-An Unknown Trouble in an Unknown Land-
The sky served as the first sign of unease. The sky was dark in mid-day, swirling black clouds overhead, visible by only the slightest hint from the light above. Lightning struck between these clouds, their echo carrying to the land below.
The second sign was the still- despite the forboding weather above, the winds below were quiet, merely a thick, slow breeze, blowing acrossed the land. Sand cascaded down the dunes of this desert, following the breeze. It was eerie, to say the least... as if the world itself was trying to run, even the unerring wind and the earth below.
Many had gone into hiding, while countless others fled from this forboding presence, much like the forest being still when a bold lion searches for prey. However, this eerie presence didn't seem as temporary as a lion... no, to strike fear at this scale required a much more malicious intent. The intent presented by the shroud was clear, evil, and deadly.
It was only natural, then, that some would come to investigate this power. From the south, moving against the wind, were three figures. The one on the left took the shape of a bull snake, quickly moving through the sand as it parted in front of him, making a smooth sliding surface. On the right was what looked like an average-sized raven, cutting through the breeze with intermittent beats of its wings.
In the center, taking the lead, stood what looked like a wolf-man with white fur, dark-blue feet and ears, black claws, and a small, crescent green moon between its yellow eyes. A line of green fur also lined the outside of each arm, occasionally pulsing with an odd light.
They moved at a steady pace, against the wind. "Take it careful from here on in," the wolf figure said. "There's no telling what's up ahead... Haiu!" The wolf looked at the raven, "Survey the skies." He then turned to the snake. "Raiga, prepare your electricity."
"Getting antsy, Iko?" Raiga quipped at the wolf. It was odd, not really called for in such a serious situation. All that came as a response was a period of silence, the snake's expression quickly retracting as it began to realize the scope of the situation.
Despite this, the plan quickly went into action: Haiu silently glided higher into the air, using the approaching breeze to easily gain altitude. Iko dropped pace for a moment to match Raiga's pace, staying near the snake as, in their current state, Iko's ability to see was far superior.
"This is strange..." Iko mutterred. "You'd think that there'd be something out here... but, there's not even a trace, or a footprint... so why the aura?"
Iko began to consider the situation, looking around, and then up, before realizing that Haiu had spotted something... behind them. Various figures that looked to be made of a solidified shadow appeared and encircled from behind, in the form of large animals, such as tigers, bears, and panthers. This flank seemed to come out of thin air: even as they approached, they left no track on the sand.
It wasn't just from one front: from all sides, these beings began to close around. "Damn..." Iko said, quickly stopping his momentum, the snake stopping in front of him, crackling with energy. Haiu moved downward slightly, idling by flying in a circle. "Such a dense darkness... not even something you can pull, Iko," the bird remarked, as the situation turned to a tense pause, a brief silence filling the air that seemed to last an eternity.
Then, the battle started. It was like a snap: both parties began moving in the same instant. From the front end, the dark figures marched forward, their bodies floating above the ground, approaching at a considerable velocity. Iko stepped forward, focusing, green blades forming on the outside of his arms, originating from the wrist and hooked towards the elbow, about a foot-and-a-half outward from the body.
The leading shadow clashed against this blade, the blade not cleaving through, the shadow meeting the blade like a wall of concrete. Iko braced himself in the sand, barely pushing back against it. ~All this from a shadow?!~
Raiga was having a bit more luck: focusing for several moments, the snake fired out an electrical burst from its mouth at the shadow approaching him, the created light dispersing it. The attack took energy and effort, and it took a direct hit to destroy one... nevertheless, there was no time to think, as Raiga fired a second bolt to anihilate the one Iko was holding off.
Unfortunately, Iko's ill-suited strategy left Haiu wide open in the skies. As a few more forces distracted Raiga, five of the shadow creatures rushed towards the raven. Haiu countered, a blistering shower of blue needles sent hurdling at one of the shadows, which worked to no avail.
Unable to dodge, one of the shadows rammed into the bird, or so it would seem, for a moment. As the shadow hit, it seemed to become intangible, then resolidify, as the bird was trapped inside the shadow. An incredible shriek of pain was let out, as, starting from the wings, the bird began to discintegrate: starting from the wings, a red dust began to form, the transformation working inward, until all that was left was dispersing red dust.
"Haiu!" Iko yelled, only having a moment to look up, before being deadlocked again. "Damn it..." he mutterred. There was no time to stop, he still had to defend himself, even if their force was cut by a third.
It soon became time to assess the situation. At their current power, it would only be a matter of time before the pair would have the same fate as Haiu. Both Raiga and Iko knew this, but, since they were surrounded and constantly flanked, it was all they could do to stand their ground.
This was only the unspoken thought, however. The reality of the situation became apparent when a shadow, in the shape of a lion, managed to clear a path to have a clean swipe at Iko's face. Cursing, he crouched, the claw grazing a good section out of his right ear, as the shadow was then destroyed by Raiga's lightning.
"We're slowing down, rapidly," Iko mutterred, staying closer to Raiga, feeling with his right hand an amount of dust that used to be half of his ear. Raiga hissed, staying close, the shadows somewhat wary of the serpent.
"One of us has to get out of this," Raiga whispered, after a moment. The snake had been trying to focus energy, which was interrupted by a myriad of required lightning attacks, which greatly increased the time it needed to actually be a viable force against these shadows. "Even if I use the next stage, I'll likely die here, but, if you can escape from this place, then my death will be worth it..."
Iko was silent- he couldn't afford to show weakness, but, what Raiga said was truly troubling. He was always better at sensing power than Iko was...
Before waiting for an answer, Raiga's body was already ablaze with light, as the figure obscured by the light rapidly began to change shape. In place of the grounded serpent was now a serpentine, blue dragon, with a jagged, yellow stripe down its back, the dragon about twelve feet in length.
A more powerful lightning ball surged from Raiga's mouth, destroying two shadows and damaging a third, in the direction from where the original three advanced. Iko understood; with an understanding regret, he turned and charged at the gap, knowing that there may not be another chance to escape. Seeing occasional flashes of blue from Raiga's attacks, Iko knew that he couldn't afford to look back, a lone tear leaving his right eye.
~Always the show-off, Raiga...~ Iko thought to himself, as he slid down a dune to improve his speed. He kept moving... there was only one thing on his mind...
-Back in 'Reality'-
The sun shone brightly in the sky this saturday morning. The weather was fair, partly cloudy with no chance of rain. At least, that's what the annoying clock radio said in a random college dorm. A lazy arm swung from the sheets, shutting off the alarm after banging its hand against the end-table. "Ow..."
Slowly, the tired person sat up, taking a look at the clock. "Why did I set the clock on a saturday?" he grumbled to himself- obviously not a morning person. However, being too frustrated with the clock to try and fall asleep again, he stood up, and went about his morning routine.
Once he was ready to set out for breakfeast, now in respectable clothes, a small backpack swung over his right shoulder, he noticed an odd, beeping noise coming from his backpack. Wondering if he'd set an alarm on something else, he tossed his backpack back on the bed, opened it, and pulled out his XLR8, an implement for a competetive electrical game, DaCre. The screen was flashing, and no matter of pressing buttons would stop either the flashing or the noise.
"Is this thing glitched?" he asked himself. It was too early in the morning, and he wasn't exactly good at technological stuff. "Man... just when I was about to enter a tournament, this thing goes haywire on me..."
Stuffing it in a deeper pocket, nullifying the already faint sound in the bag, he set out on his daily business. As he closed the door, the snooze on his clock ran out, giving the end of a news report: "... strange accounts of fog have become a natural occurrence in this area. Scientists are currently puzzled at the appearence of these low clouds, which seem to appear in dryer areas rather than humid. More information to follow as the story develops..."
Subject: Voila. 
Sat Aug 14, 2010 5:39 pm
