A New Beginning: Chapters Three And Four: Let The Games Begin!
Okay, so I know it has been awhile since my last upload... three weeks ago >.=.> So I decided, for two reasons, to upload two chapters this time instead of one. As always, I hope everyone that reads enjoys the story, now that things are finally starting to really open up and the plot, or part of it, is getting out. This semester is almost over, so hopefully once it ends, I'll feel like really writing again and will possibly be able to get another chapter or two of the apocalypse out. After editing this, I still can't believe how many mistakes I found. Damn you, typos! You are my nemesis!!! >.=.<
Chapter three.
((Okay, for those wondering, this takes place short *Points down* two weeks after the events in chapter two of this series, so if you're not familiar with them and like the story, go ahead and check them out before and or after reading... although before is recommended))
Two weeks later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfhfW1KsRuc
Alastar was already getting quite accustomed to the base's layout; even after such a short time in the area... of course, he wasn't even sure what it actually was as he hadn't been let outside for the past two weeks, which was quite annoying. Of course, it hadn't really bothered him that much, he'd had plenty to do to prepare for this trip in fourteen days, and he'd never been bored once, plus he'd been allowed to keep his MP3 so the dragon was more than happy with things. Oddly enough though, he hadn't been listening to it that much, even during his daily sword practice... things were just a bit too interesting, which was obviously saying allot. Anything that could keep Alastar away from his music was obviously extremely interesting. One other thing he'd quickly gotten accustomed to was being called "Alastar", it still felt slightly odd after all the time he'd gone by the name "Red" or, his code name as a bounty hunter, but he had hardly ever even used that one, so it wasn't hard to drop once he retired. The dragon tightened the last latch on his left boot as he thought about what had happened in the last two weeks... so much happened in such a short time. After agreeing to Devin's terms, he'd immediately been taken to another part of the base to begin his training. The first part of that training had been learning both draconic and the common language of time period and area he was going to, which, according to Devin, was over the equivalent of over a thousand years in the past, although it was at the same time not even in the dimension that he knew of, but another entirely, albeit one that shared a few similarities with this one. But learning the language was something he was doing constantly as the drake was given a pair of head phones along with an IPod, allowing him to listen to the language spoken constantly, which he did. As he only had two weeks to learn two very different languages, the drake had also been given a very sophisticated translator, something he'd been very happy about. Learning to speak a new language was only a small part of his training though. While he hadn't needed to have any physical training, being more than strong and fit enough to complete this mission, he had spent much of his time practicing with a long sword and several other common weapons of the time. While he had already been rather skilled with a machete, the two weapons were in a completely different category, and while he preferred a long sword over a broad sword or other larger types of weapons, the drake had taken a particular liking to short swords as their feel was the closest to his machete. But he wanted variety, so Alastar had trained with almost every weapon Devin and his team could provide to him, even taking time to practice with a bow and arrow, which, despite already being rather skilled with one, it had felt good to get some practice in. Aside from that, probably one of the things he found the hardest was, oddly enough the thing that was supposed to be the easiest. Getting used to wearing a full set of steel armor and moving in the thing had taken several days before he had asked for a custom suit. His request had been granted immediately, and the drake had been allowed to pick out exactly what he'd wanted from an impressive armory. He'd actually gone with something rather simple according to the technicians, choosing spiked leather arm guards and bracers, along with a black suit of armor that had been forged from tungsten carbide steel, and also upon request they had added a suit of dragon skin body armor underneath. His boots, which had holes in the toes for his talons, were also made of tungsten carbide. He had also gotten a pair of custom shin and leg guards, both pitch black like the body armor and lined with leather and fur for comfort. He'd had to fight to get the dragon skin body armor added under the steel instead of chainmail because the technicians didn't want future technology coming into the possession of the creatures of the past... at least not too much of it. The armor's material hadn't exactly been easy to negotiate, but like always, the drake had won out and gotten exactly what he'd desired for this mission. Alastar didn't want chainmail underneath the armor as it wouldn't do much against arrows, in the end he'd gotten what he'd wanted but had still had to have a small amount of chainmail around his tail as it was the only thing that would grant protection while not restricting movement in that area. The last thing he'd taken was a simple black helm, full face and also made of tungsten carbide, custom fitted as everything else had been and actually quite comfortable. His weapons had been much easier to pick out however, two short swords and a long sword, all with leather handles, had been his choice, along with several throwing knives... one more thing he'd had to knock heads over was allowing him to bring his combat knife, but like the armor, he'd easily won that battle...
"Alastar, are you ready?"
The drake jumped as he heard his name, his head turning towards the source of the voice. He grimaced as his gaze landed on Devin, that dragon had a way of sneaking up on him that he couldn't figure out, and it made him a bit nervous. The sky dragon had practically made it a habit to enter a room Alastar was in without being noticed, which took quite a bit of skill. He nodded and ran a quick check over his armor before standing up... well, he hadn't really needed any physical training before, but even with the virus and the added strength it gave him, the tungsten carbide armor felt like it weighed half a ton. Whether or not that was the case, it had to weigh at least six hundred pounds in total and getting used to moving around in the heavy armor had been a real bitch, along with being something no normal creature his size could do "Yea, let's get this show on the road" He stood up with a grunt and followed Devin out of the room. The short walk gave him time to think, and actually thinking about what he was about to do made the drake a bit nervous. It was hard to believe he was going back in time... Alastar mentally slapped himself, something he'd gotten used to doing. Even after it was explained, or after it was attempted to be explained, he still had trouble understanding how this worked, but hell... even the people who built this thing didn't really understand exactly how it worked, so he wasn't alone. His thoughts were interrupted as Devin spoke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su31q88YYHQ
"Alastar... there is something I haven't told you, and you can still back out of this if you chose to, you can even keep the armor and weapons..."
Devin's tone was not something he cared for, it wasn't angry, hostile, or anything else... it was nervous and sorrowful "What is this thing you've kept secret from me, Devin?" Alastar kept his tone civil, although it wasn't easy considering whatever he was about to be told might be something extremely important for his survival... or it might be something trivial, whatever the case, he awaited the answer.
"I wanted to tell this to you earlier, but I was told not to do so... I am breaking protocol in doing this, but no one is listening, and you need to know this. The dimension, or time period you are going to be sent to is a time when dragons are anything but revered. There are both feral and anthro dragons in this time, both kinds are hunted and killed by a vast majority of the population of earth. Prejudice against dragons is something that is found in almost every continent at this time, and no dragon is safe except in a few small towns and villages..."
Alastar blinked in surprise, and while he could guess what this reason was, he asked anyways "Why is this so?"
Devin just sighed and shook his head "One of the biggest reasons for this is, in fact, the fault of many of the feral dragons in the land. They terrorize the land, or some of them do anyways, but not all. Unfortunately, the mistakes of a few are suffered by all of dragonkind. This has become less and less of a concern in the past three hundred years, but there are still a few dragons which carry on the lifestyle of tyrants and continue to increase the hatred towards the species. But that is not the only reason... many have found that not only do dragon skins sell for a small fortune on the market, along with fangs, talons, claws, and the like, but a dragon's scales also make excellent body armor. It is light, versatile, and easy to mold around steels, making it one of the most sought out materials by armor smiths. While hatred is still the most common reason the killing of dragons is justified with, it is not the only one. This however isn't the case for everyone, a few still revere dragons for several reasons; it depends on the group or groups. Some do it because they believe dragons are all powerful and should be served like gods, others seek dragons out, both feral and anthro because of their fighting prowess and natural magical abilities. While I know you are not familiar with magic, at least not according to your file, you will likely encounter quite a bit of magic on this journey... something that I know has already been explained. Remember, you can still back out. My team has estimated your chances of survival at only seventeen percent, although I have carefully read over all data we have on you and I disagree with the report"
He shook his head, chuckling "Thanks for the concern, and thank you for telling me this, but I wouldn't pass an opportunity like this up in a million years... you only live once, and I want to enjoy my time, thank you very much"
Devin nodded and smiled, stopping as they came to a reinforced door that led to the machines that would transport... hopefully transport the drake to the right dimension "While I am worried for your safety, I am glad you have decided to stay and complete this task. But... if things get out of hand, I want you to hide out until the portal back to this dimension is established. I don't want you getting killed..." The sky dragon's head swiveled to gaze at Alastar as he stepped into the room... a room that had trillions of dollars worth of equipment invested in it "Remember... you have six months, I know it seems like quite a bit of time, and if it's not enough the deadline can be extended, but that will be the default. Once more, do you understand everything you have been told and are you sure you want to go through with this?"
He nodded, a bit surprised at the amount of concern he detected in the other dragon's voice "I'm sure, and yes... I understand everything. I know what I'm looking for, I know the item's last known location, I've studied the maps of the areas I will likely have to travel to and I know what I need to do and how much time I have" Following Devin, Alastar was still almost dumbfounded by the amount of hardware in this room, despite the fact this wasn't the first time he'd seen it. They stopped in front of a machine that actually looked rather crude by its design, at least at first glance. Even removing a single panel on the interdimensional device would prove anyone who thought this thing was simple completely wrong. A soft hiss sounded as the device was depressurized, followed by a set of sliding doors opening with the sound of seals being disengaged. The small space inside was barely high and wide enough to stand in with his armor, and it was a good thing the drake wasn't claustrophobic or the tiny box could prove a problem. He stepped inside and turned around to face Devin and the cluster of technicians watching before saluting. He made one final check to make sure he had everything before nodding and giving the team outside a thumbs up "Let her rip, it's time to get this done"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fTtGia42Sk
Devin nodded and signaled to the operating team, the doors started to close with an audible hiss a few seconds later "Remember what I told you..."
That was the last thing he heard before the doors sealed shut, cutting off his vision from the outside world. He felt a bit more nervous than before as the small room began to pressurize... Alastar couldn't believe he was actually doing this; he was going to another time, another place... It had happened so fast, the notion was hard to fathom "I sure hope this works..." He was still worried about whether or not this machine would even work, remembering what he'd been told about the first few tests... "Heh, if I die here, at least it will be instantaneous... hopefully" Not much of a pep talk, but he'd never been good at them anyways and just tried to relax now, centering his mind on the task at hand. A feminine voice sounded, giving him something else to focus on.
"Sir, it is recommended that you relax now, your body is showing signs of nervousness. Please take a moment to become comfortable while the machine calibrates the dimension you are to be transported to"
"Easy for her to say" He thought, grumbling as he did his best to relax, trying to slow his beating heart. A few moments later, the voice spoke again after several more soft hisses sounded.
"Good... now, do not move, do not even breathe, this phase requires your body to remain perfectly still" After the voice had spoken once again, a soft thrum echoed throughout the machine as the systems were powered up, several LCD lights blinking into existence as the seconds ticked by... all of them green.
Once again, he did as told, holding his breath and standing as still as possible. This wasn't the easiest thing to do considering what he was about to do, or have done to him, but the drake did it anyways as the machine powered up. He felt a tingling sensation throughout his body as the electrical current in the small room increased, and had he not been wearing a helm, his black hair probably would have stood on end. His vision narrowed through the eye slits of his helm as a new sensation, one that was definitely not caused by any electrical current, flowed through his entire body. He tried to think of something to compare this feeling with, but the drake had never experienced anything like it... it almost felt as if his body was being... no, it didn't feel like that. On second thought, he realized it actually felt like being drugged as his mind seemed to cloud over, his vision dimming along with the lights in the machine's interior. His heart raced as this feeling filled his body, and then suddenly... everything went blank...
Chapter four.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcwqWF4GJBo
"Am I dead? What happened? Did it work? Or am I just dreaming?" These thoughts all crossed his mind as the melody of song birds reached his ears... it was a sound that he was glad to hear... or was he? It could just mean he was dead, but if he was at least he hadn't gone to hell like expected... And then his senses returned, and the drake knew he wasn't dead. The sounds of life reached his ears, along with the sound of his heartbeat and steady breathing, so he definitely wasn't dead. Grunting, Alastar opened his eyes, or at least he tried to, unsure if they would even function, but the darkness he was in was quickly replaced by greenery and life as his eyelids fluttered open "Did... did it work?" He asked himself again, rubbing his head gently as he scanned the area. He had obviously been transported, or teleported, it didn't matter... to a forest, but unfortunately he couldn't see any landmarks... or anything else for that matter besides trees and shifting shadows. Standing up, he started to wish he hadn't argued to do this alone, for right now he was starting to wish he had someone to converse with... of course, that feeling quickly passed as he looked around and smiled. He loved being outside, especially in the forest, and being alone in the woods, the drake felt right at home. It was peaceful, which was something he tended to seek out, it was also why he'd gotten that land in West Virginia, to find a bit of peace... but this was even better. Even living in the mountains, the occasional plane or helicopter would fly overhead and disturb the peace and stillness of the land, but here... he didn't hear anything but the breeze blowing through the trees and the sounds of life, it was breathtakingly beautiful. He stood still, taking everything in... this kind of beauty was not something he found every single day, and despite what many would assume of him, Alastar enjoyed this kind of thing with a passion. Finally tearing his attention away from nature, he put his mind back on the task at hand, which, at the moment was to find out where he was exactly. Once that was done, he could begin this journey. Tapping his right ear brought a slight crackle from his translator, but it was more than that. The small device was not only a translator for over twenty languages spoken during this time, but it was also a communication device with a range of a mile if nothing was blocking the signal. The device seemed unnecessary considering his location, but the team that had been sent here before him also had these devices and it would allow the drake to locate them if he got within a mile of any of the team's members... assuming the batteries in the devices hadn't died yet, but according to Devin they had a life of six months, and this team had only been gone for three. While this mission was supposedly secondary, it was actually his first priority, he wanted to help that team if possible... hopefully they were still okay. He'd gotten the names and descriptions of each of the seven members of the team, so if he saw them he'd know immediately "Okay... let's... get this show on the road" Thinking about his current course of action, the first thing he needed to do was find a landmark. He had a small pack hung on his waist that held enough food and water to last for about two days, but he would need to find more soon anyways. Luckily, the sun was easily visible in the sky, and he already knew his basic location, just not the exact location. Devin had explained where he would be transported to, or at least where he thought he would be transported to... if what Alastar had been told was correct, he knew there should be a small town less than three miles away, or at least he hoped... Of course, he could be anywhere, but he had to get walking to get anywhere, so he started the trek eastward, hoping his information was correct.
As he walked through the forest, Alastar's thoughts began to roam; lulled away by everything that was happening, what he had to do, and the sounds of the forest around him. But even his drifting thoughts didn't make him screw up or forget where he was, the drake had been given a full body cloak to cover his features, and he knew it would have to go on soon. If anyone actually saw what he was, at least according to Devin, his life could be on the line quite quickly, although... he was hoping the dragon had been wrong about this. But he wasn't about to take the chance, and upon noticing what looked like a road... if it could even be called that as it appeared to be nothing more than a well worn path through the forest, hell, if it wasn't so bare and wide he would have thought it was a mere game trail... all this aside, he pulled the cloak out of the pouch at his waist and unfolded it. It was made of brown leather and lined with fur and had already been broken in by a machine. The leather was quite soft, but it had so many creases in it due to how it had been folded, once again by a machine to make it easier to carry until he was ready to use it. Hopefully it wouldn't be a problem... The drake stopped about fifty feet from the road in a patch of brush where he wouldn't be visible by any passing unless they looked real damn hard and unfolded the cloak on the ground, laying it out flat as he started working the creases out as best as possible. About twenty minutes later, he slipped the leather and fur cloak over his armor, pulling the hood up to conceal his face. With the helm he wore, anyone that took a second glance would probably assume he was a wolf or some other canine, at least from a distance. Unfortunately, while his body and armor could be covered, the shape of his armor could not, so anyone that looked at him and actually paid attention would know he was in a full suit of armor, which... could cause problems. But he could defend himself quite well, so Alastar wasn't too worried about this fact and, once he was satisfied that the cloak covered his features, he stepped out of the foliage and onto the road. Despite his armor and the amount it weighed, his speed increased quite a bit once he'd moved onto the road and out of the brush, but he kept a wary eye for anyone or anything that could pose a threat and unsheathed one of the short swords on his back, just in case, holding it at his side, hidden under the cloak.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfVqOZQVcJQ
Judging by the sun's position in the sky, the drake had been traveling for almost an hour now since he'd moved onto the road, and he hadn't seen a single soul since he'd arrived... It was actually starting to make him a bit nervous. While the silence and peacefulness had been nice at first, he had been expecting to see someone by now, some form of life aside from the usual forest wildlife, and not seeing any... well... he didn't like it, to say the least. And then, just when he had started to get truly nervous, his sensitive ears picked up the sound of beating hooves on the road behind him. His first instinct was to conceal himself in the brush, but he knew he was getting close to his destination, for what looked like a church tower loomed in the distance. Instead, Alastar remained on the road in plain view, doing nothing more than moving to the side of the road to avoid being run over. As he saw the horses approaching in the distance, the sight was both welcome and foreboding in a small way. It was welcome because at least he knew there was life in the area, but unwelcome in the fact that he was nervous about encountering anyone in this land. If what Devin had told him was true, and anyone discovered what he was, he could quickly end up fighting for his life and likely outnumbered. Of course, a bit of swordplay would be nice, he hadn't had any real action for the past two weeks, so something might be welcome... but that wouldn't mean he was going to try and start a fight just to get that rush of adrenaline. As his vision focused on the riders, or tried to focus, he couldn't see much more than a cloud of dust, and the thundering of hooves added to the size of the dust cloud told him there had to be at least four or more riders in this group. He waited on the side of the road until they had passed, a paw on one of his swords just in case, but he gave a sigh of relief as they passed without giving the stranger on the road a single glance. It was a damn good thing they hadn't too, for as the riders galloped passed, he counted at least ten creatures of various species, all clad in full battle armor. Coughing from the dust that had been dispersed by the group, he covered his muzzle with his cloak a bit more, making it a tad easier to breathe while he waited for the dust to clear. Once the wind picked up, the dust cloud quickly lifted and he watched the horsemen fade into the distance, the slight decline in the road allowing him to watch them for another minute or so before he lost sight of the group "Phew... glad they didn't stop to ask any questions... wonder where they were going to in such a hurry..." He shrugged after a moment before his eyes widened for a split second "Fuck... I really hope they're not going where I'm going... Damn... that could make things difficult" Grumbling, he set off again, following the road, hoping that that group would simply pass through the town without stopping, but somehow he knew he wasn't going to be that lucky. He'd only walked for about twenty minutes when something caught his attention... it was too quiet. Since he'd arrived, the forest had been filled with the sounds of birds singing almost constantly, but now... he heard nothing but the wind in the trees.
Alastar cursed himself for not noticing this sooner and immediately the grip he had on his short sword tightened considerably. He kept his gaze straight ahead however, showing no signs whatsoever that he knew he was being watched, his helm and cloak kept his eyes covered enough that it would be impossible to see his eyes from more than a foot or so away as they scanned the forest around him. And then he spotted it, the glint of steel in the brush as the sun reflected off it, but he kept moving, keeping careful watch on that area while also keeping alert for other attackers. And then it came... One second, all he could hear was the wind in the background... and then the steady breathing of something, or someone in the bushes, waiting to ambush passing travelers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpSNleWQI-Q
"ATTACK!!!"
That was all he heard before the sound of rustling leaves, pounding boots, and the sound of steel being drawn filled his ears. He growled, watching as his path was cut off by at least ten furs, mostly clad in old worn out leather armor. He turned, looking over his shoulder as twelve more creatures closed off his escape route; all but one of the twenty two bandits wore leather armor, all worn to various degrees and showing quite a few signs of age. He stared at the lone figure in front of him now, the only one that wasn't clad in worn out armor. The jackal, unlike the other bandits, wore bronze plate armor along with a full set of chainmail as well, and despite his lean appearance, he wielded a massive sword that was easily as big as he was. Alastar guessed the jackal was probably about five four in height or so, but he couldn't be sure without getting closer, something that he really didn't want to do with that sword in the way. Whether or not the jackal could use the weapon was something he also didn't really want to find out, but he knew what was coming and he knew there would be no choice in the next few seconds. Oddly enough, despite the single word that had been uttered, no attack came, and he immediately realized it had been nothing but a scare tactic. The jackal returned his gaze, although the drake's eyes were barely visible through the eye slits in his helm, giving him a psychological advantage, but this one seemed used to being looked down upon and didn't blink... obviously this was no fool of a bandit, at least not completely... "Can I help you?" The drake spoke the common language of the land for now, keeping his voice steady and hard.
His response was a short cackle followed by the jackal unsheathing that claymore and thrusting the tip into the earth "Yes, stranger, you can help me... Your money, weapons, anything of value you have on you... NOW! If you refuse, my men, who are all extremely skilled with the sword, will cut you to ribbons without hesitation!"
Alastar took another glance behind him and realized that there wasn't a single dragon among this group of bandits... probably not a good thing... his mind raced, calculating his chances and options as fast as possible. The way he saw it right now, he had two choices... the first being he could simply surrender all his weapons and his armor, but this wasn't even a true option as it would leave him without protection or concealment. The second option would be to fight his way through this group... which wouldn't likely be easy. He sighed, deciding on option C... try and talk his way out of this, although he knew it would only buy him a few moments at best, but as his grip tightened on his short sword, he knew that would be all he'd need. He hoped this jackal was a fool, or this wouldn't work to well... coughing, he did his best to make himself sound much older, hoping that he might pass for nothing more than an old codger... although once again he knew this wouldn't work "Come now, do you folks have nothing better to do than pick on a old tired man? Why did you not ambush those soldiers that passed before? They might have actually had something of value, I am just an old man and have nothing but the cloak on my back and a small bit of food" Alastar couldn't believe he was trying this, it would take a completely retarded fool to fall for it, but hey... he had to try something before the blood would fly.
The jackal just laughed and shook his head "I guess that will do, but why don't you let us make sure that that is all you have first... and cut the act, do you take me for a fool?" He growled, taking a step forward as he pulled the claymore from the ground and pointed the blade's tip at the cloaked figure "Maybe I should just take your life myself, it might not hold any value, but it has been over a week since I killed someone..."
He mumbled under his breath "Fuck... so much for that plan" as his body tensed up, waiting for an attack. His senses were alert to the slightest sound, for he doubted this jackal would actually play fair, and he was right. A subtle hand signal from the jackal and one of the other bandits behind the drake immediately raised an old rusty battle axe over his head and charged, attempting to bring the weapon crashing down on the cloaked figure's head. He stood his ground, waiting, unflinching, his gaze never leaving the jackal. Alastar whirled around as the bandit behind him got within striking distance, the drake's short sword practically shooting from his cloak as he stabbed it right into the bandit's throat. He didn't even bother to check the creature's species, not caring nor feeling like pulling off the leather helm that this and all the other bandits wore except for the jackal. Obviously, this wasn't a group that had formed yesterday, but if they were all this foolish, then he wouldn't have a problem. A gasp sounded from the others as they saw their comrade's body topple to the ground, blood spurting from the creature's fatal neck wound. Alastar stood his ground still and turned back to the jackal, holding his now bloody blade steady as the short adrenaline rush passed just as quickly as it had come. He knew that gasp hadn't been merely from seeing their comrade die, but also from the cloaked figure's speed... or at least he hoped so. Maybe it was something he could use "You're right, I am not some weak old man... now I ask you, leave me alone. I have nothing against you or your men, and it would be a shame to kill someone I had nothing against" One down, twenty one to go... it would likely be all or nothing now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGbegRUPd5I
The jackal growled again "You'll pay for that..." He pointed at the cloaked figure, still growling "Kill this worm, rip that cloak from his body and hang him with the fibers. I want to see his face before I slit his throat and leave his body for the carrion birds"
"Shit" Cursing, Alastar's left arm darted into his cloak as fast as he could move it, but he couldn't draw his other swords without removing the cloak and he hoped this could be avoided. The last thing he needed was for one of these bandits to get away and spread the word about what he was. He instead pulled the combat knife he'd brought along; the seven inch Ka-Bar was familiar in his grasp, more so than any of the other daggers or throwing knives he'd been given. The first of many attacks came from behind again, but this time it was a thrust at his back and he ignored it, concentrating on another bandit that was attempting to decapitate him. He growled softly, raising his short sword to block the incoming blow while at the same time performing a snap kick, aiming it at the bandit's groin. He felt the clang of steel as it collided with his armor and actually grinned... but he didn't have time to laugh about it. His sword collided with that of his attacker's, sparks flying as the two blades met. But the poor bastard didn't even have time to move as Alastar's booted foot slammed into his groin, actually cracking the creature's pelvis from the force of the blow... along with a few other things. A scream of agony reached his ears along with the sound of a body hitting the ground, but he was already spinning around, blade moving with him. He could still feel the sword scraping his armor and slicing through his cloak as he moved, but the bandit wielding it obviously hadn't been expecting the cloaked figure to turn so suddenly and was caught off guard as a sword lopped off his arm in a swift clean slice. Alastar only got a glance of this one, catching the widening of the creature's eyes as he stared at his severed arm before screaming. He felt yet another weapon slam into his armor before he heard the jackal shout above the sound of battle, if it could be called that.
"He's armored you fools!!! Attack his head, arms, legs, think you damn fools!!!"
Great... now every single one of his attackers knew where to aim, that meant no more freebies. The second the jackal finished speaking, it was as if every weapon in striking distance all aimed for his head at the same time "Fuck!" He crouched down as fast as his body and armor would allow and immediately charged, attempting to bowl through the mass to a better defensive position. He ignored the jangle of steel and the curses that followed from the bandits as they all missed their target, his attention was completely on the task at hand. Alastar slammed into anyone in his way like a football player, using his weight and strength to move through the mass, occasionally stabbing his knife into the neck of any of the bandits that didn't fall under his charge easily. He only had to actually kill another three of the bandits in his little sprint for freedom, but even so, by the time he pushed out of the mass his cloak was nearly shredded and covered in blood. Once he was out of the throng, Alastar whirled around once more and quickly replaced the combat knife to its sheath at his waist before reaching behind him and drawing his long sword from the bronze sheath strapped to his back. His gaze flicked to the bronze clad jackal momentarily, realizing that he hadn't even bothered to enter the fray. He then noticed every single bandit, along with the jackal were making no attempt to attack and were only staring at him. Alastar cursed, realizing why... his cloak had been almost shredded, and the hood no longer covered his face. While the pitch black helm he wore covered his facial features, it was still clear as day what he was, and now all these bandits knew it "This place hates me..." He said softly, cursing his luck.
The jackal continued to stare for a few more moments before throwing his head back and laughing once more "Ha! Look what we have here boys? It's another of those filthy overgrown lizards!" He spat in the drake's direction, disdain in his voice "Stay back, this one is mine... I'm going to make this bastard suffer for all the pain his filthy race has caused me, my village and family!" He waved the others back and began circling the drake, closing the distance slowly, claymore held in both his gauntleted paws "I'm going to enjoy this, you fucking lizard!"
Alastar sighed, seems Devin had spoken the truth about dragonkind, seems they were hated during this time. On the bright side of things, fighting one was better than being mobbed by the rest, and he quickly raised his long sword defensively as the jackal suddenly lunged forward. Unfortunately, the drake not only had to deal with a rather large weapon, but a rather large extremely long weapon as well. Granted, the claymore wasn't seriously long, at least when compared to some weapons he'd seen, and it wasn't that large either, probably only having about a three inch width or so, but the five plus foot blade was still much longer than the drake's three and a half foot long sword, and as such he had to be careful. His eyes tracked the blade as the jackal stopped his charge suddenly, knowing full well to use his weapon's longer reach to his advantage as he swung the claymore in a horizontal slash aimed at the dragon's waist, where nothing but a bit of leather and chainmail protected his flesh. Fuck... not only did his opponent have a longer weapon, he also knew how to use it to his advantage and even where the drake's armor would be weaker... not good for Alastar, not in the least. But he had something the jackal didn't, or at least he likely had more of it. Instead of trying to dodge the sweeping slash, the drake moved his long sword to intercept the claymore, grunting as the two blades collided with a loud clang, sending another shower of sparks flying. The force that had been behind the claymore nearly shattered his arm, but he just gritted his teeth against the searing pain and kept his blade steady.
The jackal on the other hand didn't seem bothered in the least by the impact, although he did seem a bit surprised when his swing was blocked, but instead of falling back, he continued the attack, pulling his claymore away suddenly. Obviously this jackal was far more skilled with a blade than his henchmen, and stronger for that matter. The jackal proved this as he pulled his blade back; keeping it uncannily steady as he tried to slice the drake's sword arm, but once again... the tattered cloak concealed his armor once more.
Alastar only smirked and pulled his arm away as the claymore met with his right arm guard. While the leather arm guard wasn't made of steel, the spikes on it were and kept his arm safe. Luckily the jackal hadn't put any real force behind his quick attempt, otherwise the drake wouldn't have been so lucky, but the second the jackal saw this he pulled his claymore back yet again and thrust it forward just as suddenly, this time aiming for the drake's throat, one of the few places that wasn't protected by any armor aside from a thin leather collar. Alastar had just enough time to utter a curse as he raised his arm with every bit of speed he could muster, the motion a blur of speed as he used his arm to steer the claymore away from his throat... of course, he didn't stop there and at the same time Alastar stepped forward, the claymore still perched on his arm as the stupefied jackal seemed to be able to do nothing but stare. He pushed the claymore away before thrusting his long sword into the jackal's midsection where only a layer of chainmail and leather protected flesh. His opponent's eyes widened in shock and pain as the long sword pierced through the chainmail and leather as if it didn't exist, spearing the jackal on the blade as it went clean through both flesh and armor. Alastar growled before slamming his left palm into the jackal's sword arm, right at the shoulder. The strike dislocated the jackal's arm and he immediately dropped the claymore and screamed in agony, he probably would have fallen to his knees had it not been for the sword stuck in his stomach "Ready to quit?" The drake was, oddly enough, giving the bandit leader and the rest of his men a chance, not that he really expected it to be taken.
The jackal stared at the armored dragon in shock, his lips quivering as blood began to ooze from his slightly agape mouth "What... what are you... You're not normal, no normal creature could move that fast..."
"That is not important... now, have you had enough, or do I need to finish the job?" Alastar kept his voice passive, despite the fact he'd been attacked without reason. He was worried about letting anyone here go on the chances that they could spread the word about the mysterious dragon, but he had more than one reason besides his conscious for giving these bandits a chance. That reason was the fact he didn't know if he could actually live through the remaining bandits if they chose to attack him. One against that many, even with his armor, skills, and the virus was something that wasn't exactly favoring his side.
"I'll see you in hell!" The jackal spat in the drake's face as he spoke "Kill this piece of filth, AVENGE ME!!!"
Alastar growled in annoyance as the jackal spoke; he didn't even bother to wipe the blood and saliva from his face as he pulled his long sword out of the jackal's flesh before slamming an elbow into his face, killing the bandit leader instantly from the force of the blow. As the jackal's head snapped back and the sword was removed, his limp bloodied body fell to the ground in a lifeless heap "Fuck... nothing is ever easy, is it?!" He turned to meet the oncoming group, keeping his sword held defensively. There were still at least fifteen bandits left, and all of them looked pissed and ready to fight to the death to avenge their leader... not good. He took a step back, eyes scanning the surrounding area for a place that would give him the upper hand, a hill or something, anything that he could put his back to and avoid being attacked from all angles. Unfortunately, all he spotted were trees and shrubbery... which didn't exactly leave him with many options. Not like he really had the time to get to a more secure area anyways as the group was already charging him, weapons drawn and each one shouting a battle cry. Alastar prepared himself for death, one against fifteen or more did not bode well, and he realized his journey would end this day and hour...
Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapters, I'll try to have more up in a week or so if nothing gets in the way. As always, rate, comment, lemme know what you all thought of this. Any writer or artist on this site will tell you that it's the comments that keep them going even when they'd rather do other things. It's you guys, those reading, that keep me writing, and some of you are those who really gave me a reason to write outside of self pleasure. Until next time, this n00b is over and out!