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Post by prime on Dec 24, 2006 19:47:19 GMT -5
Prime looked over the long valley, the trees and the river, and the mountain with its wide peak and craggy caverns. The perfect place for dragons to roost. "I always have to take the quick way, no matter how risky," Prime muttered, with an undercurrent of fear in his voice.
He took out his sword, and cut down a tree, a single stroke was sufficient. A few more strokes saw a rather basic yet functional boat carved out. He dragged it down into the river, and sat back for the ride. It slowly took him to the volcano's base, giving him time to think about the risks he was about to take. He was decidedly against those risks, but couldn't take chances with his weakness anymore.
At the foot of the volcano, he jumped out of the boat. A massive black dragon flew overhead, beating a windstorm around Prime with its mighty wings. He ducked down, holding onto a root to keep himself from being blown away. "Eugh. I hope I don't end up robbing that one's nest," he muttered. He got to his feet and brushed himself off. Then he loosened his sword in its sheath and slowly began his ascent to the caverns.
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Post by jenova on Jan 1, 2007 22:20:25 GMT -5
Aurora landed hard right next to Prime, rolling on the rough ground to absorb the impact so he didn’t break his legs. Once he was on his feet again, Aurora began to dust his robe off. The robe was black, and contrasted ever so slightly with his newly-cut hair, which now contained a black stripe dyed in among the silver.
“’Ello Prime, what’re you up to then?” he smiled.
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Post by prime on Jan 1, 2007 22:24:52 GMT -5
Startled, Prime blinked and looked over Aurora. "Where the hell did you come from?"
He sighed. "Never mind that. As for what I'm up to, you're better off not knowing. However, I'll give you a hint. You ever heard the story of the Dragon? The man who lived in ancient times and wielded unimaginable power?" Prime asked baldly.
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Post by jenova on Jan 1, 2007 22:36:25 GMT -5
“No, I haven’t heard of him. What’re you gonna do this time?” Aurora asked, narrowing his eyes. Prime was probably going to attempt some really dangerous scheme of his again.
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Post by prime on Jan 1, 2007 22:43:27 GMT -5
"Mmmmm," Prime vocalized, then turned away from Aurora and continued up the mountain.
"Desperate to save his people, who were under attack by demons of unspeakable evil, the Lord Dragon committed a sin. He climbed high and high, up the greatest mountain that used to exist in the world, to the dragon roosts. There he stole a dragon's egg, and used it to find the source of their power. Though he could never understand that their power was of their unbreaking, unbending spirits, he did find that their hearts were filled with magical energies of the physical world, flowing out through their bodies. Desperate, the craven man tore out the hatchling's heart, as well as his own, and replaced his with the dragon's, there to beat forever in his breast, empowering him with the dragon's legacy.
"He eventually died, sealing up the portal into the demon's world. The great energies that held it open fought with him until all his power was used up, and he turned to stone, his ribcage ripped open where his heart finally exploded. Yet I don't think he would have died in such a way were it not for the evil within him, spreading out from a heart that came from a black beast of unspeakable destruction.
"And so I venture up this dragon mount, seeking a dragon's heart, the heart of one of the non-metallic dragons. One of those evil craven treasure-hording beasts that have no love for man." He turned back to look at Aurora for a moment. "And I only hope that it doesn't turn me and influence me as it did the Lord Dragon."
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Post by jenova on Jan 1, 2007 22:47:35 GMT -5
“You know it will corrupt you,” Aurora shouted up to Prime, following him slowly. Prime always had these moronic moments, where he had plans that were so stupid it was nearly funny. Unfortunately, it wasn’t funny this time around. “Why an evil dragon?” Aurora asked, “Why not a GOOD dragon? At least you won’t kill everyone then.”
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Post by prime on Jan 1, 2007 22:50:15 GMT -5
Prime laughed. "Could you bear the thought of killing something so pure? Committing a sin even God wouldn't forgive?" He was starting to have to use his hands to climb up the mountain. Bloody thing was getting steep. "Convince me Aurora. I've seen hell with my own two eyes, and I'm no longer powerful enough to leave whenever I should wish to. I've no wish to be condemned by God, when the reality is that torment."
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Post by jenova on Jan 1, 2007 22:53:33 GMT -5
“And what about when you watch with your own eyes when you kill all your friends, but are powerless to stop it?” Aurora argued. “You’ll see it all, and you won’t be able to do anything about it."
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Post by prime on Jan 1, 2007 22:58:20 GMT -5
Prime shrugged. "What of it?" he asked, carelessly. "If I lose control, then Zebedee or Ender will simply kill me. It's not like it would be unimaginably hard for them. Taken over by a dragon's evil, I would have none of my intellect or self-discipline. Without training I would never pose a threat to anyone, save innocent man. I'm fairly sure one of those faithful defenders from Cherrygrove could kill me before then anyway." He silently hoped they'd resurrect him afterward, too. An eternity in hell did not seem like a good idea to him.
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Post by jenova on Jan 1, 2007 23:12:12 GMT -5
“You’re a fool,” Aurora laughed, “Ender or Zebedee would do nothing but watch over you carefully, hoping one day they can cure you. And don’t think dragons are so dumb. They’re smarter than most, they’ve been around for thousands of years and they are powerful.”
Aurora snarled as he caught up with Prime and jumped in front of him. “If you won’t slay a creature so pure, then I will for you.”
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Post by prime on Jan 1, 2007 23:19:37 GMT -5
Prime flinched, having been pushed into a corner. "No, I'll do it. It'd be too great a sin to condemn a friend."
He continued climbing. "Right, fine, so we're looking for a good dragon. While we're at it, why don't we visit the domain of my old friend, the divine dragon? After all, we can't be sure that a platinum dragon is completely good, or completely evil. Divinity has a way of choosing one but refusing to be honest about it." As he spoke these words, they finally reached the caverns.
"Jesus, these are big." Prime said, and his voice echoed hollowly in the caverns."Shit!" he whispered, then turned back to Aurora. "Let's try to be quiet, eh?"
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Post by jenova on Jan 1, 2007 23:23:23 GMT -5
Aurora nodded, following Prime into the caverns. His body shone bright with light for a second before it faded. His robe was now gone; instead, his frame held a baggy black shirt and combat pants for easier movement.
“What do you expect to be guarding them?” Aurora asked in a low voice.
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Post by prime on Jan 1, 2007 23:44:32 GMT -5
Prime turned around and gave Aurora a half-frank, half-stupefied expression. "Well, I dunno, maybe a few dragons," he whispered vaguely. "You know, just the little ones. Teenagers, right? Maybe about twenty feet long or so. And, oh yeah, really really big fire-breathing dragons with nasty tempers." He turned around and began sneaking steadily through the caverns.
They finally came to a huge open space, having luckily encountered no dragons along the way. That is, until they spotted the huge platinum dragon in the center of the cavern, with her tail wrapped around a nest of human-sized eggs. Prime looked at Aurora, silently mouthed "Oh fucking awesome", then crept slowly toward the platinum beast.
Joke: Just then Aurora stepped on an anti-Aurora mine, blasting him into several pieces, and waking up the suddenly extremely angry dragon.
Unjoke: Prime slowly walked around the dragon's tail, careful to avoid the spikes, and picked up one of the rather heavy eggs. "Cover my ass," he mouthed at Aurora, as he walked back around the dragon's tail.
They crept slowly back out of the cavern, until they were both safely back outside. Prime heaved a deep sigh, then cringed. "Hey, now comes the fun part."
He hopped down the mountain, Aurora right behind him, until they were back at the river. He gently set the egg down, and looked at Aurora. "You may want to turn away for this part," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle.
POHATU EDIT: The eggs were described once as being human-sized and another time as being four feet tall. I know which one I prefer. Not least because it doesn't involve giving an exact freakin' measurement like Prime always freakin' does.
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Post by jenova on Jan 1, 2007 23:49:37 GMT -5
Aurora shook his head, when he was told to look away. “Just do it,” he said.
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Post by prime on Jan 2, 2007 0:00:40 GMT -5
"Sure," Prime said solemnly. "But you're gonna get the creeps."
He turned back to the egg. He could tell it was almost fully developed, and it probably would've hatched in a few days anyway, so he might as do it now, before his nerves really got to him.
He drew his sword, and cut very shallowly into the egg's shell. Slowly and carefully, he scraped out a hand-sized hole in the egg, then tossed his sword aside, uncharacteristically careless with his weapon. He jammed his fists into the hole, and ripped the egg open. The dragon didn't flop onto the ground, however; its spiked platinum body merely sat there, encased in a membrane which still contained it in a slightly ovular shape. Prime frowned.
"Now this is just gross," he commented. Then he took out a dagger and cut a hole in the membrane. The fluid rushed out in buckets, soaking Prime, and the baby dragon flopped against the ground, squealing at its premature birth. The six-foot dragon was still quite large for a baby, and quickly getting its bearings. "Shit," Prime spat, bringing his dagger down on its head. It punctured the dragon's skull, and quickly silenced the electrical and magical signals in the young dragon's brain.
Prime shuddered as its life drained away. Now was the point where he'd have to act quickly. He rolled the dragon over, and cut its chest open, ripping into the cavity with his bare hands. He was quite surprised to find its heart heavily armored, and he highly doubted stabbing a dragon in the heart would prove to be effective. Shrugging, he reached in and tore it out, ignoring the armor and the cuts in his skin it caused. Holding the dragon's heart in his left hand, he flexed his right experimentally.
"Sorry mate, gonna borrow one of these," he said, grabbing one of Aurora's daggers. He closed his eyes and stabbed himself in the heart. "Ooof!" he grunted, clenching his teeth. He continued cutting, then turned the dagger sharply, spitting blood, and wedged his ribs open. He reached in and tore out his heart. For a horrible, soul-shattering moment, the whole world went dark. Then he hammered the dragon's heart into his chest, removed the dagger, and passed out.
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Post by jenova on Jan 2, 2007 0:57:34 GMT -5
Aurora sighed when Prime fainted. With a slight chuckle at his friend’s madness, he walked over to where Prime lay. Aurora bent down to check that his friend was alive. When he found that he was, Aurora straightened up and gave Prime a sharp kick to his side.
“Wake up,” he shouted.
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Post by prime on Jan 2, 2007 1:07:29 GMT -5
"Ouch!" Prime grunted, fighting the fuzziness in his head. Pain stung through his back, followed by sharp cracking. All his veins turned to platinum, while his eyes changed to a metallic hue. Wings burst from his back, flared up straight into the sun, drying themselves. "Arrrgh!" Prime cried, writhing hopelessly. The wings fused together, back to back, slowly taking the shape of a two-handed longsword with a platinum blade. As the pommel finished forming, it separated from Prime's back, and fell onto the ground with a metallic ring. The long claws from his wingtips quickly fused into the guard, and the webbing from his wings dried at a surprising rate, and wrapped themselves around the handle, forming a very tight leather grip.
Prime's canines became more pronounced, and his elven ears sharpened even more. He climbed to his feet, bones snapping here and there as they changed. His nails grew out another half inch, forming into sharp points, and his muscles were also notably enhanced. Then his Divine Aura snapped on, feasting on the hidden energy Prime couldn't access a moment ago. He directed it down through his hand, and the blade made of his bones shot into his palm.
He cracked his neck, then looked at Aurora with his platinum eyes, even as his hair grew longer and took up the coloring itself. "This feels pretty damn good," he said with a grin.
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Post by jenova on Jan 2, 2007 1:11:08 GMT -5
“You look like a dick,” Aurora laughed, taking his dagger back from Prime. He turned away to looking toward the horizon, before turning back again.
“You know, that seemed too easy."
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Post by prime on Jan 2, 2007 1:19:27 GMT -5
Prime cringed. "You had to say that, didn't you?" he said, looking back up at the mountain. There was a deep, primal roar, then a beam of blue white light erupted out of the side of the mountain. The platinum dragon quickly pulled herself through the rent, and seached the area. In an instant she found Prime, Aurora, and the broken and butchered dragon egg. Suddenly, a massive energy blast was headed their way.
Prime took his feet off the ground, kicked Aurora out of the way, and propelled himself in another direction at the same time. "Sorry!" he yelled back at Aurora, before the space in between them exploded with unchanneled divine power.
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Post by jenova on Jan 3, 2007 2:10:08 GMT -5
Aurora rolled on the ground as he was kicked away; the kick hadn’t really hurt anyway so no damage done. He drew his two daggers out of the small sheaths at his sides, twirling the daggers in his hands as he did so.
His aura flared and he disappeared, before he exploded out of another plane of existence underneath the dragon, Aurora lunged up and slashed with his two daggers at the underbelly of his enemy. Then he teleported out of the way.
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Post by prime on Jan 3, 2007 2:33:27 GMT -5
Prime twitched. "God dammit Aurora, you can always fucking teleport. Friggin pet peeve."
He ran forward on foot, whirling his new weapon to get used to the balance. He used his considerable new strength to jump off the ground as the dragon took a swipe at him. He executed a forward roll in the air and brought his sword down on the monster's head, slamming it into the ground.
Prime landed on its back, and quickly ran down its neck. He raised his blade, then stabbed down into the armor. It didn't penetrate, and the armor didn't even crack. Prime cursed: he wouldn't be able to kill it without reaching its spine or brain. The heart was too heavily armored as well. He looked at the sword, slowly shining with divine energy, and grasped a relation to his old blade.
He pumped his energy into the blade, and slowly the platinum glowed brighter. He stabbed his sword down again, burning and tearing a considerable hole into the armor, but still it didn't penetrate, and finally the dragon decided she'd had enough. With a mighty flap of her wings, she surged into the air, and Prime was flattened against her back.
"Oh shit," Prime got out, clinging grimly to the dragon's carapace. "Can't fly anymore, not good. Totally sucks." He looked around for Aurora, then pulled himself up and stabbed the armor again. Yet it seemed to be more heavily charged with energy now, and he couldn't penetrate it. Prime spotted Aurora.
"We're gonna have to tire her out more!" he yelled over the rush of the wind. "The armor's too strong while she can still dump energy into it!"
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Post by jenova on Jan 3, 2007 7:04:24 GMT -5
Daggers raised, Aurora ran at the dragon before jumping and cartwheeling over the dragon’s wing. Each of his daggers came in to reach with the joint and cut into it. He landed with ease and rolled away from an counterattack from the deadly claws of the beast.
Aurora reached into his pocket and procured a gem. “Prime, catch,” he shouted, throwing it at his friend.
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Post by prime on Jan 3, 2007 7:13:21 GMT -5
Prime caught the gem, then stared at it in horror, knowing what was about to happen. A bright light burst of the of the Dragoon Spirit when the dragon hit him, its mighty talons crushed him into a rock formation. Muffled screams could be heard for a moment, then nothing. The whole world seemed eerily silent, as though waiting for something. A momentous birth, a grand occasion... something to take pause for, take note of.
Silver-gold light burst out from under the dragon's talons, and Prime shoved them off. He flexed his muscles, testing his maneuverability. Platinum armor covered his body, and a great band of armor surrounded his head, partially stretching down to cover his left eye. The membrane covering the eye was semi-translucent, and a dull glow could be discerned from within.
Prime opened his six great wings, flapping them each separately, hovering inches above the ground. Unlike in the previous transformations, Prime's left arm was free of the massive organic gun. However, if he concentrated, it flowed over his arm: the semiorganic, divine energy cannon, a thing of great destructive potential.
Prime toed the ground and shot forward, swinging his platinum blade. He cut a gash across the dragon's chest armor, close to its heart. He only had two shots at this, so he didn't want to waste them.
"Hey Aurora!" he yelled. "You think you can blast some of this armor away?"
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Post by jenova on Jan 3, 2007 7:43:58 GMT -5
Aurora just ran at the dragon again, rolling under swipe after swipe from the claws. It seemed Mr. Dragon was now pissed, very pissed. Aurora jumped forward and to the left, over the swipe of the tail as he approached the underbelly. He reached the spot where the armor had been damaged and grabbed it, teleporting away. He had ripped and teleported a huge chunk of armor with him, and now the dragon was roaring in pain.
Aurora smiled. “Your turn.”
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Post by prime on Jan 3, 2007 7:54:37 GMT -5
Prime had already fired his cannon just as Aurora teleported, right on cue. The massive blue-white energy ripped through the dragon's flesh, quickly exposing its heart. The dragon roared and tried to cover its breast, but Prime flew in, and chopped at its foreleg with his sword, severing it at the joint. He twisted, pointed his cannon at its heart, and fired.
Aurora and Prime stood beside the corpse of the massive dragon, breathing hard. They looked only half-pleased with themselves, seeing as the dragon hadn't exactly been evil. Primed glanced at Aurora. "Hey man, stop by my forge in a few days, and I should have something for you," he said grimly, looking at the dragon. "Now get lost, I need to sulk."
POHATU EDIT: I need to do that also.
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