34th of Ash, 120
Another volley of booms rang out through the cool ash air that night, and Arkash trembled with fear while he hid out of reach. Asmodei stood over him while they waited on the roof of the abandoned factory, half of which had collapsed on itself due to the damage its supports had sustained. They were under attack; a gang that Arkash suspected to be The Black Boar Chargers had opened fire on them in the dead of night while Arkash was settling down to sleep. His bed, his fire barrel, everything had been obliterated by the explosive runeforged shells that the gang wielded.
"What did I tell you, Ark?" Asmodei asked while he stood over the curled-up rathari. "I distinctly remember telling you that mixing with the wrong groups can be dangerous."
"Az..." Arkash started with a look fury in his one yellow eye. "Is this really the time for an 'I told you so'? Fucking... Really?" He couldn't believe the avialae sometimes. Even if they were about to be executed by a full force of argent knights, Arkash didn't doubt that Asmodei would be the first to tell him about how he was wrong, or how he'd made a mistake. It was something he truly hated about the avialae, but there was nothing that could be done about it at that moment.
"...Right, sorry." Asmodei sighed, then took a knee beside the rath. "So... What's your plan?"
Arkash furrowed his brow, then looked tot he avialae bewildered. "...My plan?!" What the hell did he mean?
"Yeah, what are you gonna do about those assholes shooting up our home?" Asmodei crossed his arms patiently, and Arkash sparked with fury.
"THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I'M GONNA DO ABOUT IT?!" Arkash snarled. "SURE, AZ, LET ME JUST WALK ON OVER THERE AND ASK THEM NICELY TO STOP!" With that, the lizard rose to his shaky feet and looked about his person for his knife. When he found the dagger, he drew it. "This right here will be my please and thank you!" He snarled as he pointed the blade at the avialae.
Asmodei merely stared with an amused look on his face while the lizard lost his temper, then chuckled a breath at the comment made on his knife. "There's six of them, but only five are armed, it seems. Need any help handling them?"
Arkash merely tilted his head a little and lowered his brow. It was a gesture that spoke 'what do you think', a gesture he used often. Again, the avialae laughed, then rolled to his feet. "I can't even get off the roof without your help, Asmodei. It's a struggle to take down one guy, you think I'm gonna take on six myself?"
"Alright, alright, I hear you. Ready to get down there?" Arkash hesitated. The gangsters weren't firing anymore, they hadn't shot in a while, which had several implications that Arkash couldn't begin to process. He didn't have the time, as before he could, the metal sheet they stood on was blasted with the force of an explosive shell, and Sent both Arkash and Asmodei tumbling. The avialae caught himself with his wings while Arkash rolled onto his side as he slid down the corrugated metal of the roof, the drove his dagger into the sheet metal to slow his descent. It wasn't enough. The moment he hit the waterspout, his dagger was knocked from his grasp and he fell from the roof. Arkash bared his teeth and curled into a ball to save himself from the impact, then rolled out across the floor as he hit it, and collapsed in a pile on the dirt. His dagger hit the ground beside his head, and the blade embedded itself in the dirt.
His ears rang, his feet hurt. He was no doubt battered and bruised, but he was breathing. With a strained grunt, he turned onto his back and looked to his legs; all his toes were still there, but several lacerations laid woven in his scales, likely cuts from shrapnel. None were too deep or damning, but he did need bandages and cleaning. "Fuck..." he muttered, then held his head while his ears rang. The blast was too loud, and it shook him to his very soul. Obviously, the chargers were perceptive enough to hear Arkash screaming from the top of his lungs and worked out where to shoot.
More blasts followed, and the metal sheet wall that separated him from the interior of the factory blew apart. Arkash covered his eye with his one whole arm, then gripped his knife by the handle as he rolled onto his knees, then bolted away. More blasts followed in a trail behind him until one hit just a little too close to his feet and sent him tumbling. Arkash dove forward into his front hand and kicked off with a handspring to land squarely on his feet again before he turned sharply with the use of his foot claws and ran directly at the factory.
All the fear that had crushed him burned away, and failed to encumber him further. The frustration of being knocked around like a ragdoll infuriated him. His cravings were out of control and his mouth flung streaks of drool all about the place while he twisted and contorted his body to throw himself closer and closer to the men that fired upon him.
The gangsters were huddled in the abandoned factory while its wooden floor burned and it's supports groaned. the air was thick and dry with ash and soot, but it was warm enough to enable Arkash to use the best of his flexibility to his advantage. There were six of them, as Asmodei said, and the five with weapons aimed their sights at Arkash. He couldn't evade that no matter how warm or flexible he was. What was worse? He was out of cover. "READY!" Called one of the humans with his arm in the air. Before the order to fire could hit though, a blast of bright red flame scattered the men. Arkash startled and hesitated before he saw Asmodei in the air. In his hand; a lance made of flame, which he aimed at the humans and flung without relent. It missed, and the humans began to scramble and aim for the winged man. They were divided between Arkash and Asmodei. Two of them faced the rath while three aimed to shoot down the avialae. Meanwhile, their leader laid on the floor, unconscious.
The two that faced Arkash fired their guns at will, and the rath dove beneath the blasts and tumbled before he sprang at his opponent from the ground. He moved with grace and speed like he never had before. Part-way through his leap, he tackled one of the men and bit into their face to anchor himself. His foot claws hooked the human's hips while he tried to steady himself for a strike in which he'd stab the human's throat, but the human had other plans as he dropped his gun and threw a punch directly into the rathari's stomach. Arkash's lungs hadn't fully recovered from his injuries last season, and the strike half-winded him. He fell off, then rolled across the floor to evade a stomp of the human's foot.
Arkash gripped the ground hard and pulled his body forward to dive at the human, then swung and carved his knife through the air as he tried to land a successful hit, but the human was equally fast. His accomplice, the one who stood with his gun, aimed at the two, but held fast. He couldn't hit Arkash without killing his fellow charger, after all. It wasn't as if Arkash was stationary either. He danced and wove around the human who evaded his attacks as they came from all sides, and every swipe failed until Arkash finally nicked the man's side on his way past. Then in an impressive display of agility, he launched himself from the ground behind the human, then drove his dagger upward into he human's lung. The human paused and stood in shock as he coughed and sputtered.
For a moment, Arkash held on to the kill and twisted his dagger to yank it from his victim's body. The man wasn't dead, he could still be saved, but that wasn't what the man's accomplice saw. The pop of a fired shell sounded, and Arkash dove to the side simultaneously. A blast of ether blew the injured human's body into pieces and forced Ark to drop his knife. It wasn't as though he needed it, however, as his yellow eye fixed on the gun that his victim had dropped. Part-way through his tumble, he snatched the weapon and skidded to a halt just a meter or so from a roaring fire, and aimed the gun at the last standing human before he pulled the trigger. The recoil blasted the weapon from Arkash's grip, but the bullet blew apart the human's legs. He'd aimed for the head, but Arkash had little experience with firearms.
Chunks of broken bone and gore flung all about the place as the man's upper half rolled across the floor, only to stop as his head met Asmodei's sabaton. A firm press of his boot was all it took for the avialae to crush the charger's skull, then kick the body over. Plastered in gore and ash, he knelt before Arkash and offered his gauntlet-wrapped hand.
Arkash was still running his adrenaline high as he looked over the avialae, then looked to where his opponents once stood and found a pyre of burning, broken bodies. Asmodei had killed them all, and there wasn't a scratch on him. Arkash's breath was hard and heavy while he stared, then finally slowed to a crawl as he extended his claws to take Asmodei's hand. With a yank, the avialae pulled him from the ground. Asmodei pulled the rathari into his arms in the amber glow of their burning, ruined hideout, then carried him into the night. Arkash merely stared at the scene with his one sighted eye then lifted his tongue to taste some of the blood that painted his muzzle. Asmodei took off once he was outside the burning factory, and left the scene behind.
Another volley of booms rang out through the cool ash air that night, and Arkash trembled with fear while he hid out of reach. Asmodei stood over him while they waited on the roof of the abandoned factory, half of which had collapsed on itself due to the damage its supports had sustained. They were under attack; a gang that Arkash suspected to be The Black Boar Chargers had opened fire on them in the dead of night while Arkash was settling down to sleep. His bed, his fire barrel, everything had been obliterated by the explosive runeforged shells that the gang wielded.
"What did I tell you, Ark?" Asmodei asked while he stood over the curled-up rathari. "I distinctly remember telling you that mixing with the wrong groups can be dangerous."
"Az..." Arkash started with a look fury in his one yellow eye. "Is this really the time for an 'I told you so'? Fucking... Really?" He couldn't believe the avialae sometimes. Even if they were about to be executed by a full force of argent knights, Arkash didn't doubt that Asmodei would be the first to tell him about how he was wrong, or how he'd made a mistake. It was something he truly hated about the avialae, but there was nothing that could be done about it at that moment.
"...Right, sorry." Asmodei sighed, then took a knee beside the rath. "So... What's your plan?"
Arkash furrowed his brow, then looked tot he avialae bewildered. "...My plan?!" What the hell did he mean?
"Yeah, what are you gonna do about those assholes shooting up our home?" Asmodei crossed his arms patiently, and Arkash sparked with fury.
"THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I'M GONNA DO ABOUT IT?!" Arkash snarled. "SURE, AZ, LET ME JUST WALK ON OVER THERE AND ASK THEM NICELY TO STOP!" With that, the lizard rose to his shaky feet and looked about his person for his knife. When he found the dagger, he drew it. "This right here will be my please and thank you!" He snarled as he pointed the blade at the avialae.
Asmodei merely stared with an amused look on his face while the lizard lost his temper, then chuckled a breath at the comment made on his knife. "There's six of them, but only five are armed, it seems. Need any help handling them?"
Arkash merely tilted his head a little and lowered his brow. It was a gesture that spoke 'what do you think', a gesture he used often. Again, the avialae laughed, then rolled to his feet. "I can't even get off the roof without your help, Asmodei. It's a struggle to take down one guy, you think I'm gonna take on six myself?"
"Alright, alright, I hear you. Ready to get down there?" Arkash hesitated. The gangsters weren't firing anymore, they hadn't shot in a while, which had several implications that Arkash couldn't begin to process. He didn't have the time, as before he could, the metal sheet they stood on was blasted with the force of an explosive shell, and Sent both Arkash and Asmodei tumbling. The avialae caught himself with his wings while Arkash rolled onto his side as he slid down the corrugated metal of the roof, the drove his dagger into the sheet metal to slow his descent. It wasn't enough. The moment he hit the waterspout, his dagger was knocked from his grasp and he fell from the roof. Arkash bared his teeth and curled into a ball to save himself from the impact, then rolled out across the floor as he hit it, and collapsed in a pile on the dirt. His dagger hit the ground beside his head, and the blade embedded itself in the dirt.
His ears rang, his feet hurt. He was no doubt battered and bruised, but he was breathing. With a strained grunt, he turned onto his back and looked to his legs; all his toes were still there, but several lacerations laid woven in his scales, likely cuts from shrapnel. None were too deep or damning, but he did need bandages and cleaning. "Fuck..." he muttered, then held his head while his ears rang. The blast was too loud, and it shook him to his very soul. Obviously, the chargers were perceptive enough to hear Arkash screaming from the top of his lungs and worked out where to shoot.
More blasts followed, and the metal sheet wall that separated him from the interior of the factory blew apart. Arkash covered his eye with his one whole arm, then gripped his knife by the handle as he rolled onto his knees, then bolted away. More blasts followed in a trail behind him until one hit just a little too close to his feet and sent him tumbling. Arkash dove forward into his front hand and kicked off with a handspring to land squarely on his feet again before he turned sharply with the use of his foot claws and ran directly at the factory.
All the fear that had crushed him burned away, and failed to encumber him further. The frustration of being knocked around like a ragdoll infuriated him. His cravings were out of control and his mouth flung streaks of drool all about the place while he twisted and contorted his body to throw himself closer and closer to the men that fired upon him.
The gangsters were huddled in the abandoned factory while its wooden floor burned and it's supports groaned. the air was thick and dry with ash and soot, but it was warm enough to enable Arkash to use the best of his flexibility to his advantage. There were six of them, as Asmodei said, and the five with weapons aimed their sights at Arkash. He couldn't evade that no matter how warm or flexible he was. What was worse? He was out of cover. "READY!" Called one of the humans with his arm in the air. Before the order to fire could hit though, a blast of bright red flame scattered the men. Arkash startled and hesitated before he saw Asmodei in the air. In his hand; a lance made of flame, which he aimed at the humans and flung without relent. It missed, and the humans began to scramble and aim for the winged man. They were divided between Arkash and Asmodei. Two of them faced the rath while three aimed to shoot down the avialae. Meanwhile, their leader laid on the floor, unconscious.
The two that faced Arkash fired their guns at will, and the rath dove beneath the blasts and tumbled before he sprang at his opponent from the ground. He moved with grace and speed like he never had before. Part-way through his leap, he tackled one of the men and bit into their face to anchor himself. His foot claws hooked the human's hips while he tried to steady himself for a strike in which he'd stab the human's throat, but the human had other plans as he dropped his gun and threw a punch directly into the rathari's stomach. Arkash's lungs hadn't fully recovered from his injuries last season, and the strike half-winded him. He fell off, then rolled across the floor to evade a stomp of the human's foot.
Arkash gripped the ground hard and pulled his body forward to dive at the human, then swung and carved his knife through the air as he tried to land a successful hit, but the human was equally fast. His accomplice, the one who stood with his gun, aimed at the two, but held fast. He couldn't hit Arkash without killing his fellow charger, after all. It wasn't as if Arkash was stationary either. He danced and wove around the human who evaded his attacks as they came from all sides, and every swipe failed until Arkash finally nicked the man's side on his way past. Then in an impressive display of agility, he launched himself from the ground behind the human, then drove his dagger upward into he human's lung. The human paused and stood in shock as he coughed and sputtered.
For a moment, Arkash held on to the kill and twisted his dagger to yank it from his victim's body. The man wasn't dead, he could still be saved, but that wasn't what the man's accomplice saw. The pop of a fired shell sounded, and Arkash dove to the side simultaneously. A blast of ether blew the injured human's body into pieces and forced Ark to drop his knife. It wasn't as though he needed it, however, as his yellow eye fixed on the gun that his victim had dropped. Part-way through his tumble, he snatched the weapon and skidded to a halt just a meter or so from a roaring fire, and aimed the gun at the last standing human before he pulled the trigger. The recoil blasted the weapon from Arkash's grip, but the bullet blew apart the human's legs. He'd aimed for the head, but Arkash had little experience with firearms.
Chunks of broken bone and gore flung all about the place as the man's upper half rolled across the floor, only to stop as his head met Asmodei's sabaton. A firm press of his boot was all it took for the avialae to crush the charger's skull, then kick the body over. Plastered in gore and ash, he knelt before Arkash and offered his gauntlet-wrapped hand.
Arkash was still running his adrenaline high as he looked over the avialae, then looked to where his opponents once stood and found a pyre of burning, broken bodies. Asmodei had killed them all, and there wasn't a scratch on him. Arkash's breath was hard and heavy while he stared, then finally slowed to a crawl as he extended his claws to take Asmodei's hand. With a yank, the avialae pulled him from the ground. Asmodei pulled the rathari into his arms in the amber glow of their burning, ruined hideout, then carried him into the night. Arkash merely stared at the scene with his one sighted eye then lifted his tongue to taste some of the blood that painted his muzzle. Asmodei took off once he was outside the burning factory, and left the scene behind.
