Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Kinn]

---

Ladron, while in decent physical shape for a mage, was not accustomed to all this running.

Regardless, he was certainly running as if his life depended on it now.

His brother Kinn, a ninja assassin by trade, was already a considerable distance ahead of him.

“I thought your “pet” had this under control?!” Kinn shouted over his shoulder at his increasingly lagging brother.

Ladron’s face betrayed his obvious disappointment. The arctic ogre lord he had charmed managed to dispatch three of the four chest guardians with ease. The two greater deamons and the poison elemental were no match for the brute strength of the frozen giant, but the ancient wyrm….well…that had proven to be another story. The wyrm ate the ogre lord like it was a light snack—and immediately turned to Ladron and Kinn as if they were to be the main course!

So here he was, running for his life on an island in the middle of nowhere. There would be no escape from this beast. He and his brother would have to kill it if they wanted to claim the chest that it guarded.

“Distract it!” Ladron shouted to his brother. “Buy me some time!”

Ladron’s hands were already glowing with the power he was beginning to channel.

Easy for you to say. Kinn thought to himself.

He couldn’t help but laugh a little at how ridiculous the request would have sounded were it coming from anyone else. Still, he trusted in his brother’s power. Not only that, but Kinn had to admit he enjoyed the danger—and the challenge.

Kinn merely nodded his head, smiled and charged for the nearest tree.

He ran two steps up the trunk of the massive tree and kicked off it—turning 180 degrees in mid air. While still in the air he pulled out a smoke bomb and launched it at the wyrm’s face. A second later the wyrm had a face full of smoke.

Not exactly the intended use of the thing. Kinn thought to himself as another smile crossed his face. Still, I think my old teachers would approve.

Kinn knew he would not be able to disable such an ancient and powerful creature with the ruse, nor would he be able to take to the shadows in front of a creature with senses as keen as this one. Instead, he used the obscuring smoke to hide the four mirror images of himself that he began summoning. It was an ancient illusion ability taught to all ninjas—simple but hopefully effective enough for what Kinn had in mind.

By the time the smoke cleared Ladron had ran past Kinn and stopped. He began to chant the words of a spell as the Ancient Wrym closed the distance and began attacking the five copies of Kinn that stood before it.

“Your mother was a pixie and your father was bogling!” All five Kinn’s shouted at once. The wyrm roared with fury—and then began to bite!

Kinn leveled his repeating crossbow and launched a volley of bolts at the beast, but they barely penetrated the wyrms scale-armored hide. As the last clone fell the wyrm looked at Kinn with a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. Kinn knew his illusions had run their course. He tensed his muscles and prepared to dodge any incoming attack from the beast.

The wyrm, however, never had a chance to launch another attack.

At that moment, Ladron let loose three spells in rapid succession. Almost instantly the wyrm was surrounded by wildfire, hit with an explosion and finding it strangely hard to breath. Not only that, it was beset by a small army of summoned imps—all of which were launching fireball barrages and clawing at the wyrm with reckless abandon.

Kinn saw his opportunity. He spoke the words of empowerment taught to him by the paladins and focused on the Ancient Wyrm. Instantly, Kinn hated the beast more than anything. The rest of the world did not exist, only he and the Ancient Wyrm. The reptilian monstrosity was a blight on the land that Kinn felt an urgent need to remove. His newfound hatred of the wyrm gave him more than just the will to kill it—it infused him with the power needed to do so.

Kinn raised his crossbow again and launched bolts that hit the wyrm at previously hidden weak points which Kinn’s righteous anger now allowed him to see.

The assault from the mage and the assassin was too much. The wyrm fell dead and both brothers leaned against nearby trees—utterly exhausted from the fight.

“I told you we should have gotten a Titan for this.” Kinn said through labored breaths.

Ladron only laughed.

“Come brother,” Ladron said as he stood and clapped Kinn on the shoulder. “Let’s see what treasure the foul beast was guarding, shall we?”

“Do you think this one will finally have the artifact you’re looking for?” Kinn asked.

Ladron sighed as they walked back toward the chest.

“I hope so brother. I hope so.”