/muffled dragonforce in the distance

[monolike]

Who: Sorey (moonlike), Mikleo (nerdeology) & YOU!
Broadcast: n/a
Action: Solrius’s surface, scattered
When: 9/6 thru 9/10

[Some people are saying that Solrius is cursed. There’s a powerful storm moving around, with wind that screams and tears roofs from houses, rain that floods roads within minutes and lightning that ignites voracious fires which devour acres of forest. Some people can hear the beating of wings and roaring. Some people even swear they saw a damn dragon breathing fire and ice.

Fewer in number are reports of a boy with the dragon, but when questioned, nobody could say what his face looked like.]


(( Please see the OOC post for details! ))

Comments

SOREY & MIKLEO

[monolike]

[The dragon is visible to anybody who has the misfortune of running across it. Though it travels often through the air sometimes it lands on high peaks or cliffs and scales down, snatching up livestock and digging up swathes of destruction through forests and meadows. Occasionally it thrashes without warning, shattering mountainsides with its powerful body and laying down fire and ice, calling down heavy rains with its roar.

For the most part there will be a boy either riding with the dragon or walking alongside it; they’re hardly ever far apart, the boy always clutching at its scales or spines, turning to observe the world around them and siccing it on anything he deems dangerous. Those with moderate spiritual power will see that the boy’s face is mottled and expressionless, eyes two empty holes and mouth completely missing, as if he were born without it.

Anyone with significant spiritual power will be able to detect a fiercely powerful domain, weighty and packed with negative energy bearing down on the landscape and poisoning the earth. While not stationary long enough to significantly affect the wildlife, occasionally some weaker animals will succumb and transform into monstrous versions of themselves, which will attack anyone who wanders too closely. It may or may not be obvious that while both the boy and dragon are generating similarly venomous domains, the boy’s feels more sickeningly heavy.]

(( The dragon (Mikleo) will be godmoded to streamline tagging! ))

[experiencepoints]

[Nightingale never really thought of her magic as spiritual. But it seems to be close enough, and just approaching makes her feel like she's going to be sick. Even moreso when her path to find the source takes her through animals that have been corrupted, their attacks met with huge plumes of fire to dispatch them. It's not purifying flames, but just fire enough to kill the animals. It's regrettable, but she can't just let herself get attacked.

It's when she catches sight of them that she feels even more like she's going to be sick. Not just because she's used up all her MP just getting to them, though that doesn't help her. It's when she sees Sorey's face, or lack thereof, that she really gets that she's in over her head. And she has to wonder- Did she do this? Her harsh words to Sorey, her pushing Mikleo to find him... Was this her fault?

But she won't just give up on her friends. Not again. Even if it kills her.]

Sorey! Mikleo!

[She has her staff stowed in her inventory, and her arms are raised. She's unarmed, or so she wants them to think- She wants to talk before fighting.

... Of course, then she realizes she has no idea how to start this off. What should she even say here?]

... Fancy meeting you here?

[Nailed it.]

[monolike]

[Lots of things have been wandering in and out of their domains all day, so when Nightingale stumbles into their territory Sorey pays it no mind, and Mikleo likewise seemed content to ignore it. Once her presence started drawing deliberately closer, however, well. That's telling. Someone's looking specifically for them, someone who can sense the epicenter of the turmoil.

The dragon digs his claws into the ground in agitation; Sorey rubs a hand idly over his muzzle as Nightingale walks up, completely unafraid. She speaks and it's her, it is her-

you're my friend

-and Sorey hesitates, ashamed. He's seen himself in a puddle. He knows what he looks like, but, if she- if she hadn't sent Mikleo after him, then maybe-

His heart tugs at terror remembered and Mikleo growls in agitation, shoving his snout hard against Sorey's hand. Right. He's already decided on his path, more or less. This way is just better.

Sorey turns to face her and slowly draws his sword. Fighting here will probably mean they'll have to move again, but Mikleo gets aggressive so easily like this. Maybe eating her will make him feel better.]

[experiencepoints]

[Nightingale's blood runs cold at the sight of that sword. She knows already she can't win, and that makes it more obvious. Her only possible course of action is to stall him, but... What can she do? If he won't listen, if he won't talk to her?

She lowers her arms, and rather than her staff, what appears from her inventory is... a green bottle?]

Wait, hold on! I want to talk. Please. I brought drinks?

[THIS IS NOT GOING AS PLANNED.]

[monolike]

[Mikleo snarls but Sorey presses a hand onto his nose, like scolding and errant dog. The look he gets is decidedly warning, so Sorey pats his neck and takes a couple steps forward, sword still in hand.]

I don't want to talk.

[Where tf did that voice come from, he's got no mouth]

Leave, before Mikleo decides to eat you. [Mikleo puffs smoke from his nostrils and curls up a lip. He would, too. Unlike Sorey, he's not even aware enough to tell her apart from any other creature that's wandered up to them today.]

[sylphystia]

[After recovering from the initial burst of malevolence that was Sorey and Mikleo being dragged down to hell, Dezel is back on Solrius. The least he can do is reconnaissance even if he doesn't plan on taking them on alone. That is going to be saved for Lailah and Zaveid, and whoever else they can gather up to help take down a dragon. Maybe a 25-man raid group can do it.

Dezel arrives too late to do anything for a small village, razed and empty of people, but he picks his way through it regardless. Maybe he can find some semblance of what drives Sorey at this point. If nothing else, he can follow their scent on the wind and predict where he's going next. It's better than following Sorey's domain... though he's been doing that, too.

He tries not to spend too long in it. By dancing at the edge, he's probably driving Sorey insane. He's resolute in his mission, though, so the malevolence doesn't taint him as much as it could otherwise. The problem-- the real problem-- is that Dezel's furry forest friends are turning into hellions left and right. It's one thing to deal with squirrels and birds and such, but when a sunbear turns and throws itself onto Dezel, he's out of luck.

He doesn't realize he's been in Sorey's domain long enough for Sorey to notice. By the time the bear falls beneath his wind artes, over an hour has passed and he's fairly tired.

It didn't used to take this long to fight hellions by himself.]

[monolike]

[THERE HE IS.

Sorey pulls at Mikleo both physically and with their bond; Mikleo gives a growl of frustration, those dark, possessive feelings flaring up between them but he obediently alters their flight path and tucks in his wings to dive down.

Dezel can reform the pact on his own; they won't need Lailah for it. If Sorey can get him to do it- and if he can't, well, he'll just keep him safe until Dezel comes around. He's sure if he just has time to explain he'll make Dezel see. Their hearts, they're much more alike than they thought. That's what started all of this, isn't it? Sorey saw their similarities and wanted to help. He's not upset. He just needs- He needs him to be okay, he needs-]

Here, [Sorey whispers to Mikleo, who grumbles but swoops down obediently and lands, hissing at Dezel and curling his tail to form a barrier. No escaping that way then, Windstepper.

Sorey slides down from Mikleo's back, taking a few cautious steps forward and keeping a hand on his wing.]

I've been looking everywhere for you. It was frightening, right? At first. It's all right. It's okay. [Overeager, Sorey reaches out a hand for Dezel. If he could just touch him-]

[sylphystia]

[Dezel is recovered and trying to make his getaway when Mikleo and Sorey suddenly descend upon him. The malevolence is so thick that he falls to his knees. Shit, shit shit-- and then there's a dragon tail blocking his escape. This was a mistake. It was a mistake to come here, a mistake to keep an eye on the ones he called friends, a mistake to think he would be able to fly away from them.

Oh, gods, he doesn't want to die again. And he doesn't-- can't kill Sorey, or Mikleo--

It's okay.

Every nerve screams that it's not okay, and that's enough to break him out of this. If he loses hope now, he might as well reactivate the pact and join Sorey in dragon land. That's not going to happen. He won't disappoint Rose, or any of them, not like that. Not like that. Not like that.

She's waiting for him.

He jerks away from Sorey's hopeful touch violently, which unfortunately puts him closer to the dragon. Whatever. He's scrambling to get back to his feet and panting, but even still, he won't let the darkness in.]

You promised you would bring me back, [he manages, and his voice doesn't tremble.] Who's gonna bring you back, huh?

Wanda & Pietro v. Sorey & Mikleo - backdated 09/09

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Hearing the rumors about a so-called dragon roaming near the cities of Solrius had been enticing enough for Wanda and Pietro, but, when they heard about all the harm it was causing innocent people, they decided to take upon themselves to do something. In addition, Allen's message had been enough to further motivate Wanda especially to try and hunt this creature down. The plan was not necessarily to fight the creature, but instead to merely find it and then return to the Fleet to gather reinforcements. With Pietro's speed and Wanda's telepathy, they figured it would be easy to find the monster. However, they were both prepared to defend themselves if needed, and they felt confident in their ability to do so.]

[It did not take long after landing for Wanda to begin sensing something very wrong. A darkness, a weight of negativity that almost seemed to serve as a vacuum, drawing her towards it. After hiking for several miles, she leads her brother to the base of a cliff. As they drew closer, Wanda was beginning to feel heavier and heavier with the burden of whatever this corruption was. Finally, she was feeling almost ready to collapse to her knees. She turns to her brother. Her face having gotten paler and paler as they walked, and she, herself, beginning to appear more sickly. Her voice comes out strained and low.]

It's close.

[silvercast]

[ After getting involved with Ultron, they find it hard to ignore trying to help the situation. A dragon is an exciting enough draw for Pietro, and Wanda wanting to get involved sealed the deal. It's enough of a tell that the beast is near once his sister becomes affected by whatever presence it has.

The most he can feel is a sense of foreboding, the hairs on the back of his neck raising. Pietro supports Wanda under whatever magic or power seems to be feeding off or battling against her own. ]

Which direction? [ He's ready to pick her up and dash her toward it or away- he hasn't exactly decided yet. ]

[monolike]

[Try a mile directly up.

A dragon divebombing is probably not the scariest thing that's ever happened to the Maximoff twins, but it's probably close. Especially when that dragon is spewing fire so cold it burns, swooping down to try and catch them up in it. It's hard to see, but there's a boy definitely riding that dragon like this is a damn fantasy novel, and he's definitely got no eyes like the fantasy novel has a horror subgenre.

The dragon howls and circles around again for another go. He's gonna freeze them like popsicles and chow down like it's summer vacation.]

SOREY - ALONE

[monolike]

[If anyone is unlucky enough to catch Sorey without his dragon, he’ll become immediately hostile. Those with high spiritual power will see that he's deformed, with holes for eyes and a missing mouth, while those without power will just see a regular boy.

He has with him a sword that’s largely used as a medium to command elements; the sword itself isn’t sharp but can still pierce and cut when he wraps it with ice or wind. He's unnaturally strong and fast. He calls down rain and wind, summons up rivers and ice and can throw waves of fire like it’s nothing.

Though corrupted, Sorey still has some of his mind and can easily recognize people. He still has a sense of self, though twisted and darkened by malevolence, so talking to him will affect him, though he’s too far gone to save with just words.

He’ll be resistant to elemental magic and techniques using water, fire, wind and earth or any variations of. Physical attacks work as well as anything else, and an excess of holy magic will likely make him retreat or call for his dragon to save him.]

[survivra]

[ All details about the dragon are as trivial as they are foreign to Katsa, at least for the moment. Not that she isn't curious about what made it angry, and why it might be attacking, and whether there are any other dragons on this planet; for now those things don't matter beyond the simple fact that it's there and it is attacking. The why and how can matter when the villages are safe.

In the meantime she's come to help the villagers defend themselves (and, a little more shamefully, because it's finally something she can do that she understands). What's left is a sweep of the land for any materials and any lone stragglers, and for all Katsa knows, the boy she finds is one of these stragglers alone and susceptible to danger. ]

That's a nice blade, but a bit small if you're planning to fight a dragon alone. As are you.

[ She certainly hasn't yet noticed anything quite... wrong. ]

[monolike]

[Sorey pauses, glancing over at the woman curiously. She’s not afraid? Maybe she can’t see his hellion face. Most of the villagers can’t either. The destruction is obvious though, and Mikleo's form is easy to see, plain as day. Yet, she's still out here, searching for survivors and trying to save him. How brave. How wonderful. Just like Princess Alisha.]

No, [he tells her gently, gripping the sword a little tighter, voice fell as if it were carried in upon the wind,] I’m not here to fight the dragon. He’s my dragon.

[Mikleo attacks the villages, Sorey follows to chase them out. It passes the time. It calms him down, and it sates a hungry, furious thing that bubbles up inside him stronger every day. He can’t keep telling it no. He doesn’t want to keep telling it no.]

[survivra]

[ That is not the sort of voice nor response she expected from him. A chill sweeps down her back—she doesn't quite understand why. ]

There's no mistaking it. I believe you've just told me that's your dragon. Unless I've been battered on the head without my knowledge and I'm hearing things incorrectly.

[ The chances of that are rather slim. But what does that mean for him? This is for some reason difficult to understand as well. ]

So you're not here to fight it. Stop it, then? I understand if you don't want to kill it, if it's yours, but you must be aware of what it's doing. You can see it, plain as day.

[ That ought to make more sense. ]

It's dangerous out here.

MIKLEO - ALONE

[nerdeology]

( a: please do not pet the dragon. )

[There is a deep, unsettling chill permeating the area. It's out of season - or perhaps merely too early - but there is snow on the ground, light patches at first, and if one were to follow the trail, the level of it would only grow until the snow is thick enough to cover half of a boot. Up a hill a good distance away from an unremarkable town, ice shards pepper the landscape, unnaturally flawless and unaffected by the temperature outside.

Curled up in the center of it all is a dragon, seemingly asleep. It looks quite cozy. It's a shame that its presence is creating quite a stir down below.

Dragons cast a domain of their own, so even those without resonance should feel a sense of dread when approaching the hill, although it's easy to play off on the fact that hey, you are approaching a dragon. It can also sense when someone has entered their domain, so it might be tricky to sneak up on it, but maybe...]


( b: oh no. you pet the dragon. )

[Forget the ice, forget the nap. Either it was disturbed by an attack, or the malevolence and natural aggression of its kind has kicked in without its master nearby to redirect it- whatever the reason, the dragon is in the middle of terrorizing a local town. Collapsed buildings, ruined landmarks, scattered livestock, plenty of noises-- someone poked the bull, and now they get to deal with the fallout.

It seems more interested in making a mess and scaring people off rather than actively killing anyone, so that's... nice... but there's still plenty of property damage, and the residents are freaking out, so a few dragon-hunters might be welcome.]


( c: butterflies in the sk- nope, sorry, it's still a dragon. )

[Mortals sure are inconvenient. Trying to escape all the fighting, the dragon has moved to the sky now, circling overhead a territory it has temporarily claimed for itself. It's not at an outrageous height, but it's still out of reach for most, and it doesn't seem particularly inclined to come down and play. A good long-ranged attack might draw its attention, if someone is foolish enough to try.]



(( before tagging please note my hiatus, just as an FYI that I will be slow.

For larger groups or those in a hurry, feel free to NPC the dragon using this info in your own top level! ))

( B ) HELLO MY HAWKE AND I WILL BE YOUR CHEW TOY TODAY

[ofkirkwall]

[ Hawke doesn't wait to think, doesn't wait to strategize. She rushes in head long, weaving through the crumbling buildings that were once homes. It has never been her strong suit and today she doesn't like the idea of waiting, not today.

Something isn't right. The air feels thick, almost putrid, simply breathing leaves a bad taste in her mouth. This isn't your average run of the mill 'raw-I'm'-hungry-let-me-snack-on-puny-mortals' dragon. There is something that makes Hawke's skin crawl, her stomach churn. A feeling that builds the closer she gets, slick and uncomfortable, like she's been standing near red lyrium for too long. It might be too much for her and yet she runs in, staff drawn.

Climbing on top of a pile of rubble she twirls her staff around, lips curled into a tight grin, knuckles white around the wood. Bile rises to her throat but she swallows it down, summoning flames to the focus crystal of her staff. Another spin of the staff and the flames go hurtling towards the dragon's head, a second follows quickly as she yells: ]

Hey! Big ugly and scaly!

[ Come play with her pretty dragon. ]

( B ) roasted bird is my favourite

[nerdeology]

[The town is nothing but a distraction for the dragon, but it's entertaining, at the very least. The feeling of malevolence swells in his domain as people see him and flee, as pain and wonder and hate and fear come together like a fine wine for him to drink in. It's all instinctual, of course- there are no clear thoughts in his head anymore, but he knows that when he roars, people scream, and when he breathes the world burns. That's enough for him.

The fire has minimal effect on him; it bounces harmlessly off of glistening scales built to repel the element, and as he turns to face Hawke, he catches the second one between his jaws, huffing out half a breath of ice-fire to put it out. The fire does have the intended effect of getting his attention, however, and with a snarl he returns the favour, releasing a strong, steady gust of his own flames. Shoo, fly, he's busy.]

[ofkirkwall]

[ Fire has no effect? Well she isn't that surprised, doesn't have the time to be the dragon's steady gust of flames surging towards her causing her to curse. No time. Swiftly she twirls her staff in her hand and slams it down into the rubble, in front of her a wall of thick ice rises from the ground shielding her - though not completely. The way is quick to melt in the face of the heat but grants her enough time to move, escape the line of fire and attack again.

Purple lightning dances between her fingers, snaking up her arm and along her shoulders. If fire doesn't do much but tickle she'll just attack with something else, she is a rather versatile mage after all. The lightning arcs off it her, snaps at the air, and she directs it with another flourish towards the beast. Might hurt, might just annoy, doesn't matter really this fly is not going to be scared off with just a little bit of flames. ]

Come on, dance with me.

WILDCARD

[monolike]

[That Sorey doesn't like killing actually hasn't changed all that much, despite his transformation. As such he'd rather chase people off so Mikleo can destroy their property, because Mikleo sure doesn't care about people dying. Burning things seems to work out well and Mikleo likes to circle overhead and watch the fires, but when Sorey gets stuck between a raging forest fire and some approaching combatants, well-

Okay his options aren't limited, but he's done here. None of this is bringing him any closer to getting Zaveid and Dezel back. He glances up at where Mikleo is drifting lazily and calls out him through their bond. Where the heck did he fly off too? Usually he'd have scoops Sorey up by now...]

[nerdeology]

[It's hard to focus, once some distance has been placed between he and Sorey. His thoughts are clouded, disjointed, and while Sorey's presence remains a fixed point in his soul, like a waymarker in the dark, when there's no line of sight he grows much more easily distracted.

It's not Sorey's fault that he's land-bound; there's no helping that, but after discovering the joys of flight, sometimes it's hard to come down again. On occasion he'll find something worth examining on the world below. Most of the time the joy of the discovery comes hand in hand with the joy of destroying it. He'd found an entire herd of deer mere moments ago and had razed the meadow to ice shards and ashes, sent them scattering. He'd devoured half a dozen before he'd even come close to feeling full. He was so hungry... like there was a hole in his stomach that couldn't be sealed up with meat.

Maybe he should just eat people.

....Sorey wouldn't like that. He shouldn't eat people.

With an unsatisfied snarl he grasps one more carcass in his jaws, launching off into the sky. He can feel the tug now, that familiar pull that isn't urgent, not yet, but is bordering on impatience. He's coming, he's coming.]

[monolike]

[GET HERE FASTER

Sorey knocks the combatants away with gusts of wind, which are just fanning the flames behind him and spreading them further around. DANGIT okay, maybe he can just summon another rainstorm? But that might bug Mikleo flying around; or, more likely, it'll distract him and he'll want to fly around in the rain for a while instead of listen. He's getting harder and harder to control-

Persuade. He's getting harder to talk to. Not control.] Not control, [Sorey mutters to himself angrily. Nightingale was wrong. He's not controlling Mikleo. He's- he's helping him.]

Mikleo, are you coming down or what?! [One of the combatants screams when Sorey hits him a little too hard, slams into a nearby wall and doesn't get back up. Yeugh, so he could be dead. That's a shame.]

A I guess XD

[bythewaves]

Once, long ago, as Men and Elves both count time, Maglor was lord of the plains of Lothlann, the wide grassy lands that lay in the gap between the mountain ranges, the weak point of the ring of defence that the Noldor set around Morgoth and his forces. Maglor's Gap, they called it, and his calvary were swift and deadly, and for four and a half centuries they held it, against all that the Enemy could throw against him.

And then Morgoth bred the first dragons.

Later, they would call it the Dagor Bragollach - the Battle of Sudden Flame - when the Father of Dragons first issued forth and the green plains were burnt black. Maglor's memories of the time are fire and pain, smoke and ash, and the knowledge that he failed to hold, and his kinfolk would now suffer. His hatred for dragons is old and deep (his fear is equally so), and when the townsfolk speak of dragons he sets his face to the mountains.

(They got very good at killing dragons, over the years... but Maglor is handicapped, and alone. He should tell his brother, he should tell his cousins. He does not.)

He walks in shadow, the world bending to hide him, a silent ghost. He needs to know if there truly is something out there.

[nerdeology]

It shouldn't take long to confirm those suspicions; a dragon of this scale is difficult to hide, and he need only follow the trail of snow and ice to come across it. Amidst the elements, Mikleo circles about like an agitated cat, snarling at nothing. He can sense someone trespassing within his domain, but he can't get a fixture of what or where the intruder might be. In an attempt to make some sort of barrier, perhaps scare whoever it is away, he exhales a circlet of flames along the path ahead, melting the snow and setting fire to the grass beneath- a magical blue flame that remains lit regardless of how damp the ground is.

Mikleo isn't satisfied with that, and goes back to pacing, claws grinding into the ground with every step. Where is it...?

[bythewaves]

A winged cold drake. Maglor's lips thin, feral light in his eyes, and his hands twitch over his new blades.

But he is alone, and he is not quite that crazy.

When Mikleo breathes fire he falls back, eyeing the flames thoughtfully. Those are not normal, and will be a problem for any who comes out to hunt them.

Curious to see how much they are like actual fire he eyes Mikleo's progress, and when the beast is at a good enough distance in his pacing he reaches out to the flames, a low curl of Song to nudge at them and gauge if he can snuff the flames.