It's an Age-Old Tale...

[thalassino]

Characters: Princesses, Princes and Vatheonites all
Location: All around the fairy tale world
Time: All day erryday-- on Monday
Style: Whatever works best!
Status: OPEN. Threadjack, threadhop, spam away!

[Welcome to the curse, Vatheonites. Welcome to the fairy tale.

And with the tale, the world has changed. Nothing remains of the city that once was; now there are fantastical and crazy things, things that would be only found in books--and yet here they are.

There are a few places of note, however. A few places that might draw the intrepid adventurer, the curious.

To begin--

The Forest-- here can be found...well, trees. But other than trees, there are fairies, and curious shadows and eyes and things hiding where you do not want things to hide. Overall, it's not very safe anymore! Wolves might be on the prowl, mystical creatures that think that you sure do look a lot like lunch. And hidden deep within the forest in a system of sprawling caves lurks a dragon. Sitting on a pile of golden treasure.

The princess can be found there. Sure hope the dragon isn't sitting on her, whoops.

The Pirate Ship-- this one is much more straightforward. Namely, that there are pirates and they're out for your blood. But the ship itself is winding and filled with (empty) treasure chests and nasty sea critters that are, surprise surprise, also out for your blood. You might have to fight a pirate chief to save the princess in this labyrinth.

The Briar Patch/Towers-- where the carnival once stood there are now a couple of ominous towers, empty or filled with scuttling, skittery creatures or perhaps an unlucky slumbering foreigner. There are nasty thorns growing all over, but maybe if you're careful you can break through and find the one tower that houses the witch. Be careful--she has spells to throw at you. But she's also guarding another princess, so maybe it's worth the fight and...the flying monkeys.

The meadow-- deep in the lower district there is now a large meadow. Looks harmless, right? Only if you venture too far in, you will come across what look to be...monsters? Monsters of all shapes and sizes, vicious and ready to kill...except they're just illusions. The illusions get more and more real the closer you get to the center of the meadow, however. Some of them might even be able to actually bite, so be careful. Deep in the meadow there is a unicorn who is holding a poor princess captive. Can anyone rescue them?

Anyone is welcome to make a thread--princesses or princes or average Vatheonite pixie! Threadjack, have fun, be creative! Just remember that only the princesses' ~one true love~ will succeed...but everyone is welcome to give it a shot.]

Comments

[rainbowarch]

[Cielo lifts his head and looks in the direction Serph's tail indicated. His eyesight is sharper than Serph's (though he doesn't have as wide of a field of vision) and he spots the man who is having difficulty remaining out of sight.]

We're not gonna attack you if that's what you're worried about.

[Really, Cielo doesn't have much of an interest in fighting anything right now. He would much rather find somewhere cozy to curl up in.]

[red_medic]

[Medic shifts into view, still frowning and still clearly keeping his distance. His reply somewhat comes through grit teeth.]

You are not? Now, zhat vould make you zhe only ones in zhis forest.

[Well. Judging by their looks, these two creatures had their own fun time with the inhabitants of the forest. Also they mentioned being foreigners. The man gives a sigh.]

I do not zhink you two are hier to fight zhat dragon deeper in zhis cavern, are you?

[bufudine]

[Satisfied that the wounds on his shoulder are adequately clean, Serph turns his attention more readily to the person sharing the cave with them.

He shakes his head. What dragon? Why would you want to fight a Samael? Double turns, resistant against most types of damage, poison is not a legit weakness.]

What is your reason for seeking the dragon?

[rainbowarch]

[OH WHAT. A dragon? Figures that they wouldn't get any proper rest here. Cielo grooms his feathers a bit while waiting for the stranger's feathers. Complaining about things now won't do any good.

He'll save his complaining for later.]

[red_medic]

Boredom, vhat else?!

[Once done rolling his eyes, he makes a brief gesture with his hand, but then leans forward just a little in order to peer into the further darkness of the cave and hisses slightly.]

Zhis dreaded lizard captured Rhi'a.

[bufudine]

[The sarcasm just rolls right off Serph's back like water, and he just patiently waits for the real explanation, slowly blinking as he watches the stranger's movements.

Oh, so the dragon has captured a comrade? Then Serph can't not help; he knows the importance of saving comrades, after all. And going alone against a dragon does not sound like a wise decision at all, though this stranger strikes him as far less rash than Heat.]

We can assist you, if you wish to form an alliance.

[Sorry Cielo; it looks like Serph is going to be working you hard, today.]

[rainbowarch]

[Oh well. Things were tough enough already, what difference is a little more difficulty going to make? As Serph speaks, Cielo gets to his feet. He can't turn a blind eye to someone who needed help rescuing a comrade.]

What does a lizard want with your friend?

[red_medic]

[A shrug.]

How should I know zhat? Und in all honesty: I do not care. All I care about ist to get her out of hier in one pieze, preferably.

[And he looks from one of the large creatures to the other before giving an approving nod.]

So your assistanze in zhis matter vould be greatly appreciated.

[bufudine]

[Serph nods and stands. Awkwardly. Because, you know, flippers for front legs. But his hind legs are powerful enough, when he needs to throw himself bodily at something.]

What are your current combat capabilities?

[And... he feels like the stranger should be riding on his back, for some reason.]

[rainbowarch]

[So far, Cielo had gotten by mostly by pecking things and kicking and cutting with his talons. But he's not sure how well that will do against a dragon of all things. He could...carry a passenger? Fly? But flying has limited use in a cave.]

[red_medic]

[Without saying much of a word, Medic finally steps forward to the two beings and holds his hand up in front of himself, staring at it for a few moments before, quite abruptly, a medium-sized fireball flashes into existence, causing the man himself to jump backwards right away. Only that he manages to reduce the jumping to a clear flinching.

He narrows his eyes for a moment at the magical flame.]

Ah... Vell. I guess using fire against a dragon ist not very effective. Maybe I can try somezhing else?

[He stares at the still present flame once more until it flashes blue, making Medic cringe and grit his teeth before flicking his hand around and tossing the patiently waiting spell to the ground, where it flashes once more and turns into a small whirlwind that first circles around itself before rushing off into the darkness of the cavern.

Is this really such a good idea...?]

Heeeeeerrrreeeee'ssss Jonny! -SHOT-

[gun_symphony]

[The whirlwind rushed through the cave, passing through the winding tunnels until it somehow manages to reach the dragon's room. By that time, it has been limited to a gentle breeze, but it had gotten the dragon's attention. The massive beast snorts, before thumping off the find the source of the spell.

...meanwhile, a familiar looking female is dressed in princess clothes and a tiara...just hanging around. Geddit? Because she's chained up and suspended from the ceiling?...tough crowd.]

Hey! Come back here and let me go!

[All the squirming.]

[bufudine]

[Serph arches his neck in alarm when flame ignites into existence not far from himself. It's obvious magic is not something that comes readily to their new companion, and before Serph can warn him to stop, whoops that sure is a whirlwind whooshing down that cave.

......

The not so far off sounds he's hearing don't sound good. Serph thinks quickly. The man seems scared of his magic, and it's too unreliable to know whether his efforts will help or hinder them in battle. The enclosed space means less room to evade and Cielo loses the advantage his wings give him.]

We will lure the dragon out of the cave.

[For the stranger, he elaborates, when his single instruction would be enough for Cielo.]

Fighting in an enclosed space is disadvantageous for us. We may not have the power to defeat the dragon, but your aim is rescuing your comrade. Use us as your distraction. We will retreat when your objective has been met.

[Of course, there's the matter of actually getting this guy out of the cave in one piece first.]

[rainbowarch]

[Magic as a human? Oh that's just not fair. As Serph speaks, Cielo stretches out his legs. Right. This was a rescue mission, all they had to do was keep the dragon occupied and not die long enough for the man to rescue his comrade.]

Serph, you want me to go get its attention?

[Being the faster of the two, he could draw it out of the cave quicker, then he and Serph could work together to keep it distracted.]

[red_medic]

[Well, those sounds sure don't sound too inviting. Medic was inclined to hit himself for drawing the beast's attention without even intending to do so, but what help would doing so be? Right. None at all.

So he just turns towards the others and nods.]

Fein. Ve can try zhat. But I am not sure if zhis dragon vill just let uns go if ve go und take zhe prinzess back.

[It sure would be preferable that way, but... Can they actually hope for that much luck?]

Skipping Jon, with permission!

[bufudine]

[Their new companion -- Serph will have to get his name later -- has a point, but he'd rather take their chances with a rescue mission than aim to kill the dragon from the beginning.

If he and Cielo do their job well enough, the dragon will be too angry chasing them to pay attention to a comparatively tiny human in the cave. He flaps a flipper in the human's direction.]

Hide.

[To Cielo, he nods.]

[rainbowarch]

[The second Serph nodded, Cielo was off, moving at a brisk pace deeper into the cave. He wasn't sprinting yet - Serph and the stranger needed time to get into position and he had to save his energy for the part where the dragon is trying to kill him so he could avoid said getting killed. After a while, he squawks and hollers as loudly as he can, doing his best to cause a ruckus and get the dragon's attention.

He's quite energetic for a bird that was exhausted moments ago.]

[red_medic]

[When the large bird runs off, Medic darts into an entirely different direction himself, finding himself a couple of rocks to hide behind and remain unseen while these two try to lure the dragon out.

He still isn't sure if this would work, but it is a decent idea and one of the few options they hve aside from running straight at the beast.

So the man coveres down, waits and listens.]

[gun_symphony]

[And soon enough, the sound of massive feet thundering down the cavern can be heard. Once it finally leaves the cave, it looks around before hearing the squaking, and turning its focus to the bird. It takes a few steps forward before letting loose a stream of fire at it's feathery target.

If you want to get in the cave, Medic. I'd take it now.]

[bufudine]

[Once it's clear Cielo's got the dragon chasing after him, Serph decides that getting out of the way is a really good idea. Thankfully, the sounds of a dragon is enough to drive the other creatures away from the immediate vicinity, so Serph doesn't have to deal with them while he waits a small distance outside the cave.

When the dragon and Cielo exit the cave -- the fire breath is definitely something he needs to avoid -- Serph bellows a taunt at the dragon to draw its attention from Cielo.

...The taunt is something like the magical creature language equivalent of "YOUR MOTHER IS A LEGLESS LIZARD".]

[rainbowarch]

[AUGH FIRE. FIRE. While he avoids becoming roasted dragon dinner, some of Cielo's feathers end up singed from the flames. Still, he runs like he never ran before, leading the dragon outside where Serph is waiting. The second he clears the mouth of the cave, he spreads his wings and takes off.

Oh how good it feels to be in the air.

Now for the really dangerous part. They had to keep it distracted long enough for the man to get his comrade out. While Serph taunts the dragon, Cielo readies himself to strike and snatch its attention back before it could hurt him.

He takes aim at the dragon's left eye, waiting for the right moment to attack.]

[red_medic]

[As soon as the dragon is out of the cave, Medic darts out of his cover and deeper into the cave. Running: That is something he is good at. Especially if he is running away from something. Which, basically, he is: Away from the dragon. That he is, at the same time, running towards someone... Well. That is a different story.

Arriving into a larger chamber, the wizard halts to look around, quickly noticing the large pile of treasure but still not catching sight of the princess. Hissing, he quickly casts a small fire spell without ponderign too much about the how.]

Rhi'a?! Vhere are you?!

[He shouts while trying to keep his voice down at the same time.]

[gun_symphony]

Up here!

[And sure enough, the dragonkin is indeed "up there", hanging from the ceiling by a chain, with her arms and legs stuck inside the coil of the chains.]

If you can break the chain I'm being suspended from, then I should be able to get out of here.

[Meanwhile, the dragon was just taking a pretty direct hit to the eye, causing the beast to stumble backwards slightly, letting out a roar of rage. It took to the skies by flapping its enormous wings and proceeded open its mouth and charge Cielo, ready to slam it shut at any given moment.]

[bufudine]

[...Oh that's cheating unfortunate. Now that the dragon's in the air, there isn't much Serph can do except bellow and roar insults at it in an attempt to anger the dragon enough to land back on the ground. Or if Cielo could lure it back...

Taking on a dragon solo isn't something he'd wish on anyone, let alone a trusted comrade.]

[rainbowarch]

[Ha! Cielo can easily outfly something moving at that speed!

...or, he would be able to if he was Dyaus. He doesn't know the top speed this form is capable of and this is not a good time to test it. Okay, he's slower than he used to, but he's still way smaller than the dragon and that's something he can use to his advantage.

Which means, naturally, it's time to do something reckless.

With a cry, Cielo does a small loop backwards and divebombs straight for the ground, hoping the dragon follows, folding his wings close to reach the highest speed possible. At the very last second, he swoops back up, avoiding a broken neck and hoping the dragon isn't so lucky.

Or at least bring it in range for Serph to do...something.]