As an active volcano, few creatures venture near Nori for fear of being too close during an eruption. On most days there is a continuous slow flow of molten rock seeping through the mouth of the volcano, so travelers are advised to dress appropriately. (+2 to Endurance)

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Re: Weekend Warriors [Dis &I][Quest]

Postby Ander » 10/29/2016 11:56 AM

This was, admittedly, not the way he had imagined his first contact with the larger of the brothers to go. Uru had been almost certain that his first contact with Baizen would be over tooth and claw - but he wasn't going to complain about this. Spoke well of him in the Primal's mind, in fact, that he could vent his spleen in wiser ways.

"Your nose is your guide here," he replied, smoldering red eyes betraying that burgeoning undercurrent of respect. "The most viable source of water in the area lies on the other side of these catacombs. The volcano generally covers the sound until you're right on top of it, but the smell is another matter entirely." Surrounded by such heat, the scent of water cut through the muggy air like a knife. Perhaps it was so distinct because, after time spent in such a place, the body yearned for that cool, clean relief.

The dark wyrm ducked to the side, flowing past the brothers on his way to the largest of the tunnels. Fixing his claws into holds that appeared to have been there for some time, Uru clambered right up the wall! He seemed well-versed in the climb, coiling through the entrance to the cavern with an inky smoothness. Perched there, he cast his eyes back to the pair. "Good luck. I will see you on the other side - or return to collect your corpses." So saying, he vanished into the mountainside.
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Re: Weekend Warriors [Dis &I][Quest]

Postby Kallile » 10/29/2016 9:31 PM

It wasn't Baizen's first choice either, but he was not such a young fool as to take on even an elder Primal. The drake was on his own turf and far surpassed even the largest brother in size. Baizen had no leverage here, so the only way to truly prove himself a challenge to the onyx Primal was to prove his maze to be no match. Water was easy enough to track--if he could track prey from a drop of blood in a thunderstorm, he could track water through a volcano.

Attar, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. He'd be all too happy to clamber up the wall after Uruloke and follow the clearly experienced male to the other side. He wasn't half the hunter Baizen was, and he detested relying on the brawn of the family when he was supposed to be the brain. But it seemed that was the hand fate had decided to deal him--he was going to have to stick with Baizen or try blindly following a black Paragon through a black cave.

"You are certain you can follow it, brother?' he asked softly once Uruloke's tail had vanished for several minutes. Baizen already had his scaled snout in the air and eyes closed, sniffing delicately at the updrafts that seemed to come from everywhere. But only one held the hint of cool he was looking for, and the darker male walked towards it in silence.

Attar gave a heaved sigh of disdain, but followed after regardless.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Weekend Warriors [Dis &I][Quest]

Postby Ander » 10/30/2016 10:40 AM

Uru prowled through the darkness of his own tunnel, relying on instinct to steer him through the depths. The fore of his mind was absorbed in other thoughts. This was certainly a more eventful waking than those he'd had before, which was...'nice' wasn't the word. Refreshing, maybe. Though it did come with a bit of added risk. He had no doubt that at least one of the duo back there would be able to follow their noses to safety, and the chatty one was no fool: he would very likely stick close to his more authentic brother. Very little chance of splitting them up there, then.

The tunnel, for the most part, was just as Uruloke had left it all those years ago. There were a few new inhabitants, but these were small and easily brushed aside or stepped over. If memory served him, there was one spot in particular unique to this collapsed burrow, one that... A-ha!

The brute lowered his belly, slithering gingerly up to a hole in the cave wall. The opening was slight - Uru was more worried about the state of the stone surrounding it than the opening itself - but it did offer him a unusual view. Through the linear peephole, the Primal could see the tunnel system laid out. Every twist and sprawl of the cave system made visible, a bevy of tubes twining themselves into tight knots with the mountain's stones.

The larger male would settle here for a moment, senses trained on the caves. Curiosity got the better of him; demanding to know which route the brothers had decided to take.  
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Re: Weekend Warriors [Dis &I][Quest]

Postby Kallile » 10/30/2016 1:47 PM

Finally Baizen began to move, heading towards a cavern that looked too small for the larger brother at a glance. It was the most off-putting cavern he could possibly choose, but it was this direction that he could smell the cool, tantalizing hint of water. He should figure such a prize as water near a volcano would be guarded carefully--it wasn't going to be one of the wide gaping cavern mouths that felt comfortable to traverse. No, it was going to be challenging; tasking even. He moved towards it with even steps so as to be able to hear the rhythm of his footsteps bouncing off the walls as he draw closer and eventually into the pitch darkness.

He pulled his crystal wings down tightly over his back knowing he would leave a few of the gems here as tokens. It would be the easiest way to guard--crystal against pumice. His gems were in most cases going to prove more of a match to the cooled lava and obsidian. It was tight as he crawled in past his shoulders, but he could make it if he moved slowly and steadily.

Attar wasn't quite so sure as he watched his brother slip like a rat into the tiny hole in the wall. "Trying to make your corpse harder to collect, brother?" he offered in mild jest before following after. It was tricky going following a clubbed tail of spikes, and a few times the smaller brother would hiss out when he got overzealous and tried to slink along the cave faster. He'd never admit to the feeling of claustrophobia...but it was certainly hitting him hard. "You are certain this path will lead us correctly?"

"Certain." Baizen deadpanned as he continued to pick his way along the small cave.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Weekend Warriors [Dis &I][Quest]

Postby Ander » 10/30/2016 6:45 PM

Ah, good. Pretty much as he expected. The sounds of Baizen's wings scraping against the walls made the brothers' choice of cavern pretty obvious. As far as Uru knew, they would be on track to reach the other side in relative safety. A little squished or singed, perhaps, but no worse for wear.

The male lifted himself from the floor and - very carefully - made his way past the aperture. Now that he knew they were well on their way, he'd have to make certain to meet them there. It would do no good for him to be late. This was his place, after all. Allowing newcomers to beat him there would make him seem weak - not to mention giving them the chance to set up an ambush at the other end. He put on a turn of speed just thinking about it. That absolutely would not do.

Granted, there was a surprise waiting for the male at the end of the tunnel anyway. Uruloke stepped into moonlight, inhaling the exotic, woody scent that marked the beginning of Roraldi's trees. The soil underfoot was wet and very dark, supple from being fed by the opposing biomes. Not far from the crater-pocked mountain wall, the soil naturally spiraled down toward a sizable lake. The lake's waters were dark, clear and placid but for the muted splashes of aquatic species that called the lake home. As well as his surprise: a Paragon Uruloke had never seen waiting on the opposite shore.

She stood just in front of the treeline, shaded in the fringes. It was barely visible, but the wyrm was sure he could make out a Fairy's crest on the diminutive creature. Uru's eyes narrowed as he stalked toward this new intruder. How many would he be forced to tolerate in the course of a day?
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Re: Weekend Warriors [Dis &I][Quest]

Postby Kallile » 11/16/2016 3:19 PM

Attar followed in silence through the remainder of the tunnel, trying his best to listen beyond the rumblings of the earth below them and the scraping of Baizen's wings above them. He was not so burdened by size to find himself squished and singed...though he was gaining plenty of soot that his brother was loosening just for him. He'd wind up emerging completely black at the rate this was going, not to mention terribly parched from inhaling all this nonsense.

The final bend of the tunnel was the smallest yet, probably filled back in by nature over time once the Sandshark had passed. Baizen pulled one foot forward carefully and gave the earth a testing pull with his claws. It was packed firm--there was little chance to dig themselves out without risking a collapse of the tunnel and burying his brother in the process. It looked like he'd have to treat the tunnel as an egg and win his way into the world by force.

The earth heaved and bulged under the pressure the large Primal was putting on it, but the supple ground finally gave way with the sound of snapping roots as Baizen burst forth into the forest scenery covered in black earth and soot. Attar came behind him with a small sputter and a good shake to free himself of the ashes he'd been harboring. "We've seen to your challenge, brother. Now then...where is he going?"

Baizen's eyes were already fixed on the female across the lake before his brother had begun speaking. "Female, there," he said with a slight snicker. At least for the moment Uruloke's attention was held by another and he could more brazenly appraise his opponent's weaknesses without giving his intentions away. Stealing a potential mate away from the larger brute wouldn't feel too bad either, if it came to that. Icing on top of the cake really.

"Come on, we can't lose sight of him," Attar instructed as he began stalking after Uru.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Weekend Warriors [Dis &I][Quest]

Postby Ander » 11/23/2016 1:20 PM

If Uru's plan was to win the mysterious Fairy over, he approached wooing in an unconventional manner indeed. The sound of his growl vibrated through the air, only building the closer he came to her. To her credit, she stood firm against the furious beast, not flinching when his claws touched the lakeshore between them. She held his gaze with her own even when his swelling snarl set the tranquil waters to trembling. And she did not back down when that guttural snarl addressed her in a gout of flame.

"You invade my land, woman! Do you risk your hide for the sake of devotion or mere dalliance?"

The Fairy's crest rose, blaring her defiance back at Uruloke in a splash of strident color. "It would be a cold day in hell before I bend my wing to you, monster! Your reckoning comes today!"

Her voice was bold for such a tiny thing. Uru might have said as much, were he not torn between stifling laughter and insulted outrage. "You mean to insult me, wench. For what imagined slight do you pretend I shall suffer?"

"You know what!" Her voice trembled with rage. Even braced on her haunches, jabbing one accusatory claw at the Paragon across the lake, she was hopelessly small in comparison to the male she faced. The others, for better or worse, had managed to escape her notice thus far. "You know what you did! Members of our clan disappeared in the night! Murdered by your claw!" The Fairy's voice went shrill with disgust. "As if the killing wasn't enough, we venture through the lava only to find their bones! You murdered them, monster - murdered and devoured!"
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