Rick wiped the sweat from his head, making it drip to the ground as he held up a couch made from dragon leather, hoisting up as he walked up the steps, groaning. Of course Odette was gone, and she wanted to do this at night of all times. For the past 2 months they were planning and living for this operation of stopping an elven takeover, her boss suddenly decided to change the decor of the place incase things were bugged, so Rick had to go back to West city, and…he did find a lot of bugs in the walls, and managed to get rid of (he thinks) all of them, but now came the furniture. To prevent bugging, they had to get it washed at Odette's bosses base after buying them from west city. NOW…not only had they been delivered late, but Odette's shadowy boss had asked her to run an errand from him. Apparently he had a disease that made it impossible to go 'outside' in the perpetual dark, so of course she had to do his chores.
What was strange to Rick, was how she took orders from someone who was sick versus someone who wasn't. He must be pretty powerful to boss around Odette like that without being able to do anything physical, except fire her ….Well, assumption of firing was impossible. He saw Odette, when an Orc touched her ass due to her wearing jeans, knock BOTH of his tusks out of his jaw with one punch. So Maybe her boss wouldn't fire her because she was so god damn strong and rather loyal. However, she had so MANY annoying traits that Rick might want that war to happen. One was…So much water. She had to drink so much, and they even added a small pocket-dimension room for a tub for her to just soak in.That was a good 5,000 rupees spent on that. She wouldn't even let him try it out, even though they had a rather nice bathtub she could use. But nope, she makes him use it. Another trait was she always left super late at night, and then she would eat out! He made a really nice Dragon steak one night, for the two of them, and she ignored it. So He had Burger eat hers and so forth as he chugged his flask from annoyance and went to bed. He missed His 'home' of west city so much. And the guys, probably stuffing themselves full of donuts. He then returns to the real world ,from his thoughts, as he hears a cracking noise…and has thus dented some of the side of the couch, the leather ripped. "OH MOTHER FU-"
Odette ducked down under the old warehouses tattered coverings, old paper from one of its festivals it used to have years ago. Her Master had said there were reports that a Mara was acting up in this area, even with no one sleeping around in the area to cause one to Manifest. So Od had to deal with it before it caused more damage. Her eyes glowed lightly as she looked around the area, grabbing a piece of wooden beam. This Factory used to supply wood and other materials, refining them for more buildings in the underground cities, but it closed down due to a Pesta walking through, killing nearly all of the people here. Sealed away for a long time, Pesta broke out of a jar found not too far from the area, and she walked all the way through to here. She carried the broom most of the walk, then switched to a Rake near the end. After that, the Lords of East city and the Mayor of West agreed to seal her again. So they took her to an area where she couldn't hurt anyone via using Draugr, already dead people. They put her in the said cave forever via explosives to block the entrance and Dragon spit with a piece of flint attached on the boulders. If she even tried to break out, she'd burn. Odette ducked down even more, smooshing into her currently boneless body like squishing a water balloon, or an octopus, ducking down under lumber with a small gap at the bottom. This place had used to be heavily used by Dwarf workers..But not anymore for obvious reasons. Once out of the Dwarf walking space, she shot back up to normal height, ponytail bouncing a bit. She climbed up a ladder, changing her suit and skin color to the rusted-copper color of the metal, blending in, just in case. She made it to the top, looking out. No evil spirits among the wood, dropped metal…and skeletons. She turned, walking across the beam, feet making no sound as she made them softer like dough, making them too soft to make sound. She held up her knuckle, the suit rippling before a blade shinked out from her very own flesh, her fingers spreading out as she made them hooked and clawed. She felt as if she was getting closer to the Nightmare spirit…. The Mara.
Odette peeked around a corner, seeing…nothing, but a broken window with old plastic blowing in said window, caught in the shattered glass. She walked through, scrunched low into a crouch. What she didn't see was the ghastly spirit far off behind her, arms hanging with fur all over. Odette went into the kitchen, looking around at the old utensils. She touched a spoon, picking it up to look…and seeing a figure behind her in the blur. She spun, slicing…the fridge. The Fridge looked intact, before it slid, Odette suddenly bulking up her arms as she grabbed its side, preventing it from falling loudly. She shoved it back on, and shoved another fridge closer so it wouldn't fall in half. She rubbed her face, huffing in annoyance. Her body creaked as the muscles de-swelled to her normal look. It's been a long 2 months, maybe it was affecting her work.
"Ugh, Jeg trenger en drink" she grabbed her flask from the void of her body, sipping the water in it. She sighed again. Damn, that was some good spring water. She put it away, turning. A pot fell as she was halfway turning, before she felt the hands around her throat.
"?!" She took In a sharp breath as the demonic Mara leapt at her, wrapping her sharp, clawed fingers around Odette's neck. Mara tortured people at night by sitting on their chests, causing them trouble in breathing, and inducing nightmares. She began to Squeeze Odette's neck hader, skin creaking. Their feet, or rather, feet and pawed toes, shuffled, as Odette gagged. She was in her shapeshifter form, but the squeezing was very uncomfortable. She then raised her arms, slamming the Mara's arms down from her throat, allowing Odette to gasp for air (that she didn't require at this time).
Odette bulked up her left arm, clenching the muscles as she punched the Mara, slamming it over one of the metal tables, making it slide over, knocking over old tools and utensils, plates crashing and breaking on the floor. The Mara stood up, snarling as she jumped onto the table, front arms and claws stabbing into the table as she ran on all four at Odette, baring her teeth. Odette picked up one of the tables with both bulked up arms, throwing it at her. The Mara LEAPT over the flying table, bounding off it, spinning through the air and landing on the spot where it used to be, howling as she pounced at Odette, claws shinking out more.
" Å shit ikke igjen-" Odette was tackled, the force making her fly off her feet as the Mara slammed them both into one of the walls. The other aide was peaceful and quiet…until the wall cracked, and both flew out, the Mara sliding Odette on the ground with Odette's chest bleeding. She then bent her legs inward, hooked them across the Maras throat in an X shape, and then pushed hard, almost like a kick. Odette had grown two rounded out pieces like stone, used them to drive out a force, and launched the Mara via pushing and lengthening the 'stone' into the ground, which didn't stop her skidding but did help in throwing the Mara off. The Mara flew, hissing as she landed into a pile of old wooden planks, pieces breaking and flying everywhere. Odette went into a silent victory praise in her head…until she slammed into old dwarven steel beams, smushing her head into her body like that scene from Death becomes her with the shovel.
"Ooff" She grumbled in her smushed head, making her fat lined 'neck' jiggle. She pushed off the beams with her arms, sliding away a bit on her back and ass. She grabbed her ponytail, before yanking it hard as her neck re-formed from her body, the squish fat-rolls disappearing as she was back to normal. She let go of her ponytail, which was spread from the base of the hair tie spot, making a 'th' noise when it rubbed on the ground.
"....vel det sugde" she comments.
The Mara shot out from the wood, angry and howling. Odette held her left arm out,rippling around like the muscles were changing, and they were in fact. Claws grew in place of her fingernails, scales popping out, aligned to face her, with little holes under them. This was an advanced shape shifting form. She read about them, they were extinct though, but from reading up on them (and her biology) she was able to mimic the ability of the Air ape, which had scales like a lizard that moved to allow movement by flexing and exhaling. The holes under the scales allow them to strike four times as hard as a normal Gorilla, and the ability to air dash, a trait some species can use. The scales moved around from her inhaling, before she flexed the arm. The Steam exploded out, and she made a fist, launching forward, cracking the ground. The Mara couldn't stop mid-leap, and was pulverized in the punch, bones breaking and fur being spewed in her own blood, before she was launched through the air like a fleshy bullet, slamming through the metal walls of the building, slamming into a pile of trash outside. Odette blew out steam from her mouth this time, the arm squeaking as it flailed around like a deflating balloon, scales and claws vanishing as it returned to normal. She clenched her normal hand a bit, the limb shaking. She hadn't done an advanced shapeshifting in a while, so it'd be a while before she could do THAT again.
She pulled out her higgle, dialing in, and putting it to her ear.
"...Hello, It's Bloody stream" She said, speaking English now.
"Ah, I presume the Mara is taken care of?" The person on the other line states, her Master's second hand.
"Yes, it wasn't a hassle at all, it's a pile of blood and guts currently, so send a clean up crew of Brownies to clear it up" Odette states…with some annoyance to her usual nonchalant demeanor. It WAS a hassle because it was her day off, but no rest for the wicked it seems.
"Good good…I'll send them now, sorry to have you come and do a quick clean up on your day off, but everyone else is dealing with other matters and this was a rather need-to-do-now job."
Odette flipped off the Higgle as she spoke, her finger creaking as she made it twice as long. "Yes, it was no problem…No more jobs for today though, correct?"
"Indeed, have the rest of your day off….and don't flip me off again" her boss said over the line. She blinked, looking around and finding nothing, before the higgle clicked silent.
"....Asshole. I don't know why Master has me work under him" Odette shifted from her tight purple suit to her jeans and Jock jacket, the suit sucking into her skin and popping out the new clothing, before her eyes stopped glowing, returning to their usual color.
Rick wiped the sweat from his head, looking at the moving rune truck. Even without Odette, he had been able to move all of the new furniture.
"Man, that took wayyyy too long, but I got it done!....But I'm giving that woman a piece of mind." Rising from his shadow, was Burger the first dark spirit. He stuck his shadowy tongue out "I'll eat her soul out for making me wo-" Sam smacked him in the face, making him bite his tongue.
"-OWWW WANG DEH FUG GICK!" Burger shouted at him, tongue bit. "I did all the work, you sat there saying bullshit comments for 2 hours!" Rick shouted.
"They HEKPED" Burger shouted back. As Rick was ready to ring his neck, the ground suddenly cracked under him, before the street fell in on itself with a loud cracking noise.
"??!!?" Rick leapt from the area he was in, leaping onto a pole, gripping it with one hand and standing on the bottom, boot having dented it with the force of his stomp. Veins popped on his arm as he gripped the pole.
"What the hell!" Rick watched as several more holes popped open…and glowing yellow eyes came forth. Crawling out, were dragons. Red dragons, with lizard-like frills and Spikes on their backs,crawled out. Next were yellow Dragons, who were much smaller, with shoulder spikes, one on each side, protruding, along with outward, hooked teeth for latching onto big prey. Flying out were blue Dragons, with a single horn and a trident tail, wings on its back. Next were green dragons, who had Wyvern limbs for gliding, and were VERY big, per the use of gliding and not flying due to sheer weight. They had a round ball of bone on their tail. Finally, one per hole, was a Black dragon. The muscular size made it menacing, with large wings AND arms, and a Scythe tail, made it the perfect killing machine. How were so many different species coming out of these holes?!
"Burger, this is a problem. Reds live in the fire caves, the blues in lakes and-" Rick started to state the species and their areas of living.
"-I GET IT THEIR ALL NOT SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER!!" Burger replied.
"YEAH and that they're organized! Their mindless beasts!" A green dragon sniffed Rick's Rune Bike, before raising a winged arm to crush it. Rick's eyes became reptilian as he launched off the light pole, breaking the glass and bulb abs making it rip from the ground, falling over. Rick wiped out one of his Tomahawks, a dark aura surrounding it as he slammed it and himself into the Dragon's neck, decapitating it in a spray of purple blood. The head hit the ground, eyes lifeless and white, as the body crumpled onto itself. Rick panted, covered in blood and on the very destroyed sidewalk.
"Jesus Rick, that smells AWFUL!" Harbinger states, materializing next to him.
"It's not my fault it's SULFURIC!" Rick counters, wiping some of it on his pants. He then heard the claws slamming towards him, clacking loudly and making him squat and flex his legs, before leaping into a high jump back flip. He arched his back as a Red dragon was inches from biting him in half, snapping the air with a loud 'klak' of its teeth snapped together. Rick flipped around now sideways, landing on the ground behind it with a thud. His eyes become slits as his fingernails shoot off, bleeding, before claws erupted out. The red dragon turned, snarling, before Rick leapt onto its head, making its neck cock back before he raised a clawed hand, plunging it into its eye. It roared, blood and eye juices erupting out. Rick, without a shred of a grin or emotion, stabbed his other hand into the back part of it, scooping it out and ripping it from its socket, connected still to the Optic nerve. It roared once more before falling to the ground, dead and twitching. Rick pulled the eyeball from his arm, covered in juices and blood.
"Damn Rick, you're looking mighty pissed" Burger floated up from his shadow, cackling and looking at Rick with red eyes. "Something bothering you?"
Rick grumbled "First I had to move the furniture BY MYSELF, now this shit!" Rick shook his body, the claws retracting to normal-shaped nails, his eyes returning to a normal silver color.
"Now there's an invasion of Dragons?" he stated, looking at the many dragons attacking cars, climbing on buildings and flying around, wreaking havoc.
"Sooo…we just leave it th-" Burger begins.
"No we are not, we are going to visit 'him' to see what is causing this" Rick states, going to his un-ruined Rune bike, getting on "Oh no! No way we are visiting-" Burger begins
Burger groaned, as they descended down into the musty, earthen smelling pit of the under-forest. Rick landed, a little hut with a little light glowing. He got off the bike, walking
"Rick, I hate visiting this guy" Burger comments, shivering.
"Yeah I know Burger, but this is the only thing we can do right now" Rick says, raising his fist and knocking on the wooden door. There was no answer…except Rick and Burger felt weird, before void walking through time and space, everything stretching, before they were somehow in the home. It had a warm fire.
"Sooooo," A figure states, sitting in a large chair. Rick shivered.
"You come seeking my knowledge about why the Dragons are attacking the underground city hmm, Rick?" They spoke in a voice like gravel, almost similar to rocks sliding together. It was Heimdem, the First troll king. Rick didn't like coming for the explicit reason that trolls were one of the most dangerous species living in the underground world. While they were peaceful, if you angered a troll, you better run and hide, and pray it does find you. Their might was great, and so was their magic resistance. Their mystic Troll magic was also renowned as one of the most dangerous magics around. Dark magic was said to be the most vile as people said…but not the most dangerous.
"Y-yes, Heimdem…I come seeking your wisdom and uh, everlasting knowledge on how and why they are doing this. Dragons are animals, they can be smart, but not smart enough for this." Rick states, getting on both knees respectfully. The chair floated from the ground, slowly turning around to reveal the Troll. He had a big nose, as most trolls do, his skin rocky, worn with age, moss all over his arms to imitate fur, his hair shaggy like a hippies. He had cracks on his face, the same for his arms and body. He even had a few mushrooms that glowed different colors on his shoulders. There was a medallion of a howling troll as well around his neck. He put both hands on his knees; the stumps were evident, for his legs had been removed long ago during the first war of trolls and man, and during a raid, knights had captured him, and cut his legs off, so he could never lead again.
"Mmmmm….I sense the worry from your soul, so I will grant you your answer, Spirit Shaman Rick. Long ago, even before my time, a grand wizard of the arts wished to rule the world. To do so, he created seven items: 3 to control beasts of sorts, and 4 to rule the people; Two twin swords, crafted of the stars, a horn to summon beasts, a staff to control Dragons, a harp that can summon forth entities from the Primal age, a Bow that shoots endless arrows of light, and the most destructive: VOID. The weapon that would spell the end of humanity. At that point, all the races heard of this, and banded together under one momentary treaty of peace, and fought the wizard. In the end, they were successful, and each country took one treasure, putting them into their respective territories." He spoke the whole time in a gravelly voice, yet it was smooth and calming to Rick's ears.
"...So, what does this have to do with the Dragon staff?" Burger asks after a bit in Rick's steed.
"It's called the Dragon Domination staff…and it was supposed to be lost….someone is actively searching for the items. Rick-," Heimdem turned to look at him, making him perk up a bit ",-Retrive this staff from the user, and give it to me. I will make sure no one finds it, so this never happens again" RIck nodded, standing up.
"I will do that" Rick turned to leave, but the void effect happened again, and he and Burger were outside. Rick covered his mouth, vomiting on a mushroom "BLEGH GOD I hate that BLEGH!" Rick vomited again. Burger laughed at him.
"HAHAH stupid, Spirits don't get sick-BLEGH!" Burger then vomited up jam-like goo which dropped to the floor. Both looked at eachother "...."
Back up to the main area of the city, there were still some dragons around but they seemed to ignore Rick. He made his way around a corner…and bumped into Odette, her burger falling to the floor and her milkshake splattering all over Rick's shirt.
"MY FOOD!" Odette shouted.
"MY SHIRT!" Rick shouted. Both looked at each other, with Rick glaring "Where the hell were you! You were supposed to help me move the furniture around!" Rick shouted at her, wiping off the Milkshake.
"I WAS UHHH, GETTING FOOD!" she counters. Can't go telling the guy you have to live with, who's also a cop, you were killing a deadly spirit in a warehouse. And that it was to help one of your bosses commanders in growing turf for your assassination group.
"Well FUCK you then! You left me alone to do all of that, then these DRAGONS started to invade, and now-" Odette put a hand to his mouth.
"I'm Sorry…did you just say 'Dragons'?" She asked. Rick had a 'is she serious' face, smacking her hand away, gesturing to the big Red Dragon on one of the buildings, gnawing on a Rune-car.
"YES!" Rick shouted. The Dragon turned to look at them.
"Oh…I didn't notice" she put a finger to her chin with a 'oops' Look.
The Dragon jumped down.
"HOW ARE YOU THAT STUPID!" Rick comments at her.
It began to walk over.
"The fuck you just say asshole?!" Odette shouted back. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, Rick grabbing hers back as they snarled at one another….before a shadow loomed over them.
"....Uhhhhhh" Both looked up. The Dragon looked down at them, tilting its head, before snarling. It raised a claw, smashing down where they were.
Rick and Odette had let go of one another, jumping back.
"GAH now we gotta kill it, thank you SO much Odette!" Rick shouted
"ME?! YOU WERE CALLING ME STUPID!" Odette shouted back. The Dragon lunged at Rick, teeth agape, as his muscles flexed, holding the mouth open, grunting with a vein popping out of his neck. His eyes went wide when the Dragon's throat glowed, readying a blast! Odette suddenly leapt towards the Dragon, her eyes glowing as her right arm bulked up, a blade of metal of some kind shinking out as she stabbed it into the Dragon's throat, making it skid and roar in agony, throat bones having collapsed from the punch while she cut its throat open. Rick let go, panting. Odette pulled out the blade, shinking it back into her fist as she jumped back, arm de-buffing to normal shape again as her eyes stopped glowing. The Dragon flailed its head ,blood squirting out. It blasted out a breath of fire, most of it coming out of the mouth but some from its throat, before it fell over, dead.
Rick looked at her with wide eyes.
"ODETTE WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Rick shouted.
She winced, sticking a finger in her ear and twisting it.
"Jesus man! Not so loud. I thought I told you I was a half-Shapeshifter?" She commented. So much for hiding it fully now.
"NO you didn't you crazy bitch!" Rick stated. She huffed.
"Whatever, what's with all the Dragons?"
"Uggghh, I went to….a source, he said someone found an ancient weapon that can control them, the Dragon domination staff" Rick states. Best she didn't know he knew the First Troll king.
"Well….Let's find it and stop it then, yeah?" Odette comments, eyes flickering to their glowing brown color.
"Finally, something we agree on" Rick comments, pulling out his axes as both look on at the Dragons causing havoc.