Split Party

Shiro looked over her shoulder as Gianknee faded into the distance, trying to determine if the speck to the north and west was her imagination or the last specks of Hassium and Granite's mounts winging towards dragon territory.

Speed, not stealth, was now the name of the name of the game if they had any hope of breaking the last seals before one of the peoples of this world were destroyed by the ever growing hostility of the crystals.

Thusly, after Granite had confirmed with about seventy percent surety that the parties only needed a Champion to be present in each group Shiro had divided the teams as best she knew how:

Herself and Aspen,

Willow, Ezma and the Goblins,

Hassium and Granite.

Then they had put the names of the remaining Champions in a cup and each team drew a name.

With a groan that was taken by the wind whipping around her from the speed of her mount, Shiro contemplated how uncharitable historians were going to be when the figured out that was the method the mighty Champions had resorted to for deciding who would be the last one saved.

The only name not drawn was Priya of the southern swamps that bordered the land of slime on the other side of the mountains that shielded much of Elven territory from the Holy Kingdom's advances.

So, deep in the heart of the earth Willow's team rode a convoluted system of underground rivers designed to bring them quickly not just to the ocean but also several leagues down the coast from where they would have been if they had opted for the over land route then to the sea by river. 

All to free Conch of the Corals.

At the same time Hassium and Granite winged to the mountains of the dragon kin to release once more upon the world Jora the Challenger.

Finally, astride something that looked much like an Ostrich fit for giants, Shiro and Aspen sought for Akeyo of the vast plains.

Though it might be the most difficult of the tasks.

They were racing towards the location that Granite's records had indicated was the primary territory the cat tribes had frequented when the seals had activated, but they were nomads so best case was that all they found was the crystal.

Worst case was that they had abandoned the crystal and it was now hidden in the shoulder high grasses of the plains.

Aspen ad Shiro stopped to camp right as dark was falling and revisited the map as best they could without many obvious land marks on the trackless sea of grasses.

On this examination they discovered something they had missed in all the hustle and jangling of nerves during the planning, the old lands of the cat tribes used to extend to the Holy Kingdom side of the river. 

Making it likely that the crystal was going to be easier to find in cultivated farm lands like the ones they had traversed to get to Giantknee, but also likely guarded.

Yet that was an issue of when and if, for now the pattering of raindrops heralding an oncoming storm needed their attention.

**

Pyroclastic flows stretched out as far as the eye could see, marking Hassium and Granite's entrance into dragon territory.

In the past any flying beast of transport, well any traveler no matter the mode, would be greeted by either a duel of ambush by whatever dragon could get the traveler first.

This time there was no such friendly rough housing by way of greeting. 

In fact Granite was just about to comment on how quiet it was when a blast of purple dragon fire erupted from almost no where. 

The pair banked their flying beast but one of the wings were caught in the trailing edge of the attack and started to transform into that stupid purple crystal.

They had no choice but to jump as now the sky was full of both real and crystalline dragons locked in a life or death struggle where it was clear that a half decent hit from one of the crystal dragons would not just end the dragon it was fighting, but raise it again as a crystal combatant.

Granite sought deep inside himself and the earth to draw columns of stone up to break their fall as much as could me.

They tumble into a ready stance gathering what weapons they can and wonder if the others are having a similar level of trouble.

**

Lighting crashed, thunder rolled, Ezma puked only to have a huge wave wash it and sea water back over her.

Willow shook her head, the first leg of the trip had been quick and efficient courtesy of the dwarven tunnel canals. 

After that things started going side-wise as the only ships that even pretended to get close to the Corals these days were pirates and other outlaws. 

It had taken some doing to find a crew that would not just take their payment then sell them off at the first slaver flotilla.

Then there were the storms, from what the oldest pirate on the crew said the story goes that they first appeared when the champions were sealed all that time ago, but lately had been expanding and getting stronger.

On the outer edge it looked just like any other hurricane, but a few leagues in the lightning switched from white to purple and the hail to little balls of crystal that started trying to grow like a lichen or barnacles on steroids.

All of which did nothing for Ezma's seasickness.

Lorna and Ewan had taken to the sea like dogs to a bone as narrow footings and riding jumping goats apparently had a lot of transferable skills.

That just left her to her part, fighting back the crystal creatures of the deep.

She had been luck that a displaced sea serpent had been in range of her call as soon as they entered the storm, unlucky in that it was already exhausted from the efforts to keep the ship safe from the unrecognizable forms the crystal monsters took in the sea.

Hopefully they could free Conch before or at the same time the others reached their targets, else this storm was going to be an even worse pain in the