Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 19, 2014 19:07:31 GMT -6
Jabal could feel the rock and dirt sift through the gaps between fingers as he made one final push. His massive hand burst from the earth, reaching up towards the firmament as the ground above him fell away in clumps, giving way to the sight of white, endless sky. The dragon took a huge breath, filling his lungs with the fresh air of the surface world. It was the first atmosphere he’d tasted in over a millenium, although he knew it not quite just yet. Light bore down from the heavens, agianst which the dragon instinctively angled his hand, shielding his eyes from the glare. Ugh, the sun was downright blinding. He could barely see anything; even his own hand was a brownish-black blur against the glaring white that consumed his vision.
The dragon paused, giving himself a couple of long moments to adapt to his surroundings before he moved any more. The noon light’s blaze, although unyielding, slowly became less harsh to his eyes, and once he was no longer completely blinded, Jabal tore his other arm from the earth, fully uncovering his upper torso. Then, with his torso suitably above ground, he pried the rest of his body from its hole in the ground with another great heave.
Finally free, the dragon’s head was full of thoughts and questions. Why in the name of Io had he been underground in the first place? Had he been thought dead after the battle and buried? That meant the worst: that the humans had won, for his brethren would have known that even such wounds would not have slain a dragon as mighty as him. Dragons could go into great sleeps to regain their strength, and now upon seeing the long, ropy scar that ran down his chest Jabal knew it was exactly that which he had awoken from.
But as he continued to breathe, Jabal noticed there was an odd thinness to the air, and a strange ache that spread throughout his body. Just how much damage had Roland’s blade done to him? Durandal was a terrifying weapon, and it had cut devastatingly deep into his chest, but had the blow really been so severe as to permanently cripple him? Argh, the thought made him furious! It was bad enough that the humans had even started the war, but that they had managed to turn the tides against the dragons not once, but twice!? It was incomprehensible! “Divine” weapons they called them! “Divine” indeed! There was nothing divine about such terrible weapons of war.
The Mountain took a long, deep breath, in an attempt to calm his fury. Still fuming, he looked down at his nude, human form, flexing his hands into fists repeatedly. No, as terrible as his wounds were, this was different. He had no trouble actually breathing the air, but it felt as if the atmosphere was lacking something, and it was that absence that made him feel weak. He had already been feeling unsteady and sluggish as he had crawled his way out of the pitch-black underground, but Jabal had assumed it had merely been the result of his recovery. Now at the surface, however, the dragon realized that his body was fine. His bones were solid, his muscles firm, and his lungs fully functional. It was the world itself that had changed. Just how long had he slept?
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 20, 2014 13:01:11 GMT -6
The great dragon let his gaze wander as he got to his feet. A great, black crater littered with burnt wood and charred stone. This place looked nothing like the battlefield where he had been felled, but he didn’t imagine that the hateful humans would have bothered to move his body anywhere significant. It wasn’t like they would have been able to if they had wanted to. Had the battle following his defeat created this much destruction? The humans’ great weapons were powerful, but they did not cause craters in the earth. He could sense magma stirring deep below him, and could see the crater was covered in volcanic rock. Had there been an eruption while he slept? His wounds would have to have been severe indeed to keep him comatose through that. Still, it explained the crater, but in that case...how had the battle gone?
Jabal’s heart began to race, again with rage. The battle had ended a long time ago. He immediately began to think the worst. What had happened to his brothers and sisters? What of his kin? If he couldn’t defeat Roland, then none of them would have been able to. Had the wielder of Durandal gone on to slaughter them all!? Had the fellblade tasted the blood of his fellows? The dragon’s gaze wildly darted around the crater, his head swiveling on his neck like that of a crazed beast. He just needed a sign of them, just one sign that the battle may have gone in the favor of the dragons. He ran over in a random direction, then fell to his knees to sift through the black, ashy soil in hopes that he might find something. Nothing. He ran over to another part of the crater and did the same. Nothing. All he could see was blackened rock and rubble, and the rubble he hardly concerned himself with.
Jabal roared angrily, slamming his fists into the ground. No! No! NO! He had lost! He had failed! He had failed! He had failed everyone! If they were dead because of him...no! No, they couldn’t be dead! Not all of them. Even Roland could not be so successful in butchery! The dragon struck the ground again, but his rage building. He shook, his head, unaccepting of the probable outcome. The Musenen Jabal were a proud clan! They were a powerful clan! They could not be wiped out by mere humans! The dragon threw his head back and roared again, this time in anguish. Jabal’s body roiled with anger as he struck continued blows against the earth. It was a fluke! A mistake! He would find Roland, and he would crush him! He would kill his friends, he would kill his family, and he would finish by killing him! Again he roared, the war trumpet that announced his fury, and as he did so his eyes turned a deep yellow, starting to shift into dragon form.
But the transformation was halted just as rock-like scales began to appear as patches on Jabal’s skin. His body twisted and lurched as it attempted to restore its true form, but it just couldn’t quite do so. The freshly appeared scales faded back into flesh. What...what was going on? To Jabal, it felt like reaching into a hole for something that you could touch with your fingertips, but just could not quite get your whole hand around. It was an unfamiliar feeling to the dragon, for he typically would have crushed whatever barrier was in his way and taken the contents by force. That wasn't an option here, and the confusion quickly dissipated the Mountain’s sudden anger as his mind scrambled to explain his inability. Was his body still recovering? He'd never heard of wounded dragons being unable to take their true forms before. Was this a side effect of Durandal’s power? Did the sword seal the powers of the dragons it did not succeed in killing? Dammit! Was this the fate of the Mountain himself? To rot in the form of his most hated foe? It was a greater act of humiliation than if Roland had just killed him outright.
Jabal rose to his feet, his mind awash in untempered anger, regret, and frustration. What in the fresh hell was going on? Here he was in the middle of nowhere, trapped in human form, and the last thing he remembered was having his chest rent open by the hellish sword of one of humanity’s great generals. He had no idea where he was, why he had been buried underground, how long he had slept, or what had happened to his fellow dragons after the battle. He had a million questions and no answers. It was an uncomfortably vulnerable position for a dragon as powerful or as storied as he, and in truth, he had never felt so pathetically weak in his life. Is this what humans always felt like? One more reason to despise the creatures.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 24, 2014 16:28:09 GMT -6
Jabal strode across the dead crater that he had emerged from with a lost and thoughtful expression on his face. He was still bewildered by the sight of the craggy, blackened earth that stretched out around him, confused as to where exactly he was. If this wasn’t the battlefield where he had fought Roland, and it sure as the heavens didn’t look like it, then where was he, why had he been moved, and by whom? What purpose did such an action serve? He couldn’t see the humans having much of a reason to move or bury a seemingly dead dragon, even if it was their death ritual, but if his brethren had been concerned about returning him to the earth, the land that bore his father, then they would have brought him home to the Toothed Peaks, not stuck him in some pit. That made the alternative more probable: that this was indeed the field where Durandal had felled him. But if this was that same battlefield, then...he had missed an awful lot while he had slept, for where once there had been grassy hills, only slag and ash remained. Had the humans built a fortress here solidify their holdings after the defeat of the Musenen Jabal, only to have it destroyed in the war later by the might of the dragons? He could only hope.
Slowly, Jabal continued to survey the sunken land, his eyes looking for some further explanation. Fortress or volcano, either way he stood on hundreds, perhaps thousands of human corpses. There was joy he could take in that, even he hadn’t been the cause, and he tried to, but the darkness that lurked throughout this bleak wasteland dampened whatever aftermath he tried to revel in. Perhaps he was just feeling off given the complete lack of energy and power confounding his senses, but this crater spoke to him in a dark, leering way. It was a stifling feeling, like that of a blight, that reminded him of the feeling he got from nether magic. It was a power that many human mages had tried to wield against him in battle, only in this case it was multiple degrees more malevolent than the historically arbitrary energy of the Nether. Typically he would have shrugged off the feeling, but in his weakened state, Jabal couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable and vulnerable.
The Mountain scoffed. Pitiful. Here he was, the chieftain of the Musenen Jabal, master of the Toothed Peaks and beyond, sweating over a little human magic. It didn’t matter how crippled his powers were, he was still a dragon, and no self-respecting dragon would deign to feel threatened by his surroundings, no matter how bleak or sinister they may seem. Dragons either ruled their environment or became one with it. Bowing to the might of nature was something only humans did. Truly he needed to find out exactly what was wrong with him, for it was becoming glaringly obvious that it was getting to his head.
It was a silent hour that Jabal spent trudging around the cracks and crevasses that littered the otherwise flat landscape, one that he spent in quiet retrospective. It was all a lot to consider, even for a being as ancient as him. He earnestly hoped he had not missed too much of the war, that there was still time to turn the tides of battle back in favor of his people, but a nagging doubt kept scratching at the back of Jabal’s mind. A good part of him feared the worst, a part that he could not quite subdue, so the best was to keep pressing onward, continually quelling the fury that kept arising in his breast at the thought of the genocide of his people. No doubt, he would strangle the first human he saw with his bare hands.
But, suddenly, a loud, baleful, howl broke the silence. The earth dragon turned his gaze upward to see the source of the cry. At the lip of the crater, roughly a mile away, Jabal spotted a handful of black figures, all faced in his general direction. Four, no, five of them. They walked on all fours, and looked like wolves from this distance, but the dragon could just make out the grey, reptilian scaliness of their hides. Mauthe Doogs. Ancient, bloodthirsty monsters, Mauthe Doogs looked like the mutant offspring of wolves and lions, with a little lizard thrown into the mix. Their slender heads were surrounded in manes of thick fur that ran down their back and culminated in broom-like tails, while the rest of their bodies were covered in leathery scales. They were relentless pack hunters that pursued their prey with a drooling persistence unmatched by even the most vengeance-crazed maniac, and once their acquired your sent, it was either kill or be killed. They were attracted to death and Nether energies, so perhaps Jabal's initial observation of the crater's blight had some weight to it.
Bah, none of it mattered to him, Dakhm Qesherh Al-Jabal! He was a dragon, the mightiest of the Musenen Jabal, and these these dogs were nothing but slobbering, witless beasts, lower than humans! Jabal held his arms out and reached within to call upon his draconic fury, but try as he might, the most he could muster was the partial scaling over of his skin. The dragon scowled. Tsk, he still couldn’t transform; every time he tried it felt as if all the power that was his birthright was being drained from him by an iron spigot. He looked on as the Mauthe Doogs came sprinting down the side of the crater, having identified their target prey. It was him. Jabal’s scowl further deepened, now a wretched canyon across his face. This was...disappointing.
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Shugo
Wyvern Rider
RETIRED
The world is a dark and lonely place. That is why it is our duty to bring some light to the world.
Posts: 271
Profession: Kid
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Butorega
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Post by Shugo on Jul 24, 2014 17:29:42 GMT -6
To see the world, that was the words Shugo spoke to Luna as he and his fellow Wyvern left the mighty mountains of Bern. Shugo had left Bern before, though that was not his own will. He had been to Lycia and hung out at the edge of Sacea. Now Shugo wanted to see all the world. How could he be a valiant knight if he did not understand people. To understand them you have to see them, their homes, and how they live. The idea was well and good, but in truth that was not why Shugo was flying in Lycia. That was not why shugo was in a place of dark sky and shattered earth. The truth of the matter was that Shugo was lost. He was lost when he passed the great mountains. He was lost when he passed his first city state. Shugo had no idea where he was, or if he was getting anywhere near back home. He and Luna were just flying in the same direction. The boy hopped he would see a caravan heading back to Bern or at least to a place were he could get directions. Instead he saw empty burned land and a sickness he had no idea that existed.
"Luna where are we", spoke Shugo to his mount. He knew Luna had no idea, and he knew even if she did he could not understand her. Shugo just had to ask somebody. Being lost in a land out of a horror story was not the funnest thing and Shugo was starting to get hungry. He had eaten most of his rations earlier and the boy only had five potatoes left. Luna seemed to have a skill of hunter for her own self, but the current area did not seem to have the wild life need to support such a wide Wyvern. Shugo was going to need to find his way soon or the duo would be in some serious trouble.
Suddenly and without warning Luna gave off a scream. The scream caught the boy off guard as he thought on their predicament. It seemed that there was trouble below. Shugo looked down and saw six figures. One of them looked like a man and the others looked almost like dogs. Shugo was to high up at the moment to make out any true details, but the man seemed bigger than Shugo had expected. Maybe he was not as high up as he thought. Still it was obvious the man needed some kind of help. The way the dogs moved it was clear to him that they were not friendly.
"Never fear", shouted Shugo. His voice rang out over the wind and fell upon the land like rain. "The sky knight Shugo is here", shouted the boy as he sent Luna into a dive. The boy began to descend at a rapid pace as Shugo dive down and took a shot at one of the dogs. As Luna approached it soon became evident to the boy that these dogs were not dogs. In fact they were something else. The boy stabbed forward his dragon lance at the beast as Luna mad a pass, but the dog jumped back with expert timing and dodged his blow.
"What in the world", spoke Shugo as Luna sailed through the air just above the ground. "What in the world was that", spoke Shugo to Luna. The Wyvern turned and prepared for a second pass, but instead of charging the beast like last time Shugo dismounted and rushed toward on of the beast from the ground. Shugo was a knight before hand. He was always a better fighter on the ground than the air and thought he would have a advantage if he did so. The boy rushed forward and stabbed with his spear. The dog monster jumped back dodging the blow and lunged forward toward the boy. As it jumped forward Luna came flying by and grabbed the beast in its claws. Taking the beast to the sky Luna let it go and allowed the monster to fall to the ground. "Good work Luna", shouted Shugo as he turned toward the man. "Shugo here to sa", spoke Shugo then he noticed the man was necked. The fact caught the young Wyvern Knight off guard as he paused and stared for a moment. "You know you don't have any clothing", spoke Shugo. Suddenly Shugo was knocked to the ground.
The boy's shock made him lower his guard, and the wolves took notice. One of the beast pounced on the boy while he was not looking and took a bite right into his right shoulder. The armor kept the fangs from going too deep, but its jaws had drawn blood.
"Ahh", screamed Shugo as the wolf began to tear into his shoulder. "Get it off me", he shouted.
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Asri
Thief
"I am a good person. Why won't you believe me?"
Posts: 101
Profession: Thief, spy, informant, etc.
OoC Alias: Mana
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Post by Asri on Jul 24, 2014 18:52:09 GMT -6
Asri was on her way back toward Bern after her short "holiday" in Etruria where the thief had spent weeks visiting famous places like one of the grand cathedrals and the St. Elimine museum. Unfortunately, she had made a bad choice. "I knew I should have taken the longer route," she muttered to herself. The scarlet-haired woman regretted her choice to pick the direct route through Ostia instead making a detour. This place was shadow of its former glory. There was no great city-state with famous heavy knight and tall wall that even the mighty Etruria feared, only dust, decayed land, and craters. "I heard there was some kind of volcano explosion sometimes ago. Well, it seems being obliterated by Etrurians once isn't enough, huh? Even the earth wanted to bring hell into hell in Ostia."
Asri continued to ride her horse along the track as she opened a map. "Lets see...I should find some junction soon, probably. This map isn't reliable at all." The destruction had created some changes in the terrain, even the most up-to-date map couldn't picture Ostia accurately these days. But that wasn't the only reason that Ostia was one of the most avoided route, the problems lied in the threat coming from being attacked by monsters. "Damn it...If only I don't have to get into Pherae as soon as possible," she thought. Asri made a long sigh as she looked around randomly.
A wyvern roar came not far from her place. Slowing her horse by pulling the rein slightly, Asri tried to trace where that sound came from. It wasn't long before she spotted the mini-dragon and her rider diving toward a crater. Making a mental note that something was definitely happening there, probably dangerous, the thief let her curiousity guided her to the lip of the crater.
The thief laughed as she watched the scene before her. "Interesting....what a unique bunch..." Well, that was quite weird sight. Although she was too far to see clearly, she could at least tell that there were a naked big man, a wyvern with her rider, and a few dogs (or wolves?) Those creatures were probably the monsters she had heard about. Mysterious, dangerous, wicked, and cursed. But despite how monstrous they might look like, Asri knew some people paid some gold for those abominations. For example, the skin or claw would fetch a good price. Her brain started working as she considered her options, calculating the profit minus the risk. "Well, maybe I could try to kill one then escape." And the the theif made her decision to pretend to help them. It was difficult to force the frightened horse to move but some strong lashes did the magic. She then observed the situation. The big man hadn't made his move yet but he might be able to pounce those dogs easily and the wyvern rider turned out to be a young boy who seemed capable enough. "Wait...are my eyes playing trick on me?" she thought as she realized that the big man's skin wasn't normal. Was that even skin? It looked more like scales. But it became less important when the boy got attacked by one of the dogs.
Without dimounting her horse, Asri raised her whip and then swung it toward the dog that bit Shugo, it made painful sound when the whip hit. Luckily, her attack only hit the monster without accidentally hurting Shugo. That didn't cause much damage against the scales but it would probably distract the dog off the boy. "Come on little puppy. He doesn't look tasty at all, you know. Lets play with me, okay?" she taunted.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 27, 2014 1:29:52 GMT -6
Jabal’s eyes flashed to the right as a rider atop a wyvern came diving down in front of him, lance extended towards one of the Mauthe Doogs. But instead of impaling the beast, the mounted human missed its target by a good foot or two. That didn’t stop the rider, however, as he soared back into the air, looping around before touching down fully and dismounting his wyvern. With a battle cry, the small statured soldier lept into a battle stance and declared his intent to help. It was then that the Mountain got a look at this newcomer: short, thin-limbed, and high-pitched. The dragon shook his head. He wasn’t all that familiar with the human life-cycle, save for the fact that it was nasty, brutish, and short, but he was almost entirely sure that the thing that had come to his aid was a human hatchling. A child. So what was this supposed to be, reinforcements? Jabal scoffed. He didn’t need any reinforcements to put down a couple of dogs, especially not ones as pathetic as this.
He was so pathetic, in fact, that it was almost amusing when the boy turned to look at him, getting himself immediately sideswiped and pinned by one of the Mauthe Doogs after pausing in surprise at the dragon’s appearance. He cried for help as the monster bit into his shoulder, but Jabal merely locked eyes with another of the dogs. If he needed help, maybe he should get that overgrown lizard to help him. With all those teeth and claws, maybe it needed to do more than just be a pretty pair of wings.
But low and behold, in a moment of extraordinary coincidence, another newcomer arrived, this time a red-haired human female of seemingly more advanced age than the child-rider that had come before her. She rode up upon a horse and struck the assailing beast with a leather strap, which although not dealing a great deal of damage, startled the monster enough to get it to withdraw its bite from the dismounted rider’s shoulder.
Enough human watching. Jabal charged forward, singling out the nearest Mauthe Doog and threw his arms at it. The beast leaped forward in response, attempting to snap its canines around his throat, but the dragonman was ready for such an attack. He slammed his arms together right as the monster’s head came within his reach and locked both his hands around the beast’s skull. The Mauthe Doog’s pounce came to an immediate halt, but that did not stop it from struggling under Jabal’s applied force, kicking and biting at the giant man. It would prove futile, however, as it could not break the dragon’s grip. The Mountain gritted his teeth, not allowing himself to be overcome, but his scale-touched skin rippled and shifted as he struggled to maintain his half-shifted form. He still had access to some of his power, but it was thoroughly exhausting to maintain it. He would have to use it in spurts to avoid wearing himself out too quickly.
Still grappling with the monster, Jabal shifted his hands around the Mauthe Doog’s mouth, now grabbing a jaw in each hand. He bellowed loudly then, with a great heave, began pulling each of the beast’s mandibles in opposite directions. He could feel the dog’s teeth sink into his hands, drawing blood as the dog howled wildly in pain, but he ignored it, continuing to force the monster’s muzzle apart. The creature thrashed faster and more viciously with each second, but before it could do much more than flail, there was a loud crack and thick, black blood began to spurt from its head. The Mauthe Doog screeched in pain, falling to the ground as Jabal released it from his grip, but maintained his grasp on the dog’s lower jaw. As it scrambled to its feet, the dragonman thrust a massive palm down onto the monster, slamming it back into the ashy earth, then swung down with his jaw-holding hand and pounded the beast’s own teeth into its hide. It howled again, more black ooze gushing from its side. Not a finishing blow. His left arm still pinning the Mauthe Doog to the ground, he raised his right hand back into the air then swung the improvised weapon back into the creature’s hide. He continued the strikes until the beast stopped moving, then, satisfied with his kill, stood back up straight. Aside from the Mauthe Doog tangling with the two human whelps, there were three left, all staring at him while letting their gazes flit over to the far less dangerous prey. They were ravenous, ready to eat, but after that show of force didn’t want to go through the dragon to do it.
What they didn’t know is that Jabal was already feeling the tiring effects of his semi-transformation.
“Waa faqri,” the dragon cursed in his ancient tongue, his eyes remained locked on his canine opponents. Did it really take so much energy just to kill one of them? Pathetic.
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Shugo
Wyvern Rider
RETIRED
The world is a dark and lonely place. That is why it is our duty to bring some light to the world.
Posts: 271
Profession: Kid
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Butorega
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Post by Shugo on Jul 28, 2014 20:10:34 GMT -6
The sound of a whip filled the air as Shugo heard the whelp of the beast. To his great joy the beast released its bite and seemed to focus on another target. Shugo looked up to see a crimson hair lady with a whip in her hand. She must have been the one who saved him. Shugo mind was taken off her as he felt the sharp pain coming from his shoulder. The wound was not too deep, but it was deep enough to hurt, and a lot. Still pain was only temporary. There was a much larger problem than the fact he was bleeding from his shoulder. There were still a enemy to fight. Shugo toughened up and held back his tears and pulled himself off the ground. He was going to try and strike the beast that attacked him from behind, but the sound of paw steps from his flank told him another was rushing in.
Shugo turned, just in time too, and stuck his dragon spear out. A demon wolf was preparing to strike, but changed its path when it saw the tip of the boy's spear. The beast had smelled blood and Shugo knew they would be more ferocious now than before. Shugo right shoulder began to throb from the pain of the bit. The blow weaken his right arm, but it was a good thing Shugo was a lefty. The demon wolf moved to Shugo right flank. Suddenly Shugo heard another sound from his left side. Another one was moving from his left flank. If he turned to impale either one he would have his back to them. These wolves were smart. Smarter than any animal Shugo had seen. It was a bit frighting. Shugo was not sure if he was going to get out of this one alive. Suddenly the image of his dead mother and father flashed before Shugo's eyes. This was not the time for dying. Rather than wait for them to make the first move Shugo rushed tword the Demon wolf on the right. The boy stabbed forward with his spear, but the dog jumped back and dodged most of the blow. The spear tip however left a slash across its right forearm, but the boy exposed his back to the second wolf. Shugo heard the steps from behind and knew what was coming next. The dog leaped into the air to strike at Shugo. Time slowed down for a moment. Then suddenly Shugo heard a scream. It was familiar and comforting.
"Luna", spoke Shugo as the Wyvern swooped down and knocked the Demon Wolf down mid jump. The white scaled lizard was furious and seemed to take offense at the wound on Shugo's right shoulder. Like a angry bull it charged toward the wolf causing it to back up. The white Wyvern quickly turned and rushed back toward Shugo knocking the boy onto her back with her head and attempted to fly into the air.
"Whoa Luna", spoke Shugo as he was tossed onto the great lizard back. Suddenly his Wyvern let out a scream of pain as one of the wolves jumped up and grabbed hold of her back leg. "Luna", spoke Shugo in a malicious tone as he turned around and stabbed his dragon lance into the body of the wolf. The lance pierced its hide, but Shugo and the wolf lost their grip and fell from Luna's back. Lucky for Shugo Luna was not high into the air so they did not fall far. Shugo fell to the earth almost face first along with the wolf and his spear in its chest.
"Crap", spoke Shugo as he stubble up and move to grab his spear from the wolf's body. He was not sure if the monster was even dead, but he needed is weapon if he was going to survive. He was sure the other one was not too far behind.
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Asri
Thief
"I am a good person. Why won't you believe me?"
Posts: 101
Profession: Thief, spy, informant, etc.
OoC Alias: Mana
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Post by Asri on Jul 30, 2014 12:12:30 GMT -6
Asri stole a glance at Jabal and his dying opponent. This man was really something, he was able to grab the dogs and pummel it to death. He could have killed the dogs without allowing it to draw blood, though. On the other side, the boy seemed to fight well despite struggling against the pincer attack and his big lizard helped him at the right time.
But she should have paid more attention to her opponent not watching the others. It was a little too late when the crimson-haired thief noticed the dog that she had whipped before was advancing toward her. Its speed was faster than she had expected, leaving a gap in her defense. Almost at the time as the dog leaped, Asri maneuvered her horse to the direction of the charging dog and then abandoned it by jumping to the left. It was a pity that she had to sacrifice her horse, which now became the dog's prey. The monster's fangs pierced and easily broke the unfortunate horse's neck in one bite, showing how strong the nether creature was. "That one is expensive, dirty beast!" As she made a fine landing, Asri pulled her short sword. Now with her iron weapon in right hand and whip in left hand, the thief was ready to fight. Fighting directly wasn't her best talent but she still had "fangs" to bare against her enemy. After all, sometimes she had to fight for survival when her job demanded so.
The dog charged toward her with a loud roar. The thief waited until it was close enough while fastly unbuttoned her cloak. The dog wouldn't have expected that Asri would throw her cloak between them, making her dissappear from its sight. In that confusion, she slipped to the right and striked the dog's abdomen with her sword. A painful roar filled the air as the weapon's sharp edge sliced into the cursed animal's body. However, while this attack might be enough to kill normal wolves or hyenas, this Mauthe Dog had scales that stopped the blade from going too deep. Realizing that she failed to land a decisive killing blow, the thief quickly retreated to the safe distance.
"I guess I should have stabbed the head, huh? Now I've angered the puppy..." she remarked, smiling. Her opponent, however, seemed to have decided to tear her to pieces, those bloodthirsty eyes told her that much.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Aug 2, 2014 11:50:25 GMT -6
The hunger of a ravenous beast could only be staved off for so long. Breaking the stand-off, one of the Mauthe Doogs shot from the rest of the pack like an arrow loosed from a bow, attempting to reach the softer, easier prey struggling a few yards back rather than face down the boulder-like man standing in its way. Jabal cared little for the lives of the humans behind him, but he saw no reason to let this foul creature live any longer than it had to. His skin scaling once again, the Mountain’s arm shot out towards the Mauthe Doog like a javelin thrown, aimed to spear the fleeing devildog with the jawbone he held.
But as he swung, the few threads of power that Jabal had managed to hold onto seemed to snap, and in a mere second he felt his power disappear. A wave of dizziness washed over him, scrambling and distorting his senses to the point where it felt like the earth was giving out from under his feet. In reality, though, he was falling, and as his body struck the ground, the dragon could only look on bewilderedly as the drooling black maw of the Mauthe Doog zipped past his head, joining the melee between the first Mauthe Doog and the humans behind. What in Io’s name was happening to him?
Seeing Jabal falter, the last two monsters entered the fray, capitalizing on the embarrassing display of weakness. They charged at the fallen man, their fangs bared and their claws ready, and leaped upon him like the hungry fiends they were. Still fighting off the extreme vertigo, the dragon could only curse and raise his arms in defense as he was attacked. The two beasts bit at him with gnashing teeth, their long, cruel claws raking at the flesh on his arms. He was more durable than a mere human, but in his fleshy, soft form even he could not remained unharmed by the rabid assault. Their claws left long, red streaks on his arms as they tore into his flesh, and Jabal had to bite his lip to the point of bleeding to keep from crying out against the pain. He would not show these fiends weakness. They had not earned a show of pain from him! Damn! Damn! Damn!
The earth dragon swung his arms out at the attacking beasts, attempting to knock them off of him, but each strike from him was met with a harder bite from them. Jabal used the pain to focus his mind and clear away the dizziness that was plaguing his senses, but try as he might, he couldn't summon up his ancestral fury. He could feel the very last of his strength was draining away. He didn't have long before he was effectively nothing more than a human. The dragon only had seconds to act.
Jabal reached out and grabbed the fallen jawbone before viciously swinging it at the side of the right Mauthe Doog's head. The improvised weapon connected with the beast's skull, resulting in a loud crack and eliciting a squeal from the monster as it backed off. Following up, Jabal thrust his palm at the mouth of the other Doog, pushing its gnashing snout away from him before wrapping his fingers around its throat. He tightened his grip and yanked the monster's head aside, but with every second that passed he could feel his strength fading away from him. He'd just have to end this quickly. The dragon pushed himself to his feet, regaining his footing, then swung his bone wielding hand again at the first demondog as it leaped at him in retaliation for his last attack. The second blow more vicious then the first, the teeth smashed into the beast's face causing foul black blood to come spurting out of the scaly cracks in the monster's flesh. Yipping and howling, the Mauthe Doog stumbled back as it began to spasm on the ground, while the second dog, its neck still trapped in Jabal's ever weakening grip, trashed and flailed.
The monsters were wounded but not dead. But that was about to change. Jabal roared, a mighty bellow of rage and fury. Weakened or no, he would prevail! He slammed the Mauthe Doog that he held subdued in his left hand into the ground, strangling it against the ashy dirt before killing it like he did the first with one, two, three, four, five repeated blows to the head. He tried to wrench the trophy he had earned from his first kill from this one's head, to use it against the final beast, but he had grown too exhausted. "Waa...faqri!" he cursed again, short of breath, as he gave up on the task. He choose instead to turn and face the last monster, which had ceased spasming and had returned to its feet. It's stance was wobbly and unsteady, but so was Jabal's. Ugh, it was like every muscle in his body had been stretched beyond their elastic limits and were now too loose and weak to do little more than keep him standing.
But this was it. One last kill.
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Shugo
Wyvern Rider
RETIRED
The world is a dark and lonely place. That is why it is our duty to bring some light to the world.
Posts: 271
Profession: Kid
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Butorega
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Post by Shugo on Aug 4, 2014 9:22:35 GMT -6
With all of his strength Shugo pulled on the draonspear that was lodged in the beast skull. The sound of flesh squishing confirmed the beast death, but it did not make pulling the weapon out any easier. It took Shugo a few seconds before he was able to pull his weapon free. The young rider had good timing as the moment he pulled out the spear the second hound was upon him.
The demon wolf leaped through the air with its jaws open wide. Shugo raised his shaft in defense. The weight of the beast combined with the power of its lunge knocked the young boy off his feet. Shugo fell to the ground, but his spear shaft remained in the beast mouth. The thick wooden rod was stuck at the back of the demon dogs's jaw. The rod pressed against its flesh keeping the dog from biting down on the young boy as he tried to hold the beast back with his arms.
The pain from the first bit started to shoot through Shugo's right shoulder as he pressed forward with his arms trying to keep the beast from mauling him. The situation was dire and if Shugo did not do something his arms were going to give way and he would end up a snack for this beast. Desperate and with little time left Shugo removed his right arm from the shat. The spear turned lopsided an shifted the beast toward Shugo's right side. Taking advantage of the small moment Shugo slammed his right fist into the beast wound he gave it earlier in their bout. The hound screamed from the pain and let up for a brief moment. Taking advantage Shugo pulled up his legs and kicked the monster in its right eye with the point of his steel boots. The sudden loss of an eye caused the demon wolf to back off. This was the moment Shugo was waiting for. The boy shot off the ground and grabbed his spear. He stabbed forward toward the beast, but its reflexes were far too great.
The demon wolf jumped back dodging Shugo's attempt to stab it. However this was also apart of the young riders plan. As the beast lunged forward in an attempt to counter strike the young knight did the same. Shugo rushed forward with his spear still extended. Instead he put his body weight behind the point as as the wolf drove forward so did he. The dragonspear stabbed forward down the throat of the monster. The spear severed its flesh and by its own force it was skewered upon the Shugo's spear. Its death however did not stop its momentum. The wolf's body still slammed into the charging boy and knocked him over. However the beast was dead and Shugo the victor. The young rider however did not have the time to celebrate, as the sharp pain from the first demon wolf's bit ran through his body again now that the adrenalin had subsided. The boy held his shoulder in pain as his mount returned to the earth and began to take up a defense of her master.
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Asri
Thief
"I am a good person. Why won't you believe me?"
Posts: 101
Profession: Thief, spy, informant, etc.
OoC Alias: Mana
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Post by Asri on Aug 4, 2014 22:09:42 GMT -6
"Hmm...this beast is stronger than I thought. Maybe I've made a wrong choice coming here...." she muttered to herself. Asri pointed her sword sword to the dog as her other hand slipped into small bag in her waist. The wicked creature would be foolish if it thought she would face him head on fair and square. The thief had more tricks than it could have expected.
The dog barked angrily and charged her. The pressure coming from being assaulted by an angry monster intimidated her a bit. But her focus and calmness wouldn't waver from this level of attack. "Like anyone would fall from an obvious attack from front," she thought as she pulled out three small pouches and threw them to her opponent's eyes. Those things had pepper inside, which she prepared for situation like this, to blind her opponent. For a sensitive animal like dog it could also hurt their nose. As expected, the dog writhed when the pouches hit it and the pepper spread.
Asri stepped forward swinging her sword to its vital point, the neck. But this time she underestimated her opponent, who despite still in pain somehow responded by digging its claws into her stomach. The crimson haired thief felt burning pain from the wound, it was hot as if the claws were spouting fire. The pain caused her to lose momentum and made her blade miss the neck. "Damn mongrel!" she shouted as she kicked the dog to the ground. This time she stabbed her sword to the head with all her strength, ending its life in an instant. "Curse...It made a hole in my belly," she grumbled, clutching her wound with painful expression.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Aug 14, 2014 16:04:04 GMT -6
Both the dog and the dragon stared each other down, each teetering side to side with indecision. Jabal was breathing heavily, his body crying out in pain with each strained inhale and every raspy exhale, while the Mauthe Doog’s head wobbled with a punch drunk sleepiness that spoke to some sort of brain damage. The dragon could only hope that was the case, that the blow he had struck had been a vicious one, because he wouldn’t be making any more. In any other situation Jabal would have grasped the beast in his claws and torn it to shreds like the insect it was, but here he was with barely enough power to move his body without exerting a great force of will. Pah, these stand-offs were tiresome! How dare he allow himself to be impeded by something as low as a Mauthe Doog! Disgusting.
The Mountain took a slow and unsteady step forward, as it was not his confidence reflected in his gait, but his weakness. He walked like a newborn with stones strapped to his feet, but it mattered not. He would not be knocked to the ground by this mongrel again! He took another step, this one longer than the last, causing the Mauthe Doog to respond similarly, only instead of approaching the dragon, it took a step back instead. Ha! Even when he was barely able to stand, his might was enough to intimidate! A ferocious, toothy grin on his face, Jabal continued to advance on the Mauthe Doog, trying to puff himself up as best he could, and step by step, the dog kept retreating. The dragon would force this monster to realize its own weakness and retreat.
But it was not to be. Jabal’s arrogance caused him to overcompensate for his weakness, and the dragon found himself caught up in grandstanding. He began to move too quickly for his severely weakened body, and his right leg gave out as he took a practically lunging step. The dragon felt himself hit the dirt, forced to a knee by his own exhaustion. Damn, he truly had reached his limit. The Mountain immediately began lifting himself back to his feet, straining every muscle he had to the point where it felt that his blood vessels would burst, but it was in this moment that the Mauthe Doog attacked. Agh, not again! The beast leaped for Jabal’s throat, but this time the dragon was prepared. He would not continue to be made a fool of! Summoning the last meager remnants of his energy, he lifted up his right hand and knife-handed it into the monster’s maw. This did not stop the assaulting beast, which merely snapped its cruel fangs shut around the giant's arm. Its teeth sank into his wrist, drawing blood, and it snarled, and jerked, and gnawed, attempting to tear the flesh off of its intentioned meal. It rent at the dragon’s flesh, but Jabal did not cry out in pain. Instead, a vicious sneer split his face in two. In its frenzy, the Mauthe Doog did not realize that it had made a fatal mistake.
Already inside the beast’s throat, Jabal grabbed the dog’s tongue and balled up his hand, completely blocking off its airway. Realizing its error, the beast attempted to pull its maw off of Jabal’s arm, but the dragon now had it by the tongue. No escape. The monster flailed, gagged, and snarled, but try as it might there was no freeing itself. The Mountain just kneeled, unmoving, his arm forced down the beast’s throat, waiting for it to breathe its last breath. He may have looked persistent to the onlooker, his will overcoming that of the craven, frenzied creature, but in truth he was simply out of strength. He had used every last bit of power his body had allowed him, and now, all he could do was wait for the Mauthe Doog to die.
The fiend’s movements began to slow, running out of the oxygen it needed to stay alive, and as it slowly perished Jabal could feel his own body shutting down. His eyelids were growing heavy, and his limbs began losing sensation. Just what had happened to him to bring him so low that even a few lowly beasts could bring him this close to defeat? He needed answers, but right now...he needed sleep.
The Mountain slumped forward as his eyes closed. His giant hulking frame went sprawling out flat on the ground with a Mauthe Doog, suffocated, still latched to his arm like a parasite.
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Shugo
Wyvern Rider
RETIRED
The world is a dark and lonely place. That is why it is our duty to bring some light to the world.
Posts: 271
Profession: Kid
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Butorega
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Post by Shugo on Aug 19, 2014 9:53:48 GMT -6
"Man that hurts", spoke Shugo in pain as a few small tears escaped his eyes. The young knight wanted to cry, but his pride would not let him. Shugo unclamed the strap's keeping his shoulder guard on and allowed the crimson piece of armor to hit the ground. There Shugo cold see the blood stained textile padding. Taking out a knife Shugo cut open the padding. Turning his head far to the right as possible Shugo cold see the wound in the corner of his eye. The lacerations were in the shape of the beast jaw. Without wasting another moment Shugo pulled out his canteen of distilled water and poured its contents over the wound.
"Ouch", cried the boy as pain shot up from his shoulder as he did so. "Looks like we are going to need to find some more water after this", spoke Shugo to Luna trying to lighten the situation. Blood was still poring out of the wound and Shugo needed to treat it. The boy pulled out a vulnerary Valin had given him. The words Truth, Justice, and Honor was scribbled onto it. It was a small reminder of what Shugo was fighting for and why he wielded his spear.
A smile crossed Shuo's face as he thought back to the moment Valin gave it too him. That sweet moment of innocents was quickly destroyed however, when a jolt of pain shot through his body from the wound on his shoulder. Without wasting another moment Shugo took a third of the vulnerary and slabbed it onto the wound. He then pulled out a roll of bandages and wrapped it up as best he could. Almost immediately Shugo started to see the results of the substance. However the young lad did not have the time to simply sit back and marvel at how well Vulnerary's heal the body. Luna had been protecting him the whole time, but that did not mean the others were protected. A knight exist to serve others, that was the words he learned from Valin. Shugo stopped and began to take a look around the battlefield. The nice woman who aided him earlier was fighting off one of the beast and the man..
"Oh no", shouted Shugo as he saw the man lying on the ground. Shugo was not sure what happen to the man, but from what he could see it seemed like he was injured while fighting one of the demon wolves. A few of their bodies were around the ground and one of the monstrous beast was on the man's arm. The woman seemed like she could wait, but the man on the ground needed attention fast.
Shugo had no idea how long he was down there. Shugo was so focus on dealing with his own wounds he did not keep a eye on the others. It was shameful that he allowed a civilian, a necked one at that, to be harmed while he was on the battlefield. Without wasting another moment Shugo rushed over to the fallen man and began to do a slight inspection. His chest was still moving up and down so Shugo knew he was alive, but the wound on his arm was pouring out blood. This had to be rectified quickly or it might become life threatening. Without saying a word Shugo immediately began to removed the demon wolf from the man's arm.
While the boy began to work Luna simply sat on the side line watching. Her eyes focused on the naked man as if he was another one of the monsters himself. Something about him made her uneasy, but Shugo was far too busy to notice.
"Finally", spoke Shugo as he got the beast off the man's arm.
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Asri
Thief
"I am a good person. Why won't you believe me?"
Posts: 101
Profession: Thief, spy, informant, etc.
OoC Alias: Mana
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Post by Asri on Aug 26, 2014 16:54:57 GMT -6
Asri covered the open wound with her palm and gave it a little push to stop the bleeding. It was truly painful but she couldn't let more blood flow out. It also felt sting and hot, making it wonder if it was caused by some kind of poison. "I hope it's worth it...." Her getting injured was a miscalculation in her plan. if thing had gone smoothly, she would have killed the dog in her fist attack and left unscathed. The thief then knelt near the corpse and ripped the claws out with her knife. She seemed at least satisfied that her injures weren't for nothing, these toys would make money. Looking at the big man, who for some reason sleeping (or fainting) on the ground, Asri wore a smirk in his face. Her intuition told her that he wasn't a normal person.
After taking her cloak that she had thrown before, the thief walked to her next target casually as she hummed. "Nice fight. I never met a kid who as good as you..." she said as she approached the others. Asri tried to put the nicest smile she could make. First impression was very important, right? She approached slowly as to not make Shugo wary of her. Her arm reached out toward him and pat his head a few times. "But you...." she then put her hand between Shugo's eyes and Jabal's naked body. "....shouldn't see this. Not a good...thing for kids, you know."
"Wake up, big guy. Sure, you have nice butt right here but you don't want to keep showing them to us, right? Well, I kind of like it but you are too daring for my taste!" she said, laughing. Well, his "form" had actually made her think something naughty, something that would probably give Shugo nosebleed if he were to hear it. But that had to wait. "Now wake up and cover yourself with this." She threw her cloak onto his butt.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Aug 29, 2014 21:40:00 GMT -6
Jabal did little but grunt as the red haired thief addressed him, tossing her cloak upon him to conceal his nudity. He could feel the cloth drape over his back, but as his consciousness was just starting to return, he could barely make out what she was saying. Honestly, the last thing he wanted to do in a state like this was converse, especially not with humans. They hadn’t attacked him on sight though, which was surprising. But then, he was in his human form, even as conspicuous as it was. Maybe they were dumb enough to think he was actually human? A human his size? It was laughable, but as much as he hated to admit it, it was advantageous right now. He had seen the boy’s spear. It was one of the same dragon-killing design that the humans had developed before creating the so called “Divine Weapons” to succeed in their genocide.
During the forging process, such weapons were quenched in dragon’s blood, which when done correctly became a very deadly poison, albeit only to dragons. If the two decided to set upon him in the state he was in, they might even be able to kill him. So he’d remain friendly, or at least not outwardly aggressive, if it was so required of him to survive. The only thing more shameful than being aided by humans right now was dying to them.
“Urgh,” the dragon groaned, weakly grabbing the cloak off of his rear end. He could feel his arm throb as the warm, wet liquid that was his blood dripped down it. Someone had removed that damn wolf, thankfully, so all that was left to do was bind it. After rolling onto his back in one, long, slow motion, with no small amount of effort expended, Jabal began winding the red-headed woman’s garment around his wounded, bloodied arm. He made sure the makeshift tourniquet was tightly bound, limiting the blood flow to his arm. The last thing he needed was to die in this pit in front of a couple of stupid humans over something idiotic like blood loss from a wound caused by a Mauthe Doog of all things. Jabal grit his teeth in anger. “Saxxa,” he growled. This whole situation was exceedingly annoying.
“I need water,” he grumbled, pushing himself up into a vaguely sitting position. "“Now.” He glared at the two humans, and their overgrown lizard. It was hurting him to be nice.
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