Topic: Lurking in the Forest

Maven Jonas

Date: 2007-01-28 19:36 EST
Far to the Southeast of RhyDin City, Jonas steps carefully through the thick forests of the realm, twigs and leaves cracking and popping under his boots as he walks. He's wearing his gray tunic, brown leather gloves, and black canvas pants, all under his cloak. Atop his head is his brimmed blue steepled hat, which casts a shadow over his face, shielding his eyes from the bright light of the sun.

As he bounds along, he looks around curiously, far removed by this point from any of the main roads.

"There's gotta be some kind of adventure out here!" He shouts back behind him, marching along through the woods.

Dameon Phoenix

Date: 2007-01-28 19:41 EST
Dameon stumbles along behind Jonas through the woods, in his black armor and cloak, shaking his head slowly as he moves along, still feeling the effects of his hangover from the previous night's drinking escapades.

"Adventure? We're hiking, Psy! You dragged me away from the Red Dragon so we could come hiking! I was hoping maybe we'd do something a little more perilous or exciting. But hiking?"

He stomps along, rolling his eyes in boredom. "The only adventure we're going to find out 'ere is if we miraculously find some group of bandits attacking a cargo cart or some other rubbish." He sighs, jogging a bit to catch up to his page.

"Besides that, I could be nursing my headache with more liquor right now." He stops, leaning against a tree, and reaches into his cloak to produce a cigarette, which he places between his lips. Offering it a slight inhale and a blink laced with flame, the cigarette lights and he takes that first sweet initial drag, exhaling a large cloud of smoke.

"Give me a second 'ere, mate. I need to get me bearings."

Maven Jonas

Date: 2007-01-28 19:46 EST
He stops, looking back to see Dameon propped up against a tree smoking. "C'mon!" He runs back, stopping at Dameon's side with a dissatisfied narrowing of his eyes. "If anything, the fresh air will be good for your condition."

He looks about, seeing several small insects and critters scurrying about, and glances upward to see a large dragon flying across the sky overhead. "I mean... we could spar!" He looks up at Dameon with bright eyes and a mischevious grin. "D'ya wanna spar?" He jumps back from Dameon, pulling his arms out of his cloak which he promptly throws behind his back, steading his hands before him.

"It'd be fun! We haven't fought any since we came back to this realm! We need to make sure we're not rusty!"

Dameon Phoenix

Date: 2007-01-28 19:56 EST
He looks up at Jonas slowly, taking another drag from his cigarette, and exhaling smoke as he speaks. "Psy... I'm neither in the mood nor condition to spar, come on now. Put your bloody 'ands down." He looks about, sighing. "Tomorrow we can spar, when I'm in proper form. But right now, nah."

He leans his head back to rest it against the tree, idly waving his cigarette around. "So, where to next? You seem to be leading this expedition." He laughs a bit, musing. "Normally I'm in the lead. What's gotten inta you today?"

Maven Jonas

Date: 2007-01-28 20:04 EST
He frowns, quirking his eyebrows and sighing a disappointed sigh as he pulls his cloak back over him, folding his arms beneath it. "Fine, fine..."

He looks about, shaking his head. "I don't know. I'm just in a mood I guess. I want to do something other than sit around the bar. Y'know, like we used to?"

He walks a little bit away from Dameon, and stops dead in his tracks. "Wait... did you hear that?" He darts his eyes around quickly. "I heard a thump..." He turns himself about in a 360 degree turn, peering into the distance.

"I distinctly heard something!" He runs a little bit more ahead, keeping his head lowered and looking about, seeing the light in the woods indicating that the sun is beginning it's descent into night. "Tell me you heard it!"

Dameon Phoenix

Date: 2007-01-28 20:08 EST
He sighs, shaking his head and pushing himself off of the tree, taking the last drag of his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and stomping it out. "I heard nothing, Psy."

He steps away from his tree a bit, placing his hands on his hips. And then... thump... he not only heard it, but felt the ground tremble as well. He arched his brow, quickly snapping to attention. "Wait... maybe..." He stands still a moment, looking about in slight disbelief.

"No... it was nothing. I imagined it. You've got me paranoid, now stop it." He shakes his head, reaching into his cloak for another cigarette, which he pulls out and begins to lift to his lips.

Thump.

The shock of feeling another tremble in the ground causes him to drop his cigarette. He steps to Jonas, placing his right hand on the hilt of the sword at his left him, placing his left hand on it's sheath. "No, nevermind... I definetely felt something that time, mate."

Maven Jonas

Date: 2007-01-28 20:12 EST
He throws his cloak behind him, turning to face Dameon with a triumphant grin. "See?! I told you! I felt it too!" He looks about curiously, into the shadows of the forest that are growing ever darker with each passing minute.

"Who's there?!" He calls out, uncharactaristically loud for him. "Is anyone there?!" He peers about, waiting for a response that doesn't come. Matter of fact, he doesn't even feel another person's presence near them, which visably perplexes him.

"Well..." He looks at Dameon, shrugging. "I wonder what it could have bee--ACK!" He jumps back away from Dameon, seeing a pair of glowing green eyes in the shadows behind him. "B-b-behind you! Look out!!"

Dameon Phoenix

Date: 2007-01-28 20:23 EST
Seeing the horror present in Jonas, and heeding his call, Dameon turns around quickly, pulling his sword from his sheath and holding it in front of him, leaping back nearly next to Jonas, holding his sword in front of him defensively.

Then, it emerges, out of the shadows, led by it's glowing green eyes, the creature steps into the miniscule light surrounding them. Lizard-like in appearance, but not quite a dragon. Standing on all-fours, the creature has thick black scales all over it's body, and a short snouth. It's mouth is lined with razor-sharp teeth, and it's tail is rather short and thick, thrashing into the ground as it walks toward them.

"Wha-what in the bloody 'ell is that thing?!" He glances back to Jonas, then looks back in front of him just in time to see the creature charging toward him, the ground trembling and thumping with each step it takes.

Faster than it looks, it leaps forward at Dameon, it's front right limb reared back, and now making a wide slashing motion toward him. It's foot, or paw, or whatever it is adorned with four pointed claws.

Dameon jumps to the side, rolling away from the slash, but is smashed into by the beast's wildly flailing tail, and send careening into a tree, slamming into it with his back and falling to the ground, still gripping his sword. "Bleeding Christ!" He slowly attempts to lift himself up, but falls flat on his face, slightly stunned. "Psy...! Run!!"

Maven Jonas

Date: 2007-01-28 20:32 EST
Jonas looks on in terror as the beast seems to make short work of Dameon, his eyes widening as he sees his mentor flung weightlessly into a tree trunk. He turns his attention back to the beast, who's eyes are now fixed and narrowed on the little mage.

"No! I'm not leaving you here!" He jumps back throwing his hands out in front of him, a fireball forming from each and lauching straight toward the face of the beast. He lands gracefully as they make contact, causing the creature to reel back a second before snapping it's attention back to Jonas.

"Uh-oh..." He steps back a bit, realizing he's only made the beast angry with this move, and braces himself as the creature leaps in an apparent tackling maneuver.

"Light! Protect me!" He screams as he throws his hands before him again, a quick flash of a golden barrier appearing in front of him that the creature slams into, causing Jonas to fling back haphazardly to the ground on his back with a thud, as the beast stumbles a bit, regaining it's balence.

"I can't take this thing alone! My magic can only slow it down!" He yells to Dameon, who is laying dazed next to the tree, as he stands up, straightening his cloak. "The two of us can beat it together now that we know how strong it is!"

As Jonas yells to Dameon, the beast is charging again, leaping at the mage, it's front right shoulder being thrown in front of it, barreling into Jonas and sending him flying back again, landing just short of a tree trunk, his hat flinging off into the distance.

"Damn!!!" He shakes his head, sitting up, every inch of him hurting from the shock of this last attack, as the creature inches toward him menacingly.

Dameon Phoenix

Date: 2007-01-28 20:43 EST
Dameon lifts himself up upon seeing Jonas foolishly try to fight the monster by himself. He shudders a bit, shaking the cobwebs loose, and narrows his eyes angrily at the beast, who is now inching towards his page, a sight he doesn't like one bit.

"You leave 'im alone, ya big ugly bastard!" He calls as he begins charging the creature, his sword held in both hands over his right shoulder. Hearing Dameon approaching, the creature turns quickly to face him, but is too late.

Dameon leaps forward, bringing his sword slashing downward, slicing the beast's eye, and flipping up into the air to land on it's back.

The beast wails, shaking it's head violently, and the rest of it's body as well, bringing Dameon crashing down to the ground before it. "Bloody 'ell!" He yells, landing on his back hard.

Dameon looks up to see the beast rearing it's front right limb back. He rolls back and up onto his feet just in time for the beast to slash at his chest, nearly ripping right through his armor, sending Dameon spinning to the side, once again landing on his back.

He looks as his chest to see the large slashes in his once sturdy armor, and blinks in horror. He looks back up at the beast, who is now charging him, and stands quickly, leaping into the air, landing behind the creature as it charges under him, slamming into a tree, uprooting it and bringing it down in the other direction.

Dameon lands on the ground, falling to one knee. "Yaaggh!" He shakes his head, turning around as he stands, the beast now facing him once more. The beasts right eye is now closed, slashed, and dripping with blood. Dameon looks back to Jonas, shouting. "I need you! Get up!!" He turns back to the beast and begins charging it once more, and the beast responds in kind.

He rears his sword back, getting ready to make another slash, but the beast spins around upon getting within range, and slams Dameon in the ribs with it's tail, causing him to fall limply to the ground, catching himself with his hands, his sword flinging off to the side.

Maven Jonas

Date: 2007-01-28 21:07 EST
Jonas staggers to his feet as Dameon battles the creature, arching his back and shaking his head. He fixes his eyes on the beast, and begins running toward it, as Dameon falls to the ground. He gets about 20 feet away from it, and throws his hands in front of him again, this time a torrent of frost and icicles flying from them and straight at the beast's head.

The beast turns it's attention away from the prone Dameon as it is pelted with icicles, and glares angrily at Jonas, clawing the ground and growling deeply. "Pay attention to me now!" Jonas taunts, waving his hands in the air and hopping up and down. He then stops as the creature makes several slow steps toward him, the beast apparently realizing that Jonas can attack it from afar.

Jonas rears his hands back behind him, and then thrusts them forward, and upon this a large gale of wind begins blowing in from behind him, pushing the beast back a few yards as it grips the soil with it's claws.

Once the wind subsides, the beast shakes itself furiously, narrowing it's eyes, and begins charging Jonas. Jonas once again shouts "Light! Protect me!" And holds his hands in front of him, the beast slamming into an irridescant golden barrier, causing both to fling back in the opposite direction, Jonas travelling considerably farther.

He looks to Dameon as he lands on the ground to one knee. "I'm buying you some time, now get up and finish this thing!"

Dameon Phoenix

Date: 2007-01-28 21:16 EST
Dameon stumbles to his feet, shaking his head to regain his bearings, and looks about, realizing he no longer has his sword. He reaches his right hand to his right hip, pulling out his dagger. "This will have to do, I guess." He begins running toward the distracted creature, leaping into the air, holding his dagger above his head.

As he comes down, he lands once again on the beast's back, and thrusts his dagger downward into it's back, blood splashing out and gushing out of the wound. The beast screams in pain, and begins trying to shake Dameon off, who is holding onto his dagger's hilt for dear life to try and keep himself on it's back.

He eventually feels the dagger's grip in the creature's hide loosening, so he pulls it out, flinging a small amount of blood out along with it, and leaps from the creature's back and lands beside it, thrusting his dagger into the creature's side immediately upon landing.

With this the creature turns to face him furiously, causing Dameon to lose his grip on his dagger, and rears it's right front limb back as it turns, sending it slashing into Dameon's torso once more, this time ripping right through the armor into Dameon's chest and stomach.

A large spray of blood emerges from Dameon's mid-section as he gets sent sailing to the side, along with the mangled pieces of his breastplate, landing on his stomach, a pool of blood forming underneath him. "God.... damn it...!" He attempts to lift himself up, but loses his strength and falls back down into the soil, blacking out, leaving Jonas alone with the beast, as Dameon is now KO'd.

Maven Jonas

Date: 2007-01-28 21:40 EST
"DAMEON!!!" Jonas screams as he sees his mentor get torn into by the beast. He narrows his eyes as the beast now charges toward him, his eyes flickering a quick golden glow, as he throws his hands in front of him, sending a bolt of dark energy into the face of the creature as it nears him.

The creature reels back, shaking it's head stunned. Jonas' expression shifts to one of pure rage and hate, as his eyes glow a bright gold. He pulls his cloak off, throwing it to the side, extending his white feathered wings. His skin begins to grow pale, turning gray in color, his blood vessels clearly visable through his skin, and black. His hair also shifts to black, gradually from the roots out, as the beast regains it's balence.

Jonas begins running at the beast, his hands forming sharp claws, which he leaps forward and slashes the beast's already injured eye with. The beast roars, headbutting Jonas, sending him flying back.

Jonas flips through the air, and thrusts his wings sharply, the feather's all at once bursting off of them, leaving him with a pair of black demon wings, which he uses to glide down to his feet. He once again glares at the beast, narrowing his eyes, and throwing his hands before him once more, sending a larger bolt of dark energy into it.

As the energy makes contact, the beast staggers back, shaking it's head and growling. It looks menacingly at Jonas as it charges for him.

Jonas leaps into the air, gliding over the beast, landing next to Dameon's sword. The beast circles around, making a beeline toward Jonas.

"Prepare to meet your maker, you horrid filth." Jonas speaks in a low and twisted tone, his eyes surging with golden energy as the beast leaps for him.

Quickly, he grabs the sword, rolling underneath the airborne creature, thrusting the sword up into it's abdomen with such force that it slides in clear to the hilt, a spray of blood pouring onto Jonas as the beast goes over him and lands with a thud to the ground on it's side.

The beast heaves a few forced breaths as Jonas stands, walking purposefully to the creature, and ripping Dameon's sword out of it's stomach. With that, he rears up and slashes the spent beast across the throat, a large splatter of blood emerging out of it as it gasps it's last breaths and goes limp, vanquished.

Jonas looks to Dameon, blinking a few times. Slowly, his eyes fade back to their natural brown color, as does his hair. His skin also regains it's youthful tone, his blood vessels losing visability through it. He staggers to his cloak, visably drained, and folds his wings back close to his back, which are beginning to form new feathers already. He drapes his cloak over himself and stumbles to Dameon, falling to a knee at his side.

"Dameon...?" He grips Dameon's sword still, and places a hand on Dameon's back, shaking him. "Dameon! Wake up!" But it's no use, Dameon is completely blacked out, the pool of blood underneath him growing larger. He closes his eyes, a black shadow portal appearing beneath them. They sink into it slowly, and as they disappear into it, the portal fades.

The only thing left behind is the blood, the beast, and Dameon's dagger jammed into it's side. The area of the forest severely battle-ravaged, as the moon begins to pour it's glow over RhyDin.

((The End))