Ryonara

Re-genesis: ERbF - Advent of Hope

Xia looked at the spiky man and the little girl. Seemed like the girl was okay with this weirdo coming with her, and while Xia had her doubts, she figured that so long as he didn't try to slit her throat she'd tolerate him too. The two strangers walked away towards the rooms and Xia holstered her guns and followed. As the group walked to Soa's room, Xia figured now would be a good time for some introductions. "By the way, name's Xia. I'm a pretty good shot with guns and I know how to handle myself up close too. Don't mind me if it seems like I just vanish from thin air either, I'm used to staying out of sight. Saved my life more than my guns do." Soon Soa took the two of them to a room, presumably hers. Xia really hoped that the girl was just going to be packing up her things and going, Xia was not THAT type of person. She really hoped spiky wasn't either.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

You used your telepathy three times, right? I corrected three of them anyways.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Suddenly, the night sky was darken by the bodies of demons. Small, moth like creatures circled around Meirin's and Ssarak's positions. She wasn't sure what was going on, but suddenly she was hit with memories of her past. Flashbacks of that fateful day when she failed her people, when she tried to go after that demonmancer. Meirin's body frozen and shivvered, fear over taking her. Was this about to happen again? Will she lose everyone close to her? One of the moths flew towards her, and at the last second she was able to dodge it's attack but was grazed. A small cut opened on her shoulder and a little bit of blood poured out. "Damn! What is this? Why are they attacking us!?"

This was not good. Meirin and Ssarak were too out in the open, and neither one of them were armed. She wasn't sure how Ssarak's magic could help them and she did not have enough space to use any of her Weaving. More of the Moths flew at them, and Meirin did her best to knock them back with her punches and kicks. But no matter how much damage she did to them or how many fell from the skies, more showed up. She saw a large one flying in the distance, and she figured he was the one who led the smaller moths. But she had no means to reach him and the longer she tried to defend the position, the more damange she accumilated. "Ssarak! We need to get out of here!"

Ssarak was distracted in thought for a few moments before he saw the demons start to circle them. At first, he wondered if Tyrael had started allowing his demons more free reign for whatever reason, but as soon as they started swooping towards them, it became clear that was not the case. Many questions raced through his mind. Were these Tyrael's demons? Had he lost control of them? Were there more like them causing damage elsewhere? These questions were important, but for the moment, they did not matter. All that mattered was getting to safety. Since they did not know the state of the rest of the colelge, it would be wise for them to find weapons. Ssarak's armor and axe were in his room, and the most direct route to his room was through the window.. These moth demons looked as if they could squeeze through just as well as he could, but being confined in a small room with him would put them at a great disadvantage.

Just as Ssarak spotted the large moth demon approaching in the distance, he grabbed Meirin tightly in both arms. "Agreed." He said as he jumped from the tower with her. Unfortunately, just as soon as he jumped, one of the smaler moths smacked into him from below, rolling him onto his back in mid-air. Another moth swooped down after him, taking aim with its stinger. It stabbed at them once, but he managed to swat its stinger away with his free arm before it found its mark. It put a slash across Ssarak's arm, but dealt no major damage. In retaliation, Ssarak managed to grab a hold of the base of the creature's wing, pull it closer to himself, and deliver a powerful bite to its head. He released it, then pushed it away, alive, but disoriented. Immediately, Ssarak moved to right himself. Their struggle had only lasted a few seconds total, but it was enough to bring them dangerously close to the ground.

Once again upright, Ssarak extended his wings and pulled up in time to avoid death at the hands of the college's stonework, though the moth demon he bit was not so fortunate. With the speed they had gathered in the descent, he was outrunning most of the moth demons, but a quick glance back revealed that the largest of them had powerful enough wings to keep up. Even more, as it drew closer, it projected a burst of acid at them, which only narrowly missed the pair. Ssarak quickly became more evasive, serpentining through the air in a rather graceful display of his flying skill. He narrowly avoided towers and buildings, making incredibly tight turns to try to throw off their pursuers. While the smaller ones were now nowhere in sight, the sheer speed of the large one allowed it to take longer routes and still keep up.

Even while zipping through the air, Ssarak caught glimples of the ground below which were not encouraging. Now that they were closer to the ground, he could see that there were fights raging across the college. Demons seemed to be swarming the college, attacking students, soldiers, each other. It was absolute chaos, and that was only what he could see from the outside. No doubt, there was likely even more fighting inside the buildings. They needed to arm themselves, but before they could even hope of doing so, they needed to lose the demons pursuing them.

Meirin held on tightly to Ssarak as he flew off. There wasn't much she could do from this position, though occasionally she was able to kick a moth away. Unlike Ssarak Meirin couldn't see very well as he flew through the air, forcing her to constantly be looking towards the ground to protect her eyes. What she did see, however, was utter chaos. The demons she saw a while ago "protecting" the college were now attacking them. In the distance, she saw the Eania and Djarkel soldiers fighting eachother, much to her surprise. "What are they doing!? Don't they realize the enemy is the demons, not each other!?"

When a splash of acid nearly hit the pair, Meirin looked back and saw the dmeon moth chasing them. It was the big one, which apparently could spit acid. "Dammit, if I just had something to throw at it..." Meirin looked ahead to try to see if there was anything Ssarak could drop near and catch for her, but what she saw instead was another small swarm of Moth Demons about to intercept them. She looked back at the bigger Moth Demon and hear it crackling. "Ssarak, ahead of you! That big moth demon must be communicating with the smaller ones to route us!" With quick reflexes, Meirin managed to catch an arrow that was fired at them. From the design, it looked demonic. "Damn! The skies aren't safe from those on the ground either!" Meirin turned her body and threw the arrow at a Moth Demon, but only succeeded it causing it to run into a wall while it tried to dodge the arrow.

Ssarak saw the group of demons ahead of him, all focusing in on them. Meirin was right, the large one had to be directing them for them to be able to be able to coorinate an ambush. Ssarak was flying alongside a building, so just before the moths were upon them, he shifted to the right, kicked off of the wall beside him, and drew in his wings around himself and Meirin as they spun quickly to the left. The moths were unable to correct their paths quickly enough, so the pair was able to sail past them unharmed. The moth demons frantically attempted to turn around to give chase, but just as before, it was the large demon which was threatening them the most.

Ssarak's evasive flying had allowed them to avoid the demon's acid thusfar, but their luck would not last forever. If he lost the largest of the demons, he doubted the others would be able to catch him. As he turned to make another pass between a few of the college's buildings, an idea came to mind. Right after evading another acid spray, he reached out with his psychomantic abilities and attempted focus on the creature's thoughts. It was a risk, as it was difficult to concentrate on both the task of flying and psychomancy. Had he not spent so much time with Satori practicing, he may have failed, but in the end, it was worth the risk. He managed to locate the moth demon's mind, which, like many demons, was unwarded. Focusing heavily on flight once more, he set himself up for his plan.

Setting his sights on a builidng ahead of him, Ssarak flew as quickly as he could towards it, then, just as before, banked to the left at the last second to narrowly avoid hitting the corner. However, as soon as he was clear, he sent a brief illusion into the moth demon's mind. It did not last long at all, and amounted to little more than a flash of light in its vision, but at the speeds they were travelling, even a fraction of a second could spell disaster. The illusion caused the moth to lose sight of where it was going for just long enough that it was unable to avoid the building as Ssarak had. It slammed headfirst into the stonework and fell to the ground below. Ssarak did not know how tough this creature was and if it could survive such an impact, but for the moment, it did not matter. The other moths had been put into disarray for long enough to allow the pair to slip away towards the dormitories.

After making his way to the window of his room, Ssarak was able to slow himself enough that he could rest his feet on the edge of the windowsil while grabbing onto a gap in the bricks above it. He had crawled in through his window before, but he could not open the window without another free hand. "Meirin, could you open this?" He asked quickly.

At this point Ssarak was going too fast for Meirin to get a good look at anything. She just tucked her head in and prepared for the worst. By the time they stopped Meirin had assumed that they crashed, but instead Ssarak had landed in front of a window. Judging by the items inside the room, it was a dorm. Ssarak's to be exact. He asked Meirin to opened the window for him, which she did. She jumped in and rolled to her feet. "Whoa. This is your room huh? Wait... Isn't your dorm next to mines?" If Meirin could get to her dorm, she could grab her weapons. But from the commotion outside, trying to sneak to her room might be risky. But there was another way...

"Yes, I believe so." Ssarak responded. The moment he had entered his room, he approached his armor, which was on its armor stand beside his axe. He removed his thick, fur coat so he could fit into it more easily, then started removing the pieces from the stand. His suit was a full set of plate armor, so naturally it was time consuming to put on, and time was not something they had in spades. "Could you assist me with this?" He asked as he began the process of equipping his armor.

Meirin was standing at the wall that seperated her room from Ssarak. She was tapping the stone wall with her fist when Ssarak asked her to help him suit up. "S-sure!" Meirin ran over to help him out, though all she could really do was adjust his belts and other buckles, as she was unaccustomed to dealing with such things. She once had some heavy training armor and a set of light chainmail, but neither of those she had here. Meirin helped Ssarak with his armor until she figured he could do the rest himself. "Ssarak, I'm about to do something a little bit stupid, so please forgive me..."

Standing halfway across the wall to her room, Meirin took a stance. It wasn't a weaving stance, rather, one of her martial arts stance. She took a deep breath before she shot out towards the wall. She unleashed a series of rapid punches in a wide fan arc in front of her. "Searing Red Fist!" She kept on punching until the walls began to crack. Suddenly she stopped, just as the wall was almost split from top to bottom. She than jumped into the air and brought her leg down in a full circle axe-kick. "Kick of Showering Biliance!" With her final strike the wall split open, crumbling around her. It all collapsed in a single thud, masked by the sound of the chaos outside.

Shaking her somewhat sore hand, Meirin came back witha few weapons. She had some knives hidden underneath her skirt strapped to her legs, and was wielding a pair of hook swords. She also had a three-section staff tucked into a speacial sheath on her waist. She florished with her swords before returning to Ssarak. "It has been some time since my blades have taste demon blood. Are you ready Ssarak?"

"So...where did you train again?" Ssarak commented as Meirin emerged, impressed to see such a display from someone of her size. Given the situation they were in, however, he quickly shrugged it off and moved on. He was now in his full armor, the dark steel plates making his form seem that much more intimidating. He wore a full helmet with few openings apart from the eye holes, which were large enough to allow for a normal field of vision. While that provided slightly less protection, Ssarak believed it to be a worthwhile trade. The helmet also had attached loose-fitting, overlapping plates which allowed his neck to be armored as well. Altogether, there were few weak points for blades to exploit. He grabbed his axe from its place on the wall and looked to the door.

"Yes, but we should proceed carefully. We need a plan before we move. From what I could see while we were flying overhead, the entire college seems to be in chaos. Until we know for sure otherwise, I am assuming that nowhere is safe. We should try to find other survivors, guards, soldiers, students, anyone who will join us. I believe the teachers are our best chance. They are each masters of their blood, powerful beings. Where do you think would be the best place to find them? I remember there were a few in the dining hall, though it is possible they left before the attack started." Ssarak said, trying to reason through the best course of action. As long as the large moth demon did not find him, it would be easy enough for both him and Meirin to escape if they wanted to, but Ssarak had no intention of leaving. This was the closest thing to a home he had found since leaving his homeland, and there were many whom he cared about attending. He was ready to fight and die for them, and any other student or teacher of the college.

When Ssarak asked where Meirin trained at, she just smiled at him and put her finger to her mouth. "A little place to the north. But I can tell you all about that later! Right now we need to go!" Meirin went to the door and peeked out carefully. Both halls had the sound of combat, but the one to their left seemed to actually be the more fearsome. Magic was being flow out viciously in that direction. She wasn't sure if demons had magic on their side, but she knew that if they tried to just charge into any horde, they would just die. "We should head to the dinning hall. If I remember correctly, many of the teachers were still there when I left. They'll likely already organized a fighting force we can join up with. That being said, we need to bring anyone we can with us too!" Basically saying everything Ssarak just did, Meirin opened the door and ran to the right. It was towards the dinning hall, that much she knew, but with all this chaos she couldn't be certain that she could take the shortest path there.

Leaving the dorm area was fairly easy, but when it opened up into large hallways, that was where most of the fighting was at. Many guardsmen and students were fending off demons. The guards were putting up a valiant effort, but the demons were simply outnumbering them. However, Meirin and Ssarak had the element of surprise, the demons were so focused on trying to fight the guards they wouldn't be expecting the two student attacking them from behind. "Ssarak, I will not lie, I know that even if I can take down one by myself without someone by my side I cannot take on many of these demons. So lets you and I focus on taking out one or two demons at a time. I shall strike first and stun them with an attack, and I'll need you to use your strength to finish them off. I'll ensure that no one else attacks you as you finish the demons, but we must kill quickly before they realize what is going on. Are you ready?"

As Meirin left the room, Ssarak ran to catch up, then moved alongside her. Luckily, there had not been demons immediately outside the room, but the next hallway over was a different matter. They were not noticed as soon as they rounded the corner, so they were able to survey the fight playing out before them. There appeared to be about seven or eight of the college's guards backed up against a wall near a door, with an even greater number of demons swarming them. Most were small, imp like demons, but one was tall, around the height of Ssara, but with more body mass. It had a large, club like arm, and strength to match its appearance. It slammed its arm into the shield of one of the guards who failed to evade, knocking him off of his feet. Another strike from the club was all it took to finish him off. Another guard used the opportunity to get in a slash at its torso, but the imps quickly drove him back into the sort of shield wall the guards had formed.

Ssarak looked to Meirin and nodded. He responded not aloud, but with a telepathic message. "Agreed, we need to save those guards. If we can kill the large one, they may be able to fight off the imps. Distract it, and I will move for the kill." His psychomantic abilities were not yet to the point where they were especially useful for offense, but that did not mean they were useless in combat. With telepathic communication, he could coordinate with allies to an impressive degree. He could very clearly tell others his intent and warn them of danger without fear of his opponents hearing. Plus, when compared to other abilities, it was hardly draining: a powerful tool indeed.

Meirin was a bit surprised when Ssarak spoke through her mind, though she did remember he was a Psychomancer. All those classes must be paying off for him. Meirin just smirked quietly towards him, gave him a nod, and charged. Her footsteps were silent compared to the noise the demons were making, and by the time one of the imps turned around to watch it's back Meirin's foot was already planted into it's face. She sprang off the imp and over the larger demon. From above she slammed the hooks over her blades into the demon's shoulders, and used her body weight to bring it to the ground. The demon roared in pain, but was cut short when it's head slammed against the floor. But it wasn't dead, not yet. "Now Ssarak!" Meirin shouted as she slashed an Imp across the chest, causing it and it's other brethern to back away.

As Ssarak's eyes locked into his target, he went into what was almost a trance. His focus went wholly and completely into the battle. He took in every last detail he could see on the demons' movements, and those of his allies. By the time Meirin sunk her blades into the flesh abomination's shoulder, he was already rushing forward. Just before reaching the imps, he jumped and flapped his wings to give him additional height. He brought down his axe onto the demon's chest with the full force of his strength and the momentum afforded to him by gravity. The axe cut deeply into its chest cavity, the immense force breaking through bone as if it were paper. As soon as he was on the ground, Ssarak drug the axe through its body down towards its abdomen, creating a gaping wound which exposed most of its innards. Needless to say, between their two attacks, the flesh abomination was no longer alive. The element of surprise had given them the advantage they needed to take it down quickly, but the imps still remained, and they were now acutely aware of their presence.

Ssarak pulled his axe from the demon's body and prepared to face the remaining imps, but they were surrounded on two sides. Fortunately, Ssarak saw how to turn this to an advantage. With himself and Meirin in the middle, the imps' force was split unevenly, with less imps on the left of the guards' shield wall than on the right. Thinking quickly, Ssarak sent another telepathic message, this time to the guards and Meirin. "Push through the middle, split their force and form a defensive wall. Let us handle the left side.". He said. Although he was not a guard and had no authority over them, the tone with which he spoke in their minds was a commanding one. It was clear that his words were not a suggestion. Since none of the guards' armor bore the marks of a ranking officer, and Ssarak had the appearance of knowing what he was doing, he found it likely that they would listen. Swatting away an imp behind him with his tail, he glanced back to see that he was correct. A few of the guards moved into the gap behind him, using their shields to hold off the larger force of imps. He and Meirin now had a better chance, but they were still outnumbered by over two to one on their flank.

Once the bigger demon fell, the moral of the imps dropped. Without the big one, the little imps induvidually didn't have much confidence to fight against the guards, who themselves were releived thanks to Ssarak and Meirin's assitance. Now they were on the attack, while the imps tried their best to hold their ground or flee. Even the imps that were facing Ssarak and Meirin were hesitant, more so since Ssarak managed to kill their strongest so easidly. Two imps tried to attack Meirin thinking she was an easier target. On had the hilt of her blade driven into it's skull for it's trouble, while the other one had it's neck sliced as she cut him as the imp flew past her. It's limp corpse was caught on the hook of her blade, which she than threw towards the other imps. They dodged the body, but left themselves open to an attack by Meirin. She charged forward and hooked the tip of her two blades together, swinging one of her swords through a small group of imps. Two of them were cut on the face but where still alive. One who was too close got decapitated.

Meirin stepped back to Ssarak's side, both her blades back in hand. The guards made quick work of the imps on their side, but the ones Ssarak and Meirin dealt with pulled a dirty trick. The guards were protecting some students, and one of the imps grabbed a young boy by his neck. The boy screamed, but his screams were muffled as the imp closed it's claw around his neck. "Rotted bastard!" The imp meant to use the boy as a shield as it backed away, but there was no telling what would become of him if Meirin or Ssarak allowed the imp to escape. "Damn! Ssarak, is there anything you can do?"

With their force split and leader dead, the tides had turned against the imps. The guards were using the opportunity to push forward together while Ssarak and Meirin guarded their backs. For Ssarak, he stuck close to Meirin to guard her right flank. The imps were less apt to attack him, but he managed to slice into a few who were too slow to evade his axe. One attempted to rust past him on the right to attack the back of one of the guards, but he managed to swing out his tail to trip the demon, then crush its head under his boot. When he turned back around, he saw another rushing towards him, evidently trying to jump on his back while he was facing away. Fortunately, he turned fast enough that it was only able to harmlessly swipe its claws across his metal chestplate. In response, he bashed it with his shoulder to knock it to the ground, then decapitated it with a single swing.

At this point, Ssarak saw the demon dragging away a young elven student. The reason the guards had been pushed against the door was because they were guarding students inside, and though the guards pushing forward was driving most of them away, it had allowed this one to steal away a hostage. The student was thrashing around, trying to break free, but the imp was strong enough to hold him as it backed away.

Thinking quickly, Ssarak devised a plan he hoped would work. He sent the boy a telepathic message, this time with as calming of a tone as he could create. "Be still, do not struggle, do not move at all, and I can save you." He said, maintaining eye contact with the student. The few imps remaining on their flank were either backing away or bleeding out, so he could focus on the student. Thankfully, the student listened to Ssarak and gave up on struggling. At the same time, Ssarak created a minor illusion in the imp's mind. Everything appeared the same except for a streak of what looked like blood on the student's neck. Hopefully, the blood, combined with the fact that he had suddenly stop moving, would convince the imp that it had accidentally slit his throat in the struggle. With its hostage "dead," it could attempt to just run away without him.

The Imp jeered and taunted at Ssarak and Meirin until it noticed the elf in it's hand stopped moving. In it's eyes, he had killed the elf, and from the look Meirin was giving it, the imp was in for a world of hurt. It tossed away the elf and tried to run, but Meirin stopped the imp by throwing one of her knives at it's legs. It fell to the ground before another knife sunk into the back of it's skull. The elf boy laid stilled, continuing to play dead. Meirin stepped forward and cut down another imp, and this caused all of them to scatter. The guards stayed close but made sure to finish off any of the imps who were dying or may have not been completely dead. Meirin herself retreived and cleaned off her two throwing knives before returning to Ssarak. "This area is clear, but we're still a bit away from the dinning hall. See if we can get those guards and the students to come with us, I'll scout ahead to try to find us a clear path to take."

While Meirin focused on the final imps, Ssarak went over to check on the elven student. He was frightened, but unharmed. He helped him off of his feet and allowed him to return to the other students, who were hidden away in the room the guards had been defending. They had been successful in helping the guards, at least reasonably so. By the bodies scattered around, several had died before they arrived, and one perished in the skirmish with the imps afterwards. And, by what Ssarak witnessed while they were flying over the college, for every victory like this, there were likely a dozen defeats. It was hard to bear how many were dying; it was only by virtue of his training that Ssarak was remaining as composed as he was.

"Very well, but I would not go far. There is a chance more demons could come in behind you and seperate you from us if you do. Nowhere is safe, so we need to be cautious." Ssarak responded before turning to the guardsmen. Based on the armor of one of the corpses, the officer present had perished before they arrived. They all looked shaken up, but Ssarak knew they, unfortunately, did not have time to wait and recover.

"We cannot remain here. The demons that escaped may bring more to us. We were heading to the dining hall; that is where we last saw several of the college's teachers. They are powerful, and our best chance of survival." Ssarak explained. One of the guards, a human female, was the first to step forward.

"We have students here to protect, and they're not good fighters. There are few enough of us left as it is. If we get ambushed, we might not be able to protect ourselves, let alone them." She said, her voice showing her concern.

Ssarak nodded understandingly. "I know, but to stay here would just as surely mean death. This position is not defensible, and there are no easy methods of escape. If we move, we may have a chance of finding more allies."

After a pause, the guard sighed. "Are you sure?"

Ssarak shook his head. "Nothing is sure, but this is the best chance I see."

The guards all exchanged looks, with fear and uncertainty being common expressions. With their time growing shorter, the guard eventually nodded in response and motioned for one of the other guards to collect the students. "Alright, let's go."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

EliteCommander said
We could do another collab on it. I'm sure that, even if she couldn't help, she would have a definite reaction to everything going on. It's just that I might not be able to do much with it today with this project. Still, I could go to that titanpad we were last using.

I guess we could go back to that old pad. When you're available, meet me there.

Adventurers of Lemea (Lands of Lemea RS)

Morgan was watching the entire time, knowing that she can't take over Damian right now until his mind weaken. She was pretending to sleep and was going to strike when he least expected it. However, keeping quiet was hard. There were so many things she wanted to look at or make Damian tell her about. When she spotted the man laying in the dirt, she wanted to help him, but before she would blurt out Damian was already gone. She nearly blew her cover trying to get him to go back, but she knew that it was only a matter of time. "I'll just want until he's out of the way and I can go see if that mortal is okay!" She watched as Damian got inside a Tavern and ordered a bunch of food and drinks. She knew he was looking for others, but from what Morgan saw, there was already a party forming without him. If he didn't take the initiative and talk to them, he'd be left behind. "Hey, Damian! Look over there, people! Adventurers! Go talk to them, they might be looking for the Well of Wishes!" She couldn't keep the silence up for long and started to pester her host. "Or just get drunk and let me talk to them! No one is going to see you, let me out let me out let me out!"

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Take your time Commander. I don't really have any ways for Meirin to fight off the moths until we get on more solid floor, so you can go ahead and move her a bit.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

After Ssarak finished his meal, he and Meirin went somewhere more open. While it was not necessarily voided of others, as there were some other students and guards around, there was much more open space than within the dinning hall. Meirin had goosebumps all over her and butterflies in her stomach, excited for what was about to happen. She turned to Ssarak just barely able to conceal her excitement. "Are you prepared?"

After a brief stop by Ssarak's room so he could offload his armor and axe, the pair made their way out to a clearing large enough for Ssarak to take off comfortably. Of course, he did not require much space, but being in an open area would likely be calming to Meirin. He had changed into his fur coat and trousers, but even they could not keep him completely warm in the cold night air. Regardless, once he was in the air, he would likely feel downright hot from the heat his body would be producing.

Ssarak nodded. "Indeed I am. I understand many Humans have a very reasonable fear of heights, especially when they have no ground upon which to stand. I will take it slow at first and let you decide whether we should go higher. Do not worry, I will keep a tight grip on you, so you will be in no danger of falling. I believe, if anything, you can trust that I have the strength to carry you. Now..." He began as he walked around behind her. "...are you ready?"

"Yes!"

Smiling at her enthusiasm, Ssarak grabbed her in his arms, then, with a brief running start, outstretched his wings and jumped to assist him with his take-off. With his full wingspan now visible, the already-large Esyire appeared almost gigantic. The sheer force of the wind being pushed beneath his wings could knock someone off of their feet if they were not prepared. Due to the limited space within the college walls, he flew in slow, tight circles.

Just as Ssarak said, he went slowly at first. Meirin kept her breathing steady as he held her in his arms. Despite looking like a dragon, he was oddly warm to the touch. Perhaps it had to do with the fur coat he wore, but his body itself felt like it was being heated by a fire. Or maybe Meirin was just getting cold from her anxiety. She held onto Ssarak lightly at first, but it wasn't until they were a good thirty feet off the ground that she started to grip onto his arms with more strength. It was quite high, but they weren't even above the college's walls yet. "Let's try to go a bit higher. Maybe... Above one of the towers?" While holding tightly with one hand, Meirin pointed towards a tower in the distance. It wasn't the tallest they had, but it was a good four stories high.

"Of course." Ssarak responded, having to speak a bit more loudly due to the sound of the wind. With a few strong flaps of his wings, he pushed them higher until they were above the height of the college's walls. Now that he had more freedom of movement, he was able to keep them on a more steady, straight path until they reached the tower. All the while, he made sure to keep a tight grip on Meirin. Not enough to cause her harm or restrict her breathing, but enough to constantly remind her that he had her secure. As they made their first pass by the tower, Meirin would be able to see the first actually impressive view of the landscape beyond the college. It was a view Ssarak had seen many times flying around the college, but even he could appreciate its beauty, especially around sunset.

Meirin held onto Ssarak tightly and, admittedly, had her eyes closed for a short duration of the flight. Though he could move with more stability this also meant that he was moving a bit faster, which made Meirin a bit scared even though Ssarak had her safely in his arms. Meirin only opened her eyes when she felt Ssarak turn, and that's when she saw the world from above. The moon was high into the sky, lighting everything below in a dim light. But the college itself was glowing brightly from the various fires and light sources, presenting a sight that she would have never seen from the ground. It was breath taking, and Meirin was speechless. But while it was certainly impressive, it was not the highest. Deciding that she was confident enough at this height, she tugged on Ssarak's coat to get his attention. "Try... Try to take me as high as you can!"

Ssarak, laughed, enjoying Meirin's enthusiasm. It was good that he practiced regularly at carrying loads in flight, as it meant he was hardly fatigued, and wouldn't be for a while, especially if he took advantage of the updrafts the buildings created. "How about we start with the top of the college, then go from there. As high as I can go is, well, pretty high." Ssarak brought himself near one of the towers, though not close enough to worry Meirin, and added the force of his own wings to the updraft to lift them even higher. He did his best to keep himself steady as they rose in altitude. Although he was more than capable of performing complicated maneuvers, he doubted Meirin would appreciate that at this point. For now, the simple act of flying would be amazing enough. It took a few minutes to climb, but eventually, they were on the same level as the tallest point at the college. At this height, all of the college was in sight at the same time. After circling the tallest tower a few times, he started to fly a bit farther away from the college so that she could see a more complete, and impressive, view of its structures. "So, is it everything you hoped it would be?"

Meirin's fear was replaced with amazement. Flying so high in the night sky was much more impressive than she had expected. The night often hid things in the dark, but from the skies she could see everything. She could see hundreds of people milling about in the college, the forest at the far edge of the horizon, and the moon that was just out of this world. Somehow it seemed much bigger in the skies, but maybe that was because she was closer. When Ssarak asked if she thought it was as she hoped it'd be, she just pressed her body closer to his body. "It's more than what I could have ever imagined. Thank you for allowing me to see something like this, Ssarak. It's... I'm speechless, honestly." Meirin gazed at the world below, taking in all the sights. Burning it into her memories.

"I am always glad to help a friend." Ssarak said with a smile, not that she could actually see it from her angle. He started to bring them back closer to the college, but maintained his altitude. Once they neared the central tower again, he motioned towards it with a nod of his head. "You see that tower, the tallest one? I happen to know that it is safe to land inside those arches. Or, if you wish to be ambitious, on top of the dome itself. A bit more dangerous, but there is enough room to stand, and there is the spire at the top to hold on to. Plus, it is the highest point at the college. Would you like for me to set down there?" He asked.

Meirin watched the skies as Ssarak brought them back towards the college. Ssarak asked her if she wanted to land at what looked like a bell tower. Ssarak said that it was possible for him to land inside, or maybe even on top. She had to admit, if Ssarak wasn't here she would be scared out of her mind. Being back on solid ground would be nice. But something told her that she should take the highest ground she could, even if she just went higher in the skies. "Let's land on the dome! It'll be nice for us to put our feet on something solid again."

"Right away." Ssarak responded. He brought them a bit higher, then approached the tower from above. He circled once to slow himself, then flapped his wings with as much force as he could muster as they neared the spire at the center of the dome. The sound from the wind rushing beneath his wings would likely be overwhelming to Meirin, though Ssarak was of course used to it. The moment his feet touched the dome, he grabbed the central spire while still keeping his other arm wrapped tightly around Meirin. Once they were stationary, he lowered her enough that she could place her feet on the dome as well, but did not release his grip. He was taking no chances with her safety. "Okay, I want you to take a few moments to regain your bearings before I let go. We are very high up, and I want to make sure your balance is stable before releasing you."

For some reason Meirin chuckled as they landed on the dome. It was so dangerous, but so exciting now! Their life, or at least hers, was in great danger. She relished danger. Once Ssarak landed Meirin put her feet on the ground. She was wobbly at first as the flight had made her unprepared for a solid footing, more so since it wasn't even. But after a few seconds, she was able to keep a firm foothold on the dome's surface. Even though she could stand on her own feet, she still held onto Ssarak. Not for his support, but simply to hold onto him. She looked around the college area. While it was not quite as impressive as it was before, it was still a sight to behold. But now she felt more relaxed, calmed, and even allowed herself to lean again Ssarak as a means to feel more comfortable. He was warm, which was nice as the night's chilly air would have made her shiver. Meirin looked into the skies, specifically the moon. "You know, I think this moon is exactly how it was when we first met, back at the opening ceremony. I remember... I remember that you were in pain. And I wanted to help you. But now it seems like you have become much stronger since than, and now I'm the one who should thank you."

Meirin clung to Ssarak tightly as she watched the clouds move in front of the moon. She rested her head against his chest, her red hair flowing in the wind.

Ssarak looked out over the horizon as Meirin was gaining her bearings. The view from the apex of the tower was impressive, but she was experiencing it on an entirely different level from himself. In a way, he envied her. An experience that was, for him, mundane, was exhilarating to her. Majestic vistas and superb views of landscapes were normal when in flight, so he had grown used to them long ago. He wished he could look upon them with the same wonder as when he was a child. Still, to see Meirin's reaction was entirely worth it, in his mind. To know that he had been responsible for the happiness of another gave him quite the warm feeling. Even as she regained her footing, she held on tightly to him, which suited him just fine. Not only could he share in her warmth on the cold night, but at such a height, the closer she was, the safer she was. He looked to the moon as Meirin called attention to it. Indeed, it did seem that their positions had shifted since the first day they had met, though he was glad he was not having to save her from excruciating pain. That situation would be much less pleasant than the current one.

"I am glad you are enjoying it. Even if I cannot appreciate these sights the same way you can, to see how elated you are brings a smile to my face. I enjoy helping friends, especially since you were so willing to take the time to help me. If you ever need help, or want to go on another flight, you need only ask." He said, glancing down with a smile.

The wind, though cold, felt pleasant on Meirin's face as she rested against Ssarak's body. It was a perfect night, despite all that's happened. The moon was bright in the skies, people below were enjoying their lives, and she was with pleasant company. She didn't think anything could ruin the mood. "Thank you Ssarak. Just remember that... You're not alone either. If you ever want my help, or even just want to talk, you can always come to me. I like being with you."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I just hope our collab finishes before you guys do. It's a race against time now.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Oh boy...

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Maybe the college has a Signal Tower. Think of that one scene from lord of the rings when "Gondor calls for Aid". It's fairly open and flat, but it's also very high up.