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Post by Orcus on his Throne on May 8, 2019 6:47:26 GMT
As the sun crested across the horizon, two forms' shadows stretched across the swampy land. It had been several days since Nata and Hilde had become acquainted with one another. For Hilde, it had felt like an eternity. Though it was nice to have some company in the lonely wilderness, she had grown wary of Nata's constant boasting and need of competition. Could they not simply travel without everything being a game?
The Draxon knight ran her hand along Ezekiel's mane, the strong horse trotting along at a steady pace.Though the journey had not been kind to him, he had soldiered on without complaint. Ezekiel had been the one companion to never fail her; through thick and thin, good times and bad, Ezekiel had stuck by her side loyally. Sometimes she missed her old comrades in Draxonia, like Ferdinand and Maria, but she knew she could not head back and speak with them, nor could she rely on them being friendly to her after so long. After all, Fero was very good at radicalizing even the most neutral of souls...
Suddenly, Hilde noticed smoke in the distance, probably a few dozen miles away.
"Nata," Hilde said as Ezekiel slowed to a stop, "I'm not hallucinating, right? There is smoke over there?"
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Post by Stage on May 8, 2019 14:25:55 GMT
Rolling to a stop, Illusion lifted its expressionless face with a hiss, revealing the very expressive, very pink face of Nata underneath. The eccentric looked at Hilde, eyes narrowed and lips pursed.
"What is... 'smoke?'"
Of course, even Nata could not keep a straight face at such a baldfaced lie, a smirk teasing at the corners of her mouth. Rather than give up on her bluff or confirm she saw the pillar of smoke as well though, the surface runner lowered her face plate began kicking forward once more. Illusion glided across the wasteland like a skater across ice, though at a pace slow enough for Ezekiel to catch up even while injured.
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Post by Orcus on his Throne on May 8, 2019 15:33:00 GMT
Hilde sighed with audible annoyance. Why did she insist on taunting her like that?
With a kick to his sides, Hilde moved forward, following closely behind Illusion. Hopefully that smoke was just a really big campfire or something...
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Post by Stage on May 8, 2019 16:40:45 GMT
"So what are surface cities like?" Nata's voice, filtered and mechanical, asked from in front.
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Post by Orcus on his Throne on May 8, 2019 16:45:21 GMT
"Where I am from, cities are often very small," Hilde stated. "Walls surround the cities to keep them safe from invaders and to keep people in. Usually the common people live in simple homes made of wood and hay, while the nobles live in fancy homes made of stone. We usually also have temples dedicated to our god. Most cities where I come from are less than a few thousand people, but the main capital is significantly larger."
She turned to face Nata. "Of course, the city we head to is most likely different from my home... our people tend to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world."
The knight paused for a moment, before she inquired, "And what are your cities like? Are they great caverns beneath the earth or something, like the dwarves of legend?"
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Post by Stage on May 8, 2019 16:56:08 GMT
Nata snorted. "They're cramped and ugly. All the big caverns are used for crops, livestock, or mask arenas. Or bought by surface runners to show off. A tiny home in a giant space is a sure sign of a runner living there."
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Post by Orcus on his Throne on May 9, 2019 2:19:42 GMT
Hilde huffed in disdain. "It's good to see the affluent are as extravagant as they are where I come from..."
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Post by Executus Gira on May 9, 2019 2:37:44 GMT
Up ahead, the sky was filled with a shrill noise. Several large white pterosaurs circled above, and were descending down to the ground. Something had happened.
That wasn't the only noise, however. A mutilated scream echoed across the land, where the pterosaurs were descending...
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Post by Stage on May 9, 2019 17:08:15 GMT
Nata had paused to ask Hilde one again what they were seeing, this time in earnest, but the echoing shriek seemed to inject her with adrenaline. Stooping low and touching Illusion's heel-mounted wheels to the ground, the surface runner took off, rocketing towards the source of the howl faster than any horse could manage...
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Post by Orcus on his Throne on May 9, 2019 20:18:54 GMT
"Hey! Wait!" Hilde shouted as she kicked Ezekiel in the ribs, spurring him to sprint after Nata. "Don't go in without me, we don't know what made that sound!"
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Post by Executus Gira on May 9, 2019 20:44:39 GMT
What Nata saw as she drew near was a grisly sight. The pterosaurs, each with a body as large as a man and with wingspans fifteen feet, had swarmed over a body, a woman, who was sprawled on the ground and screaming in agony. Blood covered their mouths as they jerked their heads back up with strips of flesh and swallowed them whole. A pair off to the side were yanking on something separate entirely...
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Post by Stage on May 10, 2019 0:13:59 GMT
Nata extended Illusion's left arm, the long bayonet that topped it flipping forward as she continued her charge on the flying reptiles. When she entered the last three-hundred meters between herself and the scene of carnage, the domino's hollow chest began to hum. A laser, invisible and lethally hot, split the air, aimed at the nearest of the feasting pterosaurs...
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Post by Executus Gira on May 10, 2019 2:11:50 GMT
The nearest pterosaur had no chance to react. The laser struck it dead on, and a hole was burned through its chest and back. It dropped immediately.
At once, the rest of the pterosaurs realized they were in danger. They took off into the sky, and began to flee, not wanting to meet the same fate as their fallen. The two that were off to the side took off as well, with the meat they had in their possession...
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Post by Orcus on his Throne on May 10, 2019 2:16:18 GMT
It took Hilde significantly longer to reach the grisly scene. As Nata's laser burned a hole through one of the pterosaurs and caused the scavenging flock to scatter into the sky, Ezekiel trotted to a stop beside Illusion.
Hilde looked upon the mangled screaming form on the ground and immediately dismounted her steed and sprinted toward the fallen figure...
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Post by Stage on May 10, 2019 17:05:58 GMT
"What happened to not going in alone?" Nata asked, though there was little humor in her voice. She followed Hilde, but looked at the dead pterosaur. Illusion's horizontal, slit-like 'eyes' stared cold into it.
When she passed, she gave the carcass a quick, stabbing kick with her right heel, sheering the membrane of one of its wings clean in two with the axe head mounted there.
"Bastard."
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Post by Executus Gira on May 10, 2019 18:59:02 GMT
What the two saw before them was a wretched sight. It was a woman on her back, caked in blood and breathing heavily. Her stomach was torn open, large strips of flesh missing from there and from her thighs. The uniform she was wearing was in tatters and soaked with blood as well. Her long violet hair blew in the breeze as she tried to rise up with one arm, her only arm. Where her arm and shoulder had been on the right, was only a bleeding mess.
But when she looked at the two, the most disturbing thing came to light. Her eyes... there were no eyes. Empty eye sockets with only bits of meat within gazed back at their general direction. "he- help!" She weakly cried. She tried to rise up onto her knees, but collapsed on her side, face reunited with the earth. " Who... Who is there? Not again, not again!"
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Post by Orcus on his Throne on May 10, 2019 20:14:08 GMT
"Greshlynk above," Hilde yelped in shock. The magnitude of the damage caused to this poor woman... it was truly abhorrent. How long had she been out here for those terrible beasts to do this to her?
Acting quickly, Hilde pulled out a small dagger and swiftly cut off a chunk of her clothing and quickly approached the dying woman.
"Don't worry, I'm here to help," Hilde stated, as she quickly used what she could to bind the woman's damaged abdomen closed for now.
"This is going to hurt," Hilde warned as she quickly began to tie a knot around the woman's waist with the excess cloth, before she shouted "Nata! Please tell me you have medical supplies in that armor of yours!"
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Post by Stage on May 11, 2019 3:53:19 GMT
The slender shadow of Illusion fell over Hilde.
"You could say that," Nata answered. "I can seal those wounds, but... it will hurt. And I can't guarantee anything past that. It'll be up to her to fight off infection until we reach the city."
The surface runner spoke directly to the grievously injured woman now. "Are you tough enough?"
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Post by Executus Gira on May 11, 2019 5:38:42 GMT
The woman gritted her teeth. "I fi- I used to fight... in the arena. I'm more than... tough enough." She spat out, before wincing with pain. "Just... AUUUUUUGH."
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Post by Stage on May 11, 2019 5:43:32 GMT
"Arm first then." A low hum rumbled from the domino's chest once more. "Hilde. Roll her over and hold her. She'll probably struggle."
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