Fantasy Skyheart (1 slot open)

[SilverFlight]

Kari


Kari laughed with pure glee as she dragged the other girls into the circle. She threw herself into the dance with wild abandon, letting her muscles do the remembering, every turn, every leap. She loved to dance. The music caught her up and suddenly the world was in motion and alive in a way she never wanted to end.
She didn't keep track of how long she danced. Kari saw Serik, and his efforts to catch Marylka for a dance. Grinning she side-stepped casually out of the way, to give the two their space.
At length the music faded and she stepped away from the bonfire, breathless and glowing. The alcohol and the exertion together was making her feel a bit dizzy.
"I need water." She said to Lea, who seemed to be the only other one from their group dancing.

Water was harder to get than she had realized, it seemed the tables were packed with mead and beer, but nobody had any bloody water. Passing close to the Westeros camp, voices caught her ear, and she recognized one of them.
"Zeke?" She said, more to herself than to call out to him. He was talking with three youths, their body language seemed challenging. Kari watched, not wanting to intrude.
Then Zeke took his weapons and then...they were set on fire.
As Zeke began to move the Westeros crowds cheered...they knew him, and then, he began to dance, and from the first step, Kari was mesmerized.
The flames spun about him and he moved with such fluid grace. Everything about it was...perfect.
And Zeke...the troubled look, the tightness in his frame, it all melted away when he danced. Kari felt like she was watching something personal, she almost felt like an invader, witnessing something so close to his heart she shouldn't have seen, but the crowds loved him, and she was right there with them.
Kari could think of one thing only when the music faded and Zeke finally slowed. She HAD to learn that dance.

When she approached him it was almost with a mild form of reverence. Her eyes were shining.
"Zeke!" She said, a little too excitedly. "That...was...I've never seen anything like it!"
Suddenly she bowed at the waist, an Estendoran gesture of great respect.
"I need you to teach me that dance. Zeke...please!"
Kari had never once in her life, begged for anything, but with this, she came closer than she ever had.

Lioness075 Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy

 

[SleepyCreamy]

Zeke finalized his dance with whirling the flames downward, creating a mini fire explosion, tarnishing his flames completely. He was dripping in his own sweat and he felt absolutely exhausted after that fulfilling performance. Zeke heard the Westerosian's cheer of excitement, they were so loud that their cheers could be heard echoing through the terrain. He felt hands grab his shoulders as they welcomed him once again and Zeke felt himself getting flustered by all of the praises he had received.

Once the crowd managed to let him have his own space to breath, he caught the funny sight of the same kid who doubted him from the very beginning, whose now mouth is now open in amazement and admiration. Zeke approached the children and all eyes seemed to have befallen on him as he felt the hair on the back of his neck prick up. Zeke could only guess it was one of the Westerosians but there was an intense feeling behind those eyes. Zeke ignored those eyes and kneeled in front of the children, only to be tackled by the girl, who is now screaming at the top of her lungs, one could even mistake she was in danger, but she soon giggled after she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"See? I told you guys, he's THE Ezekiel Marcellius!" Zeke smiled at this as he remembered the relaxing feeling of finally expressing himself. "Topaz says he's really sorry for doubting you!" The girl said with pleading eyes, it was as if she was saying sorry in his place.

"I want Topaz to actually say it for himself, however." Zeke gently took the girl's hands off of his shoulders, Zeke doesn't dwell well with any physical touches and he just doesn't want to disrespect a mere innocent child. Especially, if they mirror himself.

The boy kicked a pebble feebly and his whole posture screamed, 'I'm sorry', but Zeke wanted the kid to take his words back. It might be childish of him to do that, but he wanted to teach the kid to not be mean to others, and to show compassion. It was a bit hypocritical for him to do that, but he felt like he was doing himself a favour by showing these kids what they truly must learn at a young age. He wanted to teach them what he failed to teach himself... And that's compassion. "Fine! I'm really sorry for the mean words I've said, Mr Ezekiel." And with that, Ezekiel was contempt.

"Where are your parents, Topaz?"

"Oh... Um.." The boy suddenly became silent and Zeke knew what that silence meant. Soon, the kid was crying.

"You don't have to say anything." He reached a hand out to the kid that reminded him so much of himself. When the kid touched his large palms, Zeke awkwardly patted the boy's head. Zeke felt terrible for being awful at comforting others.

"Mr Ezekiel... Topaz has been an orphan ever since he was born. Lapis and I were just living in the streets when we met him as a baby. Actually, we're all street children." The boy who wore the jewels inquired and through that vital information the boy just gave out, Zeke's eyebrows connected in realization. Zeke watched as Lapis gave the boy a good smack. "Way to go, Jasper." She muttered under her breath.

"How did you get those jewels?" Zeke said in a stern voice as he was contemplating whether it was right the right decision to have been too kind with these children.

"They stole them... I really never wanted to steal ever." Topaz said as he sniffled and brushed his nose with the back of his hand. Zeke took out a purple bandana that was tied around his belt and gave it to the boy. "When we watched your performance and heard you... the exiled thief... change his way. We figured we could too." Zeke felt his heart clench. "But then, you suddenly disappeared and we didn't know what to do, so we just went back to our old ways." Zeke felt Topaz's tiny hands tighten into a fist on top of his palms. "And now, you're back!"

"Yeah... But you have to return those jewels now!" Zeke demanded and the children seemed to be taken aback by this.

"If we do that, then you owe us another performance!" Topaz challenged as the boy was back on his usual self.

"No..." Zeke said sternly as he stood up. "I'll offer you one better. How about a home to live in?" Zeke smirked as he watched the children's faces morph into happiness the minute he offered that.

"Of course! Mr. Ezekiel!" Lapis and Jasper soon raced off as they hastily took off their stolen jewels.

"Call me Zeke, shrimp," Ezekiel told the boy as he went over to Azurine. Zeke took this time to relax and just lay down on top of Azurine's broad back. That was until his peace was interrupted by a familiar voice, "Zeke! That...was...I've never seen anything like it!"

"Uhmm." Zeke looked at Topaz and Topaz stared at him back.

"I need you to teach me that dance. Zeke... please!" Kari asked as if her life depended on it. To which Zeke could understand. After all, she was a Fire Mage and his father and his grandfather wouldn't approve of this type of way to handle magic. Some of his gifted relatives who were blessed with being a Fire Mage would value tradition and practicality, not innovation or creativity. So if he did teach Kari his techniques, that would certainly send a statement to his deceased father and the Marcellius Family.

"Alright, Goggles. I accept your request. However, I'm sure you know me well enough that I don't do things for free. So you'll have to do me one favour." Zeke held out a single finger. At the moment, Zeke wanted nothing from Kari, so he'll just have to hold on to it until he's certain that he'll need it. "I'll tell you what it is once I've decided, in the meantime... let's just enjoy ourselves this evening. I have a bad feeling about what Westeros has in store for everyone in that... memory?" He said with pure uncertainty in his voice.

I'm afraid this will be the only time we actually enjoy ourselves before heading straight to this whole mystery. He said to himself as he drank orange juice from his golden rimmed cup.

SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari


Kari watched his conversation with the children, her eyes lighting up with glee. "You're a big softie aren't you? Admit it." She laughed but didn't tease him further.
When he explained the bargain Kari eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah, that's fair I guess, but I'm not breaking the law for you."
Zeke brought the subject around to Westeros and She frowned in thought.
"It's our only clue...what were we all doing in the academy? Maybe the instructors will recognize us? They could fill in some of the gaps..."
She shook her head and smiled, "but you're right, we should enjoy the celebration."
Kari still wasn't sure about Zeke, he didn't seem like a bad person just...wounded. She wondered how difficult it would make their journey.

"I'll catch you later for that first lesson Zeke!" She called as she turned, "'till then."


It was the small hours of the morning when Kari made her way back from the beast riding. She was still sore, but happy.
The tent that they had woken up in had been cleaned and prepared for them, fresh bed rolls laid out, gifts from Aurena that they could take with them.
There was a note on each bed reminding them to send their saddle specifications to the makers of their choice so the pieces would be ready for them when they arrived at that clan. Kari was definitely ordering hers from the saddle maker in Ocris.
Kari picked a roll and lay down, watching others come in from their various activities.
She couldn't help but notice, that she'd been a lot happier with these new friends than she had been alone. Somehow being with them made the pain of her brother's absence a bit more bearable. She didn't want to lose that, deep down, she hoped that they would all choose to go to Westeros...

~*~*~

Sleep wouldn't come that night, too much had happened, and so, she took a needle and thread and began to work on a piece of clothing to pass the time.
If she'd been asleep, she never would have noticed the eerie silence that fell over the grounds. A thick fog rolled in, so thick she could see wisps of it coil under the tent flap. In the dim lantern light it was hard to see but it looked...purple.

There was a noise behind her, something sharp cutting fabric. Kari whirled to see the tip of a bone knife, pulling down, shredding the hide of the tent like paper.
Someone was cutting a hole in the tent?
She fumbled for her bag, drawing her stone dagger just as a gruesome skeletal head pushed through the tear. Not someone...an undead creature!
"Wake up!" She shouted, "more monsters!"
These creatures were dragon in shape but small, about the size of a ram. They each had a long horn protruding off their nose, which was viciously sharp, like the edge of a sword. Instead of eyes there was a second set of jaws on their heads, and all of their teeth were serated, for tearing horrible wounds in their victims. They slunk across the ground with obscene speed, several of them pouring through the slit and more circling the entrance. They had surrounded the tent.

Spoiler: Barb-tail dragon undead - assassin class

The first one lunged, it's chest glowing as the creatures on the mountain had done. Kari intercepted it and rolled with it, she felt its brittle bones snap under her weight, they were weak at least, but a sharp pain in her side made her wince. The damn things had barbed tails, which they flailed like whips. She drove her dagger through its ribs and cracked the orb hidden there. The creature dissolved and she threw it off, but there were more of them coming, purple eyes blazing and then, in the distance, the screams began.

Lioness075 SleepyCreamy AncientBird kase9187 YumenoTsukishiro Naberius Elenion Aura explosiveKitten Saturn_moon

((You can control as many of these as you like))

 

[AncientBird]

From the beast riding ring, Serik headed straight back to where Valkyrie was sleeping to check on her. The stork drake was still in her deep slumber. Serik checked if she had anything still troubling her mind or not, but her feeling was rather placid, nothing to be worried about. He didn't want to wake Valkyrie up, so Serik decided to leave her there and went back to the tent which located not so far away. He made a loud yawn as he reached the front of tent. He noticed the fog was starting to fall... It came rather quick and in the split second, he thought its color seemed purple as it reflected the light of the torch. It might just be his drowsiness that started to reel in, so he ignored it.

Serik got inside the tent that he first woke up into. The place was already cleaned for them. Some of his friends had already returned. Kari was still awake and sewing something. Serik was curious why she hadn't gone to sleep but was simply too tired and drowsy to start another conversation so he headed for his bed. Serik lay down on the comfortable mattress and slowly drifted into a deep sleep... Just then that he heard Kari's scream.

His drowsiness was brushed away and he sprung up from his mattress. Serik eyes widened and fully awaked. He was going to ask about the commotion when he saw something... A horrible sight. Numerous skeleton monsters... This time looked like some sort of dragon with a sharp, spear-liked horn on its snout. The dreadful things ran in and started surrounding his bed. "By the hell, these monsters again?!" He shouted as he stood up on his bed.

One leaped at him, pointing out it deathly horn at Serik and missed him by a hair length. Serik kicked its head and sent it tumbled down his bed. More charged in, but the young man dodged and leaped to another empty bed. He reached out to a random wooden staff lying about to use as his only defense. More of the monsters began tearing the tent's fabric and came in from every direction. "We need to get outside or we will be overrun!!!" He shouted to his team mates.

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

 

[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

(Written with permission from Naberius)

Leandra was having so much fun dancing, she nearly missed Ezekiel's fire dancing performance. She heard Kari mention needing water and so she joined Kari's side to watch Ezekiel's performance. After all, she too was thirsty after all their excited dancing.
Leandra was in awe the entire time and felt entranced until it was over. The way he had moved and danced with the fire was so fluid and smooth. Leandra had no idea someone could dance like that. She quickly joined the cheers for him and watched as Kari ran over, hoping to get lessons sometime. Leandra was amazed by Ezekiel's ability and she was not entirely keen on trying to dance with fire, given her lack of magic abilities in general. At least Kari could keep the fire away from herself.

By the time she got back to the tents later that night, Leandra was fatigued. She was practically dragging her feet and blearily found her sleeping mat before collapsing in it. She was so tired that she even forgot to summon Falarion back out from her amulet. She was asleep in seconds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leandra slept soundly for once, her exhaustion taking over. When Kari began shouting for everyone to wake, Leandra groaned and muttered, "One more minute, Mom." She then began blinking, as noises of tearing tent fabric filled her ears. Suddenly, she sat upright as an undead dragon charged at Kari. Another charged at Serik. Chaos was unfolding once more.

Scrambling to her feet, Leandra pulled out her daggers and tensed as two came charging at her from different sides. At the last second, she tumbled forward, rolling out of their way. The two collided and Leandra saw how brittle their bones were once the two monsters collapsed against each other, their bones intertwining in a mess. Hurriedly, Leandra rushed towards them and stabbed at both of their orbs, dispatching them. Now her bedroll was covered in the purple ash. Great.

Briefly distracted by these thoughts, Leandra almost missed another charging at her back until she heard Caliban shouting, "Lea! Move!"
Startled into action, Leandra dove to the side, crashing into a pile of gear from their previous trek. The monster charging her instead careened into the side of the tent, tearing through the fabric and stumbling outside.
Caliban ran over to Leandra and offered a hand, helping her up from the gear pile.
Sheepish, Leandra rubbed the back of her neck and was about to say something when two more monsters charged at the siblings. With a determined look, Leandra held up her daggers and then flipped one over before throwing it square in the face of one of the monsters. It whined and then stumbled just as Caliban sidestepped it and stabbed at its orb with his spear. The monster collapsed in a heap and Caliban looked up in time to see Leandra cry out in pain and fall backwards onto the floor. She clutched at her right bicep, blood trickling out from between her fingers.
Enraged, Caliban yelled and then threw a metal chakram at the undead dragon. It arced out to the side, striking the monster in the hip just as it had started to turn around and face Leandra. It roared, as its hip collapsed and it fell to the side. Caliban leapt over the gear pile and promptly impaled the monster's orb. As it collapsed into ash, Caliban turned to face Leandra and helped her up.
"Hey, I'm supposed to be the idiot getting hurt here, not you," Caliban teased, as he led her towards the tent entrance.
Leandra rolled her eyes at this and replied, "Shut up and go help the others. I'll get Falarion out to protect me."
Nodding, Caliban left her at the entrance and turned around to survey the scene inside.

Outside the tent, Leandra grimaced when she pulled her hand away from her bicep. She had a clean gash there and it did not look like it was going to ease up on bleeding anytime soon. The irony of receiving a similar wound as Caliban had previously was not lost on her. Tearing some of the fabric from the bottom of her shirt, Leandra deftly tied a makeshift bandage over the gash, fully aware she would probably need stitches. At least the team had Katja for these situations.
Quickly, Leandra spoke the word to summon Falarion from her amulet and he popped out, roaring and swiping at any of the undead dragons that tried to get near her.

SilverFlight Naberius kase9187 YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten SleepyCreamy Elenion Aura Saturn_moon

 

[Saturn_moon]

Marylka had been one of the first to retreat to bed. As much fun as she was having, the events of the past few days had taken more out of her, both physically and emotionally, than she had realised. Changing into a fresh set of clothes, she clambered under her furs and settled down to sleep. Just beyond the tent walls she could hear much laughing and the occasional off-pitch singing of the inebriated coming from the festivities still going on. At least, for now, we are safe she thought as she slowly drifted off into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep but from some faint part of her conscious mind, she suddenly heard someone shouting. “Wake up!” they said. It was a voice she had become quite familiar with, Kari’s voice, and even from the depths of sleep she could hear the panic in her tone. “More monsters!”

Marylka jolted awake to find herself staring into the mouth of a horrendous skeletal monster hovering over her once sleeping form, its viciously sharp teeth bared and ready to sink into her neck. Reactively, she threw a fist up into the monster’s jaw with all the strength she could muster. The punch didn’t do much, merely knocking its lower jaw askew, but it gave her enough time to grab her kindjal and plunge it into the orb hidden between its ribs. In an instant, the monster went slack and disintegrated into a cloud of purple dust before her. She jumped onto her feet and backed away from the canvas. Numerous more of these skeletal creatures had already filled the space with more coming in from every direction.

In her moment of confusion, she hadn’t noticed the beast that had snuck up behind her. It wrapped its tail around her ankle like a chain, and pulled. Marylka grunted as her chest slammed into the ground and she was dragged feet first across the floor towards the monster. Shit, shit, shit! She stabbed her dagger into the ground like a stake and held on to it. The beast continued pulling, barbs digging deeper into her flesh and she screamed in agony. Realising that she was not budging, it decided to change tactics and prepared to lunge at her instead. She flipped herself over just in time to kick her both her legs into the undead dragon’s chest and throw it backwards onto its back. As it struggled to right itself, Marylka quickly pried her bloody ankle from its tail, pulled her dagger from the ground and stumbled out of the tent.

Outside, the grounds were in utter chaos. Terrified screams and cries filled the air and people were running around helplessly. Seeing Leandra call upon Falarion, she did likewise. Archimedes appeared with an ear-splitting screech and was immediately at her side. Using his wings as a lift, the hippogriff helped her up onto its back. “Good boy.” She said, petting him on the neck. “Now, I need you to help me get all these people to safety!”

SilverFlight Naberius Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird Lioness075

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf was sleeping peacefully, Spica curled around him. Both were lying underneath a tree, Aldaf rising and falling with Spica's every breath.

Aldaf heard Kari cry out from the tent and opened his eyes to see more undead beasts tear at the tent. Spica felt his panic and snapped awake.
"Come on, Spica. They need us."
He leapt onto her back and charged in, leaping into the fray and nailing some of them in the orb.

Screams resonated from out in the main camp. Aldaf looked, a face of terror.
"Mom!"
Spica and Aldaf took off, charging into the marketplace. People were running in fear of these undead monstrosities, but some riders were fighting back. Aldaf's mother couldn't be seen.
"MOM?! MOM!!" Aldaf screamed for his mother while he and Spica helped fight off the threat. No response. Tents were being torn down by these creatures. They were caught off guard, and the beasts were everywhere.

Aldaf was shooting his bow at some of the creatures when one lunged at him and tore into his leg. He screamed before about twenty of Spica's quills nailed the thing in the chest, the dust dissipating from the force of the attack. Aldaf managed to get himself rudimentarily bandaged and hopped on Spica.
"We need to take them down quickly."

SilverFlight Saturn_moon Naberius Lioness075 SleepyCreamy AncientBird YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura explosiveKitten

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari


Kari heard Serik shout. He was right, they were too limited in the confines of the tent. She took her dagger and cut the leather all the way, leaving an opening in the back of the tent wide enough for them to get through. More creatures were swarming the entrance. Kari grabbed her whip. Zephyr, who had been lounging on the rocks with other gryphons had come as soon as he heard Kari shout. He smashed a creature to dust with his sharp talons as he landed.
Suddenly a familiar voice rose above the din. It was Aldaf, of course, his mother was here.
"I'm going to help Aldaf find his mother," She told the others. "Do what you can to help the children and the elderly!"
It was fortunate, that most people here were seasoned fighters with their own skybeasts. As Kari leapt onto Zephyr's back and they swooped away into the night, Kari saw many warriors, skybeasts at their sides, beating back the creatures. What she did not like, was the fact that as she and Zephyr galloped through the camp, the creatures seemed to be drawn to her like a magnet.
She reached Aladf's side, cracking her whip this way and that with deadly accuracy. She hit an orb almost every time, the force of the whip strong enough to burst the brittle rib cages and ruin whatever was inside. Her side was wet with blood where the first creature had stabbed her, but she ignored the pain.
"Aldaf! Your mom would likely be with the other merchants, they'll be in the inner circle of tents!" She looked at his damaged leg. "Can you ride?"

She gave a nod then, she would follow him and fight. They were going to battle their way through to the merchants and find his mother.

kase9187

 

[explosiveKitten]

Katja had adamantly refused to heal anyone after their illegal rodeo riding excursion.

“You guys are blessed by the gods! Fix yourselves if you’re going to be stupid and injure yourselves willy-nilly!”

Of course this comes to bite her in the ass later when the sound of screaming and fighting woke her up. At first she just blinked, bleary-eyed into the tent above her, not fully awake for a moment before a big, bony, barbed tail stabbed into the ground right beside her head.

That snapped her right to attention. She screamed and scrambled to her feet, hobbling to grab something to defend herself and dive out of the tent.

When she scrambled out of the tent, the chaos in the air was almost suffocating, the screaming and crying was enough rob make her have a panic attack. While she was standing around, Caliban appeared out of nowhere and began to play bodyguard for the group healer. She was terrified of all this action. She had some stupid sword she could barely lift, and... well she didn’t have anything negative to say about Caliban. But still... she was so focused on him, she didn’t notice the skeletal beast that was approaching her from behind until she finally noticed.

“AAAAHHHHHHH!” Katja screamed as she ran away from the creature, legs shaking the entire time. She was weaving amongst the crowds of people, also fleeing for their lives, but the beast was plowing them all over in favor of getting to the masked young woman.

“HOLY GODS! OH MY GODS, AAAHHHH!” She squealed, just barely managing to stay out of it’s range of attack. She needed shelter, somewhere to hide. Maybe she could- OH! BARRAN! She reached into her shirt and pulled the little crystal they used to hold their Skybeasts and started to play with it, shaking it around and rubbing it like a genie lamp, trying to figure out how to get Barran back out.

SHE HAD NO IDEA HOW TO DO THAT.

More terrified screaming erupted as Katja dove for one of the many tables with benches nearby, attempting to crawl under it between the connected bench and tabletop.

A sharp pain shot up her leg as the beast finally managed to get a stab with it’s tail, right into Katja’s thigh before it could disappear under the thick oak table. Her pained shriek ripped through the chaotic air as she scrabbled to find a handhold in the dirt. It was starting to pull her back out by her pierced thigh, OH GODS! DO SOMETHING!

She wasn’t sure what possessed her, but suddenly she found herself jabbing her heel at the head of the monster, earning a couple grunts from the beast until it suddenly retracted its tail from her leg, allowing her to completely slip under the table.

Too late she realized this was a really good way to corner herself, because now the thing was roaring and attempting to stick its head through the gap Katja had just crawled through, only to find it was too big. It disappeared for a moment and attempted the same from the other side, with Katja’s screams accompanying it’s frustrated roars.

Eventually it stood on the tabletop itself and began to claw at the wood, stabbing its barbed tail through the wood towards the young woman, earning more terrified screams.

“aaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!! OH GODS! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Screams erupted from under the table.

SilverFlight Saturn_moon Naberius Lioness075 SleepyCreamy AncientBird YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura kase9187

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Everything was a blur. Once Lea was out of the tent and safe, with Falarion at her side, Cal dove back in with fervor. But as he did, he saw Katja being chased away in the other direction, no means to defend herself.

Damn it!

He raced off behind them, weaving through the crowd of people stampeding their way away from the monsters that no one had realized were ignoring them entirely. He saw blood, and the skeleton beast doing its best to tear apart a stray table from the earlier celebration. Then, he stopped thinking. Everything reverted to instinct. His body moved without his input, heading straight for the distracted beast. These were much smaller than the ones that had attacked them before on top of the mountain, and far lighter. He managed to git a good kick in its side and sent it crashing to the ground. One jab of his spear shattered the orb in its chest and it was done. Bending down, he looked underneath the table and smiled at Katja, trying not to look so worried. But the blood made his heart ache. She had been injured despite his best efforts at keeping as many people safe as possible. If only he had been quicker, maybe she would have been okay...

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it to you sooner, can you walk? You can lean on me if you need to, we need to get to somewhere safer."

He held out his hand to help her out from her hiding spot, trying to keep an eye on their surroundings at the same time just in case something decided to attack them while they were distracted as he had done to one of their attackers.

SilverFlight Saturn_moon explosiveKitten Lioness075 SleepyCreamy AncientBird YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura kase9187

 

[AncientBird]

Serik threw himself out of the gap Kari made to escape. The monsters followed him suit. Serik turned and whacked one right in the head with his staff then kept running. His mind thought about one thing, Valkyrie, the stork drake could definitely turn the battle around.

“Valkyrie, help!!!” Serik shouted to the air, hoping that his beast would hear him through their bond. Serik didn’t have much time to think what to do next, the creatures ran at him again. Serik kept on running.

They eventually cornered the young man at the feast table. Serik noticed Katja and Caliban holding off against the monsters of their own so he reached to them, wiping any trying to cut him off.

“Are you two alright? These monsters are everywhere!” Serik said as he grouped up with the two friends. The skeletal monster kept pouring at them.

“Call your skybeasts! We need more muscle to deal with all of them!” Serik said as he whacked any monsters trying to get close. His staff could only pushed them back but not reliable enough to outright kill them. Serik looked to the sky for his stork drake. “Comeon, Valkyrie... Where are you?” He whispered, start getting nervous if anything happened to her...

Featuring: explosiveKitten Naberius SilverFlight

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf nodded to Kari.
"Let's go. More of these things are closing in."
With Spica beneath him and his determination freshly restored, Aldaf paved a way through the beasts, leading Kari down to the inner tents.

More creatures closed in on them as they moved.
"Hey, does it seem like these things are hunting for something?"
Aldaf spoke above the screams and shouts of battle. One of the undead monsters flew towards them, tail outstretched and jaw open. A few well-placed darts he'd made from a couple of Spica's loose quills took it down. The dust billowed as Spica huffed, blowing it away.
"It seems like they're only trying to kill us right now!"
Another approaching beast tried to stab at Aldaf, but was met with Spica as she smashed the thing in the side with her own tail. It fell, sprawled out below as Spica stepped on the thing's orb and crushed it. The sand seeped between her claws and they advanced further.

SilverFlight

 

[Saturn_moon]

As Archimedes leaped into the sky so did two of the undead creatures who started to give chase. The hippogriff sped through the night sky, swerving left and right in an attempt to lose their tails but with no avail. They were just as fast and agile as Archimedes was. Stashing away her kindjal, Marylka drew her slingshot out instead and readied it with a stone in its sling. Whipping around, she swiftly took aim and sent the stone whistling through the air. She saw it break through the monster’s rib cage and shatter the orb before turning back around. She repeated the action once more with the second creature on her right, this time merely knocking its skull right off its body. She knew that it had done nothing to stay the monster but as it scrambled around in the sky like a… well, headless undead dragon, it gave her the opportunity to escape.

Circling back to the main camp, she caught sight of the small Northarian boy who had offered them mead at the dinner, getting cornered by one of the monsters. As if reading her mind, Archie dived straight towards the creature and with his front talons, grabbed it by its wings and threw it several feet away. The monster crumbled into a pile of bones on impact. Hopping off Archimedes, she limped over to the boy cowering in fear by the stall. “Are you okay?” She asked, checking to make sure he hadn’t been hurt. To her relief he bared no signs of injury and was at most badly shaken. “What do you say we get you back to your parents?”

She hoisted the boy up on to Archimedes’ back and was about to get on herself when the boy eyes suddenly widened with fear and he shouted “Watch out!”.

Marylka spun around to see the creature Archimedes had thrown to the side charging towards her. She had forgotten to break the freaking orb. She pulled out her kindjal once more and stepped forward as the skeletal creature approached, driving the blade all the way to the hilt into its chest… just as the creature's horn slashed cleanly through her side. There was a moment of silence as the monster turned into a purple dust as the others had, then came the searing pain. With a gasp, she stumbled back and fell onto the ground. Blood was seeping through her tunic and she felt the energy slowly drain out of her. Oh gods… this was not going well at all.

SilverFlight Naberius Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird Lioness075

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

Matthias awoke to chaos. His sleep-addled mind was slow to process the situation, until the sound of ripping canvas and the sight of more skeletal monstrosities, not to mention the shouted warnings from the others, jolted his body awake and spurred it into action. He filed through the carved hole in the tent, taking up the rear.

Just then one of the beasts half-flew, half-leapt toward him, horn and mouths and claws greedily swiping at his face and neck. On pure instinct, Matthias struck it midair with the pommel of his blade. The creature crumpled and fell to the ground at Matthias’ feet, writhing and lashing at his legs with its whole tail as it tried right itself and launch another assault. Matthias lifted his boot and stomped down, shattering the creature’s ribcage, and the orb it housed there, beneath his heel. When he looked up from the dissipating carcass, everyone was gone, dispersed, either fighting or running, or both. He didn’t have time to think about them right now. More of them were coming. They came through the tent and fanned out around him. Matthias readied his blade and took an instinctive step back as one of the creatures snapped at his legs.

Volos, he called out with his mind and his will. The bear appeared from out of the gem around Matthias’ neck. Without waiting for the creatures to swarm him, Matthias leapt onto Volos’ back. Together, they took to the sky. The skeletal pack, in unison, took flight to pursue them.

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

 

[AncientBird]

The monsters kept increasing in numbers. They were about to overrun Serik, Caliban and Katja...

Suddenly, a loud screech came from the sky. A skeletal beast about to pounced at Serik was grabbed by the long, spear-liked beak. Valkyrie made a loud thud as she landed and wiped the floor with the monster still in her beak. She crushed its life orb in the process and them proceeded to throw its remain at the other monster before it fell apart.

“There you are! I was worried that you might be in trouble.” Serik said and smiled at his beast but then, his expression turned to shock as Valkyrie’s beak came at him. Serik dodged and looked at the skybeast grumpily. “No! Don’t even think of taking me away again! I am not injured and I will fight along with my friends, and so will you!!!”

Valkyrie made a frustrated screech and about to reach Serik with her beak again, however Serik just hit it with his staff. “No mean no! If you don’t want to fight, get out of here! I will- Aghhhh!” Serik screamed in pain as one of the monster used the time he was distracted, charged in and slashed his arm with its barbed tail.

The stork drake’s eyes widened as she grabbed said monster and slammed it to the ground, breaking it apart, life orb and bones alike. Serik collapsed on his knee but he was soon got up with blood running from his wound. Valkyrie turned to face against the other monster, blocking them from reaching to Serik and friends. She destroyed many, but others started leaping up her back and started slashing into her hind. Valkyrie bucked in pain and started spinning around, trying get rid of her adversaries.

“Valkyrie!” Serik called and tried to help knocking the monster off her back.

Featuring: Naberius explosiveKitten

 

[SleepyCreamy]

"You're a big softie aren't you? Admit it." Zeke found his cheeks to warm up at Kari’s statement. He didn’t expect her or anybody to go near the Westerosian camp, besides him and Marylka. Zeke turned his head to the side to prevent his reddened cheeks to be shown and to also avoid looking at Kari’s teasing eyes. He also wondered if anyone in the group had seen his performance, but that thought was soon shrugged off as the two conversed. Zeke however, eyed Kari’s golden mark stretching across her face. He has always been curious about where she got that mark as he had seen some of his people wear the same mark.

After their brief conversation about their stolen memories, Kari bid Zeke goodbye and he only gave her a brief nod. Zeke made his way to the tent where he first woke up and found a few gifts from Aurena, each freshly made beds has one. He saw a note among the gifts and Zeke was gleefully searching for his journal. He’s been planning about what his saddle would look like ever since he was a kid and would often dream about this very moment, about the very moment he’ll finally have a steed he could fully place his trust on.

Zeke held the gemstone and uttered the words that could seal the creature, “Koray.”

That was his last words before resting his head on top of a feather pillow. He has heard his mother and father say that word enough times to know what they mean. So much has happened and Zeke couldn’t believe that he has finally been accepted by his people, more so, that he also accepted himself for who he truly is. He is a proud member of the Marcellius family who is hellbent in making a name for himself and renewing what his father has ruined. Zeke felt his eyes soon drift to a close as he felt a soft ball of fur wrapping themselves at the nook of his neck. Zeke smiled as he felt Stitt’s warm body warm up his neck.

III✦III

However, that warm feeling soon disappeared when he felt a sting of pain in his wrist as he was being pinned down and he heard a whole bunch of ripping noises.
“Wake--” Zeke swore he heard Kari’s voice, but he didn’t seem to listen to what she was saying as he peacefully went back to his sleep. Zeke has always been a heavy sleeper, he could sleep through anything, and it was moments like these that he’s most vulnerable. When Zeke managed to finally open his eyes with all of this noisy commotion, he was met with a hideous looking skulled dragon on top of him and Zeke could see Kari ripping the tent’s fabric to make some type of exit.

Zeke’s eyes snapped open as he finally realized that his final moment is coming near. Zeke struggled to free his hand from the bony claws of the creature. He could only watch as the beast raised its tail with a swift movement, like a scorpion preparing to strike with its whip-like tail. Zeke wondered if this is what the gods have planned for him, to make him feel amazing, only to have him get killed the moment he’s finally starting to regain some sort of happiness. And during those moments, he could only visualize his mother’s smile and Stitt’s funny, yet supportive personality.

Stitt… Where is she?

Those were his last thoughts before he felt something pierce his abdomen in a painful manner. This was all new to Zeke, so he was quite shocked when it all happened so fast. Zeke felt his breathing become ragged as he felt blood drip from the sides of his mouth. His palms felt something cold as a hard, solid material touched his palms, however, it soon became warm, as a familiar warmth surrounded his palm.

Stitt. He happily thought as he uttered the words, “Koray.” In a weak voice as he felt his conscience slowly slip away. And before the bony creature could do any more damage and dig through his flesh, Azurine launched himself on top of the creature and attacked its very orb, disintegrating it into ashes. Once its bloodied tail was off of Zeke, Azurine swiftly took Zeke onto his front claws and carried him like a baby. Azurine soon tore through the roof of the tent, along with Stitt following them. And as they did, Zeke’s blood trailed through the roof.

Zeke could feel his head sway backward as he felt his eyes come to a close. Azurine soon found familiar faces not so far from them and made a dive for them. Zeke struggled to keep his eyes open, when he did, he was greeted at the sight of Caliban, Serik, and fortunately enough, their healer, Katja. Even at his drowsy state, his sharp eyes could still be of use. However, Zeke did notice that Katja’s snowy owl was nowhere to be found.

Don’t they need protection, as Azurine neared them, he finally concluded that Katja must’ve forgotten how to release her Skybeast from the gemstone. Zeke quickly said, to Katja, “Say ‘Koray’ if you want to release your Skybeast. It’s not that hard to remember.” He said as he felt himself dribble more blood. He coughed and clutched his bleeding abdomen. "A little help here? Maybe" Zeke wasn't sure if she'd ever help him after his stunt back in the mountains where he showed his cowardly side.

After all, who would want to help a coward like me? Like my father? So much for renewing the Marcellius name. Am I really gonna die in here? Without even seeing my mother's face or even knowing if she's still alive and well? I guess it's all up to her. He weakly glanced at Katja with his yellow eyes that glowed with life, or what is still left of it. He felt Azurine land with his hind legs at first, and then soon carefully laying Zeke down in front of Katja with his pleading blue eyes.

AncientBird Naberius explosiveKitten

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

After the encounter with the giant flying squirrel, Gerel decided that any more rodeo would be hazardous to his health. He could still taste the acid in his mouth. His stomach still grumbled in anger. His head still pounded with nausea. Worse still, Kari saw him in such an embarrassing state. He wanted to crawl inside the earth and let it claim him (But it was thoughtful of her, handing him a waterskin to drink from. Gerel's chest warmed from the thought). Looking like death itself, Gerel had no problem going through the crowds (people were swift to make way for him). He grabbed a clay cup full of spiced milk and downed the entire thing in one go. Almost immediately he felt like vomiting once more, but at least the nausea was starting to fade away. He took another cup and made his way towards the very edge of the camp.

He found a nice spot near a grassy hill, with a clear view of the night sky above. Ventra's winds blew gently across the plain, cool and refreshing on his heated face. He patted the ground beneath him, sat down and crossed his legs. With a screech, Talon landed close to him, clucking her beak in anticipation. Smiling, Gerel took out his last piece of goat jerky and tossed it to the eagle, who snapped it out of the air. Talon cooed and chewed on the treat with eyes closed. Jeff was nowhere in sight, yet Gerel felt him close by.

Sipping the spice milk, Gerel finally allowed himself to relax and enjoy the much-needed peace away from the chaos. He didn't even want to use the time to think about the undead monsters, the purple orb, the shared vision, and his confusing tangle of relations towards the rest of the party, especially Kari. It was a time of quiet, and woe to him if he let his overactive mind ruin it. Gerel took another sip, the warmth washing his trouble away. Another sip, and his eyes closed on their own. One more sip, and he was slowly reclining his back on the grass, consciousness fading into darkness.

As soon as his head hit the ground, he woke up. Or rather, he awakened to a dream. He half-expected the windy plains beneath a gray, stormy sky, but what he got was a giant hole deep in the ground with purple mist spewing from it. He stood on the precipice, looking down into the endless void. Gerel wanted to move back, but his legs wouldn't budge. With dawning horror he realized that none of his muscles moved as he wanted. He was detached from his body, but that didn't stop him from hearing a familiar roar echo from within the void. A moment hung heavy in the air, and then a swarm of skeleton dragons burst forth from the hole, ripping at his clothes, tearing through his body, leaving nothing behind but screams muffled within a cacophony of death.

With a panicked shout, Gerel woke up, only to find that a purple fog had settled over the entire camp. He heard faint screams come from the direction of the tents, and his heart sank. 'Everyone. My companions. Kari!'

With a sharp whistle, he ordered Talon to scout ahead for any threats. He had no weapons on his person at the moment. All his equipment was left in the tent with the rest. Still, he ran towards the nearest tree, grabbed a long enough branch fallen near the roots, and kept running. Finally Jeff made his appearance, running alongside him with pieces of grass still stuck between his mouth. Shaking his head, Gerel leaped and grabbed at Jeff's mane, swinging his legs up and landing him firmly atop the Kirin. With a thought they were ascending towards the sky, and from there Gerel saw a fragment of his dream come to life.

The camp was crawling with small, skeletal creatures, and they were ripping through tents and piercing through wood, trying to get at people. But Gerel knew their real purpose for coming. Several of them looked up and took flight, twin jaws clacking and barbed tails swishing. From behind, another pack of those creatures were closing in fast. If he had his bow and arrows, he could make short work of them. A branch in hand did not a weapon make, but it was all he had. He needed to get back to the tent as fast as he could. One of them shot for his head with a screech, but Talon came swooping down and crashing her claws on the creature's chest. The force of it crushed through the rib cage and purple orb alike, causing the undead beast to crumble into ash. Gerel was relieved. At least it wouldn't take much to beat them, even if there were a lot of them.

Gerel raised his branch, ready to meet the oncoming pack of undead dragons. His father tried once to teach him the way of the sword, and it amounted to swinging something long and hard around wildly. So he did just that, swinging his branch whichever way -- careful enough not to hit Jeff -- and swatting at the dragons. Thanks to Ventra's whispers, Gerel was able to get some solid hits in, smashing through bones and purple orbs. But they left more marks on him; multiple wounds across his arms, a gash over his left thigh, and a bleeding cut over his left eye that left him half-blind. Talon did what she could, scratching and stabbing the beasts with her beak. Jeff used his horn to pierce through several all at once, with his wings buffeting the smaller creatures with strong winds.

There, Gerel could see the tent, torn and ruined. He pushed Jeff onward, wind whipping at his cheeks. Suddenly Gerel felt something hit him on the side like a bull. Bewildered, he swung wide and hit more brittle bone and glass. And he was falling, falling, and crashing atop the ruined tent. White flashed over his vision. Pain flared soon after. But at least he was conscious, and nothing was broken. Better yet, there to his side was the rest of his equipment. He sat up, geared up, and stood up. Once again he nearly blacked out from the surge of pain from his left foot. Yes, nothing was broken, only sprained.

"So I'm stuck here. Great," Gerel grit his teeth, forcing himself into a standing position despite the pain. He had fifteen arrows left. Ventra's winds sang loudly around him. More swarms of skeletal dragons were gathering around them. Good odds. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and readied a shot. At the same time he called for Jeff to come to his position with haste. Hopefully he could hold out long enough for his skybeast to arrive.

SilverFlight kase9187 Naberius Lioness075 Saturn_moon AncientBird Elenion Aura SleepyCreamy explosiveKitten

 

[explosiveKitten]

“Uh-uh, not happening!”

Katja stuck her head out from under her the table and frowned, “I am going to stay down here until- until- UNTIL I DON’T KNOW WHAT!”

She wrapped her arms around the leg of the table and started to shiver. She was breathing hard and honestly, she was absolutely terrified. It was evident in her wide eyed shaking. As far as she was concerned this was the safest place to be during this. Covered from the top and the sides and maaaaaybe she was functioning purely on prey animal instincts telling her to find a hole to hide in, but honestly? Who cares? She was gonna SURVIVE!

Her adrenaline was pumping, her leg was throbbing, and every single fiber in her being was telling her to stay where she was because it was safe and guarded and-

The smell of blood- well, more blood- hit her nose and her turned her head very sharply to glare outside, and she found the approaching face of a manticore. Wasn’t that... Zeke’s Skybeast?

The bleeding young man on the manticore’s back tried to reason with Katja, but it mostly sounded like fuzz in her ears. Like someone had shoved cotton in her ears and now all she could hear was static.

“K... Koray? What does that have to do with anything?!” Katja shouted, terror making her voice quiver as she looked around. “I’ve never even heard that word before! .. Are you bleeding?”

Suddenly she has two conflicting thoughts in her head. Healer brain and Fear brain were fighting.

You have to help! It’s your job!
AHH, NO? I’LL DIE?
He’ll die if you don’t help him!
I’LL die if I DO help him!
You don’t know that!
The HELL I DON’T!
You know that you have to!
I’M SCARED, GODSDAMNIT!
You’re of no use to anyone under this table!
I’m of no use to anyone if I’M DEAD!

Katja was paralyzed there, clinging to the leg of the table with her arms and one leg, staring at Zeke while her warring emotions fought for dominance over her motor controls.

Katja had started to stiffly crawl out from under the table when a deer dropped from the sky, onto a charging undead monster. This caused her to scramble back under the table, whimpering like a scared puppy. This doe, a deer, a female deer, was soon followed by a large seven-foot tall owl landing on top of the skeleton. This owllooked absolutely bewildered by the whole situation. Seems she had never been put in the crystal, and had instead gone hunting for her late-night dinner, only to return to absolute chaos.

The owl whipped her head around, and shrieked threateningly when an undead dragon charged at them again, and she lifted into the air, flapping forward to meet it’s challenge, talons forward.

AncientBird Naberius explosiveKitten

 

[AncientBird]

Serik tried his best to whacked the monsters off his skybeast. However, with his blunt staff, he could only do so much... Suddenly, a spear thrusted from behind Serik and stabbed one of the monsters. It’s Caliban. Serik smiled thankfully and together, both of them brushed the monsters off in no time. The last of the monster was eventually knocked of, which the Valkyrie grabbed it mid air and smashed it to pieces on the ground.

She then knelt down a bit, panting heavily from all the fight, blood dripping down her back from all the scratches and slash wounds.

Serik came to check on her. The wound wasn’t deep and each was only seeping blood. Stork drake are used to injury like this from all their squabbling and fighting over carcass but Valkyrie will need time to catch her breath before she could get into fight again.

“Don’t you see the importance of fighting together? They would overwhelm you, if I and Caliban didn’t help brushing them off... You can’t hope to run away from every threat. This isn’t the plain any more, it’s more dire than that, and if you don’t want to die alone like most of your kinds do in the wild, then please listen to me... We both will get through this together.” Serik said to his companion.

Valkyrie seemed frustrated to admit that she has to fight along side strangers that isn’t Serik... But her wounds was making her weak. She slowly stepped away and stood along side the rest of the group.

Before the new wave of monsters arrived. A large skybeast came from the sky. It was Azurine, Ezekiel’s companion. He looked troubling and revealed a glusome sight that was Ezekiel himself, lying on his back with blood coming out of his belly.

“Ezekiel!!! Quick, Bring him over!” Serik said. Ezekiel seemed weak and ailing. He asked for help which was something new to Serik but it’s the best for him to do so.

Just then that Katja’s giant owl, Barran Arrived with a dead deer. She seemed to just notice that they were in the middle of fight and once she spotted the monster threatening her rider and her friends, she jumped into the fight head on.

“I will help your owl fight, please take care of Ezekiel, he’s bleeding badly.” Serik told Katja “You too, Valkyrie, help covering them as best as you can...” Serik said

“And no, don’t make that eyes over Ezekiel. He is not going to die and even if he is, you are not going to eat his body!” Serik confirmed his task to the stork drake and rushed out to face the new wave of the skeletal dragons.

Featuring: Naberius explosiveKitten SleepyCreamy

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari


Zephyr followed in close behind Spica, Kari guarding their flanks with her whip. She decided to try something, and focused a bit of her magical power. The whip tongue burst into flames, but the hide didn't burn.
She smiled. It didn't do too much extra damage, but it did spook the creatures into keeping their distance, for a little while anyway, long enough for them to make it to the merchant's quarter.

Aldaf mentioned the creature's interest in them.
"You're right, but when they see us they stop attacking other people...maybe we could use that!"

The heavy beating of wings told her that a skybeast went airborne. She looked up and swore. Azurine, but he was carrying Zeke's limp form towards a group of familiar faces. Some of the others had grouped up and were fighting for their lives. She still couldn't see Gerel.
"Aldaf!" Kari cried and pointed skywards to Zeke and his beast.

In the quarter the merchants were fighting bravely, some made quick work of the creatures, by now most had figured out that their weak point lay in the orbs hidden in their skeletal chests. Ferro was fighting before his husband, who was bowed over a bleeding wound in his thigh, gritting his teeth through the pain. His beautiful robes were stained with blood.

Kari used a fan of flame to scatter the creatures and cleave a path to them.
"Ferro!"
The older warrior dispatched another creature and turned.
"Kari! I had hoped the mountain would be the last of these devils! I should have ordered extra patrols! The bastards caught us off guard, killed a number of people before we could rally a defense! Where are your friends?"
Kari's stomach twisted, she had rushed off without making sure they were okay.
"We're looking for a merchant, his mother." Kari pointed to Aldaf.
"The merchants who aren't fighters are taking shelter in a cave just in the cliff wall." He pointed to the cliff forming the back of the merchant stalls.

Now they had a choice to make, Zeke was wounded, possibly...no, she wasn't going there. They could make sure Aldaf's mother was safe, and then go back for the others, but time was short.
"Aldaf, we need to split up. Tell me where to go, your mom or to the others, but if you're going for the others...please find Gerel, I didn't seem him, make sure he's okay."

kase9187

 

[Naberius]

Cal hadn't had the opportunity to fight side by side with Serik in close proximity before, but they seems to work well together. With the closest of the monster routed for the moment, and with Zeke on the ground, they needed to move while they could. Find cover and get some bandages and field dressings on the wounded. But there was only one person who could help him, and she was currently cowering under a nearby table. Caliban pulled out his own amulet, speaking the words that would bring forth his feathered mount, Nerene.

"Help the others. And don't give me that look. Keep those things away from us for a few minutes. Please."

She almost seemed to roll her eyes, but grudgingly she took flight, aiming to aid Serik and the other Beasts in driving away the monsters pouring in from seemingly everywhere. They had a few moments of respite, and he wasn't about to have them be wasted. He dropped to his knees and crawled under the table with Katja, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

"Look at me. Katja, you are the only one skilled enough to save Zeke right now. You can't let your fear control you. Your friends are right here with you, helping you. Stand with us. Fight with us. That's the only way we can survive. We all stand together, or we die alone. I'm not trying to scare you. You are better than that, better than your fear. If you can't believe in yourself, then believe in me because I believe in you."

explosiveKitten AncientBird

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nicknames: Lea, Firefly
Clan: Sudenta	Clan Job: Huntress
Equipment: Knapsack, Medicinal Pouch, Bow, Quiver (4/10), Twin Daggers

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

As Falarion pounced and bit at any nearby undead monsters, Leandra kept pressure on her wounded bicep. She cursed her luck that she had forgotten her bow and arrow near the tent, which was falling apart now. Most of the group had fled with a number of the monsters chasing everyone. Leandra knew how deadly these monsters were up close, despite how brittle and weak they were. Falarion already had a number of minor scratches and nicks along his muzzle and shoulders.

Leandra worried about how they would end this fight, as the monsters just kept coming and coming. It was like an endless wave this time. They could not fight forever and she knew everyone had to be wearing down like she was already. Another monster charged at her while Falarion was entangled with another. With a grunt, Leandra dove to the side and then scrambled back to her feet. She winced at her throbbing arm and then unsheathed her second dagger to throw it at the monster who had just missed her. Instead of striking the orb this time, it hit the monster in the ribs, breaking a few and then clattering to the ground.
Glancing back at the tent, Leandra could see their pile of gear amidst the broken and tattered canvas. Sighing, she turned and started to run towards the tent just as Gerel came crashing down from above. Screaming in surprise, Leandra stumbled to a halt just near where Gerel had fallen. He got back up and was holding off the monsters with his own bow. Cursing, Leandra dug up her own bow and quiver before she ran over to join Gerel's backside.
"Hey there, you looked like you could use some help, yeah?"
Grinning now, Leandra whistled for Falarion and also sent out a thought for him to come join her. She looked back over where she had left him and saw him dispatch another monster by biting its orb. As he looked up, Leandra winced at the blood drenching his fur around his muzzle. Best she could tell, he still had mostly superficial injuries at least.
Falarion bounded over to Leandra and Gerel and drove through the growing mass of monsters surrounding them. He crashed through two of them, actually breaking one's body, before he skidded to a halt in front of Leandra. She fired an arrow at the downed monster's orb, dispatching it into an ash pile.
Facing the monsters before Leandra, Falarion let out a deafening roar and flared his wings.

YumenoTsukishiro

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf looked worried and turned to Ferro.
"Please, Ferro. Make sure everyone in the cave is safe."
He nodded to Kari.
"These things want us. Let's both get back to the group."
His eyes betrayed him. He wanted to go check on his mother, but his friends needed him more.

Upon Spica's back, Aldaf charged back towards the others. Several of the creatures leapt at the group, which he and Spica both dispatched with well placed shots. The dust sprinkled onto his head as they zoomed past.

Aldaf hopped off Spica near the group near the tent, pulling out his bow and an arrow tipped with a Seregios scale.
"Roll call! Who's alive?" Aldaf let an arrow fly and it nailed a beast in the orb, the dust falling like snow.
"These things want us! Anyone who can fight and not die, I might have a plan!"

SilverFlight AncientBird explosiveKitten Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro SleepyCreamy Elenion Aura Saturn_moon Naberius

 

[AncientBird]

Valkyrie watched as Serik fought along with other skybeasts. She seemed restless and not wanting to stay put just as her rider told her. However, even if the wounds on her back wasn't dire, it prevented her from moving as freely as before. She looked back at Caliban sliding under the table and Azurine that was guarding over his injured rider. Valkyrie held no love or loyalty to these people. Her former community was based on individual's benefit... Alliance only formed to be exploited afterward... Each animal to itself, perhaps the only exception was those that is closer such as mate and offspring. For Valkyrie, only Serik which basically shares the bond of heart and soul with her was regarded as so... Others mean nothing...

Looking at Ezekiel who was lying in his blood... She tasted it in the air. Blood, agony, the sign of weakness... It tempted her.

The sight of the hulking Azurine discouraged her, but she used to snatch prey right out of grasp of a much bigger adversary before... It was actually Serik's earlier command that mattered the most. She felt it in her that she need to somehow obey. She could defy it if she want, he was just a little human after all... But all the pain she would feel coming from him... The pain of feeling betrayed, the anger, the thing she experienced up on Mt. Arebos when she broke her rider's leg. She just wanted to keep him safe and happy... For it was the fate, the burden that was given to her without condition. She had to choose... Tormenting the one she cares about for her own desire, or suppressing it and hope to coexist peacefully with her bond.

Valkyrie chose to ignore the weak right below her beak and waited for Serik...

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

Serik kept fighting and fighting. The monsters poured in more and more like there was no stop to it. While Nerene and Barran did most of the job in destroying them, the monsters seemed to be heading for Serik more than them and the beasts could do so much to prevent them from reaching him. Serik was getting tired. He wanted to stop and rest... He panted and sweated, blood from all the minor wounds and the big cut on his arm earlier had stopped coming out, yet he was still far from safe... He wished he could have someone like him standing there to help sharing all the work... Someone just like him...

Suddenly, Serik noticed something... Light, it was glowing from his palm. He looked at it, surprised by the sudden appearance of the magic he had been trying to summon during the last few days. He then saw it happened... There was the blast of bright light before his double, looking just like himself forming up from thin air beside him, from translucent became denser and denser until it looked as solid as an actual body. The monsters that managed to rush pass the skybeasts leaped at Serik's double, but they went through it like there was nothing there but a thin air. They became confused and kept trying and trying again.

Serik's eye widened. This was his chance to try it again... He focused and this time his hand gleamed just as he wanted. Another Serik appeared at the another side of him, holding the very same staff, with determination in his eyes. The doubles couldn't move or speak but it did surprisingly well at distracting the monsters that didn't seem to be that intelligent to begin with. Serik created more and more, soon there were five Serik standing there, with only one that could actually move and think retreating back to his friends and his skybeast.

"That should keep them occupied for a while..." Serik said as he dropped to his knees between Valkyrie's legs, who's also lowered her head to check on him. Using magic seemed to drain some strength off Serik as well, but at least it's better than having to spend it on shoving monsters off.

Featuring: Naberius explosiveKitten SleepyCreamy

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

This had been a terrible idea. Matthias and Volos rolled through the air, a swarm of skeletal, miniature Skybeasts on their tail. Volos was not the most prodigious flier, and these creatures were fast. They swiped at their side with whiplike tails and gouged with their razor-sharp center horn. Volos groaned as one snapped at his dangling forepaw. Matthias kicked the creature off as he willed his beast to fly faster. It was no use. Volos’ wings were powerful, they had to be, to heft his massive frame. But there was a limit to how quickly a winged bear could fly, even without having to contend with a rider’s weight. Even without that rider being Matthias.

Through the chaos, Matthias saw that the rest of the group had begun to congregate below. He could make it to them. But that would mean bringing the horde with him, too. Every moment that passed seemed to add to their number. The only sounds he heard were the beating of wings and the snapping of jaws. Volos’ flank heaved. The exertion would soon be too much. Coupled with the relentless assault... Matthias did not know how much longer the two of them could carry on at this rate. He needed help. This much was obvious to him. Why then did the notion of asking, of calling out, give him such pause? Was it because he worried after their safety? Could he bear the burden if one of them suffered because of his own cowardice? Cowardice. A coward turns tail and runs from a fight. A coward calls for help to win his battles for him... Was it fear or pride that gave him pause? Could he truly not bring himself to seek aid from these people? Had they not already helped him? Would they not do so again now? Was it cowardly to ask for help, or to let himself, his family, all of them down because he would not?

Volos made the decision for him. The great brown bear beat his wings once... Twice... This forced some of the nearest Skybeasts away. He was making a bearline for the others, Matthias realized, and a swell of relief overtook him. Even so, they were not out of danger yet. The flock of murderous wyverns hounded them every moment. Blood gushed and matted the fur around the gash along Volos’ shoulder. Matthias’ foreheads was caked with sweat. He was close enough now that he could make out the expressions on some of their faces. Soon they’d be on solid ground again. And then their real battle would begin.

But first they’d have to make it past the wyverns which had sped ahead and were now coming at them head on. Enemies in front and behind. Volos was forced off course, forced to slow, or else risk impaling his rider on the beasts’ horns. The others were closer now. Close enough that Matthias’ cries for help would have been heard. Alas, he made no noise. Instead Matthias gritted his teeth as his vision filled with teeth, and claws, and leathery wings.

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