The Multiverse IC

[Coryn02]

Clarion

 

The clawed girl winced and stared sadly at the book in her lap at Lu's reference to her hands. It was partially a compliment, but the way it was said and the implications of her abnormality didn't make her feel any better.

 

Why would that be something that makes me uncivilized? You're a demon, and you are a queen. I didn't ask for this...

 

After Ciel told Lu about the contents of the book, something nagged at Clarion's mind.

 

He doesn't understand. I think there's a whole lot more to the book than what's on the pages... But how do I know? Is that apart of this curse? What a vile thing you are, you horrid book, making me want to read you again.

 

The claw insignia on the front of the book pulsed brighter for a moment in its red glow.

 

Clarion found herself again, and smiled at Lu's words.

 

"I appreciate this. Really, I do. And also, I didn't want to make more of a mess on the table than this one already has. If you like, you could take another look at it when there's nothing to ruin."

 

She gestured to the silent woman, who was hungrily devouring everything she could reach on the table as though she'd never eaten anything her entire life. The woman didn't seem to care about what she left in her wake, and the dishes on which the food was served were in a general state of disarray.

 

The Book of Claws had effectively created a small pool of blood on the table, though now that it was on her lap it would drip into her dress instead. That was a worry she'd discarded long ago, as her dress had been smeared with red stains countless times- but there was a fix for that.

 

The fox introduced himself as Nick Wilde, and once again voiced his wishes to return home while being confused about animals not talking. He was also under the curious pretense that they themselves were animals. Clarion's curiosity was piqued, and she decided to enlighten him as well to the nature of things:

 

"Nick, are there any human beings in your world? That's what I am- well, was, I should say. You're the only animal here, and where I come from, animals don't act like people. Lu and Ciel seem to be demons from what I gather, but I won't pretend to be a master of the occult. But either way, I wouldn't think you'll find a city with anything but humans living in them as people. At any rate, I don't know where any civilisations are, so I can't help either way."

 

Lu and Ciel then began to discuss events that transpired, presumably back in whatever land they came from. Lu appeared to hold those she once cooperated with contempt. In particular, she said the only person who meant anything to her was Ciel, and anyone else a distraction.

 

As interesting as Lu was, this conflicted with Clarion's knowledge of her somewhat. Lu seemed to want to help her, and yet in the end never cared for anyone but Ciel? Was she only helping her because she was interested? What should she do?

 

Clarion stared back at the Book of Claws again, almost as if expecting it to respond. She didn't even consider why the tome that stole her life away would want to help her, even once. As usual, the book said nothing.

 

The girl's mind turned dark with hatred, her face twisting into an angry grimace and her hold on the book becoming tense.

 

I hate you so much.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Coryn02

[Thaelasan]

Isaac Clarke

 

"Owner... of....?" Isaac trailed off, absolutely perplexed, as he shook the man's hand. "Clarke. Isaac Clarke. Engineer. That's pretty much... all I am now. Unless you want to add 'Master of Bad Ideas' and 'Necromorph Exterminator' to that list..."

He trailed off, sighing. Come to think of it, his dementia didn't seem to be acting up since the events of Titan Station. He supposed he had to be thankful for that. After all, seeing visions of your dead girlfriend and coming close to offing yourself wasn't exactly the best situation - especially in a completely new environment. Suddenly, he remembered something. He pressed a few things on his wristpad, updating his RIG.

"Alright.... Well I can assure you both of... one thing." he said, certain. "Current coordinates based on space and distance from the Sun say we are... definitely on Earth. That's great. ****ing amazing."

He rubbed his forehead, exasperated.

"I don't know how I got here, or why, or by who, and I guess it really doesn't matter. We just... we need to get a hold on our surroundings. Get a good base of operations. Get a feel for things, right? So, Dante, professional ...demon-hunter or something. You seem young. Quick. Got any bright ideas you wanna share with the group? Or, uh, lady? I didn't catch your name..."

[pudding]

Toothless

Green eyes narrowed considerably as the dark, inky nights of Berk suddenly exploded with light. Pulling back, the large dragon flapped his wings quickly, trying to slow himself down from the dive bomb he had been in the midst of. His large wings flapped as he managed to pull up in time to avoid smashing into the ground, but still touched down regardless. His wings remained up and alert, ready to bring him off the ground at a moments notice if need be, as he rubbed his eyes against his leg. The sudden and abrupt change from dark to light had seriously blinded the dragon’s sensitive eyes.

 

Grunting as the white light faded away and images began to return, the dragon turned his head towards the loud noises coming from nearby, his ears twitching as they registered the noise. The black lizard snarled as his still bleached eyes tried to focus on the shapes in the distance. No, there was no need to. He knew where he had been and clearly the noise could only be coming from the same place. The viking village was a dangerous place and the raid had to still be going on. After all, only a few moments before he had been about to dive bomb a turret to defend his fellow dragons and they still needed aid. Too many dragons died at the hands of vikings for him to sit this one out. Digging his claws into the dirt, the dragon focused on the noise and took to the air, his wings flapping as he flew towards the unnatural structures on the horizon that could only be caused by humans.

 

The dragon in question was a Night Fury and while he refrained from stealing food from vikings like the rest of his dragon kin, there was absolutely no question about his lethality. And after years and years of learning just how ruthless vikings could be, there was little hesitation from the scaled beast as he landed on the edge of one of the larger structures. Blinking his eyes as he focused on the blurred shapes below, the dragon opened his mouth and reared up slightly before slamming his claws back down on the roof and firing a blast of fire into the street. The mass exploded on the asphalt, sending nearby cars swerving away from the fire but miraculously not harming any civilians. Screams filled the air as the dragon paced along the rooftop, trying to squint through its temporary blindness enough to actually hit something important.

 

Nick Wilde

Nick largely ignored the conversation between the two strangers aside from what was relative to him. Honestly, half of what they said made absolutely no sense to him and having that kind of conversation with other people present who wouldn’t understand made even less sense. For a bratty girl who demanded manners from others, she really did have dreadful manners herself. It was only by being such a good actor that the fox was able to resist actually calling her out on it and being extra sarcastic. This was all just a scheme, that was all. Just a little trick to get himself on the next train back home. Besides, they had already given him everything he needed to know. So instead, he turned to the other creature, the one clearly different from the other three, his head tilting to the side in a questioning manner. "I've never heard of any animals called humans before," he replied. "Or demons. And I don't know what kind of backwards place you come from where animals don't talk to one another, but I also don't know of any animal who hasn't heard of Zootopia before. But that's alright, I'm more than used to finding my way on my own."

“So, I’ll just be on my way,” He added, turning and walking away from the table. His arms crossed behind his back as he moved onwards, fully intent and content with leaving behind all of the strange creatures. He had enough oddities in his life to go associating with such strange animals like these. Honestly, they spoke as if they’d woken up in the older times when predator and prey alike still lived in the forests and hunted for their food. Not a place he’d like to be, that was for sure.

 

No sooner than he got ten feet away from the table, however, did the fox suddenly duck as a large, black shape flew overhead. It was far too big to be any kind of bird and it was flying low enough to see it’s bat-like wings and long, reptilian tail. Though the creature had been flying high enough that it wouldn’t have hit any of them, such a strange creature flying twenty feet overhead was still a scary sight and certainly enough to make the fox reasonably want to dive for cover. Slowly standing up again as the lizard flew, admittedly somewhat lopsidedly, towards the city in the distance, the Nick’s ears immediately sank straight backwards. After a moment of just standing there, he paused then turned around and started walking back towards the forest. “You know what?” He asked, mostly rhetorically but still providing his own answer. “I think I'll just stay here, maybe even risk the forest again." His decision was only reinforced as his hearing picked up the sudden chorus of screams coming from the direction the beast had flown. "I'm sure if I just walk in the opposite direction, I can find a nice city that isn't infested with mutated bat crocodiles."

[Thaelasan]

Lu/Ciel

 

Only moments before had they been conversing and drinking as though nothing had happened save a slight change in location.

The next moment, a shadow flew over, and a breeze that accompanied it knocked over several cups, save the one in Lu's hand.

She put it down gently, holding out a hand for Ciel to help her up.

"What, was that?" she asked, standing to her full height, looking in the direction it went.

"It appeared to be a dragon, Lu." Ciel said, shouldering his guns. He ran his hand over the table, sending it back - with the food, into the soul realm. The chairs began to fade as well, giving those in them a chance to stand before they disappeared entirely.

"Like Perkisas?"

"Nowhere near as large, nor as red." Ciel commented, staring off into the distance. "Merely a normal sized dragon, appearing to be black in color."

"I see. Which of us first?" Lu asked, looking up at him.

"Considering it's a winged creature, I would suggest range to be the most viable option. I shall take point then." he said, as Lu nodded in agreement.

Soon, she had faded back into the soul realm, the mana she left behind giving him more battle prowess.

"Yes. This shall be quite the dance, you all." Ciel muttered, smiling, to the rest of them as he began to walk forward. "You may flee, if you wish."

The last comment seemed to be directed at the Fox-man, but that wasn't entirely certain.

Regardless, Ciel was now in his full element. He could feel Lu's eyes from the Soul Realm, watching the events unfold, ready in case something happened.

It's how it always was. They now were completely bound. Her body and soul were now linked to his own, as the contract had stated. Her eyes and his eyes were the same. And they both began to look around the city, as they began to enter it from the grassy knoll.

That blaring had grown louder, alongside the sounds of horrified screams. A strange craft drove past Ciel, blasting a loud, disgraceful noise at him as it peeled out over the black ground he had stepped on and tore into the distance.

"Nasod machinery?" Ciel asked, concerned. But he received no answer from Lu, who also seemed troubled by the sudden change in scenery.

Whatever sort of town or... city this was, it wasn't anything either of them had ever seen. He had gazed upon the great buildings from the hill but seeing them from below was maddening. It was as though man had struggled to craft something to scratch the very heavens. And there wasn't just one, but numerous buildings of that size, dotting the landscape.

But that wasn't important. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand. He ran forward, using the soul realm to double jump upward onto a nearby Nasod? craft (he still wasn't sure by this point) and dashed from similar machines, each one a different color or shape, heading towards the source of the yelling.

 

-----

 

Isaac Clarke

 

Things flying over him in the expanse of space, where there was no up or down, or gravity, or meaning.... He opened his eyes...

They weren't space debris.

They were corpses.

Dozens of corpses left from the wreckage of the Ishimura. He blinked, fear gripping him as he realized they could, at any moment, turn into Necromorph abominations...

 

Isaac jumped to the ground as something flew overhead, frantic. He gripped his plasma cutter tightly, sweat pouring down his head as he aimed it at the sky and took two blasts at the back of the beast.

"YOU WON'T GET ME! I won't become like THEM!" Isaac screamed. "I won't become like NICOLE! Or TIEDEMAAN!"

He stopped, breathing heavily, as he coughed several times, then realized in his excitement his helmet had closed over his face in order to protect him. His breathing was being regulated by the RIG. His fear was dulling.

"Jesus...." Isaac placed a hand to his covered face, shaking his head. He swore again as he stood to his feet, bearing his weapon.

"Ok. Stay calm. Just..." he said to himself within the confines of his mask. "Just like old times."

He began to sprint forward, his metal boots stomping in the mud and dirt as the screams began to haunt his vision again. Not here. Not here too. Not like the Ishimura. Not like Titan Station. Everywhere he went, those DAMN THINGS HAD TO FOLLOW HIM.

It's like he was bringing the infestation with him. The nightmare never ended.

He bore the plasma cutter as he ran, making sure to watch his peripherals for more of them. If there was one, there was always a large amount of them. Always. They never came as one. They always came in a swarm. That way they were sure to have the advantage.

As he ran, he came into contact with two more creatures. A fox thing, and a thing with claws. The fox thing, he immediately assumed, had to be something alien, like the fish girl. But the girl with claws... with that book.... was she a new breed?!

He aimed the gun at her, the laser sights firmly on her right arm, to remove the limb. That's how you killed them. Removing the limbs.

"What are you?!" Isaac screamed, ready to pull the trigger. He noted a human nearby wielding some, strange sort of weaponry (and looking like she'd just eaten quite a bit).

Unable to stand it any longer and the fear growing on him...

He fired.

 

------

 

Corrin and Kinu

 

Immediately, the sound of wings flapping overhead drew Corrin's attention. It was far to his left, but he could see a black, reptilian shape soaring into the silver pillars.

"They.... ...was that....?" Corrin questioned, perplexed. Did they summon a...?

"Hey, Corrin... That thing looked like you kinda..." Kinu said, confused. "But I thought... that you were rare, right?"

"I thought I was." Corrin said, gripping Kinu's legs a bit more tightly. "We need to hurry. I don't know what sort of conflict is happening in that city but if our camp is under siege..."

"Papa!" Kinu cried, concerned, as Corrin tore forward across the sand, his muscles pushing him further and further with every stride. The instinct to turn into his draconic form was beginning to grow on him. It had become as normal as moving his arm. And he still had the pendant from Azura...

"He'll be fine Kinu. They'll be fine. We'll make it time. I'm sure of it. They're not weak. They can survive. They know how to play well, right?" he asked, hopeful.

She nodded but for the first time Corrin noticed a hint of fear in her eyes.

And he hated it. She didn't deserve that. Never. He placed a hand further up her leg to comfort her and she put her own hand on it, face filled with anxiety.

"Kinu... remember, you're never afraid, right? We're never afraid?" Corrin asked, smiling. "There is nothing to be afraid of. We can always handle it. Always. And as long as you're there for me, I can do anything. I'm sure of it."

"....Anything?"

"Anything." Corrin assured, as she relaxed a bit.

"I'll believe you, as I always have." Kinu smiled, eyes filled with life again.

"Just keep doing that. For both of us." Corrin said, continuing to push further along the beach. As long as she was behind him, supporting him. As long as he was supporting her...

He would achieve his Birthright.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Thaelasan

[shadow_claw]

Undyne

 

She stopped. This man...Isaac, he seemed reasonable enough. He even had the strength of character to apologize. Hesitating, her tense muscles slowly relaxed. "Well..." She sucked in a breath, straightening up. Her eye flickered from Isaac to this Dante fellow. What odd names.

"I'm Undyne. Captain of the Royal Guard. I don't know the Surface. If you two do...then it's safe to stay with yo-"

A nearby blast and resounding explosion cut off her words. Her single yellow eye followed the beast as it reared up and fired. Another monster, finally!

"Look, I'm sure they're just startled, most of us have never seen sunlight befo-" And Isaac was gone. The poor man looked ready to...to kill a man.

 

 

Chell

 

She had just began to set things down when a stranger appeared. And although she had never seen such a weapon before, something clicked in the back of her mind. He was after the girl. The little girl. Instantly did she spring from where she stood, pushing the small girl out of the way. The pain was instant, but she was used to gunshot wounds. Grimacing, Chell struggled to stay upright as crimson blossomed into her tank top. A shot to the abdomen was never good. Just as the Sniper. Even with his injury, she stumbled forward to try to disarm her attacker.

 

Scout and the Sniper

 

"Is that what I think it is?" Lawrence squinted upwards at the beast, scowling.

"That's a freakin' dragon, man!" Scout stared up at the black dragon eagerly, his blue eyes wide. Even if he was a hired killer, he was still a child. Things like dragons excited him. Lawrence, however, wasn't amused.

"Must'a been something that Merasmus is up to." That stupid wizard kept trying to kill them, it was absurd. "Scout, hand me my roifle."

"Ya sure about that? I mean, the recoil won't-"

"The recoil is fine, kid. Now get me my rifle."

The Scout cast a concerned look over Lawrence, but otherwise relented. He leaned down, careful to support his previous coworker, and handed him the weapon. Instantly did the Sniper lean heavier against his friend, flipping the safety off and securing the gun. This was gonna hurt to fire, but....

 

It was best to get this over with.

 

Raising the scope to his eye, Lawrence loaded a bullet into the chamber. God, the beast was moving about too much.

"Yo, why haven't you taken th' shot? It'd hardly even moving!"

Was it...was this his own vision swimming? Maybe he wasn't as well as he initially thought. It was too late to not do something, though. This stupid creature could kill them if he didn't take the shot! Scowling, he tried to focus on one of the several swimming images he saw. He squeezed the trigger. The recoil hurt...a lot more than he expected. Hissing curses, Lawrence had to restrain himself from dropping the gun. The long line of stitches up his arm tore, albeit a little, and blood leaked down his arm.

"Dammit, Snipes, look what you've done! No more shootin' fer ya. Ya just...sit down somwhere. I'll take care o' this."

 

 

[pudding]

Toothless

The inside of his mouth glowed purple as the dragon charged up another shot. Not that he had been there for a while, his vision had cleared up to the point where he could see the people moving around down below. And, more specifically, the shiny metal wagons seemingly moving themselves around on the ground. Well, it didn’t matter what kind of weapons the vikings had made for themselves. Everything they made could burn and the shiny objects just made easier targets. His mouth opened wide and a screeching noise filled the air before he fired a shot downwards. The purple shot screeched through the air before striking one of the cars, exploding upon impact and sending a shockwave of purple fire scattering outwards. The car he had targeted-thankfully empty-exploded as the fire struck the gas tank. His eyes narrowed slightly but he ignored it in favor of stopping to actually look around. The sudden change from day to night had started him and the temporarily loss of his vision had certainly startled him. But looking around now he was positive he was not in the middle of a raid. For one, there were no other dragons around him. Where had they all gone?

 

A loud banging noise startled the dragon and the Night Fury let out an undignified shriek. Turning towards the sound of the gunshot, he quickly spied two humans that had joined him on the rooftops, only several dozen feet away from him. His wings flared outwards as a clear and obvious threat display and he stalked closer, his feet bringing him to the edge of the roof. Jumping easily to the next rooftop, his mouth slowly parted and began to glow with a purple light. A shrieking noise, just like the one that had emanated from the dragon before he fired at the car, filled the air as his pupils narrowed, locking on the two figures. It didn’t matter if a raid wasn’t going on if he was being attacked. He knew the way the world worked and giving mercy to humans that tried to kill him was the quickest and fastest way into the ground.

[Esko]

Rey

 

It had been her first day training with Skywalker on the remote little island in the middle of the ocean planet. While there wasn't much else to eat besides moss -it would probably get sickening after a while, yet Skywalker dealt with it- the old man was nice company. It was aggravating that he said almost nothing; she asked him repeatedly over the day if he knew who her parents were, but he kept telling her that 'she would find out when she was ready'. She felt like she was more than ready -she waited nineteen years of her life for them to return- but then again, old Skywalker had lived a lot longer than she did. Maybe he had a valid reason.

 

However, when she woke up and stretched, she realized that she wouldn't have the ability to ask him anytime soon. She found herself on cold dirt and grass, and trees. The island didn't have any trees, and she had a feeling that the Force didn't simply spring trees from the ground overnight. Not to mention the utter lack of ocean view. Something must have captured her and brought her to this place. Is Skywalker okay? She feared for the aged Jedi; while he was a powerful user of the Force, he could quite possibly be overwhelmed. Or taken in his sleep like she was.

 

Rey got up and brushed herself of dirt. She found two items on the ground underneath her -How did I not notice before?-. The first was her quarterstaff, her trusty staff that she used on Jakku to navigate scrapped ships. It was her primary weapon, despite the second laying there being more powerful. The lightsaber's hilt shone against the background of dirt, a sliver of silver against dull brown. She never liked that thing; she first touched it and was sent through a whirlwind of terrifying visions that Skywalker later confirmed true. While it called to her and she felt drawn to it, she was still shaky whenever the thought of using it came. She'd have used her quarterstaff instead when fighting Kylo Ren, but only the lightsaber could match his. I'll need both. She picked the lightsaber up and hooked it into her belt, then got the staff in hand. There was a city up ahead, she was sure that was what the tall buildings were. Maybe she could find help and an explanation there.

 

She began trudging towards the city when she heard familiar whistles behind her. She turned around to see a spherical orange-and-white droid rolling towards her. BB-8! She ran towards the droid and knelt down to face it. She could understand the binary code coming from it, and nodded once. I know, I was dumped here too. You can't find your master? She couldn't help but feel bad for BB-8, loosing its master twice in a relatively short span of time. Alright, see that city? We're going there for help. BB-8 whorled in agreement and rolled along after its friend.

 

It was at least twenty minutes before they arrived at the outskirts of the city, when Rey heard a couple loud bangs and an explosion; she didn't bother to think about which one came first. She whipped her head up to see a large winged reptile breathing purple hellfire on top of a large building. BB-8 made frantic noises and rolled around in circles. Well sh*t, I've got the best timing! She wanted to help and fight the monster-thing, but running in front of it would be a great way to be crisped. What else was she supposed to do, stand there idle? And best question, how did she get up there? Climbing up would be stupid, the surface was nearly flat. It's a building. Just go through and make my way up. How hard could it be? BB-8, stay here. At the command, the droid beeped a protest, but stayed. Rey turned and ran into the building.

 

Xhinna

 

At first, she had been flying on Tazith's back with little Xelinan in her arms, Telgar Weyr in her sight. They had returned with the riders and dragons destined to repopulate Pern's depleted dragon population, and the young woman looked forward to regular Weyr life once again.

'Nice to be home, right?' She nudged her lifemate.

'Yes.' It sometimes seemed like Tazith had a talent for the shortest possible answers to questions. Xhinna chuckled and rubbed her dragon's neck affectionately, with a firm hold on the baby boy.

Then lights flickered in her vision, and she rubbed her eyes. Shards... She mumbled, and heard a concerned croon from Tazith.

'I can't see!' She sent to the blue dragon as the flickering lights filled her entire field of vision.

'I cannot see either.'

Well that's just peachy. Xhinna heard Talenth's startled bugle as wind whipped around her, a signal that they were falling. Her entire vision was white, and eventually all sounds were drowned out, even the cries of Xelinan.

 

Her entire body ached, and her head pounded. Opening her eyes, she first noticed that Xelinan was gone. Motherly instincts flared, and Xhinna got up as fast as she could to look around. Nowhere was the little child, and grief took aim and whammed her heart. By Tazith's impossibly-thick shell, I've lost my baby! She recalled the blinding vision, and suddenly she was grateful for sight. Taria! Tazith! Fiona! She called, and at first nobody answered. Wham! Grief struck again.

'Yes?'

The familiar telepathic voice flooded a degree of relief into her. 'Tazith!' She sent a wave of affection towards him. 'Where are you?'

'I do not know.' She only got that first. Then, a few minutes passed. 'I am flying.'

Xhinna looked up and saw her beloved Tazith in the sky. 'Now I'm below you!' She ran out of the way as the blue dragon landed, and then jumped up and hugged his neck. He hummed with concern.

'Tazith, we need to scout some form of life.' She got onto Tazith's neck and he jumped into the air, beating his wings and rising up.

Xhinna looked up into the air. There's....there's no Red Star! The glowering red orb of Pern's menace was not in the sky. It should have been; they were no-where near the end of the Pass. One thing was for certain; somehow, someway, they were not on Pern.

An idea popped into her head. 'Tazith, I need you to go between to Telgar.' She sent the image of the Weyr, and Tazith hummed with confirmation that it was clear. Soon, the unbelievable cold of between enveloped them both, and the three cough-time passed. They reappeared...over the same exact place they were before.

'I do not understand.' Tazith sent.

'Me neither.' Xhinna groaned. She hoped Taria would take care of Xelinan back at home. Wham! Again grief struck.

 

A large bang directed her attention to a strange cluster of buildings that she'd never seen before. Smoke was rising, and there were people's screams ringing in her ears. Among the chaos was a winged dragonlike creature breathing purple flames- seemingly without firestone. It was a strange creature for sure, much smaller than a queen, maybe the size of a green. It was all black, without the regular dragon horns, and strange fins on its tail and along its back. Weirdest thing yet, it had no rider. That was impossible; hatchlings had to Impress a rider, or else they disappeared between forever.

 

'It is attacking.' Tazith warned, adding a low growl. Xhinna noticed that he carried a sack of firestone in his claws, and that she was wearing her riding gear. It wasn't a surprise, considering that she was wearing it before her spontaneous placement here. She reached down and grabbed the sack in case.

She thought about telling Tazith to take it easy due to the size difference, but then again, the dragon was using its fire to attack innocents. At least it appeared to be innocents, if the lack of fighting-back told her anything.

Tazith dove and bellowed loud, then circled above the other dragon. Xhinna readied the firestone sack.

 

((Important notice: Pernese blue dragons tend to be around 20-30 meters in length.))

[shadow_claw]

Scout and Lawrence

 

"Watch out!" Scout grabbed his friend, pushing himself and the Sniper out of the way of the blast. His hair smoked a little from the sheer intensity of the blast. Though...those wings were an easy target. "Hold here, Snipes. Try not to be such an easy target." He winked, sliding the baseball bat onto into his sling bag. Here we go.

 

Darting for the nearest ladder, Scout nimbly ascended it to the adjacent roof. His Scattergun was pulled from his sling bag, and, when given the opportunity, he charged at the dragon. A few scattergun shots would render it immobile, and then...Wham. A couple good songs to the skull would kill it. How much did dragon meat sell for, he wondered. Guess they'd find out here soon

[Thaelasan]

Lu/Ciel

 

He jumped onto the wall of a building, trying to dash up the length. Then he realized the length was full of windows.

The glass shattered under his feet as he landed in a room where a human in a suit stared at him.

Make that several.

"Lu.... what sort of world IS this?!" Ciel whispered, quickly standing to his feet.

"It doesn't matter. Focus on the task at hand." Lu ordered from beyond. Ciel turned, agreeing. But maybe running up the building wasn't the best bet...

"You there. Human... person." Ciel said, frowning. "Is there a better way to get up to the top of this building?"

"The... fire escape?" the man replied, confused. "Or... I guess... the elevator? But that's probably down because of the emergency. What's going on out there?! Terrorist attack?!"

"...What?" Ciel replied, concerned. "Terror...Wrist? Is that a skill?"

"No, like.... You know, extremist groups?" the man wagered. "Ah, forget it. Why do you even want to go up, anyway? And... how did you even get up here?"

"Nevermind that!" Ciel said, jumping past him and flying over a table. "No time to talk!"

He dashed through the strange, cube shaped sections of the room, heading to the door. Above it was a sign labeled "FIRE ESCAPE."

"I suppose this is what he meant." Ciel stated, kicking it open. At once, a loud, blaring alarm went off throughout the building. Lu growled.

"MORE LOUD NOISES!" she hissed. "Can humans quit this nonsense?!"

"I suppose it's some form of alert. See? The sign says-"

"FORGET IT! Just GO!" Lu stated, sighing mentally. Ciel obeyed, running up the flight of stairs as fast as possible, double jumping past civilians who had come to see why the alarm went off. Some tried to ask him questions but he refused to stop. Finally, he stopped at the top of the staircase, in front of a door labeled "ROOF EXIT."

He kicked it a few times until it gave way, the padlock shattering as he entered an expanse of metal and wind.

"How high up ARE we?" Ciel asked hesitantly, looking over the edge.

"You can make that jump." Lu commented, getting his attention.

Across from them, the dragon was trying to fire at two people, one who looked worse for wear and wielding a strange gun. The other was trying to get him to get down.

Ciel drew Marbas, ready to take aim from here. He didn't need to jump. He just needed a shot....

 

----

 

Corrin and Kinu

 

He had transformed long ago. Kinu was on his back now as the two soared across the sands of the beaches, heading to the last point he had seen the dragon. He ignored everything else now, focusing only on the enemy. Kinu, however, was confused as she saw the city below them.

"Hey... what sort of..." she began, poking him.

"Kinu! Jump to safety! There!" Corrin commanded, veering near a building where he noticed another human with a large, blue weapon. "Take him down! See who he works for!"

"ROGER ROGER!" Kinu obeyed, leaping from Corrin's back and landing just short of Ciel.

There was a long pause as Corrin flew past them in the background, obviously larger than Toothless, heading straight for the winged beast.

Silence, besides the sound of the wind.

"Hi there!" Kinu waved kindly, happy.

Ciel and Lu stared at the newcomer in confusion.

"Are you with ... that... dragon?" Ciel asked, gesturing with Marbas at Corrin.

"Huh? Oh yeah! He's my husband." Kinu replied. She then looked down at Ciel's gun with curiosity.

"What's that?"

Ciel looked down at his weapon, then back at her.

"This.. is Marbas."

"Oooh! What's it do?"

"....It... fires things.." Ciel began, then shook his head. "Wait, what do you mean husband?! That's a dragon!"

"Oh. That's not really him. That's his other cool half. He has a normal half, where he looks like you, kinda. Though he's prettier."

"HOW RUDE." Ciel said, insulted.

"Oh! Sorry! You're not gonna use that weapon on him, right? He's playing with that dragon right now. Do you work for Nohr?"

"What the devil is Nohr."

"HEY CORRIN HE DOESN'T WORK FOR NOOOOHR!"

"I'M A BIT BUSY RIGHT NOW."

"He said he's busy we can talk later." Kinu said, hands behind her back, grinning.

Ciel noted her ears with a small bit of confusion.

"Are you... like Ara?" Ciel asked. "Do you serve Eun?"

"Who's that?" Kinu asked. "I only serve Corrin. Oh, and my Papa. I work for them!"

"...Eun is a fox goddess." Ciel stated, preparing to aim his gun again.

"Wait wait!" Kinu said quickly, holding out her hands. "Corrin said I have to stop you if you try to use that!"

"Are you going to fight me?"

"Fight? No I only play!" Kinu replied. "We can play if you want!"

"I'm pretty sure you're talking to some form of psychopath." Lu whispered to Ciel, frowning.

"What should we do?" Ciel asked back.

"Well it's obvious she probably means she'd fight us. But why she calls it playing, I'm not sure. Does she not see your gun?"

"What if she's serious and doesn't know she'd be fighting us?"

"Who cares?! She's married to a dragon from what she says! May as well just take her out too!!" Lu stated. "I'm giving you permission to just start shooting! We're not going to get anywhere talking to her!"

"Very well." Ciel obeyed, turning the gun to face at Kinu. "I apologize in advance-"

"OH! Are we playing then?!" Kinu asked before he could finish, jumping up and down. "YAY! Hold on I get to show you this then!"

Before Lu and Ciel's eyes, Kinu began to transform. Fur replaced flesh and claws replaced nails. Her tail elongated, her face becoming animalistic.

Soon, there was a fox in her place, leaping back and forth excitedly. Ciel's face was horrified.

"Oh by the heavens it's an Asura!" Ciel yelled, moving backward. "What do we do?!"

"JUST START FIRING!"

Ciel revved up Marbas but Kinu was already dashing at him. Bullets flew from the barrel just as she came close enough to hit him.

There was a sound of impact. Ciel stopped, the gun powering down.

Kinu had paused, face hurt. She was back in her human form now, grasping her shoulder where a bullet had torn into her skin. Several places on her body were bleeding. Her face was full of despair.

"No.... no fair... That really.... really hurts..." Kinu cried, rubbing her arm in pain. "What kind of toy is that... That's way too rough... it's like you're trying to kill me or something... This isn't fun at all..."

Tears fell from her eyes. Ciel could only stand awkwardly as he heard a gruff sound from behind.

"What did you do to Kinu...?"

Ciel froze. Lu was silent. Ciel began to turn slightly before a claw was around his body, holding him tightly. Marbas vanished from his hands as he could no longer hold it.

"Damn... it..." Ciel grunted, trying to get free of the grasp of a very, very angry Corrin. He bore him in his claws, furious.

"What... DID YOU DO TO HER?" Corrin growled from the depths of his reptilian throat. Water began to rise around him, his claws constricting Ciel's breath.

"She... she attacked..." Ciel began, coughing.

"SHE DIDN'T KNOW!" Corrin roared. "IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I told her to stop you! NO!"

He hurled Ciel aside with force, the butler skidding across the roof of the building and almost falling off. He managed to grab the ledge, weakly holding on.

"KINU!" Corrin yelled, holding out his hands. "I WILL HELP YOU! It's ALL MY FAULT!"

"Corrrriiin... What about... the dragon?" Kinu asked, falling to her knees.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER. These aren't people of Nohr or Hoshido! These are barbarians! Kinu... Please...."

He faded back into his human form and quickly began to search his bags, frantically seeking a healing staff. Soon, he found one, buried among a few others in a bag on his backside. Relieved, he knelt in front of her, using it to try and mend her wounds.

She laid her head on his chest as he worked, humming silently.

Ciel began lifting himself back onto the roof, Lu urging him on. He grabbed a hold as best he could, pulling his weight with every bit of his strength.

"It really hurt... I don't know what he did..." Kinu whispered, still crying. "No one ever did that during any of the playfights we had. I dunno what it was..."

"It's over now. We'll handle it together. Just stay calm." Corrin instructed. "I won't let it happen again."

"What about the dragon..."

"I'll worry about it later. We'll focus on you for now." Corrin laid a hand on her shoulder, the other hand still bearing the staff. "Just breathe."

"Hey...!"

Corrin looked over, his face furious, at Ciel, who now had both of his guns aimed at them.

"You would still..." Corrin began, angry. "You would still wish her harm.. Us harm... You sick, horrible person..."

He stood to his full height, holding his arm in front of her.

"Who do you work for?! Nohr? Hoshido? What are you trying to achieve?!" Corrin yelled. "Answer me!"

"I don't work for anyone but my Queen, and she gave the order for you to die." Ciel stated, gesturing. "But as it stands, you seem to be at a disadvantage, dragon."

"You would shoot me now? Shoot HER?! It's over! You win! There is NO more need for either of us to die!" Corrin yelled. "So quit being stupid! Why would you serve a Queen who tells you to kill so needlessly?! Death... IS NOT SOMETHING TO THROW AROUND, just because someone orders you to do it!"

Ciel faltered slightly, but his aim stayed on them both.

"Lu."

Luciela sighed, taking a moment to think this over.

"Fine. Stand down. He's right."

"What?"

"He hasn't tried to continue this conflict. It's not the way of a Queen to kill the weak when they give no reason for it. We'll figure it out later." Lu rubbed her head in the Soul Realm. "Just focus on the other dragon for now."

"As you wish..." Ciel said aloud, flourishing Marbas again.

"So you're going to kill us?!" Corrin roared accusingly. "I swear I won't-"

"Be silent and tend to your beloved, Dragon." Ciel ordered, giving him a glance. "My Queen says there are more important matters to tend to. And I agree with her. Killing you serves nothing."

Corrin relaxed visibly.

"Thank you." he said, turning back to Kinu.

"Do not thank me. Neither of us wanted what just happened. Just ignore that it ever occurred." Ciel aimed at Toothless again, Marbas charging up. "Life is too short for regrets."

The blue laser sight of Marbas was focused entirely on Toothless' chest.

A laser fired across the roof from the depths of the gun, heading for the draconic beast.

 

Isaac Clarke

 

"What...?"

He paused, concerned, as he relaxed his gun arm visibly, shocked.

Did this woman just protect a necromorph?

"Lady that thing isn't human. I've seen this before. You're infected with dementia. You're not thinking clearly, ok?" Isaac said. "For now just move. I need to kill that thing. It's not safe."

He tried to aim past her but she was making it difficult.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Thaelasan

[Coryn02]

Clarion

 

After she'd finished speaking, Nick dismissed himself from the table.

 

Clarion's attention was immediately captured by a fast-moving dark shape of large size moving above them. The silhouette wasn't unlike that of a bird, save that it had what seemed to be a tail.

 

Was that... A dragon?

 

The table they were eating at disappeared. Clarion found her chair disappearing beneath her. She stood up before it went away entirely, now holding her book at her side.

 

Lu also disappeared, and Ciel offered a sort of parting phrase to those present.

 

Shortly thereafter, with only her and the quiet woman left, she heard someone approach and saw another person. This one seemed much more unstable; he was wearing some kind of armor, and held a gun of some kind. This one glowed with a strange energy, making her think of more science-fiction stories.

 

The man immediately aimed at her, and demanded an explanation of what she was.

 

I might look like a monster, but I'm not that bad! What is with everyone thinking I'm some unearthly beast? Can't they tell I'm human?

 

Clarion opened her mouth, about to explain herself, until the man snapped and fired his weapon. The shot was a strange sort of glowing energy, and didn't look very friendly at all. Clarion was briefly afraid for her own life, as she had no idea how to fight something like this.

 

Before she could react, the woman dashed between them, intercepting the shot intended for her. Even with that damage, she attempted to take away the gun from the assailant.

 

Clarion wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. While the attacker struggled to get the woman away from him, Clarion performed another Ideal Dash to get in close, and stabbed him several times in the chest with her claws. It didn't seem to do a whole lot, but he was certainly surprised at the quick retaliation. The clawed girl finished her offensive with a side kick, sending the man tumbling over himself a few feet away.

 

The other woman had taken his gun. Despite her anger, Clarion felt the need to talk to him, and walked back over to where he was.

 

"I'm human, like you. Now, what the bloody hell was that all about? You don't just go around shooting people you don't recognize!"

 

Clarion asked this somewhat furiously, as nearly being shot with a weapon straight out of a movie didn't usually improve someone's mood.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Coryn02

[Thaelasan]

Isaac Clarke

 

"What the HELL-" Isaac began, before the girl jumped on him. He grabbed at her while she slashed him, trying desperately to get her off. His gun fell from his hands, his full instinct on protecting himself. When he finally managed to knock her off with a punch, she knocked him over, and his mind reeled as he began to believe he was about to become a Necromorph. Fearing for his life, he quickly drew another gun from his RIG, a rifle which fired machine rounds.

"The hell?! You can SPEAK?!" Isaac exclaimed, one of his hands covering his chest where she had pierced him. Jesus, it hurt. He coughed, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. His RIG was yellow, showing the damage was close to severe.

One thing he knew for sure, real Necromorphs couldn't talk, right? He accessed his inventory quickly, grasping a small medpack.

"Ok. Not a Necromorph. Just a really... really angry, little girl. Got it. Right." Isaac said, the medpack already stimulating his regenerative abilities. "Right. Ok. Not like this isn't the first weird thing to happen today. Just... Ok then."

He stood shakily to his feet, sending the pulse rifle back into material space. He took a moment to steady himself, the wounds and holes in his armor leaving slowly.

"Look, ok, so yeah. My fault there." he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "But if you knew what I'd been through... Ok that excuse is kind of shaky. Just... just forget about it. My fault. I'm good."

He shook his head in disbelief. Now that she was closer, even in the setting sun, she DID look more human than Necromorph... even with those claws. God those things had HURT.

"Alright. Let's just all agree to stop shooting here, me first. I'll take my gun back, thank you." he said, reaching for it on the ground. "I'm.. gonna go handle the big reptile thing. Yeah. That's probably the best idea."

With that he began to walk off towards the city, still confused as to what had just happened. He then stopped a moment, reaching into his inventory.

"Oh, right, hey... uh... you.." he said, looking at Chell. She didn't have a RIG either, but her suit reminded him of Ellie...

"You need one of these?" he asked, holding up a small medpack. "For that. Your stomach."

He gestured at the bullet hole in her abdomen. Probably didn't feel good.

[pudding]

Toothless

There it was, the stupid charge to try to get in closer and hit him with some kind of sharp weapon. Vikings always used the same tactics and even if this place looked different, it was clear they were all the same. A snarl forced its way past his throat as the dragon moved his legs together, his back arching slightly. Trying to go toe to toe with him would be the last move this viking ever made.

And even beyond that, there was another one. Spying movement in the corner of his eye, the dragon momentarily tore his gaze away from the viking in front of him to stare across the roof at another individual who had appeared. He didn’t know what kind of weapon either of them had but since vikings usually dealt with axes and blunt objects, that one wasn’t as much of a threat to him until it managed to get across the rooftop. Snorting slightly, he directed his focus back on the original viking that had moved away from its companion. Two shots for the active ones just to make sure they stayed down, and then one more for the injured one.

After all, dragons always went for the kill.

A familiar yet foreign bellow suddenly filled the air and the Night Fury paused, clamping his mouth down instinctively. As a shadow passed overhead, he opened his mouth slightly, trying to clear the excess gas out of his mouth as he turned his attention upwards. Right above his head flew another dragon! Relief filled the Night Fury as he ignored the human at this point, instead tilting his head slightly more upwards so he could watch the dragon fly around. He didn’t know what kind it was and it didn’t appear to be from his nest. But dragons were dragons and unless he had a reason to, there wasn’t that much of a need to be openly hostile to it. Not unless there was a matter of food on the line. But he had no food for the dragon to steal so trying to be friendly to one of his kin was fine. If the other dragon wanted to fight over something, it would have to be the one to start that.

Rising up on his back legs, the Night Fury stood up at his full height to address the dragon flying not that far above him. Opening his mouth, he made a deep-toned chittering noise at the dragon, bobbing his head at the same time in some kind of friendly greeting. As the dragon circled, he turned around in a slow circle to follow it’s movements, though clearly it was somewhat awkward for the black creature to be moving around on two legs instead of three. His pupils had dilated again and the humans on the nearby rooftop had been temporarily forgotten, mostly due to the fact he was absolutely ecstatic to see another dragon. After they had all suddenly disappeared from the raid, he had been a bit confused where they had all gone and where exactly he was. But at least he knew it was a place with other dragons!

A sudden pain radiated from the dragon’s chest and he stumbled, falling back down onto all fours. Ever since he was young, Toothless had always been careful. He never landed. He never stole food. He never engaged. He remained safely up in the sky where vikings couldn’t reach him and couldn’t harm him. Fights between dragons, on the other hand, rarely resulted in lasting injuries. Their best weapons were taken away from them since fire hardly affected them, and that only left them with claws and teeth. Not that those couldn’t do damage in themselves but nothing quite matched the firepower of a dragon. Moreover, petty scuffles for food didn’t last that long and resulted in maybe a bite here or a scratch there. Likely nothing that would break past their thick scales. So when he felt pain, honest to god pain, it was only natural that he was absolutely mystified and angry. Now, it didn’t hurt all that much compared to a serious injury, but whatever had hit him had struck him in the upper chest and left behind some kind of dull, throbbing pain. Lowering his head for a moment, the dragon paused before turning his head. Pupils narrowed into paper-thin lines immediately focused on the second viking. The one he had disregarded. The one that had to have used some kind of arrow to hit him from such a distance. He had made a clear error in leaving him be.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Turning away from the other dragon and ignoring, he took a step towards the edge, limping slightly on his front left leg but otherwise showing not much sign of injury, only anger. Quickly accelerating, the dragon didn’t bother with actually extending his wings, only launching himself off the edge of the roof, and using his speed to easily make the jump. His claws scraped at the metal rooftop as he used his incredible speed to quickly shorten the gap between them, only to veer slightly to the side and snap his tail around at the viking dressed in blue, aiming to smack him in the chest and send him stumbling away. If he wanted a fight, he'd get a fight.

[Thaelasan]

Lu/Ciel

 

Remember... always think of battle as a form of dance.

Battle is not simply a conflict between two sides, it is an endless switching of tempos. One side moves faster while the other moves slower. If one were to use the right mindset, death and war would be beautiful works of feet and hands, rather than brutal, bloody, terrible acts of violence.

To think of war as primitive is to ignore its inner beauty.

But when one man fights another in the field of combat, the battle will always go to the one who is more nimble, with more skill, with more wit. Strength means nothing if there is not intelligence to go behind it. When another person challenges you, do not treat the battle as a dispute...

Treat it, as a dance.

 

Ciel slowed, all of time seeming to slow down as the dragon flew at him. All other things were ignored as his focus entirely stood upon the dragon in front of him, even as the tail swiped at him. He moved backward slightly, the silence in the air seeming to deafen. The screams of the humans below faded from his earshot. His only thought was SURVIVE.

Marbas faded from his hands. From such a close distance, such weaponry was inefficient. Surely, Lu would be a better choice here... but he didn't have to make that choice.

They were one. Their choices would be made together. For now, he would start the dance.

Together, they would finish it.

Still, for a moment, he was confused. The creature reminded him of the Hamelings that some men and women of Elrios rode around on. Was it just a wild one? The attacks it used definitely seemed like those of the familiar dragons.

Either way, this battle would not be solved until it was weakened. Killing it seemed brutish. It hadn't hurt anyone - yet. But it needed to be restrained.

He flourished his gunblades, his weapons of choice. He fired twice from their barrels, then dashed to the side, firing twice more, his movements elegant and predetermined.

Never lose your calm. Never wait. Never slow.

Every heartbeat, a tempo.

He moved again, sliding across the ground to fire twice more before finally whispering,

"Strong Strike."

A bullet far stronger than the others fired from the barrel of the gun, heading for the creature's side. None of these were aimed for vitals, only for parts such as the legs and arms.

After all, there was no elegance in needless murder. Corrin had mentioned that before.

 

Corrin and Kinu

 

"Now breathe. Can you still see? Are you alright?"

Corrin had her in his arms, checking her over for any further signs of damage. Each hole was closing on her body, the blood the only reminder that she'd ever been hurt.

"I'm a mess, aren't I? Papa will be so angry..." Kinu whispered, exhausted.

"I think he'll just be happy you're ok." Corrin sighed, relieved. "Do you need to sleep? I think that man in the blue can handle this... We're not part of this conflict."

"But don't you hate conflicts at all?" Kinu asked, confused.

"I feel he can handle himself. But if you feel we should, we can stay and watch." Corrin said, shifting his weight so she was laying on him, her head in his lap.

"That'd be... nice... Sounds fun.." she murmured. Corrin patted her head gently.

"Then we'll watch. But the moment I feel you're.... WE'RE in danger, I'm getting us out of here."

"Ok..." Kinu said quietly.

Corrin looked up at Ciel across the roof from him, the two contenders facing off.

[shadow_claw]

Chell

 

Even as this man, this stranger tried to push her away, Chell insisted on trying to keep the peace. Her blue gaze darted to the girl, and although she attempted to block her attacks, was unable to do much in her favor. This fighting was stupid! They wouldn't get anything out of it! Her steely gaze flashed with frustration. GLAD0S was always good at guessing at that she had to say. These people...ugh!

 

Once things seemed to settle down, she didn't have much time to interact. She was fading fast. Everything around her seemed to swim instead of actually moving, like it was all in slow motion. A sweep of dizziness passed through her. As her gaze turned back to the strangely-dressed man, she staggered backwards, unable to keep her balance. Chell crashed against the chair behind her, falling onto it and sliding into the ground.

[pudding]

Toothless

Dragon fights were fast, furious things, despite their lack of damage. Despite being smaller than a good deal of dragons out there, Toothless was able to hold his own thanks to his own remarkable strength and, more importantly, his incredible speed. While this speed was truly frightful in air, he was by no means crippled on the ground. So when his initial tail swipe missed, the dragon was quick to follow through with the momentum, kicking up his back legs and pivoting on his front feet so he landed facing the viking dressed in blue. Just because he avoided the ground didn’t mean he didn’t know how to fight. It just meant he didn’t need to waste that energy on a viking. But this one, on the other hand, was fast. Avoiding his first attack wasn’t something a lot of vikings could do. So maybe he’d need to pick it up a notch. He couldn’t hold back if he was going to fight this human. He couldn’t afford to try to save energy if it meant possibly dying.

As the human aimed his weapons at him, Toothless quickly dodged to the side, avoiding the first two…arrows? They had to be, even if they moved quicker and didn’t look very much like them. Getting hit with another one of those was not something he wanted any part of. So when the second shot came he slid backwards and to the side, tossing his head to the side to let the arrows zoom past him, just barely skidding across the scales of his back near where his wing connected to his body. Retreating back just a bit more with a shake of his head, the dragon continued to move in a circle so that the human couldn’t gain access to his side. He didn’t want to become any bigger of a target, but the range made it hard to dive in and attack. Not unless he wanted to get hit in a more vulnerable place than just along his back.

That simply meant biting was out of the question. He’d have to aim to hit him, or stun him somehow allowing him to get close.

Opening his mouth, the Night Fury’s throat began to gather with a greenish yellow gas. A shrieking noise came from his throat as he dodged the last set of two arrows with a sharp turn to the side, though the action left his side slightly open. Still, this didn’t deter him as just as quickly as the viking muttered something to himself and aimed his weapon, the dragon’s head had snapped around and the gas was set alight into a bluish, purple orb. The orb only remained in his mouth for a fraction of a second before he shot it out, aiming for the viking’s legs. Even if he missed, the force of the shot hitting the roof would cause enough of an explosive shockwave to hopefully send the viking reeling. Such was the power of an explosive shot from a Night Fury.

The single shot fired from the viking, however, passed just under his own shot and slammed into the dragon’s exposed side. Recoiling from the force of the bullet, the black dragon cringed as his wing quickly lowered to cover his knee where the bullet had hit him. Teeth bared, he closed his eyes for a fraction of a second and just breathed before his focus snapped to the viking. His wings flared open as his body crouched slightly, his weight obviously shifted and unequal as his injured foot remained held aloft a few inches above the ground. His narrowed eyes glared at the viking, not moving forward to continue his attack but instead minimizing his own stance to decrease the area he could actually be hit, while flaring his wings to make himself appear much larger. His mouth opened to expose his sharp teeth and two-pronged tongue and he roared at the viking before quickly firing a less powerful, significantly less hot and less lethal plasma blast at the human. Since it was not charged, there was very little warning to the blast and it was aimed at the man’s chest instead of his legs.

 

Nick Wilde

The lizard had been one thing. As the two ran off in pursuit if it the fox had been tempted to yell a "good riddance" directed in their general direction. But it was quickly cut short as a rambling, possibly insane animal ran up to the group. The next few moments were a blur to the fox as, the second the animal fired his weapon, the fox's sensitive ears quickly angled backwards against his head and he crouched down on the ground, trying to minimize how much space he took up so he wouldn't be shot as well. His paws gripped his ears and pressed them against his head, his eyes squeezed shut. After a few agonizing seconds, he dared to open an eye, looking up. He had just assumed the clawed girl had died from the first shot but she was still standing there, just fine. Maybe just a bit more bloody than before but he couldn't tell. It could just be from the book again.

His eyes shifted briefly from Claws to the newer arrival, before noticing Chell as she moved backwards. No, that wasn't right. It was more involuntary than that and his eyes quickly widened in shock as she fell onto the ground. In a quick instant, the fox jumped up and scrambled across the ground, moving to her side in a panic. "Chell?" he asked, coming to sit near her. Her shirt was dark red in several areas now and, using his fairly limited knowledge of medicine and first aid, the fox managed to press his paws down and apply pressure to the wound. "Hey, come on, stay with me," He said, looking between the wound and her face. Could she see him or was she going under? Fainting wasn't good, right? Someone with more medical knowledge really needed to do this instead of him.

[Thaelasan]

Lu/Ciel

 

Was this thing trying to stun him as well? That blast hadn't been aimed for his vitals...

Only seconds before had he been standing in the blast radius of a large, very dangerous explosive breath shot. He had moved backwards but not unscathed. Part of his beloved outfit was singed from the heat he had just been forced to endure.

But the ground in front of him was not so lucky. A crater had opened in the roof, exposing the room below. Thankfully, it was empty. But it gave Ciel an idea....

Up here, the dragon was in its element. Up here, the dragon was at home. He needed it to be out of this sort of position.

Almost as a reminder of where he was, another orb suddenly flew from the beast's mouth and caught Ciel off-guard. He held up both of his guns, dragged backward by the sheer momentum of the explosive.

"It's not fire breath. But it's STILL deadly.." he whispered to Lu. "This isn't going as expected."

"Dragons are never EASY to restrain, Ciel. Don't you read any books?" Lu asked coyly.

Ciel shrugged off the question, jumping back and forth a moment to regain his tempo. Then, as though to change things up a bit, he retreated into the Soul Realm...

And Lu came out, flinging a Spectral Spear at the creature with aim at its other leg, standing where Ciel had been only moments before.

Corrin stared with confusion. Lu gave him a slight glance.

"I would thank you to be a bit more respectful to a QUEEN, human." she stated haughtily, one hand on her hip. But these weren't the hands from before. Large, demon claws covered the previously dainty hands. They were almost half her size.

She cracked the knuckles experimentally, grinning.

"My my... You're just an agitated, little beast aren't you?" Lu asked, standing before the dragon arrogantly. "Who do you think you are, attacking a city like this in broad daylight? And alone at that? If you're going to destroy things, at least have the common decency to do it RIGHT."

With that, she punched the ground below her, shattering the roof of the building below them both. Corrin clutched Kinu tightly as Lu fell into the room below, landing on a table.

She held out her hand to the dragon, flicking the fingers tauntingly.

"Oh yes, that's correct, my black, winged friend. You're not dealing with idiots and buffoons. You're dealing with a Queen." she hissed, grinning. "Please, make this fight worth Her precious time."

 

-----

 

Isaac Clarke

 

"OI!" Isaac yelled, concerned. "Wait! Hey! Don't pass out on me. That's not a good idea! You gotta stay awake. Come on, dammit. Don't you have a RIG or something? ..."

He trailed off, checking her over for any sign of one. Dismayed, he held the medpack in his hand for a long while.

"Damn... How did they teach us to do this otherwise... Gotta stop the bleeding..." he stated, tearing off a bit of Chell's suit and tying it around her waist.

"She needs a hospital, like now. I can't stitch this up. I can't..." he trailed off. Wait, the Plasma Cutter hadn't caused bleeding. It had cauterized the wound. She could possibly live... she just needed to get her organs back in the right places.

He lifted her with as much force as he could muster, his plasma cutter back in material space.

"Alright, look, claw girl, fox guy. I need your help. I'm sorry but I need you to help me find some kind of hospital. Probably has a ... red cross on it. A symbol of some sort. We need one like now."

Edited March 13, 2016 by Thaelasan

[pudding]

Toothless

The sudden change in size startled the dragon for an instant, however, the throwing of the spear was enough to force the dragon into the air. Leaping up into the sky as the spear struck the ground where he had been standing, the Night Fury’s wings flapped to give him more height before he eventually leveled off about twenty feet above the roof. Squinting down at this new opponent-also dressed in blue, oddly enough-Toothless grunted slightly. The small ones tended to be less dangerous than the fatter ones simply because they couldn’t hoist as many axes, but this one had two very dangerous weapons itself. Two massive claws that looked almost like the claws of a dragon. Both of these vikings had odd weapons, actually, and after the first one had fired so many shots at him, the Night Fury wasn’t that tempted to get in range of those hands. His eyes narrowed as he tucked his injured leg instinctively closer to his chest, squinting down at the small viking as she began making that unusual, quick yet aggressive sounding language vikings usually spoke in. There were a few words he had picked up over the years just by watching them but she didn’t say any of the basic ones that he knew. Maybe if he spent more time on the ground he would have picked up more and actually understood what she was saying, but the challenge was easily picked up regardless through her stance and tone.

Flying backwards slightly as she suddenly attacked the roof she was standing on, the Night Fury tilted his head slightly to the side in confusion as she dropped down into the building below where she had been standing. Flying forward slightly, the Night Fury landed on the edge of the roof, carefully walking around the side on his three uninjured legs so he could peer into the hole where the girl had gone. So that was it? Challenge him and then change the terrain? It didn’t matter if they were inside or outside. Growling, the Night Fury opened his mouth, filling the air with a shrieking noise before firing a plasma blast into the hole in the roof. She had just made it harder to dodge, that was all. If there wasn’t anywhere to go, he could just wait outside and fire blasts into the building. It wouldn’t take long before the inside of the structure caught on fire and the building went up in flames. He could just wait until the inside terrain was also in his favor. Being fireproof certainly had its advantages, even if the resistance was only on the outside.

Glancing up at the two humans who had not fallen into the hole yet remained on the same rooftop, Toothless blinked slowly, his eyes running over them briefly. His stance fluctuated slightly, his pupils hesitatingly dilating before contracting back down to their thin, aggressive state. Finally, however, he turned away, focusing on the hole in the roof again and ignoring them entirely. The small one was more dangerous. One of the two already looked injured and as long as they didn't bother him, he'd leave them alone. Vikings usually didn't know when to quit but it wasn't exactly like he enjoyed killing them. If they didn't kill so many dragons during their raids, he wouldn't act. But if they attacked him or his friends, he wouldn't just stand by idly. This was a war. There were going to be casualties if he liked it or not.

[Thaelasan]

Lu/Ciel

 

Lu watched the dragon with a slight bit of irritation, displeased that it had decided to fly after all. It soared above them, firing shots of plasma into the hole in the roof. Lu didn't move as the blast flew past her face, sending her hair flying to the side but leaving her unscathed. She huffed, the very notion it was trying such tactics unappealing to her.

Well, we couldn't have that, could we?

"My my.... Reptiles shouldn't be flying..." Lu began, holding out her hand. " They should stay on the ground... crawling and squirming with the dirt and filth..."

A claw emerged from the air below the dragon, covered in chains and blue in color as the sound of a demon from another world screamed at the dragon.

"Evil. Claw." Lu stated, the hand reaching for the dragon's feet to bring him down. Chains shot from the claw to restrain the beast.

 

((

))

-----

 

Corrin and Kinu

 

Corrin grasped Kinu tightly as another blast fired from the dragon's mouth into the depths of the building. Part of him wanted to get up and help but he didn't want to leave Kinu here to be vulnerable to any further harm. Who knew who else was out here, waiting for a chance to hurt someone like her? So far, everyone they had met was violent and dangerous. Dragons or humans. There was no difference when it came to conflict.

But that Queen... was she the one the butler had been talking about? And how had she switched places with him? Where had he gone? Where had she come from?

And what kind of weapons were those?

Wait...

The dragon had given him a glance for a moment, and Corrin pushed her tighter to his chest, concerned if he needed to move but daring not to. The dragon seemed to deem them unworthy...

No... not unworthy. UNNECESSARY to attack.

And then the thought hit him. The days in the wilds of Nohr. The wild animals. Even the people like Kinu with the animal traits. There was always one thing in common.

THEY ONLY ATTACKED IF THEY SENSED A THREAT.

"Queen!" Corrin shouted over the sound of glass shattering and fire, "STOP! He's not berserk! He's just fighting back because YOU ARE!"

But the voice was lost amongst the noise, and a claw emerged from the sky below the dragon regardless, Corrin absolutely lost for words. How powerful WAS this Queen that the butler served? What was their relationship?

That didn't matter. He needed to stop this now. Neither side needed to continue. But he felt powerless with Kinu in his arms...

[pudding]

Toothless

 

The dragon's eyes widened in shock as he nearly fell off the building in his attempts to scramble away from the giant hand emerging from the grounds. Wings beating, he awkwardly took flight again, swaying slightly as he tried to righten himself after his awkward take off. Climbing quickly in altitude, he kept his eyes focused on the clouds. Even if it wasn't night time, he could disappear in them. At this point, he was ready to call it quits and fly away. He could find his way back to the nest, or at least somewhere safe to nurse his injuries in private. But, the strange viking with dragon claws was clearly dangerous. He didn't believe, not for an instant, that his fellow dragons would be able to kill her. If he left her be, she might just slaughter the entire nest. He couldn't let that happen.

Growling, Toothless reached the first layer of clouds but barely touched them before suddenly flaring his wings out, slowing himself down enough that he began to fall. Twisting his body around in the air, his tail fins fanned out and he accelerated downwards, the screeching noise emanating from the dragon covered just slightly by the screaming coming from the arm. Unlike the speed he displayed on the ground, his speed in air was unrivaled and he slipped around the arm, wings narrowly avoiding the chains. Given this much time to charge up his plasma blast, it was no surprise that the resulting explosion would be big. And as he reached the rooftop he fired, sending a ball of purple and blue screeching directly into the hole. His wings angled upwards as he soared over the top of the building, landing on a nearby rooftop. Or rather, crashing onto a nearby rooftop as his injured leg quickly gave out and he slipped onto his side with a surprised barking noise. His face collided with the ground and he let out a grunt before pausing, taking a moment to breathe before looking back towards the first rooftop. Had that worked? He couldn't pull another stunt like that.

[Thaelasan]

Lu/Ciel

 

A plume of black flame erupted from the roof of the building, a geyser of heat and explosive energy. Immediately, Corrin flew off with Kinu, but Lu and Ciel did not emerge from the hole.

Great cracking and shattering followed as human engineering gave way under otherworldly attack, glass exploding from the heat and numerous steel bars bending. First, the top floor began to creak as it gave way. The entire rooftop collapsed on itself, then the next floor.

Halfway down, the fireball Toothless had fired exploded, the middle of the building flying outward in a shower of dust, stone, and concrete with shards of metal in the cloud. Heat spread from the center, the crowd below screaming louder as they ran for more cover - those who had been left behind from before.

Then came a loud, ear-piercing roar of reluctance and a screech of pain from the core of the building as the entire top half of it... moved.

And gave way.

It toppled, smashing into another building adjacent to it and tearing down the length of it, breaking windows and destroying the foundations of its sister tower.

Thousands of pounds of raw building material slammed into the road, destroying abandoned cars and leaving the path a wasteland. Dust filled the air, which would have immediately asphyxiated anyone caught in the explosion.

The loud noises of firetruck sirens filled the air as emergency response teams finally arrived on the scene from calls placed earlier. A few of the leading members got out from their cars, armed with gas masks and defensive equipment.

Meanwhile, in the remaining half of the building, standing on a piece of table, was Ciel. An iron bar had pierced his shoulder and another was jammed in his lower leg, but he was still standing. He grasped the iron bar in his shoulder angrily, tearing it out with a wince and a small grunt of suffering.

"How insufferable. To think you would use such things against Lu..." Ciel hissed, grabbing the bar in his leg and pulling it out, allowing blood to flow from the open hole in his shin. "You will receive no mercy from me any longer."

Only moments before, when he had seen the beast coming, the smallest amount of heat bursting from its throat, he had taken action. Lu was forced to trade with him as he had leapt down the hole of the fire escape, grabbing hold of the railing halfway down and almost tearing his arm from the socket. But the fireball had exploded right above him, and sent two metal rails through his body. The pain had been intense, agonizing.

Still, as long as he was able to breathe.

He jumped up the top half of the ruined building, his face showing his suffering as he moved his wounded right leg. But he couldn't halt now. He ran up the length of it, heading for the roof where the dragon was.

"Soul... EXTORTION!" Ciel roared, leaping forward and bearing Marbas. A vortex of blue grasped at the life essence of those in front of him.

In this case, the black dragon that had caused him so much pain and almost killed Lu.

 

------

 

Corrin and Kinu

 

Corrin gaped from the skies where he and Kinu were flying, absolutely dumbfounded. The butler was back again, and this time he removed shards of metal from his body with little effort or reluctance.

The hell WAS this man made of?! The fact he had told Kinu to try and handle him seemed like it had been a TERRIBLE idea now.

"Corrin, look!..." Kinu said from his back, pointing weakly. "P..eople."

Corrin looked down at the black paths that he'd noted earlier. Sure enough, humans were emerging from the strange, metallic vehicles he'd seen before. They seemed to be dressed in strange, yellow clothing.

"What?..." Corrin began, confused. Were they allies of the dragon? Part of another regiment? None of this made any sense.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Thaelasan

[shadow_claw]

Undyne

 

This was wrong. Barbaric, even. The whole scene kept the woman rooted in place for quite some time. That poor monster! They won't even giving them a chance to talk! Eye narrowing, Undyne bared her teeth. If this monster couldn't protect themselves, then she would protect it.

 

The woman slid before Ciel, spear clutched in both hands. They didn't realize all of this could be stopped with a few words!

"Stop! Stop it, you morons!" She spat, teeth bared. "This can all be stopped if you slow down! Human," Her yellow gaze burned into Ciel as she spoke, her gills flaring up once more. "This is all your your fault. Can't you see they're scared?"

 

Inhaling deeply, she closed her eye for a moment. "So...if you want to kill this monster.." When her eyes opened, there was a flash of blue, and her armor materialized onto her body. The spear in her hand glowed fiercely.

"You're going to have to get through me first."

[pudding]

Toothless

So the fight resumed. Not that disturbed by the destruction he had caused, the dragon worked his legs back onto the solid ground of the roof he had landed on. Thankfully the building had fallen in the opposite direction, meaning that the roof he was on was safe. Even better was the fact that dragons were fairly durable creatures. Even limping and with a good portion of his fire used up between firing on the city below and during the fight, he wasn’t down for the count just yet. Not when this was clearly going to be a fight to the death. Was there ever a situation with vikings where it wasn’t?

His heavy claws dug into the material beneath his feet as he crawled back onto his feet, standing primarily on his three uninjured legs. The fourth one tentatively touched the ground every so often, but it was clear this action caused him pain as he avoided completely standing on it. Turning in time to see the taller viking in blue he had been fighting earlier appear and leap onto the roof with him, Toothless snarled and lowered his head towards the ground. Where was the girl, sneaking up on him? He shifted his head slightly to make sure she wasn’t trying to creep into his blind spot but he didn’t see her anywhere. Maybe she had been caught up in the fire after all. He snarled at the man as he yelled…something. Probably a challenge or just screaming or a phrase akin to that, lowering his body slightly when the man produced some kind of swirling vortex of blue fire. Really? Didn’t this human know anything at all? Roaring, the dragon started to charge into the vortex, only to screech to a halt when a new…thing appeared. It didn’t look like anything he had ever seen before and if it had some kind of tail he would probably classify it as a dragon. But it looked-and smelled-more like a fish than anything else. Was it an aquatic dragon? What was it doing on land?

His pupils expanded to overtake a good portion of his eye as he retreated backwards a few paces. Well, it had to be a dragon since it looked like it was defending him. No human in their right mind would ever do something like that. Not for a dragon. Making a soft, questioning noise, he glanced between the back of the fishy dragon standing in front of him and the human he had been fighting only moments before.

[Thaelasan]

Lu/Ciel

 

"What... now I'm the bad guy here?" Ciel began, stopping only momentarily. Blood still seeped down his suit and his pants from the two holes in his body and the longer he stood still, the more it hurt. Marbas was in both hands now, gleaming blue in the starlight. Somehow, it had turned to night during all of this. He gritted his teeth, analyzing all possible options.

Fish demons weren't unheard of in Elrios. The mermen of Hamel were a prime example, as were the mermaids who joined them. Though this strange, new female? wasn't as graceful as they were, and had legs, she still certainly didn't smell any less watery and fishy.

He coughed for a moment. The pain was flaring in his body.

"You must be joking. Such barbaric armor..." he gripped the handle of his gun tighter. "If you think to intimidate me-"

"ENOUGH, Ciel."

From his mind, the loud words of Lu were spoken. He paused a moment, uncertain.

"What do you want me to do then?" he breathed, replying to her.

"I'm unsure." Lu whispered, now a bit more soothing. "But as you currently are, taking on both of them at once is foolish. And besides... the fishwoman seems to believe herself a dragon tamer. This fight is no longer ours."

Ciel stood still for only a moment before taking another deep breath. Marbas faded from his hands, the mana from it being absorbed back into his body. He let his hands fall back to his sides, obeying Lu's commands.

"My Queen has seen fit to leave the resolving of this unpleasant situation to you." Ciel grimaced, reluctant. "Do whatever you like with the dragon. It is no longer our concern if you wish to intervene. May it burn you alive."

The last part was added with severe scorn as Ciel limped to the edge of the roof, placing a hand on his leg and giving them one last glance. Lu appeared at his side, a hand around his back.

"Ta ta, fish lady. I hope you enjoy your new pet...Fu..fufufu..." she giggled, helping Ciel leap from the building as the two of them soared towards the ground below...

And double jumped before hitting the ground, landing safely on the pavement and dashing off away from the scene....

 

------

 

Corrin and Kinu

 

As they watched the scene unfold, Corrin prepared to help the butler, though he didn't know why, but he was conflicted since he knew the dragon was only attacking out of self-defense.

Soon, another person entered the field, and Corrin could only watch in confusion as the butler jumped from the building.

AND THERE WAS THE QUEEN AGAIN!

The two disappeared into the blackness of the city, leaving them both to fly in the sky. Corrin and Kinu looked at the fish and dragon, then back where Lu and Ciel had disappeared to.

"...What do we do now?" Corrin asked, dismayed. There was no way their base camp was here. None of these people looked familiar. And the streets were filling with spectators.

"...We're going to follow the girl and the butler." Corrin finally stated. Kinu nodded weakly from his back as the two soared down to where the Butler and Queen had vanished.

[shadow_claw]

Undyne

 

Gills and fins flaring up indignantly, Undyne scowled as she was spoken to. "What are you doing?" She demanded, her single eye flickering back and forth between both people. Humans...they were so frustrating! Her single eye widened as, just like that, the pair turned and darted away. "HEY! COME BACK HERE YOU COWARDS!" Nothing. What made them change their mind so quickly? "FIGHT ME!" Snarling, she slammed her spear into the building. The concrete beneath her cracked with the sheer force, but otherwise remained stable. Stupid humans! She was already growing very tired of their antics.

 

Her armor fizzled away into nothingness as she turned to assess the beast. Poor creature. Those humans had been nothing but bullies to it! the spear, too, dissolved. "What awful things humans are. The more I see them, the less I like them." Her fins flattened against her head as she said this, scowling. At least she had gotten those two awful humans to leave. Terrible things, these humans were. Why was Frisk so different?

 

"Come here, let me see your wounds. It's nothing I can't patch up."

 

 

[Esko]

Xhinna

 

Tazith's faceted eyes were beginning to whirl red, the sign of a dragon's rage. Or the color during a passionate mating flight, but that was beside the point. Xhinna noticed that the black dragon's eyes were different as well as body shape; they were a solid green with black pupils, closer to human eyes but not quite. Maybe it was native to this world, unlike them. One thing was for sure; it was a whole lot smaller, and could quite possibly be overpowered with size. It moved frighteningly fast though, and the quick fire-blasts could prove deadly. The fact that it needed no firestone made it even more dangerous, and adding in its hostility factor....Xhinna figured that they'd need strategy as well as strength.

 

The young woman waited and watched, not completely sure what to do. The dragon seemed convinced that Tazith was on its side, due to the crooning noises it made when it noticed the blue. Did it even notice her presence? How would it react when it saw her, if? It didn't seem to be taking too kindly to the other humans. The weapons they used were peculiar indeed, not like she'd ever seen. The closest would be bow-'n-arrows and flamethrowers people used to sear Thread burrows from the ground.

 

It was a little hard to follow the fight, but one thing she was sure of; she had never seen attacks like the ones some of the fighters were throwing out. Granted, she never saw Records of mysterious transporting or technology like that. Xhinna rubbed her head and sighed deeply, then got an idea. Maybe, if Tazith proves himself as the dominant one, he can stop the black dragon somehow?

'Tazith, can you communicate with the dragon?'

A few minutes pause. 'I cannot reach it.'

Shards! Strange dragon indeed. Xhinna groaned lightly. Then her eyes were directed to a flash of blue, and a fish-creature come out of it. She hadn't noticed it before. It seemed to be defending the dragon, and Xhinna couldn't fathom why. As far as she could tell, nobody was hurt or killed yet, so maybe the fish didn't see it as a villain but rather a confused animal?

 

Tazith could tell what his rider wanted him to do. He lowered in the air, slowly descending, until he landed on the edge of a building close to the dragon. If he had been brown or bronze, he would have sent the structure crashing down. Luckily, he was light enough and it stayed stable. Tazith's wings were spread to make himself look bigger. The fish person's armor dissipated, and it seemed to be attempting communication. Tazith made a semi-loud bugle to try and catch the dragon's attention.