open An Arrow to the Wing (1x1 with Catpone Cerberus)

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
Ruby didn't comment, just grunted, she didn't know anything about other worlds and such, so she didn't bother taking part in the conversation, if a creature from another world was capable of taking her down, there wasn't much she could do, she had evolved to be a perfect killing machine in this world, not in all worlds, every world had their superior species, and not all worlds were equal.

But this of course didn't fear her, because as had just been proven in the last fight, she did not fear death or injury.  

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

The pony started to walk, going to the dragonlands. Eventually they'd make it there. There were many dragons. Two were fighting over a rock.

"Ruby, keep an eye on Quasi, fire can actually kill him."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
"You're the one who can move instantly, besides, why even is he here if he can't take care of even himself?" Ruby pointed out "Speaking of, I was wondering, Quasi, are your kind's females as useless as you are, or is it like my kind where only males are useless?"  

Edited August 23, 2020 by Catpone Cerberus

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

"Am I immune to fire? No."

"The nightwings wrote a prophecy. And also, we typically have queens rule over us."

Quasi gave Ruby a scroll copy.

Another war in another world.

A pony prey that mourns his dead,

will give us all the scales of red.

With wings of another night

will give us one the brightest white

A coyote with a fake blue.

He will appear to help you.

A team of four

Will finally end the war.

"Typical! What next? we gonna find out the prophecy was made up too to 'give us a good twist to the story?' What's up with this stuff?"

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
Ruby tossed the scroll back after quickly glancing over it, she hadn't really gotten a straight answer to either of her questions, but at lest she got something regarding the latter "We had a prophecy too, it basically said that our nation would rule over all creatures and we all would have great fortune." she paused for dramatic effect "Greed took over, there was a civil war and civilization collapsed, and for longer than ponies or any other current day civilization has existed, we have been living like we do now." "My point being, I don't believe in prophecies." "So I ask again, what good is someone who can't take care of themselves in a war?"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

"We take care of each other, like the dragonets of destiny, those were heroes for sure. Then again, we don't have the chemistry they had, we barely know anything about each other."

Quasi found that depressing, he didn't think he was anything like heroes from history and stories. Arrow knew that Quasi was a little down about this.

"I didn't turn into a great warrior over night y'know. You can make something of yourself!"

Arrow looked to Ruby.

"I get it. You lack empathy. Your greed is instinct, but if you try to do the right thing, it will become easier if not natural. I wish I could unlock some 'hidden emotions', but I know you may not have them and I can do nothing, and I'm sorry I can't help you there, I wish I could. But I'm sure there's something in there, a sense of knowing right and wrong. Greed will not help you. No matter the gems, you will want more. When you have everything, you will weep for there is nothing left to gain."

"And so the warrior wept, for there are no worlds left to conquer."

"Wow, you know a lot."

"I saw it on the wall while using the bathroom."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
"Oh, I know what is right and what is wrong, the thing is, I just don't care." it seemed that Ruby wasn't going to get a straight answer to her question, not that it really mattered as long as he didn't make things harder. "And greed is not what brings me satisfaction, no, it's more like a need, like thirst and hunger, what brings me joy is fighting, what brings me satisfaction is victory, and there will always be creatures to kill." "I have heard the sermons about friendship, and they are meaningless to me, for most of my life I have managed alone, and alone I will be until my death, that is the way of nature."

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

Princess Ember walked to them and noticed Ruby.

"Oh, one of those dragons."

The blue dragon looked at Quasi.

"That's new."

"What's wrong with Ruby?"

"Ruby isn't exactly the most civilized type of dragon. I'll admit, the dragonslayer was a good idea."

"Well, thank y-"

"I still don't like you, Arrow."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
"Well, we don't have any civilizations at the homelands so you're not wrong."  Ruby said, she of course understood what Ember meant but she couldn't pass the chance to be annoying. She found it amusing that this little thing was the ruler of the local kind, but in other hand, considering the others she had met, this one just may be the most intelligent one. "But since someone who has hunted your kind for sport is a good idea in your opinion, I have a feeling that my savageness is exactly what you need." 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

"Sport? No, I was a mercenary, I was paid to take down dragons that were a threat."

"And a savage can go rogue if someone pays them more. Anyway, you're stonger than my kind, so I have a job for you. There are some jackals and they are powerful. Their weapons mowed down an entire group of dragons in minutes."

"Do the weapons really go brrrrttt?"

"Some do, others make other sounds, some explode. Don't bother with armor, the armor is just dead weight."

Arrow was a little uneasy, he's heard of these weapons, how could he hope to stand against that?

"I... guess we should go deal with that."

@Catpone Cerberus

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
"I could probably mow down a group of dragons in minutes." Ruby muttered under her breath, she didn't seem faced, and in truth, she wasn't, death or victory, though latter was more preferable, she wasn't scared of death, there was fates worse than that. "Less talking more doing, where are they?"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

After a while walking where they were told to go, nothing could be found. Quasi tried using his sense of smell, but cane up with nothing, the jackals hid their smell with something, maybe the sulfer? Was that safe?

Suddenly a hail of bullets came upon them.

" For Haja ya nguvu!"

Bombs suddenly were raining down upon the group, Quasi and Arrow looked for a place to hide so they could try and spot the attackers.

"Ruby, don't go looking for them, we need to find out where they are, get closer, and find out what they are capable of! We cannot fight them without knowing that!"

"I have something from their mind, bits and pieces. Nothing useful, just stuff about jackal supremacy. I'm only able to ready what they are thinking in the moment that's up front in the mind, I can't dig into memory or anything."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight

Ruby didn't need to smell anything to know something was up, there was lot more metal around than usual (her extra sense) 

She covered herself at first, but when she realized that whatever was shot at them ricocheted off her scales, she started laughing. The bombs were bit more dangerous, but besides hurting her ears, nothing less than a direct hit did anything to her, and since she moved in unprediable manner, it wasn't easiest thing to do out there. 

It was harder to focus on the metal when avoiding explosions, so she wouldn't find their enemy right away, but if nothing else, she would work as a good distraction. 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

A few jackals came out and started to run at Ruby with grenades, ak47s, and RPGs. Some attempted to plant c4 on her like she was a tank, judging from the looks of things like them pointing RPGs at point blank range, they didn't really care if they went out with her.

Other jackals launched RPG rockets at the rock Quasi and Arrow were hiding under when a helicopter came and took out the jackals from afar, a blue coyote came out wielding an m14 modified for canines with four legs quickly dispatched the jackals.

"Wow, you're stronger than those other dragons, armor piercing a rounds typically are enough. You're like a flying tank! Ace! Get these guys ready for exfil!"

"Oh, you're military?"

"Bounty hunter, I don't know what exfil means. I heard it in a game once. Ace would know, he's former military, was deployed in Afghanistan in the airforce."

"That sounds like a country. Well, Ruby does change forms, so, maybe she's willing to get on that flying thing of yours, or maybe not, she's kinda mean."

"There's me."

"Guess we're walking. Ace, drop Myra off here and you head out. You're work here is done, I'll stay with these guys to help them out, as I was hired to do."

The helicopter dropped off a brown and tan coyote and left. The female coyote was adorned with an emerald with a string on her head and a necklace with another emerald.

"A dangerous predator, aren't you, red dragon? I'm Princess Myra of the Dáso pack of Dásonia. I lead many into battle and watched over the forest in the night. Well, I'm a musician now, and a bounty hunter, but the call of battle is still in me."

The coyote had a pretty accent.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
The fools that came anywhere near Ruby would show just how savage she was, as none of them survived her brutal attacks, and most unlucky was the one who was the last survivor, as Ruby didn't bother making their end quick nor painless.  

She ignored the chitchat as she usually did, focusing more on cleaning up herself as much as she could without water, and as things had calmed down and she had stopped moving, one could notice that she didn't survive without scratch, literally and figuratively, as there were harmless scratches, a lot of them, and there was also bits and pieces missing from her scales, but none of the big enough to cause any openings. 

She didn't even notice the newcomers before the female coyote addressed her, yes, she even missed the praise that was given to her by the blue one. "Ruby, I serve no one, I lead no one." "I kill to live and live to kill." she was mostly surprised it was her from everyone who this....dog? decided to talk to.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

"One that breathes fire and yet is cold. I too was once cold. Killing is part of the life of many Nomadikans in the land that is Nomadikós, a land of more than one pack. We hunt and we fight. We defend our lands and die to protect."

"She talks funny, but she's still pretty and nice."

Quasi looked at Ruby, a crab was on her head.

Arrow looked.

"Hey, he likes you. Don't eat him though or I'll keep your horns as a prize."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
Because of the small size of the crab, Ruby wouldn't even have known it was there if Arrow wouldn't have said something, not that she did anything about it, but the kitten looked interested, where it had been all this time? no idea, but it was somehow on top of Ruby again and was poking the crab to see what it was. "Pack animals." Ruby said in contemptuous tone "Also Arrow or whatever your name was, I'm not going to eat your crab, I'd barely notice it if it walked into my mouth and down my throat, so there is no satisfaction for me to even try to eat it." she then returned her attention toward the dog "I come from somewhere where it is kill or be killed, everyone for themselves and so on, you either kill, or you die." "I don't really care who you are or were, as long as you don't make things harder for me." "My point being, why are you saying this all to me specifically?"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

"A predator, one of strength. I admire the predators, hunting is a skill. Some give chase, some sneak, some fish from a lake. Your land is one with trial? You care not for pack animals. Our packs are not like yours. Nomadikós has packs that are like nations, though our structures are caves, some made, and some natural. A pack in your sense is what we give names like hunting parties, military units, and things like that. One that is united is one with a cause to fight for."

"She's smart, supposedly she was like a pony with the name Tempest. Ruby, do you too have a troubled passed? I was mistreated in an orphanage, as a result did drugs, partied, stole, and drank when I was younger. Now I'm 20 and doing well. Myra was given up at birth and... started a civil war, but she realized she was wrong with help and surrendered and was welcomed back into her pack and was given back her title of the night time princess of Dasonia. She tells her story because she respects you as one with much strength."

Arrow spoke up.

"I'm strong too!"

"We all have our strengths, don't take it personally, we will get along, I'm sure, pony."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
"Pack is a pack no matter how big it is." Ruby stated, seemingly ignoring the question and the talk after it "a pack, a herd, a nation, it's all the same, several individually weak creatures gathering into a group to survive." she hadn't ignored it though, as came apparent in her next words "The concept of troubled past is not something that exists for my kind, we call it life." "The life at the homelands is harsh, and some are too weak to handle it, they rarely survive." "And I will tell this now, I despise you, all of you, and though it's refreshing for someone to actually realize what I'm capable of, I seek no respect from anyone, and very few deserve it from me." she then faced Arrow "You claim to be strong, but what would happen if I snapped the little horn of yours off your head? No teleportation, no magical armies, no magical nets...what would you be without your magic?" she turned back towards the newcomers "And what would you be without your weapons?" "You all are powerful, I don't deny that, but strength is not the same as power, a king hiding inside walls while his men fight for his kingdom is powerful, but would anyone of you call him strong?" 

 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

Everyone looked at each other, except Quasi Nix, she was looking at the dragon.

"You think you know strength. I'm sure this is the reason you left your homelands. I'm sure you left because you weren't strong enough. You claim to hate groups, including society even though that is what you depend on."

The white dragon prepared to fight the dragon. He didn't care if Ruby was stronger. Quasi seen many dragons with much hatred and greed, and yet this one was the first to anger the dragon.

Quasi had a spear, dragons in his world used them. His spear was enchanted as he is weaker than the Equestrian type. Quasi started by hitting Ruby with blunt end of the spear, warning her.

"I suggest you improve at attitude, or soon you won't have one at all."

The dragon was threatening to kill Ruby, and meant what he said.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Lucid_Nightlight

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
Ruby looked amused, Quasi had made a mistake by giving a warning, as he would quickly find Ruby holding the other end of the spear "I don't depend on it...." her next words came out with flames "...I utilize it." she didn't attack quasi other than annoying him with her flames, only real attacks she did, were counter attacks, and as Quasi would find out if the fight went for too long, every counter attack would be worse than he would able to do to Ruby with his attacks, and that was when he got and attack in, because even if he got the spear out of her grip without it breaking, she was quite effective at blocking and dodging, especially if he tried the same thing more than once.

Ruby was grinning the whole time, she enjoyed it. 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

Quasi emitted smoke to block Ruby's site, and pulled his spear out, Arrow would soon try to break up the fight, but. not being able to kill them made this difficult, seriously he's a dragonslayer noy a dragon mediator.

A dragon would appear from camouflage and bare fangs and spit a black venom in Ruby's direction. Splashing on the ground. If she happened to get hit, she'd find that this venom was like an acid to any organic material, but it wouldn't be enough to cause any lasting damage.

"A rainwing!"

"Message from the queen. The rainwings and nightwings have fully entered the war after an attack on our land and Equestria. We've successfully driven the invaders out, guerilla tactics were used. The fight continues in Equestria. We want you to remain on the dragonlands front and push into opposing territory if possible. And Quasi, try not to lose your temper again, you're capable but at a disadvantage against that dragon."

The rainwing looked at Ruby.

"Remember, there are dragons stronger than you are. You may not fear death, but that's what places you at a disadvantage against the strong."

Then she smiled.

"Didn't I sound so smart when I said that? Wowie! Well, have a fine and dandy day!"

The dragon flew off.

"We better keep going, if we keep fighting each other we'll get nowhere."

Quasi wasn't afraid of Ruby, he was very fast and could probably evade an attack if needed.

Meanwhile, Arrow threw up after tasting some meat that Quasi carried around. Some kinda rabbit.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
Hitting a moving target with liquid from distance wasn't the easiest thing out there, and at best few drops would hit Ruby, not that she noticed even if it may or may have not been enough to damage her scales since the scales didn't have the capability to feel pain for obvious reasons.

'You actually didn't' Ruby would have said if the convenient dragon hadn't flown away, because it really wasn't smart, in fact, it didn't make any sense, not fearing death didn't put her in disadvantage in any sense of the word, because it had no effect on her fighting capabilities, what it could do, was get her killed because she refused to back down, but that isn't a disadvantage, it's just deadly stubbornness.

"You say it like I was the one who started it." Ruby pointed out "It's not my fault that me pointing out reality angered you." 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Catpone Cerberus

A bullet from a 1911 would hit Ruby, obviously doing no damage. The blue coyote had a mischievous look as if he wanted to annoy the dragon.

"Be nice, dragon! I say the chameleon dragon thing is right!"

"Aw, does the little puppy want to be in charge?"

"Excuse me? I'm not a puppy! And of course I'm in charge!"

"No, I'm very much in charge. Tell him Ruby!"

Meanwhile, Quasi was looking at Ruby like a child angry for being told no.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Lucid_Nightlight
"I'll break that piece of metal in two if you start testing my patience." Ruby warned the dog "And I take orders from none of you." she emphasized the word 'none' "I'm here because I'm paid to help part of the local dragon population to win a war, I haven't killed you, because I assume you're considered part of the 'good' side, but that doesn't mean I won't do it, gems are just gems, and if you test my patience enough, I'll rip you all to pieces and go back to more important things." "I am well aware that I'm not most pleasant company to be around, but you three are even worse."