| Welcome to Sekkai Fractures. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Something Wicked This Way Comes... Again; Finished | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 26 2014, 04:14 PM (1,725 Views) | |
| Zinc | Nov 1 2014, 02:08 PM Post #31 |
![]()
The Owl Waife
![]()
|
Ryle and Valigar make a pass at a monster It had been a tough thing to talk the Shadowguardes into going back to investigate. At least…it had been tough to convince one of them. Ryle was all for going back and making sure that the horrific evil they’d encountered those years ago finally met it’s end once and for all. Valigar on the other hand was certainly not as keen. “You saw those things last time! We had nightmares for a month!” He screeched at her as she read the message. His feathers stood on end and his crest flattened with his ears. “I am not going back there. There are still some places on me where the feathers haven’t grown back!” he hissed, gesturing with a talon to the rough directioning of the feathers along his face where one of the creatures had slashed him. He was quite sure that had they struck a little more accurately, he’d have been blinded. They had argued fiercely for several hours. “You saw what those things did to that village. What they did to Rolf!” Ryle had barked at him. “I for one am not going to stand by and let that sort of horrifying shit go down a second time and a third, and so on. It has to be stopped Valigar. This is why we’re here. This is why we are the leader of the Outriders. We go out there and we take care of it!” Valigar leaned down and snarled in her face, “No, this is why we’re leaders. Because we send out those people and their dragons. We don’t have to go!” he huffed. “And you won’t see me flying out of here and into my death this time. At least we know what we’re up against so we can’t be as stupid!” Ryle stared at his back a moment, her jaw working in furious silence. Finally she’d cinched her blades onto her hips, thrown her pack over her shoulder, and walked out of the room. Valigar had sat there a moment in stunned silence, then gone after her. She’d made her way to the stables, saddled up a horse, and rode out. Valigar had been nagging at her the entire time, remarking that it was a terrible idea, but he’d eventually given up and followed silently. By the time they’d reached a military outpost that provided fresh horses for messengers and ground troops, he’d grumbled and finally agreed that he would carry them back into this hare-brained mission of theirs. Utilizing the weapons cache they had set aside for both dragons and people, Ryle had donned a sturdy set of leathers and outfitted Valigar with steel talons. They weren’t as tight of a fit as she would have liked, but the ones made specifically for the Air were back at the Academy, and for now she would have to make due with the generic outfitting that they had set aside for other soldiers should fighting and skirmishes start up once more. They flew in silence for several hours, Ryle huddled down against Valigar’s neck, her face touching his feathers. In the silence that stretched, they drew close to each other in their bond. Though they were at odds more often than not, in recent years with the tragedies and trials they had faced, they’d found solace and comfort in one another, and drew strength when they needed it. They found an odd sort of peace with one another, though verbally it was still difficult to tell if they got along or not. “There.” Ryle finally broke the silence after checking the compass built into Valigar’s leathers. She pointed at the town below. Other were already gathered, and as Valigar focused in with his keen tanzanite eyes, he called back to her, “There is already one of the damn things here!” he watched as the thing started in a mad rush towards what appeared to be a Dire pair. A rider rushed in, shouting something that he missed over the roar of the wind, she took a swing and managed to disconnect a portion of the body from the grotesque creature. But then she’d left her guard wide open. “GET DOWN!” He shouted, diving in and making a slash towards the thing as he swooped by, mere feet from the ground. Had he not been an experienced Fang and Shadowguarde, he never would have attempted such a close pass at such a speed. Backwinging with all his wings, he slowed, angling into a high arc and looped back, landing on the grass heavily. He hadn’t had time to see if he’d landed a clean blow. On his back, Ryle unhooked from the leathers and slid down Valigar’s leg she dropped to the grass with a grunt, drawing a blade. “Here we go again.” She muttered, eyes focused and intent in the glow of the Celestial Talon’s lights. |
![]() |
|
| Silverfeather | Nov 2 2014, 01:15 PM Post #32 |
|
Samurai Pizza Feather
|
Shi Moving with Valiger to go after that thing, not appreciating it spitting acid at his rider. The flood light on the area made shi cringe slightly, but that matterd not as the two got a good look at the two standing there. Iniiki cringed at the sight of one, skin barely there, the sinew of tendons and other cartlidge barely keeping it together. Iniiki wasn't sure how it was even standing. The other creeped Iniiki out more than the obivous corpse. "Are they locals or?" Shi hissed. Iniiki didn't get a chance to answer as the fat one turned and then in a scene of gore, his face split open. Skin peeling back as the bones seemed to turn to jelly. Of everything the ex-merc had ever seen among both his travels and in being captured by the taints, he had never ever seen something so gruesome and alien before. The tongue seemed to come alive and centipede legs carved it out of the body. thet watched it scurry out into the forest,apparent horror on their faces. Iniiki managed not to gag, but he couldn't deny that the scene made him sick to his stomach. Shi screeched when the line of acid shot from somewhere in the forest, aiming for everyone in general, though it come close to hitting his rider face on. That did it for the owl dragon. How dare it try to endanger his rider. He took to the air, making sure Iniiki was safely on his back. There was no way he was going to let that thing harm his. The forest dragon looking like seaweed moved first, followed by the Earth dragon. Shi let them through their elements at the creature. Ammit came close to getting the thing. Though it didn't look good, when the thing darted out and seemed to connect with the corpse on the ground. Shi didn't even want to contemplate. It moved fast, and made way towards the smaller of the dires, the brown one. When Valiger made it's pass, a maneuver to be proud of, Shi didn't even think. He moved, Talons Moving, he leapt. Wings flared, iniiki didn't like the owl dragon heading straight for it, claws outstretched To grab the thing in his talons and pin it. No use in trying to hack it to pieces, they should keep hold of it the best the could. With this course of action, Shi moved towards it, aiming both paws to pin the creature down. |
![]() |
|
| Inkdragon | Nov 2 2014, 01:25 PM Post #33 |
![]()
m e g s
|
Thorn blocks Havi; Sasha doubles back to avoid getting hit on accident by dragons Seeing his Havilah was wonderful, no matter the circumstances. His luminescent eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter, however, as with a murr of worry, he snaked his head around to see what was going on now, and just why his rider felt she should get so close. His spines bristled more as Lumiere brought to light the situation, and after a gruesome sight, a volley of hissing acid shot straight for them. While he and Havilah weren't in the direct path, they were still in it's way. Reacting quickly, he scuttled up the earth's neck, twined around until he was perched on her head, and shielded her eyes with his own body and wings without a moment to spare. The splash of acid hit the back of his neck and shoulders, and he lost his grip on his earth mate and half-fluttered to the ground, hissing at the pain. It wasn't his own pain that was getting to him; Sasha was, too. The woman had been able to react quickly enough to move out from getting hit dead on, but there was a sizzling pain along her right arm. The material there did nothing to stop the acid, as it ate away at it and the skin where it had touched. Bigger dragons than her own were charging forward to deal with the grotesque monster, and the woman pulled herself together and further continued to dodge and fall back so she wasn't getting in anyone's way. Thorn, she needed to get back to him. Though harder to spot him at the moment, it wasn't hard to pick out the golden Havilah. Hoping that Caspain and his own dragon were alright, she hurried to her dragon to check the damage, and winced. "Oh sweety," she said, giving his nose a stroke as the pair were hopefully safe from trampling by their earthen friend, trying to ignore her own pain, but it was so vibrant. Thorn didn't hesitate too long before, with a faint sound in his throat, he leaned over his riders injury and let a clear goo drop from his mouth onto her arm.The numbness spread quickly and deeply. Perhaps a bit too much. Though she couldn't feel it anymore, she wouldn't be able to use her sword for the time being. "You, too," she coaxed, looking over her shoulder too see what was going on behind them, but it was hard too with all the bodies of dragon and people. Thorn obliged, dripping a larger amount of the gooey liquid onto himself, and right after cooed up at his mate. "Havilah, are you unharmed? Please be careful," he coaxed. "You need to get your rider up to safety. Sasha," it was his turn to coax the woman, and without argument, Sasha managed to get back up into the saddle that was partly seared by the venom. The woman wanted to be up there at the front, do some damage back to that thing, but she knew Thorn wouldn't be able to leave his Havilah, so she didn't start the argument. _____ Rise and Ndogo escape the acid, and Rise takes a shot at the monster Rise had plenty of warning that something was coming their way. With how those before them either dodged or screamed in pain, she was sliding up onto her dire without hesitation, and he swiftly evacuated the area as acid rained down where they had just been. With his large paws securely pounding at the earth as he ran, he took direction from Rise's knees as she nudged him into position. Flashing under the bigger dragons and avoiding the attacks by running behind most of the group, Rise urged Ndogo further to the side, and with a skid, Ndogo slid into place where they had a clear shot at the monster, not too close yet close enough for Rise to try and take a shot. Drawing bow and arrow from their place on her place, Rise took a deep breath, calmed her erratic heartbeat, and aimed carefully. Just as the horrendous creature seemed to all but morph into a new one thanks to the other body, she leased an arrow at its hideous head. The moment it went flying, Ndogo began to move. No use standing there as an easy target. _____ Jiromy is a little squished, Anemone argues with him, as usual Anemone paid Lumi no further mind as the dragon finally released her rider, who was in so much pain it was driving her insane. As the stream of acid suddenly shot toward the large group, all Anemone could do in time was kneel over her rider and cover him with her body. Luckily, they were missed, with only a few annoying, but still painful, flecks spotting her shielding wing. "Shit, Anemone, help me get over there," Jiromy said through clenched teeth, trying to get up by using Anemone's sticky leg. Why did this have to happen now? He wouldn't let this get in the way. The dragon snorted a torrent of heated air through her nostrils at the man, forcing him back down with a wail of pain. "You're staying right there, Jiromy! I'll break your other leg if I have to," she threatened seriously, a growl in her throat as she continued to crouch over him protectively. As soon as she could, she'd get him back to the Academy. They were out on this adventure just as it began, but she could deal with that. Jiromy, not so much. |
![]() |
|
| Chirpadee | Nov 3 2014, 10:54 AM Post #34 |
![]()
behold her lovely plumage
![]()
|
Akiko and Ana dealing with acid. Akiko helps Jiromy and Anemone. Ana panics. Then they move to the VERY back of the group. Anastesia’s many eyes widened in horror as the thing she had indicated towards was lit up and proceeded to quite unexpectedly split its “face”. The thing that reared free churned her stomach. Then the monster turned to eat the head of the thing next to it. The insectoid female froze, all eight eyes wide in mute horror. All eight legs were frozen and her foremost claws formed a mudra of protection. In fact she did not move when the spew of toxic filth shot in an arch in the direction of their group. Thankfully there were plenty of bodies between herself and the beast, which not so thankfully for them took the majority of the blast. Only a few large drops hit the iridescent female and she wailed in panic as it began to hiss through her delicate wings and began to melt the fur from her forelimbs. She knew better than to lash at it with bare claws and she hit the ground and with less grace then she usually managed to rub the hissing muck off on the ground. This stifled the stench of burning flesh and skin. Akiko was not so lucky. A larger glob slammed into her chest and spread across her coat like a creeping poison. Heat bore through the leather and began to eat towards her undershirt. The healer cursed loudly and yanked her healers pack off and tossed it quickly onto the ground. There was a great clammer as glass bottles shifted inside their padded prisons when it hit the ground. The woman sneered and ripped the overcoat off in a fit of scrambling fingers and fast movements. She flung it away from herself where it landed heavily and sizzled on the ground. “Ana you ok?” She shouted over the screams and roars around them. Fighting could be left to the warriors. Her eyes flicked around the group with determination, “Anyone need attention from a healer-“ A scream of pain stopped her words and she whirled around in anger. “Are you alright my chosen one?” Ana called back, hurrying after the woman who walked as if nothing was going on around them. Anastesia appeared quite shaken in the quick way her hands formed nervous mudras of warding and calming. Small holes perforated the lowest wing on the right side and a good fourth of the fur had been burned off of the forelimbs on the same side exposing stark white hide beneath. She stopped realizing she was ignoring her duties in favor of her own rider and she nodded, letting the woman handle the situation with the celestial. “I’m fine. Get back to work. It was just my coat. Nothing harmed.” Akiko shrugged her pack back onto her back, not bothering to check the materials yet. The bag was packed to keep bottles from hitting each other and hopefully none of them had broken. She broke into a jog and dropped to a knee besides Jiromy. “Hold your ass still.” She snapped at the boy and then turned her eyes on Lumi, “You get out of here you’ve done enough.” She had a job to do now that the stepping had been done and she didn’t need a spotlight to do so. Besides the golden male was more useful out there then he was dealing with injured who were nearly too small for him to manage. Green eyes flashed over the Forest dragoness and, once sure she was fine, returned to her rider. “Don’t be stupid you got yourself stepped on and now you aren’t touching the front line.” She reached out and ran her hand along his leg, careful with her grip. Finally she rubbed her hand along the outside of his hip and made a face. “Dislocated.” She said in mild annoyance. Her eyes met the forest dragon and she scowled. This particular female had been in the infirmary more times then she could count on one hand. “Anemone isn’t it. Hold him down. As for you, don’t bite your damn tongue this is going to hurt.” Her eyes shifted around for Ana to numb the point, but the dragoness was already past the celestial looking for others in need of help. This was going to be painful for the lad. The redhead none to gently lifted his leg and shifted it in her grasp until she was sure she had the angle right. The movement she knew would not be kind to the boy so she was quick and effective as she could be without babying him. He was a soldier. “On the count of three.” She said in her no-nonsense bark. “One-“ And she slammed the leg into the socket without counting any further. She dropped the limb, which would still hurt like mad but no longer be in any danger of further damage. Her eyes lifted to the dragoness. “Get him the hell out of here you hear me. He isn’t in fighting condition. That leg should be seen to better. the infirmary is a better place for him.” There was a commotion from those manning the front line and she straightened, her eyes darting for the source and what she saw caused her to cringe visibly, “Get him the hell out of here. NOW.” She repeated firmly and took off at a sprint to find Anastesia. What happened to the forest pair was no longer her concern. Ana scuttled out of the way of tramping feet and tried to make herself useful. Panic was in the air and despite her best efforts to keep herself in the calm place she used, the fear seeped into her. She couldn’t see her rider and there were too many people whizzing about to catch sight of anyone in charge. She whirled around when all attention turned towards the trees again and what she saw made her freeze once more in absolute terror. Her pedipalps lifted in alarm and her wings flared in an attempt to make her seem larger. The monster had combined the corpses, it had warped and mutated and now it ran directly for one of the dires. She let out a strangled cry in attempt to warn them, but her voice left her. In all her years she had never seen anything like this. Never seen a beast which collected corpses like many collected feathers or clothes. She stumbled backwards, her wings whirring to life, and in her rush to abscond from the situation her hind legs began to tangle. With a shriek of confusion she went down in an undignified heap. Eight legs churned as she cried out in distress. Then suddenly Calm hands were on her side. Akiko was behind her, watching the monster, but stable. The solidity of her chosen calmed the dragoness immediately. “You are the one who taught me breathing my friend. Perhaps now is the time that you should practice it.” She carefully helped the dragoness back up, her eyes never leaving the monster. “Back up. We need to be further from the fighting. We are medics not warriors. Move.” The woman snatched up one of the dragoness’s smaller hands and drug her away from the fray, getting her out of range of immediate danger and to the back of the group. “We will be there when we are needed. You are overwhelmed.” The small rosemary darted after her chosen, letting the human be her rock or once instead of the far more common other way around. “I am sorry Akiko.” She said, her voice slowly returning to her usual calm, “I panicked. I have never seen-“ “It doesn’t matter what we have seen.” Akiko returned, cutting her partner off in her usual staunch manner. “It matters what we can do to help. Let them worry about being afraid. We just need to make sure everyone makes it out alive got it?” The dragoness nodded and reached out to check over the woman once they stopped. Her hands formed a mudra of relief and she turned her many eyes back to the chaos. “You are right my chosen. You have given me wisdom. I am sorry for my moment of weakness.” “It wasn’t weakness.” The woman said shortly, but did not bother to elaborate as they stood a good distance into the small town, far enough from the majority of combat that Akiko felt they were safe. Well as safe as they could be given the situation. |
![]() |
|
| Nherva | Nov 3 2014, 04:15 PM Post #35 |
|
Lurker Queen
![]()
|
Naviki and Alsvior Everything that happened within the next few minutes would later be a blur to the dire rider. Even in real time, it happened all at once, and so quickly that her brain could hardly process it. The Earth's paw came down with an earth shattering stomp, the creature crawled, the acid burned and hissed, and then something even worse happened. Frozen in place, even Alsvior couldn't tear her eyes away when every instinct told her to run, to flee or die. Naviki was supposed to tell her what to do. She was supposed to listen to Naviki. But sometimes, even her rider didn't know what was best for them. The bizarre worm leech thing still attached to the human body seemed to meld with the other, creating an even more grotesque amalgamation of flesh even as they watched. They thought they were safe away from the giant feet of giant dragons, but in truth they had only singled themselves out. It came at them, and others came at it. Alsvior's brain kicked into high gear and she moved unbidden, her muscles tensing like a spring before releasing in a flying leap away from the diving form of Valigar. Even if it chased her, she could lead it away on a chase so the others could pursue. They were not her pack, but the direwolf saw them as a hunting team regardless, and they should know to give chase if it chased her. What she hadn't anticipated though, was the shrill cry of her familiar bonded ringing in her ears and dissipating into the distance with every stride. She felt lighter, and it was no wonder. The direwolf skidded to a halt and turned to see that she had taken off so quickly, Naviki had lost her hold on the saddle and spilled off of her. "Alsvior!" Naviki screamed as she was bucked off of her dire. She hit the ground with so much force that it knocked the wind clear out of her. The flurry of wings above and the terrible hellish hiss of the creature was all she could hear as she lie there stunned on the ground. It was going to get to her, and she didn't want to know what would happen then. She wasn't about to finish the human tripod it had started and it was all she could do to get her wits back about her and get up. Naviki felt the pang of remorse and worry as her dire realized what had happened and turned at some distance away. She was a moonrunner, built for lithe speed as much as grace, and it was that very speed that caught her rider off-guard and sent her sprawling to the ground. From where Alsvior stood, the sand colored dire lifted her head, a long, ululating howl escaping her throat, calling her brothers and sisters present, and even challenging the creature to attempt to take hers. She doubled back, feet tearing up dirt and grass as she bounded back toward her rider. Acid spitting or not, Naviki was hers, and that thing would not have her. She leapt and landed just in front of her rider, who was just standing on her feet, golden eyes fixed upon the monstrosity heading in their direction. If something didn't squish it first, Alsvior would tear it apart. Naviki could feel that heated desire to kill coursing through her bond with the dire as easily as she felt the vibrations of her deep and savage growling as she reached for the quarterstaff attached to the saddle she'd fallen off of already. It was hardly the time to be embarrassed about falling off her mount, but even so Naviki's cheeks were reddened. Fortunately it was likely too dark for anyone to see. "Someone get it!" she heard herself yelling like a little girl squealing over a spider. But her fear was two-fold. First, her dire had no defense against that thing's acid even if it got close enough before spitting at them again, and second, there was no telling what just touching it alone would do. She felt useless standing there clutching her quarterstaff, but running was no longer an option. Not unless another opportunity presented itself. |
![]() |
|
| CloakAndDagger | Nov 4 2014, 08:49 PM Post #36 |
![]()
THE DUNGEON MASTER
![]()
|
The arachnoid creature skittered in a horrific crabwalk toward its intended target. Arms and legs mixed together as muscle and tendon bent out of shape. Joints were forced to bow backward in a painful sprawl as the creature picked up speed while, in between the two disjointed bodies, the slithering, mawed invader thickened like a broken thumb. A webwork of connections interfaced the two stolen halves of its shape grew and the veined weaving grew into the dry skin like rivers through a desert. The longer the double bodied beast stayed together, the more coordinated the two sides became. Xeena, who’s partner had been the first to retaliate, forced herself in front of the great wolf with what seemed like a brave fury of concern. With a well placed swing, she took out one of the many limbs that were beginning to clamor and reach out to net a third for its grouping. The arm was cleaved cleanly from the body. Carried away by the momentum, the limb rolled outside the periphery of the monster. As it came to rest, the withered flesh sagged and settled. The muscle visibly uncoupled from the bone and sank under the yellowed flesh. Then the second blow came down, but by that time, the monster was reaching out for the woman instead of the wolf. Long, almost lengthening arms reached out as the creature screamed and rebalanced. The attack from the woman hit home and dug deep into the soft, unprotected center between the two bodies, but there the blade stuck. Instead of bisecting the whole way through, as it should have, some of the neck vertebrae had been left within and, there having lost power going through skin and body, the wave fell short. And the monster grabbed her with two, clearly rotting arms. Something in them seemed to be pulsing just underneath the skin and it wormed its way closer. Now the light had become harsh and overwhelming, but without any eyes, the creature was unable to wince or squint to its own defences. Instead, it seemed to slightly recoil onto itself, as if needing to escape the brilliance, but also not wanting to give up the grapple. The other orbs that were sent out into the forest ran by tree and bush, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, the light given was more than enough to help finish what the forest rider had started. The shadowguarde’s attack hit and the power of it not only drove the weapon clear through the borrowed monster, but also knocked a whole arm off the beast and away from Xeena. Like the first, this limb rolled away bonelessly and, once removed, was completely inanimate. Following the attack from above, the owl air made his own way towards the fray and, using more terrestrial methods, leapt raptorially at the eldritch creation. The creature was now split in two and, Shi’s force came down upon the smaller half -- what had been the original taken body. As the weight of the dragon came down, it completely removed that section and pulled it clear away from the rest of the monster. Once free, it stuttered to a halt and shirked off its last awkward movements before becoming the lifeless husk it should have been. However, the power of the talons and claws went through the bulk of the mass itself. Bones broke to splinters. What was left of the internal organs spilled out over him like half digested vomit. Through the mess of gore, long lines of thinning white veins still twitched, as if begging for an opportunity to come back to life. Half of what it had become, the leaching creature shrilly screamed -- metal on metal. It reared, still clutching Xeena, but, an arrow shaft from Rise shot through it’s open maw just as it was nearing the human rider. The snake head recoiled and screeched. It wailed. Half the arrow protruded from the other side of it’s thinning visage, but, that didn’t stop it from snapping its jawless teeth down on the upper half and clipping it right in twain. Nor did it stop it from making a gurgling, sickening sound back as the dire howled in competition. White fluid seeped out from the wound. The party had come together in their first real time of need. They had witnessed not one, but two mind bendingly horrific things nearly side by side and, most if not all of them had lent a hand to their fellows either by attack or by healing. As the strange, backwards figure lingered longer in the light, it became weaker and weaker. Or perhaps it was its time out of the humidity jungle. Or perhaps it was too far from its source deep from the hellish place it was born. For one or for many reasons, the creature began to drip with rot. The smell was the first thing to heighten. It almost overpowered the singular, otherworldly musk that still traveled from the heart of the dark forest, and only grew stronger as the monster fought longer. By the time it had finished replying to Alsivor’s sound, the thing had already involuntarily let go of Xeena. The arm had just slid free from the body. The tightrope connections between the two had dissolved and the pulsating had turned into a dead steam of putrefying remains. The major body, broken and battered, sank to its belly while the snakehead flailed and lashed before finally falling too. The protruding spearpoint notched through flesh a second time as the leech fell backwards against its host. It had been such a strangely unmarred body at first, with the exception of the lost head. Now it was a pile of stinking meat and liquid fat. It wheezed. And then it went up in flames. Josiah, who had pushed his way through the combatants, had thrown a match onto the now flammable remains. He lit a new cigarette on the fire as it burned before putting the tobacco back in his pocket. He’d taken it from the man he’d killed. Pity to waste it, even if he didn’t smoke. He turned from the pyre to look back at those who had attacked it. “If this is what you came here for, there’s only one way to go now. I suggest we do it sooner rather than later.” As the fire burned, the jungle seemed to open up to them. The nightlife was still silent as the grave, but the trees seemed more welcoming, as if rid of a fleeting trespasser and grateful for the relief. In the area surrounding the empty village, the jungle went long and deep. The night was dark and full of terrors. (((OCC))) You have routed your first encounter! 8DDD!! AH! you guys are great! At this point, you can do more peer to peer discussion on ICly what you should do. You could also inspect what’s left of the bodies or make camp and wait until daytime to venture into the jungle. Or you could just go now and hope for the best. Dawn has to come sometime, right? If you have lingering questions about the monster, what you saw, or anything else, please ask me! *U* I will do my best to clear things up or give new information. |
![]() |
|
| Kitsu | Nov 5 2014, 01:16 AM Post #37 |
|
Hatchling
|
Moriko and Tobias between burning creep flesh and Naviki/Alsvior just in case The dire pair had not been prepared for what was to come. Like many others they froze at the nightmarish sight before them. Before Morkio could come to her senses and loose an arrow Tobias took off. The moonrunner raced about with only one thought in his mind. Get his handler to safety. She nearly lost her hold on her bow as she made a quick grab for the saddle. The dire pair danced around the colossal forms of the dragons backing away right into their path. There were disadvantages to staying back behind the seemingly safe dragons. Ears pricked at the howls of distress. Tobias snarled at the sound as his handler signaled for him to change his course. Instincts told him to stay away but they also told him to answer the call of distress. His dark and sleek form slipped through the thrashing legs of the back peddling celestial, around the furious earths and to the downed dire pair’s side. His normally flat laying midnight fur stood in a ridge down his back as he bared his fanged at the mismatched monstrosity. Others had managed to rend it apart but he was taking no chances. Morkio had her bow up once more and kept it firmly pointed at the now burning form. Her eyes would move back and forth between the tree line and the flaming carcass before them all. In all her years she had never seen anything like this. Just what had they signed themselves up for? Raksha checking on Xeena/asking who else needs healing. Solanaeae tending to Nithian The string of curses that left the Amazonians mouth were nothing compared to the ones said as her dragon flung her aside from the spewing acid. Thankfully all of it was in her native language. While the large woman managed to dodge most of the acid her partner was not so lucky. Solanaeae hissed as drops of acid splattered against his side and wing. He quickly wiped away what had hit his side with his wing before brushing his dissolving feathers against the ground. He lost a little bit of plumage while keeping him and his rider’s injuries to a minimum. The small dragon swung around and tried to take stock of who had gotten injured. The sight of the twisted creature commandeering the two bodies sent a sickening chill down his spine. He tried to force down the panic and focus on what needed to be done. His rider chose to focus on something else. “Don’ let it touch ya!” Unfortunately the call came to late. The creature had managed to get close to one of the others and make a grab for her. Raksha let out another string of unintelligible curses as she charged forward. She swung her hammer at the ground where the dismembered and disintegrating arm had dropped. There was no way she was going to touch the damn thing after what she had just seen. She sent it off flying into the burning pile of flesh Josiah had set ablaze. She grimaced as she eyed the pyre of flesh and bones. Things had just gotten a bit more complicated. The large woman swung around and raised her voice for them all to hear. “Oy! New rule, no touchin’ tha creepy bits! Also whoever got hurt raise ya damn hands.” She then turned her attention to Xeena as her own dragon made his way through the others. Golden eyes fixed on the other woman as she gave her a quick once over before focusing on where the creature had grabbed her. “Didn’ break skin or go all melty on ya did it?” She wasn’t sure what the hell she would do if it. A healer had to heal even if it was something they had never had to face before. While his rider dealt with the forest rider Solanaeae made his way through the others toward where he heard the call for a medic. He came upon one of the dire pairs who had not been so lucky with the spray of acid. His antenna twitched worriedly as he carefully stepped up to the large wolf. He had to be careful not to alarm the dire when he got to work. They were all already on edge enough as it is. “Please hold very still. I shall have to undo the bandages so it will hurt some.” He waited for Nithian to ready himself before setting to work on the bandages. The rosemary undid the quick wrapping as gently as he could before applying a fair good amount of his saliva upon the wound. His antenna twitched once more as he concentrated on healing the wound as quickly and safely as possible. “Are any of you else hurt?” He looked between the other human and the dire before looking to the gryphon. He could see a few small bits of acid had caught the poor creature. “Oh my you poor thing. Hold on I’ll get you fixed up as well.” He then swung his head back towards the packs upon his back. “Serket please fetch me some of the bandages and ointments.” The sound of shifting stones could be heard as he turned his attention back to the dire pair. “Would your gryphon prefer to have you apply my saliva or would he be fine letting me tend to him?” The sound grew louder upon his back before cutting as a black form leapt from his back. The stone creature landed with a thunk as her claws sunk into the hard ground. A stone tail swayed over the lowest body as the stone scorpion made its way to the front of the dragon. When she reached the side of the dire she held up one of the smaller satchels with her large pincers. “Thank you very much Serket.” Her barbed tail dipped down slightly as she acknowledged the words of thanks. She watched silently not realizing her appearance may be a bit disturbing after what had just occurred. |
![]() |
|
| Chirpadee | Nov 5 2014, 09:45 AM Post #38 |
![]()
behold her lovely plumage
![]()
|
Akiko and Ana getting down to healing. Anastesia taking Thorn and Sasha, Akiko asking after the untended dires Akiko watched through limbs and bodies in silent speculation. Getting herself tangled in that mess of grotesque limbs would do no one any good. A healer dyeing to that thing meant less could be saved. Everything felt surreal, the way of nightmares. Unfortunately this was waking. She had been here before and seen these things. They had thought they had cleared the problem, clearly they had been very wrong. The solid woman kept her head and adjusted her pack as the others swirled like a hurricane about the beast. Anastesia watched with more of her usual impassive calm, her hands flicking through mudras the rider did not recognize, rarely used symbols to protect and bless their comrads. Akiko did not bother giving them prayers or charms. That wasn’t her nature, she did not believe in any spirit or energy as watching over them. They were alone and this hellish monstrosity was going to die one way or another. Fire glowed and the shrieking of the felled horror faded. The pair cringed at the noise and remained at their removed location for a few extra moments. Akiko did not want the thing to come launching at them aflame and still seeking blood. After a brief pause it seemed the monster truly was dead. The scent of burning flesh churned the dragoness’ stomach as she set back towards the others without a word to her bonded. There were things to be done and people to care for. Her hands formed a worried mudra as she wove her way to the front. Thankfully someone else was tending to those closest to the center. Instead her many eyes roved outwards to the other pairs. The two her eyes met first were Thorn and Shasha. Her many eyes scanned them over, assessing the damages faster than the average healer. Her small hands immediately went to work as she crossed the remaining distance. Her serene calm seemed to be restored. Outside the strange events she was back to self. The latch on her pack was unhooked and she began removing jars, checking them in a careful sort of way before sliding them back into their spots. After three tries she removed the things she wanted. A fat pot of salve and a large skein of water. “May I tend to the pair of you?” She asked politely and folded the pouch closed once more. “I am remiss to ask, but if you would please lower yourself I will be better able to handle cleaning the wounds. I apologize I could not be here sooner these look rather severe. Could you tell me your current level of pain so I know if I need to numb either of you before I work?” Her eyes swung to the rider and she turned her head, knowing full well most could not tell where her attention laid. Her pedipalps shifted together and she offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I have dealt with worse. Now that the creature is…” she glanced over to the smoldering pile of limbs then forced herself to look away. Her stomach turned. This was not the first time she had smelled singed flesh, but it certainly was the most uncomfortable circumstance, “dead, I feel it is safe to take the necessary time.” Akiko watched Ana take her place among the wounded and started her own rounds. One of the older healers seemed to have the front lines covered so she wove between the others and paused at the trio of dire riders who had moved to protect one of their own. She did not approach without warning. Going anywhere near a dire handler without permission or ample discourse could get you bit, or worse. So she held up her hands to make sure she was well seen. “Does anyone here need aid? Are your dires hurt?” Her tone was clipped, but she kept her eyes on the humans instead of the wolves. No need to get herself attacked by her allies. |
![]() |
|
| Inkdragon | Nov 5 2014, 12:17 PM Post #39 |
![]()
m e g s
|
Ndogo and Rise inspect the corpse, and speaks to Josiah The young woman grinned as her aim held true. Soon enough the thing went down in rolls of raw meat and oozy innards, a sight that, oddly enough, didn't bother her. In fact, she was curious. If anything, it was the good-natured Ndogo that was having an issue. Even as Josiah set to fire the corpse, Rise urged Ndogo nearer, where she could see it better. This was very, very interesting. Her brain ticking away as it always did, she glanced up further into the jungle. There seemed to be less stress in the air, as if every leaf went limp with a relieved sigh. Ndogo's tail twitched, but he didn't dance away from the burning, and very smelly, remains of the corpses. "Josiah," Rise addressed the man as she looked to him. "What would be your suggestion? Go in now, or wait until dawn?" A part of her wanted to go now, another did not. It would need to be a group decision, unless a few of them charged in despite the possible dangers. Waiting until dawn could mean they miss out on an important clue, but also, it could mean they avoid something that would otherwise have the advantage of the night. Getting opinions seemed safe enough to do for now. Sasha urges Alwin and Havilah home, with Caspian as escort; Thorn and Sasha are seen to by Ana (Thy and I planned this out, since she is pulling her characters out of this thread) Thankfully numbed against the acid injury, Sasha briefly turned her attention to the monster that was being bombarded by attacks before making her way to Alwin. His fear was nearly tangible, but then so where many others, but she knew this man. While she didn't think he wasn't capable, she knew this adventure was not for him. He seemed to be frozen in shock when she stepped up to him. Grasping his shoulders, she gave him a gentle shake. "Alwin," she tried but he either couldn't speak or just couldn't find the right words. Carefully, she lead him back to Havilah while signaling over to Caspian, and when they were assembled, she spoke again. "Caspian, if it wouldn't cause you any trouble, could you escort them back to the Academy?" She and Thorn both helped the terrified man back up onto the earthen dragoness. "Alwin, I don't doubt your ability, my friend, but this fight isn't for you at the present time. I will keep an eye on Nithian for you." She squeezed his shoulder with the hand that was actually still working, and slid back down Havilah's leg to the ground. The forest pair watched the four leave, and while Sasha felt bad, knew this was necessary. Alwin would only bring more injury to himself if that fear kept locking him to the spot. “May I tend to the pair of you?” Both turned to see the familiar rosemary, and Sasha couldn't help but smile. Ana had played a big part in her mental recovery during her long stay in the infirmary after the war. "Thorn has numbed us, but we would appreciate your help," Sasha expressed. At the rosemary's request, Thorn tucked down on his legs and laid his wings out with a faint twitch so that the splashed upon area could be seen more easily. "Thank you," Thorn said politely, sad yet relieved to see his mate go back to the Academy. "How are you and your rider fairing through this so far?" |
![]() |
|
| Zinc | Nov 6 2014, 11:32 AM Post #40 |
![]()
The Owl Waife
![]()
|
Ryle and Valigar inspecting the scene, to Rise and Josiah The creature, while terrifying nightmare fuel to be certain, was as mortal as the ones before it in the years past had been. Valigar needed to make no more move towards it, and Ryle had no time to get there before others acted and tore it to pieces. To end the thing’s misery or perhaps it’s existence altogether with no heed for pain or suffering, the drifter that Ryle had sometimes seen called in to candidate lessons came forward and with a lit match, burned the thing to ashes before them. Ryle watched the remains go up in smoke, while behind her, Valigar’s head went up. “Ryle,” he murmured to his rider. “That smell…the one I smelled before…it’s here again. Can you sense it this time?” He asked her. Ryle’s head lifted, and she looked around. “Something’s not right here.” She stared at the forest for a long moment before she looked over in Josiah’s direction, her eyes narrowing a touch. One of the Dire riders had approached him, and she followed suit, though she was hardly going to be begging for direction. Ryle knew all about different kinds of trouble. Josiah certainly didn’t look dangerous, but something in mind was screaming ‘snake’. She didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. But then again, she didn’t tend to trust the ranging types. Her first experiences with Zan had taught her something upon that point. Sheathing her blades as she went she spoke up to Rise. “From what I saw the last time, I’d say it’d be a better idea to go after it now. Especially if we keep to fairly decent sized groups. These things…” she looked back at the ash piles, “Aren’t exactly sturdy, though they’re extremely dangerous. So long as we keep them at bay using our dragons and weapons, we could stand a chance.” She looked off at the woods a moment, brows furrowing. “The longer we wait…the more time we spend here…the more chances we have of being attacked over and over again and being seriously injured for it. If we go and find the source of this,” and she was quite certain there was one, “We can nip it in the bud now before it gets any worse.” She glanced back and forth between Rise and Josiah. While she certainly wasn’t looking for direction from either of them…feedback couldn’t hurt. But still, she wouldn’t be afraid to try to implement her plan. Some things needed to be taken care of head on rather than waiting. |
![]() |
|
|
|
Nov 6 2014, 01:43 PM Post #41 |
![]()
Loves characters who write themselves
|
Alix and Ammit regrouping. Alix to Makani Raw power was something that most Earth dragons possessed in spades, and like the rest of her breed, Ammit was no different. Within the span of a moment, slate claws had crashed into the ground. With no natural way to withstand the blow, the earth underneath heaved and shattered from the force. Crouching low, Ammit twisted her paw for good measure before lifting it up. What little satisfaction she had received in the moment faded when she lifted her paw. She had missed! Lips curled into the beginnings of a snarl, and the female's blazing eyes racked over the surrounding forest, or what was left of it from her attack. As the realization of her partial failure sunk in, a deep bellow of anger sounded in the female's throat. “Damn it!” She roared. How the hell had she missed?! Baring her numerous pointed teeth, the Earth moved to follow the miserable creature deeper into the forest. Her spiked tail lashed, knocking down any tree that saw fit to bar its path. Unfortunately, the darkness and the tree-line prevented her from seeing where the hideous creature had fled to. By the time Lumieré's light arrived, the Earth managed to catch a glimpse of the animal heading back around towards the main group. Instantly, thoughts of her rider sparked to life inside her mind. Alix was still on the ground! A quick glance towards the trajectory of the monster, and the Earthen female veered away. At least she had driven the beast towards the other members of the group. Between all of them, they would be able to find a way to kill it, of that she was certain. Right now, she needed to protect what was hers. On the ground, the contingency had quickly scattered once the abomination had escaped from Ammit's blow. Alix had been no different, seeking refuge from the beast's path near several others who had escaped the frenzy. She watched as her brave companions challenged the otherworldly creature, her dark eyes immediately focusing on Xeena, the Forest rider from earlier. Things quickly descended into a flurry of combat once the woman had lopped off the creature's arm. Blades, claws, and elements coalesced as human, dragon, and dire attempted to fell the monstrosity before them. A small ground tremble alerted the girl to her Bonded's return a moment later. The rider's heart sang as she darted from her cover, her legs working to close the distance between them. Leaping onto Ammit's lowered neck, Alix gripped handfuls of the flaxen hair. With the adrenalin singing in her veins, the rider climbed up onto her Earth's great shoulders through strength alone. One in her natural place, the rider hid herself within the thicket of blond hair. Once settled, Alix cursed herself for her behavior in their current situation. How she envied her comrades bravery in the face of that creature. Everyone else had raised arms and joined the fight, while she skittered away like a dog with its tail between its legs. It was in moments like these that she hated herself for her cowardice. What kind of a soldier was she?! Soldiers didn't get scared! And they sure as hell didn't run away! Biting her lip, Alix forced herself to crawl up Ammit's neck, only stopping once she reached the flat crown of the female's head. Ragged breaths sounded as the fear induced flood of hormones burned from her system. The rider could feel her heart thud deep in her chest as she parted the hair on Ammit's head. Craning to get a better look at the ground below, her gaze was immediately drawn to the blaze of fire that had consumed the eldritch creature in mere moments. With the threat gone, at least for the moment, Alix cast her gaze over all that were still gathered. She wished that she could leave with them, but she had promised to stick this thing out until the end. She couldn't leave without knowing that this problem would be resolved once and for all. Sliding back down to Ammit's shoulders, an involuntary shiver passed down Alix's back as she looked out towards the forest, and then the town itself. While she would have preferred to make camp for the night, she couldn't deny the validity in Josiah and Ryle's suggestions. Besides that, previous experience told her that waiting would do nothing but delay the problem, and give it a chance to slip away again as it had the last time. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she grabbed a handful of Ammit's mane and directed the Earth to come up beside the Celestial Talon. Pushing the curls back from her face, Alix waved to get Makani's attention. She tried her best to stop her voice from shaking as she spoke. “I agree with Josiah. I saw we keep going. We can't afford to make the same mistakes as last time.” As much as it frightened her to go back into that jungle, she knew that if they followed the same path, it would only end in ruin for the people of this area once they left. They had to end this once and for all. |
![]() |
|
| Nherva | Nov 10 2014, 05:40 PM Post #42 |
|
Lurker Queen
![]()
|
Ryker reacting to Josiah's suggestion, Invidia still not as concerned as she should be It was all with abject horror and frozen feet that the Rosemary rider watched the battle unfold. He had next to no part in it, his cowardice keeping him far enough away from the stinking, acid-spitting thing as he could. It was all he could do not to force Invidia back into the air and back to the Academy where it was safe. They'd likely get thrown in some stockade or assigned to something worse for desertion, though, so it was just as well that he couldn't even form the words to react to what was happening. Even as Xeena valiantly faced off with the disgusting thing and the others did their part, he was just trying not to wet himself. Invidia was the only one that was truly privy to his fear and disgust. It was all over in a heartbeat, though it felt like it had taken much longer than that to put the creature down. While it melted in flames and decay, Ryker leaned against his dragon. Invidia turned her head toward him, her deep green eyes narrowed. She wasn't amused. "You are such a chicken. Never thought the likes of me would be bonded to the damsel in distress," she gave an exasperated sigh. "Don't look at me, you didn't exactly leap in to be helpful yourself," Ryker bit back caustically. He wasn't about to stand accused of being afraid by someone who also hadn't gotten much closer to the thing. "I was protecting you dollface. See?" She nearly shoved the giant feathers at the end of her tail into his face so he could see the acid burned hole from the creature's first attack. "My first battlescar all thanks to you. We should see what the big shots have to say about this. I guess it's over?" The last was a question rather than a statement. It hadn't occurred to the young Rosemary that this wasn't just an isolated event. They hadn't been on the last investigation, hadn't seen the things that they'd seen tonight. She wasn't exactly sure that she wanted to know that there were more of those things out there in the jungle. But when Josiah spoke about finishing the business while they had the chance, her blood felt like it turned to ice. "Is he fucking crazy? He's not suggesting we go in there?" Ryker's voice had dropped to a whisper. The last place he wanted to be was in that deep, dark jungle with a sword at his side that he didn't know how to use and a Rosemary dragon that didn't really know how to heal or fight properly. At least, if she knew how to fight, she was keeping it a secret from him. "Pretty sure he is. Crazy," Invidia had the audacity to sound more amused than afraid. "Let's go." "I'm not going in there." Ryker's face was hard to pick out in the darkness, but she didn't have to see it to know he was suffering from a bone deep fear the likes of which he had never encountered, which was making it difficult for him to even function. He was meant for high stations, counting money, making deals, not swinging swords and crawling through mud and dank forest. He wasn't a warrior, and in his mind, that was all the reason he needed to go back to the Academy and never look back. But he was bonded to a dragon now. He was part of the Sekkaian military whether he liked it or not. No highborn blood had helped him bond the dragon he'd planned to bond, and he'd had to accept that and make due with it. When it came down to it, his true fear was that something would happen to the dragon he had bonded and grown to care for, and he couldn't see that happen and blame himself for the rest of his life. Invidia was the smallest of the dragon breeds, and she wasn't even large for her size. These things weren't large, but they could kill her as easily as something could by stepping on her. Ryker had to admit that he hadn't thought of Invidia as anything but fragile as the rose she seemed to embody. And she was a lady, she wasn't meant for things like this. Invidia, however, was oblivious to all these thoughts and facts swimming around in her rider's head, and just thought he was a giant chicken. "Oh come on you big baby. Afraid you'll get stepped on?" She raised one pink eyebrow at him, as though she couldn't believe he'd be afraid when they had so many big dragons on their side. Not to mention a unit of dires that were smaller even than she was. Ryker just gave her a wordless grunt and a hard look before turning to group up with the rest, coming along just in time to hear Ryle's words as she agreed that going now would be the best thing to do. Naviki and Alsvior, responding to Akiko One second it was coming after them, in the next it was upon them. At the same time, every single dire and rider present converged upon it, attacking it this way and that until it was defeated, dying in the light of Lumiere's element and turning to a pile of decay and bloody ashes. Naviki felt a wave of relief wash over her as its dying shriek filled the area. Alsvior came to her side for support and the woman leaned against her. "Thank goodness," the woman sighed, though she still kept her tight-knuckled grip on her staff. "Next time don't throw me," she swatted Alsvior about the ears gently. She wasn't truly angry, just winded and frightened. She could feel no pain from her beast, so that meant that whatever had just happened--it had happened almost too fast for her to keep track of--it hadn't harmed her. She felt whole aside from the ache in her spine when she'd been thrown off. That was when she heard a woman's voice inquiring about the dires surrounding her. She answered, "No...no I think we're okay, thank you." She referred to herself and Alsvior. "What was that thing?" Naviki wasn't sure anyone could even answer her question, but it was worth a shot. They were a part of this thing now and they were going to have to see it through to the end unless they had to withdraw because of injury. Alsvior was still tense, she could feel that well enough. The moonrunner still wanted to hunt. She could smell that strange scent underlying the closer, more pungent scent of decay and she wanted to find its source. It was no normal smell, nothing she had ever encountered before, and she was as curious as she seemed to be angered that the creature now burning had attacked her and her own. The direwolf made a sound at Tobias, perhaps thanking him for answering her call, Naviki wasn't sure. She was too focused on overhearing the conversation between Josiah, another of the direriders and the Shadowguarde that had shown up soon after the thing had made its appearance. Perhaps Alsvior would get the hunt she wished for after all. |
![]() |
|
| CloakAndDagger | Nov 15 2014, 09:37 AM Post #43 |
![]()
THE DUNGEON MASTER
![]()
|
Josiah to Ndogo/Rise, Rile/Valigar; Going all in Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Though the pressure of the situation and, perhaps, the pressure of the jungle itself had released like a held breath after the monster had been delt with, the tension of the unknowable future lingered. By all accounts, because they’d seen again what they were dealing with, the stakes were rising to an apprehensive, kinetic zenith instead of diminishing with experience. This was just the outskirts. Any good tactician or infestation always sent a scout first while the army and the infection waited. And, though he hadn’t said as much, Josiah had caught a glimpse of just how bad it could get. He’d killed a man for that, but better to let the military discover it all on their own. Back at the fire and away from his thoughts, voices began to spring up again in the shadow of their small victory. The dire rider asked him honestly if they should go so soon, and, moments later, the late coming shadowguarde answered with her own, likely battle tested opinions. Now or later? Josiah, without so much as looking at any of the others for their reactions, discreetly nodded. Why postpone the inevitable. “If we stay, we’ll keep having to greet the same old thing again and again. And that won’t make any difference to anyone if they start going for a different target elsewhere while dealing with us. I say we go in and give them a nice, warm welcome. Burn the heart out of ‘em.” He took the burning stick from his mouth. “Can’t fight an infection if you only deal with the symptoms.” He knew this jungle was considered sekkian territory, but he’d seen more patrols fly over it than go through it. This dense, humid landscape was not known for its ease of navigability. Even after an expansion and a war, he’d be willing to bet that much of it hadn’t even been mapped. No better place for something to settle in and grow. The darkness was the best place for secrets. “And tell you what,” he said as he backtracked and bent down. Josiah picked up the pack next to the man he’d killed. “Just to play fair, I’ll go first. I think we can agree that I won’t block anyone’s view.” He chuckled and looked up and down Lumi. Then, the man snugly fitting the dark hat to his head. He threw the pack over his shoulder and walked heel to toe away from the bonfire of burning meat. The smell was pervasive, but, at the edge of the jungle, as the soil sank underfoot, something seemed to take the edge off the charring, repulsive flesh. At a slow pace, he walked in as if taking a stroll along a familiar path. He didn’t seem to mind the dark that licked at the edges of his smoldering cigarette. The red, smoking plume was minuscule in the depths. And, though the moonlight penetrated some here, it would only get darker farther in. As well, the musk became a perceivable presence as they passed the initial tree-line. It was like perfume and liquor and honey. “Makes me think of that kid from last time. Had no idea what he was in for, did he?” His voice was alone in the jungle aside from the sounds of the party itself. There was only silence here. |
![]() |
|
| Nherva | Nov 18 2014, 01:17 PM Post #44 |
|
Lurker Queen
![]()
|
Naviki and Alsvior, entering the jungle, Naviki feeling more than uncomfortable and reaching out to anyone that cares to hear what she has to say After that first spike of adrenaline wore off, Naviki was able to re-mount her dire once more. It seemed, based on what she was hearing, that they would not simply be going home after that. There was something else, something deeper and far more horrific waiting. If they wanted to stop this thing before it spread to the comfortable areas of the Academy and Lihn, they were going to have to go root it out. That did not sit well with her at all. But she wasn't about to have a sentence for desertion hanging over her head. And so, they followed Josiah into the jungle, others close at hand. There could be anything lurking in the darkness, and despite the cautious swiveling of Alsvior's keen ears, the silence was more unnerving than comforting. Naviki would have given anything for even a sliver of sound, something to pinpoint, something to watch out for. As it was, only the footsteps of dragons and the sounds of brush and undergrowth being stepped on and pushed out of the way were the only sounds. It wasn't until several minutes into the hike that Naviki started to feel that all-too-familiar twisting in her gut. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and it wasn't from the humidity. Frustrated, she rubbed down the hairs that were standing on end on her forearms. Alsvior growled low, a barely audible sound as she sensed her bonded's distress, but kept walking anyway, her golden eyes fixed upon Josiah, that strange man she didn't trust. The first time Naviki heard something was when she knew it wasn't just her nerves from seeing that thing from before. "Keep going," she grit her teeth and bade her dire to keep moving even as the wolf's muscles twitched to pause. There were things out here. Emotions twisted into a cacophony of unseen and mostly unfelt voices and faces. Naviki couldn't see anything in the dark, but as she felt before on several occasions, she felt them now. Hurting, screaming, crying, invisible hands like claws grabbing at her hair, her skin, and her clothing. She urged Alsvior closer to the head of the pack where she could speak to Josiah and the others who knew more about this than she did, "How long did you say this has been going on?" She asked curiously, something in her voice revealing the upset she felt in the otherwise silent dark of the jungle. No one else could hear them, or see them, and she couldn't either, but she could sense them as though the voices and grabbing hands were real. But they weren't, she knew they weren't, and she had to keep her cool. "This is really bad...really bad news," she felt herself stammer. She never stammered, until this happened. Feeling the things she could feel made her feel like a frightened child huddling in a corner. Finally, Alsvior paused. "There's so much death here...," her eyes had become unfocused and she stopped paying attention to the group of dragons and riders that accompanied them. What she was saying probably didn't even make any sense to anyone. Likely, they'd think her completely crazy. But if she could get a handle on it, it might help her help everyone else find the source of the entire disgusting mess. |
![]() |
|
| Silverfeather | Nov 19 2014, 02:07 PM Post #45 |
|
Samurai Pizza Feather
|
Nithian and Tiberius watching the earth pair leave and then braving the forest, falling into place with Naviki. Nithian froze when the large dragon suddenly approached him. He turned pleading eyes to the Earth rider, but he was already leaving, without much of a word and Nithian didn’t know how to respond to that--someone else was already tending to them, leading them away and Nithian frowned slightly. But he couldn’t ignore the rosemary that had come to help him. With mute terror, more at the dragon now that suddenly wanted to tend to him, he let the dragon look at the bandages. “I--I already washed it.” He stuttered out, very very uncomfortable with the sudden dragon kept tending to his arm. Nithian had been to the infirmary a few times, but usually he dealt with the riders. They had more sympathetic ear, but out here in the field, he couldn’t be picky or choosy. So, having more fear towards the dragon tending to his arm, than the thing that everyone was currently fighting he held his breath, watching every single movement that the dragon did. When He was done with him, he grabbed a hold of the still squawking gryphon and held him tight. “H-hold Still Skysong. He’s just gonna….help you. Stay” The gryphon didn’t like being held down, though with the acid washed out, there was nothing left but the patches and the raw cracked skin beneath it. “Y-You’ll have to work fast, he doesn’t l-like his back end b-being messed with” Nithian couldn’t stop the stutter that had crept into his voice. He had to deal with the dragon. He didn’t say much, letting the dragon work with the gryphon, managing to avoid claws and beak. When the dragon was finished, he bowed to the dragon. “T-Thank you. I. Uh. I don’t need any other help.” He sputtered out, trying to be polite. But he felt like a fish out of water. Tiberius whined and huffed beneath him, his own eyes turned to the dragon that had started to make his rider uncomfortable. Tiberius himself wasn’t hurt, but this dragon was making his rider nervous, and Tiberius decided it couldn’t hurt to keep on eye out on the being. They didn’t even comment on the scorpion gargoyle that clittered around the dragon. When the dragon finished with the gryphon, Skysong turned and hissed before finding a hidden saddlebag pocket to hide himself in, and to gather the rest of his dignity. “I-If you would excuse me” His arm ached, but it wasn’t a bad ache, and he moved closer to the front of the group to hear the tail end of the conversation. So they would be going to be going after whatever they had first discovered. Tiberius huffed, and then decided that it would be best to move up to Naviki and alsvior. Nithian had worked with them in lessons, but he barely knew them. But Tiberius seemed to feel better with a pack, a member like himself. He shuffled along, as Skysong found a pocket in the saddle bags to hide in, deciding that it would be safer in their rather than exposed. He didn't say much, but he felt better being around the Dires rather than the dragons, and some sort of familiar face rather than none at all. What was he supposed to say? There was death here, his own dire could sense it, the gryphon huddled in a pack sensed it. Finally, he felt he had to say something, she didn't look like she was calming down. "Hey, You're gonna be alright. We'll stick together. As long as we do that, we'll get out of here alive." He finally spoke softly, ignoring the ache in his arms. He was just as terrified, but they had to trust in each other. He had held most of his composure with a strange dragon, he could trust the others and his own partner to help as well. “Perhaps we can talk about something else, nothing too distracting but something to help calm down?” He knew that always helped him to calm down just abit was to talk about something else while being focused on the task at hand. Iniiki and Wan following after, Shi feeling proud by his kill. It was a satisfying feeling, his claws digging into the things flesh, effectively squishing it. The blood and guts covering his claw made the rider shiver, but the air took a step back and started to shake it off. A proud look on his face. He had neutralized the threat to his rider, to the others. He stood back as the flame hit the corpse and wrinkled his nose at the smell. Not very appetizing. But other than that, he felt slightly proud of himself. He shook himself and then moved to listen to the group as they made their decision. Iniiki piped up that he agreed. They should take it out as soon as possible. Iniiki had bad feelings about going in at night, but as long as the celestial provided enough light from the orbs, the group should be alright. "Don't let your pride make you foolish, Shi. You managed to kill half of it. That was only one. There could be more. They look like they can climb if they really wanted too." Iniiki hissed down to his own dragon. Shi sighed, and took to following the group, minding the dires around. He didn't want to accidentally squish anyone. They followed in silence. Shi's overlarge eyes and ears taking in anything and everything. They didn't want to be taken by surprise. |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Dense Jungle · Next Topic » |

Player Guide
News Portal
Members
Calender
Gold Shop












5:40 PM Jul 10