Fantasy Divinity Unbound

[GojiBean]

King Kehran continued to face those Royal Families whose turns it was to speak and introduce themselves as they went around the tables. 55 families. 55 introductions and conveyances of grief, danger, damage, or nothing. And when they were finished, the picture painted was most troubling indeed.

Of the races, the following had been true for the majority...

The Elves had been targeted the most frequently and relentlessly. Over 3 dozen major cities had been razed, and at least a dozen towns and/or villages burned to the ground. But most troubling was the why behind the attacks. The Elves were famous for two things in particular: One, their prowess in the global lumber and transport industries. Living in the forests and being naturally gifted with ample reserves of stamina and strength in equal measure, there were few in the world who could cut and transport lumber (without the need for magic) than the Elves. And after analyzing the patterns in the attacks, it was discovered that there was a very particular line being drawn between them.

From the Northeast lands, the line moved an almost perfect curve following the mountains to the South and cutting through the lands of the Aerolians before leading into the territory of the humans above the Katal Wastes. In the lands to the Southwest, through the smaller connection to the coastline, they cut an almost perfect path once again through the lands of the humans, Dwarves, and occasionally the Giants.

Though not looking like much at first, it was obvious once these lines were drawn that there was indeed a strategy behind these attacks. The Dwarven cities in the path lines were some of the wealthiest in the world despite their relatively diminutive size compared to their brother nations elsewhere in the world. And as luck would have it, these specific Dwarven cities had indeed been subjected to the Demonic Encroachment's wrath. With their cities razed and their wealth pilfered, the Dwarven claim to fame of gold, gems, and the world's finest steel was now in jeopardy.

Add to that the Aerolians of the Northeast being attacked in their mountain homeland indicated another dark twist. They were some of the most sought after couriers in the world thanks to their power of flight. And their people made a handsome living off of this service worldwide, living on the road wherever their wings could take them. But once their homeland had been attacked, their culture demanded they return for proper ceremonies of burial and mourning. But with their cities destroyed, there was nowhere to bury the dead, and no time to mourn as reconstruction had to commence almost immediately.

It was a vicious chain. One attack followed the next in a cycle of attacks which were targeting various areas of everyday life. Things people had long been taking for granted or thought would always be there were now in jeopardy. And it was making this very meeting a miracle of the ages, so to speak, given that almost every facet of what made it possible was under assault.

Other damages included the poisoning of the waters to the Southwest and South Central regions with both regular pollutive materials and fel magics. The world's currents all generated from these waters, and so the spread of pollution and fel magic was now ongoing and all but unstoppable. And the consequences, inevitable.

The effects of fel magic via direct attacks from the Demons were clear. Bodies began to degrade rapidly wherever affected. One example shared by the Succubus Queen Rhathia was that one of her daughters, a warrior among their Elite, had engaged a Demon and was struck in the abdomen with a fel magic blast. At first she seemed fine, and she helped her platoon drive the Demon away. But within minutes of its departure she began vomiting and the skin over her stomach turned black as night. After half an hour, her stomach had completely dissolved away leading to a bisection of her body which resulted in a very long, painful death that nobody could stop no matter how much Healing magic they tried to use on her.

As if this weren't bad enough, they also learned from the Merfolk King Huuruo that fel magics used in water led to widespread sickness among sea life which, if ingested, caused similar issues experienced by the deceased Succubus Princess. The innards of those who'd ingested the tainted fish would rot and decay leading to an agonizing death from the inside out. But because it was ingested, it wasn't just a single location that dissolved. It was the entire body. Dozens of his citizens had ingested tainted fish and were reduced to little more than black smudges of what were once living beings. And they couldn't stop it.

The news that no Healing Magic could work on this fel magical effect on life was arguably the most frightening fact to arise from this sharing of introductions and stories of what they'd faced. And so, it was time to discuss plans for the future.

"My fellow Royals. I beseech you all to bring forth your suggestions for what we should do moving forward. We need to find a way to combat these creatures, Heal their fel magics, and protect our lands, our people, and our very world, from their corrosive touch."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

Korose

Meanwhile, at the docks, the wandering Elf wearing the blindfold continued his vigil as he sensed a sudden spike of wicked energy. This time, it was close. Barely a few miles out to sea and moving fast. He tensed his body and sent out a pulse, stronger than before, and one he was certain everyone in the city would feel like a low rumbling "thump" of a thunderclap in their chests.

But it had to be done.

Once the pulse was sent, there was no going back. For he received a response pulse not but a minute later from out to sea. One slightly stronger than his own which wasn't a good sign. His pulse vision again indicated something massive on the horizon heading directly for the city. And if that pulse was anything to go by, he would be in for the battle of his life... And so too would the city of Lau'sha.

 

[Pantheran]

The succubi was enjoying the company of Beau as they were kissing, his back against a house wall and arms around her. She couldn't wait to get room from the inn that night to be able to gain some life energy. It had been couple weeks from last time and she was getting impatient.

"Thump"

She stopped and frowned slightly, confused. "Did you feel it too?" Beau asked and she nodded. "It's probably nothing." Luciana wasn't so sure about that but Beau pulled her back into kissing. However just a minute later....

"Thump.”

Her mercenary instinct kicked in as she was trying to understand what was going on. It had happened so fast she could barely even tell what direction it had come from. But she was certain magic, strong one at that had been used. Maybe she could have told more if she had studied more. She also wasn't sure what it was. A warning? A threat? Whatever it had been, it was rather alarming. She cursed on her mind having left all of her belongings at the inn. But her instincts told her it was not time to run to get them.

"Ugh. Hang on." She groaned and opened up her wings, but it was hard to get enough space to fly up in the crowded space. With some help of her magic she managed to get on the roof of the closest house, even if it wasn't very graceful as she landed on her knees. Thinking, maybe the last round of drinks had not been a good idea. Slowly, balancing herself on the angled roof as she stood up and looked around her. Nothing was sticking out to her. But then why would someone send a pulse of magic around?

"Did you see anything?" Beau asked as she landed but she shook her head. "Nothing." "Well don't worry, I'll protect you." He said pulling her towards him once again but she wasn't having it. The mercenary was now taking more control. "Where's the highest point of the city?"

"What?" The man looked at her confused.
"Where's the highest point of the city?" She asked more harshly.

He thought about it for a while. "The church is pretty high up the hill.”

"Take me there." If there was a fight, she would have the high ground.

 

[Firewind]

As Zaldir made his way towards the cart, still reeling from his string of bad luck, he found himself thinking on exactly who to blame for his bad luck. Himself? Any particular god he offended? “It doesn’t matter in the end of the day. I just hope Sis turned a profit.”

Then there was a horrid thumping feeling right as he was waving at his sister. Aranaea, who was just about to tell him about the sales in silver she had made, had felt it too. It was as if a thunderclap hit them from the inside of their hearts, coming from somewhere near the docks. They both knew what it could potentially follow.

“Zaldir, what are we going to do?“ She asked as the younger elf darted into his cart and went for a storage chest he kept aside from everything else.

“The profits so far.“ He said to Aranaea, who gave him the bag containing the silver she had accumulated so far tossing the profits a smaller chest inside. He then began pulling out various pieces of armor that he begins to organize and prepare to strap onto himself. Once he laid the last piece out, Another thunderclap of a thump occurred exactly one minute from the previous one making Aranaea even more nervous of what it might be.

“We get ready to fight a retreating battle if it’s something dangerous. If we’re nowhere close to the attack, then we try to help folk evacuate the city. If it’s closer to us, we run. Or we get on the cart and Ardyn gets us the hell out of here.” Zaldir explained as he began to fasten his armor on. That plan however, caused Aranaea to be determined to let her brother get an earful from her, she hopped onto the cart and gave him the most pointed glare she could muster, and then let him have it.

“But the people! Where will they go? You can’t just drop your cynical self for one option but put it back on the other! We either help or we don’t help these people. And by all the gods you can name, you’d better decide right now. Are we going to help them, or not?” She stated in a tone that Zaldir recalled her using when she had her mind set on something and would not budge. It was mostly when Zaldir would be made to do Odd jobs on slow periods, whether it be help a farming family hard on their luck fix a garden tool, supply a small town watch with weapons the town collectively could not afford.

To place it bluntly, Zaldir was not a charity, but Aranaea would tear his ears off if he tried to refuse. To this, the younger elf sighed. “Gods, you’re lucky our hearts came from the same mother.“ he muttered as he pulled out a longsword and strapped the belt around his waist. Aranaea gave a small smile of relief. “Just don‘t make me regret this Sis. I’ve a rep as the black sheep of the clan to maintain.”

If Ardyn had a voice, The horse would ask if he had any say at all, or to bluntly tell his master he was an elf, not a sheep.

 

[GojiBean]

At the conclusion of King Fehrans statement Sebastian was quite ready to begin. He motioned to open the discussion and was granted the right. "To begin with the most direct threat it can not be argued that whether by their own will or that of another these demons attack with clear purpose. One way or another they must be slain wherever they may appear. However the large scale of armies limit the speed at which the demons can be engaged. Leaving only local or mobile forces able to face them. This leads to either a slow response allowing the demon to go unopposed for too long or an under prepared force ill suited to the task scrambling to contain the threat. I propose that we form a number of elite units specialized in range combat and distraction tactics to pin down demons while limiting losses and allowing larger forces to be mobilized. Their smaller size compared to our full armies would allow them to be paired with transportation mages to facilitate a rapid response through our international teleportation lines."

"In regards to the blight that the demons carry we know that so far no healing magic seems to cure it. So I propose that we look into mundane surgery. It has been stated that infection soon leads to death but that it is not instant. I question that perhaps if the infected flesh can be removed from the body that would make the blade the only wound left. And cuts can be healed. Though one problem would be the place of the wound if it was a necessary organ and the limits of healing magic. In addition, the blight does not seem to react to or clash with magic. Perhaps we could use this to our advantage. If a water mage were to pull on the water alone perhaps they may be able to separate the two due to blight being a contaminate within the water and not the water itself. Or perhaps we could turn to mundanity again to filter the water."

"Next we face repairing the economy and crucial supply lines. I suggest that we tap into the financial and administrative power of trade guilds. We could lower taxes of necessary goods and services which will make it more profitable for merchants to trade in these goods and businesses to provide these services in these places. This also allows the root providers to make more of a profit. And with more supply to meet the demand they would be forced to lower their selling price or be under bid. To ensure that greedy merchants don't agree to maintain prices undercutting the cheaper taxes we'll work with some merchants to underbid them and set an approved price. Lastly is the defense of supply and storage. For one we need to create and increase patrols of foundational labor centers. In addition, while centralization would cut down on the manpower necessary to guard these resources it would mean a heavy loss should they be destroyed. However while decentralization would mean less net losses if compromised it would take more manpower to maintain. As such each country should make its own judgment of what they can maintain in terms of manpower. And with that said I submit these suggestions for further consideration to this esteemed council."

The myriad of nobility around the table whispered quietly amongst themselves, some allowing for their faces to betray them. Confusion was the most dominant feeling, of course. King Meldiron himself appeared to be pondering the proposed ideas, staring intently at the table, his eyebrows furrowed. Athalia herself was unconvinced of the effectiveness of Sebastian’s propositions. There were many aspects of these problems and solutions he had failed to address But as always, she knew her old colleague to be thinking ten steps ahead, the habit of explaining himself was a manner he did not possess. Athalia stood, bowing to the king.

“I wish to question these proposed solutions, your majesty,” she said firmly, “please allow me to speak.”

Catching his nod of approval, she turned her gaze to Sebastian.
“Though seemingly good solutions, your proposed ideas contain contradictions and holes.”
Her hands clasped behind her back, she coughed slightly, demanding for the attention of the assembly.

“You first introduced the concept of forming elite, small, units of men trained in range combat and distraction tactics rather than sending out large groups of forces against these demons. Accordingly, this would allow us to gather our forces elsewhere and train a much larger army for future clashes with these creatures. But how many of these units can we form? The number of demons present in our realm has yet to be recorded. Militia units are not indestructible. Eventually, they will fall and from what we have seen, our enemy has countless forces whilst we do not. Thus, if we keep sending these units out to confront an innumerable enemy, we may not have enough men to carry out tasks that require the use of arms. This includes the protection of cities and the distribution of money, which will be necessary at this time. Besides this, we must determine, if we are going to create militia groups, which kingdoms are fit to provide the men needed.

Your second point spoke of the possibility of utilizing mundane surgery to remove fel-infected magic from wounds before the magic has the prospect of dissolving into the body and thus fully infecting the body. But to what scale can we apply this? I suggest we call a census in order to determine the number of physicians at our disposal. If we do follow through with such a suggestion, we face the same dilemma once more: who is more important? Obviously, we will not have enough medical treatment available for the large number of wounded that demons attacks have conjured. Thus, we must determine who needs medical assistance the most.

You also bring up the point of employing water mages to pull fel magic from infected waters. I have two questions concerning this suggestion. First, where would they place the fel magic? If they are to remove it, how are they to dispose of it? Forgive me, for I do not understand the magic of water mages, but I would like clarification on this point. My second question is the amount of Mana needed for such a task. As of right now, we only know of some places where water has been infested with fel magic. But with these strategic attacks, we have yet to know how much Mana is available to us nor do we know the full scale of contamination as we are not accounting for groundwater sources.

The third point, in my opinion, can be explained much better. First, you stated that taxes should be lowered for essential goods and services. My only problem with this is that these taxes take away from necessary government funding which pays for many of the needed services of kingdoms. This solution also does not account for those without money and those who have no way of earning money. Without taxes or charities, these people will go hungry and end up dying of starvation.

There is a problem with your final suggestion in regard to the protection of crops and cattle. You plan on guarding these areas yet you also want to create militia units to fight demons. How are you planning to distribute soldiers between the two causes?”

Athalia finished with a firm nod, sitting down in her seat.

The Elven King Rahsvaten rose his hand for his turn to speak, and was granted the floor.

"Sir Sebastian," he began with a light bow, "I must agree with Lady Athalia that the proposed notion of creating smaller units for ranged and distractive purposes leaves much to be desired. The first thing I would like to know is how we know these creatures even can be distracted. I will admit to my ignorance, having never seen one myself. However, from what I've heard, these creatures attack with purpose. I have neither seen, nor heard, of any instances where they deviated from what seemed to be a pre-determined course of action. They did what they came to do, or were killed trying. This leaves little confidence in me that such small forces meant for distraction would even be worth the effort to put together given how little we know about whether or not these creatures even can be distracted in the first place."

With that, he sat down.

Next to raise their hand and be granted the floor was Queen Rhathia of the Succubi.

"I too have a concern which echoes what was said by Lady Athalia. My eldest daughter, Princess Haaltira, was struck in the stomach by a blast of Demonic power. For almost ten minutes she seemed just fine. There were no symptoms to indicate she had been infected. Not until it was far too late. Her stomach had turned black within a matter of minutes. And no amount of healing magic was able to stop it which is where my concern lies. If healing magic wasn't able to do anything for the flesh that was healthy and prevent it from becoming infected, this calls into question the very nature of their power. Somehow, just the leftover power from their attack were enough to... To..."

She straightened slightly, her lips tightening as a hand covered her mouth and tears welled in her eyes.

"... To bisect my daughter. She quite literally... Melted into two halves from the waist area, and died in my arms..." She sobbed.

The Queen was then gently urged to sit by her attendant, and her Advisor, Lady Allophim, took the floor in her stead.

"The fair Princess, and former heiress to the throne, was an elite amongst our military forces and one of our most powerful Fire Mages. Her attacks did little to nothing to these creatures. According to our reports, the Princess's Fire attacks were stopping cold when they struck. And some of our surviving forces even claimed that her attacks never truly reached the Demons at all. That instead they claim that her attacks fizzled out, almost as if hitting a Sealing Magic barrier. And if this is true, it may yet mean that the very bodies of these creatures are in some way an antithesis to the Mana of our world. If so, we may be dealing with foes entirely immune to our magical energies."

King Hremto of the Aerolians was next to speak.

"Lady Allophim, I have a report which seems to run contrary to the analysis of your troops. Several of our forces reported that, when struck by Fire Magic, the creatures seemed to react to it like oil, alighting in an incredible display before burning to death. Perhaps our respective forces encountered different species of these creatures? Or, perhaps a better word would be Caste's. Do you recall the relative size of the creature the Princess battled?"

Lady Allophim stood once again, opposite the King.

"The creature was somewhere between what you Elves refer to as 16 hands. And that would be roughly 14 feet in height, for humans and others who use that metric."

Upon her taking her seat, the King continued.

"Ah. Then I believe my theory holds water. The creature we battled who burst into flame as if made of oil was only 8 feet in height, if we're to use that common metric. And it was quite the display. So it would seem, depending on the size and shape of the creature, we are dealing with beings which each have their own unique weaknesses. I propose that, at first available opportunity, those who can share descriptions and metrics of the creatures they or their forces encountered begin drafting a field guide to these creatures and their weaknesses so they may be shared amongst all nations. This would help tremendously in being able to identify the threats based on the appearances of their peers, and make our efforts to defend ourselves more efficient."

He took his seat, and the next to raise her hand was Empress Ophalla, of the Uranus.

"My fellow rulers, we may have found a temporary reprieve from their fel-touch. As Sir Sebastian said, removing infected flesh may yet be the key to stemming the flow of infection throughout the body. One of my Healing Mages did exactly that when she discovered her magic was ineffective. The wound was to the outer arm, and she carved the flesh off, leaving it to rot by itself on the ground where it dissolved to nothing harmlessly, and focused her magic on the wound left behind which was successful. However, this is not without consequence. She is a Master Healer, and ranks as one of the greatest in the world. And for all her powers of healing, she was unable to rejuvenate the victim's body fully. They will carry a scar for the rest of their lives, and will forever lose some of the functionality of that arm due to lost musculature."

She took a breath before continuing.

"This is a dangerous task for our healers, however. This same healer barely touched the infected flesh and noticed her finger began to burn. She had to remove her finger above the middle knuckle to prevent it from infecting her. And that's something she'll never get back. So I urge everyone not to rely solely on our magical efforts. Even when they are driven by Masters of the arts, magic can only carry us so far in this battle."

With that, she took her seat.

... And it was at this very moment of silence between discussions that a small, nigh imperceptible "thump," struck the room. Due to the walls of the castle absorbing much of the force, to many it would seem as little more than a miniature earthquake. And nothing more.

As Sebastian listened to the dissection of his initial suggestions he was grateful of lady Athalia. She had been swift to bring to light that which he had failed to address as well as bore the responsibility of being the one to voice them. Now he could address the issue without fear of dealing with a clash of pride. He began forming rebuttals as they were needed. First was the "innumerable" forces that could be counted on one hand. If they have such a force then they must be limited in some way lest they would strike not with sabotage but as an overwhelming power. Man power would be simple overall. Fifty-five nations each individually representing no less than one other country. If they provided ten men each they would have over a thousand soldiers. That should be quite sustainable. Though the point soon became moot as an enemy with no sense of self preservation would be distracted in such a way.

The problem with surgery would come to be answered as well, though proper equipment would need to be sorted out to protect the medics during said surgery. Sebastian knew not if water mages could be used to clean the waters nor what the cost of Mana such a task would entail, but perhaps if they found material that could withstand the corrosive properties of the blight they could make filters to help clean the water. As for disposal they could contain the blight for tests. What can withstand it's corrosion? Can it be destroyed? If not the method of disposal would become a tricky thorn to pluck. But that would need testing, speculation could only go so far.

Taxes would not be lowered universally nor would it be the only method taken. By lowering taxes where those goods were needed they would encourage guilds to help by being benificial to themselves as well. This would not solve the problems of the poor, charities would still be needed, but it would go a long way for everyone else by relocating excess goods to places in drought of supply. And though they could ask these business men to help, if they declined there would be little that could be ethically or lawfully done to use either their wealth nor man power.

As there came an opportune pause to speak he felt a most disturbing "thump" strike his body. Sebastian motioned once again to speak. He stood, his smile gone, face turned stoic. "My good lords and lady's, much as I would like to continue on this path of discourse I must interrupt to bring attention to a potential sign of danger to this fair city and council alike. But a moment ago I'm sure that many of you felt a strange force strike through this room. I would like to clarify that it was no minute earthquake. No, that was the after shock of magic. Considering where the closest place for one to publicly perform such a feat to this castle is I must say that the wave was either a deliberate waste of Mana or that we have a mage capable of casting magic on the scale of Masters who either has no concern for subtlety or no time for it. In the former case it could be an attempt to drain the Mana in the city to limit the power of mages. In the latter, I highly doubt that we have a particularly eager performer entertaining the crowds."

Athalia herself had experienced a strange hitch in her pulse, an emphasized beat in the careful rhythm of her heart. She had noticed that many of the nobles had sensed the strange feeling as well, a slight widening of eyes, sudden rigidness in posture, and the tightening of grips an indication of the event. King Meldiron cleared his throat softly, making sure not to draw attention to himself and leaned towards the elven diplomat, adjusting his thick cloak. His face was comfortably expressionless, but his eyes bore an unsureness and confusion that hung heavily in the air.

"There was a strange pulse, was there not?" he whispered, fidgeting with his cloak.

Athalia simply nodded, "Yes, your Majesty."

King Meldiron let out a small breath, "Shall we agree with Sir Sebastion or...?"

Athalia studied the faces around the table, watching as some cast wary glances at others or gave Sebastion an annoyed, almost dismissive, look. Obviously the group was divided. There was no choice but to support her colleague and friend.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she whispered back.

The King gave her a firm nod, pushing his chair back and standing. The edge of his long cloak piled at his feet, navy pools of fabric embossed with gold contrasting with the white floor.

"I agree with Sir Sebastian. He has provided us with good reason to respond to this...pulse. I suggest that we respond immediately, lest the lives of our host's citizens are put at risk."

Kind Fehran listened calmly to the discussion, keeping an eye around the table when suddenly he felt the thump in his chest. Immediately his back straightened, and he searched for the origin of said pulse. But no such source seemed to present itself.

As Sebastian and Athalia both made their thoughts known, King Serko’los of the Dark Elf race raised his hand and stood prior to King Fehran's official acceptance of his taking the floor.

"My noble King Fehran, I'm certain we all felt this little pulse. But how can one say it wasn't just an earthquake? Though not common in this land, they do occur, do they not?" He asked.

Queen Paoloa of the Fae did not rise from her seat, but nevertheless raised her voice in protest.

"King Serko'los, if you please. You were not granted the floor."

Serko'los turns his head and waved his hand dismissively at her.

"Come, come. We know I would have been granted the floor regardless. Now may I suggest we get back to the important matter at hand?"

Ghorgas of Bremdor, ruler of an Orcish tribe, stood from his chair causing it to fall to the ground behind him.

"The tiny Dark Elf speaks without leave. Shall we punish him?" He asked, rubbing the handle of his mace which draped at his right hip.

Serko'los chuckled.

"Such brutality. What do we expect of the Orcs?"

Ghorgas took a single stomp towards the Dark Elf King, only to be stopped when King Dahrrios and Queen Mentua of Nahlen of the Miithi, both members of the Wolf Miithi species, stood up and stood in his path.

"That's enough, Ghorgas. This meeting is bigger than petty racial divides. Please take your seat." The Queen said sternly as her husband nodded forcefully.

Ghorgas made a "hmph" sound and stood at his spot, but did not bother to reset his chair or sit down.

Thuumtu, of the Treants, stood slowly from his spot, as he was too large for a chair.

"If I may..." He asked in a low, grumbly voice. "This pulse we felt... It was not something I recognize."

Ferald Rockfist of the Harosians stood and spoke next.

"Ah, that's right. Because the Treants are all 'in tune with nature,' right? Ha! Don't make me laugh. It was just little seismic burst. Probably a prelude to an earthquake that's on the way."

King Fehran cleared his throat.

"If you please, everyone! This meeting has a process which you all agreed to follow when you accepted the invitation. Please take your seats!" He ordered.

Uhlto of Ghertia, of the Kobolds, stood up on his chair so he would be tall enough to be seen.

"All due respect, King Fehran, at this point I think there's little time for subtlety or this idea of "taking turns." We have a serious matter to attend to in the response to Demon kind. And it would be faster to allow the first who thinks of a response provide it for everyone, would it not?"

Hrathia of Kolra, a Nymph Queen, stood next.

"Some of you seem woefully ignorant of the Treant's connection to nature, as well as the connection of my own race, and that of the Fae. Sir Sebastian was right. That was no earthquake, nor a prelude to any such event. If it were, we would be the first to speak against the idea."

King Vhuro of Desrita, from the Aerolians, stood up.

"Pardon, Queen Kolra. But I do not appreciate this generalization of an attack on our collected intelligence. Tensions and emotions are running high, but it doesn't mean that those who disregard what's been said are living in ignorance. Please check yourself. This is not the time for accusations or spiteful comments."

The Queen narrowed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, King Vhuro. I didn't realize that someone else mocking our connection was in any way less deserving of a rebuttal. I suppose we're just not good enough to speak our minds because we live peacefully in isolation?"

King Vhuro's brows furrowed.

"That's not what I said at all. Please don't put words in my mouth."

How foolish. Is this why we are here? To deal with these brats? Then I might as well teach them the significance of the crown.

"Enough." Though King Graham's demand rang through the room it was not filled with anger. Rather it was akin to a father scolding his children. "You forget yourselves. Squabbling like children. He pulled my hair! She called me dumb! Is this what your pride amounts to? I remind you that you are not individuals. You are monarchs. You don't have the right to look anything less than the meaning of the word regal." As if to emphasize his words, a bored look rested upon his face as he sat, his head laid against his hand. "We all know that we will be in and out of this room for the next few days at the very least. We can afford to be civil during this time. We have already seen how much time can be wasted when we don't follow the rules. Now then, I ask you my dear Master magician can you replicate this pulse for us? If it is not mundane then surely you can?"

Sebastian, hoping to distract from his cousins rude behavior and capitalize on the chance given to him quickly adopts his smile again to respond. "Indeed I can. If the council insists I could recreate the pulse. Though I advise against it as it would be a waste of Mana. However good Thuumtu, what you said strikes me as odd. That you don't recognize it. Are you saying that it did not feel as though it were made of Mana?"

Annoyance decorated King Meldiron’s thin-lipped frown, who grew somewhat rigid in his chair. It was evident that he wasn’t pleased by the petty squabbling that had ensued and his eyes watched the fight progress. He soon grew bored, unsurprised by the arguments of each representative and turned to his diplomat, looking to discuss their next move. Athalia had been watching the verbal sparrs that sprung up between the kingdoms as well, though she had a rather dark smile, eyes filled with twisted mirth, a crack in the mask of poise and grace. The king said nothing of this, a product of either politeness or ignorance, and he cleared his throat, catching the attention of the elf. She looked somewhat startled, pulled out of her trance and turned quickly, schooling her expression.

"Do you have any words to say, Lady Athalia?"

His expression was curious, words prodding.

Athalia said nothing for a minute, simply listening to fragments of conversations that had been birthed by Sebastian's questions. She herself could not differentiate the pulse from that of a normal burst of Mana but the Treants and other such kinds that were closer to the beat of life that throbbed under the surface of the world had. They were the ones who truly knew the feeling of Mana, more in tune with the pound of magic that drove the lifeblood coursing through their bodies. If they did not believe what they felt was true Mana but something else then she had to trust their renowned sense of magic and their thoughts on the source of the pulse.

But, if it had not been Mana, as the Treants had said, then-

Athalia stood, the chair squeaking against the floor.

"I fear this pulse has been spawned by something far darker than we presume."

King Fehran had an almost impossible time listening to all of the bickering without losing his cool. Several times he was prepared to raise his voice, but was stopped by his advisors. Even if those around the table were no longer minding their proper turn to speak and be heard, this discussion was important and everyone had stress and worries to lay on the table.

However, as Sebastian offered to recreate the pulse for demonstration, King Fehran had to wave a hand.

"No, no, Sir Sebastian. That's quite all right." He said.

Athalia spoke next, voicing concerns that the pulse was something far darker. And to this, Fehran's heart sank as he couldn't help but agree, even if he didn't voice it more openly.

"My good Thuumtu. You say this is unfamiliar to you? Could you please elaborate?"

The Treant stood once more, clearing his massive grumbly throat.

"We feel Mana is light... Tranquil... Beautiful... This pulse... It was dark... And heavy..."

Queen Hrathia of Kolra, of the Nymphs, once again stood in agreement.

"Please pardon my speaking once again out of turn. I feel I can add more to this, if I may?"

King Fehran gave her the floor.

"Mana in this world is the source of all magic. And it has a sensation to it similar to how you feel the softness of water or the hardness of rock. It's a warm, peaceful sensation. One which helps our kind remain at peace and in harmony within nature. But the pulse we felt moments ago... It feels like a mimicry. It has the same texture, but not the same taste, if that makes sense. Like the difference between water and wine. Wine does not exist in nature, but it looks, feels, and behaves exactly like water."

"So it wasn't Mana, is what you're saying?" King Fehran asked.

"I have reason to believe it is not, my good King. I feel it is something else enti-"

THUMP!

The pulse slammed into their bodies, and the floor shook beneath their feet. It was not so violent as to send anyone off balance. But there was no mistake that this was a violent and unnatural tremor caused by something metaphysical. And the sensation that permeated the air upon its arrival was cold and unwelcoming. The temperature dropped several degrees. And a subtle black mist began to creep into the room starting from the Western wall.

"What is this?" King Fehran asked.

"... It is not of our world." Thuumtu replied.

"Y-yes... I sense a great evil in this mist." Queen Hrathia replied, eyes wide and body now beginning to tremble.

In fact many of the more animalistic races began trembling, as all of them held a more powerful connection to nature and the natural forces of balance in the world than the purely humanoids.

"Everyone, please remain calm. There must be an explanation for this!" Fehran called in an attempt to keep order.

"If you will excuse my interruption,-" Sebastian spoke gently so as to serve as an anchor of calm. "-I must insist that as matters stand everyone here is quite safe. Between the castle itself and the myriad of guards here if nothing else we have some time. Should the worst come to pass I or another capable can transport everyone to their respective countries. And as I said we would have the time. All the same I suggest that we act in all due haste. Good King Fehran I suggest you alert the guards to the potential danger this new pulse presents. It came from the west so perhaps they could start there. Now I can swiftly send word to our guards down the hill if anyone would like to send a message." So as to emphasize his point he retrieved clear parchment and wiggled a quill enthusiastically.

Athalia remained calm, despite the panicked glances and hurried whispers shared among those sitting at the table. Everyone was obviously in a hurry to respond and the suspense of oncoming danger was only heightening their nerves. King Meldiron whispered something to an attendant who quickly left the building, almost fleeing from the intense atmosphere of the room. The King seemed unfazed, though the tightening and loosening of his fist underneath the table spoke otherwise.

Athalia could not lie that Sebastian’s excitement for action was contagious. Despite her appearance, she was equally as thrilled, though her elation was somewhat...darker than her friend’s. But rushing into this issue was madness and something that was utterly and totally Sebastian. Though he was a man of wisdom he was also someone who skipped many details and cut straight to the action and excitement. He never seemed bothered with the small details, only quick to think and impatient to decipher all the details and plot out the points to ensure that all would go according to plan.

“Sebastian. Though I believe we all appreciate your enthusiasm to fight whatever has caused this pulse, rushing into things is never a good way to go about this. If we act hastily, innocent citizens could be put at risk. I suggest we make some sort of plan right away. I propose that each kingdom moves to cover a portion of the city. The figureheads of the kingdoms should be sent to their kingdoms immediately in order to ensure that the people will still have a ruler to rely upon. Those left, diplomats and other nobles, shall stay behind and move to different areas of the city. I suggest that King Fehran assign each group to a section of this city to which is best suited to our skills to protect.”

==

Meanwhile, at the base of the hill beneath the Parliament building...

"What terrible luck."

It was a nice day outside. Sure the stuffy armor made it a bit warm but it was the cost of the uniform. A cost well worth paying. You get to look the dashing and heroic knight serving king and country. The prestige that comes with being a royal guard meant that it was all the easier to secure a profitable marriage. And the fact that it served as a good suit of armor was just the icing on the cake. But there was no point of looking the part if no one was going to even see you!

"Oh sit in the carriage. Sure, it's a nice carriage but I should be out there if I'm going to be in full suit. I need to get a squire if I'm going to get dumped with these tasks. Then they can wait at the battle board in case-" And like so many others they too gave pause to the force that struck them.

An earthquake perhaps? Was this land prone to them? Then there was noise. A commotion outside. An open door and an order.

"Wait in there. If there's news the duke will send word."

Perhaps there would be action? A chance to look the part. If only. But alas, it was sure to be nothing more then an over reaction. Back to the boredom and the heat. That was until the flash of transportation magic left behind a letter. Again, orders to pass a few messages to some of the other retinues. As well as to prepare for potential conflict.

And with a smile, "Just my luck. Time to look the part."

 

[Saracen_Rue]

Aetrius remained seated in the center square, enjoying her small bit of breakfast as she watched the crowds of people go by. Maybe she shouldn't have come to the city, far too many people for her liking. But here she was, sitting on a small bench amongst crowds of people. None of it felt right to her, or made her feel like she belonged. Crowds made her anxious, and strangers put her on edge. A combination that was never a good thing for anyone, nevermind her.

Time passed by slowly as events of the gathering began to take place, people began to play the games that were set up for anyone and all to take part in if they so desired. Not being one for carnival games, she decided against it and kept to herself. Besides, she wasn't here for that. Mindlessly, she watched individuals in the crowds, chuckling to herself as people missed the targets or threw the object far too off center. In reality, she undrstood the charm of it all, but this wasn't for her. Not anymore anyway. Aetrius began to find the view monotonous and considered getting up and leaving, until something caught her eye, and gained her attention.

Before, it seemed like her paranoia and suspicion were simply getting to her, but as she payed attention, sure enough she was correct. A man, perhaps in his mid-to late twenties was in the crowd, awfully too close to others for comfort. If anyone wasn't as observant, his behavior would go unnoticed. But she saw his body language, the way he maneuvered throughout the crowds. He was clearly searched for something, anything that was worth money. She watched as he swiped something from someone's waist and crept away, the person none the wiser of their theft. Aetrius remained in her seat for a few moments, watching as the man began his way back towards wherever he was going, before she finally got up cooly and began to make her way behind him in the crowd. Keeping a normal amount of space behind him for now.

Zagaroth wasn't aware of the person following him. Maybe it was the success he had in the crowds that made his guard fall down, or maybe it was the hurry to get back to the clinic. As he walked down the road he tried to think what to tell the mute elf girl. Just in case she would question him, he had to come up with a lie on how he had won the games. Combination of skill, luck and observing the others seemed the most logical way to go with it.

He had to stop for a moment as a large group of people, one that had more than enough ale by now, were attempting to start a fight between anyone who got close enough. He glanced around and saw a smaller back alley that was leading towards the clinic and slipped into it to avoid any attention from them.

Aetrius kept her distance behind the man she was trailing, making sure she never took her eyes off of him as she trailed behind. Making sure to keep up a casual and normal appearance, she made sure to blend in as naturally as someone of her stature could do. As she closed in on the man, a large group of drunkards was up ahead of them, which clearly would cause a scene as they didn't seem to be the most welcoming or jovial sorts. She watched as the man ahead of her took note and dipped into a side alleyway and disappeared.

The half elf kept her pace and after a few short moments after the man, she turned down the alleyway herself, looking back for a moment. Aetrius averted her gaze back to the man ahead of her, and treaded lightly behind him. She didn't know if he was armed or if he would start a fight, but she also didn't want to start anything with him or cause a scene. But she wasn't going to let him get away with stealing from others. After a few more short moments of trailing behind him in utter silence, she took a deep breath and spoke, alerting the man of her presence. "Where ya going, friend?" her voice was calm, but held an air of no-nonsense as well. She was going to go easy on him, but if he tried anything, she'd do what she'd have to.

The man slowed down and stopped after a couple steps. Even with the friendly greeting, the tone of the voice being all too familiar to him. Tone of the guards 'Stop or I shoot.' He took a side glance at the woman, she didn't seem too old but the scars visible told a story of a fighter. If he would run, she would most certainly come after him. And in close combat he would be no match against her two swords.

Zagaroth turned around slowly. “How can I help you, miss?”

Aetrius crossed her arms momentarily as the man she had been following finally stopped and turned to look at her. Never making direct eye contact he spoke, asking what how he could help her. She huffed slightly as she clicked her tongue against the side of her mouth. "Well first, you can relax. Not going to hurt you, and second...I saw what you did back there. Could have been a little more careful. If it was a soldier that spotted you, you'd be a dead man. You do realize that, right?" she questioned, taking a step forward and stopping. She wouldn't want him to expect a confrontation and retracted her steps.

If there was any surprise of being caught, Zagaroth hid it well. He kept a close eye on the woman as she questioned him. He was trying to read her, figure out her motives, but she remained as a mystery to him. “Yes I am aware.” he said calmly. “But you're no soldier so why the questioning?” He kept his tone polite but shifted his stance ever so slightly in case she decided to attack after all.

Aetrius chuckled as he questioned her. He was correct, she wasn't a soldier, at least not anymore. But he didn't need to know that, it wasn't of importance. "Because if it was a soldier that found you, you'd either be a dead man or they'd cut off your hands so you'd never be able to steal from anyone ever again. Which, if I may say, is worse than being dead. So, all I ask is, why'd you steal from them?" she questioned, her tone never wavering.

Zagaroth eyed the woman from head to toe. His gaze locking into her eyes for the first time. “Simply. To survive.”

The half elf eyed him up and down once more as she thought to herself for a moment. Looking back up at the man she nodded, “I get that, but is it worth it if you had been killed for this? What’s so important worth risking being caught? Be honest with me.” Aetrius said as she took a step forward, and stopped. Giving him enough space.

The thief hesitated to answer. Who knew, she could still get the guards and get him in trouble. But why bother to question him first if that was her plan. He sighed. “Persistent I see.” He paused and watched her. His life might have been lost but the kid still had hope. “A sick child was worth it.”

Aetrius listened as he spoke, preparing herself for another excuse from the man, but nothing had prepared her for what she heard. Her body stature changed entirely the moment she heard that the reason he came out here, the reason he was willing to steal and be caught, was for the life of a child. Aetrius sighed to herself as she now realized what position they were both in, as well as the fact she had just wasted time the man’s time with stupid questions. “I didn’t know, I...I’m sorry. That changes a lot of things. You better get on with your day then.” she said plainly, stepping back for a moment. “Just, make sure to not get caught again? Got it?” Aetrius warned the man as she gave him a small nod.

This time he wasn't able to hide his surprise. The woman had gone from strong, threatening figure to someone softer and... caring. “A truly mysterious woman” he thought in his mind. Zagaroth gathered his thoughts again and nodded. “Thank you miss.” His response was short, but the kindness and warmth in his voice were clear. He took a few steps about to leave before he stopped and looked back at her. “It's been a while since I was last caught.” he said with a low chuckle and turned back to continue his journey.

Aetrius watched as the man gave her a nod, thanking her and then quickly turned and left, but not before he jokingly admitted that it had been a while since he was last caught. The half elf shook her head, if this was years ago, maybe she wouldn't have been so forgiving. Maybe she shouldn't have been. But if he was telling the truth, which he seemed to be, then who was she to stop him? Turning away from him, she began to walk back down the alleyway and stopped, as it seemed like the earth from under her feet vibrated. Aetrius shook her head, she was stressed and tired, simply imagining things. She made her way back down and into the city, where she felt another vibration, but it was stronger this time. More than just a simple vibration, almost like the earth itself was unsettled by whatever happened.

In all of her years, she had never felt anything like this, but the more she focused on it, the power and sensation seemed to pull her from the direction of where it came. But, it seemed to come from all around her. Alright, Aetri...You're just tired...Maybe you should head back and rest... she thought to herself. Something didn't feel right about this, not about this whole situation sat right with her.

 

[GojiBean]

At the docks, Korose's balance wavered under the pressure of the pulse which had been sent back to him. Steadying himself, he ripped the cloak from his person and threw it aside revealing his spiky raven black hair and all-black ensemble of clothing. With heavy leather boots with obvious steel reinforcements in the toe and heel, a black belt with a silver buckle, and a black V-cut collared tunic, he stood out like a sore thumb against the white birch wood of the docks around him. But clothing aside, what was more important was the magical energy gathering around his body. A black aura comprised of Shadowfare magic primed and ready to be used at a moment's notice should the worst happen.

In the darkness of his mind, he used his Pulse Vision to receive a reflection of the world around him. This pulse blinded him to the thin black mist creeping through the air and permeating the city. It cut through walls, alleyways, and into the main streets. So much so that all festivities came to a grinding halt as everyone began looking around at the mist wondering what in the world was going on.

"Is this magic?" One woman finally asked, breaking the silence.

"No. I can't sense any mana from it." Said a Wind Mage performer.

"Then what is it?" Asked a burly bearded man.

"I have no idea." The performer replied.

"Aren't mages supposed to know these things?!" Another man shouted.

The crowds began growing more and more unsettled as theory after theory circulated. But what those in the center of town could not see was the darkness yet to arrive.

But Korose saw it. Saw it plain as day. Every return of his Pulse Vision showed a larger and larger figure moving towards the city at high speed. Something massive... And with wings. Korose wasn't well versed in the creatures of the world, but he knew a Demonic Spirit well enough. But why here of all places? And why now? Was it the meeting? The gathering of Royals? An attempt at causing further confusion, fear and chaos? It had to be. There was no other reason it would be here.

Korose hated doing this, but he had no choice.

He widened his stance and took a deep breath. Mana from all around him in the air circulated around his body before being absorbed into him. His body grew hotter as the air around him sizzled and crackled with power. The aura around him thickened, and sweat began pouring down his temples and from his chin as he continued to concentrate. Slowly, the aura grew larger. Extending first to two meters... Three meters... Four meters... Five meters...

"Vu thri mii'l en'tho tu va."

His chant looped over and over until at last it reached a breaking point. The aura around his body suddenly rocketed skyward, reaching a height of nearly one hundred meters into the air before it exploded forming the general shape of a Demonic Spirit in the same manner as anyone of any race would see them in their story books at bed time as children.

The energy around Korose's body dissipated, and he collapsed to his knees panting heavily with sweat pouring off of him while gripping his chest in agony.

Back in the center of town with the festivities, everyone saw. The black picture of a Demon in the sky brought the rowdy crowd to stunned silence. Nobody could move. Nobody could speak. It was true stunned silence where the mind knew what it saw, yet couldn't process the reality to form words. Until...

"DEMON!!!!"

That was all it took. Panic erupted in the streets and everyone began darting too and fro in a desperate attempt to escape what they knew was coming. Guards could no longer hold or contain the crowds which broke through all barricades in a mad dash for whatever perceived "safety" they could find. The performing stages were toppled and trampled. The market stands utterly demolished underfoot. And those unfortunate enough to trip and fall met a grisly end under the weight of tens of thousands of stampeding feet.

In the clinic, Elena had seen the picture in the sky from the window and the panic erupt beyond. She threw the front door open and desperately cried out for everyone to calm themselves, only to remember nobody could understand her.

"Please!! Do not run or panic!!" She cried.

But with nobody understanding High Elven, it was a wasted effort.

Moments later, and much to Korose's dismay, the Demon had arrived. And it was larger than he ever dared hope for. Just from its position a few dozen meters away, the thing had to be at least fifteen meters (50 feet) in height with a wingspan of over twenty meters (65 feet). It also had a long, whip-like tail with a sharp barb at the end which could easily bisect a humanoid body with a single stabbing motion.

Flapping its mighty wings to slow its advance and take a good look at the area, it spied him still catching his breath on the docks and gave a snarl. Korose snarled back, fighting to make it to his feet. But he was too late. The Demon fired a red blast of energy directly in front of him which sent him flying backwards and through the wall of a nearby fishing hut. Korose shook his head and found himself unable to move due to dizziness. Every direction he turned his head felt like his neck muscles didn't work anymore, and his head fell lazily in whatever direction he tried to look.

Now what? He thought to himself as the Demon slowly floated closer to shore while gathering another blast of energy and taking aim at the Royal Palace.

 

[Pantheran]

The thief had made his way back to larder road and was almost at the clinic when…

Thump.

He frowned, uncertain what it had been. “An earthquake?” he pondered in his mind. He shook it off and continued his walk among the crowds cursing of the celebrating people filling the streets and slowing him down.

Thump.

Another one. A stronger one. The man glanced around him. He wasn't a person of magical knowledge, always looking for the rational explanations. And judging by the looks of other people around him they had also felt it so he hadn't imagined it. So in his mind an earthquake was still the most likely event.

But even his rational explanations started falling apart when the black mist started lingering and moving around the city. Slowly the people around him stopped celebrating and silence fell around him with hushed whispers. "In all me 40 years sailin' da seas, I ain't never seen no mist like dis afore." Zagaroth heard an old man say nearby and hearing it did not help his nerves.

“The boy.” He suddenly remembered and took a couple steps forward pushing through the crowd more determined. He had to check on the boy. What if the mist would make his condition even worse? Was it even possible? The thief didn't know the answer but he wasn't going to let the family down. Not now when he was so close.

The walk towards the clinic felt as if it took eternity and Zagaroth was right by the door as the exaggerated gasps around him and fingers pointed upwards stopped him and made him look up. He swallowed. The shape he saw was all too familiar. The memories all too fresh in his mind. A demon. Expect it was much bigger than anything he had seen before.

And then the screams and shouts erupted around him. It was a cacophony of running steps, people pushing each other out of the way…. He had to close his eyes.

The flashbacks filled his mind: people screaming running for their dear life, children crying, lovers shouting each other to stay close, guards trying to guide the people to safety. He remembered vividly the smell of burning fire and occasional flesh. And still the demon destroying his home town looked like a child compared to the one towering up the city now. He had to take support from the clinic wall as his breathing got heavy. He was barely hearing anything but the screams around him, mixing into the screams inside his head. It was as if the smoke filled his lungs again and he started coughing. His forehead was covered in sweat. Even the elf girl opening the door right next to him was unknown to him.

 

[Firewind]

​

The two elves managed to get on the wagon and were now looking around trying to find out what to do when a dark picture of a demon appeared. This resulted in the frenzy Zaldir feared. He looked to his sister as he was trying to maneuver the cart to not harm anyone, or anyone bringing harm to his cart or Ardyn. “Sis, we should probably just cut our losses and get to safety.“

“Zaldir. I have a feeling with all that’s happening right now, and what’s about to, there won’t be any safe places. Only places we need to protect so that we can try to save everyone we can. That means doing everything in our power and more.“ Aranaea explained, trying to put thoughts and rumors about previous attacks in her mind to try and strategize it in her mind. However, in the pit of her kind, warm heart, she was afraid. Afraid of fighting something that could very well kill her and end her dreams. She had to literally shake her head from those thoughts. She mustn’t think like that. Who‘d look after Zaldir if not her? Ardyn? She loved the stallion but she and the horse, if the horse voiced his opinion, knew there’s only so much of Zaldir‘s cynicism one can take.

As for Zaldir, he turned his head to gaze towards the docks. His elven eyes widened at the sheer size of what rose out of the waters. He thought it’d be A humanoid sized troop or something, not a hulking monstrosity! Managing to slow up to a stop somewhere where the stampeding panicking was at a low he turned to look at his Sister.

“I’m going to need bigger weapons to combat that. Or we find more mages and group up with them. As my Mentor Xandra used to say, ‘If hunting amongst a herd of bison, always have a pack with Ye.’” He told her, Aranaea looking behind her and widening at the size of it.

“Oh-kay. That’s a bigger demon then I thought. But I think you’re right. We also need a Miracle. Oh Gods above, we really could use one.” She said in a low, frightened tone. Ardyn looked to see what his owners were looking at, with the Stallion thinking ”How do we get ourselves into these messes?!”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Athalia Ethyreeal

“Steady. Steady Ezrin.”

Athalia pulled back on the reigns and the silver blood-mare let out a nervous snort, the press of bodies exciting the creature. The bells embellishing the reigns tinkled sharply, further provoking the horse.

“I don’t understand Ademarian customs sometimes. Putting bells on reigns?” The nymph ambassador made a face, shaking her head, “Animals have no such thing in our land. Queen Hrathia would never allow it.”

Athalia grimaced at her commentary, providing her with a stiff “thank you” before tuning out her nonsensical chatter, the best types of tea to serve at noon and other such details falling on deaf ears. The market sector seemed strangely unphased by the two pulses, though Athalia quickly learned that many thought it to be an earthquake from the tid-bits of conversation that rose up from the din that encompassed the small company traveling behind the elf and the nymph. Merchants dangled goods up in front of willing customers, pushing coins into money bins and handing over products. Women with baskets of Laushian snacks balanced on their heads wove through the crowds, crying out the price of their wares. Athalia cast a disinterested eye upon the crowd, waving away the few sellers that approached her mare.

“Honestly, this is getting rather tiresome Lady Athalia. Even if this was some sort of demonic pulse there is absolutely no sign of a demon nearby. If there were, the people would be going crazy, would they not?” The nymph let out a yawn, fiddling with the reigns of her own mount.

The elf said nothing, peering up at the sky as if in search of something. The few guards that trailed them whispered among themselves, some beaming with excitement and others pale with dread. The demon that had gotten the soldiers into such spirits, though, was yet to be seen, much to the annoyance of the two diplomats. Athalia had opted to search the city for any signs of the creature who had apparently been the cause of the disturbance. Unfortunately, they were clearly not having any luck.

The shadow of a bird against the sun appeared above the stalls and let out a shrill cry, flapping it’s large wings. Athalia lifted up her arm, offering her forearm as a branch for the owl to land on. Claws soon sunk into the leather at her wrist, the owl staring unblinking at the nymph ambassador next to his master. A small scroll was tied tightly to his leg and once unravelled tightened Athalia’s expression further.

“Nothing. Is it possible that-” Athalia’s words were cut short at the sudden shouts around her. A mist curled between bodies, black and thick. It snaked around Ezrins legs, startling the horse and causing the mare to whinny loudly, tossing her head in panic. People paused to look at the strange sight, confusion illustrating the already chaotic scene before her. It was as if someone had paused the busy market place but the calm was suddenly disturbed with a shout.

“Demon!”

Baskets were flying, stalls run down and people began to panic, running wildly trampling those who couldn’t surface to the top of the crowd. Ezrin whinnied, shaking her head sharply and causing Athalia to lose her grip on the reigns though the elf quickly caught hold of them again as the mare reared wildly. The guards and the ambassador were lost in the chaos. Looking for them would be a waste of time. Cornelius flapped his wings wildly, hooting with alarm as he nearly lost his balance. The owl launched into the air, lost in the wind. Athalia frowned, peering at the direction from which the people were running from and managed to turn her horse, pushing the frightened mare through the crowd.

​

 

[King Castle]

Breathe In and out. In and out.

Sebastian sat alone in the conference room. All the relevant guards had been moved elsewhere and the royals had been set to their respective homes by him. He was left here to recover before rejoining the retinue. After all, moving nearly a hundred people all across the world in such a short amount of time was no meager feat and it had taken the wind out of him. Even so he felt the years taking their toll. In his youth he would have already recovered and reconvened with the knights by now.

Still, there was time. He had no need to rush. Word would come in about where he was needed when he was needed. And thus time passed. A shadow would appear, warning of what was coming. A warning that gave little time before the real monster would show. Seen throughout the city, even in the castle, a guard ran as fast as he could. Entering into the conference room he gave his report on the demon sighting to the only man left there. That man stood from his seat and thanked the guard for his work. With but a brief moment of concentration the man was gone, taken by an arcane circle to his King's retinue.

 

[GojiBean]

With but a single massive burst of red energy concentrated from the palm of its hand, the Demon launched a blast directly into the heart of the Royal Palace which utterly demolished the structure. Tower spires flew into the air and then back down into the city scape, flattening dozens of people at a time as further debris struck and killed or severely injured yet dozens more. Thousands upon thousands of people who'd gathered from near and far, of races humanoid and otherwise, ran and screamed for their lives amidst a sea of chaos. If they were crushed beneath debris, consumed by flames, or trampled underfoot, they scattered out of the city from any and every exit they could find.

The Royal Palace was now but a shadow of its former self, and the Parliament building beyond stood now as the sole symbol of authority and order. With a wicked, sharp-toothed sneer, the Demon charged another blast before it felt a wave of heat suddenly gathering at its legs. Looking down, two Fire Mages from the performing groups had bravely decided to attack it. Their fire whipped and arced in circles around its legs in a desperate attempt to stop any forward momentum. With what could only be described as a guttural chuckle, the Demon gave a single mighty flap of its wings and blew the two mages away into the streets... Their fate, unknown.

Guards gathered and shot bows and arrows, but to little effect. Most bounced off its hide. And those which managed to pierce it were so shallow it didn't even notice. It must have been like being pelted with feathers.

Other mages and guards began gathering for the assault. Standing in defiance of the mighty being before them they all bravely and heroically threw caution to the wind and gave it everything they had. Most of the mages who'd gathered were gathering to assault it with wind, earth, and other combative elemental magics while other guards tried to slash its feet and toes with swords. It was almost comical. So much so that the Demon chuckled again as it allowed its power keeping it aloft to dissipate. It then fell from the skies onto its feet, crushing several of the guards beneath it outright and smearing the cobblestone streets in blood. Those who'd survived the fall and were pinned beneath its feet died slowly and in great agony as what remained of their bodies bled out through the areas now flattened.

Korose finally managed to shake off the dizziness he'd fallen to earlier, and as he staggered out of the rubble of the building he went through he noticed the Demon gathering another blast in its hand. But after having expended almost all his own power to create that massive Demon-shaped shadow in the sky, which had long since dissolved to nothing, there was little he could do except run for cover in a nearby alley as the shot was unleashed on the guards and mages. Those it struck were almost immediately burned in some kind of bizarre fire that didn't seem anything like the natural fires of their own world. And their bodies disintegrated not long after.

"What's this?"

Meanwhile...

Back in the city, Elena had suffered a leg injury from the debris. Her left knee was now broken, and it was everything she could do to crawl to a safe spot to rest amidst the horde of stampeding people. But she'd managed to pull herself up onto a tipped over box of fruit to lean against the wall and contemplate what to do. And in doing so, she felt the blast off to the right. And over the edge of a half-destroyed building, she saw the face of the Demonic being leering down in her direction.

"Gods help us all." She whispered.

 

[Pantheran]

As Luciana was following Beau towards the church and up the hill, the mist started to gather around them. She stopped narrowing her eyes trying to examine what it was. She used a little bit of her wind magic to blow it away but soon it lingered back. Once again she hoped she had paid a little more attention during her magic studies and maybe know what had caused it. She looked around her trying to determine what way it was coming from but the mist seemed to be everywhere. Her companion was shaking from fear as he was looking around frantically. “And you said you’d protect me?” she thought in her mind almost rolling her eyes.

“Wait here. I’ll fly up.” She told the man and jumped up in the air and landed on the church roof to see further away. Not that she needed to get that high to see what happened next.

A demon taller than the buildings emerged from the ocean.

Luciana had heard stories of the demon attacks in other cities, but never had she heard of anything like this. Until now, the mercenary had been ready to fight to defend herself but there was no way for her to do so effectively as she had only a single poison dagger along with her magic with her. She cursed herself for leaving rest of her belongings at the inn. Even if she doubted anything in there would help her either.

For a moment she wondered about flying back to get her items, but her mind was changed soon as she witnessed the demon attacking once, the sheer power made of it making her swallow and freeze in place. She had always thought of herself to be rather brave person, but this creature caused pure terror in her heart. She was also aware that many innocent people would die this day and she didn’t want to add to that count. Once the demon moved to aim at the castle, Luciana shifted her stance. “That's not good. That’s not good at all.” She muttered to herself. Quickly the woman landed back down and glanced at Beau next to her.

“Sh-should we…. do something?” The man asked with wavering voice.

“You do what you want. I’m not paid to deal with this shit.” In case of a smaller demon she might have offered her help in exchange of reputation but with this one, it was a deathwish. The huge rumble as the palace was crashing down made Luciana turned her gaze towards it and shook her head. She was out.

Hey! Wait!” Beau shouted. “Don’t leave me ‘ere!” the man watched helplessly as the succubi flew up and away from the grumbling city. She had nothing to gain in the city and only more to lose, in her mind it was every man to their own. She saw the people trying to push through to get out of the city. “Poor bastards.” She thought in her mind, glad that she had wings to use. The surroundings of the city were mainly plains, but up from the air she spotted a forest couple miles to east that could offer some cover. She flew towards it and landed on the edge of it, as she watched the demon in the distance. “Where the hell I’m going to go now?” she muttered.

 

[GojiBean]

The Demonic Beast paused amidst the rush of those who dared to defy it and gazed at the Parliament building. And as it did so it could see the faint Mana trails leading away in every direction. A clear sign that magic had been used in an attempt to thwart its purpose this day... An effort that would prove to be in vain.

"I will not be denied!" It growled.

Those beneath it who'd been attacking paused their assault upon hearing it speak.

"That thing TALKS?!" One guard shouted.

They had no time to gawk, however, as the Demon ignored all those attacking it and focused on the Mana trails. Reaching a hand out it cast a spiraling burst of dark mist from the center of its palm towards the Parliament building. The instant it touched the Mana trails, it dispersed and followed them to their destinations worldwide where the humanoid rulers had been transported. And upon reaching their destinations the streams of dark energy exploded like fireworks. All those unfortunate enough to be caught within the blast became instantly infected with the same corrosive power that had caused so much damage in previous attacks throughout the world. And of the 55 Ruling families who attended the meeting this day, 33 of them perished in a matter of seconds.

Satisfied with its work, the Demonic Beast now had nothing better to do with its time than begin an assault on those who dared to take up arms against it. And while it was no challenge, it was most certainly amusing. With a single sweep of its tail, it threw dozens of guards and mages through the air for dozens of meters. Many died on impact with the tail from the sheer force of the attack. Those who survived died on impact with the first surface they struck. And those unlucky enough to be cause at the end of the tail were sliced to ribbons and sprayed the cobblestone streets with blood.

Korose could barely catch his breath. As badly as he wanted to participate, there was little he could do now. Using his pulse vision to spot an opening in the buildings behind him, he retreated to a safer distance to observe the battle.

 

[Pantheran]

Zagaroth had fallen to his knees, breathing heavily, one hand still held against the wall. His mind was still filled with images of a demon destroying the town as a sudden, sharp pain on his back woke him back up with a groan. A piece of debris had hit him. And as he regained his focus the thief ignored his own pain and looked at the clinic door near him. The clinic had taken a bad hit making Zagaroth worry for the safety of the kid he had just brought in as he forced himself back up and get inside.

He saw part of the roof had fallen down, as he made his way into the backroom, pushing the debris out of the way. Slowly reaching the bed where the child lied, his eyes were filled with sadness and anger towards the demon. The young boy laid there, barely awake, still breathing but in much pain as his right leg had broken badly as debris had fallen on him.

The man did only thing he could think of and took his dagger ripping a piece of his cloak off, tying it around the boy’s leg to prevent any more blood loss that had already happened.

“Be brave buddy, okay?” He said to the child as he lifted him into his arms. “I’ll get us out.”

“Mommy?” The boy cried scared, his tiny voice breaking Zagaroth’s heart. He had brought the child into this place and now he needed to get him outside. Him and his family, somehow. He didn’t know how, it felt impossible but he would never forgive himself if he let him die.

He pushed back outside along with the people who were still panicking, running to every direction for any shelter they could. He had to take a few deep breaths to refocus his mind instead of getting lost to his memories again. The demon was to the west so the thief figured the best direction to head was the south gate. Never turn one’s back fully to the enemy. However trying to make his way through the stampede of people with a crying child clutching into his shirt with his tiny fists was going to be almost impossible.

Instead the thief settled on the same strategy he used to escape his hometown: to stick on the smaller roads. It was longer trip but a little less people. He only hoped he had learned the city’s layout enough in the two week of living there to be able to navigate easily among the shattered buildings.

 

[Firewind]

​

It was pure, unrefined Chaos. Madness even, as Zaldir and Aranaea moved their cart through the panicked rubble filled streets. Observing the Demon in its terrible power destroy the Palace as the two siblings tried to look for others to help in escaping the city if need be. But Aranaea was in for an even greater shock as in the struggle, the destruction it caused already and it seemed it wasn’t even satisfied. But that was the obvious part. However, the shock of it was the one sentence that gave her even more fear.

“It...it speaks. They speak! They’re intelligent, Zaldir!“ She exclaimed, her determination to get the civilians to safety faltering ever so slightly. Zaldir however said nothing as he was trying to wonder if they really stood a chance. He looked around at the dying mages and guards, and the bystanders caught in the crossfire. He wanted to believe they had a chance. But what chance did two more elven mages have truly?

Zaldir has heard all the rumors. But to see a demon, a large one at that plus a newly revealed intelligence, made the young elf think that neither his magic weapons nor his sister‘s alchemy would help as others were fighting and dying. The only thing he hoped for now, was a miracle. His thoughts were on praying right now.

“If any gods can hear me, please listen. I know praying to all of you sounds like I’m drawing lots on who answers, but as a Magic Smith, I never really knew who to pray to. But I want to be honest in whoever is listening now. Please, please if you have to power to, aid us. Aid us in saving those that we can save, even aid in defeating the demon if it’s in your power.“ Zaldir silently prayed in his head. “If any of you are able to answer, I will forever be your servant. No questions, no take-backs. I’ll do whatever you ask me. So please Gods, Someone help us.”

Zaldir wasn’t too sure if his prayer would be heard amongst the hundreds of people running or dying, but he was afraid of battling something that was leagues stronger then any magic anyone could throw at it. “Someone, please help us. Help me get the courage.” he whispered to himself once more, as he prepared to gather his courage for whatever He decided to do, whether it be run and live, or fight and die. Whichever happened first.

 

[King Castle]

After the flash came noise. Lots of noise. From the stampede of feet hitting the ground to the cries of fear that the people let loose. It got louder after the red light cut through the brilliant blue sky.

First, Sebastian was struck still with awe at the sight. Then came the specter of dread running down his body as he realized just how close he had been to death. How close they had all been.

But they're safe. This unspoken knowledge served as the only comfort to this dire situation. But they had no time to stand with their mouths agape.

"Keep moving. We will deal with it here and now. This isn't the biggest monster I've faced." As he spoke the guards around him began to move again. They had formed a half circle shield wall to better move through the crowd which gave Sebastian room to move. He removed his robes as they made their way forward and traded them into his hip bag for two pouches now assigned to his belt.

"Form three groups of three. Stay at an angle from each other around the beast and keep your formation loose. We don't want to lose a whole group to one blast. Watch it's tail. There is no telling if it's set to a fixed length-" Sebastian was interrupted by yet another act of the demon. A black substance began it's flight first toward the castle then broke off into many cords as if to chase some unseen thread. With horror he quickly deduced what they were chasing.

"Morgan." Neither his face nor voice held anything back of the grim meaning he had come to realize.

"Sir!?" The knight was taken aback by the change in the often jolly old man. They had yet to realize what had happened.


"Keep an eye on the battle field. Find somewhere to place the battle board and if I send anyone to it get them and yourself away from it. Quickly. Otherwise stay out of it's sight."

"Away from the board? What-" Morgan's word caught in their throat. The whole line stopped. They now understood why the Duke was so grim.

"Later. They were the first that I sent. If anyone survived it would be them. Now let's move." To emphasize his words Sebastian donned his helm and took his place at the head of the formation. Ten knights approached the demon. Nine wearing the crest of the royal family of Freirhiel. The tenth wearing a Masters insignia.

 

[Saracen_Rue]

Aetrius walked down the side street, keeping to herself silently as her footsteps treaded lightly down the cobblestone beneath. She was alone in her thoughts when she felt it, the rumbling in the earth beneath her feet, and before she knew it, it happened. A large, all too large form appeared out of nowhere, floating above the city outside of the main walls, near the docks. Its size was immeasurable, and was sure as hell larger than anything she had ever come across. The size alone of the creature was enough for anyone to turn back and scream. Which is exactly what happened. Side stepping back into the alleyway, Aetrius managed to avoid the cusp of the citizens that began to panic and run for cover and safety. Dear Gods.., she thought to herself as reality began to slowly rear its ugly head at her. Rather literally in this moment as the demon above scanned the area, keeping its eyes locked on the Parliament building. The Royals…, her immediate realization hit her. She was too far from the building to get there in time, even if she did get there, what good would she do? It would be pointless.

Thinking quickly, Aetrius mentally prepared herself for what she knew she had to do. Crowd control, that was the best she could do where she was currently. Acting quickly, she grabbed onto the side of the building and hoisted herself up farther onto a building, getting an advantage point from where she was. Aetrius couldn’t exactly see everything, as her mortal eyes could only see so much, but from what she could see, she saw enough. The large masses of citizens running into alleyways and side streets, buildings and homes for cover, trampling over the unlucky ones as the crowds easily overwhelmed those who weren’t quick enough to get out of the way or run fast enough. It was a grizzly sight for those unlucky souls, but in moments of panic, there wasn’t much anyone could have done. Aetrius took a deep breath as she hung from the side of the building, her grip held firm to the stone that made for a small perch as she examined what the best route would be from here.

Her eyes settled on a small group of people down below, who seemed to have been trapped back into an alleyway due to the masses of panicked people. From her advantage point, those hidden back into the alleyway looked to be children, and they were clearly scared and terrified. Cut off from their families most likely. Sighing, the half elf quickly lept from the small outlet she had been perched on, and bounded onto a roof of the building next to her, jumping across the gap of two small houses before coming to a halt as she arrived at the alleyway she believed the children were hiding off in. Popping her head over the side of the roof she looked down, and gave a small smile, “Looks like you could use a lift?” the half elf called down below to the children who were all huddled up together in the corner. The children jolted in reaction to the stranger calling out to them, looking in different directions before finally looking up to where the voice came from. One of the younger children, who had a fox tail and ears looked up at Aetrius, fear was plastered all over her face, “C-can you help us? P-please!?” the child pleaded. The others quickly chiming in along as they pleaded, all were a different species of humanoid. An elf, a human, two mithi’s in total, and what looked to be a half orc. Aetrius gave a nod, extending her hand to the children, “You’re all going to have to listen to me, alright? Whatever I say, you follow. If I tell you to stop, or run, you listen. Got it?” the children gave her nods, and took turns reaching for her hand to be helped up onto the roof. It was a process as some had trouble reaching for her hand, but it took only a few moments for her to have all the children on the roof with her. “Alright, I’m going to help you get to one of the other side streets. It’ll take only a few moments, but as long as you stay close and move quickly, we should get you to safety soon. Got it?” she questioned, her voice was gentle and sincere, she didn’t want any of these kids scared or hurt, well more than they already were. As long as she could get them to a safe spot, they’d be fine and she could continue on with her target, which was to get close to whatever it was attacking the city.

Helping the children across the rooftops seemed to be easy enough, Aetrius kept her eyes towards the demon that was clearly busy with something else as it swung its tail about. Her stomach began to sink as it seemed to lose interest quickly after speaking. The thing spoke. It fucking spoke. Her stomach began to slowly form and tie itself in knots. It was sentient enough to speak. Slowly her worries began to grow more and more, they just had to get out of here, that’s all. That’s all she could tell herself. It’s all she could do to remain positive with this.

As the small group encroached the street that Aetrius had in mind, she stopped and turned once more to look at the demon, it’s attacks were becoming more random and sporadic, showing that it was just out for blood now more than anything. “Alright, let’s get down. Now!” the half elf called as she shuffled passed the children, and dropped down. Landing on the cobblestone, she reached up and helped the children down, one by one again until they were all huddled around her in the darkened alleyway. “Alright, this is where we split ways. You all stay out of danger. Stay away from the main streets, and watch out for each other. You need to find your families.” Aetrius looked at the child she assumed was the oldest, the half elf. “Help look after them, yeah? The sooner this is over, I’ll be back around to check up with you all when this is all over. Okay?” the children huddled around her once more, embracing her in a group hug as they thanked her in rambling as they all spoke at the same time. Many were asking for her to not go, and stay with them. Make sure they were all safe. Aetrius smiled and gently patted them on the heads, “You’ll be fine. I have to go take care of the big guy anyway. You watch out for each other now. she called, and was gone within seconds she was bounding off in the direction of the giant.

Aetrius made quick work of the city streets as she kept to the smaller, less chaotic streets as she made her way towards the demonic creature. As Aetrius enclosed the distance between her and the beast, the reality of it all hit her. Bodies were laid strewn about the streets, bloodied remains dotted every direction that she looked. Body parts were scattered everywhere. It was a bloodbath. Her stomach sank as she watched soldiers fought valiantly, but in vain as they were quickly dispatched within seconds. She watched as mages of all kinds that were around the beast were proving to be on little to no use. None of their magic was proving to be of much use, seeing other fire mages were proving to be fighting for nought. Fantastic…, Aetrius thought to herself. If her magic wasn’t going to be of much use against this thing, what use would her swords be? She wasn’t stupid enough to even try to go toe to toe against it. It was far too dangerous for her to even fathom it. The beast must have taken notice of her presence as it turned, and using a swipe of its tail, it flung a small empty wooden cart in her general direction. Aetrius extended out her arm out of instinct, and a small blast of fire escaped the tips of her fingers, catching the small cart alight as it flew past her and crumbled to the ground in a flaming heap. Aetrius needed to regroup, and figure out a plan, ducking out of sight and hiding behind a large stone wall as she did so. There must have been something she could do, she just needed the time to figure out what.

 

[GojiBean]

"It speaks so watch your words. Target order is goat, snake then lion. One and two make an opening. Cave in, seal and shift. Three, make a path for me. Engage!"

"Sir!" The Knights responded in unison before breaking off into their respective units. Immediately the earth mages began to work. The rest readied themselves to provide distractions having seen the beasts resistance to magic on their way to face it.

"Take heart! Men and women of Lau'sha! You yet breath, you yet live! Let not fear of your end lead you to it! For your fate is your own! Pray not for a miracle but the strength to make one with your own hands!"

Not once during his confident speech did Sebastian look away from the demon, though this fact was concealed by his helmet. He was wary of a sudden attack and waiting for his time to strike. He would be fine with waiting as long as the demon didn't act but he had no intention of assuming it would stay it's hand for long.

Brilliant flames sought to engulf the demons head like a cloud upon a mountain peak. It was the opening action that served as the signal for both the battle and Sebastian's sprint. The fire seemed to do no better than previous attempts as the demon dispersed the flame with a long exaggerated exhale. But it had served it's purpose in blocking the beast's line of sight.

The ground underneath it's left leg collapsed disrupting it's mockery. The hole was quite deep considering how quickly it was made as evidenced by even the demon's knee becoming buried. Indeed buried, as it was made in such a way that the walls and even the surface around the hole slid in to fill the gap. It was simple work to compact the stone after that.

Sebastian raised his left hand, his palm facing the demon's head. Those with a keen eye might have even seen a metallic glint from the blur that shot out before a blinding flash errupted across the battlefield. This was followed closely by the sound of grinding stone as a ramp appeared before Sebastian leading to the now lowered shoulder of the demon. But no plan goes perfectly.

As Sebastian's sabatons kicked off the end of the ramp he heard the air whistle for his only warning. He tucked his legs as close to his body as he could just in time to hear the stone ramp shatter, the beasts arm narrowly missing Sebastian. But it was too late. The gap was crossed. Sebastian's legs met the demons shoulder.

Carrying his momentum from the landing Sebastian sprinted along the demon's back. He was quick to introduce his blade to the base of the demons wing. The first impressions did not go so well as the blade was quickly rebuffed. He realized he would not have time to cleave the wing and settled for the membrain. Indeed, he could feel the resistance as his blade dug into the membrain of the left wing with his descent. But his blade would hold. It was made to fight monsters greater than oneself. He was more concerned with his footing and the tail that sought to menace him. But his concern was lightened as he felt the "ground" beneath him even out enough to stand on. The demon was further brought low as the stone entraping it's leg dragged said leg into an untenable position. It's free leg couldn't keep the balance and it fell.

However the tail was swift to give it's guest a complementary bludgeoning. Sebastian felt that the tail served as a rather rude host. Even so he entered into this dance, onto the freshly evened floor, cleaving membrain whenever he got the chance to mingle before dealing with his host again.

But his time at this ball was short and he was slowed by the persistence of the tail. Running out of time he began his run along the wing determined to do as much damage as he could before he was forcefully vacated by the bouncer known as gravity. And gravity was swift, not even giving the tail another chance to separate Sebastian from the membrain as the demon stood. His footing lost, Sebastian was left hanging by his sword, blade stuck into the membrain.

Despite them both agreeing that now was the time for Sebastian to leave they disagreed on the method. The demon was, unlike it's tail, quite the generous host as it decided to give Sebastian a special view on his way out. With a beat of its now fairly damaged wings the air was sent into a furious, howling frenzy. The force of which quickly deposited Sebastian into the sky.

Although he was sent tumbling during his ascent, with risk of losing grip of his sword no less, his descent was a fair bit calmer. First he made sure to check if there was anyone else with him. Once he saw that he was alone he took his time to look over the condition of the city on his way down as he had not gotten to do so due to his method of arrival. There is a fair bit of damage to the palace and it's surroundings as well as everywhere the people had evacuated from already. People were getting caught at choke points throughout the city or trampled under foot by their fellows. Though this was all he could gather in his short time in the sky. With a hand on his chin he found himself wishing for time to slow so he could get a better picture of the situation. This thought occurred just before his now immanent death by blunt force trauma. With a sigh he teleported to his battle board. Though to any onlookers it would appear as if he had barely made it in time it was not close by shear luck. Indeed, it was a well practiced maneuver much to the chagrin of his teachers. And family. And guards. And anyone else who happened to bare witness during his, often mid battle, "practice".

This hole his leg was trapped in had proven quite the nuisance. These pathetic vermin were not quite as pathetic as he'd given them credit for. Still, they were no match for him.

Setting its hands on the ground, the Demon pushed hard and ripped its leg free of the earthen bindings which held it causing the rubble to spread all around it which hampered the ability of knights on the ground from reaching it easily. Taking a deep breath, the Demon let out a concentrated burst of air with a subtle black tint to it which slowly made its way through the air towards a section of the knights nearest to the remains of the Royal Palace.

With that done, it turned its head towards those closer to the heart of the city proper, and pulled back its wings to prepare another burst of air. And as it swung its mighty wings, the ensuing gust was not nearly as powerful as it had hoped. Looking to either side, it noticed the rips and tears in the membrane Sebastian had left behind and snarled.

That tiny creature would pay dearly for this.

Still, the gust was strong enough to at the very least knock many of them clean off their feet and send them flying for a few yards. Far from the immediate death bringer hurricane it brought previously. But enough to hamper progress and reset the playing field.

Korose, meanwhile, watched the battle quietly as he caught his breath and slowly let his power return to him. Having used most of it previously in his warning of the Demon's arrival, he had gained enough back to at least start moving through the shadows again. Doing so took very little power. But still.

He held out a hand, and concentrated what power he could around it. A dark aura appeared around his clenched fist, and Korose's lips and nose curled in a snarl.

"Not enough." He muttered.

He sent another pulse to get a view of where the battle stood now. And it seemed the Demon, despite its wings, was once again boasting its physical defenses as it stood strong against a second wave of magical attacks.

"You've got to have some kind of weakness, you bastard." Korose growled.

It was faint, especially when compared to the ones that forewarned this disaster, but there was yet another pulse. The Duke said nothing of it, perhaps due the more apparent threat, but Morgan was sure that everyone sensed it. Their orders had been to secure a safe space to place the battle board but there was some freedom in that order. They couldn't stand to be realageted to this task, away from the battlefield, doing nothing. So why not do some work on the side?

Following the pulse had been somewhat tricky as they had to take side roads to avoid being seen by the demon while carrying what amounted to a block of wood. This had given Morgan time to think during their search. To ask questions like; who was it? An accomplice? A second demon? Or someone trying to help? Perhaps calling for help? It would be unreasonable to assume that all such pulses would be of the same origin. Thus it was prudent to act lest inaction led to further harm.

This time of enlightened thought was brought short as this mystery culprit gave an encore performance declaring there current position. And they were closer then expected. In fact, Morgan might have even passed them by hidden in such a small alley. Drawing their blade and attempting to move silently they were caught by surprise by what they found.

A mourner? Morgan wasn't sure what they expected to find but even so. How unfortunate to face loss as all of this was happening. This thought, as well as further investigation, was otherwise interrupted by the faint flash of light from the board followed by a shout.

"Move!" The simple order from an older man rang metallic, filtered through his helm.

Morgan, with but a moment to act threw the now dastardly board away from both their commander and the small alley boy before diving for cover themselves.

Only to be met with silence. Looking up to see the unharmed board Morgan couldn't help but to feel silly. Without proper context this was sure to look stange to say the least. What a poor introduction.

Firewind Saracen_Rue Pantheran

 

[King Castle]

The clattering of wood and the clanging of metal was soon followed by a prolonged silence. A silence that only served to maintain Sebastian's sense of tension. But with the calm of apparent safety he felt his body begin to unwind, the exhaustion pouring out from his every muscle. He could practically hear his knees creak as he stood.

"Phew. It's been too long. So Morgan..." As he was interrupted by his own body's demand for air he could then finally begin to hear his heart pound in his chest like an overly enthusiastic drummer. Taking his breather he motioned for Morgan to stand. "Hah. What brings you... Here of all places?"

"I was following a mana pulse." Morgan pointed their thumb to the alley for emphasis. "Are you okay sir? You don't look to be... In top form."

"I'll be fine. Just need to catch my breath and I'll be back out their to take one of its eyes next. Those will be soft enough. That said, let's check on our alley friend." Patting Morgan on the shoulder Sebastian made his way to greet said alley friend. A mourner? How sad to- wait. A Blindfold? Ah.

"Are you alright sir? Any injuries? Or anything else we can do to help?" As Sebastian inquired into the man's condition he had already began to rummage through his bag for supplies.

Korose kept his ears trained on what the Demonic beast was doing in the background.

It stomped a foot into the ground causing a tremor which knocked many of those fighting off balance before blowing on them with a forceful breath to send them rolling away, much to its own amusement. Korose rode out the tremor and then glanced to Sebastian and Morgan.

"I'm fine. But I'm considering abandoning this place to its fate." He said as he turned his head in the Demon's direction.

"It's toying with your men." He growled quietly.

He sent another tiny pulse to get a fresh view, and sure enough he "saw" the creature, as well as heard it, cackling in its own weird way while those battling it fought to get back on their feet after the stomp. Those who had made it to their feet were looking around in a mixture of fear and hope that something would change the situation in their favor.

The creature's tail hovered over its shoulder, and the bladed section seemed to split down the middle and part which revealed a rather disgusting "tongue-like" extension hidden within which began spewing some kind of reddish-brown liquid at the soldiers and mages. Those who weren't able to avoid it were stuck to the ground and unable to move anything except parts of their bodies which were still exposed. Everything inside the goop was instantly frozen in place as it hardened around them, leaving no room for leverage to break free.

"You should order a retreat" Korose said grimly.

"We can't leave. We are the rear guard for the civilians evacuating." Sebastian returned his bag to its place as he spoke.

"Morgan, board. And you, Sir, stay safe as best you can. We'll do our part for that here." Following Morgan out the alley Sebastian quickly found another exit out into the battlefield.

After a deep breath to focus his mind away from his fatigue he leapt back into the fray.

 

[GojiBean]

Following Sebastian's statement, Korose scoffed with a shake of his head as he backed away into the alley. His breath had returned, but he could tell his body still wasn't ready to resume any magical efforts. He'd put far too much into the warning he threw into the sky to be of any use here.

As the Demon continued to engage the forces around it, it looked above and beyond them to the countryside just beyond the skyline of the housing. The green hills were flodded with tens of thousands of tiny black dots moving about like ants on an anthill swarming over a fresh food source. And with a sneer in its maw, it began charging a blast of red energy in its right hand aimed in the direction of said ants. Despite the best efforts of the soldiers and mages, the attack was launched. And through the sky flew a massive red ball of power which grew smaller and smaller into the distance before a large explosion erupted and lit the skies in a bloody swath of red. And as the color faded, the countryside which suffered the blast was painted black... Charred to nothing but ash along with thousands of lives now burned into the ground as ashen smears in the dirt.

Obviously more than a little pleased with itself, the Demon cackled loudly at the devastation it had caused. The sheer shock of the blast had frozen all the surviving ants in place... Too terrified to move further lest their motion attract its attention even from this distance.

Blood flowed from Korose's lower lip as he bit into it.

"... You..."

His voice was low and soft, but presented through a vicious, guttural growling noise not natural to humanoid vocal cords.

"If this is really the true nature of the Demons in the old tales, I swear to every God and Goddess there is that I'll find a way to destroy you... Every... Last... One of you..."

Even through the thick fabric of his blindfold, the silhouette of his glowing red eyes began to peek through as his anger swelled.

And for the briefest moment, the Demon's eye looked down at Korose as the corner of its mouth curled downward in a frown. Its head turned slowly, and cocked to the sight in the faintest gesture of curiosity before shrugging it off.

The Demon's stomping foot then brought Korose and everyone else in the area back to reality. It was still here. And it was still intent on finishing what it had started. The tail whipped around in a lower slashing motion to sever the bodies of all who stood near enough. Many of the soldiers ducked or evaded the swing. But there were those who could not escape, and for them the journey to the afterlife did not come swiftly. The sheer speed of the bladed tail severed their bodies fast enough to avoid causing significant concussive damage which allowed their brains to remain alive and active for several agonizing seconds as they swiftly bled out in the streets.

Korose had barely managed to avoid the tail himself, having unconsciously charged forward to enter the fray following the foot stomp. Whether he had enough power to make a difference no longer mattered. As long as he could use his Pulse Vision to see what it was doing, he could use what little power he had to use the shadows around him to evade and distract the brute.

As he rushed into the fray, his Pulse Vision returned a vision of the woman who'd been on the horse earlier asking for his help. She'd been bisected by the tail on the recent swipe which made Korose's jaw clench. Even if she had been a bit too insistent on his help before, she didn't deserve this fate.

But soon, none of this would matter...

As the Demon charged a blast from its gaping maw, it was interrupted by a tremor which caused it to cease its attack and look around in confusion. Turning his head towards the ocean, the Demon, Korose, and everyone else's attention were grabbed by a sight never before seen by mortal eyes. A massive burst of concussive energy was barreling through the air, visible due to the sheer force of it, towards the shore.

"GET DOWN!!!" One of the soldiers yelled.

Everyone darted for cover. And even the Demon was forced to hunker down and brace itself as the burst struck the city.

And yet, somehow... Some way... It did nothing to the buildings, the streets, or any of the people present. The Demon was the sole recipient of the blast, throwing it off its hunkered haunches and to the ground with tremendous force causing it to skid across the ground. But there was one more victim... Korose. Having made it to cover in an alleyway, he was still thrown against the wall nearest him with the direction of the blast which knocked the wind from his lungs and nearly knocked him unconscious. Now on its back and shaken from the blast, the Demon shook its head and struggled to right itself as a second wave could be seen rushing towards the shore.

One of the braver soldiers stood up.

"What are you DOING?! Get DOWN you fool!!" Yelled his companion.

"It didn't hurt us the first time." He replied.

"Luck! That's all it was! Get DOWN I say!!" His companion screamed.

Another rose. Then another. And as the burst struck the shore, once again it seemed to magically bypass them all and struck only the Demon and Korose in his alleyway. The creature once again struck the ground, knocking it senseless and Korose falling into unconsciousness from failing to brace himself against this wave.

Suddenly, the air grew silent. The wind ceased. And the temperature began to grow steadily warmer as the area was flooded with mana that seemed to follow the burst. Korose was woken from unconsciousness almost immediately as his body absorbed the mana passing through, and all of the mages in the area could feel their power returning as well.

"What's... Happening?" One soldier asked.

Without warning, the silence was broken by the sounds of music. A vocalist, female, unseen but heard as clear as if she were standing in front of each and every one of them, rang through the air. The song she sung was very brief, and not but a single melody which somehow carried both a sense of tranquility and power in equal measure.

"Am I hearing things?" One mage asked.

"No. I hear her too." Said another.

"Who's her?" Asked a third.

As the song ended the ground beneath them began to quake.

"Wh-wh-what's going o-on?!"

The tremor grew more intense in a concentrated area near the Demon, who by this time was finally beginning to make it to its feet again. But it was a loud, ferocious roar in the distance coming from the sea which drew everyone's attention next.

Flying through at blistering speeds towards the shore was a beautiful white and gray Dragon. And at almost exactly the same time as the first had appeared in the skies over the ocean, bursting through the ground in the center of the Square came a second Dragon which easily rivaled the Demon in terms of sheer size. Having made it to its feet and ready for a fight, the Demon roared at the new arrival. Opening its wings to the fullest, the brown earthen Dragon Roared ferociously and began slowly circling the Demon.

And it was then that the Demon remembered... There was a second one of these things! Too late it turned its head towards the seas. The white Dragon had thrown its lower legs forward, talons extended, slamming them into the demon's stomach with enough force to cause a massive concussive burst upon impact which sent the Demon, and all the humanoids near enough, sprawling onto the ground. Now atop the beast, the Dragon sunk its front talons into the Demon's upper chest. The Demon's tail managed to stay out from under the main body, and sliced across the forearms of the Dragon splitting its scales and causing blood to arc through the air. The White Dragon roared in surprise and pain and leaped away, but not being being gashed across the chest itself by the tail's followup slice.

Scrambling to its feet, the Demon made it just in time to be greeted by a headlong charge from the Earthen Dragon which knocked it once again to the ground. Pouncing into the air and onto the Demon, the Earthen Dragon attempted to bite into its neck but was met by one of the Demon's powerful arms instead. Sinking its teeth into the flesh of the Demon's forearm, the Dragon attempted to crunch it into oblivion. But the Demon's strength was not to be underestimated. Using its free hand, it pried the Dragon's jaws open, ripped its arm free from the maws of destruction, and punched the Earthen Dragon in the side of the head sending it sprawling to the ground. The Demon's tail then rose and sunk into the side of the Earthen Dragon's body just beside its hip where the scales were weakest, digging deeper and deeper before ripping skyward sending a massive spray of blood into the air.

The White Dragon was having none of this, and opened its mouth to deliver a power blast of Light-based magic into the Demon's side. The Demon shrieked in pain as its flesh was seared by the blast, burning it away to bone along the shoulder and hip before the blast came to an end. The White Dragon charged in once more, but almost instantly skidded to a stop as it predicted the tail's interference. Biting down at the last possible second, it managed to grip the tail just below the blade which allowed it to flicker and twitch harmlessly on the other side of the Dragon's jaws. Ripping and thrashing its head side to side, the White Dragon managed to tear the bladed tip of the tail off before dropping it and launching itself backwards and into the air with a mighty flap of its wings.

The Demon reeled at the loss of its tail before its eyes flashed brightly with red light. Its body began glowing with black energy, and it pushed both hands towards the Dragon and launched the blast mist everyone had seen before. The Dragon's body began glowing with a mystical golden light, and as the mist slammed into it, it dispersed harmlessly before vaporizing to nothing. The Demon, eyes still aglow, was shocked. The White Dragon, meanwhile, gathered all of the power it had in its mouth which was now crackling and sparking with raw energy. The Demon attempted to open its wings to fly, but Sebastian's tearing of its membranes prevented it from gaining any lift. It could not escape.

The Dragon lurched its head forward, and a massive blast of pure white energy flew towards and clean through the chest of the Demon, striking the ground behind it and sinking into the Earth. As the burst ended, the Earthen Dragon had managed to get to its feet despite its near death state, and slammed into the Demon once more before landing on the ground, its guts spilling around it into the streets. The White Dragon, having used all of its power, descended rapidly to the ground and crashed onto its side.

The light in the Demon's eyes faded, and its body began slowly vaporizing until it was no more.

... They'd won. But tragically, it was not without a price.

The Earthen Dragon, having succumbed to blood loss and organ spillage, slowly lost the light in its eyes as its head rolled to the side. The White Dragon, meanwhile, was struggling to breathe after exerting itself in such a fashion. But it was alive.

Korose slowly emerged from the alley and walked towards the creature, stopping about ten paces away. The Dragon looked at Korose, and a subtle snarl appeared in its nose and lips. But it hadn't the strength left to do much more than that.

By this time, Elena had managed to splint her leg after crawling back into the clinic and grabbing a bag full of medical supplies left behind in the evacuation. Using a crutch she borrowed, she limped towards the Dragon as well in sheer awe of its size and beauty.

And all around them soldiers began gathering to inspect the creatures. One of them stood by the now deceased Earthen Dragon, reaching out and touching its nose as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"It's a Dragon. A real Dragon..." He whispered. "I've heard so many stories. But I never thought I'd..."

A companion of his put a hand on his shoulder. "Me neither. Nobody's heard of or encountered one for so long... I thought they'd become nothing more than the legends we hear about in children's tales."

 

[Firewind]

​

Zaldir and Aranaea watched from a safe distance as soldiers and mages risked life and limb to fight the Demon. Zaldir knew this was a losing battle, but Aranaea would never forgive him if he didn’t stay and try to help people try and escape the chaos. Then the tremor came. It came so suddenly that it took the Siblings a moment to look towards the ocean to see a large blast coming for the beast. Aranaea managed to duck away into the cart, but Zaldir got his hand tangled in the reins of Ardyn, and took a deep breath to prepare what looked to be a swift death.

Only, it didn’t come. Zaldir didn’t even feel a thing. Though he did hear it hit something. He looked again, as he saw it hit the demon, and the demon alone. Not a single building, or person of elf, Mithii, human, or dwarf, or any other races were harmed! Another blast came and went, again hitting the demon and sending it senseless.

Then for a moment, everything was quiet. Even the winds themselves were calm and still. Then the siblings heard the music, as well as the woman singing. “Zaldir, did you hear that? It’s... beautiful, and powerful. Who or what is that?”

Zaldir could say nothing. He blinked once, then twice at the music. “Did... did my prayer somehow work?” he asked himself before what happened next shocked his imagination to it‘s core, as the creatures of his mother’s stories came barreling into the fray against the demon.

“Mom, your stories were true!! Sis! It’s-It’s!” Zaldir’s amazement seemed to not be the only thing, as his older sister‘s mouth was open in utmost shock as well.

Dragons! Real Dragons! Two of them! And they seemed incredibly focused on killing the demon. What The siblings witnessed next was a horrible and intense battle of titanic proportion. The two dragons fighting the demon traded blows and the demon fought just as hard to try and defeat them, but in the end, the Dragons emerged victorious it seemed, but victory was indeed pyrrhic.

One dragon died of its wounds from the struggle, as the second, white scaled dragon seemed to be seriously injured. Zaldir, as if his own inner child came back for a brief moment, slowly got off the cart and make his way to it. Aranaea and their horse Ardyn followed close behind, the former with the intent to try and stop him from getting to close. Zaldir however, tried to get closer anyway, as his eyes was full of wonder and curiosity. The cynical persona of the magic smith was knocked out and replaced by something Zaldir thought was gone. Belief and hope.

He stopped at a reasonable distance that he hoped wouldn’t make the Dragon uncomfortable or angered by his presence. He swallowed nervously now, realizing that this was indeed a dragon and therefore a large beast. But he hoped that some of his mother’s stories were true in the fact they were capable of speech. If not, curiosity indeed got the better of him.

“I... I don’t know if you can understand me. Or if You’re in too much pain to even listen. But if you do, I just want to thank you, Sir, or Madam. If you hadn’t shown up, more lives would’ve been lost. When I was a child, I wondered if you were as real as the stories said. Now I know. Thank you. But yet I still have so many questions. Some I hope you could answer.”

“Zaldir, it probably doesn’t understand us. Plus do you think it has time to answer questions with how much it’s in pain right now?” Aranaea scolded. But she too was in amazement, having been the firstborn of the generation of their clan, but as she engaged in her academics ultimately dismissed dragons as folklore and legend. She did not believe them. Well, does she now!

The Dragon's eyes slid towards Zaldir.

"I understand." Came a voice in both their minds.

Both siblings looked up at the dragon, Aranaea’s shock doubling at how it communicated to her, making the sapphire haired alchemist speechless. Zaldir‘s shock however, made way to excitement. “You can! I have so many questions!” he shouted, stopping short noticed the others around The dragon. “But I think some of those questions might be the same ones others might ask, so my only question for right now before you get bombarded With the same questions is, do Dragons have a name, and if so what is yours?”

After this question Zaldir went quiet again, making sure he wasn’t interrupting anyone else who approached the dragon. But it was hard to only say one question and have a billion more inside one’s mind. It wasn’t everyday one of his childhood fairy tales came roaring to life. Zaldir almost felt like he was 8 years old all over again.

 

[GojiBean]

"Let us not forget that there are those who still need help here. We need to break the men out of that substance and treat the wounded." Though Sebastian felt that his words were harsh, as he too was in awe of what they all had bared witness to, he knew that what he had said was true.

He surveyed the area now that the battle had ended. He had said to treat the wounded but found most people were either only mildly hurt or beyond saving. There was no middle ground to bleed out upon. But even so he found that there were others who were of like mind to himself. He spotted a young woman who, despite her own injuries was in the process of bringing aid to the people here. He directed one of his men to assist her and made his way to the highest ranking officer of Lau'sha's that he could find.

"Hello Sir. My name is Sebastian. Myself and my men came here with the delegation from Freirhiel." Sebastian gave a small but polite bow as he interduced himself. One of Sebastian's men followed his lead as he joined them. "Allow us to offer our help in any way possible. We are all mages and I myself am skilled in teleportation. We are at Lau'sha's disposal."

General Fordhas, an imposing figure standing 6' 9" and tipping the scales at 280 pounds of pure muscle despite his age at 54 with a graying beard and silver sideburns, slowly turned his head towards Sebastian.

"Hm." He muttered.

"General. We've managed to free some of our men from that goop. Several didn't make it due to suffocation, sir." Said a soldier who skidded to a halt with a salute.

The General looked towards his underling and gave a grim nod.

"Make sure we gather the bodies and prepare a funeral pyre. We can't, and won't send them to the Gods without their due respects for their sacrifices."

"Yes, General!" He replied with a salute before dashing off.

Fordhas looked back to Sebastian.

"I appreciate the offer to assist. If you don't mind assisting with setting up a perimeter around this area to prevent people from getting too close, that would be splendid. That one," he said, pointing to the White Dragon. "... Is still alive. If any civilians get too close, there's no telling how it will respond. And I'm not willing to risk so much as a single civilian life after all that's happened already. That one in black, the girl next to him on the crutch, and those two elves there are already too close."

He sheathed his sword at his left hip, and called to another of his men to come help with tending to the dead and another to go get Korose and Elena to move away.

Meanwhile, Korose remained a mere 10 paces away from the Dragon which was still snarling at him.

Can it sense... He thought.

Elena, who was standing beside Korose at this point still slack jawed, whispered to herself in High Elven.

"O Holy ones above. Could this truly be one of the First Children of Earth?"

Slowly she moved closer to it, taking no notice of the Elven siblings nearby. The Dragon's eyes shifted from Korose to Elena, and as they made eye contact she froze in place about 3 paces away from its nose. Korose sent out a tiny pulse to "see" what was happening, and glimpsed Elena in his peripheral area. The Dragon's eyes snapped back to Korose, and it uttered a low growl with its lips pulled back and quivering in a threatening display. The soldier arrived to tell Korose and Elena to move, but the Dragon's eyes snapping to him caused him to forget his entire purpose as he backed away. As he did so, the Dragon's eyes returned to Korose.

Elena looked back to the Elf in black in confusion, wondering why the Dragon seemed to distrust him so. But the thought was soon banished by her curiosity and desire to get closer. She took another step towards it, and its eyes once again snapped to her.

"Be not afraid, O sweet Child of Earth. I mean you no harm." She cooed softly whilst extending a hand towards it.

The closer she became, the more its snarl faded. And at last, she made contact. With a single hand on the tip of its snout, the Dragon's body relaxed in a large, deep breath as it gave Elena a slow blink. Elena was elated, and an ear-to-ear smile appeared on her face as she giggled in excitement and wonder at the power she could feel within its body.

"Alas, O sweet Child of Earth. I have not the tools to tend your great wounds. This small comfort is all I can offer." She whispered.

"Your kindness is enough." Came a voice in her head.

Elena's body went rigid, and her smile replaced by slack-jawed shock.

As Sebastian organized his men to meet the General's request, he saw that the soldier sent to usher the civilians was swiftly repelled by the dragon's gaze. Seeing this opportunity he excused himself from the General to handle the matter himself.

As he made his way to them, he redonned his robes now that he wasn't expecting combat and returned his helmet to his side. He was pleased to find that the dragon was in a calm state of mind by the time of his arrival.

"Hello everyone. My name is Sebastian. To the young ladies and gentlemen, the General would like for you to make way from the Lord Wyrm. Though as evidenced that's a decision for the Lord themselves to make." He said nodding to Elena and Zaldir.

Turning his attention to said Lord Sebastian knelt down. "Allow me to express my thanks to you and your late companion on behalf of everyone here for your assistance. I apologize for not being able to weaken the beast before your arrival."

The Dragon's gaze shifted slowly towards Sebastian as he made his approach, and Korose's head turned slightly towards him as well. Elena's jaw had since closed, and she leaned slightly closer as she overcame the shock of the Dragon's voice.

"Was that you who spoke to me, just then?" She asked aloud.

Keeping its eyes on Sebastian, "Yes" was the simple response it provided her within her mind.

Sebastian then made his introduction, earning him a slight scowl of scorn from Korose at the casual nature of the suggestion that they were to get away from the Dragon. General's request or no, nobody told Korose what to do. Elena, meanwhile, had barely registered Sebastian's words as she was so engrossed in what the Dragon was doing.

"Can you speak to anyone like this?" She asked.

"Yes. It is a Gift bestowed upon us by our Mother."

"Your mother?"

As Sebastian knelt down and spoke to the Dragon in thanks for the assistance that he and his ally had given, the Dragon subtly turned its head more to the side to get a better look at the mage as it then spoke directly to his mind.

"We came not to lend assistance to your kind. You've destroyed many of them in years past. But this one we sensed before it even crossed the threshold into our Realm. Knowing that no mortal could fell such a beast, our hand was forced."

Sebastian felt relief at the words echoing in his mind. He was confident that a dragon could speak in one form or another as his own name directly mentioned that they could sing after all. But even so, he had wondered if it was merely legend.

"I see. Even so, you have saved many of us with your actions this day. I do not believe that any of us here will forget this fact."

"That said, I'm sure many of us would like to ask you an abundance of questions. I must confess that many nations are in the dark about our mutual foe. So I would like to ask if you would be willing to spare the time to speak to us."

The Dragon's head slowly relaxed onto its side as a long, warm huff of air escaped from the depths of its lungs. The Dragon's eyes had shut with its breath, slowly flickering open as they glanced around the semi-circle of humanoids present while reaching out to all of them.

"My strength is fading from using my Mother's power... Speak quickly, and I will answer what I can before my time is done."

 

[Pantheran]

Clutching the child to his chest, Zagaroth zipped through the back streets to avoid the large crowds on the main roads. The sounds of combat to the rear would not stop. And every time he felt he had good footing to go into a full sprint a tremor in the ground, either from a stomp by the Demon or some other kind of magical attack shaking the ground forced him to slow down to stay on his feet. If he fell now, the child's injuries would only get worse. And he couldn't afford that. He felt guilty enough for the situation they were in.

As he reached the edge of the city, he was forced back onto the main road which, by now, was largely clear of people. But it had a clear line of sight back to the battleground which made him feel that turning around now would be the death of him and the child. But as he took his first step outside the city's boundaries, he felt a warmth behind him. Despite his desire not to look, he glanced over his shoulder. A massive wall of energy rushing towards the city.

Zagaroth froze. "Sorry kiddo” he whispered and braced himself for impact closing his eyes, still trying to protect the child by bending his body over him. It knocked the Demon onto its back, but passed right through them and everyone else as if it were nothing but an illusion.

There was a moment of silence around him as he didn’t move. Slowly he opened his eyes. “I’m…. alive?” the words were only in his mind. He stood up slowly and looked around. No one else seemed to be harmed either.

“Up there!” someone shouted causing the thief to look up, his eyes going wide. “Am I dreaming?” he thought in his mind. Zagaroth stood there still frozen in place as he watched the dragons going for an attack. A small cough got his focus back to the child. “Let’s get you out of here buddy.” he spoke softly and headed back towards the city gates. He still didn’t believe staying in the city was safe.

However as he arrived closer to front gates and saw the carnation waiting behind in the countryside he stood frozen for a moment again. Hundreds of bodies on the ground as the countryside had been destroyed by the demon. Glancing behind him, the thief saw the dragons and demon fighting. "What in earth now?" He thought looking around frantically.

Zagaroth spotted a small corner next to a stone a wall as he slid his way in there. Carefully kneeling down and placing the boy to rest on the ground. The adrenaline in his body had started to wear out and he started to feel the exhaustion on his arms. He was a thief, not a fighter and so strength wasn't his strongest suit. He held his hand over the boys forehead. The sadness filled his eyes as it looked bad. He didn't even know where to find the boy's mother - if she was even alive.

"It's disappearing! Everyone! Look!" A shout nearby made Zagaroth look up to see what he could only describe as a miracle. The dragons had won. The demon was gone. "How….." he whispered silently. He looked down at the boy and saw his pale face. Quickly getting back to action, he lifted the boy up and headed among the people for his last hope to save the boy.

"Doctor? I need a doctor! Is there a doctor anywhere?" He tried to get his voice heard over the people; some celebrating, others shouting for help and rest looking for their families.

 

[Pantheran]

The mercenary was utterly shocked seeing the destruction the demon was causing. No matter if she'd stay or leave, her changes to stay alive were just as slim. "Screw it. I'm not staying here for a second longer." She spread her wings and jumped up. However she was barely in the air as a warm feeling filled her body. "Magic?" She turned around to look back at the city.

As she was watching, a scene she had never even dreamed about was unfolding in front of her. Two dragons fighting against the demon, mages and soldiers still charging for attacks as well. In her mind there was going an inner dialogue between her demon and angel. Should she use the chance to leave? Should she go and help? Should she have studied more magic back in her youth? Maybe she would understand more about what as going on with that.

"Oh shut up!" She said irritated as her thoughts stopped for a moment. Her thoughts focused on the fight as one of the dragons fell down and eventually the demon vanished into thin air. The demon was gone but the destruction was horrendous.

Luciana shook her head. "Stop feeling bad. Even if you had been there, you couldn't do shit." She told herself. However the demon attacks were getting more frequent. Did she really want to run away from them all the time?

The woman watched the city, still flapping her wings in the air. "To use magic as a weapon…", the quick thought crossed her mind. With a sharp turn she took a direction and flew off.

 

[Firewind]

​

Zaldir blinked as others talked to the dragon, still amazed at how there was a real dragon right in front of him! One of those who spoke to it was another elf who, whilst almost shockingly beautiful despite being injured, spoke in a language that somehow almost sounded elvish, but didn’t at the same time. He turned to his sister who shrugged her shoulders. “Some help you are sis.” he thought.

It was then, he heard the dragon speak again. This time about urgency of asking questions this very minute. He pondered for a moment, before settling on a question that he felt would’ve been satisfactory to himself. “I had previously asked for your own name great Dragon, but now, another crosses my mind. Is there any way for us to face this demonic threat?”

“Or a way to convince your kin for Aid? You spoke of your Mother. Who is your Mother? Is she a Powerful Magus, or a Powerful Dragon?” Aranaea asked next, cutting off Zaldir from asking what she assumed was a ridiculous question like, scale color variety. She hoped hers would give some insight as to any knowledge to find about how to combat the demons. If so, it’d maybe push her to learn about it, or give her a ton of credibility when she chose to partake in the Master Trials.

If he had the capability to speak, poor, slightly spooked, Ardyn the Stallion would only ask what would it take to make sure these two didn’t get into trouble in whatever the dragon would ask of them to do. He deserved some carrots and sugar in his next meal for dealing with the shenanigans that Demon forced his owners to put up with, and by extension him too! But no, the stallion only gave a nervous snort.

The Dragon blinked slowly, huffing through his nose as he took a strained breath.

"Our Mother is She who gave birth to our race, and I am forbidden from speaking Her holy name beyond the borders of our homeland... But it was Her voice you heard before our arrival."

”So the Mother of Dragons then.“

“Huh, she has a powerful voice, for it to have traveled from your homeland.” Aranaea noted, marveling at the possibility of this individual dragon being incredibly powerful.