The Failure Succeeds: Rhakos Found

https://www.paperdemon.com/app/g/dracostryx/character/231

https://www.paperdemon.com/app/g/dracostryx/character/194 

OTHER ARPG: 

https://www.soulsbetween.com/character/SB-1084 

Wordcount: 

It was a motley group comprised of dragons and stryx that had gathered together to carefully explore the dangerous and bizarre lands ahead of them. The sun, only the slightest flickers of which could be seen through the thick clouds, had only just begun to rise, it cast the group in a rather ominous orange-red glow. Samaels normally white feathers now looked a rather vibrant orange, and Xingyue was certain the white feathers on  his own face also looked the same, so he decided not to poke fun at Samael for how slightly comical they looked.

It was very early morning, and Xingyue was mildly regretting starting this search so early, less for the comical colour of their white feathers and more for how gloomy the place was. It would have been hard to see even if the sun was shining brightly at midday, so thick were the clouds. The air was heavy with the feel of magic, as if they should have been surrounded by a thick fog, but the air was clear.

Xingyue and Samael soon found out that the thick tangle of sharp thorn covered vines and sticky, sickly sap covered trees and leaves made it impossible for them fly and be able to find their companions below the dense canopy. Xingyue hadn't thought he’d need to stick to the ground as he tracked the Rhakos, but the closely grown branches of now-dead trees proved too difficult to see any detail from above. Samael the largest of the two, especially struggled to maneuver his way through the broken branches, dead trees, swamp and bog pit areas of deep sludge and mud and toxic leaves. Samael had known he’d struggle in such terrain, so wasn't quite as grumpy about being land-bound as Xingyue was. Xingyue searched the ground for claw-prints, blood or any sign of the Rhakos, while Samael used his considerable height advantage and long neck to search the branches for any feathers that the Rhakos might have left behind and been caught in the branches. Discarded feathers, strange red glowing liquid, large deformed talon-prints could all point the way. 

While Samael and Xingyue had come to these lands specifically to hunt strange crazed creature known as Rhakos. Toxzera was close behind Samael and Xingyue, hoping that when they found  the creature she would be able to attack it first, she lived to find new foes on which to test her strength.

Toxzera was distracted by any slight sound nearby, hoping to come across the Rhakos first, and thus was not paying attention. As a result she managed to trip over an exposed root, her garbled yelp as she fell brought Xingyue and Samael rushing back to her. 

“I’m fine, i’m fine!”came Toxzera’s most embarrassed words as they came upon her.

Xingyue and Samael shared a slightly annoyed and exasperated look with each other, before they turned around back to searching. But this time the three stuck more closely together, just in case, as the landscape was becoming...eerie, it unnerved all three of them.

The sudden screeching of a large rabbit caught the group's attention as it blitzed past them. Thinking and reacting quickly Xingyue managed to catch the critter, it was much stronger than it looked! As Samael was not holding the creature, he had a better  view to inspect it, and noticed something strange about it. What he first thought were just simple wounds covered in blood was infact, corruption from the wraith.  There was a slight glow and a sickly smell to the ‘blood’, the rabbit had been corrupted only recently, it was a sure sign they were close to finding the Rhakos.

“Put that out of it’s misery and let’s keep going, we are close to it’s lair.” Samael asked Xingyue.

Xingyue wordlessly put a talon through the corrupted rabbit’s spine, ending it’s torment. A swift burst of flame from Toxzera burned the corpse to cinders.

After following the rabbits trail for almost an hour more signs of the Rhakos having passed through the area could be seen. More and more often they came across the bodies of various prey and predators alike. Some had clearly been killed weeks ago, but there were no signs of decay, no maggots, no rot. As if the fallen creatures were merely sleeping, waiting to be woken. It felt wrong to leave these corpses lying around so Xingyue, Toxzera and Samael each took turns burning those they came across.

Xingyue who had started the hunt for Rhakos quite confident was getting twitchier as more and more signs of corruption in the animals and terrain became apparent. It was Xingyue’s hypervigilance that helped him spot the Rhakos in the distance.

Red unblinking eyes were watching them from a distant, twisted tree covered bluff.

They’d found the Rhakos.

Or rather, the Rhakos had found them.