Faramar Faramar watched from the sky as Eslana was thrown to the ground again. «I guess direct approaches won't be enough.» He thought As the "troll" as his companion had called it turned its attention back to Eslana, the peace keeper flew straight up for a relatively long distance, then began to dive toward the enormous bulky head of the creature, his sword pointed at it. Easy enough, he thought. But as Jor'Reda almost reached its mark, the troll lifted his club to parry the blow. «So this won't work either, huh?» The troll swung his other arm at Faramar and tossed him away several meters. This was a lot different than battling the beasts in Gharr'tash, that was for sure. He stood there for a few moments, trying to think of a strategy, while Eslana battled him furiously. He could see that she had a formidable technique with the sword. Her movements were exremely fluid as she struck up, down and side to side while pivoting to avoid the troll's massive weapon. Suddenly, as fast as the lightning bolt that his companion had hit him with, he had an idea. He launched himself toward the beast, flying close to the ground. The troll looked at him, a furious look in its face. "Still alive, you maggot?!" the troll shouted. It was now completely focused on Faramar, as he swung his club over his head. The peace keeper stopped and waited for the blow to hit. It came at tremendous speed, however, at the last second, he dodged to the side as the club hit the ground with more than enough power to kill him. "It's over" Faramar said. He jumped onto the trolls forearm and clutched it with his tail, proceeding to impale the beast's hand with his sword. It let out a deafening roar as it tried to free his hand. It was stuck to the ground. "Now's your chance!" he said to Eslana.
Eslana Forcanus "Now's your chance!" Eslana got into position, mentally thanking her new friend for the opportunity for a clean, unblocked attack. She jumped back for a moment, and then ran forward. "Eartar," she said quietly as she ran towards the troll's exposed back. A small piece of earth lifted out of the ground, giving her something to spring off of. She jumped, hit the top of the small pillar, and sprang off of it perfectly. In that split second that she was in the air, she thought of something that might help her defeat this troll. It was a different enemy than she was used to, and this new world seemed to have a whole host of them. She had seen the troll was intelligent, skilled in combat (more so than trolls she was used to), and now, he was exposed. She would take the chance, even though she had never used the power of her sword she was so aware of from the moment she got it... "Eslana Forcanus, the Sword of the Elements is not to be taken lightly. It has power beyond what you can imagine." The elder of her kind handed the sword to her, and she grabbed the hilt. The power surged through her, and the new connection was established. "Just, forewarning, the Sword of the Elements does have a power that should be used sparingly." With that, he told her how her connection with the sword could bring out a power in her and the sword in order to make her nearly invincible. The only thing was, the elder hadn't told her of any consequences for it. She was sure there was one. In mid-air, she yelled the ancient word. "Invincos Draconus!" In an instant, she felt the sword draw her power from her, and the sword's power surge into her. Then, everything went black. Without even knowing it, Eslana sliced clean through the troll's head. In addition, her sword found the nearest threat and sliced clean through that as well: Faramar's sword. After that, Eslana's body flew right past Faramar and dropped to the ground, unconscious. Around the world of the Orb, dragons of all kinds sensed the power surge. Every one of them roared or shouted in fury. They could feel the power, but couldn't use it. No, the power they felt was being drawn FROM them.
Magnafire Drake feat. Eslana The chill he felt nearly startled him, he could hear roars pounding his mind. They spoke in a tongue he was not familiar with and even still what surprised him was that they in their desperation they called out to him. All of them, something had invoked their power, drawing them in. He felt it although it complicated matters for him. It was distant, a new element bleeding into this dimension. The power resonating from it attracted Blade Edge. He didn’t think his sword to be nosy. Still this power, it was spreading fast, and refused to surrender. The dragon’s roars caused him to drop his knees. “I can’t save you!” he cried out. They withdrew. I’m sorry, I am so sorry. This power can’t continue to exist what if it bleeds into the shadow realm through Lightbreach. Worse it could draw in Corgraven, leave him and his kin weak. Light would win. What do we do? The source is distant but if we continue at our current pace we could find it. Or you could Edgewalk. What happens next depends entirely on you. Fine, I'll do that. As it is always the case. It falls onto me. I’m sorry Drake. You must reason with it, you have to reach out. I can show you the way but you must follow the path. I will be free of this body. I trust you can look after it, Blade Edge. I promise you, I won’t do anything rash. Magnafire allowed himself to fall more or less into the Wandering Realm; Vulk Grulain, its essence still driven by Blade Edge’s gift, it was strange allowing Blade Edge to control his mortal body although he had read it in a tome that Edgewalkers had done this kind of switch a lot, it served different purposes of course but still it told him how close the sword and flesh were to being almost one self being. The mind in question was cold. Not dead but not conscious. This would complicate matters. He followed the power that even here manifested. Gods above... and below it’s using the Paths and the portals could they be cracks in the fabric of reality. Not time holes but something all together worse. He found the mind and wrapped an invisible rope around his body, he thought he heard Blade Edge’s cruel laugh but then shrugged it off as his own thoughts playing tricks on him. I tread the edge, a term it seems not to be used lightly. The body which looked female wasn’t moving but he could stir the mind with Blade Edge’s temporary gift. This was the only way he could get her to stop. ‘This will no doubt scare you, but I can assure you this isn’t a dream. It’s a telepathic link, brought on by what you just did. I can’t explain who I am, not enough to time for that. Whatever you just did, I felt them roar and you’re hurting them, at least I think it’s you, this whole dimension is alien to me. So this link I created right now won’t last. I don’t care how you do it. I just need you to stop... please,’ said Magnafire pleadingly in her thoughts. ‘Stop what exactly?” she answered weakly. ‘You’re weakening the dragons. I beg you to stop,’ said Magnafire as thoughtful as possible. He felt the rope tighten on his waist. ‘Never enough bloody time,’ he muttered. ‘The sword, you refer to the sword, I can’t stop it. I know it but I know little of its power. I’m sorry,” she whispered. Magnafire sensing he would have no further hope of stopping the power burst, found himself being thrown back into his own mortal body. The reigns handed back to him. He nearly puked. I’m not cut out to be Edgewalking.
Faramar As Faramar saw Eslana jump from the earth pillar, he grinned. She was indeed a skilled fighter. But then, something went wrong. "Invinco Draconus!" she had shouted. Her whole body turned a bright orange color, much like the one of her dress. Then, the orange light seemed to be absorbed by her sword. The events that followed suit happened so fast, that Faramar could only assess the situation once it was over. The first thing he saw was the troll's head rolling off from atop its shoulders. He looked for Eslana and found her lying on the ground behind him. He tried to pull his sword out from the hand of the beast, and that was when he realised. It seemed to Faramar as if time itself had stopped. In his hand, he held the hilt of Jor'Reda, the blade was still stuck to the ground. His heart was filled with a miscellany of feelings of such dimension, that it ovewhelmed him completely. He looked up to the sky and let out a shout. A shout of rage and fear but also despair. He looked over to Eslana. Her body was so vulnerable at the time. Hatred almost flowed from the peace keeper's very eyes as he leered the unconscious creature. Feelings like these, Faramar had never experienced before. That sword was his legacy, given to him by the previous Jor'tash, who received from the Jor'tash before him. He had had it since longer than he could remember. «Wasn't it made from unbreakable ore? Isn't it supposed to be invincible?» Faramar thought Tears flowed from his eyes as he kneeled before the shards of his once mighty sword. He knew not what to do. He wanted revenge on the woman, but he was taught never to harm a companion, especially when he or she was vulnerable like this. Why would she do that? Weren't they supposed to be companions? Maybe even friends! His mind was in such a confusion, he couldn't even stand up. Nor did he notice the several bruises caused by the troll when it swatted him on the occasion of his first strike. He just lay there,beside the woman, not knowing what to do or what to feel.
Igor "Ah human you're awake. I spotted a jungle to the north that wasn't there earlier. We should head towards it at once." As you wish. whispered Igor into his new companion's mind. By the way, we haven't made any introductions, Thum. I'm Igor. Thum seemed confused, but he seemed to quickly realize that Igor probably got that information from looking into his mind. Don't worry, I didn't go into any private details. Well, except for the name. he communicated with a mischevious grin on his face. While heading out of the door, he stopped suddenly. Something was wrong, a strong power had been released somewhere. Overwhelmed by his own curiosity Igor expanded his mind in the direction of the power's source. Travelling for a few moments his mind reached it's destination, and he was now looking at an uncanny scenario. Infront of him layed the body of a big creature cut in half. Next to it was a woman laying down with a glowing sword by her side, clearly the source of all the power being released. The oddest thing of all was a creature sitting by the hand of the deceased beast that looked like a man but in his back he had elegant feathered wings, and next to his neck, guills. To top it all off, he was crying over what seemed to be his broken weapon. Finish them off and leech their souls! said a voice in his head. Igor supressed it for as much as he would enjoy doing that, he had to take into account that he was now travelling with a companion who wouldn't appreciate if Igor didn't share with him what was going on just a few minutes away from the village. And he couldn't hide it from him because he had surely felt the surge of power as well. Retracting his mind, he was quickly back to his body. Thum was now standing infront of him, with an untrusting gaze. Sorry about that. I was scanning the source of the power burst, we should head there, if that's okay with you. transmitted Igor, taking a friendly and cordial stance once again.
Eslana Forcanus Eslana wasn't sure who the person in her mind was, but he backed out not long after she explained that she didn't understand the full power of her sword, the Sword of the Elements. She had been told about the power, Dragonwield, but she hadn't been told what it would do, or how it would affect her. Apparently, as told to her by the mysterious man in her mind, it was weakening dragons. Perhaps, it was drawing power from the dragons. Eslana didn't know. A scream met her ears, a terrible cry of pain, anguish, and even hatred. She awoke slowly, and when she was able to open her eyes, Faramar was kneeling beside her, weeping. "Fa... Faramar? What's wrong? Did I kill the troll?" Faramar nodded, still weeping. "Then... what's the matt..." Instantly, she saw what was wrong. Faramar held out his sword, or what was left of it. The hilt was in Faramar's hand, and the blade was in the ground. "How?" Faramar started shaking. "YOU! You destroyed Jor'Reda! You and your glowing sword!" "I'm... I'm so sorry. I blacked out as soon as I called out the spell." Faramar looked away. "Then it's not your fault." Eslana knew that was a lie, at least, Faramar didn't believe that. Not truthfully. "I'll fix it. I fixed swords before..." "You can't fix Jor'Reda! It was handed down from one Jor'tash to another. It's gone! The Jor'tash have fallen...." Eslana wiped a tear from her eye. What had she done? Her new companion, she'd destroyed his most treasured possession, his livelihood... That would be like turning her human... "I will fix this Faramar. Somehow, if it takes me the rest of my life, I'll fix it." Jor'Reda can be fixed, you can have the power. Come Eslana, to wield the power to fix Jor'Reda. The voice... was in her head, not human, not mortal... What power could fix a sword that couldn't be fixed? Was it the power that had summoned her here, to this world? She would find it then...
Faramar "I will fix this Faramar. Somehow, if it takes me the rest of my life, I'll fix it." Faramar was still feeling depressed. His most prized possession had been destryed, his legacy, which was almost older than time itself. He wasn't hurt bad from the fight with the troll, but he felt as if every bone in his body had been broken. She had not meant to do it... She is not to blame. The peace keeper could see that Eslana felt sorry for his loss. Tears appeared on her eyesand trickled down her face. Finally, after a few more minutes of grieving for his broken sword, he stood up, wiping his tears from his face. "I think it would be best if we split up for a while. I need to clear my head, think about my future and become one with myself once more. Will you await me, friend?" Even though he thought he had seen Eslana nodding her head, Faramar did not wait for an answer. He jumped in the air and started flying towards the sun. He felt weird without the weight of Jor'Reda on him. Almost as if he was completely naked.
Rodrick Greyhammer Rodrick looked upon the wide expanse of land before him. "A new land." he murmured with a grimace. behind him he heard the armoured foot falls of officer Jarvis, walking up the edge of the hill to join him. He turned to greet him. "Sir!" said Jarvis, bringing his left hand to his boiled leather Cuirass in salute. Rodrick nodded in response. "Enough, what do you make of this?" Jarvis lowered his hand. After glaring at Rodrick's feet in thought for 5 minutes, he eventually came to a conclusion. "Dunno" he said, shrugging. Rodrick shook his head and rolled his eyes. He looked past Jarvis, at the Vigilant camped around the hill he was standing on. Jarvis traced his stare back to the soldiers and smirked. "Should I ready the soldiers for one of your moving war-speeches?" Rodrick chuckled. "We will make the historians weep for generations." He replied, with a wink . . . "Right you lot!" He bellowed moments later. "we're in unknown territory, that means you can take everything you know about Narcia and stick it up your arse. If you find any beasts, kill them; if you find anyone else, capture them. I don't want whatever's dominant in this place finding out we're here." The soldiers stood, waiting expectantly. Instead, Rodrick turned to Jarvis and snapped, "tell them to quit f*****g gawking at me like children and move out." The soldiers, all packed, made their way past the hills and into the forest single file. There were about 20 of them, Rodrick estimated. Vigilant. . . I'm supposed to take a a place like this, with fodder? he thought to himself darkly. He moved his right hand to his back, gripping the pole of his Bardiche, reassuringly. I have justice on my side, I have strength on my side, I am the law, anywhere, location doesn't matter. he recited to himself over and over again as the marched onwards.
Relagator Thum As you wish. Igor whispered into his mind. By the way, we haven't made any introductions, Thum. I'm Igor. Ah, so the human had a name. He didn't like the fact he'd looked into his mind though. Don't worry, I didn't go into any private details. Well, except for the name. Igor said with a mischevious grin on his face. Thum ignored it and started heading out of the house, Igor following. He exited heading for the jungle, pausing when he realised Igor hadn't followed. He looked round. Igor stood in the door way frozen. Thum walked back and bent down tapping him on the head. "Human?" There was no response for a few moments. After a few moments he seemed to return. Sorry about that. I was scanning the source of the power burst, we should head there, if that's okay with you. transmitted Igor. So they weren't alone after all? Which direction did the power burst come from? He asked. North east of here. Igor replied pointing. Without waiting Thum grabbed Igor and leapt into the air. They sailed high into the air before slowing as Thum controlled their descent. A little way off he could see a village and a solitary figure flying away. So, Igor, tell me about yourself and why your here.
From the top of the highest tree, Pyree stared down into the deep ravine. The gap spanned 30 meters across and nearly twice as deep. On the far side she spied a rocky outcropping, unapproachable by neither beast nor bug. The perfect spot for her to camp out and make a few more calculations on the curvature of space for this strange world. Pressing a button on her gravity control she set the function to preform a parabolic jump to the opposite side. She crouched down and sprung forward with her legs propelling out into the open air. The ravine spread out below. Its dark chasm looking like an open mouth hungry for anything stupid enough to fall in. She was no bumbling neanderthal that would easily trip to sate it. “Brzzzrrrrt! Crackle Bzzzsst.” Pyree was at the height of her jump when the gravity device failed. Did a new portal open up? Would she have to redo all her calculations again? “Cheap trash!” Pyree shouted, plummeting downward. The ravine lay waiting below to swallow her, neanderthal or not.
Igor So, Igor, tell me about yourself and why your here. I'm here for the Orb. I was living a usual life when I heard its call. The portal spawned right in my living room, so I didn't even think, I immediately stepped in. Soon after arriving I realized that communicating with the minds of others wouldn't save me from brute beasts, and that's where you came in. Since you saved my life, I'm willing to help you get the Orb, as long as you share some of its power with me. As they landed, Igor could see the woman from before, but the weird creature was gone. When she saw them arriving, which must have been an odd image, the woman grabbed her sword and stood up quickly, taking a defensive fighting stance. Thum has seen her, now you can kill her. whispered the voice in his head. Not yet. replied Igor. A laugh was heard in his mind as the voice vanished. Igor knew the woman wouldn't attack them, and he heard her babbling a question of minor importance, so he decided to scan her. With his eyes closed, he disjointed his mind and entered her's quickly but silently. He started gathering information about her, her world, her sword, her abilities, when suddenly something interrupted him. A presence with great power was pushing him away. Igor knew it wasn't the girl, she hadn't even realized he was inside her mind! Leave. he heard an assertive voice say before being completely pushed away, back into his body. Stunned by the unexpected turn of events, Igor stumbled back, and nearly fell. ATTACK HER! DESTROY HER! HOW DARE SHE! yelled a group of voices inside of him. Their anger was starting to take Igor over. He tried to struggle but they had caught him out of guard, and there was nothing he could do now to prevent all of the souls he had absorbed from taking over his body and mind. Igor stood up straight, with his eyes wide open, anger pouring out of them. He couldn't see anything around him but the woman standing in front of him. His hands who until then were laying in his pockets were now open by the side of his body. The wind around him started moving faster as he gathered huge amounts of psychic force in the palm of his hands. Much like a puppet controlled by someone else, he raised his arms in a weird manner, pointing the palm of his hands at Eslana, throwing a massive wave of sheer psychic force towards her.
Eslana Forcanus "Will you await me, friend? Eslana wasn't sure, but Faramar got up and turned around without waiting for an answer. She nodded quickly. She owed him, she owed it to him to wait, to see him again. He took off, flying into the sun. Eslana covered her eyes to see where he was going, and then saw his sword, Jor'Reda, on the ground. Both of the pieces lay apart; the blade stuck in the ground, the hilt laying a few feet away where Faramar had sat moments before. You can fix it, come to the power... Power indeed, she thought. That's what had gotten her into this mess. She'd used a power she had been warned about. And all it had done was lose her the only friend she had in this new world. All to defeat a troll... She was better than that. She knew what had caused her to use it. Ever since the day she'd received the Sword of the Elements, she'd wanted to know what the hidden power did. Back in her own land, there wasn't an enemy she couldn't defeat just by using the sword and her own skills. Here, she'd been scared, only for a split second. She was scared of this new world, the new creatures, the people... Except for Faramar. How could a person be blasted out of the sky, be threatened with death, and still manage to forgive the person who had done it all? Faramar was a peace keeper. Eslana shed a tear, thinking of how she had hurt her friend. Destroying his sword would be like taking away her... Yes, she knew what it would feel like. "I'll fix it, I'll fix Jor'Reda," Eslana said, picking up the two pieces of the sword. Yes, you could have to power to fix it. Eslana looked angrily to the sky. "On my own." Sheathing her own sword, she stood up to go and find a Break in this world. However, as she turned, she saw someone, and a something, coming at her from the sky. One was a large lizard-like creature, easily a few feet taller than her. The other was human, being carried by the lizard thing. She drew her sword to face the lizard thing, figuring the human was its next meal. Then, with great pain, she realized that the human was the one she should have been worried about. The human raised his hands, and in a moment something, a great amount of power, smashed into her, throwing her back. "I've had about enough of this fighting for the day," she said, looking to see where Jor'Reda had gone. The two pieces weren't far from her. I made a promise to Faramar, and I'm going to keep it. Forget fighting, forget that stupid power. It was harder to do, what she did next. Rarely did she request her sword to do more than one thing at a time, but she could give up some of her energy and the sword would be happy to do the work. "Eartaras Flamias!" Stabbing her sword into the ground, a massive wave of fire flew towards the two beings who had just come to her from the sky. She didn't use enough power to hit them with the fire, just to create a distraction large enough to hide her and Jor'Reda behind. The second part of the sword's power dropped the earth under her feet, and under the two pieces of Jor'Reda. She knew that as she was sinking into the earth, so was Faramar's sword. Looking up as she sank, she watched the earth close up over her. It would be dark for a few moments, but the Sword of the Element's stone would provide enough light for now, until she got out of the cave she had created. She heard a clang, and soon she fell through a hole in the earth. How ironic, a natural cave... She fell to the floor of the cave, and in the stone's light, she saw Jor'Reda laying not far away. "Back to work," she said, walking over and picking up the sword.
Relagator Thum I'm here for the Orb. I was living a usual life when I heard its call. The portal spawned right in my living room, so I didn't even think, I immediately stepped in. Soon after arriving I realized that communicating with the minds of others wouldn't save me from brute beasts, and that's where you came in. Since you saved my life, I'm willing to help you get the Orb, as long as you share some of its power with me. Igor whispered. They landed Thum noticed another human, this one female. What is it about humans that makes them spread across the galaxy like plague. The female stood drawing her sword as Thum straightened up to his full height. He started to prepare a greeting message when he noticed a change had come over Igor. Around them the wind picked up as Igor raised his hands. He pushed them forwards a wave of psychic force throwing her backwards. This human was turning out to be a far more useful ally then Thum had ever expected. He had to be careful though, his hood wouldn't stop an attack like that. "Eartaras Flamias!" The female cried stabbing her sword into the ground. A wall of fire surged towards them as she sank into the ground. Thum flicked his arm upwards as the flames approached. They halted as if hitting a barrier before dispersing. Flames gone he headed over to where she had dissapeared. Thum drew his hammer slamming it down into the ground. My turn Igor. The shockwave spread out in a small circle the ground slowly rising into the air in various chunks. They flew into the air around him before carrying on off into the sky. In a short time the roof of a cave had been uncovered, the female sitting in the middle. Thum grinned.
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) Atlas kept a brisk pace as he travelled with his newfound companions. The walk was long, and there wasn’t very much to be said. The armoured man – Burstion – was behind him, while the ‘General’ was leading the front. Atlas couldn’t help but check his surroundings every once in a while to make sure nothing snuck up on them. He wasn’t used to walking through the middle of a large exposed plain. It wasn’t very long until the group had reached the thin stretch of trees at the end of the plain. Despite the fact that the ground would be harder to tread on, Atlas felt slightly more at ease, knowing the forest would give him some cover. Besides, whatever Thatratar did had made him stronger. It hadn’t only affected his ability to swing the damn thing; he had basically gained the equivalent of ten years’ worth of special operations training. “Portals, space women, giant snakes,” he muttered to himself, “And magical goddamn swords! I’m not paid enough for this.” The group continued onwards, their pace only slightly hindered by the dense tress. Atlas observed that the trees were different somehow. Bigger and greener. They seemed to resemble a rain-forest. Immersed in thought, he hadn’t noticed that the General had stopped. Atlas had to swerve to the right to avoid running into him. “Watch it! What’s the hold up?” The General signalled for silence, raising his finger to his lips. Atlas stopped and listened. He couldn’t catch anything at first, but he eventually heard them. There were footsteps. The longer he listened, the more he recognised that the sound couldn’t have come from a single man. That was the sound of many men marching in rhythm. It was a platoon, or a regiment of men. And only organised, armed men marched like that. Reflexively, Atlas entered a crouched position, and took cover behind a tree. It wasn’t likely this army had guns, but it was still a good idea to stay hidden. Following his actions, Burstion and the General also lay low, spreading out to either side of him. The marching, he realised, was headed almost straight for them. Atlas peeked his head out, making sure he had removed his desert-coloured helmet first. Sure enough, a large group of heavily armed men approached in their direction. He managed to make eye contact with the General and Burstion, and lifted his open palm in an attempt to convey a message. Wait for my signal. Then, before he could decide against it, Atlas stood up out of cover and walked towards the advancing army. “Army” was an exaggeration. The group of men were smaller than a regular platoon was, and couldn’t have been made of more than twenty men. But they were soldiers for sure. They all sported matching sets of leather armour and they all had swords by their sides. Leading the men was a large man who had some sort of axe-like weapon holstered on his back. It didn’t take them long to notice Atlas, and their leader halted. The rest of the men, who were in a tight, square formation slowed down behind him. Atlas had nonchalantly brought his hands to his stomach, hiding the grenade he held in them. He had assumed the throwing position. To any military officer from Earth, this stance would have been plainly obvious, but it couldn’t have looked any more than a defensive posture to these men. “Hey!” he called, “No sudden movements. You’re surrounded.”
Faramar Faramar had been flying for a while now. The jungle was far behind him and the corpse of the troll was now a tiny spot on the horizon. Many things went through the peace keeper's head. Sorrow, loathe, fear, and even desperation. He had to calm down and he knew it. That is what he was told. The loss he had suffered was beyond the simple meaning of important, however, he recalled what one of his mentors had once said. "Faramar, if you ever feel like things can't get any worse and everything seems to be against you, you must prevail. That is what the Jor'tash do and that is what you must do. For you and for your people." I must prevail! For the first time during his flight, he looked straight ahead. In front of him was a ravine and the gap between both sides seemed to be huge. But there was something else. There, in the middle of the gap, something was falling. Or was it someone? A shout echoed from the direction of the ravine, and that was all Faramar had to hear. He sped from what seemed like a calm, slow flight, to an astonishing speed. He could see nothing around him and focused only on the falling creature. He reached the gap and dove straight down. Darkness was all that he could see, but the creature still scremed, and the peace keeper followed the sound. It was getting closer and closer until he could see it. A creature, with the general characteristics of Eslana was free falling through the gap. He grabbed it and almost lost control as she struggled in his arms. He knew not if it would recognise the same dialct as his companion but he tried it. "Calm down creature! I mean you no harm." It seemed to have understood, as it stopped struggling almost completely. Faramar could see the light of day coming from the surface and he tried to fly toward it. However, it seemed that in his current condition, he was not able to carry that much weight. The peace keeper struggled to the most that his body allowed him, but it was useless. All he could do was slowly glide downward. Should he just drop the creature? It would be easy for him to go back up safely. I am the Jor'tash! I cannot leave any creature in such distress. So Faramar decided to stay with the creature. Their slow descent soon came to an end. It seemed like Faramar had caught the creature close to the ground. The light was very dim down there but he managed to drop his "passenger" on a safe place. "Are you alright?" he asked
Rodrick Greyhammer Rodrick embraced the Lorin. He felt it saturate him, envelop him like a flash flood of energy, sweeping away weakness. He looked at the small man standing in the clearing of the forest, then behind him, looking for signs of disturbance in the lie of the land. He grinned. "Are you posing for a statue boy?" He quipped. Rodrick grabbed the nearest soldier, still keeping his eyes on the strangely dressed man. "Search him." The soldier walked towards the man, his axe and shield at the ready. Rodrick kept his eyes locked on the foliage behind the man.
Eslana Forcanus Eslana felt relief as she picked up Jor'Reda, grateful the sword hadn't been separated from itself, or from her. As she picked it up, the earth around her began to shake. Small stones fell from the top of the cave, then larger rocks. "What now?" Suddenly, the roof of the cave shattered, like someone had punched through a glass window. Rocks and boulders flew everywhere, and Eslana shielded herself with her sword. After the earth had stopped shaking, and Eslana could see that there was light in the cave, she glanced past her sword to see what all the commotion was about. She frowned, seeing the lizard-thing in the cave, grinning at her. "WHAT DO YOU WANT!" Eslana threw down her sword, and dropped Jor'Reda. "I am of no threat to you! I didn't harm you, I didn't attack you! You came after me, and your friend tried to kill me! All I wanted was to get away," she yelled, walking towards the lizard thing. He looked surprised, probably thinking she would attack him again. "I'm just trying to help a friend! There is a man out there, in this strange and stupid world, lost because I did something wrong." Tears started flowing from Eslana's eyes. She had never cried before. She had been upset before, and she had mourned before, but she had never cried. "He has lost himself, and I lost him. He was the only friend I had here." She walked closer, throwing her hands up in the air. "But you! You have to follow me, to attack me. Well fine! Kill me if you must! Where will it get you? What will you have accomplished?" When she got to the lizard-thing, she dropped to her knees. "Kill me. At least I won't have to feel this pain anymore." She quieted to nearly a whisper, but the lizard thing could still hear her. "I don't even know if I can fix Jor'Reda..." She lowered her head, wiping more tears from her face. "I'm ready for my fate."
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) "Search him,” said the leader of the group. A man broke off from the squad and started moving towards Atlas. “You move any closer, and you’re done for,” he warned the man. Instead of slowing down, the soldier pulled a large axe and a wooden shield from his back, and hastened his pace. “Shit. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” muttered Atlas. Making the decision, he unpinned the grenade and gripped it in his hand. The man drew closer with each cautious step, giving Atlas the precious time to cook the grenade. The soldier was smirking, “What the hell are you doing, boy?” Atlas only grinned back, “Posing for a goddamn statue!” With one quick motion, he bent down and rolled the grenade towards the mass of unaware soldiers. The man approaching him had broken into a run, charging at Atlas with his axe in the air. Remaining in his crouched position, he quickly grabbed his M-4, releasing the safety at the same time. The man had approached Atlas just in time to receive a bullet through his skull. It only took a moment before the deafening explosion shook the ground.
Rodrick was flying. He didn't remember why, all he knew was that the feel of air rushing past him was, oddly soothing . . . His flight and peace of mind was ended with an abrupt thump . . . Groggily he turned his head and realised he had just collided with a tree. A tree, in the forest. I'm in a forest. he thought, his head a mix of high pitched ringing and haze. Gradually, the ringing in his ears receded enough for him to hear the cries, yells and moans that now filled the clearing. Lifting his gaze from the comforting stillness of the tree he turned to locate the source of the disturbance: Blood and viscera painted the trees red. He saw soldiers, his soldiers. At least, it looked like they were his soldiers. It was difficult for him to discern in his current condition. The ones he did recognise all appeared -- wrong -- twisted and broken, split open and crushed at the same time. He embraced Lorin, feeling it course through his veins like a flaming glacier. With newly-found clarity he examined the bodies more thoroughly, some were still alive, he could hear them fighting in the distance. Jarvis dived into the bushes as the man, if it was a man, threw the talisman amongst the gathered soldiers. It exploded. Jarvis felt as though thunder itself erupted from the earth. Around him, he heard screams as blood and guts fell like rain, draping branches like ornaments. Peeking through the bush he saw a few soldiers at the front getting to their feet and charging the man. He quickly regained his feet as well and sprinted around the outskirts of the clearing, finding his destination he turned to look at the man engaging his men. The man was holding some peculiar crossbow and was firing it at the oncoming soldiers, dispatching a few, and wounding others, until only 3 were left bolting towards him. Jarvis burst out of the foliage and towards the man from the right side of the clearing while he was distracted. One of the soldiers threw his axe at the assailant, that was easily dodged by the man, but in doing so caused him to have his back to Jarvis long enough for him to leap upon him, bringing them both to the ground in a heap . . . Looking up from the dust Jarvis saw his fellow Vigilant mere strides away, and behind them he saw Rodrick, moving swiftly towards them with his Bardiche in-hand. His black hair lank and dirty, clung to his bloodied face and his eyes -- glowed with the fury of a mad god.
The explosion deafened him. What was that? I haven’t a clue, Drake... enough chat let’s give the guy some protection. Drake agreed, and was soon the target of another axe wielder who must have assumed he was the weakest of the lot. He thought that was understandable due to the apparent lack of armour on his person. They however, may as well have worn nothing. Leather armour was in his eyes the worst kind. He knew very few who wore it efficiently. He finally unsheathed his hungry sword, and side stepped the Axe wielder, causing him to stumble. Drake half turned and drove the point into the man’s the back. That was followed by a howl as the flames of Blade Edge engulfed him. As the man crumpled in agony, the Magnan gave him the death blow, straight to the back of the head. Lights out. The taste of blood in a battle... it is the sweetest – Magnafire ignored Blade Edge’s sick minded speech and set out to close the gap between him and the man Atlas. Someone had forced the other soldier to the ground. Magnafire also noted the advancing troops. Calculating the options, he realised the ambusher was focusing his attention on them. Magnafire clenched his free hand and drove the flaming fist into the back of the man’s head. Always watch your back, son. Sure that Atlas was safe, he faced Riley and shouted, “Smokescreen them. Blind the bastards!” Magnafire hurled a few fireballs in the direction of the advancing troops, they hit the ground and created a mass wall of flame and smoke. Then while their regaining their senses, we hit hard, we hit fast. The motto of the Lightfoots.. he smiled to himself.
"Are you alright?" he asked Slightly shaken, she regarded the creature warily. It could talk, but the wings and tail on the creature could hardly be classified as human. Pyree shook her head banishing yet another impossibility. At least this one didn't want to eat her. “Hi,” she proffered her hand, “I'm Pyree.” “I am Faramar, Jor'tash, the peace keeper in my world." Since it was becoming a pattern that no one was from this world, Pyree rolled with the inconsistencies. Human or not it had saved her. “How did you get so high in the air without wings?” he asked “Well this device-” She was interrupted by a tremor through the earth. She looked up at the sheer wall searching for danger or a rock slide. The tremors continued, intermittently echoing through the ravine. “It is not safe here.” Faramar stated “Shh.” Pyree held up a hand. The tremors were by no means natural. She felt a wave of gravity coincide with each vibration. It was gravity control, she could tell, and coming from nearby. She walked further down the narrow ravine and waved her savior closer. “It's a cave. The tremors are coming from inside. If this gravity wave is related to the portals somehow then I need to investigate.” “I don't understand what it is that you speak of, but I left my companion waiting for me before I encountered you falling. I fear she might be in danger.” “Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark.” “I traverse land, sea and air without fear.” “Yeah, I'd go anywhere too if it led me back home, but someone is controlling gravity nearby. I'm going to find out who.” Pyree pulled a small handle from her pack, simple in design with appropriate hand guards. Grasping it firmly, she turned it on. It hummed to life and with a slight glow. “Its a heat based cutting tool. In the presence of oxygen it glows a little. Would this be enough light for you?” she asked.
Rodrick heaved his bulk through the flame. He saw his rivals standing towards the edge of the clearing near the collapsed form of Jarvis. Bellowing with rage he charged towards them, flicking his bardiche to deflect a small pellet from the first man's crossbow. He directed himself towards to oddly dressed new arrival, bringing his bardiche towards him in a downwards arc, an arc he easily sidestepped. Expecting this, Rodrick spun on his left heel bringing the pole of his axe into the new arrival's face. Sensing movement behind him from the armed man he embraced Lorin, empowering himself with strength and speed he bowed down and kicked out behind him, putting his full weight and Lorin-Ascended augmented strength into the blow, sending the man sprawling into the bush. Distractions aside Rodrick gave his full attention to the new arrival before him. "Let us fight half-lizard." he declared. With eyes full of profound fury, he clutched his Bardiche with two hands and took a defensive stance.
Riley Burstion Riley watched the whole scene with amusement. He was impressed at Atlas's approach to the situation; having recognized the grenade from his own childhood on earth, Riley knew that it would do immense damage to the army that had seemingly materialized out of nowhere. He saw Atlas go down, but just as quickly saw Drake take out a soldier and free their comrade. Atlas got back up, just as aggressive as before, and began firing rapidly with his gun. "Smokescreen them. Blind the bastards!" Riley heard Drake's shout just before the warrior was engaged by what seemed to be the leader of the army, wielding a wicked-looking axe. While Riley was almost positive that, with the combined might of Blade Edge, his friend would be fine, he was at no liberty to take any chances. Following Drake's suggestion, a ball of flame materialized in Riley's hand. Hurling it into the throng of warriors, he saw many catch fire and hoped that the chaos would cause just enough of a distraction for him to make his move. With a smirk, he padded forward, trying to stay out of the leader's vision. The man had still not made a move, and stood before Drake in a defensive position. He was, strategically, waiting for his enemy to make the first move. Unfortunately, he relied too much on his army to keep his back covered. Using what little smoke there was as cover, he suddenly dashed forward and arrived behind his foe. He flicked his wrist, igniting his blade, and, before anyone could react, had his arm over the razor edge of his weapon pressed lightly against the front of the leader's neck. Roaring as loudly as his voice would let him, he shouted, "Nobody moves or your leader dies!"
Magnalian the Summoner "The Journeyers are all fighting each other save for the nearest two in the ravine, Summoner.” Magnalian the Summoner smiled at the young man’s news. “Well done, err what was your name again?” The wizard asked with an air of indifference. The grey vapor that seeped from the man’s eyes dissipated as his solid black eyes returned to normal. “My name is Greywind Raven-Ryder,” as he spoke a large black bird appeared from a sudden puff of vapor and settled on Greywind’s shoulder. “I have done your task. Will you return me to my home now?” “Why the hurry Raven-boy, you’ve only just begun. I’m afraid I will need your services a bit more,” Magnalian held the glowing orb in his hand admiring its soft glow. He had feared that this side-effect of the orb had cursed him to a life of nothing more than protecting his treasure. But so far the seekers who had come through the portals seemed more interested in destroying each other than in finding his precious creation. He could keep an eye on them himself, but he feared that using the orb in such a way might give away his presence and incur unwanted attention. Better to leave such a task to less powerful creatures he could summon and un-summon at his whim. “Keep an eye on them all, especially the ones in the ravine and notify me at once if they head this way.” “Yes Summoner,” replied Greywind. “And secondly, do not reveal yourself, but if possible pit them against one another. The more they fight amongst themselves the less I will have to deal with them.” “Yes Summoner,” replied Greywind. Magnalian finally looked at the man. The eyes behind his straight dark hair were so somber, so full of hate. He looked closer at the boy, was the wraith hiding something? “And Greywind, if you so much as breath a word against me, I will destroy your entire world,” the Orb glowed a brilliant orange as he spoke adding credit to its power. “Yes Summoner,” was the man’s only reply before both he and his avian pet vanished in a whiff of dark vapor.
Faramar “Its a heat based cutting tool. In the presence of oxygen it glows a little. Would this be enough light for you?” Faramar was reluctant to enter this cave when Eslana might be in danger. However, the cave was in the same direction he had come from, which meant that maybe he would find her there. "It will be hard to get our bearings without something a bit stronger." Pyree, the woman he had just saved, just shrugged "That is what we get. Sorry." So be it They went into the cave, the only source of light being the strange device his companion was carrying. Inside, he could not see more than six or seven meters ahead of him, however, Pyree seemed to be able to sense what she called "gravity waves". Was it safe to trust this new encounter? She might just be leading him into a trap. The peace keeper shook these feelings off. If it was a trap, he deserved to get caught in it for baing so defenseless. They went on. The gray walls of rock surrounding them and the occasional bat flying away were getting slowly repetitive, but Pyree kept saying «We're getting closer!» and «Just a bit more!» And sure enough, Faramar could see a very dim and faded light. Both him and Pyree sighed in relief. They were getting close.
