Geology [Featured Battle]

[black shadow]

Black Shadow done from the caravan, the crystallizing goo barely missing his legs. A quick roll helped break his fall, and keep him from injury. Dragon... Why is it always a dragon? black Shadow thought, standing again. He looked back, noticing the caravan was invaded in the crystals, yet the inside appeared to be untouched, His fellow mercenary pounding from inside trying desperately to escape. poor soul.

The attention turned back to the beast as a monstrous roar came from its throat. To his right, shadow could see a man tackle another, saving him from the fate that should have come. Black Shadow scanned for cover, noticing another caravan tipped in it's side. Using a burst of speed, Black Shadow dove into the back, pulled out an arrow, and shot at the dragon. His head ducked into what he hoped to be safety as the dragon released another volley of crystallizing goo.

Black Shadow covered his head, hoping if he was to be hit, it would at least leave him alive. A wave of relief came over him as he could hear a crackling noise. He looked up, seeing the good turn into solid crystal. it worke... Now what? he thought, trying to stand. There was a thick piece of fabric he stood on, and something big was underneath. Ripping the cloth away, shadow revealed one of the unused ballista. this could work.

A loud crack could be heard through the battlefield as the ballista shot a hole through the crystal. Black Shadow stepped out, and the dragon had his eye on something else. He used this time to look back at the boy and man he "saved earlier", but they were out of his current view. His attention then turned back to the monster, studying its every move. what is that thing around his neck?

[Fox Owen Xavier]

“Take cover,” Fox yelled as he instantly responded to the unexpected monster. Jumping behind the wagon, he avoided losing his nerves and turned his attention to the dragon and the mad man who was supposed to be his ally. On the other side of the cart, ‘old John’ didn’t bother hiding his intent to switch to plan crimson. He quickly unloaded his crossbow and begun cranking it up while staring at his target with a grin pasted on his face.

“Damn it!” Fox thoughts had a dual meaning as an earth shattering roar nearly ruptured his sensitive eardrums amidst the crystal storm. He knew mad John would be okay for certain reasons that was obvious to his nose, but the other panicking fools who come on this adventure were far from safe.

The alchemist could only sigh as running humans’ screams caught the enraged dragon’s attention. He was far from calm himself but at least knew that running in the open plain was a death wish. At least his sneaking over a blood stained corpse and behind the fourth wagon had purpose behind it. The potion maker could clearly see from here mercenaries with range weapons firing at the armor like scales of the dragon and a few brave men operating the ballista. The leather straps on the beast made Fox pause for a second to wonder what they could be for but he immediately snapped back to the situation as he saw a flicker of color fly past him.

Thud. Plan crimson reared its ugly head as a nearby mercenary collapsed with a bolt through his heart. Everyone was so focused on the great foe that they were oblivious to the traitor inside their midst.

“There’s only trinkets here… Guess blood is a small price to pay for the organization especially since they deal in killing,” Fox sadly reflected as he drew his redwood bow to take aim. “Hero, traitor, fool, coward, what do I want to do and become?”

[Hysteria]

The dragon turned its head to the side and brought it around in a long spray of its crystallising breath. The attack had nowhere near the intensity of the first, instead spreading thin crystal across most of the exposed surfaces. Arrows and bolts paused for a second as men took cover before rallying again. The attacks flung up at the creature for the most part they were haphazard and bounced off the tough green scales. Ranged attacks seemed to have little effect against the creature at least when fired in haste and fear.

* * * *

Jack lifted up a shard of crystal to the light and peered through it.

“Sir… I-“

Jack held up his hand and silenced the man. He turned his face towards him, the light shining through the crystal covered his face in dappled light.

“Have you heard of Magicite henchman number 1?”

“Its Sm-“

“Henchman number 2 if you keep up that attitude,” Jack lifted the crystal towards the henchman, “This stuff seemed to be a crude form of that most magical mineral. Every time this- whatever- attacks we can get a mound of this stuff. We’ve been stockpiling it, got more than enough to make back our money when the trade route is cleared. The more men we throw at it, the richer we become.”

Jack turned back to the crystal and smiled.

[Logan]

Logan and the child-like creature rolled alongside the second tipped over cart. The psion tugged the boy into the relative safety of the fallen cart as distractions began to fly all around them. Fortunes definitely seemed to be turning for the unlikely pair.

The dragon's attention was drawn by the various ballistas and ranged attacks, and the breath seemed to have missed and avoided the cart. "It should be safe for you here," Logan ordered the young boy.

The psion bolted from the cover of the tipped wagon. His eyes bounced about the battlefield, trying to assess the situation. There were guardsmen and those who were clearly not guardsmen, perhaps mercenaries. Some had engaged the dragon, others had attempted to flee only to be dropped by the dragon's crystal rain. At least rain was the closest thing Logan could think of the attack resembled.

His eyes fell to the leather straps around the neck of the dragon. They felt out of place to the veteran, almost to the point he couldn't ignore them. A thought crossed his mind, and he lifted the crossbow.

Logan readied a shot at the space between the straps. He would need time to steady his aim and to focus to slow his breathing. The only hope he had of the shot landing was if somebody could provide protection and keep the focus of the dragon. Could his luck keep up?

[black shadow]

Black Shadow stepped behind the caravan, taking cover in case the dragon turned it's attention back to him. Cries of pain and suffering as well as courage could be heard throughout the battlefield. Shadow could not help but turn towards his fellow mercenaries, and a look of horror washed over him as he watched some men kill eachother.

There's a dragon out there and they want to slaughter eachother? He thought. Then he noticed one of the men with crossbow in hand aiming at the dragon. Black Shadow judges his trajectory, an area between the "collar" and the neck of the beast. he noticed it too... He could come in handy.

One of the men who turned against the others took his crossbow, aiming it at the man. Black Shadow acted quick, ripping an arrow from his quiver. As the bolt from the crossbow was released, it was met with a steel arrow, knocking it out of he sky. The enemy's hands snapped to his neck, his body dropping lifeless to the floor. Black Shadow ended the man's life, hoping it would be worth it.

[Logan]

"Focus", the psion mumbled under his breath. Logan took a deep breath as he wiped a drop of sweat from his brow. All about the battlefield crystalline statues of men and creatures form where life once breathed. As he lifted the crossbow once more his heartbeat and breath steady and his aim true, the gurgle sound of death filled his tuned ears giving him pause. To his right, a fellow guardsman fell. Were the foes within the rank and file?

Around the guardsman's neck was a talisman of something similar to the crystal shards on the ground. The artifact was fastened with leather similar to the straps around the neck of the dragon. If the fallen guardsman wasn't friend, then he would be foe. And if he was foe, then he wasn't acting alone. And if he wasn't acting alone, then who else among the ranks was with him?

Logan's eyes darted about. He settled on the man who fell the guardsman, and gave a simple but appreciative head nod. The psion didn't have much choice, so he opted to align with the one who laid the guardsman out in hopes he might provide protection and cover as needed. Perhaps, even, they might just cease the destruction of the dragon, and perhaps they might even make it out alive.

The crossbow rose with steady aim at the space between the straps along the dragon's neck, but the psion didn't pull the trigger. A crystal at his feet began to hum slightly, and he glanced down. "What the...," he kicked at the small gemstone, and it exploded in a small burst of energy which knocked him onto the ground.

Logan looked around the makeshift battlefield rapidly. All around the crystal structures seemed to vibrate, hum or glow. Some seemed to do various combinations of the three. There were old wives tales of ancient gemstones with the ability to capture magic and output it as controlled energy, but it wasn't possible. Was it?

The psion rose to his feet as he gazed up at the creature. "Eh, fuck it. What do I have to lose," he wondered to himself.

The crossbow rose with a steady aim between the straps once more. He took a deep breath in and focused intently on his shot.

"Don't let me down," he whispered as he fired the bolt. The aim was true, but was it enough to do any damage?

[The Coralian Outcast]

I'm not that weak. Am I? Alex thought as the man who had tackled him left with a comment about Alex staying in the cart to be safe. Alex thought long and hard about his skills, he was a basic swordsman, he had no magical abilities yet, and he had no shield. Yeah, he was useless here. Who was I kidding when I snuck in to that wagon, I can't do anything. I'm useless. Is that why dad and mom left me? Alex then noticed that he wasn't alone in the cart. One of the guards that was a part of the main caravan had taken cover in the cart and seemed scared. Alex looked at him for a second then peeked around the cover of the wagon to see the dragon had taken out quite a few of the other guards.

I'm not the only one useless here. These men are not much use either. But at least I know... His thoughts were interrupted as he had to pull his head back into the cart in order to avoid a stray crystal breath that moved passed his head. Thank the kings for the warning, thought Alex as the last of the dragon's breath went passed him. It was then he noticed the crystals that formed on the ground where the dragon breath skimmed it. He went a grabbed the blue gem but quickly retracted it as he felt a headache come on.

The crystal pulled on my magic, Alex thought as his headache dissipated. This stuff is dangerous. I have to find a way to get some but not touch it. I don't think any form of magic could hold it as it seems to draw in the stuff. If only I had a sack of some sort. Alex looked around but didn't find anything he could use, at least, until he saw the small an empty quiver next to one of the coated giant bows. Perfect he thought as he snuck his way to the quiver and grabbed it before he pulled it back over to where he was before, he then found a piece of cloth in the caravan and grabbed it. With the cloth he picked up the crystal, a small amount of his magic was still pulled from him but his body had a higher recovery rate then the pull so he would be fine. Though, the magic in the air still made him slightly nauseous it wasn't going to stop him. He collected and contained a few crystals to be studied later, in a magic proof suite of course.

However, as Alex picked up the last of the gems he noticed this one started to glow and shake. With fear the young coralian threw away the gem which exploded upon contact with the ground. Alex looked at where the gem exploded then back at his stash before he smiled. Now I can fight. he grabbed a gem and started to channel his water magic into it. The magic quickly filled the gem and he started to overload it. As it started to shake, he looked at the dragon with a smile. However, before he could do anything, a bolt crossed his vision as it headed for the dragon's neck. He prayed to the kings that it would hit. He then saw another man aim his giant bow towards the bolt.

A traitor, Alex thought as he threw the gem at the man. The gem exploded into a torrent of water on contact and swept the man off his feet. The force of the water shattered the bow. Alex's mouth gaped before he jumped for joy and yelled, "YES! I'M NOT USELESS AFTER ALL."

[Fox Owen Xavier]

As Fox continued to hesitate, he began to observe several things amidst of the chaos. First, traitor John had been sniped by some other skilled archer leaving him dead. Second, people overall seemed to be split into three different groups: The save your life and run group aka cowards, the dragon slayers group aka fools, and the small opportunist group aka traitors. Finally, the crystals formed by the dragon’s breath seemed quite interesting as a material.

“Damn it, there are no good choices. Running away is risky due to the dragon. Not everyone is distracted so the betrayers will get executed and I don’t have a second life unlike someone. Guess that leaves dragon slaying which is not in my job description…” the wantabe archer finally let the arrow sail through the air. Unfortunately, without the strength and expertise, the enchanted dart plopped in the dirt far before reaching the giant target.

“Plan B… Time to help the group using the ballista since that weapon seems most likely to pierce the dragon’s hide,” Fox spoke to no one in particular. The three men around the siege weapon had already loaded the heavy oak ammo and were about ready to fire. However, one of the men had been badly wounded the crystal hail.

“Hey! You there with the wounds on your arm. How about letting me patch you up before you die from blood loss? I can take your place at the ballista once I stop the blood flow,” the kitsune approached the man groaning in pain on the floor of the cart. The injured warrior had managed to protect his head but at the cost of his arms. After surveying the damage, Fox wished he hadn't spoken up and given the guy a false sense of hope especially since the best solution might be amputation.

[Hysteria]

Logan’s bolt nicked one of the straps attaching the leather collar to the dragon before bouncing off the green scales. For a moment the dragon paused and stared out over the carts into the field. Its eyes turned this way and that, as if suddenly oblivious to the men below in favour of some internal struggle. The moment was short, the dragon turned back towards the carts and roared.

The air twisted in galls as the wind from the dragon’s mouth swept across the battle. The dragon dipped its head low and rivers of dirt poured off its back and fell with trees and rocks to join the gale. The air was not normal however. It was imbued with magic, magic that reacted to the crude crystals that now coated half the surfaces people cowered behind.

Jacob panted heavily as a stray stone had smashed into his chest and shattered the crystals that had encased him, leaving only his legs trapped. His smile was broad as he escaped death and looked around for something to free his legs. His mind was brought back as he felt the crystal around his legs start to hum, and most worryingly, heat up.

“Oh drat.”

Explosions erupted throughout the carts and the unlucky sods caught within. Mercenaries and guards screamed with pain as the crystal encased body parts were sawn clean off with the explosions. Those unlucky enough to be caught next to the crystals were likewise silences by explosions. Where the carts has been, remained only a few shattered pieces of wood and large craters. Cover would now be found in the dirt and behind wreckage.

Alex found himself in an unlucky situation. As well as needing to survive the explosions, the crystals he had been holding spontaneously erupted, blowing the fingers clean off his left hand.

As the dirt and chaos started to settle the air was filled with the cries for help. Only a handful of people were still mobile, and the scene had turned from a crystal pitched battle into a gore filled warzone. The dragon lifted its head back into the air and roared again, this time raining crystal shards onto the road. These captured the latent magic and would explode moments after impact.

Just to clarify, its 48 hours between my posts for the timelimit, so you might have three days between your posts. The number of posts for rewards might be better written as ‘post rounds’. Posts coming up after this post are at 4.

Things to contend with:
Wind was very strong, with dirt, stones and trees mixed in.
Explosions should pretty much affect everyone.
Alex (The Coralian Outcast) has lost his fingers on his left hand.
Crystal shards now explode.

Notes:
No need to stay on the road.

[Logan]

A pretty remarkable shot, and the dragon reeled a bit. The beast seemed confused or possibly conflicted, and the psion picked up on it. He lifted the crossbow for a second shot at the straps, but the winds picked up. These weren't ordinary winds, they were strong enough the psion was pushed back into a roll. Loud, ominous cracks rang through the area as trees were uprooted. A cart fractured as a tree ripped right through the wooden supports like they were butter, sending planks of splintered wood spinning about the battlefield.

As the psion rolled backward, a tree slammed into the ground. The impact of the trunk into the dirt dented a two foot circle around the tree as it dug deep into the earth below. Logan's roll rammed him into the tree and began to roll him past it, but his arm reached out and wrapped around the trunk as best he could. As the gales picked up in intensity, the crossbow slid from his fingers and joined the mixture of debris turned torpedoes.

He tried to take a deep breath, but instead only coughed up blood. The impact most likely broke a couple of bones, a rib or two, and probably inflicted some damage to his insides. The psion's eyes glanced about in an attempt to find the helper from before. He only needed a moment with him, but would he get it?

It was at that moment the crystals began to shatter and explode. Logan knew immediately they weren't exploding from the force of the wind or impacts, but from an energy overload. They were being fed elemental or arcane essence, and it was all coming from the dragon.

The first explosions took out a man to his right, completely severing his torso from his lower half before both halves swirled into the swirling tornado. The second explosions popped about twenty yards from the psion's position, sending dirt scattering and creating small four foot round trenches in the ground. The third explosions rang through his ears near where he'd left the young boy, and Logan squeezed his eyes shut.

He'd left the small boy in the cover of the cart, and after the explosion it was most likely nothing more than splintered piles of rubble. Was there a chance the young boy survived? Logan could only hold onto the small traces of hope. The psion gathered his thoughts as another set of explosions off to his other side ripped through the battlefield, sending bits and pieces of ballista and body flying through the winds.

An arm landed next to Logan, the hand still held fast to a length of rope which ran the length to where the owner of the body fell. The psion reached out and grabbed the rope. He tugged once and then twice. It was taught; most likely caught on something, or someone. He had no choice, and so he tied the end to the tree.

He crawled along the length of the taught rope, gripping as tightly as he could the entire way. Every few steps a crystal or two would explode below him, sending shards into his back and trenchcoat. Blood dripped from the wounds, but he somehow soldiered on. If he could just make it to whatever lay on the other end of the rope, he felt he had a chance to find some cover and maybe even escape.

All he needed was a little help, but would anyone come to his rescue?