Post by Matthias on Jul 1, 2017 11:17:40 GMT
Matthias had started to wonder if, at this point, he counted as a mercenary or if he was just an honorary tour guide.
It was an easy enough job - just assisting a relief mining caravan of supplies through the Cliffs and to a recently discovered gold vein but so far not a gods damned thing had happened. Not so much as someone skinning their knee. And he was going to lose his fucking mind.
Apparently, he looked menacing.
That’s what Pontius said when he was looking for work, anyway.
Reptiles looked scary, human looking reptiles looked scarier, and a half human reptile covered in tattoos of weapons looked downright terrifying. Apparently other people agreed with that because Matthias had been hired on the spot without needing to give any sort of proof that he actually knew what he was doing.
He had tried to take it seriously the whole trip across the savanna. He had sat on the horse and ridden alongside the leading wagon. But it was hot and it was boring and by the time they got to the cliffs Matthias was just slumped in the back of the last wagon, curled up and watching the trail behind them while Pontius rode the stupid horse along after them. The shifter had teased Matthias for days when he realized that he was still very much afraid of horses, right up until Matthias had picked him up and sat him on the horse and stolen his place on the wagon, leaving Pontius to sulk under the broiling sun.
The steady rocking and heat of the the wagon had lulled Matthias into a sort of trance, his eyes half closed and his head slumped against his arms but Pontius was alert and uncomfortable. Which was probably why he noticed the small shower of dust and rock come off a cliff ledge a little ahead of them.
In a moment, Pontius had shifted into his half form and he blinked his suddenly much more sensitive eyes against the harsh light. The smells of the caravan blinded his nose and his eyes were made for night, but damn if he couldn’t hear. His tall ears swiveled atop his head and his wet nose twitched as he saw a flash of red. Pontius pressed his lips into a thin line before he pressed his horse closer to the wagon.
“Hey,” he hissed, “Ezer wake up.”
The pile of scales shimmied a little but didn’t stir.
“Ezer I’ll make you ride the horse again.”
One wing unfolded and Matthias glowered. “What.”
“There’s something up ahead. Sounds big.”
Matthias yawned and stretched, lashing his tail and rolling his shoulders before he sat up and looked at Pontius properly. Anoki’s head was still slumped in his lap and his small firelizards stayed curled up under the shade of his wings.
“It wouldn’t happen to be a cliff, would it?”
“Okay, dick, it’s not a fucking-”
There was a shrill cry from above them as a woman dropped down from the overhand as the wagon passed under. Her arms were folded across her chest and she held a tremendous black knife in each hand. She was a blur of red and black as she landed one of the oxen and her arms swung out and drove the blades into either side of the beast’s neck, just below his jaw.
Things very rapidly went downhill from there.
She tore her blades out of the animal, spraying the beast beside it with blood and sending it into a panic as the first oxen died.
The woman rolled over her shoulder and quickly raced around the wagon, clearly with the intent to take out the guard on horseback while the driver had her hands full with the thrashing oxen.
Pontius was not a warrior. He had a belt knife but that was it and it wasn’t nearly enough to contend with what the red woman had. The shifter yelled and turned to a ringtail cat, springing off the horse’s back and onto the cliff. The horse screamed and bolted, away from the warrior and away from the reek of blood and taking all of Pontius’ clothes with it. If anything, that just made the warrior even angrier. With a snarl she raised her knives to chase but before she could a whip cracked across her arms and even with her leather bracers the shock was enough to send her blades skittering across the path.
Matthias was perched on the edge of the wagon, clawed feet curled around the edge to hold balance. He curled the whip back so far it snapped against his own bare arm, but rather than crack against his scales it molded into flesh, sinking into his skin and forming a whip tattoo twisted around his bicep. She narrowed her golden eyes and took her pitch black hammer from her back before charging him. Matthias pulled a sword off the tattoo down his back and a shield off his hip and lunged at her.
She swung hard, cracking the shield as he raised it and breaking the arm holding it in a single swing but he had grown strong and he slashed across her chest, only to find under her shirt she wore a heavy armor.
A strange look came across her face as Matthias' arm made a soft crack and pop as it fixed itself but she didn't have time to react proper before Matthias swung his sword and impaled her shoulder, forcing her to drop her war hammer. Her other hand flew to his and she took a deep breath before she spat a great plume of fire right into his face. And that fucking hurt. He would have screamed if fire hadn't destroyed his vocal chords and he writhed but the fire didn't stop – at least, not until a very naked Pontius smacked the woman offside the head with the splintered half of Matthias' shield.
She roared and spun, slamming her foot down so hard on his knee that the first thing Matthias saw as his eyes grew back was his bone tore free from the back of his leg.
With a draconic roar of his own, Matthias tackled her and sank his fangs deep into the stab wound on her shoulder. She screamed as they fell and they wrestled, kicking and biting until she managed to get on top of his and pinned his arms down.
It was only then that Matthias actually got a good look at her and she got a good look at him.
Her eyes were brilliantly gold with slit pupils, her skin was dark and flecked with shimmering red scales that matched her wild tangle of curls. Ink-black horns stuck out from head, huge and sweeping wings spread from her back, a long and slim tail was coiled against his own and, while he couldn't see it, he was certain it was red as well. “You. . .” Matthias breathed, awestruck.
Horror spread across her face and she scrambled to get off him. “Oh, gods! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize one of us was – I mean I never would have tried to steal from another dragon.” Matthias got to his feet more slowly, still in shock as she went on, “I didn't think there were any of us outside of the village! I'm Grrashka of the Arborio Vale.”
Matthias was still in shock and he stared at her. She was a half dragon, half- . . . whatever, Matthias really didn't care about that.
“And you are . . ?”
“EZER SHE BROKE MY FUCKING LEG KICK HER ASS!” Pontious shouted from the ground behind them.
Grrashka looked behind her and saw the shifter before she looked back sheepishly at Matthias. “Ah, sorry about that, stripes. Catch you later!” She swept up her hammer and winked before she took off, her huge wings carrying her into the sky as Matthias remained frozen in his shock.
It was an easy enough job - just assisting a relief mining caravan of supplies through the Cliffs and to a recently discovered gold vein but so far not a gods damned thing had happened. Not so much as someone skinning their knee. And he was going to lose his fucking mind.
Apparently, he looked menacing.
That’s what Pontius said when he was looking for work, anyway.
Reptiles looked scary, human looking reptiles looked scarier, and a half human reptile covered in tattoos of weapons looked downright terrifying. Apparently other people agreed with that because Matthias had been hired on the spot without needing to give any sort of proof that he actually knew what he was doing.
He had tried to take it seriously the whole trip across the savanna. He had sat on the horse and ridden alongside the leading wagon. But it was hot and it was boring and by the time they got to the cliffs Matthias was just slumped in the back of the last wagon, curled up and watching the trail behind them while Pontius rode the stupid horse along after them. The shifter had teased Matthias for days when he realized that he was still very much afraid of horses, right up until Matthias had picked him up and sat him on the horse and stolen his place on the wagon, leaving Pontius to sulk under the broiling sun.
The steady rocking and heat of the the wagon had lulled Matthias into a sort of trance, his eyes half closed and his head slumped against his arms but Pontius was alert and uncomfortable. Which was probably why he noticed the small shower of dust and rock come off a cliff ledge a little ahead of them.
In a moment, Pontius had shifted into his half form and he blinked his suddenly much more sensitive eyes against the harsh light. The smells of the caravan blinded his nose and his eyes were made for night, but damn if he couldn’t hear. His tall ears swiveled atop his head and his wet nose twitched as he saw a flash of red. Pontius pressed his lips into a thin line before he pressed his horse closer to the wagon.
“Hey,” he hissed, “Ezer wake up.”
The pile of scales shimmied a little but didn’t stir.
“Ezer I’ll make you ride the horse again.”
One wing unfolded and Matthias glowered. “What.”
“There’s something up ahead. Sounds big.”
Matthias yawned and stretched, lashing his tail and rolling his shoulders before he sat up and looked at Pontius properly. Anoki’s head was still slumped in his lap and his small firelizards stayed curled up under the shade of his wings.
“It wouldn’t happen to be a cliff, would it?”
“Okay, dick, it’s not a fucking-”
There was a shrill cry from above them as a woman dropped down from the overhand as the wagon passed under. Her arms were folded across her chest and she held a tremendous black knife in each hand. She was a blur of red and black as she landed one of the oxen and her arms swung out and drove the blades into either side of the beast’s neck, just below his jaw.
Things very rapidly went downhill from there.
She tore her blades out of the animal, spraying the beast beside it with blood and sending it into a panic as the first oxen died.
The woman rolled over her shoulder and quickly raced around the wagon, clearly with the intent to take out the guard on horseback while the driver had her hands full with the thrashing oxen.
Pontius was not a warrior. He had a belt knife but that was it and it wasn’t nearly enough to contend with what the red woman had. The shifter yelled and turned to a ringtail cat, springing off the horse’s back and onto the cliff. The horse screamed and bolted, away from the warrior and away from the reek of blood and taking all of Pontius’ clothes with it. If anything, that just made the warrior even angrier. With a snarl she raised her knives to chase but before she could a whip cracked across her arms and even with her leather bracers the shock was enough to send her blades skittering across the path.
Matthias was perched on the edge of the wagon, clawed feet curled around the edge to hold balance. He curled the whip back so far it snapped against his own bare arm, but rather than crack against his scales it molded into flesh, sinking into his skin and forming a whip tattoo twisted around his bicep. She narrowed her golden eyes and took her pitch black hammer from her back before charging him. Matthias pulled a sword off the tattoo down his back and a shield off his hip and lunged at her.
She swung hard, cracking the shield as he raised it and breaking the arm holding it in a single swing but he had grown strong and he slashed across her chest, only to find under her shirt she wore a heavy armor.
A strange look came across her face as Matthias' arm made a soft crack and pop as it fixed itself but she didn't have time to react proper before Matthias swung his sword and impaled her shoulder, forcing her to drop her war hammer. Her other hand flew to his and she took a deep breath before she spat a great plume of fire right into his face. And that fucking hurt. He would have screamed if fire hadn't destroyed his vocal chords and he writhed but the fire didn't stop – at least, not until a very naked Pontius smacked the woman offside the head with the splintered half of Matthias' shield.
She roared and spun, slamming her foot down so hard on his knee that the first thing Matthias saw as his eyes grew back was his bone tore free from the back of his leg.
With a draconic roar of his own, Matthias tackled her and sank his fangs deep into the stab wound on her shoulder. She screamed as they fell and they wrestled, kicking and biting until she managed to get on top of his and pinned his arms down.
It was only then that Matthias actually got a good look at her and she got a good look at him.
Her eyes were brilliantly gold with slit pupils, her skin was dark and flecked with shimmering red scales that matched her wild tangle of curls. Ink-black horns stuck out from head, huge and sweeping wings spread from her back, a long and slim tail was coiled against his own and, while he couldn't see it, he was certain it was red as well. “You. . .” Matthias breathed, awestruck.
Horror spread across her face and she scrambled to get off him. “Oh, gods! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize one of us was – I mean I never would have tried to steal from another dragon.” Matthias got to his feet more slowly, still in shock as she went on, “I didn't think there were any of us outside of the village! I'm Grrashka of the Arborio Vale.”
Matthias was still in shock and he stared at her. She was a half dragon, half- . . . whatever, Matthias really didn't care about that.
“And you are . . ?”
“EZER SHE BROKE MY FUCKING LEG KICK HER ASS!” Pontious shouted from the ground behind them.
Grrashka looked behind her and saw the shifter before she looked back sheepishly at Matthias. “Ah, sorry about that, stripes. Catch you later!” She swept up her hammer and winked before she took off, her huge wings carrying her into the sky as Matthias remained frozen in his shock.