Re: WormXWere Part 2 | Rated M

[Weredrakka]

((Sorry for not replying. Life's been a bit full of school lately, and I've been distracted.))

Moving at a lope, Sha-Ulud kept pushing Svenja along with his head, keeping the were-bear moving through the scrub forest. Hearing the barking of dogs and the yelling of men behind them, the leupak knew without a doubt that he was leaving the most visible trail of both physical traces, along with his pungent cinnamon scent. Slowing down to a walk, he nudged Svenja forward with a forepaw, his blue-on-blue eyes hard as obsidian.

"Go," he ordered in his harsh voice, staring Svenja in the eyes. "You and Lambda, get out of here. I can hold them off while you two can find a place to hide."

[Wormgod]

(('Tis cool. I've been having a bit of that problem myself. But, I'm gonna turn in my two weeks at my job and focus on studying and socializing while I can. Hey, does your school have a Gay Straight Alliance?))

Lambda barely noticed when Sha-Ulud slowed down. When Svenja disappeared from view, though, he stopped and turned around. He could hear the hunter-creatures (as he calls them, since they hunted him down when he originally crashed on Earth) and humans were close behind. All instincts told him to run as fast and far as he could, but he stayed when he saw the serious gaze Sha-Ulud held.

His words cut through Lambda like a knife. Go!? No! They just escaped! These humans wanted to sic their nightmare-tools and any one of them, and they might not take them alive. Lambda would not leave any behind.

But...the leupak had the best chance of winning a fight. He already killed others twice. And, he left the biggest trail; taking him along while being tracked would doom them all. They had a higher chance of surviving if he got rid of their trackers and then doubled back.

"...Agreed." Lambda finally said. He was not happy about this, but it made logical sense, and the leupak didn't look like he would take no for an answer.

[Weredrakka]

((It's also great fun when almost all of one's friends decide that hanging out with the person who kicked one's metaphorical teeth in is more fun than hanging out with oneself.)(Yes, we do. May I ask why?))

Stopping as Sha-Ulud did, Svenja turned, stubborn fire in her eyes at first. Hearing, though, the finality in Lambda's voice, and hearing her own internal logic working to the same solution, the were-bear bowed her head, acquiescing to the unfortunate truth.

"Good luck, Sha-Ulud," Svenja said after a moment, raising her eyes to look the leupak in his. "Come find us, when the fighting is over." With that, she turned away from the tan beast, her eyes serious; the barking and yelling was closer now, and she knew she and Lambda had to flee far from here. "Lambda, let's go."

The thoughts that whirled through the heads of Lambda and Svenja were thoughts Sha-Ulud had puzzled his way through not moments before. The leupak knew, even if it was an uncomfortable knowing, the other two would be safer at the moment if they left, and melted into the trees. Nodding as both alien creatures accepted the unpleasant truth, thankfully without tearful pleadings. Sha-Ulud hated tearful pleading.

Pure blue eyes unfathomable pits as Svenja turned away, her words to him ringing in the air, Sha-Ulud realized fully the good chance of his never returning to the pair, of never feeling warm sand beneath his bulk. "If I do not come back within the day, do not come looking for me. Getting you both trapped, or killed, for my sake is pointless," he called, his final command before he turned from the pair.

Turning away from Lambda and Svenja, Sha-Ulud set his clawed feet against the ground, his face impassive, his eyes cold. Barrel chest moving slightly as he breathed, the leupak exhaled the strong cinnamon smell of his venom, the powerful scent that permeated his blue blood; if any creature that hunted them could smell anything but the scent of his being, the leupak would be truly amazed. Ready for the confrontation to come, Sha-Ulud took comfort in the sun's rising warmth, and steeled himself for the impact of battle.

[Wormgod]

((Well, that's their problem.)(I joined the one at my school. It's pretty cool. Mostly girls, or girls who feel like guys/asexual/gender fluid. I lost my main group of school friends, since they are all in different classes and lunch periods, so I'm hoping I can find some in the GSA.))
((Totally forgot the Wyrm existed...Let's pretend it was there the whole time.))

The Wyrm gave a deep growl when Sha-Ulud turned away. It scurried to his side and stood up on its back legs, towering five feet above him. It was an impossibly long creature, and would continue to grow for as long as it lived.

The pre-dragon looked at the leupak, meeting his deep blue gaze. It would not let its new friend fight by himself. It survived many battles with many different creatures, and this one would not be its last. With its poison, long body, and terrible claws, it was a worthy opponent to these puny, metal-wielding humans.

The first dog came within range. The Wyrm grinned and landed on both feet again, disappearing into the undergrowth. The dog's barking cut short as the Wyrm squeezed its life away.

[Weredrakka]

((Very true. It's always wonderful to feel alienated (especially now that the remainder of my friends are hooking up with other people, leaving me in the increasing minority of people without a partner, but I don't want one).)(I've thought about joining mine, but I never had the time. Probably should, given my nature.))
((Works for me!))

Hearing the proto-dragon's growl, Sha-Ulud's cat-like ears twitched; he had hoped that the dragonoid would have fled with the others, mostly to protect them in the event he should fail. Somewhat in awe of its length as it towered up to around eleven feet, he sighed, knowing that it wouldn't leave now.

Meeting the Wyrm's gaze, indigo eyes boring into its ancient ones, the leupak confirmed his knowing, and wished that he had told the creature to go with Lambda and Svenja. He also realized the Wyrm would be a wonderful ally to have in the upcoming fight, and he accepted the presence of the creature.

Snapping back to attention as dogs and men began to enter the clearing, Sha-Ulud began to growl loudly, his crystalline teeth catching the light of the dawning sun, and turning to spikes of fire within his jaws. The growl turned to a roar, and the leupak pounced upon an unlucky human, the thin skin of its body flayed from its bones by a creature of nightmare.

[Wormgod]

((You know, I'm feeling very alienated too. Last year I spent lunch with a group of wonderful friends (including that guy I dated for a while) but now they all have different lunch periods. I instantly fell back into my antisocial ways. It's getting better, though. I've spotted a few people I can join, hopefully.))
(Are you sure you don't want a partner?)
((Having a group of people to feel connected to is something humans needs. We're social creatures. An hour or so a week of socializing--even if you're just listening to others--can make a big difference.))

The proto-dragon took to the battlefield like a fish to water. It hid among the ferns and tree roots, twisting around the humans to pick off their canid partners. Dogs disappeared left and right, squeezed to death, poisoned by a horrible bite, or killed instantly with a swipe of claws on their throat. The humans foolishly turned their attention from the leupak and to the ground, in an attempt to stop the Wyrm. They fired bullets into the earth as the ancient creature danced in the shadows. Sure, a few bullets hit it, but nowhere near a major vein, organ, or otherwise critical area. It was mostly tail, and with all this underbrush, it would be impossible for anyone to get a good aim.



Meanwhile, Lambda ran with Svenja through the forest. The sounds of the battle were far, far away, but still in his mind. He couldn't get a certain thought out of his head; a false image of the humans chasing them, a sign that Sha-Ulud was dead, killed in battle...If the leupak fails, they were doomed. Either killed by humans, or tortured for life in that hellhole of a science research center.

No. Sha-Ulud will win. He is strong, stronger than a hundred evil scientists. And with that thought, Lambda pushed on, running alongside his closest friend in this alien world...

[Weredrakka]

((So, we are in much the same way, albeit coming from different sources. How...fun. Better is good, though!
Yes. I have neither the inclination, nor the time, to have a partner. If I'm going to be in a relationship, I want to be deeply connected/deeply caring to that person, and to have the time to spend with them. I have neither at the moment, so I am not in a position to have a partner.))
((I have a group I can connect to, in the form of my karate dojo. I just don't have that during school, where I stick out more (and, therefore, supposedly need more reassurance that I'm not somehow a failure of the species).))

Grinning ferociously as the humans' attention drifted from him, to the Wyrm hunting from the underbrush, Sha-Ulud fully intended to make good use of this folly. Without a sound, the leupak suddenly plunged into the gathered group of humans that were firing upon the proto-dragon, lashing out with claws, crystalline teeth, and animate sandworm-tongue. Some of the humans turned their weapons upon him at that moment, and rounds of bullets thudded into his thick, almost-armored, skin; most of the projectiles, however, did not penetrate into his body cavity, with only a few entering through gaps in his segmented skin.

Fighting in a style that would have done a berserker of old proud, the leupak's skin was soon covered in red blood, the fluid of which, surprisingly, did not affect him as water did. Despite the number of humans that he had killed, or fatally maimed, the bipedal primates just kept coming, threatening to overwhelm Sha-Ulud.

Running alongside Lambda, Svenja could feel the strange blue goo from the worms beginning to wear off. Trying her level best to ignore the pain starting to lance through her chest from the combination of the run, and the long gashes down her torso from the knives of the mercenary guards, the were-bear was spurred on by the thoughts of what would happen to she and Lambda, should they be recaptured by those chasing them. Shuddering slightly as she thought of the terrible, agonizing consequences, she picked up the pace, her bare feet thudding against the uneven ground.

[Wormgod]

((I'd love to be confident enough to have a boyfriend...))
((Maybe a group during school would be extra helpful. Reassurance from people that you're not a failure will go a long way.
I remember when my mom's boyfriend's family (maybe I should call them in-laws?) told me that I was family to them. I didn't realize how alone I felt without a family until they said that. I cried so much I swear I must have looked crazy, but no one cared.))

The Wyrm gave a gravelly chuckle as it played its game with the remaining humans, weaving and twisting around their legs, snapping at their knees and finally delivering the killing blow when they let their guard down. It was a most dangerous game, as it could easily be picked off with one lucky shot...But then again, so could the humans. Their numbers dwindled dramatically; soon only a small, tight-knit group remained. They had caught on to a few of its tricks, but the Wyrm still attacked, leaving small bite marks on their legs to scare them. It didn't want this game to end so soon. It could surely win; why not drag out the fun?

[Weredrakka]

((There is a lot to be said for that kind of confidence, yes.))
((Yes, very true; groups usually do help.))
((I had to bury a very dear friend Wednesday night. One of the red-tailed hawks near my house got hit by a car, and died out on the road. I buried what was left underneath a golden rain tree on Wednesday, and was quite out of it all of yesterday.
Friday, though, I got to hold a live hawk! A falconer brought her bird into school today, and let me hold him on my arm! It was quite possibly one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to do!!))

Seeing the battle winding to what appeared to be the beginnings of a conclusion, Sha-Ulud couldn't help but be relieved; the water-wounds from the chamber of the Worm Queen were throbbing, and the new scrapes he had received from this skirmish were sending sharp signals of pain to his brain. Pinning one of the last remaining humans, the leupak bit the poor creature's head off, the bones crunching between crystalline teeth to create a thoroughly satisfying sound. He was aware of the Wyrm's antics, and could see the creature's head weaving in and out of the shadows, a fanged maw of pain darting into the tight press of humans to spread panic.

Earlier in the fight, Sha-Ulud had shared the proto-dragon's enthusiasm for bloodshed, but the leupak was tiring, his pain threatening to consume his rational mind, with potentially deadly results. Beginning to pant, and with blue blood reeking of cinnamon oozing out of the tears in his skin, he was doing his level best to finish the fight as soon as he could, regardless of what the Wyrm was doing. He knew he couldn't last much longer, without either falling to the humans, or transforming; neither option was one he wanted to follow through on.

[Wormgod]

((Coool! The falcon, I mean.))

The Wyrm seemed to sense Sha-Ulud's wounds growing deeper. It started to fight much harder than before; digging its teeth deep into the humans legs until they lost all feeling and fell to the ground. Then it let loose a rain of deadly, bacteria-infested claws on their face. The humans were not dead, but in so much pain, and without their eyes and ears that they were no problem. One inexperienced, young human ran from the battle at the sight of his inevitable future. The Wyrm let him go and focused on those causing the most pain. Their numbers dwindled to a group of three terrified, wounded soldiers. Somehow, they still put up a fight. The Wyrm paused, wondering if it should bother to kill them, or simply scare them away to send a message.

[Weredrakka]

((Yeah, it was! Definitely ranked as one of the coolest things I've ever had happen to me!))
((So, my school had a pride day on Thursday, and some guy had to ruin it with a shirt reading "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". This pissed me off, and I reported him to the Dean for his homophobic behavior. I kinda wished I could have seen his face when she confronted him about it, seeing as how she's not at all straight...))

Seeing the last three humans of the group that had attacked now huddled in fear before the blood-drenched form of the Wyrm, Sha-Ulud limped over to the proto-dragon's side, his blue-on-blue eyes sparking with anger and pain. Staring at the three before him, the leupak took a step forward, then grinned ferociously, a thoroughly cruel plan forming in his mind.

"I can smell the fear oozing off of you," he began, grinning slightly, his tongue-claw flicking menacingly within a cage of crystalline teeth. "However, I will not kill you. You will wish you were dead, but I will not kill you. You see, I need a little human blood every so often, or I lose my mind. I think one of you will do the trick." Here, Sha-Ulud paused, sitting back on his haunches as he tried to ignore the blood rapidly flowing out of wounds on his flanks and belly.

"But that leaves two of you left. Oh dear... That simply won't do. Let's see, here. Wyrm, what do you think? Leave one to carry a message to its superiors, and one to implant an egg within? Or, should I turn one of them into a leupak? They wouldn't have a facet, and no real power because of it, but they would have to live as a monster..." Turning his head a little to watch the proto-dragon, the leupak was smiling disconcertingly, for he truly could manage to do all that he had threatened. Sha-Ulud really did need some amount of human blood to remain sane, and, being a hermaphroditic dream-beast, could implant a parasitic egg within the body cavity of a human that would later hatch into a baby leupak. Exposure to enough of his mutagenic venom could also turn the unfortunate creature exposed into a lesser leupak, as well. "Or, are you just hungry? Because a snack might just be in order..."

[Wormgod]

((Bleh. I thought Austin was rather liberal on the subject, and all agreed with me, but it seems the rest of Texas sunk in. There was a question in my government class, on your own personal opinion. "The states should pass a new constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman." Stand in a line on the room, one side of the room being 1, the middle being 5, and the opposite side being 10. 1 means you absolutely hate, and 10 being that you absolutely love that idea. There were large clusters at 1 and 10 (me being at one, of course.) and a definite line formed. The kids on the 10 side all said the same basic thing, "This is a religious matter. God(Christian and Muslim, as there are a large population of both religions here) says homosexuality is a sin in all forms. The US was formed for religious reasons, and we should not let sin form here." Although, the teacher seemed to be somewhat on our side. He said, "Well, the Constitution is not a religious document. It cannot be changed for religious means. If the US was a theocracy this would work, but we have Separation of Church and State for a reason." I liked that--not taking a side, but still delivering the message. Good way for a teacher to express his own opinions without offending anyone. ))



The Wyrm registered and understood Sha-Ulud's words to a degree. It did not understand clearly, but it knew what was being said. It grinned as the humans shuddered in terror, frozen in place. One would die of blood loss to feed the leupak...And the other two...

The Wyrm could not speak. It had a primitive dragonic language, yes, but was unable to speak any human-like language. So, its opinion would have to be expressed other ways. It stepped forward to the humans, sniffing each until it found the one with the least wounds--a young girl, no more than twenty-five. It twisted around and lightly slapped her jugular vein with the spade-shaped end of its tail. She yelped and fell down, stunned. This one would be drained for Sha-Ulud, as she had the most blood.

The Wyrm then moved to the second human, a very wounded man, barely standing up. He was in no shape to move on. With a swipe of her clawed hand--barely grazing his leg--he fell to the ground. A quick bite to his neck ended his life. He would feed the Wyrm for a week, maybe two if she was lucky.

The last human was ignored as the Wyrm feasted. He was a very young man, maybe twenty at the most. The Wyrm left the decision to Sha-Ulud. He could run back to the horrible base and send a message, with a parasite in his belly, or as a dream-beast...

((You choose with the last guy! ))

[Weredrakka]

((Aw, dammit. I'm sorry, dude, that you can't escape that. Kind of a shitty wake-up call, to be perfectly honest...
Then there's the fact that the US wasn't really formed for just religious reasons; it was formed for economic greed, a way to retaliate against the Spanish, a place to throw prisoners who could be redeemed (as indentured servants), as well as being an open port for religious persons. The founding fathers also strongly believed in the separation of Church and State (an idea borrowed heavily from both the Native Americans in NYS, and writers of the European Enlightenment), and basically just leaving people to do their own thing (to a degree).
Sounds like you've got a great teacher to handle this kind of issue! Apparently, the Critical Thinking teacher up here does a similar thing.))

Remaining seated as the Wyrm expressed its opinion of what to do with the three remaining humans quivering before them, Sha-Ulud couldn't help but smile as the primitive dragon went about the task of choosing. Nodding as it chose the young woman to become a feast of blood and tender meat, the leupak smiled at the Wyrm's choice for a meal, satisfied with its choice, and its mercy.

Stepping around the feeding proto-dragon, dripping with blue blood reeking of cinnamon, Sha-Ulud advanced upon the remaining young man, the vindictive fires in his eyes showing no sign of diminishing. "I see my companion has chosen the fates of your companions," he murmured to the human, his voice the sound of silk moving against sand. "But for you, should I show you mercy? A tough question, to be sure... To carry the egg of a leupak is to be destroyed physically, even if you survive the hatching. To turn into a leupak is to be one of my kind forever..." Letting his words trail away into the air, the leupak seemed to contemplate his choices, then grinned ferociously.

"I have chosen. You shall become a leupak. Perhaps the instincts gained will cause you to turn the rest of your human friends into leupaks, as well. Or, perhaps, you will be forced to run wild, feared and reviled. It is no matter; you will turn," Sha-Ulud declared, then, with surprising speed for a creature of his bulk, rose to pin the unfortunate humanoid beneath his feet.

Opening his mouth to allow the sandworm-shaped tongue-claw exit from its crystal prison, the leupak seemed like it was salivating venom, the mutagenic substance coating his tongue in a shimmering orange-copper layer. His indigo eyes burning, and a faint smile playing about his lips, Sha-Ulud's tongue-claw opened its miniature maw and bit deep into the human's arm, orange venom flowing into the wound created. After a few moments, Sha-Ulud withdrew from the man, a feral grin on his face; the amount of venom injected into the man's body would change him in a few days, just enough time for him to report back to his superiors before his change would steal his human form forever.

Wiping excess venom from his mouth with the back of a paw, the leupak turned his back on the unfortunate young man, and made his way over to the unconscious human. He, like all leupaks, was not a particularly picky eater, and could eat pretty much anything smaller than him if he really wanted to. However, it had been some time since he had last gotten to feast upon the blood of a humanoid, and here was a human, young and full of blood. Opening his mouth once again, Sha-Ulud aimed, then shot his tongue-claw into her chest, where it would act as a siphon, literally sucking the blood out of her body. Leupaks are messy eaters.

[Wormgod]

((Eh...Maybe a well-populated part of Canada. Or Switzerland. Switzerland was the first country to remove homosexuality from the known list of diseases; thanks to a bunch of people in the sixties who called in sick to work with a case of "the gay".
Yeah, seriously...Then again, America is the only country where people are genuinely proud they just happened to be born here.))

The drake feasted on her meal at the speed of a half-starved hyena. She wanted to eat as fast as possible, then leave before someone--or something--came and found them. Of course, she was most worried over a fight for her food. The humans didn't worry her at all.

The poor leupak to-be ran as fast as he could once Sha-Ulud stopped torturing him. He seemed to have trouble running; the Wyrm heard him crash into trees and trip over roots. He was probably suffering something from the venom.

After the Wyrm finished her meal, she started to clean herself up by licking all the blood from her scales. It was a weird sight, seeing a dragon behave almost like a cat.

[Weredrakka]

((That might work, yeah. Europe seems to be more progressive in terms of LGBT rights. Except for Russia. Russia's being rather ass-backwards about anything LGBT; you can go to jail there for being gay.
Or, in some cases, genuinely ashamed. This country has an unfortunate history of general jerkishness.))

Hearing, but not really listening to, the envenomed human tearing his awkward way through the woods, Sha-Ulud's lips twitched in a smile, pleased with what he had done. Let's see... At this point, I think this would be where the hallucinations would start. he thought with vindictive malice, the anger-fire fading from his eyes, leaving only the pain behind.

Withdrawing his tongue-claw from the bloodless corpse of the young woman, the leupak savored the last drops, then dug into the flesh before him with disgusting abandon. Leupaks were truly messy eaters, capable of putting away vast quantities of food--or non-food, as some leupaks were less picky than others--, and Sha-Ulud was no exception. With the aid of crystalline teeth and blood-soaked claws, he tore apart and devoured the remains of the woman, before sitting back on his haunches, a faint smile of satisfaction on his face.

After a moment of resting, Sha-Ulud began to become aware of the pain in his flanks and belly again, and strangled whine of pain escaped from his lungs as he got to his feet. "Wyrm, we need to return to Lambda and Svenja," he said once he had regained his feet, blue blood dripping into small puddles on the ground. "Are you ready to go?"

[Wormgod]

((Aww....Oh well. Here this!

I found the most ADORABLE Lovecraft game ever! It's called Cthulhu Saves the World! (exclamation point included in title), and it's about Cthulhu saving the world! This unknown Gandalf-esque wizard drained all his power, turning him into a human-sized squid dude who wears a tunic and wields a sword. Cthulhu picks up some groupies (his own word) and goes around trying to save the world, cause the narrator accidentally revealed that the only way Cthulhu can get his power back is to become a "true hero". Clickie! There's Cthulhu, a water mage/cleric chick named Umi (she's in love with Cthulhu, cause he saved her from some evil goo-monsters.) Paws the Ulthar kitty, and Ember, the demon-dragon. There's also October the necromancer, Dacre the crazy old wizard man, and Sharpe the living sword with a face! ISH SO CUTE! *flails arms and squeals*))


Wyrm was having an...awkward time cleaning herself. Every time she finished, a splatter of blood, or some chunk of flesh flew out of Sha-Ulud's dinner and landed on her. It was annoying. After the third time, the Wyrm shuffled a few feet away and stayed there, waiting until the leupak was finished.

The second Sha-Ulud was done, the Wyrm raced to his side and let out a frustrated whine. She then bounded off into the woods, itching to find out where the others went, and if they were okay. Not out of worry for them, mind you; if they were dead, she could eat again. If not, she had more members of this unusual "pack."

[Weredrakka]

((Is this adorable thing an online game-thingy? Because it sounds awesomely adorable!))

Aware or, and slightly embarrassed by, his rather messy eating habits, Sha-Ulud finished his grisly repast as quickly as he could, channeling the inner gulper eel-like qualities inherent in both species he could claim relation to. Once finished devouring the unfortunate human, he licked away from his face what blood spatters he could, making a mental note to clean himself later, when he was assured of safe haven somewhere.

Seeing the Wyrm bound with sinuous grace from his side to the underbrush, the leupak turned painfully to follow, limping as a result of injuries to his right forelimb. Trailing blue blood that reeked of cinnamon and something terrifyingly unknown, Sha-Ulud followed after the Wyrm, covering his tracks as best he could by sweeping his tail across the tracks he made in the loam. He was guessing that the proto-dragon could probably track the running Lambda and Svenja better than he could, as he had his own blood, along with the blood of many humans, coagulating in his nose.

[Wormgod]

((Well, I know its a computer game, but I don't know how much it costs. It's also a two-dollar app for the iPhone (probably an android app too) and an XBox game.

Also, apparently Cthulhu has ink for blood, and Ultharians have Uranium-based blood.))

Sha-Ulud's prediction was right. The Wyrm had a well-honed sense of smell, thanks to all those years in pitch black, having to rely on smell, touch, and hearing alone. She picked up a faint trail of alien and humanoid running side by side in the fields. It led a somewhat straight line away from the battle scene and into a dry scrubland. Fine dirt particles tickled her wounds and went up her nostrils, causing the proto dragon to sneeze--a rather odd sight. The trail grew stronger as she led Sha-Ulud up a large hill and looked over to where Svenja and Lambda hid; an ancient city conquered by nature.

[Weredrakka]

((Oh, how fabulous! I shall have to obtain this marvelous thing, somehow...

...That makes surprising amounts of sense. Or, alternately, I'm just really tired.))

Following after the Wyrm as the proto-dragon led him into a dusty land, plants stubbornly resisting the climate's attempts at desertification, Sha-Ulud was panting, the effort of remaining in motion given his injuries exhausting the leupak. Breathing through his mouth, as his nose was filled with drying blood, his tongue-claw lolled from his mouth, its sandworm-mouth opening and closing in spasmodic motions.

Making his painful way up the hill, Sha-Ulud dragged himself for the last few, painful steps, his own stubbornness expressing itself in his resistance to his want to bury himself beneath the ground, to lick his wounds for a long while. Remaining on his feet, he looked out over the long-abandoned city, and looked sideways at the Wyrm, wondering if the proto-dragon would like to track the pair through the city.

[Wormgod]

((Yay!

Well, he is a written character, so technically, he's made of paper and ink...))

The city was easily a thousand years old, with building made of hardened red clay. The dusty earth covered most of it, with roofs and a few larger buildings exposed. The Wyrm could scent much, much more underneath their very feet. Perhaps this city was built this way, and the dust only covered parts of the surface. The Wyrm didn't care either way; she only wanted to find the others.

The trail led into the nearest two-story building. There was only one entrance; an aperture with odd pinholes next to it, as if a hinged door once existed. The Wyrm paused to sniff the air again, her mouth open just a tiny bit. She passed through the door and into the building. Down a hallway there lay a steep ramp to a basement-like area. She scurried down there, not even pausing for her eyes to adjust to the dark.

The basement turned out to be a long, narrow hallway full of more ramps that must lead up to all the surface buildings. Some of the ramps had rotting wooden doors, with weird, glowing mushrooms and fat grubs living on them. The air was stale, and hinted at some unknown component hiding in the city. The Wyrm paused to note this, as that unknown scent could be dangerous. Still, she carried on, down the hall that twisted back and forth. The scent grew stronger and stronger, until the Wyrm let out a happy growl as she saw four glowing red eyes piercing the darkness. She rushed into the room the pair were hiding; a completely submerged building with no light besides Lambda's eyes.

[Weredrakka]

((Well, that, and he's squid-like, and squids produce ink of a sort...))

Following after the dangerously-lithe Wyrm, Sha-Ulud padded as quietly as he could through the long-abandoned streets, his otter-short ears pressed against his head; something about the dead city touched the animal side of the leupak's mind, something about the feel of the dust-covered stones eliciting a feeling of dread within the dream-kin's heart. Following after the primeval dragon, he swallowed the half-formed misgivings, and pressed on, leaving tracks of blue-cinnamon blood on the ancient dust.

Letting his tongueclaw hang slightly out of his mouth, enabling him to taste the air that he could not smell, the leupak was relieved to taste only dry dust, and very little poisonous water. Following the Wyrm into the darkness, Sha-Ulud fit his bulk through the doors with surprising ease for such a large creature, squeezing through the rotted portals between the ancient buildings. Withdrawing his tongueclaw as the odd odor only got stronger, he tensed at the Wyrm's growl, until he too saw the welcome glow of Lambda's eyes. Limping the final few steps towards the hiding pair, the leupak slumped to the floor, exhausted.

Crouched in the darkness, Svenja was relying on her sense of hearing, and somewhat on her sense of smell, to grasp what was going on around her. Tensing as she heard a growl from the darkness, the were-bear automatically assumed the worst; that she and Lambda had been found, and some other horror from the laboratory had been sent to perform an execution. However, as the first whiffs of cinnamon accosted her nose, the post-human relaxed; Sha-Ulud's scent was unmistakable. Nudging Lambda gently in one of his side arms, as she wasn't sure whether or not the Vortigaunt was even paying attention, Svenja stood carefully, and chuffed a greeting to the arriving reptilians.

[Wormgod]

((Oh god, that just reminds me of the little squid in Finding Nemo...XD))

Lambda wasn't really paying attention to the world around him. He was half-asleep, half-daydreaming, trying not to fall asleep in such a dangerous place. Someone about the Vortessence here was...wrong. He couldn't pinpoint it, but it almost felt like a hole in the universe....What could rip a hole in the universe?

Svenja's nudge brought him back to reality. He just barely heard a growl and felt hot air brush against his face. He growled himself, then stopped when he 'felt' Sha-Ulud's presence, and that weird dragon-thing. The Wyrm sniffed both he and Svenja heavily, as if making sure they were okay.

"Hello, Sha-Ulud. Did the battle go well?" Lambda asked coolly. He could sense the leupak's wounds; the battle probably did not go well, at least for him. The Wyrm seemed less wounded than the leupak did.

[Weredrakka]

((I seriously have an irrational love of that movie... XD))

Rubbing his blood-filled nose against his left foreleg in a surprisingly-successful attempt to clean it, Sha-Ulud looked up as he heard Lambda saying his name. Hearing, however, the cool tone in the Vortigaunt's voice, the leupak bit back a sarcastic response, on the grounds that he was too tired to pick another fight, especially with an ally.

"It went worse for the...opposition," he said finally, dragging himself further into the light-starved chamber, and out of the doorway. Licking at the tears in his leathery skin with his odd tongue, Sha-Ulud could feel the injuries clotting over as his body attempted to conserve moisture, sealing his body against a traditionally-arid climate. If given enough time where he didn't have to move, the leupak would soon be functionally healed, the clots having formed a tight scab over his bare flesh.

"So, how did you find this place?" Sha-Ulud asked after a quiet moment, blinking slowly in the darkness. "And what is that weird smell...?"

[Wormgod]

((You love the ocean and all its critters, after all!

So I had this dream where Cthulhu came back to Earth to have sex with Nny one last time...and for some reason, a bunch of baby Cthulhi were fished up and preserved by the X-Files team. Oh, and Nny died.))

Lambda was surprised Sha-Ulud didn't give some snarky response. Maybe the Vort should insult him...No, now wasn't the time for petty fights. He should know better than to pick a random fight. He closed his eyes and listened to everyone's breathing. It was calming...Well, everyone but the Wyrm. The Wyrm was busy sniffing every bit of Svenja like she was a choice cut of beef.

"Lambda and Svenja found it by chance. Lambda and Svenja ran, and came upon this place. That aura....Perhaps the former inhabitants, or long-forgotten magic. Powerful magic leaves a mark for eons to come."

[Weredrakka]

((Very true. And it's a seriously hilarious movie. XD

...What the hell. That's completely awesome, and nonsensical, all in the same moment! Wow. XD))

Listening in the darkness to the almost-audible tension between the leupak and the Vortigaunt, Svenja half-wondered if she would have to separate the two of them. Hearing--or rather, not hearing--Sha-Ulud's silence with relief, the were-bear started to relax, only to find that she was being aggressively sniffed by something else.

Holding still for a moment as she waited for whatever it was to get bored, Svenja soon realized that the Wyrm wouldn't leave her alone if she was passive. So, instead, she faced the unseen nose, and poked it. "Oi. Cut it out. I'm not food," she said quite sternly, her voice carrying the edge of an annoyed growl.

Listening to the Vortigaunt from his place on the floor where he was sprawled, Sha-Ulud was grateful for the lack of snark in Lambda's reply. The leupak really wasn't in the mood for another fight, especially not with someone who was supposed to be his ally.

"Perhaps... It feels like the nightmare portions of the Reverie, but older, and more dangerous," Sha-Ulud agreed, closing his useless eyes and extending his other senses, especially his heightened sense of rhythmic vibration; hopefully, that sense in particular might serve to warn him if something was coming.

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