Fantasy Auraelion: The two worlds

[Dovahkiin]

Eris, hearing Cerin speak to her, turned her head in the angel's direction and gave a nod before her attention was shifted to a man, dressed in a helmet in shoulder pads, announcing that killing within the tournament would earn you less points than simply defeating your opponent. It made her curious, and after a few moments of mentally debating with herself, dismissed the idea of asking. Her gaze snapped back to Cerin at her question. "Invisibility. That's the major one." Her sight fell to the ground, fingers working to unfasten the red amulet at her neck, then bounced back up. "Unless I enter Pure Form. In which case, you may want to distance yourself a bit, if you're not a fan of fire."


Entering the preperation area, Eris resolved to focusing on the fight ahead, tucking the amulet away in the pocket at her hip, and doing the same with the necklace given her at the ceremony. She sighed softly as she leaned against a nearby wall. They were the fourth to fights, so she assumed they had some time before being sent out into the arena. As the first fight ended, a sullen man with bloodied arms came through the door, saying he couldn't take his opponent alive. Her brow raised. The next fight was over as quickly as it began, the bottom half of a demon narrowly flying into the preparation area, spurting blood along the walls and inevitably spraying across Eris. Recoiling, Eris' hands immediately flew up to wipe her face, profusely rubbing her palms on the armor at her thighs, shaking her head and shutting her eyes tightly. Calm down, calm down. You were bound to see things like this along the Journey, and you're bound to see worse. Eyes peeling back open, she began to breath deeply in an effort to calm herself.


The time came for Nakir and Key to fight, and, seeing the results of the previous battles, she instinctively became nervous. Her anxiety melted as the fight concluded, lasting a couple seconds at most, with both Key and Nakir in as good condition as they were the moment they stepped into the arena. Amazed, Eris' expression fixed into something akin to a relieved bewilderment, following after Cerin, and coming to realize it was their time to fight. Taking her blade in hand, she awaited the moment the battle would begin.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

(Feel free to personally act out this one. Responding to everything you do will take too long, and the post would get too short, if we're going to fight all these battles.)


The opposing force was two angels, both dual-wielding spears, and flying a bit off of the ground. The spears weren't of the one handed type either, they both had to be rather strong. They both had large quivers on their backs with smaller, more aerodynamic spears in them, most likely used for throwing.


(To make it fair to one another, I'll suggest you each pick an individual target or something. It's up to you though.)

 

[AshenLily]

Cerin felt a twinge of jealousy at the other two angels, as they hovered just above the ground. Glancing at Eris, she spoke, "I'll deal with the one on the right. Try to stay close, if you can, and let me know if you need any assistance." That being said, she drew on her magic, and placed a slight barrier over Eris. The barrier wouldn't do much, but it should at least be enough to deflect one potentially fatal blow.


(Working on a longer post, just busy at work, atm. Will add more, in a minute.)

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

As Nakir ignored him, and had a slight emotional outbreak, Key chose not to talk to him. He didn't think it'd make the situation any better, besides, he wasn't equipped with the empathic ability to help him anyway. "Are you two okay?" Cerin asked, as they came back in. "Yupp. Wasn't too bad at all. I think you should be more worried about yourself." He actually honestly hoped they'd be fine. Maybe it was because he was made that way, maybe he actually had emotions. There was no way for him himself to tell.


"Good luck."

 

[Dovahkiin]

"Good luck" was something she didn't expect to come from Key, sending him a glance and the ghost of smile before drawing herself to focus, striding into the arena while the grip on her blade tightened. Fixing herself into a defensive stance, she scanned their two opponents over. Go for the wings? At first, she nearly dismissed the notion, but thinking back onto the fate of the other rather unfortunate contestants, she reluctantly began to accept it as a possibility. If the time comes for it. As Cerin spoke, Eris sent her a look and nodded. She felt a light spell be placed over her to act as a barrier, giving a fleeting glance to Cerin, and shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet.

 

[AshenLily]

Though she wasn't aware of it, Cerin was currently having similar thoughts about the fight. Though it pained her to think she would be crippling an angel, the same she, herself, had been crippled, it was her best chance. The men opposing them were quite large, especially in comparison to her own, small form, and the spears either of the men carried would be more than enough to kill her in a single blow. The men should be slow, though. Placing a ward on her shield, she ensured that any hits it absorbed from the spears would be deflected, rather than caught, to help her preserve her balance, and throw her opponent offcenter. Patience. She waited for what seemed like an eternity.


Finally, the Angel flew at her. Luckily, he didn't appear to have any sort of magic inclination, so she was more at ease than she typically would have been. Drawing both spears back, as he neared her, he thrust his right spear at her. Raising her shield, Cerin was able to catch the spear on the left side, deflecting the blow. Losing his balance, the Angel tumbled to the ground, dazed. Cerin was also knocked off balance by the force behind the attack, the impact knocking her back several feet, jarring her arm, and causing her to drop her shield, swearing aloud. Her wrist was broken. The spear the other Angel had struck the shield with was mangled, the tip shattered. Cerin had lost the use of her shield, and her left hand, her opponent had lost one of his two weapons. At this point, she was severely outmatched, and needed to end the fight, as soon as possible.


While her opponent was recovering from his disorientation, she took her chance. Rushing at her enemy, she charged her sword with divine magic, determined to make the first blow the last. With all of the strength she could manage, she swung her sword down, aimed at the Angel's back. The noise of cartilage and sinew tearing, and the magically-strengthened sword sliding through the bone was nauseating. She heard a scream as the sword fell, and turned to evaluate the damage.


Blood gushed from the wound in waves. The warrior fell to the ground, appearing unconscious. Cerin felt another pang of regret, which quickly faded. She did what she needed to do. Nothing more. Nothing less. Alarmed, she turned to see how Eris was faring in her battle, and whether or not she would need assistance.

 

[Dovahkiin]

As the angel drew his arm back, Eris became invisible, diving to the side to hear the sharp hiss of the spear she'd just narrowly avoided. She stole a glance at the spear, now lodged head-down into the sand, before her gaze was yanked back to see the aggravated angel flapping her way, clutching his remaining spear with both hands, and snarling as the distance between him and Eris began to close. Though invisible, she assumed she must've been able to be detected, courtesy of the arena's sand. Nerves screaming for her to act, she quickly dodged to the left, spinning and striking the angel's side using a kick with enough momentum to knock him to the ground. And he nearly took Eris down with him.


As he fell, he'd managed to pull his elbow back to deal a blow to her face. She cursed beneath her breath and stumbled, head pounding. Though painful, she knew it could've been far worse, if not for Cerin's barrier. Knowing better to focus on the feeling of wetness as it coursed from her forehead to her drip from her jaw, Eris hastened to the angel, who was scrambling to get to his feet, and drew her arm back. Watching him crumble as the pommel of her blade made contact with his temple gave her a sense of grim satisfaction. She eyed his still form for a moment before crouching, lowering a few fingertips to press into the side of his neck. Still alive. Blowing out a sigh, she stood and became visible once more.


She looked over to Cerin. The sound of her sword slicing through bone could be heard even from where she was standing, and she couldn't help but wince, but the fact that Cerin was alive was more than enough to make her thankful. Jogging her way over, she sheathed her blade. "Is he dead?" The amount of blood that spilled from his wound was substantial, and she was admittedly a little taken aback that the angel had this in her.


[so so sorry this took so long. s:]

 

[Jailbird]

Demitria,the 22 year old who appeared to be 12,was traversing the ruins with the other guard and the other mercenaries.They all gave her strange looks of question and mystery.Their faces all read the samething,but one them finally spoke up,"Why is a little girl here.This is to dangerous for her,she could get killed."The man roared at the head mercenaries,who turned and looked her over.He nodded in agreement,but Demitria could careless and continued to move down the path without a care in the world.


A voice could be heard coming from the girl,but it wasn't her's,"You shut up,before I bite your head off!"The teddy bear in Demitria's arms yelled,but it's rant was cut short when she tossed into the air and kicked directly into the darkness.A loud thug could be heard,"Hole in one!"The young woman yelled with a very dull and monotone voice.


"Wrong game!"


The other mercenaries were confused and dumbfounded as to why she would do such a thing,leaving the same man to speak up,"This little girl is crazy,but a good ventriloquist.Ahhhhh"He announced as he tried to walk past Demitria only to find no foot hold or place to step.There was an enormous gorge blocking the path.The girl caught the man's foot just in time to stop him from falling,"Pay attention or a monkey will come out and eat you."She said which made no sense at all.Pulling him back he fell behind her as three grappling hooks launched themselves into the side of the gorge.


"Upgrade,"Demitria announced as she sent a ray of blue light across the gorge making the grappling hooks form together to make a huge bridge,"Now you may go without a sense of fear of monkeys."The girl's words were once again a loss on the mercenaries.

 

[AshenLily]

As she looked over, she met Eris's gaze, and the blood seeping from her head caused her a moment's panic. After looking at it closer, it wasn't so bad. Turning her attention to the angel at her feet, she responded to her question. "He's not dead. Likely, he would bleed out, but..." she knelt, placing her hand over the angel's back, and immediately healing the wound. "Can't have him dying on us, and hurting our score." Forcing a half-smile, she winced as the wave of weariness hit her, a direct result of the act of healing such a substantial wound. Cradling her left arm to avoid jostling it, she spoke again: "Would you mind grabbing my shield?" She nodded slightly to her wrist, indicating she, herself, was unable to do so. One down... If nothing else, they'd at least made the tournament that much easier for Key and Nakir... not that they'd need it.


"I pray this is the only fight for today. I'm in no condition to continue, and though I could likely mend my wrist, I'd need a good, long rest before I'd be ready to fight anyone.."

 

[Dovahkiin]

Eris watched Cerin curiously as she knelt down and placed a single hand over the angel's back, eyes widening as something seemingly so simple was able to heal him instantly. "Incredible," she mused quietly, gaze lingering on the area the wound once was. Hearing her question pulled Eris' eyes back to meet with Cerin's. Nodding, she gave a quick glance around before starting off to retrieve the shield and, doing so, made her way right back. "Even if it isn't, we could speak to Nakir and Key about us forfeiting. They seem to have a pretty good chance at winning, anyhow." The arena doors began to peel open, signaling that the battle had concluded, and Eris stole a swift glance at Cerin, walking to exit the arena with the Guardian's shield in hand.

 

[AshenLily]

Allowing herself a slight laugh, Cerin made her way to the doors. Feeling a small trickle down her face, which she presumed to be sweat, she reached up to wipe it away, feeling instead, the sticky substance she'd come to know as blood. Slightly panicked, she felt around her head, checking for wounds. Finding none, she thought back on the fight. Though adrenaline had made everything happen so quickly, in hindsight, she was able to recall the spray of blood across her face, as she'd severed the wing. The thought of another's blood on her face sickened her deeply. Around her, the dull roar of the crowd was only now coming to her attention. The crowd had enjoyed the performance. Of course they had. Their lives weren't on the line, and their loved ones weren't putting their lives at risk.


Returning her bloodied sword to it's sheath, she held out her right arm, to take the shield from Eris. The Child was hers to protect. She shouldn't be placing her own burdens upon her. Once more seeing the wound, as she reached for her shield, she paused. "Does it hurt?" The wound looked painful, but Cerin was hopeful her ward had saved her at least some pain.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

(I got internet but only a phone, so no long posts from me.. sorry..) 
When the two came back from the round they were both slightly messed up. "What did you do. Don't get yourselves hurt like that." Key said, looking more bitter than ever. He grabbed Cerins arm violently, and a loud crack could be heard as the broken bones slid into place and regenerated. Ouch, that must've hurt. He let her go, clapped his hands together and then faced each palm against each individual, chanting a couple words in an ancient human language. Any open wound on their bodies healed. "We don't have time for this." He picked two bottles out of a pocket. They were tiny, but filled with some black liquid. "They'll taste like hell, but you'll be rejuvenated in no time."


(@Jailbird not sure what you did, I had a hard time reading it, but here's a description of the first temple room.)


There was a sweet smell in the air, and the walls were filled with what looked like ancient.. teapots? They were nailed to the walls, as a merc found out when he tried to rip one off of the wall. The room seemed completely barren other than that though. Strange.

 

[AshenLily]

Cerin gasped as Key grabbed her arm. The pain was unbearable, but only seconds later, everything appeared to be in fully working order. Amazed at the obvious lack of effort required for Key's spell, she clumsily took the bottle, and swiftly downed its contents. Gagging, she was only just able to control her body's urge to expel the disgusting liquid, As it ran down her throat, she could already feel its effect.


Even after the hell she'd gone through in the arena, a quick spell, and a drink later, she felt as good as new. Incredible. Working her wrist in a circle, testing it out, there was no sign it had been broken at all.


"How many fights are there today?" Cerin couldn't help but wonder how many more of the drinks Key had, and, truth be told, she felt like a burden. After watching Key and Nakir come back from their fight so effortlessly, not a scratch on them, and then herself coming back exhausted, and with a broken wrist, and Eris with a nice cut on her head, she silently hoped they wouldn't need to fight anymore, though her pride wouldn't allow her to voice the concern. She was a Guardian, and she was here to recover the amulet. That was that.

 

[Der Kojote]

Xerith had been fairly silent the whole time of looking for the cannibals trail. He was preparing himself as he always did for combat, it was just as Alfred had taught him when using the Kala, calm, ready to strike, the man could be capable of anything, a fact that Anali just reminded him of. Xerith nodded and in a hushed tone, replied back, “yeah…what’s even better is the creepy laughing…the crunching doesn’t sound too well either. Though, if there was crunching, that probably meant some strong jaw on their target somewhere. Though Xerith still felt off about the whole situation. 500 Gold for one man’s head? This was going to be a challenge, or alternatively the man they were hearing could be that depraved of an individual…he settled on the conclusion that it was probably safe to assume both in this instance.


Xerith gripped his left hand around his short sword’s hilt, and tightened his right hands grip on his staff. His eyes seemed to narrow till only a thin slit of yellow could be seen, Xerith was now fully focused, he said almost without emotion or volume. “Anali...How do you want to handle this?"


(Sorry about it taking so long, summer course is a pain...but it's almost over.)

 

[Dovahkiin]

Eris, seeing Cerin's extended arm, returned the angel's shield back to her. Hearing her question, her expression contorted with momentary confusion before relaxing with realization, knowing now she was referring to the wound on her forehead. "Not too bad," she replied, then smiled softly. "Your spell really proved to be useful. Thank you."


Key's voice caused her to look at its source. As he grabbed Cerin's arm roughly, her wrist cracked loudly, and for a moment it seemed to have hindered the angel further, but it'd turned out actually healing her broken bones. After his chanting, her hand reached up to graze her forehead, skimming over the area there was once a wound, before grabbing the bottle and pouring the black liquid into her mouth.


She cringed the moment the vile liquid touched her tongue. Hurrying to swallow it, she felt revitalized almost immediately. "What was that?" She gestured to the now empty bottle, figuring that, though damn near the worst thing she'd ever tasted, the liquid would really be handy to have around.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

"So humm. There should be 2 more preliminary fights, plus one monster fight." Key said. And what he would've said if he was more sympathetic in response to Eris, was 'Do you really want to know what's in there?' However, this was not the case. "Oh, it's just (insert list of disgusting, bizzare and some nonsensical ingredients.)."


(Monster round next, and feel free to narrate it (coinflip) ashenlily, and come up with any creature you want.)( P.s, cojemo, you may do that as well)


The crunching stops, and soon after you hear the scream of a grown man, and then silence, and then cracking and crunching again.

 

[AshenLily]

Cerin smiled lightly at Eris' reply. Though the ward had only been a slight one, it was good to know it had been of some use. Grimacing as Key listed off the ingredients of the small drink she'd just consumed, she turned her attention back to the situation before them.


Somewhere in the arena, a horn blew, signaling the end of the first round of preliminaries. Next would be the monster round. A few other combatants were called, in turn. Some came back, victorious after the fight, others never returned. Finally, it was her and Eris' turn. The order was seemingly randomized, as this time, they were before Key and Nakir. Entering the center of the arena, she stood, glancing around. Apparently they hadn't brought out whatever beast they would be fighting agai-- "Start!"


Cerin panicked as the call to start came. With no idea what they were up against, there was little she could do to prepare. Once more, she threw a ward on each of them, this time a bit stronger than the last, as she had no idea what they were up against. Her sword and shield in hand, Cerin awaited whatever creature they were to fight to make the first move....


(Eris' turn. Just general prep, etc. )

 

[Seanzah Angel]

Anali nodded in agreement with Xerith, and looked over at Alex, who stayed silent. She thought for a moment about Xerith's question, and thought of two things. "Well, the first choice, is that we could all go together in one spot. We could go through the back," she said, pointing at a door that was just barely visible, as it was partially hidden by numerous long vines. "We could also go through the front. My guess is that they both weigh the same in terms of danger." It was true - they might not expect them to come through the front, so they go to the back, but they could also expect us to think that, so that we go to the front, and so they go there, too. Either way is bad.


Continuing, she placed a hand on her hip, shifting her weight. "We could also split up. Divide and conquer. One goes through the back, one through the front, and another either wait, or find some other direction to go. Personally, I think splitting up might be best. We're powerful, and if we do too many things at once it could be rather catastrophic for both parties. If anyone else has any other ideas, feel free to pipe up. I'm all ears." With that being said, she began to touch the jewelry that was in various places on her body. Her silver rings, her pendent, and the bracelets on her wrist. She pulled up her sleeves so that the skin of her arms was visible, and took out the small metal discs from a leather pouch on her belt - all ten of them, and stuck them to her arms, magically magnetizing them there so they would stay, and then drew the sleeves back over her arms.

 

[Dovahkiin]

The gate rattled as it began to peel open, the crowd suddenly hushing as they hung on the edge of their seats. Eris, peering into the darkness behind the gate, steadily drew her bow and blew out a silent breath. Emerging from the obscurity was a set of needle-like teeth, lips peeled back so it almost appeared to be grinning, and, slowly, the creature crept out into the arena to eye both Cerin and Eris. The crowd roared, going into a frenzy of applause and cheers for the monster, and she instantly knew that this battle wasn't going to be easily won.

Spoiler

Tilting its head to the side, the monster bellowed a low, guttural sound and opened its jaws for its tongue to snake out, black liquid dripping from its sides as if it'd been dipped in ink. Eris wondered what the monster's goal was in doing this, having expected him to outright attack rather than do whatever this was. Is it trying to intimidate us? If so, Eris wasn't going to let it show it was working.


Inhaling deeply, she entered the Pure Form, making her slightly weaker. She readied an arrow and fixed her expression in the most ferocious she could muster. "Any ideas?" she asked Cerin in a muted voice, staring as the rather large creature took another step closer. Something told her that charging into battle wasn't the wisest way to defeat this monster.

 

[AshenLily]

"Just one." The creature was terrifying, and she had to mentally steady herself. "Keep it distracted for as long as you can, but whatever you do, do not release that arrow until I say so. This may take awhile." After speaking, she paused for a moment, and then began chanting quickly, in the nearly forgotten ancient tongue of the Angels.. The chanting was a verbal component required for the powerful enchantment she was placing on the arrow Eris had prepared. Thought the spell was very powerful, it did not consume very much energy, due to the long preparation time it required. The creature's hide looked very tough, though with the spell she was casting, the one arrow should be more than enough, provided she was given ample time to finish it. Cerin now had to trust that Eris would be able to distract the creature, though felt a pang of regret, leaving the Child to defend herself.


Her chanting increasing in both speed, and volume, she continued the spell, all of her concentration bent on manipulating the divine energy she'd spent her life mastering. Everything around her seemed far away, the creature in the arena didn't exist at all, in her mind. Not the cheering of the crowd, nor the other girl beside her. All that was, was herself, and the magic. All of the worries of what was to come, the worries of what had been, forgotten. Surrendering her entire being to the spell, she continued to chant.

 

[Rynnthewriter]

Elose watched the group of mercenaries as they treked down the path. He was probably the most on guard at the moment as the others were worried about the girl who had come with them, he wasn't sure about her either but he didn't question it.


His sword caught the dim glow from one of the tourches on the walls, making it shine slightly. The light annnoyed him, and he sheathed his sword as there wasn't much danger other than a few pits.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Eris eyed the monster, mentally debating on whether or not the idea she had in her own mind was going to work. Without knowing his abilities, she felt like she was shooting in the dark. However, shooting in the dark was the best she had at the time being. She took a risk. Kicking hard at the ground, sand flung into the eyes of the beast to summon an ear-piercing shriek from its maw, Eris just avoiding the swipe of its claw as she dashed to its side. The creature slashed wildly at its own face and bore another howl, all the while stumbling closer to Cerin. In a hastened attempt to lure it further from the guardian, Eris drove her foot into the beast's side.


There was a positive and negative to what she'd just done: the positive being that it'd worked and the monster turned around, and the negative being it seemed to recover, and was less than pleased. Its eyes were nearly completely red, and between that, its mouth being open, and the deep, rattle-like growl it was making, it was clear the beast was now looking for blood. Eris, despite this, held true to not firing, sending an anxious glance to Cerin, and prayed that this be over soon.


[sorry this took so long to post. Got stuck at my grandpa's.]

 

[AshenLily]

Oblivious to the situation around her, Cerin continued chanting. She chanted, searching both within herself, and the air around her, trying to find whatever she could to contribute more power to her spell. Though she felt as though she had been weaving the enchantment into the arrow for ages, no more than two minutes in the arena had passed. Finally, reaching the end of the incantation, she transferred all of the energy she had gathered, into the arrow.


The release was invigorating. Never before, had Cerin accumulated this much power in a single spell. Releasing the magic into the arrow was pure ecstasy, as the extra reserves of energy left her body. The result on the arrow was far from magnificent, the arrow showing a single glimmer of light, faint enough to easily be mistaken for the reflection of the early afternoon sun on the arrowhead. The energy transfer complete, Cerin shouted a single word to Eris. The crowd having lost interest in the fight minutes ago was nearly silent, and the shout echoed throughout the Colosseum. "Now!" Signaling Eris to release the arrow, she placed one file enchantment upon the arrow. A guiding enchantment. Though she did not doubt Eris' skill with a bow, the arrow had to find it's mark. Otherwise, there was no telling what fate awaited the pair...

 

[Dovahkiin]

Eris released the arrow. Time seemed to be at a standstill as the arena became silent, motion halted. Eris held her breath as she stared at the arrow lodged into the monster's forehead, its expression unreadable as it stared straight back at the demon blankly, mouth agape. Please, let this work. Anxiety welled up inside her chest, and the air became so seemingly thick with anticipation she found it hard to breathe, the monster still as stone. A bout of hot breath escaped the creature's jaw as its legs collapsed beneath it and he slumped to the ground like a rag doll. Releasing a breath not unlike the beast's, Eris watched its slack form before turning to Cerin.


The crowd thundered with a mix of praise, disbelief, and disapproval, and the combination of it all was almost deafening. Eris hastened her way over to the guardian while replacing her bow, not daring to acknowledge the crowd as she was keen to keep her eyes fixed on anything but. Not long after, the doors had begun to open, and she started off towards them in a haste to leave the crowd, beast's corpse, and the arena behind.

 

[AshenLily]

Though the spell she'd placed on the arrow had seemed simple, it had done its job. The spell wasn't typically something that was taught to the members of the temple, but given Cerin's unique destiny, the exception had been made. Upon impact, the arrow had transferred all of the energy Cerin had channeled into it, throughout the beast's body, rapidly liquefying its innards. Walking next to Eris as they exited the arena, she couldn't help but turn, and take one last look at the corpse. The beast's body was rapidly deteriorating, though instead of the look of decay that would have typically been present, the creature seemed to glow with a soft, golden light. Though she felt remorse at the beast's life ending, in what must have been, without doubt, a horrific experience for the creature, she also felt an immense amount of pride. The spell had been a huge risk, but had paid off in the end. Though it was of little use in a normal environment, due to the impracticality of the length of the cast, as well as the obvious verbal component that was required, and difficult to conceal, it had done it's job.


Exiting the arena with significantly more confidence than she had entered it with, she nodded a quick hello at Key, and Nakir. This time, she wouldn't need the drink. She wouldn't need him to heal her. She had done her job. She had protected Eris. She was alive, and well. She was... a Guardian.