RP:Ryker The Bronze Dragon
Ryker's Awakening
From beneath an island city, deep under the ground in a cave below the city of Rynvale there was a brief shaking. Something under the city was trembling. The rumbling persisted for only a few moments. Long enough to cause a confusion amonst the people of the west coast. Perhaps enough to cause for alarm. However when they would look out to the waters surrounding their island they would find nothing amiss.
Within his vast cave that lie within the island of Rynvale, he found his body covered by small shrubber, roots clinging to his scales and against his horns. Large green eyes with long black slits tore open. It was easy, tearing away his restraints as the barely twenty thousand pound dragon shook himself free of it all. Everything felt stiff, muscles cramping painfully due to lack of use. Why did he wake up? Perhaps it was because his body fat ran out, the creature looking rather meager and unhealthy. However this would make him faster and more agile underwater. He had lost a lot of weight over time, realizing this as he stretched out his forelimbs. Perhaps it was time for a swim, and maybe a quick flight to check on his home.
Several pools of water lay in his lair, each leading to a different part of the sea around the island. Most of them were just routes that he took when he alternated feeding grounds so that his sources wouldn't drain. He used to take some of the life from each area. Usage had kept these tunnels clean, however they were now clogged with seaweed and various corals. Something would have to be done about this. Stretching out once more, this specific cavern was not large enough for his massive wings to spread, it was only big enough for him to lie asleep as he was. Stalagmites rose up like fangs, the walls of the cavern were moist, however against his liking. All the rocks seemed crowding when it used to be emptier than an abandoned shell. A few swipes of his claws and tail would fix that however.
Smashing his tail against the cave's floor loosened some of the rubble, which allowed him to sweep it off to one side. Next he would clear out these mini-spires. Thunderous crashing resounded in the vast space as tail crashed against the stalagmites, breaking and sending them tumbling across the floor. In moments they were cleared, just rock stumps sticking out of the ground. Onto dealing with his tunnels. It would take time to clear them all out, with their many twists and turns. It would be difficult for him to do it with a relatively quick speed. Then a naturally ingenuitive idea struck his highly advanced mind. Grabbing one of the larger stalagmites, he stuck it in his main tunnel entrance where his main travelling route was. A quick shove and it dove into the mess that was clogging his waters. Roots tore and coral broke under the weight of the rocky mass, even more so when the dragon soon followed. He pushed his way, claws gripped on the rock and pressing it forward. Wings and other limbs were tight against his body, which increased his speed when his tail began gyrating. Faster and faster he tore through the debris that blocked his pathway out of his lair, knowing that this was the only straight route out.
He began to growl with joy at the thought of freedom, his muscles slowly relaxing and becoming more limber. The cacophony that was being made bounced along the walls of this specific tunnel, more vibrations made when his body slammed against the walls of the route he was clearing a few times. It all fit though. He could only expect to be clumsy for a while. At the same time, all the creatures that were inhabiting his pathway were ground between the approaching obstacle and the tunnel's wall, blood and guts left to float and get taken in by the dragon's nostrils. That scent was intoxicating, and he was so hungry!
It was only a little longer before he was free, the stalagmite let go and pressing through the exit hole of his cavern. Fish and other small aquatic creatures scrambled, utterly confused and terrifed at the sudden appearance of the humongous creature.
He spread his wings, eighty feed of golden brilliance glittering under the water. Green adorned the edges of his wings while his body was striped with it, follwing the line of his smooth almost serpentine scales. He took in the surroundings, similar and mostly unchanged. His mind was clouded with the thought of food and with his prey running away he was only further encouraged his instinct of the chase.
Having minor spells relating to water, he quickly whipped up a set of gills, going to feed like a whale this time. He curled his limbs towards himself and set upon a small school of tuna. Another quick spell and the current of water change so that the tuna would be fighting the flow of water, going towards and into the dragon's mouth which doubled in size all of a sudden as his jaw unhinged. He was sucking them in, the water flowing into and out through his gills while the panicking tuna were pulled into his gullet where they were trapped. However while a few had gotten away, the school itself was hardly an appetizer. He needed more to satiate his ravenous desire to fill his belly.
His eyes flitted around, blood rushing around in his head, looking for more food. For now however he had taken his time in taking over the tuna that he had scared away most of his prey. Perhaps he would take a breath of fresh air. After all, he needed to stretch his wings and hone back in place his previously glorious skills.
However he remembered the previous states of the lands above and wasn't about to risk his own life. Not in his vulnerable condition. He would wait until nightfall before he rose to stretch out his body. Until then he would hunt until he had regained some of the weight he had lost. As a matter of fact there was a nice large turtle that he saw up ahead, completely unaware that he was even there.
It was a swift attack, testing his breath to see if he could still work the magic of it all. Static built up along his body, waves of energy cycling through him into his mouth. Horns began to glow as a blast of lightning formed in his throat. The white sphere illuminate the waters with greater intensity, startling the target and causing it to turn and begin to flee. It would not escape so easily however as that was when he released the gathered energy in a fierce burst of thunderous power. A brief streak of lightning would all that would be observed in the depths of the water as it struck the massive turtle on its side before it could really get moving. Most of the blow however was deflected by the shell, however it sat still due to the stunning effects.
He took off, maw gaping and grasping the neck of the dragon turtle and shaking the beast furiously as if it was a chew toy and he was the dog looking for amusement. Fangs tore into the muscle and flesh with ease and continued to rip it until the body separated and was flung elsewhere for the moment. A cloud of blood rose to the surface, expanding and diluting further until it was merely nothing at all. However this would be bait for more food as far off a group of sharks smelled the blood and began their trek through the waters to where the massacre would take place
Ryker took the neck and began shaking it rapidly, forcing all the blood out before the meat tore apart and chunks began floating around in the crimson cloud. That would be the first distraction for the sharks that would come. Now onto the carcass of the turtle. It was quickly retrieved, but remained away from the swell of blood. Holding the shell with his forelimbs, he lowered his head and started ripping chunks of bloody flesh from the shell. It didn't taste as good as shark but it would sustain him until he got his next meal. The ensuing blood only sent him further into his craze, making him attack the dragon turtle's body.
Once he got past the throat of the beast (the sharks on their way) blood spouted forth. LIke a fountain it contaminated the water around him, other carnivorous creatures coming to see what was going on. However on sight of the massive beast that they would be going up against they swiftly fled. Claws began ripping at the sides of the shell, tearing open a nice gap for grip. This next part relied solely on the dragon's strength. He forced his claws in, one gripping one side and his other claw grasping the opposing surface. A mighty roar followed the force he applied into ripping the shell apart.
Sharp cracks were muffled by the water, however the sound expanding outwards further than it ever would in air. Then one more large snap and the shell was apart, revealing the soft flesh beneath. The top of the the bony structure began to float all the way to the top, later carried to the shore of Rynvale by the current and the waves. Such a massive being to have grown an exoskeleton like this must have been truly a terrible beast to fight. People would wonder where it came from, some might be able to identify what it was, but would they figure out what killed it?
None of this mattered to the dragon as he took a sharp claw and then went right from the front end of the turtle carcass to the backside, cutting it apart and then ripping out the entrails. After this was done he moved to get out of sight, knowing that all the blood would overwhelm the sensitive shark senses and send them into a frenzy against the meaty chunks and possibly against themselves should they begin to fight.
Right on time the sharks came onto the gruesome scene with an immediate pleasure. Just as the dragon suspected their caution was ripped away from them due to the immense amount of blood. Could they smell him? Perhaps but it wouldn't matter in moments as they began to devour the chunks of flesh, ripping them apart even further, fighting over the food with eachother. It was fierce and brutal, but didn't matter to Ryker as he saw the monsters as merely another food source.
He attacked them with expert timing, rushing forward and catching them off guard completely. They panicked, rushing forward to attack, but easily taken out. One was grabbed by the midsection and banged against a rock until it was tore in half. A second one got a bite on his wing but wasn't able to get very far before his own long neck and ripped away the beast, a chunk of his own flesh painfully removed. At the taste of his own sweet blood a couple of sharks advanced with great haste, but were met by the ferocity of a dragon's might. His forelimbs were able to make purchase on one of the sharks, and then wrenched it until its death shortly after. The other was batted away by his tail. At the sight of his fighting prowess the others fled the scene, taking as much as they could. It was a feast either way for him, quickly snapping up the dead sharks he had killed and carrying them closer to the surface. Ryker realized he didn't want his own routes contaminated with blood.
About a hundred meters from the surface he devoured the sharks, letting half-eaten corpses float to the top of the waters to rest where the shell could be found as well. More blood everywhere, an unusually large amount would cause a surge of predatory creatures to come to this area and reside here for a while, perhaps a danger to fishermen, perhaps not. Either way Ryker was done for the night, and made his way to his cave where he would rest for the night.
The Next Day
On the next day, he found himself still hungry, but not quite willing to gorge himself. Ryker was just pondering the clearing of his other tunnels that led to his favored feeding grounds. Then again, should he be attacked and overpowered, his escape routes would be more important. So much to be done, and he had so much time to do it in it was almost discouraging. He would have to get started at some point though. There was also his treasure to take care of! And his hall were most likely in dire need of repair. He would most likely need to check on those things at some point during the day.
Feeling a little less stiff he still gave himself a good shake, just to limber up. Idly he meandered over to the back of his niche and found, just like the rest of them, his escape tunnel clogged with rubble and plant growth. It would be a long day, this was known already. Reaching a claw down he snagged a clump of seaweed and tore it from the walls that they had rooted in, slinging it off to the side. That would be saved for a snack. Until then he had other things on his mind. Rocks of a good size made a plug of a sort, but would quickly be dealt with when he smashed his tail against them. If anything this made them more snug in the hole, which only served to irritate the dragon overall.
He tried again, smashing his tail against the plug. It just served to muck up his water as rock dust clouded his view. Ryker only figures that blasting his way through would be a required action. Conjuring lightning was entertaining, but not always the greatest, he may accidentally cave in his own escape route. Although that would probably only make the tunnel bigger which actually wasn't a big deal, but it also shook the foundation of his cave in general, which was a bigger problem. He would use a small amount of his powerful weapon.
Deep in his gullet the electricity flowed, gathering higher up in his throat in a greater static charge. Not in the same form as he used it in on the dragon turtle from the day before, this would be a single bolt to blow away the rocks that blocked his passageway. Rearing his head back, he swung it forward, timing the release of his attack perfectly as a bolt of lightning blasted into the mini-boulders. The result was immediate, the water bursting back and small bits of rubble flying over his cave. The rocks however were dislodged and crashed their way down and out of his simple escape route. This one in particular went down for a ways, but then gently curved to lead to the ocean floor. As they descended however they destroyed countless seaweed clumps that luckily could still be harvested for their sustenance as a food source.
When the thud of the boulders was heard, he began his trek down through the tunnel. Slowly crawling about, it was big enough that he could reach out in front of him with ease and not be squeezed to tight. That was a benefit of being in such an agile form as he was currently. When he fell asleep he could hardly fit through here, but now it was no problem at all. Claws gripped root and tore away dead seaweed, gathering it in his curled tail to bring back into his cave for later.
This over all took him several trips to repair the damage that he had caused, although he was surprised at all the plant life that had grown in his slumber. He would not go hungry for quite a long time. His storage of fat would quickly be replenished and then he could go without for another few years. In his main cave where he would store the plants, he had amassed a pile that would feed a small village of humans. For the moment he would let it dry out while he finishes clearing out his escape passage.
For the second time he dove into the the tunnel, figuring that it would be a great time to check on his garden down below. If it was there still atleast and if it wasn't, he would remake it, for it used to thrive, but when he found it he was shocked. His bountiful garden was both in shambles and heavily overgrown with things he didn't want! What an outrage, the shame that was brought to him just by this very fact. He had much more work to do than he thought and would need to hold this of until he made sure his home was secure. A long sigh flowed past his maw before he swam back through into his main cavern.
Once he was back inside he found himself caught in a bout of depression. All he had worked so hard for was ruined and would need to be built back from nothing. Most likely with this turn of luck he would find that his relations in the upper world would be dissolved and naught more than dust in the wind. All this discouraged further work and so he would just rest for the rest of the day until he could be found in a better mood.