Eeri dropped the meat from her bag and screwed her helmet on her head. Her hands clenched on the axe.
"A red dragon!" Azazor finally shouted.
The homina concentrated, determined to fight, and watched the kitin for the slightest crack in its carapace. The kitin was already a few meters away from them, and had slowed down, as if he too wanted to observe and appreciate its prey. Its carapace was scarlet, vivid and shiny. Each scale seemed to pulsate with burning fire, as if the kitin's veins carried molten embers. This red dragon was a huge kipesta, several meters long, surrounded by a halo of gray smoke, looking ready to explode. Its carapace, clad with sharp crests of spines, connected its protruding skull to the tip of its scaly tail. As for its pollen pouch, it was much larger than a Kipeskoo could have, and oozed a scarlet, steaming liquid, quite different from the one kipestas usually produced. To finish, the beating of its six wings made the sawdust fly around it, and generated a deafening whirring.
Focused on the creature's appearance, Eeri did not see its first attack coming. The powerful tail strike she received in the chest sent her flying for several yards and sent her crashing straight into a stump, which she caught right in the kidneys. Breath taken from the double impact, the Fyrossa collapsed in the sawdust, totally stunned. She hadn't expected such vivacity. Not wasting a second, Azazor cast a healing spell towards Eeri. Although he was not an expert mage in healing magic, the enchantment put on his amplifiers was of good quality and did the job perfectly. And yet… He still had to make sure he didn't use up all the sap crystals he had in reserve, otherwise he wouldn't be able to use the enchantment on his amplifiers. And unfortunately, the first blow of the kipesta having knocked out Eeri, he was forced to use up his stock. Circling around his friend's body, sending out bursts of healing, and dodging the attacks of the kitin who had now spotted him, he finally managed to get her up. What he didn't manage, however, was to see that her feet were getting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff…
"This way!" shouted Eeri, standing up again.
"Give me back my axe! You're a better healer than I am!" replied the Fyros.
Ignoring Azazor, the Fyrossa lunged at the kitin, whose back was now to her, and struck it with a powerful blow of the axe, hitting one of its wings. The creature turned around and retaliated with a circular tail strike, which Eeri dodged this time. Seeing that the kipesta had barely flinched, she realized that it would take much more to defeat this enemy. The wound that she had just inflicted to it was ridiculous in comparison with its size… Furious, the monster gave a third blow of tail in direction of the homina, which dodged it a second time. In truth, it was not an easy thing: the monster was so big that it was necessary to largely anticipate its attack to hope avoiding the shock. Moreover, every blow the beast delivered sent the sawdust flying, sending a cloud blurring the Fyros' vision. Spotting the kitin's glowing aura in the dust cloud, Eeri lunged at it again, screaming like a fury, striking wherever she could. But the axe only bounced off the burning carapace. The kipesta tried another attack with its tail and the Fyrossa ducked just in time to feel the sharp spines only scrape the top of her helmet. She then took the opportunity to execute a counterattack, which the kitin dodged with a flap of its wings as it gained height. Abruptly turning around despite its huge mass, the beast finally made an aerial charge and managed to hit Eeri, who flew a second time several meters away. Disarmed and slumped in the sawdust, the homina barely had time to understand that the impact had dislocated her left shoulder when Azazor's enchantment immediately put the joint back in place. Her comrade continued to circle around her tirelessly, tending to each of her wounds. Picking up her axe and checking the effectiveness of the enchantment with a twist of the arm, Eeri charged at the creature once more. The fight was definitely going to be long…
And indeed, the fight lasted a few minutes. Minutes that, in this kind of situation, were like hours. If the kitin managed to hurt Eeri most of the time, seldom did the Fyrossa succeed in touching it in return. Without Azazor's care, she would have died long ago… And when she was finally succeeding in reaching her target, the axe would come smashing against the thick carapace of the kipesta. Not once did she manage to touch its wings again, the only part that was a priori more vulnerable than the others. As if the beast had understood. As if it had understood that it was enough for it to take a little height to avoid the most dangerous blows. The kipesta was, indeed, able to fly high in the sky, out of reach of any attack. When it couldn't fly away fast enough, it would simply present its head frontally to parry the axe blow which would then hit the thick protective carapace of its skull. Meanwhile, Azazor was gradually emptying his stock of sap crystals by healing Eeri every time she found herself on the ground. He didn't even have time to take off his heavy armor to try to cast any kind of fire spell. At times, the monster tried to attack Azazor. When that happened, Eeri put on her own pair of amplifiers, to support her comrade long enough for to succeed in getting the kitin's attention again. And the manege repeated.
It repeated until, suddenly, as if bored by the turn the fight was taking, the kipesta quietly turned around, moving away from a dozen meters. Disconcerted, Eeri lowered her guard and glanced at Azazor. Against such an opponent, a draw was worth a win, right? If her comrade had not been helmeted, the Fyrossa could probably have read the horror on his face as he pointed his amplifiers at the kipesta. But it was already too late. The creature stiffened, flapped its six wings, and propelled itself backward toward Eeri. Never before had the two Fyros seen a kipesta perform such a maneuver. Without Eeri even being able to react, the sharp, scaly tail pierced its belly. The monster then had only to snap its abdominal end like a whip, towards the ground, to get rid of the body of the homina, which rolled in the sawdust like a vulgar rag doll. Her mutilated and disarticulated body was going to require many care before being completely repaired… Her precious pike too, previously attached to her back, and now broken in two in the dust.
Probably aware of its success, the kitin left Eeri and turned back to Azazor, who was struggling to get his partner up. The creature let out a terrifying growl, but did not act, as if sizing up its opponent. Taking advantage of the few seconds available to him, Azazor charged at Eeri, draining his amplifiers of all magical charge, depleting his entire supply of crystals. But that was not enough to get her up. She was alive, he could feel it. But in very bad condition, almost unconscious. Not giving up, he tried to heal her without enchantment, in heavy armor, gradually exhausting his stamina in handling the sap. If the kipesta continued to observe him like this without reacting, he would have time to get her up. He had to. And just as the Fyrossa was beginning to get back on her knees, the kitin sent her back to the ground with a swipe of its tail. Distraught, Azazor clipped his pair of amplifiers to his belt without taking his eyes off the creature. It was playing with them, he was sure. This monster was playing with them, and having defeated Eeri, it was now seeking to fight Azazor one-to-one. Without being able to confirm his hypothesis, which was perhaps only the fruit of a feverish projection, the Fyros accepted the duel. If he had to die today, let it be with a retch in his hand than with amplifiers!
Long seconds passed, during which the two warriors gauged each other, then Azazor finally took action. With a deft foot movement, the Fyros picked up Eeri's broken pike and threw it towards the kipesta, who parried it with yet another tail swing and charged at his opponent. The duel had begun. Staking his life on it, Azazor avoided the kipesta's charge with a roll and picked up the axe that Eeri had let slip from her hands. Then he also lunged at the kitin, howling like a beast. This outburst of courage did not impress the monster, who sent the Fyros tumbling over the cliff with a skull blow right into his chest. Planting his axe in extremis in the edge of the cliff, paying no heed to his taken breath, Azazor managed to avoid the deadly fall. He could barely breathe, his ribs were probably broken, and he was no longer able to lift Eeri. But he wasn't dead yet. Managing to pull himself up onto the platform, the Fyros raised his axe and whirl it over his head, shouting with all the strength he had left. A war cry, perhaps his last. Drawing on his last resources to regenerate his wounded body, he charged the red dragon. With a jump, he avoided the sharp tail, and with a final roll, he managed to land a furious axe blow on the side of the creature, which probably didn't expect the frail homin to take so many risks. As a reward for his bravery, Azazor then saw a scarlet scale flying. Finally, the beast had a weak spot.
"ORAK !!!!"
But the joy was short-lived. The kipesta let out a vile howl, and at the same time, the Fyros thought he saw flames pulsating where the scale had been before he managed to tear it off. Realizing that something was in the works, Azazor unhooked the shield he had been wearing on his back and moved to stand in front of Eeri, who was still lying on the ground. He barely had time to position himself before he felt the temperature increase. As he took one last look at the creature, he realized that his impression was well founded. The kitin was swelling all over. From the tip of its tail to its skull. But that was nothing compared to its pollen pouch, which had tripled in size in barely a few seconds. With an erratic movement, the monster planted its proboscis in the ground, and Azazor knew it was the end. A gigantic explosion occurred, shattering the portion of the cliff they were fighting on, and releasing a flood of flame so powerful that it razed everything for a hundred meters. The last thing Azazor felt was the heat.
Melting his shield.
Then his armor.
And finally his skin.
((OOC: text written with 6 hands by Eeri, Azazor and Finaen))
"A red dragon!" Azazor finally shouted.
The homina concentrated, determined to fight, and watched the kitin for the slightest crack in its carapace. The kitin was already a few meters away from them, and had slowed down, as if he too wanted to observe and appreciate its prey. Its carapace was scarlet, vivid and shiny. Each scale seemed to pulsate with burning fire, as if the kitin's veins carried molten embers. This red dragon was a huge kipesta, several meters long, surrounded by a halo of gray smoke, looking ready to explode. Its carapace, clad with sharp crests of spines, connected its protruding skull to the tip of its scaly tail. As for its pollen pouch, it was much larger than a Kipeskoo could have, and oozed a scarlet, steaming liquid, quite different from the one kipestas usually produced. To finish, the beating of its six wings made the sawdust fly around it, and generated a deafening whirring.
Focused on the creature's appearance, Eeri did not see its first attack coming. The powerful tail strike she received in the chest sent her flying for several yards and sent her crashing straight into a stump, which she caught right in the kidneys. Breath taken from the double impact, the Fyrossa collapsed in the sawdust, totally stunned. She hadn't expected such vivacity. Not wasting a second, Azazor cast a healing spell towards Eeri. Although he was not an expert mage in healing magic, the enchantment put on his amplifiers was of good quality and did the job perfectly. And yet… He still had to make sure he didn't use up all the sap crystals he had in reserve, otherwise he wouldn't be able to use the enchantment on his amplifiers. And unfortunately, the first blow of the kipesta having knocked out Eeri, he was forced to use up his stock. Circling around his friend's body, sending out bursts of healing, and dodging the attacks of the kitin who had now spotted him, he finally managed to get her up. What he didn't manage, however, was to see that her feet were getting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff…
"This way!" shouted Eeri, standing up again.
"Give me back my axe! You're a better healer than I am!" replied the Fyros.
Ignoring Azazor, the Fyrossa lunged at the kitin, whose back was now to her, and struck it with a powerful blow of the axe, hitting one of its wings. The creature turned around and retaliated with a circular tail strike, which Eeri dodged this time. Seeing that the kipesta had barely flinched, she realized that it would take much more to defeat this enemy. The wound that she had just inflicted to it was ridiculous in comparison with its size… Furious, the monster gave a third blow of tail in direction of the homina, which dodged it a second time. In truth, it was not an easy thing: the monster was so big that it was necessary to largely anticipate its attack to hope avoiding the shock. Moreover, every blow the beast delivered sent the sawdust flying, sending a cloud blurring the Fyros' vision. Spotting the kitin's glowing aura in the dust cloud, Eeri lunged at it again, screaming like a fury, striking wherever she could. But the axe only bounced off the burning carapace. The kipesta tried another attack with its tail and the Fyrossa ducked just in time to feel the sharp spines only scrape the top of her helmet. She then took the opportunity to execute a counterattack, which the kitin dodged with a flap of its wings as it gained height. Abruptly turning around despite its huge mass, the beast finally made an aerial charge and managed to hit Eeri, who flew a second time several meters away. Disarmed and slumped in the sawdust, the homina barely had time to understand that the impact had dislocated her left shoulder when Azazor's enchantment immediately put the joint back in place. Her comrade continued to circle around her tirelessly, tending to each of her wounds. Picking up her axe and checking the effectiveness of the enchantment with a twist of the arm, Eeri charged at the creature once more. The fight was definitely going to be long…
And indeed, the fight lasted a few minutes. Minutes that, in this kind of situation, were like hours. If the kitin managed to hurt Eeri most of the time, seldom did the Fyrossa succeed in touching it in return. Without Azazor's care, she would have died long ago… And when she was finally succeeding in reaching her target, the axe would come smashing against the thick carapace of the kipesta. Not once did she manage to touch its wings again, the only part that was a priori more vulnerable than the others. As if the beast had understood. As if it had understood that it was enough for it to take a little height to avoid the most dangerous blows. The kipesta was, indeed, able to fly high in the sky, out of reach of any attack. When it couldn't fly away fast enough, it would simply present its head frontally to parry the axe blow which would then hit the thick protective carapace of its skull. Meanwhile, Azazor was gradually emptying his stock of sap crystals by healing Eeri every time she found herself on the ground. He didn't even have time to take off his heavy armor to try to cast any kind of fire spell. At times, the monster tried to attack Azazor. When that happened, Eeri put on her own pair of amplifiers, to support her comrade long enough for to succeed in getting the kitin's attention again. And the manege repeated.
It repeated until, suddenly, as if bored by the turn the fight was taking, the kipesta quietly turned around, moving away from a dozen meters. Disconcerted, Eeri lowered her guard and glanced at Azazor. Against such an opponent, a draw was worth a win, right? If her comrade had not been helmeted, the Fyrossa could probably have read the horror on his face as he pointed his amplifiers at the kipesta. But it was already too late. The creature stiffened, flapped its six wings, and propelled itself backward toward Eeri. Never before had the two Fyros seen a kipesta perform such a maneuver. Without Eeri even being able to react, the sharp, scaly tail pierced its belly. The monster then had only to snap its abdominal end like a whip, towards the ground, to get rid of the body of the homina, which rolled in the sawdust like a vulgar rag doll. Her mutilated and disarticulated body was going to require many care before being completely repaired… Her precious pike too, previously attached to her back, and now broken in two in the dust.
Probably aware of its success, the kitin left Eeri and turned back to Azazor, who was struggling to get his partner up. The creature let out a terrifying growl, but did not act, as if sizing up its opponent. Taking advantage of the few seconds available to him, Azazor charged at Eeri, draining his amplifiers of all magical charge, depleting his entire supply of crystals. But that was not enough to get her up. She was alive, he could feel it. But in very bad condition, almost unconscious. Not giving up, he tried to heal her without enchantment, in heavy armor, gradually exhausting his stamina in handling the sap. If the kipesta continued to observe him like this without reacting, he would have time to get her up. He had to. And just as the Fyrossa was beginning to get back on her knees, the kitin sent her back to the ground with a swipe of its tail. Distraught, Azazor clipped his pair of amplifiers to his belt without taking his eyes off the creature. It was playing with them, he was sure. This monster was playing with them, and having defeated Eeri, it was now seeking to fight Azazor one-to-one. Without being able to confirm his hypothesis, which was perhaps only the fruit of a feverish projection, the Fyros accepted the duel. If he had to die today, let it be with a retch in his hand than with amplifiers!
Long seconds passed, during which the two warriors gauged each other, then Azazor finally took action. With a deft foot movement, the Fyros picked up Eeri's broken pike and threw it towards the kipesta, who parried it with yet another tail swing and charged at his opponent. The duel had begun. Staking his life on it, Azazor avoided the kipesta's charge with a roll and picked up the axe that Eeri had let slip from her hands. Then he also lunged at the kitin, howling like a beast. This outburst of courage did not impress the monster, who sent the Fyros tumbling over the cliff with a skull blow right into his chest. Planting his axe in extremis in the edge of the cliff, paying no heed to his taken breath, Azazor managed to avoid the deadly fall. He could barely breathe, his ribs were probably broken, and he was no longer able to lift Eeri. But he wasn't dead yet. Managing to pull himself up onto the platform, the Fyros raised his axe and whirl it over his head, shouting with all the strength he had left. A war cry, perhaps his last. Drawing on his last resources to regenerate his wounded body, he charged the red dragon. With a jump, he avoided the sharp tail, and with a final roll, he managed to land a furious axe blow on the side of the creature, which probably didn't expect the frail homin to take so many risks. As a reward for his bravery, Azazor then saw a scarlet scale flying. Finally, the beast had a weak spot.
"ORAK !!!!"
But the joy was short-lived. The kipesta let out a vile howl, and at the same time, the Fyros thought he saw flames pulsating where the scale had been before he managed to tear it off. Realizing that something was in the works, Azazor unhooked the shield he had been wearing on his back and moved to stand in front of Eeri, who was still lying on the ground. He barely had time to position himself before he felt the temperature increase. As he took one last look at the creature, he realized that his impression was well founded. The kitin was swelling all over. From the tip of its tail to its skull. But that was nothing compared to its pollen pouch, which had tripled in size in barely a few seconds. With an erratic movement, the monster planted its proboscis in the ground, and Azazor knew it was the end. A gigantic explosion occurred, shattering the portion of the cliff they were fighting on, and releasing a flood of flame so powerful that it razed everything for a hundred meters. The last thing Azazor felt was the heat.
Melting his shield.
Then his armor.
And finally his skin.
((OOC: text written with 6 hands by Eeri, Azazor and Finaen))