Choosing Sides

Six eyes opened in the darkness. Their azure green bore through the darkness of the void of the seventh sphere. A light blossomed into existence in front of it and six leathery feathered wings snapped open. A scaly red body and large tail with glowing armor appeared out of the darkness. Beside the large dragon, light swirled, revealing a shockingly blue bird with four wings. Its eyes were trained on the orb that floated before them.

A scent of fresh spring washed over the two and from the shadows, the long body of a lung appeared, its fur milky white save for where it gradated into olive green with spatters of colors like flowers.

Its horns were large and pallid white, its curves acented with golden swirls. From its legs rose small branches with boughs of leaves. Its tail ended with what seemed to be a flower.

"Nice to see you, White Horn" said the red dragon. The white nodded in acknowledgement.

The next beast was the most wondrous of them all. From the shadows of the void, a lion, massive in its size stepped out. Its body was yellowish-orange. Its mane, made from orange, red and brown leaves, as well as a few naked branches.

Thick fur ran over its ankles, underneath, a small canopy of fall colors as well. Its tail was heavy with fur and leaves and twigs. "Autumn Leaf... it's been a long time..." said the red once more, his voice deep and tired.

"Tell me, Red Fang, to what do we owe the honor of being together once more?" said the white lung, its serpentine body undulating as it spoke.

"White Horn, Destiny is no longer in slumber. Now, he seeks his other half. Once he is whole, and Keth reunited, he plans to use the resulting energy to disturb the mother-father" said Red Fang, as though straining to keep something at bay. White Horn and Autumn Leaf gasped. "He is trying to find us..." he muttered.

"Even now the third sphere is releasing massive amounts of power. We must funnel it into the core and out to the boundaries of Echti..." said Blue Tail.

"But will that not weaken the walls of our plane? How are we to do this? It has never been done before... And to charge the core with extra power... Magic users will suddenly have enhanced senses and improved power for weeks, maybe even years if we do this... Not all of them will survive" said the lion, his tail gently waving behind him.

"It is a necessary sacrifice..." said Red Fang. He taught the others the incantation and they faded into darkness, they were to meet again once the Grim Moon was half of its way to the sun.
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Faith stepped out of the hall of the eternals. As she did, a bright light enveloped her and when it cleared, she was wearing her armor, brilliant in its silvery-gold glow. She had always feared that this time would come, deep inside, she wished it had never come to this.

Courage was to blame for everything, though. Destiny never was evil in the first place. The strain of preventing Echti from falling in on itself resulted in his being severed into two. His soul torn off to somewhere near the border of Echti, his body, remaining in the Hall.

She had put Destiny to sleep, for fear that it would drive him insane, but it still happened. Destiny went mad, very mad. His soulless body ached with the need to find and reunite with his soul. As an incomplete being, his magic wasn't as powerful as it should be, yet even in his fractured state, he was much more powerful than all of them combined.

Faith walked down the beaten path that appeared before her. She had been the last to leave the Hall and she was sure that a battle awaited her on the other side of the road. She smiled, for one, the Grim Moon should be sucking out even Destiny's power. Her own were terribly diminished. They should not expect a sudden, grisly death at the hands of an apocalypse of Destiny's doing any time soon.

When she reached the end of the road and crossed over to what lay in store, she gasped. She felt the unfortunate shiver of leaving Echti. They were in a pocket plane, possibly created by Destiny's soul by extruding the wall of Echti at a certain place.

She cursed. Suddenly, she nearly jumped when Red Fang appeared before her and said "Worry not, child, I shall help you." In front of her, the shape of a man in shining armor began to materialize.

"Doubt!" she screamed, running to hug the man. They stood there, brother and sister, prepared to die a second death for the sake of Echti.

"The power which we will feed into the core should be enough to keep you up..." said Red Fang before vanishing. It was good to see that the Fayett were beginning to take a more direct approach than usual.
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Feheron sat in his tent. The recent events still had him reeling and he still didn't get the situation. All he knew was that all the worlds, in all the spheres of existence, were in danger.

He was sitting there, his back resting against the furry body of the red dragon that was once his agador but was now his friend. They still shared Agador-Master bonds, but at a lesser level. "What do you think will happen?"

The red dragon simply grunted. Fer sighed. He hoped he could still return home alive after this. How he wished he could meet his dear friend Raducan again.
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For a time, Nocru was shocked at what had happened. A single touch from Maetesk had made his visions vanish. Maybe it was for a little while, maybe for some time much longer, but if anything that the beast had told him was to be true, it wasn't permanent.

In the tent he shared with Are'Zel, the heat from the fire barely bothered him. His mind was heavy with thoughts.

It was beginning, after all, the end of the worlds... He sighed and hung his head. At least now, whether he liked it or not, and he really liked it, his pathetic existence would end and all his sins would be redeemed.

He felt around for Are'Zel who was a bit older than him and sat beside the green Ceree, streams of tears running down Nocru's eyes. He had been crying ever since Maetesk took away his visions, his repaired mind allowing him to see with all too painful clarity the horrendous crimes he had committed.
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Syurin grunted. This situation was far out of his hand. That had never been a problem before, though. Soon enough he found out that to get a tent, you would have to think one up yourself, say a few words and it would be there.

Syurin smiled, if that was the case, he would have the grandest tent to himself.

Tia'mara sighed, things where getting strange here... Even in all the strangeness she was gladto be away from her parents. It seems radu and liara where once again able to return to careerism and they where busy celebrating the fact. She snorted, odd people those two. The situation was one that made her think, apparently the planes where in danger, few details had been given.

She looked up from her thoughts to see a black dragon cross her path... That made 6 dragons she had seen in the past hour. Turns out they only went extinct on her homeworld... This was just to much. She suddenly paused next to a particular tent... Both the scent and aura where oddly familiar... She wasn't one to invade on privacy, but she had at least peek. Glancing through the tent flap, she laid eyes on Feheron.... She remembered him instantly, he was the one who accidently raised her father and mother from the grave and later became their friend... He had even been there for the first few years of her life. She had quite a few memories of playing with him as a cub.
Thumping the tent with a claw, she poked her head inside... "Feheron? Is it really you? It's me Tia'mara, Raducon's daughter... I haven't seen you since I was a cub"

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Zana stared at the roof of the large tent. What a day, what a day. It all started with that idiot lord, ugh. Now she and the guys where sharing a very large tent. It was far larger than needed for 4 people, but it had actually came out large enough to fit 2 people and 2 dragons... Sellarie and Zana hadn't revealed their secrets to Algaisia yet...

But the idea to just tell him was oh so tempting. After all she had seen at least 8 other dragons... And in all honesty an excuse to see what Sellarie really looked like was welcome in her mind. She sighed, stood and walked to Sellarie. "should we just tell the elf?"

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Issend growled, pacing circles around a fire. This day was getting worse and worse as it went on. Even his fight had been interupted! That fight... What that other ceree said "you are all lost" he repeated, rolling the words on his tongue. That's what the angels said. They said he was lost...

He growled... He... He was not lost. He just found a different path, they where jealous of him. They just didn't like that he was getting powerful... Stupid angels. He snorted and laid down by the fire

Are’Zel was breathing deeply, in a calm rhythm. After the weird occurrence, his madness subsided, placed by a confused, but much more peaceful state, with random information rolling in the backside of his mind. The tent, the different sounds coming from outside, the smells, the constant movement, all that claimed his attention and curiosity. Yet, he was sad and moveless. Sad for knowing his home would probably disappear, all creatures with it. His community was lost forever, as his family. The father he loved, his face so clear in his mind. And Francheza, with so much to discover yet… even if he had the feeling that she was not gone. But that was just his bond with her – Kerwel – trying to survive her leave.

The other bond was still working, connecting him with the sad and tired ceree next to him, sharing his worries, his guilty, his feelings of miss. Their families were gone, and now the solitude was much clear to him. He knew that its tears just mirrored his own.

He rested a paw over the other’s shoulder, a gesture of care as much as a request for help. The words were unnecessary, but he tried to say everything with that simple action. Let’s start again, someway.

A sudden relief sprouted in his heart, and a spark of hope ignited his mood. Before he could notice, a clatter of paws approached, like someone running, and stopped just by their tent. A desperate paw opened it, and a tired ceree entered with no ceremony. A brown and silver one, that made Are’Zel tremble and blink.
"Kerwel! Kerwel! Atannari ukaza!!" – Francheza shouted hugging him tightly, and crying.

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Sellarie was lying on his back, looking up at the tent, thinking on the little information about their current situation. That was something much bigger than the stories he heard all his life. All the creatures outside, some of them were supposed to be just myth, but they were all there. Maybe all the worlds were really connected, and different creatures were sighted here and there, creating mythology and legends…

Zana approached him, and he understood what she was talking about. In fact, many dragons crossed nearby, and soon or later their true nature would be clear. Maybe was better tell him while everything was relatively calm. “Okay, I’ll just talk to him first.”
Sell stood up and talked to Algaisia. “Look… We must be honest now, but stay calm, for we will never attack you. We are a team now. And dragons are not cruel beasts… well, not in our homeland, at least, I can’t say for them all here.” He talked to Zana again. “Ladies first”. She was probably much less scary than him in Algaisia's point of view, besides… Sellarie wanted to see her again.

The sight of numerous creatures of different assortments was enough to make Evenus faint. He never saw a crow this large, all preparing for one thing: war. Most of the creatures he didn't recognize, though he did manage to see dragons, elves, cind and even fellow aviendrii. He saw other creatures: some looked like elves, but a little shorter and their clothing was much different. Another was dragonlike, yet had fur instead of scales. As Evenus and the rest began to lie down on their tents, he had overheard the conversation, and of course, made a sarcastic comment. " Yeah, these two aren't hostile. But I bet the others would love to chew on you as a plaything. That would be a nice sight."

He yawned, obviously tired from the journey. " Anyways, welcome to the team, if you count this as a team. Hopefully these two won't eat you in your sleep." He closed his eyes, but he was far from sleeping. He clutched his bow, which had stopped humming when they came to this unknown plane. He opened his eyes, and they showed a very faint glow.

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Syagrus grunted as he lied down on his tent. He can't believe he still hadn't kill the demonic ceree yet. He had stared at amazement as the lady in white garments transported him to this plane. He saw a medley of beasts: elf, human, ceree, even winged elves. He had also saw his ancestors the dragons. "So they weren't extinct after all..." He hadn't seen the demon ceree since they had left Sylfe, so he was extremely frustrated.

He changed into his ceree form, his blades standing on a corner near where he was lying. The blades still glowed a brilliant white. For once he did something very usual of a ceree. He calmed down and focused, he had a lot of questions that needed answers. Why were they sent here? What was the purpose of sending various creatures from different planes? What was the reason behind this grand scheme? He sighed. He relaxed some more, letting all the killing intent and anger wash away from him. He needed focus and patience, and he had little of that. Unknowingly, the blades had glowed a little brighter and the pale blue spots on his body had begun to spread,

He opened his eyes. They were a brilliant blue.

Algaisia's eyes were wide open, taking everything in. For some reason, the lady in white deemed it important for him to travel to this.... different plane with the others. They had sparks, Algaisia had no doubt about that now, but now he wondered what they would use it for. If it was for the good of the realm, Al hoped he could stick around to help in whatever way he could, but if would harm the realm... he just wanted to go back as soon as possible then.
So many creatures were in the realm, dragons, of which he was terrified of at first, then gradually came to ignore, and other beasts only told of in stories. Modified species that exist in their world. Those that he would never have been able to think of. When Zana and Sellarie came up to speak with him, in a ridiculously large tent for only four people, and started talking about dragons were okay and how they wouldn't hurt him, he was very confused, for how were the two related?
"Wait... I am not keeping up! I just don't understand..." Al said, calm but still very perplexed. He found himself wishing for food and his supplies that he dumped on the long run, and miraculously they appeared next to him. Pulling out some food, he ate with relish while listening. Remembering his manners, he offered some vegetables and fruits to the others that were in the tent.

Zana sighed "okay, just wait a second Al... everything will become clear. and please try to remain calm, i dont need you freaking out... it just wouldn't help the situation" she rubbed the back of her neck... and she had finally gotten the design on her outfit to come out just right. but being able to relax freely in her true form was well more than worth it. she walked forward, making sure she had plenty of space, then turned her back to the 3 behind her... after all, she still didn't know how to make clothing flow with the transformation, so she deserved a little privacy.

then with a short flash of light, and the sound of fabric ripping apart, she quickly transformed. once finished she was once again in her long slender dragonic form. she folded in her soft feathers wings and gave a quick stretch "wow... this tent did come out large enough for 2 dragons to be comfrotable. she smiled then laid down, curling her tail in and out... "your turn, Sellarie" she blinked, his name felt so much more... natural on her tongue in this form, she couldn't wait to learn draconian "oh and by the way... learning how to make clothing last through a transformation is the first thing we go over..."

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Issend had stopped pacing, and was now walking around the area, weaving around tents and makeshift pathways. he growled at anyone who dared step in his way... there was one elf who was particularly annoying. a black haired elf he would later know as Syruin. the elf was bursting at the seams with pride, even when Issend tossed him out of the way the elf still threw insults at the fallen angel.
he paused... that was the first time he referred to himself as fallen. maybe he was fallen. no he was strong and powerful, those other angels and their 'morales' and rules... life's no fun if you dont break the rules

Sellarie, who accepted a fruit from Algaisia, was chewing a succulent portion. He was caught off guard by the sound of clothes ripping, but swallowed before he could choke. In a moment Zana was again in her natural form, this time calmly placed nearby, and not grasping him and Evenus from the ground... "Yes... We will work with your clothes...." he said, distracted, before noticing that his phrase was dubious "You'll learn that pretty quickly, I mean... when you have your clothes for a long time, enough for you memorize its details and recall it on your mind, you can 'stock' it through magic, and bring it back when necessary." He completed pretty fast, to change the subject "a second option is when you make it with your own hands, not using only magic, so it creates a link with you, and can get easily stocked or repaired..." he sighed. "Enough with that now".

With a second flash of light, his form grew assuming his dragon form; his body covered in dark golden scales was not so long as Zana's, but his long neck and tail would make him just a little shorter, and slightly taller at the shoulder. He had no fur or mane, but brown feathers covered his shoulders, elbows and all the borders of his wings, and two kinky horns top his head. Spiked scales were around his jaw, near the ears and forming eyeridges instead of eyebrows. "Here we are. This tent is really appropriate for us." He folded his wings and laid down like Zana, near the corner of the tent so they would not block all the path. "So... this is the real me." He smiled to Zana, a little insecure, and also turned to Algaisia "Sorry for my lies earlier. You would be afraid of us. And my real name is Sellarie, even if it means 'Sunset' too."

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Are'Zel cried hugging Francheza so tightly that could hurt her. That was the real Francheza, he knew it in his heart, and she used the language they created when she was only a cub. At least this part of his world was there, fine, like an anchor to his old life, and propelling him to his new path. "My dear, I have no idea why you are here, but please, never go away..."

She gave a step back, and turned quickly to Nocru, like noticing him for the first time. "Please, please, I'm really sorry. I was so worried about him! I'm his sister and..." she interrupted when noticed he was crying "Oh, by the gods, I am terrible. Please, forgive me. How can we help you?" he looked at the gray ceree with her deep hazel eyes, not with pity, but overflowing candor. She rested a paw over his and emaneted a warm aura "I can see you're in pain... but this is probably a new place for you too. A new place to be a new ceree, and write a new story. Oh, you are the source of Avarel, aren't you? The one bonded with my brother?" She said in an almost divinatory way, making Are'Zel blink.

"Francheza, this is too much by now." He turned to the other. "Really, I'm sorry for this interruption. My name is Are'Zel, but my sis call me Kerwel or Avarel sometimes, that's not so important now. But we really want to help you, if we can." He smiled closing his eyes, still wet from crying, a gesture he does very often. "And yes, maybe we have a strange link." He shrugged.

"Hmm, oh thanks." Evenus said as he ate the fruit Algaisia offered him. He looked at the two dragons in the room. " So that's your true forms. I didn't expect them to be so... what's the word, beautiful." He sighed as he looked at Algaisia. Well, they're pretty much the shapeshifers here. I'm all aviendrii. If that disappoints you, I don't care. I'm just plain old me."

He sighed as he again tried to sleep. He felt horrible. After they came to this plane, he had a slight feeling of nausea and he felt like his muscles were on fire. Maybe the tension of the previous days had finally caught up with him. Once he knew sleep was never going to touch him, he stood up, grabbed his shortsword and started filing his nails. " So, does anyone know why we're here in the first place?"


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Syagrus went out of his tent to get some air. The tent was a bit too stuffy there. The blades were at his back, chains strapping the blades into place. His brilliant blue eyes had a solemn look as he looked at the others. Dragons, elves, cind, aviendrii, and even fellow ceree. It was nice to see them all working together for a certain purpose. He looked at his paw, it was now a pale blue, not the gray it was once. He sighed. So this is the effect of calming down. He wished that the effect was permanent. He didn't want to go back to his old murderous self. It was horrible just thinking about it.

He smiled. He released his wings and started to fly. He hadn't used them for quite a while.

Algaisia watched, not reacting, as the two turned into dragons. What more, one of the dragons were the one that was chasing the person on horseback. Al quickly reviewed the events that have transpired. One, a dragon appeared where they were considered rare. Two, there is another dragon. Three, a lady in white appeared to them and took them to another realm. Four, Al was able to summon a bag of his supplies when he had no magic in him. Five, the dragons didn't try to eat him... yet. Al thought that was pretty unrealistic, like a dream. Algaisia started nodding, as if he knew exactly what was going on, then he took his knife and stabbed himself in the leg.
"OW!" He dropped the knife and started fondling his leg, still wincing and occasionally moaning with pain. He was grateful for this painful distraction, because the real truth was harder for him to handle. He was in a room with two dragons. He was IN a room with TWO dragons. DRAGONS. Dragons whom might become hungry at any time, especially now that his blood is gushing out. He glanced at the two, dreading what will eventually happen.

Zana giggled when Sellarie tried to rephrase his embarrassing statement... her laughter was suddenly cut short, when he transformed, replacing the feeling with awe. she gulped, staring up at him. he was larger than her, but not quite as long... his dark gold scales glimmered even in the low light of the tent. she took several long moments of silence to fully observe his figure, from the tip of his tail, to his feather, to his face...

after all her silence, all she could manage was a simple "wow" she spoke at last, unable to pry her eyes away from him. the moment was slightly ruined by the fact this was the 'first' other dragon she saw, considering those who where freely walking about in this plane... but Sellarie was the first dragon she had really met, spoke with, and gotten to know. the moment was still special in it's own way. after he laid down she smiled "you should really stay in this form more often, the shape of an aviendrii doesn't suit you quite as well... err, no offense Evenus" she added, looking to him. after that she blinked at what Evenus said about them... he considered them beautiful? "aw, thank you for the comment Evenus... jeez your going to make me blush" she joked, laughing... after all he white scales where incapable of blushing...

She was about to try and answer Evenus' question of why they where here... but she was interrupted when Algaisia began to think this was all a dream and stabbed himself in the leg. she blinked "... your... an idiot" she snorted, pulling herself a little closer to him and looking at his wounded leg "moron, look what you've done to yourself... i dare say you might of done some real damage" bracing herself for the taste she snaked out her tongue and licked the wounded area. quickly cleaning away the blood, she shuddered with distaste... to her elven blood was disgusting, thats why she would never eat one. "yuck... okay, now hold still, i need to concentrate" she said as she closed her eyes and began to mutter a spell... what several there might realize was the spell was not dragon magic, but elven magic. after all she had been raised by an elf, thus had been taught many of their magic spells. the spell in question made the flesh of algaisia's would fuse back together, leaving him with only a minor scar. taking a deep breath upon completion she snorted "now... first of all, this is real in case you think this is a dream... and next time you think it's a dream... please pinch yourself, stabbing is always a bad idea... by the way, i won't fix the hole in your pants, thats yours to stitch up..." she took a moment to poke her head out the tent flap, spitting out some of algaisia's blood. she pulled back in with a gag and looked to Sellarie "he tastes disgusting..." she joked

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Issend suddenly stopped, he jerked his head to the right... that feeling, he would know it anywhere. "Angels" he growled, his eyes narrowing. he slowly began to stalk his way towards the tent in which he could sense two souls that where different from others. soon he was standing just outside the tent, eyes glowing red as he examined the two through one of him secret abilities. he could 'see' souls and read peoples personalities through this...

the first, the older, an Angel originally but now in the form of a ceree with absolutely no knowledge of what he once was. this soul was hard to read... in a way it seemed fractured into multiple different beings. there was a primary one, wise and caring... then it cracked into one of happiness and one of saddness... there was another place, a small void... it seemed almost like a string was coming out of it and attaching to a seperate non-angelic soul... strange strange.

his mind focused on the next soul, much younger... it shared a similar origin to the elder. this one was very kind, and gave off it's own warm aura... it angered Issend for some reason, the purity of that soul... perhaps it was because his own soul had become so dark and consumed by sin? Growling he continued to pace outside the tent, waiting to see if they notice him... or at least her could snoop in on the conversation...

"You are really kind, Evenus" Sellarie said to the eviendrii, his dragon ego slightly satisfied with the compliment. But his eyes found Zana's, saying this is specially true about you.. The moment was cut by Algaisia's actions, that surprised him "But man, why this?" Zana was quick in her care with the elf, and he chuckled with her jocose remark. "As you can see, Algaisia, specially through Zana's spell, we are related to elves too. We were both reared by foster parents of yous species, and we deeply respect your culture. Aside from that, we are not savage beasts." he stressed the words "We will not eat you because we can become hungry at any moment."

As waiting for a specific moment to manifest, Sellarie's stomach growled loudly "And yes, this is happening now." he rolled his eyes, reaching his paw for the fruit he dropped earlier, and swallowed it whole "Even if we eat meat... I can't even think about eating something... sentient." he raised an eyeridge "Or a friend." He passed his eyes around the tent again, and noticed Evenus worried and uneasy "I'm very confused about this place as well, and this is affecting us differently. But I hope we can be friends and help each other." And as a sign of his resolution, he rested his paw over Zana's. Of course that included another resolution... He was just tired of being shy; far from being a philanderer, he was still not completely obtuse, and something very interesting was claiming his attention. He could share his free time being more than a potential hero.

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The natural protective instinct of Are'Zel sent waves of shock through his skin, making his fur bristle. Francheza was still trying to help his companion with her kind and calm words, and was completely oblivious of the change, or the possible danger. Even the air was telling another message, and the fire from another tent cast the scary silhouette of the strange outside.

He looked at it a little longer, and realized that he was the creature near the stone-ceree from the crater, in his homeland. The one who attacked that maniac man with swords, repelling him with strong powers; and now he was just outside their tent, emanating his anger through the air, like heat. "Sorry, I'll be back shortly." He said, before standing up pretending complete calmness. He wiped the last tears from his eyes before going out.

The first sight of the stranger, now much closer than before, was really impressive, but he was firm. Something inside him created an instant aversion, but also a distant recognition about the red ceree standing in front of him. He remained non-agressive, his alerons calmly on the sides of his body, and not tense to battle. And his eyes were not the ones of judgement. His first drive was always to protect and help, and this guy could be a menace to the others, and that was all. "I see you came to this place as well. But you seem angry against someone very important to me. Why? You won't touch her."

(come on other peoples... post!)
Zana gave a sudden shudder when Sellarie put his paw over hers. she blinked and looked at Sellarie, at loss for words. normally she could've said so many things, but she was caught off guard, this was just a moment that made her mind go completely blank. as nervous as his sudden 'move' made her, she gave no moment to pull her hand away "oh... Sellarie... i um... i can't honestly think of a word to describe my emotions right now... oh my" she rambled.

she looked into his eyes, knowing they felt exactly the same way about each other. despite knowing each other for such a short period of time, she knew that feelings had sparked between them... but to jump to far at this point was never a good idea.then she could only smile. she stole a glance at Algaisia and Evenus... wow this moment seemed a lot more awkward with them sitting nearby. never the less she looked back to Sellarie... she had no words for the situation, so she let simple action speak for her. she leaned her head forward, nuzzling him fondly. a simple sign of affection, but effective.

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Issend stood tall as the elder figure stepped outside. his blood red eyes narrow at the sight of the being before him. once and angel, but placed down on some unknown mission... in his mind's eye Issend could almost image the form Are'Zel had once truly possessed. jealousy raged within Issend, reminded of his own sins for which had been cast down as some demonic beast. not even offered any form of redemption... another thing about the ceree before him strokes the flames of anger in his heart. it was what had been said during his fight with the murderous ceree...

he looked to the ground, shaking at the building rage "... i am not lost" he muttered, then he heard Are'Zel speak. he looked up and grinned cruelly "oh? is she that important to you? didn't know, oh mighty angel..." he sneered "hmm, i dont quite think you know what i mean by that do you? nevermind." he teased "i can be angry at anyone i wish, yet i have no reason for it... her existence seems to infuriate me... perhaps i should end it?"

"Tia! My girl, is that really you? Has it really been that long? From what I have garnered from your father, Ceree have very long lives.. I'm surprised you're so... big already.." exclaimed Feheron. He had been seventeen when he was drafted in the army, before then, he had already brought Raducan back to life. After three years, the war ended and with its end came a time of incomparable peace.

Two years after the end of the war, Tia, along with her parents had to return to Sylfe. Even after four years of growing, Tia was still quite small, testament to how long the Ceree actually lived. As much as Fer disliked it, he had to let the family go, because, as Radu had put it, something was calling him back.

Now here she was, the playful young cub all those years ago. It wasn't really that long, Fer was on his twenty-fifth year already, but perhaps time ran faster in Sylfe. "Oh Tia... I've missed you and your family.. It's frightening here. Almost nothing is familiar, and yet, here you are. Where is your father? You must tell me!" said Fer, excitement building in his voice.

Not much had changed with him, he was still very much the jittery self-pitying person that Radu had come upon those years ago, but he was no longer weak. Radu's possible presence removed all fear from his heart to know that he'd be fighting alongside a friend.
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Nocru felt a sudden relief when Francheza entered the tent. All words that the two spoke were lost on him. He felt, for the first time in his life, content, after the small ceree had placed a paw on him. It was as though all the sorrow and guilt and anger on himself were washed away. He knew they would return somehow, but he would enjoy the time while they were gone.

He sensed Are'zel tense and was clutching Francheza nearer to him before the older Ceree had a chance to speak. He simply nodded to Are'zel that he meant to defend Francheza with whatever he had. As soon as he had set eyes on the young Ceree, her charm had captured his heart. He remembered having a little sister like her.

Under his breath, he whispered to himself. "Perhaps.. just perhaps.. maybe if I protect her... I can redeem myself from everything I've done..." Before he could contain himself, memories of his family flashed before his face and the tears began to fall. Whispering still to himself, he said "I'll protect you... whatever it takes... I will."
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Syurin languished in his tent, everything he could ask for was there. Maybe he could just sit out whatever was happening in there and wait until he was sent home. Hopefully, no one would unceremoniously break into his tent, for their own good. He smiled, he simply loved himself. He had everything a man could want.
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Faith hissed in anger and with a flick of a wrist alarm gongs tolled all across the camp. Hellhounds were streaming in from the north. Shadows from the east. The wards around camp were weakening, the illusion of the plains of fate wasn't going to hold for long.

Making the plains look a little more than a charred landscape was for the sake of the newcomers. If a new recruit would appear and got chucked in the middle of a burning field, its panic would simply do no good. "To arms! Everyone available, to arms!" yelled doubt, armor making an audible clinking as he stomped out of the tent.

Francheza was surprised at first with Nocru's reaction, but she quickly relaxed close to him, and positioned herself almost hugging the other. She was easily pushed by her nature to help this ceree, at the same time older and protective, but fragile near her, and tried to sustain her caring aura around them. She could barely hear what the other was whispering, but his tears made clear that something very particular was assaulting him, and she would not interfere now. With her eyes closed, she didn't noticed the tiny flowers sprouting from the ground inside the tent, and that her magic, even invisible to almost everyone, except the most sensitive, was catching attention of people around their tent. The magic of an angel could be easily sensed by someone open in heart. But then the gongs sounded...

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You maniac! You won't touch her! I'll dance over the shreds of your body before you can even think of doing her any harm... A part of Are'Zel was convulsing, infuriated by the words of this agressive stranger, but he tried to silence his mind, and stood moveless, except for his alerons, now stiff like blades. This anger was dangerous to him... even completely unaware of the situation, his soul would start to look distorted, a reflect of his sins as a mortal, creating the image of another fallen. His angel nature was giving space to the one of a common ceree after all his years in Sylfe, and being so, was tempted by all evil coming from a dark side of his heart.

After some seconds of awkward silence, the green ceree recovered his inner peace, and faced the ironic grin of his opponent with his own ironic eyes. "You can try, but I'm sure this is not the time. If you really want confrontation, we'll wait the proper moment." As a punctuation of his words, the gongs sounded clear through all the camp, and the claim for battle started all around them. "And until then..." he glanced one last time to the red ceree before turning his back "The name is Are'Zel." A final spark of his own sin was alive in his eyes and voice "It'll be your last memory if you insist in this"

Entering the tent, he found Francheza and Nocru together, and only with resolution he touched their shoulders. "We need to keep you both in a safe place. Stay here, far from the danger that is approaching from the other side." Francheza started to protest, but he interrupted before she could finish "You won't fight. And you still need to rest and eat something to recover your strenght." he said to Nocru. "If the danger approaches this tent, I'll give you both a sign, and you move to a better location." Since these two were bonded to Are'Zel, he was sure that he could communicate with them from far. He exited the tent again.

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For some instants, Sellarie forgot about the others in the tent, and nuzzled Zana kindly in her green hair, with closed eyes. Since he never had a dragon companion, these gestures of affection were new to him, but natural. Facing Zana again, he tried to say Thank you with his eyes and smile, while hoping deeply that the little sensation he felt earlier was not a purr, or that it was too low for the others to hear.

With the sound of impending battle, Sellarie stood again, sad for breaking the moment, but worried about the others. "I know will be useless to say 'stay here and take care' to any of you. So let's help with what we can. Sounds interesting." He went outside and waited for the others, wings unfold and ready to take off.

Evenus stared at the very obvious dragon couple showing affection then rolled his eyes. For him it looked disgusting and embarrassing to be showing affection in public. Bah love. Nothing but trouble. Only makes you stupid and crazy. He took his bow and maneuvered it in his hand. He took an arrow from his quiver and started maneuvering it in his hand too. He expertly moved the bow and arrow simultaneously, his eyes gazed at another location looking completely bored. Then the boredom stopped.

The ringing of the gongs had made him alert. Finally some action! Enough of the boredom and the mushy love. He took his weapons and his knapsack and hurried out. The farther from the boredom and love the better.

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Syagrus enjoyed the feeling of flying, wings outstretched, the wind in his fur it made him relaxed. When he had heard the signal for battle, his eyes briefly showed a dull gray. He descended and ran, shifting into human form, clutching his blades. He was armed and ready for the impending clash.

Whatever trance Syurin was in was broken utterly when the blasted gongs rang inside the camp. He had dozed off, relaxing in the middle of his large tent. He woke up to the smell of smoke and the deafening clanging of the gongs. Part of the tent was on fire and outside it moved strange sinister shapes.

He immediately got up and grabbed Klyro. Holding it up in a tense stance, ready to lash out at whatever would have the nerve of attacking him, he opened the tent flap. The smoke from a couple of burning tents made it hard to see. The nearly opaque mist not only burned the eyes but also the lungs. Syurin was soon coughing.

He had only moment's warning before stabbing Klyro upward and catching a beast under its jaw. His blade pushed right through its head and when he slipped the blade out, it was red hot. only as the creature convulsed on the ground, in the last throes of death, did Syurin get to see what it really was.

On the ground, twitching in its final breaths, was a black beast, around its head the last vestiges of flame sputtered and died. From the tip of its tail, a smoke rose and added to the opaque shroud that impeded Syurin's vision. It was as large as a rhino but built like a wolf. Two horns protruded from the ends of its maw, one at the top, one at the bottom. Its eyes looked like dying cinders, as though the flames in them had gone out.

For the first time since he arrived, the true depth of the situation hit Syurin. This was no place to be lounging around. This was a battlefield. After that, a sudden thought entered his mind "And who better to lead a glorious army to victory than a similarly glorious, perhaps even more so general. He was determined to be that general."
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"Well, Tia, maybe some other time" said Fer grimly. His face hardening as the gongs tolled. He rushed outside, silver bracelet gleaming as the red dragon got to his feet and started after Fer. The contraption placed around its maw and collar glowing similarly to the bracelet.

"What's happening?" Fer asked the first soldier that passed in front of him as the red dragon emerged from the large tent flap.

"We are under attack from two fronts. Hell hounds are attacking from the north, shadows from the east. A number of tents are on fire from the Hellhound attack. Unless you're a mage, I don't think you should go east." The soldier ran on after informing Fer. He was heading towards the middle of camp, probably to summon more troops.

Fer was a mage, but his powers hadn't yet been developed to full potential. He decided to fight at the north, the hellhounds being familiar to him. The scene that he beheld was nothing short of a battlefield, the charred remains of tents smoking in the distance. The baying of hellhounds was still echoing so he supposed that they were still around. One look at a hellhound's body made him gasp. Those were the kinds trained by the cinderheart. They were supposed to be on their side.

Tia snorted, why must things like that go off whenever she want to relax and have a nice chat with a friend? bah, curse her luck. she stepped out of the tent just in time to her the situation from the other soldier.. she considered the situation... and decided to head to the eastern front. she would've liked to go the the northern front with feheron... but her powers where light based like her mother's... thus combating shadows would be the best option.

as feheron headed off she called to him "after the battle i'll get mom and dad to meet you head, we will talk then!" she yelled. hoping he head she turned and ran off towards the eastern front... then she had to turn around because she figured out she was running west, not east, she had a terrible sense of direction.

----
Issend's grin turned from cruel to savage... this angel in mortal form could succumb to sin? oh wonderful, absolutely wonderful. it seemed that the sin of wrath was what would make him fall. Issend smiled to himself, a little more pushing and there might be another fallen... just... like... him.

Issend seemed to slow down, about the time Are'zel went into the tent, Issend felt Francheza's delicate caring aura. he just seemed as if he had been frozen in time. he simply stood there, blankly staring ahead yet seeing nothing. he let her aura was over him for a few moments then something strange interrupted his thoughts... a flower sprouted between his feet. he looked down at the flower "a... tulip" he said aloud. between his feet was a single red tulip... he reached a paw towards it and lightly touched it with a claw... then something strange happened, it changed. thin thorny vines twisted around it's stem, the petals turned black as night, leaving only a small spot of red in the very center...

anger returning to his face, he twisted around to go to the front lines and forget this. as he did, his tail hit the flower, breaking it's stem and leaving it bent... as he walked away, the tulip, now dark in appearance like him, raised back up. within seconds, it was perfectly fine, shooting straight up, even the thorned vines around it perfectly intact... for as long as issend lived, that flower would remain there, reflecting the nature of his soul with it's outer appearance

-----
Zana smiled, enjoying the moment... and of course gongs go off. freaking wonderful. she sighed, following him outside the tent. she laughed "your completely right... to tell me to stay here when there is fighting ging on? completely usless... so i guess it's time to see how many enemies i can brutally rip into tiny shreds" she smiled, tickling the underside of his neck with the paint brush like end of her tail as she walked by him. she smiled "i'm going to fly ahead, dont wait up" she teased, leaping into the sky as she stretched her wide wings for flight

within moments she was scanning the battle field from above, soon she was able to tell the shadows in the east and the hell hounds in the north where the enemies. choosing the best place to begin, she saw a large hell hound sneaking up behind an elf would seemed to be reveling in his first kill of the day. thinking quickly she swooped down her talons sinking into it's skull and breaking any forms of bones it had in it's neck. she then pulled her paws away quickly, landing on the ground for a second "ow ow ow, hot hot" she gasped, of course as a dragon her body and hands where built to be defended from fire... she still felt heat though, and those hell hounds where hot!

... then she stopped, looking down at the elf next to her. the hair, the sword, air of pride and self confidence, clearly over lavish tent nearby.... the same way 1+1=2, she could tell this was the noble she had been 'chasing'. she gave a quick jump, using her paws to clasp his arms to his sides, she smiled at him "well well well, your that elf boy who wanted my head... i never caught your name" she grinned, flicking her long reptilian tongue at him

Evenus choked as he inhaled the black smoke. His eyes had teared up and everything to him was blurry. He flew upward to get a better view of the commotion. The attacking force were hellhounds and they were the main cause of the fire. If they caused the fire, then closed range combat was not an option. He took his main choice of weaponry, the bow and arrow.

Even through the thick smoke, Evenus still had deadly accuracy. He had shot hellhounds at their vital parts, killing them instantly. All the while Evenus enjoyed the event, as if it was some sort of game. He was happy that he gets to use his bow and arrow once more, happy to shoot enemy one after another using only one arrow each. He was happy for his skills with his weapons. Noticing the scarcity in his arrow supply, he had no choice but to descend and retrieve his arrows from the fallen hellhounds. But as he landed into the blurry battlefield a hellhound immediately jumped and attacked him. Acting quickly, he took his shortsword and slid down the huge beast, taking a quick view of it's grotesqueness. He made a stab, and quickly cut through the beast itself. The heat from the hound conducted into the metal of the sword, making Evenus almost drop it. As soon as the hellhound dropped dead, Evenus hurried to the locations of his arrows. When he had found them, they were still intact, not a single one broken. He smiled, these arrows had a special property, they were indestructible no matter what force is applied to them. His smile quickly faded. This is a battle. There is no time to be smiling.

Rising again, he quickly searched for his allies. All he saw through the veil of thick smoke was Zana protecting an elf from an attack, and as soon as she finished it, he went to assist.


____________________________________________________________________________

Syagrus coughed in the thick smoke. The hellhounds kept coming after him, yet he dispatched all of them just as quick. As he noticed the breed of attacking helhounds, his eyes flickered shadow. " These are cinderheart breeded hellhounds. How is this possible?" He knew shifting into ceree form was not going to help, as fire only makes the beasts stronger. He stayed in his human form. Even though it was less powerful than his ceree form, it was the most practical option.

He let magic flow throughout his body, encasing him once again in hardened magic. The armor wasn't heavy, but it could hold against the heaviest of attacks. A hellhound striked at him, he struck back, instantly killing the beast. He felt a sensation of heat prickle his skin but that wasn't a major hindrance to him, the continuous flow of magic can slowly heal the burn wounds. What he did worry, was the madness, the desire to kill. He was afraid it would resurface once more. He was timid, and he tried not to kill the beast, killing it would possibly made the blood-hungry insane part of himself take over and it might hurt the others. He was fighting not only the hellhounds, but also himself. He needed to be cautious.

It was hard for Sellarie to stay away from Zana, the sensation of her touch still on his skin, but he resigned himself with fighting. His first move was to clear the vision of that black smoke, using his most basic wind magic; in mid air, words of the harsh language of dragon scaped his lips, and the air coming from his wings was maximized, blowing away the smoke during his flying across the camp. Then, with quick blows of cold air, he tried to extinguish the fire from the tents, making the path secure for the ones battling in ground, and also their equipments. The wildfire was now condensed around the area invaded by the hellhounds, since they were the source of it.

Seeing their size, Sellarie gave up in his first idea of throwing them up in the air, where they were pretty helpless, before killing, because he'd grow tired too quickly. Instead, he used his magic only to guide the arrows and bolts of the other warriors, making sure all of them would hit the target, while using powerful dives to strike the beasts with his claws. The burns in his skin was slightly attenuated by the same fresh air.

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Francheza lied down sighing after her brother's departure, worried about him and tired of being left behind. She didn't notice the red ceree when he was in the entrance, but the unique tulip caught her attention. She approached and looked deeply to the unnusual flower growing there, sure that it had a meaning... it was not there moments before. Despite the vines and the wild colors, it was still a flower, in that chaos. Without knowing the reason, Fran used her magic to make more tulips sprout around this one, and they came in different size and colors. She grinned happy; the black one looked still different, but it was not alone anymore...

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Are'Zel finally reached the area where the hellhounds were being repelled, now that his path was unobstructed. They looked much bigger at that close distance. Using his first magic to tie its legs with roots, Are'Zel was soon frustrated by the herculean strenght of the monsters, together with their fire abilities. He took his tall elf form, something he avoided for a very long time, and reached a large bow with weird arrows abandoned near a destroyed tent. His long arms could handle the bow perfectly well, and his magic - creating cracks and fissures for the beasts fall and trip in their rush - were beind deadly. His short brown hair was wet in his sweat, but his hands didn't stop firing the arrows.

A huge group of hellhounds appeared in his sight. He was sure he couldn't handle all of them, and he would run out of arrows very soon. Just above his head, he saw a winged being, looking like an elf armed with a bow as well. Enhancing his voice with magic to make sure it would reach the other, Are'Zel screamed to the stranger: "Hey, you! Shoot as many as you can! I'll gain you some time!" Turning back to the vicious creatures, he let his magic run freely through his body and enter the ground, like an expanding consciousness, reaching and molding the earth around the enemy. Tall walls of rock started to grow all over the area, forming apertures in some places. They were hard to climb, forcing the hellhounds to slow down or pass in small numbers through the apertures, making easy targets. Pointy rock growing from the ground were still stabbing some of them in the belly or in the soft part under the jaw. But that magic proved too much for Are'Zel, and he fell on his knees, almost fainting.

A horde of angelic beings joined the fray to the east. Their swords imbued with light made short work of the smaller shadows. The larger ones, however, kept drawing out shadows from anywhere there were shadows. Wave after wave of petite, but very dangerous shadows attacked the warriors. Normal steel simply wouldn't cut so only mages and those with special weapons were fighting on this battlefront.
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Nocru hugged Francheza tight. The sounds of fighting were terrible and they seemed to be getting ever closer. He looked into Francheza's eyes and they sat there for minutes silently communicating, telling of their fears in the impending battle. Nocru sighed, but somehow, he knew that the beasts would not make it very far.
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A horn sounded in the distance and suddenly, all the beasts turned tail and stalked out of camp. Mages scrambled to reestablish communication with the few small pockets of warriors fighting on the plains of fate, but were not successful. "This was all a diversion!" growled Faith.

A simple scrying of the battlefield revealed something horrible. A dark, ancient art that never should have been created in the first place. Faith gasped when she finally saw what this was about. The fallen warriors were now Agador.

Issend growling in annoyance as he saw the angelic beings and their attempts to defeat the shadows. their weapons where somewhat useful, but did nothing towards the big shadows. he grinned as pride swelled within his chest "you fools dare cast yourself in the form of angels? bah, you insult me... i may be fallen but tis is how it's done!" he laughed, mocking them. he took a deep breath, sending a bolt of red energy from his maw. despite being fallen, his magic was still light based, proving he wasn't 100% lost, if he was he would be using dark magic.

this energy burst screeched through the air, blasting one of the largest shadows in the chest. the shadow and several smaller ones around it quickly dissolved into nothing. snorting with narcissistic pride he prepared another burst... but then the shadows left without much warning. he blinked "they left... " he was honestly as confused as anyone else... then something next to him groaned. he looked down to see a man who had been killed by a shadow start to move again... he looked to issend with lifeless white eyes...
"Agador..."

---
Tia'mara and Liara where fighting together against a horde of smaller shadows. tia'mara was currently fighting, using quick bolts of light magic at the shadow's most vital areas. she could easily kill one with two or three bolts. Liara was kneeling on the ground behind Tia. liara was not injured, just restoring her energy. the horde of shadows had been so large that the mother-daughter team had started working in shifts. one would fight for awhile and keep the shadows at bay, while the other paused to recharge.

it was currently tia's turn and she was doing pretty well... not as good as her mother, who could blast apart large groups of shadows with a single bolt... but tia was doing fine for now... then the shadows seemed to give up. they shrank into the ground and retreated. "w-whats happening, why did they leave?" tia asked her mother
"i dont know... but it can't be good. come tia we should find your father"

---
Zana was still waiting for a response from syruin... but something else caught her attention. the sounds of battle had stopped, completely... in the silence, only interupts by small scraps of speech from others a distance away, a sound broke out. it was a sound that curled blood and made blood stand on end. a long slow moan filled the air, then another and another. Zana, stilled holding syruin in her claws trembled slightly, her head snapping to look at the corpse of a fallen warrior nearby.

it twitched, then opening it's mouth in a slow moan. it began to sit up... but zana could tel it was not actually alive anymore. the burning hole in it's chest was enough to prove that... it was undead "zombies" the white dragon muttered as she began to back up slowly. Zana was strong willed and strong minded, not many things could strike anything even related to fear in her heart... but it was tales of the undead, often related by the elderly elf who raised her, had always been her one and only fear... i just feel bad for syruin. stuck n a terrified dragonness' claws? it must be getting hard to breathe...

Francheza was grateful for Nocru's assuring proximity, even if they were both afraid of the chaos surrounding their tent. His eyes were revealling glimpses of a sad story, hard for her to read and understand completely; her heart could easily embrace the pain of others with her kindness, but she had little contact with the sad reality of the worlds around her, making her the more pure, but also unprepared.

When the sounds of battle finished, insead of relief, she felt a growing fear fill her heart, making the breath difficult. That feeling was clear in her eyes. At the same time, something deep inside of her could feel the proximity of the angelic beings, and she started to pray silently, with all her might. Her aura was getting stronger, slightly pulsing and vibrating, emanating a pale gold light.

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The world was spinning around Are'Zel while his mind was moving away from the body... he couldn't focus in his vision, but he had the impression that the monsters were retreating, what forced a tired smile in the corner of his lips. A move on his right catched his atention enough to make him turn his head, and he saw some fallen warriors moving again, standing up and walk slowly. Fortunately, they ignored Are'Zel, continuing their walk in another direction.

That vision brought back some of his lucidity back, but he had no strenght to get up again. His body would not obey him, and he couldn't even shift back to his ceree self. When he started to feel desperate, a luminous being approached him with arms open, emanating a light that felt familiar, good, but at the same time frightful. Before he could protect himself, he was engulfed in that strong presence and his mind faded under the power of the angel. His absence was easily perceptible to Francheza and Nocru.

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Sellarie sighed relieved seeing the last hellhounds running, and searched for his friends around the battlefield. He easily spotted Evenus and Zana, holding the lord they were pursuing in their homeland. But she was strange, and that was nothing related to the young man she was holding. She was looking in fear all around her, making Sellarie turn his own head and search the area. He soon found out the many creatures walking clumsly, unnaturally. When he discovered they were the fallen soldiers fighting earlier, something very strange flicked inside of him. And that little thing grew huge.

Who was manipulating the dead so easily, violating not only the bodies of honored people, but also their sacrifice? How could be denied the rest for the warriors, and their return to the Origin? Making some soldiers face the nightmare their own friends have become, and then fight them?

Who dares to scare a dragon, specially Zana?

Sellarie roared madly and nosed down, almost falling from the sky directly over some zombies near his friends. It was horrible to see, the blood was everywhere; he had no pity for this lifeless bodies, and was only sad for the lost souls, maybe imprisioned in some way. But even this mercy was not clear in his heart, making him much more a beast than an righteous soul. His eyes were bright golden, his nostrils flared and his body tense. A furious dragon can make an insane barbarian look like a moody kid, and Sellarie was not even completely furious.

The limping was simply a side-effect of the turning. They hadn't even undergone the full transformation. Destiny recalled all his Agador. They would serve him well in this war, after all, somehow, he simply couldn't find the Traighluhn. Those would destroy Faith's armies quickly. As the moments passed, the Agador became more coordinated and soon, with superhuman speed, they were rushing back to the tower.
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Nocru saw Francheza glowing. Fear was welling in his heart, so he hugged the small ceree tight and basked in the warm glow of her aura. They would be like that until someone comes for them, he thought.
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"Get off of me heathen beasts!" yelled Syurin. "Let me down and I'll show you how it's done!!" he said pointedly to Sellarie. He picked up his sword Klyro and swung it at one of the passing Agador. It got stuck and the Agador simply grunted.
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Fer arrived at quite an odd scene. An elf fighting two dragons and an aviendrii and a partly turned Agador growling at the elf who apparently had his blade lodged in the beast's chest. He decided to keep quiet and watch, interested in how the events would turn. However, deep inside, he knew that to combat Agador, they would need to have Agador of their own, something that was a terrible matter to even consider.
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Doubt pounded his fist against the table. A scout had just run in, saying that none of Destiny's summoning pylons had been destroyed, and there was also the eerie fact that none of the warriors that were in the plains could be found. Doubt suspected they had all been killed in the raid and turned to Agador. Killed by what, though, was the question everyone wanted answers to.

Oath stood from her place and strode to the table. She simply looked at Doubt with sympathy. Doubt nodded and Oath released the magic she was weaving and the illusion that the plains were simply a vast expanse of rolling hills and crystal structures disintegrated, revealing what it truly was, a gray landscape devoid of life. Charred, gnarled trees at regular intervals and crystal towers where Destiny's forces came from.

They suspected that Destiny summoned them at the base of the Tower of Wyrd and bent them to his bidding. But with the revelation that he could create and control Agador from such a distance in a mortal realm, they began to think that he summoned all the creatures directly from the pylon. Doubt was sure, though, that an endless army awaited at the Tower, not to mention Destiny's Abode as well.

a blast of purple energy came from the sky, destroying an agador... well it destroyed the body, freeing the soul of control was an entirely different matter. Radu floated down, heaving a sigh as he ran forward and embraced his wife... they both then looked to their daughter... who was not there...

Tia'mara was running at full speed through the camp. she recognized these creatures. Agador, abominations that where summoned from the dead to serve a master... as much as she hated it, she had to admit... she owed her life to the art. liara and radu had died before tia was born. if Fer hadn't accidentally raised them as agador she would of never been born. of course there where more important things to do other than have a trip down memory lane. Radu himself had said it, Fer had an odd gift when it came to magic, even agador magic, her father had said it wasnt fully developed and wouldn't be for a long time.

none the less, he was still the best to go to when it came to agador. his scent was easy to follow, she would find him soon.

-----
Issend clamped his jaws on the head of his third agador, crushing it's skull and infusing it's body with light. out of habit, he used 'crossed' himself after the kill. he looked at his paw, dripping with blood, 4 inch talons like knives... fallen as he was, he still couldn't let go of the habit of crossing himself and muttering prayers. he snorted in disgust, the gods had never done anything for him. they did not deserve such a servant...

his head snapped up, an angel had come. he switced to soul vision, focusing on two souls. a bright shining angelic soul and a dimmer one... a cracked one. Are'Zel... the angel was taking him! "NO YOU DONT!!" issend roared as he began to run in the direction of the angel before it could get away... he wasn't done with Are'Zel... or at least thats what he told himself

-----
zana blinked at Sellarie's fury... it was impressive, but scary in it's own right. she knew he was just angry because he could tell she was scared... talk about embarrassing, having to be saved like that. she sighed, she was curled up in a corner against tents, trying to avoid any undead... even that arrogant lord was braver than her in this situation...
Zana looked as syruin tried to cut down a 'zombie' but only got his blade stuck. the annoyed agador grunted once but looked at syruin as if syruin was a simple annoyance...

Zana took a deep breath and readied herself for what she was about to do... hopefully after this she could get something to wash the taste out. before the agador could attack, she shot forward like a snake at prey... and clean bit off the upper half of the agador... she chewed it slightly then spat it out again. she looked at syruin "take your toothpick please" she said, spitting out his sword, Klyro, and spitting it at the ground at his feet.

she looked to the other problem, the raging dragon. she ran over and jumped infront of him "SELLARIE!" She roared to get his attention. she got up to him and nuzzled him "please calm yourself... raging like that doesn't suit you" she purred

Sellarie was panting heavily, interrupted by Zana, and surprised by her proximity. Slowly, he looked to himself, his paws bathed in blood, as was part of his body. His rage faded, making his breath normal again; he looked to the ground like a child after a lecture, ashamed of his own behavior. He was always the first one to proclaim the social skills and intelligence of dragons, despite their image for the others, and acted pretty much like the monsters he despised all his life.

Approaching Zana with his long neck, he rested his head in her neck and mane, murmuring "I'm sorry...". He would never dare touch her, staining her pure white with that filth. "I'm calm now." he tried to smile, but was still ashamed. The movement around him made he turn his head, as he noticed the last undead running into certain direction. Their destination cleared only with the end of the encantation in the lands around them, showing the true nature of their surroundings, in it's complete desolation and destruction. For some reason, this did not scared Sellarie this time; the place was much more consistent with the circumstances now, it was just natural...

One last agador passed near them, but Sellarie ignored it, feeling that killing it would be useless now, for some reason. What caught his attention was a different scent, of someone very alive and unknown to the group. "Please, reveal yourself. You'll be fine, as long as you don't give us any reason to change our mind."

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Are'Zel felt strange, being infused by the power of the angel carrying him. Familiar scenes and memories popped in his head, but made little sense to him, while his connection to Fran and Nocru was growing weaker. His old self was gaining power, being rescued by the angelic being, fighting his mortal mind.

Images of a beautiful place, full of wonders that look like a good dream to the living emerged to him, and he desired to leave this land of desruction and war, to live again in peace...

The angel was trying to bring him back to their comrades, and use Are'Zel as a source of valuable information about the world of the living, and a powerful tool as well. Being "material", he could influence the facts with much more accuracy down there. But the angel failed in his predictions, because the growing power of Are'Zel's angel abilities also awoke his main reason to exist: the Virtue of Zeal claimed him back to that world of pain and sorrow, for he had a mission to accomplish there. He was necessary. So, with only one strong move, he escaped the angel's grip and fell to the ground.

He fell quickly, stopping suddenly, only a few inches of the ground. His body floated above the destroyed land, his elf form slightly changed, with silver hair instead of brown, his skin bright and his eyes lost in a distant place. When Isend approached him, he looked to the black and red fallen, and his eyes were full of compassion, something that would probaby infuriate the other. "I must tell you something important, but I think I won't have the time." He paused, his bightness fading slowly "Don't hate the angels for what you are... they... didn't" his voice failed, his mortal self overcoming his old existence, and erasing his memories. He covered his face with his palm "Their magic was not... to turn you... " He fainted, falling into the ground, not like an elf or angel, but in his ceree self, except that his brown mane and markings over the back were now silver in color. His breath was calm, like someone in deep sleep.