Well, Phooka You Too [Open]

[JunoZXV]

"Get it offa me!" Juno yelped as the dog proceeded to slobber over him as he writhed. That was the thing with Juno. Aggressive dogs trying to kill him, no problem. Dogs that were focused and dependable, no problem. Dogs that wanted to chase him up a tree and use him as a personal ragdoll and bestest buddy in the whole world? HELLLLLLLLLLLLL NO!

Then it stopped, Juno blinked.

"Ok that's a start, now get off of me. And... OH man. Who let one rip?"

Juno stood up only to see the sailboats glide around on the wastes. He saw Naira's reaction and then looked at Moon moon.

All things considered, now that the dog wasn't trying to harass him and that things had become more tense... he was actually more comfortable in this situation. Granted, seeing the Nemo's reaction to everything? Perhaps fighting wasn't the best option at the moment.

"Right then! All in favor of getting the hell out of here say aye!"

There was a bark from Moon moon.

"I have no idea what that meant but I'm taking that as a yes. To the mainland AHOY!"

[Windra]

To the mainland? Naira fired off a very disappointed look. For just a second she pouted like a child who had her video games taken away for an hour. Sadness!

"Oh come now, I haven't had a decent fight in a long time ... " Of course this was a lie. Spending three years o alterate Earth was a very bad ordeal, filled with constant day-to-day struggling. Several beasts got shot, and many a human had been punched in the face for varying transgressions. But under the assumption that Moon Moon (now several yards away) and Juno were eager to flee out of fear ... Naira loosened her grip on the scimitar's hilt. "Fine then. Let's get the hell outta here."

Of course there was still the issue of Moon Moon. The Phooka may have tackled Juno, but refused to linger for too long. The canine's head swiveled every now and then while it ran, focusing his gaze on Naira. It was clear who he was challenging. And it was also obvious that they wouldn't be able to keep the challenge ... for now. There were several Worms to deal with in the meantime.

Those four were drawing closer. In perfect synchronization, they leapt into the air ... ripping from the groundsoundless. Naira watched in brief horror as their bodies passed through the earth without breaking rock or soil. They had no physical forms ... Jaws opened, teeth glimmering. These were all single-headed worms - far from elders. But they were definitely a different breed of Sandworm ... because as Naira sidestepped those oncoming sharp teeth, they smashed into the terrace, ripping it open ... vanishing beneath.

Okay, so they could become like ghosts at will?

The fifth worm made another appearance, soundlessly charging Juno when his back was turned. Nemo was behind him in an instant. She drew the blade from her side in a flash of steel and silver, driving it effortlessly into the Sandworm's charging maw. It screamed protest and reeled backwards. The sword had cut ... but did not drive deep enough to penetrate the Worm's brain.

But their flesh was soft ... vulnerable.

"This might actually be easy."

Five more fins appeared on the horizon, flying in their direction at mach speeds.

Naira frowned. "Well ... was." Yeah ... no. But there was nowhere to run now. They were completely surrounded by ten hungry Sandworms. Moon Moon was long gone. Despite that minor inconvenience, the Reaver laughed, making a stance in a very 'come hither' fashion at the enemies ... daring them to approach. "There goes your option of running," quipped the half-dragon, eyes twinkling with the thrill of battle. Yes, the Sandworms terrified her ... they could actually end her. But the desire to end them was stronger than disbanding. The ten Worms ripped their 'torsos' from the earth and reared up. All of their eyes stared at them with silent expectation of a willing meal. One belched and a small, blueberry-scented spider was propelled from it's maw. "Just like old times?"

All at once, Bana's pets dove towards them.

[Sky Lily]

One absent Phooka.

Two hopelessly outnumbered strangers.

Ten fearsome sandworms, all charging the same target.

...

And one very shiny halberd.


There was a flash of movement as something flew into the escalating fray, ripping through one of the sandworm's torsos before tearing through a second time as it returned from whence it came-- settling between the fists of a woman with angry cyan eyes and armor that glinted menacingly under the burning sun.

Ismene wasn't sure what the hell was going on here, but she did see monsters, and she did see two people readying against what could easily be a dangerous fight. Both of which she happened to recognize, so she'd be damned if she didn't do something about it.

Nonetheless, holy sh*t! was the one phrase that rang repeatedly in the warrior's mind as she slid down to the battlefield, landing on her feet and knuckles while one hand held in the air, keeping a firm grip on the staff of her weapon. "Shadi, flee!" Ismene shouted once as a tiny red dragon flew upward; the small beast wasted no time in making himself scarce as he squeezed himself into one of the crags of the canyon walls. His abandoned master stole only half a moment to brush the silver-white hair from her face, before balking as one of the sandworms dove at her. However, the hesitance was short-lived and it wasn't long before Ismene threw her halberd through one of its segments without hesitance, winning a wounded screech from her adversary.

"DIE!"

... And with that, Ismene had successfully raised the number to three hopelessly outnumbered people.

OOC: made a slight change for the sake of correct rp timeline continuity xD changes made in dark blue.

[JunoZXV]

"I never said we were running away in a linear fashion" Juno replied as he tried to concentrate. "If you notice I only have the..." He paused. Remembering the gear he had come equipped with when he fell out of the portal. A nuclear powered proton pack with a energy dispersal ray meant to wrangle ghosts.

"Right!" he replied flicking the machine on. The reality sinking in as the anti magic the device was throwing about dispersed. "Stand back! I'm going to do science!"

POW!

And on that que Juno shout out a stream of protons right at the flood of worms. Scooping up a bundle of them and suspending them in the air as he wrangled the electronic lasso.

"I knew this was good for something!" He replied dropping a metallic box from his belt and scooting it out under the writhing bundle pressing the button as the spectral trap released to suck in the captives. There was a flash of light, a thud and then...

"Swiggity Swag! Four in the bag!" Juno replied doing a little dance as he turned off the array. Only to look down at the trap and notice 4 very solid and dazed looking worms. They didn't even go into the trap.

"Right not full ghosts. Plan B!" Juno replied pulling out his seven shooter from his side pocket. "Time to get firing!"

[Windra]

While Juno was playing with his new toy <insert innuendo about guys and any projectile weapon here>, Naira had her hands pretty full. The other six were making a nosedive for her. Well, five ... considering one was suddenly bisected by a weapon she knew didn't belong to the pirate (that she knew of ... and it didn't fit his MO anyway). A second Sandworm was abruptly torn away from it's onslaught by the same halberd, successfully reducing the number Naira had to deal with to four. There was no time to ponder who else had joined them. The enemy was on her.

And she welcomed them with a brandished blade and an eager grin.

Naira was grateful for deft limbs. She sidestepped the first two with ease and they slipped into the earth, unseen and ominously silent. The other two were less keen on making a stealthy aversion. They landed loudly upon the ground, thick bodies, though small, large enough to break rock in half and send debris flying. Angry heads reared up then slammed down with gnashing jaws. The Reaver leaped from her position, talons making their mark upon the muzzle of one. This was infuriating to the Sandworm, who shook it's cranium back and forth with ravaging speed and guttural snarls. The attempt would have worked, too, had Nemo not slammed the scimitar deep into it's skull and held on tight. Steel met grey matter. Synapses were beginning to shut off yet the huge striped body continued to thrash.

Sandworm #2 was like a frog to a fly ... and Naira was the fly. It lunged. Still clinging to the hilt of her embedded sword, the Reaver was off ... running along #1's spine, messily evading the enclosing fangs while filleting her current victim. #2's jaw clamped instead upon #1's head, crushing bones and vessels beneath the pressure of it's huge maw and snuffing out what little life the other one still had in it.

For every step Naira ran, #2 would draw back and bite, draw back and bite ... each time missing the Reaver and instead accidentally removing a chunk from the deceased monster she fled upon. If it was at all bothered by this - remorseful in any way about the incidental cannibalization of it's clutchmate - the emotion certainly did not show. When Naira reached the dead Worm's still-twitching tail she jumped back onto solid ground ... The eviscerated body she vacated split wide open, warm violet guts spilling onto rock, pooling in cracks, dripping off the cliff ... #2 briefly lost traction in it's movements and the Reaver took full advantage of this by charging right up to it ... and punching through it's neck with her gloved hand. This was a puny wound considering the Sandworm's immense size. What could be accomplished?

Ah ... wind magick.

Naira pumped it into the Worm's body and it swelled like a balloon holding too much air until finally ... well, you guessed it! The Reaver groaned, removing a stray piece of intestine from where it landed on her shoulder.

"Wretched." The other two Worms were nowhere to be seen. She briefly eyes the four dazed beasts huddled around Juno's trap. Whatever he'd done to them with the proton pack did little more than stun them, but prying the gun from his pocket meant that fluke was going to be fixed very quickly.

A quick glimpse around registered another being in their company: a woman with silver hair and armored in scales. Naira hastily dipped her head in greeting.

"Welcome to Super Smash," Naira joked with a wavering tail. She caught movement out of the corner of her eyes. The other two Sandworms were back. "I'd greet you more ... professionally? But ... "

The Reaver trailed off as the remaining two slipped about her soundlessly from the earth. In lightning-quick movements that Naira hadn't accounted for, they coiled about her body and pressed hard, quickly squeezing all blood to her head. She still clenched the sword in her fingers, but some use that thing was, being pinned against her! Naira took in a deep breath (hard to do considering the constriction upon her lungs) and concentrated. There was a distinct build-up of energy as she worked up her wind magick, but it fizzled as quickly as it formed. Naira blinked. What now?

Oh ... that was why. She must have gotten a little too close to Juno's backpack. Well that kind of sucked. The Reaver focused instead on brute strength. She somehow managed to twist her palms outwards and pressed against the serpentine bodies. Clawed fingers and gloved hands met heavy resistance but that didn't keep her from pushing ... shoving ... shoving ... The Sandworms did well at keeping her constricted but Naira was able to make just enough room for her to slip out of the deadly embrace just as one of the Worms hovered his head above her's to swallow the half-dragon whole. No such luck! She twisted and kicked away and the Worm drew back with a shriek.

Back on the terrace, Naira exchanged her sword (now sheathed) for the glove claws. Three foot-long blades emerged from each steel plate covering her fingerless gloves. It'd been a while since she used these ... but close-quarters combat called for close-quarters weapons. Her stance was held wide, knuckles clenching and held before her as if to say, 'Come at me, bro!'

But down below in the canyon Naira saw a familiar blur of black. He was still here?!

"Gotta cut this short," the Reaver mumbled. Even as those words fell forth, more spikes were emerging from the horizon and darted their way. Five this time ... plus a sixth that was tattered and ripped and five times the size of the other ones ... but it vanished beneath the ground like a shark who favored the deeper currents. A twinge of fear spurred Naira into gulping. She looked between Juno, the stranger, and the canyon as if trying to choose ... but her mind was made up for her while the two Sandworms looming in her presence both thrust after her.

They dove and snatched for her, each time missing when Naira hopped backwards. When one faltered the other advanced. This sequence repeated until the Reaver was right at the cliff's edge. But rather than hold her ground and fight them off, she took one last backwards jump and fell. Her body twisted in mid-air so that she faced the quickly-approaching valley below. Both Sandworms flew off the edge after her, heavily intent on gaining a meal to be ripped between them.

As for Ismene and Juno ... the approaching five soon swirled around them. Naira wasn't sure about the newcomer, but she was positive Juno would be able to hold his own against them. After all: Pirate!

Moon Moon was down in the canyon running in his canine form. Naira cast a grin upon him and for just one millisecond their eyes met and competition was confirmed. The Phooka sped his pace, zigzagging and weaving between rock and precipice. Nemo wasn't about to lose him this time. Steel claws still extended, she thrust another air-board beneath her taloned feet and rode the wind to match Moon's acceleration and direction. The Sandworms, unable to control the motion of their falling, did little more than plummet downwards. Their bodies met tough stone with an earth-shattering rumble. Dust kicked forth in the air, concealing their status from onlookers. Were they alive or dead?

[Sky Lily]

Ismene had snagged the attentions of at least two of the sandworms; one of which was now leaking purple fluids from its abdomen, and the other's fresh corpse landing on the ground with a thud. However, while one enemy was down, it's living partner was successfully pissed-- most likely due to the aforementioned cuts along its own segments. It raised its fearsome double-jawed head over the warrior's, both opening in a soundless roar.

Ismene glared right back. "Get that--"

The sandworm descended upon her.

"--ugly mug--"

The thing's maws stretched wide.

"--OUT OF MY FACE!" she released the halberd upward with a yell, watched as it tore a hole through the neck of the sandworm, and again from between its jaws as the weapon returned to her hand. Slime oozed as the upper half of the beast's skull slid clean off, dead, but still heading straight for Ismene.

Sh*t.

She ended up falling over, sliding backward as it finally hit the earth, just feet away from where she lay. The woman stood upright as quickly as she could; battles were no time for pauses.

"Welcome to Super Smash!" a familiar voice greeted her, and Ismene turned to see Naira, an elven-looking woman with a dragon's tail and feet. "I'd greet you more ... professionally? But ... "

As if on cue, two more sandworms made themselves known as a third began to circle Ismene.

"Right, got it!" she called out in reply as she eyed her new adversary. Naira and the first two beasts engaged in a battle of their own as Ismene and her own 'friend' began their face-off.

Again she hurled her halberd into the air, but whether this one had learned from its fallen comrades' mistakes or was simply more versatile in nature, it dodged her first attack with ease. Ismene threw her weapon a second time, then a third, but the sandworm just barely wriggled out of the halberd's way. Growing increasingly frustrated, the woman finally charged at the beast with the halberd poised for slicing, but it vanished beneath the surface before she could make a single strike.

Quite literally vanished. It dove through the cracked earth without so much as a rumble.

The fighter simply stood there, dumbfounded as she looked about herself wildly, fingers clenching her halberd as tensions rose. Dammit! Where did it go, and how the f*** did it do that?!

These things better not be versed in necrotic damaaaaaaAAAAAA--

The sandworm burst from directly underneath her. Ismene clung onto its muzzle for dear life as she rose higher and higher into the air, her halberd left in the dust.

The worm was now writhing its head back and forth in an effort to shake its rider of her hold. Ismene guessed that it must have been hoping to snatch her up in its resurfacing. Too bad the stupid beast failed. Without thinking she attempted to kick the roof of its mouth, but of course, this was Ismene's biggest problem when it came to battles. She didn't frakking think. The sandworm inner jaws clasped the length of her boot in place. Her armor ensured that it was only trapped by the pressure of the thing's fangs, but otherwise she was pretty sure that her foot would have been ripped clean off. Its head continued to thrash around wildly until Ismene was brought down low enough to call the halberd back to her hand. It flew into her grasp, just grazing the gum line of the sandworm's front teeth. The wound was just enough for the creature to lower its head even further before ramming both itself and Ismene into a wall. Pain exploded in the woman's back as she was finally released.

"OOOW SH*T! YOU F*CKING LITTLE BASTARD!" She struggled onto her feet once more, eyes blazing as she gave one last shot, this time throwing it just off to the side. As predicted, the dumb creature dodged as it had all the other times-- except now, right into the line of her staffed axe's fury. It tore into the sandworm's skull and returned her hand, blade drenched in glorious purple.

Ismene would have reveled more in the victory if she and Juno weren't now surrounded by five more wriggling opponents. She took a step back as she braced her legs and prepared to swing away. When one finally grew brave enough to rear its ugly head, Ismene just managed to wound its side. It charged. She braced to throw again.

"Where the hell are they all coming from?!"

And come to think of it, where was Naira? ... Ah, who gave a damn.

She was angry.

[JunoZXV]

"OH sure! Now she does the tactical retreat. So much for being a team player!" Juno yelled out loud as he fired a round through the nearest worm cranium while clocking another one with the broad side of the emitter.

"I swear-"

There was a ping as Juno put away the gun and re-grabbed the protonic emitter.

"-She's almost-"

A high pitched whine could be heard as power built up in the backpack he was wearing as raw reality forced itself, condensing and focusing on his being. Separating and sorting this reality from... where ever these things had come from.

"-as bad as-"

Another ping, fully charged. A flick of his claw as the vents on the back of the pack opened up. Using his free hand he grabbed Ismene's arm for a brief bit. Didn't wanna leave her behind.

"me!"

A large wooshing noise was heard as a bubble of reality emerged from the back of the pack, causing a wave out that collided with everything in a constantly growing sphere. As soon as it touched a worm it vanished. As soon as it hit the dripping blood it evaporated, as if everything not natural, not real... was erased from within the bubble.

"We have to hurry and catch up with Naira. This will only keep the worms between their world and ours for about 10 minutes. And the worst part? They're immortal. Not like 'oh hey I can live forever and ever until I'm killed' immortal. I mean You kill them, they keep coming back, immortal. These things eat stray soles in the afterlife so they have more than enough power to keep on existing."

There was a brief pause as Juno let go of Ismene. "Oh right, sorry about that. Didn't want to leave you with them. Uhhh... My name's Juno. Sorry for the lack of formality but time is of the essence if you want to keep on living."

And with that he turned, the bubble centered on him as he walked... and as he did the worms that were left behind began to fizzle back into existence, granted slowly.

[Windra]

OoC
Creative points go to whoever can come up with something cool to do with the GIANT Sandworm floating around. I had an idea and it got away from me.

---

A lingering question had to be posed as Naira vanished deeper into the canyon. Was she really just pursuing the Phooka who was so intent on catching her attention and provoking the Reaver into a race? Or was it to lure something else away? Entrenched in battle with the oncoming Sandworms, it might have been easy for the others to miss the tip of an enormous fin passing them ... had it not been for the deep tremors that accompanied it. Boulders were stirred from the precarious edge due to the massive shockwaves. At some point during the fight, the Sandworms would have thrashed their confusion only to take the rumbling as another one of their kind and press on in hostilities.

Carnage laid the remaining beasts to waste. As Juno and Ismene wandered on, the mutilated bodies slowly began piecing themselves together. All eight of them - even those that had been completely obliterated into nothing but meaty bits and gore pools. Skin connected at the edges and fused together, melting into place once the proper alignment was made. It would take several minutes for reconstruction to finish, but when it did - and it would - the chase would inevitably begin again.

But why were they out here, of all places? Why not closer to Deep Forest? What was calling them to this one spot?

The answer came from the canyon below. Well, part of the answer. There was no way to conceal that smell. Naira was forced to cover her nose with the sand-colored face-wrap lying limply about her neck. It wasn't really meant to do much more than protect one's face from sandstorms - a common problem on Earth II (where both Mishayirth and Scarlet had lost their lives). There the terrain was so decimated and dehydrated that the smallest gust could easily kick up a cloud of dust - enough to choke whole towns. It did nothing to weaken the odor, though it certainly pacified her nerves at least a little. This place reeked of millions of decayed corpses. In numerous instances Naira had to stop her hundreds-of-feet per second flying to quell the gag reflex, acting on overdrive. Yeah .. she was really glad she hadn't eaten anything before coming here. It sure as hell wasn't the best choice of scenery.

Moon Moon was certainly showing his displeasure at such a location as well. He would also pause to retch. At times his pace would slow to display caution at traversing some spots. Watching his motions, Naira was grateful to have the airboard underfoot. Something about the ground ... unsettled her. It looked plush and sponge-like. Multiple times she thought it pulsated. There were a lot of holes in the flooring. Easily mistaken for burrows ... they appeared to froth when something passed by or drew close.

I really don't like this place, she thought hard, wondering if it would transmit. Naira wished she could get some input from Sheikka right now. I reaaaaaallly don't. Okay. Get in. Get Moon Moon. Get the hell out. Wha about Juno and Ismene? She suddenly worried that they had followed her down here. Well ... running back to get them before anything bad was certainly a priority.

Somewhere behind her the dust ceased to broil. Those two Sandworms that fell after her writhed as one tangled mass on the ground. Something about this place ... the way it smelled ... drove a maddening rage into them. Their minds became a cloud of red-hot hunger. As one they rose their heads to the air and salivated as they growled and snapped. They charged at the same time and were immediately yanked back by their twisted bodies. Because they were so lanky and heavily built, the worms took more than three minutes to disengage. As soon as the knot was undone they were off. Somewhere beneath this stench of death was a smaller thing. They had seen it! And it was undead. Even better!

And still the massive fin traveled onward. It kept to the canyon walls, it's tip just protruding through limestone and shale. Every foot it overcame was accompanied by falling stones, each easily the size of the average human body. Here was something that didn't quite fit: they bounced when striking the 'earth' - which turned a deep red as if bruised. Fluids accumulated in these spots: rank and yellow in their own right.

Naira was aware of the poaching beast that loomed within the walls behind her. And she knew of the two Sandworms that trailed on a great distance beyond. There was concern of equal measure for both, but her greatest worry was this place.

Nevermind that. Hurry up!

Nemo leaned forward to better her aerodynamics. She put on a huge grin despite the obviously rising tension - challenging the Phooka to pick up the pace; Challenging the landscape to rise up; Challenging Bana's precious pets to catch her. Come one, come all! Come on and get us, you pansies! Of all of three, Moon Moon seemed to be the only one responding ... and welcome it with a bark. He ran faster, panting heavily as he went. But Naira was picking up speed. In no time at all she was lingering above him, hovering just out of reach ... but that was fine! Legs tensed, bent at the knees. Just a little closer ... just a little further ... !

Naira took one deep breath ... and jumped.

Moon Moon evaded her tactic by leaping to the side. The Reaver made contact with a rock and pushed off of it with her feet to switch direction at the very last second. Clawed fingers stretched out, grazing fur and seizing hold. It was an impending but definite assault ... and the Phooka was aware, because he reacted in a way that prompted Naira to climb on. He shifted size, easily becoming large enough to ride upon. Claws gave way to hooves. The muzzle remained elongated but transformed from feral and carnivorous to more docile and plant-eating. The fur became smooth and sleek - so much so that Naira was beginning to lose hold and latched onto its body, climbing onto it's back. A long mane soon tickled the Reaver's face as it spun itself from the creature's spine, dancing as one with the wind. The Phooka had reverted to it's secondary form: a stallion of purest black with eyes of red that blazed brighter than any sun. True, his form was definite ... but here and there it would waver and drift like a shadow.

"Right, gotcha!" claimed a Reaver as she looped one foot over the newly-shifted equine so that it rested upon his other side.

She leaned against the stallion's neck and looped her arms tightly around it ... holding on for dear life because, as Moon Moon indicated with a wild throw back of his suddenly massive skull, she was about to have one hell of a wild ride. He threw his head to both sides. Naira fully expected some kind raging whinny from the beast. Nothing could describe her amused surprise when it barked instead.

"I ... didn't count on that!"

She could feel the Phooka's muscles tensing and releasing below her as it bucked and kicked - doing everything it could to throw her to the strange ground. Naira held on tight with gritted teeth. Moon Moon's gyrating shoulders shoved her own elbow into her face several times before the Reaver was able to adjust to a position where that wouldn't happen. She found difficulty holding on with her hindquarters when there was nothing to grip, and desperately avoided latching on with her talons until she realized there was no choice or she'd fall off. As soon as alabaster claws dug just a little into the horse's skin, Moon Moon tore off like somebody had fired a gun.

Every gallop the equine took jarred her a little more and a little harder. Her chest bounced so fiercely off of Moon Moon's riveting shoulder blades that it winded her every time bone struck muscle. Ow ... ow ... ow ... Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Slipping a little! She scooted forward and held on tighter, fear drowned out by the rush of excitement. This was definitely something worth learning!

But first ...

I have got to invest in a saddle. What's this thing going to be like when it goes into bird form? Will I lose my grip? Probably. Break my neck? Wouldn't be the first time ...

The ground quivered beneth them and both rider and ride took notice. She could feel Moon Moon's subtle fear in the way he moved, and was grateful of his wariness. But they were going further and further away from the other two, and that was no good if something actually happened ... Naira dug her right heel in a little bit, unable to not feel bad as she did so. I'm sorry, so sorry! The Phooka reacted to the implied pressure and was forced to swivel, doing a complete 180 .. then running off again: past the giant Sandworm fin jutting from the canyon wall (it turned to pursue) ... and past the two Worms who dove and missed and snarled their anger. They would have pressed on once again had it not been for the liquidating hole permeating a sickly yellow fluid where their striped hides met 'earth'. A burning sensation quickly crept onto them and both Worms attempted to slither out of the way. Too little too late. The hole suddenly widened and snapped open. The sun gleaned off of small, shark-like teeth ... not from the Worms but from the terrace itself, from the crevice ... before it snapped shut on the two struggling soul-devouring creatures. Their cries of pain diminished beneath feet of stinking, putrid flesh.

Naira did not witness the sight but heard the noises, furthering the urgency to move. Soon Ismene and Juno showed themselves in the distance. Were they above, or below in the valley with her? "How in the hell do you ride one of these things on a normal basis?" Naira yelled to Juno, implicating her knowledge of his Horseman title. Perfect timing to shout such a question, too, because Moon Moon kicked his hind legs out and propelled Naira forward. Her skull met his with equal force. The horse stumbled, somewhat dazed, while Naira slipped backwards with stars in her comically-swirling eyes, hanging on loosely with her feet. " ... I like turtles ... "

Oh, Moon Moon.

[Sky Lily]

"OH sure! Now she does the tactical retreat," Juno yelled out as he blasted at one worm-- "So much for being a team player!"-- and whacked the other. Ismene glanced at the neko once before finishing off the nearest beast on her side with a scowl.

Oh, so Naira ditched them. Well that was nice, she didn't care, these f**kers were gonna die with or without her help.

"I swear..."

"...she's almost..."

A high pitched, curious sounding whine could be heard as something powerful built up from behind Ismene. It was a tad jarring to a woman pulled right out from a medieval universe, but she knew better than to look away from the enemy at hand and tried not to give into the impulse to deviate her attention.

"-as bad as-"

That is, until something tiny and red flew straight for her seemingly out of nowhere, the maw of a menacing sandworm charging just behind it. "Shadi?! What--" Ismene exclaimed just as Juno took hold of her arm and a very high-strung dragonling wrapped around her neck with a squeal.

"-me!"

The warrior started as something wooshed.

Ismene could only gawk as a shape began to form-- well, no, grow-- all around her, a single pulsing wave spreading outwards in all directions. Somehow its very touch literally disintegrated the approaching sandworm before her very eyes, and as soon as its siblings were met by the bubble-like barrier, they too simply broke away like mounds of sand buffeted by the wind. Or at least, that's what she thought of when she saw... well, this.

"The... the worms... how did y--"

"We have to hurry and catch up with Naira," the pirate broke through her bewilderment. "This will only keep the worms between their world and ours for about 10 minutes. And the worst part? They're immortal. Not like 'oh hey I can live forever and ever until I'm killed' immortal. I mean You kill them, they keep coming back, immortal. These things eat stray souls in the afterlife so they have more than enough power to keep on existing."

"Well, sh*t..." This was rather unpleasant to hear, even if she supposed it was best she knew, now. Though the thought of these guys being soul eaters made her a tad pale for a moment. She was still staring at the empty space where the sandworms had been when she felt Juno let go of her, and remembered with a start that someone had been holding her arm in the first place. She turned her attention back to him.

"Oh right, sorry about that. Didn't want to leave you with them. Uhhh... My name's Juno. Sorry for the lack of formality but time is of the essence if you want to keep on living."

Ismene could only stare blankly at first. She'd thought they'd already...?

...

Ohhhhh.

"Juno," she turned to follow the pirate, careful to stay within this 'bubble' as her hand clenched the halberd she carried. "Right. Ismene."

They walked on in the familiar silence of impending peril. Ismene didn't bother keeping track of time, instead focusing on trying to locate Naira, but it wasn't long before the quiet was broken by the sound of galloping hooves and the dragon girl approached them on a... well a barking horse.

Yep. A barking horse. Well at least she was back?

"How in the hell do you ride one of these things on a normal basis?" Naira seemed to be addressing Juno when her forehead met the back of her shadow horse's skull, and Ismene winced at the contact.

" ... I like turtles ... "

"Good to see you again," the woman called out as she brushed loose strands of hair away from her face. "Need a hand? I've got rope."

Not that they had much time...

OOC: made a slight change for the sake of correct rp timeline continuity xD changes made in dark blue.

[The_Vizir]

*PING*

A small drone blinked as the ground around it rumbled.

*PING*

The drone sent out subsonic pulse, a subterranean radar.

*PING*

And the returning echo fell within danger parameters

WARNING. SANDWORMS DETECTED NEAR DRONE 27. WARNING.

Another drone, this one further away, sent out a pulse, and the distorted echo back confirmed the first's findings.

CONFIRMED. SANDWORMS SSW OF DRONE 26. WARNING.

A third drone now sent out its own pulse, and locked on to the beasts.

LOCATION OF SANDWORMS TRIANGULATED.

Dozens of miles away, so distant it was only a shining gleam on the horizon, sand-choked gears spun to life. With angry, metallic groans, several massive metal bores on the hull of the wrecked citadel of steel and titanium slowly turned to face in the direction of the signals. An electric buzz was soon heard, as if someone has switched on a breaker, sending power to the gargantuan cannons.

Conveyors clanked and thudded, pulling up rods of depleted uranium and iron as long as a human's arm. Locking into place, the rods began rattling as their magnetic fields were twisted-

FIRE

- and slung out of the barrels at hypersonic speeds, so fast that a burst of plasma arched in their wake, creating an explosion that sounded much like distant thunder...

kakoom krakoom krakoo-

BOOM!

... and then the very ground shook as plumes of dirt and sand - and sandworm - exploded into the air, as the metre-long projectiles slammed into the sand of the Wastes, leaving behind impressively sized craters. Not just once, nor twice, but a full seven times.

The next set of massive rounds clattered ominously into place, but a mental command stopped the next round of thunder from sounding.

EVALUATE REACTIONS. IF WORMS FLEE INTO WASTE, ABATE FIRING.

And so the guns stood silent, for a moment...

*PING*

[*RainyRomanianAbyss*]

Meanwhile not so far from the Forest, in a nice cool cave.....

"Ohhhhh what a nice day it is tod-"

BOOM

This being's small form bounced up slightly out of her peaceful little crevice found in the caves, hitting the ground with a THUD.

"Owwwwwww........ my rear.........What the-?"

The demoness got to her feet, taking care to wipe off her black cloak and grabbing her bow off of the canyon wall along with her quiver of arrows. What the heck was running through the canyon that was making the rocks vibrate this much? Well whatever it was, it had messed with her peace and quiet.

"Well I'm up now. Might as well see what is causing the racket....." Ari sighed, pushing her black bangs out of her eyes and starting to move toward the vibrations.

[Windra]

OoC
Bumpin' 'dis shit, hoes.
Bump Bump BUMP.


... Word.

[Sky Lily]

(( We're waiting on Juno, right? ))

[Windra]

OoC
Yessum.
*refuses to post until then*

[JunoZXV]

The inn, in the swamp.

"So..." came a voice, a skull on the shelf. "What's shakin?"
___________________________________________________________________________________

"How do I stay on? Generally I relax and take comfort in the fact that It'll all be over soon."

There was a pause.

"That came out wrong."

Another pause.

"So did that."

Man things got awkward fast, if only there was something to break up this strange moment.

"Hey was the ground always this spring-"

Krakoom

"Did you hear somethi-"

Juno turned glancing at the arching sky line, something in the distance, bright and shiny, arching in the sky;

Krakoom

Joined by several other brothers of molten projectiles.

"Nutbunnies." Was a small reply as he noticed that they were aimed at their general vacininity. More around them but still. The next bits rendered him a bit hard of hearing. Dust, debris and detritus swirled about in the air as Juno cursed into the air.

"NORAD! You maniac! You blew it all up! Curse you! Curse you all to-"

A rumble, deep below. Maybe the machine hadn't blown everything nearby sky high. Looking around everyone was still more or less where they were but...

*THUD*

Purple.

A large fin had raised, nearly as tall as the trees in the forest. Catching the pirate right in the chest as he was flung skyward, able to get a good view on the mound that they had been standing on, and what he saw only caused him to reel back in terror. It was long, It was striped, and it had nasty teeth.

It'd be a shame he'd be knocked flat on his butt before he could tell anyone. That is, if they didn't realize that there were multiple large fins raising in a row.

Leviathan was stirring.

[Windra]

"So ... What's shakin'?"

Sheikka looked up from where she was working, staring with surprise at the yammering skull tucked away on the shelf across the room. The Anubian hadn't even realized his presence there, easily mistaking him for one of the various props she and Naira decorated the inn with. Gradually her astonished expression graduated to one of irritation. Her eyes slowly moved from the skull ... to the knickknacks perched alongside him: vials and bottles of strange fluids, boxes of peculiar powders, an odd-smelling bar of strangely-colored wax ... When her gaze settled back onto Alex, Sheikka's frown was firm and the warning in her voice obvious.

"You are dat Alex fellow, aren't 'ou? If 'ou break anyt'ing," she growled lowly, brows furrowing to increase the ferocity of her face, "I'll have your head." Wait, that didn't make sense ... not with Alex. Sheikka thought for a moment before adding, "In a concrete box, buried several feet underground. Understood?"

The Anubian Reaver allowed her eyes to remain fixated on the skull long enough to drive the point home before swinging back to her current endeavor. A few things had shifted around since Juno and Naira had left. For starters ... there wasn't a body on the ground before ... and where it had come from was questionable indeed. It was human, or had one been, for the shape was similar. But the skin was red and the fingers tipped with sharp, thick claws. The features on the corpse's facial structure were both sharpened and sunken in - high cheekbones, eyes surrounded by heavy black circles. Death had sucked the cheeks in further, forcing the skin to clench tightly about razor-like teeth ... but from the looks of it, this figure had been the epitome of a carcass long before the mortal coil had been undone. It was obviously female, judging by the protrusions beneath her ratty, tattered shirt smudged with old blood and dirt, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looks alone - her chin was thick and jutting, the muscular and skeletal build far more brusque than any woman Sheikka had ever encountered.

The dead woman's jaw was locked into a permanent grin. Her eyes, blank and staring, had been propped open from the time of death. Both Naira and Sheikka had been disturbed by the unseeing gaze and gone out of their way to close the lids.

"I can't stand seeing her like this," Naira had said, brushing her had briefly over Scarlet's still face. Her gloved hand rested there momentarily, not wanting to be removed. "If I'd only been paying more attention ... "

"Da more 'ou talk like dat, da guiltier 'ou vill feel," Sheikka reprimanded with a sharp tongue. She pulled Naira's hand away from Scarlet's face and gave it a firm squeeze. "She stepped in da vay to protect 'ou. 'Ou should be proud to have culminated such a friendship."

The half-dragon remained silent, gaze fixes upon the V-ACT. After several long breaths she finally twisted her face away. "I am proud ... " A long sigh escaped her lips. She rubbed the bridge of her nose anxiously, an old bad habit rekindling itself in light of recent events.

"Da longer Scarlet stays in your body, da more reckless 'ou will become when enraged," the Anubian continued. "We need to do dis before you accidentally lash out and kill an ally ... 'ou know 'dis." When Naira nodded, Sheikka pressed further. "'Ou also know da risk we run ... 'Ou are still Corrupted. Scarlet might be reborn with dat taint."

"I guess it's a chance we'll have to take. Scarlet's been suppressing Kuro's tendencies. Her will is stronger than his. I'm sure she'll be fine." There was a lengthy pause before the Earth I Reaver succumbed to some doubt. "I hope."

Sheikka removed the cauldron from the fire and sat by Scarlet's head. She took some time to study the numerous bullet holes that had pierced the V-ACT's flesh - one notably leaving a large gap in the woman's skull, most likely being the one that finally put her down - and took in a breath. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes ... Clawed digits rubbed together, eagerly anticipating this new 'project'.

"I'm about to begin," spoke the Anubian aloud to nobody in particular. "Brace yourself, Naira."

-----

"Glad to see you again," called Ismene from above, brushing some hair from her face. "Need a hand? I've got rope."

"That ... might not be a bad idea," Naira replied, not yelling her response but allowing the voice to carry over te chasm. The echo it caused was loud enough to be heard by both parties. "But I'll be alrght. Just sit tight. I'll be back up there in a jiffy." Better hurry. Those worms weren't going to be motionless for much longer. Even as they spoke, their final pieces were setting together again.

"How do I stay on? Generally, I relax and take comfort in the fact that it'll all be over soon." The pirate paused as though he realized something he said didn't quite fit. It took Naira a second to catch it, but she split into a grin when it finally hit. "That came out wrong ... So did that ... "

"There's a number of things I can say, Juno, and every single one of them would make you blush," she chuckled deviously.

Moon Moon's movements finally settled into something more manageable. Once the spinning birds cleared from his vision, he settled into a fit of prancing about in one spot. At least the horse wasn't running anymore ... but Naira could tell he was extremely unsettled. The Phooka's eyes had gone wide so that you could clearly see the whites over the ominous red glow held within those irises. Naira's head was still sore, but she easily bypassed it, instinctually reaching over, instead, to gently stroke the mighty beast's neck. "Easy there ... "

But she knew why he was acting so antsy. The ground below them felt like it was moving.

And that wasn't the only thing.

"Hey was the ground always this spring - "

Atop the dancing equine, a suddenly alarmed Naira found her eyes darting to where the duo above stood. They landed upon something ominous and her heart about stopped. "Guys - "

In the distance, a faint but powerful rumble. It erupted like a pressurized valve going off.

"Did you hear someth - "

It took a second, but Naira eventually pressed herself into looking away from the thing that had startled her. She glanced upwards with the others and felt her chest drop several feet. There were thins in the air. Not just things. Missiles.

Naira's expression immediately fell. "From NORAD, with love," she muttered under her breath, followed by a loud and urgent, "TAKE COVER!"

Moon Moon didn't stick around to get blasted. That was a good thing, considering the ground beneath them was just about to open up. Naira could see pointed teeth out of the corners of her eyes, peeking out from the slit that gradually slipped below them. The moment the Phooka felt his hooves slip, he was gone ... charging down the canyon and away from the impending danger, despite Naira's protests to go the other way. After all ... Missiles! And that faint trace of purple beneath where Juno and Ismene stood ...

There was a series of loud explosions as each projectile struck their targets. Rocks crumbled, the earth cracked. One missile in particular arched over Naira's head to smash something well in the distance. From the choking cloud of purple and white mist, the Reaver could only assume it had, at one point, been a Sandworm. So he wasn't aiming at them - not intentionally, at least. NORAD was taking out the worms! Hell yes! I could kiss you right now!

But that didn't dismiss the urgency of others things ... A trailing crack expanded int the valley's terrace, following Naira and the fleeing Moon Moon with more and more sharpened fangs popping into existance. The entire floor was becoming a huge mouth. And that ... wasn't the only thing moving. To her right, Naira could see rocky mounds where Ismene and Juno had been shifting and gyrating. Purple and white stripes slid past her in the other direction. Massive fins were protruding from the earth.

That wasn't the worst part.

I'm about to begin, entered Sheikka's voice, her stern tone piercing Naira's frantic mind. Brace yourself, Naira.

FIVE MINUTES! shouted the half-dragon Reaver through telepathy. It was loud enough to break into the heads of anyody nearby who could hear Reaver conversation. If Sheikka was about to start the process of reincarnating Scarlet now ... well, the last time she slipped unconscious in the middle of the kitchen. That wasn't so bad. But going comatose here and now?! That was very, VERY bad. Just gimme five minutes!

I have to do dis before da concoction goes cold. Hurry. Oh Sheikka. Matter-of-factly as ever ... But Naira had bought herself time and that was all that mattered.

She held on tightly to Moon Moon's neck. He was going faster now. Now too far ahead of them, the valley came to an abrupt end where a steep cliff-face jutted high into the sky to join the plateau where the others were in dire straights. At the base of this sudden ascension was a gory pile of Sandworm chunk and metal shrapnel. Looks like the missile had found what it was looking for ...

Moon Moon took one step particularly hard and jarred Naira's chest harshly against his back. The Reaver gasped to recollect what air had just been forced from her lungs. "Look, I'm pretty sure this isn't how you thought things were gonna turn out," yelled the half-dragon over the roar of shifting earth, gnashing fangs, and impacting hooves. "I definitely didn't think this was gonna happen! I know you wanna do the whole chase thing, see if I'm worthy enough to catch you! That's great! But we're in a really tight spot and I need your cooperation right now ... so you're just gonna have to trust me!"

If Moon Moon heard her, it didn't acknowledge her words. That valley wall was steadily getting closer. In just a minute they'd be pancakes. Naira pressed herself tighter against the Phooka's neck, holding on for dear life.

"Please!"

Maybe that was all it took.

Poof!

A sheet of paper appeared and unrolled before Naira's face. The Reaver stared at it with confusion for a lingering while before realizing this was a contract binding Phooka and Rider. A little literal, wasn't it? There was no point in reading it. Naira had done her research. She knew what the contract entailed.

"Oh, you are lovely!"

Naira brought a hand to her face (reluctantly, because it meant she was clinging onto Moon Moon with only one hand and this fact alone almost caused the Reaver to slip off her mount), bit at her thumb with sharp teeth until it drew blood, and swiped the wounded digit across dry parchment in a crimson signature signifying their bond. The scroll glowed faintly and vanished in the time it took for Naira's finger to heal, and by that time the valley wall was upon them.

They needed to go up!

"FLY!"

It was an instantaneous metamorphosis. In the time it took one's heart to beat, Naira was no longer holding onto the soft fur of a rampaging horse, but gripping the feathers of some large, mottled bird. She had no time to study the features of the Phookas newest appearance, but took stock in the fact that it was several times larger than a human, probably capable of squeezing multiple bodies onto its back ...

And then they were not raging forward. They were soaring upward. Just as the valley floor fully opened beneath them, Moon moon righted itself ... and drove up the cliff at a ninety-degree angle. Naira gave a whooping shout, grinning despite the fact that she was clinging for the sake of not falling into the ravenous pit that awaited them below. Wind rushed past them. It flared her coat out behind her, pressed her clothes hard onto her body. Once Moon Moon righted himself in the air, Naira snapped her goggles over her eyes and pumped a fist into the air triumphantly.

"Oh, you are awesome," she told Moon Moon with a swelling of pride, thumping her hand gently against the beast's neck. The response was far from normal. Like the horse that barked, this bird ... whinnied. It forced a laugh from the Reaver's throat. "Strange, but I'll take it! Now how about we go save the others, eh?"

Naira leaned her body to the right and Moon Moon swiveled in that direction until they were soaring towards the undulating ground of pinstripes. Good lord, the entire canyon was moving! There was no telling where the head was ... or the tail, for that matter. Using her good eye, Naira picked out Ismene's form first. Moon Moon swept in low and Naira extended a hand to grab the woman up.

"If the monster's in the ground, there's no better place to be than the sky!" she shouted, snatching for Ismene's hand and yanking her onto the Phooka's large back (despite whatever protests the Werecat may have uttered). "Hang tight!"

Moon Moon swirled briefly in that spot, then ducked back to the left ... evading a rather large fin in the process. The bird pitched right and Nemo could see a somewhat terrified Juno just beneath a steadily rising mound of putrid Worm flesh. She leaned forward with the giant bird (to others observing, it would have looked more like a melanistic osprey than anything else) until they drifted mere feet from where the pink-haired pirate lay.

From the caving ground around him, there wasn't going to be a whole lot of time before things went from bad to immensely horrific. Naira reached for him. "Need a lift?" she yelled beyond the noise. Her maw suddenly split into a grin and she added, as if to egg him on, "It's gonna be a rough ride. Think you can handle it?" Yes. That was a flirt.

[Sky Lily]

... Ismene had no comment on the following suggestive banter.

But she might have something to say about the increasingly odd nature of the ground beneath their feet, which she now stared down at with growing apprehension. Why-ever it was doing that... breathing thing seemed to be making Shadi equally as nervous. He was now scuttling from shoulder to shoulder, looking about himself anxiously as little puffs of smoke escaped his nostrils. When one said puff blew right into her eyes, Ismene was forced to hold her pet in a stern hug just to keep him from being a nuisance. On second thought, it might have been to stop him from making her so nervous.

"What's..." she began tentatively, just before Juno asked:

"Hey was the ground always this spring - "

Something fired off in the distance.

"...Did you hear someth - "

Ismene whirled around to face whatever new threat had made this noise, but the soaring missiles confused her a bit. She'd been expecting some giant... I don't know, ogre? Troll? Something that could make heavy footsteps. She was unfamiliar with such things as missiles. What the hell were they anywa--

"TAKE COVER!"

--okay so whatever these things were they were bad.

Ismene acted fast, gathering her pet underneath her as she ducked and covered, holding her hands over her head. Things began to explode all around her, sending rocks tumbling, dust flying, and...

... lots of lavender smoke.

Wait a minute, these things were killing the sandworms? Sweet!

She didn't have much time to revel in Norad's kindness, though, for as soon as she stood to her feet, Shadi was shrieking again, hovering around her as he yanked at her hair.

"Ow ow OW!" she began to tug it back, glaring daggers at the dragon. "Cut that out, you accursed little--"

The ground shifted as something hissed.

"..."

"Oh..."

"... sh*t...!"

Ismene shrieked and stumbled back as something tall and purple shot out from the ground, sending Juno flying. In her moment of panic she tried to reach out for him, but the pink-haired pirate was already up and out of her reach before she even knew what had hit the neko. Swallowing her growing panic, she held her halberd in front of her with both hands gripping. It was all she could do to prepare for the worst. More fins of a similar nature-- all the same worm, she suspected with a growing terror-- rose from the ground all along the spongey length of the earth. But no, not the earth.

But one gigantic spine.

Ismene lost her balance, falling onto her knees and hands as the thing began to writhe; slowly and subtly at first, but the movements were gradually gaining momentum. With her right shin pressing down painfully on the staff of her halberd she managed to not lose her weapon, but just barely. It was hard enough keeping herself from being shaken back and forth, and the warrior found herself clinging on for dear life onto the fin of a monster she'd rather escape from.

Sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t-- in all her adventures, in all her battles, Ismene was sure she had never faced a creature of this sheer size in her life. Naira was God-knew-where, Juno had been whacked clear into the sky, and with nothing but the smell of worm-breath and a panicked dragonling for company, this was sure to be one hell of a fight. But hey.

First time for everything, right?

Hisses rattled from underneath her palms and Ismene forced herself to sit up, eyes blazing with the renewed defiance of one facing death as she kicked her halberd to one of her hands and used the other to push herself onto her knees. She raised her weapon with the single hand that held it, readied to stab, and prepared for a fight the likes of which this beast had never seen!

But then--

"If the monster's in the ground--"

In swept Naira from nowhere, hoisting Ismene up with her before she could say 'giant bird'--

"--there's no better place to be than the sky!"

"Hang tight!"

And hang-tight she did.

Ismene couldn't help but gasp as air rushed passed her face, blowing her hair behind her as the mount they rode on swirled once and shot off in the direction where Juno had landed. Naira reached out for the wizened neko, and as Shadi squealed atop her shoulder, it finally hit her that she was indeed on a giant bird.

Ismene was riding a giant bird.

A thrilled laugh escaped her.

Hell freaking yes.

[*RainyRomanianAbyss*]

The vibrations on the ground were not getting better on the ground. As a matter of fact, they were getting really shaky. "What the heck-" Ari said to herself as she saw the huge sandworms. She had only heard about them in her father's book and all she knew is that they were incredibly powerful.

She heard a loud whistling and she caught a glimpse/of silver in the sky.

"Missiles.... WAIT MISSLES, CRAP!"

The demoness heard the missiles near the canyon and she ducked behind a group of rocks. A loud BOOM was heard and she looked up cautiously from behind the the pile of boulders and saw a semi-thick fog of lavender smoke. All she knew is that she did not want to be caught in the cross fire, so she started running in the opposite direction, trying to get far away from the destruction on the canyon.

[JunoZXV]

"Please!" Juno retorted. "This can't be as bad as riding a Quetzin bareback. One of the worst mistakes a guy can make."

there was a rumble, right gigantic killer worm. "Right now's not the time for that" He grabbed Naira's hand and swung on the mount. "I've always wanted to say this-"

"Allons-WOAH!"

[Windra]

Quetzin? Naira would have replied with a prompt, crude retort and a laugh at the pirate’s expense had they been in less dire circumstances. Time was of the essence, however. She grabbed hold of his clawed hand and held firm as he swung up onto the mount, securing himself. On what? They had no saddle and no rope. At least Moon Moon’s feathers were a lot sleeker than the back of any lightning-digesting quadruped bird.

”Just in time,” the Reaver murmured.

The ground was teeming with movement, moreso now … because the biggest contestant burst out from below. A sizable mash-up of sharp teeth appeared before them, salivary glands pumping enzyme-filled fluids between the cracks of teeth that easily stood the height of five well-built men. It had more eyes than other, typical Sandworms … and each one of them was alive with brilliant yellow and raging hunger. Purple and white stripes ran the course of an undulating body that dripped rock, soil, and sediment onto the earth that suddenly seemed too far away. Its flesh was pockmarked with battle scars both old and new. One in particular ran between its muzzle, tracing far back to the edge of the skull and curving to the left in a jagged motion.

Leviathan leveled his one-story-building-size cranium with the hovering avian. Massive jaws parted way, giving birth to a second head that was half the size of its container … and then a third head that was smaller than the other two but still huge in comparison to the three riding birdback. Every one of these skulls were equipped with their own functioning set of sharpened teeth, twitching eyes, and mutual hunger. There was an inhalation of air so strong that it actually pulled Moon Moon towards the gaping maw. The Phooka fought back with frantically flapping wings … and wound up flinging backwards with his passengers when Leviathan let all the stolen air out in a roar loud enough to make the canyon shudder violently, stirring some dragon-sized boulders from places where they’d been secured, sending them clamoring into the ravenous pit of a valley. A vile stench permeated from deep within Leviathan’s esophagus. It reeked a combination of sewage and a thousand dead bodies.

”Hello, beautiful,” Naira mumbled under her breath. As the great beast's lips closed, curling into a biter, dangerous snarl, the Reaver touched her hand lightly upon Moon Moon's neck. "Let's go!"

The Phooka didn't wait. Neither did Leviathan. All those nasty teeth came flying forward in one fell swoop, but Moon Moon was smaller, nimbler, and a helluva lot quicker. Powerful wings thrust him straight up into the air as opposed to either side, narrowly missing clamping jaws by mere inches. But Leviathan's reaction time was not to be joked about. The BigMuthaWorm twisted his head about in a mere instant, moving in for the kill with a more accurate tangent - but his skull snapped backwards with a blast of wind. Naira shook her hand and withdrew it back to the Phooka's side, not willing to lose her grip and go plummeting to an awaiting diner below.

They accelerated quickly, firing north. Leviathan followed, lifting and supporting himself on his lengthy bodice like a charmed cobra: except there was no flute to sing his tune. The only rhapsody accompanying the serpentine titan was the choir of his own roar, shaking the earth to its very foundation. Naira, Ismene, Juno and Moon Moon were lucky. There was only so much slack left in the Worm's 'rope' ... and he reached his limit as the Phooka pelted through the first two layers of clouds caressing the sky. Resigning with a snap of his jaws, the Sandworm patron descended back to the ground. Thousands upon thousands of tons slammed heavily into the canyon. A fissure many yards across forced its way between bedrock and streamlined along the natural wonder's length. The resulting cloud of debris that rolled aloft was so thick that the unwitting observer might mistake it for a sand storm from afar. Concealed within the inadvertent smokescreen was a writhing mass of Sandworm, growling and snarling his malcontent.

Moon Moon was still running off of adrenaline. He did not stop ascending until the air became heavy and breaths were harder and harder to catch. By the time the Phooka finally leveled off, Naira noticed the nail beds of her claws turning blue. She was relatively sure the others were suffering a bit of cyanosis - after all, they had nearly burst through the troposphere ... Pain collected in her lungs. Despite this, she concentrated and snapped her fingers, forcing oxygen molecules to bond and form a sphere about the Flight Crew, enabling them to breath easy once again.

Naira inhaled deeply and the lingering dizziness subsided, along with the buring sensation in her chest. She lightly thumped Moon Moon's side, grinning. "By air if not by sea, eh?"

Two minutes, bleated Sheikka's Reaver-only telepathic message, carrying a strong overtone of danger. I can't vait much longer. Get 'our hide back to ze inn!

"Sure thing, ma," Naira said aloud to nobody in particular. The Reaver turned her head to face the others, allowing a grin to pass over her features. "Sheikka's yelling at me. Shall we head ... back ... ?"

Now there was a reason for her voice suddenly lowering. That was because she was suddenly aware of this new noise that hung about in the background - the sound of wings ... the sound of heavy breathing ... and a sudden ominous presence that loomed dangerously close. Slowly, Naira turned her head a little more. What she saw lurked just out of reach.

"You've - "

Long, striped bodies.

" - gotta - "

Big teeth.

" - be - "

Hungry eyes.

" - shitting - "

Colorful wings.

WINGS.

" - me."

They were Sandworms ... well, maybe 'Sand' wasn't applicable right now. How about Skyworms? Yeah. We'll go with that. Retaining the coloration and shape of their land-based counterparts, these beasts were not only equipped with a pair of Macaw-like wigs ... but were armed with dual fangs similar to those of a venomous snake. Their tails were tipped with barbed stingers. There were only two of them ... but they looked light in comparison to the Sandworms. So they were quick. And lethal.

And itching for a good meal that fought back. Naira gulped.

"You ever get the feeling that the 'powers that be' want you dead? Or deader, as it were ... Moon!"

With a whinny, the Phooka dipped forward ... and began a hasty descent back towards the earth. With a flurry of feathered appendages and hisses forming from frothing throats, the Skyworms were in pursuit.

--

Arilinda was not alone.

There was somebody following her ...

Until this point the person had been standing on a nearby cliff overlooking the canyon. Seeing the demon girl run prompted the being to chase her. Well, that and the giant Worm that still coiled about on the terrace ahead. Nobody wanted to face something like that. She sure as hell didn't.

Footsteps sounded behind Ari. They were quick but caught every few feet on a rock that sent the person stumbling. Person? Yes, she was human. Definitely a full-blooded human. But she certainly didn't look like an average one. She wasn't tall, not crazily so, but she was far from meager. Obviously female. Light in build with thin and limber appendages and a gaunt facial structure, the woman's hair was tied back into a ponytail that drifted to the center of her back. That was another odd thing. The color of her hair ... well, it wasn't purple, but it wasn't blue - a mix. It was a sharp contrast to the pale, almost ghost-like skin.

Her clothes were far from fitting of this atmosphere. Belted leather pants held sweat in and she felt like she was dying. At least the short, violet tank top was keeping her cool ... but it wasn't doing its job as well as it should. Bangles and wristbands of all sorts, sizes, and shapes decorated her arms. Many of them had spikes while others resembled strips of hide. Then there were the boots: definitely not fit to wear out in the desert, but she could have done far worse! They were styled for combat - partially - and fashion - mostly - with no blade hitched to the side where one should have been. Instead of ending at the ankles, they crept to just below her knee.

Chocolate eyes focused on the girl ahead. She waved frantically, painted fingernails dazzling a brilliance in the hot sun.

"Hey HEY! Wait it!" she hollered, panting due to the random exercise that required her to run very fast from very bad danger. Moisture clung to her forehead. "Slow it up! I'm not used to this shit!"

OoC
The Skyworm idea is a homage to one of my favorite FanFiction.net authors from back in the day.