A plot only commission by  draco806 featuring two of his characters on the run from a bounty hunter. Mainly this serves as an action piece with a bunch of fighting.

Since it was on me to make the bounty hunter I ended up making a character I actually really like and has some potential. So this was a fruitful commission I got to work on. There's also a second part to come. Hope you all enjoy.

Draco and Samantha ©  draco806
Masked Hunter ©  Mecha-Mightyanador

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Hunted
A Draco806 Commission
By Mecha-MightyenaDOR



The sun’s rays gently cast down over the large expanse of forest and wilderness, the soothing warmth mingling with the cool morning air. The air was damp from the dew and last remnants of the fog that had permeated the area just moments ago. A few clouds dotted the bright blue sky, birds darting back and forth through the air above the treetops. Amidst the trees and clearings various small animals foraged out from their homes, rabbits and squirrels dashing around in their fervent attempt to get food and avoid hawks and other predators. The area was silent short of the birds and occasional rustle of twigs and leaves along the forest floor. Occasionally a brief burst of sound would disturb the quiet, a prey animal making a burst for cover to avoid being made a meal.

The scenery would be peaceful and soothing for most; however, such was not the case for two souls making their way through the wilderness. One of them stood out very prominently, azure blue hair atop his head, messy and hanging down to his neck. Golden eyes shone out past his water invoking follicles, a predatory gleam to them giving him an air of danger. Out of his back sprouted a pair of wings, black webbing on the inside, red everywhere else. Which matched the draconic scales that crept over the back of his neck, even getting on his cheeks a little. The scales also covered the outside of his arms, ending at his hands…well hand talons to be exact. He wore a black sleeveless coat, a fire design along the bottom, the coattail writhing thanks to the red tail beneath it. With a pair of blue pants bearing multiple pockets to finish the outfit off, he looked around after ducking behind a tree, motioning for the other follow.

This one was a golden-haired lady, like her male companion she possessed a pair of radiant golden eyes, though hers carried a gentler luster to them. Beyond that she looked fairly normal elf, thin and tall, she was wearing a plum colored scarf, with a baby blue shirt that hung loosely to her frame. A plum sash was wrapped around her waist, a burgundy skirt covering her legs with a pair of black shorts. She also wore a pair of black gloves, hiding the draconic aspect of her body, her hands even more talon like than the blue haired male.

The male was Draconath, a human and dragon hybrid. The maiden was Samantha, a dragon hybrid herself though her other half was elven. The two ran through the forest, managing to avoid making too much noise as they weaved through the trees. The couple had been running since the last evening, a sudden attack having forced them to make a rapid retreat. It wasn’t exactly new to the pair, Draconath had managed to acquire a large bounty on his head and had some bounty hunter or another after him. It was a fact of life at this point, but much to the hybrid’s relief despite all the trouble his mate accepted it and aided him.

Together the two had managed to fend off and escape from all the wouldbe headhunters, today would be no different. Though in all fairness this hunter was far from ordinary. They hadn’t even seen him yet, but the series of explosions forcing them off the main road and into the woods was clearly well thought out. Halfway through the night the attacks had ceased, though that was hardly any real indication that the pair were safe. All it meant was that they were likely moving wherever the hunter wanted them to go, though there was a far-off chance that just maybe they had managed to lose the attacker.

Of course, such luck would always be lacking, a life of excitement rarely refuses to keep piling on the trials and tribulations. A distance away from the pair a lone figured stalked through the brush, making no sound and leaving no sign of his passing. A dark cloak covered him, but even without it he still would have given no clue to exactly what he was. From head to toe he was garbed in dark clothing, a cornucopia of pockets all containing some means to kill a mark. Even his face was hidden behind a blank black mask, the only feature of it being a white tear mark coming from the right eye and no hole for the left eye.

The hunter pulled out a scope, peering through to take note of his marks’ position, nodding to himself as they kept moving toward his first snare. A gruff grunt came from the masked individual as he dashed ahead to await the prey.

The sun slowly crested over the sky as Draconath and Samantha continued moving, putting more distance from the road, but if their map was right they should eventually reach a small town. Though granted that would take at least a day or two, and again they were likely walking into more traps. Of course, pushing back into a bunch of explosives wasn’t exactly a smart idea, so no real choice open to them. It was a trap, but they knew it was a trap.

Eventually they came to a large clearing, the area devoid of wildlife, a dead giveaway they had finally reached their hunter’s kill zone. “Alright, we’re here, shall we get this show started?” Draconath pulled out his weapons, a sword in his right hand, a shotgun in his left. There was no immediate response, Samantha hanging back as arcs of electricity sparked from her hands. Draco took a few steps into the opening, looking around, waiting for the fight to start.

Than a loud boom shook the peaceful forest, animals running away as a ball of fire engulfed several trees. Before Draco could make any semblance of sense of his surroundings a trio of needles shot past his head, a few strands of hair falling to the ground. At the other end of the clearing, the hunter stepped forward, throwing needles and stars clenched in his fists. The figure let his weapons fly, Draco ducking under the projectiles before responding in kind, a smaller boom echoing off the trees as a slug barely missed the hunter. The half dragon growled, rushing forward as he took another shot, the hunter dodging as he counter charged. The fire began to grow, cutting off any escape route.

The hunter was fast, quickly closing the distance as a khopesh sword appeared in his hand, blade clashing with Draco’s. The clang of metal on metal rang out, as the sharp blades cut through the air with an audible whistle. The hunter’s movements were quick, body shifting left and right, circling around the hybrid constantly. A bolt of lightning struck near Draco, the hunter leaping backwards as Samantha stepped into view, a little dusted up from the fire bombs. The elf hybrid raised her hand before sweeping it down, a series of lightning bolts falling in a line toward the hunter. The dark clothed hunter grunted, leaping away even further, skidding to a halt before he pulled out a grenade and threw it. Before it could reach its target though, Draco kicked the device away, another explosion rocking the area as the half dragon rushed the bounty hunter, a flurry of slashes and gun blasts being unleashed.

The masked hunter met the movements with exceptional grace, leaping and sliding around, managing to kick the shot gun out of Draco’s hand, turning it into a full sword fight. The fight might have been far more one sided if not for Samantha’s help, her arcs of lightning giving her husband far more breathing room than he would have alone. Her aid hadn’t gone unnoticed however, the hunter throwing up a flashbang to blind Draco, Samantha finding herself the new target. The elf skipped back, conjuring two whips of electricity to fend off the hunter, the masked man twisting about to avoid the attacks, his movements feeling unnatural as he edged closer.

Just before the hunter got close enough though a loud bang rang out, a shotgun slug grazing the mask. Draco growled as he rushed in, striking wildly at the hunter, blade tearing through the air as the hunter was forced back little by little. The fire around them raged on, the flames crackling as they engulfed the trees, the foliage starting to buckle underneath its own weight. A loud snap rang out, one of the large trees tumbling over into the middle of the clearing, the sudden crash knocking everyone over and back. A massive cloud of dust filled the clearing, smoke and fire encroaching into the area, the situation was rapidly spinning out of control.

The hunter had vanished after the tree fell, Draco looking around for him as Samantha got to her feet. “We need to get out of here.”

The half dragon gave one last look around before nodding, the hunter had likely run with the area becoming far too dangerous to stick around. The couple quickly ran through the area that had the least amount of flames. Seconds seemed to tick by as they fled from the scene of the ambush, the smoke beginning to clear as the cackle of the flames faded from their ears. After another minute of running they came to a stop, panting heavily, looking around and seeing no sign of their hunter.

“Looks like we’re in the clear.” Draco sighed, hands on his knees hunched over as he panted. “Still we shouldn’t linger, that guy might find us again.”

Samantha nodded, wiping her face, “Right.” The two quickly resumed their expedited withdrawal, rushing through the trees and getting as far away from the ambush as possible. The seconds became minutes which turned into an hour before the two had finally come to a stop, practically collapsing as they took a seat on a fallen log. They had finally managed to get a moment to rest and recover, the chaos of the last day having taken its toll on their stamina. “You okay Samantha?”

The elf gave a nod, resting her head on his shoulder, “Yeah.”

Draco sighed, gently patting her back. She didn’t like fighting, but still she was always there to help him, no matter the danger that seemed to rear its head. Still, it was hard not to feel a bit guilty about all the trouble he gave her. Her hand wrapped around his waist, holding him close as if she could tell what was going through his head. “Think we’ll reach the town by the end of the day?” Samantha looked to him, stretching her legs out.

“Hopefully.” Draco sighed, shaking his head, “We should keep moving if we want to do that though.” The elf gave a nod, smiling lightly as the got back on their feet and resumed moving. Their running had taken them far from the chaos that had overcome the forest, the wildlife slowly moving about in caution as nature returned to its natural order. The smoke in the distance had died down, apparently, the fire had managed to come under control, most likely some devices the hunter had planted to keep the blaze from going out of control.

Least that was the hope. Didn’t really matter in the end though, all they could do was keep moving and hope for the best. Samantha sighed, “I think we could both use a nice bit of rest and relaxation after all this.” She smiled lightly, “Let’s see if there’s a good restaurant when we get there.”

“Alright, that does sound pretty good actually.” Draco gave a small chuckle, “A bath wouldn’t be too bad either, at least to get rid of the smell of smoke hanging on us.” The elf hybrid gave a nod, smiling happily.

The sun had slowly crested over the sky when they came within sight of the town through a path in the trees, an orange tint painting the sky during the descent. The two began walking faster, their destination in sight revitalizing their spirits. However, as quickly as their pace had quickened it now slowed, coming to a stop as Draco pulled out his weapons. Turning around the pair saw the hunter standing behind them. Up ahead several large poles were imbedded into the ground, the line disappearing into the foliage in an arc that resembled a circle.

A motion from the hunter brought more of the strange pillars down, another motion created a barrier around the three. “You just don’t know when to quit.” Draco growled, taking stance. The hunter pulled his own blade out before charging in, slashing at Draco. As the half-dragon blocked though, the hunter twisted around and slammed his foot into Samantha’s stomach, launching the elf back. Draco let out a snarl, slashing at the masked hunter, his blade striking against his opponents the hybrid launched himself over the figure. A kick swiftly followed, hitting the hunter in the back and sending him stumbling forward a bit, Draco raised his gun and fired. With another unnatural twist though the masked hunter avoided the shot, slamming his own foot into Draco’s hand, knocking the ranged weapon away.

The masked hunter wasted no time, following up the kick with a slash, barely missing Draco’s torso. The half-dragon struck with an overhead blow, the hunter shifted to the side to avoid the strike, using the hook on the back of his khopesh to hook the sword and pull it from Draco’s grip. Before he could capitalize on his disarmed opponent though a bolt of lightning struck nearby, forcing the hunter back as a whip of electricity yanked the fallen blade back to its rightful owner. Draco immediately went into a flurry of blows, striking over and over from different angles as Samantha aided with her two lightning whips. Blow after blow was blocked though, the hunter taking a few steps back from the onslaught, but otherwise he held firm.

Suddenly with yet another unnatural twist of his frame the hunter broke free from Draco, rushing straight for Samantha, weaving around to avoid the whips. The elf’s eyes went wide as she dodged away from a slash, rolling to the side before letting loose a bolt of lightning. The blast sailed past the hunter’s head, the masked one sweeping her feet out from under Samantha, his blade descending upon her. Draco slammed his shoulder into the hunter, throwing the masked attacker away from his partner. The fall turned into a roll that had the masked hunter back on his feet, a flurry of needles flying toward the pair. A swipe of Samantha’s whip dispersed the attack, but the masked hunter quickly closed the distance, taking a slash at Draco while kicked Samantha.

Draco tried to cut the hunter down, but he blocked the strike, twisting and slamming the back of his fist into Draco’s face. The dragon hybrid responded with a kick, pushing the hunter away before following up with a strike. The masked hunter parried the blow, responding with a kick of his own, pushing Draco back before another flurry of sword strikes followed. The hybrid found himself getting pushed back, the hunter’s assault relentless as he lost ground slowly but surely. Just as Draco’s guard was broken and his blade forced from his hand though, the lightning whip grabbed the hunter’s leg, a yank pulling him off his feet. With his opponent still in the air, Draco slammed his leg into the masked hunter’s gut before following up with his hands together slamming into the hunter’s back. Samantha didn’t give their attacker a chance to recover, immediately she let loose a blast of lightning, the blast sending the hunter across the ground leaving a sizable ditch in his wake before colliding with the barrier.

The surge of magics created an explosion, dust billowing forth from the blast as Draco and Samantha were knocked to the ground. Several seconds passed in silence afterwards, the dust slowly settling back to the dirt, revealing a pile of splintered trees and twisted poles where the hunter had collided with the barrier. After a few more tense moments, Draco and Samantha rose to their feet, the half-dragon picking up his blade and gun. The two gave the debris a once over, carefully scanning for any sign their hunter was still alive, but with minutes passed they both heaved sighs of relief.

“Alright, it’s over…” Draco wiped his brow, panting heavily as he holstered his weapons.

“Thank goodness.” The elf hybrid clutched her knees as she doubled over, “Let’s go…before something else happens.”

Draco chuckled lightly, nodding, “Right…” taking her arm over his shoulder the couple started marching for the town.

The sun had finally settled down past the horizon by the time they had arrived, though that was a blessing. It meant less people looking them over and wondering what their deal was, especially after the ruckus that had occurred not too far away. A quick meal followed by a good night’s rest, that was the new goal the two had for themselves. After all the chaos of today, peace and quiet were more than a welcome companion.

Back at the sight of their confrontation though, a tree carcass was sent flying several feet away, the masked hunter pulling himself from the wreckage. Gasping and groaning he stumbled a few feet before falling to his knees, wheezing weakly while looking around. Hours had passed, his quarry had likely fled to the village if not far past it to put as much distance from him as possible. It didn’t really matter though in the end where they were; his current state was too wounded and weak to continue the hunt. Slamming his fist to the ground the hunter wearily rose to his feet and began to shamble away from the battle scene. As much as it boiled his blood to just give up the chase, sometimes one had to know when to retreat and live to fight another day.