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THIS STORY HAS SOME GORY SCENES. IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THESE YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. 

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 "Out of my way! Out of my way dammit!"

A purple hewed crystal dragon sped through the air at a frantic pace, narrowly dodging startled onlookers as they hurriedly moved up against the side of the tall walls of the canyon. Several dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding stepping on the many humans moving along the ground below. A metal dragoness let out a yelp of surprise as the crystal drake spun around her, beating his wings faster and faster, his crystalline scales flicking odd shapes of light against the canyon walls.

Behind him a roar of unrequited fury echoed down the canyon, causing all to freeze in place, turning to face whatever made the noise. The massive thwumps of an elder dragon's wings pulsed like drums. The crystal drake let out a whine, pushing himself to go faster as he held his forepaws close to his chest. Bloodstained those claws, dripping to the ground below.

"I will kill you Shatter!" the roaring dragon's voice shook the earth, "You are not going to escape me!"

Shatter growled silently to himself as he took a sharp turn down another canyon. He would rise above the walls of the canyon, but that would leave him out in the open, where a large dragon, like his aggressor, would be able to chase him down without trouble. Better to stay low to the ground, where he could use his maneuverability to his advantage.

He blurred past many archways and locked entrances. He slipped past a large open cavern, filled with young hatchlings playing jovially in tumbles and roles. A blue-coloured water dragon, rather out of place in the usual silvers, yellows, greens, and opallic purples, hissed at him as he shot by, before growling a surprised yelp when the thud of large wings sounded through the canyon again.

Shatter took a moment to look behind him and let out a growl worry. The large green body of the elder earth drake was catching him, fast. How something so large could move with such speed was confusing for the drake, but he could do naught but continue to strain his wings even further. It was getting difficult to keep his pace. His breaths were getting shorter, and his heart bashed at his chest as though trying to force itself out.

Several cracks appearing along the canyon wall were the only warning he got before a spike of earthen stone shot outwards at him. He twisted in mid-air, pulling his wings inward, launching himself higher and narrowly dodging the projectile. He looked back again, letting liquid crystal condense along his tail, before flicking it and sending several razor-sharp spikes back at the approaching earth dragon. The drake responded by firing a boulder back at Shatter, destroying the spikes and forcing him into another twisting movement. Several cries followed as the boulder smashed into a crowd of humans who had stopped to watch the chase.

Realizing his plan wasn't working, Shatter quickly flapped his wings hard, trying to force himself higher into the sky and into the open. More cracks along the canyon walls forced him to pull his wings close and dive again to avoid more erupting spikes of stone. The earth dragon was waiting for him. Shatter let out a snarl as he spun around another boulder but couldn't dodger the swiping claws of the massive dragon. He was smashed from the sky, claws tearing through his scales and leaving several ragged gashes along his flank.

He hit the ground hard, sliding several metres, and groaning as the wind was knocked out of him. For a moment he lay still, gasping back his breath, before quickly staggering to his feet as the ground rumbled at the landing of the other dragon. Shatter opened his mouth, firing several crystal daggers at the earth drake. He simply moved his wing as a shield, stone condensing around its surface as a shield. It did obscure his vision for a moment though. Shatter took the moment to scan his surroundings. Injured humans were being dragged out of the way. Dragons hovered in the air above them, watching in both fear and trepidation. None would be helping him. Byron's reputation was far too frightening. To stand against him was a death sentence.

Shatter did spot something, however. He quickly moved, flicking several more spikes at the large drake to force him to defend again. There was a small open archway set deep against the stone. Probably a human establishment. The entrance was just big enough for him to fit through, so he raced toward it. He narrowly dodged another boulder with a wing-assisted leap, before disappearing through the doorway, scratching his wings against the stone on either side. There was a roar of anger from behind him as the larger earth drake pounced, narrowly missing his tail.

It was rather spacious inside, with open ground. Several stone tables were scattered around with many humans sitting at them, staring at the crystal drake in open shock. It looked like some sort of tavern, with human food sitting on tables that admittedly smelled rather delicious, as well as a bar at one side with drinks being served. It was lit up by several flaming lanterns that cast yellow light over everyone within the bar.

Shatter flinched as another angry roar from Byron shrouded the entire establishment, echoing back and forth. The earth dragon's head appeared through the door as he struggled to force himself forward, his enraged yellow eyes locked onto the crystal drake. Ugly scars ran across his damp green snout, disappearing in the dull brown scales below his jaw. He opened his mouth, roaring again as he breathed a deluge of tiny earthen spikes. Shatter yelped as he leaped out of the way, feeling several break his scales and dig into his side. But he responded with an attack of his own, allowing a savage grin as spikes dug into the dragon's snout, causing him to fall backward with a roar of pain.

The crystal drake fell to the ground, breathing heavily as he tried to ignore the rising agony with his body. Several wounds were seeping blood, and his hind leg was grating against a stone spike. Byron's attack had cracked and broken several tables, as well as shredding several humans unlucky enough to get in the way. Their bloody remains lay scattered along the ground. The surviving humans had taken shelter behind the bar or were cowering below their tables. Shatter snorted at them. They wouldn't be any help either.

"You think you've escaped me, lizard!" Byron snarled in the dragon's language from outside, though it seemed he didn't want to put his head back through the door, "I am going to destroy you!"

"C... can't we talk about this?" Shatter called back, "She was trying to kill me! I didn't have a choice!"

"And now I am going to kill you," the earth dragon responded aggressively, "But not before I make you scream as I pull your scales out one by one."

"Good talk," muttered Shatter as he looked around the place he had trapped himself in.

There were only one entrance and exit. He had hoped that this place might have some sort of back tunnel or something, but it didn't look like these humans would be willing to help him find one even if it did. There was a kitchen behind the bar, but he was too big to fit through there. He felt slightly bad for putting all these humans in the firing line of Byron's rage but better that than get killed himself. But the way things were going he couldn't think of a single way of managing to get out of this situation. Maybe he could surprise Byron with a quick dash back into the open... but with his injuries, he didn't think he would make it that far.

Maybe he could manage a lucky spike into the earth dragon's eye and put him down for good, but that didn't seem likely either. Byron was an elder drake after all and was incredibly experienced and powerful for a dragon without equilibrium. But it would likely be his only shot at getting out of their alive. And he was still leaking an excessive amount of blood. He was beginning to grow a little lightheaded.

"You're a snake, Shatter. A writhing, slippery, venomous snake. So, you will be crushed like one," Byron's voice seemed a lot calmer now, but was spoken with no less fury.

Shatter forced himself to get to his feet again, a cold shiver running down his back. He knew that if he didn't make a break for the door now, he didn't think he would have another chance. But as soon as he took a step forward, the ground began to rumble. The stone floor and roof began to crack and shift. Several humans cried out in terror as the earth quaked under the will of the earth dragon. Too late Shatter understood what Byron was attempting. He staggered toward the entrance but was stopped as the doorway collapsed. The drake took a step backward in panic as the resting of the roof began to fall inward.

It started small, dust and small stones falling from the roof. But quickly escalated as the supports weakened. Boulders fell. The humans in their hiding places screamed, and Shatter let out a roar as he staggered backward, only to have the rubble fall around him. His wings were crushed down beside him. Stones collapsed onto his back, knocking him to the ground. He tucked his head inward and closed his eyes, whimpering as the ground continued to move and the roof continued to fall.

Eventually, everything seemed to return to calm. The stench of dust and stone wafted through the air, causing the crystal drake to cough with a groan. Slowly he opened his eyes, not that it did much, and slowly raised his head. He let out a grunt as he hit it against something in the darkness, quickly lowering it to the ground again. His body felt numb and bruised. He could feel a massive weight on his back, but it also felt as though that weight was being stopped from falling fully upon him.

A laugh escaped him. He was alive. Somehow. There was likely some sort of wedge above him that was keeping most of the weight from his back. Though, now that he thought about it, this situation was hardly better than his previous one. Using his legs, he attempted to push upwards at the stone above him, but unsurprisingly it was far too heavy for him to lift. He couldn't feel his wings either.

He let out a shuddering breath as the reality of his situation began to get to him. Hesitantly he stretched out his neck as far as he could and let out a grunt when his snout smacked against an invisible wall of stone. He tried to push himself up again, but no matter how hard he strained against rubble on his back it refused to move. A whimper escaped him, his breathing rate increasing. The air tasted stale and musty, and each breath felt increasingly short. He headbutted the stone above him and froze as the stone groaned in response, shifting slightly. The weight on his back increased, causing him to grunt.

"Help!" he roared as loud as he could, "Is anyone out there?"

He immediately clamped his mouth shut, berating himself for his stupidity. What if Byron was still out there? He gulped, waiting for the consequences of his brash action. But when nothing came, he let out a sigh of relief. He had no idea how much time had passed since the collapse, and Byron seemed like the type to want to make sure he was gone for good. Did that mean he would try and have the place dug out?

Shatter let out a growl as he looked around him. Somehow that seemed like the least of his worries. Even if Byron didn't try and dig him out, he would surely suffocate, or starve. Whichever came first. That or his injuries would get the best of him and he would just simply die of blood loss. He could already feel the dull aches all over his body begin to make themselves known.

He lowered his head to the ground, trying to limit his breathing, desperately going over his current situation in his head. Surely someone would want to dig this place out again, right? And even if they did, they likely wouldn't start for days, possibly weeks. He didn't know if he had that long.

"Hello!" he called again, suddenly not caring if Byron heard him.

He would rather die to whatever torture the earth dragon had planned for him than be buried alive. His forepaws were free, so he reached them out, desperately clawing at the earth to try and move his body forward. If he could free himself a bit he might be able to dig himself out. But nothing seemed to work. And he still couldn't feel his wings. Another whimper escaped him.

"Is anyone out there!?" he cried out, "Please... please!"

No response. A wailing cry escaped the distraught drake as he pushed back against the earth above him. For a moment he thought something budged, but his limped failed and he fell limp against the ground, sobbing. This wasn't right. He didn't deserve this. He had only been protecting himself... mostly.

He had seen it in her eyes. She was going to attack him. She was going to crush him with her tail. He had no choice but to act first. If he didn't... she would have killed him. It didn't matter that she was Byron's daughter. It didn't matter that they had once been friends. He had no choice. And now... now it seemed as though he would die anyway.

A keen escaped him as he gave one more half-hearted push at the earthen confines, with the same results as before. He didn't want to die. He was barely into his fifth decade. There was so much more left to do. So much of his life left to live. His heaving sobs quietened to gentle whimpers. His body was really beginning to hurt now. Every movement he made seemed to only make the pain worse. His wings were still numb, however and likely crushed to oblivion.

He lay his head down on the ground, closing his eyes. Not that it made any difference in what he could actually see. But it was more comforting. With his eyes closed, he could drift. He could dream. But his increasingly aching body only made it more difficult to get to sleep. So eventually he gave up, opening his eyes to the pitch blackness once again, laying his head against the ground with another whimper.

"I don't want to die," he murmured to himself, "I don't want to die."

It was like a cold resolve washed through him. He didn't want to die. He refused to die. With a growl, he pushed up against the stone again. He refused to just sit there... waiting to die. The stone was still as heavy as before. Still as impossible to move. But the thought was set in his head. He would not die here. Not today. So, he strived even harder. It would move. It had to move because if it didn't he would die. That wasn't an option.

So, he heaved. His body flared in protest, but it didn't matter to the crystal dragon. He continued to push. The stone dug into his back. There was a tightness around the joints of his wings as he pulled them upward. He closed his eyes again, but this time with the intent of focus. He wouldn't die, even if it meant he had to lift the entire canyon on his back to do so. The thought was so ridiculous, even to him, but he continued to push despite that.

A roaring snarl escaped him as he continued to push with greater and greater effort. Something budged in the stone above him, but it only caused more weight to fall upon his back. A cry left him as for a moment he fumbled, falling limp again. But he quickly got his forelegs back in front of him and using them began to push again. A roar escaped him, a cry of protest. He didn't care if it crushed him.

His mind became consumed with the idea. He would not die. Not matter what he had to do, no matter how hard he had to push against the ground above him. Even if he had to lift ten mountains to make it so. He would not die. A roaring cry of fury echoed from his mouth. His breaths were coming in ragged gasps. His limbs shook with the effort, his entire body begging him to stop. But he ignored it, only putting greater and greater effort as the thought consumed his entire being. He. Would. Not. Die.

The thought broke through any rationality. Any realistic goal or notion. It didn't even consider the reality of his predicament. It was impossible for a dragon to lift a mountain. But he didn't care. He would do it anyway. A scream echoed from his mouth as part of his soul... cracked. At that moment, in response to his increasingly single-minded effort, a power broke through him. It encased him. It flooded him. Shrouded him. Gone were the aches and pains, the dusty suffocation, the weight above him. All that was left was the glorious power, enriching him, engulfing him, consuming him.

Then it exploded outward, as did Shatter. His flesh and blood were gone, and all that was left was a mindless mass of liquid crystal. It shredded at the stone around it, becoming sharp and dangerous at pierced through stone like claws through water, digging its way out into the freedom it so craved. It exploded outward into the open canyon, a glittering mass of liquified crystal of the same purple hew as its original body. Without hesitation it lurched forward, growing quickly and massively as it spilled outward, expanding further and further.

Screams were echoing from the inhabitants as they were immersed in the quickly expanding crystals. Humans and dragons alike were engulfed by its rage and desperation. It was mindless, violent, and sharp, digging through the stone at the side of the canyon with ease. No one was safe. It buried into closed doorways and arches, destroying any it came across in its fury. It dug up through the stone walls, causing more cave-ins and collapsing tunnels. It dug through the ground, ripping up hard stone as though it were sand. Tentacles of hardened crystal spewed outward and engulfed even more. Nothing was spared.

Dragon or human. Elder or hatchling. All succumbed to the power of the seething crystal mass as it raced through canyon after canyon. Ever growing. Ever devouring. Byron, who had left the sight shortly after he had caused the cave-in, believing his job to be finished, had tried to run from the crystal mass, but he was not fast enough to escape as thousands of shredding tentacles pierced through him, shredding him into thousands of pieces.

Still, the mass continued, its fury not satisfied. The thousands of dragons and humans caught within its embrace quickly became tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands as the crystalline mass continued its rampage, destroying home after home. Slaughtering one after the other. Until it reached its limit. Its power waned. Its fury subsided. Slowly it condensed back into the dragon it had originated from, leaving the perfectly healed crystal drake laying unconscious on the broken canyon floor, perfectly refined scales glittering softly in the afternoon light. 

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Hey guys! Next Chronicle out for you all... finally! Hope you haven't missed me too much XD. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it. This ended up being a bit more difficult to write than I thought it would be. What did you all think of Shatter. Curious as to how you view his character. Vote if you enjoyed and also make sure to vote on the next chronicle!

Refuge: Syras, Human male - 9Yrs BTA

Exceptional: Yova, Fire drake - 26Yrs BTA

Racing Dragons: Eluvia, Wind dragoness - 19Yrs BTA

Next week is a busy one for me, so I don't know if I'll be able to get a chronicle out, but I'll try my best! See Ya!

Pennator^^