Fantasy The Darkened Skies

[Coyote]

The Throne Room, Castle of Heaven, Salicia

Sercus frowned at the Glorian that discovered his little secret. Then he giggled again. The more soldiers that were cut down, the easier it was to control them.

8 soldiers remained

12 were destroyed including the soldiers that were lightly injured

This was getting a bit more interesting. They discovered how to throw him for the loop. The natural thing to do was make it even harder. Defend the stone soldiers backs. "Formation Unbreakable!" Sercus cried out. A smug grin remained etched on his face. The other Duelists and the Queen now turned their attention to the soldiers. The stone warriors assembled into a common Salician battle line. Although much smaller in scale, this tactic was used when surrounded by the enemy. The soldiers were now in a square formation. Three soldiers faced every direction. Of course, even though this was largely defensive, the soldiers slowly advanced towards the fighters, much like a moving wall... with weapons. "Let's see if they can crack my toys' defense," Sercus muttered.​

 

[Aridis]

Sera

​

The sudden change of pace surprised her, but she recovered from the shock quickly. Keeping up with the statues, at first, had been more than easy. But, now, the fight had become one of the most difficult that she'd had to do in a while. Instead of easily predicted patterns and movements, they seemed more...lifelike. Luckily, Sera had just about two life forces to tap into, so energy had yet to be a problem. Unluckily, she could no longer goof off.


She was put on the offensive for awhile, as she tried to pick out an opening; as there didn't seem to be any. A normal person would've gotten frustrated by this point. Or maybe even freaked out a bit. Sera was neither of these. If anything, the redhead was only more hyped up than she had been at the beginning. The girl, at the sacrifice of an injury on her arm, managed to land an attack. It didn't destroy her opponent, unfortunately. All she managed to do was crack it's leg.


Sera was no longer paying attention to anyone else in the room. Not even her new friend and his feats. Hell, not even the random dragons that had popped up in the room; even though the beast inside of her acknowledged them. What the redhead needed right now was some sort of distraction. A way to shield herself, and be able to attack under the cover of...something Gaining an idea from the trigger happy guy, she decided to tap into said beast a little bit. The redhead didn't like to rely on him, and preferred to fight with her own power. But, with desperate times...


Drawing in a deep breath, she puffed up her cheeks in order to hold as much air as possible. A familiar taste of burning charcoal filled her mouth, and she knew that it was time to exhale. Sera blew the air in the direction of the soldier she had fought. Instead of plain air, a wave of ash shot out at it. She personally preferred fire, but the particles in the air made it a bit easier to move around.


Immediately moving from her original spot, Sera kept careful note of where the soldier had stood previously; and if it had made any movements while the veil was being made. Managing to sneak up behind it, she carefully aimed her blades, and dug them deep into it's being. One went through it's neck, and the other through it's skull. Just in case those blows hadn't been enough, by some strange phenomenon she jumped back.


Still, it ticked her off that she hadn't been able to notice the detail that one of her "teammates" had. While the strings were now invisible, they were still there. And, upon further inspection on the warrior that she had just attacked, Sera swore under her breath. It was a fairly thin string. The only way that she could see it was because of the ash. And even then, it was such a small detail that she could've easily written it off as nonexistent. "You've got to be kidding me..." She grumbled.


(1 down)


@Idea

Daren

​

Okay...This was starting to get ridiculous. He was already having a hard enough time staying on the offensive as it was. Daren managed to avoid getting decapitated, but every other injury was free game.


It was all he could do to keep up enough to avoid major injury. Actually defeating his opponent? Forget it! Unless he pulled some major magic, or someone else offered a way for him to defeat them, then he was done for. The teenager put everything he could just into defensive spells. And even that wasn't enough to stop him from getting flung across the room a couple of times.


And the situation only kept getting worse. He had yet to take down even one statue, and some of the others were taking down multiple. While he hadn't asked to be volunteered for the Queen's mission, that didn't mean that he didn't want to be a part of it. To have his life matter for once, and to actually fight for something beyond himself, that was only something that he imaged heroes could accomplish; and had only seen a hero do. Besides, this whole thing would be a good test of his strength.


Pulling away from the advancing wall, Daren slipped his spell book out of his bag. It was fairly small, but held enough spells to take down an army. Unfortunately, he didn't personally have the power to do so. Still, it was a handy thing to have.


Having more or less memorized where every enchantment lay, he flipped to the required page. The whole process took barely a second to do, and soon he was ready to retaliate. "Tardi." A spell to slow down time. The boy would only have a couple of seconds, as that was what he had the power to do. However, for him, a couple of seconds was much longer than expected for most. Three seconds, exactly, was the very longest that he could maintain the spell. And, with every other enchantment that he cast during it, that time would only shorten.


In retaliation to his efforts, the amulet around his neck began to grow warm. The pendant itself was tucked under his shirt, so there was nothing between it and his skin. The heat, as he attempted to maintain his action, grew more intense. At it's peak, it was scalding hot, and would remain that way until he either ran out of power or canceled the spell.


Daren darted forward, not wasting even a moment of his short time. The statues seemed to move a little slower. Not much, but they were a little more manageable than previously. If anything, he had made it so that they were about as hard to fight as they had been before turning into puppets. Maybe a little easier. Running up to the statue that he had previously injured, he pulled the same move, as it seemed most effective for such a small price of energy. "Conlidam!" The tip of his spear glowed, and he drove it into the warrior's shoulder. "Conlidam!" Once the temporary burst of power had been drained, he repeated the phrase. Over and over again, he did so, until Daren finally managed to get to the string and 'kill' the thing.


Immediately after, he retreated. The time spell had worn off, and everything was moving at a normal speed. His chest burned from the amulet's effect, and he couldn't help but wince every time he breathed. Even if the teenager had placed it on a layer of clothing to prevent such a thing from happening, it would just burn a hole right through it. And, to top it all off, his energy was almost completely drained. Staying on the defensive would probably not be a problem. But, casting any more spells probably wasn't an option. Unless he was in dire need to do so, at least.


(1 more down)

 

[Alias]

Ellias watched as the soldiers shifted into a defensive formation. Their movements are still very fluent, but their accuracy is way off than before and leave many openings individually. But their formation makes up for their sudden decrease in skill. The bastard's just taking shots in the dark, he grinned as he realized this may be over soon. The glorian yelled something out about the soldiers having invisible strings on their backs. That could be how the madman beside the queen is controlling the soldiers.


The little girl told Ellias that he should rest up a little bit. "Speak for yourself", he weakly replied. He's killed many people in his line of work, so he knows when someone's already at their limit. Her legs are shaking and her breath is becoming more labored every passing second. The strain of controlling a great number of dragons at the same time is finally getting to her. "Their formation has a huge gap at the center. Send all your dragons at the center. Their backs are turned towards it so the dragons should be able to cut whatever string the soldiers are tied to. We'll buy you time", he told the girl and stood up. Wiping off the blood from his face, he limped towards the fighting. He spat the blood inside his mouth and yelled, "Keep them together! Make sure they don't break formation! We're ending this now!"


It wasn't like him to rely on other people but at this point, Ellias doesn't care anymore. I'm gonna need a drink after this. He turned to grab the attention of a soldier with an axe, waltzing forwards and backwards and swinging his sword to dodge whatever blow it throws him and to make sure it stays in line.


@Idea

 

[Idea]

(Lyra's POV: )


"Don't be stubborn, you're hurt!" I insisted, coughing. Truth be told, he did have a point, I wasn't onee to talk. My vision was getting blurry and I legs gave up, causing me to fall on all fours. I reached out with my mind again. I didn't need to control the dragons, fortunately. They were free creatures and all I had to do was keep them with life. Still, dragons were loyal and faithful creatures in their early years. That's why I could never make a big dragon. I didn't have the strength to supply enough life to counter their stubborness in waking up, as grown-Ups.


Even now, with just my tint dragons, it was taking a toll, beyond anything I could protest. A small, red line slided down from my nose and into my mouth. I clenched my teeth, knowing I wouldn't be able to do this forever.


I pointed at the soldier and gazed at the dragons. They got the message and packed together again, then dived in. Two soldiers turned around, turning several dragons to dust, before they finnaly curush on the soldiers with the sheer weight of numbers. They bit and bit as the soldiers jumped around and flung ed their weapons with grace. Not enough, though. One soldier lost an arm and a leg, another had holes piercing all over the joints. One had His body full of cracks and lost both hands and one foot as the dragons pushed him down. One of the soldier had his head torned off and exploded into tiny fragments. I smiled at the sight of this and began standing, almost forgetting how tired I was.


There was a feeling, like a twig snapping in the back of my head. The world turned red, then brown, then black...My dragons were forming cracks and had their bodies spliting in parts, until they were no more than clouds of dust.


I felt the breeze against my back as I fell, losing consciousness at last.


(1 more down and 3 heavily injured. Lyra is out for the count for now, though and so are her dragons)


@Alias


@everyone

 

[Idea]

(Gaudu's POV: )


I turned as I hears the man's yell.


"I shall! Summon!" More gates appeared, releasing spears, until I had a total of 21 spears. My eyes closed and I began to lift my hands once more, shaking them on purpose. The spears took flight and I gestured by pushing my hands toward the spears were sent flyingin their direction. I drew a circle with my fingers, perpendicular to me and the spears flew down, surrounding the soldiers. I doubted they could land any hits, with the soldier's skill having improved as much as they did, but at least it should be enough to keep the soldiers from spreading out.


Then, I took flight and observed the battlefieldield below. I had two choices. I could stay there and just control the spears or try something really risky...


I opted for the first, for now. If my "allies weren't to deal with the soldiers soon, though, I'd have to show them what their enemies were made of.


@TheWingedCrusader


(the soldiers are now surrounded by spears. Gaudum will let anyone into the circle, but not out)

 

[Coyote]

The Throne Room, Castle of Heaven, Salicia

Sercus grit his teeth. The other Duelists knew exactly why. Sercus hated losing just as much as the rest of them did. "This is only a test, Sercus. This isn't a Duel," the Queen said, sensing his tension. Sercus' fingers trembled.

5 soldiers remained

3 were so damaged they could hardly move

15 soldiers were destroyed

Suddenly, Sercus' expression relaxed. However, his fingers still trembled. Only the Queen has seen Sercus when he was feeling desperate. "Sercus... this is just a test," she warned. "I know, my queen," he responded, in a way that was not at all convincing. Suddenly the two able bodied soldiers stole the weapons of their three injured comrades and threw them at the fighters. A spear was hurtled towards Lyra, and a battle axe towards Sera. Then one soldier grabbed it's teammate's weapon, a staff. The soldier swung the staff and the second warrior picked up speed. Then it let go in an attempt to slide under the circle of spears. The remaining soldier grabbed his injured comrades and used them as shields in case the spears were launched at. Hopefully it would be enough to protect him. Sercus grinned as he guessed Gaudus now had a few things to worry about. Sera and Lyra, or the soldier trying to slide out. If he chose not to destroy the soldier, it was going to be a simple hostage situation. Dash to Gaudus, put a sword to his neck and tell him to drop the spears. Of course, assuming everything went as planned. Sercus focused intently on his last two pieces on his "boardgame". The Queen, however, was in nothing but a stormy mood. The situation wasn't fatal yet, but these were dirty moves that could seriously injure someone. A Duelist does NOT stoop down to such measures. She was going to have a word with Sercus as soon as this was over. Then the Queen turned to her daughter. "Do you see a way out of this?" She asked, interested to see what her daughter might say.​

 

[counterculturist]

(Sorry I've been absent for so long. Missed all the good stuff it seems)


It couldn't be.


Aetria was too shocked to even fight, she had hid herself the moment shed felt the wispy presence of him, there was no way he had come here. Gaudie. The brother who had taught her how to fly when she was 3. He was fully grown now to be sure, his traditional glorian daggers now fit his hands like a glove. The last time she had seen those in his hands were during training, when they looked much too big for him to be using. Now they acted as if they were a part of him.


She knew she could do something, heal a wound, make the soldiers fall unconscious. Suddenly, the remaining soldiers changed their plans. They began using the fallen soldiers as playthings, and throwing their weapons at the people.


Throwing their weapons at Gaudie. This was not the family reunion Aetria was hoping for; but as she pulled out her staff and began to lull the soldiers into a sleep, she felt no anger towards him for being better, nothing but a need to see him again. The remaining soldiers suddenly dropped their fallen comrades onto the once shiny but now dusty floor and fell too, ever so lightly into a dreamless sleep as only she imagined puppet soldiers would. She walked out slowly and saw their faces fill with bewilderment


"They wont be asleep for long, 10 minutes maximum, 2 on the lowest, so I suggest you all recoup and tell me if you're bleeding, don't try to act tough for heavens sake."

 

[maerow]

Dragons started appearing out of no where, courtesy of the little girl- but they were gone within moments. Still, Everet was pretty impressed, she almost wanted to clap. But she didn't, because that would look weird and she didn't want to appear like a lunatic in front of the Queen. If she hadn't already. It looked like the stalker man was going all out, but it wouldn't last long. With a huff, Everet backed into a corner. Annoying the stone soldiers to death wouldn't work, but the puppeteer was a different story. He was getting desperate. At this point, anything could happen. That was both a relief and a concern.


Logic wasn't a thing Everet possessed. Or potential, for that matter. But one thing was for sure; she found a thrill in trying. When the angel showed up, putting the soldiers to sleep, Everet dashed over to Gaudu and the others. Lyra was down for the count, and even though children usually freaked her out, the girl was a big help. And, honestly, Everet wanted to see her dragons again. Crouching beside the girl, she looked toward the angel, smiling brightly. The stone mask had begun to crack, along with the lower half. "I don't think we have much to worry about anymore," she whispered, looking toward the puppeteer and Queen. "I think... it's over." That, or it was just the beginning of something worse.


@everyone

 

[Aridis]

Sera

​

Welp. She almost died.


It wasn't like she wasn't paying attention. Since the statues had become more challenging opponents, she had been exceptionally wary of where everyone in the room was. However, it was still a bit surprising when she was just randomly attacked. Mainly because there was no body connected to the weapon; which was what caught her off guard the most.


And it was a freaking huge weapon at that. Battle axes were nothing to laugh at; unless their wielders were completely horrible at their jobs. While they were pretty slow weapons against someone small and quick, they were still weapons. And very powerful ones, if they managed to hit you.


The angel's help was indeed useful. But the momentum of the weapon was already in affect. It was all she could do to drop to the ground and hope that she was quick enough to not get sliced in half. Sera managed to not die from the blow. But, she had been a millisecond late to react. The twirling blade of the giant axe had managed to nick her shoulder. The wound itself wasn't too serious, but there was definitely a good amount of blood that was allowed to escape.


"Okay... Ow."


@Everyone

Daren

​

And he was kind of down for the count; more or less officially. He wasn't dead, or seriously injured beyond the burn on his chest. Daren just barely had enough stamina to continue fighting. Well, if fighting counted as just plain staying on the defensive for the rest of the ordeal.


Breathing heavily, the boy was nothing short of relived when the statues were put to sleep. Given, the caster of the spell had said that it wouldn't last for very long; which was to be expected. They were inamimate things, after all. It would've lasted for quite a while had it been placed on a living creature.


Making his way over to where the winged lady stood, Daren offered a small wave in greeting. "Hiya. Can you...uh... help with a small thing?" He moved the amulet out of the way, and pulled down the collar of his shirt a little bit in order to reveal the burned marking on his flesh. The runes that had been carved into the back of the piece of jewelry were more than visible on the wound. "I mean, you don't have to, of course."


@counterculturist

 

[sprouhtt]

"You could end this 'boardgame' for Sercus before you don't have any of your so called groups alive, mother." She told her mother as she stood up and walked around her mothers throne to the side, and leaned in letting her hair fall off of her shoulder and dangle near her. Azraelle simply just put her hair behind her ear, "Mother, have you not seen enough? They fought awfully well for a bunch of new comers and some have weaknesses that need to be strengthen into a warrior that will uphold your name in battle." She asked as she stood talk in front of everyone and watched as they tried to destroy the rest of the statues that was being commanded by Sercus.


Azraelle was getting a bit hungry and tired, and she wondered if the food was done yet given the fact that she smelled the roasted meat, yam, freshly baked bread, and other delicious goods. She saw a bottle of rum on the other side of the room and was very tempted to drink it but she knew if she did her mother would give her another one of her speeches about how it's not lady-like to drink like a man. @TheWingedCrusader

 

[Idea]

(Gaudus POV: )


Gaudus punched the air and growled seeing how the soldiers had managed to escape his spears, throwing weapons against random fighters. Seeing how I held no affection for the dragon-master girl, I focused on protecting the child and pushed my spears ahead, deflecting the strike that was coming for her. The only did I turn, and saw a stone soldier getting closer to me at dangerously high speeds....whrn, suddenly, it fell asleep. I wasn't sure WHY that happened, but I wouldn't think about it immediately. I punched through the soldier's chest, breaking him to bits, then raised my hands and dropped them again, making my spears rise and fall as well, destroyed the remaining sleeping soldiers.


all of the sudden, it hit me. There waas one person I knew that could make people suddenly fall asleep. I looked around and found her.


"A-Aetra..." My metallic voice uttered. Slolwy, I lowered my flight to her height. I stared fir a moment. There was so much to say. So much time to cover. she wasn't a little girl anymore, well, not as little as before that is. she'd always be little in my eyes. So, before I could say "hi", there were already people calling fir her aid. I sighed. "We'll talk later, I guess. Our words have waited this long, they can wait a bit more."


After that, I turned to the queen and the puppetmaster, anxious for this "test" to end so I could have a proper word with my long-gone sister.


(Remaining soldiers out)


@TheWingedCrusader


@counterculturist


@everyone

 

[counterculturist]

(Aetria in 1st person)


I would speak to him, sure. about all the changes hes gone through and about what I've been doing since i left, but not now. "you're right, as always." I reply, and rush to the sides of those who need me. "the little one first." who seemed so peaceful surrounded by protective and complete strangers.


"you're all going to need to to cover me, if those things come back I wont be in my body to protect myself, gaud knows what to do." I said, and before I was asked any questions, took my place. with my legs crossed on the floor and the young ones head limp on my lap, I sprawled my hands along her face and neck and focused all my energy into her epicenter. Her soul was bright but patchy around the edges, like she was scarred from the inside out. I began weaving my energy through empty spots along the glimmering mass, like a talented dressmaker I wove fine silk around her heart and came out of the trance slowly, only to see eyes staring straight into me wherever I looked. "Who's next?" I spoke, thinking it would come out loud but only touched a whisper. The wounded stepped forward except for one, a man bleeding so much I couldn't see where it came from, with a bottle in hand and a scowl on his face.


The girl with red hair looked at the other who stepped forward and he silently insisted she go first.


"I'm sorry I didn't stop them sooner. sit." I stated. Looking up at her, she came down to face me and I placed a hand on her shoulder. Not having to target her soul this time, it was a much easier task. But there were things she'd been through that I didn't want to look at, and I knew she didn't want me to either; I could feel the tense of her entire body as I worked, I felt her outer wound heal but the inner wound remained a stain on her beautiful life. This is what I hate about my gift, this is why I don't belong here. She thanked me and sat next to the young girl as she awoke.


The next to help was a boy. He looked my age, but the appearance of hair on his face was sparce, maybe a few years younger. his chest was marked with a beating red colour and his skin smelled of flayed flesh. Magically proficient or challenged, I couldn't tell. Setting my hand upon it, he winced for a moment, but as I began my process he was relieved, it was a quick heal and he was no longer wheezing in less than 30 seconds.


" You, pretty boy. Are you going to be stubborn and not let me heal you?" I pointed my eyes in the direction of the rum smelling man, who sat on the ground holding his head.


@everyone

 

[Alias]

Ellias was caught off guard when the dragons around them turned to dust. Sure, it did crush a few soldiers, but the plan was to draw them to the center to cut the remaining strings. "Hey, kid. Weren't they suppo-", he dropped his sword when he noticed the little girl lying on the ground. "Kid!", he ran towards the unconscious girl. By now, the glorian he saw at the market stalls was healing her. The others also surrounded the glorian, waiting for their turn to be healed. He felt the same hammering sensation on his head. Will she be ok?, he thought to himself.


He barely heard the female glorian as she called him out. "Pretty boy? You falling for me or what?", Ellias joked. "Anyway, yes please do patch me up", he sat beside the glorian. He wondered if glorian magic would work on someone with a pseudologos' blood. He looked around the grand hall, now filled with dust. The remaining soldiers are now in pieces. "It's finally over", he chuckled to himself


@counterculturist


@everyone

 

[counterculturist]

"Sit down." I tell him, but when I close my eyes, I cant see him. His energy is pitch black. No normal healer would even notice, but it slightly grays around the edges and forms quite the grotesque picture, jagged and broken along every strait. There was a deep pain, an ache caused by my very being. He couldn't stand me. It was tearing at him, and I felt it too. It was the worst thing I had ever experienced. it wasn't even excruciatingly painful at its base, but the constant flow of pain made my eyes scrunch up and my leg twitch. As hard as I tried, I couldn't fully heal whatever was happening, but I believe I got rid of some of it. I healed his leg and the rest of his injuries quickly so I could question him about what I witnessed. backing away and standing a hundred yards in the other direction was the only plan I had to stop whatever I was doing to him, so I did.


"why are you so pained by it, when I'm around you?" I looked at him as my leg still twitched, pain still shooting through my body.


@Alias

 

[Coyote]

The Throne Room, Castle of Heaven, Salicia

Queen Mariavé smiled pleasantly. The fighters certainly lived up to their name. She watched as the Glorian girl healed the wounded. Oh how vital she was, and would be. Then the Queen turned to her daughter. "That is true... but if they were defeated here, on a simple test such as this, do you believe they would win in a battle against the Advisor? The King of Beasts who has evaded the us for millenium? A test is meant to challenge. If it was easy, it'd be called dummy practice. Sercus dropped his hands. He remained quiet and forced a smile. "Well well... look who won the game," he muttered. A Duelist stepped forward. This Duelist happened to be Sercus' brother. His name is Polorus. He wore a much plainer outfit, that was simpler and much classier. Polorus was another Duelist that had a particular power. A skeletal demon was bound permanently to his body, but in exchange for serving as a host for this demon, Polorus now has increased strength, speed, and if he wanted to, gain a hand by having the demon partially separate from his body and give an extra swing of the blade. Like a ghost the shadowed him.

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_12/9aaa5ccd9357e407f066883cac13d31a.jpg.e6216e905b6955979446acc8d9f2f357.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="95068" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_12/9aaa5ccd9357e407f066883cac13d31a.jpg.e6216e905b6955979446acc8d9f2f357.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

"These are mere children, Sercus. Don't mind them much," he said, but he turned to the fighters and gave them a wink of encouragement. An expression that seemed to say 'well done'. "Don't try to comfort me," Sercus responded. "Don't be such a pain in the ass, Sercus, you're a Duelist for crying out loud," another Duelist called out. Her name was Sharra. She was a stone-hearted Duelist and never had a tolerance for complaining, much like what Sercus was doing. Sharra is known for her near superhuman strength. Her agility is unmatched when taking into consideration how incredibly powerful she is. If she wanted to, they say she could wrestle a dragon. Of course, she was much better with the blade, and her large broadsword certainly suited her persona. <p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_12/478511cc713478c07a2d0b91e1d19176.jpg.d9cf3e99c76daf8f1cce657ce33d29ef.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="95074" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_12/478511cc713478c07a2d0b91e1d19176.jpg.d9cf3e99c76daf8f1cce657ce33d29ef.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

Sercus looked at Sharra. "You ought to watch your mouth," he said, in a hostile tone. The Queen was becoming deeply concerned. Sure, there might have bickering amongst them before but lately, heated debate and tensions between them have become more and more frequent. It worried her greatly. "Enough. You are a team. You don't fight amongst yourselves. That's the easiest path to defeat," she said, in a strained but silky tone. They all fell silent. The Queen then stood up. "Congratulations. You have all certainly proved your worth in battle and I am pleased. I think we can all agree that today has been a long day, and we need some well deserved rest and a bountiful feast. I invite you all to a banquet tonight after giving you all a place to rest in one of the castle suites. The guards will escort you to your rooms. I will give further details of your mission tomorrow. Tonight, however, we celebrate the arrival of our heroes!"​

 

[Alias]

Being healed by glorian magic is a weird sensation. The blood started crawling back up inside him and Ellias' wounds begin closing on their own. A part of him feels peaceful, but another part of him feels vulnerable during the process and wants it to stop. By the time she was done, he doesn't feel as exhausted as he did before.


The glorian's comment caught him off guard. Was it that obvious?, he thought to himself. "Well...", he hesitated. "Let's just say I have a condition", Ellias lied. It's not like he's bothered about being a half-pseudologos, in fact he takes pride of it. But pseudologoi have a bad rep in other city states so he'd lose his clients if word got out that he's kin to them. "Oh, thanks for patching me up", he extended his hand. "I'm Ellias Kane, mercenary extraordinaire"


When he heard of a banquet, Ellias' stomach growled. Aw yeah! Free food! I wonder if they have good booze, he became lost in his thoughts.


@counterculturist

 

[Idea]

(Jukkreknaxter's POV: )


The battle was over. I tied the slingshot to my tail again and pocketed the daggers. I looked at my wounds. Not exactly paper cuts, but I could survive a lot worse than that. I pulled out my tong and sat down, licking them, while staring at the group that was forming around the female glorian. I thought about it. Maybe she could heal me too? I stopped licking myself for a moment, imagining it. I'd get on line, she would glare back at me and jump into my arms, use that weird magic if hers to heal my wounds, rub my chest and...


No, no, no. I shook my head and was even prepared to punch myself if I had to break out of my dellusion. Still, it wasn' t like she was refusing to heal anyone else, quite on the contrary in fact. So, there was no reason why she'd refuse to heal me too.


Standing up , I walked over to the line. The banquet sounded nice, and made me droll, just thinking about all the meat that most likely would be there...


I stopped next to the dragon master woman.


"You coming? You could use a little healing too." I inquired, then gave her a thumbs up "I saw your fighting. Pretty nice there, though I would have liked to see that trick where you turn into a giant fire breathing lizard. Or will you just eat like one?"


I chuckled, then proceeded to the line.


"Hey, can I get some of that hocus pocus too?" I asked the glorian, poiting at my wounds with a grin.


@Aridis


@counterculturist

 

[Idea]

(Gaudus POV: )


I stared at the queen and her duelists for a bit, awaiting with impatience to see of there was any more to our "test". The duelists were bickering among each other, and I almost decided to rush in and use my power on one of them. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary, as the queen announced the battle was over and that there'd be a feast later on. For now, the guards would escort us to our rooms.


I looked down. My sister was healing everyone, and it reminded me of the old days...I headed down and landed next to her.


"When you are done, I shall be waiting in my room. Should your attention be taken the whole time, though, we can talk in the banquet." I turned, hesitatting for a moment. I looked ar her one more time. "Good luck here."


I made my way out, following a guard that supposadely would guide me to my room. Only...


"Excuse mr., I mean miss, I mean...well, herm...I'm here to escort you and the glorian here to your room." He told the girl that had shifted into a stone soldier while pointing at me. I facepalmed.


Another guard passed by me, carrying the young girl that had passed out during the battle. I was impressed by her abiltoes for her age, but wary also: after all, it was dragons she had summoned.


@counterculturist


@kokochii


@Alias

 

[Aridis]

Sera

​

Oh hell yes, a feast! After all of the running around and fighting she had been doing, the Dragon Master was starving. And the offer for a place to rest didn't seem like such a bad one, either.


She would've preferred it if there had been more of a fight against a living person, rather than against a bunch of stone puppets. However, even Sera couldn't complain much about the fact. The "puppets" had been strong, and rather challenging sparring partners. At the very least, it might be fun to go up against them again. Maybe on her own, the second time around. Given, the girl would probably get her ass handed to her; but at least it would be a fun fight.


Climbing to her feet, she placed a hand against the wound on her shoulder. It didn't hurt much, compared to some other injuries she had sustained over the years, but it seemed like a good idea to a least try to suppress the blood flow a bit. Nothing else seemed to be broken or heavily injured; which was actually pretty good considering the level of skill that her opponent had. Upon hearing her nameless friend's voice, Sera somewhat reluctantly hopped in line with him. It was a bit embarrassing, needing to rely on someone else to fix what she had messed up on. Even so, it might be a good idea to at least get semi-used to the fact that they were supposed to act as a team.


"You weren't so bad yourself." A grin snaked it's way onto her expression, as it was a bit hard to contain her excitement for what was to come next. "And, sorry to disappoint. I'll make sure to burn down a town or two next time, deal?"


@Idea

Daren

​

On the bright side, he didn't have to sit through the burning sensation in his chest anymore. The nerves were still a bit sensitive, but it was nothing that the teenager couldn't deal with. With a small "thank you," he stepped away from the Glorian and a little bit away from the overall group. While he wasn't necessarily shy, crowds weren't exactly the best things for him. He kind of started stealing stuff, and it got a bit awkward if anyone actually caught him; or if he accidentally stole from someone who was more or less a friend.


Yes, he stole without meaning to. That's the sort of bad habits his years on the streets had lead to.


Daren's attention turned towards the Queen and the Duelists. He wasn't mad, or even annoyed at, any of them; not even the puppet master that had made things a little more...interesting... during the fight. If anything, he just stared up at them with admiration. While he had managed to take down one of the stone warriors, he doubted that he could do the same with any of those guys. Although, he would probably have to learn how to; if he was to be of any use during future battles.

 

[maerow]

Everet cracked her fingers. Her body felt stiff, like she was made out of clay. The glorian was busy healing people with major injuries, so she didn't want to intervene. The state of her condition was something that couldn't be healed, after all. "Oh." She'd almost forgotten, placing her hand against her once fair cheek. The cut. It still stung, but it wasn't anything major. What she needed now was food. And drinks. And rest. But mostly... to explore. Do we really have to go to our rooms? The castle was the epitome of curiosity and adventure. Oh how she dreamed of exploring each nook and cranny. Regardless, she looked at the guard with half-lidded eyes and nodded, sending Gaudu a lazy thumbs up for a job well done.


Her mother would've loved to see the castle's garden. For now, she would go to her room like a good little girl. Although, anyone that really saw the mischievous smile playing on her face, would know right away that she was up to no good.


@Idea


@everyone

 

[counterculturist]

As I continued to patch up everyone, my brother left. His wings had some how changed, they broke on his back like glass shards and it made his whole body look even more robotic. When I was finished healing everyone and it was only me left in the throne room, I took my time to really look around as I was being led to a room. The walls were covered in so many beautiful rugs and tapestry's that I couldn't wrap my head around it, it was all too beautiful. As the door to my room was opened I had a reminiscent moment, the bed had four posts and the fluffiest down covers Id ever seen. It looked like my parents bedroom. Like their regal and airy room that I would often run to if I had a nightmare, only to be rejected their love.


A few pairs of clothes were lain out on the bed, one an adventurers cloak and fitting wraps and belts for every piece of my body. the next a leather suit, brown and pressed with beautiful patterns all along the jacket and the side of the pant. The last was a dress, even more beautiful than a glorian dress. It was white, with red and gold detailing. The way it was sown into other pieces of fabric was so intricate and the patterns along the seams where little beads hung were incredible. I pulled it on to me and it fit better than any other clothing id ever worn, the back even accommodated my wings,where usually I would have to cut a hole, it dropped down to the small of my back. I open the door to find a guard, seeing one at the end of the hall, I call out to him "I'm guessing we are to wear these to the banquet?" he nods at me and glances down me for a moment, but then turns back to where he was posted. It was a beautiful dress, but it only made me look more stupid, and I had to wear it.


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[Idea]

(Jukkrenaxter's POV: )


"No need to go THAT far." I grinned at the dragon-master girl. "Just be sure to supply a couple scales and a little fire. As a treat, I'll have nice shiny new sword waiting for you."


As my turn to be healed arrived, I exposed my wounds to the glorian. As I suspected (but grieved), she sticked to merely healing me. I stood, sighing and headed to my room with the guard.


I wasn't sure how to put it...but my room was offensive. Everywhere there were pots shattered and leaves spread around, with dirt covering the ground, random plants sticked in it and even some vines hanging from the roof. The bed was covered in a sheet of leaves and a matress of tree bark. On the ground, there was a dog bowl and a bone. However had done this had gone through a lot trouble troible to piss me off. Actually, if you considered they had done this to someone else as well, other beasts that might be around (though I hadn't spotted any), then had gome through a lot of trouble to use every stereotype they could to decorate the room.


Angry, I left it, huffing. On the hall, I saw a clay soldier passing. I pulled out my daggers.


"I thought we blew up all these bloody things!" I complained.


@Aridis


@kokochii

 

[Idea]

(Gaudus's POV: )


I growled at the girl disguised as a stone warrior, poiting a finger at her.


"We're not done yet." I stated, following the guard to my room. It was heavily decorated, and for a moment I almost fell into the trap of thinking I had been summoned back to the heavens. I quickly realized that wasn't the case, though, and instead of falling to my knees, I scouted the place. There was a large bed the thr middle and a closet next to it, made of wood. Most of the room was either ornamented with gold or painted yellow, even the courtins and the windows behind those. I shook my head and pulled a chair. There were several black pieces of fancy clothing , suits and trousers to be exact, lying on my bed. They didn't...expect me to take off my armor, did they? I'd even been sleeping on it for years now! No, that was one gift they wouldn't get their hands on.


Besides, before the party, I still had one more thing I hoped to do. I pulled a chair and waited, hoping maybe my sister would still show up before the banquet. I pondedreed about everything that had happened since we had parted or tried anyway ...there was just too much to be told in one sitting.


@kokochii


@counterculturist

 

[Alias]

Ellias noticed that the little girl was being carried by a guard. He was going to follow her to her room but decided not to. He feels bad for pushing a child to do something that could nearly kill her. Besides, what is he gonna tell her when she wakes up? Hey, I manipulated you into doing something that could've ended your life. You're cool with that, right? He turned around and went to retrieve his sword and shotgun instead.


He was about to leave the hall when he felt like he's forgetting something. Almost forgot my satchel, he turned back but he realized it got burned up. "AH! MY MONEY!", Ellias ran towards the pile of ash that was once his satchel and hoped to salvage any remaining locs, but to no avail. A guard noticed that he's the only one left in the hall so he approached him to lead him to his room. "I'm here to lead you to your quarte-Err, sir?". Sobbing, Ellias stood up and hugged the guard. "Why is the world so cruel?", he asked the guard. "Umm... I'm sorry...?", the guard hugged Ellias back, unsure of what's going on.


------------------------





The room was bigger than the room he's staying in back at Vaulken. He peeked at the windows which provided a great view of the city below. He also noticed A set of clothes was laid on the huge bed. Since the clothes he's wearing was riddled with dust and blood, he decided to try on those clothes. It was a white long sleeves polo with blue blazers and blue pants. He looked at the mirror and it surprisingly fits him. "Well, who is this handsome lad?", Ellias posed on the mirror as if he was trying to seduce his reflection.


After a few minutes of flexing and grooming, he went out of his room to explore the castle. He felt the same headache he felt when he found a glorian. Now that these headaches are getting more frequent, Ellias is starting to get used to it. He turned and saw the glorian in heavy armor sitting on a chair. "Hey", he called his attention. "isn't it hot inside the armor?"


@Idea

 

[Idea]

(Lyra's POV: )


I came to in this bright red room. My vision was still a little blurry, but as my hands weakly raised, they almost immediately came in contact with this...texture. It was like a parchment with tiny holes. Daddy once had told me of something similar. He had told me of how he had "grabbed that SILK ass of the lady in castle Peramire.", or something. The feeling of this material was similar to what he had described. Still, hr had had four bottles of rum so it was hard to tell fact from fiction at that point.


With a little effort, I began to stand. I remembered why I was in there. Or well, why I wasn't awake when I got in there. I had lost consciousness while attempting to supply life to a small army of my doll dragons. I wondered if everyone was ok. If we had passed the test. Maybe we did, and that was why I wasn't in that "arena" anymore, but in this place full of red silk.


I pushed myself down and felt a tickling sensation on my feet. Coins. Lots of them, covering the floor of my room. I rubbed my eyed to see better and thengave the room a closer inspection.


The whole place was made out of rock, greatly reassembling good old cave rock. Wet, slippery, comfortable cave rock. There was also a ton of red silk, like spider webs covering the room. The floor had coins covering it, woven with black string, like some luxury carpet to show off.


The bed I was sitting on was long and golden, although it was not actually gold. My face went red as I looked at myself, though. While I slept, someone had slipped me into this frilly pink dress, ornament with ruby flowers and with a lace on the side of my hair, which was scrubbed for the first time since my mom had left. I viciously turned my head in every direction, but my usual clothes were nowhere to be found. The only thing I had been left with were my gloves.


I felt the need to come out of the room and to go do something. Id nothing else, check on the others.


I opened the door and left. I kinda struggled to walk, not just because of that embarassing dress , but also because my head was still spinning a little. I had really pushed myself with thosee dragons, although the exact reason why was fleeting from my memory...


At that point, I saw someone I recognised. He had been fighting alongside us in the battle against the stone man. Given that was my best option, I stepped toward.


"E-e-excuse me, mr.?" I called, hardly able to speak over the fact I was wearing that overly girly dress "Y-you were there, right? I-in the battle? W-with the stone warriors? D-did we,hum...win? iIs everyone alright?"


@Aridis