The Coming Storm [Nayru/Zahhak]

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

Nayru stretched luxuriously, more than content to simply live life in the moment for now - to wallow in the golden light and warmth of the sun, to fill her lungs with clean air, to revel in the magic-rich atmosphere. The whole place felt like a home she'd never visited; the air was rich with magic to a level no dragon could ever mistake it, a far cry from the realities of Elibe. It was sort of like... the dragon tried to place together a fitting simile, but her mind was still a bit fuzzy with satisfaction, lazy with pleasure, and the thoughts did not come easily.

Mountains. Yes. It felt as if she had lived atop a mountain for all her life and was only now tasting the thick air at sea level. Oh, she had experienced relatively magic-rich environments before, sometimes ruins leaked it out strongly enough to be pleasant even despite the musty atmosphere, but none of it compared to this island, where magic and air seemed entwined into one. Was this what it had been like before the Scouring? Without any real first hand experience, Nayru didn't know, but she had heard older dragons in Arcadia speak of the world before the Ending Winter, when magic still filled the world to overflowing, and this was the closest she had ever come to understanding what they meant.

That said, she hadn't seen any dragons, or sensed them for that matter - not that she exactly had superpowered dragon sensing capabilities, but there tended to be a certain elemental charge to the air in their vicinity if one knew where to look, that was how Aerious had found her in the first place after all, and she didn't really feel that here. So, while it was entirely possible she was wrong, Nayru didn't think they had traveled through time into a pre-Scouring Elibe, nor was this place where all the dragons had gone to hide after the great war.

Curiously enough, she had never heard of this place in Arcadia or during her travels alike, either. And yet there were supposedly people here, going by the tall tales that the merchants had brought home; mortals who had lived and thrived here for years, centuries, perhaps for time immemorial - were they refugees from Elibe? Had humanity sprouted here independently from the mainland? Was there some dark secret to be found here - the origin of all monsters, or perhaps the masterminds of the Scouring, or even a sleeping Demon King waiting only discovery to bring death to all the world?

It was kind of exciting, honestly, Nayru couldn't help but think to herself with a light smile as she stared up into the cloudless azure sky. She was used to having an advantage over most people in terms of knowledge simply by dint of her long years spent researching and exploring, as well as her previous access to Arcadia's unparalleled repositories of knowledge, but right now she was about as clueless as the average teenage wannabe hero. Strange lands, strange rumors, and strange air. No clues so far, just a brave new world to explore - a final frontier to learn the secrets of.

...But that would involve moving, and honestly she kinda just wanted to lie here forever.

[Zahhak Al-Bahar]

It was fairly fantastic. The rhythmic rumbling crashes of the rolling ocean tides blasting into the sand one moment, only to hear the cleansing sound of the tide retreating back to the see before another wave broke upon the shore; a sound unlike any other in the world to Zahhak. Yes, once again he found himself enjoying the climates of a beach. However, this time, he was alone upon the beach. This island. He did not know anything of it, save for the untamed nature of it. It was dangerous supposedly. Thattttt didn't matter though at the moment. For Zahhak was lounging upon the beach in a well sculpted imprint of his likeness within the sand. Solar radiance washing constantly down upon his skin, practically bathing within the sun. The males shirtless toned figure was already at a flawless tan, but between the cooling sensation of the chilled ocean waters running around him to kiss at his entire figure with icy lips and the warn blanket like surrounding warmth from the sun ensnaring his entire person.

Honestly, he could have stayed like that for days and wouldn't have minded. Hell...when the boat had approached the island he remembered picking up the faint traces of magic in the air lingering around the island only to steal himself off the ship so he could swim there himself. Everything about this place was as if a personal utopia had been sculpted for Zahhak. Dangerous, nameless, untamed wilds. Rich in the magic within the air so much that just lethargically lounging about gave him a buzz of energy he'd never known even as it gave him enough comfort to actually enjoy resting beyond the mandatory " I can't move because I'm too sore " circumstance. However...even as it relaxed him..it energized him.

It got a buzz going within him that crawled and itched beneath the skin. A desire to move. Explore. See. Feel. Smell. Hunt. Fight. So many vibrant distinct desires to fulfill all at once. For all the strength that he had in his desire to lounge upon the beach and soak in the suns warmth and magic infused air, he equally felt an urge to move. After all...he'd spent blissful hours that slipped through his fingers no slower than the very sand he lay in; appeasing one desire but neglecting the others. This actual thought lingering in his mind was what finally prompted the water dragon to move. He pivoted his legs and suddenly swung them upwards as he withdrew his arms to press at the sandy floor he had been laying upon. Muscles along his body suddenly emphasized as he implemented them to throw his weight and flip from the ground onto his feet. The cacophony of bells jingling at once from this sudden movement added just a bit of "home" into the motion.

His messy and naturally wild chestnut shaded hair was matted to the back of his neck and sides of his face from the ocean water, the refreshing scent of sea-salt lingering about him. Though his clothes were entirely soaked, the dragon did not seem to mind, if even notice the garments clinging firmly to his figure. As his bells quietly jingled in alternating rhythms that announced his presence, he began to approach the wooden set up. As Zahhak made his way through this...attempt to create a den for humans, he noticed a body prone and lounging about not too far from his own. That was..interesting. Another that could appreciate the flawless nature of the land they were in? Perhaps. The male shifted his necklace slightly to free it from clinging to his body too much, though keeping it safe around his neck. The plate of triple tidal markings of his now gone tribe making a triangle with the small gem, his dragonstone, resting safely inbetween all three was perhaps his only actual possession. His voice, thick with an accent fairly unique to himself from not often speaking human tongue within the western isles, broke the silence as he called out to this lounging woman.

"I see you are enjoying yourself as much as anyone should be here. You are perhaps...first one I have seen to do so. Most are running around busy finding plants. It is good to see I am not only one."

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"HAAA.... ahh..." Yawning loudly, Nayru pushed herself back a few inches, just enough to let her head hang over the side of the shack's roof she was resting on to see what the deal was. It was hard to really shake the lethargy, but she would... eventually. Really it was almost eerie how similar this was to the age-old 'just five more minutes, mom' phenomenon, and Athos knew that Erim had plenty of experience with that.

Granted, the world was upside down, but these sorts of things did happen when one's head was hanging down, anne frankly she didn't feel like remedying the issue. Besides, it was just one guy and he wasn't trying to kill her, yet, so she didn't really feel a need to go all panic mode about it. Huh. One really fit looking guy. Not so much a hunk of grotesque muscle as - whipcord muscle? He had sort of a thuggish look to him, but more as a side effect of constant violence than itself as the goal. That was the vague sense she got anyways.

...Though honestly she didn't get the 'finding plants' thing. Did he hate trees or something? Or was it more of a general comment about how everyone here seemed to have the goal of making money? Nayru wasn't really sure which he meant, but suspected it was something more in line with the latter, though not necessarily that exact intonation, and opted to answer as such. "...A wondrous discovery - an uncharted island full of mystery and danger, strange new plants and deadly predators... and everyone just wants to figure out how to make a quick buck." Her tone changed from enthralled at first to a touch sarcastic as she finished, voicing her feelings on the subject far more effectively than words ever could.

She honestly wasn't sure if it was fitting or really weird for a dragon to not give a god damn about gold - lord knew those stereotypes came from somewhere given how some Arcadian dragons dressed and her own jewelry in the past - but Nayru had never really seen the appeal in gold on its own merits; it made pretty jewelry that was fun to collect, and you needed some to pay for inns once in a while, but otherwise held no true intrinsic value. Not that she was really looking for a discussion on the economy here. "I've even heard rumors of ancient ruins... though it seems no one has actually found them yet. And did I mention deadly predators?"

Nayru grinned, looking for a moment for all the world like a shark that had just spotted a bare behind. "Just imagine what kind of horrific monstrosities might have evolved here, in this wild and untamed land, over the centuries!"

Yup - ruins and horrible monsters, Nayru's two favorite things in the world.

[Zahhak Al-Bahar]

There was a truth to her sarcasm that gave Zahhak an overwhelming urge to spit on the ground. Perhaps as if to spit on the notion she mentioned...but none the less. It was something he detested. Here, this wonderful paradise of danger and exploration unfurled upon the greatest of platters for all to arrive and test themselves and their own merit...only to have a group of humans make a small tent filled town and try to turn it into money. Perhaps it was his more.." barbaric" lifestyle he lived...as some had called it in the past. He however..enjoyed hunting his food. Finding what he could to survive off of. It gave intensity to the smaller aspects. Every moment held a special tension that kept one on the edge. Zahhak chimed in though, almost feeding off the feral thrill that came from speaking of the dangerous predators.

He turned towards the exit in the distance. The partially reinforced wooden gate that was used for entering and exiting. When he smiled, there was the smallest hint of difference between himself and those around him. His teeth were slightly sharper than the average human, all of his teeth resembling the "canines" of a human. One on either side of his upper jaw in particular was a bit rounder than the others, and even slightly longer. It was revealed only briefly, but added an almost sadistic thrill to his expression as he let a throaty chuckle thrum within his chest before speaking again. This time, one hand rested on his waist and the other curled partially with his fingers clasping tightly to a balled fist. "You speak of the greatest part! The thrill of being hunted, by things we know not. Revealing them. Hunting them. Simply discovering new dangers. How could anyone resist such a call?"

He took a few steps away from the woman, and towards the direction of the gate. He leaned his weight to his left leg, and despite allowing his arm to drop and dangle by his waist; he felt a crawl beneath his skin. Raw excitement. It was absolute bliss. The unknown posed a special danger. The countless possibilities alone gave him a sense of anticipation that made him jittery. Perhaps the abundant magic in the air helped...but it did not detract from the sensation. If anything..it enhanced it. The lethargy of his prior state was now shaken off entirely. His blood raced. Part of him had an urge to sprint into the wilds already. That was treading into the realm of foolish however. He was excited..but stupid. Zahhak's bells jingled slightly as he took another step before turning to look at the woman. His lips curved into a half grin." You seem to enjoy danger as well. I too, like to live dangerously. "

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"Yeah, my life seems to be one unending highway to the danger zone." It came out half grumbling and half matter of fact, but she didn't sound all that broken up about it. Mostly because she wasn't. While the Nayru of even a year ago probably would have retreated so far into her shell that even a turtle would be like 'dude holy crap chill wtf,' after dealing with Elly and now Amelia, and she supposed the other lesser issues like giant spiders and turning into a murder dragon and fighting horrific chimeric monstrosities from beyond reality. But mostly Elly and Amelia, honestly. At least the could punch the rest, and there was always something scary about someone you couldn't hit.

Lying there like a dead fish wasn't really cutting it though, least not anymore - since mister tall dark and crazy happened along, the whole idea of lying there relaxing had evaporated into the sun like most of the rest of her hopes and dreams. With a quiet "Hup!" Nayru swung herself around one hundred and eighty degrees, rotating along both axes to go from her back to her butt as she finished her movement sitting on the edge of the roof she had been lying on a moment before. There was absolutely nothing special about her movement, but she had felt like doing something a little more active than getting up like a normal person.

"Can't say I'm as big on the being hunted thing though," the dragon who had spent her life worrying about being discovered and murdered by humans continued casually, maybe a little pointedly; "been there, done that. It's all fun and games until the lynch mob shows up. Then it's hilarious!" It wasn't at the time of course, but in retrospect she had been really, REALLY dumb. Blissfully unaware of the fact she hadn't really gotten much smarter since then, Nayru grinned down at shark boy down there, not entirely sure if he was secretly a shark, secretly a dragon, or if she was just going crazy. Maybe a little of all three. "Nice to meet you, shark boy. Name's Nayru. I take it you're not from around here either?"

[Zahhak Al-Bahar]

This time Zahhak let out a healthy boom of laughter as he grinned, gaze still lingering on the gate-way to untold dangers lingering in the distance. He really really sucked at containing his excitement. His teeth revealed once more into his laughter, and yeah..this time he didn't care as much. To be fair..he never really had cared about hiding his little secret..if little was a word that could describe it. However he also didn't openly broadcast it. He didn't just walk up to someone and go " Hello I am Zahhak, a dragon. Would you like to see what dragons kill? Your first guess gets the hint of you see it in mirrors." or anything silly like that. With such a strong desire to fight though eating away at him he really couldn't be bothered. He lifted one hand to run through his spikey brown strands of hair as he shifted and shook his head a moment later causing said strands to bob about. "Haha..I love when others try to hunt me. It's a thrill that I will never forget. Then again..maybe it's just because I am better suited at handling hunters than most. Who knows. I'll take my thrills where I can get them. "

She was odd to suddenly display a bit of energy, giving the usual act of sitting up a bit of a flourish. It showed some athletic aptitude though. He wasn't the most intelligent of creatures..but his longevity had allowed him to notice some of the smaller things. Such as her ease into the gesture. It was no struggle where as most would have displayed some sign of genuine exertion.

He crossed back to where he had been standing a moment before, crouching to brush his hand at the slightly sandy grass filled ground. His fingers traced a path along the sand before slightly sinking into it as she spoke up. Shark boy? That was new. Not entirely unappropriate though. Hmm. Nayru? A name he'd not heard of before. Odd. Humans usually used names that other humans had. The male water dragon stood up, fanged smile exposed again in a grin as he nodded and went back to his standing poise of one hand resting upon his hip while the other rested at his side. She was right, that he sure wasn't from around here. "I'm from the Western Isles. Names Zahhak. Gotta say, I don't think I've ever heard the name before. Makes it unique. Alot better than the thousands of Burts, BIlls, Georges around. Though..figuring as your a woman I guess that'd mean your compared to all the Graces, and Amelias, and Jills of the world eh? " He wouldn't put too much stock into it. Just thought it was nice to see someone with an interesting name for once. Though honestly..all this talk and so little action was boring him. He figured he'd have to wrap the conversation up soon. He wanted to start walking into the wild, before his anticipation overwhelmed his senses.

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

Hmm. She wasn't quite sure what to make of Zahhak; he spoke much like a braggart might, careless of danger or consequence and completely convinced of his own invincibility, but with the calm assurance of someone who lived, rather than merely believed, what they spoke. It was an interesting dichotomy of sorts compared to most of the greatest fighters she had met so confident in their own skills that they no longer felt a need to brag and posture - but neither was he like the weak and fleshy man-children of bars and taverns in the past, mortals who understood nothing of the greater world around them or even the true capabilities of their own kind.

But she didn't get that vibe from Zahhak, and she wasn't sure why. Doubly so given that he wasn't armed, at least as far as she could see, which raised questions of its own; was he just an experienced tavern brawler who had never seen war in all its glory and all its horror, or was he simply not carrying his weapon around?

Of course knowing how these things went she was probably having another conversation with a dragon who was somehow actually worse than her at stealth, and he just punched people with super strength and physical immortality, and she was going to feel really stupid in ten minutes when he punched someone through a building. That seemed to be how these things worked to the point that she just didn't think she could actually muster that much surprise if it turned out to be true.

"It's... Nabatan," she returned evenly, perhaps just a touch evasively, in regards to the comment on her name. There was no real need to go further into it; even if he was a dragon, Zahhak didn't seem like the type to care too much about the etymology of her first name, much less her last name - as far as she knew Erim hadn't gone anywhere near the Isles since long before the Scouring so it would mean little to nothing to him even if she did decide to dump her whole life story on him. "Let's not talk about Amelias though. They wield powers unknown to mortal man. Or anyone else for that matter."

crap eating grin, activate. Nayru looked him up and down again thoughtfully, admittedly a little intrigued by the prospect of another unarmed fighter. Whether human or dragon, she could always stand to learn a bit more. But it didn't exactly take a psychic to notice that captain murder hobo here wasn't especially excited to stand around talking all day, and while a... very small and immature portion of her felt a little slighted that he didn't even have the tact to pretend to actually care about social niceties, in another way it was also a bit refreshing, given that, well, she wasn't exactly a paragon of maturity and class herself given the whole 'punching lady' thing.

"So, do you just wander around suplexing dragons or do you like to give them a fighting chance by handicapping yourself with a sword or something?" She was grinning, starting to like this guy a bit despite her normal reservations. He was rough around the edges on a level that even Elly and Amelia would struggle to match, but it was a little refreshing compared to high level intellectual pursuits and worrying about everything. And this damn island's air was getting to her. She felt better than she had in centuries, maybe ever; not even transforming back in Bern had felt nearly as exhilarating as being somewhere that actually felt a legitimate home.

[Zahhak Al-Bahar]

Zahhak thought of Nabata..and the first think he thought of gave him cause to grin. The splash of a black haired male landing back first in the ocean water after a disastrous attempt at a kick. It brought out a wider grin as he chuckled a bit before shaking his head and gazing downwards. Ahh..such fun times. He chimed in for a moment. "Well..I've only been to the coastal sides of Nabata. I like the beaches. Can't imagine it's anything beyond beach though..with less ocean as you get closer in. " He shrugged, his bells jingling ever so slightly from the brief movement. The water dragon shifted his gaze back to the gate before resting a hand at his hip and looking around to try and observe if anyone else was actually bothering to leave the place. Not likely...most were just fawning over what ever rare stone or plant they'd collected that would be super important to finding more money. Gods..humans were so blind..the real fun was literally just ahead. If they lifted their heads up from their damned stands and pouches of garbage to sell they'd see that.

He turned to gaze back at the woman as she spoke once more. Merely including a confused, if not curious brow towards the Amelia comment he felt himself a bit confused. He'd met plenty of Amelias. Mostly bar wenches or random women in towns in the western isles. None seemed anything special. Ever. Was it different elsewhere in Elibe? Were there super Amelia's somewhere he had no knowledge of? He'd look into this later. Though he chuckled a bit as she questioned him on his preference of weapons and the suplexing of dragons. Suplexing a dragon? He'd have to meet another one first. Zahhak shook his head as the chuckle thrummed within his chest before he looked over at the woman with a grin. "Weapons? No thanks, I like to actually fight. I assume you don't have any either? I see none." Zahhak took a few steps further before questioning her back. "As for suplexing dragons. I suppose I'd have to find one eh? Never had the pleasure. "

Though that was technically true. Since he couldn't suplex himself, and as far as he knew all the dragons were gone besides his mother and himself. Zahhak gazed out to the gate once more, briefly stopped in his desire to explore as the fantastic thoughts of what it would be like to actually suplex a dragon danced within his head. The tattooed, shirtless male shifted his hand from his side to the back of his head and combed his fingers through the spiked messy brown strands of hair before he suddenly averted his gaze towards Nayru. "Well..While it has been fun speaking with you..I'm going to see what's outside of this tiny wooden excuse for a camp. If you'd like to continue speaking your welcome to join me. " He took a few steps and extended his hands to either side as if to welcome her...to a Jurassic park. "Seems like there will be plenty of fun to be had. "

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

'Less ocean' was definitely one way to put the burning sands of the desert, what with the total lack of water and dryness and had she mentioned the lack of water? Hm. It bore repeating for good measure. She'd never been that big on beaches herself, or the water in general. Nayru could swim, but that was about it - she couldn't fight for jack in the water, no one outside of water dragons really could simply by dint of how much the medium slowed and dulled movement, and even a water dragon would be hard pressed to pull off anything resembling a crushing kick or punch with that kind of resistance.

Nayru followed Zahhak's gaze out to the gate, to the island beyond. It was a little strange to think that beyond these makeshift wooden walls - beyond this all too human monument to civilization and greed alike - there was an entire land of absolute unknowns waiting to be discovered, full of danger and opportunity and potentially even knowledge. To think that it would only take one step outside the palisades to go into another world entirely... it was a heady subject, almost poetic. Though she suspected Zahhak was less excited about romantic era literature than he was about punching stuff.

Something about his response to her weapon question ticked a checkbox in Nayru's psyche that rivaled even Amelia herself in sheer nightmarish destructive power and unrelenting horror, a Pandora's Box of eternal suffering that would haunt her to the end of her days. That or a really bad sense of humor. "Weapons?" Struck with an idea, Nayru grinned, flexing liek her name was Flex Plexico. "With guns like THESE, I don't need weapons!"

Giggling shamelessly at her own joke, as immature and childish - though she preferred the term childlike - as it was, Nayru hopped down from her lofty perch to meet the water dragon at equal heights. As much fun as it was to mess around with chilling or talking, he did make a pretty compelling argument for going on a little adventure. Granted, his argument was 'let's go punch stuff,' but by her standards that was pretty ironclad logic. "You mean you're joining me, right?" In high spirits, the (blissfully clueless) strongest Divine Dragon in Elibe (or anywhere else) slammed her fists together with an audible crack - whether from bones breaking or from the crash of lightning was up to the viewer to decide. "Even if we don't find something fun out there, I'm sure we can come up with something to do if we really use our heads."

Probably for the best she didn't even think of how else that line could have been taken.

[Zahhak Al-Bahar]

Zahhak couldn't tell precisely what to make of this woman. She was more gusty sounding than almost anyone he'd met. Then again..most of the women he had met were by no means anything impressive. Often just women looking to harvest as much coin from every pocket that had the misfortune of falling for their charms, (luckily an aspect he did not have to worry about ) or they would simply be making attempts to leave the western islands. There had been..maybe one or two women total that were even fighters that he'd met. So that gave this woman a special intrigue. He shifted his oceanic hues to scan her once over as she displayed herself and flexed her arm while showing off her chosen weapon. Yeah, he could respect that. Wasn't often he met someone as proud of their body as a weapon as he was.

He even grinned, if not a slightly feral way simply grinning, at her while he nodded in acknowledgment. The shirtless male shifted his poise so that he could cross his arms over his chest, forearms pressing to the metal necklace. He silently leaned backwards just slightly, adjusting his weight to his heels and swaying with every muscle in his body going tense as he stretched. Standing up in the same spot for a moment or two had made him feel stiff. The rippling pop as he leaned his neck sharply to the left sent a wave of relief down his spine while he laughed even as the woman giggled. It was a booming sound, and oddly filled with life compared to a guy who had such an appetite for killing, or...beating and fighting really. Admittedly..as she spoke up about them finding something to do, the average innuendo most men would have jumped to when a good looking said such went completely beyond him. He arrived a different meaning entirely... "Perhaps we could fight..spar maybe? If we find nothing else out there, that is. Though..haha.. Oh Haha, so I'm following you you say? Well...it's hard to follow if.."

The quiet jingle of the bells along his torso began to break the quiet with each step he made towards the wooden gate, speaking even as he walked; using his lead to keep a slight foot ahead of her just for the sake of the joke while he spoke to the brown haired woman. "I'm the one leading."

He pressed his knuckles to the opposing hands palms, taking turns cracking his knuckles before idly lifting them up to lace fingers and rest behind his neck. Chuckling as he spoke up again. "So you enjoy to fight with your fists eh? Its not often I meet someone of a similar style."

[Plot Device]

There was a scent in the air, it was something new, a lot like the other new comers but quite different than theirs. The pray was only two people, they were a delicacy to the beast of this land. Those two were claimed by the alpha of the pack, the others would go in for the kill as ordered while some would search for food for the rest. From the shadows a very large wolf like creature steps into the light, it's nose was wrinkled all of it's many large fangs showing as it began to growl. The heads to the left and the right shot up and began to howl, signalling the start of the attack.

Ten creatures that looked like Mauthe Doogs, but much MUCH larger, came running from the tree lines towards the two on the beach while others took off in another direction following the tree lines.

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to pull my punches. Wouldn't want to hurt your feelings or anything." Nayru wasn't usually the most competitive individual, but that wasn't exactly the truth, at least not as much as she liked to tell herself. Truth was, she was, but tended to get carried away... it was a part of herself she didn't like and usually tried to suppress, but the island air and atmosphere was messing with her head in ways she didn't even realize, and between the immense boost to power she had finally mastered back in Bern, and the the way the air here seemed to sharpen her senses or at least felt like it, even a normally fairly conservative mind couldn't catch every minor change and the subtleties in her growing self-confidence after so long with little to none to speak of.

Still smiling, she sped up a bit to catch up to Zahhak, not particularly feeling like following him like a lost puppy forever. It bugged her a bit that she didn't know all that much about high-class dancing though, she was a bellydancer and a fighter, not a noblewoman. "This would be a perfect time to make a reference to waltzes or something if I knew the terminology," she muttered loud enough to easily hear, less worried about the situation than a bit frustrated that she had never found it interesting enough to really study. She still didn't, admittedly, but learning more of the terminology would at least widen her repertoire of dancing jokes.

It was true though, what he said. That there weren't many real martial artists these days. Oh, they existed, in dojos in Sacae and elsewhere, and supposedly it had been fairly popular in centuries past before the Scouring, but these days most people didn't have the time or luxury to waste on something that was, objectively, almost completely useless compared to mastering the sword. For humans, that was. For her, one was about as effective as the other, it was just a question of mastery, and she had a lot more experience punching things than swinging swords.

It didn't take long after exiting the village and starting to move into the wilds for her senses, already on edge just from the atmosphere, lit up like a Christmas (Eliminemas?) tree. It was unfamiliar though, just something else she didn't recognize or understand about the island; they weren't monsters, at least as she had come to recognize them, but they clearly weren't human. And for better or for worse, there was very little on Elibe besides those two categories that could ever hope to threaten even a humanform dragon. Nayru didn't necessarily understand how her senses might have atrophied and failed to recognize something subtly different from what she knew, but it was there nonetheless.

"...Seems like the fun is coming to us." It was a little abrupt, but if Zahhak had been watching he might have noticed the minor look of surprise and confusion on her face beforehand... if he hadn't been too focused on most likely sensing the creatures in a similar timeframe or even before her, not that Nayru had any idea whatsoever. From her perspective, it was more that serious danger of some variety was coming, and Zahhak was probably a good fighter but not a dragon and thus unlikely to sense it, so she felt the need for what was in truth a likely entirely unnecessary warning. "Screw the Saint, this island really does answer prayers~!"

It didn't take some bullshit super dragon senses to hear a clearly audible howl not long after though, signaling that they were about to have company. Hmm. She had hoped to get an idea of what Zahhak was actually capable of before taking him anywhere too dangerous, but it seemed they were going to have to do that little initiation rite via trial by fire. "If you want to make a run for it, this is your last chance." A little needling, but not ill spirited, more an attempt to gather the caliber of Zahhak's character to see how much of his speech earlier had been the empty bluffs of a coward and how much had actually been the self-assured confidence she thought she had realized. Truth was, she didn't think he would run for it, and the harsher truth was that it was most likely already too late anyways. If anything, below the surface her comment had been a move to ensure he stayed, where if necessary she could at least try to protect him.

In the future, Nayru would look back and reach the conclusion that maybe she had been a bit overly cautious.

[Zahhak Al-Bahar]

Pull her punches? Zahhak couldn't help the booming laugh that followed, as he stepped through the barrier of wooden walls hastily erected. It was where the biggest difference between himself and others was emphasized. Most felt as if they were "safe" within them. To Zahhak, it was more of a prison. He felt "free". No boundaries there. So that wonderful sea of green? Much welcomed change of sight. Zahhak, laughing loudly as he approached the boundaries of the forest, grinned towards the woman before retorting as he crossed his arms over his chest; bells jingling lightly all the while. "I guess I'll have to hold back a bit so you can call it pulling your punches when you don't match up, eh?" The water dragon chuckled a bit more, and likely would've considered to shoot crap with her if it weren't for that sudden twinge.

That was odd. An unsettling crawl through his skin that set the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. He hadn't felt something like that in months. Since that fight over the seas. Suddenly he felt excited. As if every fiber in his body had been granted the greatest wish of all; and he being given it then and there. The dragon sharply turned his head, examining exactly where he could feel it. That undeniable sense..that they were in danger. A feral smile crept upon his lips, as he started to feel his blood boil. His heart beat had quickened. His breathing slightly faster. Anticipation. If it could've become palpable, it would've just from the thrill he heard when a howl began to pierce the silence and travel through out the air.

Zahhak's body shifted as he began to lean forwards slightly. His legs slowly inched further apart as he spread his feet. Nayru's expression was spot on. Zahhak began to laugh. It wasn't a jovial laugh though. The savage bestial urge to fight had worked its way in, and could've been akin to the laugh of a manic warrior on the precipice of insanity. A lust for combat. "Ah.ahaha..hahahaha! That's what I'm talking about! Now, it's about to be a party!"

If he could've laughed any harder at the sight of the three headed beast that lumbered into sight in the distance, he would have. As the twin heads howled, Zahhak felt the tug of instinct. After all...there were nothing but wild creatures within that forest, and he was no different in that moment. However, his instincts served to guide him. He could feel it. The danger these creatures possessed. They were strong. Stronger than he possible, and he loved it. The greatest way to die...by belligerently wailing away tirelessly at an obstacle to see how far you could get.

This was a time where he could really cut loose. Zahhak lifted one hand to lightly tap the spherical gem embedded within his necklace. He felt the vast sees of power churning within, so reminiscent of the seas he called him. An ocean of strength welled within that tiny jewel. Tapping into some of it, Zahhak began to temporarily bolster himself. However, as per the norm; his true self started to shine through. Small tufts of white began to streak through the brown spiked hair that ran down his head. His nails started to extend, growing harder and longer. His teeth even, subtly adjusted as the two dominant canines grew to elongate and become far sharper. Without his shirt on, it would've been easy to notice were it not for the blue dragon inked along his entire body in a singular tattoo. Small patches of blue scale began to develop along his skin. Platelet like formations in little segmented rows. When he snapped open his eyes, the oceanic blue hues that he considered a slightly admirable trait about him had become pure amber. A golden shade a stark contrast.

By this point the pack of enlarged doogs had been rushing for them. Zahhak however, would not sit idly by and let his afternoons entertainment eat him without first enjoying himself. He shouted out to Nayru as he rushed forwards. "I'll try not to hog all the fun!" Each step a forced pump of distance as he launched off the ground, arms trailing at his sides before he suddenly dropped into a sliding motion under the colossal maw of the first hound while it snapped at Zahhak. He ducked beneath the jaws fully, hands driving with enough physical force to kill a man if hit properly; punching the doog in the chest while rooting his knee to enhance the driving force. It was such a strong blow, yet the doog barely lifted into the air. "crap..their heavy."

The Dragon was forced to tumble to the left as a pair of jaws came snapping at him from his crouched position under the doog that had been jostled from the blow to its chest. The dragon snarled and hissed with excitement. An idea. Why fight more aggressively than he normally did? As he slid to the side and back to evade the jaws, he lashed out abruptly. One hand crashed into the top of the hounds muzzle while the other hand struck a side palmed blow into the upper right side. However he continued this motion into a spin, suddenly carrying the momentum and lashing out with his dominant leg. The doog he'd been under was attempting to move; and Zahhak realized all to swiftly that if they wern't careful..they could get mobbed down. To deny this, they'd likely have to use their smaller size to make it hard to strike them. In this case...

His leg swept out the right paw as the doog attempted to shift his weight onto it and turn to hit Zahhak. He soon came tumbling downwards as the Water dragon shouted towards Nayru.

"I bet they won't hurt eachother, since their part of a pack! "

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

Of f**k**g course he was a dragon, OBVIOUSLY he was a dragon, literally everyone she ran into these days was either a dragon or some legendary hero to the point that she was having trouble telling them apart. "Dragons were made extinct in the Scouring," the aggrieved dragon muttered, viciously kicking a daisy as Zahhak ran off like a retard to get himself killed. "Rare and unique, you may never see one in your life. Ancient creatures of great wisdom and terrible beauty."

Meanwhile, everyone from Aerious to Zahhak came to mind - a misfit group of damaged individuals, emotionally and mentally perturbed; even Lynessa held loss close to her albeit hidden well. And they were all, to the last, god damn retarded. Seriously, it was a wonder they had survived for more than a week. Not that she was one to judge, Ms. 'cover half of southern Bern in a clearly unnatural thunderstorm, nuke a bandit fortress in Sacae, do random superhuman bullshit while fighting monsters in northern Bern.'

Fine, whatever, it didn't REALLY matter at this point. Her mood caught strangely between ecstatic excitement and sarcastic annoyance, Nayru finally stopped caring about everything, welcoming the blissful madness of a world gone topsy-turvy. Fortunately for her, it had even sent some new friends to greet her... friends who were a lot bigger than any of the Mauthe Doogs she had met before. Were these Gwyllgi? No, it couldn't be, they were said to have three heads. So why were these ones so big? Yet again, Nayru found that she didn't know the answer, but it didn't really matter that much... for now. Oh, it would later, she intended to get to the bottom of it, but right now they had more pressing concerns. She had been following Zahhak's footsteps, but at a walk, so she was some distance behind him when more of the pack came for her, the remainder still circling at a fair distance from the two dragons as they gauged their prey's strength.

...Hm. In a moment of clarity, she thought she began to understand Zahhak's comment earlier. When the hunted become the hunters. Her lips rose on their own, a feral smile far less intimidating than Zahhak's but no less sincere, as she finally got what he had been trying to say. "Fine." She didn't feel the need to halfshift just yet, significantly more reserved than Zahhak so far, but Nayru could feel the essence flowing through her body as she moved into a reactive stance, arms raised before her.

"Let's dance."

As if waiting for her acknowledgement, both the beasts circling her reacted at once, savage growls emanating as - holy crap they were fast. The first one was already upon her by the time she realized it was coming, its movements a strange combination of short bounds and hops that made it difficult to follow, already swinging with one massive paw to behead her on the spot.

Sparks erupted as killing claws raked along flesh harder than steel, discharging lightning essence in a harmless display of magic before it was already past her - but the other was airborne, slamming down on her like the fist of an angry god, and she didn't have time to move far.

The gargantuan beast descended in a plume of smoke and earth, its strike leaving cracks in the very earth where it had struck, but she was nowhere to be found. For a moment. It sensed something from beside it, behind it, but it was already too late as arms like tree trunks wrapped around its midsection, lifting it bodily like a child's toy and flipping it over backwards in a flawless German suplex that cratered the earth through its sheer impact, streaks of electricity playing lazily through the cloud of smoke and dust that erupted in its wake.

GODS but that was refreshing. Nayru danced out of the falling debris, quite aware that one fancy attack wasn't going to solve this whole issue, but she was having fun already. "I'll take the five on the right!"

[Zahhak Al-Bahar]

Every inch of his body was crawling. Anticipation and Ecstasy swam through his entire body, filling him with a high that he didn't often feel. That wonderful dance upon the finest line between life and death. As the water dragon's body swiftly moved along the side of the colossal hound he had brought onto its side. Zahhak couldn't let this opportunity waste. Each step he took moved at a climbing acceleration, kicking off the ground harder while his body darted towards the muzzle of the temporarily disabled doog. Their jaws were the biggest threat. Just as he would disable an opponents dominant arm first, he would strike for their primary weapon. The creature flailed and shifted its body sideways in an attempt to get up.

"Too late!"

Zahhak hissed with glee as he struck suddenly, and powerfully. His stone resonated with further power as the fanged male tapped into it, his pupils transforming from onyx circles to darkened slits. His palm sank into the side of the hounds jaw as he came down upon its upper maw with bone-destroying force. The sound of cracking could be heard over his own shout as he exhaled, driving the blow further and crushing part of the hounds jaw. Large ivory teeth burst from the creatures jaw past Zahhak as a few droplets of blood sprayed out. The loud whine of the creature being injured would've gotten at-least some of the doogs attention as Zahhak crippled the first doog that had attacked him. However he did not rest at simply striking in this regard. The water dragon snapped his fist upwards after punching the jaw of the creature to punch into its throat. The whining was silenced as his fist sank deeply into the fur covered thick hide of the creature.

Nayru seemed to be doing well for herself. However her display of strength gave Zahhak an idea. The hound within his grip now going limp, though from death or unconsciousness he could not say, would offer no resistance. As the hounds attempted to surround Zahhak, he got a better hold of the unconscious doog and gripped firmly at its upper front right leg with his other hand. Hoisting part of it over his shoulder, he spun around suddenly and shouted into the motion. Pulling the monster with as much strength as he could muster he hurled it into the nearest approaching two hounds.

The series of yelps were likely from shock before anything else. In the upkicked dust, a jingling of bells shattered brief hanging silence. The brown haired dragon suddenly shifted his poise as his body began to "shake" back and forth. His hands extended and he lowered himself as he started to sway left to right. Imitating the motions of a serpent preparing to strike. He couldn't stop grinning. When a dangerous creature was cornered, even as the two doogs approached, it gave so many more options. They would strike first. This left it onto him how to retaliate. Two hounds struggled to get up after the body of the other had been tossed onto them. Zahhak stared down the approaching two before they rushed at him. Timing. It would all boil down to timing.

Jaws flashed as a small beam of light caught them, what little sunlight could break through the forest line. Zahhak snarled in turn and ducked as the first set of jaws snapped at him. Just barely. He lunged to the right, spinning into the motion and unleashed a swift barrage of aggressive strikes onto the hound. The first forced its body to the side, once again using the body of one doog to block another. Each successive blow struck at the side of the skull that had been exposed in its attempt to bite him. Every strike drove it further into a disoriented state of pain and discombobulation as the dragon retaliated.

For now at-least, he felt like he could keep this up forever. In reality....