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| Something Wicked This Way Comes... Again; Finished | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 26 2014, 04:14 PM (1,724 Views) | |
| CloakAndDagger | Nov 26 2014, 06:53 PM Post #46 |
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THE DUNGEON MASTER
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Josiah leads them to a fork; He takes a particular path The oppression of this dense world pressed in on them the farther they walked. The silvered moon, already a distant figure above a lofty canopy, became more and more thickly hidden by the closely growing trees. The black became thick as pitch, and, with the humidity rolling down on the uncertain gathering, it almost felt as if they were drinking the dark with every bit of air gulped. They were engulfed by the forest: the trees, the dark, the humidity, the smells. Above the omnipresent, water thick air, the musk streamed pervasively. It was a deep smell. It went straight to the head, especially for the smaller dragons, like a quick drink. And it perfumed the undercurrents of rot and renewal all around them. Beneath the sweet smelling scent, there was musty dirt and decaying leaves and death, and not all of it natural. The dark hatted man, not being privy to the same senses and thoughts that were going through Navaki’s head, didn’t realize the reasons for the concern knit in her question. “Not sure. It was around two years ago. I know that. Before then, I don’t know. But it doesn’t seem like something easily able to pop up overnight. Ye need time to weedle yourself into the jungle like this.” His hard boot threw up a dirt clod that kicked and hit and broke its way down a low angle embankment. “But I don’t doubt about the death. People used to try to settle deeper into the jungle before they realized that the best result of that was the jungle spitting them out again. I can’t imagine all of them made it out. And I’m sure that, whatever this leech-snake problem is, it’s not helpin things. “I don’t see much else to talk about, though.” Josiah’s accented drawl was a reply to Nithian, who seemed to be having his own problems. “And can’t exactly play I-Spy or anything when ye can’t see anything.” That questioned a bit on how, exactly, he was leading them on. Moments later, however, a small kindling woke up as he struck a match against a torch head he’d rummaged out of the pack on his shoulder (which may or may not have been his to begin with). “Where are y’all from, anyway? I don’t normally see such a range of types from the academy.” The question was left hanging, however, as Josiah met an momentary impasse. So far, he’d led them more than just a ways into the vined forest. They’d been traveling for at least more than half an hour into the depths, but there had been the remains of a lost path that the man had seemed to follow through the darkness. One rusty path was as good as another, and now they had two to choose from. The original way seemed to fork against the side of a massive tree. One way led left and one right, but there was no telling just which was the right way or if they were even going the right way in the first place. Both seemed to have been scored by feet or something else fairly recently. Josiah stooped to the ground. His boots sank into the soft soil. Taking the torch toward the split, he looked one way and then another. The flame, lapping at the humidity, flickered and roved around its perch. They looked the restless pair together. Then, like a man traveling alone, he picked a path and followed it without any regard to those behind him. He went right, and he stepped alongside a set of drag-marks that, now and again, could be seen as hoofprints. Just ahead, something dripped slowly onto the lower jungle foliage. Plip. Plip. And, along the left-hand path, the musk grew more present and more pervasive. It was overpowering. (((OCC))) The musk grows stronger the farther in they go. At the fork, small dragons will be feeling as if mildly to moderately intoxicated. Larger dragons may feel buzzed or calm. You can either all go with Josiah or take the other path. Both have ends. Fun ends. |
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| Silverfeather | Jan 23 2015, 07:52 PM Post #47 |
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Samurai Pizza Feather
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Inniki and Shi taking the path not traveled by Josiah With the plan in action, the air pair fell in line. Wide eyes gazed around them, as they kept an easy pace with the group. To the pair, the shadows held danger, and the owl dragon carefully stepped in, claws digging into the ground. Some pairs spoke to each other, preferring to stave off the fear with light comradeship. But, even the hushed words didn't seem to cut through the thick fog. The pair could have said something, but what? The horror that they were witnessing, were digging deeper to find the cause of, kept them on edge. Nothing, not anything in the mans life could have prepared him for the dead like body-snatchers that seemed to keep popping up this night. And now they sought the cause, the nest. It couldn't be any sort of dragon could it? He couldn't think of any dragon that had the ability to do that, and the thing looked to be intelligent. Intelligent to a point that they could seek out hosts. one hand on his dagger, his other found the feathery fluff of his dragon. His dragon, seethed inside. It had felt good for the raptor to have clenched the thing that had thrown his rider and the others in potential danger into two. Of course, he hadn't done it alone, but had quickly severed most of it. Slowing it down for the rest to take care of the animated flesh. The owl dragon clicked his beak, his feathers fluffed in agitation. Anyone could tell the owl dragon was on edge, but even the merc could tell with the rolling emotions that bounced between them. When Josiah directed a question to the group, the merc, scoffed. There was nothing that the man wanted to say. The darkness illuminated briefly by the striking of the light. Though, he coughed when Shi stumbled suddenly, before righting himself. "You alright?" Iniiki asked, peering down at the owl dragon. "I'sh be alright." He hooted out, shaking his head. As they walked, the scent, the musk started to get thicker. At least for the dragon at the moment, and his slightly heaving breathing, it started to make him feel woozy. He stumbled again. Iniiki gripped the saddle when Shi started to become woozy on his feet. "I-is it just me or or are there more than one pash now?" Shi hooted out, shaking his head again. Iniiki blinked, staring down at his dragon. "Yes there is two paths." He could see it quite more clearly than his own dragon thought he could. The other merc that lead them on, started down one. But while others started to follow, Iniiki peered down the other. "Follow the left path." "You got it." He fluffed, all agitation slowly draining from his feathers. As they broke from the path, iniiki blinked. "We should be on our guard. We don't know what is out there, Shi" Iniiki whispered, wondering if any of the others had decided to follow. "Guard. rriight" He hooted, suddenly poofing up. "We can be the best. Best. right." he hiccuped. The longer the owl dragon bathed in the musk that wafted like a thick fog among the dense foilage, the more Shi was affected by it. And then he did something that Iniiki rarely heard the dragon do. He giggled. Already his steps were not in a straight line. He wavered, as if he had finally started to feel the effects of a second barrel of alcohol. "We can do this, and then go back. and lots of fish. Yes. Fish. Meats. Party." the owl cooed, giggling again. Yes this was a good idea. "Shi. What. are you babbling about. Are...Are you...Drunk?" But that didn't make any sense to the air rider. "Is anyone else feeling this?" He blinked as shi hooted. "I am feeling this. I am feeling like I am everything. I will have everything. I really. want. Food now." Shi hooted. "Shi. Stay. On Task." "Yeah yeah, I know. Follow the trail. Squish the things that are doing this." Shi hooted. "I think that can be easy. And then we can have all the fish." Iniiki blinkedl slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. What were they walking into? "Yes. Shi. All the fish." |
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| CloakAndDagger | Jan 25 2015, 06:05 PM Post #48 |
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THE DUNGEON MASTER
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Two roads diverged in a blackened wood, And sorry I could not avoid both I looked down one as far as I could To where it peered back from the undergrowth. As Josiah, with his lapping torch gleaning warily through the omnipresent shade, went the right of two ways. His unfaltering silhouette, heedless to those behind, dredged onward to whatever decision he’d made for himself at the fork, and his shape folded into the deep of the jungle. Whatever others chose -- it was their own choice and not any of his business. Given the nature of what they’d already seen, he imagined neither were very empty. Taking the one more traveled by would have made no difference. Left Path Devoid of what little light Josiah bore with him, those that walked the left path were engulfed. Only those with keen night vision would have any sense of direction here, unless the heavy footsteps of those in front were enough of a guide. The silence spilled here too as an inescapable emptyness -- a hollow void in want of filling. Shi, however, had quaffed the musk and the jungle smells into his lungs, and was now likely feeling a luxurious warmth of character. Like a velvet glove, the musk beckoned him onward with a promise of intoxication and adventure. The smell curled like a finger, asking. And, the farther they went, the more it seemed to beg and comfort and cajole until it was blanketing them in the warmth of home and the confusion of inebriation. As this half of the party wandered on, though, the dark undercurrent rose up and was no longer so stifled by the voluptuous figure of the musk. If they were aware enough to care, they would smell rot here. And they would smell it everywhere. As the path sloped downward, a lone shaft of delicate moonlight cut in through the canopy. Like a comparative bolt of lightning, it shot through the darkness and, for a moment, finally, there was enough light to squint and see the treelines ahead. It was a trickle, but against the tartarus they had been forced into, a mere sip was more than enough to indulge in. Even with that little opening, it was just enough for a fresh breath beyond the humidity. It was beautiful. But only for a moment. As those eager for the light tread down into the lower area, two things stuttered like jack-in-the-box at their flanks. They rose up, then fell. Then they rolled like fleshy hoops on broken backs and broken limbs downward to meet the party below. Right Path Josiah, walking onward without that entrapping shaft of light, was no less wary of treachery on his side. He was a man forged in a furnace of untested danger and he knew a snare when he saw one. These things were the gruesome sort, but they were smart -- or, at least one of them was. It wasn’t everyday that creatures, ordinary or eldrich, worked so well on so few words. Even he had to rely on the spoken sound or gesture to tell someone something necessary -- like to fuck off or to kindly fuck off or to just go on and fucking fuck off, those sorts of things. Fortunately, that was rarely needed these days, but he may just have a moment for something like it today. It seemed like that sort of moment. Plip Plip The dripping sound grew louder as he ventured further. It had seemed close enough before, but, something about the silence of the jungle made the odd sound travel farther than it should have. The dark hatted man began to realize, as he moved the torch around and listened to what little sounds were afforded in the dead silence, that he’d been walking straight into what felt like a tunnel. It was true that the claustrophobia of the thick, unknowable forest had felt like a cavern before, but this was something so much more true to form and not just metaphoric. He slowed and spread what little sense he had. He was no dragon, but the musk was in him now too, and the world felt just enough off kilter to pull him off track. Plip The droplet landed thickly just to the side of him. Josiah brought the burning light to the ground, what he found was a mess of mud and trampled, rotting foliage. Something here was slick and light against the mass of brown and black. There were no more tracks. He spit the last of his fresh cigarette out of his mouth like an insult and raised his arm high -- as high as he could raise it and the torch. Above him, a vaulted ceiling of putrescence dripped and writhed. It sprinkled down like a slow, oil rain. They were in a cavern of liquified flesh bound against the rotting trees and bridged with blood and sinew like rope holding a wet paper canvas. To his side, along the sides of the living tunnel, beasts and men lay half buried in the walls. One man, his head half gone into the mass, looked with one good eye over toward the man with the light and the creatures in tow. His other eye, long since infected, had been made putty like much of his body and was pulled up the side of the wall with the rest of his contorted features. It looked like a smear of yellow yolk. Josiah looked back at him and clenched his teeth. Plip Plip Two roads diverged in a blackened wood, And they both sucked ass. |
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| Nherva | Jan 27 2015, 12:50 PM Post #49 |
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Lurker Queen
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Ryker and Invidia take the left path "Go that way...I think. I can't see a damn thing out here," Ryker complained. For once he really did wish Invidia had been the Celestial of his dreams, then she could light their way as Lumiere had before. As it was, they had to work with what they had and that was nothing, at least in the way of light. He wondered if his dragon could see any better than he could. He didn't recall if Rosemaries had any sort of special ability to see in the dark, but hoped that dragons as a whole at least had better eyesight than humans. "Can you?" Invidia swayed as she walked to a scent she could not detect, a musk that made her feel light as her feathers for reasons inexplicable. The underbrush whispered ominously at her swaying footsteps, bushes hissing with her passage. "Nope, I can't see a thing," she snickered, forging forward as though she could however. "But this is the right way, I just know it. Look, I can hear someone else now." She responded to Wan Shi Tong's hooting somewhere in the dark before them, and quickly found the Air pair while her rider tripped over roots and bushes behind her trying to keep up. "Lookit who we caught up with," she craned her head and squinted up at the owl-esque dragon. With her shifted weight, her forelegs forgot to balance, and she nearly toppled into him. "Well hello there handsoome," Invidia slurred. "What brings you cats to the deep dark jungle looking for the boogey man?" Ryker sighed and covered his face with his palm. It was as though she'd suddenly forgotten why they were even there in the first place. That or she was attempting to drunkenly flirt, which her human had never once seen her do in his life. He squinted into the dark, trying to focus on the dark shape that he hoped was Iniiki, "What the hells got into them?" He wondered aloud. He knew Invidia had not been like this a few minutes ago. Surely, they'd said the dires could smell something, but Ryker had missed the severity of that revelation when it had first been told to him. He didn't think whatever it was they smelled could be what was into their dragons now. Invdia seemed to have totally fallen off the edge within the span of a few moments and her guard was completely down. That much he could feel. She was one of the smallest dragons present, and whatever was affecting her so strongly was eeking into the consciousness of the bigger dragons. Then he saw it, the tiny sliver of light in the dark. "Hey look! Invidia would you cut that out," Ryker pointed, even though it was unlikely he could be seen. What was making that light? As far as he knew, Lumiere was the only creature here that could make light out of nothing in the middle of the night. "Oh! Look at that!" Invidia nearly squealed in glee when she saw what her rider saw. For her current state, it was the end of the line, just what they'd been searching for. It was so pretty, and she had to see what it was. She trotted slowly toward the light, enamored now more with it than she was with the Air. "Oh come see." She beckoned to all those that had followed the left path. Naviki attempting to follow Josiah to the right path, Alsvior noping hard "I know...I just...," he wouldn't understand. There were too few that understood whatever it was that she sensed when she found places like this. She was terrified and trying to pretend she wasn't, and that much had to be clear to anyone she thought. Whether it was Alsvior's comfort at having another wolf nearby or hers for having another human being nearby, she wasn't sure but she was only slightly more at ease when Nithian spoke to her. "This place is evil," was all she could truly say. She wasn't about to spill her life story just to explain why she was acting a little weirder than everyone else there. When Josiah seemed to bring a definitive end to their small conversation, she grit her teeth and went ahead. Perhaps later she could find the other dire rider and apologize for just taking off--if they lived through the night. She just wanted it to be over with. It was with a sour, sick feeling in her stomach that Naviki listened to Josiah. Certainly he knew of the deaths here, anyone around would have to have been completely oblivious not to. But these deaths were different to her. The spirits she could sense were in agony. The screams echoing around inside her skull were starting to give her a headache, and every sense in her body was on high alert. This was worse than anything she had ever sensed in her life, and more than once she considered her 'gift' a curse with which she would rather not deal. They were trying to warn her, she knew it. These screaming spirits of men, women, children, and who knew what else. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back, to protect herself and protect Alsvior. Her dire wolf had to be feeling much the same way, for she hesitated with every step and only went forward again when her rider placed a hand upon her shoulders. Then suddenly, the moonrunner stopped, growling low in her chest as Josiah went forward and nearly out of their sight. "Come on Alsvior, we have to get rid of whatever this is," Naviki prodded, but her dire wolf stood her ground, dug in her heels and refused to move. The putrid smells coming from ahead were the halls of death which neither wanted to enter, but the only way to dig out the root of this problem was to tread into hell itself. Naviki knew that now, and had resigned herself to whatever they would find ahead. "Fine, but if you don't follow me, you can't protect me." She said matter-of-factly, then grabbed her weapon from her dire's saddle. It was a custom made bo staff, bladed on each end. It may not protect her much from what lie ahead, but it was better than nothing. It was made for melee combat, but not against the undead. There was no telling what would happen. Naviki forged ahead in the darkness, stepping lightly, unnerved with every dripping sound around her. "Josiah? Hello?" Her heart skipped a beat as she realized she had lost the strange man ahead of her. She didn't trust him, but he'd been the only guide they'd had. Now she was alone as far as she could tell. Alsvior had better instincts than she did. She cursed herself inwardly whilst trying to swallow the bile that rose in her throat to the horrific odors wafting toward her in the dark. All she could see around her were vague shapes of things that she assumed were just parts of the forest--hoped were just parts of the forest. Without being able to see, she could have been in the belly of some beast and never known until it was too late. |
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| Chirpadee | Jan 27 2015, 01:52 PM Post #50 |
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behold her lovely plumage
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Anastesia and Akiko following Shi and Invidia down the Left path Anastesia worked swiftly and without hesitation. She pierced the skin of the largest wound with sharp fangs, ignoring the slight residual burning it caused about her gums, and injected numbing agent into his skin. Satisfied her patient would be more comfortable, she drew webbing from her spinnerets and wove it into malleable bandages. With careful gestures she spread them dexterously over Thorn’s back and sides. Her many eyes tracked the woods while her main set focused on her work, keeping tabs on the goings on as best she could. Several years as a medic gave her the awareness to keep her wits about her, well when the dead weren’t rising themselves into contorted monsters. She stepped away once the worst of the wounds were covered and she eyed the forest cautiously. “I would suggest, as your healer, that you remove yourself from this situation. The open wounds will make you susceptible to infection in these moist environments. I have done what I can and the choice is yours, but you might consider the advice. Remove the bandages when we return to the academy and clean the wounds better. Let them breath then rebind them.” She bowed her head low and turned back to the gathered forces in time to see Akiko shoving her way over. The redhead looked annoyed and pointed to the troupe who had set off into the woods after gods knew what. Her expression spoke of frustration and no end of displeasure as she strapped her medical bag back to her back. “Dim witted children are running off into the woods in the dead of night when we have monsters like that smoking pile to worry about.” She spat on the ground and sneered at the still smoldering corpse. “If I had my way we would sit until morning and take these things on in the light, but strategy isn’t my job. My job is to patch up the wounds their stupidity cause. Come on Ana we need to follow them lest someone dies on our watch.” Anastesia rubbed her pedipalps and watched the retreating group with worry. “Yes I fear you are not mistaken. I would rather no one die on this expedition.” Pale hands formed a warding mudra towards the corpse and she ground small fangs in her short snout. “I fear that injury is very likely to occur and that it would be best if we were present to attend.” She set off after her rider who took a brisk pace after their retreating comrades. The soft cursing of the rider continued as she traveled through the oppressive heat. Her jacket lay abandoned, half melted, in the clearing from which they came. The fork was met with derision. Her deep green eyes snapped back and forth with venom as the party further split, striding down different forks. “Gods be damned. No one seems to have a lick of sense in them.” If she felt anxious about the situation it was masked by her snappish commentary. The usually decisive woman hesitated, trying to decide where she would be the most use. She was half tempted to send Ana one way and slink off in the other, but if this random collection of pairs got Anastesia dead, well the monsters in the woods wouldn’t be the only ones looking for blood. No. Staying together was the better option. After a few moments she strode quickly to catch up with the other rosemary and the air, deeming it safer to be away from the mad cowboy. She doubled her pace to catch up with the small group before they disappeared into the darkness ahead and their already dim shapes became nothing but shadows. With this choice she was finally silent. The bitter woman was more focused on picking her way through the woods and not falling in the darkness. So long as she kept the dim shapes of the others in her sights she would be fine. Anastesia watched silently as those who took the second fork vanished off after the bouncing torch. Small hands formed a mudra of protection after them and then she turned. They were on their own and she had to focus on those she had deemed her current charges. The darkness clawed at her as the torch bounced further into the night. The odd rosemary set her many legs in motion to follow her rider, eager not to be abandoned in this strange forest alone. There was something strange in the air that made her feel uneasy. As they walked a languidness seeped into their bones. Akiko was better than her partner, but even she was not immune to the soft sent in the air that made her body feel softer and started to ease her mind. She could hear the others conversing, but the woman only bothered to huff. It was Anastesia, who had lived a life mostly free of vice that felt the heavy weight of the soporific scent. Her many eyes fell in and out of focus which made the trees and people begin to sway and dance as if possessed by some unheard rhythm. She blinked at it, trying to restore her composure, but suddenly she had a larger problem. Her mind became acutely aware of how many limbs she had and how many steps she was taking. Her small head turned downwards, and is often the case when you notice an automatic action, she began to stumble and stagger. “Oh dear.” She whispered to herself in the darkness. She paused to correct, which had the unfortunate effect of leaving two legs inexplicably tangled. “Oh dear.” She exclaimed again and took a moment to carefully replace them where she felt they belonged. Insectoid wings spread and fluttered in an attempt to create balance, but instead of the desired effect, the humming of the quick beating wings triggered an odd form of synesthesia. She felt the sound in her every nerve and she had to stop flapping in order to come back to her senses. Akiko glanced back at Ana and frowned. “What has gotten into you?” She whispered sharply. She had never seen Akiko lose control of her body like this and it was worrying. They had enough problems without her bonded partner seeming to lose her sanity. “I feel… Strange.” The rosemary said and tried to form a confused mudra, but could not quite remember how to place her fingers. She dipped her head and stared at her hands with a perplexed expression as if only just discovering her fingers for the first time. She formed a couple simple mudras, basic meditation ones, a lotus, then her gaze came back to Akiko with wonder. “Do you see how quickly my fingers move?” She questioned sweetly, “I do such delicate work with them. I never give them enough credit…” Her eyes roved to the other pairs and she forced her many legs to work in tandem so she could approach them. “Do you use your forepaws for delicate work or is that something only I do? Can you do this?” Her hands attempted to find their way into a complex mudra but she gave up half way through with a small noise of unhappiness, “Well not that, but I feel the idea is there… Are you capable? I am amazed by my small hands.” When Invidia pointed to the light her many eyes blinked and then widened. “Do you think it’s fireflies?” She said in near a whisper and started off towards it, completely oblivious to danger. Akiko was not so rash. She eyed the dragons and she carefully touched the small knife at her hip. She was not about to let the small arachnid dragoness wander alone, but at the same time something was clearly not right. She could not put her finger on what it was, but clearly they were not safe here. “Be careful Ana!” |
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| Zinc | Feb 10 2015, 01:51 PM Post #51 |
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The Owl Waife
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Ryle and Valigar, following Josiah. Oh god why. She didn’t trust the neutral man farther than she could throw him. Admittedly, Ryle could likely throw the rogue quite far, thanks to her training, or even further with the assistance of her dragon. Regardless, there was distrust there, regardless of whether or not he was helping them. He was just too…slick…for her tastes. But she supposed allies were necessary, even now. As the paths diverged in the woods, the Shadowguardes made the joint decision to stick with the man in his cowboy hat, holding a delicate light against the ever encroaching blackness of the wood. Valigar’s dark purple eyes glinted cooly against the occasional refraction of light that caught them, though his eyes were never fixated upon the party, and instead roamed restlessly across the woods around them. The sinewy trees around them no longer looked friendly, then again, ever since the Taint, no forests were ever considered ‘safe’. For the woods were bloody, dark and deep… Ears were raised to their highest heights, and strained to pick up any noise beyond their steps. Shifting and swiveling now and again to act as radars, he worked in conjoined effort with the Dire wolf and her handler that had come with them. Ryle knew that Valigar heard something off when his head suddenly snapped into another direction and stayed there, his steps stalling for a fraction of a second before they began again. The hushed clicking and delicate clinks of the blades upon his talons a gentle sound against the night. ”I hear something ahead.” the thought brushed softly, like a whisper against Ryle’s mind. She leaned forward against her dragon’s neck, straining to hear. Then it came. A delicate plip….plip….plip… maintaining the same rhythm and tempo, a wet sound that emanated from ahead. Water in the midst of the woods? She felt her brow furrow and her knuckles tightened. She slowly and quietly pulled a short bow from her back, and nocked and arrow upon the string, holding it at rest across her lap, her azure eyes sharp. Muddled as he may have been by the smell that had grown stronger in the woods, Valigar could still smell what was off…horrifically so…in the clearing ahead of them. Something in him quivered in fear and he let out a small sound of unease, almost like a fluttering chirp deep in his throat. Ahead of them, Josiah stopped, and spat out his cigarette into the mud. Valigar’s pupils dilated against the dim lighting around them as the cavernous black of the night yawned and seemed to consume all light around them. The torch was lifted high, like a meek beacon against this terrible night. Valigar and Ryle found then, that the reason the Air could not see beyond the blackness, was because it was a wall of dark flesh and terrible things. A strange, horrified stillness rose in Ryle at what they saw. After the horrors of war and what they had seen in the woods last time, she had thought that she couldn’t be affected any longer. She was wrong. They had just scraped the surface. Now they had found the damn nest, and where the people whatever it was eating had gone… “Josiah…we need to regroup.” Ryle said, looking back at the man, finally having managed to tear her eyes from the creatures and people ensconced in the deadly hold of the wall. If whatever this was that had done this was still out there, then being divided in small groups was not boding well. The last thing they would need would be to end up picked off, one by one. The musk that was muddling her brain, the darkness around her, the fear trickling like ice water in her veins…this was all adding up to one thing: a really bad night. |
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| Kitsu | Feb 12 2015, 04:20 PM Post #52 |
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Hatchling
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Moriko and Tobias following the drunk dragons on the left path The dire pair kept close to the others as they kept their senses open. Moriko stayed firmly atop her dire, both agreeing it was the safest place for the human woman to be. She now kept her bow at the ready as the two kept scanning the dark jungle around them. It would have been better if they had waited for the morning. While the trail was fresh they were at a serious disadvantage. She only hoped that if anything did happen the dires would be able to safely move around the larger dragons. They were as likely to get step on by one of their allies as getting attacked by one of those creatures. The farther they traveled down the dark path the stronger the strange musk grew. The moonrunner grew more tense as they all paused at the fork in the path. Instincts told him they needed to go back. Morkio placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder and urged him forward. The dire eyed the man leading them all before turning down the opposite path. The two followed close behind dragons and their riders into the growing darkness. The musk began to grow to an uncomfortable level. Tobias tried to shake the overpowering scent out of his nose as Moriko eyed the dragons. It was if they were suddenly intoxicated. Tobias slowed pace before stilling, his hackles raising as a deep growl left him alerting his handler. He could hear something quickly getting closer to them all. His handler headed his warning and let out her own to the others as she aimed an arrow into the surrounding darkness. “Get ready, something is coming!” Raksha and Solanaceae heading down the right path (ohgodwhy) The healer pair finished up with their once overs and patch ups and quickly regrouped. A frown stayed upon the Amazonian as she scooped up the scorpion gargoyle before swinging herself back onto Sol's back. The Rosemary was never more grateful for his sturdier frame and size than at his moment. After seeing what that creature could do even he was nervous about letting his rider stray too far. Though he knew she could handle herself and smash quite a few creepy critters with that hammer of her's it still put him more at ease to have her so close. He gladly shouldered her weight as he followed behind the other healer pair. “So do you still want to study one of those things?” He thought of the many special jars they had brought along with them. The rosemary turned his head back and caught sight of a sneer on his rider's face. “Ah course. Though ah prefer deh ash now.” She pondered if she could get permission to take back a few samples of flesh. Probably not after what they had all seen but it wouldn't hurt too bad to ask. She left the others to their questions and instead took stock of their supplies. Thankfully no one had come in dangerous contact yet but they had to be ready if it did happen. Hopefully they wouldn't have to resort to removing some limbs or performing any mercy killings. Raksha turned her attention back outward when they approached a break in the path. “Huh.” The large woman sat back as she looked back and forth between the two. Guess it was time to make a choice. She spied the other healer heading down the left path along with a few of the other riders and a handler. “Guess we goin dat way.” Couldn't leave one group without any healers, could they? Solanaceae frowned as they split the group in two but held his tongue. They followed after Josiah and the meager light he provided. His anttena twitched nervously as he began to hear what the Air did. He paused as his rider leaned up on his back to study their surroundings. Her golden eyes narrowed and she let out a curse in her native tongue at the sight of the 'walls' around them. “Regroup mah ass. We need tah get out an have deh fire dragons torch dah whole place.” |
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Feb 13 2015, 07:21 AM Post #53 |
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Loves characters who write themselves
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Alix and Ammit heading down the Left Path As much as the Earth rider had asserted the need to end this deadly game of cat and mouse, saying that and actually doing it were still entirely different things. What if something went wrong? What if someone died again? After all, they had no idea where they were going. They had all followed Josiah in the hopes that going deeper into the forest would lead them to the source of the problem. What if they were heading towards something they couldn't handle? As impossible as the thought seemed, what with the presence of multiple dragons, dires, and their riders, such was the nature of anxiety. A heavy sigh accompanied Alix's thoughts as she tossed weighty curls from her face. In an effort to wrestle some control over her fraying mind, the young woman focused her gaze on the forked path ahead. Unfortunately, instead of having a calming effect, all it did was cause the rider' grip to tighten on her riding straps. Brown eyes watched with growing unease as one half of the party took off with Josiah, leaving the others to continued down a different path. Alix's forehead quickly scrunched in worry, and she soon resorted to chewing on her bottom lip for comfort. Of all the strategies they could have employed, this had to be the worst. Part of the point in gathering so many people was so that they could stay together. People said there was safety in numbers for a reason. “Pick whichever path you want Ammit.” The rider said flatly, her tone desponded. She had since lost count of how many times she had prayed to the Gods for their safety, but in that moment she added one more. Seven years had allowed for Ammit to become fairly intimate with her rider's nervous thoughts and behavior. It was a commonplace thing in their bond, and she could very well understand where Alix was coming from, but the situation wouldn't allow her to indulge in the same emotions. “All will be well. Do not despair.” The Earth snorted, more so at the situation than at her rider. With eyes blazing like embers in the all pervading darkness, the massive female angled herself towards the left path. One of the groups healers had already chosen that route, and as a result Ammit kept herself situated near the rear of their reduced party. Despite her earlier failure, the maned female was determined to kill whatever was left of the mysterious threat. Their descent into the deep was accompanied by a wary silence. Senses heightened by fear caused the rider's head to twist and turn every so often. The constant companion that was anxiety had found a place in her abdomen once more, and out of habit Alix clutched handfuls of her bonded's flaxen mane. Ammit would protect her, just like she always did. Purposefully slowing her breathing, the frightful young woman cast her eyes back towards the path in hopes of an amicable distraction. In the end, it might have been Alix's anxiety that helped her the most. Her body was alert and tense, her brain just waiting for something to happen. This nervous attention allowed her to focus on only one thing at a time, which, at that moment, just happened to be Ammit. As a rider of several years experience, sitting her dragon was second nature. Her place was atop Ammit's shoulders, and it was there that she could feel every movement, every breath, and every action that the Earth took before she completed it. So, when Ammit lifted her paw, with the intention of putting it in front of the other one, Alix could feel the disruption in her natural gait. This resulted in a staggering motion, which, on a creature so enormous, rippled outwards in effect. A minor correction was all it took to fix the error, but it opened the gateway for a more frightening problem. After the third time repeating the action, Ammit halted to a stop, her wings twitching restlessly. “Sorry... Just need a minute.” She growled. A slight confusion clung to the edges of her mind, prompting her to shake her head in an attempt to rid herself of it. “Is everything alright Ammit?” Alix's tone reflected her concern, and her query was accompanied by a hand against her bonded's shoulder. They had traversed the jungle many times, and it had never given her trouble before. Not only that, but it was unlike Ammit to be so unsure of her footing. For a creature of her size, to be stumbling about as she was was a dangerous thing. If she tripped and fell down, survival would be impossible for anyone or anything caught underneath her. Carefully, the rider felt for the opposite end of her bond. Most of what she felt was.... confusion? No, that wasn't it. Surely Ammit was confused about what was happening, but the feeling.... The closest thing the Earth rider could compare it to was being slightly drunk. The comparison quickly prompted the young woman to shake her head in disbelief. Surely that couldn't be right. Of all the things Ammit was likely to be, tipsy was not one of them. Sheer size alone generally restricted the Earth from imbibing enough alcohol to have an effect, and her rider rarely, if ever, indulged in spirits at all. Nevertheless, the fact remained that there was some substance lingering around that was potent enough to disorient Ammit. Grimacing, the rider cast her wary gaze out at the surrounding forest, even though there wasn't much she could see in the darkness. She hadn't liked this place from the beginning, and now there was this to contend with. With the release of a nervous sigh, the rider turned her attention back to her dragon. She made sure to send comforting, reassuring feelings across their bond, in return for all the heaps of support that the maned female normally bestowed upon her. For once it was time for the Earth to rely on her rider, instead of the other way around. “Come on my sweet, we have to keep going. The others are leaving us behind.” Alix remarked, noticing the dwindling shapes of the other pairs who had chosen their path. “It's just a little farther, I promise you.” The dragon met her rider's request with a small rumble of acquiescence. After some slight effort she brought herself to her feet, her vision blurring for a moment as she rose to her full height. A growl sounded deep in the Earth's throat, and her tail spikes dug deep furrows into the ground as she trudged after the rest of the group. Blazing eyes narrowed in distaste as the Earth tried to wrestle some control over her body. Confusion scrambled her thoughts, leaving her unable to focus, and therefore entirely unaware of the danger she and her rider were walking into. |
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| Silverfeather | Feb 13 2015, 06:57 PM Post #54 |
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Samurai Pizza Feather
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Nith and Tib following Josiah The dire rider listened, every sense tingling, though he didn't drop his attention from the other rider at all. She spoke soft that the brown-headed youth barely had a chance to hear what she had said. But she stuttered before seeming to decide against her original statement before responding with something that seemed a bit obvious to the other. If she looked like she was acting weirder, Nithian couldn't tell. Everyone looked to be upset, freaked out and on high alert. The dark that surrounded them also didn't help in him trying to properly read body language or expression. He opened his mouth to say something, yet she took off after the male and he paused, watching her go. It seemed she hadn't really appreciated in his attempts at comradeship, and he pushed the stinging feeling of rejection. Some people didn't really like talking during adventures like these, and he respected it. He, however, felt better with someone at least to talk with, even if it was about said thing. Tiberius whined from underneath him, and he nudged him along. There was only way to go and that was forward. As he followed the light that the mercenary gave off from the torch, the unease started to grow. The light barely seemed to cull the dark, inky shadows that followed them. Any moment, Nithian expected something to leap out of the brushes, or the tree and swallow him whole. Something that was far more scarier than a dragon--and what they were dealing with, Nithian could believe that there were things far scarier than the sentient creatures that they (attempted) to live in harmony with. His view of everything seemed to shrink as the jungle seemed to close in on them. Large trunks of the trees turning to solid walls, and the dire rider, despite the company felt alone. Abandoned. All sense of hope seemed to leech from him as they continued onwards. And then there were two paths. Nithian opted, with a few moments hesitation to follow the merc, deciding that little light was better than none. Like moths drawn to the flame, what sense of security it could give him, he would take. But was it drawing them to their doom? The dire below him whined, his voice growing louder and louder as they moved deeper and deeper into the dangers of the jungle. To keep Tiberius moving was a feat in and of itself as the blue hued wolf attempted to turn around and leave, deciding they'd be safer away from this place. They couldn't turn back now. and Nithian wasn't going to be separated from his dire. Without Al or havilah, he couldn't tell whether if any of the dragons would bother to help him if he needed it. Considering he was so small, and yet he was going to have to trust that they would. Better to ease his fears to keep the dire handled. He whispered soothing words to the almost howling dire, but he nearly shrieked when sky song started to let out this bloodcurdling shriek from his pack. It was everything he could do before the yowling Gryphon decided he'd had enough and was hightailing out of there, his yowls of fear making the timid male nearly freeze. Nith let him go, hoping the Gryphon would get out alright. Nothing seemed to take to it, from what he could tell. The gryphon was smart. He'd make it back home. Nithian paused when Josiah seemed to stop, and throw his cigarette to the ground, the flickering flames dying out before him. And then the darkness was being driven back, the flames licking at the air like terrible claws scrabbling for purchase. Bile rose in his throat, and he forced it back down. he shouldn't have come, he should have gone home, called it quits. But here he was staring. Staring into the abyss that made the dire rider feel like it stared right back at him, through him to his soul, and yet there was nothing there but the monstrosity of the tunnel. The plippng noises that they had heard earlier made more sense. Not unfamiliar with how silk worms made their nests, this was the terrifying work of something that looked to admire it's tunneling nests. Except instead of the sticky secretion that they made, the trees themselves were lined and glued together with human parts. Skin, Sinew, Even an eye from what Nithian could tell. What. In the whole world could have possible made this..tunnel. And did he even want to find out? Everything screamed at him to turn around. To leave. Even the hackles of his dire, and the absent screams of his gryphon told him so. But He had a mission. He moved closer, and fell silent. He would follow--not lead. He had no idea where to even begin, but he knew that to find and destroy whatever this was, they were most likely going to have to go in there. Shi to Invidia and then to the liiggghhhtt. The rider was not inexperienced with dealing with a drunkenly Shi, but this wasn't quite Shi being drunk. The intoxication that plagued the owl dragon was not one of a liquid, consumed with a purpose, but of something wanting them to be relaxed, unafraid. He craned his head around when more seemed to follow him, his voice turning to more of a 'hooting' sound before cracking up slightly at the joke that it was. Iniiki wanted to face palm. He didn't need this, They were going to get themselves killed. He briefly hoped the others that hadn't followed were having better or not so worse luck as theirs. What horrors they were encountering, at least they were with a clear head. He couldn't tell all who had come, but from the shaking earth, at least the Earth had joined. Shi didn't seem to care to tell him who all had followed. Though there was someone whispering about hands and he wondered how much more longer this was going to go on. Black eyes blinked down when something caught his attention, a voice. Tiny. He craned down, his head turning around from the near 180 it had been to catch a look at whomever had followed, his beak clicking. Unlike the small rosemaries' poor eyesight, he had a much better one. Perhaps his eyesight would have been better for the other path, as he wouldn't been exposed, but there was no turning back--nor was it even a fleeting problem for the Air. It hadn't crossed his mind. Of course, he did recognize a compliment when he heard one. And if Invidia could properly see or even focus, she would have watched his feathers fluff out much like the inflation of his ego. He was a handsome dragon. Why didn't anyone else seem to notice that? More or less, why couldn't his own bonded? He didn't need to watch his weight or not eat all the time. It didn't matter because he should be able to do whatever he wanted. He clicked his beak approvingly. "A fine question, I really should ask one such as yourself." He slurred. Not as drunk, perhaps as the smaller dragon, but still intoxicated. Though, even drunk, shi could get riled for anger--though how he fought, he wouldn't know. "Such pink plumage. Fluffy. I bet your lovely plumage is as soft as a cloud. I try to keep mine as such." Iniiki bit his lip almost choking on his tongue. While Invidia flirting might have been a surprise, (or not) the owl dragon flirting back was even more shocking. And he looked to even be trying to make an impression. If they hadn't been in such a dire situation, He might have laughed so hard the dragon would have thrown him into the lake for such bad behavior. He managed to catch Rykers' comment and he sighed. "If I have to label it--it has to be whatever the uhh, dires were scenting earlier...." He huffed. "I swear, it's like they're drunk off several large barrels of mead." "Why don't you.shuuussshhh. The boooggeeyy man might get you." Shi quipped before giggling. "He might, if you don't start trying to pay attention" "I am--See oh look. A light. I see a light.! See I am paying attention. To multiple things at one." He turned his head around as if in demonstration. Iniiki smacked him, and they both went to looking at the light, that had been noticed by the rosemary pair and Shi. Iniiki wracked his mind. Other than a celestial, he couldn't think of anything that made light float like that. It didn't match the Bioluminescent of some species of animals and Iniiki warred with himself. "A trap. " He spoke aloud, enough for others to here. "I am sense this is, or has got to be some sort of trap. I don't think we shouldn't let our guard down." "Oh hussh. We'll be fine. We have. we have me. And the earth back there! She'll help! I am sure." Shi giggled again. What could possible go wrong? |
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| CloakAndDagger | Feb 13 2015, 08:43 PM Post #55 |
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THE DUNGEON MASTER
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Outside the jungle, the motions of the night carried on without concern. The heavenly bodies in their high, elegance lacework of scheming abyss and brilliance, looked on and downward like gods to ants. Below, the tiny creatures would soon have need to call out to them -- indeed, to any god that would listen. Inside the jungle, where an empire of flesh was crafting a rotting, fetted hell, the final motions were falling into place. Left Path Drunken and confused, the great dragons seemed to amble towards the light like moths. In passing, the jungle groped at them with the shadowed hands of leaves and vines and encumbering roots. There was a pull, almost from the forest itself as the investigating party slipped and slid downward into the dip in the earth and toward the only true light they’d likely seen in some time. The trees grasped to draw them back, but stiff branches were naught but broken sticks in their wake. The lure, if not by the light then by the need to press onward, was too great. They had to know. But knowledge would be a battle. While the musk began to overcome the draconic members of the leftward going group, the canids among them were much more sober and, in the dead of the night, cautious to the sounds of trickery. Moriko and, more importantly, Tobias, caught to the sounds of oncoming danger with keen and intelligent hearing. “Get ready, something is coming!” But there was only so much anyone could do before the two rolling things were upon them. What started as far off rustling became a great crashing through the jungle landscape. The two rolling masses, clinging to themselves like tires, fell downward to the gathering party on opposite sides. As they went, keen ears could hear the rocks scattering as they hit, the flesh of their bodies tearing when coming across knotted branches and thorns. They squished and squelched and splattered like a Warhol canvas. When they finally neared the bottom, the two filthy things nearly ran right into each other, but narrowly missed well enough to flank the party on either side. And, once stable, they rose through the underbrush with a cracking, creaking sound -- old doorframes breaking against the weight of the house. Rising, though, was perhaps too elegant a term. Their bodies were battered and bloody from the fall. Their bones broken, but the two still managed to force themselves upright like wet cardboard pressed by a stick. In the light, the two could be seen as human… or perhaps had once been. These ones were fresher seeming and without the stink of month old rot that festered within the others. The lone shaft of moonlight lit them well enough to see that they were perhaps days, not months old. Or was it something else? Unlike the first animate ones, however, they seemed to have no kinship with what they once had been. There was no humanity, however distant, flickering behind the dead eyes. And this was even more clear when, without any undue waiting, they began to peel. Standing sluggish on their tipped and crushed feet, the twin horrors shivered and shook. Blood swelled along their chests and sank through what remained of their ripped, dirty garments. Their heads lolled backwards. A rip went up through their very bodies, like a maw opening where their stomachs had been, but that would have been too easy a place to stop. No. Their clothes ripped as they began to peel themselves quickly from within. They did not moan. They gurgled through the stench of offal and bloody iron. Their skin parted with muscle and tendon clinging. Their organs came away, pulled from the entrapping bone cage like a hellish umbilical cord. Within, the lungs and heart pulsated through a thick ooze of puss and mucus. Tumor like growths had overcome the healthy tissue. Then, as the bones slipped and slid from the globular, inside out mess of red, even the eyes were pulled from their sockets to gaze back, unblinkingly, at the unwitting gathering. They were a white smear within a throbbing, protean mass. The things, twisted and turned their skinside down -- their bloody side up -- and tensed as if stretching, as if testing themselves for the first time. And, in the moment it took them to back away from the light, the inhuman monstrosities skittered towards the group like some terrible, lovecraftian starfish. The first, the bulkier of the two, swatted a plant with what had been the skin of it’s leg and lept up to grapple the nearest creature. Anastesia, perhaps more hoping to help than to get into the scheme of fighting, would find herself soon unable to help anyone. The bloody starfish contorted again and swept down on her. Teeth and insect-like legs notched out from what had been muscle attached to bone. A hollow in the very center opened up and swept the heart of the matter, the leech head, to wrap around her neck as the rest of it followed. Taking quick strides and leaving behind a bloody mess, the second, slimmer skin creature swam to take on a much bigger target -- or something riding it. Rolling with the power of it’s newly liberated frame, the fleshy monster scrambled up and over to begin climbing Ammit. The safer place was out of reach of the dragon’s paws. It hooked onto the dragon. It’s own teeth and chitinous crawlers pressuring it upwards like a gecko on glass. It moved, and it moved quickly. Scales could easily have been pried out under it’s attack, but, it slowed at it clung and neared the shoulder. It was going for Alix. The leech tongue lashed and whipped out at her to attach. As the party that took the dangerous left path began to react to these unimaginable, gruesome creatures, a great shake stirred the earth. The minor quake shook the trees. It could have originated from the other side, where the right path may have ended up. If they were clever, they could probably cut through the trees to reach the other side, but the problems did not end there. The canopy came back to rest, but the moonlit beam was privvy only to the shape of the leaf-less space. As the light re-emerged, another shadow fell across the white shaft. A shape of large proportions waded into the light. The breed type had been lost, but the draconian descent was clear. It roared a pulpy, rhasping awful sound as it’s own lungs spewed out of its untempered mouth. It’s neck bulged and a snakehead burst through it’s left eyesocket as the dragon’s head tipped. It went for Ryker. Right Path Just as the possessed figures on the other path were flaying themselves, the tunneled path seemed to grow more ominous. Josiah’s discarded cigarette burned dimly in the darkness as the embers whittled themselves into ash. The brighter, but also insufficient light of the torch had carried far enough for them to break the swell of darkness at either end and bring out more of the fused men and creatures against the sides of the walls. The man they’d first seen, as the burning flame illuminated the horror around, was moving. He was pinned and a part of the wall, but his untethered arm reached freely into the half-light between him and Josiah. From the flickering, the shadows began to play tricks. Was that just the movement of the flame? Or was he crawling with something just under the skin. Not keen on taking up the curiosity, Josiah seemed to take a hefty breath and positioned himself at equal distances between the two offending, dripping surfaces. He stepped roughly on the stubb he’d spat down to the ground, but, in doing so, his heel crunched down on something else too. A paw, disjointed and pulled longer than any limb had the right to be, had been clawing slowly from it’s wall. The creature that it had belonged to, no longer identifiable as it was slowly dissolved into the surface, was just a mass of naked skin and tufts of bloody hair. Somehow, however, it managed to howl in surprise as the foot came down. Josiah kicked away, but it was too late. “Aw, shit.” From behind, the fleshy mass -- the overarching canopy of writhing, conjoined bodies and blood -- fell down. The tunnel was collapsing behind them and, it seemed, hoping to make them a permanent fixture in the hall. If anyone was caught under the slick, gut wrenching slab, it would be too late for any hope of saving. Above, the pink and red ceiling dripped more fiercely, salivating. “Run!” He shouted, but the conclusion should have been unanimous. Not particularly concerned with the rest of them keeping up, the mercenary held on to his hat and ran towards the only other option he had, which was the darkness at the other side. Hot on their heels, the tunnel slapped down wetly. Screams came from those poor souls not fully integrated into the mass. They were crushed and buried. However, just as it seemed like the falling flesh was upon them, the shape of the tunnel opened out like a cut artery and some semblance of moonlight shed the unruly shadows. Josiah pulled in a heaping helping of the murky air and he labored off like lightning. Finally he exited safe and sound, but almost as soon as he’d gotten to the realative safety of the outside, the exit fell and collapsed in on itself with a hushed wheeze. Blood and thick, opaque mucus slithered out from the corners. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were on the right track.” He huffed and quickly gathered himself off. Just to be sure, he knocked his boots on the ground to remove any remaining pestilence he’d happened to step on. However, now as a habit, he looked up and away from the closed tunnel of bodies. Above, instead of a canopy of thick, half-liquid muscle or flesh, strings of slime coated skin wove a gruesome lattice between the trees. Here and there, they clung between branches and over ferns. They wove between bushes. It looked like a spider nest, but no spiders would dare live here. Instead, the webs seemed to interconnect more vague shapes in the darkness. Bodies piled together, unmoving. Out of the darkness, the dripping began again. Plip Plip Josiah turned. And the earth shook. From the side, parallel to the scheme of the tunnel, a behemoth rolled over. At once, what seemed like a minor shift in the darkness became a massive, earth shattering silhouette. “...Here.” A whisper mumbled between what sounded like numb lips. “Here they are.” The shape turned again. A dragon, surely, but nothing sekkian. This creature, perhaps born from earth-like lineage, was slick with blood and stank of the pure musk that so enveloped the other path. It was massive and, by the way the light hit what remained of it’s fungus, mycotic. Earth Mycotic. It began to stand and, in doing so, its bent neck broke through the canopy above to finally shed some real moonlight on the situation. She was over a hundred and thirty feet long and made of rot dappled scales. “Here they are.” Her tail swung around behind her as the skin from her lower jaw just sloughed off and fell to the ground with a red, smacking, splatter. White worms crawled, escaping from the lost flesh, but the mycotic was unconcerned. As she moved, she crushed a number of the loose bodies. They went between her toes and she carried them with her as she bumbled, as if half asleep. Her belly, swollen and protruding, hung low. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.” “Its not so bad.” Voices from the darkness joined her. The bodies, those that remained whole enough to move, began crawling from their still posts. From her right side, three drew themselves out into the light. From the left, one, but as the strange thing shambled forward in what used to be a woman, it’s head burst like a grape between two fingers. A leech snakehead whipped out. Two from the right followed suit: a dog and an elderly man. As the first of them came nearly within wipping distance, the mycotic struggled and groaned. The huge creature dipped its deathly head forward. And it’s belly burst underneath. White worms spilled out like wriggling sausages. In a hungry fervor, they slithered with unimaginable speed towards the waiting party. And they sprang faster than they could be avoided. "It's not so bad." (((OCC))) :D! >8D! Thus begins the end. A real end. The damage taken here should be more in keeping with a climax battle. Also, feel free to attack and engage anything! I’ll try to keep up as I can. If you like, those on the right path can take an NPC ‘zombie’ and use it as their own. However, the two dragons are mine to play. >D If you need to make a snakehead, zombie, or skin-starfish land a hit or do damage -- feel free to do that if I don’t. BATTLE TIME. And, as far as the worms and leeches go, don’t be afraid to let them hit, bite, or even crawl under skin. At the end of the battle, there will be no long-lasting repercussions besides obvious physical damage. It took hours for poor Rolf to be infected. You won’t be infected (unless you’d like to be!). GO WILD. ATTACK EVERYTHING. |
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| Nherva | Mar 11 2015, 08:20 PM Post #56 |
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Lurker Queen
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Ryker getting mauled by snake thing and Invidia leaping "That is...unnatural," Ryker commented to Iniiki as he compared their dragons' behavior to having drank an so much mead that they were drunk. Invidia had never shown that she could even get drunk, but she didn't exactly indulge in the types of harder spirits he was accustomed to. He'd gotten her to try a sweet, fruity wine once, but she hadn't seemed to prefer it all that much. In fact, he'd never experienced a drunken dragon, until now. It was strange, but he couldn't think of a better explanation himself an Iniiki's seemed to be one that was well enough. "Invidia get your feathered rear end back here before I--," Ryker was interrupted by the sight of the rolling things as they came into view of the light. He grabbed the shortsword at his hip as if it would do any good. He wasn't good with the blade at all. When he'd agreed to come on this little investigation, he had been assured that it was just that--an investigation. There wasn't supposed to be any fighting, or horrible rotting monsters either, but both things seemed to be inevitable. He could only watch in horror as the things stopped in the light and began their grotesque transformations. "What...the...hell...," he breathed. The stench nearly choked him, but there was nothing he could do but stand there and stare, frozen in place. Never had he felt the sort of fear that crept along his nerves like ice, freezing in his joints and preventing him from so much as looking away. In that moment when the bloody, pus filled masses of corpses turned inside out, everything in the jungle--every other person, plant, and tree disappeared to Ryker's notice. All he saw was Invidia walked toward the light with the curiosity of a child. There was no true vision or premonition that the nobleman had then, only the sick what-if that flashed through his brain. Invidia, torn apart like those horrid things, a mass of unrecognizable feathers and fluff. "Invidia!" he shouted it and it was finally loud enough to get her attention. She paused for a moment to look back at him, her eyes half-lidded with inebriation from the musk that hung in the air. Her jaws opened as though she were to speak, and the earth shook below them. Ryker's heart entered his throat and he gripped the shortsword so hard his knuckles turned white. It was all he had even if all he knew how to do was slash at things with it. He should have paid attention during weapons training. He should have practiced more. But he wasn't a warrior, he wasn't a fighter, he shouldn't have to fight. This wasn't supposed to be a battle for anyone's life. That wasn't the plan he was told when he was ordered to come along. "Wooooaaah," Invidia slurred as the shaking ground caused her to waver on her slender legs. She spread her wings for balance and managed not to fall over, though she seemed entirely too calm about the entire thing and could still only look around in confusion as the ground seemed ready to open and swallow them all. "Wait no! Where is the light! Where did it--?" The light returned when the shaking stopped, but with it came a monster even more terrifying than the other two fleshy creatures, if anything because of its sheer size. It had been a dragon once, that much was clear. However, nothing else was. Like all those that came before it, the creature paused and seemed to change. After a terrible roar that shook Ryker to the marrow of his bones, the neck bulged. The other two creatures were already gone, seeking quarry from the party scattered around him. If there were screams, Ryker was unaware of them. All he saw was the bulging neck of the putrid beast and the new snake-creature burst forth from the eye socket in a spray of gore. There was no time. No time to move, no time to react. It was on him. Gross claw-like things ripped at his face in the dark and hot, wet pain shot through his skull. He screamed and in a moment of panic dropped his sword so his fingers could grab at the fleshy mass that had clung to the left side of his face. His world turned into panic and noise. A roar broke through his own screams and something hit him hard, driving him to the ground. The thing on his face ripped away with a sickening pop and he tried to open his eyes to see what was happening. There was only darkness, then a little light, then darkness again. Invidia, despite her drunkenness, had come to his aid and she was trying to tear the snake thing apart. Her judgment was impaired, however, and she forgot the draconic beast it was attached to. She was at its mercy, and Ryker couldn't see enough to help her. He could only try to get off the ground and call to her, get her attention, tell her he was okay. They could still run from this. "Invi--," he coughed as thick, metallic blood ran down his face and into his mouth. "Help! Someone help!" He was at a loss. Half of his face was a red, bloody mess and his dragon was like to get herself killed. It hurt so much even with the adrenaline pumping through his system. It would hurt worse if he lost his dragon, Rosemary or not. ((OoC: Leaving the dragon to you Kess :> As you requested)) Naviki and Alsvior The light of the torch was the only way Naviki was able to see Josiah in the hall of blood and dripping flesh. The entire jungle around them seemed to have turned into a massive Venus flytrap for any living thing that dared get close. They were more than just close. They were inside of it. Voices screamed in Naviki's head. Voices of the dead and dying next to voices of pain and hopelessness rang through her skull. She should not have come here. She should have stayed with Alsvior. But it was too late. Something crunched under the mercenary man's boot and something else howled in pain--as if it could feel any more than it already did. That howl chilled her to the bone. "Run!" As Josiah shouted it, the tunnel started to collapse. Naviki's last thought was for Alsvior as she reacted, running after the other man to avoid the falling mass of flesh and liquefied remains. She prayed to the gods of her people on the fly to save her from this mess, but if they were listening, they didn't answer. Her only reply was the burn in her lungs from fear and exertion as she ran. She didn't even have time to think about who might have been behind her. They could have been dead and there would have been nothing she could do to save them. There had been so many of them with her and around her. She hadn't even gotten a chance to know any of them. And then they were free. Naviki skidded to a halt as the tunnel finished its collapse with a wet sounding wheeze. She might have emptied the contents of her stomach all over the jungle floor if she'd had time. "No, really?" Her sarcasm boiled up out of her instead as a reply to Josiah's remark. She wanted to curse, to run, to fight, to do anything but be afraid, but fear gripped her harder than it ever had in her life. The fear was not entirely her own. She felt ever ounce of fear from every single victim that saturated this place--that had to be the explanation for why her wits were failing her here. She wished Alsvior was by her side. She could have used the wolf to steady herself, both mentally and physically. But Alsvior had abandoned her at the entrance. No...she had abandoned her dire, stepping into darkness even though the beast warned her against it. The ground shook violently then and something huge moved in the jungle. A voice spoke, joined by others as the huge Earth Mycotic stepped forward, only the moonlight illuminating the curves and planes of her blood slickened form. Other, smaller shapes began to move in the brush around her and Naviki held her bladed spear at the ready, for what good it would do her. She could fight, she could cut down these grotesque forms easier than a living, thinking human being. Couldn't she? People, or, what used to be people, but were now putrid starfish creatures of flesh and bone burst out of the undergrowth to her right. Everything happened all at once. Worms from the belly of the gigantic beast wriggled over the ground, their writhing movements sending them everywhere. Two of the starfish monstrosities and three people with snakes writhing from their necks as they shambled from the darkness came toward her, surrounding her. Naviki swung wildly with her staff, severing the writhing snake-head of one of the shambling zombies. It slowed it down, but it didn't kill it. Instead, it just seemed to shamble aimlessly. But a starfish came at her more quickly, a red blur in the dark. She opened her mouth to scream, and a howl took its place. Alsvior burst through the trees and brush, overcoming her instinctual fear for the bond she held with her handler. White fangs flashed in the dark as the moonrunner closed with the starfish creature. She ripped and tore putrid flesh, her gigantic jaws snapping through decayed bones like twigs. Blood and pus soaked her tawny fur, but in moments the creature was vanquished, turned to a twitching mass of useless flesh on the ground. But for the relief the dire's presence brought to her rider, they were still outnumbered. Worms from the burst belly of the Mycotic wriggled and writhed through the undergrowth and tens of them went for Alsvior as though she were a brilliant beacon in the dark. They leapt with rubbery bodies and clung wherever they could reach. The dire wolf snarled, turning to rip the things free as they chewed at her, trying to burrow beneath her flesh. The worms had to be forgotten, because one of the snake-headed zombies was headed right for her. Linked as the team they had been trained to be, the dire pair didn't wait for it to get to them. Alsvior launched herself forward, jaws clamping on the shambler's legs. A powerful jerk sent it sprawling, though the snake head reacted with a vicious sounding hiss. It didn't have time to correct before Naviki's bladed staff severed it from its host. The body on the ground convulsed without anything to make it move. "Little help here!" Naviki cried for anyone nearby that wasn't surrounded by hellish flesh-creatures. Alsvior yelped and snarled, whirling upon herself to tear away the worms. Fresh blood ran freely through her fur as some of them burrowed through her flesh to get at her insides. Naviki felt her pain and her fear, as well as her anger that anything could best her so easily. She was alpha, she was wolf, she was not prey. She managed to tear off a few more before she had to engage with the other starfish that had zeroed in on her rider. She would tear it apart, then see to the rest. That was when Naviki screamed as several worms bounced right onto her and started chewing into the flesh of her leg and one of her arms. They were so screwed. |
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| CloakAndDagger | Jun 3 2015, 06:34 PM Post #57 |
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THE DUNGEON MASTER
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Left Path The not-dragon bellowed wetly. There seemed to be a muffled world encumbering the sound, but it came out in a loud, far-off boom. While the snake-head came off with a fearful prize in its skittering jaws, the returning assault was relentless. The rosemary tore and ripped into it with powerful, if drunken blows. To her, great claws came down for her wings, but they stopped before the fetted claws could clip her membranes. The creature suddenly screamed and was left open for further attack. Right Path “Looks bad enough to me.” Josiah’s hands, wild swings of muscle memory, flexed around the handles of his crossbow pistols as the slapping sound of the dragon’s rotted belly hit the earth. He had them pulled up with strings taught even before the wriggling, white worms seethed toward the group in waves. But when he shot his first bolt, it was already too late. Wet, slimed coils forced themselves into the air and, in the bare flicker of a moment, took their gruesome touch to unsullied flesh. A wet slap ran across his upper arm as his crossbow loosed. The arrowhead pinned one of the writhing creatures, but it was just a single shape out of a hundred. There was no time. He could feel the alien creature, something the size of a fat earthworm, boring into him. The pain shot up his shoulder in a hot, blunt poker, but the searing heat died as it made it’s way farther in. No matter how he groped for it under his clothing, it would not be caught. It was inside. His worm worried arm began to numb and fatigue. There was no time. The rotating chamber of his crossbows clicked. The barrel revolved and set a new bolt in place, which drew back with a cocking flick. Two more slippery wretches sagged against his shirt and fought for a way through. Josiah, prioritizing needs, shifted his focus and turned the twisting weapons to the larger forces assailing them. Twin bolts clenched and jolted through the humid air like teeth. As one force, they hailed towards the leech-headed woman and, taking her serpentine shape along for the ride, nailed the spitting form against a tree. Slow, dead limbs pressed and pushed against the old wood, but the shrieking snake-head was trapped. Now there were at least only two more to contend with. He flicked off the worming balls of slime with an angry finger and stepped forward to crush another under his heel. There was no time. With a shrug, the mercenary threw the pack off his back. It fell heavy in his hand as he holstered one of his two crossbow pistols. He hefted it once -- twice -- and threw. The pistol in his other hand fired to the headless dog’s parasite as the leather and cloth projectile flew in a steady arch. It landed, hitting the side of the decaying mycotic’s head and hanging, flapping against her horns. Something in the pack had shattered on impact and dripped in a heavy guzzle down her half fleshed nose and maw. The rest had spread like blood spatter on her upper forehead. “Ain’t no one got time for this.” He grabbed a slithering contender as the worm wrested up his leg and shoved it through the point of his loaded bolt. Then, with a match strike against his belt, he lit the sucker on fire. In a choked wheeze, it lit like a firecracker, and he shot it right into the old creature’s eye. Fire erupted along the wet lines of his pack’s impact. Red fingers grew and swelled against her broken hide. The kindled and webbed and blanketed her face, then her neck in turn with an accelerated, animal hunger. At first, even as her eye popped and crackled with the heat, the bright, illuminating flare was lost to her senses. It wasn’t so bad, until it was. Soon, the fire was winding across her fungal back and, there, at the base of her neck, her slow movements stuttered. She thrashed. She screamed. They all screamed. Every leech, every worm. Every part of the infection cried out together in a unified, terrified, painful sound that hit right into Josiah’s bones. He had to drop his open crossbow to cover both his ears from the onslaught of sound. Thousands of voices shrieking. The ruined mycotic slammed her burning half to the ground. She rolled and tore through the other bodies like ribbons and paper to dampen the fire, but it was creeping to her other side now. Her body cooked in it’s own mucus and bile like a hog on a spit. It was too much. There was no time. She couldn’t save it. She couldn’t save the body. The rotted flesh was too accepting of the flame, as if willing a purification to ashes from the alien force that had corrupted it. With a heave, the enormous creature tried to pull herself up to four legs, but her front paw gave out with the pressure of the heavy, bloated body. Her finger joints snapped. Her wrist was wrenched inward by the weight of the bulk. Her claws, struggling for purchase against the earth, were ripped from their moorings as the whites of her hand-bones opened to the light. She didn’t care. She was already dead. But She did. At the base of the broken tainted’s neck, a bulge warped the skin and scales outwards from the fire. Something large swam within the sea of rotting flesh under those sagging covers, but it was not safe here. The heat was too much. The bulge sank. And the mycotic’s neck cracked and shattered like fragile glass. The bones of her lower jaw fell, following suit from the old skin and muscle that had come off moments before. It splintered on the ground as her tongue, loose, hung down in a pale slab of limp, pink flesh. A flood of swampy liquid followed and spilled from her throat. Black and clotted, it came down in a torrent that covered the worms who had not yet left her shadow. The long gone creature choked and hacked. Pieces of its inner throat and mouth came rolling out like wet puzzle pieces. “...not so…” A webbed claw pressed against the mycotic’s mouth and a serpentine image emerged from the shadow of the lolling head. She was crowned in the teeth of her host. Seether screamed. Vengeful, furious, relentless anger. Her mouth parted in a flower of tentacles and teeth. Her musk was all-encompassing. Her children. She had to save her children. All her little boys. There was no time. (((OCC))) SURPRISE ABYSSAL. She's been working at this for years now. I'll post the full synopsis of her work in the discussion thread. I apologize for the very tiny Left Path reply, but my main objective here is to finally give Seether the end she deserves -- blood and gore and shrieking. I've had her for some time now and, aside from a few fun times in other battles, she's been a very stagnant character. It was her time. And, Oh, What a time! Now I need someone to kill her. Anyone, any way you like. Just do it with passion, fervor, and a hearty need for self-preservation. Feel free to have a couple of people assault her. She'll make a stand, but this is it. She's too squishy. The nightmare must end. |
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| Nherva | Jun 3 2015, 07:11 PM Post #58 |
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Lurker Queen
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Alsvior, wtf are you doing If they thought everything had gone to hell before, they were wrong. Josiah attacked the huge Mycotic with his crossbows, but even under his relentless attacks, the onslaught of bouncing worms and maggoty creatures did not ebb. The infected shells of what were once humans and animals pressed on toward the group and the worms kept coming. Hundreds of them, perhaps thousands. Naviki screamed, her voice more of a raged battle cry than one of pain or panic anymore. Her adrenaline had hit her system and the determination and bloodlust she felt from Alsvior overrode her initial fears of the spirits pressing in around her from all sides, screaming and crying their pain into her spiritual ears. It was all white noise, and none of it mattered anymore. Fangs sank into her flesh, but only nicked it as her dire wolf sought in the dark to grab one of the worms that had clung to her rider's calf. Alsvior ripped the offending creature from her rider and went for another, only to be distracted by the brilliant burst of flame as Josiah's lit match started an inferno on the titan of rotted flesh and sinew. What had before been a din of immeasurable chaos turned suddenly into one large, horrific, collective scream. The worms that were on Naviki's legs released her and flopped to the ground in favor of crying out their shared lament. She was free, if only for a moment, free enough to see the horror as it burst forth from the walking corpse that had been the hulking ancient Mycotic. All Naviki could do was gape, gripping her bladed staff even as she realized it was going to do very little good against the creature that slithered forth from the corpse. Alsvior snarled at the revelation of the orchestrator of this entire ghastly plot. Covered in stripes of crimson, the dire wolf stalked in front of her rider protectively. She'd had quite enough of this, and Naviki realized her intentions too late. "Alsvior no!" She shouted the very moment her dire lurched forward, a roar ripping from her maw as she rushed the pale creature. The she-wolf darted past Josiah, deft paws dodging burning piles of flesh that had fallen to the ground to smolder into nothing. There was no stopping her. She, that thing, might have needed to save her children, but Alsvior needed to save her handler. A titanic dragon that had just burst forth from the body of another after watching its little worms try to burrow into the flesh of their attackers didn't scare her. Like a demon emerged from the deepest hells, the dire's eyes flared red in the dying flames. For Alsvior, there was no backup, no other option, she was all there was. Her rider's voice was lost to her as she took a flying leap at the creature. It could eat her alive if she missed her mark. So be it. If that were the case, she would devour it from within. |
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| Kialish | Jun 4 2015, 07:28 AM Post #59 |
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Unregistered
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Xeena in a mild state of shock, Frang in much more than that, both heading in after the creature Xeena realized too late that in an attempt to save the dire from being part of this things corrupted mass of bodies, that she herself could end up taking his place. She triumphantly slashed off one of the arms of the tangled pair of bodies, and even managed to make a dent in the creature, but it retaliated and wrapped itself around her. "Frang!" She cried out, panicking now as she tried to jerk herself free. The forest dragoness screeched angrily, turning suddenly as the creature avoided her acid, and she avoided getting stepped on by the earth. "Watch it you bumbling idiot!" She had shouted to Ammit. Fear sparked anger, and her anger was venomous. The dragon made her best attempt to get to her rider, but others got there first, freeing Xeena from the creature and making short work of the corpses. The forest skidded over to her rider, nosing the human who was wide eyed in shock. Sweat beaded off the darker woman's brow as she took shallow, quick breathes. "That's it, we're going back to the Academy, we don't need to be involved in this hellish, stupid mission!" That snapped Xeena out of her near-death induced stupor. She shook her head, blinking and looking up at her dragon. "No, Frangipa, that thing is out there. We need to stop it." Said Xeena. "It'll get other people, maybe get stronger. Whatever it is, it needs to be put down." As the corpses were lit with flame by Josiah, Frang huffed, breath leaving clenched jaws with a rattling hiss. She knew there was no arguing with her rider, but she didn't want to stay. She could easily pick her up, take her away from here and danger. They had to be safe... someone approached them, Frang freezing and giving them a glare with hackles raised. "No, I'm okay, it didn't bite or damage me," Xeena replied to the concerned rosemary rider, Raksha she believed her name was. To show her, Xeena pulled up her sleeve to show the arm that was grappled. It was red and bruising, but there was no open wound. It was just sore. Others began to approach Josiah, questioning where to go next and what to do, while Xeena pulled herself together. Fear was present in her mind, but stronger so was the fear that whatever that was could still be out there, fetching corpses to use against them again. Hurting other people. The smell of charred flesh made her stomach churn, the scent like rotten ham being roasted... Part of her wanted to throw up, but she didn't have much in her stomach as it was. Frang stood solidly by her rider, lips tight and her eternal smile seeming redundant in comparison to her body language. Xeena pulled herself up, making sure her sabers were both at her hip, before dusting herself off and giving herself a mental pep talk. "You can't be serious Xeena," Frang whined, trying once more to change her riders mind. "We are not safe here-" "No one is safe here, Frang," Xeena retorted, staring up at her dragons eyes. "If you are so afraid, than leave. I will take care of this myself." And with that, the human walked off towards the party heading into the jungle, leaving Frangipa. The forest dragon huffed and stomped her feet a little bit, before scurrying after. Xeena knew her dragon. After 16 years of bonding, she knew that her dragon was fearful for their lives, desired only the things she wanted. And she wanted Xeena alive. There was no way she would allow Xeena to walk away into a jungle with a creature like that, regardless of the size of their party. If she wasn't there, she didn't think Xeena would be properly protected. Taking the Right path with Josiah The followed the man into the jungle, Frang on high alert with angeled head whipping around at the slightest ruffle of the leaves. Xeena seemed more composed, but in actuality she was just as afraid. Her eyes stared forward, but her ears were training on the sounds of the jungle. And the sound of her own heart beat drumming against her inner ear. Neither paid much mind to what Josiah was saying, but Xeena took a particular notice to the mind that floated in with her own. Frang was often a harsh addition to her own thoughts, stabbing with caution, and anxiety. But right now, the spears of fear were weakening, leaving her with her own cautions. The human looked up to her dragon, brows furrowed. "Frang, are you okay?" She asked softly, not wanting to alert the others to her concerns just yet. Frangipa swung her head around almost lazily, looking at her rider. A dragon without pupils was hard to read, but there was a soft glazing over her bright pink eyes. "I'm fine! I jus' don't think we should be here..." She said, her snappy tone coated with the thin veil of a slur. They didn't realize there was a fork in the road and kept walking, following Josiah down his path, deeper and deeper into the jungle. Swallowing her anxiety, she realized that the group had begun to split up, and the sound of liquid dripping was growing more present than that of ruffling leaves and her pounding heart. She looked onward to Josiah's light which was lifted and felt her face pale. The trees had been canvased with rotting flesh, the smell masked only by a sweet musk that was beginning to infiltrate her own mind. She felt weak suddenly, drops of rotten fluid dripping like a putrid rain around them. "What is this?" She dared to ask, the words bringing bile with them. She keeled over and spat up the little bit of food that had been resting in the base of her stomach, panting and spitting globs of saliva and vomit. Frangipa was swaying softly, concerned for her rider but in a haze. Her tail wrapped instinctively around the human out of caution. They continued onward, Xeena stumbling and shaky, hearing someone say it was a trap, but Josiah was pressing onward, into the cavern. However, it soon became clear that this was dangerous, even more so than they thought. The walls of the cavern began to move and writhe, the bodies that made up the wall moaning as the ceiling behind them began to come crashing down. Xeena scrambled up her dragon and got in the saddle, urging the forest onward after Josiah and the others. They would have no choice but to push on out the other side. The walls shook and fell around them, Frangipa fighting the foggyness in her head to push her and her rider to safety. Josiah was well ahead, and got out safely, and Frangipa had speed to propel her out of the mass before it collapsed entirely. They skidded to a stop, a few meters ahead of the group before turning and heading back. Xeena was shaking, the pile of collapsed flesh oozing. "Maybe you were right, Frang," Xeena whispered, fear causing tears to prick at her the corner of her eyes. " 'm always right," The forest scoffed. "But i's a little to late now..." Xeena furrowed her brows, her dragon acting far stranger than normal. Was it the strange numbing buzz in the hind of her brain? Or did Frangipa know something? She couldn't tell which, as Josiah surveyed the trees above them. Not quite as solidly built as the mass of flesh that made up the cave, this was a stringy web of mucus and flesh, bodies suspended high above. The earth began to shake around them, and a mass moved. Xeena thought the forest might once again come alive to crush them, although as things progressed, she found she wished that was all it was. A giant dragon, earthen in lineage, but not sekkaian. It's body was rotten and the musk was strong as she shook herself free. She shambled forward, as though she was half asleep with her belly bulging. The smell was so strong, but Xeena had nothing left in her body to spit out. Frang was snapping back into action, although the musk made it difficult to bring herself to 100% capability. The dragon came forward, undead creatures joining her in the walk. One, a woman, had the white demon from before explode from her head, controlling her, and a man and a dog shambled forward as well. The dragon squashed bodies as it came upon them, those undamaged crawling towards them mindlessly. Before Xeena could make a sound of panic or demand to move. the dragons stomach suddenly exploded, releasing pale worms that sprang at the party with sudden speed. Xeena yelped as they assaulted her, flinging herself off of Frangipa to avoid them only to be over taken on the ground. She whipped out a saber, slashing and squashing those around her in a clenched jaw panic. It wasn't possible to get them all, however, some attacking and digging into her flesh. She screamed, Frangipa roaring and spitting out jets of acid at the wriggling creatures. Those which hadn't already reached her rider were met with a stream of harsh acid, writhing as their bodies were melted. But not all of them could be warded off by the acid either. The mycotic had been full of them, and they came in what seemed like endless droves. Some got to Frangipa, biting at her scaled hide and trying to burrow inside her. She screeched, biting and bucking them off while Xeena pulled the dredges of her adrenaline and continued to fight. She could feel them underneath her skin, and biting at her exposed flesh, but she couldn't think. A mindless once-living human came at her, rotten flesh hanging off its face as its arms stretched out to grab her. She gave a battle cry and severed the head, the body falling into the wriggling mass of worms. Xeena wanted it to end, the burning pain of things boring into her flesh, the hazy feeling in her head, the monsters around them-- and suddenly they did. Well, sort of. Josiah had lit the massive dragon on fire, leaving every leech and worm screaming in unison. A wild cacophony of pain and agony. Xeena could feel tears on her cheeks as she stabbed the worms with a saber, and ripped out the ones that had began to burrow in her flesh. Frangipa, too, was stepping on them in a furious ferver, spitting acid, and acknowledging the fall of the behemoth. The fire illuminated the nest, and the monster stopped moving. But it wasn't over yet. Something beneath the mycotics flesh was.. moving. Swimming through rotten meat and long dead muscle, it pulled itself up to the maw and revealed herself. "An abyssal..." Xeena gasped, wiping the sweat from her brow and slathering her forehead in her own blood and the gore of the worms. "F-Frang we need to kill it!" Frangipa was staggering slightly, the musk overwhelming now and messing with her. Xeena was getting overwhelmed too, a double whammy of the buzzing from Frang and the smell of the musk affecting her on her own. She pulled out her other saber. "Frang! I'm gonna go after it on my own!" She yelled. Not entirely wise, to shout out a plan in front of the enemy, but she needed to jar Frangipa back to her senses, at least a little. The brave human ran forward dual sabers and both hands as she staggered forward. Left, right, left right, she chanted, keeping her feet steady. As she had expected, Frang came trotting after, shaking her head like a mad horse. They had to end this. With a battle cry Frang raised both sabers and launched herself at the maw of the dragon, Frangipe leaping and snapping open wings to glide forward and spitting a jet of volatile acid at the abyssals face. |
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Jun 18 2015, 12:51 AM Post #60 |
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Loves characters who write themselves
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Ammit fending off the creature and Alix receiving some battle scars in the process Dealing with a dragon the size of a mountain on a normal day was a very cautious affair for the Earth rider, but adding in a mysterious substance that was potent enough to cloud the mind of her dragon ensured that Alix was walking on eggshells the entire way. While the leonine Earth trudged through the cloying canopy, her wary jaws parted in short growls occasionally coming down to snap at hampering vines. Her steps swayed every now and again, prompting the young woman on her back to send soothing thoughts to her quick-tempered lifemate. Ammit on a normal day had a short fuse, there was no telling what she'd do now that she was under the influence. The last thing she wanted was for the massive female to make a misstep or lash out at a smaller dragon. As the Earth pair wandered into the clearing, Alix breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps they could rest now, get their bearings before heading onto whatever else was in store for them. Sadly, all the Earth rider's prayers seemed to be for naught as the last dying notes of a wayward shout reaches her ears. From atop Ammit's shoulders the ground below was bathed in the light from Thiaran's triple moons. With such heavenly illumination on their side the rider warily turned her dark gaze towards the forest edge. What skulked out of the foliage's embrace was like something out of her own nightmares. Long hidden memories of the ill-fated first expedition rose like a sickening well, coming to the fore of Alix's consciousness like a geyser on the edge of eruption. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched those living nightmares shuffle ever closer to her and Ammit's group. Even though she was high above the ground and nestled safe between her dragon's shoulders, the young woman had no control as a deep, primal fear began to course through her veins. Months of therapy and coping techniques were forgotten in that instant as the young woman's heart skipped a beat, its erratic course solidifying as she felt a cold chill race down her spine. No... Please no..., came the distressed thoughts. Alix's breath grew shallow as she watched the corpses devolve into grotesque, hellish abominations. She didn't want to go through this again. She had had enough of corpses and horrible creatures to last her a lifetime and then some. But she would not get her wish. This was not some dream that she would wake up from to find herself warm and safe in her bed. This was cold, cruel reality. And it was coming for her. Effectively frozen in place by her fear, the only thing that managed to break Alix of her thoughts was the heave of earth beneath her. Being Bonded to a creature whose elemental control extended to such things, she first wondered if perhaps the whole thing had been Ammit's doing. That theory, however, was dashed when she heard Ammit mirror her surprise with a rumble of her own. Reflexes enabled the Earth rider to move into a quick crouch, her hand grabbing a handful of mane to stabilize herself. In the commotion she and Ammit's eyes had been drawn away from the two small threats on the ground, instead focusing on the far bigger one that had just appeared. The grotesque creature, its original shape long forgotten, sounded a horrible call to action. Throat vibrating with a growl of her own, Ammit summoned forth the viscous sludge of her breath weapon, intent on striking out against the far larger threat by herself. In a near drunken haze the Earth parted her long jaws, the brown mire seeping over the edges of her maw as she prepared to loose her shot. She sucked in a breath, only to have it torn from her in the form of a scream as a sharp pain shot up her leg. The sickening sensation of something crawling on her prompted the Earth to snap at her own leg, her blazing eyes narrowing on the thing that dared to use her as a glorified scaffold. With each step the flesh monster pried out thick scale, leaving the ruddy olive and bronze plates to fall to the forest floor. “Look out Alix, it's coming for you!” She warned, her voice edged with fear. Luckily, the alert got through to the young woman. Just as Ammit moved to thrash her shoulders in a hope to dislodge the offending parasite, Alix pressed herself flat against her dragon's body. Dark brown eyes widened and the whole world seemed to fall away as a thin tongue lashed out and wrapped around her left ankle. Flipping over, she anchored herself against the pull by grabbing hold of Ammit's mane. The creature was trying to drag her over the side, but the rough motions of Ammit's desperate thrashing bought enough time for the rider to reach the short sword belted at her waist. Never had she thought that something would actually go for her instead of Ammit. Sure, she was an obvious target, but Ammit was a fierce protector and whatever tried to make a grab at her usually met a terrible fate at her Earth's claws. But for the first time in her life Ammit's size actually worked against her. She was too large, and her foe too small. Twisting in an effort to get on her side, Alix's grip only strengthened in those passing moments. The creature was surprisingly strong, and by holding on with one hand she knew it would only be a matter or time before her strength either gave out or the creature thought to abandon the tug and decided to come straight at her instead. Her heart beat a frantic tattoo once, then twice. She would have to do something, and soon. Her chance found her when the creature lashed out with a toothed tentacle, the length of grotesque muscle coming to wrap itself around her left thigh. The Earth rider cried out as teeth bit into her skin like knives. With adrenaline rushing through her veins, Alix managed to pull herself back. Strengthened by her fear, she leaned in and brought her short sword down on the monster's limb. The meticulously honed edge parted the limb easily enough, leaving the rider free and the monster to release its tongue as it screamed in pain. Pushing herself to her feet, Alix didn't even acknowledge the pain in her leg. There would be time for that later. Right now she knew that her first priority was to get away from the monstrosity. She had to get to the ground somehow. Fighting on Ammit's back was too constraining and without her battle harness she was restricted to the Earth's shoulders. If she could make it, then not only would she be safe but Ammit could finish the creature off. I need to get down! She thought frantically to her dragon. Gathering up her fastening straps, the young rider sawed through them as the massive dragon beneath her moved into a crouch. With the wails of the monster at her back the Earth rider fled into the field of flaxen hair. Glancing back, the rider noticed a swift movement behind her. Her deadly adversary was nearly upon her, and as she moved to jump into Ammit's waiting paw she felt a sharp impact near the back of her ribcage. Her cry of pain was cut off as her feet slipped down into open air. The rider came down hard on slate gray claws, with her shoulder absorbing most of the impact. The landing knocked the air out of Alix's lungs, and for a moment the only sense she knew was pain. Above her, Ammit worked to gently lower her rider to the ground, careful not to jar the injured woman any further. She felt that insignificant little creature as it began making its way back down her arm, presumably to finish the job it had started. Snarling, the leonine Earth turned her head and snapped her jaws closed just as the thing reached her elbow. White teeth scissored together, trapping the monster in the dragon's unshakable hold. Tossing her head back and forth, Ammit then snapped her jaws several times, crunching the feeble thing until there was nothing left but a disgusting paste. When she was finished the Earth turned her head to the forest, spitting the remains of that thing back into the trees from whence it came. Rumbling low in her throat, she bent down to look at her rider. "Alix. Alix, are you alright? Get up!" Pulling on her end of the bond, the female hissed as the scent of blood filled her nose and waves of sympathetic pain washed over her. Biting back the sensation, Ammit moved forward to stand guard over her injured partner. And Gods help any enemy that tried to approach her. |
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5:40 PM Jul 10