Ambrosia Software Web Board: Echoes from the Past (TS) - Ambrosia Software Web Board

"I was banished, but because i lived and trained with my teacher for 1,000 years of my life we have an acute mental link, though it has a range limit. I asked him here to help me train and further improve my skills."

*******

Draconis stood there and let his head back, he roared and flame spout from his mouth which was quickly becoming a muzzle with reptilian teeth, Joru protected him while he changed, once finished there stood in the midst of a battle a fully grown Dragon. Roaring he plowed through harpies ripping and tearing with his 18" teeth and razor edged claws, Joru protected Draconis' head as best he could, (striking a good blow from under the chin where there is no bone or protective scales could prove fatal for him) <the power that figure emenaited, he is no mere mortal.> Draconis' 'thought-speech' boomed in Joru's mind <you know him, sensay?> Joru questioned <no, my chin!> joru quickly jumped and warded a spear from his teacher's large chin.

[edit: my friend Dark jet is moving, but i think he will be back on asap.(I hope)]

------------------
"I don't like to fight, but it's my life, it's all I know" Joru at the council of elders, on Kentaries III


[This message has been edited by Kentonis 8356 (edited 08-25-2004).]

"Hah! Six! Beat that!" Theo grinned triumphantly.

"You seem happy," Avatara said mildly as he concentrated on Theo's dice, illuminated by the glowstone.

"Anything to end your far-too-large winning streak, this is the first break I've gotten," Theo leaned back on the soft floor after making sure it was still relatively dry. Wiping a mixture of sweat and slime from his forehead, Avatara concentrated silently for a moment, then took his dice in his cupped hands, and rolled a six. Theo's smile faded, "Hrmph, tie. How about you roll first?"

"If you insist," Avatara shrugged, picking up his dice and tossing it onto the fleshy ground beneath. The light from the glowstone revealed he had rolled a one, not the strongest of leads. Theo's eyes lit up triumphantly as he cast his dice, and then the world shifted abruptly, jerking both contestants into a squishy wall.

"Now that's just not fair!" Theo protested, looking around for the wooden cubes as the rumbling settled down briefly, the wall now the floor. A minor tremor followed by a pair of splashes and the hissing of something burning answered his silent query. "There goes that idea," he muttered bitterly as he sat down, feeling cheated. The dragon had calmed down some time ago, lying rather still; they had guessed it was because he was resting so it was likely that night was in full bloom. Avatara waited a few minutes, attempting to determine if the dragon was done moving. Seemingly satisfied, he stood up to walk over to Theo, only to have gravity shift and find himself tumbling towards the former ceiling.

"Bad dream?" Avatara asked rhetorically as he attempted to wipe off some of the acid he had landed in, this wall wasn't as dry as the others. As his arm reached up, he noticed his clothes were decaying and the skin on his arm was peeling. "I just noticed...do you think he's holding back? I mean, we've been here for hours and we're still alive."

"Probably," Theo scratched his head as he looked around. "I just hope he doesn't decide that his hunger is more important than inflicting 'revenge'."

"Revenge for what?" The question was lost in an era of silence as the dragon shifted again. After endless tumbling and turning, the dragon finally settled down into a reasonably calm state. "Maybe we should get some rest while we can," Avatara spoke, softly disturbing the silence that had blanketed the chamber. Theo simply nodded.

Joru sat about the fire, tending his wounds, draconis lay upon a large rock ledge, still in the form of a dragon as the wounds would be to greivious for a human to take, he lay there in a deep sleep, Tarro looked at his friend and then pulled Quickening from it's sheath, he walked up to the ledge and climbed up it, slipping Quickening into his belt sheath. Upon reaching the top he sat down by his friend and drifted off into sleep.

------------------
"I don't like to fight, but it's my life, it's all I know" Joru at the council of elders, on Kentaries III

As the wounded sat around the fire, Selax replayed the end of the harpy fight in his head. Just when it had seemed that the attack would continue forever, the harpies stopped and left. This puzzled him as there seemed no reason to have reatreated. Unless...

He heard the sound of walking. Stepping into the shadows, he flew hundreds feet up to have a look, but he could see nothing. Selax settled back down by the fire. Now he was even more alarmed for he had recognized the sound.


Some distance away the figure in black walked to a good lookout and sat watching the camp. Below him were several undead arrayed about the camp so that no one could get out. No one but him could see them until he wished it so.

------------------
Selax

Dusk was tending to the main camp fire when he smelt an off, foul stench carrying with the wind. He looked around and (noticing no one up wind) went off for a little explore. He could tell something had caused the stench, but it could be a ratlizard overturning one of the corpses. Dusk drew the hilt from under his coat and with a menacing, ripping sound the blade sprung to life, it's surface dancing like the ocean. Dusk peered around rocks and boulders, eventually deciding that he was imagining things.
Ever since the start of his relaxed life in Cythera his senses had lost their edge. Dusk sat down again and turned over a bit of toasting bread that Savara was looking at with eager eyes.


The man in the dark was relieved: the one with the odd cloak had almost discovered his plot.

------------------
They all laughed when I said I wanted to be a comedian; but no one's laughing now!

Desert Fox walked and ran intermitently for the next few days, following the trail of magical backlashes he recieved whenever he tried a mental connection with Avatara. Despite the fact that the magic did hurt slightly, DF knew it was his best chance at discovering where he lie.

Though it was the fields he mainly traveled through, eventually DF came upon a large swathe of wood. From the looks of it, it was fairly dense with little light passing through. He looked left and right but was unable to find a suitable path to take around the wood. With a slight shake of the head, he took out his shadowsbane and prepared for an adventure of hack and slash. Though his magic could more than easily level a path, there was no point in destroying a section of these woods just to pass.

--

Saria Nefletter was being hunted. The forests had given her cover long enough to keep alive from the bandits who hounded her day in and day out. Every time she was discovered, she shot arrows at her persuit and dashed to another section of the forest.

It had been this way for the past three weeks. She had gone back to her hometown and discovered the mess the bandits had left, the new graves that were created in their wake. The only problem was that the bandits didnt just attack and leave, they settled, making the town a miserable place to live. Every time somebody spoke up, their head was removed, and the rest of the villagers were silenced. When she walked into town, she saw the bandits stealing another peasants possessions and valuables and she had shot him dead. Since then, the bandits ran her out of town and scoured the forests trying to find her.

Though she knew she wounded a good number of them with her ranger skills, there were just too many there for her to handle alone, and no time of day she could leave the forest to try and recruite somebody. She was just doomed, abandoned in the forest to die from those who were trying to make her birthplace a ghost town.

Her resolve had brought her this far, hopefully it would bring her the rest of the way.

--

It had seemed like hours since DF entered the forest when it had only actually been 45 mins. The woods were so dense that he hadnt been able to see much farthur ahead of where he was, making travel forward almost impossible until he started making marks on trees to gauge his location. It seemed that he wasnt going to have much luck with the local beasts either, as a wolf had attacked him within the first 15 mins of entering, drawing some blood and escaping silently into the dense undergrowth.

DF swore at the slight bite on his hand. He had put his leather and plate gauntlets away earlier as he had figured not much to happen in the woods. He put them back on, relishing the fact that he didnt have full guantlets which gave less protection, but allowed for his hands to breathe and flex a bit better than full ones. This allowed him better range of motion and worked in his favor in battles. If needed, he had full leather gloves with him in case battle became too rough for just swords and magic and needed physical ability. After such, he looked around, there was no clearing, he was in a rough patch of wood and the eyes around him were gaining in number. He knew trouble was coming, but hadnt the ability to stop it beforehand. Silently, he drew his Iceblade....

--

Saria had been moving for the past few hours and settled in on one spot. She had noticed some commotion with the wolves in the area and knew them to be congregating on this for prey or fight or something else. She hadnt taken that to be of much concern to her, as the grouping of wolves wouldnt be able to reach her from her spot, and the wolf pack in the area would stave off any bandit that would come after her.

She had noticed an unfamiliar scent as well as the wolves around, but didnt think much of it, probably some mangy curr from the outer forest had come in and the wolves were defending their territory. She also had sensed something in the air, but pushed it back as just concern for her town. A town in the middle of the forest, with only a few paths out made for some decent defenses, but even a small seige like this from bandits would mean its doom.

If only she could control the wolves. There were many of them here that would be more then able to tear up those evil men who hounded her. So many, but still so wild. Even if she were to tame one, the others would kill it, rather then follow it.

Something wasnt right. The wolves were attacking below, but whatever it was they were fighting wasnt going down fast, if at all. She also realized it wasnt something small, as the trees around were starting to fall.

She realized all too late that not only those around her were falling, but hers was as well, and her with it...

--

DF staved off the wolves initial attack, slashing back with the Iceblade and forth with the Shadowsbane to keep the wolves coming toward him at bay. His attacks werent hitting though, which concerned him as he was expending all this energy in order to keep them off. The wolves were jumping back, apparently a bit acclimated to fighting against human enemies.

After a few minutes of such staving off, DF was ready for a change and summoned forth his Shadowblades spell, igniting his swords in shadowsfire, heated shadows which made his swords cut through the air faster and through flesh and such with more force. DF started spinning round, cutting a small clearing out of the 6 trees around him.

DF fell on his ass a few moments later, spining wasnt a strong suit of his, but the effect of which made the wolves back up a bit, but not retreat entirely. The trees around started falling, crashing around the area, but the one in center that took such a battering hadnt fallen entirely yet. DF stood up and fixed that with one strong slash, sending the tree crashing to the ground.

Unexpected was the shriek from above, and as he looked up, DF saw a woman in leather armor falling fast towards him. Before he could even think, he was falling backwards with his arms cupped to catch her fall, rather than be smashed by it.

Upon landing, the two looked at each other and the woman jumped up and across the small clearing that was just created.

"Vile bandit, first you kill my fellows and now you desecrate the forest, you disgust me, feel my wrath" Saria shouted as she leapt back, firing an arrow at DF

DF, stunned by the whole charade, was barely able to deflect the arrow with the Shadowsbane.

"Bandit" DF managed to get out "I resent that"
"Doesnt make it any less true" Saria snapped back
"Im sorry, but do I even know you" DF eyed the strange woman suspiciously
"Oh great, so I get to meet the idiot recruit who doesnt even know who hes following" Saria snidely remarked
"Making snippy comments is such a great way to get acquainted, its a wonder you travel around a forest with nobody else around" DF countered "Now why such hostility?"
"Don't act dumb, though its almost too obvious you are" Saria spat "There is no reason for me not to hate you for what youve done"
"Can we finish this conversation after I take care of these wolves?" DF asked quietly "I dont think they are going to stay back for much longer."

"..." Saria couldnt think of anything to say, the man here was armored, but seemed unwilling to attack her despite her attack before.

"I guess thats acceptable, but im watching you" Saria responded as the wolf pack closed in.

The pack then decended upon the clearing. There were many there, at least 13, and all were enraged about something. They attacked with little notice, each working in conjunction with another, trying to find a clear opening.

DF faced off with several. They circled around him, each striking simutaneously. DF moved around them, gracefully slaughtering 5 of them straight off, beheading three of those five and hacking a slash across the other two which killed them right after. Four more jumped in with the remaining two and leapt to attack again. DF hacked his Iceblade forward, his shadowsblade back and brought them around to meet one another on a leaping wolf, which was trying to attack his face. Sweat dripping from him, DF squared off again to fight the others.

Saria watched all this as she leapt around, keeping one step ahead of the bloodthirsty wolves. She drew arrow after arrow, putting down 5 of them as she kept moving around the clearing. She drew one more when she noticed DF slice the last of the wolves in half.

"Checkmate, mate" Saria smartly remarked, as she aimed her arrow at the back of DF's head
"You dont even know the half of it" DF replied, spreading his arms wide and then clapping them back.

Suddenly, right out of the clear sky a small jolt of lightning struck her bow, setting it aflame and forcing her to drop it. The arrow started to fly, but its trajectory was as such not to concern DF too much. As it passed him by, DF made sure to cast a slight shadow spell to quell the flame on the arrow.

"Now, you said something about checkmate" DF said, suddenly bursting into a full sprint, arriving at Saria's feet before she could even think to move

"You bastard" Saria managed to get out as DF pulled his enchanted blades to cross near her flesh

"Im a bastard?" DF was stunned "Im not the one who was pulling an arrow on somebody he just fought side by side with less than a moment previous. In fact, out of our meeting, youve done that twice and ive not done so once. So now you will tell me why you are attacking me or I will knock you out and continue on my way. And trust me, had I wanted you dead, I wouldnt have even used lightning"

"You...are not part...of the bandits?" Saria stammered, she had fallen back under the presence of DF and his blades near her flesh made the hair on her skin stand on end

"No, now I assume these bandits are the ones you are trying to fight" DF queried, already knowing the answer

"Yes..." Saria answered, slowly coming to realize that this was the one opportunity she needed and the one person who might be able to solve her problem

"And these bandits have laid waste to your hometown?" DF asked again, pulling his blades back and pulling off his enchantments

"They have destroyed a lot, but what has been taken down can be rebuilt, what has been lost can be regained, except for the lives" Saria sadly replied, remembering all those that had already died.

"And this seige is not over yet, I take it" DF continued, as he offered his hand to help her up

"No, ive been hunted for the past few weeks" Saria replied as she took his hand and was lifted up quickly by him "Ive almost resigned myself to death. They have scouts outside the forest and in town, and others in the forest have taken to using horns to alert one another. The ones in town are too strong for me to fight on my own, and the ones in the forest stop every attempt of mine to run for help"

"It seems as though you now need help more than ever, with your bow destroyed" DF commented, gesturing towards the mangled ashes of the former bow

"yes, I do suppose so" Saria meekly replied, now realizing her full situation now

"Then ill be more then happy to end this problem for you, lead me to your town and ill get you there safely. After that I can only guarantee your town freed of this problem" DF said, nobley gesturing forth into the forest

"Wow, I dont even know how to thank you" Saria said, moving forth and starting on the path to the town.

--

"...there was some commotion with wolves and the tree she was in fell, sir" a scout reported "I assume she died, but I cant shake this bad feeling about the commotion of the wolves, its as though there was someone else there"

"Then we shoud call back some forces, if there is indeed somebody out in the forest and they are near her, we may need to fall back to the town. Send out a few troops and meet up with them, try to kill them on site, and have the rest be on alert back to the base" the commander replied

"Yes sir, right away" the scout replied, and faded back into the shadows of the house and then to the outside

"Not good, not good at all, if somebody comes, then us being here will come to light" the commander commented to himself "Being a bandit in this day and age is more work than play"

--

DF cast a shadowburn spell upon the man shouting a warcry at him. The spell burned his flesh badly, doing all the harm a fire would but with no flame. The man went screaming into the ground, rolling in the dirt

"Oh, now thats not going to do much" DF joked "I need to revoke my spells for them to stop"

After a few more moments of watching the guy writhe in agony, DF revoked his spell, and drew his sword. With a simple downward stroke, he ended the man's life

"That was cruel" Saria commented

"He was trying to kill me, instead of wasting energy fighting him, I made him feel pain so severe that his will to fight was lost, and I defeated him upon that moment" DF replied "If you fight many battles such as I have, it becomes common to use your abilities to the fullest before someone hacks off your head"

"Still, its a bit hard to watch" Saria said

"Then you might want to stay back when we get to town" DF grimly replied

--

DF walked into the town and was greeted by 5 armed bandits trying desperately to look tough

"You arent welcome here, this is OUR town" one of the bandits shouted

"Oh really now, what a dump, its almost as if its being constantly ransacked by bandits" DF smirked

DF just stood there, facing off with them for a few mins and heard horns being blown, signalling all the bandits back to town

"Gonna make this easy for me, wont you?" DF asked, mocking his enemies

"Bah, I could take you alone if I wanted, but im under strict orders not to" another bandit replied.

Within a few more mins, DF saw several more men, about 10 more, appear from the woods around him. He also saw a good 8 more appear from within town.

"I see the cavalry has arrived, is this all for me?" DF smirked, again mocking his enemies

"You really want your death to arrive fast dont you, alright, men, attack!" The man in the back in full armor cried

DF watched as his enemies closed and pulled out a powerful spell

"SHADOWWAVE!" DF called, flashing his eyes to a glowing gray and summoning forth one of his stronger shadow spells. Suddenly the men around him scorched under the shocking shadow, burning flesh and causing severe agony all around him
"BLADES OF BANE" DF called out again, sending out many small shards of dark magic, spreading it in the wave and hacking away at all the bandits around him.

After a few seconds of watching this, DF's eyes stopped glowing and all the men around him fell over dead. All of them had been kept up by the sheer force of the spell alone.

"Very impressive, youve completely destroyed my forces without even breaking a sweat" the commander said at last, fury being barely contained "But you seem to have forgotten about me"

"If you think you are my equal you are badly mistaken, but ill be more than happy to soothe your ego by granting you a swordfight death" DF countered darkly.

"Ha, I will not lose" the commander smugly replied

"Famous last words" DF quipped

DF crossed the clearing blazingly fast, skipping over bodies and leaping in the air

"BWAAAAAA" he brought his Iceblade down in a downward arc, meaning to split the enemy in half, but the enemy sword intersected.

"HA" DF cried out as he stabbed forth the Shadowsbane, plunging the shadowy blade deep into the enemy's chest.

"my plans...they..were...f.or...na..ug....ht" the commander spat out as he died

Saria slowly entered town, staring in disbelief at what she had just witnessed

"Where did you ever learn such spells" Saria finally got out

"You learn in battle what works and what doesnt" DF replied "That was a newer spell of mine, I dont get to use it much so it was good to explore its powers"

"Fascinating" Saria commented as she noticed the townsfolk approaching "Looks like you are their hero"

"Crap, I didnt want to be distracted, ive a mission" DF said in exasperation as they approached, awe on their faces

Saria noticed DF's turmoil as the villagers approached and giggled, the relunctant hero, how amusing...

--

"You dont have to come" DF said "In fact, I dont recommend travel with me, my friends say I start to smell after a while"

"Then you may want to change a few habits" Saria replied "Besides, now that my town is safe again, im free to go as I please. My family is gone and you are the only warrior in this remote area, giving me my only real out from this"

"Its gonna be dangerous, do you trust your abilities?" DF asked

"Yes, this bow is stronger than my last, and the gems I collected are now inside it, bringing out its power" Saria proudly presented her bow "Its gonna be nice to use, and potent - I hope"

"Well then, we shall continue, since you were so kind to lead us to the edge, I am able to track where we are going again" DF said "and I am only 8 hours behind so I shouldnt be too rushed"

With that, DF and Saria continued on their journey to discover what happened to Avatara.

"Tell me where they went" Satori deamanded lifting a grain of sand into the air and sending threads of power into it making it glow white hot. It began to shift towards the terrified gaurd, "OK ild tell you just dont put that in me!" he shouted. "so where did they go"
The sand countinued its approach "i dont know please dont put that in me" "ahhhh too bad hey im still going to kill you." The mans eyes widend "Alke" the mans went limp. Satori stood up and turned to the commander. "send two undead squads. find them now or you will find yourself like this man very quickly." "yes Satori Azal i will obey your commande.


Savara sat watching the peice of bread Dusk was toasting. is he going to offer me any, or is he going to eat it all? come on i want just one peice!

------------------
hey you guys look like a pack of idiots. Looks? ha hahahahahah.....

*I now know insanity. It looms with me, a constant companion. It is there with me, like a close friend on a journey, like a blister from his sword, like a pair of boots that Ive had for years. It consoles me, assists me, pushes me. It is my best friend. It haunts me, torments me, berates me. It is my vigilant enemy. It keeps tabs on my friends and enemies, and skews the lines alike. It is me, and I am it. Insanity becomes me*


Desert Fox walked a decent clip before finally setting down for the night. He finally decided upon a nearby river, which had intersected his path. Camp wasnt much more than a few comfortable items which he kept upon him, a small blanket, and a few sticks he had collected upon his path. Had he not found those sticks, his swords were a quick substitute.

Saria was a bit stunned by the roughness of it all. Though she had been in the wilds for a few weeks now, she was still able to find a place in a tree, or a small meadow to nap down in. It seemed like this companion of hers just halfassed pitched a small tent and nestled inside of it. She breathed a sigh as she laid down and tried to ignore the fact that she was completely unprepared for sleep.

"You know, im not exactly an evil man, youre more than welcome to share this tent." DF laughed "Its not much bit it is a way to bring down the brightness of the stars and keeps the bugs away"

"As nice as that sounds, I think ill sleep over here. I only met you a day and a half ago and I am a bit uncomfortable with being in such....intimate proximity to you"

"Ah well, doesnt bother me" DF said with a smile "Though you might want to rethink that after a few hours"

"What do you mean?" Saria inquired, puzzled at the comment

"Small storm coming this way, this tent isnt much but its also some water protection" DF informed her "Fighting and injury are one thing, sickness sucks just as bad but is easy to get"

"We shall see, goodnight DF" Saria replied, propping her head a bit with her leather vest

DF finished pulling off his armor and quickly dozed off. His legs sticking out a bit on the bottom end of the tent clued him into when the rain started, and he woke, and shuffled to the side. He knew she had her pride, but that generally falls a bit when outer situations demand it.

--

Saria slept like a child, that is, she did so until the rain started. The instant it started up she awoke, and waited, hoping it would die down soon. After about 15 mins of steady rain, she knew she would be in for the long haul. She then looked over at DF's tent. It had been lined at the bottom with another item DF brought, and looked fairly dry. After a few mins, she finally decided to jump at the offer.

She entered the tent as DF slept, and quickly settled, a bit akward, but fell asleep shortly after.

--

The morning came, and Saria woke to find the tent top taken down and DF dressing after a dip in the river.

"Morning, we are bout to head out and try to find a town. I dont know about you but I am hungry" DF said, rubbing his stomach for effect

"You dont hunt?" Saria asked, a bit bemused by the warrior who couldnt take care of himself

"I hunt, but catching is another matter. I can make prey burn or blow up, but not much luck at making a meal out of the mess thereafter" DF sheepishly admitted

"How do you survive?" Saria pushed, quite curious at how it all worked

"I said not much luck, though I do try" DF smiled, noting her shudder "Im also an avid fisherman, but fish dont make for a great meal"

"Ahh, ok then" Saria responded

After another half hour of mindless banter, DF and Saria set back out, Saria intent on finding food, DF intent at finding a township.

--

Smoke billowed from the rooftops. Three miscreants were setting fires in the town, intent on destroying the whole damn thing. They hadnt much care for those who lived there, nor for the area around it. They just wanted to see the fire consume, to see the people die.

There would be those that escaped, but they would easily be slaughtered. The plans had been laid for a long time, the town would fall, and fall fast.

The fires set, the three went to the town's main exit and waited, swords drawn, and bloodthirsty smiles set.

--

Something was odd in the air. DF noticed it first, Saria shortly thereafter. In the horizon, smoke was starting to pour out of control from one singular spot.

"What in hell.." DF started, motioning his head at the commotion
"Something is really wrong, something feels wrong about it" Saria finished, starting a dead sprint DF soon followed.

--

They arrived too late, they found three blood covered men approach them as they neared the town. The stench of death was appalling, as was the pile of dead bodies that had just been set on fire.

"We had planned this to go unnoticed" the first said "But it looks as though thats no longer the case"
"You would have lived had you not been so helpful, now you shall die" the second added, drawing his blade and regaining the insane glint in his eye
"Now you will join the legion of the newly dead" the third finished "And our task will be complete"

"Bloody hell" DF shouted, not even bothering to draw his sword

"Ah-ha" the second murderer called, gesturing with his hands and summoning a fiery spell which sped towards Saria.

"SHIELDS OF SHADOW" DF cried, waving his arm a certain way, and the fiery bolt was suddenly deflected, arcing all around Saria without actually hitting her.

Saria took her cue and fired an arrow, striking the firethrower in the forehead with an arrow, killing him instantly.

DF started to glow and suddenly brought his arm down in a slash motion "SHADOW SCYTHE" he barked, peeling his aura away in a violent slash towards the remaining two.

"FIRE BOOM" the first called
"BLUE FIRE" the second shouted
Suddenly, the shadowy slash met with a massive bulb of fiery power, nullifying each in a dark explosion.

In the chaos of the strike, DF ran up towards the mages with his sword, fully intent on slashing one of their guts out. His Iceblade swung down towards the right shoulderblade of the rightmost enemy and his Shadowsbane down on his left.

The mage ducked the left slash and blocked the other, while his buddy slipped his sword in, clanging strongly against the armor DF wore.

"Bastard" the dark mage swore as his sword failed to penetrate the armor

DF then knocked back a second blow by the mage and was forced to contend with both of their slashes at once, blocking them without being able to attack. For the first time, DF felt as though he might be bested.

...

At least that was the case until one of them fell, an arrow sticking out the back of his head. With renewed control, DF then bashed the enemy's sword away with his gauntleted forearm and stabbed both his swords into the chest of his enemy.

"Ugh...were we all meant....to die...here....withou...t...gai..nin.g..our......" the last of the trio fell dead at DF's feet.

"Wretched men, death was too sweet for them" Saria commented

"Bastards, leaving us with such a mess to contain" DF grunted, annoyed at his luck in adventure.

Over the next several hours, DF used his shadow magic to quell the flames consuming the dead and then the flames consuming the city. While he was hard at work doing such, Saria quickly dug many long pits in which to bury the bodies of the dead. With his magic, DF was able to move the dead to their graves, and he worked with Saria to finish burying them.

DF then went about his own task of gathering three pikes, cutting the heads off his enemies, and piking each of their heads. He then tossed the bodies in a pile and ignited them with eternal shadow fire. A strong spell which would not die unless its first target had been completely consumed.

--

"What supplies did you gather from the huts" Saria inquired as they left the town
"I got another tent, to give us a bit more room next time a storm moves in" DF started
"Heh, guess I made a bit too big a deal of it" Saria blushed, realizing how silly it seemed
DF smiled and continued "I also got a few supplies, such as medicines to treat a few of the wounds I sustained and any others we might suffer in the future"
"I also got several meals worth of food, so im not going to go hungry" DF said "I would feel bad about it, but those people will never be able to use it so I figured why not"
"A logical thought" Saria noted
"I also gathered a few gems" DF said, much to Saria's suprise "I heard you say they enchant your weapon some, so I figured a few more shouldnt hurt. Also I know a few spells to use to get a few effects out of the gems to magically seal your bow. It almost caught fire in that fight"
Saria stared dumbfounded. She hadnt even thought about that. Her last bow burnt in her previous encounter with DF, but she hadnt assumed it could happen again to her new one
"Thanks, I hadnt even thought of that" Saria commented
"I figured that" DF replied "With that, Im going to gauge where we have to go now.

--

Saria stepped back as suddenly she felt a magical jolt of energy strike DF

"No matter how many times I see that does it become halfway normal to me" Saria shuddered as she watched
"Believe me, it doesnt get any easier either" DF commented
"Then why not keep following the same path, it shouldnt be that hard" Saria inquired, curious as to DF's intent
"Whatever it is, it keeps moving, I dont know where it will be in 5 mins, much less the time I take between tries" DF responded "I just cast and hope"

With that, the two continued on their quest to find Avatara.

------------------
(.Y.)
-).(-
( Y )

OoC: We have gotten mixed up about the time. Before the harpies attacked it was broad daylight, with the party awaiting the arrrival of Scryilla. I got mixed up and typed, "The night suddenly exploded with the loud, terrifying roar of the harpies." Everyone thereafter did as well.

To fix it, I think that Selax should edit his post to say something along the lines of, "He raised his hand and laughed again. It was just then that everyone realized that they were surrounded by harpies. No sooner had they realized this than the sun vanished and everything was shrouded in black. It was now night. The figure disappeared and the harpies rushed at the group." This will fix everything without everyone else having to edit their posts. I do apologize for mixing that up, this should solve the problem, though.
BiC:

The group sat around the fire eating a small snack to revive them from their last fight. A rather injured, but living, harpy sat beside the Wizard, tense and ready. After eating, the Wizard spoke up, "That fight didn't help things at all. We lost energy and some got wounds, and where is Scryilla anyway?"

Dusk sat up and stared at the black sky, "What is that?" he asked, pointing a finger to a small glow.

Talryn stood up. "It looks like fire. It's coming from the north, against the wind."

The whole party was alert now. What was this...fire? Suddenly, everything was turned to day again as the Wizard's staff lighted up and died down. With daylight restored everyone could see that a dragon was headed their way.
________
Scryilla landed gingerly, one foot and then the other. Her eyes flew over the faces. She looked at the harpy a moment and then spoke.
What is this trickery of night and day. I was flying this way when suddenly it was dark, but before it was broad daylight. I had to use my fire to see where I was going. Also, I am wondering why their is such a foul creature with you? She stared at the harpy.

Katerei spoke up first, "The night was caused by some dark wizard-" she turned and looked at Mr. Wizard "-No offense."

"None taken," the Wizard replied.

"Well, anyway, the same conjurer surrouned us by harpies. We've already had a fierce fight this morning," Katerei stated to finish the brief summary of events.

Hmm, the dragon pondered, trying to determine the truth of this story. Very well, but that should not slow us down. We must find that other dragon today. We cannot lose the time for you to walk. Get on my back, for I will carry you. I do not want that thing on my back, though.
She gestured at the harpy again.

"Alright. I'll leave him behind to guard camp. We should take most of what we can carry, though," the Wizard replied.

Within the next five minutes the whole group had climbed on Scryilla's back. The camp below was guarded by a dangerous harpy. The campfire had been put out with dirt. Scryila took off and swiveled to face the mountain. They had begun their search.

*OoC*
I do not think that time is all that important, but I think that what said fixed the time, Wizard. But I will edit the post if it is very important. I am also going to post character info on the man in black.
*BiC*

Suddenly, Scryilla cried out and plummeted toward the ground. She hit it with such force that she was knocked out. As everyone climbed off of her back in a daze, they heard a voice shout,"Now, slay these foolish ones and capture the dragon!"

Out of nowhere, undead appeared all around them and on the hill behind them stood the man in black.

Selax worst fears were confirmed and now he had to warn the elementals. He stepped back and shouted in the language that the elementals had devised for this occasion. It was a language that grew louder and louder as it was used so that all elementals would hear it and it had only one word "Doom". He shouted until everyone had to cover their ears. Then he stopped, knowing that the elementals had heard, and rushed to the attack.


The man in black was furious. Not only were others trying to command undead and use dark powers, now he had been revealed, then he smiled. He began to turn red and glowed until the whole valley was bathed in crimson. Then the glow faded. Where the man had been stood a figure about 9 feet tall, in obsidan black armor and a black cape, with a huge ruby red sword, and a crown. He laughed.

------------------
Selax

[This message has been edited by Selax (edited 08-28-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Selax (edited 08-28-2004).]

Ooc: sorry it took a while to get the internet up...anyways... bic:

Talryn pulls out both of his scimatars, and sends then flying, cuting off two clumons of undead's heads, half of the bodies turned to dust and blow away in the wind. Talryn drew his Tow handed sword, and stayed near the dragon, fending off any undead that came near. he felt his strength staring to fail, so he cast CloakWalk on the dragon and himself, which suppriseingly worked, and he then cast stormcrow and was able to lift the dragon up a little bit, and hovered in the air, so it was harder for the undead to capture the dragon. Talryn started to feel his mana and strength drain a little bit faster, he hoped his friends could finish up this undead army soon, otherwise he wouldn't be able to help the dragon at all, not to mention being crushed by the weight...


-Dark Jet

------------------
StarGate: Atlantis and StarGate: SG1 are on Sci Fi on Fridays, watch them and witness the gateness...

DF was prepared this time.

Saria stood back as she always had when DF attempted communication. She noted his stance, his readiness as well as the sweat pouring off his forehead.

"let me guess, you havent really tried this out before" Saria asked wryly

"Well, when I talk to people I generally dont want to send a rush of energy into their head" DF replied "Exploding one's brains generally tends to piss one off"

"Oh" Saria said, slightly chastised

DF then attempted communication and felt a backlash coming his way. Instead of trying to block it, this time he rose his right hand up, as if to accept the surge of energy. Suddenly, his eyes began to glow, and DF siphoned all the energy he brought within back with a resounding surge of energy of his own, visible by the dark power thrust out of his right hand in front of him. Upon sending the surge DF's eyes stopped glowing and he set his arm back down.

"Well, time to see if that did anything" DF noted aloud, as he tried communication again.

Suddenly, like a whiplash, DF was knocked 4 feet back by the resounding pulse of energy. Howling in pain, DF quickly stripped off his body armor to help relieve his body a bit. HIs body was steaming with heat after such an attack.

"Oh hell, are you alright?!" Saria exclaimed as she ran towards DF

"Heh, a bit of a violent reaction, I think whatever it was I kinda pissed it off" DF responded while blowing on his skin "Good thing I got those medicines, I think ill need a few right now to counter the effects of this" DF grunted, reaching into his pack in obvious pain.

After applying a few remedies to his skin, DF then cast a small spell on his armor, to help dissipate the energy which threatened to scorch him just moments prior.

"Now, lets continue.." DF started as the sky suddenly turned dark "..what the hell?"

"Does this crap always around you?" Saria remarked, thinking back over the past few days

"You dont even know the half of it, lets head on that way" DF said

Saria noticed something change over DF as they sprinted on towards the darkness. Something...dark. Something...evil. She couldnt place it, but she knew something was going on.

--

The jolt had done more than just knock DF on his ass, it reawokened the spirit of evil within, and it was beginning to pester him. So much so that it was everything DF could do to prevent Saria from noticing. Its voice was merely a whisper at the moment, but he knew all too well that the whisper could easily become a raging roar. He didnt like the gloom ahead, the unnatural darkness. It seemed to..call to him. But not him directly, he could hear its call, but couldnt understand it. He would have turned had he not resolved himself to saving a friend.

--

The man in black was furious. Not only were others trying to command undead and use dark powers, now he had been revealed, then he smiled. He began to turn red and glowed until the whole valley was bathed in crimson. Then the glow faded. Where the man had been stood a figure about 9 feet tall, in obsidan black armor and a black cape, with a huge ruby red sword, and a crown. He laughed.

Beyond him stood another man. His name was Icel Dracorblod. The legion of undead he had dispatched with the dark one which had released his power should be enough of a challenge even for the hardiest of warriors. He counted on victory, but as he had learned long before, even an improbable task is still possible. Taking a few steps back to look over the battle, his mind wandered to that one improbable task that threw all the best laid plans of his former leaders to waste. 5 noble heroes waltzed into battle with the main of the force, and in the end one stood victorious over the whole damn army. There were masters and commanders in with the vanquished bodies of the undead. Mages whos power were hauntingly strong yet were silenced by one man.

The main problem was that nobody knew what had happened to that man. He had slain many of Icel's brethren but how that affected him was unknown.

Icel took a quick stroll far away from the main of the battle when he felt it. A presence of the dead soul of the mage who had lead the initial insurrection. The only reason Icel was away from the battle was because of a deception he laid for the mages. He knew he doom about to come, but didnt see it coming that soon.

He then took a few steps forward and looked over the hilltop and froze. The description of DF given out by his commanders, the man he saw below matched it mostly. A few pieces of armor were different, but he was distinctive. The shoulders, the sigil on his right hand, they matched identically what DF was supposted to look like.

But...something was different. The mage's spirit was inside DF, causing turmoil with the soul and spirit of DF.

Ahhh...so they HAD succeeded in casting the spell on DF. The curse which would drive DF mad. But what if...what if he released the spirit within to take over the body. DF would be under the control of those he worked to destroy. A fitting end for a hero, to carry within him the destruction of all he worked to defend.

With that, Icel set himself upon the hilltop and called forth his magics to try and pry his ally to the forefront...

--

The sky had brightened and the two were puzzled for a bit, then proceeded when DF suddenly stopped

"Saria...." DF started, his mind starting to split apart

"Whats wro..." Saria started to reply, but stepped back in sharp horror of the transformation going on behind DF's eyes

"Saria....run....get out of here....I cant...hold....it back....much longer...." DF grunted, falling to his knees and holding his head

A dark shadow loomed above DF's head, and a dark flame enveloped his body. His gruesome screams as he tried to control himself in this moment were deafening.

Suddenly, he stood. His eyes pale and his voice different.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA" the voice boomed "You have failed Desert Fox"

*GAH* DF's mind cried as he couldnt figure a way out of this one

--

Icel saw the woman run for a bit as he watched the transformation. Not really a physical change, but instead DF's eyes changed and his voice wrapped differently than it had. Standing up, Icel prepared to cross the gap.

Then something he didnt expect happened...

--

Saria had run back a safe distance to get away from DF as he commanded. She saw him and felt the changeover. She then heard the wicked laugh and knew DF was somehow stuck inside. She then pulled out the special arrow he had crafted for her.


*Use this arrow on me if I am to fall under dark influences in battle* DF said as he was crafting spells for her bow
*Why would I shoot you?* Saria inquired, curious at the offering
*You didnt have a problem with it before. Just remember that if something happens, this arrow can help to reverse whatever effects* DF replied


She took steady aim, intent at hitting him right in the shoulder, as so he wouldnt die but the full effect could be had and let loose.

--

The pulse of magic that went through DF's body looked to the eye like a nova explosion. It felt like thousands of tendrils of lightning striking at once, and the effect could be seen on his body as well. Just as fast, DF quickly contained the energy within and he bled out the dark energy that had somehow fluxed into his body.

Panting on the ground, DF pulled out the arrow in his shoulder and cast a dark spell on his shoulder, which helped to negate the wound that was forming. Slowly, as he was doing this, Saria stepped out of the patch of trees she had fired from, arrow at the ready and aimed right at him

"Now this is a scene I can recall right well" DF dryly commented, followed by a short laugh
"I feel you are back right now, but I cant shake the dark feeling from deep within you" Saria said, not lowering her arrow
"It is a curse, I am a cursed man" DF finally admitted "ive been holding this curse for over a year and its become worse recently"
"And you never mentioned this, why?" Saria asked, slightly hurt by him not being forthcoming
"You followed me so eagerly, I didnt want to scare you away" DF responded as he scouted the area
"What does this curse consist of?" Saria followed up, pulling her arrow back and putting it away
"A different spirit roams my mind, and it has the ability to take over" DF admitted "I can reattain my body, but it seems I must do something drastic with my own energy in order to do so"
"So it will either tear you apart or take you over" Saria finished
"Yes, so I went out to find a way to lift it, but as I did, I found the person who can do that for me is in danger" DF said, starting to get into it "Now I must save him in order for him to save me"
"It finally makes some sense" Saria responded after a while
"Then lets go, I have a feeling this isnt over yet" DF commanded "Here" He presented the arrow and cast a powerful spell onto it "Keep this arrow for me again, in case its needed"

With that, they ran off in the direction of the shouts of battle...

--

Icel watched them go on their way and idly walked off. That woman, she broke the spell. She had destroyed the first attempt, and had the ability to break his other attempts to take DF over. In order to get to DF, he had to be able to neutralize her or else his newly formed plans would be for naught. He had just the way to do so.
"Farewell my friend, you shall be released soon" Icel said to himself as he walked off.

------------------
edited cause I didnt read correctly

[This message has been edited by Desert Fox (edited 08-30-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Desert Fox (edited 08-30-2004).]

Selax turned invisible and whirled at an incredible speed through the undead killing many before he retreated to defend the dragon. There were quite a few undead, but he guessed that the man in black only wished to delay them until Avatara and Theo died. Then, the man would attempt to capture both dragons.

[ook]Sorry for not posting in a while but I have been waiting for a time to make a good post[bic]

As seen as Selax got back to defending Medoc pulled out his staff and started laying into the oncomming undead soldiers. They didn't really have good fighing skills but they outnumbered us, not only that they just kept on comming. Mr Wizard drew up his mental energy and released a fire ball apon the skeletons and destroyed a great number of the but they were replaced shortly there after.
"We cant keep this up forever but I think that they can." Medoc called out to the others.
"We only have to hold them off until the dragon wakes up, I really hope that she would hurry up!" Talyrn called back to Medoc.
The fighing went continously for about another helf an hour before the dragon started to stur. "I think that she is comming round." Selax called out to Medoc and Talryn who seemed to be doing ok at holding them off, although the odd one got through which would then be killed by either Mr Wizard or Selax.
Through all of that time Draconis (who was still in dragon form) was swooping and taking out masses of them but they just kept on appearing from the other side of the hill, just out of no where. Mr Wizard seemed to be having a battle against the undead king, although they just seemed to be staring at each other you could see the air around them was filled with anger. Joru and Tarro and Dusk were on the other side of the dragon killing all of the skeletons on that side.
Hours seem to have passed through all of the fighting and the skeletons didn't seem to ever run out. Everyone was getting tired but they knew that they couldn't do anything until the dragon woke up again.
"I thought you said that she was waking up Selax." Talyrn called out to Selax.
"She has been on the verge of waking for some time now, if you have any ideas on how to wake her, be my guest." Selax yelled at Talyrn.
"Has anyone thought of going and trying to kill the Undead King on the hill, I know that we have to protect the dragon and all but if we kill the king the skeleton my just stop comming after us, what does everyone think? I think that Mr Wizard and three others should and try to take on the Undead King leaving the others to protect the dragon, if we are going to decide lets decide quickly because I am getting really tired of this." Medoc said to the others and wating for answer.

------------------
The mind controls the body, but the heart controls the mind.
Half Truth

After a while of running through the forest, DF suddenly stopped. Saria, intent on keeping with DF, stopped as well, though she was a bit puzzled as to why.

"See it?" DF asked quietly, motioning on ahead.

Saria simply nodded, suddenly noticing the battlefield ahead.

There was a small group of people fighting the undead, a massive group of undead, lead by a giant demonic being.

"Its almost too much for words" Saria spat out
"This means we need a bit more stealth, it seems that what is going on here is a battle, one I do not intend to be a part of, but one I cannot ignore" DF eventually said, after looking over the fight.

The different parts of the battle were easily seen.

A man ran through the undead, slaying many before hopping out to catch his breath.

A harpy, for some odd reason, swooped in, slaying undead after undead before they caught onto her and brought her down. She fought on for a bit, but after a while was overwhelmed and slain by the mass number of undead.

An old psychic, very old by DF's thoughts, displayed awesome power by taking over the nonminds of a grouping of undead, sending them to gruesome melee with the other undead.

Two people, working in tandem slew many by covering the other in a way only done by mental synchronization. This was up till, to DF's amazement, one of them transformed into a massive dragon, spewing fire and taking out mass groupings of undead. The trees around them were set aflame and set other walking dead on fire, destroying them as well. The man would take it upon himself to defend the massive dragon, though it didnt seem as though a dragon would need that sort of protection, it was touching nonetheless.

Three faced off against the massive demonic warrior. All seemed skilled in their own right, one donning a massive weapon, another hopping back and forth with blazing speed, and the third a mighty warrior were distracting attention away long enough for the giant not to get in a killing blow, but the giant was making it tough with his furious pace of attack, knocking one back long enough to intercept the other two and deflect their attacks. It went on like this for a time before DF's attention was drawn back to the old man.

"I dont like this" DF said to Saria "I dont want to get involved, but with the mass amounts of undead in the surrounds, I dont know if they could survive an encounter like this without my assistance"
"Then get involved, who cares if we have to jump in and help, they could use our help" Saria's outburst suprized DF, who was unaccustomed to a full disagreement
"If we get involved, we dont keep ourselves a secret, our mission has to go on without being noticed, else someone may up their defenses of our target" DF explained "I have a plan, but we have to remain here"
"Fine, but if its starting to go bad, I refuse to watch those people get slain" Saria adamantly replied

DF cast a shadow spell that masked both their physical appearance and their mind power. He then went to work on his plan...

--

The Wizard was doing his part in keeping the undead masses from overwhelming the group. He took over swathes of undead in his efforts, but they could only take so much before they were slain, and many were taken back over before they were slain as well. His mental prowess wasnt very accustomed to a large scale battle such as this. These things were mindless and weak, but quite numerous which made his skills work overtime to keep up. It wouldnt be long before he would lose control and be unable to stop them anymore.

In this period of time, he detected a shadowy presence flanking the group. At first he thought it to be another enemy, going in for the kill from behind, but soon dismissed that possibility as speculation meant just to throw him off. No, there was no maliciousness eminating from this presence. Probably just a spirit come to watch the battle.

But it didnt feel right. After a few more minutes of silently observing the presence, The Wizard stopped his control attempts of the undead and focused his mental powers on the presences, trying to gauge what it was.

**

He couldnt believe it. A strong mind, one that blocked his attempt to probe the mind. He was preparing to assualt the mind again, this time with a stronger probe, when suddenly there was a voice in his mind...

--

DF felt the contact brush up nearby his psyche. He dodged it just to show the old wizard he wasnt a mindless fool. He then decided to contact the wizard as he felt the man gather up his power.

*Greetings, fellow traveler* DF made first contact, making sure to mind his words and keep himself poised
*Who is this* a curious mind quandered *and how did you manage to talk directly to me while deflecting my own probe of your mind?*
*Simple, you werent expecting it, and I was* DF smiled, the man wasnt angry, but was somewhat amused at it *I am watching your battle and I see that you could use a hand in it*
*Why are you just watching if you could help?* the mind asked of him *any assitance would be quite appreciated*
*Because im not ready to reveal myself to my enemies just yet* DF answered, sorrow in his thoughts *I search for somebody, and if I remain in secret, whomever holds that somebody will not know of my quest, giving me an edge*
*You operate in shadows, and your mind is quite a shadowy place* The other mind mentioned
*I hold in me the powers of shadow and darkness, these of which ill use to assist in your fight* DF told him
*Oh?* the old man said *and how exactly do you see yourself doing that*
*Just use the power I am going to send you, it will feel like you have been using it all your life* DF said, then igniting his shadowy form in shadow flames *I have charged up, expect to feel a similar charge momentarily...*

--

The Wizard didnt know what to expect. A sudden invasion into his mind sprung forth an unforseen ally, and an alluring offer. His mind knew he was able to take whatever that could be dished out, but was insatiably curious as to how this would go. Moments later he found out.

Suddenly, his mind went wild, his heart raced, and a rush of energy unlike anything he had felt before hit him. It started far within him and radiated outward. His mind was filled with more power than it had felt before. He was recharged, nay, supercharged. Suddenly he noticed he was emitting an aura of shadow around him and felt the energy pouring out of his eyes. To those around him, his eyes were aflame with a gray shadow, and he himself was emitting a shadowy fire.

*Now, use my powers* DF asked the old man *I will conjure up a way to utilize yours with mine to achieve the fullest potential*
*Oh, I already have some ideas* The Wizard replied, raising his hands

"SHADOW SHOCKWAVE" The Wizard shouted, startling his allies with the sudden outburst. He slammed his arms downward, sending a conic pulse forward, disintegrating a whole swathe of undead in the line, then with a twisted aftereffect, a spread of chaos went through the ranks around the disintegrated, sending the undead into a mad rage, sending them attacking those around them with fury unexpected by animated corpses.

*Now watch this one, sonny* The Wizard laughed, this new power was intoxicating, he mingled his mind control with chaotic disruption and shadow power

"CHAOTIC PULSE" The Wizard shouted, gathering a small but powerful ball of dark energy. He held it back for a small while, allowing for the shadow and dark powers to mingle and burst inside the energy ball. He then used his mental powers to fling the ball at the dark lord that was fighting his comrads.

The pulse was amazing, smashing into the beheamoth and sending him flying back. It then disrupted the mental control over all the undead, sending them into mindless attacking, even attacking their own allies.

--

DF was impressed by the old wizard's ability to adapt and combine magics to create brand new powerful attacks. It would take an extremely strong mind to create spells on the fly and have them work to wonderous effect. Though that second attack didnt kill the giant, it did slow him down a bit. DF went cracking to try and form a disrupt spell strong enough to knock out the mass powerup that made that giant so big...

--

Saria saw the tide of battle turn with just a few spells by the old man. He was casting spell after spell, disrupting control and disintegrating corpses one after another. With the lethargic attacks by the undead, it was only a matter of time before the warriors down there would be able to butcher their way through the ranks and finish off the battle

DF started to speak
"You will also need to learn a few magic spells before long, else you might find yourself disadvantaged on the field of battle" DF told her "I will train you as we travel from this point, you will need all the power you can obtain to fight"
"The ways of magic have eluded me for a long time, I dont think Ill be very strong" Saria responded downtrodden
"You will learn some, if only enchantments for your arrows" DF told her "Even if youre not strong with magic, you can always use magic to supplement your physical power"

--

The Wizard thought over new magical attacks he could use against the enemy when his unseen ally spoke to him again.
*Please remember to tell nothing of me to your friends* DF asked *I know I can trust you, but the less who know of me, the larger a chance my mission will be a success*
*I understand* The Wizard responded *now, ill try to dabble a bit in these weapon enchantments that youve seemed to master...*

--

Icel Dracorblod was back upon the scene of devestation due to a teleporation spell of his. The bodies of the undead were mostly rotted away now, bones were all that were left on many, and they were all shattered and melted.

He walked around to find the dead bodies of the mages that were his leaders at one point. The mutilated faces, the tears in flesh. The mortal wounds which tore them from the mortal plane.

"This shall do" Icel commented to himself and started casting a dark spell. Soon after, the area around it was shrouded in darkness

Soon after, inhuman screams haunted the area....

------------------
(.Y.)
-).(-
( Y )

[This message has been edited by Desert Fox (edited 08-30-2004).]

The Death King (the giant) was completely infuriated now. The Wizard's sudden use of dark power had startled him as he had encountered the Wizard before and knew his abilities. He sensed the one who was lending the magic to the Wizard, but he considered him irrelevant. The Death King was still weakened from his imprisonment, but he knew a way to deal with that. He stood up, and shouting in the language of the Dead, drained all the energy from those who had died while he had been imprisoned (because, being so connected with the undead, he can drain the energy they had while alive). Then, he smiled. He was through playing with these Cytherans. Raising his hand, he blasted the Wizard back hundreds of feet, knocked Draconis, the unconscious Scyrilla, and anything else standing to the ground, and took more direct control of the undead ensuring that the Wizard couldn't use them any more. The spell he had cast on Scyrilla prevented her from waking up, but, he chuckled, the Cytherans didn't know that. The undead stood back and the fight stopped for a moment.
"Cytherans! Hear me!" he shouted.
"You can't defeat me! I could crush you all like bugs at this instant, but then I'd lose amusement. Besides, I want you to capture the other dragon for me! However, just to keep you busy while I leave. . ."

Hundreds of undead pushed their way up through the ground and rushed the Cytherans. Then the Death King laughed. He was still laughing as he faded from sight.

------------------
Selax

Avatara walked across the field. The lush grass yielded to his soft steps as he strode over one green hill and began climbing the next. The sun was high in the sky, casting the endless rolling hills of grass in a bright light. Somehow, Avatara wasn't hot, despite being directly under the sun's rays for some time. Something in his mind followed that train of thought and he crouched down, placing his hand on the grass. He could feel the individual blades brush against his palm; he knew grass was under his hand, but there was no real feeling - no cool dampness, or dry warmth, as if this was simply an artificial landscape. He spit into his hands, yet felt no wetness there either. Avatara pondered this as he walked on.

Covering vast distances is easy when one never feels tired, never is hungry, never is thirsty. Yet, nothing seemed to change, each hill resembled the last and hid more hills beyond that were just as similar. It was becoming frustrating, an endless parade of monotony leading nowhere, as if this was supposed to be some kind of torment.

Torment, with that thought the scenery changed; the dark room was scarcely lit by the fires outside. Feeling liquid run down his hands, Avatara looked down somewhat surprised, until this point he hadn't been able to feel anything. Yet now he was exhausted and sweating, and something was covering his hands. Holding it up to the bare scraps of firelight he could make out the dark liquid to be...blood. Her blood. He cradled her dying body as he had in so many nightmares since. She smiled, despite the obvious pain she was in. The blood leaking from the wound in the back of her head had gummed up her chestnut hair, clumped strands of which now swayed in front of her blue eyes as a chill wind blew through the devastated scene. She had meant everything to him yet because of him, she was dying.

Her body faded along with the ruins of his life, leaving behind a cold emptiness and a single pale light illuminating an empty chamber. He was horribly alone, nothing cared whether he lived or died, nobody was left around him, except them, his captors. They prodded and poked him at a whim, using him for their magical experiments. They had seen nothing like his kind before, nor the power his body held. They fed him, they sheltered him, but only so they could use him! His kind easily remembered, he would know every moment of pain, every moment of being a tool forever. His rage grew, they had no right! He was no slave to these mere mortals; he shouldn't have to suffer their torture! Yet, his cries of anger went unanswered.

It was useless fighting right now, they had sealed him here through some means he hadn't been able to find. He calmed himself with the thought that he would enjoy returning all the pain he had endured a hundredfold upon their pathetic kind. His rage could wait. Satisfied with that thought, he stretched his black wings, secure that after decades of imprisonment his muscles hadn't dwindled too much. Something in the back of his mind raised a red flag, as if this wasn't fight. He folded his wings beneath him and lay down, trying to figure out what. The answer was beneath him, he didn't have wings. Yet, he did.

Avatara became aware of the dragon at the same time it found him. With a roar, the dragon hurled a wave of fury, knocking him off his feet. Someone else cried out as well, and Avatara realized a third mind had joined them, Theo.

"Stop!" Theo cried out. "We're not the ones that did this to you!"

"Liar," the dragon breathed hate. "You're all guilty for what you did!" The blast of hatred increased in intensity, and Avatara scrambled to find a suitable hold, or else be swept away.

"But..." Theo gasped out, "I've never seen you before!" He seemed as if he would've continued, but was forced to focus on saving his life. The hot wind dwindled to a warm breeze, and Avatara was able to stand, blinking at the sudden realizations swelling into him. He could make out the dragon eyeing Theo curiously for a moment, before nodding its agreement.

"What's you name? What happened? Maybe we can help you," Theo continued, slowly regaining his senses.

"I am Vashnij. I am from..." the words faded as images leapt to fill the space. A foreign island, far away. dragons flying around filling the sky, a paradise - everything perfect. And then the strange one came, adorned in blood. The sky turned red, dragons fell as these alien creatures slew them. Yet that wasn't his fate; he had been trapped by some invisible magic attempting to fight. Trapped and imprisoned in a magical tower, he did not know why. Carried underground, as generations of strange men watched over him, the last of his kind. He remembered them all, even...

Vashnij's memories faded with a rush as he glared at Avatara. "What did I do?" he asked Theo, taking a step back under the dragon's glare.

"I know HIM!" Vashnij boomed.

"I don't understa-" Avatara was cut off as the full wave of fury blasted back to life, catching him off-guard and tossing him deeper and deeper into pain. He watched Theo dwindle into the distance as a vortex of darkness swirled closer, and he snapped awake with a scream.

"AHHHHH!" he cried, rolling out of the pool of acid that had sprung to life. The real world crashed around him as did the gravity of the rapidly worsening situation.

"What the hell was that?" Theo cried out as he snapped awake. "I mean, I've had nightmares before, but that was unlike anything I've ever seen."

"Get me a dry cloth!" Avatara cried out as he wiped at his face frantically, his shirt was damp with the acid he had somehow slept in and only seemed to make it worse. Theo handed him something that seemed to help, and he calmed down.

"Now what was that about you knowing the dragon? I thought you didn't think dragons existed on Cythera," Theo asked, sitting cross-legged, suddenly intent on what the dragon had said.

"I don't remember any dragons here. I couldn't have run into-" Avatara stopped, going still, "Well...maybe..."

DF saw the old mage get sent flying by the dark creature and he knew it was time to act. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dark giant vanish and a renewed horde of undead appear as if out of nowhere. DF quickly dropped his shadowcloak, revealing him and Saria, and used his mental link with The Wizard to make a shadowy hand and catch him midair.

The effort to maintain the hand was enormous, as DF wasnt accustomed to using telepathy and it was a task he was doing, and the effort was almost overwhelming and DF was only able to hold it for several seconds, but that was enough time to deliver The Wizard to the ground without furthur harm.

*Are you alright?* DF inquired, concerned over the safety of the old man
*Nothing time cant fix* The Wizard responded sharply
*Im running out of strength, I can only help with one more spell* DF told him
*I had a feeling you were runnin on empty* The Wizard said *If that be the case, I will sever the connection, and let you run after who you are after, I hope you can find him*

DF then suddenly stepped back

"Whats wrong?" Saria asked
"A bit lightheaded" DF replied "Used so much power in so short a time, its been a while since Ive seen that kind of force used"
"The undead have renewed their onslaught, we should assist" Saria mentioned, motioning towards the massive battleground
"The lord is gone, the undead are powerless against the forces amassed there" DF responded "He was merely trying to stall them"
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Saria asked, exasperated from having to sit out of a battle where she could be of potential assistance.
"We go after him, after this, of course" DF said, pulling out a small vial from the package he took from the town "I noticed several of these in that town, which suprised me, as they are hard to come by. They revitalize the spirit and the mind"
DF pulled the cork off the top of the tiny glass vial.
"Bottoms up" DF threw out before he downed the vial

Saria watched as DF winced deeply, as though drinking a shot of alcohol, and saw him fall to his knees, his face contorted. She started to worry after a few moments when DF suddenly stood up, face normal and breathing again.

"oh now, what was that?" She asked coyly
"Good potion, bad taste" DF replied, sticking his tongue out and making a gag face "Now, for this potion" DF procured another small vial, this one a deep aquamarine "This one you should drink, it helps to enhance magical powers. A small increase, but permanent, it may be able to kickstart your abilities" DF handed her the vial.

Saria eyed it curiously, looking back and forth from it to DF, who was watching her.
"Are you sure this isnt going to kill me?" She asked him, concerned about it.
"Now, why would I kill you?" DF asked "Have you never had a potion before?"
"No, not really" Saria answered "There were balms but no potions in my town"
"Then be ready, its always gonna have a foul taste and will feel terrible at first, but it will then start to invigorate and charge you up"
Saria then eyed it again, and popped off the cork. Downing it, she almost gagged, it did taste awful, and she felt as it burned all the way through her body, and she felt heat. An unknown heat spread all over her body, warming her, too hot, burning her.

After a few more seconds, her body felt cool, but she felt energy she had never felt before coursing through her
"Wow, that did taste bad" She wryly said
"Yep, its more a condition of the area and the potency of the drink" DF said "Certain potions are sweet, some are tasteless, and some are, as you have noticed, extremely sour and rancid tasting"
DF looked over the field again, and saw the warriors start to mount a counterattack after suffering through the main attack of the undead forces.
"Its time to go, training begins shortly, but we must get away from the battle to be able to do so..." DF said as he turned to go

--

Saria fired an arrow which suddenly burst into flame, then ice, then electricity, then finally melted into an acid bolt. It hit a tree and melted through to the other side.

"Impressive, now try the other attack" DF said, quite proud that she had picked up so fast.

Saria fired another arrow which flew a distance then exploded, with a nice sized explosion.

"You have picked up quite fast" DF commented "Your skills can use some honing, but that is good for an initial lesson" DF then pulled out several arrows "Here are more crafted arrows, they should add some punch to the mix, and also could help in the future"

"Thanks, this is...strange to me" Saria finally said "It seems so familiar, but then again it is so foreign to my normal thoughts"
"Its something everyone who uses magic the first time experiences" DesertFox assured her "You will get used to it, and you will improve on it"
"I dont even know how to begin to thank you" Saria started
"Every adventure gives new perspective to everyone" DF replied "I learned how to teach a while back, and this is a whole new realm of such"
"And besides, save whatever thanks for later, we need to utilize these skills shortly, else I fear for my friend's safety" DF said
"Where do you suppose we should go?" Saria asked, not quite knowing the path they should go
"Follow the dark one, I can feel his presence, so I can follow up on him" DF said

From there, DF casted his shadowcloak spell, masking their presence, and they moved

--

TheWizard knew DF had the vials, but he sensed DF's urgency to complete his task and let him go. The battle should be interesting, though the powers werent still flowing, he had more than one trick up his sleeve. Since that dark giant had left, it had given The Wizard an opening he didnt have before...

--

Icel was raising the dead, but instead of creating soldiers, he infused the spirits of the dead mages with the bones of the dead, raising them to new life, but as purely magical beings.
"Now, that woman will not be able to stop my plans now" Icel laughed to himself "These will make quick work of her as I take over that man's mind.

Icel then stalked, trailed my his new asociates, to where he sensed DF. "Soon, DF, soon you will be destroyed"

------------------
(.Y.)
-).(-
( Y )

Satori approached shade with a few quick strides.
"satori, i did not expect to see you here. What do you want?" he sneered,
" if you ever question my plans and odd aperaing times again i will rename you"
The shades eyes flashed with anger.
"dont even think about retaliating i can and will crush you like a fly!" satori spat.
"Is every thing going as planned" "yes Satori all is going well i have a few going after desert fox, and an small army of undead attacking the group."
What about the dragon?"
"She shall be ours soon." the shade smiled a wicked smile.
Satori began to retreat into the shadows,
"satori where are you going now."
Satori stooped and raised her hand it began to glow green.
The shade kneeled over in agony.
"what did i say about questioning me?"
She didnt wait for an answer, and slipped into the night.

------------------
hey you guys look like a pack of idiots. Looks? ha hahahahahah.....

[This message has been edited by Pippin 3 (edited 08-31-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Pippin 3 (edited 09-01-2004).]

Miles away, in the Ronin's baracks in Cademia, Trinias froze in the act of placing a card on the table. He quickly turned to look into a corner, where rested a tall bow that seemed to be composed of swirling, multi-coloured light.

"What's up?" Wolmark queried, from the other side of the table.

"It was strange," Trinias replied, facing his friend. "I could have sworn I just felt someone using my bow."

"You know no-one but a Ronin can even touch it."

"Yeah. But it felt so weird..."

After a moment Trinias shrugged, and returned to the game.

*OoC* DF: *BiC*

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

ooc: remember im a storm crow, not human and im flying invis with the sleeping dragon, so i talk through telepythy(sp?) bic:

*Can you guys hurry up a little, im running out of mana and my strength is drain pretty fast, i can only keep the dragon invis and up here for about another hour and a half...* Talryn "thought" to everyone. Talryn decided to cast an arua, so the fighting people could feel refreshed and stronger and better with attacks/magic. A refreshing sensation washed over the group. Talryn smiled, as good as a storm corw can. *Okay make that one hour, i hope this arua works...* Talryn grew silent after that.

Draconis plowed into Joru and the two flew back as the Death King retalliated, <Transform Drac, before you crush me!> and the large dragon shrunk and became once more only human, the two stood up and Joru looked to his teacher <you did bring it right?> he asked,<of course Joru,> and Draconis pulled out a small round ball, <you may die,> Draconis warned <than I die.> Joru responded conifdently, he then pulled his sword Quickening out and shoved the sphere into the hilt, the sphere dissapered and kinetic energy blasted Joru's body though he held on to the sword, after a few moments it stopped <hello... Joru> a voice drifted in his mind <Hello Quickening> Joru responded, then taking thier weapons roared the antient battle cry of Kentaries and attacked, with no regard for thier lives they attacked the hordes, a ethreal woman appering between them, the woman looked reagle in obsidian armor, Jorus sword in her hand(this is not another charecter,) soon Joru and Draconis flew back to where the others were and landed on the ground, they stood up gingerly and then Joru pulled two potions from a pocket and handed one to Draconis, they drank them and stood easier,
"not much but it helps my friend," Joru said. They then using skills ment for hunting Farls on Kentaries they appered and dissapered in and out of the battle field, doing what harm they could to the undead solders.

Edit: spelling & Grammer
------------------
"I don't like to fight, but it's my life, it's all I know" Joru at the council of elders, on Kentaries III

[This message has been edited by Kentonis 8356 (edited 08-31-2004).]

*OoC*
Thanks!
*BiC*

Selax had again turned himself invisible and was flying above the undead slashing, hacking, and avoiding their magically enchanted weapons. He knew that, despite the amount of undead summoned, it was a distraction to stop them from rescuing Avatara and Theo. The Death King could've summoned enough undead to crush them easily if he had wanted to, he thought. But what he wanted was for them to bring the dragons together for him. Selax sighed and slashed through another undead. They didn't have much choice but to get done and move as quickly as possible. Selax hoped no one had attempted to chase the Death King because, if he was letting himself be traced, he wanted to be found...

------------------
Selax

[This message has been edited by Selax (edited 08-31-2004).]

This post has been edited by Selax: 10 September 2004 - 07:30 PM

Yards. Hundreds and hundreds of yards. Too much power. Too much thought. Must let go...

The energies channeled out of the Wizard as he flew farther and farther back. If he could just focus enough to... Wham.

The Wizard dropped to the ground. What had happened? He sat up and looked around. He instantly saw a horde of undead monsters headed his way. "I am too weak for this," he thought as he vanished into nothingness.

Seconds later he reappeared behind the undead forces, striking a couple, but doing no damage. Then he was beside. Then gone. The front! Gone again.

______________
Selax grabbed the Wizard by the shoulder and hid him behind the dragon. While the Wizard still seemed to retain a remarkable amount of energy after such a blow, Selax thought it foolish to take unnecessary risks. The others could handle this fight, most likely, and the Wizard wasn't really ready to help yet.

______________
The old man's illusions vanished as he was grabbed. The undead were puzzled when their target disappeared and didn't come back, but there were others to worry about.

______________
The Wizard thought as he sat, leaning against the silent dragon. He did his best to confuse the undead from where he lay, but the hold over them was still fairly strong. He had to rest.

"A stranger," he thought. "Simple enough," he muttered out loud, thinking of DF's request not to be mentioned. Then he remembered the rest. It was DF that had caught him, and it was also he who started the short conversation that the Wizard instantly forgot. "Pity, it would have been interesting to study him. Though I don't know him, I sense a deep agony within him. Hmm. More questions to be answered later." He only hoped that Avatara and Theo could still be found in time.

Then his mind wondered to other important things. "Hmm. The Death King has returned. That means doom for us all, and perhaps more."

By the time he was content with reviewing his thoughts, his mind was already gathering energy.

Selax picked up an undead and flung it into the front line of the undead as hard as he could. More undead were streaming around trying to flank him. He sent a fireball in their direction and and leapt among them and began slashing at a speed faster than a human was physically capable of moving. Selax hoped that the Wizard would warn whoever had given him those powers (Selax knew that the Wizard didn't normally have such powers) to avoid trying the Death King alone. Then, he realized that the Death King might block any messages that the Wizard might send and the Death King might even be able to make it seem like the Wizard advised such an attack.


The Death King stood far away completely uninterested in the battle. He was watching the trail that Cytherans would take to reach the dragon. The trail was well maintained and easily traversable. That is easily corrected, he thought and raised his hand. There was a loud cracking sound as rock thrust itself up to almost completely block the trail. Much bettter, the Death King thought with satisfaction. Then, he turned and began to send out telepathic signals to the one who had aided the Wizard. The signal he sent was "COME TO ME AND I CAN HELP YOU. . ."

This post has been edited by Selax: 10 September 2004 - 08:01 PM