Fantasy Skyheart (1 slot open)

[AncientBird]

Valkyrie didn't stop flying no matter what Serik threw at her. Along with the numerous flock of skybeasts that were escaping for their life from the proving ground, she fluttered through the air, getting away as fast as she could.

Serik had already given up on trying to take control. He silently lay on his skybeast's back, clutching to her coat, tear still flowing from his eyes. Serik was eager to take the proving because of wanting a skybeast companion to perform his task. Serik remembered his day at his home plain, the day he first took the job as herder along with his family. Serik rode a normal horse, herding sheep while his father and uncle rode their pegasuses along. He remember how excited he was to be able to run with the flock, to lead them and navigate them through the plain... Feeling the wind in his hair and the smelled of fresh grass in the plain... All those good feeling, however was stopped at the sight of 6 stork drakes, landing in, eyeing their sheep.

His horse was too nervous and too terrified to even got near the beasts. The two pegasuses however, valiantly rushed forth to chase the stork drakes away. However, the drakes outnumbered them 3 to 1. As they lured the winged horses away, the others rushed in and snatched the helpless lambs. Serik could do nothing but tried to move the sheep to safety, but the vast number of the flock didn't help him at all. In the end, 4 lambs were lost and 5 more were wounded. Serik cried at the sight of the innocent creatures, lying in their blood pool, waiting to be taken out of their misery.

"It's alright, Serik... We didn't invite the neighbor to join us today. That's our mistake, more pegasuses could have made this easier." His father tried to sooth him. "Will we be able to save more lambs if I too have a skybeast?" Serik asked. "Perhaps, when you are older and get your own beast, you might even be a better herder than us." His uncle added.

A liability... That was all he is during that time. For all the sheep loss, he could have prevented that... And now that he had his chance to step up, he now stuck with a creature that took him away from his band, just during the time they need as many hands as possible...

Valkyrie arrived at a stone peak not so far away. Many skybeasts had stopped there to rest after their escape. The stork drake screeched and chased them off as she landed. She lowered her stance and let Serik rolled off her back gently to the ground. Serik grasped on to a rock, pulling his upper half up and looked back at where they came from. He saw the peak that the proving ground located, now far away but still, the monsters' roar and screech could be faintly heard.

"Why... Why are you doing this?" Serik coldly asked. Valkyrie looked at him, huffing air and then sat down to preen her coat. "I came to you... I hoped I could finally get to proof myself useful... I hoped that we could archive greatness together, to be recognized as dependable... But no! You just have to flee for your life, leaving all of my friends to their fates. What if they all die??? Am I to be labelled as a coward that run away for the rest of my life???" Serik started growling at his skybeast.

"You stork drakes are all the same. Coward the feed behind the others, back-stabbing bastard with filthy habit... You don't even deserved to be a skybeast!" Serik spoke, his word filled with boiling rage, tear running down on both his cheeks.

Valkyrie watched silently as the young man flipped over to the other side, looking away from her. She made a huffing noise and then returned to preen herself.

Featuring:
Elenion Aura Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro Naberius kase9187 SleepyCreamy explosiveKitten
Lioness075 SilverFlight

 

[SleepyCreamy]

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Marcellius

III✦III Location: On top of Mount Arebos III✦III
III✦III Clan: (To'Bai) Westeros III✦III
III✦III Mentions/Tags: Elenion Aura Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro Naberius explosiveKitten
Lioness075 SilverFlight III✦III
III✦III Interactions: kase9187 AncientBird III✦III

III✦III

Spoiler: Stitt

III✦III

Spoiler: Azurine/Azz

III✦III​

Ezekiel watched the group of Skybeast as they fly over to the other stone peak. Zeke still held onto Azurine's feathers for dear life as he is still not used to riding behind a creature's back. He clumsily steered Azurine's feathers over to the nearest stone peak where he noticed a very familiar and particular Stork Drake with a rider behind its back. The more Zeke looked at it, he noticed it was the fur-wearing hat, he calls Dimples.

Serik?

However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted by a movement behind him. Once he turned his head around, with the gigantic skeletal Wyvern still visible from where he is, he caught a glimpse of a distressed quilled Wyvern. This Wyvern, however, seems to be in urgent need of help, when Zeke noticed that the Wyvern was uninjured, he was about to turn his back and mind his own business, but that completely went out the window when he recalled the memory of the exact same Wyvern that has been tailing Aldaf around. Zeke took a second glance back to the Wyvern and finally noticed the bleeding body that safely hanged around its claws. Zeke's heart dropped.

His mind immediately went to panic mode. IDIOT! FOOl! HALFWIT! IMBECILE! DINGUS! DOOFUS! KNUCKLEHEAD! MORON--

His mind sprouted mountains of synonyms for the word idiot and he continued to do so, as he signaled Azurine to fall back and hover near the Skybeast's claws as he inspected the bleeding body of Aldaf. "You Absolute MORON!" He screamed in frustration as the Wyvern noticed Zeke and he noticed the Wyvern's eyes turn into an oblong as it caught the sight of Zeke, which means it must've known that he's there to help his rider... right?

Azurine instantly knew what his rider wanted and flew in front of the Wyvern. The two Skybeasts must've communicated with each other as Azurine nodded his head over to the stone peak, signaling the Wyvern to follow the feathered Manticore. Zeke however, was silent throughout the flight. They say your own Skybeasts know you better than yourself. So what does that exactly mean in this situation? Does he truly want to help an injured friend out of the kindness of his heart or just out of pity?

Once the two Skybeasts landed, Zeke lifted his scarf away from his chin and revealed the tiny Gryphon. Zeke hastily went over to Aldaf with worry in his eyes as his mind still continued to chant numerous synonyms for the word idiot. The Wyvern opened their claws and carefully laid Aldaf's body next to a tree. "Stitt, fetch me some--" However, his words were interrupted by a voice who seemed to be distressed. "Stitt, as I was saying, grab some bandages from my bag and start wrapping some of his injuries, have his Wyvern help you. Azurine, come with me." Zeke got on top of Azurine.

I better not find another idiot bleeding. Zeke and Azurine quickly scanned the area around them, trying to locate the noise and finally found a fuming Serik. "...You don't even deserve to be a Skybeast!" Azurine seemed to flatten his ears at his statement, he probably imagined Zeke saying that to him, however, Serik's Stork Drake seems to differ as it primmed itself.

"Oi! Dimples!" Zeke shouted over to him in a hurry. "Scar-face is over at that tree over there." He pointed to the tree near Aldaf's body. "And he's bleeding. Now, you have a choice to make here." Zeke had Azurine land in front of Serik as he eyed the small boy with his broken leg, it was moments like these that made Zeke realize just how of a giant he truly is. "It seems like you're idiotic enough to want to help some of our 'friends' on the battlefield." He eyed his broken leg. "So, I'll have Azurine here, take you back to that hellish place if that's what you truly want." He towered over the boy once more as Zeke inspected his broken leg. You can't fight, just give up, he internally thought. "Or, you'd be more of use here if you have some knowledge in medicine." He pointed back at Aldaf's bleeding body.

"Tick Tok, Dimples. So what's it going to be?" He said coolly, it's obvious he'll just get in the way if he ever gets back. Zeke's foot found themselves to be bouncing up and down as a sign of irritation and impatience. Truth be told, he wanted to tend to Aldaf's injuries, but there was a part of him that wanted to help the group back there, so he'll just have to send Azurine there to help the others. It's the least he could do, during a time like this.

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

Something was coming.

The beasts felt it. Feathers ruffled. Hackles raised. Hairs stood on end. Jeff turned its head towards the center, huffing. Less than a second later Gerel felt it crawling over his skin, raising goosebumps. Then a loud explosion followed by an earthquake nearly knocked them all over as that something burst forth from the middle of the idyllic paradise. Despite himself, Gerel still glanced to check if Kari had gotten out of danger. Satisfied that Zephyr was up and flying, he grabbed his gear (he was fortunate enough to have it near him when he landed), quickly mounted Jeff and took off without a word. Bow drawn, vision focused, Gerel witnessed the horror spewing from the hole. It was a gigantic skeletal wyvern, pulsing purple by some manner of fell magic. Purple fog oozed from it like a sickness, spreading all across the paradise, draining all life as it went.

And it wasn’t alone.

Though panic threatened to overwhelm him, Gerel kept himself in check with deep breaths. It helped that while Jeff was spooked, the skybeast kept his composure with regal dignity. He saw that six smaller skeletal creatures crawl out of the giant monstrosity. To Gerel’s horror, one of them sped towards the ledge, where the boy without a skybeast cowered. Worse still, that someone was Kari. If not for Aldaf and his strange spiky beast coming to the rescue, Gerel would’ve been the one flying to help them. As it was, somebody else needed his help.

Calm down.

Another surge of panic came and nearly drowned him out. Gerel breathed in deeply, expelled the panic as he exhaled, and closed his eyes. Even now, Ventra’s whispers guided him, showed him the lay of the land, and pointed out a disturbing pattern based on the movements of the smaller skeletal beasts.

They seemed to have a vendetta against the proving children.

To prove his point, one of the skeletal wyverns was fast approaching from his left. Farther ahead and to his right, a giant long-necked skeletal bird was chasing Katja and her giant owl mount. Gerel didn’t hesitate. Their thoughts melding into one, rider and mount charged forward. With a screech, Talon flew ahead and called out the creature chasing Katja. Like an arrow herself, Talon landed a hit on the creature’s head with her talons. Enraged, the bird began chasing Talon. Gerel let out a low whistle, and Talon flew back towards him, with the monstrous bird in tow. Right behind him, the wyvern was fast approaching.

He wasn’t exactly thinking at this point. He was letting instinct, and Ventra’s whispers, guide his actions. He felt Jeff’s excitement feeding into his own adrenaline rush. The two beasts were closing in on them. A few meters. A few feet. Eye to eye.

Gerel hopped onto Jeff’s back. The Kirin arced his back and gave Gerel a push as he jumped forward. Talon pulled up and behind the skeletal bird, twisting as he went. Jeff folded his wings and dove beneath the bird. Without enough time and room to move, wyvern and bird crashed into each other, claws and beak tangling as they fought.

He flipped in the air to provide more distance. He could see Jeff fly from beneath the bird. But he wasn’t going to make it. Not enough distance. He was falling. Falling fast. Falling hard. And then Talon was there, wings unfurled in assurance. Gerel landed on one foot just as Talon was pushing upwards, and he jumped one more time. All the time, he felt the gentle embrace of the wind pulling at him, whispering that all would be fine.

Jeff flew up to meet him in the air, and Gerel landed firmly on the Kirin’s strong back. With a triumphant neigh, they sped towards Katja and her giant owl. “That was stupid, wasn’t it?” Gerel shouted to both Talon and Jeff, both of which just screeched and nickered in response. Gerel just laughed, the adrenaline still pumping hard through his veins. “Enough of that, we have an owlet to save.”

Finally there were at Katja’s side, flying alongside them. Gerel still had his bow drawn, arrow trained towards the two skeletal beasts who were beginning to recover from their crash. “You doing okay, Katja?” Gerel asked. His heart fell when he turned and saw both Zeke and Serik fly off on their mounts, leaving the rest behind. They must have had their reasons, but that still didn’t sit well with him. No matter. There was no time for disbelief or anger. Now that Katja was secured, they could finally make their escape. He urged Katja on, flying ahead of her and saying, “Come on, time to go. Let’s head back to Kari and the others and get off this mountain.”

Even as he said it, Gerel felt a pang of sadness at the devastation caused by the giant skeletal wyvern. What was once a paradise of color and sound was fast succumbing to the purple-tinted corruption; dead trees, wilted flowers, skeletal remains of other skybeasts. Too many skybeasts. In that melancholy two questions floated to the surface:

Where did Ferro go?

What happened to the girl with the winged white wolf?

Featuring: explosiveKitten
Elenion Aura Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy Naberius kase9187
Lioness075 SilverFlight AncientBird

 

[AncientBird]

Serik lay silently by himself. He didn’t know how long it had been since he arrived at the peak or if that the band had survived the attack or not. Anxiety clouded his mind as he lay helpless there in his thought.

Suddenly, he heard a loud thud as if something large just landed. He heard Valkyrie’s noise but it didn’t sound scared or aggressive, jus then that he heard a rather familiar, but unexpected voice.

"Oi! Dimples!"

“Ezekiel?” Serik whispered. But before he could pushed himself up to see, a large skybeast dropped right next to him. It’s a weird looking skybeast that looked nothing like he ever seen before, mixing between draconic, bird and mammal’s features, even more chaotic looking than Gerel’s kirin. However the beast didn’t look dangerous, it merely watched him with its beautiful blue eyes.

"It seems like you're idiotic enough to want to help some of our 'friends' on the battlefield... So, I'll have Azurine here, take you back to that hellish place if that's what you truly want."

More Ezekiel’s voice. Serik got up and looked at where the voice came from. The Westerosian man was there not so far away... In front of him lay Aldaf who seemed to be unconscious. The beast he saw earlier was indeed Ezekiel’s.

“Ezekiel!... And Aldaf...” Serik spoke with a harsh voice of person post crying.

"Or, you'd be more of use here if you have some knowledge in medicine." Ezekiel spoke, his voice sounded extremely worried.

His word was like an arrow struck through Serik’s mind. What would happen if he stay? Even Aldaf who clearly was in shaped returned in this stage, what would a broken leg man like him be turned into if Valkyrie didn’t bring him out of there?

"Tick Tok, Dimples. So what's it going to be?" Ezekiel asked again.

Serik’s mind returned to the present. “Hold on there, I think I have something.” He said and started digging through his belonging. He found his blanket and his knife, he cut it out into strips.

“Here dress his wound with these!” Serik said and handed out the cloth strip. He also took out a tiny bag full of dry herbs. “I also have this pain reliever I never realized about before here.”

Featuring: SleepyCreamy kase9187

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari

The beast blocking Kari's escape was bombarded by attacks from both Aldaf and Caliban. Kari's gut twisted with worry, but she grabbed the boy roughly by the shoulders and practically flung him across Zephyr's shoulders. She however, did not get on behind him. Instead she pointed to the cave entrance, beyond the walls of the central space, and safety. GO she thought to him, and the gryphon shrieked and tossed its head.

The skull of the first creature shattered, and it staggered and went down. It took arguing but the gryphon went. Kari turned back, watching Aldaf take the other with a whirlwind of spikes.
"Aladf! Stop! You're using too much magic!" She screamed over the roar of wind. The spikes flew, struck the creature, chipped bone but still it advanced on him, just when it was poised to strike, one of the quills drove itself deep into the creature's chest. There was a flash of purple light and the creature froze. Aldaf collapsed, his beast swooped in to carry him to safety, leaving Kari to watch as the beast convulsed, and began to crumble. The skeleton collapsed on itself, turning to dust and...the strange purple sand...
Something rolled out of the creature's body, an orb, its glow fading, and a quill, lodged right to its center.

Kari didn't have time to question it, because the second creature, the one she thought had been killed by Caliban's blow began to rise. It had no skull anymore, but its chest still pulsed with that pallid purple light. Aldaf's attack had blown the thing to the edge, but it hung there with claws digging into stone and was pulling itself back up.
Kari took a rock, splintered from the battle and with a cry of rage, she charged.
She leapt right onto the creature's front, it reeled backward and she plunged the stone straight into the center of its chest. She felt something crack and the creature tipped backward...too far!
It dropped over the edge, and Kari went with it. She felt the butterflies as gravity claimed her, barely saw the dark abyss she was falling to, then there was a rush of feathers, and rough limbs, talons tucked, grabbing her and pulling her out of free fall.
Zephyr dumped her unceremoniously onto the first ledge and landed beside her. The boy had been delivered to the escape route, as far as he was concerned he had no more obligation beyond that. His place was by his human and Kari let her appreciation flood through their bond. She hugged the beast, but they still weren't done. Kari knew how they could be killed now, and she had to tell the others.
They were in the air the next moment, yelling.
"There's a ball in their chest! Break it and they fall to pieces!"

Ferro and the girl with the white wolf fought side by side, stabbing and dodging in a fantastic aerial battle with one of the creatures. They heard Kari and began yelling it to, spreading the secret so the others could fight.

The great creature moved slow, but it did move with purpose, it beat its terrible wings and moved to the lip of stone at the edge of the volcano, landing on it with a sound like a rock slide. It's massive head peered over the edge, and though the land below was covered with cloud, Kari knew it was looking at the camp below.
"It's going for the proving camp!" Kari yelled, Ferro was in hearing range and his expression grew terrified. "Teiban!"
Suddenly Kari had an image of the elegant man Ferro had said his tender goodbye to. His husband. And he wasn't the only one with loved ones down there.

Kari found Gerel and Katja and flew level with them. The remains of the two creatures fell back into the deep pit, the collision had obviously been so hard that it had shattered both the orbs in their chests. There were just two left now, and the giant.
"We have to fight them!" Kari yelled. "They're going to destroy the proving camp!"
She related the fact about the delicate spheres inside the monsters' chests.
"I bet that giant wyvern is the same! We need to crack that sphere!"
Then, she had an idea. "I'll distract it, someone needs to get in close while I do!"
She didn't wait for an okay, she simply turned and Zephyr flew them in without a single ounce of hesitation.

Kari knew how to get the giant creature's attention, she had Zephyr fly in close to its face, and, focusing all her intent, she released a jet of flame, right into its eye.
That did it. The creature roared, a sound which shook her to her core, and lashed out with a clawed wing. Zephyr folded his wings and dropped like a stone, evading the attack with ease. Kari's side sang with pain when Zephyr pulled out of the dive. The creature turned and released another gout of its necrotic breath. It would have hit Kari, but whether it was instinct or a memory returned, she formed a shield out of fire, burning up the attack and shielding her and her gryphon. Some of the energy brushed the tip of Zephyr's tail, and disintegrated the hair. Now it was turning to chase them. Kari's plan had worked. She just needed to stay alive until one of the others could get in and attack the monster's chest...she hoped they wouldn't take too long...
The creature's tail came swinging at her, and Zephyr dodged it again, but the rush of wind from the attack upset his wings and he barely managed to right himself before they collided with the ground. Zephyr gave a yelp of pain and Kari was thrown against a rock. Her back lit up with pain and she saw stars.
Dazed, she tried to struggle to her feet, reaching for Zephyr, who lay on his side beside her.
The creature landed again, right in front of her, it's mouth dripping with an energy blast just for Kari...

Elenion Aura Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075 Naberius

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

They were out of time. Volos and Matthias charged the smaller skeletal wyvern, leaving Marylka and her Skybeast alone behind them. Matthias hefted his steel spear, gripping it so tightly he felt like his fingers wrapped around it multiple times.

The Skybeasts, both living and dead, collided in midair with a horrible crash! Volos tore away at the beast with his claws, receiving a long gash in his side in return. Matthias bared his teeth, feeling the sting of the wound through their bond. Avoiding the wyvern’s snapping jaws, he stabbed at it with his spear. The creature seemed to be refusing to die. They broke away, then came back together with another thunderous crack. Volos swiped a paw at the beast’s face with such ferocity that it separated lower jaw from face. The lower mandible fell inertly toward the surface far below. But still the beast kept coming. Matthias felt Volos begin to tire. They were losing this war of attrition. But what choice did they have?

Suddenly he heard a voice. It was one he did not immediately recognize. And he certainly didn’t have the luxury to look around and locate the source of it. It was telling him that these creatures had a weak point. Their chests? No wonder attacks to the head were of no use. Volos understood Matthias’ thoughts before he’d had a chance to properly articulate them. The great bear shoved the skeletal Skybeast. It recoiled, rearing back from the blow, exposing its sinuous underbelly as it frantically flapped, trying to right itself. Something undulated beneath the thick billows of purple mist housed in its exposed ribcage. His target. Without thinking, Matthias thrust with his spear, sliding its deadly point between the creature’s ribs to strike true. He felt it make contact, felt the thing, which was this creature’s weakness, crack and shatter. The beast fell, like a child‘s plaything when its strings were cut. Volos roared in victory. Their victory was short lived, however.

Because just then Matthias saw the large one, bigger than any of their beasts by measures upon measures, square its deadly sights on one of their group. The fire mage. It seemed she had tried to get its attention. At this none could say she failed. But now it was bearing down on her and her beast, its mouth dripping liquid venom, caustic death. Matthias could see this, but was still too far off to act. He needed to get closer. Volos beat his wings and together they rushed down toward where the battle was focused, now. He hoped Marylka remained safe. He could not risk a look back at her now. His plan was unclear. Matthias knew, or rather, he felt, like he needed to be there when this foul business was finished.

Tags: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075
​

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

Something was strange.

What Gerel thought was recovery was actually the opposite, as the two skeletal creatures began falling apart, bone breaking into pieces crumbling to dust. In the midst of them were flashes of purple glass, which also faded along with the creatures. Just then Kari flew level with them, and before Gerel could worry about the injury on her side she told them about what happened over at the starting ledge, and how it showed them a crucial piece of information.

The purple orbs in their chest were their weaknesses.

Before he could get in a word edgewise, Kari was off again, flying towards the… “Wait-- Kari! You're hurt! What the hell are you doing?!” Gerel shouted, but it was too late. She was already too far from him, too near to that gigantic skeletal beast for her to hear. “Dammit! Foolish, reckless girl.”

He turned to Katja, remembering something he meant to say to the girl before all the chaos. “I never got the chance to say it earlier, but thank you for helping stabilize my wounds earlier. I know it was hard for you, so really… Thank you. Now you can make your way back to the others, or help Kari with her suicidal plan. It’s up to you. As for me?”

Gerel heeled Jeff towards what might as well be their certain deaths. “I need to go to her.”

And he was off, galloping across the sky like Ventra herself was blowing on their tailwinds. So fast were they that not even Talon could keep up. But it wasn’t fast enough. No matter how hard he pushed Jeff to fly, it would never be enough. Gerel saw it all happen as if in slow motion; the flashes of fire, that awful roar, and that tail swipe. Gerel watched Kari and Zephyr fall to the ground. The fell beast descended on them and--

Look.

All his senses focused on one point. The giant wyvern’s chest with the pulsating purple orb.

Breathe.

His heartbeat roiled inside of him like landslides in a storm, yet his mind was clear. He inhaled, then brought up his bow, nocked one arrow, and drew it as far as he could.

Let go.

Ventra’s winds roared in his ears, and he thought he heard his own voice among the cacophony. He released the arrow. It shot straight, faster than he could remember, stronger than any he fired before. With eyes open he saw the wind currents forge a pathway for the arrow, like an eye in the storm. And it led straight to the monster’s weak spot.

The giant wyvern roared in pain and anger. An explosion of purplish magic burst from where the arrow struck the orb. But it wasn’t down. Not yet. With another roar, it lifted up from the plateau where Kari and Zephyr were and charged towards him. At least it wasn’t going after them anymore. They were safe. Gerel breathed a sigh of relief. Now he had to--

It let forth a breath of necrotic power. The attack came so fast Gerel barely had enough time to dodge. He and Jeff spun in the air, but Gerel’s hat wasn’t spared. It was knocked from his head by the blast, and the merest brush of that power turned it into black dust. If that hit anyone, anywhere, they were done for. The best Gerel could do now was lead it away from Kari, and hope that Ferro or anybody else would finish the job he started.

Elenion Aura Saturn_moon SilverFlight explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075 Naberius

 

[kase9187]

Spica nudged Aldaf's hand, worried for his life. He lay there, unconscious and injured, as the skeletal wyvern from before landed nearby. Spica turned to face this threat, protecting her rider.
The beast leapt at them, only to receive a spiky tail-slap to the chest, knocking it back. Spica roared, enraged, and pinned the skeletal wyvern to the ground, biting at it's wings and skull.

SleepyCreamy AncientBird SilverFlight
Naberius Elenion Aura Saturn_moon
Lioness075 explosiveKitten YumenoTsukishiro

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Caliban watched his new comrades and the friends he had made scatter, some fleeing and some fighting. This was utter chaos, and nothing was right. The world had gone sideways and it made no sense, what were these things, how were they possible and why them? Why now? They were questions he would have to deal with later. For now, the people he had slowly started becoming attached to were in danger, and he had to do something. Anything. He saw his moment when Gerel went to Kari's aid and smiled.

Lea is going to kill me for this one. If I don't get myself killed instead, anyway.

Urging Nerene forward, they dove towards where he had left his belongings, grabbing his spear from where it was sticking out of the ground as they passed on their way towards the massive behemoth. They flew low, coming up from one of its blind spots. He would have to time this perfectly or he and Nerene could be in serious trouble, if not end up dead from the impact. They skirted along below the beast. As it raised up in what looked like preparation for another attack, they made their move. They tilted up towards the things chest and at first it appeared as though they meant to fly by the core. But Cal had other things in mind. They flew closer and closer, and disappeared inside the chest cavity of the massive beast, coming at the core from the inside. Nerene struck with her razor sharp talons and Cal leapt atop the core itself, trying desperately not to fall off.

He tried to steady himself to make an attack of his own but for the moment it was all he could do to stay standing.

Elenion Aura Saturn_moon SilverFlight explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nicknames: Lea, Firefly
Clan: Sudenta	Clan Job: Huntress
Equipment: Knapsack, Medicinal Pouch, Bow, Quiver (6/10), Twin Daggers

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Chaos was unfolding all around her, as Leandra hastily put her bow on her back and began sprinting towards Falarion and the wrestling monster. Amidst the gear she had retrieved, she now had her dagger sheaths on her hips once more and she unsheathed both of them as she neared Falarion.

Abruptly, a shadow fell over her and Leandra dove to the side just as Spica collided with the monster and untangled it briefly from Falarion. Leandra sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the Skybeast as it haphazardly flew away with an injured Aldalf. Too many of them were getting injured at this point. They had to find a way to end this and quickly.

Falarion stumbled away from the monster, blood oozing now from the gash on his shoulder. He roared and then charged again just as Kari was airborne and shouting advice to the team.
Hearing this, Leandra repeated the instructions to Falarion, shouting as she too charged the dazed and prone monster.

Time seemed to slow as Leandra reached the monster. She wielded her daggers with the blades pointed down, sliding on the ground to reach the monster's side. At the same time, Falarion leapt into the air, beat his wings once, and then landed on the monster's back, effectively pinning it to the ground. The monster shrieked and fought back, but the moment it lurched up, Leandra slid past and plunged a dagger into the monster's orb.
Not waiting to see what would happen, Leandra broke her slide to roll away and scrambled up to get some distance from the beast. She shouted at Falarion to do the same and he obliged, leaving the monster free to move now.

But instead of the monster chasing them, it began to jerk its head around and clack its beak, the movements becoming erratic and making the monster all the more terrifying than before. A moment passed and then the monster froze, as its body rapidly decomposed and collapsed in on itself. Another moment passed and all that was left was dust and the oddest purple sand mixed in.

Leandra let out a sigh of relief at this and sheathed her remaining dagger before stumbling over to the ash pile. She dug through it and retrieved her second dagger. Sheathing it as well, she stood up just as Falarion limped over to her and pumped his head against her own shoulder. She smiled at him and then worriedly looked at the oozing wound.
"I'm sorry, I'm not much of a healer. I think you need stitches more than anything and I don't really have the right materials or knowledge to do that," she said while worriedly hugging Falarion around his neck.
Falarion huffed at this and then hugged her back by hooking his head around her shoulder and putting pressure on the top of her back.

Just then, the massive undead wyvern let loose a roar and Leandra gasped at the sight of it chasing after Kari. Fear gripped her, but Leandra pushed it down as she hastily mounted Falarion and urged him forward.
Adrenaline coursed through their bodies once more and Falarion took to the sky, his wings beating rhythmically. Despite his best efforts, Falarion was not one of the swiftest flyers and Leandra watched as both Gerel and Caliban flew ahead to take shots at the massive wyvern. Except Caliban took a very different approach to the attack.
Leandra cried out when she saw Caliban disappear into the monster's chest cavity along with his Skybeast. She urged Falarion even faster and she felt the strain in his muscles as he beat his wings harder. Her entire body was tense, fear resurfacing as she tried to see where Caliban and his Skybeast had gone. The monster would react any second now and any number of things could end Caliban's life or his Skybeast's life. It could not end this way.

Soaring over Gerel and his Skybeast, Falarion suddenly dropped into a dive, making Leandra's heart jump into her throat. She leaned forward instinctively, gripping his neck, as they dropped below the wyvern's chest. With a wind clap, Falarion extended his wings and the dive halted, as they instead began gliding towards the wyvern's chest cavity. Leandra did not see Caliban right away and began to prepare her bow with a notched arrow. She had never attempted to fire an arrow from the back of a mount, but it was now or never. She knew she had no plausible reach with her daggers in this instance.
As they coasted towards the wyvern's chest cavity, Leandra looked up in time to see a massive version of the orb that was within the smaller monsters. And sure enough, Caliban was failing to try and stand on it while his Skybeast raked its claws against the orb. It was times like these that Leandra really questioned her adopted brother's impulsive decisions.
Falarion beat his wings, carrying them up and through the chest cavity, similarly following Caliban's path. As they neared, Leandra shouted out, "Cal, stop messing around and get off the orb!"
Once he was off the orb, she let her arrow fly, aiming it right at the monster's orb. She had no idea how much damage it would cause, but they had to down this wyvern before it brought devastation and death to those down below.

SilverFlight Naberius kase9187

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Cal very nearly slipped off the orb several times and once more when Lea came up behind him on her beast. He hadn't even heard her coming, he was so focused on trying not to fall to his death. He should have known that she would see him being an idiot again and fly in to try and help. That's just who she was. He smiled, despite the circumstances. There really was nothing quite like having a loving sister nag you and be protective of you. He decided it was best to follow her instructions and leaped back onto Nerene, striking the orb with his spear as he glided out of the way of her shot.

"You didn't need to follow me in here, you know. I'm perfectly capable of handling nearly dying on my own without getting you involved too. But let's get out of here, before it gets mad."

He had a very strong feeling that they had already done just that, and prayed that they would be able to make it back to the others before something worse happened.

Elenion Aura Saturn_moon SilverFlight explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro

 

[SleepyCreamy]

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Marcellius

III✦III Location: On top of Mount Arebos III✦III
III✦III Clan: (To'Bai) Westeros III✦III
III✦III Mentions/Tags: Elenion Aura Saturn_moon SilverFlight explosiveKitten Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro III✦III
III✦III Interactions: kase9187 AncientBird III✦III

III✦III

Spoiler: Stitt

III✦III

Spoiler: Azurine/Azz

III✦III​

Zeke waited patiently for the boy as he kept glancing back and forth over his shoulders to Aldaf's figure and back to Serik who was stumbling over to his bag. "Okay, thank you." He said as he took the medicine from Serik's hands. Zeke abruptly paused in his steps and looked back at the crippled boy. "Don't take this in any wrong way." He said as turned his back in front of him and kneeled. "Hop on, Dimples, It'd be much easier for me to look after you handicap over there." Once Serik got onto Zeke's back, Zeke hastily went over to Aldaf with Azurine following his every move. He still has yet to decide whether to send his Skybeast off to help, after all, it's the least he could do, right?

Zeke placed Serik right next to the tall tree and continued mending on Aldaf's injuries with the help of Serik's instructions. Zeke looked back at his Skybeast once he was done wiping Aldaf's blood off of his chin, he was truly conflicted between sending Azurine off or having him near him. However, before he could do anything, a skeletal Wyvern appeared out of nowhere and Aldaf's Wyvern was quick on its feet as it quickly defended its rider. Azurine was quick to do the same thing too, Serik's Stork Drake, however, was a bit... frantic? Zeke looked back to Serik with curiosity gleaming in his eyes. He... It wasn't his choice to flee. He looked back at the Stork Drake. It was his Skybeast.

"Dimples, stay here and see if I did his injuries right." He told him with a bit of panic in his voice. "Once you've done that, fly away from here and take him with you." Zeke motioned his head over to Aldaf as he grabbed his chains and sickle. Truth be told, he wanted to flee with them, but he needed them to be safe first. Zeke was no hero, he thinks of the technical sides of things. If Zeke can buy them enough time, no more brutal injuries could be made as long as he keeps himself untouched by the creature. Aldaf's Wyvern attacked the skeletal beast first and Azurine soon followed. Zeke looked over to Stitt, who was lugging Zeke's bag around and nodded over to her. Stitt seems to have understood and went to face Serik herself. "Go now!" When Zeke noticed that he was still frozen he harshly yelled.

"You'd be a dead weight anyway and I don't plan on having another bleeding idiot go near me asking for help, because I won't help you next time!" His words may have been harsh, but he has his reasons. If his sharp words were strong enough to have them fleeing away from him, from all this destruction, then so be it.

Zeke turned his back to Serik and faced the Skeletal Wyvern with the look of displeasure clear in his eyes. Zeke analyzed the creature itself, he recalled some of his past experiences with Wyverns and their possible weaknesses. But this is no ordinary Wyvern. If the Stonewarg's weaknesses are their lack of sight and their underbelly, surely this creature must also have one. Zeke then eyed the purple orb in its chest, his eyes glimmering with intention as his thieving self urged him to obtain the said object.

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf felt someone wiping his face, his body not responding. He felt Spica's worry and heard bits and pieces...
"Injuries..."
"Fly away..."
"With you..."
He felt his bones ache as he slowly opened his eyes to see Zeke staring down one of the wyvern. He grabbed at nothing, shakily standing. His bandages soaked with blood, he staggered over and put a hand on Zeke's shoulder.
"I'm... not gonna... leave... you... to die..."
He stood and slumped, holding his dagger and one of Spica's quills. Spica stood in front, to shield him from danger.
"I... can still... fight..." Blood ran down his arm, but his face betrayed no pain or fear. Just the grim determination to see this thing die.

SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[AncientBird]

Serik inspected Aldaf's wound dressing. It's fine... However what wasn't fine was the skeletal wyvern that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Aldaf's skybeast flew off to face it. So as Ezekiel's. The man himself also turned to face it but before doing so, he told Serik to get away with the injured and still unconscious Aldaf.

"You'd be a dead weight anyway and I don't plan on having another bleeding idiot go near me asking for help, because I won't help you next time!"

"You think you can hide your feeling well, do you?" Serik thought, looking at the man trying to send him and Aldaf away. He might spilled some harsh and unnecessarily mean word, but Serik could see hear some care through those speech.

"Fine, Valkyrie... To me!" Serik called for his beast. Valkyrie was standing by the other edge of the rock peak. She froze at his command. Serik could feel frustration and resistance within her heart. She was definitely taking all those words he said to her earlier.

"See now... I am sorry..." Serik spoke to his beast. Valkyrie tilted her head, confused. "I said I am sorry... I shouldn't insult you like that. You were just doing your work, a work worthy of a loyal skybeast... You tried to protect me from my recklessness. I see it now... May we drop our grudge for now? This friend of mine need your help." Serik said with genuine eyes.

Valkyrie tilted her head again and then walked right up to Serik. Aldaf suddenly began to gain his conscious.He tried to stood up but barely. Serik shushed him and tried to pull him down. "Come now friend, you need to stay still. Don't worry about Ezekiel..." He said. As Valkyrie came by, he pushed Aldaf toward the stork drake."Lifted us up." Serik said and watched as Valkyrie loaded Aldaf on her back. She then helped Serik got up next. Stitt, Ezekiel pet pygmy gryphon came with him and hovered about. Serik squirmed to set his stance. His hurt leg terribly but he eventually managed took a good sit, with Aldaf lay behind him. "Now before you take off, just stay still for a bit..." He said.

And out of everyone expectation, Serik brough out his bolas, his last range weapon as his bow set was dropped when Valkyrie broke his leg. "I will not let you have this fight alone, Ezekiel!" Serik announced and with the swing of his hand, his bolas spun through the air. While bow was just a new thing for Serik, he had been practicing bolas since he was much younger.

The bolas flew through the commotion, passed both Aldaf and Ezekiel's beasts and went right at the skeletal wyvern. It bound both of the monster's wings together. The wyvern screeched loudly as it fell from the air and crashed on the rock floor next to Ezekiel. It thrashed about, trying to break free. "Your chance, my friend! Do what you must!" Serik shouted at the Westerosian man and also readied his beast to take off, in case if the monster broke free before it was dealt with.

Featuring: SleepyCreamy kase9187

 

[SilverFlight]

The giant creature screeched and thrashed. First with Gerel's shot, then Caliban threw himself into the it's chest cavity. It thrashed wildly, clawing at its ribs, trying to dislodge him, but its ribs served to protect both the orb and Caliban now, and the creature couldn't reach him. Gerel's arrow had left the tiniest fracture, and with each blow, the split grew wider. The creature was now only focused on killing the riders close to it, the land, half dead from the necrotic breath weapon, was left alone. It took a snap at Falarion, and turned, the rush of wind creating massive gusts to blow the skybeasts off course, smash them against the ground as it had done with Kari.

Kari was dazed, she saw the shadow descend, waited for the blow to come...she only wished she had kept her gryphon out of it...she wished she'd never bonded with him...Then the shadow withdrew, Kari wondered about death, but her head still pounded, and her vision swam. Zephyr was getting up beside her and nudging her hair with his beak. With great difficulty she sat up, still dazed, and looked on as...Gerel! He was leading the creature away.
"No..." He was nearly caught by the horrible power, but there were others now, helping him.
"I have to get back...out there." Zephyr cocked his head, ears flopping to one side. He looked concerned.
"Can you fly?" She asked, he seemed to understand and let her climb onto his back. No sooner had she gotten on then he bucked, just gently, and she tumbled down like a toddler off a log. He'd done it on purpose, to show her she was in no condition.
"I have to do something!" She cried desperately, but it was no use, she could barely stand, she needed Zephyr, standing as a support. Her side screamed and her head felt like someone had used it as a kick ball.
She looked on. Saw the cracks in the creature's orb heart. It would only take one more blow.
"Come one guys...you got this.."


Elenion Aura Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird Lioness075 Naberius

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf couldn't resist Serik and Valkyrie as he was pushed towards it, but had some words to say.
"Ser...ik… stop..."
Valkyrie picked up Aldaf and placed him on their back.
"Zeke... he's..." His words were weak, his body just barely holding onto consciousness.
He could do nothing as he watched Serik, Zeke and Spica fight to protect him.
"I... I can... fight..." He weakly lifted his arm, trying to hold Spica's quill. His strength failed and the quill slipped from his hand, falling point-first into the snow.

SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

A cover of mist rolled past him, masking their approach. Matthias followed the beast through the cover of mist by the sight of its unnatural purple glow penetrating the fog. He hefted his spear as Volos beat his wings slowly, rhythmically, carrying them both onward. Then Matthias felt it again. That familiar feeling. It pricked at his skin, from the inside. Light. And heat. It wanted to get out. The mist swirled around them, as dark as a storm cloud. Volos rumbled a growl and it sounded like thunder. Matthias sensed the sparks coiling around his curled fingertips. He could feel the small hairs on the nape of his neck beginning to stand on end.

In the next moment, Matthias and Volos broke free of the cloud cover, and were once more facing down the monstrous skeletal wyvern’s flank. Luck was on their side. The beast still had not noticed them. It was preoccupied, scrabbling and reeling, trying to shake something, or someone, loose. They were not going to let this choice opportunity pass. Volos and Matthias bellowed a challenge, roaring in unison, their voices lost in the sudden crack of thunder as the spear in Matthias’ hand hummed and vibrated. Fearing he’d unable to hold onto it much longer, Matthias threw his crackling spear, then he and Volos veered off of their collision course with the deadly wyvern. The spear arced from his hand in one moment, cutting a swath across the open air, leaving a scar of burnt and acrid ozone in its wake. In the next moment, the beast’s weak point, the orb, weakened by continuous assault, shattered.

Tags: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075
​

 

[SilverFlight]

The creature howled, but it wasn't quite a howl. Wind whistled into its mouth, through it, the orb was sucking in air and then, it broke apart, shards of crystal rained down through its ribs and the creature convulsed and then it's body went slack. Gravity claimed it swiftly, the chasm yawning to swallow the monster. A blur of green darted in, Ferro on Emerald and together they swept down and snatched Caliban from the creature's ribs before the remains vanished beneath the roiling dark clouds below. The creature's skeleton collided with the lowest ledge, sending rock and dirt flying and leaving a trail of purple sand, spilling out onto the ruined grass, before it slipped again and vanished into the abyss.
The giant skeletal creature had been defeated.

One creature remained, standing before Zeke, but when the big creature fell it looked around, distracted for just a moment.

Kari watched the creature fall, saw her friends alive and breathed a sigh of relief. They had made it. Somehow, they had defeated a demon.
She leaned on Zephyr, who took her weight patiently. The adrenaline in her body was slowly subsiding and suddenly she felt exhausted. She put a hand to the back of her neck and it came away bloody, she had cut her head when she'd hit the rock, she could only imagine what the back of her white shirt looked like, but it mattered less now, they were alive. That's what counted.

Elenion Aura Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird Lioness075 Naberius

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nicknames: Lea, Firefly
Clan: Sudenta	Clan Job: Huntress
Equipment: Knapsack, Medicinal Pouch, Bow, Quiver (6/10), Twin Daggers

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Leandra heard a whooshing sound and flinched as a spear flew past her and struck the orb. Like glass, it shattered into a million pieces and began to fall. A heartbeat later, Leandra could feel the massive wyvern drawing its final breath.
"Crap, Cal, get out of here!" She screamed just as Ferro and Emerald swooped in. Before she could even react to their presence, they were already flying away with Caliban and Nerene. At least Caliban was safe.

Leandra's hesitation to leave kept Falarion hovering in the chest cavity too long and she screamed when the wyvern's massive skeleton began to drop from above them.
Falarion immediately was diving, angling himself to try and get out where the rib cage had an opening. They were so close, but the wyvern's body had more weight than they did and it was in a freefall. Gravity was against them, as Falarion dove through the opening and the side of a rib struck him in the same injured shoulder. He yowled in pain and lost his momentum, tumbling out of control as Leandra was knocked free of him with the heavy impact. Her scream echoed around them, as she tumbled head over heel towards the gaping hole below.

Suddenly, Leandra's breath was knocked out of her as Falarion barreled into her, tackling her away from the hole. Another heartbeat and then they crashed onto the plateau. They both slid several meters and Leandra felt the earth and rock tearing at her exposed right arm. Finally, they came to a stop and Leandra was breathless, lying where she was in a daze.
Slowly, Falarion got to his paws, blood now smeared in the path they slid along from his injured shoulder. The gash had been agitated all over again and even made worse from the impact and crash landing.
Stumbling, Falarion made his way over to Leandra's side and sniffed at her while she slowly rolled onto her back and then carefully lifted her right arm with her left hand. It was splashed with blood from her shoulder to her wrist, but it was mostly superficial cuts and then some deeper gashes. If last night was anything to go by, she would have a perfectly functional arm in the morning with some new battle scars to show off.

Finally, the battle was over. Though, Leandra and Falarion were both worse for wear and Leandra was still at a loss for what had just occurred.

SilverFlight Naberius

 

[Naberius]

As Ferro and Emerald came to their rescue, Cal and Nerene barely made it out of the colossal collapsing corpse. They were ushered away and made it safely, but as he turned to look over his shoulder he saw Lea take her terrible fall. The moment they were on the ground, Caliban was sprinting full speed to her side, sliding across the loose rubble. He pulled her into a tight embrace and held her there for a moment, just letting the adrenaline fade for the second time that day. They were all going to need one hell of a rest after this.

"You okay, dork?"

Lioness075

 

[explosiveKitten]

Seeing Gerel dispatch the undead bird, Katja urged Barran to a stop and looked back to see everyone scattering to the wind.

She tried desperately to catch her breath after the screaming she had been doing. she held a hand to her chest as she breathed deeply, until Barran jerked forward suddenly to avoid a charging, purple skeleton of a peryton that flew at them, antlers first. It seemed that was the theme of this encounter- Katja was chased by some ungodly beast, it was dispatched by an arrow from below or one of her companions swooping to the rescue with a well placed blow. Only for that undead monster to be replaced to be replaced by another, and the process repeats.

When Katja and Barran finally managed to get some peace, she swung her head around and came upon the growing group of injured proven adults and she immediately directed Barran down in that direction.

When the giant white bird touched down, Katja hastily jumped off her shoulders, somehow managing to land on her feet, and she looked around at all the assembled injured people and started taking note of their injuries.
Serik - badly mangled leg, might be broken. High priority.
Caliban - Gash on the arm, not deep, but still bleeding. Medium priority.
Leandra - Abrasions to the skin. Light bleeding. Low priority.
Kari - Bleeding skull, possibly a concussion.
Aldaf - A pincushion at this point, not even conscious. Highest priority.

She began moving on autopilot as she pulled a bandage from her knapsack, tossing it to Caliban.
“Caliban, you put that on the wound and apply pressure. If you start feeling light headed, let me know.” She instructed firmly as she walked passed. Her expression was oddly calm, steely even. She was in the medic zone.

She pulled a jar from her bag and dropped it in Leandra’s lap. “Apply that to your scrapes, it’ll sting, but it’ll stave off any possible infection and at least somewhat soothe the irritation. Do not remove anything from your skin until I’m ready to do so.”

She turned and shouted to Kari, “You just... just stay there. Don’t move around too much. Soak up that blood with something.”

She looked over at Serik and sighed, moving passed him, “I’m sorry Serik, but someone else needs attention more immediately. You’re next on the list after Aldaf.”

She rushed over to the aforementioned Aldaf, dropping to her knees next to him. She reached forward and started with the basics- keeping his life pulse, breathing, the works. She reached back and pulled out more bandages and pressed them to each cut, watching them soak through quickly. Even through the bandages that were already there?!
“Ohhh gods... thats... hoo buddy.” She reached over and began digging in her knapsack for her needle and thread. She started to smear her disinfecting salve over the wound and the needle, before she started to desperately sew the wounds closed, with one elbow applying pressure to one of his other cuts.

“I could really use some help here!” She shouted up into the sky at any of the remaining people flying around. Looks like the undead were being dealt with. When Katja looked up, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she concentrated, she found herself making eye contact with the two skybeasts there. Oh no, some of them were injured too?

Aldaf’s Dragon... thing, Spica (???) - Claw marks, bleeding badly. High priority
Falarion, Leandra’s winged panther - A deep gash, bleeding, but not as badly as Spica. Medium priority.
Barran - A little nip to her ankle, a couple cuts. She’s fine.. low priority.

Why did she categorize every single injury?

Mentions:
SilverFlight (Told to just sit down and soak up some blood with something.)
Naberius (Given a basic bandage and told to apply pressure to his wound.)
Lioness075 (Given a disinfectant paste and told to apply it to her abrasions.)
kase9187 (Currently being patched up and hopefully stemming his bleeding.)
AncientBird (Told to hang on tight and that he was next on her list.)

 

[SleepyCreamy]

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Marcellius

III✦III Location: Mount Arebos, Proving Grounds III✦III
III✦III Clan: (To'Bai) Westeros III✦III
III✦III Text Colour: #cf6713 III✦III
III✦III Mentions/Tags: Elenion Aura Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SilverFlight AncientBird Lioness075 Naberius III✦III
III✦III Interactions: None, as of yet III✦III

III✦III

Spoiler: Stitt

III✦III

Spoiler: Azurine/Azz

III✦III​

"You think you can hide your feeling well, do you?" That sentence must've struck a chord in Zeke's mind as he felt his grip to his sickle tighten. He doesn't know what he's talking about, Zeke, just focus on the task. He thought to himself as he once again eyed the glistening purple orb.

Once he felt a tugging from behind him, Zeke's eyebrows shot up and whisked his back around to meet Aldaf's hand on his shoulder. Zeke stepped back and hastily took his hands off of his shoulders. At that very moment, he got up and paid no mind to Aldaf's broken speech. Zeke Got up from his position and made his way over to the Skeletal Wyvern.

Zeke flew his chains over to the beast's skeletal neck and pulled the beast closer to him. With the help of Serik's talent with the bola, it managed to bind the beast's skeletal wings together. The flapping of wings could be heard behind him as Serik and his Stork Drake took off to the skies, presumably back to the Proving Ground. Zeke struggled a bit to keep the beast constricted as it tried to free itself from Serik's bolas. Now that Aldaf's Wyvern has gone off with Serik, it was just him and Azurine. Zeke glanced at the shiny orb that piqued his interest so much, that Azurine seems to have also taken an interest in the unknown orb.

No, focus Zeke, you only steal what you know and what you want. Zeke really hated this curious side of him, which he got from his father. Sometimes, he would be thankful to have that side of him, but at the moment, the feeling of being curious really irked him. With this side of him currently active and also the fact that he has been convicted of stealing could only result in trouble. Oh, how he needed Stitt right now.

Azurine lunged with his claws open to claw the orb while Zeke constricted the beast's neck, preventing the Wyvern to attack Azurine with Zeke's chains in the way from doing so. The feathered Manticore clawed the orb with such ferocity, however, the skeletal Wyvern soon stopped moving and it seemed to be distracted for a moment. Azurine gave the final blow with a swift movement of his claws and destroyed the orb into tiny pieces to Zeke's disappointment.

Zeke finally let out a breath of relief as he felt the stress lift off of his shoulders. Zeke watched as Azurine inspected the broken pieces of the orb that laid on the ground with his always wet nose. Zeke took cautious steps towards the unmoving bones of the beast and he was careful to not touch the bones that laid on the ground. Once he made it next to Azurine, he picked a piece up and inspected it before putting it into one of his belt pockets.

Damn you, dad. Even in your death you still manage to annoy me. He thought as he felt Azurine's curious blue eyes behind his head. "Great, now you also have the same level of curiosity as I do, don't you?" Zeke told Azurine as the feathered beast seemed to have understood what he said and huffed in agreement.

Zeke then looked over to his shoulders and faced the direction where the proving grounds stood. Zeke looked down on his feet as he clenched his fist in anger, not towards anyone but to himself. During that moment of fear, he thought he was doing the right thing and was simply... surviving. But now, he realized how flawed he truly is and was disappointed with himself and his actions. All his life, he has always regretted the choices that led him to where he was today, however, he makes little to no effort to do anything about his own flaws. Perhaps he's been too focused on taking care of his own mother to even think or notice about his own well-being and how his actions affect others.

Yeah, Zeke. Blame it all on your own poor mother who probably hasn't made any progress with her therapy for the past year you've been gone just because of your pathetic ass! Zeke screamed at his head. Zeke's frustration must've reached Azurine as he glared at his rider. Zeke sighed and jumped onto Azurine's feathered back. "Let's go and get down the mountain before the others. Hopefully, Stitt can find us down there." Zeke said with an emotionless tone, far different from his inner thoughts. At the moment, he could already imagine Kari's enraged expression and he could already visualize the amount of debate he and Kari will have.

Azurine, however, has other ideas.

Once Azurine leaped off to take flight, he quickly made a beeline to the proving grounds to Zeke's distaste. "What are you doing, Azurine?" Azurine seems to have paid no mind to his rider's constant pulling of his feathers, trying to steer the Skybeast away from the proving grounds. "I will literally call you Azz if you don't stop being such a... butt." Zeke didn't want to use the word 'asshole' as he deemed it to be far too inappropriate for his liking.

Azurine huffed victoriously as he felt Zeke finally give up and relax behind his back. "I swear to the gods above. If I get murdered by Goggles and everyone else, I'll consider you responsible for it." Zeke said as he plucked a feather off of his back, to which Azurine responded with a painful yowl and a threatening growl after that. As they approach the proving grounds, Azurine made a silent landing near the crack where Zeke and the others made their first entrance.

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

Surely the gods were watching on their plight and decided to show mercy. As Gerel was recovering from the deadly breath attack, his comrades came flying at the death wyvern. Caliban had the interesting idea to head straight into the wyvern’s chest cavity, hacking at the orb with his knives like a dervish. Lea, ever his companion, rushed in after to save him from his recklessness. Ferro came in soon after, forcibly pulling the boy from the wyvern. Once they were both out, she loosed an arrow at the orb, widening the cracks already spreading across it. And finally, Matthias came in, riding on a winged brown bear -- the first Gerel saw of the stoic Northarian after the proving started -- and launched a spear crackling with magical energy. It hit the orb like a shooting star, shattering it in an explosion of purple and orange. Its lifelines cut, the death wyvern fell back into the shadowy hole it came from.

Gerel only had enough time to breathe out a sigh of relief, before heeling Jeff towards the edge of the hole where he last saw Kari and Zephyr. What he saw made his heart plummet; Kari, blood on her hands, blood on her head, blood on Zephyr’s feathers, blood everywhere. The moment he landed he immediately rushed to Kari, caring not what the gryphon thought of him. He could bite his head off for all he cared. The only thing on his mind was getting Kari to safety.

He ripped strips of cloth from his tunic and bundled them together. With careful hands, he held it against the back of Kari’s head to try and stop the bleeding. She was still conscious, which was good, even if she was wavering where she stood. No concussions, but she was clearly in no condition to fly. He wanted to ask her if he could carry her back to the starter ledge, where hopefully Katja could look over her injuries and patch her up.

But instead, he said, “You could’ve gotten yourself killed, rushing in like that. What were you thinking?”

Interaction: SilverFlight

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nicknames: Lea, Firefly
Clan: Sudenta	Clan Job: Huntress
Equipment: Knapsack, Medicinal Pouch, Bow, Quiver (5/10), Twin Daggers

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Leandra was still dazed when Caliban suddenly appeared at her side and pulled her into an embrace. Her right arm fell limp at her side and she struggled to grasp at one of Caliban's arms with her left hand. She had no idea where he had come from, but was immediately calmed with his presence. The bonding with Falarion was still so recent, Leandra had not had a chance to really get to know him beyond the shared feelings they now had.

Beside them, Falarion shuffled his paws anxiously and then tried to shove his muzzle between Caliban and Leandra, making her laugh halfheartedly. He huffed and then stepped back before sniffing at her injured arm, mindfully not touching it.

Hearing Caliban's question, Leandra attempted to smile, though it was a strained one.
"I'll live."
She then looked between the three of them and frowned.
"Uh, two things. One, we're all bleeding and should probably help each other out. Two, where'd your Skybeast go?"

Nearby, a furry head with giant ears popped up from behind a boulder and then a squeal of delight was heard as Leandra's flying lemur shot out and then glided right into Leandra's head. She squealed in surprise and flinched at the soft impact and then reached up with her left hand to feel the lemur's head as he chattered excitedly.
"Oh my gods, I forgot about you! I'm so sorry! Are you okay, buddy?"
Leandra tried to pick the lemur up to see him, but he was clinging tightly to her head, something of a hat now.

Naberius

 

[AncientBird]

Serik and Valkyrie flew up high to the sky. Aldaf was lying behind him, secured by some rope left from taming Valkyrie. At first Serik didn’t know where to go... Should he went back to the camp down the mountain base or somewhere else?

Serik then noticed that the roar and the screech of the monster had entirely gone from the air. He looked back at the proving ground and saw nothing, no monster nor the smoke they created. However, fog could be seen lingering a top the peak.

Suddenly, the fog reminded him... “Marylka!” Serik screamed inside his head. He hadn’t seen her regrouping when he returned with Valkyrie... And no sight of her during the time the monsters emerged as well. His concern shot up in his mind... He needed to know...

“Valkyrie, let’s go back to the proving ground... The monsters seemed to be gone.” He spoke to his skybeast. Valkyrie seemed reluctant. “Please, this is very important to me. I need to know if my friends are fine... If she is fine...” Serik plead

The stork drake soared idly for a while and then began to flutter toward then proving ground. They soon reached the place, which were heavily destroyed by the skeletal monsters. Serik could see the aftermath of fallen bones and dead skybeasts that couldn’t get away in time. The sight only made Serik more worried.

Then he saw them, the band were assembled after what seemed like a big fight. Serik couldn’t tell who was fine and who was not.

Valkyrie landed, the impact made Serik
screamed in pain but he managed to pick himself up and cried for help.

“Help! It’s Aldaf, he is bleeding a lot!” Serik said as Valkyrie began to unload them off her back.

Featuring: kase9187