Fantasy The Lost Book

[Desert Rose]

Pandora-

The fairy coughed and gulped in as much air as she could when she was finally free of that barbarian. She felt the hand that had caught her and was thankfully being gentle with her. She listened to his words carefully and tensed feeling the madness from him it was far worse than Khaos which meant he was far more dangerous than Khaos. She wondered if he was the one that brought him to this unfamiliar land but how he pointed out that she was not a native suggested that he didn't know of their arrival thus was not the one who summoned her and her master.

If only she could see who had taken her captive and yet treated her so carefully. The fairy smiled feeling the pillows beneath her and satisfied she made herself grow into her 4ft tall form still annoyed that that was the only thing she could do at that moment. Settling in on the pillows she laid down on her stomach her feet up in the air moving back and forth childishly and her wings slightly flitting. She tucked her light violet hair behind her ear feeling the stare of Arachnos upon her.

"You are correct, I am not from here. From what I've gathered by my master is that we were taken here through a book and are trying to figure out what is going on. There was another...a lady in the forest that we came upon before I was taken by the barbarians but I was sent to meet them while my master dealt with the woman." she said careful in what she said not wanting to reveal that she couldn't use any of her magic.

"As for my eyes...." her voice trailed and her head lowered. "They still exist...." she whispered and looked back towards where she knew he was and reached a hand slowly taking off the mask to reveal the damage done. Her tone and very aura grew dark, she was a dark fairy after all, "My master tricked me and gouged my eyes out to keep me.... They remain on his hat disguised as roses." She explained to him her voice chilling and dripping of revenge.

A long pause and the fairy placed her mask back on to hide what she could only imagine made her look hideous. "Who are you?" she finally asked realizing she was telling her captor information without even knowing who or what he was.

Kazanna

 

[Desert Rose]

Calcifer and Ashton-

Lilith gasped for air and eventually stopped struggling as she fell limp in Calcifer's grip. He made sure to crush her throat and as he heard a rather commanding voice his eyes narrowed to the owner as Zekes walked into the throne room. The sorcerer tensed and gripped his staff tightly rather curious to who would be so bold to show themselves to the king in such a manner. He simply released his hand from the child's throat allowing her body to drop to the floor with a dull thud. Calcifer stepped over the dead body and slowly made his way to the newcomer looking him carefully up and down his eyes stopping on the crown atop of the man's head.

"Trust me.... this brat deserved what she got.. besides if you're too forgiving on a child they turn out to be worthless." Calcifer justified himself his eyes narrowing at Zekes.

"Yes... I seek power, I take it....." he looked Zekes up and down again "You are the cause of the alarm in the dungeon?" he asked with a slight chuckle already figuring that the answer was yes.

"Let me be the first to welcome you to my kingdom Ariael." he said with a grin as he gestured to all around the throne room quite pleased with his success so far. "Please... do tell me about your journey here." he said quite eager to get to know this newcomer before draining him of all his power.

Ashton was standing by the throne looking down. He disapproved of Calcifer's treatment to the royal family and felt bad for the girl but at least in her death she would no longer have to suffer. His focus however was shifted at the sound of a new voice and one that he felt he needed to fear. He looked up and saw Zekes approach so boldly. He was curious to who this man was and watched as his lord stepped forward to greet this man. Ashton simply stood and waited ready for anything including a fight.

Kazanna

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

"Sounds like a Shite name if yew ask meh..." Flint replied with a gruff tone, wondering whether or not the current batch of stout was too weak for his tastes. "And Let the Bitch try. He'll find oi 'ave plenty 'o surprises in store o'er em. An not Just Runes that disarm ye either." He added looking at his empty tankard and shrugging. He smirked with pride at the fact that even in a new realm of existence, his brews were still going to be legendary.

Getting up from his seat, Flint quickly made his way toward a large, ornate, stone and admantine lock-box of sorts, and rummaged around for a bit. After a moment, he removed several tablets of silver, with the same symbol etched into it. "If ye would like a demonstration, Oi suggest ye follow meh outside." He said setting one of the tablets of his anvil, along with his hammer before heading out the front door.

Making his way fifty feet in front of his forge, the dwarf set one of the silver tablets on the ground, before repeating the process around the rest of the stone structure. After about a minute of careful placement, he made his way inside once more, only to return with the large rune inscribed anvil in his arms. With a grunt, he set it down before hefting his hammer. "Feast yer eyes on the magic of the dwarves!" He roared, cackling madly before slamming his hammer on the anvil.

Arcs of magic in it's purest form crackled from the strike, the sound ringing into the storm. Repeating this a couple more times, Flint struck the Runed tablet. There was an awesome crack, as the silver hammer struck, bolts of pure energy connecting the two, only to continue. Around the three, the placed runes glowed a dull bronze, followed by the earth rumbling. A split second later Solid Bedrock walls, burst from the earth, rapidly ascending to seventy feet. Giving a sharp whistle, Several golems of iron bronze and steel stepped out from the forge, setting to work carving the entrance/gate and decorating the newest fortification.

"An they're from runecraft as well..."

(To give you an idea)

Desert Rose

 

[Bakuyoshi]

Cefrey looked at the men that the woman pointed to. At this point she had given up on communication attempts. So she just shook her head to signify she had no clue about the men. Yet she had some questions. But her best plan could be and try and sneak closed and see if she couldn't figure anything out about these men. So she hid and some bushes and attempted to get closer. "C'mon me just keep quiet. And pray they don't notice you."

 

[Wick]

Xero

Xero's head whirled to the guard up at the front of their group, tensing in case he needed to rush out of the area, and turning his attention from the mysterious page for the time being. The guard had spoken English. Many of the people on Human colonised planets shared this language in order to easier understand one another during trade or travel. Xero himself wasn't the best with English, as he often ignored the teachings of his kind. He understood it well enough, though he struggled when it came to speaking. Now he wished he had been more eager to listen.

"Zkdw desxw wkl-" He stopped himself and thought his words through for a moment or two. It was difficult trying and put together what he wanted to say with his limited vocabulary. If that hadn't been enough, the pain in his back almost seemed to be worsening. He was having a hard time fighting the urge to lie down and accept the burning feeling coursing through his skeleton. He knew that "King" was another way of saying "Ruler", and "meet" meant to come face to face with someone or something. His hidden eyes looked up at the sky. It was a light gray in color, very unlike his planet's. Past the on looking crowd he could see buildings. They looked strange, built as though only to remain standing. Xero saw no way for people to enjoy living in such a thing. Perhaps he actually was dead after all. Why would the Driec have teleported him? The Driec was the object that created life, not banished it. Maybe the book hadn't been the Driec after all? Maybe the Kria had foreseen his arrival, and set a trap of sorts? But if they had the ability to do such damage to him, why wouldn't they have simply killed him right away? So many questions and ideas swam through his head that Xero couldn't manage to focus on his initial situation, and ended up standing silent for longer than he had intended. And now, the more he looked around, the less likely it seemed that he had actually been teleported after all, but more like sent somewhere. "Location... Meet, why?" He asked, directing his attention once more to the lead guard. He must've sounded primitive judging by the looks the surrounding people were giving him. Or was that fear?

He was very aware of every raindrop landing on his bright orange, bare, muscle through the crack in the small of his back. It offered no relief to the heat coming from it, and he could practically hear the water sizzling whenever it made contact with it.

Desert Rose​

 

[Sludgemouth]

Within the silent stone halls of the abandoned church that served as his home, The Magos sat silently in the rectory staring at the mysterious tome that had been left at his hermitage. The book was a strange thing it seemed heavier than it should have been and appeared absolutely ancient, as though preserved by some unnatural means.

The Magos knew enough to be wary of strange and ancient tomes and had taken time to ensure his safety before opening such a thing. He'd gathered a small collection of runed coins, his favorite ceremonial dagger, several offerings of lineaments and incense, an extra traveling cassock, and cast blasting wards throughout the church...just in case; the finishing touch was the skull motif he wore on his face, which really just made him feel better about things. The Magos indeed ensured that he was well prepared, he just... wasn't entirely sure what it was exactly he was prepared for.

With a deep sigh he girded his loins and carefully opened the book gazing at it's yellowed pages. It was writ in a strange language that he had no right being able to read, yet it writings he comprehended well. As he poured more and more over the book, The Magos suddenly felt ephemeral, and fading, as though he was little more than a passing dream. Something was amiss, and The Magos had realized it all too late; he let out a deep sigh as he looked up from the book.

"I am entirely too old and mortal for this sort of thing." He growled under his breath as he found himself not in the church, but in what appeared to be a large city, rain spattering on his hood.

The Magos was sitting on a stone bench watching passerby mill about casting him curious looks, which by itself was nothing worth being concerned over save that he was nowhere he could recognize, and this turn of events was not something done accidentally or of goodwill. The Magos reached into his pocket and produced a solitary gold coin with the crimson eye etched into it. The Magos concentrated for a second and began to hear vague whispers sensing the will and intention of those around him... nothing particularly intriguing, noticeable concern among those nearest to him. The Magos felt both relieved and disappointed at what he'd found, until he'd detected something different, faint but different nonetheless.

Pain, fear, confusion; this was something that bore investigation, and more importantly some answers regarding what exactly in the hell was occurring presently. The Magos rose promptly to his feet, pocketing the coin and making way for the source of the fear he'd sensed.

I may have found my Silas. He thought as he strode confidently through the crowds.

Wick ...maybe

 

[Kazanna]

The Bandits With Balfnaught


There was a slight chuckle that passed between the men. Arachnos’ ego was such that it rubbed off on his victims to the point that they were arrogant of his own existence as they served him. Scar nodded at Balfnaught, moving just ahead of him to lead the way.


“Aye, I’ll show ya the way Mi’lord. Our Warlord… Arachnos will be quite pleased to meet you.


They would lead Balfnaught to the edge of the camp, which would take roughly half of an hour for them to reach, deep in the forest as they were away from the main encampment. To Scar’s slight shock, the entire encampment had shifted from a place they had made to live, into a war complex. The edges of the camp that had formerly been simply fencing, were being reinforced with massive timbers as groups of the barbarian and bandits had been put to work cutting down trees, stripping them of foliage, and then piling them into large walls. It was a short amount of time that he had been gone from the encampment, and already, the gates that used to be so wide and open, showing a great deal of freedom, now were set up with several guards, each of them heavily armed and armored in what looked like freshly removed bones from other humans, their heads stitched together hastily by the craftsmen of the barbarian camp.


Arachnos’ influence was stronger here, and already, Scar felt his individuality becoming twisted to the ancient, dark gods will. It wasn’t that his personality was being stifled, it was simply that the maddening chaos made his darker inhibitions shift away. Shaking his head, he tried to clear away the maddening haze, but found little success. Balfnaught would experience a similar effect, however, it would simply make him more forthright with information, less able to hold his tongue, and quicker to anger and action. Arachnos’ power was divine, and his aura of influence was something that rather than control, he simply allowed it to flow forth. Those that spoke to him were usually forced to speak the truth, and reveal more than they might wish. Still, it was possible to lie to the ancient god, but it tended to be pointless, as he was usually looking for even the smallest of tells.


In truth, however, Arachnos would care little for pride, prejudice, or any lies that any mortal could spin for him, he would simply take anything that anyone said as useless unless it was tactical information he could use to his advantage. While he was a god, even when his powers were not withheld, he was not omniscient, even if he was nearly omnipotent, being held back by few powers, usually those of his siblings, Ordos, and Aeros, being complimented by his brother Keiros directly, as Chaos and Destruction went hand in hand, the two gods had almost always traveled together, savaging the universe as Aeros rebuilt it, using Keiros’ direct influence to expand her own territories, while Ordos had been the true harbinger of doom in their dimension.


As Balfnaught would approach the grand tent of Arachnos, he would see the edges of it lined with fresh corpses, mostly decapitated. They were the lieutenants of the former warlord, and as Arachnos had stripped them of their rank, he had also butchered them, lining the walkway to his tent with their bodies, supported by large spikes.

Balfnaught1 (Do me a favor, if you reply, don't enter the tent, wait for any action towards Arachnos to be AFTER Desert Rose 's next reply. I need to keep the time frames linear, and Pandora and Arachnos would have been interacting while Balfnaught was on his way with Scar and the other bandits.


Half an hour Prior to Balfnaught's Arrival...


Arachnos

A grin spread across the old gods face as he listened to Pandora speak. His influence had always served him well, and he could tell by the way she responded, that while his influence was affecting her, it was not corrupting her personality. To this, he viewed her instantly as useful, something to bring further chaos into his warband, to give him even more power. Her mere presence actually boosted his power, as the barbarians who had seen her were spreading rumor of her existence throughout the camp already, causing quite the stir. Looming closer to her, he inspected her eyes, his face drifting from one side to the other, the grin still upon his savage features. His beard covered the lower half of his face and his long hair made him look quite savage. So as he loomed in close, he would look akin to a savage wolf.


“I, am Arachnos, The God of Destruction. Although, I hail from a different realm, I feel no presence of chaos or destruction, which…” his lips parted in a much wider grin, “Tells me there is a place to fill, and that I could call my brethren here in time, and we could potentially make this realm our own.” Arachnos explained casually, as though dimensional conquest was an everyday subject to discuss.


“Tell me little one, this master of yours, Do you serve him still?” Arachnos asked simply, pulling back, he turned his back on Pandora.


Taking up a curved knife, he moved to a beaten metal shield that had been polished to a reflective state. Using it as a mirror, he trimmed back his beard, leaving it long below his nose, he carefully braided it and groomed it until it draped down to his chest, long as it was, it took quite a bit of effort to clean and comb out. He took the knife back up and began to shave the sides of his head, without the use of water or clay to help clean the hair away. The scraping sound was audible as he carved his hair away into a long mohawk. He took the remaining hair and began to braid it close to his skull, until it draped down his back. Lifting the knife, he carefully sliced open his own hand, drawing a great deal of blood. Arachnos reveled in the pain, and it showed in his features as he enjoyed it greatly.


Rubbing his hands together, he coated them both in his own blood as the wound began to close slowly. Spreading his fingers across his face, Arachnos pull them back in a sharp zig zag pattern that, due to his powers, drew the blood together, creating a cracked look upon his flesh, as though his skin was made of dark porcelain, shattered, and then filled in with fresh blood. He turned slowly back to Pandora, shaking his hands out, droplets of blood scattering across the floor, he smiled at her, almost warmly, his madness dripping through.


“Needed to freshen up. You understand I’m sure, It’s been awhile since I last had the chance to. Several months…” He mused quietly.


Zekes


As Lilith fell to the floor, Zeke’s didn’t even spare her a glance. He frowned slightly, and contemplated murdering Calcifer on the spot for it, as he hadn’t intended to allow her to die. His godborne eye was already tracing her lifelines watching as her soul began to ebb away. He stepped forward slowly, reaching into the shadowy realm of death, as the darkness of the world of Ariael made notice of him, it’s own version of death reacted rather violently to him. Zekes was well versed in this sort of combat, and knew well how to push death itself back. His power blossomed visibly, even Calcifer would see it as he unleashed a great deal of spellforce, force that was unheard of in the realm of Ariael by most beyond the strongest of mage.


“Power… It is not something you take, it is something you earn, with great sacrifice. Sacrifice you do not understand.” Zekes’ tone was flat, and showed an utter hatred for waste.


Raising his fingertips towards Lilith’s prone form, he brought the compressed blood orb out, sending tendrils of blood wrapped in particles of bone and flesh to lift her prone form off of the floor and carry her aloft to Zekes’ outstretched arms. He took the child’s form gently and released a sigh, gazing at her face, he examined the damage done to her, his fingertips ran over her neck, repairing the damage rapidly, there was a popping sound as her throat was repaired.


“Life, is precious Calcifer. Life is power, it is something you clearly do not understand, or you would not have done this to this child… I’ll tell you nothing.” He let the last word trail off as he pressed his fingertips to Lilith’s forehead, and with his Actuate blood, flesh, and bone spells, he brought her body back to its living state.


The blood once more flowing in her veins, her bones marrow manufacturing hemoglobin, her lungs drawing oxygen from the air she breathed. Zekes murmured quietly to her, “Life beckons to you child, your body is restored, you shall live once more… Return.” he ordered her soul back into her body.


It would be a long moment as Lilith’s soul returned to it’s natural state, and her body would awaken once more. Zekes would cradle her gently in his grasp, turning his gaze back to Calcifer.


“I expect you’re going to be frustrated by this, probably throw a royal tantrum, probably even attempt to kill me, or… rob me of my powers.” Zekes ground out, “Best of luck.” he challenged.

Desert Rose

Petroshka (I barely understand where the bear is… I don’t think he’s involved with my barbarians yet…)

 

[Desert Rose]

NPC- Knox and Lotus

The two finished their drink and placed the mugs on the table. Knox was starting to get slur and a bit over animated in his movements. Lotus was in the same boat as her partner she could just hide it a lot better than he.

“ye….shood opin up yur own pub….” Knox began to say pointing at the dwarf his arm moving up and down as he did so.

Lotus couldn’t help but laugh at her partner things were always funnier when she was drunk. In Ariael the two could down 3 to 4 pints before feeling the effects of alcohol. Whatever this dwarf made was far stronger than they had ever tasted.

When the dwarf spoke of more magic abilities and beckoned the two to follow him outside they obliged their guard no longer up as heavily and they staggered out as much as they tried to walk like they were sober they were not successful. The two watched the dwarf and stood far enough away only to stare mouths agape as his forge changed to something quite magnificent that would certainly gain the attention of others.

There was another odd thing about what had just happened. Not only did they see a building change before their very eyes with steel golems doing the will of their lord but also the sky had quieted. There were pockets of sunlight and the rain had ceased. It didn’t look too odd just a normal break in the storm but the air felt odd and everything seemed misplaced. The two couldn’t quite put their fingers on it whether it be due to the alcohol they weren’t sure, it had been awhile since magic was around. Yet even the dwarf’s magic was strange and everything just felt off.

-Guards of Calcifer-

The guards sent down to Azide to check out the blinding light from earlier had made their way to the entrance of the seaport. They had spread out to look for anything strange and unusual. Half of them, which included 5 men and a mage fighter, Heard the crackling sound of hammer hitting stone and from a distance spotted a building that appeared out of nowhere. Noting the size of the building the cautiously made their way towards it curious to find out if this was the cause of the light from before.

HighSanguinaryPriest

-Capital- Guards-

The captain looked at the stranger and noted the wounds and felt that he ought to use this to his advantage. He also noted that this person couldn’t speak their language very well? Or perhaps it was broken from the amount of pain he appeared to be in.

He cleared his throat “you are seriously injured are you not? You are also new… as in… clearly not of this world?” He questioned

It was an odd sight to behold Xero was definitely not of their world and it made the captain pause and wonder what Calcifer actually summoned in his spell. The sorcerer had claimed to bring magic users from the entire universe, however what he was witnessing from Xero left him with so many questions about the universe and whether or not it was so vast to have beings that looked like this man, or if it was possible that this man came from somewhere completely different. Either way Calcifer would know.

“Being new… the king can take care of you… he can also heal your wounds as though it never existed.” The captain coaxed Xero hoping he would come with them quietly and calmly.

Wick Sludgemouth (the guards haven't taken notice to you yet but I figured I would keep you tagged since you're in the area)

Pandora-

The fairy could feel Arachnos’ presence move closer to her and as he did so she cautiously lift up a hand towards his face to only touch it slightly to get a better visual of him. She decided against it sensing his madness and put her hand back down after had introduced himself and spoke of conquest. She knew he was worse than Khaos and cautioned herself lest he feel the need to harm her in any way.

“My master?” She paused

“Yes I still serve him.” She answered her voice dark and chilling, it dripped with malice and her tone called for his blood.

She tensed hearing something and looked towards Arachnos trying to pin the noise. It only took a few moments for her to realize he was scraping hair. It made her shudder it was like nails dragging across a chalkboard, piercing and unsettling.

Something finally dawned on the small fairy and in her excitement her wings fluttered lifting her off the pillows for a moment.

“You’re a god!” she exclaimed and boldly hovered herself closer to him.

“You can grant me my eyes!” she exclaimed as though he were some genie to grant wishes.

In her realm gods had no place outside of immortality and being overbearingly powerful. Genies were what people were after the most. The small fairy didn’t know the difference between Arachnos and a genie.

Kazanna

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

One of the golems returned and spoke in a language that could only described as Hard, Forceful and guttural, it's voice tinny. Flint's eyebrows shot up in surprise, before turning into a sadistic smile. "Only six of 'em ye say?" He responded getting a nod from the construct. "Well then. bring meh me fine clothes and scepter!" He barked with sadistic glee, as two other golems made up of bronze and steel carried off his anvil, returning it inside.

A minute later the first construct returned carrying a full set of Adamantine plate and the newly forged sword. With practiced ease, Flint set to the task of donning said gear with the speed and precision of a veteran. Fully garbed and ready for a fight, the remaining golems went about arming themselves with blades and crossbows, manning the newly constructed wall, their gears and servos whirling and grinding all the way.

Turning towards the two well drunk guests he gave what could only be described as a joyous/psychotic smile. "Yew two lightweights best be gettin' inside right. Got some rather unfriendly guests showing up, an' oi don't want ye to be gettin in me way as oi Greet them." Without waiting for a response, he set to carving a massive rune into the stone floor of the forge turned fortress with the speed and perfection of a runelord. A minute later, the massive rune glowed with a blood red hue.

Desert Rose

 

[Balfnaught1]

Balfnaught was led through the forest for quite some time, half an hour by his guess. All the while his anticipation grew. This "Arachnos" seemed quite interesting. He had completely terrified these men into submission, bending them to his will. Balfnaught was sure that there were more like them. The human with the scars had also implied that they had been ordered to find and retrieve unique beings like himself. That was even better. If Balfnaught stayed at the place they were taking him to, he could potentially even find other interesting people. Maybe some of them would be Strong! He had his own conception of strength. One could have power, but not "strength". Balfnaught was just one of the few who had both. He found those who relied on power quite boring. "Strength" was more psychological, more important than power. To be "strong" was to be like iron, to be unflinching, to never back down, to be indomitable. This was the true essence of "strength". He had met many of the powerful, but few of the "strong". He knew he was getting his hopes up, but he desperately desired for Arachnos to be one of the "strong". He could tell at a glance, so he would soon find out.

He and his little party finally reached an encampment. Honestly, it was quite impressive, all things considered. The gates were well-reinforced, and the encampment itself was quite expansive. He saw the armed guards by the gate, clad as they were in bone and human parts. He thought it crude, but he supposed it would probably scare the weak-willed. He met their gaze coldly as he passed, and saw their surprise at his lack of fear. As he entered the camp, however, his attention quickly shifted. A strange feeling descended on him. He doubted he'd even notice it in the old world, but he was far weaker here, and he supposed even his immunity to afflictions of the mind would suffer. He felt his mind fog slightly. The effect was fairly minimal, all things considered, but he refused to allow himself to be affected in any way. He would not permit it. He clenched his teeth so hard he felt his molars crack. He bit off a chunk of his lip and tasted the sweet metallic blood. He clawed and tore the fog from his mind, inch by inch, drop by drop. He used his pain to focus himself on his task: meeting Arachnos. Now, though, they would have... words about attempting to assail his mind.
"At least now I know he's not human" Balfnaught thought. "No human could do that to me". He didn't plan to kill Arachnos for this insult, but there would have to be reparations. All of this happened on the relatively short walk between the entrance and the main tent. It was surrounded by butchered corpses. This disappointed him. The strong needed no symbols of their power. They simply... were.
Just before he was about to be let in, he was suddenly told that Arachnos was already with a guest.
"No problem, I can wait". He smiled. The smile of a predator. It would be the height of rudeness to intrude on another's meeting. The sense of anticipation grew. He hadn't been this excited since his battle with the Flame Queen. As he thought about it now, she was not his equal. After all, he walked free on the surface of the Earth, while she lay trapped by his power beneath it. "So that means I've never met an equal" he murmured. Somehow, he knew that Arachnos would be special. That he would show Balfnaught something new.
Unconsciously, Balfnaught lowered his body slightly, and tensed his muscles. His own instincts were telling him something unfathomable lay beyond the flap of the tent. He was preparing his body for combat despite himself. He had slept for millions of years under a mountain. He could wait another few minutes. His body quivering in anticipation, he readied himself... and waited.
Kazanna

 

[Desert Rose]

Calcifer, Ashton, Lilith-

Calcifer watched Zekes carefully while he spoke and the necromancer's words only fueled his tempered. Still as angry as he was he made no move especially when he saw the blood orb. He didn't know what it really was nor had seen such power that this man demonstrated. He tensed his grip tightening around his staff as the orb produced tendrils and moved towards him he quickly stepped to the side moving in a slight defensive position. Ashton moved forward slightly but paused seeing the tendrils pick up the corpse of the late princess and carry her to Zekes.

Death was strange and nothing like the child had ever imagined. The moment she took her last breath the suffering was over and she stood up rather confused for a moment until she looked down and saw her body "oh... I'm...." she couldn't bring herself to finish that statement as her world suddenly felt cold and she felt afraid. She looked up only to see a giant standing before her calling her it was death itself. "No!' she cried backing up screaming.

Lilith's screams stopped when she saw another man it looked like Zekes only... He was far different and utterly terrifying as half of his face was missing with a light coming out. In one stroke Death was pushed away and she was commanded to return to her body. In that moment distracted by the figure she hadn't realized she was taken into Zeke's arms and as her soul forced itself back inside the body the reaction of fear and pain returned.

The child gasped for breath waking up on Zeke's command hyperventilating she cried and wrapped her arms around Zeke's burying her face into him unsure if she should be terrified of him or grateful, perhaps both? Still he was the only comfort to her. She was alive again and nothing was going to be the same now. Her small form trembled as she cried.

Calcifer watched in awe and wondered just who this man was that commanded life and death. He was about to speak when Ashton moved quickly by his side and whispered in his ear. While Ashton spoke quietly to his lord he began to move his hand behind his back drawing a symbol in the air. The symbol activated a spell set in the throne room that nullified all magic outside of the platform the throne sat on. He hoped that it would be enough to weaken this new enemy.

The sorcerer growled something back at his adviser but stepped back to his throne and simply sat down looking Zeke's up and down quietly seething. "Just who exactly are you?" he demanded.

Kazanna

 

[Sludgemouth]

Over cobble streets and through narrow alleyways, The Magos pursued the sensation of dread and confusion. He began to hear authoritative voices questioning someone who did not respond. As The Magos roinded a corner he was fairly sure he found who he was looking for. Before him was a strange and injured looking creature, accosted by what he assumed to be local law enforcement.

"Oh by the will of Azathoth thank you m'lords." He exclaimed to the guards in his best concerned sounding voice, he continued with a barrage of exposition. "This is my ward Silas, he was disfigured by bandits many years back. My name is Father Samuelson, I'm a priest and I can heal this poor man. Oh I cannot thank you enough for your kindness." He then produced several gold coins with a bold X carved into them. "Please, I offer you my tithe for your kindess." He finished holding the somewhat modest sum of strange coinage out to the guards as he came to the side of the armored being.

Wick Desert Rose 's guards

 

[Wick]

Xero

Xero thought for a moment about what the guard had told him. It wasn't likely anybody could heal his wound. Usually it took a decade or two of painful shedding until the injury finally managed to close up, and from what Xero had seen so far, it didn't seem these Humans had the technology to do anything about it. Yet he had been surprised before. With a fraction of hesitation, he stood up as straight as he could manage, and latched his dagger back onto his hip. Even as he ploughed, he stood a few inches taller than the guards.

Perhaps he hadn't been banished per say, rather he had simply been sent elsewhere. A great amount of tension left his body, and he prepared to move forward. He wanted to rest for a moment, as soon as he could. The impact of what all had just happened was beginning to flood into his thoughts. Although his kind had been taught to ignore emotion, he had always found himself incapable of doing so the good majority of the time. Right now he felt like the whole world had been placed on his shoulders, and then crushed him, leaving him helpless. His whole race had just experienced a rapid mass genocide to the hands of some pirates in comparison to themselves, and he couldn't have done anything to stop it.

He suddenly felt very alone, despite the crowd that continued to stare at him, holding their breath. Going to this king may well be his best solution, at least for the time being, but before he could say anything else, a strange man came pushing through the onlookers. He came off as very enthusiastic upon entering the clearing, the skull painted on his face making his burst of excitement somewhat eerie. He directed his attention to Xero, then the guards, speaking to both sides like he knew them. The man, which wore what appeared to be a priest's robes, came up alongside Xero like he was the most normal thing in this situation, and proceeded to offer the guards a few flat, circular, gold pieces of metal.

Xero looked back and forth between the guards and the newcomer, trying to read their facial expressions. He wasn't sure if he should go along with this man, who also claimed he could heal Xero's wound, or the guards, but judging by the differences between the two, he figured it might be a better idea to go to a king for help as opposed to a sadistic looking priest.

Desert Rose Sludgemouth​

 

[Kazanna]

Arachnos

There was a grin on the old god's face, he was quite amused by Pandora's reaction. In truth, if his power regenerated even slightly, he would be able to reform her eyes, but her vision would be forever changed. It would give her a much more tactical look upon the world. She would see the weaknesses of others, be drawn to them. It was one of his many gifts he would bestow to his faithful.

"Aye, Restoring your eyes is but an easy trifle little one. I can do that and so much more once my power rebuilds. For now, I would ask a small favor of you, so that in future, I can grant the wish you seem to have on the tip of your tongue." Arachnos paused for effect, knowing that the mortal races were quite weak to suspense, "I would ask you to wear my colors, and simply sit at my side, in view of my legions, that they might see something they do not understand. This would give me the time to restore you as you so desire."

Of course, Arachnos wasn't a creator, so without the majority of his power restored, he wouldn't be able to restore her sight, but that wasn't something he needed to explain just then. Turning, he heard the approach of others, and released a sigh. The bandits had offered him several different garbs to wear, but he had refused them all, needing neither armor nor garment to show his strength. His rippling muscle was his armor, and he wore nothing besides the leggings that were tied to his waist with a dark sash that constantly shifted, his feet were bare, as it was so with many of the gods from his realm. Arachnos typically did not retain a human form in his own realm, instead generally becoming as the devouring flame, his body would be like magma in his unleashed form. However, as his powers were subdued, the farthest he would ever push that point would be rising steam.

"It appears I've another guest my dear. Feel free to make yourself at home. I'll attend to you once more after I've seen to our newest arrival." Arachnos explained before he stepped out of the tent.

In the midafternoon sun, Arachnos' skin gleamed slightly as his pure divinity shone through. It was not something he controlled, but it was something he exuded quite well. It was always an amusing moment when mortals cowered at the sight of him, but he found it was tiring after a point. More often he was amused by the heroes of varying worlds that would stand before him, despite their sheer terror. He stood before Balfnaught as he stepped out of his tent, breaking the standard protocol of such a meeting, where Scar should have announced them.

"Greetings! Welcome to my newly acquired camp. You..." He paused, narrowing his eyes at Balfnaught, "Do not smell of this world at all. I bid thee a most honorable welcome, my unnamed guest. I am Arachnos, Warlord of this rabble of savages, and a divine god of destruction. Please, do announce yourself, that I might address you with the proper respects." Arachnos bid to Balfnaught respectfully.

His instant impression of the other male was one of savage power, akin to his own. This pleased Arachnos, as he observed the other male's stance, it showed him that he needed to put him at ease before making any psychological advances, unlike how he had done so with Pandora, he would change his approach.

Desert Rose
Balfnaught1

 

[Kazanna]

The Barbarians near Petroshka Bakuyoshi jole875

There was a hesitation in the leader, he raised his hand in a fist, and the remaining barbarians in his group lowered themselves down, freezing in place as the large zombie-bear roared at the unknown giant of a man. Signaling to his other men, he ordered them to fan out around the pair of would be combatants. It was then, that one of them all but tripped over Cefrey, he shouted an alarm as he did, noticing her, despite her attempt at stealth.

"Oh... Seriously, I signaled for silence ya bloody git!" the leader of them hissed out.

Of course, Amala was still unnoticed as Cefrey instantly became the center of attention for the stealthy barbarians. Arrows were knocked to bows, blades were pointed towards her, the leader of the group ran his hand down his face in frustration, knowing all hell was about to break loose.

"Oh for fucks sake..." he groaned out.

This was not going to get him promoted.

 

[Kazanna]

Zeke's Liotre

There was a slight pause in the old necromancer's movements as the spell-ward activated. This of course, triggered built in responses within Zeke's core. It was a bone-scripture within his body that created an undeniable force of pent up spellforce that radiated from within the runes etched across his bones. The blood orb beside him lost it's stability for a few moments, and as it did, it drooped slightly, it's base exploding onto the floor in a torrent of logic defying blood, flesh, and bone. Zekes hardly glanced to it as his defensive sigils began to activate, causing the nullification runes to come in combative contact with his own power. The extent of that power was stored in his various armaments. There was a moment of weakness for the necromancer, where his face altered, he became as death itself, his skin hanging sallow on his bones, the eye in the right side of his skull was lidless and lacked any color or tone. From his skull arced a coalescing of spellforce that fueled the runes that covered his bones and flesh, all of which were more than apparent now, and then, that moment passed. The spellwork that was carved into his blood, flesh, and bones, arced out against the spellward and carved it asunder.

With a slight grunt, Zekes felt his power levels return to relative normalacy. He stared at Calcifer and raised one of his hands towards the blood orb as it began to retake the blood, flesh, and bone on the floor. The orb began to alter it's shape, taking on the form of a massive wolflike beast. The beast lacked much definition in the way of true shape, but appeared to be made of all of the wrong parts, it's bones were disjointed, but still would move properly with it's motions, it's grotesque muscles were as though hundreds of other muscles stitched together improperly, yet still flexed as one organism, and it's skin, well, it lacked skin, it dripped blood as it stood there, breath filling it's new lungs, the torn apart remains of the guards that Zekes had encountered earlier, were now a wolf-like golem. It's form held all of their eyes, different colors and tones, staring in various directions, feeding information to it's multiple brains, which rapidly processed threats, and dangers, feeding back a simplified, cleaned up version to Zekes through a spell tether.

"I am... Something you cannot comprehend... shall I comprehend that your spellward just now was a jest? Or was it your first attempt to assault me?" Zekes mused with a tone that was nearly arrogant, but also mockingly curious.

The wolf-golem, as it stood at around ten feet tall, stepped to the side of Zekes, it's grotesque form slowly advancing towards Calcifer, a feral growl issuing forth from it's skinless jaws, "If it was a first assault, please, do try another. My golem will be more than happy to deliver to you the consequences of your actions." Zekes explained flatly.

Desert Rose

 

[Bakuyoshi]

"Oh hey guys. Nice day today huh. I mean don't mind little old me. I was just trying to get by without notice. Which looking back on it was not the best idea in the world. So do you think you could let me by?"
She asked clearly gripping her instrument. Looking more like some girl who made a bad move rather than a bard who had fought worse battles. But for all she knew she would have to use it when all hell broke out.

Petroshka Kazanna

 

[Balfnaught1]

Balfnaught stood waiting in anticipation, going through battle plans in his mind... up until Arachnos exited the tent and stood before him, at which point all his previous plans fell away. He relaxed his body, and stood tall again. There would be no fight. At least not before they introduced themselves. Of course he knew that this being was Arachnos, who else could it be? He stood, tall and unwavering, his body emitting a transfixing glow. Balfnaught knew he had found another one of the "strong" almost instantly. He could tell that this being before him would not bow down to anyone, and not even consider surrender! This was perfect. He was perfect. He wore no armor, had no guards. One such as him needed none. Arachnos opened his mouth, and began to speak. This broke the standard rules for a meeting such as this, but Balfnaught did not complain. Beings such as them could not be bound by any societal laws. Only the laws of reality had any chance, and even those could be bent. Balfnaught listened as he talked, many things falling into place. A "divine god of destruction" would certainly appear like the being before him! It also explained his transcendent power. After hearing Arachnos' invitation to introduce himself, his grin deepened; he was delighted to have a chance to revel in his arrogance.
"I am Balfnaught! I am a Superior World Dragon, born within my world's core. Any planet I set foot on is mine to command! The laws of reality are mine to bend! If you are the God of destruction, then you could consider me the God of my world. I am as old as my planet, and many have tried to face me. All failed. Some called themselves gods and deities, but they were as insects before you! I can say with complete confidence that you are the strongest to ever stand before me. For the first time in my life, I find myself... uncertain about whether I can defeat you. I wonder if you are the same? Regardless, you will not find me easy." As Balfnaught spoke, he walked closer to Arachnos, before coming to a halt mere inches from him. He stared at the God with his alien, reptilian eyes, so incalculably old but so youthfully curious.
"I must apologize. I was annoyed at you for daring to influence my mind, but now I understand. You have always been the strongest, or at least at the very top of your universe. I can tell. I'm the same. You were simply acting as the powerful should. It is the right of the strong to do as they please with the weak. This fact is immutable, no matter the universe. You were not to know that I was here. I will consider the insult paid. I also must apologize for thinking less of you for those corpses behind you. I thought they were a symbol of your strength. I thought less of you for needing a symbol at all. Now I see that they are just decoration. You may just be the first equal I have ever met. I'm prepared to offer you more leniency than I would inferior beings. Now. I must make a request of you: may I stay and wait here? I am fascinated to see who else your rabble can gather. I may find a being close to you, but I suppose that's just being greedy."
Kazanna

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

This man was more annoying then the Prince.

When she glanced behind her, she saw the vines moving to help guide him swiftly through the trees. And then something caught her foot and sent her crashing to the ground. The silver necklace with the crescent moon symbol poked her in the neck harshly as her chin collided with the lush forest ground. As she fixed her necklace, the moment she touched it she could feel something with her magic. Something strange. She couldn't explain the words for it...other then it seemed to rely on that one object, not her. She could feel herself able to shift now.

That small victory was short lived.

Leliana pushed herself up off the ground and on her knees, but before she could regain her footing she felt vines begin to wrap around her legs, making it impossible for her to move, the same applied to her arms she cried out in pain and surprise as the vines tightened harshly around them and dug into her skin.

When she was in pain, it made it ten times harder to shift. But not impossible. She gritted her teeth angry at the sound of Khaos's voice behind her.

"Well, I'll give you ten points for flair." Leliana growled at him as she tried to yank her arms free off the vines grip, it was obvious she despised being touched, especially restrained. "Give me one reason I shouldn't rip your heart from your chest." Leliana angrily demanded as she tried to focus on something to shift into. Being helpless and unable to move sent a course of panic through her veins and her mind wondered to a particular creature.

If it worked, things were about to get a whole lot bloodier.
​

Desert Rose

 

[Desert Rose]

Khaos-

The elf just laughed and slightly waved his hand to loosen the grip on her although he did enjoy hearing her scream and watch her struggle it was hard to allow the vines to give slack.

"I said we should help one another out... didn't I?" he asked and crossed his arms

"How about this... I let you go and we become allies. We both aren't from around here and it makes one wonder why we were brought here by pages from a book." he said softly loosening the vines even more to show he was genuine.


Calcifer's Guards-

Not far from Leliana and Khaos were the king's guards as they tread through the forest in hopes of finding spellcasters. They had heard the little squabble and while the two were distracted they slowly made their way towards them. They watched from the bushes waiting for an opportune moment their target was Khaos as he was the one displaying magic but the girl was just as suspicious looking given her features she was definitely not from Ariael, whether she was a spellcaster had yet to be seen but that was no matter either way she would be taken into custody just as the strange looking man with her.

After the elf finished talking and mentioned both were brought here by a book the guards knew and stepped out. "You two don't look like you're from around here and you sir look like you're here to cause trouble." One of them said and drew his sword "Now how about letting the young lady go?" He asked

Khaos looked to the guards and quickly moved grabbing a card from his hat and held flipping it in between his fingers. "No trouble here...." he answered and moved his free hand to her shoulder and then moved down so that the vines completely fell off of her. "There, you see, we were just playing a game.... and I seemed to have won... isn't that right?" he asked her.

The elf stepped closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder and leaned it whispering in her ear "these men might be more dangerous than you or I."

The guard looked at the elf suspiciously and then looked to Leliana waiting for her answer.

Ms. Sparrow

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Leliana exhaled when the vines loosened, not all the way though, and she failed to not show her disappointment. When he proposed an alliance, she laughed, a melodic noise despite the tension in the air.

"I don't side with anyone, you piss me off, I want you dead." Leliana sounded amused. It was true, too many times was she stabbed in the back. She could never trust a madmen. Those were the worst out of all of them. They were dangerous, unpredictable and occasionally, unfeeling. Maybe she was a little mad herself.

Suddenly, a group of armed men, similar uniforms and all stepped out from hiding in the bushes. She'd been so distracted, she didn't notice them at all. They looked to be guards of some sort. But whoms? And why were they in the woods?

Leliana stood up as the vines completely slacked, and she fought the urge to stab Khaos. Her hand grasped a hidden knife, unbeknownst to the guards. As she faced them, her yellow eyes faded to their normal ocean blue.

Before Leliana could respond to Khaos's lie, he'd put in arm around her shoulder and she flinched the slightest, but kept her eyes from narrowing. She didn't seem to acknowledge his whispering but she'd heard it well enough. She also knew her accent was a dead giveaway, but her not speaking was more suspicious, considering they'd heard her talk earlier.

"For the first time, im afraid." Leliana said with a smile, hinting that Lhaos had never one in a "game", her smile was that of a deadly one as she smiled at him before turning to the guards.

"Please, put down your sword, Monsieur. We mean no harm. May I ask what brings you lovely men out here on this fine day?" Leliana purred, pushed a red lock out of her face, an expression of innocent curiosity on her face with a sweet, vague smile.
​

Desert Rose

​

 

[Desert Rose]

Khaos and Guards

The elf blinked slightly as she hinted at him never winning a game and pouted slightly. He was quite amused with this one but also glad she was going along with his little lie for the time being. He looked at her a little puzzled as she addressed the men 'monsieur' he questioned to himself and was curious what kind of language she was speaking for he had never heard of such a word.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that miss unless you two will come with us?" he questioned looking her up and down captivated by her red locks and her accent.

"We heard you speak of the book and our king has sent out a book to summon strong magic users for aid, so which one of you came with a book?" he asked.

Khaos didn't like the idea of going with them but it also meant he could figure out who was behind this. The elf just simply laughed and clapped his hand "Bravo gentlemen... you've mastered the art of eavesdropping." he said his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Yes... we came from a book" he chuckled quite amused at the sound of it.

The guards tensed when Khaos clapped and mocked them and all now had drawn their weapons.

"come now, no need for such hostility..." he stated and raised his hands. "we'll go with you" he said with a grin looking at Leliana in hopes she would go along with his made up plan.

Ms. Sparrow

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Leliana smirked when they revealed they'd been eavesdropping for quite sometime, one disadvantage was they most likely saw her good eyes, and most likely knew she could use magic. But one advantage was they thought she was weak.

This would be fun.

Leliana shot Khaos a look that told him to shut up, but it was too late when he blurted out they came from a book. Which seemed to be EXACTLY what they were looking for. She fought the urge to faceplam.

Leliana's eyes flashed gold when drew guards drew there weapons, her magic was pulsing but she took a deep breath to calm herself before shooting Khaos a flashing glare, "Stop moving you moron!" She hissed under her breath before smiling sweetly at the guards, pushing her magic back down and her eyes resumed there normal color.

Leliana considered Khaos's plan. The best thing that could come out of this plan, was her shifting, and flying away to leave them in ye dust, including Khaos. The worst was death. But she'd be long gone before it came to that. "Of course. I'd hate to cause any trouble." She purred again, tilting her head at the leader of the guard.

"Whatever happens, its on you." Leliana said under her breath towards Khaos, quiet enough so that only he may hear. Questions needed to be answered. Why did this King need spell casters? How respected was he? And how powerful?
​

Desert Rose

 

[Enolx]

While Angelo and Glory walked down the busy market streets Angelo took in the sights. The city was just like he had seen in the fantasy movies he watched with the guys. He smiled knowing that if he happened to see a dwarf or an elf, he would defiantly start quoting The Lord of the Rings. As he pulled himself back from distraction he noticed that Glory was leading him somewhere. "So Master," Angelo said "What is first on the list for today?"

Glory sighed and cocked her head softly glare at Angelo. "You don't have to call me master, Glory will work just fine," She explained "As to what is first on the list, we are going to get you some proper clothing. If we are going to do this, we will do it right."

Angelo grinned at the revelation. "New clothes don't seem to bad," Angelo agreed "Also, what actually does a squire do? To my knowledge they are like a knight in training, right? What are some of my duties?"

"You asked to be my squire without knowing what you were asking for?"

"Yea, it just seemed like the right for the moment, you are a knight and all."

"What did I get myself into? Yes, as my squire you are training to be a knight under my tutelage. Your duties include various errands, helping me with my armor, maintaining my equipment, taking care of my horse, and fighting with me if need be. If you prove yourself, I will have you taken to the king, well Calcifar, and he would normally knight you."

"I'm guessing that you are not a fan of your new king?"

"Not at all, but I will do my duty regardless of my personal feelings. I just wish he would actually have us do something meaning full and not just guard the castle. He confines us and uses his guards and underlings for all his tasks. He clearly does not trust the knights of the old regime. So us knights just waste away and serve as statues for the castle. Anyway, we are here."

The two of them walked into a shop filled with fabric and what Angelo assumed the latest fashions. Glory walked Angelo to the back of the shop where she introduced him to a lovely man with a very out of place wing on his head. The man took his measurements and quickly set to work on clothing for Angelo. After giving Angelo some fitting clothes to wear while he waited to his custom clothes to be made, the two of them left the shop and continued the castle.

Angelo could not find a complaint about his new clothes, even if they were a bland grey, they were surprisingly comfortable. His pants were basically breathable sweatpants, and his shit a normal looking t-shirt that hanged long on his frame. He now added a series of sashes and a cloak to his outfit. His outfit was complete when they stopped at a near by shoe seller and got him a pair of tall boots. Angelo now felt like he was in a midevil fair and couldn't stop his grinning.

"Now you look the part," Glory stated "You are quite dashing if I do say so myself. We will make a knight out of you yet."

Angelo gave a bow before responding "I am unworthy of such praise madam. I am but a humble squire." The two of them then spent the rest of their walk to the castle getting Angelo up to speed on his new position.

When the two of them arrived at the castle they were met with casual greetings from knights and disdain from guards. When they arrived they were directed to check out the cells. Some of the guards hadn't reported in a while so they were sent to make sure they had not slacked off. What they saw upon arriving was a like a scene from a horror movie. There was armor pieces, with puncture holes in them, left empty and sprawled around. It was as if all of the men had been removed, and the strangest part was that their was no blood or gore in the room, just the eerie armor.

"We should alert the others," Glory declared "There must have been an attack of some kind. I'm guessing we have a mage running loose. If that is the case, the mage will go after Calcifar, go get help while I go after him." Angelo shook his head disapprovingly. "Fine, then stay close and run if there is any danger." Angelo grabbed of of the dead men's swords and the two of them then made their way to Calcifar's throne room.

Kazanna
Desert Rose

 

[jole875]

Luxta watched as the bear rose up on its hind legs and let out a fierce roar. Ferocious and beautiful were the factors of a bear that made it dangerous but sought after when hunting. Luxta's instincts told him to rush forward sword in hand and spit the beast upon his blade and wait for it to bleed out, just before he could ready Mulga for the attack he heard a yell somewhere off in the forest. Luxta's pointed ears twitched as he backpedaled out of the gigantic bear's reach. Luxta turned his head and narrowed his eyes on where he thought he heard something, all he could see were rustles in the thick brush. Though it was obviously some sort of hostility seeing that someone, or a group of someones, were hiding. Luxta turned his attention back to the bear and flashed a large smile at it, showing off his own large and sharp canines trying to show the beast some relation between predators. "Looks like you and me don't need to kill each other big fella. We might meet again but a big beast like you has lived long enough to know not to go after too many men at once, lest you become a coat," Luxta laughed as he kept backing away cautiously, until he was met by the caravan master and his guards; spears, bows, and axes in hand. Once he was sure his torso and head were out of eyesight of the brush, behind the cart, he whispered,"There is at least one person in the thicket just over yonder, I believe it is more of the brigands we killed."

Kazanna Petroshka Bakuyoshi