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The Empty Vessel (Closed)

Started by CyclicalCycal, December 12, 2016, 04:54:09 PM

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Marakai Trin

Kranath remained silent, merely giving his head a small shake.

This was going to be easy...and rather beneficial for him if their numbers were great enough...

Gawfy

All good over here Alder replied

Wrathwyrm

The magus stared at the sprearman speak of the legend, and somehow you could tell that the glowing eyes in the darkness going deadpan.

"Singing?!"

What in the name of Insert-Your-Deity-Here was that suppose to mean?!  Everything else Enthis said was put on hold as he fixated on this one part.  Far be it for Garlock to be one who really 'gets' prophecy.  If those guys don't say what they mean, what good are their predictions?  Sounded like they were just afraid of being wrong.  At any rate, he was largely oblivious to the situation of the woman that was nearly thrown from her horse.  Far more intriguing was the dragon, who outed himself AS a dragon and answered the immediate question of 'What's that smell?'.  Dragons have a smell too, but Garlock hadn't exactly encountered them much.  You can't see it, but Garlock is grinning at him.  He didn't expect people to trust him, but he DID find it funny when those who are dirty themselves tried to point fingers.

Now, the conversation was getting away from him for a moment, but he caught up as soon as Enthis was explaining something about crazy cultists trying to destroy the world.  By gods, this would be easy.  They were mortal and fleshy, which was already two strikes against, as is!  It was about the time that the spearman asked if there were any questions that Garlock noticed Tabitha...

"Yes, actually.  I have a question.  Why is there a strange woman going on about crocodiles behind me?"

CyclicalCycal

"Because she is assisting us. And yes, signing. The poem of the faithful is vague, but my...group. Order. Whatever. We assume singing is a metaphor. The...thing...that the Faithful want to...fill...probably wont literally sing."

"NOW. We have a long walk through the desert to the abandoned ruins of an ancient city to stop a mad cult of worshippers of an archaic prophecy. Sounds just like a story you'd read in the library, eh?"

Marakai Trin

Kranath blinked. Again. Hopefully this wouldn't be a reoccurring thing.

".....I state again: I am a dragon. I can get us there quickly, if you desire."

He glanced at Tabatha, then, and frowned slightly. "But not your horse. Too heavy."

Wrathwyrm

Okay...good.  We really didn't need the end of the world to be choreographed that badly.  That said, the magus now had to chuckle in regards to the dragon and the horse.

"Also, he might get hungry, so it's better you didn't bring it with you."

He was definitely going to have to find out what that dark feeling was he was getting off of Kranath.  It seemed like it might be...important.

CyclicalCycal

"...a dragon? Are you serious?" Enthis didn't seem to believe him, and rightfully so. It was a particularly odd claim, and one that the bald man had never really heard before. Though, were it true, it'd likely be one of the greatest strokes of luck he'd ever had.

Jorroo

"Uhh, it's okay. Fluff can fly too! Fly Fluffy, fly!" Silence. "Oh wait, that was a dream. It's okay, she knows her way home." The girl sent her horse on its way and continued,
"A Dragon eh? Can you turn into a crocodile? I love crocodiles. Anyway, I wanna kill some bad guys, let's go!"

(OOC - will be on a date pretty soon, won't be able to reply until after, pretend I'm here, I'll read up after)

Marakai Trin

"....no, I cannot turn into a crocodile. Or anything else, for that matter. I am a dragon - the transformation between man and dragon is intrinsic to my very nature."

He leveled a flat stare at Tabatha while this was said, glowing red eyes unblinking. He then looked to Enthis, and nodded. "And, yes, I'm serious. I am a black dragon of the Aerie Clan, from long before any history of yours was written." With that perplexing statement, he turned and walked back towards the dunes, in order to be a safe distance away to transform without harming his.... companions.

When he was sufficiently distanced from the others, he stopped, and closed his eyes. Reaching inside himself, he looked for that other side of himself, that place just beyond the thin veil of humanity. Pushing into it, he could feel himself expand, quickly.

His long-coat seemed to simply disappear as if it were never there, though the complex network of leather straps securing his blades remained. Underneath the coat, there was nothing but a mass of pitch-black scales, roiling over one another in an indescribable manner. A multitude of spikes shot out of this mass, spreading apart as his new body began to form.

A tail, more than forty feet long.

A pair of wings, massive in their span.

Four legs, pushing the mass of scales and spikes skyward, ending in deadly sharp black talons.

A huge spiked head, with a mouth filled with razor sharp, dagger like teeth, issuing forth a pale, blue otherworldly light. Two massive red eyes turned to look at the group. His mouth didn't move, but his voice boomed in their heads nonetheless.

Give me a direction...and let's be underway...

Jorroo

Tabatha was glancing in the other direction as the Dragon formed. Slowly, she turned her head and looked at the monstrous draconian.
"YOU ARE A DRAGON!" She yelled. "It's.. It's even better than a crocodile! Can you breathe fire? Or water? Or PUPPIES? I heard dragons are magic you should do magic, yes yes yes!" Tabatha stopped suddenly, realising she was out of breath.

Marakai Trin

Kranath lowered his great head, his long neck extending a small way to allow him to look Tabatha directly in the eye.

No, human. I breathe death.

He could already tell this one was going to annoy him to no ends. Perhaps more blinks were in order, after all.

I cannot exhale water. Or puppies. Or crocodiles, or wigs, or cows, or any other such outlandish thing.

That mass of spikes and scales that was his head would suddenly swing skyward, and with an ear-splitting roar, he exhaled what appeared to be no more than smoke - this was, in truth, a miasma that would cause copious amounts of bleeding to soft internal tissues, as well as progressive necrosis to anything external.

Luckily, his head was high enough up that it dissipated into the air above. Otherwise, he'd have a whole village jumping down his throat.

Sadly, any other day, that'd be a good thing....

CyclicalCycal

Enthis stared up at Kranath, blinking. A look of utter shock and befuddlement and joy, of all things, crossed his face.

"Oh, my...hahahaha! This cuts...days off our journey, good dragon!" He yelled out, grinning, as he rubbed at his beard. "I can't...oh, wow." Enthis glanced about at the group. He seemed to be watching for them to voice any disapproval, or someone to say something like 'I have a violent allergy to dragons so we need to find another way'.

This was too good to be true.

Wrathwyrm

Heh heh heh heh heh...  In another time, in another place, one might have said 'Never deal with a dragon'.  Truly, one might've said it in this era too, but it was more famous in a setting and era where one would 'run the shadows', as it were.  Here and now, however, well...  It seemed that their desperate host was completely enamored by the black dragon, whose transformation was both huge and dangerous.  Oh, it was getting all the more obvious why Garlock had that feeling about him, wasn't it?  Black dragons were known for violence and destruction about as much as he was.  And Kranath was no pup, either.  Garlock could feel the darkness rolling off of him.  He'd been around.  Why, the only one that that death breath would not kill, if turned on everyone here, was Garlock himself!  He found himself applauding, at this point.

"Yes, yes.  Most impressive, indeed.  Well, let us mount this engine of destruction and kill some cultists, hmmm?"

This would, hopefully, spur the group into action as he Blinked onto a spot on the dragon's back to make himself comfortable.  Let it be known that Garlock didn't really trust Kranath either, but there was also an old saying somewhere out there about certain situations making curious bedfellows.  The magus certainly liked existing, so hey, why not?  Besides, it would be fun...

Jorroo

(OOC - I really hope we can do some scenes on the dragon's back. I have some ideas, heh.)

Tabatha froze as the dragon looked into her very soul. She's never been so stunned in her life. She'd never been this frozen in her hyperactive existence. Then the dragon breathed smoke, and for some reason, it sent chills down Tabatha's spine. In all her adventures in the past, she'd never seen a dragon as big and ominous as this one. This had truly changed her.

After much pondering, she launched herself on the beast's back and waved to her horse in the distance, who turned around and waved back. At least to her it did.

CyclicalCycal

Enthis didn't care. Enthis knew that if he died, well, then, these people wouldn't have their guide and they'd be stranded in the middle of the desert with nothing to show for it. He felt confident he was, for now, functionally immortal.

He didn't expect that to last forever though. That was something that fed to his nervousness.

He carefully went to pull himself up onto Kranath, mumbling to him. "You breathe death? You'd make a damn fine Warding Heretic..." He went to position himself closer to Kranath's head, so he may guide him with far more ease than someone further back. "Come on!" Enthis said, to the last of his companions.

Marakai Trin

Kranath actually laughed at Enthis' comment. To the untrained ears, it sounded like a cross between a cough and a roar, but it was a laugh.

Human, I pledge my blade only for this. When this is done, I have much grander plans.

The weight upon his back so far as negligible. He found he was actually looking forward to this, now that his mind was clear of Tiamats influence. This could actually be fun.

....what was fun, again?

CyclicalCycal

"I do not expect you to, dragon. If anything, I am immensely grateful for your assistance in this endeavour, and would not expect anything more." He replied. He continued waiting, though, glancing about at the others.

Gawfy

All right I hear yeah old man, no need to strain your voice Alder said as he Climbed on the dragon's back.  He was trying to keep to himself. He had a bad feeling about this entire Exposition a premonition of bad things to come. But he hopped on nonetheless

CyclicalCycal

"When you are ready, dragon...I believe we can...head towards our destination." Enthis said, looking to the others for a brief moment before looking back. "Aye. We are as ready as we can be." He affirmed, nodding.

Marakai Trin

Very well. Don't fall off - we will be travelling high and fast. A fall will likely kill you.

Hopefully, that was warning enough for everyone, for as soon as those words were said, Kranath broke into a run, faster than one would think a creature of his size ought be able to. With a great leap, and the sharp crack of huge, leathery wings snapping open, they were aloft. The thermals rising from the hot sand were to him as wind in sails, filling his wings and sending them all skyward.

I will need a direction to fly in. And mind the spikes and scales - I am no horse to guide and steer.

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