Tessa looked in that direction and cocked her head, thinking. "Unless Rae's going on a rampage or my father randomly decided he doesn't like Costa Rica, I have no clue. But I think we might be up against something related to fire—and perhaps anger as well." She reached up and messed with her lips, thinking harder. "Or something from Khogar, the savage realm. They're not exactly the friendliest bunch, and if the Titans were swayed, then there's a high likelihood of those nasty bastards switching sides in a heartbeat."
"So bad news, either way," he sighed, rubbing his hands and wincing. "Well, let's get on with it, then."
He headed off down the beach, sniffing the air as if he was a tracking dog.
((Yeah, I like that!))
Tessa stood up and jogged after Runner, eyes pealed and ears open for anything unusual. She remained by his side as they searched, playing bodyguard as usual. If anything happened to that sorceress's son, who knows what hell she'd unleash.
"I don't think this is anything from your realm," he said, taking another whiff of the air. "This smells familiar."
He glanced over at her as they walked. "I'm feeling cloth on my fingertips, too."
She rose a brow and held up her hands as if in surrender. "You're looking at me as if I should know what the fuck you're talking about. I'm the battering ram, not the brains. I have no clue what's out there besides what I've fought."
He had already stopped listening to her, obviously connecting the dots in his head. "Cloth…smoke…fire….Oh!"
Runner studied the beach ahead of them, and found exactly what he was looking for: a pillar of smoke, as if from a bonfire.
"An Enenra," he grumbled and brought his speed up to a fast jog, the best he could do in the sand. "We gotta hurry up."
"Never heard of it, but okay," Tessa said with a shake of her head. She sped up to keep pace with him, then flared her nostrils and went into improv mode. She shifted into her half-dragon form and went on ahead, running on all fours.
"Show-off," he called after her, frustrated that the sun still hadn't gone down. He'd used up all of the energy he had in the reserves earlier in the day. The bonfire glowed ominously ahead of them, its orange glow shining like a beacon from hell.
She shot a grin over her shoulder, then came to a sliding halt when she reached the ominous bonfire. Her nose flared, and she returned to her crouch to scan the area.
Runner arrived 2 minutes later, breathing heavily and scratching the top of his head. "It's close by," he said between breaths, "Really close."
"Okay, any ideas on how to deal with the thing?" She asked, reverting back to her human form and folding her arms over her chest. She stood back up to her full height and looked around some more.
"In concept it's pretty simple," he explained, frowning, "We just put out the bonfire. But, it is gonna try its hardest to stop us."
"I'm weakest at night," she gently reminded as she tipped her head to gaze at the setting sun. She still had some stored magic, but she'd have to primarily rely on strength alone once the sun was completely set.
"That's when I'm strongest," he said, "So I guess we even out."
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end when a figure slowly walked from behind the bonfire, hands clasped behind its back in a regal fashion. It towered over the both of them, easily taller than 6 foot, with strikingly white skin and eyes that were pure black. Its clothing was a traditional pure black kimono that rippled in a breeze that only the Enerna seemed to feel.
"They said you would come, young Princling," it said, its voice the sound of a light summer breeze. "It was only a matter of time until your interest was peaked."
(Do you want the Enerna to possess Runner or Tess?)
((Well, Tess might pose the biggest threat being as she sorta loses most of her sanity/morals when she's fighting))
"Y'know, I'm getting tired of all the royals being picked out every goddamn time something bad happens," Tess muttered under her breath, "Us peasants and street rats can be worthy opponents too." As she complained, she studied the strange creature. It would be difficult for her to attack something that wasn't exactly solid. Maybe strength wouldn't quite cut it this time. Bummer.
(Hm, Runner can't take her in a fight, though. How would he get out of there alive?)
((Lock her up. Tess is deathly afraid of being underground, and bonus points if she hears locks turning to trap her inside))
(Sounds like something Runner would do. Plus, he's fast enough in his dragon form that she probably couldn't catch him either way)
"Well, Ms. Theresa," the Enerna said, his lips twisting into a devilish grin, "today's your day to shine."
The form slowly faded back into the smoke that trailed from the large, unattended fire.
"You will be remembered, Ms. Theresa," it continued, its voice seeming to come from all directions, "for killing the son of Rhianon, and giving Earth to Lord Agdrin."
The figure suddenly sprouted up behind Tess, and before she could react, it forced itself up her nose in the form of smoke.
((yeah, her nighttime dragon form is about 1.5 times as big as a horse, not including the wings, and mainly relies on running rather than flying because that takes up too much energy. Fire's a no go, so it's just snappy snappy and claws))
Tessa froze, unable to move thanks to the thing invading her senses. Her mouth hung open, and her arms were limp at her sides. She couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe on her own. She solely belonged to the Enerna, and its violent thoughts overrode any sense of good that might've popped in her mind. A slow, fang-filled grin spread over her lips as her pupils turned to narrow, vertical slits.
"Shit."
Runner felt the magic surrounding Tess change the moment the Enerna entered her body and knew nothing good could come out of it. The smile and the change in her eyes proved his point.
"Listen, Tess," he said gently, putting his hands out in a non-violent way, "Fight against it. Don't let it control you. You're stronger than it."
He was pleading for mercy to a brick wall.
The sun had set at this point. Tess knew nothing besides the need to kill the boy standing before her. Limits were nothing. Her relationship with the boy, however complicated, meant nothing. It was nonexistent. Kill kill kill kill. In a flash of sunlight, she was now a small dragon that stood somewhat taller than a large horse at the shoulders, her long neck lifting her head in a regal manner, lips pulled back in a snarl.
Runner took a step back, restraining his own dragon's need to defend itself for a little while longer.
"Tess," he said, his voice strained, "if I hurt you, I'm sorry."
With that, his own dragon roared to life, launching itself into the air like a ribbon caught in the wind. It roared at the sight of the other dragon, clawing the air in front of it in fury.
(here's Tess's dragon)
The golden dragon roared in a challenge at the sight of a new dragon, its instincts kicking in to take it down. Sun dragons were very hostile creatures, and extremely protective of their safety. If they saw another that looked like a threat, they attack on sight. Mix that with a possessed, trained, and deadly killer? You have yourself a recipe for destruction.
The dragon spread its large wings and launched itself into the sky after the white one, its hide making a faint sound of metal slicing through the air each time it moved.
