Fantasy Unearthly: The Next War

[Ashmorne]

Welcome to Earth. Welcome to Unearth.

​

The year is 2325. We live in a post-apocalyptic area once known as the United States of America. But that was before the fall. Now it's a vast expanse of controlled cities, old world ruins, and teeming wastelands. After the Final World War of 2095...the world's councils and governments failed. That's when humans found out that they were not...alone.

​

The History and The Future.


Click on the tabs to learn more about the past of the world, and the war that is now beginning.

​

• The Unearthly
• The Recent History of OverArchists and Integrators
• The Next Great War

• 
  
  
  Before the reveal, these were beings once thought to be fable. Turns out fairy tales weren't just stories. They were real. Beings known as the Unearthly inhabited realms of the unseen...hidden from the eyes of men on Earth in order to protect their cities from the destructive powers and mentalities that humans grew to wield. When the fall of the world happened, the creatures of Unearth finally felt safe enough to reveal themselves...now that the people of Earth were left with a new beginning that was free of both warfare and weaponry. The portals that transported races from one realm to another, and from Earth to Unearth were unlocked.
  
  
  These creatures inhabit the Unearthly 4 kingdom realms: water, ground, sky, and night.
  
  
  They are all the fantastical beings that most believed to be only fairy tale. Mer-people filled the water realm, faeries the sky realm, and elves of every took the ground realm. There were were-people, the shape shifters, dragons, nymphs, dryads...and so many other races that once were thought to be simply lore. The human race was now not alone, their eyes were open to the huge influx of new beings.
• 
  
  
  Not many humans go into the other realms, but the new races extended out peaceably into the world. Technology was refreshed and advancements made.
  
  
  And so the Council of the Integration was established, made up of all races, ensuring a smooth transition and happy lives. Small governments were made to rule over Earth, and the 3 realms of Unearth continued to be peacefully kept in order by their kings and queens.
  
  
  But harmony never lasts forever. Some believe that a new government should be reinstated, one to dominate both Earth and Unearth, one that was violent...one that showed no mercy. This group is known as the Overarchists, inhabiters of the new Night Realm .
  
  
  The rulers of all the lands in both Earth and Unearth have come together, hoping to instill peace and quell this darkness. Earth, along side the water, sky, and ground realms of Unearth, are at the brink of another era. However, a greater evil has established itself...an evil large enough to cause both sides to unite.
• 
  
  
  Long ago, both a great Necromancer and the woman who is now the great Dragon Queen were wronged by members of Earth and Unearth. They have combined their powers, and now seek revenge. The Necromancer is unfeeling, the mastermind behind it all. The Dragon Queen is the more misunderstood of the two, loyal to her city and in search of justice.
  
  
  Their combined powers are too great for one side to take on. Leaders of both sides have to come together to fight this war. Without working together, all Earth and Unearth can hope for is destruction.

The choice is now yours. Are you a member of Integrator/OverArchist Union? Fighting to keep Earth and Unearth at peace? Or are you a follower of the Necromancer and Dragon Mother, a Vassal?

​

The Causes.


Click on the tabs to learn more about the sides of the war.

​

• The Union
• The Vassals

• 
  
  
  The Union is built up of every race, both of OverArchists and Integrators. This is the necessary alliance created to fight the forces of the Necromancer and Queen of Dragons. If you should choose to join this cause, you would be fighting to save Earth and Unearth. Jobs within this group include but aren't limited to:
  
  
  -Soldier/Warrior
  
  
  -Healer/Medic
  
  
  -Strategist/Planner
  
  
  -Scout
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  The Vassals are those who are devoted and loyal followers of the Dragon Queen's and Necromancer's cause. Many of these are members of the Royal Dragon City, and are part of this cause as a show of devotion to their Queen. In result, Regnum Caeli hosts most of the Vassal Force. The Dragon Queen, in alliance with a powerful Necromancer, are seeking to destroy and create a new reign upon Earth and Unearth. Their reasons are personal and vengeful...and maybe a little misunderstood.
  
  
  

The Realms.


Click on the tabs to learn about the different realms of Unearth, and those within them.

​

• Regni Aquae: The Water Realm
• Regna Terra: The Ground Realm
• Regnum Caeli: The Sky Realm
• Noctis Imperium: The Night Realm

• 
  
  
  This portal to Regni Aquae is discovered by all of the major bodies of water on Earth. The water realm is home to many creatures, the main race being mer-person or water-shifters.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Regna Terra's portals are found in large forests and mountains ranges. It's main population includes different races of elf and were-person.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Regnum Caeli's portals are sometimes the hardest to reach. They are located in places of the highest elevations. Most of the population of the sky realm is fey (faerie), dragon, and shifter. The Dragon City is located here, and serves as a base for the Necromancer and Drago Mother.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Noctis Imperium used to be a hub for all races, but was taken over during the rise of the Overarchists. It was still filled with many races, but all of them are working for the cause of the Overarchists. With the next Great War brewing, it now serves as a base for Union (those fighting for the continuation of Earth and Unearth).
  
  
  

Starting Points.


Click on the tabs to learn where you begin in this vast world.

​

• The Union Federation
• The Vassal Guild

• 
  
  
  If you decide to be part of the Union, you begin at the Federation. The Federation is a large house located in Noctis Imperium, and is the central nucleus for all Union Activity. You start there, figuring out your role.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  If you choose to be a part of the Vassals, then you are most likely already from Regnum Caeli. To be a part of the Vassals, you begin at the Guild. It is a palace within the Royal Dragon City inside Regnum Caeli. You start there, at the gates, and figure out your place and role in the war.
  
  
  

Pick a side.


Join the battle.


Welcome to Earth. Welcome to Unearth. Welcome to the War.

​

--

~Rules~

​

1. Absolutely NO God-Modding.


2. Please no Mary-Sues (perfect characters). Click the link if you're unsure what that is.


http://www.springhole.net/writing/whatisamarysue.htm


3. To keep the story interesting, please no one-liners.


4. Proper English (good spelling, proper punctuation, correct grammar, appropriate capitalization, etc.) is essential to a good story. Please use it!


5. Please don't do drastic things that change the storyline intensely without consulting me (Ashmorne) first. It throws off everyone.


6. Please stay true to the story's history. It's not the past we're writing about. It's the future


7. Let the creative juices flow. Have fun, be original!

 

[Ashmorne]

THE CURRENT HISTORY


It was three years ago that the masses of the Integrators and the OverArchists were forced to combine power to fight against the wrath of the Mother of Dragons. She sought nothing but vengeance to the specific areas of Earth and Unearth where her parents died. However, the dark strivings of the Necromancer Nero want much, much more...all of Earth and Unearth in fact. With the massive powers of the Queen of Dragons aligned with the large influence of the Necromancer...the Union will have to do everything that it can to combat the reach of the Vassals if they want life as they know it to be able to continue.


===================================================================================================


AVANI MINAAL


*

​

Noctis Imperium. The Night Realm. Three years ago, she would have never imagined herself to ever be stepping foot on this land. And now she lived here, a full medic under the command of her eldest brother Ashok Minaal...the leader that was the face of the Integrator side of the Union. Her mind wandered back to that fateful day all those years ago...when such a ragtag group of beings had stumbled into Red Grounds, her coffee shop. Things had spiraled out of control since then, their old city long ruined by the Vassal forces.


At least it forced both the Integrators and OverArchists to listen to one another. Somehow, a little peace managed to push through.


Avani's thoughts took a positive turn as she travelled leisurely beside Enya, who walked beside her quietly as they made their way to visit Ashok. The little fire elemental had become very close to her ever since she met her three years prior on that fateful night of the first dragon attack. Many of the people she had met that night joined the Union, working to restore normalcy to the world. She glanced over at Enya, a small smile on her face.


"Let's hope Ashok isn't too stressed out today." she chuckled a bit. "If he is, we'll just bury him in those brownies we made the other day."


Her voice was light and easygoing despite the situation. Avani spent time with Enya whenever work didn't call her away. She was very fond, and also rather protective of the fire elemental. Grinning quickly, she focused back on the hallway that they walked through within the massive Union Federation. The Night Realm's sky always was varying shades of dark blues, blacks, reds, and purples...so within the labyrinth like halls, everything was well lit. Avani often missed the sun though, and itched to get called into other realms for work so she could bask in its rays.


They stopped in front of a heavy oak door. Avani pulled out a key, turning the lock beneath the ornate brass doorknob. Ashok stood behind his wide maple desk, a hand at his forehead as he stared out a window into the ebony sky. The landscape was dark and patterned with lanterns, although it was only around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The lines on Ashok's face seemed stark. He had aged a lot after taking that position of leadership. He turned slowly, giving a concerned smile to Avani and Enya. Whatever was happening, it couldn't be good.


===================================================================================================

ASHOK MINAAL


+

​

The recent reports of warfare left a canyon inside Ashok's gut. The attacks were getting more widespread. Before, the Vassals targeted specific areas around Earth and Unearth. The damage was severe, but it could be contained with the Integrators and OverArchists working together. But lately, the severity of the attacks were intensifying. And they began to multiply to all around the known world. Ashok's stomach twisted. The Queen of Dragons, none other than Esmeralda Drago, was starting to become more powerful somehow. And her thirst for war was spreading to all areas. Ashok had heard rumors of a Necromancer's influence. He somehow hoped they would be untrue, but knew they weren't.





How can this all be happening at once? We'll have to raise our defenses. If Esmeralda Drago decides to truly ally with this Necromancer, we'll truly have to enlist all the help we can get.


Rubbing his temples, Ashok squeezed his eyes shut as a head ache began to permeate through his skull and pound in his mind.


Why did I take this job again?


Just then, the door creaked open. His little sister came in, followed by the fire elemental that was so often in her company. Avani loved the child, and Ashok admitted that he had a soft spot for Enya as well. That's why he did what he did, he realized. He took this job to protect them, and everyone else he cared about. Walking back to his desk, he smiled wearily at the pair.





"Hello, girls. I hope you two are having a better day than me."


===================================================================================================

QUEEN ESMERALDA DRAGO


7 DAYS PRIOR


~

​

The sky was streaked with purple as she stood on the Grand Balcony, staring down at the city below. Esmeralda held in her hands an intricate mask, beautifully made of hardened dark silk and printed with forged floral gold patterns. The deep crimson ribbons that would be used to tie it back danced lightly in the wind. In the midst of the war, she knew her people needed some sort of break to rejuvenate themselves. And so she decided to throw a Masquerade for every class within the Royal Dragon City. It would honor their soldiers, celebrate their victories, and also remind everyone that their Queen cared for every role from every class. They needed to know that every little bit mattered. Their treasury could easily spare the expenses. Tonight at the masked ball, everyone would have a small reminder of the beauty of their city, of why they fought. For the people. She smiled softly to herself as she waited for Anexius to arrive so they could discuss their plans for the evening’s revelries.

​

Leaning against the alabaster railing, she frowned as she sensed a darker presence at the edge of the cliffs in the city’s outskirts. Brow furrowed, she glanced at her companion dragon Wyvern. The small beast slunk to her side and wrapped around her arm, his snake eyes gazing in the same direction. The dragon's rumbling voice echoed through her mind as he communicated with her telepathically.


Whatever you’re thinking, I sense it as well. Some presence strong enough for both of us to detect this far away.


Esmeralda pursed her lips, glancing at Wyvern’s golden-scaled face.


It’s troubling. But we’ll have to investigate it at another time. Anexius will be here any second, once he's finished with his rounds.


She tucked a loose curl of ruby hair behind her ear as she waited quietly. Her dearest friend Anexius would help her sort through this, and then they could figure out the details of the ball tonight. When things were going so smoothly both in her battle endeavors and within her relationship with Anexius, she didn’t want to think about lurking dangers. Not tonight. Tonight was for celebration. Tomorrow they could get back to the war. Whoever it was that was entering her city would meet her eventually, and whatever it was...she would be ready.


Dragons are always ready.

 

[Nicholas de Levive]

It has been a pretty hard three years since the Union formed. Both old Luce and young Ashok were working together, somehow. While they had been the public face of the Union, Nicky and Co. was busy recruiting soldiers into their own Orders, and it has been successful. Now their entire army numbered almost 13,500 men and women willing to do what was right. While Nick and Mikey's Orders were doing their parts as spies, researchers, saboteurs and assassins, the others were frontline soldiers such as the Paladins, Knights and Battle-Maidens. Tomorrow, the soldiers would leave for Noctis Imperium as reinforcements, hope they like the act of goodwill.


"Hey Nicky! Wait up. Man, you're a jackass and a half. So, whatcha gonna be doin' while i'm off on a quest for glory, huh?" Connor asked with a huge ass grin on his face.


"While you're holding the frontlines alongside Danny, Johnny, Julie and the twins, Mikey and i will be developing weapons or a new kind of magic to deal with the dragons, and the One Above knows we need it. Or if you can get me into the Palace, i can probably go toe to toe with the Queen. But that's only assuming she's the same as the last time." was Nick's sarcastic answer. Going toe to toe with Esmeralda would be a dream come true, but the reality is a true nightmare. One can only hope, but from his observations from the shadows he found out that she was getting stronger. And if she's too strong for even the Leviathan, then One Above have mercy on us.

 

[Dendyne]

Where does the time go?


Donnie stared up at the ceiling still wearing his black cargo pants and wife beater from the night before, long day's night.


Spent the day cutting bolts for the heavy machines which was pretty much what he did most days now if not repairing firearms or decommissioning them for meltdown which was kind of cool to see the first time and only the first time. Everyone did their part for the Union though when they weren't 'on call' they had regular 8 hour(10 hours actually) a day, 5 day a week job to do though a lot of the lighter work was done by civilian volunteers now.


That's when you know the war is getting bad I guess, he pondered to himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It felt good to get rested up after everything that had happened.. something felt off though, Wait what time is it!?


He went for his phone on the short square table he had emptied his pockets onto, "Shii- why'd you let me sleep this late!?" The scrappy looking black harpy was on his feet in a second, grabbed his camo jacket off the couch end and bolted for the door. Keys! He shook his jacket pocket as the door swung open to the tune of a relieving jingle "Probably be getting my work assignment today so don't wait up!" Donnie slammed his feet into a pair of tan work boots and was off running.


A couple of weeks ago the base was raided by Vassal soldiers, fuckers had a man on the inside that shut down the alarms and it was just a goddamn massacre. Lost majority of our manpower before we realized what was happening and since Donnie had been in transit since then on his way to the Federation building, had to rent with a mermaid or live out of his car. She was alright, didn't wash the dishes ever and left towels all over the bathroom floor but she didn't drink his orange soda and told really funny jokes, raunchy ones you wouldn't expect most of the guys from the base would come up with.





"C'mon honey, just start already you know I know you can do it! C'mon you shit! C'mon!" Donnie punched the ignition and the little blue Marina tried it's damn-est to turn over Gonna flood it..


He punched it again anyway, and by the grace of some benevolent overseer(not saying God but benevolent nonetheless) it started. The little four-door rocketed off towards the Federation in hopes it might save it's driver a reprimanding.

~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~




​

Maka stood in front of the mirror her hair in a disheveled ponytail, she was holding her left open while carefully trying to pop in a contact lens. Then she grabbed the towel that had been left to soak in the sink and wrapped it around her neck like a scarf, the water felt good her scaly skin practically drank it in. One last check and she was good, shot herself with double finger pistols mouthing 'Boom, boom'


"Wha?" It sounded like the harpy was awake, Donnie, he'd moved in a couple of days ago and already complained about her being kind of a slob but it was nice to have company even if they were annoying.


The bathroom door squealed as it gave way to Maka's shoulder, the hinged needed oil bad. She looked around at the unkempt couch and assorted items left on the table, I wonder if he's going to need his wallet?, she picked it up along with a red and white pack of cigarettes that had Marlboro Lights printed in large letters on the front.


Maka sighed, it was her day off from the cafe nearby and she had planned on watching re-runs of pre-war sitcoms. The recent addiction was 'That 70's Show' but her staple was hands down 'King of the Hill', you just couldn't beat the man from Arlen.


The mermaid slithered over to the door grabbing the shoulder holster with it's snub nose revolver and tucking it into a shoulder bag with the rest of Donnie's things, a big laptop bag actually bit it was good and sturdy.


Maka started towards the Federation building on tail, it was warm but not hot. She had hoped for rain but knew it was a pipe dream, I thought it was always supposed to pour on the weekend..

 

[TheGentlemanlyOwl]

DECURION

​

Decurion hummed quietly as he cleaned his broadsword. Cursed blades didn't rust or break, but Decurion prefered to keep his blade nice and clean. There was something very sad about a good blade caked with blood and dirt.


When the sword was free of blackened stains, he stood up and whirled it around expertly. It whistled and swung through the air, making lovely arches and graceful figure eights. Nowadays most of the soldiers had all those newfangled guns and cannons, but there was something very reassuring about the familiar weight of a sword in his hand. A gun was useless without bullets, but a sword- well, a sword was a sword. You hit stuff with it, and they get hit. Nothing complicated about that.


He grinned and gripped the hilt tighter. It was always good to have something to believe in, especially in a war.


War!


He knew about war. Oh, yes, he knew about war. He'd been in a lot of them, back when he still had a body, back when he still had a heartbeat.


But somehow, this war... this war was different.


For one thing, it was much larger in scale. He looked around- everywhere he looked, there were people, sort of people, individuals, training and talking and working. Some of them still kept to themselves, like the vampires, but most of them mingled together, united in desperation and fear. He shook his head in mild bewilderment. What a sight!


And then there were the dragons.


Dragons. Reptiles with wings and fiery breath and scales that could withstand bullets. They weren't infallible, of course, but they were hard to kill, especially when they simply breathed fire on you from above, juuust out of range. Decurion had no problem walking up to them and banging them between the eyes when they were down, but some of the troops had become black smears on the ground when they realized too late that approaching a fire-breathing beast was probably not a good idea, no matter how injured it was.


He'd scraped off the remains the best he could. It was the least he could do.


He sighed and sheathed his sword.

***


NERO


- A week prior

​

Nero breathed in the thin air. The change from the bleak, barren sands of the Desert to the windy cliffs of Regnum Caeli had been swift and sudden, and he was still a bit dazed.


He gazed at said cliffs, wonderingly- it was strange to see land that was not made of sand and gravel. Cold fingers trembled as the warm sunlight curled around them.


He laughed, bitterly.

Free from banishment, eh?

The spells binding him to the Desert had indeed been thinning considerably. He'd been able to drift into the realms of the living for a few moments, walking on firm ground before disappearing again. But this time the shift had been more solid. Perhaps even permanent.


He absent-mindedly ran his fingers over the bells over his chest- his tools of the trade.


Ranna, the sleepbringer, smallest of them all.


Mosrael, the waker, whose loud, rowdy voice shook the dead into wakefulness.


Kibeth, the walker, who gave movement to the dead.


Dyrim, the talker, the voice of the dead.


Belgaer, the thinker- bringer of conciousness.


Saraneth, the binder, who bound souls to his will.


And lastly, Astarael, the sorrowful- whose voice threw everyone who heard it, even the ringer, into Death.


He looked around.

What to do, now?

He could feel the flow of life- many, many lives, in fact- coming from afar.


He began to walk towards it. Why not? Might as well figure out what happened in his absence.

 

[David Van Aken]

Ajax was hanging from some pipes in the rafters of the Unions headquarters. He had heard unsavory rumors of a traitorous guard who was telling union secrets to the enemy. He hung there patiently for a half hour or so until the guard in question appeared and then began to speak in a tounge unfamiliar to him into a glowing device on his wrist. Ajax plummeted down on the human and quickly tied his hands. Ajax screamed in his face, "Where are you reporting to!? Tell me or bleed!" The man smiled, coughed blood on Ajax and then died. Ajax stood up, frustrated and kicked the man's corpse with enough for to make him flip 180 degrees onto his face. Ajax looked through the man's belongings hoping to find information on who he was reporting to and where they were. He found nothing of the sort and he noticed that the watch was smashed to pieces already. He also found a small sack of wealth, so Ajax pocketed that. Ajax kicked the corpse again.


Ajax went to the main room and wiped some blood from his face. He went up the vampire secretary and then said to her, "Could you please call for Nicholas for me? I truly need to have a word with him." The woman nodded and then called him on her phone.


@Nicholas de Levive

​

 

[Komeko]

Salah ad-Din


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


Three Years After Departure:


It has been three years since I had set off.


Three years of starving.


Three years of cold.


Three years of hardship.


But it was all worth it, for now I, Saladin reached a place where the cold wasn't the most important problem to me. I had lost half of his maps, and my compass had stopped working, but I thought I have made it, on foot no less, from Washington to Kansas, I only had to go about 300 miles more south to reach Oklahoma. I will catalog the day's events in my journal, and hid the second copy under leaves. I will have to keep going.


The Beholder


A Week Prior


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


The Beholder was weary, he had just gotten his body back a week ago, slowly pulling the flesh back together from over three hundred years, just shooting shells into him wasn't going to kill him. It would keep him away for the next three centuries though, and that was a problem. How ever, Hell had grown deserted, and the ways of fire were vacant, except for the two or three Hellspawn playing cards, or munching on the sad human gone to Hell. He decided the only way to bring the Hellspawn back was to do what had been done. Kill all the humans for their imprudence and curse them to damnation by his teeth. He decided that going to Earth was the best option, he would not stage an invasion though, no, this time he would roam the realms of Unearth and find the strongest who would hire him.


"Perhaps a hate for the rotting humans would help. But I'm not picky, the flesh of vampires and elves are also tasty and eating them is probably healthier." He joked to nobody in particular, as he had finally found the portal to Unearth, although this one lead to Noctis Imperium.


"That's not a smart idea, too crowded for me" he muttered. He kept drifting around Hell, looking for the perfect portal. Earth? No, too risky. the water realm? No, water for him, the realm of elves? No, they would freak out too much. The realm of the Sky? Well, the first obstacle is getting there. He finally settled on something.


'The realm of the exiled and banished!' he yelled in his mind. He decided to find those portals instead. Those weren't easy to find though, he'd have to go deep. But he saw an opportunity in this, the opportunity of recruitment. He would wander Hell, journeying deeper until he found all of the help he'd need, then he'd arrive in the land of exiled and lead themselves to the Sky Realm. He had heard rumors of a war in there, one that targeted humans. He wanted in on that piece of cake.


So he traveled through Hell, finding Hellspawn Demons, finding imps (Hellspawn horrific variety) and even a posse of possessed humans left over from the invasion. He missed those old friends of his, some talking about how they would help him get back revenge, the stronger Hellspawn were gone though. No Barons, no Shadow Demons, no Lost Skulls, just the weaklings, but the weaklings alone brought fear into the hearts of able bodied men, and he was not a weakling at all.


They would travel deeper into Hell, that is until one Imp had the bright idea of going straight up the realm to the Sky, at first he and everyone else denied him the chance to explain, but when he did, it seemed a lot more appealing.





"Look, Cacodemon, if we go to the realm of the banished, what if we are trapped in there? If we go to the Sky Realm we can join the war," he explained, and everyone suddenly realized the truth in this. They retraced their steps and started heading back up, the walking or gliding would take days to complete, but it would be worth it. They all knew it.

 

[Nicholas de Levive]

A few minutes later, one of the demons rang out "Boss, ya got a call. Line 2"


"Yeah, hello?"

 

[Shadow Dancer]

These three years have been hell on John, he had been sent every where to do many missions for the union, they all ranged from killing High value targets to just scouting and reporting enemy positions. He remembered when things were simpler, back at home where he would have to help repeal the occasional band of raiders, or scout for some older tech and bring it back to town where the local techies would find out how it ticked and make something useful from it. Yea those times were so much simpler. He could not wait for the war to end to go back home and visit Allia a sister to him in all but blood. But that time was not now, now he was in a helicopter going back to the portal to the Federation where he would be debriefed.


-----Two Hours Later-----





He now was at a portal to the Federation, John entered now used to the feeling of being pulled from one place to another. Once he arrived he went to where he was needed to debrief.

 

[Ashmorne]

~Ashok Minaal~

​

Ashok opened his mouth to speak again, but the earphone he was wearing beeped and crackling voice alerted him to recent intel arriving. A returning Union scout had just landed on one of the Federation's portals, ready to be debriefed.


While the debriefing could be done by most high ranking officers, Ashok liked to do it himself every now and then. It kept him in touch with all the goings on. He had a deep set need to have a handle and control on things, to understand what was happening. He affirmed the secretary that alerted him via the headset and turned towards Avani and Enya.


"One of our guys just got back, hopefully with a bit of news about the rise in attacks. Avani, you may want to tag along just in case he needs some medic work." Ashok rubbed a hand across his face as he adjusted his navy suit coat. "Let's hope this scout brings us something we can use."


And with that, he rounded the desk and started walking out the door. He could hear his sister's footsteps close behind him. Luckily, Avani had seemed to come prepared. They navigated the maze of hallways, making their way to the designated Federation Portal. A man stood there waiting.





He doesn't look too worse for wear. Wonder what he saw out there.


Sticking his hand out to greet the scout, Ashok spoke in the even and low tone he had learned to use.


"Union Commander in Chief Ashok Minaal. Pleased to meet you, scout. I hear you've just returned from a mission, and I'm here for your debriefing. Thank you for your work in the Union. This is my sister, if you have any injuries...well, she'll take a look at them."

~Avani Minaal~

​

Looking down at Enya, Avani shrugged as Ashok moved like a blur out of the office.


"Duty calls."


She trailed behind her brother, her combat boots clicking against the wooden flooring. She was dressed only partially in her medic gear. She wore casual black jean tucked into her laced boots, with a simple grey v-neck. Over that, she wore her favorite bit of uniform. It was a navy blue Union jacket made of lightweight but sturdy material, collared and with a loose hood. Gold buttons lined the front, and double red bands marked the left sleeve around the upper arm area. The bands were both embroidered with small white crosses, signaling her medical experience. A messenger bag filled with various gear was slung across her shoulders, printed with matching colors and inscribed with the same white medical cross.


Though she wasn't expecting to be working today, she wore the jacket just in case something was needed. She always liked to lend a hand, and was more than a little happy when her older brother enlisted her help.


When the finally stopped at the portal landing, they approached a taller and darker-haired man. She knew to let Ashok speak first. After her brother made his introductions as head of the Union cause, she smiled lightly.


"I'm Avani, and I've been a medic for quite some time now. I'm here because, well you know, health first and all of that."


She nodded her head as she spoke, adjusting the shoulder strap of her bag. She wore an easy smile on her face, countering Ashok's serious expression as they waited for the newcomer to speak.

~Esmeralda Drago~


Still 7 days prior.

​

An hour had passed.


The evening began to fall over the Royal Dragon City...the sky was streaked with shades of gold, red, and purple. The sun was starting to sink behind the rocky cliffs of Regnum Caeli, and with each passing minute...Esmeralda grew more antsy. The ball was only a few hours away and she knew she needed to be preparing herself. Anexius hadn't arrived yet, making Esmeralda even more fretful.


Gazing down at her dress, she sighed. It was made of the finest midnight black silk and embroidered with both gold and blood red threads. The fitted bodice laced up the back and gave way to a flowing skirt patterned with swirling flowers. The sleeves revealed her shoulders, but stretched down past her knuckles. Indeed, she loved it earlier. But now she just felt overdone.


She paced around the balcony, her mind aflutter. Pausing, she set her hand upon the ivory railing as the imposing presence of someone new continued to imprint itself on her own aura. She bit her lip. The sense of foreboding, mixed with her nervousness and the lack of Anexius's presence made her stomach churn.


I need to get out of here, if only for an hour. Anexius, will understand. And I'll be back soon.


Moving fluidly into the connecting room, she lifted the crown from her hair and placed it upon its pedestal next to her mask. She moved to the wardrobe, and pulled out a heavy coffee colored cloak. Tying it around her neck, she adjusted the robes that fell over her dress until they concealed it completely. She knotted her hair into a low bun, pulling the hood over her head to hide its fiery color. Without her crown and jewelry, she was still recognizable...but not nearly as much. Her subjects were used to seeing her from afar. Not up close, especially without her fineries.


Waving to Wyvern, she quickly descended a hidden staircase from the balcony. With everyone running about preparing for the masquerade, she was able to slip away unnoticed.


Once in the city, she was surprised with how easily she blended with the throngs of people. The Draconians were a lovely folk, as were the dragons. She felt a grin falling to her lips as she heard music filter through the air, everyone's voices buzzing with excitement. With the recent war efforts, it'd been a while since she'd been in the presence of such joviality. Pride began to well up in her heart as she watched the anticipation bubble around her.


These are my people. They are stronger than I ever realized. Resilient. No matter what happens, there will always be a Kingdom of the Dragon.


Her proud thoughts filled her mind as she moved throughout the city, farther out into the Dragon Kingdom. She was reaching the edge. Eventually, she stood still by a vendor cart with her yellow eyes raking the thinning crowd.


Then they fell on a man. And she froze. For some reason, his presence both deeply unsettled her and sparked her curiosity. He looked different from the people and creatures of this region. Brown hair fell shaggily about his forehead and his stance was rather...set apart. Although he was handsome, there was something about his aura that both disturbed and intrigued Esmeralda. She continued to stare, her eyebrows slightly raised. Was this the presence that she sensed hours ago? The one that had troubled her so earlier in the day? Lips pursed, she crossed her arms.


Who are you?

​

 

[TheGentlemanlyOwl]

Nero


-a week prior

​

Soon enough he was standing in the middle of a bustling city.


He looked around. The streets were filled with the bustle of happy citizens, and the streets were strewn with flowers. Somewhere, he heard the distant tinkle of music. This is a happy place, he thought with a touch of sadness.


And yet...


Here and there, there were soldiers, fully clad in armor. Some of them were using crutches. Most of them looked battered. All of them looked somewhat tense, a sharp contrast to the active streets.


A happy place, but not a peaceful one.


Nevertheless, it was beautiful.


For a while he wandered amist the crowd, absorbing every sight, every sound. Years of banishment had left him hungry for company, for light, for warmth, for... any sign of life. And here was a whole city's worth of lives. He let the sounds of the city wash over him...


Somebody was watching him. He could feel it.


His eyes focused on a young woman in a cloak. She was staring at him intently, with crossed arms.


She radiated power.


It was almost ridiculous. How could someone be this powerful? How could any living being hold so much energy it leaked out like sunlight through gauze? And more importantly, why wasn't anyone taking any notice? Surely they weren't that dull?


He frowned, slightly. He hadn't expected this. Somehow he had attracted her attention, and by the look of it she wasn't going to let him just walk away.


Well, if she wanted to talk to him, she was going to have to find him first.


He locked eyes with her for a moment, exchanging glare for glare, and ducked into the crowd. Fingers fumbled at his bell-bandolier and located a small bell. He flicked his wrist.


The sweet, pure voice of Ranna rang out. With every soft clang of the clapper, the streets became quieter and quieter, until they were blanketed in a drowsy silence. All around him people stumbled, fell down, and curled up as the sleepy lullaby washed over them.


Hoping that Ranna had caused a sufficient distraction, Nero walked into a quiet alleyway and headed towards the center of the city.

 

[Nicholas de Levive]

Midnight, The Day Before


"What was that? You want my help hunting down traitors? Sure, i can spare some time. And since i'm there i might as well greet the A siblings." Nicky said with a soft chuckle. They were the picture of what Nick had in mind for a family. And since Connor and the rest were going there as well, might as well go with them. Safety in numbers and whatnot.


"Hey Connie, got room on your airship?"





"Yeah, we do. What? Wanna join us? If so, get yo black-and-blue ass moving, cuz we're taking off in 10 minutes." Was the reply, and it was music to his ears. If all goes well, they should get there in about 6 hours, since they would be lifting off on midnight they would arrive at sunrise. Hopefully, they like the present of 13000 fresh and ready troops.

 

[Komeko]

The group of Hellspawn had finally made it up the pits of Hell, through vast emptiness and tests of wit, through traps and weariness, but nothing had the same effect on them as the emptiness. Hell had become desolate, sure new Hellspawn were being made because of sick humans and whatnot, but at the end of the day, the chance of becoming a Hellspawn really mean you have to be a mini Adolf Hitler, and when there were 7 billion people on the planet, a lot of Hellspawn come in, but now, there's nothing. It had taken their toll on the group, some had almost given up, and silence reigned the journey for most of the way more than anything else. But they found it. They had found the impossible: The Single Portal to Regnum Caeli. They jumped, or spinned with glee, because they could finally join a war. If they were all killed then that's OK, living beings provide more of themselves for Hell weekly, it's just most of them are extremely weak compared to others. They didn't think that much about survivability as they entered Regnum Caeli, but they didn't hear a bustling city, they heard silence, and saw walls. Needless to say, it confused them quite a bit.


How could such a powerful city be empty? What had caused it, is it the time of sleep for them? Or perhaps the city has been wiped out, but that seemed impossible, for the walls stand perfectly, and two major sources of power shone brightly, but he was too far to actually determine where it came from accurately.


"Let's go then friends, to find this mess of a city's queen," said the Cacodemon assertively, he had faith that there was another big player interested in the war. And so they made their way in, walking or gliding over sleeping bodies, suddenly the entire posse of demons and imps laughed much too loudly, amusing themselves with the thought of eating all of the inhabitants.


"You mongrels! You must learn stealth my friends, for if not we shall surely be killed," scolded the Cacodemon, as they made their way, albeit with a lot of reminders of 'Do not eat the inhabitants of the city', looking ever more for the source of power, or at least, the Cacodemon was. He was the only one with enough power to actually sense power, and these two were much more powerful than he was. Perhaps more powerful than the Barons. What opportunity! They moved slowly but surely, finding the one who's energy was much too bright, and they found her, of course they only did this after going to the top of a clocktower, so he wasn't that good at perception of power yet. While all the imps made fun of him the demons knew the reason, even they could feel the power.


It was so bright it couldn't be pinpointed.


But they found her, and a hunched up man with bells, although that detail was provided by the Cacodemon. They were very intrigued, and they would wait for the two to meet before walking, or gliding in, on the situation at hand. They watched the entire fiasco play out, hoping to remain undetected, although when you have demons that are much to giant and different for their own good, it becomes difficult to not notice them, not including the humanoids with fangs and claws colored brown. Their hopes of being undetected would mostly, though, be ruined because of the giant floating mass on a clock tower, with one eye, spikes around it, and the biggest mouth filled with fangs ever.

 

[David Van Aken]

Ajax grabbed the phone from the vampire and began to speak to Nicholas calmly, "We lost another one of the traitors, another suicide. Everything that could have been useful that was on him was destroyed as well. I'd recommend a search of this guard's room. His name is Jacob Jenret. Appologies, sir." Ajax knew that he wasn't suited for the traitor hunting game, he was more the kind to scout or fight.


@Nicholas de Levive

​

 

[Shadow Dancer]

~Ashok Minaal~

​

Ashok opened his mouth to speak again, but the earphone he was wearing beeped and crackling voice alerted him to recent intel arriving. A returning Union scout had just landed on one of the Federation's portals, ready to be debriefed.


While the debriefing could be done by most high ranking officers, Ashok liked to do it himself every now and then. It kept him in touch with all the goings on. He had a deep set need to have a handle and control on things, to understand what was happening. He affirmed the secretary that alerted him via the headset and turned towards Avani and Enya.


"One of our guys just got back, hopefully with a bit of news about the rise in attacks. Avani, you may want to tag along just in case he needs some medic work." Ashok rubbed a hand across his face as he adjusted his navy suit coat. "Let's hope this scout brings us something we can use."


And with that, he rounded the desk and started walking out the door. He could hear his sister's footsteps close behind him. Luckily, Avani had seemed to come prepared. They navigated the maze of hallways, making their way to the designated Federation Portal. A man stood there waiting.





He doesn't look too worse for wear. Wonder what he saw out there.


Sticking his hand out to greet the scout, Ashok spoke in the even and low tone he had learned to use.


"Union Commander in Chief Ashok Minaal. Pleased to meet you, scout. I hear you've just returned from a mission, and I'm here for your debriefing. Thank you for your work in the Union. This is my sister, if you have any injuries...well, she'll take a look at them."

~Avani Minaal~

​

Looking down at Enya, Avani shrugged as Ashok moved like a blur out of the office.


"Duty calls."


She trailed behind her brother, her combat boots clicking against the wooden flooring. She was dressed only partially in her medic gear. She wore casual black jean tucked into her laced boots, with a simple grey v-neck. Over that, she wore her favorite bit of uniform. It was a navy blue Union jacket made of lightweight but sturdy material, collared and with a loose hood. Gold buttons lined the front, and double red bands marked the left sleeve around the upper arm area. The bands were both embroidered with small white crosses, signaling her medical experience. A messenger bag filled with various gear was slung across her shoulders, printed with matching colors and inscribed with the same white medical cross.


Though she wasn't expecting to be working today, she wore the jacket just in case something was needed. She always liked to lend a hand, and was more than a little happy when her older brother enlisted her help.


When the finally stopped at the portal landing, they approached a taller and darker-haired man. She knew to let Ashok speak first. After her brother made his introductions as head of the Union cause, she smiled lightly.


"I'm Avani, and I've been a medic for quite some time now. I'm here because, well you know, health first and all of that."


She nodded her head as she spoke, adjusting the shoulder strap of her bag. She wore an easy smile on her face, countering Ashok's serious expression as they waited for the newcomer to speak.

​

 

[Saturnity]

Enya

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_07/Enya.png.b91f84c61559591dab7d568e8594094d.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="22869" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_07/Enya.png.b91f84c61559591dab7d568e8594094d.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

​

Three years... that was how long it'd been since Enya had met Avani and the others. In that time she'd grown to be very close to her new friends, and they taught her much about the world and it's cultures. As she strolled alongside Avani, she occasionally looked up at her and smiled. The woman had taken care of her and helped her learn to speak, showing such kindness that very few had before.


"Let's hope Ashok isn't too stressed out today." the young woman told her, laughing "If he is, we'll just bury him in those brownies we made the other day."


Enya grinned widely and giggled clutching Avani's hand. "Yus!" the little girl chirped,"He'd not be vurry strussed after that!" Her oddly accented voice rang out along the corridor. She'd gradually learned Avani's language over the years since they'd met at the Red Grounds, but there were some sounds she simply could not produce for reasons they never knew. It was most likely due to her bodily makeup, as she'd once been tested and discovered to not have any organs. Enya was a being of nature and magic, and where most elementals burnt out very shortly after their creation, she gained sapience, the ability to learn and adapt, and most importantly, survive. Even though she appeared human, she didn't show signs of aging or physical growth, and could not drink water, which was in fact deadly to her.


Over her time with Avani and the others, Enya had also gained much greater control over her flames. She no longer risked bursting into fire with intense emotion and didn't become quite so uncomfortable, and was even able to produce and control small spitfires to defend herself. The girl had to be careful, however, since the flames were a part of her body. If she used too much, it could harm her.


After a bit more walking, the pair finally reached Ashok's office, entering through the doors to witness the man gazing wearily out the window into the Night Realm. As they entered, Enya withheld the urge run up and hug him, realizing something was wrong by the look on his face. He addressed them and began speaking of a scout who'd returned with possible information about the dragon attacks. Enya trailed along a short distance behind as the pair left the room. It was at times like these that the elemental wasn't sure what she should do, having no real skills. Eventually they arrived at the portal where stood the scout waiting for them. Enya stood close behind Avani and Ashok, watching as they addressed him.


~

Anexius Nevaere

Curse these fools!


Most days, Anexius' rounds of the city were uneventful. The citizens of the Dragon City were largely peaceful with occasional squabbles and tiffs, but ever since the first attack by the Dragon army, a small faction in the city had risen up in opposition. The City Guard, which was once abundant in free time, was now dealing with small revolts on a daily basis. There was nothing terribly violent, but small fights would often break out between activists and other citizens, leading to the need for intervention by the Guard.


"We refuse to serve a leader who so callously marches us into war!" An angry voice dragged Anexius back into the present. He found himself in a quaint tavern, flanked by soldiers. Before him stood several men wearing makeshift uniforms and formed up in a military fashion. Anexius had dealt with them many times before but they continued to prove a nuisance over the years.


"It looks like you haven't learned your lesson, Ralens." He addressed the older man toward the center of the group with scorn. Anexius had confrontations in the past with this man, long before this new war had begun. He reveled in stirring the pot among the city's residents, his distaste for the Queen was obvious, overriding any sense of duty or patriotism for his people and nation.


"Well if it isn't Anexius, the queen's favored pet." the grizzled man spat, "You missed me that badly?"


The shapeshifter frowned. Before Esmeralda was made queen, he'd been a loyal war veteran, someone who Anexius respected greatly.


"I will ask you only once, nicely." he mouthed impatiently, "Leave the premesis or we will take you all into custody."


Several members of the Guard who'd been standing behind Anexius proceeded to surround the anarchists, brandishing their weapons aggressively. If they showed weakness, it would only spur further resistance. Ralens raised his hands and nodded to his companions.


"Very well, we will disperse for today." he shrugged, "But hear me... You may tie me down and gag me, but my thoughts will reach the people. We will have our time."


With that, the men separated and left, shooting acidic glances at the armored soldiers as they passed.


Minutes later...

Anexius strode urgently down the street, his official cape billowing out behind him in a spray of gold and crimson. Before he could return to Esmeralda, he had to report the confrontation to the Guard Headquarters near the outer wall of the city.


She's going to kill me for being so late.... that damned Ralens.


Suddenly, things became eerily silent, snapping Anexius' attention once more to the present. He'd already made it to the outer section of the city, which was almost always bustling, but looking around he could see why it was so quiet. All of the residents in the area were collapsed upon the ground unmoving.


Have we been attacked?


Drawing his lance, Exodum, Anexius maneuvered slowly down the street, the bladed shaft swaying from side to side. Out of the corner of his vision, he spotted a shadow moving down a nearby alleyway, and decided to follow.


If this is the powerful entity I've been sensing, then I have to be careful...

 

[Ashmorne]

ASHOK MINAAL


+


_________________________________________________________________________________________

​

Giving a stern nod, Ashok gestured towards a metal door off to the side. It had a single window and was printed with the words "Debrief Room #2". Pressing a series of numbers into an adjoining keypad, the door slid open with a small burst of air. He walked inside the room, that was set with a round table ringed with 3 swiveling chairs. A stack of files rested at its center, waiting to be filled. He quickly ruffled Enya's hair before entering, hoping the girl didn't sense too much of the tension.


Ashok seated himself at one of the chairs, looking through the folders as he pulled out a fountain pen. He flipped through the papers, glancing at the boy as he waited for him to sit down.





"So. To start, please have a seat. And then you can tell me what you saw while you were out."

AVANI MINAAL


*


_________________________________________________________________________________________

​

Nodding at John, Avani's eyes quickly analyzed his appearance. He didn't seem worse off for the wear, so she would take his word for it. She mirrored his smile, tilting her head a bit to the side as she followed Ashok into the debriefing room. Sitting at one of the chairs, she grinned at Enya as she tapped her knees.


"You can sit on my lap if you want to, En. There isn't a lot of room here." She spoke in a hushed tone to the girl, not wanting to disturb her elder brother.


Ashok had a furrow in his brow as he organized the papers, making Avani slightly nervous. She felt the tension, the knowledge of the increasing threat of increased attacks prominent...almost like an elephant in the room. Sighing, she waited patiently. She was surprised that she was even allowed to be here with him.


Talk about good timing.

ESMERALDA DRAGO


~


_________________________________________________________________________________________

​

Transfixed.


The man met Esmeralda's stare with a icy gaze with his own. He was playing a game with her, she could feel it. If she could sense his power, he could probably sense hers as well. Suddenly, in a fluid movement, he flicked his hand. Whatever he was holding, a bell she thought, caused a haunting note to ring mournfully throughout the air.


Esmeralda felt her mouth drop open. With that note, the people of the lower sector began to slow and fall over...falling asleep where they stood. Men and women began to lazily halt. She watched in awe as even the stronger soldiers began to slow and eventually stop.


The noise had no effect on Esmeralda, or the few dragons that inhabited that section of town. The blood of true dragons was more powerful than most.


What did you do? Whatever it was, it's time to undo it. But...I am impressed.


A look of both amusement and irritation covered her features like a mask. She parted her lips then, her mouth flicking out the ancient speech of the Draconem...the dragon's tongue. It was an blood language, passed through lineage. Only the Royals and the Dragons, those filled with draco blood, knew how to utilize it. It was one of the deepest and most powerful sources of Drago family's power...of Esmeralda's power. She uttered a single line, an energy spell.


The words spilled from her mouth, weaving together like melodic golden threads. Sounds that only a dragon could achieve. Her speech was hushed, but felt like solid fire in the air. Eyes glowing a dark shade of gold, she spoke the last bit.


With the completion of her spell, the people on the street began to stir. They rose, looking slightly groggy and confused...but moving as though nothing had happened. She had spoke words of awakening and forgetting. They would not remember this incident, moving back in preparation for the night's events.





You want a game, sorcerer? You don't know who you're playing with.


Esmeralda stole away into an adjoining alley, following her gut towards the man's strong presence. His imprint was still strong, and felt bitter. An odd sense of thrill filled her. It had been awhile since she herself had been out in the fray of things...taking the role of planning and strategy once she became Queen. She realized with a start that she indeed missed the feel of being out there herself.


She moved through the shadows like a cat, the inky darkness of the alleyway concealing her. Squinting her eyes, she tried to see better in the blackness of it all. Somewhere in her mind, she kept a slow time of when she needed to get back.


You are close, and I can feel it.


The sense of him was getting stronger and stronger. She eventually rounded a corner of the alleyway, feeling almost certain that whoever he was would be very close. She flew around the edge...and slammed right into another person. She stumbled backwards a bit, catching herself quickly. Her hood slipped off in the collision, revealing her fiery red locks. With a look of surprise, she recognized bright silver hair glinted despite the darkness.


Anexius.

 

[Shadow Dancer]

ASHOK MINAAL


+


_________________________________________________________________________________________

​

Giving a stern nod, Ashok gestured towards a metal door off to the side. It had a single window and was printed with the words "Debrief Room #2". Pressing a series of numbers into an adjoining keypad, the door slid open with a small burst of air. He walked inside the room, that was set with a round table ringed with 3 swiveling chairs. A stack of files rested at its center, waiting to be filled. He quickly ruffled Enya's hair before entering, hoping the girl didn't sense too much of the tension.


Ashok seated himself at one of the chairs, looking through the folders as he pulled out a fountain pen. He flipped through the papers, glancing at the boy as he waited for him to sit down.





"So. To start, please have a seat. And then you can tell me what you saw while you were out."

AVANI MINAAL


*


_________________________________________________________________________________________

​

Nodding at John, Avani's eyes quickly analyzed his appearance. He didn't seem worse off for the wear, so she would take his word for it. She mirrored his smile, tilting her head a bit to the side as she followed Ashok into the debriefing room. Sitting at one of the chairs, she grinned at Enya as she tapped her knees.


"You can sit on my lap if you want to, En. There isn't a lot of room here." She spoke in a hushed tone to the girl, not wanting to disturb her elder brother.


Ashok had a furrow in his brow as he organized the papers, making Avani slightly nervous. She felt the tension, the knowledge of the increasing threat of increased attacks prominent...almost like an elephant in the room. Sighing, she waited patiently. She was surprised that she was even allowed to be here with him.


Talk about good timing.

(gonna wing it here) John, sat down and began to tell Ashok about what he saw, "I was about a two hundred meters away from a meeting another scout got wind of earlier in the week, I got some things about their movement, They are in the report but what caught my attention was a mention of a masquerade that one said that they were going to be late for if they didn't hurry up, mentioning that the Dragon queen would be there and every citizen was invited. Personally I believe that we could take advantage of it and pull some information from a few drunk officers, if they use alcohol or something that would make their lips looser. The event according to what I gathered in a letter once they left is happening right now.

​

 

[Saturnity]

Enya

Enya squinted and beamed as her hair was ruffled, before Ashok and the others moved into the debrief room. She entered behind everyone, the automatic door sliding shut behind her with a swish of air. There were only three seats, so when Avani patted her lap for Enya to sit there, the little elemental nodded happily, then hopped up. Sliding back against Avani, she looked up and smiled, then glanced around the room. Her gaze eventually fell upon the scout who'd been addressed by Ashok. He was a human with brown hair and eyes, and seemed like he'd been away for some time. She wanted to greet the man, but felt like it wasn't the ideal time to do so.


The girl listened as the man spoke of another scout, who'd told him of a "masquerade" being held by the enemy faction. She'd never heard the word before. Tilting her head up once more, she gazed at Avani, confused.


"Ani.." she whispered quietly, trying not to disturb the two men, "What is a... mess-kor-ade?"


~

Anexius Nevaere

It had been several minutes since he'd begun tailing the shadowy figure, but it was faster than Anexius had predicted. It almost seemed to be toying with him, keeping just close enough for Anexius to spot, but when the shapeshifter called after it, it would flit away into the darkness. Suddenly, as he reached an intersection in the alleyway, he felt someone smaller than him run against his chest. He gripped his lance tightly in anticipation, and looking down he saw a flash of red locks as a hood was tossed back. The person underneath was easily recognizable.


"Mera!? What are you doing here?" He interrogated, perplexed by her presence. She was dressed in peasant clothing, which threw Anexius off, but even in such attire she was breathtaking.


"More importantly... what is going on? Those people back there were under some sort of... spell. And this presence-" His own rambling cut him off. "That shadow! We must find it!"

 

[Ashmorne]

AVANI MINAAL


*

​

Smilling at Enya, Avani smoothed a bit of the young girl's hair down as she began to whisper back.





"A masquerade is a kind of big party. A ball? Lots of people. Dancing, food. But everyone wears masks and maybe costumes."


Avani attempted to explain the strange concepts of masked balls to Enya, all the while her mind buzzing with excitement. Her thoughts whirred. If they could get into the airtight Royal Dragon City, they could scope out the new threats. But security was so strong in the Dragon Realm. They would never let them in easily. Suddenly, a spark lit within her mind. Avani glanced back down at Enya, her eyes widening.


"We could go." she whispered mostly to herself as she glanced at Enya. Looking back up at Ashok, she spoke more clearly. "We could go!"


Ideas bloomed in her mind, and she began talking quickly.


"If we could manage to get into the city, it would be unspeakably help. We could get a little bit of an idea of what we're dealing with. Enya would be able to get in easier than the rest of us... she's a fire elemental, there's a lot of her kind in the Dragon city. They are ages old allies of the dragons. I could go with her. John could come too." she looked over at the scout that had alerted them of the ball. "This could work. We could go in disguise, and actually get some intel from within."


She bit her lip at the end of her spiel, gazing back and forth between Ashok and John as she caught her breath quietly. Occasionally she looked at little Enya, hoping the girl would like the idea of going to a party. Avani's own spirits lifted greatly at the opportunity for work, especially if she got to take the little fire elemental with her. Dressed up in disguise, away from home for a little while. This could be very interesting indeed.

ASHOK MINAAL


+

​

Looking at Avani and Enya with a stern knot in his brow, Ashok tried to figure out how to go about this. He leaned back in his chair, a hand at his temple as her processed. This was his younger sister, and he always hated it when she went out to into the mix of things. And this time she wanted to even bring Enya! It made Ashok frown even more, the fire child was a part of their family at this point. He cared about the girl like he cared for his own sister. Enya had never even been out into the fray.


But this so-called masquerade would be relatively safer if they weren't caught...they wouldn't cause a commotion at this peaceful event. Leaning forward, he knitted his fingers together as he looked over at John with a neutral expression.


"John, you're the scout here. What do you think of what she said? Do you think you could go in disguise, make it into the actual Royal Dragon City's palace unscathed? Keep them safe? And get information as well?" Ashok's voice was level as he fired the questions at the scout.





If the experienced soldier thinks that this is a good idea...I might just be on board.

ESMERALDA DRAGO


~

​

Anexius spoke in hurried tones. So he was also in pursuit of the man that had so intrigued Esmeralda. How had he come about to know what happened? But now was not the time to inquire. She let out a breath, nodding her head quickly. The questions could be asked later.


"I can sense him. And he's very, very close."


Esmeralda talked quietly as she began to move in the direction of the other man. She had to find him as well. As disturbed as she was...she was even more curious, albeit annoyed. She knew Anexius would take it much more seriously than she. He would be a head General about this in every way, taking the newcomer as a threat. He would be careful about this, take precautions and act tactfully.


You would make a much better ruler than I, Nex.


Esmeralda was hurrying, her eyes raking the alleyways. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she spoke to Anexius in an easy tone.





"Don't worry about the people falling asleep in the lower sector. I didn't want our people to have cause for worry...so I used a little bit of Blood Speech to raise them. Before you get flustered that I practiced it so openly, I also used a memory loss spell to erase their memories back five minutes. Everything is fine now,"


She paused, puckering her lips for a moment in slight distaste.


"Of course, if you had been on time to begin with. You probably would have already known that."


She knew it was unfair of her to criticize him so callously, as he had duties to the city. But she had waited for over an hour, feeling foolish on that balcony. She would feel better tonight at the ball...but she had been looking forward to their time alone for most of the day.





Silly Anexius. You still are so dense to what I feel, even when I spell it out for you.


She turned back around, facing forward. The presence of the sorcerer became clearer and clearer to Esmeralda. It almost felt tangible. Pausing she halted at an intersection in the alleyways. Buildings rose up on all sides as she looked out into the dark, eyes squinting.


He was here, she knew it.


"Don't be a coward. I know you're here. I sense your presence." Esmeralda called out, her arms crossed as she waited to see if the man from before would reveal himself. "I think we've already established that your little nursery lullabies have little effect on me. So, let's be quick about this."


Esmeralda felt her brows knit as she stood in anticipation.





I have a feeling you do not quite fully know who you are dealing with here. Dragons are not to be trifled with.

 

[Crescent]

Azrael Areli.


My wings beat hard against the wind, the great feathery entities cutting through the air. They were the same pure white color as my long hair. I had left the comforts of Heaven, to join the clamors of this strange world. If peace was restored, and I had a part of it...I would become an Archangel, like every Areli before me. I hovered over the city as I watched the Mother of Dragons zigzag through the streets of the Royal Dragon City with surprising speed. She was in disguise, but of course I recognized her. She knew not who I was though. I was waiting to introduce myself appropriately. At the Masquerade tonight, of course. I already felt loyal to this Queen, who was such a natural leader. If I could get close to her, ally myself alongside her. I could speak words of peace, I could try to mediate.


My specialties in Heaven were the arts of Mercy, Compassion, and Forgiveness. I could utilize that here.


I came to Earth not expecting to become attached to anything or anyone. Humans and many Unearthly were so filled with emotions...I desperately wanted a taste of it. I knew it might not ever happen though. But I had been watching Esmeralda from afar for several weeks now. Protecting her, a guardian angel of sorts. This queen was an interesting one. She made me...something similar to curious. Settling down on the edge of a roof, I watched as she collided with someone. Not just anyone though. Anexius Nevaere, the head of her military.


I sighed at them. How could they not understand how kindred their spirits were? The spark between them was obvious to me. I never understood why beings of this world were so secretive. Despite that, I watched with interest as Esmeralda's sharp tongue lashed out, her words used irritatedly at Anexius. She moved forward without him, calling out into the darkness.


As I absently wondered how Anexius would respond to her curtness, I sat up straighter. I sensed the presence of demons. A Cacodemon too. While they were not all evil, my kind had a natural aversion to them. If they were here now, they would be here at the Masquerade. And if they did not come in peace, I would help deal with them.

 

[Shadow Dancer]

AVANI MINAAL


*

​

Smilling at Enya, Avani smoothed a bit of the young girl's hair down as she began to whisper back.





"A masquerade is a kind of big party. A ball? Lots of people. Dancing, food. But everyone wears masks and maybe costumes."


Avani attempted to explain the strange concepts of masked balls to Enya, all the while her mind buzzing with excitement. Her thoughts whirred. If they could get into the airtight Royal Dragon City, they could scope out the new threats. But security was so strong in the Dragon Realm. They would never let them in easily. Suddenly, a spark lit within her mind. Avani glanced back down at Enya, her eyes widening.


"We could go." she whispered mostly to herself as she glanced at Enya. Looking back up at Ashok, she spoke more clearly. "We could go!"


Ideas bloomed in her mind, and she began talking quickly.


"If we could manage to get into the city, it would be unspeakably help. We could get a little bit of an idea of what we're dealing with. Enya would be able to get in easier than the rest of us... she's a fire elemental, there's a lot of her kind in the Dragon city. They are ages old allies of the dragons. I could go with her. John could come too." she looked over at the scout that had alerted them of the ball. "This could work. We could go in disguise, and actually get some intel from within."


She bit her lip at the end of her spiel, gazing back and forth between Ashok and John as she caught her breath quietly. Occasionally she looked at little Enya, hoping the girl would like the idea of going to a party. Avani's own spirits lifted greatly at the opportunity for work, especially if she got to take the little fire elemental with her. Dressed up in disguise, away from home for a little while. This could be very interesting indeed.

ASHOK MINAAL


+

​

Looking at Avani and Enya with a stern knot in his brow, Ashok tried to figure out how to go about this. He leaned back in his chair, a hand at his temple as her processed. This was his younger sister, and he always hated it when she went out to into the mix of things. And this time she wanted to even bring Enya! It made Ashok frown even more, the fire child was a part of their family at this point. He cared about the girl like he cared for his own sister. Enya had never even been out into the fray.


But this so-called masquerade would be relatively safer if they weren't caught...they wouldn't cause a commotion at this peaceful event. Leaning forward, he knitted his fingers together as he looked over at John with a neutral expression.


"John, you're the scout here. What do you think of what she said? Do you think you could go in disguise, make it into the actual Royal Dragon City's palace unscathed? Keep them safe? And get information as well?" Ashok's voice was level as he fired the questions at the scout.





If the experienced soldier thinks that this is a good idea...I might just be on board.

​

 

[Komeko]

It was slightly hilarious and slightly disappointing, the fact that they could stand and walk around a Clocktower and have their leader on the top of one without being noticed, but the Cacodemon knew his place, there were bigger players on board, and he was the starry eyed spectator, hoping to one day be able to at least attempt to wield that same power he saw, but he knew the truth, he couldn't hope to do that, not yet at least. He was interrupted by a taste. Not a smell, he didn't have one of those noses, but a mouth watering taste, a bittersweet taste.


The taste of an Angel.


How he hated and loved that taste, their flesh was so soft, but was hot to the lips, like if ten million peppers all raw exploded in your mouth at once, a tender spiciness to be accurate. He was thinking about the different ways to find this angel and eat him, but was soon brought back into reality.


'He may be an ally, one through clenched teeth no less, but an ally for sure, I must learn to control myself more,' he reminded himself, he would ignore the Angel and give the fake identity of ignorance, still waiting for the moment when the two would meet to walk in his with posse and try to strike a deal. He never heard about the Masquerade or the Vassal Palace, and even if he did he would ignore it. He always knew you got lost in these things, best get things sorted out before any problems started themselves. He descended from the top of the Clocktower in a glide of sorts, a slow lowering of the bulbous body mass that was the Cacodemon. He failed to realize that he was noticeable like wearing neon in the medieval era was noticeable, but at this point it might be better, he decided he would find the damned Angel and attempt to come up with some terms to their maybe allyship. Best to sort those things out early as well. When he finally reached the ground, he turned to his gang and started speaking in the language of Hellspawn, a mass of gurgles and coughs that sound horrible to the ear, and that frighten enough to scare, the sounds were not universal, every species had it's own dialect, but all were understood, so humans could not learn it efficiently, as they would have to learn every dialect to understand a conversation. The words basically summed up to : Stay here and wait while I deal with a presence that doesn't feel right. And so they did, and the Cacodemon glided along rooftops using an almost canine sense of smell, or rather taste, to find the angel that troubled him so, and he did find him in a relatively quick matter of time. He turned to him and began to speak in the Common Unearth Language or CUL for short.


"You're the angel who's flesh I hunger for no? I am simply a Cacodemon, call me as you will, but I'm interested in you more than mere manners of speaking and such. So I ask, who are you, what are you doing here, and why? Answer me angel and I'll answer your questions in the same level that you answered mine," said the Cacodemon, never taking his eyes off the angel clad in armor, he flew next to him, watching the chase play through the city.

 

[TheGentlemanlyOwl]

Decurion

​

It was not unusual to see the troops fight amongst themselves. Even though everyone was, technically, on the same side, some of the more... traditional individuals often complained about their comrades, usually about their species.


And here was a prime example.


As Decurion pushed through the onlooking crowd, strands of a heated argument floated through the air.


"-You are an abomination unto Om, you rotting bag of flesh-"


"-Yeah? Yeah? What's so awesome about living then, eh?"


"Be silent, zombie scum-"


"-Vitalist son of a mother-"


"-Undead abomination-"


CLANG.


The ongoing debate screeched to a halt as Decurion's broadsword slammed between the two soldiers.


"Alright, alright, what's going on here?"


He grabbed a shoulder with each hand and leaned in.


"Fighting in the troops? Do I believe what I am seeing? There's a war going on and you're fighting your allies?"


He hissed.


"Explain."


The two soldiers cowering under his gaze stuttered as they struggled to blame each other.


"Sir, he called me a servile moron.."


"Only because you called me a ruddy abomination!"


"You are an abomination! You're dead!"


Decurion sighed.


"Constable Smite, according to you, yowling cats, tin cans and blue flowers are an abomination unto Om.


As for you, Constable Morris, you are not allowed to attack your comrades, however 'vitalist' they are."


He straightened up and said in a voice full of false joviality,


"Now boys, if you shake hands and make up then we can get on with our busy lives...."


"But-" Constable Smite stopped talking. Decurion was glaring at him.


"Go on."


"Sorry..."


"Why?"


"Sorry... for calling you an abomination.."


Decurion's gaze turned to Constable Morris.


"'ry..."


"Yes?"


"'ry.. for calling you a servile moron..."


"There we go! Was that so hard?"


As the dejected men walked off, Decurion shook his head.


Why were people so stupid?

***


Nero


-a week prior

​

Coward?


Nero frowned. The nerve of the woman! Still, she had a point. He was in unfamiliar territory, and he was tired- there was no point in running any further. Not with two people on his trail.


Complications, complications...


He sighed and stepped out of the shadows.


Nero glared at the redhead. The other man had an actual weapon, that was true, but the woman was the real threat. She'd withstood the spell of Ranna, and that was no easy task.


What to do, now?





There was no other choice but to step back into the Desert. It didn't need to be a long visit. A ten-minute walk, that should be enough.


He closed his eyes as the familiar cold howled around him. For a second, he stood in two realms at once.


The howling wind stopped, as abruptly as it had begun.


The only remaining proof of Nero's presence was the pile of black sand on the icy cobblestones.

 

[Nicholas de Levive]

"..... and then he said 'My birth right is to the kingdom of Heaven!'" laughter rang out all around "The nerve of the insolent fool, you would not believe how stupid this guy was!"


This had been going on for quite a while, jokes all around, even as they were flying towards war. But One Above knows, these men need it. No matter how well trained or equipped, at the end of the day a greenie was still a greenie. This was why he had let Connor handle he interactions with the soldiers, since he is an angel excluding grace and calm from his being. Well should be, but what he's truly excluding is a lot of dirty jokes.


6 Hours later at Union HQ


Using his shadows, he already identified 13 traitors, a fight between a living soldier and a zombie and a meeting between a scout, Ashok, Avani and Enya. Using his powers he coalesced the shadows around them into the solid shape of a man and interrupted the meeting and said "I could go too, you know. I just happen to know the Queen personally, so i could help with the infiltration part, that is, if you don't mind Ashok. And hello there Mala Enya! Still as cute as always, you little candle of hope!"


"Oh and as a little incentive, we have arrived with 12,000 troops here. So if you needed soldiers, now you have 'em. And we're still recruiting, so expect more and more troops in the future."