Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 27, 2015 13:47:07 GMT -6
Jabal released his grip on Jude's neck, allowing the human to slump weakly to the cave floor. The dragon’s usual scowl was stretched across his face, further emphasized by the long shadows cast by the fallen torch that flickered a ways over. But there was a twinkle of something more in the giant’s eye. Or was there? Perhaps it was just a trick of the light.
“Your people are repulsive,” Jabal declared, straightening up to his full, broad-shouldered height. To the Mountain, no time seemed too inappropriate to voice his displeasure with humanity. Dragons were also used to having all the time in the world, so they tended to be prone to giving speeches. “Cowardly and cruel, you grope about the earth like petulant children, ignorant to all things. You want what you cannot have. You fear what you do not understand.” He shook his head, snorting loudly from his nostrils. “If you had begged me for mercy, I would not have hesitated to snap your neck.” But Jude hadn’t begged. The insolent fire that clearly fueled this man never left his eyes, even if the face of death. There was something praise-worthy about that, and hopefully the dragon's graciousness was obvious to the human, because Jabal hardly felt it necessary to say.
“You will call me the Mountain,” he said, translating his title into the common tongue. While the dragon always prefered being referred to in draconic, he had little tolerance for the way humans pronounced the low-draconic “Jabal”. It was too nasally and high pitched, completely lacking in the low rumble of dragon tones. He'd rather just be referred to in the human tongue than hear his honorific butchered. “I will not acknowledge any other address that comes from your lips, and I will not...” he said, leaning towards Jude, "...tolerate any continued cheek." Satisfied, the dragon leaned down and picked up Jude’s torch, holding it just at chin level. It looked small in his hand, but at his height it granted more vision than it would have had the human been bearing it. Jabal nodded his head towards the tunnel.
“Now, you walk in front,” he ordered. His tone had lightened a bit, having assumed control over the situation, but there was a definite note of finality in his words.
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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 27, 2015 14:20:09 GMT -6
"Heh..." Jude felt himself slip down, slumping against the wall, his body weak and beaten from even the handful of minutes he was in the giant's grasp. "Heh...Heheh..Heheheh--Hahahaha!" His voice broke from a chuckle into a laugh, and Jude looked at the ground, avoiding the Mountain's gaze as he spoke, half-arsing an attempt to introduce himself. Jude had been around his type before. Condescending, proud, full of himself... Much like he was, though he would never acknowledge that openly. Jude coughed a few times and felt for his throat which, despite everything his body had been through, was in tact.
With slow, labored effort, Jude made it to his feet, and began to dust himself off, still not looking at the giant as he spoke. "The Mountain, huh?" Jude offered with a smile, pulling his sleeve out and readjusting the scarf around his neck. "Right. Let me tell you something." Jude fearlessly walked right back up to the Mountain, but this time, his presence was less of a naive, angry child, and more of a lion cub who was facing his first prey. "Sure, we're cruel." Jude gathered some blood-swirled spit and spat at the ground next to him, realizing that the blood had collected more in his mouth than he'd realized. The metallic taste was disgusting, but didn't bother him. "Sure, I want some sh*t I can't have, and sure, we're ignorant. Hell, I don't know much. But let me tell you something, Mountain," the word oozed sarcastically from his lips.
Jude didn't shove a finger in the Mountain's chest, but he came physically close to him, looking up at his uncaring scowl. "I ain't scared of anything. I may not understand everything, but you can't scare me." The fire in his red eyes flickered, and with that, he wheeled around quickly and walked slowly towards the darkness. He put his hands on his hips, mentally recovered from his previous plight, and assessed the situation.
"I'm not gonna ask what you are. Frankly, I don't care. If you cared, you would've told me. You don't seem human to me. But you're strong. And you've got a mission. I've been in worse spots, so I'll help you out." He turned his head halfway back to the man, his mischievous smile still somehow present on his face. "And that's all I need to know."
He turned back to face the darkness, hardly illuminated by the torch behind him. Before him, his trained eyes could barely make out a few narrow, winding passages, one marked with some old tracks that minecarts would have taken when the tunnels were still being used regularly. One tunnel, more central, seemed wide enough for the two of them to travel, and the one on the far right was only narrow enough for Jude-- no way could the Mountain pass through it. "Let's go."
Jude still didn't look back, but pressed on slowly, though not with fear in his step. He pressed a hand to the cave wall to steady his pace, realizing that his legs still felt a little weak.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Sept 1, 2015 11:13:12 GMT -6
Jabal looked down blankly at Jude as the latter made his little spiel. It seemed that being boistrious and self-aggrandizing was this man's modus operandi. But the dragon cared not. It was clear that the human had been broken in, and so Jabal figured that if the man needed to salvage whatever pride he had left in order to better serve a purpose, then so be it. At this point he was little more than a sparrow puffing out its chest in order to make itself seem bigger, and sparrows were hardly a threat to dragons. Jabal also reacted not at Jude's implication that the giant man might be more than what he appeared, and while Jabal was indeed attempting to remain incognito, at least for the time being, he took some pleasure in the human's words. That he could be so easily recognized as something greater, even without his powers, was no small point of pride.
And when Jude turned down the larger of two dark passage ways, Jabal followed silently, torch held aloft. The light didn't go particularly far, not in these narrow, twisty pathways, but it was enough to keep the two from bumping needlessly into walls and lead them down the gradual slope of the tunnel. They journeyed for time, deeper and deeper into the earth, and as they did, Jabal noticed a change in the stone that surrounded them. At the entrance of the cave the walls had been smooth and curved, a sign of centuries of natural water erosion, but further down the rock around them had grown flat and angular, akin to the walls and ceiling of a human building. As far as the dragon knew, humans didn't possess the tools to move such massive amounts of stone in such a clean manner, not this far down. Magic? It wasn't out of the question, but Jabal didn't think of pirate crews as the type of humans to wield such power. Perhaps he was wrong in his initial assement of the situation. He also found it peculiar that the tunnel was so deliberate. Mines could sprawl out in all directions in their hunt for precious gems, but this passage was clearly designed to go somewhere. So where?
Jabal's question was answered as the tunnel opened up into into a much larger room, possessing walls and a ceiling not so cleanly made as the pathway that had brought them here. That meant this was likely the destination. And immediately Jabal saw why. As he lifted the torch above his head, pushing back the darkness and illuminating the room, a large creature revealed itself.
It was a fearsome looking beast, far larger than any lion or tiger. It stared at Jabal and Jude with black eyes, bottomless pits into the abyss, and while it was curled up like a resting cat, its long and serpentine form was anything but. Its tail was thick, like a cedar, and on each limb it bore claws could have been mistaken for swords, capable of rending a man in two with but a swipe. Likewise, its jaws were lined with dagger-like teeth, a hundred or so, and along its back ran an impressive, sail-like crest. It's shoulders were broad, and its limbs powerful. Truly a sight to behold, to be feared. But Jabal knew it to be no threat, for it bore a sickly, deathly pallor, and it did not move, nor even breathe.
A dragon. Or at least the remains of one.
"This isn't a mine," Jabal muttered, his voice a deep rumble. Feeling a number of rocky fragments at his feet, the dragon lowered his torch and knelt down to the ground. He picked up one of the fragements and examined it. Broken, yes, but he could see symbols, letters, written upon its face. Jabal ran his hand over it, feeling the engravement with his fingers. No human had written this. This was ancient draconic. He dropped the fragment and picked up another. This time he saw a new symbol, not lettering but an image: the sun. To a human it wouldn't mean much, but Jabal knew different. This particular sun was the symbol of Io, the great dragon of creation, and was very commonly used in the burial rites of his people. This was a grave.
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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 Sept 1, 2015 13:41:40 GMT -6
Hands shoved into his pockets as he was forced to lead the way, the fire in Jude's spirit began to die with the passage of time, like the settling whines of a child who was getting over his disgust with the present situation. He'd been in worse spots, after all. Being alone in a dark cave with a giant man whom he little knew... There were more terrible situations. Jude wasn't optimistic so much as realistic about his charge-- he was with someone who, despite his reluctance to admit it, was likely far more powerful than he, and at any rate, he doubted he'd be in any serious trouble for the time being.
Unless, of course, he pissed him off again. And Jude didn't ignore that possibility. He sighed heavily as he lead the way, not noticing the subtle change of scenery as they proceeded. As the texture and shape of the rock around him changed, Jude took not a note-- instead, he kept on, beating the path with deep, unamused red eyes. He played through the events of the previous hour or so through his mind, and it almost irked him. Where did this 'Mountain Man' get off? Who was he, and why did he think he was so special? As Jude silently weighed these thoughts, it was then he decided that the man had spoken too much, given away too many small bits of information, for Jude to consider him human. No... The pink-haired boy wasn't sure what this Mountain was, but no doubt, he was far from human. And if he was human, he wasn't from Elibe. Those were the only humans he'd seen, and he'd seen 'em all: this man was no ordinary man, no simple human being who had honed his body. His strength, or even his aura, Jude decided, seemed... Otherworldly.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Jude audibly sighed, demonstrating his frustration. "Scared, pff. Me. A pirate." His eyes drifted lazily behind him to meet the Mountain's, then back to face the opening of the room before them. "You can eat my a-- Oh..."
A wide expanse, no doubt the biggest cavern in this system, and with the stop that the two men took together, it was no doubt overwhelming. The size beside the point, as Jude's eyes drifted back downwards from the high ceiling, he noticed something that might've ordinarily made his bones shiver. Yet, he made no motion to show fear. In fact, strangely, he didn't feel it. He put his hands on his exposed hips and sighed. "Nice. Look's like playtime's over for this lil' guy."
Not noticing that the Mountain had stopped to pick up some useless rocks on the ground, Jude immediately took some steps forward to avoid him, deciding that this relic of an animal was more interesting... And then he stopped.
"M-Mountain..." He called back without looking his direction. His red eyes stayed trained on the black ones of this massive, slain creature. "This... isn't a wyvern." Then he finally decided to turn around to face him. "Mountain, what the hell is this? You're damn right it's no mine, what the HELL is this?!"
He took a short breath, composing himself. His red eyes grew brighter, but wide with fear. Had he just heard other voices, or was he making it up?
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Sept 1, 2015 19:45:09 GMT -6
“Silence yourself,” replied Jabal. His voice remained low and calm despite Jude’s shrill panic. “This is a place of rest. This dragon is long dead.” The Mountain took a few more seconds to look at the fragments he had been examining, then looked back at the entrance. These were the pieces of a door that had once sealed this chamber, a door which had done its job well given how well preserved the corpse of this dragon was. The deterioration had yet to set in. This mighty creature had not been exposed the air of the outside world in ages, which meant the defilement of this tomb was fresh. Whoever had carved out the passageway to this burial chamber had probably been the ones to break the seal, likely the men from the boat outside the cave, and thus they could very well still be here in this burial chamber.
Jabal once again raised his torch, illuminating the body of his kin. A rumbling anger began to build within his breast as he admired its motionless form. Grave robbing; only humans could be so foul. For centuries time had not touched this place, it had known only peace, yet now these invaders were spreading decay. Human decay. It wouldn’t take more than a day or two for this magnificent form, the form of a dragon, to revert to the dust from which it had been formed. Like the rest of their proud civilization it would be gone forever, lost to the ages. The thought was detestable.
But before the dragon could truly indulge in the miserable feeling that was overcoming him, he heard voices coming from the other side of the chamber. There was also a light, one that came closer and closer as the voices grew louder and louder. Men were approaching. Why were they here? What use did men have for the tomb of a dragon gone to its eternal rest? Had they come for jewels? Often earth dragons would bury themselves in tombs hewn from stone rich in precious gems, for not even dragons could resist the sparkling gifts of the earth, and in his time Jabal had known humans to seek out dragon burial chambers in search for riches. Of course it never ended well for them when dragons discovered such defilement, but it had happened.
But this chamber was plain and empty, an ultimately modest burial for a beast so grand, which left Jabal asking questions. Unfortunately there was no time to do so. The humans drew closer.
Jabal knelt down and began rubbing his left hand around in the dirt on the floor, and when it was suitably covered he wrapped the massive earth covered claw around the head of the torch he held. He made not a sound, and in an instant the light was snuffed out, cloaking Jabal and Jude in absolute darkness. The Mountain then grabbed at the back of Jude’s scarf and dragged the man over behind a rock that sat in the corner of the burial chamber.
“Do not move, do not speak,” he said, his voice as quiet as it could be.
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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 Sept 1, 2015 22:26:31 GMT -6
"S'cuse me," Jude said, turning back to the Mountain, his hands on his hips. "A dragon? A, uh... dragon." Jude turned his head back to the beast behind him. Despite the questions whirling around in his brain, he declined to ask any of them at first. Sure, it was ludicrous. Dragons? Back again? There was no way. Unless this was an ancient one, and dragons just didn't decay. It was a possibility, but... It seemed unlikely, Jude thought. Who had killed this thing? And was it actually a dragon, or just a giant, mutant wyvern? Jude hadn't been around many of them, so that was also a possibility... But the Mountain seemed to think otherwise. His voice had been firm and sure, as though it were no strange occurrence to have found a dragon deep in the bowels of a mine. What were the odds? Good, not good? Perfect?
He chuckled, shutting his red eyes, walking back towards the Mountain. "Listen, dragons have been dead for too long for this to be a dragon. I mean... I guess it could be, but... Out here? This far out? In a mine, are you nuts? Why would it be here? And how could it have died?" Jude's face turned back to the eternally sleeping beast, his curious red eyes fixed on the lifeless black ones of the monster before him. Something that large and menacing could so easily make work of Jude in no time, and yet here it sat, completely dead. "...No one can kill a dragon." His voice was determined, as though there was no doubt at all that dragons couldn't die by mortal hands.
"Anyway, I--"
Jude hadn't noticed the voices, lost in his own thoughts and words. The Mountain's giant hand grabbed his scarf, yanking him over. It was a familiar grasp. Jude's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed, once again displeased with his own inability to have any advantage over this giant monster that guided him. Don't move, and don't speak. Easy enough. Then Jude heard the voices, further off, down the end of the giant room in which the two men hid behind a larger stone, somehow big enough to cover them effectively in the darkness.
"Did you see anything?"
"Naw, I think it was your imagination."
"No sir, I swear I heard something."
"The only thing in here is this beast's foul, rotten carcass. Wretched thing. We came all this way, did all this work, for what?"
"Well, sir, aren't we looking for the sto--"
"Yeah, and we didn't find anything."
Jude growled quietly, submitting to the Mountain's firm grasp. His whisper was low, almost dead silent, but still hissing and venomous, like a snake about to strike at a much larger, much more deadly snake. "What the hell is this, Mountain? We could waste those guys no problem. I can see great in the dark. Let me up and let's deal with them!!" He was impatient and brash, almost squirming around in the Mountain's grasp. Surely a handful of men wouldn't be too much... But Jude wasn't sure what to do. After all, he couldn't take lead. He knew the Mountain would kill him sooner than he might kill the others.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Sept 28, 2015 23:24:24 GMT -6
"I said be silent," Jabal hissed in reply, his voice even more venomous that Jude's. "At least one of those men can speak to the earth, and without my-" The dragon cut himself off. He made face that looked like he had just swallowed a burp, though Jude could not see it in this darkness. He was going to say "power", but hardly wanted to reveal himself to this pink-haired idiot. It was neither the right time, nor the right person. So Jabal improvised. "...without any weapons, even I would have trouble dealing with such magic." Jabal squinted, focusing his sight on the flickering torch held by one of the two men. Trouble indeed. In this belly of stone, one who could wield earthen magic would be at their most powerful. Realtively, then, he was weak. It pained Jabal to acknowledge it, that anyone could be mightier within the earth than he, but it was the truth.
But "cannot" was a word rarely considered by Jabal, at least when applied to himself. No, it was a word used by the weak and the lazy. So it was then that he had an idea, one largely sparked by the plucky, obnoxious insistence of his pink haired companion. The dragon realized the risks of taking this engagement. He had his size, and he had his experience, but against magic the brute force of man oft fell short, and unfortunately the power of man, even a giant one, was all Jabal could claim at the moment. He needed some sort of edge, an advantage of some kind, and.. it seemed he had one. In the dark he looked over at Jude, tracing the human's shadowy outline as it stood in the faint light of the distant torch. So Jude could see great in the dark? He could “waste those guys”? No problem? Hmm, perhaps it was time for this human to back up all of his big talk. Maybe, despite Jabal’s extraordinary levels of doubt, he would have something to show for all of his words.
Time to find out.
Wordlessly the dragon grabbed Jude by the arm, then just as effortlessly flung him out from behind the boulder the two of them hid behind. It put him into plain sight of those who approached. But of course, at this distance the boy would be little more than a shade, so…
“Hey, you idiots!” shouted Jabal in the shrillest voice he could muster, though even his shrillest was deep by a normal man’s standards. “Prepare to be wasted.”
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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 Oct 7, 2015 11:17:09 GMT -6
Kneeling down beside the large man, Jude scowled and sighed together. "Hey, I'll be loud if I want. Maybe these guys want to party with us." He joked, but his face was still as stern and angry as it always was. Jude studied the mountain as he seemed to ponder. His face was twisted into a half angry, half intrigued picture that most assuredly meant trouble for young Jude. He almost sighed again, but he knew it would be pointless. The Mountain knew he was displeased. And they didn't have many options, so... As Jude considered what they might do, he realized there was a problem with what the Mountain was saying. "Wait, weapons? Are you f**king kidding me? You could literally rip them apart with your bare hands, what, are you too scared? That it? Big Mountain Man is too scared of a few wittle wubbl--SH*T!"
Without any hesitation, and with minimal effort on the part of the large man that was throwing him, Jude found himself quickly and painfully across the rocky cover. He landed with a thud on the other side, having the wind knocked out of his effectively. As he thought of all the ways he might kill the large, brutish man, Jude realized he would be in sight of the men in front of him.
And then the Mountain spoke.
OH COME ON, Jude hissed in a low whisper, I know I don't sound like that. He turned away, and very quickly scurried to his feet. He pulled the dagger from the back of his waist, and with an unnecessary but pretty brandish, he brought it to his front, flipping it around to hold it in reverse, as if he would use it as a climbing tool. His teeth gritted, his mind sharp and focused, Jude was ready to intimidate the men and scare them away.
"Don't uh... Get... Stay back!"
He closed his red eyes a moment, sighing, wondering where his words had gone, and what had just come out of his mouth. He wasn't sure he would ever want to go anywhere with the Mountain ever again. He saw three silhouettes backed against the dark wall at the far end, their torches just bright enough for him to see them, and likely, for them to see him. That was fine. They seemed about average size... While he couldn't make out their material might, he could see at least one spear, which didn't bode well for anyone. Why couldn't they have just, for once, been unarmed?
"HEY YOU! DON'T MOVE!"
This was almost comical. Jude's aggressive stance lightened and he rested a hand on his hip as he surveyed the quickly approaching men. So this was how it was gonna be, huh? Thrown into the wild by a giant man after he spoke too much? While Jude was almost sure he could handle the three of them, he thought about some way to get back at the Mountain for what he'd done... And as he looked to the dragon carcass at his side, he had an idea. A grand lie that would be foolish enough to work, especially in a place like this.
The men charged forward. His hand on the edge of his brown leather gloved hand, Jude was ready to pull a throwing knife should he need to. But first, he spoke loudly, and with charismatic confidence. "Hey, see that carcass? You wanna know what killed it? I did. See, there was..." He paced to the side, and the men stopped in their tracks, if only for a moment. "There was a scuffle. A, uh, showdown, if you will. A showdown of strength and I had to... Prove that I was the alpha male."
Puzzled, one man pointed his spear forward at Jude, who felt uneasy, but in control of the situation. He smirked, speaking loudly enough for the Mountain to hear him. "See, I'm a dragon. You heard the legends? That's me. See that carcass? You wanna end up like that? Try me."
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Oct 24, 2015 21:59:52 GMT -6
Jabal stifled a scornful laugh as he watched Jude spin a half-baked story in a poorly thought out attempt to convince these men that he was, of all things, a dragon. Ha, this rose-headed fool? A dragon? If the very thought wasn’t so stupidly unconvincing, Jabal might have bothered being insulted, and had he not been attempting to hide himself from the clumsy gaze of these humans, he would have jumped out and struck the impertinent human upside the head. But alas, the dragon was choosing to be pragmatic rather than emotional, and so Jude would avoid another well-deserved manhandling.
Besides, he made for a good distraction. Jabal peered out from his hiding place to get a better look at the newcomers. An interesting duo. Both were dressed in simple traveling leathers, but one wore a fancy traveling cloak across his shoulders, lined with fur and embroidered with gems, and instead of carrying weapons, carried himself with an air of confidence. Of the two men, he seemed unconvinced of Jude’s claims. Not the same could be said of his partner, though, who was armed with light leather armor and a thin spear, and stared at Jude with shaky, slack-jawed terror. Jabal rolled his eyes. Who but a true idiot would look at Jude and think that he was anything but a smart-mouthed human punk? And who would hire such an idiot to be their bodyguard? The dragon’s eyes narrowed as he took a closer look in spite of the minimal light source.
The latter man did indeed look like a bodyguard. He was more heavily armed, in that he was actually armed, and his frame was more built up that his companions. But he seemed, at least to Jabal, to be the lesser man of the two. Where his partner stood tall and confident, the spearman hunched forward and held onto his weapon as if it were the only thing standing between him and certain death. Jabal could appreciate the emotion. These men were grave robbers, and had Jabal been able to access his power he would have killed both of them on the spot for the crime, but there was still the question of the mage, and thus the Mountain remained silent. Jabal could confidently assume that this spearman, given his weapon and his fear, was not the mage. In fact he was probably nothing more than a hired hand. That made the question not which, but rather if. Had he carved out the passageway, or was he just another explorer? And what of the ship outside? It was far too large for two men.
“A dragon, hmm?”
Jabal’s ears perked up as one of the two men spoke. The cloaked one.
“My my, I never thought, in all my years, I would ever be so fortunate as to meet a real dragon.”
Again the dragon had to stifle a noise, only this time the noise was laughter. He noted the man’s sarcasm, but found humor in the ironic fact that despite it there was indeed a living dragon not more than five steps from where Jude currently stood. Jabal could even count the footsteps in the dust. Exactly five to Jude, and about ten to the men. Hardly anything for the dragon. Close enough to engage if need be.
“Tell me, mighty one, just how did you manage to kill your kin here without disturbing the dust on its scales? I’m quite impressed.”
Observant. Jabal had already made the observation, but it was still notable that the human had as well. He clearly realized this wasn’t a fresh corpse, and just by his tone of voice, the dragon doubted the cloaked man was even surprised to have found it in this cave. After driving them to extinction, finding a dragon in such condition would be a miracle for most humans, and miracles never fostered skepticism. Part of Jabal wanted to jump out and demand just what this man was doing here, but the unanswered question of his mage status still hung in the air, so for the time being, he continued to observe.
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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 Oct 25, 2015 7:53:07 GMT -6
Pacing back and forth slowly between the two, like a cat on the prowl, Jude studied his would-be opponents. The spearman looked terrified enough that his fear might drive him away on his own, but the other man, unarmed... A noble? A politician? The possibilities swirled around Jude's head as he watched, his red eyes pinned hard between the two men, daring glances from one and the other. The difference in confidence between the two was stark enough, and the more he exchanged glances, the greater the division became. It was clear, to Jude, that somebody wasn't leaving here without getting a little dirty. And that was fine. Sighing, Jude sheathed his weapon in its leather casing behind his waist, opting instead to try a different tactic. He kept his ungloved hand near his right wrist, so that if the time came for it, he could easily reach his throwing knives. Normally he would charge them, but even Jude, reckless though he knew he could be, didn't expect much out of a two-versus-one fight in which one man might be able to use something other than a conventional weapon.
Tools? Traps? Magic? They were all options, and Jude considered this as he finally picked a place in the dirt in front of the large rock that hid the Mountain and dug his feet in. As the man asked his question, Jude was at first totally lost, shaken by the cleverness of the jeweled-man's question. Could he really explain that? These guys probably knew better than to think that Jude had actually killed this thing, but... He had to try something. Telling them he was "just foolin' around" wouldn't cut it, not this time. For all the times it had worked, though, Jude thought maybe there was some merit in...
No, no. Stay focused, he told himself. Always on the ready. The best offense is a good... defense? Wait, that was wrong. The best defense was a good offense. That was it. Jude smirked.
The pink-haired boy relaxed his stance. He lightly placed a thumb in the center of his chest. "Well, here ya go. In the flesh. You wanna pick me clean for scales, too?" His question was ironic and rhetorical, but as he asked it, he became worried that yes, that's exactly what they'd come here to do. Or to find something of even greater value. Bones, teeth? He wasn't sure; Jude was no proper treasure hunter. He just liked causing trouble. And he knew he'd found it...
"Fortune favors the brave, or whatever they say." Jude said flatly, his eyes narrowed and trained on the obvious leader of the two. This could go south, and it could go south fast. The unarmed man had a wide, mischievous smile drawn across his face, his brow furrowed in an attempt to see right through Jude's ruse. And the red-eyed young man knew he could, but that didn't mean he was going to give up.
Without trying to convince the man any further, and feeling like this was going to lead to confrontation either way, Jude leaned in, playing his hand haphazardly, with no real feel for how to turn the conversation in his favor. He wasn't a talker. He was a fighter. "Oh yeah? What's to say this fight wasn't eons ago, huh? Could've been last week. Could've been thirty years ago. You wanna test me and--"
His vision shaking, Jude's body was wracked with pain. He heard the sharp crack of rock around him as the buzzing in his ears turned to a high-pitched ringing, and his body was hot. He felt himself flail for a moment before his body flew back and slapped hard against the rocky barricade that hid the Mountain. Trying to compose himself quickly, Jude tried to open his eyes, feeling almost... fried. As his blurry vision returned to him, Jude just saw the licking blue trails of what looked like electricity emanating from the jeweled-man's hands.
Thunder magic?
Grunting heavily, Jude forced himself onto his feet before he felt another shock wrack his body. This time he saw the thunderous tails of electricity travel his way and snap onto his form, like lightning breaking down from the sky. This bolt was less powerful, and it didn't throw Jude back, but he felt the same white hot pressure, the pain from having his insides heated too quickly. Buckling again, despite his constant efforts to stay standing, Jude took a knee, looking forward like a wild cat about to strike its opponent.
The man simply chuckled. "I can't be played so easily. One does not come so far in life without learning a few things, and you... Quite simply..." Another quick jolt, though since Jude had anticipated this strike, leaped hard and far, tucking into a roll as the electric shock snapped into the rock instead, missing Jude completely. He came out of his roll on his knee, drew a throwing knife from his wrist, and sent it flying with a sharp whirl towards the magic-user. With relative ease he stepped out of its path. "...Have learned little in your short time in this world."
His red eyes darted between the two men. Why hadn't the spear user come after him? What were these two men after? The other man should've used the window to charge, but he didn't... And Jude didn't even have time to consider why the Mountain was playing coward behind the rock. It didn't matter. He could handle these two no sweat. Jude drew another knife from the slot on his wrist.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Oct 31, 2015 22:29:46 GMT -6
Jabal made no move to help; he simply watched as Jude was hurled into nearby stone. There was a pang of concern, yes, but not for the human’s well being. Rather the electrical assault confirmed his suspicion that the elaborately caped man was indeed a mage, and a mage was one of the few things Jabal rightly feared in his weakened state. Any normal human was little threat; their sharp toys could wound, but pound for pound, the dragon doubted there was a man on this continent that could match his immense strength. Magic didn’t care about strength. It didn’t play by the same rules. Even the smallest, most pathetic looking humans could accomplish inappropriately impressive feats with nature at their behest. Jude was fool enough to not fear its power, but not Jabal. He would not be made a fool, even if it meant hiding behind this rock.
The cave lit up again as another burst of lightning racked Jude’s pale form, but the rogue showed surprising resilience in not only returning to his feet, but also successfully avoiding a third flash with a dive. Jabal shook his head. His first reaction was to believe that if this idiot was capable of taking that much lightning to the face and live to tell the tale, then there was no way it was enough voltage to take down the Mountain himself. But the dragon knew better. The mage was obviously toying with Jude. If the mage had wanted to kill the boy outright, rather than fluff his own ego, there wouldn’t be any more Jude, just a smoking, burnt corpse. Jabal would be lying if he said he hadn’t enjoyed the thought, but the mage’s arrogance against the rogue’s persistence was providing a the dragon a valuable opportunity to regain the upper hand.
“You're quite the resilient little man, aren’t you?”
A loud bang accompanied a fourth bright flash of light. Jabal didn't bother watching the result. This mage was lighting up this tomb like a lightning storm, and the time it would take everyone's eyes to adjust to the darkness post-flash created the perfect window for unseen movement. So the Mountain darted out from behind the boulder with an uncharacteristically light step, then disappeared behind the curve of the dragon corpse's tail. He continued to stalk, low to the ground as he could be, circling around the edge of the cave. It had been thousands of years since the last time Jabal had bothered using stealth to overcome an opponent, his father to be exact, and so for one as mighty as he, it felt odd to be moving with such caution. Yet there was something nostalgic about it, and not entirely unenjoyable.
Jabal's eyes had quickly adjusted to the darkness, and with the dead dragon's body blocking further lightning flashes, the dragon was easily able to navigate his way back over to the three humans. He moved quickly, doing his best to avoid touching the body of his mighty kin so as not to disturb their rest, until eventually the spearman came again into view.
Woe be to the enemies of the Mountain.
A stone-like fist whipped out from within the folds of shadow that filled the tomb, enunciated by a sickening crack as it connected with human skull. The man crumpled so fast one would think his legs had turned to jelly, and he hit the floor with his head twisted at an unnatural angle. Dead on impact. No pause, no hesitation. The dragon lashed out at the mage, attempting to wrap his fingers around the pompous fool's neck, but despite Jabal's rapid surprise approach, the mage still managed to turn in time to face this giant foe.
Lightning burst from the human's finger tips, leaping into the dragon's body like serpents looking for their next meal. Jabal could feel every muscle in his body sieze. He couldn't help but cry out. The pain was too intense. Reflexively he tried to half-shift, to cover himself in protective scales, and if he had succeeded shrugging this off would have been a mean feat, but the effort only made him feel weaker. Gah, it was like he was on fire! This was not the magic this man had ben using on Jude. This was a spell meant to kill. But regardless of Jabal's weakened state, it would not succeed. This tomb was only made for one dragon.
Ignoring his agony, the Mountain reached out for the mage and set his massive hand upon the human's shoulder. Jabal could see the whites of the man's eyes widen in fear, illiuminated by the rapidly flickering light of his own magic, which only served to push the dragon further. Jabal grabbed the mage's other shoulder with his other hand, then hoisted the human over his head. Lightning magic arced off in all directions as the mage screamed and flailed in a futile attempt to escape the giant's grip, but it was just that: futile. Jabal kicked his knee into the air with explosive force, then viciously slammed the mage's frail human form onto it. The dragon could hear the man's spine snap in two, and when the elegantly cloaked mage went as limp as his spear wielding friend was when everything became dark and quiet again.
His muscles continued to spasm, and his skin continued to burn, but Jabal was able to blink away the white hot pain that felt as if it was spliting him in two. Slowly he shook his head. So much work just to kill two humans, and to come out of it looking like this? It was embarassing. The fact that he felt like he could keel over and die right now was even more so. Hopefully in this darkness Jude would not be able to percieve his weakness.
بحث أجسادهم (Search their bodies.)
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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 Nov 11, 2015 22:00:33 GMT -6
Like a cat, Jude danced around the tomb, only managing to occasionally be hit by short, quick bolts. They sent him flying, either against the ground or into rocks littered throughout the room. His body was tough, but breakable; Jude felt that he would soon reach his limits if he didn't think of something soon. He tossed off a few quick throwing knives, but he missed the first one, and the second was hit with a bolt of electricity that altered its trajectory and sent it, covered in static, across the other side of the room. The lightning based-attacks kept Jude on his feed, but his attention was divided. He had to think about where to move next, as well as how to best keep Jabal out of the picture. If only he could get behind this guy, find some way to get the upper hand..
He got hit with another bolt, this one slightly more powerful, accompanied by a much brighter flash than the others. His body went airborne, angling up a bit before crashing hard into the earth with a cloud of dust to follow. He tried to move his limbs, but they felt heavy and weak, full of tension and ache. He was scarce able to keep his eyes open as the mage approached him with a wry smile written across his face. Jude spit towards the ground, unwilling to admit defeat. He forced himself back up, drew another throwing knife, and in another attempt to take the man down, used the last of his strength to leap forward at him.
Right before making contact with the man's throat, however, Jude stopped short as a large, meaty hand shot out of the darkness to grab him. Jude instinctively jumped backwards, but missed his graceful step and fell back on his ass, stumbling as he tried to keep an eye on what was going on. Then he saw him. Large and imposing, the Mountain had found some way to flank the man and had made quick work of him. Through vicious red eyes Jude watched as the man foolishly lost his life with the immeasurable strength of the Mountain's knee coming into fierce contact with the mage's spine. There was no way he took another breath.
Jude smirked, trying to catch his breath quietly.
"Wow," He said, feigning amusement as he tried to stand. He found it even more difficult than before. "Nice of you to step in. I, uh, weakened him up for you. You're welcome."
But then the man spoke. "Wait--what did you say?" It was... Was it another language? Jude raised an eyebrow.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Nov 19, 2015 17:22:18 GMT -6
“I said to search their bodies. Are you deaf?”
The dragon glared at his far younger companion with an air of disdainful command. Jabal was aware of his misspeak, but his pain was far too intense for him to act with any amount of graciousness, much less admit that he had spoken in a tongue Jude couldn’t possibly understand. Rather than bother explaining his arcane vocalization, he found it easier to bark as if Jude had misheard him. If the human pushed, which he probably would given his past behavior, Jabal would simply brush it off as a slip of the tongue; a lapse into his native Nabatan dialect. It wouldn’t be a lie, though it obviously wasn’t the whole truth either.
As he looked down at the contorted corpse of the nobly styled mage, Jabal’s breath sounded as if he was breathing through a throatful of sand. Even without one of these magical dragonstones, it seemed that dragons were still made of sterner stuff than humans. Yet had the mage casted more powerful a spell, it could very well be his corpse lying scorched on the cave floor.
But the dragon shook his head at the thought. What was he saying? Was he, the Mountain, actually admitting that some frail human could have taken his life just now? Was he, Al Walidi of the Musenen Jabal admitted mortality? Impossible. He was as unbreakable as the mountains, and ancient like the very ground he stood upon. A human mind would struggle to comprehend the amount of time he had slept, much more the time he had lived. Here he stood, as alive as ever, more than a millennium after even his supposed killer had rotted away into dust.
Such was the power of a dragon.
Jabal reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt, exposing his burnt chest to the air. It was darkened, like browned meat, but it hardly resembled the black and bloody mess into which such a spell would have rendered human flesh. The dragon thought nothing of it, as in his thousands of years he had weathered worse attacks, but the sight would likely prove unusual to one such as Jude if he could even notice it in the dim light of the cave. “See if they carry any salves on their person,” growled the dragon. His eyes quivered, agitated as they jumped to the mage’s pockets. “My skin burns.”
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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 Nov 21, 2015 0:06:19 GMT -6
"Tch! Bite my ass," Jude tossed off, glaring briefly at the large mountain behind him. He disregarded the issue, assuming that he probably misheard the man; after all, how often did he really listen to what he was saying, anyway? Jude quickly slid his hand around any pockets or folds in the garb worn by the now-dead two men before them. They'd been made quick work of, to be sure, but at no easy cost. Once Jude found the first body empty, the non-magic user, he took a minute to examine himself.
In addition to simply feeling tired and burned out and ready for a nap, Jude's skin was warped, bloody, and discolored. It burned, but it felt so hot that he almost couldn't feel the areas that had been afflicted. It didn't pain him so much as it disgruntled him, and Jude scowled at his own body as he examined it, finding electric burn after burn after burn. The red-eyed savage wasn't sure how many blows he'd sustained, but however many, they hadn't been enough to kill him. That's really all that mattered-- he was walking, breathing, talking-- for now, he could say he was good. For now. Until someone else showed up to change things... Though Jude hoped, for his own sake, they'd seen the last of the trouble in the cave. He always had a bad feeling about these things, though.
Sighing, he stood and walked over to the mage who'd been utterly destroyed. Jude stifled a quick laugh as he perused the man's battered body, wondering how someone who now looked so frail had once posed any sort of threat whatsoever. Jude quickly bent down and got to work sifting through things; he found, among other useless trinkets, some empty vials, another tome, and some strange-looking rocks. Finally, in a pouch attached to the man's hip, he found what the Mountain had requested-- what remained of the salve. Jude scoffed again, tossing it behind him. "I ain't so frail. Take it." He chided, lying through his teeth as he considered how badly he ought to be using it.
Turning around, Jude was shocked, but unflinching. He looked at the Mountain, now almost shirtless, and Jude was immediately confused as to how in the hell the Mountain had managed to avoid getting as torn up as Jude had. What was this guy made of...?
"The hell are you made of?" Jude asked angrily. It was clear he was of tougher mettle than Jude, but this seemed out of the ordinary, he considered, his brow still furrowed aggressively.
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