Kincaid... the dad?
Kincaid tossed and turned all night... he usually could sleep well, having been used to sleeping very lightly and waking up often due to his training as a youth. But he had no idea life with kids would be so hard. Ofcourse these kids were not his own, they were the abandoned and homeless children him and Cecily had rescued from Solinar.
They had found some caverns and cleared them out of the dangers, bought many supplies that they could, stole many as well from abandoned merchant carts and had made refuge here and took several children and saught shelter here until this ordeal with the void either killed them all, or blew over. But at least here, they were safer then alone in a city full of panicked people looking out only for themselves.
Many of the children were apprehensive about living in these caverns, some enjoyed it, liking it better then the crappy life they had before, and some down right hated every moment of it, having been spoiled by rich upbringings. And some children were still in shock or fearful and sad and depressed about their loss and couldn't accept it or had trouble doing so.
Watching over the children were Kincaid, Cecily, Cecily's mother and father, and some older teenagers that Kincaid had bribed and manipulated into assisting. But the number of children that they had was quite sizable. Up until a couple days ago, they had only a dozen or so, but then a talk with Lucas made Kincaid aware of a mass of children abandoned at the local library in Solinar. When Kincaid went to investigate, he was shocked at the shear number that had gathered there. Kincaid couldn't leave them all so he did his best to convince them all to join him and leave for the caverns. Most went, and only the most fearful and stubborn remained to fend for themselves. Now... the cavern was full of kids.. several dozen, ranging from almost new born to eighteen.
Kincaid new not to lose his temper with these kids, with the constant complaining and recklessness. He understood their predicament and knew this life wasn't going to be easy for anyone... but days now with very little sleep was starting to weigh on him. Cecily had had enough as well, the poor girl practically running the show to this point with Kincaid and everyone else following her direction. But Cecily needed time to relax the best she could, and needed Kincaid to fill the role as father figure.
"Shut up... shut up... SHUT UP!" He yelled to the group of kids all huddled together. To many were complaining about various things and the teenagers couldn't appease them all while Kincaid was trying to sleep. "For crying out loud shut the hell up! Why do you always complain!? Why can't you just accept what has and is happening and just DEAL with it!?!"
The kids all hushed, never having seen Kincaid so mad before.. some younger ones started crying.... more.
"Kincaid... " Moaned Cecily... "Settled down.. they are just kids..." She attempted to convince him. But Kincaid had had it, he needed to find a way to deal with these kids so they would all work together better and make this existence as pleasant as possible.
"No... you kids need to listen and listen good... everyone up.. right now.. in a line, youngest to oldest.. right to left now now now... come on get up.. all of you.. Nathan, Edward, Ezabelle.. Joseph.. come on up.. get them lined up. I know the tolders can't do it alone.. help em obviously... come on move move move!"
The kids scrambled to obey... though it took awhile. Several still sleeping, and whining about having to awaken.. some just naturally rebelious, having hating to do anything demanded of them. But eventually, there was 40 plus children all lined up, watching Kincaid in the dim torch light. Even Cecily was up.. standing there with Kincaid, trying to sooth him the best she could, but even she was to stressed out to offer much.
"Alright now.. I know all of you are going through a difficult time, everyone is, equally. I know many of you aren't used to this and are having a tough time coping, some can't sleep, some find it to cold, some are scared... trust me... I /understand/. But... this can't continue, we *he points at all those assisting in supervising* can't do this if you're going to continue to act like this. We, like it or not, are all going to need to work together now, to make it as pleasant as possible until this is over..." Some kids started to speak up with questions and complaints but Kincaid shushed them right away.. "Don't make me get Cecily to cast a silence spell on all of you... Now then.. I am going to answer everyone of your concerns... without anyone asking a single question.. THEN, we are going to impliment what I am going to say... THEN everything will be fine.. and cozy... do you all understand?" The questions went to start up again... until Kincaid flashed them all a look that made them instantly shut up. "Good..."
That was the moment Kincaids ears took over. One of his traps had set off from the entrance to the cavern. "Wait here, I'll be back in a moment..."
The kids all got nervous suddenly. Seeing Kincaid reach for his weapons and move into the shadows... made them all a bit uneased.
"Should I help you?" Cecily asked in a low voice but good enough for him to hear.
"Wait with the kids.. remember the plan if there is danger." Cecily nodded and moved to the kids, reminding them of the plan incase it was needed.
Kincaid moved quietly to the cavern entrance, and he did not like what he seen. A large and deadly looking red dragon was looking right at him. A blue. The dragon had tripped a bear trap.. and it was dangling off it's front paw. The dragon seemed quite amused actually, not having been bothered by it at all. It's tough hide and bone structure, it was like the trap trying to crush iron.
"Awh... fuck.." Kincaid complained mentally. He knew how to avoid their fear effect, but he always had a hard time fighting them. Dragons were cunning combatants, and their hide made it impossible for rogues to get to any weak points.
"Well... this is interesting. What brings you to this cavern? Looking for a new home?" Kincaid tried to play it cool.
The dragon grinned, looking down at Kincaid. This smart beast wouldn't have seen Kincaid as a threat originally, but seeing how cool he was acting, led him to heed this situation with a bit of caution. However, most humans were to stupid to know when to be afraid. It was likely no different with this one. "I smell many within these caverns... likely hiding from the Void, no less. I smell... small ones. Fresh morsals... human young are much better tasting then the older. You're meat gets gangly with age...
This made Kincaid tense. If all the dragon wanted was food, then he would would most likely have to fight it. "You're sense of smell is quite astonishing, dragon. You're correct, there are many children here. But they are unclean filthy things.. surely they would not interest you, and you could appease your hunger elsewhere.. and take some gold along with you for your trouble?"
"Mmm.. well.. I'm listening, do tell human. How much gold are you offering me?" The dragon lowered it's head to just above Kincaid, but out of his reach.
"How's a thousand suit you? Perhaps some diamonds and rubies to go along with it? I have a few..."
"It's a start... " the dragon licked it's mighty teeth, and looked past him. "Oh.. is that your mate?"
Kincaid thought that this was a good thing, Cecily's magic could work well here if things got ugly. "No, she is just someone I hired to help me with the kids."
The dragon saw through his lie, it was feasible that he could have been telling the truth, but just some baby sitter would be freaking right now, not to mention... she was invisible. The only reason the dragon realized she was there was her perfume, and she came within range of it's blind sense. Kincaid didn't know this.
"I do not enjoy liars... human. But I understand why you did. And I will be willing to look past it, for.. say.. two of your young, as compensation."
Kincaid was calm, he knew to be, but this enraged Cecily.. and the wind about her picked up. Energy started to swell in her and she raised her hands and readied a spell. "You will not come anywhere NEAR my children!" She warned angrily.
"Shit.... Cecily... damn your temper..." Kincaid thought to himself. He was ready to grab his weapons if needed, but maybe he could still manage to talk without a fight. But before he could think of something to say... the Dragon already thought out his battle stradegy and bulled past Kincaid towards Cecily.
A mage could be a very serious threat to the dragon, but they were nearly useless if they could be pinned down. The dragon could also use her as a hostage to get Kincaid to do whatever he wanted. Most likely.
Cecily managed to get off a missle spell at the dragon before it got to close. The magic managed to penetrate it's resistance and blackened several areas on the lizard, burning it painfully. But the dragon easily endured the pain. The dragon didn't expect Kincaid to be so quick either, and though he did get past him.. Kincaids nimbleness allowed him to dodge the dragon, and draw out his weapon. He wasn't sure what he could do here, but he had to try.
Cecily had a disciplined mind, her anger and protective instinct coupled with this allowed her to resist the dragons fear effect as it charged her. Kincaid had a much weaker mind and was much more subjective to mental attack and such things as fear... but this dragons aura wasn't strong enough to effect Kincaid it seemed, he was just to well 'seasoned' for it to effect him.
Just before the Dragon got to Cecily, he felt Kincaid mount his back, using the dragons spiney .. spine, to grip hold and hold himself there.. embedding his blade through his scales and into the dragons ribs. It hurt, without a doubt.. but the dragon was tough and managed again to endure. Kincaid drew the other blade.. and embedded it in the other side... more pain, but it managed. The Dragon knew it was in trouble, and decided to take on another target.. the children. If anything would make these two annoying pests give into him, it would be a threat to the childrens lives. And so he trampled past Cecily, knocking her into the wall. She fell hard to the ground, pained badly by the dragon.. but not at all out of the fight. If those missles were the strongest spell the mage had in her arsenal, he could afford to go after the kids, with how protective she seemed, she wouldn't let anything happen to them and likely give her life for them.
"Get off of me, stand down and I will not subject your young to a painful death by fire!" The dragon roared, it's mouth like a furnace.. molten saliva dripping from it's tongue.. leaving welts of smoldering droplets on the ground as it moved.
Kincaid prayed that the kids were where they were supposed to be, and if they were.. the dragon wouldn't have a target to carry out his threat... right away at least. "No deal dragon... no matter what happens now, your demands will be unacceptable and I'd rather lose everything, including my life then give in!"
This was a lie, Kincaid would actually go through and sacrifice some children if he HAD to, to save his life, and perhaps the majority of the others... but he also knew Cecily would never go for it, she would die trying to stop it, and would leave Kincaid if he gave in, and she managed to survive it. And so... he had to fight. He buried another couple jabs into the dragons hide... the dragons bucking actually helped the damage, as Kincaid was using them to hold on, the damage was worsening, tearing more flesh as the dragon jerked about. But it couldn't afford to stop to confront Kincaid and the mage directly, just the weapons Kincaid was stabbing him with seemed powerful, and so to must be the man to wield them.
The dragon jumped and bucked like a mad bull to shake him off as it rushed towards the childrens area expecting to be there shortly, the pain of Kincaids weapons was overbearing. In the charge, the dragon had also set off most of Kincaids traps in the process.. having little effect on it, but every little bit helped, mostly the stalling effect some had, helped the most.
Cecily had got up by now, and shook off the pain and ran after the two. She wasn't worried about casting deadly spells at the dragon with Kincaid on it, he had told her before to do it if need be, that his amazing rogue reflexes allowed him to dodge any area effecting ones... except 'Ice Storm' oh how he hated that spell... and prayed she wouldn't use it.
She didn't use it thankfully... and as she caught up within view of the duo.. she gathered her energy and the air took on an electric feel.. sparks snapped in the air and she released forth a bolt of lightning. She aimed for Kincaid, as he painted a nice target for her to aim at, she wasn't worried about it hurting him, he would mostly avoid it somehow, but the bolt would still strike the dragon too. And it did... the electrical discharge was felt through the dragons entire body.. the loud clap of thunder afterwards echoed through the caverns.
Kincaids uncanny reflexes took over. He himself couldn't explain how he managed such feats when it came necessary.. as the bolt hit, Kincaid flipped and contorted and ended up somehow under the dragons wing. His legs wrapped around the joint that was attached to it's back, keeping him supported in this very awkward half upside down position. His blades used the beasts dense muscle as an anchor as well, grinding through the beasts scaly hide cutting a nice swaff of flesh.
The Dragon had to hurry, this was getting bad. He didn't expect these two to prove so difficult and it had barely managed to hurt either and was just now arriving to the caves 'living quarters', searching desperately for his targets.. the human may have just been bluffing about not giving into it's threats against the kids... he had to try, but the children weren't there. It only took him a moment to realize where they were though, it's senses allowing it to determine quickly that they were behind a large rock cover, designed to look like it was just a pile.
"Last chance humans! I know where your young are.. they cower behind that rock face.. a single blast of my fire will melt the entire shelter... and you will lose them all! Stop this... I'll spare you and take only your wealth!"
Kincaid was tempted... if he didn't manage to take this dragon down now, and it melted the cover as it suggested... he would lose them all. Another lightning bolt blasted the dragon... obviously Cecily wasn't going for it, either that or blinded by her rage, she never heard the dragons threat. Electrical heat melted more of the dragons flesh. Kincaid twisted and let go of his position and fell to the ground under the dragons breast, avoiding the bolt. He had one chance... and he had to make this count, seeing as there was no way to stop the dragon from taking out the kids before he died. He was lucky this dragon wasn't as powerful as he knew they could be.. a lucky break for sure.
The dragon had had it, it knew it was going down, but it was not going to let these humans have their victory without loss of their own, he would kill all their young.. all it took was one blast of it's breath against the makeshift rock shelter. It arched it's neck back... chest puffed out.. and felt a sudden pain in it's neck.. as Kincaids blade found it's mark. Fire burst from the wound, severely burning Kincaids hand. It also arched out it's mouth towards it's mark.. though due to Kincaids actions the dragon wasn't able to successfully target the shelter properly.. and the blast didn't manage to do damage it sufficiently to harm it. The kids inside felt heat, but it was harmless.
The kids all screamed with fear.. Kincaid was afraid the dragon DID hit his mark and turned to witness what he thought was his failure. Then a loud crash was heard behind him... he felt a sudden burst of cold as ice shards splintered past him harmlessly. He looked back to see the dragon crushed under several large ice chunks. The dragons weakened hide from the lightning failed to protect it from Cecily's Ice Storm spell. It lay dead at his feet.
Cecily charged Kincaid, and embraced him. She was scared for the childrens lives so much that her emotions were high... and the relief of the dragon dieing before it got to them was enough to send her into a fit of tears as she held him tightly.
Kincaid held her comfortingly... still in shock in all worked out. He could hardly believe it ended without a single fatality.
Slowly... the kids emerged from the safety of the rock shelter.. to stand in awe at what they witnessed. From that day, Cecily and Kincaid had little trouble keeping the kids in line. However.. the days of complaining had ended... but the days of story telling, regaling them over and over and over about how they defeated the dragon began....
Now, Kincaid could move to the next phase of his plan.. and started testing the children.
Edited to use a red instead of a blue, as blues don't really exist.
_________________ Tell me your deepest darkest secrets and I'll offer you my soul.
Last edited by PowrOverwhelming on Nov 25th, '10, 21:15, edited 1 time in total.
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