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1: Mud Skin3,267 words
2: Blitzkrieg4,791 words

2: Blitzkrieg

Author's Note:

For frame of reference, Stone stands at about 11'6", or 350.5 cm tall. Mud-Skin is 5'11", or 181 cm tall. Sparks is 3'4" (101.6 cm) at the shoulder on all fours and about 12'2" (370.8 cm) long. Obsidian is 9'8" (294.6 cm). Fireball is 8'10" (269.2 cm). Slash is 5'1" (154.9 cm).

The Sun sat low in the sky as morning emerged from night, the mist lifting off of the ground as the heat from above bore down on the land. Humid and hot, the edge of the volcanic region of the Dragon Lands seemed to choke the air a little more than usual. In the midst of the mouth of a valley, a murder of crows linger in the trees, looking down at the band of dragons approaching from the west. A few of them begin to sing their tuneless song, warning the others of the new comers.

"What were those kinds of birds called again?" Fireball asked to no one in particular.

"I think they're called 'rahvens', or was it 'revahns'?" Obsidian pondered, failing to remember.

"They just look like food to me! Maybe I'll grab one for the walk." Slash began to sharpen his talons against each other, preparing to go and do exactly as he suggested.

"Those are crows. They linger around dead things." Stone stated matter-of-factly.

"So then I can have a snack before the main course?! Awesome!" Slash rushed into the air and began to try to capture and kill a crow. His efforts would prove insufficient, as the crows were quick to fly away from the yellow dragon.

"It's weird. Crows aren't usually here until the cold season. We're only at the tail-end of the warm season." Sparks informed the party based on his experience. This fact unnerved him, as it would seem that Stone's observation would be the most accurate explanation for the presence of such birds at this time. Dread crept into Sparks' mind, reminding him of his purpose in these woods.

"Hey, Sparks, where did you say this monster was again?" Obsidian didn't bother turning around to address him.

"It was just a short walk into the valley, passed the patch of fruit trees." This is the third time Sparks has reminded Obsidian of the monster's location. Perhaps because of Obsidians giddiness for roughhousing and combat, he was prone to forgetting details. A trait that Sparks could not relate to.

Slash inhaled deeply and let out a long beam of fire from his mouth. A few crows were set ablaze and fell to the ground, life leaving their bodies quickly as they flailed about. The little yellow dragon flew down with excitement evident on his face.

"I bet it tastes like salamander, or like swamp-frog." Slash proceeded to gruesomely bite off the wings and legs of the three crows he managed to slay with his fire breath. "Oh, it does taste like swamp-frog! A bit tougher, though."

With a quick stop to rest at the mouth of the valley, the band of dragons had finally caught the scent of blood. Old blood. A thick iron scent that lingered with the scent of rot. The putrid mix of smells told them quite firmly that they were approaching a dangerous place. Eyes shifting and twitching claws abound while the dragons go further into the valley, expecting a fight.

An overhang of clouds caused the otherwise bright morning to become a dreary afternoon. A faint drizzle of rain would soon follow, giving little aid to the humidity that already hung in the air. The Sun was warm and the air was cool, even cooler wherever the clouds blocked the light. Within the hour, the overhang thickens and the drizzle becomes a proper rainfall. All of this taking place just above the band of young dragons trekking through the valley woodland. The smell of rain added itself to the foul swirl of smells in the air. Soon enough, they would encounter something unexpected.

An effigy. A drake head on a wooden spike. The rot had already set in, flies making their home in the mouth and sockets of the dismembered head.

Most of the party wafted their claws over their noses to avoid having to tolerate the full strength of the smell. Stone kept pace and pushed ahead of the party. She turned to the rest of them. "What are you waiting for?"

They walked passed the effigy with caution. From what they heard from Sparks, this monster could be lying in wait anywhere. The rain was no help either. The earth beneath them quickly turned soft and slick, threatening to slip from under them at any time. If that was not enough, more corpses littered the land ahead. The bones of long dead drakes from the caves, mountains, and even grasslands and swamps. The group searched carefully for any hints of movement or tracks to follow. Whilst doing so, Fireball found a curious set of skulls sitting on a boulder, acting as another effigy.

"I think Mud-Skin found Diamond Dogs." Fireball turned to address the group while pointing at the bones.

"It either claims a large territory, or hunts for food. And considering how long it's been, it must hunt a lot." Obsidian explained the implications of the scene to them.

Sparks could not be more shaken at the sight. The monster has been busy hunting various creatures just to sate its appetite. Sparks couldn't believe that a creature half his size would be so voracious, let alone strong enough to kill all of the drakes, and apparently Diamond Dogs, by itself. Diamond Dogs always travel in packs, making them formidable to face directly. Especially in caves. Sparks was at a loss. He thought this monster would be easy work for his pals to handle. Now, that might not be the case.

"Stop!" Stone raised her voice and raised a claw. She sensed something. They were being watched. She could feel it. But from where? It had the strength and speed to defeat Sparks. Even if she was vastly stronger, she had to be on her guard. Rain and mud and old blood all mingled together to make smelling it out almost impossible. Sight and sound would be the only viable ways of detecting it. The whole group was tense. When they heard Stone give a command, they understood that it was for a good reason.

"Form a circle." Obsidian spoke just over the rain so that the others could hear him. With all of their backs to each other, they could prevent a sneak attack from catching them off-guard. The air became tense, thick enough to cut with a claw. This creature had to be an ambush predator with how good it was at hiding.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on,..." Slash whispered to himself, itching for a real fight. He couldn't stop fantasizing about how the monster looked up close, or about how big it really was, but most of all how difficult it was to fight. Slash was dying of anticipation.

"Where are you?" Fireball was ready to unleash his fire breath. A solid beam of fire to scorch and immolate whatever came his way. He was getting jumpy, glancing every which way, looking for movement of any kind.

Sparks tried to calm his breathing as much as he could to avoid making too much noise. He could feel his mind conflicting with itself. His gut is telling him to just run and never come back, while he is fighting to tell his own body to stay put and fight. He had to remind himself that he had back up this time, giving him an advantage that this, "Mud-Skin" as Fireball put it, didn't have. His pals can help him get rid of it and he can put all behind him.

A roar that pierced the rain could be heard by the dragons, seeming to originate from higher up in the valley. It was deep and short, as if it were a call or warning. Only Obsidian and Stone bothered to look up to see what might be there. A giant boulder was hurdling towards them. Obsidian didn't have time to tell everyone to move. Instead, he shoved both Stone and Slash out of the way to allow himself to catch the boulder, preventing it from hitting Sparks and Fireball. The falling boulder came crashing onto Obsidian, effectively burying him under its weight and forcing the lava he was holding in him out of his mouth and splattering it on Sparks and Fireball.

Following right after the boulder came Mud-Skin from the air, landing on Slash just as he was getting up. Moving like a blur, Mud-Skin threw Slash at Fireball just as he was releasing his fire breath, lodging Slash in Fireball's mouth. Fireball fell over from the impact and started choking on his companion. Stone rushed at Mud-Skin with a mighty right claw. The monster must have sensed her, because all she hit was air. It stared her in the eyes, waiting for the next attack.

Sparks saw it all. After Obsidian ended up taking several tons of rock to the face and spilling his still warm lava all over him, Sparks witnessed the entire altercation to this point. However, there was something different. Mud-Skin was a little big bigger. Thicker limbs, certainly. It also seemed to have what looked like scales in its muddy flesh. It didn't have that before. Then the thought occurred to him. "Could Mud-Skin absorb parts of the creatures it kills?" It was a frightening prospect, but he couldn't dwell on that now. Stone was trying her best to land a hit on it, but the monster kept dodging. Obsidian was out and Fireball was only just now pulling Slash out of his mouth. Sparks got into position to let out a bolt of lightning just far enough to hit Mud-Skin, but avoid Stone. He had to wait for just the right moment.

Stone struggled to hit this beast with her claws, swinging with all of her might to land just one good hit. The mud under her feet was of no help as it gave way whenever she shifted her weight. It threw her off balance often, Unlike Mud-Skin. It seemed utterly unaffected by the loose ground as it move with surprising speed and ease, seemingly weightless. Stone hoped that was just an illusion rather than an actual magical property. She tried to swipe at its legs with her tail, the sound of air being moved came with the long and stony tail. Mud-Skin quickly lifts its legs and plants them back into the mud as if it hadn't even moved. In frustration, Stone decided to take a few steps back and release her best fire breath. A super hot beam of plasma flew from her open mouth straight towards Mud-Skin.

Sparks found the moment he was waiting for. In that moment that Stone was letting out her fire, Sparks Charged up his lightning to its fullest power and released it. A huge bolt of blindingly hot lightning shot out of Sparks mouth. Two great beams of heat and light rush through the air from two directions, both aimed at one earthen monster. In that imperceptibly small moment of time, Mud-Skin noticed the additional beam just a fraction of a second too late.

In a clash of heat and moisture, an eruption of steam, fire, lightning, and soil all thrown out with a thunderclap unraveled in a spectacular display of power. Fireball spat out Slash from his throat and Obsidian just barely managed to lift the massive boulder from atop himself and crawl out of the crater he laid in. The steam hadn't subsided yet, but the dragons could see pieces of burned earth and drake scales fall from the air around them.

"Did we get it?!" Fireball asked as he rubbed his jaw, feeling it to see if it was out of place. Slash turned to him. "Dude, no offense, but next time don't swallow me!" Obsidian held his right arm close to chest while wincing and groaning in pain.

"I think it's broken..." He tried to raise his arm, but yelped and quickly lowered it. The boulder must have hit him even harder than expected.

Rapid and heavy breathing could be heard from the dissipating cloud of steam. Mud-Skin had been launched through two trees, climbing out of the second one with hot embers covering its chest and left arm. This time the dragons could smell the charred earth, but they could also smell something else. Burned flesh. Stone and Sparks found it odd. They thought they were fighting some kind of construct, something that wasn't even alive. Now that might not be the case.

Mud-Skin looked at them with eyes wide open, off-white teeth bared in a deep snarl. The pain from the two blasts infuriates it deeply. With a deep breath, Mud-Skin lets out a piercing bellow that echoed throughout the valley. It dashed at Sparks with a speed he didn't think was possible for a land creature to achieve. Just before Mud-Skin could reach him, however, Slash had gotten in the way to try to swing his claw at the creature. Mud-Skin ducked and tackled Slash in the gut, taking him with it as they both barreled at Sparks anyway. Sparks braced himself as they all collided with the force of a land slide. While Stone, Obsidian, and Fireball gave chase, Mud-Skin pushed Slash and Sparks through tree after tree after tree. Even a few boulders on the way were bumped or shattered upon impacted. Slash regained a moment of focus and tried to bury his claws into the beast's back to end the assault quickly. The claws that often made quick work of wood, prey, and anything short of the hardest varieties of rock could only pierce the flesh of the beast as deep as a pebble's width. He tried to bite the monster instead. Surely the teeth and jaws he used to crush and grind gems and metals with could go deeper. And he was right. Slash's teeth sank deep into the monster's broad shoulder.

A deep rumbling growl escaped Mud-Skin as Slash tried to deal damage to it. Mud-Skin let the inertia take Sparks away as Mud-Skin ran in a different direction and wrenched Slash's jaw off of its shoulder. Slash heard a deafening roar come from the monster, then a piece of his own shoulder was found in the monster's mouth, scales, flesh, and all. He didn't feel it at first, but the pain came quickly. Before he could struggle to escape, he was thrown to the ground as if he had fallen from high up in the air. It took both of his arms in its hands and squeezed hard. Loud cracks were emitted from Slash's arms, the thick forearm bones bending and breaking as Mud-Skin clenched its fisted tighter and tighter. Slash screamed in pain all the while, a foot harshly pressed against his chest to keep him in place. Fireball had arrived at the scene first and dived after Mud-Skin just as it was about to rip Slash's arms off. Fireball managed to grab Mud-Skin from behind and take it into the air. Mud-Skin uses impressive strength to pry open the grip of Fireball as he began to build up his fire ball. A moment too late, as Mud-Skin got to his face and redirected his fire ball at the other dragons. The bright ball of light popped in the rain as it flew down to his companions. They got out of the way in time to see the light show of the blob of light burning hot light the Sun sputtering and throwing pieces of itself into the air.

In the air, Mud-Skin punches away at the right side of Fireball's face rapidly and repeatedly. Quickly losing altitude and consciousness, Fireball tried to push away his attacker. He couldn't tell if he was still in the air anymore. He lost feeling in his face already. Before hitting the ground, Mud-Skin kicks off with both legs, leaving the orange dragon to fall limply. Stone was already in hot pursuit, tromping across the wet ground on her way along side Fireball's flight path. Landing in the trees, Mud-Skin leaps down to the ground and sped like a bullet at Stone's feet. A dropkick to the knee at high speed ended up tripping Stone and causing her to face plant into the mud. Obsidian decided to be a bit more tactical, taking part of a split tree as a weapon in his left hand. He swung the tree as hard as he could in a sweeping motion. Mud-Skin, instead of dodging as expected, it punched the already splintered tree into even smaller pieces, following up with a full strength straight punch to the lower gut, burying the fist in a few inches of loose skin. Obsidian bent and recoiled from the punch. He pushed through the pain to grab the beast's arm and retaliate with a stiff front kick aimed at the chest. Mud-Skin swung its other arm and deflected the kick to the side. Off balance, Obsidian is left wide open. Several more gut punches chipped away at the black dragon's resolve. Two powerful legs kicking his family jewels in yet another dropkick was sufficient to not only force Obsidian to let go, but also to fall over clutching his nether region. Mud-Skin went on running to find one of the two dragons it had yet to defeat. Stone rushed by Obsidian as he laid there in order to intercept the creature.

Sparks gathered up Slash in his arms and took to the sky. That monster is much harder to kill than he thought. It took two full strength blasts from two dragons and still survived. Even then, it had the strength to fight with more ferocity than it started with. They had the numbers, but it was simply too strong, too fast, and too tough. It hasn't even slowed down, but they're all taking severe damage. The only ones unscathed were himself and Stone. Maybe if he could gain an extra charge from the clouds, he could let out another bolt that would be even more powerful than his best one. But, that would take too long. By the time Sparks could gain the electrical charge and get into position to aim from the air, Mud-Skin would have dealt even more damage than what was already done. Slash is crippled, Fireball is knocked out cold, and Obsidian isn't looking too good.

"Sparks, I don't feel so good..." Slash feebly spoke as his arms swelled up and limply hung in the air.

"Just hang in there, bud. We'll get you out of here." Sparks made his way over to Obsidian. Along the way, he could see Mud-Skin running to where it last left him and Slash. Sparks flew down to Obsidian as he was getting up from his testicular torment, one arm hanging to his side loosely.

"Having one arm sucks." said Obsidian as he rose from the ground.

"Hey, Obsidian! Take Slash and go find Fireball. Stone and I will settle the score." Handing off Slash to Obsidian, Sparks flew off to confront the monster as well.

"Wow bro, you look like slag." joked Obsidian.

"Shut up and carry me..." Slash retorted, clearly not in a joking mood.

Sparks flies over to find Stone already engaging Mud-Skin in combat. Wide swings of claws and tail met with fists and feet in a vicious display of animosity and anger. The blackened surface of Mud-Skin showing the damage that the lightning and fire did to it. After looking for a moment, Sparks can see what the monster's body looks like underneath the mud. The skin was like the skin of amphibians, a smooth bronze with bright red around areas where damage took place. Blood streamed down the monster's back and shoulder. Small black hairs covered the undamaged areas sparsely. Sparks shook his head to clear his thoughts. Not a time to wonder at what it was, he had to deal with the threat.

Mud-Skin and Stone traded fist for claw and foot for tail. Stone had better reach and defense with her thick scales, and Mud-Skin had superior speed, agility, and technique. Stone swung two claws down on it, causing the creature to catch the claws and deliver a powerful knee to the chin, snapping back her head. In the half second it took for her to recover, Mud-Skin climbed up to her face and landed twelve solid elbows to the cheek and jaw before she could swipe at it. With a forceful kick off, Mud-Skin leapt back to the ground.

Sparks was ready and let out a bolt to strike it. Mud-Skin was ready as well, promptly kicking at the ground to displace a large chunk of earth to block the bolt. It then squatted low, almost curling into a ball. Stone didn't care. She charged the thing, this time leaping herself to land on the creature. To her surprise, it zipped out of view. When she landed, it was too late. Sparks barely had time to react to the creature already flying fists first at him. Before he knew it, he was in a daze, lying on the ground some distance away from where he recently was. Mud-Skin got into a familiar mount on Sparks. An ironic situation to say the least. In no time at all, Mud-Skin helped Sparks remember his fear. This time, the flurry of blows was even faster. Even harder. Even more lethal in their aim. It was a painful reality Sparks did not want to face, especially since there was no way for him to escape this time. It was beating him senseless. Sparks could see his blood and teeth flying out of his mouth in what little view he had before he raised his arms to defend himself. Mud-Skin took him by the horn and used a sharp elbow to break one off. It would have hurt if Sparks wasn't swimming in his own head at the moment. Stone Finally landed a solid hit on the creature, sending it flying off of Sparks.

"Are you okay?!" She asked in a frenzy. Sparks was barely coherent enough to respond. He spat up blood and teeth and shook as if he were cold. She looked to see where she threw Mud-Skin, hope it was far away. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't very far at all. It stood a short distance away with Sparks' horn in its hand. It stared daggers at Stone and bared its teeth at her. She did the same. She put herself directly between it and Sparks, hoping to defend him. She didn't have much choice now. It was either pick up Sparks and try to run for the valley mouth, but Mud-Skin could easily catch up and pick them off one by one. The only other option is to fight and hope to win. She would never have guessed that she'd be fighting a creature so small, yet so difficult to fight. Stone wanted to end this as quickly as possible, but it was simply too fast. Perhaps if she was patient and waited for an opening, she could catch it and finish the fight with one more breath. She had to try. Stone took a low stance, like she was about to wrestle a dragon closer to her size.

Then, Mud-Skin charged forward at her. Swift as a bird of prey, Mud-Skin was in Stone's range the moment she could register that it moved. But she wouldn't attack just yet. It had to be closer. Mud-Skin aimed for her chest with Sparks horn, getting closer to its target as it jumped from the ground. Just as Mud-Skin would have been close enough to hit her, Stone leaned back and used both claws to grab it. Though she did catch it, she misjudged the speed, as Mud-Skin had broken her armored scales and pierced her chest, sinking deep. She wasn't about to waste the opportunity with reacting to pain. She used all of her strength to hold Mud-Skin in place, ready to burn its head for as long as necessary to kill it. As fast as it could, the monster used its strength to pry Stone's thumbs open and kicked the horn deeper into her chest to dismount. Just in time, the monster dodged the beam of fire. It slid between Stone's legs and climbed up her back as she was dislodging the horn from her chest. Mud-Skin got to her head and began to beat and crush her facial plates. Powerful and hard elbows struck her face and broke the armor covering her head. She jabbed at it with the horn, missing by just a bit. A sudden knee had loosened some of the plates. Another jab, this time scratching the monster. Two strong hands grip two plates and pulled them out. Stone couldn't help but grunt in pain with the loss of two plates from her skin. She grasped for it again, only to be met with a stab to her hand. She then tried to fall on her back to pin it against the ground. Mud-Skin jumped and landed on her belly. Stone tries to fight it off, receiving many stab wounds from the monster. It manages to use the sharp plates to further rip away at her stony scales and widens the hole already in her chest. Feeling death near her, she lets out a desperate fire beam at Mud-Skin. It actually hits, pushing it off of her before it could cut at her vitals.

Mud-Skin shrugged it off and got up only to receive a small bolt of lightning to the back, thrown forward onto its face. Obsidian and Fireball come in from the air and slam a massive boulder on the monster while it was down. They repeatedly slam the boulder over and over.

"Go! Get out of here!" Obsidian shouted at Stone and Sparks as he helped Fireball try their best to defeat it with the boulder they found.

Mud-Skin flew out of the crater and tackled Obsidian to the ground. It jammed one of the plates into his knee, then took the other to the bottom of his chest and wrenched it down, disemboweling Obsidian. The plate broke in two once it hit his pelvis.

"Aaaaahh!" Obsidian screamed out in pain with a fear that comes from those about to die. Mud-Skin took the intact plate out of Obsidian's knee and ran to Fireball. He swung the boulder to hit Mud-Skin just after it got passed the boulder.

"Ahh!" Fireball yelled out when the plate was stabbed into his own leg and broken off. Mud-Skin held the other piece to Fireball's eye as he held it back just in time. After a second, he pushed Mud-Skin off. The monster landed and stood a distance away.

"Raaaaaah!" Mud-Skin roared with anger and fervor, but did not continue its assault. The dragons understood what that meant. An ultimatum. 'Leave or die' was the long and short of the message.

Stone walked over to Obsidian with fatigue and worry. "Come on big guy, hang in there!" She picked him up and carried him away. Obsidian was trying his best to hold in his guts with one arm.

Sparks walked over to Fireball. "Can you walk?" He asked with half concern, half confusion.

"Barely. I'll grab Slash" Fireball shakily rose to his feet and hobbled away to do as he said.

Stone looked back at the beast that singlehandedly took on the entire group and survived. It stared back with just as much intensity as when it started. There was little doubt in her mind that this 'Mud-Skin' could have defeated them if there weren't five of them. Worse yet, if she wasn't around. Granted, she had the least direct contact with the monster. But, she often kept the thing busy long enough to prevent it from killing any of them. If it weren't for Obsidian, Fireball, and Sparks taking the risk in the end, it might have been her that died in the end. Stone couldn't help but be endeared towards them.

Mud-Skin huffed heavily as he stood there, clutching the last piece of hard face plate like a dagger as he watched the dragons limp and hobble away from him and his territory. He waited until they were completely out of sight. Then, he groaned and grumbled and fell to the ground on his rear, shaking from the pain. He crawled over to a fallen tree to lean on and listened to the downpour of rain. He had honestly forgotten it was even there while he was fighting. Too bad he was too much in pain to fall asleep just yet. After an hour or two, he rose up and walked himself to his hidden cave. He was glad he could heal quickly.

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