Forum Thread

{Just saying, I don't see your character on the master list, so I hope Omnia gave you permission to post.}

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Thiria stopped before a cell as the Warden of Metal raised her hand towards the lock reluctantly. She paused the timeflow for a few minutes, deperately hoping that was all she needed. Raising her hand towards the prisoner, she focused on the dark pond she saw. Again searching for Raeyn's distinctive aura of darkness, she focused on a single memory.

She gasped at the sight. A potion that powerful...was it even possible?

'Thiria, focus on the voices. They will tell you what you seek,' a voice rang out in her head. Matt, she realized, before closing her eyes.

'She saved my life. I should repay the favour,' a voice rang out. It was free of malice and filled with sincerity. Thiria smiled wistfully. When was the last time something like that was said to her?

She released the connection, letting her hand fall. She nodded towards Leise, who was still frozen in time. Thiria checked her reserves. Ful-what? She could've sworn they would be half, or less. Then, she realized her hand was closed in a fist.

As she opened it, she gasped slightly. The pocket watch lay nestled in her palm, ticking away merrily. She smiled slightly, realizing who was behind it. As the first Warden of Time, Matt could influence his conduit to a certain extent.

She let time flow normally again, nodding towards Leise again as she slipped the chain of the pocket watch over her neck and under her clothes, where the cool metal soothed her skin.

The Warden of Metal looked towards Thiria. "Is she?"

Thiria shook her head. "She merely wanted to repay a debt of hers. For now, she can be released, but trust...should not be given freely. I sense darkness around her, like Raeyn's, but not exactly the same. Darkness is as dangerous as Time. It would be best to release her near the battlefield."

The Warden nodded, before clenching her fist. Metal rose out of the ground wrapping around the seemingly sleeping girl, who blinked slightly.

A growl sounded in Thiria's throat. She did have sincerity in her, but her trust was hard to gain. She added her powers to Leise's, keeping the white-haired girl in a state of suspended animation.

Leise looked surprised, but made a pushing motion with her other hand. The bars slowly rumbled into the ground, then back up again as Leise levitated the cage into the hallway.

Together, the cage and the two Wardens came out near the battlefield. Leise released the constraints of metal, watching as Thiria released the state of suspended animation.

Thiria gazed at the form of the girl one last time, before turning around, intending to head to the infirmary to check up on Raeyn when a voice forced her to pause in her tracks.

---

Viper sighed as she was released. Someone had invaded her mind. That warden of time... She could probably also communicate telepathically, too.

'Why did you enter my mind?' Viper asked, throwing the thought at Thiria. True enough, Thiria had frozen on the spot. The other warden, whatever her name was, had narrowed her eyes in suspicion the slightest bit. Figures. Looks like I'll have to make a run for it... again. Her muscles tensed, ready to break into a run.

Viper's eyes flicked for a moment as she remembered the memories she had stubbornly tried to suppress. Unfortunately, she had been trying to forget them for too long. It was their time to overtake her and a torrent of emotions.

---

"Hey, c'mon, the lake's not that far away!" A young boy said as she tugged at her sleeves. Behind them, an older girl giggled at their antics, her dark blue hair rustling in the wind.

The boy and the girl, fighting to protect her from Arch Angel's experiments, water and fire heeding their calls.

How she had awoken in a forest with only the boy, telling her that her memory had been wiped out.

And how he had betrayed her, stealing away her connection to the Moon. How she had truly awakened her magic, as the darkness swirled around her and returned her memories. She had never been able to control darkness as pure as that since then, no matter how hard she tried.

How the Warden had easily channeled and used the darkness.

---

Viper averted her eyes as the glistened with unshed tears. She growled in frustration. Many times, she had taken control of the dreams of others. Why couldn't she control her own?

(Ahem. Good luck trying to sort this torrent of memories out. You'll probably only get the gist of it.)

---

[Yikes, still need to update stuff...sigh.]

----When a group of nosy Wardens decided to take matters into their own hands and come into the infirmary to speak to the once Warden of Darkness, they were more than mortified to see that the occupant had left their bed.
----The target was already, by that time, in her house, replacing her bloodied, dirty clothes for a fresh new ones. Once she looked in the mirror, she nearly did a double-take.
----"My God," Raeyn mumbled, eyes fixated on her reflection.

----She looked like a completely different person without the "dark" get-up. Dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a random lace tee (where did THAT come from?) and a denim vest thrown over it, she looked, well, almost normal. Out of pure instinct, she lifted her left arm to eye level, her eyes scouring it probably for the fifteenth time. The symbol was still there.
----Raeyn suddenly realized that her skin felt feverish, and sat down tiredly on her bed. Burying her head in her worn hands, she inhaled deeply. She'd spent millennia running away from who she was, going as far as to follow the call of the first Wardens. She didn't even KNOW who she was anymore. The power of darkness had been at her command with the slightest movement for the past years; without it, she felt vulnerable.
----But at the same time, she felt power coursing through her veins. It was familiar and dreaded, like an old symptom of a long forgotten disease resurfacing. She had run and run, ignoring the consequences that trailed after her loyally.


----"MISS WILMIST!"

----Raeyn's head shot up immediately, eyes already narrowed, her body tensing. A petite girl with fair hair and stunning blue eyes hovered just right outside of her bedroom window, its shades pulled back. A Warden of Gravity, Raeyn quickly noted as she briskly got to her feet and approached her. A new one at that, seeing as the girl had not yet developed the wary fear of the more experienced Wardens towards Raeyn. She seemed completely unperturbed at Raeyn's comparably more colorful clothing.
----"Miss, our Code Wardens managed to intercept several enemy messages," The girl's blue eyes glittered with anticipation. "Everyone who isn't on duty is being called to Arcane Fountain."
----Even as she spoke, the telltale ringing of a bell sounded across the ruins, thrumming with power. The urgency in its gentle tones made Raeyn's skin prickle. She inclined her head to the gravity-defying Warden. "Take me there."
----"But Miss, there are others fretting about-"
----"Don't worry about them, ah, what is your name?"
----"Dena. Denaesse Alasner, miss."
----"You need not worry about them, Dena. They may be able to restrain some Wardens, but they don't have the authority to do it to me," The words were accompanied with an outstretched hand, which the somewhat hesitant Dena grabbed.

----The Ruins sent out a melancholic feel with the remnants of battle still scarring the surface. They hadn't had time to clean up. Not with the increasing of attacks. Nevertheless, up there in the air, one could truly marvel how beautiful the place really was. The ground sloped upwards to the shimmering Beacon, a dazzling array of colors sprinkled over its glass-like surface, reflecting them to the sky. The crumbling debris surrounding the small haven seemed almost symbolic: life emerging from the depths of ruin. Valhalla Morrow glistened like a white pearl in the murky darkness of the ocean deep. Its houses were battle-worn, but still standing. The dining pavilion proudly looked over a mass of orchards with winding paths only those of nature could navigate. There were no prominent signs that oh so frequented the human cities, but impalpable clues only Wardens could ever decipher were scattered everywhere. Raeyn felt like she could stay there all day, describing everything in full detail, but knew more important matters lay close at hand. Dena obediently headed in the direction of Arcane Fountain, the largest square in the jumbled mess of a city, its notable fountain of water as large as a small house, powered by arcane magic that the Beacon sent off in rivulets.

----However, as they were but a small distance from their main destination, an unbalance of arcane magic was detected by Raeyn's honed senses, and Dena halted mid-air at her command.
----"Do you feel that, Dena?" Raeyn questioned as her eyes searched frantically for the source.
----"Ummm...that tingly feeling? Yes. My mentor told me that's what happens when a Warden or Chosen suffers an undercurrent of emotion. Apparently it unlocks a brief, but powerful level that can allow even a Chosen to momentarily access Warden powers without even pledging," Dena recalled after a moment, allowing herself a content smile at her success.
----Raeyn nodded in assent, her eyes still roving the Ruins. "Emotions are an important part of Warden Magic. Some struggle with this as some worlds don't allow feelings. But it can also be dangerous if out of control. That one brief moment may be all that takes to destroy a Warden's sanity."
----"Like Uriel? My mentor told me about him," Dena offered curiously.
----"Ah, poor Uriel," Raeyn mused absentmindedly. "But correct." A flicker of realization dawned on her face. "Wait. You're new, aren't you? Where are the other Gravity Wardens?"
----Dena looked surprised at the sudden revelation. "Oh. The others left are trying to fix up a sunken building that nears the East Border. The Earthbolls caused a mess."
----Raeyn nodded mildly, satisfied. "What about your mentor?"
----"Oh, mentor Azinina is-"
----Raeyn felt herself drop as Dena screamed. Both were blasted out of the air, and the new Warden couldn't reign in her powers from the conflicting emotions. Raeyn didn't have time to see who had done it. Instinctively, she swept her hand in front of her, intent on drawing in the nearest shadows. She was already halfway through when she remembered she didn't have a conduit anymore. Eyes wide, she expected to spontaneously combust in the next few seconds. But she was already speeding them to safety with the assistance of the fiery shadows. They touched down to the ground, Raeyn vaguely realizing they were by the battlefield.
----"Are you alright? Dena? Dena?" She inquired frantically, examining the shell-shocked girl.
----"The shadows..." was all Dena could stutter out, eyes wide and innocent.
----With renewed horror, Raeyn looked at the shadows closely for the first time. They didn't seem different at first, then she noticed the most subtle flicker of red within the black mass. The symbol on her forearm seemed to burn as she whispered, "Oh, no."

---

(oh god i have no idea where to drop my char in lol haven't posted in a while)

Drake saw the two Wardens plummet from the sky. He thrusted his hand out, preparing to create a barrier, then realized it would be no use. He dropped his hand and sprinted to where the two were.

"Are you all right?"

---

As Liana walked she noticed two forms flying over the open field. Intersting. I've never seen a person who could fly before. She watched them for a moment, thinking she would like to be able to fly, until they suddenly fell from the sky. I've got to help them! She willed herself to teleport to their location, hoping to catch them. Much to her surprise she stayed put. She spat a profanity in her native tongue, furious with herself for wasting all of her energy on making that boy a Proxy. She wouldn't be able to use any of her abilities for at least two or three hour, though more than likely it would be eighteen hours or more before she was back to full strength. A great pillar of darkness reached up from the earth, grabbing the two out of the air, before lowering them beyond Liana's view. She sighed in relief. Well, at least their not dead. Probably.

Setting off again, Liana soon reached the edge of the ruined city. She paused for a moment, observing the open grassy hills, then stepped forward. It was like stepping into another world. The air seemed to hum with a strange energy. She remembered her father telling her about this energy. He said it was called Magic. He told her that many races used it to preform extraordinary tasks. She had never felt anything like it. It flowed around her, much like her EMP field did, only this was much more powerful. The energy almost seemed alive, as it swirled about. This was truly a place of wonders.

Liana continued, heading towards the spot where she had seen the two people fall. In her mind she tried to prepare herself for the meeting. I have to remember what father told me. Be curtious, and always remember that they are not Menolians, no matter how much they resemble them. Most other races are much smaller than us, so drop a knee and meet them on their level. And be confident. I am Liana, Face of Horror, and heir to the throne of Pentorach. I am strong and do not show fear. As she crested the hill she saw three people, a male and two females. The females were the ones who had been flying, and were now standing near a mass of black and red shadows. Even with her casual clothes, Liana could tell that the dark haired girl was the leader. She seemed to eminate wisdom and experience, far beyond what her young appearance would suggest. Liana slowly walked down the hill, quite forgetting the fact that her appearance might seem rather monstrous to the three.

---

Viper caught up to Raeyn and the others. It wasn't hard to know who made that pillar of darkness, since as far as she knew Raeyn was the only one who could do that.

"You know, someone is coming." Viper dully noted as her eyes flashed white. She had sensed a surge of energy before, but now she was certain. Someone powerful was approaching. Then, she noticed Raeyn's odd choice of clothing.

I know the whole dress up as a walking shadow thing is cliche, but... really, Raeyn? I think that getup's too cheery for you. She thought. Like, waay too cheery.

True enough, that powerful presence was coming closer. And who was that next to her? Viper didn't feel her sleeping. She must be shocked. Very shocked... She concluded.

The shadows had turned partly red, and one of Viper's eyebrows shot up. That was definitely strange.

---

Drake saw the figure approaching, and noticed the shadows turning red in the corner of his eyes. not good, he thought. He silently watched the figure's approach, preparing to throw up barriers at the slightest danger, from the figure or from the shadows.

---

Viper looked at the Warden's reaction to the approaching figure. So she is an enemy. The thought flashed across her mind like wildfire. As if sensing her annoyance at the thought, Viper's ring flared against her fingers.

Viper however ignored that. She instead touched her headband, and it swiftly transformed into a blade. She would have no reservations about killing this new arrival if they threatened Raeyn. By all means, Raeyn would have survived either way, even without her involvement. She still had a life debt to pay before going out and away from here.

Her other hand had prepared a fire spell just in case. She hoped she wouldn't need to use it. Using magic in broad daylight was something of a sore to her.

---

Liana stopped as the newest arrival, a young female, drew a sword, seemingly out of thin air. It took her a moment to realize that she had actually changed her headband into the sword. she held out her other hand slightly, and her palm took on the appearance of live coals. Pyromancy! This place keeps getting more and more interesting. As she stood, Liana studied the four more thouroghly. The male was quite a bit older in appearance than the other three, probably at his max physical maturity. The girl on the ground was quite small, with large blue eyes widened in fear. Not necessarily fear at Liana, but just fear in general. The girl with the sword had striking white hair, as white as Liana's own skin. Liana snapped back to reality when the male took a defensive stance.

Liana stood a few yards away from the group, close enough for conversation, but far enough for them to not feel threatened. She looked down at them, standing four and a half feet taller than even the male. She bowed.
"Hello. I am Liana, The Face of Horror, and heir to the throne of Pentorach. I have heeded the beacons call."

---

Drake stared at Liana, spacing out for a minute. Woah. For just the slightest moment, Drake thought that the new figure reminded him of something… something from his past… NO! Drake shut down the inner layers of his brain, and focused on the matter at hand. He could delve into his memory banks later.

"Hello Liana. I hate to greet you with this lack of amicability, but how do we know that we can trust you? Pardon my defensive thoughts, but I would like to know."

---

The male stared at Liana with a confused look for a moment, then asked his question. What was that look for? She wasn't familier with the facial expressions of other races, but it didn't look pleasant to her. Liana had never liked males of any species, and tended to treat them with either an extreme coldness, or outright derision. Her father had long tried to break this unfortunate habit, but to no avail. In her mind, most males were necessary only for reproduction, and were otherwise useless.

"You don't." She said curtly. Turning to the girl with the sword, she spoke again, in a more friendly tone. "I would apreciate it if you would put away your weapon. If I had meant to cause you harm I would have done so already. Your fears are based solely on my appearance, a fact I find highly demeaning. After all, you were the one's who called me."

---

(Assumes you're addressing my char, since Raeyn, Omnia's char, shattered her sword. And I don't think anyone else there has a sword.)

"You're addressing the wrong person." Viper said. "But I will put my sword away for now." She added, as the sword transformed back into a headband, atop her head. The silver circlet gleamed for a moment before returning to seemingly normal piece of silver.

"I am not the one who called you, and neither do I know what you're talking about." She said, shrugging. "I am simply here to repay a debt. That is all, no less, no more." Her eyes scanned Liana one more time.

---

[[Terribly sorry guys x.x Life caught up with me....]]

----Raeyn was occupied with Denaesse when the two had run up. The small girl had overestimated her own abilities, and her upper body was now half-frozen as her powers over gravity went haywire, trying to assert themselves back into place. "Oh, hey," She remarked halfheartedly as she tried to reconstruct the magic in the young Warden into place. Dena was having trouble breathing.

----The happenings that occurred rather too fast went unnoticed by the two Wardens, and Raeyn barely caught the last several sentences after an astonishingly loud crack snapped Dena's magic back into place with a terrifying shudder. Dark orbs that acted as her main instruments of sight lifted as she straightened, her slim form pulling up Dena with a surprising gentleness. The Gravity Warden seemed to pale even more, if possible, upon seeing the newcomer.

----"This young lady has barely been here for two suns of the seventeenth month of Morrow. You do indeed have the wrong person," Raeyn stated evenly, her gaze unwavering. "Interesting. You answered the Beacon's call? I've met with those of Slendurian race before, but never has one been chosen..." Her eyes wandered to the two with alert stances, and their own two shadows seemed to stir, rippling as Raeyn focused on a mental message. "Attack if they make one wrong move."

----She abruptly shot out a hand to steady the pale Denaesse. "Easy," she scolded the girl lightly. "You pretty much short-circuited your magic and nearly caused your energy and body to rupture in panic." Raeyn's eyes flickered towards the girl who had played a part in saving her life. It seemed that this Chosen came from a world of supernatural things as well. It wasn't rare, but it certainly was uncommon. Her eyes returned to the Slendurian as she rifled her pockets for a certain gadget. Pulling it out successfully, her fingers tapped it almost instinctively and raised it in the air. "Scanning. Scanning. Complete. Name, Unknown. Gender, Female. Race, Slendurian. Combat Difficulty, Legendary. War Alliance, Varies. Please state your reason of being withi-" Raeyn pushed the button at the side, shutting it off as she lowered it back into her jean pocket. "My name is Raeyn. Most know me as Lady of the Shadowed Light, Sorceress of the Shadows, Dark Mist of Valhalla, The Looming Darkness, The Dark Abyss, and some other titles that even I have never heard about. I'd like to inquire of all you're willing to confide on your presence here."

---

Liana nodded her head. "My apologies Lady Raeyn. I was unsure of your customs regarding direct contact with the ruling body." She briefly considered her fathers advice about stooping to eye level, but decided that she would prefer to keep them having to look up at her. "As to why I am here, it started a month ago. An almost overwhelming pull, towards... something. I was able to ignore it for a few weeks, but eventually it became almost unbearable. There where whispers in my head telling me to follow, but I refused. My father eventually found out and decided that it would best for me if I did not resist. So I followed the pull. Once I entered the ruins back there it finally stopped." She shrugged her shoulders. "And so here I am."

As Liana was speaking she could feel the fear emanating from the girl the leader was supporting. The combination of falling from the sky and Liana's sudden appearance produced a particularly appealing energy. She couldn't resist. She just had to have a taste! She began to siphon the girl's fear, which quickly began to rejuvenate Liana's energy. This is wonderful. How long has it been since I had a good feeding? I need more! As she absorbed the energy, the nasty side effect began to kick in. Rather than removing the fear, as would happen in the gathering of any other type of sustenance, the victims terror would be amplified. Depending on the duration of the feeding, this fear could reach dangerous levels. The girl began to tremble.

(Hope I did an ok job of describing the beacons call. Let me know if I completely fudged it up .3.)

---

"Stop that." Viper said, as the Warden of Gravity, Dena, began to tremble. "Stop that before anything happens to her. You're leeching off her energy, I know it. I can feel all that energy flowing off from her to you, Liana." Viper said, stepping forward. While those here hadn't been exactly kind to her, they didn't chase her off, which she appreciated. Plus, Raeyn did tell her to attack if she made a wrong move...

'You really like getting into trouble, don't you?' Viper's subconscious asked her.
'Are we really doing this?' She asked back.
'You really haven't changed, have you?' The voice asked back.
'People never really change.'
'I win, that means.'
'Shuddup.'

---

Thiria felt a splitting headache as the girl correctly deducted that she had been reading into her memories. She felt remorse for that, but she found it necessary ever since that fateful day... She shook her head, clearing it of the pain.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, as she managed to sense several more energies grouped together. Her eyes flew open as she sensed one that she thought she would never find even a trace of again.

Her eyelids fluttered as she delved within her domain, trying to block out the sudden surge of negative memories and emotions threatening to overwhelm her being. Her hand gripping the pocket watch, she managed to drive off the emotions, but the damage had been dealt to her psyche, leaving a faint scar.

Her eyes hardened as she realized that the familiar signature was glowing with the residue of another foreign energy. Realizing what those implications meant, she raced off towards the source, only to collapse as the overuse of power finally hit her.

She then felt a jolt through herself, before pain shot through her. 'What's going on, Terry, Matt!/

'We don't know either,' a reply came, as the pain suddenly stopped. Thiria suddenly felt...empty. Searching through herself, she found her powers over luck had disappeared.

'Fortuna!' she screamed mentally. The goddess appeared in front of her. 'I'm sorry, my dear, but this is as far as my period as your patron will extend. I'm afraid I had to rescind my blessing, although you can keep the bow. I'm sorry, child,' she murmured, before her familiar presence faded for what was possible the last time.

Thiria gritted her teeth, before racing off again towards the group of energy signatures, her eyes glowing a furious and deadly shade of molten gold.

---

Realizing what she was doing, Liana quickly cut off the flow. The trembling girl let out a gasp, nearly in tears. "I-I'm sorry." Liana said, startled by the anger in the girls tone. "I couldn't help myself. I haven't been able to feed for a while, and I was really, really hungry..." Her voice trailed off. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID! How are they supposed to trust me if I do stuff like that!? She hung her head slightly. "I didn't mean any harm..." At the girls threatening step, anger flooded her mind. Why am I apologizing to her? I've been starved of emotion for the last two weeks! Of course I'm going to feed the first chance I get! She ground her teeth, allowing a few of her tentacles to stretch out behind her. "Do not threaten me human. What would you have done if you had been starving for half a month? I apologize for the distress I may have caused her, but I still need food."

(In case I didn't mention it earlier, female Slendurians have mouths. Males do not.)

---

"Wait, you feed on emotions?" Viper asked, confused. Even if Liana wasn't a magical construct, Viper found the idea of feeding on emotions odd. Leeching on the magic of a person was one thing, but feeding on another's fear was a different concept altogether. At least, it was to her anyway. For all she knew there were some in the strange place who could do such a thing.

---