Soulcast

[Pyrowings]

暗眼

 

Wait. I have no clue where my companion is, and they are not returning for a while, so I need somebody to keep company. Mind if I travel with you for a while?

 

Anyan paused in mid-step and looked back with a eyeridge raised. Hmmm, company in these times was certainly welcome, especially since the demons were on the offense. He turned to look over the demonic reaper, who was sporting a grin. He looked able and did not seem like the overly aggressive type, which would be suicide these days with the amount of demons around. The wings and his anthers were a tad too flashy for comfortable stealth, but who knows if Anyan would meet another to travel with?

 

"If you are looking for your friend, it would be best to stay in this one spot. But do not misread my tone, I would like the company. Of course, I expect you to fight if necessary."

Anyan looked then flicked his tail in the direction of the Skyoak. "If we set a good pace, we might be able to reach the Skyoak in five days. I have business with the wind elves."

 

Anyan paused to wait for the reaper's reply, or at least to think of anything he had missed. Ah. "If you want souls or to learn how I hunt, I will go about another day before I hunt for a meal. I am already starting to feel this hunger naw at me, however, so perhaps I wouldn't even be able to wait that long." Anyan gave a humorless chuckle. He had no need to hunt, there was plenty of fresh carcasses right here, but he would prefer getting closer to the Skyoak at the present moment and hunting on the way there.

 

Shidansu and Erin

 

Shidansu nodded at Mal's words, then flew off. Still, she couldn't help to worry about him, so her flying was slightly off and distracted as she sailed on the winds in the sun. Something to stanch the bleeding.... Fire to cauterize? There were plenty of fires lit outside the temple—We're a huge dragon, how the heck are you going to steal a candle or a branch from a campfire? Shidansu startled from her own thoughts and fell rather embarrassingly unflattering from the sky for a few seconds before catching herself and heading towards the temple anyways.

There should be a few creatures at the Star Temple who knows of a way that I can heal a friend. Due to me permitting you to stay, your appearance was not highly effected.

What, you think there won't be a someone around who can sense this sort of stuff? And permitting? Sure, whatever makes you sleep at night.

Shidansu wheeled around the Star Temple, flying in circles around the central island at a good distance. Erin was correct in that, but to save Mal, it would be a risk she would have to take, especially due to her own limited knowledge of anything related to healing. Shidansu winged herself a half mile above the main island and glided towards it, taking a few steps on the bright grass to ease the momentum as she landed.

 

Of course, the first scream she heard was "DRAGON!!!" On impulse, she flexed wicked red claws, daring any to come and challenge her. Yes, that would be a nice test, She would—And what do you think that would do? You think any of those impulsive muscleheads who would charge at a nonhostile dragon would have any brains about anything on healing?

And what are you speaking from? Experience because you asked once? Still, Shidansu decided to take a more.... Direct approach. She turned and flew off, then wheeled around to the side of the building. Slowly she poked her head into a open-air window and awkwardly cleared her throat. WHAT THE ARE YOU DOING??? LOOKING FOR A FREE SPEAR???? Pretty much the entire room turned and froze at the sight of her majestic head sticking into the room.

 

"Erm, good day to all. Is there a creature here that can assist me in searching for a substance I can use to heal a friend?"

Edited July 2, 2015 by beiningtian

[Esko]

---(Exus)---

 

 

"If you are looking for your friend, it would be best to stay in this one spot. But do not misread my tone, I would like the company. Of course, I expect you to fight if necessary." The creature replied after stopping mid step and pausing for thought. Exus nodded swiftly and widened his grin.

Great! My...friend...probably won't be back for a while, so getting a move on is certainly better than turning to stone waiting for her. He purred while leaning on his rapier a bit more. I enjoy it too.

 

It looked then flicked its tail in the direction of the Skyoak. "If we set a good pace, we might be able to reach the Skyoak in five days. I have business with the wind elves."

 

Exus nodded and blew the silver hair clump out of his face again. Sure thing! He cooed, then perked an ear for the next response;

 

"If you want souls or to learn how I hunt, I will go about another day before I hunt for a meal. I am already starting to feel this hunger naw at me, however, so perhaps I wouldn't even be able to wait that long." The creature stated before giving a chuckle. Exus cocked his head to the side. It seemed a little weird to wait to eat while hungry when you had a whole supply of carcasses in front of you. Eh, he never heard of this creature before, so maybe it had weird eating habits. He would not question it.

 

Cool then! Now, may I ask your name? *coo* He inquired, while pulling his weapon out of the ground and following the creature.

 

---(Esko)---

 

He did not bother to listen to the snarky comments of the Dracofari. Why would somebody waste breath saying something obvious? Of course there is no garunteed of Netekos not getting angry. You do not need to state the obvious. He said with a slight snarl. This creature was starting to tread on his nerves.

 

He watched as Netekos claimed the Sands of Time and Reevia frown. It was smart, for Netekos to claim the area where the drakin could not follow. It was better to keep them separate. Then Shurgle and Natashi claimed Darksky, leaving him and Reevia two places; Dragonscar and Windscreech.

 

 

"Dragonscar" Reevia responded quickly. " I know that place like the back of my hand, and I'm used to the heat and smog" She added, and Eskirurius rolled his eyes.

Woooh. Fantastic. He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Then he looked to his Reaper companions. Anyways, guess that leaves Windscreech for me. Goodbye for now. After his farewell, he lifted off while his shredded tail sprayed blood mist everywhere.

 

After about ten minutes of flight, Esko had enough of his bloody tail. He shifted back into his Cloaked Form with his non bloodied, wolf tail. His Golden Wyvern wings sprung from his back and he lifted off, continuing forward.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Esko_the_Wolf

[skwerl56767]

Jaegar

Darkness. Unusually dark, for a Sun Temple. Jaegar and Ketel stared in, expecting a confrontation, but finding none.

" Ladies first." Ketel said. Jaegar shot him a look and shoved him inside. " OOF! Well gee, every time a guy is courteous..." Jaegar silenced him with another glance and walked in.

The Sun Temple was just a splendid on the inside than it was on the outside. Even more spectacular was that there was not a speck of demonic influence in sight. The room they entered appeared to be the main chapel: the ceiling was supported by ornate columns, paintings and tapestries depicting holy scenes hung on the walls and between the columns, stained glass windows penetrated every available space and let the morning light through. Gorgeous chandeliers hung from the beams, a red carpet led from the main doors to the back of the room, before encircling a a humble, carved fountain of water. Everything seemed to gleam with an unknown light. The fountain was still, but the sight was still stunningly beautiful.

 

BOOOM!! The two Reapers jumped at the sound emanating from the barred entrance.

" Oh yeah..." Ketel reminded himself aloud. Jaeger shot a panicked glance to the immense doors. Just like on the outside, they were painstakingly carved with images of the King of Light, his angels, and his kingdom. There were two heavy bolts slid in place to keep the doors shut, but there was no one in sight. The secret door shut behind him as he turned and made his way to the fountain-the centerpiece of the chapel. Ketel kept a worried eye on the doors.

" Hey, you think there's anyone in here? I mean... I don't see one angel. Not even a mortal!" He said.

" Maybe they left when they had the chance." Jaegar said, running a hand over the fountain's rim." The gate's closed."

Ketel turned as another deafening boom rang out and the doors shuddered. " Huh?"

" Heaven. It's safe. Not unless the Queen of Thorns knows how to reopen the gate."

" The fountain is the gate?" Ketel sounded incredulous.

" Yes. It's active when the gate is open."

" How do you know that? And wouldn't prayers have a hard time getting through if the Sun Temple wasn't active??"

 

Jaegar opened his mouth to respond, but the next boom was fatal.

CRASH! Debris showered from the doors, and Ketel started at the sight of the battering ram's nose protruding from a brand-new hole.

" Grunsnit! Karkar!" A voice came from the other side. Cheers and battle cries accompanied it.

" Aw, crap." Ketel swore.

" Get ready!" Jaegar moved from the fountain to his comrade's side as the first minions started pouring through the hole. A particular goblin wielding a club spotted them.

" Reapers!" It hissed.

" Dang straight!" Ketel said a little too excitedly. He launched himself at the nearest demon, claws stretched out and his three snake tails baring fangs. They tumbled into a group of the demon's allies.

" Watch yourself!" Jaegar reminded him, bringing out his pincers. Yes, pincers. His true form sported quite the impressive claws from a particular desert scorpion known for its burning toxins. He hoped that no one-

" FIRE SCORPION! Get the tall Reaper!"

-recognized him. With a sigh, he attacked the Gorgon who noticed him. She screeched as a barbed tail appeared from underneath his cloak and swiftly took her head off. Another screech-Ketel! Jaegar blocked an incoming attack, shooting a glance at his companion. One of his tails was missing and he was struggling with a stubby demon who's head took up most of its body. And an awfully familiar beast was coming up behind him.

 

A Siphoner. The Queen's pride. Nothing was better than a demon who consumed raw mana and stamina, making magic creatures vulnerable to all attacks. It was a particular bane for Reapers, as it forced them into their True Form, lowering their defenses and making them susceptible to Blood Scent.

" Ketel! Behind you!" Jaegar shouted, dodging another attack with uncanny swiftness. The Reaper's remaining tails attacked the Siphoner, but the serpentine creature with goggling eyes and an eternally open maw was just as quick, delivering more blows than it received, and with Ketel's arm being devoured by another demon he couldn't turn to deal with the Siphoner. Jaegar growled and slashed off another head, this time from a chimera-what damage that did. The chimera roared and tackled him before he could get to Ketel's aid.

Slash! Jaegar's deadly barbed tail struck! The chimera howled, but his remaining goat head proceeded to clamp down on the Reapers arm.

Think the jaws of herbivores are soft? Wait until one bites you and means it. The pressure was crushing! Jaegar responded equally well by sinking his own jaws into the chimera's neck and battering at his belly, but the creature's weight was immense and little damage was done.

 

As if things couldn't get any worse with the two Reapers pinned down, thorny tendrils began creeping through the opening in the doors. They were seemingly endless, continuing to crawl through and wrap themselves around the beautiful artwork and carvings of the inner Sun Temple. Larger and larger demons, with salivating jaws and great bellows, smashed their way through the small opening, making it bigger and allowing thicker roots to enter.

Jaegar struggled with the chimera. The beast seemed to be winning, taking his left arm off with ease. The former finally finished him with a well-aimed stab in the neck, and shrugged the carcass off.

" Ketel!" Jaegar cried. His companion was laying helplessly, True form revealed. He too was a chimera, before they were converted as a whole by the Queen. The goat head was gone, the lion head missing his eyes and with chunks of his mane ripped out. Only one snake tail remained, and it wasn't moving. The Reaper didn't respond as lesser demons swarmed over to him.

Jaegar couldn't stand it. He jumped up and raced over to him, but one of the creeping tendrils caught him by the leg and he fell heavily to the floor. He clawed frantically, trying to get to Ketel's aid, but he barely moved inches from the spot. More thorny tendrils started to wrap over him like a spider about to finish off its prey.

 

" How pathetic." A calm voice rang out. " It seems Death can't even train her own soldiers to fight. That explains why she was so easy to take down."

" The Queen of Thorns." Jaegar ground his teeth together. He couldn't see the abomination, and he didn't need to. " What use is the Sun Temple to you!?"

" What a pity, no angels in sight." The Queen seemed to ignore him. " We were going to have so much fun together. Ah, well, at least I have access to their precious Gate."

Jaegar craned his neck to look towards the fountain, and saw a dark feminine figure standing next to it. The darkness seemed to cling to her, making any features hard to make out, but she was definitely humanoid. The figure turned to him, red eyes flashing. " Though, seeing Reapers here is such a pleasant surprise." She smiled. " I can do without angels for now. Dethl will appreciate what I will give him today."

Dethl! That witch wants to hand Ketel and I over to him?!

" You can't have us! There will be no more convert Reapers among your ranks!" Jaegar spat. The Queen gave him a strangely curious look, like a child being introduced to a new toy.

" Your voice... is oddly familiar." She commented, coming closer. Jaegar gnashed his teeth and squirmed, but he was held tight by the Queen's tendrils. " And you don't feel like a Reaper... Siphoner!" She commanded. The leech-like creature emerged from the shadows beside her. No words needed to be spoken-it knew what to do.

 

" Seep my form from me and you will regret it!" Jaegar threatened. The serpentine creature slithered close, its funnel-like mouth taking up Jaegar's vision.

" What would I possibly regret?" The Queen of Thorns said in a weirdly soothing voice. " Your leader is gone, angels are trapped in their own home. My soldiers are swarming across the world as we speak. The most I'll regret is not doing this sooner." She turned to the Siphoner.

" Do it."

 

Natashi

She sighed again. At least everyone got along... enough.

" Dragonscar. I know that place like the back of my hand, and I'm used to the heat and smog." Natashi gave a small nod, though saw Eskirurius rolling his eyes and Netekos exhaling slowly. A sigh of relief?

" Woooh. Fantastic. Anyways, guess that leaves Winterscreech for me. Goodbye for now." Esko promptly took off without further notice. Natashi watched him, processing his words, and Shurgle shrugged.

" Well, off we go. It's going to be quite the travel. Remember, rendezvous at the House of Cards." He added the last part mostly to himself. He gestured for Natashi to follow him, walking along the edge of the floating island to the main bridge that connected it to the other islands and the surface. Netekos didn't give Reevia another look, simply shooting past her and his two fellow Reapers, heading for the same bridge since he couldn't fly. Shurgle snorted, but said nothing.

" This is going to be tense..." Natashi said quietly.

" You can say that again." Shurgle muttered. " Good thing Reevia has wings-I don't want to arrive to the bridge and see yet another battle."

 

((Sorry for crappy interactive post, I wrote everything else first and never realized how huge it was until now. ))

 

Jacob

The pain was excruciating. His vision turned black and he was unable to struggle. It felt like he was dying, but he clearly knew he was still alive.

" Jaegar!" Ketel's voice sounded faint. Jaegar struggled against the feeling of having no energy, of just being exhausted, having barely any energy to even breathe. He couldn't let the Queen of Thorns find out! He couldn't!

Flash! A burst of light! His wings burst free. His hearing came back, revealing startled screams and gasps of shock. Energy! Blessed energy! But... how? With foggily returning vision, he shot a glance at Ketel.

The Reaper was limp. But there were faint strands of color reaching out to Jaegar, swaying gently in a nonexistent breeze: the energy of his own souls.

NO! He was killing himself!

 

" Ketel, stop!"

" ANGEL!!" The Queen of Thorns shrieked. Her demons cowered under Jaegar's blinding light. The once-Reaper turned and glared at his hated enemy.

" You've overstepped your boundaries!" He hissed. " Interfering with other Realms? You're a bigger fool than your Heaven told us you were!"

" Quiet, trespasser! You don't belong here!" The Queen spat viciously, but she didn't dare attack. Ketel, through the blurred vision of his remaining tail, couldn't believe the sight. The angel was almost plain: a human boy, maybe in his late teens. Thin face, dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, white clothing. Huge white feathered wings and a white halo above his head. But what was most startling was the amount of light he was giving off. Who was this angel? He didn't look like he was from the FaeRealms. What was going on?

 

" I have every right to be here." The angel countered. " I was surprised you didn't notice me sooner, under the guise of a Reaper. You remember the name Jacob, don't you?"

The Queen lashed out at him in fury, but he dodged. " Of course." She seethed, like her next words were foul in her mouth. " I knew those damned Karitzuians had a trick up their sleeves! ATTACK!!" She spat out her command so quickly that, with Ketel barely clinging to his own existence, he didn't quite understand what she said. Karitzu... what?

 

There was a crash. Light bounced off the walls in Ketel's vision; probably the angel dodging many fatal blows. The sound of metal strikes. A sharp chime and a hissing sound-Ketel recognized it as the sound of two opposites, pure and corrupted energy, clashing into each other. A great rumble. Debris! Everywhere! What fell? Was he in danger?

No need to wonder, Ketel felt the ground moving underneath him and a tension on his lion head. He was being dragged somewhere. Almost lazily, his snake head lifted and saw the bright light. That Jacob being was the one carrying him.

" I need you to stay alive." He said quietly. It was almost indistinguishable against the cries and screams of rage behind them.

" You're... you're an..." Ketel gurgled.

" Don't speak! We're getting out of here. Oh Creator, I hope this works..."

And everything went dark.

Edited July 2, 2015 by skwerl56767

[Twilight-Stasis]

Dethl

The centaur whimpered irritatingly as the blade touched his abdomen, the clicking noises resounding through the dark chamber causing greater fear, the tears that hit the ground soaking into the already damp earth beneath him. Dethl grinned maliciously, slipping his tail closer to the centaurs head, a maniacal joy brimming in his eyes as the venomous weapon crept closer to the centaurs head.

"come now" he cooed "this won't hurt a bit" slicing his blade straight down a blood red streak began forming. The centaur reacted immediately rearing up and braying in pain oh huh, it did hurt... suppose I'll just have to write that down as a side effect" Dethl thrusted his tail right through the centaur right arm, the venom already taking affect in the area, the limb turning a dark purple where the tail had pierced through. "You have one to two minutes before you die, tell me everything about the mortal that killed Snaggletooth and you might live"

"I-I don't know!" The centaur wailed, then as the discoloured blotch continued rising up along his arm and chest he screamed. Dethl shook his head in distaste as the centaur brayed and cried, he honestly had no idea how they managed to last so long in the war, he began to wonder if he should just move onto the next prisoner. Suddenly the centaur began to spew blood, and it splattered all over Dethl's chest and coat.

 

Dethl frowned, and it would seem to anyone inexperienced with his behaviour that he was just displeased, but the assistant demons in the back were, and they could see his strange white eyes gleam brighter with rage.

"Master" one started up "Master Dethl, the queen would be displeased if you-" a sharp tail suddenly pierced straight through his body, and the others scurried back.

"You" Dethl lifted his tail and flicked the tiny demon off of it "take his body out, the one beside you will stay" the small demon scurried off with the unfortunate demon over it's shoulder. Dethl turned to look, at the offending centaur, enraged, and began to curl his tail over his head, the tail itself was now different, a dark mist as thick as a soup now clouding around it, snarling Dethl plunged it straight into the centaurs abdomen, causing it to fall over and spasm. Turning to the demon behind him he grinned maliciously "take him back to his cell, there are other centaurs in there as well, kill them and feed his corruption with their blood" looking down at his coat he ripped it off of him, throwing it into a pit filled with churning muck.

Walking out of the room he frowned, the mortal who attacked them must have been special, that was certain, and the ability to use an Aurora Blade? That information was very alarming, they would have to find this mortal, for she might be able to tip the scales in the war.

 

 

Reevia

 

flaring her wings open Reevia shot off into the sky, it was a glorious feeling, flying, but not one she felt often, openly flying in plain sight frightened most others out of their wits, and she got attacked more times then she could count by other mortals thinking she was a demon, but...

The chance to get to see the world from a birds eye view was one she took often, almost nothing could catch her in the air thankfully. Speeding along Reevia pulled off into a loop, relishing the chance to stretch her wings, when she got close to Star Temple she was forced to land and buy a large dark cloak in order to hide her wings and horns, the war was bad enough that people would attack her on sight for fear that she was a demon.

Slipping into a turn Reevia pointed herself towards Dragonscar, however much she wanted to burst into aerial acrobatics she had to stay focused. The mission she was one was an urgent one, both her personal problem and the Reapers, but despite her quest to get the inhibitors off she was not looking forward to meeting her old 'friends' none of them even thought to warn her before all their mentors wrapped her eletalasm in chains. When they revealed their betrayal Reevia had just exploded, it was how she learned that her inhibitors could fail.

Reevia shuddered Falvar...

Snapping her eyes open she berated herself it wasn't my fault! Nothing I could've have done would have helped him! It was his decision... Not my fault... not my fault... not my fault... her mind repeated that mantra as she continued on her way, trying to forget painful memories, the happiness of flight blown away like a morning mist.

[HellFireSouLess]

Abaddon tried around and walked towards he is blade. Picking up, out of the ground, he swung it on to his shoulder. He knew he needed the White Dragon's Maw, but he did ask to accompany her. Waiting for the blade seemed like the best idea.

"I can wait for my blade. It would be nice to have it, but I am not defenseless," said Abaddon in response to the Reaper's question.

Soon he will need to get his sword, or the corruption will consume him. Thinking about this, the corruption spread of his shoulder to his lower neck and upper chest. Abaddon grabbed the left of his chest in pain. The burning pain was so great, he began to grasped his chest. After a bit, the pain stopped as if it just vanished.

"So you are be spreading faster," stated Abaddon.

The demon began to laugh.

"Well of course, for the sample fact that, your body will be mine,"hissed the demon.

Abaddon made a fist with his right hand and punched the ground.

"You will never have my body, so long as I draw breath!" exclaimed Abaddon in anger.

Abaddon hated the fact that the demon could be right, but Abaddon will do what it takes to prevent it.

"Reaper I hate to say this, but it seems I need that blade. For I did not tell you this. The blade is the White Dragon's Maw. With both swords, the corruption in will only consume half of me. And the demon in me is hell bent, so I ask this... Help me get my blade, and I will owe you," said Abaddon as he stood up.

Abaddon knew now getting the sword was his only hope. If he gets that sword. Then he will not have to worry about the corruption.

[skwerl56767]

Shadow

Abaddon seemed to notice the fallen tensions between us, and retrieved his black sword from the ground. I said nothing. If we were to travel together, we needed trust, and being suspicious did nothing to help that.

” I can wait for my blade. It would be nice to have it, but I am not defenseless.” He said simply. I cocked my head. I trusted that he knew how to use just one blade, but I was curious if he just wanted to learn a few things about me. I was a rogue Reaper, after all. While rogues weren't unheard of with any Trio, once one has been converted they usually stay there indefinitely. To go rogue was unusual.

Is there a chance he is working with one of the Trio leaders in hopes of converting me, believing my loyalty is shaken enough? Perhaps he voluntarily accepted infection from the Queen? As if to prove me wrong, Abaddon suddenly got a pained expression and practically doubled over. I saw the corruption in his infected arm throbbing. No doubt the demon inside him was trying vainly to get control of its host. For once, I felt sympathetic for him.

Either it's all just a show, or he really is in trouble. But why would I care? I usually feed off of the weak. My conscious instantly butted in: Because fighting a demon is harder than fighting a mortal.

I hate it when you're right. I thought dryly to myself. It was true; only extremely skilled, powerful, or experienced mortals were capable of taking down a Trio, but any Trio can attack and destroy another Trio. Besides, demon souls tasted foul anyway.

 

Abaddon argued with the demon while I was thinking, and though I could hear only one side of the conversation, I could tell they were both struggling. After a while he managed to get back in control and regained his composure.

” Reaper I hate to say this, but it seems I need that blade. For I did not tell you this. The blade is the White Dragon's Maw. With both swords, the corruption in will only consume half of me. And the demon in me is hell bent, so I ask this... Help me get my blade, and I will owe you.”

How nice. My conscious said. I jerked my head a bit and it was silenced. Okay, so maybe I was insane. But only just a little.

” I can do that.” I agreed. ” I have just enough soul power to open another portal, but the distance will be great, and after that I will have to hunt some more. If you're one second too slow, it will close on you and particles of your being will be scattered throughout the land. So I suggest you take a leap of faith.” I turned and began scratching in a very basic teleportation spell into the dirt. Such spells didn't take long to make, and after creating a circle on the ground next to the spell I activated it.

The writing simply vanished and the circle caved in, revealing not the bottom of a hole but rather a confusing mixture of dark colors and shapes, all twisting and contorting with each other like the ingredients in a witch's brew. I paused to glance at the abandoned church nearby, just long enough for Abaddon to enter the portal and for me to wonder how my little cult will react to the first night of absence. They didn't seem to like parting from me... strange little creatures. Then, remembering the length of the spell, I quickly turned and dove head-first into the portal right as it began to close behind us.

 

((Hm... am I forgetting someone?))

Edited July 8, 2015 by skwerl56767

[Esko]

(Bump)

[Twilight-Stasis]

Reevia

 

Reevia was enveloped by a cloud of smog, coughing she held her breath irritably, there were days where she could have flown through this area with out a problem, flying with all the grace of a Grey dragon. Months of clean air and smooth ground had softened her. However, it was for the best, the bad air, the terrible hunting, and the inability to farm this land had slowly destroyed her people, and now with the demons converting and starting a war it was impossible for any of the more fantastical mortals to go around without being mistaken for a demon. Most of the Dracofari were scrawny, underfed, and had a near constant cough caused by the smog. Merely a day out of Dragonscar had improved her condition.

Spotting her land mark, she dived, pulling up last second to land on top of Dwarf's cap, Staring into the smog she spotted her destination, smirking she launched into the air, humming a nursery song she had been told as a child.

 

to the farthest north we go

on the Dragonscar we rest

our wings will be raised high

as our journey ends

 

From what she could gather from that important rhyme Reevia suspected Dragonscar wasn't supposed to be where the Dracofari lived, apparently they were supposed to go "to the farthest north" whatever that was supposed to be, maybe when this war was done, she'd fly north, find her own home, rebuild her home. But for now she needed to help these Reapers.

Keeping her eyes open Reevia scanned her terrain, see no strange creature, nor cloaked figure she continued on the way to the city, her city

Her home

Landing right in centre square she folded her wings, prepared to defend herself if necessary. However the square was silent, walking around the abandoned area Reevia found herself spooked by the empty streets. Taking one more step forward she was pushed forward.

growling she turned and lashed out at the attacker, sending the poor creature flying, its face permanently maimed. Reevia could only stare, to shocked to even cry out, for standing in front of her was a minotaur, mortal for now, but she could see the infection creeping along it's skin.

Her home was taken.

[skwerl56767]

((Eh, sure, time-skip to goals. ))

 

Netekos

Sandstorms weren't unheard of in this place. The locals have to deal with them all the time. And that means they can tell when a column of airborne sand and dust is a storm or an eager traveler. So there was no doubt in Netekos's mind that he had been spotted, maybe was even being followed. All the more reason to pause for some rest.

He skidded to a halt atop a sand dune, breathing heavily. He had been running for long enough that the hot sun had become only hotter and hotter. Noon was approaching fast, and he needed to take shelter.

Hah! Shelter, in a desert!

He scanned from his position on the blistering dune. Hanging out in a black, floor-length cloak was the worst idea right now, even one with a thick weave like his. But his other option was to travel in his True form, for even as he looked every which way, he saw only endless sand dunes.

" How do people live out here?" He grumbled. The only thing that responded was the pathetic breeze, blowing up a little bit of dust at his feet. Netekos shrugged, as though he could simply shake off the rising temperatures, and kept in mind that he only needed to keep a lookout for any Reapers. But the Sands of Time were expansive, not only above ground but beneath the surface as well in the form of weaving, labyrinthine caves with unpredictable openings and buried ruins. What if Balelash fell down underground? Would he even come out into this horrific oven of a place?

He realized the plan was almost hopeless, but it was all they had for now. For whatever reason, Natashi and Shurgle seem insistent on finding Balelash; if he's still alive, if he isn't captured, if he's willing to work with them, if he's even willing to care. Those are a lot of "if"s. Sure, you could rule out dying and capture because he's a veteran, but Death herself vanished! How could they rely on logic when that happens?

 

Netekos caught a trail of airborne dust from his peripheral, and turned to look. It was another traveler, like him, but of course traveling for a different purpose. It was a Drought Camel pulling a loaded caravan, with a humanoid leading at the front. There were no escorts. Probably just a merchant, if anything.

Well, said merchant needed to sleep somewhere, and that somewhere had to be in the caravan. And that's where Netekos needed to be right now to escape this heat!

The Reaper changed course, heading toward the caravan, sticking between and behind the sand dunes to prevent from being spotted, though he doubted the humanoid would notice him with its head bowed against the sun. Upon getting closer, he noticed that the humanoid was a Serpix-a type of desert naga, with a human, almost elvish, top half and a snake for the bottom half-, wrapped in light clothes to try and keep the sun off of its sandy brown scales, and the caravan was indeed laden with goods. Most people wouldn't strap pots, jars, linens and baskets to the top of their vehicle, especially when traveling over unstable sand dunes. Netekos spotted a door at the back of the caravan, probably where the Serpix slept. He snuck in closer as the merchant continued on at pretty easy pace. It would be easy, right? Get close, slip in, close the door behind him. As long as he was quiet, who would notice?

Well... he would be noticed if the ground suddenly collapsed beneath him.

 

There was a threatening rumble, seemingly from the sky. Both merchant and Reaper stopped. The creaking of the caravan's wheels were silenced.

Nothing. Then, a rushing sound, like water. Netekos stole a glance to his left.

Sand was cascading down the side of the dune, but nothing had moved.

Crack! It was thunderous, like lightning had struck! Sand at the base of the dune suddenly tasted the freedom of flying, being blown into the air like water from a geyser! Then, the sand went from flying to falling forever, as a growing hole opened itself up to swallow everything near it. A sinkhole.

" Au verlou!" The Serpix cried out.

" Aw crap!" Netekos exclaimed at the same time. The Drought Camel bellowed as the peak of the dune the three had been standing on suddenly collapsed and made no time in rushing toward the gaping hole. Netekos lost his footing and fell. Twisting himself he scrambled at the sand, but gripped nothing and simply received a face full of sand. He saw, with a panicked glance, the Serpix scrambling just as effectively, with the caravan sliding toward both of them from above at an alarming pace. Another rumble, and the dune caved in more, showering them with more sand and dust and making it hard to see. Netekos coughed as the sharp grains got into his mouth.

" What the heck?! How is sand acting like water?" He sputtered.

" Gylo! Agh!" The Serpix seemed equally confused. Having only two limbs, it fell down into the sinkhole first. Netekos realized in the panic that he was moving way too fast toward its maw. He turned and scrambled back up the sand dune, shoveling debris past him in a vain attempt to climb up, but he couldn't get out of the way of the caravan which was rushing downhill like a boulder in a waterfall. It would crush him! He was far too light to take a beating from something that required a Drought Camel to pull!

It's that or the sinkhole! He realized. Neither idea was appealing, but he saw little choice. The shifting dune was too strong for him to get out of the way of either.

 

Netekos chose the hole. He spun and let the sand push him with amazing force toward the sinkhole, hoping that it was shallower than it looked, and that he could scramble out of the way in time before the caravan fell in behind him. It was almost exciting, traveling that fast down a collapsing sand dune. Like a really scratchy, burning, grainy, uncomfortable water slide. Okay, maybe it wasn't that close to a water slide.

Netekos dug his heels in naturally as he came to the edge of the hole. He didn't expect to actually come to a stop. But, as always in the Sands of Time, the unexpected occurred. Unfortunately he didn't get to enjoy it for long as something the size of a fledged dragon hatchling barreled into his back.

" Ahh!" He cried out, his scrambling now aimed at the empty air. No grip! No ground to cling to! He twisted in midair in an attempt to find a jutting ledge, a wall, something to grab onto, but only ended up on his back mid-air, facing the strained canvas making up the side of the caravan.

Riiiiip! He had fallen through it! He slammed into a crate that was tumbling about from the chaos, and his vision danced.

Can't... focus! Come on Netekos! Focus! But he couldn't focus. Too much happening at once! And when someone who relies on speed can't focus, they usually go out pretty easily.

Crash!

Darkness.

 

Shurgle

Several days had passed from traveling. A lot of exhausting travel was saved thanks to some "hitchhiking" suggested by Natashi. Both Reapers didn't like the idea of stealing away on someone's ship, wagon, or carriage, but somehow, miraculously, their grudging submission to fatigue prevented them from getting caught. Someone ought to thank some of the merchants later on. It was only a matter of time before the familiar, sky-blotting coniferous trees of the Darksky Pines came into sight.

It really is a very foreboding forest, with massive trees and a cold, wet climate that makes everything look darker, but in a way it suited Reapers. Darksky was only dangerous at night, just as Reapers are only dangerous if you happen to be their target. It was dark and mysterious, like a Reaper in Cloaked form. And some Reapers are very fond of white mist, of which Darksky gets a lot of during the wetter seasons. It was oddly fitting. And while Shurgle recognized all of this, it made him wonder why Death chose the Lunar Crater to be the meeting place for her and her subjects, which was farther west in the Silvercrag Range? Wouldn't this place be better? Maybe the Reapers wouldn't have been so fatefully attacked that day if they had been well hidden within a thick forest such as this one.

 

" Shurgle!" Natashi whispered urgently, tugging on the hem of his cloak. He sighed, coming back to reality from his thoughts.

" What now?" He wondered aloud, looking to where she was pointing.

A lone buck, feeding off of the dew-laden grass in a clearing as the sun rose to make Darksky... well... less dark. Shurgle never really cared about sight-seeing the wildlife; he had plenty of that during his mortal days, when he had lived alone in the forest. But in a way, all he could do right now was stare at the buck. The buck stared off into the trees in their direction, chewing almost thoughtfully.

" All alone." Natashi said sentimentally.

" Like everyone right now?" Shurgle responded, watching as it changed from one patch of grass to the next.

" That's not really true... " She said slowly. " I mean, we saw that-"

Thunk!

" Get down!"

 

The duo collapsed onto the dry pine needles littering the forest floor as arrow quivered just above their heads, its point imbedded in a tree trunk; thankfully they had cover, being just behind a gnarly, dead bush. The buck turned in alarm and bolted off into the forest without uttering a sound. As it dashed off, it revealed a being on the other side of the clearing; a human. A young boy, obvious despite being covered in tree branches and lichen for camouflage.

" Not again." He muttered. He looked around and spotted his arrow, and got up to retrieve it.

" Is it safe?" Natashi asked, not daring to move her face from the ground. Shurgle cautiously looked up. He couldn't tell if the boy had noticed them yet or not. The bush they were behind hid them well enough, but he bet if they moved their cover would be blown.

" Don't make any noise or move." He advised. Natashi didn't answer. The boy continued, grumbling something to himself, coming uncomfortably close to the hiding Reapers. Shurgle held his breath, trying not to flinch. Everyone knew Reapers were associated with death, and mortals didn't like death overall. No need to risk upsetting the boy by casually moving on. Hiding was the best option.

 

The boy stood on his toes, reaching for the arrow, but he had shot too high-lucky for the Reapers who were unaware at the time, unlucky for him as he couldn't retrieve it. He grunted and reached up higher.

" Come on." He muttered. He jumped up, but his fingertips only scraped its fledging. " Come on! I need to get home before-"

"Squeeeaaa!" Natashi let out an indignant squeak as he stepped on her on accident. Trios don't usually make noise on the mortal level. Usually they speak in the spectral plane as well for convenience. Occasionally though, you can squeeze out a perfectly mortal noise out of a Trio.

" Oh holy good gollies!" The boy shrieked, falling backwards when Natashi sprang up and nipped him on the leg. Barely enough to puncture the skin, but she must have been a terrifying foot-and-a-half tall creature, bringing her wings out from underneath her cloak and beating him with them while still squeaking.

" You stepped on me!" She cried. " You stepped on me!!"

" Ah! AH! Someone help! I'm being attacked!"

Shurgle couldn't help but laugh at the scene. He had never seen anyone be afraid of Natashi before, she was almost cute. This was comedy gold. but finally, He had to put order back into the situation.

" Natashi! Calm down!" He chased her for a bit before finally snatching her up by the tail. She was threatening to break out into True form so she could peck the boy! Was she really that mad?

" He stepped on me, Shurgle! He stepped on me! No one has ever stepped on me before!"

" I know, I know, but he didn't see you alright?"

She calmed down a bit, dangling from Shurgle's short arms. The boy stopped panicking enough to see who the two being were. He seemed incredulous at the scene.

"A-Are you a dwarf?" He asked. Shurgle barked out a laugh, letting Natashi go so she could wriggle out some of her remaining indignity.

" I guess I kind of look like that, huh?" He said. The boy seemed confused, putting a hand to his head. Well, if he has never heard a Trio speak before, it must be weird for him. It's like the voice echos inside of your head because instead of just your brain perceiving it, your soul perceives it as well.

" Whatever. I'm insane." He sighed and stood up, shaking a finger at Natashi. " Just don't let that bat thing chase me again!"

" I can't do that, she has free will." Shurgle teased. The boy rolled his eyes, completely recomposed from the incident.

" Whatever, dwarf." He stomped over to the tree that held his arrow just out of arm's reach, and struggled to get said arrow. Shurgle simply watched in amusement as Natashi shook clear the last of her embarrassment.

 

Minutes ticked by. The boy still hasn't retrieved his arrow. Shurgle saw a solution, but kept his mouth shut. Finding Balelash was a nearly hopeless task, and he needed a little comic relief after the hours he spent traveling just to get to Darksky. Natashi was laying in the grass, completely relaxed and also enjoying the chance to take a break.

Finally, the boy spat out something in a foreign language and threw a clod of dirt at the ground, clearly frustrated at his fruitless efforts.

" Need some help?" Shurgle offered.

" No!" The boy snapped. He mulled in his frustration for a bit, before letting out a grudging "... Yes...".

" Natashi?"

The little Reaper sighed, giving the boy a long look before getting up. Willing to fight with her cloak rather than go into her True form, she brought her wings out and beat them hard, jumping to get into flight, and flew up to retrieve the arrow.

" I don't understand why you can't just make another one." Shurgle commented and Natashi gripped the arrow with her claws and pulled it out of the tree trunk with some effort. The boy snatched it from her, giving her a judging look. Obviously he was expecting another "attack".

" Not allowed." He muttered, placing the arrow in a quiver on his back and walking away. Shurgle stared after him.

" Where are you going?"

" Oh, just let him." Natashi insisted. Shurgle ignored her and began to follow the boy. " Hey, what are you doing?"

He didn't answer. He knew that she would feel prompted to pursue him if he just continued to wander off. It's the only reason they really stuck together.

 

The boy didn't seem to mind his two followers. Either that, or he didn't notice. But the only reason Shurgle changed course is because humans are rarely alone; if the boy lived in a settlement, the settlement might have an idea as to where they could start their search, and the bewildering reaction the boy had to seeing the Reapers told Shurgle that wherever he came from, they might not even recognize the Trios as they are. And that meant less induced panic, which meant easier information gathering.

Unfortunately, it might also mean that there were other Trios visiting that settlement, and they might be walking straight into danger. But Shurgle simply shrugged off his unease. They were deep in the Darksky Pines-who would they ever come across?

Edited July 29, 2015 by skwerl56767

[HellFireSouLess]

When Abaddon saw the portal open he raced to it. He knew not where, or how far the portal would take them; however, all that was on his mind was getting the blade. That blade was his last hope to hold the corruption back, so that he could find an actual permit solution. Then he came to the end of the portal. He braced him himself landed on the ground without stumbling. Looking around he could tell they were in a darken alley of the dwarven city. His gazed then fell upon the Reaper, and just from looking he could tell she needed more energy. After all she had done, he owed her.

Never, before, has Abaddon owed someone in his entire life, but this Reaper was willing to help him. There was only one way Abaddon knew he could repay the Reaper, and the way was with souls. Luckily for the Reaper, Abaddon could repay with just that

"Come with me to the smith Reaper. For I have a plan to get you all the souls you need. I know I never asked this, but just what is your name?" asked Abaddon walking to the exit of the alley.

Once he exited the alley. He immediately knew where he was in the city. Looking to his left he saw the smith's workshop. The sword was just in reach, but then he remembered the Reaper. What would happen if the Reaper was seen? Not only that but, bringing her to the smith was risky in itself.

"So what will you do human? For the sword is right there, yet there are to many people walking the street. Would you risk the Reaper being seen?" said the demon chuckling.

Abaddon wished he could beat the hell out of the demon, but it was right. There were way too many people walking the street, but he needed to bring her to the smith. The smith would want to know why he would ask where is the prison entrance, and plus it would be better to show him why he would ask such a request.

"Reaper do you have anyway of getting to that building?" asked Abaddon pointing at the smith's shop.

[Twilight-Stasis]

Reevia

 

Reevia gave a cry of shock before launching at the Minotaur ripping and tearing with her claws, obviously it had come here to feast on the easy pickings her kind had become, as it was to surprised at her fierce swipes to fight back, but that didn't last for long. Minotaurs were bulky strong beings, and it caught her arm and flung Reevia into the building beside them, she could hear her arm bones shatter and crack as she made contact with the hard stones. Gasping in pain Reevia was covered by the collapsing building, she began to panic, if she shifted once, the rubble could crush her, but if she didn't act her rapidly depleting air source would vanish and she would be suffocated, angrily she decided to act quickly and take a risk, a life or death risk. Roaring she pushed her hand forward and pulled at her magic core sending some of the collapsed building flying off of her and toward the Minotaur. Getting up Reevia saw some of the damage she had done to the beast, she was surprised at the Minotaurs shock, surely her people at least tried to defend themselves with their eletalasm, at least one of them had to have tried to fight back right?

Blood, Kill, Death, Annihilation

Reevia gritted her teeth as her inhibitors began to glow, the battle had lasted long enough to get her eletalasm going, and as happy as she was to have been able to use it to get the rocks off, going out of control could alert any other demonic recruits to her presence. Trying to end this quickly she betted on her inhibitors weakening power and used her eletalasm again, just once, to kill the Minotaur. Sucking in a breath she planted her feet and roared.

The air rippled as runes glittered in front of her eyes slamming into the Minotaur, setting him alight with purple flame. Screaming Reevia fell to the floor as her eletalasm ripped through her mind, tearing her apart. Faintly she wondered if this felt like what those being infected by demons felt. crying slightly she held her head as her eletalasm rippled through her body trying to take control. Reevia whimpered, as the erratic spasms passed and her inhibitors took control of her magic core again, getting up she weakly touched her broken arm and winced, than noticing a wetness on her lips she touched them to discover blood.

Limping into an alley way Reevia sighed, this was going to take time to heal, both mental and physical wounds would scar, this was their fault her mind whispered, silently Reevia agreed, if they hadn't have placed the inhibitors on her she could have mastered her eletalasm by now. Nodding her head Reevia noticed just how tired she was, tilting her head to the side she fell asleep, hoping to find a way to retake her city.

 

 

Dethl

 

Dethl hummed in pleasure, the creatures that the scouts had brought in were interesting, for certain, the way their draconic features and human ones were tied together were fascinating, like a perfect meld of dragon and human. They seemed to have been malnourished and ruined to, making them much easier to work with, less blood and struggles to deal with when the victim wasn't a healthy specimen, but the most interesting was what happened when one of them died, a horrendous screech arose like that of a spirit, then a faint mist just poured out of their mouths, Dethl had four left of the twelve he had obtained from the returning soldiers, and upon questioning they had told him it was their eletalasm, which seemed to be some sort of angry elemental, powerful enough to hurt, but not really a threat, as when the host died, they seemed to disperse, a pity though, on the fifth try he had managed to draw out the eletalasm enough to talk to it, and they seemed to thrive on anger and blood. Imagining the potential this eletalasm had made Dethl salivate, if he managed to harness and transfer the elemental into a demon the result could be astonishing, without the limitations of a mortal body the power could be insane!

However, the Dracofari did not react well to conversion, already having one powerful entity inside of them a demons overtaking of the mind was not appreciated by the eletalasm and the fight usually led to the destruction of the eletalasm or the destruction of the host, so more research would have to be done.

"maybe if the eletalasm was in control of the host at the time, I could infect the host and trap it?"

He would have to test this theory, much more research to be done today...

much more....

 

((yay more Dethl, I actually did more than an introduction post for him! also does anyone else find the idea of little Natashi angry more endearing cause that sounds adorable))

Edited July 30, 2015 by flame249

[skwerl56767]

((I indeed tried to make her adorable. It appears to be working. Success!))

 

Shadow

We exited the portal, and landed in a rather familiar place. How many alleyways have I visited before? They sure seemed to be fruitful little things. They intake criminal behavior and hungry Reapers, and spit out scenes of death and satisfied Reapers. According to demons, nothing was like a good innocent soul, but the souls of criminals didn't impact society as harshly if they went missing, and they seemed to be plentiful, what with the continent-wide chaos and all.

With my association of hunting souls attached to alleyways, it was no wonder I felt hungry when landing in one, but this time around I was particularly hungry. I usually didn't expend most of my energy traveling miles and miles to a destination, having permanent portals hidden about to do that for me, and I could tell that a void inside of me that was usually filled was suddenly gaping like an open wound. I sagged at the unwont feeling. I needed energy and I needed it soon, or I might attack someone in a vain attempt to fill it.

 

Abbadon must have noticed my new exhaustion.

" Come with me to the smith Reaper. For I have a plan to get you all the souls you need. I know I never asked this, but just what is your name?" He said.

Souls are good. But where is he taking me? Should I trust him? I wondered. It took a few moments of hesitance before answering.

" I am Shadow. Simple as that. Where is this smith?" I turned to where Abbadon was looking. In the growing dawn, the residents of the city were already out and about, but I could see a smithy running just across the street and a little to the left of us. Now, dwarves are short little creatures, but they have a very serious demeanor about them. Must have something to do with their entire economy being sustained by mining and forging alone. Though, many of the grave faces I saw passing by might have something to do with the imbalance Abbadon spoke about; if demons were running amok, it would be no surprise if merriment had simply vanished from once-happy cities. I did hear some laughter and gossiping, but most of it came from inside nearby buildings, rather than from the street.

The void inside of me gnawed at my stamina, reminding me it was there and causing me to droop more. It would do me good to remain within the alleyway and hunt as I usually would, but Abbadon said getting the White Dragon's Maw was urgent, and hanging around waiting for the occasional, sinful passerby would take way too long for him. Demons don't believe in procrastination for anything unless it serves their best interests.

 

" Reaper, do you have any way of getting to that building?" Abbadon asked. I picked up my feet and moved a bit closer to the alleyway's exit, taking care that I wouldn't be seen by a city goer, and looked at the smithy. The pungent smells of melting metal and the constant banging from within made it an easy target, no matter which direction you came from. If I could get to the rooftops, I might be able to drop down from above. I craned my neck upward and saw that the city was indeed partly underground, and we were in the part that was swallowed up by a huge cavern. Dwarves were industrious beings, that was for sure, deciding to live with the risks of cave-ins and lack of resources inside of a cavern. But unless they decided to drill vents in the cavern's ceiling for all of the smoke caused by forging, going up would cause suffocation. We were deep in the city, where the buildings had many levels. Putting two and two together, I saw that me climbing up a building to get to the smithy from above might not be wise, for it might be too smoky. But if I was quick, and if the smithy had an alleyway or back exit like I hoped and expected...

" I could potentially follow you." I finally decided. " But I would have to be fast and discreet. I'll wait here; signal for me once you need me. I'll be watching through the open-air forge attached to the smithy." I paused having said that, wondering why he needed me. Perhaps getting the souls would be trickier than I expected? Everyone everywhere had to live with death, but that doesn't mean they're willing to toss lives away like spoiled apples... unless you're like me, where you suddenly have this unexpected cult of miserable, lost children following you around and revering you. I still wonder how they feel fine worshiping me, a mere servant of Death, instead of an angel who can give them hope.

Humans can be bizarre.

 

" I will stay hidden." I assured Abbadon, backing up again into the alleyway, keeping an eye on the smithy. I couldn't see any swords for sale that looked like his current one, but it wasn't unheard of to have hushed deals with craftsmen so no one looks at the specialty item they made you and buys it before you can collect it, at the sake of the craftsman getting more money out of it. Hm, hopefully this forger isn't a cheat like that.

 

Ketel

The darkness remained dark for a while. But eventually, one of his brains turned on. Then another. And another. He could see! Ketel could see, out of 5 pairs of eyes, just like he could before! He shifted on a leg, that was missing! He reared a head, that had been cut off!

" I'm... I'm healed! How? How is this possible?!" Ketel jumped up on four strong legs, looking around. One thing about it, multiple heads are easy to remove, but they kept you on your toes, being able to look in every direction at once. And Ketel found himself within a cave.

 

It was a particularly dark cave, aside form the glinting treasure. Treasure, everywhere! Fine silks from Viper City! Gold coins from Dragonscar! Incense holders, chests, jewelry, raw gemstones, chairs, weapons, armor, watches, the whole deal of them. It's like someone made a city out of treasure, took the entire city, jumbled it up and dumped it into this cavern. It was spectacular.

Not quite as spectacular as the Sun Temple though. That place felt holy. This place felt wrong. Ketel's lion head spotted Jacob, the angel from before, perched on top of-but not in-a gilded throne. He looked like he was pondering the different solutions of a complex puzzle.

" Hey Jaegar-or whoever you are-where are we? How am I healed?"

Jacob smiled, not looking down at him.

" One of my friends would have done a better job, but healing is one thing all angels know. As for location, I have no idea. The spell didn't take me where it was supposed to."

" It didn't?" Ketel wondered, changing into his Cloaked form and scrambling up a pile of gold. " I mean, it was your spell and all. What happened?"

" No idea." Jacob repeated with a sigh. " It was supposed to take us both to Silvercrag, way up in the north, but either I said the spell wrong or... I don't know, another factor butted in and screwed things up."

" Oh..." Ketel said. " So... if you're not Jaegar, then what happened to him?"

Jacob shot him a sad look. Ketel couldn't help but whine. " Jaegar? Buddy?"

 

" I came to this Realm because the Queen of Thorns is not only trying to conquer this Realm, but others." Jacob began." She didn't attack my Realm specifically, but she did attack one of my allies. They're more than capable of defending themselves, if they have their leaders. But their leaders are missing. I blame the Queen, and I want to probe my way into her plans to try and find out what happened to them. The best way to travel through this Realm without wrecking havoc is to take a discreet form, that was also intimidating enough that no one would try to mess with me. Your friend... I'm not allowed to impersonate anyone who is alive, or even anyone who is dead, but these Trio beings in this Realm aren't really either-they just enter some other existence, like a banishment, if they 'die'."

" Jaegar... is dead?" Ketel said in disbelief. No way! Jaegar was a resilient Reaper, he couldn't have died!

" Technically speaking?" Jacob said. " I found him crumpled at the front of a giant crater. He was among many in a large battle that had passed. He didn't move for a long time, so... I know this probably doesn't do much in this Realm, but I prayed for his safety, prayed my Lord for permission, and then assumed his form. To be honest, I wasn't going to tell anyone this until the Queen of Thorns had been suppressed, but I guess her own tactics forced me out." He laughed weakly. " So uh, now you know."

 

Ketel roughly shook his head. He knew that this was all possible, but he still couldn't get over the fact that Jaegar was dead. And all of this new information? The Queen of Thorns was interfering with other Realms? It didn't seem to add up. And yet, here was this foreign angel, telling him all of this, and angels never lie.

There was a long, awkward silence before Jacob spoke again.

" We appear to be in some kind of treasure trove. I've ruled out dragon hoards, so at least we don't have to worry about any angry reptiles." He laughed again, this time warmer than before. " If I had to guess I would think this is a pirate hoard, but you've lived in this Realm longer than I have."

" Pirate treasure?" Ketel wondered aloud. It seemed to fit the creepy feeling he had, but the trove felt so... sterile. Many pirates kept bones and other things among their treasures, sort of like a private claim to what's theirs, but this just felt untouched, like it was lost for hundreds of years.

" Oh yeah, and I found this thing over here-probably the only evidence I have of this being pirate treasure." Jacob abruptly got up, jumped off of the throne, and walked away, leaving Ketel to follow him. With nothing else to do, The Reaper did just that.

 

Ketel expected to see a boat, and he indeed did. It was a rather large galley with one side completely gone and a broken mast, sitting in a depressing, sandy dip outside of the hoard like it expected water to come but it never did. The boat was actually pretty small for any of the grand ships pirates are associated to being in. Jacob, giving off a small white glow, stepped into the missing side of the ship first, with Ketel just behind him. The angel bent down into the exposed sand and began digging.

" How did you find this again?" He wondered. Jacob didn't answer, digging until a sliver of light shone through the sand. Ketel watched over his shoulder, interest peaked. With some more digging, the light grew wider and wider, until finally a glowing orb was revealed. It was about the size of a fortune teller's orb, and emitted a bright blue light similar to Jacob's that masked any of its other features. Ketel looked away with a gasp. " That thing is bright!"

" That's how I found it." Jacob said, a bit amused and not at all phased by the intensity of the light. " It was glowing so brightly as I near it, I at first thought it was the cave's exit."

" Wait, it glowed brighter as you got closer?" Ketel suddenly spoke up. Jacob just nodded, and Ketel stuck out his hand. " Give me that thing and go away."

 

Jacob didn't seem too bewildered by the request, giving the Reaper the orb and traveling away from the ship. Ketel smothered the glow with his cloak so he could see and waited until Jacob was far out on a gold pile before bringing it back out.

Nothing. It was just a plain, dark orb, like an over-sized black marble.

" Come closer." Ketel ordered with a shout. Jacob started walking back toward the ship, and a dull blue glow came from within the orb. As expected, it grew brighter and brighter until it was almost unbearable to look at as the angel neared.

" Some kind of seeking orb?" Jacob wondered, now only a few meters away, but close enough that Ketel had to smother the orb again.

" I think so, like it detects the presence of Trios."

" Only angels it seems."

" Yeah but... you're not from around here, are you?"

Jacob simply nodded. " It wasn't buried before; I had buried it in case we met something nasty and had to hide. That would give away my location instantly, if it can detect light beings. And with death being associated with darkness, it's no wonder it blinds you the way it does."

Ketel returned the nod.

" Should we take it with?

" Yes. I wouldn't want something like that to fall in the wrong hands."

Like a demon. Ketel's mind joked, but it almost wasn't a joke right now. If a demon did get something like this, well, any remaining angels would be doomed. All the Queen would have to do is flush them out of Heaven and they couldn't hide any longer.

Yeah... let's hold onto this.

 

Ezix

Speaking of demons...

” How much longer?!” The minotaur boomed. The elder of the village signaled back in frustration.

Only a little while.

” A little while. 'Oh, it's only a little while.' That was fifteen 'little whiles' ago! I'm rotting over here!!”

Quite literally, as it turns out. Half of Ezix's face has dropped off, and no thanks to an encounter with a crocodile. That horrendous reptile is long gone right now, thank goodness, but now a creepy skull has been revealed, still working despite the lack of muscles or tendons holding it together. The villagers were now terrified of Ezix, and rightly so-every bit of flesh that dropped off of him turned the waters they were standing in red, and made him all the more crankier. The Ka-Thot that had guided the minotaur to the village in the first place was being forced to decipher a stone along with another villager, the stone that supposedly, when activated, revealed the Dark Harbor.

Ezix was getting sick of “supposedly”s, and “probably”s, and definitely “little while”s! He stomped back and forth over the marshy ground, glaring at the shallow cave that held the stone inside. Oh, it would be so tempting to just cave the place in, let those villagers rot like he was... along with that Ka-Thot. Hah! A guide! He's more akin to an annoyance!

 

Finally, the elder of the village returned, waving her staff.

It's done.

” About time!”Ezix grunted. ” I was afraid I would have to wait another moon and a half!”

Just barely cutting him off was an immense, dragging sound, like a giant was rubbing two boulders together. Then a huge slosh! and plenty of splashing. Ezix ran through the trees around the hill the cave was in, bursting into the open along a bare shoreline.

The entire side of the hill was caving in and opening up into the ocean. Torrents of water poured through the gaping hole, boulders were falling like rain. Ezix let out a roar of triumph. At last! The infamous Dark Harbor! Once a pirate's secret treasure hold, then a cursed place filled with the dead, it was now like a beautiful chest opening up and revealing its contents to the angry minotaur.

” Now, to get that Seeker Orb!” He burst out laughing. Finally, progress! He wouldn't need the villagers or that stupid Ka-Thot any longer! He could just race in, get the orb, and get out! With it, he would be able to get inside the Water Temple, and then he could finally get the means to find an angel soul and repair his broken body!

Well? What was he waiting for? Time was wasting!

Edited August 1, 2015 by skwerl56767

[Pyrowings]

((Esko, wanna do a timeskip to something interesting with those two or somesuch?))

 

Shidansu and Erin

 

"I believe you might wish to seek out the "Crystals of Origin" located in the depression below, your mightiness," the voice that spoke was smooth and had an odd "richness" to it. Shidansu looked around, fully expecting the speaker to be hidden amongst the crowd, but the speaker was blatant from how he was walking towards her in such a confident manner combined with the frightened looks of the others around him.

He smelled strongly of blood.

"At a cave in the Cavernlands, you should seek out the cave with frighteningly realistic statues, most if not all with some form of primal fear in their faces. Therein lays a basilisk sleeping on pentagonal crystals that grow like fruit from the walls of the cave. According to near-forgotten myths, these crystals were the origin of all life," he said, and chuckled. "I wouldn't put much credit in that myth, but with the massive amounts of healing magic even a small shard holds, one cannot blame more primitive forces from thinking so."

"And what of the basilisk?" Danser fixed her eyes on the speaker. He didn't flinch nor was in any way cowed by her gaze. Interesting.

"I have not heard of one who has fought with the beast and lived. Most sneak by when it sleeps."

The smell of blood was overpowering.... Shidansu carefully withdrew her magnificent head from the window after waiting for him to add anything else he might want to say and released her grip on the side of the temple. She fell momentarily, then her wings spread so she may control her flight.

Stay strong, Mal. I will be back soon.

 

((Can't think of stuff for Meta))

[HellFireSouLess]

Abaddon

Abaddon walked out of the alley and made his way through the crowd. He could not believe there so many people here. Usually when he was here there were only a handful, but now there are crowds. Seeing this many people made him feel uneasy. If anyone of these people saw his arm there will be panic. After making his way through the crowds of people, he reached the smith. He knocked on the door of the smith's shop and waited.

"Yeah, yeah one second mate," said a deep dwarven voice.

Inside the shop you could hear cling of metal, and hammer on anvil. Abaddon chuckled at the fact that the dwarf knew it was not him. Opening the door to the shop, he saw the dwarf working.

"So this is how you greet me, Conal," said Abaddon standing the entry of the doorway.

Conal immediately stopped what he was doing, and turned to Abaddon.

"Well I be damn, you made it back. Well... it was not easy, but I made your blade lad," said Conal as he picked a blade wrapped in wolf skin.

Abaddon was revealed to hear the news. He knew Conal could do it, and had no doubt. Blacksmithing, with ancient materials, was what Conal was known for. When he heard about Abaddon's condition he knew he had to help, for they both were like brothers.

"Take this my brother, I know it will not cure you, but at least it will stop the corruption. For now," said Conal walking over to Abaddon to hand him the blade.

Abaddon sensed the worry in Conal's words. Reaching out, he carefully took the blade and unwrapped it. He handed the skin back to Conal. The sword's sheathe was pure white ivory and outlined in black augite. It was the same as his Black Dragon Talon's sheathe just opposite coloring. He took the sword, while in its sheathe, and put it on his left hip.

"Whether it works or not. You will always be like a brother to me," said Abaddon as he grasped Conal's forearm.

Conal respond in kind, for this was a thanks from brother to brothers.

"I know, brother, but be careful on path that is in front you," said Conal with seriousness in his words.

Abaddon nodded in response to the words he had spoken. Then he remembered he needed a fabvor.

"Conal... before I go I need to know the best way, to get in the prison? I needed know a way to get in unnoticed?" asked Abaddon without even thinking twice.

Conal could not even begin to imagine, why he would ask such a thing. Was there someone he needed to get out or in? Does he owe someone a favor?

"You know very well, I can't tell you without knowing why brother. For the request you are asking is dangerous in itself," said Conal wondering why he is asking this.

Sighing, Abaddon went to the door and opened it. When the door was opened, he looked in the alley. When he saw the alley he signed Shadow to come in.

"This is why I need to get in the prison," said Abaddon waiting for Shadow to enter through the door.

[skwerl56767]

Shadow

I watched as Abbadon crossed the busy street. I was feeling confident that his talk with the smith would go smoothly, so I decided to plan my route from the alleyway. Looking up past the tall brick buildings around me, I noticed large devices attached to the roof of the cave, giving off distant thrums. I suddenly felt stupid.

Of course dwarves would put fans in the ceiling to prevent smog build-up, they've been living underground for centuries! I scolded myself. Come on, Shadow, you should have known that. What, did becoming weaker than you usually are make you dumber?

” Stupid.” I grumbled quietly to myself. Of course I wasn't accustomed to running off of two or three souls, but it shouldn't have affected my observation skills like it did. That was something I needed to fix.

 

I looked back to the street. Abbadon wasn't in the crowd-he must have arrived at the forge. Looking to the nearest building, I examined the brickwork. Hm, sturdy, but with well-defined footholds. Scaling it shouldn't be too hard, even if I was weaker.

With a leap, I managed to get up past the foundation of the building and grab onto a windowsill-if you could call them windows. They were more like holes the dwarves carved out to prevent their stuffy air from getting stuffier. Hauling myself up and poising on the ledge, I jumped up to the next level. Then the next. And the next. One thing about short beings: they never fail to have buildings that are fun and easy to scale. I just had to make sure no one noticed me. And remembering my previous self-criticism about not noticing the ceiling fans, I kept a good eye on my surroundings. Luckily, there didn't happen to be any old ladies watering their flowerpots, watching a certain Reaper dangle from a ledge.

But if they did, that would have been funny.

 

Having reached the fifth and final floor, I jumped up and grabbed onto the undersides of the eaves with my claws, bracing myself against the brick walls to push up past the eaves and onto the roof. And as soon as I began to haul myself up, I found myself face-to-face with a metal tube spitting out black smoke.

Oh! Bad idea! I dropped back down, dangling from the eaves, coughing on the smoke. Now this happened to be a wonderful time for someone to look out the window.

“ Oh-Holy steamstacks! Is that! Is that!?”

“ Don't go over there! It's evil!”

Those two voices definitely did not sound like dwarves... not gruff enough. I shook my head to try and get the warm, sweaty feeling of the smoke off, before staring through the window in front of me.

A human and a faerie-as in one of the human-sized fairies with ridiculously huge wings and more appropriate clothing. Go figures. The faerie seemed to be a girl, and the human a boy no older than her. The latter had his mouth gaping open as he stared at me through the window, the former trying to hold him back from racing toward me.

What could I say? “ Hi kids, don't mind me, just hanging out”?

 

There was a long moment where the boy fought with the girl so he could get to the window.

“ Don't!” She gasped. He ignored her, leaning out to reach me.

“ You're a Reaper!” He said.

” And you're a human child wearing wool clothes in a smoggy city. See, I can be observant too.” I said sarcastically. The boy didn't seem to hurt by my response, only glancing down at his soot-stained pants and wool shirt. The green faerie behind him grabbed him by the belt and pulled him back, but still only in vain.

“ Let me go, Anastasia!”

“ You're going to get yourself killed!”

“ Nuh uh!”

“ Yeah huh!”

” A true gentleman listens to a women.” I said, not at all containing my amusement, though I realized that my strength was failing me. If I spared any more time hanging from the eaves, I would be forced to drop back down into the alleyway, and Abbadon had to be waiting on me.

“ Anastasia!” The boy tore his gaze from me to shake the faerie by the shoulders. “ Come on! This is the first time I have ever seen a Reaper-”

“ Which is bad luck!” She snapped.

“-Which is good luck!” He corrected her. “ And I want to talk to it! Please! Just this once?”

There was a long moment when the faerie glared at him, the glare quickly turning to worry.

“ You're not allowed to get hurt. I can't let that happen.”

“ I know. Just this once, okay? Promise.”

The boy turned around. I was gone.

 

Or at least, kind of gone. I had hauled myself back up onto the roof, getting another face full of smoke but simply pushing past it. I still ended up coughing afterward, but at least I was on the roof.

“ Hey! Where did it go?”

I didn't answer. The boy was just going to have to deal with his first Trio encounter being a mere glimpse of the being. He's lucky though that I wasn't a hungry demon-just a hungry Reaper.

I reorientated myself to the forge. It had only two stories, so I would be jumping three stories down on top of it. Luckily, the building was just high enough that a running jump and a well-aimed landing should pose no problem for me. And, as expected, a good leap, some incredible moments of being suspended in midair with no support underneath, and a quick roll, and I was on top of the forge in no time.

Let's hope no one saw that. I thought. Though the drumming of my feet on the roof tiles must have alerted the two youngsters from earlier, as I heard a distinctive crash from the building I had jumped from. I could easily imagine an eager child racing down the stairs to try and catch me.

That boy had some wild ambitions, thinking he could ever catch a Trio. And he might know that too, thinking I traveled further when really I was just across the street. I refrained from chuckling at the thought. Children were strange sometimes.

 

I slid down to an alley on the opposite of the forge, and easily found a side window. I pressed myself against the wall, standing next to it and listening intently, trying vainly to block out the boisterous city life around me.

”...but be careful on path that is in front you.” A deep voice typical of male dwarves came through.

” Conal...” Obviously Abbadon. ” Before I go I need to know the best way, to get in the prison? I needed know a way to get in unnoticed?”

A brief silence. I kept listening. This “Conal” seemed hesitant to say anything, though Abbadon's request really was strange. But why would he want to go to a prison?

“ You know very well, I can't tell you without knowing why brother. For the request you are asking is dangerous in itself.” The dwarf said gruffly.

There was a sigh. Something clicked in my brain. I peeked through the window and saw Abbadon heading for the door. He wouldn't have seen me anyway if I was still in the other alleyway-I would have squeezed myself into the best possible hiding place in case any citizens had happened to wander in. But I did catch Abbadon's signal. I just needed to hug the building and hope I didn't bring any attention to me as I slipped in.

“ This is why I need to get in the prison.” Abbadon explained, holding the door open for me. I snuck out of the alley I was in, approaching the street cautiously, but caught myself.

No Shadow. Don't be cautious. If you want to blend in, simply head for your destination with little care.

 

I paused. Here goes nothing. I thought.

I stepped into the crowd. And to the relief of my paranoia, no one seemed to notice me or care. I was jostled by someone hauling produce, but that was the extent of it. Nevertheless, I gladly stepped into the forge, welcoming the shelter it provided from curious eyes. I gave Abbadon a nod of acknowledgment, and examined the relatively small forge. Hm, not a bad space. I was pleased with the amount of unfinished weapons laying about, as it made me feel at home.

Oh right. Abbadon's friend. I turned to the only dwarf in the room-judging from his singed attire, he was the forger, possibly Conal. I tried to appear to be harmless... as harmless as a servant of Death could be... and attempted petty conversation.

” I like your forge. You turn plain metal into weapons, which is a trade I admire.” I placed my right fist on my heart, a less-intimate gesture of welcome I had become accustomed to way back in my past. ” You may call me Shadow.”

 

Netekos

Light slowly filtered through his vision. He groaned and shifting his limbs. Everything seemed to be working...

Something moved to the right, and instinctively Netekos jumped, getting ready for a flee-or-fight situation, but when he looked up he didn't spot anyone. What he did see though was chaos, revealed by the daylight streaming through the hole in the ceiling.

A smooth sandstone cavern, carved by water thousands of years ago. The floor was thick with coarse sand grains, and sticking up out of them like a shipwreck were the strewn pieces of the caravan and merchandise. Splintered pieces of the wood frame, torn cloth, and shattered pottery made up most of the mess. No doubt the poor Drought Camel was in it somewhere. Netekos picked himself up, looking deeper into the cave, but the light sliced through the darkness like a knife and made it hard for his eyes to adjust. He blinked and slid a piece of burlap off of his horns and-

Wait, what?! His horns didn't show through in Cloaked form!

 

Netekos immediately looked down to his hands. Paws, like a big cat's, with claws like steel arching from the tips. Deep, indigo-blue fur. Silver spots. His feet, digitigrade yet bipedal, capable of functioning like a quadruped's. Quills on his back and tail. He panicked, looking down at his chest.

Please let the gem be okay. Please!

Shattered. Shards of the gem barely clinging to the socket. Hundreds of pieces of it, like a broken mirror, laying at his feet where the impact was made. He was stuck in True form.

“ Grroowwwrrrr!” He roared, kicking at a clay pot. ” Stupid! Stupid! Just because you couldn't tolerate the sun! You just had to go follow the caravan! Stupid!”

“ Die, Reaper!”

Hiiissss!

Netekos ducked just in time, a spear flying past his head. It sank its point into the ruins of the caravan. Netekos whipped around to face his adversary.

The naga from before, with a few cuts and bruises from the fall but still willing to fight him. He growled, but it hardly flinched. He took a few steps forward in challenge, and it unsheathed some hidden daggers he hadn't spotted before, cleverly concealed underneath its clothes.

“ Stay away from me!” It snapped.

” Don't provoke me!” He shot back. Surprise flickered over the being's face for a moment, but it was quickly gone. It seemed it had never heard a Trio speak before.

“ I saw what you were! You won't get my soul! It's mine, you hear?! Mine!!”

” I wasn't planning on getting it in the first place!” Netekos denied.

“ The heck you weren't!” The naga spat. It let out a war cry, lunging forward and slicing the air with its daggers. Netekos was momentarily shocked by how fast it was, but recovered quickly, dodging each strike while simultaneously resisting attacking back.

 

” Knock it off! Stop!” He ordered. It wasn't listening to him, still swiping wildly. One of the blades nicked him, making him even more angry. ” I said stop!!”

It still wasn't listening. He had to disarm it. Quick as lightning, he struck one if its wrists, a blunt force strong enough to make it gasp and drop the knife, and pause long enough for Netekos to wrench away the other knife and fling it deep into the cave. The naga pulled back and swung a punch at him. He ducked and bit into its tail. It screeched and found another dagger, plunging it into his back, while he held on. They struggled and writhed for a while.

Finally, they were both exhausted enough from the intense skirmish that there was a little time to spare some words.

” Why aren't you listening to me?!” Netekos demanded.

“ You want my life, and I know it!” The naga retorted.

” If I wanted it, I would have taken it by now!”

“ You fell in with me! You caused the sinkhole! You guys always cause bad luck and I know you're hunting me and I'm not going to go down that easily!” It ripped the dagger from Netekos's back, causing him to yowl, and prepared to plunge it into a different spot, but a swift, well-aimed kick knocked it far from its grasp. Netekos pinned down the naga's upper half, letting its tail lash all it wanted.

” Look! I didn't want to end up down here any more than you did! But this hole appeared, and now we're both in it, and we can't change that! If you want to fight me, go ahead, but at least do it like a real man!”

“ I'm a woman!”

 

A very long, awkward silence.

” Oh...” He said.

Feeling even more awkward, Netekos unpinned the naga from the ground, backing off in embarrassment. Funny how the stupid little mistakes can solve such conflict. She glared at him, brushing off her scales and checking her tail for damage, while Netekos was reminded of some rather painful memories of being abused in his childhood for the sake of “good manners”. One thing he was especially punished for: never pin or back a woman into a corner.

Bad memories. Ones he had just triggered from thinking the naga was a guy.

The naga was still glaring at Netekos, looking around for her daggers but only spotting one of them and her spear, and after retrieving both she realized he still hadn't moved from his spot.

“ Hey, look. I can tolerate you, as long as what you say is true-which of course is unlikely, but still... Hey... are you even listening to me?... Hey!”

Netekos was shaken from the images of whippings to find the naga staring at him like he had just sprouted two heads-which, being a Reaper, he totally could have done.

“ Dang, you guys are messed up in the head, aren't you?”

” Huh? What-! No, I wasn't thinking about that!”

“ Oh no, it's fine, you don't need to explain.” She turned and started slithering away.

” But-! Pffah! I-I, what, no I wasn't!” Netekos stumbled. ” Hey! Get back here! What happened to wanting to kill me?”

She paused briefly to look over her shoulder, pulling down the cloth covering her face.

“ You were right; what reason for me to worry about you if you haven't eaten my soul yet? I ought to just leave you here for the Crusks. Reapers never were tough anyway.”

 

She kept slithering away into the cave, like she knew where she was going. Netekos just stared after her. Was he just sassed by a mortal?

” Wait a minute... hey! Wait a minute!!” He started chasing her. ” I'll show you who's tough!!”

“ Hah hah! Like heck you will!”

 

((Couldn't write Natashi's perspective in time-I already stayed up past midnight writing this. Might edit in the morning though.))

Edited August 8, 2015 by skwerl56767

[Twilight-Stasis]

Reevia:

 

Reevia crouched low to the ground as a horde of imps trampled past, fighting them would be difficult with just her claws, and a it would probably lead to a full out battle and attract more attention. The creatures had found the half corrupted Minotaur a few days ago, and amid the angry wailing Reevia had caught sight of the leader of the usurpers, a large centaur demon with some sense of tactics, when she had seen the large long bow on his back she shivered, an arrow from that fired by a demon? It could most likely pierce straight through her body.

Now Reevia stuck to laying low and keeping her eyes peeled for extra info on what exactly the demons wanted with her home, the Dracofari weren't warriors nor were they important to whatever the demons plans were, or else they wouldn't have been left along for all this time! Reevia was bent on finding out what they wanted with her people.

Currently she watched as the little devils ran past, looking for a straggler she could sneak off with, she couldn't fight anything in her current condition, after checking her injuries she was sure that her left wing was mangled beyond regular healing, her left arm was broken and most of her ribs were fractured in places, no she really couldn't afford to pick a fight right now.

Reevia's eye alighted upon a slightly limping imp that was falling behind, looking around she made sure nothing was watching she plunged out of her hiding spot and smashed a large rock on the back of its head, grabbing the creature she dragged it back into her current "safe house" a large hole in the ground under an abandoned building, breaking the imps arms and legs so it couldn't escape she waited for it to wake up, she wanted some answers, and she was going to get them, one way or another.

Edited August 28, 2015 by flame249

[Twilight-Stasis]

[bump]