Prelude Part 2: Fire in the Night [Incarnadine Waters]

[Khadavla]

It was almost two hundred miles south and east to the adamant castle. On the journey, Sakura, a milky skinned, fire haired elf of a girl in blue mini kimono and bloomers, grew increasingly antsy, and had erotic nightmares wherein she moaned Yume's name.


Yume looked pale and nervous the whole time, constantly throwing pained looks to one they might find out had been a close friend for a very long time.


* * *


Feel free to insert PC roll play here.


* * *


First night at the castle of Admant and Granite, Yume groaned, "Let's get this over with," and organized an honor gaurd to take them out into a moonlit clearing.


The feeling was clear to all of them that someone was out there and something was coming.


Yume looked about nervously, then into her friends desperate flame collor eyes. Sakura was wearing a white shirt this time with intricate silver threat embroidery that shone gently in the moonlight. "Are you sure about this Sakura? About this, about me, and about now."


Sakura whimpered, "Yume-chan, I don't know how long I can hold off the other. It creeps up on my like cold shadow, fills my like a cancer. I chose you long ago, Yume-chan. Please help me."


The redhead's eyes shone in tears, but she nodded and stood up straight.


All around them, four armed mumies leapt form the forest to join the other exalts in battle, and it was up to the others to fight, for Yume and Sakura were already committed to the ritual.


* * *

Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets had been feeling an itch' date=' normally associated with a Celestial's journey, investigation, research, or path of conquest. The itch had grown, much like hitting the reflex and feeling the numbing funny pain that occurs. Weeks and months had passed in Creation and like a sore tooth, the pain held a morbid fascination. the last time he had been under this kind of uncomfortable joy he had almost died. Drawn by this revelation, Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets finds himself walking the avenues of the Cemetary of Centinal Cenotaphs of Ceremonious Celestial Celebrations. Drawing himself up in front of Inada Navdas monument, he watched as the shifting images moved through the successes of the Lunar who last caused this type of sensation. "Now who could you have told Inada Navda my dear, who?" As the sensation and the images continued, Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets focuses on a young child "Yume"
With that statement Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets falls before the monument the first taste of true pain licking up his spine. Yume had started the ritual.

* * *


Though anima's flared and streaked as the great force of mighty zombies blurred and switched from oponent to oponent, blood apes and hungry ghosts moving amonst them, the heroes held a calm ring free around the ritual.


Yume trembled, and it was hard to say if she strode to the moonbeam in the center of the clearing where she stood with determined tears shining in her eyes, or simply fled blindly away and found herself there.


Sakura whiped at the tears in her own eyes then she stepped out alone into the grass and strode across it barefoot to kneel before Yume, arms crossed over the elegently cut but painfuly simple pale pink dress she wore.

"Master,


"As to the beat of your heart my blood sings,


"From your blood my purpose springs.


"The oath that on my pyrogenesis sang loving from my heart,


"to Tepet, through his blood and by my love, I now to your impart.


"From your blood my purpose springs,


"To your blood my obedience is given.


"To your Lineage I swear eternal service.


"To the cause of yoru House I plege my driving passion.


"To the protection of you and yours I plege my power,


"To your desire I plege my heart of eternal deviotion and submision.


"May my body/soul do as is comanded.


"To you, Master, I plege my soul so taht my words may never be forfiet,


"And say that any that spring form your body may claim such a plege.


"To you and all that follow is bound this humble servant.


"As your blood seals my fate, let my own be given to join our fates."


* * *

There is a prayer so potent and so rare that 10,000 Glorious Sunsets has only heard it 7 times since the end of the Primordial War.
Heard might not be the right word. Though the Prayer of Celestial Need technically entreats 10,000 Glorious Sunsets to grant the boon, it can only be successfully called upon by a Solar or Lunar Exalted within fate faced with need not only great, but of the most intimate sort.


It was the kind of moment no one could ever acclimate too, over a century had past since the lunar elder Inada Navda was the last to use it, so desperate to find meaning to her life with her mortal husband about to succumb to death, that her cry for aid seized control of the divinities siezuring body minutes before she began the prayer and moved him out through the courtyards to the tomb of her exaltation to throw open the most sacred chambers of identity that he might cry out her need with her voice and pluck through his mind every hint of heaven's geographic and geomantic secrets so that she might steal a peach of immortality for her dying beloved to restore his youth.


Though Inada Navda returned with the peach too late, the challenge was sufficient to restore her love of life, and peach redoubled the lifespan of her son Khadvla, and brilliant teacher of medicine and martial arts he grew into was a Celestial Success of the sort he wished more Exalts would take as great pride in as Inada Navda.


This time it was that first age lunar's granddaughter whose need seized him with passion such as he'd never felt before. Her love was burning him alive! Her need shook him 'til his bones cracked! He fell down in supplication in the memorium halls of 22,000 years of knowledge, experience, and power, and understood that it fell to his terribly reduced self to be the filter between all that and an eighteen year old girl who'se compassion for a friend was already on the verge of destroying him.


The words the girl who was a dreamer barely begun to achieve womanhood, he screamed out with all the passion and power she was so afraid to unleash.


"10,000 Glorious Sunsets, by my life's blood, my heart's fire, my eternal duty, and my divine power, I renew my pledge to work unceasing for the greater good of all Creation, from the moment of my second breath 'til mine identity takes it's rest in death. By my duty, by my oath, by my right, and by my divine power, I pray, I plead, and I command you, open the gates of yesterday and reveal to me the secrets Suna took with her into eternity..."

* * *


I'm pausing here, please feel free to describe how your character's participate in the honor guard battle scene. No need to roll.

 

[Renaissance Blonde]

Maya Blackthorn was one of the first to act, obviously expecting an attack of some kind. Sheathed in supple bronze, the Berrian woman proved to be a devastating opponent with her jade-banded blackthorn staff after she'd softened up the enemy by casting Death of Obsidian Butterflies at them. Her anima burned red-gold, leaving afterimages of ancient runes as she moved freely about the circle, her hound Cu Maya hamstringing zombies effectively. More than once, what blows her bronze skin didn't turn away, her tough plaid did.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Shaping his shape quickly, Flowing Granite assumes his devastating war-form, his claws and fangs glistening like silver. As he tears those in front him to small pieces, slicing them like butter, his defense never falter, and his attacks seem to be slightly faster than his large form would suggest. There seems to be pure joy in the sounds he makes as he tears his opponents apart.


His anima shows a sand swimmer, thoguh it's shape is tinged with silvery light, the entire effect seeming very much in contrast with the raging Lunar.

 

[Havok_Harbinger]

Three great Hounds are present, and though they appear ready to jump and play they hold their joy in as they perform their tasks. One keeps pace of Yume as she speeds to the crest and the other guards Sakura as she follows. One unlucky Blood Ape that passed the circle of defenders is pounced on by the puppies his essence here on this plane snuffed as the two dogs rend it simultaneously. Rey rides across the fields making quick shots with her bow, reaching from the back of the dog to lay a healing hand on the Sanddragon, or to intercept a strike against an ally.

 

[Thanos1]

The night was ablaze with anima’s glowing. Those who attacked, if they could feel fear, would have fled in pure terror to behold such a sight as had not been seen in over a thousand years. Brilliant Singing Hammer was amongst them and his anima burned just as bright as the others. In the pleasant glow of the Unconquered Sun dozens of small hammers swung around him. Anything that could get past his elegantly flowing blade was attacked by the hammers and repelled.


Zombies and their mummy brothers exploded into bits of bone and pieces of flesh when his blade finds them. Solid ghosts withered and faded out of creation upon finding themselves pierced by his blade. It is not massive, big, but a slender and quicker than lighting short jade diaklave. It flicks out like a snakes tongue to slay the enemies of creation. Even though the blood apes wouldn't often fall to a single blow from Brilliant Singing Hammers blade, they did die a blink of an eye later pierced through the skull before they could even consider their first wound.

 

[Havok_Harbinger]

Stepping from the dust of Brilliant Swinging Hammer,s assault on the zombies, Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets walks forward into the center of the circle, the little god's great and brilliant armor shining with the glory of those about him. There was a grand red jade enamel coating it's armor shining with the five magic materials. "Swing my masters crush those that would dare stand against thee." Golden ichor leaks from the corner of his mouth as he approaches the pairing in the center of the circle, the automaton dogs see him not as an enemy. "I am Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets, Keeper of the Records of Celestial Success, and tender of the Cemetary of Centinal Cenotaphs of Ceremonious Celestial Celebrations, and I answer your call, Yume, daughter of Inada Navda, I grant you the boon you ask for."


Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets reaches forward, tilting the weeping solar's chin to the sky and lays a kiss to her forehead, a single drop of the little god's blood gathers on her forehead as Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets withdraws his kiss. Gently the little god draws the drops away upon his hand and as the anima of Yume and the blood come in contact the droplet becomes a crystalline key, which Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets hangs upon a string of stars.


"With this neck charm I grant you the sight and knowledge of your previous incarnation Sune for one purpose, the necklace is yours also. The person you bestow this on will gain a hundred years to their life, and can even stop dying, though it will not bring one back from the dead. This necklace will only grant the extension to one person, and there will be no action within fate that will cut that short." Shedding a tear, Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets convulses as the golden being starts to hang the necklace around Yume's head. With the wounds pouring his golden essence to the world around the little god raises it's hands a second time and with a face suffering from pain most joyous, Ten Thousand lowers the necklace to rest across her collar.


The little god stumbles back a step, as the light around him increases, his very essence has flown, and Ten Thousand Glorious Sunsets' physical being is failing. "My thanks beautiful Yume, the blessing of being able to offer up my essence in your request has been awaited for four hundred years, I have not felt such exquisite joy as this since your mother Inada Navda last performed this ritual. Thank you again, I look forward to your future successes, how they shall tend the injuries of the world great healer."

 

[Havok_Harbinger]

As the little god attends the pair in the center of the circle Rey is drawn to the god's suffering, her curiosity that a stranger, and more so an apparent more than mortal is ignored by the constructs Rey had left in the pair's defence. Rey approaches with bow drawn, as she listens and understand's the little god's sacrifice. With a series of quick deft strikes the six foot tall woman drops to a strong defensive stance bow an obvious part of her art. She positions herself behind the god as it collapses the last time. Laying her hand across the god's closed brow she pours essence into the god accepting the wounds the god had suffered in the ritual, pain with an exquisite taste, though bitter to her. As though the right of the pain was not hers and she seriously feels that she has wronged the little god somehow.


"Forgive me, little lord."

 

[Peteman]

Dancing Winds dodged in and out, maintaining distance from much of the fighting, but filling it with Jade Chakrams and elemental bolts. He lacked much of the raw power that the Anathema had, but he was by no means useless.


He also hoped that the summons that Sweet was conjuring would come in time to make a difference.

 

[Argas]

Beneficent River slays the undead with ridiculous ease. Her anima flares as she sends great plumes of fire from her repeaters. Mummies collapse into piles of dust while zombies burn up altogether under her assault. Her power is Justice itself as she destroys these abominations. Still, even the combined power of her anima and her martial arts cannot thin the undead enough. She leaps off the ground, landing perfectly on the head of a zombie as she begins walking on the crowd, her repeaters spitting out molten bolts into the heads of the dead. She reloads again and destroys the mummy under her. She has to do something before they overwhelm her and she has the perfect solution. She fires repeatedly, shooting forth magma sprites that dance from target to target. Almost instantly the horde closing in on her is rendered into ashes and smoke, but even more rise in their place.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

His claws and fangs rending the corporeal undead easily, Flowing Granite's large scaly form dances from place to place, slicing limbs, heads, and whatever else he can get to. Even the Blood Apes prove to be easy targets to his attacks, as the silvery web that crisscrosses his body, emanating from his bracelets and anklets, seems to make his entire body glow even brighter.


Despite the number of opponents arrayed against them, Flowing Granite uses his speed and wings to move from place to place, aiding anyone, well almost anyone (he seems to always miss the spots where the Dragon-Blood is fighting), tearing the flesh of their opponents to small bits before moving on to the next target.

 

[Khadavla]

Rose red lips, moist with emotion, parted to thank 10,000 glorious Sunsets, but Suna's pressence, confidant and sexy and loving and smug, all the thngs she wanted to be, but feared most in herself, was already sweeping her away with her tantalizing pressence.


Even the vision of the woman set a girl's body to yearing for her, Yume new from her first encounter with Suna in the Memory Crystal room where she'd had to go through the woman's ordeals to earn the holy sword, and been taunted with her own weaknesses 'til she'd shattered the memory crysatals to put an end to the torment.


So you managed to work your whiles on 10,000 glorious sunsets, kid? Not bad, didn't think you had it in you.


But what's the matter now? Don't have the guts to collar a girl without me?


Yume hissed in furry as her big, sword caloused hands gently closed around the wrists that Sakura ritualy stretched up for her to bind.


You're the one who should be collared, you old hag! Did any consort but Hurn have the strength of will left to leave you, or did they all throw themselves upon the lances of the dragon blooded dreaming of your creamy thighs? Did you shed a single tear as you lead an army of your flesh and blood against an army of those who were once your most loyal knights? No, Suna, when last we met you were the teacher and I the mouse, tonight I have two collars, nesecity and love, guess which one is for you and guess who I mean to bind first?


Suna's memories yelped inside the redhead's head, then laughed in delight as Yume began sorting through her life's experiences, taking, using, remebering.


Tears ran from pine green eyes as they opened and Yume crouched to kiss Sakura on the lips, then bellow the ear. "That's the nature of Abscic Binding then, Sakura? When I complete this, you'll love me by my will, not yours, 'til the end of my days? And that's why you chose me young, but not too young, to be sure I was a person you could love for the rest of my life?"

Tears ran from Sakura's eyes again and she struggled out of the oath long enough to whisper, "Hai, Yume-chan."


Yume stood again, took the wrists that Sakura raised to bind, and began her half of the oath, "By your love, freely offered," she left out to her ancestor Tepet, laying claim with instnict she learned from Suna's knowlege of Abscic binding would not interfere, "I accept your loving service, body, blood, heart, and soul..." and then she changed the ritual.


"Other of Sakura who is part of Sakura but is not Sakura, by my right as Yume, Exalted of the Unconquered Sun, i lay abscic binding upon you, and comand you to show yourself."


Sakura arched her back, sweat suddenly oiling her body as she screamed, the right half of her body going green, the left silvery white in the moonlight.


Oh, idiot girl, not like that, Suna sighed. For crying out loud, be my student or be my master, but for for the love of Heaven, use me!


Yume whimpered as her caste mark suddenly blazed and her eyes glowed glolden green. Her lips moved in arcane words. In the midst of the battlefield, Sakura's scream rang out, and Yume's words sang out arcane power than shook the earth and sky. Anima lightning flashed from earth to sky engluphing all three, and on the cloud, not a fairytail castle, but Suna's Anima Banner, unseen for a millinea and a half, a golden warrior-damsel in a white dress, one breast bare, offering her blade in suplication to the rising sun.


Sakura screamed again as the green and red leached out of her, manifesting in the form of a dragon in her back, but Yume and Suna acted as one now, intoning words of the mightiest sorcery. Sakura's flaming essence burned her clothing to ash as the spell worked, It caught the dragon, Sakura's other, and closed and sealed her into the now black haired fire elemental as a tatoo on her back.


Finaly a golden halo of essence closed around Sakura's neck, but Yume crossed her arms, and shattered it with emerald light and knelt before her friend, kissing her with desperate love and flowing tears. "Dearest Sakura. I love you with all my heart, and will have you beside me any way you choose, my friend, my partner, my servant, or my slave if that is what you want. But do it of your will, and keep your will, Sorsa Endi will never try to steal your identity again."

 

[Asuryan]

Watching the battle carefully a a stunningly handsome young man sits astride a mighty tiger mount, another man mounted on a horse enxt to him.


Solars...And Lunars. Do you think they need our aid Bezre?


THe younger man tilts his head, a predatorial smile playing across blood-red lips.


The older one, clearly with the blood of beasts in his veins; A tiger's tail and the head of a tiger, nods slowly.


I believe our aid would be useful master.


A short nod is all the answer needed, as the next second fifty beastmen(and women) stream down from their hiding place towards the undead.


Leading the charge is the young man, a large silver scythe flashing death to any undead coming within reach.

 

[Renaissance Blonde]

Covered in the blood of a dozen blood apes, Maya Blackthorn's anima blazed again as she dismissed her staff and transformed her hands into gnarled wooden claws. The wood dragon's claws ripped materialised blood apes and zombies to pieces.

 

[Paladin]

Rayns and his five girls soar low over the battle field raining death and destruction on the enemy. The Girls used their bows, Raynes used his GunKalive. Heads and bodies blew apart from each of his shots as he directed his girls. The Mounts of all six picked up blood Ape and Zombie and rended them with viciosue sharp beaks and Talons.


Raynes jumped from the back of Stafire and dropped through the air slicing down into one bloodape before pulling the trigger sending a white hot fire blast searing through the corpse and into a zombie behind it. He grins wickedly as the claws and jaws of the enemy fail to hurt him despite his lack of armor. Whisteling in a high pich he holds out his arms and is picked up by his mount and taken back up into the sky where he flips back up to its back and continues his path of destruction with his companions.

 

[Myllinnia]

Teliseria


With her dire lance in hand she gracefully dances among her enemies, her weapon stabbing and thrusting into her foes with graceful ease. After slaying a few of the enemies she dances back out of the fray and tosses back her shimmering platinum hair and smiling as she considering her next set of attacks. These were not like the creature that had not only had beat her once but twice, they were less skilled and not as strong. For a brief moment she scans the field for Brilliant Singing Hammer Nodding to herself with a wry smile as he decimates those arrayed before him, she bounds into another group impaling a few on her lance before turning on others, a blur of cloth and trailing hair in the night of anima light.

 

[Axelgear]

Nazir


One would be hard-pressed to say Nazir did nothing to assist the battle, but one would be equally hard-pressed to say exactly what he did. Amongst the horde, a moving shadow danced and twirled, leaving nothing but the whisper of the wind in its wake. Nazir had vanished at the first sighting of the enemy and was now hidden amongst them, leaping over them, ducking between their legs, vanishing into the horde and tearing through them with hard punches and swift kicks. There was no flash of anima, no tell-tale sign of his actions; he was mobile darkness, hidden by the Unconquered Sun, who withdrew the light around him to let him fight in the tenebrous black.


However, the power of his punches were taking down individual members of the horde, but they were not slowing them down. He needed to do something and, a short analysis of the surrounding area later, he had a plan. Leaping from the pile of shambling bodies, Nazir quickly set about pummeling loose parts of the granite in the castle walls, until a chunk as big as he was came loose and tumbled into the horde, crushing a handful and blocking off one of the entrances they used to stream into the castle and increasing the density of those coming from the other directions, herding them. Seeing it was successful, Nazir set about trying to seal up other entrances, limiting the access of the mob of opponents and giving the rest of his team a greater opportunity for glory, the thicker tide slower, with one swing of the blade cutting down two or three for every one it took before.

 

[Khadavla]

And then it was over, with the blood apes all reduced to patches of green acid boiling on the grass and the zombies twitching lumps of half animated flesh.


Yume picked up her weakened friend and held her close. All around her, the corpses seared and chared. With a prayer to heaven, she walked among the fallen, sending them to Lethe with a flash of purifying light.


(Do other Zeniths join her?)


(Does anyone have a bulb of demise and renewal?)

 

[Paladin]

Raynes lands his mount and watches as his companions do the same. Then silently they start tending to their mounts wounds. Only after their mounts are tended to do they tend to themselves. "Briar Rose Report. How is everyone?"

 

[Argas]

Beneficent River


She'd almost forgotten in the thrill of battle but when she sees Yume doing it, River remembers one of the duties she has as a Chosen of the Sun. Following her lead, River burns the bodies.

 

[Renaissance Blonde]

Maya Blackthorn dismissed her claws but kept the bronze skin, her movements slow and graceful. She tends minor hurts with alchemical compounds and stitching, a couple bandages, and seems to ignore the scratches on her body.

 

[Khadavla]

The red haired damsel in the lamelar bikini saluted her comander. "Stardream has taken a javelin through his leg, comander," she refers to one of the Strix--great white owls--her unit rides, "and requires formal surgery and preferably alchemical medecine. The rest is minor scrapes, bruises, and ruffled feathers."

 

[Havok_Harbinger]

Rey rises from her seat, beneath the little god allowing him his blissful pain. She manages to stand and cross to where the injured Strix stands. "May I?" Rey Pey Yung offers to examine the injury to the wing. "You valiantly aided us as we stood against the tides mighty ally and friend to your rider. Your suffering should not continue when I may offer an option." Rey reviews the injury, it was not a javelin, but actually shattered bone shard of incredible length. No immediate threat to life, though the animal continued to bleed a bit from the wound. Rey could almost feel the pain the Strix was in as she stood back awaiting the rider to allow her to approach for a more formal and physical examination.

 

[Paladin]

Raynes nods to the young woman. "Please by all means. If you can heal the Stryx then do so. We would appriciate the help." He turns to Briar Rose. Everything will be fine. Tend to the others. Your mount will be taken care of."


(Thanks Khavla)

 

[Havok_Harbinger]

Rey offers her assistance to the Strix, her arm opening and pouring out her life and blood as the shard of bone comes clean of the wound and the wound seals and heals. Rey sways lightly and even her arm begins to close in a much slower rate, the symbol of the Quicksilver Falcons of old bright upon her brow and the Ebon and White image of a mountain ram rearing high into the sky shining as she steadies herself and opens her eyes, a tear running from the corner of her eye down her cheek to rest perilously along her jawline. With deliberate care, Rey leans forward and kisses the side of the large bird.

 

[Paladin]

"Thank you Miss Yung. The help is appriciated. If I can repay you somehow just let me know." Raynes says stepping up to help her since she seems to be a bit weak.