Yeah, storms are awful! I'm still glad you're alright, though! ^-^ And hey, I like that feather :3

I'm here. Might need a quick reminder of where everyone is, though.

@Radiant Well, I know Maldy-boi and Vitis are pretty much just stalling until we can get Shadow and Fade here at the same time, so they'll likely be heading back to the school where Fayveer used to be, I can't quite remember where everyone else is...

(Lilly) Alright then. Though I don't know the chances of us getting both Shadow and Fade here at the same time. XD

I know that Ardens is with Mac to get him a new arm.

I kinda left Ivy standing around last time, so I think I'll say she's in the city somewhere.

Hello!

I'm here but I have to use online comments

Hey Turtle and Griffin!

Hi Radiant!

Hey everyone! :)

When we start my responses might be really slow because I'm watching my little sister. :T

(Griffin) No problem. Do we know who's going to be here today?

@Radiant Well, Shadow said she'd be out of town almost all day, so she probably won't be here.

@Radiant No ones spoken to me so I don't know :(

Hmm, seems like we've been having more trouble getting everyone together lately.

Yeah, it has been quite a busy few months though

@Radiant Yeah, I guess most of us are just really busy. As it is, one of the only times @Mademoinette got to join was when we hosted an RP on a Thursday. As I recall, they said that Saturday wasn't a very good day for them to join overall.

Yeah... unfortunately I'll probably be busy soon as well, as I'm looking for a job. XD

But hopefully things will pick up.

Whoops sorry for disappearing

(I might be absent for a bit, so if you all want to start don't wait up for me.)

I'm OK with starting now, if anyone else wants to.

I'm fine with starting :p

One of y'all go ahead and start.

Who wants to start?

(Kole) Yeah, everyone's kind of stuck right now. XD I have no idea what to do so somebody else can start

(I suppose I can start, then XP

@Kole Well, Maldius is just kind of flying around with Casta and Vitis and BlackIce and Scratch, pretty much just stalling until we can get Shadow and Fade on at the same time, so I wouldn't think you've missed too much XP )

( @Kole Haha, well, real life likes to happen a lot XP )

Maldius begins his return flight to Aquilam, but not to Solaris, he flies toward the school he came to loathe so many years ago. //I hope Master isn't there... but where else would he be?//

@Lilly Next time @Fade's on, I suggest you two skip to Sherry's arrival to Solaris.

( @Aggron I agree :p )

Ivy yawned, making her way down a corridor somewhere in the palace. After Mac had gone with Ardens to have a prosthetic leg fitted, she decided to explore the interior of the palace by herself. It was quite lavishly decorated in some places, she noticed, though there were surprisingly few dragons walking about.

(Alright, see you @Kole! I hope you'll join again soon! :) )

Scratch mumbled quietly under his breath, keeping his appearance hidden under a cloak he stole. Hearing a dragon look at him oddly, the old wingless dragon approached the staring by passer.
"Spare change? I'm old and blind...." Scratch croaked.
"Find your own!" The stranger replied with a yelp, attempting to avoid his hand.
The blind dragon placed his hand on the strangers shoulder, and looked up at him. "The Dark Master will find you..." He hissed.

"WHAT?!?! Get your hands off of me, you crazy bat!" The now worried stranger replied with another yelp.

"As you wish..." And with that, Scratch slipped his hand off of the Dragon's shoulder, quietly and almost unnoticeably taking off the stranger's gold necklace, before stalking away before they had a chance to notice it was gone.

( @Turtlee Yaaasssss I've been waiting for Scratch to make that reference! Ahhh I love it!! XD )

{Vitis enjoys the breeze as Maldius flies.}

{In the shop at Wyrvane, Ardens waits with Mac. From the back of the shop, Biceras approaches the pair.}"Hello, Ardens, hello, Mac. What brings you two here?"

(I'm back!)

Noxaura reached the entrance of the palace and and looked over the capital with an uninterested glance.
Erwen, meanwhile had retreated back into the throne room and was repairing any left over damage from the fight with his father the other night.

(Welcome back, @Griff! :) )

Ivy continued to walk until she spotted the throne room ahead. At that point she halted, suppressing a gasp at the sight of the damage. After another moment she recovered and hurried forwards to inspect it more closely, not noticing Erwen.

Mac bowed slightly to Biceras as a greeting. "I um, I need a new leg- I mean arm." He wiggled his stump for an arm around, as if it was a normal thing.

{Biceras grabs Mac's stump-leg, and examines it.}" That's horrible! Mac, how'd this happen?

Erwen turned his head slightly to get a look at Ivy but didn't reach out and call to her. He went back to using his telekinesis to push stone back together and hold any unstable structures.

The dark dragon eventually lands before the entrance of the old favored school of Aquilam, his unstable emotions fighting within himself, instinct telling him to flee in terror from this place, while feelings of hate try to burn down his fear, though Maldius hides his inner turmoil behind and emotionless mask. "Here we are..." he states simply, allowing Vitis to dismount.

'You seem to be quite... busy,' said Ivy, risking speaking directly to the young King. 'Don't you have servants to do this kind of work for you?' She sat down about ten feet away and observed with a keen eye as Erwen repaired the damage.

{Vitis dismounts Maldius.}"Welp, let's go talk to your 'maker-master-guy'."{Vitis enters the school.}

(Here! Sorry for lateness! I keep forgetting that TDS begins at 2:30 my time. xP)

(I'll also have to use online because my 3ds is being repaired right now.)

(Hey, Fade!)

(Hey, @Fade!)

Erwen looked at where Ivy sat in the corner of his vision but continued working. "Servants could get hurt easily here, since I have the power I may as well use it." He used his extra pair of limbs to push some rubble back into its original spot.

Mac looked over at Arden's, wondering if it was okay to tell her about the battle. "It was a while ago, but we had a scormish with a um- criminal, and I lost my leg...." The three legged dragon replied, in the most suddle and easy way of explaining it.

(Hey @Fade, glad you could make it!)

(Hey Aggron and Radiant!)

( @Griffin: Haha, I nearly forgot... again. I've been doing that a lot lately. 'xD

'Well, you certainly seem to have the necessary skill to do it,' Ivy commented. 'Maybe when you're finished there, we could talk? I'd like to know exactly what you plan to do about that brute called Maldius.'

Maldius enters the school as well, leading the great serpent into the secret depths, which are now eerily silent, and devoid of life, both living and the undead. "... Perhaps he is not here any longer..." the dark dragon mutters quietly as he examines the deathly silent area.

(Hey @Fade! Good to see you! ^-^ Give me a few minutes to get lunch, and we can continue with Maelstrom and Sherry :p )

{Before Biceras can say anything, Ardens speaks up.}"We had a fight with Maldius. He manipulated Mac's curse into turning him against us and he accidentally blew his own leg off."{Biceras just lets that sink in for a moment before letting go of Mac.}"Well, that explains the burns.....Umm, do you lose control of your fire often while fighting ancient demons, Mac?"

( @Lilly: Alrighty then! I'm gonna ask that you start off this time so that we don't keep flying forever. xD)

Erwen pauses and stops moving things. He turns and walks up to Ivy until he's standing in front of her. "I have no plans on how to handle him yet. I'm focused on the wellbeing of my citizens at the moment." Even though his attention was on Ivy all of his magic was still in effect on their surroundings.

Ivy tilted her head and gazed up at Erwen, who was slightly taller than her. 'That sounds like a fine idea, but you should be prepared in case he decides to turn up here. We all need to be ready to fight him, after all.' She was distracted momemtarily by a bit of rock floating overhead, then returned her attention back to Erwen. 'And considering I've been lucky enough to actually meet Maldius, I might be able to help you out a little.' She spoke with dry humour.

Erwen nodded. "Your help would be greatly appreciated then." He noticed her moment of distraction and lowered the rubble and rocks that were still in the air.

{Vitis slithers through the halls, searching for anyone. He tastes the air, detecting only rot.}"Hmmm, maybe he's not home."{Vitis slithers into the experimenting room where Mac had been kept. He stops in front of Fayveer's crumpled physical form.}"Hmm, I wonder what killed him. Looks like he's missin' his insides."

(Back! @Fade lol, alright XD )

Sherry leans over Xzar's shoulder to smile down at the city of Solaris. "Mister Xzar, look! We've made it!"

Ivy dipped her head respectfully. 'If you ever want to talk to me, I'll either be walking around the city or - if it's dark - in the hotel close to the palace. I'll be happy to chat whenever's convenient for you.' She winked at him and stood up, half-expecting him to dismiss her.

"I can't really say, I've only 'fought' an Ancient Demon once....." Mac replied.

Following Vitis, Maldius feels mildly relieved upon seeing his master's corpse. "That's certainly my Master, alright. Seeing as we won't accomplish anything with this corpse, we ought to search through his notes, perhaps we'll find something there." So saying, the dark dragon picks up one of the books Fayveer once wrote in, holding it upside down, and finds that, curiously, the text inside is written in some indecipherable language.

Erwen dipped his head. "I'll hold you to that then." He noticed a piece of the wall crumbling and quickly caught the falling pieces. "It's a little unsafe here at the moment, It'd be safer for you to go outside. I apologize for the mess."

{Vitis looks about, noticing that the chamber looks ransacked.}"Not much to look through. Seems like whoever or whatever did this cleaned the poor fool out."{Vitis stops at the sound of rapid footsteps and a shadowy form passing the entrace of the room.}"What was that?!"

{Biceras beckons Mac to follow her to the back of her shop.}"First off, I'll need to attach a conduit to your stump so that a new limb can be attached. In order to do so, I'll need to expose the living nerves."{Biceras produces a nasty looking bladed tool.}"Come sit on the table and we'll get started."

'Oh, no need to apologise,' said Ivy breezily. 'I'll just be on my way now. Later, Your Majesty.' She ducked her head in a quick bow before turning and leaving the throne room. Once outside, she spread her short wings and took off through a window, swooping over the city.

(Sorry for the late reply, I got distracted.)

Also seeing the Aquilam city, Xzar altered his flight pattern and began to descend toward the palace. "Alright," he said to Sherry as he passed over shops and cottages, "We're going to go in there quickly, say goodbye to your friends, and then head straight to Chrysos. Got it?"

Quickly snapping to attention, Maldius cloaks himself with invisibility, setting aside the book he had held. Using his illusion magic, he speaks a command that only his servant may hear, "Vitis, invisibility, now."

"Okay, Mister Xzar!" Sherry beams, "I'm gonna go see Prince Erwen first, do you want to come with me?"

( @Fade That's alright, it happens to me, too XP )

Erwen went back to repairing the throne room after Ivy left.
From the entrance Noxaura walked inside and looked at his progress. She went to a safer part of the room and sat there watching Erwen silently. "You fought him here?"

//Since I know you'll take your sweet time on your own,// "Of course," the red dragon replied. With a final pump of his wings, Xzar landed in the stony clearing in front of the castle and spread out one wing so Sherry could climb off.

"Oh, right!"{Vitis turns invisible}"Let's get out of here!"

Ivy noticed Xzar passing overhead and watched him for a moment, vaguely wondering if she'd seen him somewhere before. //Well, he looks so hideously ordinary that I've probably seen a dozen dragons that look like him,// she sneered, letting the stranger fly by without calling out to him.

Sherry cheerfully bounces off Xzar, turning to smile up at him, then starts hopping and skipping inside. "Hey Mister Xzar, have you ever been inside the palace before?"

(Maelstrom to Ivy: Well, you //do// stare at the mirror very often, I'm sure... You must get bored of seeing drab, hideous dragons every day.)

Nodding, Maldius turns and leaves the room, advancing slowly as he keeps his guard up. He muffles the sound of his heavy footsteps, and already builds up Mystic fire in his throat, should he be attacked. //Should anything attempt to threaten me here, I will be prepared...//

Xzar made a move to follow but paused, glancing up at the stony structure before him. Something seemed off about the palace, but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around it. With a snort, the red dragon followed Sherry through the doors. "I have not," he admitted as he took in the vast architecture around them. "I know you have. But for what reasons?"

(Ivy: I don't like what you're implying, young man. I am the single most radiant dragon in Lecra, and a creature made out of rusty scrap metal can't possibly compare to me.)

Macgyver looked at the sharp object, and let out a small and almost inaudiable whimper. But nonetheless, he followed Biceras' orders.

Scratch continued to sneakily steal treasure and valuable items from unnexpecting dragons. He stopped after a while and proudly looked down at his haul.

(Maelstrom: You keep telling yourself that. One day you'll figure out the reason why the only dragon who obsesses over you is yourself.)

{Vitis moves in time with Maldius. He signals him to stop unexpectedly.}"That wasn't here before!" {In the middle of the coridoor in front of them, one of Fayveer's mindless puppets lies dead in a puddle of blood.}

Sherry is completely oblivious to the structure around her. She hums a little tune until Xzar asks his question, then replies, "We came here to explore, and I got to make some new friends, like Mister King Lennox, and Prince Erwen, and Miss Noxaura, and Mister Ardens! Prince Erwen told me he was going to try to make things better in Aquilam, so maybe people here wouldn't be so grumpy! And I think you'll like Mister King Lennox, he's kinda quiet, but he's really nice, he makes me think of my dad." The sunny little dragonet pauses a moment, as if being thoughtful for once, then says, "Wouldn't ot be great if everyone stopped fighting, Mister Xzar?"

(Ivy: Oh, don't be ridiculous. Everyone's just too shy to talk to me because I'm so unbelievably glamorous! I'm sure even you like me, you just won't admit it.)

(*it

Maldius: @Ivy *singing* You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Ivy...)

Erwen tilted his head in Nox's direction. "I thought it was obvious." He shrugged went back to his work, oblivious to the visitors that would be arriving soon.

The dark dragon lets out a quiet growl. "Keep on your toes, so long as we are careful, I do not suppose whatever is here with us can sense magic..." Maldius then continues to stalk towards the exit, staying alert for even the tiniest movement or sound.

(Ivy: *curls lip at Maldius* Don't you start talking as well, I think my ears might explode from the sound of your voices droning on.)

Xzar stopped and watched Sherry, unable to describe his feelings at the moment. //This whole time I've been so cold and blunt toward her, yet she still calls me nice? Is she simply ignorant of everything that goes on around her?// Her question only caused his thoughts to run deeper. //And she can so easily imagine a world without war and death. But it can't just end like the click of talons. There's so much of it going around. The only way to stop it is by convincing everybody who is fighting to lay down their vengeance and submit to a treaty of peace. Peace... That sounds pleasant. Why can't we just have peace?// "I suppose so..."

(Maelstrom: That would be simply wonderful. It would put the poor broccoli out of its misery. Let us keep droning on and on and see if she explodes, shall we, partner?)

{Biceras gives Mac something to bite down on and proceeds to remove the burned flesh from his stump arm.}
( @Lilly is Maldy-boi stepping through the blood?)

(Ivy: *outraged shriek* YOU CAN'T KILL ME! THE WORLD WILL SUFFER WITHOUT MY BEAUTY!)

(Maelstrom to Ivy: No, you've got it the wrong way around. Your existence is what makes the world suffer. Please do us a favor and return to nonexistence.)

(I might get going soon, it's getting kinda late here.)

Macgyver holds in a yelp by biting hard on the object. He uses all of his might to keep his hands and tail tip from setting on fire. It was like holding in a fart.

( @Radiant: Aww, alrighty then.)

( @Turtlee: Nice comparison. You couldn't have done anything else?)

( @Radiant awww okay

@Turtle omg XD)

(Hey, holding in a fart is really painful)

(Maldius: *still singing* Given the choice between the two of you...

Maldius: I'd take the seasick crocodile!)

"Yeah... and then, no one would have to worry about their friends getting hurt. It might take a long time, but people will listen to Prince Erwen, because he's the Prince! I'd really like to come back here when that happens, and-" Sherry suddenly pauses, the cheer in her step fading. "and... not visit you, because you don't like me... but... I hope you'll always be in good health, Mister Xzar."

(Maldius: I didn't see your comment, but yes, my partner, I'd loved to see an exploding Ivy.

Aww, alright @Radiant :/

@Aggron No, I hadn't taken that into consideration, unless there's no other way around it XD )

( @Turtlee Ewwww. Thanks for that mental image.) {Biceras finishes and puts a wad of clean linnen on the stump to stop the bleeding.}"So, Mac, how're things over in Aquilam? Things must be pretty crazy with Maldius and all that. I really haven't had an opportunity to go see for myself, having to work and all."

( @Lilly Well, he can either hover or try to find another passageway. There might not be a lot of space to maneuver around in though, I don't know how cramped those hallways are.)

(Ivy to Maldius: Oh please, you'll be lucky if ANYONE wants you. What kind of person would actually find you attractive?)

Scratch notices a dragon and what he thought to be his daughter through a stranger's eyes. He approaches them, his cloak covering his appearance. "Spare change? I'm old and blind...." He croaks to Xzar and Sherry.

Mac dropped the item in his jaws, and there's deep bite marks in it. "Bleh. Oh, well we have a new king. And there was an uprising about it, dragons complaining about Chrysos.... This past month has just been a mess, and boy are the citizens scared."

(To Ivy: Need I remind you that the last time you saw Yssarion, you wanted to date him? Clearly, you want to be with Maldius.)

{Biceras tilts her head.}"New king? What happened to Lennox?"

Xzar looked away, annoyed that Sherry was managing to make him feel so guilty about his attitude. //Don't take it like that. I'm being cold and unfriendly toward you because..... I don't want to hurt you. Your heart will be torn if you discover that your friend is a murderous beast beneath this disguise.// Expression unreadable, the red dragon walked past the little dragonette, his snout facing straight ahead.. "Come on, let's find your friends and then leave."

(Ivy: Yssarion was a hundred times more handsome than Maldius - it's a shame that he was really only a disguise...)

( @Aggron Ahh, in that case, ignore my last post, then.)

Maldius sits before the puddle of blood, considering what he ought to do. //If I step through it, my footprints will be visible, in which case, it might be a trap... I don't think there's another way out, unless I blast through the ceiling, which would be loud and would draw attention...// Pausing a moment more, he finally makes a decision... and pushes Vitis into the puddle. "Great Plumed Serpents first."

(Turtlee: Whoops, I missed your comment. Is Scratch in the palace though?)

{Vitis retracts himself from the corpse. However, seeing no way around it, he slithers by, leaving a disturbance in the puddle. He stops on the other side, staring the corpse right in the face.}"Wierd, it's entire underside's been slit longways.....Well, seems safe."

(Maldius: That's alright, I never wanted to be with that abhorrent ball of snot and slime over there, anyway. *points at Ivy* Pffft, Obnoxious is prettier than that thing.)

(Yep @fade)

Mac sighed, still shocked from the event.

"The Prince challenged him and won."

(Ivy: At least I'm not so hideous I feel the need to hide my real face with magic.)

(OK, I'm gonna head off now, I need to do a few things. See you all next time!)

Still feeling uncertain, the dark dragon hesitates, loathing the idea of a trap. However, seeing that Vitis made it through just fine... Maldius, reluctantly and slowly, places a single invisible paw in the puddle, which leaves an indentation of his large footprint.

(Aww, alright, see you @Radiant!)

Barely even acknowledging the cloaked drago's presence, Xzar passed by with a huff of smoke. "Get lost," he growled, using his tail to not-so-gently shove the stranger away from Sherry in case he was insane enough to attempt mugging her.

*dragon's

(See you @Radiant!)

(Bye @Radiant!)

At first, Sherry was about to follow, however, seeing Scratch begging so pitifully--she can't simply turn a blind eye. The dragonet walks up to Scratch, taking out one of the few remaining blankets in her bag and offering it sympathetically to him. "I'm sorry, Mister, I don't have any money... but here, you can have this blanket, I made it myself. It'll keep you nice and warm."

(Oh well, I was slow XP )

{Upon the foot-print being made, nothing happens. Vitis sighs in relief.}

( @Lilly: Our comments seem to contradict each other... Maybe my comment comes after yours then.)

( @Fade Haha, alright XP )

Scratch looked at the red dragon. "Of course..." He muttered. "....Maelstrom." And with that, the Old dragon dissapeared without a word.

Xzar stopped when he heard that all-too familiar name, but he showed no reaction, only turning his head just enough to glance at the old dragon through the corner of his eye. However, the stranger had already vanished. //Weird... I must've been imagining it.// "Come on then," Xzar instructed Sherry, continuing deeper into the castle.

Seeing as nothing had happened, no trap was sprung, no ambush by some unseen attacker, Maldius proceeds through the puddle as well, though he tries to resist some false sense of security. "Let's just hurry up and go," the dark dragon growls to his servant.

( @Turtlee Did Scratch say "Maelstrom" loud enough for Sherry to hear, or just Xzar?)

(Brb, I gotta eat dinner. I should be quick.)

( @Fade Alright, enjoy! :) )

{Just as Maldius says this, a low growl is heard from the cooridoor ahead.}"What's that?"{Vitis asks with a spooked tone. Immediately after, the corpse's eyes light up as it reaches out and grabs Maldius' hind foot.}"'Hello, Puppet!"

(I'm back, sorry I sort of disappeared)

{Biceras removes the cloth and begins to build the nerve conduit onto the stump.}"By 'challenged and won' I take it you mean attempted and successfully murdered. That's just sick, y'know? Killed his own father, and for what? To rule? I'd be surprised if anyone even trusts him now."{Biceras shakes her head disapprovingly.}

Maldius quickly whips his head around to cast a glare at the draugr, even though he still remains invisible, using telekinesis to rend the corpse's hold on his foot. "I am no puppet," he growls, feeling agitated. //How many more of them are here?//

(Hey, welcome back, @Griff :) )

(Back! @Lilly Did you see my comment?)

( @Fade Welcome back! :D And about Maelstrom? I did, and I asked Turtlee a question about how loud Scratch said "Maelstrom," although it seems she's disappeared along with Scratch... XP )

( @Lilly: Oh yeah, that's right. It seems she has... Well, since Scratch did disappear, I guess we can to continue without her?)

{Vitis yells out upon seeing the draugr. The draugr stands and faces Maldius.}"That's precisely what you are. Puppet to Fayveer. Well, he's dead, so now you are a puppet without a master. With no one to pull your lonely strings, you're just a failure on your own; Gahahaha!"{The draugr rears up. Upon doing so, its ribcage swings open, to reveal prowlers. The prowlers jump at Maldius, poisoned blades ready to stab.}

( @Fade That's alright with me :p )

Sherry stays close to Xzar's side now, a little worried. "Mister Xzar, why did you hit him with your tail...? He was just a blind old dragon..."

Seeing his invisibility is useless now, Maldius dispells it as he uses telekinesis to slam the Prowlers into the ground. "I'm sick and TIRED of dealing with you and your kind!" the dark dragon roars, unleashing the fire he had building in his throat.

Xzar snorted, keeping his snout high. "First of all, I didn't hit him," he retorted. "I was simply pushing him away from you because he had a dangerous glint in his eye. He might've been luring you close so that he could hurt you." The disguised cyborg paused, noticing with a start that he was hinting his care for Sherry. Hoping she hadn't noticed, he hurriedly continued. "Second, a poor, blind old dragon would not beg inside a castle where only palace guards and snobby high-class dragons would reside. Rather, he'd beg out on the streets where more dragons would see and pity him. He was obviously a fraud."

Sherry lets out a little gasp at Xzar's revelation. "You mean he could've tried to hurt me?" The dragonet pauses a moment, still staying close to the giant dragon's side. "... I'm glad you're with me, then... Oh, look, there's the throne room! I bet Mister King Lennox is there, and Prince Erwen might be, too!"

(Wow, Maelstrom, that's some top notch detective work right there. Nice.)
{The prowlers don't last long in the flames, but the twisted draugr, now burning, slams into Maldius.}"Believe me, we're getting sick of you too. But, instead of leaving like a sensible person would, you just keep coming back and causing problems!"{The draugr produces a blade and tries to stab Maldius, but is stopped when Vitis wraps around his arm.}"Get us out of here!"

Glad for the distraction, Xzar stepped away from the little dragonette again. "Let's head inside then," he rumbled. The uneasy feeling was coming back to him, and when he stepped into the throne room, his good eye widened upon seeing it ransacked. //Looks like a battle went on here,// he thought.

(Sorry for disappearing, I'm working on dinner. I'll be back on later)

(No problem @Turtlee!)

(I disappeared again sorry!)

Sherry also notices this, and becomes concerned, although she feels slightly relieved when she sees Erwen and Nox. "Prince Erwen! Miss Noxaura! Why is this room kind of messed up? ... Prince Erwen, you look kind of different... and... where's Mister King Lennox?"

"It wasn't //my// idea to come here! I never WANTED to come back here!" Maldius snarls, throwing the draugr off of him with his telekinetic magic. The dark dragon then breathes a purple fireball at the twisted draugr before turning and starting toward the exit.

(Alright @Turtlee :p )

( @Griffin I figured that, we'll be needing you now, though :p )

(I think I just found my new favorite trailer music artist...)

Erwen's eyes widened when Sherry came into the wrecked throne room. "Sherry what are you doing here, and who is this?" He eyed the very plain looking dragon.
Noxaura raised her head and walked over to the new arrivals. "Sherry, we weren't expecting you..." she looked around the room quickly. "There was a fight here."

( @Fade Ooh, awesome! ^-^ Who is it?)

( @Lilly yeah sorry XP
I'm a little distracted so I might be a tad slow)

{Vitis shrieks when the fireball nearly hits him. He only barely avoids getting hit.}"Hey! Same team!" {The draugr gets back up. It's mostly skeletal now.}"No, that's not what I meant at all! You chose to come back to Argo! You could have gone anywhere! Instead, you chose to bother us with your broken mind and inflated ego!" {The draugr charges Maldius once again.}

Xzar said nothing, instead standing stiff and eying the so-called prince with distrust. He subconsciously stepped closer to Sherry, ready to defend her should she be attacked.

( @Lilly: An artist named Louis Viallet. I've only heard a couple of his songs so far, but they sounded outstanding.)

Maldius turns his head slightly, his eyes glowing almost with a yellow flame as he swings his tail at the draugr's skeletal head, the blades at the end of his tail catching on the creature's neck as he slams it to the ground forcefully. "My mind is perfectly fine, I'm just having a little memory trouble. Vitis, get out of here."

( @Griff It's fine, stuff happens sometimes, I know XP )

( @Lilly thanks >.>)

"Uh-huh."{Vitis takes off towards the exit. The draugr laughs while lying on the floor.}"Ohohoho, wait a minute, Fayveer never told you, did he?"

( @Fade Ooh, I'm going to look him up real quick :p )

Sherry looks up at Xzar briefly before looking back to Erwen. "Oh, this is Mister Xzar, he's... my new guardian for a while..." She pauses slightly, then continues, "Prince Erwen, Miss Noxaura, I came to tell you guys I'm going back home now... Adrianne and I went up to explore the mountains, but there was an avalanche, I think she called it..." The little dragonet looks down at the ground, her large ears folding down as tears start forming in her eyes. "Adrianne got buried under the snow, and Mister Xzar looked or her, but he couldn't find her... H-he told me he'd bring me here so I could say goodbye, and then he's going to take me back home, and I thought I better tell Mister King Lennox, because he's the one who said I could come here..." Sherry looks back up at Erwen, tears running down her face. "But where is Mister King Lennox? And there was a fight...? He didn't get hurt, d-did he?"

Snarling down at the draugr, Maldius turns to face it, standing over the creature menacingly. He's ready to crush the beast if even it makes the slightest move. "Told me //what?//"

(*for)

Erwen stood there awkwardly. "I'm sorry to hear about Adrianne, but I believe it would be best if you returned home. It was a pleasure having you here." He wanted to avoid the subject of his father, especially with Sherry.

Noxaura noticed Erwen trying to hide information and stepped in. "Lennox is currently in his quarters resting, it's been a stressful few days for him."

( @Fade Oooh, I like Louis Viallet's songs, too X3 )

{The draugr lies there, its eyes flickering.}"Ohohoho! Only the absolute key to your entire existence! You //do// know why he created you, right?"

( @Lilly: I'm glad you do! I don't normally have favorite artists, but so far all the songs from Louis that I checked out I loved. There's so much music out there that I like that I'm afraid to share them because the list would never end. 'xD)

"I was created to bring about the destruction of both Aquilam and Chrysos, I was meant to be his weapon, but I loathe being a pawn, that's why I killed him years ago! I did not know he had Necromancy then, however..." The dark dragon grunts, feeling mistrustful of whatever the draugr might say next.

Xzar narrowed his eyes at the two dragons before them. //I don't like it... They're shooing her off so rudely. What is going on?// He glanced down at the sunny dragonette beside him. //Did she deceive herself into thinking they were friends?//

Sherry tilts her head slightly, getting the feeling that something was wrong. "Ok... well, I'm glad Mister King Lennox is ok... can you tell him what I said, and that I hope he gets better? ... But why do you look different, Prince Erwen? And who... why was there a fight here? It wasn't Maldius again, was it...?"

{The draugr tilts its head upward at Maldius.}"Weeeeeelllllll, you're half right. Yes, you were made to be a weapon. But, you were never intended to be as you are now. You were just supposed to be a vessel for Fayveer's soul. A meat-suit, if you will. You're experiencing memory loss because your curse is meant to strip your mind. Of course, he hadn't figured out to inhabit you yet, so your curse wasn't fully activated. Now, something's gone wrong and you're slowly being erased from the inside."

Erwen shook his head. "No Maldius hadn't come back yet...there was just a disagreement between my father and I, nothing more."
Noxaura nodded slowly. "Don't worry, Erwen will deliver your message to the king himself." She looked at Xzar skeptically. "I haven't seen you before, are you from Chrysos as well?"

At this, Maldius snorts. "Lies. I'm not cursed, I've never been cursed. This is the way I've always been, I'm not cursed." The dark dragon then turns, his heavy footsteps echoing through the caverns as he walks away from the draugr.

{The draugr laughs loudly as it begins to pick itself up.}"Keep telling yourself that! At first, it'll be small stuff. Names of people you know and what you happen to be doing at the time, then it'll get worse. You'll forget the identities of those around you, you'll forget the recent past, even your own identity over time. Just watch!"{After this, an axe comes flying down the hall and imbeddes itself in Maldius' back. At the far back of the cooridoor behind Maldius, a large, shadowy figure can be seen through the dark.}

Xzar hesitated to answer Noxaura. The dragoness apparently knew the Aquilam faces well, which meant there was a chance she would see through his lie, but he had already told Sherry that he lived in Aquilam. "No, I am from Aquilam," he replied. "You likely have never seen me because I do not live in Solaris."

Noxaura hesitated. "Of course, well welcome to the capital." She turned to look at Erwen but he seemed lost in thought.

Mac hummed a tune, trying to ignore the pain in his stub leg and the urge to set himself ablaze.

Xzar dipped his head slowly, then looked to Sherry and nudged her with his tail. "There's no use hanging around anymore," he muttered near her ear. "They don't want our company any longer. Let us leave."

Maldius roars in anguish as the axe slices into his back, rearing up on his hind legs. He then turns quickly to the draugr behind him, glaring with yellow eyes full of hate, then using his Mystic element to control the coridoor itself, making it collapse in on top of the draugr. After accomplishing this, he cranes his neck around to behold the source of stabbing pain in his back, but alas, 'tis impossible in this narrow space. "VITIS!! There's something in my back!" he roars, quickly making his way through the rest of the area in search of his servant.

Sherry nods at Xzar's statement, her ears still folded back. "Alright..." she mutters, but then turns to Noxaura once more. "Oh, Miss Noxaura, is Mister Mac around? I wanted to say goodbye to him, too, and Mister Ardens."

{Vitis' voice can be heard from the exit.}"What? What do you mean? Get over here!"

(Brb)

(I gotta brb too)

Noxaura shook her head. "I'm afraid they're both not here at the moment. They went to go fix up Mac's leg."

Maldius marches to the exit, grinding his teeth along the way. Finding his serpentile servant, the dark dragon lowers his body to the ground to allow Vitis to examine the problem easier. "There's something stabbing me in the back! What is it!?"

(Nuuu Sherry can't leave :0 Okay brb for real)

(I actually need to brb too 'XD I'll try not to take too long, so please don't call it quits or anything :s )

{Biceras finishes up the conduit and wipes her claws on a cloth.}"Well, the conduit's been constructed. It's going to take me a little while to build the arm, so why don't you two go get lunch or something while you wait? It'll at least be an hour."

{Vitis slithers close. He's invisible, but everytime he moves, he leaves a trail of blood from the puddle. He examines the wound.}"......It's an axe........looks poisoned too."{Vitis proceeds to remove the weapon.}

(Back, sorry.)

Mac looked at Ardens, and shrugged. "I am pretty hungry, what about you?"

{Ardens gets up.}"Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's do that. I know a good place to eat. Follow me."{Ardens begins to leave.}"See you later!"{Biceras calls out.}

(I need to call it a night. It's been everyone!)

(Alright then, Griffin! Sleep well!)

(It's been fun*
Thanks @Fade)

(Night @Griff!)

Mac nods, and follows Ardens.

(Ok, bye @Griff!)

{Ardens walks through the busy streets with Mac.}"So, Mac, what do you feel like having?"

Mac thought for a moment, looking around. "Hmmm..... I'm not really picky about anything. I'm just hungry...." He answered, looking at all of the dragons running past them.

(Lillyyyyyyyy)

{Ardens walks up to a building with a large sign that read "Uncle Joe's Happy Cow Ranch".}"Ok, well, this place has good meat. Wanna try it?"

(Lovely shop name. xD)

"How can a cow be happy if its being eaten?" Macgyver questioned. Nonetheless, he grinned and nodded. "Sure"

( @Fade Well, since @Griff left, maybe you can just say that Xsar scooped up Sherry and flew her home?)

{Ardens grins back.}"It's just a name to try to encourage families to eat there. Let's go."{Ardens walks in. Immediately, they are approached by a waiter. He is a young dragon with a cowskin-patterned vest and a grin plastered on his face.}"Welcome to Uncle Joe's Happy Cow Ranch. May I take your order?"

Mac held in a laugh, looking at the waiter's outfit. 'I'd like a Cow, please." He said to the waiter.

(I'm baaaaaack!)

{The waiter's eye twitches a bit at Mac's withheld laugh.}"Of course, sir! Will that be a whole cow, or just a piece of it?

("Uncle Joe's Happy Cow Ranch"

That sounds like the best shop ever, we need this in SKeys XD )

(Back again! Welcome back, Lilly!)

"Just a peice..." Mac replies.

(Lilly: Yesssss if we can't find a KFC then the group'll head to UJHCR instead. xD)

( @Fade Welcome back as well, and thank you! :) )

Sherry goes quiet a moment, her ears still drooping, but then she looks up at Maelstrom, regaining a little cheerfulness. "Mister Xzar, before we start heading to Chrysos, can we get something to eat? I'm getting hungry."

( @Fade Yes, it simply must be done. Maybe after we get off the foggy zombie island, we can discover UJHCR. It simply needs to happen. X3 )

Taken aback by the unexpected question, Xzar stared blankly for a moment at Sherry, then gradually registered her question and sighed. "Very well then." //Now that she mentions it... it's been awhile since I've eaten.// "Come along then," he said, extending a wing to gently sweep her towards the exit. Before following, he dipped his head once more to the castle dragons. "Thank you for your time. We will be leaving now." He then turned and joined Sherry outside the throne room.

Maldius growls, flinching as Vitis removes the axe from his back. "We need to find an antidote, then, and quickly." The dark dragon examines the nearby area, doubtful there is any place aside the capital close by that may hide antidotes. "... Back to Solaris, I suppose..."

{The waiter's eye twitches some more.}"And which piece might that be, hmmmm?"{Before he can say anything, Ardens speaks up.}"Just give us two orders of the rib rack."
Waiter:"Very well, let me show you to your seats."{The waiter leads them to a table.}"And to drink?"
Ardens:"Water please."

Sherry thinks about everything that was said in the meeting with Erwen and Noxaura, still troubled and confused over it all, though her mind wanders away from this. "Mister Xzar, what's your favorite food?" the sunny little dragonet asks, looking up at her ordinary-looking guardian.

Macgyver sat down, and looked around at the other dragons who were eating. "How do they do all of this without magic? It must take a long time."

{Vitis nods}"We'd better hurry then."{Vitis mounts Maldius.}"Let's go."

Xzar eyed the little dragonet with a hint of amusement in his features. //She really is ignorant to the world.// The red dragon tipped his head in false contemplation, playing along with her carefree chat. "Hmm... deer, I suppose. They are abundant in the mountains in which i live. What about you?"

With a mighty pump of his gigantic wings, Maldius leaps into the air and travels to the capital, which already is in sight. "When we find whoever is raising the dead... I'm going to make him pay dearly..."

{Ardens looks at Mac.}"Actually, it's pretty easy to make fire without magic. It shouldn't take long at all."

(That moment when one of your OCs is plotting horrific murder while the other is happily talking about favorite foods.

The contrast is real here.)

(Oh my goodness Lilly. XDXD)

{Vitis ponders to himself for a moment.}"Hmm, any idea who that might be?"

( @Lilly: Shadow started a tag for the RPs #SKeysRPcovers if you wanna put it on all of the RPs you hosted. Also, I might disappear in a couple minutes, so heads-up. xP)

"Hmmm.... yeah. I'm just used to making fire with magic." Mac waved one of his claws around, and a small fire like a candle followed his clawtip around. Someone at another table stared at him, and Mac smiled awkwardly.

Scratch stood in the shadows, looking at all of the treasure he collected. "Now the fun part...."

Sherry smiles, happy to see Xzar's amusement, but not understanding why he's amused in the first place. "I like fruits, like apples, and raspberries, and pineapples, all sorts of good stuff! But I guess the meat stuff is good, too."

The dark dragon offers a frustrated growl in reply. "No, unfortunately... Wait, actually, it was probably the one who attacked me in my fortress... but he was wearing armor then, so I doubt he'll be easy to find..."

( @Fade Ahh, thanks for telling me, I didn't know! ^-^ & alrighty :p )

{The waiter brings the food and places it in front of Ardens and Mac.}"Here you go, dig in!"

"Fruits?" Xzar repeats quizzically, looking up at the path ahead. "I've never tried fruits before. We never brought them on missions because they bruised or spoiled too easily. Meat is more filling and abundant," he explained before realizing how carelessly he was sharing information. //Sherry's ignorance is rubbing off on me,// he figured with dull amusement.

(Ah, I have to go. It's getting pretty late for me. This was fun, night!)

{Vitis tilts his head.}"You saw him? What did he look like?"

(Aww, alright, see you @Turtlee! It's been fun! :) )

(See ya @Turtlee!)

Bye @Turtlee!

"Yeah, fruits!" Sherry exclaims, "They're really sweet and yummy, you should try some!" She then pauses a moment, her brain picking up on the 'missions' part. "Oooooh, you go on missions?! What kind? Are you like a super secret agent?!" The dragonet asks all these questions with no regard to any other dragon around her.

"... His armor was black as the night, and his eyes glowed like that of the undead, a bright blue..." Maldius replies after a moment of thoughtful silence.

"He sounds scary." {Vitis replied.}"From the way that dead thing was talking to you, I think it's safe to assume that this dead-raiser guy's out to get you. What did you do to make him mad?"

Maldius flinches slightly, as he can vaguely feel the poison spreading through his veins, along with the wound in his back. "I assume that all it is, really, is that I have upset him with my mere presence in Argo... and somehow, he knows my weaknesses..."

{Vitis continues to ponder.}"Hmm, he knows your weaknesses? That's unusual. We can't let him find our new hiding place."

"Agreed. I would be very upset if I lost //another// lair..." Making sure his invisibility magic keeps him hidden, the dark dragon descends, landing on the roof of a building in Solaris. "Hurry up and find me an antidote. I don't care what you have to do, buy, steal, kill, just get it quickly! The last times I've been poisoned, it would leave me completely stripped of my strength and magic, meaning I could end up lying here pathetically if you take too long!"

(I think Fade went poof... XP )

"Ok, ok, I'll be right back! Just don't die!"{Vitis descends into the streets, invisible, and slithers away.}

@Lilly yeah, I think so.

Maldius remains there, sitting down and coiling his long tail around himself. He bites his tongue, agitated from pain, but tries to keep his mind off it. The dark dragon focuses a moment, pin-pointing the locations of the collars and ornaments he made for his allies--and thus, finding each of their locations. //Maelstrom is in the city... I wonder what he's up to... but I can't approach him, not like I am now...//

{Vitis rapidly slithers through the streets, searching for anyone who might have an antidote.}"Let's see, jeweler, no, blacksmith, not what I need, library? Useless! A-aha! Apothecary! That's it!"

(Hey @Aggron, I've gotta go.)

{The shop is called the White Phial. The Shop is run by a family consisting of an old couple and their grandaughter. When Vitis sneaks in, however, only the grandaughter is there. She is about 22, bright white, and a slender build. She is busy tending to customers when Vitis creeps in through the open door. Vitis sneaks past her and to the antidote section, only to find that they are fresh out}"Oh, blast it all!"{He exclaims a little too loudly. The shopkeeper hears, but decides to check after she finishes with the customers at hand.}

(Also, nice Skyrim reference X3 )

( @Lilly That's ok. I'm going to finish up my scene here so we can jump right into it next time. See ya!)

(And thanks! Wasn't sure if you would catch that.)

( @Aggron Alrighty, I'll read it tomorrow! See you, it's been fun! ^-^)

"Be right with you!"{The shopkeeper jovially shouts in the general direction of Vitis. Vitis knew that he couldn't waste time searching for anothe apothecary. Maldius needed it now. He began to think, until he came up with an idea. A marvelous, cruel, and terrible idea. He waited until the shopkeeper was alone.}"Come back now! Ok sir, how may I- Huh, I could have sworn there was someone here." {As she approached the back of the shop, suddenly, she felt as though she couldn't breath, like she was being strangled by steel coils. Suddenly, she heard a voice.}"Ok, lady, listen closely. I need an antidote, and I need it now! Give me that, and I won't kill you! Try to cry for help, and I'll end your life!"{She replies, half choked.}"I-I'm out-o-of those!
Vitis:"Then, you're going to make more, right now!"{The shop keeper nods and fumbles to her workplace. She gathers the ingredients and begins to work.}

{Once the shopkeeper finishes the antidote, Vitis changes his disguise to that of a Chrysos drake. He takes the antidote, cruelly breaks her neck, shouts "Thank you!", and escapes through the door. He makes sure that he is seen leaving as the Chrysos drake, goes down an alley, and turns invisible once more.}

(And that's a wrap. See y'all next week!)

(Yeah, I went poof, sorry. xD I really enjoyed this RP though! Looking forward to next week!)