EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The dragon growled at Sabine. "Viik? You will have to kill me to claim your prize. I grow tired of this pointless tinvaak. I am a warrior. Vahzah kendov. When the Dovahkiin accepts my challenge, there will be a reckoning. But right now, you have come to take from me, so do it. Show me your strength, and taste the power of my Thu'um for yourself. Krif voth ahkrin. Give me a challenge."

Regardless of any protests that Sabine or the others may have had, the dragon had made up his mind. Sabine would feel magicka starting to flow through him, and see the orange glow from his mouth as he reared back his head. Both Yerig and Do'rhajul were already starting to draw their weapons when the dragon unleashed his fire breath at Sabine.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Circumtore

Like Sirka expected, the E-Web was not in terribly great shape. The rocket had hit near the point where the tripod connected to the weapon itself. Fortunately, the rocket had not detonated at that very instant. It carried enough force with it to essentially break the tripod away from the weapon, but it definitely looked like it had detonated a fraction of a second later. The explosion had been somewhat directional, but it certainly had not been kind to the weapon.

"Power coupling's shredded, barrel's bent to hell, shrapnel everywhere..." Sirka muttered to herself as she looked over the former blaster emplacement. Even so, it was not necessarily a lost cause; it would just need some replacement parts, and a lot of patience.

Eventually, Elias was able to get his ship over to the docking bay to load up the package they were after. Sirka had not asked what kind of cargo they would be taking back that was important enough to fight over, but she did not particularly care. Koren wanted it, and the fact that Sirka had helped acquire it would probably make her look better to him. Thoughts were already going through her mind about how she might report to Koren, and how she might make herself look as good as possible without outright lying. She had singlehandedly disrupted an ambush that would have otherwise caught the two Mandalorians. She had no way of knowing if they would have been able to fight their way out of it, but there was no question that she had thrown a spanner into their plan. The pirates would have been a lot more organized had they not been surprised.

As soon as the cargo was loaded, Sirka stepped up the loading ramp carrying both the E-Web and its power generator with her under her arms, then dropped them off in the cargo hold. She did not actually bother asking Elias before boarding, but if her sister was on that ship, then there was no way she would be accepting no for an answer. They had taken off from Circumtore as soon as they possibly could. There was no question that someone had noticed the firefight in the docking bay, and they wanted to get away from the ring world before anyone could intercept them.

It took only a moment for Sirka to drop off the damaged E-Web in the hold, so she made her way up to the front of the ship and stepped into the cockpit behind Elias and Delni just as they were starting to leave the atmosphere. Based on their interactions so far, Elias might have expected some more anger and shouting from Sirka, but her first reaction was nothing of the sort. There was no mistaking her lumbering footsteps, so Delni had already stood from her chair and turned to face her sister by the time Sirka stepped into the room. Without hesitation, Sirka threw her arms around Delni and only narrowly managed to avoid squeezing her tightly enough to hurt her, even lifting her clean off the ground at one point. "Delni, I...I'm so glad to see you in one piece. Everything's good, right? You're unharmed, nothing to worry about?" Sirka questioned, still in the midst of their hug.

The reunion was in stark contrast to every other moment that Elias had spent in Sirka's presence. She had been suspicious of Elias, and therefore constantly guarded. Even when she was drinking with him at the bar, Elias would have felt her eyes on him most of the time, and she certainly did not become emotional. Elias might have thought her to be a cold, unfeeling reptile, but that person was nowhere to be seen at this point. The ruthless, intimidating air she tended to project while on the job was gone; her voice was softer and filled with relief. She even managed not to look quite as large, since her posture was far more relaxed. If he looked closely enough, Elias might see that Sirka's hands were trembling ever so slightly. Even for a Human, it would not be too difficult to read her emotions clearly on display.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Circumtore

With the enemy's retreat, Sirka was finally able to stop and take a breath. She carefully reached back and attached her blaster to its proper spot on her backpack. The barrel was red hot after the firefight, so she was cautious not to touch it against anything. She already had enough burns on her as it was, after taking multiple hits over the course of two firefights. Some of her scales were blackened from their burns, but overall, she was still in good shape. Her scales would heal, and the flesh underneath was unharmed, with the exception of her hand. Some of the heat had burned through into her fingers, which was not a pain that was likely to go away quickly on its own. Regardless, it was not threatening to her at the moment, and she had other things to worry about.

Sirka stepped over to the other side of the crate and looked down on the Devaronian. She did not check his pulse or anything, but he looked dead enough to her. Curiously, she reached down and picked up the blaster pistol he had been using. It was a small hold out blaster, not even larger than her palms, but it looked valuable enough. With a shrug, she slipped the weapon into a pouch on one of her belts. "Okay, I helped you clear out your hanger. Now, Mandalorian, just find whatever package you're looking for and get your ship over here, then we leave." She turned her head towards Elias, staring him down intensely. "And she had better be safe and sound on that ship, or it's your head."

Moving back around the crates, Sirka decided to take another look at the E-Web while the others were dealing with the package. She doubted it was in any serviceable condition after being hit with a rocket, but that kind of firepower was worth enough to at least warrant a look.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The dragon took a few lumbering steps forward, bringing himself almost uncomfortably close to Sabine. Do'rhajul was on-edge with his hand resting on the hilt of his blade, though he did not yet draw it. The dragon raised up his head to tower even further over Sabine. "Hmph. Hi kos ni bahlaan wah mindok nii. You will not know my name, and I do not care about yours. Your quest is meaningless to me, mortal."

After a moment, the dragon's maw opened slightly, showing the teeth between his powerful jaws. Even without considering a dragon's magic, they had a bite at least as powerful as a werecrocodile. Anything that happened to be caught within his jaws would be torn to pieces. "If you wish to claim one of these worthless trinkets, then you will have to claim it by right of your own strength. Prove that you are the zol mul."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig gave a quick glance towards Sabine and Do'rhajul as they came into view. "It seems he is looking for the Dragonborn. And is rather upset that I am not him." He explained, softly and briefly.

Meanwhile, the dragon was still eyeing his surroundings, but since the only creatures in the area other than himself were the three in front of him, his gaze quickly settled back upon them. With how different he was from any other race in Tamriel, it was almost impossible to tell if his demeanor was actually aggressive. Being a dragon, he was simply intimidating by default. Though, based on what Yerig had said, he certainly was not happy.

The dragon continued, his voice overshadowing everyone else present. "Gahrot yuvon? Have you come to take these treasures? Meyye. The last of your kind to try at least brought enough kendovve not to insult me. The Dovahkiin has yet to answer my challenge, but it does allow me to sharpen my strength on fools chasing their greed. Grik pahlok."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig took in a deep breath. "Okay, if that's the plan, I'll do it." He answered, taking out the waterskin with his fire resistance potion. "Just make sure to make your first attack count if you have the element of surprise, if or when he attacks. I can protect myself from harm, at least for a while. Whether he attacks or not, I do expect he'll be willing to talk for a while. Dragons really do like to talk."

Yerig drank both the fire resistance potion, and the others Sabine had made to improve his stamina, then stepped out from behind the foliage and into the clearing. The dragon was faced towards the watchtower at the time, so he did not see Yerig immediately, which allowed the Nord to speak the first words.

"Drem yol lok, zin dovah." Yerig began, making sure he was not yet showing any signs of aggression. He had his hands clasped together in front of himself, far from the weapon on his back.

Upon hearing Yerig's greeting, the dragon turned his body towards him. Each step from his massive form was loud enough to be easily heard by the others, even on the dirt and grass. It gave him a powerful presence, if being a dragon by itself was not enough to accomplish that. This was an older dragon, Yerig could see. In all likelihood, he was one of the earlier dragons created after Alduin. He had faint scars marking the battles he had been through, particularly on his head and near his claws. The dragon raised up his head as he looked down upon Yerig, humming a low growl. "Ahst laat? Lost fin tiid meyz?"

The dragon stared more closely at Yerig, his head inching closer. For a few seconds, he looked over Yerig critically and took in his scent before giving another, more aggressive growl. "Niid! Ni bahlaan joor! Hi kos ni fin gein Zu'u yah. Hi kos ni Dovahkiin!"

With a glance around the area, the dragon spoke a few words: a shout. "Laas-Yah-Nir"

Immediately, the dragon's gaze went directly to the locations of Do'rhajul, then Sabine, despite both being out of sight. Regardless of whatever efforts Sabine might have made to keep them hidden, the dragon's shout had revealed them. There would be no surprising him. "Hmm? Nivahriin tafiirre. Kotin fin bex voth hi!"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig was dead still, crouched down and peering through the bush behind which he was hiding. Do'rhajul was following suit by staying as silent as possible as they observed, giving off only the faintest sounds of breathing. Looking around the clearing, there were yet more details to take in. The grass in some places looked like it had been scorched, and there were what looked like weapons laying around: swords, spears, arrows, and the like. It certainly looked like evidence of a battle, though there were no bodies within view.

"I don't know. It looks like he's...hoarding things? Valuable things, or at least most of it looks valuable." Yerig whispered. "Some of those crates have East Empire Company markings, but that would mean he would had to have made an effort to drag them off of the ships he attacked. I just don't know why. That's not something dragons really do, not outside children's tales. I don't know why this one would be collecting a hoard of treasure; none of that looks like it would be worth much of anything to a dragon."

"But it's worth quite a lot to anyone else." Do'rhajul interjected just as quietly. "It is bait, a trap. The beast wants to lure someone here. Perhaps someone specific, or just people in general."

Yerig still had a confused look about him. "But...why? That would just bring down more hunters upon him. Dragons may be strong, and they may be arrogant, but even they know they are not invincible. They were hunted to extinction once before."

Do'rhajul gave another long look towards the watchtower. "I do not know, but if this Redguard was killed by the dragon, then the axe we seek is somewhere among those treasures, almost certainly."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig nodded. "Aye, most dragons can speak our tongue. Whether they choose to or not is another matter. I can speak the dragon language, at the very least." He answered.

The mountains at the center of the island were not tall enough to be snowy, though the trees did still start to thin as the terrain became more uneven and rocky. Yerig voiced his concern that the group would have to start scaling cliff faces if they wanted to get to the top of the mountain with the dragon, only partially sarcastically. However, the tracks they were following eventually led onto an actual trail: the first sign they had discovered that the island had ever actually been inhabited by anyone. The trail was old and partially overgrown by grass. It seemed to wind its way up the mountain, and based on the tracks they could see, it had been what Cyrus and his group had followed up the mountain.

The trail was long, steep, and winding, but it did lead the entire distance up the mountain. Yerig was nearly out of breath by the time they neared the top, but fortunately, was not too distracted to keep himself quiet on their approach. The trail led up to a mostly flat clearing on the top of the mountain, which was wide and had only grass for foliage. At the very center of the clearing was a single old, stone Imperial watchtower that was just tall enough to be the highest point on the island at its tip, though with the tree cover on the island, it had not been easily visible from below. However, what would draw their eyes more would be the dragon itself, which had finally come into full view. For Sabine, or either of the others, it was among the largest of creatures that any of them had seen in person. Not even the largest and strongest of lycans could come close to the scale of the reptilian beast, which had massive claws and teeth which could easily rip a person apart. And that was not even to mention a dragon's magical abilities. What was even more curious about it, however, was what it was doing. Surrounding the base of the watchtower was what, at first, looked to be debris. There were smashed wooden crates, broken carts, and quite a few chests and other containers, all of which had been collected into a disorganized pile. Looking closely, however, they would be able to see that these containers were not empty, Although it was hard to pick out details from a distance, many of the crates carried trade goods like cloth, leather, and even the glint of gold and jewels. The dragon itself was on the ground in the clearing, dragging in its mouth a crate with East Empire Company markings towards the base of the watchtower.

While Sabine may not have been informed on the habits of dragons, the perplexed look on Yerig's face would show that it was an unusual sight. "That's...odd." Yerig whispered.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Circumtore

While the Devaronian did have a good set of armor, three blaster bolts was no small amount of destructive energy. Sol'id had been accurate, and dropped the Devaronian quickly and efficiently the moment he had the opportunity. Dead or no, Sirka decided to shove over the top crate on the stack of heavy, metal crates right on top of the Devaronian, both just to make sure, and to clear a line of sight onto the rest of the pirates behind him.

"Officer's down! Push on the rest!" Sirka shouted through the comms as she rested her blaster on the crate in front of her and squeezed the trigger. Sol'id had already thinned the numbers of some of the pirates in front of her, and with the angles from which they were attacking, they could not take cover from both of them at the same time. Without direction from their commander, the remaining pirates were more likely to route and try to flee than to give an organized response. Sirka was vulnerable to being flanked from her back at the moment, so Elias would have to protect her rear. Though, the pirates on that side were more focused on him regardless. Fortunately, there were not all that many left.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Since the axe is the goal, avoiding the dragon is the most efficient plan." Do'rhajul answered. "Although, I believe that not all of us will be helpful for that. Neither myself nor Yerig are particularly adept at stealth, and we would likely be liabilities if we tried. You will likely need to be the one to approach, since your magic can hide you."

Yerig nodded. "I think so too, unfortunately. I've never been one for sneaking around. Still, we need to be careful; it's not easy to sneak up on a dragon. They have sharp eyes and are quite perceptive. Not to mention, there is a shout that can detect life. If he gets and inkling that we are there, he will find us."

Fortunately for the trio, Cyrus' group had done nothing to hide their own tracks, so they remained relatively easy to follow deeper into the island. The hills they were climbing started to grow a bit steeper the closer they came to the mountain, and thusfar, it did not seem like Cyrus had stopped at any point. The island was not terribly large, so they could likely reach the center of the island by early afternoon.

Finally, through a gap in the trees above them, the group would be able to see movement in the sky, just above the taller of the two mountains at the island's center. It was the dragon, coming down for a landing on the mountain in the distance. Its scales were reddish, or perhaps a shade of violet, and it was, of course, a gigantic creature. This was likely the closest that Sabine had been to a dragon before, and they would only be moving closer.