::Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it.:: Blackflame groused, annoyed at the world in general, and the weather in particular. He was uncomfortable. It was wet and cold, and he was not used to being either for any length of time.

Oh hush. My lord needs us over here, to stir up a bit of chaos, so this is where we are.

He crept forward a bit more, looking down into the enemy base. His men were back at the camp, preparing themselves for a quick strike at this encampment. But…

Gods, no, we can’t do this tonight, they’re still to jumped up. He watched the enemy scurry about in the camp, grimacing slightly as he noticed the high degree of organization evident about the place. Whoever the commander is here, I commend him, he’s the first that I’ve come across so far who hasn’t given in to vanity and let his camp turn into an untidy sprawl.

Huifeng slowly edged his way backwards, careful that none of those so alert sentries should see him. Behind him, below the hill he was on, was Ricca, guarding both of their horses. The mercenaries hadn’t thought twice about their leader wanting to get a good look at the base himself, after all, most, if not all, of them had already snuck up to this very vantage point and observed the place for a time, each setting their minds to what could be done to such a place.

He grimaced in disgust as he finally stood and pulled his helmet back on, mounting Harbinger without even a nod to Ricca, deep in thought.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much of anything we can do. Too much wet for fire, but not enough for flood. They’re too damned alert for a spy to sneak in easily, and the watching only increases at night, and there’s no laxness visible.

Whoever this commander is, I want to praise and strangle him at the same time.

Blackflame just nodded, huddling close to what warmth he could get from Huifeng’s layers of armor and cloth, looking absolutely miserable.

So lost in thought he was, that he didn’t note the sound of wings beating the air, but, it seemed, Ricca and Harbinger did at the exact same time.

“Captain!” She spoke sharply, wrenching him out of his thoughts as Harbinger wheeled and reared, lashing out at whatever it was that had landed behind them. Out of instinct he drew his swords, preparing to fight.

Not even the sight of what was behind them phased him, nor did it seem to phase his horse, as the damned creature neighed angrily and tried to take the huge dragon on, actually managing to strike a hoof against the black dragon’s side.

The snapping to annoyed teeth made him growl and sit back hard on Harbinger’s saddle, making him back, reluctantly, up. Though both he and his horse were tense, preparing to dodge any which way to avoid the creature.

It was only then that he noticed the man that sat astride the beast’s back, and automatically he labeled the man as a fighter.

This was looking worse and worse.

And when the man spoke, it was in a language he could understand about as much as he could understand what the birds said. The words sounded strangely familiar...

Huifeng realized why when Ricca answered the man in the same language, her fingers flickering in merc cant as she spoke, giving him a swift translation.

‘Why should we tell you who we are, when you so rudely descend upon us without warning? You are lucky Harbinger did not do more than land a simple hoof on that beast of yours!’

Huifeng kept his attention divided between Ricca’s hands and the stranger and his mount, glad that at least someone knew whatever language it was that this man spoke.

‘I apologize for startling you, but’ here Ricca paused, grimacing, obviously the man had said a name that she had no way to translate into merc cant, but she quickly resumed translating as he kept talking, ‘sensed that a good candidate was here, so we decided to see.’

“What is a candidate,” Huifeng growled out, annoyed as he fought to keep Harbinger from attacking the dragon once more.

“Don’t know, I’ll ask.” Ricca answered him, and promptly switched to her native language to do so.

Gods, this annoys me. I hate not knowing what people are saying.

“He says a candidate is one who stands to bond with a dragon, like he and Desimir. And.. Captain, I think he’s saying that he wants you to be a candidate.”

Growling in partial annoyance, he sheathed his swords, and glared up at the man who was still up on his dragon’s back. He knew he looked like some faceless creature, with his entire face hidden by the helm and only his eyes showing, but frankly… he could care less.

“And I am to just vanish, to go to some place that I don’t know, where they don’t even speak my language, to ‘bond’ with some creature I know nothing about. No. I think not.”

Ricca quickly translated all of that, then listened to his response, before translating it for Huifeng, “Says he doesn’t really know what to do about the language barrier, but he does say that, when you bond a dragon, you can be back here within hours of leaving.”

::I might be able to do something…:: Blackflame uncurled a bit from his position, then stared up at the dragon, ::All depends upon how intelligent this big lunk is.::

Desimir snorted and glared down at Blackflame, though there was surprise in his manner as well.

::Well of course I can talk! A messenger has to be able to speak, doesn’t he? Hmph, seriously. You act as if you’ve never heard of one of the Celestial Messengers!::

Huifeng almost laughed at the outrage in Blackflame’s voice, and at how the little creature pulled himself completely upright and mantled, trying to make himself look big and threatening.

::Well back at you. Never heard of your kind either, so there.::

The rider was looking from his dragon to Blackflame, then back, a slightly puzzled look on his face, but then he spoke.

And Huifeng got two translations of the same thing, one from Blackflame, the other from Ricca.

“He says it looks like the problem with language has been solved, since your… ‘flitter’ he called it, can speak to the dragons.”

::Apparently he’s even more convinced now that you should go with him.:: Blackflame reared onto his hind legs, spreading his wings to balance himself, one paw braced against Huifeng’s helmet, as he screeched in annoyance and glared at both rider and dragon, ::And I am not some remarkably intelligent miniature dragon! I am a Celestial Messenger! Created by the great Dragon Emperor himself to do his bidding! Not a pet!!::

“Well you can tell him that I’m not going,” Huifeng growled, as he turned Harbinger, though with some difficulty, and nudged him into a quick walk, making sure to head into the forest and not directly towards his other men.

Just to have Harbinger rear once again, and the dragon somehow in front of them, looking down at them with wings spread slightly, just out of range of Harbinger’s hooves.

::He wants to know if you’re really sure about that, since having a dragon bond could be rather useful in all manner of things.::

The idea had already occurred to him that, with a dragon, he could have yet another weapon against the enemy, and far be it for him to turn down a weapon if it was offered without any hooks. But..

I cannot risk spending more than a few hours away from my post.

::You apparently won’t be, it seems to be a skill of these creatures to… teleport, through time. So it doesn’t matter how long you spend away.::

Huifeng glanced at Ricca, “What do you suggest, Second?”

Her eyes narrowed, as she looked the dragon and his rider over, “Well… it could be useful. It’s your decision though, Captain. I can deal with them for probably up to a week, if I must.”

With a small sigh, he closed his eyes, trying to sort everything out. While on one hand, he was curious to see more of these dragon creatures, yet on the other…

On the other, I’m not to thrilled about being thrown into an unknown place where the only one I can talk with is Blackflame. Surrounded by strangers… heavens above, sometimes its even to much just to have Ricca around!

::I’m sure there will be places to be to keep away from others, if you feel the need for privacy, you know.::

Fine. With a sigh, he dismounted, punching Harbinger in the shoulder as he did so to make the beast back up away from the dragon, then looked up the rider who was still sitting on his dragon’s back. The man extended a hand, and the dragon offered his leg. He paused for a second, looking up at them, before grasping the man’s hand and climbing swiftly up.

Huifeng let himself move with the dragon as best he could, as the beast launched itself into the air and climbed higher, before hovering and then… vanishing.

The intense cold and darkness that struck him forced him to use his self restraint to keep himself from panicking, but it quickly passed, and they were once more over a world. Desimir landed, then his rider dismounted and helped Huifeng off.

::He says to follow him, and not be scared of what’s on the other side of the portal.:: Blackflame muttered as the rider and dragon began to walk through the portal, and Huifeng paused for only a tiny second before following as well.

To immediately throw arm up to shield his eyes from the brightness, and started choking in the strange smelling air. Heavens above, what was this place?!

The dragon at his side was also a human now, too, and he had to wonder if that was from the portal, or if the creature could change shape like the dragons he was used to hearing about in stories could.

::And now, apparently we are officially searched, whatever that means…. Can we please go back? This place is horrible!::

The dragon-turned-human nodded, and with definite relief, Huifeng darted back through the portal and glared at it.

He was really beginning to have second thoughts now.