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Post by Bharune on May 8, 2011 16:25:55 GMT -5
Though Suoh had never been here before tonight, he already hated this place for its lack of rational law. This manor was supposed to have been abandoned for ten years, and…what about the fire he remembered? Other than the damage inflicted by Wicket and Kaile’s little confrontation, the manor and its possessions seemed…intact and well kept. And this place…
The greenery was thriving. The insects harmonized in a healthy melody and the vibrant mushrooms maintained happy little colonies at the bases of the larger trees. This place…existed and grew on its own, abandoned by its mysterious master…
Or perhaps that wasn’t the case. And still, he couldn’t help but wonder…what was the purpose of this haven?
Why expend the labor and resources?
And the time it must’ve taken…
But at the thought of time, Suoh quickly remembered he didn’t have much of that. He increased the speed of his steps, forcing his own path through the low-hanging branches and thick brush. His senses were highly alert, aware of everything he could possibly perceive while trying to maintain swiftness. Yet he had no idea where he was going…
Suoh cast his sapphire eyes towards the glass ceiling, though he could only spot traces of it between the foliage. He could make out glimpses of the far-off points and lines that formed the etched constellations, but without a wider view he couldn’t get a decent visual, making them useless for navigation in this hellish Wonderland. He could only hope he was moving towards the center.
Or that Kaile was having better luck.
Suoh’s ears caught the sound of rushing water, like…pipes, or…flows of rainwater from a gutter…almost like a—
The blonde SeeD cadet broke through the grasping vegetation, partially stumbling over the sudden lack of resistance. He paused, righting himself, and was faced with…
A stone fountain….
It was wide, ornate circle, multi-tiered and fitted with stone statues that dark liquid flowed eagerly from. Suoh stepped towards it, noting that viscosity of the fluid was higher than water and intending to attempt to quickly deduce its properties and possible significance towards their mission. But as soon as his booted foot pressed to the stone path that circled the fountain, the particular slab he connected with depressed noticeably with a snap, causing the blonde to pull back sharply.
That…didn’t sound promising…
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Post by Griever on May 12, 2011 19:24:04 GMT -5
It seemed impossible for the plant growth to be so thick here. They were still in a building, right? But it looked more like a wild jungle, like...like those places in the north of Esthar he'd heard about, with their wild malboros and absolute lack of civilization for miles and miles in every direction. There were no discernible paths here, and every once in a while he thought he heard or saw or sometimes even felt something underfoot rushing away, fleeing from his presence. Pleasant. And where the hell was this device they were looking for? This seemed the absolute least likely place in the manor for it, which of course must have meant they were on the right track. But where? Not likely to be sitting in a tree somewhere or...tossed onto a fern, or something. Not after all this.
And they only had a few minutes left! A string of violent and rather obscure curses flew through his mind as he began to move more quickly, not caring which direction his legs took him as long as they got there fast. He was absolutely not going to fail this mission, not after coming this far, not this close to SeeD! Turning, he made his way deeper into the trees - or what he thought was deeper, because he really could barely see a thing - and his flashlight went first one way then another, scanning everything without really providing any help at all.
Did the examiners have the slightest idea how big this place was? What the hell were they thinking, making the time limit so short? And Suoh clearly wasn't having any better luck, or he would've heard the whistle by now. Oh, just great, they were going to get disqualified entirely by--
What was...rumbling? Kaile froze, looking up toward the sky, which he found he could barely see beyond the canopy above. No, that was definitely not thunder. Tightening his hand on his knife, he made a quick turn and began sprinting through the trees, shoving aside low-hanging branches and too-tall plants. That was a good sound. Ominous rumbling always had to mean something was happening, right?
The trees parted too suddenly, and before he was quite prepared for it he found himself in a clearing, Suoh a few feet away and the rumbling subsiding. He looked questioningly at his partner, but before he could ask what had happened, suddenly there was a great gust of wind and a crashing sound as the upper branches of the trees surrounding them broke away and an immense dark shape descended with a crash to land next to the fountain. Dropping his flashlight in favor of his second knife - a weapon that seemed rather weak at the moment - he turned an incredulous glance on Suoh, laughing in disbelief.
"What...the hell...did you do?"
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Post by Bharune on Jul 3, 2011 11:56:32 GMT -5
The examiners probably had no idea how big this place was – there was obviously something funny going on, as it didn’t look nearly so massive from the outside. Maybe it was just the matter of deceptive architecture, but…whatever the case, Suoh had never expected to find this inside the manor. And he had lived here once…
Suoh took several steps away from the stone circling the fountain, assuming – hoping – that the grass was a safer place to reside. He shifted to a wider stance as the rumbling vibrated the very ground beneath him, and quickly drew his pistol. What the h—
Movement!
Suoh cocked his pistol, jerking it towards whatever was lunging at him through the trees. Had he unwittingly unleashed some monster, a protector of this place the way Wicket had guarded the ground level? Unfortunately, that seemed the most probably conclusion, and they didn’t have the handy advantage of Suoh’s prior experiences to help with this one.
“Are you trying to get shot?!” Suoh demanded when what burst through the trees wasn’t a bloodthirsty fiend, but his partner.
The blonde had no time to speak further, though, as a powerful gust of wind scattered leaves and branches, forcing him to secure his footing and lift his injured hand to protect his face from the flurry. He felt that massive form land, causing the very earth to tremble, and the beast released a ferocious roar that made his skin crawl.
Suoh lowered his arm, swallowing thickly. For a moment he was reminded of his first time encountering a T-Rexuar in the training grounds and how terrified he’d been then but, surprisingly, he wasn’t really afraid now. Maybe his mind had finally been overloaded by being in this place…
Still, he was tense but calm.
“I didn’t—Why are you laughing?!” Suoh snapped, his eyes going from the black dragon to stare at Kaile, then back to the dragon.
…
“Hey Kaile…” he whispered, sapphire hues on the draconic form balancing on the stone fountain. Just barely, Suoh noticed a small, blinking yellow light in the darkness, glinting from something metallic around the creature’s neck. “I think our new friend might have some idea about what we’re looking for…”
The dragon seemed a bit dazed, though, tossing its head back and forth as if to clear away some haze, its wings fluttering testily even as its claws dug into the stone.
“We’ll never make it out in time,” the technician continued in a low tone, as if the dragon might catch on to their intentions. “But…”
If they could get it…defeat a dragon…not to mention Wicket…
Perhaps being a few minutes late wouldn’t disqualify them entirely.
Suoh took a couple slow steps backwards, murmuring as soft haste on Kaile.
The dragon screeched again, but seemed to have some difficulty focusing on the two intruders. The front of its body dropped on the uneven statues, its luminous eyes narrowing as black fire materialized in its mouth, wafting about its dark maw. The growl reverberated in its throat, deep and threatening, and with a quick moment it suddenly spat a thick ball of ebony flame.
Instead of targeting the two SeeD candidates, however, the attack struck the trees in a rush of negative energy that burned and chilled even more effectively than real fire. Suoh’s first thought was that the dragon couldn’t see them for whatever reason, but the truth clicked once the vegetation ignited with the black fire, the greenery becoming quickly devoured.
Just like Wicket…
The dragon flapped its wings to once again gain any unsteady flight, breathing sweeping, abysmal flames along the canopy.
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Post by Griever on Nov 2, 2011 22:10:06 GMT -5
However appearances and perceptions may have contradicted it, Kaile was not slow of mind. With every step, he watched the dragon's movements, thinking, thinking as quickly as he could for some way to strike. Her vast bulk provided more than an ample target, but she had the advantage of flight, keeping her firmly out of reach.
But if Suoh was right, and that flashing thing was what they were after...amber eyes flicked away from the creature, to the surrounding area. Wasn't there anything he could use to bring himself to its level? He shifted in place, his restlessness amplified by the haste spell that pressed his limbs with the need to move, twisting his knives in impatience and frustration. Standing around was absolutely not one of his strengths, especially not in battle. Every instinct screamed to go.
And now the dragon was lighting the whole damned place on fire. Just what they needed. His lungs still burned with the smoke from the confrontation with Wicket; the sight of the hazy, black pillars rising from the trees alone was enough to make him wince with apprehension.
"You'd better be right," he replied flatly, his eyes fixed firmly on the twisting, dark form above them. "I am not doing this for nothing."
The idea came so quickly that he wouldn't have had time to think about it if he'd wanted to. Flashing his partner a sudden grin, Kaile took off at a run, heading for the edge of the clearing and one of the few trees that hadn't yet caught flame. Tucking one knife into its case to allow himself a little more ease of movement, he grabbed for a low-hanging branch and began to pull himself up, one level at a time, with an almost casual agility. Near to the top, he had to duck quickly to avoid a jet of the dark flames; thrown off-balance, he nearly fell, but managed to catch himself just in time.
Oh, he was really starting to dislike dragons. Not that he had a lot of experience in that area to compare it to, but...well, it was the principle of it. Dragons were not conducive to his health.
"Allll right," he murmured, pulling himself back up to carefully balance on the narrow limb beneath his feet, "just come back this way..."
The dragon was flying low, low enough that, if he timed it just right, he might be able to put a good tear into its wing when it got close enough, with any luck bringing it to the ground.
Or he could miss and find out just how far it was to the stones below. Either way.
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