Ancient Beginnings

[CYDA LUVA83]

"Ah, stuff a cork in it, sweetie. You're not the boss around here anymore. You do know that, right?" Cydae teased, deliberately trying to make Keisha mad. Then she remembered Alekk's challenge to try and make friends with the mortals. The pink dragon cocked her head and looked down at her paws, trying to figure out how to remedy this bad situation. "Nevermind all that I said, I'm just trying to calm down after stressful travel in the wrong way. Please forgive my taunting... and anger." She pawed at the floor awkwardly. "So... Any of you ever been coasting ten tousand feet above the ground?" Edited June 11, 2012 by CYDA LUVA83

[Krissi2197]

Completely ignoring the Pink's question, Keisha raised her wings a bit. "I know I'm not in charge here anymore," she hissed "but that doesn't mean I can't kick your ass. We're at a war with humans, I don't think this place has a dragon in charge here anyway." Sighing softly, Keisha sat down, her wings still raised, her markings still glowing faintly, still ignoring Cydae's question.

 

"Wait... Fusion killed you. You're obviously not a ghost, because Doom was able to pin you down. What are you?"

[Ælex]

The big city, what a sight to behold it was. Most of the buildings were more than a dozen meters high, there were hundreds of humans in the streets, the hussle and busle of the urban environment seemed to drown out everything Ashur was audibly used to. It made him shiver with unease. So many, there were so many of them!

 

'Sweet gods have mercy they breed like rabbits! -he mumbled, put his hands in his pickets and tried to look as inconspicuous as any other of them.

The entire complex was like a maze, twists and turns everywhere. Finding the target location would be impossible, unless...

 

Ashur swallowed dryly and stopped the nearest passer-by.

'Sorry, yea, hi. I'm supposed to deliver a message to the big boss of the giant factory in town. -without even realising how retarded that sounded.

'What, the oil refinery? It's down that road and to the left.

 

'Yea, thanks. -Ashur said hastily and brushed past him, heading down the path the pedestrian had pointed out. It wasn't long before the scent of dirty air and burning chemicals hit his sensitive nose. On the next corner he turned, the facility came into plain view. It was huge, heavily contaminated, and the worst part.. heavily guarded.

 

Sighing, Ashur approached the main entry, and was immediately stopped by the security guard there.

'Hold it right there! What's your business here? -the burly uniformed man asked insistently.

'Me? Sorry, I'm here to deliver a package for the big boss of this joint. The name's Howard Kritzkrieg. -Ashur extended one hand for a handshake.

The guard gave him the doubtful look- 'German huh? Peter, Peter Roslano-AAAAA -the guard accepted the handshake, and fell right for Ashur's little filthy trap. Within seconds, the burly man was dead from electrocution.

His corpse collapsed on the ground. Ashur went through his pockets, took a ring of keys, his wallet and pistol from the holster. Hiding the new 'procured' possessions, he looked around nervously. Looked like nobody had spotted them, even though there were workers in the distance, they seemed too preoccupied to have seen anything. Walking into the complex, Ashur sniffed the air. There was that familiar smell that came from the rig he'd detonated earlier...

 

Follow the smell, find the source, rig it to explode, run like hell, detonate it from a distance. That was the plan, and so far, it was all going well.... somewhat.

Edited June 11, 2012 by Ælex

[CYDA LUVA83]

Cydae's smile started to grow wider bit by bit as Keisha went on. "Oh what am I, dear Key Lime Pie?" She cast a temporary cloaking spell over herself, Alekks, and Keisha. This cloaking spell made it looks like they were continuing their conversation in a casual way, effectively 'replacing' them with holograms. No one outside the spell would be able to see or hear them. When Cydae made sure that they were under the cover of the spell comepletely, her grin grew wider until it looked like her jaw would break.

"I am your worst nightmare." The pink dragon hissed leeringly as her face distorted. Cydae made the distorted illusion vanish and the cloaking spell disspate. She put on a cheery smile and a dainty voice. "I'll ask onnee more time, sweetie: Have any of you ever been coasting?"

 

~~~~~

 

Fusion tucked her wings by her side and looked back at the ruins, looking for any sign of her little sister. Well, the dorsal dragon didn't see her, but she heard Niomi's custom reprise of 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' being echoed throughout the stony rubble. She couldn't help but laugh and then cry. Memories...

[Ælex]

'I'm just gonna gooo... catch some fish... or watch the fish swim, or whatever, that.. isn't here. -the nebula stepped back and walked out the castle door. He lied down on the stone tiles to the left and covered his face with his palm. This was not going well for Cydae, but at the very least, it was entertaining for him.

 

'And here I thought this would be a change from the madness up top. Stupid, stupid Alekks, you should have known better...

 

=============================

 

Sensing a sudden shift in the magical vale around them, Faelan went from being uneasy to outright frightened from what was happening in that room. He wanted to get away, so he just got up and left the pack to its demented ramblings.

 

For a while, he toured the castle, admiring the, albeit ruined, but still fascinating architecture. The complex was larger than it looked on the outside, ancient, but yet somehow had survived what seemed like a series of tornadoes from what Faelan could gather. Little did he know the true reason for its current state.

 

The little magi eventually reached the door to the library, large and seemingly unscaved, he wondered what's inside, and nudged it open, before entering the grandoise book archive.

 

 

[CYDA LUVA83]

Fusion looked over at Alekks as he walked out of the castle. What was he so miffed about? "Eh!" She called, walking over to him. "What's got your scales in a bunch, hm? You look like you just got out of a flame war. You know, like, shouting insults back at eachother until one party just gets too exhausted with the other and has to get away." She pondered.

 

~~~~~

 

Niomi nudged up through the dirt and grass, curious as to where this hatchling came from. She trailed behind him, hoping that she could get a little bit of a fright out of the baby magi. The ghostly hatchling dissapated into a thin, thin mist before floating through Faelan and stopping in front of him. She reappeared in a small flash of light yelling: "BOO!"

Edited June 11, 2012 by CYDA LUVA83

[Ælex]

'No, no... -Alekks closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He was getting a headache over nothing.

'It's just my friend over there, she has a profound effect on others. The bad kind, not the good.

 

'Flame wars... that's a good one. I can imagine two different-minded individuals throwing fire on each other and screaming "NO YOU!". -Xan let off a light laugh at the idea. There were other solar systems where such a thing could be encouraged... but the concept would have to wait its time.

 

'Hey, any idea who I can speak with for authorization to start some work around reconstructing the castle? It's kinda our area of expertise. -he fired up the lies like a well oiled chainsaw- 'We also picked up on some... malicious, presences in the underbelly of the complex, and I'm not sure what the global plans for the place might be. We don't want to move anything around until we have the go-ahead. -he explained, unfortunately without avoiding his habit of making explanatory hand gestures as he went on.

 

===============================

 

Faelan froze dead in his tracks, wide eyed and paralysed for a few seconds when the spirit of Niomi startled him.

He wanted to yelp but all that came out was a muffled whimper...

Edited June 11, 2012 by Ælex

[CYDA LUVA83]

"They're still here? Even after all these years? How? Why would the 'evil presences', as you call them, still thrive underground? Wouldn't they move on...?" Fusion hated this news. Why couldn't those beings just go away and leave them alone? All in her tie she's been at the Grounds there has been attack-this, catastrophe-that. Good grief! What would it take to get some peace?! Well, there was that long period of calm right before the demon attack. But that had seemed too calm, almost unnatural. It was disturbing... "Nevermind that... Begin whatever you want. I don't think starting to rebuild that rubble will do anything detrimental to this fragile little place. But if you really want someone's position, ask the ice dragon or the magi dragon with the bathrobe. I believe either of them will do..." Fusion flared her wings, uncomfortable body heat building up under the thick membrane.

"Hey, there's a weapon stash on an island not far from here. It may be gone, but if it's not, free weapons! What do ya say? Wanna check it out?" The dorsal asked, getting slightly excited at the thought of heading back to the Island of the Blue Moon.

 

~~~~~

 

Niomi laughed, rolling back into the ground and coming back up again. "Haha! Scaredy cat! Frightened by a baby ghost, I'm ashamed of you!" She teased.

[Ælex]

'Weapons? For us? -he arched an eyebrow. What manner of weaponry could a dragon use?

True, armour was always an option, but weaponry? It perplexed Alekks to the point of curiosity.

 

'Yes, this I gotta see. -he rubbed his chin, then stood up.

He'd just met Fusion, and this was crazy, but they had a plan, so go with it, maybe?

'Which reminds me, what's your name?

 

===============================

 

'I d-don't usually talk to spirits, but when I d-do, they go out of t-their way to scare me. -Faelan said after the fright went away, at least a little. Really? The ruins were haunted?! Or worse, he'd never seen a spirit before, nor had he seen a demon. The little magi hadn't the slightest clue what to think of Niomi, then...

 

 

But seeing her laugh was at the very least a good indicator. Demons, from what he knew, weren't too big on being cheerful or happy.

'But, but you got me, you got me good. -he admitted, trying to calm down- Who are you?

 

================================

 

Passing by the workers, who seemed to be none the wiser to Ashur's presence, the grey kept his head down and eyes out for any armed personnel. True that his gear was attracting some attention, but like he'd established before, the workers were just too busy to bother caring. It was someone else's job to filter out infiltrators like him, and he was now dead from electrocution.

 

The grey eventually found an entrance into the structure, an alternative entrance, that is. Going into the main lobby would most definitely have been a bad idea. Even a dragon can figure that much about human society... His way in was, in fact, an open hanger-like door for loading and unloading of processed oil products, probably flammable ones too. The stench of easily combustible chemical compounds was strong around there. Now to find the..

 

'FREEZE!!!

Ashur spun around, there were two guards there, both armed and both aiming right at him.

'You're not authorised to be in this sector! Drop your weapons and put your hands behind you neck! -the older-looking guard yelled.

 

'I have another idea... -the grey slowly put his hands on his waist- How about you two go to hell! -he yelled, drew his handgun and fired before the guards could react.

 

Bullseye. Although not a headshot, the bullet went through the older guard's torso and crippled him, sending him down to the ground. The other one fired, but the bullet swished past Ashur's arm and away. The grey quickly ducked behind the nearest wall, and primed himself for another shot when..

 

'ARGH! What the eff?! -an ear-piercingly loud alarm almost shattered his eardrums. Looking around, he spotted one of the workers with his hand on some strange smallish red lever on the wall. Oh yes, Ashur knew what an alarm was, and that worker had just caused him a world of trouble.

 

In his frustration, the grey aimed his pistol at the fleeing human, and pulled the trigger. A barrage of anguished howls escaped the worker when he toppled over, his kneecap shattered and his leg bleeding profusely. Ashur growled and aimed at his other leg, fired, and doubled the man's agony.

 

'Son of a... -he gritted his teeth, then turned his attention back to the guard. He was hiding behind one of the other walls outside, reluctant to show himself and fire at Ashur.

 

'Deal with him later, prime the explosion now... -he said through clenched teeth, holstered his pistol and drew the shotgun off of his back.

Carefully, he made his way through the building, room after room, peeking around corners as he went along to make sure he wasn't gunned down by surprise.

 

After a good five minutes of frantic searching, he found something. It was the largest of the rooms thus far, and contained a multitude of huge barrel-like containment units. T'was not what hinted him there, though so much as the strong smell of flammable liquids. The grey shut the door behind himself, and looked for a way to get to the top of those cisterns. Time was of the essence.

Edited June 11, 2012 by Ælex

[CYDA LUVA83]

((Island of the Blue Moon))

 

"Yep, nice and shiny weapons from what I remember, but you gotta go through Hell to get to 'em. Least it feels like Hell. Tons of animated skeletons." Fusion flapped her wings and jumped, lifting herself from the ground. She turned her head to the rising sun and closed her eyes momentarily, finally content that things seemed to be back to normal. "I'm Fusion. Won't bother you with my full name unless you ask, too much of a mouthful. Parents, eh?" Don't think about it, Fuse... Don't think about it... "The place where we're going is called the Island of the Blue Moon. It is shrouded in perpetual twilight, with a blue moon suspended above. There is a mortuary in the center of the Forest of Falling Stars. In this mortuary, there are hundreds of crypts. Each crypt in turn have dozens of coffins inside them. Each coffin has one weapon or armor piece. It'll be a bonanza of bone scattering, grave-defiling, weapon-fetchin' fun!" Fusion cheered as she flapped her wings more, gaining lift and hovering.

 

~~~~~

 

"The name is: Undercover Agent Niomi." She said with a playful wink. "I patrol this area in search of magi babies to gobble up." She bit the air in front of his face, making an audible noise. "I may look like I'm the same age, but in reality I could be your great-great-gramma. Seems kind of weird now, huh? Welllllll, you bet your britches, lil' boy." Niomi trotted around the library, looking at all the books and pictures. "So what were you looking for?"

[Ælex]

Leaving the fact he was talking with a ghost aside, Niomi's claims were hard to even process.

'That's... wow.

 

But if she had retained her visual appearance of a hatchling as a ghost, then that would mean she'd probably met her untimely end as one. A disturbing thing to think about, but a strong possibility nevertheless.

 

Faelan cleared his throat and continued...

'Anything, really. Well, anything to get me away from the circus show over in the main hall... -he explained and looked around the library.

 

'Figures, something gave the place a rough treatment and the only bit that survived intact was the boring bit.

 

================================

 

'Everyone likes fun. And hell, some of those weapons could help these guys out of their upcoming problems.

The nebula stood up, stretched out a bit, cracked his neck joints and yawned widely.

'Alright then, Fusion. Lead the way.

[CYDA LUVA83]

"The boring bit? Hardly, soon-to-be-yummy Faelan! I've spent a good couple centuries exploring the books here and you'll be amazed at the worlds you'll find! There's brand new planets, enticing spells, tales of swordsmanship, mysteries of urder and mayhem! Oh my!" She jumped into the air in excitement before leaping through Faelan and disappearing.

Niomi reappeared a few seconds later laying on top of a bookshelf. "You'll want to start here, in the hatchling's section. Don't get the idea that I'm being age-ist, just a lot of the stories here aren't as boring as the stories in some of the other sections. Like that orange one with the cloak, Farengar. He always just goes to the magic section to look something up. If you're lucky, you'll see him pop open a fiction book every now and again. Blegh, nonfiction sucks. Well, it sucks unless you start reading about volcanoes. Volcanoes are nice..."

Niomi leaned against the wall, lost in her thoughts. "Anywaaayyy. Here," The ghost plucked a book from the shelf, leaning over upsidedown to get to it. She let the paperback fall through her paws and to the floor. "This one is good. Jacques the Fatalist. One of the few good nonfiction books, in my humble opinion."

 

~~~~~

 

Fusion nodded and gave a powered flap, knocking her out of her hover and sent flying to the east. She hummed a

as she flew, casually performing little spirals and loops when the right drafts of air came along.

Looking behind her to see if Xanorak was still there, Fusion curled her tail and threw her weight to one side, effectively fliiping over and flying upsidedown. "My gods it feels so good to fly again! To stretch the wings, feel the sun, the wind. It's... peaceful."

She flipped back over to where she was flying rightside up. "Beautiful morning, no?" Fusion called, zipping around in the sky like a dragon-sized bug, enjoying the freedom. "We're almost there, just a couple more miles."

Edited June 12, 2012 by CYDA LUVA83

[Ælex]

Picking it up from the floor in his jaw, Faelan brought it over by the fireplace and put it by the warmth and dancing lights of flickering flames within it. Once he'd opened it, it was immediately clear it would take a while for him to finish it.

 

'We didn't have a lot of books back home. Mostly scrolls. -he said idly, still running his eyes over the text- For the most part our elders insisted we study the scrolls of the translated words of... I'm not sure, they were divine beings or something. There was one of Chaos, one of Nature, one of War, Uhhh, and one of the Cosmos, and there were some more but I can't place em' right now. -he shrugged.

 

That, and the arcane archives. But those were locked and only accessible by the seer council.

 

===================================

 

Alekks simply followed as they soared through the open air. He didn't have much to say, especially given the fact they'd just met... But really, swords and such? Who'd use such antiquated weaponry in this century. Still, a gun was never the best option against something like a demonic entity. Artefacts with magical properties are always a welcome sight.

'Mornings are always beautiful. They're my species' bedtime indicator. And laziness begets godliness. -he jested, letting off a light laugh- That's what a friend of mine would have had me believe, anyway. Well that, and how a rubber chicken is the best weapon in case of a bear attack... -he paused, trying to keep as neutral an expression as possible- He's weird. Don't ask.

 

 

[CYDA LUVA83]

"Arcane archives?" Niomi pondered letting Faelan know that there was an arcane section here too. "Were you ever real curious? About the archives I mean. Ever really wonder what was in there? Because you see, here we feel that blocking off knowledge will make the dragon who wants to access the knowledge rebellious. That they would want to use dangerous tactics to get to them. But anyway, it's a free-for-all here. You can read any book you want. If this was still the Dragon Training Grounds than we would still have all our equipment that you could practice on. But all that was destroyed during the demon attack." She leapt off the bookshelf and sunk through the floor before bobbing back up. "If you want to practice the arcane, just go over there and pull out a book." The ghostly hatchling pointed to a certain bookshelf that looked like it was abuzz with magical activity. "Just be careful not to torch the place if you start learning about dark fire."

 

~~~~~

 

"A rubber... chicken... Okay then. Hey, look over there!" Fusion motioned to the darkening sky and the blueish island that they were approaching. "You'll love this place, tons of faeries, a moonlit lake, a beautiful garden. The mortuary that we're looking for is buried beneath the castle. Stars Castle. It's abandoned now, but it used to be very, very grand. Anyway, to get to the mortuary, we just walk through the front door and jump down into a hole. The hole appeared in the throne room's floor after an earthquake. Then after you fly into the hole you just follow the long tunnel that leads to the mortuary." She started to slow the speed at which she flapped her wings, getting ready to land.

Edited June 13, 2012 by CYDA LUVA83

[Ælex]

'I... I think I'll avoid the spellcasting for now. There was a hatchling about my age back in Scotia, she wanted to learn transmogrification, you see, and well... -he scratched himself behind the neck and looked away for a moment- ..she 'accidentally' used it on an unsuspecting 'volunteer' in an attempt to turn them into a swallow for a few minutes, like that kind of magic works...

 

'Weeeeell... the effects were, kinda permanent and not exactly entire. The black she used the spell on sprouted yellow feathers all over. Everyone made chicken jokes for weeks!

 

Shuddering slightly, Faelan bent the edge of the page to which he'd gotten in Jaques the Fatalist, closed the book and looked at the fire for a second.

'And there was another incident, involving fire. -he lied down continuously staring at the flickering firepalce flames- Gorridaw, the offspring of our clanleader, a magi that was supposed to inherit the position of headmaster of the arcane circle, he supposedly died in a freak spontaneous selfcombustion. They said he was a bad egg, wanted to take after Valakas Plaguebane. Nobody believed those rumours, but when they found the body scarred by unholy fires, that set our clanleader off the edge. He forbade all teaching of magic to any un-winged hatchling, and forever banished all but the members of the council from the archives.

 

There's another incident that few of us speak of, but everyone knows... -he swallowed dryly at the thought- Ages ago, before the time of the council, magi in Scotia freely experimented with nethermancy, one of our forbidden arts. They claimed that a group of deranged magi managed to open a gateway into the void itself. An inter-dimensional rift, a rip in the wall that kept our worlds divided. Their goal was to tap into the negative energy naturally found in the void. They ended up being consumed by it, and leaving a clear entry for all the maleficent denizens to enter our world.

 

They say, it was because of that very incident, that there are demons in our world today, after all those years... Nobody knows what happened to the rift. Some speculate that it collapsed on itself from lack of energy to keep it functional. Other claim it's still open, just invisible.

 

====================================

 

'A tour of some lovely architecture and and prizes to grab. What could be better?

The nebula descended slowly, and landed softly. It was strange, the entire area seemed to be engulfed in some sort of undiscernable energy.

'This... is very trippy. -he said slowly after giving the place a good look-around.

 

====================================

 

'Ladder, stairway, ANYTHING! -Ashur muttered between clenched teeth, searching for any way up the railing and to the top of the metallic cisterns. He needed an opening, some way to sabotage the containment units so that they would ignite and eventually explode! What he was missing, was the lift that was in plain sight. But Ashur hadn't the slightest clue what a lift was... To him it was a human-sized box on the ground.

 

'Grah, screw this! -he eventually yelled in frustration, went over to the nearest pipe that was connected to the cisterns, and clutched it with both hands. Forcing it with all his strength, it eventually bent, and snapped, gasoline rushing out instantly. Taking a short leap back so as not to become a living matchstick, Ashur repeated the process with the next several pipes he cog his hands on, somehow managing to stay dry, save for his shoes, which quickly became soaked from the sudden flood of the cistern's contents.

 

The smell of the fumes was intoxicating, Ashur's head was spinning, he had to get out, fast... he looked around on the ground hastily for anything small and metallic, and found it a few steps away. A fragment from one of the broken pipes. Snagging it, he quickly charged it up with a contained surge of electric energy, then dropped it on the now flooding chamber, and went right for the door. Shoudler-slamming through it, he was caught off-guard by two of the facility's guards that were just arriving. Without hesitation, the two men drew their weapons and fired at him. One of them missed, the other, however...

Ashur let out a blood-curdling scream and clutched his arm. He'd been shot in the shoulder blade.

 

 

...it hurt, dear gods how much it hurt...

 

Drawing his pistol with his working arm, he somehow managed to pop a bullet in one of them through his chest, twice, before he was tackled to the floor by the other. Ashur didn't hesitate, he clutched the man by the neck, with his injured arm, and crushed his throat like a twig. Getting up, in shock and agony, he clutched his stomach with his injured arm to stop it from waving around too much, and kept his pistol in his other. Making his way as fast as possible through the complex, he only ran into one guard along the way, and with the element of surprise shut him down with a quick shot to the back of his head.

 

To his dismay, the main entrance to the facility was blocked off by guards, a lot of guards. But there were only two at the garage entrance, however. Now what? The men were ready for an attack and were armed with muskets of their own! He was completely surrounded, from every direction...

Edited June 13, 2012 by Ælex

[Doomkaiser]

Jamie sat there, thinking of what he could do. He sighed in frustration and looked into his mirror, spotting a small magi dragon. "Hmmm...I might aswell visit the other mortals and try to...behave a bit more." He smirked to himself and started molding himself into a dragon. Eventually, after much hassle, he had made himself into an eastern green dragon the length of the castle. "Perfect." And with that, he opened a portal and flew into it. He came out on the other side and curled up on himself, the upper half looking down on Faelan and Niomi. He dispelled the portal sending a small wave of godly power through the land. He gulped, hoping the others would not notice. He looked at Niomi and Faelan and smiled, bringing his head down to their level. "What do we have here, two hatchlings by themselves reading books, how interesting. I am Syn Plague, you may call me Syn, pleaseure to meet you, young hatchlings." He said with a warm and wise smile. He felt more relaxed and controlled as a dragon.

------------------------------------

Doom felt the pulse of magic as his wings were opened by it. "Hmmm...What was that...?" Doom said out loud as he watched closely as the conversation between Keisha and the pink quieted down.

 

[CYDA LUVA83]

Niomi squealed as her aura was blown away by the wave of power. She looked up at Syn Plague. "Hey you effer! We're relaxing here! and I am not a hatchling!" The ghost huffed as she curled up by the fire, her aura regathering around her.

 

~~~~~

 

"Hm, what could be better...? A nice warm bed of coals to wake up in. A mate to wake up to. And a life to continue on. Those kind of things, but this is good too. Good excavation to get the blood flowing." She landed in the entryway of the castle and started to run, picking up speed before leaping and gliding down into the hole. "Come on then!" Fusion shouted back. As she flew through the cavern, Fusion had to dodge stalactites that had grown on the tunnel's ceiling, providing a good obstacle course.

[Doomkaiser]

Jamie smiled at Niomi and circled around them, curling back up in his original spot. "I know you are not a hatchling, Niomi, but it is easier for me to call you a hatchling because of your form." He said, flicking a bit of rubble with his tail. He sniffe the air and flicked his tongue out into the air for a brief second. "What a relief it is to be out of the realm of the gods." He muttered to himself, which mght have been audible to Niomi, since he was right next to them.

------------------------

Doom shrugged and lay down, his eyes drooping slightly. He felt the sudden urge to shout something random. "RUBBER CHICKENS ARE THE BEST WEAPONS INCASE OF BEAR ATTACKS!" Doom yelled at the top of his lungs, sitting up and finger pointed at the celing in an explaining way.

 

[Ælex]

'Uhhhh... -Faelan shrunk down a bit when the newcomer came out of nowhere... He was getting a wee bit uncomfortable... What's more, he'd overheard that mumble about where this stranger was supposedly from. Why would 'they' take interest in this place? It didn't compute, not for Faelan.

'Yyyah, nice to meet you too. I've got toooo goooo and see what my uncleisupto! That's right! -he quickly made an excuse up and snagged the book he was reading, set it aside on the table and weaselled his way out of the library.

 

Once out, the little magi sighed a deep sigh of relief for some reason. He didn't trust this...

And he didn't even know why. Just a hunch, just a faint little hunch... but then, his hunches had lead him through the endless forest and to the castle, to shelter, to Raiden. He deemed them worthy of trust.

 

That aside, he scampered back towards the main hall...

 

====================================

 

'You have a point... -he agreed lightheartedly just before she jumped down.

Unfolding his wings, the nebula took a slow descent down into the dark pit of the unknown and delicately manoeuvred his way past the stalactites, before coming to a rest nearby her.

..I was just looking at the current picture, not the global one. But I never really thought about cosy sleeping quarters or a female. Anyway, where to now?

Edited June 13, 2012 by Ælex

[Krissi2197]

Keisha, her eyes wide from what the Pink had said, shook her head. She was about to answer her question when Doom yelled. "What the f*ck, Doom?! What is wrong with you?!" She hissed, glaring at the Black Dragon.

 

(I got a really bad case of WB...))

[CYDA LUVA83]

"Now we wake the dead." She flew about the spacious cavern, whacking her tail against the walls and making a general ruckus. Fusion landed back beside Xanorak as the first bodies started to rise from their slumber. A skeleton broke the ground near her paws and grabbed onto her leg, only to be broken apart when she kicked it away. Reaching down, Fusion picked up a steel sword in her jaws. She threw it back behind her, out of the way. One body down, one sword obtained. "Alright, these things are easy to defeat, all you have to do is watch out for the bigger ones. I swear there are some dragons entombed here, maybe some griffins too. And watch out for basilisks. Years of being dead still doesn't null the poison on their bite. But, all in all, what we'll find here will mostly be humans."

 

~~~~~

 

"Hah! Thanks a lot, greeny meanie!" Niomi yelled as she leapt up to the top of the mantle so she was eye level with the new dragon. "You scared away what could have been a new friend!" She then leapt onto Syn Plague's head, clamboring up his face until she rested confortably above his eyes. "How'd you get here anyway? Not many dragons know about this place... Then again..." Niomi leaned down over Syn's brow until she was looking him upsidedown in the eye. "You have a strange feel about you. You're definitely not native... And you seem... extremely... powerful..." The hatchling stomped on his nose, accidently falling through the eastern dragon. "You're powerful enough to bring me back! I can tell!"

Edited June 14, 2012 by CYDA LUVA83

[Ælex]

'Alr.. -Alekks was cut off when two bony skeletal arms clutched his ankles. He freed himself easily and crushed the rest of the skeleton under his leg. AN unearthly gurgling-like noise reverberated through the area for a moment. It was not a good sign...

 

The undead started to rise all around them, breaking through the ground and crawling onto the surface. Some were humanoids, others not so much, still others rememnants of ancient monstrocities, likely beasts of war. Yet still no sign of these alleged entombed dragons or basilisks.

 

'Oh how I love a good brawl with things that can't feel pain. -he said and cracked his knuckles, neck joints and lunged right at the nearest platoon of undead.

 

Crushing two under his front paws when he landed, went right for the third to his right, bashing it away with his fist, then snagged the one to his left in his maw and crushed it with his jaws and spat it out. Taking a quick leap back to avoid the swinging weapons, the nebula used a little telekinetic magic to life the remaining three of his small platoon of skeletons and then forced them at the ground below, utterly disabling them when the force of the impact shattered their bones.

 

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((Holding off posts for Faelan for now.))

 

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Brute force wasn't going to work, there was no chance of sneaking out...

This called for subterfuge. In a moment of pure genius, Ashur walked out in front of the two guards at the back entrance of the facility, one arm raised and the other one in plain sight, both un-armed. The two guards recognised the signal of surrender, and screamed angrily: 'ON THE FLOOR, HANDS BEHIND YOUR NECK! NOW!!!

 

Ashur did as they asked, and when he did ,the two rushed in, restraints at the ready... and fell right for Ashur's devious little trap. The second the two came into contact with him, Ashur unleashed a devastating charge of electricity, effectively electrocuting them and killing them on the spot.

 

Withthe guards fried, Ashur got up unsteadily and weaseled his way as hastily as possible out into the open city streets, and ran right into the thickest cluster of humans he could find. Shoving the constant questions and weird looks he got aside, he ran, and ran, and ran until he was certain that he'd gotten far away from the refinery.

 

That bullet wound, it hurt so much... the area was now numb, a natural reaction to such puncture-wounds, but any sudden jerks within his shoulders only made the bleeding more profuse. It wouldn't be long before he started getting suffering the effects of blood loss if he stayed in his fragile human form...

 

He had to get out of the city, and it was very unlikely that someone would just give him a ride out. No, he had to take one by force.Running out into the open road, he halted the first vehicle he saw, forced himself into the front passenger seat and snarled at the driver, gun pointed at his head: 'To the edge of town or I'll fill your head with lead!

 

The panicked driver obeyed, and took off at rapid speeds towards who-knew where. After a tense five or so minutes of driving, they reached the main entry road to the city. Ashur didn't hesitate, he ordered the driver to stop, ran out of the vehicle and sprinted towards the closest secluded spot he could find. In this case, the back yard of an empty apartment complex.

 

Shifting into his original form, he cursed silently when he noticed that the shoulder wound wasn't only still there, but was also larger and had somehow also extended to his left wing. The membrane was torn and the joint where it connected to his back was slightly cut.

 

It still felt exactly the same as it did when he was a human, though.

But there was no time to do a medical analysis on it, the grey made a swift vertical ascent, not-caring if he'd been spotted or not, and flew towards the gateway leading to the grounds. Once he'd found the decimated town where the blacksmith's shop was, he landed gently, shifted back into a human, and sat down on the nearest bench.

 

Taking a deep breath, he snapped his fingers, and unleashed the charge stored up in that metallic pipe fragment. Nothing happened for a dozen or so seconds, until a low thundering sound broke the silence. It got louder and louder until it was ear-shatteringly loud. The shockwave then hit, a sudden rush of wind that shook everything for a millisecond, then went away. The surrounding buildings kept Ashur from seeing just how big the boom was, but it was a success, he could tell that much. He remained on his bench, arms both on his abdomen, wondering what to do now... where to seek medical aid.

 

The last thing he'd consider was Lydia, she figured him irresponsible as is.

And if Varaug caught wind he'd never hear the end of it...

Burying his fingers in his hair, Ashur sat in silence for a while...

Edited June 14, 2012 by Ælex

[CYDA LUVA83]

"You're tellin' me?" Fusion shouted in response before diving into the largest fray of undead that she could find. She smashed bodies this way and that, swiping the skeletons away with her paw in a large arc. A bony fist came at her eye only to be snapped up in her jaw. Fusion reared up on her hind legs and swung the rest skeleton around, destroying a few another bodies in the process.

 

~~~~~

 

Cydae cringed, the awful sound of the thunder reverberating in her eardrums. What the HELL was that?! "I'll be... right back." She excused herself from the awkward conversation and raced out the door, getting outside just in time to ge blasted by a shockwave. She dug her claws into the ground to avoid getting pushed back. Looking up and deciding to break her side of the deal, Cydae shifted her form slightly to where she had her god eyes instead of the eyes of the pink dragon.

The air changed shape and color as she looked through the eyes of her normal form. The shockwave seemed to have come from a point across The Minch. A human town perhaps? But this thunderclap could not have been human-made, and there were no storms scheduled in this area today... The dragoness shut her eyes and followed the trace of the shockwave with her mind's eye, pinpointing the source as a small metal object in a town, but not what had caused it to make the sound and if the town was populated or not.

Cydae wrapped her wings around her body and focused her magic on surrounding her form and transporting it to the metal object. A few seconds later, the dragoness appeared a few meters away from Ashur, the teleportation a success. She scurried away from the human, hiding in a close alleyway. That pathetic little thing had caused the shockwave? Looking back at the human figure, Cydae now noticed that his aura was far greater than that of a human. So a dragon in disguise then...

The pink dragon stepped out from behind the alleyway where she had hid, making her presence known by the loud clacking of her talons on the cobblestone road. "You seem to be in pretty bad shape, young'un. You caused that thunder, no? Pretty good."

Edited June 14, 2012 by CYDA LUVA83

[Ælex]

'Huh? -Ashur glanced up at the newcomer.

'That? -he gestured with his working arm's thumb in the direction of the explosion- Yes.

'I'm fine, don't worry about me. It's just a flesh wound. It'll heal.

Problem is I can't go back to the castle with a broken shoulder 'n covered in my own blood around there.

 

The grey got up and went towards the blacksmith's shop.

'But those are my concerns, not yours. You need worries of your own, then mind the hunters. They'll be very twitchy for some time now. -he remembered how he'd had to shift into a dragon very close to the city. No doubt someone had seen him, and dispatched forces to deal with him.

 

Nudging the door to the blacksmith's shop open with his working arm, Ashur looked around. The place was deserted. Very few of the craftsman's wares were left behind. The man had done just as he said he would. He'd packed up tight and moved out posthaste.

 

Ashur made his way through the small shop without taking anything, down the stairs into the basement, and stopped in front of the portal to the grounds. Was this really a good idea? He considered finding medical help for a human, hoping that would also make his wounds as a dragon go away... but he hadn't a single bit of their currency on him, and what he had to exchange for it, namely gemstones, were in the grounds.

 

'I bet Varaug's already coming up with one hundred ways of saying "I Told you so", and Lydia's practising her sarcasm so that it stings even more. -he expected nothing less. After all, were it him in their positions, that's what he'd do.

 

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'I do say, yes! -the nebula replied after swatting two more skeletons into the nearby wall with his tail. Alekks was a wee bit worried that fighting as a dragon would be too alien to him, but it was very much like what he was usually used to.

 

'Incoming! -he yelled when out of the darkness, deep into the mortiery came the most disturbing gurgle noise imaginable, followed by footsteps that could only be made by something big.

 

When it came into sight, Alekks almost heaved of disgust. There were chunks of flesh still attached to that giant skeletal dragon for pete's sake! It wrought about a stench powerful enough to put a pack of angry skunks to shame, and it kept making that horrid gurgle that just sent shivers up one's spine.

Edited June 14, 2012 by Ælex

[Doomkaiser]

Jamie smiled at the young dragon and levitated her so he could use his power. "Be warned, this will hurt you, since I can tell you are more than a hatchling, so you will grow at a rapid rate." Was his warning, he looked at her with his ancient eyes and then hoped that Cydae or Alekks didn't feel the massive ammount of energy he was about to discharge. "Vriwhulth, release nomeno ir de wer grips di wer amuul vur majak jacioniv svabol jahus taken zyak unfairly de jacioniv." Jamie chanted, his eyes glowing green and his body shaking. He gave Niomi one last smile and released the energy on her, his energy leaving him instantly and he curled up, his head laying on his body.

---------------------------------

Doom just shook his head and smiled akwardly at Keisha. "I just don't know what went wrong." He said, his eyes going in seperate directions for a few seconds.

---------------------------------

Akula edged a bit away from the barrier because he saw her moving. "Well, I can stay out of the water for an hour, two if I eat a special plant by the lake bed." He said, eyeing her, not trusting her...Yet.

Edited June 14, 2012 by Doomkaiser