City of Stone

[MadEmperor]

Ein hopped back, narrowly avoiding the attack. He immediately lunged forward, raking at it with his stony talons. He had never been so quick before returning to his natural form, his real legs being built for speed as much as they were for power. But he wasn't quite used to them so he wasn't as quick as he'd like.

[DragonSong]

The avian creature reeled back to avoid the strike, squawking again, then lashed out once more--this time with the almost reptilian tail that had been swaying back and forth behind it. There didn't seem to be a needle or spur adorning the tail, but it was still a cord of thick, scaled muscle that tried to crumple Ein's right wing.

[MadEmperor]

Ein twisted at the last moment, taking the hit on his chest instead. The blow sent him flying against the cliffside, loose stones clattering to the ground alongside him. It was only his inhumanly durable nature that prevented him from having any broken bones.

Pushing himself to his feet, he stared at the beast with eyes that seemed to glow in the failing light. Suddenly, he charged the beast, intending to slide underneath it and claw at its belly.

[DragonSong]

The cockatrice fluffed up the crest of feathers that crowned its head, hissing and snarling in supposed victory.

The hiss turned to a startled squawk when Ein's claws raked across its belly, and the creature reeled back, beating its relatively stumpy wings and lashing out with its tail again as it hopped backward.

[MadEmperor]

The tail sent Ein rolling across the ground. He jumped back to his feet and noted the blood on his claws. He had seriously injured the thing. It would be all the more dangerous now, should he press the attack. Hopefully, it would decide the meal wasn't worth the trouble. He roared at it again, hoping it would heed the warning this time.

[DragonSong]

The cockatrice clucked and rumbled, but it was starting to back away, keeping itself curled to protect its wounded underbelly. It gave a last, accusatory sort of squawk before turning and darting away back among the rain-slick rocks.

Vander's barking after the creature changed to worried whines as he started to circle the stone-still Nani, nosing at her and pawing the ground anxiously.

[MadEmperor]

Ein hastened back to the cave to check on his companion. He rushed to her side, concern written all over his normally hardened face.

"Nani? Can you hear me? Can you move anything?" he asked, worry clear in his tone.

[DragonSong]

She was able to flick her eyes toward the sound of his voice, but not move her head. A soft sound pressed against her lips, but she couldn't actually open her mouth to speak.

However, that was better than things had been a minute ago. It seemed the effects of the creature's stare were gradually wearing off.

Vander huffed and paced around her, nosing at her, but he'd stopped the frantic barking.

[MadEmperor]

Progress was good. He had been terrified for a moment that she would be frozen forever. It was unusual from him, but he gently took one of her hands between his in a show of emotional support. His skin was smooth but textured, like stone but containing the warmth of life.

"It's gone; you're going to be fine. I'm going to be your guardian until then."

[DragonSong]

Nani's fingers twitched slightly in his hand, and the faintest hint of a humming sound managed to slip from her lips.

It took an excruciatingly long five minutes, but finally she was able to actually turn her head slightly toward him and blink--properly blink, which felt better than it had any right to.

Her tongue felt thick and heavy in her mouth, but she was able to creak out, "Are you...okay?"

[MadEmperor]

Ein chuckled; he should have known that the first thing out of her mouth would be concern for his wellbeing. "I am fine. The monster may have managed to send me rolling, but this body of mine is difficult to harm."

"More importantly, how are you? I was terrified you would be stuck like that forever."

[DragonSong]

"Feel...weird," Nani replied, still slow and a little slurred, but gradually growing clearer. "But it's...getting better."

She tried to smile, and managed something close to it. She was also able to curl her fingers slightly in his grip, and the rise and fall of her breathing gradually deepened as her chest was able to expand and contract properly.

[MadEmperor]

"I'm glad," Ein replied with growing relief in his voice. He felt incredibly awkward showing so much emotion, but she had come to mean a great deal to him. He might even go as far as to say he loved her—not in any romantic way, but as someone he couldn't imagine being without. The thought of losing her terrified him more than anything in his life ever had.

Vander was equally devoted to her recovery, pressing his body against her as if his very closeness would revitalize her.

[DragonSong]

It certainly took longer than she would have liked, but eventually Nani was able to move from her crouched position. She still felt odd, limbs too heavy and breathing a little labored, but she seemed to be nearly back to normal.

She shook her head slowly even as she reached out to stroke Vander's back gratefully. "I--I thought it really got me for a second," she found herself murmuring as she glanced up at Ein. "When that first happened...I thought I was turning to rock."

She shuddered. Since coming to the mainland, she'd faced the possibility of death several times--but that? Frozen for eternity? Oh gods, would she have still be conscious, but petrified?

[MadEmperor]

Ein's worried expression had given way to relief as she recovered. He had thought the same as her. "I don't want to think about what would have happened to you if you didn't have your Paladin powers to shield you from the full effect."

"Otherwise, I don't know if killing it would have undone its cursed gaze. I'm glad I didn't have to find out."

[DragonSong]

She smiled at him, perhaps a little shakily. "Me too."

With a quiet groan--gods she was stiff--she pushed herself to her feet and tried to stretch out her arms and legs. She winced at the twinging effort, but thankfully the stiffness seemed to be more from having been crouched and frozen for so long rather than any lingering stone-curse.

Huffing out a breath, she glanced at the mouth of the cave and worried her lip. "It's still raining pretty hard," she noted quietly. "Maybe we should...I know we didn't cover as much ground as we wanted, but perhaps we should wait until the weather clears..."

[MadEmperor]

Glad to be past the uncomfortable emotional display, Ein turned his eyes to the storm. It was true that traversing the mountains in such weather was a recipe for disaster, and he did like the idea of giving that monster a chance to move on, so he nodded. "Agreed. The last thing we need is for one of us to slip and fall down the mountainside. Relying on wings to save us is dangerous in these winds."

"Besides, you should give yourself more time to recover before pushing yourself."

[DragonSong]

"Perhaps a bit more time," Nani agreed with a small sigh. She was starting to get rather tired of being the one slowing them down--it seemed to be a frequent state of affairs.

Vander huffed at her, and she smiled and reached out to pat his head. "I'm alright now," she assured the strange hound. "I'm sorry I scared you..."

[MadEmperor]

Vander leaned into the contact with a contented grunt.

Ein gave a slight smile and joined in, giving the creature the affection he had earned. "He really is a compassionate soul, isn't he? He always has been. This, of course, made him a terrible guard dog." He smirked.

[DragonSong]

"Well, you didn't really need a guard dog though, did you?" Nani noted without really thinking about what she was saying. "You needed a friend."

Vander whuffed in something that seemed uncomfortably like agreement. Which was when the words actually register and she found color rising in her cheeks.

"Ah—I m-mean he's been...good for you, that's all."