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 Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:34 pm
"Yeah. Dirt and rocks.. just not the same as gold and gems."
It didn't take long for the dragon to finish up his little meal. Feeling fairly satisfied and ready for the day ahead, he got on up and stood next to his best friend while looking out the cave.
"We've got a pretty big day ahead of us," he murmured before stepping out so he could take his true form once more. Once the transformation had finished, he looked over towards the Mindflayer, ready for whenever she was to head back on out.
"The falls aren't too far from where we are, right?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 10:12 pm
Not too far, no. Riley responded distantly, as she looped her hand around his neck and pulled herself up. As soon as she felt secure, she patted his scales gently to indicate she was ready.
There's a ridge of mountains just up a head a few miles. You'll see it when you get in the air. We need to get past them - they're thicker than they look. Once we do, we'll be in the right territory.
And past the point of no return, she added to herself silently.
She bent down, clenched, grinned mischievously, and prepared herself for liftoff. Let's go, yipyip.
She was going to get it for that one.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:24 am
For a moment, Jericho paused and just kind of stared back at Riley. "Yipyip? What the Jack is that supposed to mean?" he asked. He couldn't raise his brow all too easily in his true form but it was there in spirit. Shaking his head to himself, he spread his wings and launched them both into the air. It took him a moment to orient himself towards northwest and then they were on their way once more. he uttered mentally as he pressed onwards. The dragon was a little more alert this time around as he supposed they could run into some problems in the air. Even so, he made sure that he wasn't too tense or anything like that.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:48 am
Jericho's reaction was priceless. Even as he turned away, she bent back and let out a bellowed laugh, amused down to her very bones at the confusion on his draconic expression. Oh, Jericho. She chuckled, bending forward just in time as he lifted off of the air, and holding onto his neck as he sped towards the horizon.
Time passed in amicable conversation, though Jericho would be able to tell when they got close by the way Riley's chatter slowed to a halt, and her silence spoke volumes. The ridges of mountains had been deeper than either of them could have expected, and they had been flying over mountain ranges for enough time to be jolted by the sudden onslaught of new scenery. The real surprise, however, did not come in the change, but in the beauty of the scenery before them.
Of all the things she had hypothesized, Riley was not expecting a haven of nature.
The feature that called to the eye first was the large river that cut a swath through the land. The terrain around the river was heavily forested with no sign of inhabitation. Initially, the forest seemed rich and full of life, the river was rolling and gentle, and the sky they flew through was clear and inviting.
It's breathtaking. She whispered, staring quite openly at her surroundings. It was hard to focus on any one thing, and her eyes roamed freely throughout the land for the time being.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:23 am
As Riley fell silent, Jericho's awareness increased. He was on the lookout for anything that could be potentially dangerous to the pair. When the scenery suddenly shifted as they passed the mountains, he was incredibly surprised to see a place like this. It certainly wasn't what he expected.
he mused while staring down below. The forests of his home territory weren't too different from the lands under them. The fact that they were so close to the ranges only added to that effect. A part of him had to wonder if these lands also belonged to some dragon. Then again, he was aware that not all dragons preferred the same sort of lands as the reds in particular.
Even so, he realized there was still that sort of possibility. If this was the case, they were going to need to tread a bit carefully. Territory issues could get messy at times.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:33 pm
Quote: As more time is spent flying toward the falls things begin to change. The longer you look at a specific feature the worse it gets. Spend time looking at the sky and it begins to cloud over and grow windy. Eventually lighting and thunder start can strike the flyers. Concentrating on other areas prevent things from getting worse. The forest also begins to look less rich as you observe it. The trees get bigger and less green, the branches take on a much more menacing aspect. Eventually the trees appear to be reaching up and grabbing the flyers. The river behaves similarly. Looking at it makes it much rougher. Instead of gentle banks it begins to traverse an increasingly treacherous canyon, and is filled with boulders. If the landscape is just ignored another problem occurs. Everything starts to get heavier and heavier. It becomes harder and harder to fly. It eventually becomes too much and the flyers will be forced down into the trees. How the trees react depends on how much they have been observed.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:37 pm
Riley followed Jericho's gaze, watching the forests zoom by underneath them. She felt a pang of jealousy that this place reminded him of his home, and reconsidered visiting him, when the scenery started warping before her very eyes. Those trees were not as rich as they had been a moment ago - and as she turned to look behind them, she found none of the trees that they had passed looked that way at all anymore. In fact, the more they flew, the more everything seemed to look familiar.
The menacing, leafless trees stretched their clawed branches up towards them, and Riley's back arched in surprise. Well now it's reminding me of home. She faintly joked. What the hell just happened?
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:43 pm
With a sort of toothy smile, Jericho continued flying ahead. It soon faded as he noticed the scenery begin to change to a somewhat more devastating area. Before too long the trees had turned rather drab and it was hard to believe they had just passed through a lush area.
he said while looking at the trees and the canyon in general.
he added while staring down some more. It was.. fairly possible, given the nature of Halloween, but it would be considerably less troublesome if this wasn't the case.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:54 pm
As if to respond to Jericho's question before Riley could, one of the trees had manage to reach up so very far, that one of it's branches snagged on Jericho's tail. Riley clamped down tightly, preparing for a rough ride.
It is not your imagination. Higher, please! She glared at the trees angrily, but they only managed to become more menacing as she watched. She quickly scanned the terrain, looking for safer ground.
And try to fly over the river, it looks safer ther-
But even as she said it, and her eyes had begun to focus on the gentle flowing river, it began to lap angrily and churn. She could easily see why people would go mad in a place like this.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:01 pm
Letting out a startled noise, Jericho beat his wings down hard to fly up higher, managing to break away from the trees. Damn things. They need to be burnt down! Looking over to where Riley pointed out, the dragon grimaced as that area didn't look all too safe at all. It almost looked as if the river would try to sweep them in if they got too close to the bank.
he murmured,
Feeling adrenaline surging through his body, he pressed onwards, looking for any area that seemed even remotely safe.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:32 am
The only hope Riley could see now rested in the higher skies, and as Jericho lifted, she braced herself for the higher altitude and turned her eyes away from the treacherous landscape.
The sky was a brilliant blue, but she knew that there would soon be a point, in that sky, where it would be tough for her to breathe.
The sky wasn't blue. The sky was gray. No, she was wrong again - as she kept watch over the clouds that they were ascending towards, they were changing color and shape before their very eyes.
And now, Riley knew there was no safety to be found.
The sound of thunder permeated her thoughts, but it was distant, and she stared out into the distance to see exactly where- It blossomed directly in front of them, blinding Riley instantly. Jericho! We need to land! NOW! She pressed her face against his scales, and held on for dear life.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:44 am
"Tiamat's s**t!" Jericho cried out as lighting struck right in front of them. It was close enough that he could feel the extra charges tingling his scales some. So much for the skies being the safest area for them.
Not needing to be told twice, the dragon dove down immediately, seeking out a place to land. There didn't seem to be any clearings, forcing him to head over towards the trees. That wasn't the most ideal spot, but he had to make due somehow.
He kept in mind how the trees were acting earlier, and as a result, he was preparing to breathe fire if needed. Though, if it actually started to rain soon, that plan would be weakened quiet a bit.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:42 pm
Riley's eyes were still on the skies, which trembled viciously in response. Her arms were tight around the dragon's neck as she felt them descend, and a sizzling bolt of lightning winked it's presence in the air above them - warning her of it's coming a second too late. Her eyes widened, reflecting the light until it blinded her again as it sliced right through Jericho's left wing like a butter knife.
She was bucked right off, though even in the midst of falling she didn't scream. It was easier to fall to her death when you were temporarily blinded, and this was no exception.
But Riley never hit the ground. Something caught her in it's warm, wet grasp. As her vision cleared, she looked down at the limbs of the trees, frozen in their outward clutches, and sighed in relief. She owed them a debt of gratitude for saving her.
Even if the only reason it had caught her was because the claws of branches had gone straight through her body, and were sticking out like spikes.
The tree was not warm. Nor was it wet. She was. Her blood had done that. And as she was sliding down the branches with a slow, sucking feeling, she could only manage one single curious word.
Oh.
Her body burst into FEAR particles, and disappeared.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:33 pm
Feeling the lightning shred straight through his left wing, Jericho let out a roar of pain. On the bright side, it hadn't hit his main body and didn't really electrocute him as much as it could have. However, there was no way he could remain airborne with just one good wing.
Though he tried to remain aloft or at least to slow his fall, he found himself spiraling downwards towards the trees.
Everything was going by so quickly that he hadn't even noticed Riley was thrown off his back. That is... until he felt that something was terribly wrong. The dragon's golden eyes widened in shock as he felt her... gone. Unable to do anything else, he just came crashing down through the trees.
The branches did little to break his his fall. In fact, all they seemed to have done was slice into his scales before he finally hit the ground with a loud thud.
Shakily lifting his head, he tried to get back up, but it was no use. The red dragon burst into FEAR, leaving nothing behind.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:41 pm
One
It couldn't possibly seem too unfamiliar. How many times had this happened to them before? Maybe they would be shocked to discover that death wasn't the end for them in this twisted, deformed land, since they weren't on an officially sanctioned school trip.
What they would understand, when they woke up whole and unhurt in that damp and dark cave they had slept in the night before, was that things were clearly not what they seemed.
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