Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 3, 2015 20:02:22 GMT -6
His craft was small and light, but his heart was big a full, brimming with the fires of adventure.
Jude held tightly to the sail with his left hand, keeping it steady along the wooden rafter upon which it had been set. The giant, white cloth billowed angrily in the wind: the weather was perfect for fast sailing, but bad for safety. But Jude was fine with that-- he'd been in worse spots, and he was too good at this, by his own estimation, to end up underwater. He smiled a big toothy smile to himself as his lavender hair swept across and around his face. He outstretched his right hand, leaning down low in his stand-up craft to gently touch the water. The waves ripped at his skin, but not painfully so; he enjoyed the harsh waters, and could feel the speed at which his craft was traveling. He much enjoyed it.
Sometimes, the boy felt like king of the world. Out here, on the open ocean, towards the end of the daylight hours-- times like these were magical to him. He had been sailing like this since he left the coast of Lycia a few days back, stopping on shores occasionally to eat or sleep; though, for most of his ride, he was happily drifting or excitedly speeding across the salty ocean, his real home.
The pink haired boy looked over to the piers as he quickly approached them, trying to decide if he would rather dock on the beach or leave his small craft at the piers. The last time he was in the Isles, his ship had been smashed to pieces by some local pirates. Whether that had been for fun, or ill intention, Jude never found out; it didn't really matter to him, though, since these crafts were pretty easy to make, and pretty cost effective. Single-sail, one-person crafts were fast, light, and dangerous, the three things he enjoyed most in a vessel.
As the young man came around the side, deciding to claim the beachfront, the wind picked him up in a direction different than he had anticipated: the wind caught his sail wrong, uplifted his craft, and sent him forward in the air. "Sh*t!" the boy shouted, letting go of the sail and immediately being thrown deep into the salty ocean. On his side, his ship capsized and then snapped in two, leaving the sail floating atop the water while the rest of the pieces began to sink. Damn it, there goes my way out of here. That's just great, the boy thought, a scowl written upon his face.
Swimming to shore, the pink-haired boy decided he'd take a few moments to collect himself on the beach before figuring out what he was going to do with his problem. Granted, he'd come here to meet up with the pirate crew he'd used to run with-- maybe they could help. Jude pulled himself up into the sand and wrung his scarf of the water it had collected. He sighed, clearly disgruntled, and took a seat on the beach. "Just my luck!" the boy called out angrily, loudly, wondering if the gods were listening and laughing at him.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 4, 2015 17:20:36 GMT -6
"Luck? Ha!" came the deep, guttural, growling voice of a large, brown-skinned, red-clad figure sitting just a ways over. “Maybe next time you should get a boat a bit bigger than a bucket.”
Jabal had been watching the circus act that had been this man’s beach approach from a comfortable seat upon a washed up log. The dragon had been sitting there for awhile, having disembarked in the late morning and spent the early afternoon watching the sea horizon. He had been relishing in the relatively untouched landscape while occasionally contemplating just where exactly he was headed to next when the pink haired human had showed up and made a fool of himself. Jabal, as typical, had been in no mood to help this traveler out of his mess, but he had been in the mood to watch as the man created a momentary amusement for the dragon.
But now the man was whining about his miserable situation, which immediately polluted the hum of the afternoon air that had, for the duration of his stay, been a pleasant symphony of seagulls, ship bells, and waves. Perhaps that was a sign from Io that Jabal needed to get off his rear and get moving, though the Mountain had been less inclined to listen to the dragon god's murmuring as of late. Why should he pray to a deity that had allowed all the events of the last thousand years to come to pass? Still, the great dragon god had watched over him for over two millenia, three if you considered the fact that Jabal still drew breath today, so the dragon's faith in his divine protector was hard shattered.
With a slow, tired groan, Jabal pushed himself to his feet. His muscles were stiff and his lungs ached. The dragon had been feeling more weak and tired as of late, more so than he had ever felt in his long years. Why? Did it have something to do with these damned dragonstones? Was this new world not content with merely stripping him of his race? Did it have to slowly press him into his grave as well? Well Jabal would not let himself be so abused. He was still a dragon, the ruler of the Jagged Tooth, even if the world around him had forgotten that fact.
"Have fun in the sand, human," he muttered as he turned and walked away, his heavy feet stomping across the sand.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 4, 2015 21:12:06 GMT -6
"Huh?" Jude's red eyes shot open, surprised at first, and then angry. What was that? Who was that? He hadn't noticed anyone before, but... The sound was certainly there. He shot up out of the stand, standing around to face whomever had just spoken to him... He was shocked to see that indeed, there was a man before him, who had also stood himself up, clearly unamused by Jude's situation. What an asshole, Jude thought. There were lots of responses to have, but laughing at his misfortune wasn't one of them. This guy sucked. He had already decided.
But wow, he was... Was this guy a mountain? Jude wondered. His eyes were fixed and angry, but inquisitive. "Shut the hell up!" He shouted, angry, pissed at the man for his comments, but not intimidated by his size. Sure, Jude was much smaller and a good two feet shorter-- he figured the guy was probably eight feet and some change-- but it wasn't enough to qualm his anger. "My little bucket sailed me across more oceans than you've ever sailed, old man." He walked towards the man, arms swinging at his sides, as if to intimidate a man the size of a small Ilian mountain.
And then he started to walk away. The man that had just scoffed at him in a howling, deep voice was walking away from him. "Hey, damn it!" Jude called, surprisingly displeased at the current state of affairs. The guy couldn't simply walk up to him, say something like that, and walk away. "I don't think so!" Jude quickened his pace, his light feet tipping across the sand beside the man with heavy footsteps. He outpaced him, then wheeled around, facing the man. His eyes still wild with carelessness, he fearlessly stood in front of the mountainous man, putting his chest almost against the other man. He looked up at him, completely unfazed by the man's intimidating appearance.
"The hell do you think you are?" He cocked his head to the side. No way could he fight, or would fight, this guy, but he wasn't about to let his ego be so wounded and then let the man walk away.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 5, 2015 23:03:38 GMT -6
Of all the humans in Elibe he could possibly cross paths with, it seemed that Jabal was destined only to encounter the most insufferable. Not that any humans made for great company, but he seemd to be particularly fated to tangle with the worst sort. First it had been the hatchling and his wyvern, then the drunks in the bar, then the damnable pirates, and now this shrill, squeaky man. The red-haired beauty had been a welcome reprieve from this constant stream of idiocy, but with this new dog barking up the very wrong tree, frankly, the Mountain had had just about enough. It was one thing that humans had somehow managed to commit genocide against his race. It was one thing that humans had somehow managed to infest the entirety of Elibe. It was one thing that humans had somehow managed to conveniently forget all the crimes of their ancestors. But the fact that, despite everything they had already done, they just wouldn’t keep him alone was what made Jabal the most furious. If they could just leave him alone!
But he didn’t growl, and he didn’t scowl. He didn’t stop walking. He didn’t even look at the man. Jabal just placed a big, brown hand on the side of the pink haired human’s head and effortlessly pushed him out of his way into the sand. He had better things to do than entertain some tiny man's delusion that, for some reason, he was more important, more significant, than he actually was. Because to Jabal, none of these humans were significant. Compared to the years he had lived, even just to the years he had slept, their lives were nothing more than a blink and a gasp. Their existence paled in comparison to his own. They could not begin to comperehend the breadth of his experience: the children he had sired, the loves he had seen come and go, the lands he had conquered, the nations he had seen rise and fall, the bloodlines he had seen span generations yet die out. He held more knowledge in his head than an entire human library could dare claim to contain, and yet out of fear, and greed, and envy humans would see him dead.
Only humans were so arrogant as to believe they had the right to overturn mountains.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 5, 2015 23:13:40 GMT -6
"Oh sh*t--"
Jude felt the firm clasp of the brown hand as fast as he saw it; it covered the entirety of his head, and then some, and his red eyes widened with shock as he felt the effortless yet fierce push from the giant man, sending him away, as he crashed into the ground with a heavy thud. Damn, Jude thought, even for landing in the sand that was pretty fierce. He grunted, his red eyes fierce like roaring flames, licking about for something to engulf, and yet they were empty, since Jude knew he couldn't do anything to so much as scratch this man. But he was a fearless young man, and brash, and while it often landed him in more trouble than he would have ever bargained for, he always carried his feelings through to action. Idiocy at its finest, and Jude knew it, but he always, always ignored it.
"What, you think because you're bigger than me, it gives you the right to push me around? That it?" Jude picked himself up out of the sand. He would pick himself up out of the sand as many times as it took, but he refused to be ignored. This man was massive... And if anything, Jude was curious about him, although at present it seemed that his interests were purely fueled by anger. He couldn't make motion to show weakness, though. He wouldn't. He never had.
"I'm not done talking to you!" He stormed after the giant man, quickening his pace again, in the exact same way as before. "You wanna push me down again?" Jude cooed, hands on his hips as he wheeled in front of the mountain again. "You can't just mock somebody like that and then walk away. Look buddy, if you wanna have an insult match, come on! I'm game. But if you're looking for a fight, I can give ya that one, too. I'm a pirate, gods damn it."
A wide, proud smirk drew itself across half of Jude's face as he cocked his head and rested a hand on his hip. He knew his comments probably wouldn't impress the giant, but he wasn't going to let him just walk away like that, especially not after insulting his craft.
It was a damn good little boat!
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 6, 2015 16:16:01 GMT -6
If the little human was only looking to get Jabal to stop walking away from him then he had succeeded. The second time the pink-haired boy wheeled himself around in front of Jabal, the giant dragon stopped to sigh at him. His patience was slowly giving way to anger. Was there something to be gained from this? What was this human looking to prove? That he was perfectly capable of being manhandled like a soft-scaled hatchling? Jabal didn’t find it to be a very impressive feat, but that was all that would come of this encounter if this chittering monkey continued to be so annoying.
“I can, and I will,” Jabal growled as he placed his hand on top of the human’s head, then down with a knee-buckling amount of force. The Mountain's strength was more than enough for a simple human, despite his weakened state. Even without the ability to draw upon his legendary power, there was always something to be said for being the biggest and the strongest. “...and I hate pirates.” With the obstacle once again removed from his path, the dragon stepped over the pink-haired young man and continued walking, his feet plodding heavily across the beach away from the coast. Hopefully another face full of sand would shut this man-child up.
As the dragon reached the beginning of the ammophila growing at the edge of the sand, he began looking around. Where to go? This wasn't a very large port; outside of the expansive beach it was nothing more than the two piers a dozen yards away and a dusty dirt road heading off towards the rest of the island. Supposedly this island held a mine, one where humans dug up materials for their trinkets, baubles, and coins. If there was one thing humans and dragons had always had in common, that was it: a love for the beautiful metals and stones of the earth. So after repeatedly failing to produce one himself like Aeos had stated was possible, Jabal had figured that examining one first hand may answer some of his questions. He had also figured that if they truly were "part of a dragons own spirit in physical form" then they would look the part, brilliant like a jewel. And if these dragonstones did look like jewels, then a mine was just the place to find one that had been lost to time's unyeilding march.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 6, 2015 16:53:04 GMT -6
"WHAT THE H--" Jude froze, coughing as the words were literally shoved back inside of his mouth as the behemoth pushed down on his head. It was so effortless for him, and yet the force was near unbearable... Had Jude had his head anywhere but straight up, his neck might've snapped-- but that didn't seem to be this giant's intention. Jude scoffed as he felt himself become buried in the sand, up to his chest, where his arms were concealed with the rest of his body. Only his biceps, chest, and head could be seen once the Mountain had finished pushing him down.
Jude's initial reaction was to get even more pissed off, and the flames dancing in his eyes indicated that, though only for a moment. As the giant walked away, Jude thought about. How had one man become so strong? What kind of human being could grow like that, and how had he done it? Also, why didn't he just kill Jude if he was so tough? Jude didn't often think much, especially not before speaking, but this made little sense to him; such a large man who seemed to care so little might've been better off killing the kid... Yet, he declined to do so.
Fighting his position stuck in the sand, Jude realized it would take a lot to climb out, to break free of the earth itself. He struggled, trying to break his arms free "Gods... damn it... Sh*t... HEY!" Jude cried out to the man, his voice still fearless, but not done, as if the vocal chords in this throat were the only fighting spirit he had inside of him. The man didn't turn around, and in fact, he kept walking forward."
"Nyegh!" Jude broke an arm free, almost by sheer force of will, and then his other. Then he forced himself out of the sand, and fell over, half out of breath from merely trying to break himself free. Without thinking, he sprinted after the giant, still not understanding that it might've been better for him to simply walk away. But this? A monster this size? No way; he was far too interesting to ignore now.
Jude stopped just short of reaching him, having used his speed to close the distance in no time. He looked... lost? Really?
"Hey, old man," Jude called out to him cruelly, placing a hand back on his hip. "You can hate pirates all ya want, but if you're lost," he shoved a thumb into his chest, pointing at himself proudly. "only a PIRATE will be able to find your way again."
A little more slowly, and with less anger and more amazement in his red eyes, Jude walked up to the man. For the first time since their encounter, his voice was inquisitive and civil, having lost the fire along with his vicious glare. "You're pretty strong, for someone who looks fifty," Jude commented, tilting his head to the side as he narrowed his eyes. "Where ya from?"
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 6, 2015 19:34:37 GMT -6
Old man? Hmph, if only he knew how old.
"Not here," Jabal grunted in response, actually bothering to look at the young human again. If it hadn't been for the compliment in regards to his strength, Jabal would have slapped the boy upside the head. Fortunately for him, though, the Mountain was easily flattered. But what made the boy think he was lost? The Mountain was not lost. For him to be lost there had to be someplace else he was supposed to be, somewhere he belonged, and right now for him there was no such place. He had a destination, one he didn't quite know how to reach, but even then what was a week of searching when you had lived for tens of thousands of those, and you likely had tens of thousands ahead? Lost was such a human concept. Humans were always in such a hurry to get places. But even Jabal could not blame them. Their lives were miserably short as it was.
The dragon snorted, looked around, then looked back at the human. He might be an ancient dragon, but he did not feel it. He felt more and more human with every passing second, which meant in this case feeling more and more impatient. He hated it. He found himself constantly filling his mind with empty boasts, something that had never felt as necessary as it felt now. Trapped in this fragile form, Jabal knew he was a shell of his former self. Never before in his extraordinarily long existence had the dragon ever been so doubtful and questioning. So despite his earlier thoughts, there was indeed a sort of urgency now to find his dragonstone. There was a small part of the Mountain, a small part ever growing, that felt that if he did not find a way to make this infernal object manifest soon, he would lose that part of himself forever.
"I'm going to the mine. Take me there."
Without another word, Jabal turned and continued walking down the dirt path he had started down on. If the human was as fascinated with him as he seemed, he would listen, and he would follow.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 6, 2015 19:53:37 GMT -6
Jude huffed, blowing a piece of lavender hair out and away from his face as he approached the Mountain, who admitted that he wasn't from there. "Obviously ya ain't from around here, otherwise you'd know where the mine was. Whatever," Jude said, quickening his step enough to put himself up in front of the man. He stretched his arms out behind his head, interlacing his fingers, resting them on the back of his head, letting the wind blow across him. The sea breeze was his favorite thing, and Jude was thankful, if for anything, for the chance to be back on the waterfront.
Though not for long, it seemed. If the man wanted to go the mines, they'd be down the beach aways until the cliff rose up above them. Once at the edge, the cave mouth would be pretty apparent... It wasn't a far walk, but there wasn't much out there. Jude had been to the mine only once, and he didn't stay for long; when he ran with his pirate crew, he'd been tasked with "guarding the mouth", as if it were in any real danger. The red-eyed man sighed as he thought about those days, when he'd let himself be tossed around by boys much older than he had been. He hadn't the strength then to deal with them, but if he came across them now, there were no doubts in his mind he could handle it.
As the two walked, Jude ignored the man's mannerless demand, deciding that it would probably be best to just take him there. Whatever he wanted in the mines didn't matter; Jude was curious. He would follow him. And he wouldn't let the Mountain stop him from following... There was nothing to be gained in the mines except for some pretty rocks, which he didn't see much inherent value in unless you were a collector. Then, maybe. Even so, nobody came to Nabata to go cave-crawling, especially not in some godsforsaken mines.
Once they came within viewing distance of the cave, and as they approached the cave mouth, Jude turned to speak to the giant. "Never say I didn't do anything for you," he tossed out rudely. "Next time, I'll make you say please." He liked to joke a lot, even though he knew it wasn't smart to do with this angry man.
"What the hell do you want in this place, anyway? Some salt?"
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 10, 2015 15:59:43 GMT -6
Jabal walked in silence, only making himself enough aware of the human's presence to allow himself to be led. Fortunately the walk did not take overly long, a bit to Jabal's surprise, and when the two crested the last dune the dragon spotted the entrance he was looking for: a larged mouthed cave just at the top of a low cliff that overlooked the ocean. The path that led up to it looked like a bit of a trek, traveling up the side of the rock face in a narrow, winding fashion that was just wide enough for a good sized cart. At the top there were a number of minecarts sitting just outside the mouth of the cave, each either empty or containing a varying amount of rocks and soil. Nothing unexpected. It wasn't like minecarts nor mines were things humans had developed while Jabal had slept.
What did catch Jabal's eye, though, were a couple of small watercraft that had been pushed up on the beach and now sat at the base of the cliff. And in the distance, a ways out to sea, was anchored a much larger ship, a galleon. From this distance it was difficult to see much more than the shape of the ship's hull and sails, but it flew no flag which left Jabal to wonder just who the boat might belong to. Any amount of humans mucking around in this mine was an inconvenience, but certain parties would pose more of a threat than others. It was interesting, however. The dragon hadn't chosen this mine for any specific reason. He had heard that the Western Isles were filled mines carved out by the nation of the descendents of that bitch Elimine, and this had just been the first stop on a much longer journey. But now he had reason there might be something of value here. So Jabal turned to the pink haired boy and said one word:
"Rocks."
The Mountain turned away from the human and smirked as he started walking towards the path to the mine. Were humans usually so freely giving of information that they expected complete strangers to answer their every question? Jabal imagined that would get annoying quickly; a constant stream of inquiries, that is. This human clearly seemed to have them in no short supply.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 21, 2015 16:50:12 GMT -6
Jude raised an eyebrow as he appraised the situation before him. First, he had crashed his ship, then he'd found a man the size of a bear, then here he was, leading that man to a mine-- none of these things seemed to be leading him to fix his craft. What he wanted, of course, was to get out and go somewhere else. He couldn't very well make a trip anywhere without his ship, and as smashed as it was, he might have to find a new one... Setting a hand on his hip as the large man walked towards the winding uphill path, Jude sighed, the exasperation in his voice ever present.
"Some rocks. You dragged me out here to go digging in the dirt for some rocks? Gods," he breathed, finally walking along behind the giant man. As tall as Jude was, he still had about two feet to look up to meet the back of the man's head. If Jude weren't so headstrong and reckless, he knew he might be intimidated by the size-- and after all he'd been put through, after being shoved down and buried in the sand, the pink haired boy figured that if this man wanted to kill him, he likely would have done so. Right? Was that true?
He pushed the thought out of his head and shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants. He blew a piece of hair out of his face as the sea breeze picked up, almost tasting the salty air pull the pink locks around his head. His eyebrows furrowed as the path narrowed, and as he looked to the top of the path, he saw carts posted at the top.
With a tone of light jest in his voice, Jude loudly spoke out. "Looks like someone else is gonna beat you to your rocks, old man. Couple of pirates, maybe?" He looked over behind him, back towards the ships. No flag. What did that mean?
He hadn't ever been in any really dangerous situations, and Jude was afraid that whatever might be in the mine could be a threat. He did know, though, that this guy was brutish enough to handle anything that could happen. Of course, it was usually in Jude's nature to assume the worst-- these travelers could very well be benign, and Jude considered it, but quickly pushed the thought out of his head when he considered the lack of flag. When he sailed with his pirate crew a few years back, they never flew a flag either. He bit his lip.
Eventually the two men made it to the top, and Jude placed himself in front of the bear-sized man and leaned in, attempting to peer deeply into the mouth of the cave. He couldn't see anything closely, so without thinking even for a second, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted into the cave. "HEEY!!!"
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 22, 2015 21:54:47 GMT -6
"You wouldn't leave me alone," Jabal pointed out as he continued walking. He then made an almost invisible shrug. "Might as well make you do something useful." Given that the dragon's initial idea would have taken him in the wrong direction, the boy, grating as he might be, had saved Jabal a day or two's worth of searching. The Mountain figured that was at least worth him not shoving the human around anymore. Humans might be mongrels, Io’s sole mistake, but only the lowest of creatures would strike a dog when it was being obedient. And perhaps the human would even find another way to make himself useful, like being a shield or setting off a deadfall.
When the pink haired boy pointed out the carts, which Jabal had already noticed, and mentioned pirates, the dragon grunted in disgust. Obviously there were other people here, and pirates had been his initial assumption as well. He supposed a human ship without a flag was like a dragon without a clan: unnecessarily suspicious and usually had something to hide. Gah! He hadn’t been looking to run into any humans this day, and the humans likely being pirates only made the feeling of frustration that much worse. But the dragon’s dislike of sea scum in no way overshadowed his desire for a dragonstone. The Mountain would enter this mine, and if he ran into anyone who would try and stop him, pirate or no, he would make them regret it.
Then the human started yelling.
“Silence, idiot,” Jabal commanded, rapping the noisy human on the back of the head with a knuckle. “If you follow me in here you stay quiet. Otherwise I’ll make sure that if any pirates do find you, they’ll wish to forget the sight of your mangled corpse.”
The dragon kept walking into the mine, not waiting for the inevitable, sqwaking retort from the man-child. The entrance was large, but the cave almost immediately tapered off into a much smaller passageway. Fortunately for Jabal, "much smaller" was still large enough for his massive frame to fit through. Initially the passage was bright, illuminated by the light from the sun coming in from the cave entrance, but once the route bent to the left, sunlight was no longer adequate. It was no matter. Jabal was an earth dragon. He was attuned to the rock and dirt and soil. With focus he could sense the vibrations of sound through the stone, and thus navigate his way through this pitch black tunnel. So the dragon placed his hand on the wall, took a deep breath, and... nothing. Nothing. Nothing?
من قبل العديد من رؤساء تيامات في (By Tiamat's many heads!)
Jabal cursed aloud, balling his fist and punching the cave wall. Was this truly happening right now? An earth dragon that couldn't read the earth? This damn world had changed, alright, but it had not been satisfied with depriving him of his strength. It had to rob him of his senses as well! He punched the wall again, repeating the curse. An earth dragon that couldn't see in a cave was a sorry beast indeed. Was he to fumble around in the dark like a blind pup? Like a human?
"Do..." the Mountain began to speak up, but quickly silenced himself pursing his lips. Was he about to ask this human for more help, and admit he was as blind in this tunnel as this boy? Awful. It was like a fish asking for help holding its breath underwater. "Do you... have a torch of some sort?" Jabal spoke through grit teeth, and the question came out sounding more like an expression of pain than anything else. And it was painful. It hurt his pride to ask for help seeing while he stood within the earth itself.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 23, 2015 19:13:37 GMT -6
"Hmph. Yeah, and if I didn't leave you alone, you'd be a blind-ass bat in a dune full of sand and trash. Please." Jude scoffed, pressing on inside the mouth of the cave behind the large man. As he ignored the man's command to be silent, Jude looked around. The cave was dark, but not so dark that he couldn't make his way through it slowly-- on his own, if he had to. Though it seemed that for whatever reason, he wouldn't have to be in here alone. This was okay with him, since he had no interest in what lie inside, and was by this point here for curiosity, for fun, for an adventure that would take his mind off of his broken boat. Please, if pirates came, he could talk them down. Right?
It didn't matter. "Oh yeah? Tough guy? And when they kill you off? You look unarmed to me." Despite his size and giant hands that could probably do some damage, surely this... beast... would still succumb to weapons... Actually, Jude thought, he wasn't sure. With as much ease as the man had buried Jude, it might be feasible to think that he could handle an armed gang by himself. With no armaments. Just who was this guy, anyway? Jude wondered. He rolled his eyes back into his head and pressed on, stopping just short of the giant man to see him press himself into the wall as if trying to learn something, as if he could be in tune with nature or something.
Then the pounds came. The man beat viciously against the wall, causing dust and rocks to fall down in small, bearable quantities above them. Nothing serious fell, save for some dirt that got in Jude's mouth as the pounds continued to come. And what had he said? What language was that? Jude would've been frightened, lest his intrigue not be in full control at present. With a raised eyebrow, he looked at the defeated-looking man and cracked a smile.
"What? Can't see anything in here? Geez, without me, old man, you'd be useless." He tossed a hand up casually into the air, opening his palm to the ceiling, and walked past the beast fearlessly. A torch? Well... Sure, he had a small stick of wood on his person, some flint and steel maybe, but could he just freely give it up?
Sure he could. And he could embarrass the monster while he did. "Aww, poor guy. Without little old Jude by your side, you're just a blind oaf. That's fine-- lemme be your eyes." His red eyes flashed up to the giant man, serious and wild, a smirk drawn wide across his face. He had found his adventure.
Jude looked back down and pulled the short wooden baton from behind him. He pulled a small piece of metal and a black ring out from his pouch, struck the two together, and then before their eyes the flame struck the wood and the golden embers took up, lighting the area very faintly around them. It was poor quality, but enough. About the best he could hope for.
"I get to carry this. Not you. Let's go." Jude turned away from him and looked ahead. Now... uh, where to go? He scratched the back of his head, declining to take a step forward.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 24, 2015 12:28:45 GMT -6
A massive hand came shooting out from the darkness as Jude turned his gaze down the length of the tunnel. It struck the back of the pink haired human’s head, its fingers wrapping around the fragile bones of his neck like a noose around the neck of the condemned, and when secure it pulled back as quickly as it had come, dragging the body of Jude with it. The arm then whipped the human’s weak frame about the dark of the cave before slamming him into the closest wall it could find. The hand held him there, stuck, unresponsive to any struggling its captive might attempt. And as the the thief was forced up against the cave wall, he would be able to sense the dragon’s gargantuan form leaning in closely, his half-open mouth breathing heavily in his victim’s ear.
“Your empty bravado is loathsome and tiring,” Jabal growled, his voice low and menacing. Though Jude could not see them, the dragon’s eyes were narrow and focused like a predator’s. “But that's typical for a human.” His grip tightened around Jude’s neck, pinching his windpipe, then he pulled the man an inch or two away from the wall for moment, only to smash him into the damp stone of the cave wall once again. There was use in this human’s presence, given the unknown that lay before them in this cave, but any use he had was moot if he continued to flout the Mountain’s absolute authority. “Know that my words were no such thing. To me you are nothing but an insect. I could kill you in an instant and never waste a second in remembrance.” Jabal pushed Jude more tightly against the wall and snarled, though it came out as more of a hiss given his lower tones. “That is how little you humans mean to me.”
“If you were smart you would turn around,” the dragon continued, his voice laced with nothing but contempt and hatred. “But we both know you won’t, will you? You are attracted to my strength. You enjoy the danger I represent and the experience I carry upon my shoulders.” Jabal’s fingers tightened further. Much more and the human would not be responding when the dragon was done. “Why else would a flea stick its filthy nose in matters that do not concern it?” He let out a long, slow growl, as he seriously considered snapping this man’s neck right here and being done with it. But he didn't. Jabal was a ruler, and in the absence of his clan and his power he craved respect. He would squeeze every meager ounce of it he could out of this man if at all possible. “I will carry the torch, and you will walk in front of me,” he said in a voice that would not be argued with. “You will do as I say, or else I will make good on my threats. Is that understood?”
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 26, 2015 17:00:17 GMT -6
"AACCGH!"
Jude's vision snapped, his eyes going blurry a quick moment before returning. He felt the pulse, the intense pressure of a hand, something large, thick, grabbing out from the darkness to constrict him. It caused him to gasp for breaths that his body wouldn't allow him to take-- had the giant man come in to dispose of him away from the prying eyes of the outside? What was going on? With great futility, Jude reached his hands up to pull at the fingers of the giant man wrapped around his neck.
"AUUGGHH!"
Jude coughed up a small spat of blood and got it on the mountain man's hand as he crashed hard into the rock wall, squinting his eyes instinctively, as if it would mitigate the damage done to his head when he hit it. And he hit the stone wall of the cave hard. Hard enough to feel himself becoming pressed deeply into it, opening his eyes only wide enough to see Jabal's silhouette against the light coming in from the mouth of the cave. As the bear sized man began to speak, the fire in Jude's eyes took off like oil dropped into a stove fire, the red sparks dancing around in his eyes. With his hands still clasped over Jabal's, he smiled wickedly, the smile growing as the breath began to leave his body. His vision was going blurry, but the vivacity in his eyes only grew stronger with each word to leave the giant man's lips.
You humans? What was he implying?
The pink-haired boy thought about mustering up the last of his energy to spit on the man, but he didn't. He knew when he was beaten... He knew it only once he was an inch away from death. And so he used some of his last energy to furrow his brow, to widen his smile, and to speak. "S-So... You really think you get me, don't y--"
"AAGGGHH! A-Aggh..."
Jude gritted his teeth, feeling his body start to break under the pressure and weight and force of being slammed hard into the wall again. He was out of breath, his vision was starting to completely leave his body, and yet the boy still fought hard to maintain his composure, to maintain the facade he wore every day of his life. "Y-Yeah? You think you've... Got me all figured out, huh?" The boy coughed, the raspiness in his voice starting to take a toll on his throat, to say nothing of the pain he was feeling from the grip around his neck. "Fine. I'll let you carry the... torch..." he struggled to get the words out, his grip around the giant man's fingers tightening, albeit again futile.
"B-But not until you... tell me your... f**king name..." The wicked grin across his lips was the only thing about him, besides the fire in his eyes, that refused to die. Even when his body was totally giving out, his vivacious nature was always in control.
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