Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4738419" data-attributes="member: 3285">Serpentine Path: Part 3b – So, We Meet Again…Muscle rippling, his dual crests fanning behind Calactyte’s head, the ss’ressen seemed to grow in stature, teeth bared. All the ss’ressen on the battlefield turned to face him, even those in mid-combat. “The frenzy has taken them!” shouted Ilmarė.  “Get out of their way!” She twirled aside as one of the barbed tail ss’ressen barreled past her towards Cal.“What?” shouted Vlad.  “No way!”  He held his ground as another barbed tail ss’ressen approached.  Its claws scrabbled against Vlad’s shield.   “Ha!” He lifted his blade for an easy blow.  “My turn—“There was a blinding flash as the ss’ressen heavy tail struck him sideways.  Stunned, Vlad stumbled.  The ss’ressen jumped past him towards Cal.“Protect Cal!” shouted Beldin.  “They’re after him!”Beldin hacked downwards on an unprepared ss’ressen, severing its tail.  It howled in agony, only to have its legs cut out from under it.Calactyte roared again.  With one massive claw, he grabbed one of the smaller ss’ressen by the head and shook it like a rag doll.  The other, gripping his axe, was logged in a ss’ressen’s ribcage. He ducked low and swept the area with his tail, battering flaming tongue ss’ressen aside.Ilmarė fired arrows into the backs of one of the attacking lizards.  It didn’t react as it continued its heedless assault.Bijoux glided down beside her.  “They fight like creatures possessed.  Why do they hate Cal so?”“It’s not that they hate him,” said Ilmarė.  “They were once bred for war against each other.  When a ss’ressen smells the scent of another tribe, it goes into a blood frenzy.”“Then they will kill him,” said Bijoux.  “There are too many.”Ilmarė shook her head and pointed at Sebastian.The dark-kin’s wings were spread behind him.  “Beldin, Vlad!  Get ready!” He didn’t bother to address Calactyte—in his rage, he wouldn’t listen anyway.“Incendiares…”The ss’ressen stopped attacking Calactyte.  They turned as one to face Sebastian.  Beldin crouched behind his shield.  Vlad held Grungronazharr before him.“Globus!”The ensuing ball of flames consumed Calactyte, Beldin, and Vlad.  The flaming tongue ss’ressen, immune to Sebastian’s attack, were felled before they could recover.  Calactyte was covered in ash, smoke spiraling from his scorched scales.  “Well done,” said Vlad.  “Now we can concentrate on finding Dril.”Bijoux glided over to the Milandisian. Her eyes were brimming with tears.  “Vlad…I can’t find him.”“He must have been thrown from the explosion.”  Vlad looked around helplessly.  “Why aren’t you looking for him?”“Because there’s nothing to find,” Kham said softly. “What?  That’s it?”  Vlad stared at them in disbelief.  “You’re just going to write him off?  Sebastian, you survived that explosion!  You can’t tell me Dril wouldn’t have survived it!”Sebastian averted his gaze.  Only his flicking tail betrayed his agitation. “He’s dead, Vlad,” said Ilmarė forcefully.  “There’s no body to find.  That explosion was too powerful, even for him.  And he wasn’t prepared.”Vlad’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly.  He slumped to the ground. Calactyte lifted his head to the air, nostrils flaring.  “We’re not done.”Vlad looked over his shoulder at the big lizard, a flicker of hope in his eyes.“There’s a ssanu…leading them…I can smell his scent.” One clawed hand reached out towards Vlad. “He’s ordering them to…attack us.” Ilmarė drew her bow and pointed it at Calactyte.  “Get away from him!”Bijoux thrust her own clawed hand out to stay Ilmarė’s hand.  “Please.  Trust him.”Slowly, gently, Calactyte put one hand on Vlad’s shoulder.  “Get up.” He growled. “Or Dril’s sacrifice will be in vain.”Three more ss’ressen, scales tinged a greenish-black, stepped onto the road.  Behind them was a serpentine ssanu, casting a spell.Vlad got up.</blockquote>

Verification