[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ncRnIcr.png[/img] [img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjk2LjU2ZDZlYy5RbXgxWlNCRmVXVnpMQ0JYYUdsMFpTQkVjbUZuYjI0LjA/italianno.regular.webp[/img][/center] [center][h2][url=https://youtu.be/bWiSnhP-7TI]♫[/url][/h2][/center] Rikard, Abdel, Jocasta, and Trypano found themselves approached by a long, lithe sinewy creature of the palest white. Its eyes burned a fiery blue and its great coils wound about. The sheer energy that it exuded brought most of them to their knees, though this was not the case for Jocasta. Yalen needed her help. She would do what she could to empower the others. From there, it was their fight. The lake was quickly freezing over, the plants on it curling up and crumpling under the growing frost. Jocasta, however, bled heat into her surroundings. [color=ffdead]"I have to go. Yalen's alone against... that [i]monster[/i]"[/color] She glanced over, face lined with worry. [color=ffdead]"How can I help before I do?"[/color] Abdel looked up in awe at the magnificence that was the frost giant up above. He nearly lost his balance! This thing was comparable to the Sand Wyrm, too. And then flooded in the Ogauraq too. Did he make the right call? Was his fate sealed from the start? He shook his head upon snapping back to reality thanks to Jocasta's words. [color=9e0039]“Right.”[/color] Abdel steadied himself. [color=9e0039]“My Skuggvars. There's no way we survive without them.”[/color] he looked at Jo. [color=9e0039]“Please!”[/color] [color=crimson]"I shall try to alleviate these symptoms as so to not divide your attention too thinly."[/color] Trypano answered back before she started sinking into the ground, drawing the earth below away until her head vanished, stone sealing away the top so as to block attacks from catching her from above, whether by accident or not. From there she would make her attempt to alleviate the symptoms... [color=ffdead]"Yes,"[/color] Jocasta agreed. As the dragon approached, she grabbed the reins of spacetime and ripped a portal open. Qadira and Dayanara were on the other side of it. [color=a187be]"Wh-what the hell are we doing here?"[/color] Rikard exclaimed in a panicked voice. [color=a187be]"We have... no chance against that thing without you!"[/color] He'd fought monsters before, of course, but they hadn't necessarily [i]looked[/i] like monsters as this one did. Then, the ground itself began to shake and separate. The moisture in it condensed and froze into dagger-like crystals that grew explosively in every direction. [color=red]"Sophomoric,"[/color] hissed Evil Eye, melting the ice. She superheated the water and then rapidly froze it, raking the beast with thousands of tiny, razor sharp cystals. The Skuggvars synchronously belched out corrosive steam to melt the nearby ice and render the frosty useless. The beasts” skin glistened in a thin coat of mucus to help with the heat. Abdel kept his distance, and thus remained safe. Rikard managed to blast the ice crystals away by depolarizing the water crystals within them. Abdel drew from some of the steam from his Skuggs to create a makeshift layer to evaporate the remaining ice projectiles Trypano could not stop. Then, the Skuggs launched a barrage of spikes from their tails toward the big threat. The enormous dragon whipped up a cyclonic wind to push the projectiles away. They were redirected at Trypano. Trypano might have been beneath the earth but she could detect the oncoming surge of energy. She attempted to draw the moisture away from her pocket so the ice could not form. However, several spikes made their way not forming in the air but punching through the soil. She braced for impact but a surge of heat managed to melt them away in the nick of time. How thoughtful. She just hoped they weren't putting themselves in danger just to help her. The barrage of spikes was scattered more or less effortlessly. However, one slipped through to stick right between two of the enormous white beast's scales. It let out a frosty hiss of annoyance and batted at the tiny skewer. Then, it had to deal with Rikard. A ball of lightning shot towards the dragon, but it opened its vast maw and sucked all of the energy out of the attack. The air grew colder. Annoyed by this tiny human's efforts and recognizing Jocasta as the greatest threat, the dragon disappeared. Jocasta slowed time and created a physical shield around her, but it wasn't enough. As she slipped away, the barrier shattered and her ankle was caught in it and broken. There was no reaction, but she knew about the injury. Meanwhile, Trypano attempted to bless her allies with a boon as the frigid dragon loomed over them, readying its new assault. [color=red]"You should probably try to hit big ugly,"[/color] Evil Eye grumbled. However, she tried something else instead. [color=red]"Your eyes are not yours."[/color] The dragon blinked. It seemed unaffected. Evil Eye swallowed and took a step back. But then something came from behind to attack her. Elephant Mouth's explosive attack was absolutely colossal. A mushroom cloud rolled up into the sky, lightning snaking and writhing about it. The heat was phenomenal. Qadira ran in front of Evil Eye, used her big fat blubber to defend from the shockwave. Evil Eye was able to handle the rest, drawing locally to escape the effects. [color=red]"Holy.... shit."[/color] She twisted to regard the Ogauraq girl, alarmed. Then, a tug of war over the blessing Jocasta sought to bestow onto her allies, between the caster herself and the dragon. After an intense showdown, the warmth had cooled into nothing, but left the serpentine creature vulnerable. The chemical magic was dispelled and, with it, Yalen seemed in trouble not so very far away. It appeared that Ash had brought... friends. Jocasta shot them a bereft look and disappeared. They were on their own. A wave of cold and poison sought to sap the group of their strength. Qadira was in a vulnerable spot. Abdel, knowing this wasn’t winnable without his beasts, actively sucked the poison toward himself rather than let his Skuggvar be weakened. He released a wheezing cough afterward, falling to his knees. Evil Eye lifted her eyepatch, revealing what was beneath. The shrivelled powergazer eye let loose a stream of reddish-gold energy. The dragon was pinned down by the pair of skuggvars. It was only for a moment, but it was all that Evil Eye needed. The dragon writhed and twitched in place. But it wasn't enough. The beam sliced its head clean off. Its eyes went dark as the massive chunk hit the ground. Its body fluttered and collapsed like a falling ribbon. Trypano, upon feeling the familiar forces of the draw upon her lines the walls of her pocket with flesh before letting her blood flow freely, replacing it as it leaves her body to try and keep the pool inside her fresh. It seems her hypothesis is correct, diffusing the weight of the forces on her mana and alleviating the symptoms of the sickness. Smoke streamed from Evil Eye's titular eye. Dried blood was caked all around it. She wobbled and dropped to her knees, breathing heavily. [color=red]"Go to hell where you belong, you piece of shit."[/color] Everyone watched for a moment, not quite believing that they'd actually killed this monster. [center][h2][url=https://youtu.be/LffSZfRSwTI]♫[/url][/h2][/center] They were right. The corpse twitched. Black blood began gushing out in three great streams. The blood congealed into swarms - swarms of demonic insects. They piled one upon the other. The heat was [i]unfathomable[/i]. The dragon’s skin began to blacken and crisp. A sickening stench pervaded the air. The wicked heads - warped, twisted, and burning - form where once there was one. Three pairs of glowing red eyes opened, casting their bale case upon three separate targets. The dragon rose once more, long trails of flame working their way down the revived behemoth's back. It arched its middle head and released a colossal screeching roar. [center][h2][url=https://youtu.be/29yUiAZEGiY]♫[/url][/h2][/center] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/rC0lawO.png[/img] [img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjk2LmEwYjAyMy5SRzlsY3lCR2IzSjBkVzVsSUVaaGRtOTFjaUIwYUdVZ1FtOXNaRDguMA/italianno.regular.webp[/img][/center] The horrible monstrosity that emerged from the infested, decapitated body of the Frost Dragon had shifted its attention to another target: The Golden Dragon’s enemies. In fact, both avians had switched positions, bringing the one-armed golden beasts before Abdel, Rikard and Trypano while Evil eye made quick pursuit of the creature she had previously decapitated. In exchange, they got Golden Monkey in his ever brilliant shroud of gold. The dragon's arm quickly grew back, incomplete and fleshy, but functional. The moment that it sighted the new threat, the dragon plunged for it, releasing a mighty tower of flame in Abdel's direction. [center][h2][url=https://youtu.be/x4o9JiYV-uY]♫[/url][/h2][/center] Abdel was still recovering from the foul sights he had actually seen. No longer were these horrors mere images, they came to life right before him. He absently tended to Dayanara, relieving from her recent contamination. The arrival of the golden dragon had finally come to, and he barely had time to prepare for the mighty spiral of flames coming right at him. An improvised shelter of stone was in order! The Skuggvars intervened, coating themselves with a protective mucus oozing from their pores to protect from the heat. They piled over the shelter made by Abdel, protecting themselves and their master from harm. They then drdw as much as possible from the tower of flames, and spewed back massive globs of burning, napalm-like fluid. The dragon conjured a massive wind to blow the gobs away. They scattered and it remained in place, utterly unperturbed. The sight of the strange egg annoyed it, so the golden dragon redirected the burning gobs towards it, enhancing them with chemical reactions of its own. The gobs splashed against the egg, but they lacked quite the sting that they should. Trypano is rudely melted out of her refuge, but was otherwise uninjured. Rikard had gone virtually unnoticed in the commotion, but he was hard at work on something. There was something inside the egg that was even [i]more[/i] displeasing than it. The dragon decided that it needed to die. As the tail collided with the placid looking yet perpetually annoyed binder the ground quaked with the force of its impact, little to be seen as she's buried beneath it. As it slid it's limb away however Trypano appeared to be laying flat, completely intact as she was pressed into a soft cushioning mould she formed out of the ground below. [color=crimson]"You know, you are making it quite difficult to sympathize with your plight when you attack non-aggressors."[/color] She retorted flatly, a subtle underlying tone of snark beneath her icy response. The dragon ignored her completely. [color=gold]"A healer of the enemy is no friend,"[/color] its voice echoed through her head and those of others within its range. The dragon glared at the Sanguinaire that had caused him much grief. It was going to show him what true, unadulterated power truly was. The beast lunged forward and attempted to ensnare the speedy Golden Monkey. Golden Monkey wretched the scales like a spiral, drilling into it to make it release. The dragon was enraged. It inhaled with a high pitched screech as a very brief warning to those unfortunate enough to walk under its shadow. A massive wall of flames descended upon the group! All managed to pull through with minor burns. Dayanara, groaning in frustration from the mild burns, launched a barrage of quills toward the dragon’s eye. Monkey took this opportunity to strike. He warped underneath it and launched a heavenly right at the wound he had previously created. The Golden Dragon sneered at the coming quills. They were yet another petty attempt to harm it. It was about ready to redirect it like it did the blobs of flaming mucus but ... It was a distraction?! That Yasoi seized this opportunity to return the favour. A Heavenly lance destined for its very neck, ensuring a fate just like the one of its comrade. At this moment, the dragon closed its eyes. Everything slowed down. Then, it radiated a brilliant gold, a light that could blind those that stared directly at it. Fortune was its true power. Fate was rewritten. The lance missed and the quills hit its robust scales. [color=gold]"You cannot fight he who can manipulate fate itself."[/color] It shook its great maned head. [color=gold]"Surrender now and pledge your loyalty and I shall allow you to live. I do not wish for more death."[/color] [color=9e0039]“How do I know this isn't just another lie?! Your leader did just that! Lie right to our faces!”[/color] screamed out Abdel. [color=gold]"There are some truths for which the lesser races are unprepared. This is a burden we must bear for you."[/color] [color=crimson]"My allegiance is to my word. I shall sustain my colleagues until we return, regardless of their choices."[/color] responded Trypano. [color=9e0039]“You are arrogant. That is how you lost ReTan! Just STOP!”[/color] pleased Abdel. The dragon said no more and leered the youngest of the group. The one that reeked of something unnatural. Rikard blinked. [i]Uh-oh.[/i] A cloud of white smoke erupted from its nostrils and surrounded the kid. And with a simple amber from the crunch of its teeth, the whole cloud ignited in one grand explosion. Rikard called upon the powers of deep magnetic magic to stome the attack before much more than a bit had been issued, and it came out far less powerful than it could've. He was barely more than slightly singed. Then, it was Abdel’s turn, as a spire of flames descended upon the boy. Abdel inhaled as he saw the flames befall him. The thunderchild focused deeply at the centre of the tower of fire. Sparks of electricity danced around his being as the searing pole of death splitted in the middle as it reached him, while he maintained the air around him cooled enough to not succumb to a heatstroke. But as courageous as he had shown himself, he could not stop it all. His extremities were burnt to the second and third degree. Still, he kept a strong face. Abdel did not falter this time. Caught off guard, he meekly tries to move his damaged body, but it is too late. The dragon used this chance to close distance and trap him between its claws. The dragon prepared to end this child’s life. A simple burst of flames would have sufficed, and yet it took its time to charge. Like it was hesitating. In the nick of time, Rikard and Monkey were capable of conjuring a thunderous attack that would have annihilated the beast on the spot at the potential expense of Abdel. In response, the dragon shined once more, and gave Abdel another lease on life. The boy scampered off, still hurting from the burns. He tripped near his Skuggvar, growing increasingly exhausted. Abdel Rose. Burnt, wheezing and broken. But not defeated. [color=9e0039]“We cause a lot of trouble for lesser beings, don't we?”[/color] he coughed, and readied his attack. Sparks flickered around him once more. The recoiling dragon could barely hear him after eating Trypano’s and Rikard’s counterattack right at the face. The clouds above swelled once more with power after Rikard's use of the Heavenly wrath. [color=9e0039]“Heh. No way am I gonna be outdone by a guy obsessed with boobs.”[/color] he joked, and then coughed again. Meanwhile, the Skuggvars lined up and drew as well. They were to attack from below, while Abdel ushered hell from above. Flames leaked out of their thick lips from an excess of corrosive and flammable mucus. Bombs capable of obliterating a quarter of a small village were about ready to be shot. The thunderbolt crashes upon the dragon, forcing it to fall onto its underbelly. Right before it were the Skuggvars with nothing but rage in their beady eyes. And just as they were about to claim the head of a second dragon, they froze. A voice called out. [color=9e0039]“STOP!”[/color] The animals obeyed, more so from his magical control over them than a willingness to listen to him. Still, the magical tug was enough for them to be dissuaded. [color=9e0039]“Enough.”[/color] he panted. [color=9e0039]“Enough. You're all going to lose this country if you just keep killing each other. You're going to DIE for NOTHING!”[/color] he clenched his burnt fists. [color=9e0039]“How can you be so proud as to lose so much for NOTHING?!”[/color] The dragon was quick to rise, deeply wounded though he clearly was. [color=gold]"Then I will die for a noble cause. These men are tyrants and those who serve them have been won over by their honeyed words."[/color] He coughed, and it was great, wracking wheeze that echoes in his chest and resounded across the ruins of the imperial gardens. [color=gold]"They rose to their thrones through lies, murder, and genocide. Yet every one of you would fight alongside them."[/color] The enormous reptilian shook his head. [color=gold]"I would rather fight for the light than live on in your darkness."[/color] [color=gold]"If it means allying with some who are less than savoury, then I will hold my nose and bear it. Perhaps they may yet be redeemed or, if not, then they too will be brought to justice."[/color] [color=9e0039]“And yet Wu Long lied to us, is keen on murdering everyone here and wishes to genocide the Sanguinaires.”[/color] Abdel limped toward one of his Skuggvars, Dayanara, and began to a slow healing process of the beast. [color=9e0039]“There is no light at the end of this tunnel if we just keep killing each other, Golden Dragon.”[/color] The boy sighed. [color=9e0039]“And could not these current rulers be redeemed either?”[/color] The dragon shook his vast head sadly. [color=gold]"You foolish child."[/color] He let out an exasperated snort. [color=gold]"I have lived a hundred of your human lifetimes and I have seen what these sanguinaires are capable of. Others have warned you of them. I have now warned you of them. You have no idea how black their souls are, what they are capable of, the brutality and depredations, the shameless depths of lies that they use to get what they desire."[/color] He let out a long, pained groan. [color=gold]"The only good sanguinaire is a dead sanguinaire. I do not want you to realize the truth of my words some years from now when their evil spreads yet further. I am not saying this for the satisfaction of being right. [b][i]THEY. ARE. AN. EXISTENTIAL. THREAT.[/i][/b] Do not be fooled. [i]Please![/i]"[/color] [color=crimson]"In the end why put faith in humanity achieving better?"[/color] She grimly remarked. [color=crimson]"Your faith in the very people who bought their lies and cast you down will lead to disappointment. In the end it is simply a condition of their design, to trust that which resembles them over the unfamiliar, To betray others for short-term benefits, to cut and to eat away regardless of how much harm they bring."[/color] As she readied to heal the wounds it had left her she let sift through her grit teeth a weary sigh. [color=crimson]"There are greater evils in this world, dragon. Those that stem from the very origins of things we now see. I cast my concerns to the very fate of this world. This, however, is mostly just an exercise in disappointment... For yourself, and for I."[/color] Just then, some distance away, the great white dragon that had become a black monstrosity fell, erased from existence by a phenomenally powerful atomic blast. In a different direction, the Black Guard Cold Soup fell at the hands of a ronin with a spectacular sword. At least a handful of ogauraq lay dead about the battlefield. Many others, from all sides, were injured. The Progenitor himself held Sleeping Carp by the neck, lifting him off the ground. They were killing each other: killing each other for reasons as varied as deeply set beliefs, the love of friends, or simple mercenary gain. An equally sad look washed over Abdel's face. His fresh, fifteen year old view of the world was consisently challenged and demolished. Entire peoples were worthy of being hated and killed, and ancient and majestic beings staked their lives to put an end to them. It all felt so insidious. So wrong. The worst part was how he could relate to this dragon, a mere instrument to grander schemes. Abdel sat not too far from the pained dragon, he himself barely coping with the burns he just started to heal. [color=9e0039]“... But these ones are going against the tide you've known for centuries.”[/color] Abdel recalled the visions. Were they all fabricated? He did not know. He felt as though Carp could be trusted. Somehow, there was a genuineness to that man. A mysteriousness too, but something trustworthy that made him recall Ranger Manuel Escarra. [color=9e0039]“I've seen evil too. I know I'm young but I've seen evil.”[/color] Tavio Ortega, Huarcan Frannemas ... [color=9e0039]“I don't believe this to be true.”[/color] Abdel shot a look at Trypano. He wasn't angry, and if anything he was a tad disappointed at himself. But that smugness in her words always rubbed him the wrong way. It did to most. [color=9e0039]“What is that darkness with many arms that looms over all of us?”[/color] asked the Tethered boy, seemingly out of the blue. [color=9e0039]“Wu Long's master. [i]Your[/i] master.”[/color] [color=gold]"It is order, boy. It is not darkness. It is what keeps this world from coming apart at the seams. It is something that has the power to destroy us - all of our combined abilities, all of our strength - as if it were nothing."[/color] His great coils were settling now. He was flagging. [color=gold]"They are the Knowers - for they know all - a primordial force beyond the mysterious sirrahi and the sanguinaires, the wildbloods, even your Quentic [i]Gods[/i]."[/color] He shook his great draconic head weakly. [color=gold]"They are neither good nor evil. they simply arbitrate this world and others. If they find us wanting, we shall all be erased."[/color] He bowed his head, as if accepting something. [color=gold]"This is why I was made. This is why I serve."[/color] Rikard staggered back, eyes wide and brow furrowed. He was not certain if this was a profound revelation - some deep truth beyond his understanding - if it was the blathering of a mad beast, or if it was a programme of lies designed to corrupt his reason. The idea of simply accepting - of bowing to the arbitrary whims of some self-appointed greater beings - rubbed him the wrong way. Was not the very essence of life to grow, to discover, to learn, and to thrive? Simple acceptance of a status quo led to stagnation. That, his storied many-greats uncle had impressed upon him in one of their few meetings. That, he held as true. He wrinkled his nose in subtle, silent disgust at the preachings of this dragon, for they were not truth - not a truth that he would accept, anyway. [color=crimson]"I am aware of the Knowers."[/color] She replied, finally satisfied to start cutting to the heart of this grand conspiracy. [color=crimson]"I had spoken to one, or so the five had told me."[/color] She looked to the chaos enveloping the scene around them. She had to do something to help the others, despite the insignificance of her abilities overall. [color=crimson]"Perhaps, if the damage to the timeline could be mitigated, one could go back and warn of what these choices will have brought us all."[/color] It was a dangerous suggestion. She loathed to manipulate time in such a way as it threatened the stability of the timeline. If one such creature would know the consequences however, it would be this one. [color=crimson]"I still stand by my words earlier, that there's a better choice than to clash here and now, leaving so much of value lost to the ever-cleansing tides of inevitability. I know not how best to save what is lost, only the regret that comes with witnessing it."[/color] [color=9e0039]“And so you remove one tyrant,”[/color] Abdel muttered, just loud enough for the dragon to hear. [color=9e0039]“for the sake of an even worse one, holding us hostage so we follow their design.”[/color] this did not terrify him. It actually felt like he knew this, in a way. What he had seen had told him this, but his mind could not understand it until it was put into words. [color=9e0039]“I ... Resent this - this existence. I do not want to just take it. And we are stronger now, Golden Dragon. Stronger than you all were lifetimes ago.”[/color] The dragon's great head came to rest on the ground. His breath came in gasps and wheezes. [color=gold]"You are making the gravest of mistakes,"[/color] he rasped. [color=gold]"The hands of time. It is exactly such interventions that invite the wrath of the Knowers, for they are otherwise benevolent and even -"[/color] A deep shudder vibrated through his serpentine body. [color=gold]"kind."[/color] In the background, fighting continued. A colossal explosion of pure darkness emanated from the direction where the Twin Emperors faced down Wu Long. [color=gold]"Yes, you will find them kind. No,"[/color] he gasped, struggling to shake his head. [color=gold]"No, you cannot fight them. You will see. I hope you do not see, but you will if you..."[/color] He let out another wheeze. [color=gold]"If you persist."[/color] The air around them, then, seemed to waver. It grew light and electric. Space seemed to lift itself from time for a moment. [color=gold]"I am sorry I could not save you,"[/color] the dragon wheezed. [color=gold]"That I could not beat you with mercy - a mercy you have not shown me. I have doomed you."[/color] Foam began to collect about his lips. He uttered one final word: [color=gold]"Run."[/color] [center][h2][url=https://youtu.be/NdPhKXfbPSk]♫[/url][/h2][/center] The dragon appeared to be about to expire. However, sensing accurately was very difficult. The air roiled with a strange, rich sort of energy. You cannot properly sense it though it is there. You cannot draw from it. You cannot use it. Trypano, seeing that the dragon had made it's final choice, decided to heed it's words. She looks quickly to see if anyone else requires aid in fleeing before she turns heel and makes haste herself. Abdel stood up, still unable to run, and limped back until he could straddle Qadira. [color=9e0039]“Dammit ...”[/color] he cursed, upset over the unfortunate outcome. He had shown mercy, and yet this beast - no, this individual was still dying. And by the looks of it, something else was at play. Thoughts on the ways of the world were put aside in favour of his own survival. He and the Skuggs made as much distance as they could. Rikard, genuinely unnerved, senses something that he doesn't understand. In many cases, his natural curiosity might take hold. In this instance, caution wins the day. [color=a187be]"Go!"[/color] he screamed. [color=a187be]"Go! Go! Go!"[/color] [center][h2][url=https://youtu.be/5O_IBnUoG34]♫[/url][/h2][/center] The sky opened like a massive eye of the purest blinding white.