- Messages
- 23
- Character Biography
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Bank fought the darkness at the edge of her vision as Vexillion dove down, down, down towards the steaming chasm. Arrows and fire danced around her, but for any to hit her at this speed would be pure dumb luck. She relied on those statistics, because dodging at this speed would likewise be pure, dumb luck.
The great fissure was much larger than it looked from the sky. She could see the city cobbles running right up to the edge and pouring over the side. Rubble lined its maw and Bani felt a burning hatred in her heart. She raged against the jarlax for those lives they had taken. A sneaky, evil ambush from below. No one along the fissure’s line stood a chance, no one could prepare. Bani made a vow to avenge them, those who were not even given the chance to fight.
She was not given a chance to prepare for what came next, either. Cthurgorj erupted atop his mount. It barely fit through the opening in the earth, and when it did it brought a powerful shockwave.
It hit her, like a solid and invisible wall. Vex buckled beneath it, his head forced down and his feathers flattening against the force. Bani felt her organs crash into her bones as they stopped too suddenly. She felt the horrible crunch of pressure, and then she felt weightless.
Had she broken her neck? No, she could feel her limbs and the pain they radiated. The world was spinning… she was spinning… oh fuck she was falling!
She couldn’t remember the last time she had been unseated. Her thoughts immediately went to Vexillion. He was not dead, she knew that in her soul, but he was no longer beneath her. The city was beneath her… then above her… then beneath her and growing closer.
Remember what to do.
Bani cooled her thoughts. She was probably going to die. Probably going to hit the ground at any second and explode into a fine paste. She might stain the street, but nothing else of her would remain, not from this height. It’s not how she thought she would die, but panic wouldn’t change that. If she was going to avenge anyone, she needed to act quickly.
First stop the spinning. Bani threw out her arms and legs and forced her muscles to fight the twisting dance. Her goggles had mercifully stayed on, and she could see clearly despite the hairline cracks in the lenses. She turned twice more before evening out with her belly to the ground. Her spread limbs did little to slow her descent, but she did feel the air resistance against her flying leathers. She could also see, quite clearly, that she would not be dashed against Thanasis’ streets because she was falling directly towards the chasm.
It glowed a soft orange, and it produced a heat that was rising by the second. Backlit against the glow were more riders. More wyverns and jarlax to reinforce those they had killed. Bani wondered if she would be skewered on a spear before she hit the bottom of this canyon. Or maybe it had no bottom. Maybe she would fall and keep falling until the fires of the underworld ate her up.
No! Fuck that! the destruction of her city filled her with fury once again. She grit her teeth and felt hot tears of rage in her eyes. I’m not dying alone!
She saw the shadowed silhouette of a wyvern rising to meet her. It took a few adjustments, but Bani edged her path towards it. Being small served her well, here, for the Jarlax rider didn’t see her. Or, if it did, did not react before she barreled into him.
She felt several pops in her body when she hit, but the Jarlax’s big, stupid, meaty body cushioned her. The pair of them tumbled down the back of its mount. Bani grasped desperately at its dark scales, sliding down its body until she made purchase along one of its tail spines. The Jarlax had not been so lucky, and it continued the descent that was rightfully Bani’s to the heart of the world. Bani spit after him, but it came out dry and, of course, went right into her leather face covering.
It was the principle of the thing.
Now she had to climb. Hand over hand up the wyvern’s tail. Dragging herself was slow, but if she stopped she would die. The wyvern cleared the canyon’s edge and leveled out, giving Bani the chance to stand and clamber her way to its bare back.
Its scales were thick. Holding fast to its shoulder spines Bani tried stabbing in between its armored plates with her knife. She could get through, but the monster was too large or too stupid to notice. In either case, she had not slowed it at all.
Bani’s rage mixed with frustration and futility. She had not so much captured an enemy mount as it had captured her. She couldn’t pilot this damned thing, and it probably couldn’t even feel her on its back.
“Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU!!!” she screamed, stabbing at it again and again, spattering herself with its unnatural blood. Her knife carved deep holes in its flesh, but again did nothing to slow it down.
A familiar screech sounded to her right, and she whipped her head to see a dark, small dragon.
“Vex!” A relief flooded her so powerfully that it almost replaced her anger. She had not realized how badly she needed to see that Vexillion was alright. His flight was a little unsteady, but he was airborne.
She looked back at the holes she had made in the wyvern’s back. She set her face. She wasn’t letting this thing live. With a whistle to Vex, the small dragon aligned its flight, getting close enough for Bani to reach for the saddlebags on his side. Twice she grasped air, but the third time she held fast and cut the satchel loose.
She held the bag tight, squeezing her legs as hard as she could to stay steady on the wyvern. She had dropped her knife, sent it sailing below, and used one arm to hold the bag and the other to pull out the small metal spheres that were packed inside. They were filled with pitch and kindling, and sealed tight so that, once ignited, pressure would build inside until they burst. She took these “bursters” and shoved one into each deep would in the wyvern’s back. Its flesh gave a nauseating squelch, and felt cooler than it should, all slime and blood and no life.
When she was done, she leapt… well, fell… from the wyvern’s back. Vexillion caught her, and the pair half-flew-half-fell the city streets and rolled into a heap.
The next dragon that threw fire at that wyvern would see quite a fireworks show. Bani, however, was content to be done.
The Jarlax looming above her had other plans, though.
“Fuck.”
The great fissure was much larger than it looked from the sky. She could see the city cobbles running right up to the edge and pouring over the side. Rubble lined its maw and Bani felt a burning hatred in her heart. She raged against the jarlax for those lives they had taken. A sneaky, evil ambush from below. No one along the fissure’s line stood a chance, no one could prepare. Bani made a vow to avenge them, those who were not even given the chance to fight.
She was not given a chance to prepare for what came next, either. Cthurgorj erupted atop his mount. It barely fit through the opening in the earth, and when it did it brought a powerful shockwave.
It hit her, like a solid and invisible wall. Vex buckled beneath it, his head forced down and his feathers flattening against the force. Bani felt her organs crash into her bones as they stopped too suddenly. She felt the horrible crunch of pressure, and then she felt weightless.
Had she broken her neck? No, she could feel her limbs and the pain they radiated. The world was spinning… she was spinning… oh fuck she was falling!
She couldn’t remember the last time she had been unseated. Her thoughts immediately went to Vexillion. He was not dead, she knew that in her soul, but he was no longer beneath her. The city was beneath her… then above her… then beneath her and growing closer.
Remember what to do.
Bani cooled her thoughts. She was probably going to die. Probably going to hit the ground at any second and explode into a fine paste. She might stain the street, but nothing else of her would remain, not from this height. It’s not how she thought she would die, but panic wouldn’t change that. If she was going to avenge anyone, she needed to act quickly.
First stop the spinning. Bani threw out her arms and legs and forced her muscles to fight the twisting dance. Her goggles had mercifully stayed on, and she could see clearly despite the hairline cracks in the lenses. She turned twice more before evening out with her belly to the ground. Her spread limbs did little to slow her descent, but she did feel the air resistance against her flying leathers. She could also see, quite clearly, that she would not be dashed against Thanasis’ streets because she was falling directly towards the chasm.
It glowed a soft orange, and it produced a heat that was rising by the second. Backlit against the glow were more riders. More wyverns and jarlax to reinforce those they had killed. Bani wondered if she would be skewered on a spear before she hit the bottom of this canyon. Or maybe it had no bottom. Maybe she would fall and keep falling until the fires of the underworld ate her up.
No! Fuck that! the destruction of her city filled her with fury once again. She grit her teeth and felt hot tears of rage in her eyes. I’m not dying alone!
She saw the shadowed silhouette of a wyvern rising to meet her. It took a few adjustments, but Bani edged her path towards it. Being small served her well, here, for the Jarlax rider didn’t see her. Or, if it did, did not react before she barreled into him.
She felt several pops in her body when she hit, but the Jarlax’s big, stupid, meaty body cushioned her. The pair of them tumbled down the back of its mount. Bani grasped desperately at its dark scales, sliding down its body until she made purchase along one of its tail spines. The Jarlax had not been so lucky, and it continued the descent that was rightfully Bani’s to the heart of the world. Bani spit after him, but it came out dry and, of course, went right into her leather face covering.
It was the principle of the thing.
Now she had to climb. Hand over hand up the wyvern’s tail. Dragging herself was slow, but if she stopped she would die. The wyvern cleared the canyon’s edge and leveled out, giving Bani the chance to stand and clamber her way to its bare back.
Its scales were thick. Holding fast to its shoulder spines Bani tried stabbing in between its armored plates with her knife. She could get through, but the monster was too large or too stupid to notice. In either case, she had not slowed it at all.
Bani’s rage mixed with frustration and futility. She had not so much captured an enemy mount as it had captured her. She couldn’t pilot this damned thing, and it probably couldn’t even feel her on its back.
“Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU!!!” she screamed, stabbing at it again and again, spattering herself with its unnatural blood. Her knife carved deep holes in its flesh, but again did nothing to slow it down.
A familiar screech sounded to her right, and she whipped her head to see a dark, small dragon.
“Vex!” A relief flooded her so powerfully that it almost replaced her anger. She had not realized how badly she needed to see that Vexillion was alright. His flight was a little unsteady, but he was airborne.
She looked back at the holes she had made in the wyvern’s back. She set her face. She wasn’t letting this thing live. With a whistle to Vex, the small dragon aligned its flight, getting close enough for Bani to reach for the saddlebags on his side. Twice she grasped air, but the third time she held fast and cut the satchel loose.
She held the bag tight, squeezing her legs as hard as she could to stay steady on the wyvern. She had dropped her knife, sent it sailing below, and used one arm to hold the bag and the other to pull out the small metal spheres that were packed inside. They were filled with pitch and kindling, and sealed tight so that, once ignited, pressure would build inside until they burst. She took these “bursters” and shoved one into each deep would in the wyvern’s back. Its flesh gave a nauseating squelch, and felt cooler than it should, all slime and blood and no life.
When she was done, she leapt… well, fell… from the wyvern’s back. Vexillion caught her, and the pair half-flew-half-fell the city streets and rolled into a heap.
The next dragon that threw fire at that wyvern would see quite a fireworks show. Bani, however, was content to be done.
The Jarlax looming above her had other plans, though.
“Fuck.”
