darkSpyro

"Competition, eh? You still good with a bow?" Axel asked, smiling playfully.

Laina simply listened to the conversation.

Nicole shook her head.
"Probably not... it was five years ago. I wasn't even the best on the team."
She looked back up at Axel, catching his playful smile and carefully deciphering it.
"But," she began, "I wouldn't mind giving it a try if ever I was offered the chance."

Rego just led the way to the mountain, staying quiet. He now focused his gaze on the mountain ahead. He had his right hand on the hilt of his sword, as if ready to draw it at any given moment.

Whilst Nicole was socializing, Kora was watching Regu. Her hand went to her switchblade. This guy knows something is up...

Rego looked around cautiously, keeping his guard up. Then he unsheathed his sword, and held it at the ready. Just as he did so, a big, bulky ogre appearing to be made of shadows came rushing out of the bushes at them, an ax also made from shadows was raised to attack. Rego seemed to expect this and rushed to meet the ogre, blocking his ax with his sword. He seemed to do so with relative ease, not even straining to block the attack or push the ogre back.

Nicole was caught completely off guard. She fumbled to fit her brass knuckles onto her bony hand.
Kora, on the other hand, had her switchblade at the ready. She tore it from her pocket, flipping it open. With moderate agility, she flung herself into the air, ready to bring the blade down on the attacking brute.

Suddenly, a group of shadow goblins appeared and surrounded the group. They carried small weapons created from dark energy, and waved them about menacingly, even though they really weren't that scary.

Rego stayed locked in place with that ogre, neither one budging an inch or letting the other move forward.

Kora came down hard on the orge, praying that her small blade would have an effect.
Nicole, upon finally securing her brass knuckels, dashed at the nearest goblin, compiling all of her strenth into a blow that collided hard with it's jaw.

Axel gasped, swiftly pulling his bow and an arrow off of his back. He shot at the ogres eye before raising his sword and handing it to Laina. "See what you can do with this!" he cried.

Laina was surprised, clumsily lifting the sword. She shivered a bit, then swung at a nearby goblin.

The goblins, being made of shadows, were easy to destroy. However, every time one disappeared, two more were created in its place.

The ogre took the damage and then disappeared, much like the goblins had. But another one did not appear.

"Shadow magic...." Rego muttered under his breath. "Everyone be careful. A higher intelligence is behind all of this. These creatures are not real. Someone is creating them with the element of shadow. These creations are easy to destroy, but this battle will be never-ending, unless we can find whoever is behind this. Just stay on guard. Don't let them get too close. You can't kill something made of shadows, but they are easy to get rid of. I'll go see if I can find the one behind this." He announced to the group. Then he started to rush off on his own.

"But- !" Laina cried, trying to follow. She screamed as another goblin jumped in her path. Axel stepped in front of her, forcing the goblin back with a wave of his bow.

"Back off!" he growled.

Nicole ceased to fight the creatures and withdrew. Kora, having the same idea, stepped immedaitely in front of Axel and Laina.
"KORA, DON'T ATTACK IT!" Nicole roared. elbowing a goblin away from her.
"I know!" Kora yelled back. She turned to Axel and Laina. "You heard him! They'll just make more!"
Nicole looked surprised, having never imagined that her and Kora would be on the same page. The two nodded knowingly at one another.

Rego rushed off, disappearing from view. Once he was out of sight, he grinned darkly as he sheathed his sword and began running towards the mountain. Nothing tried to stop him or stand in his way.

The goblins all sneered and jumped about, waving their weapons around. They weren't attacking, they were just taunting the group.

"I know that!" Axel said, swinging his bow at another goblin. "I'm aiming for distraction, not destruction."

Laina took another few steps back, very afraid.

Nicole and Kora stood their ground, glancing at one another, as if to ask for any more ideas. Nicole stared Kora down hard, as if to say, "You can fix this. You can get us away."
Kora shook her head. Not yet. They'll freak, she thought.
Nicole finally vocalized her fears.
"They're going to start attacking sooner or later, Kora. I think they want to scare us off. They'll get violent, if nothing else works."
Kora sighed. "I can get us off the ground for awhile, but everyone has to promise not to freak out."

"Off..the ground..?" Axel murmured, confused.

Laina's eyes brightened. "Do it!" she cried, feeling a bit of excitement.

Feeling urged, Kora gave Nicole an insecure look. Nicole just stared back, calm and collected.
"They've seen enough wierd things," Nicole urged. "Just do it. You'll be another drop in the bucket at this point."
Kora trembled violently. Her body seemed to become paler. All at once, each particle of her being detached, and merged again to form a massive, snakelike white dragon.

Laina blinked in surprise for a moment, then grinned happily. I'm not the only one!

Axel stared. "Uh...I..." he stammered. "I'm dreaming, aren't I..."

ooc: *cough* waiting *cough*

Nicole climed onto Kora's back.
"No, you're not. There will be a lot of explaining later. For now, just hop on like I am so we can get up and away from these things until what's-his-nuts comes back."
Kora scanned the two others with her seemingly demonic eyes. She tilted her head, urging them to get on her back.

"Wha...?" Axel's voice cracked.

Laina eagerly dragged him by the wrist to Kora, then hoisted herself up onto her back. "C'mon!"

Axel snapped out of it and quickly scrambled up onto her back.

Kora took to the air. Somehow, without wings, she was floating listlessly around, slowly gaining altitude. When they reached a reasonable height above the creatures, she stopped, and simply flew gently in a circle. Nicole yawned and strectched casually, as if nothing strange were happening.

Laina smiled, sighing as she felt the nice breeze in her hair. Oh, how she missed her wings and flight. I'll have to ask her how she changed later.

Axel remained speechless.

Nicole chuckled.
"You guys are probably a little freaked out. I'm not going to give you the whole story up front, but Kora here is what is referred to as a 'long', or more simply, Chinese dragon, if you guys even have a China here..."

"Ch...ina..."

"Oh, no worries!" Laina replied. "I'm not freaked out at all! Though, I've never met a Chinese dragon."

Quote: Dragon-outcast

"I shall pass through." She pressed. "I'll leave you alone, but I will pass through your territory and I will do so unharmed." Saritu stamped a paw to emphasize her point.

"No. Don't. Please don't. You can't. I can't allow it. Master will be--" The voice stopped itself cold, accidentally saying something he didn't mean to say. "--I mean, I will be very upset with you if you do. I can not allow you to pass. I must stop you if you try." He said, sounding halfway determined and halfway reluctant.

The shadow goblins all disappeared as they flew off. However, shadow griffons appeared in their place and flew off after them, screeching angrily. They seemed determined to stop them.

Rego was walking along casually now. He heard the noises and turned slightly in that direction. He could see something in the distance. His keen senses picked up on a dragon.
So one of them transformed. He thought. This may be more difficult than I anticipated. I can not allow the others, especially the dragons, to catch up to me and prevent me from going through with my plans. Castus better be at his worst today. He better follow my orders, if he wishes to survive tonight. He thought, balling his hands into fists.

"..." Saritu thought for a moment and then turned away. "Your conviction is too weak for me to obey. If you wish to stop me, you'll have to be more confident then that, darkness being." A master, eh? I think I shall meet this 'Master' or at least explore a little further. She smiled. Shadow creatures were merely fabrications. Saritu could handle that. She leapt up and flew higher, angling her flight to be parallel to that of the mountain's ascent. She went at top speed.

The shadowy figure, otherwise known as Castus Umbra, watched her fly off and sighed. He would have to follow his master's orders and do away with her, or deal with the wrath of his master. He then traveled swiftly through the shadows, easily keeping up with her. If his master found out that he was too weak to stop her and just let her go, he'd surely be punished and quite possibly killed.

Nicole watched the shadow gryphons as they flew closer. Kora cocked her head at her and looked nervous.
"Well, you can fly, can't you? Go!"
Kora looked irritated, then shot shot off as fast as she could without dropping her passengers. Those mountains, she thought, looking into the distance and the peaks, probably have a lot to do with this. She hesitated. That Ragu guy probably isn't coming back anyway. She started quickly toward the mountains.

-

Well, that's nice, Celeste thought. First quadrupedal chick I meet in this realm confronts a creepy demonic voice and flies up a mountian. This place might actually be wierder than back home. She laid down in the grass and picked another few peices, casually eating them. I should really find Nicole and Kora. Mr. Vladimir won't be happy if we lose out two best musical acts to an interdimensional rift.

Saritu climbed further up the mountain, taking note of the rocks and crevices, the oddities and the normalities. She noticed the shadowy figure following her. Good, now to get on flat ground.

Celeste continued to sit peacefully on the ground, nibbling grass, until she felt an urge to move. She started up the mountain in the direction that Saritu had.

The shadow griffons seemed to disappear, rather than give chase. Although they weren't seen, they were following through the shadows at a greater speed.

Castus was still following Saritu. He had to stop her from getting to the interior of the mountain. He then created two more shadow griffons and sent them after her.

Rego was hiking through the forest at a steady pace. He was heading up the mountain, but didn't seem to be in any hurry.

Celeste continued along her course, pacing herself. There was something not-quite-right about this whole situation, and her curiousity had peaked.

-

Nicole gave a sigh of relief as she saw the gryphons dissapear. Kora slowed her pace, still getting nearer to the mountain.

Saritu found a flat area she could stand on and landed there, turning to face the threats that approached her.

The two griffons that were after Saritu screeched angrily and swooped down towards her, claws outstretched to attack. Castus was not far behind, staying hidden in the shadows.

The other griffons were still following Kora and the others, while staying hidden in the shadows.

Rego had finally reached a small cave entrance that was hidden by shrubbery and was barely big enough for a person to crawl through. He managed to get inside and started walking down a long, dark tunnel.

Saritu leaped up, trying to bite one while her hind legs kicked back while in midair to keep the other one away.

The griffons suddenly disappeared. Then Castus used his magic to create some armor to make himself appear more evil and menacing. Then he came up out of the shadows behind Saritu. He then created a big scythe out of dark energy, although he hoped he wouldn't have to use it.
"You must leave now." He said in a demonic voice.

ooc: His appearance with armor and everything is on the first page, in case you forgot.

She whirled around, landing on her feet. "Why should I?" She said back stubbornly.

Castus was quiet a moment. Then he raised his scythe, as if ready to attack.
"Because if you do not go willingly, than I shall have to use force. Those that face me in combat are not privileged enough to see another sunrise." He said, as evil and dramatic as he could sound while being serious, which wasn't really much at all.

".....Well, at least you've learned some conviction, as little as it is." Saritu shrugged. "Fine. I better not catch you following my tail though." She warned and then leaped off and down the mountain. I've seen enough already. Good...now it'll be easier to reach that destination.

Castus stood and watched her for a moment, in seconds, his scythe seemed to vanish into thin air. He then seemed to dissolve into the ground, becoming nothing but a mere shadow. Then Castus darted off, heading up the mountain.

Celeste continued to walk innocently up the peak, entirely indifferent to any sort of danger. She noticed Saritu making her way down. Eh, better go talk to her. Maybe she's seen the others. She began to descend the mountain again slowly.

Kora landed softly in the place where the mountain range began. Without any regard as to whether her passengers were ready, she shifted back into her human form, tossing the three onto the ground. Nicole stood up, muttering profanities and brushing the grass from her clothing. Kora turned to Axel and Laina.
"If Rego asks, we ran here by ourselves."

"I have a strange feeling that Rego isn't coming back..." Laina said honestly.

"Figures," Nicole muttered. "He was way too cool about our clothes adn pretty much everything else that marked us as foriegn."
Kora sighed.
"Well, as long as we're stuck here together, it's confession time. You know my secret. Anyone else have anything to bring out?"

Laina opened her mouth for a moment, but then noticed how silent Axel had been, so she slowly closed her mouth again. Her fingers tapped nervously as she glanced from Kora to Axel, then back to Kora.

Castus suddenly then stopped as he realized something. The others. There were others on this mountain that he had not confronted yet. He would have to stop them from going any further. So he swiftly headed in their direction, traveling through the shadows. As he traveled, he wondered if his master had made it back yet and was heading inside the lair.

Rego had reached the interior of the mountain, which looked like an evil lair of some sort, with the furnishings appearing to be made out of dark energy. The lair was still being worked on and improved. There weren't even any minions, except for the shadow creatures that Castus could create. He headed over to a trunk, opened it up, and began looking through it. He was clearly searching for something. He then smiled as he picked up a small ring box. He opened it up and gazed at the ring inside. It was a silver ring with a single black gem embedded in it, and some form of ancient writing etched into the band. He looked at it, smiling for a moment. Then he put it on his right hand and closed up the trunk. Then Rego headed out of the lair.

Celeste continued on her way through the mountain range, no longer aware of who she was following or where they were going.
"What a craphole," she said, thinking out loud to herself. "At least in our world evil knows how to hide. You can smell the frikkin' bad mojo just waftin from this joint!"
Or maybe the smell has something to do with the fact that you're half horse, she thought to herself. Stupid.

Kora noticed Laina opening her mouth, but she didn't say anything. She nodded sincerily and then looked at Nicole, who was busy surveying the mountain.
"We oughta rest here," she said. "When do you guys think it'll be night?"

Saritu lightly settled down near the base of the mountain to give her wings a rest. She looked up the mountain again, already having a road mapped out in her mind. She smiled lightly as if she'd just gotten a nice present.