> The Earthen Monster > by Rotiyaz > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 1: Mud Skin > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A breeze pushes through leaves and branches in the mid-day Sun, birds and insects making their calls, noises, and songs. A large bush rustles violently, frightening off a small gathering of basking lizards. A young blue and purple dragon emerges from the bush, an expression of dejection and frustration on his face. Overall, no bigger than a grown bison, being more long than wide. Sparks had been wandering for hours. He wanted to look in the forests for an uninhabited cave to eat some gems and metals, but hasn't had any luck thus far. He would prefer to avoid the mountains and volcanoes. There was about a fifty-fifty chance of encountering sling-tails, and he wasn't a good enough flier to dodge them for long. He could just climb those mountains, but he wasn't strong enough to fight one of them head-on yet, let alone any dragon that had already been there. What he did have to defend himself was a peculiar kind of breath. Sparks could gather up the heat in his body and focus it in his head. When he was ready, he could release a bolt of lightning to devastate anything in his way. Stones split, trees splinter, and almost any creature he hits with it either dies or is at least stunned from the attack. Be that as it may, he did not want to risk a fight at all. With Sparks' lean build and slim scales, things can turn south quick. After another boring hour of pushing passed foliage and climbing trees to find a cave, Sparks started to lose heart. He may just have to fight some sling-tails and dragons after all. Then it hit him. A scent. And a pungent one. The smell of blood, lots of blood. That sick irony-copper smell that hung in the air like a thick layer of ash. "That smells like trouble." Sparks mumbled to himself. "Keep a cool head. Take to the air and keep your eyes open." He climbed the nearest tall tree he could find, reaching the top in a few minutes. Once there, he took a cautious look around. No hydra, no roc, no adult dragons. Maybe it was an old kill. That would make things easy on Sparks. He leaped from the canopy and started to glide towards the powerful smell. "Maybe whatever died had a cave that I can drop into. That would be a nice change." Exasperated enthusiasm dripped from his monologue. He was getting desperate for those gems. What a crag-head. The scent grew as Sparks glided over the evergreen and deciduous trees. He had a clear view of the valley he was in, the color of mixed greens and the occasional yellow or red of peculiar trees covered the feet and heads of the otherwise grassy and stone-ridden mountain ranges that made the valley. Contrasted with a stark Sun and pungent blood, one is reminded of what the wild is. Like a dragoness, as brutal as she was beautiful. He could hear a faint rustling from beneath the canopy now. "There must be scavengers picking at the kill. It must be a few hours old, then." Sparks glides passed the canopy and swoops to the ground. Crawling up to a wide evergreen, he leans against it and tries to peek at whatever he's been following the scent of. What he sees was more than what he was prepared for. He looks away, shocked by what he saw. "What the scale did I just find?!" Sparks said quietly. He took a deep breath and slowly peeked around the tree once again. Red. Everything was covered in red. The trees, the ground, everything. There were what looked to be intestines splayed out as if they had exploded out from the central mass of torn flesh and exposed bone. This was by no means small either. The pile of gruesome viscera was about as big as Sparks. A deathly chill ran down his spine to think of such a fate for himself. Underneath all of the blood, he could make out some deep brown and grey scales. They were matte and larger than his more serpentine scales. "Is that a cave drake? We compete with those things for ore veins and caves to live in. They're pretty tough to fight. What could've torn this one apart like this? And in the forest, no less?" Sparks furtively whipped his head around, scanning to make sure nothing was coming. It was odd how diamond dogs and other scavengers weren't already here to eat up what was left. He cautiously stepped toward the gore and blood. It was one thing to look at a dead thing, it was another to touch it. He shook a little at the feeling of bloody dirt passing between his claws. He shook again when he touched the torn organs. Sparks felt a little sick to his stomach. He hadn't experienced something like this before. He had heard of dragons and other large reptiles living solely on other creatures, but he never thought he'd ever see the result of such a way of life. Let alone make contact. After getting over his nausea, Sparks noticed something black shining out from within the gore pile. A few more hesitant steps would allow him to see that the pile had a bloody black onyx in it. Not only that, but a few more gems and pieces of metal. Excitement and relief filled Sparks, as he tried to gather up as many as he could carry. "I don't know who to thank, but thank you, whatever you are!" Sparks threw the onyx into his mouth without thinking about the blood clinging to the stone. He shivered at the taste. "Maybe I should've washed it first." Little to Sparks' knowledge, he was being watched. Just out of view, hiding in the trees. Patiently biding time. Sparks grabbed all of the gems and metal fragments he could before cautiously starting his withdrawal. A violent shaking from the trees above alerts him. Surprise was evident on Sparks' face. "Something's here, and I don't think it's scavengers." He begins to run, hoping to avoid whatever might be behind or beside him. Another rustle, and another, and another. The only thing Sparks could see of his pursuer was a quick blur of deep brown. Whatever was following, it was keeping up and was familiar with the forest. "It must have good legs to jump from tree to tree like that. Let's see if it can keep up in the air." Sparks begins to lift off of the ground, flapping hard and fast to rise quickly. Ready to pierce the canopy and escape his opposition, Sparks makes a break for the sky. Suddenly a great force took him out of the air, hitting a tree on the way back to the ground. Eyes wide in shock, Sparks takes in his assailant. It was unlike any creature he had ever seen. It seemed to be a creature made from the earth itself. Nothing but wet mud could be seen and felt from the thing. The only things that weren't mud were it's eyes, two dark irises seated in two white orbs, staring with intensity and fervor. It was barely half of Sparks' size, but seemed to dominate nonetheless. Two dark brown limbs had began to pummel the young dragon. Each blow feeling like the weight of boulders are behind them. Switching between head and body, the monster strikes at Sparks with the ferocity of a hungry drake. Several loud cracks could easily be heard coming from him. One powerful strike after another quickly chipped away at the blue dragon's body. Teeth and scales flew off here and there from Sparks' jaws and chest as the beating continued. After finding the fortitude to focus for at least half of a second, Sparks musters his heat and quickly releases a small blue bolt of incredibly hot lightning. The monster flies backwards, sliding a couple of meters further as it slows. An opportunity. Thinking fast, Sparks shovels as many pieces of loot he can fit in his mouth and tries to fly away. "I have to get out of here!" Sparks thought to himself, panicking. He was shaking and dizzy from the beating he just received. Flying would be a task in and of itself right now. But, given his choices, Sparks would rather crash somewhere than deal with whatever that was. His weak flight took him slowly and clumsily up, slowly breaching the trees after several seconds of flapping. With heavy and panicked breathes, Sparks flies away while slowly gaining speed. Back on the ground, the monster would be standing and staring at the young dragon as he fled, letting out a low rumbling growl. The two legged creature bounded back to the bait it had left. The ground beginning to dry as the blood soaks into the soil completely. Looking down, the creature noticed a large mark of charring on its belly. The same spot it was hit with lightning. Wisps of smoke emanated from the wound. Touching it caused the creature to groan in pain. With a swift motion, the creature grabbed the tail of the cave drake and slung it over a shoulder to drag to a hidden cave. Surrounded by bushes and trees, the cave was almost impossible to see from the air. Into the darkness of the cave did the creature go. Inside, the sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing could be heard. A sound sweet to some, and sickening to most. __________-~*~-__________ When Sparks had returned to his own lair to recover, he could not shake the image of the monster from his mind. He was proud of being a dragon, certainly. A mighty elemental being deserving of respect and fear from others. Sparks may not have been the strongest or fastest among dragons, but to ponies and bison and even griffons, few would be so bold as to confront even a juvenile dragon. However, the way that monster looked at him and treated him was completely different. Those piercing eyes, they didn't look like the eyes of a worthy opponent or a fearful creature that felt threatened. It was like he was less of a threat and more of a target. Sparks could almost feel the hate and anger aimed at him when the monster's eyes met his. Sparks couldn't describe the experience properly. He only knew that in that moment, he didn't feel like a dragon anymore. He felt like a little wyrmling. "I'm not even sure if I killed it. It was still in one piece when I shot out my lightning. I didn't smell burned scales or lightning cloud after the hit. Just the smell of charred earth. I sure hope there aren't more of those things. I'd die for sure." The thought of sharing the same fate as the cave drake shook him to the core, the weight of the very real possibility striking him hard. Sparks did not sleep well that night. Or the night after. Or the night after that. __________-~*~-__________ After days of painful and aching recovery, Sparks manages to gain his strength to exit his lair and go to the lava pits for some much needed relaxation. Now that his mind fog is cleared, he can at least fly straight. Fortunately, his wings were not badly injured in that fight. Well, less of a fight and more of a beat down, but he'd never dare to admit his resounding defeat to any dragon, or any other creature. From afar off, Sparks noticed his peers enjoying the lava pits as well. He began to mentally kick himself for revealing himself before his scales could grow back and swelling could go down. Now he has to explain why he is so beat up. "Oh, great. Nice going Sparks. Now you have to tell the other dragons about your bruises and why you haven't shown your face in the passed few days. Here goes nothing." Sparks, with bravado in mind, descended to a pit full of his recognized group of peers. One dragoness with rough gray scales and large build raised her claw up to greet Sparks, the other three would greet him with a mix of calls and waves. "Hey Sparks!" One black dragon hollered, his mouth showing the furnace that was the inside of his body. "Where have you been, blue boy?" One orange dragon openly wondered, saying the very thing that everyone was thinking. Coming up and out of the lava, one yellow dragon would emerge abruptly, the leanest of the group. "Hey there Sparks! Did you know I could hold my breath under lava for 258 seconds?! Whoa, what happened to your face? And the rest of you? Did you get into a fight?" The yellow dragon yapped each sentence quickly. The orange dragon thought about how he was just about to ask the same questions. Knowing the nature of his peer, he let it go. "Hey guys. I just had a bit of a tussle with a... Uh..." Sparks hesitated, his gaze going out for a thousand yards. He would be called a liar if he told them the truth. Then they would think he was a coward or weakling for lying about a fight that he lost. What would be a believable lie for them? Something passable as being realistic and difficult to prove wrong. Sparks recalled where he was and tried to think of all of the possible threats to dragons. Then the thought came to mind. "I had been looking for some caves to scout out some gems when a cave drake came out and attacked me from behind. It was big too, almost bigger than me. It got a lot of good hits on me, but I managed to beat it down and take the gems I found in its cave. Hah! The thing never knew what hit it!" Sparks couldn't help but laugh mid-story at how absurd, yet believable it was. The yellow dragon piped up. "Wow Sparks! I didn't know you had it in you. I thought you were all about avoiding unnecessary fights and keeping your scales shiny. Good to see you toughen up like a real dragon!" While the yellow dragon was excited to hear his ally get the better of a formidable opponent, the other two dragons looked on in suspicion and thought that something was out of place. Sparks reacted with a mix of annoyance and validation. Instead of correcting the yellow dragon, he decides to just take the compliment. "Thanks Slash. Means a lot." "And you're sure it was a cave drake? Not some cockatrice or salamander?" The black dragon posed the questions towards Sparks, seeming quite skeptical about the story. "Of course I am, Obsidian! How else am I going to get these bruises and missing scales?" Sparks feigned indignation in hopes of avoiding being found out. "If you say so, Sparks. Either way, you look like you could use some heat. Get on in here." Obsidian waved his thick arm in a beckoning gesture for Sparks to join them. Sparks was glad to oblige. He took a quick inventory of his current company. Slash, the lithe yellow dragon currently swimming around the lava pool has long claws that make breaking rocks and cutting things easy. He's usually talkative and is easily bored most times. There's Fireball, the orange dragon lounging at the edge of the pool, currently opposite of Sparks. He's not very smart, but when you need something done he's the dragon to call. Especially when he gets something out of it. Then there's Obsidian, the black dragon that is belching out volcanic rocks into the pool and scooping up lava into his big maw. He's strong and well rounded. A respected dragon recognized for his competence. The only thing keeping him from being more popular would be his lack of fire breath. Finally, the largest and most intimidating member of the group. The dragoness that stands a firm head and shoulders over Obsidian, and twice as thick. Stone. The only flightless dragoness in the Dragon Lands. At least, that Sparks knew of. By far one of the strongest and toughest dragons other than a few exceptions. And she's staring down Sparks at this very moment. Sparks already understood. She didn't believe him. She thinks he's lying about the whole thing. Sparks prays that Stone will just let it go like Obsidian did. Unfortunately for Sparks, Stone would break the five minute silence with confrontation. She rose from the lava and calmly walked to Sparks. He half expected her to add to the number of missing teeth he had before she spoke. "You're lying to me Sparks. I do not enjoy lies." Sparks was stock still. He looked around for support, but found none, as Slash, Fireball, and Obsidian shrugged as they looked on. "Tell me what really happened." "I don't know what you mean..." Sparks stalled, hoping it would deter the dragoness. Since Stone's face was basically covered in stony natural armor, Sparks had to assume she was upset at him. Maybe feigning ignorance would calm her? "You had the look of someone who nearly lost their life. You have been missing for the passed week. And you claim to have fought a cave drake. I might have believed you if you had any bite marks or gouges from your hide. The damage you have comes from being hit with something blunt. Cave drakes use their teeth to fight, not their tails." Stone slowly came closer to Sparks with each word she said. Sparks would stand up out of fear of what she might do. Unsure of himself, Sparks simply waited for an opportunity to respond. "Sparks, tell me the truth." He could swear she was looking right through him, her gray eyes felt like they were burning holes into him. "Okay, okay, I'll talk! I've lost enough teeth as it is." So, Sparks would recount the actual reason why he was missing for the week before, including the details as to how he coped with almost dying by staying in his lair for several sleepless nights. The reactions of the group went from disbelief, to shock, to sympathy, to shared frustration. Stone simply nodded her head in understanding. "That is all I wanted from you." Sparks saw Stone reaching for him. He flinched before he realized that all she did was pat him on the head. He was thoroughly surprised. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" A devious smile grew on Slash's face as he looked at the group. "We're going to gang up on this Mud Skin monster, right?" Fireball asked as he picked rocks from his scales. "Oh yeah, we definitely are!" Bellowed Obsidian. "We'd be doing dragons a service by keeping that thing from the little hatchlings that have just been hatched. If that thing can kill a cave drake, it can definitely hurt a dragon. Come on guys, lets go scorch some earth!" Obsidian lead the way, fist in the air as if victory was already there. "Yeah!" The group shouted as they began their march to the forests several miles away. With pride and vindication in their hearts, the young dragons moved to avenge their comrade and put honor to their names as the dragons who defeated a mighty foe. Though Sparks was certainly encouraged by their antics, he couldn't shake the ever growing dread slowly choking his resolve. The odds are in their favor. But, they are not guaranteed. > 2: Blitzkrieg > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.