Shyvana slowly descended towards the solid white mass of steam, gliding towards the ground from just below the clouds. Below her, the world was enveloped in a blanket of steam, like the top of a rolling and billowing bank of clouds. She plunged into the bank of steam, the great strokes of her wings disturbing the steam as it began to grow thicker and thicker with the cold air. She slowed her descent as the ground came into view, hovering just above it as she looked about one last time from the air, only the sight of shattered black stone and flecks of glass in her view. She stopped her flapping and dropped to the ground, her wings depositing her amid the chaos and destruction that had followed the descent of the mountainside. Blackened and shattered stone lay littered everywhere, smoke and steam rising up and obscuring much of the area. Shyvana could only hear the hiss of the rocks and the rumble of the river behind her as she landed, her human feet touching the stone before the rest of her body. She looked around, peering through the smoke and steam, covering her mouth with her arm as she coughed against the cloying air.
"Jarvan!" She called his name, waiting, hoping for an answer.
Silence.
"No, no, no..." Shyvana breathed, still trying to peer through the dense smoke and the steam. "Where are you... JARVAN!" She screamed this time, her throat raw and clenched as she struggled to hold back her tears.
She took an uneasy step, her knees weak beneath her as she slowly began to wind her way through the boulder field. Massive rocks rose up around her like demons, flanking her on all sides like golems risen from the bosom the earth. She felt pain in her feet as she walked over stone that was hot enough to boil the water inside it. Around her, rocks shattered in clouds of steam with hissing pops, sending shards of rock flying through the air. Some of it struck Shyvana, but she ignored it completely, the heat, the noise, and sheer power used to cause this devastation, for only one thing was on her mind.
"Jarvan!" She shouted again, this time, her voice failing her, catching in her voice as she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She wiped at them, but only covered her face in grime and dust from her arms, stuck there from the air and moisture on her body. "Jarvan!" She tried to call out to him, but her voice was starting to fail her as she continued stumbling through the rock field, looking through the impenetrably thick cloud steam that still poured from the river. Something gleamed in the fading steam ahead of her, Shyvana's heart fluttering as she moved quicker, stumbling clumsily. Shyvana couldn't feel the searing pain that covered the pads of her feet as she pushed through the burning field, her mind completely consumed by the glimmer. As she crossed over the scarred landscape, the golden glimmer came again as she swept through the steam like a curtain, a smile starting to grow on her face.
"Jarvan!" She called excitedly, expecting to find the prince simply brushing himself off. He would stand up and look her in the eye with that same cocky grin that he always wore, and he would reassure her that everything would be alright and she need not cry. Shyvana broke into a run, something warm trickling down the outside of her leg as she nearly tripped over a boulder, a long scrape appearing on her shin. She pushed on, ignoring the pain and shaking her head, trying to hold back the tears.
Shyvana slowed to a halt, her feet trying to carry her on further before she came to a halt.
"I..." She froze and shook her head, the smile still on her face as she felt hot tears begin to stream down her face.
Lodged in the rocks, Jarvan's lance stood nearly vertical, one of his standards stuck out of the ground at an odd angle, the black and blue fabric fluttering gently amid the steam currents. Jarvan's cloak hung burned and tattered upon the lance, ripped, burned and smoldering. At the base, amid the rocks, the silver, black and gold sheen of one of Jarvan's shoulder pauldrons stuck out of the stone, half way buried beneath rock shards and small fragments of stone, now covering the area like a thick layer of gravel. Shyvana felt her knees grow weak and her knees threaten to collapse as she stumbled the last few steps forward. She fell to the ground, her legs collapsing beneath her as she felt the tears now pouring down her cheek. She sniffed the tears back shaking her head side to side, hoping that this wasn't what it looked like.
"Jarvan..." She said softly, choking on her words as she leaned forward, one hand reaching out towards the base of the standard where it was buried deep in the stone. Her fingers approached the metal tentatively, but it was hot to the touch, her hand jerking back involuntarily as she burned herself. She sat back on her haunches and shook her head, looking down at where the pauldron was half buried. She had to wipe her face with her dirt covered arm again before she could continue, her throat now threatening to suffocate her and her stomach threatening to heave.
"Jarvan... don't tease me like this..." She croaked, the tears now coming hard and fast, pouring down her face and staining the bare threads that hung to her body. "Just like always... you can come out now..." She dug at the ground, trying to wipe away the rubble and rock, digging down around the pauldron. She shoveled it away as quickly as she could, her hands raw and bloody as she clawed at the rock, tears continuing to pour down her face as she shook her face, refusing to believe that Jarvan was dead. "Enough is enough! Jarvan, this isn't funny!" Blood poured from her fingertips, cut to ribbons by the shreds of stone, her finger nails all but torn away. "Please... Jarvan..." She pulled the pauldron free of the stone, hoping that it would snag on Jarvan's arm, catch on his armor and it would lead Shyvana to her love, but when she finally pulled it free, her breath caught in her chest.
"Please... gods... no..." She shook her head from side to side, not willing to believe her eyes. She shivered, raising a hand to her face as her jaw fell, all the warmth draining from her body as she tried to find more words. Her voice was all but gone now. The leather strapping had been burned away, only the small bits that were riveted to the inside of the pauldron remained. The outside of the armor was blackened completely, and as Shyvana rubbed at the black coating, she revealed that much of the gold gilding had been burned away, the remnants coming away with her bloody fingers. The outside may had been ruined, scratched and burned, but the inside... Shyvana was not ready for the inside. As she turned it over, she felt her stomach heave. She rolled to the side and felt the burn as bile raced up her throat.
Shyvana coughed and spit the bile out onto the ground, wiping her chin and shivering as she had to physically calm her breathing. Shyvana took long, shallow breaths as she slowly looked back to the inside of the pauldron, her stomach heaving again as she did. Inside, the pauldron was covered in a layer of blood, and beneath that, skin and leather, both having been burned onto the metal. She cringed as some of the leather and skin came loose, flopping down, the outside side of the skin burned and blackened, like burnt pork. She averted her eyes as she turned the pauldron back over, looking down at the silvery surface. She wiped away some of the blackening that had covered it, and looked into the reflection that shown back up at her.
"You said you'd never leave me..." Shyvana said quietly, running her fingers along the scratches and dents that decorated the surface of armored plate. Jarvan had once said it gave the armor character, a definition of its own that reflected not only the owner's exploits and accomplishments, but also the owner's personality. "Just like a stone..." She mused quietly, feeling the tears welling in her eyes again, the sobs threatening to overwhelm her. The pauldron began to shake as she looked at herself in the reflection. Her messy red hair was plastered to her head around her skin by the moisture and the dirt, and blood had dried all along her body where she had been nicked by shards of rock. Her face was a mess of dirt and sweat, despite the chill of the air. One of her father's sayings came to mind as she looked at herself and the pauldron, her reflection marred by the small scratches in the surface of the armor.
"Only time and the running of water shapes the stones at the bottom of a river..." Shyvana let the pauldron tumble out of her hands as she fell back on her knees, her chin tucked to her chest as she tried to shake the horror that was now clamping an icy fist around her heart. She sniffed and looked up to the sky, just starting to gleam through the steam.
"Father said a dragon has no remorse..." She croaked softly, her voice caught in her throat. "If that's so... why am I crying..." tears streaked her face, cutting paths in the grime that covered her face as she looked to the sky again. Her shoulders began to shake as pain sobs coursed through her body.
She let the tears freely flow as she let herself simply cry, the anguish she felt and the pain in her heart now about to burst.
Shyvana cried out, terror and grief lacing through her voice.
"Such a pained cry over a human... If your father had seen this he would have begged me to end his life." Kampf lumbered out of the steam, slithering along the ground like a snake, letting his nose lead him towards his prey, the scent of Shyvana's blood now heavy upon the air. He grinned crookedly as he looked down at Shyvana, still clutching the pauldron. She felt ice shoot through her veins as she spun to face him, hissing defensively as she felt the hair on her body stand on end. Fear, anger, pain... it all was coursing through her mind and body like a typhoon.
"Kampf!" She screamed, heat and flames billowing around her body.
"All you've done is talk." Kampf growled, the sneer upon his lips growing as he stopped in front of Shyvana. "It is a shame though... I was looking forward to a much... bloodier end to your little human friend. He looked like he would have screamed nicely..."
"I'm going to kill you..." Shyvana hissed, her eyes now reptilian slits, sharpened diamonds that were backed by fire in her eyes.
"Ooh, the FIRE in your eyes..." Kampf chuckled, the smile growing on his chops as his gleaming black fangs were revealed, each as big as Shyvana's thigh. "It's quite beautiful, the gleam of such untapped fury..." He chuckled again, lowering his good eye down towards Shyvana. "Your friend claimed one of my eyes... so I'm afraid I'm going to have to claim one of yours. A pity, they're quite striking."
Shyvana took several cautious steps backwards on all fours, her body now shaking with both fear and fury. She hissed at Kampf, taking him by surprise. "What is it that the humans always say?" Kampf mused, watching Shyvana with a cruel smile. "A stallion must be broken before it can be ridden?" Shyvana took another step backwards, the fire in her eyes flickering slightly. Kampf's laugh boomed as he watched her, the smile on his face growing.
"You're a monster..." Shyvana hissed, watching as Kampf put on a show of mock offense. The emotion suddenly disappeared as Kampf suddenly lunged forward. Kampf struck at her with blinding speed, his mouth open and poised directly over Shyvana's head as he roared, the heat and stench of his breath washing over her like a solid wall.
"SILENCE!" He bellowed, the fury in his voice causing Shyvana to cower backwards. His voice shook the landscape, and as it retreated, the echo bouncing up the canyon, Shyvana felt her knees shaking, her entire body quivering in fear. "You have no right to call me a monster, you half human slut." He hissed, the disgust dripping from his voice. "Your father fucked the first human whore that took pity on his loneliness. As if the gods felt pity for him, you were born, a half-human, half dragon scion..." Kampf sneered as he looked down his nose at her, the arrogance in his voice almost palatable. "Now, you are no more than a blight upon the honor of Dragon-kind." He watched with an expression that said he was enjoying the deliciously cruel expression of horor that crossed Shyvana's face. "You should be honored that I, one of the greatest Dragons left upon this pitiful world, would devote his time to ensuring that you were brought to heel like the bitch that you are."
"You..." Shyvana whispered, taken aback, her body now trying to get further away, horror on her face as she felt her knees quake. "You're not noble... you're delusional... you're completely mad..."
"Am I?" Kampf said with an imperious grin on his face. "Surely you didn't think that the human you pine over actually cared for you?" He paused watching the pain wash over her face as she sat back on her knees. He laughed, the boom echoing so loud that Shyvana had to clamp her hands over her ears, cringing against the sound. "You... you actually believed...." Kampf struggled to contain his laughter, smashing one of his great claws upon the ground, the force of the blow lifting the top layer of gravel and Shyvana clean off the ground. "I almost feel sorry for you... you actually thought that he loved you, didn't you?"
"No... I mean... yes... I..." Shyvana struggled against the tears, shaking her head from side to side, unwilling to hear what he was saying.
"I saw his armor... decorated with bones of his kills... claws of dragons and other creatures..." Kampf snorted, sending a wave of hot air over her. "I almost feel pity knowing that you were just another trophy." Kampf chuckled, shaking his head from side. "Though giving yourself to him so willingly... I bet you enjoyed the embrace of a man, to feel him within you... believing he cared for you... that must have been the sweetest embrace you've ever felt... the warmth of his skin pressed against yours..." He sneered. "You're just another trophy to be worn upon him for all to see... the final great kill, a half dragon... brought to bear and ridden like nothing more than a steed and a good time..." Kampf bore his teeth in a smile so wicked that Shyvana felt herself begin to crumble. "I bet he took you as soon as he possibly could, the first night you shared together, didn't he? He claimed you as his own. That's human nature though. That's all they ever do is steal from others."
"No..." Shyvana said, shaking her head from side to side, her arms still clamped over her head. "Jarvan would never... he didn't... I don't believe you... I refuse to believe you..."
"Poor thing... the humans have corrupted you, haven't they..." He wore a smile that feigned his care and the smile on his face, full of false pity and arrogance. The smile grew larger as he grew closer to Shyvana, the tears pouring down her face. "Come now... I won't hurt you..." Shyvana removed her hands from over her ears as she looked up at him with a blank expression. Her eyes were blank and empty, glossed over as if her consciousness, her entire being had been shattered. "Oh dear... I haven't broken you so easily, have I?" Kampf snorted, sending another wave of hot air rushing over her. "A pity, really... I was looking forwards to more of a fight." He sighed as he raised his head up, looking towards the path that led up the cliff with disdain. "It won't be nearly as fun now while I try to breed the stench of your human lover out of you." Horror replaced the blank look on Shyvana's face as she sank backwards, falling over her feet and collapsing backwards, laying on the ground, looking up at Kampf with fear in her eyes.
"Wha..." She said, her voice catching in her throat.
"Surely you didn't think I would let you simply live..." Kampf said, the cruel smile returning to his face. "Oh no... that's much to simple for the likes of you..." He bared his teeth in a smile that froze Shyvana where she lay on the ground. He hovered his snout just above her, watching with a great smile on his face as the horror played out on her face.
"No..." Shyvana said, her feet pushing her slowly away from him along the ground. Her arms were clasped over her chest as she stared up at him with wide eyes, watching in horror as he grew closer. His great, slimy tongue slipped out of his mouth, just barely brushing against one of her feet. She jumped back in fear, shaking her head, trying to move further away from him.
"Why be scared now... it's only going to get worse..." Kampf said, his smile growing larger as he moved closer. His tongue slithered out again, moving towards her torso this time. She shook her head, clamping her arms over her head again, shaking it back and forth as she tried to push herself further away.
"Jarvan..." She breathed, shaking her head, her eyes clamped shut. "Save me..." She felt the warmth of Kampf tongue sliding around her, clamping down around her stomach and then slowly begin to drag her towards him. "No..." she begged, still shaking her head... "No..." She stood frozen, shaking her head back and forth.
"NO!" She shrieked, the world exploding around her as waves of flames exploded out, sending Kampf hurtling through the air. He crashed to the ground, the steam having been instantly evaporated, blowing away by the massive wave of force that had exploded from Shyvana.
...
Shyvana opened her eyes, looking around, suddenly alone in the middle of a vast open area. The walls and the canyon was shrouded in mist, but all around her, the air was clear, as if a massive sphere had been gouged out of the cloud. All around her, gravel and stone had been cast out in all directions, deep gouges carved in the stone and earth by boulders, shattered and broken up, cast out like pebbles. Shyvana was speechless as she sat up, twisting about and looking for anyone close to her, even Kampf. She shivered as she remembered the sensation of his slimy tongue against her skin and clamped her eyes shut, trying to will the memory away. She took several deep breaths as she got to her knees, the feeling slowly returning to her legs.
What happened...? Shyvana breathed slowly as she looked about, left and right for something that would tell her what had just happened. She remembered Kampf standing over top of her…and then there was nothing. Shyvana began to pick herself up off the ground, wincing at the pain in her legs. She pushed through it, tears welling in her eyes as she did, but with some struggling and a bit of wobbling, she managed to stand up straight. Despite her wobbling knees and the breathlessness she felt, Shyvana's eyes were drawn to the ground beneath her. There was a small circle of gravel that wasn't blackened by flame and heat, but after just a few feet, the gravel was scorched and blackened all along one side, as if something had exploded. Shyvana tried to take a step forward onto the blackened gravel, but she hissed and pulled her foot back, the gravel was hot to the touch, too hot for even her to step on.
"Isaacs! Forsythe!" Shyvana called out, suddenly alone in the world, confused and scared. She wrapped her arms around her body, too many thoughts and emotions flowing through her mind all at once to process any of them clearly, as she stumbled around the small section of pulverized stone she had been isolated on. Steam began to rise up from the gravel as the moisture laden cloud from earlier began to drift back into the canyon, creeping along the ground like slow moving water. The wave of mist rolled past her, the material so thick she couldn't see the ground despite the fact the wispy material only came up to her knees at most.
"Quinn?" Shyvana looked around expectantly, hoping that someone would appear out of the mist. "Anyone?"
"Shyvana?" A voice broke through the mist and silenced Shyvana, her ears perking up as she looked towards the sound, directly into a solid wall of white. A dark shape, much larger than Shyvana appeared. She lowered herself to the ground, watching as it came, hesitant to say anything more till she knew who it was.
"Shyvana, where the bloody hell are you? SHYVANA!" The voice definitely belonged to Isaacs, as Shyvana was further reinforced by the braying of his horse, the sound of its hooves struggling on the pulverized stone. Shyvana picked herself up and looked into the fog, watching as the silhouette sharpened and then emerged, Isaacs looking around with a concerned expression on his face. His eyes swept around the open area before it finally landed on Shyvana, a smile appearing on his face.
"Shyvana!" He said, watching as she stood all the way up, a weak smile on her face. He turned his head over his shoulder and shouted. "I found Shyvana!" Shyvana heard a voice from beyond which she assumed for Forsythe or Quinn. It sounded male, though it lacked the strength of Jarvan's voice and the depth of Isaacs.
"Is everyone alright?" Shyvana said, stepping towards him, pausing hesitantly as she remembered where the searing stone had been underfoot, surprised when it was cool to the touch. Isaacs trotted up, his bandaged stump of a leg twitching as he brought the horse to rein, the animal shaking it head uncomfortably and struggling against his commands.
"Whoa there..." Isaacs said, patting the animal, still fighting to keep it under control. He looked warily around, scanning the mist with an anxious frown. He returned his gaze to Shyvana who had her arms wrapped around her against the cool air. "Is Kampf dead?" Shyvana shook her head.
"I.. I don't know." She hung her head and pulled her shoulders in closer around her. "He was..." She paused, wondering if it was wise to tell Isaacs anything that the monster had actually said to her. It had rattled her to the bone, and while the old man might be caring, she didn't know what he would say, and right now she didn't want to know. She shook her head slowly, clamping her eyes shut, trying to erase the memories.
"It's fine, we'll get him." Isaacs said, turning about and looking towards where he had yelled earlier. "Quinn, Forsythe, see if you can't figure out what happened to that bastard dragon..."
"On it, Isaacs..." Quinn said, sweeping past them in the mist, her body veiled by the mist, barely a wraith as she glided past silently. Valor was not far behind, circling slowly above her master, his eyes wide and his head twisting about, watching and listening for the smallest sign of danger. Forsythe rode up on one of the other horses, his great sword in hand as he paused and looked about over Shyvana's head.
"No sign of the dragon or Jarvan yet." Forsythe reported, casting a glance at Shyvana before turning about and moving on towards the wall of mist. Shyvana blinked a few times as he was swallowed by the mist, disappearing into the wall of soupy white fog, the words he spoke ringing in her ears.
No sign of Jarvan...
The realization that he was gone hit her like a truck.
"Jarvan..." She whispered quietly under her breath, her entire body lurching to a halt. Her eyes dilated, her breath froze in her throat, her mouth became a desert as her jaw hung open slightly, tears welling in her eyes. Isaacs paused mid stride, noticing the look of shock that had gripped Shyvana.
"What was that?" He said, turning towards her atop his horse, the horse stamping impatiently.
"JARVAN!" Shyvana screamed and clamped her hands over her head as she sank to her knees, the tears pouring down her face.
"Wha-..." Isaacs stammered, watching as the young dragoness broke down, falling to the ground, tears pouring from her eyes. A scream echoed out of the fog
"LOOK OUT!" The voice came from behind the fog. Isaacs tore his eyes away from Shyvana, the confusion thickening on his face as he tried to figure out what was going on as the world started to crash down around him. The sounds of a horse braying madly echoed from the mist, as Forsythe came stumbling into view. His arm was gashed and he had lost his sword, the man stumbling forth, barely able to stand. Blood poured from his shoulder and down his face. Quinn emerged from the opposite direction, her crossbow raised and her breath heavy as she emerged, ready for anything.
"What the fuck is going on?" Isaacs exclaimed, his horse suddenly going wild beneath him, shaking its head from side to side as it struggled to get free. "Woah! WOAH!" He shouted, trying fruitlessly to calm the animal. It brayed wildly, threatening to buck him, pawing its hooves at the ground angrily.
"He's... coming..." Forsythe gasped, dragging his leg as he hopped towards Isaacs and then straight past them. He wore an expression on his face as if he had seen the devil himself, gaunt and pale. Quinn tucked her crossbow away and ran to him, supporting him as he struggled, nearly collapsing on top of him .
"Hold on... who's coming?" She said breathlessly, trying to keep him upright, groaning under the weight of his body.
The body of a horse, lacking its neck and head, sailed through the air just above Shyvana. A trail of blood followed in its wake, marring the ground with a single long, red mark, droplets of blood striking Shyvana's face. Quinn and Isaac's eyes grew wide, their queries of 'who' suddenly being answered.
"We need to get clear!" Isaacs shouted, turning the horse about, the animal now braying wildly, shaking its head crazily as it foamed at the mouth, jumping about, Isaacs struggling to hold on with only one good leg. Quinn turned about towards Isaacs, a look of concern as the officer struggled to control his horse. "Just go!" He shouted, waving them onwards, anger in his voice. He turned to Shyvana, the anger now contorting his face. "Shyvana! SHYVANA!" He bellowed, trying to snap the dragoness out of her trance like state, hugging herself, her mouth moving but no words emerging from her lips. "SHYVANA!" He bellowed again, now hoarse. The dragoness froze, her head slowly turning till she looked at Isaacs.
"Wha... what..." She stammered, her lip quivering, her face streaked with tears.
"Where is Jarvan?" Isaacs growled, a stern look on his face as he started casting glances over his shoulder as reverberations began shuddering up through the ground.
"He's gone..." She murmured, shaking her head slowly, looking away from the anger in Isaacs face, not willing to meet his gaze.
"Gone?" Isaacs growled, the urgency in his voice growing. "What do you mean gone..."
"He's... dead..." Shyvana said slowly, shaking her head, not willing to hear her own voice say it aloud.
"Wha..." Isaacs froze, blinking several times, shaking his head, the word mulling about in his head. "How did... when did... he's... dead?" Shyvana looked up at him. He cheeks had grown dry, and the heat of her body was starting to grow. Isaacs horse took several steps back as it looked down at the dragoness. Heat poured off her body, whipping her hair about as she slowly clambered to her feet. The horse finally snapped, the animal braying and taking off as Kampf's roar echoed from not far off, hidden by the mist. "Fuck! This!" Isaacs tried to stop the animal, but it hadn't been trained for combat, it wasn't used to this sort of thing. Isaacs tumbled off the horse, striking the ground with a grunt and rolling about as the horse galloped off, leaping from side to side.
He looked over his shoulder at Shyvana, the dragoness now having pulled herself to her feet, her frail looking arms hanging at her side.
"Shyvana!" He shouted, struggling just to get up to his foot, leaning heavily on his sword. "Get clear!" He tried to wave her away, but the dragoness simply stared at the ground. The horse had trotted to a halt, thought it was clearly still jumpy, but with the silence that had suddenly fallen around the area, the animal suddenly seemed strangely calm. Isaacs limped over to the horse, grabbing the saddle and breathing heavily, his eyes dancing around the edge of his vision, hopping along the ground, as he leaned on the horse. He pulled himself up onto the saddle, trying to hold onto the horse with his one good leg, trying to control the horse before it went mad again. She looked over her shoulder at him, her magenta orbs glowing, dark slits marking the middle, the black diamonds gleaming as she glared back at him. Isaacs scratched his head angrily. "God damnit..." He muttered, turning the horse about and snapping the reins, pushing the horse into a gallop. "Shyvana! Grab my hand!" He leaned down, his arm hanging low so that Shyvana could grab it and he could swing her up onto the horse.
"No." She said as he circled past her. The voice she said it in was unlike anything he had ever heard from her, the sound chilling him to the bone. There was a fire in her eyes, a look of utter and blind determination upon her face as she turned to face the sound of the dragon's approaching footsteps.
"You can't face him alone!" Isaacs shouted as he tried to slow the horse.
"Watch me." Shyvana snarled, letting the horns burst through her skull, piercing the skin, and curving back. She twisted her head about, the pain playing over her face but she refused to let it faze her, the air boiling and writhing around her.
"Shyvana!" Isaacs shouted, watching as she Dragoness began to wrap herself in an inferno. "Jarvan wouldn't want this!" He tried to break through the emotional wall she had erected, a barrier of anger to dampen the pain, but despite the fact that he could see tears streaming down her face, she stood her ground, staring into the fog, waiting, ready for her foe to come to her. "Don't do this! Shyvana!"
"I can take him!" She shouted back, wiping her cheek with her arm, smudging dirt onto her cheeks. "Jarvan's death won't go unpunished, I swear it won't!" Isaacs froze, his mouth hanging open as the horse stared to veer off, the animal refusing to stand still. "I won't back down!"
"You're bloody mad!" Isaacs growled, realizing there was nothing he could do. "You're going to get yourself killed, you know that!"
Shyvana looked back at him, freezing any further protests within his throat. Her eyes were cold and hollow, a mix of both fear and anger mixing deep within them.
"That's the idea." She said softly, her words nearly lost amid the raging inferno that boiled around her. "Without Jarvan..." she paused, shaking her head as she suddenly looked vulnerable, like a child. Her shoulders fell for a few brief moments as her shoulders heaved. She closed her eyes as a tear ran down her cheek, though by the time she raised her hand to wipe it away, the tear had been vaporized by the heat of her flames. Her shoulder heaved a few times as she tried to laugh.
"Shy..." Isaacs began to say, his voice now lost.
"I can't even cry over him anymore..." She said softly, looking at Isaacs with sad eyes. "Leave me... You shouldn't see me like this."
"I..." Isaacs tired to speak, but the gruff old man's voice faltered as he felt his eyes dampen. Shore... Jarvan... and Shyvana now too? Isaacs shook his head. "You better come back!" He shouted, trying to hide his sadness behind a facade of anger and gruff. It failed. "Jarvan may be gone... but your place is still in Demacia, you hear? I'll make sure of it!" Shyvana looked utterly stunned for a few moments, but then tears threatened to overwhelm her yet again. She gave him a sad, brave smile and nodded her head once as Isaacs finally stopped fighting the horse. He snapped the reins, the horse finally able to take off, galloping away into the mist, towards where he believed Quinn and Forsythe had headed.
"SHOW YOURSELF, KAMPF!" Shyvana roared, letting the anger surface, flames swirling around her. The flames burst forth, burning hotter and brighter than before, her resolve only strengthened as the orange flames licked her skin and blazed the ground. They drowned out her sorrows, leaving behind only the determination and will to deal a killing blow to her foe. Kampf burst from the mist, gliding over her and crashing to the ground, spraying gravel in every direction as he slid to a stop, his claws cutting a deep groove in the ground beneath the pulverized stone that littered the area, letting his body twist about as he snapped up Isaacs and his horse in his jaw.
"Good to see you again, little one..." He rumbled around the prey he held in his jaw, pausing as his eye looked down to where Shyvana was coiled back, ready to pounce, letting his eye take on a wild look. Kampf held the horse in his jaw, the animal braying in pain and whining in agony as his fangs sinking into the animal's flesh. The deeper the fangs sank, the more the horse writhed and kicked. "I hope you don't mind... I'm just taking out the trash."
Isaacs was strung up from the horse dangling from Kampf's jaw as the Dragon swung him about. He grunted as he tried to bend his body up towards the saddle, stretching his arm as far as he could to try and reach the buckle. He let his body fall slack again, unable to fight both gravity and the force of Kampf swinging him about. He drew a knife and exhaled as he curled his body upwards, levering himself up, using his stub of a leg as a hand hold. His face was covered in a mask of blood that had dripped down his body, leaking from the massive gouges in the horse. Isaacs swung up on last time, swinging the knife at the last strap that was holding him in place, but the knife went wide when Kampf jerked the horse. The knife clattered to the ground, bouncing off the rocks.
"Let him go!" Shyvana growled, the fear and pain she felt beginning to turn into anger. Fire swirled around her now, whipping at her skin as the hot air rose up her body, playing in her hair and the fabric on her clothes.
"Ah, ah, ah..." Kampf mused, shaking his head about to dangle and bounce Isaacs around further. "Prey isn't supposed to fight back." He twisted his neck about and wheeled around, sending the horse with Isaacs still attached flailing through the air. Shyvana screamed as the horse, with man still attached went cartwheeling over her head, as Kampf rumbled in pleasure, a distinct look of glee on his face as the man flailed.
"Isaacs!" She shouted, watching as the animal disappeared into the mist, the sound of crunching gravel and the meaty impact of a horse carrying through the air. "Leave them out of this!" Shyvana snarled at Kampf, the dragon again playing with his food as he put a look of mock horror on his face as Shyvana turned on him.
"There's nothing you can do to stop me, filthy half-breed." He growled, a smug grin slipping onto his snout as he began to slowly pace around Shyvana, his good eye watching her with interest. He was watching now, waiting for her to react, goading the attack. He slowed his stalking, narrowing his eye as Shyvana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the heat and fire around her dying down to nothing. "What are you doing..." He hissed quietly, Shyvana just barely catching the words he spoke. She ignored him, shaking off the fear she felt, banishing the pain to the back of her mind, shunting all of the weakness she felt to a corner of her mind to be dealt with later.
There will be time to grieve later. Shyvana took a deep breath in, the cool air rushing into her lungs where she held it. She exhaled slowly, steam expelling from her nostrils as she let her chest fall back to a rest state. When all is said and done... there are only those who ran and those who stood and fought. I am a Demacian now... and Demacians do not retreat.
Shyvana began to feel the heat begin to expand in her chest, coursing through her veins, a sense of power with her draconian form she had not once felt. She maintained the form of a human, but deep within there was something else, something bigger, faster and stronger than any human could ever hope to be. Within her small frame beat the heart of a dragon and the soul of a human, a combination no one else could boast. She may have been a half-breed, a freak to those who did not care to see anything else, but she possessed a fiery spirit that would not be dampened. Now, she was staring down the foe who had ended her father, the man who had cared for her and raised her, the man who shown her how to survive and how to live. He had also claimed Shyvana's first and only love, the man who had shown her the world and that humans could be trusted and even depended upon.
Now is not a time for regrets... Shyvana took another deep breath. It is a time for action.
Shyvana opened her eyes, the reptilian slits dancing back and forth coolly across the landscape as Kampf stalked into view. He raised a single scaled brow as he watched Shyvana look up at him, mirth rife on her face.
"Finally done sniveling?" Kampf hissed, trying to put a confident, cruel face on. It failed though, Shyvana could see his wing tips twitching as he tried to inspire fear within her.
"Shut your mouth, coward." Shyvana snapped, narrowing her eyes as Kampf nearly tripped over his own foot in surprise.
"COWARD?" He sulked backwards, hiding the surprise with a mocking tone. "Bold words for a whore who was just pining the death of a human up until a few moments ago."
"How does it feel, Kampf, knowing you'll never know how it feels to love? To let your life become so obsessed with hunting down one dragon and his daughter? To become so utterly obsessed with something so petty that it is your sole defining characteristic?" It was Shyvana's turn to wear the cruel smile. "Have you no better purpose in life than to waste it all hunting me down so you can feel better about yourself?"
"SILENCE!" Kampf snarled, roaring at her, sending waves of stinking, hot air crashing over her. Shyvana ignored it, letting the heat just rush through her hair as if it were no more than a mid-summer's breeze. "YOU... KNOW... NOTHING... OF... MY... GOALS..." His chest rapidly expanded and contracting, rising and falling with strained breaths, glowing a brighter and more fiery orange with every additional breath he sucked in.
"What goals?" Shyvana said with a smirk, watching as Kampf's chops drew back, revealing his teeth. "You don't have goals. You have a goal. Singular. And that is the death of me." Shyvana said, anger spicing her words. She glared back as the dragon sneered and looked her up and down, starting to reconsider her. He chuckled, though it wasn't the confident, aggressive and haughty laugh he had before. It was strained and forced.
"I COULD BITE YOU IN HALF WITH NO MORE EFFORT THAN IT WOULD TAKE TO SWAT A FLY." Kampf hissed, trying to regain his confidence and composure, shaking his head and resuming his pacing in a wide circle. The distance had grown though.
He's becoming scared...
Shyvana knew that and she was waiting for it. The perfect chance to attack. It would come soon and she could feel it, as the heat simmered around her. Heat now poured of her body like an overworked furnace, ready to explode at any second. Dust, rock and dirt was carried into the air by the waves of heat pouring of her body, an aura of power around her as the anger continued to build. Gone were the tears and the sobs, replaced with fists clenched so tight she could have crushed stone, her teeth gritted so hard her jaw hurt. But the pain was merely a distraction. She let out the breath she had been holding in her chest.
"Jarvan... I shant be long behind you..." Shyvana whispered under her breath, looking up to Kampf with a hardened look.
I am tired to being the hunted... Jarvan and my father... I shall avenge them, even if it means my own death...
Shyvana had found her prey and it was time to make her move.
"You can continue to run as you have so far... like the coward you are..." Shyvana said menacingly, her voice dark and seething, a rolling inferno contained just beneath the surface like a volcano ready to explode. "Or you can cease your cowering and face me like the mighty dragon you have so long to have claimed to be..." The venom in her voice stopped Kampf in his tracks, his one eye wide with surprise and anger. "...If you have the balls."
"YOU DARE MOCK ME?" Kampf hissed, admonished, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"You can run if you want..." Shyvana said, opening and closing the massive clawed fists that hung from her arms now, leathery blue skinned knuckles practically dragging along the ground. Shyvana ignored the pain of her transformation, refusing to let it affect her dogged determination. She felt fangs burst from her gums and her nose elongate into a snout. Her bones shattered and knit themselves back together much larger, much lighter and much stronger than her human form. Scales cut through her skin like knives getting shoved out of her body, seating the armored plates in her skin as it hardened into tough leather.
A scaled tail hung for Shyvana's back, her mane of bristly red hair now stretching all the way down her back. Scales ripped through her skin along her thighs and her shoulders. Long bones sprouted from her arms, taunt leathery material stretching between them, the wings tucking back and away, leaving the razor sharp claws digging into the dirt. The muscles covering her body expanded and grew, boiling beneath her skin, ripping the thin, pale, human skin away to reveal armor plated scales of midnight blue leather, her body expanding and lengthening. Shyvana felt her teeth expand and the flat human teeth were replaced with fangs so massive that they would have had little trouble shredding a human into bits. Horns cut through her skull, erupting and curving back, as Shyvana twisted her neck out, stretching the elongated muscles along her vertebrae, splitting and reforming. Shyvana slapped her tail onto the ground as an inferno boiled around her, whipping at the air and casting rock about like a typhoon.
Her lips pulled back in a wicked smile. "...but you shall only die tired."