Roleplay

The alpha shouted a command, a shrill yell that raised Zara's hair. She shared a look with Aural, but they couldn't step in just yet. She adjusted her goggles and leaned back over to look down.

The alpha dived, and so did his body guards. He pulled up, brushing his talons along the grass of Stergo isle. His three head looked in every direction, snapping at dragons, riders and even other fuirans that got too close. All three of his heads shot up, and howled.

The already frenzied hoard intensified, the air turning almost electric the the energy, and the thousands of fuirans converged, grabbing at any scales or flesh, biting and clawing. They closed around any riders trying to escape and purposely herded and pushed them towards the alpha, they were bringing them closer, and in the process, The rider recruits were in real danger, and Zara cringed. She rarely saw the beasts get this worked up. Even rarer did they try to do something consciously and well thought out like this.

Zara adjusted her goggles, her hood and her shirt. She was still perfectly disguised and perfectly androgynous. The less the recruits knew, the better, and if they thought she was a guy, prefect.

She nodded to Aural who nodded back. And dove.

The air rushed all around her as the huge guardian maneuvered into a nose dive. There was a rumbling noise before a shot of purple erupted from Aurals mouth and into the moving, thrashing dome. A hole cleared that wasn't even large enough, but Aural plowed through anyways, her wings beating down the flying green monsters.

Zara did a quick calculation of who was where. There was pearls, a Skydancer, a mirror a ridge and... Yes, an imp. It was huge and just as majestic as the stories say. Zara had seen very few imps, and none up close. He was good sized imp, but just a tad smaller than a Aural.

"Ready?" Zara called over the wind.

"Ready." Aural said.

It was like lightning. Aural lunged through the air, a roar erupting from her maw. stretching her claws out, each hand connected her a fuiran bodyguard, pinning them to the ground. Alpha was in the middle.

Zara vaulted off of her mount, right towards the Alphas knashing mouths. She was drawing her knife and trying to plunge it into a head. The alpha shoke, bucking around, but Zara held tight.

Aural clamped her maw on each guard, taking them out with quick, methodical kills.

Zara plunged her knife into the left head when she got a clear shot. The alpha roared, a sound of shock and pain, and every fuiran in the pack echoed, slowing their attacks and slowly begging to disperse.

Zara hopped off the alpha, who scurried back on all fours, snapping his jaws towards her in a menacing, but cowardly manor. He turned quickly, his left head hanging limp from his neck, and took off into the air as fast as he could.

The rest of the swarm dispersed just as quickly, converging after their leader.

Zara stood on the grass, between two large, dead fuirans. Aural walked up beside her and nudged her arm. Zara was terrified. Not a speck of fear plagued her from the beasts, but this? This was scary. Facing her possible new team? Trainees? Apprentices? Scary.

She looked at Aural. They agreed she would do the talking.

"No questions will be answered and no details will be revealed untill we reach the surface. This is your last chance to go back. If you continue on our mission, your life will never be the same. So what's your decision?" The huge guardian asked expectantly.



@kingcrubles @apocalyptichorse @TiritiriMatangi @darklordivy @Blackcat0989 @antibus

"I told you." Tally hissed, somewhere between furious and smug.

Falice ignored her. The large guardian, the stranger that had appeared out of nowhere, was apparently their leader for the moment. And though she had never met Aural personally, Falice could easily match her to the countless, dreary, endless stories that Tally echoed and raged against. The guardian dragon was just as huge as her reputation said she'd be, an anomaly for her breed.

And if that was Aural, the masked rider was Zara Hepps. Falice suppressed a strong desire to tie Tally down, just to be safe. Her young rider was unpredictable at the beat of times when trying to measure herself against Zara, there was no telling what she'd be like in the actual presence of her combined rival and idol. Not that Zara had any reason to know of Tally's existence. It wasn't like either Falice or Tally had received an invitation to the strange team Hepp was making.

"We accept!" Tally's voice could never carry as far as Falice's but the child gave it her best shot. "Falice, land."

"If I must." She lowered herself slowly, wary of any more attacks. The way Aural had taken down the bodyguards and her rider nearly killed the alpha both spoke of foreknowledge, but that was something Falice did not have.


(( Tally found out about the team via stalking, not via invitation. She doesn't have an invite, but because of the way she got here she does know who Zara and Aural are. Stalker, she's so weird. @kingcrubles @antibus @DarkLordIvy @GiftOfArtemis @Blackcat0989 @apocalyptichorse))

One moment the air had been filled with the sound of the fuiran swarm, and the next the sky was empty of all except dragons and riders. On the ground where the alpha had been taken down still stood the rider and the monstrous guardian.

Kahn let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. That was impressive! They had taken down the alpha like it was nothing; while the rest of them had been floundering about in a panic. Oooo Rat wasn't going to like this. Kahn leaned so she could see part of her dragons face, and as she had suspected the imperials eyes were narrowed and his lips were drawn back in a toothy frown,"Rat..."

The dark dragon looked back at his rider his nose sporting a new gash from where a fuiran had gotten in a swipe with it's claws,"Nothing," he replied and turned to look at the dragon and human on the ground once more. That guardian was powerful that was clear, and it's rider as well was clearly trained and equipped as well. This was a pair Rat did not want to have to come to blows with; at least defiantly not on open ground like this. Not to mention that these were almost without a doubt the ones who had sent the letter.

Rat was snapped out of his thoughts by the guardian speaking. The surface... Rat wanted to laugh oh if his nest mates could see him now! They would be so disgusted and horrified if they knew what he was about to do. Imperials never took positions below royal guard, but if this is what his dear human wished to do then Rat would go along.

"Rat your louder, tell them we're ready to go." said Kahn somewhat distractedly as she looked down at the mystery rider. The goggles and hood made it impossible to get a read on them. The girl on the white ridgeback had responded almost immediately with enthusiasm making Kahn think she may know something that Kahn didn't, or possibly she was just excited for the adventure of seeing the surface.

"We are prepared." Rat called down allowing himself to drop several feet in the air, so he could get a better look at the guardian and rider.

--@kingcrubles @antibus @TiritiriMatangi @GiftOfArtemis @Blackcat0989 @apocalyptichorse--

@kingcrubles @antibus @TiritiriMatangi @GiftOfArtemis @Blackcat0989 @Darklordivy

As soon as the shrieking beasts were gone Zach put his sword back into the saddle bag after whiping the blood of it "Are you alright Lucifer?" the dragon humed in resposne "I'm fine don't worry" the glided towards the island and landed, once on the ground Lucifer began to licks his claws clean, keeping a pair of eyes focused on the cloaked rider and guardian. The rider on the white ridgeback immediatly responded to the quastion, he turned his head some to look at Zach. He gulped a little before taking a breath breath exalding slowly and said "I'm ready" "As am I" Lucifer added, that was it, no more turning back now.

Sam slid his bow into the saddlebags as the last of the fuirans retreated, his green eyes locked on the guardian and its rider. He had to admit that what they'd done was impressive, essentially taking down the whole flock by incapacitating the alpha. But for all that the act had saved their lives, it also made the duo very, very dangerous. He looked over at the imperial, the mirror and the dark ridgeback, all of whom had decided to continue.

"What do you think?" he asked Impala, burying his hands in her black mane. "Should we trust them?"

Impala didn't answer immediately, her violet eyes flicking between the guardian and the open skies. This was their chance, probably the only one they'd ever get to live out their dream of going to the surface... But could she bet the safety of her human on the good intentions of these strangers?

She could clearly remember the excitement in Sam's voice when the fae had dropped off the letter... the longing in his words as he spoke of finally being able to leave the farm, to finally look upon the surface. Impala didn't want to shatter his dreams... and surely she could protect him; she was by no means a weak dragon, she would protect her human no matter what.

"I think we should join them." She decided. "We have been waiting for this opportunity almost our whole lives. Let's not give it up when we've gotten this far."

Sam smiled, stroking the skydancer's neck lovingly. "Thank you, Impala. Let's give our answer."

Impala nodded and shifting her body into a smooth glide, circling the group before coming in to land beside the mirror. "We will join you."

((Just a note, i edited Impala's profile a bit. I just tweaked her personality a little. Nothing major.))

@kingcrubles @antibus @TiritiriMatangi @GiftOfArtemis @Apocalyptichorse @Darklordivy

Well that was a shocker, for both Dark and Eve. The two had been tearing at Fuirans furiously only to nearly fall from the sky when first a flash of purple, than a huge guardian came blasting through the dome of flesh. dark had stumbled in the air again, twisting his body to not collide with the dragon and rider who had come through following the arcane blast and than were left in awe as the battle ensued and than ended almost as quickly as it had started.

Eve and Dark exchanged a look which was first a surprise, and an Dark turned elated as he immediately dropped from the air with a wumph and landed before the pair. He was smiling from jawline to jawline and almost bouncing where he stood, causing Eve to have to hold on to the saddle or risk breaking the straps and falling off.

"That was so cool! You're so big! Can you teach Me to do that!? It would be fun! Right Eve! C'mon please," the energetic ridgeback continued his questions till even kicked his side hard, unclipping herself from the saddle and hopping down to the ground just so she wouldnt get bounced around so much.

"Stop it Dark." Her hand reached up and tugged on his wing to get his attention as she looked to the rider and dragon as the larger one spoke. Eves head turned to face those who answered, and looked at those who hadn't yet either before turning to Dark and raising brow. He was nodding enthusiastically and shifting to sit back on his hind quarters and clap with his front legs, clasping claws to look like he was begging her to do this.

So much for him wanting to go back to the royal guard. She almost laughed, a small huff escaping before she looked to the two strangers and nodded. "We'll come along as well. Who knows, it could be fun."

(( @kingcrubles @apocalyptichorse @TiritiriMatangi @darklordivy @Blackcat0989 @giftofartemis ))

Zara looked the group over. They were dinged, but alive and able bodied. She still worried inwardly about what they were undergoing. Surface visits were illegal when unauthorized. Was she asking too much of these recruits? She couldn't think about that now.

Zara turned to Aural, who was no longer at her shoulder, and instead was in stalking position, circling the ridgeback. When he popped up into a begging position she pounced up to push quickly on his chest to knock him over. Zara rolled her eyes at her dragon's sudden silliness.

She nodded at the group, looking at each of them through hidden eyes, lingering on one in particular. One that she specifically knew had not been invited. She didn't recognize this girl. Her eyes narrowed and she locked her gaze, but moved quickly, acting as if nothing had happened. She could prove to be useful, or, Zara would have to take care of her. Either way, it was a testament to the fact the Zara hadn't been as careful as she thought.

She whistled, and Aural slinked back over. Zara lept and mounted her dragon, sliding carefully into the sadle. She leaned forward, and gestured for the others to follow.

Aural spoke up. "Stay close and stay in line. The path through the clouds is narrow and dangerous." And with that, Aural tucked her wings and entered a nose dive.

@kingcrubles @apocalyptichorse @TiritiriMatangi @darklordivy @Blackcat0989 @antibus

@kingcrubles @giftofartemis @TiritiriMatangi @darklordivy @Blackcat0989 @antibus

"welp...here goes..." Zach mumbled to himself, Lucifer titlted his head at the black and yellow ridgeback, why was he acting like a hatchling? After shrugging, he looked back at the guardian, whom to so far seemed to have done all the speaking, why wasn't the rider saying anything? He felt a bit wary but then followed the guardian and leapt of the edge and dove into the cloud mass after them

Finally. After the stupid test was over, Tally would be going down to the surface. There wasn't any way Zara could refuse her, not with the way Falice had made herself useful in the fight. It had been such a good idea to employ an older, more experienced dragon instead of the usually riff-raff she would have had to deal with in flight school. Very valuable.
And Zara. God only knew why the woman had hidden herself underneath all those concealing layers of clothing, but it made no difference to Tally. She'd passed the test, survived the attack and now Zara HAD to take her.

--

Falice eyed the playing children with no little alarm. By the gladekeeper, it was so easy to forget. Every dragon and rider here was a young thing, barely taught and trained, talented presumably but so young. They played like hatchlings seconds after finishing battle, impossibly carefree and lighthearted. To what end did Zara gather them all? Why so young, why so impressionable? The surface was a dangerous, unpredictable place, and one completely unknown to her. She had only seen glimpses, strange sights in gaps between clouds on old patrols to the outermost rims of the territory the royal guard had taken responsibility for. Nothing concrete, nothing to support or deny the endless, horrifying stories.

And they were going there. Volunteering for it. They were all insane, Falice as well for being just as tied up in this lunacy as everyone else. Falice slipped into the slipstream of the massive guardian leading them, following orders on automatic instinct.

@kingcrubles @antibus @DarkLordIvy @GiftOfArtemis @Blackcat0989 @apocalyptichorse