Runic Skyclaw

A burning sensation lanced through its flank, and the Chaos Dragon roared and wheeled through the sky. It couldn't turn fast enough to track its attacker, a gnat-like creature that darted through the sky around it. It looked like a little mechanical dragon.

A pinprick of pain and heat on its belly, and the Chaos Dragon swooped downward, but its claws found only empty air. A blast slammed into the side of its snout, and the Chaos Dragon's eyes watered. It shook its head and roared again.

There. High above, a silhouette against the sun. The Chaos Dragon exhaled a breath of necrotic energy. The little gnat dove through the sky, narrowly avoiding the attack. It fired two fireballs at the dragon. More pain.

The Chaos Dragon snarled, pulled its wings in to its sides, and dove toward the ground. Just before impact, it extended its wings again and glided along, its shadow sweeping across the landscape as it retreated toward the horizon.

The Runic Skyclaw pumped her fist into the air. Below her, the Splinterlanders and Riftwatchers cheered. Over time, the Riftwatchers have developed and refined a suit powered by pistons, gears, and dragon magic. A marvel of runic engineering, it allows its wearer to take flight and soar through the sky on mechanical, dragon-like wings. Using reinforced tubes, the user can release precision beams of fire from the palms of their hands. The suit's sophisticated servos and actuators are extremely responsive to the natural movement of the body, providing extraordinary agility while in flight.

It takes years of training to become proficient in the use of these suits. Thankfully, runemancers have installed certain safeguards to reduce the mortality rate of trainees, such as crash avoidance, unconsciousness-activated auto-flight, and a projectile warning system.