Fantasy As the World Burns

[blankcanvas]

Rena

Another dreamless rest.

It didn't seem to matter how long she kept her eyes closed, Rena felt just as tired as she had when she first plopped herself down onto the rusted gate. Nothing seemed real. It was as if she was in a lucid state of mind, and everything that had transpired was just another page in a fairy tale that she was reading. Of course, this didn't make any sense, since parts of her five senses were activated during this brief part of her life. Just a hazy memory that was tossed to the back of her mind.

At this point, Rena had no clue what she was going to do. Not only was she in unfamiliar territory, but it appeared as though she was missing fragments of her own identity. She "knew" who she was, but at the same time, she didn't know? It was an odd paradox, and one that she didn't want to dwell on or even think about.

"Are you injured?"

The half-elf almost jumped out of her seat when she heard the question. The fact that someone had managed to get this close without her noticing was a testament to just how withdrawn she was from the world around her. She was about to open her eyes and answer when something prompted her to stop. She didn't know what, but for some reason, she felt her skin crawl from the voice that she had heard.

"What are you doing outside of the shrine? All civilians were to stay inside the temple with Elder Haavi."

This one was speaking the human's universal native tongue. Rena couldn't explain why, but her soul was retching with absolute disgust. Judging from the way he initially spoke to her, it seemed as though either he didn't recognize her, or they were mere strangers. Still, why...

A sharp tinge of a memory surfaced, one where bits and pieces of what appeared to be an angry mob inside of a coliseum and a single prisoner...?

Rena felt the stranger lift her up onto her feet as she groggily opened her eyes and stared at the human in front of her. At first, she said nothing as she merely looked at this being with a soft expression on her face. There wasn't anything that stood out or was unique that stood out to her about this one. She knew that as soon as she turned around and walked away, then whoever this human was would just be another faceless entity within within her memory databank.

Still, she decided to be cautious with this one and after a few more minutes, finally decided to answer.

"Thank tye hilde, Care- vamme ore me Ni am faila an moriquende" Rena responded in a soft tone, purposely using a more archaic version of the Elvish language. She still wasn't sure why she felt a surge of distrust and acrimony bubble up to her chest, but it was more than enough for her to keep herself at a distance.

The half-elf took a glance around and decided to keep her distance away from the humans and slowly move into another direction. Hopefully, she would be able to avoid any external conflicts, calm the internal conundrum, and find some sort of clue as to where she was and perhaps what she was doing here.

Juju

 

[Juju]

After this GM post, anyone who was travelling to or intended to go to [TEMPLE GATES] can have their character arrive there in their post and interact freely with other nearby characters and npcs! A free mini-skip to get everyone together before we move onward into the shrine! Who knows, maybe we can have some lovely drama...

• Lake
• Frontlines
• Temple Gates
• Three-Rivers (elf camp)
• ???

• ThatWhichShouldBe November Witch
  Autumn would be the only one to notice, but Light Path was nowhere to be seen by the time Toko and Han landed on the shore. The spirit must have vanished sometime during or after Autumn waded over to help the two.
  It took all of scrawny Toko’s effort to keep Han standing upright. Han’s appraisal of her current state was spot on, though it didn’t seem to impress her at all.
  
  “H-hey I’m fine!” Toko objected, a frown on her face, "And these are more than just burns! You almost died!!"
  
  So quick was her objection that she nearly lost her balance supporting Han and had to hobble around in a panic to restabilize him. Her chest was heaving a bit from exertion, but the frustrated look on her face somewhat masked the exhaustion. Try as she might, she couldn’t really hide her shaky limbs.
  
  Stubbornly, she looked at Autumn, as if to convince her against Han’s words, “I am perfectly fine! I can still help!”
  
  As soon as Autumn touched Han, she felt a strange sensation enter her mind. A subconscious affirmation that, like her, this man had fallen from the sky as a star. The brief sensation passed as quickly as it came and left no explanation as to what its source could have been.
  
  Likewise, Han received the same peculiar sensation. At the exact same moment, the two would become aware of each other’s strange origin. Whether they chose to say anything about it was up to them.
  
  As for Toko, her eyes widened in surprise, immediately sensing a resurgence in her pool of mana. Toko blinked back in astonishment, her limbs visibly shaking less than before.
  
  “You…” she stuttered, “How did…? I-I mean, thank you for this blessing! Spirits guide you!”
  
  With Autumn’s help, the two managed to move Han at a faster pace than Toko could have ever managed alone. While they walked, Toko gave the beastfolk a look, “You said you were lost? Are you from the Forest Children tribes? You helped us, so I will do my best to help you. If you are lost or need guidance, Elder Haavi is the wisest among us. Perhaps she might offer you the aid you seek?”
  
  Up ahead, the gates of the temple loomed. In its shadow stood a group of people, mostly members of the defending force. There were a few, however, who stood apart from the rest.
  
  
  (The three will arrive at the temple gates in the next post, so your response can include interacting with any of the players or npcs!)​
• Solirus
  “Excellent! We have a deal then! You have no idea how relieved I am to find you're of the reasonable sort! Otherwise, this might have been quite an unfortunate disaster for both of us~.” the sword remarked in its disembodied voice.
  
  For better or worse, the deal was sealed in a crackle of ominous red energy. Rodal could feel it settle within his chest, much like the curse had felt when it had first sunk into his flesh and lifeblood. Perhaps it was a hint as to what was to come if the promise was broken.
  
  Unfortunately for Rodal, by the time the deal's 'seal' had faded from his sensations, he was soon overcome by a new one. In the act of hoisting Sarah up onto the steed, he became aware of knowledge entering his mind from some unseen force. The moment he touched Sarah, he subconsciously knew that without a doubt this woman had fallen from the sky just as he did. Seeing as Sarah was in no state to talk to, Rodal would only have his thoughts to ponder on this new information.
  
  Just as it had agreed, the sword made its home in the sheath without complaint. It was quiet all throughout the short journey to the temple, keeping any thoughts or concerns it had to itself. The only sound was the falling hooves of Rodal’s steed, and the sigh of wind throughout the war-torn land.
  
  
  (please continue to [TEMPLE GATES])​
• blankcanvas Solirus
  “Huh?” a confused look passed over the man’s face, “Sorry, I don’t think I caught what you said?”
  
  One of the nearby warriors, a tall woman nursing a magic-scarred wound, narrowed her eyes, “I heard something about ‘elf’. You sure she’s not one of the pointy-eared bastards?”
  
  She gripped onto a dagger, its bone blade slick against the leather sheath it was partly drawn from. Before things could escalate further, Rodal made his entrance.
  
  As he neared the gates, he drew the attention of one of the warriors grouped at its entrance. They pointed to Rodal and Sarah and declared, “Sohaa, it’s them!”
  
  The man, who had previously helped Rena to her feet, turned to look at the approaching rider. His face was guarded at first, only to soften in recognition. An adamant smile grew across his features, “Ah, so it is! The ones who faced off against the Red Devil herself! I saw your fight from the battlefield, truly a sight to behold. We are honoured to have you by our side this day.”
  
  Sohaa placed his fists together and offered a bow towards Rodal, “You saved many lives this day. Great Spirits bless the both of you, friends. You have our thanks.”
  
  His eyes wandered to the unconscious form of Sarah, slung across the beast’s back like a slain deer, “I see the elder is wounded. Come, our healers will tend to her at the shrine.”
  
  He turned back to the temple gates and gave a sharp whistle. After a few moments, a little head poked out from the edge of the wall. Two black, shiny eyes stared down a little sheepishly. Large floppy ears dangled precariously over the edge as the creature looked down.
  
  
  “Open the gates, we must bring the wounded to the healers!!” Sohaa called up to the little creature who was apparently manning the gate.
  
  The furry critter gave a little chirp, then disappeared once more behind the scorched walls. A few moments of silence passed, then the wooden gate began to creak and groan. Now that they were closer, it was soon apparent that instead of the two large wood doors being closed, the wood had fused together, as if born of the same trunk. In real time, the wood began to move and twist in place, the two doors slowly revealing themselves in the thicket of burled wood and bark.
  
  The gate's doors (if one could even call them that) were still sealed shut, but were in the process of opening.
  
• AriAriAbabwa
  The girl slowly raised her head from her knees and looked over to Doi. It was dim in the cell, but there was just enough light to tell that the girl had been crying recently. Her tired eyes glanced over Doi, drawn to the bloodstains on her pearly dress. They lingered there, thoughtful and fearful.
  
  She seemed to be reluctant to speak at all, but eventually she indulged in Doi’s question. In a hushed voice, she answered, “Rishi. My name’s Rishi.”
  
  Shifting her hands a little, she gave a nervous glance towards the hall, as if expecting a guard to have heard their exchange. Once she was absolutely sure it was quiet, she tilted her head to Doi again, her expression weary, “Are you of the Sky Children? I heard the guards speak of another attack on Cloud-Home... do you bring any news?”
  
• YsFanatic
  If the aquatic equines understood Sarah’s words, they did little to show it. They continued to stare at her with their blank, luminous eyes, some from beneath the murk while their leader peered from above the surface.
  
  The nostrils of the leader flared, studying the scent of the woman standing within the shallows. It looked to be in thought, or perhaps boredom. Its ear gave a casual flick, and when Sarah chuckled, they perked up. As if to mimic her, the creature let out a gurgling whinny.
  
  Two of the submerged creatures lifted their heads above the water, drawn to the sound. One by one, the others followed suit until Sarah found herself being stared at by about eight curious equine faces.
  
  The silence continued for a while, until something caught Sarah’s attention. A glowing blue butterfly or moth had fluttered down from the trees above. On delicate wings it descended to the weathered statue protruding from the lake. It made its way into the empty eye socket of the woman’s face, resting there like an eye. Just as before, another orb appeared and settled within the remaining socket.
  
  As if called by some unheard bell, the water creatures quickly dove back into the water.
  
  Just beneath the ripples of movement and distant bird song, Sarah could hear a voice rising weakly from the water.
  
  
  “Find… home… forgive me.”​
  
  The water rose up, cold and dark, plunging Sarah into its infinite expanse. The ground beneath her had been swept away, and the twilight and birdsong were no more. Even the luminous eyes of the horse-like creatures were nowhere to be seen in the abyss. Just when Sarah's lungs ached and her mind numbed, she felt the world shift.
  
  She awoke, though the pain that gripped her almost made her wish she hadn’t.
  

 

[Solirus]

Rodal - A Hero?​

The mount was fast and healthy, the journey to the gates was swift and uneventful.

Oh my, yes, these people shower us with praise for their salvation, doesn't this feel good?

No.

Hmph! What makes you say that? Are you truly such a brooding and sad person, close minded and very much edgy?

I appreciate them revealing their thoughts and intentions, but I do not gain any joy from this.

Big words for someone who doesn't seem to know what joy is.

Once Sohaa finished bowing, Rodal hopped off the steed, “Let me tell you, that red devil was a real bitch” Rodal chuckled uncharacteristically. As Sohaa turned towards the temple gates, Rodal placed his hand on the man's shoulder, “Oh yeah and umm-” Rodal moved closer to the man, hand still on his shoulder. “I would like to speak with whoever is in charge here afterward, I have a few things I wish to discuss.” Rodal quietly whispered before removing his hand from Sohaa's shoulder, “Oh yeah I'll also keep Mountain” Rodal pet the side of his mount, “That's the name I decided to give them.”

Rodal waited for the man to respond in whatever way. That sensation he felt whilst picking up the elder was not present when he placed his hand on Sohaa. It was an odd test, but one he regardless wanted to check. His demeanor remained calm and cocky, caressing Mountain's mane, whilst his mind was critical and aware of his surroundings while he waited for the gate to open.

 

[YsFanatic]

Sarah's first thought upon waking was a groggy 'Oh, they wanted me to experience waking up and dying at the same time.' Almost immediately afterwards she started to pay more attention as to her situation. The pain she was feeling made it evident that she hadn't been healed yet, and going by the fact that she was not bound in anyway would have made it pretty clear that she was safe and not a prisoner, and the voice she heard talking about getting her healed only confirmed that. As such the old woman kept her eyes closed, not wanting to waste energy answering questions or anything else until she was getting healed.

Instead it was time to mentally occupy herself by reviewing the events of the battle. Most importantly she thought back to the abilities that she had been able to use. Several were rough analogs to her old abilities, though the attack-neutralizing energy wave eating up a good deal more energy than her Ocean Slash was rather annoying. She clearly would not be able to spam it as much as she would want to, but on the plus side it neutralized the entire attack instead of simply splitting it apart. The other abilities though... they would require extensive testing before she could form a solid opinion on them and she would need to discover if there were any others she could wield.

The rest of the battle review went pretty quickly as most of her mistakes were simply her trying to fight as she was still 20 years younger. Sarah knew she would adjust before long, but in the meantime it was something she was going to have to be very conscious about. With the review out of the way, boredom started to set in. As such the swordswoman decided to play a morbid game of 'what does this pain remind me of', her mind racing back through decades of adventures and battles looking to see if she had experienced any similar injuries like the one to her flank. It turned out that were a number of times it had happened, not to mention all the other wounds she had suffered over the years, such as being impaled on a scythe and the time a spell had been used to make her leak blood from every pore on her body. But one particular memory did float to the front of her mind...

The attack on the Ecnal artifact station was not going as well as they had hoped. The massive, ancient structure that was the source of the Ecnal's ability to jam communication and travel between realities spanned half the solar system and the entire combined Neilgo and Freedom Army military force had barely penetrated a quarter of the way in after a massive naval bombardment followed by over 16 hours of fighting through the halls. Trying to destroy it from the outside would have taken far too long and would likely result in destruction of the combined fleet, so it was hoped that if the four identified power sources could be reached and destroyed that it would cause the entire thing to break up.

But as Sarah raced through the metal halls to respond to yet another call for help, she wondered if any of them would survive, much less win this fight. Before she could reach the distress call she witnessed the sight of a familiar gray-armored android being pushed back out of a side hallway and into the wall in front of her by a large, almost reptilian looking centaur creature with orange skin. Advanced armor covered its torso and limbs, armor that was generating fields of powerful energy in the shape of claws over its forearms, allowing it to tear out huge chunks of the android's body. Knowing just how tough the Ecnal warriors were and that time of the essence, the swordswoman tapped into a special well of spiritual energy causing it to burst forth as a surge of white energy that surrounded her and causing white crystalline wings to materialize behind her. At the same time she mentally commanded the bracers on her arms and legs to reduce gravity's hold upon her, the combined actions allowing for a huge surge of speed that closed the gap between her and the enemy. Using the shield strapped to her left arm, the swordswoman gave the Ecnal a shove, disrupting its attack against the android and throwing it just the tiniest bit off balance, but that was enough. Lashing out with her Cleria Sword in a flurry of blows that left numerous wounds upon her foe faster than it could react, the blond-haired woman then plunged the artifact blade into its torso. Her wings vanished upon doing so as she shoved all of the released spiritual energy through the weapon and into the Ecnal where it erupted violently from within.

Ignoring the charred chunks of flesh being scattered around them, Sarah looked down at the android with a hint of a smirk. "You are always getting your ass kicked, eh Charon?" The android could do little more than let out a squeal of static from his ruined faceplate before crossing his mangled arms. Chuckling as she quickly put away her sword and shield, Sarah scooped up Charon in a princess-carry, ignoring the indigent he let out, before breaking out in a run towards the distress call. At times she would the mental guidance from Balint, a powerful telepath that was guiding her to where she needed to go while also avoiding any additional enemies. Before long she could feel recognizable auras of allies up ahead, and she knew they had detected her when she heard the call of 'Friendly incoming!' from them. Coming around the corner she was greeted by the sight of a squad of power armored soldiers from the Freedom Army and a single Neilgolian magic caster getting out of the way so she could pass by before they closed up ranks again.

With that they had arrived at the relief point for this sector, where the wounded were being treated before either heading back into the fight or hopefully being evacuated. And not only was this point overloaded with wounded, the healers and medics desperately at work, but she could also hear the sounds of fighting nearby. As the fighting was the reason she was called her, Sarah hurriedly dropped Charon on the ground near one of the healers, a yellow cat that was casting healing magic upon a green-skinned humanoid, before rushing towards the battle. What the swordswoman found was a group of FA soldiers getting decimated by a dedicated push of Ecnal warriors. They all had their weapons set to ranged mode, forming large rifle like weapons that fired canister like projectiles that would explode into a cloud of nano-bots upon impact, the microscopic machines rapidly eating away at anything caught in the cloud. The lethality of the weapons was clearly demonstrated by how easily they could eat away at the energy shields and armor plating protecting the Freedom Army soldiers, but now she was here to shift the odds back in their favor.

The memories of the next few minutes was a chaotic mess that she could not clearly recall, but she could remember the aftermath. The bodies, both friendly and enemy spread around on the ground, the incredible damage that had been inflicted upon the area, and the gaping wound in her right abdomen. Despite the injury and the pain radiating from it, Sarah stayed on her feet, alert for any more trouble as she carefully swapped out the ring she was wearing on her right hand for a different one, one that would start to heal her injury so long she stayed mostly still. With any luck it would do the job before any more trouble cropped up, for while she was still technically combat capable, the wound would slow her down enough to make fighting more Ecnal extremely risky. Fortunately it seemed like the enemy had other concerns when the entire station violently shook, shortly followed by a communication on an open channel. "Confirmed, Prince Siegfried has destroyed one of the reactors." As some of the injured she was protecting cheered, Sarah smiled with pride as she whispered her own congratulations. "Way to go Siggy..."

The old woman couldn't help but softly chuckle to herself as she recalled that moment. Despite all of the death and destruction of the war, reuniting with a childhood friend had been a desperately needed silver lining for her at that time.

 

[November Witch]

Autumn Ichor

Status: Determined, tired, uninjured.

Autumn had wondered why it was so quiet somewhere in the back of her mind. She only consciously noticed when the three started off. Light Path was nowhere to be seen. She figured it was a knowledgeable, powerful being. It would probably be fine. Her attention would then again focus on the here and now of the situation. The people she was currently assisting. She rolled her eyes as Toko attempted to argue and state that she was, in fact, fine. None of them looked to be in perfect condition, well, besides Autumn herself. Even then, she was soaking wet, and covered in mud below the knee. She couldn't wait to take a shower... Autumn wasn't strong, but she'd do her best to help the other two make their way to the Temple.

When she touched Han, she tensed for a moment as an unfamiliar, odd sensation assaulted her body. It told her he was like her, not from this world. It scared her, to see that there were more like her. But there was some relief in the fact that she wasn't alone. Though, that raised the question... Just how many of them were there? How many people had ended up here, and for what reason? Her eyes met his for a brief moment. Understanding and determination was clear in her gaze. There had to be a reason for this. So she was going to figure it out with him. She was sure that staying with him, and whoever else may be in the same position, would take them to their purpose, their goal. She gave him a single nod and said nothing.

Toko didn't elicit the same reaction, but she was the one to speak up.

"I'm not exactly sure myself, but I hope it helps. I've got nothing left to give."

She admitted, grateful that someone else was showing her kindness in such a situation. Her head tilted as she mulled over Toko's other words. An ear twitched atop her head.

"I'm afraid not. In fact, I would wager I'm not even from this world. As crazy as that sounds, I really don't know anything. Who you are, why this war is happening, why I was being attacked... I almost died. I just want to get away from any danger and take a warm shower."

She hated the feeling of mud in her tail. It was just as bad as the feeling of being drenched to the bone...

"I appreciate your offer though. I'll likely ask for an explanation on the conflict, and why it's being fought."

Autumn would only give a small, cursory glance at the figures up ahead. Her attention would be on the wellbeing of the two she was helping, and the explanation Toko would give, assuming she would give one that is.

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Han Liuyang

The feeling of Autumn's energy flows into his limbs, and the King's pained movements become smoother, more regal, as he raises himself to his full height. Even his halo seems to flicker with bit more animation, the crown of sun-flame flaring ever so brighter. How curious. Another one, just like him, hm? Called from a distant land to this one. What game were the Divines of this world playing at, he wondered. Or were they playing at all? Perhaps it was some other force entirely.

The scrawny Toko finds herself being pulled along by Han at this point, Han supporting her up more than she did Han, as strength returns to him. A deep-throated laugh comes up out of his chest as Toko objects in her stuttering way.

"I've faced real Dragons, Toko. Mountain-Breaking, Sky-Ruling, Star-Burning! That overgrown gecko couldn't have done more than scorch me. This? This is nothing at all. If they didn't have that thought-link trick, I could have taken them both!"

He looks to Toko and Autumn, letting them speak for a bit. Names he didn't recognize- Forest Children, Elder Haavi, so forth. He clicks his tongue as they come up upon the gate, meeting the rest of the defending force. Autumn starts to broach the subject of their strange Star-born origin, the nature of their appearance, and Han imagined that Toko would be full of questions. Might as well give her what answers he could, while Toko wasn't sputtering out yet more questions.

November Witch
"Sounds about right. This world is certainly not my own. If it was... We'd have a lot more attention now that I'm here. I was something of a bit of a celebrity, haha."

He looks to Autumn, shrugging, as he gives bits and pieces of what he'd learned.

"This temple held a divine relic of some power. The forces attacking the relic wanted the relic for themselves, and the defenders of this temple disagreed with that notion. Apparently, the attackers have done some... unfortunate things, shall we say, to obtain relics of such a sort before.

Not that it matters now. The Relic's been reclaimed by the Divine, I suspect - Or at the very least, it's somewhere no one will be reaching it anytime soon.

... Hm, there was something about... Leylines needing to be stabilized. The Knight's last words. I don't suppose you'd know any more, Toko?"

Han Liuyang lets Toko continue with any further elaboration, as Han turns his attention to the people standing at the temple gates, and the gate that was slowly opening. The burned and battered warrior speaks up, his voice carrying across the way, heedless of any conversations he was interrupting.

"OI! Toko here could use some help! And if anyone can beat the score of one Wyvern-Rider, speak up!"

Unsurprisingly, there was a smug grin on the warrior's face, despite him looking like he might drop dead at any moment.

 

[jmann]

GAMMARIAH | Temple Door
Juju November Witch

Gammariah scowled at the wolf matriarch’s comment on the rebellion. Cowards? Gammariah remembered a time when their forces were few but staunchly driven for their cause. Now what had become of them? Gammariah refused to believe his presence was the only thing holding them together. How much time had passed since he had fallen? He seemed a distant memory to the mage, some long ago nightmare come back to haunt her. It was a ploy he could use. If more people found out about his return on the battlefield, the rebellion stood a better chance at catching them off-guard and shocked. But if the unicorn escaped and told others of his return then they would surely bring the full weight of the empire to crush them.

The matriarch mentioned the temple in the distance, Cloud-Home, and their elder Haavi. Perhaps talking to an elder would do them good. As much as Gammariah hoped to meet their next Leading Light, the presence of two may complicate things. Gammariah shook the idea from his mind. A man approached them, the first allied human Gammariah had seen since falling that rode atop the wolf when Gammariah arrived. Rokii Winterstep called the wolf “mother”. They talked enough like mother and son for Gammariah to believe it. It was a hopeful thing, family. Gammariah had always put the fight first, but now he was on borrowed time. He didn’t know if that meant he should love what little life he might have left, or fight like a landslide to ensure his new friends could enjoy it.
Gammariah found his swords and wiped them off onto what little parts of his trousers were not soaked in mud and blood.

Rokii mounted the matriarch and she looked at Gammariah to do the same. He gave a respectful nod before doing so, entirely expecting to be bitten this time, baited into a trap. But he wasn’t.
From the height, Gammariah looked over the battlefield. Corpses, arrows, and spears littered the blood-soaked plain. Gammariah wondered where the wyvern had gone and whose side it was on, if any.
“Well met, Winterstep. I am Gammariah of Adriae. I fear I was unsuccessful in part. The white mage is dead but two others still live. A human mage she brought back from death, and her steed escaped.” Gammariah thought back to the beginning of the fight, when there was more to look out for than the mage and her tricks, “There was also a leporine woman who assisted the mage. She wore no uniform but possessed restorative magic. Perhaps she was brought back from death like myself.”
The thought of a Seer helping the Astellians worried him, but it was an issue he would worry about later.


As they neared the temple gates, a familiar sight mingled with the crowd. A spy, a scout for the Astellians to leave behind to learn their secrets. Gammariah would not allow it.
“I see our hare. The one who attacked your wolves and almost had me killed.”
Gammariah leapt off the matriarch’s back and stumbled to the ground. He did not have the strength remaining he thought he did, but perhaps enough of a display of force and she’d know she wasn’t welcome.
Gammariah stood tall and drew his swords, pointing directly at Autumn as he approached.
“YOU.” Much of his remaining strength was from his Marks, with little of his own muscles holding his weight. Gammariah knew if he took one more hit to his Marks he might go down for good. Regardless it was necessary to excise this evil from what was left of the rebellion.
“I gave you fair warning and still you return. As Torchbearer of the True Son of Adriae, I will let you leave, or I will scorch you from this earth. Make your choice.”

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Han Liuyang - Temple Gates
jmann
A voice brings Han's focus away from the people mingling at the entrance. Sharp words, of challenge and fury. He turns, frowning, as he sees Gammariah levels his sword at the woman. Fair warning...? Han looks to Autumn, pressing his lips together. She was many things. But she was no threat to anyone. The King looks back to Gammariah with a warrior's gaze, and he catches the quiver in his body, the way the man's sword-tip shakes just so.

No better off than him, it seemed. Not that it mattered.

Toko and Autumn feel Han shake them off and push them away, the once-God taking in a breath and stepping forward out of their supportive hands. His head is raised in an imperious gaze, even as his body is littered with raw burns. Han speaks, his voice carrying across the space with a King's tenor.

"Stay your blade, Torchbearer. I am Han Liuyang, King of the Rising Sun - And whatever you think this woman is, she is nothing more than a lost innocent. Like I, she was brought here beyond the bounds of this world and its stars.

There are no ties of enmity here for you, warrior."

A spear forms in his hand, Han's moonsilver wraps contorting into a new shape, before he slames the butt of his weapon into the earth to punctuate his point.

"Whatever offenses you think she may have committed, they were made in chaos and confusion. Are there not enough dead upon the plain already?"

 

[November Witch]

Autumn Ichor

Status: Fearful, and shaken, uninjured.

Autumn wasn’t exactly sure of what to make of the man as he spoke. He certainly looked formidable, but fighting dragons? She wasn’t exactly sure of that. Maybe if they were different from her world. Where Autumn came from, dragons were the literal gods that bestowed their magic to the populace of the world. Magic was a gift that could be given and taken as the gods saw fit. Surely, he didn’t come from her world. Maybe they were much less formidable wherever he came from. Autumn hadn’t seen the fight exactly, so she had no idea what exactly this man was capable of. But his nature seemed very boastful and prideful.

With these traits in mind, she felt as if he was also the type to exaggerate… He bragged of killing a Wyvern and about being a celebrity… These didn’t help what Autumn thought about him either…

But before all that, he explained a bit of what the two were caught up in. But having just arrived to the world, she had no idea if what he and Toko did was a good or bad idea. Either way, it was none of her business for now. She turned her attention back to Toko and her explanation, only to be interrupted by a voice. A cold chill ran up back as she turned to see a man hop off of the giant wolf from earlier and look straight at her.

She recognized all three of them. The two humans and the wolf. She did, in fact, feel more like a hare than a fox at the moment. While she took a step back, her mind processing the situation she was in, the man who had yet to introduce himself, introduced himself. But not to her. To the man threatening Autumn. Han, she gathered from his explanation, had stepped up to protect her it seemed. While she was flattered, she wasn’t going to be the cause of another death. Or any injuries.

“Listen, none of what you just said makes any sense to me.”

She said flatly to the man threatening her. She had steadied herself and composed her body and emotions. Her previous life as a politician let her master the art of looking confident no matter the situation. She took a step forward to stand next to Han.

“I don’t care whether you believe me or not, but all I remember is waking up in a crater on this battlefield not even an hour ago. I don’t know which side is which or what either of you wish to gain from this war. I simply saw lives in danger and wished to protect them.”

Autumn put her hand on Han’s left arm, gently pulling it down to his side.

“I wish to resolve this peacefully. I would rather leave than see anyone else endure any more needless wounds.”

She’d turn back to the man threatening her once more.

“Never once did I strike down anyone on the battlefield or even cause any injuries. That should be proof enough of my intentions. But if you insist, I shall go and find somewhere else to stay and someone else to explain everything to me. Maybe I can find Light Path again...”

With that, Autumn would leave and head towards where the other army had retreated to, if no one attempted to stop her, that is.

 

[Solirus]

Rodal
jmann ThatWhichShouldBe November Witch ​

Waiting on Sohaa's response, Rodal was listening in to every possible conversation, attaining as much information as possible. His interest piqued at the arrival of two particular individuals, one of which started revealing all they had been told and experienced, granting Rodal more context for the conflict he'd been thrown into. It seems the attackers were here to steal some important relic. Thieves perhaps? No, perhaps some greedy noble who sent a force here, but a force so great and varied wouldn't have come from a single noble unless it was a kingdom. The next bit of information was that of 'Leylines' needing to be stabilized, Rodal had no clue what that meant. Perhaps it was a cover for their real goals, still it could not be ignored and Rodal took note to figure out what a leyline is. It could also be a misunderstanding of intentions, perhaps the defenders believe their relic is being stolen while the attackers are here for other reasons. The methods they use would also determine how desperate or depraved the force was to achieve their goal and with his only real interaction with them, the attackers were far from saints.

By this time, a second man had arrived, threatening the person alongside Han. Han responded by defending her, manifesting his weapon. They both appeared critically hurt, and they both appeared to be in a similar position to his own. However, if the torchbearer spoke true, then she was at worse a spy or merely a neutral party searching for peace. Peace? A peaceful conclusion could only be attained through the destruction of one side in this conflict. From his interaction with the officer, the attackers dehumanized their enemy and butchered them like savages and demons. The defenders would not so easily forget and forgive as the corpses of their family rot and decay and their lands burn with the fire of colonization and greed. Rodal, to say the least, disliked neutral parties, usually only benefitting the oppressor over the oppressed, he himself had used this flaw to his advantage once, not that he enjoyed doing so.

Still, he could not allow things to escalate, and thus he stepped forward, putting himself between Han and the torchbearer, "Gentlemen, relax for a second," Rodal spoke up with his cocky facade, "The battle is won." Rodal felt gut-wrenching contempt as he gave a glance to Han. He was unsure why he felt it, but he hid the emotion regardless. "But I still have some energy in me, so if you still want to fight, I can put you both to sleep." He rested his arm on the blade. "Oh, but one more thing." Rodal turned to face Autumn who seemed ready to leave, "If you truly wish to end this conflict peacefully, should you not at least gain context from figureheads of both sides? I am planning to visit the leader of this place and if you wish to resolve this conflict with no further bloodshed, you should gain an understanding from them." Rodal frankly wanted her to leave, she was a liability, but she could also end up as an asset to the attackers if nothing was done.

 

[YsFanatic]

A loud sigh escapes from Sarah's lips as the old woman starts moving, carefully getting herself down from the mount she had been draped across. Her body was still a wreck however, forcing her to lean on one of the natives for support. Her voice though, rang loud and clear for the others to hear. "Good to have confirmation that I wasn't the only one pulled from another reality, but going by this little conversation I'm guessing none of you have any experience with this type of shit?" Her vision was blurry and every movement hurt, but that didn't stop the swordswoman from shaking her head. It was confusing enough to be suddenly yeeted to another world even when you had experience traveling between realities, so she could only imagine how jarring it had to be for some of the others.

"I wouldn't consider it unexpected or unreasonable for someone in our situation to first make contact with one side, then decide they didn't like them or needed to know more about the situation and go to the other. Hell, that could have been me if one of their soldiers hadn't immediately attacked me. Thankfully I extracted some information from 'em that put things in perspective." Sarah's gaze sweeps over to Autumn, while her vision currently lacked the clarity needed to meet the other person's eyes it would still be enough to indicate that she was now speaking to the younger woman. "Wanting things to end peacefully is a noble and good cause, when it is practical. The elf I interrogated revealed that this is a religious war for them, they want to remake this land in their image. At least that's the rank and file are being told to believe. The problem is that when you get a bunch of people whipped up in a religious frenzy and set loose in a war, they do not stop. It doesn't matter if you reach out peacefully, deal them a series of crushing defeats, or take any number of other approaches, they only care about winning at any cost. Fuck, there have been plenty of cases in other worlds that even when the leaders wanted to stop the war, the regular people did not listen, killed their leaders, and continued the war anyway." The elderly woman pauses to catch her breath for a moment.

"Of course, this is all dependent on how deeply their culture has been influenced by these beliefs. If its as bad as I typically see, then no external influence is going to change their minds. It'd take one of their own to work at changing their minds, and that's typically a long process that can take decades. But in more extreme cases as I mentioned earlier, that won't work either and the people trying to stop the war will just be killed by their fellows." There was another pause to give the others a chance to consider what she had said. "Look, if the war was about resources or territory, I'd support wanting to find a peaceful end to this war. But when it comes to a religious war, there's a a fuck-ton of history from countless worlds working against you on that one. Instead, if you don't want to fight, I'd suggest perhaps help the backlines here, be it with medical stuff, cooking, tailoring, helping non-combatants get away from a combat area, anything like that. Or if you want to be more daring and risk death, you could try finding people on the other side who don't want the war and getting them to somewhere new where they can live peacefully. Just be aware that approach would also put those people in a huge amount of danger as well." At this moment Sarah decides to stop speaking for now and give the others a chance to voice their thoughts.

Solirus Juju November Witch ThatWhichShouldBe jmann

 

[Juju]

Solirus
Sohaa looked a little unsure of what to make of Rodal, his brow furrowed into a slight frown. The woman bearing a knife especially looked on edge when Rodal placed a hand on her leader’s shoulder. Even so, Sohaa did not seem to share her aggressive tendencies and simply gave Rodal a nod even after the invasion of his personal space. While obviously grateful for the help of an experienced warrior, he did not seem to particularly like Rodal.

He gave a small nod, to let Rodal know that he would indeed get an audience with their leader and then glanced at the creature named Mountain, “Ah, the windhorn? So long as you treat him well, you may keep him. It is the least we can do to show our gratitude.”

---

November Witch ThatWhichShouldBe Solirus jmann YsFanatic

Autumn’s attempt to clarify her origins only further confused Toko, “Not from this world? Do you mean the spirit realm? Like a lost soul?”

The information did not stop, instead growing more and more bizarre with Han’s addition of his dragon-slaying tales.

“You… you killed dragons?” Toko squeaked out in disbelief, her eyes wide and reverent. Faced with such incredible news, she was at a loss for words, giving both Han and Autumn ample opportunity to attempt explaining things without her questions bubbling up.

She flinched at the mention of the divine relic and shook her head at Han’s question about the leylines, “Elves use strange magic, very unlike our own blessings. Forgive me, I do not know…”

As they neared the temple gates, it seemed that Toko grew more and more anxious with each step. Her eyes were locked onto the leader, a nervous expression on her face. She actually tried to hide behind Han, but as fate would have it, he personally flagged down the Leader’s attention. All with good intentions, of course.

Sohaa turned away from Rodal to glance at the newest group of newcomers. Some of his warriors began to whisper amongst themselves, some pointing at Han’s floating halo. Just as it had been with Toko, their eyes were drawn to the unusual thing. Some curious, others weary.

“You killed a wyvern rider? You think we should believe that?” scoffed the woman with the dagger, which she still held firmly in her hand.

Sohaa seemed more preoccupied by the priestess still attempting to hide behind the charred king. He stepped forward, an angry look on his face, “Toko? What are you doing beyond the walls? You were supposed to stay at the shrine with Elder Haavi.”

Caught with nowhere to go, Toko raised her voice meekly, “I… there was one of the winged Flame-Beasts. I saw fire… and bodies. I just wanted to help.”

“You mean the wyvern? What were you thinking? You could have died or…” Sohaa’s eyes widened in realization that both of Toko’s hands were empty. There was a brief pause, “… where is The Eye?”

The other warriors, even those who had been wounded or preoccupied with Han’s claims, all at once turned their gazes towards the young priestess. She took a step back away from Han and Autumn, as if suddenly cornered by wolves. She shook her head wordlessly, face pale and eyes brimming with tears.

Before things could conclude between them, the air was cut by a shout. Gammariah and his lupine companions had arrived, and with it branded Autumn a traitor. In the chaos, all parties had shifted their attention away from Toko, who used this as an opportune moment to flee back towards the lake. With both Autumn and Han involved in the conflict, by the time they would notice her missing, she had gained a lot of distance even with her stumbling gait.

As Gammariah took his stance against both Autumn and Han, the wolf matriarch padded to his side, showing all onlookers her opinion on the matter. Her pearly fur bristled, icy fangs bared, and each of her growling breath left puffs of frozen air, “So this is where the little rabbit ran off to? A poor choice.”

Her spectral pack crowded around her, some circling outwards in anticipation of a fight. The horned man, Rokii, glared down in disgust at Autumn’s words. He still sat on the matriarch’s back, clutching the wound at his side, “I also saw you assist the elvish mage. Even if what you say is true, you have already made your choice. If you assisted them once, you will do so again.”

The moment Autumn made a movement to leave, the pack of wolves moved to cut off and partially surround the woman. They snapped and snarled, some getting a little too close as they jumped over each other in their eagerness to chase. Stuck between the walls of the shrine, the matriarch, and the now united force of her spectral pack, it would be near impossible to run away from them this time, at least with all her blood and limbs. In fact, if she chose to move forward even a little bit more, it was likely she would trigger the over-eager wolves into a chase.

Matriarch Oshaka stalked closer to Autumn, crouched low with eyes shining maliciously, “You misunderstand, little rabbit… we do not weigh your words, but the value of your breaths.”

If any present recognized the name Light Path, they made no comment.

Matriarch Oshaka’s head whipped back to Rodal at his attempt to defuse the situation with a cocky threat to Han and Gammariah, that latter of which happened to be an ally. The wolf spirit snapped her jaws in his direction, snarling, “Put to sleep? Go on, little creature. It's been a long time since I tasted tainted blood… now I have the opportunity to spill it twice.”

Judging by where her golden gaze flicked to, she seemed to be referring to both Rodal and Han. Despite all the attempts at quelling it, tensions continued to rise between the two sides.It wasn’t until Sarah spoke up that things seemed to take a turn, at least for a few precious moments.

Everyone, spirits included, seemed perplexed by what the ragged woman had to say. Her phrase of ‘another reality’ hung in the air like the lingering smoke, drawing out a confused silence from the native leader and wolf spirit alike. All present had seen the stars fall from the sky, which had been mere moments before the strangers arrived into battle. By now, many were able to put two and two together, though it defied logic and left room for denial. Many might have shouted out against her claims, but somehow the warriors present seemed to patiently wait for the old woman to say her piece, as if this stranger was already a respected member of their society.

With the help of Sarah's words, Sohaa finally managed to get a grip on the situation, “While there can be no forgiveness for the actions of the elf-kin, you speak wisely, elder.”

He turned to Oshaka and her pack, bowing respectfully, "Great wolf-mother, I ask you and your kin to hold your fangs. We all witnessed the stars fall from the heavens, and even now the very stones rise up to join the clouds. This can only be an omen of the Great Life Spirit. We may be at war, but we have not yet forsaken our sacred traditions, nor the signs sent by the origin of all that is good.”

He motioned to Autumn and those who supposedly came from other realities, “We shall bring this beastfolk, and all who claim to be born of these fallen stars, to Elder Haavi and the wise spirits. Only they can pass judgment of truth or lie, and interpret the meaning of this sign.”

Matriarch Oshaka still bared her fangs, but she no longer crouched. Though they still eyed Autumn hungrily, the spectral wolves loosened their circle around the woman and backed up. She was free to return to the group of Summoned, but it seemed they still intended to attack should she try to make a run for it.

The man perched atop the wolf, Rokii, snorted in indignation and hissed, "You're making a mistake--!"

Sohaa held up a hand, cutting the man off before he could say more, "They are guests of Cloud-Home, as are you. Remember this."

The man sitting on the wolf curled his lips into a sneer, but bit his tongue.

 

[jmann]

GAMMARIAH | Temple Gates
ThatWhichShouldBe November Witch Solirus YsFanatic Juju

Gammariah hesitated as a man as ragged as himself stepped between them. He marked himself king. One advocating for peace upon threat of death. That sounded right for any self proclaimed royalty. Obsessed with the idea of a fair and just kingdom as long as they were the arbiter of such concepts.
“Enough dead?” Gammariah curled his face in disgust at the idea, “The Dynasty crushes our people, burns our fields! Grow up, your majesty, this is war. There will be enough dead when there are none who remember the name ‘Astel’.”

Autumn spoke, Gammariah barely listened beyond her agreeing to leave. She made to leave and Gammariah lowered to a perch, ready to run at a moments notice to cut Autumn off if need be. He knew she ran fast and he would have to anticipate whether the ran away or into the sanctuary. Before then, however, another stepped into the fold.

Another stepped between them again, crowding Gammariah’s line of sight on Autumn. He also recommended peace upon threat of death. Was this one a king also? Had the Spirits seen fit to bring back the Leading Light and faux-peacekeepers?
An old woman spoke truth about the Dynasty, seemingly from the perspective of an outsider. Had they really come here from another world? That meant Gammariah was the only one of them with stakes in the conflict. Any words he tried to convince them would fall on alien ears.

The wolves surrounded them in a matter of moments before a new voice entered the fold. They would have to take this matter to the Elder. Under any other circumstances Gammariah would have relished the opportunity to meet them, but the idea of meeting them first and foremost as an accuser was beyond unfortunate. Gammariah only hoped the word of the great wolf-mother could lend more weight to his argument.

Gammariah sheathed his swords and half-turned to the new authority.
“Come, king of nowhere, see the ends your rabbit-friend helped meet.”

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Han Liuyang

“You… you killed dragons?” Toko squeaked out in disbelief, her eyes wide and reverent. Faced with such incredible news, she was at a loss for words, giving both Han and Autumn ample opportunity to attempt explaining things without her questions bubbling up.

"I was younger then," Han said wryly, "And stronger. Much stronger. When I arrived, I lost much of my strength - For my strength comes of my world, and my place within it. But I am not the sort of King whose strength only comes from my throne."

He chuckles, old memories of a life well-lived coming to the fore.

"I was a King worth more than the crown."

Gammariah sheathed his swords and half-turned to the new authority.
“Come, king of nowhere, see the ends your rabbit-friend helped meet.”

Han eyes Gammariah levelly, as he turns to enter the Temple with everyone else. He doesn't seem phased by Gammariah's words. They were familiar in their hate. He'd seen it before, in the long centuries of his reign. An enmity that would never end, fueled by wound inflicted after wound in a war of eternal grudges. Such a thing rarely ended well. Rarely ended in anything but a mound of corpses, and salted fields.

"I've seen enough already. You are not the first to be part of a cycle of war and blood."

He turns and - Toko. Damnation!

The King dashes off after the priestess, breathing ragged breaths, as he calls up his strength, sunlight speeding his steps as he pushes himself to chase after her, and place a hand on her shoulder, yelling as he goes.

"Toko! The Spirits took the Eye into the heavens for a reason! If you want to bring it back then we need answers for why! Which means speaking with Elder Haavi! And besides! That Spirit gave me a vision for a reason, before the Eye was taken!"

 

[Solirus]

Rodal
Juju jmann ​

Maintaining the cocky composure, Rodal removed his hand from the hilt of the blade as the old woman started explaining. Frankly, she talked too much and was practically shoving information down everyone's throats, so much of what she said should've already been apparent to those around, but then again, some seemed slower than others.

Leva remained weirdly quiet. Leva was more about action, honor, and the such, politics and tension always passed like a blur to her which always seemed paradoxical on certain occasions, was she purposefully trying to confuse him? At least it shut her up for a time, but thinking about it, Rodal wondered if the new sword could hear his thoughts and his conversation with Leva, if it could, that would complicate things.

Regardless, Rodal relaxed as tensions lowered slightly, he would thankfully gain his audience with the elder, but he'd be accompanied by the rest which limited his range of questions. Speaking of the rest, Rodal slowly walked towards Gammariah, as he was the only other he hadn't gotten acquainted with and didn't inherently hold contempt for. He glanced over to the wolf matriarch, a shit-eating grin beneath his mask, but refrained from doing much else other than a raised brow.

Before he could utter another word, Rodal saw Gammariah and Han essentially spit at each other one final time beforehand departed towards the priestess. Rodal couldn't help but still feel contempt for the man, it wasn't his words nor his title as a king, Rodal know how those particular feelings were to him, distaste and annoyance. There was a third one, one which he was not familiar with, a deep seething and irrational hatred from the bottom of his heart.

Rodal shook his head and went to face Gammariah, "Sorry about that, couldn't have you starting fights. Still, I must say that between the two of you, I like you a lot more than that other fellow. You've got the spirit I like working with, so let's start properly: My name is Rodal, what do you call yourself?" Rodal extended his hand outwards for a handshake, even wiggling his hand a bit to encourage Gammariah to take it.

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

The Astellian Camp
Juju​

Rishi. The Sky Children. Cloud-Home. All words straight out of a fantasy novel, none of which Doi recognized. If she was allied with those names and wound up in imprisoned by the devout followers of Astell, there was little question as to her devotion. Any simple-minded believer would have shrugged her off then and there. But Doi had seen those eyes many times before. It was her duty to guide those who were lost in life; bring hope to those who needed it.

What they did with her counsel was their own choice. But Doi always had to try.

"I'm afraid I'm not. My devotion belongs to the Guiding Star," she admitted. "But please, do not fret. I have no intent on berating or assailing you. My ideals are... different from what these loyalists demonstrate. Faithlessness has a root cause that many do not even try to understand. And I am sorry for the hospitality you're being shown."

Doi made sure to appear as receptive as possible. She'd have offered a hand to the poor girl if she could. "But as I said, it's no coincidence that we are the only two in this room. She wished for us to speak." This was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about this world. "How did you end up here? What life did you lead for fate to place you in a dingy, cramped cell?"

 

[November Witch]

Autumn Ichor

Status: Fearful, cold, uninjured.

The fox girl stopped and turned around as the others spoke, only for the wolves to move up on her. She took a step closer to Toko and Han, but was sure that her growing fear didn’t show. However, as she moved towards them, she saw Toko begin to turn and run.

“Toko!”

The fox girl called after her. But with these hostile people around her, she couldn’t go after the other without risking her own life. She took a deep breath and face those in front of her.

Autumn immediately regretted speaking. Not because of any consequences she incurred due to it, but because of the subpar responses she got. Autumn was being talked down to as if she had no idea what she was talking about. She felt as if her intelligence was being insulted. She was a politician in her previous life, this sort of thing was her bread and butter. Okay, maybe not wars, but finding common ground, coming to an understanding, and using her words were all her forte.

However, Autumn did suppose they knew nothing about her, so it was fair to say such things. It was just a little annoying is all. However her expression nor her eyes betrayed any of the emotions she was feeling. She’d mastered the art of hiding how she really felt, after all. Her job required it.

The old woman mentioned she fell from the sky too. Autumn immediately considered her a probable ally. The man with the sword though? Mentioned no such thing. At this point in time, he was just another stranger of this land to her. Autumn would have loved to speak to a figurehead, as he suggested, but she had literally just been given the ultimatum of leaving or dying. So she was confused as to why he said she should go talk to whoever was in charge. She literally couldn’t.

The horned man’s words further annoyed Autumn. His logic was flawed, he had no proof, and she had literally helped them too. She’d helped bring Toko to safety! Besides, it’s not like helping the mage did anything… Autumn wanted to scream and shout at him and the wolf, and Gammariah for killing her. But she held her tongue. The fox girl was used to it. She knew when to speak and when not to. What to say and what not to. It was definitely not the time or the thing to say. Not if she wanted to keep her life, that is.

As the massive wolf stalked closer to Autumn, she balled her hands into fists and stared back, head held high. Was she scared? Half to death. Intimidated? Certainly. She could barely keep herself from trembling in fact. It took all her strength not to. But she’d felt this was on stage in front of kings and queens. Diplomats, emissaries, generals and more. Autumn had never let it get to her then. Why would she now?

She was confused as to why Gammariah called her ‘your majesty.’ Was it supposed to be an insult? Because it felt like a compliment to Autumn. However, she let out a sigh of relief when another man she didn’t know the name of, convinced the others to take them all to see this 'Elder Haavi.' She’d heard it mentioned on their way over by Toko. She wished she had a chance to freshen up, and maybe take a warm shower. She was still soaked, as the cold was starting to get to her and her legs were still covered in mud. But Autumn supposed keeping her life was good enough for now. Again, she would keep her mouth shut, knowing that arguing would be futile with people like these. She would just have to hope the village had someone more... open-minded to talk to...

As she followed everyone inside, she noticed Han was gone too… Were all her allies just going to abandon her? She soon banished the thought as another, more trivial one entered her head.

Did they have a different word for “fox” in this world? She reached up and felt her furry ears. They didn’t feel like that of a rabbit or hare…

 

[Juju]

• Ruins
• Temple Gates

• 
  
  
  VVitch, Zareth, Flub and Wyvern Duo
  (Collab with seasonedcat )
  ​
  “98th Lunar Dawn of 7th Chasing Moon...” Zareth repeated to himself, his hazy brain’s mumbled thoughts coming to a quick halt. It has been nearly 300 years since his procedure. His head began to throb as he tried to focus on his thoughts that were starting to slip away.
  
  300 years? Sure, an elf could easily live that long; he already nearly had before his procedure. But for 300 years to go by with not a single drop of memory… that didn’t make any sense. Had he been alive all that time and simply forgot it? A coma or some other magic slumber? Or had the procedure really killed him, and he somehow came back? He didn't feel like some undead construct or a corpse the symbols kept alive. How else had he made it this far? Was this some plan by that crazed doctor?
  
  Zareth’s head throbbed painfully as he tried desperately to keep himself thinking and awake. Blinking back the spots that danced on his vision, he took deep breaths, trying desperately to focus on those to keep himself awake.
  
  “Wyverria? I don’t understand why a proud Wyvern Knight like you would be working with the Astellian Dynasty? Last I checked, your kind would rather drive your blade through yourself than work with an elf. Or did your people finally come to your senses?” he managed to ask the knight, the words lacking the mocking bite they were meant to, instead leaking his confusion.
  
  “It's a good thing I owe you one,” the knight said, a tenseness in her voice that was hardly obscured by the playful tone, “Otherwise I might have smacked you upside the head just now. Then again, you'd probably crumble even on a good day.”
  
  She sighed, “I suppose you can say we came to our senses, in that there wasn't much choice. A lot of good soldiers died in the wars, and it stung worse to find out what it was all for. You have to know, our princess loved her father. It's why she hasn't called herself queen yet, even a century later.”
  
  A rustle in the nearby bushes drew the knight's attention elsewhere. She paused, peering out into the darkness.
  
  VVitch, who had been avidly listening to the conversation like a nosey high-schooler, clicked her tongue and pouted, “Aww no! Don't you dare conveniently get interrupted by baddies just when you're getting to the good part!”
  
  She sat on a nearby stump of rubble, head in her hands and elbows propped up on Flub who rested in her lap.
  
  The knight's red eyes snapped back to VVitch, a frown on her face, before she looked to Zareth and continued, “Listen, your pointy eared friends at the camp can tell you this a lot better than me, but there's something wrong with your precious arcane. Frankly, I don't give a damn, but as it turns out that means something's wrong with the whole world. It's why the princess gave up her crown and why we're here fighting off those damned bastards.”
  
  Any of the facades that Zareth held seemed to slip away in an instant as his face scrunched up in confusion. Something wrong with the arcane? Zareth's heart thudded painfully faster than it already was at the thought. Could it possibly mean he was no longer abnormal in the mage society? That there were others like him with so little mana because of something else? Could it not be his fault?
  
  Zareth opened and closed his mouth several times, wanting to ask those same questions desperately, but he shoved them down.
  
  “The arcane? Something is wrong with it? That's absurd; how could that possibly be so? Explain yourself!”
  
  He found himself pushing out another question from his brain rather than spilling his pathetic whining, he kept it locked up as something dawned on him. Could he go to the elf settlement? His hand ghosted over the marking on his face. He had long since accepted he could no longer be a part of them in those days, that if they knew of the origins of his markings, they would do far worse than what they did to him when he was a child. These markings were still ancient and even older now that 300 years had passed. Did any of the scholars still live and practice? The books on them were all locked up tightly, and anyone with access to them was a bag of bones even back then. He hesitates to go to the people he so often praised. This could wait however, first, he needed a response from this knight while she was still willing to speak.
  
  “You’re asking the wrong person if you want details,” The knight continued in a slightly annoyed tone, “All I know is that the magic links… the lines, I think they’re called, are unstable. My brother had more knowledge on it. All I know is that it’s bad business, and I’ll make sure the elves can safely do their job.”
  
  “The leylines? How can this be? This makes no sense,” without remembering the earlier fight, Zareth stood up quickly, meaning to pace and think only for the mana deprivation to hit him at full force, “How could… the elves let this happen…?” with the last words tumbling out of him due to momentum he quickly found his body doing the same as everything went dark.
  
  The knight’s voice faded with his vision, “Zareth? Zareth? Fu--”
  
• 
  
  
  Wren & Flub ft. Unconscious Zareth
  seasonedcat @ anyone at the gates
  ​
  Without much hesitation, Wren left the chaos behind. She could hear the sound of battle behind her, feel the lick of flames, but she did not look back to see who was winning. Her bets were on the dragon, but she didn't care enough to find out if she was wrong. As tempting as the elf camp was, she had better reasons to go in the opposite direction. She was just thankful that an opportunity arose.
  
  She hadn't originally planned to bring the elf along with her, but he was a good last resort in case of an emergency. In a way, she kinda pitied the man. He looked to be having a really rough time. Constantly passing out was probably a huge pain, but it made things easier for Wren.
  
  Despite the height difference between them, Zareth was surprisingly easy to carry. Even without her certain quirks, Wren was sure that a scrawny girl such as herself could carry this bag of bone with relative ease. It's why she felt so confident walking with him slung around her shoulders like she usually see search and rescue workers do. As for his staff, she dragged it along behind her. As she walked, she could feel Zareth's rib cage through the fabrics of his robe and couldn't help but shudder a bit. She could relate to the feeling of hunger clawing at your very soul. Then again, if he was starving, why couldn't he just use some magic to find a chest in a dungeon or something. Unless, of course, mages were considered to be a sort of starving artist in this world. She couldn't help but chuckle a little at the thought.
  
  Flub sat on Zareth's back, looking over the battlefield from his perch like some goofy king. The creature had no eyes, so Wren wasn't even sure how he actually saw anything, but she wasn't the type to care enough to ask questions. The little guy jiggled up and down, as if dancing to a melody only he could hear. At least he was happy.
  
  Wren stepped over broken weapons and charred corpses. It was not that they particularly bothered her -- you tended to get used to stuff like this -- but she just didn't want to get much of the filth on her clothes. Who knew when she could use a washing machine again. Up ahead, she could see a bunch of odd looking individuals gathered around the front gates of the fortress-thingy. There was even a giant dog, surrounded by a small army of less-giant ones. The intrusive thought to pet it nearly overpowered her reason.
  
  Much like Zareth, everyone seemed to be wearing clothes fit for a fantasy novel. It made her think for a second.
  
  "Hey Flub, do you think my clothes are a little too weird for a fantasy world?" Wren asked her jelly friend, who continued to sway to and fro in muted whimsy. He kept all his wisdom to himself.
  
  "I guess... I could borrow a cape or something?" She muttered, stooping down to examine the nearby corpses for some kind of cloak. The only ones she found were soaked with rain and covered in gore. One even looked to have some sort of dung on it. "Mmm... on second thought, maybe not. Eh, we ball."
  
  With the elvish mage slung across her shoulders like a dead pig, Wren marched up to the front gates. When she was close enough to be heard, she tripped a bit, almost dropping Zareth. Correcting herself with a tired grunt, she stood back up on wobbling legs, "Hello? My friend here is injured... can we get some help?"
  
  While she didn't openly mention it, her legs were still littered with bloody bandages. The wounds didn't really bother her that much, but she let herself limp a little as she shifted Zareth a bit in her arms, as if the weight was finally getting to her. The shift caused the staff to fall to the dirt, and Wren pawed her hand out, trying to reunite with it while at the same time struggling to hold up the elf.
  

 

[YsFanatic]

Squeezing the shoulder of the person supporting her to get their attention, Sarah then started to hobble over to Autumn's location, the native doing their best to keep her on her feet. The elderly swordswoman didn't say anything as she got to the fox-woman's side, but was instead using her presence to prevent any natives from getting any rash ideas. At least the way they had gone silent when was speaking and seemed to give her respect caused her to hope that they wouldn't do anything stupid while she was next to the other woman. In her current state it was the best protection she could offer.

When she heard another voice call out for help, Sarah stopped and turned to take a look at the person who had spoken up. Upon seeing the clothing the girl was wearing, she squinted to try to make out more details but unfortunately her eyesight was still affected by the blood loss. Even so, she had a feeling she might know of the world, or at least the type of the world, that the girl was from. As she couldn't do anything to actually help in response to the call for help, there was something that she wanted to ask to possibly confirm the other woman's origin. "That clothing, I've seen its like before. What world are you from?"

Juju November Witch

 

[Juju]

• Cloud-Home
• Astellian Camp

• 
  jmann Solirus ThatWhichShouldBe
  
  A low growl escaped the chest of the Wolf Matriarch, a sign that she agreed with the words Gammariah spat towards the supposed Sun-King. When he departed, she merely snapped her jaws in impatience, signalling a few of her pack to keep careful watch over the man.
  
  Then there was the business of Rodal. While she appeared to respect the decision to offer all of them entry into the shrine, she did not seem pleased. Her eyes were molten flecks of gold as they stared down Rodal and his offering of a handshake, waiting for the smallest excuse to unleash fangs upon the arrogant fighter.
  
  Gammariah would be reminded of his close encounter with her teeth upon his arm, made in response to the mere gesture towards her ornaments. The way she eyed Rodal’s hand almost made it seem as if she was tempted to do the same with the bold man.
  
  Some of the fighters nearby also seemed to be offended by Rodal’s actions, a few muttering their disapproval and suspicions. It was as if offering a hand to Gammariah was a taboo in some way.
  
  It was the man poised on the Matriarch’s back who corrected him, his lip curled slightly in disgust, “You would do well to honour the spirits before any mortal, foul-blood.”
  
  

  ---

  
  ThatWhichShouldBe November Witch
  
  After the introductions and threats, Han departed after Toko. She had gained a fair bit of distance away from him and the gates, but the rough terrain and her exhausted state had made that distance far shorter than she intended.
  
  A few of the wolves who had been circling Autumn decided to break line and make chase after the burnt king, and seemed over eager to do so. He could hear their ghostly paws behind him and their husky breaths as they eagerly followed after the two fleeing individuals. Fortunately, they made no effort to attack Han, as he was now considered to be a guest. They seemed to be more of an escort… or perhaps monitoring him for unusual activity. The three of them kept their distance as Han quickly caught up to Toko.
  
  Refusing to look back, the priestess picked up her speed when she heard Han’s voice, desperate to get away. Still, her limbs were clumsy from exhaustion and, in her attempt to outrun Han, ended up stumbling. She made a cry of shock, and would have fallen had it not been for the hand on her shoulder.
  
  Toko regained her composure, eyes wide with the realization of what happened. With a quick motion, she broke away from Han and turned away, hands partially over her face as if to all her shame. Her eyes had grown red and puffy, and fresh tear tracks had formed lines in the dirt and ash clinging to her face. She shook as she breathed raggedly.
  
  “No, no it is all my fault. They trusted me to protect it, to restore the temple. If it was taken by the spirits then it means I…I am…I failed.” Her throat choked up and her shoulders shook with her sobs, “Why me? Why was I the one to survive?”
  
  Far in the distance, thick clouds swirled above the lake, cloaking the pillar of floating rocks like a spring fog. Without the wyvern's dancing flames, the cold lake had returned to the darkness of night, the light of both star and moon choked out by the clouds. It was almost beautiful, but the darkness gave it an almost stormy, ominous look.
  
  

  ---

  
  YsFanatic Solirus jmann seasonedcat November Witch
  
  “Uh…” Wren had to think about Sarah’s question for a moment. Did she mean which planet she was born on, or the one she lived on? To play it safe, she picked neither, “Nethe-44? Gaia System?”
  
  Well, it wasn’t a complete lie. She did actually live there once. At least until everything, including herself, was obliterated. Reluctant to linger on the subject, Wren passed the question awkwardly back to the old lady. “Erm, how about you? Come here often?”
  
  The casual introductions were cut too short by the growls of wolves and the surprised shouts of the native warriors upon the realization that Wren had delivered an unconscious elf to their door steps. Not only that, but he was clearly a magus.
  
  Sohaa, already looking stressed from the previous encounter, frowned in disbelief at the girl and her so-called ‘friend’. “What is the meaning of this?”
  
  A few wolves circled the girl, snarling and snapping. One of the less injured warriors, the woman with a jagged bone dagger, sprung into action and prepared her stance for attack, “You bring that elf-thing here? Let me help you slit its throat.”
  
  At the aggressive response she got, Wren quickly dropped Zareth to the ground like a sack of potatoes and held up his staff in both of her hands. She waved it around, swinging wildly in a way that would make both a magician AND a warrior cry from lack of any technique.
  
  “Whoa, whoa, I don’t think so!” Wren shouted back, Flub jiggling like a rag-doll on her head with each movement, “Not after I went through all the effort to bring him here. We, like, fought evil dogs and stuff.”
  
  Wren couldn’t help herself, she was having a bit of fun with the situation. Still, she did realize she should probably take things a little more seriously if she wanted Zareth to survive. She gave another look at the people around her, then perhaps reconsidered a little bit. Still holding up the staff defensively, she added a little sheepishly, “Ok, ok, hear me out. If you kill him now, you won’t get to hear all the secret elf-wizard information he has. The guy’s a professional spellcaster and all. Look, look, he’s even got a whole book on this stuff.”
  
  Still keeping an eye on the wolves and other hostiles, Wren slowly dug into Zareth’s bag to pull out his precious book of spells. Still carrying the staff in one hand, she held up the book for all to see. For good measure, she opened to a random page filled with strange arcane symbols so that all could see. She couldn't read it, and in fact the only one who could possibly recognize any of the contents of the page would be Gammariah.
  
  Wren wiggled the book a bit to draw everyone's attention to it, “See this? Full of magic knowledge, or whatever. Spells, magic lines, even Wyverns!"
  
  Sohaa considered Wren's words, his eyes narrowed, "What is to stop us from simply taking this book and ridding you of the elf-kin?"
  
  "Fair point," Wren said, quickly holding the book against her chest in case someone tried to grab it from her, "Counterpoint; I heard him talking about some super important, world-threatening, totally relevant stuff just before he passed out. Completely new info! Hot off the press, not even time to write that down! Now, I couldn't catch all of it because I'm not a mage, but it had to do with the elvish plans! Just think about it, if you don't kill him, you could learn what secrets the elves are keeping!"
  
  It seemed that the spirits and native warriors were still unconvinced, yet were intrigued. A few choice words in any direction may be enough to sway their decision to capture or kill the wounded mage. Perhaps his 'friend' too.
  
• 
  AriAriAbabwa
  The girl’s face fell with the revelation of Doi’s allegiances. The hopeful glint in her eyes dulled over, deflated in but an instant.
  
  “The Guiding Star…?” Rishi muttered, slumping back against the blue-violet wall of energy behind her. “Oh, you’re one of them…”
  
  Defeated, she could only listen to Doi’s soft, yet fervent words on the matter. Rishi’s gaze flicked between a vacant corner of the room to Doi, holding both a healthy suspicion and a clear flicker of curiosity. Quite the conflicted look. She noticed Doi’s offered hand, but shyly did not accept it. Instead, she fumbled with the beads and fang necklace that hung upon her breast, looking down at them instead of Doi.
  
  “I am a child of the Skysinger tribe, one of the first to challenge the ancient traditions and fight against the elf-kin.” She explained a little tentatively, though there was a hint of pride to her words, “We are few, but we fight as fiercely as the north winds, our bonded-spirits at our side.”
  
  The pride in her voice faded into a pained expression at the mention of the last bit. An unhappy frown made its way onto her shadowed face, “But the elf-kin have strange blessings and many warriors. One by one, rider and spirit fell. When it was over, one of the elves rounded up the survivors and brought them here. They… they wanted to ‘study’ our bonded spirits and -- and us. They took Tonati away from me and brought me here. I just… I just hope he is not hurt. He’s all I have left now.”
  
  Rishi fell silent once more, staring at her hands. Her lip quivered, and her blinks quickened, but she did not cry.
  

 

[Solirus]

Rodal - The Fool?
jmann Juju
​

Tensions seemed to be rising as the new individuals had arrived, and weirdly, Gammariah hadn't shaken his hand, although perhaps that was a sort of blessing in disguise due to the wolf and the rider's reaction. These spirits were really fully of themselves, they truly worshiped these things fervently, that was annoying to say the least. Rodal retrieved his hand back and glanced at the rider, then back to the wolf.

"Oh, is that it? Apologies, frankly I've been here for less than a day. I must've assumed things worked the same ways as back home, so do forgive my ignorance and stupidity. My mama always said that I was poor with social situations, so again sorry if my actions offended any of you." Rodal's tone had switched, the arrogance vanishing and curiosity seeping in instead.

"Umm… so how do I refer to the spirits exactly or wait no, honor the spirits? Don't want to cause any further offense, you know. And also, before you explain, could you explain what a foul-blood is? The bull I helped out also called me that, so I was going to ask them, but then they disappeared or died, I think. So I wanted to talk to the leader for that reason, alongside what exactly is going on…" Rodal spoke to the rider and wolf, ignoring Gammariah, acting as if he had forgotten of his presence, he appeared rather inconsiderate, but it didn't seem to come from a place of bad faith, merely obliviousness.

 

[YsFanatic]

"Hmmm, that style of clothing reminds me of the stuff I've seen on a variety of different versions of Earth, so I thought you were perhaps from an Earth as well," the elderly swordswoman replies because pausing to gather her thoughts. Before she could respond to Wren's question though the situation suddenly escalated, causing Sarah to curse softly in another language.

"I'm of the opinion that the elf's origins need to be confirmed," the injured woman calls out. "I would not be surprised if the people being brought in from other worlds end up being of various different species, including elves. If this one is an offworlder, then it is entirely possible their civilization is completely different from the one you have been fighting and that they are no threat. Hell, a lot of elven civilizations on other worlds live in harmony with nature, kinda like what I've seen here with this place. And if any of you doubt the truth of my words about this, feel free to put me under a truth spell or read my mind if you've got those abilities."

She then shrugs, the motion causing her to grunt in pain, before continuing. "Of course, if the elf ends up being from this world and part of the enemy that's been attacking you, then stab away."

Juju Solirus jmann seasonedcat November Witch

 

[jmann]

GAMMARIAH | Temple Gate
Juju Solirus seasonedcat

Gammariah looked between the wolf mother and Rodal. He was not accustomed to having such powerful spirits so readily available. Truly how much time had passed if the very spirits of the world had come to their aid? How far gone was the land outside this temple? If this were the headquarters of the resistance, then yet again they were on the backfoot. Pushed further and further by the constant march of the Dynasty.

This time would be different, Gammariah told himself. With nothing to lose, he could act without fear or hesitation. If he struck quick and disappeared, incited outrage revealed the lies of the Dynasty, maybe more could be convinced to join their cause. When he still lived, he was able to break the Blue Star of Astell and attack the Red Star. After so much time surely they had been rebuilt, but such a powerful demonstration of force could surely serve them again.

Not far off, Gammariah’s ears picked up talk of an elf, not long after he spotted the ostentatious garb of the unconscious elf the elder woman now stood near talking to a girl in even stranger clothing. Apparently there was information to be learned from the elf. Gammariah enjoyed interrogations. Rather, he preferred doing them himself over some of the resistance’s butchers. And if this elf came from the stars then he should want to save it from torture as much as possible.

Rokii warned Rodal against disrespecting the spirits. Even back in his hometown, the elders were respected in the spirits’ stead, surely Rodal would have had an equivalent. Unless, of course, he was that indifferent to the proper way of life. Rodal kept yapping about proper etiquette.
“Begin by showing respect to those who care for this world. You are a soldier, yes? Imagine the reverence you might have for surgeons or physicians and show it tenfold.”
Gammariah placed a hand on Rodal’s shoulder and in an instant his mind was filled with the undeniable reality of his origin. This man was from beyond the sky and stars. A land far from their own.Gammariah pushed the idea back. Something he would confront at a later time. Gammariah pushed Rodal’s shoulder down, guiding him into a kneeling position. From here, Gammmariah looked high up to where the matriarch stood.
“With your permission, wolf-mother, I believe my skills would be of more use pulling information from the captured elf. If they are from the stars then they should not be treated like an agent of Astell.”

 

[Solirus]

Rodal?
jmann Juju
​

Rodal turned to face Gammariah, his eyes wider as if surprised at having forgotten the man. The thought itself seemed simple enough, showing respect wasn't too difficult, one could merely focus on the positives on someone and bury the negative temporarily. Such a thing wasn't uncommon when Rodal worked with others, especially when they possessed undesirable characteristics that otherwise bother him. "Ah, I get it, so it's almost like-" Rodal was interrupted as Gammariah placed his hand on Rodal's shoulder, that immutable feeling washed over him, revealing that the man too had fallen from the sky. But unlike him, he hailed from this very world and from a different time.

Rodal remained calm, his posture relaxed as he pondered this new knowledge. This time he was truly caught unaware as Gammariah pushed him down. Stumbling a little, Rodal's body instantly tensed up, his mind began to race as his eyes stared directly into the ground.

He's forcing me to kneel? So these spirits are treated like gods… I'm supposed to kneel before them? I have kneeled before a king in the past, so why…

His heart started beating faster, his body sweating profusely beneath his clothing. He forced his expression downwards and resisted Gammariah's push, his eyes spoke of nothing but pure malice.

Why do I feel this way?

Why do they exist? Filth.

Rodal body would begin to shake, his legs in particular gave out, placing him into a kneeling position.

This must be their lands, they are defending them from invaders who wish to take them over.

They are gods, muck that needs to be scraped off.

They still protect the lands, the nature, and all life around. One even assisted me.

Lands and Life that depend on Gods deserve nothing but oblivion.

Rodal's heart raced faster and faster, even when he argued against the voice, he couldn't help but agree with it deep down, he could picture himself butchering and maiming these gods. He hated how much those thoughts brought him fulfillment.

Why do I feel this now? This must be that damn curse.

Perhaps we shall find out together.

Reaching its limit, Rodal's heart skipped a beat and the feeling slowly dissipated, whatever that curse had done to him, it only complicated things. Rodal turned to face Gammariah, his eyes filled with the exhaustion of a hundred men. "Please don't… touch my shoulder… It hurts" He weakly responded, as he covered his bloodstained shoulder that had been previously bitten in battle.

With that, he resumed the kneeling himself. He could not view the spirits as gods or any of those ways, instead he would view them more as monarchs and the use of the word mortals would be replaced with subjects in his head.

Leva, are you there?

Leva?

Leva would not respond, concerning him. He could still feel her magic coursing through him, but refused to let herself be known.

After holding the kneeling position for long enough, Rodal followed Gammariah's example and merely raised his head. The attitude of the wolf was more befitting a monarch than a god, if only they also had a more regal crown it would make the process a lot easier.

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

The Astellian Camp
Juju​

Doi listened intently. She admired the girl's loyalty, however faltering and misplaced it was. The girl in white had seen many people like her in Japan. People clinging desperately onto something that did not love them back. People who needed the solace that She provided, finding the peace in their minds that they deserve. Rishi was no different.

Lowering her voice until it was soft and empathetic, she continued. "I am deeply sorry for your losses, Rishi. What you have gone through is terrible, and nobody should suffer as you have. But... perhaps I can offer a different perspective. And there is something to be learned from this."

Doi hovered a hand over her pocket, which housed her beloved grandfather's diary. She could recite its contents if she wanted to. "These elves misunderstand what the Guiding Star represents, but there is a reason She led them so. Believe it or not, She holds no hate for any singular person, and I know for a fact that She likes you. Because She allowed us to meet."

First, she needed to break her dangerous zealousness. "What you are facing is the Guiding Star's Trials. Pass them, and She will grant you true purpose. I went through this myself, as I was once lost and depressed. But Her direction saved me, and I learned who my true friends were." She turned to Rishi. "If you want to survive this Trial, you must accept this fact: the Skysinger tribe never cared about you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, rotting in your cell. They would have rescued you and Tonati if you were worth more. If one of their high-ranking leaders was in your position, would they really stay put behind the excuse of 'few numbers'? You said it yourself—they pride themselves on fighting in the face of adversity. There is no reason you should be here."

Doi felt oddly nostalgic. "Once you realize this, you will be one step closer to making it through. I am here for you, Rishi. Please do not feel bad."