Razhiel looked at the board of notices. Grabbing one with the word Wyvern on it she ripped it down. A middle aged man looking at the board made a grunt of disapproval. Lifting her head from reading, she turned it slowly to regard him. Violet orbs narrowed, her lips pursed, and her free hand dropped to her whip. The stranger’s eyes bulged from behind his glasses as he focused on her hand. An audible gulp could be heard as he swallowed and without a word he backed away. An eyebrow raised, a half smirk appeared on her face as she looked back at the paper and began to read the mission.
Between her black knee high boots, dark jeans, leather jacket and spikey short hair she looked intimidating. Her regal attitude and intense, no bull shit, gaze only enhanced the look.
Oshibana Town… She was excited. A wyvern was not something a person would come across every day. Folding the paper and tucking it in her back pocket, she headed out.
Oshibana was not a large town, though it was bustling. There were people briskly walking about. An older woman was walking down the street juggling a basket on each shoulder. The wind, which had been steady, suddenly picked up. Leaves jumped into the air, dancing down the lane. Dust swirled as if line dancing. The older woman lost her footing, one basket falling backwards as she stumbled. Razhiel jumped forward, one hand grabbing the woman’s arm and the other catching the basket before it hit the ground. Setting the basket on the ground, she asked, ‘Are you alright?’ The old woman held out her hand, ‘That was some quick moving there, youngin.’ Bertha.’ Smiling, she took her hand and shook it. ‘Razhiel.’ The woman’s grip was strong, the hand shake firm. It was refreshing. She could tell she would like this town. ‘You go on, grab that basket and carry it to my house for me.’ Resetting the basket she carried, the old woman started walking off. Picking up the basket, Razhiel hurried after her. ‘Well stranger, what brings you to this little town here?’ Razhiel wasn’t surprised, a town like this everyone would know everyone. ‘Actually I am here for the Wyvern.’ Looking back the woman laughed, ‘You little thing? Hmph. Well alrighty than. You would want to see my daughter Melissa, she is the one who posted for help.’ The woman walked a moment before continuing, it seemed she would not stop talking. ‘Now that Wyvern, he is a force not to be reckoned with. No mind in that one. No consideration either. Don’t you know, he just went and destroyed half my garden… NOW! Now I have to go trading with the Brooks down the way for vegetables.’ Razhiel’s eyes had widened as the woman continued. She wondered how long Bertha could hold her breath for, ha. Reaching the front steps of a ramshackle building, Razhiel set down the basket. Interrupting the woman, mid sentence, she asked ‘Where can I find Melissa?’ Without missing a beat Bertha switched tracks, ‘Well now she is set up at the station. Gosh bless her heart, in this heat, it’s a wonder she doesn’t pass out down there…’ Razhiel nodded and walked off, the woman still talking up a storm.
Shaking her head with a laugh, Razhiel strode to the station. She was met by a young girl, average in looks but not in appearance. Her goggles and the brown gloves, combined with her constant flitting were quite amusing. The girl, she assumed Melissa Anderson, was muttering to herself picking up one thing, setting it down somewhere than writing something down, only to turn around and pick up something else. ‘Excuse me.’ There was no reply so Razhiel stepped closer and said it louder. ‘Excuse me!’ Big brown eyes glanced up at her, ‘Yes? Can I help you?’ Pulling out the paper and placing it on the counter, ‘Yes, I am here about the Wyvern. Melissa, correct?’ The young woman suddenly came closer, ‘Oh yes! Ah Yian Garuga, he is quite large for his kind. We cannot take care of him ourselves, he can be quite… terrifying.’ She turned about a started going through some papers, muttering once more. Razhiel waited patiently. Melissa turned around and handed Razhiel a drawing. ‘I did that myself. He comes out of the woods every so often and rampages, destroying parts of the town, eating our animals if they are wondering about.’ She stopped talking suddenly, almost unnatural in its suddenness. ‘Umm… Where does it live?’ Razhiel asked. ‘Right. Its den is in the woods on the outskirts of the town. There is dead flora around where it lives, so you can find it readily enough. Thank you for your help.’ Melissa turned around and continued doing what she was before Razhiel showed up effectively dismissing her.
Razhiel chuckled under her breath. She could tell the resemblance between mother and daughter. Upon entering the dense forest, the light dimmed drastically. She felt unease, her hand dropped to her whip, unsnapping it. The handle felt cool in her hand, the coils loosely held in the same hand. After walking for about a half hour, she heard whistling, a beat of wings. She couldn’t pin point what it was by sight. Tilting her head to the side, she closed her eyes, and listened. Letting the coils of the whip drop to the ground, her wrist snapped sending the barbed end flying up just as a Remobra dropped from the sky. The end of the whip wrapped around its neck and the beast crashed into the ground as she pulled it down. Dodging a second one, she grabbed a dagger from the inside of her boot and yanking the head up of the Remobra she brought down, she slashed its neck. Red blood sprayed in a wide arc as it let loose a horrible screech. Dropping on top of the, now dead, Remobra, she felt the wind as a third Remobra tried to claw her. Rolling across the ground and landing on one knee, she yanked her whip up and snagged around the foot of another Remobra. Pulling it down, she ran at it, and letting go of the whip, jumped from its back to land on the back of the remaining flying Remobra. The dagger still clutched in her right hand she stabbed it down into the back of its neck. Jumping and absorbing the impact in a roll, she stood to face the last Remobra who could barely hold weight on its torn leg which still had the whip wrapped around it. They eyed each other, the Remobra turning its head from side to side. A flash of movement, she threw the dagger which embedded itself between the Remobra’s eyes. It dropped to the ground, eyes glazed. Walking to it, she pulled her dagger from its head. Unwrapping the whip coiled around its leg, she wiped it of blood and coiled it, clipping it back to her waist. She took the dagger and slashed the throat of the one she paralyzed. Wiping the blade on a large leafed fern, she set it back in its sheath inside her boot.
Standing, she continued her stride forward. She smelled death before she even reached the den. Cracking her neck from side to side, she took the scythe off her back and set it against a tree. Shrugging off her leather jacket, she hung it on a low branch, fingers caressing the dragon and lightning embroidered on the back. Snagging the scythe, she whipped it to the side, its blade opening with a whisper of sound. Dead plants crunched under her boots as she entered the clearing. Razhiel had been wondering how she would attract its attention to get it out of its den, but upon entering the clearing she saw the Wyvern clear as day. It must have heard the dying screams of the Rombra. Its head swiveled and immediately focused on her. Without waiting, it let loose a stream of fire from its mouth. ‘Shit.’ She didn’t think she would have to pull on her magic so soon. Her body temp shot up as she dodged to the right. She just missed the flame, the heat hit her but didn’t affect her with lightning racing through her body in a continuous circuit. Separating her hands, lightning arced between them, and with a clap a thunderous roared pushed through the clearing. The shockwave hit the front of the Wyvern, his jaws agape as he shook his head back and forth. Without pause she darted forward, she slashed upward with her scythe in a sweeping motion, sparks dancing along the blade as it became imbued with lightning. He arched back with a roar, noxious smog pouring from his mouth. He swung his tail forward and with using her enhanced strength Razhiel flipped backwards over it. Without losing momentum she brought the scythe down much like an axe, it sinking into his tail. The wyvern began thrashing, swinging his tail back and forth, in which the scythe was stuck. Razhiel, unwilling to let the scythe go swung with it, while pushing her power into the blade. Burning flesh could be smelled as the scythe became extremelty hot, burning through what flesh was left connecting the tail. The wyvern, in its thrashing, hurt itself more by smashing Razhiel into a tree, driving the scythe fully through its tail. Razhiel promptly fell to the ground, groaning as she got up using the scythe. ‘Ungraceful much…’ she said to herself. The loss of its tail seemed to enrage it more as it turned its hideous beaked mouth towards her and poured poison breath from it. She ran. In which the wyvern charged forward to follow. Using her increased speed, she ran up a tree. Jumping up a few branches before flinging herself into open space to drop onto the wyvern’s back.
With a roar, it reared. Using her left hand, Razhiel grabbed the handle of her whip uncoiling it as she flicked it forward, wrapping it around a large spike near his neck and essentially riding the Wyvern. Swinging the scythe she embedded it into the Wyvern’s neck, freeing her hand as she let the scythe stick there. Triple wrapping the whip around her fist, she straddled the Wyvern, palm placed against its rough skin as it crashed from tree to tree and continued to rear and thrash. Razhiel began a stream of lightning into the beast’s body. Opening her mind fully to her power, she let loose a concentrated jolt reaching his heart. The wyvern crashed to the ground with such force she was flown forward. Quick reflexes, her hand shot out and grabbed the handle of the scythe. Dislodging the scythe from the neck, she hit the ground on her hand and feet. Head bowed, breathing deeply, her right hand clenched around the scythe. A shutter and deep rumble, the Wyvern stood when its heart should have stopped. ‘You are so damn stubborn you restarted your damn heart.’ Fingers tearing gouges in the dirt, boots pushed as she propelled herself under the Wyvern. Scythe in hand , the point dug across its abdomen, slicing through its scales and thick tissue letting loose a spew of guts. Hitting the ground on the other side, Razhiel laid on her back, looking up at the sky as the Wyvern fell back to the ground, this time not getting back up.
Standing, she shook her head. Wiping the blade of the scythe she folded it and clasped it on her back. Jumping up the Wyvern’s shoulder and onto its back, she grabbed her whip. Running a hand through her short, and now sweaty, hair she strode out of the clearing. Grabbing her jacket from the branch she left it hanging, she put it on, covering her burned and tattered shirt. Returning to the rail station, she merely said ‘Done.’ Melissa looked up from blueprints she now had out. ‘Wow. Okay um yea.’ Razhiel raised an eyebrow, ‘You didn’t mention Rombra in the woods.’ Melissa had been rifling through papers but looked up at Razhiel’s comment. ‘I am sure I did. They are almost as much of nuisance as the Wyvern. Fast and aggressive, they usually flock.’ Razhiel nodded, ‘Right. Very good information.’ Melissa smiled. Razhiel just shook her head and waited for payment.