Darkness Rising (One x One with infamousdot)

DracorianKatrina

DracorianKatrina

Junior Member
There was a change in the air. Katrina could sense it before she even stepped a foot in the small town. Her clawed hands clung tightly to the cloak that was wrapped around her, hiding the strange appendages that covered her back. Her wings and tail felt cramped, but she had to remain hidden. Not many appreciated what she was. Some called her a demon, some called her a guardian. It varied from place to place, but she wasn't one to take chances.


Stepping into the town, she noticed that something was off. This town didn't feel like any other. She looked at the doors and the windows of the homes. A few of them had charms or herbs hanging outside, as if to ward off some sort of evil. Even the tavern, which sounded as though it were bustling with activity, had guards posted on the sides of the doors, watching anything that came in. She needed information, and the tavern was the place to get such info.


Passing the guards with a nod of her hand, she saw their eyes scan her quickly before waving her in. They didn't seem to worry about her, so she breathed a small sigh of relief and entered the crowded place. She avoided any groups of people as best as she could, feeling her heart race. She was never good with confined spaces or crowds. Once she found a spot at the bar, she ordered a mug of mead before listening into the conversations around her.
 
The centuries had begun to weigh on him as he endless wandering began to lose its meaning. He wandered to repent but now he was beginning to find it harder and harder to remember what he was repenting for. He was not a man without sin and mistakes had been made but when would his soul let him forgive himself. Still till that day came he would wander and bring balance to the world when he could. It was that very imbalance that had drawn him to a small village out of the way of everything it seemed.

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The town itself seemed normal enough from the outside but as he began to look closely things began to seem wrong. There was no laughter of child or the quiet gossiping of woman at market. No it was almost like the town had closed in on itself as if hoping to forget. He almost smile he both worried but at the same time intrigued, the prospect of eternity grew boring sometimes.

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He smiled at the guards as he approached the local tavern. The pause him for a moment looking him over but found nothing to threatening from a man dress as a monk. He gave them a light bow before slipping into the tavern. He found a table in the corner and ordered some bread, cheese, and water. Then he began listening as he waited for his food.

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The Dracorian knew even before listening in to a few soldiers that something was going on near this town. They spoke of seeing bones rising from the ground in the forest, taking on the form of the animals they once were. Ghost stories perhaps, but these were grown men speaking, and not young children.


As she sipped the sweet drink she felt the alcohol burn down her throat. She didn't drink much, she was never good at holding her liquor, it made her sick if she had too much. But it was mainly a ruse to hear the conversations around her.


One man, a grizzled old man, possibly once a soldier due to all of his scars, was speaking about a witch lurking in the forest. She commanded the trees and the skeletal creatures, and that was causing their misfortune. Hunters couldn't hunt, and loggers couldn't get their work done. It was as if the place had a curse around it.


This piqued Katrina's interest. Despite the mixed reactions to her draconic appendages, she wanted to do her best to help any town out. Besides, that forest will be her hunting grounds for the next few days while she rested and recovered. If there was a witch or any other dark force lurking in the forest, she had to get rid of it, not just for the town's sake, but her own.


Putting a few coins down on the table, she stood up and kept a hold of the cloak that rested around her shoulders. She spotted a monk near by, and inclined her head out of respect for him. It was a motion she had done multiple times, and it seemed second nature to her now as she strode towards the exit of the village, eager to see what these townspeople were speaking about.
 
He had eaten in relative silents as his ears picked though the conversations that floated around him. He smiled as he listened to the talk of a new baby to be born in a few days, its mother much loved. Another conversations talked about an old man Migart whose cow had gotten a miss Margerets garden and he had to suppress a chuckle. Then he located a conversation from an old soldier about a witch and the undead. He had never looked directly down on necromancy but when used to terrorized the living it often bothered him.

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His eyes narrowed as a woman in a cloak walked past him giving him a nod. Her cloak was concealed a form much to large for a woman of her height and stature. The way she walked also told him that something was against her back that she wished to conceal. This was as good a lead as any he thought as he got up to follow her, leaving a few coins for the tavern. He let her get several paces ahead of him before he followed her out of the tavern.

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She was unaware that she was being followed. Katrina waved to the guards as she passed and they inclined their heads towards her, not thinking much of her. They both were half asleep, and were waiting for the night to be over with so they could rest when morning came.


The Dracorian made her way towards the forest. She could sense the dark energy flowing through it. Her golden eyes scanned the treeline for any sights of trouble. Even with her keen eyesight, there was nothing out of the usual, and she started along the path, her hand resting gently upon the handle of a long sword that was at her side. She passed trees and bushes, and as she did so, she realized that the forest was oddly quiet...no owls made their sounds, no crickets chirped. It was too quiet. It was unnatural, and she knew something was truly amiss here.
 
His first thought was she must be hiding wings underneath her cloak but when she waved to the guards and her hand was normal which did not seem to support the idea. He continued to follow her keeping his distance as he did. He could hear the rattle of her sword so he knew she armed with something.

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Then the quietness of the forest weighed down on him like a heavy rain. Something was very wrong and every animal in the forest knew it, though there may be no animals in the forest for all he knew. He knew better then to follow some strange woman into a strange forest but she seemed to know something about what was going on.

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As she walked deeper into the forest, she was unaware of the tree roots that were slowly rising from the ground, slithering their way slowly towards her. They moved slowly, making no noise on the forest floor even as they trailed behind her.


What she did hear, however, was the clacking of bones nearby. She spun around to face the source of the noise, her blade out in an instant. However, the forest seemed to have other plans, and she soon felt one of the tree roots wrapping tightly around her ankle. Immediately she let out a surprised hiss and sliced her blade downward, cutting it clean in half, but others started to take their place as behind her, the bones of a bear started to assemble.
 
He had no time to consider the fact that this could be a trap to lure him to her. No if it was a trap then she would find it was to small for a beast of his size but if it was not then she needed help. His body carried him like a blur across the ground and in a moment he was by he side several of the roots fall to the ground in shambles. He made eye contact for just a moment before he looked to the fight before him.

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He was away again rushing towards the bear as it assembled little fear in him, for what was a bear to a dragon. His hands flew through the air like razor sharp fangs, a fine layer of energy around them, cutting though the bone like it was dust in the air. He slide to a stop a few feet from the bear seven clean cuts racing through its form.

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Katrina was caught off guard by the man's sudden appearance and his skill as he took on the plants and the bear. The bones started to snap and fall to pieces, the bear falling to the ground. However, the shards that remained slowly began to reassemble into a monstrosity that only barely resembled a bear. It towered over the man, sending out a bone coated arm towards his chest to slam the sharp shards into him.


The Dracorian was quick on her feet. She leapt over the man's head, allowing her wings to be revealed now as she gave them a powerful flap. There wasn't much clearance above, but her wings only grazed the branches above them as the trees themselves tried lashing out at the two. Before the bone-coated arm could strike him, she sliced her blade downwards, cutting the bone club in half and causing it to fall in pieces at the sides of the two warriors.
 
His eyes narrowed as he saw the tail and wings but said nothing as he turn his back to her. He would have to fight with her at his back and trust she would not stab it because before his eyes the forest was coming for them. Branches and roots shot towards them like spears and if he did not know better some of the trees seemed to be moving closer. He smiled as he swung his arms through the air and invisible blades danced from his finger tips. Suddenly dozens of branches and roots where cut to piece by blades unseen.

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Then the true horror began as the bony skeletons of wolves, rabbit, and all other beast of the wood began to move from between the trees. They were converging upon them like an army and though brittle their teeth were still sharp. " Well this seems like a fine mess you have got us into. Walking into the forest with so little stealth. What did you expect?" His voice was calm as he spoke but his voice held an edge to it.

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Her brow twitched with irritation at his words as she stood back to back with the stranger. "I didn't ask you to follow me. I could've very well taken care of this on my own." She growled, her blade slicing through branches and roots. She didn't see the vines shooting towards her from one side, having been distracted by a small rabbit that had lunged at her, its sharp fangs ready to dig into her shoulder. As she turned to slice through it, the vines shot around her throat, causing her to gasp and choke as they pulled taut, throwing her off balance and allowing the grass itself to start winding around her form. She whipped her tail upwards to try and slice the vines, but a thick root slammed down onto the appendage, forcing it down.
 
He sighed inwardly as he could hear the anger in the woman's voice but continued to fight. She was not a half bad fighter herself but she seemed distracted. He did not have to look as he cut through a few skeletal wolves to know she was in trouble. He did not have time to really save her though but he could help. He knocked a bear skeleton away and sent a invisible blade though the air cutting the vines around her neck and some of the grass. "Get up girl this is no time for a nap." He yelled as he smashed his fist into the bears head.

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Katrina coughed and gasped, rubbing her sore neck as she got to her feet. Her eyes narrowed at the man's attitude, but she knew their lives were on the line. Scanning the forest while he took on the skeletal beasts, she spotted a thin form, its arms moving slowly and methodically. Katrina took off into the forest, her blade slicing through multiple bat-like bones that shot down at her from the trees. She used her wings as shields, and her tail batted away any plants that came at her. Her target was a young woman. She had a dark aura around her, and she looked up at the Dracorian and held her hand up, firing a blast of negative energy towards her. Katrina took a deep breath and sent a powerful stream of her own flames, causing the two energies to slam into one another.
 
He winced as he was throw twenty feet as a tree smashed a large branch into his chest. He rolled to his feet cutting a wolf away from his and coughed up some blood. He caught Katrina running away out of the corner of his eye and followed her path to the source. He release a way of blades through the air, knocking as many branches out of her path before being tackled by a bear. He growled as he wrestle with the bones for a bit before throw it into a tree, where it shattered. Slowly he rose as another wave of spear like branches began rushing towards him.

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As the smoke cleared from the energies, Katrina's eyes grew wide as the witch shot forward, a sharp dagger jabbing towards her chest. As Katrina leapt lithely to the side, she saw something dripping from the blade. Quickly she raised her own, parrying another blow as the witch started muttering an incantation, her voice wild and crazed. The shadows around her started to solidify, forming dark tendrils that shot towards the Dracorian. Taking a deep breath, Katrina gave a flap of her wings, backing away far enough from the witch to be able to send another stream of flames, this time concentrating more on creating light than heat.


The blinding fire caused the shadows to dissipate, and the witch screeched in pain, making a sharp motion with her free hand. A large skeletal buck came charging at Katrina, it's antlers dangerously close to impaling her. She grabbed onto the horns and slammed her bare foot into its skull, causing the horns to break free from its head. With a quick spin, she used her tail to shatter the beast, and she turned as the witch darted towards the male, her blade raised and ready to plunge into his back.


"Look out!" Katrina snarled as the bones of the deer began to reform.
 
This was all growing way out of control. They longer they let this go on the strong the witches hold would be over the area. The second problem was that he was limited in how much he could effect this event. If things got to far out of hand the town would start getting involved. He glared at the branches as what appeared to be a leathery wing of energy flew from his back and blocked them before vanishing. Yet he had no time to think as the warning reached his ears.

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"Shield yourself now." He screamed as his body began to glow faintly. Then the night was filled with a blinding light and as it cleared the devastation was apparent. The man was on his knees breathing hard and everything around him for 150 feet was devastated. Trees were ripped from the ground, bone was turned to ash, and the earth was scorched black. " Find the witch now." He muttered as he tried to recover.

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She barely had time to react. As she threw her wings before her in a protective meneuver, she felt the heat from the light, but thankfully her wings were only a bit singed. She heard a screech of terror from the witch and as the light cleared, she lifted her head to see the woman, her skin raw from the energy. She was writhing on the ground, and the Dracorian took pity on the witch, but only briefly.


Taking her blade, she charged forward. The witch didn't even lift a hand to stop her as her blade plunged deep within her chest. With one final scream, the witch was silenced. Darkness started to rise like steam around her form, and it began to consume her, her body turning to ash beneath the black embrace, until the shadows themselves seemed to fade.
 
He continued to rest were he was at for a few minutes before slowly standing back up. He looked to the remains of the witch then to girl and frowned. " You know she could have been posses and you just killed an innocent girl." He slowly walked over to a tree and sat down with a groan." Or you may have just ended this we will never know since she is dead now. Kinda hard to question her now." His voice was calm even if his words were not.

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Katrina glared at the man, "I put her out of her misery, alright? You nearly burned her skin clear off!" She snapped, obviously irritated with this newcomer, "Besides, I didn't ask for your help, alright? I had everything under control." She growled, kicking at the dusty ground. "I did what I felt needed to be done, and that's that. The witch is gone, so this place should return to normal."
 
He stood slowly glaring at her then smiled. " Well if you are so sure that she is cause and you fixed it then go take the credit." He walked away slowly deeper into the forest. He knew that no one person could corrupt nature that much unless they themselves were much stronger. That girl seemed to frail a vessel to have caused all of this by herself.

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Katrina growled, "What happens now is for the village to take care of." She growled, turning away to find a place to settle down for the night, "She was a witch, and I'm sure of it. I know an innocent girl from an evil monstrosity. This isn't the first evil creature I've defeated. If it was truly a girl, her body would still exist." She motioned to the spot where the ashes were, "But I don't need you to tell me what to do. Good day, sir."
 
He ignored her for the most part mostly so she would not follow him. He moved deeper into the forest his body was heavy but for the time being it was fine. He would have to find a place to get some sleep so but he wanted to but some distance between him and the woman. He managed to find a small little hollow beneath a tree and crawled inside for the night. He would be able to keep warm here for the night and it provided cover.

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She went off, irritation showing clearly in the way she walked, but also a seed of doubt. What if she just killed an innocent woman? The thought scared her...her heart raced as she set up camp within the forest, glad that a sense of peace settled around her. Making a fire in the clearing she found, she sighed and curled up beside it, warming herself up while the cool winds started to flow through the forest.
 
The brought frost with it and as he opened his eyes he had to wipe away the tiny crystals from his lashes. He was bothered by the cold so much any more but as he stretched he remembered how stiff it made him feel. Still with a yawn he crawl out of the hole and pulled out a small back. He produced some bread and cheese and began to eat it quietly.
 
Katrina slept peacefully even through the frosty forest. She was unaware of the other's presence, thinking he went his own way. She remained curled up by the fire, a low thrum sounding within her very chest, almost like a purr as she slept.
 
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