Nathan straightened up, keeping his eyes locked on the Dragon Priest. While the Dragon Priest slowly turned to face him directly. It didn't care that the gargoyle had appeared on the wall. In a scratchy tone of voice that messed with Nathan's sensitive hearing, he spoke something allowed but Nathan didn't get a word of it. His long pointed ears twitched and a shiver ran down his back from the irritating sound of it, before he asked Jack discreetly over his shoulder. "What did he say...?" Jack adjusted his grip on his staff, telling him in a blunt semi-sarcastic tone. "Oh, the usual. He's been ordered to guard the portal... and we won't escape." Nate rolled his eyes with a huff. He really hated when evil villains repeated themselves. Puffing himself up, he couldn't help snapping out to the Dragon Priest. "Hey, Nahkriin! Lighten up! We're here for you!" It technically wasn't true, but he had hoped to catch the Dragon Priest off his guard. Instead, the Dragon Priest showed no emotion. Nahkriin simply began to casually walk down the steps and lazily pointed his staff in Nathan's direction in response. From the end of the staff, the mouth opened to shoot out a massive fireball.

Nate's shoulders fell and he cursed, before dashing away to avoid it. Glancing back, Nathan winced as he thought about Jack a few seconds too late. The fireball hit the ground where he'd been and exploded. Nathan heard Jack gasp but didn't see him until after the fire dissipated. Leaving a dark scorch mark behind on heated stones. Seeing Jack still huddled behind the low wall, Nathan exhaled in relief. Jack gestured for his Flame Thralls to move out and they quickly hovered out over the heated stones to start throwing fireballs at Nahkriin. Nahkriin lifted his staff, twirling it quickly in his hand to shield himself from the rapid fireballs they where throwing. Seizing the moment to try and divide Nahkriin's attention, he let out an aggressive hiss that could be heard over the whooshing of fireballs to alert his Gargoyle. The Gargoyle got the message loud and clear. Spreading its large stony wings to glide straight down toward Nahkriin's exposed back. As the Gargoyle swooped into range, Nahkriin quickly shifted to beat the Gargoyle in the face with his spinning staff, while also blocking the fireballs from the Thralls. The Gargoyle began to inch backward with every blow and Nathan clenched his teeth angrily. The guy was fast. Almost as fast as himself.

Nahkriin had such precision with his staff. He moved like it was apart of him with swift fluid motions. Nathan wanted to jump in, but the fireballs from the Thralls made him hesitate. He didn't want to test out if he was fireproof. To his surprise, Jack moved out from behind the low wall to stand with his Thralls. Inhaling deeply before Shouting out. "FUS RO DAH!" His Gargoyle slid across the stone ground, his heavy feet scraping loudly from just the force that came from the lesser edges of the Shout. While Nahkriin took the full force directly. What should have given them an advantage, only gave Nahkriin a brief pause. Nahkriin let himself get knocked off his feet, choosing to flip through the air with it to numb the effects of it. Landing gracefully back onto his feet, Nahkriin pointed his staff at Jack and fired another large fireball. Nathan thought about dashing out to grab him, but his own instincts had his taloned toes piercing into the stone to stop him. So, he helplessly watched Jack face the fireball alone. Jack was anything except helpless though. Slamming the end of his own staff into the ground, Jack took a knee and closed his eyes. The mouth of his dragon staff opened and as the fireball came at him, the dragon mouth inhaled it all!

Nate raised an eyebrow, completely fascinated by the sheer power and concentration that must have taken him. He didn't know many Mages that could absorb spells like that. The staff closed its mouth, causing thick black smoke to puff out of its nose. Crawling out onto Jack's shoulder, Tiidgein snorted a tiny flame from his own nostrils and even from a distance Nate could hear his little growl. Nathan caught the smirk Jack gave Tiidgein and braced himself. Getting to his feet, Jack swung the staff over his head and sent the large fireball right back at Nahkriin! Nate wanted to be impressed, but when his eyes drifted to Nahkriin, he tensed up. Nahkriin didn't look fazed or concerned by the in coming fireball. Instead, he raised his arms to form an 'X' and created a cyclone of flames around himself. When the large fireball hit the cyclone of flames, it became absorbed into it. Nathan rolled his eyes with both disappointment and distress, before groaning out loudly to Jack. "Can you two NOT have a fire fight! I can't get close!" Jack flinched when he acknowledged that. Nathan only shrugged, checking on his Gargoyle that wasn't keen on the flames either. The sound of Jack cursing drew his attention back in time for Jack to yell out to him. "He's not tiring! How is that possible!"

Nate began to feed some of his energy to the Gargoyle to help it heal, while yelling back a bit obviously. "It's his staff! You've got to take it from him!" By the time Nathan looked back at Jack, Jack's body was shimmering with a gorgeous set of ethereal mage armor that looked more like Dragon scales! He didn't know how Jack had done that, but he wanted to learn it. Hefting his staff, Jack ran toward Nahkriin, and Nathan heard Jack say in his rush. "Stay down. This is going to get hot!" Nathan had thought he was refereeing to him, but seeing Jack run at Nahkriin distracted him enough into yelling out perplexed. "Are you crazy?!" Without fear, Jack leapt through the cyclone of flames, quickly using his element of surprise to strike Nahkriin's shocked face. Nahkriin staggered back and Jack seized the moment to keep attacking him before he could recover from the shock. Striking him repeatedly across the face and neck. The blows ended Nahkriin's concentration for the cyclone of flames, allowing Nathan to risk getting closer. Jack began to tire but tried to slip in one more blow, only to have it blocked by Nahkriin's staff.

The two staffs clashed so hard, that Nathan hissed in pain as his ears vibrated from the resonating power between them. Nathan had to stop in his tracks, covering his sensitive ears. The ringing only lasted a few seconds but to Nate it might as well have been an eternity! The ringing stopped when Nahkriin's eyes blazed red behind his metal mask that was iconic to Dragon Priests, blasting Jack clear off his feet as his staff proved to be the victor with one powerful pulse. Jack screamed as he flew wildly through the air and toward the edge of the roof. Without thinking about it, Nathan shot off the ground and flew with inhuman speed to snatch Jack from the air. Swooping back down to land on the roof, he set him down and stayed beside him. Jack shakily got to his feet, his voice quivering when he thanked him. Nathan could only grin, answering calmly. "No problem." It felt good to be able to watch his back. Nahkriin turned his frustration then on Nathan's Gargoyle, striking his staff into the creature's chest. Red veins appeared along the Gargoyle's stony chest as it cracked and then the creature exploded into rumble. Nahkriin then turned his attention to the recovering Flame Thralls, spinning his staff once again to absorb their fireballs.

When he appeared to absorb enough, he sent out a pulse that hit the Thralls in the chest and then seemed to yank their heart fire from them. Without their internal fire, they turned to solid rock and fell from the air. Their bodies bursting into ash. Beside him, Jack let out a heavy sigh and grumbled out. "Fuck... I don't have the magic to take this guy on. His staff is so strong." Nahkriin slowed his staff, locking eyes with Nathan like he was coming for him next. Flexing his wings, Nate asked Jack with hopefully seriousness. "Got anything to protect me from fire? I might not have my normal magic in this form... but I've got my strength. If I can get close. I can rival his speed." Jack looked at his staff, asking it curiously. "Do you have enough to cover him? While I heal?" Nathan blinked, glancing between the staff and Jack. He was talking to his staff like it could talk. That was a new one for him. Crazy or not, he didn't have the means to care right now. Jack ended the spell for his mage armor, telling him with sudden confidence. "Go get him. We'll cover you." Jack tapped his arm with his staff, conjuring a cyclone of frost that began to swirl around him.

Quickly rising to his full height, Nathan raised his wings high and moved forward to engage Nahkriin. He really hoped that Jack's spell was strong enough to fight back Nahkriin's fire. Nahkriin tensed but let him approach. Sending out a fireball to seemingly test the cyclone. Nate refused to let him see how the fire would react. He didn't want him to learn and adjust to anything. Dodging the fireball, Nate dashed up to Nahkriin and slashed his long claws at his chest. Nahkriin jerked in surprise at his speed, but quickly started to block his claws with his staff. Nate kept pressing on, slashing at him faster and faster. Nahkriin blocked his every attack. Matching his speed. However, for as fast as Nahkriin was, he was not his match in sheer strength. Every blow that he blocked only pushed him back across the ground. Nate could focus on nothing else. His limbs burned from slashing so fast, but his adrenaline kept telling him to go faster. To become more aggressive until he COULDN'T block him with that damn metal staff. Nathan couldn't even hold any concern for the staff's care. They may have needed the staff, but at this point in time... he wanted to break it in half!

Nathan growled louder and louder as he tried to go faster, until a sudden flash and the crackle of lightning pierced right through Nahkriin's side! Neither of them had seen it coming, but Nahkriin was the only one that went down to his knees. Nahkriin cried out in pain, but Nathan was moving too fast and couldn't stop. Without letting up, Nathan slashed his claws upward toward Nahkriin's face and Nahkriin's last second block didn't pay off. Nate's hand struck the staff and sent it flying through the air. In that split second, both Nahkriin and himself turned to see where it went. Nathan calculated the rate it fell and estimated that it was going to land close to Jack. Nathan gasped, whirling around to try slashing at Nahkriin. However, the attack missed as Nahkriin moved. Nahkriin conjured a ward with his hand to protect himself from the lightning strikes of a conjured Storm Thrall that Nathan hadn't noticed until now. Then with his other hand, he shot out a Firebolt spell toward the staff. Nathan followed his eyes to the staff, only to wince. Jack hadn't gone for the staff. Tiidgein had! While most dragons were immune to fire spells, a spell like Firebolt was more than strong enough to incinerate him at his small size!

The flames of molten lightning shot straight for Tiidgein as he dragged the staff toward Jack. Jack acted quickly, throwing up a ward and crouching down to protect him. Nathan thought he'd saved him, until the Firebolt pierced through the weak ward and impaled Jack's shoulder. The force of the bolt knocking Jack back flat across the ground and causing him to let out a sharp scream. The pitch of Jack's scream made Nate flinch but awoke something within himself. Hissing loudly, Nathan dashed to Nahkriin while he went for the staff, knocking his head clean off his shoulders. Nahkriin's body was then zapped off the roof as the Storm Thrall struck it a few seconds after him. The power the Storm Thrall put into its attack setting the body ablaze as it fell to the ground far below. Rushing to Jack's side, Nate crouched and asked Jack frantically. "Jack? You alright?" Jack laid himself more comfortably on the ground, holding his staff over his chest. Nathan started to reach out to remove it, until he saw the staff start to heal him on its own. Nathan lowered his hands in slight shock. He knew staffs held a lot of extra power, but he'd never seen a sentient one before.

Jack waited until his wound was closed, before asking in a weary voice. "Tell me he's dead now..." Nodding, before he laughed as he saw Tiidgein. Noticing Jack's raised eyebrow, he pointed to show him. Across the roof, Tiidgein was unabashedly still dragging the staff toward them. As heavy as the staff was, he was persistent to give it to Jack. Eventually, bringing it to Jack's hand, Tiidgein dropped the staff and wagged his tail with excitement. Chuckling, Jack pet Tiidgein's head and cooed out to him. "Thank you." Nathan took a moment to relax a little. Watching Tiidgein climb up Jack's good arm onto his shoulders. There the little dragon sniffed the burned patch in Jack's tunic, before licking the healed skin beneath. It was cute to see him so attached to Jack already. He wondered if it was a dragon thing. Unable to resist, Nate reached out to pet Tiidgein's head, telling Jack with a warm smile. "He's a brave little guy, I'll give him that. Almost as crazy as you." Jack smirked in return, waiting for Tiidgein to crawl back into his hood before asking him a bit tired. "Ya. Well, I'm a bad role model. So, what do we do now?" Nathan turned slightly to point toward a set of stairs that led to nothing, telling him in a soft voice. "Now you can open the way to Sovengarde."

Extending out his hand, he helped Jack up and together they made their way to the stone stairs at the very center of the roof. On the floor before the stairs was a large engraved spiral in the stone floor. Nathan looked over the large circle on the ground, then joined Jack at the top of the steps. On the ledge of the steps was a small circle that was similar to the large one, but there was a small hole in the center. The hole was just big enough for a staff to stick into it. Jack pieced the same thing together, raising Nahkriin's staff and uttering out to himself. "I'm coming, Mark..." Without waiting a second longer, Jack stuck the staff into the hole, causing the eyes of the staff to light up. Slowly turning the staff to face the dragon head toward the large circle below, something clicked, and the dragon's mouth opened. From the mouth, a strange fire made up of stunning blues, pinks, purples, and golds burst forth to light up the circle. Then as the flames lit up the circle, the interior of the circle crumbled away to reveal a swirling portal of endless white light. Nathan could feel the energy trying to draw things around him in. Beside him, Jack leaned out to look down, his fear building in his voice when he asked him. "Great... Nothing like jumping into the unknown. How far do you think it goes?"

Nate moved closer behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist as he told him calmly. "Close your eyes. I will get us through." To Be Continued...