Strife

[Snowflake]

~~Mona Twist~~

There would've been more questions for the now named Nomad but Mona didn't have the heart to bother him that night. He seemed on edge so she made sure to give him a reassuring shoulder pat and take over the first watch so that he could rest properly. There wasn't much to do other than set up some wards and ensure no one snuck up on them. The Monsters were bound to miss them so the only threat were people from folly or other bandits. She spent most of her time maintaining her focus and making sure all the runes and sigils she left were still functional despite the storm.

When sleep came it came hard and quickly. She would need a few days of proper rest after this whole adventure. Of course, there was no doubt in her mind that Lyra was fine. She was way faster and smarter than Mona and there was no way she let herself get hurt. It wasn't a thought that Mona wanted to even consider let alone entertain. She was glad it didn't make her restless and that the fatigue knocked her out quickly. Morning came and the scarce sunlight got her up and about before Logan roused them all. She peeked out and spotted him taking his 'medicine'. It was a public secret around town that he needed it and no one held that against him. If their search got extended perhaps it could turn out to be a problem.

"Morning folks." She said with a smile at the other duo of men in her group. She was already packed and ready to go search for the other group hoping to find them easily. When she got down to Logan she was curious about the plan. "So do we start a big signal fire or go around shooting guns until they find us? Do we try and be sneaking and hope we spot them before spotting danger?" She counted on him as the one with the most experience to handle the situation properly. "We're in your hands, Uncle Logan." She looked at him with a focused gaze.

 

[The Wanderer]

Nomad

The night was thankfully uneventful. Nomad actually got more sleep than what he expected, although his dreams were not as odd as the other night. He could've sworn he could smell water that had salt to it. With something else just underneath it, something that he could not describe beyond it smelling like something sickly sweet.

Like something one would use to lure prey in.

And as Nomad went through the effort of waking oneself up for the day, he could feel like something was watching him. Like right into his very soul and it filled him with a type of dread that left him cold. So cold that the chilly fall wind felt warm in comparison. As the others began to plan to find the others, Nomad took a cautionary look outside, seeing only the remains of the chaos from the storm and the dragon that followed it. But little to no Mana-Starved could be seen or heard, no thumping footsteps, nor roars from horrors unseen.

All of it done in an attempt to shake the feeling and subsequent cold from his body and mind.

The fact that everything seemed so empty and void of any creature made Nomad feel a bit better. After all, quite possible that the storm and dragon scared everything back into the deepest recesses of the city and for the time being, they had free-run of the place. Which meant they had a window to find the others, quickly complete their task and get out, and back to the safety of Breez or anywhere not here.

And when the others came up with a plan, he'd volunteer to do some scouting and finding any supplies while they went off to find the other group, as he was extremely skilled in being sneaky. Granted, he didn't have the magical means to enhance his stealthy-ness. But his quiet and careful approach to things could help mitigate things. That and his lack of magic helped in avoiding the attention of anything that loved magic.

So after a quick quiet word of assurance that he'll be fine, Nomad split off from the group, staying close to the ground and taking cover wherever he could. Avoiding any stray mana-starved that didn't follow the mana-storm for whatever reason, as the husks ambled about in a blind direction-less way. And stopping in and out of buildings for supplies. Coming across several remains of bandits, he would come out of it with some ammo, a knife or two and some rations they had on them. Granted, he had to still his stomach to prevent retching at the sight of a bloodied corpse or what was left of their comrades from the mana-starved, and that dragon, or whatever else was still lurking.

He avoided remains that seemed too fresh, avoiding them like the plague just because it felt like a trap or something, or indication something was still active in the city. Something that didn't fear the chaos of last night.

He'd eventually stumble upon a rather large building, most likely used as a place of learning as evident from the remains of a sign that read "library" with the broken pieces of the sign with its full name around it.

Stepping through the empty lobby, Nomad carefully checked every nook and cranny for any monster that lurked in the shadows, even stopping to listen for the noises of anything moving. The only thing that he could hear, were the movements of rats and other similarly sized critters. Which made him feel safer somewhat. As it meant that nothing could be in here to scare them off or whatever.

But then again, as the voice in his head reminded him. Or something is in here that they are avoiding without exposing themselves.

That thought made him cautious as he went into the large interior where the books were gathered. But once he did, the shelves and upper parts of the library as well as the roof itself looked collapsed. As if something crashed through it. Books and rubble piled up into the middle like a mound that meant to serve as a small representation of the results from the chaos that was last night. The mound did look a bit bigger than what the damage done to the building was, but Nomad put it off as his mind being too jumpy.

So in relative safety, and wanting to treat himself to a few books. Nomad began to search the remaining bookshelves and what books that didn't fall apart for anything of note, or possible worth. As well as something to give to the group. Like a memento of this trip and their eventual survival of it.

If only he paid close attention to the mound slowly moving up and down.....

Ending put on with permission from le GM

@TheQueensGuard @Snowflake @Rads

 

[Rads]

Nomad

The night was thankfully uneventful. Nomad actually got more sleep than what he expected, although his dreams were not as odd as the other night. He could've sworn he could smell water that had salt to it. With something else just underneath it, something that he could not describe beyond it smelling like something sickly sweet.

Like something one would use to lure prey in.

And as Nomad went through the effort of waking oneself up for the day, he could feel like something was watching him. Like right into his very soul and it filled him with a type of dread that left him cold. So cold that the chilly fall wind felt warm in comparison. As the others began to plan to find the others, Nomad took a cautionary look outside, seeing only the remains of the chaos from the storm and the dragon that followed it. But little to no Mana-Starved could be seen or heard, no thumping footsteps, nor roars from horrors unseen.

All of it done in an attempt to shake the feeling and subsequent cold from his body and mind.

The fact that everything seemed so empty and void of any creature made Nomad feel a bit better. After all, quite possible that the storm and dragon scared everything back into the deepest recesses of the city and for the time being, they had free-run of the place. Which meant they had a window to find the others, quickly complete their task and get out, and back to the safety of Breez or anywhere not here.

And when the others came up with a plan, he'd volunteer to do some scouting and finding any supplies while they went off to find the other group, as he was extremely skilled in being sneaky. Granted, he didn't have the magical means to enhance his stealthy-ness. But his quiet and careful approach to things could help mitigate things. That and his lack of magic helped in avoiding the attention of anything that loved magic.

So after a quick quiet word of assurance that he'll be fine, Nomad split off from the group, staying close to the ground and taking cover wherever he could. Avoiding any stray mana-starved that didn't follow the mana-storm for whatever reason, as the husks ambled about in a blind direction-less way. And stopping in and out of buildings for supplies. Coming across several remains of bandits, he would come out of it with some ammo, a knife or two and some rations they had on them. Granted, he had to still his stomach to prevent retching at the sight of a bloodied corpse or what was left of their comrades from the mana-starved, and that dragon, or whatever else was still lurking.

He avoided remains that seemed too fresh, avoiding them like the plague just because it felt like a trap or something, or indication something was still active in the city. Something that didn't fear the chaos of last night.

He'd eventually stumble upon a rather large building, most likely used as a place of learning as evident from the remains of a sign that read "library" with the broken pieces of the sign with its full name around it.

Stepping through the empty lobby, Nomad carefully checked every nook and cranny for any monster that lurked in the shadows, even stopping to listen for the noises of anything moving. The only thing that he could hear, were the movements of rats and other similarly sized critters. Which made him feel safer somewhat. As it meant that nothing could be in here to scare them off or whatever.

But then again, as the voice in his head reminded him. Or something is in here that they are avoiding without exposing themselves.

That thought made him cautious as he went into the large interior where the books were gathered. But once he did, the shelves and upper parts of the library as well as the roof itself looked collapsed. As if something crashed through it. Books and rubble piled up into the middle like a mound that meant to serve as a small representation of the results from the chaos that was last night. The mound did look a bit bigger than what the damage done to the building was, but Nomad put it off as his mind being too jumpy.

So in relative safety, and wanting to treat himself to a few books. Nomad began to search the remaining bookshelves and what books that didn't fall apart for anything of note, or possible worth. As well as something to give to the group. Like a memento of this trip and their eventual survival of it.

If only he paid close attention to the mound slowly moving up and down.....

Ending put on with permission from le GM

@TheQueensGuard @Snowflake @Rads

Rain is fine even though he had some drink, he says to logan looks like you and the drink don't play so well together, but yes working out a plan now is key, lastly I have some herbal mix for such ocastions".
He would have been nicer to mona had she not got stupid with him. He looks amoungest the group waiting to see how each of them would react.

 

[TheQueensGuard]

Logan Russo
Stoneview Streets
Mentions: @The Wanderer @Snowflake @Rads

"So do we start a big signal fire or go around shooting guns until they find us? Do we try and be sneaking and hope we spot them before spotting danger?"
Logan grunted in response, slinging his bag over his shoulders. "I'd rather not make enough noise to draw those Starved back our way, so we'll just head that way. No doubt they'll be heading towards, so we 'outta meet in the middle. If we are lucky, Emrin's little bird outta spot us. If not, I'll think of another plan." He paused briefly, as Nomad volunteered to go scouting. Logan nodded, smiling some that the kid volunteered himself. Pointing down the road to the north, he said. "Gasmask, you'll be scouting on ahead. Only go four or five blocks then hold up for us. Look for supplies and any sign of the group we are looking for. They'll be from Providence, so expect them to be all fancy with some proper gear unlike the bandits from yesterday. More importantly, don't draw anythings attention."
As Nomad gave a nod and headed off, Logan turned his attention to Mona and Rain, he started walking towards where the other half of the group were. "Stay close. Don't want one of those Wyverns snatching you up Doc'."
~~~
As the trio cut through an apartments courtyard and moved down some alleyways, they emerged onto a new road. A bit more open than the previous streets and corpses of mana starved spewed about. He'd had hoped to run into them, and he hadn't spotted a bird in the sky, so Logan resulted too his plan. "Lyra?" He called out, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Emrin? Lauren?" He hesitated, forgetting the name of the Folly guy in their group before giving up on trying to remember his name.
​

Aster Russo
Vacant Building
Mentions: @StareNation @ItariChan @Kurogane86

Aster was among the last to wake up in the group. By the time she had awoke and got her things together, Emrin was out looking for Lauren. She had just finished packing her things when Emrin came back in, followed by Kane. She thought about taking a granola bar, but opted against it. It didn't feel right taking food from the group after what they had gone through. "The… uh… the storm seems to've calmed, at least." Lyra broke the silence as she stared directly at Aster, who met her gaze before glancing away from the red eyes staring at her.

"Yeah it was pretty rough last night when we came in." Aster nodded in agreement, hesitating for a moment before meeting Lyra's gaze again. "I'm Aster Russo." She extended a hand for her to shake. "You were asleep last night when we ran into you guys, but I'm one of the Providence people you guys are looking for." After introducing herself, Aster casually made her way back beside Ghost, saying in a quieter voice. "Are her eyes always that red, or is it some sort of magic?"
Before she got an answer, the yells of a man weren't far from their building.​

 

[Sketching101]

Lyra Rosewald​

"Er. Right. Lyra, a pleasure," Lyra said, reaching to shake her hand after a split second's hesitation. As Aster mentioned that she was from Providence, Lyra's face soured. She turned her head away and pulled her beanie even further down when the woman asked about her eyes. Her head jolted back upright the moment a muffled yell came through the walls of the ruined building. She darted out the doorway, and peeked over a broken part of the wall in the corridor outside the room. Just as Lyra poked her head out, she cringed and recoiled. After a second's pause, she slowly brought her head out again, pulling up her hoodie. "That's… Mona!" A smile crept up on the young woman's face, quickly followed by a small "ow" as the burns on her cheek wrinkled. "We're up here!" she yelled, waving one hand enthusiastically. The smile quickly faded, as a cold feeling crept up on her as her gaze fell on Logan. An image flashed before her eyes, only briefly. She lowered her hand and slowly stepped backwards until she felt her back touch the stone wall. Her breathing got heavier and as her eyes stared down, open wide.

Mentions/Relevant : @Kurogane86 @ItariChan @TheQueensGuard @StareNation @Snowflake @Rads

 

[Kurogane86]

Kane sat in the corner finishing up his granola bar as they were suddenly joined by others, Kane instinctively placed a hand on one of his blades and looked over to his team mates. He wasn't sure how to react in this situation, there was talk of finding people but is it always this easy that they come to the rescuing party? He stood there not answering anyones greeting instead he remained in the shadows of the room awaiting any wrong moves the new comers would make. Night came and went, the whole night Kane stood watch. He had to, his partners were in bad shape, the last thing they needed was any issues while they were resting.

Morning arrived as uneventful as night was. Kane watched as they greeted each other and started with the pleasantries. Suddenly he heard something coming. He drew a blade and darted out the door, he blew past Lyra who was doing something and made it to the roof, there he spotted the rest of the group coming, he heard Lyra yelling out to her friend Mona. He took in a breath of relief as he saw the masked man and the others, happy that they had made it through the night.

 

[StareNation]

The answer received from Kane was simple and effortless, the man seeming to become rather nonchalant at their presence as he went back to his own business. Nissa watched him for another moment in silent wonder before turning her attention back to the remaining girls. With the information she had been given it seemed that things were best if they took refuge until morning and given her own situation Nissa couldn't have sat down any faster. Sleep didn't come easy to her until she managed to get herself leant comfortably upon a pile of wooden boards which once had been a table.

**

She was almost the last to wake in the group and unlike her usual need to get up and scout she took the time to relax as much as possible whilst wondering how the hell they would find the others and exactly what state they would have been in. Beside her she felt Aster shift as she awoke and trained her gaze over as Lyra busied herself with pulling glass from a wound. She closed her eyes for a moment as she thought back to the events leading up to this supposedly heroic mission and cursed Jay under her breath.

When Nissa finally felt a little less like dry heaving into a bag she sat up as she watched Emrin inspect a few weapons and Kane give his report to them before taking a granola bar. He was an odd one she had thought to herself before Aster and Lyra exchanged a greeting. The fact that Lyra's eyes were red hadn't gone unnoticed and sure enough Aster had questioned her on the sly about it. Nissa's mouth hadn't even opened when the familiar sound of Logan's voice echoed in from outside. She had wished that she had felt something other than dread at the sound of the man's voice but with what she knew about Logan and the kid sitting next to her, the moment Logan reached them was going to be nothing short of intense. Nissa glanced back at Aster with a moment of hesitation before easing herself up, feeling her muscles loosen as she stretched and glanced at Aster.

"That would be the other half of our group." Nissa mentioned to her wearily before turning back in time to see Lyra in a moment of distress. Frowning she took a few steps over to Lyra as she cautiously reached out a hand.

"you want to sit down? Your not looking so good."

 

[Snowflake]

~~Mona Twist~~

Just like that, they were back on the road looking for their friends throughout the twice ruined town. Nomad was somewhere ahead, she couldn't even see him anymore. She didn't want to let her mind wander, to let her imagination take over about what could have happened. Instead, she focused on looking out for danger, using Logan as her foundation of strength. Although, how long would that last was up to debate. He was likely near the end of his medical supplies. For now, anyway, it was in all of their interests to find the group and get out of this place to resupply. Unless of course Nomad and others could help find food and Lyra can cook up medicine, then their expedition could come to last and Mona was not a fan of that. She enjoyed the safety of Breez way too much. Life seemed to work fine there, as difficult as it was. Even her apprentice enchantment skills were good enough to be used in trade and lots of travellers prefer to go to apprentices because they charge less for just about the same service as their tutors.

She was paying close attention when Logan began to shout, half expecting trouble to find them. There was movement as he did and a moment later Lyra's voice resounded from the nearby building. Without thought, she bolted in and rushed through the building up towards where she estimated the voice came from. "LYRA!!!" She shouted as she was running up the stairs hoping for an answer to help her find her. When she finally found her she looked scarred and worse yet she seemed like she really needed that medicine they set out to find. "What happened?! Lyra?!" She was talking a little panicked. "Lyra, snap to it! We need to..." She looked around at everyone else. "We need to make the medicine for that wound! It could get infected!" She needed a bluff for why they would be making medicine for something that wasn't crucial. "Are you okay? Can you cook? I'll do it for you, just tell me how to do it!"

 

[The Wanderer]

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.


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


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.

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


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."


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

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

 

[Sketching101]

Lyra Rosewald​

Lyra looked over at Nissa her mouth half open. "Thanks… I think I'm fine," she said after a few seconds. "I just--I..." Her voice trailed off as she heard Mona call out inside the building. She turned slowly towards Mona as she emerged from the stairs, and stood there, frozen as Mona started panickedly speaking. Just as she finished, with a quick pivot, Lyra wrapped her arms around Mona and rested her chin on her shoulder. "I'm so happy you're 'ere! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she said, her voice muffled by her bawling. "When I saw the flare… I thought..." As her voice trailed off once again, she pulled away with an uncharacteristic timidness, with a childish smile on her face as tears rolled down her pale cheeks. "Well… In any case, don't worry about the… wound, for now. I'll be good a little while longer." The way she said the word was perhaps just a little bit too conspicuous, however she didn't seem to care at that moment.

Mentions/Relevant : @ItariChan @TheQueensGuard @StareNation @Snowflake

 

[Itari]

"Don't mention it. I'm just glad you're ok." Emrin smiled at Lyra. She said nothing about her red eyes.

Voices could be heard from outside their building. Someone was calling them. Soon Mona was running up the stairs to them. Emrin did her best to not raise her eyebrows or roll her eyes at the way Mona and Lyra were trying talking about Lyra's "wound." Emrin had dressed Lyra's burns the night before. If she were injured she would know. It was obvious to her the two of them were trying to hide the real reason Lyra needed her special potion for whatever reason. Emrin suspected it had something to do with Lyra's red eyes.

Soon the entire group was reunited. Before introductions and reunions could take place though, a loud explosion was heard in the distance. "What was that?" Emrin asked, panicked. She looked in the direction the sound had come when two figures came running towards them. And behind them... "It's the dragon!" One of the figures shot at the dragon and led it away from them. It was hard to tell who it was from this distance but Emrin guessed it was Nomad from the fact that he was the only one missing. "We have to help them!"

Emrin watched with a mixture of awe, shock, and fear as the troll and dragon began fighting each other. Hopefully, they would distract each other long enough for the group to get away.

 

[TheQueensGuard]

Logan Russo
Mentioned/Interaction: @ItariChan @Snowflake @Sketching101 @StareNation @The Wanderer @Annyeong Bunny

Logan opted to stay outside as Mona ran inside to meet up with Lyra. The idea of going up stairs made his knee hurt, which he rubbed it as he leaned against a building. Tapping his foot impatiently, he was ready to get the group moving again to make the most out of the day. He was ready too yell up to the group to tell them to get a move on when he spotted two figures making their way towards the group. He made out the outline of Nomads gas mask and the more feminine figure beside him. "Looks like Gasmask doesn't have any problems with the ladies." He commented with a smirk before yelling up to the window. "Hey Mona, looks like your boyfriend found himself a new girl." Looking back towards the pair, he noticed the dragon behind them.

The old man stood up from the building, his eyes widening as he realized the pair were running from the dragon. For a moment, it looked as if Nomad was going to be eaten up by the scaly creature, before a troll interrupted the creatures meal. Still, it did little too heightened Logans mood. "Everyone, we gotta get the fuck outta here." He yelled up to the building, drawing his revolver from his belt. Looking back towards Nomad, he shook his head and called out to him when he was within ear-shot. "I told you not to draw any attention. Now you've brought back a stranger and a damn dragon."
For the time being it seemed to be preoccupied with the troll, who seemed just as eager to kill the dragon as the dragon seemed to want to kill the troll. While it might've been fun to place bets on the fight, the smart move was to create as much space as possible.

As the group made their way out front and Nomad got too the building with the stranger Logan started to take a head count. "Who are you?" He asked the mask-wearing woman, a slight frown on his face. When he got an answer, he looked towards Emrin, asking. "Where's Lauren?" Next up, he saw Lyra, taken back a bit at her appearance. "Holy hell, are you alright kid?" As two more people came from the building, he was taken back a bit seeing Nissa as one of them.
"Glad I don't have to tell Jay you didn't make it." He said, giving her a nod before seeing the girl behind her. Logan froze, and for a moment he forgot about the dragon and troll fighting. He forgot the direness of their situation. Hell, he even forgot what he was doing here. He cleared his voice some, shifting his weight some to stand up straighter. "Um. Hey kid."
​

Aster Russo

Hearing the rest of the group was near, Aster was filled with a mixture of both excitement and anxiety. Now they just had to find her group, then they could get out of the city! Back to the walls and a warm bed. She gave Ghost a smile and nodded, going back too her things to make sure she didn't forget anything. She kicked it into overdrive after hearing Emrin yell out "It's the dragon!" As everyone made their way outside, Aster was among the last ones, following Ghost as they made their way out front. She tried to get a gauge of everyone from the new group. There was a guy wearing a gas mask alongside a girl wearing an animal mask, both seeming to be out of breath from running. There was another girl around her age, the one who was friends with Lyra. Mona. Aster said the name in her head, making sure to remember it. Then there was a somewhat bald, older man. He seemed nice enough, but not as rugged as some of the others in the group. Finally she saw the old-man in the group, who's eyes were on her.
"Um. Hey kid."
Asters eyes widened with fear, seeing the face of her father in person. The Devil of Providence. She said the mans Providence given name. After all, she had only seen his face on wanted posters for the past few years. Her look of fear changed to anger as she took a step behind Ghost. "You don't tell me he was here!" She hissed too Ghost, but before she could respond a surge of lightning shot overhead as the dragon missed a shot on the troll, who was now standing on the dragons head with one foot while he struggled with holding back the dragons sharp-tail spikes.
The blast seemed to be enough to draw Logan back to reality as he began barking orders again. "Everyone stay close, we keep cutting West through the buildings until we reach the next main road." He started walking, glancing back at Aster once again. "After that, we go North until we reach the center of the city where the river is." ​

 

[Kurogane86]

Kane

Kane watched from his perch on top of the house they spent the night in and as he watched the touching reunion he saw some commotion in the distance. He looked on and saw something big chasing something smaller, He was about to alert the others when he realized it Was Gas mask and another being chased by the dragon. "comrade!" he yelled out, he was about to spring to his aid when a troll came out of nowhere seemingly taking the attention off of the two small fry and engaging each other. Kane watched as the two began to fight each other, Troll vs. Dragon was a magnificent battle. Claws and teeth flew in the dirt storm as they fought each other.

Kane jumped down to join the rest of the group, he landed silently as one would expect from an Assassin. He stood to the side of the group always keeping an eye on the two titans fighting. "we should leave, eventually this fight will bring in small fries looking to get at some scraps." Kane said as he drew his blade ready to fight if needed.

 

[The Wanderer]

Nomad

As the two titans fought and he was back in the safety of the group, plus one more person. He did physically wince at Logan's yelling, after-all he didn't really mean for a dragon to be coming after him.

The group quickly made their way from the area that the fight was taking place in, the struggles of both combatants shaking the ground to the point it no longer bothered Nomad. For the others, it was a different experience depending on each one. And if they needed help, Nomad was there to help out.

He kept his rifle close after loading in a new round, he was going to have to be careful next time. For if he didn't get lucky again, he'd be dead. Or if he lived, would be without a weapon. Or ammo for said weapon.

Nomad didn't have much time to think about such things as he heard a loud howl. Almost like a cat, dog and something else mixed together created such a howl. The chill that went down his spine was so cold that Nomad thought he had been stabbed again, shock overtaking him. But a quick check only showed that no such injury was on him.

The howl was close, and would be heard several more times, getting closer and closer.....

[Posted with help from Queens]
@TheQueensGuard @Snowflake @Sketching101 @ItariChan @Annyeong Bunny @StareNation

 

[Sketching101]

Lyra Rosewald​

"Holy hell, are you alright kid?"

Lyra recoiled at the voice, staring at the man with wide open eyes. After a moment, she lowered her head and tugged her hoodie further down. Her head only rose up again in a panic with the flash of thunder. Turning to Mona with an uneasy smile, she reached to grab her wrist. "You 'eard the man. Let's get back home..."

Some time after the group started travelling, now with a few additions, with the sun peaking in the sky over them, Lyra walked up next to Nomad, and simply kept pace with the seemingly increasingly panicking man. She kept her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, her sleeves rolled back down to her wrists. "Hey… Uh. Could I ask for a favour?" she said, hesitating before continuing. "Could you lend me that mask o' yours?"

Mentions/Relevant : @Kurogane86 @ItariChan @TheQueensGuard @StareNation @Snowflake @Rads @Annyeong Bunny @The Wanderer

 

[Snowflake]

~~Mona Twist~~

Her attention was focused on Lyra for the moment though she wasn't tuning our the rest of the world, it would be a foolish thing to do in this day and age. She turned her head only to shoot Logan a cold dead-eyed stare at his attempt at teasing while the situation seemed to be escalating. She then fixed her expression with a cheeky grin. "Heh, well, maybe she's willing to share him." She chuckled when she gave Lyra another closer look at her injury, it seemed fine as far as she was aware. Most likely any minor infection would bypass her entirely anyway but still... There was no help worrying about it.

Mona fastened her pack and stretched her legs in case they needed to run suddenly. For now, at least the Titans were entwined in a life and death struggle but they won't be for too long. It was time to sneak out of the ruined city and leave the remains undisturbed. The world was a dangerous place and the last few days were a strong reminder that you never get used to it. After a bit, she approached the members of the other group. Lyra seemed busy talking with Nomad so for now, she decided to talk to Emrin. "Hey, what exactly happened? After we got separated, that is." She was wondering about that nasty wound. More to the point they were down a head and while Mona would hardly shed any tears for the stranger that was unbearably rude she didn't wish her any harm.

 

[Annyeong Bunny]

Fayne Santilon

The events of the past few hours had rushed at the masked woman all at once. Fayne felt her guard come up as she glanced around her; she was surrounded by people. People that seemed to be moving together as a group. So, what did that mean?

She could be attacked at any second, like a fox against a pack of wolves. Sure she would be cunning and fast, but the numbers were not in her favor. Fayne thought of this as everyone seemed to be reunited with one another. Being sure to stay on the sidelines, away from the conversations, Fayne turned her eyes to the rubble around them, tuning out the chatter as well as the battle far behind them.

"How the hell did this happen...?" the tall woman thought to herself as she kept a piercing and watchful gaze on the people, being sure that nobody was standing behind her. There was no way that she was going to be taken by surprise that easily. If anything, Fayne felt out of place surrounded by the majority of people. They seemed close, like they had known each other for some bit of time. Thankfully, she still kept her mask on, the face of a wolf turning to glance at each individual person. There was an older man who seemed to be talking to a young girl. He also looked to have a limp, nut she wasn't sure if she had just seen it wrong.

There was also the masked man from before. He was talking to another woman as the rest of the group conversed. She was about to turn and look back to the dragon and troll far behind them when a question caught her ear.

"Who are you?"

The question came from the old man, catching Fayne by surprise. She was fine not being noticed, but now that she was being asked about her identity, the woman blinked a few times before turning her head to the side, embarrassment rising on to her face behind her mask. She hated being pointed out.

"Fayne Santilon." was all she responded with, and to her relief, he quickly moved on and began talking to the others. Soon enough, they began to move. At first, Fayne stood still and watched as they retreated. There was no place for her to go and she couldn't find Beau. Deep down, she hoped that she'd run into him, but at that moment, she had no other choice. She had no clue where she was.

So, after the last person in the group, Fayne followed, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive manner as she stayed a decent length from the group. From deep within the woods, she heard a strange howling that she felt she had heard before, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Instead of dwelling on that thought, Fayne dropped her arms and placed a hand at her hip, feeling the weight of her spear, bow, and arrows against her back. She was protected, for now. She just needed to know whether or not she could trust an entire group of strangers...

And lord knows Fayne was no good with strangers, or people for that matter.

@TheQueensGuard @The Wanderer @Sketching101 @Snowflake @ItariChan

 

[Itari]

"Where's Lauren?" Emrin felt her throat go tight at the question.

"She...she didn't make it. She distracted the mana starved so we could get away. I found her bag but I didn't find a body. I don't know what happened to her."

A part of her still couldn't believe that they had lost someone. The trip was supposed to be relatively easy. All things considered though, they had come out relatively unscathed. Not everyone could say they survived an encounter with a dragon. Twice. Emrin was glad when Logan quickly organized them and started leading them out. It felt good to have someone be in charge and it felt good to finally be going back home. Soon Mona came up to talk to her and Emrin recounted the events that had transpired since they had separated. She wanted was tempted to ask about Lyra's illness but ultimately decided against it. As they talked, Emrin found herself walking behind Aster. She wanted to talk to her. To apologize and maybe even become friends again. She never found the words or timing to speak to her though, so ended up simply walking behind her.

 

[The Wanderer]

Nomad

Nomad's nerves after the whole encounter with the dragon and ogre and the eerie howling were beyond destroyed, combined with his focus on the source of the howls that when Lyra walked alongside him and asked her question, he jumped with a quiet noise almost comparable to a gasp.

He turned his head to look at her, and he listened to her request. And took a bit to think about it.

Afterall she was Mona's friend and she did look quite sickly. The red eyes probably a side effect of the Mana-Storm, which was probably why she was asking for his gas-mask. The air was probably still filled with energy and she was suffering from side effects that the air was causing. He did hear that people who are strong in magic or something similar were more likely to feel sick after such a storm. He did cast a look at Mona to see if she was looking like she was sick or something. But nothing could be seen, maybe she was a bit stronger physically that she had a resistance to it.

So to not give Lyra the mask would be cruel as it could be the only thing keeping her from getting more sick. Afterall, the mask can filter out the bad air and such. So after making a gesture to hold on, he'd put some distance between him and Lyra, turning away and pulling down his hood. Undoing the straps to the gas mask and allowing the curly brown locks to finally be free. Reaching to his neck, Nomad would pull up a cloth almost akin to a bandana up and around the lower part of his face and a quick reach into his pocket would produce a set of goggles that would be promptly be worn over his eyes.

He took great care not to show his face at all, but it was still possible for some to catch a small piece of his face. He'd make his way back to Lyra's side, holding the gas mask out to her. Once she took it, he would gesture to the filter and make breathing noises, then making a few more gestures and noises to convey his message of "Wear it, it protects you from the bad air. But if you need to talk, unscrew the filter."

He'd flip up the hood, as it was rather chilly and he would rather not get sick as well.

@Sketching101 @Snowflake @TheQueensGuard @ItariChan @StareNation @Annyeong Bunny

 

[StareNation]

Had there been time to question Lyra and Mona about what they had been hiding, Nissa was fairly certain she could place why Lyra had acted so suspiciously as well as the rather obvious redness of her eyes. But alas as things had progressed so far, chaos was not far away and shortly before Nissa could begin to touch the surface of explanation to Aster as to why she hadn't mentioned Logan or the fact that she had a surprise waiting when she had met him; the distinct sounds of wings could be heard outside followed by a rather familiar sound.

"Well I'll be damned," Nissa muttered as she moved to look out the window, spotting the troll in the distance which was partially obscured by the dragon as it loomed closer to the building. It hadn't been the first time Nissa had seen the troll and as she exited with the others to reach the group below she muttered under her breath.

She would have been happy to see Logan and the others if it weren't for the fact that she was presenting Logan's daughter back to his sights. Once he had acknowledged her she was able to step aside so that Aster came into his full view, obviously nervous about how it would go by the look on her face. It changed to surprise however when Nissa noted the stranger near Nomad wearing a mask. She was glad at least to see that everyone was present save for Lauren who she had been told about the previous night but the present wouldn't allow any of them time to stand around and discuss the previous events. Logan directed the group and Nissa braced herself as she headed off with them, determined to keep up and avoid Gosmox and the dragon. She hadn't mentioned anything to the newest person in the group, a masked figure she had assumed to be a woman from her stature. She was tall and as they walked she seemed to linger behind them at a distance. Whistler eventually appeared and fell in beside Nissa, the dog untouched and pacing happily whilst Nissa glanced between the others in the group and eventually back to Aster and then Logan. Aster was pissed as hell but she couldn't just keep her away from her father. She wouldn't admit it but she understood the fear the kid had about Logan but she hoped she could overcome it sooner rather than later.

"Anyone got pain killers or something at least?" She finally broke her silence just before falling back into one upon hearing the howls.