Post by Lone Dancer on Oct 1, 2021 17:08:48 GMT
I stared at the gigantic, looming gate in front of me. It towered over the city much higher than it had any right to be. Dragons from various tribes mingled and chattered below it. No one knew where the 10 Gates came from, one for every tribe. They just... appeared one day, causing mass panic, and then a mass exodus into them. Inscribed a on golden plaque near eye level, on every gate, were the simple, maddeningly cryptic words of "Enter to become stronger."
No one knew what they truly meant, and we would likely never know, as anyone who went into the damn gates never came back out, which was a great sign. Truly.
Yet here I was, standing under their shadow regardless, all because my lovable, adorable, adventure and thrill seeking idiot of a sister decided to enter these gates last night, leaving only a note to tell me what happened on the table.
So here I was, probably committing the quickest way of self die there was, by entering these gates, all in the hopes of at least finding my sister. And, because a tiny portion of myself that I did my best to ignore, that was enticed by the gates, and their seeming promise.
I clenched my claws, watching as dragons entered through the massive gate, which opened far too easily for its size, phasing through some eyeball hurting mix of shadows and stars, and then to be never seen again.
Somehow, I found myself in front of the Gate, door ring in my claws. It fit perfectly, as if it was molded for my own claws. Peculiar, I half noted.
"Well, here goes nothing," I muttered underneath my breath, quashing any feelings of anxiety that I had. Off into the deep end, as my sister was found of saying.
I opened the Gate with surprising ease, and found myself in front of the eyeball hurter. I steeled myself, trying to just focus on the thought of my lost sister, as I stepped into the shadowy light.
Impossible cold, and impossible hot later, and the strange taste of copper, I found myself, somewhere? I looked around and all I could find was a desolate wasteland. A good sign of things to come. Inklings of doubt and regret began to form, but were washed away when my eyes and skull seared with scorching pain. Things flitted past my vision, as I dropped to the ground, writhing, grasping at my head. Shapes and words finalized into something in a box that was somehow every color, yet none of them.
No one knew what they truly meant, and we would likely never know, as anyone who went into the damn gates never came back out, which was a great sign. Truly.
Yet here I was, standing under their shadow regardless, all because my lovable, adorable, adventure and thrill seeking idiot of a sister decided to enter these gates last night, leaving only a note to tell me what happened on the table.
So here I was, probably committing the quickest way of self die there was, by entering these gates, all in the hopes of at least finding my sister. And, because a tiny portion of myself that I did my best to ignore, that was enticed by the gates, and their seeming promise.
I clenched my claws, watching as dragons entered through the massive gate, which opened far too easily for its size, phasing through some eyeball hurting mix of shadows and stars, and then to be never seen again.
Somehow, I found myself in front of the Gate, door ring in my claws. It fit perfectly, as if it was molded for my own claws. Peculiar, I half noted.
"Well, here goes nothing," I muttered underneath my breath, quashing any feelings of anxiety that I had. Off into the deep end, as my sister was found of saying.
I opened the Gate with surprising ease, and found myself in front of the eyeball hurter. I steeled myself, trying to just focus on the thought of my lost sister, as I stepped into the shadowy light.
Impossible cold, and impossible hot later, and the strange taste of copper, I found myself, somewhere? I looked around and all I could find was a desolate wasteland. A good sign of things to come. Inklings of doubt and regret began to form, but were washed away when my eyes and skull seared with scorching pain. Things flitted past my vision, as I dropped to the ground, writhing, grasping at my head. Shapes and words finalized into something in a box that was somehow every color, yet none of them.
[Initializing Astra Formation. Please stand by]
I didn't get much chance to respond before a similar pain to that of my head ran across my entire body. No time to process what just happened as I jolted on the hardy rocky ground, before the pain just... stopped. As swiftly as it came, it was gone, not even a sore trace of it left. Only the memory remained, and that too, was fading. I pushed myself up, legs slightly shaking as I drew my wings closer to myself. Another box appeared, flashing into view.
[Astra Formation complete. Notice to user; Good Luck]
That was by no means at all ominous. I sure love it when mysterious boxes wish me luck. When the box abruptly vanished, I was left blinking. Now that all the 'fun' stuff seemed over- for now-, I got a better look at my surroundings than before. I stood on cracked, beige ground, with nary a tree in sight. The sky was crimson, only a shade darker than blood. The very fact that sky was not blue shook me harder than anything else right now. It cemented the fact that I was no longer home. I was in a whole nother world, and one that seemed to play by different rules.
The realization I just left all that I knew, all my friends, my remaining family, everything, all to find my sister in a jagged wasteland with a crimson sky hit me like a sledgehammer. I took another glance around, to try to distract myself from that realization. Then for added alien-ness, there was not one, but two suns, both of which were a dreary orange. The seemingly pressed into each other, making a malformed blob of dark amber light. I moved my eyes away before I blinded myself. I shook my head, preparing myself to just begin moving.
When I was about to take a step in a random direction I picked, the cracked ground rumbled, then shook even more violently. I didn't get the chance to take a step back when something erupted from the ground. Shooting up into the air, it crashed back down with another rumble. It looked vaguely like a mole, but if someone supersized it, gave it another pair of legs, a mouth with rotating teeth, and cruel beady eyes.
That's when I noticed the icewing holding onto its tail with a fierce grip. Gauntlets made of a dull green metal decorated their claw front claws. The icewing laughed, covered in dirt and dust. They raised one of their gauntlets, which began to glow. Still laughing like a madman, they punched forward into a hind leg of the monstrous mole creature. The leg buckled inwards, and I could hear the crunch which echoed out. The creature shrieked with ear splitting noise, and the icewing punched again.
And again.
And again.
The mole-thing found itself silenced after its head was caved in, the icewing having crawled up its body while dealing their heavy blows. Blood and innards covered their dull green gauntlets, which they shook off with little effect. They shrugged with their wings, before turning to face me.
I was preparing myself to meet my demise, but to my great fortune, they just waved with a friendly smile. They spook with a voice that was distinctly feminine.
"Well, I can tell you're new here. You're practically shaking like a newborn dragonet!" They, she(?) found that fact amusing, and I did my best to temper my embarrassment.
"Goodness me, you're not going to last out here long without my help. More Molezers are going to be comings, and I don't plan on sticking around when they do." I didn't get to have much say of anything before she abruptly yoinked one of my arms, and started dragging me along, with a strength that seemed far more than what was visually indicated. The gauntlets were slightly warm against my scales, and the tips were slightly pointy and dug into my arm a small bit.
As intense as they were, they didn't appear to have any ill intentions, so I let myself be pulled along for ride. I was currently too busy processing everything I just witnessed. I was pretty sure I am going to have quite a line of nightmares at the ready for when I go to sleep. Fun times.
The icewing was humming something as she dragged me along, as I half-walked to avoid getting scrapped against the ground, but was pulled in too awkward a position to actually walk properly. Slowly, the landscape turned faintly less harsh, with seemingly less cracks in the ground. Time seemed to blur by, as the dual suns moved slowly across the crimson alien sky. I did my best to just breathe through my mouth, as the icewing, while friendly, rank to high heavens, seeing how they been drizzled in blood and guts. They didn't seem to notice, or care themselves, so I made no comment.
Finally, we found ourselves at a hill with a cavernous opening on one side of it, facing towards us. The icewing finally dropped me, and blood was able to flow into my arm again, causing a massive sense of pins and needles. I kept moving my arm to get feeling back into it, as the icewing chuckled.
She patted my shoulder, and I was pretty sure I was pressed into the ground a sliver of an inch with each rough pat. Icewing lady was strong, was yet again confirmed.
"Welcome to home sweet home, the coziest place you ever did see on the westside of the Rent!" As before, and what seemed to be becoming a habit, I was dragged inside by the icewing, deep within the cool embrace of the cavern air. I sighed, before chuckling myself at the madness of it all. Today was quite a day. And I had a strong feeling that it was only just the beginning.
The realization I just left all that I knew, all my friends, my remaining family, everything, all to find my sister in a jagged wasteland with a crimson sky hit me like a sledgehammer. I took another glance around, to try to distract myself from that realization. Then for added alien-ness, there was not one, but two suns, both of which were a dreary orange. The seemingly pressed into each other, making a malformed blob of dark amber light. I moved my eyes away before I blinded myself. I shook my head, preparing myself to just begin moving.
When I was about to take a step in a random direction I picked, the cracked ground rumbled, then shook even more violently. I didn't get the chance to take a step back when something erupted from the ground. Shooting up into the air, it crashed back down with another rumble. It looked vaguely like a mole, but if someone supersized it, gave it another pair of legs, a mouth with rotating teeth, and cruel beady eyes.
That's when I noticed the icewing holding onto its tail with a fierce grip. Gauntlets made of a dull green metal decorated their claw front claws. The icewing laughed, covered in dirt and dust. They raised one of their gauntlets, which began to glow. Still laughing like a madman, they punched forward into a hind leg of the monstrous mole creature. The leg buckled inwards, and I could hear the crunch which echoed out. The creature shrieked with ear splitting noise, and the icewing punched again.
And again.
And again.
The mole-thing found itself silenced after its head was caved in, the icewing having crawled up its body while dealing their heavy blows. Blood and innards covered their dull green gauntlets, which they shook off with little effect. They shrugged with their wings, before turning to face me.
I was preparing myself to meet my demise, but to my great fortune, they just waved with a friendly smile. They spook with a voice that was distinctly feminine.
"Well, I can tell you're new here. You're practically shaking like a newborn dragonet!" They, she(?) found that fact amusing, and I did my best to temper my embarrassment.
"Goodness me, you're not going to last out here long without my help. More Molezers are going to be comings, and I don't plan on sticking around when they do." I didn't get to have much say of anything before she abruptly yoinked one of my arms, and started dragging me along, with a strength that seemed far more than what was visually indicated. The gauntlets were slightly warm against my scales, and the tips were slightly pointy and dug into my arm a small bit.
As intense as they were, they didn't appear to have any ill intentions, so I let myself be pulled along for ride. I was currently too busy processing everything I just witnessed. I was pretty sure I am going to have quite a line of nightmares at the ready for when I go to sleep. Fun times.
The icewing was humming something as she dragged me along, as I half-walked to avoid getting scrapped against the ground, but was pulled in too awkward a position to actually walk properly. Slowly, the landscape turned faintly less harsh, with seemingly less cracks in the ground. Time seemed to blur by, as the dual suns moved slowly across the crimson alien sky. I did my best to just breathe through my mouth, as the icewing, while friendly, rank to high heavens, seeing how they been drizzled in blood and guts. They didn't seem to notice, or care themselves, so I made no comment.
Finally, we found ourselves at a hill with a cavernous opening on one side of it, facing towards us. The icewing finally dropped me, and blood was able to flow into my arm again, causing a massive sense of pins and needles. I kept moving my arm to get feeling back into it, as the icewing chuckled.
She patted my shoulder, and I was pretty sure I was pressed into the ground a sliver of an inch with each rough pat. Icewing lady was strong, was yet again confirmed.
"Welcome to home sweet home, the coziest place you ever did see on the westside of the Rent!" As before, and what seemed to be becoming a habit, I was dragged inside by the icewing, deep within the cool embrace of the cavern air. I sighed, before chuckling myself at the madness of it all. Today was quite a day. And I had a strong feeling that it was only just the beginning.