[h2]The Prince of Ash returns[/h2] The border of the Ironheart range and what was Amestris was always a common area for [i]something[/i] to happen, for foul creatures strode from those mountains and those who would wish to prey upon the weak would no doubt raid and pillage. Since the collapse of Xerxes, the fragmented city-states, no longer supported one another which led to chaos and for an opening for the might of Lifsapril’s armies and other external and internal threats. Not only that, but there was much debate for who was to resume the crown of Amartia, as he has left no valid heir for the crown. While some knew of Keriss, she had simply been viewed as a demon that slaughtered for the will of the god-king and had been killed after the battle of Xerxes. Yet, that is not the focal point of this story, nobody likes reading about civil wars and the like, not even me and I used to be someone who delighted in the needless slaughter of the people simply because it cause pain. Good thing I am reformed now, wouldn’t want to derail a good story with needless exposition and yada, yada, yada. What was that? I already have derailed the story? Whoops, ugh… [b]”I’m telling you the plural for a group of djinni is djinnis,”[/b] a child’s voice sounded through the rocky surface of one of the many mountains in the Ironheart Range. “That is incredibly stupid,” another voice said, more annoyed of the two and far more bird-looking than the other. Kri’Tal, for five years, has been dealing with this child and her strange ways of formatting her sentences. He went on to explain, “Do you call a group of deer deers? I’, telling you that it’s djinni and that’s final young lady.” The two have been travelling south for some time now, navigating through the mountains and going through many miscellaneous adventures that provided no real character growth between the two. However, something that they have established with one another, is that Orphan is the stronger of the two, after an incident in which she casually broke his arm in a game of ‘Who Upset Keriss More With Some Reckless Action?’ Needless to say, Orphan won that one hands down. With no contest of the hain warrior as he had a broken arm at the time and was screaming in pain, though currently it is debated if that would have made Keriss laugh more than it would have upset her. [b]”Well guess what. Whoooom,”[/b] Orphan said, egging on the hain who turned to face her and made a strangling motion, only to be subdued when the girl’s cloak made several ashen spears behind her. “You are lucky Keriss gave you that cloak, child.” [b]”Why?[/b] “Because I would have strangled you the first chance I got.” [b]Why?[/b] “Because you are annoying.” [b]”Why?”[/b] “Because of what you are doing right now.” The two laughed for a bit after the exchange, but soon they came across a clearing. The clearing had old, blackened soot on the ground skeletons of the deceased and weaponry. There had been a battle here, though not all of the buildings had gone down by the torch. “I wonder what happened here, looks old as the mountains from what I can see,” Kri wondered out loud, putting up a silencing finger before Orphan had the chance to make a snarky comment. The two wondered for a bit before coming across more skeletons, however, they came across an arm. Not an arm that had been dismembered from a man, but from a something the size of a babe. It was out of place and surrounded by a scorched earth, and not from it was the skeleton of a woman, the singed clothes the only sign of gender. Orphan stood over the arm for a bit, something deep inside of her whispering for her to touch it, and it was hard to resist. She crouched down and with her ashen arm, went to grab the bones, but the moment she made contact, a burning sensation ran through her arm, a pain that was far worse than it should have been. She held her arm close and closed her eyes to concentrate on stopping the pain. When she opened her brown orbs, Orphan found herself in the center of a village, the screams of people all around her as fire roared and the sound of battle became prevalent. She was overcome with fear and she saw people look as if they had run through molten rock go past her. Then her attention turned to laughter that came from next to her, she saw the grim outline of Keriss, wildly laughing and black as night. There was no other form other than that shadow and Orphan instantly took a step back before falling to the ground, no longer wanting to see these visions. She opened her eyes again and saw that Keriss was standing over her now. With large, leather wings outstretched and a look of disgust on her face. [color=black]”Pitiful,”[/color] she said with a voice colder than how she normally was. Orphan went to respond before a hain stepped through Keriss, dissolving the vision into trillions of particles of ash. “What’s wrong, Orphan?” Kri asked, crouching next the child. Orphan just looked at him for a few moments before continuing her silence with looking down at the ground, the skeletal arm staring back intently. [b]”Nothing,”[/b] she said before stepping on the bone, snapping it in half. She looked up and simply saw the hain staring blankly back before shrugging and turning away. “Let’s leave this place. I don’t like the idea of meeting anyone close to the Amatris. Why are we even heading to the place where a battle of quite literal cataclysmic proportions happened anyways?” Kri questioned, walking south once more. The child following closely behind to contemplate the question for a few brief moments, delivering her answer in her own monotone voice. [b]“I guess I’m just trying to find Keriss. Or her friend, the Blowfly. She always told me that if I couldn’t find her then I should find her instead.”[/b] “Please, the Blowfly is a myth. I’ve never come across a hain that could be so stupidly powerful,” Kri commented, skeptically. [b]”Oh trust me, if you’d been around as long as I have, you see some weird things.”[/b] “You’re a fifteen year old in a ten year old body, where as I am extremely old for a hain. You have no room to talk,” Kri chuckled before he spoke once more but in a quieter tone, “Be careful, we are being tailed by something tall, dark, and ugly. Operation Kick-Ass is a go on our Magnus.” [b]”Do the thing?”[/b] “Do the thing.” Orphan extended her arm, traveling faster than the average mortal could perceive, cutting down all the trees to her left. Then all she heard was a terrible screech, High-pitched and rattling to the soul, it was more annoying than anything but then she felt a pain in her chest only similar to one being. Only Keriss could produce such a torturous feeling but this was far weaker than anything she had known Keriss to do to her. But it had its effect on Kri, who was on his knees covering the holes that hain used as ears, though this magic could not be blocked, only endured. Luckily, Keriss’ training to increase Orphan’s pain tolerance has come in handy for she merely stood as normal, grinding her teeth. The child looked forward and in the air she saw wings flapping, a horrid creature was in the air producing the screeching sound. Her arm shot forward and the being dodged, narrowly, stopping it’s screeching to focus on the sudden combat that it had entered. [color=gray]”How dare you attack a dagon, welp?!”[/color] The Being screeched [b]”Dagons are all dead, got slaughtered by whatshisface in the battle of the place,”[/b] Orphan explained rather badly. [color=gray]”What?”[/color] [b]”Yeah, besides you look more ugly than intimidating like a dagon.”[/b] [color=gray]”What?”[/color] After a pause in the very meaningful conversation, Kri’Tal had gotten to his feet and chimed in, “You are a creation of Keriss, only she can make that kind of magic.” [color=gray]”You are correct hain. I am Mortas, Prince of Ash and apparent last surviving dagon, made this way by that wretched lizard.”[/color] “We are looking for Keriss, could you point us in the right direction? I have to deliver a spear into her chest for ruining my life.” [b]”And I’m largely indifferent though she pretty much is my abusive, adopted mother.”[/b] [color=gray]”Last I saw her was in Xerxes.”[/color] “Xerxes, eh?” [b]”That place is gone. Just kinda popped out of existence, or to a different plane of existence. It’s weird. There was a lot of carnage, death, and fighty bits all around.”[/b] [color=gray]”What?”[/color] “Ignore her. Anyways, we’ll head that way, unless you’d rather kill us. You seem like that type.” [color=gray]”You’d be right. I’m going to kill you all now, purely because I am both offended and annoyed by your presence.”[/color] “Welp.” [b]”Whom!”[/b] Orphan exclaim. [hr] [hider=summary] Banter. Banter. Cliffhanger.[/hider] [hider=khookies] Orphan - 7 Khookies Mortas - 1 Khookie[/hider]