The Furry Forums
Creative Arts and Media => Roleplay => Serious RP => Topic started by: Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy on March 24, 2010, 12:41:57 PM
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(Sorry, forgot to mention. The two cities that we start in are within 1 league of each other, on the southern shore of the first continent. There are two continents in all. Boats are unable to go around the continent, the only actual open waters safe enough for any kind of boats is the 2 day sailing distance between the two continents. The second continent has no actual cities. However, exiles live there. Anywhere between lepers the worst of criminals. The last 3 miles before Kratos Mountain is a baron wasteland, despite the large network of small rivers running through it. The river itself doesn't dry while it's in its riverbed, due to the protection of the Flower. Now, the two cities are Brisbain and Caprica. Choose where you start. Brisbain is where the most decrepit and despicable lot in the world live. Caprica is where the most rowdy and violent live. For some reason, the chaos is contained within the city... weird. Monsters exist in the world, but even more so on the second continent. Beware, some are very strong and most attack in hordes. Note: The one month preparation journey and countdown is called Ceremony. Many people take a head start at this time because it's a long journey. Absolute war breaks out on the exact day the flower releases the Drop. That day and the whole year following it (or at least till someone consumes the Drop) is known as Crimson Blue.)
Lazaryos dressed particularly slowly today as he looked out the tiny window of the Inn that he was staying at in Brisbain. So, we're down to the last month now, huh? I've heard that Ceremony was always bustling, but I never thought that it would be that way here in Brisbain. But sure enough, the people outside are actually running around buying supplies and equipments. All these people who deal under the table, in back alleys, in secret locations, are now all setting up stands and selling merchandise like candy and the buyers are flocking to them. I know most of those buyers just normally slit someone's throat and steal their supplies. Ceremony seems to make even the most vile into honest people, at least until Crimson Blue.[/i] After finally getting dressed, Lazaryos opened up his door and found a few bodies burnt to a crisp outside his door. He sighed as he peeled off an untouched Fire Trap Rune. "Well, most of them anyways. You know, gentlemen, you have just wasted a good fortune on my part. These Trap Runes are really hard to come by. Lazaryos crumpled his last trap and tossed it into his room and walked off, the Rune bursting in a muffled blast as it landed. He walked out onto the busy streets and headed for the food district to hopefully get some foodstuffs before it was all sold out.
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Ember awoke early on the first morning of Ceremony. After getting dressed and grabbing her staff, she looked out the window of her room down onto a busy street of Caprica. It was indeed an extremely busy day. Everybody was busy buying things they needed for their journey. "Well, I need to buy a few more things and get some food, then it'll be time to start on my journey to Mana." She thought as she turned away from the window. She walked over to the door and opened it to find a Jaguar standing outside her door. He lunged at her and she dodged out of the way, hitting him upside the head with her staff as he stumbled past her. Closing the door behind her as she heard him hit the floor, she headed downstairs and out of the Inn, ready to buy the rest of her supplies.
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*Nitrous dropped a few coins on a counter in a lone shop in an alleyway somewhere in Brisbain, the middle aged husky owner came along to the customer who replied before he could welcome his guest* "I'd like some of your 'collection' books." *He said with a smirk* "Oh alright, since you insist. But you better have the money for that mouth of yours." "I think if I really wanted those books I wouldn't be talking to you at all, I would have already killed you, raided your storage room and left without warning." "...Don't underestimate me, I've probably survived in this city longer than you have puppy, here they are." *He heaved a grimoire onto the table and the wolf looked down at it closely blowing off the dust on the cover* "Perfect, here you go." *He laid a small palm sized bag of coins on the table and picked up the book carefully* "Alright, I'll take that. Have yourself... a swell day." *The wolf stopped after picking up the book and turned around for a moment taking off his hood that had since his entrance hidden his face. He looked the owner square in the face and replied somewhat loudly* "Too late mister." *He chuckled and turned around leaving as the man was practically frozen in space still horrified by the picture embedded in his head*
"Gotta prepare as today is the first day to prepare for taking what is mine... that power shall be anyways." *He retained a determined look behind his green eyes as he kept walking, a couple of teenagers following him behind already as was a usual trap for this terrible place* "Hey mister, I think you have something of mine." *He didn't turn around to face the feline that was standing directly behind him* "I think you do too." "Oh really, what is it you think?" "I accidentally kept your face." *He turned to face the cat and he looked mortified seeing Nitrous's face as the wolf brought up his claws and ripped through the feline's face, kneeing him in the stomach and kicking him on the ground after he had already fallen* "Oh my face, my face!" *He screamed on the ground and writhed on the stones of the street as blood gushed forth from the young man* "See I gave it back." *He smiled and looked up at the other possible to be punks* "And let that be a warning to the rest of you scoundrels." *He growled and whipped his cloak around to keep walking fast holding his book close to his side*
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"Hes running off with my money!!" "You heard him, that hybrid is dead!!" along with various other shouts, the group of usual scamers and enforcers chased after one guy who was encased in black-gold armor. "Oh come on, it was only two-hundred coins!!" he yelled as Chrono weaved through the streets and alleys of Caprica. As he got to the gates, the guards stopped him, and Chrono whirled around to point at the mob chasing him. "you, I'll pay you both fifty coins to hold off those guys!" Chrono handed them the 100 coins and sped past the guards and out of the city. He glanced back and saw the guards not only stopped the group, but demanded a 'toll to leave safely'. He stopped running and walked north, to where he guessed the docks would be, then pulled out a small parchment from under his mouth guard.
It was a make-shift calendar, which had all the days of the Ceremony on it. "Okay, It'll take at least ten days by foot, I'll need to cat-" He caught out of the corner of his eye a group of rather large wolf-like creatures, and his eyes narrowed though 'smiling'. "What a coincidence..." he mumbled as he made his way over to the pack....
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To an outside party, Justeph walking along, with his robe, and ceremonial armor on, and talking to himself... was to say the least a very strange thing. But to the man inside the armor, he knew exactly what was happening.
"The Ceremony... as the people call it, is a period of preparation to the wars that follow the Mana's release. During this time, you'll see Mages, Monks, Noblemen, Mercenaries, lowlife thugs, and even the bored peasant, get as much equipment at they can. It gets quite funny when people try and rob you."
Uttered Sindri Myr, in an almost whisper like tone. It echoed inside Justeph's brain, it was one of the things you had to get used to when you shared a spirit within your possessions and body.
"So during this 'Ceremony' you called it, everyone's preparing for war... makes sense, considering the Mana is all powerful... but what do they call the period after that?" Asked the young black mage. Where he was going, he did not know, nor really care, he was a demonic looking dark mage, there wasn't much to worry about.
Although the weird looks people gave him made him want to ask something else.
"Well my boy... the period after is called Crimson Blue.. basically life before the Mana, nothing special..."
Justepth stopped walking and scratched the back of his head and asked.
"Is it me.. or do these people think I'm weird for talking to you..." he correctly summarized. He raised his eyebrow at the small group of gangers who looked like they wanted to mess. After all a crazy mage who mumbles to himself must be an easier kill and loot right?
"Yes... and the fact they seem to like the reflection of the sun from our armor...I missed you Caprica" sighed the dead Magus.
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Lazaryos chomped on some of the food he had bought as he left Brisbain. He had strapped his belongings onto his back and the topaz on his staff reflected the sunlight onto his white hood. Already, he could see many an experienced fighter already heading north towards the docks. A particular pack of wolves caught his interest out of the corner of his eye. An infamous bunch, to say the least. The Bloodhound Gang were indeed mischief makers of the third kind, the murderous kind. They have been known to cause trouble in both Brisbain and Caprica. The Bloodhound Gang comprised of 20 Mages and 30 of some of the world's strongest Normals. Their leader was no small name, either. His great grandfather was the last person to consume the Mana, and through that, his father and himself have monopolized on that, seizing whatever they wanted from people. The leader has also been known to kill both Normals and Mages by himself.
Lazaryos raised his staff and pointed it at the group's feet and lightning shot from the Topaz. The lightning struck the ground beneath them and created a large electrical web. The men turned and looked at Lazryos and cursed at him, making hand gestures, and the like. Two of their Mages shot an ice spear and a fireball at Lazaryos, but he merely sidestepped. He chuckled to himself and yelled over. "You know, it'd be easier to hit me if you weren't standing over half a league away in Caprica territory!!" More curses and random spells shot at him, not really hitting their mark. Lazaryos laughed as he walked on. Well now, that should give me a 30 minutes head start.
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Ember took a bite out of the apple she held in her left hand as she headed out of Caprica in the direction of the docks. This was going to be a long journey so she wanted to make sure she had something healthy to eat at the start of it, even though she had more good things to eat in her bag. Walking past a cursing group of wolves, she chanced a glance at them. It took her less than a second to realize who the group was before she looked away. She didn't need them to spot her looking at them because she knew they'd start shooting spells her way and she didn't want to waste her majicka on them. Looking up at the sun as she continued on, a smile spread across her face. "Today...should be a good day." She thought as she felt more energized by the sunlight.
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*Nitrous came out of Brisbain looking pissed off as he had usually become by the middle of the day* "I hope there's no more of that crap for today, I gotta get out of dodge and get on one of those docks so I can get to the boats so I can get my treasure."' *The wolf walked further along the path eventually crossing into the border of Caprica and Brisbain and saw the trouble over with what appeared to be a gang of wolves* "Stupid punks, that's all these are is a bunch of rambunctious idiots!" *He just got more mad by watching them fight the lone wandering mage antagonist and tried his best to ignore them and stay clear of firepower* "Don't want to deal with that one." *He gave a cold stare to Lazaryos as he kept his distance, watching him carefully*
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"Where you goin spooky.... why are you in a hurry" One of the gangers asked Justeph, walking alongside him.
Lie boy... the body I may inherent depends on it!" whispered Sindri, sounding completely unconcerned.
Justeph ignored the sarcasm and just lied like his mentor told him. "Oh you know... looking for the latrine..."
The other gangers just stood their laughing, as the three biggest ones surrounded him.
"Well now, that makes what's gonna happen next all the funner! I say he has ten seconds till he pisses himself in pain!" His compatriots laughed, but he personally stopped laughing when he got a staff to the face... hard.
The man staggered backwards, clutching his bleeding nose, as Justeph ran for dear life, with the thugs in pursuit.
"That wasn't exactly the smartest idea in the world, but it sure was fun... boy you remind me of myself back in my heyday..."
"Oh shut up you decrepit ghost... Right now i'm running for dear life and your cracking jokes!" He yelled, dashing behind a back alley.
His options were limited here, but fortunately there was a ladder. Grabbing onto it like it was candy, Justeph began to climb, but a couple of the faster gangers managed to get really close behind him. The young Mage just managed to get to the top, with a short, wiry man, clutching a dagger in his teeth. He just grinned evily at Justeph, who took off his helmet and just grinned like an idiot.
At first the man was confused. He was about to murder this kid and he's happy? Then came the realization of what was about to happen. The man shook his head, pleading with the boy to not do what he thought he was doing, but all he got in response, was a nod of 'yes' and a push to the ladder, and it was sent tumbling down.... along with the 5 people who were on it.
Crashing down, screaming, they landed hard. Justeph smiled even more hearing the crack of bones.
"Not the way I would've done it.... But since they aren't going anywhere.... pick their pockets and pawn their stuff"
The Mage found an alternate way down, and walked to the same back alley, where the same thugs were still on the ground, in pain, howling and crying. Whistling he knelt down and gingerly picked up their weapons, and checked their pockets for some loose gold. Sure enough he found about 100 pieces, and that wasn't including the price of the items that were soon to be pawned.
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Chrono continued towards the pack, but suddenly lost interest as every single wolf noticed him and began to growl. He walks around the pack and continues on his journey, but the wolves followed him. Either I'm so dead... or they're just curious... he thought while keeping a hand on his cutlass, in case they started chasing him down.
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Lazaryos trodded for a good while, when he heard a screaming and yelling in the distance. He turned back and saw 7 men running towards his general direction, the leftovers of the Bloodhound Gang. They must have pissed some people off that while they were still caught in the Net, to be following me with only 7 people. He chuckled and thought for a moment. Up ahead, he saw some wild wolves following what seemed to be a black-armoured normal. A very cynical smile rose between his lips, and Lazaryos followed close behind the pack. For the next 10 minutes, the pursuers finally caught up. With a simple aiming of his staff, he created a smaller net, and the blindly enraged gang members got caught again. Without thinking, one of them shot a large chunk of earth at him. Lazaryos dodged off to the side and rolled into a recovery. The slap of ground smashed into two of the wolves and they all turned around, growling. Noticing what just happened, the gang members all swallowed hard and almost in unison, "Oh..... (censored)..."
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*Nitrous dodged around fallen bodies of all sorts of injured or dead mages and normals* "Alright this is getting ridiculous, stupid punks!" *He snarled around him and started getting really pissed off* "If one more person even so much as LOOKS at me, I'm going to KILL him." *He stared around hoping to catch someone's eyes because right now he needed to just kill anyone or anything to relieve his built up rage as he kept walking along under trees to avoid the brunt of vicious attacks*
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Chrono turned around, and waved his blade as a way of saying 'thanks' for getting the wolves off his 'tail' before continuing his walk, not even caring if the guy gets killed or not. Ever since he was abused by his family for not being a mage, Chrono really didn't devealop a desire to care for others safety. Just means those wolves either die or get fed, and I can continue on my journery to the other continent he thought as he actually whistled a drinking song while walking.
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Justeph had lots of items to sell. Sure they weren't the best quality, but he Did have to pour them onto the counter of the merchant's stall. The salesman raised an eyebrow at the mage, and shook it off and gave him the money for the items, 200 in all, combined with the 100 he pick-pocketed and that's 300 gold.
Depositing the gold in his pouch, he went to the same merchant to buy the supplies he needed, which gave him another raise of the eyebrow, to which he just responded to with a smile.
Grabbing the food, drink, and sleeping mattress, plus the necessities for cooking and setting up a tent, the boy stepped outside.
"Ok... you thought Caprica was violent? Well all hell should be breaking loose soon... so expect pockets of sporadic violence" Sindri warned.
Justeph just started laughing and responded naively. "It can't be that bad can it? I mean who...."
He stopped mid sentence as he watched a giant slab of earth go hurtling towards some dots in the distance, and take down a coupple of them.
Now it was Sindri's turn to laugh.
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Lazaryos paid no mind to the traveler ahead. He never really cared for the well-being of others, unless it was for his own personal gain. This instance was no exception. Those wolves just happened to be an amusing use of getting rid of the pursuers. Lazaryos walked on, enjoying the sounds of those 7 gang members slowly get torn apart by the horde of wolves. It was really tempting to turn around and look, but he had more pressing matters to attend to, getting to the docks. 10 days on the road really never seemed like much to him before, but this was Ceremony. An event that only happened once every 200 years, with the prize of the war being ultimate power. He chuckled to himself as he thought about it. Once every 200 years, everyone fights in this bloody war, decimating world population down by a half, but in the time in between, that population grows back, no matter who had retrieved the Mana. Lazaryos kept his mind occupied so that the time would pass by, but that was short lived as he heard the sound of carriage wheels. Oh, goody. Who is the idiot riding one of those?
Lazaryos turned to watch a steel carriage rolling past a female red-colored dragon Mage and another small crowd of people making the journey. The carriage didn't even make it to the middle between him and the dragon Mage before it combusted and sank into the ground. The driver tried desperately to escape, but roots came from under the ground and dragged the poor soul down with his "shortcut". Not too far from the new sinkhole, 4 Mages of different species stood there, pointing their staffs at the sinkhole and laughed whole-heartedly. THIS is why everyone walks, poor idiot.
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Ember looked back at the group being devoured by the horde of wolves and then quickly forward again, cringing. "That's not pretty..." She said. "Glad it's not me." She shrugged and continued to walk. The steel carriage rolled past her. "What an idiot." She grumbled right before the carriage combusted and sank into the ground. "When I'm right, I'm right." She chuckled as she watched the four Mages pointing and laughing.
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*Nitrous could hardly contain the laughter in the back of his throat and started laughing at the misfortune of the combusted carriage and the contents of long gone into the ground below* "Fools, they had that crap coming to them!" *He smirked and walked along spotting a red gargoyle-bat hybrid and then a white tiger nearby each other he decided* "Time to play some people against each other." *He punched his fists together and shot a black ball that imitated a flame look and singed the ground under the white tiger then hid behind a tree* "Alright if not the original target, it might cause him to take it out on someone else." *A sly smile spread along his face in anticipation*
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Some of the wolves noticed Chrono was leaving, and left the now 3 somewhat alive bandits to bleed to death to follow the armored adventurer. Chrono of course, didn't realize he was being followed as his whistling drowned out the sound of their paws scraping against the dirt...
Chrono heard laughing over his whistling, and turned his gaze towards a sinkhole with mages around it. The dragoness mage caught his fancy for a few moments, but he knew she would rather kill him then consider him a friend. Its really hard to start a relationship with sentient beings at this time, too much room for greed He thought as he got at a hill and saw parts of the docks in the distance. He marveled at the general flatness of the continent as he walked down the hill.
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Justeph winced as he saw what now looked like wolves descend on a group of 7 and begin to tear them apart.
He gave a quick glance to the carriage, and was taken aback when a sinkhole appeared under it, and the whole thing was swallowed whole.
"People never used to have this fun murdering others in my hayday... they get all the luck!" Sindri cackled.
Justeph couldn't understand what was so funny.
Almost ten people were killed in the span of a few minutes. And now he saw some of the wolves begin to stalk a black armored figure.
"I put my money... that he's gonna be the 11th fatality...." Justeph said, but Sindri just laughed, The boy was learning how to be a Dark Mage alright. Sure he still was soft, but then he could have some sadistic fun!
"Here switch with me... I want the body for a little bit" Sindri said, suddenly very excitedly as he had an idea.
"Uhmmm.... ok?" Justeph said a little confused, the switch didn't take as long as one might expect, but now Sindri's consciousness and Majika was directing Justeph's body.
The out of body experience was unnerving to say the least, for Justeph. He resided in his body, but had no control over it... it's a very weird feeling.
Sindri walked up to one of the four laughing mages, and thrust his hand into the man's gut, his hand radiating black energy. The man, who looked to be the Earth mage who might've caused the sinkhole, howled in pain, as his body was thrust into lots and lots of pain. Both Sindri and Justeph felt a little slower, and a little weaker after the spell.
The other 3 mages reacted by throwing various spells at Sindri, who used their friend's writhing in pain body as a shield, using him to take the brunt of the spells. The earth user user died quickly under the barrage.
"By Everything that is Holy! What in blazes are you doing!" Justeph yelled.
"Entertaining myself, of course... and getting rid of the competition" was the only dry response. Dirt was kicked up by the spells thrown at them. Strangely an icicle landed near them, strange in the fact there was little water to use as ice.
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Lazaryos felt the burn and jumped out of the pit, scanning all the people in sight behind him.. Hmmm.. black flames. No one in view is even close to drained, and that dragoness seems to be holding a ruby staff, so it's not her. Probably hiding somewhere... He looked harder and saw part of a black cloak flapping from just behind a tree. Lazryos concentrated his Majicka through his hands and into his staff. He pointed it at the tree where Nitrous was hiding and the Topaz on his staff glowed bright, even for daytime, and a large storm of lightning shot from it, incinerating the tree and its surroundings. Lazaryos winced slightly after casting a full storm spell. He rarely ever used anything beyond mid-level spells, but it had been ages, after all.
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Ember watched as a black ball of "flame" whizzed by her and landed by the feet of a white tiger. It seemed like a move that was supposed to frame someone of her abilities. Of course, it didn't take a genius to know that fire magic wasn't black so she wasn't surprised when the victim shot some lightning magic at a tree past her, incinerating it and its surroundings for her to see a black cloaked figure. "Maybe if you were smarter, you wouldn't waste your majicka trying to make others fight each other." She shouted towards the figure. "It's obvious that everyone fights enough on their own." She looked back at ravaged remains left by the wolves then at the sunken carriage. Looking at the ruby on her staff, she couldn't help but smile even in this situation and her eyes seemed to glow fiercely like the flames they looked like, in the sunlight.
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*Nitrous saw the lightning and jumped out of the way as the tree was torn apart and the brunt of it fell over to the side of him, just missing him by a few inches* "Crap... and now that chick is laughing at me!" *He got up and brushed himself off, twitching a bit from the electrical shocks going through his body* "That's alright though, I never go down without getting at least one hit in." *He smirked and he walked fast hoping to eventually catch up to the white tiger, putting the hood back over his head as it got knocked off from the fall*
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Chrono, after walking a a few more meters, noticed that what he actually saw in the distance were just stumps that the heat from far down the road distorted to look bigger than what they really were. He heard shuffling of feet going on behind him and turned around to see the entire pack of wolves he thought had lost intrest, suddenly no more than twenty feet away from him. "Why are you following me?!" they didn't give him an answer, which provoked him to walk up to them, but they all growled and bared their fangs at him. The same feeling of helplessness overcame him and he went on his 'merry' way. Of all the creatures to follow, why did they have to pick me?!
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From beneath the cover of the dead Earth mage, Sindri prepared an orb of dark energy, however he added some extra majika then necessary, for an added explosive punch. It took a few seconds, during which he was mildly burnt across the side of his left arm, and had a decent amount of ice shards cut into his skin.
Now he had enough. When the orb was ready, he launched it into the center of the mage trio, when it hit the ground, they started laughing like they did when the sinkhole appeared. Just like with the man with the dagger in his teeth, Sindri smiled and waved bye bye to his enemies. Before they could figure out what he was doing, the ground where the orb hit, exploded in a brilliant flare of purple and black. The extra force was so great, the orb itself cost double the normal amount of a spell so minor, but it was worth it, because it sent the trio of them soaring.
The earthen mage went spiraling in the direction of Ember, his corpse didn't smack into her directly... but pretty dang close to at least make her jump. The fire mage was no where to be seen at this point, as to where he went Sindri couldn't care less.
The ice mage was sent hurtling at the wolf pack, and consequentially, at Chrono. The scent of blood was going to either set the wolves off, or just make them devour the dead mage.
Justeph watched on in horror. His mentor, his teacher... was now using his body for untold amounts of violence and just plain destruction.
Sindri was panting from all the majika he had to exert to make that plan work. If it wasnt for the fact he had to take over Justeph's body in the first place, he'd be perfectly fine. Even though it was quick it took quite a bit of effort to take over Justeph's body, therefore he couldn't tap into the majika reserves he had so long ago in the past.
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Lazaryos watched as Nitrous approached and pointed his staff at the cloaked wolf before he got closer. "Stop right there, dark Mage. I've heard quite a bit about you, Nitrous the Loki. Your mischief is far too well known. I wouldn't want to waste any Majicka to kill today, especially a youngling like yourself. We'll have plenty of time to kill each other during Blue Crimson. I prefer not to spill blood that's not of a monster, lest it be on the battlefield of ages." He turned when he was sure the message sunk in and went back heading north. He let himself a little chuckle, though, seeing the Mage's head continually twitch, it was entertaining.
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Ember jumped forward with an "ugh!" when the corpse of an Earth Mage from the four Mages that she'd seen by the sinkhole landed beside her. She looked back at the body and shook her head. Looking in the direction from which the body came, she spotted Justeph and gave him a look that said "watch where you're throwing bodies". And thinking about that look and what it meant almost made her laugh at herself. She looked forward again as she continued walking towards the docks. She knew at some point she'd have to fight others going for the same thing she was, but she just hoped she could avoid it at least for the first day. It was just stupid to waste majicka on finishing off the competition so soon in the journey.
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*Nitrous growled at the white tiger and yelled back* "I'm not giving up yet!" *He kept stomping along and a couple more mages stared at him and he caught them when he turned his head* "DIE!" *He shot a beam of dark energy that smacked into them as Nitrous kept walking they fell to the ground in agony as if they were on fire, rolling around helplessly to try to put out the black flames* "Oh you'll get it soon enough tiger... you'll get it."
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The wolves had less intrest in Chrono as a meal was tossed next to them which they happily devoured. Chrono started running to make the best of his time away from the wolves. "Seriously, they don't attack me, but they eat anything tossed at their feet?!. Bah... I just gotta get out of their sight, and not worry about 'why'" he mumbled that entire statement while running, not trying to expend too much energy throwing questions at himself.
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Sindri smiled as he waved to Ember, who just glared at him.
"Such friendly children these days... she'd look prettier if she was doubled over in pain..." He thought out loud. Knowing his majika casting limit was near, Sindri had just enough strength left to unroll the sleeping mat and to climb into it, and then he went into a deep sleep to recuperate.
However while Sindri slept, Justeph was still awake, while his body slept. He tried to wake Sindri up, but then just gave up and started to whimper.
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Lazaryos continued to tread north, remaining about 20 meters behind Chrono. His only problem was Nitrous tailing him. Everyone was going to the same place, but Nitrous was particularly shadowing him and he didn't like it. Lazaryos took another look back and found quite a large number of Normals and Ember not too far behind, either and noticed that she was NOT a dragoness, but rather a gargoyle-bat. Her ruby shown well, even after the sun had set, just like his topaz. However, he noticed that Chrono had stopped and he walked up beside him and looked as well. It was a sea of black, but it seemed to move. "Allow me." Lazaryos pointed his staff upward, over the horizon and cast the same high-level spell he did on Nitrous earlier, and lit up the whole sky for a good 5 seconds. He winced once again at the feeling, but kept it hidden well. The sea of black became a sea of eyes and blood. Something was very amiss. This is the first time even Lazaryos had ever seen this many monsters in one place. He sighed and took a seat on the grass hill over-looking the plain. "It seems we're not going anywhere tonight. Damn, I was hoping for another couple miles to get to town..." And then it hit him as he noticed the lone tree next to him. On it, was carved "POINT 1". Lazaryos looked back down and realized, that WAS the town.
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Ember noticed that others had stopped walking and once she got to the point they were at, she saw why. A moving sea of black. She didn't need any light to know what was causing the blackness to move; people setting up camp for the night was a clear indication that there was danger ahead and judging by how big the movement was, she knew it was monsters. "Well, the good day I predicted has come to a close..." She said out loud to herself, not intending for others to hear but not caring if they did as she pulled her bag off her back, removing her sleeping mat from its place on top of her bag and rolling it out. Lying down on top of the mat, she stared up at the sky. She wasn't cold at the moment which is why she hadn't laid inside the mat, knowing full well that even if she fell asleep outside of it she would instinctively move inside it in her sleep if she got cold. "But it was a good day. I'm not dead yet, after all." She said as she continued to stare up at the night sky.
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*Nitrous finally caught up to the white tiger and quickly found out why he had stopped seeing the massive pit of monsters below* "Crap and a half, no wonder we're not moving. Hey tiger boy! I guess we're going to have a truce for now until we can start moving again, I won't attack you as long as you don't attack me." *Nitrous walked away and laid down under a tree leaning against the bark* "Friggin monsters and their crappy blockades screwing up my oh so wonderful days..." *He continued grumbling to himself for a long period of time*
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Chrono turned around and suddenly raised a sword towards the now sitting mage. "What is wrong with you... you freaking annihilated the town!!" Chrono just grunted and walked away, followed by the now well-fed wolves who didn't even seem hostile as they padded along.
-
Lazaryos remained seated and pretty much ignored Nitrous' words. He went into deep meditation, speeding up his Majicka recovery and to put a little peace in his heart. Lazaryos' senses opened up as he continued to meditate. He heard every movement around him and felt every little gust of wind. He sighed in sadness, however, knowing that the town with the best beef-kabobs has been overrun by all surrounding habituating monsters.
-
Ember stretched her arms up straight into the air above her body, causing her wings to stretch out. She then brought her hands down and rested them on her stomach. The glistening stars in the sky were losing her attention as she grew bored staring at them. Sighing, she sat up and looked around. She didn't know why she was so restless. Picking up her staff, she looked at the ruby in it and rubbed it with part of her top, being sure not to lift it up too much since she didn't want to reveal herself to anyone who might be looking and her top wasn't a lot of fabric anyway. When she was satisfied, she set her staff in her lap and began adjusting her armlets & bracelets.
-
*Nitrous grumbled to himself until he finally fell asleep contemplating his travels and wondering what was next until he was dreaming about children* "Ugh I hate these kids, they never stop bothering me. Why can't all of you stay dead?" *The kids poked him in his dreams while he sat in front of a desk trying to write up a draft and this caused him to retaliate by smacking them for coming too close to him* "Yeah that ought to teach ya brats!" *He snored in his sleep*
-
Chrono had reached whatever was left of the town, and sat down by the front entrance. He looked around for anything easy to kill, and noticed a lone feral bear that walked out of the woods to see what caused that massive amount of light and noise. Chrono turned to the wolves and shook his head before taking out his sword and charging the bear. It wasn't until he came within striking distance did he notice that the bear had friends, two earth mages to be exact. "Keep your sword away from the brown fluffy creature man!!" Chrono was so disgusted at their appearance, he almost vomited in his armor. Freaking hippies, magical hippies at that... he steeled himself and swung at the bear, able to make at least a gash before several rocks the size of his own head came into contact and smacked him away. "Man, whats with the hate, my fluffy didn't do anything to you....!"
Chrono had enough of their talking before they could even finish their rambling. "Silence you tree huggers!!" he yelled, leaping over the bear and beheading the earth mage that had hit him with the rocks. He was about to swing at the other 'hippie' mage when vines pulled his sword out of his hand, and out of his reach. "Now you can't hurt the fluffies anym-" Chrono lunged at him and didn't even pause to breathe as he tore the mage a new metaphorical orfice in seven ways to sunday. As soon as he regained control over himself, there was nothing left of the body to describe as humanoid, and the sword had long since fallen to the ground. He picked it up, and went back to the bear, who had only limped far enough to spare him two minutes of Chrono walking, cutting his head off, and dragging the body back to the gate and setting up a small camp to cook the remains.
After he got down to the ribs and arms, he saw the wolves eyeing the bear carcace hungrily. Regretably and with a hearfelt sigh, Chrono dragged the rest of the bear over to the wolves, who quickly surrounded the body while Chrono went back to eat the rest of his dinner. Geeze, if this keeps up, I'll have a pack of wolves as pets... which means I'll have to kill more creatures and people to feed them. Meh, I'll just get more training and exercise out of it. he thought as he went to sleep, both of his swords in their respective sheaths.
-
Justeph woke up yawning and oddly hungry. Whenever he and Sindri switched places, whenever they went to sleep the 'ownership of the body' went back to normal, with Justeph in control. Reaching into his pack, he grabbed a bite to eat, a not so appealing looking hunk of meat.
"Delicious!" he said, Sindri was still 'asleep' inside his mind, and truth be told Justeph preferred it that way. His constant nagging and maiming people had really gotten tiring in the past few days. Taking down his tent, and putting it in his pack, Justeph looked upon the field. The land had fallen upon a dark night. It was strangely beautiful in a way. Lots of little lights dotted the landscape
"People camping I guess.." He thought, grinning to himself evilly as he could get a head start. How mistaken was he when he wondered why some people were stopped at a tree, and then heard a couple roars in the distance and immediately understood why they weren't taking advantage of the night travel.
Since he got a lot of sleep, he decided to just silently sit down at the tree, unnoticed and unheard, at least until morning came. He took another bite out of that chunk of meat and started finishing it, when he couldn't eat any more, then he just threw the rest in some random direction.
-
Lazaryos awoke the next morning just as the sun was rising, still sitting in his meditation position and got up, looking down on the town. Blood stains were still all over the floor, but the town was completely void of the sea of beasts from the night prior. He walked down the hill and through the town. On the way down, Lazaryos noticed the armoured warrior from the day before laying and snoring next to a small fire pit that was out with a prop of what looked like the remains of a bear. He shrugged and went through the town, searching for what might be useful on his way. It was a bit eerie, however, with so much blood everywhere, but not a single body, hair or bone anywhere in sight. Lazaryos cruised down the streets that he remembered from memory and found the place he was looking for. With a strike from the butt of his staff, he broke down the cover from a small stand and there, still on a very small fire that must've been big to begin with to still be running now, not to mention the size of the pot, was his prize. There are many things in this world that is luscious to everyone in this world, but for Lazaryos, there was only one thing he ever liked, Praxville's special beef-kabobs made and sold specifically by Chief Praxton's son, Eli. And there, only 2 feet away, was the last pot of them that will ever be made. Lazaryos looked around the other stands and found a large icing box about the same size as the 4-foot tub in Eli's stand. With all his strength, he poured all the beef, including the sauce, into the icing box and grabbed a handful to eat before covering it up and running the straps over his arms. On his way out, Lazaryos grabbed a handful of kabob sticks from the stand and continued on north. It would he was happy for two reasons. 1) He got the last of Praxville's famous dish. 2) He wouldn't see anyone until nightfall, since he headed out so much earlier.
-
Ember awoke and stretched, having fallen asleep quickly after she had adjusted her bracelets and armlets. She moved and knelt by her sleeping mat, rolling it up and re-attaching it to her bag. As she put the bag back on her back and stood up with her staff in hand, she saw someone sitting against a tree out of the corner of her eye. Looking over at the stranger, she recognized him as the one who ended up tossing a body in her direction. Her look turned into a glare at him before she looked forward again and started on her way. Not caring about wasting time looking for anything in the town, she ran through it, having no interest in blood-sight-seeing.
-
*Nitrous grumbled as he got up from his uncomfortable tree sleep* "I swear these trees purposefully make it so you can't sleep peacefully by moving roots to mess with your head!" *He bumbled about till he was standing up and noticed the gargoyle-bat already moving* "Oh you're not going to get ahead of me too quickly, I'll be right behind you and tiger-boy, wherever he is." *Nitrous followed her through the town grinning at the sights of blood scattered about almost everywhere from what was left of the people* "Ha ha, sucks to be them. Probably the work of some mischievous creatures, I wonder how tiger boy took it." *He eventually got out of the town and just kept moving along steadily*
-
Chrono heard a bark and he slowly woke up to a wolf sitting right in front of him. "Yes... what is it?" he said like the wolf would actually understand what he said. The wolf pushed him up and then nudged him towards the town, and he only grunted as he stretched while walking through whatever that mage left of the town. Dang, this is almost on par with my father's skill... but at least he constrained himself... he thought as he 'lead' the wolves through the town and out the opposite way, having already ate and had no need to drink. The wolves had grown attached to him, going from ten meters away to five meters and almost happily following him. As he reached the end of the village, he noticed there were creatures not that far from here, with dried blood on thier mouths. He assumed they just got their early breakfast, and if there wasn't too many, they would be a good breakfast for the following he has. Although, it was odd when he walked over to the creatures, his wolves started to bend around him and towards the monsters. Chrono took a guess by what they were getting ready for, and drew his sword, sending an unconsious signal that their meal was right before them.
How ironic that one who perfers no company, get a battalion that is completely willing to fight with him. "Just to clear things up, I'm not responsible for your life if you decide to break off..." he said as he lead the attack on their breakfast.
-
Lazaryos continued his journey north with the possibly the happiest day of his life. However, when the day ended, he had finished all the beef and he sat in mediation, going through the saddest night of his life. But he didn't have long to lament as he heard growling and walking all around him. Lazaryos opened his eyes and looked around, a sea of black surrounded him. He saw the glowing eyes of many beasts swarming around him, and he heard the sound of their hungry mouths. The same group of monsters that kill off an entire town, this might be a problem.
-
Ember continued her journey at a normal pace after she had gotten through the town. She had pulled food out of her bag and ate while she walked, not seeing a point in stopping to eat. "If you really think I'm so stupid as to not notice you following me, you've got another thing coming." She finally said loud enough for Nitrous to hear. She had never turned her head to see who was following her so she didn't know it was the one who had tried to make her and the white tiger fight, but she knew somebody was following ever since she got up. Not too far away now, she saw a group of glowing eyes surrounding somebody. Knowing that they would attack her once they noticed her, she wasn't going to take any chances. As she walked, she raised her staff, shooting a fireball at the monsters.
-
*As Nitrous continued to follow the girl for what seemed like hours, hoping she was going in the right direction because long ago he lost his sense of direction due to the previous chaos of the destroyed town. He barely seemed to notice that the Sun had had long ago disappeared on the horizon and nightfall had set in; the girl in front of him quickly acknowledged the wolf with some irritation in her voice* "I ain't going to attack ya girly if that's what you're worried about, I'm just going in the same direction." *He retorted as kept walking behind her where suddenly the wolf stopped short as soon as she stopped he then quickly noticed the glowing eyes of creatures in the dark and he squinted further but couldn't make out as to why they were converged on that location* "Oh lookie there, more crap to block my journey. I guess I had this coming to me anyways after attacking tiger boy earlier, oh well." *He sighed to himself and then looked back up quickly to not let off his guard to the presence of the unwelcome guests* "I guess I'll have to put these wretches out of their misery, but only because I don't have the time to deal with this crap any other way."
*The gargoyle-bat shot fire upon the creatures at which point the wolf decided to aid without much consent* "Haha girly, nice little show you put on there. I'll show you what this dark mage can do!" *Nitrous focused a great amount of cosmic energy into his paws and looked upon the sky as he cast a meteor attack; he watched it come down and break up, raining upon the monsters surrounding the white tiger, smashing a few and causing some to tremble from the quake of the collision with the ground* "Take that ya stupid pests, get the Hell out of here!" *The wolf had damaged some and killed a few, but hardly made more than a dent in the group* "Crap, looks like more than I could probably handle alone. Damn it, I hate asking for help." *He looked over at the gargoyle-bat to see what she was going to do next*
-
Chrono looked to where he heard a massive explosion, and saw a crater in a massive grouping of monsters. His wolves had just finished off the last the the monsters on the other side of the town, and were now feasting on the bodies. He hit the butt of his cutlass against his gauntlet, and the wolves lifted their heads to listen. "Finish up, we're moving out in a moment..." they did as they were told, and quickly regrouped and followed Chrono as they continued their walk. He knew he fell behind the others who made the trek as he had waited for his wolves to get their food, which took an hour or two until they were all ready to move on.
On their trek, they came across others who started late, and by the looks of it, wouldn't last past the end of the day. "Too many hopefulls, they should just stay in the city if they can't take the mental pressure..." he mumbled as he saw one collapse and then be looted by the others around him instead of assisted. Luckily, the wolves kept the vulture-like travelers from getting too close to him. He wouldn't expect to catch up to them even if he ran, but he stopped thinking about his current situation as a vast expanse of black... and barely anything else, was seen after a few hills that by the looks, had recently been walked on. He went to the top of a hill to see if there was an end to the black.
No suck luck...
-
Justeph jumped up stretching, for he had been awake all night. He overhead everyone leaving, and now sounds of violence in the distance. It was this time, he decided to get up and go, after recuperating from the fight.
For the most part, the day was uneventful, just a similar looking patch of grass after another. In the distance he could see what looked like black blobs.
What the blobs were exactly he was unsure, but he decided the best course of action was to avoid most of the blobs.
-
Lazryos opened his eyes as he heard the spells whiz by and kill a portion of the monsters. He watched as the hole in the ranks of the monsters filled back up as if it didn't do anything. Lazaryos didn't like it. He stood up and slammed his staff into the ground and created a large lightning net, illuminating part of the field and grunting as it was a high-level version of his usual nets. Monsters that were in the immediate radius were caught, but the others just climbed over, ready to kill now. Lazaryos mumbled under his breath as he watched the monsters get closer on top of their allies' heads. "Come on, just a little closer, you maggots." The clouds above began to cluster over him and swirl around, lightning emanating from his hands, eyes and staff. I'm so glad I haven't had to use any Majicka today. He yelled over to where Ember and Nitrous were standing. "You two! Thank you for your help, but I suggest you run now!" Monsters of all sorts jumped off the shoulders of the closest ones and were falling towards him, fangs and claws all opened, wanting to tear his flesh. Lazaryos finally grabbed his staff with both hands and his head kicked back, facing the cluster of clouds over him, at the last second, and a lightning bolt as wide as his net struck the ground, incinerating everything within and past 20 meters of its edge. The ground singed, and the air became light. As the smoke cleared, Lazaryos stood in the middle of the giant burn in the ground, on the only patch of grass that survived, breathing heavily as he clutched onto his staff. "That.... hah... hah... was for.... hah... the beef.... hah." With that, the tiger closed his eyes and collapsed onto the ground with his staff in hand, and fell into a comatose state.
-
Ember quickly dove out of the way so that she wouldn't be incinerated along with the monsters or anything else within the area of the lightning strike, doing a pretty graceful roll for someone in a hurry to get out of the way. When she got up from the ground, Lazaryos has already collapsed. Turning on Nitrous, she walked right up to him, looking him in the eyes. "Call me "girly", one more time, and all that will be left of you is ash." She growled; the tough girl in her rearing its ugly head. It was actually surprising that her left hand didn't have a grip on his throat at the moment. She then turned on her heels and headed towards where Lazaryos was on the ground. She knew that there was no point in traveling any farther at night. Monsters loved the night, so that made it so she couldn't travel at her favorite time of day. She settled on the burned ground near Lazaryos but not too close for comfort if he happened to wake up, though she didn't expect he would any time soon. Pulling her bag off her back, she removed her sleeping mat from it, laying it out on the ground even though she felt completely at home on the burned grass. She laid down on the mat, closing her eyes and hoping to fall asleep quickly.
-
*Nitrous almost immediately remembered the sound of the voice warning him and the girl as soon as he heard it reach his ears* "What in the hell?! I can't believe I was helping tiger boy this whole time!" *He stopped short seeing that the battle was about over and the fire spread across the ground in an almost instantaneous effort; towards his direction the rather irritated wolf remembered the time before when the lightning hit and did a running jump and a somersault to the side as soon the flames got closer to his proximity and the end of his cloak got singed in the evasive maneuver* "Damn you tiger boy! You got me burnt a little." *The wolf was about to raise his fist at the then unconscious tiger and then he was deterred as he didn't get to rest easy when the enraged gargoyle-bat came to him with threats which as she turned around he replied in his dumbfounded state* "I have nothing else to call ya..." *He just shrugged her attack off like it didn't happen when she turned about and left him to be alone*
*Nitrous then looked upon the white tiger laying on the burned ground and walked over carefully avoiding the girl, standing over him quietly, the wolf dropped a blanket on the feline's body* "I can't let you die because then I can't get my revenge later on." *He hissed to himself as he laughed quietly and walked to a tree not too far from the other two mages and leaned against it until he fell into a slumber curling up without conscious awareness*
-
Chrono had long since set up camp while waiting for the massive amounts of creatures to move on. Some of the wolves went out to get dog-sized monsters as appetizers, while Chrono walked off with a few in order to catch bigger meals. Chrono was looking for a few bears, but caught sight of another camp inhabited by others around his age, and they seemed to hold potential judging by the dried blood on their weapons.
As he approached the camp, two members of the group noticed the wolves around the camp, but not the figure that had leaped in and cut up the one on the right. The other adventurer was backing away from Chrono into a wolf that knocked him onto his chest, and tore his neck muscles out. Screams along with cries of death rang out from the camp before Chrono came back with seven corpses, a bag full of coins, and no injured or dead wolves.
-
Lazaryos woke up from his comatose far before dawn the next morning. He groaned as his joints screamed in severe pain as it was the first time in years that he had expended that much Majicka. Lazryos noticed the blanket on him and Ember laying not too far from him. He chuckled and took the blanket, folding it as he got up and laid it next to her. Lazaryos sat back down and meditated, waiting for light to come.
-
When light came, Ember woke up, yawning and stretching. As she rolled over and sat up, she noticed the blanket next to her. Now it was her turn to chuckle. "Umm...even though I may have ended up dragging you along with me if you hadn't woken up, this blanket isn't mine..." She said, looking over Lazaryos. "It's his. He covered you." She smirked, pointing over to Nitrous who was lying against a tree. She wouldn't be surprised if Nitrous denied her claim though. She rolled her sleeping mat up and reattached it to her bag, removing an apple from the bag and starting to eat it.
-
*Nitrous was just lazily laying there not really in as much of a rush as he should have been* "I don't know what you're talking about miss, I'm just a traveling dark mage minding his own damn business." "Great, now I have attention towards me." *Nitrous got up and stretched from his spot quickly getting the sun in his eyes* "Oh crap and a half! I hate that light at this hour of the day." *He hissed and moved back into the shade of the tree just out of the glare of the sunlight, but enough to still heat up his legs with sunbeams*
-
Chrono woke up with his head on a wolf, and his body covered by two others. He started pushing the wolves off him, and they quickly squirmed away and got the others awake in about ten minutes. Chrono did a few stretches and swings of both arms before walking down the hill he slept on, then soon came across the people he used to be ahead of. "Hmph, too impatient to wait for me to catch up, yet you have the time to laze about..." he muttered as he and his wolf pack passed him, and he started to wonder where the rest of the monsters went. There had to be at least a thousand here if it... but I only see about a hundred or so bodies... he mused as he continued down the trail.
-
Justeph continued walking, seeing strobes of light in the distance. He assumed those were magical attacks being cast. He was right. Large portions of the blobs scattered and disappeared. As he hiked closer, he could see that the blobs of monsters were destroyed by three mages. At least he assumed the three people he saw were the mages that destroyed the monster gathering.
"Three mages did all that damage?" He breathed in awe.
"I assume so... word of advice, STAY THE HECK AWAY FROM THEM" Sindri warned.
Justeph didn't listen and just made a beeline towards their area. As he silently marched, he neared their location, and gave a little wave of acknowledgment before he sat down to rest his tired legs.
-
A little irritated by finding out who's that was, Lazaryos grabbed the blanket and, with a bit of Majicka, subsequently fried the blanket to ash. He grumbled and began to walk north, his energy having returned to him in the hours spent meditating. Lazaryos' mind began to tickle at the thought of a romance with Ember. He quickly shook the thought out of his head and slapped both sides of his face. Wake up, you idiot. You've never had anyone before, never needed anyone before. That's how it was and always will be.
-
Ember couldn't help but laugh at Lazaryos' reaction to finding out who the blanket belonged to, nor could she help chuckling when she saw him slap himself in the face. This guy was interesting. She got up off the ground and headed north after him, still eating her apple as she walked. "Oh, not that it matters but, my name is Ember...just so you don't need to call me 'girly' anymore..." She said as she turned her head in Nitrous' direction, making sure she was loud enough for him to hear her.
-
*The dark mage scoffed and grumbled* "Alrighty Ember." *Not up much for a conversation at his current moment and his eyes twitched seeing his blanket destroyed in a heartbeat* "That son of female tiger... that was an antique." *He growled under his breath* "Tiger boy, you are going to DIE." *The wolf trudged on forward keeping his distance from the fire mage still in front of his path and following silently after his small discussion with himself* "Now hopefully these docks that we are trying to get to are not infested with a bunch of brutes as well, it would be nice to have some smooth sailing for once... yeah I must be dreaming and why do I keep thinking "we", I have nothing to do with these clowns I'm following.." *He shrugged off his thoughts and didn't think much of it as he continued*
-
Chrono had actually decided if he could ride one of his wolves, but the instant he got on, the wolf sat down and laid on its side, making Chrono fall off rather awkwardly. "Okay... so I can't ride any of you, jerks" he muttered as he pulled his foot out and continued walking down the trail. Well, considering his luck with fighting, he wasn't going to run into much on his journey to the second continent.
Well, that was until he spotted a giant eye symbol on a banner, which was atop a camp of mages of varying skill, gender, and race. Great, my heritage is coming back to bite me to death... he mused while groaning and trying to avoid their security.
-
Lazaryos was pained as he continued on with Ember and Nitrous behind him. His joints ached, and his heart raced from time to time like a heart attack. Dammit. I know I should have rested more, but I will NOT delay the journey for being stupid. I need this to time perfectly if I am to survive Crimson Blue and get my hands on the Mana. However, it is strange how the monsters have been acting lately. It's almost like something is affecting them to become more violent and proactive in doing so.
-
Ember could tell that Lazaryos was feeling some discomfort as she followed behind him. She shook her head in disappointment. "Yeah, I should have been dragging you." She said with a slight chuckle. "You obviously didn't rest enough. I can tell." Other than mentioning that she noticed his discomfort, she didn't say or do anything further. If he wanted to move on when he was in pain, it was no business of her's.
-
*As Nitrous was walking he was watching the tiger and Ember and trying to see what she was doing* "Hmm... I wonder if those two are secretly working together, she seems to be close to him. Interesting... or perhaps it's a love story." *He laughed at his own dry humor* "That would be pretty funny, I wonder what the children would look like." *He kept his distance and continued to humor himself making sure he didn't get to close to Ember*
-
Chrono couldn't help but steal a few peeks at the camp of his clan's magical school. What he saw there was as interesting as it was dangerous. They had beasts tied down to the ground, and had them tormented until they were practically berserk, then had a student perform transformation magic on them, turning the beast into an all-out monster. When the student had finished, he was responsible for taking over the mind of the target to move it far away from the camp before relenquishing control of it. The closest thing one would compare these camps to were the ones rumored to be on the Second Continent's Arenas, where professional mages created beasts for the gladiators to kill or be killed by. "Dang, and I was banished from this lifestyle..."
-
Lazaryos pushed himself as he continued on, ignoring Ember's words. I'd rather die than have my (censored) dragged around by you, not that it looks like you had the strength.[/i] Thoughts of her pulling him along entered his mind alongside many immoral thoughts that could be associated with such a situation. Lazaryos shook it out of his head again, this time using a bit of Majicka to shock himself. He let out a low growl as the lightning ran through his body and he walked more upright and brisker as he felt energized by it, not even wanting to look back at Ember. Honestly, why is this happening to me? This is ridiculous.
-
Ember just smirked as she watched him. "Something strange is happening with this guy. Part of me wants to know what's going through his head..." She thought to herself as she saw him suddenly start standing up straighter and walking faster after a low growl. "Another part, not so much." She shook her head slightly as she continued to walk behind him, also noticing that Nitrous was making sure he didn't get too close to her. A chuckle escaped her lips at that.
-
*Nitrous grumbled as he noticed Ember acknowledge his presence as he continued* "Grr... well at least she'll lead me to those floaty boats, I hope to get off of this crap land mass and start getting the mana that is rightfully mine!" I wonder if the prospect of getting it or trying to get there is making me feel miserable though, like as if it were an evil in itself to possess such a lost power..." *He pondered as he lost track of time following the gargoyle bat*
-
While Chrono had been avoiding their magical eyes and ears, the mage guild was stockpiling monsters for an ambush it planned to have occour the instant it detected mages that were not of the guild.
One mage was having a visible breakdown as he finished moving his 'creation' to the pen, and was immedeatly brought in front of his instructor. "Is there a problem youngling?" he asked with fake compassion. "W-what if we annihilate another village, how are we going to st-" the instructor apparently heard enough as he raised his staff and struck down the mage. "The concerns of small towns do not involve our own, avert your eyes to the destruction and turn them towards the rise of the Tri'malis Guild!" the remaining mages responded with 'All hail the Tri'malis!!' before returning to their work.
-
The next 2 days were pretty much quiet treks as Lazaryos recovered more and more. His body was still not used to having its Majicka spent at that rate so despite his Majicka having recovered the first night, Lazaryos was still sore all over. Each night, he fought himself to keep his newfound lust for Ember and tried to occupy his mind by concentrating harder on his meditations.
-
Ember hadn't really said anything the past couple days. All she had done was look at her surroundings as she walked. She had no idea what kind of an effect her presence was having on Lazaryos. She did realize that she was the only one who had her name floating out there. She had no clue what these guys' names were. The thought of asking them outright seemed weird to her though and totally random, so she didn't bother to mention it.
-
*Nitrous felt like he had been following the girl in front of him for days and all he began to notice at this point were the littlest unimportant details about her back having long studied her tail and hair, it swaying back in for almost gave him the illusion of a horizontal pendulum making his head spin after getting caught up in the movement too much, it was driving him crazy so he finally spoke to not think about it as much anymore* "My name is Nitrous if you must know." *He said loud enough so she could hear and looked away from her back so that he at least appeared to be uninterested*
-
The base Chrono passed by had long since noticed the mages following not too far behind him, and sent word as well as a few of thier monsters to the next camp, which was about a three day travel if you were traveling by foot. The messenger and his 'caravan' kept their distance while quickly moving past the group and reaching the next camp in about a day, so the day before Chrono would come across the camp, they were preparing for the ambush.
Of course, the only thing Chrono noticed going on was some really big objects moving in sight, and then moving out of it just as quickly. I've been alone for too long, I must've seen a shadow or something...
-
Lazaryos broke from his mediation as he felt something weird in the air. He opened his eyes and saw a small fire in the distance with shadows that seemed to be in all shapes and sizes, eyes seemingly to stare at him, and the others that were near him. Aside from Ember and Nitrous, a few others were camped out not too far behind. Lazaryos stood up began tapping his staff against a rock to get everyone's attention. "Get ready for a fight, if you want to live."
-
Ember had been sitting down staring up at the sky when Nitrous spoke up, mentioning his name. "'Kay." She responded nonchalantly. She looked in Lazaryos' direction when he started tapping the rock. "I'm all for change in pace, but a fight is not what I had in mind." She said as she got up off of the ground. Holding her staff securely in her right hand, she looked at the surroundings, watching and waiting.
-
*Nitrous looked up with his left eye twitching* "Do these fatherless sons ever quit?" *He growled intensely and his muscles tensed as got his staff ready for action, holding it with one arm outstretched and the other whipping out the book he had recently purchased* "I hope you can fight as well as you did last time Ember." *He said in a sinister manner, almost poking a certain doubt hidden underneath his words* "The worst problem about these fights is you never know when your last day is going to be, could have already been 5 minutes ago, but I still think I'm alive." *He distastefully spat upon the ground before him*
-
Chrono yawned at the prospect, taking advantage of the chance to get some extra air through his system and wake up completely. He didn't even think about what was going to attack until he saw the all-to-familiar banner in the air. "I'll leave this to you three, not much of a mage anyway..." he said as he tried to push away the thoughts of seeing the family he would rather kill than greet.
-
All of the other Mages and Normals around Lazaryos looked at him like he was stupid or crazy until one of them got pounced on my a giant, horned creature that you normally only see in the Arena. The Normals grouped together and attacked together, despite where they were all from. Against Mages, they sometimes could do it with either a partner or by themselves. However, Arena Monsters were not magic, and they were extreme in size and strength. Winning gladiators were usually only able to win against these things AFTER everyone else died trying, giving it multiple wounds beforehand. Many of the Mages were already doing their best to kill the small horde of 15 monsters. They were indeed strong. Those who tried to conserve their Majicka quickly got killed. These beasts had plates of anti-magic armour on random parts of their body. Damn, this is going to be a pain in the (censored). But then again, lightning is much more... unpredictable. Lightning began to form into a ball around the topaz and grew larger as Lazaryos pointed his staff directly at the closest beast. He fired it and, as expected, ended up hitting one of the randomly placed armour. The ball, instead of deflecting as it should, exploded on impact, creating a net that covered the beast, holding it down for the others Mages to take down with ease. Lazaryos fired on two more before falling onto one knee. Well now, body. Get used to it. We didn't learn all these high-level spells just so you can crap out on me when it hurts.
-
Ember didn't waste any time and didn't plan on trying to conserve her majicka. Closing her eyes, she felt her body heating up substantially and when she opened her eyes back up they seemed to glow, but it was just an illusion. Fire surrounded the ruby on her staff, flexing and growing as it flickered impatiently, waiting to be released. She aimed her staff at the creatures and released the fire, which caused her staff to be spit out flames like a flamethrower. She walked towards the beasts as the flames continued to fly at them which burned their faces and caused them to back away from her, making pained noises. A grin could be seen on her face by the light of the flame.
-
*Nitrous laughed as he watched some of the creatures burn horribly from Ember's attack* "Weaklings." *Was all the wolf said as he heaved and tossed his staff into the air and uttered a phrase as it was falling with his palms together and finished just as the staff was over his head he caught it and smacked it into the ground; the resulting effect was that the already burning creatures were now smashed into the ground by gravitational forces as strong and planets 9 times larger than their own causing them to helplessly lay there* "All mine for the torment unless someone gets there first." *He cackled as he walked forward with his staff raised, ready to smack the wretches to death*
-
His wolves abandoned him the instant the creatures came into view, their instincts telling them that their survival and Chrono no longer mix. So, he did what anyone would do when faced with large numbers of powerful creatures, well any idiot that is. He estimated the speed of the creature and was ready to an attempt to jump onto the creature, which he was successful save for a slip here and there. He clambered up to the top of the monster, and started hacking into it with his cutlass. It wasn't visibly doing much to harm the monster, but the amount of blood seeping from the cuts caused it to later collapse from having too much of its essence drained out into its coat.
-
Lazaryos was now on both knees, clutching onto his staff after having fired a total of 5 high-level nets. He watched as Mages and Normals alike assaulted the oncoming monsters, many of them being torn into pieces. Lazaryos' body began to scream in pain to him, but he ignored it as he forced himself up. He stood on both feet firmly and braced himself as he held tightly onto the staff and pointed it at the group of invaders. "Everybody MOVE!" Lightning built up until Lazaryos finally released it. A lightning storm similar to the one he used to light over the town shot from the staff and headed straight for the whole group.
-
Ember could feel her body weakening as she cast her spells. She wasn't used to casting high-level spells this much. Maybe only one every few days, if that. Now she had cast about six and her legs were shaking underneath her. When Lazaryos yelled for everyone to move, she moved out of the way as quickly as her weak, shaking legs would let her. Once she was out of the way, she sank to her knees then leaned forward so she was on her hands and knees. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths.
-
*Nitrous already gave up on his legs and just crawled on the ground as he continued to cast spells* "Stupid legs and stupid people and stupid creatures, every stupid thing has to screw up my majicka." *He crawled past another dying creature and smashed its head in with his staff* "That outta teach ya foul piece of crap!" *He angrily kept going along, a large headache forming and making him even more tired*
-
Chrono felt the creature buckle under its feet as the cuts finally took effect, as they should, and caused him to be sent flying as the monster went to a complete stop then flew across the grass and hitting the dirt and tumbling a good ten feet before landing on his back. He looked back with his head and helmet scraping dirt, and saw some lightning pass just far enough away to leave him out of the brunt of the attack. "This is going to hurt at least a little bit..." he mumbled as he couldn't move his body quick enough to avoid all of the oncoming attack.
-
The lightning ended up striking parts of the encampment. Lazaryos breathed heavily as his legs could no longer hold him up. His attack did its job, but he only saw a few Mages and Normals left. Lazaryos never counted, but he can tell that more than half had been wiped out either by the monsters or by his attack. He groaned and fell straight onto his rump, feeling drained, but still aware.
-
Ember had opened her eyes and watched the lightning strike. A powerful spell indeed. After the spell had done its job, she managed to crawl to a good spot. She didn't have the energy, though, to roll out her sleep mat. She only found enough energy to remove her bag from her back. Collapsing onto her back, using the bag as a pillow, she stared up at the sky blankly. It wouldn't be too long before she fell asleep, as tired as she felt now.
-
*Nitrous sweated as his joints were practically crackling at every step of the way as he crawled along the ground "This...is...not...fun." *He breathed heavily as he finally stopped moving and laid on his belly with his hair frizzing as the enormous lightning strike cleared* "Damn you tiger boy..." *From another one's view, the wolf now looked like a giant poofball from his fur going out in every direction*
-
Chrono tried to move, but the electricity was still coursing through his armor. So, when a mage that was wearing the eye of his clan, Chrono grabbed the man's ankle, watching as the mage was shocked to either unconsiousness or death as he fell to the dirt without even a grunt. Chrono then got up and dusted his armor off, not seeing a single wolf of his pack still here. "Thats what I get for feeding and fighting by their side... figures"
-
It was another hour before Lazaryos could get himself to move past the pain in his joints. He sat up in and began to rub his joints. Many of the Normal and Mages had either set up camps together or just laid down where they passed out. What is that? Lazaryos noticed something that looked like a giant piece of singed, black cotton. With help from his staff, Lazaryos got up and walked over to the giant cotton ball. After seeing it was just Nitrous, he turned and walked away, and sat next to Ember. Lazaryos had no idea why he sat there, but his body at seemed to move on its own. Instead of arguing with himself, Lazaryos just tried to get everything out of his head by meditation as hard as he can. However, this was probably the first time he had difficulty with that as it is rather quite hard to meditate with a big bulge between his legs while sitting in Indian-style. Awwww..... (censored)!!!!
-
Ember just laid in place, breathing deeply to relax herself. She heard someone come near her and sit down. Opening one eye, she saw that it was just Lazaryos so she closed the eye again. The next thing she knew, it was early morning when she opened her eyes again. She started to sit up and let out a groan as her head fell back on her bag. "Stupid high-level spells wearing out my stupid body..." She grumbled to herself. Slowly rolling over, she got on her hands and knees, then sat back against her heels. She grabbed her bag and went through it. Grabbing her last apple, she removed it from the bag and began eating it.
-
*The wolf woke up with a start having realized he fell asleep from exhaustion* "My head, oh man it hurts so much... and my..my... FUR!!!" *Nitrous looked up to quickly notice his nemesis from a distance and crawled his way towards Ember and the tiger slowly* "Just a little closer tiger boy and I'll be ready to give you a can of whoop donkey." "Nghhh...ugh." *He stopped for a moment as his limbs still hurt* "You made me look like a FREAK!!!" *He clenched his fist and swung it around in the air wildly while his face was implanted into the ground* "Damn it, I need some water so I can at least flatten my fur out...." "And hope that it eventually returns to normal, as it is my clothes feel all weird like this." *He growled to himself*
-
Chrono looked back, and saw that the group he had left wi-, he left on his own and had no interest in going with a bunch of mages, regardless of how useful they could be in a fight. But now he felt lonely again since the wolves had ditched him and the rest of the normals were probably too intimidated by how he dealt with one giant monster on his own and kept their distance. Although, sometimes I wonder if life would have been more bearable as a mage, at least my own family wouldn't hate my guts for my lack of majick skill. All I got going for me is two swords and a fire-retardent hide. he sighed as he kept walking on, though a bit more sad then before the ambush.
-
Lazaryos awoke from his meditation slumber to find Nitrous crawling towards him. He got up, walked over and stood over Nitrous. "You look a little burnt there, lad. You might want to consider washing the oils out of your fur more often and possibly moving a lot faster when you see a lightning storm." Lazaryos laughed aloud as he walked away, feeling revitalized, but still sore. Well, at least I can walk with a lighter heart. Such a sad sight truly is rare. I'll bet the poor sod is homeless, too. He grabbed his bag and took out a pear, eating it as he continued north. Only a couple more days now. But something really is amiss. First a horde that attacks unprovoked, now monsters that are only found in the Arena.
-
Ember chuckled at what Lazaryos said to Nitrous as she stood up. Him talking about washing reminded her that she needed to be careful while eating her apple, not wanting to get juice on her fur and get all sticky. That was something she wouldn't be able to stand. She started to walk after Lazaryos, though not trying to catch up with him. Plus, her body was a little sore so she had no intention of trying to walk any faster than her normal pace.
-
"You fiend! I will get my revenge... eventually." *He yelled after the tiger as he and the gargoyle-bat girl walked away* "Grr... now I guess I'll just follow for now, then get the element of surprise until we... err I get to the docks. If I can kill a man like I have many a time before, I can definitely kill just some mage with a few static electricity tricks out of his walking stick." *He chuckled to himself as he brushed himself off and got up glaring at the tiger's back as the feline had walked* "Laugh while you can tiger boy, laugh while you can."
-
In the trees and outside of the group's notice, there were three dragons of slightly differing features, and all had a slid in their forehead that looked similar to an eye without eyelashes or eyebrows. "Hm... that one in the black, ahead of the other three, does he seem familiar?" "Only one person I know that sulks while standing tall sis, didn't expect the runt to still be alive since none of us supported him." "Anyway, we should tell the rest of the siblings, as well as Big Sister... question is, how will we get there on the same boat without him noticing us?"
The dragoness waved her hand frantically at the rather muscular dragon that just spoke."Oh I know, lets borrow one of the ferry boats we use to send the monsters to the Arena!!" The middle dragon of the two smiled as he gathered fire in his feet and shot off through the trees, his flame not at the temperature to start an insant fire, but strong enough to propel his frame froward. The bigger of the three jumped down and literally went through the ground as he 'dug' his way to the port. The only one left that wasn't moving had a blush in her cheeks as she looked at Chrono from afar before gathering wind on her back and creating 'wings' that allowed her to fly at least ten times the speed of running, and went to the clouds to avoid detection.
-
Lazaryos spent the whole morning hiking without incident. He didn't bother to look behind him, like usual, since he knew that Ember was close behind and not wanting those thoughts running through his head again. How is it that I've never had these feeling for any women before, but now have them for this one who is more reptilian than most that I've seen? I must be getting old 40 years too early. Lazaryos took out another pear from his bag to eat, when he saw something glistening from afar, up ahead. It was something that was on the roof of a latrine, but something didn't feel right about it.
-
Ember pretty much ignored the monologue-ing of Nitrous. What good was someone planning on hurting/killing somebody else if they told the person about it? She pulled out a roll from her bag after walking for the whole morning and took a bite from it, chewing slowly. She narrowed her eyes as she looked farther ahead, spotting whatever was glistening that Lazaryos had seen, even though she didn't know he had seen it already. "Hmm...what could that be?" She thought to herself as she continued walking, still staring at the thing while she ate.
-
*Nitrous still being a bit further behind hadn't seen the reflective object just yet that Ember and tiger boy had seen and stopped behind a tree to watch them just both looking in one direction* "I wonder what the hell they are up to this time, they are both acting funny. Hmm... I'll stay back for now and see if this gets good." *He rubbed his paws together and got an evil grin going up the side of his face hoping for something terrible to happen to the feline*
-
Chrono was yet again oblivious to what was going on as he was more concerned with his own emotions than some random sine in the distance. His thoughts mostly wandered around the idea that the guild his family now rules, is now big enough to the point where it will either hinder his journey, or stop it cold. He took off his helmet, then rubbed the slit between his head until the eye opened and was visible in the reflection. "This will be the first wrong that I will make right after I ingest Mana..."
-
Lazaryos walked cautiously towards the latrine, the shimmering object no longer shining as he got closer. He stopped about 20 feet away from it, the smell emanating from it being too strong for his feline nose. Lazaryos did his best to cover his nose and get closer, but 2 feet in, the smell was bad enough to make him fall over. (Censored)!!! That must be one of the few in the world that's actually full! But I have to get to that object. There's something strange about it. Lazaryos made one last attempt to take another step, but the smell permeates everything for a feline.
-
As Ember got closer to Lazaryos, her hands quickly flew up to cover her nose and mouth. "Oh! That is nasty!" She said, almost gagging. From what she knew about felines, she was sure Lazaryos was having just as much trouble as she was with the smell. Looking towards the object, she contemplated flying over to check it out. It didn't take her long to determine that it was a bad idea to do so since smells rise, just like heat.
-
*A gust of wind blew past the gargoyle bat and tiger and the scent made it's way towards the hiding dark mage* "OH MY GUARDIAN!!!" *He fell over gagging on the ground and writhing like he was being tortured by an unseen force, quickly getting up after his dramatization* "That is some nasty crap up there! What the hell is up there, it smells like s..." *He put his paws to his mouth so that the two mages ahead couldn't hear him*
-
Chrono turned around to see how far away the others were and saw that one mage was around a latrine, trying to reach at a sh-
Shiny... must... get...now!! he ran back and lost precious time as he was only focused on the object. It took only a few moments to close the distance they were seperated, and neither mage had any success. He climbed on top of the mage, using his blade to knock it away from the latrine, whos scent just now reached his nostrils through the mouth guard. "What the fu-aaah!" he fell off the mage, then the shiny object caught his attention and he scrambled to grab it.
-
Lazaryos grunted as the filthy Normal crawled over his back and fell to the ground in front of him. As the armoured dragon scrambled forward, he hooked the head of his staff onto the opening at the top of the greaves and released his Majicka, running the electricity through the bloody dragon's body while doing his best to muffle out the smell to his nose with his thick sleeve, though it didn't really change anything. At least this will stop the idiot from taking the stone.
-
Ember shook her head in disappointment as she witnessed the Normal climbing on Lazaryos to get to the shiny object. She then watched Lazaryos send a spell at the Normal as he tried to scramble towards the object. All of this over some random shiny thing when they don't even know what it is? "Might as well try to end this before they kill each other..." She thought to herself, taking a couple steps forward while still shielding her mouth and nose. "Of course, they could try to kill me..." She remembered, but shrugged a few seconds after and took a deep, nasty smelling breath, holding it in. Taking step after step, each one faster than the last, she finally jumped in the air with her arms out. She flapped them once...twice...three times to get herself high enough then let herself glide towards where the object was, only having to flap once more to make sure she stayed high enough. Landing on top of the latrine, she grabbed the object and looked at it for a few seconds. "It's a stone. I don't see what's so special about it..." She thought as she slipped it into her bag. She jumped and glided back in the direction of where she had started from but a little ways away because she didn't know how the others would react knowing that she had the object they were trying to retrieve. When she landed she pulled the stone from her bag and looked at the others, exhaling. She had just spent probably all of her flight time for the day on a stone since her wings didn't work for extended periods of flight.
-
*Nitrous walked slowly behind the gargoyle bat girl quietly sneaking from tree to tree, until he could clearly see the latrine ahead* "Ugh, that's what this is all about? Just some crapper..." *He noticed something reflect off of the sunlight in that same general direction* "Oh... you sly tiger boy, that's what this all about... wait who's that?" *The wolf noticed a dragon trying to continue forward to get to the shining object* "I wonder if all this trouble is even worth it. To actually make it difficult for the tiger to get to his goals though always sounds appealing."
*He grinned as he focused dark energy into his paws with a direct aim at the back of the tiger's head* "Take this!" *He yelled as he shot the dark energy like a speeding missile upon the feline*
-
Chrono struggled with the electricity coursing though his system, the magic resistance making the pain a bit more bearable as he dragged himself towards the shiny object with the eyes of a true animal. Of course, if the mage had any ideas about trying to flaunt his victory over Chrono, he would quickly grab his leg and return the favor by sending whatever electricity his armor was still holding back into the mage that threw it at him.
-
Lararyos almost yelped at getting hit by the dark spell. In a rage, he pulled Chrono back with his staff still hooked onto him and released a paralyzing electrical wave dome from his staff's topaz that spread past Nirtous, taking down many Normals and Mages that had stopped to point and laugh at the group. Lazaryos roared as he joints ached from the high-level spell.
-
Ember watched the boys continue dueling, Nitrous having joined in. They were obviously completely oblivious to the fact that she had already grabbed the stone and came back. "Helloooo...booooys..." She said, waving the hand that was holding the stone in the air. "BOYS!" She yelled, pulling her hand down frustratedly from the air to her side. Then she started to turn towards the north. "Alright...guess I'll just...go...and take this thing with me..." She turned her head towards the direction her body was already facing and began walking away a little slower than her usual pace, remaining alert in case they decided to throw spells her way.
-
*Nitrous noticed Ember holding the stone as soon as she started making lots of noise, but unfortunately for him he was already on the ground writhing from an electric shock* "Zzzzttt-At---zzzt least I---zzzz stopped tiger boy." *His head fell over and the wolf was forced to rest for a couple of minutes* "Gargoyle bat girl can't get too far, because she's not going to leave tiger boy behind too much probably.." *He grinned*
-
Chrono wanted to get the shiny that he saw in the gargoyles hand, and forced his body to get up, and then felt the numbness and pain go straight to the center of his head. This is a pretty crippling experience if you're not used to being on the recieving end of spells, the equivalent to having a sledgehammer repeatedly bashing against your head, but no death or unconsiousness to take it away.
With a grunt and a growl, he was back up and chasing after the gargoyle on all fours, the openings in his helmet glowing bright from the lightning his eye took in.
-
Lazaryos got on his feet right away, despite the pain and chased after Ember, using Chrono as a stepping stone. "Payback's a (censored), buddy!" He ran as fast as he could without tripping and pointed his staff at Ember, firing a lightning net ball similar to the ones he used on the beasts from the night before. The lightning spread open into a net above Ember and wrapped tight around her as it landed onto her.
-
Ember wasn't surprised by the net that appeared around her, not really. She slowly sat down on the ground Indian-style with her arms crossed, tightly gripping the stone in her hand and closing her eyes. Waiting for the removal of the net, she just breathed deeply. She was going to keep the stone within her possession until she was told what it was. Lazaryos was in for a surprise if he kept this kind of thing up. She could only contain herself so long.
-
*Nitrous recovered from his electric shock and got up, running in the direction of the tiger* "Come back here you fiend!" *The deranged wolf chased while continuing to breathe with the smell of fecal matter in the air* "Ugh... I'll never get used to that crapper, I need to get the hell out of here." *He moved faster and eventually got up behind the feline a few yards away hiding behind a tree*
*The wolf looked around the corner to notice Ember under a net* "Oh no, I can't believe he'd harm his forsaken love." *He cackled to himself in a low voice* "Oh this is good, I gotta watch and see how this tale turns out."
-
The last shock Chrono recieved had pulled his mind away from the obssession, and he felt a massive headache as he got up and walked away from the group and resuming on his walk. "Shock therapy... how convenient" he mused while somewhat ignorant of the glow his third eye was giving off, not knowing it was converting the spell's effect into mana that he would never use.
-
Lazaryos moved up to Ember and pointed a finger at the stone. Some lightning left his finger and hit the net. It began to break and weave into Ember's clenched fist into the stone. Without warning, the lightning was shot out of the stone uncontrollably and shocked the two of them. Lazaryos landed on his rump and grunted. He looked up and found the stone to be fully in its pure element without the rock covering most of it. Lazaryos sighed in disappointment, "And here I thought it would be a White Topaz. Just a stupid flawed diamond. Feel free to keep it if you want, it's completely useless to me." He continued on north, after the dragon. Dammit! I would've liked to have a pure Topaz. (censored)!!!!!!!
-
Ember released the stone with a slight pained sound from the shock. She grabbed the diamond from the ground and stood up, starting to walk north after Lazaryos. "Well, I like it. When things are flawed, they can still be beautiful, even if they have no use." She said as she looked down at the diamond in her left hand. She held it up in the sunlight and watched it sparkle then lowered her hand to her side as she continued to walk, still holding the diamond tightly.
-
*He laughed to himself as he watched the feline storm off without the stone* "Whether or not that was what he wanted, he still didn't get the stone from Ember." *The wolf laughed to himself and continued onward thinking about how his current strategy is working out* "If I continue to play Mr. Opportunist, there is little room for error and I'll strike when it's going to hurt most." *He continued his walk, keeping distance behind Ember, whistling a small tune with a face full of glee*
-
As Chrono walked the path that he really couldn't see, he noticed an old sign that was standing in the middle of a dirt road, sitcking out of a pit in that road. Hm... 'Pier: 3-4 days by foot or one day by mount'... well, thats a small relief, feels like its been two weeks since I last saw a city. Chrono didn't bother to question the logic of a pit in the middle of a road, or how the sign was placed there; he just continued on his way, taking out the parchment, and tearing off the days he had spent walking on the road.
-
Lazaryos trudged along unhappily most of the day, until he saw that sign. A smile crept over his face and he decided to deter slightly more towards the west. Not to far in that direction, was a small village by the name of Porksmith. True to its name, the village was known for its pig farming and its slaughtering there of. The tiger's mouth watered in anticipation and excitement as he walked through the town's gates.
-
Ember just followed along behind Lazaryos, completely bored with the walk. She had seen the sign for the village and didn't care much about what the village was known for. She pulled a leather cord out of her bag while she walked. Craftily tying it around the diamond, she made it into a necklace and tied it around her neck. She followed Lazaryos through the gates and headed to look for supplies and food she would actually eat.
-
*Nitrous followed carefully not wanting to get too close because the feline knew he was hostile* "As long as tiger boy doesn't catch sight of me I should be fine, I don't mind helping the girl because she can easily be used as a means to an end for that lover boy. Love is such a lovely thing to exploit when treasure is involved." *He made a grin watching the two walk inside the town gates, after seeing his way clear he made his way in as well keeping a low profile*
-
Chrono turned around just to satisfy his curiosity of what the others were doing, when he didn't even see a trace of them. Well, it was a little unnerving how there wasn't even a trail they left behind, but the worst of it was that the sign post was in the middle of six different roads. Which road did they take... and why now?! he threw glances everywhere around him, then began to calm down at the lack of activity, finding a spot about a hundred meters down the road to stop for a rest and a quick hunt.
-
Lazaryos headed straight for the center of the village, entering the largest building. He sat down at a table and dropped his coin sachel. "Owner! Give me as much of your biggest and best! I'm hankering for your goods and I have the money to do it!" Lazaryos' mouth watered with a smile as the owner and two other cooks came out 30 minutes later, hauling an entire roast pig to his table, each part of the pig cooked in a different way. Lazaryos dug in like the tiger he was born to be.
-
Ember found a market and bought some more apples plus some bananas. She also went into a bakery and bought some bread and pasteries. Finding a craft store, she went inside. She spent some time browsing the shop looking at all the hand-crafted items that were there. She finally came upon a collection of ocarinas. One caught her attention the most. The face of it where the holes were had elegant flames painted on it. A smile crept up on her face and she brought the instrument up to the owner, buying it. She exited the shop and began playing it a bit, not totally an expert at it but she had played one before.
-
*Nitrous looked around with shifty eyes and grabbed an apple from a store and kept walking, pretending like he didn't do anything* "Alright I didn't get caught!" *He took a bite out of his apple and looked around* "I wonder if I could make tonight... a night to remember for tiger boy." *He made an evil grin and imaginary horns from his own view sprouted forth from his head* "Oh this is gonna be fun." *He wrung his paws together in contemplation for his plans for the feline*
-
Chrono sat by the fire he made, the remains of the medium-sized creature he ate are off to the side. He looks up at the sky as the sun sets, and his mind drifts away from the present, back to his uncle's flat, whos owner was the only person who seemed to like having him around...
Chrono was carrying a scroll with blue trimming and a black ribbon on the middle. He only wore simple clothes under an open green robe along with a red headband covering the slit where his eye would be. Hm... was I four or six... I didn't visit him at five because they thought he was putting thoughts into my head about 'being equal to mages'... anyway, at least I remember he was a normal as well. the scene repeated in his head after a few moments, then stopped when Chrono heard something behind him. "Can't a guy get some rest around here?!"
-
Lazaryos gorged himself all day and evening until he became tired and rented a room to crash for the night, possibly for the first time in his life. His dreams brought him to the time of his childhood. Continuously, Lazaryos watched his parents get slaughtered by a band of Dark Mages with three eyes, claiming the supremacy of the Tri'malis clan as the superior Mages and race of the world.
-
Ember had walked the streets until near sunset, just playing her ocarina and observing the villagers. This place was definitely more hospitable than Caprica. She had circled back to a place she had seen that she knew she could stay the night at. Heading inside as the sun was setting, she rented out a room and headed to it. She leaned her staff against the stand at the side of her bed. Crawling under the covers, she softly played her ocarina until she fell asleep. Her dreams were just her remembering certain points in the journey so far. No horrible memories plagued her, probably because she didn't have any.
-
*The dark wolf crept silently into the tiger's room in the shadows and drew his chalk* "This outta mess with tiger boy real good." *He grinned as he struck the ground with it around his bed, making a circle motion, slowly working his design into play under the bed until he was done he whispered in the still air* "Sleep well and enjoy the morning." *He laughed inwards as he crept out of the room, tossing the bit of chalk left in his paw on the floor behind him, the pentagram glowing faintly red in the dark around his target*
*As he got outside he explained to himself further what his reasoning was for placing a protection circle around his hardened rival* "It will make me feel better to know that he will be alive tomorrow, and therefore I will get another chance to kill him. It just makes sense." *He nodded to himself as he kept walking*
-
Chrono had long since resigned himself to the slumber under the moon. One could only stay paranoid for so long before fatigue set in. His memories of his pre-exile childhood swam through his head with no real order of occourance as he rolled about on the dirt, his mind now trying to fight off nightmares that occoured soon after every 'lesson' his immedeate family forced on him.
-
Lazaros awoke a bit groggy the next morning, but woke up none-the-less. His head spun as he got up and opened the tiny window in his little Inn room. It was barely morning twilight, and he dressed, leaving his room. Lazaryos left some coins on the table for the keeper who was sleeping in a leaning position at the desk. He breathed in heartily as he stepped out and stretched his now restored joints. See? I needed food more than I needed rest. Lazaryos began to head north, slightly tilting east to get back on track with a big smile on his face.
-
Ember had actually gotten up before Lazaryos, but not by too much. She would still be within his sights when he left the village. "Such a repetitive journey. Eat, walk, and sleep. It was nice to at least have a little change of pace by sleeping in an actual bed. I got rested up a lot quicker than I thought." She thought to herself. Stretching her arms up into the air above her head, her tail swaying back and forth softly behind her.
-
*Nitrous watched the tiger go forward and already prepared a surprise for him as he looked down in his paws, having charged up a large amount of cosmic energy for his prepared attack* "You'll be catatonic for sure after this one tiger boy!" *He cackled at his bad pun as he unleashed a large dark blast from his hands upon the target* "I knew it was worth keeping him alive for one more night to do this." *He grinned with envy at his own work*
-
Chrono got enough sleep to be easily shaken awake by someone standing over him, and immedeatly recognized her. He suddenly unsheated and swung his blade before being met with a light giggle from the figure above. "Silly little brother, you honestly think I'd let you get a free hit that early... I just came to say that we've found you, and will be awaiting you on the second continent. Although, I would perfer if you turned yourself in to our family, can't start a war without the Tri'Malis household not all together, now can we?" Chrono rolled out from under the airy projection, and readied both swords. "After everything they put me through, the slurs, the attitude, killing Uncle, you seriously think I would just give in on the advice of you, wheres Big Sister, why is it only you that vexes me?!" He swung both blades and knew it was to no avail, but hoped slashing her illusion would bring her pain on the other end, or just make her vanish.
Neither happened...
"I'll tell you why when you get to the pier, until then... toodles!!" the image 'exploded' into a small tornado before dissipating. Chrono stood there for a brief moment before sheating his swords and heading out. Some kids get thrown into orphanage by careless parents, I get a family that wants me dead and can torment me half a continent away...
-
Lazaryos kept his eyes north as he found quite the group ahead of him. He was none too surprised to find the dragon in black armour not too far ahead of him, either. Lazaryos could have sworn that he saw a figure explode in front of the dragon, but shrugged it off as another happening of the journey. Also, to no real surprise, the Normals and Mages were actually getting along some, at least in the respect of traveling together and not killing each other. Perhaps it was a good thing that those monsters attacked.
-
Ember just continued to walk on her way. She looked around at all the others as she walked, seeing Mages and Normals alike walking and talking together, getting along just fine. This walk was already boring to her and she hadn't even been on it long. With no one to talk to and nothing to do but walk, she knew this day would drag on forever.
-
*With a look of anger at the tiger having ignored his attack completely he jumped down from the tree and followed behind* "I'm not done with you yet!" *He trudged along raging his fists in the air as he walked furiously at his plan having failed* "Damn... why couldn't I just kill you when I was in the room last night. It would have been so easy but... too easy."
-
Chrono felt something odd still going on under his helmet, so he took it off and looked into the reflection, seeing his middle eye spark with the electricity still being converted into dormant mana. That must've been alot of magic that mage put into me, its been about ten hours since I got shocked and its still processing!! He felt a sudden surge of pain go through his head, as well as seeing a blue flash that blinded him after it reflected off his helmet. "I'm blind!!" he yelled as he hit the dirt, cupped his eyes, and rolled about frantically.
-
Lazaryos was surprised to see the lone dragon's forehead flash and temporarily blind its owner. He walked up to the loner as others did the same. Lazaryos and many others crowded around Chrono, and he was surprised to see lightning bursting from the dragon's equally surprising third eye. He scoffed with rage and walked up, grabbing the disdained dragon by the throat. "If you think this is painful. You haven't felt anything thing yet. You cursed Tri'Malis will pay for all of your crimes." Lightning was bursting from Lazaryos' eyes as he began to charge his Majicka. Some of the surrounding Mages and Normals began to walk in to help the dragon, but Lazaryos roared aloud at their advances with a minor storm emitting from his eyes. "You dare to protect this minion of Tri'Malis!? If you have the (censored) to do so, I'll kill you first!"
-
Ember had turned around to see what all the commotion was about. She wasn't surprised by who she saw since she recognized the voice. Slowly, she walked back to the gathering around Lazaryos and the Normal. She kept her distance from the group though. There was no telling how the situation was going to turn out and she had no interest in being struck my lightning or a badly aimed weapon or fist. So she kept her distance and waited to see what would happen next.
-
*Nitrous just ignored the tiger as he passed by still enraged by his ignorance at his attempts for killing* "I'll show that little feline who's boss later, but now that he is side-tracked, it's the best time to go for the docks ahead of the rest of these losers." *He grinned as he passed by Ember silently and kept going* "Good luck with your mage." *He jested as he walked further ahead cackling a bit* "Somebody better be watching his back." *He cracked his knuckles*
-
Chrono tried to pry his hands off while explaining his eye. "What -ack- kind of use would a normal be to a bunch of mages, if you want to see the scars they put -ack- on me, I'll show you!!" He tried to pry off the mage, but his eye was a consant throb of annoyance as it started to slowly drain the electricity out of the mage's eyes through close-proximity as it was completely haywire from inexperienced use.
All it did to Chrono was prolong the pain of his eye converting the lightning to majick, then forcing it into his body. The only thing worse than having no majick, is having an excess that you can't use...
-
Lazaryos growled and threw Chrono onto his back. He took out his staff and pointed it at Chrono. "You better have a bloody good explanation or else I'll give you more than enough Majicka to burst your head open like a watermelon." Lazaryos' Majicka continued to build within his eyes and his hands, just waiting to burst out. Anger filled his heart and his face, the memories of his family's massacre flashing before his mind's eye.
-
Ember continued to watch, ignoring Nitrous' comment even though she heard it well enough and taking a couple steps closer to the group as Lazaryos threw the Normal away. Looking at Lazaryos' face, she detected the anger in it. Actually, it looked more like rage to her. At this point, she didn't think that he would let the Normal live even if he did have a good explanation. Deciding it was best to act now before it was too late, she pushed her way through the crowd and stood in front of the Normal, blocking Lazaryos' would-be shot. "I can tell you are too angry for good judgment so I doubt you'd let him live even if he had a good explanation..." She started to speak then glanced back at the Normal on the ground before looking at Lazaryos again. "So you can strike me down to get to him if you want to, but at least let him explain AND actually listen to what he says. He could be innocent...maybe..."
-
*Nitrous whistled a tune and continued to imagine ways to kill the tiger boy* "I hate that guy without even barely knowing much about him, I'd smash his brains out through his ears and then eat them as a way to celebrate victory!" *He laughed in contemplation at such a sadistic idea and then thought towards Ember* "I wonder what her thoughts are on him and does she actually love him in return, or is it all just perhaps curiosity? I may have no life of my own to care for the thought of, but I love to gobble up the details of others and just pick at them like dry turkey... and talking to myself." *The wolf kicked a couple of rocks as he kept walking down the path*
-
Chrono tried to force his third eye shut, but the instant it got close, it would flash again and be forced open. "The only thing I will not deny, is that I am from Tri'Malis... this eye is the mark of our lineage, no minion would be allowed to have it. Beyond that, Killing me would be saving them the trouble of doing it themselves. My 'family', if such words hold any real meaning now, will be at the second continent if you wish to actually get your revenge..." Chrono didn't feel like explaining why his own kin would want him dead, he just explained why he wouldn't be a part of a clan that wants him dead. "So can I continue my journey without being zapped every day for essentially being born Normal?"
Probably the most surprising thing about this situation was how Chrono quickly calmed down, despite facing down a very angry mage with lightning.
-
Lazaryos snorted and grumbled to himself. Tch! So the Tri'Malis want their own kind dead too, huh? As much as I hate to, he might become useful eventually. Guess I have no choice. He knelt beside Chrono and placed his right hand over the third eye. Quickly, Lazaryos could feel the Majicka being drained through his hand. "This is going to only hurt momentarily. After all, it is MY Majicka in your system." Lazaryos pointed his staff towards the sky and concentrated as hard as he could on the Topaz and a high-level spell. Majicka from within the third eye began reversing its flow back through Lazaryos into the giant Topaz. Lazaryos let go of Chrono's head as soon as he felt the Majicka emitting from his own body begin to drain into the spell. With a large and loud flash, a gigantic dragon made of lightning burst from the staff, shattering the Topaz and seeming to split the very sky. (Actually, it turned the semi-cloudy morning into a clear one.)
Lazaryos roared more ferociously than he ever had before, possibly being heard for a mile, as he flopped onto the floor, writhing in pain. His body wailed in agony after casting one of his highest spells. Now Lazaryos knew that Chrono was indeed telling the truth. That spell would normally take up almost half of his Majicka. Lazaryos cringed as he watched the yellow dust of his precious Topaz showered the ground before him. This bloody better be worth it.
-
Ember was relieved when Lazaryos didn't strike her down. It was more surprising to her than if he had actually done it. She turned and watched him perform the spell and the after effects, cringing away when his Topaz shattered. When she looked towards the two again, she saw Lazaryos writhing in pain. She wanted to help him but she knew she couldn't take away that pain. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked, looking at Lazaryos. She felt like it was an extremely stupid question but it was the only thing she could think of to do or say.
-
*Nitrous's attention was instantly gathered as he noticed all of the sky change for an oddly placed lightning strike back from the location he had passed earlier* "Tiger boy." *Was all the wolf managed to say as he disgustedly turned back around, the sky slowly cleared* "Ugh, I wonder what crap he's been up to. I bet that little attack of his weakened him greatly, stupid feline." *He scoffed and spit on the ground to satisfy his bad luck superstitions* "Damn cats are always causing trouble."
-
The eye on his forehead slowly closed, keeping whatever majicka that it had already converted and stored, while reluctantly letting Lazaryos have whatever majicka was still left. Chrono groaned, being that light-headed did make it hard for him to move for a few seconds, but he managed to stand up and then got Lazaryos standing on his feet, and leaning on his staff.
He waited for a few moments to see if he fell, then went back on his trail, not wanting to say thanks to someone who was completely ready to fry him the second it seemed justified.
-
Lazaryos felt the same, receiving help from a Tri'Malis was a grave insult and angered him, but despite his background, that dragon was not his enemy. A couple Mages and Normals tried to say something to Chrono and Lazaryos, but kept their distance and thought better of it. The anger was apparent, and almost everyone knew Lazaryos' reputation of being the biggest (censored) when he was angry. It took a while, but Lazaryos was eventually able to hobble along, his body yelling at him in opposition due to the pain and stress it just went through. Indeed, this will be interesting.
-
"Screw you then." Ember said as Lazaryos ignored her completely. Turning on her heel, she walked off before he had even gotten up. "That's what I get for being nice and courteous for once..." She thought to herself as she walked. "I protect the Normal; I get no thanks. I ask if the tiger's okay; I get ignored. And people don't get why I'm tough and uncaring most of the time?" She scoffed to herself at the last part. "Should've just kept walking." She said quietly to herself as her tail moved behind her in an agitated fashion.
-
*Nitrous stopped for a moment and noticed Ember looking incredibly pissed off as she trudged onward, catching up with him walking at a snail pace* "Holy crap, what the hell happened back there... if you don't mind me asking?" *For once he actually sounded concerned* "I'm not concerned Mr. Conscience, I'm just interested in the pain... remember that!" *The aside to himself ended and he snapped back to reality as he tried to keep walking to avoid getting in her way and not to mention reach for a punch that could knock a man flying perhaps*
-
It wasn't until about an hour after the incident that Chrono realized he forgot to say something to the one person that stopped the mage from frying him. He immedeatly did a complete 180 and almost sprinted towards the gargoyle. He raised his arms in a meek defense while approaching her, not wanting to be knocked away by whatever she used before he could say anything. "Um... thanks; for earlier, with the lightning mage." He really couldn't understand himself why she seemed so scary, but he started to pace away when he didn't get any immedeat response.
-
Lazaryos finally got back to walking normally after about an hour and continued on towards the docks. He passed by Ember, who was stopped by Chrono. Lazaryos merely gave them a side glance as he passed by, not wanting concentrate or linger at Chrono's dark armour or Ember's sleek, curved figure, and her fiery, flaming eyes, and her sleek, long tail that covered her luscious, round..... No! Lazaryos shook his head and released a little bit of Majicka from his hands as he placed them on his face and shocked himself back to full consciousness, and sped ahead a little more.
-
Ember had been glaring ahead of her while she was walking and the look had remained as Chrono approached her but she did stop walking. As she listened to him speak, her look softened a little back to her normal expression. Before she knew it he was starting to move away from her, so she started walking again, glancing at Lazaryos as he passed. When she caught up to Chrono, she glanced over at him. "No problem. Now isn't the time for killing. Plus I felt that you should have been allowed to live if your excuse was good enough and I didn't think he'd let that happen." She spoke as she passed him and kept moving onward.
-
Chrono saw her pass, and suddenly felt competitive. He went on all fours and started dashing past her. "Wheee!" he said as he forgot about his competitive mood and started enjoying the wind against his body. He probably looked increadibly stupid running on all fours, but he enjoyed the simple feeling of running on all fours. It was one of the small things that actually took his mind off the pain he put up with for fifteen years, and did actually make a good endurance training exercise.
-
Lazaryos looked back as he heard the loud "Wheee!" behind him and saw the dragon in full armour running on all fours like an idiot. He shook his head and grumbled to himself as he walked on, "Maybe I should have killed him." Lazaryos continued on and shaded his eyes as he started to smell something salty in the air. I must be getting close. I can smell the docks. He hastened his steps, not wanting to wait any longer to reach his first way-point, the first blood-bath of the Pilgrimage. Only 1,000 people will make it into the boats. They'll only go across once and only have the capacity for that many. With over 400,000 people arriving there, it will truly be a sea of blood...
-
Ember just shook her head as Chrono ran by her on all fours. Soon she smelled the water of the docks too. She became somewhat nervous because of what she knew that meant. The first big battle of the journey would be taking place in a day or two. She had never been a part of an actual big battle before so she had no idea how the upcoming one would turn out. She figured that she would probably get injured during it though but she hoped it wouldn't be too severe if it did happen. Her pace quickened slightly unconsciously as she was consumed with thoughts of what would unfold in the next couple of days.
-
Chrono was too busy feeling the wind against his face to realize he was only a few hours from the pier, though it was impossible to tell how much father away it was because nothing showed in the distance yet...
At the port, the three dragon siblings were at the Tri'malis boat, disguised as a merchant ship that delivered the Arena beasts. The three dragon siblings above Chrono were at the boat, knowing that leaving early will make them targets for mages and burning arrows. The two males were arguing over wether Chrono might try to find this ship and then the youngest of the three, the pink dragoness, knocked one off the ground with a burst of wind. "If he doesn't remember, hes of the family Tri'malis, hes not going to die against those pitiful mages and normals!!. Besides, being a filthy normal, he probably has the best chance to make it to the boats with his magic resistance..." last sentence was mumbled, as her first statement was enough for the eldest to stop worrying, and it gave her some much needed quiet. She will make sure Chrono gets on this boat, as its the safest choice beyond going into a bloodbath to reach the other ships.
-
Lazaryos was one of the first couple hundred to reach the docks. As expected, the ships hadn't arrived yet as they were loading supplies elsewhere along the coast. The Central Port was where they would be loading passengers. Lazaryos already began shuffling through the crowd, looking for other wind-type Mages that were lucky enough to get decent-sized topazes. If he was going to survive the upcoming bloodbath, he was going to need an amp.
-
Ember arrived at the docks only a few minutes after Lazaryos did. All she did was look around at all the others who had already arrived. She knew more were going to arrive. Once the boats arrived, it wouldn't be too long before the fighting broke out. She had nothing to do until that time though, so she just walked around in the crowd and waited for the moment to arrive where she would have to fight for a place on a boat and her life.
-
Chrono skidded to a stop as he arrived last at the dock, then got up on two legs and started looking around, not aware that the minions of Tri'Malis are also sifting through the crowd, waiting for the fight to begin so they could have justification in wiping all of the competition out. Chrono headed over to a blacksmith and brought both swords, along with their scabbards, to him and then placed a bag of coins on the table. "How much would it cost to get these blades replaced with a stronger material?"
-
The first of the boats arrived alone after a couple with a particularly large panda in shining, gold armour standing at the helm. The boat was large, seeming to be able to carry 300 passengers by itself. It stopped and anchored more than 100 meters away from the docks. His voice was loud and boisterous, "Brave warriors of both kingdoms and self. We salute you for entering the Pilgrimage to obtain the Mana. As tradition and law passed down over the centuries, our boats will only provide transportation to 1,000 warriors who arrive here on time for the Pilgrimage. However, as you know, there is more than 400,000 of you here. So lies here, the first allowed killings of the Pilgrimage. Only those with highest skill may pass through these waters and be worthy to obtain the Mana. Therefore, you will all have a deathmatch until 1,000 of you are left. In which time, we will fire a phoenix into the air to label the end of the trial. You may now begin."
Lazaryos growled under his breath as he was just about to grab someone else's topaz when voices started screaming and swords and magic began flying. Without an amp, I guess I have no choice but to actually fight. With a larger charge of Majicka from his body (Due to not having the large topaz), he turned his staff into a lightning glaive. Quickly, he swung it in a circle, to kill the unexpecting around him. Tch! This is going to be hell. More than 400,000 people and only 1,000 to remain. Here's hoping my Majicka will last enough for that.
-
Ember looked over at the panda when he started to speak and crouched down amongst the crowd where she just happened to be by a bunch of Normals. A grin spread across her face as she waited for the okay. When the okay was given, she swung her legs around, taking a group of surrounding Normals' legs out from under them. Pulling a sword from the closest one's sheath, she cut and stabbed each of them, besides the one that grabbed a hold of her ankle and tugged, making her fall onto her stomach. She rolled over immediately as the Normal rose and was holding up their own sword for a strike down on her, but she was too quick and stabbed them in the leg which caused them to begin to fall to the ground again, screaming in pain. Their scream was cut short though when she swung the sword towards them as they fell and decapitated them. Rolling over, she pushed herself up off the ground and stood up as others fell around her from whoever they had been fight. She prepared her staff and readied herself for more battle.
-
Chrono was quickly assaulted by three normals who tried to take advantage of his lack of weapon. Although they were stupid enough to brandish their own and try to cut him down. He side-stepped one swing and grabbed the broadsword with the palms of his hands, making a quick tug to pull the blade out and then toss it into the air to catch it by the handle. "Thanks for the weapon, not so good with my fists alone y'know" he said before swinging the blade in a complete circle to disperse the attackers, as well as notify the blacksmith that he shouldn't be loafing about while strengthening his blades. "Come if you've got the swing to back up the swaggar!!" he bellowed before bringing the blade down to cleave a somewhat stunned Normal in two. "Or I'll be washing this street with your blood!"
-
Lazaryos panted heavily as the battle has been going on for almost 10 minutes now. For more than 5 times already, the lightning glaive had been broken and he had to re-summon it each time. It was still taking too much Majicka to summon these. As the 6th glaive broke, Lazaryos strapped the staff onto his back and straightened his hands. Lightning blades formed from the tips of his fingers, down his forearms to his elbows. It may not help with distancing enemies, but it sure saves on Majicka.
-
Ember had done her flamethrower move and slung fireballs quite a few times. She was trying not to use up all of her majicka during the whole ordeal since she knew she would be killed once she passed out. As the fight went on, she made sure to use regular physical abilities and random weapons off of bodies to take down her opponents as well when she had the opportunity to do so. She threw knives at some assailants and then covered her staff with fire, using it to stab through the stomachs of two others as one had been coming up behind the other two attack him while he was trying to attack her. "Vigilance is key..." She muttered as she continued to fight.
-
Chrono kept the Normals away until a gale of wind sent him flying, about ten meters away from the stand. "Having fun with the Normals, baby brother?" he heard before getting to his feet and not seeing anyone attached to that voice. He knew another wind-based attack was coming, but when and where were the most anooying aspects of the thought. "You have your own boat, why bother with me?!" he yelled while looking about. "We always have room for another family member, Mom, Dad, and Big Sister are all gidy as to how well you grew outside the home!" "They'll find out how much I've grown once I behead each of them for the abuse my so called 'family' inflicted on me!"
Another gale smacked him into a wall, and he hit the dirt a split second later. "What makes you think a bunch of mages can raise a normal, so when you could fend for yourself, Dad had you thrown out of the house, now we want to see your progress and possible return..." was the last he heard before the sounds of bloodshed came back to his ears. He shakily got back up and went back to the blacksmith to wait for his weapons to be finished, while dealing with anyone who sought to cause trouble with him.
-
Lazaryos fell to his knees as he sweat profusely from the battle. So far, only 69 kills, and my Majicka's already half depleted. This isn't looking good. Just then, he saw a small glint at the edge of the battle and ran as it grew into a giant inferno spiral. At the same time, jets of water came bursting from the docks and attacked people while also parrying other spells. Oh, (censored]. Now everyone's getting desperate and using their best spells, and I can't even cast any decent ones without my topaz. After the initial collision of spells, Lazaryos shielded himself with his arms from the shockwave and her a little Tink! right next to his face. He opened his eyes and spotted a topaz next to him. Lazaryos grabbed it in haste as he got up and attached it to his staff where his previous one had been. "It's not even half as big, but it'll have to do." He scrambled through the battlefield, taking advantage of most of the people getting knocked onto their butts. As he passed by, Lazaryos noticed a few wind mages unconscious after hitting their heads after the shock wave. Lazaryos bent over them and quickly grabbed their minuscule topazes and added them to the first one he found on his staff.
-
Ember was battling a water magic-user before she knew it. Their spells kept canceling each other out. Finally she fired a diversion spell, literally, that swooped around the water magic-user since it was in the form of a phoenix. While the water magic-user was busy watching the phoenix to see what it would do, she ran at them, grabbing a sword off the ground and running it through their heart. The phoenix came back to her and she took it back into her staff before continuing to fight. She knew that the magic-users who were using their biggest spells were just putting themselves in a lot of trouble and were going to go down sooner than they would have. She was doing the smarter thing and not using up all of her majicka.
-
Luckily when the mages began throwing the big spells around, they kept it away from the shops, as Chrono had encountered little to no magical atacks since he was sent sprawling by a bunch of literal hot air. The blacksmith was nearly finished with his blades, but his shop was another matter as Chrono had indeed kept his word and washed the area with the blood of those who were too weak to back up their decision to attack him.
-
Lazaryos did his best to evenly channel his Majicka through each topaz so as not to overload any of them. It's nice to finally get roughly the same power back into my spells, but it's too taxing on my mind just to cast them with these multiple gems. With a few more swings, Lazaryos created a ring of lightning around himself and it broke off into shards, shooting in all directions like daggers. As the ones in front of him fell, Lazaryos spotted a familiar, attractive bouncing rump that belonged to Ember. He couldn't help but stare for a few seconds, long enough for him to get side-swiped by a sonic-boom of wind, throwing him more than 20 meters into the back wall carved into the hills at the edge of the dock.
-
Ember felt eyes on her but she didn't have the opportunity to look for who they belonged to because a female rabbit had just casually sauntered over to her. "Couldn't help but notice the rock around your neck..." She said whilst blocking a magic attack that had missed its main target and looking at the diamond around Ember's neck. "I sure could use that...it is bigger than mine and I am a magic-user of light." She finished as she readied her staff. Meanwhile, Ember had been casually holding her left hand behind her back and it was now covered in flames. The rabbit moved closer to Ember since she didn't ready her staff as well and outstretched her staff arm within Ember's reach, daring to think about attempting a close-range attack with an opponent she thought was just giving up. Ember swiftly grabbed a hold of the rabbit's wrist with her flame-covered left hand. "Light this." She said with a tone of darkness as the flames quickly covered the rabbit's body. Ember released the rabbit's wrist and let her fall to the ground writhing in agony. No one was going to save her and she had no chance in saving herself. Ember watched the rabbit for about half a minute before turning and walking off to fight more. She muttered, "All talk and no action."
-
Chrono put down the blade as the blacksmith presented his two blades in better looking scabbards. He unsheated his main sword, and swung it around, finding it lighter than usual. He chalked it up to having just used a two-handed weapon, and handed the bloody broadsword to the smith, since the previous owner was no longer among the living. Chrono then walked out of the stall, and slowly made his way to the boat, cutting through and blocking any spell, swing, or projectile, that came his way.
-
The panda in golden armour watched the battle safely off the shore with the rest of the boats, not going near the docks to prevent anyone from prematurely leaving the bloodshed. The sun was now setting and the battling had been going on for more than 3 hours. Finally, the headmasters of the other 4 ships gave a thumbs up and fire-users from all the ships shot their spells into the air and formed a great phoenix large enough to be seen for miles. The battle had concluded.
Lazaryos panted heavily as he finally relaxed and collapsed onto his stomach from exhaustion and excessive Majicka use. So it's finally over. I managed to survive. The panda began shouting orders to everyone, "Men! Let us make port. Laddies, get them stretchers and carry the injured and tired. These 1,000 warriors have earned some rest and their rite of passage to continue the Pilgrimage." Lazaryos' consciousness slowly faded as he was lifted onto a stretcher and carried on-board the largest ship.
-
Ember smiled weakly as the phoenix was formed in the air. "Knew I could do it..." She said softly as she started walking towards the ships, her legs shaking. "Here Miss, let us carry you." One of the crewman said as he and another approached with a stretcher. Ember waved them off with a very limp motion of her left arm. "Nah, I'm fine, I just--" She began before falling to her knees then onto her stomach so she just tried to drag herself with her arms. The crewmen set the stretcher on the ground beside her then turned her over and put her on it, lifting it up and walking towards the ships. She repeatedly muttered soft "I'm fine"'s while they were carrying her until she fell asleep.
-
Chrono had stopped when the phoenix went up into the air, and didn't hit anyone. He guessed it signaled the end of the fight since nobody else was killing, so he went over to the ships, the sight of the gargoyle slightly drawing him towards the ship she was going to get onto. If people weren't too busy getting to the ships and looked out to the ocean, they would have seen a ship with the Tri'Malis clan symbol already too far out to hit with a single well-aimed spell.
-
Lazaryos awoke a couple hours later on the deck. The breeze was nice and the air was fresh. He got up after sitting for a few more minutes. Lazaryos found a crew member and asked how long it's been. "Not too long, sir. The fight's been over for about 5 hours now, and we just set sail about 2 hours ago. We'll be arriving at our destination by sunset tomorrow." Lazaryos thanked the man and walked over to the side of the boat and watched the stars for a while before turning to see the other four boats. He was on one of the smaller boats, but it was fine. It's truly rare to actually enjoy nature. I never really thought about it before. It really is beautiful. Lazaryos sighed and enjoyed the view when he noticed a peculiar character next to him. There was a large, glowing scythe strapped on him and the feeling of darkness and emptiness surrounded him. Hmmm....
-
Ember awoke to a moonlit sky. As she stared up at the night sky from where she laid, she thought to herself, "Guess that fight took more out of me than I thought it did..." She watched the stars and searched for constellations for about ten minutes before she slowly sat up. No lightheaded feeling. That was good. She got to her feet and walked towards the front of the boat. Leaning on the edge, she stared out in front of her at the water and let the breeze play with her hair. Even as a fire magic-user, she still appreciated the other elements, never feeling that one was better than another. So she "drank" in all the ones around her. The light of the moon, the darkness of the night sky, the water lapping against the boat, and the breeze against her. Maybe this was why she always liked the night more than the day...she had never felt so calm in her life.
-
Chrono had long ditched his helmet after the fight had dented it to the point where it had no use as protection. He stood by the side railing, not wavering his gaze until the gargoyle he followed had apparently woken up and joined him at the front of the boat. "Nice to know you didn't get too much blood or cuts on you during the fight, some of the survivors are missing an arm or leg." the only indication of his head moving in thought would be the crimson mane around his head, which was easily blown around by the ocean winds. "Wait, I never did get your name; would you kindly inform me, or should I call you by 'Gargoyle of the Flame'?" the last part he added was just from what he saw, meaning no insult or aggressiveness towards her.
-
Alistair stood near the railing of the boat reading his book of spells. His black cloak was flapping in the wind with his Scythe seemily strapped to his back, but only he knew it was stuck to him. He then mumbled somthing on the wind, "Animo-Quam..." From affar it seemed he was mumbling like a crazy person. Alistair looked up and gazed into the starry night, his hood falling down revealing the blackend rings around his widely opened eyes. After a moment he turned his head to see Lazaryos practically gawking at him. He slammed closed his book, whipped back his cloak and tucked the book into a satchel hung over his shoulder that was hidden on his side under the cloak. Alistair then spoke in a deep and raspy voice, sounding like he was exhaling while he spoke, "Do you have a staring problem*He paused and looked him over* Tiger...I don't want to have to kill you but I take offense to people with staring problems..."
-
Lazaryos chuckled at the man's statement. "Heh, if you can, I invite it. However, I am merely examining your scythe. From the look of it and the small glow of Majicka on it, I'd say it's one of the Cursed Weapons of Muria. How about did you come across such a novel item? I, of course, don't wish to take it, though I am well aware of the property of ANY Cursed Items. I'm just somewhat fascinated by it."
-
Ember hadn't even noticed Chrono when she had walked up to the front of the boat. Listening to him and chuckling at his last comment, she glanced over at him. "My name's Ember. You?" She said and looked back out at the water. She was actually surprised that Chrono was even talking to her. She figured that her saving him would be the beginning and the end of it since he was a Normal and she thought he would want nothing to do with her kind.
-
"I perfer Chrono... but any name shorter or easier to remember could work for you" He was probably naive in thinking this way, but since she actually bothered to stop the mage from killing him, he figured she wasn't the usual type of mage he had experienced, there were alot of the tiger's kind he had met. Fortunately for those who despised such mages, they usually die from the consenquences of their actions, only a few he had the chance to end himself. "Um, did you by any chance hold a grudge against my family before the ambush?" He tilted his head to the right as he awaited her answer, but part of him hoped she didn't.
-
Alistair went back to looking at the stars for a few moments. He spoke again in his deep and raspy voice. "I purchased my scythe a few years ago, the mechant I bought it from told me it would granted me extrordinary power. I was blinded by my desire to bring her b-...My scythe has the ability to animate people I...Kill...But it also has an ill effect, it can never leave my body..." Alistair quickly whipped his scythe out from behind his back and flung it over the side of the boat. The scythe just reached out as far as it could go but one end was stuck to his palm like a magnet.
-
Lazaryos nodded as he watched and listened. "Indeed. Cursed items never leave their users after they have been used even once. Weapons are more tedious than armour. With a weapon, you need only hold it bare handed for it to stick to you. Armour, you actually have to wear it first. However, it seems that you were originally a Mage, and not a Normal. I assume there's also another side-effect of this cursed scythe of yours, then?" Lazaryos continued to examine the scythe and its user.
-
Ember just nodded in response to hearing his name. Listening to his question, she felt a bit stupid thinking about what she knew her answer would be. "I've never encountered your family actually..." She responded. To her it seemed like everybody had encountered that clan but she had never even seen them before. She felt like she lived in a bubble just because of that but she knew the ones who had encountered them would wish they were in her bubble. A thought quickly rushed to the front of her mind out of nowhere. "Where's my staff?!" She said as she began looking around frantically. It only took a few seconds for her to see it next to the stretcher she had been lying on. She rushed over to it and picked it up, examining it. Of course it was fine since pretty much everyone on the boat was asleep. She let out a sigh of relief.
-
Chrono held back a chuckle at her sudden loss of mental cool. "Its stuff like that makes me glad I'm not a mage... but then again, our clan realized our eye acts as an all-element amplifier, the only drawback is that we pretty much condemn our existance to just being mages..." he absently-minded scratched at the slit keeping his eye free of dirt, when his gauntlet came into contact with the eye, it sounded like metal grinding against a granite block. He looked at now dulled gauntlet finger and gave a heartfelt sigh. He then looked up at Ember who had just jumped where she was standing, and stared at Chrono. "Did I forget to mention I can't gouge out the eye with any form of attack or spell and live!?"
-
Alistair moved his scythe into his left hand and turned all the way towards Lazaryos, staring at him with his widened unblinking eyes. "You are...Too smart for your own good...I try to keep that side effect a secret...It is an unfortunate weakness...One I have adapted to over the two years I have had this weapon...As the intelligent man you appear to be you should understand my position at this time...I am going to have to kill you now." Alistair extended his hand to Lozaryos, his eye fixed on his. "But I give you one chance at friendship...There is...No other choice." "Hmm...I would think he should choose this path...It would seem I am at the advantage, being more skilled with my weapon than he..."
-
Lazaryos chuckled very darkly, "Omoshiro. (Interesting.) That is quite the offer, but I might have to pass for the moment. Though the prospect of fighting you sounds very fun, I'll have to decline. Because before the two of us would even have started to fight, the two of us would be dead. Fighting during sea travel on the Pilgrimage is forbidden. They may not be a part of it, but these sailors are far stronger than they appear. They're businessman, and have no interest in obtaining the Mana, but that doesn't mean they are weak. Perhaps another time." Lazaryos brushed the cursed scythe from his face with his staff. Omoshiroi sayou... (Interesting indeed)
-
Ember raised an eyebrow at Chrono from where she stood by where she had been lying before. "And you have to be that dramatic about it?" She said and chuckled softly. Turning sideways, she looked back out at the water to the side of the boat. "Though it is interesting. I'm just not one for the dramatic." She took a hold of the diamond hanging from her neck and lifted it to look at it, admiring it even with its flaws.
-
Chrono still rubbed his finger against the 'eye' while she was speaking. "I've been trying to get rid of this thing ever since I had gotten abuse for it, even my siblings tried to help out of pity, but any attempt short of cracking open my skull and killing me couldn't dislodge the eye... so please excuse me for sounding frustrated, or as you say, 'dramatic'." he looked away from her with an absent-minded face, then he felt the scales on his neck start to shake, and he got a good distance away from the rails. He had a look of panic before putting his index and thumb talon on his brows and calming down. Its just paranoia... they're too far for such panic to be called for. he thought to himself, not wanting to think of such a possibile encounter.
-
Alistair didn't stop looking at Lazaryos, while his eys looked off to the side at a sailor staring at the two, hand on a sheathed sowrd at his side. He looked back at Lazaryos and switched his sycthe back to his right hand, lowering it to his side. "Very well then..." He said nothing more as he turned and headed to the bow of the ship. He held his scythe infront f him and just looked at it for a short while before returning his attention to the starry night above him.
-
Lazaryos smirked and turned to get some rest when he noticed Ember on the other end of the ship. He felt that level of attraction rise to the occasion and quickly just went to the stern of the boat, laying against the stairs. Lazaryos did his best to fall asleep under the "circumstances" and eventually fell asleep. He woke up late the next morning, nearing high noon.
-
"I wasn't trying to brush off your situation...you just sounded kind of over-dramatic in how you said it." Ember said, glancing over at him then back out at the black water. "But anyways, I guess this conversation has reached an end and I'm still tired, so yeah." She laid down on the stretcher she had been on before and closed her eyes, still holding her staff. Forcing herself to sleep, she woke up three hours before noon but just stared up at the sky for the next three hours, having nothing else to do.
-
Chrono never slept on the ship, just lost consiousness as his attempt at vigilance wore his body out and forced itself to shut-down on him. He couldn't stop thinking about how his family barged into Uncle's house while he was still visiting, pushed him away, and quickly performed a mock-trial before executing him for 'betraying his family'. He started to recall Big Sister, trying to get him out of the house so he wouldn't see what his own parents did. She failed when Uncle's blood had hit him right on that cursed third eye, dooming him to hate his parents with nothing but murderous rage.
When he regained consiousness, he was having a mental break-down of rage and frustration.
-
Alistair didn't exactly sleep, he stood at the bow of the ship like a statue just staring off into the distance. His hood was up again, his cloak flapping in the wind under his scythe that was returned to it's place on his back. He just stood there, thinking about that tiger and ofcourse about getting the Mana droplet. Vivian...I will bring you back...Or die trying and join you where you are... He watched the sunrise up until it was high in the sky.
-
Lazaryos was among the first on the ship to get off that ship as they landed around sunset. He didn't enjoy the new environment at all. The second continent was all desert as far as the eye can see. Luckily, the port itself had a small town with a large inn. Lazaryos began to take a step towards the inn as everyone disembarked, when there came a loud sound of one of the ships being torn into pieces. He turned around and found the ship that he was on slowly being crushed by large tentacles. Holy (censored). Lazaryos began to make his way towards the ships when he noticed something odd. There were 30 tentacles... "(Censored)!"
-
Ember was getting off of the boat when the boat started to get crushed. She quickly ran halfway down the ramp before it started to fall into the water. Jumping towards the dock, she realized too little too late that her jump wouldn't be enough to carry to the shore and somehow she forgot she had wings to help her. She fell into the water with a splash and quickly swam to the shore, climbing out of the water. She was thankful that the monster was too preoccupied with the boat. Now she was soaked from head to toe as she turned and looked back at the boat from the shore. Looking down at herself, she shook her head. "Well that's just perfect..."
-
Chrono's anger was replaced with a tinge of panic as he tried to keep up with Ember, but couldn't make it to the gangplank before it gave and fell. He climbed on top of the ship and drew his two swords, expecting to either fight, or get those tentacles to help him hit land."Of all five ships to be attacked... it has to be my family that picks the one I'm on." he mused, assuming that 30 tentacles would attribute to a large beast, which would point to his family's buisness of making monsters.
-
Alistair was already ahead of the others towards the town when he turned to see the commotion. He saw the tentacles ripping the ships apart. His wide eyed and emotionless face was unchanged by this as he looked at all the people that were gawking at this sight before him. He honestly didn't care for the well beings of any of them, particularly that tiger considering the knowledge he's gained. Alistair looked around him in his immediate vicinity, spotting a few people, strangely enough there was a mage, an archer and a guy with a claymore to his right. He approached them, though he didn't care about this monster he had a reason to kill. "What say you about this thing?" He asked them. The mage was nearest him and turn his head to Alistair. "Glad I got off the boats when I did." Just then the archer strung up an arrow and let it loose towards one of the tentacles, hitting it with amazing accuracy. Alistair looked to the archer, examining him curiously. "You are quite skilled with that bow..." "Dang right I am, I'm the best!" By this time the warrior had noticed the scythe on Alistair's back. "That's a nice weapon you got there, mister, mind if I...Take a look?" His head cocked eerily at the warrior. "Allow...Me to show you..." He unsheathed it and brought it up the warriors chest killing him. The mage and archer watched with utterly stunned faces. "Y-You-" Before the mage could finish Alistair brought his scythe down slicing his throat open. The archer strung up an arrow but the warrior suddenly sprang to life and tackled him. The archer screamed wildly as the warrior sunk his teeth into the archer. Alistair, not wanting to sqwaunder this, stabbed his scythe into the archers chest stealing the kill for his own.
-
Lazaryos ran towards the edge, itching to kill the monsters. Thirty tentacles, three giant squids. Three times the pain in the (censored). Dammit. As he ran, he charged a strong lightning spell, but as he got closer, he watched Ember come up out of the water all soaked and drenched and his fatal attraction to her made him miss a step and he tripped on his own feet, face planting and the lightning spell flying wildly, hitting one of the tentacles on the boat he was on.
-
Ember saw Lazaryos trip and fall as she was wringing out her hair. One of her eyebrows raised as she wondered how he managed such a misstep but then she just shrugged. Turning her attention towards the tentacles, she readied herself even though there was no actual need for her to fight. She was just thinking about casting a couple things but then she would be done. She sent a big boomerang of fire at the tentacles to at least cut through some of them.
-
Chrono slowly turned around, keeping a mental note on all of the positions of each tentacle while feeling for any that might take a swing at him. He felt a brush of wind come from the right, and swung his primary blade in that direction; the contact felt and sounded as if he hit the tree trunk of a really big and still-living tree. He held onto the blade and was pulled off his feet by the flailing tentacle, but he regained his balance by swinging his secondary blade right next to the primary, and planting his feet on the side. "How old are these creatures?!" he yelled, trying to see if anyone that just felt like standing around could actually answer that question.
-
Alistair waved his hand towards the tentacles, signaling his newly enlisted minions to charge at them. The mage had replaced it's staff with a small sword which was on the warrior's person while the warrior continued using it's claymore. Alistair continued to hold out his hands, wriggling his fingers like he was controling the minions. The archer stayed back and shot a few arrows at the flailing tentacles while the two others charged blindly at the beast. Though the mage kind of dawdled near Chrono when he shouted out his question. The mage answered him with a bone chilling shriek.
-
Lazaryos got up and ran closer to the edge. It was impossible to get any closer since the closest tentacle was still a ways out. He paused momentarily as he watched Chrono stand against one of the flailing tentacles and a couple zombies swim over and attempt to swing their weapons at them. Now that's not something you see everyday. Lazaryos closed his eyes and pointed his staff towards the tentacles that were now almost completely crushed the first boat. The various topazes began to glow very brightly and he finally fired a narrowed storm of fair size towards the epicenter of that cluster of tentacles. Much of the storm hit the first squid below, the tentacles flailing more violently and the main body actually rising from the waters and the tentacles threw the boat at Lazaryos.
"HOLY (uber censored)!!!!!!!" Lazaryos turned to try to run off, though he doubted he could. He couldn't cast a spell in time, since it took too much concentration for this many topazes. Spells fried from a neighboring boat, but all of them missed as that one was beginning to get crushed as well.
-
Ember soon spotted her opportunity to actually be of some use in the situation as the boat was thrown at Lazaryos after he hit a squid with a lightning storm. Nothing anyone was doing was stopping it and she could tell he didn't have the time to help himself. "Here goes nothing." She muttered as the ruby in her staff glowed. A fireball was sent at the boat and, because of the angle it was shot from, it interrupted the boat's flight, causing it to turn slightly in the air. She immediately cast her flamethrower spell after the fireball and burned the boat to ash as it passed her. All that hit Lazaryos when she was done with the boat was ash.
-
Chrono tried to pull his blades out, but that only made the tentacle thrash from the pain. I can't swim with all of this armor, and the only mages that could help me are probably behind this attack... he tried to slide his blades out instead of pulling, but it led to the same result. Unless someone actually took the time to help him, he was stuck up there as his blades were the only things that kept the tentacle from flinging him into the water.
-
Alistair continued to stand back with his hand extended controlling his minions, the archer continuing to volley arrows at the tenticles. By this time the warrior had latched onto a tenticle chopping at it wildly. The mage stood idle by, gleaming at Chrono not obey Alistair completely. He didn't care though, he wouldn't have made the mage go on the offensive anyway and just used him as a form of backup on the sidelines. Alistair just stood back surveying the battle with his wide eyed and emotionless facial expression.
-
Lazaryos was surprised to see the boat turn to ashes. He turned to find Ember had saved his (censored). That bulging feeling of want for her surfaced again, but he did his best to keep himself in check. The first squid was now being distracted by the zombies picking at its flesh. With a careful aim, Lazaryos charged and released a large strike of lightning. He grunted a bit, but he's starting to get used to using spells of this caliber now. The squid made a squelching sound as it was shocked to death, though not really fried. Hopefully, some of these guys will live so I can get some Moolah from this.
-
Ember slowly sat down on the ground as Lazaryos sent the lightning strike and killed one of the squids. Saving him with those spells had taken a lot out of her. At this point the spells she could cast would be of very little help to the ongoing fight. She decided that she was going to just sit and watch in case her little spells could help with somebody else's larger spell. While watching she was glad that there was an inn that she could retreat to afterward.
-
He felt the tentacle give beneath him, and he started to panic, until he was flung off and almost into Ember, but the sand stopped any further movement towards her. He still held onto the blades, so a geyser of blood was seen spraying out of the tentacle as it decended with the rest of the squid. "Ow.... I think I broke a rib or three, and sand is leaking into my armor" He tried to get up, but it took a mastery of body control to move his legs, let alone his entire body.
-
Alistair watched as Chrono was thrown through the air, not giving him much attention. "Weaklings..." His mage sauntered over to Chrono, but this time Alistair sent him on the attack to join the warrior. Just then two living warriors came up behind him. "Hey, we saw what you did to our friends. Your gonna pay for that!" Following his words was a swing from one of two katanas the man was wielding which was blocked instantly with his scythe. Alistair jumped back, focusing his archer's fire onto the two assailants. One of the two was struck in the leg and shoulder while the other one paniced and got a sythe in his chest. Alistair glared at the living man for a moment, he began to beg for his life but was cut short, he was now an additional minion like his friends. He sent the two new warriors at the tenticles and made the archer go back to firing at it.
-
Lazaryos watched the events with Alister unfold. Hmmm... Interesting. So he's a dark element in necromancy. The Scythe of Nimuria. I've only read books about it, but I never thought that its properties could change with its user. This is a REAL cursed weapon. I must be careful around this one, then. Lazaryos turned to ready for another fight, but it seemed that the rest of the fleet finally had things under control. He was impressed at how powerful the Mages and Normals were, that made up the fleet. It was truly a wonder why they are not out there fighting for the Mana.
-
Ember slowly stood up as she saw that the men on the ships had gotten things under control and brushed herself of since sand was sticking to her wet skirt. Turning around, she sluggishly walked towards the inn she had seen before. She noticed men staring at her since she was still somewhat wet. "Unless you want your eyes burned out of your sockets, you better direct your attention elsewhere." She snapped at one group of men watching her. Heading into the inn, she got some food and paid for it and a room. She then slowly made her way up the stairs.
-
Chrono had a few moments to rest, and it gave him enough strength to feel light enough to get up and drag himself over to the closest in he just saw Ember go inside. Alas, he only made it past the door before hitting the ground again, waiting a few moments before getting back up and paying with the coin he had left from his theft long ago. The innmaster had a waitress help him up the stairs and lead him to the only room with an extra bed since he would need someone to get him to the bed, which she was not paid to do.
She opened the door and didn't bother to see who was in the room before letting Chrono hit the floor once again.
-
As the battle looked to be underhand Alistair caught Lazaryos looking at him but paid it no mind. He waved a hand, sending all his minions to rushed the tenticles while he turned and walked off. He headed to the inn, got a room and went in it. Once in he looked around, showing no emotion. Alistair walked over to the window and looked into the sky for awhile. He eventually took out his book and began to read through it.
-
Lazaryos turned to the emporium and looked for the scholars' quarters. He wrapped on a few doors until he found the one he was looking for. The old man came out and greeted Lazaryos in a business manner. Like everyone else that knows his name, the scholar didn't like Lazaryos at all, but saw the benefits of being with him. The two of them went into the library and rifled through books and scrolls, digging up as much information as possible about the Cursed Items, as Lazaryos brought up his recent findings about the Scythe of Nimuria.
-
Ember ate her food in her room, having not felt like sitting down in the inn's more public small lobby. When she was done, she walked over to the bed. Leaning her staff against the bedside table, she crawled under the covers on the bed. She fell asleep extremely fast since she was so tired from all of her majicka usage. Her sleep was peaceful and she had no dreams. She woke up early the next morning and went down to the lobby, getting some food and eating before she headed out.
-
Chrono hadn't moved from where he fell until next morning, when his strength returned and he could finally lift himself off the floor. He felt like his sight and mind were enshrouded in a massive blanket of gray, with only a few things in his immediate sight. He managed to walk down the stairs without falling, then went outside while his cramped hands had frozen their grip on the swords. Where the heck am I, and why am I not at the bottom of the ocean? he thought, having no recollection of his arrival at the inn, or even surviving the fall off the squid's arm.
-
Alistair had closed his put and put it back into his satchel under his cloak. He continued staring out of the window for a short ehile, after which he decided to head out. He saw Chono stumbling around but just passed him bye, though it took him a bit to finally get out of the way. Alistair had considered killing him for moving so slowly but decided against it and just went on his way. He took his scythe from his back and carried it in his right hand as he began to head out of the town.
-
Lazaryos woke up in the library alongside the scholar. He groaned as he got up, and grabbed a stack of parchments that they had jotted notes and overviews from the night before. As he walked out, Lazaryos dropped off a full bag of coins for the scholar and left. He groaned as he stretched, walking further out of the town. Ugh... so 2 day's walk to the Arena to stock on supplies before utter nothingness for a whole month. I guess I better make the best of this. Just gotta remember the prize at the end of the tunnel. Lazaryos groaned and dragged his feet but then saw Ember ahead of him. But then again..........
-
Ember hadn't been walking for very long. She had looked around at the buildings and the other people who had started up their journey again. She knew that the next couple of days were going to be pretty boring but she would try to enjoy her time because she knew the journey after that would feel like forever. It wasn't long at all before she felt eyes on her. Turning her head, she saw Lazaryos walking behind her looking at her. She turned her head forward again and just shrugged as she continued to walk.
-
After swaying around a bit, his vision started clearing up. He turned around and saw the two mages he knew going the opposite direction, and he followed. He soon caught up to them, but he had trouble slowing down since he was half-asleep just a few moments ago. He brushed past Lazaryos, and spun past Ember before slowing down to a walking pace with his breath somewhat ragged.
-
Alistair walked a slight distance behind the three, a little angry his early start was hindered by a bafoon. He put his scythe onto his back and took out his book and began to read through it. Unknown to him there were a group of three dark mages following close behind him. A panther and two rabbits, the rabbits female and the panther male. They wore hooded cloaks similar to Alistair's. They noticed the book he was reading and planned to steal it from him, so they can learn a plethora of more spells. But even then there was another one of their group hidden in the shadows, like an assassin waiting for her comrades to create the perfect moment to strike.
-
The day's hike was rather annoying. There were multiple assailants that surrounded all the travelers, stalking them all. I guess it's ok for now. After we pass the Arena, it's all desert, so there'll be nowhere to hide. They slept that night in peace, though Lazaryos was more paranoid than anyone else, unable to meditate, slept more out of exhaustion. and sleeplessness. They all reached the Arena late the next morning, stocking up on supplies and pretty much getting mentally prepared for the rest of the trip. However, Lazaryos felt uneasy about being there. There was something amiss, and it felt like trouble was brewing right below their feet.
-
Ember had walked the whole time in silence. Her eyes had been focused on the horizon. She sensed the ones lurking in the shadows but paid them no mind. If they struck, she'd be ready. If they didn't, she wouldn't have wasted any energy on them unnecessarily. She fell asleep quickly that night and slept peacefully. When they arrived at the Arena the next day, she stocked up on all of her supplies. She had sort of an odd feeling running through her but just ignored it.
-
Chrono arrived at the Arena with the other two, and was almost as paranoid as Lazaryos because he knew his own family would have a strong presence in the place they go to sell their beasts. He also felt the attention of several others, but he felt their gazes trained mostly on Lazyros. He didn't want to defend the one that tried to kill him, but they might get over-confident if they kill him, and attack him and Ember.
That was something he had to prevent from occouring...
-
The night everyone had rested he noticed the three following him, but neither party said a word. They litterally stared at eachother the whole night, in shifts so they could get some sleep. It was like a childish eye staring contest, in which Alistair had won with his unblinking or changing face. The next morning they arrived at the arena, he felt he should keep moving but resisted the urge. Alistair hung around, walking around the arena, with the three following shortly behind him. He stopped and turned to them, scythe in hand. "You three have been following me for quite some time now...What intrest am I to you..." The three stopped, lined up infront of Alistair. The panther spoke up. "We are just admiring your book, it's quite nice." "Can we take a look, friend?" said one of the rabbits, with black fur. "Surely you can spare it for but a moment." Said the other rabbit, with grey fur. Both the women stepped forward and swooned over Alistair, trying to seduce him. "Your attempts at seducing me are not amusing...You will not be able to take this book with such...Feeble attempts..." With that Alistair turned and began to walk off. The two women huffed at their failed attempt and the panther stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulder. "We'll just take it then." Alistair turned around, looking right into the panther's eyes. He took a step back to his female companions and readied their weapons. "Let's hurry up and kill this guy, he's weirdin' me out!"
-
Lazaryos walked around, trying to shake off the feeling, but it got worse and worse. He spotted the armoured dragon from before and Ember not even an arm's length away from Chrono. Their backs were to each other, as Chrono was looking around, and Lazaryos walked between them. He spoke in a tone low enough for only the two of them to hear. "I know you both know who this is. I know we have our differences and I know what this war entails. However, I'd like to form a temporary alliance until we get to the Mana itself. The way I figure, if we stick together, we'll get past both Crimson Blue and the wild dragons guarding the Mana. Dragon, I despise your family, but I have yet to see a swordsman of your caliber on this Pilgrimage. And miss, I have yet to see as powerful a wandering Mage aside from myself. I propose we stay together to be the last 3 to survive this and make it to the Mana. I-" Lazaryos was cut short as floors all over the Arena began bursting open, monsters similar to the crazy horde and armoured horde swarming or flying out of the openings.
-
Ember listened to Lazaryos speaking to her and Chrono but didn't turn her head to give any indication that she was being spoken to. She started to smirk as he talked but when the monsters sprang up from the ground everywhere her face turned to a more serious expression. "I accept." She answered in a hurried, hushed tone without really thinking about it as her stance changed to a battle-ready one.
-
Chrono drew out both blades and cut down one of the medium sized beasts while it ran past him, using its momentum to lop off its own legs. "Usually I would be with the minority decision, but I accept as well..." He put his second blade back as he met another of the wolf-like beasts head-on, letting it ram itself right into his blade. He pulled his sword back out and chopped off the head before getting ready to face more of them. "I guess without their riders, these things really can't tell what is actually a threat to them..." he mused while cleaning his blade off in the dirt.
-
Just as the mages began to attack the monsters appeared forcing them to take a step back as a few of the beasts stood inbetween them. Alistair stood his ground, using this chance to slip into a more open area. He stood in the center of the arena, a big open area with those beasts all over. They quickly surrounded Alistair and just glared at him, trying to instil their fear into him. His expression did not change, the only emotion in him at the time was joy. One of the beasts lunged at him but he cut it down in the blink of an eye, soon it was his own and started attacking others while he just stood there, killing the beasts as they made their attacks. One by one turning them to his will.
-
Lazaryos growled as he found more and more of them coming out of the ground. He slammed his staff into the ground and created a lightning barrier around him just before a couple small, dog-like beasts lunged at him. They bounced off the barrier, charred into black masses. Some other monsters (since they're not controlled) rushed in and quickly came to devour the carcasses. Just then, a grand explosion came from the middle of the Colosseum part of the Areana blew open, taking out the whole fighting grounds. A grand, wild dragon came out, taller than the Arena, and (with its tail curled) as wide as the Colosseum floor. It blew fire and roared with a piercing sound that drove away all the wild creatures that were smaller than an elephant, leaving all the medium ones up to the dragon itself. DAMMIT! I....I.....aiyaiyai, I must have that. Between one of the scales at the dragon's front-right ankle, was a shiny, clear and white gem that might just be the size of Lazaryos' forearm. He broke his barrier and ran straight for the dragon. "Cover me if that dragon notices me!"
-
Ember had fought against a few smaller beasts before the dragon appeared and scared the rest of the small ones away. She nodded in acknowledgment to Lazaryos saying to cover him if the dragon saw him. She set the ground on fire underneath a group of beasts coming towards her and watched as they tried to get out of the fire but burned to death. As she fought, she would glance over randomly towards Lazaryos running at the dragon to see if he needed assistance.
-
Chrono also noticed the dragon appearing, and his grin went from his jaws, to his ear frills as he took the point against the dragon. He stuck both blades into the ground and vaulted over the fire Ember had set. "Lets see if I can kill my feral kin!!" he yelled as he, though not thinking about the danger of fighting something so massive, lept and sunk his blades into the knee of the feral, using the ice-climbing method to make his way up the beast before getting up to the shoulder. By then the dragon had finally given notice and tried to shake him off, with Chrono being too close to the neck to risk the dragon biting itself.
-
Alistair began to notice the beasts he had under his control weren't lasting long. They didn't get defeated, but rather collapse and stay dead. "This is unexpected..." As he was surrounded by the horde of the smaller ones the dragon burst in scaring them off. He looked to the dragon and how three others attacked it, unblinking or change of expression. Just then he saw the three dark mages from before run through a door, they quickly decided against going any further after seeing the dragon. The dragon was clearly angered at Chrono for using it as a mountain and flicked it's tail smacking the two rabbit dark mages through the air. They happened to slide across the ground and stop at Alistair's feet. One of them jumped up but was quickly cut back down before she could attack. The other one was weaponless so she crawled backwards away from Alistair while he walked towards her resting his scythe on his shoulder. "P-Please! Spare me! I'll give you whatever you want! Please! I'm worth more to you alive!" The mage bumped into a wall, it was the end of the line. Alistair looked at her, his expressionless gaze having a much more sinister look. "I beg to differ..." He brought the scythe down, killing her. He turned back to the dragon, his two newly enlisted minions rising to their feet and standing behind him. He felt his majicka restored to a level in which he could use some spells at last.
-
The dragon swung its head around, attempting to swat the toe-nail sized version of itself like a fly. Lazaryos growled as it turned its attention onto him after it did. Dammit. Looks like now or never. The dragon roared and spewed fire at Lazaryos while keeping its jaws opened and came in to eat him. Lazaryos' lightning barrier wore down to nothingness very fast from the fire. With all that he could muster, Lazaryos pointed the staff upwards towards the dragon's mouth and shot another lightning dragon like before and overloaded all 13 topazes on the staff. The lightning attack did no damage, however, just sort of pushing its head in the opposite direction. "Why am I not surprised? Those damned scales are nearly impenetrable. Lazaryos just barely had enough time to reach into the scale and grab the large, shining stone. However, it was stuck. Lazaryos gripped and pulled as much as he could, but it would barely inch out. The dragon roared and swung its head over, sending Lazaryos flying through the air and into the stands in front of Ember. Lazaryos groaned as he slowly got up, and examined the stone that he had grabbed. It's a pure one! Now we'll see who's the dominator.
-
Ember watched Lazaryos fly into the stands out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't spare her full attention because she needed to focus on the beasts she was fighting. "This gets really old really fast." She grumbled to herself as a comment about fighting the beasts. When there were no more beasts around her, she sent a fireball flying at the dragon's head and also sent a large, "sharp" boomerang of fire at the dragon's neck.
-
Chrono had reached the neck when he saw the boomerang of fire coming at his general direction, which he promptly jumped away from. The flames didn't even scuff the scales, and he looked at Ember with annoyance. "really, fire against a giant dragon, why not just throw pillows while you're at it?!" he yelled as he went back the neck, jamming one blade into the flesh, and started hacking away at the scales with the other blade, noticing his blade only scuffing the scales. He needed some kind of enchantment to break through the scales, and getting off the dragon would be suicide considering how much he aggravated it.
He only hoped Ember wouldn't think to throw more fire while he was up there hoping for anything but a fire enchantment.
-
Alistair sent his new found minions to assist in the fight, not because helping the competition was wise, but he had regained a substantial amount of energy. He made one of them stand back while while the other got onto the dragon's back. He looked around at the corpses of the beasts before pointing his hand at one. The corpse began to shred, the bones comming out of the body and forming into a jagged and rather frightening looking spear. He hurled it at the dragon but it barely knicked it.
-
Lazaryos made quick work of attaching his new-found treasure. Finally. A pure topaz. So the rumor of dragons' treasuries might be true after all. Snapping out of his little greedy head, Lazaryos noticed the struggling swordsman at the dragon's neck. "3 eyed boy! Hold out your swords!" Lazaryos ran in fast to close the gap between the two of them. The topaz glowed with majesty as Lazaryos charged it, and, with a well-placed shot, fired a concentrated lightning right at the swords. Lazaryos got thrown on his rump, not expecting that kind of output. The traveling lightning formed into runes and placed themselves onto the blades. "Make sure you don't get too far from me and watch my (censored)! If I die, you're more screwed than a prostitute that walked into a bar in Brisbain!"
-
Ember growled furiously. "I'm a FIRE mage! What the (censored) do you expect me to do, you imbecile!" She yelled back at Chrono. Turning on her heel, she started to climb up the stands as Lazaryos started enchanting Chrono's weapons. "I never should have saved his sorry hide..." She grumbled to herself as she climbed to the top of the stands. She thought it was pretty ironic that she was the one who saved his life against Lazaryos and now she was the one who, in this moment, would rather have him die and Lazaryos was the one helping him. As she sat down on the stands, she watched the two of them with mild interest. She knew she had just agreed to an alliance with the two of them but it wasn't like she was any help in this situation. Chrono had made that quite clear and she was one who could hold a grudge.
-
"I'll try, but this dragon isn't really the type to stand still while I kill it!!" he yelled before swinging, finally seeing the scales shatter under the added lightning runes. The moment he cut into the flesh, he was nearly thrown off the dragon as it spun 360 degrees to find whoever managed to actually wound it. Chrono could only stab and cut deeper, hoping Lazyros doesn't get whacked from its rampage.
-
The minion on the back of the dragon clawed furiosly at a single spot repeatedly. If she was knocked off she just simply jumped back on top. Alistair made another freakishly looking spear with another corpse, but instead of hurling it right away he want to wait for a clear shot at it's weaker underbelly. He had hoped the others would be able to get him this shot, it would be his only hope considering his minion on the back wasn't being very effective. To the dragon it was probably just scratching an itch.
-
Lazaryos ducked down at the dragon's low, double tails. With another charge into the topaz, Lazaryos fired as large of a net as he could at the dragon's feet, but, like before, the power output was more than he was used to/ready for. He ended up flying backwards into the first row of stands, cutting off the enchantment on Chrono's sword. "Oh, (censored). RUN!"
-
Chrono couldn't run even if he wanted to, the safest area in the entire arena would be where the dragon couldn't reach, which is exactly where he was standing. He realized the enchantment had failed when he couldn't pull his primary blade out of the draconian neck. I could finish it off from here, but that would require both swords; and I'm not trusting this thing to stay put for even half a second...
-
Alistair saw the panther out of the corner of his eye get to his feet. He saw his friends dead and shouted explitives at Alistair before running off. Alistair didn't even glance at him, still waiting for the right time to toss his grizly spear into the dragon's underbelly. The minion on the dragon's back was doing little to nothing so Alistair sent her up the dragon's neck to Chrono. She latched onto his leg and climbed up his back, grabbing onto Chrono's sword to help him pull it out.
-
The dragon roared in anger and threw the two on its neck off. Lazaryos rushed over and barely "caught" Chrono on his back, grunting under the weight of the dragon and his armour. "You know, you can afford to lose some weight." The dragon roared again as the other beasts closed in on it, smelling the scent of blood. The dragon crushed many under its feet and sprayed long streams of fire around it to kill its surroundings. Lazryos quickly raised a lightning barrier to protect him and the heavy Chrono on top of him, from the flames. The dragon roared as the Arena burned and flew out into the night. Lazaryos groaned as he pushed Chrono off of him. "This might not be the time for it, but I think that dragon just stole your sword."
-
Ember was unaffected by the dragon's action and the fact that the Arena was burning. She casually got up from her seat like she was just at a nice dinner and walked down the stands while others running for their lives. To her it was just another spell and she knew there was easy way to block herself from the flames if they became too close for comfort which, for her, would be extremely close. She walked past Lazaryos and Chrono as she headed for the exit at a leisurely pace. "If you two would prefer to live, I'd stay close to me if I were you." She spoke as she passed them, not even looking at them. "But if you'd like to burn to death, be my guest." She continued toward the exit. It wasn't like she was walking too fast for them to catch up to her anyway and she just didn't feel like stopping for them. "I could save that Normal's life in this kind of situation. Bet he never thought about that." She thought as a smirk appeared on her face.
-
Chrono had finally enough strength to move, but he didn't follow her, he looked up at Lazaryos with a fleck of anger in his eyes. "What are you waiting for, my sword is metal, just fry the neck and I'll get my sword out when its cooked clean..." He left the barrier and caught up with Ember, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Care to explain how you think the dragon won't chase us after everyone else is dead?"
-
Alistair recalled his minions to his side as he walked in the direction of the woman leaving the arena, as it was the closest exit not in flames. He stood behind them because they were blocking the door and weren't moving quickly. He didn't waste his breath on them, he might have killed them if his minions weren't going to expire soon. But he just stood back, scythe in his right hand, hood up and his two minions hunched obidiently behind him, waiting for a command.
-
Lazaryos growled at Chrono, "Well pardon me for saving your sorry (censored)! That armour of yours protects you against magic, not dragons' flames! If you would rather burn to death, that's your problem, but I'm more into living to fight another day." Lazaryos slammed the base of his staff onto the ground and cleared flames just around his barrier. He ran to catch up with Ember.
-
Ember just ignored Chrono's question, not feeling the need to give him her attention when he was being so absurd. She thought it was really ironic that she ended up being aggravated with Chrono AFTER the three of them had joined forced but just shrugged it off. She never had to make a move to push the fire away from her or whoever actually followed her out. As she exited the Arena, she immediately headed in the direction of the Mana. There was no reason to stop or even pause outside of the Arena.
-
Chrono looked around, everyone he knew was angry at him for something, or just ignored him. He tried to hide the resurfacing past emotions by adopting the same anger towards the others, and then going past Ember and Lazyros. At least my family told me to be quiet if I was acting ignorant... Frack, why am I thinking about those self-righteous mages again?! he brought his arms up and pulled on his mane, letting out a frustrated roar before running in direction of Mana. If that freaking lightning mage didn't get knocked away, I wouldn't have lost my Uncle's sword!! Of all the- He was practically oblivious to anything going on around him as he couldn't quiet the hurricane in his mind.
-
Alistair walked behind the three as they went on their way. It's not like they've even noticed him yet, he could probably kill them and they would be none the wiser. But he had no point to do it....Yet. He continued to follow them, hood up, scythe in hand, minions on his coat tails. A great distance from them the panther was following them along with a masked and cloaked figure. "He killed Dutchess and Reyna, boss...We can't allow him to live..."
-
After they had exited the burning Arena, Lazaryos growled and pointed his staff at the necromancer behind him, walking backwards to stay with the group. "State your business, dark one. I don't particularly trust a necromancer who walks behind people with the Cursed Scythe of Nimuria. Are you thinking of adding us to your little pack? If so, I'll kill you here, Cursed Weapon or not."
-
Ember glanced over at Lazaryos when he turned to walk backwards and spoke to the one walking behind them. "Good, I was getting creeped out by that guy." She thought to herself as she looked forward again. "I don't particularly like being followed and the followed carrying a scythe makes it even worse." She watched Chrono running ahead of them and just shook her head. She didn't see why he had any reason to be upset when he was the one who had been rude to her for no good reason. As she walked, it moved to the back of her mind though as she looked around her at the vast expanse of land.
-
Chrono started to hallucinate during his running, paritally because his armor was not in the least keeping him warm as the lack of clouds allowed the temperature to drop well below what he is used to; the other part was due to his emotions yet again running rampant when he had tried to dry them up with a lack of caring 'for others'. To his left he saw his Uncle's peasant-like house, going through months like seconds until it was burned to the ground by his Father. To his right, he was running from his siblings who had tried to track him down after he ran away from the family estate. What does it take to kill these horrid memories?! was his last thought before his graceless fall to the sand, followed by the eventual mental darkness of unconsiousness.
-
Alistair looked at Lazaryos with his expressionless face, it seems one of them was able pull their head out of their hind quarters. "If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done so when I had the chance..." His minions stood infront of him seemingly instinctivly. They were on the verge of expiring, but if a fight was to ensue he could use them for shields. The fact that the three were together meant that they were working with eachother. He would need all he could to take them, but he didn't want a fight. If he had to he could take them, considering their muscle was far ahead of them like the imbicile he seemed to be. "I have no quarrel with you or your...Comrades...But if you finally want to face me...The crew of the ship aren't here to protect you now..."
-
Lazaryos growled and finally sighed as he lowered his staff. "Perhaps tomorrow, if we don't have anymore scuffles. I'd truly like to see how one truly handles a Cursed Weapon, being a Mage." He turned and followed Chrono and Ember. Somehow, his anger had subsided quite quickly, talking to the necromancer. I hope this feeling isn't the same ones I have for Ember...
-
As Ember listened to the one with the scythe speak, she wanted to set his minions on fire and turn to punch him square in the face right then and there. Something about him just really irritated her to the core. One of the reasons she was irritated probably was because he made it seem like Lazaryos needed protection from others and that was obviously untrue from seeing him fight so many times. Of course, she also thought that necromancy was one of the most pathetic forms of magic since all they had to do was kill someone and then they'd do the fighting for them. She admired the other forms more because people fought for themselves when they used them. She took a deep breath as she continued to walk, trying to keep herself calm.
-
Chrono slowly regained consiousness, and noticed they had either caught up to; or were now passing Chrono as he was recovering from his 'panic attack'. He mumbled and grumbled a few curses as he got up and shook the sand out of his armor and went to a regular walking pace. Don't lose it until my family shows up... man thats getting harder to do with all of thats been going on. He mused while trying to keep remotely aware of his surroundings.
-
As Alistair's and Lazaryos' chat had come to an end, Alistair's minions did aswell. He continued to stalk behind them as they went on their way, with the two remaining dark mages following off in the distance. "We'll get him when he sleeps, alright boss? Sound good?" said the panther to the masked figure beside him. Alistair looked at his hand, since his minions had gone his remaining majicka would soon be gone aswell. He felt the scythe doing it's work, the draining sensation enveloped his body as he carried on. He was used to this numbing draining feeling, though it would soon have leeched it's fill leaving Alistair with a bare minimum, just enough to be conscious.
-
Lazaryos kept a sturdy eye at Alistair before turning and walking after Ember. He growled as they kept going that night, far from the Arena. After they had been far enough, they set up for the night. Lazaryos closed his eyes as he sat down and mediated before fading into a deep sleep. His sleep was disturbed a few hours later, well before twilight. A bit of shuffling in the sand was picked up immediately from his feline ears. Lazaryos' eyes adjusted quickly and saw two figures hurriedly scuffling towards the place where Alistair was sleeping. He didn't think much of it, when he noticed something peculiar about the scythe. Alistair was clearly in too deep a sleep to notice, but he noticed the scythe shifting a little. This should be funny.
-
Ember's fur had been standing on end before her eyes had even opened. She had heard the scuffling as well since she had only been half-asleep when the sound had started. Not needing to turn her head to tell what was going on (she is a bat after all), she decided she wasn't going to do anything to help the scythe wielder. Why should she anyway? She didn't like the guy in the least even though she barely knew him. She was just going to wait and listen in case she needed to defend herself.
-
Chrono was drawing pictures in the sand, instincts keeping him from venturing too far away from the 'truce' he made, but he still didn't realize where he truly was. All he could think of was brainstorming different time-lines if certain key events and facts didn't exist as they do now. He ended up making a giant tree of possible lives he could have lived, some intersecting, while others are parallel. He didn't even notice that a stalker of the group was going to get attacked, nor would he do anything about it if he did know.
-
Alistair didn't enjoy sleeping in the open, but it couldn't be helped this time. He had to give into his human needs...And his scythe. As he slipped into his deep sleep the scythe did stir slightly as the two dark mages crept closer. When they got close they froze in place a yard or so from him. "His eyes are open, boss. I thought he was asleep!" Alistair was indeed asleep but with his eyes open, the panther soon realized it and crept closer to him. As he was about to reach into Alistair's satchel he noticed something shocking; Alistair had reached for his scythe and in a swinging motion stood up as he attacked the panther who barely dodged. "Definitely not asleep! Let's get'em, boss!" Something was strange about Alistair's movements though, they seemed kinda fluid like. He didn't stand up with the help of his arms, he kinda floated up with his feet planted. He leaned a lot on his scythe and used it as a walking stick. "This is for my Reyna! DIE!" The panther put his hand to the ground and manipulated the shadows that were being given off by him due to the bright moon over head. The shadow spread out into spikes and shot towards Alistair who dashed to the side and began a hunched sprint towards the panther. As he was running the masked figure with the panther brought out two gloves with long claws for finger tips. The panther saw this and jumped back towards his boss and removed the cloak; revealing the masked individual was a woman. She still wore the mask, but also wore skimpy looking clothing. There was much skin revealed. As she slipped her hands out of the sleeves she darted at Alistair in a similar style as his, hunched over. Both weapons met with a violent clank, then twice more within a second. Alistair rebounded with a back flip, but the woman kept on him giving barely the time to defend. The panther smirked and put his hands together. "I can't let you take all the fun, I know he killed your love too, but I'm hurt as well!" With that he pulled his hands apart, giving himself three pronged claws of his own.
He followed up behind his boss but before he could close the distance between them Alistair jumped over the woman and met the panther’s shadow claws. The woman quickly turned to attack but Alistair blocked while stepping away. With both of them in front the continued to swipe at Alistair ferociously but he was blocking everything. He was backed into a boulder in which he used to leap over the two and take a few swings which were blocked still. The panther ran around to flank Alistair and attack him from behind but to no avail, he was able to deflect all the attacks even from opposite sides, stepping away again. Alistair dashed for the boulder he had kicked off of and jumped up on top and kinda perched there and looked at his attackers. He suddenly opened his mouth and hissed, almost sounding like words. It was words, but they were inaudible. “This guy gives me the creeps boss…Let’s finish this!” With that the panther used the shadow that was given off by the boulder to create a large hand that grabbed for Alistair but he moved like a beast and lunged at the panther who was caught up in his attack too busy to block. Alistair was behind the panther, his scythe at his gut and pulled hard splitting the panther in two.
Blood streamed from both the body parts and rained blood through the air; but Alistair made the hissing noise he made earlier. As some of the blood got on his face he looked at the masked woman who was just glaring. They both walked in the same direction until the corpse of the panther wasn’t between them and dashed at each other once more, weapons meeting with a clash. He leapt over her and took a swing, but she spun around and blocked it with her left and swiped at his midsection with her right. He stepped back still in a weapon lock when they both took a step back. The woman going farther than him. She put her hands to the ground as Alistair rushed towards her. Her shadows quickly enveloped him as he blindly charged freezing him in his place. But she couldn’t move either, cause if she did she would be killed by the scythe inches from her head. They were at a stalemate, or so it seemed…The top half of the panther was crawling towards his former boss, she noticed this too and knew she was soon to be dead, helpless to do anything.
-
Lazaryos watched the spectacle in wonder. So it would seem that my theory on the Cursed Weapons was right. Even if their users are unconscious, they can still move their hosts' bodies to protect their "investment". There had been lore about many attempts to assassinate Cursed Hosts, and that none of the hired ever lived. It seems that this one is more dangerous than I thought. Lazaryos continued to watch as the woman and Alistair fought into a stalemate. He pointed his staff towards the ground between the two. But I guess it still has a limit to its user's abilities. A large, lightning bullet shot from the topaz and landed between the two, generating a bright light, destroying and nullifying the woman's shadow magic.
-
Ember just stared up at the moon while the fight went on. She had no idea that Alistair was fighting while asleep but if she had known she still wouldn't have cared. She had heard of the Cursed Weapons as well so it wouldn't have been shocking. As she stared up at the moon, she could, in fact, she what was happening though using echolocation. That was one of the perks of being part bat. Angling her head towards the fight and sending out the signals, they bounced off the figures and came back to her. She could see the stalemate and the upper body of the panther crawling at its old leader. Just then the area was lit up for a few seconds as Lazaryos fired a lightning bullet that canceled out the leader's magic. Turning her face back towards the sky, she closed her eyes. She just wanted their stupid fight to be over so she could go to sleep.
-
Whilst swinging Alistair notices the lightning bullet and jumped back, causing him to barely miss decapitating the masked woman. The flash was bright enough to wake Alistair, who blinked, but wasn't visble due to the flash. Alistair, now fully awake looked around at what had happened. He looked at the masked woman before him and his half a minion crawling towards her. "I see...You tried to steal my book while I slept...Weaklings...You do not know who you are triffling with." The woman quickly turned tail and ran off into the night. He waved a hand, expeling his minion which quickly turned to a pile of bones. He then walked back to where he was sleeping, eyeing the three who were a short distance away. The bat woman seemed uninterested, which could not be said the same for the Tiger who gawked at him. And then there was the armored man, he was playing in the sand like an infant. Alistair sat back down and meditated quietly, eyes still open and looking at the three with his expressionless face.
-
Lazaryos snorted as the masked woman ran away shortly after his bullet burst. Spineless dog. You attack and lose to a sleeping person, and you dare to run from that? Lazaryos raised his staff once more and closed his eyes, charging his Majicka into the topaz. The masked woman stopped in mid-stride as her hair rose and pointed straight up. She looked up just in time to watch a lightning bolt shoot through the air, and make a 90 degree drop and struck her dead, her body completely charred to a crisp, inside and out.
-
Ember's eyes were still closed when the leader ran off but she could hear them do so. She also heard the sound of feet against the ground stop shortly after and knew that the leader had been struck down. A smirk appeared on her face as she laid there in silence. "Well, at least I can sleep now. Although scythe guy is still creepy." She thought to herself as she could feel his eyes on her and the other two.
-
Chrono stretched after finishing the first three events, which branched off into seventy-six possible outcomes. He finally looked around and saw one figure just standing there and looking up, and a pile of bones next to someone carrying a scythe. "How did I end up with you two again?!" he said in rather loud disbelief, before drawing his sword towards the one with the scythe.
-
Alistair noticed the armored man point his sword at him, focusing his eyes to stare at him. "Do you wish to do something...Child? Your combat effectiveness will surely have been hindered due to losing one of your weapons, you havn't slept either opposed to me having just woke up. Your chances of survival if we...Were to fight would be very...Slim..." He continued to glare at him with his expressionless face and unblinking eyes speaking in his dark tone.
-
Lazaryos growled at the noise and the ignorance of the dragon. He pointed his finger at Chrono and fired a low-powered lightning bullet that hit Chrono's armour with a tink! and dispersed into nothing. It just nudged the dragon, really. "Leave him alone, dragon boy. He's not worth the time, and you can fight him all you want at Blue Crimson. We have a temporary... ceasefire with that one. Don't fight him unless you wish to die now. He does have the upper hand, and not to mention quite a bit of magic that is unaffected by your armour. Necromancy is a very powerful magic. Just get back over here and sleep."
-
Ember also growled, but just at the noise because she was trying to sleep. She controlled herself though and didn't snap at Chrono. Part of her really wished Lazaryos had just let Chrono have at the one with the scythe. She would like to have seen how Alistair held up without a dead minion to do his fighting for him and sometimes people who have gotten no sleep could fight pretty well. She sighed and rolled over on her side, slowly drifting off to sleep.
-
Chrono just grumbled while putting his blade away, getting up and sitting closer to Ember than Lazaryos before lying down and going to sleep, only partially wondering what his new 'style' should be until he gets a replacement blade. He pictured himself in his dreams, wielding various weapons that had either the same or longer distances than his swords; then swinging them at the man with the scythe, trying to find a weapon in his mind that could best a scythe without needing to dual-wield.
No luck after fifteen different weapon sets...
-
Alistair went back to staring at everyone in general, a bit taken back at Lazaryos actions. He gave it no further thought after hearing the words "Temporary ceasefire" and continued to meditate. After a great deal of time he pulled out his book and began to thumb through the pages. He continued doing this until he stopped, reading what was on the page infront of him. After awhile of reading he stood up, flung his cloak back and tucked his book away. He took his scythe from his back into his right hand an promptly began to walk off in their previous direction.
-
Lazaryos paid the necromancer no mind as he walked away, and drifted back into meditation and eventually managed to fall asleep. Such troublesome younglings I've decided to travel with. Bugger if I have to change his diapers too, before Blue Crimson. The next morning, Lazaryos awoke during twilight, unable to sleep with the ensuing heat of the desert continent already rushing towards them. It was truly thankful that his robes were thick enough to keep him warm at night, alongside with his thick fur. However, that's going to work against him during the day. Blasted heat. Bugger if I end up dying because of it.
-
Ember woke up to the desert heat pretty early the next morning but it still ended up being after Lazaryos had already woken up. She smiled as she stretched. Heat didn't bother her in the slightest. She pulled an orange out of her bag and began peeling the skin off of it. She ate the slices slowly one at a time as she looked around her. When she was done, she sucked on each of her fingers to get the sticky juices off then rolled up her sleeping mat and re-attached it to her bag.
-
Chrono simply stood up when Ember got up; having fallen asleep and awakened before both, but didn't move until she did. He saw Lazaryos partially struggling to move in the sand, and was split between grimacing and smirking. He would like to laugh at the mage for not being able to take the heat, but then again, he wouldn't have gotten off the boat alive if Lazaryos just walked away from the squid attack.
Then there was Ember and her two times of saving him when he didn't ask for her help. He slightly slumped as he walked between the two, realization and guilt coming in a tsunami of unpleasantness. How the heck am I going to get even with them for this?!
-
Lazaryos growled at his stomach as it cried out for food. One month in this hellhole, and that damned dragon had to burn all the food in the building with the building itself. He shielded his eyes as he scanned the desert. it was rumored that there was cacti around, but he saw none. At this rate, he'd probably starve to death before they spotted the Grand River, though there was nothing "grand" about it. It's the only river to survive in the desert continent because it nurtured the Mana plant. The end of the river's supposed to be a week's hike from the Arena, and it's only been half a day. Unless he found any cactus at all, he might die within 3 days, if he was lucky enough.
-
Ember heard Lazaryos' stomach growl for food and glanced over at him. Seeing that he took out no food, she slowed her pace a little as she pulled her bag off her shoulders. She pulled out another orange and put her bag back on as she crossed behind Chrono and Lazaryos to walk on Lazaryos left side. Reaching out her right hand with her palm up, she held out the orange to Lazaryos as she looked over at him. "You're no good to us if you die from starvation." She said with a smirk on her face. The thought of someone who was such a great fighter being brought to their end by such a thing as starvation seemed so absurd and she doubted that that was the way Lazaryos wanted to go.
-
Chrono glanced behind and saw Ember giving Lazaryos an orange, and realized how long he had gone without food, and still hasn't felt the growl of hunger, nor the parched feeling of de-hydration. Well, I can last for a week since I don't sweat and my scales take away most of the heat... however, hunger is going to be an issue if something big doesn't come by within a few days... he mused while keeping a hand on his only weapon left.
-
Alistair continued to walk through the desert's blistering heat. He kept his hood up and cloak around him to protect his skin from the sun. Even he too was getting thirsty, he lifted his head slightly and looked around the bleak and empty desert wasteland. He hung his head back down and carried on for what seemed to be hours until he stopped; he heard running water. He lifted his head back up and saw a river before him, which wasn't there before but he didn't think anything of it. Alistair walked up to the edge of it and knelt down looking up and down the river which seemed to go on forever. He didn't see anyone, a few plants, a bit of grass and a palm tree here and there. He took down his hood, rolled and stuck his hands in the water. The water was surprisingly cool for being in the sun, but again Alistair thought nothing of it. He cupped his hands and took a drink of the refreshing water.
-
Lazaryos accepted the orange with as much dignity as he could muster. "Thank you. it's a little embarrassing to be pretty much the only one who didn't get food while we were all at the Arena. I mean-" He stopped short as they caught up to Alister, who was sipping up sand like it was water. "Is..... he alright? Looks like the guy's already succumbed to mirages. The river's still more than 6 days away. What do you think? Should we help him?"
-
"It's no problem." Ember replied with a shrug then stopped alongside Lazaryos as she looked at Alistair. "I don't care about him." She responded to Lazaryos question about Alistair. She actually had a lot more to say in a rant about the guy than that but there was no point in it. Actually, she figured it would annoy the other two if she went on a tangent and she didn't want to aggravate her alliance.
-
Chrono noticed the scythe wielder was eating sand, and he was barely holding in his laughter while he lifted up the scythe wielder. "Hate to break it to you, theres no water out here... your best bet is to find cactus." he whispered into the person's ear before letting him down again. He also noticed the marks the scythe left behind when it 'attacked' him. He felt somewhat relieved the armor could actually survive the attacks considering how hes occasionally seen how easily the scythe can kill others. However, the feeling of amazement was brief as he walked through the desert, finding the hot arid atmosphere a much better preference to that of last night. I make this place seem too easy he thought while having one hand hang onto the back of his neck, and the left hand on the blade.
-
Alistair was too busy to notice the others coming up on him. Until Chrono had picked him up...He was too embaressed to kill him having noticed he was shoveling sand in his mouth. Chrono whispered something in his ear and set him back down. He then flipped back up his hood, pulled down his sleeves and looked at Ember under the shade of his hood before heading off again. This time walking ahead of the others rather than behind them like he had normally been doing.
-
Lazaryos chuckled to himself at the little interaction between the muscle-bound nitwit and the undead necromancer. He peeled on the orange and slowly ate each slice, savoring the taste and the moisture coming from each piece and then spitting out only the seeds, careful to swallow every drop of juice. Lazaryos felt better already, and made sure that at no time he would exert himself more than necessary. This might be interesting yet.
-
Once again Ember felt the eyes of Alistair on her and she sneered. "Offended?" She thought to herself as she looked at the back of Alistair for half a second after he turned forward before returning her attention to the large expanse of sand. "I sure as hell hope so." If he absorbed her true feelings about him now then it just made things a whole lot easier. She wanted him dead and he wanted her dead. Those were the facts and it was simple.
-
Chrono thought about something for a moment, and looked back for a few moments to adress the two behind him. "Exactly how much water do you two have, because I can last the walk to the river without water..." He started walking backwards while waiting for their answer, but he kept his senses alert for any attack Alister might use. I wonder if my family even knows if I already arrived... or did they assume I died upon landing? he mused shortly after speaking.
-
Lazaryos looked over at Chrono after hearing his question, "I don't have any. All my supplies were burned down with the Arena, and we rushed out too fast for me to even consider it. But, this orange will give me enough fluids to last the day." The rest of the day went off without further incident or words. During the day, they had come across more people who had fallen to mirages or death by dehydration. However, the rest of the other patrons could be seen far ahead of them all. By nightfall, the temperatures dropped heavily again and once again, they laid to rest in the sand.
-
Ember replied saying that she still had some in her canteen so she'd be fine. She was silent the rest of the day as they trudged on through the desert. All she did when she saw others who had succumb to mirages or died of dehydration was shake her head. They hadn't been prepared and it was their own faults. When night came and they stopped to rest, Ember started shivering slightly. She was fine with hot but she never did well with cold. Removing her sleeping mat from her bag, she wrapped it around herself
-
Chrono kept point since the desert heat had little effect, he occasionally strayed from the group to check the bodies of normals for another blade, but they all had arrows or some other projectile. Just my luck, either all the real warriors are cooked, alive, or died when the squids attacked. he snorted after checking the last normal, who had the closest thing to a bladded weapon he could find: five, foot-long kunais. He slid them in where the sheath of his first blade was, seeing no other reason for it other than to collect sand.
When nightfall came, he felt the price of wearing metallic armor as the cold quickly seeped into it and threatened to freeze him unless he found another source of warmth. So, he got as close to Ember's bag as he could, and tried to stay alive with help from her radiating heat.
-
As they walked Alistair looked at the bodies, thinking it a waste they could not have served him and immediate purpose. The night came and he sat away from them like usual, this time glaring at Ember in particular. She looked very cold and seeing her in discomfort pleased him. He continued to sit there and meditated as he usually did during the night. He eventually stopped, looked around at the bodies scattered about the desert and took out his book to read.
-
Lazaryos shook his head at the sad sight of the dragon curling up close to the bat/gargoyle. Avoiding seeing Ember sleeping (to avoid any unnecessary feelings to arise) he walked up to Chrono and took off his robe and tossed it onto Chrono, covering the shivering dragon. "For such a cold-blooded creature, you sure can't take the air. That robe was made from the polar island, Serasiu. It can keep anyone warm through even the arctic. Just make sure to not soil it." Lazaryos went back over to his little imprinted spot in the sand and went back into meditation, wearing just his trousers and a tank-top. He shuddered a little, but it passed, since his fur was nice and thick, and his body produced more than enough heat to suffice the night.
-
Ember noticed Chrono move close to her but said nothing on the subject. Her eyes were closed when Lazaryos came over and covered Chrono with his robe as she listened to what he said. A smirk came up on her face at his last comment since she found it kind of funny. It wasn't long after Lazaryos had walked away that she drifted off to sleep with her sleeping mat still wrapped around her.
-
Good thing Chrono never talks in his sleep, or Ember would have heard quite a 'bit about "Big Sister" as Chrono smiled under the face-guard when the warmth came back to him. This was probably the first time he had a pleasant dream during his journey, and the odd part is that his siblings were the reason it was a dream and not a nightmare.
It was set in a time that was only a year before Chrono was supposed to have showed a talent for majicka; like his siblings. Luckily for Ember, who would have been attacked otherwise, it never progressed past that year...
-
Alistair watched as Lazaryos gave Chrono his robe, rather than curse him and call them both weak like would be expected he had a flashback. It was a cold night in the woods while Alistair and Vivian were training late. Vivian was sitting by on a stump watching him cast a few spells when a gust of wind blew hard. He looked at her and saw her shivering so he walked over. "Are you cold, Vivian?" "A little..." Alistair took off his black fur robe and put it on Vivian with a warm smile on his face. "I'm almost finished, we can go home in a minute." She just smiled and nodded as he went back to casting spells. A tiny smirk crept on his face as he sat in the sand looking up into the sky.
-
Lazaryos slept unsoundly that night. Dreams of Ember filled his mind throughout the night, he stirred continuously as he slept. In the morning, it was the oncoming heat that woke him up. Lazaryos got up and grabbed his robe from the sleeping dragon, putting it back on. He already began to sweat, but it was fine. "Let's get moving. We're already losing time on arriving to the Grand River before our rations run out. There's still 5 days of hiking left."
-
Ember awoke as Lazaryos pulled his robe off of Chrono. As Lazaryos started speaking, she sat up and rolled up her sleeping mat, reattaching it to her bag and putting the bag on her shoulders. Standing up, she stretched her arms up over her head as she stood on her tip-toes to stretch her legs as well. She untied her ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair in silence to get out the sand and knots as they waited for Chrono to get up, retying her ponytail when she was done.
-
Chrono woke up with a snort, clearing out any sand that got in his nose before getting up and let the heat stretch out his limbs as he took out two of the kunai, and did a few warm-up swings with the dagger-like blades. He put them back in his primary sheathe and then smiled at the other two with his eyes since his face was always covered. "Lazaryos, is there anything like giant scorpions or worms in these lands?" he only heard rumors of what lived on the second continent's desert since the farthest he ever went onto the continent, was the Arena which the dragon destroyed.
-
Alistair stood up from his meditation and eyed the others as he usually did. This routine was becoming more and more natural, and he hated it. Waking up to these three every morning, listening to them speak, watching them help eachother...It reminded him of Vivian, again he flashed back looking off into the distance. It was a cool start to the night, the sun was setting on the horizon and Alistair and Vivian were laying on a blanket in a grassy field. She sat up putting her arms behind her to prop her up, Alistair shortly doing the same. They both looked at the sun setting, lighting the sky up in an unusual color. A bright orange, light pink; it was beautiful. "I wish this moment would never end..." Alistair smiled and leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek.
-
Lazaryos snorted as he continued to walk on. "The scorpions only existed in the Arena. The only kind of scorpions that exist out here are either the size of your foot or a band of thieves 3 days past the mouth of the Grand River. As for the worms, the mouth of the Grand River is pretty much a nest of them. Not even your family's been able to tame them. They are the most detestable of creatures. But I'd rather take the whole Bandit Guild then have to fight even 1 of those worms."
-
Ember watched Chrono do his warm-up swings after he got up then turned and followed Lazaryos. She listened to Chrono ask Lazaryos about giant scorpions and worms, which was something that she hadn't even thought about. She wasn't worried about them though as she listened to Lazaryos' answer since she could protect herself. She really hoped that they wouldn't have to fight any giant worms or the Bandit Guild though because she didn't want to waste energy on them this far along in the journey.
-
Chrono didn't stop smiling as Lazaryos answered his question. Something his family couldn't tame, would indeed be worth his interest... but so would taking a good sword away from the Bandit Guild he spoke of. "Both sound rather fun... but what if theres a chance that we encounter my family in the mountains that contain 'The Mana'?" He could only continue to watch some other groups barely survive, but considering that he accounted for more than half the group that was resistant to heat; he only thought that they took this trip too lightly. Everyone wants the power, but few actually meet the standards needed just to get to the site.
-
Alistair walked behind the others like usual, hood up, cloak closed. No skin was showing as he walked. The day was hot and being in all black didn't help either. While walking he meditated and thought back on cooler things to keep his mind off of the heat. It helped for the most part when he thought of his cold dips into the lake with Vivian. He thought of the time when they stayed out all day just having fun, it was soothing.
-
Lazaryos sighed, "As much as it sounds 'fun' to you, it's not something to take so lightly. The worms' skins are almost as hard as a dragon's and they tower up higher than any palace. The Bandit Guild is almost as dangerous. Only the truly rich can purchase their way through to get to Crimson Blue without having to fight them. They are the only ones who have ever fell a worm, but that was 20 years ago. They've probably grown sodden, but I won't count them out just yet. As for your family, I doubt we'll see more than 2 of them in the Cave of Mana. Crimson Blue has never yielded more than 9 survivors ever. If any in your family survives Crimson Blue, they still have to face the Guardian Dragons, as do we. It's not something we can just brush off."
-
Ember listened to Lazaryos with very little interest. She had heard most of what he said before. At that point she was more focused on getting through the desert. She wouldn't worry about the Bandits (or the Dragons) until she actually had to when she came face-to-face with them. She knew that the fights would be difficult, it wasn't like she was in denial of that fact, but she didn't see a point in fretting about what wouldn't be happening for days.
-
"Lazaryos, its not like they don't have an army of guild members and their tamed war-monsters to hold back the Crimson Blue attacks while comfortably traveling to the mountain... They might actually be waiting for- 'aw whatever, they'll be dead after we get there" Chrono kept a cold gaze while casually looking around for any blade to use with his second sword.
-
Alistair listened silently to the others' conversation about the bandit guild and large worms. He was particularly interested in this bandit guild, considering it would likely be filled with fresh bodies to...Recruit...He didn't care too much about the worm considering his last encounter with wild creatures. His scythe wasn't able to take control of them for more than a few seconds; they just turned to a pile of bones. "Tell me...Tiger...How many do you think are...In this...Guild of Bandits..."
-
Lazaryos' ears twitched as he heard Alistair's voice beside him. "The Guild's numbers can't be counted, necromancer. However, let's just say that they're similar to the Sailor's Guild, in respect that they are extremely strong and just choose not to participate in the war for the Mana. They're more out there for self-interest. However, the Bandit's Guild numbers well over two thousand, well over the size of a standard army, and that's just members that are known. They charge a hefty amount as tolls to pass their territory, the only wooded area of the entire continent, killing any who dare to sleep or be anywhere close to a couple miles near its borders." Lazaryos snorted and walked on. Bloody necromancer. For such a blood sucker, he sure is ignorant. Must be one of the late-bloomers.
-
As soon as Ember heard Alistair's voice, her pace quickened. It wasn't out of fear, but out of irritation. She wanted to be as far away from him as possible. "Why does he deem it necessary to follow us? Why can't he just go off on his own or, better yet, why can't the desert take its toll on him?" She thought to herself. She didn't see why Lazaryos even responded to him since the guy wasn't worth it and wasn't part of their alliance.
-
"Do you think we can pay them with blood, or could we get one of those worms to attack the bandits?" Chrono asked while keeping his eyes mostly closed as sand rolled off the dunes and blasted him in periodic waves. "I mean, its possible to just bait one into mauling the bandits, then we could help quell the worm for safe passage and a little bit of pocket change as well..."
-
Alistair noticed Ember moving quicker, he sensed she was growing more irritated with him. But he didn't care either way, just dismissed it as her being a woman and scared of his voice.(Not that I'm sexist) He continued to eye her under the shade of his hood. "Once this truce is done...I will kill that wench...And the tiger...Along with their infant-like companion..." He shifted his sights between all of them quickly, analyzing them, relishing the thought of cutting them open, spilling their blood on his scythe. A grin crept onto his face, invisible under the shadow of his hood.
-
Lazaryos growled, "The only problem is that the worms are nothing that you can pull that kind of trick on. Especially the adults. An adult worm's mouth, at full girth, is more than 100 meters wide. If you can keep them from swallowing you, you'd have to try to dodge the others that would most likely notice you along with the first. It's because of those worms that this entire continent is a desert."
-
Ember growled as well, but not at what Chrono had said. She was growling at the eyes she felt on her again. "Stop freakin' staring at me!" She yelled without looking back at Alistair which probably seemed really random to Chrono and Lazaryos. "You're making it very hard for me to resist melting your eyes out of their sockets right now..." Her second sentence wasn't said in a yelling voice, just an angry tone. "And if you're thinking that me moving faster has to do with anything but my irritation, don't flatter yourself." No, she couldn't read his mind, but with the kind of...guy...he was she could just guess what he'd think was causing her quickened pace after he spoke. She figured that he probably thought it was something to do with fear and she wanted to make sure he understood that that wasn't true.
-
Chrono's eyes shot open at Ember's rage, and it took him a good few moments to calm down after she blew up. He went back to his 'tired' gaze for a few hours until a glint caught his gaze. He hoped it was a sword, but he would have to get closer to make sure; which wasn't going to happen if it would further anger the gargoyle woman into throwing fireballs at him. All he could hope is that Lazaryos went closer to its general direction...
-
A cracked and dark laugh escaped Alistair when Ember defended her actions. It was amusing to him. He felt his hand creep towards his scythe on his back but looked at Lazaryos then thought for a second. His odds were not good, Lazaryos would prove troublesome, he would likely step in if he decided to decapitate Ember and shortly after Chrono would join the fray if he wasn't sulking or lost in the puzzle that was his mind. As much as it pained him, killing her now would prove more trouble than it's worth. His hand went back to it's original position away from his scythe.
-
Lazaryos eyed the necromancer cautiously as he watched him reach for his scythe, but then withdrew the hand. Damn. The necromancer's blood is already boiling. It seems it won't take much to set him off anymore. I hope for the love of Mana that Ember doesn't force us into a fight with him. The necromancer's not a problem, but the scythe itself will be. Lazaryos then noticed a small glint within the distance, but pretty much dismissed it as just another dead body. However, he was still curious as to what it might be and forged ahead of the group, leading them towards it. As they neared the object, Lazaryos discovered it to be just half a helmet. He was about to leave it be when he noticed that the portion that was giving off the glint was not a normal surface of the helmet, but rather the meat of the metal, signifying something had cut it extremely cleanly. "It seems that there is another Cursed Weapon among the travelers. Be wary, you two. This one cut straight through armor like a sun-baked sword through butter."
-
Ember groaned and rolled her eyes after Alistair laughed. Obviously her anger had amused him. She wasn't afraid of him though so she didn't care if what she did made him want to kill her. She followed Lazaryos to the glinting object and looked at it with very little interest. She didn't really care about the Cursed Weapons, she just wanted to get the the river and then on to the Mana.
-
Chrono grumbled some curses along with something about a sword as his hopes of dual-wielding were dashed to the ground when the glint was actually a helmet.Seriously, out of all of the bodies we came across, not a single one had a sword?! he raged inwardly, trying to also not set off Ember with his own frustration. Lazaryos was easily flammable after all, wearing that increadibly hot cloak over his fur-covered body. "Lightning mage, I think you should at least wear that around your waist; can't have you dry up before dealing with the so-called "Guardian Dragons"..."
-
Alistair listened to Lorazyos with mild interest. Even for mentioning someone with a cursed weapon he wasn't very interested, even if he had his own cursed weapon. But he figured staying with these three would eventually lead him to this other cursed weapon weilder soon enough. And Lorazyos seemed very knowledgable and would surely let everyone know what weapon it is, where it came from, what it does and it's shoe size. Alistair continued to follow behind them, eying them all.
-
The rest of the day was uneventful, though they came across more cut up armor pieces, showing that the other Cursed Weapon user is ahead of them. Another night of low temperatures plagued the party again, but the night passed quickly due to them all falling asleep quickly. The morning of the third day began with heavy rain and no sun. It brought a little joy to Lazaryos, as he filled one of the empty helmets he collected for examining with water and drank from it heartily.
-
Ember had a continuous urge as they walked to just turn around and set Alistair ablaze. She didn't like him following them like a lost puppy but one that would kill them without a second thought. It wasn't that she worried about him killing them since they could defend themselves just fine, but she just didn't like him there. At night, she wrapped her sleeping mat around her again to keep her warm. The next morning made her mood even more gloomy. She hated rain almost as much as she hated cold, but it was a little refreshing.
-
Chrono was really thrown off by the rain, since he constantly had his head looking up for any openings in the sky. How is that in an arid desert climate, we end up getting a rainstorm that blocks out the entire sky?! He licked up any drops that hit his face, but still contnued to look up as the rain boggled his mind in ways it would for those not well-versed in magic and anomalies. "Am I the only one who notices how out-of-place this rainstorm is?!" he yelled when he noticed that Lazaryos was drinking water like it was beer, and Ember looking even gloomier than before.
-
Alistair was quite shocked that it was raining, he took down his hood and looked straight up. He flashed back again. The clouds blanketed the sky, dark evil looking clouds. It was raining heavily while Alistair and Vivian were practicing. He was going to use a spell he had never used before, Vivian advised against it but the rain often clouded his judgement. Needless to say, he used the spell; it went horribly wrong. It backfired and struck Vivian killing her almost instantly, leaving Alistair comatose for two days to only wake up do his true love dead before him. "Vivian?!" He crawled towards her weakly and lifter her up in his arms. "Vivian! No! NO! Vivian! NOOOOOO!!!!" While looking up in the rain he said something without realizing it. "I'm sorry..."
-
Lazaryos sighed as he finished his large gulp and looked over at Alistair as he spoke. Bloody idiot. He wiped his mouth and gripped his staff after Chrono's question. "Just enjoy it while it lasts. Rain like this will only last for about 2 hours. After it ends, the clouds will clear almost instantly and the sun will make our lives a living hell while we hike on. You're truly going to broil into a well done dragon steak by the end of the day."
-
Ember heard Alistair speak but completely ignored it. She didn't care what it was about or what he was thinking of to make him say it. She grabbed her canteen and took a drink. It was nearly empty now. She looked over at Lazaryos and sighed. She was going to have to ask him if she could use the helmet so she could refill the canteen and she hated asking for any kind of help. Slowly she walked over to him. "Could I use that for a moment?" She asked, pointing at the helmet. "I need a refill." She held up her canteen to show what she meant like she actually had to even though she didn't.
-
Chrono laughed at the idea of being roasted while slightly opening up his breast-plate, followed by a sudden rush of water that cascaded down the armor and onto the sand. "While it would be annoying to carry all this water, you're under the assumption that I actually have wounds that would invite the heat to roast me. I'm still of draconian heritage mage, and that includes the innate resistance to heat"
-
Alistair looked back down and pulled his hood back up. There was some water in it it so it trickled down his body under his cloak. He just dismissed it, it was refreshing at the very least. He watched Lazaryos take a drink from the helmet which prompted him to whip his scythe off his back and hold it into the air with the blade sideways. It looked as if he was ready to attack as he held it there for a moment. But after a bit he slowly moved the blade to his mouth, he then licked the blade from end to end with only the bottom portion of his face visible under his hood.
-
Lazaryos handed Ember the helmet without looking at her as his feelings started to "rise" to the occasion. He looked around, when his hairs stood up on end jumped back, just in time to see a black sword come down and strike the ground, lightning striking with it. The figure holding the sword stood up straight and was dressed similar to him, but was a chameleon and looked as sickly ill as Alistair did. "Watch out! It's the Cursed Weapon user that's been killing of the others!"
-
Ember thanked Lazaryos as she took the helmet. When she saw the sword coming she jumped back as well, helmet still in hand. She took a few more steps back and shoved the helmet into the ground with the opening towards the sky. That way, she could still get the water to refill her canteen while they fought the Cursed Weapon user. She switched her staff to her right hand and readied herself for a fight.
-
"I call dibs on that sword!!" Chrono yelled before drawing his sword and trying to circle his way towards the chameleon, knowing a frontal attack with someone that can cut armor is really close to suicide. However, he did not see how Alister's scythe worked, and was un-prepared for the chameleon to have the sword sticking out right where he was running towards. He had to turn his blade where it would only push himself away from the oncoming edge, but Chrono's vision went white as he grazzed the blade and he was on his back with his own sword somehow not broken. It took Chrono a few moments to realize his sword arm was numb and on the verge of seizing up. He kept his sights on the cursed weapon while making his way back to Lazaryos. "Well, this one definatly went to the trouble of enchanting his own sword..."
-
Alistair looked at the new arrival with intrest, even more so when he noticed the weapon was indeed cursed. He spun his scythe in his hands and rested it over his shoulder in his right hand with the blade pointing up. He still kept his expressionless face while he watched the chameleon engage Chrono for a short moment. He didn't plan on fighting unless he had to, he wanted to watch this guy kill the others, the only time he would step in then was when Ember would be the only one left. He really wanted to kill her. He just remained silent as he stood back from the others just watching.
-
Lazaryos brought up a lightning shield and the sword clashed hard against it. The shield burst into a shockwave and sent the two flying in two opposite directions. "That's not an enchanted weapon! It's a cursed one! The user is apparently a lightning Mage like me! Try your best not to make contact with his sword directly! Every swing is as strong as a medium-level spell! It's no wonder all those armor pieces were cut cleanly through! Wind affinity is the sharpest when it comes to cutting, no matter what sub magic you use! Dodge him! Don't fight him head-on, or else he'll cut right through you!"
-
Ember's ruby charged up as Lazaryos shielded himself and then him & the Cursed Weapon user were sent flying. She could feel her enthusiasm for fighting dwindling which was a bad thing because then she would have no interest in fighting and probably wouldn't be able to even think of what she should do in a fight. If her enthusiasm for fights died, she would die soon after. She shook her head to free her from her own thoughts then sent a medium-sized fireball at the Cursed Weapon user.
-
Chrono didn't need enthusiasm for the fighting foes better than him. In fact, it was that enthusiasm that usually got him in the worst of situations. He had to gague the total length that the weapon could be swung, and he found out the hard way as the cursed mage made his weapon travel down his now extended tail, and he swung the tail to catch Chrono as he tried to attack from an angle of 90 degrees or greater. The blade cut a piece of his face-guard off, as well as nicking his right cheek. Chrono then put a hand in his primary sheathe, waiting for the Cursed Weapon user to be distracted long enough for him to throw a kunai at it...
A blade that cuts all, and a concealed way to extend the range tenfold, if he starts shooting lightning out that blade....
-
Alistair just stood idley by watching the fight unfold. The chameleon broke through a shield from Lazaryos and almost decapitated Chrono. He was a little annoyed that he wasn't. "His weapon is sharp...I wonder if a cursed weapon such as his can cut through another...? Hmm...I'm sure the Tiger knows...This fight will be...Interesting..." Alistair continued waiting and watching, hoping someone would die already. "I should probably step in before one dies...These...People...Are a free ride to The Mana droplet...I can't let them...All die...At least not the Tiger..." he groaned thinking.
-
The chameleon swung his sword, lightning in tow, and knocked the fireball aside like it was a slow moving fly. He then ran over to Chrono, leaping and coming down with a powerful swing. Lazaryos quickly charged a quick lightning bullet and fired at the chameleon's back its back took the hit in mid-air and fizzled out. Damn those armours. He quickly charged another bullet as the chameleon was leaping through the air and shot it at Chrono's chest, knocking him back far enough to avoid being his by the crack of the sword and its lightning.
-
Ember watched her fireball get blocked but wasn't surprised that it happened. By this time the clouds had dispersed and the sun had come out. A grin spread across her face at the sight. She sat down on the ground Indian-style, probably looking like she was giving up on the fight to the others but the grin on her face should have given them the hint that that wasn't the case. She stared at the chameleon for a good minute or two as she sat there. She moved her staff so that the top part where the ruby was was in front of her face and blew on it. The effect was that of a firebreather's performance. Flames shot out towards the chameleon's feet. The sun would do a pretty good job of making the chameleon extremely hot in his armor, the least she could do was try to help it along in the process of cooking him.
-
Chrono wasn't expecting his end to come so quickly, and also didn't expect the end to be played out in front of him as he flew away from the chameleon, wrapped in his 'ally's' electricity. He hit the dirt and felt his whole body go numb while he was trying to stay awake. The charge build-up went up through the face-guard, and all over his head. It was only his bone structure alone that kept his head from going 'pop' as the discharge completely went out of his system. Then again, what mages bother to say anything if their spells might actually kill the allies they try to save? he mused while pulling himself out of the sand, content enough to watch Ember's attempt at frying the chameleon.
-
Alistair glared at Ember, her power seeming to be amplified by the sun. He grimaced at his missed opportunity to kill her without a chance to fight back while it rained. He pulled his hood back up and started to walk towards the others. He would wait until Ember was finished cooking the chameleon before jumping in and getting his fill of action. Just then Chrono took his shot, once he was knocked back Alistair would leap in and just decapitate the chameleon and end this.
-
The chameleon shrieked at the sudden rise in temperature. Despite being cold-blooded, there's a limit to how much heat he could take. He quickly turned his attention over to Ember. With a hiss and a leap, the chameleon warrior did his best to stay out of Ember's continuous flame and ran straight for her.Lazaryos did his best to intercept, but he was further from Ember than he was. He yelled over to Chrono, "Get up, you big baby. It's not like I had time to fire something damaging. Your breast-plate's still on, after all." Lazaryos tried to fire a quick shot, but the armor just sneezed it off, since Lazaryos didn't have the time like he did before to fire a decent shot. Just as the chameleon scorched arms swung the cursed blade, another figure quickly jumped in, kicking the chameleon back a few feet, back into the flames. The chameleon got up, feeling its body begin to cook, looked at the new challenger and quickly left, "I'll be back...."
-
Ember continued to watch what was happening as she continued her fire assault on the chameleon. She would have moved out of the way of him charging at her had the stranger not kicked him away. When the chameleon left, she stopped her "fire-breathing". She took a few deep breaths before slowly standing up. Your average person would have probably thanked the stranger, but she was too busy being disappointed that she didn't roast get to completely roast the chameleon.
-
Chrono forced his body to stand when he heard Lazaryos yelling at him. Sadly, he only got up in time to be witness to the chameleon's escape. " $%^# I'm stuck with one sword now!!" he yelled, not even noticing the new arrival until he shook the sand out of his greaves. He gave the newcomer a look-over, already on the verge of taking his aggression out on him. First, why did he attack the chameleon; second, exactly how could anyone else not have noticed him coming? he kept his hand on the only sword he had left, not knowing if he was seeing a potential ally, or foe.
-
Alistair shot the new guy a look, having scared off the kill he was less than amused. It was clear that this guy wasn't a foe, he saved Ember's hide and didn't even try to kill her while she was down. He put his scythe onto his back and returned his hands back inside his cloak so once again no skin was showing. Under his hood he looked over the new guy in front of him. "...Excellent...A new...Person to kill when the time is right...It is...A shame he did not harm that woman...It would have been...Nice..."
-
The white-haired man in black clothing looked at the group, noticing all eyes were on him. His hand was at the hilt of his sword as his red eyes darted back and forth from person to person, not sure who was worthy to trust or to not trust. His white wolf-like tail swished slowly from one side to the other very slowly, almost mimicking the movement of his clothing in the wind. He pressed his thumb against the hand-guard of the sword, pushing it out and pulling it back with his thumb in a 'nervous-twitch' manner, showing a bit of aggravation as he kept on in looking at the group. "Alright... who's the one who started all of this commotion?"
-
Lazaryos sighed and face-pawed... Oh great... another kid. He stood up straight and sighed again, "It would be the one you just kicked out of the way, the one who was wielding Sonia's Prayer, the Cursed short-sword. And more importantly... *points his staff at the new youngling* ...what business do you have with us and him?" Lazaryos eyed the child carefully, his tail seemingly making the same cautious motion. He didn't trust anyone who would be on the journey, no matter what their age or species.
-
Ember managed to actually mumble a 'thanks' after Lazaryos' answered the stranger's question after she had 'cooled off'. She crossed her arms in her tough-girl manner with her staff still in her right hand. She looked around at everyone and wondered if there would be a fight. She didn't see why they would need to fight since the guy had probably just saved her life (even though she had been ready to dodge). She knew that Alistair was disappointed that she hadn't been killed and that made a grin spread across her face.
-
Chrono turned his head at Lazaryos and a look of pure confusion was plain for all to see. "Why do you happen to know so much about cursed weapons, you're not that much older than I am..." Chrono would have passed it off as the bookworm habits that he assumed most mages aquired while learning their certain element; however, cursed weapons didn't seem to pass into that realm of knowledge. Well, unless he made such weapons, but he hardly seems like hes even been at a blacksmith, let alone been near a furnace.
-
Alistair looked at Ember as she had a grin on her face. He could tell she was snickering at the fact he couldn't kill her. It's like they were on a certain wavelength with each other. It sickened him to the core. The only thing that brought him comfort is that one day, he will kill this nuisance of a woman. Just the thought of standing over her headless corpse was bringing such joy to him. Unfortunately he had to wait until the time was right...When she was alone, or when the others were preoccupied.
-
"My job." he simply replies to the Lazaryos, eying the staff being pointed at him. "Anyways, what do you know about that chameleon?" he spoke out, relaxing his hand from off of his sword to let it hang on his hips to reach for a deck of cards, and starting to shuffle them idly, keeping the face portion pointed away from those who could see them. "He seems to be a trouble-maker to this motley crew of yours... and I take it that you're the leader of this group? Or are you just the one giving orders for the pleasure of controlling others?" he added with a snide tone, starting to flip a card up onto the back of his hand where a metal plate was. With the card spinning a little on the plate, it made an almost-inaudible whine that would be similar to metal against metal, every once in a while the Knave of Blades on the card-face revealing itself as he continued to play with it.
-
Lazaryos lightly and slowly lowered his staff and stood it upright like he normally had it. "I don't know anything about that Host, only that he is a lightning Mage who has obtained one of the Cursed Items. As for this group, it is merely a temporary truce until we get past the Guardian Dragons after Crimson Blue." Shinzuu turned from the new stranger and walked back on path, stopping only to talk to Chrono as he passed him by, "Ancient texts and studies are my specialty. Information that I've sought and collected have cost me a LOT of money over the years, and I've had to kill and the like during that time, as well. Of anyone in the world, I'm one of probably only 13 people who know much about Cursed Items beyond their existence. There is a certain one out of all 19 Cursed Items that I have long since sought out most of my life for. Supposedly the strongest of them all, and the only Cursed Item to be known to kill unworthy wielders, Hakan's Wish. It is said to be the first to be made, and was the basis used to make the others. Many legends have always pointed it being passed around throughout the ages, but rumors of its whereabouts stopped around 500 years ago." Lazaryos stopped talking and walked on, not liking the fact that he just told everyone within earshot what he spent most of his life doing.
-
Ember didn't really care much about what Lazaryos had said he had been doing most of his life. It was his life and she had no right to judge how he spent it. Cursed Weapons didn't interest her anyway so it was a conversation she didn't care to be a part of at any time. She followed after Lazaryos while thinking about what he said about the temporary alliance. "I don't understand why that thing is being spared though. Not like we need him around." She thought to herself as she walked, the "thing" obviously being Alistair.
-
Chrono instantly made an effort to keep up with Lazaryos, more interested about said 'cursed items'. "Would the eye of Tri'Malis be considered a Cursed item??" He couldn't help but act like a child, all he learned was the art of self-defense, and spent even longer strengthing his body to be able to move and fight in armor regardless of the environment. In fact, he was learning alot about majick by being around these two mages, he became exceptionally experienced with lightning considering how many times Lazaryos saw fit to shock him.
-
Taking notice to the change of attention away from himself by the person who originally confronted himself, the white-haired man with the white wolf tail turned his own attention to the others, seeing the female leave off as well. He tossed up the card and caught it between his fingers to play with the card, putting the rest of the deck away and securing the pouch. When the others started wandering off, he gripped the card in his hand and followed suit after them. "I'd be careful about going that way. Since that crazy rainstorm, scorpions and other venomous creatures have been popping up to try to get as much of the water as possible."
-
Lazaryos walked on as he explained to the young dragon, "The Eye of Tri'Malis is indeed a Cursed Item, but that's only the REAL Eye. Believe it or not, your Eye is merely a copy that everyone in your clan receives at birth. Only your clan head has the real Eye. However the one I seek is far more powerful than that. I seek Jigan's Tear. No one knows what its form is, but according to legend, the user is tested upon grabbing it. Like any other Cursed Item, it can't be removed, lest its possessor dies. If the user is deemed unworthy, Jigan's Tear will kill them. If they are to survive, they must sacrifice 3 of their 5 senses, and they don't get to choose which. Those who fight it and live, are granted 200 more years of life, but should it ever find someone worthy, the user is granted immortality. However, no one in history has ever been worthy." Lazaryos cleared his throat as he removed his robe and held it. He didn't bother to face the wolf boy at his question, "We'll be fine. We only need to really worry about worms, and we're still quite a ways from the Grand River. If you-" Lazaryos stopped short, though, as he stopped in front of a wriggling little maggot-like creature, it was a baby worm... Oh.....(censored)....
-
Ember listened to Lazaryos as he spoke while they were walking. She didn't really see the point in something where if you tried to use it you had about a 99.9% chance of being killed by it. If she used weapons, she would rather use ones that couldn't kill her on their own. When Lazaryos stopped short, she moved to stand on his left side to see what had made him stop. Looking down, she saw a worm about the size of your average toddler. "I have a feeling that we're screwed..." She thought as she looked down at the baby worm.
-
Chrono looked down at the worm, and nudged them both with his shoulders. "Well, are we going to sit around and wait for them to know we stepped on their kid, or are we going to let the other two deal with it?" he whispered them while making it look like he was also stunned. He was also banking on the idea that they would be confused as to why they suddenly started running.
-
Alistair looked blankly at the baby worm, killing it would be simple right now. But a lazy streak came over him and he really didn't feel like doing it. He just waited to see what Larazyos would do, he likely knew the in's and out's of the creature. But even so, he seemed frightened of the little thing, which amused Alistair. But after a short moment he went back to examining the new comer. He hadn't seen him fight thoroughly enough to see exactly what his capabilities were. He would have to keep an eye on him...
-
He looked to Chrono, moving the card to his left hand and putting his right hand on the sheath of this sword. "It doesn't look old enough to be on it's own yet... so either we get out of here as soon as possible, kill it quickly before it makes any sort of sound, or be ready for the fight of our lives. Better choose quickly or else we'll have a mother to fight as well." he spoke as he lightly thumbed the hilt out of a locked position, his eyes watching the worm as it wriggled about, backing away quietly when it tried to approach him. It paused for a moment when it saw Vosur back up, then when it started to inch closer, he reached his hand back in getting ready to throw the card at the worm while he continued to keep a certain distance away from it.
-
Before Lazaryos could say anything, the ground began to vibrate progressively harder. "Get out of there, kid! Hurry up!" Just behind the wolf-boy, an adult worm rose from the sands and sent the youngling flying past the group and onto the sand. "RUN!!" Lazaryos made a run towards the northern direction, where they were headed before, jumping over the wolf-boy. A second worm popped out of the sand, next to the other. The two worms towered high above the ground, taller than a castle wall, without even being completely out of the sand.
-
Ember hadn't needed Lazaryos' command to know what to do. She had taken off north as soon as the ground had started shaking. The newcomer had actually just missed landing on her when it was sent flying by the worm coming out of the sand and had landed right behind her as she ran. She wasn't used to running from a challenge but in this case she was smart enough to know when she didn't have a chance in beating the opponents.
-
Chrono went to a four-limbed run across the desert sand, dashing past Lazaryos and hopefully not running into more of those worms. He needed to have two swords to beat those things, and that freaking chameleon mage had ran off with the only other sword he could find! The only thing that ever goes my way is the fact that I can take a sword from the Bandits when I get to them, but this cursed desert likes to toy with anything bipedal.
-
Alistair just looked at the towering monstrous worms when they came out of the ground. He then noticed the others running for their lives, aside from the new guy who was knocked down. "How troublesome...Well...It would be best to join them..." With that Alistair ran passed the new guy and towards the others. More than likely Ember would be sad that he didn't stay and get eaten, but he also ran to stay alive. Which would further annoy her. So it was a win win, he got to live to kill another day, and he got to annoy that oh so annoying woman.
-
He landed in the sand a good distance away from the two worms onto his chest, then quickly hand-sprung onto his feet as he realized he dropped the card he was holding. "Grr... that was a good card, you spineless sand-crawlers!" he yelled out as he pulled out another card and threw it towards the further of the two worms, his aim at the above-ground sensory-organ that was on the side towards the other parent-worm.
The card struck dead-on and the natural reaction of the worm, opening it's maw in pain and turning to try to shield the wounded sense-organ, made it run right into the other parent-worm and latch onto the other one. The biology of the worms, inward pointing barb-like teeth in the inside of the mouth, made it hard for the biting one to let go of the other... though the damage was done as it a vital portion of flesh was removed in its struggle to free itself. While the two worms were occupied with trying to separate from each other, he took the opportunity to flee with the rest of the group as he knew the other one would probably pursue if he were to stick around any longer than needed. "Two good cards lost to spineless worms..." he muttered under his breath as he ran.
-
In a fit of rage, the two worms pulled off from each other and roared after hurting each other. They turned their attention over to the fleeing group and surfed through the sand in pursuit. Lazaryos heard the rumbling and had seen what transpired behind him. "Bloody child! Why'd you have to go and anger them!?" Lazaryos knew that they couldn't outrun the worms on foot. The sand still had a little bit of moisture in it left, so he quickly thought before turning. "Ember! Heat up as much sand as you possibly can! I have an idea! Dragon boy! Get ready to pull me out of the way if necessary!"
-
Ember never stopped running but just turned in her run and ran back to where Lazaryos was. She quickly halted herself about a foot diagonally in front of Lazaryos. Taking a knee, she took her staff in both hands and shoved the bottom into the sand. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on heating up the area of sand in front of her, being sure to avoid the areas where the others were.
-
Chrono spun around and dug his talons into the sand in an attempt to stop his own momentum. He almost fell on his back as he quickly came to a stop, but was able to make his way back to the group, watching the worm to see if he needed to pull the lightning mage out of an almost certain demise. He thought of throwing the kunai, but he wouldn't be able to retrieve them safely if they didn't hit their targets; that fact alone gave him the options to either abandon or save Lazaryos... and the second one somehow seemed more to his liking.
-
As sure as Ember was at not heating up the areas where they were she seemed to forget Alistair was. The sand under his feet heated up nicely. He quickly got out of the effected area and glared at Ember. He stopped running and turned to see what Lazaryos had in mind. It annoyed him that he was unable to do anything, well, anything that would benefit in the fight against these worms. The thought of killing Lazaryos and then Ember had crossed his mind while they were preoccupied. Though it wouldn't exactly get these worms dead.
-
The remaining moisture thickened the air in front of them, and all around the oncoming worms. Lazaryos charged as much Majicka in him, save enough to possibly have 2 more medium spells for later. Lazaryos fired a massive storm just as the worms came within 100 feet of the group. Lightning filled the whole area in front of them and seemed to attract towards the worms. Moreover, the lightning seemed to amplify as it got closer and even moreso as they hit the worms. The worms roared and shrieked and then passed out. Lazaryos roared and screamed after discharging the spell and fell to the ground after being rebounded by the output. He groaned as the pain of discharging almost a day's worth of Majicka in one shot took its toll.
-
Ember stopped heating the ground, pulled her staff out of the ground and turned on her knee towards Lazaryos. She saw no need in asking him if he was okay because it was obvious that the spell he had just done had taken a toll on him. She rose to her feet and switched her staff to her left hand since it was her weaker hand (since she is right-handed), walking to where Lazaryos' head was. "Alright, tough guy, let's go." She said, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. "Gotta get movin' to get far from here before these beasties wake up." She started walking, dragging Lazaryos behind her.
-
Chrono stared at the two for a few seconds, trying to hold back a 'knowing' smile as he followed the duo on all fours. "So, exactly how did you go from barely tolerating him, to now willingly carrying him?" he asked between hiss-like chuckles. He could deal without killing or getting another sword if the two of them kept entertaining him with their small yet visible changes in attitude...
-
Alistair watched as Lazaryos knocked the worms out with a sudden burst of power. As he got dragged away by Ember he thought it would be a good time to strike. He could decapitate Ember with minimal interference. Chrono was down a weapon, his fighting efficiency would be reduced, Lazaryos was out of commission and the new guy probably didn't care enough about them to interfere. The only thing stopping him from doing so was that the worms would unfortunately wake up eventually. Chrono would likely attack Alistair delaying him long enough for Lazaryos to get back up. By that time the worms would have likely woken up.
-
He saw the two of them actually work together as a team to disable the worms, but noticing the sheer pain and exhaustion caused to Lazaryos as he stood back from the group before they started the journey again. Taking only a moment of thought on how they started up on teamwork though they barely knew each other, he looked up to see that they started up their walk again almost without him. Making a sprint, he got himself to Ember and Lazaryos and stopped in front of them. "Let me carry him. It's the least I can do." he spoke, a little aggravated at what he was doing, but not hesitating in this offer as he belted his sword and secured his cards before he knelt down to try to get him off the warming ground. "You'll move a lot faster being carried than sliding on the sand."
-
Lazaryos grunted as the kid tried to lift him up. However, he found it exceptionally painful for someone half his weight trying to pick him up. "I think I'd rather get dragged by the fur than carried. Let's concentrate on getting out of here. Even with that spell amplified by the thick moisture and condensation, it's barely enough to stun them." Lazaryos groaned against as another bolt of pain shot through his entire body.
-
Ember rolled her eyes at Chrono's question. "I never had an issue with tolerating him...except when he was acting like a complete buffoon to get this thing which ended up being for nothing since it was worthless and flawed in his opinion." She said, gesturing to the diamond hanging from her neck. She had stopped when the newcomer had suggested he carry Lazaryos and when Lazaryos said he would rather be dragged, she readjusted her grip and started walking with him in tow again. "So basically the kind of moments I couldn't tolerate him were the same kind of moments I had trouble tolerating you. That should tell you that he isn't getting any special treatment...especially since I have saved both your lives at least once." She gave Chrono a look that said 'I know you know what I'm talking about so don't try denying it' then looked forward again.
-
"Er- um... forget it, hurts to much to think about it." he said while going through about five facial expressions, then in a fit of complete idiocy or guilt, wrestled Lazaryos out of Ember's grip and carried him face-up on his left shoulder. "You still need to be capable of throwing fire, I can hold him since I'm used to using a single hand to wield a sword." He said before Ember could even voice her objections. He passivly sniffed the air and then looked at Lazaryos with a look of shocked disgust. "Man, you smell worse than a charcoal pulled from feral dragon dung!"
-
Alistair just kept walking doing the best he could to ignore the others while they fussed about who gets to carry the idiot who over did himself. Ember seemed to enjoy dragging his behind and did her best to keep him to herself until Chrono scooped him up. It was all annoying to him, he wanted nothing more than to kill them all. Particularly Ember, it would bring him such joy to cut her open. But he would still have to be patient and wait until the time was right.
-
Vosur shrugged and pulled the same deck of cards from before out of a pouch on his belt, shuffling them idly as he walked with the group. Every now and then, he'd flick a card up into the air and catch it behind his back while they were walking, only stopping the shuffling when he felt the wind gust a little, then resumed the shuffling and card-tricks again when there was a calm in the wind. After a few minutes of the walk, he stopped and put the cards away, speeding up enough to get to a better talking distance for Ember and Lazaryos. "I never did get to thank you two properly for before. So thanks."
-
Lazaryos growled at Chrono between twangs of pain. "You try being overweight, and sweating as much as I do in this bloody heat and then you talk to me about smelling. Though I will say that you are not exactly a sweet flower, yourself. You smell like something the elephant dropped like a mudslide on a stormy day." Lazaryos was feeling very tempted to overcharge the youngling's eye with Majicka again, and it took everything he had not to.
-
Ember let Chrono take Lazaryos from her since she didn't care who transported him while he was weak. "I don't need two hands to throw fire but whatever. Knock yourself out." She said with a shrug. It was only a second or two later that she actually chuckled. "He probably will knock himself out after carrying him for a while...didn't even think of that when I was saying it." She thought to herself. She then turned her attention to the newcomer. "Your welcome...even though I have no idea what you're talking about." She responded as she looked at him. She really had no idea what she did to deserve a thank you.
-
Almost on cue with Lazaryos' temptation the small head-ache that was his third eye, started to worsen as he was holding a mage near his head. "I don't know what your books say, but my dad used his eye to 'control' the ones who were attuned to your so-called 'fake' eyes... Its just a thought. Kinda' like how my dad wanted the Mana to find that tear you were talking about. Did I say too much?"
-
He gave Chrono a glance, though he didn't look him in the eyes due to his current position, when he mentioned of the Mana. Trying to remain silent about it, he raised his shades back up on his nose as he looked in the general direction of Alistair. "You look like you want to say something? Or is this moment a bit too touching for you?" he spoke in a joking manner while he pulled one single card out and fiddled with it in his fingers, venturing closer to Alistair.
-
Lazaryos thought about Chrono's words, "Hmmm... so you're the clan's head's son, eh? Boy, talk about the runaway child. However, I'm not surprised your father tried to find the Tear as well. For one to possess multiple Cursed Items would be someone to truly be reckoned with. I don't know what kind of effects it would have on someone for that to happen, but I'd be cautious of anyone who has the gajones to try to obtain a second Cursed Item." The next couple days were a bit on edge, what with the heat and tempers building within Alistair, Chrono and Lazaryos. By the week's end, the sparkle of the Grand River became visible, along with the edge of the first tree patch and its nest full of active worms. "Anyone got any bright ideas?"
-
"Just that he wants to kill us all but that he has to wait until he doesn't need us as shields anymore..." She answered the newcomer's question even though it had been directed at Alistair. No, she couldn't read Alistair's mind, or anyone's for that matter, but he was easy to read when it came to his "feelings" towards the group just like she didn't hide her "feelings" about him. She stayed silent the next couple of days and the sound of Lazaryos voice seemed strange after a while of not hearing it. "Not getting killed, for starters." She responded. Other than that, she had no ideas.
-
"Offer the scythe boy up as bait?" Chrono said nonchalantly as he still held Lazaryos. "Also, aren't you going to wiggle out, or has your body fused itself to my jagged armor now?" Chrono snapped as he still hasn't seen the mage leave his right shoulder for several days now. He then looked at the trees again and another thought struck his head. "Um, exactly how strong do those trees have to be in order to carry those things?"
-
Alistair looked at the new guy as he asked him the question, he didn't say anything. That's when Gargoyle Girl opened her trap. It made him want to kill her even more, but he said nothing. "I want you...All dead...Which is the only reason I'm...Remaining near you...There is no mystery to what's on my mind...No mystery at all." As he spoke, he seemed a little off, as if he were hiding something. The next few days he didn't speak. When they got to the nest of worms and Chrono made his remark Alistair wanted to just shove him into them. "It's a river...These things couldn't have nested everywhere..." Alistair walked off along the bank until there was a clearing. When he got to it, he pulled down his hood and cupped some water in his hand to drink.
-
He kept with the group for the walk, Alistair's answer not having bothered him during the whole trip since he answered rather truthfully to his demeanor. When they got to the river and could see the worms' nests, he looked up and down the banks. "The desert worms were trap-setting hunters, I'd say that these river worms may not be too different. If you try to topple one of these trees over to cross, they'll use it to get over here." He knelt down at the edge, pulling a waterskin from out of a small backpack he was wearing and started filling it up, seeing an arm-length, at least for him anyways, fish swim to his submerged hand. His eyes seem to focus solely on the fish for a moment before he quickly thrust his hand in and yanked the fish out of the water and making it land on the ground nearby. "If anyone else doesn't have an idea, I've got one." he spoke with a devious grin as he goes to try to retrieve the fish after putting away the now-full waterskin in his backpack. It took him a moment of following after the flopping fish to catch up with it and grab it again, which it struggled against his grip the entire time. "How about we catch something to eat before we do anything else first?"
-
Lazaryos wriggled out of Chrono's grip, "I've been fine since the first night, you just choose to pick me up every time break is over. Anyways, it's best if we wait until later to get food. We still have a little bit left, but we've been out of water for 2 days. Especially since we're near their largest nest in the desert. If the necromancer wants to try to resurrect himself, that's his business. It took almost all of my Majicka to-" Lazaryos' words were cut short as there was a large rustling in the sand behind them. Lazaryos turned and pointed his staff, but saw quite a number of tails sticking out of the sand, heading for them. "We got scorpions!"
-
Ember had filled up her canteen as well and was still kneeling by the water when Lazaryos yelled. She quickly rose to her feet and spun around, staff at the ready as she wondered what exoskeletons sounds like when they were cooked. She charged up her staff as she looked at the approaching tails. A large boomerang of flame rose above her staff and she threw it in a curve at the scorpians' tails, hoping she could rid at least one, if not all of them, of their tails.
-
Chrono unsheathed his left sword, calmly waiting for the scorpion to strike at him. He instantly cut the right claw off when he side-stepped its attempt tried to grab him, then side-stepped the stinger before lopping it off and jamming it into the carapace with his free arm. He was going to turn around to continue killing his share of scorpions when a pair of pincers caught his mid-section. He flipped the sword to where the buisness end pointed behind him, then jammed it where the claw hand connected to the rest of the limb. He then snapped the claw off his waist before parrying the stinger. "You think we can have the scorpions draw the worm's attention?" he yelled before doing a parry-cut on the same oversized stinger.
-
Alistair finished drinking and turned around to see a scorpion half his size staring him down. He nonchalantly pulled up his hood and in one fluid motion drew his scythe and chopped off a pincer. The scorpion came at him with it's stinger this time which was swiftly removed. Finally a swift stab in it's head finished the job. Just in time for Alistair to face off with three more. "This is getting troublesome..." One came at him and he began to dispatch it in a fashion just like the first one.
-
Vosur had finally caught the fish before one of the scorpions almost stabbed his hand with the tail-stinger, ending up in getting the fish instead of his hand. "You ruined a good fish." he growled at it, catching the stinger and cutting it off with his sword in an unnaturally fast unsheathe-and-strike single motion. The tail-tip was embedded in the fish that Vosur had planned for his own dinner, having to abandon the food for the oncoming battle. The wounded scorpion retreated as two more replaced it, the two immediately trying to use their pincers as distractions as they shook their tails in preparation to strike with him with them, getting around Vosur while they jabbed with their pincers. He blocked the strikes with both his sheath and his sword, shifting to one side as the two lunged out with their tails and stabbed into each other. Not knowing if they were immune to their own poisons, Vosur quickly cut the tails off at the first joint, the poison-glands and tips falling off of the wounded scorpions as they fled. "How many more of these big bugs are there!?" he yelled out, quickly having to do a backflip to prevent being stabbed by an ambushing scorpion.
-
Lazaryos pelted a few more with lightning bullets to just push them back. "Big!? These are merely hatchlings! They must-" Lazaryos was cut short as worms emerged from the ground below them, alongside far larger scorpions in which their pincers were as large as Lazaryos. Some of the worms had baby scorpions the same size the ones attacking the group piercing out their bodies, while the other worms chomped on the scorpions, tearing them in half as they dove into the ground and rose back up again. Lazaryos spotted an opening in the crowd where they could possibly escape, but it led back into more desert. Well, at least it isn't the way we came. Lazryos shot a carriage-sized bolt in that direction and cleared the way. "Quickly! Let's go!" Lazaryos made a break for it, but the surrounding arachnoids closed up back around them again.
-
Ember threw fireballs at the scorpions that had closed up the opening that Lazaryos had made after her she was done with her fire boomerang attack. She just wanted to get out of this place and continue on with their journey to the Mana. She would much rather battle others with weapons and spells then huge creatures any day. As a scorpion came close to her, she blocked in pincer with her staff then stabbed her blunt staff through its head before it could try to strike with its stinger.
-
Chrono got in front of Lazaryos and while letting out a near feral roar, moved his way around a scorpion in front and grabbed its tail. With a grunt and groan he swung the "hatchling" scorpion around with enough force to at least push away the bulk of what was in the way. "Stop standing there mage and start zapping!!" He yelled back before drawing his blade and doing his best to make at least a single-file path out of the same 'opening' Lazaryos was trying to burst apart. It seemed he was actually doing better than before, but when a rather simple stab came at him, it was only his reflex and muscle memory that kept him from getting a serious wound rather than a half-inch gash under the armor. What kind of armor can't protect against carapace?! he thought while tossing what little grace and agility he had to push away the scorpions and steer past the worms.
-
Alistair grew more annoyed when the worms showed up, but they managed to take care of his current scorpion problem. Then larger scorpions showed up. He was very annoyed that there were so many creatures and not any people he could kill. It was a nuisance to have to fight with at such a disadvantage, a necromancer unable to summon things with his own power or his scythe's. As the worms started combating the scorpions, the larger ones anyway, Alistair used the distraction to run through them. It was quite an endeavor just to get some water, but it was worth it in the end.
-
Seeing the scorpions that he caused to sting each other stop moving altogether, Vosur got an idea as he was escaping through the scorpions. He stopped himself when a larger scorpion blocked his way, immediately trying to grab him with the pincers and sting him at the same time. The wolf-tailed man ducked down right before the pincers clamped down, only catching a strand of hair from his head, his timing being just right to make this scorpion sting itself in one of its pincers before Vosur jumped back upward through the gap in between its pincers and its face, doing an uppercut-slash with his sword to the scorpion's face and to the tail-tip. When it lets go of its pincers and backs away from the area, now blinded by Vosur's slash and hindered by its own venom, it staggers away from the fight only to get attacked by a worm. The wolf-tailed man quickly sheathes his sword and belts it as he grabs the tail tip before the large scorpion flees, quickly yanking out the poison gland and pulling out a single card from the pouch with two cards missing, now having 57 cards left in that pouch. As he was running, he tried coating the edges of the card with the poison, being careful as much as he could while running.
-
"Don't move for a second!" Lazaryos growled and slammed his staff on the dragon's shoulder, the head of it about 12 feet past Chrono's face. The charged topaz then fired off a flurry storm that opened up the path again, but it was quickly closing again as the first worm went down and the baby scorpions that hatched from within it came swarming in on the group. "Ember! I doubt me and little dragon boy can stall them just by ourselves!"
-
Ember gritted her teeth together. "It's not like I haven't been doing anything!" She yelled as she threw more fireballs after she had pulled her staff out of the scorpion's head. She moved to stand on the other side of Lazaryos. She directed her staff at where they kept trying to make a pathway and sent a stream of fire towards the baby scorpions that had just come out of the fallen worm.
-
Chrono felt the ground give beneath him as a 'baby' worm literally rose mouth-up right under him. He stuck his sword down and stabbed into a side of the worm as it came up, using its own momentum to cleave through until it just flopped dead behind him. He then yanked the sword out to block a stinger before sending the blade down on the scorpion's head. "I'm gonna need a section of the river to myself after this from all the gunk I'm getting here!!" he yelled out in a joke while going back to cutting a path through the insects.
-
Alistair hacked at the scorpions doing his best to keep them at bay. He was annoyed at the fact his scythe could only turn humans rather than everything else. Though it still amused him at watching the slain scorpions stand back up only to crumble once again. It was getting monotonous quickly, there was several scorpions and worms alike. Nothing satisfying about killing something that wasn't as intelligent as humans.
-
He quickly put away the venom sack in an empty third-pouch on his belt, having two others for herbs and other natural remedies he would come across in his journey, turning around to see a large worm opening its maw to attack him. "Worms, bugs.... these are starting to take their toll on my cards." he muttered as he flung the venom coated card into the mouth of the worm before rolling to one side to avoid being attacked. After the card lodged in the roof of it's mouth, the creature started moving more sluggishly, allowing Vosur to easily climb up the side to further avoid attacks until he could get to a clear pathway while the worm shifted from side to side to look around for him. The worm's movements brushed aside some of the scorpions, which gave Vosur a clearing for him to jump off of the worm and sprint to the others. Along the way, he pulled his sword from off of his belt and attacked a larger scorpion that was about to tail-strike Ember from the side by cutting off the tailtip of the scorpion. He didn't stop very long due to having remembered she was a fire-mage and thinking that her first reaction to hearing an attack would probably to fry the general direction of the sound.
-
Lazaryos pressed on with the others and began getting really frustrated. The worms were already beginning to conquer over the scorpions, despite losing two of their own. Lazryos pressed his staff against Chrono's sword, and created a large blade extension made of lightning. "You have only one swing with this, hatchling! Make it count! Everyone! Get ready to make a break for it!!"
-
Ember heard the attack and turned her head to see a scorpion missing its tail-tip and the wolf-tailed guy who was the one who cut said tail-tip off. She swiftly set the scorpion on fire before refocusing her attention on holding off the scorpions and worms while they waited for Chrono to swing his sword with it's lightning extension to clear a path. She also stayed prepared to run when the time was right so she was alert as she continued to hold off the creatures.
-
Chrono nodded, ignoring the 'hatchling' comment as he held the sword upward before bringing it down for a near 160 degree arc slash with both hands, and as much strength one could muster in such a short moment. "You seriously underestimate your girth if you think a hatchling can carry you, mage!!" he yelled with a smile over the crackle of the extension as it apparently did its job of giving them space to move around, which he took advantage of by rushing his way towards the last few scorpions in the way and dealing with them a bit more quickly since he was no longer restricted to frontal attacks.
-
With an unimpressive display of power blew open a passage Alistair joined the others in a run out of the mess they were in. Once clear he turned back remorseful of the things he couldn't kill. But it wasn't all bad, he did get to kill things. The next things he was looking forward to was the Bandit Guild that was out here, those people he could kill and have some fun with. He put his scythe back on his back and pulled his hood back up which had fallen down earlier.
-
He kept on in the dash-and-slash through the scorpions, going only for the tails unless he was attacked by their pincers. Every so often, he would have to jump to one side to avoid being tackled by a smaller worm, allowing it to latch onto a disabled scorpion while he continue his way through until the very end. When he finally cleared out of the small battlefield of scorpions and worms, he swiped the air in a ritualistic manner to clean off any blood from the battle and sheathed it into the scabbard, re-belting the sword as he pulled out the 57-card deck and the venom-gland, coating the edges in a very light layer of the poison while he waited for the others to join up.
-
Lazaryos ignored Chrono's comment as they made a run for it. Before they knew it, they were back in the desert and far from the conflict of insects. Lazaryos was panting as they stopped. He can sprint, but that was one hell of a long run to escape that horde. "We're going to need to head north for now... hah... hah... there is supposed to be a nice reservoir where there isn't any insect populations. Just make sure to avoid any sand pits on our way. The sand trap ants out here are as dangerous as worms."
-
When the path was clear, Ember ran through with the others. She dove and rolled when a worm had started to come down and there wasn't enough room for her to run underneath. She never paused though because she went straight back up on her feet from the roll and kept on running with the group, never falling out of step. When they were finally far enough away from the horde, she stopped with the rest of the group. She took slow, deep breaths as they all rested. She wasn't really winded but she might have been if they had ran further.
-
Chrono kept quiet as the group stopped, he aslo listened to Lazaryos for a few moments before 'leading' the trail and keeping an eye out for the 'sand pits'. His eyes started to glaze over as he could 'see' five sources of light hovering over a nearby sand pit. He made his body stop so he wouldn't walk into the pit while his own mind continued to replay his past in front of him. If I didn't know any better, father would probably used the same hallucinations to beat me the moment we fight... he mused as lights became figures that dimmed until their physical features were easily visible. Of course, the first day my siblings tried to kill me... Wheres the off switch on this?
-
Alistair was a bit intrigued about the sand pits Lazaryos mentioned. If they came across one he would certainly have to push Ember into one of them. If nothing she would still be dead, he would be happy. And if the others came at him he would push them in too. Or kill them himself. "How many of these...Sand traps might we encounter? What are...the chances we might find one? Do you think the death would be...Painful?"
-
"Careful what you wish for, grim mage..." Vosur spoke in a snide, his red-irised eyes glaring at Alistair as he put the cards away and securing them in the pouch before he unsheathed his sword to lightly coat its blade in the venom. "...you may get more than you bargained for." he spoke before he sheathed his sword and put the gland back in the pouch he had it in. He stretched a bit before he started looking around at the ground for tell-tale signs of such pits. The white-haired and white-tailed man shrugged before he spoke again. "If you wish to find out if it's painful, maybe it would be best for you to find out first-hand then tell us how painful it is before you succumb to the feeling of being punctured repeatedly by their pincers and then eaten alive. Personally, I'd rather not have anyone I ally myself with get harmed, but you're so eager to know more about the hunting habits of these creatures..."
-
Lazaryos shuddered at the thought of the pit ants. "I've heard it's worse than a thousand deaths. Back a thousand years ago, when this land was still habitable, executions were held only two different ways. Either by slow hanging, or by pit ants. Many criminals beg for the hangings, despite how cruelly they were done. Back then, you weren't dropped from a plat form, you were lowered slowly from the castle wall, with hands and feet bound, no weights, all by the neck. And then you were left their until you died, which usually took hours, rather than today's usual few seconds to a full minute. To be dropped into the pit was worse than that. Once in the trap, one would get pulled into continually compressing sand, unable to move. The ant then bites chunks off of your body. It takes a full day for the ant to consume a person. The worst part is, is that the ant's saliva contains something that raises your adrenaline level, making it impossible for the person to faint or succumb to shock. It was the most feared execution of all history... or at least within the last 3,000 years. History records just don't really go further than that, that anyone's found."
-
Ember glared at Alistair when he asked his questions. She knew exactly why he was asking such questions, that he wanted to know if they would find one and how painful the death would be because he wanted to get rid of her that way. She liked that Vosur spoke up and warned him though. Her eyes moved to Vosur as her expression changed and she smirked. Even though Lazaryos went on to talk about how horrible the death would be, her expression didn't turn to one of fear, just a straight face. She noticed that Chrono had stopped walking ahead of them. "What's he looking at?" She said as she looked ahead of him to try to see what he did.
-
Chrono had always wondered what happened the first time they tried to kill him, all he could remember was everything going white, then all of his siblings were beaten, their weapons shattered and scattered along the ground. He then made a run for his Uncle's house, which was where his flashback ended. He turned away from the sand pit and continued going forward, acting like nothing happened.
-
Alistair caught Ember's glare, her normal attempts at mind reading again. But it's not like his mind had to be read. He's already expressed his feelings towards the group; he wanted them dead. It was just that simple. But Ember more than the rest, they seemed to be on their own special "wavelength". It still sickened him...But as usual he would have to wait. But Lazaryos' story made it a little less painful, if they did find one of them...He would definitely try to shove Ember in.
-
Vosur stopped for a moment, pulling his sword and sheath off of his belt and tapping a divot in the sand with the tip of his sword-and-sheath set. In an instant, the sand in a half-meter radius of where he touched sunk inward, a pair of pincers peeking out before Vosur unsheathed his sword and stabbed right into the center of them in a single motion. "Worms, sand ants... at least scorpions have their use." he muttered out before he pulled the sword up and swiped the air ritualistically before he resheathed the blade.
-
Lazaryos scoffed as he watched Chrono wander off towards a pit and then snap out of it and walk back to the group. He turned to Ember, "If you ask me, I think this hatchling was dropped a few too many times as a baby. But then again, it might be because his family's done everything in their power to make sure he was killed while he was growing up. Either way, this kid's a treasure short of a hoard."
-
Ember couldn't help but chuckle at what Lazaryos said. She continued to walk in their northern direction even though she wouldn't have minded taking a dip in the river right about then even with the guys around. She sighed as she walked along, keeping an eye out for the sand pits. She remained aware of her surroundings just in case any more creatures and so that Alistair couldn't catch her off-guard.
-
Chrono caught a hint of the what Lazaryos said, mostly because there wasn't much talking going on anyway. He gradually made his way next to Lazaryos and only made a side glance to make sure he wasn't busy oogling Ember. "Before we get to the mountain, have you read any methods of stopping flashbacks, its becoming a problem now..." he muttered while resting his left forearm on the hilt of his sword.
-
Alistair didn't like how when the first sand pit appeared the damned new guy killed it. He was a weird one though, at first he seemed to hate the others as much as Alistair did, but now...Seems like he want's to kill him instead. He just kept watching out for his chance to do away with that Ember...He would have to act quickly as to do it before the others could kill it. Maybe Ember herself would stumble onto one, and while she dispatched it with a fireball or something he would waltz up and push. Then watch as she is devoured alive. Alistair couldn't help but to grin at the thought.
-
Vosur stopped again and pulled his sword off of his belt, unsheathing it and holding the sheath in his right hand, the blade extended out in front of him just above the ground. Every now and then, he'd see a pair of pincers peek up a few inches, then quickly retract down. He backs up one step and goes around that area, belting his sheath and digging for the pouch with the venom gland, while still 'sweeping' the area with his sword as he walked. "Here's a quick little riddle for everyone: Even though that scorpions and sand ants both live in desert climates, why do you only see one or the other as the top of the food chain in one area?" he spoke before he stopped and started to reapply venom to his sword.
-
Lazaryos snorted as he held in his laughter, "There's no real cure for your emotional troubles." Lazaryos chuckled silently to himself at the new guy's question, "The scorpions travel everywhere and can survive anywhere, so they have no dominion. The pit ants live out in the dry areas of the desert to catch anything that runs away from the worms. Speak of the devil, they survive only at or within a couple miles of a flourishing water source. The worms require continual moisture to stay alive." Ahead of the group, there was a small oasis that didn't have any activity. "Alright, we should be able to rest there, the water source isn't very large, so we probably won't have any excursions for tonight."
-
Ember saw the stupid grin on Alistair's face and, as usual, she had a very good idea of why it was there. "I can't wait to wipe that stupid look off his face..." She thought to herself. When she looked ahead of the group to see the water source that Lazaryos was talking about, she was slightly relieved to see the small oasis. "Oh good, now maybe I can get a soaking in." She felt a little cleaner at the thought of it.
-
Chrono, taking it upon himself as the toughest and the first to charge into battle, ran over to the oasis while avoiding, and did a quick scan of the water before sticking his goo-ed up blade in. He then left it there for a few moments, before pulling back out and getting some sand to attach to the grime so it wouldn't stick to his armor. I really havn't gotten much in the way of itchy scales, so I don't need a bath he reasoned as he held the blade to the sun to see if he missed any chunks.
-
When they got to the oasis without a chance to shove Ember into a sand pit his plan changed. Maybe she would get close enough to the water to hold her under it. It would be perfect, she being a fire mage would significantly reduce her magic abilities in water. Lazaryos wouldn't dare use his magic as he would hit Ember as well. Chrono is still at less than half fighting efficiency and the new guy...He would probably be the only threat. He sat down away from the group, eying ember maliciously. His grin still held on his face, which was the only part of his face you could see under the shade of his hood. But his grin soon faded as he felt something uneasy in the air, something watching him...
-
He kept up in the sweeping of the sword against the ground until they got to the oasis, making sure that there weren't any more pits before he got to the water's edge and pulled out a cloth and the waterskin he managed to fill up before they had an attack from the scorpions. He poured the water into his sheath and started to swish it around, trying to clean out any remains from when they were fighting the scorpions and the worms, then pouring it out before he used the rest of his waterskin on the blade with a cloth he had to clean the blade before sheathing it and refilling his waterskin. When he was finished, he scooped up some of the water into his own hands and drank a bit before noticing the palm trees, smiling to himself and taking climbing up one of them with ease to grab a few coconuts. "Not going to have much opportunities like this." he said to himself as he comes back down with the prizes in hand and setting most of them on the ground while he took one of his non-coated cards out to use much like a knife to pop open a hole and drink the milk from one of the coconuts while he sat down.
-
Lazaryos sat down water-side in Indian-style and placed a pile of leaves and shavings from the surrounding palms. He suspended his hand over the pile, and a small bolt shot into the pile, and instantly set it on fire. Lazaryos eyed the necromancer, shooting a look that said "Don't even think about trying it." He sighed and looked over to the newcomer. "So do you have name, youngling?"
-
Ember was aware of Alistair's grin, which didn't surprise her, then she caught the look that Lazaryos shot at him. That surprised her but she didn't let it show on her face. She shouldn't have been so surprised since they were in a temporary alliance, but she couldn't help it since she didn't expect Lazaryos to be so protective of her. She didn't care what evil plan was running through Alistair's mind, she was getting in the water. She approached the water's edge opposite from where Alistair was sitting so she could keep an eye on him. She moved behind a bush and changed her clothes to something like short-shorts and a strapless bra. When she was done changing, she stuffed her other clothes in her bag then grabbed it and her staff and moved out from behind the bush. She set her staff and her bag at the water's edge then walked into the water and sat down in a spot so that the water would come up to her neck.
-
Chrono finished cleaning his blade, then looked at the one Lazaryos refered to as 'youngling'. "Mage, what do you think boiled scorpion would taste like?" he asked as hunger started to set in after the retreat they just performed. He got up before the mage answered, and started shaking the trees for any fruit, and got hit on the head as one piece of fruit fell out and went right for his 'cow-lick'.
-
Alistair watched as Lazaryos shot him the looks, shooting some lighting as a threat. It didn't impress him. When Ember went into the water he waited for a moment. Underneath his robed he buried his satchel with his book into the sand. To anyone without X-Ray vision it would look as if he were just sitting there. After he finished he stood up. He pulled down his hood with both hands, took his scythe in his right hand and started to take his robe off. Revealing his loose black clothing underneath. He set his robe onto a nearby bush, took off his shirt and turned towards Ember in the water. Alistair was a very scrawny person underneath all his clothes. But he had a more distinguishing feature to him, a massive scar the was in the center of his chest. It was round and jagged, like someone had struck him with a powerful spell. Scythe in hand, expressionless face back on, he waded into the water, still a ways from Ember. He just kept walking in, towards her, eventually he went completely under and seemed to just disappear.
-
He finished up the milk from the first coconut he had right before he was asked the question, wiping what remained with the back of his hand. "Most people gave me the nickname 'Knave of Blades', I was born with the name Vosur Aekira... choose one of those two over the 'youngling' or even 'pup' if you ever decide to try that with me." he spoke, a slight growl in his tone when mentioning the "youngling" and "pup" names. He flipped the card he used to open the first coconut with to show how he got his nickname, he looked to the one that asked about the boiled scorpion, going to a slight smile on his face. "They're not half bad, but don't eat the meat in the tail-tip... it'll make your mouth go numb for hours." he spoke, laughing a little afterwards and then using his card to open up another coconut to have himself another drink.
-
Lazaryos shuddered at the thought of attempting to eat a scorpion. "I personally don't care to know how it tastes. I prefer the fresh meat of a good kill. If not, I would just eat fruits. I don't eat insects, I kill them." Lazaryos chomped on one of the coconuts and watched Ember bathe herself. However, he quickly finished up the coconut quickly as he watched Alistair enter the water towards Ember. "Hey, Ember. I think your secret admirer's about to give you a covert swab, if you catch my drift. *He raises his staff, charging it with his Majicka* Jump out, I'll clear the pool."
-
Ember watched as Alistair removed his cloak and dove into the water while she bathed herself. She was going to stay in the water and fight him off if he tried to do anything but when Lazaryos spoke and she looked over at him while rolling her eyes at the 'secret admirer' comment, she felt she couldn't deny him his fun. So she stood and walked out of the water with her tail swaying behind her, grabbing her staff and her bag from the water's edge. She walked over to the bush she had changed behind before and set her stuff down in front of it, then laid her sleeping mat out and laid on it, resting her head on her bag and waiting to see what would happen when Lazaryos cast his spell.
-
Chrono rubbed his head before picking up what looked like a hair-less coconut with the color and skin of a lemon. He bit into it and a grin stretched as the sweet-sour taste coverd his mouth. He continues to chew on it, then climbs up the tree to find more. "Vos, you gotta try this!" Chrono yelled as he tossed a fruit to Vosur and resumed eating his own fruit with a big grin on his face.
-
Alistair was sitting at the bottom of the oasis when he felt a shift in the water. He looked up to see Ember leaving, just figuring he had creeped her out. But he didn't have any intention of doing anything to her. He was concentrating on what he felt earlier. It was ominously familiar. He thought back to when he stole the book he had in his possession, from his school. He had felt this presence before, it might have been someone who was trying to get the book back. "Hmm...my book...After all this time are they trying to take it back? Maybe...They have been all this time...That has to be it...The two in Grandfairs, the four in Brisbain and the four here in the desert...They were all after the book. Hmm...Interesting..." The shortness of breath and the desire to check to see if his book was still there made Alistair get up and swim back over to where he came. He walked out of the water and headed over to his buried satchel, dug it up and checked it. The book was still there. He searched the horizon as he stood there for awhile. He put the book back, dropped the satchel back on the ground and ran one hand through his wet hair as he walked over to his shirt and robe to get dressed.
-
He catches the fruit without even looking up to Chrono, instinctively putting it to his nose and catching a very sharp smell from it. "Citrus? Not a good idea since I had coconut milk recently. Last thing I want that to do is to curdle inside of me." he said as he looked up and called to Chrono, putting the fruit into a cargo-pocket of his pants and the last coconut he picked into his other cargo-pocket. "Thanks for the citrus though, it'll help preserve and flavor the herb I'm going to go pick." He gets up and brushes himself off before he looks around to the rest of the group. "If anyone needs some herbs as well, you may want to come with me or give me a pouch to put them in."
-
Lazaryos lowered his staff and sighed as the pup got up to find herbs, "This is the desert from Hell, Vosur. You won't find any herbs here. Even with the limited tropical vegetation, herbs are far from being able to survive out here. Even the Guild has to import all of their medical supplies." Lazaryos closed his eyes and began to meditate. He eventually fell asleep to the crackling of the fire and Chrono's loud breathing, which particularly annoyed him for no reason other than the fact that it was loud.
-
Ember laid there for a little bit, allowing her fur to dry, then she grabbed her bag and staff and moved behind the bush. She changed back to her regular outfit then came back around the bush and hung her wet clothes on the bush. She laid back down with her head on her bag once again, holding onto her staff. She stared up at the starry sky for a while before she felt ready to fall asleep. She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.
-
Chrono jumped off the tree, and put some fruit near Ember and Lazaryos before going to sleep with a piece still sticking out of his mouth. He was not aware that the fruit, while delicious in it own right, made his eye ache considerably as the well of majick it contained, was being poured into Chrono like a waterfall. However, it was being sucked right back into the eye before his body could accept it, making it a loop of constant pain that would have made him thrash about had he not already fallen asleep. Eventually it faded back, leaving white marks on anywhere you could see black scales.
-
Alistair got back in his robe and sat down to read from his book. After awhile of reading he put the book away and began to meditate. He still couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. "I hope they try something...I can finally kill someone freely..." He looked over to the others sleeping. "Maybe I should kill one in their sleep...That incessant gargoyle...Hmm...She will likely scream like a stuck pig...The sow...Would wake everyone up...Pity...Maybe that wolf...He could probably die like a man."
-
"Then why do I smell them around here?" he spoke out before he started wandering towards the direction he was catching the scent from, stopping before he went too far and looking back to see Alistair, still sniffing around on a more discrete fashion as he went back to the group. "If there aren't any in this oasis, then we may have company." he muttered, taking off his shades as he sat down to do an inventory of his cards, his tail twitching like a metronome. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a little movement, now acting like he didn't see it as he slipped two cards into his palm before he secured the pouch. "Grim mage..." he started to speak towards Alistair, not having known any of the group's names yet. "...I know you don't have any friends with us at the moment, but please tell me that you do have an ally somewhere."
-
Lazaryos interjected the pup's words, "A cold-blooded swine like him only has a cease-fire with me since his personal greed saved my arse, and he might be of use to me in my search for my items of interest. I-" His words were cut short as the ground below them all caved in, sprouting nets tight around each person. Lazaryos forged a blade of lightning, but it stopped at the net's edge. "Blasted magic nets. Ember! These are earth nets! Burn them! My Majicka hasn't fully recovered that I can cut these!"
-
Ember was sleeping soundly until the ground moved and she quickly sat up straight. She found herself and her things caught in a net of earth. She heard Lazaryos' command to her through the darkness. She placed her hands against the net and charged her power, then released it and burned the net. She shot fire at each of the other nets, causing them to burn and release their captives. She waited a little longer then finally made herself shoot fire at Alistair's net too, burning it and releasing him as well, even though she would have rather have left him there.
-
Chrono woke up at the sudden jerk of his unconsious falling. Ironically, he was still unaware what was going on until he hit the bottom of the pit. "Of all the... argh!" He groaned while getting up, not really aware of how the fruit he ate, affected him. He drew his sword and constantly searched for a way to climb out of their sandy prison, since he weighed too much in his armor to get a decent hold of the sand.
-
Alistair was still meditating when Vosur asked him his question. He was going to say something but hesitated, expecting the wolf to open his trap. And he did. But he was cut short due to the lot of them being ensnared. He just sat still, continuing to meditate as if nothing happened. He expected Ember to come along and free them, even Alistair. Which brought him such joy because he knew she didn't want to do it. Coming out of the net he was already standing up. Still as if nothing was happening he looked around to try to find his assailants. "To answer your question...Half-Breed...I no longer possess "Allies"...Allies are for the weak...And the weak should die..." Just as he finished talking, from the darkness someone rushed him and was swiftly dispatched. "Weaklings...All of you..."
-
With what Majicka he had left, Lazaryos formed lightning blades from his hands after slinging his staff onto his back in his robe. Many assailants swarmed the group's little area (not more than 30 feet in diameter). Lazaryos used his blades to perry hits and force the attacker to stagger towards either Chrono, Vosur or Alistair, since they were closest to him. He shouted as he caught glimpses of the assailants' crests, "It's the Guild!" Dammit! Especially when my Majicka's almost out.
-
Without even turning around or casting a side glance, Ember swung her staff around behind her, whacking a Guild member hard upside the head. While he was too focused on his pain, she turned around and set him on fire with a smirk on her face. "Smells tasty..." She said quietly. She then turned back around and started casting off spells at other Guild members who tried to get near her. Dispatching one guy who had grabbed her from behind by elbowing him in the nose, then grabbing him behind the neck when he released her and slamming him into the ground head-first as hard as she could. He was knocked out but she set him on fire just to be sure that he would never wake up.
-
Chrono began to grin as he saw many at least five bandits come at him with swords, finally!!
He struck one bandit in the jaw, then yanked the sword away before twirling it in his hand and running it through the bandit's chest. "Oh yea... this is going to be fun..." he mumbled before going into a rather odd mixture of grace and brutality, parrying and dodging with ease before going for a dimembering strike that always seemed to catch the victim off guard. It was only after about fifteen of them going down before they started coordinating their attacks, but the best it could accomplish was that Chrono couldn't kill them while blocking with both swords. "Are these guys just cannon fodder, or do they win with numbers?!" he yelled, wondering why their strikes didn't seem to be all that strong, or even trying to get in close with a dagger. These guys were probably used to dealing only with the monsters head on, instead of actual warriors...
-
A smile crept onto Alistair's as he licked the blood from his scythe, a couple guys gathering around him. One came at him and the first guy Alistair killed sprung to life to greet him with a sword to the chest. He spun his scythe around in the air and came down across another's chest. After that he nonchalantly finished off the one that was stabbed. Once done two came at him with long swords, he easily blocked them both as one of his minions took one down. "If only I could find a mage...I could kill these nuisance of "Allies"..." Alistair spun around still facing one opponent, which tripped him. He stood on his chest and looked the man right in the eyes with a big, blood thirsty smile. He was so exited he was drooling a bit as brought the scythe down next to the man's neck. With a quick jerk he pulled his scythe across the man's neck once he started to beg. He got a bit of blood on his face but wiped it off and licked his fingers. As he did that three more people looked at him a tad creeped out, it was clear by the looks on their faces.
-
He had struggled with the netting a while longer than the others, his tail having gotten caught in it... which slowed himself down to the point he was the last person to get out of the net on his own accord. Even amongst all of the commotion, he kept hold of his two cards in his palm, and even used them to free himself before he managed to get out of the sand-pit and going for hand-to-hand combat against the brigands, flicking one card into his other hand and using them them as a shield to block an overhead strike from a sword before he kicked the chest of the one who attacked him to disable him. As he kept on fighting, he threw his right-hand card towards a raised sword-hand, the card going into the wrist and making that brigand dropping the sword. Seeing that brigand drop his weapon and retreat into the crowd as others surrounded and shielded him.
"Dangit! What I wouldn't mind for a distraction to them." he spoke to himself, flinging his other card to the group... intentionally making the card ricochet off of a ready-sword and hitting the metal portion of the helmet. The group was stunned by how accurate he threw the card along with their ears ringing by the proximity of the sound. Vosur reached his right hand for his primary weapon and and raised it up by the sheath, his left hand going on the hilt. His eyes locked to the area behind them, seeing some of the group going for the others, especially Ember. "Leave 'Ruby' alone!!!" he called out before he charged in, unsheathing his sword and striking the first brigand's sword with such velocity that first victim was showered in sparks.
-
As the bodies piled up to 20, the rest of the Guild quickly ran away, leaving the group where they stood. Lazaryos breathed heavy as he knelt next to a body and examined it. "These are really just cannon fodder. These members were just petty thieves that relied on the element of surprise and their numbers. They couldn't even take the weakest of monsters without help. However, the one who strung those nets was something else. Those were magic nets, powerful enough to ground my low-level electricity blades. I'm afraid that if we don't move now, we'll be caught up in a real fight."
-
Ember was confused by Vosur's words but had continued fighting until the rest of the group had run off. She relaxed herself and took deep, relaxing breaths as she stood there, looking around at all the bodies. She could smell the cooked flesh of those that she had set on fire but made herself resist it. "Well then we have no time to waste." She said in response to what Lazaryos had said and began walking in their northern direction, but not without grabbed her bag and her extra clothes that had been drying and stuffing them in the bag.
-
Chrono had problems getting out of the hole due to his armor, so he started piling up bodies, then jumped right towards the ledge, scrambling to get to the top, then let out a sigh of relief when he got to the top. "Its a shame these guys use weak swords, it would have been nice to continue fighting with my original style." he said in a depressed tone before flinging the blade far, the edge catching the sand, the handle and hilt breaking off from the momentum. "Its a wonder that blade lasted this long..."
-
As the guys started fleeing Alistair tripped one. He tried to crawl away but Alistair pinned him by impaling him in the leg with his scythe. As a bit of blood spurted from the wound he cackled. He got his four minions to swarm him and hold him down. He took out his scythe, licked some blood from it and rested it over his shoulder. The man started screaming at the top of his lungs. "Dear god! Spare me! Please! I'll do anything!!" Alistair twitched a bit, then he popped his neck by giving it a swift jerk to one side then the other. "Spare you...?" Alistair giggled seemingly uncontrollably. "Please please please! I don't want to die!!" Alistair almost burst into laughter, he stuck his fingers into his mouth and started gnawing on them. "Don't worry...I'll eat you quickly!" "Oh god! Somebody get him away from me!! Help!!!" Alistair walked towards him slowly, savoring the fear on his face.
-
His red eyes seemed to flare his anger as the survivors were quick to flee from himself, the first one of the group that he attacked dropped his sword and all of them left him before he resheathed his sword and set it on his belt before he picked up one of the fleeing brigands' sword and wandered to the last one that Alistair had pinned to the sand with his scythe. "Before you have him for dinner, I have a few words to speak to him." he spoke to Alistair, intentionally placing himself between the grim mage and his victim and raising the captured-sword to the throat of the brigand. "Now tell me, where did you get these weapons? Who was the one who provided you with such shoddy works of metal? And lastly, who was the mastermind of this trap?" His eyes glared behind himself to Alistair to be careful about him being behind himself, moving the sword from the man's throat and aiming the tip of the blade between the man's legs to intentionally spark some talk from the man. "Better talk, or I'll make your death rather tortuous."
-
Lazaryos turned at the sound of the survivor's scream and responded to Vosur. "He's from the Thieves' Guild, and those weapons were probably stolen from small-time smiths, or paid in high amounts from those passing for the Pilgrimage. This is probably a set trap for anyone who would come out here to avoid the river. What's most important is that we keep moving for now. Let's just let the necromancer have his happy meal to go. The one who raised the traps will be back with stronger people in tow. Let's go." Lazaryos turned back around and headed north with Ember.
-
Ember continued to walk, ignoring what was happening behind her. She was mainly ignoring it because she knew what was going to happen to the guy who didn't get away and she had to resist her feral instincts. She glanced back to see that Lazaryos had started to walk as well. She slung her bag over her shoulders then spun her staff around with her right hand just for something to do.
-
A growl emenated from Chrono's throat when Lazaryos confirmed his 'fears', and swung his only good sword at a speed where it made the air distort, but not even close enough to be called 'faster than sound'. He tried to cool himself off by taking one of his pieces of fruit and was border-line nibbling it as he made his way past Ember and Lazaryos again. "Exactly how do they expect cheap swords to be of any use in the desert. These are hardly worthy to be called steak knives, let alone swords!!"
-
When Vosur stepped in front of Alistair he almost lost it. He pushed passed him and sunk his scythe into the man's chest. He wasn't going to wait for him to answer Vosur's questions, and Lazaryos had answered them anyway. He pulled his scythe out having started coming to his senses. He walked on with his four minions in tow, giving his scythe a quick flick to get the blood off. He put it on his back, pulled up his hood and walked towards the others.
-
He didn't particularly enjoy having to deal with the necromancer's antics, since that just deprived him of much-needed answers to what he was asking... even Lazaryos's comment to him wasn't sufficient enough to stave off whatever anger he had welled inside of him as he looked to the fallen body once again before following the rest. "You got off easy, brigand." he spoke under his breath to the fallen body before speed-walking to catch up with the rest, handing over the sword he still had hold from when he was threatening the Guild Member to Chrono. "You mentioned you needed a spare sword?" he spoke, obviously trying to calm himself down with a distraction on the events that just happened. "This one isn't exactly Damascus Steel, but it does feel like it has a slightly better temper than the rest of those blades the Guild used. Maybe it might be able to take a few strikes before it gives in?" He tried to keep his eyes away from Ember while he offered the weapon to Chrono, obviously embarrassed at something that happened during the fight.
-
Lazaryos' awareness of the situation dissipated quite quickly as he stared at Ember's figure, particularly her tail and behind, swing from left to right and back again. There was something about this youngling that attracted him like no other. Lazaryos finally shook his head and smacked himself with both hands to snap out of it. Technically, he's old enough to be her father. To distract himself from THAT distraction, he amused himself with looking out for sand pits as they headed north and back towards the river area. They'd have to take turns standing guard, but they're going to need rest soon. It's still barely into the night, and they had just escaped with their lives from two insect hordes and then an ambush. It's getting really exhausting.
-
Ember was on high alert. Her head moving in the direction of any sound she heard while she kept an eye out for sand pits. But even though she was very alert, her eyelids still felt heavy and she had to fight to keep them open. She had used a lot of her Majicka that day, not as much as Lazaryos though, but enough to make her just want to sit down and do nothing. She felt eyes on her at one point, but just assumed it was Alistair staring at her and hoping she would fall victim to a sand pit and an ant so she didn't actually look behind her to check who it was.
-
Chrono looked at the blade, and grinned before taking it from Vosur's hand. "Thanks, hopefully it won't break like that one I threw in the sand" he said with a rather sad laugh before biting into the fruit, and apparently triggering a glow from the white markings on his face. However, the set-up of his eyes prevent him from seeing whats directly on his snout or on his forehead. However, the ache from the eye was still there, but he mistook it for a regular headache that follwed after his flashbacks, and just kept walking...
-
As Alistair walked behind like he usually did he looked at his standings. He had minions, four of them. The rest of the group was tired and at their magic limits, whereas Alistair had no limit to start with. He was rarely tired. It was perfect, the best possible advantage. The perfect time to strike...The perfect time to kill Ember...With a flick of his wrist he sent his minions at the group from behind. He sent one towards Lazaryos to grab his feet and trip him so it could get on top of him and hold him down. He sent another at Chrono, he wouldn't see it coming always off in his own world as he was. He sent his last two at Vosur, his prime threat at the moment. One to latch onto his back and the other his feet. After he did that he dashed for Ember planning to trip her with a low sweep kick then stand over her to savor the moment before lopping off her head.
-
Going completely off of reaction, his left hand pulled out three numbing-venom coated cards and threw them in the sound of the motion. Two of the cards were in straight-flight towards the two minions, the last one flying towards the quick-moving Alistair in a slightly curved path. "Guess the alliance is over!" he called out as he jumped backwards while pulling his sword out of its sheath and pulling the sheath off of his belt.
-
Lazaryos walked on. Being heavy, he ended up dragging the zombie instead of falling over. Lazaryos noticed the grab and the increase in dead weight dragging on his feet and picked up the undead puppet by the neck. "Yes, quite. Bloody necromancer." Lazaryos threw the unarmed puppet away and rushed for Ember without thinking. He tackled Alistair before he got to Ember, and gripped the necromancer's throat. "I had expected this, but not this soon. I may not have any Majicka left, but I still have a strong enough 'grip' of my situation."
-
Ember stopped and turned when she heard Vosur say that he guessed the alliance was over. She was kind of zoned out so even though she saw Alistair dashing at her, she didn't do anything to stop him. Lucky for her, Lazaryos wasn't brought down by the puppet sent after him and he rushed over and stopped Alistair by tackling him to the ground. She looked down at the two of them with a dumbfounded expression. "How could I be so careless? I was paying attention to everything except one of the biggest things I needed to watch out for..." She thought and shook her head.
-
Chrono sighed as he heard something come after him, and figured Alistair finally lost his patience. Chrono didn't even draw out his original blade, as he lopped off the puppet's head in a single swing, then quartered the body just in case Alistair tried to only control the body. "Come on, are you trying to pull my leg by only sending one?!" he yelled as he made his way to the person so he could finish his existance...
-
As Alistair was in Lazaryos' grip he chuckled. "A sudden burst of energy...To protect the woman you love? Weak...I was doing you a favor. You will have to kill her...Yourself when your petty alliance is through...You hold on to the thought you can be together...You know just as much as I do, only one of you will get to The Mana Droplet alive!" He laughed again. "You are delusional, tiger...You should have just let me kill her and save you the trouble...It would have only taken a second..." The minion Lazaryos had thrown came back and tackled him giving Alistair a chance to kick him in the chest to get him off. He rolled backwards, got to his feet and drew his scythe. "So...Are you going to let me put an end to her? I will get her eventually...She's lucky she had her precious tiger by her side..."
-
The first two cards hit their targets dead-on in their throats, causing the two minions to stagger backwards and slow down in their movements as the venom kicked in rather quickly. Due to not being fully "alive", they were only slowed down to walk instead of being in a running-charge. The one that flew towards Alistair ricocheted off of the scythe before Alistair was tackled, barely missing Lazaryos due to the trajectory and back towards himself. Seeing this as an opportunity, Vosur flipped the sword around in his left hand to put the blade's flat against his arm and used the sheath in his right hand to knock the flying card into the puppet on his right to make the card impale into the soft-tissue right above the collarbone as he assumed a Nitoryu stance due to expecting the one on his right to get back up before he could dash past the two. The one on his left was still approaching before Vosur made a move at it and slashed its arms off in two clean vertical cuts to disable it and flipping the sword back to a normal hold as he started to make a run for Alistair, ending up getting grabbed around the ankle by the first one on the ground and being tripped. After scrabbling to try to get out of the grip of the minion, he flipped over and took one clean swipe at the wrist of the minion, severing it from the rest of the body before he quickly resheathed his sword and pried the disembodied hand from his ankle.
"Hey grim-mage! Need a hand?" he called out as he flung the body-part to the necromancer and prepared to go back to his favored style of Iaido, hand at the hilt of his sword as he closed the distance between the two of them.
-
Lazaryos looked at the zombie before picking it up by the throat again, and standing up. "I see, so you can force these dead bodies to exceed their normal speed parameters. Not bad. But..." This time, Lazaryos crushed the zombie's spine to sever Alistair's control on it and threw the truly lifeless body at Alistair to distract him while Vosur closed in.
-
If anybody had looked at Ember, they would have seen her eyes glowing in the darkness like the flames their coloring looked like. It could not be mistaken as a trick of the light since there was no light around to cause a trick besides the moon and that was behind her. She was glaring directly at Alistair. "I would rather...die by any of these three's hands...than be killed by you...and have my body used for your gain with your pathetic power!" This was the angriest she had ever been while with the group and each time she paused, she had taken a small step forward. Flames were starting to creep their way up her arms. Her anger wasn't fake and she had meant what she had said, but what she was really hoping was that what she was doing combined with the minion Lazaryos had thrown at Alistair would distract him long enough from the oncoming assault from Vosur that she wasn't paying the slightest attention to. Nothing she was doing gave any hint of what was coming at Alistair because it was a real and honest reaction to the situation.
-
Chrono drew out his second blade just in case that Alistair was going to go beserk with his scythe. He stood a good few feet from Lazaryos and wondered what was taking so long. "Is he going to fight back... or you gonna' end it mage?!" Alistair wasn't that much of a nuisance in his eyes since most of the time he just stuck to the back and did minimal to bother the group, however Chrono would have little issues with ending his existance if this was going to be commonplace...
-
Alistair cleaved the body of his minion in half with a downward slash as Vosur got behind him. He turned his head and delivered a kick to his chest stumbling him slightly. He turned all the way around using that motion to whip his scythe around into a strong hit. But Vosur blocked it, recoiling his hand badly enough to make the blade hit the ground leaving his chest open. But Alistair couldn't get a hit in with the scythe so kicked him in the chest again, knocking him off his feet. He turned to meet Chrono who was descending upon him with both blades drawn. He brought the weaker one down which he easily cut in half. Single handedly he fought Chrono with his scythe, clashing blades a few times before he manged to knock him too off his feet. Now in a state of rage and blood thirst Alistair turned to Ember who looked as angry as he did. He grinned wider than he had ever done before, almost foaming at the mouth. "I am going to enjoy mounting your head on a spike!" he cackled as he rushed towards her. There was some distance between the two, allowing her to get off a fireball in which he somersaulted over into a horizontal attack. But Ember ducked it. Alistair landed to her right, she turned to intercept his incoming attack, which was a hit from the back end of his scythe, knocking her staff from her hands. She jumped back, launching another smaller fireball at him in which he spun his scythe around to deflect it. He cackled, spinning his scythe around his body, still spinning it to build up one end all attack he rushed her. Leaping into the air a yard or so away he brought the scythe down at Ember. "DIE YOU INCESSANT WOMAN!!" If the attack connected it would easily split her in two.
-
Even though he was knocked to one side and onto his back from his encounter, he hand-sprung on his feet and resheathed his blade just in time to see Alistair ready for another attack to Ember. He didn't have enough time to make an accurate kill-throw with his cards, but he did have enough speed and reaction to do do something he did not think on doing ever since he started this mission: putting himself into danger for a mage. He burst forward and called out "Ruby!" as he pushed Ember out of the way just barely in time to avoid being cut in half himself, though the hair on his tail did get trimmed in the process as well.
-
Alistair cursed as he was deprived of his prized kill and wound up to counter the off-balance wolf boy. However, he heard a crackle and looked down, finding a lightning covered hand protruding through his chest with his heart in it. Lazaryos was breathing heavily as he reached up with his other hand and gripped the necromancer's neck, "Quite the little slip-up there, necromancer. And here I thought you never leave your guard down. Of all the things to use my reserve Majicka for, it had to be you." Lazaryos squeezed hard with both hands and, at the same time, snapped Alistair's neck and crushed his still-beating heart. The lightning faded from his hand and he forcefully wretched his hand out of Alistair's body, letting it fall limp into the sand. Lazaryos collapsed onto his knees and continued to pant heavily. He tried to get up, but ended up passing out onto the ground. Lazaryos wasn't dead, but he had spent enough Majicka in that day to be out cold for a full day.
-
Ember let out a grunt as she was pushed out of the way by Vosur and rolled across the sand. She quickly pushed herself up off the ground and turned towards where Alistair had been standing to see Lazaryos crush his heart and break his neck. She grabbed her staff of the ground from where it had been knocked away from her and walked over to Lazaryos who had passed out. She pulled him away from Alistair's body then laid him down, then she walked back over to Alistair's body and stood over. "You first..." She said in response to the last thing that Alistair had said. She picked up his heart and eyed it for a minute. "Huh. What do ya know? He had one after all and it wasn't black or made of ice." She chuckled slightly and dropped the heart. Setting the body on fire, she turned to look at the passed out Lazaryos and shook her head. "He really needs to stop doing that..." She said, talking about him passing out. She then turned towards Vosur and raised an eyebrow. "And you must be confused because my name is Ember. I don't know where you got Ruby from..."
-
Chrono was rather amazed that such a sickly-looking body could keep up with two blades attacking from random angles, but then his attention was drawn to the scythe, a cursed weapon that was made of the same material as his father's eye, but for a completely different purpose. He thought it was best to just let it get buried in the sands, along with the now late owner of the scythe. The Mana is good enough power for me... he mused before hefting up Lazaryos and walking over to Ember. "Ember, would you be so kind as to lead, since I don't remember where our path is to go..."
-
"Sorry, you just remind me of someone." He spoke to the fire-mage as he got up and brushed himself off before pulling his tail around and seeing only hairs trimmed off the tip. He exhaled a sigh of relief as he let go of his tail and with his left hand, since he was still holding his sword-and-sheath set in his right hand, he scooped up some sand and wandered to the body of the necromancer to drop some sand onto it. "It was customary to sprinkle earth on warriors long ago, which led to the custom of burying those of the deceased... may you shuffle off the mortal coil more silently than those whose bodies you controlled." he spoke to the body before he speed-walked to catch up to the rest of the group.
-
Unbeknown to Ember, who was ahead, nor to the hefty Chrono, Lazaryos' tail dragged quite a bit with a little bit of extra weight. At the tip of his tail, there was the end of a purple pole that was slowly turning blue and a small spark forming on it and going into Lazaryos' fur. Also, the white topaz began to let off a small glow, but its light was covered by the hood of Lazaryos' robe.
-
Ember looked back at the fire that was still burning that was Alistair's body before she started to walk off in their northern direction. She didn't say anything as she walked along and just looked at the ground, surveying for sand pits. For some reason she still felt very angry and felt like Alistair was still around and lurking behind her like he always had been. She didn't understand why her anger wouldn't go away.
-
Chrono started to notice that it seemed difficult for his mind to simply space out and have another memory surface at random. Although it was rather nice for that change to occour, he couldn't help but wonder what happened during the desert that stopped his hallucinations. He was also having an easier time carrying Lazaryos than normal, which shouldn't happen since hes only went to sleep once, and for only a few hours. But he started to think it was better to not dwell on it until he could get one of the mages to examine his body, and Ember would probably slap him if he dared to mention it. "Vos, how did you manage to cross the desert alone... I havn't seen any canteens or food pouches on your person since you arrived."
-
He almost got his hand burned when he tried to put the sand on the burning body, which became glass almost on contact. "That was a waste of a funeral ceremony if there ever was one." he muttered before he was asked the question pertaining to his own survival. In reply, Vosur pulled his water-skin he filled at the oasis from off of an above-the-hip pouch on his back. "This should partially answer your question." he spoke as he took a sip from it, putting it back in and securing it in. "I'm usually on the move, so rigid items don't hold too well. Water-skins are easier to travel with. As for this trek in the desert... I found a lot of water-filled cacti and hunted various animals along the way. And speaking of which..." he started to speak before his own stomach growled at himself. "...it might be a good idea to set up camp somewhere."
-
Lazaryos groaned in his unconsciousness as the pole that's sticking out of the sand and to his tail continued to pour energy into him slowly. In his dream, he was met by Alistair. "What the hell are you doing here!? We already killed you!" Alistair's figure merely laughed its disgusting and sadistic laugh. "Hahaha! You really are stupid, for someone who delves so much into the ancient texts. I am very much dead. However, I am speaking to you through my Majicka. After your body has fully assimilated it, I will cease to exist, but for now, I can savor a last fancy at torturing you." Alistair swung the scythe at Lazaryos, who blocked with his staff. "What do you mean!? Why would I even be absorbing your Majicka!? I neither have the ability, nor the eye of those (censored) dragons! I-..." Suddenly, it finally dawned on Lazaryos. "Oh (censored) me!" Alistair let out one last maniacal laugh as his figure and the scythe vanished into smoke and rushed right into Lazaryos' body, "So the kitten finally understands! That's right, tiger boy... You're the new owner, whether you like it or not. Next time, make sure you tuck in your tail before you pass out."
-
It wasn't like there was anywhere to find shelter in the desert so Ember's idea of setting up camp after listening to the other two was stopping, turning towards the other two and sitting down on the sand. "Here we are. Camp." She said, pulling off her bag and setting it beside her along with her staff. She looked up at Lazaryos' passed out form in the darkness seeing as how he had groaned only a minute before. She wondered what his problem was but figured it was just the pain of using up so much majicka. She unattached her sleeping mat from her bag then moved onto her knees and rolled it out before sitting on it.
-
Chrono set Lazaryos' body down, and noticed his tail was partially immersed in the sand. He started yanking on it and felt something tug back. He kept pulling until a black handle came out of the sand, apparently attached to his tail. He tried holding in his laughter at the situation, but in moments he hit the desert sand and roared before getting back up and looking at the handle. "Ember, our lightning mage just inherited Alistair's will..." was all he could manage after his fit of laughter before moving away from Lazaryos to make a small dent for where he would sleep.
-
Vosur had not sat down during their set-up of the camp, but instead had decided to start hunting as the creatures in the desert were more active when the air was cooler. His red eyes locked onto his first prey as he ventured about 100 meters away from the camp: a group of desert-burrowing owls. He pulled out a couple of his cards, taking aim at the larger ones of the group. "I hope they have a fire ready when I get back." he muttered to himself as he took aim and flung the cards at the birds, the two cards hitting their targets and one extra per card due to the velocity. The four birds that were hit went down immediately, the others seeing this and tried to flee to their underground burrows, a couple not making it in time as Vosur had closed the distance between himself and the group right after throwing the two cards. He made two clean swipes with his sword and resheathed it after he got in his six kills, gathering up his two thrown cards and the birds, tying up their legs with a leather strap to make it easier to carry them all at once. The largest two were about 20 pounds each, the other four were not much more than 10 pounds each. Starting his way back, his nose caught a scent that made it twitch... mesquite. "Going to need some of that to smoke what's left over." he spoke to himself, trying to plan ahead for the journey.
-
As the dream ended, Lazaryos shot up in a yell. As per the information Alistair gave him from his dream, he checked his tail, and sure enough, there was the now-blue scythe attached to it. "Oh (CENSORED)!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Hope I don't end up looking like that (censored), at least. That bloody wanker ended up with the last laugh. Lazaryos sighed as he grabbed the scythe and stood it up similar to a staff. As he did so, his hood fell back, revealing the glowing staff. "What the...?" The scythe bursted into shards of lightning and flew into the topaz. Lazaryos quickly pulled out the staff as that happened and tried to throw it, but it stuck onto his hand. The the staff widened and wrapped around the Topaz, and formed a scythe blade in the front, the topaz lodged in the middle of the blade.
-
Ember just thought that what Chrono had said was some kind of joke so she didn't look up when he spoke. She was busy trying to get rid of the anger she had that she didn't understand when Lazaryos had awoken and yelled. Her head snapped up at the sound as she wondered what had him so upset. Her eyes immediately found the scythe before it burst into shards of lightning and she saw that what Chrono had said wasn't a joke in the slightest. Her eyes narrowed into a glare as she watched the change of Lazaryos' staff. "You have got to be kidding me!" She grumbled as she let herself fall back against her sleeping mat. Now she knew why she was feeling so angry and why she had felt like Alistair had been lurking behind her...because he had been, in the form of his scythe that had attached to Lazaryos who had been carried behind her by Chrono. She growled angrily up at the sky then sat up quickly and punched the sand with a flaming fist.
-
Lazaryos' reaction did little to deter Chrono's resurfacing laughter, although it would be more ironic if Ember ended up with the scythe, Lazaryos just turned it into a running joke. "On the bright side, you don't have to spend majicka to fight in close-quarters!" he piped out while still lying down. It was also at this time that Chrono's markings started to glow, looking like glyphs on his body that all seemed to have sprouted from the copy curse item.
-
Vosur was on his way back when he heard the yell, gripping his catch tightly as he sprinted back to the camp. He caught the very end of Lazaryos now holding a glowing scythe. "That grim-mage struck again... Those that wish for power normally get it, but at a high price." he muttered under his breath as he slowed his walking with the prey he bagged. Not speaking to the others, he quietly set the birds in the center of the campsite and started to head back out in the direction of where he caught the scent of the mesquite to try to gather some smoking-wood in anticipation of having leftovers. "Ruby, why did you have to go searching for information on the Mana? We met under trying times and circumstances, we could've lived peacefully, you wanted me to become a mage somehow so we could live together and your parents would've accepted us..." he spoke to the starry sky, letting his nose lead him. "Even if we got it, they probably wouldn't have accepted a mutt like me."
-
Lazaryos' anger flared at Chrono's remark and the scythe's blade grew into a larger one made of lightning and he swung it over, holding it less than an inch from Chrono's neck. "No, but it seems to react even to my feelings and Majicka. I'll at least be able to match that bloody sword-user, if I can figure out how this scythe had reacted to being mine. Just you wait." The blade soon subsided with Lazraryos' anger and he pulled it away, swinging it a couple times before attaching it to his back like a sword. Lazaryos peeked over towards Ember's direction, hoping for some reason that he looked macho enough to her.
-
Ember wasn't worried about Lazaryos' hurting Chrono since they were all still in an alliance so she didn't pay attention to the shadow made by the moon of him swinging the scythe at Chrono. She wished that the scythe wasn't invincible so that she could have set it on fire and gotten rid of the wretched thing. She let out a sigh and when Lazaryos looked towards her, she was looking in his direction, but more glaring at the scythe than looking at him. She glanced at his face then down at the sand by her feet.
-
Chrono was rather stone-faced when the blade reached his neck, but when it lifted away, Chrono got up and pulled one of the remaining kunais out of his sheath, and threw it at the mage with unusually close aim. The glow of the markings became a shine as his rage started to well up. He didn't even say anything as he looked at the mage with near-feral eyes. It may have been the Majicka running through his system, but ever since the bandit fight, it seemed he hadn't been able to get the 'urge to fight' out of his sytem.
-
He had gathered up quite a bit of the mesquite wood and got back to set himself up a campfire to clean and cook the owls he gathered up. There wasn't much meat on all of the birds, even the largest one of the group had more feathers and bone than meat. He ate on two of roasted birds, leaving the rest to smoke for a while as he looked to the rest of the camp, restlessness having gotten hold of him for most of this trip. Even though his hunger had been satisfied, he couldn't rest easily as he recollected what he saw: the scythe of the necromancer passing onto the leader of the group, the least likely of the bunch to get his weapon. In Ember, her demeanor and somewhat protective nature he could see the familiar face of Ruby... but instead of working with her, he would eventually have to fight against her which would pit him against his own flashbacks and possibly compromise his mission. "What is it with Majicka and it's allure? Why do people want it so badly they would kill each other for it? Ruby... I am no mage, I don't believe I'll ever be one now. But, for your efforts you gave a year ago, putting your life into trying to find it for me, I'll find it." he spoke to the starry sky then looking down at the smoked meat as he started to pack it away.
-
Lazaryos merely let the kunai pass and walked off towards Vosur, blushing a bit under his fur when Ember looked at him. As he neared Vosur, he heard his little private rantings. "I don't mean to pry, but Majicka has been the symbol of power for many centuries. The single drop of Mana gives the person who drinks it unlimited Majicka. Before the last Mana's possessor, Normals like yourself had no defense against Mages. Many Mages still see themselves as the superior race. Krastok was the first Normal to reach and obtain the Mana, which gave hope to all Normals, and separated the bounds of suppression. With his newfound powers of Majicka from the Mana, Krastok created a new type of armour that was resistant to magic. However, the war for power between the two societies still exists. The two seek the Mana this time to end it all for the other. Other people are in it for themselves, for full supremacy over the world. I have my own reasons, as does everyone else here, including yourself. I care not what your reasons are, I only care about getting past the Gate. We must fight the guardian dragons to get into the mountain. Krastok and all before him had made it only with the help of a party. No one knows what happened to their party members, but each person who obtained the Mana came out alone. Many say that the hunger for the power of the Mana drove each founder to kill his/her party. Such is the lust for unlimited power."
-
Ember laid back on her sleeping mat, still not worried about the little "fight" as Lazaryos walked over to Vosur and started talking to him. She glanced over at Chrono and saw the markings glowing on him. A puzzled look crept onto her face for a few seconds before she lost interest and looked back up at the sky. She thought about what lay ahead of her on the journey and whether or not she would actually survive, let alone get the Mana. As she thought about the Mana she realized something big. She didn't know what she wanted the Mana for anymore... "It'll come back to me, I'm sure..."
-
Chrono noticed that he was just being ignored, or they just didn't take him seriously. He was attempted to throw another, but his unconsious release of majicka that was going through his system was starting to take its toll on his mind. So, before he would embarrassingly fall unconsious at the drop of a hat, laid back down on the sand and went to sleep, the markings going from shine to a faint glow in a matter of seconds.
-
Vosur exhaled and looked to the mage, seeing something fly by as he looked to him. He instinctively put his hand on the hilt of his sword, relaxing only when he saw the source of it, Chrono now going onto his back and no longer moving. "Geh, power is power, abuse of it comes at a high price no matter who it belongs to. Having 'Magicka', not having 'Magicka'... does it really matter who has it if those who get it suddenly disappear off the face of this world?" he started to speak to the lightning-mage. "Even before I started this journey, people fought over just the possession of the knowledge of where this Mana resides. Rumors spread like wildfire, hopes and dreams get raised and dashed to bits quickly... but I don't think you want to hear the ramblings of a 'kid', now do you?" he spoke in a somewhat-snide tone to Lazaryos, hinting at what he was called before. During this time, he was letting the mesquite flames start to die down on their own since he had eaten and put away the food for later use.
-
Lazaryos chuckled as he sat by Vosur, "I don't know. It seems you amuse me. The dramas of life is something I never really cared for, nor ever experienced. The Mana only produces a single drop every couple centuries. To live in the time where the Mana is produced, is an event and miracle of a lifetime so of course people will be very excited. Even if our lives are limited, obtaining the Mana already grants the founder lordship over all the countries. What's more, even if it didn't, it would only take less than a year to forcefully take over the world with that unlimited power. Imagine, if you will, a spell that could destroy an entire fortress city, like Brisbain. The amount of Majicka that it takes is enough to kill most Mages, but with the Mana, even a Normal can cast that spell over a hundred times within an hour without even feeling a tingle. As for research on finding the Mana, not many people listen to the old songs that tell of the mountain's location. However, the research lies in finding the Mana after getting past the already seeming impossible task of breaking past the all-out war/battle out side of the suspension bridge, and then the fighting of the two guardian dragons that protect the entrance. After limping through with what little life you have left, you have to navigate through the labyrinth inside, that's filled with traps and and monsters of all kinds. This time's Crimson Blue will be the biggest in history. If either major party should reach the Mana, it'll be the extinction of either Mages or Normals. And as you may have noticed on the way here, there are those who could care less about the Mana. The Thieves' Guild, Merchants' Guild, Sailors' Guild, and a large number of privateers, as well. Not everyone seeks power, and do not find the risk of their lives to be worth the journey. So they just live out their lives like normal. The Sailors' Guild even regulates the war, to limit the overall casualties to the world's remaining population. And you've seen how strong they are. Anyways, get some sleep. Unless this old man's already bored you to death with his history lessons." Lazaryos laid back on the sand and closed his eyes. At least with the scythe, I won't have to worry about getting attacked in my sleep, though my research on these are still incompletely, as is my assessment of its effects on me.
-
Ember closed her eyes as she half-listened to Lazaryos speaking to Vosur. The main part she heard was the part about the battle at the suspension bridge and fighting the guardian dragons. She also caught the part about some people not really caring about the Mana. She slowly started to drift off to sleep while Lazaryos was finishing his talk. Her mind took her to when they would be in the battle at the suspension bridge. She saw them getting past the battle and then moving on to where the guardian dragons were. The battle with the dragons took a while but they made it through. When they finally got to the Mana, she saw them all fighting with each other to get it. Finally, she saw the Mana plant destroyed in a burst of flame. But it was only a dream...why would she want to destroy the Mana plant when she could get unlimited power from it? She didn't know, because in the dream, it made complete sense.
-
Chrono's mind also made him wander past his current quest, and possibly farther along than reaching the Mana would take. He also couldn't tell if he had taken the mana or not as he felt no overflowing strength like one would assume you would get from the Mana. However he did realize one thing, he had no third eye, and neither did his siblings. He was training the first-born of the clan in what his dream-self refferred to as the arts of the Majicka warrior, and of course dream-logic kept him from hoping this was reality. Then again, it was probably his only good dream as anything that plagued his mind was nowhere to be seen or felt; making him content only to watch.
Outside his dream however, he was rolling around the sand with a dumb grin on his face...
-
Vosur exhaled as he slightly dug himself a 'dune chair' in the sand to sit in more comfortably. "Well, since you're eager to listen... you would be the first person to sit down and listen, even the first mage to accept my company. " he says to Lazaryos as he shrugs, continuing on. "About six years ago, I was the apprentice of a blacksmith and silversmith couple. I had spent about a couple of years under their tutoring before I first saw a lovely kitsune fire-manipulator that was wandering through our town during the time with other mages. We exchanged glances, not enough to alert the others in her group and after their venture through the town I decided I'd try to make something for her. I sat down with the silversmith and she taught me how to make jewelry." He leaned back in the sand and looked up at the sky. "I met up with her and gave her the pendant, which led up to future encounters... and then we eloped. She disguised as a 'normal' and we managed to live life as a blacksmith couple with the blessing of the ones who taught me to work metal. Ruby was the name of my wife and we were wanting to get the blessing from her family. She was told 'as soon as he becomes a mage, you have our blessing', and the first thought that came into her head was that the Mana was coming of time and could make a mage out of any normal. Well, since mages and normals are deep in conflict... have been for centuries, they did not approve of a normal getting Mana. They tried dissuading her, separating us, and even restraining me, but nothing would stop her until they decided to hire help." He paused for a moment before he continued on. "They hired mercenaries to try to kill the both of us to keep their way of life. Their own daughter was a sacrifice to prevent the normals from achieving Mana." he muttered as he looked to the stars as he slowly closed his eyes.
-
"Sounds no different from any other major Mage family. A kitsune girl, then your wife must have come from the Rampart Clan. They are as proud of a clan as the Tri'Malis, but aren't much for dirtying their own hands. I guess it's no surprise how they felt. Not only were you not a Mage, but you were also NOT a kitsune yourself, no different from the Tri'Malis Clan. Despite Majicka affinities differing randomly between people, certain species do have the majority of a certain affinity. Dragons with Dark, Kitsunes with Fire, Wolves with White, Otters with Water, Eagles with Wind, and the Rhinos with Earth. Each one has formed their own major clan, claiming dominance and regulation of users of their own magic. Each one is very specific in breeding. The Tri'Malis are the only ones to actually kill those who aren't born a Mage. Others coexist with those who are Normals, while others exile Normal borns. The one who raised me was actually a retired Elder from the Loranys Clan of the eagles. He broke off from the clan after they had exiled his daughter and wife. Having been an Elder, he had knowledge of the clan's secrets, and also the secrets of maximizing his element's power. When some greedy Mages caught wind about him leaving, they hired mercenaries to hunt him down. However, during the sortie, the mercenaries killed his daughter and wife after separating him from them. Despite his power, he didn't have enough to protect his loved ones quick enough from a mob of mercenaries. Months later, he found me, a cub of less than a year old, in an alleyway in Brisbain. He took me in as his own and was surprised that I was also a wind Mage, particularly lightning. He trained me and raised me to be like him. I learned all the most powerful lightning magic and how to maximize its power. In our time together, he taught me all the wonders of the world, its history, and the ancient relics that grants its user immense power at a cost, known as the Cursed Items. By the time I was 12, he had already begun nearing the end of his life. And that's what really started my intense research and quest for Jigan's Tear. Even now, Horus waits at the village of Gamaran at the southern-most tip of the main continent. He's near the end of his life, but if I can obtain the Mana, my search for the Tear will at least take a little less time to find. That man is the only thing I have for a family and truly a 'father' to me..."
-
Ember woke up after her dream had ended, which had only really taken a minute or two. As she laid there with her eyes still closed, she listened to Vosur's story as she hoped to fall back asleep soon. Unfortunately, she had no such luck and when Lazaryos started talking again she opened her eyes, staring up at the sky. When he was almost done talking, she finally sat up slowly on her sleeping mat. "So much for sleeping..." She grumbled to herself and stretched her legs and arms.
-
Chrono had also woken up during Vosur's words, then shot a look at Lazaryos when he mentioned 'Tri'Malis are the only ones to actually kill those who aren't born a mage'. However, he waited for him to finish before correcting him. "I don't know what happened during the ten years I spent away from my family, but there was no slaughter of Normals when my father was ruling. I was the only normal he saw fit to have eliminated since we were supposed to be a mage clan. Uncle Resho was probably the reason why my father hadn't been able to kill me or do his freaking mind-control on me. He told me that before we aquired the eye, our clan was known for pioneering in mages that could perform feats of supernatural ability. He told me the purpose of this was to establish a kinship with the neighboring Normals; but that was the last thing father wanted to occour. What is going on now is probably his ideal of trying to make a 'dark beastmaster' by having a mage corrupt or 'empower' a creature and then tame it for combat. As far as Mana is concerned, it could burn to a cinder and the drop vanish from existance, I just want that old man dead and Mana is the best place to wait for him. If y'all gonna' go nuts at the end and leave the Mana, I'll just take it for myself before burning the plant and getting rid of the cursed eye of our clan..."
He was probably going to be the first to get targeted since he just announced that he wants Mana gone.
-
He glanced to Chrono and spoke as he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess that's the reason why they tried to hire mercenaries to do the job... to shift the blame away from a mage clan trying to kill their own daughter. It would be a 'convenient' circumstance to them. And before you ask, the ones they hired left me to die in the desert and do not know I'm still alive. After I escaped their trap, I went back to the smithy Ruby and I owned, made myself my current gear I use, then burned the smithy to cover my tracks. Because of the trap, I was changed... my hair and tail became this sickly-white, my eyes a fiery-red. I had to become a different person, so I became a mercenary under the trademark name of the 'Knave of Blades'." he sighed a bit.
"My most recent job led me to where I met you, rumors of someone with the knowledge of Mana's whereabouts traveling in the desert. This lead was the strongest one I had so far, so I couldn't help but to take up the job. That chameleon may have more information since he looked so adamant in stopping this motley crew, and so I anticipate us to fight him again somewhere along the way." he spoke towards Chrono, remembering how he felt about the sword the chameleon was using. Vosur looked back to Lazaryos, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say. "Bless my dearly-departed wife's soul and her mortal coil's desire for me to become a mage, I'd only take revenge against her parents if I were to have that type of power. So probably to best-think on how she'd want me to live, I'll find the Mana, but I'll destroy it."
-
Lazaryos let out a low growl against the dragon, who was already mentally questionable, and socially inept. After Vosur finished talking, the tiger couldn't help but facepaw, "Bloody hell. I guess I'll have to kill you first, if that's your decision. I like you, kid, but I won't let you stop me from infinite power. If you don't want it, step aside, or else you'll face the same fate as the other maggots who have tried to tangle with us thus far... assuming we even make it past the guardian dragons. I'd like your assistance to get there, but if you dare to (censored) with my mission *draws the scythe and holds the blade to Vosur's throat, glowing as brightly as the anger in his eyes* I WILL end you personally." Small sparks shot from the edges of Lazaryos' eyes, showing the determination in his eyes.
-
Ember rolled her eyes at what she was seeing though she was surprised that Chrono and Vosur said they wanted to destroy the Mana. She was even more surprised that the way Chrono had said it had sounded somewhat like her dream. "Oh would you knock it off. You know you need him around until we get past the dragons, so stop being so impulsive and get that stupid thing away from his neck." She said finally, looking slightly annoyed. "Makes me sick just seeing it..." She muttered, low enough so no one else would hear.
-
Chrono was obviously unfazed by the lightshow in Lazaryos' eyes since he had gotten hit with much bigger bolts, especially the one that wasted a battalion of creatures in a single shot, even though it was the edge of the shockwave that nicked him. "Lazaryos, you should get your rest, just to get ready for whatever tomorrow is going to bring..." and he finished his hint of 'advice' by lying down and quickly going to sleep again.
-
He instinctively unsheathed his blade and had it at Lazaryos's neck at when he pulled the scythe around to Vosur's neck, putting them at a stalemate as they now had their weapons at each others' throats. "What about this power that was bestowed upon you, this accursed blade you now hold? Isn't its power enough to help you in your goal or will your thirst for power never cease?" he spoke, a slight growl in his tone as his one-hand hold was rather steady for what had just happened. He took a quick-glance at the blade of the cursed-scythe and locked his eyes to the mage again, giving him a slight smile, beguiling of the life-and-death situation. "Since we are at a do-or-die situation, my mission is to either, and I quote: Secure the Mana or destroy it. Since I do not wish to personally have such power for the sake of the memory of Ruby, what would you intend on doing with it once you have it? Revenge? Conquest? Annihilation? Or would you try to use it to heal and defend?"
-
Lazaryos growled through his throat, "What I do with that power is my own, but I won't allow it to be destroyed. It's too important to me. As for this weapon, it is the most limiting kind to have. I can't cast any spells anymore, and I have to rely on using this weapon. It's how you would feel about using magic instead of your blades. The only way I'll be removed of this damned curse is to possess enough power to remove it, and not even the strongest of Mages in the world possess that power. So I have even more of a reason to obtain the Mana." The lightning blade receded and Lazaryos slowly took his blade back. He looked at the pup and gestured for him to lower his blade. "It seems we all need some sleep."
-
Ember let out a hiss-like sound when Lazaryos finally lowered his blade and said they all needed some sleep. "Tell me about it. It's kind of difficult to sleep with you lot going on the way you were." She snapped before lying back down. "Bunch of grown men acting like children..." She muttered as she closed her eyes, not caring if they heard her say it because maybe if they knew how foolish they looked then they might stop acting that way. She was the youngest of all of them, or at least looking at the guys she sure seemed like it, so she didn't understand was she had to act like she was their mother. Of course, she didn't have to, but it was too irritating to ignore.
-
"At least we're getting these problems off of our chests now instead of quibbling like kids right at the Mana..." he spoke in a slightly playful tone to Ember, then lowered his blade away from Lazaryos before sheathing it. "When the time comes, I will have to secure the Mana somehow... the agreement didn't say how." he spoke to Lazaryos, leaning back in the 'dune chair' as he looked up to the sky again. "Since the contract was quite a bit vague on that idea, it is open to a lot of interpretations." he muttered as he shifted and reclined further into almost a laying position, the fire he had going dying-down on its own as he started to doze off.
-
Lazaryos snorted and closed his eyes, drifting off into a state between sleep and meditation. He noticed right off that his sleep was not like it usually is. Lazaryos figured it was one of the effects of the scythe, but he couldn't be certain. However, one thing was for certain: it was a state in which his body and mind are being rested, but things were still going on with his body that he never felt before. Lazaryos pondered it, he was conscious, but at the same time, he could feel his body and mind in a state of relaxation, almost as if his consciousness was sent into almost an astral realm while his physical self rested. It was truly an odd a new feeling.
-
"There will be no talking when we reach the Mana, only action." She said softly with her eyes still closed. It was one thing she knew for sure. After saying it, she wondered if she would live through it all. She also remembered that she still didn't know why she was going after the Mana. She had no personal reasons like the others did. All of their reasons seemed worthy of the Mana, but she had no reason whatsoever. At least, not one that she could think of. "What am I even doing here...?" She whispered to herself and rolled over onto her right side on her sleeping mat.
-
More and more of his dream went on until Chrono was greeted with the sun right in his eyes. He grumbled a few unintelligble words before nudging Ember with the flat of his sword, then got up and stretched before kicking sand onto Lazaryos. Yet, he did aboslutely nothing to Vosur since it seemed to his half-closed eyes that he hadn't fallen asleep at all. "Come on, the sun is up and we've only got a few more days until we risk missing the pre-"Crimson Blue" window!" of course he had no real idea how long until the Crmson-Blue started, but he had to at least make it seem remotely urgent to not continue sleeping.
-
His sleep was rather restless, though he didn't move until Chrono spoke to them, his eyes moving to a fully-open position as he looked to the others. After a while of stretching and brushing the sand from off of his clothing, he pulled some of the smoked meat from one of his pockets and began eating on it while he waited for the rest to wake up. After finishing his breakfast, he started to adjust his gear while the others were still waking up. "Alright, we've still got a long trip ahead of us if any of the rumors of where the Mana lies are true." he grumbled out while he was stretching.
-
Lazaryos got up, brushing the sand off of himself. "Indeed. However, we're still far from the end of the Guild's territory. We still have to be very careful on where we tread... well, speak of the devil. Quickly, into the trees." Lazaryos ran over behind one of the bigger trees along the River and peered around the corner. A ways back to near their original travel pack, a large group of Guild members walked out of the trees and met up with an even larger black-clad group. Lazaryos let out a low growl, the Tri'Malis. The leader, whom Lazaryos can only assume is Chrono's father, stepped up and bowed before three others brought forth several chests filled with gold. The Guild members smiled and surrounded the black-clad group and led them through the forest, and disappeared into the forest.
-
Ember jumped up quickly with her staff in hand when Chrono nudged her with his sword, her eyes open and darting back & forth. When she realized that it was just Chrono she relaxed her stance and muttered something that couldn't be understood. She had already rolled up her mat and reattached it to her bag when Lazaryos was halfway through what he was saying. When he told them all to move into the trees, she slung the bag over her shoulder and ran over the trees, standing behind one and peeking around it to watch what happened between the Guild and the Tri'Malis. She sighed as all of them disappeared into the forest and rested her forehead against the tree.
-
Chrono brushed back his hair when he looked on as his family got passage through the woods. "Great, he was able to pay for safe passage, well...." He looked about before heading towards the trees and minding his steps for any small worms. "Lets have them clear the road for us, shall we?" he said as he stopped to look back at the group, all three of his eyes moving at the same time.
-
Vosur burst ahead of Lazaryos when he said to go to the trees, jumping over one sand-ant pit and stopping to turn around and trigger it to let everyone know of it's location before he continued on the run to the forest and giving a very kid-like grin when he got to the cover of them. To the first one that he got to, he glanced it up and down, mentally gauging its strength before he went onto the next one, doing the same before he jumped up and scrabbled up a fair amount, using the added height and cover to look to the other set of travelers, letting them go a certain amount of distance before he climbed down and dropped out of the trees, unbelting his sword and putting his dominant hand (left hand) on the hilt as if he were ready to strike. "So they hired Guild members back then... these guys would probably freak to see me now as I'd look like a ghost to them." he said under his breath, the kid-like smile gone and replaced with an almost devilish one.
-
Lazaryos hushed the two rowdy children who were itching for some action. He kept his voice low, "Don't think that that's their only numbers. Their path and group are probably heavily guarded from the treetops. Remember, this is their territory. The closer we get to the heart of their area, the more numbers we'll see against us. Even if most of them are amateurs, sheer numbers would be more than enough to take us all down. For now, we stay along the forest edge, along the River. We don't fight unless we absolutely have to. If you want proof, look closer, near the feet of where they were meeting and all around us. You just have to pay attention." All around them, in the thicker parts of the bushes and near the area where they all saw the meeting take place, there were skeletons of all types and species, some bodies were even still fresh. "Now let's head north. The river originates from the mountain, so we just have to follow the only vegetation in the desert." Just as Lazaryos took a step forward, one of the bodies got up and he tripped right over it.
-
Ember lifted her head off the tree and turned around, glancing around at the skeletons and bodies. She noticed that one in front Lazaryos was actually breathing but before she could warn him, he had already tripped over it as it started to get up. She stood at the ready, gripping her staff tightly just in case the new guy decided that he wanted to fight. She knew that she would have to be quick just in case the guy decided to go after Lazaryos while he was down, but she hoped that the guy wouldn't want to fight at all because she didn't feel like it wasting her energy.
-
Chrono could only grin at the mage, but drew his sword in case the person who got up would become hostile. "What was that about us having to 'pay attention', because I didn't qutie hear it over the sound of you hitting the ground." The mage seemed to be an endless source of amusement whenever he wasn't trying to fry, or recently decaptitate, him. However, that did not stop him from being serious when the need arose, which it did.
-
Dante sat up after having been tripped over by a bumbling tiger. He rubbed his eyes groggily. "Morning already?" Looking around he saw a couple others with their weapons drawn ready to use. He held up his hands nonchalantly. "I surrender, I surrender. Heh...Well, who're you guys? If you were with those guild bastards I don't think I'd be alive this long. At least not a second time." he said standing himself up using his large wooden cross to help. Once up he sheathed the cross on his back and offered to help up the tiger who tripped over him. "Should watch where your goin', pal." Once Dante had helped him up he dusted himself off. Brushing some dirt from his almost skin tight attire.
-
Turning around to see Lazaryos fall over and seeing someone rise from the massacre-site, he took a defensive stance almost immediately due to being instinctive for an ambush. Getting a better look at the individual and noticing he was much like a cleric, his stance relaxed as his dominant-hand left the hilt of his sword and went to one of the pouches he held the set of non-coated cards in, ready to throw one if he had to at a moments-notice. His right hand lowered at his side as he looked back to the direction that the guild members and the other mages, no longer seeing them. "Crap... my bone to pick with them will have to wait another day." he muttered under his breath, his hand still lightly gripping one of the cards as he looked to the two mages getting up. He reattached his sword-and-sheath back onto his belt with only his right hand, raising his now-free hand up to push his dark-tinted glasses on his face to hide his red eyes from individual resembling a cleric. "C'mon, we've got no time to waste here." he called out to Lazaryos, now trying to keep his eyes hidden from the individual with the cross.
-
Lazaryos nodded over to Vosure as the newcomer helped him up, "Agreed. Quickly, now. I don't know who you are, but if you want to live, I suggest you get moving as well. I'm sure we'll acquaint ourselves later if you're not a threat to us. Until then, be warned. One slip-up, and we kill you without question." Lazaryos turned and started to head north along the forest's edge, leading the group.
-
Ember relaxed a little but still remained aware to what the new guy was doing. "Yeah, you may look like the type who may not hurt a fly, but I don't fall for that." Ember said as she passed Dante and followed after Lazaryos. She surveyed the area around them as she walked, looking out for any signs of possible trouble. She also remained alert to anything Dante might do even though he acted to innocent.
-
Chrono quickly slid his blades back since the priest lacked any sort of bladed weapon and followed Lazaryos along the forest's edge. His eyes shot from left to right as he scanned for any holes, only bothering to nudge Lazaryos if he was leading the group into an ambush.
After a few moments of looking around, the scales on his neck started to itch like crazy and the wind or the humidity alone had no effect. So, he wrote it off as his family just playing around with their magika while they walked with their escorts. Its almost sad to see how bored they get when they can't kill anyone around them
-
Dante shrugged after Ember had said what she did. "Tough crowd." He turned and followed after them, in a laid back stride as if this was just a casual stroll through the forest. In any case, he didn't really care. It wasn't likely these four were taking a casual stroll, he figured they were going for The Mana Droplet too. A free ride didn't come along that often and it wasn't like he could refuse the chance.
-
He tried to keep his eyes away from the general direction of the priest, also trying to keep them hidden from his view as they walked, his left hand still keeping hold of the card in hand in case if the priest were to do anything to the others while out of his own sword's reach. Trying to keep a few paces behind the group, he would only speed up his walking if something were to catch his attention, slowing down again when he found out what it was as a false-alarm. Between seeing the priest and having seen the Guild Members before, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
-
Lazaryos felt uneasy, but then again, he has been for the whole time since they left the Arena. Lazaryos periodically stopped and scanned the trees every time he heard something that resembled rustling leaves. He was very uptight and paranoid. A fight with the Thieves Guild was the last thing that he ever wanted, particularly when they were closing in towards the middle of their territory. Even with the new scythe and powers, the idea of fighting over 1,000 people didn't exactly sit well with him.
-
Ember walked along in silence. She kept an eye out for any signs of trouble while remaining aware of where Dante was and what he was doing though she barely ever actually looked at him. When Lazaryos would stop at any sound he heard, she would say what she believed was making the noise (like an animal or a small breeze). She took a hold of the "flawed" diamond that was still hanging around her neck and held it in front of her eyes, examining it for a moment before dropping it back against her chest.
-
It took some time, but it finally sunk into Chrono's head that his father's demise was no longer so far away. He had every right to just abandon the group and go hunting the mage. Well, every reason except for the important one: He would be too heavily outnumbered and overpowered to even be able to make a decent effort at attacking his father. It was also for that reason alone that he was steadily getting more and more frustrated, and would likely start a fight if someone gave him any attitude.
-
Dante continued to follow along with the others, noticing Ember glancing at him from time to time. He figured she was just checking him out and would have said something, but now was the time to remain quiet. But everyone was looking at him periodically, so maybe it wasn't her just checking him out. That is unless they were gay...But none the less, his attention was more on Vosur, who still held that card, and not in a matter that he would play with it. Acting up right now would likely get himself in more trouble then he needed. "So...uhm...Where we goin'?"
-
He ended up pulling out the entire deck of non-venom-coated cards, shuffling them about in his hand and yet always keeping one in his main hand to throw at a moment's notice if something were to happen. The idle playing with the cards was intended to be a ruse to those who didn't observe the cards closely to see the sharp metal edges, so far only shown to those who fought alongside him that these were weapons and not gambling cards. He also fiddled with the cards to try to rid his mind of trying to deter any eye-contact towards the priest, also trying to keep his eyes hidden away from him. "The tiger would be our fearless leader. He knows the way." he spoke calmly, stopping the shuffling to press his dark-tinted glasses against his face some more to make sure his irises were covered, then resuming the shuffling again as he turned his head towards Ember, who was holding up a diamond pendant. Something about the center of it made him stop for a moment as he saw the "flaw" for just a split-second, blinking afterwards before he started walking again and slightly shaking his head... trying to shrug off memories flooding back to him.
His mind flashed-back to his and Ruby's last day together while the group was still walking: the two of them closing up the smithy to prepare for another journey for information before they were confronted... then all going black before he heard the death-cry of his beloved along with his own anguished yell. The seconds of torture that passed seemed to last for an eternity to him, the feel of a thousand needles and various poisons of nature entering his body. The creatures chosen weren't strong enough to kill him, though he would've welcomed a quick death compared to what he was left with, the pain made his body react so violently that he escaped the sand-ants' pits. But he was not unscathed, the sheer amount of the poison had changed his hair and tail colors, the scars that were left are now covered by the clothing he wears.
To those around him during this time, he was lost in a daydream while walking, almost bumping into a tree once in a while.
-
The next couple days of hiking were done in silence. They were now half-way through the Guild's territory, and tension ran higher and higher. It didn't help, either, that Chrono was getting more and more fumed. As they now were only mere meters from the border of the Guild's inner sanctum, Lazaryos was closer to losing his cool than even Chrono was. It was night, and they set up camp without fire again so as not to attract attention. Lazaryos sat there in his usual meditation position, but he was far into the disturbed sense of mind.
-
"We're walking through the Guild's territory and trying to do so without getting into any fights. I would think that that point would be pretty obvious." Ember said, trying not to sound rude, and then she had felt Vosur looking at her but since he didn't look at her too long she didn't say anything about it. She walked along in silence for those next two days, randomly picking up the diamond pendant at times and looking at it before dropping it against her chest again. Now that they were resting for the night, she laid down on the forest floor, not wanting to waste time on having to roll up her sleeping mat in the morning. She stared blankly up at the tree tops.
-
Chono couldn't help but stare in the direction Lazaryos led the group around. He could almost feel his father exerting his will on the two others that stood with him, but he was unsure of how his father would look since it was more than a decade since either came into contact. All he could do was get a rock and quietly sharpen the blade, doing the only thing he could to prevent himself from vainly chasing down his father.
-
When Dante was walking with the others in silence he had been collecting various injuries to himself that were quite visible. Along with bumping into the others periodically from being lost in thought and not even noticing. But it wasn't his fault entirely, he couldn't feel anything so it was hard to tell that he bumped into something or hurt himself. Most of the time he only found out when others mentioned it, or sometimes it would take days for him to notice.
-
Since he was bumping into the priest fairly often, he would mutter a quiet "sorry" each time and making sure his dark-tinted glasses were still secure to his face. Because of having seen that glint of light through Ember's pendant, he would have short flashbacks of the few days leading to his beloved's demise. Each night, he pulled out some of the smoked owl he had made before they got into the territory and nibbled on it a little at a time as he looked up through the trees. Vosur wanted to find someone to help him with this pain he would relive, but the only one that seemed worth talking to was Lazaryos... but the mention of his resolute desire to destroy the Mana didn't exactly help on the situation. He didn't exactly know or relate to the others that well: Ember reminded him of Ruby so she was near-unapproachable without making the name mistake each time, Chrono had his own agenda he was lost in, he did not know Dante that well nor could he look him in the eyes, even with his tinted-glasses on. And so, each night he would look to the stars...
-
The next morning, Lazaryos awoke in the early twilight, he was about to close his eyes again when he heard some sand shifting just within earshot. Lazaryos gripped tighter on the scythe, even though it would never slip off him anyways. He nudged Vosur since he was the closest and whispered, "Wake the others, we have visitors. We're going to have to make a run for it if we are going to make it out of here alive."
-
Ember had slept soundly until an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach had woken her up. She didn't open her eyes but she didn't have to to know what was going on since she heard what Lazaryos whispered. She was thankful that she had woken up on her own because she wouldn't have wanted to react the same way she had when Chrono had woken her up a few days back. That would have got them too much attention too soon. She raised her left hand off of her stomach and lifted her pinky, making a very tiny flame appear on the tip of it and disappear quickly as a sign that she was already awake. She lowered her hand and rested it back on her stomach, waiting in silence for the moment to come where they would have to run for it after the others were woken up.
-
Chrono was still sitting down, his right hand on the rock and the left hand holding the blade. He was however, dead asleep and pushing the blade further and further into the sand with his own weight. He had fallen asleep shortly before Vosur, only having enough time to lean his head on his shoulder and avoid falling asleep right over the sword. Thankfully, he wasn't snoring, making only a simple matter of pushing him to awake him.
-
Dante had passed out late into the night that night. He was leaned against his cross that was embedded into the ground. Though Dante was a heavy sleeper because more often than not he would go days without sleep, not really feeling the fatigue. Though he does usually get sleep, but the last few days were hectic. It would take a lot of yelling to wake him up at this point. Because he wouldn't be able to wake up any other way other then naturally waking up.
-
It didn't take much to wake him, he was naturally a light sleeper when Lazaryos had woke him from his spot. When he did wake up, his shades were on the very tip of his nose and his red-colored eyes darted about to get a quick-bearing on the situation. The small flame-flicker told him that the fire-mage was aware, or that she used her Majicka in her sleep... but even from what he was told from his beloved Ruby during the time that they spent together: that case that individuals would spend Majicka in their sleep was rather rare. He quietly got up and made his way to the priest first, testing to see if he would wake with a touch and then going to a light shaking. When neither of those would work, he would try getting close to him and whispering "Hey, if you're coming, lets go.". When all failed to wake him, he made sure that he was breathing, his ear only close enough to hear it before he shrugged and went to Chrono. It didn't take much for him to wake him, almost even being accidental in nature as he had lightly pushed him to do so. "Hey, we need to start getting a move-on... but the priest is still out cold." he very quietly spoke to Chrono, trying to make as little noise as possible. "I don't want to leave him behind, but I can't carry him. I know he's too big for me to do anything about without some serious problems. I could carry that cross of his, but it would be the most unwieldy weapon I've ever held."
-
Lazaryos helped some of the others before taking the lead. "Have Chrono carry that child. Now let's make haste." He made a quick but quiet pace. Lazaryos was on high alert and he couldn't help but hear more and more footsteps catching up all around them. His eyes darted left and right and everywhere in between, trying to catch sight of anything or anyone within the trees or around the sand.
-
Ember got up from her spot on the ground and slung her bag over her shoulders. She followed Lazaryos in silence. She glanced around at their surroundings, checking for the people who were coming after them. At that point she just needed to focus on being alert enough to defend herself if their followers attacked which they most likely would since they wouldn't be following them for any other reason. The twigs and leaves in her hair would have to wait until they were in the clear before they were removed.
-
Chrono slowly got his face out of the sand as he nodded to Vosur's suggestion, and made his way over to the possible-cleric. He sheathed his sword, then lifted up the cross while flopping the man on his shoulder, then started to realize how much of a pack-mule he became. It really bites to be the only normal that has physical strength, and all I get for it is being treated like a child by a fat tiger mage even though its his furry butt I'm usually carrying!! During his inwardly seething, his grip on the cross-carrier was tightening with anger, almost on the verge of clawing him.
-
Dante just remained asleep, even after Vosur had poked him, shook him and whispered in his ear. Even Chrono picking him up and crushing him out of inner anger didn't wake him up. If he could feel pain he would have definitely felt that. Unfortunately the only thing that would wake him was noise, but even then he hadn't slept in days so he was deep asleep and a normal noise wouldn't do it. Maybe some yelling would get him up, but in their current situation they couldn't exactly yell. So Chrono would have to bear the weight a while longer, or at least until some fighting started.
-
He almost wanted to snatch the cross away from Chrono to carry his own share of the suggestion he made himself, but he decided to be at his best when and if they should be attacked while on the move. As soon as they were to a tree line again, he went ahead and ascended the boughs of the first stable tree he came to, using his vantage point to scout around for tale-tell signs of pursuers and ambush points in their path. He could see movement from behind the group, but no details other than motion of at least a small group following them. And to where they were going, he could see viable ambush points along the way but he could not tell which ones were the ones that their pursuers were using or not using during that time. Dropping down again, this time making sure he didn't land on anyone in the group as they were moving with haste through the area. "Looks like we'll have a fight on our hands no matter what." he muttered as he unbelted his sword, readying himself mentally to attack at a moment's notice.
-
Lazaryos drew the scythe and it extended its blade with lightning. "I'm afraid you're correct, young one." No sooner did he speak, did a large number of Guild members descend upon the group from the trees on the right and rise up from the sands on their left. Lazaryos broke to the right, into the trees, and in one fell swoop, fell ten trees, hitting half of the descending attackers in midair, knocking some of them off balance.
-
Ember looked to her left at the Guild members rising up from the sand. She readied her staff and turned towards them. She shot fireballs at the attackers as they started to come at her. Quickly, while they were distracted by the fireballs, she made a couple fire-boomerangs and threw them at the attackers as well. About five of them were taken out by the fireballs and some others were cut and burned by the fire-boomerangs.
-
Chrono growled then got into a rather improvised staff-based stance as he was realizing he had to rely on his parry arm to fight and block the bandits. Luckily, he was being attacked with numbers rather than skill which was where most of his experience derived from. He started spinning the 'cross' and started whacking bandits from almost all directions and still keeping the cleric on his shoulder.
"Wake up before I start swinging you around!!" He yelled before nailing one bandit square on the nose.
-
Dante's eyes shot open when Chrono yelled, mainly because it was right in his ear. It was then he noticed he was being carried. "Oh...Wher-" He stopped, seeing a couple people coming up behind Chrono. So Dante rolled over his shoulder and in the process of falling to the ground he drop kicked one of the approaching guild members. Getting up to face two more he readied for the fight. "Please, just leave. I don't want to have to hurt you." The two looked at each other then charged Dante with their swords. He side stepped one and grabbed the other one's sword hand. He gave him a quick jab to the windpipe cutting off his oxygen supply and twisting his wrist almost breaking it until he dropped his sword. He let him go and he fell to the ground as he turned to meet the other man's downward swing with his hands. With a quick clapping of his hands Dante caught the man's attack. The man was shocked to see someone block a sword with his bare hands, which allowed Dante to twist the blade from his hands. Again he delivered a jab to the windpipe dropping the man. He turned around only to get an arrow in his left shoulder. Dante paused to look at it. "Damnit...Now look what you did." He yanked the arrow out without so much as flinching and dropped it to the ground. He ran towards the archer and two more people ran into his path, one with a wooden shield. Dante was a bit angry that he had been shot, so he pulled his right arm back to get a good hit in on the guy with the shield, who was now blocking. His muscles in his right arm bulged as his fist met the shield and it cracked in half. "Damn...That's gonna heal funny..." The man fell to the ground from the force of the hit while his stunned partner took a swing at Dante. Dante grabbed the man's sword arm, getting it under his own arm allowing him to break it. While still holding him close with his broken arm Dante started headbutting him. After three hits the man collapsed, forcing Dante to let go. The archer had already shot Dante again in the leg, which he didn't even notice. Dante walked over to the archer who was stringing up another shot, but before he could he was in front of him. He took his bow, snapped it and headbutted him. The archer stumbled back, getting another headbutt, and another until he tripped. With the arrow still stuck in his leg, blood trickling down his face from his head, bleeding hands, limited use of his left arm, battered and bloody right arm and a hole in his shoulder he turned to face five more guild members. Dante was bleeding from all over, but that didn't stop him from cracking his knuckles getting ready for another fight. He didn't even notice he was so messed up.
-
He started his own fighting off by making a dash toward a group of slightly-larger Guild members, quickly doing a dive-and-slide to slip under one of them and using his sword-and-sheath to intentionally trip the one he slipped under before he turned around to the backs of his attackers. "Welcome to the world of the conscious, Padre!" he called out as he saw Dante start fighting on his own, resuming his own fight as soon as he disabled the ones he missed by performing an unsheathe-and-strike to one of them across the chest followed by a sword-block with the sheath and an across-the-chest slash with the sword to the other one. Vosur didn't let the one he tripped go to far before he resheathed his sword to throw one of the plain-metal cards at the one that tried to get up. The card hit its mark between the Guild member's helmet and back-plate on the spinal cord, severing any capability for movement. He turned around just in time to get his cheek nicked by an arrow, noticing a few more coming his way from a group of archers. One of them held up a fire-lit arrow as the entire group fired their arrows, the fire-tipped one being a distraction while the rest were intended for the kill. It would have worked if he had not noticed the shine off of the arrow-heads, knocking away most of them with his sword and sheath separated, but getting one regular arrow grazing his other cheek in the process. In retaliation, he threw up his sword for a moment and snatched two cards out, giving them an impromptu-aim before he threw them at the source of the arrows. Hearing two screams in the general vicinity of where he aimed, he caught his sword by the hilt and decided to pursue after his attackers. He knew he did not get all of them with the cards he threw, but he did manage to wound two of them.
-
Lazaryos tried to push forward, but the crowd was getting thicker and thicker. His anger increased, so the next unlucky one in front of him took a straight-down strike from the scythe. As the weapon drove into the ground, a lightning net formed around him and temporarily paralyzed those around him. Interesting... "Let's go, everyone! The longer we fight, the more likely we'll die!"
-
Ember continued her attacks on the Guild members she was facing. At one point, she actually elbowed one in the face that had tried to attack her from behind without even looking in their direction. She set a few of the Guild members on fire with her flamethrower move before Lazaryos called out that they should get going. She turned on her heel and followed after Lazaryos. Unfortunately that left her open for attack and she received an arrow in her left shoulder. She turned her head to look back at the archer and sent a fireball at him, knocking him back and burning his bow & arrows to ash. She turned her head forward again as she continued after Lazaryos.
-
Chrono felt the man get off his body, so hh then could finally use both hands to fight off the bandits. His swings grew almost three times as wide as he was forcing the bandits around him to back up and try to anticipate his swings. Chrono at this time had seen the cleric stand there covered in wounds yet still ready to fight.
"Monk boy, think fast!" Chrono yelled before throwing the staff over the crowd and right towards him. That apparently triggered as a 'break' to the bandits as they rushed him in reckless abandon. Most of them stopped however, when two bandits lost their heads and the ones to the left and right of Chrono had flinched away from the blades that cleaved the two.
"This is the part, where you run away..." he growled with bloodlust dripping from every word. Most of them scattered just as he advised yet left only a few that had taken up novice stances. Chrono smirked before turning towards them and taking them both on at once, and both dying at the same time from almost identical wounds to the chest.
The bloodlust was short-lived however, when arrows started to bounce off his armor and onto the ground. He made his way over to the monk, cutting down those who futily attempted to attack him, and tapped him on the shoulder before motioning back to the group.
"The fun is over, they've started bringing the archers..."
-
Before Dante went towards his enemies Chrono had tossed his cross over. He caught it with both hands and impaled it into the ground. He was about to go at the enemies when Lazaryos told everyone to go. He picked his cross back up and put it on his back and went over to him. "Ready when you are." As he said that another guild member came up behind him, so he turned and jabbed him in the windpipe. But not before blocking a dagger with his hand. Once he fell he yanked the dagger out and dropped it to the floor.
-
He cut down the remaining archers in a wide and fast arc, going for the bows to disable them. The ones closest to himself received superficial chest wounds as they were knocked away, and the rest only received minor cuts as he did not stay long enough for the second wave to get a good aim at him. Turning to follow after the rest of his group, Vosur separated his sword and sheath to knock away any arrows that got within his reach, sprinting away from the archers and into the trees for cover as another barrage of arrows embedded into the trees. "Heh, can't even hit the broadside of a barn." he muttered as he kept the run to start to catch up with the others. "We've got a couple more possible ambush points ahead. Be on your toes." he spoke to the rest of the group as he resheathed his blade and slowed down to match their speed to prevent himself from going too far ahead of them.
-
Lazaryos made a break for it, swinging the scythe to clear the way a bit. "Come on! Hurry up!" Lazaryos led the group as they ran on, but the crowd grew larger and larger, and grew more and more skilled. It finally got to the point where Lazaryos was just barely able to back the crowd up, unable to kill anyone. "Bugger off!" Finally, a net was cast from under the ground and ensnared Lazaryos, as well as the rest of the group.
-
Ember was hurrying along after Lazaryos, fending off any attacks that came at her. She didn't even remember that there was an arrow in her left shoulder. When they weren't able to run anymore, she stood slightly behind and to the right of Lazaryos, readying herself to fight more. For once she wasn't expecting what happened next and the net caught her off-guard. She growled under her breath after they were caught, obviously irritated.
-
Chrono had lead the monk towards the group, then turned around to cut down the last of the fodder before the net decended over him. He grabbed at the net when it caught him, and tried to get a foot-hold on the threading. Sadly, his right foot slipped and he was now laying on his side as his leg dangled underneath. "You know, I was hoping for some originality, not the same 'underground net' trap!!"
-
When Dante was ensnared with the others he simply groaned. "Not again..." It was then he noticed he had an arrow sticking out of his legs still. "Where'd that come from?" He wormed his way about in the net to try and grab it but to know avail. It was too far from his grasp, maybe one of the others he was stuck with could just yank it out. But he wasn't really going to ask them, it's not like he felt it anyway. Dante sat back and didn't bother resisting, it would have been futile. Though maybe the wolf-boy could slowly cut his way through the ropes. Or that gargoyle girl could just light it on fire. Maybe they already were, having their own little plan. Wait until the bad guys get close, slowly cut your way out and just before we're free they would be hit from both the girl and tiger allowing them all to escape. "Like that'd happen..."
-
Vosur would've almost cleared the trap if it weren't for either his slowing down to match the rest of the group or if the trap were a bit smaller due to his last-second attempt to try to leap over something that caught his attention. But because the surprise-catch the net had, which caught and tangled up around his ankle, it dislocated it and the pain made him drop his sword-and-sheath in the process. The weapon fell and stabbed tip-first into the soft sand upon impact right below himself. "Grah... this isn't good. I told you to keep your eyes peeled." he almost growled, the growling caused from the way the net had pulled his ankle out of place. He struggled for a little bit, trying to reach up to untangle his foot from the netting. "Man, they do know on how to make strong traps." he tried to joke through his pain, obviously having a tough time trying to undo the ropes, but the position and the pain hindering his concentration.
-
A senile chuckle came from within the trees as a silver fox in an orange robe emerged from behind a fallen tree. "Heh heh heh heh... It's no use trying to break out of those right now. With my constant connection to the nets to my Majicka, they are unbreakable. So... you were the ones that sprung the trap at the small oasis we set up outside the mouth of the Grand. Interesting..." "Stop playing with them and bring them in." A large, white tiger dressed in iron-clad armour emerged from behind the mage. "Oh ho ho... look who we have here, trespassing in my territory without paying a fee. The famed Lazaryos, The Lightning (censored). I never thought you would be participating in the quest for the Mana." Lazaryos growled at the white tiger, "'Iron-hide' Kratos, leader of the Thieves Guild. I see your body is still as bulky and thick as that skull of yours. What do you want with us?" Kratos laughed aloud as he signaled all the other surrounding Guild members grab the nets and disarmed those who could be and dragged them all into the heart of the forest. "Isn't it obvious? You're about to be executed for trespassing and killing 59 of my men. But before we do that, I believe your friend over there is the son of my guest of honor. We will execute you as a tribute to their donations to our Guild on top of paying for passage in full right as they got here." Lazaryos growled as they were dragged on, him by the scythe, the net particularly more crushing on him to prevent him from retaliating. The earth Mage ran up alongside Kratos and whispered into the his ear, "Sir, are you sure? He is your brother after all..."
-
Ember was kind of irritated by the idle chatter going on. She actually felt relieved when the talking stopped and they started dragging them off, although she tried very hard to keep them from taking her staff away. She stubbornly sat down in the net and then laid down on her back. At least she'd have some satisfaction that being dead-weight would hinder the person pulling her even a tiny bit. She started humming as she laid there, thinking it would be fun to show them that she wasn't worried about what they were saying they were going to do to them.
-
Chrono was still the entire time, his right foot dragging out of the net, and practically making a trail back to where they got captured if the bandits hadn't already made sure to rub it away every half-minute. All he could do was think of how to get out, knowing his eye would only work if he could just touch the one who was giving the rope its supply of majicka. "The fee I can understand, but the killing could have been prevented since we didn't want trouble to begin with..."
-
Dante was a bit annoyed at the whole situation, though mainly at the fact there was an arrow still in his leg that he couldn't get. Though he was amused at the three people who carried his cross. It was only two that actually carried it, but the first one thought he could and he couldn't even get it off the ground. "Come on, it's not that heavy, If I can do it so can you! Don't give up!" "Would you keep quiet?!" said the one dragging him in his net. "Oh, hey, now that I have your attention, think you can grab that arrow sticking in my leg? It's buggin' me." "Shut up!" "C'mon, be a sport! Technically I didn't even kill any of you, you guys were just weak enough to collapse with a few hits." The guy dragging Dante stopped and turned to him. "Hey! Since you're in my direction, how 'bout that arrow?" The man grabbed the arrow and shoved it in deeper then twisted it. Dante didn't even flinch. "Hey...That's not very nice, Nor was it what I asked. Stop messin' around, just take it out." The man punched Dante in the face and continued dragging him along. "Sheesh...Tough crowd..."
-
The way they were cut down managed to give Vosur enough cover to sneak one of his cards into the wrist portion of his gauntlet before they took the rest of his cards, now being dragged along by his ankle on his back from the way the net caught him. He glared up at the silver fox that would almost scream "I'm going to kill you." if his incessant growling wasn't saying this for him. During the whole time that they were being dragged along, he would reach up and make it look like he was trying to lessen the pain on his ankle, every now and then reaching up and trying to loosen the netting around his ankle, but ending up in having to grab the ropes to just keep himself from ripping his ankle completely out of socket. "That silver-fox is going to pay..." he muttered under his breath, his growls deepening every time that they were scooted along the sand. During the whole time of their movement, his eyes never strayed away from the silver fox mage, apparently having a past with him as he couldn't stay his eyes away from him long.
-
Kratos merely scoffed at Chrono's statement, "Trespassing into our territory warrants death, that is our law. Your father did say that you were ignorant and dense. Now I see that he meant that literally." Lazaryos struggled to move the scythe, but being dragged by the two by the weapon made it hard to pull it down to use, aside from the net tightening every time he tried to move. As they all neared the heart of the territory, the trees cleared instantly to reveal a bustling village the size of a large city, hidden from the outside. Everyone within the village were just as Lazaryos had always envisioned every member of the Guild would be like. Even though many were having a good time eating and drinking, every single persona was armed, and many seemed to be hardened veterans of the battlefield. They all neared an open plaza that seemed to be the site of all their executions. Many tables were set up around the assembly area, filled with food and also filled with people. And there, in the center tables, with the best view of the execution grounds, sat the Tri'Malis clan, Chrono's father sitting at the very center. Six people took a firm hold on Lazaryos before the net loosened and they hung him by the wrists off of one of the tree branches. Chrono was then hung next to Lazaryos in the same manner after they stripped him of his upper-body armour. Chrono's father sat there and watched the spectacle, not saying a word, but rather just gave a dark and cruel smile, enjoying seeing the prelude to his own son's death.
-
Ember became annoyed by Dante talking so much and trying to get the one dragging him to remove the arrow. "Would you just shut up already!" She finally snapped at him, adding herself to the 'tough crowd' he had mentioned. "Why would one of these buffoons do you a kindness anyway? It's not their job to do anything kind. They're ruthless, just the way I like most people." When they reached the city, she looked around at all the people gathered for the executions. She watched as they hung up Lazaryos and then Chrono before glancing over to where the Tri'Malis clan was seated, seeing the cruel smile on the face of who she assumed was Chrono's father since he was seated in the middle of the table.
-
Chrono looked at his father with a cold face, then glanced over to Lazaryos. He was tired, annoyed, and frustrated to the point where his body just stopped showing emotion to save whatever energy was left.
"I would like to say 'I hate you', but theres so many things to hate at right now that I just don't care." He then looked back, and started to 'push' himself back and forth as he made the situation less boring, to himself at least.
-
Dante smirked when Ember had shouted at him, he thought she was pretty cute when angry. (Don't hate, Shinzuu!) When they were taken inside the hideout he just looked around at all the sights. One in particular though, Chrono had given the other dragon a cold stare as if he were angry with him. Maybe there was something between them he thought, but he didn't pay it much mind when Lazaryos was strung up. "Geez...This is turning South fast...I should have never followed these guys. They took me right back to these [censored]...Well...I got out once, I can do it again...I hope..."
-
After a while, he looked to Dante as he tried to divert his own mind away from the pain of his ankle and also from his new 'target'. "Since we may be in a heap of trouble, might as well try to make some things right." he sighed out as he gave a few swipes with his hand to the arrow, eventually catching it and pulling it out. "These men apparently have no respect for clergy..." he muttered as he stabbed the arrow into the ground to use for a brace to try to push his ankle back in, but the arrow broke from the tug. Vosur looked towards the one that was carrying most of the equipment that they retrieved from the group, the guild member having pulled one of the cards out and examining it, accidentally cutting himself on the edge of one of them. "Nuts, that didn't work. Well, looks like plan-b will need to kick in soon. Hope you're ready..." he spoke quietly to the others, his eyes going back to the silver fox again and waiting for the right moment to strike again.
-
Lazaryos chuckled cynically at Chrono's comment, "You have no idea what danger we're in, boy. Kratos is the full reason why the Thieves Guild became very notorious. He's a sadistic bugger who enjoys torturing his captives as much as he loves disemboweling them while keeping them alive as long as possible. We wouldn't be lucky enough for a quick death. If you want to make yourself useful, how about finding a way to unbind my hand? I don't care which one, but I need it loose to get a hold of the scythe. I just hope we can make it to the others and high-tail it out of here before they catch up to us." Dammit! Knowing Kratos, he probably already set up a border. Bloody Hell. To be here among even his strongest underlings really puts us at such a disadvantage, too. (CENSORED)!!! Lazaryos surveyed the area, and what possible escape routes were open, and which direction was north. The area was thick beyond the tree line and the sky was completely closed off from the tree tops. Double and Triple (censored)....
-
Ember looked around casually like nothing bad was going to happen to any of them and they were just on a friendly visit. She rolled onto her stomach and rested her chin on her arms as she watched Lazaryos converse with Chrono. As she laid there, she casually pressed the palms of her hands flat against the workings of the net. She knew that her staff just helped amplify her power and that she didn't exactly need to to perform her magic, so she started heating the net with her power.
-
Chrono may not have been able to move much, but since his legs were no longer tied up by the net, he swung his leg and hit Lazaryos right in the gut.
"Sure, while I spend the last of my moments cutting your bindings as they fill me with arrows, you fall down and get jumped by six others as they break your arms and slit your throat. No thanks, I may be ignorant, but I know what can kill me."
-
While Dante was relaxing, waiting for this big plan of escape to roll around he had started to notice his own injuries and that they were great in number. When he blinked once his vision became blurred until he blinked again, he knew he had lost a bit of blood and now even without feeling anything his body had taken a serious beating. If they didn't get out of this mess to allow him to heal himself he would likely just bleed out slowly. "Damnit...I got messed up again...*Sigh*...Even the other have a few injuries, the least I can do for them getting me into this mess is heal them. Might have to use my healing field...Just need my cross..."
-
Waiting for the right time, he pulled out the card from inside of his gauntlet and looked towards the silver fox mage as he prepared to take aim at him. Even with a fair amount of distance between them, he could still hit him as he was closer to the group than the one holding most of their gear. Making his decision with little time to spare, Vosur waited until the silver fox looked away from the group for a split-second to talk to one of the other guild members and threw his only card when the time was right. The card hit the mage deep into his diaphragm and made him fall onto his back. Because now the mage was currently disabled, but not dead, Vosur could pull his ankle out of the netting to make an attempt for the one holding the rest of the gear, though he didn't have enough time to push his ankle back into place as already he received the attention of the guild members. "Hurry up and get out of those nets slowpokes!" he called out as he had to rely on his gauntlets for blocking overhead strikes and a few basic punches to knock away a few of the oncoming guild members. "Dying for a bunch of mages... who would've thought..." he muttered to himself as he kept with trying to be evasive and yet making headway to their gear.
-
Lazaryos grunted as he was kicked and let out a low growl, "Ya bloody egg-head!" Lazaryos swung back and used the momentum (mainly his weight) and belly-slammed Chrono hard, sending him up to the top of the branch. The onlookers merely laughed, and didn't notice where Chrono was about to land as Vosur kicked up some commotion not too far away from where he was hanging. Hurry this up, you bloody hatchling.
-
Ember escaped her net and looked around for her first target. She did a high, spinning kick, catching a Guild member who was coming at her in the throat with the back on her ankle and bringing them down to the ground in one smooth motion. She kept her foot pressed against the bear's throat firmly as she crouched down and looked him in the eye. "Do you like the smell of meat cooking?" She asked with a malicious grin as she rested her hand against his chest over his shirt. "I do..." She waited until a look of realization reached the bear's eyes and then released her magic, setting him on fire. She moved on after that, casting spells of fire at anyone who came at her as she followed behind Vosur who was heading for the one who held their equipment.
-
Chrono tried to keep himself from laughing as the mage knocked him onto the branch. "Your gut is good for something after-all!" he almost yelled as he grabbed Lazaryos' rope, and wedged his talon into it. He singled out a strand and cut it, then repeated until he was held up by a single strand. He then raked apart the rope that was binding his hands before nudging the rope holding Lazaryos. He however, did not calculate how the possibly overweight mage would land and fell out of the tree when he felt it shake underneath him...
-
Dante wasn't really paying attention to what was going on, trying to keep from passing out. He did however pay attention when he abruptly fell to the ground in his net. He took the net from around him and yanked the arrow out finally. Though it had started to clot so it basically opened a fresh wound which bled more. He looked to the mage that had been keeping the nets magically bound, noting he wasn't dead just disabled, it made him a bit more happy. Dante didn't like killing people let alone hurting them. During his trip he did his best to avoid people in general knowing they would pick a fight. He saw Vosur doing his best to avoid and block the guild members so he ran at the one who was carrying the others' weapons and quickly relieved them from him. With the weapons secured under his arms he jumped back from one of the guild members who came to assist his comrade. He turned and tossed Vosur his sheathed sword. "Heads up, wolf-man!" Then tossed Ember her staff. "Here's yours!" . He was about to toss Chrono his sword when he had to use it to deflect someone elses sword. He ran on towards Chrono and tossed him his weapons which stuck in the ground near him. Once done he turned to look for his cross, which was now being wielded by a much larger heavier set guild member. "Woah, big boy...Uhm, excuse me." The big guy pointed to himself with a confused look on his face as he held the cross in his hand. "Yes you, would you be so kind as to return my cross there." He then pointed to the cross in his hand with his other. "Yes, that. My cross." The big guy shook his head "No". "Then you leave me no choice, I'll just have to take it from you. Sorry in advance." The guy came at him with an over swing. "WAIT WAIT WAIT!" The guy stopped the cross just inches from Dante's head. "Hold up, just a sec." He knelt down and squeezed his hands together which made them glow a pale green. "Sorry, my leg is just bleeding all over the place, it's buggin' me. You know how it is." He started moving his hands around the wound which made it close up. He then gave it a pat and stood back up. "Okay, you may continue." The guy took the cross back for another swing which Dante dodged and countered with a few jabs to his ribs. He was aiming for pressure point in his quick strikes as he fought for his cross.
-
He caught his sword-and-sheath set and spun it around like it was a baton to start using the hilt as a bludgeon against some of the ones closer to himself. "Thanks Padre!" he called out as he tried to continue the rest of the way to the one that carried their gear, now going after his cards. His leg-movement slowed quite a bit now that he had his weapons, but it wasn't due to the weight... he was no longer trying to be reliant on evasive maneuvers to progress his way to his goal, now able to block more effectively with the sword and sheath while slashing-at and knocking-aside guild members that got in his way. When he finally got to the one that held most of their gear, who was unconscious from Dante's attack, Vosur resheathed his sword and then knelt down to gather the rest of his cards, slipping all except one of them into their appropriate pouches and secured the pouches to prevent them falling. The one he kept in his hand was at the ready as he turned around to see an arrow knick the right side of his cheek right above where the last cut was, instinctively throwing the card in the direction in which the arrow came from. After having the card leave his hand, he grabbed hold of the hilt of his sword again to ready for another barrage. The archer that fired the arrow fell over from the card's hit to his chest, which all the rest of the archers lowered their bows and backed away. "Pfft... already causing fear in these guys. And they had the home advantage." he grumbled as he started his way towards the silver fox mage, his grip around the hilt and sheath with both hands tightening as he slowly got closer.
-
Even though the ones guarding the weapons and the prisoners became afraid, the others around the assembly area were not in the least. All the more skilled ones began to show up for the fight. Lazaryos actually landed on top of two of the new pursuers, since everyone was more distracted by the small group that broke free. Many bones inside those members gave a loud crack at impact, one of the cracks being the neck of the 2nd guy. Lazaryos loosened the knots around his wrists with his teeth and grabbed the scythe, "Stay still, hatchling!" Lazaryos took one fell swing, and sent a lightning cutter at an angle towards Chrono that cut both the rope and the branch between Chrono's legs. The cutter faded just before hitting Chrono's crotch. Lazaryos then dashed over to help the others. As the more skilled began piling up, he ran the scythe into the ground and formed another net, paralyzing a few within the net's range. "Ember! Fire over here!"
-
Ember caught her staff without turning around when it was tossed to her. She continued a barrage of attacks at anyone who came close to her. She didn't show any mercy to the Guild members. It wasn't like they were going to show them any so there was no point in her doing them a kindness. Upon hearing her name, her head snapped up in that direction. She moved towards the few that had just been paralyzed and sent a jet of fire at them, setting them all ablaze.
-
Chrono sat there for a few moments as he saw the cutter swing at him, but recovered as He saw his father finally get up and motion to the mages that he brought with him. He got back on his feet, scooped up his sword, and made an attempt to take on his father. However, he was stopped as a rather skilled bandit cut him off and tried to behead him at first swing. Chrono pulled out his sword and swung out, knocking away the offending blade. He then kicked the swordsman in the gut, following up with a cut through the center of his head while the bandit had doubled-over. He grabbed the bandit's sword, and grinned as he could tell it was of better quality than both blades he had used.
He was pulled out of his momentary happiness as his father futily tried to take control of him, only amounting to a throbbing headache as his eye was still considered 'faulty'.
-
Dante continued his fight with the big guy, hitting him in pressure points which soon led him to collapse. He also saw Ember torching several of the guild members. "What are you doing?! Why are you killing them!? Stop, please!" He grabbed his cross from the unconscious man and made his way to Ember knocking out a few on the way. "Just because they want to kill you doesn't give you the right to kill them!" "I probably shouldn't be preaching right now...But...This is hard."
-
He gradually made his way to the silver fox mage, his steps rather limp as he was going through agony just to walk. Every once in a while, he had to block an attacking guild-member with his sheath and using his sword to make a few disabling strikes to the arms and legs as he didn't want to waste effort in having to kill them. He had no animosity against the ones who were getting in his way, but still they were trying to impede his progress. When he finally made his way to the silver fox, he sheathed his sword and knelt down to see that he was still breathing, albeit shallowed and struggling to get air. "You're not long from this mortal coil, eh? After these two years of torment, I've finally got you backed into a corner. You were the one who killed my beloved... my Ruby." he spoke to the silver fox before he got up and unsheathed his sword to point it right at the face of his target. "I could make you suffer as I did two years ago, I want you to remember my name as you leave this mortal plain of existence. I have been called 'wolf-boy', 'pup', even a fitting mercenary name 'Knave of Blades'... but the name I was born with is Vosur Aekira." he spoke with very evil smile on his face as his shades lowered while he looked his prey in the eyes.
"You made me this way, I survived the pit-ant's trap you so willing put me into. It's venom forever changed hair, tail, and even the eyes you're staring into. Remember my name and face well as you breathe your last breath, I'll be sure to get your CO as well." Vosur grinned as the silver fox's fight to live was further hindered by the rush of memories from the words spoken to him, the card embedded into his diaphragm was shifting about and causing more damage with each gasp for air. "Good, so you do remember... that'll make my job of being the Ferry-man to your afterlife a lot more pleasant. Don't worry, you'll have a friend soon enough." he spoke before he turned away from the silver fox and slowly wandered away from him to carry on the battle to assist the others in the fight.
-
Kratos stepped up in front of Chrono and swung a heavy halberd, knocking Chrono back, hitting the tree he had previously been hanging from. Kratos rushed Chrono, and with one mighty forearm, pinned Chrono against the tree by the neck. He then signaled his underlings, "Alpha group! Take our guests out of here and to their destination!" Lazaryos make a quick b-line over towards Chrono right after Ember fried the Guild members he had trapped. He growled at Dante as he ran over to Chrono, "It's bloody over 1,000 versus 5! If we don't kill them, they kill us!" Lazaryos used his momentum and tackled Kratos off of Chrono. Before even saying anything, the scythe jerked Lazaryos' arm in time to block a quick counter from Kratos. "I see you've gotten a little better... Itooto (little brother)." "You always were quite the meat head, Oniichan (Big Brother)."
-
Ember held up her hand with her palm facing Dante as she looked over at him. "Save it." She said in an intense tone then lowered her hand and went back to fighting. "Better them than me." As she fought she heard the exchange between Lazaryos and Kratos but didn't let it concern her. There were more important things for her to be paying attention to at the moment, like staying alive. She paid attention to what was happening with the others just in case she would need to help them at any point.
-
Chrono rubbed his neck, while lightly coughing, before getting up and getting side-tracked by two more bandits. They were realitivly easy to hold off now that he had two swords, but he would have to focus on one of them in order to kill or at least cripple them. The result, he was getting nowhere fast, and the bandits were apparently giving all that they had to break his guard.
"Seriously, just stop with your two-prong attack and just die, your style is boring me!!"
-
Dante practically huffed like a girl not getting her way when Ember said what she did. "If they won't stop killing, I'll have to take down the opposition before they can...At least then they can't kill more people...I get the feeling hanging around this group is going to be difficult to handle..." He went after the others' targets, particularly Ember's. Vosur seemed to be controlling himself, Lazaryos just occasionally threw out a paralyzing net of electricity and Chrono seemed to be too occupied with the apparent leader. He tried particularly hard to take care of her enemies his way before she could.
-
His movements became more limped with each step, his ankle almost buckling away from the severe pain of continuously being dislocated, but he had not the time to set it back in as the battle ensued. Some of the sword-wielding members of the guild sought to take opportunity of this by trying to attack him. They tried to attack him, but one by one, they fell due to their injuries received from his slashes with his sword and the strikes with his sheath to quickly disable them and keep moving. Some of them were even getting bold enough to try to attack his ankles, but he was starting to become rather protective of them, once in a while doing a forward dive-roll to trip up a couple that were coming his way at the same time. The only times he'd turn around is to deflect oncoming attacks from the rear, but he knew he couldn't hesitate long or his chances of surviving the fight would lessen the longer he took to reach the rest of the group.
-
With a small huff, Kratos pushed Lazaryos back all the way against the tree, Lazaryos' feet having dragged a large pile of dirt in the process. Kratos pressed hard with the halberd, cleaving the bottom of the scythe and pushing it up while pressing it flat-ways to keep the scythe from reaching him. "Hatchling, a little help would be nice!" said Lazaryos as the tip of the halberd crept closer and closer to his eyes.
-
Ember heard Lazaryos call for Chrono's help but figured she could help as well. She sent a fireball whizzing towards Kratos' head and sent another towards his feet. After she was done sending out the distractions, she went back to fighting the Guild members. She noticed that Dante was going after anyone she so much as looked at. "I fight long range not just close up, new guy. Unless you're going to start shielding the people trying to KILL us, I suggest you just let me do I as want. You can't get to the ones further away before I do anyway." She said and, as if to prove her point, sent a fire boomerang at a Guild member further away, which scalped him.
-
Chrono noticed one of the two bandits was slowing down their swings, and he only spent a split moment with that bandit before the man hit the floor with nasty gashes all over the body. "Took you long enough!" he growled before bearing down on the other bandit and left so many cuts on the body, that the bandit 'died' from the pain before blood-loss could.
He turned towards Kratos and Lazaryos and just started swinging and beating on Kratos in an attempt to draw attention away...
-
While Dante tried and failed at taking down the targets Ember went for he noticed Vosur in a bit of a bind. Since he was failing at his plan, he nonchalantly went over to Vosur, knocking out someone creeping up behind him. "You seem to be having trouble with your foot. Please, let me help you. I don't know how much I can heal you right now...But I can at least help you walk." He grabbed Vosur's left arm and put it over his shoulder, helping him take the weight off his foot. Dante himself still looked like a wreck, though the wounds on his hands were gone.
-
"Not exactly in the best of condition to deny assistance of anyone, but I wouldn't want to be a burden to others." he spoke, now using his good leg as he hopped with him to get them closer to the group. "When this is over, we're going to have to make sure you're fully treated. Don't even think about working my face, I'll keep these marks as a start to a long-earned end of torture." he muttered as he tried to tug him along with the hops, holding his sword-and-sheath as tightly as he could to prevent from dropping it again. "You'll have to hate me later for what I've done and what I'll have to do, but until that time I'll make sure you last out. At least I can do something right this time."
-
Kratos backed up as Lazaryos had continued to push back, forcing the scythe to over-swing and clash with Chrono's swords, shattering the stolen one. Kratos kicked the two down with a mighty foot and swung his halberd around to knock the fireballs aside. "I don't have time to play with you children. I have a job to do. I'm sure we won't meet again." He threw the halberd at Dante, who just started to heal Vosur, and made a quick rush towards the northern border and disappeared into the trees. Lazaryos growled as he tried to untangle himself and get off of Chrono. "Watch it!"
-
Chrono simply pushed Lazaryos off with a booted foot, and got up angrily. "Let me get this right; we fought massive worms, giant scorpions, and more than two-hundred warriors and mages. But its beyond our ability to kill your brother, or even touch my father?! Why do they need safe passage if they're that powerful?!?!" He openly fumed before flinging the broken handle at one of the few bandits remaining.
-
Dante dove out of the way of the halberd taking Vosur with him. It was easy since he was helping him walk and not healing him. He made sure Vosur landed on him instead of just hitting the ground or Dante landing on him. "That was close...Are you alright?" he said getting up and helping Vosur up as well. He looked to see the one Chrono and Lazaryos were fighting run off.He also noticed some of the other guild members were fleeing as well.
-
He ended up falling with Dante due to the way he was being held, his grip tightening around his weapon upon impact. "Geh, thanks Padre. Think you can pop the ankle back into place so we can move about a bit better? I bet when it's set back into place, it'll be a lot easier for us to get back to the others." he spoke to him as they got up, letting his arm go from off Dante so he could block a side-attack and then knock away the brigand's weapon. "So what's the death toll so far on these guys... I don't think this is all of their forces in the area and we can't stay here too long or we will be over-run."
-
Lazaryos grunted as he got up, "Bloody hell, my ears are ringing already. I don't need you screaming in my ear. And yes, Kratos is my brother. He's a lot stronger than I remembered. He's one of the most feared men in the world for a reason, but to have progressed this far was beyond my predictions. If I didn't have this damned scythe, it might've been easier for me to fight him. Now shut up, we don't even know which way is north anymore, and we gotta hurry before..." People began running in from all directions, ones who seemed to be far more skilled than the last batch of people they were all fighting. "Time to move! Come on everyone! Ember, if you please pave a path for us!"
-
Ember's head snapped up at the sound of her name and she grinned. "My pleasure." She said as she cracked her knuckles. She ran over to where Lazaryos and Chrono were then moved ahead of them. She continuously sent fire out ahead of them which set anyone coming at them on fire. The people that were on fire were running around like chickens with their heads cut off and she kicked away a few whenever they started coming near her, causing them to fall on the ground and roll around as the screamed. Their screams had no bad effects on her though and she continued on with a malicious smile on her face.
-
Chrono did another flourish with his sword as he felt his body get lighter. His frustration and pent-up bloodlust started to make the glowing tattoos appear again, and now without upper-body armor it was much more pronounced than before. "I got left guard..." was all he said before moving away from Lazaryos and taking on the closest bandit that was about to get at Ember. He swung his sword with both hands, and the moment his blade made contact with the bandit's it almost cut the blade clean off before Chrono ran his own blade through the startled bandit's midsection.
Regardless of how much he enjoyed the fighting, he always made sure that he was near the group and that Ember's left flank was covered.
-
Dante jammed his cross into the ground just behind Vosur. He then grabbed his foot and used his cross as something to brace him on as he popped his ankle into place. It was a quick push followed by a chilling pop and it was all better. As Dante stood up he was stabbed in the shoulder from behind by another person with a dagger. The only reason he noticed was because he suddenly lurched forward from the weight of the attacker. He turned, grabbed the man and put him in a quick choke hold until he had passed out. He didn't even realize there was a dagger in him as he once again helped Vosur up and retrieved his cross. "Can you walk now? I will have to treat you properly once we are out of this place." He was bleeding again from his new wound which he was still oblivious to and stumbled because blood loss. Again his vision blurred but it took a few blinks to restore his vision this time. "I believe we should hurry..."
-
He quickly belted his sword before he moved around to the other side to support Dante with his off-hand as he unsheathed his blade, making a quick swipe at the brigand who stabbed him, giving the guild-member a superficial cut on the arm to make him drop the weapon. "No qualms there, Padre... but this is my turn to keep you going. You may be tough for a priest, but you're only mortal." he spouted off as he slightly lifted the priest a little to give him a bit more momentum. He couldn't fully pick him up due to the cross, but this way would speed them up as he made a few swipes in front of them to make some of the ones that were approaching back-off. "My ankle will heal in due time when we're fully out of this mess, you'll have the others to attend to. Hopefully I can go searching for some herbs, either that or I'll end up using some scorpion's venom as a temporary pain-reliever." He almost shuddered at the thought of using something from what he would call 'bugs' on himself as medicine, he didn't mind using it on others to defend himself. With them going a little faster than the rest of the group ahead of them, they were finally starting to catch up to the others. "Aw, so you're going to leave the party without us, eh?" he joked to Lazaryos while knocking away a few incoming sword-blades with one powerful swing, his slash almost off-balanced himself and Dante with him if Dante wasn't holding the cross as a sort of counter-balance.
-
"You stay behind, you die. You make the effort to stay with us, or you don't. I don't die for anyone but myself." Lazaryos kept Ember's right flank covered as she continued to pave the road. The soldiers lessened as they entered the forested area, but were replaced with a large shower of arrows from all directions. Lazaryos cut through the trees around them and fell the trees to cover his side from the arrows.
-
When the arrows started to fly at them Ember created a fire boomerang. She sent it flying through the air so that it hit the ends of some arrows and knocked them off course. As she continued to run along ahead of the others, she kept sending fire at anyone who came at her that she saw. She was glad that Lazaryos and Chrono were covering her but she wasn't going to say anything about it.
-
As Vosur was helping Dante walk his knees buckled for a moment as he lost consciousness for a moment. He regained himself enough to not pass out, lucky he wasn't aware of all the killing going on around him due to his hazy state. He was exerting himself to just keep with Vosur's pace so they weren't left behind. Dante still had the dagger in his shoulder but it had begun to stop bleeding for the time being. He hoped they would get clear so he could treat Vosur of his ankle and even Ember who he was starting to despise for her previous actions. He probably wouldn't make it if he went one at a time, healing himself last, so he figured he would have to use his area healing spell.
-
Every now and then he would almost lift Dante up while moving him, noticing Dante's black-outs every now and then. " C'mon Padre... I don't want to have to lug you over my shoulder. We're almost out of this mess." he spoke to him, trying to make sure he kept Dante's attention to prevent him from fully passing-out on him. They finally caught up with the rest of the group, now slowing only when they got close enough for arm's reach. "Next time we try to drop in on the Guild, let's do it in the dead of night when they have a welcome mat for us."
-
Lazaryos was getting extremely frustrated as the attacks wore on. The scythe grew with his anger and the handle extended by itself, and made his arms wind up by themselves. "Everybody get down! I'm not in control here!" Lazaryos' body swung the scythe and a ring of lightning shoot off around them, cutting everything in its path. Trees fell alongside people and halves of bodies. Lazaryos' knees buckled as he regained control of his body. He breathed heavily and panted as his body felt drained and over-stressed.
-
Ember continued her barrage of spell attacks until Lazaryos shouted his warning. She paused and ducked down low until his attack was finished. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw that Lazaryos was getting weak. She moved over to him quickly and smacked him in the back of his head. "Get over it and let's move! You'll have time to regain to strength and relax when we're out of this, but first we kind of have to make it out alive!" She commanded then turned and continued to run in the direction they had been heading.
-
Chrono simply kneeled as the scythe flew right over his hair, then got back up to finish off someone who had barely dodged a lethal hit. He then flung his blade towards the ground to clean off most of the blood before making his way back to Ember and Lazaryos. "I got him, just keep at least two-thirds of them from reaching me. Vosur and Dante should be able to cover for at least the other third, right?!" He lowered himself under Lazaryos and carried him like a sack of flour over his shoulder.
-
Dante noticed the scythe but couldn't really react in time. He wouldn't have been able to anyway considering Vosur had a good grip on him even though he was struggling. Luckily he moved for them and ducked the attack. He shouted his displeasure while they got back up. Dante might have said something about it, or the loads of killing happening around him but he was too out of it to even form a sentence. Even if he could he needed to conserve his energy to heal the others at least, he figured he needed to get that far before he wanted to help himself.
-
Vosur ducked under the wild swings and pulled Dante down with him to prevent them both from getting beheaded. "Easy there! No reason to attack your own allies!." he called to Lazaryos, giving a slight growl before he realized how out-of-control he was. Turning his head to Chrono right before he picked up the lightning mage, he gave a slight shrug while keeping a firm grip on Dante to get him back on his feet "I wish I could say 'no problem', but I'm trying to drag someone who has a weapon that weighs more than he does and fight off anyone that comes our way. I don't exactly have much of a free hand to work with to enable me to fight a lot better." he spoke, keeping his sword at the ready to attack anyone of the Guild Members that got close to them. "The Padre has some pretty bad wounds and if he passes out, we may be in a tough situation. We definitely could use a healer..." he muttered to himself, not exactly caring if the others heard him or not due to his focus being on a straggler that tried to ambush him. It didn't take more than a few parries and a kick to knock him out of the way, but the Guild Member got back up to try again, only to get a quick-slash across the chest to disable him so they could move on.
-
Lazaryos growled over as his arm was hefted onto Chrono's shoulders and they continued on. "It's not my fault! The scythe took control of my body! I had absolutely no control over my body except to warn you!" He grunted as they trotted along as fast as they could. Lazaryos was already used to using high caliber spells, but that was something that he had never felt before. Something that just didn't sit right.
-
Chrono did a few swings to keep his swinging arm from going lax, then started to swing at the bandits that Ember couldn't torch fast enough. "Nice time for you to lose control, Vosur is carrying our tag-along while I am lugging your chubby butt. I wanna say it could be worse, but I really don't want to add to our troubles until we're out of the current situation..."
-
They continued to trudge on in their escape, now seeing less and less of the Guild members that they had to fight-off. Even those that were bold enough to follow them this far decided to pull away from the fight to regroup with the rest of the Guild. "I'm not liking the way this is looking." he spoke to the rest, his eyes darting about everywhere in front of them and even to their sides to be sure there weren't going to be any ambushes. "They may not have a lot of experienced fighters, but the Guild in general is not stupid when it comes to survival and they are even harder to track if you lose them. And there are worse things than Guild Members to be worried about... so if you want to get a bearing on the situation, now may actually be a good chance to stop and bind up whatever damage has been done."
-
Lazaryos groaned as they continued on. "Hmm... I'm really not feeling it. I'm getting a really bad feeling." His eyes darted up, down, left and right. Searching for the invisible enemy that was more in his head than around them. The forest had grown completely silent except for them walking through the brush. From time to time, there would be shuffling around their feet with little critters running around. "Let's just make sure we make it the rest of the way without any more major scuffles."
-
Ember continued to walk on, still a few steps ahead of the others. Her eyes darted to look in all direction as she walked. Her right hand held on to her staff with the left was clenched into a fist at her side. When she turned her head, her eyes could be seen glowing in the darkness. It may have been because she was on high alert or maybe she was in a bad mood, but probably the first. She was in a state of intense focus.
-
Chrono's markings, like Ember's eyes, were still glowing as Chrono couldn't keep his mind out of the mindset of 'being in danger'. The majicka stored in the faux eye was now coursing through his body like the rapids of a ravine, following the flow of the vine-like markings on his body and keeping him from ever calming down. Figures, I get all fired up for fighting, and it ends just like that!!
-
Dante tripped over his own feet falling out of Vosur's grip and onto his hands and knees. In his weak state his cross was weighing him down more and flattened him to the ground until he managed to shove it off. He managed to use his cross to get back up to his knees, only to lift the cross up and drive it into the ground. He fell back onto his hands again after exerting the effort to put his cross into the ground but soon turned and sat against it, accidentally driving the dagger in the back of his shoulder deeper into him. He caught his breath and looked upwards. "I apologize, but I wish to give you medical treatment...Before I am unable. If you would...Be so kind as to sit with me around my cross here...I won't be able to heal you if I wait any longer, I'm afraid I will be too weak to pull it off." With that he looked down, not on his own will but he was tired so it just dropped, making him slump forward a bit.
-
He picked Dante back up to at least an upright position, stopping with him. "That's it... I don't know about the rest of you, but we're enough away from the Guild and if we go any further we will head into more dangerous grounds. In the state everyone is in, I'd rather the Padre do his job so we're all ready to go. We've taken a beating, we've survived the tale of escaping the Guild... let's not try to make things worse." he spoke out to the others, his red eyes glaring at the wounds everyone else caught along the way as he was talking. Vosur looked to Dante as he pushed his shades back up on his nose. "You relocated my ankle, and that was the worst of it. I can move at full-speed when needed now." he said with a slight smile, streamlets of blood had clotted on the side of his face from the cuts.
-
Lazaryos sighed as he broke free of Chrono's grip and staggered as he walked by himself. "I think I'd rather take my chances in the wild, rather than within the guild's territory. I'm as tired as the rest of you, but we have to keep going. Ember, think you got enough majicka to just clear a straight path? It'll give away our position, but we'll get out of here faster." Lazaryos placed the scythe onto his back and staggered ahead behind Ember.
-
Ember never paused or looked behind her. "Got enough to burn this whole place to the ground..." She muttered as she continued to walk. She held her hands out in front of her and closed her eyes for a moment. When her eyes snapped open, she sent a huge thrust of fire ahead of the group to clear a path. It continued on ahead of them on its own, burning through trees and brush to open up a path for them. It would die down to nothing by the time it exited the forest because she put just enough power into it for it to last that long. She wavered for a moment as she walked but shook it off.
-
Chrono started to lag behind, and then he did a complete 180 and went to lift up Dante and hold him over his shoulder. He made sure Dante's back was facing up since thats where he saw the most blood-flow. Oddly, this random act forced the mana in his body to flow back into the eye while the markings vanished yet again. "Sorry, but it looks like I either force those two to stop, or just carry you with us. Right now, I'd like to keep myself from getting more than just a few scratches..."
-
Dante was still catching his breath when Chrono had scooped him up, not expecting it really. "One person after another carrying me...I've been more of a burden on you guys so far, I do apologize...Heh..." After that he passed out. He had to leave his cross to Vosur, but from what he had said it might not be a problem. He'd likely wake up later with much regret about not healing the others quick enough.
-
He gave a slight growl in Lazaryos's direction for convincing the others to continue on, sheathing his own sword and picking up the cross to put it on his shoulders like a laundry-rod. The weight of it seemed off-balance, more like a war-maul to him than a religious item due to the handle and the weight of it. His movement with the others was a bit slower than it would've been since he just had his ankle relocated into place, but he was by-no-means lagging behind in the group. "Not to be brutally honest, but those guild members that last left us were probably the most brazen among the group. In the time I spent trying to plan a form of revenge, which I got one part of it today, I did learn a few things. One: Tend to your injuries when you can. Two: Cover your scents, especially the scent of blood. We have a healer and thanks our bold-leader, he's currently out of commission and we still have injuries that will probably attract predators while we sleep." he said with almost a snarl in the tone, pulling out some of what remained of the smoked-owl he had from before they were caught and eating on it a bit as his stomach was growling at himself as much as he growling at Lazaryos.
-
Lazaryos sighed and just laid in exhaustion and rolled in the sand a bit, to cover the blood blotches on it, "Younglings these days." He closed his eyes as the moon continued its journey across the sky. "The northern borders are the only borders the Guild never travels. They are too scared of this area. And trust me, they're a bigger threat than what's out here. Out here, desert critters and lizards are abundant, so the bugs get their fill from them at night. During the day, it's a different story, but all critters are out at night. You probably don't know this, but before the discovery of the Mana, Mages and Normals used to live among each other in peace. Hierarchy separated Mages into 3 classes: Clerical, Sorceror/ess, and High Mages. Normals were separated into Peasants, Nobles, Knights and Royalty. Royalty was a birthright, but in order to rise over being a peasant, one had to have education. It was the same for magic-users to become High Mages. One's education was believed to be the necessary component that made one high in society. It was also necessary to that soldiers were educated so more would survive in long campaigns."
-
Ember finally felt the pain in her left shoulder once they exited the forest. Switching her staff to her left hand, she felt at her left shoulder with her right hand and grabbed a hold of the arrow that was still lodged in her shoulder. She let go of the arrow for a minute as she reached into her bag and found a piece of cloth. Hanging the cloth on her right shoulder, she grabbed the arrow again then closed her eyes and pulled the arrow out in one quick motion. She tossed the arrow onto the ground at her feet then quickly grabbed the cloth and wrapped her shoulder with it. Then she sat down on the sand and relaxed for the first time in a while.
-
Chrono inwardly groaned at the lecture on the Pre-Mana history. "I say we add to the truce: whoever wants the Mana will have to duel with any other 'contender' until one is either unconsious or in critical condition. Once a winner has been decided, they take the Mana, then we destroy the Mana plant so the Blue Crimson will not be repeated again."
-
He stopped only to scoop up some of the sand in the hand that was not keeping the cross stable on his shoulders, applying some of it to the cuts on his face with a muffled growl as he tried to stifle it by grinding his teeth. "Ugh, salt-sand." he muttered as he applied it to the other cheek as well, giving another growl before he dropped the sand, his left hand loosely holding the handle of the cross to ensure stability. He wanted to ask Lazaryos on his actual experience in traveling, but felt it futile to keep on with it as his eyes darted around for obvious, or at least obvious to himself, signs of predatory action or traps. "As I said before, I just have to secure the Mana. The contract doesn't say how or who would be in possession of it, just as long as it is secured or destroyed." He spoke, his eyes catching a glimpse of something from the sand: movement. "Either I found our next meal, or we have company." he spoke, trying to hint to the others on what he could see since both of his hands were occupied with the weapon he was carrying.
-
Lazaryos snorted at Chrono and especially at Vosur, "I don't remember starting any contracts with you, merc. It makes life a little easier with you around, but don't think for a minute I give a damn about you being with us. I've said it once and I'll say it again. Get in my way, and I'll kill you myself. As for the Mana flower, I won't allow its destruction, either. Mana will be necessary for life to continue out on this half of the world. Without the Mana, that river will cease to exist. Thus will start a chain reaction that will upset nature itself." Lazaryos opened one eye and turned his head to look in the direction of the disturbance. "You might have just found yourself a midnight snack with that salamander."
-
Ember pretty much ignored the guys and what they were saying. She grabbed her sleeping mat off of her bag and laid it out on the ground. As she started to lay down on her back, she felt the pain in her shoulder again so she sat up again. She looked around her and then finally decided to lay down on her stomach. Digging through her bag, she found a roll and started to eat it as she laid there.
-
Chrono snorted right back at Lazaryos, his a bit deeper since his snout was a tad bit longer. "Those words don't mean anything if your bother decides to take the Mana, or if my father drops the 'pomp and circumstance' and wants to take it personally. Lets also not forget that cursed weapon user that took on everyone with almost no effort!" The tattoo glow started to come back as he was yelling at Lazaryos, but faded away when he shut himself up and looked away with a gaze of annoyance.
-
"Bleh... salamanders secrete a venom on their bodies similar to that of scorpions. Found that out the hard way. A numb tongue and a taste I couldn't get out of my mouth for hours was the result of that venture." he grumbled as he kept his eyes peeled for any other movement. "They'll do in a pinch, don't get me wrong, but I like the capability to be able to taste what I eat." he spoke as he set the cross down, using it to slightly prop himself as he pulled his shades down for a better look. "So how's the Padre holding up?"
-
Lazaryos chuckled at Vosur's expense and looked back up. "Kratos has no interest in the Mana. He's merely a hired hand. His home is out here in the desert. Kratos only believes in one thing, and that's money. After he leads your father and followers over to the other side, he'll make his way back here, though I've heard rumors that they've made an entire underground black-market." He sighed and closed his eyes. Yea, hopefully...
-
Ember finally let out a growl after finishing her roll and looked over at Chrono. "If you're so damn worried about him killing you then I would think you'd back out of this group and go off on your own. So either do that or stop complaining because, seriously, it's getting old." She snapped then looked down at the sand and let out a sigh. "We all know that we're going to end up fighting each other for the Mana, so I don't see why it keeps getting brought up. It's inevitable." She rested her chin on her arms and continued to stare at the sand.
-
Chrono only held a solemn face before flopping his back onto the sand and looking up at the sky. He kept staring blankly until his laughter broke the 'silence'. "If it wasn't for the fact that we'll be at one another's throats in almost a few days, we're almost exactly like the 'heros' in those old fables, still alive where others had perished. Then again, us being heros is less likely than splitting the Mana into more droplets!" His laughter died down to chuckles, then he went to sleep...
-
Due to no one giving a response to his question, Vosur wandered over to where Dante was and knelt down to check to see if he was still alive at the least. "Still breathing, but that dagger's going to prove troublesome if he can't heal himself." he muttered as he took off his jacket-like overshirt, folding it length-wise into a thick make-shift bandage before starting to wrap it around the wound and around the dagger to prevent it from moving Dante were to shift in his sleep. "There, not exactly the best work I've done, but it'll hold for a while." he said to himself as he got up and ventured away to sit somewhat away from the group to prevent waking them as he gathered some thoughts together while finishing off the remaining parts of his smoked-owl. "He seems to take wounds left and right, then keeps pushing himself even it's near the cost of his own life when he should try to heal himself... or does he not realize the severity of his own wounds before it's too late?"
-
Lazaryos sighed and didn't even bother to answer Vosur's question on Dante, since he already stated his position on how he felt about them. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, Lazaryos was haunted again by his past. This time, it was times that he grew up with his brother. The days when, even though they spent their times on different things, he and Kratos had laughed and loved each other growing up together.
-
Ember continued to stare at the sand. "Wonder if a water mage has ever thought of that..." She thought after hearing Chrono's seemingly absurd idea. "I could only destroy the plant or make the drop evaporate." As she stared at the sand, her eyes slowly began to close and she fell asleep as soon as they were completely shut. Her dreams revolved around when the group would reach the Mana droplet thanks to Chrono talking about it. In each dream the ending was different. Someone different got the Mana each time and once nobody lived to get it.
-
Chrono slept soundly, but it disguised the nightmare he was experiencing: when his uncle and father met for the first and last time since Chrono was born. Chrono couldn't tell what was being said, but both were constantly interrupting the other while both made gestures at him and him only. His father was the first to turn hostile as he sent his own brother flying into and through the closest wall, then his uncle came back covered in markings that glowed as white as the moon and stars. His uncle dodged the next few attacks before landing a punch on his father's jaw that almost made him spin on his heels.
The fight continued until Chrono's oldest sister pulled him away from the cross-fire, and his father nodded in her direction before holding his uncle in place. The markings grew brighter as his uncle started to make growling faces, but the image was replaced with his father raising his hand to the heavens and then bringing it down in his uncle's direction...
-
During the night, he barely slept if he did at all. His eyes wandering around at the others as he quietly got up. To him, these people were getting close to "family"... or as close as total strangers could be in his mind. Dante's demeanor and appearance definitely made him think of a Father for a church, Chrono would be the closest thing to a law-enforcer for a small town, Ember resembled his dearly-departed Ruby though her appearance was a fair amount different, even Lazaryos almost seemed like an older-brother figure to himself. They probably just saw him as a wandering merc, but that didn't matter to him... he couldn't help but wonder how things were going to end when their alliance was no longer useful. Such thoughts were prevalent in his mind, so powerful that nothing he could do to rid himself of them to allow himself to sleep would work.
-
Lazaryos woke up the next morning at the break of day with his head in a bit of a daze. He woke Ember and Chrono, "Come on, you two. We're already two days behind in making Blue Crimson. We're not supposed to be more than a week late, and..." Lazaryos stopped short as the scythe on his back vibrated violently and sparked. His arm grabbed the scythe on its own accord swung upward as a dark figure jumped out and swung down with a glowing sword, parrying the hit. The familiar figure landed a couple meters from them, lightning surrounding his sword. "You again...
-
Ember groaned and opened one eye to look at Lazaryos. She opened the other and sat up, rolling up the mat and attaching it to her bag as Lazaryos was talking. When he stopped short, she was putting the bag on her shoulders and standing up. She turned her head just in time to see the first strike, groaning again at seeing the familiar chameleon wielding his Cursed weapon. She readied a fireball and flung it at the chameleon. "Can't you just die already..." She snapped.
-
The chameleon merely hissed, "Mind your own, hybrid. Thiss is between uzzz." He charged Ember, throwing his round-shield that burst her fireball and he pulled it back with the metal string attached to it. The chameleon lept into the air and came down with with a powerful strike, the lightning blazing off of the blade.
-
Chrono shot up when he felt the all-too-familair aura of a lightning spell, and saw the chameleon again. He got up with a slam of the talons, then pulled out both swords as he chased towards the chameleon. He lacked upper armor, but his lack of armor also improved his speed a noticeable deal. "That sword is mine!!"
-
The chameleon turned and shield-bashed Chrono in the face, disorienting the dragon, and went in for a swing at him instead. The sword was parried at the same time that Chrono was kicked aside from another new figure. It was a female cat, and she wielded a fierce-looking naginata, which was covered in blinding light. The chameleon and the cat fought each other fiercely, every one of her slashes splitting into 3's. However, she didn't find it necessary to actually guard Chrono or Ember, as their parries came dangerously close to each one without concern or even consideration.
-
Dante had started to wake up to the various sounds of fighting about. He sat up and yawned as he stretched. Rubbing his eyes he looked around and noticed the others were engaged with a chameleon. The mere state of the chameleon Dante guessed it was a cursed weapon which he was told to watch out for by the monastery. When Chrono had rushed him and the feline had jumped in after he held his thoughts suddenly, he didn't remember traveling with such a person. He definitely would have noticed her. "Me-Ow...When do I get to play doctor with you?"
-
The two cursed fighters ignored Dante as they continued to fight, moving towards where Lazaryos was, swallowing him into the fray. Light flashed all around and lit the area with its show of streams of light.
-
Vosur's eyes shot open at the first swing, hand-springing onto his feet before he took one of his cards out in readying to attack while the other hand took the sword-and-sheath set from off his belt in case if one of them got too close. When the fight had pulled Lazaryos in, he couldn't make a move due to accidentally hitting Lazaryos nor could he charge in with his sword due two individuals with electricity coursing from their weapons. He knew better than to get up close with electricity sparking about unless he could find an effective way to disable it, but with the feline wielding the naginata being almost in the way, he couldn't get a clear aim with the card. So the only thing he could do at the time was evade and wait for an opportunity to strike.
-
Lazaryos' arms did most of the fighting, the scythe parrying and striking wherever it sought possible. This cat with her weapon was truly formidable. Unlike the chameleon and himself, her strikes were more precise and very deadly. The three broke off after a 3-way lock and she was the first to strike. The cat charged Lazaryos first, swinging the naginata in circular strikes, surrounding herself with a web-ball of death. Lazaryos slammed the scythe into the ground and sprung his net while the chameleon jumped in from behind her and tried for a strike. However, all it did was just disperse the barrier around her as she gave a powerful thrust towards Lazaryos, multiple strikes of light surrounding it, making it impossible to dodge. In a last-ditch effort, Lazaryos forced his majicka through the scythe and did his best to cast a spell. The blade then split in two and caught the naginata between them, barely able to stop the attack an inch from his face. He rotated his body, lifting the cat, and tossed her away from him and the group. Lazaryos was relieved, but the scythe moved again on its own accord and cleaved backwards, blocking a strike that was coming from behind from the chameleon. The voice was a bit raspy, "You cannot escape the fate of us all. There is only one lightning master fit to wield the weapons, and you are not it. Next time, your head is mine." The chameleon broke off and struck the ground that caused a huge flash, and disappeared. Lazaryos looked back over quickly in case of another attack, but the cat was gone. What the hell was THAT all about?
-
Ember had backed away after Chrono had distracted the chameleon and the cat had jumped in. "Psh. Hybrid. He says it like I should be insulted or ashamed." She commented with her head held high as she watched the fight with her arms crossed. She cringed slightly when she saw that Lazaryos was close to getting hit but she couldn't do anything without hitting him as well so when he blocked the hit she was relieved though she kept a straight face the whole time. "And you are?" She questioned in a mumble as the chameleon disappeared. "Sleezy, the lot of 'em." She walked over to where Lazaryos was standing. "Don't worry about it. It's just an empty threat. He probably couldn't kill you if you had your hands tied behind your back. It seems his fighting talent is only the crap that comes with the weapon and nothing more." She said to Lazaryos with a smirk. "We should probably get moving..."
-
Chrono rubbed his jaw as he got back up from being smashed in the face with a shield, and kicked to the sand below. "Seems to be a recurring theme of mages using cursed weapons, First my father, then that half-dead Alister, the chameleon, now you and this cat-woman. I have yet to see any 'normal' cursed weapon wielders, or any cursed armor!" He sheathed his swords and walked over to Dante before lifting him up again. "Is there any fire mages with a cursed chain-whip, or an ice mage with a ball and chain that I need knowing about?"
-
Dante accepted Chrono's help up, he was holding his own on standing up. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the cloth on it and removed it to see much blood and a dagger. "Now how did you get in there?" He mumbled before yanking the dagger out. "...So you three run into this sort of trouble often? Anyway...Before you run off...I think I need to tend to my wounds this time. I would appreciate it if you would allow me to heal you all. It would be the least I could to repay your kindness to a total stranger...Even if I almost died..." After saying that he made his way over to his cross which was near Vosur. He picked it up and rested it on his shoulder before walking a few steps away and impaling it into the ground. After that he sat down next to it and began to concentrate. "Now if you wish to take part, just sit around my cross, I'll take care of the rest."
-
Vosur relinquished the cross and stepped away from the group, only going a distance he felt was just far enough. "Sorry Padre, whatever wounds I have aren't serious now. I'll keep the scarring on my face as a reminder of yesterday... it's sort of a victory and defeat at the same time." he spoke as he calmly put away the card and sheathed his sword. "But as for you Lazaryos... it may be in your better interest to keep us informed on what lore you know of these cursed weapons. Such things might include: should we anticipate all cursed-weapon-bearers to be hostile to each other? If so, what weapons do they have and what powers to the weapons contain?"
-
Lazaryos sighed as he patted himself off, a little distracted by Ember being friendly with him now, but shook it out of his head before it developed into anything, "I've already told the others of the different Cursed Items, Knave. However, there is no way to predict who will be a bearer for the weapons and armor. But I can assure you, if not prior, we will see them all in Blue Crimson. There are some, like me, who are new to their weapons, and sometimes lose control of themselves at times. There are those who succumb to the weapon and are taken over by the curse. Others, like that cat-woman, have greater power than the weapons they bear, and have therefore mastered dominion over them. Those people have the power to remove the weapons themselves, but they always keep it to manipulate the power from the weapons, similar to Chrono's ancestors. And, of course, there's the Tear that hasn't had a recorded owner in centuries. Cursed Armors, there are only two sets, but I've read that they have absolute defense. The only way to kill armor bearers are to have a power level stronger than the armor's capacity. To put it simply, only defeated by those with immense power. As for Normals wielding any, I guess you'll have to wait and see if anyone's obtained one."
-
Ember smirked and shook her head in reaction to Chrono's question about a fire mage with a chain-whip. She turned to look back at the group to see Dante sitting next to his cross, waiting for them to join him to be healed. "No offense to you, but I don't want to be healed." She said, looking at Dante. Of course there was always the possibility that he would go behind her back and heal her while she was sleeping, but she expected that he wouldn't stoop that low.
-
Chrono sat down and drew lines in the sand, all of them images of a sword, shield, or even a simple 'drawing' of armor. "Can this wait until we're on rock? The worms and scorpions could show up and ruin all the healing that you would have put so much effort into..."
-
Dante sighed deeply, both his hands were glowing a light green. Instead of doing what he had planned, which would have been wasted if he only did it on himself, he put his hands together making only one glow after they separated. With that hand he reached to the wound behind his shoulder. The wound quickly began to heal, the tissue regenerated fast just by holding his hand there. Not even a scar was left. After that he stood up and hoisted his cross onto his back and looked at Vosur. He looked as if he was curious about something but dismissed it and turned towards the others. "I'll just have to heal them in their sleep or something..."
-
"Then let's go." he speaks to the others with his back to them, pulling his waterskin from off the back of his belt and taking a sip from it before re-securing it, looking down at his stomach just in time to hear it growl at him. "Either we get a move on or I go hunting to bag us something to eat. None of you would deny yourselves a free meal, or would you?" he said with a slight smirk as he turned back to the rest, adjusting the gear he was wearing for a more comfortable fit before his eyes went to Dante's. "Oh, and Padre? Mind if I have my overshirt back since you don't need it anymore?"
-
Lazaryos smirked at Vosur's mention of a free meal as they headed out and held up a large bag that he had been carrying on his back until they had went to bed the night prior. "You mean like the salted pork and fruits that they had last night? I managed to steal some off their tables not too long after Chrono and I got off the ropes with my brother. One of the Guild's members was trying to run off with it, so I kind of snatched it from him after Chrono killed him."
-
Ember followed after Lazaryos as they set out again and reached behind her into her bag. She pulled out an apple, her last one. Taking a bite, she surveyed their surroundings as they walked. She kept an eye out for the sand pits and others who were journeying for the Mana who might try to kill them. When she had spoken to Lazaryos and told him not to worry about the chameleon's threat, she hadn't thought she was being nice to him. In her eyes, she was just being sincere about a fighter's strength. It was a completely different thing to her.
-
Chrono sniffed the air as Lazaryos mentioned 'salted pork', and was right behind him as he finished the sentence. "I call the biggest piece since I helped you get the pork, and for all the times I hefted your heavy butt around!" He was almost hopping in place with anticipation of actually getting real meat after a journey of nothing but fruit and steamed insect.
-
Dante looked up and over to Lazaryos when he mentioned the salted pork which he stole. He remembered having a similar dish with him in which the guild had relieved from him the night before the group had woken him up just outside their encampment. He thought it wasn't possible to be his very same pork with the side of his favorite homemade spicy curry and sweetened honey rolls. The thought had made him more hungry then what he already was and pushed him passed the point of curiosity. "...What else is in that sack of yours...?" He said with almost a scowl as he tried to sniff the air to get an idea.
-
"Keep the pork. Next time we stop to set up camp, I'm going hunting. There probably won't be too many more hunting grounds from here on out, but I intend on making full use of them. Your food probably will last a long time anyways." he said as he shrugged his shoulders, pulling his waterskin off his belt again to take another sip, shaking it to get a feel on how much he had left. "We may need to consider stopping somewhere for drink as well, and don't tell me you have that in there too..." he spoke in a slightly joking tone. His nose twitched out of instinct, maybe due to seeing Dante sniff the air, but still he caught a fragrance that he thought he recognized only to shrug it off.
-
Lazaryos chuckled and continued to walk on. He pulled out a pear and tossed it to Vosur, "Here, Knave. At least take something to keep your stomach at bay. As for you, white one, I only stole fruits and the salted pork. The fruits won't last long, so we're eating those first. The pork will last, by far, longer. So you don't get any, hatchling, not yet." The day wore on, all of them except Vosur eating fruits from his stolen sack.
9 more days until Blue Crimson.
-
Ember continued to walk on with the group and stayed silent. Her eyes kept roaming the landscape, watching out for sand pits and other dangers as she walked. She took occasional bites from her apple as her eyes surveyed the area. When she was finished with the apple, she tossed the core into the sand then sucked on her fingers to get the sticky juices off of her fur or else it would irritate her.
-
Dante ate a bundle of grapes from the stolen sack of goodies as he walked closest to Lazaryos. "So, are you the leader of this little band of merry men and woman?" he said eating another grape. He looked about at the others taking in a particular "Sight" as he was slightly behind Ember. Though only for a moment, it made him uncomfortable considering he didn't particularly enjoy this woman, or the rest of this seemingly blood thirsty pack...
-
Vosur caught the pear in his right hand, tapping his index finger from his left hand on it. "Cooking pear..." he muttered before he tried to take a bite, the pear being a bit tough to take a big bite out it. He managed to sink his canine-teeth into it, but it was too hard to bite completely through it. After a bit of struggling to get his teeth out from the fruit, he runs his tongue along his teeth while keeping his mouth closed. "Sweet, definitely will need to figure out where this was grown and get a few to cook up a cobbler from this. Man, this reminds me of when I was a kid." he said with a slight laugh. "I'd always win at bobbing for apples."
-
Lazaryos continued to stroll with the others, with very little incident, only fighting a few bugs for the next 2 days. Near the end of the 2nd day, they were out of fruit and moved on to the salted pork. Lazaryos rationed it as much as he could so that it would last more than just the night. While the others sat by the fire that night, he walked off on his own. There was a familiar feline shadow near the treeline that they followed and he didn't bother to turn to it. "I'm surprised you haven't attacked me again. You know that the scythe controlled me in battle, and that it'll probably take over my consciousness like the other lightning user. You're from the Order, aren't you? Those who hunt the people unworthy enough to become mere vessels to their weapons?" The scythe shot to Lazaryos' hand by sliding down his arm, but it didn't budge as Lazaryos kept his cool and waited for a response.
"I'm merely an observer, a scout, if you will. The only reason I intervened was because of the skirmish. Your will and your heart are far from being taken over for the time-being so you are not a threat to life. However, the other one was. Those full possessed are now hunting other users to take their weapons as their own." "Yes, I've heard the rumor that the Tear will be granted to those who collect the other 15 Cursed Items. But that's merely a hare-brained rumor, nothing more. There are no records in history of such a thing being true. It's always been 1 weapon, 1 user. Any more than 1 will kill the one who obtains it, lest they be strong enough to have dominion over their first weapon." "Yes, it is true, but I am assigned to make sure you don't succumb, and to deal with it if you do. We of the Sakura Order are not participants of the Search for Mana. We merely maintain the order of life."
-
Ember didn't talk during those next two days. All she did was eat the food given to her, keep walking, and look out for threats. After they had made camp for the night, she sat Indian-style and close to the fire, her legs only a few inches from the base of the fire. When Lazaryos had walked off, she watched him, wondering what he was doing but not very concerned about it. Directing her eyes back to the fire in front of her and eating her piece of salted pork, she seemed to go into a trance as the fire in her eyes seemed to dance along with the campfire.
-
Dante laid on his side facing the fire with his head propped up with his hand. He was slowly nibbling on his piece of pork when Lazaryos had gotten up and walked away. He didn't really care so he went back to his food. He looked at his hand which was where a baby scorpion had pinched straight through it. It was already healed but he was a bit bored and no one really seemed to be talking. To him or in general.
-
During the first of the two following days, he tried to cook up the bugs they killed along the way, but the taste of it was so horrid that he went back to his idea of hunting at night, only two desert sparrows was all he could manage before going back. The second night however, he caught a familiar scent again, a little torn between following it or going on the hunt. After a mental struggle on this decision, he went on the hunt and fortunately had caught sight of a small group of savanna gazelles. He wasn't within range of his cards where he was currently, but he wanted to remain within ear-shot distance. Using just two of his cards, he took aim at the two of the largest in the herd and threw them. The first card hit high on the back of the neck of its target, causing the gazelle to fall into a spasm. The second one hit deeper into the neck from the side, causing its target to fall over completely paralyzed. The rest of the herd scattered when the two he hit went down, so he rushed in to kill and retrieve his prey before grabbing up his cards and then returning back to the camp. Upon his return, he caught sight of the source of the 'familiar scent', the feline with the naginata. "Next time we have guests, I'll be sure to bag a couple more." he spoke in a semi-playful tone to the group, venturing nearby to Dante before he starts setting up for a fire. "Padre, you and I are going to need a long talk... guess you could say it's been a while since I had a confession."
-
Lazaryos continued conversations with the cat for a few more minutes before she left and vanished. Though she was probably not too far away, Lazaryos took the time to relax a little. That wench probably won't protect them, but he was more afraid of her than the wildlife out here in the desert. The Order apparently was made of 6 members, almost governing and keeping track of the Cursed Items. There's still no word on what's to happen, but Lazaryos can only guess what will happen down the road. He trudged back over to the campsite and laid in the sand, but a bit closer to Ember, hoping she wouldn't mind. But no sooner did he do that did his mind remind him of what Ember had said to him, and his thoughts wandered into the perverse side of his mind, which had laid dormant his whole life.
-
By the time Vosur had come back, Ember had finished her piece of salted pork. When he mentioned guests, she looked confused before looking back at where Lazaryos was in the distance and trying to what else was there. She thought she saw an outline of a figure but she wasn't sure so she gave up and directed her attention back to the fire. When Lazaryos came back to the camp, she was waving her hand through the top of the flames. She didn't pay any mind to Lazaryos laying closer to her than normal and finally rolled out her sleeping mat then laid down on it, staying close to the fire.
-
"A confession, eh?" said Dante in response to Vosur. He looked at Lazaryos as he returned, he knew it was the cat from before he was with, he could smell her. "When ever you're ready. I'm an open book..." He sat up for a moment before standing to help Vosur with the gazelle he had carried over. He was trying to be helpful considering they all but refuse for him to heal them. It was the least he could do he told himself.
-
Vosur accepted the help to start preparing a meal from the hunt he bagged this evening. He began by preparing up the first gazelle for the fire while talking to Dante, first taking off his tinted glasses to look towards Dante as if to allow himself to be seen as he was. "I've been helped at least three times from what I can remember by those of the cloth. First time was not long after I was born, I was taken in by a monastery until I was old enough to learn how to make a living for myself. I still have no knowledge of what happened to my parents, but I was told my last name: Aekira. Second time, after I became an apprentice blacksmith/silversmith and eventually a blacksmith/silversmith myself, I was secretly betrothed to a kitsune fire-mage. The one who did it, did it in secret for both of our safeties and took a vow of silence for our behalf." he spoke out, working the gazelle on the fire he made and now starting to lightly rotisserie it while making the second one into strips to smoke the meat. He paused in his confession, mainly trying to force the words out now, but did continue on eventually: "Ever heard that such marriages are often referred to as 'cursed'? Well, because of how people on both sides of the Majicka, those having and those who don't have it, it became 'cursed' in their minds. My wife wanted me to become a mage somehow so that her father would give me his blessing, and the only way that was to be able to happen was to find the Mana. We did search for clues, but our searches drew attention, mainly from my father-in-law."
He stopped for a moment as he started to check the meat on the rotisserie, not quite done yet... so he went to prepping the skin into leather before he continued on. "Well, he was not happy at what his daughter had done, not recognizing our marriage and ignoring me when I approached him to speak to him, which led our decision to search for the Mana. He must've caught wind of this and it probably threw him into a fit that his own daughter wanted a normal to have such power. All she wanted was for her father to give me his blessing so we could've been a family..." Vosur quietly spoke on as he was alternating between checking the meat on the fire, checking the smoked meat, and preparing the leather from the gazelles. "Well, he definitely didn't approve of this and tried several times to convince his own daughter away from this decision, even still not acknowledging me in the process. His last decision I found out one day when I went to gather supplies for the smithy we had just built. Upon my return home, I had found my beloved Ruby near-death with Thieves Guild members nearby. They attacked and captured me, only to torture me as I saw my wife die in plain sight. He hired mercenaries to kill his own daughter and son-in-law just to keep their way of life going." He stopped the confession only to shift the meat that was smoking and the meat that was cooking around to prevent the rotisserie from burning before he continued on. "They figured they would leave me for dead in a sand pit-ant's trap, but something odd happened while I was being bitten. I could feel a bit of strength course through me and I eventually escaped from the trap. And here's to the last time I can remember: I was found nearby the church that Ruby and I went to as we were a couple... and it was by the same priest who performed the marriage. He almost didn't recognize me due to the scars on most of my body, my eye color had changed, and so had my tail and hair colors as well. But if it weren't for me speaking to him, he probably would've felt me as a stranger. He healed my wounds as he carried on his silence, his expression somewhat mournful. I could guess he got the news of my wife passing away." he muttered, his eyes locked on the fire.
"But now for the confession you wanted to hear, that fox-mage that we saw back in the Guild's camp? He was the one who told them to put me in the sand pit-ant's trap and had forced me to see my wife die. He was the first person I had revenge for. I never knew his name, but when I saw him again, I couldn't help myself but to want to kill him. He did die rather slowly and I probably antagonized his agony while he was breathing his last breaths. But that is not all, I have pondered on killing my beloved's father since he too may be involved in the search for the Mana... but I will definitely confront him to question why he chose to have his own daughter killed."
-
Lazaryos' mind hung in limbo as he ended up listening to Vosur's story. If it's not one sob story, it's another. Lazaryos didn't particularly care for others, with the exception of one female who has enchanted him. I'll just have to make sure I kill this bugger when we get to labyrinth, or else he'll attempt to remove the Mana permanently. It'll be a problem if he does that. Lazaryos kept his eyes closed and imagined what the labyrinth could possibly look like and how he might be able to kill off the damned pup before he had to a chance to destroy the Mana flower.
-
Ember half-listened to what Vosur was saying to Dante but trying not to because she didn't want to intrude. It was hard not to though when he was the only one talking. Other than that, the only sound was the fire crackling. She caught the name 'Ruby' in his story and remembered from the beginning of his story that this woman was a fire mage. "Guess that's why he calls me Ruby. Must remind him of her since I'm a fire mage too." She thought as she laid there looking up at the stars. She figured his story would be sad to her if she had ever had that kind of relationship with someone, but it didn't have as much impact on her since she hadn't.
-
Dante listened to Vosur as he talked and did his various things with the gazelle. He didn't help with most of the bigger things cause he wasn't sure on how to do a lot of it. "I was raised to believe every life is precious. In a similar situation I too might have felt the way you did and done what you did. But you still killed someone, extinguished someone's life. A living person who is the same as you and I, living life, though having made negative choices. In the eyes of the one all things are forgivable, so I cannot think less of you for one fault." After Dante spoke, he thought of his reason for going after The Mana, the selfish desire to be able to feel. "Tell me, does it feel good?...The wind. Blowing through your hair." he said a bit softly looking up to the sky.
-
He ended up staring into the fire for a bit, snapping out of it when he was asked about the wind. "It can be gentle at times and it can be painful at times. The light, feathery touch of the breeze or the stinging touch of a sand-riddled storm. The soothing feel of a light rain-shower or a hot-spring soak is a lot better though." he said with a chuckle before he used the tip of his card to check the meat. "Looks like the food's done. Be sure to leave the strips to smoke, we'll need'em later on." he spoke as he cut a piece of the gazelle off for himself, almost juggling a bit as he was burning his hands. "It is hot, be careful."
-
Lazaryos sighed as the two got on with eating, "Murder is murder, pup. With every life you take, a part of your soul seems to tear apart. There's no sugar-coating such a thing. You live with the blood on your hands to your grave and beyond, when you pass into the Spirit Realm. It then makes your heart mundane, in which it leads to more killing, that then leads to a blood-lust that will never be quenched. Death is a sickness, and you've only dug your own grave for spilling any at all. Anyways, get to sleep. We're leaving at daybreak. We must make it to Blue Crimson as soon as possible. I'm not going to be dawdling here. If you're not up by the time Ember, the hatchling and I are, we're leaving without you."
-
Ember looked at her hands while Lazaryos spoke. She imagined layers upon layers of blood on her hands from all of the deaths she has dealt. From her expression that could be seen in the glow of the fire, she didn't look bothered by it, merely curious. Her hands suddenly felt kind of heavy so she lowered them and rest them on her stomach and closed her eyes. She smirked when Lazaryos mentioned that they'd leave without the other two. It seemed he really didn't care to have them in their group.
-
Chrono had also looked at his claws, and blood was dripping out of the openings in the gauntlets. Wow, hope thats just imaginary... He tried to 'dry' his hands by pushing them into the sand, then pulled them back out so fast that it almost threatened to put out the fire from the spray of sand. He crossed his arms and slept on his side to cover up any blood that he might actually have on his hands.
-
Dante didn't need to look at his hands he knew what was or was not on them. He didn't care about what Lazaryos had said, his explanation didn't interest him. Lying down he thought about what Vosur had said about the wind as he looked at the sky again. Vosur was probably the only one Dante cared about, the others seemed like blood thirsty monsters to him. They all so carelessly threw away life as if it were nothing without a single thought. It sickened him.
-
"I already know that, 'old man'." he retorted to Lazaryo's notion of murder being murder no matter how it was put. "Being a mercenary means you do have to kill people from time to time if the job calls for it, but I only chose any job of that nature that would give me information. I was mostly a spy and bodyguard type, but there were times that I required to take a life that I regret. But it did get me this far." he noted, using his card to cut himself smaller pieces from what he had to chew on before swallowing the piece he ate. "I will find out whether or not my 'father-in-law' is searching for this power as well. If he is, I will stop him and deal with him on my own. I only hope I don't need to do something I regret between me and him."
-
Lazaryos didn't give another thought or care to Vosur and went to sleep. His dreams plagued him with scenes of Ember in what his mind cooked up to be what the labyrinth looked like. Within the dream, he watched as various monsters surrounded the group. They then began to tear away at each team member, leaving him and Ember left. Lazaryos watched as they then began tearing away at Ember's clothes first, and then at her flesh. He tried to cast spells and tried to move, but he wasn't able to. Lazaryos didn't realize until this point, but in this dream, he was merely a head, he was already dead. Lazaryos awoke immediately, cold sweat coursing through all over his body and under his fur. What the hell was that?
-
Ember kept her eyes closed as she coaxed the fire back up with her majicka after the spray of sand caused it to reduce dramatically. She listened what Vosur said but didn't respond to it because she didn't think it was something that he needed a response on from her. As she absorbed the heat from the fire, she slowly fell asleep. For once, she had no dreams or nightmares. When she awoke the next morning, she was fully rested as she sat up and stretched her arms above her head which simultaneously stretched her wings.
-
The dream from before started right where it left off, and the blinding light faded to reveal his uncle lying on the ground in an unconsious and rather roughed up state. He was in a crater with rock fragments scattered everywhere, and his father simply laughed as he strode his way towards his uncle. "Your power, though formidable in its own right, has only delayed your demise my former kin." Chrono's sister was trying to keep her legs from wobbling as she held Chrono like her own son, trying to shield his eyes and ears from their father's wrath.
Chrono's father put a foot on his now defenceless brother, and with a gleam of bloodlust and a grin of madness, plunged his hand into the unarmored chest of Chrono's uncle. There was no sign of pain as his uncle was still recovering from the spell, but it was obvious that his end was coming as the hand of the Tri'Malis Clan's leader was now pulling out a blueish energy from his brother and sending it right to his cursed eye. With no magic to fuel his life-span, Chrono saw his uncle's body rapidly wither away into flaking scales and hollow bone before turning entirely into ash.
His father stood there for a moment either contemplating over his brother's demise, or the new strength he had gained from draining a mage. Chrono couldn't decipher either, as he quickly awoke to the 'sight' of his father suddenly snapping his head towards his direction. He kept turning his head around to see if he was in danger, but saw only his 'allies' whom had woken only slightly earlier than himself.
-
Dante couldn't sleep much, after lying motionless for the better half of what seemed to be an hour he got to his feet almost like a robot. Once up he walked a little ways away from the campfire, just out of the light. He thought about various things, Vosur's story, why he was going for the Mana, and maybe rethinking what he desired. After awhile of thinking he started cracking various joints on his body, bending backwards to crack his back, popping his knuckles and various other things you would probably avoid out of the sheer pain it would cause. He didn't flinch or make any other noise, the only thing you could hear was the popping and cracking.
-
Listless as always, Vosur was border-lining between planes of consciousness before he started hearing popping sounds, instinctively getting up and grabbing hold of the hilt of his sword with his left hand. Upon seeing it was Dante moving about, he grumbled a bit as he sat back down, cutting off another piece of the gazelle to eat on it as he started to watch the sun rise. "Great... sleepless as always." he muttered as he started to put his shades on, finishing up the rest of the piece he had before he started to cut off pieces and put them on one of the hides he had set to use for leather. By the time the others were starting to wake, he finished up cutting the cooked gazelle and set it all on the skin before he 'bagged' it up, then went over to where the smoked strips were and started to do the same. "And... there. This should hold a couple of days worth of food." he spoke as he tied up the two bags to make them easier to carry, then started to dig a bit in the sand to bury any trace of the campfire and last night's meal other than what he had prepped to carry with them.
-
Lazaryos got up after staring off into nothingness for a few minutes, his mind having ran all over the place in no feasible order, nor any real sense. When he snapped to and stood up, he merely nudged Ember and motioned her to move, while using his foot to nudge Chrono as they all head up north. Lazaryos' mind still wandered, but he was still conscious enough to make his directional decisions and be aware of his surroundings.
-
When Lazaryos nudged Ember, she looked up at him before moving and rolling up her sleeping mat, attaching it to her bag once again. She slung the bag over her shoulders as she stood up then stretched her legs by moving up onto her tiptoes before she followed after Lazaryos. As she walked, she untied her ponytail then ran her fingers through her hair to comb it out before retying it into a ponytail.
-
Chrono sighed as he felt the "fat" tiger's foot push against his body, getting up and shaking his hips to get any stray grains to fall off. He reached out for nothing while stretching his shoulder muscles, then snapped his arms back to flourish with his sword before sheathing it again and keeping as the rear-guard of the group. "We gonna run into more camps on our travels, or is the Blue Crimson just a sudden blood orgy?"
-
After he got everything to go, he pulled out enough pieces of the cooked-gazelle for everyone and started to hand them out before he re-closed the bag to sling both makeshift food-bags over his shoulder. "I know it's not exactly a home-cooked meal, but at least it'll do in a pinch, and I'll bet one of us has been rather anxious to get hold of honest-to-goodness meat." he spoke, hinting at Chrono. He only stopped for a moment after the distribution, sniffing the air. "Scent of wild-flowers..." he muttered before snapping out of it and getting with the rest of the group as he carried his food.
-
Lazaryos didn't look back at Chrono and just kept going as he talked, "Those who don't have the sufficient payment for the Thieves Guild end up either dead or late. The Pilgrimage, for all warriors and Mages, takes longer. Your father's one of the late ones, but people like him who can afford it, are already there. It'll be more than just a blood orgy... It'll be a scene from Hell. There's no way of describing it, but I've heard it makes walking through the midnight streets of Brisbain look like a princess' room."
-
Ember took the piece of meat when Vosur handed it to her. "Thanks." She muttered but was actually sincere. Putting the meat in a pocket in her bag to save it for later, she continued to walk with the group. She listened to Lazaryos as he spoke and imagined at the scene at Blue Crimson. She also wondered how many more people she was going to fry along the way.
-
Chrono's eyes sparkled as he began to drool over the meat that was handed to him. He mouthed a prayer, and also a few words of thanks towards Vosur before biting down on the gazelle meat. It didn't taste like it was seasoned, but it was still delicious to his carnivorus nature. He was nearly on the verge of tears as he also started gnawing on the bone that held together the meat. How long has it been, days, months, almost a year?!
-
Dante thanked Vosur when he was handed some meat. Tearing a small piece of it and sticking it in his mouth he put away the rest. He chewed on the piece in his mouth intentionally not swallowing to savor the flavor and give him something to do. He grabbed his crass and put it on his back, which almost made him fall backwards. It had been a short while since he had to carry it and the thing weighed a large amount. But he soon got used to it again and walked on with the others.
-
"Heh, since you like it that much, you might enjoy more of it if you were to come hunting with me." he joked to Chrono, reaching a hand back behind Dante as he started to see him stagger backwards. "Easy there, Padre. You've been out for a while." His nose was twitching for a while as they wandered on as the scent of wild-flowers got stronger in their traveling. "So, Lazaryos... what is up with that feline? She seems like she's on a mission for something, not just out for blood or even just to try to kill all other Cursed Weapon bearers."
-
Lazaryos scoffed at the mention of the feline, "That sour old wench is out for blood, alright. But it's something else. She's part of an ancient society that has always been rumored to keep the peace and balance of power within the world. Though I have yet to ever see any peace and any balance of power, I'm not the least bit interested in their own definition of it. It's called the Order of Light. They have been known throughout history as the guardian angels of the people. Their power is immense, powerful enough to be called 'worthy' to wield their Cursed Items, powerful enough to discard their weapons as they please and control them, not the other way around. I don't know what they're after, but blood is definitely on the menu."
-
Ember couldn't help but laugh at how ravenous Chrono was with the piece of meat he was given. It wasn't really surprising though since they hadn't had "real" meals for quite some time, not to mention meat. She listened as Vosur asked about the feline and Lazaryos gave his response. She scoffed at the mention of her Order keeping peace and balance and also at them so powerful. It wasn't because she didn't think it was true, she just thought that it was completely stupid.
-
Chrono was hardly paying attention to the noise going on around him as he spent the rest of his walking time chewing on the bone. For him, everything seemed to be looking up ever since they left the 'Bandit Forest' and were heading closer and closer to their goal with little issues beyond a single fight between cursed weapon users. I wonder if we'll be fighting on grassy plains, that would be an awesome setting for the Blue Crimson...
-
Once again Dante found himself thanking Vosur. He got used to the weight of of his cross again and walked normally. He still chewed on the meat for a while before finally swallowing it. He thought if he should get another piece or not to chew on. He didn't really bother. He was lazily looking about the scenery as they walked, listening barely to what Vosur and Lazaryos had been talking about. Ember seemed quite amused about how Chrono had ravaged his portion of meat and what the two had said. It didn't exactly interest him. "So what lies in wait for us at Blue Crimson, Tiger? You seem to be a knowledgeable person, surely you know."
-
Vosur looked up to the sky to see it start to darken due to the setting sun. "Alright, who's up for seconds on food? I've still got plenty of the roasted meat and got smoked meat as well if any of you are hungry." he spoke out, shifting the two bags in front of himself as he tried to hold both of them with one hand and reach into one of them to grab out a piece for himself with the other to eat on it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see movement and the scent he was catching still seemed to bother him, but he tried to not let on to his observations just yet. "Let's see, looks like we have enough for everyone to have one more piece before we move onto the smoked meat."
-
Lazaryos sighed as they trudged along, "All I know is that we're in for a big blood bath by the time we get there. From the old tomes I've dived into for the last few decades, people have described the battlefield as a see of black sand, said to have been burnt in permanently from the millions, if not billions, of lives that had been lost there for so many thousands of years. I can't say what we'll see, exactly, but from what I've heard in the last few days, it might not be anywhere close to what the old tomes have described..."
-
Ember pulled the first piece of meat Vosur had given her from the pocket she had put it in on her bag. "All set." She responded to Vosur when he offered out seconds. She took a bite of the meat, tearing a part off with her very sharp teeth. As she chewed the piece she had bitten off, she listened to Lazaryos describe what the scene at Blue Crimson might look like.
-
Chrono pulled the bone out of his mouth when the mage spoke of the land they would fight on. "'black sand, said to have been burnt in permanently from the millions, if not billions, of lives'? I wasn't aware that raw majicka had the properties of fire. But I guess nobody who survived the entire Crimson would still be sane enough for a logical description." He put the bone back in his mouth and started to chew again, his mind periodically sketching out such a landscape.
-
Vosur put away the rest of the meat except for one piece which he held in a bite while retying and slinging the bags over his shoulder as they kept moving, shrugging a silent response to the rest of the group as he started to eat again, his stomach growling to his eating. Every now and then, after he swallowed one of his bites of course, he would glance about with his eyes to the scenery around them, his eyes scanning for movement primarily but he tried to keep them peeled for anything else out of the ordinary. Finishing up his food, he switched the food-bags to his right hand as he put his left-hand on the hilt of his sword in getting ready to draw it. "Looks like we've got company. Be on your toes."
-
The scythe slid down to Lazaryos' hand immediately, vibrating violently. "(censored)! It's another one of 'them'!" No sooner did he say that, did the sand in front of the group explode and a figure jumped out of the cloud. Lazaryos braced himself as the person charged him while he was shielding his eyes, knocking him back into Chrono and Vosur. He grunted as he got up, trying to peer through the large cloud of sand that didn't seem to want to settle. Several whip-like shadows shot through the cloud, and Lazaryos quickly raised the scythe, still getting struck on the side, but felt a serrated edge, as it cut right through the edge of his ribs and through his cloak. Lazaryos jumped out of his cloak and landed off to the side as the whip-like shadows receded back into the cloud. There, standing before the group, was a Normal wearing magic-resistant armor with the seal on the corner of the chest that signified that it was magically imbued with resistance. Lazaryos readied himself, but found it odd that he couldn't see any kind of weapons on the human's person. Then what the hell was that earlier?
-
Ember spun to her right smoothly, evading the whip-like shadow that came at her. She focused on the attacker again after she did her full spin and readied herself for a fight. As she examined the attacker, she recognized the armor they were wearing. "[Censored]..." She muttered under her breath. She could fight hand to hand but she felt like she would be completely useless against their attacker without using majicka when fighting against the shadow whips.
-
Chrono felt a little rush when he saw another armored normal, almost forgetting to keep a distance from the lashing shadows. "Cursed armor, not really what I'd want, but its better than going into the Blue Crimson with a bare chest" he half-mumbled as he unsheathed his swords and waited for either an attack or for the person to adopt a stance.
-
Dante was finishing off his portion of meat when the sand exploded in front of them. He saw Lazaryos fly into Chrono and Vosur, he was going to offer assistance but he got to his feet fairly quickly. He saw the shadowy tendrils shoot from the thick cloud of sand and smoke and put his cross in front of him as a shield. When the smoke cleared he looked at the person's armor. It was clear he was a normal. "That armor...Damn...If he's a normal then...Where'd that magic come from...? Is there someone else hiding? Is it the armor? Grr...I'll likely have to get in this. Being one of the close ranged fighters. I'll wait 'til Vosur or the dragon heads in and back them up. I hope I don't have to...I don't like fighting."
-
Even though he was barreled into by Lazaryos, he hand-sprung back up quickly to see the attacker. "I bet that armor would be useful if it didn't come with such a high price." he said with a smirk, shaking some of the sand out of his hair, clothes, and tail as he got back into a ready to counterattack position. He didn't even try to pick up the bags with the food again as the fight was more prominent in his mind than keeping hold of the food. His right hand grabbed a card from out of his pouch, ready to throw it in case if another barrage of shadows came to them again as he set his sights on the armor-wearing individual.
-
Lazaryos rushed over and charged the man, brandishing the scythe. The man merely smiled and reached behind his back and pulled out a sword, matching it to the scythe. Lazaryos stopped just a little short so the blade struck the pole of the scythe and used it to push the sword away from him. He was about to swing the scythe's blade down, when the sword's blade proceeded to separate into links and struck Lazaryos in the shoulder. Lazaryos let out a growl as he jumped back, trying to gain his bearings, but the man laughed as the blade retracted and he thrusted it towards Lazaryos, shooting the blade out again, but this time, similar blades emerged from the man's arm and whipped towards Lazaryos. Holy....
-
Ember watched what played out between Lazaryos and the attacker, trying to figure out just what she could do as she shoved the piece of meat she had started to eat back into the pocket on her bag. "What the HELL is going on?! She yelled in her head. She couldn't figure out how the guy was doing what he was with his weapons, if they were specially made or something or maybe something to do with the armor. "What I'm about to do is extremely stupid and pointless..." She thought as she charged up for an attack. "But maybe it will help save his skin somehow..." As she finished her thoughts, she sent a large fireball at the attacker.
-
Chrono growled as he jumped right into the path of the blades, and knocked them all away while using his own body to push the last blade away. He got away with only a small cut where he pressed his body, and some exhaustion from those fast parries. "If you die, how the hell are we getting through the Crimson?!" Chrono barked at Lazaryos before getting in a stance ment for multiple opponents. A chain blade and magical armor, would probably take some doing to get the sword away from him...
He understood that the armor, or at least something under the armor, was creating all of these blades and that the sword was a more pressing issue than the armor.
-
The fireball impacted against the man's arm enough that the cut on Chrono wasn't deep, just moved enough to be just a minor scratch. The mysterious man laughed as he lowered his hand, the extra blades receding back into this skin and the one he was holding returning to look like a normal one. He raised his other hand, and pointed at Lazaryos before rotating his finger and gesturing for him to come at the man.
-
Dante watched the fighting, thinking on what to do to help. "He shoots blades from his skin? Creepy...There's no way I can get close enough to hit him with my fists...The only thing that would help is to just clobber him with my cross, but even then...He can shoot those blades so quickly I'd be cut to pieces. I got it..." Dante took his cross onto his back again and ran far left in hopes to get behind the man so he could try getting close enough to hit a pressure point from behind.
-
The man's eyes turned to Ember, who's fireball had deterred his sure kill, and whipped his sword arm around, sending the sword and 5 other blades from inside his arm towards her like serpents attacking their prey.
-
He observed the situation, not sure when to attack due to Dante getting between himself and the armor-wearing attacker, so he put away the card to quickly unbelt the sword-and-sheath set to take a better counter-offensive stance. Reacting to seeing him attacking Ember, he ran in and reached an uppercut-strike to knock away the blades before he resheathed the sword to resume his stance as he jumped backwards to give himself more reaction time. "Anyone who uses spells, keep your distance and save your energy. All you'll do is make him attack you." he spoke out to the others. "That armor has to have weak points in it somewhere, but you would have to get close enough to strike them. I can't see any at the moment and the way those blades extend makes it hard for me to get a good throw in."
-
Lazaryos took the opportunity, as the blades were retracting, to make a surprise attack on the human. However, the man's left arm swung over in his direction and five other blades emerged from that arm and headed for Lazaryos. As a reaction, the scythe took control of Lazaryos' body and spun the scythe, striking the tips of the blades to diverge them of their course, and rushed in. Got you now, you sonova.... The man finally turned his head to Lazaryos' direction, the maniacal smile bigger than before, as the deflected blades turned around and headed straight for Lazaryos' back...
-
Ember was glad that Vosur blocked the attack heading for her but she growled at what he said afterward. "But if he's attacking me, it's giving someone else a shot to attack him!" She snapped at him. She saw the blades headed for Lazaryos' back and snarled. She sent a fireball at the blades to deflect them from their target. After she threw the fireball, she started to walk to the right around the armored human, waiting expectantly for an attack that she would need to dodge.
-
Chrono was making his way towards the area that Lazaryos had attacked, and was going to time his swing to be just a second after Ember's to see if her idea was true.Hopefully this guy is really that cocky to think he can deflect three people with just one-directional defense, or we'll need the kind of teamwork our truce shouldn't be able to pull off...
-
The man frowned a bit dramatically as his blades were knocked from their course again. The deflected blades retracted and re-emerge, 4 towards Chrono and Lazaryos, and 2 towards Ember.
-
Ember ran towards the blades that came at her. "I'm not just going to sit back and do nothing!" She declared quickly then went into a slide along the sand just in time to evade the blades. She swung her legs around in an attempt to knock the Normal off his feet, quickly rolling away afterward. After she rolled, she swiftly got up and distanced herself from the Normal once again.
-
The kick didn't knock the man off his balance, but it was enough to deter his other arm's attack. Lazaryos took the opportunity and used the scythe to pave his way, sliding it against the blades. The man whipped his other hand around, but it stopped short, meeting the butt of the scythe. At this point, the scythe had already taken over his body, and took the sword arm, twisted it, and tried the push the sword into it's user's neck. However, the human was more than vigilant to try to keep the blade from being pushed into himself. "I can use some help here!"
-
"That girl's going to get herself killed..." he muttered as he dashed around to try to keep himself out of direct line-of-sight of the Cursed Armor-bearer while he was looking for an opening to attack or a weak-point in the armor to try to fling a card-blade. Upon seeing Lazaryos locking blades with the human, he rushed the human to try to see if he could end the battle quickly, unsheathing his sword and making one slash to the only weak-point he could see in the armor: between the helmet and the chest-plate.
-
The human smiled, seeing Vosur rush to try to take advantage of the lock. "I was hoping you would fall for that." He relaxed his muscles and let Lazaryos drive his blade into his own neck. As Vosur's blade reached his neck, the hilt and handle of the sword rotated on the man's neck and blocked the blade. Lazaryos backed out fast, pulling Vosur with him, as the hilt sank into the man's neck and whip-sword blades emerged from his body almost everywhere, even through his armour. "Come! I will bathe in your blood and take your weapon! I WILL have immortality!"
-
Dante was coming at the man from behind when he shot out the blades from all over. He was cut in a few places but didn't notice. It seemed like no one saw him coming and it gave him a perfect chance to strike. He grabbed onto the man's neck from behind and put him in a choke hold. His intention was merely to subdue him without killing him. But it could also be mistaken as him holding him still for an attack by the others.
-
The man felt the tug and let loose a couple blades from his neck and nicked through the edges of Dante's hands, causing some fairly high levels of bleeding. He then removed his chest armor since Dante didn't seem to let go, so he could let the blades loose from his body.
-
"This guy is insane...and not in a good way..." Ember thought to herself after the human's exclamation. Once she saw the chest armor get removed in response to Dante not releasing the human, a grin moved over her face. "Idiot..." She quickly sent a fireball at the human's chest, being sure not aim where Dante's arms were in case he still didn't let go and had reestablished his grip or something.
-
The blades quickly deterred from Dante and wrapped around his arm, almost forming a gauntlet. The man used his new gauntlet arm and swatted the fireball away and then did a flip onto his back, landing on top of Dante with enough force to make him let go. He then got up onto his feet and rushed to Ember, only to be kicked from the side from Lazaryos, who fell back onto his rear with a large pound onto the ground. Lazaryos growled a bit. "(censored) dammit!!"
-
When the man landed on Dante the wind was kinda forced out of him. He got up to chase after him when he went for Ember. He watched Lazaryos try to stop him and fail. Once close enough he jumped and grabbed his legs with the intention to trip him. In reality he tripped his self otherwise he would have tried again to put him in a choke hold. Dante was bleeding more and more over the course of the battle only just realizing it. Hopefully he actually tripped him s he didn't get to Ember.
-
The man stumbled a bit from the impact from Lazaryos, and went the rest of the way with Dante's grip, leaving him completely exposed for 2 seconds.
-
In the midst of the battle, he tried to pursue after the armored individual, almost tripping on Dante along the way due to his position. When Dante had tripped up the human, he rushed in to try to pin down one arm with his foot while he unsheathed his sword to place the blade to the man's neck. "Stay down and you won't be harmed, try to fight and you lose your head." he spoke. "Now what is it with you and wanting to fight us? Why don't you go find another Bearer to go fight?"
-
The man laughed, "You really don't learn, do you?" The hilt of the sword that had been driven into his throat then swung around the surface of the skin and knocked Vosur's sword away. Lazaryos staggered over as the blades around the man's other arm receded and began to emerge from the one that Vosur was holding. He made a run and knocked Vosur back in time, as blades shot out of the man's arm, and all went right through Lazaryo's torso. Lazaryos roared in extreme pain as the blades lifted him higher. The man laughed as he stood up, "It seems I will be the first to obtain a second weapon. I see your scythe already releasing the bond and slipping from your hands." Lazaryos grunted as he quickly grabbed the scythe, but it didn't seem to want to stay in his grip. He grunted as he made one final heave and threw the scythe in a spiral at the laughing man, and it ran through his chest, missing the heart, but enough to throw him off balance and wretch in pain, the blades quickly trying to recede, pulling out of Lazaryos.
-
Ember gasped slightly when Lazaryos knocked Vosur out of the way and ended up getting stuck with the blades, not having expected it. Her expression went back to the usual serious/determined one that she wore when fighting. She threw a fireball at the human which then split into two fireballs, both of them headed toward his chest but came in on opposite sides of attack, one from the right and one from the left.
-
The man took the hits, unable to regain his footing to dodge or block. The impact threw him back off his feet and onto his back, but his landing was cushioned as the blades shot out of his back and left him suspended just a mere couple inches off the ground, the scythe still sticking out of his chest. His arms staggered as he tried to pull the weapon out of his chest.
-
Chrono felt like he spent enough time just seeing how his armor works, and figured that he would be in less danger since some of the tentacle-blades held him in the air. His sudden thirst for battle re-kindled the magic markings on his body as he ran towards the partially armored man at an almost unnatural speed for someone of his build. He jumped on the man and attempted to stomp on his left arm so his own sword was more likely to reach the target that the scythe had missed.
-
At this point, the man's skin turned a very dark gray, like a charred body, and the blades on one of his arms receded and came out the other, right through Chrono's foot, and caught the blade, just inches from his heart.
-
Dante didn't expect Lazaryos to be stabbed, or Chrono. He refused to kill the man, it wasn't in him, he crawled on top of to once again try and strangle him into unconsciousness. Hopefully it'd work this time and the fight would be over, he figured the others couldn't refuse medical treatment which also made him know he needed to live. At the very least he would bleed on him. He was likely going to get stabbed, and probably looked like an idiot, along with getting in the way.
-
Ember rolled her eyes at Dante's attempt to subdue the human and not kill him. "You have got to be kidding me..." She groaned as she moved closer. "If you do it that way, he's just going to wake up eventually and come after us again." As she stood there next to Chrono, she raised her left hand, readying to burn their enemy. "Anybody else want to do this, or do I have to?"
-
He wasn't knocked very far away, but it did make him go off balance to the point where it took him a moment to recover before he could charge back into the fray. "When he dies, don't touch the armor!" he called out as he charged in again to deliver a kill-stroke with Chrono, hoping to make sure that the others would separate themselves from the Cursed Armor-bearer. "You don't want that madness to consume you as well!" were the last words he called out to the others as he swung his blade, aiming for the side of the neck of the human to deliver attempt a quick-kill and yet intentionally making the strike from the side to avoid the others in the process.
-
The feline from their last encounter jumped in out of nowhere and kicked Dante aside just before blades shot out of his neck. She swung the naginata around, the blade flashing a powerful white, and severed the blade that went through Chrono's foot and ran the blade into the man's neck. Vosur's blade struck down on top of that, giving the naginata enough additional force to run right through, killing the man. The hilt on the man's neck began to inch out, and she grabbed it, wrapping it in a rune-covered cloth. "It was the sword. Someone who's been possessed by the armour can't remove it like he did. You might want to tend to the others, particularly the tiger. I'm going to say that he has about 2 minutes to live." She then grabbed the scythe and wrapped it just like the sword and stuffed them both into a large satchel. "My job here is done. Your friend is free from his curse and that's one more weak vessel to rid from this stupid rumor."
-
Ember moved out of the way when she saw the feline coming. She was glad that Lazaryos was rid of that wretched scythe and also glad the human was done away with. "See." She said, looking over at Dante who had been kicked aside. "It's not that hard." She pulled the piece of meat she had been eating before the battle out of the pocket on her bag and tore a section from it then gestured to Lazaryos. "You might want to really hustle and heal him though." She remarked while chewing the meat in her mouth. "We still need him around."
-
Chrono gently tugged and pulled the tentacle loose so the blades wouldn't pull out more flesh as it scrapped against the insides of his foot. He hopped himself over to a small hill of sand so he could keep his foot out of the sand. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the hole was not as big as he thought, nor did it hurt nearly as much as he thought it would. "I can wait, the blood flow seems to have slowed down..." Soon after he spoke the markings on his body started to fade, and he let out a rather high screech of pain.
-
Dante recovered from the feline's kick quick enough to see the man killed. He was upset about it but had more pressing matters to attend to. Those being Lazaryos. He was upset with Ember too about her snide comment and her blatant disregard for life. He said nothing, got up, grabbed his cross and made his way quickly to Lazaryos. The thought of just leaving him to die crossed his mind, it would just be putting another killer back on the planet. But if he did, he would be no better. He wedged his cross into the ground next to Lazaryos as he was lying there and knelt down beside him. He put his hands together for a moment and pulled them apart, they began to glow a pale green color. Dante then began to move them slowly over the more serious wounds in his torso. It was likely very painful due to the extensive injury. The wound slowly began to close up under his hands, the flesh stitching itself back together under Dante's hands. Once finished here Dante would likely offer the others another chance to be healed, he too needed healing but his injuries weren't as life threatening. Several minutes had passed with Dante continuously healing Lazaryos' sever injury. He finished it up and stopped, leaving his more minor injuries. He then dragged him closer to his cross and sat him against it then sat on the other side of it himself. "If you were injured sit down with me..." He sounded a bit glum and looked down as he spoke.
-
Vosur was reeling for a moment from what had just happened, turning his back away from most of the group to swipe the air ritualistically to sling off any blood that was on his blade, then resheathed the weapon and belted it before he started to dig a hole nearby human in the sand, just making it large enough to completely bury the body before he pushed both parts of the body into the makeshift grave and starting to cover it up. By this point, he was a little worn out from the fight and the digging, but he didn't stop until the body was completely buried and then he almost slumped into a sitting position nearby as he was breathing heavily. "Even a maddened soul like yours deserves some respect of the dead..." he managed to speak out to the grave before his breathing started to calm down and getting up again to go find the food bags he was carrying.
-
Lazaryos let out loud roars of pain as Dante healed him. It was indeed exceptionally painful, the most painful thing in his life. Even being run through by 7 whip swords and them yanking out of him wasn't as painful as this. However, in a matter of a minute, he went straight into shock and passed out. In his mind's eye, all his saw were images of Ember and her image fading away each time she turned to look at him.
-
Ember jumped slightly when Chrono let out a screech of pain out of the blue, not expecting it since he had been talking so calmly. She finished eating the piece of meat while she watched as Dante healed Lazaryos. His roars of pain hurt her ears but she also felt a twinge of pain because of it that wasn't in her ears. She checked herself out when Dante said to sit with him if any of them were injured but her only injury was the wound in her shoulder from the arrow from their run-in with the Guild. Unwrapping her shoulder, she burned the cloth then took another scrap of cloth out of her bag and re-wrapped her shoulder.
-
Chrono was finally able to move his body after the build-up of suppressed pain finally faded. He was able to get back on his un-injured foot and hop his way over to the cross and simply falling on his butt while keeping his damaged foot into the air. He was hardly registering Lazaryos' screams, letting his mind put together the information on cursed weapons, and also seeing if what the cat did to her cursed weapons had applied to Lazaryos' knowledge of cursed weapons.
Well, the cursed weapons require a strong spirit to remain dominant, and if the 'Tear' of legend truly tests those for the will to dominate... Then it would make some logical sense for someone that has control over all the weapons to be seen as a candidate for the 'tear'. But, the feat alone is so maddening that its probably not worth the power/immortality in the long-run. Well, theres definatly a chance if the user has aquired Mana. Eh~ I'm overthinking this, these nut-jobs can't even control themselves once they get the weapons. I seriously doubt they have the ability to put two and two together and focus on the Mana rather than wayward cursed-weapon weilders. He was about to continue his thought process when the pain in his foot flared as the wind blew over the opening.
-
Dante put his hands together and began to concentrate. Soon enough his cross began to emanate a light green aura which slowly grew larger creating a dome around the three near the cross. Inside the dome of light everyone's wounds were slowly healing, the pain was merely that of being stuck with a needle, aside from Chrono's foot. It felt as if it were dipped in lava. But after a time the hole slowly closed, leaving nothing but what was originally there. Same as for Lazaryos, no scars, the fur even grew back. After a few minutes he pulled his hands apart causing the dome to dissipate. After which he let out a deep breath and slumped over tired. That was largest spell he used in some time.
-
He looked back on the group as they were being healed, keeping an eye out for any more attackers. "Sorry Padre, in this case it was either him or one of us... and who knows how many lives he has taken and would probably continue to take if he got hold of that scythe." he spoke with a shrug before he saw Dante slump over from exhaustion. Instinct would've made him rush in, but he definitely saw Dante breathing, which reassured him and allowed him to keep his ground. "Guess we're not going to get too far like this. It would be better if we start moving about at night time instead of during the day to conserve water."
-
Ember watched as Dante healed the three of them with little interest. The idea of waiting around longer until they could get moving again didn't sit well with her because she was feeling restless but she knew there was nothing she could do about it. As a way to keep herself moving, she started to walk in wide circles around the group. As she walked she surveyed their surroundings and watched out for anyone or anything that might try to attack them.
-
Chrono grabbed his foot when he felt the intense pain, gritting his teeth to keep from letting out another screech. Luckily, the pain ended as the hole that was previously the center of his foot was now repaired and didn't even scar like he expected a healing spell to do. He put his foot down and let out a sigh as the spell did nothing to fix the hole in his boot, only fix what would have usually been a crippling injury. "Remind me to get self-repairing armor after this is over, this hole is going to be a future annoyance when blood starts flying everywhere."
-
Dante got up, dusting himself off and stretching. "I don't think anyone has the right to take the life of another...There was another way...I just couldn't see it in time..." He grabbed Lazaryos and hoisted him up over his shoulder, doing the same with his cross after. He held Lazaryos over his left shoulder while holding his cross as if it were a bat over his right shoulder. The spell took a bit out of him but nothing too much to carry the two heavy things. Dante may look weak but he was actually quite strong, which was becoming visible due to his muscular physique starting to show. He was normally more careless and casual, but he saw now he was going to have to be more serious as they got closer to the Mana.
-
"I wish that were true, but I can't possibly risk that type of thinking yet." he said with an exhaled sigh as he slung the bags over his shoulders. "If that cat-woman and he were right about these Cursed Weapons and he would've gotten it, then I don't think we would've fared very well even if that cat-woman were helping us further than what she did. Who knows how long he's had that armor and how much control it had over his mind?" He had stopped speaking, going through the battle over and over in his mind as he started to walk with them. "You are not at fault and you did what you could to try to allow him to live. Even I tried to get a peaceful resolution to this, but he did not wish for it to end that way. And so I figure a quick death would keep us alive."
-
Lazaryos groaned as he came to, just being able to hear Vosur's little speech, "It wasn't his armor that was cursed. It was that bloody whip sword of his. Like that chameleon lightning Mage we've fought twice already, he's completely consumed by his weapon." He tried to move, but all his muscles were sore, especially his entire torso. (Long string of curses and profanities that will make a sailor's ears bleed.)
-
Ember's circling stopped when Dante decided not to follow Vosur's advice and instead picked up Lazaryos and started to walk onward. Walking at the head of the group, she surveyed their surroundings. She rolled her eyes when Vosur mentioned the armor and it controlling the human's mind when the feline had already said that it was the sword, if it hadn't been proof already when the human had removed the top piece of the armor when Cursed Weapons couldn't be removed. When Lazaryos came to and reiterated that it was the sword, she chuckled to herself.
-
Chrono just watched the scene before him, then looked at Lazaryos. "So, the scythe is gone. Now all that remains is for 'fat-cat' here to get a new staff or get good at shooting lightning from his fingertips. That, or we can continue to lick our wounds and contemplate why we can't seem to get an edge until that fur-ball shows up and turns the tide." Chrono picked up the pace and was now at the front of the group, conveniently forgetting about the armor he could have obtained from the dead normal's body...
-
Dante listened to Lazaryos' moans of pain, figuring it was from him trying to move. "Yeah, you should probably not try to move...You're going to be sore for awhile." "And how about showing a little gratitude for saving your life! Hmmmm!?" he said shaking him on his shoulder. "At least Vosur said thanks and I only fixed his sprained ankle, ahahahahaha!" Dante seemed more carefree all of a sudden. But it was all a well played act as he wanted to hide his depressed attitude.
-
He gave a dog-like grumbling at being corrected, still having gone it over and over in his mind as the weapons the human was using seemed to come from the armor in the recollection. But hearing upon Dante's referral to his gratitude during the fight with the guild, he stopped and gave a slight smirk. "Well, it's probably less than a lack of gratitude than he's hurting worse than he's ever felt before in his life. I remember my first experience with healing spells, although I was glad to recover so quickly with it, they did have new priests to learn how to heal using me that day." he said in a slight laugh. "But Chrono is right, we may have a problem if you can't use your spells easily without your staff or a proper replacement. I may not know exactly what constitutes a good staff useful for your power, but I have heard that the wrong materials or wrong construct hinders the power or causes it to backfire if the mage isn't too careful." Vosur spoke in a curious tone to Lazaryos, tilting his head to the side as he was somewhat lost in thought, though his eyes didn't leave the direction they were going. "So among the group the Guild was guiding, was there a mage with a staff that you might be able to use?"
-
Lazaryos sighed as he listened to Vosur, ignoring Chrono's snide comments, "I technically don't need the staff, it was more for looks anyways. What's really important is that someone go back and grab my topaz. I remember it sliding out of the scythe before I threw it and lost consciousness. You may not know it, kid, but a Mage only uses a staff as a convenience. It's the gem they carry of their affinity that matters. So any volunteers on heading back to get my topaz?"
-
Ember examined the ruby in her staff while both Chrono and Vosur spoke, though she rolled her eyes at the "shoot lightning from his fingertips" comment. "Shows what normals know..." When Lazaryos started his response, she finally took her eyes off of the ruby. "I'll do it." She responded to Lazaryos' question of who would go back and get his topaz then turned on her heel and headed back in the direction they came from.
Ten minutes later, she came back to the group as they were still walking. Her left arm was swinging at her side with the topaz in her hand. "Got it." She said and tossed the topaz in the air, catching it again in her left hand when it came back down.
-
He looked as Ember left to retrieve the gem, continuing the walk with the others until she caught up with them, which her sudden catch-up made him react by putting his hand on the hilt of his sword, then relaxing upon seeing her again. "Well, guess that settles the issue of how well you'll be able to do in a fight, but hopefully we'll find a staff that will fit this jewel so it'll be easier on you." he said as he turned to Lazaryos, then glanced towards Ember to let her know he was talking to her before turning back to make sure he didn't run into anyone or anything in the process of speaking. "And as for your look to us before you went to retrieve the topaz... Fair enough. My wife didn't exactly teach me much behind Majicka. Ruby didn't start to think about me learning to use it until her father refused to give me his blessing with the statement of 'when this Normal can use Majicka will I accept him into our family'. The lessons she had been taught speak of only one time where a normal held Majicka, and that was with the use of Mana. So yes, I am ignorant of some of the basic lessons you Mages have been taught, but it is not by choice." he ultimately admitted, running his fingertips to wipe a bit of sweat from his cheek, feeling the scars from their fight with the Guild.
-
Lazaryos nodded a thanks to Ember as she handed him his topaz. He sighed as he was carried the rest of the day. Lazaryos had closed his eyes and let himself rest, hopefully giving his body enough of his energy to heal up. He wasn't the least bit happy with each time that he emerged to consciousness, feeling exceptionally sore all over, but he would just close his eyes again and fall out of consciousness. The final time he awoke was the next morning. Lazaryos stretched a bit and groaned as he pulled the topaz out of his cloak. Damned healing Mage, laying me on my back with my topaz running up my ass.
-
Ember had handed Lazaryos his topaz with a nod in response to his thank-you nod. When Vosur glanced at her, she caught his look so she paid attention. As he started to explain why he didn't understand much a magic-users, she listened, surprised that he had seen her roll her eyes before but not bothered that he had. She nodded while still walking after he finished speaking. She understood that he just hadn't been taught about magic-users but it didn't make a good excuse in her opinion. She hadn't been taught about how Normals were but she still knew that some at least had basic fighting skills and weren't just idiots who got through fights with dumb luck. Surveying their surroundings, she continued to look out for threats as she resumed her spot walking at the front of the group.
-
Chrono listened to Vosur, slowing down just a little so he could hear him better, then returned to his normal distance after it was quiet again. It took awhile for him to realize the difference between his clan and practically every other mage in existance. "If majicka is a part of the body, then why is it so hard to have your hands weave the element? Its not that much more dangerous than using a gem that could explode if something went wrong..."
-
Dante was still fast asleep when morning rolled around, he had to be the hardest sleeper know to man. He was also difficult to wake considering you couldn't just slap the crap out of him. It would probably take a bit of shouting in his ear or other loud noises to get him up. As he was laying there he rolled over and began cuddling with his cross as it too was lying next to him as he slept. To top it all off he was drooling too.
-
When they had set up camp, he passed around the remaining pieces of the cooked meat and went out to go hunt as he had done every dusk so far. The results of this hunt was rather meager due to the terrain, only managing to catch enough desert owls for everyone to have two each, but they were young ones. He returned back to camp to clean and smoke the owls as he was anticipating the hunting to become more and more scarce along the way, no longer resorting to cooking them regularly as he tried to preserve them as best as he could. His sleep was as restless as ever, being one of the last to fall asleep and one of the first to be woken up.
-
When they set up camp, Ember rolled out her sleeping mat as usual. She laid down on it with her bag under her head as a pillow. She fell asleep rather quickly since she had walked more than anyone by going back to get Lazaryos' topaz. The next morning, she woke up at around the same time that Lazaryos was groaning. When she got up, she rolled up her mat again and attached it to her bag. She glanced over seeing that Vosur was up then looked at Dante and remembered how difficult it was to wake him up. A smile crept up on her face as she walked over to Dante where he was cuddling with his cross. When she reached him, she crouched down and proceeded to cover his nose with her hand so he couldn't breathe through it, believing that it would be the easiest way to wake him up.
-
When he went to the camp, Chrono sat down, and casually looked around for any weapons just sticking out of the ground. It seemed a crazy idea to himself, which is why he kept repeating to himself: Just because it seems crazy, does not mean it can't happen! until he went to sleep from his vigilance failing him. Upon waking he noticed Ember attempting to wake the cleric by cutting off the air supply to his nose. It almost seemed to work except that since the cleric didn't feel that much in pain when being stabbed or slashed, how could he 'know' if he needs to breathe?
-
When Ember put her hand over Dante's nose it was about a minute until he choked and gasped for air. He also snored a bit before waking up. He then sat up, not really noticing Ember was next to him preventing him from breathing. After sitting up he yawned, stretched and rubbed his eyes. "G'morning..." he mumbled. Dante yawned again and looked around, spotting Ember next to him. He looked at her for a moment and then to where he was lying down. He was curious as to why she was where he was sleeping, before he could think of a more logical reason he turned back to Ember and said "Were you sleeping with me?"
-
Vosur had fully packed up when he saw Ember wake up Dante, somewhat-hesitant and yet at-the-ready when he saw her cover his nose. The way Dante awoke made him slightly laugh though, relaxing his stance as he looked up to the fire mage and started to pack up the food in preparation to get on the move again. "Think fast!" he called out to Ember and Dante, tossing them a smoked desert owl each. "It won't do us any good if you don't have anything to eat." He then turned towards Chrono and Lazaryos, tossing them both a smoked desert-owl each as well. "Last night's hunt didn't go so well, so I may end up with an empty bag before we set up camp again."
-
Lazaryos' eyes flared at Dante's question and lightning sparked from his arm and he shot a stream of bolts straight into Dante's body. He may not be able to feel it, but Lazaryos was happy enough to watch that body involuntarily twitch and spasm. Lazaryos then made his way out from the group huddle and walked up ahead a bit and looked at his hands. That's right. I nearly died the other day. Free from that damned curse. He looked up a bit, not really looking, but still asked aloud. "What's become of the scythe and our little friend?"
-
Ember had pulled her hand away when Dante finally choked and gasped for air, the smirk still on her face. The smirk didn't last long though because of Dante's question. As soon as he asked if she had been sleeping with him, her expression turned to one of utter disgust. As if on cue, Lazaryos shot the lightning into Dante's body. She glanced at Lazaryos who had already made his way out of the group then barely glanced toward Vosur before catching both owls that were tossed at them. Finally she looked back at Dante. "Are you kidding me? Why would I sleep with you?" She scoffed. "I was just doing what I believed to be the easiest way to wake you up, cutting off your oxygen. It's better than hollering at you and attracting unwanted attention." She dropped one of the owls on him then turned and walked away toward Lazaryos, tearing a big bite out of the owl with her sharp teeth before stuffing the rest of it into her bag.
-
Chrono caught the owl in his left hand, and tearing off little bits while looking completely unconcerned for what was going on. "The cat ran off with the scythe and sword, and the body is rotting in a hole that Vosur dug. Anything more and you'll have to ask the fire mage or cleric." Chrono started streching his legs and swinging his arms about as he waited for everyone to get up.
-
Dante didn't see the attack from Lazaryos, rather just get hit. He twitched and fell back over, smoking slightly as Ember dropped the owl on him. "Eugh..." he blurted out along with a puff of smoke. "I think a rain storm is coming!" he said shooting back up. A bit of residual lightning was still buzzing about on his hand before it faded. He coughed again before noticing the owl. Ember had walked off and he didn't hear what she had said, clearly that is.
-
Vosur gave Lazaryos a death-like glare, not letting Dante in on what he just saw happen. "Hey Padre... you may want to eat up and we better get a move on before anything else happens. " he spoke to him before slinging the two bags of food onto his shoulders to start up the journey again. He was rather angry at seeing the lightning mage attack the cleric for a reason that did not seem worth the effort to hurt someone else, but since Dante did not seem to notice it as an attack he figured it would be best to not mention it yet.
-
Lazaryos felt Vosur's glare and merely scoffed as he kicked his owl over to the cleric. "You can have mine. I'm not in the mood." He really didn't give a left or right about the kid or what he thought about him, so he just left it at that. Only a couple more days, and it's Hell on earth once more. Lazaryos did watch his pace, however, to let Ember just be a step behind him, the blood draining from his brain from his thoughts of her.
-
Ember pulled the owl out of her bag again and tore a large chunk off with her teeth before shoving it back into her bag where it would stay until lunchtime. She remained one step behind Lazaryos and slightly to his right. As she walked she tore the hunk of meat in half with her teeth and chewed on the half that remained in her mouth then swallowed. After she was done with the first half of the hunk of meat, she put the other half in her mouth and chew on it as well then swallowed it. Continuing to walk, she looked around them just in case there were any threats nearby.
-
The cleric could hear a "Yoink" as Chrono picked up the sand covered owl meat and brushed off the sand keeping it on hand as he was going to finish his first serving. "Given our track record tiger mage, its probably best of you eat at least half of it..." He half-yelled, even though he was very tempted to eat both of them himself. He finished his portion, then left the bone in his mouth to gnaw on while waiting on the mage to make up his mind.
-
Dante hopped up grabbing his owl before doing so. He took a nibble then a large bite out of it. Leaving the rest in his he sauntered over behind Chrono and tickled him in the ribs. "Goochy goo!" he said the best he could with the owl in his mouth. He laughed too and grabbed the owl back. He took the one in his mouth out and held one each in his hands. "I think this is ample payment for saving his life!" he said with a fake seriousness, but he was clearly playing around. "Besides, this is delicious! Ahahaha!" He took another bite of his and went to retrieve his cross.
-
Vosur managed to see Chrono's and Dante's antics since he had to force himself to slow down to put him in the back of the group every once in a while. He couldn't help but snicker at the two acting like kids, even though they knew of the serious events that would unfold when they finally reached their destination. He kept up the walk with the rest of them, intentionally trying to keep himself from speeding up ahead of the group as his tendency was to move fast. Every now and then though, he would get distracted with something he could see off in the distance, a different type of terrain.
-
Lazaryos scoffed at Chrono's comment and pulled the last of the salted pork from the night they escaped and tore it apart in his mouth. "When you get to my age, hatchling, you'll learn a thing or two about what your body can or cannot do, as well as knowing how to survive." He sighed and enjoyed the rest of the day with Ember by his side, and his mind wandering. Lazaryos did, on occasion, stumble a bit in his step, his body still recovering.
-
Ember walked along at a normal pace, keeping her spot slightly behind and to the right of Lazaryos. She remained quiet as she walked along and kept an eye out for any threats around them. Whenever Lazaryos would stumble, she had to resist an urge to reach forward and make sure he didn't fall over. She didn't understand why she felt like she needed to make sure he was okay and slightly shook her head at the idea of actually caring about him.
-
Chrono's chuckle could be heard above the grinding of the sand against his lower armor. "When I get to your age, I'll either be six feet under, the next recipient of Mana, or the leader of the Tri'Malis clan. When I've reached either of the two latter points the only way to go from there, is up. Now for the Blue Crimson, exactly how do you plan on crossing a war-zone?"
-
Lazaryos ignored the dragon for his ignorant comment making fun of his age. Being only 31, it bothered him a little, but not much, since Tigers have always been mistaken for well over their real ages. With each passing day, he limped less and less, but his fuse became shorter and shorter with the constant sun beaming down on them. He was near his limit 3 days later, only 2 days away from Blue Crimson, the moon in the area already glowing red at night. However, the biggest was what was lying in wait for them that night.
-
Ember kept to herself for the next three days as they continued their journey. The sun didn't bother her, she loved the heat of it. Plus, it made her feel even stronger than usual when it was beating down on her. The moon glowing red interested her a bit just because it was something different to look at for a change. She knew how close they were to Blue Crimson and it made her think even more about how their whole journey would end.
-
Chrono constantly strayed from the group for the past three days, looking for a two-handed sword or a battle axe. His searches seemed to ebb away his optimism as he constantly came up with only broken handles or shattered blades. Eventually he just gave up and got in front of Lazaryos since Ember had him covered from the back. When he noticed the moon was red, it seemed to excite him enough to make his tattoos glow and once again strengthen his body to almost superhuman levels.
-
Dante complained about the heat as the days went on. when the red mooned night came he relaxed a short distance from the group looking up at it while lying down. "Almost there...What am I going to do when I get there? I mean...My goal seems selfish the more I think about it. And the others...Terrible things are bound to happen if they get the Mana...Even Vosur...More people will die as the result. But...If I get the Mana...Maybe I can become powerful enough to stop everything? No one will die then...I have to think of a way to dispatch of the others without killing them...I think I got it..."
-
He continued on with the group during the day, stopping with them then they set up camp and going to get his usual hunting in. Also, when the chance arose, he managed to refill his waterskin at an oasis along the way, making sure to keep a close check on the food and water supplies while he was moving along with them. He tried to not think of how it would end, who would be the most likely to get to the Mana, but it did weigh on his mind on who among the group was most worth to receive it. Vosur didn't even know why Dante was looking for it, but he had risked his own life to save the others, and just that show of selflessness was nearing in making him abandon the mission... but there were others outside of their group that were trying to get to it first, so he could not abandon the task given to him.
-
That night, after Lazaryos set the fire and laid back against one of the trees on the treeline between the long forested area around the Enchanted River and the rest of the desert. He'd been very irritable these last few days, but something was really out of the ordinary that made him more restless than ever. Lazaryos tried to keep his mind occupied by staring at Ember's behind as she was laying on her mat. His attention was finally taken away when his fur began to stand up on end. Shit! He dove out towards the first as the sound of lightning cracking filled the air as the tree he was leaning on was cut right through, alongside those around him. The all-too familiar chameleon walked out through the falling trees.
-
Ember had been laying on her stomach on her sleeping mat watching the fire when Lazaryos dove toward it suddenly. She immediately sprang up from the ground when she saw him doing this and heard the sound of the crack of lightning in the air. After getting to her feet, she saw multiple trees split in half by the lightning and go crashing toward the ground as the familiar chameleon appeared. Quickly, she dove out of the way of one half of a tree that fell toward her then got to her feet again, ready to fight.
-
Chrono was once again looking for a weapon as Lazaryos made the fire, and came back once again not getting a single weapon. He joined Ember in watching the fire, starting to have more flashbacks going off in his head since he had no person or thing he could focus on without feeling awkward or uneasy. Luckily his boredom was cured as he heard the crack of lightning and lifted his head up and turned a little to the left to see the chameleon mage from earlier. "None of us have a cursed item, why is he still bothering us?!" He got up and drew his blade, unaware of his still-glowing tattoos.
-
Dante was still lying a ways from the group when he heard the commotion. He got up and looked towards it, he was a little ways from them, he hoped to sneak up on what ever was going on. He grabbed his and stealthily crept over, when he saw the chameleon he ran up like an idiot ruining his element of surprise. "Hyyyyyah!" he shouted swinging his cross at him. His efforts were likely to fail but he wasn't the best planner of things.
-
He had recently gotten back from a hunt when he saw the flash of light from the lightning striking a tree near the camp. Dropping the catch and rushing in to check on the others, he almost skidded to a halt in the soft soil, noticing the chameleon. He knew that the chameleon would most likely be distracted with Dante's attack, so he tried to move around behind the chameleon's field of view or as well as he could due to the light coming from the flaming tree. He'd probably have the best chance out of the whole group to avoid detection due to his black-clothing in the shadows of the night scenery, though his hair and his tail would be dead give-aways if they were to show. As he closed the distance between himself and the chameleon, he pulled his sword and sheath off his belt with his right hand and put his hand on the hilt as he prepared to strike the chameleon from behind, but as silently as he possibly could.
-
The Chameleon parried the cross with minimal effort and kicked him back. The sword then moved on its own accord and blocked Vosur's attack with lightning sparking from the blade and transferring to through Vosur's blade, into Vosur. Lazaryos took the opportunity and clenched his fist hard and simulated throwing a ball, sending a blade of lightning towards the chameleon. It was a bit weird not having a staff, having to channel his Majicka through the topaz in his other hand, and then re-channeling it back through his body to the attacking hand, so it was barely enough to push at the chameleon's back.
-
Ember watched what everyone else did as attacks and shook her head at Dante's attack. She would have actually laughed at it, but she didn't have the time. She charged up the ruby in her staff then sent about six fire boomerangs at the chameleon. As the fire boomerangs flew at their target from different directions, she prepared another attack as a long "rope" of fire started coming out from her ruby. The fire whip was about ten feet long and she began whipping it around to get accustomed to it since she hadn't used this move in quite some time and made sure to avoid hitting anyone on her "team".
-
The chameleon scoffed at the mere hit and kicked Vosur aside, swinging the blade with a long trail of lightning to deflect the fireballs, but was frustrated and angered when it was strung up by the fire-whip.
-
Ember smirked when she caught the chameleon's sword in her fire-whip. She hadn't expected to catch the chameleon up in it but to have it as more of a distraction so the result kind of surprised her. Since she had the chameleon's sword caught up though, she tugged hard in one direction. She thought that maybe if she got him off-balance then maybe somebody could take that opportunity to take him down.
-
The chameleon used the pull to launch himself up towards her, reaching out as he landed and grabbed Ember by the throat. He clenched hard and picked her up by her neck. "Sorry, my dear, but I kill indiscriminately. Say goodbye."
-
It took him a few moments to recover from the shock, only to get kicked aside so easily. "Mpf, can't do a direct attack with that blade guarding him..." he muttered to himself, seeing the chameleon tug Ember towards himself and lift her up off the ground. He knew he didn't have much time and this chance would only present itself once in a lifetime. Grabbing three of the venom-coated cards from his pouch, he stood himself upright as he took aim, one card for the wrist holding Ember, one card aiming for the hips, and the last aiming for the ribs. Shaking a little of the electricity off, he took his aim and let them fly towards their aimed destinations.
-
The first card hit the chameleon's wrist, dead center, causing him to drop Ember, and pull it out, while the others hit his armor, as they protected him again with his arms back down, his lower rib and belly no longer exposed. He looked at the card he pulled out of his wrist and immediately collapsed after a couple more seconds, "You son of a bitch." Lazaryos took the opportunity and jumped on top of the chameleon to pin him and pressed an open hand on the chameleon's throat in anger for his attempt on Ember's life, Majicka already charging and lightning visible. "You really are stupid aren't you?" The sword arm quickly swung up, aiming to impale Lazaryos' arm, but stopped short, hitting a field of lightning. "No, hatchling, you are." However, the more he charged his Majicka, the intensity from the sword increased, "You know that the curse will always protect the host until at death." Lazaryos grunted as he redirected Majicka to his shield, trying to keep his arm, "Chrono, get off your ass and help out!"
-
Chrono stopped giving off a glow as his tattoos faded from being too listless during the fight. Yet he was able to regain his awareness when he heard Lazaryos yell again. "Finally, something other than 'hatchling'!!" He grabbed the handle with both hands while seeming to charge straight towards the chameleon, only to hop into its blind-spot and strike for the head.
-
The chameleon's sword glowed bright and shot Lazaryos off of him, and swung around to block Chrono's strike. The sword then laid flat onto his chest and then shocked the chameleon to sit upright. The sword dug into the ground to help him get up. It then glowed as it swung upward towards Chrono, lightning trailing behind it. "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU ALL DO! YOU CANNOT KILL ME!"
-
Chrono retaliated by swatting the sword away by hitting the side of the blade with his own, by then the tattoos had come back and some of the mana went into his sword. It kept his blade from being damaged by the lightning, as well as put some extra kick into the swing. The moment the blade moved away Chrono adjusted his hands to have his right hand push the sword down after his left hand turned it to have the blade face the chameleon.
-
The lightning from the blade coursed through Chrono's arm and forced his body to seize up before the blade reached the chameleon. He then finally got up and picked Chrono up, throwing him towards the oncoming Dante. He then turned his blade towards Vosur, extending the blade's length in a horizontal slash.
-
Dante didn't expect to have a hatchling thrown at him like a rock. He barely avoided the hit by freezing up actually, he was shocked enough to get caught off guard resulting in him to trip over himself. Dante counted his blessings as Chrono soared over him. He got back up to see the chameleon going at Vosur and charged at him again. He saw that Vosur's venomous cards had rendered him useless, but the sword kept him going still. He figured trying to hit pressure points would prove useless, anything short of taking the chameleon's arm off would prove useless if Dante were going to not kill him. With that in mind, Dante went for his arm in attempts to break it.
-
The cross smashed the chameleon's fingers, but it didn't stop his arm from swinging. Since the cursed weapon stuck to its user, it was pointless, but it did stop the attack on Vosur. With his other hand, the chameleon punched Dante hard enough to rattle his brains, but instead of proceeding with another attack, he slowly backed up. Lazaryos ran an open palm down into the sand and a lightning net rose up and trapped the chameleon in. "You think this will hold ME?!" Lazaryos growled, "If it'll release your soul from that damned thing. You still have a conscience, I can tell." "You don't know shit! What? You think you're better just because you're free of yours? You and I are alike. You WILL be begging for that power again. You'll see. The power's what you crave. You need it. We all do." The field warped and covered the sword, absorbing the Majicka. The sword then struck the ground and let out a large flash of light, blinding everyone. When Lazaryos' vision returned, the chameleon was gone.
-
When the chameleon had grabbed a hold of Ember's neck, she hadn't expected it. She had grabbed his hand with both of her's and tried to pry his hand off her throat while simultaneously swinging her legs to attempt to kick him in the stomach. Her attempts didn't work though and when the chameleon released his grip from being hit in the wrist with one of Vosur's cards, she landed on the ground her knees. She immediately went onto her hands as well and started coughing and gasping for air. Her vision had been blurry when she looked over to see Lazaryos on top of the chameleon, strangling him. She had looked back down at the ground as she continued to try to get her breath back and her vision to straighten out. By the time she looked up again, the fight was already over and the chameleon was gone. Flopping down onto her side, she then rolled onto her back, sprawled out on the ground. Her eyes started to get to their usual brightness again as she laid there. "Thank...you..." She said, meaning it for Vosur. It sounded like it was painful for her to say it, but no one would be sure whether it was because of the lack of oxygen & soreness of her throat from it being squeezed or because she just wasn't used thanking people/being helped.
-
Chrono could have imagined more humilating ways of being treated as he soared through the air, but none of them came to mind until he made contact with the sand and blacked out. Thankfully he was only in the sand for a few moments between his launch and the chameleon's vanishing act, and pushed himself out of the sand while snorting out the last bits of sand in his nose. He had issues regaining his footing but was still able to stand while keeping his composure. "I'll be amazed if we kill a single wild dragon at the pace we're going at..." His eyes were half-open and briefly displayed his annoyed, perhaps even jaded, attitude as he stuck his sword in the sand to keep from falling over.
-
Dante had fallen to the ground from the blow, if he could feel pain he'd have known he had one helluva headache. But he just sat there in a bit of a daze as the chameleon vanished. He closed his eyes when the flash happened and fell over backwards rubbing his eyes. "I'm blind!" He opened his eyes after a moment and looked up at the sky. He just remained lying there, he didn't really feel like moving. The only thing he did manage to do was feel around to see if he was bleeding anywhere.
-
Vosur had readied a second set of cards when Dante intervened to stop the chameleon's attack. "Thanks Padre!" he called out, rearing back his hand before Lazaryos caught up the chameleon and then his flash escape. His glasses made the light more tolerable, but he still had to shield his eyes with his hand, moving his hand out of the way to see that their adversary had escaped. "Crap. He's going to be a handful." he muttered as he put away the cards he had out. He looked about, noticing the food he dropped off from the hunt and decided to start making his way towards it. Noticing Ember recovering from the hold, he gave her a nod with a "You're welcome." in a quiet manner before he went on to go get the food.
-
Lazaryos growled at the flash and let out a more rumbling one when he found that the chameleon left, "Bloody twat. He'd choose that damned life of hell instead of trying to help himself." He was very disgruntled, but his legs brought him over to where Ember was. Lazaryos knelt down and wrapped an arm around her, slowly raising her up, giving her time to catch her breath. "Just think of this as preparing for Blue Crimson. We've got only a couple days left."
-
Ember was surprised to feel an arm around her lifting her up and even more surprised that the arm belonged to Lazaryos. That surprise might have shown slightly in her eyes but it wasn't extremely apparent. She didn't struggle against him and just let him help her up. "Yeah, but unfortunately," She coughed slightly then continued. "Fire doesn't do so well without oxygen." She chuckled but it was half-hearted because what she was saying was the truth. Fire couldn't survive without oxygen so if someone cut off her oxygen supply, she couldn't use her majick to burn them to get them to let go because she wouldn't be able to make fire.
-
Chrono kept his opinion to himself since he really didn't want Lazaryos to start calling him 'hatchling' again. Listen to this mage, 'a couple of days'?! Everytime we get in a fight, we get tired and have to take a rest and our travels are delayed by more and more hours! Not to mention we got thrown off course several times during our escapes from giant insects and almost never-ending bandits! His tattoos threatened to appear again, but he sighed just early enough to keep it from turning him into a draconian light-show.
-
As Dante was lying there he thought on how he could dispatch of the others without killing them. "Maybe I could talk to Vosur...? He has those cards...They seem a viable non-lethal method...And once they're all immobile I could bound them...Though Vosur would still be in my way...Well...I might be able to reason with him...If it comes down to it, a one on one fight will be much more contained...Not to mention easier...I think my biggest concern would be the tiger...I wish I had it in me to just let him die." In his mind he shrugged. "Hmm....How to let Vosur know? I should join him when he goes hunting next...Maybe he lost the food he gathered previously...That would be perfect."
-
Vosur went gathered up the bags of food that he had from the hunt. Noticing that one of the bags was nearly empty, he gave a deep growl as he looked to the others and took notice to the distance they were from the food. "No, they couldn't have gotten to it. They were all too busy with the chameleon. I don't think 'he' had that much time to get this much from me. So we may have ourselves another individual following us." he muttered, closing up the bags and slinging both bags over one shoulder due to the smaller amount of food he had between both bags. He ventured over to Dante and extended his free-hand to try to help Dante up. "C'mon, we've got to get going. We have a lot of catching up to do, thanks to this chameleon."
-
Lazaryos sighed, "Just be lucky that he attacked at night instead of during the day. We'll leave an hour later tomorrow so that we can stay energized for the day's hike, but any later, we leave you behind." Lazaryos shook his head and laid back down and closed his eyes, but didn't sleep as heavily as he's been doing the last couple weeks. All be damned if he would be jumped after being so close to Blue Crimson.
-
When Lazaryos laid down, Ember became kind of confused and irritated. "Why help me up if we're just going to stay here anyway?" She thought to herself. Slowly, she knelt down on the ground and took her bag off. She took the sleeping mat off of her bag and rolled it out on the ground. After that was done, she put the bag where her head would be for a pillow and rotated her left arm to test her shoulder. She looked under the bandage and determined that it was okay to take the piece of cloth off, so she did so and shoved the piece of cloth back into the bag. Finally she laid down on her back onto the sleeping mat with her head on her bag and closed her eyes.
-
Chrono almost got too far ahead of the group since he was paying more attention to his own thoughts than the world around him, again. "Wait, we're stopping because the one who kept ignoring his own bleeding is too tired?!" He made an effort to walk back and go kick the cleric's leg, but stopped halfway and plopped down with only his two arms stopping his torso from hitting the sand. "Just how the (censored) did we make it this far? Buckets of luck?"
-
Dante accepted Vosur's hand up and got pulled to his feet. "Catching up? For what?" he asked, not getting it. "Is he talking about going hunting with him? Wow, wouldn't that be perfect. I should think about things more often. Hmm...Pretty Collie girls!" He looked around for a moment, as if he were looking for something or someone but stopped not seeing it. "Damn. I guess that was my only shot...And I blew it. Oh well..."
-
Vosur gave an exhausted sigh after he helped Dante to his feet, catching wind of Lazaryos's decision. "I'm not fond of the idea of sticking around where my enemies know where I'm at. That's why I was wanting to get on the move now. Also during that fight, I somehow managed to lose most of the food from the hunt, between the dried gazelle and what's left, I'd say it'd last us a couple of days if we meter it out and not hunt at all. I don't intend on stopping my hunting, but it's starting to get meager with me doing this by myself." he spoke. "I don't know the way, but the tiger was right about one thing: we have competition and we don't need to wait around longer than we have to."
-
Lazaryos sighed as he did his best to help Ember get onto her mat, "Take it easy. We don't need you getting yourself hurt anymore, especially since the healer is still messed up in the head from the fight." He shook his head and slapped himself in the face, What the hell is wrong with you, you bloody sod? Since when do you give a damn about someone?
-
Ember was getting more confused by the minute. Some people wanted to stop and rest, others wanted to keep moving onward. That messed her up enough without adding on Lazaryos helping her out and seeming to care about her welfare. "Must have lost more oxygen to my brain than I thought..." She mumbled softly to herself with her eyes still shut. She had no interest in keeping up their journey tonight and thought it'd be better to continue in the morning, but that was just her since the strangling had taken a lot out of her. Now she just wanted to go to sleep.
-
Chrono pulled out his sword and stuck the flat side towards his crotch and used the handle as something to keep his eyes from losing focus as he looked up at the sky. "My dad, before he found out I wasn't worth a fraction of the ground I stood on, used to tell me that real power was when you could make "sky-forged stone stream down to smite thine enemies". Probably thought I could do the same since I was the only child that actually looked like him, twenty-two years later I'm the abomination of my clan..."
-
"So...Let's go hunting then! Come on, pal! Ahahahah!" Dante threw his arm around Vosur and forcing him to walk with him in any random direction. He wanted to get far enough away from the others before asking him anything, but he didn't really know how to start the conversation. "Hmm...How am I going to do this? Want to help me take out the others? Even then...If he agrees...OH ALSO I NEED YOU TO STOP GOING FOR THE MANA KTHXBAI! This is going to be tough..." He looked like he had something on his mind.
-
He stopped Dante before he started to lead him astray. "No, no... this way." he spoke as he started to lead Dante to where he had in mind. "I may be part-human, but I'm part-wolf also. I know where the best areas to go hunt." said with a smile, tapping on his nose, his expression going serious as he started sniffing. "You may also not like what you see since it can get pretty gruesome. I sometimes have to clean on-the-spot since the weight is often a factor in how much I can carry back in the hunt." He made sure his sword was secure to his hips before he got a couple of his non-coated cards out, his red-irised eyes seeming to lock on something in the distance. "Crouch down slowly and we'll approach very cautiously. If I do this right, we could have two gazelle for dinner."
-
Lazaryos didn't think much as the night wore on, though it was nice to have a full meal for the first time in a long time. Two more days... two more bloody days before I get close to unlimited power. He slept that night, the same visions coming into his mind's eye, the sight of himself killing his party, including Ember, and basking in the Mana's source of unlimited Majicka, reining over the world of fire birthed from his powerful lightning. Lazaryos awoke from that nightmare in a cold sweat. He's cold, but not cruel, and what he's been seeing for the last two weeks have been that of pure evil. Hopefully, it's no more than just a recurring nightmare.
-
Ember thought Dante was being really weird but didn't have the mind to think about what his deal was. It didn't take her long at all to fall asleep. All the dreams she had were different scenarios of what would happen as per usual for when she slept nowadays. The last scene that played in her mind was her standing over the rest of the groups' burning bodies with a malicious grin on her face, eerily shadowed by the glow of the flames. She awoke right after that image appeared but she could still see it when her eyes were open. She shook her head to get the picture out of her mind.
-
Chrono lost any interest in what the group had seemingly thought of his words, and just started looking at random stars. He connected them together in his head, and lost track of his consiousness as he slumped back and went to sleep with his closing eyes towards the sky. In his dreams there was carnage on all sides, all three of the mages he had traveled with had died from eachothers magic and staffs, and Vosur was sadly caught in the crossfire. Chrono had avoided dying as the entire group had finished themselves off and were unable to claim the Mana. Not letting their 'deaths' be in vain, he cupped the mana in his hands and drank it down as if it were the first water he had in weeks. Suddenly it became a nightmare as fabricated pain shot through every nerve of his body, strong enough to cause a reaction outside the dream. His tattoos were now shining brighter than the campfire itself, and possibly blinding anyone who would dare look at him directly. Then, the dream pain vanished and the shine quickly went away...
Chrono would have a dream-less sleep for the rest of the night.
-
Dante followed Vosur the way he went, all the while thinking of how things could go down. "I should probably just come out and say it..." "Vosur I-" Just then he was told to crouch down, so he did. "Damnit." He didn't say anything as not to spoil the hunting session. "Hrmm...Might as we think of a few plans to make the argument seem more enticing...Hmm...Lesse...I wonder how much of that stuff he has. Maybe we could poison their meat...That might work..." A thought of seeing Chrono, Ember and Lazaryos around a campfire eating some meat popped into his head. As they ate it they suddenly twitched and fell over unable to move. After wards Dante and Vosur ran in to tie them up leaving them bound in a pile. Dante and Vosur turned to exchange high fives then simultaneously turned and flashed a peace sign with wide toothy grins. "We could dig a pitfall ahead of them and they would fall in it..." Again a scene played through his mind with the group walking along and Chrono, Ember and Lazaryos falling into a giant hole. Dante and Vosur would scurry over to the edge with grins on their faces as they are in turn looking up at them and yelling, along with bickering amongst themselves. Vosur and Dante ran off, stopping only to exchange high fives and flash their peace signs. "Hmm...What about Mercenary ninjas? That'd be awesome." Once more a scene played out in Dante's mind. The group was walking again when a bunch of ninjas swooped in and took down the three in question. But before Dante and Vosur could exchange high fives they were chased themselves by the ninjas for not having money to pay them.
-
Vosur's eyes went almost to pin-pricks, then expanded until there was nearly no iris as he watched the gazelle. He was almost motionless other than the breathing, even that was slowed to the point where it wouldn't be easy to tell if he was a statue or a living being. He made no sudden movement, carefully rearing the hand with the two throwing-cards at the ready, then when his eyes found his targets, he suddenly let the cards fly. Both cards hit their targets fatally, but that didn't stop him from rushing in to try to get another prey, quickly unsheathing his blade to try to strike another one of the nearby ones, which he barely missed. The rest of the gazelle, including the one that he tried to kill with his sword, escaped, a growl coming off of his lips as he motions for Dante to come help him carry their prey back to the camp, picking up and cleaning the two cards he threw. He knew that Dante had something on his mind, but he wasn't too sure if it was appropriate to bring it up yet, getting their catch back to camp and preparing it so they would continue to have provisions for the next few days if hunting became lean.
-
Dante went over to help with the catch, hefting one over his shoulder. "I suppose it's for the best...Rest in piece." He said as he walked with Vosur. "Hey...I need to talk to you about something. When you get the chance I mean..." "Knowing me I won't get another chance like this...Oh well I suppose..." He walked along without saying anything, a somewhat serious look lingering on his face. "Just don't tell the others...Just between us. It's...Kinda sensitive, ya know..."
-
"We may have to talk during the next hunt." he spoke as he hefted the other one over his own shoulder, heading towards camp. "It is getting late and having to go hunting twice in one night set me further behind in sleep, so I'm going to have to say it'll have to wait until next time. I do have the feeling that you're wanting to talk to me about the mission we have in front of us, each one wanting to achieve the same goal before the others." He spoke, going silent when they got within ear-shot distance of the camp, then cleaning and cooking their catch to get it ready to get on the move when they get up in the morning. He wasn't long from going to sleep after prepping and cooking the food, barely staying awake enough to pull the food from off the fire and setting the remaining portions to smoke before he started to doze off in front of the fire.
-
Lazaryos groaned as he got up, his weight seemed to be making his mornings more painful, but muscles weighs far more than fat, so he couldn't tell what to think of it, so he just went on his way, waking the others by their proximity. Ember, of course, being the closest. After waking everyone, he walked on north without another word. He was not in the mood to interact with ANYONE, and was quite the sour one for some reason. By midday, Lazaryos looked down at the sand below their feet and picked some of it up, inspecting and sniffing it. We're extremely close. It may be many centuries old, but it's unmistakeably the scent of blood. It's faint, but very strong. The sand he had picked up was gray in color, getting progressively darker in the view, though not quite even close to black. They trudged along for the rest of the day in silence, Lazaryos' rotten mood really shooting out from him like a severe heatwave. At night, after setting up the fire, the silence of the party before Vosur and Dante decided to go for another hunt allowed the group to hear how close they were to the heart of Hell. The sound of metals clanging could be heard in the distance, and the sky lit up with high level spells being cast out in the night, seeming to almost complement the crimson, red moon, which seems a lot grimmer and darker than the night before, now that they are closer to the Hell of Blue Crimson.
-
Ember got up and took care of her things when Lazaryos woke her up that next morning. She could sense his bad mood as she followed after him as they began walking so she didn't try to talk to him, not like she would have anyway. She walked along with the group in silence. At midday when Lazaryos picked up some sand and inspected it, she just watched him. At night, she set up her makeshift bed as usual and laid down by the fire. She stared up at the sky, at the red moon, as she listened to the sound of fighting in the distance.
-
Chrono didn't sleep, as his gaze was directed at the sky once again as he watched the occasional flash. The magika in the distance made him nostalgic for his former home, and for the relatives and siblings that he had left behind to escape his father's prejudice. Just a few more days... only a few more days... I'll have his head in a few more days, that much I can promise you Uncle...
-
Dante once again slept like a rock. However he managed to wake up without help this time, mostly because he couldn't sleep all that well. He walked along listening to the distant sounds of fighting, which made him think about the things to come. "I hope my plan works...It has to...I have to get the Mana to help the world...I don't even know what kinda of things others would do with it. Maybe I can even give Vosur powers...I-...Why does "You traitor" come to mind when I think of him...Iunno...Hmm...I feel the sudden urge to hit him as well...Odd. I thought we were getting along well enough. Damn this Mana, it's getting to my head..."
-
Dreamless as always, his night went by without too much of a problem other than the event that conspired to make him have to go hunt again. Vosur ended up waking up rather early too, gathering up the food and the make-shift packs from the gazelle skins, having a little trouble due to the awkwardness, but definitely making sure not to get left behind. The scents of battle: scorched dirt, sulfur, burning metal, burning wood, and even blood were all becoming more and more apparent to him. If he didn't know any better, he would think that there was a very big war going on nearby them. He tried to shrug off the feeling of anticipation, knowing how close they were to their main goal: the Mana. But his mind would wander back to seeing the Guild's leader, and then possibly to see Ruby's father if he were making the pilgrimage as well.
-
Lazaryos awoke early the next morning, well before twilight, or at least while the moon was still out. High level spells and the sound of weapons were still ringing in the air, So it's finally come to this. So we're finally going to enter Blue Crimson. For the first time, Lazaryos himself left the group to get some food. He let his animal instincts take over him for a little while and jumped another gazelle within the forested portion near the river. Lazaryos snapped the gazelle's neck after landing on it, though he probably didn't need to, due to his weight. He dragged the carcass back to the camp and woke everyone up, just around sunrise. "Come on, get up. We need to eat heartily. We'll make it to Blue Crimson by noon."
-
Ember got up when Lazaryos woke her and took care of her things. She sat there in the sand thinking about things. She could hear the fighting in the distance and after a bit of sitting there it was all that she could hear. The sound got louder and filled her mind. She couldn't help but think about her nightmares and the fact that it was weird that killing the others actually was a bad thought to her. "Of all the times to grow a conscience..." She thought to herself.
-
Chrono sifted his claws through the gray sand, only napping for a few hours since he hadn't exerted as much as usual. Chrono sat near the carcass, and held out his claws as if expecting to eat the meat raw. "So is the plan to go and plow through the Crimson, or just try to avoid any fighting to begin with?" It personally sounded like something he would get shocked for by the tiger mage, but it helped to make sure he was on the same page as said 'leader'.
-
Dante was still fast asleep when Lazaryos came back with food. He remained that way for awhile until the smell of it slowly woke him up. Groggily he rubbed his eyes and looked around. A yawn escaped his mouth as he stretched, however he stretched so hard he fell back over. He just laid there awhile, listening to the ambient sounds of fighting in the distance. He sneezed, then sighed and got back up. He didn't say anything however, still a bit tired as well as being lost in thought.
-
He had already eaten a little of the gazelle that he and Dante got last night, looking up to Lazaryos when he put the gazelle nearby. "If we eat too much all at once, we're going to be slow and sluggish." he spoke, shifting a bit. "Might be best to eat little by little on the move." Adjusting his clothing and gear for better fit, Vosur looked around to the others as he prepared to get on the trail again. He was starting to get anxious at thinking of the destination getting closer, but more so with the possibilities of who he'd see along the way. "This'll be something odd to ask you, Lazaryos, but did you recognize any of the Rampart clan members among the Guild members?"
-
Lazaryos gave a little look at Vosur at his little suggestion on the food, "Who the hell said that this gazelle was for the group? You got more than enough over there. It's only a couple hours away. Once there, we won't have the luxury of eating." He then turned his attention to Chrono, "We won't be able to get too close to the mountain unless we went through the middle of that hellzone. With all the fighting we've had recently, I'm pretty sure Ember and I's Majicka should have increased substantially, particularly since I was on the brink of death, but something still just doesn't sit right with me. I can't put my finger on it." Lazaryos ran a strong course of electricity through one of the fallen trees and lit it on fire. He then threw the gazelle on top of it, turning back to Vosur to answer his question, "As a matter of fact, I did... my brothers and I, though I will say, for the record, not quite what you would expect, them being predominantly foxes."
-
Ember looked at everyone else and slowly tuned into what was going on, the noises of battle fading in her mind back to the normal level that everyone else could hear them at. She listened to what was being said when she could finally actually hear what was being said. Lazaryos' answer to Vosur's question didn't make sense to her and for once she looked confused about something. "Wait a minute..." She said and looked up at Lazaryos. "What are you talking about?" It didn't make sense to her so she hoped that he wouldn't avoid the question so she could understand.
-
Chrono grumbled when Lazaryos talked about Majicka increasing. "There better be some good swords out there when we get into the thick of it, sick of using a single sword when I trained for two!! I'll even settle for a broadsword if I can use both arms again!" He continued to look annoyed for all of three minutes, then he got somber as he looked at the sky again, his eyes focused on the daylight moon...
-
"Ember, I had only seen and spoke to my wife's parents. I'm rather curious if I'm going to be having to fight my in-laws when it comes down to it." he spoke as he was shifting about, trying to make sure that the equipment he had on wouldn't slip after his adjustment. "As Lazaryos mentioned before, they are also fire mages and even though they may not get directly into the fight, they may prove more than a handful when they do." Vosur looked to Chrono who was showing his aggravation. "Heh, if I were to have my old forge and enough iron, I'd make you a pair of high-quality weapons myself." he spoke with a slight laughter, pausing and looking to Lazaryos again as he realized what was said. Vosur stopped his motion and dropped the gear he had in hand, immediately grabbing Lazaryos by the collar and pushing him to a tree. "Were you in on the plan?"
-
Lazaryos snorted and grabbed Vosur's hand, sending a shock powerful enough to make his muscles spasm to let Lazaryos go. "No, that was long after my brothers and I left. Being a lightning Mage, it's easy to know why I did, but my brothers were actually very welcomed and in high standing there. But I do remember your in-laws very well. I've even met your wife once when she was a child. However, be warned. Your in-laws will be there, but we have the problem of dealing with my brothers. The first one you met, he's a cub compared to my eldest brother. Malle rejoined the clan after the three of us parted ways. I sought after knowledge, Kratos pursued strength, but Malle desired power over anything else, and went back to the clan. HE might have had a dealing with your wife, but beyond that, I have no clue. Your in-laws may be the clan heads, but I can guarantee you that Malle is the one pulling the strings. There's more to your wife's murder than you think. She must have known a secret, that's the only thing I can think of."
-
Ember was about to protest that she hadn't been questioning Vosur and had, in fact, been questioning Lazaryos when Lazaryos grabbed Vosur's hand and sent a shock through it. She listened to his whole explanation as her eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them. As she ran her eyes over them, she started to notice Lazaryos more. She realized this and shook her head slightly. Glancing over at Chrono and then Dante, she wondered what they thought about the whole thing. Her eyes then wandered to the fire with the gazelle cooking on top of it as a way to occupy herself so she stopped looking at Lazaryos so much.
-
Dante watched as Vosur took Lazaryos by the throat and took him to a tree. He stood up about the time he was shocked. "Ugh...More fighting...I don't even..." He stood there, hand on the handle of his cross as it was stuck into the ground. The wind blew, catching a whiff of blood on the air Dante cringed a little. The thought of all the violence annoyed him, but he thought of his intentions. It was violence as well, but less harmful in a way. "Why did I go for this damned thing anyway...?"
-
Vosur involuntarily let-go of Lazaryos due to being forced by the electricity, but he stood his ground as adamantly as he could. "Then why did you not tell me any of this sooner?" He spoke, a very deep and quiet growl still in his voice as he looked at the tiger. "You mentioned of the Rampart clan as possibly being family to you... making us in-laws and less-likely of allies all in one fell-swoop. The last thing I need is a reason to possibly kill you for being a part of the cause for my state I'm in."
-
Lazaryos scoffed, "I consider them family less than you do, so don't get snippy with me. Also, I still don't give a damn whether you live or die. However, if there's a mutual understanding, I'll work with you. But don't think for a second I won't fry your innards with more than enough electricity to kill a dragon if you even think of attempting to kill me. Besides, why would I mention something that I have completely no hand in? I figured you'd be a good decoy for my brother so I can get revenge on that bastard for what he did to our parents. Now shut up and eat. I want to get there before sundown. Non-earth and non-wind-base magic users and Normals have an extreme disadvantages in nightfall.
-
The last part of what Lazaryos said caught Ember's attention. Removing her gaze from the gazelle on the fire, she looked toward Lazaryos again. "Gee, thanks a lot..." She snapped with sarcasm as she glared at him. She was a fire user after all and even though she was tough and powerful, she wasn't at full power when the sun was down. "At least I can still do hand-to-hand along with my lower power but that's not much help unless I can break necks or steal a sword from someone." She thought to herself, her gaze slowly lowering to the ground as she thought about things.
-
Chrono just continued to stare at the moon, blocking out all sounds and almost all five senses. He wasn't even aware of what was going through his mind as he stared towards the moon. In his eyes, the moon started to open up right where he was looking, then a dark red energy filled the opening to portray the iris of an eye. As Chrono continued to 'see' this fantasy going on, his markings started to glow again...
-
Dante sat back down, taking out a piece of meat from Vosur and eating it silently. From where he took it out from was a mystery; as there were no visible pockets on his person. "I should bring it up to him soon...If we're getting closer to our goal there won't be many more chances. I hope this plan works...And I pray to God I can reason with Vosur...The less I have to fight the better, I don't want to have to kill anyone...I just hope he will agree to help me."
-
"I only wish that our missions did not have any conflicting points." he quietly spoke to Lazaryos, making notice of what he said pertaining to Ruby having possibly found something. "If my beloved did find a clue, she may've kept a record of it. My guess is that they would have that book and we may need it. Sorry for the rough treatment, but the thing is that I struggle with the decision to take revenge for my love's lost-life, or to try to get her wish for me to become a mage by finding this Mana, or even just destroying the source of the Mana as a failsafe to the mission to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands." He turned away from the tiger and wandered away from him, exhaling as he watched Dante eat, then glancing back to Lazaryos again. "It's hard to know who to trust when you don't know exactly who may've been part of the reason for your sorrow, eh?"
-
Lazaryos turned and headed north a little to keep watch, "Sorrow comes with the loss of something precious, but those who wallow in it and never come out are the real ones who shouldn't be alive, cub. *turns to Ember* I'm not a wind-base user, so don't think I'm targeting everyone here. I use my magic, and everyone in the area will know where I am. So don't get snippy with me." He finally left the camp a ways to let the others eat so they can hike the rest of the way to Blue Crimson.
-
"I'm not a child!" Ember snapped at Lazaryos before he walked off. She absolutely hated being talked to like she was just some kid who had to obey others like they were her parents. She didn't feel hungry but she got some meat anyway. Her anger and frustration was taken out on the piece of meat as she tore a chunk off with her sharp teeth. She chewed it furiously like doing so would make her feel better, but of course it really didn't. Looking in the northern direction, she glared at Lazaryos' back. She unconsciously rolled her left shoulder, which definitely felt a lot better since it had healed. Swallowing, she then tore off another chunk of meat as she continued to glare in his direction. Her expression started to soften though and when she realized it she shook her head and looked at the ground as she continued to eat.
-
Chrono's markings got brighter as he was starting to give off nearly enough majicka to be considered a mage. His breathing became heavy and almost snort-like as his gaze remained on the dull moon in the sky. Parts of his memory that trauma had kept suppressed were beginning to surface again, stoking his already burning flame of fury. The worst moments were when he would see two memories unfolding at once: one where his father actually treated him like his own son, and the one where his father gave the order for all Tri'Malis clansmen to kill him on sight the next time he came back.
-
Dante turned to Vosur as he walked by. "Hey, Vosur. Know any card games with those things? Or tricks perhaps?" he said with a toothy grin. "Lazaryos is alone...If I could just get one of those cards from Vosur...I could..." "Surely you know something." he continued, trying to get Vosur to do something. He figured asking would make it too obvious, maybe slowly bringing up the subject he could get a coated card from him. And then he could try something.
-
Vosur raised his eyebrow at hearing Dante mention about the cards. "Sorry Padre, but all of these have only one 'face' on them... they are my trademark since I've had to use them before." he spoke, pulling out the venom-coated cards to check on them and apply a second coating from the venom-sac he had before tossing the sack away due to the deterioration of how long it's been in the pouch. "None of these cards are 'game-cards'... they're weapons." he spoke before he put them back into their appropriate pouch, turning away from him a bit as he went down to open the food-bags to make sure everything was in order. "I didn't think of you as a gambling-type though... I thought that was frowned upon by the Church?"
-
As Ember chewed on a chunk of the meat, she finally noticed Chrono glowing brightly in her periphery. "What's with the light show?" She questioned to no one in particular as she turned her gaze toward Chrono. As she threw the last portion of the meat in her mouth and chewed it, her eyes moved to rest on Dante and Vosur. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she observed Dante asking Vosur about his cards. "He's been awfully clingy with Vosur lately, more than usual... I wonder what he's up to." She thought to herself as she watched them. "I better keep an eye on him." She watched them for a few more seconds as she finished chewing and swallowed before looking toward Chrono. Getting to her feet, she stretched then walked over to where he was laying in the sand. "Hey. What's the deal?" She said, nudging his arm with her foot.
-
When Ember nudged touched him with her foot, his closest arm snapped out and grabbed her calf muscle and would almost toss her away if he had not broken his gaze with the moon. But when he did, the 'lightshow' ended and his now gaping jaw shut itself as he left go and got up. "S-sorry... won't happen again..." He was rather suprised that he would lash out at someone that quickly, even if they were going to try killing him when they reached the Mana.
-
Dante sighed at the mention of the church. "I would guess so. But where'd you get the idea I was a priest? Surely not from this cross." he said standing up and hefting the cross over his shoulder. "Or my healing powers." he continued, playing with his cross necklace. "Are they hard to throw? The cards." Dante asked, watching him coat some more cards with the venom. "Have you ever licked your fingers after coating one of those?" he chuckled, noticing Ember looking at him out of the corner of his eye. When she got up he looked at her for a moment, then back to Vosur. "Women...They'll be the death of us all."
-
"Your clothing and demeanor show that you're not one to kill. Also, the cross and healing powers are just confirmation of a soul that is not tainted with the thoughts of murder. As for licking the venom, I've done something worse: I've bitten into a scorpion's tail. My tongue was numb for hours after that." he spoke as he pulled out one of his regular cards to give to Dante for him to feel. "They're not like regular cards, they have weight to them, so they are a little difficult to throw until you get the right feel for them. They are also sharp, so you may want to be careful."
-
Lazaryos began feeling extremely impatient and walked back to the edge of camp growling, "Let's get a move on already. We get there any later than past high noon, and we might not live long enough to break past." He began grumbling to himself as he walked back up to his lookout up north, "Bloody youngsters and their idiotic dawdling and lack of a sense of urgency and..."
-
Ember didn't flinch when Chrono grabbed her leg and had just waited for what he would do. When he stopped glowing and released her leg, she watched him apologize, which was sort of a surprise. "You would be sorry if you had acted on that." She responded, giving him a dangerous look, part of that attitude of her's coming back. Part of her was joking, but the rest of her wasn't because she really would have attacked him if he had thrown her. She turned to look toward Vosur and Dante again, seeing Vosur hand Dante one of his cards. A regular one, she noticed, but she still didn't like it. "You even attempt to use that on me and you'll be the next slab of meat getting cooked." That same dangerous look was on her face as her eyes were on Dante, her fire eyes seeming to glow slightly. Yeah, that fighting, deadly attitude of her's was definitely back after a long time of hanging out in the background. She didn't trust him. Not with how he was clinging to Vosur and asking about his weapons, especially when combining that with their clashing views on death. Of course, she didn't expect him to try to kill her, but she had a strong idea he would do anything in his power to stop her from killing more people, even if she was saving his ass by doing it. After she had said that to Dante was when Lazaryos had come back to the group. She turned on her heel and followed after Lazaryos, adjusting the bag on her shoulders and holding her staff in her right hand. The fierce look on her face faded as she listened to Lazaryos grumbling his complaints and she determined this was the perfect moment for payback for being treated like a child. "Is it just me or have you aged forty years in the past five minutes, old man? You sound like my grandfather." A smirk played on her lips but she was also ready for him to react in a not-so-pleasant way, gripping her staff a little tighter, especially just in case she might have to defend herself against a card flying at her back.
-
Chrono started walking again and was on the other side of Lazaryos when Ember finished talking. "So now you've gone from 'Tubby Tiger' to 'Old man Tiger', how come she doesn't get shocked for those comments and I do?" He suddenly took several steps towards Lazaryos' blind spot in an attempt to avoid another blast of eletricity.
-
When Vosur handed Dante the card he examined it, flipping it over, lifting it up and down and after that spinning with surprising skill between his middle finger and thumb. That's when Ember said not to throw it at her. He turned to her nonchalanty still spinning it in his hand. A moment of stupid ran threw his veins, causing him to stop spinning the card, cock it back and toss at Ember. It flew accurately through the air and landed behind her as she was beginning to walk away. "Oh crap. VOSUR WHY'D YOU DO THAT!?" he said and took a step behind him. Hopefully they would assume it was Vosur, since Dante didn't seem like he could throw a card so accurately.
-
"Great... a prankster Priest. That's all I need." he muttered under his own breath as moved his food-bags to his right hand and grabbed up Dante by the collar with his left hand, speaking to him as he held him up. "I dunno what you're up to, Padre, but you're going to take the fall for your own mistakes." He carried Dante forward into the group as he approached Ember with him in hand. "I do believe that here is our practical joker, anything you wish to say to each other?" He didn't let go of Dante, even though he had to set down the food to grab up the loose card and put it back in the pouch with the others before grabbing up the food again. "Even though he does deserve a bit of a beating, he did not hit you and he did heal your wound, keep that in mind, my dear fire-mage." he spoke, trying to refrain from accidentally saying the wrong name.
-
When Ember heard something hit the sand, she whipped her head around to see exactly what she had heard. Looking down at the ground, she spotted the card in the sand behind her and that was all she needed for her temper to rear its ugly head. She didn't even hear Dante's accusation of Vosur because of her blind fury, but even if she had, she wouldn't have believed it. "You son of a--!" She yelled as she spun around the rest of the way, the fire in her eyes glowing. Bringing up a fireball, she was going to charge at Dante but Vosur brought him to her instead. She glanced at Vosur then looked back at Dante like her gaze could make holes straight through his head. "I have nothing to say to him. There are plenty of things I would like to do to him. I like speaking with actions." She grinned maliciously, showing her dangerously pointy teeth, and the fireball grew slightly. Her eyes switched to Vosur. "And I'm sure that was his point. I take it as a threat. I eliminate threats." When she said the word 'eliminate', her eyes switched back to Dante for emphasis before looking at Vosur again as she finished the sentence. She didn't like Vosur using the word 'dear' on her either but that was a tiny issue compared to the other one she was dealing with. Raising the fireball, she prepared to attack Dante with it, even with Vosur standing right there...
-
Lazaryos rushed back, hearing the commotion, thinking there was actual danger, but became a little angry at hearing what happened. He rushed over and pulled Ember's fireball hand out and pulled her aside, while still stepping forward and grabbed Dante by the neck, picking him off the ground, "You even try something like that again, I will personally kill you. I may be at the age, but patience is FAR from my virtue." Lazaryos had sent a current of electricity through Dante's body while he was talking. When he finished, he threw Dante back at Vosur and walked off, "We're going. NOW!"
-
Chrono turned around, but continued walking backwards as the mages raged, and the priest tried to hide. "We were walking until this happened; so I'll just go scout out ahead if thats alright with you guys, and gal." Chrono quickly turned back around and ran quite a distance ahead of the group, but stopped when the group was barely within ear-shot. Well, so much for getting a head start, it feels dangerous to just take another step...
-
Dante didn't think Vosur would pick him up take him over to Ember, it made him feel like a kid. "Traitor!" he said teasing. That's when he saw Ember's reaction, a large fireball. "Eeep!" "The things I'd let you do. Ahehehe. But I get the feeling you'd enjoy them more!" he said, again still with a playful tone. That's when Lazaryos grabbed him. The electricity sent through his body didn't phase him as much as it did before, he still didn't feel it but he didn't just spasm helplessly and fall over. "Woah woah woah, lover boy. That's a fine way to pay back someone who saved your life not too long ago." Dante's tone was still surprisingly playful. When he was put down in the special manner he couldn't keep his balance due to the electricity. After a moment he got to his feet himself and shook himself off. Turning around he went to go retrieve his cross. "Makes me wonder what would have happened if I tried to grab her b-..." he paused in his thought as he reached his cross, he twitched suddenly for some reason. It was a chill running up his spine, as if someone were glaring at him for thinking that. "Wierd. Must be the lightning. Hey wait! That wasn't a lightning storm back then!" Putting his cross on his back he went towards Vosur to begin walking.
-
"Weapons are not toys, you should know that better than myself. The next time you do something as crazy as that, I'll leave you to your punishment... whatever may come of it anyways. The main reason why I've been sticking my neck out for you, for the most part, is that you've been rather helpful to this group and I don't want to see you jeopardize yourself just for a laughs." he spoke as he slightly growled to Dante. He picked up the pace to start getting back with the rest of the group, putting himself between Ember and Dante to prevent further issues like this, but rather uneasy about putting his back to the priest this time, so his free-hand went down to make sure that his cards were secured in their pouches and to keep them covered by using the palm of his hand.
-
Lazaryos trudged on, Chrono being the scout. He kept his pace up, but pretty much ignored Vosur and Dante. After high noon, the clangs sand finally turned fully black underneath their feet. Lazaryos began to feel more and more restless, spells already passing over their heads at the end of their trails. He pulled out and gripped the topaz hard, the blood in his veins boiling and itching for battle.
-
Ember became even more infuriated when Lazaryos pulled her aside but she somehow managed not to snap at him. She followed after Lazaryos after he threw Dante down and walked off. Shrinking the fireball down so it was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, she glared behind her at Dante as she squashed the fireball in her hand. She quickened her pace so that she caught up with Lazaryos. Walking along beside him, she tried to calm down but wasn't really successful and remained on edge for the next few hours. When she saw that the sand beneath her feet had become completely black, she grinned at the thought of the battle coming up. It would be a great way for her to let out her anger and if a few stray spells hit Dante, well, that would make it all the better.
-
Chrono stopped to pick up some sand and sniff it, and wondered why he couldn't smell anything, he then sniffed his unclean blade and also noticed that it had no smell. I guess my sense of smell went dead from all the blood that was spilled here. That might cause a few problems when it gets dark... Just then a stray fire-ball from the Blue Crimson battlefield flew in and knocked him on the head as he was conveniently looking back at the group. He immedeatly put a hand where the fireball hit and turned back around. "I swear, fire mages don't know how to hold back..."
-
Dante walked behind the rest of them casually. "That might have ruined my chances, heh." Taking note of the darker sand he continued on silently. He crept up towards Vosur and gave him a light tap on the shoulder to get his attention, he figured now might as well be the time to talk."Hey...can we talk?" he whispered, so low the others wouldn't be able to hear. He then returned to his place far behind the group waving to Vosur to come to him when he looked. He was out of earshot of the others, he tried to look inconspicuous putting his hands behind his head as to not arouse suspicion of the others.
-
He slowed down to allow Dante to speak with him, his red eyes looking to Dante as his hand stayed on the pouches for the cards to secure them. "Alright, speak your mind Padre. Though I think we should be frank on this: that stunt of yours probably didn't make this situation very good. I was probably one of the more trusting of them before you decided to do that." he spoke quietly as he kept his eyes on the priest. "Tell me what you want to tell me before you don't have the time to do so."
-
Lazaryos found Chrono's little incident to be a good chuckle, but the heat of battle was heightening in his senses so he stifled the little bit of humor. Finally, for what seemed like hours, which was only a matter of minutes, they arrived. Only on the next dune, fighting was completely visible. Dead bodies loitered the sands while hundreds of battling bodies can be seen and camp setups with powerful leaders were off in the distance. Beyond the battlefield, the lone, single lane bridge to the mountain cave can be seen. And, at the end of the bridge, was 2 dragons laying on their own pedestals, one seeming to look familiar with a small patch of chipped scales on its neck and what seemed to be a gleaming sword on its side that shined quite predestinely from the sun's reflection.
-
Ember may have been a short ways behind Chrono since he was the scout but she still heard his comment nonetheless. "If fire mages didn't know how to hold back then HE would be dead right now," she snapped, pointing back in the direction of Dante without looking. "And YOU would be injured as well, hatchling!" She was so riled up that she didn't notice that she had just used Lazaryos' nickname for Chrono. After that, she continued on without a word as the approached the huge battle. Once they could see the battling people and the bodies, her eyes glowed with bloodlust and her mouth opened, revealing her sharp teeth. She didn't know it, but she looked pretty dangerous and vicious at that moment. Her tail whipped back and forth behind her in an agitated, anxious way as she hunched over slightly, ready to leap into battle.
-
Chrono spun back around as Ember yelled at him. "Oh come on, I only ment those fire mages in the battlefield right now, you're too good of a pyromancer to go overboard like that!!" It was a possibly pathetic attempt at appeasing to Ember's pride as a fire mage, but right now he would not want to be under 'friendly' fire while fighting through the Blue Crimson.
When he turned back to the fighting, he could make out a glimmer in the distance, and the vage shape of a sword sticking out of what he believed to be a Guardian Dragon. "Wait, you mean to tell me that thing at the Arena was a Guardian Dragon?! I want my sword back!!"
-
"I do apologize for that, I meant no harm by it. Anyway...Given your trusting of me...I wanted to be straight with you. This truce can only go so far...That said I want to you to help me take down the others...Without killing them. I thought of your cards. In all honesty I was planning to take a few from you...But I kind of blew it. My martial arts will be ineffective against Chrono in his armor, it would be nearly impossible to hit a pressure point. That was my backup plan, to get the drop on them and try to stun them via pressure points. However, Lazaryos is quite sharp and I could only likely get one of the three. With you and your cards it would be a great deal easier. What do you say...?" Explained Dante. He hoped he wouldn't bring up how they would go about choosing between themselves after dispatching the others. It probably wouldn't win him to his side.
-
He paused in thought, not having the want to fight the others and the eventual conclusion of the matter coming to mind as as he glanced back to the rest of the group. Vosur didn't stop walking, keeping pace with Dante, but he was silent as he heard him out. When Dante finally asked the question, he couldn't help but to ask in reply: "And how would you deal with me? I'm no push-over either, but I fight to kill when it comes down to it. There has been only one time where I've taken a life in cold-blood... and you were there to see the life fade away in agony." He pulls out one of the regular cards, allowing Dante to fully see the sharp edges all around the card and yet keeping it out of his reach. "These are lethal weapons, whatever they hit, they stab into unless it is metal. That poison from the scorpions is a numbing agent, if it gets to certain nerve tissue, it will temporarily stop it. Are you banking on me using my coated cards to disable them? And also would you heal their wounds so that when they wake up they aren't still wounded?"
-
Lazaryos surveyed the battlefield only meters away, "This isn't going to be easy by ANY means. I think we should go around and find a place to create a shelter in case we can't break through today. Look at them all out there. These men and women have been fighting for the last week nearly non-stop, hiding within the sand and wherever they built a shelter to quickly hide into. All of them are after what we're after, the Mana." The lightning seemed to surge from the topaz in his hand, also coursing from his eyes. The itch of battle was insatiable, but the need to find a temporary shelter was more important. "White Mage, why don't you take the pup with you and find a place in the sand to hide and fortify it. It should be able to hold since it's so saturated with blood."
-
Ember listened to Chrono's attempt at an explanation for what he had said with narrowed eyes. "Flattery won't get you anywhere with me." She said flatly, looking up toward the sky. "But don't worry, I won't hurt you..." She brought her eyes back down to look at Chrono and smirked. "Yet." When she heard Lazaryos tell Dante and Vosur to go make a temporary shelter, she was astonished, though she didn't show it on her face. Looking at Lazaryos while standing right next to him, she narrowed her eyes slightly as she examined his face to find whether he meant it or not. "You're not seriously sending them off alone, are you?" She spoke in a volume that only he would hear, but her tone was slightly sharp.
-
Chrono walked over to the lightning mage as he told the two tag-alongs to find shelter, and could easily hear Ember the entire time. "I'll go with them while you two start opening a path with lightning and fire; if our leader has no objections, of course." Chrono occasionally glanced to the battle-field, and moved his head backwards as another fireball came. "I'm serious though, whats with the lack of control from those mages?!"
-
Dante sighed when Vosur asked the question he didn't want to hear. They were still a few yards from the others when Lazaryos told them to go find shelter. He didn't feel like making a snappy response to him and instead just walked off to their right. He heard Chrono's suggestion and quickened his pace slightly, when they were adequately far enough he spoke. "I had hoped you wouldn't ask that so soon. In all honesty...I was going to ask you to reconsider going after the Mana. Simple as that. At first...My goal for the Mana was to rid myself of this disease of mine...I had longed to be able to feel again. To know what it felt like to embrace a loved one...Or even pain to know that I'm even alive. But after traveling...I found that a selfish reason. I then wanted to use the Mana to increase my powers to help everyone. With such power...I could save the world...No one would suffer anymore...No fighting...Hunger...Chaos...I could turn the world into a Utopia. I also thought I could be able to help you...With your reason to obtain the Mana...Somehow." As he spoke his tone was calm. Eventually they came upon a broken down wagon, he figured that would help make their shelter but paused to wait for Vosur's response.
-
He took off his dark-colored glasses as he looked to Dante with his red-eyes, having followed him to the wagon.. "My reason is mission-oriented and a final promise to my beloved... two-fold reason. What I would do with such power, I no longer know. I wouldn't be a Mage, nor a Normal. So what would I be? I pursue after something I wouldn't even know what to do with it, and then there's what would I do if I saw my beloved's parents with such power. I question whatever strength of heart I have leading up-to the retrieval of this Mana, if I should just witness one of the others to get it or whether I should make my mad-dash for it when we see it? In an outright straight-line run, I probably could beat everyone. But then there's the situation where everyone would be fighting each other for it... " he spoke as he started to walk around the wagon to see how sturdy it would be, shaking it about to test it's rigidity. "If we are to fight, don't expect it to be easy... but I do hope not to kill any one of you in the process."
-
Lazaryos sighed as Chrono volunteered himself to leave and help the others, "Just make sure they don't pick someplace obvious. Things that aren't part of the desert are very liable targets to be bombarded by spells. Don't need that happening while we're resting." When Chrono was out of earshot (meaning he can't hear anyone whispering), Lazaryos muttered softly over to Ember his answer, "We don't need a self-righteous whack-job who refuses to kill at this point. He'll end up getting the rest of us killed instead. Besides, think about this time to be with a real man." He winked at Ember as he charged up his Majicka. Like Ember and Dante, his Majicka has increased quite a bit since the beginning of the adventure, and he can feel it. "I'll take care of defense and proximity enemies. You concentrate on bombardments. Remember, this is Blue Crimson. Don't hold back."
-
Ember was irritated that Chrono overheard her question to Lazaryos but was moderately pleased that he was going to be with Dante and Vosur so they wouldn't be alone. Listening to Lazaryos after Chrono was out of earshot, she felt her cheeks heat up when he winked at her but marked it off to her majicka building up, even though that wasn't the reason. "I didn't find him useful in the first place, but then again, I wasn't the one getting injured right and left." She glanced sideways at Lazaryos. Worry was something that she had felt during those times but she had ignored it for the most part. "Oh, and I have no intention of holding back." She grinned maliciously, showing those sharp teeth of her's once again, which were about the only features of her's that made her look like a threat, and looking back towards the battlefield.
-
Chrono strolled over to the other two, and kept his hand on his blade in case a straggler from the battle wanted to try anything stupid. "I hope you two don't get any ideas about any castles or towers, we would be better off with a tunnel or cave. Lets also make sure it faces away from the battlefield so they can't just toss a fireball into it from a long distance away. Ah, theres a good spot to start digging!" Chrono pointed towards a dune of black sand that was facing away from the majority of the combat.
-
Dante fell silent, thinking of someway to respond to Vosur. But he couldn't think of something before Chrono had shown up. After listening to what he said he turned to him. "Dig you say?! By what ever do you mean?" he said in his usual joking tone. "I'm just a weak mage. I'm sure a big, strong and muscular guy such as yourself is more suited for this job." he said getting closer to him, slipping behind him to massage his shoulders. "And I even found a wagon we could use to fortify the inside of our shelter!" he said putting his arm around his neck as if they were best of friends, pointing at the wagon. "C'mon, buddy! You can do it!" he said with a reassuring pat on the back, also shoving him a bit towards said wagon.
-
Vosur just grumbled in an exhausted manner, putting away his glasses in a one of his herb pouches as he went to the wagon and ripped off a couple of flat pieces from it to use as hand-trowels. He looked to where Chrono pointed, taking notice of the dune. "Well, let's get started. There won't be much time to bring back any hunting quarry if we just dwaddle about." he spoke as he dropped the food nearby and started digging in a rather dog-like manner, trying to avoid getting sand in food-bags as he was digging. "Hey Padre! If you can't dig, then try to smooth out the sand to make it look 'natural'!" he called out as he had already dug a decent-sized hole by now, about large enough to hide himself in, but not for anyone of Chrono's or Lazaryos's size yet.
-
It wasn't very long when people from all directions seemed to start closing in on Ember and Lazaryos. Unlike previous battles, they weren't given the luxury of taking care of the enemies with a basic spell. Almost everyone there had equally powerful Majicka, faster than your average person, or had Magic-resistant armour. Lazaryos' lightning flashed brightly every time a spell or projectile came within a foot of them, signifying how much power was required to deflect those. Meanwhile, Lazaryos had to exert power enough to stop people from getting in close, so the net was very visible on all sides above the sand. Those with Magic-resistant armour almost came dangerously close, but enough power was exerted to fry people's skin/fur/scales to the point of fusing with the armour and causing insufferable pain that was enough to make them all pass out. Those whose faces touched the net directly died instantly from the electricity coursing through their brains.
-
Ember used every spell she could think of to attack the people who weren't attacking them (since Lazaryos was the one on the defensive). She threw out large fireballs, fire boomerangs, did the flamethrower, and even brought up fire from beneath groups at an attempt to burn them alive. Some of her basic spells were used but in a larger magnitude to have more of an effect. As she walked, she had to duck or dodge every now and then when a spell or thrown weapon managed to get through Lazaryos' defense. She used some spells that the others had never seen her use before as she moved through the battlefield with a deadly grace.
-
Chrono flipped Dante over by grabbing his forearms and throwing him back-first onto the sand. "You're wielding a cross made of metal and I've seen you deck bandits, start digging so we have a place to hide out in when the mages can't hold them off!" He put his foot on Dante's chest so he couldn't just squirm away until he released him. "The longer you stay out here, the more likely it will be that you get taken out by stray magicka. Now start digging!" Chrono took his foot off Dante's chest and kept his hand on his sword.
-
"Weee!" Dante squealed as he flew over Chrono and onto the ground. He listened to Chrono yell and responded as he got up. "Alright, alright. Sheesh, so bossy. Don't come crying to me when you lose an eye, okay?" he said innocently. He walked over to assist Vosur in making their soon-to-be shelter more natural. He spread the dirt that was being tossed out of the hole around to give it the desired natural look. When he wasn't doing that he was picking at the wagon, taking chunks out of it to use as inner support for the shelter.
-
He continued on the digging, getting the hole more than large enough to fit both Chrono and Lazaryos into it, but still not enough to fit everyone else into it yet. Every now and then, he'd take the support beams he would receive from Dante to make sure that the hole didn't collapse in on himself, also making sure that there was enough of a slope to allow himself to get out if he needed to in a hurry. Every now and then he would have to start pushing the loose sand out since he was digging deep into the dune. After about another ten minute's worth of digging, he would pop his head out of the hole and climb out, brushing himself off as he dropped the wood pieces he was using for shovels. "There."
-
Lazaryos began to wince a bit as his body began to feel extreme strain at maintaining so many spells, "This is as far as we go, I think! I'm getting close to my limit! Let's start heading back!" Since Lazaryos had to remain knelt to maintain the lightning net, he inched slowly backwards. Dammit. Of all the times to not have my staff. And there's nothing worth stealing either, he thought as he passed by a few dead bodies.
-
Ember could feel her energy and magic levels being very low when Lazaryos called to her. With a nod of acknowledgment, she started moving backward, making her way back toward Lazaryos. Once she was next to him, she stayed at the same pace that he was going. There was no way she was just going to bolt for shelter and leave him there to fend for himself. Part of it was because she knew she couldn't get through this whole battle and everything without him, but there was another reason there. A reason that she shoved to the back of her mind.
-
Chrono smiled at Vosur and Dante finished working, and he briefly turned around to cut down a normal that had now failed to stab him in the back. He turned back to Vosur just before he got out of the cave, and tossed him the short sword that the normal had once used. "Your reward is a back-up sword, as for the cleric... he just gets to live longer. Now get in the hole, I'll go fetch the mages..." He yelled before walking away from the hole and up a dune, and basically stood there so the mages would hopefully find the cave before Chrono would have to go and pull them out.
-
Dante continued to passed pieces of wood to Vosur. That is until he had finished. When Chrono cut down someone who snuck up on him he went over to see if he was alive. He wasn't, leaving Dante to say a silent prayer for him. He didn't feel he should chastise Chrono for his actions, he seemed a little more angry and irritable. His carefree no killing attitude probably wouldn't bode well at the moment. At the same time he couldn't blame him, they were in an area of high stress. He stood up from the corpse and went over to Vosur. "So! Where's the hot tub?"
-
He caught the sword and went over to the body to pick up the scabbard as well to attach it alongside with his own sword. "Thanks, but this sword has seen better days. What I wouldn't give for some tools to give it a proper temper." he muttered in out-loud thought. He put on his dark-glasses to get a better view of the area around them, grabbing up the food-bags and dropping them into the hole. "Padre, may want to get in the hole and keep your head down, we're going to need you to stay safe." he spoke, unbelting his own sword-and-sheath to be at the ready. "Chrono, you realize that there are plenty more where that guy came from, right?" He crouched down a bit to make his own profile less apparent in the black-sands, scooping some of it up and putting it in his white hair and tail-fur to make them blend in better. "You're going to need back-up." he spoke as he pursued after him.
-
Lazaryos grew weaker by the second and couldn't find out where the other three had run off to until he just spotted Vosur pilfering a body, "The group's just behind us and to the left! About 300 meters! Close your eyes and ears, I'm going to flash our escape, but I'm afraid it's going to cost the rest of my Majicka for an effective one, so I might pass out before we get there!" The net on the ground receded and then went up Lazaryos' body and around his hands. With a clap of his hands aimed forward, the lightning caused a loud bang and a blinding flash that incapacitated everyone in front of it within 800 meters. Lazaryos quickly turned tail and ran back, pulling Ember with him.
-
Ember had looked behind them a spotted Vosur when Lazaryos spoke. Not needing any more warning than that, she closed her eyes and put her hands over her ears. Even with the coverage though, the bang was still loud. Before she could open her eyes, Lazaryos pulled her. Her eyes opened quickly after than as she stumbled for a few steps before regaining her footing and running with Lazaryos for the shelter. She kept an eye on Lazaryos in her peripheral vision just in case he passed out so that she'd notice and be able to stop to help get him to the shelter.
-
Chrono unsheathed his sword and twirled it in his hand while keeping an eye on the two mages. "The only people who need back-up are already heading towards the hideout. If you want to play decoy with me, then by all means." Chrono made his way down the dune and started going towards the two running mages.
-
Dante shrugged and went in the hideout. Inside he found a corner to get snug in and kicked back to relax having nothing else to do. He waited for he others to show up, idly etching things into the walls. First he played tic-tac-toe with himself, after losing he moved on to drawing various stick figures. After he grew bored of that he started to make a sand castle. "It's dark in here. Too bad miss hot 'n' spicy wasn't here, we could use a torch." he mused with himself, alone.
-
He had raised his dark glasses just in time to prevent getting blinded from Lazaryos's spell, the tint of them allowed him to not suffer quite as badly as his targets, but he still had to pause for a moment and blinked before he went in to start taking out the warriors pursuing Lazaryos and Ember from the left side, leaving the ones that were directly behind them for Chrono to take out. "Tell you what, if we make it through this whole ordeal... I'll make you a decent set of armor and pair of swords." he called out towards Chrono while he fought off the warriors closer to himself, mainly using his sheath as a melee weapon to knock them out and using his sword to block the strikes.
-
Lazaryos wobbled quite a bit as they ran and was semi-relieved that Vosur and Chrono took some of the pursuers out. When they were close to where the shelter was, Lazaryos charged a little bit more Majicka within his hand, Only enough for one more. A ball of lightning formed into his hand and slowly condensed into a very small ball of light that was barely visible. When Lazaryos' legs gave out just short of the shelter, which he still couldn't see or make out, he threw the ball of light towards where Vosur and Chrono were. As they retreated back, the ball continued to fly right past them and burst brilliantly as it created a similar flash as from before. With that, Lazaryos' world grew dark as he lost consciousness.
-
Ember saw Lazaryos charging up another spell and was instantly aware that after he did that, he would be out like a light. She didn't watch to see what the spell did when he released and caught him before he hit the ground instead. It was difficult for her to drag him because he was heavy but she put all of her strength into it. Somehow she spotted the well-hid shelter in the sand dune and dragged Lazaryos to it. She crawled in, tugging Lazaryos behind her. When she got in and spotted Dante, she sat as far from him as possible and leaned Lazaryos against the wall of the hole beside her.
-
Chrono fought unaware of the flash until it went off about a few feet to his right. He promptly staggered back and got into a defensive position. "Okay, that was astoundingly uncalled for. Did you get hit too Vosur?" Chrono felt his eyes adjust back just in time to parry and then cut down the attacker. His markings did not appear, but there was a thin outline of majicka around his body as he continued to fight off the oncoming groups of normals and mages.
-
"Is he alright?" asked Dante uncontrollably. "Or you for that matter?" he continued. He didn't expect much from her, considering they were never on level terms to begin with. He crawled his way over to them since he couldn't stand full length in the hideout they were in. He also left his cross where he was sitting, someone marking his side of the room. He got to them as she sat down from setting him down, crawling towards him first. He half expected Ember to prevent him from getting close to Lazaryos, because she's crazy like that.
-
He was rather busy knocking out the warriors one by one, trying to make it difficult for them to follow his voice, waiting until he finished taking them down one by one and tying them up with anything he could find on their bodies: sashes, belts, headbands, anything. When he was finished with the group he had, he stayed on the defense for any stragglers, calling back to Chrono. "I'm alright! Need some help over there?" Vosur thought on rushing in, but if there were any that Chrono didn't take out, then he'd only endanger himself if he didn't know of them before going into the fray.
-
Ember scowled as Dante crawled over to them. "I'm fine." She snapped and quickly put her staff in between Dante and Lazaryos in an attempt to stop Dante from getting near Lazaryos. "And so is he. He just expended most of his majicka so he needs to rest to get it back." She still didn't trust Dante so she didn't want him near either of them since there was no telling what he might do to stop them from fighting. Keeping her eyes on Dante, she made sure that he kept his distance.
-
Chrono had finished off the last two normals while the mages fled with what little magika they still had. He casually rubbed his eyes as he walked back to the hiding spot, his aura of magika still not fading away. "Of all the mages I travel with, they both had to be prone to friendly fire, or even partial to it if provoked at all." he muttered to himself as he let his sword drag through the sand while he walked over the dune and then hopped down in front of the entrance to the hideout. "I wish we killed that dragon from the Arena earlier, so that way we would only have a single Guardian to remove."
-
Dante stopped shy of Ember's staff when it was put between him and Lazaryos. "Alright, no need to be so protective. I only wished to help, honest." he said, with a warm smile. He knew she wouldn't buy it, he also figured she would get violent if he forced his aid on them. He turned himself around and went back to his little corner of the cave. It was just about the same time Chrono had showed up and was complaining about his sword. "So what are we going to do now? Are we just going to hold up here, go out as we please and just kill whoever we see?"
-
He made sure that Chrono started on his way back to the temporary shelter, following after him after he found no more stragglers. Along the way back to the dune, he would brush away his and Chrono's trails in the sand to prevent anyone tracking them back to the shelter. After Chrono had made it back in, he gave one last look about to ensure that they weren't being followed, then went into the hole. Vosur brushed himself off a bit to try to get some of the black-sand out of his hair and tail since he didn't need any form of camouflage in their hiding-place, looking to the others after opening one of the bags to pull a strip of smoked meat out to eat on it. "I would say we need to keep moving now that this is the perfect time to do so, with the little amount of visibility our enemies have during the night-time... and we are pretty much sitting-ducks here no matter what. But our 'fearless leader' over there decided to exhaust himself to the point of passing out." he spoke with a slight growl. He looked to Ember and unbelted the secondary sword that Chrono gave to him, reaching it towards her. "You think you can use this? It's may not have a good temper on it, but it's better than nothing. Also, there were at least ten others with weapons on them, we may want to check them when we get going again."
-
Lazaryos came to around the time Vosur started talking, "Well if you don't like it, you can get the hell out. I told you before, and I'll say it again. You and that healer are not part of the truce. You are not bound to stay with us." He growled as his head throbbed painfully. Well, at least recovery time isn't taking too much longer now. Dammit all if I have to wait longer to reach consciousness. Lazaryos sat a little more prostrate and looked over at Ember, then at Chrono. "We stay here for now. That last flash I threw out should have been enough to cover our escape. There's no way they'd know where we are now."
-
Of course, Ember didn't believe Dante and the warm smile he gave her just made her want to punch it off his face. "Sure." She grumbled her response. She didn't move her staff from in front of Lazaryos until Dante went back to his spot and Chrono came in. She sat there in silence until Vosur came in and extended a sword towards her after speaking. "Yeah, I could. I may be a mage but I wasn't stupid enough not to teach myself how to fight normally. Can't always rely on magic." She responded flatly like it should have been obvious that she knew how to use a weapon. Her head quickly turned to Lazaryos when he spoke, surprised that he had come around already. "Well if we're staying then you can go back to sleep now, can't you? There's no need for you to be awake right now when you need to recover your majicka." She said with narrowed eyes before leaning her head back against the wall of sand behind her.
-
Chrono moved his jaw about, casting a glance at the two mages, then the two tag-alongs. "Does anyone still have any food, or was that burning animal the last meal we will get before we arrive at the end of our travels together?" He entered the hideout and flopped down next to Lazaryos, so he could slash at Dante if he ever tried to 'fake' an attack on Ember.
-
""That healer" has a name you know. "That healer" also saved your nearly dead self not too long ago. If not a "Thank you", you could, at the very LEAST, call me by my name. And it's Dante if you had forgotten." Dante snapped. It didn't seem like his normal self, he too didn't know where that came. He blamed it on the Blue Crimson, it was even able to get to him. Making him a little quick to snap it seemed. He just fell silent, not wanting to say anything more. He expected Lazaryos or at least Ember, to them self over react. His outburst probably wouldn't go quietly. But what would two tired mages do?
-
Vosur frowned at Lazaryos with a kind of snare as he sat back down next to Dante after Ember took the weapon, "You don't have to be an absolute ass about it. Remember, in your condition, that I can easily kill you if you wished to fight. I may not know much about Majicka, but I do know that you and Ember are out of it, meaning you're vulnerable."
Lazaryos smirked when Ember expressed concern for him and chuckled a bit, "I'll be fine." His smirk looked cockier when Vosur made his statement, "You forget that I do have a truce/contract with t his big lug over here. *Pointing at Chrono with his thumb* He may hate me and vice versa, but a deal's a deal. You of all people should understand that."
-
Ember couldn't help but laugh at Dante's reaction to being called 'that healer'. "Aww, I think you hurt his feelings, Lazaryos." She said then looked at Dante. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that hypocrites deserve names." Of course, she wasn't actually sorry at all. She was actually glad to see some kind of negative reaction from a guy who seemed to try to be positive all the time. Irked by Vosur's comment about her being out of it, she started to open her mouth to speak but Lazaryos spoke before her so she waited for him to finish. "AND I'm not out of it. I didn't use all of my majicka up and you just handed me a sword." She smirked at the last thing she said since it kind of wasn't a smart move at that moment in time.
-
Chrono slid his sword out slightly when Lazaryos spoke of him. "I hope you all will remain quiet so that this cave would not be for naught. The mages need their rest, and the cleric is already on thin ice for throwing weaponized cards at the lady here." With that, Chrono slid the sword back in and maintained his unblinking stare. Almost expecting one of the two to make a move that they would likely regret a second later.
-
Dante just leaned back, he didn't care to continue the argument. His calm demeanor was coming back to him. He was going to try and get some sleep, though it wasn't all that hard from helping to build the thing. Granted he didn't really do much, but yeah. He fell asleep, not really being needed, however not in a deep sleep as of yet. "This trip will be the end of me...Granted I live long enough to go crazy."
-
Vosur didn't turn the sword he offered away from Ember, resolute in his expression. "I may be fool-hardy to give a weapon to a mage who just threatened my life... but you're more of a risk to those you ally with than to me if you were to use such a power here. Consider what materials hold this place together and who made this temporary cave for us to rest in, you think that such a spark of power is going to go without collateral damage? I gave you that weapon so you wouldn't need to use that power if we were to get attacked, now what you do... or attempt to do if you so wish... I don't really care as long as we reach for the point where we will need to part our paths." He glances to Dante before he shifts into a seated-back-against-the-wall position. "As for you, Padre, you brought that upon yourself. I could've let her rip you to shreds, but what good are you if you're dead? You have your own ambitions to live for, so I recommend you pull yourself together."
-
Lazaryos maintained his glare at the two, but didn't move, allowing his body and Majicka to recover. The next couple hours went by quietly, save for the battle that was raging not even a couple hundred meters away. As the night wore on, Lazaryos closed his eyes, but remained awake in case of attack or treachery. Near morning twilight, the fighting seemed to dim noticeably. Lazaryos took the effort to get up and poke his head out, and found out why. "The highest players are taking the field..."
-
Ember listened to Vosur in silence. She had made her point and that was all she wanted so she didn't respond to him. "He's got a point." She thought to herself after what Vosur said to Dante. "I could have torn him apart if Vosur hadn't interjected." The whole night she remained in a half-asleep state. She opened her eyes again as she heard movement, realizing it was morning as she saw Lazaryos poking his head out of the cave. "My kind of people." She responded to his statement with a smirk.
-
Chrono went to sleep around night, but stuck his leg out so he could easily be awoken if Dante tried anything. When morning broke, he followed Lazaryos and also took a glance, but pulled away before Lazaryos would. "There could also be some people hiding under the bodies. Yea, this will get much more bloody any calm would surface. So, do we simply walk past the carnage or take them out one by one?"
-
He remained in a half-asleep state until he heard Lazaryos moving around, quietly nudging Dante in the shoulder with his fist. "C'mon. Don't want to be left behind." he quietly spoke to him as he moved toward the entrance of the tunnel. "Well, my thought would be for us to travel at nightfall, but that's my take. We could do a lot better if we didn't have to confront them, but I do believe we are more than powerful enough to get by them in a head-on fight. If you see an alternate route through this battlefield, let's take that."
-
Lazaryos shook his head at Chrono's little statement, "That's not going to happen. Anyone attempting to hid among the dead bodies would be an idiot. The worst is about to happen. Your father's army is walking out, so is the Southern Army, the Rast Army, and the entire Thieves Guild. If anything, everything gets more intense from now on. All we can do is to time it so that we can pave our way through without becoming the center of attention. Sneaking hasn't been an option since the start, but even the most sleek won't be able to get around THIS shit without fighting."
-
Chrono went out only as far as Lazaryos did, and kept his armored legs from being in the sunlight so the chance of reflection would be close to nothing. "Guess I'll be following your lead unless you want me to do the timing instead. Would not want to have my father strike down with meteors before we have our round 2 with the guardian dragon." He kept his gaze on the other two while keeping his hand on his only sword.
-
Dante woke up when Vosur said something to him, only because he wasn't in a deep a sleep as he normally was. Other than that he didn't really move, he wasn't exactly seeing a point. No one said they were going anywhere, so far they were just looking out the front door. Even if they would go somewhere, Dante was not likely on the guest list. Not only was he against killing, he probably wasn't all too thought to be trustworthy as well as a high value to the team. Not like anyone had a band-aid.
-
He peeked out of the hole after a while to get a scope of the situation. "Getting by this would be easy for someone like me, even with this calm in the battlefield. I'd say restrain from using your Majicka and you should blend into the fight a lot better than if you were to go willy-nilly to try to kill any and everything in sight. They're bound to be looking for big displays of power like what you gave them last night, Lazaryos." He pulls back in to sit down and assume a thinking position. "I know you're probably against the thought, Padre, but it is looking like lives are going to be lost today. Though, if one of us were to dress up like one of those warriors, taking everyone else as 'prisoners', then there'd be a chance that we wouldn't have to get into fights unnecessarily."
-
Lazaryos scoffed as Vosur finished, "This is war for the obtaining of absolute power. There ARE no prisoners. That'd give us away quicker. This is nothing like what you're used to. These are armies and guilds that know every one of their own people. They kill everyone that they don't recognize. All throughout history, there has only been one party that manages to enter the mountain, and only one person comes out alive to rule the land."
-
Ember listened to the conversation around her without saying a word. The last thing that Lazaryos said echoed in her mind as she sat there. "Only one person gets out alive..." She thought while staring toward the entrance. "So stop those feelings that are emerging right now because you know there isn't going to be a happy ending for more than one person..." She looked toward the 'ceiling' of their shelter. "So are we moving out or staying here?" She asked, not sounding as eager as she usually did.
-
Chrono snorted at Lazaryos, or possibly more at the notion of 'Only one walks away with a happy ending'. "Then I guess I'll be leaving when the guardians are dead. Can't fix my clan's image if I get fried by the ol' pot-belly mage." He felt like he could get away with it since firing any magic right now would cause more problems than it would fix.
-
Dante listened in silence as the other talked. The question of whether or not they were going was on his mind, when Ember had asked he began to pay attention more. The thought of having to kill someone was lingering in his mind. If not any of the countless men and women out there, but someone in his party. The thought of any loss of life sickened him, he wanted a life without death. He pushed out the facts however, blinding himself, the world needs death, as well as chaos. There would be no balance otherwise. He also pushed out the fact that he would have to kill someone to obtain his goal.
-
He looked up to Lazaryos and then shifted back into his thinking-position as he focused on a few particular grains of off-color sand near by. "Alright, fair enough on putting down that idea. But without some sort of plan on getting through this, or at least cutting down on who we have to fight, then a head-long rush is suicide for everyone except our resident-healer. Even he won't come out of this easily." he spoke as his irises dilated and narrowed while he was just seeming to be lost in thought. "Since we're going to be fighting against 4 full-fledged armies... which even with both you and Ember having all of your Magicka, it would not end so well with us unless we were to somehow make it so we could fend off small groups of them at a time instead of a mass of them at once. Why don't we try to use the wildlife nearby to lessen their numbers? Lure them to the sand-ants and let them keep some of them busy. That is, unless you have a better idea."
-
Lazaryos didn't bother to respond and took a step outside, peering over the sand mound and onto the battlefield. The clashing began almost immediately. Sparks from weapons and the flare of magic instantly filled the scene. He watched the directions where people were coming from and watching where the volley of arrows and bombardment spells were coming from, studying their owners' patterns and habits and how well they can shoot.
-
Ember glared at Chrono when he made his comment about Lazaryos. With a groan of frustration and impatience, she shifted her body and moved toward the opening of their shelter with her staff and the sword Vosur had given her in one hand. "We won't be in an alliance forever, remember that." She muttered as she reached Chrono, quickly putting a hand on his face and giving a slight push backwards as she passed. The act was sort of a playful thing but contrasted with her voice. She exited their sand dune cave and peered over it like Lazaryos was. Her mind was getting eager for battle and her body tensed up as she felt the urge to jump into the fray but resisted.
-
When Chrono got pushed back, he couldn't help but grin as he caught up to Ember. "Hey, I got dibs on first blood, I'm the one getting their attention after all." Chrono held his head high for a few seconds before readying his blade and letting the field of battle rile him up. Slowly the markings appeared on his body and a faint and whispy aura of magika flowed from his body as he held his blade in a vice-grip.
-
When Lazaryos exited the cave-dugout-shelter thingy, Dante followed after Ember and Chrono. He wanted to test a theory, which required him to be outside. Once out he began to stretch, a yard or so away from the others. He also cracked his neck and jumped around a little like a boxer. He enjoyed how light he felt without his cross on his back, which he had left inside. "So what is your first move? Are you going to wait for them to kill each other? Or are you going to strike at their supporting units? Unless you have some other scheme hatched up." he said, casually strolling up to him. Standing off to his left he crossed his arms observing the battlefield. He did not seem amused at the sight.
-
Vosur growled very quietly, not liking the idea of Lazaryos not mentioning a plan. Out of aggravation, he got up to go to the entrance and saw the group, looking at the battlefield below and noticing why they were not rushing in just yet as his expression calms down. He unbelted his sword and sheath, holding the two in his right-hand as he waited for Lazaryos to start revealing his idea. "Whatever the plan is, go on ahead and count me in. This motley crew has lasted this long on a wing-and-a-prayer so far, who knows? We might actually go all the way."
-
Lazaryos was muttering to himself, not enough for anyone except Ember, though he really wasn't planning on her hearing it. He was running scenarios and calculating how long he could run and the rate his majicka would run out with certain spells and how much he had. He then began to try to calculate Ember's majicka count, not even going to try to measure her spells' consumption rates. He then started muttering to himself about what possibly they could do to avoid everyone's attention so that no attacks close in on them because one full bombardment would be enough to kill them all. "I think I might have a solution, but this will require us sticking together as best as possible."
-
Ember listened to Lazaryos mutterings about scenarios and calculations about majicka consumption with a combination of spells. She noticed the change when he started trying to calculate her majicka count and could tell that he was leaving out what he didn't know about her spells' consumption rates. The whole time that he muttered, she listened closely even though he wasn't actually talking to her. She paid even more attention when he finally spoke up and said that he might have a solution, taking her eyes off the battlefield and looking at Lazaryos. While waiting for him to explain, she found a leather strap in her bag and made a makeshift belt to hold the sword then slid it into it on her hip.
-
Almost as quickly as the aura arrived, it left his body and left him unaware of all that transpired. He slowed down his pace to where he was only within two arms of Lazaryos. Sticking together would get us wasted by any large-scale magic, but if this mage has a reason for it... No reason I should stop following his lead since it got us this far.
-
Dante remained standing, looking over the battlefield. He listened silently waiting for Lazaryos to unveil his master plan. All the while he questioned it not knowing what it was. "Hmm...I don't know any protective magic if he's thinking that...I'm curious to see what he has planned. Maybe we will slipped passed them in the midst of their battle? I don't know...What ever it is, I better not have to save his sorry ass again. Ungrateful jerk..."
-
After thinking for a long while, Lazaryos finally stood up, "It's not a fool-proof plan, but it's all I can figure. If we can move fast enough, I can create a shield and defense web for us long enough to make it to the bridge. However, if we get hit by any of the major bombardments, it'll penetrate right through, and we'll die. I'll let Ember and Chrono discern who wants to kill who if magic-resistant armour users get past my web. The pup looks like he's fast enough to help us discern when to move and when to stop to avoid bombardments. I don't know about the healer, but as long as he's not in my way, he can come."
-
Ember listened to Lazaryos as he spoke as she continued to eye the battlefield. When he mentioned her and Chrono having to decide who kills who, she looked over at Chrono with a smirk. "I'm going after anyone who comes at me. Other than that, I say it's whoever gets there first." She said to Chrono after Lazaryos finished speaking. She looked at the other two afterward, first at Dante then at Vosur. "Does look fast." She added as a sort of confirmation of what Lazaryos had said about Vosur. "Wish my wings were more useful..." She mumbled to herself, thinking ahead more to fighting the dragons.
-
Chrono smirked at Ember, and had already gotten to the side of Lazaryos that was opposite of Ember. "Remember Ember, we're trying to avoid drawing attention, so you can't start immolating people in ten foot columns of fire no matter how tempting it is..." Chrono turned away from the group and casually saw the standards of his clan in the distance. I can wait another day, its only been fifteen years since I last returned...
-
"God forbid one of you break a leg. Then maybe the healer will be handy." Dante said, flailing his hands. "Geez...What a grump. Why did I side with these guys? Oh wait...I didn't...They just got me into trouble...After waking me up from a nap no less. Sigh...I have little choice. I guess I'll just have to ride the gravy train a little while longer. Mmm...Gravy...Oh man...I haven;t had some bread rolls and gravy in a long time. Ooooh....Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I will have to get some should I survive."
-
Vosur looked back to Lazaryos when his name was mentioned, putting on his dark-colored glasses again and raising an eyebrow at the plan. He then put away his sword-and-sheath to pull out the deck of his venom-coated cards to keep it in his right hand while putting a couple of the cards in his left hand as he looked at the others. "We can only go as fast as the slowest person, which makes the timing even harder to achieve. Now to further on your plan, old-timer..." he said with a slight smirk to Lazaryos, still rather peeved at being called a 'pup' but retaliating by calling him 'old-timer'. "...Dante would be faster than you and as for his usefulness: if he can heal you while we're moving, then this plan will have a higher chance of succeeding. I will try to disable any casters I can see while we're storming through, but even my speed and my accuracy won't get them all." He stopped to inhale and exhale deeply, grumbling a bit. "This may be the most fool-hardy plan I've ever heard, but I don't plan on dying out here when my own goal is almost within reach."
-
Lazaryos was no longer fazed by being called old-timer. However, he prided himself in being fast on the run, so his face turned sour at the mention that Dante might run faster than him. "Nevertheless, we will have to press forward with as little stops as possible, unless you want to wait the next few days to see who's left and pick them off, in which case might allow someone else to pass through and take the Mana. Take your pick." Lightning began surging through Lazaryos' legs and hands, itching for action, but mainly due to his anger of being called slow.
-
Ember tail was twitching back and forth behind her. She was getting really impatient and all the talk was starting to irritate her. "Complain, complain, complain. Is that all this guy can do? Wish he had never joined us..." She thought, but then remembered the close encounter with death that Lazaryos had had. "Okay, he has had his usefulness...but he really gets on my nerves..." "My pick is that I would like to fight. Now." She said quickly like it was urgent to get the words off of her tongue, her tail still twitching behind her. The spikes becoming dangerous to anyone who got close enough.
-
Chrono smiled carelessly at both mages as he did a few warm-up swings. "We have the cover of war, if we wait any longer, anyone that is left will probably pick us off before we can reach the bridge. So, I second the vote for going now. Come on, the longer we stand around, the more likely we'll get bombarded!!" Chrono, if he wasn't already stressed out, was now itching to fight or at least kill cannon fodder.
-
Dante slipped away after hearing Lazaryos' plan. He went back inside the shelter to retrieve his cross. He was out just as Chrono had finished speaking. "Well then...Shall we go? I may not kill people...But I am more than willing to disable someone who gets near. I am a martial artist as well as a monk you know...I usually target pressure points, but if it needs to get down to it...I can break limbs if need be. Works just as well."
-
He inhaled and exhaled deeply, putting away the venom cards while he was looking at the battlefield one last time, then he went back into their makeshift shelter to pick up the two food-bags he had improvised, pulling them back out and opening them before he grabs some of the dried meat into his knee-pockets. "Alright, we're going to go, but we're going to do this as intelligent as possible. Everyone, grab some food and put it into whatever packs, pockets, or pouches you have. Even if we survive this and we make it there, we won't last long without food. Whatever we can't fit on ourselves is going to stay behind." The last part he grumbled, a little angry at this decision but knowing it was for the better for this plan to work. As soon as his pockets were as full as he could make them without limiting his movement, he took a lead position as he looked to the battlefield and pulled out a smaller handful of his venom-coated cards, divvying them between both hands before he glances back and smirks when everyone is fully-ready. "Let's go!" he speaks as he takes-off in an intentionally-slower run to allow everyone to catch up.
-
Lazaryos took center point and raised his lightning shield, not larger than needed, so as to attract as little attention as possible. In order to keep the lightning net in play, he made sure that there would only be a split second between stride where he would not have his feet on the ground. Not too long after running, they came upon the war. The crowd itself was so thick, that a normal person wouldn't even be able to see where he was going anymore.
-
Ember crammed as much meat in her bag as she could then stood at the ready to start running when everyone else was ready. When Vosur took off, she followed after, staying slightly behind and to the right of Lazaryos. When they came to the battlefield, she prepared herself so that she would be ready to move ahead is she had to take anybody out. She had a plan to alternate between spells and the sword she was given whenever she had to take someone out.
-
When they came to the war, Chrono couldn't contain his excitement for much longer. If there were such thing as a warriors paradise, this would probably come close to it... He briefly strayed from the group to notice someone who tried to run from the battlefield before a bombardment ended their physical existence. "Look at them running with their dignity tossed to the wind!"
-
Dante followed after the group when they went. He did well to stay within Lazaryos' barrier. When an enemy stayed close and Ember or Vosur couldn't or didn't get them, he swifty took them down. The ones in lighter armor he attacked their pressure points, thought some did have armor. Those ones he had to get more rough with, disarming them and making sure they weren't a threat the best he could. One person he had to break both of his arms so he would stop fighting.
-
"Discretion is the better part of valor, well sometimes anyways." he quickly spoke out in reply to Chrono's call, flicking a couple cards from each hand to disable or take-down a few artillery mages that had their sights set on them. "Everyone stop and when I give the word, you better follow me as best as you can or else you won't make it through." he spoke as he could see another set of mages preparing to bombard them, intending to make them all go to a halt. He readied another pair of cards, waiting for the right moment. "Ember, Chrono, Dante... We're going to be getting really close to cavalry and infantry warriors and we're going to use them to lessen the Magicka attacks. Take out only those who can reach us, leave the rest to be a distraction and a shield." His irises shrank to pin-pricks before he flung a barrage of cards towards a small group of artillery-mages, hitting them right before they were to cast another spell, intending to cause them to misfire right at their own feet. "Now!" he called out, starting up the run again as he put the remaining venom cards back into their pouch and securing it. Quickly grabbing his sword and sheath from off of his belt, he prepared to get in close with the first normal cavalryman before he performed a quick unsheathe-and-strike with one motion to knock him off balance and keep running right by him.
-
Lazaryos followed Vosur as close as he could without losing his net for too long. When Vosur made a lead for the Calvary and infantry from the southern army, he did his best to follow. Lazaryos dropped the net since he had to turn with them, and he needed full balance. He felt a large shockwave knock at the side of the barrier, shaking even him. God dammit. That's one even I can't block a direct hit from.
-
Ember followed after Vosur with everyone else. When the shockwave hit the barrier, she wavered a little but straightened back up quickly. She drew the sword on her hip and cut down someone who came at her then shot flame at another. "I love the smell of cooking flesh in the morning." She stated with a malicious grin as she swing her tail out to trip the one on fire causing him to fall to the ground as he kept screaming.
-
Chrono easily kept up with Vosur, swinging his blade to slash at a nearby horse's leg whose rider was trying to run him through with a spear. He already knew the horse would probably break the leg of his rider as it fell down, so he just kept focusing on the next closest attacker. He made sure to avoid fireballs that strayed from the bombardments, and to keep his comments to himself so Ember wouldn't get the motivation to break the truce prematurely.
-
Vosur caught notice of a larger cavalry warrior in the army that was about to block their path, grinning rather deviously as he picked up his pace to separate himself. "Keep the shield down for now and keep running. Try to get through as quickly as possible.. Don't worry about me for the time being, I'm going to make it a little easier." he spoke out to Lazaryos, taking a rather rare opportunity as he took off much faster from the group to put a little distance between them, making himself the focus of this particular warrior. Seeing him raise up his battle-axe, he sped as fast as he could and took a on-back-slide between the wide-stance of this warrior's legs, only to have to quickly take out another cavalryman with a trip of his sword-and-sheath set and quickly getting up to turn around to the one he took the slide to avoid the downward axe-strike, quickly tapping him on the shoulder to divert his attention away from the group and doing a whistle to get his attention. "Over here!" he teased at him before the warrior tried to take another swing at him, Vosur quickly ducking underneath, the group nearing their position as he grinned very slyly to him. "Such an idiot." he spoke as he slipped through the legs again and kicking him in the rear to knock him off balance, but not off his feet.
-
Lazaryos sighed a little in relief as Vosur left, allowing him to shrink the shield a bit, reserving a little more Majicka. His legs were beginning to feel weary, but he did his best to ignore the pain as he tried to put up another net around their feet so that it could stop or slow down the on-bearing soldiers all around them. Lazaryos was just glad they didn't have to do any more dodging for a while, so he could allow himself to use the nets on the ground.
-
Ember watched Vosur run off and distract the large cavalry warrior. She directed her attention forward again though just in case anybody got through the shields that Lazaryos had up to protect them. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept track of what Vosur was doing with the warrior and got a chuckle out of how easily tricked the guy was when Vosur distracted him. She had a feeling that she would be very drained of energy by the time they got through the battlefield.
-
Chrono did his best to focus on only the people that were attacking them directly, but it was getting difficult as they came across more front-line grunts that seemed to blatantly ignore their passing. He could see Vosur taking on the warrior ahead of them, and all it did was get himself further frustrated his own lack of action. Luckily he didn't have to wait much longer as three warriors, dressed in the rediculously generic 'recruit' armor, ran right towards him and sealed their fate upon entering the reach of his sword.
-
Vosur kept on in 'playing' with the large warrior, dodging his strikes as he would see the group catching up close to his position. Seeing the one he had been playing around with start to get more wild with his attacks, Vosur kept his distance a little until the warrior tried an overhead-strike into the sand, dodging to his right and then immediately dashing forward to grab the back-up knife with the sheath from the belt of the cavalryman with ease as he ran off with the rest of the group, leaving the warrior exhausted and stunned as he now felt the empty place of where his knife was no longer attached to his belt. "Not my style to usually steal... but I think I will make more use of this than you would, my large friend." he called out as he approached Lazaryos with his sword-in-sheath in one hand, and his newly-claimed knife-in-sheath in his other hand, trying to attach it onto his own belt with just that one hand. "Once we make it out of this crowd, that shield of yours better be up in full-strength. Those artillery-mages too far away for me to get a clean-shot with my cards and their aim is getting better."
-
Lazaryos growled back over at Vosur, "Shut up! Your job is to help us dodge those bombardments. Even with all my Majicka at full, it would be impossible for me to block a direct hit. Combined powers of magic at that magnitude are made in order to destroy and break through anything and everything. So do your job and lead us properly! As long as we reach the bridge, we'll be fine. No one has the galls to fire near the bridge."
-
Ember just kept running along with the rest of them. She had nothing to say at the present moment about anything that was going on even though she was kind of surprised that Lazaryos snapped at Vosur so badly when he had returned and said that Lazaryos' shield needed to be at full-strength. Of course, she wouldn't have taken too kindly to that if it had been said to her either since she didn't like being given orders or anything that seemed like an order or a doubt of her abilities.
-
Vosur wanted to growl back, getting interrupted with a sword coming at himself, which he barely moved his head away just in time to prevent getting decapitated. He retaliated with a hit of his hilt into the neck of his attacker, then kicking him away as he tried to make the group continue pushing through the crowd. "Fair enough, but they will anticipate us coming out of this crowd soon. I was hoping to continue using them as a shield until we got to that bridge." His eyes went up to the nearest opening in the crowd of fighters, having to knock away some of the closer ones with an unsheathe-and-strike motion again. "Bank right a couple of seconds after we get out of this mess, too early and we'll make them re-aim while they're casting, too late and we'll catch right into their attack." he called out to others, resheathing his blade while running for the opening to lead the group.
-
Lazaryos grunted as another impact shockwave from a nearby bombardment rocked his barrier, "Just lead! Our asses will be backed otherwise, assuming we keep our asses!" He figured that they'd have to speed up their strides so he decided to no longer run the net around them and even conserve some of his Majicka by doing so. Half of the Majicka that he reserved from the net went into his barrier, enforcing it a bit while still reserving some Majicka consumption.
-
Ember watched the others as she ran in case she had to back anyone up and also watched the area around her to make sure no one got through the barrier and managed to sneak up on her. At one point, she saw someone in her peripheral vision. Her hand was already on the sword at her waist before that moment so she continued to run like she didn't notice them. At the final moment when the person was preparing to strike, in one completely motion she quickly drew the sword and swung it in a 180-degree semicircle to her right, decapitating the attacker, then put the sword back in its makeshift belt-sheath.
-
Chrono smashed his left fist into an amazon's shoulder to stop her spear throw at Vosur while stabbing another green horn recruit that came up to help her. All he did was delay her demise for five seconds, after which he beheaded her with a side-swing to the back of her neck. He then caught back up with the group just after Lazaryos yelled at Vosur to keep on leading. Huh, I'm getting hungry again...
-
"Thanks for the save, Chrono!" he called out as he saw the spear-throw attempt being blocked and the attacker having been taken down. As soon as they cleared the battleground crowd, he glanced back to make sure that their group was still intact. "Better give it all you have or your buns are going to be toast!" Vosur called out as he started to pick up the pace a little, trying to make sure he did not separate himself from the group. Now that they were away from the main battle, he put away his sword-and-sheath, going for his cards as he kept his eyes peeled for more attackers.
-
Lazaryos huffed as he kept up his pace with Vosur's. He had strong legs, but even the strongest legs in the world couldn't run for THAT long of an extended period of time. Finally, at the last stretch with bombardments aimed at them all, Lazaryos dropped the shield, "Make it or break it! Vosur, you better be steering us well because there's not even athe slightest dampening happening now!"
-
Ember kept pace with the rest of them as they want along, always taking down anyone who got through the shield and came at her or Lazaryos since he was preoccupied. When they were out of the crowd, she was partially relieved but she knew they still had a ways to go before they would be safe from the crowd and an even longer way to go before she'd know whether she would live or die in the big fight for the Mana. When Lazaryos dropped the shield, she kept pushing herself to keep her legs moving as fast as was necessary. She stumbled a bit but managed to right herself instead of falling over.
-
On cue with Lazaryos' loud voice, a wispy aura of magika that Chrono had during the start of the charge, returned with a stronger intensity. He was now outpacing everyone in the group, and had reached up to Vosur by the time the aura had vanished once again. In his head all that mattered was that he kept up with Vosur, the one who was chosen to lead this rather unlikely alliance through the Blue Crimson at the cost of likely never returning alive.
-
Dante trailed behind the others, his cross keeping him at the back. He wasn't far behind though, merely a few seconds difference. When Ember had stumbled a grin grew onto his face. "Don't fall now! Wouldn't want our firecracker to get left behind would we?!" he shouted out to her. He figured someone would comment that he was in last place in the race but he didn't care. "This journey is going to be the death of me..."
-
He caught glimpse of the bridge and shifted their direction again to avoid another barrage of Magicka bombardments, some of them getting a little too close for comfort for himself due to them hitting at the ground in front of himself, which was why he had to change direction. Growling at the shots making them detour a little away from the bridge, Vosur tried to get a good throw of a couple of his cards in towards the artillery-mage group, only managing to hit one of them with a card, but the timing was not as he would normally plan, so the mage that was injured was pulled away from the group while the rest continued to fire, making him have to change their directions again, but this time towards the bridge better than they were before, making the group zig-zag. "Crap, too early." he muttered under his breath, starting to feel the fatigue from his exploits from the cavalryman and leading the group. "Ember, Lazaryos. Either of you two got enough power to cause them to cause an explosion near them? If we can make them just misfire at their own feet, that'll provide enough cover for us to get to that bridge!"
-
Lazaryos nodded, though Vosur wouldn't have seen it, "Yes. I can throw another flare back over behind us like the one from yesterday. It should be enough to get their attention." Lightning surged from Lazaryos' shoulder to his fist and he threw a tiny ball over behind him. The little ball soared all the way back behind some of the few that had taken their attention to the group, and it ignited. The brightness was enough to take the attention of bombardiers from all sides.
-
When Ember heard what Dante said, she visualized herself turning around and grabbing him by the throat and then tossing him to the ground. She smirked at the image and instead of going through with it and risking getting hit with an attack, she just tossed a fireball back at Dante without giving it a second thought. She would have loved for it to hit him but she figured he'd just evade it. She kept moving with the group when they zigzagged to avoid bombardments and watched Lazaryos throw the little ball back but looked forward again before it ignited with blinding light.
-
Dante saw the fireball get tossed at him, rolling under it to dodge. He came out of the roll into a run not losing much ground. He didn't notice it but it caught his tail, lighting a small flame. Though at the speed they were running it blew itself out. He looked behind him to see a man hit by the fireball that was coming up behind him and turned back ahead of him. "Nice shot! If I didn't know better I'd think you cared about me a little!" He was oblivious to the fact it was directed at him.
-
Vosur caught sight of flash, raising his tinted-glasses back up on his nose quickly. He continued to lead them towards the bridge, knocking away a few guards that were placed there with a surprise punch to each of them, though due to them wearing helmets, he was shaking his hand after the rush-attack. "Sonova... palm-strikes when wearing helmets, not closed-fist." he muttered to himself, stopping at the edge of the bridge to make sure that the rest of the group made it there and that there were no ambushes from behind at the bridge. He was breathing heavily from all of the moving around, trying to calm himself down as they made it to a somewhat-safe area. "Keep your guard up, they may have archers."
-
Lazaryos panted as he let his legs collapse under him and sat against the bridge, "No, they won't shoot here, even IF there are archers aimed at us. None of them are going to risk damaging the bridge in any way. Knowing the Tri'Malis, anyone who shoots an arrow or spell towards the bridge, miss or hit, is executed on the spot. We're safe from combat as long as we stay on the bridge. Being near it protects us from archers and casters. Now let me catch my breath." Little statics of lightning sparked from time to time from his eyes and his one outstretched hand, ready to attack anyone who decided to go after them.
-
Ember looked back when Dante said 'nice shot' to check and see if he had been mocking her or if she had actually hit something, seeing that she had got someone coming up behind him. "Damn it." She muttered under breath to herself. Her legs wanted her to sit down when they got to the bridge but she had some other business to attend to first. Once they were safe at the bridge, she turned on Dante, getting right up to him so she was only a foot away before she spoke. She expected Vosur to worry that she was going to attack the guy, but that wasn't her plan even though it sounded better to her. "That fireball was meant for YOU." She snapped, pushing a finger against his chest when she said 'you' since she didn't know he wouldn't be able to feel it. "I despise your pure, putrid, holier-than-thou, stinkin' guts! If I knew throwing it would save you from a surprise attack, I wouldn't have done it." After she was done, she swiftly turned on her heel and walked away from him before picking a spot on the bridge to sit and rest her legs.
-
Chrono felt the sudden exhaustion hit him as he slowed to a stop and didn't get back to running pace. He grabbed onto a rail and looked over the area it spanned over. "Well, how much should we wait until we go dragon-hunting?" Chrono asked this only after Ember had a few moments to cool off. He was getting around to being thankful for his lack of sweating and general body odor. I'd hate to have sweat glands if it all just gathers in the leggings and greaves...
-
Dante breathed heavily after stopping with the others. That's when Ember yelled at him. When she finished he smirked a bit. After she poked him, turned and walked off he followed after her. When she sat down he crouched down in front of her, looking at her curiously. "Why?" he asked simply. "What about me do you despise?" he continued. After that he looked around, seeing no one within earshot. "...Do you need a hug?" he said softly. He was curious as to why she didn't like him, but he added in a silly question to try and throw it off, being his casual self.
-
Vosur had put away the cards right after Lazaryos mentioned that no one would dare cause harm to the bridge without retribution, pulling out some of the smoked meat and eating on it as his breathing calmed down. Hearing Ember yell out all of a sudden, he grabbed Dante by the collar to pull him away from a near-possible barbecuing. "Are you out of your mind, Padre? Unless you trust her holding your life in her hands, I would not recommend getting too close. She just got out of a battle and her blood may still be racing, which means she could still be in battle-ready mindset." he spoke, nearly coughing what he ate due to this catching him by surprise. After he managed to pull Dante just enough away to put himself between Ember and Dante, he breathed-out exhaustedly, looking back to Lazaryos and to Chrono as he took another bite of the smoked meat.
-
Lazaryos' breathing finally slowed back down, though it was still a bit heavy. "We won't have too much more time, so make the most of it. I'd give maybe another hour or two before major parties make it here. Our best chance is to head out very soon. As much as I hate dragons, I hate fighting hordes a little bit more." He turned his head and looked down through the bridge. At the other ledges at the end, he could see the dragons yawn, and the glimmer of Chrono's sword off the side of one of its scales. "The last fight with that dragon cost the lives of over 100 travelers, and we didn't even nick it. Now we have to fight two of them. This is going to be hell."
-
Ember stopped herself from lunging at Dante and attacking him which was her first instinct to do. She angled her eyes up and around Vosur, staring at Dante through her bangs. "Because you are the extreme opposite of that psycho that we had with us before instead of being an average, sane being. Because you won't fight for your life. Because you are too worried about their lives to remember that your life should come first." She said, gesturing sideways when she said 'their' with her head toward the battlefield and the people fighting there. "Because you're just...odd...to me. You don't seem...right, at all." Her voice sounded devoid of emotion. She didn't feel bad about anything that she was saying. Her eyes narrowed. "And if you touch me, you'll be the next piece of smoked meat I'll be eating." She concluded as she reached into her bag, pulled out a piece of the meat she had stuffed in it, and viciously tore a chunk off as the fire in her eyes blazed ferociously. She listened to the talk about fighting the dragons which made her think back to their first fight with one of them, particularly the part when Chrono had told her using fire on it was useless which was the part where she decided to sit out and see just how useless she could be. She expected just as much from their next fight but knew if she sat out then they likelihood of them getting by the dragons would be even lower.
-
Chrono didn't bat an eye as he looked at his sword and then at Lazaryos and Ember. "Lightning mage, do the Guardian dragons breathe fire more than they bite or swipe?" He remembered what he had said to Ember during the first fight, and had only speculated it after they reached the bridge. It wasn't until just a few seconds ago that he actually felt like what he said back then was probably something he should have kept to himself.
-
Dante leaned to the side, looking around Vosur so he could see Ember. "What psycho? And what do you mean I'm not sane? I'm not weird. You're just not as normal as me." After saying that, he leaned back behind Vosur. He then looked at the dragons ahead, pondering how he would fight them. "I am not going to be very affective against these things. I'm not familiar with the anatomy of dragons. Not to mention I don't think I'd be able to attack it's pressure points even if they had any...This is going to be interesting."
-
He finished the food he had bit into before he tried speaking up again. "Before you joined up with us in this quest, even before I joined up as well, there was a necromancer. He would take the lives of his enemies intentionally and use their bodies to his own advantage as minions." Vosur spoke behind himself to Dante, still trying to separate Dante from Ember. "He broke this apparent alliance between himself and this group after I had joined, deciding to try to kill everyone. He had the means to do so, a Cursed Weapon was his primary means of fighting until he was able to raise minions to do his bidding." As he was trying to make sure Dante didn't get himself into trouble, he was also trying to listen-in on Lazaryos's and Chrono's conversation since the information was important to himself as well. "Now before you get your buns heavily toasted by our resident fire-mage, realize this: I'm only trying to save your hide because I have a debt to repay. You keep up in trying to get yourself killed from her and I'll let you go in a blaze."
-
Lazaryos gave a look to Chrono and shrugged, "Hell if I know. I only know what was in the ancient manuscripts and scrolls that I've been siphoning through my whole life. All that I know is that there are two treasure trove dragons that guard the entrance of the mountain. Inside, is a maze of which no one person can ever navigate through alone. In the past, teams always go in and retrieve the Mana, but only one ever emerges. That's all I know when it comes to this point in the venture. Even the dragon showing up back at the Arena has never happened before."
-
Ember rolled her eyes at what Dante said, considering him extremely naive like she usually thought. As she listened to Vosur explain about the psycho necromancer, she continued tearing chunks away from the piece of meat and eating them. When Vosur said his last couple of sentences, she had just bitten into the meat and the last thing he said caused her to grin with her teeth still sunk into the meat. She tore the meat away and listened to Lazaryos' response to Chrono as she chewed it then ate the last part of the piece of meat.
-
Chrono couldn't help but cackle, as the humor was not enough for true laughter. "All those books and no bestiary on the Dragon? Are these legends all that anyone bothers to go by, or was your library censoring books on animals?" He readied his blade with another flourish and started crossing the bridge, only to stop when he was about five feet from the closest member to him. "After this I probably should put a book together, maybe you could help if your greed doesn't get you killed. How 'bout it Lightning mage??"
-
Dante grew a sudden disgusted face at the explanation of the "psycho" (He was just misunderstood.). "How can people take the life of another so easily? It sickens me...The thought of taking something so precious without remorse. It's just so strange...The world we live in. Killing one another for what someone has, just because they want it. The amount of greed in this world, malice and hatred..." he forced himself to stop, figuring he was rambling.
-
Vosur started to edge Dante away from Ember, hopefully to give him the idea to keep his distance from her. "It was much less than remorse and more towards he seemed to enjoy it from what I could see." he muttered. "I'm no saint either, Padre... I have my own scarlet-letter to bear. Revenge is my sin that I'll be approaching the river of Purgatory with, if I even manage to get that good of an afterlife." He managed to back Dante a few steps away before he gets away from him and Ember, going on his way towards their destination. He pulls his sword and sheath set from off of his belt with Chrono, catching sight of the end of the bridge. "Ready?" he speaks to the others.
-
Lazaryos sighed as he got up, "With your brain power, hatchling, I'm sure you'll manage to write two words by year's end. Yes, pup, it's about time. Let's go." He turned around and started walking down the bridge slowly. As soon as Lazaryos set foot on the bridge, and it creaked, the dragons' attention snapped to, raising their heads, and peered at the bridge, tails twitching for action and an expecting dinner.
-
Ember just listened to the others as she chew that last bit of the meat slower than she had with the rest of it. When Lazaryos got up, she got up as well and waited for him to get to where she was before she turned to face the dragons on the other end. She glared into one of the dragon's eyes as she recognized their eagerness. "I'll be the only one doing the cooking..." She muttered in a low tone like she was just talking to the dragon as if it was right face-to-face with her.
-
Dante barely noticed Vosur getting him away from Ember, being so concerned with the world and how it was wrong. When they time came for them to move he looked at the dragons looking at them with dismay. He was still confused at how he was going to fight such a foe. Even swinging his cross would do little to nothing, but it would probably be better then trying to put it in a choke hold. He was not looking forward to this fight, should he even survive he would still have to deal with the others. And his planned idea with Vosur was probably not going to happen.
-
Pausing for a moment while looking at the dragons, Vosur then put his sword-and-sheath back on his belt as he looked to them. "With armor that thick and that well-covered, swordplay is nearly out of the question. If we fight them, we're going to have to fight them intelligently. Everything in this world has a weakness, even these behemoths as well." he muttered, mostly to himself as he pulled out his normal cards, shuffling them about in his hands as in an idle manner while walking. "But not much is said about dragons other than just immense power and size. The only soft portions of their bodies I can see right now are the eyes, inside of the mouth, and the nostrils... but even getting close enough to hit them is risky if some of the dragon-lore I've heard is true. Breathing fire, control over the elements... but most those are just stories, no first-hand accounts written."
-
Lazaryos maintained eye contact with the dragons, but began to speak, "Not necessarily. Apparently, the main one over there is the only fire breather. I've seen ancient tomes that described many different dragons that were smaller than the one that breathed fire, but most of the time, most of the writings were torn, worn, or burnt off. I've seen different portions of words that seem to be used for other elements, but that was never fully confirmed. Finding about the fire breather was hard enough to decipher, but the consistencies found over 200 tomes confirmed one fire breathing dragon, most of the time labeled the 'grand fire dragon'. I think the reason we weren't able to fight the fire breather was because it's the only one that's been guarding every single Mana expedition in history. That's all I've been able to-" He stopped short as the dragons began growling and spread their wings, though not leaving their spots, they seemed ready.
-
Ember listened to Vosur and then to Lazaryos as they both spoke while her eyes stayed on the dragon, which happened to be the fire-breathing one that they fought before. Her eyes switched to the other dragon when both of them readied themselves for the fight they knew was coming to them. But she only looked at that dragon for a few seconds before switching her attention back to the fire-breather. The fact that it would be a bigger challenge for her to fight one that used her own element enticed her. "Bring it!" She said in her mind like her and the dragon were somehow linked, which they obviously weren't.
-
Chrono listened to Lazaryos with rapt attention, then turned when he heard the growling. "Well, I believe we have to eliminate both of them, so I guess we'll be the first to kill this 'grand fire dragon'." He was making his way closer to the dragons, but couldn't keep his legs from shaking under him. Of course, I don't get cold feet from the Blue Crimson, but a 'distant relative' is making fight or flight kick in automatically.
-
"So, old man, what's the plan on fighting these guys?" Vosur spoke as he looked to both of the dragons. "Try to lure one of them out so we can take it down or are we going to fight both of them at once?" He seemed to slow down as he was looking at the dragons, taking their immense size into account and playing few a through battle scenarios in his mind. One of them almost made him snicker if he didn't seem so out of it, the idea of him playing around with the dragon as he did with the large cavalryman was a funny sight to him before he snapped out of it to catch up with the others.
-
Lazaryos stopped halfway down the bridge, as the dragons both stood, eying the group, "You'd have to be a complete idiot to tangle with the grand dragon that we've been messing with since the Arena. That son of a bitch has been around since the first Mana expedition, I'm not gonna risk my life and [censored] with that one. Our best plan is to deter him long enough to kill the other one, or to rush in without being killed. There is no record that survived the ages that ever told of how to fight them. Every single record for the last thousand years that has been recovered either leaves the fights with the dragons omitted or they were lost either by fire or had been torn out and never found." He sweat as he watched the dragons, "And it seems that if we pass the halfway mark on the bridge, they will begin their attack. It'll be a long run, and it seems that there's another 400 meters (1/4 of a mile) after the bridge ends, and it's too open ended to make an easy break, and the passage seems only big enough for one person at a time. I'm sorry, but even I can't do anything in this condition. It's going to just try to deter them and try for a quick break, but it'll be hardest after we get off the bridge."
-
Ember paused next to Lazaryos with one foot lifted in mid-step as he mentioned that the dragons would attack when they crossed the halfway point in the bridge, hesitated, and then pulled her foot back to set it beside the other one. As she stood there looking at both of the dragons, her mind lingered on the fact that this was going to be the hardest part of the journey so far. She remembered that she could very well die here and not even make it to the Mana. Shaking her head, she tried to push those thoughts away and just focus on the task at hand.
-
Chrono shrugged after Lazaryos finished banishing his delusions of grandeur, and stood just to the right of Lazaryos. "You know we've been fighting battles where, defeat followed by death, always seemed imminent. The only way this will seem harder, is if one of us bites the dust before we get off the bridge. Personally, I don't want to rely on yet another miracle occuring to save our collective hides; is it possible to have the dragons accidentally attack each other?"
-
Vosur stopped as well with the group, reaching his hand out to stop Dante from going in further. "My sentiments exactly, I'd rather have them fighting each other somehow than fighting us while we carry on." With the hand that he had his cards in, he put them away to grab out a smaller piece of smoked meat to eat on it. "Maybe if we had bait... that might get them to quarrel over it? They have got to be very hungry, but well-trained indeed, creatures to wait this long for prey. They haven't made a move towards us yet."
-
Lazaryos sighed, "That ain't happening, but if you want some bait..." He turned and grabbed hold of Dante's robe, "I think the anti-killing fanatic would be happy to protect us by sacrificing his body." Lazaryos was hoping that Ember paid attention, since he wanted to make her at least chuckle with the idea, or make her happy by actually doing it, though Vosur would probably have something to say about it.
-
Ember listened to Chrono and then Vosur as she kept her eyes on the dragons. When Lazaryos spoke, she turned her head to watch him as she listened to him. At his grabbing of Dante and suggesting him as bait, she did actually laugh. "Well, what are you waiting for?" She asked, crossing her arms with a smirk on her face. "Give him a nice shove past this point of no return that we're standing behind." She didn't actually expect Lazaryos to do it, but she wouldn't have minded if he did.
-
Dante got free from Lazaryos' grip after they had their laughs. "I would cast my vote for grumpy as it stands...But as it is I would rather not die for your pleasure. Though with my current skills I would probably be more beneficial as a distraction..." He pictured himself running back and forth from the dragons as they breathed fire at him. The others just walked by going on their merry ways as he fought for survival.
-
Vosur finished the food he bit into then stepped back. He looked to the others as he took up a sprinter's starting-stance while looking to the others. "Sorry everyone... I was able to out-run all of you. If anyone's going to be a distraction, it has to be someone fast enough to out-run a dragon or agile enough to evade their attacks, even 'Miss Firebrand' over here doesn't quite fit the bill, though she'd fare better than you, Padre. On top of that, I probably smell like food anyways since I've got all of these pockets filled with smoked meat. If the old-man of this motley crew has enough Majicka for a flash-ball, then I might be able to stand a chance against running from two dragons. Any arguments on this plan?" he spoke to the others as he looked ahead to plot a route, looking for any points of shelter to hide out in along the way.
-
Lazaryos sighed, "I guess it's better than anything I can think of. But know that unlike us, any kind of large flash of light won't be enough to do any more than just a couple seconds, particularly against the big one over there. Remember, it's the only dragon that's been guarding the Mana entrance for thousands of years, and possibly even since the beginning of time. When I throw the flares, move." He closed his fists and lightning streamed from his eyes as more gathered around his hands. "These flares take too long to make, so this will be your only flash cover." After the lightning settled, Lazaryos threw both light balls right at the dragons, signalling for Vosur to go. The dragons lept off their perches as Vosur ran, and Lazaryos ignited the flares. The larger dragon roared as it was temporarily blinded, but the other one continued on as it was unfazed by the flare. Oh shit! It must be... Lazaryos ran as hard as he could after Vosur as the smaller dragon opened its mouth and shot out lightning. His eyes streamed with lightning again as he charged his body with negatively charged lightning and diverted the stream from hitting Vosur at the last second. The lightning struck Lazaryos' outstretched hand, and he roared himself, the pain of the lightning coursing through his body. Lazaryos fell to his knees and grunted as he mixed his own Majicka with the lightning and roared once more, expelling it all from his own mouth.
-
Ember bolted after Lazaryos when he took off when the other dragon wasn't fazed by the flares. When he was hit by the lightning she was worried for him, but just kept running toward him. She didn't dare to touch him until he expelled it from his mouth which was just before she had gotten to him. Once she was by him, she grabbed a hold of him and pulled him to his feet as quickly as she could. "Come on, we need to move!" She urged him as she started to run again.
-
Chrono made a run for it just the instant before the flare went off, and covered his eyes as it did. He knew Vosur was supposed to distract, but his sword took top priority as he was less effective in a one-sword style. Vosur may be fast, but his distractions won't mean anything when that dragon feels me climb up its back. Might as well get this out of the way...
-
Dante was the last person to dart off, he saw Lazaryos fall down as he was running down the bridge. "I could probably carry him. Just not with my cross...Should I try? EEEEEEEEEEEEH......Not like I have much else I can contribute. Ember will probably try to light me on fire, but meh." he thought as he neared them. He took his cross from his back and cocked it back in his arm readying to hurl it like a javelin. He slid as he was a few feet from Ember and Lazaryos before launching his cross through the air. It went a considerable distance, sticking into the ground in between the where the two dragons had perched. After which he scooped up Lazaryos, placing him on his back. "C'mon, time for a ride!" he said as he began to run off. "If he doesn't kill me, Ember will."
-
Vosur had a decent head-start in front of the dragons, the lightning-dragon leading. He caught a glimpse at what Lazaryos did, distracted to the point where he turned his head back in front just in time to react to prevent smacking into a dead-tree, the two dragons flying overhead as Vosur took a sharp right-turn after the tree. The dragons followed after him, as he anticipated, so he started to lure them towards the arena, constantly changing direction to prevent them from catching him with their claws or their breath-attacks. "My boy, this is the most reckless and ironic thing you've ever done." he muttered to himself as he was breathing heavily. "If you make it out of this alive, no one will ever believe you that you played Tag with dragons."
-
Lazaryos felt a bit flustered when Ember took his hand, but it quickly went away at being hefted by Dante. He quickly got out of the healer's hold and shoved him ahead, "Get your goddamn hands off me, you hypocritical crack!" The grand dragon came by as they made it across the bridge, letting loose a river of fire against the group. Lazaryos did his best to shield it with lightning, but the fire was stronger and breached right through it, hurling towards the group.
-
Ember was surprised by Dante picking up Lazaryos, especially since she knew that he didn't need to be carried, but she wasn't surprised by Lazaryos' reaction to being picked up. She would have laughed but at the moment she was all business so she didn't make a sound as she continued running. When she saw the river of fire coming at them, she was ready for it. She got ahead of Lazaryos and shot her own fire at the oncoming fire from the dragon, redirecting it so it went around them instead of hitting them.
-
Chrono dove near the railing as the fire came forth, making sure the flames would only harm his backside as he knew he couldn't take a frontal hit of dragon-flame. He waited for the fire to pass, then got right back up and tried to take advantage of Vosur's distraction by getting within close proximity to the dragon. He had to wait for it to come down since he couldn't jump up to it, which made him feel rather useless at that time.
-
Dante stumbled forward after being shoved, still running and barely able to avoid falling over. "Fine, see if I ever help you again old man!" he shouted back. When the dragon flew at them he slid to a stop, that's when Ember deflected it with an attack of her own which he thought was pretty cool. After the threat was gone he made a dash for his cross and continued to run once having it. He knew he couldn't fight the dragons so he tried to make it passed them.
-
Vosur tried to be more erratic in his evasion of the dragons, still trying to keep them lured away from the group though he had to run by them to avoid getting a tail-fire from the Grand Fire Dragon. He kept running into very little vegetation to use as cover, even the upcoming rock formations were not large enough to hide himself in. "The further I run, the less cover I get, I gotta think of something fast or else I'm toast!" he managed to breathe out, glancing towards the group to see their progress, muttering under his breath towards them as he tried to keep the distraction going. "You better hurry up or you're going to get a couple of unwanted guests."
-
Lazaryos noticed that the Grand Dragon's attention was mainly on Vosur since he was right near the entrance into the mountain, probably thinking he was taunting it by not going inside. The lightning dragon, however, turned its attention on the group still trying to make their way to the end of the bridge, and swooped in for an attack. The dragon fired off another stream of lightning, parallel to the bridge. Lazaryos quickly concentrated his majicka to form the strongest frontal shield he could in such a short time, and it managed to deflect the lightning, though the rebound pushed him back a couple feet onto his rump. He got up again and ran with the group as they neared the end, the lightning dragon flying around for another pass and the Grand Dragon now noticing them coming up. The group would be caught in a pincer as the two dragons prepared to fire another stream from their gaping maws.
-
Ember continued to run with the others. She didn't like that the lightning dragon was the one coming after them because she knew that she would fare better going against the Grand Dragon since it was easier to block fire, with fire. When the lightning dragon shot at them, she watched Lazaryos shield go up and watched him get knocked back. She kept an eye on him to make sure that he got up and when he did she looked forward again. She then saw that the Grand Dragon noticed them after that and that both of the dragons were coming toward them. "That's not what I wanted!" She yelled in her head as she narrowed her eyes.
-
Chrono reached into his lower armor, searching around for any possible kunai he had not yet thrown during their travel. He nicked his hand as it accidentally ran along the bladed half of the weapon, but never twinged as he took it out and turned towards the lightning dragon. The aura returned, and some of it went into the kunai as he pulled back and aimed right for the head of the dragon before throwing it and hoping that at least the gleam of the projectile would catch the dragon's attention. For once, I really want that dragon stereotype to be true...
-
Vosur caught a glance of what Chrono was doing, giving a slight smile as he quickly tried to undo his pouch. "Oi, what I wouldn't give for a gold-coin right now. That'd be a lot shinier than what I'm going to have to throw. But beggars aren't choosers." Vosur breathed out as he pulled a normal card from out of his pouch, doing a jump-and-spin type of throw to fling the card upward in the dragon's general direction. The fire dragon caught notice of the card, stopping with the fire breathing for a moment as the card distracted him. Taking the opportunity, he double-backed and tried to run lower to the ground while the red dragon was turning about to follow after him. "That brute does have some good ideas once in a while!" he called out to the group, laughing a bit as he kept running.
-
The lightning dragon turned back towards them, firing off another stream. Lazaryos spent whatever majicka he could spare and created a curved barrier, redirecting the lightning over towards the distracted Grand Dragon. The lightning hit it in the side, knocking the sword out of its scales and against the wall of the mountain's entrance. The Grand Dragon roared and fired off another stream, but at the lightning dragon. "RUN!"
-
Ember was relieved when the Grand Dragon was distracted but still kept her attention on both of the dragons. She didn't need anything more than Lazaryos' command for her feet to start moving faster toward the mountain's entrance when the Grand Dragon attacked the lightning dragon. "Good. Didn't expect them to turn on each other, but that worked out well." She said aloud but was really only talking to herself as she continued to run toward the mountain's entrance.
-
Chrono was a bit annoyed that Vosur's distraction worked better than his own, but quickly got over it as he saw his sword hit the side of the entrance. He kept pace with Ember, but then veered off towards his 'long lost' sword at an even faster speed than Ember. My luck better not change now, that would be so annoying!!
-
Cross in hand, Dante continued to run still being ahead of the others from going to get his cross. He was surprised he wasn't eaten at this point, giving himself a quick once over to see if he was on fire; he wasn't. He noticed the dragon's attentions were now on each other which was another breath of fresh air. Hopefully they would make it passed now without him having to confront them. The chances were looking good, at least from his point of view.
-
"You don't have to tell me twice." he tried to say back, but his voice not really reacting due to his exertion. Vosur double-backed one more time to catch up to the others, his breathing getting really heavy due to having been the distraction for one of the dragons the entire time. He anticipated nasty glares from the others for having led one of the dragons right to the group, so he tried to maintain his eye-contact away from the rest for until they were safely away from the dragons.
-
The dragons fought fiercely as the party ran under them and towards the entrance. Lazaryos dove for the entrance as they neared it. As he did, the Grand Dragon took a large bite out of the thunder dragon's neck and it shot a weak stream of lightning, trying to free itself. However, because of its neck being chewed up in powerful jaws, that weak stream went straight down and struck Chrono just as he hand wrapped around his beloved sword.
-
Ember had eyes only for the mountain entrance as she ran towards it. When she was safely inside the entrance, she looked back to see a freshly lightning-struck Chrono with his hand around the hilt of the sword. "There's just no end to him and lightning incidents." She thought to herself as she looked toward Chrono. "Maybe his armor should be made of rubber..." She said aloud, though it was actually supposed to just be a thought.
-
Chrono would have cursed under his breath as the lightning passed out of him, but he just kept grinning as the joy of regaining his sword overrode the brunt of the pain. He could hear music in his head as he raised it into the air triumphantly, then he sprinted back to the group before the Grand Dragon decides to attack its distant cousin. I think I've built a resistance to electricity with all the abuse from that mage, or the buzz was just that good.
-
Standing a few feet from Ember in the entrance of the mountain Dante watched Chrono get electrocuted. "Are you alright?" he asked as he approached them. "Is everyone alright for that matter? No one hurt? Or in need of my services?" he questioned again, though this time looking over the group. He wasn't noticing any visible injuries, which was a bit surprising to him as he thought the dragons would have put up more of a challenge.
-
Vosur came to a stop with the group, taking a moment to calm down his breathing as he tried to speak. "That... red dragon... nearly had my... goose cooked." he managed to breathe out as almost dropped to one knee in exhaustion, grabbing hold of a nearby small-boulder to prop himself up. It took him a couple of moments for his breathing to calm down before he sniffed the air. "Um, anyone smell something burning?" he asked, a bit of smoke coming up from the tip of his tail, which he glanced back in the general direction of the smell to see it coming from him. "Sonova! That dragon's aim was a bit better than I thought!" he almost yelled as he jolted around to quickly try to pat out his tail-fire.
-
Lazaryos slowly got up, since the dive knocked the wind out of him. He coughed as Vosur started running around, "This is why I don't go into taverns. I can't stand people who smoke." Lazaryos grabbed Vosur's shoulder as he came around another pass, and caused Vosur to fall on his back. It wasn't his intent to get him down that way, but he guessed it worked. He rolled Vosur on his side and stomped on the wolf-boy's tail to put the fire out.
-
Dante couldn't help but to chuckle at the event before him. It was surprising to himself that he had suffered no fire-related injuries, considering he wasn't in the graces of their fire mage. Then again he remembered the close call he had earlier when Ember did try to roast him. The thought made him look to her then look away scratching his head. "I wonder if she's jealous...I mean...I don't think I'm THAT hate-able..."
-
Vosur yelped involuntarily due to Lazaryos stomping on his tail, scrambling to get up and get out from underneath his foot. "Ya'know... next time I'll ask Miss Firebrand to put out my fire. She'd be more gentle." he said in a nearly-scathing tone, grabbing his own tail and checking the damage. "Man... that's going to leave permanent singe-marks." He sat down and started to check everything on himself: food, card count, water pouch on the back of his hips, his sword, and even the knife he swiped from the cavalryman. "Hrm, travelling light isn't what I like, but there's not much of a choice. I hope there'll be a good hunt after we get there."
-
Lazaryos snorted, "You're welcome, you ungrateful pup. And don't worry about food, we won't get anymore until AFTER we get out of here. This place is a desolate labyrinth. Even with our current remaining food, we might possibly be stuck in here and die of hunger long before we can even hope to find our way back out. From what I've researched, people have died just going mad in this place."
-
Ember caught Dante out of the corner of her eye when he looked at her and made a sneering face, then removed the sneer when she looked at Vosur after his tail fire was stomped out and he had said that she would have been more gently. "Couldn't promise anything." She said in response to Vosur's comment. "And apparently I'm already mad according to someone, so I guess I don't have much to worry about." She didn't look at Dante when she said "someone" but that was who she had meant, and she let out a sort of creepy chuckle on purpose when she finished speaking.
-
Chrono tried not to laugh at Vosur, but his antics just became more comical as Lazaryos joined in by stomping on his tail. "Considering the amount of times my head has been fried by electricity from just our resident lightning mage alone, I should be mad enough to not succumb to the mental deterioration that comes with hunger. Now, is the exit directly north, or is that also unknown?"
-
Vosur wanted to growl a reply to Lazaryos, but he kept himself quiet as his tail was no longer smoking. "I've got enough for a couple of days worth for one person on myself. And even in the most desolate of places there are creatures... probably not the most likely of prey, but it might beat starving to death if I keep some situational-awareness for our next catch. But the tiger's right, groups go in... but one comes out in all of the legends. Even the last one barely survived making it out. Traps of lethal-cunning, labyrinths, guardian beasts... all of these being possible obstacles which we'll face. Hopefully we won't catch any of those, but with those two dragons out there, the chance of having a good safe trip there is rather slim."
-
Lazaryos sighed, frustrated with the group, "The only exit is the entrance. As for creatures, yes, there are monsters in different places around the labyrinth, but they're said to dissolve into nothing after killed. Also, there's said to be small puddles of water in random places, but it's near impossible to get to them without spending Majicka. Because this mountain houses the Mana flower, it's said the the flower's roots courses throughout the whole mountain, allowing it to self repair, never succumb to weather grinding, and be almost alive, along with giving life to those weird monsters that are recorded to roam this place. Now if you're all ready, I'd like to get in and out as fast as I can."
-
Ember suddenly became irritated when she noticed Lazaryos' frustration with the group. Her and Chrono were just trying to joke to make the best of a bad situation that they were about to go into. At the same time, though, she felt that she would have been just as frustrated if she hadn't been one of the ones making light of what was going to happen. "Well, since someone's being grumpy, I guess we should get a move on before we all have early deaths." She said and turned to face the inside of the mountain.
-
Chrono nodded to Ember as she turned away, and walked into the labyrinth with both swords drawn. He kept to Ember's right, hoping that Vosur would take left and Dante take the rear. He didn't state that idea however, as he needed to keep his focus on what might be coming to attack them. He gazed at the walls and noticed that others had left marks to indicate the 'right' path. But, so many others had done the same, that neither path looked just as promising as the former...
-
Dante walked to Vosur casually. "You gonna be okay or should I get a magical band-aid ready?" he asked with a smirk. He would have followed behind Ember but at this point he felt he should stick closer to his more positively aligned companions. His recent antics left him questioning of his alignment, but he was a better bet than any of the others. He wasn't exactly using him, but it was more of a symbiotic relationship. Vosur could kill things. Dante could play doctor.
-
Vosur got up after his self-check was through, almost huffing a bit in reply to Dante as he got up. "I'll be alright. Makes me think of the time I got my tail caught in the coals. I almost burned the entire smithy in the process and the master had to stomp my tail to put it out." He brushed himself off before he followed suit after the rest, looking about the area to make sure they didn't have any unexpected visitors as they were walking. His right-hand rested on the hilt of his sword, lightly gripping the handle, while his left hand settled idly on his card-pouch for a quick throw at a moment's notice.
-
Lazaryos just walked ahead, not waiting for anyone. The fact was that knowing what he did, and experiencing it for his own, he was deathly afraid, particularly since his Majicka was near its limit. He followed what seemed to be the only path that seemed to lay before him. However, when he entered, the wall closed behind him. The entrance to the cave closed up instantly, as well, and raised up everywhere, separating the whole group from each other.
-
Ember followed behind Lazaryos but was surprised when he disappeared from her sight. She attempted to look over at Chrono to check and see if he had seen what had happened too, only to find that he wasn't next to her anymore. "Shit..." She said under her breath as she looked around. "Guess there's nothing to do but start moving." Tightening her grip on her staff, she began walking down the path in front of her.
-
Chrono turned around as the wall closed, and was going to grab Ember as he thought they were going to be seperated. Alas, the separation was complete before he could even make the movement. "Oh come on!!" he yelled, kicking the wall in frustration. He huffed for a few seconds, letting his anger melt away while he started down the path that the labyrinth had now laid open to him. Stupid living maze...
-
Dante let slip a silent swear when the maze might as well have eaten him. He looked around to see he was alone, which gave him an overwhelming feeling of uneasiness. "Okay...Not all bad. On my own...I hope I come across something I can beat..." he said to himself trying to sound reassuring. After that he walked on, feeling he might as well get this over with considering there was nothing he could do about it now.
-
Vosur quickly turned towards the group just in time to see the maze separate himself from the others. "Crap!" he exclaimed before he smacked his own fist against the wall that separated them. "Everyone else alright over there? If you all can hear me, listen up. The old man should already know this, but there exists the possibility of finding clues to get to the end, mostly from the legends about how the survivors made it through. Observe your surroundings with all of your senses." he spoke out before anyone could reply, not sure if they heard him or not, but he tried to make sure that he was loud enough to be heard through the walls before he moved his right hand to feel along the wall carefully, taking in deep breaths to try to make sure his sense of smell would catch any clues he could find.
-
Lazaryos heard Vosur yelling over the wall and yelled back over, "There was nothing in the old scripts about the labyrinth coming alive! I guess it's the plant's way of testing to see if you're worthy of the Mana that it yields! This might explain why only one person comes out each time! Everyone just make your way through and we'll meet when we meet!" He continued on, since there was apparently only one path. The echoes of his footsteps made him extra cautious, and there were faint winds running along above them, sounding exactly like the breath of monsters and voracious creatures. The path was dark, and he was barely able to see the walls and the floor.
-
Ember had heard Vosur before she had began down the path. She didn't respond though and just kept walking through the dark as she heard Lazaryos responding. Placing her free hand on the wall on the left side, she felt along the wall as she walked. She would have used her majicka to make fire to be able to see better, but she didn't want to waste her majicka on something that wasn't important and necessary. Hearing some sound above her, she looked up but saw nothing above her and scowled before looking forward again.
-
Chrono had gone out of earshot as he briskly walked through the path laid before him. He stopped as he could hear a second pair of footsteps, which were silenced the moment he did. He did a few test steps, and noticed that there was a slight delay between each step. He then stood perfectly still, even stopping his own breath to keep himself as quiet as possible. Then, he broke the silence around him by going into a full sprint through the hall.
-
Dante continued to walk carefully through the darkness. He felt the ground in front of him with his foot almost every other step to ensure there was actually ground or he wouldn't activate a trap of some sort. The thought had crossed his mind to use his magic to create some light but felt it should be used for a more serious situation. He heard distant echoes of things he couldn't put his finger on, he cursed his inability to feel things. If a big monster was sneaking up behind him, drooling on him he would be none the wiser. He took a glance to see if there was something behind him. There wasn't which let him breathe a sigh of relief.
-
Vosur calmed down his own breathing and took off his tinted glasses since he no longer needed them in this dark maze. His left hand ran along the wall, his eyes angled downward in front of himself to make sure he did not trigger anything. He nearly bumped his head into a low-hanging branch if he didn't reach up to wipe some sweat off of his forehead. "Wait a minute... I thought most of this maze was inside of a cave... not out in the open." he muttered to himself, stepping back once to look at what he almost hit into. When he stepped back, he could feel a bit of extra warmth, as if someone was really close to himself, which made him spin around with a closed-fist back-hand to try to knock them out of the way, but he only caught air. His expression turned into a scowl as he blinked, carefully turning back around to go back to the only direction given to himself.
-
Lazaryos' pace grew as did his breathing. He felt as if he was being stalked at every turn. Finally, Lazaryos couldn't stand the dust anymore and sneezed. Not too long after that, it sounded like a horde started gathering around him. He ran harder and harder, the sounds of their claws and growling growing louder. Finally, he cracked and collected a bit of his majicka and fired bolts in all directions around him. Lazaryos grunted as he fell to his knees from the majicka expenditure. The bolts lit up everywhere around him for a few seconds, there was nothing there, and the bolts just dissipated into the wall, not so much as scratching the surface. I get it, now. The weak of mind die from the delirium. Son of a bitch. So those are the "Monsters".
-
Ember continued on down her path. She didn't move any faster though she did feel like she was being followed by something as she moved along. After a while of listening to whatever it was moving behind her, she finally snarled and turned, letting out a stream of fire into the path behind her. With the light she could see that there was nothing there though and it made her angry as her legs shook a little from the majicka usage. "Ugh...stupid labyrinth..." She muttered and turned forward again, continuing down her path.
-
Chrono stopped running as he could still not find anyone or anything encountering him or even getting close to him. As he stopped, his sword scrapped against the floor, and Chrono could hear the sound repeated twice as well. In a moment of curiosity he stomped his foot, only to hear the exact sound repeated a split second later. He then went over to a nearby wall and hit his head against it three times before staggering away and continuing down the path. Stupid echoes...
-
Dante continued walking through the labyrinth pushing the feeling of being followed or watched out of his mind. Out of a bit of fear he had begun walking at a hastened pace somewhat throwing caution to the wind. If he had the capability to feel he would have felt a chill running down his spine and his hair standing on end. He gave in to turning around and saw a figure in the dark, a rather large one. Red glowing eyes and long claws. He felt an attack coming and held his arms out in defense but nothing happened. Lowering his arms there was nothing there. "Head games, huh...? Just...Head games...Yes...That's it. Head games." he tried to convince himself as he turned back around to continue on his path.
-
Vosur slowly started off again, right-hand out in front of himself and his left hand at the hilt of his sheath just in case if he were attacked. He didn't even take ten steps before his hand hit another 'branch', which he backed up and felt the warmth again, unsheathing and turning around to strike in one sudden motion. His sword hit nothing behind himself, but the inertia of his swing made him strike the wall to send out a few sparks that lit up a few feet in front of his view to allow him to see nothing there. It took him a moment to recuperate from the strike against the wall before he sheathed his sword and reached his hand out in front of himself to feel a dying rush of warm air coming from a coin-sized hole in the floor. "Okay, that explains the 'breath'... but what triggers it?" he muttered as his other hand reached over to prop against the 'branch', feeling it give way a little and also feeling the rush of warm air again. "Quite clever, make those who aren't observant enough to waste their energy fighting unknown beings. I'll have to keep a note of that."
-
Lazaryos continued his trek along the path at a steady pace, no longer worried about an attack. His breathing was still uneasy, though, having spent a good portion of what was left of his majicka. Lazaryos traveled quietly for the rest of the way, ending up in a large, brightly lit chamber after about an hour. He saw several other openings in the walls around him, while the one he walked out of closed up behind him.
-
"I can't believe I fell for that..." Was the phrase that kept running through Ember's mind as she continued down her path. Every time she heard some sort of sound, she snarled, getting irritated with the tricky noises since she had figured out what was going on. After a while of walking, she noticed a light at the end of the tunnel and exited her path into a brightly lit chamber, the opening of her path closing behind her. She glanced back at it then looked around the chamber, spotting Lazaryos there as well. "Well, that's two out of five..." She said as she looked toward the other openings.
-
Chrono casually walked until he reached a dome-like room where the other two mages were, which was where he stopped. "Huh, so I'm in third place. I guess that would be better than being last..." He sheathed his swords, then leaned against a wall while waiting for the other two to show up. "Did anyone in here bother to find out why this is the only area that's lit up?"
-
Dante continued walking along, navigating through the maze. The feeling he was being watched and followed was getting more and more vicious. It eventually made him start running. "JUST HEAD GAMES! JUST HEAD GAMES!!!" he tried to convince himself. At this point he was running blindly now. When he rounded a corner he saw light and made a dash for it hopeful. "I hope this is real!" he thought nearing an exit. He ran out of his hole into the room with the others. He came to a stop to catch his breath and looked around. "Oh, hi guys." he said casually as if he didn't just run from the tunnel like a sissy.
-
Vosur had followed the path for a long way until he started to see light ahead of himself, forcing him to put his tinted glasses back on. He came out of the tunnel rather casually, seeing the others had gotten there before he did, making him almost laugh as he just calmly walked into the room. "Strange that I'd be the last one, and here I thought I'd have been ahead of everyone else." he joked as he got closer to the others. "So what sort of 'monsters' did everyone else get? Mine was the 'breathing against the neck' type..."
-
Lazaryos didn't say much, but thought he'd indulge Vosur's question, "Mine was a 'horde' of beasts that multiplied as I went on." He looked into the center of the high beam of light, and realized where they were. "Well slap me twice and call me Sally... this is it." Lazaryos began to walk for it, when he was rebounded back a few feet later, hitting the wall to his back. An ominous low voice echoed throughout the chamber, "Only one may claim this source of unlimited power. If you wish to make this power your own, you must relinquish your source as payment." Lazaryos growled as he ran for the light again, pushing what majicka he had left into his hand, Goddammit, so it wants us to use up all our majicka, which means that son of a bitch pup would be the only one coming through if I don't work fast enough.
-
Ember raised an eyebrow and laughed outright at Dante as she saw him run out of his tunnel. "Not sure exactly how my 'monsters' would be described. Guess they were just casual followers who would eventually annoy a person enough to make them flip out." She watched Lazaryos walk towards the beam of light and then get repelled back after a few feet. She looked up when she heard the voice then back towards the light. "You've got to be kidding me..." She said in an irritated tone. "I wouldn't have to waste time expelling my majicka if I had been allowed to fry the healer when I wanted to. I would have barely any left at this point." She let out a frustrated sigh then shot a stream of fire toward the beam of light, hoping that would be a good enough way of expelling her majicka.
-
Chrono watched Lazaryos get rejected, and then smiled at the request. "I guess Normals have it easier since our magicka reserves are already low..." he muttered to himself, closing his eyes and recalling to the days of his childhood where they were all introduced on how to use one's own magicka. Sadly, none of it stuck to his memory except for how magicka is sometimes channeled when the user experiences strong negative emotions. Luckily for him, he just had to remember the day when everyone turned on him, then play it over and over until his entire body was giving off the whispy aura of magicka. Thankfully for those around him, he had an inanimate beam of light he could take his frustration out on.
Being the slow dragon that he is, it still has not come to his attention that he is using the one thing that his clan had banished him for not being able to use.
-
Dante remained quizzical about the weird voice. He got somewhat of an idea when Lazaryos had tried to attack it. "I resent that." Dante said flatly to what Ember had said. He gathered he would need to use all his magika, the theory was solidified when Ember let loose a stream of flame. "Hmm...I suppose draining my magic wouldn't exactly be a great deal of trouble. None of my magic is offensive so it won't aid me as much as my hand to hand skills. But even so...Chrono and Vosur will best us mages...An interesting predicament." he thought to himself.
-
"'Relinquish your source as payment'... I don't use Majicka for my 'power'." Vosur repeated as he went towards the light barrier, kneeling down at it as he started to take items from off of his body, starting with his sword by unbelting it and sitting it at the barrier, taking off the knife he took from the cavalryman and sitting it at the barrier as well, then pulling the pouches of his cards from off of his belt and sitting them with the weapons as well. He patted himself down to make sure he did not have any other weapons, then went to take out the food he had remaining in his pockets to sit them at the barrier as well before he got up and took a couple of steps back. He took a split-second to think and then started in a shoulder-bashing run towards the barrier. "The only thing I have left is myself..." he said as he gave it his all to try to hit the barrier dead-on with his shoulder.
-
Lazaryos, to get through the barrier, shot his last stream of lightning straight up at the ceiling above Vosur, causing part of it to crumble and large chunks falling down, trying to make a dead spring over to the little Mana plant. However, the more he ran, the further it seemed to be. Lazaryos took a small glance behind him. The wall was still getting further away, but the Mana still seemed like a world away. Of course. Light and dark elemental magic. The light acts like a coverage for the Mana and the black magic, which is a spacial distortion magic, making the object seem a lot closer than it actually is.
-
"Good." Ember responded to Dante saying he resented what she said with a grin on her face, once again showing her sharp and pointy teeth. She looked over at Vosur getting rid of all of his weapons when she finished dispensing her majicka and glanced down at the sword strapped to her hips. Looking back toward the beam of light, she ran at it while simultaneously untying the cloth belt that she had made to hold the sword, making it the sword fall to the ground before she entered the light. Once in the light, she ignored the fact that the plant seemed a lot further away than she thought and just ran as fast as she could after Lazaryos.
-
When Chrono felt his arm pass through the barrier, he immediately stopped swinging his arms and ran rather fast for someone wearing plate metal on their legs and feet. He was catching up to Lazaryos, but that was also the time his legs started to give out. Trying to avoid as much lost time in transition as possible, the dragon lept forward, landing into a four-limbed sprint as the strain on his legs was fading away...
-
Dante was beginning to regret not wasting his magicka to see easier in the dark. He plopped down and began to use his area healing spell since it used to the most magicka and sat there. This would hinder his progress towards the Mana droplet but he couldn't do anything about it so he didn't worry too much. His only regret was that he wasn't healing anyone else doing this and it was a complete waste. But at least he would be in top health by the time he was done.
-
Vosur stumbled from not hitting into anything physical at the approximate location of where the barrier was supposed to be, but had to take a dive-roll to avoid being struck by falling debris, glaring back to Lazaryos with his red-irised eyes, which seeing him look behind himself made him double-take his looks to the Mana plant and the entrance. "Sonova... is this the final illusion?" he spoke to himself as he quickly got up to take off towards the plant again, not taking any chances if it wasn't a Majicka-wrought mirage. Even though he was covering a fair amount of distance, he didn't seem to get any closer to the plant in the process. His legs were still sore from having to rush through a battle-field and having to evade dragons, but he was no longer burdened by the extra weight of his equipment as his pace was much faster than before. "I dunno if you can hear me in the afterlife, Ruby... but was this the goal you wanted me to achieve?" he breathed out in-tempo with his run.
-
After a minute or two, the light around them started flickering. Lazaryos couldn't help but look around as he ran. When he turned to look at the others, he noticed that a lot of the light started swirling and going towards Chrono's 3rd eye. That's right. That hatchling's from the Tri' Malis. The eye absorbs all magic that is close enough to touch him, so the light elemental illusion is being diffused by his eye. Goodness, do I not envy the headache that bastard's going to get from this.
-
Ember continued to run as the light around everyone began to flicker. Just like Lazaryos, she also began to look around to see what exactly was going on. She noticed that all of the light was headed for Chrono and his third eye. "That doesn't look like it could be too pleasant..." She thought to herself as she looked forward again. "Somehow, even if I die, I'll be relieved when this whole thing is over and done with..."
-
Chrono was too busy keeping up with Lazaryos to notice the light going into his third eye, but when everyone started looking at him, he finally took notice and apparently gave the eye the signal to start the painful procedure of converting the light illusion into magical energy. The pain hit fast, hard, and also caused him to lose his footing as he tumbled for a few seconds before being sprawled on his back. "Stupid rock-eye..." he mumbled, the throb never growing or weakening.
-
After a few minutes Dante tried to stand back up but was weighed down by his cross. "Damn...Too heavy with that thing." he groaned as he took it off his back. He stood back up and proceeded through the barrier without any problem. After that he began to run quickly to try and catch up to the others. Without his cross he would make good time since he would be much lighter now. He almost tripped, being so unused to running without the cross on his back.
-
Vosur didn't look back with the others as he had been trying to cover distance while the distortion was still active. But now as he was able to tell he was getting closer, his eyes seemed to show the expression of a kid getting a favorite treat or toy. "In the center of that mass of vines and petals, two missions come to an end... but now that I think of it, I do not know the identity of who hired me for this journey." he muttered to himself, still trying to maintain a lead on the rest of the others. "He never spoke, he had his face and body hidden from me, but he gave me the sheet of paper when he hired me. Even for all I know, it could be my father-in-law. If it is him, does he finally feel remorse for having his own daughter killed?"
-
Lazaryos couldn't let Vosur get ahead, so he let go of his instincts and just let himself roll down the stairs, gaining speed as he continued to roll. Lazaryos bounced off the floor and right into the barbs and vines. "Ah! Mother-!" He roared as he did his best to tear through the thick barbs and vines. Goddammit. Looks like it's going to be a while for any of us. Another disadvantage to us Mages.
-
Ember was not happy going down the stairs. There was no way she could get down them any faster. She watched as Lazaryos let himself roll down the stairs to get down faster to get ahead of Vosur. "No way I'm doing that..." She thought to herself. But when she got closer to the bottom of the stairs, she leaped outward to get over the steps. She ended up landing on her feet with her knees bent but her momentum kept her going and she flipped over herself and rolled a couple times before coming to a halt just before the vines. "That was close..." She thought to herself as she looked at the barbs and vines right in front of her from where she sat on her butt with her legs spread out in front of her. As she got up, she was really wishing that she still had the sword with her to cut through the vines but it was obvious that that was why everyone had to either let out all of their majicka and/or leave behind their weapons to get through. Grabbing a hold of some vines, she began tugging at them to rip them away and tried to avoid the barbs as best she could.
-
After what seemed like forever he saw the others come into view. He made his way down the stairs to where there were they were messing with vines. Something he would excel at since he couldn't feel anything. He ripped away at the vines, even though he was getting cut a lot. He seemed to be getting nowhere fast, though he was speedily making his way through it. The pain tolerance was a definite plus to this obstacle.
-
Vosur kept up the run, even though Lazaryos passed him up by rolling down the stairs, seeing him get caught up in the vines and barbs. He only slowed down just a little to get a good view of the "obstacle course" made from the vines, grinning rather widely as he shifted a little off-course in the run before he sped-up and took a leap into the thicket. His feet landed on a hard, rocky material before he quickly dropped down onto his stomach to low-crawl under the vegetation towards the goal, not being hindered by the plants as much as most of the others, but still only able to go about as quickly as them due to his odd posture. "Man, glad to have a small body in this case..." he said to himself, his tail almost wagging as he crawled up through the foliage.
-
Lazaryos finally gave up and tore straight through the vines and barbs, parts of his robe and fur being torn, and blood dripping from every open wound. Lazaryos finally managed to push through and found himself standing at the base of the large flower. Shit, now where the hell is that drop of Mana? This flower is bloody huge, but a single drop is going to be impossible to find.
-
Ember saw Vosur trying to crawl beneath the vines and barbs. Not wanting him to get ahead, she grabbed a hold of his wagging tail and pulled him backwards. Seeing Lazaryos get through, she decided to follow the path he had made through the vines and barbs. Even doing that, she still got a ton of cuts all over her body and tears in her clothes. Once she was through, she was surprised at how big the flower was. "You'd think with it being that size that it'd give more than one drop..." She thought as she proceeded to look around for the drop.
-
Chrono had gotten back up and resumed running when everyone reached the bushes, and by the time everyone got through he had reached the bushes and was now pushing aside branches with the tops of his arms and hands. He didn't need to worry about his legs or tail since the tail was just as covered, and his legs were still wearing armor. Another reason to hate my clan: our clan symbol will end up costing me the Mana droplet...
-
Dante eventually made it through the vines, examining himself to see he was cut up to no tomorrow. "Maybe I should have tried to avoid damage..." he pondered. His thoughts were interrupted by the giant flower before him. "Wow..." he merely said, quite surprised. "You would think something so large could yield like...A mana pool rather than a single droplet. Or maybe said droplet is the size of a house?" he continued, as he looked up the flower. The thought of starting to climb it crossed his mind but he was hesitant.
-
Letting out a dog-like yelp as Ember grabbed his tail to pull him backwards, Vosur growled in her general direction as he picked up the speed by changing his posture in the crawling to get through the brush faster. He caught a few lower-hanging barbs along the way, some scratching down deep on his back to almost mimic the marks on the front of his shirt as his growling only became louder as he fought the pain and abuse that his arms and legs were receiving along the way from the rocky path he took. When he finally came out of the thicket, the back of his shirt was torn up as he got to his feet, wasting no time as he tried to ascend the large plant. He was sore and exhausted, his stability was somewhat thrown-off from Ember's tail-pull, but that did not stop him from trying to get up the plant to the goal that they had been trying to get to this entire time.
-
Lazaryos began to climb the plant as well, digging his claws into the walls of the plant. Blood dripped constantly from his wounds, making him shake with every step and stretch of the climb. Goddammit. They were serious on protecting this large mass of power. Relinquishing your source of power, and then weakening you by cutting you up and forcing you to bleed out.
-
Ember didn't hesitate and followed suit, beginning to climb up the plant as well. The cuts on her body were causing her pain and she knew that she was bleeding a lot but she ignored it as best she could, trying to focus on the task at hand. "Why am I even doing this? I don't know what I want to do if I get the Mana so I'm not even sure why I'm fighting so hard for it. Vosur's reasons are much better than mine. It's not like he wants world domination or anything." She thought to herself as she climbed. "No, no. Shut up. Don't think that. The Mana is yours for the taking and you're not going to let the reasons of others get in your way." She shook her head, getting the "kind" thoughts out, but her eyes moved to Lazaryos. "Wow...he's bleeding a lot...I can't look at that." She tore her eyes away even though she didn't understand why she was having such a hard time seeing another person bleed at this point when she had never cared before.
-
Chrono had cleared the vines by the time Lazaryos and Ember started climbing, and only had a few nicks on his face and under his right hand. He jogged over to the plant, and slowly climbed up as he tried to conserve his energy in case someone tried to knock him off. He knew Vosur would probably be the closest within the first few seconds, but the other three mages would probably knock him down or slow him down in some way. I'm surprised normals didn't get the mana more often, or maybe the Mana had designed the maze and thorn bushes for the cloth-robe mages, but couldn't get anything like foot-wide slits that would limit anyone with large size or armor.
-
After a short break Dante clambered on up the flower. He was sure to get a little rest, so he wouldn't lose his grip higher up. Slow and steady wins the race he thought, if he was rested and didn't fall and they did, he would be the victor, should the Mana actually be up there. "It will likely come to a straight out brawl once we are all up there. I think I will be stand the greatest chance...I don't need a weapon to fight with. I'm not sure how well Vosur or Chrono can fight hand to hand though...Best not underestimate them. Though...I think I will rest on the sidelines while they duke it out...Avoid fighting until I absolutely have to."
-
Vosur was growling the entire way, every now-and-then getting louder as he would climb up the plant with a launch to grab an out of reach hand-hold along the way. He was more concentrated on getting to it first to lay claim to it, pushing his body to the limit in getting there. Once in the process of the climbing, he lost his foot hold and quickly scrabbled back to resume climbing. In the tempo of his movements, his white tail would swish from side to side with each hand-grip and foot-grip he took, trying to use it as a counterbalance to prevent slipping again. "Revenge... duty... what is it that really drives you to go for the source of unlimited power, my boy?" he muttered under his breath as his growls of exhaustion seemed to become even louder.
-
Near the top of the large flower, Lazaryos was confounded by what he saw. There were a ton of droplets produced from the pedals. Quickly, he snatched the first one closest to him and brought it to his lips. At first, he was invigorated, and then nothing. Peh, normal water and condensation from the openings in the ceiling. Goddammit, another obstacle, finding the Mana among water droplets.
-
Ember's eyes widened when she reached the top of the plant and saw Lazaryos drinking a drop but when nothing happened her face relaxed. It was after that that she noticed all of the droplets all over the flower. "You have got to be kidding me..." She thought out loud as she looked around at the huge petals of the flower. With a shrug, she started drinking any drop that was close to her, hoping one of them would be the actual Mana droplet.
-
Dante reached the top with little resistance, he expected Ember at least to try something funny. To his next surprise he saw lots of water droplets around. "Hah! I knew it! It couldn't just have one droplet!" he said to himself. He went over to take one and sipped it down. Standing there for a moment he looked at his paws, wriggling his fingers. "I feel something..." he said lowly. He began to flex, raising his arms over his head. "My power...Is rising..." he continued, looking up all dramatic like. "Nowhere." he said defeated, head hanging low. It was just a drop of water and not the real thing. "Damn it..."
-
Vosur took a bit longer to get up the plant due to the exhaustion still having hold of him and his struggling to just climb. When he got to the top, he saw the many droplets, taking off his waterskin from off of the back of his hips, taking a sip from it before pouring the rest of it out. "So many droplets so little time." he spoke as he started to gather drop after drop into the waterskin. The scent of the dew around him seemed to flood his nostrils as he tried to figure out which drop was actually the real one, not taking any chances as he just gathered the closest ones to himself, one by one. "A big flower, with a lot of dew drops, but none of this actually smells like flowers. I must not be on the right track then if I'm not catching the scent of flower yet." he thought in the back of his mind, trying to not let the others onto what he was planning to do to find the right drop.
-
No matter how hard Lazaryos checked, he couldn't find it, when he felt something odd within his body. He couldn't quite pinpoint what the feeling was, but he gripped harder and climbed up and over the pedals, and there, shimmering behind the top petal, was a particularly blue and shiny droplet. Lazaryos' heart pumped fiercely as he scooped it onto his finger, This is it. He licked it right off his own finger and sighed and roared as lightning shot from his body. However, something wasn't right about the Mana. Black steam started emanating from underneath his skin as he felt his mind begin to slip away. "Argh!! Get out of here, now!"
-
Ember couldn't find the Mana. Any drop she licked up was just plain old dew and nothing more. When she saw Lazaryos climbing further up the plant over the petals, she followed behind him. Her head was just peeking over the petals Lazaryos was on top of when she saw him lick a shiny blue droplet off of his finger. Her eyes widened at the sight of, not the lightning shooting from his body, but the black steam. She wanted to know what was going on and she finally understood that she felt worried about him, that she didn't want anything bad to happen to him and the result of the droplet was looking bad. Even though he warned everyone to get out, she couldn't tear her eyes away.
-
Chrono had stopped dead when he saw the multitude of droplets, not trying to pick any random droplet but not knowing where the Mana drop could be. However, he stopped thinking about his method when seeing black steam come out of Lazaryos. His first action was to slide down the plant, then he caught sight of Ember standing still. He then changed his decision to getting behind Ember, pulling her legs back, then catching her waist as she fell before sliding down the plant himself.
-
Dante watched Lazaryos climb higher, followed by Ember. He followed after them and saw Lazaryos take what looked like the real Mana droplet. Then the black stream came out and he told everyone to run away. "I can't feel pain...But at the same time...I don't really want to stick my neck out for that tiger...Not like I would know what to do anyway. Punching it could very little...Meh...I ain't running. He could just be faking it so he could keep the power for himself."
-
Vosur saw Lazaryos take a drop that seemed out of the ordinary, steaming emanating from his body. "Well whaddya know... the old man did get it first." he spoke out as he took up a defensive stance in preparation for what would be to come. "The legends did not speak of how the ones who achieved the goal of getting the Mana other than who they were. No mention of such a drastic change happening." he growled under his breath. "'Secure the Mana'... sorry old-timer, but I still have a mission to fulfill, which means if you are the Bearer, I have to protect you."
-
Lazaryos fell off the plant, and stopped just a couple feet above it as lightning expelled from his back and propelled him onto his hands and knees, his heart no longer beating as the last of his own personal Majicka was expelled from his body. His body was still and lifeless, cold to the touch, and void of any heat. The steam continued to come out of his body, however, for another few seconds, before disappearing.
-
"Let me go!" Ember demanded as she struggled in Chrono's hold until he landed on the ground below. She watched as Lazaryos fell off the plant then watched what happened as he hovered in the air as lightning was expelled from his body and forced him to the ground onto his hands and knees. She quickly broke free of Chrono's hold and rushed over to Lazaryos' now still and lifeless body, kneeling down beside him. "Lazaryos..." She said softly as she gently touched his shoulder with her left hand. When he didn't answer, she started shaking him almost frantically. "Lazaryos!"
-
Chrono stopped from trying to restrain Ember when Lazaryos hit the ground, and went back to the plant. He cursed under his breath as he looked at Ember's panicked movements. "Another trap, as if the numbers of droplets was not enough." After a few seconds, Chrono walks over to Ember, squatting next to her. "If you wish to continue mourning, do so after the other two kick the bucket or get the Mana."
-
Dante watched the spectacle with Lazaryos, continuing to watch as Ember ran over to check on him. "Who knew she could have a sympathetic side..." Dante thought. He stood there somewhat dumbfounded at what to do. He knew he was dead, there wouldn't be anything he could do. It's not like he had the energy for some crazy life transferring spell. Even so he would likely end up regretting doing it. Lazaryos would probably insult him anyway. He continued to stand there, looking at them from afar.
-
"I was mistaken then..." Vosur spoke calmly under his breath, starting to pour out the water he managed to collect. "So the wrong drop can kill, and only one of us is allowed to get it. What happens to the others if one of us gets it?" he asked to himself as he looked to Lazaryos and Ember, then to Dante and Chrono. His eyes turned back to the rest of the droplets that remained, trying to look for some clue as to what it was that Lazaryos had gotten, and when nothing seemed 'different' about the other drops he could see, he closed his eyes and started to inhale and exhale deeply... now trying to rely on his sense of smell to guide him.
-
Suddenly, lightning began to emanate from Lazaryos' body, but it was black, and not its usual brightness. He stood up slowly as the lightning circulated around his body. At first glance, one would think it was a miracle, but the sight of his purely white eyes said different, alongside the evil smile on his face. "At last. UNLIMITED POWER!!" Lazaryos' voice was distorted, as if more than one person was talking out of the same mouth. He shot lightning all over ceiling, breaking letting loose the full sunlight, while testing how powerful of a spell he would be able to cast. He laughed maniacally and then noticed the group around him. Without a word, but with an evil smirk, he pointed a palm over to each general direction of the other members of the party and fired streams of black lightning at them.
-
Ember kept shaking Lazaryos' body even after Chrono spoke to her. Her eyes widened once again when the lightning began emanating from Lazaryos' body, partly because she got zapped before she quickly pulled her hands away but it was mostly because she was just surprised that he was alive. She didn't smile at the sight though and actually slowly rose to her feet and began backing away while he was shooting lightning at the ceiling, grabbing Chrono's arm and tugging a little to get him to move away. "He's not in control..." She said, her voice barely a whisper. When she saw that he noticed them and he raised one of his palms in her and Chrono's direction with that smirk, she quickly dove out of the way of the stream of black lightning that was sent towards them. "This is why only one comes out! The person who gains the Mana loses control and kills them all!" She yelled to the others as she got to her feet again and prepared herself to evade another attack. "It's the Mana, not him!"
-
Chrono looked at Ember when he heard her whisper something, somehow ignorant of Lazaryos rising up and blasting out the ceiling. "What was that you just said?" He then turned to face the now living Lazaryos, and his jaw went agape. "How did- he- not dead- alive?!" Chrono continued to get more and more confused, until the lightning came at him. He jumped out of most of it, but a stray bolt hit his leg and went all the way up to his head, and cleared his head as he hit the floor. Okay, he is alive, mad with power, and currently trying to kill everyone in the room. Now I just need to work on how to stop and/or get away from him.
-
"So that's the game...Hmm...I can just sit up here and watch." Dante thought, sitting down on the edge of the flower looking down at the others. "Knowing my luck I will be attacked, fall down, potentially kill myself and be dragged into the fight. Maybe I should just hide...? Damn it...WELP. I hope someone else has exceptionally well hand to hand combat skills and a high tolerance to pain. I really don't want to get into this fight. UGH...I'd be lying if I say I wouldn't feel guilty..." he sighed, stood up and made his way down the flower.
-
Vosur heard the yells, turning around to see Dante climbing back down the plant and black lightning streaming upward from where Lazaryos's direction. He gave a double-take look from the remaining drops of water, not knowing if Lazaryos had taken the real Mana or if this was another trap to protect the real Mana droplet or not. "The real thing could still be here and it might be able to counter this... dark Mana, even if it can be called that." he muttered under his breath as he turned away from the other droplets to look down the edge of the plant. "Can they really hold off someone gone mad with power like this... even the possibility of this being the real droplet and this being the side-effect of it exists. What's even worse is that if this is the real droplet, how did the only Normal in existence who got the Mana managed to break free from this type of effect to teach blacksmiths around the world on how to make Magicka-resistant armor? There has to be a way..." he thought to himself as he looked about for a route to drop down from the plant and starting in jumping down from plateau to plateau before landing nearby some vines. Some of the ones nearby himself were dead and broken-off from the plant, thick enough to be held like a training sword. "Not exactly my favorite weapon... but I can work with this." he grinned as he grabbed it and assumed a ready stance in case if Lazaryos went after himself.
-
Lazaryos didn't say much, but fired more lightning streams in the direction of all the party members. Unlike how they were used to, Lazaryos was using some of his most powerful spells, and it wasn't affecting him in the least. It was truly a tell-tale sign that he had consumed the real Mana droplet. Ember had guessed right on the spot what had happened, and what had been occurring for the last several thousand years.
-
A stream of lightning nearly hit Dante on his climb, only dodging it by falling off the plant a few feet. "Hah! I knew that was coming!" he said triumphantly. "Welp, I came down to fight...So I suppose I should get to it." he thought before running at Lazaryos. "I'm probably gonna get zapped...But hey, at least this cursed disease is going to come in handy. I won't kill him, just beat the crap outta him!" he continued to think. Save from snapping his neck there wasn't really much of a way to kill him.
-
Before Dante could reach Lazaryos, he smacked right into a lightning barrier, which stopped him in his tracks and flung him back against the plant's base.
-
Dante smacked the plant hard, getting the wind knocked out of him. "Damn, I knew I should've stayed out of this fight. Why didn't I remember him and his shield?" he grumbled as he staggered to his feet. Residual lightning was coursing through out his body, even flickering off him visibly. He shook himself to get his mobility back being a little paralyzed from the electricity. Once finished he charged again.
-
Lazaryos ran a fist into the ground, and the lightning barrier spread and hit Dante and Ember. He then turned his attention to Vosur and held out an open palm, shooting a barrage of lightning balls.
-
Vosur kicked up some debris towards Lazaryos as he dashed off to the side, taking a defensive stance as he came to a halt with a bit of of an angle-distance separating himself from the others. "Old Man! You remember why you wanted to get to this destination in the first place, correct? Wasn't it to save someone dear to you instead of killing everything in existance?"
-
Ember dodged again when lightning was sent at her a second time. She had barely had time to get up before she was hit by the lightning barrier and knocked back quite a ways, landing on her back. It was as if the blow had knocked her normal attitude back into her and as she got back to her feet she had a look of fiery determination and malice on her face. "That's it, old man! Now I'm gonna kick your ass!" She yelled as she quickly ran at Lazaryos while his attention was on Vosur.
-
Dante got to his feet again after being knocked away. He saw Ember running a him and Vosur getting attacked now. "Seems useless to try to reason with him..." he thought. Again he charged, a little after Ember. "Not like he would listen!" he continued to think.
-
Lazaryos ignored Vosur's words, only muttering silent words as he continued his rampage, and raised a lightning wall from behind him, preventing Ember from getting too close, and knocking her back. He then turned his two palms to Vosur and Dante, firing off large streams of lightning. However, from where they had all come from, three figures jumped in and blocked the attacks. One of them was very familiar to Lazaryos, the cat who had taken the scythe and carried other Cursed Weapons, the Order. "We can't have you guys dying on us too soon. We'll need your help with this bastard. He may have consumed the Mana, but as long as we kill him and extract it before it's fully part of his body, we can still harvest it for ourselves."
-
Vosur went into a blocking stance in anticipation of getting hit by the lightning this time, but looked up to see the Order Member from before. He relaxed his stance, holding his makeshift weapon in both hands as if to welcome an attack from Lazaryos again. "Is there any way to get it out of him without killing him?" he spoke as he only shifted his eyes towards the feline.
-
Ember grunted as she was knocked back by the barrier but remained on her feet. She wasn't actually surprised by the barrier and had actually expected it from him. What she was surprised by was the others who showed up. She snarled at the cat since she didn't like her in the slightest, not like she liked many people anyway. "Who in the hell said anything about me helping you!" She snapped at the cat. Now she was torn between protecting Lazaryos from them and fighting him to try to bring him back to his senses. Suddenly, she switched from a battle-ready stance to just standing normally with her hands at her sides. From there she proceeded to start walking, planning on circling all the way around Lazaryos. She would, of course, dodge any attacks he sent at her but she wanted to try something out. As she walked, her tail swayed from side to side behind her at the same slow pace that she was walking. Any of the others probably thought she was trying to act as a distraction and maybe that was all that her walking around him would amount to, but that wasn't what she had in mind.
-
The feline smirked, "Nope." She swung the scythe and the straight blade, sending blades of light towards Lazaryos, while the others sent a fierce dragon of fire and a serpent of ice, coming from all directions. Lazaryos brought up the large lightning barrier, which were only up long enough to delay the attacks, and he dropped it, weaving between the attacks and letting them hit each other, causing an explosion, and fired off another volley of lightning streams. "Now get your asses to your weapons, and recover your energy! We can suppress him, but we're going to need whatever you all can contribute just to stop him!"
-
Dante didn't expect to be impeded by the people that showed up. "How come they get weapons..." he thought to himself. When they told them to get their weapons he casually walked back to where he had left his cross. "What ever. I'm a medic." he said to himself. "Don't kill him while I'm gone! I don't believe in killing!" he said to the members of "The Order" almost as if it were a joke. He was mildly careless as he walked back to his cross. "How do they expect us to get in here with our weapons? Is that barrier down or something?"
-
"I may not like his guts for wanting to abuse this power, but he's the only 'relative' I've got that has ties to my beloved... Ruby of the Rook Clan. My own father-in-law disowned and tried to have me killed with his daughter. If it weren't for this 'quest for power', we might have even been like how relatives should be: able to meet on common ground and share a feast." he growled under his breath. He didn't like the idea he was presented with, but considering that they had opened a trail to their gear and he was fighting with a stick in hand, the odds were not good for himself. He strained to call out to the others, hating what he was having to say as he saw Dante already heading towards their gear. "Ember, Chrono! We don't stand much of a chance without some way to defend ourselves. If we don't stop him, our own quests we have will be for naught and this power will only consume him. Do you wish for him to go through his life to kill everything he held dear?" He quickly turned about and went through the trail that was left open, albeit his arms ripped up in the process as he ran through as quickly as he could to retrieve his equipment.
-
"No you don't!" Lazaryos pointed his hand towards Vosur and Dante as they ran for it, and fired another volley of lightning orbs. The feline's comrades then rushed Lazaryos, while she herself did her best to block the attacks, but some got away, "Shit!"
-
Dante continued his casual stroll towards his cross when a few lightning orbs came his way. He heard them coming his way just in time to duck under the first. Once that passed he began to run to avoid the others, now taking this a little more seriously. "Stupid lightning. I just want to get my cross, relax...Gain some sort of magicka and relax more..." he thought as he ran to his cross.
-
Vosur jumped out of the vine-brush just in time before the barrage widened the trail that he just exited from. He scrambled to put the knife and cards back into their place while putting his sword on his belt, he then put a strip of the dried meat he had left into his mouth as he also picked up Ember's staff and sword along with Chrono's swords before he started running back in towards the others. "Yeesh. Well, can't talk him out of the fight, but hopefully I have enough scorpion-venom cards left to disable him." he growled under his breath.
-
Chrono managed to get off the floor, only to get struck down by more lightning. He got up once again, more groggy than before, and was slow enough to avoid a bolt that soared over his head. He gripped the front of his head as he staggered towards Lazaryos, only to see the cat and her 'assistants' from earlier. He heard her say to get their weapons, to which he made a rather exaggerated nod and went towards his two swords at an increasing pace as his accumulating resistance to electricity shrugged off the remainder of the current.
-
Lazaryos made an uppercut that raised a large, lightning fist from the ground and launched them into the air. The feline rushed in with both the scythe and the sword, the blades glowing as they flowed with her majicka. Lazaryos held up his hands, similar to how he did often when he used to preserve his majicka, and created lightning blades not only extended from his arms, but also out of the ground and all over his body. The magical blades clashed, leaving a brilliant light show, but it was very apparent the feline was at a disadvantage.
-
Ember paused in her walk, not having gotten very far before the feline gave them a command to get their weapons and regain their power. She turned on her heel and headed back toward where they had left their things, going through after Lazaryos had already sent his attacks at Vosur and Dante while Lazaryos was preoccupied. "I'm still not helping you..." She grumbled which was directed at the feline but most likely wouldn't be heard by her. She saw Vosur running back in her direction with her things and Chrono's things in his hands. When he got to where she was, she swiftly reached out a grabbed her staff and sword from him in such a manner that it didn't make it so he had to slow down at all. As she moved back toward where the fighting was happening, she quickly tied the makeshift holster around her waist. Entering the area through the vines again, she started to walk to the right, ready to dodge if something was sent at her.
-
Dante made it to his cross and sat down Indian-style next to it. He waved to Vosur who came and went nonchalantly. "Later." he said. "I'm just gonna relax here. If anyone needs me, they can come over here." he continued, though now talking to himself. "Hmm...What if they get hurt on the field...? Damn it...I should probably be closer." he thought, groaning at it. He slowly got up and started walking back. "Hmm. Guess the barrier is gone...Was it something to do with the Mana?" he thought as he passed through where the barrier once was.
-
Vosur almost had a smile on his face when Ember accepted her equipment from out of his arms as he ran by her, making it a little easier to move since all that was left in his own arms were Chrono's swords. He got close enough to Chrono to drop the swords right in front of his feet and resumed his running to get back into the fight as he grabbed a normal card out from his pouch, preparing to give a fling towards Lazaryos if he were to resume the attack towards himself as he got near the feline Cursed Weapon Bearer. "Mana Bearers are still mortal and vulnerable, correct? What if we were to manage to incapacitate him with a disabling poision?"
-
The feline smirked, "It'll just make it easier to kill him! The only way to extract the Mana is to kill the host before it is fully assimilated into his system. Besides, if you didn't notice already, he had to die in order to use the Mana. In order to receive unlimited majicka, the user must first be void of their own majicka. It's not different for Normals, since you all have majicka in your bodies, just not to the amount that you won't die for using spells. Without majicka, life could not exist." With the quick distraction, Lazaryos slapped his palms together above himself and merged all the blades into one large one and sliced right down at the feline. She barely blocked it, but the power was slowly pushing her into the ground.
-
Vosur swapped out the normal card for a venom-coated one before he let it fly towards Lazaryos in a sideways arc to avoid hitting the feline. "Sorry 'bro'." he muttered under his breath, going for his own sword and sheath as he rushed the blades suppressing the Cursed Weapon Bearer. He managed to strike the blades dead-on from the side to knock them away from her, but due to them being a physical form of electricity, he ended up taking a nasty shock and being knocked away a decent distance in the process. Rising to his feet after the shock, a bit sluggish as he tried to regain his bearing. "Vosur, my boy... don't you ever do that again!" he chuckled to himself as he got to his feet again.
-
Ember rolled her eyes at the feline's words. "Can't I just kill her?" She thought to herself. "I seriously think that it'd be easier to tolerate Lazaryos like this than to tolerate her as she is." She began to walk in her circle around where Lazaryos was again. Her tail began to sway back and forth behind her at the same pace that she was walking again. She kept her eyes angled over in Lazaryos' direction to watch out for attacks, among other things.
-
With Vosur's contact, the lightning blade shattered, but it didn't stop him in the least. Lazaryos roared as he collected majicka within his hands and fired off a large dragon made of lightning, incinerating the cards and headed straight for Vosur and the Feline. He spotted Ember walking over and fired off a lightning fist.
-
Ember's majicka had built up some again by that point so when she saw the lightning fist coming at her she deflected it with a shield of fire. The force was still enough to make her stumble back a couple feet but otherwise she was unscathed. After regaining her footing, she continued to walk in her wide circle around Lazaryos while her tail kept swaying behind her. She kept her eyes on Lazaryos as she walked. Her expression seemed like it was meant to taunt him in more ways than one.
-
Chrono stared dumbly at the swords as Vosur tossed him towards his feet. Normally he would have just picked them up and attacked his enemies, but in Lazaryos, Chrono could see both the past and present versions of his own father. In the span of the time between Vosur dropping the swords and when Ember was attacked, all of the hatred and frustration he had bottled up over the year, exploded along with his aura of majicka. His limbs were a blur as he picked up his swords and charged forehead first towards the lightning mage.
-
Lazaryos saw the rushing dragon and raised a thick lightning wall that slowed Chrono down, and then stepped forward, releasing a giant lightning palm, sending him flying back. He quickly ran his hands into the ground to block the oncoming threat of the feline's comrades, raising many large blades, most being blocked, but one punching through the dog's arm. Lazaryos quickly turned his attention to Ember, feeling the shockwave of heat, and caught the motion of her tail first, and shot over a large lightning blade in her direction, but it missed its mark, pupils slowly and barely showing within the dark, blazing eyes. Ember........
-
Ember watched everything that was going on as she watched but mainly kept her eyes focused on Lazaryos. She noticed when she got his attention again and watched as he sent the lightning blade at her. The angle that it came at her made know that it wasn't going to hit her so she didn't dodge in anyway. Her eyes narrowed. "He missed... Why in the world would he miss, especially now?" She thought to herself as she kept her eyes on him and continued to walk. "Is it working?"
-
Dante watched the battle from afar, resting against his cross. "Can't do much but help people that get hurt at this point...Though I think my cross could easily be used as a shield against his lightning. It is wood...Stiiiill, I think trying to knock him out would be the hard part." he thought, continuing to just idly watch the fight. "Ugh...Still...I suppose they can use all the help they can get..." he groaned as he hefted his cross onto his shoulder. He started walking to the fight casually, not really wanting to fight. His walk turned into a full on charge shortly as he ran at Lazaryos. "Dodge the big attacks, block the little ones and then smack the hell out of him."
-
Lazaryos was angered by missing Ember, and turned in time to see Dante charging at him. He quickly raised a lightning shield, barely blocking the attack, which sent him a couple feet back, and, the rebound of the shield sent Dante back as well. The Feline's comrades took the opportunity and rushed from behind Lazaryos, releasing large flames and ice. The attacks hit Lazaryos and caused an explosion. The feline herself, raised the two weapons she wielded and added her own attack, which added to the explosion. However, to their dismay, Lazaryos was untouched, a giant lightning fist wrapped around his body.
-
Chrono flew through the air, then recovered before hitting the floor by readjusting his center of gravity to his legs. The moment he hit the ground, he only slid back a few inches before he was able to charge again. However, he only advanced enough to where he was within earshot of everyone. "I'm pretty sure I can get through that barrier, but someone has to keep him from knocking me aside, anyone willing to aggravate him?"
-
Vosur pulled out two more venom-coated cards, glancing back to the Cursed Weapon Bearer feline as he shook off the feeling of the electricity paralysis. "If you want this to work, you're going to have to keep him from making that shield." he reared his hand back and let one card fly first, intentionally missing him by a fair amount as he threw it intentionally to 'boomerang' towards Lazaryos's back while he let loose of the second one to fly towards him in a slight arch from the other side to avoid hitting the others in the process. "I can't keep that up forever, I don't have enough cards to do much good once these venom-coated ones run out."
-
Ember watched as Lazaryos became angry about his attack missing her then got distracted by Dante. She watched as he just managed to block Dante's charge then watched as the feline's comrades attacked along with the feline as well. She smirked at the explosion and wasn't at all surprised that Lazaryos appeared to be unharmed when he came back into view. She continued her walk while watching all of this. The others were probably irritated because they most likely would believe that she was just being lazy and deciding not to fight, but that wasn't the case at all.
-
Dante was blown back from being blocked by Lazaryos. He held his cross in front of him to block the following explosion caused by the cursed weapon holders. He looked at the resulting dust cloud, upon settling seeing Lazaryos unscathed. "Figures...He's gotta run out of majicka some day right?" Dante grumbled to himself. He took a few deep breathes before running at him again hopefully before he could recover from the previous attack.
-
Lazaryos, now infuriated, roared as the giant fist disappeared. Without warning, the black lightning shot out of every portion of his body, weaving together as long, tentacle-like needles and spread all over the place, chasing all the people around him, and deflecting Vosur's cards. The feline and her comrades' weapons glowed as they swatted away the lightning tentacles that were trying to stab them. "Are you stupid?! He consumed the Mana. He has unlimited majicka!"
-
Once again, Ember shielded herself with fire as lightning tentacles tried to stab her. As she continued to walk, she wondered how this whole thing was going to work out in the end. She wondered if there was any way that Lazaryos might be able to be left alive somehow. Spinning her staff with her fingers, she continued to think as she watched what was going on. She started to think about what she might be able to do to help in this battle instead of just walking around, though she didn't have any interest in helping the Cursed weapon users, especially the feline.
-
Chrono slammed his forehead into an oncoming tentacle, the amount of electricity dissipated now literally becoming a major headache for him. His aura dissipated, leaving him quite tired at the same time reducing him to normal levels of strength. Interestingly, the aura vanished slightly before he 'attacked' the lightning tentacle with his forehead, unconsiously using the 'last' of his majicka to save himself from Lazaryos' attack.
-
"Yeah yeah...Not like you guys are making any head way." Dante grumbled to himself. When the lightning tentacles shot out he used his cross to block them and bat them away. "I can't do anything else but try attack him head on or not fight and heal anyone who gets hurt...Hmm..." he thought. His eyes eventually looked at Ember, giving him an idea. "Hmm...I could block for her. Help her conserve her majicka, or at the very least annoy her. She's our only long ranged team mate so she would be a good asset..." he continued before making his way towards her.
-
Lazaryos' lightning continued to barrage the whole group around him. The feline's comrades were already feeling fatigue and were struggling to keep up. Finally, one of them was run through by one, in the chest, and many more followed, skewering his body beyond recognition of a body. Before falling to the ground, the shock from the lightning turned him into dust. Meanwhile, the other two remained vigilant in dodging, and the lightning tentacles were already piercing holes through Dante's cross.
-
Ember kept blocking the lightning tentacles with a fire shield every time one came near her. She saw Dante coming toward her, not understanding why he would and not wanting him to. Finally, she stopped walking and turned to face Lazaryos, having gone full circle and ended up back on his left side. "Alright, Lazaryos. How about you fight me for a change?" She said as she stood there looking at him. "You know you want to." Her tone at that point was a sort of teasing one as she tried to egg him on to get him to fight her.
-
Lazaryos' head turned to Ember at her provocation and he raised an arm pointing at her, and shot out even more lightning tentacles, all pointing straight for her to run her through. However, his subconscious was still very much there, NO! Not her! On the outside, no one could see anything, save for a small wince in his eyes and the tentacles passed Ember, barely nicking the edges of her body, as Lazaryos' subconscious was barely able to deter the attack to her.
-
Ember had been ready to block the attack but she saw the small wince in his eyes before the tentacles passed by her. She didn't flinch but she had felt that the tentacles had nicked her sides and her arms when they had passed. A small smirk appeared on her face at this and she started slowly walking toward Lazaryos. "That's right... You're still in there, aren't you?" She said with the smirk still on her face as she scanned Lazaryos' face. "And I'm sure you don't want her and her band of idiots actually killing you." It was obvious that she was talking about the feline and her voice was laced with disgust when she spoke of her and her comrades. "So...how about you get your head out of your ass and MAKE yourself obey you, Lazaryos!" She knew that what she was demanding of him wasn't an easy task and might not even be possible, but she figured it was worth a shot to try to get through to the real Lazaryos who was still in there somewhere.
-
When Dante saw the holes in his cross he quickly got out of range of them. "Damn it..." he said looking at the couple holes in his cross. "I can't replace this thing...It was a one of a kind! I can't use it if it gets damaged any further..." he thought, a bit angry at the fact his cross was damaged. Dante noticed a hole in his arm and stuck his cross into the ground. He sat down and started to heal his injury.
-
Vosur had pulled out another pair of cards, ready to let them fly when he saw the attack towards Ember. He hesitated when he saw that the attacks never left more than mild cuts and seemed to only "surround" her rather than try to leave any lethal strikes. Holding his position and at-ready stance when things started to calm down, he caught a glance at Dante getting away from the battle to heal himself. "Go on ahead Padre... keep far enough away from the fight." he spoke rather quietly to himself, giving a slight grin. When his eyes glanced forward, back to Lazaryos's direction, he slowly and calmly moved to position himself out of Lazaryos's current view since he was focused on Ember. "Don't make me do this, 'bro'." he thought towards Lazaryos as he also kept his vision on the Cursed Weapon Bearer feline, trying to make sure she didn't do anything fool-hardy as well.
-
The feline and her remaining comrade watched the fight while fighting off the tentacles after them, and got an idea. To test their theory, they did their best to dodge and block tentacles as they made their way over to where Ember was. However, on the way, the feline stumbled and many tentacles went straight for her. Her remaining comrade jumped in the way, shielding her as she got up, "Jason!" Her comrade looked back over to her, a large smirk on his face as blood oozed from the corners of his mouth, "Just do it, Helena. You were destined to wield the Mana, not this weak-minded fool. Now g-" His body evaporated as the black lightning intensified. Helena ran straight and dove behind Ember. Sure enough, the tentacles deviated as Lazaryos' sub-conscious screamed out inside (non-audible).
-
Ember snarled when the feline dove behind her to use her as a shield. Lifting one foot off the ground, she kicked back hard at the feline in hopes that she was close enough to actually make contact with some part of her body. "I am NOT your *** shield!" She snapped, looking back at the feline as the flames in her eyes intensified. She looked forward again and swiftly side-stepped before continuing to move toward Lazaryos. "Come on, Lazaryos! You know you don't want her to kill you! I know that you wouldn't want to fall to someone like her but a REAL fighter if that's what it came to!" She said as she moved toward him. "Get control back! We may all want the Mana for ourselves, but we all can agree that we definitely don't want her to have it, and if she kills you, she will have it!" "Am I even making a good argument right now? I don't even know."
-
Chrono sat down shortly after the tentacles focused on the other attackers, occasionally tilting his head to minimize the building headache that comes from his false third eye. He listened to Ember's arguements, and watched the sacrifices the cursed weapons group made to get their feline leader closer to Lazaryos. You know, this stuff is supposed to only happen in the fairy tales. Yet, it doesn't look like he can do any more than just adjust the angle of the attack. I'll just keep my eye on the cat until Ember brings him 'back' or dies trying. I can probably take her down when my power returns.
-
Dante finished healing himself but remained sitting down. He watched as another of the Order was killed looking down. "Damn it...Hopefully Ember can get to him before anyone else dies. I think it's up to her now...I can't do anything further in the fight, or after the fight whatever the results are. I suppose I'll just wait then." he thought, leaning against hi cross looking a his hands. He then looked back up at the thinks happening, watching the events unfold.
-
Vosur saw that Helena, the name that was called towards the Cursed Weapon Bearer, try to get behind Ember to use her as a shield. He growled rather deeply at seeing this, readying his chance as he took aim at Helena, waiting until Ember sidestepped away before he flung a card between Ember and Helena to separate the two. "I may not like the idea of him going nuts, but I cherish the thought of you using allies as 'shields' less." he called out towards Helena.
-
Helena merely scoffed, jumping back to dodge the card, "Allies are only as good as they are useful." She raised the scythe, charging it, and threw it straight at Lazaryos, who recalled all the tentacles already. A lightning wall raised from the ground, stopping the scythe. Because of the power of the cursed weapon, it penetrated, but stuck into the wall as if it was a real one. Right after the impact, Helena appeared behind Lazaryos and thrust her glowing, white sword towards his back, but when it ran through, Lazaryos' figure dissipated into a cluster of black lightning and he appeared behind her, lightning surging from his open hand, "Foolish child. With the amount of majick from the Mana, this body can easily slow down time and become as fast as lightning." With a maniacal smirk, eyes almost bulging, Lazaryos ran his hand right into Helena's back and out her chest. He stood there, Helena's body sitting lifeless on his forearm, laughing out maniacally.
-
Ember paid Vosur's card no mind since she knew he wasn't attacking her with it and she was glad he was on her side about the whole 'using-someone-else-as-a-shield' thing. She then watched as the events between Helena and Lazaryos unfolded, easily grinning when she saw Lazaryos kill Helena which showed her creepy sharp teeth. "Can't say I'm not happy about that. She deserved to die." She thought to herself. "Hey! I'm still over here, you know! Come on out, Lazaryos! The real you would have killed her too so you can tell me that that was all Mana that had a hand in that." She put her hands on her hips as she stared him down.
-
Lazaryos' body shook a little as the Mana maintained its grip on his body and mind and roared as it shot a large barrage of black lightning orbs right into Vosur's direction.
-
Ember dropped her hands from her hips as Lazaryos sent the barrage of lightning orbs at Vosur. Swiftly, she sent out a large wall of flame between Lazaryos and Vosur, blocking all but a few of the orbs which were ahead of the rest. After that, she began walked toward Lazaryos again. She was pretty close to him now, probably about six feet away. "I wonder what he would do if I got really close to him..." She thought as she stopped there.
-
Vosur had to do a jumping side-roll to avoid the first part of the barrage, catching notice that Ember threw up a barrier to block the remaining portion of the lightning orbs. Almost standing still due to surprise from seeing Ember block the attacks, he had to shake off the feeling to retain focus on the battle. "Alright, maybe this might be a noble sacrifice, maybe it might work... but it looks like she is the key to getting him to come to his senses. Maybe if she can get close enough to him..." he growled to himself, taking off in a dead-sprint to try to divert Lazaryos's attention away from Ember.
-
Ember's steps were stopped about 2 meters away from him, as the lightning barrier raised up, and rebounded her back a couple meters. It wasn't enough to get her off her feet, but enough to push her so that her feet skid the grounds. At Vosur's charge, Lazaryos' attention did switch to him and he held up a palm, which enlarged into a large version of itself and pushed forward. Hitting Vosur right in the face and pretty much clotheslining him.
-
Ember let her feet naturally slide back, not fighting the motion. When she came to a stop, she smirked slightly. "Lazaryos..." She said in an almost eerie sing-song voice. "What's the matter? Is the Mana personality afraid of me?" She grinned with her sharp, pointy teeth. "Come on, I know you're not afraid of me. So let me in." She started to move forward again, not afraid of running into the barrier again.
-
Chrono listened while he watched Vosur's seemingly failed attempt at distracting Lazaryos, somewhat interested at his own chances of faring better. He got back on his feet and walked at the same pace as Ember, understanding that this would either knock him out or outright kill him if he couldn't bring his "guard" up in time. Odd, I really can't think of leaving as an option. Just how strong is my attachment to these two mages?
-
Lazaryos' barrier rose again, but this time, it was more intense and sent the two oncoming walkers flying back several meters, though Chrono didn't get shot as far due to his armour. No! I can't kill her! She can't.... she was the first... Lazaryos roared aloud as he fought for control of his body once more. "You guys get out of here, now! I... can't... control it! You fight harder than the previous hosts, but you're too late. You and I are one. Just relinquish yourself to me, and I'll make sure they die nice and quickly~" When he saw that they weren't going, he roared one more time, while lightning built up in his hand and ran it into his own chest. There was a look of surprise on his face as he knelt to the ground and collapsed dead.
-
Ember wasn't surprised when she was thrown back by the barrier and she crossed her arms as she waited to make impact with the ground. Once she did, she let herself roll and then sat up. She slowly got onto her knees while Lazaryos was speaking then was slowly getting to her feet and starting to step forward when he roared and proceeded to run his lightning-charged hand into his own chest. Her eyes widened and she froze on the spot as she saw him collapse. "No!" It was meant to be a yell but only came out as a whisper. After a couple more seconds, motion came back to her body and she swiftly ran over to Lazaryos, kneeling down beside him once again. "You idiot! You were supposed to stay alive!" She said in a low, angry (yet hurt at the same time) voice. Her fist hovered an inch over him because she wanted to hit him for doing such a thing. Instead of hitting him though, she gently rested her fist on him and hung her head.
-
Vosur took a little while to recover from the sudden clothesline, not having anticipated such a move from him, slowly getting to his feet and clutching his head. "Oi... felt like I got caught in a stampede. He had more than enough of a chance to kill me then, but why didn't he?" When he finally shook off the vertigo, he looked to where Ember's voice came from and saw Lazaryos collapsed and Ember running to Lazaryos. "Careful Ember! The Mana revived him before! We do not know the extent of what it can do!" He wanted to make a run towards Ember as well, but the nature of the surprise attack caused him to stagger a bit, making him walk towards them.
-
Not too long after Vosur's words, black steam radiated from Lazaryos' body, which formed a malicious face, "NOOOOO!" It evaporated into the air and faded away. However, Lazaryos' body was still very much motionless in a pool of his own blood. But after a few minutes of silence, a small gleam came from underneath Lazaryos and that gleam turned into a large shine as it seemed to lift his body up into the air. Very soon after that, normal lightning seemed to start emanating from Lazaryos' wound and eyes, crawling all over his body. The light source exited from within Lazaryos' wound as it closed up, and it touched his chest. Lazaryos then let out a roar as he came back to life and landed back onto the ground, the light source now dimmed down and landed in his hand, a small, blue gem connected to a golden chain. He gripped it tight and continued to breathe heavily as the shock of it all was still taking a toll on his body. "I saw it all. I know what happened to all the previous wielders."
-
Ember has heard what Vosur said but she didn't move from the spot. Lifting her head, she watched the steam leave Lazaryos' body looking like a malicious face then evaporated into thin air. Her eyes moved back to his body for the next few minutes, waiting for something to happen until it finally something did happen. When she saw the gleam underneath Lazaryos' body, her eyes narrowed then widened slightly. As his body was lifted off the ground, her fist slowly slid off of him and landed on her leg. She watched everything that happened next and her mouth dropped open a little when Lazaryos finally let out a roar and landed back on the ground. Her mouth stayed slightly agape until Lazaryos started talking, then she clenched her jaw shut until he finished speaking. "Stop doing that!" She yelled and punched him in the shoulder now that he was alive instead of just a lifeless body.
-
Chrono landed back on his feet, shaking off the energy coursing through his body by stomping his feet a few times. He could only watch as Lazaryos warned them once again before dropping to the floor in a state similar to death. Now count to five... he mused while also ignoring what Vosur said. Because he expected more, he was hardly thrown off when the dark steam let out a 'death' cry, even though that was not under his expectations. What he didn't expect, was himself having to hold in laughter as Lazaryos got up started talking like he used to before they came into the cave. "I think it can wait, Lazaryos. You're sitting in quite a bit of blood and we still have bodies to bury."
-
Dante finally decided to get up and go investigate. Upon getting there Lazaryos was already back to his old self. "So how many were there?" he asked, feeling as he had been just a face in the crowd for awhile. "And what happens now?" he continued. "The Mana is gone? Just like that? Nothing so special about it after all..." he said folding his arms. The whole time he was looking at Lazaryos, but now looked away.
-
Vosur had to stop every few steps as he made sure that the clothesline didn't do anything more than just simply knock him off balance and knock the wind out of him. "Alright, Old Man, are you among the sane again?" he joked a bit as he kept moving, definitely more cautious in his steps than he would normally be as he got closer. "The Cursed Weapon holders are now dead... which makes me wonder who will be their heirs? I mean... that necromancer's scythe was used in that battle, but now it's bearer is dead, and then there's the weapons that the other two had." He shrugged his shoulders and looked about, hoping not to get caught off-guard. "Personally, I'd rather not have such a burden like that, but who knows what could happen."
-
Lazaryos opened up his palm, which revealed the gem, "This was the one Cursed Item that I've been looking for, but now I know why it was cursed. It was because of the Mana. The plant was first forged from a greedy dark mage from 3000 years ago. Because of the power of the Mana was such a burden on society, and nearly drove the whole planet into destruction, one mage stood up against them all, and killed all who possessed Mana, and dried all the Mana pools. This one dark mage, however, didn't want that, so he created this plant in secret. However, he was about to destroy it when he encountered this item, but it wasn't what everyone expected. Yes, it gives you eternal life, but it binds your soul to it, while your body still withers and dies naturally, despite how it can revive you from being killed. So to keep living, he not only had his soul infused, but also the gem and his source of Mana, all infused into the plant. That dark mage's soul took over body after body every 200 years for the last 3000, shaping our society so that he would one day be able to permanently gain a new body. However, the only way he gains full control of anyone's body, is by acting solely upon the possessor's greatest desire, so he's limited on what he can do during each revival. As for the Cursed Weapons, I would prefer that they remain here and be buried with the plant. Which reminds me..." Lazaryos got up slowly and raised his hand towards the large plant. The gem had restored his majicka along with reviving him. Natural lightning streamed from his eyes and manifested on his palm. With a silent breath, he released his most powerful lightning attack, which he had displayed a long time ago against giant monsters before the sea crossing, and the plant burst into pieces as well as flames. Lazaryos was surprised at how much he had come from being nearly incapacitated from using that attack to almost feeling nothing. "Let's go. The legacy of the Mana has ended."
-
"Thanks for all your help..." Ember mumbled when Dante walked over to the rest of them. After that, she listened to Lazaryos speech. It was interesting to hear what had gone on behind the scenes for the past 3000 years but she still got a little impatient as his speech continued. When Lazaryos got up, she got up off of her knees as well and watched him destroy the Mana plant, watching the flames that were produced dance for a moment. She sort of wished that she had been the one to destroy the plant but let that go since it didn't matter. "That was sort of...abrupt." She said, turning toward the exit.
-
Chrono listened to Lazaryos' monologue, then watched him destroy the Mana plant with seemingly no difficulty. He got next to the lightning mage, and jabbed him in the shoulder. "I think I got a title for the book I'm going to write. What do you think of this title: 'The Search For Mana: A tale of three mages and two normals.'. Granted, the title is also a rough draft, but I would like you and Ember to help me write it after I deal with my father..."
-
Dante shrugged when Ember made her sarcastic comment. "Who else would have ran into his shield relentlessly to drain his majicka low enough to get to him?" he said as he began to walk away. "Maybe my disease helped after all...Suppose I don't need to get rid of it after all...It does make me unique in a sense." he continued as he walked on. "It was fun everyone, but I have places to go and people to see."
-
Vosur looked to the now-burning Mana plant and then back to Lazaryos, then gives off a somewhat quiet laughter as he looks tilts his head down. "When I joined this crusade and not long into it, I made mention of desiring to destroy it over keeping that power for myself. But it looks like that you did that for me. Other than that and now seeing that the Mana is secure... I don't have anything left for myself. As I am now, I cannot confront my father-in-law, and I no longer wish for his blood on my hands. Maybe I'll follow the Padre on his adventures? Or help Chrono with his objectives? I have no clue in which path to take now that no purpose lays before me."
-
Lazaryos sighed, "Well, if anything, Chrono, the title follow-up makes me NOT want to read it. But I supposed I can lend a hand or two. Also, I think this would be a time better than any other for this. I've waited long enough." He wrapped an arm around Ember and pulled her in for a kiss for several seconds before pulling away, "No one has ever made me feel the way you do, and I have to say that now I know what the big deal is about attraction to the opposite sex. And now that the Mana's gone, and the treasure I sought for so many years is useless, I think I'll have to rethink my life's priorities."
-
Ember rolled her eyes at Dante's response. "You sat on your ass for half of the fight, if not more. And you know that his majicka wouldn't have drained." She said even though he was walking away and she didn't care for him to respond. Ember raised an eyebrow when Chrono mentioned writing a book and that he wanted her and Lazaryos to help him with it. When Lazaryos spoke, she was only able to get out, "For wha-?", before Lazaryos' arm was around her and his lips were against hers. "What the hell?! What is he-- Oh, why not." She thought as her heart jumped and then she sank into the kiss for the sort amount of time after her thoughts were done and before Lazaryos pulled away. She looked up at Lazaryos as he spoke afterward and was surprised by what he said. "Thought I was just eye candy?" She said with a half-hearted chuckle. It was hard for her to think of what to say to him now that he was being so serious about a relationship. "I'm...glad to hear you say that though..." The words slipped out as if her mouth had a mind of its own. "Is this...Is this why I've been so worried about him lately? Do I actually care about him so much to be in love with him?"
-
When Chrono bore witness to the kiss, he became mushy while also neglecting to watch his words. "Aw~, your kids are going to look so freakish... just imagine gargoyles with tiger stripes." It took him a few seconds to realize what he said, and he immedeatly started heading towards the nearest exit. "Well, we have a dragon to slay and possibly hundreds of combatants to fight, lets not waste any more time!"
-
"I'm a lover, not a fighter hot stuff!" Dante shouted as he was a good distance away. "I wonder how we're going to get passed the dragons? Well, either way I have wounded to heal. There is still a war going on for something that doesn't exist anymore...Maybe one of the dragons is wounded, needing healing. I could heal it and potentially get a pet!" he mulled over in his head. He half expected Ember or Lazaryos to send some form of attack at him from what he called Ember.
-
Catching a glance at Lazaryos kissing Ember, he chuckled a bit as he wandered for a little while. " Wow, you two are perfect for each other." he spoke out as he looked about, something on the ground catching his attention, his tinted glasses that were knocked off fairly early into the fighting. He wandered over to them and picked them up before he brushed them off, seeing no damage to them. "Nice, not even a scratch after all of this. I dunno about all of you, but if they come here and see us still in here, I don't think we'll be too good off... I thought I did recognize the Rook Clan symbol among all of those war banners and lat I remember, I'm not exactly a welcome person among them."
-
Lazaryos smiled at Ember's last comment, but it turned to anger at Chrono's little snide comment and he fired off a barrage of lightning orbs right at him as he tried to leave the room. However, it wasn't long before the whole mountain started to shake violently. "Oh, shit! I guess the Mana plant was the only thing that was holding this whole mountain together!" He grabbed Ember's hand and ran for where they had come in. This time, there weren't any tunnels, since the Mana no longer manipulated the environment.
-
Ember pictured gargoyles with tiger stripes and didn't really mind what she saw so she was able to deal with Chrono's comment. She ignored Dante's comment for the moment and couldn't help but smile a little at Vosur's comment, and it wasn't one of her menacing smiles either. When the mountain began to shake after Lazaryos sent an attack at Chrono and Lazaryos took her hand before beginning to run, she ran with Lazaryos and looked back at Dante as they passed him. "I'll kick your ass one of these days and I'll make sure you feel it, one way or another." She said back at Dante. When they reached where they had first come in and she saw no tunnels she swore under her breath. "Now how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?"
-
Chrono dodged the first few orbs as he heard and felt their approach, but got nailed in the right leg then the left arm as he slowly recovers from the first hit. He doesn't fall down, but is plainly having problems turning around or even taking another step. Luckily, he had regained movement as the mountain started to shake, but was not able to get any farther away as the tunnels had vanished. Chrono slowly made his way back as he listened to Ember's possibly rhetorical question. He gave off his whispy aura for a few seconds to see if he had recovered enough of his already tiny supply of magicka, then looked up at the opening in the sky. "Hey, I think your little crazy episode gave us an opening. Now we just have to get up there..."
-
Dante felt the shaking and turned only to see Ember and Lazaryos behind him and going passed him. He smirked at Ember's comment and followed her with his head as she ran. "I can't wait!" he said to her. He was casual about the whole collapsing mountain, though he was a little irked when he saw the way in couldn't be used as a way out anymore. "Well this is dandy. The last thing I want to do is die with those jerks."
-
Vosur tried to shake off the vertigo, the quaking of the mountain seemed to only make his movement a little less unstable before he took off in a rather fast sprint for a wall. Unsheathing the knife and using both the knife and the sheath, he jumped towards the wall and started to scale the wall by using them as climbing picks. "Use the holes I'll dig for you to help you get out! Once we get to that opening, let's hope there won't be an army waiting for us at the bottom!" he called out to the others, immediately trying to make hand-hold grips for everyone to use as he scaled upwards towards a visible exit.
-
Lazaryos didn't bother to follow and concentrated his majicka and blasted through the wall. "Climb over if you want, but I'm not catching you on the drop." He ran through as he blasted each wall in front of him until he finally broke right through the last wall, and face-pawed as he looked to his right and saw the entrance that they entered only one meter away. The top half of the mountain crumbled inwardly, and stopped about 2 meters above the entrance. Out in the distance, the fighting had already stopped, and the entire crowd was standing just past the bridge, all bowed down, including the Tri-Malis were bowed down before the bridge.
-
Ember watched as Vosur started climbing the wall and she really hoped that she wouldn't have to follow him. When Lazaryos blasted through the wall with his lightning, she was relieved and she followed Lazaryos through the mountain as he blasted through wall after wall. After exiting the mountain and seeing that the original entrance was only a meter away after Lazaryos had facepawed after looking to his right, she couldn't help but laugh a little. She then looked out from where they stood and saw all of the remaining people bowing down. Looking sideways at Lazaryos, she smirked slightly. "Looks like you've earned a lot of respect." She said to him and looked back out at the people, believing that the bowing was all for him.
-
Chrono reflected on whether he should take Vosur's path of climbing, or simply follow Lazaryos on his path of destruction. He didn't feel all that energetic, so he stayed behind Ember as she followed the lightning mage outside. He didn't notice Lazaryos hitting himself, because he was amazed at seeing his clan in the bowing position. "I wonder how they'll take it when we tell them the plant was obliterated..."
-
Dante, too chose the path of least resistance and followed Ember who was following Lazaryos. "Sorry buddy!" he called to Vosur. He stood next to Ember when they were finally out and looked at the army ahead of them bowing. "I wonder if the dragons are still around." he said aloud. He began to look around to see if he could spot them but couldn't, hopefully for the best. He also looked for Vosur who was equally as transparent.
-
Letting out a sigh and dropping down before sprinting off to catch up behind Dante rather quickly, he almost wanted to give Lazaryos a "Show off..." glare, but ended up being too concerned about their fleeing the mountain and the army prostrating themselves before their group. He looked to the crowd of people watching them as they started to slow down once they were safely away from the collapsing mountainside. Scratching the back of his own head in reaction to seeing this spectacle, he looked about to where the he last saw the banner of the Rook Clan, wondering if he would see any familiar faces in that direction and what their action to this situation would be.
-
From that day on, life had changed for them all, despite revealing the destruction of the Mana. Chrono dethroned his father and succeeded as the new head of the Tri-Malis Clan. Eventually, he did get around to writing his book, sticking with just the title, The Search for Mana. Vosur never did get his closure with his father-in-law, or so he thought. Vosur lived in exile and fear for his life for another 2 years before the old man croaked. To his surprise, his father-in-law had left the head seat for Vosur, making him the sole successor. Dante ventured the world for 2 years with Vosur, but when he left to succeed the Rook Clan, Dante was left by himself, but it was not without benefit. After 5 years, he became known as the Traveling Savior, healing many wherever he went, until he finally decided to reside in a quiet town, opening up the largest clinic in the world. Ember became a drill sergeant, training many enforcers from the main province, which eventually evolved into a peace-keeping force that kept order, cleaning up cities as bad as even Brisbain. Lazaryos maintained his studies of the past, but rather than seeking his own gain from it, he ended up documenting all that he learned, and all that he knew, piecing everything together. It took him 7 years, but Lazaryos finished the book, and it became the basis for learning throughout the land.
However, what was the biggest surprise for everyone, was the wedding of Lazaryos and Ember. To everyone's surprise, they ended up making Dante the priest for the wedding, and Vosur the best man. Chrono ended up being the Man of Honor, and was the only one to be forced to leave the reception early due to his alcohol consumption. Despite popular belief about marriage, these two were far from normal. Yes, some couples all around the world do have arguments to the point of domestic disturbance, or even violence, but when these two argue, the town knows, and they leave town for the next two days, coming back to a nearly destroyed town. This, in turn, did become the foundation for the first insurance company in history, as Chrono's episode at the wedding started the foundation of the first Alcoholics Anonymous therapist. Vosur reigned the Rook Clan for two years before he found another to fill the gap in his heart, named Valencia. Chrono's love story was non-existent. His seat of power within the Tri-Malis Clan gave him his father's harem, women all aged from 18 to 29, numbering up to 100 women. Dante never sought love, moreover his love was to heal others. Eventually, one of his nurses proposed to him. They got married 2 months later, and are now the parents of 3 young mages, all dark elements. Lazaryos and Ember waited until last year, the year Lazaryos' book became published, to have a child. The child had his mother's body, but he had his father's physique and stripes, and was the first mage in history to have 2 elements.