Curtailing Mayhem: Chapter 1

A loud cacophony throughout Sol roused Shenzi from napping, and she grumbled to herself. Between the cries of the small beings (humans, elves, and the like) the angry bellows of other stryx soon told her trouble was here... in the form of a rhakos who had breached the city's defenses. It was only a matter of time before her rider would show up for her, she knew, and she muttered to herself a bit. With all the guard of the city, it continued to fall to civilians, like herself and her new companions, to deal with the corrupted stryx.

Tara arrived minutes later, strapping on her sword as she walked. Once she had Shenzi geared up, and had grabbed some extra supplies (rope, grappling lines, and a net), they hurried out into the streets. They would meet Lilt and Seth, Tepes and Kukia before heading toward the docks, where the maddened beast of a rhakos was currently wrecking havoc.

Seth was trying not to panic as he scrambled around for supplies. All the other rhakos attacks were somewhat spontaneous, so now that he had the time to gather things, sparse as it was, his mind was a blank. In his pack went bandages, a utility knife, a coil of rope, and some jerky. Smart as the giant runners were, maybe they would be distracted by treats?

Right before he ran out, his eyes fell on a jockey whip, tossed aside. One of the few items a boy his age could get that was seen as a proper weapon. The bite of the crop seemed too cruel for his stryx, but against a corrupted creature? Well, all's fair in love and war.

Lilt was abuzz with energy as her rider ran out to greet her, waking up her slygryph Rudol in the process. This wasn't an accident or an ambush, this time they were going to fight head to head with those drooling red monsters. Lilt certainly had a piece of her mind or claws to give them! She crouched to let Seth and Rudol settle on her back, then dashed off to the gates, the closest meeting spot.

The commotion from the streets of Sol had quickly awoken the pink puff who was sleeping atop the rooftop of a building. He uncurled and stretched before quickly peeking from above the situation. Chaos from afar is what he sees, and as quickly as he woke, he dashed off and snagged a small spear he had to seek his temporary companion, Tepes. He bounced and climbed to the highest point he could and let out a cry that if you didn’t see the small pink cloudling, could potentially be mistaken for a young Lycan’s call. He hoped Tepes trusted him enough to heed his call and didn’t have to take more time than needed…

Tepes, who had been resting in a nearby stable, had heeded it, much to Kukia’s delight. The lycan quickly flew out, up and over from the stable and above roofs in a quick and elegant motion. As soon as he came close to Kukia, he slowed enough to allow Kukia to leap onto his back. Kukia motioned for Tepes to head towards the meeting spot, knowing his companions were no doubt heading there as well with all the commotion and chaos. Tepes rolled his eyes and nodded at the request, Tepes personally thought he could take on the rhakos on himself, but he won’t question the little cloud creature, he was starting to like Kukia anyways. Tepes spun mid flight and dashed off to the meeting place, where they would hopefully soon see their companions.

Upon seeing the other stryx and their riders, Shenzi let out a pleased caw! caw! and fluffed her feathers. Now they were together, they could proceed onward to the docks, which seemed to be the current focal point of the chaos.

Down at the docks, Mayhem seethed. The deep rage burned within, driving a need for destruction. He stomped on crates, rupturing them and scattering their contents across the wooden boardwalks. Barrels were easy to puncture with a kick of his sharp claws, and thousands of gallons of ale and wine, water and gunpowder now coated the ground. Anyone who dared approach, he lashed out at, biting and clawing, with no regard for whether they were large enough to pose an actual threat. He whipped his tail and sent a barrel of fish crashing down, slippery cargo spreading out from the open top.

Lilt glanced at her companions as they raced to the docks. She always knew she was the odd one out of the group due to her landbound state, but it became abundantly clear as Shenzi and Tepes gained altitude, leaving the three of them the closest targets in case the rhakos charged. She had half a plan forming in her head, and she hoped Rudol would forgive her for it.

At the edge of the waterline the raptor saw and smelled the barrels being destroyed, leaking everywhere and making the wooden planks more treacherous to run on. Great. The great horned stryx hadn't noticed her yet, and she held back to let her flying companions catch up. No need to risk her skin without backup.

Tepes studied the situation from a good distance before getting closer, this allowed Kukia to also study it as well. Although Kukia and Tepes wouldn’t be too affected by the mess on the docks, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t become a potential hazard in other ways. Kukia motions Tepes to fly up higher, before beginning a dive bomb attack towards the rhakos. On the way down, Kukia’s puffy body darkened and glowing blue markings appeared as electricity began to dance around his body. Moments before they got too close to where Tepes was in biting range, Kukia leapt off Tepes and let a bolt of lightning come from him and strike near the giant corrupted stryx in an attempt to distract and lead the rhakos away from damaging more things.

Tepes circled around and by the time the electricity fully left Kukia’s body, he was already there to catch him and dash back up to the skies. Tepes waited for Kukia’s command to dive down again, as Kukia needed a moment to recover from the warning shot. Kukia did hope the rhakos would have its attention on them instead of the others for a bit to let the others get their chance to strike… somewhat safely.

Shenzi sped in low, only barely out of the rhakos' reach, harrying the corrupted stryx. She gave a fierce screech as she passed above Mayhem's head, then winged away before he could react. She hoped this tactic would work here. Usually it was done by an entire flock of corvas, bullying and dive-bombing larger stryx to drive them away from lairs or prey. If not, she had other tricks tucked away amidst her glossy silken feathers.

Mayhem's head whipped around in response to the lightning blast. Without thought, he charged in the direction of Tepes and Kukia, only to miss his chance to strike as they soared away above him. Before he could return to his rampaging path through shipping crates and barrels, a corva's screech came. The silken black feathers of her tail lightly touched his upturned face, but she was otherwise entirely out of reach. His rage intensified, and his eyes flared bright and hot.

With Mayhem distracted by bolts of lightning and divebombing shadows Lilt charged, digging her claws into the dock for purchase. Seth ducked down and dug his heels in, readying himself for the raptor's strike. Imagine his surprise when she stopped a scant few meters short of their quarry. The boy lurched but remained seated on his stryx's shoulders; the slygryph wasn't as lucky, thrown off as if he weighed nothing at all. Rudol landed ungracefully on Mayhem's neck and dug his claws in for dear life the moment the rhakos realized, screeching in rage and fear as the beast thrashed and bucked trying to throw him again.

Baring her fangs in a horrid grin, Lilt launched her real attack, sinking her teeth into the fluffy plume of Mayhem's tail. The curly feathers acted as a buffer, preventing her teeth from causing any real damage, but she was still one of the heaviest birds here. The more she could limit his movement, the better.

Kukia and Tepes watch the others from above, before soon once again dive bombing to zap near the rhakos again. They continue this a few more times before Tepes decides to do something on his own, feeling that the current tactic wasn’t doing much for them. Tepes glances at Kukia on his back, who looks absolutely exhausted, telling him he had one more reason to change tactics. Tepes makes a low growl to get Kukia’s attention, to which Kukia looks up to Tepes. The two trade silent questions through their glances, and Kukia answers Tepes with a nod, trusting Tepes with whatever he plans to do.

The moment He is given the go, Tepes looks down below and looks for some rope to snag for his plan. Once he does, Tepes dives down once again to snag the rope, then makes his way to get a bit closer to the rhakos. He begins circling, looking for a good opportunity to attempt his plan, keeping a distance and backing off if the rhakos attempts to snap at him and Kukia.

When Lilt bit down on Mayhem's tail, he screeched in rage, attempting first to whip his tail and force her to let go. That failed, and he turned his head, his baleful eyes glowing hatefully as he stared. He tried to pivot and lunge at her, but his own movement pulled her away, and he growled in frustration. Between that and the potent lightning zaps, he forgot all about the corva and her rider for a moment...

Shenzi swooped in, low and close this time, as her rider took out a long rope with a blunted grappling hook at one end, swinging it overhead a few times to get momentum, before loosing it at the rhakos' long legs. It wrapped around one, and Tara pulled tight, locking the rope into place. Now they winged away, Shenzi crowing in laughter. They'd already tossed the other end of the rope to a skilled sailor, who lashed it to an old anchor on display in front of a dockside tavern. 'Now THAT should hold him in place awhile,' thought Shenzi. It would give Tepes time to work, and allow Lilt to let go of Mayhem's tail if his struggling posed a danger to her.

Lilt gave a screech of approval when Tara's rope snagged their quarry. With Lilt in safe leaping distance, Rudol gave the rampaging rhakos one last parting scratch before jumping back to his companion's shoulders.

More than happy to take up the empty space, Lilt loosed her grip on the beast's tail before leaping on his back, her wicked curved talons scoring much deeper than the slygryph's. Her beak caught the fluffy ruff on Mayhem's neck, seeking to control and restrain more than paralyze. If the rope couldn't hold the rhakos down, a half ton of raptor would.

Once Lilt was steady on Mayhem's back, Seth steeled his nerves. It was an awkward position, riding a stryx who was riding another stryx, but with the raptor holding the corrupted stryx down it was an easy target. A solid swing, and the whip's head was glancing off Mayhem's. Hopefully he could stun the monster before he had to blind it.

Tepes smiled to himself seeing Tara and Shenzi keep the chaotic stryx where he stood with rope of their own. This made it easier for him to attempt his plan, he moves the rope between his claws to get it to how he wanted it to be, and soon makes a mad dash to get the rope he had around both the legs of the rhakos without getting snapped at. As soon as Tepes can manage to get the rope around the giant's legs he attempts to trip him. The more difficult it is for this angry lizard chicken to move, the better in Tepes’s mind, he plans to try and get the rhako’s yapper under control next if he’s successful in his trip attempt.

Mayhem flailed and screamed in fury. He couldn't reach Lilt without getting his face smacked with Seth's whip or Rudol's claws, and now his legs were tethered. He wobbled, struggling to remain upright and roaring defiantly.

Shenzi now flew almost directly into Mayhem's face, opened her sharp beak, and let forth not only a screech, but also two jets of super-cooled fluid from the back of her throat. This hit Mayhem dead in the face, and froze on impact, as the sudden force of a solid target triggered the molecular change to its proper state, leaving the rhakos' upper face and eyes coated in ice.

Mayhem tried to jerk back his head in time to avoid the breath weapon, failed, wobbled more, and dropped onto his side. The talons of his feet opened and closed on nothing, reflexively.

The raptor leapt to safety as the rhakos toppled to the slick deck. Seth slid off and started digging through his pack. The ice was concentrated on Mayhem's face, but his jaw was still free to bite and snap. Even when tied down and half blinded, the beast was still terrifying, but Kukia and Tara had done their part. He couldn't slack off now!

The boy gently sidled up to the massive runner, keeping a close eye on the hooked beak. No losing fingers today, no thank you! Tying a loop into one end, he gently looped it over Mayhem's beak. So far so good. Now to get his jaw. One coil, two, then hell broke loose when the rhakos seemed to wake up from his reprieve.

Tepes flies closer when they seem to fully subdue the rhakos, but backs up when he tries to snap back to life and give Seth trouble with subduing his beak. Kukia can see the irritation on Tepes’s face, added on with the growl they just made, it's clear his lycan companion was getting frustrated with the rhakos. Tepes decides to fly up and above the Rhakos… before landing a little bit hard on the giant chicken lizard's neck to keep it in place to make tying its beak up easier. To add insult to injury, Tepes does his best to sit on the bird, or more perch, and gives the rhakos the harshest glare he had. Kukia stared at Tepes for a moment before sighing, then hops off Tepes to help Seth with subduing the beak.

A few minutes later, Kali arrived at the docks, with Geiger, several soldiers of the city guard, and a number of other heavy-hitting arena stryx, ready to throw down and subdue Mayhem... Only to be greeted with a scene they couldn't possibly have expected.

Tepes had settled down heavily on the rhakos's side, as though Mayhem were a giant, feathered sofa. His beak was bound shut, his legs tied together, plus one leg was still tethered to the display anchor of the nearby tavern. Melting ice dripped from his face and eyes, which glared at everything and nothing.

Shenzi was nearby, preening, while her rider, Tara, talked with Seth and Kukia softly. Lilt had perched on Mayhem's tail, just to add to the rhakos' humiliation, and Rudol sat beside Seth, his back to Lilt, as he had yet to forgive her for tossing him.