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Beside Temrel, Kronos made his presence felt.

*SATISFIED, TEMREL?*

Temrel nodded, grimly.

*THEN LET ME SHOW YOU THE FUTURE YOU HAVE WROUGHT.*

-------

Icel stood back and watched the ensueing chaos. DF was lying unconscious to the rear of the battlefield, as the villagers broke and ran.

"Icel, the spot is ready, we must begin the enchantment now if not to be noticed by the group down there," a wraith said, its bony wings flapping soundlessly

"Damn, dont sneak up on me like that," Icel shuddered. "You were frightening in life, and now you are creepy as well."

The wraith growled and started up a spell of its own when Icel raised his hand and dispelled it. The wraith then started to melt.

"Remember, I command you now. Disobey and I will destroy you, trust me." Icel lowered his hand and the wraith solidified again.

The wraith glared at him and then gestured towards the spot. "Please hurry, we musnt miss our chance."

With that Icel walked over to the circle where the final wraith took his place. He started his chant, the wraiths lending their power....

---

Silently, Saria crept back through the cave, telling the others her help was needed for something else. She went back to where she entered from and spied in the area DF had mentioned and she saw something. She couldnt quite make out what it was, but she felt evil radiating from there so she drew her bow and one of DF's crafted arrows...

A blast of power hit her, slamming her back against the wall. Unbelieveably fast, Icel was standing in front of her, one hand holding her against the wall by the throat.

"You didn't really think you could sneak up on me, did you?" he laughed, cruelly. His fingers closed convulsively. Saria didn't live long enough to hear her own neck break.

-------

Images sped blurily past Temrel's vision. Destruction, carnage and death, and Icel always at its heart. The faces of the dead mocked him accusingly, until he could stand no more. "Stop! he screamed, falling to his knees. Tears were streaming down his face. He whimpered. "No more, please, no more..."

The images ceased.

*DO YOU NOW UNDERSTAND WHY WE MUST INTERFERE SO LITTLE, AND EVEN THEN WITH EXTREME CARE?*

"Yes," Temrel whispered.

*THE SMALLEST ACT CAN HAVE FAR REACHING CONSEQUENCES. YOU MUST CONSIDER CAREFULLY WHAT MAY CHANGE DECADES, EVEN CENTURIES LATER IN THE THREAD OF TRUE TIME.*

"But those villagers... it's not right..."

*WE DO NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF COMPASSION, TEMREL. IN THIS INSTANCE, DESERT FOX IS RIGHT ABOUT THAT. WITHOUT HIS DISTRACTION, SARIA FALLS, AND ICEL CONTINUES UNWEAKENED.*

"I see that..."

*COME, THEN. TIME TO PUT THINGS RIGHT.*

Temrel nodded, climbing shakily to his feet.

*DON'T FEEL BAD, TEMREL. YOU HAD TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOURSELF. IT WAS A GOOD ATTEMPT, AND THERE'S ALWAYS TIME HERE TO CHANGE THINGS BACK. YOU CAN LEAVE THE PEBBLE. THE PEBBLE WAS GOOD.*

"Thank you."

Temrel knew what he had to do. Reaching out behind time, he deactivated and removed the acorn-sized crystal explosive he'd planted on the rocky outcrop.

One final time, reality blinked.

-------

Desert Fox was at his best, though others were merely knocking out the villiagers, DF waded into the crowd and let his swords do the talking. Though he wasnt exactly going for the kill, killing some was quite necessary.

This is like slaughtering sheep, DF grunted, only problem is there is so damn many.

DF knew his magics could easily slay these people en mass, but he would rather scare these people off than slay them all. Those that had already fallen were just one more deterrant to the remaining.

The enchanted weapons were something of a bother at first, that was, until DF ignited his two swords in shadowy flame.

"Beast!" A startled gasp from a villager barked at DF as he skewered the man and kicked him back.

"'Beast', you say?!" DF shouted, then charging his voice deeper and darker. "YOU HAVE YET TO SEE MY POWER FULLY!" Suddenly his body sparked in the shadowy flames enveloping his sword. Power poured out of his eyes, lending them the same shadow fire that was his trademark.

A startled few around him gasped and jumped back. He soon be came a focal point of the whole lot.

"Demon," "Its a demon," "What power, he must be demonic," a few cuts of whispers were heard in the crowd

"I am no demon, but I will use the full force of my powers on you if necessary," DF growled

"I fear no man!" A warrior shouted as he lead a charge on DF.

DF suddenly felt the power flowing through him and to others he appeard a warrior in his prime. Blocking high right and thrusting to his left, slaying one. Sweeping his sword to his left while blocking three attacks to his right. Jumping up and over three villiagers then slaying one of them. His swords were a blur half the time, rushing to meet the weapons of his enemies and jabbing to slay one or two.

The flames of his swords rose ever so slightly with each stroke, seeming to make the entire area around DF encase itself in flames. After a while of fighting like this, DF was completely encircled by the flames all around him, and the villagers stalled back, not wanting to get burned.

This provided the perfect opportunity for the offensive, DF thought...

---

Avatara and Theo held off the villiagers as best they could with no weapons, but as it stood, the most they could do is cast spells. Being more sympathetic, they didnt want to kill these villiagers since they had not done anything to deserve it, but they knew if they did nothing they would be slain.

Selax enchanted his own weapons, clanging them up against the swords of the villiagers when DF started marching past, killing several villiagers and exuding a dark aura around himself. Selax watched curiously while staving off attacks as DF waded into the center of the crowd, slaying those who jumped in to oppose him.

He watched as DF then invoked his own shadow enchantments, bringing forth searing flames to encircle his body and weapons. Selax then knew that DF wasnt just going for kills, but was rather trying to scare the people off.

He also saw as the red enchantments on each weapons were being thrusted closer and closer.

With renewed vigor, he knocked the weapons out of the hands and smacked the people on the head, knocking them out.

Avatara and Theo used pulse magics to knock swathes of people off their feet without causing them harm. The deterrants were working. At least, it was keeping them back. They looked on as DF took the battle to heart, slaying at least a quarter of those he faced outright but never really going after kills.

This is his typical state. Avatara thought. Kinda the fierce brute type phase, but he is holding back a lot not to use his favorite spells.

Avatara pondered as he cast spells. There is something that doesnt match up, and that phantom in his mind is probably it. In fact, that may be the reason he is even here. The only problem is I have no idea as to what I could do to assist. I must think this over some more...

---

Icel stood back and watched the ensueing chaos. DF was standing among the villagers, slaying several and wounding more. The flames of shadow were growing wildly, affecting the battlefield severely by keeping people from crowding DF. In fact, many seemed to cower away from the flames.

As if the brutish display of strength wasnt enough, Icel laughed. They dont fear this man eviscerating them, but a little fire works wonders at deterring somebody.

"Icel, the spot is ready, we must begin the enchantment now if not to be noticed by those battling down there" a wraith said, its bony wings flapping soundlessly

"Damn dont sneak up on me like that," Icel shuddered. "You were frightening in life, and now you are creepy as well."

The wraith growled and started up a spell of its own when Icel raised his hand and dispelled it. The wraith then started to melt.

"Remember, I command you now. Disobey and I will destroy you, trust me." Icel lowered his hand and the wraith solidified again.

The wraith glared at him and then gestured towards the spot. "Please hurry, we musnt miss our chance."

With that Icel walked over to the circle where the final wraith took his place. He started his chant, the wraiths lending their power...

---

DF felt another presence in his mind, but knew it was not a time he could help it. He was too distracted by the fight to stave off the presence in his mind, but he did make a mental call to Saria....

---

Saria felt it again, the evil presence in DF's mind, but the normal side was calling to her. Calling for her help, giving her a direction. Silently, she crept back through the cave, telling the others her help is needed for something else. She went back to where she entered from and spied in the area DF had mentioned and she saw something. She couldnt quite make out what it was, but she felt evil radiating from there so she drew her bow and one of DF's crafted arrows...

---

This is too easy, where is she? Icel thought, a bit panicked. I can't search for her and she isnt on my radar. She could be a wrench in my plan...

Suddenly, one of the wraiths near him was encased in shadow and was shrieking. The inhuman shriek quickly broke all concentration and suddenly lightning and shadow were interplaying all over the wraith and before long, the thing shattered into many pieces, the magic sliding into the ground.

Stunned, Icel looked at the dead body of the wraith and seeing as his spell was now broken, looked around for the source.

Suddenly, he saw her, arrow drawn, near the cave. She fired and he disappeared.

Too late.

The arrow struck his shoulder and the power of it skiddered down his body, bringing him to the ground gasping.

Jesus, the power of that arrow... Icel gasped. I can barely contain the magic from destroying me.

A few minutes later, Icel stood again, the arrow removed and a grim look in his eyes.

"We will be back, at a better time..." Icel said as he dashed off.

--

DF noticed the pressure leave and knew Saria had completed her task. With his mind back in order, he continued slashing away...

-------

Somewhere in the middle of the remaining villagers, one man stood staring fearfully at his suddenly glowing weapon. He heard the sound of an explosion, and saw the boulder fall. Things were happening here that he didn't understand. Revenge was one thing, but there was no sense getting killed over it.

He made a very sensible decision. He whirled about, dropped his pitchfork and ran.

Panic is contagious. In seconds, every villager still standing was sprinting, screaming, back toward what was left of their village, leaving the ground littered with glowing farm implements.

-------

Selax watched as the villagers went running, far fewer than... what? What was he thinking? He shrugged. There were still some unconscious ones around. He went around and put them all in one area, pinned a note with an explanation of who they were and what had happened to them, and then he cast a varient of directed nexus and sent the group to Land King Hall. He looked up. The rest of the group was now visible on the horizon and should be arriving soon.


The Death King watched angrily as the villagers ran. Three blinks in reality in such a short time, something was interfering and he hadn't figured out what. It was becoming infuriorating, but that could be dealt with another time. In the meantime, all he needed was for the other Cytherans arrived, then he'd send his forces in.


here they were! The Wizard saw plainly the villagers go running down the mountain. He was surprised. Shocking! They were scared off. I would have thought that there hate was too much for anything to stop them. Oh well, I guess it's good. One more dead is one more undead.

______________
A shift in time. The Wizard had drawn within himself and pondered the events that had just taken place. That pebble shouldn't have moved, he assessed, taking a closer look with his mind. And what was that weird sort of 'double twitch'? He found himself staring up at an outcrop of rock high in the ceiling, and wasn't entirely sure why. Reality is adjusting to something. It's as though something is controlling this. Hmm.

There is still a lot to tell the dragon, too.

Oh well, I had better be prepared to land-what is that!... There is a very dark presence here. I will not find what it is now. I shall wait.

______________
They landed only minutes after the terrified villagers had disappeared behind the side of the cliff, obviously taking the road down the mountain.

-------

Selax walked toward the group and Vashnij emerged from the cave. He stared at Scryllia and everyone could tell that they were communicating energetically, but nobody could quite make out what they were sharing. In the rays of the afternoon sun it looked almost beautiful, seeing two majestic creatures in close proximity.

The rest of the group went over towards Avatara and Theo. There was a general relief that the two had survived and everyone was glad to see them. They had succeeded in bringing the two dragons together. For a moment everything was looking up.

The moment turned bitter as the sky dimmed and what seemed like a shadow fell across them. The Death King stood in front of them where he had not been a moment ago. "Well done. Well done. I must thank you for capturing my dragons for me. Now, I am afraid that you must die, but don't worry, it won't hurt me at all."

With that, he chuckled and the ground began to shake violently. Abruptly, it split open. A horde of stronger and faster undead poured out, far more numerous than before and still carrying magically enchanted weapons. With them came a group of daemons of a variety, that none but Selax and the Wizard had seen before. They towered over most of them and were covered in tough, spiked, jet black hides that seemed to absorb all light that approached. An arcane bone breastplate was fused tightly to their flesh, offering extra protection on their underside. It was easy to tell they had immense strength as they prowled about on their four wickedly clawed limbs. One reared back on its hind legs and let out a ferocious roar, revealing many sharp bloodstained teeth behind its black lips and rotting gums.

Selax felt someone start to move forward next to him. He held out his arm. "No, if we rush out we are dead. We must retreat to the cave and break out a good chance. Directed Nexus or any sort of teleport will fail, as long as he is around and he wants the dragons to try to attack him. Now, hurry!"

The group turned and ran back to cave. In the entrance, they set up a perimeter. Sword or axe-wielding fighters were in front, archers and pure magic users were behind, and in the back the dragons crouched shooting fireballs at the horde. Unfortunately, the undead were highly resistant to magic (not immune) and the daemons were immune to fire and magic.

*OoC*
For everyone not on IRC, Echoes is once again open to posts.
*BiC*

"Do those daemons have any weaknesses?" someone shouted to Selax as they stood waiting for the undead.
"Sort of. Their only soft spot that they have is their eyes, but it is really hard to hit them there."
With that the first of the undead army reached them and all time to talk had ended.
Selax swung his swords in a wide arc with great speed through the first row of undead, killing several of them. However, these undead were tougher, so it was a lot harder to kill them. After narrowly avoiding getting stabbed, Selax stopped and stepped back. Then, he turned himself invisible and began to fly over them, slashing and hacking at them. But he always stayed in the cave entrance.


The Death King stood next to the ledge and considered his plans. If he should succeed in capturing the dragons, he would send them south where they would be well taken care of, but he would drop this body and head to Pnyx (which he planned to do regardless of whether he got the dragons or not). There, he would work to corrupt as many mages as he could and take a new body. Then, he would wait several months until his power regenerated fully, by that time he would have more plans and forces. Just now, he had other concerns. He raised his hand and made a fist. With a loud crash, part of the cave wall fell away, and the undead began to pour through the whole and to outflank the Cytherans.
*OoC*
Most of his plan mentioned here will probably be in a chronicle, just giving a little setup for future. That is what he will be doing during the next TS.
*BiC*

This post has been edited by Selax: 13 October 2004 - 07:28 PM

ooc: I talked with Avatara over aim about this. Talryn IS NOT supposed to die in this battle but will show up LATER in future tses. Sorry it took so long to post. bic:

Talryn stirred, man what a major headache....last thing i remember was that.... the group betrayed me, they stole the dragon and zapped me in hope that i would be dead...
--
The Death King smilied, wow its working pretty good... <Talryn the Storm Crow, come to me, i have an interesting proposal. One that will give you revenge.>
--
Talryn spread his wings and took off, mid air he casted a teleport spell and poped up near DK (death king, yes im that lazy...). He landed infront of the DK, and began to transform back into human and stopped half way. He looked like a half humman/ half eagle. "what is your porposal, i dont have a lot of time you know..."

"what would you say if I offered you to be my Genral, and from that postion you could, say exact revenge." DK said.

"Very well, I Talryn Lakten plegde my undying alligence to the Immortal Death King. May I live as long as you...sir" Talryn said rose from his knees. DK waved his hand and Talryn changed. His wings, hair, skin, and clothes became black, but his eyes turned a dark orange. Then his leather armor was repalced with tougher but less heavier leather armor, it bore the symbol of the Death King and show what rank he was.

Talryn charged in through the other hole to out flank the cytherans, He was the first in. He let out a roar of rage and drew his new sword, slowing down only so undead could get ahead of him.

---Part 2---

Tej stayed in the back, and became "human" again. He assited with spells, then charged a little bit forward, hacking and slashing when he stopped in front of the powerful demons. The Demon went to attack when a howl of rage echoed around the cave, maganifing it. Juro turned around to see a strange person, mostly black (as in charcol black). Something was familair about this person but couldn't figure out what. He withdrew from the front line into the back, and "killed" any undead that got between him and the figure.

Talryn closed in on a figure, something in his mind told him his name was Juro. He raised his sword up and attacked Juro. leave us be, i dont want to be disturbed. Undead just charged around the two that battled. its talryn! but hes changed...i recongize his fighting style..."Wizzard! Talryn has joined DK's forces!" Juro thought. He didn't have time for anything else now, except for disarming Talryn or possibly killing him.

ooc: hope this works out. My plan is that Talryn will get wounded and withdrawl with the DK and follow him, and pop up later on. Wether he becomes good again or not, i havent decided. so post away people. bic:

This post has been edited by Dark Jet: 13 October 2004 - 09:14 PM

In the ensuing chaos, DF found himself separated from the group. The DK raised himself between DF and the group and raised the horde of undead between the two.

Damn, something is going on here DF thought to himself as he started to parry with a few of the undead warriors surrounding him Its too perfectly placed, I cant stay here too long

"Dont you tire of the inner monologue at any point, you who is called Desert Fox?" the Death King asked DF directly, as his minions chased the group into the cave

DF watched as the undead immediately around him moved away, and the DK approached him

"It was foolish to wade out into that group, and now you will see why" the DK said, laughing

"OH yea? And so was approaching me!" DF shouted and charged the DK, one sword held above and the other out in front.

The DK chanted a few incantation words and, as DF used a spell to thrust his sword into the DK with a full magical force, the DK dissipated into the air, laughing the whole time.

"Damn you, you coward, SHOW YOURSELF" DF taunted, trying to draw the DK back into the fray
"You will have your fight, then you will fall" The DK taunted right back, thrusting his hands and sending shockwaves of energy into those fallen by DF's swords.

DF watched as those he had just slain rose again, then ducked down to pick up their swords. As he prepared to fight them again, he watched as the armor and weapons themselves changed. The simple pickaxes and hacking swords enchanted with evil energies suddenly filled themselves out into magical plate and reinforced dark energy swords.

DF now knew the full predicament he was in, and ignited his shadowflame again, this time raising it to full potential.

---

The group knew they were in a predicament now. Flanked from all sides, they looked on as DF was already in the middle of trouble, enhanced dead were now squaring off with him, and the rest moved on to fight the others. To the horror of Selax, the villiagers he had strived so hard to keep alive were slain as the undead approached, the DK smirking as his minions killed the helpless few.

To the horror of the rest, the villiagers were immediately raised, given the same treatment of those facing off with DF, and were now approaching them.

---

Saria, happy with her success, turned to see a group of undead filing into the hole she had just left from. She was suddenly grateful with her stealth abilities and waited on them to finish.

As the last went in, she pulled out one of her normal arrows, and readied her mind, this would take some concentration...

---

Duro was fighting Talryn now full fledged. The battle wasnt going as expected for either, but that was just because they were evenly matched. Ignoring most of the undead around him, Duro kept dodging in and out of range, and Talryn also keeping his attacks to opportune moments as so he didnt get stuck in a place where the cytherans could easily take him down.

Suddenly, an explosion sent several dead bodies flying out in pieces and Duro looked up to see what it was that made it, and saw Saria firing explosive fire arrows. Her assistance drew the notice of most the group flanking, and suddenly she found herself fighting with the few daggers as well as her enchanted bowmanship powers....

---

*CLANG* *chink* *CLASH* *swoop* *slice-slice-slice*

DF couldnt get ahead in his fight. They would hop in and take a few slashes and hop out, letting one behind him jump in to fight. The coordination was keeping him at bay and tiring him. Every time he would try to cast a spell he would lose his concentration by the approach of another.

*clang* He blocked with his iceblade *SMASH* His shadowsbane intercepted another attack.

Relentless DF's panicked mind started to unravel, dodging three more attacks and leading one of his own every time I try to get a jump, they are already there attacking

The undead slashed at his arms, causing severe cuts, his legs, slashing against the armor, damaging it, and thrusting at his chest, causing chinks and dings in his once pristine plate.

After a while, his rage grew and grew.

Slash, stab, slash HACK. DF growled and went on a rampage. His swords went from fast to blur, his flames grew, burning all those facing off with him, slowing their speed just slightly. Suddenly, one of his attacks went through on one of the enemies.

*SHHHIIIIIINNKKK* His shadowsbane went through from the hip through the skull of one of the undead weilding a ball and chain. Feeding off the bloodlust he was feeling and his blade's own lust, the flames rose in temperature, slowing his enemies furthur.

Suddenly, DF was going through one after another, taking them on one-on-one, taking the cuts and slashes the other undead were dealing.

His flames grew, his tunnel vision grew, and the danger was suddenly greater....

---

Icel knew that DF wasnt focusing but knew he could do nothing atm. The pain in his shoulder screamed at him and his concentration wasnt up to par.

Damn that vile woman, if it wasnt for her, he would be mine and they would all be dead Icel brooded Soon though, very soon it will all be done

He continued watching the battle, aiding both DF and a few of the undead along their path of destruction...

---

*CLANK* *SCCCRAAAAPEE*
DF fell to his knees. The blood haze lifted, his flames died off a bit. There were two more enhanced undead warriors bearing down on him and he could barely even look up to see them. The sword stabbed directly below his shoulderbone on the left side. The undead which got him was split into 4 immediately after by DF's enchanted shadowblades.

DF held up the iceblade to deter the remaining two, which worked at first, but soon after they were reinforced by the horde of normal undead.

If this is to be my final hour, may it be my finest hour DF reinforced his mind, and stood.

Shunting off the pain in his shoulder, he weilded his weapons, but differently this time. His eyes glowed furiously, and with each slash, a magical shadow scythe of energy was blazed out at his enemies.

The first several slammed fully into the two remaining undead champions but did nothing. It ignited some of the cloth bits, and disintegrated one of their damaged-gauntleted hands. The rest DF shot into the ranks, keeping them back and damaging many for later slaughter.

Arm is going numbDF realized and sheathed his shadowsbane Time to end this DF went directly after the sword weilding champion and fought it with blinding speed. Up, down, sideslash, diagnal up. His sword was moving with far more finesse than DF generally showed. The blades clashed, causing the undead to retreat while fighting. After a few mins of fighting like this, the undead fell back, and DF promptly hacked it to bits.

Turning to face the other champion, he realized that he had been wounded several times, and felt large pangs of pain throughout his body from them. At first this caused him to collapse, shouting in agony, but he then rose and thrust his body so fast the undead couldnt put its shield up. The sword went right through its middle, and DF then used it to vivisect his opponent.

Standing up again, DF sheathed his other sword and prepared to let loose his magic....

---

Selax saw DF face off against the 15 undead champions that had rose from those he had slain.

The undead champions going at him, the shouldnt be dead.

Its unfair, we did all we could to stop them, we wanted them to live Selax got angry Yet there was no saving them, we tried, but the monster didnt let us save them

This is about to get dicey Avatara thought I hope my magic will keep up

The battle ensued...

(OoC:realize I stepped forth in battle to show my fight with the champions, if you are to use my char again in battle *other than a small glimpse out to gauge time passed*, be sure to have let enough time to have passed in battle to allow me to do that without bein in two places at once. BiC)

This post has been edited by Desert Fox: 14 October 2004 - 12:38 AM

*OoC*
DF, did you mean both of your characters? Or just DF? If you meant both, I'll edit my post.
*BiC*
The Death King watched the fight with great satisfaction. If this force should fail, he was ready. Talryn and his forces were doing well, pouring through the hole into the cave. He was holding the daemons back for the most part, waiting until the Cytherans would be too exhausted to defend themselves. All in all, the battle was going fairly well. However, that woman with the arrows could prove to be a slight annoyance. He shrugged and sent three massive daemons galloping towards her. Then, he raised his hand and gestured at a small group of undead that had been standing next to him. They began to glow with energy. There was a blinding flash of light. The group of undead had been transformed into a group of extra powerful liches, holding staffs that pulsed with dark energy. Some of these he sent to assist Talryn. Talryn, these are yours to command. Use them as you see fit.
The others he ordered to cluster around him. They began to hurtle bolts of black lightning at the Cytherans. The Death King wondered if he should just cause a cave-in, but that might hurt the dragons that he wished to obtain, and he didn't want to risk that. Not right away, at any rate.


Selax continued to hack at the undead. He had moved back to help block the hole from further invasion. For a second, he watched Talryn with sadness. He had nearly forgotten how dangerous treason had been, when the elementals had fought battles far bigger than this years ago. Moments later, he saw the undead transform into liches. If they were not with the Death King, I'd risk going out to get them, he thought. But the Death King had thought of that. Anyway if the liches were killed, he'd raise more of them. So, Selax stayed where he was and continued to fight, but he held back as much as he safely could and conserved his strength, so that he would be ready to fight the daemons.

This post has been edited by Selax: 14 October 2004 - 09:30 PM

The Wizard knew that he was of little use in battle, so he stayed in back. Just then the cave wall near him slipped away, he stood fending off against undead as best he could. He held no sword, but instead used his staff in all situations. He hoped that his robe would be able to stopper most of the undead attacks, but that proved not to be the case, for they were strong.

____________
He had only been there a few seconds when he heard Juro's voice break the thoughts of his own mind. Something about Talryn joining the Death King. I had better check, this could be bad. He turned and ran in the direction of the origin of the brief thoughts.

____________
He arrived in time to see some stranger fighting Juro. He was sure that it was Talryn, though. This is bad, he then cerebrated to himself.

Mr. Wizard gave a whack on the back of the head to Talryn and shouted, "Talryn, what are you doing? Have you gone mad!" Talryn turned around, unphased. The only answer was a swift sword swinging at Wizard. He blocked it with his staff, but unfortunately, the other undead that had been ignoring them cluttered around and started to attack as well.

Wizard and Juro were standing back-to-back now, for nothing else worked. Juro fought with great intensity and struck many undead, but Wizard only blocked blows with his magical staff. He was doing fairly well stopping all the hits until...Hmm. Missed one, he realized, an instant before Talryn's blade sliced his side.

Selax suddenly rushed into the gathering of undead and began to attack. He shoved Wizard back.

Mr. Wizard was not going to sit out this time around. He picked upl his staff with his miind and began to attack with his all, using what light magics he could to defend himself as the staff twirled far in front of him. The wound was an annoyance, as it took concentration to close a wound, which he did not have at that time.

He did not expect them to live, this time around, and he was going to go out with a fight.

[OOC]Sorry for not posting sooned but I have been a little busy lately and I have been waiting for a good time to post[BIC]

Medoc was helping to protect the dragons, there were a lot of undead that were making it into the cave since Selax went to go help Mr Wizard. He was slowing making his way to the mouth of the cave, the undead were good fighters but predictable. Because they had been magically enhanced by the Death King they all bore his trait and combat styles, although they were stronger than the other undead that they had encountered they had the same fighting style. Medoc was using his staff, the only weapon that he can fight with effectivly, although it was magical so were the undead weapons and they were slowing taking bits out of his staff faster than it could regenerate its self. Every so often a big demon would come charging through the cave enterance destroying any undead that got in their way, Medoc wasn't strong enough to take one out, he was little more than a pain to them, the dragons were destroying all of the demons that came through the cave.

The battle was still raging between Talyrn, Juro, Selax and Mr Wizard. It didn't really look like Mr Wizard was doing a great deal but everyone around probably expected that he and Talyrn were having a mental fight, Medoc could tell this because every so often Talyrn would make a small mistake in his fighting style. Juro spent all of his time going after Talyrn but Selax spent some of his fighting time on Talyrn but most of his time on the undead that were surounding them.

The battle in a whole seemed to be a stale mate but everyone knew that they couldn't keep is up for as long as the Death King would be able to send out more undead, even with this in mind they weren't going to go down without a fight. What is going to happen next is anyones guess but it looked like everyone had a long sleepless night ahead of them.

[OOK]I know its short and nothing really comes out of it, mostly I just wanted to show that I was still here, also just explain what some people are doing. I am not sure if I posted this anywhere or not but Medoc has the ability to see a few seconds into the future, not really see, just feel like a sixth sence, is useful for fighting, I don't know if it means anything to anyone or not, just thought I may as well say it.[BIC]

Suddenly, the undead stepped back. . .to reveal a line of daemons ready to charge the tiring group. Confident of their prey, the daemons let out deafening bellows and charged. Selax moved to the side. He hadn't fought these creatures in a long time, but he was fairly sure that, by using all of his abilities, he could hold his own against at least two in a fight. Three might be a different matter. Looking at the large number racing towards him, he thought, Well, today is as good as any to find out. With the number and the strength of the daemons, even the dragons couldn't destroy them all. Then, the bloodthirsty monsters reached the group.

This post has been edited by Selax: 16 October 2004 - 09:33 PM

In the midst of the charging demons there was a lage clank a huge figure steeped into the clearing a plated boot lifted and crushed the nearest skeleton. then a metal arm picked up another and ripped it inhalf.
"Hey Guys IM BACK!!!" a huge voice said
Savara lifted hey foot again crushed a undead adn ran straight into the undead.
Her Dawn blade lifted and sithed through a few undead.
"need my help? " She chukeld
"im inlisted a help to nock off the death king hild try her best but she might not be able to pull it off so lets cross our fingers."

Selax was having some difficulty. He was fighting two of the massive daemons. As he had guessed, he could hold this amount off. He flew around the head of the smaller one hammering it with his sword, but the creature was virtually impossible to kill. The second swiped at him and he narrowly missed a bad injury. Suddenly, rocks fell from the ceiling smashing into the daemon and wounding it and spinning the second one off to the side. The Wizard, Selax thought. Not wasting the opportunity he gripped both his swords and stabbed with all his might at one of the eyes. The daemon staggered back roaring in pain. However, Selax didn't let it go but followed still hitting it as hard as he could. The combination of the rocks and the raining blows upon the monster proved to be too much and it finally fell. But before Selax could be relieved, three more stepped up in its place. His first thought was Uh oh. Not my day.


The Death King smiled and raised his hand again. Undead flooded around Savara, intending to seal her off from the cave. Things were going very well.

The Wizard was losing a lot of blood. He felt a little faint, but he ignored that and continued to use telepathy. Once in a while he would take the concentration of telekenesis away from his staff and hit an undead with a rock, but he dared not be too distracted.

Selax was fighting the daemons as best he could, but he couldn't take on three very well.

Everyone was fighting. No one noticed when a daemon moved up behind the Wizard. Wizard turned around and looked up. He smiled and then brought his staff over(with telekenesis) and gave it a few wacks, but it was unphased. Then it unleashed a huge roar, a deafening roar. All noticed that it was there then, but they were too late to stop what next happened. It lifted its enormous hand and slammed it into the Wizard, sending him flying. He went soaring out of the cave and into the midst of the undead.

DF, bloody and battered from the beatings delivered upon him by the undead, watched slightly as one went airborn.

power dont fail me now DF prayed to himself as he turned towards the group of undead nearby

"DARKSCYTHE" DF called out, slashing both hands downward, causing two arcs of dark energy to blast out, disintegrating many undead in a large path towards the wizard's flying form.

DF held his arms down, channelling all his power into the attack, sending the dark wave furthur and furthur until the wizard came close to touching, in which DF then threw his arms to the sides, discontinuing his dark magic cast.

The Wizard then hit the ground and rolled towards DF, half unconscious. DF opened a portion of his armor and was a bit dismayed.

only one left... DF said to himself, slightly stunned Either save him from death, or recharge my powers

DF then opened the bottle and took a small sip wont recharge either of us fully, but will get us live and kicking

He then ran over to the wizard's fallen form and opened his mouth and poured the rest of the vial's contents into the old man's mouth.

"Bleh, what did you do, spit in that?" The Wizard joked as he got up "you were better off draining the whole thing yourself, im useless in battle like this"

"Not if we work together" DF told him and drew his sword "Open your mind, we shall fight as one"

---

The Death King was somewhat pleased, but the new direction the battle on the outskirts of the cave dismayed him some.

I must watch those two, I dont see any good to come of this The Death King said to himself, splitting his concentration between the pair in the field and the group in the cave.

---

The Wizard felt energized as before, but now it seemed more feral, more rough of a power. He knew there was an extent to the power granted him, but his abilities should be more than enough to use it.

DF stood close, very close, with both swords drawn. The plan he had formed was DF to be a body protector, keeping the undead at bay while thewizard used the combination of their powers to smash groups around them, allowing both of them to use the power DF's vial gave them.

The undead approached hauntingly quick, and one of the three daemons that were facing Selax retreated some to turn its attention to the two out in the field.

Dont know how long we will hold out The Wizard mentally mentioned to DF, pinging his mind to the daemon looming towards them
Long enough to draw attention, in the least DF spotted back, pinging back the main group if we can hold out long to form a bridge to the rest of the group, we can get Saria or someone else to toss us a potion and keep us going
at least you have a plan the wizard sighed, this was going to be harder than he thought...

DF struck fast, frighteningly so for one with his powers split. He set his swords ablaze and slashed back and forth, taking out three facing the pair right off, but instead of continuing forth, he quickly chased his attention to the pair of undead right behind the wizard and approaching, faster than DF could imagine, the wizard propelled DF above himself, allowing DF to slash through both on the way down.

your instincts come through loud and clear, I can assist in your fight in more ways than one the wizard mused, pushing DF's speed to his right quickly, taking out three more undead as they attempted to hack at him.

dont forget to use magic DF reminded we wont get anywhere at all without using it somewhat

Oh, dont worry bout that, ive got the perfect plan, involves a power quite akin to your own shadow waves the wizard cryptically replied

DF quickly spun around the wizard to defend against another attack, and used his other sword to bisect the undead attempting the attack. Then he flashed his blades to the other undead to his right. Back and forth, round and round, DF kept up the defense of The Wizard.

This is like training with your back to a tree DF mused as he slashed his arms to each side, taking out undead on either side of him, and bringing them back forth, slashing three more undead on the way to their meeting in the center. cept this is much harder

oh cmon, im not as bad as a tree, at least I provide witty banter the wizard joked at him
yea, but the tree smells better DF shot back, a bit bemused at the jokes being able to exist in the middle of a battle.

DF hadnt noticed it till just that moment that the wizard's eyes had shifted. They were radiating a void like nothing DF had seen before, even in himself. He was a bit curious, and even slightly frightened, at the chaos he was summoning up within himself. DF kept to task, leaping back and forth, keeping the undead at bay, making sure not to show any fatigue though his bones themselves were screaming at him and his cuts and slashes were becoming more plentiful. For some reason, his mind was able to push past the tremendous pain his body was exuding.

He fought on for what seemed an eternity.

are you ready yet, im starting to lose what little ground I gained DF said
your mind is radiating brilliantly, though you lose strength, you more than make up in will, which makes your power grow greatly the wizard's mind was astounded your power grows though your body tires, I know why your enemy fears you so, and why he tries to distract you the wizard explained a bit but he has no headway here, and you are in full battle readiness, the spell will be ready very shortly, just give me a bit more time

DF knew he could trust the words being said to him, and pushed himself even furthur, pushing past all the pain his body could muster when suddenly, the daemon was upon them.

The undead around him were mostly dead. The others outside the small circle DF had formed werent even pressing forth anymore. It was like DF was now in a showdown.

The daemon came in closer, and DF's grin became even more devilish.

"You know nothing of the place your kind exist" DF shot at the beast
"Die" was its only response, as it lumbered ever so quickly at DF.

The Wizard watched for only a moment when he noticed that the undead were closing in again. Suddenly, one of DF's blades went flying. At first, The Wizard wondered what damage was wrought upon DF, but then saw DF fighting even faster, losing the sword gave him a speedier response with his one blade. Seeing the gift given to him, The Wizard gripped the shadowsbane, and felt its power flowing into him.

This is.... The Wizard was astounded, the blade itself was channeling power into his body ...the enchantment, it will

Not trained as a fighter, but having new magic as his beck and call, the wizard was ready to cast his spell...

This post has been edited by Desert Fox: 23 October 2004 - 03:39 AM

Selax watched in relief as the daemon turned away. It had been a hard fight and, if not for constant healing, he would be hurt pretty badly. However, the constant healing and use of spells was beginning to tax the mages. He turned his attention back to the daemons facing him. One was wounded, but the other was unhurt. Thinking quickly, he flew to one side of the wounded daemon and began attacking it. The creature roared in fury and retreated. But it backed into the daemon on its other side. The hurt daemon stumbled and fell on the other one. The unhurt daemon went blind with fury and quickly killed the other. Then, it stood back up and rushed at Selax. Then, it stopped, realizing that it couldn't beat him alone. It tried to call for help or to retreat, but Selax was on it too quickly. Slashing at its face with both of his swords, Selax quickly brought the monster down. Then, he stepped back and looked around. DF and the Wizard seemed okay, and there wasn't much he could do to help them at the moment anyway. But the mages couldn't keep up much longer. Before he had time to plan any further, the next press of daemons was on him.


The Death King watched the battle with avid interest. This was his first chance to see how the nonelementals would handle a hard fight with his forces and he intended to make use of it. Several daemons were down, and many undead had fallen. The liches didn't seem to be making much difference, so he sent some in closer. Abruptly, he felt the Wizard preparing his spell. Perhaps, it would be best to kill him, but he was curious and decided to allow him to finish. It wouldn't effect him anyway. Even if the Cytherans should win this fight, he had another weapon ready for them.

This post has been edited by Selax: 23 October 2004 - 08:42 PM

[Ooc] Yes indeed, I'm back, and I do sincerely apologize for not posting for so long- sometimes life just takes priority though. Where Katerei went, I'm not going to bother thinking of an explanation for, just accept that she went.... somewhere, I guess. So here it is, a long overdue post- [Bic]

Yeaaaah, score! I made it back! An exuberant cry rang through everyone's thoughts. Wizard and DF barely registered it, absorbed in the middle of their spell, but everyone else noticed.

Katerei? Joru asked, astonished.

That's my name! the voice sang out. A blur of blue rushed past, something metallic swinging overhead.

Where in Cythera have you been? demanded Selax, dividing his attention between battling and talking. We could've used your help! If you hadn't noticed, we're fighting for our lives!

Only two of you, Avatara and Theo, were in danger when I left, Katerei muttered. Hardly can blame me for getting yourselves in this mess. What the hell is going on here, it's just my luck I walked in on a battle, thank god I have a morning star now to fight with- and by the way, just how -are- we communicating telepathically?

Another voice joined in. DesertFox and Wizard and some others have all been doing it, I think we're just all tapping into each other's thoughts, Saria said tensely, trying to fend off an undead. She didn't recognize this unhuman new woman and had no idea where she'd come from, but was willing enough to fight alongside her. Do you feel it? Like mental threads between everyone- some side effect of all the magic around h- aaaargh!

Saria dropped to one knee, blood gushing freely from a deep wound on her leg. She looked up, wide-eyed, to see the undead bearing down on her... and then suddenly, it no longer had a head.

"Don't move," Katerei commanded, speaking aloud now that she was close enough to be heard. She grinned, whirling a spiked ball on a chain above her head, daring another enemy to come near and risk a beheading. "This isn't going to be pretty, I'm not much of a healer, but it ought to work..."

Magic flowed through Saria's leg, sealing off the arteries and numbing the pain somewhat, though not completely. The wound rapidly closed and Saria staggered up, limping but mobile. "Thanks," she gasped, raising her dagger to fight again.

"That's what I'm here for!" Katerei whipped around and bounded into the air, beheading another undead as she came down again. "Yeah, look at that! Another one down!" she exulted. "Let's kick some undead butt!"

Is she- quite sane? Saria asked Selax dubiously, trying to ignore the pain.

Nobody really knows. Selax gritted his teeth, desperately battling the seemingly unending flow of demons. Just keep fighting... curse it all, when are these going to -die-?

A voice sang out again, just barely audible over the nearly deafening sounds of the battle. "It's a lovely day, for a morning star, it's a lovely day, to kill some undead, kill some undead with a morning star.... Avatara, I'm baaaack!"

Vashnij grimaced at the shrilling sound of the blue female. He turned his head in her direction and gave her a menacing growl. She jumped back with a strangled "eep!" and shakily returned her attention to the undead around her, albeit quietly.

Nearby Scyrillia slashed her claws into a demon that had ventured too close to her. Her claws lodged deep into its body, spewing out a hissing black liquid. With a hide thicker than most beasts the vile vermin had managed to get stuck on her claws and was feebly trying to fight back. Scyrillia roared in disgust as she ripped the beast off of her. Almost immediately he felt the violent backwash of repulsion as she spat out its bitter blood. I hate this, inferior beings shouldn't pester us! she muttered privately to him.

He inwardly agreed with her, if they ever found the one behind all of this, he would show them what it truly meant to challenge a dragon.

A cry for help caught his attention. The young mortal, Talos, had taken a serious wound to the chest and was crumpled on the ground in pain. Avatara was standing over him, holding up some kind of energy shield that was keeping the nearby demons at bay, but it looked like they couldn't last much longer. With a subtle nod to Scyrillia, the dragons dove into the fray.

Vashnij landed fully onto one, crushing it under his weight. He felt the bone armor splinter with a small concussion underneath his feet, but he had already focused his attention on his next target. The dragon's tail slammed full force into another, knocking it backwards into the cliff wall, where it slammed into the ground, bleeding profusely.

Something in his side stung, one of the demons had managed to get its claws to penetrate his scales. The demon didn't last much longer. Something inside him surprised him, he was almost enjoying this. For so long he had been unable to strike back at those that hurt him, yet here he could unleash his fury to his heart's delight. He let out a roar of joy and dove at his next victim.

Talryn faught on with Juro, he was tiring quickly. Mighty Death King, can you grant but some more energy or can I retreat? My Lord? Talryn felt a plusing strenth flow through him, and Talryn jumped to the top of the cave and dodged past Juro bringing his sword, Wrath of Centauri down on Tej's sword. Tej stared in horror as his sword cracked and he managed to dodge a fatal blow. Talryn's eyes started to glow with fire (like in War3 when the demon hunter becomes a demon). WoC started to glow with a vampireic arua, spreading among his liches. liches, connect to me with ur mind take every speel and make a big one, make sure its worth it!

Tej smiled as Talryn just stood there, obvisouly in deep telepathic connection. Tej saw Juro jump up and bring his sword down in Talryn's back. He just pulled it out and stabbed Tej close to the heart then faught with Juro again, each stroke becoming fast and deadlier. He noticed certain people staring. "You die now!" He roared then swang for Juro's head. It would have worked, had not a undead skull hit his stomach. He stood stunned theny flew tot he roof and out to the DK. "Sorry my lord, but i rather not continue to fight. BUt it would be nice to pratice my skills with yours so I may become stronger and then finally wipe out the betrayers. Thank you mylord." The DK opened some what a mental link showing him his fighting skills, and he faught with some of the demons... The Death king turned his attention back to Mr. Wizzard and the liches under Genral Talryn's command. He wondered which spell would be cast first...

ooc: i think im about done for this ts.... but i amy still post. Good night bic:

-Dark Jet

*OoC*
Dark Jet, let me know if you want me to edit this post.
*BiC*

The Death King considered the situation. If Talryn continued to prove himself worthy, he could become very powerful. The fighting skills that he had given to Talryn were part of an old fighting style from a dead world that he had absorbed knowledge of. He had long ago discovered that it was impossible for one of his servants (or just about anyone else) to gain enough power to threaten him, so it was not a concern to him how much power he gave them. But with that power came a price; it became much easier for him to read their thoughts and, thus, much harder for them to consider betraying him. Yes, Talryn was ready for an important assignment...
Talryn, you are to go to the city of Pnyx. There you are to disguise yourself and enroll as a student. Once, you are ready, look for certain groups of students (I will tell you which ones at that time) and begin to turn them from the ways of the Cytheran mages. However, you must keep this secret from the master mages and any others who might interfere, until I tell you otherwise. Some time after you have begun to do this, I will contact you again and explain more to you.
He turned his attention back to the battle. The dragons were now just about where he wanted them. He smiled.


Scyrillia let out a startled cry. Three of the daemons had caught her tail and pulled her to the ground. Others quickly moved in to hold her down. She struggled, but the daemons were too numerous and too strong. Vashnij let out a roar and dived to her aid.


Selax watched fearfully. It was good that Katerei was back but, if this continued, they-and the dragons-would be overrun. Suddenly, he started. The Death King had begun to walk calmly toward Scyrillia. He thought, No. . .
Aloud, he shouted,"We have to get out of here now! If he touches her, she is doomed! Come on!"
Without waiting, he flew over the undead, landing on Scyrillia's back. Selax began to hack insanely at the daemons. The rest of the group rushed up and quickly formed a perimeter around the dragon.
"DF, Wizard! Cast the spell and let's get out of here!"

DF sliced upwards, felling the daemon facing him, at the same time as an undead stuck a sword into his side..

---

The Wizard's eyes flashed, radiating darkness and white. The spell was now fully ready, and not one second too late...

---

A roar, no chant, just a raw roar emerged from The Wizard as he finally let go. Forward went a surge of energy, with rapidly changing from dark energy to light energy. Faster and faster, moving over the battlefiend, spreading over the entire contingent of undead. It spread to the whole of the army before suddenly, it exploded on all fronts, but focused mainly upon the direction the Wizard faced. Then, as a second part of the spell, the Wizard let loose waves upon waves of focused energy, aimed directly at the Death King.

---

The resulting blast decimated the bulk of the remaining, and headed directly towards the Death King. The Death King was shocked at first, there was no way that much power could have come his way, and attempted to block the attack.

---

Selax looked on incredulously as a massive blast went through the impending forces of undead, disintegrating a massive amount of them, breaking all formation that had been in place.

The liches, caught up into the storm of the blast, shrieked their horrible tune, and were silenced, leaving nothing behind.

The Death King himself stood stalwart to the tide of energy, his armor deflecting most of the blast, but still losing way a little bit.

After a few moments, it was all over, the blast had given a much needed reprieve, and the main of the undead were defeated.

The only problem, the Death King still stood. His armor a bit warped, his body a bit frazzled, but all in one piece and ready to go.

---

The Death King turned towards DF and the wizard and noticed that there had been a secondary pulse, which had destroyed the undead circling the pair. He glared at them when suddenly, he saw DF rise and turn back towards him...

---

Ugh...drained, skwered, and torn to shreds, yet im not out yet DF thought as he squared off to face the death king.

Be aware, your power has waned, dont go doing something foolish The Wizard alerted DF as he saw what the warrior was planning

We are dead if we stay out here, we have broken a path through the entire army, allowing a way through, but if one doesnt stave off their leader, neither of us will get back DF looked at Wizard I have little strength left, but it still enables me to fight him off, so I will be the one

The Wizard then handed DF his Shadowsbane back your sword, it should help

DF hefted his two swords and charged headlong into battle...

---

The Death King stopped his march towards the dragons in the cave.

well now, he thinks he can take me he watched DF as he quickly approached me He was able to destroy my army, but that puts him in a very precarious spot, he is weakened, and he is alone

Suddenly, DF was there and the Death King was forced to fend off his attacks.

Slash, downslash, DF's blades were doing their normal work of speed, playing up and down, trying to pry a open spot in his defenses.

*CLANG* -slice- *THUD* *chink*

The fight got furious as those in the cave secured their area, fending off the final undead in the cave and setting themselves for the final wave of undead left out of the Wizard's strike.

DF's Iceblade went flying and suddenly, the Death King thrust his sword deep into DF's armor.

"Now, DIE" The Death King commanded as he skewered DF

It wasnt for a few moments that the death king then noticed a pain in his own body, and saw DF's sword thrust up into his midsection.

"Never give up, never surrender" DF smiled, bleeding profusely he was still able to kick

DF then turned his sword and pulled out, leaping back and retreating.

"Try to nail him in the kink I just put in his armor" DF shouted as he ran into the cave

Once he got in, he fell back behind the line of allies and sat back. Getting out a few tools, DF quickly fixed up his armor so it wasnt impaling him as it was at that moment, and then blissfully passed out, his part had been played.

---

The Death King was furious, DF beat such a hasty retreat that he hadnt the chance to finish the vermin off.

How did that sword pierce my armor DK pondered as he went down to a knee for the moment.

He went over the series of events in his head, and remembered the weakened spots in his armor caused by the massive spell. He then recalled the shadows that enveloped that sword as if it were one of them. A lucky shot, but still he felt a bit drained.

---

Icel's mind and heart siezed up for the battle DF waged on the Death King.

"The fool, he is going to get himself killed before I can do anything" he muttered to himself "Never thought id have to do this, but I dont see another option" he continued as he started to cast a spell...

---

DF's body was glowing slightly, to the amazement of those around him. His wounds were severe, and of them he had many, but they seemed to be healing over faster than they should...


OoC: I guess the spell was a bit powerful, but it did have several posts to accrue power, and drained both warriors to put its effects in.
Also, do note that many are dead, but there are still several pockets of undead left. The Death King has a decent wound in him, but he is far from done. I just gave him a weakness to aim for BiC

Suddenly, the Death King disappeared. The group heard a laugh behind them. They spun and saw the Death King, looking perfectly fine, standing in the doorway.
"Well done. Well done. Now I know what to do with my armies in the future," he looked at DF and continued,"It is too bad for you that, over all kinds of energy, I am the Master. You are fortunate that I went easy on you.
(*OoC*His fighting style and armor are unique. If you wish to discuss this post, please try to catch me on IRC.*BiC*)
None of you can kill me. However, I can kill you."
He laughed again, so loudly that cracks formed in the rocks of the cave. He held up his hand and the group heard a distant roar. They had a feeling that something much worse than what they had just fought was headed for them. The Death King waved his hand and a energy shield formed around him.

Avatara carefully walked towards Selax, trying to not lose his balance on the shaky floor. Some small pebbles fell down as whatever the Death King was doing continued to ravage the cave walls.

"How best can we break through that shield of his?" Avatara asked as he walked up behind the elemental. "You've had the most experience with this guy, how can we kill him?"

"We should leave," Selax replied.

"We wha-? You're going to just run away? DF practically gave his life for us to have a shot at killing this guy. If he's as bad as you say, wouldn't this be the perfect-"

"Something is coming," Selax interrupted calmly. Only then did he turn around, "Something we don't want to face. Get everyone on the dragons, now."

"But..." It seemed a waste of a rare chance, surely DF's sacrificial act would make a difference, there had to be some way to win, but an uneasy fear was rising up inside him and he began to think Selax was right. He turned away from the Death King, who watched smugly from within his energy shield. Another time...

"Okay, pack it up, we need to get out of here!" Avatara shouted to the group as began jogging back towards Vashnij. Most were staring at the mouth of the cave, they all could feel it; an indescribable fear from within threatening to engulf them.

"Hurry up, we need to go!" Wizard shouted out as Joru helped him to his feet. Slowly the group sprang to action, helping the wounded get to the dragons. Saria was frantically trying to get Moonshadow to help assist Desert Fox, who was trapped in some sort of a feverish coma. Yet, Katerei was still standing staring at the Death King.

"C'mon Kat, lets go!" Avatara grabbed her elbow and started tugging her but she ignored him.

"What is that thing?" she pointed to the strange glow visible beyond the cave entrance. A stark contract to the fading day outside, an eerie green hue was illuminating the cliff edge and the nearby terrain.

"Something bad, we need to get out of here!" this time she didn't resist, they both broke out into a dead run towards the dragons. Small boulders began falling from the ceiling, apparently the cave couldn't take much more punishment from the tremors. Theo, one of the last of the group to board the dragons started waving and pointing. "I know the cave is collapsing," he sighed, trying to quench out the rapidly rising fear threatening to drown him. Theo's waving became more frantic and some others began pointing, but they were blocked out briefly by the dust from a boulder that smashed down a distancein front of them. They leapt over the scattering debris, losing almost no time. Vashnij was waiting impatiently, they had almost made it, just a few more meters...

Katerei slammed her foot down on Avatara's, causing him to stumble forward in surprise, and both of them to fall roughly on the ground. A loud shriek hurt their ears as a blast of bone-chilling air hit them and a white blur raced overhead. As it circled around up ahead, having overshot the group, they got a better look at it.

It was big and white but ethereal - they could see through it as if it was some kind of ghost. Yet, it dug its claws into the shattered wall to help it whip around at such a high speed, leaving no doubt that it could still cause them serious harm despite its transparent appearance. Something about the long shape made it recognizably familiar, in a twisted way.

"Its a dragon?" someone gasped.

That is no dragon! Vashnij rumbled with a mixture of anger and disgust.

"What is it?" Avatara asked as Theo helped Kat climb up and secure herself to the black dragon.

Dragonwraiths! Scyrillia hissed. The dragonwraith faced them and let out a battle cry. The air in front of its mouth wavered in a strange ghastly manner. The nearby bodies left over from the battle that had raged moments before suddenly turned a sickly gray and crumbled to dust, as if decades of decay passed by in a single instant.

Vashnij reared up and let out a roar of his own, unleashing a torrent of searing flame that blasted the people holding onto his back with a wave of heat. The wraith wavered and the fire merely went through it and scorched the cave wall on the opposite side, where it dissipated into a giant burn mark.

"This way." Selax called out, hovering in the air; Scyrillia and her passengers were already moving towards the entrance. Vashnij turned and jumped forward, carrying the rest of the group out.

"From behind!" Talos cried out as Vashnij banked sharply. The dragonwraith rushed by, brushing the dragon's exposed underside and leaving behind a trail of gray, dead scales.

I can't move like this! Vashnij complained audibly as he levelled out carefully so that nobody fell off.

Up ahead! Scyrllia's voice warned; she was attempting to avoid two more dragonwraiths that had surfaced. Somehow, she managed to twist by them and escaped unscathed. Vashnij, being larger, had a bit more difficulty. One of the dragonwraiths managed to damage his left side as the black dragon breezed past the Death King in his cozy energy shield, and away from the fading cave, out into the darkening sky.

"Upwards, to the summit," Selax commanded as he landed on Vashnij. The group and the two dragons turned and soared upwards, heading up the large and foreboding mountain.

******

The Death King stood on the ledge watching them head up the mountain. Behind him, the magical spell that had held up the failing cave subsided and the roof collapsed, filling the inner chambers with rocky debris and a massive cloud of dust. It had taken some prodding, but now everything was perfect.

******

"What's at the top of this mountain anyway?" Theo asked, turning his head while managing to maintain his grip.

"Something that will help us," was all Selax offered as an answer.

"Does anyone else find it odd that it took forever for the cave to collapse?" Katerei asked. Nobody responded, but the sickening fear that plagued them retained a presence in the back of their minds.

"Dragonwraiths!" Avatara called out, pointing beneath them. "More of them this time!" Over a dozen ghostly silhouettes were faintly visible, their glow reflecting off the rocky mountainside beneath them, and it was brightening at a rapid pace.

Secure yourselves mortals, was Vashnij's only warning before he banked into a sharp dive.

"Ignore them, we must reach the summit. The shrine there can defeat them!" Selax called out. Vashnij continued his plummet towards the rising wraiths. As they approached, their glow became more and more intense, standing out starkly against the darkening ground. The feeling of fear rose up again as several dragonwraiths let out a challenging howl. Vashnij dove straight at them, showing no sign of slowing. With a roar, he flew right through the wraiths, causing everyone to gasp in shock at a sudden biting cold as they raged past, leveling out only then. The wraiths above began to turn in pursuit, but a burst of flame seared one of them, sending it howling in a plummeting circle as its wings writhed in flame. Scyrillia flew past the dragonwraiths to join Vashnij, and together the two dragons flew upward, attempting to resume their climb.

Scyrillia let out another stream of flame as they approached the dragonwraiths again, but this time her target wavered and the fire passed harmlessly through. Two dragonwraiths rammed into Vashnij as he flew past them. He managed to slash at one of them, ignoring the biting cold that he felt. The dragonwraith howled in pain and fell below, recovering late. The second dragonwraith managed to latch onto Vashnij, turning more opaque as he did so and forcing both of them into a slow plummet.

Vashnij attempted to fight back, but he couldn't twist violently without the beings he carried falling off, and his claws were trapped, unable to effectively damage the wraith. The stench of decay overwhelmed him, the weight of the creature was threatening to crash him into the mountain below. The dragonwraith let out a screech of victory; the aged breath narrowly missing his head yet killing a swath of scales on his neck. Vashnij noticed Selax was moving, presumably to help, and suddenly the heavy weight from the wraith vanished. A sharp jolt of cold hit them as they breezed through the now-ethereal dragonwraith and suddenly they were free, flying upwards again.

He couldn't detect Scyrillia nearby among the tangle of dragonwraiths screeching after him, and for a moment he thought she hadn't made it. That faded as she sent a reassuring pulse from above him; she was nearing the top.

Something suddenly felt very wrong and Vashnij swerved left, narrowly avoiding a blast of a dragonwratih's aging breath. He thought he noticed more and more of them circling in, and it was all he could do to dodge their deadly fumes and waiting claws that ripped into his flesh. With seemingly no end to them, he strained upward. Above all else, they had to reach the summit. This flight was taking too long, the mortals he carried and the dragonwraiths forced him to take a more gradual climb that looped around the mountain rather than a sharp climb upward.

Finally, the sharp mountain cliffs and rocky walls leveled out into a more dome-like plateau. Ahead, in the center as promised, the last rays from the sun illuminated some sort of arcane pedestal on a large, circular, marble platform surrounded by five ruined pillars in a star-shape. Those who had ridden Scyrillia had already dismounted and were waving; she was coming back to aid him.

Do what you must he told the group as he let them down, before plunging back into the air to help hold back the dragonwraiths.

Being an elemental, Selax was immune to the unnatural fear. At his age, it took a lot to scare him anyway, but there was no denying the fact that he was getting extremely worried. He landed in the middle of the platform and, bending down, put his hands on it. As the only elemental present, he was the only one capable of using it. Anyone else who tried would go insane.
Selax called to the rest of the group,"Whoever has the most magic left place yourselves at the five pillars. Wizard has done this before, so he must be at one the of pillars, no matter how much magic he has. He'll tell you what to do. All I can tell you is that this is our last chance but that will be painful to you. Be warned that you and I shall be unable to defend ourselves. Therefore, everyone else must get ready to defend us and help the dragons as much as they can. There is no time to explain, but if this doesn't work, it is quite probable that we shall all die. Unfortunately, this will take some time."


Far below, the Death King frowned. The shrine had always been a problem for him. But, during his imprisonment, he had thought of several ways to destroy it. The present situation was such that he was certain that he could succeed. At the best, he'd get the dragons and eliminate or even capture the shrine. At the worst, he would at least manage the destruction of the shrine. However, he intended that that wouldn't be necessary. He raised his hand and, above, some of the dragonwraiths broke from the battle with the dragons and dove, roaring, at the group on the platform.

This post has been edited by Selax: 31 October 2004 - 06:20 PM

"I will help to defend you all, I am not adept with any form of magic really, just simple light spells and a like. I may not be able to hurt any of the dragonwraiths but I am fast enough to not get hit, I will be a destraction, little more. If this is the only way.. do what you have to do." Medoc said to the rest of the group walking closer to he edge of the shrine.
He looked down at the dragonwraiths, closed his eyes and started to concentrate, after a few seconds his staff started to glow slightly. "We don't have much time"

[OOC] Its only a small post but I just wanted to say that Medoc couldn't really use magic. The spell that he casted was a small flame, just to annoy the dragonwraiths. Looks like we are almost at the end of this TS, its been good, lets finish this one with a bang.[BIC]

ooc: bang bic:

Talryn apeared only a few miles away from Pnyx, he cast a simple spell, CloakWalk. He walked over to a tree, and fell asleep. It had been a long flight for his new wings, and it really had taken it out of him.

When he woke a few hours later, he moved to the top of a hill and watched Pnyx, although he was invisible he still could be detected so, he lowered the amount of mana being given off. It was his lucky day because, he saw a young kid walk up to the guards, with his friend. Talryn use his new ears to hear everyword being said.

Two days later.

Talryn walked up to the guards, in causal clothes, and without his wings, it was hard for him to get used to. "Hi, im Narlyn, (used letters from his name, cause thats what he tought of) and i would like to enroll as a student of magic." .... He was in after some questions and a "scan". Talryn was given a piece of paper which told him where his room was and when he would go to what classes. My Lord, I have finished my journey here, and was just welcomed to the school. I await any new orders, if not I will proceed with the original plan... Talryn tought to the Death King.

Ooc: this is all for what Talryn does in this ts, oh btw, Selax, that post was okay. This is probably my last post bic:

Tej joined Mr. Wizzard at one of the pilliars.

-Dark Jet

The platform and the pillars began to pulsate with a red light. The mages felt a slight draining sensation, very weakening but not life threatening. Selax began to glow slightly golden. Above, several of the dragonwraiths were distracted by the flame Medoc had cast, but two soared down at the platform. Roaring, one turned corporeal and swung it's tail at the platform. Suddenly, it cried out in pain and went spinning through the air. Scyrillia and Vashnij had both dived and were attempting to push the dragonwraiths away from the platform. Momentarily distracted, the dragonwraiths pulled higher into the air and prepared to dive again. The red light from the platform began to illuminate the top of the mountain.

Selax became lighter and lighter, as the pillars themselves began to emit a golden light. A beam of red light shown from the platform. The power was gathering.

Vashnij spat a lengthy jet of flame at one of the dragonwraiths. It screeched as it turned transparent. The stream of fire flew through it, without doing any damage. It became solid again. Suddenly Scryllia was on its back, with her teeth trying desperately to penetrate the creatures thick skin. Another dragonwraith flew in and stabbed Scryllia with a very large talon. Vashij dove at it, only to get batted back by a tail. The wraith under Scryllia turned non-corporeal and flew off quickly while Scryllia slid through it and began to fall. Just as the dragonwraith became physical again, Vashnij struck in with a foot, pushing it away from the platform.

Another wraith dove at Tej. Medoc leapt into the air as high as he could and slashed its side with his sword. It screeched and turned away. On the other side, a dragonwraith flew over Wizard's head, hitting Savara on the way. Being four meters tall, Savara collided with it. As she fell, she kicked at it and sent it flying away. Saria shot an arrow at another that was diving down at the moogle, who was standing at a pillar. Draconis turned into a dragon and lunged for a wraith. He got a small cut on its back before it became nonmaterial. Suddenly, it turned corporeal and slashed at Draconis. Draconis, unprepared for the sudden attack, attempted to out maneuver it. He whapped it with his tail and sent it flying away, but he had taken an injury to his back. Desert Fox, still in the coma, lay on the ground. Saria kept shooting her arrows, some hit, many went right through their enemies.

Vashnij and Scryllia grouped together again, and dove through a large group of wraiths preparing to attack the pillars. The slashed the wraiths on both sides as they flew through the middle of the gathering. Near the end, a wraith dug a claw harshly into Vashnij's side. Another sent Scryllia twirling away with a powerful kick.

Avatara cast a nova of frost. One wraith was half-frozen when it became transparent. Not really aware of what had happened, it turned solid too quickly and shrieked as the ice that was caught inside began to freeze it entirely. It suddenly clawed at Avatara, catching his sleeve, he fell to the ground. It was about to dive for the kill when Katerei slashed its neck with a swift blow of her sword. Talos cast a small spell as a dragonwraith dove for Theo. The wraith flew off as a brief jolt lightning shot its underside. Juro threw a small knife at one of the wraith's eyes. The wraith avoided it and attempted to bite Juro with its sharp teeth. Juro stabbed its eye with a sword, which it didn't avoid. It screeched as the sword impaled it and if flew off.

The power was gathering very swiftly to Selax. Everyone around him had taken an injury by this time and he knew that, while they seemed to be doing well, they could not go on forever. The wraiths were temporarily hurt, but they would never stop. This was confirmed as the group of dragonwraiths-the one that Scryllia and Vashnij had separated-regrouped and flew over the group. All of the warriors fought; swords, arrows, fire, and spells struck the wraiths. Some became intangible, others did not. By the time that the wraith's had completed the first run, everyone in the group had been cut, some bitten. They could not hold out against these creatures much longer. The wraith's turned around to come in again. Scryllia and Vashnij leapt out of nowhere, striking a few of the wraiths. The rest of the group plowed over the two dragons and sent them twirling away.

Selax had almost all the power prepared now, they were almost out of time. He hoped that this would be fast enough to save them.