state by the aftereffects of the dragon's poison.

(/me attacks the mission!)

Najiko and Marie handled the wolves as best they could, Marie using her force field bracers and Najiko doing as best she could without ripping her protective suit...

Lyon waited for everyone to enter the cave before he made his move towards it. He stayed close to the entrance when he heard the wolves and the beginning of a fight. Again, he didn't want to reveal himself but at this range he would not be surprised if at least one of the group knew he was there. This did not concern Lyon though, he just wanted to get in and out without too much trouble. He glimpsed into the cave and noticed the group was a bit farther in. He slipped into the cave to a dark corner and continued his stealth mode.

Poor wolves... Taurou mumbled. I feel bad doing this. He drew his blade and said, Poen a dioddefaint: Gladius Fulgoris. His sword's blade was lengthened by a thin blade of black lightning. As one wolf pounced at him, he swung, cleaving it in half. He apologized under his breath as another attacked him. He sidestepped its claw, taking a small cut on his shoulder. The wolf's speed was greatly impeded by the dragon's poison. Taurou kicked it away, and it didn't bother to get back up again.

The other wolves snarled at Taurou, and he shook his head and sheathed his sword, kneeling down on the ground. He did not move. All he did was stare at the wolves, and they seemed to be staring back, pleading. After a few moments, they turned to Mortimer, and attacked.

The three other wolves moved to attack Mortimer. Incanting calmly as the wolves lunged at him, seeking his neck. "Enter the eternal, Exorior phasmatis ut habito meus animus , tribuo mihi macies umbra redimio jaqulatio". Extending out from his shadow three slender black ribbons emerged, each with a pointed tip, sent flying towards the heads of the three wolves in mid-air. Their speed impeded by mal-nutrition and the poison which pumped through their veins, causing their bodies to disintigrate from the inside out. Retracting the shadow ribbons, Mortimer let the wolves drop, seemingly dead where they had fallen. It seemed that the dragons presence really was destroying the area. If the wolves were sick, then it would take much longer for this place to heal then they had anticipated.

But that was for later. Once everyone had dealt with their wolves they still had to climb up the mountains path to the dragons cave.

The three stood at the mouth of the cave for a bit before recovering from it's majesty. Hmph that sure is something he said as he looked solemnly around the entrance. He looked at Pyoh and nodded. Alright Pyoh can take point in this one right? he asked as he started moving to cover the rear,I'll see what's been bothering your senses as of late, Pyoh he assured as he shundo'd his full distance and put his hands in his pockets before chanting his spell.

Untold Malice take form. Veiled murder The dark dragoon magic started to take effect as he was slowing being enveloped little by little from it. Tck, ugh so uncomfortable he thought as was rapidly now covering his whole body. He managed to send out a reassuring smile before the spell took full effect and he disappeared without a trace.

Lyon watched as they went ahead and followed them promptly. He wanted to get this done soundly but was unsure of how he would go unnoticed. More than likely he would be found out and he knew this. "Should I try and get past them..." Lyon thought but decided against it. The chance of getting past one was pretty good but all of them was almost impossible. Lyon turned around when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around he saw another assassin after the same mission as him. He recognized him from when he left the meeting place but didn't expect that this was one of the guys. Lyon knew he had the upper hand but needed to get rid of this guy quickly before the others realize he was there. "This shouldn't take too long..." Lyon thought as he took to the shadows, watching this guy intently.

Can I still attack this missionz? D: