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| Something Wicked This Way Comes... Again; Finished | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 26 2014, 04:14 PM (1,726 Views) | |
| Chirpadee | Oct 28 2014, 07:09 PM Post #16 |
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behold her lovely plumage
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Anastesia and Akiko coming to join the party. Ana points at the two party crashers in the woods. The stiff hum of giant insectoid wings was the telltale sign of the approach of a particular rosemary. All four translucent wings beat desperately against the air as she shot over the tree tops. An uncomfortable number of jet eyes swept over the jungle before them as she hurried towards her assigned mission. Bright hints of greens, reds, and blues flashed as the moon caught the small iridescent scales of the strange arachnid dragoness. Here above the canopy there was light to aid their passage. Her feelers twitched and her pedipalps rubbed together in worry. She had been anxious about this assignment, not that anyone who did not know her could tell. Her face was very hard to read with it’s almost alien expression that seldom changed. She had unpacked and repacked the medical bag that was strapped between her shoulders. The dragoness was assured now she would have every conceivable remedy she might need. The last trip had ended in a lot of blood and screaming. She was going to ensure there was less of the first even if she could not control the second. Where her rider should have sat was bare. Instead all eight legs had curled to hold her rider beneath her. The short woman had tucked her bo-staff across her back and her medical pack was strapped to her chest instead. It kept her tucked more snuggly to the safety of her dragon and made gripping her easier. She tucked her arms into the small palms of Ana’s smallest set of hands and watched the trees speed past. A tangle of crimson curls were yanked into a messy bun and she wore thick clothing. Sweat pressed her hair to her skin and made the clothing feel oppressive. Everything stuck to her and breathing felt labored even at the best of times. The scowl that rested permanently on Akiko’s lips never shifted. She would have taken the firm fabric coat off if she had not been on the first mission. “Late.” She hissed through her teeth and wiped sweat from the mass of freckles on her brow. “Late again.” “I am sorry my chosen.” The spiderlike dragoness replied calmly in a voice which did not match her somewhat horrific appearance. It was smooth and calm, as if somewhere between awake and dreaming. “I wanted to ensure that we had everything we might need. It did not seem prudent to arrive without all necessary supplies.” Her smallest hands twitched, compelled to form an apologetic mudra but with her rider so precariously held she did not dare move her limbs. Akiko snorted and shook her head. “If we do not arrive on time someone might die. We are healers Ana, we have responsibilities.” “Again I apologies. I was to understand that more healers were drafted this time.” She caught sight of the clearing by the glow of celestial magic and she turned bringing the sharp whirr of wings to the ears of the others present. She lowered straight into the glade in a maneuver that most dragons could not replicate. For a moment she hovered, choosing her angle of approach then her bulbous tail dropped towards the ground. The rosemary reared slowly back and then extended her legs so Akiko’s feet touched the ground. Then with delicacy a creature of her size should not possess she released the stout woman onto the ground then carefully landed herself. “Good no one seems to have gotten themselves bloody without us being here.” Bright green eyes swung around the group taking in faces she recognized, some from the last trip to hell they had all taken and others from the infirmary. She unhitched her bag and swung it onto her back. Then with the same straight forward motions she moved Anastesia’s to her chest so her smaller set of hands could retrieve items she wanted without help. It took a bit of strap work, but soon enough they were both prepared for their work. The woman opened the dragon’s bag and pulled out a pair of thick leather gloves. These were yanked on with a frown. Precautions in place the fiery woman whirled around and called out in a sharp voice. “I recommend we burn the bodies we have here. This thing was contagious last time we need to get this contained quickly.” She had unfortunately missed Josiah’s announcement or she might have laid into him for his conduct, thankfully her ire was turned to the corpses which littered the ground beyond their little band of sekkains. Anastesia stood still and quiet. Six out of eight legs balanced her strange figure as she considered her surroundings. Four sets of obsidian eyes swirled around the clearing taking stock of the current situation. Then the largest followed the call for caution and latched on to the two figures that stood at the edge of the clearing. Small white fingers formed a warding mudra and then one of protection in rapid succession as if to keep the beasts at bay. “I fear there may be something in the trees.” She called in a voice that seemed far too stable for the current situation. She pointed one of her longer forelimbs to the shapes. There was too much motion for her to truly understand what she was seeing, vague figures. There was a down side to having so many eyes in times such as these. |
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| SemperMemor | Oct 28 2014, 07:25 PM Post #17 |
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Majestic Space Duck
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Lumi and Makani; the former assuming floodlight duty The Celestial did not entirely relax after Makani's brief assurance. He wavered above, ears flicking, crest quivering, and eyes wide as Josiah gradually told them all what he knew. Makani did not seem terribly bothered, though the dragon noticed his face crinkle a bit when the mercenary mentioned why he killed the other guy. Lumiere drew his long neck away from his rider to watch their surroundings. There ought to have been little that scared such an enormous creature, but there were times that Lumiere did not see himself as terribly large. His gaze passed over the handful of familiar faces and whined, his body bowing slightly closer to the dusty earth. Besides, there were many more people here than before, he noticed. The number would be good for security, but that just made more targets. The dragon shuddered. Just then, something began to flutter a bit too close beside his head. The Celestial balked backwards, a strangled bugle escaping his throat at the sudden appearance of a hovering Rosemary. "Ah! It is not very nice to scare someone!" he keened. His crest flatted back against his neck as he spoke to her with urgency. The jerking movement caused a smaller, loose scale to dislodge and clatter lightly upon the soil as hit feet, though at the time the dragon didn't notice it. "Please do not scare me," he pleaded further. "I am anxious enough as it is. I am sure you do not mean harm, but I might have hurt you if you if I had not recognized you right away." A few moments later, there was a cracking noise off in the distance. "What was that!" Lumiere shrieked. His head whipped around in the direction of the disturbance, but lilac eyes strained to make out the figures along the edge of the forest. Makani turned away from Josiah and looked on with the group, the majority of whom seemed to have sensed something in the distance. The elder man strained to hear what they had heard. Old age did a number on the senses, the rider groaned inwardly. "What was what?" he asked quietly of the Celestial. Lumiere did not immediately reply. Instead, he opened his mouth to cast a bright spotlight upon the aforementioned party crashers. It was not strong enough to do any real harm, but it was powerful enough to perhaps cause someone to lift their arm up against it. |
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| Kitsu | Oct 28 2014, 09:37 PM Post #18 |
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Hatchling
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Moriko and Tobias arrive. Waiting for orders or for shit to go down Word had gotten out for the need of dire pairs for an investigation the Academy was opening back up. It seemed that the few from the first mission had been able to pick up on a strange scent none of the dragons had been able to. They needed as many dire pairs as able to join this new mission. Normally the moonrunner pair would have gone on ahead and signed up but now that they were part of the pack they thought it best to report to their pack leader first. Sebastian approved of their leave of absence and even gave them a heads up on what to look out for. Careful who you touch, the dead weren’t always dead, and try not to touch anything that wasn’t right. In accordance to this bit of advice Moriko decided to wear a bit more protective clothing and light armor. Along with herself Tobias was likewise equipped. To make sure his speed and agility was not diminished he was saddled with his lightest saddle and leather protective pieces over his most vital parts. They were not equip for war but at least ready for a bit of a fight just in case. Just incase she packed as many arrows as she could fit into Tobias’ saddlebags. They kept up a good pace on the journey to the meeting place and arrived not long after many of the others. The sleek dire stalked around the perimeter of the group, something in the area making him too uneasy to get closer. He couldn’t quite pinpoint where the strange smell was coming from and there was no way he would let his handler near it. His lips would occasionally pull back in a snarl when anyone got too close. Moriko tried to calm him as best she could but the dire was having none of it. It was a surprise he hadn’t taken back off toward the Academy with how he was acting. It was only because it was a mission that he hadn’t done just that. His hackles rose at the sound coming from the tree line. His tail snapped back and forth like a whip as a low growl echoed deep in his chest. Morkio lifted her own gaze to the jungle just as many others had. With practiced movement she strung her bow and readied an arrow. She kept it pointed toward the ground but at the slightest sign of hostility from whatever hid there she would loose an arrow into it. “Shh Tobi, we must wait.” The two tensed as they waited for any orders on what to do or for whatever hid within the confides of the trees to reveal itself. |
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| Gothic Thylacine | Oct 29 2014, 11:22 AM Post #19 |
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So sayeth the Spider
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Greetings before it seems shit is about to get real Whatever was happening, Alwin did not really expect it. But then, he was completely unclear on what to expect period. Whatever, he was hardly paying full attention anyway. He was keenly looking out for Nithian and Tiberius. However, what he found was the arrival of Jiromy and Anemone. Looking at the Forest pair, he fell into a flashback when he found Anemone cold and near dead and Jiromy bleeding and tortured like a stuck pig. Alwin suddenly came back to the present gasping and sweating. Havilah reached her head back and nuzzled him. Alwin hugged at her snout. “I’m loosing my mind Havi” he said. “No. And we will protect them and keep them safe. We always do!” She purred, Amber eyes lifted and her purr turned into a joyful bellow as her Forest mate appeared. Alwin laughed and gave a friendly wave and smile to Sasha, knowing she may be planning to tear into him over some more clothes he had snuck to her. Havilah nuzzled her mate eagerly. “Oh yes indeed, but you have always swooped in at just the right moment, so I am hardly worried my dear” She cooed. Alwin made his exit and slid down his dragon’s tail. Landing, he looked to Jiromy now and made his way to them. “Like old times yes?” he said smiling. He wanted Jiromy to know that yes he did get angry with him but they were still friends. Anger was a normal thing in friendship. But granted most of the anger they went through involved Alwin getting Jiromy out of bad situations. Alwin began a mental countdown to when that would occur this time and just how many times. Oh, he did love his friends though. He sighed and felt a weight upon him from within. However, there was something that could lift it, and indeed it happened. Nithian and Tiberius had been watching before he dismounted. Alwin’s eyes fought tears and he ran towards the Sundasher rider. The embrace may have been a bit much for Nithian, but Alwin held him tight. “Why?” He whispered “Why did you have to come? We should have just stayed home. I just came to be able to be with you…I’ll have to take down anything that threatens you” Caspian was watching this and again felt a tug of guilt. However this escalated when he saw Sasha and Thorn arrive. Beyond guilt, he felt a tightness in his chest. But he was quick to aggressively attack that feeling. Sasha was a veteran, far more experienced than he was! They were more than capable of taking care of themselves. His attention was captured when his Wing Talon Makani and Lumiere arrived on the scene. Caspian was quick to greet and salute. Riviere watched somewhat amused but really the Water was trying to listen to anything around him. Something was off. This seemed confirmed when Tiberius reacted to some form of scent and sound from the Jungle. Riviere quickly took his lead and his focus was now upon the shadows in the trees. When Lumiere lit up the area, while Riviere did not see anything immediately, he suddenly felt as if things were about to happen, and badly. “Caspian..” His rider was at his side immediately, hand on a dagger just in case. Behind him, Alwin kept his hand on Nithian. |
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| Inkdragon | Oct 29 2014, 12:51 PM Post #20 |
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m e g s
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((Semp gave the okay for this so that I could swap in Ndogo and Rise with Jiromy and Anemone)) In which Jiromy gets stepped on by a nervous Lumiere... Jiromy couldn't help but raise a brow at the man's less than apologetic approach on explaining what happened to the third man. Well, whatever, not much they could do about it now, right? He was distracted when Alwin came up to him, and he managed a humored, sarcastic snort. "Yeah, old times." He saw the shine of worry in the man's eyes, and knew what he must be remembering, and it made him sigh. "Look, I'll be fine. You have someone else to worry about." Indeed there was, as the man then whisked off. He didn't doubt Alwin, really, but the forest rider wasn't fond of knowing this kind of thing would only tear the man apart in the end, as things that haunted him tend to stick and prod sharply. Everyone's attention was set on the edge of the jungle as a light was splashed onto two forms that peered out from there, and curious, Jiromy wanted to edge forward for a better look, as there were some dragons in his way. Hell, he didn't want to miss out, this was his chance. Even though he skirted around the large Lumiere, he wasn't ready for the dragon to get all skittish and back up as quickly as he did. Anemone managed to slip out of the way, her side just barely brushing one of Lumi's legs, but Jiromy wasn't so lucky. He was able to leap partially out of the way, but he left leg was caught and trapped down to the ground in a horrific burst of pain that he couldn't even breathe. But Anemone was there, her coral-like fins raised in agitation and fear alike as she beat her wings to get Lumi's attention. "Lumiere! You're stepping on my rider!" she called to him, trying to not sound as angry as she was, because it wasn't like the celestial was doing it on purpose. _____ Sasha stands more to the front, ready to help as needed, as Thorn stays near Havilah When Caspian looked to her, the woman saw, though briefly, the combative expressions on his face before it passed. She was glad when he seemed to settle on something they could both agree on; she could, and would, take care of herself. And, of course, keep an eye on him. Though her focus hadn't completely left what she was hearing, her gaze drifted calmly back to Josiah, not quite sure what to think about his 'confession'. She was right with the others at the start of noticing something was further amiss. As Caspian moved off to his dragon, the woman slipped forward with those at the front, hand ready at the hilt of her sword as she looked upon what seemed to be two figures that were now more lighted as Lumi shed light on them.They were still a bit too far, really, but it seemed the assembled group waited to see what they'd do next, and how'd they'd react to the light. Behind her somewhere, there was some kind of commotion, but her attention was on the jungle. Thorn chuckled and nuzzled his Havilah more, but his quills seemed to stand more on end as a rise in tension all but came to slap his face. With a rumble in his throat, he gently eased off the large dragon and came to stand with her, quiet, waiting, and keeping an eye on his rider as the woman eased forward. _____ Rise and Ndogo, general reactions (omgshort) The dire pair had assembled with the others quietly, as the young woman had wanted to try a different approach. Usually, she would have gotten right up there to pry answers out of Josiah, but she didn't want to butt others out of the way to do so and possibly start the investigation off on the wrong foot. Josiah answered the questions , at least, and though she was far more curious tan she probably would have been wanted to know more about his actions toward the now dead man, things were suddenly beginning to happen. Everyone's attention was drawn to the edge of the forest, and there was some kind of commotion between Lumi and Anemone. Ndogo, having caught onto a scent that tamed even his playful side, had a growl easing up out of his throat, the fur along his spine raising. |
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| Nherva | Oct 29 2014, 01:36 PM Post #21 |
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Lurker Queen
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Invidia, sorta apologizing to Lumi, yoinking the dropped scale and going about with the rest Invidia's crest rose at Lumiere's sudden reaction to her presence. She had thought she was being plenty un-stealthy, but his focus had been so bent on his rider and what was happening before them that he clearly hadn't had the chance to notice her until she was right up on him. "Relaaax doll, I didn't mean to frighten you," she said with a small toss of her head. Though, she did back up a few wing beats just in case he decided to get angry. She didn't know Lumiere personally, only his son Zodiac, who had been part of her wyrmling class, though if she could get to know another dragon with big shiny scales it would be worth it. Regardless, she didn't sound nearly as worried or apologetic as she should be in light of the fact that she could have gotten smacked down by a case of Celestial nerves. "If I meant to scare you, I might have shouted 'boo'," Invidia giggled, though her dark green eyes were torn away from his face by a glittering fragment in free-fall from the Celestial. While she had been wanting to greet Lumiere for a quick explanation on why they were here and what they were finding out, her distraction by the shiny object sent her into a quick dive to retrieve it. She alighted quickly, slender fore claws reaching for the scale. Only a deft movement of her wings and a quick shift in her angle kept her from getting stepped on as Lumiere heard something in the bush and turned to see. "Invidia! Get your feathery butt back over here now!" Ryker whisper-shouted to her again and this time she heard. Scurrying away from the Celestial so he didn't lose track of his bulk and smack her out of the sky, she then landed and trotted happily back to her bonded. "I hope you're bloody well happy. I wish he'd have eaten you." "All of you boobs are so uptight about this," she rolled her shoulders, the petal-like feathers there poofing outward. "Look! I caught it!" she held out the small scale. Well, to Lumiere it was small, for her it was easily the size of a human hand and gleaming rosy-gold in the moonlight. Ryker rolled his eyes. "Really?" Just then he heard the big Celestial's exclamation and the sound in the treeline. His heart skipped a beat. He was already on edge enough, now there was something out there watching them. "What was that?" All he had with him was the shortsword at his hip that he didn't really know how to use all that well, and Invidia wasn't exactly a breed made for combat. So much for just investigating dead bodies. Naviki and Alsvior arriving on the scene By the time they arrived with the others, there was already a beam of light directed at an area of the treeline ahead. "Looks like they started without us," Naviki sounded put off by that fact, but even though the pair had left in the wee hours of the morning, they'd had to come on foot which was much slower than dragon wings. She sighed heavily as Alsvior padded forward. She had been panting from her run, but as they got closer to the group she had stopped, her ears pricked forward and every sense on high alert. She smelled what was reported for dires to be smelling, but even with her bond with her handler, there was no way she could transmit it to the woman. As they approached, Naviki's upset at being left out melted away as eerieness crept over her skin like thousands of tiny insects. The hairs on her forearms prickled and Alsvior paused when she sensed it. The dark-haired rider of the moonrunner blinked and took a few deep breaths. This was not good, not good at all. Something stirred in the pit of her stomach and her own nerves started to tingle. She only felt like this when she was on the cusp of some ridiculous cryptic vision or at the edge of a place with severe psychic scars. While this part of the jungle looked normal save for the bodies decomposing and breaking down under their own weight a few dragonlengths away, the dire rider knew some seriously bad things had gone down in the area, if not recently, then over a long period of time. Whether or not that was the normal sense of darkness everyone might be feeling or not, it was hard to say. All she knew was that the closer she got, the worse she felt, and the tighter the knot in her stomach got. Alsvior's golden eyes stared back at her and she nodded at her dire, "Go on, I'm fine," she pursed her lips and her wolf continued forward, mostly ignoring the other dires and even the dragons when she could. They didn't notice her, since everyone's attention was on the strange figures in the jungle. Soon, they too joined the myriad eyes that stared into the trees, though with the stench of the bodies nearby those weren't forgotten in the temporary fixation. |
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| CloakAndDagger | Oct 29 2014, 04:59 PM Post #22 |
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THE DUNGEON MASTER
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Having been around the academy more times than anyone here likely knew, the way in which they reacted to his admission was not unexpected. These were soldiers, young and old. These were people taught to think a certain way -- react to him a certain way. All that, though, was based on the knowledge they had of him as a temporary teacher and as one who’d seen these sorts of things before. If they knew where he’d been and what he’d done… well, they wouldn’t have been as eager to only frown and reprimand him now. But, ah, his face, though distant, was friendly. And his voice was accommodating. They needed each other for now. There was still the matter of the missing. Then the snap. Josiah, keen of ear, was not quick to turn to the new sound, but he was intent on listening. Lightly, he turned on a heel to cast an eye behind him, because the things you think are behind you are always worse than they actually are, right? The spotlight from the celestial beamed down. There were two. Two figures, having stepped through the jungle with utter silence despite the strangled night’s quiet discord, stood like burned figures against a wall. They did not react to the light. The night was late and the academy investigators had been rushed to come, but had they found something so soon? There had been no witnesses to the other bodes born from the forests. It could have been a clue. Perhaps they were survivors. But, if only it was that easy. The taller one groaned a deep, painful noise. It’s face was wan and pale. It’s eyes deep within their sockets. It’s shoulders sagged against its thin body and it’s torso seemed to be sinking into its pelvis. From its outline, the form was masculine, but it was made of ropes and bone while the smaller shape was comparatively well rounded. The other one seemed whole. This one, though it was hard to tell under the umbra of the trees despite the light, was younger and fit in its tattered clothing with a normalcy that seemed almost healthy. They had never lived here, but perhaps they wanted to. The smaller shape turned slowly to look at it’s fellow, but it said not a word in reply. Instead, it grinned. However, what started out as a look of humor quickly turned into something more fitting of the concern others placed on the situation. The smile broke. The face peeled from chin to forehead and from cheek to cheek. Flesh parted in sweeps of thick, coagulated rivulets. A splintering crack and the smaller skull split like candy. The wide face was pried open from underneath and hair-like protrusions arched out from the gaps like needling legs. Insects and centipedes seemed to writhe from inside. Punctured and peeled, the skin and skull opened to release a gaping, long fingered maw -- a fissure of teeth and tongue. The tissue and red dripping face spread wide as insect legs ticked and forced the outer bone open in a spray of jellied flesh and white, murky infection. In a moment, the human face slid off the back of the slick, oval shape of the alien intrusion. It slapped solidly against the branch while the rest of the skull tinkered down in chunky pieces of whittled brain and thick mucus. With it’s outer mask gone, the hellish vision gasped like a leech and promptly engulfed the head of the taller shape. And ate it. The victim’s bones crunched, squelched. And the broken torso collapsed in on itself. The ribs went right down through the oval of the hip bones. And, as soon as the one body was truly made a corpse, the animate snake-headed figure shot into the darkness. From the jungle, it spat a long, arching spray of acid towards the celestial and all others in that area. |
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| Silverfeather | Oct 30 2014, 02:10 PM Post #23 |
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Samurai Pizza Feather
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Nithian jumping at Sudden Alwin attack and then the bodies and ACID The Dire rider was so focused on what was out there, that he didn't realize that Alwin had come up behind him. The Earth rider was severely lucky that Tiberius didn't whirl around and try and bite him when he climbed up him, But the Dire did snap at him, eyes turning to glowering at him before he realized who it was. Nithian himself wasn't expecting the Earth rider to dismount or to climb up his own dire to grab hold of him. He jumped, reflex making him use his elbow to elbow whoever it was that had suddenly grabbed him. It was too hard, but enough to make some one wince. Even Sky shrieked his displeasure and flapped his wings to keep his person on Nith's shoulders though when the male identified himself, Nith felt guilt swarm through him. "Oh gods, Al. Sorry. I didn't mean to. You spooked me." He whispered, Grabbing hold of him and pulling him so that Al was probably sitting on tiberius, even though the saddle wasn't quite made for two. "shhh. It's ok. They needed help, and we are soldiers. We'll be ok." He nodded, smiling at the Earth rider before blinking suddenly at the floodlight that beamed at the people. One was definitely a corpse and Nithian just stared and stuttered. Tiberius snarls became even louder. The one the looked more healthy, seemed to be the creepiest, as it turned and grinned at the corpse, held together by sinew, rotting flesh and tendons would surely give the dire rider nightmares........But that wasn't even the worse of it. No. The healthier ones grin started to get more....creepier. and then his whole face split open. A gore fest indued as a thing peeled itself out of the male and then proceeded to eat the other's head off. The snake like centipede alien thing was something Nithian had never seen before, or could have even Dreamed about in his worse nightmares. The thing didn't stay long, leaving it's meat suit on the ground and then flung itself into the forest. Tib made to lunge after it, but Nithian reigned him in. "Oh my hell what the hell." he whispered out, all color having drained from his face. That wasn't the worst it could do. Much like a forest dragon, Acid shot from it as it darted into the forest, out of the tree line. Nithian yanked Tiberius out of the way. though he wasn't fast enough. He didn't think, he just reacted. They way the acid spread, it was headed for Al, so he moved, and instead of hitting Al, it hit his arm, the acid bearing into the cloth thing and the sickening smell almost made gag. Pain shot up his arm, but he reacted to ripping the sleeve off, and hissing through his teeth. Luck had it that it only started to eat through his forearm. The wound was maybe the side of his hand, but it was gruesome. "Shit." He hissed. He was quick in finding the water skin and pouring it all over the wound. He didn't care if he was wasting the water, as long as it was off. "Side bag, there is a first aid kit with bandages. Getting a healer would help too." If Alwin was panicking, Nithian was not. He seemed sort of detached towards the wound. But he got down to doing the basic first aid before the healer got here. He was sick to his stomach and the thing that freaked him out most was the dead bodies and the thing in the forest. "And breath, love. I am not dead. I just didn't...I didn't want it to hit you." He sighed and Sky shrieked, some of it hitting his back end. Nith Cursed as well and started dumping water on the gryphon as well. It had started to eat the skin, but Nith;s wound was more bloodied raw than the small redness that started to show on the screeching gryphon. Skysong at least held still enough to let Nith tend to him as well. |
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| Kialish | Oct 30 2014, 02:14 PM Post #24 |
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Unregistered
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Xeena getting weapons and Frang spraying acid back at the... things The initial snap of twigs underfoot had gone entirely unnoticed by Xeena and Frang, who were discussing whether or not there was importance in burning the bodies. They were ready to do such an act when suddenly a flurry of activity happened at once. Lumi's bright celestial beam illuminated - and half blinded - the forest pair and the forest around them, stopping at a pair of figures that had snuck up on them in the dead silence. Xeenas fingers twitched, hands slowly reaching for her swords. She didn't trust anyone in the area, let alone two locals. For a moment, the almost seemed harmless, but all harmlessness drained in a split second, as an act of horror completely indescribable took place. The shorter fellows face split open in a gruesome display worse than Xeena had ever seen. Her face drained of blood and fear gripped her throat. Nausea swept through her as she shakily drew her swords, resisting the vomit that lay at the base of her throat. The short monsters alien face ate the head of the other man, his body schlopping down in a wet gory pile, leaving Xeena waver. she had seen battle. She had seen war. This caught her off guard more than either. Frang was having none of this, bulldozing towards the monster. It was the size of a human and she a dragon! She'd be damned if it would get the best of her, acid spitting mosnter or not. Plus, she could spit acid too. Bright green dribbled over her lips as she belched forth a thick wave of acidic bile, the corrosive spray unstable in its stream. She didn't care, she only hoped to hit that thing, if anyone else got in the way, so be it. They weren't going to harm her or Xeena tonight. |
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| Gothic Thylacine | Oct 30 2014, 03:11 PM Post #25 |
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So sayeth the Spider
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Alwin being shocked, horrified, and confused before guilty and panicked for Nithian Alwin huffed out air when Nithian elbowed him. Yeesh he would have thought by now the man would be used to his sudden surprise affection! But he just coughed and nuzzled his mate. "It's alright...I was just worried" He paused and regained his breath, but of course within moments of ignoring all the chit chatter about just what the hell was going on, when everyone went silent, Alwin lifted his head to look in the direction it seemed this sudden distraction was. Okay, so those people were obviously ill with something but- That was his last thought before the unthinkable display of macabre horror unveiled itself. Of course Alwin's first reaction was he was tripping or dreaming. But the horror he felt from Havilah and the grip of his beloved slowly made him realize that he truly was witnessing something so evil and repulsive that his poor brain could hardly comprehend it. He was frozen, he could not even look away as the monstrosity seemed to consume the other. The first movement Alwin felt was himself wobbling, threatening to fall over in a feint. But a sudden snap of reality slapped him and he righted himself. he smelled the acid before he saw it but his brain started working again at least. Enough to see what Nithian was doing. "NITH NO!" But it was too late. Alwin grasped him now and got them both out of the way as the Forest dragon attacked the creature "Fuck I know you're not dead but how long will that last with this scenario??" He hugged him now as the wound was washed and he frantically looked about for a healer before following the instructions on the first aid kit. Praying that it would have something to fully clean this ghastly wound and make it stop doing anything further! He hugged him as he treated him as best he could still waiting for a damn healer. "I know you were protecting me but goodness you know I'd rather get hit instead of you. Yes yes I know I'm a hypocrite as I've gotten beaten up for you, but still! And poor Skysong as well!" He said helping clean off the poor gryphon. Havilah now swinging her head about protectively over the small group intent on fighting off any further danger. |
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Oct 30 2014, 07:39 PM Post #26 |
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Loves characters who write themselves
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Alix reacting to the thing, and Ammit trying to taking action against it The initial encounter had quickly descended into a mesh of voices as the other members of the group stepped forward to add their own inquiries into the pile. Their unexpected guest answered them all in turn, giving a slight amount of reassurance to the worried Earth rider in the process. So none of the bodies were reanimating. That was good. The young woman tried to keep her eyes away from the bodies, but the mush underneath only reminded her that the ground she was standing on was soaked in bodily fluids. The sickly scent of death caused her stomach to churn in protest. Only the crisp night air, lightly scented with the tang of tobacco held any relief. Grabbing the handkerchief she had stuffed in her coat pocket, Alix tried to mitigate the worst of the smell. To keep her mind off the situation, she listened to Josiah explain just what had happened before they had arrived. He corroborated that things had transpired in exactly the same manner as before. Bodies appearing out of nowhere, deserted town, some unknown factor as the source, it was all the same. The one thing that struck her as out of place, though, was Josiah's admission that he had... administered his own brand of vigilante justice. Her impression of him, which was as bare as could be, was that he was a jovial man. She knew next to nothing about him, and had only been around him in the context of a weapons lesson. She didn't even know what it was the man had tried to steal! For all they knew it could have been a petty dispute that had ended with that man's death! Had she unknowingly spent time around a murderer...? The last thought sent a jolt of fear down her spine, which manifested as a small shiver, something easily passed off due to the cold if asked. Compounding the uneasy feelings she had had since the beginning, the Earth rider quickly took her exit of the small group, desiring nothing further than to get to the safety that her dragon offered. Instead of safety, however, she was met with warnings from various group members that there was something with them in the woods. Following their line of sight, Alix could feel a wave of anxiety grab hold of her. Something was out there! And if she had learned anything from the last encounter, it was that whatever was there was most certainly not friendly. Youngest of all those assembled, but experienced in the matter they were dealing with, Alix headed the fearful messages that her body was sending her. Her heart rate quickened and dark pupils constricted, seeming like orbs of black in the pale moonlight. She didn't even think to go for the short sword by her waist, her mind didn't allow it. All she knew was that something was out there, and that it wanted to harm her and her comrades. It was just like last time! Gritting her teeth, Alix tried to wrangle some control over her body. She grasped and pulled at her Bond, feeling desperately for the security, the all encompassing protection that her Earth offered. So brave, and so fierce was her soulmate. She knew there was nothing in the world that frightened the maned female, save for the harm that might befall her Chosen rider. Ammit would always protect the frightened, weak young woman she had chosen. The rider had only just reached her towering Bonded when the light from their Celestial member shined down. Her accommodated eyes stung from the brightness causing Alix to lift a hand to her forehead. With the worst of the light blocked out, she squinted in order to better see the two figures that were now illuminated... And oh how she wished she hadn't. At first, it seemed like things were repeating themselves. A corpse like figure stood next to another that looked very human, very alive, in comparison. What happened next, however, was something that even a Tainted would be envious of. It was as if every monstrous, grotesque, unnatural thought that had ever been graced with attention had been melded together and brought to sickening life. The Earth rider found herself unable to tear her gaze away, transfixed by the horror unfolding in front of her. The blood drained from her face and limbs, leaving nothing but an all pervading cold in its place. Alix stood, frozen, while that.... that thing consumed the other person beside it. Only the reaction of those around her broke the spell. The long spray of acid that the monster had spat was the last push that Alix's instinctual drive needed. Without thinking, she dove to the ground, trying to get out of the deadly spray's reach. The hiss and sizzle near her ear told her that some of it had landed on her coat, and immediately she ripped the garment off, tossing it as far away as she could. The entire scene did not go unnoticed by Ammit. Her eyes blazed like embers in the darkness, and she let loose an unrestrained growl at the monstrosity below. How dare this creature threaten her brethren! How dare this insignificant creature threaten her Rider! Righteous anger rose and crested like a wave within the dragoness, feeding off the fear that her Chosen exuded. Enough of this. The earthen judge had taken the decision out of the jury's hands. She had the verdict and she was going to carry out the sentence. She would end this. “Frangipa! Move!” Ammit demanded. She needed the Forest to get out of the way. The last thing she wanted to do was catch her in what she was about to do. Summoning forth her element, Ammit's throat thickened with the viscous sludge of her breath weapon. Raising a paw, she spat a good amount onto the pad. If it didn't protect against the acid as she hoped it would, then the least it could do was make sure that monster couldn't move again once it solidified. With a wide step, Ammit bounded once, then twice towards the monster. Raising her fore arm, the Earthen female moved to bring her paw down upon the monster. |
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| Nherva | Oct 31 2014, 01:33 PM Post #27 |
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Lurker Queen
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Invidia and Ryker scrambling to avoid getting burned by acid or stepped on by Ammit This was not what he'd signed up for. This was not what he'd stood on the sands that day for. He'd been really really stupid to think he could get away with some lavish lifestyle bonded to a Celestial dragon, stupid to think he would even bond a Celestial just because of his high birth. Even so, there was a Celestial among them now, a clear sign that there had never been a guarantee that he would never see battle, or anything dangerous. Ryker swallowed hard when the flood light from the Celestial's maw lit the jungle nearby to expose the two figures there. The noble born man thought he'd seen horror before in the slave trade hovels of Esam, but oh had he been wrong. The moment the grin of one of the people--or not people--started to lengthen, instinct started screaming at him that something wasn't right. He was going to get killed or worse. It seemed to be true when the grin split the skin completely over the creature's face. It seemed to flay itself alive before something out of some bloody, horrible nightmare crawled out of the fractured skull and arched over to the other figure, swallowing its head in one horrific bite. "What the fuck," Ryker lost all kind words he might have had for this situation. He was surprised the words were his own, that he could have uttered them from his tightened throat at all. He was frozen in place, watching the gruesome scene with horrific engrossment. He couldn't even tear his gaze away as the thing crawled out of the once human body and skittered off into the darkness, flinging an arc of burning acid out at all of them. "Ryker, move you boob!" Invidia shrieked and shoved her rider with all her might as a hissing rope of acid slapped dully onto the ground nearby. "What the fuck!" He repeated in a shout, his eyes wildly searching for his dragon's expression in the dark after he hit the ground and managed to roll over quickly to crouch in the grass. "What is that!" "I don't know!" Invidia yelled back at him. "What kind of thing does that Invidia!" He shouted, and it almost sounded like they were arguing, his fear perpetuating his caustic tone of voice whether he meant it to or not. "I don't know!" She started, then all her feathers stood up as if on a frightened cat as she felt the vibrations of a giant footstep nearby. "Mooooove!" She yelled then, pushing and shoving her rider as quickly out of the way as she could with Ammit on the verge of a stampede all her own. It would be just their luck that they'd both get squished by Earth feet on their first real assignment outside of the Academy. Ryker just barely managed to scramble away in time to avoid getting stepped on by one of the huge dragons present. He cursed under his breath, "Why couldn't you not be a shrimp?" He asked Invidia without the heat and frustration that he used to ask the question with when she was much younger. Now it was a jest, he had long since accepted his partner for who she was, but he had to let his stress out somehow or he felt like his head was going to explode. He was going to have nightmares for months. Already his stomach tightened uncomfortably as his brain replayed the gory show for him again and again. He felt nauseous and at the same time he inwardly cheered for Ammit to find that creature and pulverize it into dust. "Why couldn't you have the brains to move when you're told ya moron?" Invidia bit back, turning slightly with a long frown on her expression as she noticed a giant hole in one of her large tail feathers. It looked horrible, but the acid had fortunately not hit her flesh, only the large feather. Naviki and Alsvior being generally horrified Thanks to her wonderful gift bestowed upon her by the great spirits her family worshiped back in the day, Naviki had seen some pretty terrible things. Headless visitors in her dreams, shades of riders gutted by dragons and direwolves on battlefields far and wide, the usual things that terrified most people to even talk about. She had been well desensitized to such horror, but this was beyond anything she ever could have imagined in her life. Perhaps it was the smell, amplified by her dire's senses alongside her own already twitchy nerves, coupled with the sounds. Or maybe it was how human bodies turned to jelly before them as though they hadn't ever been made of flesh and bone to begin with. Alsvior rumbled darkly beneath her rider the moment the smaller of the two figures in the woods began to smile. She sensed it, whatever it was crawling up from the depths of the once-human's bowels to crack through his skull and peel away the skin and sinew from his face. The moonrunner began to snarl as skin started to peel. "Als, what--?" Naviki began, but soon found herself equally unable to look away until the alien thing burst forth from its walking womb and into the forest with a defensive spray of acid. The dire pair was too far away for the acid to hit them, but the chaos that erupted with those that were attempting to avoid it nearly made them both a moonrunner pancake as the larger dragons started to back away to avoid it. Alsvior took off to avoid those massive feet, her swift paws carrying her away to skirt the surroundings of the group. Her sharp eyes noted the shapes of other dires in the dark, but she blew out a breath. They were not her pack. She had no pack yet, only Naviki. It was Naviki she needed to protect. The dire wolf peered into the darkness of the trees just as Ammit began to charge forward. If the Earth missed it, the moonrunner had half a mind to give chase. It had been far too long since she'd been on a good hunt, and feeling that thing die in her jaws would more than make her night. |
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| CloakAndDagger | Nov 1 2014, 01:22 PM Post #28 |
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THE DUNGEON MASTER
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As his line of work would suggest, Josiah was not a squeamish man. He was a black hat and a mercenary. There was, however a very distinct line that separated the average awful happenings of life such as war, death, and slavery from the extraordinary and unusual happenings of life. Much like the two years before, he expected every aspect of this foray not only to jump that line, but to proceeded to re-define what it was to be unsurpassably awful. Unsurpassably, peerlessly, dangerously awful. It was enough to say he was not let down. The wet, solid crunch of the skull within the vacuous, leech mouth carried clearly across the open area. “Well, now thats something you don’t see every day.” He tipped up his hat, as if in respectful acknowledgement. "Perhaps ye could give that lighthouse beam a bit more firepower." The others, however, didn’t seem to take such an outwardly light reaction to the horrific moment. And, taking advantage of the surprise, the hungry snake head and its kidnapped body darted into the unknown of the dark to attack. This time, however, the party of mostly unwilling sekkians was not long to engage. The first, a forest with a power much like the eldritch creature, let fly a devastating spray of caustic chemicals into the silent jungle. The acid bath went effortlessly into the shadow of the night and could be heard hissing angrily where it struck, but what that was was not clear. The great earth was also not one to just leave wretched things be and, with the booming wash of her roar, loosed another elemental attack. This heave of earth was thrown true to where the creature had been and, coming down with the force of a landslide, crushed the neighboring foliage as the trees bent and broke under the weight. The thing, however, was not there to be caught, but that paw was massive. The other, much deader bodies were easily crushed by both blows even after Frangpia’s acid hit them with collateral damage. Before, the infested bodies that they had faced were in somewhat advanced stages of decay. They had shown wear and death as their skin had sagged and their flesh had fallen, but this one was nearly fresh. Or, it had been. Not all of Ammit’s initial attack had landed in one place. As it came in contact with the trees, the smaller parts had been broken off and had fallen elsewhere. One of those earthen pieces had come down much farther into the jungle than the others and, where it lay, if had caught the darting leg of the spitter. The creature thrashed its taken body, but to no avail. The body was either too weak or it had not the strength to force it to kick free. Instead, before the beaming lamplight of the celestial strayed its way, the thing ripped itself free and left its damaged leg behind. Dull, stuttering fingers groped at the underbrush as the open, jawless thing imbedded in the neck rolled upwards like a cobra. The taken body crawled a trail of coagulated gore, but instead of fleeing or hobbling off through the muted jungle, it slithered toward the body of the victim. Ammit’s paw would strike down well closeby. The downed, headless body had almost been entrenched by the same strike as had claimed the leg of the acid-spitter, but not enough to obscure it. And the leech-headed body squirmed over the hardening muck towards the wary party of men and beast. The light, however, was unable to be avoided, and so was the remains of Frangpia’s attack. The unquenched acid bit and steamed into the already sodden clothing of the animate body. The leech-head rose like a lovecraftian demon as the shape returned to its former place. Insect feet bent and reared within it’s open, mucus weeping maw. The mud was slowing it down, but not enough. With a sudden burst of energy, the creature snaked to the other body that it had just decapitated moments ago. It forced the neck of it’s body toward the hollow neck of the other one. One was good. Two was better. Great globules of sweat poured off the surface of the eyeless thing. The thick liquid slid down in opaque, snotty beads. The mucus began to drip over the victim, and, with a jolt, it forced the two necks together with it rising up in the center like a worm out of an apple. The second body twitched. It’s already broken shape sagged. Where the two different fleshes met, the dark and light skin began melting like warm clay, dripping and running. And then both bodies rose up. And the snake head screamed. And on seven good legs, it sprinted in a crawl not toward Ammit, who was too large, but toward Alsivor. Two was good. Three was better. |
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| Kialish | Nov 1 2014, 01:46 PM Post #29 |
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Unregistered
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Frang pissed that she missed, Xeena hurrying to defend Alsivor Frang barreled towards where the thing was, having sprayed her acid haphazardly all over the area. Ammits barreling in and hollering for the smaller forest to move went noticed, Frang pulling to a tight stop as the earth ran forward with her own element in her control. She picked up into a trot behind Ammit to avoid the earthen damage, but interested in putting down the parasitic monster before it caused harm. It seemed to have fallen prey to one of the hardened elemental stones thrown my Ammit, its leg pinned. Sadly, it wouldn't be so easy as to remain trapped. Instead it ripped its only leg off and began scurrying like a human serpent. Frang bolted after it, as it was moving back towards the clearing by the village. Towards Xeena. However, it had gone for the headless body it had decapitated moments ago, the parasite reaching its body into the neck of the second and mysteriously pulling it to life and crawling like a spider with 7 lets and a fearsome set of teeth. It wasn't pleased even in this form, and it began to beeline for the sundasher Alsivor. Xeena pulled herself together, ignoring the fresh stench of gore and running out. "ITS GOING FOR THE DIRE," She cried out to the others, getting her pair of sabers ready. She skidded in front of the dire, knowing full well the massive hound could probably defend itself. But she worried, if it could pull together an inanimate body and connect itself to it like a sewing needle, could it do the same to living flesh and control it? She didn't want to see it try to do so with a dire wolf... Instead, she took a stance and made swings towards the connecting point of the creature, pivoting and making purchase through one of the rotting limbs. An arm fell from the body, and she made another swing at the center of the parasites body, quite possibly far too close for safety or comfort. |
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| SemperMemor | Nov 1 2014, 02:04 PM Post #30 |
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Majestic Space Duck
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Lumi and Makani The dragon wavered anxiously and stumbled backwards away from Invidia. He really didn't like this. No, not one bit. However, what he failed to take into account was the placement of his enormous feet as he edged away. At first, he did not notice when one of his forelegs stumbled over a young man, passing it off as nothing more than a stone or a fallen branch. It was not large enough to draw his attention immediately. However, his mistake became painfully clear when the injured rider let loose an agonizing scream. A flash of green fluttered beneath him at the affront, and he looked down with terror to see the human crushed underfoot. The Celestial shrieked, and scrambled further backwards. He lifted the paw into the air and let it hang as if it had killed the poor man. "Oh no! Oh no, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry," he stammered. Regret painted his voice with a constricted note, and he slunk low to the ground while sputtering his apologies. "I didn't realize he was there. I'm so sorry! I hope he is okay! I do not think I hurt him too badly, but I am not a medic." The dragon crept forward, extending his neck carefully to get a look at the man. He did not seem terribly broken, as a squashed bug might, but he was definitely not uninjured. The Celestial whined lowly, and edged closer to Makani. When the creature was fully spotted beneath Lumiere's spotbeam, the dragon immediately picked up his rider and placed him securely back in the saddle. His stomach churned, and felt as though he might lose whatever remained in the put of his belly. Makani felt similarly, and blanched quite visibly, but any words he had for it were drowned out by his dragon's fumbling attempt to get him strapped in. "You stay on me!" he trumpeted. "You are not to get off me while that thing is on the ground!" "I will not argue that, dear," Makani replied, his face pale and hands tightly clenched around the foresaddle. "Come on, let's go! After it! Keep your light on it so we can watch where it goes. We don't need any casualties tonight." The dragon galloped toward the forest in pursuit. He was not the fastest by any means (the dires and a Forest had scampered off in quick succession), but his long strides did ensure that he was able to keep pace. Lumiere watched the gruesome thing break from it's host and reconnect with another in macabre fashion. He retched, visibly, before winding around Ammit's massive figure to provide better help. Makani strapped down the pair of tinted riding glasses and bent low over the saddle to watch. The light shining from his narrow jaws increased from a bright glow to an intense, if painful glare. However, the Forest reacted first to the mutant monstrosity. The Celestial paused as she did so, leaning back into a hindfoot rise, and focused his magic to condense within his forepaws. A string of gently glowing yellow orbs blipped into existence at his command and fanned out around the forest with a manipulation of the digits for secondary illumination. |
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