OOC: >_> Big post, and I know it's kind of messy. Oh well. I'm too lazy to fix anything

Rana's breathing began to slow. His heart pumped weaker and weaker every moment, but his bleeding had stopped. His skin was even more pale and icy cold than it was naturally; his body, had it not been clung to by an ancient curse that now was barely mentioned in legends, would no doubt have died far earlier. Rana's soul was teetering over the edge of the unknown. He saw pulsing, living blackness, delicate and vibrant color, and beyond that nothing was discernible. Rana hesitated. Was he dead? He was not sure. He stepped forward and the colors and lights and shadows throbbed and buckled and warped around him. He felt warmth and cold and fire and ice. I must be dead. Rana stepped forward again and the light around him vanished and was replaced with heavy fog. He could see nothing, but the fog was not cold or wet. It pushed up against him, like it was trying to push him back into the colors. Or am I simply dying?
Rana twitched and the fog trickled back. He stepped forward one more time and the fog distorted and converged and caved in on itself. All around him was shadow but for directly in front of him, where the heavy mist was taking the form of a man. A tall, powerful man who towered above Rana's frail form, color seeping into his image. There before Rana stood an old, wizened man wearing a short grey beard and silver hair to his shoulders. His robe was crimson red with purple lace forming extravagant patterns and beautiful images of trees and animals, with silver trimming on every edge. Rana did not move, or think, he only acknowledged the man who had taken him as an apprentice when he was only three. At the man who had taught him lessons of magic and legend and math and science. At the man who he had slaughtered and grieved for for years.

Nothing happened. The old sage didn't even look towards Rana, but instead over the top of his head. Before his death the man had found a living, breathing legend, and hadn't told a single person. He had discovered Rana, who's kismet had been determined by ancient druids millennia old. The first druids, who had broken from conventional magic and found access to the void; who had wreaked havoc and abused their great power. They called themselves the 'Arsons', because their leader's signature was black, lightless fire that burned as hot as lighting but never released heat. But they could never live forever, and thus they devoted their lives to ensuring their magic would.
They had chanted, planned, and chanted more for years, creating the most complex of any hex ever cast. Once each one had died a baby was born with all of their power inside of it, and as the baby grew the hole to the void inside it opened wider and wider until the child was the strongest man on the earth, and when he died another babe was born with the same strength. Each new Arson was a piece of a story; some were warlords and some were executed before they turned one. Rana was one of very few who had not exploited his gift from the start.

The old man swayed, then his misty eyes moved down to meet his former student's. His body began to fade and as Rana looked on he seemed to fall in on himself. His body collapsed and reformed, but with another person standing beside him. This happened again, and again, and before Rana could make sense of the confusion there was a great number of people before him. And he recognized every one of them. They were people he knew or had seen that were dead. His entire village stared emotionlessly over his head. Next to his teacher stood Rana's parents. He hadn't known them well but they had been kind. And next to them was his only childhood friend, and next to him... Tania. Rana tried to move but felt heavy and weak. He had to be dead, for such a vision to take place... He reached out his hand towards his teacher the sage, his parents and Tania. The people behind them didn't matter... If he was dead, perhaps he would see them again. The people who hadn't hated him, or feared him. The people he hadn't minded the company of and would have done anything to protect. How ironic, Rana thought, that most of them he himself had killed.
But just as Rana touched the hand of his master, the man reared back and burst into black smoke which smelled putrid and stung Rana's skin, so unlike the grey fog that had warmed and comforted him. He drew back and watched as each person, one by one, burst and turned into clouds of vacuity. Rana groaned and tried to move, but he felt too weak. He failed at crying when his parents vanished, when his friend dispersed and when Tania evanesced. Once each figure had gone the growing billow of smoke engulfed him, biting his skin and burning his eyes. Light shone at him, and when he had waved away his tormenting mantle he could see the sky and wood huts around him. He felt his cloak soaked with blood and barely had time to realize he wasn't dead before he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Violet smiled and accepted the lilac "Too bad this isn't a violet"she thought to herself as she placed gently it in her pack. "Hmm I suppose I could join you two...even though your partner seems a bit...scary." She shrugged "Oh well how could I call myself a child of the wind if I didn't allow myself to blow into new experiences" she said excitedly. "Ok then I'll join you guys for now" She jumped from the branch she was standing on, then landed on the next branch, which shook violently, causing her to giggle slightly at the excitement. She flipped down onto ground and landed causing barely any dirt to stir.

"Well Barbas, the shirtless murderer, looks like I don't have to follow you anymore. The wind has changed direction but don't worry, we'll meet again. I promise" she said sincerely, she then yawned. Violet realized that she hadn't gotten sleep for most of the night "And you Mr. Beefy guy" she said addressing Leon "Sorry for almost getting you killed back there...he saved my life so...I had to repay him. No hard feelings right?"

"Sorry." Said Barbas. "But I'm not entirely done here." He smirked, as his turned around from Leon in one swift motion. His bow was still stretched, and in the turn swapped the arrow for one of the flame imbued ones he had left. He released, he wasn't enirely sure if Lex was up there with Violet, but if he was, the tree would soon be in flames. "I'm not leaving him alive. One of us will die here."

Lex watched the tree go up in smoke. Good thing I jumped down when she did... he thought. "Well, shall we go now, miss? I don't think I want to stick around here, any longer... I have no reason to kill him besides the fact that he still ruined my favorite book... however, I'll let it slide." He stayed hidden amongst the brush and backed away from the campsite, the fire's heat still growing and becoming quite unbearable for him. "I also think you should duck, because he might let loose a random arrow... if he's as cold blooded as you say, he could just as easily be done with you. The fellow doesn't care for the lives of neither cent nor dime. Are you coming, Leon?" Lex hoped that he had enough wit to slip away when the archer had turned around. He motioned for Violet to follow him, but keep low so that the murderer would not see them leave. He kept hidden under a bush in the distance.

Her breathing had somewhat deepened after the exhausting spell, but she was in no way down for the count or out of resources. She was invoking the spiritual power of the darkness quite a bit much however.. the soil around her feet had grown withered and distorted. As if tzneetch himself, a chaotic deity of distortion and diabolic change, had graced it with his might. The dark mist used to form her spells rose up again from nothingness, slithering around her limbs and torso. Her use of this force was somewhat dangerous..nevertheless, she was wayward with it. Exertion would be what it took to take such rabid monsters down.

The slithering lines of mist running along her body soon converged into a single point a foot in front of her chest, and formed yet another sphere of concentrated dark energy. In a voice lathered in a sinister echo, she'd speak. "The Raven God! The Lord of Mutation! He is the master of all that changes, and the changer of all that remains! His will is Chaos, and all the creatures of Chaos are but fleeting thoughts in his vast mind!" She recited , as if her words were guided by an unknown entity; towards the beast in which she targeted. the large scaly abomination that clasped the second Pegasus knight into its mouth. Her left arm held at towards it as her right hand grasped upon the outer-sphere of the spell. A frothy mist-like substance cascading over its rounded form. She would push it with her palm, letting it drift slowly forward. It was a highly volatile bomb in a sense, a slight mis-move could cause the power inside to erupt. It steadily maneuvered towards where the left arm was held out. The tattoo along her left arm which ran under her cuffs and over the top of her hand, seamed to ignite in a faint glow, pulling the orb into its palm. She'd then extend her fingers, A shock wave shooting out vertically, distorting the air it touched, just as the now ejected sphere did as it forced itself along the atmosphere. The misty ball broke upon the mammoth-sized monster's hide. Bursting out into a series of seals positioned over the beast. Had she made it one large opening, it would e nearly uncontrollable, no matter how effective. An avalanche of slithering nether worms shot out of each small rift. intent on connecting with their target and devouring what of its flesh they could.. if even possible.

Back over at Tara, her body slightly levitated, eyes glowing with a faint devilry. Clothing wafting with the wind, another look of ferocity across her expression. Of carnage and bloodlust. Such were the practices of her old tribe, a branch off another one long ago traversed from these lands. The Raven Host, a cult-like gathering. These practices stuck with her, these foul incantations and dangerous delving into the unknown. It was her profession, it was her sinister addiction.

Tara cast the spell and then dropped down, forcing the magic energy around her to disapate as she dropped to one knee, exausted from use. The spell hit the dragon hard, the dark slithering worms pierced the scales on it's hide and began to eat away at flesh and muscle. It roared in pain, no longer focusing on eating this pegasus, but now on the pain. He felt someone climbing on him now, more aware, but before he knew it, it was too late. Eton twirled his dagger and struck at the weak spot on it's neck and stabbed deep into it and tore out, slashing through muscle and veins. It opened it's mouth and dropped Serene, letting her fall a small distance and hit the ground. With one final attack, Eton slashed again, cutting an artery. The dragon roared and then went limp, and began to fall. Tekun got up and sprang into action, running towards Tara and leaping at her, grabbing and pushing her away from the fallen titan's falling corpse. Eton rode it on the way down and then jumped off and rolled as it hit.

The dragon lay dead, growing cold on the ground. Eton rushed to the wounded Serene shouting her name as he ran towards her. Tekun held on to Tara in tears, saying no words. He refused to let another die.

(( CUE THE PALADIN TO COME IN AND KILL THEM ALL!

Dammit, I really need to finish that...))

ooc: W-What kind of twisted paladin is that? : o

Violet silently walked out of the campfire's light and into the darkness without a word. She was surprised that Barbas had tried to kill her, even though she helped save his life and even before that offered to fix his leg wound. She had never been betrayed before, people were generally nice to bards, for some reason it brought back the memory of being left alone by her parents. She wiped her eyes and ran a good distance away, making sure to stay hidden, she hid behind a boulder that was near Lex's hiding position. "I hope his leg gets infected" she whispered to herself.

OOC: A badass one, Kiki, a badass one

Serene couldn't see at all, only able to hear a lone voice, shouting her name. It wasn't loud at all for something that seemed so close, to her, it sounded quiet. At a weak and slow pace, she began to open her eyes. Squinting, she saw the familiar outline of someone she knew...but who? She painfully moved her right arm towards the figure, touching the area that seemed like it's face. It felt rugged and worn to her, an unappealing feeling. "Who are you?" she asked to the figure weakly, talking at a low whisper.

Black king steadied himself in the air. He had no idea if the attack the dragon used on him left any wounds. Looking endlessly through the area, he felt a small pit of fear inside of him. What if his mistress had died? He tried to shoot down that though, but he couldn't seem to figure a reason how she could have lived though that.

Eton held on to Serene as she held his face.

"Serene, it's me, Eton!" He said to her and looked around, she needed treatment, luckily, nothing was broken, but there were some deep wounds.

"Serene, h..hang on, I..I won't lose you. You'll make it, I promise."

Barbas had no intentions of letting Lex get away. It was either him or Barbas. He knew if Lex was still alive, he'd come back for his friend. The reason he traveled alone, others were an annoyance. He reached for an ice arrow, taking careful aim at Leon. He wasn't going to kill the man, simply trap him so that Lex would come back to his aid. Then, Barbas would be able to finish the job. He smirked, releasing the arrow and watching it fly towards Leon's left leg.

As Jophiv an Licove jumped some rubble at the edge of town, Jophiv could see the last dragon fall. That meant there were survivors. Although the ruined state of the town suggested that something else had taken most of the population before hand. Jophiv wasn't paying attention or he may had heard faint voices. He lowered his axe, but didn't put it away. If there were people here who could kill dragons they could very well kill him if he wasn't prepared.

He called out, "Hey! Anyone still alive around here!" Knowing very well someone had to.


OoC: Bah, I had no internet for a while then my computer crashed, okay.

Leon saw the arrow be shot and made an attempt to dive, but felt the arrow plunge into his leg as he dove. As he hit the ground, he felt a numbing cold around his leg, freezing it. A block of ice forming around it. He was stuck. All he could do was roll over, as he did, he felt it go up his leg further. He let out a cry of pain and went to grab his leg but pulled his hands away as he felt a intense cold from them. Then his leg went numb. He looked at Barbas, there was a deep fear in Leon's eyes as he looked at him, the relization came in that he could very well be killed and he could do jack s*** about it. He made an attempt to crawl but found the pain to be too much.

"Damn it!" He yelled. "Lex! Damn it." He couldn't find words to express what he wanted to, fear and coldness got in the way.

Barbas reached for another arrow, this time the last flame one he had, waiting for Lex to show as he slowly walked near Leon. "I know, painful. But pain is all in your head. You shouldn't need it amputated as long as that friend of yours gets here fast enough. I don't intend to kill you." Barbas smirked as he finished speaking, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Then again, if he doesn't get here fast enough, you may die. It's you or him at this point." He released the breath, and opened his eyes as he scouted the area.


He thought it over for a moment. Was it really worth it to put this poor man's life in jeopardy who had done nothing to him? Perhaps all the killing was finally getting to him as he watched the man squirm on the floor. He debated various things. Killing the man right there, defrosting his leg before it was too late, or just waiting for Lex. He knew that if Lex came, he or Lex would surely die. As Violet's spell wore off, he realized he stood little chance if she helped the other man. He still wasn't sure, but Barbas knew when he was beaten.


He bent down near the man, looking at his leg. "You're lucky I don't like to kill with Magic." He walked back over to the fire, still burning and crackling. He had no more of the fire imbued arrows he had taken from the armory and instead took out one of the regular arrows he had left. He stuck the tip into the ferocious flames, and watched it as it set on fire. As he walked back, he wasn't sure why he changed his mind so suddenly, but knelt down to Leon once more. He started near the top of where the ice had gone up to, holding the tip of the arrow near it and slowly moving down as it melted.

The ice began to melt, but the pain began to surge through his body, he bit down on his lip and then stopped. He sighed and let his head fall back.

"Your a real bastard you know that." He let out with a slight chuckle as he lay there half awake exausted. "Odd, i didn't think you had a conscience." He said and turned his head, things began to become more quiet as he lay there in a slight daze.