RP:Sparrow, Ghost, and the Chaotic Couatl
Spindly limbs and crackled leaves adorn the stumps of this thin, almost forest. The dry crunch of twigs and fallen offshoots echoes harshly, the only sound that permeates the dead air. Careful footfalls are needed to avoid the twisted roots that sprout forth from the ground, too cracked and sucked of nourishments to hold them back. Westward, the forest thickens, though it does not look that inviting, while eastward the trerrain appears to be very treacherous. Southward, the small spots of forestry continues.
Contributors:
Satoshi is either drunk, suicidal, or insane. Possibly all three. She has to be, considering her current predicament. The mage pants as she dashes from withered tree to withered tree for cover, and her usual composure shattered and appearance disheveled as hair is windswept and tangled with dead leaves, her face streaked with dirt and frosting sweat, jacket covered in tiny tears and more dirt. The cause of this is easy to spot: a seventy-foot serpent in possession of a stunning pair of wings with every color of the rainbow etched through them. Its scales gleam with their own colorful luster both similar and unique to the wings, running a deep emerald from fanged maw all the way down to its feathered fan-like tail. Matching its wings and tail is a headdress of the same beautiful feathers flaring out at the back of its skull, crowning the couatl as no mere overgrown snake. But for all its magnificent beauty, this couatl is far from the proud and lawful beings of its kind, a powerfully psionic mind has been corrupted by a minuscule red shard embedded between two of its dagger-like fangs. Chaos has dug into its flesh and spread its destructive poison through the couatl, twisting its mind and making it no more than a strikingly gorgeous monster. And Satoshi, in her infinite curiosity, has managed to stumble across its home amid the dying forest and invoked its anger by attempting to steal a few of its valuable scales, for which he now pursues her. The path of the chase is an obvious one, a deep, winding furrow in the earth marks the course the serpent has taken, uprooting dead trees with each coil and uncoil of his sinuous body, and snapping up others in his jaws each time the mage ducks behind one. Satoshi's only saving grace thus far is the chaos' hold on the couatl, enough damage done to its mind that it does not think to use its wings or psionic abilities to capture his quarry with ease, only to chase. Chase and kill. And he's getting close to managing the latter with each passing second, as the feline is worn down from stumbling over roots and deadfall, never given enough time to pause and throw spells at her hunter. "Hellfire! I said I was sorry! Leave off, ya bastard!"
Kain paused in his wanderings, hearing a series of crashing, crunching sounds. Turning toward the source of the sounds, he moved closer, then gasped as the couatl cam into view for a moment. "Well, there's somethin' ya don't see every day, eh Bad Attitude?" The wolverine growled, then bound forward, while Chill, the baby frost wyvern, simply burrowed into the first hollow tree it found and hid. Kain chuckled, then began forward again, trying to figure out where Bad Attitude was. "Bugger, 'at's a big arse serpent. Hope 'e isn't thinkin' 'o fighting with that." Hopping over a fallen log, he grabbed a branch to help him turn on the run, and promptly was knocked over by a frantic feline that plowed into his side. The feline barely manages to keep her feet, but Kain, blindsided by the attack pitches forward and lands with a crunching of dead twigs and sticks.
Taeme blunders blindly through the forest crunching dried twigs, leaves and other natural bits of debris beneath pale feet, flesh chilled by the touch of cool earth. Strands of pearl and raven stream in the light winds teasing withering leaves still attached to their deadened branches leeching what little life can be had from the lifeless soil, devoid of nutrition. Sightless hazel eyes flicker this way and that as haphazard steps carry the lithe human thumping into this tree and that leaving tears and bark in long obsidian tresses and simple violet mages robes. The simple attire marks her as a student of Larket and the Elder Mage, Luthentius though this may not be common knowledge. Bruises speckle her pristine visage replacing the norm, freckles. Magic courses freely through her veins seeping into the cracked land softening hardened dirt into moist black soil by the unwitting Druid. A single sable brow arches high with Ghost's raised voice falling in sync with the frustrated screeches emitting from the massive creature hot on her busy tail. "What have you done now?" Roseate lips quirk mirthfully despite the sharp bite to her murmured comment as steps turn towards the chaotic sounds ahead and to the east. Erythos lifts from her shoulder, the loss of his familiar weight throwing her momentarily off balance so that steps falter until she acclimates herself, the rusted hawk's hailing screeches guiding her towards the ensuing chase. She does not yet reach for his sight, a mistake perhaps, as she trips of the slithering tail and crashes to the ground, both hands clinging tightly to the swaying scaled thing that washes her away without thought.
Satoshi's unexpected blunder into the dwarf inadvertently plays to her advantage. The cacophony of dwarven armor, earth, dead twigs, and flesh colliding together proves more than enough to summon the full focus of the couatl, its black and amber eyes locking on the fallen Kain as the still upright feline makes a mad dash behind the next tree, temporarily forgotten. Screeching its thrill at finding an easier target, the couatl rears his head back, headdress vibrating a warning, in preparation to strike. The blow never comes, however, with dual interferences coming into play. First, Taeme's sudden stumble upon his tail brings the couatl to a pause as he turns to inspect the second interloper, a hesitance between which to kill first lingering just long enough for Satoshi to make a reappearance. It's just the amount of time she's needed to put a spell into motion, and with a half-sung string of words the little mage does what she does best. Freeze things solid. And this time, it's the couatl's own saliva that takes a turn for the frosty, once warm fluid chilling rapidly and drawing the gaping jaws shut with an audible snap, cutting off his mode of attack. His cries now muffled behind enchanted ice, the serpent is left to thrash violently from head to clung-on tail. It's while he's smashing his maw against the dried earth and brittle trees that the beast recalls a glimmer of his true intelligence, and with a determined air he begins chipping away at the frozen muzzle, ice cracking and splintering away with each hit. Another spell already on her lips, the panting Satoshi glances toward Kain, taking in the dwarf's outfit. "Oi. You look like the combat type. Lend a hand, oui? Afore we both become snack food~."
Kain pushed himself upward and back onto his feet before the feline finished speaking, as Bad Attitude leapt onto the serpent's head, and immediatly was launched back off. "Stupid furball. Tryin' ta git yerself killed?" he barked, drawing his blade and starting toward the couatl, then pausing as he noticed some foolish human clinging to it's tail. Shaking his head, he turned back toward the feline and replied, "Didn't catch that. Tell me again when this thing's dead, and I can hear somethin' other than crash 'n crunch." Rushing for the serpent, he slashed at the beast, dealing little damage with the attack. "Bugger," he uttered, "this might take a bit 'o time."
Taeme :: Runed spectacles slide dangerously down her pert nose in an attempt to escape use against the now bashing serpent whose actions shiver down its coiled from, the tail clutched shivering violently. Talons wrap easily around a brittle branch as Erythos draws his wings against his body, his perch affording a canny view of the scene below. It is unsettling, the sudden burst of sight and imagery thwarting an ever present darkness. Through the predator's eyes she sees in varying shades of grey Ghost's position, the futile attempt at offense and the massive beastie they now face. Her hold loses and the monster's movements toss her to one side so that she lands tangled in a crunching bramble bush. "Ghost! You've done it again, Yeti's, Whiskers and now this?" She herself is not blameless in attracting danger and attention, but a playful comment or two couldn't hurt, much. Hands flail through the air sending wisps of power through the air colliding with shards of ice crumbling from the frozen maw. Around the gentle breeze swirls gathering icy needles that glitter gently in the moon's silver light before flicking towards the creature's eyes with accuracy of a practiced wizard, something the human is not. The unintentional attack plays out as Taeme manages to pull herself from the bramble's hold, her regained footing unsteady at first.
Kain changes tact as the beast is distracted by the spray of icy needles. Backing up a bit, he rushed forward and leapt up, getting a tenative hold on one of the creature's wings, and thrust hard. The tip caught on the edge of a scale, then pushed into the beast's flesh. Angling the handle up as best he could, he shoved it in a few inches further, before losing his grip on the flapping wing, and dropped to the ground. The long, shallow slash pumped out a stream of blood as the blade, still clutched firmly by the dwarven warrior, coating Kain in a splash of hot red liquid. "Ha, take th... Aragh, me eyes," he griped as his vision was reduced to almost nothing by the blood in his eyes. Stumbling backward, he yanked his helmet off, pulled out the first bottle he felt in his pack and dumped a bottle of ale over his face and eyes. "Oi. That stings."
Satoshi flashes Taeme a mischievous grin, letting the seriousness of the situation slip away in favor of their typical light banter. "Oh, y'know, Sparrow. A little of this, a little of that. Et a lotta angry snake~." Which is a terrible understatement then, as Kain's delivery of a slash and Taeme's spelled reintroduction of ice proves a painful affair to the couatl. Delicate eyes are defenseless against the frigid needles and they find themselves instantly blacked out by the myriad of punctures, as blood pumps freely from the wound in its side. The enchanted element securing his jaws shatters suddenly under the force of the scream that erupts from between jagged fangs, and his head whips about roughly upon a thin neck as if the shaking will return sight lost. Rainbow wings flare out on either side of his body as they begin to flap, buffeting the three on the ground with powerful bursts of wind. As the massive body is lifted into the air, the couatl's tail lashes out blindly, and by sheer luck does it coming sweeping toward Kain. Satoshi doesn't pay any heed to the dwarf, not caring if he is struck or not as she focuses on remaining on her feet and resuming her paused spell. "Oh no you don't, monsieur rainbow. You're staying on the ground like a good snake~." Which is to say, Satoshi's next trick, one she uses regularly when hunting dragons, reveals itself as the words are spoken. In a mimicry of Taeme's spell, the shattered ice shards littering the ground are lifted into the air with their jagged points leveled at the serpent. "Down boy," the mage purrs, releasing her hold on the ice like so many algid arrows to pepper the colorful wings, tearing through flesh and feather, and leaving nothing but tatters behind. The feline at least offers a fair warning to the other two as the beast comes crashing back to earth.
Satoshi shouted, "Timber~."
(ooc note: Kain couldn't join us to finish the RP, so we RPed him out with as little God-modding as possible.)
Taeme stills for a moment smoothing nimble fingers over torn violet robes seconds before the Feline's voice rises in warning. The hawk's keen gaze fixes to the falling wyrm-like creature, the lithe human not needing to glance towards it at all as she dashes to one side in order to avoid being crushed under its massive weight. A gracelessly executed sideways dive rattles her thoughts as she collides firmly with the ground simultaneously with the serpent. The ground trembles below with thundering shockwaves rivaling any angry electric storm. Fingertips brush against roughened flesh and metal and a quick turn of Erythos's head reveals the dwarf lying unconscious beneath a trembling tree as the whipping tail thrashes about over her head, whistling through the air. A single pale hand rises pressing to her temple as crystal needles now stained crimson tumble lifelessly to the ground. From newly awakened soil sprouts a multitude of thorny vine, thick and flexible, that seek to snare the monster and bind him to the ground. Surprise flashes through toffee eyes as Taeme returns the light banter. "You know Ghostie, I am no longer surprised anymore when a pair of deadly fangs snap at either of us."
Satoshi watches the whole affair quietly, save for an impressed whistle at the distance Kain soars when he meets the couatl's tail. The chaos-infested beast is far from quiet, however, as he screeches his fury at being blinded, grounded, and now pinned. The sound of scales grinding against the vines' thorns as their constriction tightens rings loud through the area, grating on one's ears like that infamous sound of nails on a chalkboard. Blue eyes specked with slivers of amber flash toward Taeme before a fanged smirk appears on her face, even while vulpine ears fold back against the painful sounds. "Oh, good. That means you're-" the call halts as the feline dives sideways, rolling across the hardpacked earth to avoid a clash of fangs from the blind serpent. Righting herself again, Satoshi dusts herself off and continues as if never interrupted. "learning. Now, time to make yourself useful." The last remark is directed to the silvery-blue pipefox coiled about the feline's neck, thus far remaining quiet and observant. Roughly Satoshi grabs Asorial by the neck, tugging it from its resting place to be held out in front of her. Before the mage's arms are fully extended, Asorial's form has shifted and settled into that of a black, jagged scythe seemingly carved of surnatural ice, the spidering lines running across its surface flashing angrily. Ignoring the silent protest at rough handling, Satoshi hefts the sentient weapon over her shoulder and approaches the couatl in a slow, deliberate fashion. But not before calling to Taeme in a chillingly cheerful tone, "Sparrow~, be a doll et pin his big ol' head, hm? It's time we put him to sleep, don'tchathink?"
Taeme 's roseate lips quirk upwards impishly as obsidian lashes fall veiling hazel eyes, thoughts turning towards the appointed task. The winds rise into an eerie howling symphony of sound harmonizing well with the echoing screeches emitting from the serpent that echo and fade only to sound anew. Arms hang limply at the fledgling druid's sides, finger twitching as mana courses through her body with the hail of elemental power. Her mind and body becomes the conduit between the weave and balance of nature through which her thoughts direct the surge that thrums seeping from bare feet through the livening dirt to quivering vines. TO the wizened Ice Mage this event may not seem awe inspiring. The vines morph before all present shifting from thorny mass to spiked tendrils that snake over the monster's body seeking nooks to slither into, poisoning the soft flesh below rainbow scales. Crisscrossing back and forth over its body they seek to pin down the still thrashing whose maw is glued shut by the first spell used.
Satoshi's approach halts mere feet from the tip of the couatl's snout, the feline rocking back on her heels as she lets her eyes wander over the colorful, blood-stained form. "Hellfire if you aren't a beauty." Satoshi murmurs, expression curious as she silently wonders what has made a normally peaceful, intelligent creature into a mindless killer. As if to answer the unspoken question, a glint of crimson catches the feline's sharp eye as the couatl's lips curl back in a weak hiss. The poison coursing through his veins will not be the death of him, but the druid's spell does have an almost anesthetic effect, and it's the only reason Satoshi's willing to move even closer to inspect what caught her eye. The chaos shard is immediately recognized, and the mage, connecting the pieces, sighs unhappily. "So that's it, eh?" A determined frown settles onto her face then and, taking a step back, she lifts Asorial over her head like an executioner's axe before swinging it back down in a single harsh strike. A sound like shattering glass--or perhaps scale?--echoes through the air as the scythe's blade buries itself abruptly in the earth, twin chunks of translucent crimson falling on either side of it. The chaos shard has been cut out, the rainbow serpent unharmed by the blade. "Release him, Sparrow," Satoshi instructs, watching the couatl closely, suddenly anxious her show of mercy will be their death.
Taeme cants her head curiously as her thoughts work furiously in an attempt to unravel how she'd pinned the creature in an effort to undo what had been done. Vines slowly retract, receding into the moistened earth surrounding their once target and the druid. "What do you see, Ghost?" She murmurs as soft padding steps carry her to the Feline's side. A flash of rusted-orange flashes bathed in silver as Erythos flees his perch choosing to swoop, circling lower so that his sharp gaze catches all details including the split shard now glistening dully against the blood splattered dirt.
Satoshi doesn't answer Taeme. In fact, she doesn't even hear the question as she stands rooted to the ground and staring at the couatl. With a rattling hiss the serpent rears his feather-bedecked head agonizingly slow and faces the duo, as lids close over mutilated eyes. A pressure suddenly fills the air, stifling and heavy upon both body and mind, and even without knowledge of these rainbow-hued creatures, it's immediately known that the couatl is the source. For long moments the pressure continues to push down on Taeme and Satoshi, and its only when it becomes almost unbearable does it alleviate as suddenly as it descended... leaving a presence in their minds. -Thank you,- the voice is smooth as scales brushing over glass, with a faint, jagged edge to it. The remnants of chaos. -You could have killed me in that state, the both of you, and chose not to. For that, I thank you. I was not myself. Nor will I be for some time. Recovery from the chaos-touch is a slow process, but I have some power over my mind, and senses, once more.- With another hiss, the couatl whips his head back as his tail curls up, and in a flash his fangs pluck two feathers from the plume decorating it. -Take these. And know, a gift from one of my kind is a treasure both visible and not.- Opening his jaws, the feathers drifting down to rest at human and feline feet, the couatl gives a curt nod and simple departs--first from their minds, and then from sight, disappearing along the original path of carnage and leaving a trail of crimson in his wake. Satoshi is left blinking, and trembling from ears to the tips of her twin tails. "Hellfire... That was... interesting..." Asorial simply crackles its disapproval at missing out on a powerful kill. And its dislike for one of the blessed feathers sitting so close to it.
Taeme shivers under the mounting pressure swamping her mind. What little color remains drains from her pristine visage and suddenly, it ebbs away leaving her standing stock still as the creature's thanks whispers through her thoughts. Its hasty retreat following her softly murmured words wishing him a long life and recovery from the taint of chaos that had previously wreaked havoc upon upon mind and body alike. Stooping, she collects both beautiful feathers brushing away specks of soft dirt from their downy edges. Lips quirk upwards, one rainbow feather passed towards Satoshi. "That was… memorable. How you manage to get into such scrapes I will never know." Taeme herself was not devoid of tumbling headfirst into trouble, a fact she was secretly fond of.
Satoshi accepts the feather with unsteady hands as Asorial disappears in a flash of glacial energy, the weapon disgruntled at the bright turn of events. Delicately, the feline runs a finger along the multihued feather, murmuring with delight. "This es... no mere feather, Sparrow, like he said... I can feel the magic on it..." The quiet words trail off as she glances up at her fellow troublemaker and smirks. "Ashen and I call each other Trouble and Fun for good reason, y'know. Stick around, we'll get into more fun trouble than you can imagine~. Today will look like child's play in comparison~." Nodding, Satoshi tucks the glistening feather into her hair, a lock wrapped around its quill to hold it secure; a splash of rainbow lying against a snowy background.
Taeme chuckles softly, amusement sparkling in a flash through her blank gaze as she too tucks the feather into place amidst strands of sable and peral. "If you are Fun and Trouble, then I must be Danger." She teases as fingertips stroke over the feather's edge before her hands drop to her sides. "I think we should do this more often."
Satoshi nods in agreement, an ear flicking when the feather brushes it in the movement. "Yes~. We most certainly shall. I think you're due for an adventure aboard a pirate ship with us, actually." Flashing a glance toward Erythros, the feline grins anew. "Not sure how happy your bird will be at sea, however. Hunting birds don't do well flying over the sea~. Anyways," she trails off to look about briefly, "we probably shouldn't loiter here. Had enough trouble for one day already, and these aren't friendly lands."
Taeme chuckles softly with out bothering to glance towards the rapturous bird as he settles with familiarity atop one violet clad shoulder. "Adventures at sea? I do believe that is in order, yes and do lets flee this place." Nodding towards the south from which she'd stumbled from, the lithe human turns on one bare heal and ambles off expecting the Feline to either follow or make her own path from the forest. Her mark has been left, however, within the splash of life now spreading through the trees.
Satoshi follows not far behind the druid, oblivious to the mark of life left on the dead woods. And equally oblivious to the mark left on the adventuresome pair by the couatl, for while his words to them had been done with power and pressure, the feathers possess a more subtle essence. A fragment of the magnificent creature's abilities dwells in each feather, waiting patiently to be discovered and put to use.