Ancient Beginnings

[CYDA LUVA83]

((You're going to need some mood music....

))

 

 

 

 

Garinka dragged herself out of the nest, unable to sleep with her nightmares and her hot flashes. What was wrong with her? She went out to the medic’s tent to see if that young’un was there to help her diagnose herself, but she wasn’t, shame… The white dragon ruffled her feathers and cocked her head, straining to hear anything. Her hearing wasn’t like it used to be at all, nearly deaf, things sounded like they were coming from the outside of a glass bowl. Hearing nothing and scenting nothing new, she turned around and walked back into the fort, stumbling in pain every now and again due to the arthritis in her joints. Garinka made her way out the front door, not taking the time to noticed Varaug and Farengar leaning on the wall to her side. She looked up at the moon and closed her eyes, breathing in and taking in the relaxing smell of the calm, spring air. Summer would be here soon, though. And summer meant Midsummer’s Eve. Would they be prepared for it?

 

The white dragon shambled to the faerie garden, looking down at the amber pendant that hung around her neck on a leather strap. She sighed when she got to the edge of the garden, hating the forever feeling of old age, how it killed your joints and deadened your ears… Shaking her head, Garinka walked on into the garden as old feathers were shaken loose from her body. She lay down beside Feralo’s grave and leaned against the wild vines that ran across the rock wall behind her, just trying to calm down from the nightmares she had. The chilling nightmares of soon-to-come death of a cold and painful kind…

 

Something touched her nose, like a dewdrop of morning falling from a hackberry leaf. Garinka opened her eyes and looked up, seeing the little blue faerie from earlier hovering above her. She saw wet streaks gently tracing the curvature of the little pixie’s face. It was crying. “What is your name, faerie?” Garinka asked.

“Shone.” It replied.

“Shone… As in ‘The moon shone brightly.’?” Garinka wondered. Shone nodded in response. The white dragon leaned back against the wall of the ruined castle, grateful that the garden and the castle were back-to-back. “Shone… Why are you crying? Has another faerie upset you?” She asked the little blue faerie.

 

Shone shook her head and alighted on Garinka’s tail. She pointed at Feralo’s grave, then at Garinka. She shook her head again and flew off crying. Another faerie, one with green skin and orange wings, flew up to her face and landed on Garinka’s nose. “Pardon her, missus.” The pixie said with a thick Scottish accent. “She’s a tad upset right now. What with your impending end and all… She’s what we faerie’s call a Sight-Seer. Them Sight-Seers look in this here little crystal orb and see whatever they want to see. Past, present, or future. According to Shone, you’ll be going in about fifteen seconds.” The green faerie said without a hint of sensitivity towards Garinka’s fate. She could only try and comprehend this as she started to feel nauseated and fatigued.

The white dragon could only ogle at the green faerie, in disbelief about what she had heard. There was an increasing pain building up in her shoulders and chest, but the dragon dismissed it as old age taking another toll. “Five. Four. Three. Two. One.” The green faerie counted down.

 

A sharp pain was felt like a stab wound in Garinka’s chest. She doubled over in surprise and pain, gasping for breath as she felt her lungs not want to take in air. “Shone…!” Garinka rasped, clawing at her chest, writhing on the ground. Her chest tightened, as if her heart was shrinking. She stopped struggling on the ground and lay on her back against the stone wall, still trying to breathe. Fusion… be safe. May the gods watch over you. Everyone else… Don’t let them take our home… Garinka thought to herself, a final consolation and she slumped to the ground. She couldn’t feel her heart beating anymore. It hurt, but not being able to breathe made her feel light-headed, lessening the pain. The white dragon crawled to Feralo’s grave three feet away, laying on top of it. She let out a final sigh as her body gave up. She shuddered violently, sending feathers from her limp wings.

 

Garinka closed her eyes… and died…

 

~~~~~

 

Lydia trotted down into the fort after watching Garinka walk out the front door. She gathered her trunk of costumes and lugged it to the library, plopping it down with a thud on one of the tables. "OOOOOOOOkie dokie then! Here we go!" She said enthusiastically. The white dragon loved visiting human settlements. "Time to get human then get dressed!" She shifted into her human form and opened the old clothing trunk. Lydia pulled female undergarmets from the trunk and put them on, fidgeting in the underclothes. "Damn humans got some willpower to be in these everyday..." She took a simple, steampunk dress from the trunk and slipped it on, using some magic to lace up the back good and tight.

"Well... I feel humanish... It's a cramped and pokey feeling, but it's humanish."

[Ælex]

'Guess it's my go, then... -Ashur said dully, not looking forward to wearing so many garments just for the sake of blending in with his food for a while...

 

Once he'd shifted, he browsed through the different outfits until one caught his eye, it consisted of a pair of black men's leather boots, long loose pants, a black overcoat going down to his ankles with buttons around his chest area but none further down so as not to restrict his leg movements, a pair of black hard-leather fingerless gloves and a strange hard top hat with a pair of goggles upon it.

 

He dressed carefully, albeit with some difficulty since he'd never tried to 'look his best' in that shape. The outfit seemed to fit well, and the hat was just his size. Lastly, he laced on the pair of fingerless leather gloves and wiggled his hands a bit. They seemed loose enough...

 

Feeling around his new outfit he found an empty gun holster on his right side pocket area.

On the inside of the overcoat were a number of pockets of different sizes, all empty...

 

He tried putting the goggles over his eyes, but they did nothing.

He kept the overcoat un-buttoned so it didn't remind him of a dress.

The grey blouse beneath looked better uncovered anyway.

 

'So much for keeping my attire simple. -he snuffed and cracked his finger joints, leaned back against the table and waited for everyone to be ready.

Edited May 10, 2012 by Ælex

[Doomkaiser]

Akula wiggled his flipper as Keisha left and dived down into the water, searching for a tunnel or anything similar. "Just keep swimming just keep swimming..." He said to himself, swimming along cheerily. He smiled as he saw a tunnel. He entered it and swam fast through it. H eventually came out into the lake. He smiled at his discovery and swam back to his pond, planning on having a rest.

-----------------------------

Doom exited the castle after tending to Grublin the best he could. "Now to find Keisha." He took off, back to normal as Nightmare had finished his work. "That was fun." Nightmare said happily, content with the killing. "Get used to it, there's going to be more." Doom said as he scanned around for his mate.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Doomkaiser

[Ælex]

'Well, I guess I'll hit the hay. -Varaug yawned and stretched out a bit- 'Maybe, do a little reading before that. -he added, already imagining his comfy corner in the library calling to him. It'd been a ridiculous day filled with enough events to drive a normal person to madness, and all the Magi wanted was for it to be over. Perhaps with the dawning of tomorrow's sun they may continue re-establishing their home, and bring the chaos down to a minimum.

 

'Definitely reading before bed, gotta purge the entire complex of ruins from all negative energy. Make sure there are no uninvited guests left, ye? -he glanced to the side, referring to the demons that may still be crawling around within the ruins.

 

'That's gonna take a lot of magic, more than even two magi could ever possibly muster... but there are alternatives. -he thought out loud, then looked ar Farengar- 'That is if I can still count on your collaboration.

 

He looked up at the sky for a moment, it was pitch black and laden with stars of all sizes and in many'a patterns. For a blissful moment, he felt both overjoyed and amazed at the mere fact, that even after two hundred years of stasis, he was free, and was still very much alive.

 

Looking back down and then towards Fiyara, he nuzzled her, winked and said- 'I'll be in the library if you need me.

 

Turning about, he made his way back into the castle, through the halls, up and down some stairs and finally into his favourite spot at that time. The grandiose library he'd known ever since he was ten times smaller. Browsing through the different shelves, he felt a bit on-edge for a moment, as if a fireplace somewhere went out and the world got a bit colder because of it. That macabre feeling of an ending to something was alien to him, so he dismissed it as a mere draft.

 

'P, P, Pandemics of 1416, Parasitic Worms and their Uses, Polymorphing, the Guide for Idiots.... how rude. Uhh... Procrastination and You, Ah! Purification, the Reference Guide by Jalan Fodrig 1527. -he pulled out the book, made his way over to his favoured little cosy spot adorned by blankets and candle light near one of the fireplaces, opened the book and soon lost himself within its pages.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Ælex

[Dragonhatchling]

((won't be on much this weekend...))

 

Cruzora paused mid-step, hearing her name. Was it Nixon? Had to be Nixon, especially after the second yell of her name.

"Ni-" The alt was cut short in her yell by a screech behind her. She smacked her tail down, the noise creating a loud, echoing thwack as it contacted the ground. She didn't bother turning around, having heard the creature scuffle off. Soon after, a loud roar was heard. "Oh Nixon...." Cruzora sighed, looking around.

She saw something running, somewhat in the direction she was. Thinking better than to yell at it, she stood there and waited.

As the creature sprinted closer, the alt did realize it was Nixon, though she doubted he saw her in all this darkness. She could make out most of his features, but also another figure running after him. It was lighter, almost considered shiny to her. Copper? She thought, stepping into the path she guessed Nixon would take and called his name. Hopefully he might see her glowing green eyes before plowing into her.

 

Copper had heard Nixon's calls and roar. Both he and Galant hadn't been that far away. The ancient Red suggested they meet up with him, though he hadn't meant for Copper to give chase to the Silverbellied.

Galant followed behind Copper, walking a little quicker than normal as the smaller dragon broke into a run. Being larger, he could relitively keep up beside Copper.

That was true until they heard Cruzora. Copper, not choosing to allow Nixon to keep running, picked up speed. With a massive, happy, roaring yell of Nixon's name, the copper dragon tackled Nixon from behind and both plowed into Cruzora.

"Forward momentum at its best." Galant added with a chuckle, covering the lost ground quickly. "Sorry about that Nixon... I suggested we go find you, though I never mentioned tackling anyone."

"Copper!" Cruzora yelled angrily, pushing her head upward. She half lifed the adolescent in the air by doing so, dumping him off her head and back on Nixon. The Silverbellied had landed on top of her body, but at least her head was free. "Next time you try to get off of someone... don't use my head!" She scolded the copper, nudging both dragons with her nose once to make sure they were alive.

Copper simply broke out laughing.

[Lato_Dato]

Vayli screamed as the blade exited her leg, cringing and curling in upon herself in pain. She refused to let the human give her more pain, giving him a confused, pained glare as she put up a magical barrier around herself. She managed to keep it up for a minute, maybe two, before her strength wavered to fatigue and bloodloss, her head lying upon the ground as it sputtered out in vain. Her breathing laboured with pain, she gave the human a scathing look. Just... Just get it over with, already! she thought bitterly.

-------------------

Greilac watched the proceedings with some interest, even stopping to sniff one of Ashur's discarded outfits. Frowning, she decided she didn't much like the smell, and moved it away with the tip of her snout. It smelt like pigeon poo. She scratched the end of her snout with a claw, trying to get rid of the smell as she raised her head to look at Ashur and Lydia. They both looked absolutely ridiculous. It took some effort not to laugh, but she failed to keep an absolutly straight face. To cover up her grin, she moved to sniff again at the disgarded coat and ended up with it hanging off of her snout like some absurd elephant's nose. She pulled her head back, irritated, and stated her thoughts. "These things look absolutly ridiculous!" She snorted, still trying to dislodge the coat.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Lato_Dato

[Doomkaiser]

James looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look..." He said sternly, trying his best to hide a smile. When he saw the look she gave him, he sighed and looked her straight in the eyes. "If you think I want to kill you, you're dead wrong." He said, a bit of anger in his voice as he remembered the one time he was forced to skin a dragon. He shuddered at the thought.

[Lato_Dato]

She hissed at the anger in his voice, some of the fire returning to her eyes as she raised her wings weakly, eyes glowing. Stupid. This is stupid. She thought wearily, laying down her wings. Looking up at the human, she sighed, accepting the inevitable. This human might not actually be out to kill her. She made an inquisitive noise, looking up to the human with confused eyes. Was he working himself up to killing her? Was he somehow unable to bring himself to do it? Why not? Why not strike the final blow?

 

------------------

 

 

[Doomkaiser]

James jumped a bit at the noise she made. When she looked at him with those confused eyes he knew he wasn't getting through. He sighed and pointed to his tomahawk then shook his head, hoping she would understand. "Now I wish I could speak draconic..." A thought sprung to his mind. "Maybe she could teach me if I can become her friend." He twiddled his thumbs as he awaited her response.

[Ælex]

'Well... -he shrugged.

They are. They are human clothes. -he elaborated. 'And humans in all essence are very very strange. -he scratched the back of his neck.

 

'I do know one thing though. -he casually reached at his crotch and adjusted himself.

'These pyjamas are making me chafe. -he leaned forward a bit while scratching.

 

'Good lord, it's like being cuffed in all the wrong places! -he said once he was done scratching. He had no idea that was a disgusting thing to do, but then Ashur had no idea what humans considered normal anyway.

[Lato_Dato]

His hand moved towards the tomahawk and she tensed. Had she pushed him over the edge? Was he actually going to kill her? She had no intention of dying so easy! She relaxed when he moved his hand away, and frowned at his indesiciveness. What was he trying to prove? Now utterly confused, she stared at him for a moment before a frown appeared on her face. They were not getting anywhere like this. With a roll of her eyes, she poked his mind gently with telepathy, wondering if people knew telepathy and practiced it within their society. She played with that idea for a moment before dismissing it. Humans were not fond of magic beforehand, and most likely would be utmost opposed to it two hundred years later with the way things were going back then...

[Doomkaiser]

James visibly flinched as she touched his mind. He panicked for a second but relaxed as he remembered a dragon had touched his mind before, even if it had tried to kill him. "I don't want to kill you." He thought. He then realized he didn't speak draconic. He showed her an image he had from his past of helping a dragon escape, yet again hoping she would realize he meant no harm.

[Lato_Dato]

She frowned as she felt the fear in his mind, looking towards him with a resigned expression. The awnser to her question was, obviously, no. Humans did not know magic or telepathy. It was over in a second, though, and it seemed that the human was thinking. What, she could not tell. And then, it suddenly shouted at her, making her flinch at the strangeness of his dialect; she could not make heads or tales of this, be it death threat or peace offering. Then an image came to her mind, that of the human standing before her aiding another, larger dragon out of one of their dastardly traps and watching it run off into the forest. Letting it escape. She puzzled this over in her mind for a moment, seriously considering the human as something per than a threat now. She cut the telepathic link, chirping slightly as she considered this. Looking towards the human with a much less hostile expression now, she raised a wing, drawing it back to her side. Now, how to get across this understanding to the human? "If only you spoke dragon." she spoke with resignation, tilting her chin to the sky as she thought of a way. She remembered a sign the humans used to symbolise peace, and decided to put it to use. Using her magic, she conjured up a glowing image of a dove holding a branch between it's claws, before looking at it with a frown. How would the human get a message of peace from a bird holding a branch?!

 

She removed the image, smudging it with her will like ink, and replaced it with an image of a flower, giving it a frustrated stare before turning to the human in frustration, searching his face for understanding.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Lato_Dato

[Doomkaiser]

James had a confused look on his face when she spoke in draconic. Atleast she was a little less hostile towards him now that she had seen him help another dragon from that trap that was set up a few weeks ago. He raised an eyebrow as an image appeared. When he saw the dove with a branch, he smiled and nodded. "Atleast they know our customs." He thought to himself as he watched her.

[Ælex]

'...best achievable through the use of absorption materials such as gemstones or... -Varaug yawned and changed the page- '...liquid substitutes, or even crushed crystalline particles. Once the rites have been... blablabla, !@#$ I'm sleepy. -the magi shoved the book away, rested his head on his paws and dozed off.

 

'Wake up, mister Plaguebane.

'Hrm... wha? -Varaug stirred, and opened his eyes, everything felt so numb...

'Rise and shine, magi.

'Da!@#$... -Varaug sprung up on his feet and glared in disbelief. He was standing up in complete nothingness, there was no floor, there were no walls, there was no sky, there was only this mesh of grey and black as a background. The only thing besides him there was a hooded figure, somewhat human-shaped and nearly as tall as him.

'You are right to be alarmed by my presence. -the figure raised one of its bony arms and pointed right at Varaug's forehead- You and your friends have been keeping me quite busy since the day you hatched.

'What... who are you, where am I?! -he growled menacingly at stranger. Nothing made sense, he couldn't feel a thing, he couldn't smell he couldn't sense, all he had was his sight and his hearing.

 

'I go by many names. But I'm most commonly referred to as "The Grim Reaper". -the figure lowered its arm, revealing its hand beneath the sleeve in the process. It was sickly grey and had a reflective surface.

 

'The Gr... the R... are you !@#$ing kidding me? -the magi couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't know what to make of all this, was it even real?

 

'I don't kid, dragon. We wouldn't be speaking if it wasn't a matter of the utmost importance. -Death said, maintaining the same monotone- For you, I have a warning and an offer, you'd be a complete idiot to refuse. -the figure raised both of its arms up and the background around them changed. There, they stood in a familiar valley. The earth beneath them was charred and lifeless, the forests were burned to nothing. Nearby was a pile of old rubble, as if there was once a large structure there... then it hit him.

 

'My home... -Varaug slumped at a complete loss of words.

'The castle... -he couldn't help but shed a tear from what he beheld.

'Why are you showing me this?

 

'The living king of darkness is coming. What you see is a representation of what may well happen. -Death gestured towards their surroundings.

'So, Varaug. Let's discuss that little offer of mine.

'Go ahead. -the magi said glumly.

'You and your friends have dodged entering the void so many times you've put a dent in my records. I might well say I am somewhat impressed. -the hooded figure nodded- You however seem the most hell-bent on preventing more deaths. Well, you have every right. -the figure gestured at Varaug to follow and walked on towards the lake- Death is a part of life, magi. Without one, the other may not exist. You may not know it, but holding the line against the Living King of Darkness is crucial for holding off the very end of the world. -Death pointed at the sky, as it turned red with blood as if on command.

 

'So as I was saying. I will give you what you what you were ready to tear your own soul apart for, immortality, in exchange for your services. -Death raised one arm and pointed at Varaug- You will be the Harbinger. My messenger, my connection with the living. Your duties will be to follow my orders and convey my words. Through you, I will speak. Through you, the living King of Darkness may well be stopped from upsetting the delicate balance of life and death.

 

'I, that... you want to possess me and expect me to just agree?! -Varaug could hardly believe his ears. This was way too much for him to handle at that point.

 

'If I wanted to, I'd have done it, but I can hold as much influence over your health or your life as an ant could. No, my offer was clear. And if you care for your friends, and for this one... -he gestured to his left, where a visual representation of Fiyara had appeared- Although I find your obsession with her disturbing, the only way you will be ready to protect her would be with my aid. -Death clutched his fist and shook it at Varaug.

 

'So what will it be, magi? Immortality and constant instruction, or would you face the cataclysm alone? -Death crossed his arms.

 

Varaug paused, trying to make sense of all this. It seemed far too real for it to be a dream...

'If I do this, what are the costs?

'You will report to me every time you sleep, and you will relay the information I give you. How you do this is completely up to you. I will not diminish your freedom. If I wanted to, you'd have been un-worthy of being my Harbinger.

 

'I... -the magi looked around. this was terrible, a horrendous sight. The last thing he'd ever allow was for it to happen. Although it was against everything what the little common sense was left in him told him to do, he nodded silently and mumbled: 'Accept.

 

'Then know Death's embrace, Harbinger. -the cloaked figure extended one hand and slowly placed it upon Varaug's forehead.

 

From complete numbness, Varaug's senses snapped back to into a pulse of searing pain, as if someone was freezing and burning him at the same time. His entire life flashed through his mind in an instant, and he woke up in the library, cold, sweaty, and screaming in agony like a madman.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Ælex

[CYDA LUVA83]

Farengar jerked his head up when he heard Varaug scream; rushing to the library and almost tripping on his own feet as he came to see what happened and if he could help. "Varaug!" He yelled, looking around and finding the other magi shaking and sweating. "What happened? Who was here?" The magi flared his wings as he looked around more. He didn't see anyone... What was the problem? Farengar walked over to Varaug placed his paw on his half-brother's back. "Are you alright?"

 

~~~~~

 

Something misty floated just over the surface of the ground; flowing like water yet feeling quite dry. It had the vague shape of a Spring hatchling who was running in fear. The ghostly figure ran through the Dragon Training Grounds, not stopping until it reached an unconcious figure that lay outside the fort. It shook the dorsal dragon, trying desperately to get her to wake up. "Fusion!" Whispered the echoey voice. "Fusion... Sis. I need you to wake up! Something bad is gonna happen!" The ghost noticed two puncture wounds on Fusion's nek and frowned. Arget. She placed her misty paw on the two wounds and closed her eyes, fog enveloping the two dragons. When it cleared a few seconds later, the ghost and the wounds were gone.

 

Niomi's ghost reformed in front of Doom, grabbing onto him and not letting go. She gripped the black dragon tight enough to hang on but loose enough so as to not fall through him. "Doom! I need your help. Badly. It's me, Niomi, Fusion's sissy. Please, Doom. I need your help." Transparents tears evaporated from her muzzle as she buried her face against Doom's scales.

 

~~~~~

 

Ellen sat on a dead log and pouted, frustrated and not used to not getting her way. She stood up and walked towards James, intending on giving him and the dragon he was with a good bashing with her rifle. She picked up her gun and ran at the two, putting the stock against her shoulder and taking aim at the blue dragon. Ellen prepared to fire when something rammed her head on. A spark of electricity went of in front of her as the barrier destroyed her rifle. She recoileed in pain from where the rifle was rammed back against her shoulder, nearly popping her arm out of socket. Curling up on the ground, Ellen looked up at the barrier, watching the area where she hit fade back to its original transparent self.

"Damn you, James..." She muttered underneath her breath and she climbed to her feet. The spoiled heiress placed her hand on the barrier, only to snatch it away again when a flare of electricity threateaned to scorch her hand. This time she relaxed and stared at the barrier, wondering how to get through. James had just walked through it, hadn't he? Ah, whatever... she shouldn't have to figure this out... "James! Goddamnit! Get out o there and take me home!" Ellen yelled.

[Ælex]

Varaug remained motionless, trmbling, on the edge of insanity from what he'd been subject to. eyes wide open, short on breath, he didn't even so much as look at Farengar, before getting up and unsteadily walking over to the nearby occult section of the library. He pulled out a book labelled "Necromancer's Moon" and opened it on the nearby desk before himself, listing through to the segment he was looking for. He found it in about a dozen or so seconds and poked a hole with his talon where a paragraph began.

 

It was detailed information he had never seen before and it matched exactly what he'd experienced in his vision. Vision? Nightmare? Abduction? He didn't even know any more. But it was right there, written in the most easily understandable curved literate draconic that was omnipresent throughout most, if not all of the library's content.

'Just me... -he started answering his half-brother's questions just then- 'Or at least that's what I think. Was he here? Was he in my mind? -he shivered for a moment and glanced around- 'No no no... he was not here. -he shook his head, then looked at Farengar.

 

'You wanted to know, so... over two centuries ago, Farengar, this was an utopia. We always had food... -he swallowed dryly- And, and we always had shelter. And we always had each other... -he bent the page of the book a bit so as to find it more easily next time, then closed it- And one more thing. -Varaug shuddered- Something else, over and over again. An apocalypse looming over our heads, is what. -the magi clenched his jaw shut, then put both of his hands under the desk and flipped it clean over!

 

'EVERY SINGLE TIME!!! -he roared and started to pace around- Take a wild guess, brother! Take a wild !@#$ing guess what's out to kill us all now! A horde of abominations in the local patch of black trees? NOOO!!! That's Midsummer's eve! We already found a way to deal with that! No, no... how about a pack of hellspawn dragon-like denizens of the underworld blindly worshipping a demented old god named after the Greek keeper of time? NOOO!!! We handled that too! A swarm of demons, perhaps?! OH GOOD LORD WE'RE STILL RECOVERING FROM THAT!!! -he yelled and he snarled in utter outrage.

 

'I swear it's like our fate is being written by a pack of sadistic... -he stopped and waved it off.

'Sometimes... -he clutched his fist and shook it at the window, glaring outside- 'Sometimes I just want to watch this world burn, I tell you! -he snarled, then looked at the ground for a moment, fell silent, took a few deep breaths, and looked back up.

 

'An old enemy of ours, perhaps someone our eldest are familiar with is gonna be coming back for revenge.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Ælex

[Krissi2197]

((I'm gonna assume Keisha can see Niomi as well, since I was just gonna have her find Doom. ))

 

Keisha had been flying around for a while, with no luck in finding her children. She was just about to give up when she saw a hint of black in the corner of her eye. "Roran?" She whispered, hopeful, but then sighed when she realized it was Doom. "Wait... Doom!" The guardian smiled, flying over to him, then paused when she saw a familiar dragon clinging onto him. Is that... She's a ghost... She looks so familiar... Keisha blinked. How can I even see her?! "Um... Excuse me?" She said, reaching over to poke Niomi, but blinked when her claw went right through the dragon's body.

 

Yep... She's a ghost alright.

 

~~

 

Nixon continued walking through the caves, his ears perked up. He heard the sounds of claws hitting the floor behind him, but he brushed them off as rats. Ugh, I hate this place. I'm really starting to feel claustrophobic... He thought to himself, then stopped when he could have sworn someone called his name. "Cruzora?" He whispered. I thought they were gonna stay behind and look for the others... He listened intently for another call, but none came.

 

Shaking his head, the Silverbellied sighed. "Nixon, you need to get out of here before you drive yourself crazy. They'll be fin- GAH!"

 

He was too busy talking to himself that he didn't hear Copper approaching him from behind, and he made another groaning noise as he came in contact with Cruzora. He regained his thoughts just in time to hear Copper laughing hysterically. Sighing, Nixon stood up with Copper still on his back, offering his tail to help Cruzora up.

 

"We all reunite in the weirdest ways... I'm not very surprised anymore." He chuckled, then looked over at Galant. "Did you find anybody?"

[CYDA LUVA83]

Farengar shrank back, not wanting to get a taste of his brother's anger. "Varaug, I can't possibly know how you feel... I wasn't here during the demon invasion... I'm sorry." He walked to the table and flipped open the history book, going to the page that marked the beginning of Feralo's entries. "Feralo and Garinka are gone, and he never mentioned anything about a war with a lord of darkness. The dragons who came here first after those two were Fusion Fall, Doom Jericho, and Keisha Jericho... Have they said anyth-" Farengar stopped short and flipped nearly a dozen pages before he found the one he was looking for. "Here! It says it right here! Fusion had a sister, right? A little Spring hatchling?" The magi began to fidget with excitement. "That little sister died in a fight, no? A fight with 'The King of Darkness'?! Doom and Fusion can take care in filling us in with the details about this King of Darkne-" He sat down and banged his head against the stone floor. "Gods, I'm so naiave. Forgive me, Varaug. I get ahead of myself." He said, his voice slightly muffled against the stone floor he was laying against.

 

~~~~~

 

Niomi shrieked and disappeared into a tiny puff of fog when Keisha spoke and poked her. The little ghost hadn't really been paying attention to her surroundings. She reformed and looked up at Keisha, squinting her eyes in the dim light. Recognition spread across her face as she realized who it was. "Keisha!" Niomi screamed, running through the guardian Queen of Fire. "Keisha, he's back! The Dark Master is back. The lord who killed me... He's back."

 

~~~~~

 

Lydia had to force herself not to laugh when Ashur started to scratch himself. "Okidokie, Ashur. First things first. Humans are very sensitive about their 'private parts'." She said, making quotation marks with her fingers for emphasis. "A.K.A the itchy places. So no scratching in public areas! Also, no undressing. Humans hate bare skin. Be sure to watch your language, keep it polite and stuff."

 

Lydia nearly jumped out of her skin at Varaug's outburst. She hid behind he nearest bookshelf and peeked out from the side. The pale woman gingerly stepped out from behind the small bookshelf. She may treat terrible injuries that would make a normal dragon cringe, but yelling she just couldn't handle. Maybe loud bickering, but angery-rage yelling... no. "I-i-is he alright?" She asked Ashur, her voice barely a whisper. She didn't wait for an asnwer. "The painting that you walk through is over there." Lydia mumbled, resting her face in the crook of her elbow and pointing at a portrait of Sgarr on the wall with her other hand.

 

((Lydia's official human appearance. ))

[Ælex]

'No... -Varaug gave off an exasperated sigh- You weren't there. -he nodded, glanced at the floor, then at his brother- Sorry about flipping out like that. You had nothing to do with it... -he added glumly.

 

'Well, whoever this "king" is, when he comes, we'll be ready.

'Oy! -Ashur called out, still in his human form- 'Temper!

'I know, I know... nice monkey suit. Doesn't that uhm... It looks like it kinda...

'It does! I'm itching up a storm here! -he looked back at Lydia- 'Buuut I'll try not to scratch.

'Good luck out there. -Varaug exchanged a nod with Ashur, then looked back at his brother.

'It is indeed a "Living King of Darkness" That we're dealing with. If Doom and Fusion know more about him, we have to talk to them ASAP. Any idea where they might be?

[CYDA LUVA83]

"Doom is out by the lake. If you look outside right now; Keisha and a little ghostly hatchling are with him. Fusion is unconcious by the wall of the fort. She can be woken up..." Farengar said, looking out the doorway of the library. He stepped back inside and drug his paw down his face, frustrated with how the day had been going. He looked over at Lydia as she stepped out from behind the bookshelf. "Good luck, Lyds. Remember the rules, will ya?" The magi cracked his neck and aimed a blast of magic as the portrait of Sgarr. The image warped into that of the inside of a blacksmith's shop. "The portal is all yours."

 

"Alrighty, Varaug. Let's go see about the King of Darkness and what your friends can tell us." Farengar said to his brother, heading outside.

[Ælex]

'Thanks. Well, everyone has to know, so might as well start with them. -the magi shrugged. He went over to the desk he'd flipped, lifted it upright and put it down back how it was before his outburst, then re-placed the books he'd used back in their places, and proceeded out of the library.

 

As far as he could tell it was quite literally pitch-black outside, save for the areas illuminated by torches or dim moonlight. In other words, very very late. But then how could Varaug even think about sleeping after an experience like that?

 

He felt cold, very cold and was shivering all over. For a frightening paranoia-ridden moment he wondered if the reaper had made him an undead. Stopping, he checked his pulse, his heart was still beating. And he was still breathing. 'It's just the shock... It'll pass. -he reassured himself and continued through the halls.

 

=========================================

 

'Nutter. Oh fancy that! Transportation! -Ashur adjusted his hat, put the goggles back on, and yelled:

'Alright guys let's DO THIS! LEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY... -and vanished through the portal. Bright multi-colored lights flashed across his vision as he felt the familiar tugging feeling of being teleported to who-knows where.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Ælex

[Doomkaiser]

A green glow formed around the ruins of an ancient castle in the faraway regions of Macedonia, Skopje. A small hissing sound was heard and the rubble exploded outwards. Air seeped into the hole that was created. After about 5 minutes a giant dragon slowly crawled out of the ground, skin and scales forming over his body. He looked up at the sky and roared loudly, dark clouds swirling overhead. "I'm coming...Doom..." He laughed evily and took off.

----------------------

Doom almost jumped out of his skin when Niomi appeared. His eyes widened when she said something was wrong with Fusion. He remained silent when she saw Keisha, but...he growled when he heard the Dark King, which soon turned into a snarl and then a full blown roar which lasted for a minute. "NO NO NO, HE CAN'T BE BACK, GAAAAAAAAH!" He slammed his fists into the ground, panting heavily, smoke coming from his nostrils.

----------------------

James sighed when Ellen shouted at him. "GO FIND IT YOURSELF. IT AIN'T MY PROBLEM IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT A SENSE OF DIRECTION!" He yelled angrily, looking in her general direction. He looked back to Vayli, an angry expression on his face. "God she can be a b****h..." He mumbled to himself, looking down at the ground.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Doomkaiser

[Krissi2197]

Keisha's eyes widened a little bit at the small ghost hatchling, her head tilted to the side. "Slow down, sweetie... Who's back? What does he want?" She shrieked and flew a bit away from Doom when he roared. "What is going on here?! Who's this dragon we keep talking about?!"

[Ælex]

Varaug had left the castle and was approaching the pack of dragons just as Doom was freaking out. He'd either already gotten the news, or was in a really bad mood...

 

"What is going on here?! Who's this dragon we keep talking about?!" -he heard Keisha ask.

'The living king of darkness. -Varaug answered her question and glanced between them.

He's back, and he's out for blood. -he sat down, hoping Doom would calm down a bit so he would answer a few questions.

 

'Can either of you please tell me who he exactly is? What does he do? What are we really up against?

Edited May 14, 2012 by Ælex