Author: Hanaoni, Posted: Tue Feb 9, 2021 7:17 PM, Post Subject: Draconic Destruction [O][Event][R]
Myouga zipped through the portal and it closed behind her in a flash. The air was much cooler here on the other side, though Iria had seen better days too. The damage wasn't as severe as the blizzards in Arri or what was happening in Baltil, but there wasn't anywhere that was totally safe. "Whew~" Wiping her forehead, she dusted off her hat that had gotten sooty from the ash and dust. It was dirty but she didn't mind, that wasn't important. Now that they were out of harm's way, she could finally catch up with the kid she'd met once upon a snowy day. Leaning in the air while floating, the small oni grinned back at Dala's smirk. "Well I was goofing off with a buddy of mine when those two dragons showed up. Then he wanted to try to seduce them with his lute but that was a bust." Most of her days were either her travelling around looking for new things to study or acting as Gale's getaway portal while watching his antics. "He got away before things started going south, then I saw you!"
She drifted about, lying on her back and kicking like she was in a pool. "Work's gotten less busy now. Lots of people've been going to study Onnen, so I have a lot of free time. I really wanted to check out that magical kingdom called Kavala when it showed up, but I wasn't allowed to go. Lise was worried something bad would happen. Oh right, I haven't told you about Lise! She's one of my students back when I used to each classes at the Mage Academy! She lives in Adeluna. You guys would probably get along pretty well! After taking my classes she went into alchemy and does her own thing. I'd sometimes stop by and have her tag along for trips in the past, but now she's staying to help her family." Adeluna had a pretty bad turn of events over the years, and with Endapano still recovering from the devastation of two former gods that meant the half-elf had her hands full. It'd been a while since she rambled on to somebody like this, and Myouga felt happier because of it.
"This is probably the biggest challenge Revaliir's had so far." The little arcanist mused aloud. "The first time I've seen such devastating worldwide phenomena. But I think we can pull through it. If we've managed to survive since the days those three had free reign over the skies, then we can survive just about anything. Even Timedeath didn't end everything as we know it." It was a bad habit of hers to go on tangents once her mind got going, so she stopped before she gave Dala an overload. Timedeath was something people only knew from history books, something from a bygone era that was now only a memory. It was well before her time too.
Author: Dala, Posted: Mon Feb 1, 2021 2:04 AM, Post Subject: Draconic Destruction [O][Event][R]
Relief flooded through her mind when Myouga recognized her. For a moment, Dala was worried that Myouga had forgotten all about her. It HAD been five years and Myouga didn't seem to be the aging type. Who knew how many years that girl had seen and experienced? Remembering one friend among the hundreds was probably a difficult challenge. Even Dala wouldn't know how to handle that. The blonde teenager let out a laugh at Myouga's little fun response but that expression soon turned to alarm when a bolt of lightning struck a nearby pillar. Maybe catching up would have to wait for later. Her floating friend flicked her wand and a portal opened up, leading to the city of Iria.
Dala glanced around, looking for stragglers or anybody else who hadn't escaped yet. She spotted an old lady who was moving as fast as she could go and a timid looking man. Jumping into action, Dala first went after the old lady and shoved her through the portal. Then her eyes turned to the terrified man who was curled up in a ball. The teenager yanked his arm and managed to drag the thin man to the portal, shoving him into it as well.
Her methods were a bit…violent but her intention was to keep them alive, not to worry about bruises. When the teenager looked up towards Myouga, a boulder had just been deflected by her friend's powerful magic. For a moment, Dala wondered if there was anything that could hold a threat to her. Dala's question was quickly answered as cracks in the pavement began to widen and the lava began to spread across the city. Even Myouga couldn't go lava swimming.
"Lets head out then! I think we've saved all the people we can!" She shouted to her friend.
Dala raced towards the portal and looked up towards Myouga to ensure she was coming too. Once Dala made sure her friend was with her, she ran towards the portal. Once they were safe, the teenager checked on the two other people she had thrown through the portal earlier. They looked unhappy and horrified, but were alive and physically safe. She turned her attention to Myouga.
"So how have you been?" Dala asked with a smirk, "
Were you there for any particular reason? Or were you just there to see the dragons?"
Author: Hanaoni, Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 12:16 PM, Post Subject: Draconic Destruction [O][Event][R]
Straining her eyes, the small oni waved her arms when she saw who it was. "Dala, is that you?! You got taller!" The blonde girl wasn't a kid anymore, and the little arcanist couldn't help but grin when she brought up their little adventure in Itjivut. "Beats me! Maybe we're just lucky?" A shrill screech echoed as a bolt of lightning struck a nearby pillar, scorching it charcoal-black. Myouga grimaced as it was a little too close for comfort. "You got it! Hold onto your hats, folks! The great and magnificent Myouga never fails to deliver!" With a flick of her wand, a portal appeared leading to Iria. As another volley of molten shards from a nearby explosion rained down, they bounced off a large dome-shaped protection spell covering the immediate area. A whistling sound came through the air as a much larger, heftier boulder was hurtling towards them but Myouga simply turned around to watch as it approached. She didn't seem worried that a giant rock was going to make contact. Judging by its speed and trajectory, the little arcanist was sure the impact would break through her barrier. Instead of using explosion to blast it apart, she decided to wait right before it was going to land to reinforce the protection spell to blunt its momentum.
"Three, two, one–HUP!" The small oni said as the protection spell was renewed right as the flying boulder was about to hit. The force of the spell clashed against the fast-falling object, causing visible ripples throughout the barrier dome. But Myouga's incredible magic reserves won out and the boulder tumbled backwards several meters, landing with a thud. "Haha! Nice try boulder! Not today!" As cheeky as her comment was, she wasn't going to pull the same stunt if anything bigger than that came flying for round two. The ground started to quake as big splashes of lava were now battering the dome like mud against a window. Cracks in the pavement started to widen, serving as a small obstacle to slow the encroaching lava flow. "Uh oh, I think we'd better get outta here soon. Even though I like floating, I'd prefer to be able to see the ground in case I fall down. Man, these dragons really are wrecking everything. And they're
biiiig ones too." She'd never seen dragons that big. Just how much food would they need to eat for breakfast?! Technically most creatures didn't grow to incredible size due to being unsustainable. If you depleted your food sources faster than they could come back, you're not gonna live very long.
Author: Dala, Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:37 PM, Post Subject: Draconic Destruction [O][Event][R]
She heard a group of people screaming for help and this time, there was nothing to stop her from helping. Dala ran towards the sound and found a group of people trapped inside their home from some rubble. Drawing her sword, she managed to cut down some of the wood that had been blocking away. Then she rolled a few of the other stones out of the way and kicked the door down with a move her father had shown her long ago. The family bolted from their home, giving quick thanks to Dala as they rushed along. The ground shook violently as one of the dragons fell to the ground. The buildings around them began to crumble and fall. Dala pushed herself to her feet and ran from one of the falling buildings. It hit the ground with a loud bang, nearly missing the young girl.
"That was too close." Dala muttered.
She brushed the dust off herself and continued looking for other people who needed help. There were some who were already crushed when she arrived but others were able to be saved. One man had been trapped under some of the lighter rubble. Dala reached for his hand and pulled him out with all her strength. Looking around, she found a small cart and dragged him over to it, dumping him in and ordering a strong looking citizen to pull him towards one of the exits. Her hands and legs ached from all the digging she'd been doing to get people out and her face was covered in dirt. A familiar voice called out to her and she looked up to see a girl in winged armor. A smile appeared on Dala's lips as she recognized this person as an old friend. It had been roughly five years since they last met but Myouga seemed to be the same as ever.
"Myouga! It's me, Dala!" She shouted, waving her arms,
"How come every time we meet, there's always a dragon?!"Just as she said that, Etanu roared and the ground shook as Zao began flinging lava everywhere. Both dragon's were growing angrier as they used their magic to tear each other apart. Maybe now wasn't the best time to play catch up with her old friend…
"Hey, still got that magic portal?" Dala asked, "
We really could use it!"
Author: Hanaoni, Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 1:03 PM, Post Subject: Draconic Destruction [O][Event][R]
"Ok everybody come on through! Single file, single file~" It wasn't every day when a couple of dragons decided to rampage inside a city. Otherwise things would be very, very bad. She had been here to do some shopping when suddenly everything was on fire or falling down. With the damage causing rubble to block off areas, the little arcanist opened a portal and started shooing people through it so they could get out. The other side led to the main square in Iria, but she figured at this point nobody would mind. When a flaming rock crashed next to her, she jumped with a yelp. "AHHH!! Oh, whew that scared me. C'mon now no pushing! Hurry!" Putting up a magical barrier over her and her portal, she kept an eye out for any more falling hazards or incoming giant flying lizards. Good thing magic was her forte, so she could have two spells up without getting tired. Once all the people in her area were through, she quickly closed the portal and teleported before a boulder smashed into the ground. "So this is probably what it's like when I use my explosion spells huh?" She mused while trying to get as close as she could to the exit. The dwarves needed help or else there wouldn't be anybody left to rebuild once everything was over.
Today she didn't come alone, but she didn't see Gale in sight. Then she spotted him, his red hair hard to make out when everything else around him was equally flaming–and red. "HEY GALE–WHATCHA DOIN'?!!" She yelled as loud as her voice could go. Her taller bardic friend turned around and waved while navigating the burning wreckage. He was strumming his lute while Zao and Etanu crashed in the background.
"I don't know how to tell you this–but he's not buying it!" He shouted as he leaped over a widening gap. "DIDYA TRY TO LAY THE CHARM ON A DRAGON??" She asked out of curiosity. He gave her a wink and she returned with a silly grin. "I'll see ya back in Adeluna! Or wherever!" She opened a portal for him to make a quick getaway out of the chaos caused by the two dragons rolling around.
Now that she knew Gale was out, it was time for her to split. As she was looking for a nice covered spot to open a new portal, she saw someone still hanging around. While she could dodge things pretty easily with magic, other people probably couldn't. She'd feel bad if she knew she left somebody who needed help behind. Zooming over thanks to her winged armor, she shouted to get the person's attention. "HELLO DOWN THERE! NEED A LIFT?? I'LL GET US A PORTAL UP IN A JIFFY!"
Author: Dala, Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:15 PM, Post Subject: Draconic Destruction [O][Event][R]
The first thing she heard were the bells, then came the screams. Dala had been flying over the Bohar Plains when she spotted the massive dark clouds in the distance. She landed her golden dragon to one of the hills near a village. Those black clouds covered the blue sky and shrouded the land in a shadow. Then, the sky filled with fire raining from those dark clouds as a powerful roar filled the air. The dragons were a day’s travel away but that didn’t stop the massive amounts of destruction they caused. It spread over the Bohar plains like an endless infection. Then, the bells sounded and the screaming began. Charise, her golden dragon, tucked Dala under her fire-proof wings. The hill was taller than the village, giving the teenager a full view of the carnage. While Charise enjoyed a nice little fire shower, Dala watched the rest of the village panic, unable to do a thing. Balls of fire landed on their wooden roofs, rapidly spreading across the tiny town.
As the orange flames danced, mothers and fathers gathered up their children and bolted. One man caught on fire and there wasn’t nearly enough water to set him out. His screams were the loudest, and she could see how he tried to put the flames out, only to quickly succumb to the fire. She was far enough away that she couldn’t see the burned flesh nor smell it but she still grimaced at the sight. Something snapped and one of the burning houses fell to the ground. The fire travelled beyond the village and into the plains, creating a hellish firescape for the villagers on flat land. If she hadn’t been on a hill herself with an overprotective fire-proof dragon guarding her, she would have been in trouble as well. Eventually the fire rain stopped and the flames themselves died down, though they still remained in some parts. The village was nothing but a pile of blackened ash. After checking on Charise's health, who was perfectly fine, Dala hopped on the dragon’s back and flew down towards the village from her spot in the hill. The smell of burned flesh and wood hovered in the air. She quickly hopped off the dragon, landing on something slightly soft and crunchy. Looking down at her feet, she realized it was a corpse. Dala jumped off and knelt down next towards the person. Black mixed with tiny spots of red, where there used to be blood. The body was almost skeleton-like, only with a thin covering of brown and black flesh. The was missing as were the eyes, leaving darkened empty sockets. The hair was gone and so were the lips, revealing horrible yellow teeth. Anything that would show who this person once was had been burned away, leaving a vaguely human figure behind. The smell was horrible.
Moving onwards, and doing her best not to puke, she began searching the quiet village for signs of life, or anything to salvage. Charise stood by her side, carefully moving around the village and never entering pathways too small for her to fit into. The majority of the houses were burned down, leaving little to go through. Burnt corpses littered the remains and charcoal covered everything. Some of the fallen homes were still burning while the rest had lost their flames. Dala went through each remains, trying to find something worth keeping. She found a half melted kettle, a silver heart-shaped locket, and an old bucket. She moved towards the edge of the village and found another corpse next to a soggy lump of dirt. This corpse was a man, only half burnt and even had a few hairs left on his head. The large soggy lump of dirt next to him began to move. Dala jumped back and drew her sword, believing this thing to be some sort of monster.
Instead, a high pitched wail pierced the silent air and cast a look of confusion on the teenager’s face. Dala sheathed her sword and carefully drew closer to the lump, only to discover it was a baby. Quickly removing it from the dirt, she began cleaning the baby off and cleaning out any dirt it had in its mouth, in fear of it swallowing or choking on it. Once she cleaned off her hand, she had a better look at the scene. The man had used that old bucket she found earlier and used it on the baby, making it harder to burn. Then he covered the child with his own body, or so Dala guessed, since he was far enough from grass or the buildings to avoid a fiery death. If he hadn’t protected the child then it probably would have been burned as well.
“Charise!” Dala called out,
“Looks like we’ve got a survivor.” The golden dragon leaned its head on Dala’s shoulder, reminding her that they needed to move on before some other storm caught them up. Looking towards the rest of the village, the teenager realized there wasn’t anything else left to do. The rest of the villagers were dead and the only remainder was a little baby. Dala decided she would send the baby off to Madam Whoozy until she could get a better idea on where to put the kid. Holding onto the baby, she hopped onto the dragon’s back and flew towards Adeluna. After dropping the child off, she looked towards the locket, hoping to find some sort of clue. Luckily, there was a tiny poem quoting a dwarf poet and signed by the mother of whomever owned the locket in dwarvish language. Her best bet for finding the relative was heading towards Baltil, where many dwarfs lived. She mounted her dragon once more and set off to the city.
The mountain range stood tall and beautiful, making the rest of the land seem small in comparison. She landed at the entrance of the city, leaving Charise on the outside in case the dragon wouldn’t be allowed. The teenager pulled out the silver locket from her pocket and began making her way towards the local blacksmith of the city. Dala gazed up at the massive gears of Baltil’s entrance, wondering how old this massive city truly was. She passed several dwarfs who were gossiping about the massive amounts of refugees pouring into the city from other places in the mountains. They knew about the dragons but believed their magnificent walls were far too strong to be destroyed, even for the dragons. Even Dala had to admit the city seemed much safer than any other place she’d visited since the disasters started. Worry lingered in the back of the young girl’s mind, but she shoved it away and tried to focus on her mission. She entered one blacksmith shop and asked about the necklace, then was pointed to a jeweler since dwarf blacksmiths only bothered with weaponry or real metal workings. The jeweler’s shop had an old, slightly worn sign and seemed to be shoved in-between two other stores. She pushed the door open and the little bell went cling clang, making the girl flinch at the sound.
“I’ll be right there!” The jeweler called out.
Dala leaned against the counter and observed the surprisingly empty room. The walls were bare and every piece of furniture had been packed into crates. Confusion ran across Dala’s face as she began to wonder if the poor jewelry would be going out of business soon.
“Hello dearie!” A short dwarven woman with bright red hair called out, “What can I do for yeh?”
“Oh um, I wanted to see if you made this.” Dala asked, handing over the necklace,
“Are you going out of business or something?” “My shop may be small but that don’t mean I’m goin out of business! No dearie. It’s cause of them dragons. The rest of Baltil thinks those walls are gonna keep them out. But I know better. It’s only a matter of time before one of the other dragons pick a fight with Zao. Then we’ll all be screwed. I’m gettin out of town while the gettin’s good.” She explained, “Now lets take a looker at this pretty thing.”
The jeweler picked up the necklace and inspected it closely, peering at it like it was a little mystery. Then she opened the locket and found what she was looking for. With a satisfied smile, she handed it back over to Dala.
“Yep! That’s one of my own necklaces! It’s one of my first, before I really developed my style. The only question is, what are you doin with it? I know that necklace wasn’t made for you.” The jeweler gave the young girl an accusatory look.
“I found it while rummaging through the remains of a village. It burned down a few days ago, there weren’t any survivors.” Dala explained stiffly,
“The most I can do is return it to the person’s relatives and be on my way.” The jeweler’s face fell and was replaced by a slightly sad look. The teenager quickly realized that the jeweler knew whoever was related to the owner. “The girl who owned that necklace was named Lacey. Her ma lives at this address- hold on lemme write it down for you. Now go one and get that thing where it belongs. I’ve gotta clean up this shop.” Taking the directions and the necklace, Dala quickly left the shop and traveled towards the house. It took her only a few moments before she found the mother of Lacey. When she told her story, Lacey’s mother fell into a fit of tears and clutched to her old husband, who was weeping as well. Feeling even more comfortable, Dala handed the locket to them and tried to be on her way, but the weeping father kept asking her too many questions about the event. Trying to spare the more gory details and the part about her dragon, she told them everything she knew and saw. Soon the parents had enough of the story and sent Dala off.
“At least that’s over with.” She muttered to herself.
The feeling of an uneasy helplessness swept through her mind as she thought about the past couple of days. These dragons were too strong and too dangerous to directly stop and the damage they caused felt too massive for one teenager to solve. But whenever she thought of those people, those burned corpses, she felt a growing guilt for not doing anything else to save them. Plopping down on a barrel, she took the time to watch the street and people, trying to find anything to keep her mind off of that village. Suddenly, she realized that the ground felt a little odd. A little…shaky. For a moment Dala wondered if her emotions had caused her body to become shaky but when she looked towards other people, they had noticed it as well. The signs on shops fell off and a bucket of water near her had tipped over. Then, a massive roar filled her ears, louder than anything else she’d ever heard. Dala quickly hopped onto a crate and climbed her way up to the roof of a building for a better look. In the distance, she could see the shapes of two dragons. One was the bulky Zao while the other was the flying serpent, Etanu. They both had gotten past the walls and were fighting each other in the middle of the city. Screams filled the air and people began running. Bells rang and people shoved each other out of the way, all trying to reach the exits of the city.
“Oh shit.” Was all Dala could say.
