Euthora-Roul ~ Kel en Miir

{Akensken starts in E4}

The midday sun painted the scene in brilliant rays of gold, which were reflected proudly off of one dragon's bronze scales as he observed the valley below. The grown drake's rough-hewn gaze roved across the area as he took in the situation. Several other dragons had also gathered in the same area, and they all knew each other's intentions: to claim territory. This was a prime place to take and live out of-- what sort of dragon wouldn't want such a well-situated dwelling? It was sheltered well naturally and had sources of food and water nearby. A perfect place to survive happily.

Rumbling to himself, the large reptile drew the strong tip of his wing over the ground. Did he want to contest this? He strained his eyes to scrutinize his potential adversaries more closely, and became more and more confident as he digested the details. He was bigger than all of them, and clearly more aged and thus more experienced. He could try to negotiate or make well-intentioned offers, but other unfamiliar, wild dragons were so rarely trustworthy, he found, which was a fact greeted by much chagrin on his part. And so with a resentful heart he lifted his head.

And decided it was his.

Mobilizing steadily, he strode to the edge of the cliff and leaped off without hesitation, falling to the canyon bathed almost entirely in shadows below. His wings flew open a second before he landed and flapped heavily a few times to soften the impact. The moment he became settled on the ground, he drew his great head up and garnered strength in his throat. In the next instant his powerful jaws ripped open and loosed a roar which made the cliff walls quake, in an act which had a clear meaning.

"Challenge me if you can!"

 

(Chaneak starts at cell C8)

This is bullshit.

Chaneak squinted though the golden rays of sunlight. He sat in the corner of the room, making a draconic pout. The others he could have dealt with. He could have left on his own terms to come back with the right tools to remove them without a fight. But there was nothing he could do if this giant /rock/ planted himself here. Stabbing him in his sleep would barely qualify as a wakeup call.

He stood up warily, showing an amount of fatigue. The bulk of his scales were covered by a clearly human-made fabric. He opted to keep himself mostly covered. In a sense, it made him less of a presence in the room to be shrouded. In another, the vibrant horrendously crashing colors and the human symbology brought even more attention to him.

His dark emerald eyes slowly traced around the room. Unlike others, he wasn’t sizing anything up in particular. Fighting is too desperate a resort. He wasn’t necessarily the weakest nor most powerful dragon in the room, but he had been witness to too many people dying because they thought they were invincible; friends and foe alike. No, he was searching for a way out. Not in the traditional sense, or he’s just ask. He was looking for an opening to cheat the Armored Wyvern out of the home it would invincibly wedge itself into otherwise.

And so he looked into the sky, at nothing in particular; as if ignoring everything would earn him peace out of apathy. He waited for someone or something to act first, throwing him a bone to work with. Under the quilt, he slowly slipped out his right foreleg, revealing some hunk of unidentifiable metal. He quickly retracted it, upon realizing it was catching the sunlight and drawing undo attention. His luck could vary, he knew at this point too well, so if nothing came, he had his own way of changing his situation.

 

Stiria starts at H4!

This dwelling suited her.

The natural protection offered by the cliff walls, resources offered by the constantly flowing river, and a comfortable lack of human involvement made it the perfect place for a wyvern such as herself to settle into. Stiria, however, had not been expecting to stumble upon it when others were nearby. Her amethyst gaze fell on each of her would-be opposition. The one just opposite her––the outright massive Armored Wyvern––seemed to her the only foe she would have trouble contending with. Her neck craned toward the Firedrake––perhaps trouble would be had alone, but if she could sway him...

Even the mightiest one would fall to the power of the collective, she reasoned haughtily. The only issue with her plan that she could ascertain arose from the movement of his eyes. He did not appear to be preparing for a fight between the four of them––although she could not easily read him, he appeared to be searching for a way out of this situation. That was right fine for after she had won this home, but for now it would only serve to diminish her chances of prevailing.

A low growl rumbled in her throat as she held her ground. Very well then, she practically hissed. It might be a losing battle, but she was much to proud to back out on a challenge.

 

She couldn't have been away that long, could she? What was it, a few days? Maybe months? Alright it could have been years, but what of it? Ireísed had already claimed this canyon, she just had other things to do at the time. Never mind she hadn't thought to leave any evidence of her ownership, these dragons should know that they can't take what isn't theirs.

Or was it another canyon? Come to think of it she recalled a small inlet where a stream poured into. Or was that another canyon? No wait, that was a cavern near that human village. Or maybe that was the one with that rock formation that looked kind of like a rabbit? Well regardless, Ira was seventy-eight percent sure she had claimed this canyon already and she wasn't going to relinquish it to anyone. The large boulder of a dragon roared its challenge but Ira paid it little heed. He ought to know his place in the grand cycle of what doesn't belong to him. The other two seemed to be here as if this were some kind of land grab, which likely means they wouldn't be too willing to fight, not for a land that wasn't theirs yet.

Still, here they all were. Ira certainly wasn't going to make the first move, by all rights of the ownership she was certain she already had, she shouldn't have to.


Ira starts at cell G7!

 

{Akensken moves to G4 (E4 - F4 - G4)}
--Indomitable as the Crag: 1
{Akensken Basic Attacks Stiria. 4 Physical Damage!}
--Indomitable as the Crag: 2

The large bronze dragon snorted and again drew the knuckle of his wing across the ground, leaving a thick impression. All of the opposing dragons remained even after his display-- some of them even seemed more determined because of it. The Armored Wyvern's mighty head swung back and forth as he considered each. Observing the Firedrake's hesitance, the hulking dragon's craggy lip curled and in his mind he judged, 'Coward.' With a last look of disdain at the distant opponent's donning of blatantly human coverings, a rough sound echoed up the cavern walls as the sturdy drake moved towards the Stellar Wyvern nearby. The earth beneath him trembled as he walked, and-- were bits of gravel actually rising up from the ground and clinging to his chest? How curious. Pieces of rock stuck to his body, but formed almost pointedly around the entrancing brass-colored crystal which jutted from the middle of the great dragon's upper torso. He was somehow building a natural shield.

The Armored Wyvern stopped in front of the stunning purple dragon, and stood tall and commanding before the smaller opponent. Voice as rough as the earth he had manipulated, he spoke one word of warning aloud so everyone gathered could hear-- "Leave." Subsequently he swung his wing forward and battered the Stellar Wyvern with the blunt, heavy apex. He didn't want to harm any of these dragons too badly, but some force, he knew, had to be shown.

 

The other wyvern would not back down. So be it, Stiria thought vehemently, battering the air with her wings furiously. The glare in her deep amethyst eyes intensified upon the much larger dragon. Ignoring his blow against her, she held her ground for the moment. The mighty will fall! As if to emphasize her thought, she let out a strange, foreign growl which focused all of its energy at the large wyvern. Although she could not tell for sure, Stiria felt as though she could feel the depths of his soul quake. Yes! He would come to regret challenging her for this domicile. However, she knew far better than to linger nearby and swiftly took flight away from his lumbering form in order to effectively distance herself from further onslaught.

Stiria casts Wane on Akensken! Chance of Deshell!
Remaining MP: 13/25

Stiria moves to I2!

 

Ira watched the tension as if it were a visible string connecting the four dragons. Pushing the imagination further she could see strands of colored light dash across the nonexistent strands, reflecting the light of its owner's eyes as they all watched. Curious as to how far her potentially delusional vision would go before her subconscious dragged her back into reality, she poked at one of the false-threads that connected her to the firedrake. As if on cue, there was a soundless pop only heard in her fictional fantasy scene where the tension-thread snapped. It wasn't hers, although she only knew that because the logical portion of her brain was sharpening her senses on the all too real action now taking place. The behemoth dragon had apparently bathed itself in possibly loose rubble as it moved before releasing a second commanding shout, attacking the luminescent dragon who backed of with lminor response.

Leave? Forsake my claim to this brute? Hah! Ira's double-pair wings beat in harmony as she raised herself somewhat higher off the ground, notably to give the appearance of superiority over the challenging dragon. "Dragon, this is my claim. Your howls of pain shall prove this fact!" As she spoke, scattered specks of light gathered together into two points; just ahead of each of her larger wings. Taking shape, the golden rays shot for the earthen prodigy at the speeds of the element they were birthed from, leaving a millisecond of a golden streak in their wake.

Ira casts Starfall "Piercing Heart" on Akensken. [6+1 Light Affinity] 7 Light Magical damage x2!
-10 MP, 23/33 MP.

Ira waits...

 

Chaneak winced as the fight broke out. There might be some merit to waiting this out and picking off the weakened winner, but Chaneak imagined that as the wrath grew he’d lose either control or neutrality of the situation. Besides, despite the plans for sabotage, somewhere deep in his heart Chaneak didn’t want to see a bloodbath break out here.

No, sabotage was plan A and it would be plan B as well. As the other dragons devoted their attention to the fight, Chaneak retracted his foreleg even more under his covers. Inexplicably he was holding something, conjured from nowhere; a disgusting splinter of Darkness that looked like a long pick. Shadows rolled off of it as if it were leaking evil essence. Not that its appearance mattered. He positioned himself to keep it well hidden, just in case the brawlers were keeping an eye on him. He passed it to his hind-talon, and he jabbed it into the rocks, where it would be hidden.

Immediately, he acted with great alarm, and addressed the others. ”No! You don’t understand! You can’t make this much noise!” The firedrake ran forward with what could best be described as a scamper. With his quilt was held tightly to his back by his wings, his clunky brass gauntlet was revealed as he awkwardly tripped and stomped over it. ”I just got finished sealing this place! You’ll wake him back up!” Directly afterwards the Wand of Shadows erupted in the cranny he hand placed it. A putrid layer of filth covered the floor of the canyon, surging out from the point of origin. At that spot, Shadows congealed together, and opened bright crimson eyes glowing with murderous intent. It towered where Chaneak once stood, appearing slightly larger than the Armored Wyvern. Its shape was an amalgamation of wisps that could only be interpreted by the imagination, but its voice was clearly Draconic:

“Foolish Firedrake, did you really think you could purify MY domain?”


(Chaneak activates his Unlimited Mage Works to summon a Shadow Phantasm)
(Chaneak gains the skill +Command Soiled Ground for three turns!)
(Chaneak moves to cell D6)
(C8 > D8 > D7 > D6)

+Command Soiled Ground: Chaneak pretends to dodge out of the way as the corrupted domain of the Shadow Phantasm lashes out at the target. 120% Int damage. Dark Element. Lowers target Spr by 20% for two turns. (unstackable.) 3 Cells. 8 MP.

 

{Akensken moves to I4 (G4 - H4 - I4)}
--Indomitable as the Crag: 3
{Akensken waits...}

The world was tilting and going fuzzy. His breaths were suddenly coming short and shallow due to the horrible, stinging pain emanating from his neck. He hadn't anticipated a magical onslaught, especially not one of such potent caliber. On trembling legs, the Armored Wyvern stumbled forward, head low and tail dragging. He didn't even care what was going on deeper into the chasm with the Firedrake-- it was clear he was through in this fight. More than the radiating pain from where the Coralwing's peculiar attacks had penetrated his physical form, the earthen dragon felt an overbearing sense of shame in himself. This old, this experienced, this supposedly wise, and still he never fully learned his lessons. He had underestimated the opposition merely because of their appearance, and he was rightfully punished for falling into this fallacy-- even if the younger drakes had gotten a little lucky.

"I will not give you the satisfaction of hearing my anguish," the defeated behemoth growled at the Coralwing as he slunk away, deep russet eyes casting a burning glance backwards. "But I will concede your power. Enjoy this den," he hissed, a deep gravelly sound. From the back of the area, a deep and maleficent voice echoed, "Foolish Firedrake, did you really think you could purify MY domain?" Begrudgingly, the great wyvern added, "If you can." As he drew away, the large drake's head swung in the opposite direction, spying the captivating Stellar a few feet away. His gaze at her, too, was filled with a resentful scorn, but also the hint of humbleness that comes with the acknowledgement of defeat. In a low tone, he rumbled ruefully, "Good luck with the others."

As he faced forward, still disoriented from the heavy mystical offense he had suffered, the hulking dragon shook his head. It was an extremely dizzying and curious encounter... had he eaten something bad earlier?

 

Triumphant satisfaction surged through the Coralwing's body like pain would through the nervous system. Or blood through the veins. Or... electricity through... people. Lost my train of thought there... Refocusing she could see clearly where the piercing light did its damage and the impact it had on its victim. Relishing in the lesson this dragon clearly must have learned, she was mostly oblivious to the actual extent of the harm she had caused.

Then the dragon stumbled, panting and gasping. He seemed barely able to stand. Almost as if the superficial wounds were something serious. Really serious. "I will not give you the satisfaction of hearing my anguish, but I will concede your power. Enjoy this den." The voice seemed to be scarred with injury. And the surrender was too quick, too easy. There was another voice but it glanced of Ira like an arrow against dragonscale. Something wasn't right.

A clicking sound louder than the greatest roar sounded in Ira's head; yet another imagined sensory response to something. The pieces had slid together and Ireísed suddenly became all too aware that her command-punctuating attack had truly injured this great dragon. "Oh... OH! Oh I am to apologize I didn't mean-- Um, here let me treat that..." She hovered cautiously somewhat toward the greatly injured titan, golden flecks of light trailing her path then moving to the scarred ancient. "I only intended to- well, you know."

Ira moves to H6 [G7-H7-H6]. Ira casts Lifebond on Akensken! [6+1 LA] 7 Int HP Healing!
-6 MP, 17/33 MP

 

The magnificent grin that had covered Stiria's face upon seeing the great earthen dragon begin to crumble before the might of another all by her doing vanished as soon as she saw the Coralwing cast a healing spell upon him. Had the watery dragon gone mad? She almost let out a furious roar in response to this treason, but Stiria was nothing if not wise. If the other dragoness had chosen to undo the damage she had inflicted upon her primary opposition then there was little she could do about it. Fighting the one in his weakened state would would be a losing battle if the other could continue to heal him––not to mention a combined assault would mark her own untimely end! Sneering at the two, Stiria took to the sky briefly to fly away from the duo, quite unhappy with her predicament.

Stiria moves to F3!

Stiria cycles her mana! 5% Max MP Recovery!

Stiria
MP: 14/25

 

Stiria moves to E4!

Stiria cycles her mana! 5% MP Recovery!

Stiria
MP: 15/25

The wyvern practically hissed as the dragonslayers appeared on the scene. Now trying to work this situation in her favor seemed to be fading––the dragons would have to team up to take on these foes. There was no denying that. And if she had to form an alliance, she knew she could not turn against them without it being a suicide move. The frustration built up in her throat until she unleashed a ferocious roar, taking a higher flight as she lingered above the human scourge. "Hear me, humans," she called out, her voice dripping with ire, "you shall pay with your lives for treading upon this matter!"

 

{Akensken moves to I5 (I4 - I5)}
--Indomitable as the Crag: 4
{Akensken basic attacks Jan (I6). 4 Physical Damage!}
--Indomitable as the Crag: 5

The giant's head lifted as he felt relief course through his body. Strength adequately restored, he stood up sturdily on his hind legs again, and looked around without the overbearing sensation of pain clouding his vision any longer. He heard the Coralwing's apologies coming from behind him, and swung his head around to observe the younger dragon. She had healed him, he realized... after harming him so greatly. The Armored Wyvern felt a wave of something between awe and gratitude wash over him-- such an act of compassion was rare, as far as he was concerned. He was humbled before it, and out of deference failed to make eye contact with the well-meaning drake when after a moment he rumbled, low but articulated, "Thank you." To wound an opposing dragon grievously and then repent and heal them... the bulky wyvern would have enjoyed a laugh at the notion were he in a more comfortable situation.

Nevertheless, he had still been defeated, and he still had to recuperate more. Ignoring the Stellar's shifting, the Armored Wyvern was about to continue forward and leave the remaining dragons to their fight over the territory, until, before any of them knew it, humans showed up. They bore large swords and spoke to each other before seeming to come to a determination and readying their weapons. Akensken preternaturally recoiled into a defensive stance on seeing the dragonslayers, but quickly grew enraged at hearing their words. Raising his hulking form off the ground with pride borne from wrath, the large drake vehemently retorted, "Hear now, humans, you die," and advanced toward one of the nearby invaders. Cracked and scarred earth was left where the dragon walked, even as more of it rose to cling to his body once more. The wyvern was overtly seething-- the mere presence of these dragonslayers clearly infuriated him.

'Humans... dragonslayers...' The great earthen one's gaze was locked onto his target with decided intent as he approached and attacked one of the enemies. Bloodstained memories danced in his eyes, burning him inside and making his blood boil as well as any flame. 'Putting us on the hunt for the sake of prejudice and fear... I have tired of your impudence. No longer will we suffer your senselessness.'

 

Perhaps she was acting too impulsively. This was her domain was it not? And this dragon had thought to take it from her. So why had she not simply finished the dragon off? At the rumbling of gratitude from the mildly recovered dragon, a thought pressed into Ira's mind that brought a feeling of pride. I am no human. I will stand for what I will, but I will not kill needlessly.

As if on cue, the arrival of three humans in the canyon brought her full attention. One even had the audacity to place itself within the immediate vicinity of Ireísed; a poor decision at its finest. However she had already expended a lot of energy in the struggle prior to the human's arrival, which meant she would need the aid of the other dragons. With that in mind, she knew she would need to keep up the injured golem of a dragon's strength... but some small satisfaction shouldn't hurt.

With a not-as-mighty roar as she would hope to produce, namely in envy of the earthen dragon's own powerful voice, Ira once again found herself channeling light in focal points and released the golden strands into the pitiful excuse of a creature this human was.

Ira casts Piercing Heart on Jan. [6+1] 7 Light Int damage x2! Ira waits...
-10 MP, 7/33 MP

 

Just as he let go his illusion, the battlefield erupted into blood. Chaneak stopped in his tracks. The boulder he thought would give him so much trouble was nearly toppled. The moment itself was so violent the fighting stopped, and one of the others even offered her help. In this brief moment of clarity, it quickly dawned on him how immature his stunt truly was. It was the magus’s equivalent of licking the doorknob. He stood for a moment, hiding in his own shadow.

But the moment didn’t last long. A trio of bumbling humans clambered in, carrying swords they couldn’t have realistically been trained for. Chaneak’s look of embarrassment changed to befuddlement. Who just walks in on four and a half dragons? Chaneak then noticed the armored wyvern, who the pages seemed to use as a point of moral. Three and a half and a half dragons, he supposed. They are opportunists, nothing more.

"Hear now, dragon, you die."

Chaneak could vaguely understand what they were talking about before, not that it was of much interest to him. He had to learn their tongue, to make deals in the past. For a long time, he could not rely on his strength for such meetings, as a normal dragon would. The fact that they had bothered to learn drakine on any level told him they were professional hunters of his kind, for the actual content of the message proved they did not know it for any empathetic reason. He would not play the language card of his own just yet though; the others would become upset with him, particularly if they knew the story behind it. Besides, he did not need to anymore. He had built up some tools to defend himself, and he had the help of others. What’s more, he still had his trick to play off of.

Grrah! No! This is disgusting! This is even worse!

The illusionary shadow cried out from behind him. Shoo them from this place! I demand a sacred ground for this dispute! As the phantasm made this speech, Chaneak hurried forward, his brass instrument clanking about as he went. At the end of the final word, he made sure to trust the weapon into the ground as naturally and inconspicuously as he could. The ground below Jan, which had been muddied with purple filth by the Phantasm’s summoning, opened itself in the wake of shadowy tendrils. They lashed out at Jan, leaving ominous residue along his armor as they intertwined with the golden trails of the lightkeeper’s attacks.



(Chaneak moves to cell F6)
(D6 > E6 > F6)
(Chaneak uses +Command Soiled Ground on Jan)
(6-2 = 4 total Dark Int damage)
(Jan’s Spr is lowered by 20%)
(Flem +realizes this was a poor choice of secondary effect)
(17/25 MP remaining)


+Command Soiled Ground: Chaneak pretends to dodge out of the way as the corrupted domain of the Shadow Phantasm lashes out at the target. 120% Int damage. Dark Element. Lowers target Spr by 20% for two turns. (unstackable.) 3 Cells. 8 MP.

One Turn Remaining.