They saw piercing darkness.
Coupled with a slight seizure (only for a split second).
An obliterating sound. Low, almost silent, yet almost too loud.
Axel heard a loud cacophony of voices. Roaring into his ears.
It was…
Seemingly too dark, he couldn't…
Oblivion.
---
The realm plunger halted, and Axel, sighing, could only look out the window. All he saw was a brown, parched ground.
It seemed foggy, and he could only squint his eyes, guessing why it was so.
The other superheroes stood up from their seats, going near the window to look out of it. They saw the scenery, and they were quite amazed at it.
They heard a whisper now; it was from the realm plunger:
"Destination arrived, location, Pebbleeh."
Dan stood near a window, looking at it with more focus, tilting his neck sideways, his lips perched upwards, his gaze unfettering.
"Empty place," he remarked, still near the window, looking through it.
"Indeed," Axel added, not even looking through the window again, the glance he had stolen before was quite enough.
He could only talk to Dan and not to the others; he felt kind of shy around them and so he had resorted to minding his business.
Chrysa went to the fridge, which was built into the wall of the realm plunger, and took out an average-sized can of soda. She used her teeth to open one and gulped it down greedily. Axel was amused as he stared at her for about two seconds before returning his gaze back downwards.
She took out another can of soda, the one she was holding not even finished. Axel was about to call her crazy if she was going to take it, but surprisingly, she said to Axel:
"You'll drink?"
Axel, surprised with that, nodded in the affirmative, and she threw him the can of soda, which he gulped down his throat.
She did the same for others who collected, except Mirrormeld, who said she was allergic.
That made everyone laugh out loud, Chrysa saying:
"I didn't know you could be allergic to soda, weird as F."
They all laughed, including Mirrormeld, who was being made fun of.
"You drink British coffee instead, m'lady?" Chrysa said again, and Axel decided that she had a good sense of humor.
She also had a Scottish accent, and Axel wondered if she was from there or her parents were. It was quite amusing that everyone had different accents, Axel noticed, smiling slightly at the thought.
Mirrormeld went to the fridge and took out a bottle of coffee, which she drank averagely, definitely not gulping but instead drinking with class.
"Nice," Chrysa said, and they didn't know why, but they laughed, not because it was funny but because they were happy.
Chrysa wasn't wearing her helmet now, and Axel, staring at her, thought that she was really pretty, miles ahead of Rhea.
She had blue hair and light blue eyes. Axel squinted his own eyes to be sure it was still the same as when he first saw her.
She almost had no lips, but the part that was there was tiny but beautiful, a fitting lip to kiss. She looked like she came from some high family. Like someone from royalty. She looked rich. Axel thought of her as a knight princess in one of those high fantasy movies he usually watched, only that this was more futuristic.
Axel turned his head to look at Dan, realizing that he had been silent the whole time. He had laughed with them on the first joke but hadn't on the second.
"What do we do now?" he asked him, feeling all too playful. "Do we go straight to the mission or kill time here a bit?"
Dan said no words; he only stared through the window, his gaze focused, like he was seeing something no one else was seeing.
Suddenly the atmosphere became gelid, and at that point, Axel knew something wasn't right here.
He walked up to Dan and looked through the window he was looking through now. He had been told by Royal Cloak that no one outside the realm plunger could see through the window, and only the people inside it could, so only vice versa, they could see outside the window.
Axel gasped at the sight.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, shocked.
Dan, his face now too serious, only looked at him.
Axel could see ugly-looking creatures, with wings, falling down, like some large, mighty sound was cutting the wings.
The others stood rooted to the spot, not really understanding what was happening.
"Scan them," Dan told him. "I did, but only I could see it."
Axel just thought about scanning, and easy peasy, it appeared before his eyes:
---
Monsteran Beast Profile: Skyrenders
⫸ Classification:
Abyssborn
⫸ Threat Rank: Monsteran Whelp
⫸ Manifestation Type:
Aerial Form, Flame-Infused, Winged Beast
⫸ Habitat Zone:
Volcanic Peaks, Storm-Torn Skies
---
Form & Presence
A medium-sized, bat-like creature with dark, charred wings. Its body is covered in rough, patchy scales, and its claws flicker with small sparks of fire. Its eyes glow faintly orange, and it emits a low, ominous growl as it soars.
---
Apex Traits & Abilities
Flame Lash – Strikes with fiery whips from its tail or claws, setting targets ablaze upon contact.
Ember Wind – Beating its wings, it generates gusts of hot wind, causing minor burns and disorienting foes.
Ignition Dive – Performs a dive attack, briefly engulfed in flames, creating a small explosion on impact.
Infernal Glide – Aerial maneuverability that lets it glide swiftly but with limited speed and stamina.
---
Defilements & Banes
Shock-Tipped Arrows – Electrified projectiles that can briefly paralyze its wings and slow it down.
Chain Traps – Strong chains that can restrict its movement on the ground and limit its flight.
---
Instincts & Behavior
The Skyrender is a scavenger, hunting smaller prey or picking off weaker creatures. It relies on hit-and-run tactics, swooping in to attack before retreating to the skies.
---
Combat Style:
Hit-and-Run, Aerial Skirmishing
Agility:
Moderate
Intelligence:
Instinctive, Opportunistic
Resilience:
Low
Axel turned to Dan.
"What do we do?"
The voice from the realm plunger system:
[Camouflage activated!]