The wind whistled, carrying on the back of a freshly loosen tumble weed. The three moons blinked through clouds, shimmering on the floor like the reflect of water. The very small village was blanketed by a thicket of snow. Scuystein, a sweet county that was in permanent winter. Many mountains stabbed the blackened sky, their jagged arms holding it up from the sheet of below white. Tall pines littered the landscape, some close to another and a few dispersed. The land shed tears of snowflakes, but tonight the sky had stilled. A long river that cut through the valley behind the mountains was frozen, thick enough to skate till your heart contented, yet thin enough for aquatic life to pass through. Above it connecting the frozen wedge between the village was a cobblestoned bridge. The arch was outlined by concrete bricks, old but held tight. Rocks scrambled from the mountains stacked upon another like an ancient puzzle. The rock way path was smooth, thanks to the people keeping it in good condition, as it was created by their ancestors. The stone railing was lined with ice stone, so if you slipped, you had something to hold onto that could hold you.
The houses were small and cosy, all with working fire places with chimneys. The glass insulating were all handmade, as the village did everything themselves, other than the traders that came by. The people here lumbered wood, harvested stone and a couple mined. Some were blacksmiths, some hunters and others did odd jobs around the tight knit community.
A Land Orca ran in the background, chasing a Lake Runner. A couple of Freenix flew under the cloud lines, small Snew's wiggling into frosted bushes and an adult Valhalla snuck behind some houses and raced down the road of solid liquid into the wintered night. A lone Minotaur and his smaller son thick in winter cloth and a heavy sack carrying home, hoping to have a hot soup dinner. The homes were made of stone, marble, thatched wood and roofs over the doors. Some with gardens, some without. Some climbing wings of smoke dotted the backer landscape, showing how diverse the village was. The pathways made by the many people using them, thin trenches carved by feet, hooves and paws alike. Stars sung as they danced twinkle.
A man of elder walked through the village as the people had all locked their doors, settling to put the young people asleep and to have dinner. His weary eyes looked at moons, and then back to his task at hand. His hair was silvered with age, slick back revealing his wrinkled and olden face. On the left side the strands were braided, it dangled down to below the chin, sometimes tipping his rounded gold stud on his ear. His listless blue eyes looked side to side, taking in the basking sight. The man's moustache melted into his flowing beard, which at times tickled his neck. He wore a long cape, it was thick enough the cold couldn't bite his loose and pale flesh, it had a hood that covered his head to save his ears. It covered his entire body, save the thick boots. Though old he had muscle on him, as his journey required it.
He walked. Some people looking through their windows to look at the traveller. The same Minotaur left his family's home, walking up to the man. His fur was black, eyes a shining green. His wet nose twitched at the shivered clung breeze, the man looked at the pupiless green, pleased to see something that reminded him of his origins. The Minotaur's ears flapped a tad, concerned for why an elderly man was out in such a lone area. The man appreciated the concern, also pleased to finally meet a Minotaur that wasn't hungry to punch him where the moons did not glow. A Minotara showed herself in the doorway, seeing as to why her husband had left the comfort of their home, a calf in her woollen arms and a little boy behind her leg. The Minotaur was Xymax, just a common man living in the wilderness with his family. The younger boy gave the man some coco, and when the elderly thanked he continued his quest, leaving the family to return their home.
Hmm those were the days. He remembered how strong Minotaur's could be, carrying such hammers they could belong to a giants. Xymax must be a blacksmith or a lumber jack, or he was into more peaceful things. What a dream to have a family here within the mountains. The three largest, forming a sort of griffin's claw were Dagolz, Grabiks and Qriinn, named after the three moons. He was heading for Qriinn, it held something he wished before death left its graze. The clouds that left his lips trailed a little like a slow moving train, and in the dark of the night, he knew he was being followed.
The man sat on the bridges rock railing, he didn't mind the cold, he was too old to really mind. The young man now standing in front of him looked down, his eyes blank and puffs of heated air chuffed from the mask. He was 6'3 foot, around twenty years of age. On his face was a very thin metallic band that sat snuggly over his face on the bridge on his nose and cheek bones, with a black material that hid his nose and mouth, as well as his neck from the human eye. The man had brown hair that looked like it was in a constant gust of wind, due to its shape. It was spiked back, expect for two bangs that bounced above his half-hidden face. Curved around the back of his head was what looked like metal that had a dark crimson maroon colour with silver rims. On the sides obscuring his ears, were two more metal pieces that formed a sort of square, semi-circle like, crescent form that stopped at his brown eyebrows and seemed to be attacked to the thing over his face at the sides as the other half of the crescent thing was over the fabric. Under that was a similar thing too. Attached to that looked to be a scarf like thing that went around the front as well as the back, keeping them from moving around at the front were two band like things. On his shoulders were metal cup like plates, the same red colour with a silver rim around it, and they connected to the under armour to keep it in place. On the left side, his arm had a black sleeve that became fingerless gloves. On his right arm the black tight fabric topped mid bicep, though not on the other side. His muscular form seemed to be not too large but not too small, a perfect size. On both arms, strapped around his muscles were armoured plating. One piece for his elbows, the next for his forearm and then over the back of his hand and fingers. He wore a sort of skin tight thick hide instead of metal that defended his arms. The shoulders and half if each pec was covered in the same black colour as the scarf thing around his neck hanging loosely. The rest was a very slightly lighter shade of maroon that was on his armour. For his bottoms, they looked like trousers, but were baggy, tough and flexible. The boots he wore looked to be military, though with modifications to look like it suited his armour. The sclera of his eyes was as black as sin, like onyx and obsidian molten into one, the irises were a shining gold, almost glowing with the moon's touch.
The man looked up at the younger man's alien eyes. It was interesting to have such a change of colour around here. The armour was unique, a dwarf's work obviously. Edwin Barber, was the old man's name. Would they fight and disturb this land? Or would they simply discuss this? Edwin was hoping to reach that mountain, and he'd be damned if he wouldn't make it.
Edwin knew his life was worth too much money. Three million Glaxza last time he had checked. He was a Dragon Soul, and they paid a lot. Sadly everything aged, even when your soul was tied to something as magnificent as a dragon. Aria was dying, and so was Edwin. People say that you get the lifespan of a dragon, but in reality, they got the span of a human. Edwin chuckled. He'd thought that when he got that dragon egg, oh was he wrong, and here he was, dying of old age with his dear Aria.
The young man continued to stand there, staring into Edwin, seemingly unfazed by the cold. He just stood there, not talking, but then he started looking to the side, watching the mountains ever so slowly prick the ringed lined moons. The middle was the largest, the second was just above it on the left, and the third was right below the second, the smallest of them. The mountains were named after these moons, and it was an ingenious idea to do so, ignoring the fourth mountain. Seeing as the mountains and moons had always touched at last light, they were properly named. The old man sipped the coco he'd been given by the calf Minotaur, enjoying it.
The boy was going to try and claim his death yes. Money could make the best of people do the darkest of things. He sighed, watching the moons slowly descend, just so it can be night elsewhere. Slowly he stood up, and begun walking out of the nice little village. The whispers of freeze aiming to send him to warmth, but he refused their offer. The two walked until there was no longer a house near enough to hear. Edwin turned around to stare eye to eye with the new assassin. He would fall just like the rest.
They stared at each other. The boy taking out a chokuto, the blade made of pure diamond, so pure in fact it looked translucent but he could see it well enough. The thing that interested him was that it wasn't possible to have made a blade like that, so he thought that the boy was most likely a Free Style kinda warrior. His favourite kind of challenge, even at this age. Edwin pulled out his own blade, it was chinked and rust, but it was enough.
In seconds the sound of two spoons clapping and a sharp skid of blades rang. Foot marks on the white appearing. Their choices of weapons did all the talking, jabbing and swiping. Old against new. Short sword against chokuto. Edwin kicked snow up into the young man's eyes, kneeing his stomach and the blade digging through shoulder. The young man spun himself, Edwin losing his grip and the chokuto spilling molten ruby onto the frozen watered ground. The young'un pulled the short blade from its fleshy seethe, the blade with reddened steel laying. Edwin, a red smile cut from his cloak, rolled and in during he grabbed the hilt, a part of his hood parting ways with the aid of the opposing sword. He found the warmth of pain, but did not deter.
The young man kicked high, the foot caught by the elder. Younger span his body, his foot leaving the pristine blanket and into the older man's face, causing release of both his foot and blood from the old man's lips. Edwin spat the remaining metallic taste on the floor, glaring into the eyes of the young man. And that young'un was DriftRider, hired for the head of Edwin.
They clashed again, blades pushing against one another like wind and sail. They ceased the struggle, pulling back. Edwin waved his sword down onto a pauldron, while DriftRider rose his own bladed hand, to cut up the old man's armpit. The pain of his damaged shoulder delayed reaction times, and Edwin was feeling tired as the escaping blood and bitter bludgeoning cold pushing energy from him. Shaking his head, Edwin's form shimmered as light called for the reason he was there. If he was going to die, it would not be alone.
The young man knew what Edwin was doing, using his thumb to undo a hidden pocket in his chest armour, the thumb went into the hole of the kunai, and flicked the smaller pointed metal into the old man's knee as a distraction. Edwin growled in pain, leaving it be as it would be foolish to remove a weapon from a wound. The swords clashed, having a fight of their own, creating an ear piercing music that frightened away the monstrous creatures of the area.
To the dismay of DriftRider the call was made and was received. He skated out of the way of wilted spines of solid fire. Dragon Souls were a very rare, extremely so, to come across let alone fight. Few lived, because the dragon was always with their rider. Edwin had missed Aria, the dragoness feeling the same. She roared, the echo causing an avalanche on a neighbouring mountainous pile of stones glued by time.
The Amphithere, a dragon with only wings and no other limbs, flew down, her wings tucking and her slithering around Edwin to protect him. She was mostly black, her small scales looking as if she was entirely smooth like a worm. Along her spine was long upright fur in neon red, that looked soft but with her in elderly it was likely to not be so, all uneven and separated from her scales by a rockier pattern. Aria's tail was feathers with the same colour, all in the same neon red, and it was like they were plucked from the fastest bird. Her wings were much too large for her long and snakelike body, but she made it work. The arms and digits were thickly black, she had a sharp clawed finger that twitched a little as she was angered by the young man. The webbing of her wings were strained, a duller red that had holes and tears of weary. Her head had three horns, and from those horns were antenna like protrusions, muscle red and acting as her ears. From what would be her chest were five thin spikes in the same gradient from black to red. Her eyes looked to be a glowing hole in rock, smouldering orange that made the outward sunken sockets shimmer with hue. The scales on her pointed head were like plates of rock against each other, the look making her more intimidating. She had no lips, her teeth were jagged stone that all fitted together to hide where her mouth began and ended, except for a faint glow of the ablaze within her closed maw. Her snout was pointed, showing no sign of nostrils. Protruding from her chin was a curving spike, from that a thin withered fin he same colour as her wings, it sloped down her neck till no more.
DriftRider took a step back from the beast, Edwin stepping onto her uncoiling tail and placed upon her head, him smiling at the young'un. A million different things went through DriftRider's head at once, the one thing that stuck was-ZWHIISH his train of thought was cut off was a large muscled tail swung, nearly taking off his head. The only thing he could do was drop to the snow floor, rolling back onto his feet as he had to dodge that tail again. The chokuto would not suffice against a full seasoned Amphithere as mad as leviathan.
Edwin squinted his eyes as he watched the young man carefully, seeing what the kid could do. Aria rose herself, from her stomach to her chest beginning to crackle with glow. Her rocky jaw unlatched, and a stream of lava splashing at the young man like a water gun. She shook off small droplets that clung to the shallow ravines between her thicker stone scales, creating scars in the snow. When the lava cooled, a rough and heated curved shield of diamond protected DriftRider from the Amphithere's molten breath. In response, she wrapped her tail around it, pinning him against the exceedingly hot curving wave of gem. The heat settling into his armour and beginning to sting his skin. His ribs on the left side snapped like crackers, creating audible pops that pleased the breed of draconian.
DriftRider bit his lip, refusing to release a sound. From his palm formed a diamond pike, and he slammed down, it barely piercing her hide. He did it again and again as she went tight and tighter. As he looked into those eyes, the gulping mouths of volcanos, he broke through the scales to the skin. The damage wasn't much, but it was enough to loosen her due to surprise, and he got out of there.
The burning in his chest was far worse than any fire she could dealt, though DriftRider may eat his words if he got a free shower of melting reds and yellows. He turned his hips and body, pointing the upper half towards the beast and his lower to the side. His fist clenched and smashed it into his open palm, and as he pulled the clenched fist away, he began growing a diamond broadsword from it, feeling that his chokuto was not strong enough.
Edwin scowled, seeing the young'un could self-generate diamond from his body. It wasn't the most insane thing he seen, but it was still unique. Aria hissed, the sound of a kettle screaming her end of heating, nails upon chalk board and butter knives on china. The young man was still very injured from having a sword in his shoulder, not to mention the other damage dealt by the Dragon Soul duo. DriftRider held the sword tight, him using both the bad shoulder and the uncut one, it'd be impossible to kill the Amphithere, so he needed to go for his target, Edwin. Blood trailed behind him, with only gorges in the snow went behind the species of dragon. Edwin tapped his thumb into the hole of a throwing knife, flinging it straight into DriftRider. The scale forged material made short work of the armour, almost into the heart. DriftRider grunted as he begun shielding his organs with diamond casing. To protect his heart, he needed it be like a beetles back, the armour to be in separate places to be able to move.
DriftRider thought things over, seeing his chances were zip. Him vs an Amphithere. Chances of his surviving were getting slimmer and slimmer as blood dripped further from the cast of his skin. Aria uncoiled her tail, the force smacking him backwards, rolling in the snow. Before he could get up, she slammed a wing down over a leg, enjoying the vibrations of the bone splintering beneath her weight. Aria creaked open her heavy jaw, magma over pooling from her crevassed mouth. An X of spiralling flames knocked her to the side, the shower of steaming death missing DriftRider. Edwin hissed as part of his cloak became on flamed, able to dabble it away before his skin became marked.
It was an Anthro, a German Shepard make, about 5'9. his ears were a dark brown as were two lines that grew like trees from his snout to below his eyes melding to his cheek fur. He was mostly a dark grey. But around his eyes, under his tail, the sides and under his snout, his neck to chest and lower abdomen to between his thighs were a musky beige. He wore a dark green tank top with a red dragon on the back. His bottoms were black and ballooned, and a dark green pouch strapped around the right thigh containing throwing knives. He had blue tape tied around from the beginning of his paws to the end of his ankles, as well as around his wrists. He had black fingerless gloves, showing his humanoid fingers in that sand shade. On his head, against his right ear was a bandana with a silver plate at the front, engraved in it was a flame in tribal design and had two dark blue pieces flowing from behind. The Anthro ran to his friend, seeing DriftRider was not going to be getting up on his own. He'll be out of commission for a while, three months if he was lucky. Edwin rose a brow to the new young one, knowing him well compared to the other. Kodan, a young Anthro raised by a dragon and given the gift of its sun breath. Kodan scowled up, excited to fight an Amphithere but unsure if he'd be able to kill the two.
Edwin climbed down from his Aria, the breed of dragon lowering her head and nudging his side, hissing steam at the new opponent. Edwin picked up the quickly made sword of diamond, pointing it at Kodan, the young Anthro scowling. Kodan's maw opened, a ball of flame rearing. Aria opened her own and released a spiral of lava, Kodan let rip his own tower of fire, so far, the two at a standstill. Aria's body moved, sounding like rain on old wood. She pointed her lava downwards, Kodan breathing the dragon's breath upwards to shield him and his dear ally. The dome of molten rock doming round them, the heat nearly unbearable for the human while the Anthro was fine. The Amphithere roared in frustration. Old or not, this would not be clean. The snow was turning black, their rage feeding the white to corrupting black.
Kodan growled, bearing his gums and splattering his drool. Aria opened her wings, the two limbs of flight beating the air violently as she slowly started to rise off of the ground. The Anthro ignited his feet with flames and proceeded to assault the beast of a dragon with a powerful fire-enhanced kick, with the flames greatly augmenting the power of said kick. The dragon did not feel much pain, and was not fazed by the attack of fire, he only managed to get her angered even more. The Anthro sucked in a deep breath and fired another pillar of the suns kiss, the dragon releasing a geyser of lava that pushed back the German shepherd. The gusts of gale rushing from the dragon's wings spraying the burning hells tears towards the town, a lightning bolt struck down the lave to the ground that sizzled and fizzled before turning to blacken, white slowly drizzling atop. Edwin and the Amphithere looked to the new comer, spotting him near the town.
The Wolf Anthro was around 8' foot, as intimidating as they could come. Sora stared into Edwin's eyes, his desire to defend the small village evident. Most of his fur was a sandy beige, parts darkened thanks to the shade gifted by the black sky. If he was on four legs, his underbelly would be a paler sand, the backs of his legs and forelegs being the same colour. Sora wore a fur tight mask that covered his entire face other than his eyes and holes for his ears to poke through. His eye colour was lightning yellow, like fresh sparks. Sora's upper armour had two dagger like shoulder pads that went a bit above his shoulders, looking as intimidating as his height. It was a deep grey, going down in a V shape over the rest of his upper armour and tucking under his similarly coloured belt. The rest was a light black, though perfectly outlining his muscles. Around his waist was a sort of loin cloth made of the same tough material. On his feet/paws Sora had leg warmers in black, started just above his angles and stopping where his paw pads began. His tail was long and bushy, normally stilled behind him. Attached to Sora's back was a seethed katana he had named 'Quicksilver' whose blade was like freshly settled moon light. The hilt of the sword was crossed with black and dark purple, a tassel for dark ribbon attacked to the end. The seethe itself was dull in grey, though had a small shine to it. An Anthro that manipulates lightning, a human that manipulates diamond and an Anthro that manipulates fire? What a strange band of assassins.
The Wolf Anthro appeared in front of the older man in a flash of light, deathly silent. The oddly large beast jumped backwards as a tail covered in scale and muscle tried to squish him under it. Edwin gripped his old blade, pointing it towards the lightning user. The Dragon Soul waited as Sora walked towards him, but before he got too close Kodan stopped him. As he wasn't a good enough pairing against Aria he was going to take on the old man. It took a monster, to slay a monster, after all.
Edwin glared as Kodan's feet caught on fire as did his wrists, burning with the purpose of propulsion. Edwin breathed deeply through his nose and swung the blade as if it was a part of his arm, the Anthro leaning backwards to dodge the thrust and flew his left leg to the side, kicking the hilt of the sword, the action bringing a smell cut on his paw. Edwin got the grip back sooner than later and drove it down, it becoming stuck in the Anthro's thigh. It would take far more than that to do Edwin in, when he died it would be old age.
Aria hissed as she watched her rider fight the fire breathing dog, her attention drawn away. Sora pulled his hand back, fingers and claws apart as sparking light filled his palm with loose tendrils flittering towards the stars. With his powerful limbs, he leapt at the enormous beast, slashing down, causing damage to the monster and scarring her face. She erupted lava all over the wolfish creature, but Sora morphed into lightning and darted out of the way, the Amphithere continuing to gush the melting juice all over where he used to be. Sora jumped up from behind and held onto the red hair like spines on her back, not a single sound emanating from him. His hands became enveloped in a white translucent light like hue with purple faintly glowing around them, slightly shaped like monster's claws. He dug his new claws within the beast, the Amphithere roared, if the pitch rose a single octave then ears would be filled with red.
Edwin picked up his sword, aimed and flung it into the Anthro's back. Lightning users were hard to kill, but it caused the said user to let go of the hurt Amphithere. He had torn through muscle and damaged a bone that connected to her right wing, prohibiting her from flight. The Anthro looked at the foreign invader to his body, his pawlike hand wrapping around the hilt of the old blade and quickly pulled it out, vermillion marathoning down his armoured back. The Dragon Soul was furious that his dear Aria was damaged, her wing would take longer time than they had to heal.
The old man yelped as a diamond sword went through his side, the young one who started this battle was on his feet, his broken leg stabilised in a cast of diamond. Though he wore a mask, the smile was felt. The two Anthro's watch the Amphithere and the old man fall to the ground, the damage was slowly covered by the still falling snow. The blade had cut into his heart, but the old man dragged his final breaths towards his dragon, a hand on her aching rocked jaw. The three waited, until the rasping merged with the whistling wind, two souls combined as one joining the many stars.