Hunter (Solo)

((OOC: Hopefully this will be a shortish solo for me to flex some rusty writing muscles))

A lot had changed on the island nation of Corone.

The war for Radasanth had been a brutal affair which saw far too many dead in such a short period of time. The upcoming upheaval of the current government to the brotherhood was upon everyone’s lips when Sage had taken his detour to Stonevale. And ever since he had arrived back on his home nation it was still all everyone was talking about. Whispers from the north, roomers spread by merchants and neutral parties that wanted nothing to do with the war.

Much like Sage himself.

Oh, that was not to say that he did not have his opinions on who was right and who was wrong. But Sage was not a fighter of any kind and held no political clout so anything he had to say would never be heard by the leaders on either side.

But it was all everyone wanted to talk about and yet despite the war was now abruptly over with the status quo remaining as it had before the war, both sides were far too busy picking up the pieces of the calamity that caused the fighting to stop.
The meteor shower that rained down hell all over Corone.

And yet, beyond Sage’s understanding, there was little said about that particular even that had stopped the war. The damage was extensive, villages had been crushed, farmland had been razed to the ground. The land of Corone had been forever changed by the event that new maps would have to be made just to account for the craters that now pockmarked the landscape.

Sage sighed and ran a hand through his long flowing hair.

Perhaps it wasn’t that the people of Corone were not just talking about it, they were a hardy people, death and destruction was almost commonplace in the world. Perhaps that people were not talking about the meteor fall unlike the war because out of the two, the Meteors had been the less devastating of the two.

‘Which is foolish. If both sides were serious about this war, then all that would have come from this would be a temporary cease fire.’ The boy groused as he tapped the leather-bound grimoire with his finger.

He wished that people had something more interesting to talk about. Like the Meteors that had fallen. There was so little gossip about it that any information Sage did have about them was scant at best, but that did not mean that the people had been oblivious to where they had fallen.

One such Meteor was said to have fallen somewhere in the south west region of Concordia forest. And unlike the last one, Sage was hoping that the remains had yet to be picked clean by the Alliance or the Brotherhood and he was certain that none of the typical scavengers had gotten to it either because most people would tend to leave the forest alone.

Sage was hoping to be the first one there so that he could claim what was left of the meteor. But first he needed to get to the nearby village of Tristen so that he could then form a small band to help ward off any nasty surprises that may be awaiting him within the forest. Which was what had lead Sage to here an now, sat reclining against a fallen log with a small caravan parked nearby that was warming a stew over an open campfire. It was one of the merchant caravans that often carried goods from Tristen to Radasanth and he had managed to hitch a ride along with a woman and child that had been seeking to get away from the war.

All they had been talking about was the war, much to the point that Sage had withdrawn himself away from the group.

He was far more interested in the meteor shower and not all of it was a purely academic interest. The nature of the meteor storm had reminded him of the similar calamity that had created the Vale of Dreams, a magical poisoned desert that warped any living creature that lingered too close. Granted, that incident had occurred in a completely different world, but that did not mean that the meteor falls here did not also have some unique properties. But most of all it would perhaps allow him to put his mind to rest with his own theory that the meteor storm was actually the by-product of a spell.

And after the incident in Stonevale, he really had a sinking feeling that this was the cause of another similar fanatic cult that really ought to be culled.

But he would need to actually get a hold of one of the Meteor shards first before he could start any investigation into it, but his gut twisted with the thought and he hoped that his suspicion would be proven false this time around.

“Are you going to read that book, or stare at the cover all night?” a low rumbling voice startled the boy out of his thoughts and he looked up to the large weather worn man stood before him. The man was one of the caravan guards who routinely made the trip from Tristen and Radasanth transporting goods and wears and occasionally merchants who bartered passage. His hair was greying along the sides and his face was pock marked with only a few scars, though his leather armour and the sword he kept by his side certainly appeared as worn as he did.

Sage wrapped the grimoire in his arms close to his chest as he tried to stammer out an answer. “N-no, w-well yes, I did plan on reading it, its just that”

“You look like you have your head in the clouds” The man said with a smile and held out the bowl of stew he had been holding for Sage. Flushing with embarrassment, the young Mage politely took the bowl and uttered a shy “Thank you”

Sage positioned himself to sit upright against the fallen log he had been using as his backrest and placed his grimoire to the side and he turned his attention fully on the free meal he had been given. There was no spoon given and the stew was still steaming hot so he was careful on how he held the bowl as he brought it up to his lips and carefully tested the heat of the stew.

It was far to hot for him to try it just yet, so he held the bowl close and stared deeply into the watery broth.

“Something on your mind” the Caravan guard asked him taking a seat atop of the log Sage was resting against. The boy sighed thoughtfully, there were honestly a lot of things on his mind, some he wanted to talk about and much more he dared not wish to speak of. “Nothing, it’s just … I know my family is safe, Crossroads wasn’t hit by the Meteor shower”

“Crossroads eh? That’s the other way from here, why are you heading to Tristen?” The guard asked curiously, to which the boy just continued to stare into the steaming stew and gave an almost unnoticeable shrug.

“I honestly could not say, other than there is something I need to see for myself” he answered plainly.

“I’ll take that as wizard talk for, none of my business” the Guard said absently with a straight face.

Sage looked up at the guard alarmed, thinking he had just insulted the man “What no I didn’t mean it anything like that at all” he said quickly not wanting to offend the man, but the elder just laughed after holding a straight face for a moment longer.

“Relax kid, most mages I meet tend to be the private sort.” He said honestly and sage absently agreed with the man’s stout observation. “My name is Maximillian, but everyone around here just calls me Max”

“I regret everything” The boy mumbled into the dirt as the onset of pain and consciousness began to war over the custody of his attention. His body was the embodiment of pain, literal pain as he struggled to lift himself from the cold hard ground to look up at the devastation around him.

Splinters of wood and embers of fire littered remains of what had once been the camp sight, the desperate screams of the merchants and guard echoed around him but his world was incandescent and blurred with a white noise buzzing in his ears. He managed a single thought as he pushed himself off the ground.

“What in the nine hells just happened?” he growled through the pain and clutched at his uncovered wet arm. A single glance was enough to reveal something sharp and metal embedded in his upper arm, and the all encapsulant white hot pain that accompanied it was enough to bring the boy to a whimpering mess.

Even as he looked around for answers his eyes looked up into the starless night sky, a storm had been brewing before he had laid down to rest for the night and the hole world was pitch blade save the dark silhouette of the Concordia forest billowing overhead in a steadily growing wind.

He had just gotten back onto his feet, holding back his tears and keeping his own whimpers to a minimum as the fading embers of the campfire revealed a disaster all around him. He had not been the only one who had been injured, but it would seem he was one of the lucky ones. The woman and child who had bartered transport away from Radasanth and the war now lay still on the ground, the light of the embers illuminating the shards of broken metal protruding from their bodies.

Reeling in horror at the sight of the dead, he stumbled backwards right into the arms of one of the caravan guards. Maximillian firmly grabbed at the boy’s shoulders and pulled him urgently away from the bodies and into the darkness of the forest.

“Stay quiet, it could come back at any second” the guard ordered and pulled him into a low crouch as his eyes scanned the sky.

“What hap-” He was about to ask but was cut off by a loud ill roar of a massive beast that filled him with a terrible unnerving terror that rooted him to his core. Even Max was not unaffected by the terrible rumble that seemed to echo from nowhere and everywhere at once.
All was still

The other survivors still illuminated by the campfire all froze, eyes bulging with fear and silence reigned.

Then the terror that they all began to fear started to grow, and for a brief second the boy forgot to breathe. It was the wind that gave the first hint that something was upon them, the sound of air being thrown around like a hurricane as a steady beat grew louder and louder.
One of the guards looked up into the sky, and screamed all too briefly as a maw of teeth and death uncoiled from the darkness of the night sky and snapped closed like a vice trap silencing the man in an instant before disappearing from the light of the camp in an instant.

The sight was enough to snap Max from his state of paralysis as he rushed out and yelled at everyone still within the light of the campfire to get to the cover of the trees, and one by one they all faded into the darkness away from the campfire and the corpses and valuables left behind.

“You wanted to know what happened?” Max asked as he returned to the boy’s side and firmly hauled him onto his feet. He pointed in the direction of the campfire and scowled “That happened! Damn thing came from nowhere”

“What is it?” one of the other guards asked, his lanky frame knelt down as his squinted at the wrecked wagon, the grip on his bow was tight enough that the leather of his glove creaked under the strain.

“I have no idea Beluar. I think it could be a Wyvern, but they don’t come this far down south” Another of the guards uttered gently holding his own waist tenderly. Max looked thoughtful as he mulled over the idea but soon shook his head “No, not a Wyvern, that thing had an aura of terror” he stated firmly but his eyes widened in horror.

“It’s a Dragon”

"We need to leave" Maximillian said simply after a moment of silence.

The Caravan guards remained silent as they looked back at the remains of the wagon and the contents they had been transporting. One of the Guards let loose with a series of curses in multiple different languages but his eyes were fixed on the dark and stormy sky. The boy whimpered as the fear made him feel like a mewling child lost and alone within a graveyard. The pain in his arm was also growing worse which caused him to cradle his arm closer which jostled the jagged piece of metal which just made the whole thing worse.

"Here, let me see to your wound" The guard with the bow said after he saw him cradling his arm, Beluar he thought his name was. The man was a half elf, it was not an easy thing to tell, but several times during the trip he had spied the mans slightly pointed ears. He had been burning with questions but had withheld them thinking that asking him about it would be rude.

He offered his arm freely, trying to keep a brave face as the half elf took his arm into his hands and tried to examine the wound in the poor light.

But as the Guards were checking the gear and rounding up the surviving merchants, a port bellied merchant who up until now had kept to himself decided now was a good time to speak out.

"Your just going to leave, just like that?" The merchant cried in disbelief. The merchants face twisted into a look of indignant rage. "What about my property! I am not about to let you all leave it all scattered across the floor for the vultures to back apart!"

None of the guards even bothered to look at him and even Beluar who was attending to his wound tried his best not to respond to the merchants growing outrage. Maximillian Narrowed his eyes at the merchant and rested his hand on the hilt of the arming sword he had by his side. "With all due respect sir, we are to protect you from wild animals and bandits. NOT, Dragons"

"It is not a Dragon! I didn't see a dragon, did you?" The merchants angry statement turned the Guards heads as though the man had turned into a wild beast himself. Even Maximillian looked off put by the Merchants statement but he also could not deny that none of them had actually gotten a good enough look.

"I'm sorry, you must have missed the part where, whatever it was, swooped down and bloody Snapped Oliver up in one single bite" The guard said emphasising the word 'Bite' by snapping his hand in the merchants face like a snapping snake. The merchant looked outraged but didn't reply to that.

"But by all means, go and retrieve your property, we have wounded we need to attend to" Max said nodding his head towards the boy and the guard favouring his side.

"By the way can you tell me your favourite colour?" Beluar said and drew the boys attention back to the half elf confused at the question-

-Schlip-

'SON OF A B!!!-'

-White hot burning unbearable inconsolable pain rippled through his body as the Half elf yanked the metal shard from his arm gracelessly and stuffed his leather clad hand into his mouth that muffled the unhuman scream he unleashed in due order. The elf elf winced as the boys teeth clamped onto his hand but his other was already glowing a soft green light that slowly began to sooth the pain monster that was living in his arm.

"Sorry" He said earnestly and retrieved his hand when he stopped biting. He then smiled sheepishly and pressed the glowing green spell tighter around his wound. "I'm not all that good at the healing arts"

"No shit" He agreed breathlessly.

"Cowards! all of you!" The merchant spat with a look of utter loathing and hatred.

Maximillian Glanced breifly at the portly merchant, he was itching to say something, to do something. Truth be told the only thing that stopped Maximillian from swinging a solid right hook into the merchants chunky cheeks was the fact that he had not forgotten that something was hunting them. He turned to the survivors and grimiced when he realised that there was only just a handful of them left.

Beluar was still tending to the boy's wounds, Thorn had already gathered his things and was ready to leave. The only other merchant to have survived the beasts assault was Colin, though no one was going to expect anything from the short withered man who was currently haunched over mumbleing incohently. Which left Julian looking at them all with a promenant level of contempt.

"If you have nothing left to say then please remove yourself from my sight" Max said growing more agitated by the merchants presence and wanted nothing more than to put distance between them both.

"Do you think its that simple? Do you honestly beleive that you can back out on our agreement just because some stupid beast destroys the wagon!" Julian narrowed his eyes as he stormed up to the caravan guard and jabbed an accusing finger into the man's leather tunic. "I own you" he said venoumously.

The julian turned his eyes to the other survivors "I own all of you!" he furiously spat.

Beleuar narrowed his eyes as he held the boys arm, his attention divided between his heeling spell and the merchants words so much so that the boy winced as his flesh was knitted back together too tightly. It was going to scar, he thourght sadly, but he would also gladly accept such a blemish if it meant that he would live through the night long enough to see the morning.

"The situation has changed" Max argued and breifly the boy wondered what they were yelling about, it didn't sound like they were arguing over the mechants weares anymore.

Beluar caught him looking and tugged on his arm gently to get his attention and shook his head. Carefully the half elf turned to look back at Max and Julian and then whispered in his ear "Stay out of it, Don't get caught up in this" The strange comment caused him to recoil as though he had just took a bite out of a lemon after thinking it was an apple. He looked between both men utterly bewildered by what was going on between them.

"I don't understand?" he told the half elf who just smiled sadly and answered "Good, its for the better."

The half elf then ceased his healing spell, the flesh on his arm had not been fully healed as beluar had no been lieing when he said that he was not much of a healer and it was quite clear that he could not keep the spell up any longer. Fatigue covered his face but he stoicly wrapped up the boys arm in a bandage with the same meticules care that he had with his healing spell.

Thorn growled in annoyance as Julius continued to argue with their leader, further delaying the opening they still had to run. He didn't care for the merchant and only for the coin he paid. But this deal is over before it had even began, everything of value was either smashed, crushed maimed or outright deceased. He looked at the only survivor that was neither merchant or guard and felt nothing but pity for the boy, Beluar had a bleeding heart but he felt it would be more merciful to slit the boys throat here and now and loose the dead weight.

But he didn't feel right, his gut churned and twisted as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he felt that something was looking at him. He was about to say something to Max but their leader was otherwise occupied with arguing with the Merchant.

Taking the initiative and trusting in his gut feeling that something was looking at him, he climbed up the nearest tree with a speed born from years of experience and was able to find a solid enough perch which gave him a good view over the wrecked wagon and the pitiful embers of what remained of the campfire as well as a streak of flames that had passed close by to the camp.

Thorn frowned as the sky began to crackle with thunder, the wind began to wail as the sky rumbled like an angry god. The lit up with a blinding white light for a single instant and in that single moment he thought he saw the creature that had attacked them high overhead slowly circling them as though undecided on how to proceed. It was a single instant but to Thorn felt like it was an eternity as the two of them locked eyes. Fear reached inside of him and took hold of all his thought corroding and corrupting any sense of self preservation in an instant that made the normally calm and collected ranger stop breathing as he looked up and saw death on wings.

He caught his scream before it could leave his throat as the flash of light faded leaving only the cold maelstrom of darkness above them to continue to twist and turn to the mercy of the buffeting wind that blew across the forest.

"MAX!" He yelled with wide eyes causing their leader to look away from Julius towards Thorn who leapt out from his perch in the tree.

And hit the ground with the full weight of the beasts claw on top of him, and snapped the tree the ranger had climbed up in half with its weight alone. Both halves of the tree crashed to the ground with a cascade of snapping branches and jostled leaves.

The group of Survivors watched silently as the beasts breath rumbled with power and even in the darkness they could see the black matte scales that wove up the creatures front leg that was larger and thicker than a single human. It gave of no reflection and even in the dim light of the campfire it was arguable if was even really there. Only thorns crushed corpse was the definite proof that the Black Dragon was even there as the further they looked up, the less of the Dragons form they could see.

"Ehs nishka jaseve, shio nishka loreat"

The Dragons Words rumbled with the very storm around them making it difficult to discern one from another. And though none had understood what had been said, the intent was as clear as day. None of them would see the coming dawn.

Light began to illuminate from the Dragons mouth, a hellish blue that crackled like lightning began to storm within its throat with the promise of an agonising but swift death to all who would bathe in the dragons flames.