"We can keep up!" Darius exclaimed after chugging down a very unbalanced mixture of alcohol and soda from a glass. The young man smiled amongst others within a loud hotel room before nodding to another guy across the way. "Right?"

"Of course. We gotta give these guys the head start in something." Vic, a guy who was also in his early twenties answered. He had a bulkier build, but was better dressed than the rest of the group. He and Darius had been friends for several months now. Vic was one of Darius' first clients in his shoddy personal training business. Sure, it was poor business to hang out with a client, but the two cliqued. Vic was able to introduce Darius to clients that would pay top dollar, and Darius was great company to bring to all sorts of parties and gatherings. Darius was generally familiar with some of the faces present in the expensive hotel room from previous functions. Some were past or potential clients, while others were past and potential hookups. The pregame was always a good time, but it never beat the party. The whole group was supposed to bar hop in the notorious Ybor City, but there was rumor of a potential party on someone's boat as well.

Though the evening seemed like the perfect night to go wild, Darius had very pressing obligations the following afternoon. His brother's wedding. He had sold John some excuse about meeting a few clients as his reason for missing the rehearsal today.

"Mix us another one of those!" Vic shouted. Darius' excuse to John was not a complete lie. Despite accepting the flimsy excuse, John did feel like Darius was just shirking the rehearsal. Either way, the younger of the brothers planned to have them both get a win within the next 24 hours. Darius would get his perfect night and John would have his perfect day. It was simple, he just had to pace himself...

It was simple, yet it was not done. Not done in the slightest.

With a groan, Darius found himself wincing at the sun's brightness as he rolled over. He used his arm to shield his eyes as he continued to groan. His head was throbbing and his body felt like a pile of shit. The worst part was the perpetual rocking movement. It was making the hangover a hundred times worse. Confusion was momentary. The boat! However, the feeling of concern was longer lasting. The wedding!

"Fuck! No no no. What time is it? Fuck! Shit…" His watch's hands signaled a quarter till one. He sighed as he sloppily got up into a kneeling position. He couldn't bring himself to stand up for the fear he might fall over. He saw a few others in the same state he had just been in, just lying on the deck of a boat. A boat afloat about a mile from the dock. He pulled out his phone. The blank off screen made him feel hopeless. He held the power button. Nothing… He sighed and shut his eyes for a moment, as if life would somehow take him from here and to where he needed to be.

Not today.

He tried making his way over to the helm, but had a hunch his effort were fruitless at this point.

I'm… I'm a piece of shit. I'm so... Darius couldn't think of the right word in his current state of mind or maybe he was just too afraid to think it. No one ever wants to admit just exactly how flawed and screwed up they might be. That disgusting side of them. The part that no matter how big or insignificant, it is never completely acknowledged by its owner.

He braced himself on whatever he could get his hands on as he approached the helm. Where he could see someone lying on the ground with a black buccaneer hat atop his head. Darius shook his head and tightly shut his eyes again I'm the best man… They're probably calling me… but I can't… I probably couldn't even face him anyway. Darius took a seat on the ground and just stared off towards the bay with empty eyes. Perhaps he never wanted to attend in the first place.

He blinked a few times, the tears threatened to escape his eyes. He shut them.

I'm always in his shadow… Always... Always watching him just do so well. I can't even be a good second place. Darius let his eyes open before burying his face in his hands. The tears of shame and guilt flowed from his eyes. To be something… anything. It was a desire he felt might never be satiated. The young man sobbed silently on the boat, wishing he that he could have been better.

Darius never made it to John and Erica's wedding. Many friends and family members called hours on end for him, but only managed to reach his voicemail. His inbox held messages of confusion, anger, worry, and lastly, disappointment.

When he entered his apartment he walked straight to the bedroom, placed his dead phone on the charger, and collapsed onto his bed. He was afraid to face the shame of his actions. To be so careless in making decision that led up to missing his brother's special day only meant he was… he finally found the word that fit.

Selfish.

Time:Evening
Location:River Kingdom


Risa eventually was able to calm her crying. As soon as she did, he had let go of her and turned away to look at Cloud's grave. She took a step after him. "I'm so sorry I never came to find you, Helio. I thought..."She drew off.

Helio paused, taking a moment to crouch down while facing Cloud's grave. He said softly after a moment, "Don't be. You were a child."

All this time he was alive. But where? How?

She decided it was best to save her questions for later. They both knew she had many and if he wasn't explaining yet, it was for good reason.

Risa moved forward with the intention to kneel beside him and ask if he remembered Cloud, but excruciating agony would interrupt her before she could even start to kneel. The pain radiated from the center of her body so suddenly she couldn't process its source. She slowly looked down, her arms shaking as she managed to glance down. The end of a vine was coming out of her stomach. A large red patch started to expand fast through the center of her dress. The sight made her face pale with terror.

The vine agonizingly retracted back the way it came slowly causing her to cry out and her knees to unbuckle with its forceful withdrawal Thoughts could not make their usual journey through her mind as a painful ringing filled her ears. She was wailing now, though unaware of it.

Panicked words reached her ears but they sounded too far away at first. Finally, Helio's terrified voice dimly broke through as he yelled, “Risa! You got to heal yourself quickly! Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Helio kneeling at her side, putting his hands over her wound as he laid her down in the grass. “Hurry!”

Sprite Village, a small quaint settlement several miles off Avalia’s west coast. It’s beauty was unique, especially at night since this village primarily relied on the bioluminescence produced by the large population of pixies. Rarely were there times where one might need a lantern or torch to traverse the village. The fairies viewed the settlement as a village, but the pixies considered it their very own metropolis.

But then there was Skar and her horde. They considered this place to simply be a target of opportunity. The orc did not consider fairies as anything more than fraile. Unfortunately this frailty did not excuse them from the encroaching violence that would ensue. Few fae villagers noticed the slow dimming of their settlement. For some unknown reason, the pixies here and there trailed away from the village. The luminous village became dimmer and dimmer, and within an hour’s time… dark. The few pixies that remained kept together in the center of the town giving the village a single bright light at its center. The fae villagers moved to arm themselves with lanterns or spears, but their timing was poor. Many had already been taken under the cover of darkness. Screams were muffled during rapid stabbings or swift bludgeoning. The goblins were deadly in the dark, their eyes naturally adapted to the darkness of the caves they usually called home. They were instructed to only spare the women. The rest were meat. The men. Meat. The children. Meat. The wings of the women were cut into unrecognizable shapes or off completely to prevent their flight.

“Why?! We have honored the truce with you!” The elder fairy of Sprite Village shouted as he caught Skar’s large form at the edge of the single point of light. The elder grunted as thick vines entangled Skar.

"No truce with War Pact! No truce with Skar!” She shouted as struggled against the vines. "NO TRUCE WITH WEAK!” She roared as a spear thrown from the darkness pierced the elder’s leg. He cried out in pain as the attack caused him to fall hard on his other knee. Falling faced down, his people reached out to assist him. Several were impaled by goblins that had charged forth with weapons, while the others readied to fend off the attack as best as they could. The fae ordered a healer to tend to the elder as he bled from his leg. "Weak!” Skar tore herself from the vines that weakened due to the elder’s injuries. "Let Skar teach fairies strength!” She marched forward and snatched the elder from the ground by the nape of his neck, holding him up with one hand. She had viciously plucked him from the young fae woman who had attempted to heal him . Skar intially held the man up as a hostage, but changed her mind as she knew this village had not an ounce of leverage. Without losing another second, Skar smashed the elder’s face into a nearby wall. "Let Skar teach fairies… She then held the old fae up again and used her other hand to grip his throat. "DEATH!” With a disturbing popping sound as tendons tore and snapped, Skar ripped the head off of the elder fae with a grunt before snarling with her now blood-splattered face. She tossed the head somewhere off into the darkness as if it had no value before backhanding the young healer who then collapsed to the ground. "Take this one as slave too! Men are meat, children are meat! Women are slave!” Skar repeated her original order when she had devised this assault. She allowed the goblins to take what they wanted as long as they kept living slaves. Any type of women would serve fine as slaves, but fae specialized in the ability to heal. Skar would make great use of them, and if they refused, she would find new uses for them for her horde. Screams and snarls continued to sound through the village.

"Skaaaar… Sol box has big story of…R-rosh... Roshmi! Big Ball! Too much talk fairy, big demon, and humenz. Big boom! Big death!” The clever goblin known as Dari reported with a wide crooked smile. In one of his small hands he held a small damp cloth sack containing his recently made snack. If the lighting was better, it would appear the dampness of the sack was from some mashed blueberry. If only it was that innocent. Sprite Village was taken quietly, but savagely nonetheless.

It had all started with the use of sweet smelling honey to lure the pixies away. Once caught, the goblins ground them in bags using stone. Some bashed sacks with stones, others bashed stones with sacks. Either way, the sacks were stained blue. Mixing in the honey for use as a snack was an afterthought. Skar snatched up the healer at her feet by the hair. The fae yelped from the sudden action and pain, looking at Skar with teary eyes and a bruised face. All the while Dari was munching on his snack.

"Ugly girl! Tell Skar of humans and Roshmi" Skar narrowed her eyes fiercely before continuing quietly. "And Skar will make you best slave." The girl continued to sob, too frightened to answer. This visibly frustrated the orc. Skar then turned her head to the vicious pillaging, drawing attention to the unbridled savagery in the cover of the darkness. It was difficult to make out everything going on, but the sounds were not deceitful. Skar faced the fairy again. "Unless ugly girl wants normal slavery."

"No… please no." The fae whimpered as she shook her head rapidly. This girl had seen orcs before, but this one… no, this was a demon. A monster.

"Deal." Skar dropped the fae to the ground. "Follow Skar, ugly girl. You are now best slave. You are now Warpact."

O'Ner Faister

TIME: Morning

LOCATION: Forest outside Roshmi

INTERACTIONS: @13org Myra Zelginn @Dezuel, Malachi @princess, Belladonna @Potter

The figure’s silhouette was tall and was moving towards the group; As the figure got closer towards them they notice the familiar face of Mathis. “My apologies for leaving you to the spiders; I hope you are not injured” His eyes turning towards Myra. He was worried for her well being; a strange feeling that he had not experienced in a long time. He hoped that Myra could forgive his absence. His eyes soon looking around at the others; he was glad they were safe but not as much as Myra’s safety.

“I ventured forth to gather the others from the ball; I was hoping I could find someone to assist you all with the spiders. However, I could not find anyone; however, it seems you did not need my help escaping” O’Ner said looking behind him. He wondered if the spiders were still chasing after them; if so then he did not want to dilly dally and let the spider queen caught up to them.

“Where are we going next?” He asked the group; he had sent Tulip away for the time being until she is needed again.

Time:Evening
Location:River Kingdom


"Just heal yourself, Risa! Come on. I'm right here! You're gonna be okay."Helio was gently shaking her shoulders as she struggled to remain conscious. Her brain was slow and it felt like her consciousness was slipping. Though she heard his words, it was difficult to muster the energy enough to register them. She could barely feel Helio's hands shaking hers and pressing them to her wound.

"Kyran's counting on you! I'm counting on you! Heal it, please, Risa!"

That statement managed to relight the fire in Risa enough to focus her energy into her trembling hands. She could feel the familiar sensation of her vibrating hands as mass amounts of magic emitted from them and began to soothe her pain. Her senses slowly began to come back in to focus.

Her fear remained as a thought raced into her mind. Who attacked me?

Her brother's face was looming over her. This was the first time she was able to get a good look and that was all it took to realize how horrible a mistake she had made. The passionate violet eyes she remembered were lifeless and drowning in black pools. A terrible, frightening grin stretched from ear-to-ear across his face. There was nothing warm or loving; this was the smile of a malevolent being taking pure pleasure of her pain.

“Demon…” She managed weakly.

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

Elthrael wasn't the type to generally enjoy gloating, but in this case he had to make an exception. As the female winter fairy had openly stated her interest in him, and complimenting his recently grown apples. The moth fairy had a smug expression on his face, glancing towards Kenia and then towards Bowyn, which had begun to address him.

"Oh no need to fret, my frosty friend. The elf girl's little fantasy is just a fantasy and has nothing real to it. Same can be said of the fairy princess, Risa Millinia. She no doubt believes that after removing the lich from power the world will suddenly have peace. But that is just naivé thinking. What is worse though? Order under the current king or disorder with several kingdoms fighting oneanother til a new Aklenroth would appear?" He couldn't stop a soft chuckle at the end of his sentence as he looked over the group, turning to address Kenia.

"Not at all. I suppose you are just upset after failing to get under someone's blanket the past night. If you have such an urge to get under something, why don't you go ahead and dig underground? By all means dig us a tunnel to the north! I am certain the orc mines would be more than welcome to take you in if that's more to your liking. You do seem like the kind who enjoys digging for gold, or your own grave." The moth fairy smirked, as his golden eyes watched Kenia closely.

'They do not see what I am doing do they? No matter. I will find out who wants to keep this group to stick together and who does not want that. The latter may likely serve the lich king, for what better way is there to turn ones enemies upon each other. Just like Aklenroth no doubt did long ago before he took the throne. In this coming fight, the one who is going to pull these strings will be me. But I'll do it one better. Without a massive civil war. I will seize the throne by force if I have to, order must triumph over chaos. At the crucial moment, I must be the one to take the lich's place. All sides must be pleased with the terms, lest war shall come anew and all of this will be for nothing. Battles are won by men and women with physical prowess, wars are won by men and women with mental prowess. I possess both, yet the latter is by far the more important. Victory and loss in battles mean nothing if the war is lost. I must win. If it will not be my destiny, I might aswell be dead. The answer I seek is not too far away.'

Bowyn let out a deep sigh and continued walking, it seemed a quiet trek through the woods was too much to ask for. He shook his head at Elthrael’s concerns over the power void that would no doubtedly be left if Aklenroth was defeated. It wasn’t that Bowyn was naive enough to believe in some perfect world where they’d all live peacefully together, the thought of it was absurd. People would clash, struggle for power, and conflict was inevitable. Perhaps peace could last for a time but it would never be the permanent state of things and to believe otherwise was to not accept reality. Maybe a new tyrant would arise, maybe they’d be worse, and maybe it would even be Risa herself to become a new tyrant, but whoever it was, they would not be Aklenroth and that was what mattered. He gave at a small grin before answering the question but forth by the other fairy.

“The fact that you need to ask such a question, Elthrael, makes me wonder what you’re doing here. Is it just to sow discourse within the group or is there simply so little room between your ears that every thought must escape through your mouth the second it arrives? Either way what is worse is to allow a dead and rotten thing to rule, to allow those who have died to be forced into his undead army by dark and perverse magic. It doesn’t matter to me what happens after, only that Aklenroth knows a true and final death and that the dead are finally granted the peace that is only found in the afterlife.” Bowyn had started his response with his normal amount of playful antagonizm, but a hostile edge snuck into his voice near the end. Hatred crept into his words, put there by his own mention of the undead army and the memory it drudged up. The image of Aeryn as a half decayed servant for the lich, both aware and yet unable to act of her own will, was forever burned into his mind. It was already difficult to remember her as she was alive and now all that he could remember was forever intertwined with that twisted image. A fresh wave of pain and nausea washed over him as he thought about his brief encounter with the undead.

“And to help Torvi and Belle.” Boreas reminded him. The dutiful merlin prevented his mind from continuing to spiral down into painful places.

“Yes for them too.” Bowyn agreed as he glanced at the bird who rested upon his shoulder. He kept his tone barely above a whisper as he conversed with Boreas.

“Because they are our friends now.” Boreas added, and Bowyn heard a hint of smugness in the merlin’s tone.

“Yes, oh wisest of birds, you have succeeded in forcing me to make friends, are you satisfied? Soon I might even become as foolish as you.” Bowyn said with a slight chuckle, and more relaxed with the welcomed distraction provided by Boreas.

“You are certainly trying, this is now the second time you’ve picked up a stray in a forest. Maybe it’s time I found another myself, I wouldn’t want to come in second place.” Boreas said.

“You could try though I’m not sure you’d get very far in your search. You’ve become rather plump just resting on my shoulder.” Bowyn said and Boreas responded by nipping at his ear. “But, as always, my friend you are free to go.”

“I have become rather comfortable here, consider me a permanent growth upon your shoulder.” Boreas remained steadfast in his loyalty.

“Lucky me, I really wouldn’t wish it any other way.”

The moth fairy began to flutter his wings, hurling himself up into the air, where he stopped to hover, crossing his legs slightly as he 'sat' midair.

"It is not a matter of me seeking the answer to that question, I know it already. I simply wish you lovely people to know your answer too, would you have not given it any thought. I cannot read minds, neither can you, otherwise you've would not have stated what you did." He softly mused before continuing.

"A person's true nature is akin to the heart of the forest, buried deep within... warded by thorns and vines. You can only guess what it may be, perhaps by the sweet smelling flowers, the trees yielding it's fruits or the colourful leaves. Yet the sweetest of things may be the most poisonous, how could you tell the truth from the lies? Perhaps only in time. As to what I am doing here? Let me tell you a little story..." The moth fairy moved one of his hands in front of him in a sideway motion, as if he was turning a page in an invisible book.

"To open a door, one require a key. But not just any key, the right kind of key. Some take the shape of a sword, others as a shield or set of armor. For not all things of battle are created to destroy something, some are created to ward the wielder of said sword. As certain as the water flowing in a stream, a powerful shield of the same kind will realize everyone's dream. The blade must be kept beyond the element of life, obscure and protect it's very existance from the evil one would seek to end with it. Light in it's purest form is the sword, yet without a sharp edge even it will be unable to cut the dark. Who is the smith that will hone the edge and where is the sword, now that is something worth pondering on for those seeking answers..." The fairy kept musing on softly.

"You seek to end the lich to give peace to the fallen, this is indeed true... but only partly so... It is someone... someone important to you that was... taken from you. A friend? A sibling? A lover? Yes... you crave revenge or justice, whichever word you prefer. Yet your statement that you do not care about the world... is not true at all. Because you are a part of this world, just like your companions are. To reject the world is to reject your companions, because they are as much part of the world as they are a part of you, and you are a part of them, my wintery friend." He allowed a soft upturn at the corner of his mouth, still keeping his attention on those in the group.

"As for the lich, what drove him to place the world in his hand? Perhaps his reasons were not far different from your own at the beginning. After all he was once a breathing and living being too, shaped by the world around him and those he surrounded himself with. A part of this world, if you so wish. Some elders have made claims that he was once an elf, but whose alive to truly confirm such a thing? Even so would you believe it?" Elthrael softly exhaled, blowing a falling leaf out of his path, causing it to twirl down towards the earth.

"Now here's an actual thought for you, what if the lich was not an elf at all... but a human?" The moth fairy's hair was blowing slightly in the wind, his eyes looking to the group over his shoulder as he turned midair as if he sat on a spinning chair.

---

Elsea had heard faintly of some person once named Christopher Columbus, but truly didn't know much about him. She also knew that there was some new land somewhere to the west that people were beginning to become interested in, but beyond that she knew nothing about it. Scotland seemed to have enough problems of their own currently with the clans still warring, a king having come in trying to force his religion upon everyone, and England beginning to show interest in wanting Scotland for themselves, there wasn't much time for them to worry about some new land.

She began to open her mouth to respond to Cora's question, but what happened next stopped her and made her blood run cold. Cade started going off about Ayita and calling for Elsea and Cora to follow. Cora appeared to have seen a ghost and wasn't too happy about it. Elsea, however, heard a voice that was faintly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She glanced around her, searching for the culprit, as anger began to rise inside her. How would this person know of her clansmen? Did they have Risa or Kyran? This thought alone made her ready to fight, she would turn anyone who may harm Risa or Kyran to ash. "And of what concern is it to you on who I trust and who I don't? These two seem far more trustworthy than a coward like you that hides in the shadows. How about you show yourself and then we can have a real conversation?" The flames wanted to burst forth from her as the anger bubbled in her, but she kept it under control. Best not to reveal her hand until it was necessary. Cora, on the other hand, was quick to use her fire, but against what Elsea was unsure.

"Whatever you two are seeing, it isn't real! Something is messing with us!" She yelled at Cora and Cade, trying to snap them out of it.

Time:Evening
Location:River Kingdom


“No, no… Guess again!” Laughter followed his words as he hopped up to his feet. The laughter sent chills through her bones. “I am the one, the only...Helio Millinia!” He got to his feet and spread his arms out as if introducing himself to a crowd at a show, bellowing the words into the night. With the grin on his face, he glanced back down with her as he relaxed his position, “But immensely improved and dare I say, smarter.” He roughly took her chin in his hands and forced her upward, holding her weakened body up. Healing wounds as bad as the one she had was essentially paralyzing. Dread filled her as she realized that Helio had known this would be the result of his actions.

“I’m smart enough to know you’re the same little brat who wanted me to take all the responsibility and cater to your every demand; just like mother and father did. Everyone always expected me to carry the weight. It seems like you got a taste of your own medicine.” His words were venomous and pure hatred carried each one as he roughly let go of her chin and let her fall back into the grass. His mood returned to a calmer one as he spoke with a smile, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown, little bear."

Risa could only stare with horror as she whispered sadly, “What did they do to you?” She had never known he felt that way, but thinking back, their parents had expected a lot out of the two siblings. It would make sense for him to feel some resentment but not to this degree. The Helio she knew would have never tried to blame her.

Helio responded with a blunt kick to her face, laughing like a giddy child at the cry of pain she emitted in response. She curled up to try to shield her body in response but it was futile. Helio left her no room to react or speak. He kicked her again a few times in the stomach, Each kick seemed to flash the world black for a moment and she never got used to each jolt of pain.

"This." He told her, stopping finally. "Tortured me. Like you couldn't imagine and for months."

Risa's eyes watered and she struggled to sit up to take his hand and he swatted it away and continued, "They put me in a big tube filled with dark elven magic. Think I was snoozing in there for some time before they let me out. Aklenroth was so proud of me Risa. Prouder than you'd ever see father. You see, he had created a dark fairy, proved it possible that fairies could be turned dark just like elves can. However, he didn't trust me. I was such a passionate man. Took them longer than any of the other fairies to finally break." He was casual with his words as if it was just a conversation over tea. He knelt down, patting her head, I had to prove myself to no longer be the avid enthusiast of rebellion, so I came here and murdered your boyfriend just a couple years back."

He watched her eyes dilate and smiled. "Don't worry. I took my time and got to know him. He took a really long time to die. I wonder how long your new one will take to die. He applauded himself after his statement, "I've been waiting so long to tell you that!"

The mix of emotions Risa was feeling would have been overwhelming if she hadn't felt almost numb from weakness and pain. Still, the anger must have been visible in his eyes because he clicked his tongue.

"There it is. Do you hate me now, Risa?" He shook his head, pacing for a moment before turning to her and exploding on a random tirade, “I’m the soldier, right!? So I should put my life on the line while you sneak away with a low-life demi-human. That’s why you were so thankful I’m back right? So I can take the heat for you as always!? Come save you!?” His voice was loud and filled with fury, yet he was still smiling. Crazed, intermittent laughs would uncontrollably interrupt him as he spoke. The fury melted away as soon as it came and he looked down at her, clearly disappointed she wasn't given much audible reaction now.

Risa had been on and off struggling to get up and fly while he was rambling like a mad man. He frowned and kicked her again.

"I'm bored, but I don't want to kill you yet. Too many fun games for us to play."Helio thoughtfully glanced at the grave again and gasped, "Let’s dig up his corpse, and maybe you can watch the worms crawl through his skeleton, eating away any last bits of flesh they can find.”

Risa could not believe what she was hearing. She could only stare as he raised his arms toward the ground in front of the grave. Dark energy began to blast from his hands just as she had seen dark elves do into the dirt, splattering it all over the place. She had to shut her eyes and shield her face with her arm.

After feeling another kick to her back, she suddenly felt the terrifying feeling of falling, her heart lurching. Risa tried to fly upward, only to fail and crash down into the hardwood of the casket. She tried to scramble upward but Helio flew downward and stepped on her head to keep her down as if she was nothing more than a bug. He picked her up roughly by her hair and opened the casket, flying up in the air, causing her to scream. He thrust her into the casket which sent aching through her body enough to make her moan. He punched a hole in the lid of it before closing her in. The force of the punch through the wood had not been kind and wood had chipped into her cheeks.

“There. You won’t suffocate now. Aren’t I thoughtful?” He grinned at her and tilted his head as thick vines began to slither out from the dirt and over the closed casket.

She pushed up at the lid, but it would not budge. Risa could feel the hard bones beneath her, but she was trying not to turn her head and look at them. This all felt like the worst nightmare she could have had, but the vivid pain she felt reminded her that this was all too real. The hole was around where her face was, so she could see Helio standing over the hole, smiling at his work.

“I would stick around but I got things to do. Kingdoms to take over. Humans to kill.” He winked at her as if this was all light-hearted fun, and then he was gone as quickly as he came.

Risa felt hollow inside. There was no getting out of this situation. Healing herself would drain herself of any magic she could use to free herself and trying to use chlorokinesis was already not a strong suit when she was in good health. It would have been more characteristic of her to be hopeful and think of the others she had to warn about him and of the kingdom, but the way everything had happened so fast had put her in an emotional state she hadn't dreamt to be possible.

Time: Night
Location: Roshmi Grand Hall
Interaction with: @Tae Elsea, @Helo Cade, @Potter Corvina

---

@Helo Cade

As Cade made chase of his first human companion, he found it difficult to keep up. Her form weaving in and out of view in the trees only to suddenly vanish.

The dry leaves rustled in the wind once more before a blood-curdling scream sounded ahead. The moment Cade broke through to a clearing, a horrific sight was presented to him. Ayita, pinned into a tree trunk by a very familiar halberd, the spearhead digging deep into Ayita's abdomen. Her body was limp and losing color as the blood decorated the head of the weapon in streams.

"Still trailing behind, Cadence?" The feline demihuman spoke, his black and gray fur frayed as if he was charred and covered in soot. As he turned to cade, his eyes and even his tongue were blackened. "Not as easy as catching fish and fawn, this one." Shadow on the Wind spoke with a sinister tone. What was this abomination?
-----

@Potter Corvina

Cora's defensive halt was expected, but the ring of flames made for a nice touch.

"What an insult?" Linnet feigned being offended as she mockingly placed an open hand to her chest. "You think I'm a bug?" The young woman smiled as she casually placed her hands out as if she was keeping warm. "It's cute, Rat-breath. It really is. But…" Linnet dropped her hands and stepped through the flames. Her face held a cold expression. Parts of her clothing had caught fire, but she was not fazed in the slightest. "...fire is for destruction. Let me show you!" Linnet shouted the last part as she raised her hand to fire a line of flame at Corvina.
-----

@Tae Elsea

"Hush sweet Elsea. They are occupied with their own... demons. Umber's voice seemed to be coming from every direction at once as the ten-foot radius around Elsea became pitch black. As if the campsite was taken to a sunless pit. The only light emanating from the small embers of the firepit.

"Trust… that is the word you used? How quickly did they leave your side for their own selfish desires? It's always like this and despite your words… you trust no one. They all betray you…" Several figures stepped out of the dark. The townsfolk that would have watched her burn alive.Many of them staring with fear and disgust. They only stared.

They use you… Elthrael's form stepped from the darkness, his mouth having its signature slight upturn while his arms were crossed at his chest.

"Not just him!" Risa and Kyran stepped forward with bright smiles on their faces, hand in hand. "You think so much of them while they think nothing of you. Why are you not with them? Why are you always treated like you are nothing, Elsea? Expendable… Is that why you are so full of rage? Is it because no one sees your worth? No matter how much you give… it amounts to nothing… They sought to use you as a scapegoat! He sought to use you as his puppet! And they seek to use you as well.

The elderly appeared beside her, facing the others.

"I can help you, Elsea. I can make it so they can't hurt you. Give you the chance to let all of that rage and fury."

The scenery suddenly changed to that of the town square of Inverness, Scotland. Elthrael, Risa, and Kyran were gone. She was on the pyre, this time with no chains. The man she had once killed upon arriving was not there. Instead, it was the elderly elf who simply tossed a torch onto the pyre where she stood. No portal… No escape… Just flames… Flames that were hers to control.

Cade grunted with annoyance, neither human showed any interest in following after Ayita, they ignored him. He knew why, he wasn’t any sort of leader, he wasn’t a great hero, and what he was barely amounted to enough to even claim the mantle of a warrior. For in all his travels fighting against goblins, trolls, and orcs, it had done nothing to prepare him for the recent horrors he had witnessed. He had been useless against both the dracolich and the great demon at the ball, he had left behind the human he had promised to protect, and he had clearly failed to prove his worth to those with him now. Cora ran off in the wrong direction, summoning more fire as if it were a toy to be played with without any caution. Elsea stayed where she was, shouting something that did not reach his ears, because the moment he realized they weren’t coming he ran off. He would not abandon Ayita again, he would not keep repeating the same failures.

Cade tore after the image of Ayita that ran through the forest, but she was so much faster. He couldn’t keep her in his sight let alone catch up to her. But he was a cat, he didn’t need sight to catch something, instead he relied on his sense of smell. Once he caught the familiar scent of the human, she became easier to follow. He broke into a clearing in the forest just as the sound of scream cut through the air. The smell of blood hit him even before his eyes landed on the gruesome sight. Ayita impaled on a tree, color already draining from her, and his halberd dripped with her blood. A cold shiver of shock ran through him as he looked from the lifeless body of his friend to the feline creature that had killed her.

"Still trailing behind, Cadence?" The cat with blackened and charred fur spoke. "Not as easy as catching fish and fawn, this one." It spoke with Shadow’s voice, moved the way his brother moved, and he caught the familial scent of his brother mixed with burnt fur and flesh. It smelled like Shadow had once the funeral pyre had been lit, looked like a twisted version of his brother that had crawled out of a mound of ashes, and had eyes made of nothing but darkness. All of Cade’s senses told him that this was real, that Shadow had killed Ayita, that his brother stood before him mocking him.

Cade’s heart, however, knew it was a lie. He knew Shadow, and his brother would never take the life of someone both innocent and unarmed. It was a lie that had the gaul to try and wear his brother’s face. Shadow was dead, he lived and died with honor and Cade had watched the flames of the funeral pyre consume him. This was not his brother, but whatever it was it had killed Ayita, someone he swore to help protect, someone he had given his word to. Cade let out a primal and rage fuel roar, his fury focused on the figure in front of him.

“You are not him, wearing his face will not distract me.” He hissed out before springing forth at the lie that wore Shadow’s face, his claws ready to shred through his enemy. Cade fell into the role of an aggressor, his swipes and attacks a ferocious outburst of anger, and each one missing as the creature continued to move just as Shadow did, effortlessly swift and always just shy of his reach. It was just like when he spared with his brother, Cade always leagues behind in terms of skill, his brother always a flawless warrior. It seemed undefeatable, he could never hope to defeat his brother in a real battle, and Cade had to remind himself that this was not Shadow. He had to predict his movements, throw his next blow where the creature would be, and once he realized this he found the creature moved in a similar pattern. When he finally did land a blow his claws eager to tear through whatever this enemy truly was he found nothing there. Nothing but a flurry of dust surrounded him where the creature had once been.

”Magic.” Cade spat out the word in disgust as the creature that looked like Shadow disappeared into dust and reappeared nearby, it’s mouth twisted into a taunting grin. Cade lunged at the creature, throwing himself through it and skidding, his feet stumbling as he once again hit only dust rather than a tangible opponent. His glance landed on Ayita once again, then back again to the creature that could not be fought. Ayita was dead because he had left her back in Roshmi and he had left the other two humans back at their campsite. This was the distraction, Cade had let himself be drawn into battle with something that could not be fought, this was a failure, he had to learn from it. He tore out of the clearing, running as fast as he could, no longer paying any attention to the creature that wore Shadow’s face. He had to keep the human’s safe, Ayita was already dead and he knew that is what she would want.

Time: Morning
Location: Sewers of Roshmi
Interactions: @13org Ayita @hide on mana Kuroi @Dezuel Baraian @baraquiel Maneru
Mentions:

---

The blue mist that stood before the group immediately put Torvi on high alert as her eyes scanned the mist. As she did this, however, she missed the feral look of Kuroi. She attempted to reach out with her earth magic, trying to feel the vibrations in the ground below them like she had before. She could sense the clones as they approached and possibly one other further into the mist, but the water made it hard to determine where this person was as it caused for a mix of vibrations.

She was pulled from her focus, however, as sharp pain shot up her arm and she gasped. She looked swiftly to the source and saw it was Kuroi. A rage filled her as the pain caused adrenaline to course through her body. At first her mind urged her to attack Kuroi, but she still had enough sense to know now wasn't the time. Instead she decided to harness this rage and put it to good use elsewhere. She turned her focus to the clones that approached, gaze finally landing on the Kuroi clone. If she couldn't punish the real Kuroi for harming her then this clone would do nicely in his place. A bloodthirsty grin crossed over Torvi's face as she now gripped the sword she'd taken from a guard earlier. Before anyone could stop her, she shoved past the real Kuroi and let out a battle cry as she went for the Kuroi clone. The ground began to rumble some as her magic responded to her emotions. The sword came crashing down towards the clone with barbaric strength and brutality, yet surprisingly quite a bit of skill.

Time: Evening
Location: River Kingdom
Interactions: @princess Risa
Mentions:

---

After leaving the ball, Azriel had a lot of time to herself to think. She had no destination, no one to talk to, for the first time since she was a child she was all alone. As she flew over the trees of the forest, she first asked herself why she was so upset with Umber? Was it really just because she was jealous? That was definitely part of it, she decided. It was what started everything and her thinking. As she thought more on it, however, she began to realize there was much more to it. All her life, Umber had caused her to believe that the other races were the problem. They were the cruel ones who would never accept her. That they would treat her like a monster because she was broken, but then she danced with that winter fairy. He didn't treat her like she was any monster, in fact he even was kind to her. Darius also didn't treat her like a monster and he even knew more of her true nature. If the other races would truly hate her, then why did these two treat her with such kindness? Just how much did Umber warp her thinking?

Her thoughts then moved on to who she would have been if Umber never took her in and her parents never died. Her parents. Those were two people she hadn't thought of in a very long time. She was so little when they died, she couldn't even recall their faces. Or was that just something else Umber took from her? It took a lot of thinking, but what she could vaguely remember was a song her mother would sing to her. She'd felt a warmth at the memory and something else. A foreign emotion to her, but the emotion involuntarily made her tear up. Love? Is that what this emotion was? How could she not understand what love felt like? This was the question that brought her aimless flying to a halt and she had to land. She knew she was somewhere in the River Kingdom now, but where she was at wasn't clear. She sat herself against a tree as her mind wandered. Would her parents have been a part of the rebellion or would they have been loyal to Aklenroth? Was she truly loyal to Aklenroth or was that loyalty merely something that stemmed from her loyalty to Umber? There were so many questions whirling through her mind that the next day went by in a blur.

At some point she had fallen asleep, but now she was being awoken by the sound of voices. Azriel opened her eyes and glanced around, trying to get her bearings. It was quite obviously evening again and she still sat against a tree. Slowly she stood and made the decision to head towards the commotion, but kept completely silent and out of sight as she approached. She soon came upon the scene of a male fairy brutally beating a female fairy. Upon closer inspection she realized she recognized both fairies. The male was the first dark fairy that Aklenroth had created along with the help of Umber. Helio viciously beat the pink haired fairy whom Azriel recognized as the rebel leader. Risa looked to be in quite poor shape, but Azriel did nothing for now and let the scene play out. She wasn't entirely surprised when Helio left her alive, yet trapped within a grave. The man was cruel and twisted, Umber would be so proud. Perhaps it was this thought that caused Azriel to do what she did next.

She waited till Helio was long gone before moving to the grave and glancing down at the barely visible Risa. "It seems you're in quite the predicament, little princess...or should I say little queen?" She said as she flew down into the grave and began inspecting the vines. She pulled at a few, attempting to break them and soon realized she would need some assistance. She plucked a mithril covered feather from her wings and got to work cutting and pulling the vines away. It took some time, but she was finally able to free the lid of the casket. Her hands were bloodied and raw, but she ignored that as she pulled the lid off. "Now it won't do if you die here slowly tonight so how about you tell me where I need to take you so you can be healed?" Azriel asked the girl as she lifted her out of the casket.

Baraian Paladice

They were not alone in the sewer, what was this manner of creature which was now getting in their way? To the dark elf it mattered very little, what did matter was that the humans would be able to leave Roshmi and join with the rebel forces at a larger scale. After all the war would rely heavily on the amount of humans they could muster to defeat king Aklenroth. While his defeat wouldn't be the end of the conflict, it would be the beginning of it. For it was peoples nature to fight each other, that was something which the dark elf couldn't shake off. It was always there looming over him, in fact it had now become so much of his everyday life that he felt almost companionship with it. Then the promise of sweet death at the end, and how much he craved it. Yet even that craving was little compared to his hatred for the world itself. It didn't matter if it was Aklenroth, the humans, the governor of the elves or even this creature standing now before them. The rebellion had to continue no matter what, the humans had to survive.

Yet amidst all the feelings of hate, hopelessness and dark there was another feeling which he thought he had forgotten long ago. Guilt. He felt guilt for his thoughts of simply creating his dark magics, grabbing the two women and leaving Kuroi to fend for himself. Why was it so? Was it because he felt he owed the man for saving his own life? Was it because he liked him? The best way to deal with the emotion was to immediately suppress it and decide to stay and fight. Kuroi had some plan of his own, which had left the dark elf stunned momentarily as the vulpines teeth digged into Torvi's arm. What was he thinking?

Then she had flung herself forth to attack the clones which their foe had created before them. The dark elf was still hurting from his fight with the governor, his one arm not being properly usable and with that close combat was out of the question. A prolonged fight or a fight demanding much effort down in the sewers, or one where they would be further injuried could only aid in aflicting them with diseases and other illnesses, it had to be solved quickly. But how could it be done? Baraian raised his uninjured arm and began to murmur as he conjured shadows the size of the ones in his group before he hurled them forwards, making sure they would not come into contact with his allies and instead 'confuse' the clones before them, if nothing else get through their shapes and explode at their foe. While a dark explosion made by these would be minor in it's radius, it would certainly still bear a hefty sting.

"Hello darkness... my old friend." The elf said in a monotone voice as the shadowy figures were formed and soon after spread out and trailed forth, some along the sides of the tunnel, some along the ceiling.

Terneus Andros

The slightly soft treebranch was moved out of the view for the ever persistant, the ever timely governor of the good things in life.

"Where is that coming from? A stream nearby? Hah!" He said aloud, removing his hand from the branch he had just moved out of his face, causing it to whiplash two seconds later right into his face. The small branches whipping his scarred and muddy face, to such an extent the elf not so gracefully fell back unto his rear.

"Unff!" He grabbed his face with both of his arms as he felt the pain filling his face again, then the memory of his injury causing anger to swell up in him again. The elf wasted no time on the ground, but got up and raised his hand towards the tree which had the audacity to strike at him, using his light powers to sever it at the base. "Death... is what you deserve for that." He muttered as he raised his face in a slightly more dignified matter, like a noble ignoring the pleading of a beggar he strode forth into an area abit more open but filled with shrubs which leaves resembled palmtrees. There were still plenty of trees about, but at least he wouldn't have to cut them down to get through.

"Now where is that sound com-" The governor stepped forwards with such vigor that even his foot was too slow to react to the sudden change in elevation, it was a harsh downhill elevation which sent the nearly blueblooded elderly elf tumbling down a dirt, shrub and vine ridden hillside. He knew not how many times he had spun, his mind was all over the place and he knew not how to stop it until he finally reached the bottom with a splashing sound.

"Unfgnnn... uhh..." He groaned and swallowed some liquid which he began to cough up again, what or where was he? He opened his eyes. The stream?! His elven senses had led him to the stream and to water. Whilst it wasn't as fancy as wine, it was something he sorely needed... and this was far more clean that a pool of mud. He began to drink from it cupping his hands, and that's when he noticed one of his fingers didn't heed his command. The elf's eyes began to twitch, his body was refusing to do as he said? How dared it. None should disobey him. So he grabbed hold of the oddly poking finger and bent it back in place with his other hand. Pain. Excruciating pain filled his mind and body as it seemed to send shockwaves through him. His finger had gotten bent by the tumble downhill but it was now bent back.

The elf breathed out heavily, but now surely his hardships were over the stream was shallow at where he were but seemed to get deeper further ahead. The elf mustered what strength he could and began to stumble his way forwards along the ankledeep water until it got deeper and he noticed the stream was actually... streaming? Was that even a word? It was going away from him, meaning he could use it for transportation if he could find a ship. He found the next best thing. A old, hollowed out log of a tree which he pushed into the stream and then crawled on top of it and sat at it. Then the log began to float downstream as the water got deeper and deeper, and much to the governor the pace picked up. Soon he would be at the port and he could get dressed, eat and drink til he couldn't stand. And perhaps even exact revenge on some peasants. He allowed himself to relax abit, as he had not yet slept from the night before. But falling asleep on a log in water wouldn't do at all. He kept himself awake even as he leaned down on the log watching the water carrying him further away.

"My genuine intellect knows no bounds, where lesser men would have perished, I have survived. Take that, Andros the III. Thinking your hardships were the greatest." The elf scoffed to himself as the sound of the water was getting louder and louder, almost like a thundering sound, or water slamming against rocks.

"What now?!" He said aloud in an angered manner, sitting up properly on the log, and his now cleaned pale face grew even more white. The stream, or rather the river was disappearing ahead... and also the treeline. Water was falling. A water... fall. A waterfall?! The governor panic- rose with quick elegance to counter this coming threat. The elven eyes darted to the left and right and he decided to evicerate one of the nearby trees, causing it to fall into the river and then he jumped from the log unto salvation. The ever so cunning governor threw glances behind him as the log flew over the waterfall and tumbled down against the rocks below with a crashing sound. Then he began to notice the tree was also slowly beginning to move, thus he pushed himself forwards along the tree itself and jumping unto land again, soon watching the tree also tumble down the waterfall. He had eluded death yet again. His situation and near death encounter was soon overpowered by the feeling of pride and achievement. As if indeed he had been chosen by the elven gods to get out of any situation and he had!

"It is going to take alot more than some force of nature to end this extraordinary elven lord..." He said in a tone, almost as if thinking aloud as he began to walk along the moss filled land going deeper into the wilderness again. He wanderered, and he wandered until finally he saw some form of construct in the forest itself. "What? Some idiot living out here?" He muttered as he laid eyes on a small hut surrounded by all manner of vines and thorns hindering his path forwards. The governor began to channel his magics, cutting away the vines and making a path forwards. The light magic acting as a knife cutting it away as if it were butter.

As the elven lord came closer he noticed a fine looking appletree with green apples at it, he blinked a few times upon seeing this. So this was how apples were grown? He had only seen them presented at his dinnertable, never seen them grow out in the wilderness. Even in it's natural state, the elf couldn't help but agree with himself that it looked far better on his table. But apples were food and that was something he needed, he allowed himself to pick a green apple, even filling his arm with at least six of them before he took a bite. It tasted sweet and oddly enough good to the elven governor, and seemed to also dullen his pain in his hands and feet.

Then he noticed how the forest changed around him, and the ground itself was shifting in shape and his legs suddenly refused to obey his orders as he fell down on his knees and then with his face against the ground, the apples slipping out of his grasp. What was going on? His vision was blurry and he couldn't feel his legs, his arms were not as affected but felt dull. He had been poisoned! Who in their sane mind would put a poisonous tree next to their home?! It was then the governor realized that he had been the subject of a trap meant for intruders.

Despite the stench and the exhaustion, the group luckily had encountered no trouble thus far. It was indeed fortunate, especially since Ayita knew well that probably no one among them was in conditions to fight. They did manage to rest a bit but every bit of energy they could save was precious and they all knew that. Unfortunately, Ayita knew their luck had finally ran out the second a strange voice came from the darkness, together with a strange blue mist, completely blocking the passage. Just like Kuroi did with Torvi, Ayita immediately drew the dagger she had stolen from the guard she killed back in the ball as she gave a few steps back, being careful to not touch the strange mist. Surprisingly though, the mist simply stopped advancing after a moment, just blocking their path instead of trying to swallow the group.

Ayita cursed under her breath as she heard the creepy laughter of whoever was behind that mist and was responsible for all that. To make things worse, the moment their own clones slowly got out of the mist, she knew that the situation they were in now was dire. With the dagger on her hand, she looked to the clones, to the mist and then to Kuroi, Torvi and Baraian, her mind racing as she tried unsuccessfully thinking in a way to avoid a fight and escape. She watched with the corner of her eyes as Kuroi dug his fangs into Torvi's forearm. At first, Ayita thought he was going to betray them, but the moment he let go of Torvi's arm, she realized that he did so in order to fight. Kuroi's clone was the first one to move, advancing towards the group before the others did too.

"Try to locate the one who used the magic!" Ayita said to the others in her group as she watched Torvi, despite the nasty bite wound from Kuroi, who was also ready to fight, struck Kuroi's clone with a brutal swing of her sword. Baraian in the other hand, used his magic to make strange shadows the size of a person appear before hurling them towards the clones.

Without any more time to think, Ayita focused on her own clone running towards her. Using her magic and a good deal of the small amount of energy she could recover while resting, she waited for her clone to get closer, the putrid, fetid and contaminated air of the sewers gathering around her before releasing it in a cone in front of her, both to make the clones stumble and lose their footing and to try and disperse the strange mist. The second she finished doing so, she dashed towards her clone, almost pouncing on it in order to throw it to the ground. She then would try to dig her dagger into the clone's throat before looking around her to try and locate the one who invoked that mist. If her wind magic worked and dispersed the mist and she was successful in finding the caster, she would immediately run towards him. Hopefully, either wounding, scaring or breaking the concentration of the one who was responsible for all that magic would break the spell, giving the group some time to run away.

---

As blackness enveloped her, Elsea couldn't stop the sudden sense of panic. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to work out what was happening. She tried to keep a brave face, however, and stand tall. As the townsfolk appeared she was shocked at first, but then stared back in defiance. She began shaking her head as Umber spoke, but she knew he was right. She didn't trust anyone, not fully at least. People were selfish, this she knew because she was selfish herself. She'd used people since she got here to Avalia. She had used Elthrael that first night in order to feel good about herself. She spun some sob story about how she owed him for saving her, but the truth was she didn't really care about that. She hadn't known if she was going to live to see the next day so she slept with him to take her mind off things.

She used Risa and Kyran too. It had seemed more likely that she would survive with them and so she joined them purely out of selfish desire to live. While a friendship had formed, yes, initially she hadn't planned for that. She merely wishes to use them in order to get herself somewhere safe.

She looked at Elthrael and then to Risa and Kyran as she listened to Umber continue. Rage continued to bubble in her, but was it because what he now spoke was also true? Why was she treated as worthless by others? Angry tears filled her eyes and it became a struggle to keep the flames under her skin at bay. She glanced to the elderly looking elf beside her now. She wanted to burn him, to burn them, to set everything ablaze. Before that could happen, however, the pitch black was gone and she stood one her pyre. Panic rose in her once again as she watched the elf toss a torch onto the pyre. She let out a horrified scream as she shut her eyes and shook her head. "No, no, no! This isn't real! It's not real!" She yelled, her eyes still shut tight. Why was this happening? Were the gods angry with her? She hadn't made a sacrifice to them since arriving to Avalia, she'd been too preoccupied. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" She muttered as she began to rock a bit. "This isn't real. It can't be real!" She began saying over and over again, but then suddenly something washed over her, a calmness. Whether it was the gods answering her or her mind was finally realizing the truth of things, she didn't know. Instead she slowly opened her eyes and looked to Umber, a horrifying smirk crossing her face now.

"Funny that you think I'd trust you to help me. You said it yourself, I don't trust anyone so why would you think I'd accept your help?" She asked him as she reached under her dress and grabbed a dagger she had hidden there before going to the ball. She looked at the dagger briefly before placing the blade on her palm and slicing it open. She began chanting a prayer in Gaelic as she let the blood drip to the ground, offering a blood sacrifice to her gods. She then dipped two fingers into the blood and began drawing symbols across her face as she continued to chant. Finally she looked to Umber once more. "Enough of these mind games. Next time why don't you actually face me. I'll prove my worth to everyone and I bloody don't need anyone's help doing it." She said as she walked through the flames before snapping her fingers and lighting the place Umber stood on fire.