Fantasy The Nature of Ice

[Dragonborn1]

This is the placeholder for a dragon roleplay between some lovely people, hosted by our very own Dragonborn1 . Character sheets are A-OK in my book if desired, or I can PM you them.

The sun shined bright on a warm morning. The town of Ocean Side sat near the lands end where rushing water could be heard and the wind smelt of salt water. Dragons started to steadily leave their homes to pursue their morning activities. Younger dragons played, shop owners swung their signs to open, and the sounds of chatter filled the morning air.

most of the chatter was towards the guards that were stationed here…
guards decked in silver armor patrolled the streets. Many avoided their gaze in hopes to not be noticed, however all they wanted to do was help. Although no one wanted it from them..
Glacier patrolled the streets her helmet glistened in the morning light. Her head swiveled around facing the crowd of civilians.

 

[Thanny]

"I did, once upon a time," Origin continued, looking down at her plate as if this were touching a difficult history. "I knew them before they told me years later of what they wanted for the empire, but we nature dragons try to stay true to the land that raised us and avoid conflict. 'An unjust peace is better than a righteous war.' That's what I think."

She looked up and clenched her teeth, hearing the mighty winds outside. Was that the oncoming of a storm or a squall? Her sensitive plants were out there and in need of coming indoors, and she needed to bless the rest so that they stay in place. It must be so breezy and cold out there. She started shivering at the thought.

"That sounds like a storm!" she stated, rushing to her feet. "I need to bring in my plants. Would you be a dear and prop the door open with the last chair while I fetch things and protect my outdoor crops with a protection ward? I won't be long. You can help yourself to more food in the kitchen if you are feeling more hungry. There is extra."

More panicked than concerned about her lack of hospitality toward her guest, she bowed quickly and started opening the door, scanning the skies. Was there a storm approaching?

 

[Dragonborn1]

Glacier cupped her claws to accept the gift. Glacier stated at it for a long time Origins parents sounded like really good dragons. She couldn’t remember much from her childhood. Her mother as something her father wouldn’t talk about much. It also was like he was distant from her aswell.
Without knowing it Glacier’s eyes started to water…
But before Origin could see she wiped the tears away, clutching the charm in her claw.
”Thank you, it’s wonderful.”

Outside the wind seemed to finally quit it was just rain now pouring down. Making loud putter patters on the roof. A window nearby showed the rain slowly water falling from the glass surface, although something else was out there..

Black smoke came from the direction of Ocean View. Glacier could smell the smoke, and she knew it wasn’t from the candles..
Without saying anything she rushed outside unlocking the door and staring at the black smog.
”Oh dear…please no…”

 

[Dragonborn1]

There was a knock on Origin’s door. On the other side was Glacier the blood was water falling down the length of her tail. Hopefully she didn’t imm notice it.

”Origin! Its me Glacier. I have a guest with me who needs your help.”

Glacier then pounded on the door.
”Don’t worry she’s home, I told her to hunker down incase a resistance member came knocking.”

she reassured the guard.

 

[Dragonborn1]

Origin kept her wings closed tightly and stiffly, wondering if she could follow those orders after hearing what it was like from the other two. Can she pass by a wounded villager or soldier in need? Granted, she did not have any medicines, but can she live with thw guilt of not trying? Perhaps at this point it was better to put it behind her. She was no medic. She was a healer, but no medic.

"Okay," she replied softly, and followed with Shine in the back, the male complaining about the wound with a groan as he got up.

The path to the barracks was not without its pitfalls. People had fallen along the roads, blood drenching the dirt roads and painting it darker in the dim moonlight. None of them could be saved, much to Origin's sadness and perhaps to her salvation.

Moonlight shone soon through the clouds and painted a grisly scene on the burning town. Bodies and destruction were easily commonplace. She feared the death count and hoped that at least the children were safe from the carnage.

Shine moved before her, looking up and looking pallid. The smell of blood was getting to him, for certain, as he looked like he was fighting his nose even if he did not cover it, perhaps out of trying to paint himself a man and not the boy he was. He scanned the surroundings as if looking for an ambush, or perhaps Glacier, if she was separate from the two. She hoped all was well.

Glacier flapped her wings overhead. She knew where the barracks were located. However, with the rubble it was hard making out the buildings shape through all the rubble.

Scanning the area below she coughed when flying through a cloud of smoke.
Glancing up she caught a glimpse of something shiny, but wasn’t Shines glow. It was a silver shine like if their armor. Glacier whistled down to the group and pointed where she saw the glint.

Flying ahead she landed exactly where she saw it. Scanning the area around her for any sign of life..

 

[Thanny]

Snapjaw bobbed his somber head in understanding, thinking fondly of the choices. Stealth was an optimal choice which can turn things to their favour easily with less manpower, and Astrid's physical capabilities can prove useful. There was also Origin, of course, which prompted a chuckle from his lips.

"Excellent choices, all," he stated. "I will get them gathered and we can set out quickly." He looked to the right where his nephew had been and noticed that he had slipped away to the top of the barracks' entrance, scouting the area above the choking smoke, or maybe pretending to keep his eye there. Snapjaw grinned with a few snaggleteeth jutting from near his fangs. The thought of his nephew feeling like he has to one-up his fellow recruit, whether or not it was validated, was almost as appealing as the other likelyhood that he was being observant in two ways.

Origin was led out of the building some time afterward, followed by the three requested dragons. Glacier could probably see that she was equipped with a small satchel with a medical symbol on it, which she let slip around her right wing like a tiny purse, easily retrievable without being in the way. Origin was not too terribly happy at the moment -- and a splotch of blood was on her that was not there before, dark and partially congealed -- but she managed a smile toward her friend.

"There was not much I could take, but there were a few supplies that can help combat some smaller dangers," she said quiet enough to draw only Glacier's attention. "It might prove useful."

~~ ×× ~~ ×× ~~

Travelling in the dark was miserable, the bush-strewn terrain preventing much good to occur if traveling on the ground so that many stayed in the air, prowling for enemies obscured by the dim moonlight through the clouds. It was a lights-off mission, and luckily this was a proper element for the nightfolk. Chiron and the black dragon would detect nothing for the most part, their eyes and ears exceptional due to their similar lineage. Shadow dragons are in essence black dragons, just slightly more nocturnal and with a more pronounced set of eyes.

Originmaw fumbled her way, bulky armour shrugging off most of the bushes that obstinately stood in her path, but like the others she was confident in her ability, hers chiefly being pathfinding. Shortcuts were found and made, making the trip the shortest possible, though of course it was faster in the air.

They made it to the fairgrounds, which was overgrown with grass and some small trees that were not trimmed in years and had grown quite wild, and half a mile beyond lay the entrance to the mineshaft, covered with dark fabric that disguised the torchlight inside the mouth of the tunnel. If one dared venture close, conversation can be heard from inside, raucous with laughter. It was certainly occupied.

 

[Thanny]

Origin had a challenge getting from place to place as they stepped in a loose but somewhat organised fashion, peeping around to find odd things here and there that she had never seen before, at least intact. The strange vehicles with rotted tires as if they were made of something other than wood and metal had surprised her in that they still remained upright. It had been ten years since she had last approached this mine entrance, and three years since the fair had last been active. She wondered how this place must have looked when it was in its prime, and how the people must have acted. Perhaps it was just the same as they did now, only with more specialised jobs available.

The walls changed from dark and rocky to white, as if cave-ins had collapsed the entrance, and overhead she could see the whorls of generations of spider webs desperately hoping for something to grab. However, nothing could be more different from this amazing overlarge room, almost circular in cross-section and with giant contraptions like that giant propeller. Everything else seemed relatively normal in comparison to Originmaw. Perhaps some things that were made in recent years have been brought down here via treadmill crane or by sheer muscles? Either way, it was impressive.

"I don't like the smell of this," said Snapjaw with a visible frown in the light of the torch. He would have crossed his arms had not one been prepared on the hilt of his sword.

Chiron dropped to a knee and picked up a second torch from the ground, its fuel mostly spent and the smallest of flickering flames on its head. He listened intently and showed his findings, then dropped his voice to a whisper, saying, "I know what you mean. It is as if we were led here. Is this an ambush?"

Snapjaw breathed through his nose, tasting the air as if there was more here than centuries of dust stirred up from the windfall lingering.

"No, I don't--"

Snap. Shift. Turn. Whirl.

Most eyes shifted to see the propeller from before start, tips turning in massive rotations that steadily turned faster . . . and faster. It took an educated mind to know what was happening, but Origin was not one such person.

"What is happening?" she voiced timidly, looking for guidance from any of the other dragons.

"Nothing good, my dear," returned Snapjaw calmly. "An old fossil like me has come back to life, but I have no idea what it does."

 

[Dragonborn1]

Snapjaw looked at the signs with interest as he struck up fire from his maw and walked into the tunnel, radiating little spurts of flame before they diffused into nothingness. He wondered where the dangerous little deviants to the Empire could be. Could they be in the area to the left which seemed more civilian or could they be in a place more industrious and scientific which, to his understanding, meant the possibility of technology being researched? The latter simply cannot be allowed to be used against them.

"We have come across a fork up here," he stated to the others as he came out of the hallway and gripped the handrail with one hand, his eyes still looking into the dark room as if to penetrate its mysteries just by that angle. "Everyone, come up, quick as you are able."

Originmaw blinked in interest and, looking around to the others who had seemingly went ahead to fly up there -- at least Chiron and Astrid -- smiled at Glacier before clambering onto the platforms leading up to the catwalk. For all of her slowness due to her shell of earth, she had a strong jump.

Down below in the wind tunnel, everything stood silent. Nothing besides the five or six dragons stirred.

Snapjaw turned toward the group when they all were gathered, his snaggletooth showing through his old man's smile.

"I do believe we have them cornered. My guess is that they are in the left door down there, which you all can handle on your own, I feel. I can take the right and see if I can find any others that are hiding or lying in ambush."

‘Why did they smile at me like that..’

She wondered flapping her wings and leaping into the air. She met with the other dragons in the hallway,in which, she glanced at the door Snapjaw wanted them to inspect. It had no handle for them to turn. She wondered how they’d get in.

Glacier motioned for the others to follow her, her shadow warped over the door. She raised her claw waving it infront of the door. She bit her lip looking stumped, until the black dragon stepped up.
“Grab the side of the door with me. Pull!”
The two pulled the door it made an ear splitting screech. It was pulled along its rail until fully open. Glacier gasped on what she saw.


Two dragons, dead, lying in a pool of blood. Their heads were mangled and their throats cut. Investigating further tge room was storing humanoid creatures. They’re made of metal with their heads triangular slanted with no eyes anywhere. They had two wings on either side of their head.
Almost everyone of them was accounted for except for three of them…

 

[Thanny]

The rest with the exception of Astrid grouped up around Glacier, the other female guard continuing to threateningly flail her weapon around. Chiron was glad to have taken one down alongside his fellow guard, but was quick to back away to the door, unsure of what else to do. Origin did the same, looking in a panic around for an escape before looking toward the door.

"Astrid! Back towards the door!" Chiron called out, voice less crisp with haste.

"These things will swarm us faster if I do that!" Astrid called out angrily between controlled, randomly timed swings of her trident to keep the opponents at bay. "Find a way out and be snappy about it! I don't want to lose to these armoured freaks!"

"Someone! Anyone! Is anyone out there? We need help!" Originmaw called out, feeling helpless in this situation. She did not know a thing about machinery or how to fight. The best she could do is deter or call out for assistance, and swallowing her pride in the middle of all of these guards she did the latter.

Against all odds, seconds later, something else answered from the speaker.

"Perhaps you should stay back from the door," came the familiar voice of the healer from the mouth of the cave. "Once it is done unsealing, go through the opening. I won't have it open all the way."

The blast door opened with snaps and whirs as pins started to shift from inside the door, allowing the door to budge where it would not have through brute force. Origin backed away, biting her lip, while the others turned their heads around, shocked that something was happening. When the door was a third of the way open, revealing a warm glow of torchlight, it stopped and a powerful voice boomed from the other side, "Go! Now!"

Origin looked at Glacier, then Chiron, and bolted beneath the door in a scurry, rolling through awkwardly due to her rounded, rocky shape. Chiron soon followed, as did Astrid if and only if Glacier was the next to follow. Within the torch-lit sanctuary of the encapsulated room could be seen the doctor, Sanctus, Merrimac, and five others who had their weapons half-drawn uncertainly. The doctor was the one with his hand on the controls, ready to snap the door shut when the outside room was clear of the living. He was staring at a black box on the wall with moving images on it, static lines crawling over its surface like little white and grey bugs too fast to keep track of.

"You're welcome," voiced Sanctus coolly to the crowd, his voice as uplifted as his grin. He found amusement at this, though perhaps there was something more to it. "I recognise two of you here. Hello, Neck-Biter."

He was referring to Glacier before the door closed soundly behind everyone (when everyone was inside the room, that is).

 

[Dragonborn1]

“I’ll go”
Glacier raised her claw glancing to Sanctus to see his reaction.
“I’ll make sure he won’t be killed.”
Giving a sly smile aimed at Sanctus. She walked over to the elevator shaft glancing up and down, motioning for her partner to follow.
“Don’t be scared.”
She said sarcastically.


She spread her wings leaping into the shaft climbing the square, narrow area after awhile of climbing a closed door was before the two dragons. She looked down to her partner motioning to him for help. The two heaved open the door just enough for both to squeeze through.


The room was dark the only light coming from the elevator shaft. Stepping forward the lights suddenly flashed, screens before the two switched on showing a creature never seen before. He had messy blonde hair, glasses, no facial hair, but his head was a odd shape. Maybe it was only for those types of creatures.

“Welcome, visitors, or people of the future! Welcome, to Reptilegenetics!
We are proud to announce our new creatures we love to call dragons!”
The speaker went on talking about the creatures which were standing there listening to the recording. Glacier didn’t know what to think, she didn’t know they were made in a lab..

 

[Thanny]

With the press of the button, the same person's voice listed a different audio track, and, this time, complete.

"Cielo dragons, or heaven dragons, are able-bodied at flight and speed to catch their prey. They harbour strong bonds with their kin, and have a unique biology where their strength can increase five-fold for a short moment in time by accelerating their heart rate, accomplishing great feats of physical prowess. They take to high spots, keeping an eye on the world below them and rarely ever looking up, for they know no predator. ReptileGenetics sees them as strong candidates for falconing and military purposes due to their similarity to birds of prey. They can grow between a foot to four feet in height, speed inversely proportional to their size. Still, they are not to be discounted for their versatility in other areas as well."

Sanctus huffed in agreement and, at the same time, annoyance. That sounded about right for the mountain dragons, looming and threatening, though of great feats of prowess he had never heard of. Perhaps this attribute of them was weeded out over the years, though Glacier was the only one he met in person. What he could do with five-fold strength.

The sensation of the whitest of fires passed through him, searing and enlightening, and his pupils went wide as he scanned the room, finger handling the weapon at his side. His breath went ragged for a second before he collected himself.

"I am tempted to find mine -- I mean, my ancestors' -- but I know my strength, and it's firing off right now," Sanctus spoke, words hasty as he continued to look around. "Something bad's gonna happen, I can sense it. Where's the old man?"

"Hoh? Old, am I?" called out from the last set of double doors, one opening up to reveal a dragon with his sword drawn. It was Snapjaw, his armour decorated with new blood and some spattering of oil as well. His slim sword was wiped meticulously clean. "Glacier, I didn't know you had another friend here not in the guard."

Sanctus' blood ran cold, and his hand gripped the dagger tightly. He feared what was going to happen, and he looked at Glacier, hoping that she could prevent what he had seen from happening.

 

[Thanny]

"It's . . . certainly tough," Originmaw started, her chin raised to look up at Glacier. Her eyes appeared to be on the verge of crying, but no tears trickled down yet. "I wasn't there, but I wonder if I could have made a difference if I was, for him or the others. Some I even knew their names in the end. And now they have passed beyond the shadows of the world. As a nature dragon I should celebrate life and still welcome death to restart the cycle, but, well . . . again, it's tough."

The floodgates started to creak open, but Snapjaw started to pace through the room with a stiff expression, earning Origin's attention. Hands drawn back behind his back, the elder walked with his silver blade's hilt glistening in the low light.

"I'd hate to break this up, but if those things are on their way up we should move quickly if we are to escape," Snapjaw said, his lip curling. "We should go fast, too. There is no room for sightseeing. Now, is there a better entrance than the room with the giant fan? One without a vertical drop? We have some landbounds with us, and a rope if available would be too slow, unless we bring them up individually."

Sanctus glared daggers at the old man, not desiring to speak even a syllable even under the circumstances. Rheyn huffed and rose to full height after propping himself up by the knee.

"There is another way back up via staircase. That is our best bet, but this is not all of us. Others are pocketed elsewhere in this facility in a safe area."

Snapjaw seemed to scratch his chin gently as if contemplating the situation, but Sanctus could not restrain himself from speaking anew with a twisted, rueful smile: "Oh, don't be coy. You know what happened to them, Snapjaw, don't you? After all, you killed them, didn't you?"

Snapjaw visibly jumped, looking behind him with a shackling frown, at Sanctus first and the other parts of the room second. Many if not all eyes were upon him and his sins.

"Self-defense is an easy claim here. They drew their--"

"You drew first. After all, you drew first with me in a surprise attack. My eye is proof of that."

People started murmuring. Astrid to Chiron, rebel to rebel, Origin to Glacier.

"Glacier? Is this true?" she asked, her face that of sudden terror.

 

[Thanny]

Origin waved with gusto before she trotted back to her house, surprisingly peppy in comparison to Astrid who seemed much more in need of sleep, though her lack of coordination suffered for it. A number of embarrassing stumbles on pebbles occurred before she entered her abode, packing just about everything she assumed she needed. Some were bare-bones, but she did pack some preserved rations that would help for the trip. Of clothes she had no need, so her pack was pretty light besides a number of bottles made by one of the better glassblowers in the area, all filled with water. All this was set up in a rucksack on the eating table Glacier and Origin sat for dinner before all of this happened, the uneaten food still there and wilting or watering out on their respective plates.

Exhaustion she had staved off for the entire night fully creeped onto her at last, and she would spend the remaining time curling up on her comfortable bed, crashed. She did not bother locking the front door, as zonked as she was, which would in fact be a blessing in disguise should Glacier find her asleep and not answering the door.

Of Chiron he would assist in the humanitarian efforts for a few hours before too turning in. His family accepted him back with a warmth he was unused to, but when he crawled into his cot he remained awake to stare off at the ceiling lit with daylight. He was worried. After all of these strange happenings, more was bound to follow, and he feared that Ocean Side was in the middle of it all. He hoped those two would be okay.

~~ ++ ~~ ++ ~~

Whenever Glacier would come back to Origin's domicile, she would find the place as quiet as she first arrived. The door had seen better days, as it did suffer some damage from that freak storm, but other than being slightly lopsided it remained unhampered. The windows were shuttered. The garden was mostly destroyed, but even in the darkest of hours hope still lingers, and new sprouts will come, with or without Origin to tend to them.

With this starts the beginning of a new trek, and perhaps a graver one than previously.

 

[Thanny]

Sanctus was most certainly surprised by what Glacier had mentioned, though he did manage to crack a grin. Perhaps he did not give the girl enough credit, finding her more soft in heart than shrewd, but this could be a one-time thing.

Then, they heard it, a bellowing screech that tore out from the cheer of the crowd. Origin's blood ran cold from its prolonged, shrill cry, and she ventured over to the window bars as the others did, peering out at a gargantuan, almost draconic beast that reminded her of stories told long ago of basilisks and other horrid beasts. Was this one of them or something different, perhaps worse? She probably did not want to know.

Sanctus seemed of the same mind, staring out of the window at the elephantine creature with a stern look.

"I haven't seen that kind of creature before, if it's even a creature and not a . . . you know." He turned back toward the others briefly, then looked away, thinking of the machines from earlier that killed Merrimac. "I don't want to stick around to see it any closer. That thing sounds dangerous to tango with."

"We should go, and fast," said Origin, biting her lip as she migrated to Glacier's cuffs first to unlock them, then to Sanctus'. Both were of the same make with the same key, making things a breeze to unshackle her friends. "But we need a plan."

"Yeah," Sanctus muttered, his eyes coming back to full liveliness as he felt the relief of freedom of restraints. "Speakin' of plans, my guard friend, two of us can't fly, so we'll need another route or better figuring out of our route. I thought I could tunnel and squirm out of the handcuffs before, but with three of us things are easier to figure."

"But what about the others in cells like ours?" asked Origin worriedly. "Can we really just leave them to save our own skin?"

Sanctus froze, then frowned.

"If we have to. Our chances of escaping detection get worse with every new body followin' us. But a mass jailbreak? It might work." He eyed the mountain dragon of the group. "Glacier. Ideas?"