Fight for Flight

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Saren

The Rogue Spectre
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
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  1. Looking for partners
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  2. One post per week
  3. Slow As Molasses
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Weekends
Writing Levels
  1. Advanced
  2. Prestige
  3. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
Genres
Fantasy (medieval or modern), sci-fi, steampunk, genres involving dragons
Humans rule over the dragons. That's the way it's always been... according to the humans. Ask any unbroken dragon, and they'll tell you they were once proud, mighty, and beautiful. Now, they've been reduced to mere animals, much unlike what they once were.

Dragons are captured and forced to be a part of the military. Dragons that refuse to stoop to such lows are sent elsewhere for 'reprogramming.' This process involves breaking the dragons in every way: emotionally, physically, etc. Once the dragons are too weak to continue fighting, they're given cybernetic enhancements along with a serum that keeps them complacent and obedient.

These enhanced dragons join the military and keep civilians (and other dragons) in place. There are very few wild dragons left in the world and said wild dragons are being hunted down and reprogrammed as well.

Kovinth, the lava dragon

Noel Caffir, Lieutenant in the Military

Qan'okean, the poison dragon

Qualen, the ice dragon

Surai, the shadow dragon

Syrena Chelt, a member of the Invisibles
 
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Was the room colder than normal? He wasn't sure he could tell. He'd been huddled in the corner for what felt like weeks, for his claws couldn't grip the floor. There should have been warm dirt and steady streams of lava beneath his paws. Instead, there was a thick sheet of ice covering the floor, slippery and unforgiving each time he walked. As such, he'd been reduced to the corner. His scales could have melted the ice if it was natural, but somehow, it wasn't. These humans had done all kinds of things to ensure that he would never again feel what his home was like.

Gouging his ash colored claws into the ground, he tried to pull himself onto his paws, tail lashing against the wall. How long had he been here? He remembered the day the military had crashed into the fighting ring, how his own kind had swooped in and stabbed and bit at him. He hadn't enjoyed the fighting ring, but somehow, it was worse to see a human defiling the scales of another dragon as if they owned it. A fight was bad, but submission was worse than death.

And it was how he'd found himself here. He'd refused to fall.

"Enjoying yourself, beast?" The dragon lifted his head, crimson eyes narrowing as a small slit in the door hissed open. The only thing visible was the eyes of a human, sharp and calculating as he observed the dragon. "We have yet to discover your name, but in time, you'll find it in your best interest to tell us."

The dragon growled, claws scratching and squealing on the fake ice. He finally stood, wings flaring, if only to brace himself. The human laughed, a grating, barking sound on the dragon's ears. "Well, well, looks like you can try and function on the ice. Not for long though." The metal slit closed, but the dragon wasn't done displaying his ferocity. He roared, the sound bouncing off the icy walls as he leaped forward. His hind legs slipped on the ice as he did, and he only went a few feet forward before his belly scales crashed onto the slippery floor. Shaking off the cold, the dragon's tail lashed at the tall ice spikes placed around the room. The whipping appendage should have shattered the icicles, and yet, nothing broke. Nothing except his pride.

His head lowered, but his eyes didn't lose that hateful determination. Flapping his wings to stay upright, the dragon felt a cool shift in the air. Above him, a machine whirred to life, blowing freezing air into the room. A shudder rippled through his gray scales, trying to stave off the cold.

He wasn't meant to be here. He was meant to feel alive in the bowels of a volcano, reveling in the heat and the magma and everything else that he loved about his home.

He would feel that again one day, because he was going to escape the clutches of these humans.

Roaring, the dragon smashed at the ice spikes again. This time, his claws left visible marks on the sides, much to his enjoyment. "Oh, trying to destroy your home, dragon?" the voice from earlier spat, though this time, it was through a speaker in the corner. "That's not very kind of you now, is it?" The dragon heard a noise on the microphone, and it sounded an awful lot like one of his own. Had they captured another one? "Well, we'll have to chat again soon. We've acquired a rather nice specimen, and I have to formally greet him. So long, beast."

The microphone went dead, and the dragon screeched in pain and fury. It seemed like the humans had all the tools to break the dragons, and his kind was powerless to stop them.

No, he wasn't powerless. He was fire incarnate. He was Kovinth of the Volcano, and he would die before he found himself under the boot of any human.
 
First it had been curiosity, then an overwhelming confusion. The sleek-scaled reptile had recoiled from the sharp jabs and savage flames that had assaulted him the moment he had made that wrong step into the outskirts of the city. However, that confusion had quickly melted away to reveal rage; it was the anger of an indignant animal, denied its rights in living freely. The humans had come in the night, shining their bright and unnatural lights as if it was some kind of game. He hadn't understood the situation even as he had clawed and shrieked in anger at the advancing beasts, all he had known was the burning agony that flared up his flesh as white-hot fires were spewed from the mouths of his own cousins.

Never before had the black dragon suffered such treatment; he'd been part of the occasional scuffle, maybe even the cause of them, but never was he the target of such vile behavior. His enemies had been a flurry of roars and bright flashes, unrecognizable by the sheer chaos of the battle. He would snap his fangs at one exposed stomach, just as a pain shot up his lashing tail. He would manage to shove the feet out from under an opposing creature at the same time as his vision was altered by a burst of blinding light. No matter how many times he would try to melt into the shadows, like he had always done in the face of danger, he was unable to, for there were no shadows.

The humans could change the very land, remove the blankets of darkness that he had always relied on and turn his own kind against him. It was unnatural, it was overwhelming, and the had dragon felt the shrill shriek that had been tearing his throat grow louder and more desperate as the pair of dragons he had been combating ceased raining their blows to instead stand watchfully on either side of him. He had crouched, bleeding deeply, with his wings spread out to their fullest form. His scales had risen along his spine and neck threateningly, each separate piece of keratin shivering in such a manner that seemed to warn his enemies that he wasn't finished yet.
And, no, he wasn't finished yet. Not quite done resisting these brutes was he.

It was not within a dragons nature to yield, and no wild beast in its right mind would let the skin of an underling such as man's touch his body. For inserted into a dragon's soul was the desire to live, hunt, and fly freely into the darkness. Such a creature was simply unable to allow any other being, especially a human, to reduce his scales and flesh to a vehicle or a doll to be used whenever the humans chose. It wasn't right, and it was insulting to a breed such as his for anybody to try to bring him to such a state. Thus, he was enraged and stood stiffly and menacingly while he faced up his two opponents, his eyes swiftly raking them up and down for any weak points.

Without a single preliminary growl or taunt, the dragon at his left side lunged with a vicious certainty, and the black-scaled reptile found himself yet again blocking countless attacks on his sides and throat. His enemies fought without a hesitant thought, their movements were confident and quick as a snake. Even with his speed himself he was unable to parry the barrage of teeth and claws, and before he knew it he was beating his wings at the air, trying desperately to lift off into the skies, into safety.
The hasty retreat had been met with a searing jab as one of the opposing fire-breathers skillfully overtook him with a single leap and brought him, screaming and wriggling, to the ground with a mighty thump. Arms and body pinned to the earth with sharp claws, he arched his neck in fury, struggling and attempting to kick under his capture's crushing weight.

The resistance would prove to be unavailing.
As he snapped threats through lifted lips and flapping wings, a single shape, definitely human and carrying a slender object, stepped forward. Golden eyes narrowing, the shadow dragon studied the newcomer, carefully trying to decide what would happen next.
But even so, he was unable to predict the coming as the slender object was lifted by the human and a skull-splitting pain pierced the vulnerable slit between the plates that layered his chest. Gaze swimming, he felt his own wriggling become weaker as all the strength drained from his flesh. The last thing that passed before his fluttering eyelids were claws wrapping around his neck and his body leaving the ground. His ongoing screech dying away, all senses left his foggy head as he shut down.

---------

Yellow eyes flashed open as a horn-adorned head shot to a vertical position. Where was he? Briefly the black-scaled beast couldn't even recall his own name, let alone the cause of his predicament. All he could recognize was the dull ache throbbing just below his throat and the dusky light that settled in the small room like fog. His claws clicked on something hard as he stood up tentatively.
Surai.
His title returned to mind just as he remembered: the humans had come.

At the same time as it all came back to his mind, a loud chang rang through the small space he had awoken in and blinding light burst in like a thunderbolt, this erected another bat-like shriek from the dragon as he desperately scanned the room for darkness. The whiteness hit him worse that anything he had ever experienced, it seemed to burn his very skin and melt his eyes into a boiling liquid. What was worse was he couldn't determine the cause of it; there was no sun, no fire, no nothing..

Roaring and snarling to the very air that seemed to want him dead, Surai pawed at his stinging eyes irritably, trying to block out the light or.. do something! The radiance stabbed his entire being with tiny needles, somehow passing through his protective scales. The entire room was white, with no shadows to cradle his weak and slender form like they always had in the past.

Unable to do anything, Surai settled for rearing onto his hind legs, tail lashing, and yelping his defiance and pain to the humans that he was sure were there. He didn't know what was going on, but somewhere he knew the humans he'd seen before were involved.
Nevertheless, he wasn't going to yield, cower, or surrender. They would not rule him.
 
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"Ma'am, we've found one."

It was those words that had the First Lieutenant out of the sparring ring and into a fresh pair of clothes faster than one would think humanly possible. Years and years of waiting for the news that her faction's commander had granted her request for a dragon, Noel wasn't going to waste even one more second. If there was one thing in that city which made the people aware of someone's position of power, it was the total ownership of a single scaled beast. The soldiers of higher power, like her commander, could obtain control of as many as six dragons- although Noel had always found the notion that one would need that many reptiles a little ridiculous; one seemed like more than enough to her.

Many riders found their dragons either by placing detailed requests of what they wanted or by training with them and realizing their personalities clicked. For her first few years in the military after surpassing the role of Trainee Noel had desperately hoped she too could find a beast that matched her fiery temper and strength, but to her -and possibly everyone else's- surprise, no dragon they'd captured fit the bill. Not that she would have been able to keep one if they had. It wasn't until after the brunette had finished the rudimentary training needed for riding that her Captain had told Noel she could not receive a dragon until she obtained the rank of at least First Lieutenant. However that hadn't stopped the woman from placing a request for one. Afterward Noel only had one thing on her mind: Rising through the ranks until she was able to have a dragon put into her possession.

Perhaps she'd become a bit too obsessed, but everything had turned out for the better and the desert dweller soon found herself in the position of First Lieutenant at the young age of twenty-seven. And if rumors were to be believed she might even find herself promoted to Captain in the next year. Though Noel wasn't one for buying into hushed words exchanged by her fellow soldiers; it was never intelligent to listen to gossip.

Despite knowing this, Noel still couldn't stop herself from taking in the whispers of those she passed on her way to the cages where she'd been instructed to meet the Captain in charge of introducing her and the winged beast. Apparently a few soldiers had heard they'd caught a Shadow dragon, while some more off to the side said they'd heard it was a Smoke dragon, and then of course there were two or three who were muttering on about how they hadn't heard anything. Honestly, word seems to travel faster than light in this city.

Turning her attention away from the people around Noel picked up her pace and navigated the twists and turns of the labyrinth-like streets until she came to the entrance of the Fang Division's underground detainment and mechanics facility. The guards posted at the elevator doors did not bother checking her identification, obviously having known prior to her appearance that she'd be coming, and let her down without hassle.

Once the doors were open Noel found herself stepping into the cavernous stone room that she'd come to know as almost a second home over the years due to the constant need for checkups on her mechanical arms. Never did a day pass when Noel didn't appreciate having them, but man was the maintenance something she never particularly looked forward. Still, the woman had to be a bit thankful in that moment because if it hadn't been for her numerous trips down, she might not know the long dark halls as well as she did.

It took no more than ten minutes to find who she was looking for and the brunette was quick to salute when Captain Lynch's face came into view. The man put her at ease even quicker and Noel released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when he smiled in amusement and gestured down a hall she'd never been through. "Are you ready to meet your dragon, Lieutenant?"

Noel forced herself to keep calm even though her entire being wanted to scream in affirmation and tear down that smooth floor until she found the cell her dragon was being kept in. It was incredibly hard to squash the childish urges, but Noel managed it and gave her superior a curt nod. "Yes, sir."

"Right this way."

Noel tried to keep the spring out of her step when she began trailing behind the Captain, but the brunette wasn't sure if she managed to keep it contained. Thankfully, if Lynch noticed he didn't say anything and just continued speaking. "They brought him in last night so he's still rather feisty. You'll have to be careful when you go in- remember, even with the Field Suit on it can still see you."

She remembered how this all worked, after all they'd practiced it so many times in training it was almost second nature to the woman. Nonetheless she nodded as if he'd jogged her memory and it hadn't already been something swimming at the forefront of her mind.

"I must say, though, he is magnificent." Where one would have expected to hear awe, Noel only heard pride. Not that she could really blame the Captain; strong, fierce, and all around challenging dragons were becoming harder and harder to find as of late, and when one did come across a dragon which fit such categories it was hard not to feel proud. If their roles had been switched, Noel was sure she'd be feeling rather good about herself too, so she let Lynch have his moment.

When they finally reached a door labelled "Tenebris Fugalacerta" Lynch held a hand up and Noel halted immediately. The Captain placed a hand on one of the many keypads around the door and once it'd scanned his prints the wall beside the cell door split open to reveal two familiar outfits. People of the olden days would probably have mistook the devices for astronaut suits, but Noel's time had them labelled Field Suits. Their purpose was rather straightforward in the brunette's eyes: They created a field around the wearer that protected against any sort of violent force. A hundred years back it was known as a "force-field", but once science had been applied to it, the name "Repellent-Field" soon took it's place as it made more sense to the community.

"Suit up." The man ordered, tossing the Field Suit her way. Noel slipped the thick outfit over her clothes and got the helmet situated over her face, waiting for the telltale airlock hiss signalling it was properly in place before she gave Lynch a thumbs up. The Captain keyed in a few more codes on the other keypads until a much louder hiss broke the silence around them. The second the cell was open Noel had to squint at the light that suddenly flooded her vision, burning her eyes briefly before they adjusted. And once they'd adjusted... the Captain wouldn't have been able to keep her out of that cage if he'd tried.

As soon as Noel caught the flash of black scales she rushed into the dragon's cell and froze immediately when she came practically face-to-face with the reptile. Lynch was right: He was magnificent!

As far as height went, he wasn't that big -not that she cared, she wasn't the tallest of people herself-, but oh did his overall appearance make up for it! Pitch black covered every inch of his slender body and the spikes that traveled the entire length of his spine and tail were sharper than the blades she had hidden all over her person. Not to mention the talons attached to small feet were so perfectly pointed that they put a meat hook to shame. And the teeth?! Phew! Noel felt sorry for anything that tried to pick a fight with the beast. There were ears there too, but pressed so flat to his head in agitation that Noel could barely see them. But out of everything she saw, what really had the desert dweller staring in awe were his eyes. The brightest gold she'd ever seen in her life -which was saying something since she'd met plenty of golden eyed dragons- fixed on her and glowing so intensely it made the brunette wonder if the suit she was wearing would even really protect her. Those eyes were so full of anger, and fear, and intelligence that Noel almost took a step back due to the sheer power the dragon emitted. If it's eyes alone made Noel feel that way, she had to wonder what it would be like to sit atop the creature and feel it's muscles rippling with every movement she commanded of it.

Even if the dragon was staring directly at her with hatred burning clearly at the moment, Noel couldn't help but picture what it would be like when they were looking at her with respect and the desire to obey. The brunette wasn't even sure if Lynch heard her when she finally spoke, but she didn't really care, because the words were more for herself and the mighty beast in front of her.

"He's perfect."
 
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As the First Lieutenant came face to face with the beast she would eventually own, someone else came to watch the interaction. Captain Lynch saluted the newcomer as a show of respect, and all he got was a nod in return. There were plenty of small, one way windows and cameras to monitor the dragons with, and a pair of steely eyes were observing the woman through the screen. The dragon was upset, putting it mildly, but the man peering at him didn't seem to care about his state of emotion. In fact, if anything, the man watched with earnest. He could imagine Noel's reaction, as it had been similar to his own the first time he'd seen the dragon he would own.

When Noel spoke, the man grinned. Microphones were buried in the folds of the field suit, but they were mostly used for handlers to communicate with the scientists watching the dragons. The man didn't respond, since it seemed the First Lieutenant would be enraptured with her dragon for some time. Eventually, she would have to leave the beast in the hands of others, but if he broke easily, they wouldn't be parted for long. In the last few captures, the dragons had been... stronger. Physically, they could have been weak, but their minds were capable of fending off any attempts of control.

Naturally, it was proving to be a problem.

That problem only seemed exacerbated by one of their most recent arrivals. No one had gotten any information from this dragon, and so far, the scientists had only been able to deduce that it was some kind of fire dragon. It didn't seem to function on the ice like many fire dragons before it, and it was only a matter of time before it broke down.

And he would be there, waiting for that moment.

As he passed by some of the lower ranked men and women, they saluted him, and he paid them little attention. His heavy boots could be heard throughout the halls, demanding the attention of every living thing. His feet carried such authority that even some of the dragons were distracted as he passed by their holding cells. Finally, he reached the one he was looking for, and after a short greeting, the man only tapped on the steel door as an indication to be let in. The scientists hesitated, but they were hard pressed to disobey Colonel Ironside. He was one of the most effective - and brutal - dragon handlers ever to be drafted into service, and he had such a forceful command over many dragons that he'd taken to not bothering with a suit.

The doors opened with a smooth hiss, and he stepped forth, locking eyes with the dragon in the back of the room.

-

Kovinth knew someone was coming before the doors opened. One of these humans had an air, a presence that was detectable even through their many layers of protection. At first glance, this human was unarmed and unarmored, but Kovinth knew better than to assume. He sized up his opponent, noticing the many scars lining his face. The dragon bore many of the same marks along the length of his body, but he was nothing like this man. Kovinth had fought for his survival, while this human got scratched up by a hatchling. He was older by human standards, and perhaps he would simply keel over and die from the frigid temperatures in the room.

But hope had abandoned the dragon from the moment he'd been taken by the humans.

Neither dragon nor man moved an inch outside of Kovinth's chest heaving. Anger and the inability to breathe properly left him short of air, but he would die before he would show any submissive motion toward this human. With a growl, Kovinth crouched, but the man still had yet to move. It was possible that this human knew his limitations inside the icy room, and Kovinth didn't need to waste strength putting on a show for him. He had to keep himself from becoming exhausted if he had any plans to break out.

Still, he had ways of displaying his fury. Jaws opened wide in a thunderous roar, one that rattled the ice shards lining the ground. The man never broke eye contact with Kovinth; it was such an oppressive stare, one that made the dragon want to fidget. It was as if the man was trying to discover his secrets with just his steel-gray eyes. Kovinth continued to growl, but his head tilted when the man did something different.

He spoke. "Dragon, I'm going to level with you. You will not escape from here. Not now, not ever. You belong to me now. And I will discover what you know, one way or another." With that forceful command in place, the man turned his back on Kovinth and walked away. They both knew Kovinth wanted to leap on that unprotected back side and tear the man limb from limb, but it didn't happen.

As the doors slid shut behind the human, Kovinth spat a glob of lava onto the ice, watching it harden and crack as it smacked the ground. Nothing he did was effective inside the room, something that angered him. However, now he had something to focus that anger on: the scarred human who thought he could own Kovinth.

Enjoy your commanding presence while you can, human.
 
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[BCOLOR=transparent]To say that every minute that passed in captivation was utter humiliation would be an understatement, and to say that Surai was enraged would be even more so. Almost the entire length of time that elapsed from the moment he had woken to the present hour had been filled with screeches and a vicious cycle of tail-lashing and flashes of razor-sharp fangs. These shots at violence or intimidation hadn't actually had any visible effect on either his cell or his captors- it was more of a display of rage than an actual attempt to escape anyway- but he still found himself unable to hold still. It had never been in his nature to stay put, and this situation didn't change that in the slightest.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Back to the previous statement: Surai was [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]mad. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]He was irate with indignation more than anything. He couldn’t leave marks in the walls- the humans had altered even the mere matter that made up the surface of his cage- and he was even unable to move too much before he forced himself to rest; he knew better than wasting all his energy on petty shows of strength when there was so much light draining it away. He had been reduced to roaring loudly and continuously to the humans that he had a while back learned were listening on him and baring his white fangs at the microphones whenever he was addressed, and it was slowly chipping away at his pride. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The humans themselves had already repeatedly endeavored to reach out to him, but the black-scaled beast had only responded with rather unseemly snorts that may or may have not sounded half-skeptical or a plain refusal to reply at all. He had not felt obligated to answer any of their questions about his name or where he came from, and therefore hadn’t. He could tell that the man talking to him through the speaker had expected this though; the almost-familiar voice asked the questions in an aloof manner, as though he knew that he wasn’t going to get any kind of answer but still knew he had to continue to ask them.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]But when the slightly static voice once again broke through the sound of Surai’s screams, the query that the golden-eyed reptile anticipated never came, the calculating voice he had grown accustomed to replaced with a cold and cruel one. That new voice uttered very few words, but those words formed an altogether new type of sentence; it wasn’t a question, it was just a statement. A blunt statement. A cold voice delivering a blunt statement, how typical.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Things are going to change for you soon, dragon.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]At the time, Surai had thought little of the remark, brushing it off as another pathetic attempt on the humans’ part to get into his head, but he would later realize that it was a warning of some sort. For not even an hour after the ebony-black reptile had ceased his screeching to instead focus on the impossible task of damaging his cell did he sense movement on the other side of the wall he was clawing. Touching the surface of the room was agonizing- it was the source of the light and was in turn extremely bright and hot- but he had still unconsciously decided that it would be letting the humans win to avoid the brightness. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He sensed the movement more than he heard it, as noise from outside was practically completely muffled by the thickness of the walls. It stirred something inside him, and he found himself remembering times when a larger or fiercer dragon had emitted the same scent. It was a sense of power, of something that commanded respect, and Surai couldn’t say he liked it one bit. He didn’t want something thinking it was above him, especially a human, which he was pretty sure was the owner of the power-scent.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]So when the door to his cage slid open and a figure slid inside his room- his new domain- the shadow dragon suddenly became a black torpedo as he shot forward to face the newcomer, not even taking time to study appearances. His lips lifted to reveal needle-sharp teeth and he pinned his ears back, arching his neck and spreading his wings to their fullest form. If this person wanted to command him, then he was ready to show them just what they was dealing with. It would not be the human that ruled him, it would be he who ruled the human. Dragons were, and always would be, superior to these creatures in every way, and he had no intention of sparing this new face.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He wasn’t sure why he had stopped. He wanted nothing more at the moment than to feel his claws slice through flesh and to taste blood in his mouth, he wanted nothing more than to vent his rage on the living figure before him, but he stopped. Maybe it was the power-scent growing stronger as he grew closer to the human, maybe it was the unnatural energy that surrounded it. He didn’t actually ponder why, he just halted about a foot away from the being, his eyes narrowed into slits and his nostrils flaring angrily. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Upon halting, Surai was able to quickly take in a bit of this human’s appearance. He noticed, for one, that this human was different from most of the humans he had seen so far: It was a female. And, while it was rather difficult to view any of her body under the odd material she was wearing, save for her face, he could also see that she had darker skin than that of those he had previously met. Her hair was relatively long and a few shades darker than her skin and her eyes matched the color. Looking into her eyes, Surai could easily see a hunger, she was looking at him with a hunger for control, for power. It was a look he had seen in faces of animals before they dominated another, and he tried his best to send a similar expression her way; he wasn’t about to let this female think she could have him to herself. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The exchange between the two was rather brief, and it wasn’t long before Surai released a built-up shriek as he lunged at the human, lips curled back to expose sharp fangs. He was not about to let this woman’s powerful presence hold him back from showing her exactly who was at whose mercy. His heart beat almost eagerly as he awaited the sensation of flesh between his jaws and the uplifting knowledge of knowing he had won. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]The black-scaled dragon didn’t necessarily enjoy fighting- not to say he despised it though- but he couldn’t deny that he wanted to show the humans just what they were trying to control. He wanted to make an example of this female, and he was going to.[/BCOLOR]


[BCOLOR=transparent]Surai’s attack was so spontaneous, and his mind was so fixated on destroying the human that he barely even registered when his muzzle suddenly collided with some unseen force and was stopped in its tracks mid air. Pain ripped through his skull and down his spine for a split second and he found himself recoiling from the blow. He had not seen any weapon with the human, so it made no sense that she could have hurt him.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The pain faded in a matter of moments, so Surai charged again, this time feinting left before swerving with an unnatural speed to leap right. Somehow, though, he was once again blocked and the same shock of pain flashed through his body before fading. He pushed down his rising confusion and attacked again, then again, and once more. He became warier and more complicated with each attack as he went on, but the invisible enemy still managed to send him withdrawing from the seemingly unaffected human. There was some force protecting her, some unnatural and unseen being keeping her safe.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]And that was enough of a reminder. It was a reminder of the fact that the humans were able to control forces beyond his very imagination, they were able to take away shadows, to make unending light, and now to cause pain out of nowhere. At once, the humiliation returned, but this time with a fresh wave of determination. He may not be able to attack this human, but he was still going to get out. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As for the human, she could enjoy her invisible barrier as much as she wanted, but he would eventually catch her without it, and then she’d be a goner.[/BCOLOR]
 
The first time the beast lunged Noel couldn't keep the smug smirk off her face when the dark creature howled in pain it didn't understand, pleased that it had in fact done what she'd been expecting of it. To be honest, the woman would have been disappointed if the dragon hadn't tried to attack, and as it continued its various attempts to get past the suit's defenses the desert dweller did not so much as flinch. Her cedar brown eyes flicked back and forth with every movement the black serpent made, taking careful note of every turn of it's body as it came back time and time again for a new type of vicious attack so she had an idea of how to maneuver around it in the future.

Noel was well aware that the creature was trying to establish dominance -the raw power exuding from it's scales told her that- by hurting her which made the woman want to laugh until her sides hurt, because this beast had no idea that it was no longer the one in control. It had no idea the very person it was trying to tear apart was going to be atop it's back when the time came and the last reserves of energy his had left him nothing but a hollow shell of what he'd used to be. The dragon had no idea that it was the pet and she was the master, but Noel knew that in time it would, and when that moment came, she would be thrilled to stand before the great beast and know he was under her control.

The dragon, now sitting in front of her again, having given up his attempts to rip the brunette to shreds, was eyeing Noel with just as much rage as he'd been minutes earlier, but that did not stop the woman from taking a step toward the creature. Noel had enough experience with the Field Suit to know it would continue protecting her even when she moved around. Now that the beast had exerted some of his energy the brunette was sure he wouldn't be as willing to lunge at her when she drew closer. It was a gut feeling, and perhaps it was wrong, but it didn't deter Noel's movements, and within seconds the desert dweller stood only eight feet from the black beauty's front claws.

"Hello, Tenebris Fugalacerta, I'm Noel." The woman knew better than to address the dragon as if it were a dog and kept her tone civil, if a bit hard to show who was in control here. Yes, Noel respected dragons -something which had been drilled into her being at a young age- but that did not mean she thought they were not to be dominated. Yes, she could be nice to the creature, but she also wasn't afraid to punish the serpent until he understood he was to listen to her and answer her when she spoke to him. However, Noel was at least fair and wasn't going to expect the dragon to be very cooperative the first meeting if she stayed predictable and asked the same question the scientists had likely been asking all day. So the woman decided to take the creature off guard with a question that was seemingly random.

"You don't like humans, do you?"

Of course the brunette knew the answer was a fat, resounding "yes" because it was quite obvious, but Noel knew if she could get the serpent talking, she could make progress. Maybe playing a little good cop/bad cop would work with this guy, since even if dragons were supposedly superior in intelligence, Noel was pretty sure they still understood injustice and felt the negative feelings associated with it. That meant there was the possibility that the desert dweller's tactic could work. If it did, Noel knew for certain she could get the dragon telling her it's name in no time. She just had to play the role of friend for awhile.

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

The man nodded in approval of the First Lieutenant's tactical decision to approach the situation in a way that would have a higher chance of disarming the Shadow Dragon and decided to it was fine to leave the woman with her future pet for at least fifteen minutes. Just as Captain Lynch stepped out from the observation room and turned to walk down the hall towards one of the science wings to discuss the altercations to his dragon's saddle, he was interrupted by thudding footsteps and a voice tinged with concern.

"Captain Lynch!"

The man turned on his heel to face the newcomer, recognizing them immediately as one of the handpicked soldiers in his division and frowning just enough to show the Sergeant he was giving permission to speak. Weiss seemed rather agitated, something his men rarely were, which meant whatever she wanted to say was both important and not good.

"Sir, it's Wing Division. They reported sightings of the Invisibles and the dragons are acting up."

Lynch schooled his expression so Sergeant Weiss did not see how much the information truly effected him, only sighing quietly and shaking his head. "How long ago were these sightings?"

"Not a half hour ago, Sir," Weiss stated, looking at the Captain, awaiting the orders she knew were coming.

Lynch nodded curtly and thought on it a moment before sending his Sergeant away with orders to send out two of their best squads, "Bring one of the Invisibles back alive, and kill the others. Capture any dragons they may have brought though."

"Yes, Sir." Weiss clicked her heels before tearing down the hall once more, headed for the surface to relay the plan to Major Miles and Captain Maverick's squads, leaving Lynch to pinch the bridge of his nose and exhale heavily. The resistance known as the Invisibles was becoming a real problem as of late. At first they had been few in numbers and therefor had not been a threat, but as time passed they grew stronger and braver, going so far as to attack their soldiers and take their dragons. It was getting worse too. The Invisibles had never before tried going after Wing Division, as it was so close to the capital city, making it one of the better defended spots and harder to navigate through as the buildings got taller and the streets more narrow. The Captain had known it was only a matter of time, as had everyone else, but the fact that it was so soon after the Invisibles' last attack... they were getting very gutsy, which didn't leave the Captain feeling very pleased.

Of course they would eventually crush the resistance and make them wish they had never tried to meddle in the affairs of the military... But how many dragons would they take before that day came? What would the cost be?
 
A week had passed. Kovinth only knew it had been a week, for he'd taken to etching a line into the ice for each passing hour. He only knew when each hour passed because of the harsh rings sounding through the human complex. Perhaps it was to remind the humans of their patrols, or when they were allowed to eat and sleep. Kovinth had heard such sounds before, but this one seemed more annoying. It had been generated by his captors, which was why it grated on his ears. Everything the humans did was designed to break him down, to force him into submission. No matter what they did, he wouldn't be broken.

At least, that's what he had to remind himself of with each ticking second. It was hard to remember to be strong in the presence of such power. It was easy to cower and give in, but he wasn't that kind of dragon. Never had been, and never would be. He had stayed alive this long by being stronger and better than those around him. The steely-eyed human and his lackeys wouldn't break a lava dragon with such simplicity.

Kovinth dreamed of the outside world, a place where he wasn't surrounded by such frigid temperatures at all times. He would never admit it, but he almost missed the fighting pit... almost. At least there, he had been doing something, even if it was battling for his life. Action fueled him, made him feel alive. Sitting so stagnantly was wearing on him. But he could never show that to the humans. They would pounce on him just like his draconic enemies had in the pit.

Kovinth rested his head on his paws, trying to draw warmth from his talons. He felt as though the ground was sucking the heat from him. He could barely generate breath, and he could see the expelled air materialize in front of him as he sighed. In a few days, he knew his scales would threaten to shiver right off his body. As he rested there, he heard something click and then hiss. Red eyes glanced at the door to see two suited humans enter the room. A low growl rumbled in his throat, talons digging into the ice. He heaved himself to his feet, careful not to slip. The humans were carrying all sorts of chains and cables, and one section had a steel muzzle designed to fit over even his sharpest scales. Keeping his grip on the slippery ground, Kovinth lunged, snapping at the muzzle. However, in his fierce display of power, his talons betrayed him. A slippery crack sounded from underneath him as the massive dragon hit the ground, limbs scrambling to right himself. The humans took the only opportunity they had, sliding the muzzle over his jaws and clamping his mouth shut. Kovinth thrashed his head from side to side, growling deep in his throat and snorting faint curls of smoke. However, he felt metal click and slide around his maw, sealing it shut. The humans tugged and Kovinth's head jerked forward with them. He tried to stab his claws into the ice, but he only succeeded in sliding forward.

This was no way to fight a proper fight. The humans held all the power in his icy cage. But he wasn't going to back down. Dying was preferable to betraying his own kind.

However, he couldn't do anything from the inside. To escape, he would have to be outside. Judging from their harsh yanks, they wanted him to go somewhere. He hadn't been out of his cage ever since he'd been there, and they had been careful to keep it clean and free of anything unsavory. Now, however, they wanted him to leave, which was a new development. Curiosity - certainly not submission - won him over, and he still feigned strong pulls on the rope. The back of his metal prison hissed, cracking open slowly. Sunlight splashed onto the ice, reflecting off the surface and momentarily blinding him. But he could feel the warmth, the strength returning to him in waves of glorious light. Once he was able to see, Kovinth growled at the sights, for they were like nothing he'd ever seen. In this particular case, his prison opened up into a wide arena, which he was at least familiar with. However, the arena had a domed roof and there were several other prisons like his, but only a few were open. Whatever dragons were inside hadn't emerged yet, and he took the time to tug on his restraints to test the humans. They had a hearty grip on the cables, but with his strength coming back, they wouldn't be able to keep him down for long. They had to know the risks of letting him out, which explained the domed ceiling.

Even as he thought about trying to burst through the glass, a machine whirred, and a large metal sheet slid over the dome, locking shut to prevent escape. Kovinth shook his head, feeling the sunlight fade. He had absorbed some power, but it wasn't enough. It was never going to be enough.

A familiar, though disgusting, presence made itself known in the form of Colonel Ironside as the man walked out of a small door in between the prisons. "Well, well, dragon. We meet again," he said, and while his tone was friendly, the smile curling across his face was anything but. Kovinth jerked his head as he looked down, glaring at the man. He said nothing. This man didn't need to hear his voice. "I'd hoped to know your name, beast, but it seems you aren't so forthcoming with that information. No matter. I'll know soon enough."

Kovinth watched as another door slid open from the wall, but the shadows obscured whatever was on the inside. "Since you've refused to break, I thought I would bring in a little help. The ice dragon Qualen is one of our finest specimens and the best at breaking feisty little dragons like yourself." Kovinth snorted at the notion, but at the same time, he felt a creeping sense of dread crawl along his scales. Ice and lava didn't mix well. If Qualen was stronger than him, it was entirely possible he would be overtaken by the other dragon.

Thinking like that would bring him down faster than any icy talons, and he wasn't at his weakest. They'd made the mistake of allowing even just the hints of sunlight filter into the arena. It was a mistake they wouldn't make again, he was sure, but for now, it was enough.

It had to be.

-

"Syrena!" The blond woman turned to see a group running up to her. "Our hit on Wing Division still remains a success. They haven't sent more than the preliminary troops after us, and the two dragons we got away with haven't shown any signs of turning back."

"Good," she said, but her mind was on all the people they'd lost. The Invisibles had suffered terrible blows from the Wing Division soldiers, and she wasn't even sure they were spared. What she did know was that they'd come back with less than they'd started. The only benefit of their strike was the two dragons they'd returned with. They were small things, probably only a few decades old. They were both females, Nesenth and Orsuna, which was something their draconic ally would be pleased with. "Go check on the two little ones for me. I need to speak to Revak about things." With a nod, the leader of the group dashed off, taking his sea of recruits with him. The Invisibles had a large camp, but their numbers were dwindling. Only the human faction could successfully infiltrate the military headquarters; taking the dragons with them was too risky. But the leaders weren't getting more willing humans to join them, and as one of the strategists for the rebel group, Syrena was running out of options.
 
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