[center][h1][b][color=red]A[/color][/b][/h1][/center][sub]Interactions/Mentions: VV-[@Estylwen][/sub][hr]
[indent]The sight of the Ravager collapsing under her attack sent a jolt of grim satisfaction through A, but there was no time to dwell on it. His agonized whimper, a haunting sound of defeat, was nearly drowned out by the relentless staccato of gunfire—twelve shots erupting in rapid succession. She flinched instinctively, the sound too loud, too close.

[b]“Die, you black heart!”[/b] one of the Ravagers spat, venom lacing his words as if poison dripped from his tongue. 

A’s jaw clenched, her teeth grinding together as the insult registered. But before she could react, the battlefield shifted again. VV’s power erupted like a tidal wave of shadow that swallowed the Ravagers in a living void. The inky mass moved with a serpentine grace, curling and coiling as though it had a will of its own. A shiver crawled up her spine at the sight, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She’d seen VV’s power before, but its cold, alien quality always left her unnerved, a primal instinct warning her that it was something unnatural.

The irony, however, was not lost on her. 

[b]“That was awesome,”[/b] VV said then. [b]“But we really gotta get outta here.”[/b]

A, her face pale and drawn, didn’t need any further persuasion.  “I know,” she replied hoarsely, pressing a trembling hand to her temple to feel the relentless needle of pain embedded deep behind her eyes. Her head still throbbed slightly from her earlier attack, but there was no time to stop. 

Summoning her strength, her muscles reluctantly obeyed as she stumbled forward toward the great dragon. The faint smell of scorched wood and the coppery tang of blood hung heavy in the air, every step a fight against the exhaustion threatening to drag her down.  A cast a fleeting glance back, her eyes locking onto the forms of the Ravagers beginning to stir, their heads rising as they awoke to realize that the immediate peril had momentarily passed. 

There was no time to spare. 

A quickened her pace, her heart pounding in rhythm with the frantic rush of her breaths. As the two reached the dragon, the sheer size of it stole her breath for a moment, its emerald scales gleaming with an almost unnatural brilliance. Hoisting herself onto the dragon’s expansive, scaly back, every muscle in her body protested, her movements stiff and jerky. 

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” [/indent]