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• 

  Novak September 21, 2024 at 1:22am

  The man stood still, only for a moment but it felt longer as he stared at the ghost in disbelief. An eerie spill of chuckle escaped the shadow of a man, shock mixed into disbelief.
  
  "You don't remember me?" He murmured incredulously. The dryad felt the shadow of the god of death gripping his shoulder, enticing him to turn his pain to rage to finish the task at hand. In another moment, his sword unsheathed, what felt like an eternity in hell made his sword feel lighter on the surface. His movements were quick and sudden, pushing forward in short, aggressive bursts. 
  
  "You don't recognize your own brother's sacrifice at death's door!?"
• 

  Tempest September 2, 2024 at 6:30pm

  “So when or if he gets here, it’s scorched Earth.” Their younger guest commented after listening to both, albeit it in a quieter, more emotionally deprived tone. It was a hard pill to swallow; just as he and Spencer had gotten to what seemed like a great sanctuary, there was already a massive amount of trouble brewing on their horizon, and the thought of it left an expression of defeat plastered across his face. If they couldn’t subdue Rourke even with Irrlith’s aid, what chances did they have against that kind of monster?

  Hearing about the possibility of an archive made Tempest perk up with interest, which could provide evidence for, plus a mountain of history about his pod that he probably never knew of. This was an opportunity the sea drake could not refuse. His chest puffed outward some when straightening his stance. “When it’s convenient, I wanna take a look in that Library. But~”
  
  Turning his gaze toward Yuna, he continued,

  “I’m going to need a translator IF you have a little free time since those books are probably in a language I don’t know. If you want something in return for it, I’m more than willing.”
  
  Once that subject was over, the amphibious reptile pulled his head back some, grimacing at what was just said. Both jade green irises drifted toward the floor at the realization of how hopeless their situation was. If her mother was gone, what chance did they have?
  
  “In times like this, I’d normally turn to my best friend who always had a plan and knew a thing or two about this kind of stuff… Finding him would take way too long.” Said the wingless drake, who found himself thinking long and hard on this matter, rarely was he ever put in such a spot with an impossible situation.
  
  “Maybe some kind of weapon of mass destruction? All I can think to try is luring Vyron to the surface and letting Irrlith light him up with everything he’s got. Strongest thing I can MAYBE throw at him is Plasma Breath at the surface. It’s a trick where you use aquamancy to separate the Hydrogen and Oxygen molecules, then heating one of them up to super-hot gases that make a beam. But that’s pretty advanced magic I barely know to use.”
• 

  Novak August 2, 2024 at 1:16am

  His body hit the rocky ground with a rough thud. A groan escaped the elven dryad as he rolled over, heaving himself up with shaky knees. Pain shot down his spine, gritting his teeth as he winced. "....Again." Novak murmured indignantly, realizing he was back where he started. His raiment was tattered at the hem and covered in dust from swimming through souls. 

  "Are you not exhausted? Why not give in?" A voice rang behind him, a young man in a dark robe with black wings swaying behind him. 

  Novak froze, a face that he barely recognized, one that felt like eons since they last made an appearance. "...What are you doing here?"

  "Im here to give you an offer." The god of death didn't waste time in idle chatter. "Bring down the one that was meant to take your place, and I will grant you passage to the surface."

  There was no hesitation needed. "Yes, I'll do it." Desperation laced his voice, freedom after what felt like an eternity in the Underworld.

  "Then, begin." Were the last words Novak heard, and when he blinked, for the first time in many many years, he felt a crisp breeze and the warmth a bright, sunny day. The dryad fell to his knees, despite that fact he could breathe fresh air, his connection to nature was lost and he was destined to attempt to kill his oldest friend. The thought made his tired, dark eyes well up in tears. Death still clung to his form, he wasnt truly alive anymore despite the flutter in his chest. He knew what he had to do after a moment of pensive, exhausted contemplation. Wearily, Novak rose to his feet and made his way toward the grounds of Nightwing.

  -----

  Home, every inch of the forest was familiar to elven dryad, the closer he grew to his target, the more his heart sunk. Novak's movements were calculated after finding Spencer's footpath, as if this was just another exursion to hunt down monsters with his faithful horse. And then, he caught sight of the ghost, Novaks chest ached. He longed to hug and cry in his brother's arms, feeling and his arms and legs grow suddenly weak. Tears rolled down his cheek, gritting his teeth and clenching the hilt of his sword, a scream choked down in his throat. Novak reminded himself again and again on his way here of the plan he hoped to accomplish, and knew this was the only way all of this would have to end. In his mind, he apologized quietly to Raiya, knowing how much she would detest what would happen next.

  The ghost would feel an encroaching shadow of malicious intent, it adeptly moved with the wind, followed by the sound of rushing footsteps, and a hand clasping the specter's shoulder from behind.
• 

  Raiya July 30, 2024 at 10:30pm

  An elbow was once again propped onto the table, and the side of Raiya's face settled into an open palm. Her attention was drawn away from the notebook while Spencer spoke of the last meeting, and a sharp breath expelled through her nose was the response granted to Spencer’s closing comment about Skya. It was a sound constructed with a degree of humor, and followed with a hum of contemplation. “We could mull over the ‘what ifs’ and ‘why’s’ for the rest of our lives and still may not come close to the reason behind Skya’s choices. Perhaps it simply goes to show that even the wisest of us can suffer oversights, or unfinished business before they pass on.”

  Raiya leaned back into her seat. Her legs extended beneath the table while her arms stretched over her head, permitting a second hearty, full-body stretch that resulted in a minor wince as a pop was coaxed from her right shoulder. “I doubt Skya would intentionally leave you scrambling for answers, but perhaps she knew something we didn’t.” 

  A quiet creak was coaxed from the old, weathered wood as a deeper backwards descent elevated the chair’s front legs off of the ground. Raiya placed her trust in the chair’s integrity, and interlaced her fingers into a cradle for the back of her head. The elf stared up at the ceiling with softened features and eyes that gradually grew more distant while her thoughts wove through the silence. The tense countenance she held during the worrisome discussions of before had dissipated, and for the first time in a while, her mind felt free to drift at a leisure pace. 

  “You know,” Raiya finally mused, tonalities shifting with an upward tilt. “--Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I were to place that stone enchantment on what remains of Skya. Would that bring her back, or would that simply animate the stone?” 
• 

  Unity July 29, 2024 at 10:57pm

  “Trinity- had abilities that were beyond science. Any attempts at understanding how they worked always failed. That isn’t to say Cybertronians don’t have their own superstitions.” On their way out, that next question made him halt abruptly in thought, his expression becoming blank as his head turned ever so slightly toward the anomalous man.

  “I did, for both her and Clarion, she was a human girl I personally took in.” His tone was a heavy one while answering, and this was a first since Unity hadn’t spoken about them to anyone. For now, they’d have to push on. The Mage’s hunch was right: There was something he longed for. Maybe when things were more calm, they could discuss it more. Both had a mission to fulfill, and if either was to accomplish anything, they needed to go through with this.

  . . .

  “Far, very far. We’re miles off the east coast of New Zealand.”

  Crouching down, his left servo reached down to his hip to retrieve a pair of electronic binoculars. Placing it in front of his own optics, he visually inspected more of the complex in case of any nasty surprises waiting for them. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem too well defended, though it did make him question if there were any defenders inside the first structure.

  “Now you’re getting the picture.” The white mech said in response to Spencer’s comment regarding a whole society. It was true, these bots had far more in common with humanity than initially thought. Even the way they moved seemed natural, with some verbally issuing orders to others for various tasks. Two could even be seen having a conversation way off to the side.
  
  “Hard to say without taking a crack at it. If that’s something you can really do, it’s worth a try.” After listening to the man’s proposal, he decided to take him up on that offer/suggestion. Although these were just mere workers, it was still a lot of enemies to contend with, and if they could avoid an all-out brawl, Unity would take that option.
  
  “Carrying you to the building shouldn’t be an issue. I brought a few boosters that’ll keep me above the surface. If no one is paying attention to a particular side, we should be able to sneak up on them. Let’s go.”
  
  Scooping up the rider in one arm and placing him onto his shoulder, the rogue Autobot quietly stepped across that paved road. On the side facing away from the structure, he found a support column that would obstruct their opponents’ view. Using it as cover, said bot climbed over and allowed himself to free fall before his back-mounted thrusters flared to life with a bright green and white aura, rapidly slowing their descent to avoid a splash.
  
  Now only mere feet from the surface behind the bridge support, he poked his head out from behind cover to be sure none were watching that side. Soon, Unity began hovering his way there, thankfully the boosters created very little sound since they were not conventional rockets by any means. His stance was kept wide, blaster rifle in hand in case of trouble. Luckily for them, no laborers were watching.
  
  “If someone’s about to see us, use one of your tricks to create a distraction elsewhere if you have any.”
  
  Within moments, they’d arrive at the base of the structure. Spencer was held up within arms reach of the wall, his robotic companion hovering there. “Hurry, before someone spots us…” He whispered, keeping his optics fixated on the flat roof above while activity was heard.

  Should the Mage attempt to phase through that outer wall, it was only a few feet thick, heavily reinforced for explosive resistance but still passable. A very large enclosed room was waiting on the other side for them, big enough for even Unity to stand if getting him in was possible.
• 

  Valkyrie(Owner) July 18, 2024 at 6:45pm

  Excuse me sir, can I have some maple syrup please?
• 

  Tempest July 12, 2024 at 2:49am

  Said four-legged being got awfully quiet when he felt the place seemingly shake underfoot. How someone smaller than him managed to accomplish such a thing was proof that she probably wielded more potent magic than he could imagine. There were no further words from him, especially after the Rider addressed him by name. He had no clue what that foreign phrase from Rourke was, and wondered if it was some kind of insult.

  A shame they didn’t bring Irrlith along.

  The wingless European drake listened closely as the female Monarch explained how strange it was for them to arrive in one piece, allegedly. One could only begin to imagine how many souls that Angler Drake probably murdered, making him question in his mind why she kept him around. Still, he focused on her explanation regarding adversaries, which caught his attention even more. This- got him thinking again, about all those stories Mel once shared with him, on their pod came to be, and he had some suspicions.

  Alas… an answer on why a massive Tsunami had struck on the day he and Spencer met was finally given, prompting him to perk up. From the sound of it, this situation was beyond catastrophic from what they described, and it left Tempest with a seemingly blank expression. This only raised more questions as he pondered on what to say, or how to express the weight of this crisis.

  “Figured it was something living that did it. So you got a traitor whose awakening alone caused that much mayhem? If just being freed did that, I can’t begin to imagine what kind of power that monster has-” The sea drake commented, dipping his head down briefly, only to raise it and face Yuna again.

  “Guess it begs the question: Who broke the seals? Someone would’ve needed to do that for him, whoever that third party is.” Tempest said, “What happens if he’s not stopped? Because Nightwing fell apart, is anyone even living in the Earth Nation? Or is there no risk of lives lost if he goes through with his mission? ASSUMING he’s only interested in that and not coming back to the Water Nation and destroying everything.”

  After a few seconds, the water drake clad in blue shook his head, both jade green orbs shutting, as if something was bothering him.

  “Maybe I should just come clean… Yuna, did you or your mother ever have a mass exodus of drakes who looked just like me? And may or may not have turned you in doing so? Well, I’ve been thinking about the tales Uncle Mel once told me, and there’s no way it's a coincidence. I’d hate to say it, but my own bloodline might've been a part of that faction, just so they could abandon the Nation.”

  What followed was a moment of silence as his head lowered, knowing this subject may only complicate matters.

  “If it was my own who contributed to the problem of Vyron, then- I have to take the sins of my ancestors upon myself and make this right. Yeah, I can’t be blamed for something my elders did back then, but I don’t want my pod to be remembered for all their wrongs. The least I can do is help find some kind of way to end this nightmare for your kingdom, and redeem my pod’s name on their behalf.”

  With this revelation came a long, audible exhale at the massive burden he felt was on his shoulders. He could only hope it didn’t make Yuna see him any differently since /his/ family leaving more than likely caused a shortage of firepower. His head rose up again, gazing at the female ruler right in the eye with determination coursing through him.

  “What would it take to defeat Vyron?”
• 

  C. G. Sullivan June 9, 2024 at 1:33am

  

  Oh, she did not anticipate the realization to set in as fast as it did.

  Cassella felt her heart drop in between intermittent silences, twitching fingers settled upon the sheets not enough to be its cradle. That was more than enough answer for her to ruminate in, a merciless punctuation to all hopes and dreams that an old era might have brought to everyone else involved. She merely saw the very outskirts and there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary– just what kind of lasting, festering destruction lay beyond the thicket, beyond ruins, if anyone looked deeper? 

  There was the promise of seeing it all with her own two eyes, however. The slight warmth of an assurance that there will be good people that remained, waiting to be met.

  The woman figured that for a bizarre day that started way earlier than it should, all of these answers were more than enough.

  “No problem with that option, I can just…” There was a pause as she stared at Spencer. Half a squint, knee-deep in thought. “Hey! We can just go full vegetarian tonight.” She seemed pretty happy with the decision made on a whim, trigger-happy fingers tapping away to freedom. There were a few minutes spent with just her on the phone, ticking anything eye-catching, appetizing. With that all set for the wait, it can be noted that she was starting to look around for the rest of her things.

  “The others in your list I may need to look somewhere, some places here look promising. But I think I still got some dried mugwort...”

  Once more she gravitated to where her bag was, sifting through various things as her arm went deeper inside the leathery aperture. “I have a sibling that insists that I bring some along for safer travels. Not that it has ever protected me from anything and I just sleepwalk harder when I smoke it, but I'm still in one piece on some bad days so I guess it kinda works?” She proudly dragged out a ziplock bag half-choked with clustered dried herbs that looked way greener than it should. Pale hands hastily pushed that back in as she rummaged some more, finally pulling out another bag– this time with the proper label attached. “Aha, a hundred grams, give or take, would that be enough? Please, take all of it. With all this running you’ll probably need it more than I do.”

  . . .

   

  With a flutter of linen skirts and her bare feet pittering against the wood, Cassella was already rushing down the stairs to meet the delivery the moment her phone went off– almost as fast as the night they first went running for their lives. The only difference was that she wasn't terrified this time – if anything she was determined to guide their night’s tour speedrun to a food coma, her excitement evident even as she left. It took a fair bit of waiting for the rest, and finally, she emerged breathless from the stairs, excited past the swinging door when she returned with armfuls of paper bags and boxes, prattling about contemporary vegetarian cuisine, and the reviews. Something about Gourmet Traveller and beating up Michelin, whoever that unfortunate somebody is. 

  To anyone who wasn’t fully versed with the complications of modern fine dining, none of that perhaps made sense. It didn’t have to, it didn’t matter.

  The promised pizza was there. Maybe not as big as she originally thought of getting, considering that there was no shortage of a variety of things that she haphazardly ordered. Her only excuse was that it was not supposed to be this heavy, but the assortment of salads, rolls, thin wraps and stuffed vegetables would beg to differ. The little dining table was occupied with a tiny bit of everything before she knew it.

  “Write about it to your folks,” she squawked. The woman was clearly not skipping the ice-cold drinks and the desserts in sets of little flimsy cups. “By some chance you end up in this region again, you’ll have a good idea of what to get.”

  Maybe someday you're not running all the time. Maybe by then, you can drag your friends along.
• 

  Raiya April 21, 2024 at 10:42pm

  Spencer's response was one shrouded with thinly-veiled discomfort. Raiya's curiosity was piqued at the span of hesitation before his reply, yet for the time being, she ultimately placed the blame upon his exhaustion.

  "I see. Perhaps Chanook does know something. As if we needed further reason to find him." Raiya's eyes gave a leisure flick towards the unicorn statue that laid near the front door. "If it brings you any further assurance, it's enchanted like the gargoyles of Omnia. There hasn't been a single twitch in the few days I've been here. That being said--" The raven rose to her feet and took a second to stretch out. A yawn was stifled into the back of her hand before her train of thought continued. "--It is safe to rest here if you need to, you can use the cot over there if you'd like to get some sleep. I'll map out our path in the meanwhile."

  Raiya made her approach towards the back corner of the small room, aiming to retrieve the bag that was still resting beside the aforementioned cot. Her hand graced upon the top of Spencer's head and offered a gentle ruffle as she passed him by.

  "One thing that gets me about your whole ordeal is that you may have possibly been kind enough to allow Marius to see the book had he just asked about it. It's baffling, really, how intentional he seems about harming you instead of just simply stealing the book." Raiya thought out loud while she moved. The elven brought the bag back to the table and returned to her prior seat, then placed the bag on the ground between her feet and began to rummage through it until she found her notebook and a small leather scroll where her pens were wrapped away. The pages of that notebook matched the pages used to write the letters. Raiya's meandering train of thought continued, simply musing aloud at this point.

  "Perhaps he sees you as a threat, or competition of some sorts. Or maybe he truly is just a simple "bite first, sniff later" type of dog. It's a long shot, but is there any chance at all that he could have known you, or known of you before you even found the book?" 
• 

  Raiya March 27, 2024 at 1:43am

  

  Spencer's subtle quarrel with the grid did not go unnoticed. Raiya shifted a knowing side-along glance towards him, and a shadow of a smirk dawned at his expense. No verbal comment was made in its regard. Had the circumstances been different, however, a lighthearted jest would have surely been made. Raiya was prepared to offer aid, yet the technology finally adapted to the cold touch and began to react at the ghost’s command.  

  The elven watched while Spencer analyzed the map and added his contemplative remarks. Her nature despised a true gamble; Raiya preferred to rely upon experience, on knowledge, and on scrutinizing the scenarios with the intent to produce maps that lead to outcomes with the highest survivability. This mission was all a mayhap that was built on their own endurance and faith against multitudes of variables that were beyond their control. The tips of Raiya’s fingertips subconsciously rose and rested against her lip while she became entirely transfixed on the map. 

  Think.

  Surely they were missing something. An easier path, an obvious solution, an unexplored direction that was illuminated by promise and hope. 

  Think.

  The elves were no strangers to unattainable goals and impossible outcomes. So why does this feel so difficult?  

  Think, gods be damned. 

   

  “I’m glad you found time for your magic —”

  The diversion in topic was a tug back to the present, and it prompted a blink and an abrupt turn of her head. Sharp features were lifted with surprise, then momentary curiosity, then softened into a smile. Raiya hummed in agreement.

  “The Old Magic is still very much alive, even with how the world has changed.” Tonalities came with a much more calm air than before, fitted with a touch of nostalgia that was only just tangible.  

  Raiya’s eyes fell onto her hand, which opened with her palm facing skyward. The air between her splayed fingers began to shimmer with wisps of iridescent blue. It lifted into a mist and wafted into a small, delicate sphere that rotated only but a hairsbreadth over her palm. 

  That shimmer, the mist, the soul and staple of Raiya’s natural-born abilities. Such was this old, versatile magic that had served as countless shields, countless weapons, and countless binds and barriers that ensured the survival of many. It was the first form of magic that Raiya had learned to weld, and the one that had followed her through the centuries.

  “It still wants to help, you know. It still cares for us.”  

  The wisps broke free from the spherical formation and proceeded to slither ‘round and between her fingers in a steady, gentle motion. Not once did the mist touch Raiya’s skin, no matter how close it came. It simply faded out into nothing, and Raiya emitted a quiet sigh. Her elbow was placed upon the table, and the side of her face settled into the open palm and angled to present her attention towards the ghost. 

  “What pulled you through during your search for answers? How did you ultimately shake off Marius?”