Greywind Raven-Ryder Before Wilde could respond, the sound of fleet footsteps forced his attention away. There, from the tree line, one of the horrible creatures had revived and was rushing at them! Greywind was nearest, without thought he shifted into the etherverse in preparation for the attack. His form, now ghost-like was barely visible in the darkness of night, but still the creature charged. In a blink Greywind vanished. His small deft blade was at the ready when he materialized, crouching parallel with the monsters path. His blade met tendon and the beasts leg faltered sending it tumbling into a heap on the earth. Raef, his ebony mount, knew his part to play. With a rush of grey vapor the bird shifted out of the ether on top of the creature, pinning it to the ground. Greywind smiled at his companions bravery. His eyes shifted to the etherverse and exuded a grey mist as he surveyed the scene. Raef would make short work of the creature. “RAEF WAIT!” barked Greywind suddenly. The raptor lifted it head to look at its master quizzically. Something was not right, Greywind thought to himself as he looked again at the creature’s form in the etherverse. Where before he had seen only soulless savagery, the creature that had attacked this time was embodied with something else… Something with a living soul, with feelings and hurts, something that was afraid. In a blink Greywind appeared by the creatures mutated head. His dagger stopped short of its throat this time. He glared into its bulbous eyes as his own remained fully in the etherverse and poured their heavy mist into the night air. “Tell me what you are and why you lead these creatures against us!”
Bella: Fork in the Road It seemed to have been badly injured, but was more incensed that Magnalian did not wield the Orb. Bella's enormous eyes glittered in the firelight as she felt the Nasgar retreat. The beast was furious, not because of its injuries, but because of the missing Orb. As the Magnalian had deceived Isel, so too, had he deceived the huge serpent. The Summoner was fraying the strings that bound his servants. The odds were beginning to even out as the portal collapsed. Isel had things well in hand. Revenge was his for the taking should he so chose, but Isabella knew her path lay in a different direction. With the Nasgar fled, she needed to get over the other group she had seen. There was a virulent darkness spreading across the song planes. This was no mere monster, this was a tangible malevolence with no true face. A piercing whistle cleaved the air as she called Talon forth. The steadfast mastiff emerged from the shadows, his eyes a mirror's reflection of his mistress's. Gently Talon nudged Bella's tangled curls as she raised a small hand to smooth back his wrinkled jowls. Casting a glance at Isel and the Magnalian, she pulled herself onto Talon's back. "By the Star, Isel Redfang, I hope you find the peace you seek. May your pack see you safe." Quicksilver shimmered, ancient power hovered close as she looked gazes with the Summoner. "A puppet master whose threads are fraying...All roads lead to Rome, old man...And in my world Rome burned...Oh, how it burned." Drawing her hood up, Bella settled against Talon's back, her lace edged petticoats an incongruous note of grace amid the battle damage. Setting a dainty toe to her dog's side, she looked back one last time as Talon began to run. Had she made the right decision?
Padoc Had Padoc been fighting against normal humans, his plan would have gone swimmingly. A swift slash to the wrist, a few kicks to the right… with just a bit of clever movement, he could have knocked the weapons right out of their hands and scared them all into a white flag salute. Certainly, they could have fired back at him – but what good would it do to shoot a corpse? No, had his fight been against some techno-loving saps, he would have had the time of his life. Unfortunately, however, Padoc was not fighting against any plain ol’ humans. As soon as he had leapt into the clearing, he’d found himself punching the air, knocked over by an over-sized crow, and yelled at by some dark-haired mist-man pointing a dagger at his throat. “Tell me what you are and why you lead these creatures against us!” In his undead disguise, Padoc stifled a nervous chuckle. Who… who he was? Surely the kid hadn’t seen through his ruse already? In any case, he was mistaken. He wasn’t leading these creatures! At least, not on purpose. Sure, his timing had been a bit impromptu, but it had only been a byproduct of impatience and boredom. It certainly had nothing to do with the freakish lizard that fell from the sky. “Lead these creatures?” A grin formed on the creature’s face, “Oh, no. Mr. Mist, sir. I’m afraid you have it all wrong.” For a moment, the creature struggled against its captor, trying to unpin itself from the ground. Then, quite suddenly, it fell limp. Energy oozed from its body as though it were a substance; breathing and heartbeat stopped simultaneously. It died again, frozen in its last actions, staring blankly at the darkness. A dull silence draped itself over the clearing. From Greywind’s side, the light tapping of feet echoed from somewhere in the darkness, and it seemed as though the shadows themselves were moving – as though the shadows themselves were alive. “See, I just happened to be passing by.” A voice of an unnaturally echoed through the night, and from the darkness emerged a strange entity. Human-like, though composed of a uniform blackness, it was the very concept of a living shadow – the shade of some unfortunate soul. “And when I saw that you all were having such a good time, I thought to myself, ‘Hey, why shouldn’t I join in on the fun?’ But nooo…” And it waggled a finger at the mist-man, “You had to go ahead and ruin everything. Pinning me to the ground and all… it’s very rude, you know, tackling someone without their consent. Very rude indeed.” Grinning nervously, the shade played with the edge of a black cap hidden somewhere on its head. “Oh, but I suppose that isn’t so important. You all are much more fascinated by that shadowy, mysterious visitor that just graced the foot of your campsite. Am I correct? Or am I just absolutely right~?”
Tom Wilde, Erif/drake, Truth and Padoc Wilde stood still and quiet with his rifle still poised at his deceased comrade. “By the Eltol’Ha why would you do such a thing?” This was the question he hated the most, even inside his thoughts he could hear the laughter of Truth, this final victory over Wilde. The very bane of my life, ever since I went in pursuit of the one things that could end the Ascender-human war. The Ascendant Keys. But on Erebus we found the root of insanity, the very voracity that the Ascenders had willing unleashed upon their own, imprisoned for centuries, unleashed by simply mining into the rock. He could not disguise the feeling of pain that currently ate at him, but he could simply not ignore such question, "Because, if they kill you, you become infected. He would have tried to kill us. I stopped it from taking hold of his nervous system." Tom sighed, "Anymore questions? I have a shuttle I can take us close enough to board, I have a plan for the dragon, the Energi is Truth's skin, it's weakness we learned is anything that can burn. I know from legend dragons possessed the element of fire. Is it true?" -- Truth I live when there is death, once again my children are reborn... In essence the reawakening of the deceased ghoul alerted him, it caught his attention, because such traits had yet to be shown. Once embedded in the mind, he discovered that it was in fact someone else merely possessing the body. A person called... Padoc... Padoc... Padoc! But despite the things ability to control his dead ghoul, it was soon detached from the body. I have to say I'm impressed, you are remarkable truly, I am the Truth. "Sure, and I'm made of jelly," Padoc thought back, "Seriously, who in the world are you?" But the voice ignored his statement. "The scourge of all life! and its machinations. I have a hunger for knowledge, and with you, I can achieve that" "Listen, Mr. Truth,” Padoc began, but he paused. Whoever this freak was, he certainly had a good mindset… “You’ve got a good… voice on you, really, but see, we just don’t have the same tastes. What I hunger for is excitement, yeah? Not knowledge. So if you want to spend time nibbling on a library, go possess a bookworm.” "Reading is not in my mindset, no I assimilate knowledge and understanding, and to do that one must occupy a mind so that they can truly grasp the universe's creation. I see in you darkness, potential, with my guiding hand you could become unstoppable. An devastating unrelenting force. Feared among those who take life for granted. And with your power, I can generate a new type of ghoul. They in the human tongue call it evolution." ¬--- “Lead these creatures?” A grin formed on the creature’s face, “Oh, no. Mr. Mist, sir. I’m afraid you have it all wrong.” Wilde nodded, "it's true, this is not Truth." “See, I just happened to be passing by.” A voice of an unnaturally echoed through the night, and from the darkness emerged a strange entity. Human-like, though composed of a uniform blackness, it was the very concept of a living shadow – the shade of some unfortunate soul. “And when I saw that you all were having such a good time, I thought to myself, ‘Hey, why shouldn’t I join in on the fun?’ But nooo…” And it waggled a finger at the mist-man, “You had to go ahead and ruin everything. Pinning me to the ground and all… it’s very rude, you know, tackling someone without their consent. Very rude indeed.” "Well, now I've seen everything, you know you have no idea what controls that body, because I've seen it, it gets in your head. You can hear him. The voice of Truth. In some senses it's truly maddening," said Wilde to the shadowy form. The shadowy figure raised a shadowy eyebrow, “The voice of-? Oh, so that’s what it was.” --- Erif and Drake Erif and the creature collided, and with one fatal swing by Erif its head was sent flying, the body went limb and collapsed. He stared back at the commotion, the Nasgar was preoccupied by Bella, Isel was enraged and the summoner was in need of allies. Desperate times indeed. He was now focused fully on the six remaining creatures who in unison leapt upon him, pinning his desiccated corpse down. Despite their appearance they were strong, and with those inviting teeth he snarled and wriggled attempting to use Provence but nothing came of it. He was powerless under them, it was a considerable strain trying to avoid those teeth. This isn't good. Nope. What shall I do? Vulk Grulain? Too risky. Aye, true. There's fire in his blood, he is your ancestor, well tell him then before my body is lost! Erif was suddenly listening to Blade Edge, and he gave a quick nodded, before fire erupted from his body, scattering the ghouls that had pinned him down, their own lifeless corpses arrayed around him. He stood up, and... Drake stood there in blackened armour it now bore the claw marks of the ghouls. He found Blade Edge and picked it up. I'm back. Now I'm going to kill that Magician, and the Nasgar. And this time it will be permanent!
Taliza "I have a shuttle I can take us close enough to board, I have a plan for the dragon, the Energi is Truth's skin, it's weakness we learned is anything that can burn. I know from legend dragons possessed the element of fire. Is it true?" Said the human who carried the name Tom. The dragon? Who does this human think he his, addressing me as a common beast. "First of all...I am not the dragon" she snorted a puff of smoke angerly, "Just as I'm sure you would not like to be addressed as the human. I am Taliza. And yes...I do posses the ability of breathing fire. These creatures seem to melt rather easily under my flame. What is your plan?"
"First of all...I am not the dragon" she snorted a puff of smoke angerly, "Just as I'm sure you would not like to be addressed as the human. I am Taliza. And yes...I do posses the ability of breathing fire. These creatures seem to melt rather easily under my flame. What is your plan?" "I Apologize," said Wilde, "I've never met a dragon. Taliza you will weaken the Hive mind's outer body, the energi skin, and if you can disable any weaponry that he could use against the planet's natural inhabitants. Also on the top is Nexus transmitter, destroy that first and Truth isn't going anywhere. It'll most likely be defended by spores so move fast and hit hard. I never said this would be easy. Now for us, I have a shuttle, hopefully it can fit us all in. With Taliza keeping Truth occupied we should be able to slip by into the shuttle bay without alerting him. Once on board, well then we can either all go to the fusion core and stop Truth by detonating the Temporal Fusion Matrix as that will be what he is feeding off." Tom paused at their puzzled expressions. "It is more or less an infinite energy source that we employ and destroying it will permanently silence Truth as it will trigger the cannibalistic mechanism within it. Devouring The Widow and anything until runs out of momentum which would give us little time to escape. It's escaping that which will be tricky. Alternatively we could split into groups. One rescues those in the hospital, getting them to any remaining life pods and then making their way to the bridge, hacking the main interface and jettisoning the Temporal Fusion Matrix but not before the other group has activated the self-destruction sequence. The Widow will remain mostly intact, although it won't be able to warp time and space. Either way Truth will die. Any questions? I know it may sound confusing but what else can we do?"
Tulbuk, the Mountain of the North "It is more or less an infinite energy source that we employ and destroying it will permanently silence Truth as it will trigger the cannibalistic mechanism within it. Devouring The Widow and anything until runs out of momentum which would give us little time to escape. It's escaping that which will be tricky. Alternatively we could split into groups. One rescues those in the hospital, getting them to any remaining life pods and then making their way to the bridge, hacking the main interface and jettisoning the Temporal Fusion Matrix but not before the other group has activated the self-destruction sequence. The Widow will remain mostly intact, although it won't be able to warp time and space. Either way Truth will die. Any questions? I know it may sound confusing but what else can we do?" Tulbuk was starting to find these humans very annoying. None of them made sense, and used words he was certain, absolutely certain were not in a dictionary. He had once read a dictionary, all three pages of it, and it most certainly didn't have 'Temporal Fusion Matrix' in it or 'cannibalistic mechanism'. Maybe they not have schools where they come from, thought Tulbuk, that is why they use wrong words...hmm... Still, Tulbuk had to admit they really didn't like this 'Truth' thing, and destroying the 'Widow' seemed important to them. If he remembered anything about trolls, it was that you should help and nurture the confused young. Tulbuk decided this was more or less the right strategy for these beings. "I help at bridge," Tulbuk said, loudly. He didn't know what this 'Temporal Fusion Matrix' was, but he knew what 'self' and 'desctruction' meant. Putting them together wasn't something Tulbuk felt like doing, so he took the other option. At least he knew what a bridge was. It hard to mess up bridge, Tulbuk thought to himself. Smiling, Tulbuk turned around and took another branch off a tree. It was a different tree than before, and this one tasted sweeter, but was harder. Tulbuk knawed at it, noticed some of the beings around him were looking at him. Nurture...Tulbuk looked at those looking at him, and gave each a bark-filled smile.
Grand Magister Zaca'reb A slow clap echoed from the darkness behind Magnalian. He turned his head slightly, enough to catch a glimpse of the newcomer, but not enough to break eye contact with the oncoming foes. In his peripheral was a blur of black and red, slowly moving up to meet him, and soon the clapping stopped and a warm touch pressed on his shoulder. Zaca’reb had returned, his jet black hair shimmering in the moon light along with a crooked smile and sharp eyes glinting like topazes. The young wizard threw a hefty pat to Magnalian’s back, followed by a snort of derision. “Having a little of trouble, are we?” He said, chuckling to himself. He rested his hand on Magnalian’s shoulder once again and turned to the angry mob, each of them with a glare that could frighten Medusa. Puffing out his chest and clearing his throat, Zaca’reb called out to the pack ready to deliver his ultimatum. “You are all clearly unhappy with my fellow wizard here, and partly so am I. He has been pretty devious, hasn’t he?” Zaca’reb shook his head in disappointment, like a father to a son. “And now you have the advantage and wish nothing but vengeance on him and the orb, am I right?” He didn’t wait for a reply and instead continued to ramble on. “I thought at much. But – you see – I want the orb. I need the orb. And following this… weird, withered wolfman thing really doesn’t do anything for me.” In a flash Zaca’reb began to pulsate with an aura of gold and auburn, fire breathing from his skin. He moved into space, hands now wide apart and energy swirling furiously around them. Trees nearby began to set alight and the ground cracked and burn, until finally he lost control and focused his palms on his audience. “So it’s time to even the odds!” The energy splashed and throttled from his palms, projecting a river beam of flame across the wilderness. The vibrant orange beam ignited the landscape like a fiery sunrise, and tore its way towards Isel and his allies.
Bella: About Face Bella felt the heat of a mage's fire roaring at her back. Pulling on Talon's collar, she wheeled the great brute about. Orange flames reflected in the mercurial depths of her eyes, giving her the look of a demon's child. "Blast and damn...There are more." It was clear she wouldn't make it to the second group in time. She owed Talon's life to Isel and that was a debt that could not be easily overlooked. Talon whined, uneasy about the sudden turn of events. The situation with Isel and the Magnalian was heading south in a hurry. As if directed by fate, a ghoul stumbled across the path behind them. The hulking mastiff growled. Bella felt his hackles rise beneath her fingers as she studied the creature. Sentient, but not bright. Standard minion fodder, but tainted some how. The dog leapt at the ghoul, his teeth flashing white in the darkness. Bella kneed Talon hard, averting his bite. "No!" She screamed. Her spirit pulses shrieked in her soul. These creatures were a living infection, polluting and consuming everything they touched. "Back, old fellow, back the way we came...Please." The ghoul continued to stare as Talon backed away, a guttural growl rumbling continuously. All the while, Bella's fingers flew feverishly setting the threads to her water weave. It shimmered in the glow of the hellfire, a spearhead separating out. A sharp breath out and Talon whirled again, back toward the fire. Bella snapped her arm back sending the iced point flying into the throat of the ghoul. The enormous mastiff broke into his ground consuming gallop. The fledgling darkkin's hood flew back, her curls tangled across her face. Knees tight to the ribs of her giant hound, Bella pulled up her weave threads. The dark, lush symphonies welled in her blood. Her eyes ignited. Cobalt, gold, and violet ringed the iris. Clouds dove toward the earth, spiraling like a serpent. Fire abandoned the trees and rushed toward her in a solid, shimmering cloak. Whipping her arms about her head, she drew the elemental ribbons tight. Two great lashes of water and fire circled about her like avenging spirits. Once more the forest went dark, illuminated only by fitful moonlight and broken stars. The dires glinted like hot coals between the trees as Talon closed the distance. He bayed, the deep, bloody call seeping into the souls of men. "So it’s time to even the odds!” Bella and Talon burst from the shadows. "I couldn't agree more!"
Magnafire “You are all clearly unhappy with my fellow wizard here, and partly so am I. He has been pretty devious, hasn’t he?” Zaca’reb shook his head in disappointment, like a father to a son. “And now you have the advantage and wish nothing but vengeance on him and the orb, am I right?” He didn’t wait for a reply and instead continued to ramble on. “I thought at much. But – you see – I want the orb. I need the orb. And following this… weird, withered wolfman thing really doesn’t do anything for me.” The Magnan looked up at the sorcerer and raised Blade Edge. Ironically I need the Orb, but I prefer to stay on Isel's side in all this. Must not forget, Erif is trying to overcome me, and I'm allowing it... for now. "You are truly mad, all that power in one thing. The very thing that caused all this. It will be your demise." "So it’s time to even the odds!” And with that energy burst from this sorcerer fire began to charge at them. In the form of anger, and rage. Then Bella and Talon burst from the shadows. "I couldn't agree more!" It caught him by surprise but seeing the return of Bella and Talon was a lift, considering all things. The flames from the sorcerer were bright and near untempered but the raw energy was merely fuel for his bound sword and his element was fire. The Magnan's light foot armour was still holding together fortunately despite the soar in temperature around him. He was buffeted also by the energy, forcing him to stumble back slightly. You think that is a demonstration of power. In one swift motion he sliced the air. A rent opened. It led directly into Vulk Grulain. The Magnan stepped into it and it sealed itself. He was soon covering ground towards the other sorcerers location in the form of Blade Edge. Sure he was behind the man. He opened the portal and stepped back into the real world, a wash of fire and multiple energies that threatened to shift worlds. Such destruction was being immortalised. He slid the sharp stone edge of Blade Edge across the sorcerers throat, so that he felt it across his neck. "Any movement, and you either die, or get eternally bound to Vulk Grulain. I intend the same for Magnallian."
Grand Magister Zaca'reb “Any movement, and you either die, or get eternally bound to Vulk Grulain. I intend the same for Magnalian.” The blade stuck to his throat and beads of crimson trickled across the cool steel. In his arrogance and frenzied attack, Zaca’reb had allowed himself to be ambushed but he would not let it stand. “Put that down before you hurt yourself.” His skin pulsated once again, a vision of gold, red and orange. The aura exploded into a wave of force before Magnafire could cut the ties of life, and he stumbled back trying to hold his ground. The wave carried an unforgiving heat, boiling the air and reducing all natural life to ashes. It rolled on towards Magnalian, but dissipated before it could reach him. The moment of freedom was short lived. Zaca’reb was spent and the energies faded from his aura with the flicker of gold in his eye swallowed away like a drain. If that wasn’t enough, Magnafire was on the move again. The wizard rose once more, preparing himself to go on the defensive. He aimed his hands at Magnafire’s feet and clenched his fingers together. The ground fractured around the warrior and from the cracks came splinters of ice, clawing at his lower body. Zaca’reb raised his hands with a struggle and the frosty spikes followed suit. Higher and higher they climbed and soon a dress of cobalt had formed around Magnafire’s waist. Drops of sweat raced down Zaca’reb’s face, his concentration relentless while his magic ran on empty and he shook violently as every last bit of power waned from his body. Stressed and frayed he shot a glare at Magnalian, daggers in his eyes. “Would you please do something, you fool!”
Bella: Going with the Flow Stressed and frayed he shot a glare at Magnalian, daggers in his eyes. “Would you please do something, you fool!” Bella, who had backed Talon off before the second onslaught of heat, now surged forward. Grabbing up the threads of the ice spikes and breaking the freeze, she freed Magnafire. These odd wizards knew nothing of the song planes and the threads, they used magic to shape the elements at a massive physical cost. Intriguing. They could learn a thing or two from nature and the dragons. Her water lash consumed the Zaca'reb's water spell, adding volume and power to the already dense weave. Bella's right arm snaked out, cracking her shimmering weave like a whip. It coiled about the younger mage's leg. One quick tug, pulled the weave tight and sent Zaca'reb tumbling to the ground. Frustrated beyond endurance she yelled. "Can somebody please take out that Summoner already?"
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) Atlas grimaced as he listened to Wilde’s lengthy explanation. He was never into science and astronomy; after all, that was why he joined the army in the first place. Listening to the captain ramble on about “infinite energy sources” and” temporal fusion matrices” meant pretty much nothing to him. As far as he knew, they were planning on setting off some sort of weapon in the ship, and hoping that killed off the parasite. "I help at bridge," said the troll-like monster opposite to Atlas, as it munched happily on a tree branch. It almost seemed as if the troll understood everything the captain said, even if it didn’t seem very bright. Maybe everyone in the group understood everything except him. Atlas shook his head in frustration. “Alright Captain Kirk,” he said, addressing Wilde, “You’re on your own for any of the science crap, but if you need some firepower, you’re looking at it. Now where to?” The captain seemed to furrow his brow at his “Kirk” remark, but otherwise gave a swift response. “Good. Your weaponry is still seen as formidable by my people. We best get back to my shuttle. Once there we can board the Black Widow.” Atlas nodded. “Lead the way.”
Taliza Taliza smiled inwardly and let the feeling flow to the rest of her companions. She found great pleasure in burning away evil. As the humans made their way to the shuttle that would take them to the inside of the qhoul infested object, she extended her wings, the purple scales shimmering in the light. "Fight well. Do not let this plauge spread." She jumped in the air and with two flaps of her powerfull wings had caught an updraft taking her close to the "ship" in the sky, as the humans called it. The Nexus transmitter was a circular metal object spinning in mid-air...attached to nothing. How such an object could be so important, Taliza couldn't understand, but these humans did, so she would trust their judgement. As Taliza got closer to the ship, burning beams of energy began flying at her at an alarming rate. She banked sharply, spinning in mid air to avoid being burned. The fire in her belly burned hot and released several balls of flames which splashed against the black skin that covering the ship. The energi, the ghoul, the evil, the plague...whatever name it went by...it didn't matter. It would burn, and it did. As the flames ate at the skin a shrill shreiking filled her ears and mind. She moaned angerly and put up barriers in her mind to protect herself from the mental anquish. Foul creatures! Not a single drop shall escape my flames! The weapons the energi had been using against her melted into nothingness. With that form of defense gone, it intensified it's shreiking and spat orange spores at Taliza. She knew, even without having encountered them before that they would kill her if enough hit her. Taliza opened her purple maw and released a torrent of flames engulfing the first wave of spores. Now for the floating ball in the sky. She flapped her wings putting on an extra burst of speed. Grabbing the orb with her claws she tucked her wings and dove towards the ground at top speed. At the last second, she allowed the wind to fill her wings and pull her back into the air. At the same time she release the weak-defenseless-ball allowing it crash against the ground wear it shattered into a million peices. For good measure, Taliza blew a torrent of flames on it before taking back to the air to destroy the spores attempting to escape.
Magnalian, Isel, Greywind, - Of Hnu and Hoi “Would you please do something, you fool!” The voices of battle called to one another over the roar of the raging wildfire. Magnalian’s eyes were locked with those of Isel. "Can somebody please take out that Summoner already?" The werebeast’s toothy grin widened as his body tensed and prepared to pounce. Magnalian was thankful for Zaca’Reb, his power was formidable, but he didn’t know the full extent of Isel’s strength. No one knew, except Magnalian. When he had first encountered Isel’s race the Hoi, he thought them the ideal servants. Immensely powerful, they were limited only by their naivety and innocence. But it seemed that Isel’s innocence was the only thing that died when Magnalian sacrificed him in the creation of the Orb. Isel leapt, his teeth were bared and his larged clawed hands reached toward the Summoner. Magnalian knew of only one weakness in the Hoi, an ace he had kept in his pocket just in case the beast ever got out of control. Gathering his focus Magnalian raised his hand to meet his opponent as he descended. The familiar energy and dark smoke formed in his grip as he quickly created the summoning. ----------------------------------------------------- Greywind followed the group as they made their way toward Wilde’s air-ship. His brow furrowed as he walked. Danger seemed everywhere and new alliances were quickly made, but could they be trusted? Raef apparently decided to revert to his smaller size, and surprised Greywind when he came to perch on his shoulder. These ghouls were certainly a threat, but the reason they were even here was the Orb. According to what Magnalian had told him, the Orb would continue to draw powerful creatures toward itself as long as it existed. Many pillars of smoke rose in various locations on the horizon, one much larger than the rest. Did it make sense to put out fires while their source still existed? How could he leave the ghoul threat to spread unabated? His grimace tightened. He knew what needed to be done and he was the only one who could do it. He turned abruptly to Atlas. “I cannot go with you,” reaching behind his back he produced a small grey dagger with black feathers tied at the hilt. He extended it handle first toward the soldier. “I’m going to find Pyree and the Orb, if I don’t then more monsters will follow in the death of this one. Keep this dagger close and I will be able to find you wherev…” A sudden twinge through his being alerted him to the magic. His eyes suddenly widened and the dagger dropped at Atlas' feet. The familiar pull on his soul came quickly, tugging at him, dragging him through time and space as it had on the last day he saw his home world of Palendel. “The Summoner!” his words were almost swallowed by the ear-splitting crack that followed. Then he was gone. -------------------------------- One moment Greywind was looking into the eyes of a new ally, the next, tight fingers gripped the back of his neck and suspended him in the air looking straight into the face of an enraged Hoi. For a brief moment he thought he was back home. The light of the blazing fires and acrid smoke forced him to blink. Somewhere beside him he heard the caw of Raef echo his surprise and fear. When he opened his eyes the nightmare still raged around him. Battles were being fought between men, fiery wolves, and other strange creatures. The Hoi stood in front of him, staring with a single yellow eye. Its expression was no longer pure rage, but was mingled with surprise and confusion. He tried to escape into the etherverse, but couldn’t. The summoning still bound him. “Tell your mercinaries to stand down or the Hnu dies!” shouted an all too familiar voice immediately behind him. The hand at his neck squeezed, forcing his own hands to reach up to struggle against it. The strange Hoi snorted loudly. By the El-tolha, what could Magnalian have done to provoke the peaceful beast?
Tulbuk squinted at the space in front of Atlas. He was very sure there was a man there before, but now there was just empty space in front of the balking Atlas. Of course, maybe he had just left when that crack happened, and he yelled something. Tulbuk wasn't paying attention, but the human couldn't have run away that fast. He must have just....disappeared. This was getting really annoying. Things don't just appear and disappear, people go places. Unless he just jumped, really really high. Maybe he jumped to where he wanted to go. Tulbuk craned his head high into the sky, looking around. He didn't see anything, but then again, that human was pretty small. If the human could just be where he wanted, why didn't he take the group to the Widow thing they were supposed to go to? Tulbuk sighed. Humans are always so selfish. The troll thought about it for just another moment, and grabbed a small bush growing on the ground, taking a small section of ground held together by roots as though he was just picking up a fallen rock. Trees too hard. Time for dessert, the Troll thought, as he started munching down on the shrub.
Wilde, The Magnan and Truth “The Summoner!” his words were almost swallowed by the ear-splitting crack that followed. Then he was gone. The words came as a shock to Wilde as he turned back to see Greywind be sucked out of existence, he paused briefly. "Does this happen a lot?" --- "Can somebody please take out that Summoner already?" His power was being snuffed, for once he could not break the ice but with Bella's spell he was thankful to be free of what could of been his icy coffin, and she had further continued to hammer the other wizard magically. He looked at her briefly, and said, "If I can get close enough I could do another binding spell, but my realm..... " Insanity, Darkness, and Ancient scars. Vulk Grulain is living once again. "What the hell Blade Edge?" I'm Provenance. "What have you done with my sword?" It's sleeping. "That can't be good." He looked back at Bella, "Scratch that, I've somewhat been severed from my spiritual sword, it explains how I'm losing control over my power. I think I'm being assailed by my ancestor. I can't get close while Isel and Magnallian are directly engaged, I'll be destroyed in the cross-fire. Is there anything you can do with that strange power of yours." “Tell your mercinaries to stand down or the Hnu dies!” He suddenly saw the man he had briefly met in the Coliseum, the former servant, still bound it seemed to his master. Now, it becomes difficult. Greywind is doing this against his wishes. The Magnan sheathed Blade Edge, but kept one hand on the hilt. This could be the ideal opportunity. --- And so my seed is sown as across the land. My army of Energy will rise once more, and this time the Creators cannot and will not stop me!
Bella: Fight Like a Girl Bella backed Talon off, knowing a frontal assault would end the life of the puppet master's unfortunate victim. Carefully she released the recoiled water weave that had knocked the younger mage to the ground and step back into the shadows. The huge mastiff sat down, a massive wall of wrinkled fur. The young darkkin slid to the ground, released the frogs of her cloak, and cast it over the twining mass of her water weave. The song threads glinted silver from the depths of the hood. It wasn't perfect, but it just might work. No one had bothered to look too closely at her. It was time to stop fighting like a dragon and start fighting like a girl...
Greywind Raven-Ryder / Magnalian the Summoner Despite the continuing spread of the flames, the battle slowed and stopped. With a load bark from the Hoi the wolves ceased their attack and paused where they stood. “Surrender Isel, or this boy’s blood will be on your hands,” Greywind caught a glimpse behind him at Magnalian as he struggled against the evil wizard’s iron grip. In the firelight the Hoi, who he now knew was named Isel, looked as red as the flames themselves. He was horribly scarred and disfigured. Magnalian seemed to trying to control Isel by threatening harm to Greywind. Any normal Hoi would be bound to preserve a Hnu such as himself, but Greywind wasn’t so sure that this was a normal Hoi. Isel let out a bark, that turned to a laugh. An evil grin spread across his face, as he stared past Greywind. “You think me Hoi Summoner? You killed that that creature long time ago. This Hnu means nothing to me. I am now ANA-HOI!” With a swipe of his massive hand Isel sent Greywind flying into the flaming woods. The battle was renewed with even greater intensity. Between the burning trees blasts of flame were met with rushes of water as the smoke rose higher and higher into the sky. Greywind collided with a burning tree that singed his cloak. He landed on something hard when the tree threw his body to the ground. Raef quickly found him and nudged his head. Roused from the shock of the impact Greywind looked into the small black eyes of his companion that implored him for help and hope. Frustration, fear, and rage overwhelmed Greywind. Magnalian still held his leash on him and used him as his personal shield. As if that wasn’t enough he had unleashed an Ana-Hoi on the world and there was no power that could stop a rogue Hoi except another Hoi or the El-Tolha itself. Every step Greywind took led to more and more death and destruction. It was like a nightmare that would not end. Raising himself from where he lay, his hand touched the hard object that he had landed on. It was his satchel, or rather something in it. Inside he found the sacred box given to him by the goddess after the fight at the Colosseum. The latch was now broken. Lifting the lid he found a dagger inside. Broad and glassy black it emanated a magic that made Raef squawk and flutter backwards. The magic gift of the goddess, she had warned him not to use it without her, but she had never returned. This could be his one chance to defeat Magnalian and stop the maddening spiral of destruction. Greywind saw no other choice. The effect of the dagger was immediate. As soon as he touched it blue flames spilled along the blade engraving Greywind’s own name in his native tongue. The power rushed through him like a mighty wind. He slipped into the etherverse and found his entire being enfused with power. His usual whispy wraith form now stood as a swirling black shadow of smoke with red eyes that glowed with power. Heavy black vapor that made fire smoke look pale poured from behind him. The change was affecting Raef too and in even more dramatic ways than it did himself. ‘Now,’ thought Greywind. ‘Now, I will purge the scars of Magnalian. I will rid this world of him and his servants for all eternity! None will stand in my path!’ ---------------------------------------- Isel’s rage pured out at Magnalian, who panted and gasped amidst the smoke. With little strength left he was unsure how much more he could endure. His anger burned hot with his failure, as his onetime servant continued his unrelenting assault. But still, he knew Isel was holding back. “We must find the Orb! It is our only chance against these demons!” Magnalian bellowed to his comrades. He had only enough strength to make one teleport to safety. The ground beneath his feet swelled and burst forth with hot lava, throwing him onto his back. Isel followed with a fireball that barely missed the Summoner and was preparing another. The Hoi was to strong and too fast, he couldn’t conjure a teleport in time. His eyes stared into the nascent fireball that would spell his death. Darkness suddenly filled the clearing. A strong wind instantly quelled the blaze about them and brought a thick black smoke that blotted out the moons. The sound of the rushing wind was followed by a coarse roar that echoed across the mountains. A massive dragon-like form descended over the trees. Wrapped in black vapor its form was unclear save for the seething red light that burned from its eyes. Magnalian briefly spotted a man-like figure that stood on the black dragon’s brow before it opened its serrated beak and issued a blast of wind. The trees impacted by its breath turned to ash that blew away on the swirling winds. “You time has come Summoner!” shouted a dark voice out from atop the monster. The deadly vaporizing stream from the creatures mouth continued to clear a path straight toward the Magnalian. A glance at Isel showed him displeased and distracted. Magnalian couldn’t afford to wait for to learn the identity of this new threat. When Isel looked back at Magnalian he was gone
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) Atlas stooped down to pick up the strange grey dagger that Greywind had dropped, and examined it before putting it in his leg pouch. The majority of the group seemed startled by the disappearance. “Does this happen a lot?” asked Wilde after a pause. Atlas grimaced. “Yeah. Well it does now, all thanks to that damn Orb.” He turned back around to continue their trail, only to notice that a peculiar looking plane-like structure was stationed a few meters ahead. It was wedged into a small clearing, which was surrounded by a dense array of trees. He nodded towards it. “Is that the shuttle? I thought it’d be bigger.” As the group approached the shuttle, Atlas couldn’t help but feel strangely uneasy. The planet and its wildlife was alien to him, but was it normal for it to be so quiet? Did this planet have no birds or insects? He could have sworn it wasn’t so silent before. Atlas found himself fingering his rifle’s safety, nervously flicking it on and off. The captain shrugged at Atlas’ last statement. “The shuttle is primarily used for covert operations or when we need to transport a small load of troops behind enemy lines it's almost undetectable.” “Heh. I get it, you guys are like the damn –” he cut his sentence short when his ears picked up on a slight gurgling sound. Letting his army training kick in, Atlas raised his rifle to shoulder level, ducked into a standing-crouch, and scanned the area for optimal cover, all within a split-second. Then, he raised his arm with his hand in a fist – a military signal for “stop”. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, only the captain and his henchman seemed to understand and halted. The others, most notably the troll, sauntered onwards towards the shuttle. “Hold it right there!” called Atlas. “Don’t take another damn step!” This time everyone in the group stopped. But Atlas wasn’t addressing them. His gun was tersely aimed at the figures that now slowly stepped out of the foliage. At first glance, they looked human. Strangely clothed, but human. Another quick look back easily revealed that they weren’t quite so human. They didn’t have regular arms and legs, and instead had bulky, awkward looking limbs that reminded Atlas of the ghouls that they had encountered earlier. In fact, hadn’t Wilde said something about the ghouls being able to infect humans? “Oh shit,” Atlas muttered. There had to be dozens of them. More than that. And they had managed to circle around the group and the shuttle, closing them off from escape. Just then, one of the front-most infected snarled and ran straight for the group. The rest of the horde followed the lead and closed in as well. Atlas opened fire.
Taliza Taliza blew another burst of fire at skin surrounding the ship. She instinctivly knew that they would need the open part of the ship to fly into, so her fire was concentrated there. As she burned the last bit of ghoul away from the entry point a sudden feeling of fear entered her mind. It wasn't she that was scared but the others. Something was wrong. Her mental connection with them allowed her to sense that they were being surrounded by ghouls. She tucked her wings diving as fast as she could towards where she sensed her companions. First she smelled the Troll, then she heard the sound of the humans-tiny-weapons being fired. Seconds later she saw the humans and troll being surrounded by humans infected by the plauge. Spreading her wings she slowed her plumment to the ground. Taliza tore a tree out of the earth as she flew by and experately dropped it on the offending creatures as she flew over them. Taliza chuckled into the minds of the humans. <I leave you alone for 100 heartbeats and you are already getting into fights.> She banked sharply, taking herself back into the air. Poor humans. They are such weak creatures. No claws, no wings, no tails or scales. I'm amazed they've survived as a species this long.
Ekard There were a lot of things confusing Ekard at the moment. One was this speech about energy, the Truth, and... something. He just caught a few words of it, but could tell hearing the rest would probably not make the rest of it any more understandable. He figured he would just follow the group around, and if they needed him he'd lend a hand if the task wasn't too risky. Although, Ekard doubted anything this lot would do would be safe by any stretch of the imagination. Good thing you aren't obliged to do something when you can't be found. The second was the man that had just disappeared. Disappearing required a good deal of knowledge that Ekard happened to possess, and what the man had done seemed impossible. He hadn't moved, and all eyes were on him; you can't disappear when there's a set of eyes trained on you the entire time except when under specific circumstances, none of which existed when the disappearance happened. It must be more of this magic coming into play, and Ekard didn't like magic, as he knew no way to hide from such a thing. And now, more of those decimated walking corpses had arrived, just when they arrived at this odd-looking contraption that was supposed to transport them. Ekard drew his knife and stood by the creature he assumed to be a Troll from the old fairy-tales. After seeing it fight, Ekard figured he would survive best staying close to the Troll, as long as he didn't get caught in its hammer swings. <I leave you alone for 100 heartbeats and you are already getting into fights.> A tree trunk fell onto the zombies, flattening a few of them of them, dropped by the dragon that was traveling with this group. As if it were a signal, the rest of the ghouls surged forward, some having to scramble over the broken log. Ekard found himself slashing them with his knife left and right, slowly backing up to the contraption, trying to find somewhere, anywhere, he could disappear into once he briefly took the ghouls' attention away from him.
Zaca'reb and Magnafire Zaca’reb had been left to ponder his options. Try and fight the warrior, the demon dog and the colossal dragon-like beast, or take a page from Magnalian’s book and run like a madman. Without a second thought Zaca’reb dashed across scorched grass towards the tree line. The warrior, Magnafire, gave chase, unwilling to allow an ally of the Summoner to escape. The wizard’s expelling of magic had reduced his strength, and every three strides for him was one for his pursuer. With a hard thud and a clunk of platemail, Magnafire had got his man. Dust erupted in a cloud of smoke as they both hit the ground, but it didn’t take long for the warrior to be back on his feet. Zaca’reb lay on the ground, his whole body rising and falling with every breath caught. He had been blindsided and never expected the sudden force, his back now in a spasm of pain. He lay there waiting, eyes scrunched together, afraid of what was to come. “Please… please don’t kill me.” He said sneaking a peak at his imminent doom. Magnafire was less than impressed. “Pathetic. Get up… you don’t deserve the honour of death.” He said, gesturing a hand upwards. Yet the wizard lay still, paralysed by fear or stupidity. It didn’t matter to Magnafire, he just wanted to take the coward back to the rest of his allies. “I said get up!” He grabbed Zaca’reb by the arm, forcing another yelp, before flipping the wizard over. Zaca’reb forced his hand to Magnafire’s chest and a flare of cobalt light resonated between the pair. The icy blue glare stole into their eyes, blinding them both and in an instant the light exploded. The force jolted each of them in opposite directions and gravity lost its grip for a few moments. Magnafire ploughed into the dry ground, skimming across the sea of dirt like a pebble. Zaca’reb had not been so lucky. The blast had throttled him towards the forest, where his bones wrapped themselves around this trunk and that one, until he finally came to a stop. The body of the Magnan lay there, the only sign of life was the chest moving up and down. He appeared to be muttering to himself. He could feel pain, thankfully his armour had taken the brunt of it, but he still felt bruised. Somehow, summoning the strength to sit he could see the mage was in worst condition. He shook his head, not at the sight before him but it was if... something was speaking to him. "You are a disgrace to your people. I once saw a hundred of my men sacrifice their life to deal with one Silduindor, and yet you and him run like cowards." The voice didn't fit the body, it was eerily undead, and chilling in its coldness. The wizard’s eyes opened like a spark, the consciousness of pain thundering through him. Bones were broken in places and blood seeped through his robes, running cool along his skin. Slowly, he dragged his body up using a trunk, leaning with all his life on the oak. He looked at his opponent who now sat facing him, and a voice, decrepit and haunting, rose from within Magnan. Every fibre in his body tingled and he saw the undying look in the warrior’s eye. He had to run. But Zaca’reb could only manage buffering himself from tree to tree, resting each time as his face met the bark. Each rough splinter of wood was like a fluffy pillow as he moved away from danger and towards survival.
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) If Atlas were in a slightly more comfortable situation, he would have thanked Taliza for providing him with the piece of cover. Unfortunately, the ‘piece of cover’ also kicked up dust, forcing him to pause and put his tactical goggles over his eyes. In the span of this action, two infected had scrambled over the fallen tree, and were now rushing towards him. Atlas quickly fired off a round point-blank into one of the ghoul’s heads, causing a rather gory death. Without any hesitation, he connected the butt of his rifle into the second infected, knocking it back into the tree. The creature conveniently ended up impaling itself on a branch protruding from the trunk. Once the immediate threat was dealt with, Atlas ducked down behind the trunk of the fallen tree, and fired his weapon over it towards the swarm of infected. Seeing how many there were, it was nearly impossible to miss at all. But his gun was a semi-automatic rifle, not a machine gun. His bullets only downed maybe two or three at a time, and there were way too many of them. For every one infected he killed, another two stepped out of the forest to replace it. The enemy was weak, but at this rate they were still going to get overrun by the numbers. Atlas spent the rest of his cartridge on the horde, before making his way towards where the captain and his side were stationed. “Do you think we can beat ‘em all?” Atlas asked over the sound of the fighting. They were vastly outnumbered, but he still wasn’t sure what kind of firepower his comrades had. “‘Cause if not, our only way out is the shuttle!”
Tom and the Magnan The wizard’s eyes opened like a spark, the consciousness of pain thundering through him. Bones were broken in places and blood seeped through his robes, running cool along his skin. Slowly, he dragged his body up using a trunk, leaning with all his life on the oak. He looked at his opponent who now sat facing him, and a voice, decrepit and haunting, rose from within Magnan. Every fibre in his body tingled and he saw the undying look in the warrior’s eye. He had to run. But Zaca’reb could only manage buffering himself from tree to tree, resting each time as his face met the bark. Each rough splinter of wood was like a fluffy pillow as he moved away from danger and towards survival. --- With every step I tug the string. The dull thud of light foot boots was soon becoming rhythmic, like a march. The body of the Magnan gradually became that of his ancestor, even the black dragon armor was impossibly shaped. The undead soldier's speed was unnatural, as he closed the distance down up until he was practically behind Zaca'reb. He stamped his foot, a tree suddenly uprooted and became the obstacle in the wizard's path. "Why are you running!" commanded the First Edge. Coward... "We should deal with him, Provenance." Yes, make him regret his miserable life. The desiccated corpse seemed to snap the sword of his back, even though it was in some kind of fur-made sheath, the warriors armor, was also made of stone. It almost blended in with the corpse. "You will find only death." --- Whilst the frontal assault had been dealt with quite well by the combined effort of Taliza, and the Troll, more were converging and they were moving fast, "Corporal Rickett, cover our flank, they'll try and expose our blind spots." The woman acknowledged this without a word in reply, she moved towards the outer circle, effectively where most of the ghouls were trying to funnel into. There were bloody hundreds of them. A few that tried were cut down, with her temporal precision rifle, she switched from target to target, her beam rifle, blasting of limbs, and anything that could kill or significantly slow them down. But he knew she would soon be overwhelmed if they didn't compensate somehow the numbers against them. "Corporal, do you have any frags?" asked Wilde as he too took aim with his own temporally augmented weapon, strangely it resembled the Thompson as it was called used in world war two. The ghouls were falling, but they also kept coming. Damn it, we can't win this way. He typed something into his index, a holographic entity showed up, "Sandra. I know your still alive." The holographic image appeared, "How can I? Oh Wilde. I told you." "Yes... you did. Now please lower the ramp." "Yes, sir" although it sounded like it was mocking him. Damn Ai.
