Collaboration with @TheQueensGuard @Annyeong Bunny
The creature stirred slightly, the small footsteps of a man encroaching on the beast's slumber caused one of his heavy eyelids to open. A single claw knocked away some of the books covering the dragons head as it drowsily looked towards the gas mask wearing man. For a moment, the dragon watched as the man seemed to not notice him. He flicked through one book, before tossing it aside and grabbing another. Something of a smirk appeared on the dragons face, as it finally made itself known.
Shaking the various rubble and books from his body, the dragon gave a low growl, it's foot stretching out on an old oak table before it collapsed from the dragons weight. Sending a puff of air through its nose, the dragon leaned closer to the man, awaiting it's response.
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Nomad
As Nomad flipped through book after book. Some talked about odd topics like romance, adventure. Even one has a weird page system that said 'go to this page and something happens' instead of simply flipping through. It was odd but unique in his eyes. Afterall, many of these books were written in a time before the portals and for the most part, some of them held knowledge and experiences that weren't plagued by the troubles of today.
A trouble of today made itself known as Nomad was skimming through a rather nice book about nature. One that Nomad did not expect to see nor encounter. And one that he hoped had gone with the mana-storm of last night.
The dragon, in all of its horrifying glory.
The mere realization did not dawn upon Nomad immediately, in fact he looked up at the noise, went back to reading before it hit him. The book falling out of his hands and onto the floor, Nomad's knee-jerk reaction was to let out a noise of some sort, but nothing came out save for a small sharp intake of air as he stumbled backward over a fallen book.
He'd crawl backward until the ruined wood that was the shelf met his back, and he was essentially left without a method of escape. The cursed beast looked like it was smirking, as it got even closer than when Nomad first saw it. Opening its jaws to rip into him or whatever the flying beast had in mind. Almost as if Nomad's body moved on its own, he grabbed a book from the discarded pile and hefted it at the dragon as if a bundle of paper could do something against a beast that could topple a city alone.
And this should've been the end of Nomad, killed by a beast that he feared. Poetic in a way. But fate had something else in mind it seemed, as the book flew through the air, right into the jaws of the beast, colliding with the fleshy thing in the back of its throat. Making it rear back in surprise and of its own body spasms as reflex kicked in with hacking coughs and gags as it went through the shock of what just happened.
The beast was stunned for the moment, and the newfound space Nomad found himself with was used in earnest as the young man darted past the scaled beast. Tripping over books and destroyed furniture, Nomad practically skated out of the destroyed library on his knees as he did his best to escape the creature. As he found himself outside, he continued to run. Keeping his gaze locked on the library, waiting for the dragon to burst forth to chase after him.
If only he kept his gaze forward, he would avoid running right into another person. And falling to his side from the impact, his heart racing a hundred miles per hour, he looked to the person he had bumped into.
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Fayne
It was the day after the mana-storm and Fayne slowly lifted her gaze from underneath her shelter of leaves and sturdy logs. Thankfully, she had been given enough time to carve a hole in the ground with enough room to hide in, despite having escaped from the Folly group of Stoneview. She had lived in peace in the woods on her own before she was caught up with them… and perhaps that was her own fault.
The woman pushed those thoughts from her head as she scanned the ground ahead of her, keeping her body hidden. It seemed like the coast was clear, so the tall woman pushed the wood and leaves from the top of the hole, grunting a bit as she pulled herself onto level ground, feeling the cramps developing in her legs from being forced in such a cramped position over-night.
Then, a thought raced through her mind. 'Beau!'
Fayne hurried to her feet and turned in a circle, her eyes wide in slight panic. She had been separated from her bonded musk deer before the storm, and she had told him to find a safe place to hide. However, the storm was harsh and he was just a young deer. "God, where are you?" she called out in her mind, her forest green eyes narrowed, the golden flecks shimmering intensely as she searched for her friend.
After a minute of silence, no response, Fayne felt her heart stumble and her stomach clenched with anxiousness. Reaching back down into the hole, the worried woman grabbed her weapons: her Mansonia bow and quiver of arrows. Her knife was always strapped to her hip at all times, and hidden within the bushes beside the hole, she grabbed her spear and slid it into the spear holster against her back. Fayne then quickly tied her hair up into a high ponytail, the length falling to the middle of her back before she pulled her mask over her face, now carrying the face of a wolf. Underneath, she had her black eye patch tied around her head, hiding her harsh-looking scar that was across her eyebrow.
Within seconds, the woman was running through the trees, her mind calling to Beau as she did, hoping to get some kind of response, even if it was distant. More thoughts of her own filled her mind, making her more panicked than she probably should have been. This caused her to move into a sprint, tearing through the trees as her legs carried her almost weightlessly.
However, Fayne was quickly taken by surprise as she felt her feet fly from underneath her, seeing the ground immediately at her face. A yelp escaped her mouth and she fell hard against the ground, her left shoulder aching from the sudden impact she had felt. Quickly, she turned her masked face toward… another masked face? Confusion wracked her body more than the ache, but even more so, the mask on the other looked oddly familiar?
She remembered that when she was in Stoneview she must have witnessed that mask wandering around somewhere. Perhaps when she was mainly living in the woods?
"Are you okay? You seem to be in a hurry too." Fayne commented finally, her voice quiet yet strong as she moved to a kneeling position, looking over the other fallen person in front of her. Slowly, she reached out a hand and held it to him, raising a hidden eyebrow more to herself than the mysterious man. "Why are you--" the woman stopped mid-sentence as she felt the ground beneath her shake. A new sense of panic ran through Fayne's veins as she saw the silhouette of… a dragon. A goddamn dragon.
"You've got to be shitting me! A dragon?!" Fayne exclaimed as she hurried to her feet, attempting to pull the other quickly with her. "You're running from a fucking dragon?" Fayne questioned out loud, her voice leaving her mouth quickly with dumbstruck surprise.
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Nomad
It seemed Nomad's nerves were not going to get any better. As he was face-to-face with someone wearing a mask that looked like a wolf, and for a split second he thought he had ran straight into a werewolf. But upon closer inspection allowed Nomad to see that the mask was clearly fake and that he wasn't about to be running from two things today.
He accepted the offered hand, only for the other thing he was running from to make itself known as it took to the sky, and despite the distance he could feel its gaze on him. He was stunned until the mysterious masked woman pulled him to his feet, and rhetorically asked about said dragon chasing him.
He could only shakingly shrug his shoulders as he was conveying that he didn't intend to make a dragon angry, before he'd pull the masked woman in the direction of an alleyway, in hopes of putting something in between them and the flying beast that got closer and closer within seconds.
The few hairs on his arms stood on their ends as the beast unleashed a slew of energy that was awfully similar to the bolts of lightning from last night. The street that they were standing on was utterly destroyed from the flyby. The dragon pulling up for another run.
Nomad would lead the woman through alleyway after alleyway, the dragon making runs and sometimes straight up crashing into spots where it thought they were. And sometimes it got close enough that Nomad could feel the breath of the beast on him as it recovered. One time he met its gaze, and was met with utter anger, and something he could only describe as insidious intent.
As if the creature had plans for retribution.
Eventually, by either luck or some other unknown force, the pair would eventually find themselves near a skyscraper with people in front. And while Nomad would be happy that he was going to be back in the company of friends, the presence of the dragon only served to replace the relief with an immeasurable dread. As the thoughts of Mona and the others be injured or worse by this beast coursed through his mind.
That was when a calmness overtook him as he made his mind up about what to do.
He was going to distract the beast from his friends, and this mysterious woman as well. He'd tap the woman on her shoulder, before pointing at the group of people, and doing his best to signal that they were friendly and for her to run as fast as she possibly could. After that was done, he'd pull out the single-shot hunting rifle that was slung over his shoulder and make his way out from the alleyway, and from the group of people.
Firing a shot at the dragon when it changed course for them, the shot plinking off the scales but nonetheless getting its attention onto him. Which was almost instant, and the dragon veered off from the path to the others and towards him, dipping down until crashing down near Nomad, sending the poor lad flying onto his back from the force of the impact. Barely avoiding being crushed by the remains of a rusted car, Nomad would barely have a moment to recover as a scaled paw knocked back down and pinning him, barely skewered by the claws through the beast's own action, Nomad unwillingly awaited whatever came next.
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The dragon was careful not to crush the little man, it would relish the taste of a still living victim; especially one that had the audacity to tosse a book down its throat and shot at him. A low growl escaped the dragon's throat once again, the smirk-like expression returning as a forked tongue licked the dragons lips. The dragon hadn't thought anyone would be foolish enough to interrupt his meal. The dragon didn't account for being in the midst of a trolls territory.
As the dragon leaned over to bite the gas mask wearing man in two, it paused as the lumbering footsteps of a large, overweight troll neared. The dragon only had enough time to look up towards the troll, as a telephone pole came crashing into its side. Knocking the dragon off of Nomad, it crashed into the side of a building before letting out an enraged roar.
"Scaly-thin' hunt in Gosmox territory? Gosmox eat scaly-thin for food!" The troll said, it's voice gruff and intelligent as it seemed to struggle with the words. The troll glanced down at the man. "Gosmox eat little-one to!" It continued, reaching down to scoop Nomad up before it was blasted backwards in the chest by a bolt of lightning fired from the dragons mouth. Lighting trickled through out the dragon's body, crackling between its scales, spikes and spines. The troll was only knocked off balance, but as pieces of rock fell from the trolls chest it was seemingly unharmed.
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Fayne
It seemed that in a matter of seconds, Fayne was being pulled behind the masked man, taking her by surprise. Her mouth felt numb as she forced herself to keep looking forward, avoiding the temptation to look back at the behemoth of a creature just behind them.
Without loosening her grip, the masked woman kept a hold on the man's hand and matched his pace so they were running side-by-side. Despite the pounding heartbeat in her chest and ears, her stomach tightened at the thrill of actually seeing a dragon. It was her ultimate goal to bond with one in the future, but she knew she was a long way away. The thrill quickly turned to fear once more, however, as Fayne felt the hairs on the back of her neck singe from how close the dragon's attack was.
If she were to check the end of her ponytail, she was sure that she would find the ends singed as well, but in that moment, all she was thinking about was widening the gap between them and the dragon. Though her body was strengthened for long runs and sprints, Fayne could hear her breathing coming out in pants, her hand beginning to sweat as she kept her grip on the other's. She knew better that it was from her lack of rest the night before, with the mana storm, so her energy was already dwindling.
Then, with her forest green gaze, she watched the masked man turn to look at the dragon, prompting her to turn as well. The sight before her was an angered creature of power that sent waves upon waves of chills down her spine, causing her jaw to drop behind her mask. She didn't know what the mysterious man had done to anger the beast, but she could only imagine based off of the dragon's look that whatever it was had made him furious.
Fayne quickly turned her gaze back ahead of her and almost missed the tap she had been given on her shoulder. With her arms pumping in time with her arms, she turned to glance at the man beside her, sensing his sudden change in atmosphere. Furrowing her midnight brow, she turned her eyes to the direction he pointed, seeing a group of people in the distance. Without a chance to even respond, she was taken aback by his sudden turn in direction, feeling his hand leave her grip in an instant. Her feet continued in the opposite direction until she heard a commotion.
Upon looking back to where the masked man had run off to, she saw that the scene had changed entirely. The dragon stood mere feet from the man who was on his back, and…
A troll.
Fayne felt her feet fumble, and losing her balance ever so slightly, she cursed and shifted her weight, catching herself as she slid into a pounce position. Not bothering to give herself a single second to catch her breath, she pushed forward into a lowered sprint, keeping her body low as she kept a hand near her holstered dagger, her slender legs moving with long, fast strides, carrying her closer to the scene. The golden flecks in her forest green eyes intensified by the sudden reversal into predator mode, though she knew she would be no match for a dragon, much less a troll. However, with the bit of morals she managed to keep, she couldn't leave the man who had helped drag her along.
By the time Fayne had made her way to the masked man, the dragon had sent a blow against the troll, catching it's attention. The woman's chest rose and fell as she slid to a stop near him, hurrying to pull at his top so that he could follow her.
"Come on! Quickly before they notice you're still here." Fayne breathed with a stronger voice, kneeling next to the man as she quickly gripped at the dagger sheathed on her waist, moving her gaze to watch the dragon and troll. Instead of panic, the woman now watched the battle between the two beasts with a calculative look, scanning her one eye not hidden by the eyepatch with an unwavering gaze. "If we stick around, we'll end up like gum on the bottom of their feet; crushed like a grape."
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Nomad
If there was one thing Nomad was not expecting today, after having a run in with one of the things he fears, was another thing he feared coming out of the woodwork to fend off the scaled beast.
The two fighting each other with fervor in their movements, the two wanting the other dead so the victor could enjoy their spoils. Neither would be good for Nomad. So when the masked woman was by his side within seconds, urging him to get back up, and to the others. He would pick up the rifle that he dropped when the dragon collided with the ground before pinning him. Slinging it back over his shoulder, Nomad would run with the woman back to the others, the group beginning to move out, and he'd look to Logan for their next big move.
@TheQueensGuard @Snowflake @Sketching101 @Annyeong Bunny @Rads @Kurogane86 @ItariChan @StareNation