Dreams of the Blinded

[TheOutlander]

Mirrassi

The girl quicky wrested her arm away from his hand, Mirrassi groaned as she wrenched his arm, stinging his wound on his right shoulder.

"I can keep up. Don't worry about me."

"..Yes, very well." not understanding her tone, he kept her modesty by not taking her hand, and he did not throw her over his shoulder. It never occured to him that her cultural background would make his actions unacceptable.

Mirrassi bit his lip until it bled, holding back curses and other words that would be illegal to speak in a woman's presence, even if she did not understand them.

Mirrassi slowed down a bit, matching her pace so he could run alongside her, having the goblin on his shoulder didn't help, but his legs were longer than hers, and his dedication, he beleived, was greater.

[wxdruid]

Dom Kyriell

Dom Kyriell gently closes the dead man’s eyes and says a brief prayer for the deceased. After a moment of genuflection he gets up and looks around. He briefly looks at the man that followed him inside, protected him from the crazed soldiers. Kyriell nods once and heads into the main area, towards the spiral staircase. For the moment he does his best to ignore the screams, the pleas for help, as he searches for the Prince and the King. He wonders if they'll still be alive, unhurt, or in need of help. He hurries as much as his sodden robes allow, picking them up in one hand as his feet take him across the floor.

[WhiteKnight777]

Wulf

Wulf grunted and bowed his head for a moment as the priest said his prayer, then spoke up at last. Do you know where they're fer keepin' the royalty, lad? we've a need to find them before the puppets or the puppetmasters get 'em.

[wxdruid]

Dom Kyriell

Dom Kyriell wonders who the lad would be, he knows his hair is turning grey and he's feeling his years. He turns to look around and realizes he's the one the man is talking to. He stops for a moment, They should be this way, he gestures and begins hurrying in that direction.

[The_Snark]

Ula

The shot is perfect, one she would be proud of any other day. It was a shame to hit the only part of the soldier that looked like it didn't want to kill her, but it couldn't be helped. Ula nocks another wooden arrow, but all the other soldiers are dead or gone too; Lily and Arjun have killed the ones who hadn't fled. She hopes those soldiers weren't important, but Raven remains silent, and that is encouraging.

Lily is kneeling over the queen, and that's not so encouraging. Ula replaces the arrow in her quiver. "You can't save her, you know," she says, moving over towards Lily and the queen and speaking quickly to keep her from doing anything foolish. "You'll only die. Here." Ula crouches on the other side of the body, drawing her skinning knife and holding it blade downward between them, giving Lily the choice of who would cut the queen's death short. Her eyes are fixed on Lily, and she's tensed to move quickly if the other woman tries to save the queen somehow. Even if Lily were stubborn enough not to listen after the queen demonstrated what came of not listening, she couldn't heal the queen of a knife in the throat.

[Lonna]

Lily Deliack

Lily was frozen with indecision, fear of death by arrow wound warring with fear of death by execution. Complicating the issue was a frighteningly simple realization: Lily did not want to save the queen's life. This was the purpose for which she had been trained, the reason she had been forced into a life of privilege to shallowly conceal her slavery. And therein lay the problem. She had been forced. Since the day she first saved Her Majesty's life, the only decisions allowed her involved how best to defeat those who threatened the queen. Not once had she been allowed to so much as select the color of a dress. In some ways, she had died on that day, so many years ago. Why must she die again now?

"You can't save her, you know. You'll only die. Here." Ula crouches on the other side of the body, drawing her skinning knife and holding it blade downward between them, giving Lily the choice of who would cut the queen's death short. Her eyes are fixed on Lily.

Lily met the strange girl's eyes and slowly nodded, setting aside for now the question of how she knew so much. If death is inevitable, it is better to die for my own reasons. I have lived a dead life for too long. I will not die for the woman who stole my freedom!

Ignoring both the girl's skinning knife and her own longknife as being no faster than the wound already pumping royal blood onto the thirsty ground, Lily turned her eyes toward the queen's chest. Almost immediately the injured woman's labored breathing ceased, the solidified air within her lungs and around her torso physically preventing her from taking breath. "Sleep, Mistress," whispered Lily, half forgetting the presence of the others. "This is crueler than your rank demands, but kinder than your deeds deserve."

Already weakened by extreme blood loss, it wasn't long before the queen's faint flicker of life was extinguished. Lily released her concentration and stood, looking in the direction of the other two. "My owner, Queen Agate, is dead." She said it simply, keeping a wary eye on the diplomat. He probably knew more about the laws of this country than she did, so his reaction would give her some clue as to whether she should start running now.

[Inspectre]

Within his helmet, Galen sneers at the approaching angel. He had been able to see this creature whenever it arrived to carry out its dark work his entire life, and familiarity bred contempt. In this specific case, the angel's arrival would have provoked some trepidation as well, had Galen cared about the girl. Unfortunately for her, he did not, and apparently no one else did either.

Alone, there was no possible way he could make it to the cathedral with her in time. And so Galen decided to hurry on and catch up with the other two men at the Gate, and hopefully thereby be included in the Princess's gratitude. But first, Galen's bitterness about the situation called for a good-bye speech.

"Look." He whispered in the girl's ear, not bothering to point out what her eyes already were focused on.

"Do you see her? She's here for you. Death. All your life you've run away from it, feared it. But now your legs can't carry you any farther. What a pity there is no one here to carry you then, but the sad truth is no one cared enough to save you. You simply aren't important enough, and so you will lie abandoned here in the streets like an animal. Alone. You are going to die alone, and the only one you have to blame is yourself. Better luck next time. I'll be going now to give you two some quiet time to get acquited."

Standing up, Galen strode off down the street after the two gentlemen, leaving the girl to face her own death alone and forgotten. He hoped that he would be able to find them if he just moved in the direction of the Gate, and followed the trail of bodies.

[Silverkiss]

Julius Dragonblood
Location: The Great Gate
Condition: 92%

Julius and Ark remain silent, pondering over their own thoughts. After a while, the sound of a running man can be heard by the two resting figthers, and both rise, preparing to meet the newcomer, if he is an attacker. As Julius see that the newcomer is the third one who was him before, his eyes move to where he came and back to him.

"Hey!" - Julius shouts, so the man can hear him - "Weren't you going to the Church ? What happened to my sister ?"

[Inspectre]

Seeing the two men he was looking for, sans swarms of angry homicidal guards, Galen slows to a stop in front of them, not even breathing hard as it had only been a short run.

"I'm afraid your sister is dead, or near enough that she cannot be saved. I told you I needed an escort to the cathedral if I was going to make it, but even your - sister, was it? - said that protecting the Princess was more important. Once I saw I would not be able to make it alone, I agreed with her assessment and moved to join you. Fortunately, it seems you don't need my help, limited although it would be, after all in clearing the Gate. Good job."

[Silverkiss]

Julius Dragonblood
Location: The Great Gate
Condition:92.5%

"What the... I thought you were going to the Church no matter what ! Dammit ! DAMN IT !"

Julius pushes the man aside as he starts running back from where they came, to the place his sister was. He knew that it was probably too late to save her, but it didn't matter, he had to try. As he ran, he felt his anger boil inside of him, anger for making the wrong choice and trusting a stranger. As Julius runs, a change starts in his body. His muscles increase in size, and his legs run faster; his hair turns white and his eyes turn golden. Ark and Galen, looking from the Gate, watch as his speed increases manyfold, running much faster than a normal person could.

Dissapearing throught the streets with the speed of lighting, Julius goes all the way back to the place where his sister laid. He arrived to find her down, in the ground, unconscious. He didn't take the time to check if she was alive or not, he couldn't afford to waste her precious life, if she was still in this world. Taking her in his arms, he continues to run as fast as he can through the streets, now moving towards the Church.

[WhiteKnight777]

Wulf

Wulf nodded, following along, his cape billowing slightly as he moved. He just hoped they were in time. He'd not want to miss the reward for saving a princeling, after all.

[Ambon]

The magic drained out of Arjun, Athanaric's thoughts faded and he looked with regret at the lives he took. He had heard Lily's instructions too late and considered that perhaps it was a mistake to invoke Athanaric. Regardless it was done and he turned to his two companions now as they looked over the dying queen.

He overheard Ula's advice to Lily but kept his distance. If she was to be saved it was up to Lily alone, the bloodlust magic had hollowed him out and even if it hadn't he was a lawyer-priest and no healer. He approached them slowly andthought he saw an odd stillness in the queen. Fatigue, no doubt, was playing a trick on his mind as she soon expired quietly.

He heard Lily's statement and nodded. Bowing slightly towards the royal corpse he made the sign of the setting sun. It seemed to be a complicated matter, she called her an owner rather than a master or queen. Whatever it was it could be dealt with later.

"We should continue to the Embassy."

[Pwenet]

Prologue

• Location: Embassy Lane – A Dark and Crowded Alley
  • Ambon - Arjun Takei
    
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    As you speak the words about going to the Embassy a strange echo runs through the alley where you all are. It sounds like hundreds of voices chanting the same thing at the same exact time throughout the city.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    Before you can react a second sun erupts in the sky. Looking up at it you see the bright light quickly fade away.
    
    Within you it feels like something goes dark, like a gift you possessed is no longer available. Similar expressions of shock and confusion are evident on the faces of your two companions.
  • Lonna - Lily Deliack
    
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    As the wound pulses the last of the Queen lifeblood you release the spell of solidified air that was within her lungs. It is thus quietly that your owner, the Queen dies in the middle of a dirty alley by herself.
    
    For the moment it seems that the diplomat believes that she expired from the wound, not from your efforts. However there is no time to do anything before a noise can be heard. Rippling throughout the city is the sound of hundreds of voices speaking as one. AS the words echo throughout the city you realize that everyone in the city must be able to hear this.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    A second sun ignites in the sky, blinding you for several seconds before it vanishes.
    
    There is a empty feeling within you, as if something you had been aware of, cultivating for years has vanished. It is almost as if your magic has been nullified.
    
    Looking around you see similar expressions of shock on the faces of the others. It appears that whatever affected you has affected them as well.
  • The_Snark - Ula
    
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    As the Queen passes away an echo starts to make its way through towards your location. It sounds like hundreds of peoples voices chanting the same thing at the same time.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    I’m sorry child, I will be gone for a while, but I will return. Keep Lily safe.
    
    A second sun erupts in the sky.
    
    A sudden stillness washes over you, as if something within you that you grew up with vanished. Calling to Raven there is only silence, as if he is gone.
• Location: Drunken Sailor Inn
  • tgva8889 - Marissa Carthwright
    
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    After getting some space away from Mirrassi you follow them towards the gate when the Avatar speaks up.
    
    Mirrassi is…. An oddity. I can’t see him except through your mortal eyes, he is not there and yet he exists. Be cautious of him.[/I]
    
    Luckily it seems that the fighting has died down some more and your small party is able to make excellent time towards the gate. Reaching it you see another group of civilians trying to guard it from a mass of guards. Before you can react the guards stop. Halting in place they move stiffly, taking up a stiff posture. As one they all then clear their throats and start speaking as one, their combined voices echoing through the city.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    The church bells start ringing and the gate opens. It looks like a vortex of blue water which stabilizes with each bell stroke.
    
    Oh No! Prepare yourself chi[/I]
    
    The Avatar voice cuts out as a figure starts to step through the gate. Clad in a elaborate wedding gown is the Princess. Her angelic face looks almost sad, yet determined.
    
    A second sun ignites in the air and the surviving city guard members collapse.
    
    The gate collapses.
    
    The princess blinks once and far too slowly starts to fall to the ground, no longer supported by two legs. Striking the ground face-first you can clearly see that half of her body is simply gone. Bones, muscles organs, even her brain are visible to all
    
    Yet for you what is even more obvious is the sudden feeling that something is missing. The Avatar is no longer with you, gone.
    
    All over the place the city guard who collapsed start to pick themselves up, moving under their own control.
    
    At the base of the gate the blood of the princess continues to spill from her mangled body as Mirrassi collapses to the ground screaming out in agony.
  • mf11 - Ghelach Dhuulkhaar
    
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    Luckily it seems that the fighting has died down some more and your small party is able to make excellent time towards the gate. Reaching it you see another group of civilians trying to guard it from a mass of guards. Before you can react the guards stop. Halting in place they move stiffly, taking up a stiff posture. As one they all then clear their throats and start speaking as one, their combined voices echoing through the city.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    The church bells start ringing and the gate opens. It looks like a vortex of blue water which stabilizes with each bell stroke. Slowing a figure clad in an elaborate wedding gown is the Princess. Her angelic face looks almost sad, yet determined.
    
    A second sun ignites in the air and the surviving city guard members collapse.
    
    The gate collapses.
    
    The princess blinks once and far too slowly starts to fall to the ground, no longer supported by two legs. Striking the ground face-first you can clearly see that half of her body is simply gone. Bones, muscles organs, even her brain are visible to all.
    
    A sudden sensation of loss runs through you. Far too quickly you realize that your magic is gone.
    
    All over the place the city guard who collapsed start to pick themselves up, moving under their own control.
    
    At the base of the gate the blood of the princess continues to spill from her mangled body. As Mirrassi collapses to the ground screaming out in agony.
  • The_Outlander - Mirrassi
    
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    Luckily it seems that the fighting has died down some more and your small party is able to make excellent time towards the gate. Reaching it you see another group of civilians trying to guard it from a mass of guards. Before you can react the guards stop. Halting in place they move stiffly, taking up a stiff posture. As one they all then clear their throats and start speaking as one, their combined voices echoing through the city.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    The church bells start ringing and the gate opens. It looks like a vortex of blue water which stabilizes with each bell stroke. Slowing a figure clad in an elaborate wedding gown is the Princess. Her angelic face looks almost sad, yet determined.
    
    A second sun ignites in the air and the surviving city guard members collapse.
    
    The gate collapses.
    
    The princess blinks once and far too slowly starts to fall to the ground, no longer supported by two legs. Striking the ground face-first you can clearly see that half of her body is simply gone. Bones, muscles organs, even her brain are visible to all
    
    Incredible pain washes over you, as if your body is being torn apart and yet it is trying to stay together. Collapsing in excruciating agony you can only observe what is going on at the moment.
    
    All over the place the city guard who collapsed start to pick themselves up, moving under their own control.
    
    At the base of the gate the blood of the princess continues to spill from her mangled body.
• Location: The Great Gate
  • Dorizzit - Ark Tamayus
    
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    Clearing the area around the gate, like in many battles there is a short time of peace to rest and gather yourself. Exchanging words with your companion the sounds of footsteps approaches and you prepare yourself for yet another long battle.
    
    Yet these guards do not approach, instead they walk in formation towards you, and then turn and walk in columns before stopping. Turning they clear their throats as one and start speaking. Their voices echo throughout the area and you can hear the echoes of the words speaking throughout the entire city.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    The church bells start ringing and the gate opens. It looks like a vortex of blue water which stabilizes with each bell stroke. Slowing a figure clad in an elaborate wedding gown is the Princess. Her angelic face looks almost sad, yet determined and even before she fully emerges she speaks.
    
    ”Follow her.”
    
    A second sun ignites in the air and the surviving city guard members collapse.
    
    The gate collapses.
    
    The princess blinks once and far too slowly starts to fall to the ground, no longer supported by two legs. Striking the ground face-first you can clearly see that half of her body is simply gone. Bones, muscles organs, even her brain are visible to all.
    
    For a second everything freezes, and then your body screams out in agony. More than you ever could have experienced before you simply collapse on the ground, screaming out as your body tries to tear itself apart and put itself back together at the same time.
  • Inspectre - Galen Sar-Terechou
    
  • Silverkiss - Julius "Dragonblood" Renfield
    
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    Racing through the streets with inhuman speed you become aware of what appears to be a chorus of people yelling out the same words at the same time.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    Pushing this out of your mind you continue to run.
    
    A second sun ignites in the air.
    
    Your body shifts back without warning into its normal human form, the transition incredibly painful, which is not helped as you crash to the ground. Pain continues to course through your body as look up. Your sister, thrown away by the force of the impact looks at you with dazed eyes which slowly start to lose focus. Her mouth moves stiffly and then she sighs and life leaves her mortal shell.
• Location: VIP Entrance to the Church
  • WhiteKnight - Wulf One-Eye
    
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    Following the priest you two race up several flights of stairs and down hallways. Despite the noises of death and destruction coming from the city the inside of the Church seems to be relatively peaceful, except for piles of ash on the ground.
    
    Reaching a large double set of doors the priest opens them up, before freezing in place. Racing in you see the Prince, the King and another man. The King and the Prince look at the man with hatred who appears to be missing those glares, due to his eyes being empty sockets, which seem to glow a dim red color. One of his arms is outstretched towards the priest and he gestures, sending the priest flying through the room. He then tilts his head towards you.
    
    ”An angel here! What a surprise, you fall first.”
    
    The man’s hand seems to solidify and pain washes over you. Falling to your knees the impact seems less real to you, yet you are there. Trying to move you find yourself frozen in place.
    
    ”That’s better… Wulf One-Eye? That is an interesting name you choose for yourself for this age. Maybe I should make that Wulf-No-Eye? What you think my King?”
    
    The man turns towards the king and you notice that his lips are closed tightly, far too tightly to be of his own will. The prince is in a similar situation and the priest seems to have been forgotten.
    
    ”Before I being my final symphony this morning, I should take a precaution, no? I don’t want you looking for me in Dreams.”
    
    Walking over the man looks at your with his empty eyes and his hand flashes. Blindness takes you and the sticky warmth of your blood washes over your face and pain races through your head as your eye is torn out. Yet you can’t move, not to defend yourself, not to react, not even to scream if you choose to. Yet you can still hear.
    
    ”And now, it is time! Goodbye Prince, it was nice meeting you.”
    
    There is a sound of movement, a whisper of a blade being drawn, a gasps of pain and agony and a collapsing body. Still unable to move, trapped kneeling on the ground.
    
    ”That is better, time for my speech. Goodbye Angel, we will meet again.”
    
    There is a whisper of air, and suddenly you find yourself able to move again. At the same time words start echoing through the city, as if spoken by hundreds of people at the same time.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    The church bells start ringing.
    
    A man starts sobbing in the room.
    
    Suddenly your body feels stiff, stuck and fixed. Your senses dull and you feel tired and worn out. It is as if whatever had made you special vanished with whatever happened, trapping you in a body of, a human.
  • wxdruid - Dom Kyriell
    
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    Taking the lead the two of you race up several flights of stairs and down hallways. Despite the noises of death and destruction coming from the city the inside of the Church seems to be relatively peaceful, except for piles of ash on the ground.
    
    Reaching a large double set of doors you know is the main waiting chamber where the Prince would be waiting Opening them you find them sitting in chairs with another man. He raises a hand at you and you freeze. The man looks at you with disinterest and gestures, sending you flying through the room and against the fall wall, several ribs cracking from the impact. Falling to the ground you find yourself frozen, your lips pressed tightly shut. The King and the Prince look at the man with hatred who appears to be missing those glares, due to his eyes being empty sockets, which seem to glow a dim red color. His attention then focuses on your companion.
    
    ”An angel here! What a surprise, you fall first.”
    
    The man’s hand seems to solidify and the fall falls to his knees, his face contorted in pain.
    
    ”That’s better… Wulf One-Eye? That is an interesting name you choose for yourself for this age. Maybe I should make that Wulf-No-Eye? What you think my King?”
    
    The man turns towards the king and you notice that his lips are closed tightly, far too tightly to be of his own will. The prince is in a similar situation and he seems to have forgotten about you.
    
    ”Before I being my final symphony this morning, I should take a precaution, no? I don’t want you looking for me in Dreams.”
    
    Walking over to your companion, the man looks down at his sole eye, and his hand flashes, emerging with the eyeball of the man. As fresh blood emerges from the now empty socket the man look at the eye and tilts his head. The eyeball disintegrates in a golden shower of sparks which then seem to fly into the man who smiles.
    
    ”And now, it is time! Goodbye Prince, it was nice meeting you.”
    
    Raising a hand the man gestures at the King, who stumbles up and pulls out a short dagger. Step by step he walks to the Prince, and with a expression of sorrow stabs the blade into the heart of the Prince, twists several times and let’s go before walking stiffly towards the window.
    
    ”That is better, time for my speech. Goodbye Angel, we will meet again.”
    
    The man then vanishes, and everyone is able to move and speak again, including yourself. Before anything can be done echoes of voices can be heard , as if hundreds of people are speaking at once throughout the city.
    
    ”Mortals! Far too long you have been blinded by lies. You are all but pawns in this grand scheme but I am here to free you! Yet to free you the end of all hope, end of all the innocence, to be someone like me must happen first! Angels, they fall first! DESPAIR and REJOICE!”
    
    The church bells start ringing. Making your way to the window you see the gate activate and a figure start to step through it.
    
    Then a second sun ignites in the sky.
    
    The gate collapses.
    
    The King starts crying as you recognize the white dress worn by the person who stepped through the gate, now missing the rear half of her body.
    
    A sudden coldness washes over you, and far too quickly you realize that you connection to your god, to your healing abilities is gone.

End of Prologue

[wxdruid]

Dom Kyriell

Kyriell rushes in on the scene, only to find himself telekinetically thrown against the wall. He struggles to breathe as he hits the floor. He feels the sharp stab of pain from broken ribs and struggles to breathe shallowly, to minimize the damage. He tries to move, feels the force holding him down and relaxes, not fighting against it. He watches with frustration and horror as the man takes his companion’s eye and forces the King to kill the Prince. Although there is nothing he can do, still he feels rage at the scene taking place before him.

When he’s released, Kyriell leans over and coughs. He looks back up at the Prince and realizes there isn’t anything he can do for him, it’s too late. He scoots over to Wulf and reaches for that inner core, his healing talent, at the same time, the voices sound outside and seem to pound into his mind. He closes his eyes and after the message is over he tries to concentrate, only to find he can’t find the core of his abilities. He pulls in a sharp breath and feels a stab of pain. He reaches inside again only to feel the emptiness. He bows his head, but his training takes over. He opens his eyes, searching for something to bind the wounds with and pushes the recent happenings into the back of his mind for now. He notices the flimsy curtains and slowly and painfully gets up to rip them down and tear them into strips.

[Dorizzit]

Ark Tamayus
Location: the Great Gate
Condition: 23% (unconscious and messed up from the effects of magic cancellation on his immortality, a few flesh wounds and scratches)

When Ark sees the large force of guards approach, he is up in an instant. Plucking his sword from the ground, he spins it to clean the dirt from it before planting it solidly in his sheath. Shifting his stance to a balanced fighting pose, he prepares to ward off the attack of the soldiers. However, they do not take any aggressive actions, simply standing for a second before they launch into a loud, sonorous speech. Ark relaxes slightly. Oh great, we have some wannabe god trying change the world or something. I guess that makes three in my life. Stupid f- The Gate begins to activate. Just once, why can't they be late whenever it would be actually convenient? He sighs, and after casting another cursory glance at the now pacified guards, walks towards the princess...'s remaining half. "Oh sh-EEAYARGH!!!!!!!" Ark screams in agony as his body fights a vicious battle with itself and his very mortal coil is rent and reformed. He collapses to his knees, and then falls flat to the ground. The pain continues, and Ark struggles. He shuts his mouth through sheer force of will, and then pushes up from the ground. He collapses again, but struggles up, first to his knees, and then to his feet. Finally, he lifts one agonized arm up, straight out, fist clenched at the guards. A single digit is raised. "Wherever you are, I hope you can see this, you son of a b-" Ark doesn't get a chance to finish, as a surge of pain overwhelms his senses and he collapses into the sweet, gentle darkness of unconsciousness.

[Silverkiss]

Julius Dragonblood
Location: Streets
Condition: 80%

Julius cries in agony, both from his physical pain and from the sorrow of losing his sister, the only loved one that he still had. He crawls to where his sister is lying, and with a loud growl of agony let's out all his pain.

After a few minutes crying over his sister, Julius is able to get on his feet. The pain has passed, though he still feels strange. He looks to his sister one last time. "Goodbye, my beloved sister. We well meet again soon... But not yet. I have bussiness to finish before this ends. I will make the bastard who did this to you, and to this whole city, pay. Goodbye."

Julius turns, and starts to head back. There's no point in going to the Church anymore. He starts walking as fast as he can, and as the pain diminishes and ends completely, he starts running. He tries transforming, but doing so only sends a bolt of pain through his nerves. Better not try it yet... Running as fast as he can, Julius goes back to the Great Gate.

[Lonna]

Lily Deliack

Having spent the last eight years training her Gift, Lily knew exactly what it felt like - the shape that it occupied in her sense of self. And now there was a hole of that exact shape in the place where her Gift should be. Still, she couldn't quite believe it. She took three trembling steps to the guard she had incapacitated earlier and knelt next to him, tugging off her right glove. Lightly she pressed her fingertips to his cheek, bracing for the pain of his half-detached ear.

Nothing.

She looked at the others, eyes wide with hope and disbelief. "It's gone... My Gift, it-" She stopped as a slight pain, like being pricked with a pin, made itself known on her left ear. Snatching her hand away from the guard's skin as if it burned, she touched the spot and stared at the blood on her fingertips. "No," she corrected sadly. "It is just weakened; it will come back."

I will not be freed so easily.

Standing again, she replaced her glove and turned to face her companions. "Queen Agate should be returned to the embassy, but I will not go back. I do not desire to die so soon."

[ForzaFiori]

Ghelach Dhuulkhaar
Status: very tired
Location: big gate

Ghelach vaguely feels himself being carried by the large man, straining to keep his eyes open as he watches the scenery fly by. He feels himself stop moving, and looks up, over the shoulder of his new friend, and sees a really big gate. Wow. If the tribe ever manages to rebuild, we'll have to make one of those... we'll be the kings of all goblinkind with one! he thinks, before a loud voice causes him to clasp his hands over his ears. Suddenly, he fell as his carrier collapses, and he hits the ground hard, jolting him from his tiredness. He stands, feeling strange. As he realizes what it is, he gets scared. His powers had been what made him stand out, what had kept him alive through his very long life. He feels naked without them. Even knowing that they are gone, he tries to use them anyway. no fire comes to his hand. I hope that my powers come back... I could really use them with all those guards there... he thinks, before he sees that, thankfully, the guards appear to be back to normal. He turns to the girl, who seems to have the same look of apprehension and fear he does. Did you lose some sort of power too Marrisi? he asks.

[TheOutlander]

Mirrassi

As the second sun ignited the sky, Mirrassi covered his eyes. Unfortunately, this loosened the goblin currently on his shoulder. Other than the glare, only a feeling of familiarity rushed through his body. Gheluch began convulsing on his shoulder, falling from it, and landing painfully on the cobblestone ground.
He recalled his failures, both his fever and the present. He looked into the sky, breifly remembering the open mouth of the shaman. A calmed vortex spiraling an entropic web into reality for just a split second, and yet, it lasts forever, a visual mind-trap that kept Mirrassi silent for seven years.
And there he stood, for seconds that turned to minutes, he lowered his head, and bayed softly, as the sun rose to a bloody morning.

He barely heard the goblin's question, but replied.
"Nothing that hasn't been taken from me before."

Were Mirrassi paying attention, he would have noticed that his necklace had dulled, only re-sparking at the end of the hour.

[tgva8889]

Marissa Carthwright

Marissa walked a short distance from Mirrassi, constantly looking towards him with a strange look. She had no idea what she felt, but something about Mirrassi made her interested in him. Perhaps it was the strangeness of his culture.

Mirrassi is…. An oddity. I can’t see him except through your mortal eyes, he is not there and yet he exists. Be cautious of him. He's harmless. How can you say that? You do not see him through the lens that I do. I see that there is something about him that is otherworldly. He is not fully human, like you are. Am I fully human? I don't remember being fully human. I remember being part deity.

The Avatar went silent for the remainder of their run towards the gate, and Marissa couldn't have been happier.

As they approached, Marissa saw the gate more clearly, remembering it from her past visits to the city. There it is. We made it, Avatar. Something feels wrong about this. Be careful, child. At those words, her hands visibly tensed around her spear, ready for some amount of action. However, the sudden change in the soldier demeanor strongly affected her. As they stood stiffly, she stared with fearful awe. "What are they doing? What's going on with them?

The booming voice filled her mind. She heard it deeply, reverberating in her skull as she took deep each and every word. Do you hear this? What's going on, Avatar? What's happening? Without response to her query, Marissa could only wait for something to happen.

As the speech came to an end, the gate opened and Marissa sensed the fear of the Avatar. But what she sensed was not normal; it was completely otherworldly, as if Salaria herself was afraid of what was happening. Oh no! Prepare yourself chi-

Marissa's eyes widen in horror as the gate closes with the princess half inside it. Without knowing it, she drops her spear with a clatter to the ground and screams in horror at the scene. Wh...what could have done this? What kind of beast could have possibly have caused such horror? Her mind could perceive no response. Suddenly, she felt empty. Impulses she had never realized were not hers disappeared. The only thoughts she could hear were her own. For a few moments, Marissa was truly alone.

Marissa turns to the others and notices a distraught look on Ghelach. Something appears to be wrong with Mirrassi as well, but for now it does not concern her as much as the loss of the Avatar's connection. She looks to Ghelach for help, wondering what she should do for a moment before making a snap decision.

"Is everyone alright? What's going on? Do you know what's happening?" Her tone was clearly frightened, but beyond the fear she appears perfectly fine.

[Silverkiss]

Julius Dragonblood
Location: The Great Gate
Condition: 90%

Julius arrives at the Gates once again, with his body already in a fine shape. He doesn't know if he can activate his transformation yet, but his body is otherwise normal already.

Arriving at the place where he separated from the others, Julius finds both Ark and Galen on the ground, surrounded by the many fallen guards. He looks around, sightly confused. "What happened he..." - That's when he sees the Princess' mutilated corpse.

"NOOOOO !!!!"

Julius runs to the Princess' side, but she is long dead by now. "I... failed. I failed my duty to my sister, and now I failed my duty to the Princess. Father, I have dishonored your name." - Julius bows to the Princess' dead body, and stands, his eyes full of tears.

"I have failed, but I will not fail again. Father, just wait. I will regain my honor when I find the bastard who did all this and end with him. Sister, I will follow you after my job is done. Now, I must go, to take care of those who are still living."

Julius runs to Ark's side, checking if he is still alive. He seems in pain, but fine, with a heavy breathing. "Ark ! Ark ! Wake up, Ark !" - With some shakes and slaps to the face, Julius tries to wake Ark, fearing that what happened to himself had struck Ark with a far greater strenght.

[Dorizzit]

Ark Tamayus
Location: the Great Gate
Condition: 50%, weakened but conscious.

Ark's peaceful rest is interrupted by someone slapping him repeatedly. What happened? his memory fails him. He takes the beating for a few seconds, determining the likely position of his assailant and assessing his own aching body. He figures that he probably took a knock on the head, and he doesn't think he's in the company of friends. When Julius reaches up his hand, Ark's darts out, grabbing him by the shoulder and shoving him back. Ark rolls over and to his feet, already in a defensive position. He relaxes his stance when he sees Julius and remembers what happened. "Oh, hi. Sorry about that, I've had some bad experiences being woken up by being hit." He stretches. "Gods, but that hurt. Magic is so ingrained in my being...ugh, it felt like I was being pulled apart. I'm getting better now..." He looks around. "But I still feel like sh-Oh!" he sees the Princess. "Forgot about that. It's terrible...if she had been a few seconds earlier or later, she would have been fine. Still, nothing much we can do now."

[Silverkiss]

Julius Dragonblood
Location: The Great Gate
Condition: 90%

"Yes, I know. Fate wished it to happen that way, it seems, as much as I don't believe in destiny. Well, let us not cry over spilled milk. You heard some bastard's speech, talking like he was the freaking king of the world or something, didn't you ? I'm certain that he is behind all this chaos that happened today. What do you say ? Let's catch him. I have a duty to find this bastard, but I certainly can't do so alone, by what I've seen today."

[Dorizzit]

Ark steadies himself. "Yes. I took it upon myself to defend the princess, and I failed. This monster killed all of these people and likely traumatized the whole guard to do what? Make a statement or point? He has got to be stopped. Plus I need to pay him back for that antimagic blast. Plus-" Ark grins somewhat mischeviously, "It's been a while since I've had a good adventure. Now, let's get that son of a-" a guard nearby groans. "Oh right. We'd probably better get these guys out of their helmets, just in case." He begins to do so. "Would you mind telling me a bit about yourself?"

[Ambon]

Arjun felt the spark inside him go dark. It happened so suddenly that he wasn't sure that it happened at all until he saw the faces of his companions. He went over the lore, the words, the magic in his mind. The structures were still there, so clear and strong, but they had become colourless and drained of life. The Gift was gone.

But his fears were quelled when he heard Lily's sad admission that her powers had not faded entirely. He hoped the same was true for him.

Meanwhile, the most urgent danger had passed them, replaced by a far more mysterious and frightening one. Whoever started this orgy of violence - a powerful entity no doubt - had ended it with another demonstration of its power and what sounded like ... what exactly? A warning? A declaration of war? A call to rejoice and despair? At least now there was time to investigate and to prepare. Even without his Gift, he could at least do that.

He couldn't care less about the royal corpse but it would hardly be appropriate to make that disdain obvious. The living were a more pressing issue. So his companions were gifted. The girl, Ula, that he had dismissed as an urchin. An unclear case maybe, but she might be useful nonetheless. And the woman, Lily, who was more than an ornamental noblewoman. A gifted bodyguard to a dead queen. And what were the laws of her land like? No doubt much like the laws of his ancestors if her fears were justified. Was she to be entombled alive like the Olru servants centuries ago, 'privileged' with serving their lord in the afterlife? Or maybe burned at the funeral pyre of her master as the Mawartha once did. Perhaps nothing so elaborate, she could merely be blamed for the inevitable death of her owner. Law and justice, he kneow, were not by any means synonymous. There was risk and opportunity here, and a choice had to be made.

"And you do not have to die today. Lady Lily, clearly you are gifted, and such a gift should not be wasted. If I may be so bold I would like to extend to you the protection of the Clan Takei. My legal services are at you disposal, of course, should this matter go to court. But many died tragically this day. I must confess, it would hardly be a surprise if her protector shared the fate of these unfortunate fellows," he said, gesturing at the pile of civilian bodyparts, "and who could say for certain."

"And the same goes for you, child." He said to Ula. "I owe both of you my life."

[Silverkiss]

Julius Dragonblood
Location: The Great Gate
Condition: 90%

Julius begins to help Ark with the helmets, while answering his question: "There's not much to tell, really. I was born into a warriors family, and since a young age have trained in martial arts; I guess I could call myself a master with most weapons. Some years ago, my father dissapeared, and I went searching for him... I almost died... And now I returned to my sister, and she dies on my arms... This bastard will surely pay."

[ForzaFiori]

Ghelach Dhuulkhaar

I am fine...save that I seem to have lost my magic. Fire no longer reacts to my command... Ghelach shakes his head. It feels so odd to be without my powers. he turns to Marrisa What of you? Are you ok?

[TheOutlander]

Mirrassi

Mirrassi looked to his companions, only recently disenchanted, innocence still stirred in both. Their feelings of loss were written all over their faces, and they were visibly upset by the loss of the princess.

People die, Mirrassi knew and accepted this, as did all of the men in his clan. If one fights, one must realise that there was always a place and time for death. Where it might be unsettling to learn that one has died, especially a woman of such caliber, one must remember that death holds no grudge, and has no anger; it does not quarrel or betray. It is the one reliable thing in life, it keeps the powerful humble, death was a blessing, but not in this society.

Not that Mirrassi wanted to die.
Far from it.

Mirrassi just knew that after killing others, he had no right to shy from death.

As to what was going on, Mirrassi had an idea. "It is the beginning of the end. The seperation from the light and the dark, the Seceulce." The end times were vague in his lore, but now twice in his life he had felt the chaos of the lost lands, most men couldn't see it once.

"It is more than coincedence that I met you both. Marrissa. Daughter of snow, why do you come here? And you, goblin, why save a stranger?"

[tgva8889]

Marissa Carthwright

Marissa looks to Ghelach at his comment. She thinks for a moment on what to respond with. What, are you going to tell him, "No, I'm perfectly fine. Those voices in my head are all gone now!" You think he'll believe you're not crazy? Seriously, Marissa. Think for a second about what you're doing. To anyone looking at her, she would appear frightened, almost.

Turning away, Marissa says, "No. I'm alright. Everything...everything is just fine. Except for my stomach. What happened to her...I can't..." Marissa realizes too late that she's been holding something in and pukes, directly on the ground. She seems to pause for a moment, but then immediately afterwards pukes again, her body rejecting what her eyes and nose had been taking in for the past few moments. After she began to regain her composure, she calmly wipes her mouth and moves away from her previous position.

Mirrassi's first comment made an effect on Marissa. She knew that whatever he was talking about had more to do with his own culture than the one she understood, but she did recognize what he was talking about. The separation of light and dark. But without light there can be no dark...Salaria. Salaria knew this was coming, and she tried to stop it. But she couldn't interact with this world. She needed me...She needed me to do it for her. And I failed. So what does that mean for Salaria? Does that mean that she will fall? What will that mean for me?

It took Marissa a few moments to respond to Mirrassi's second comment, but only because she had not realized he had said it until shortly afterwards. "Me? My family...oh Gods, my family! Oh Gods, oh Gods, oh great Gods!" It only took Marissa a few moments to start going completely insane. "My family, oh Gods...I came with my father and...oh, oh Gods, my brothers...they're...oh Gods..."Tears begin to fall as Marissa realizes that her family might all be dead. "They...they were caught in the fighting...oh Gods...my father...he told me to run...so I ran...I ran...I...oh Gods..."

[The_Snark]

Ula

Her eyes were squeezed shut because of the flash of light already, but Ula doesn't open them when the bright light against her eyelids fades. Raven? He had told her he would be gone, and she could feel that as she tried to imagine that dark place inside her head where she could talk to Raven. It was just hard to believe. She couldn't remember being without him.

Raven?

She feels very alone.

The voices of the others start to intrude on her again, and Ula opens her eyes. "We should go," she says. "Not the embassy. Outside the city." She wanted to be in a forest she knew again, one without murderous soldiers and voices in the air. The city was dangerous, too dangerous without her guide's voice. And she wanted to be away from whatever could take him away.

Either that, or she wanted to shoot it, she realizes; the hand still holding her knife is gripping the handle tightly. "Come on," she says, and starts heading back into the alleyway, trying to think of the closest path from here to the city walls that didn't go into the open too much.