Here, but brb.

I'm here

Hi guys!

Hey! I'll be pretty slow today, and I might have to leave earlier than normal. I'll try to make sure Maelstrom's not interacting with anyone when I do.

Yeah, I'll probably be slow today, too, because of little kids.

@Griff What do you want to say about @Mademoinette's OCs?

I'll be here to! But I'm at the movies right now so I'll be back later :)

Here for good now. What's up @Griff?

@Shadow Hey, good to have you back.

I'll be here too, just finishing up some shopping.

Hey Lilly, Aggron, and Griffin! Good to know you'll be joining us today, Shadow! ^-^

Hey @Turtlee! x)

It's good to see everyone ^-^

Sorry I'm back

Hello everyone!

@Griff So, what's up?

I wanted to ask everyone what we should do with @Mademoinette's characters. Since I imagine we'll be needing the queen or princess soon. I don't want to make the decision alone so that everyone's opinions can be accounted for

Hmmm... I'm not really sure... I mean, we could have someone take control of her OCs when they're needed, but I'd feel bad about doing that, unless she outright says it's alright to do so.

@Griff Ummm, irdk. I remember you saying that you didn't want to hand control of them to anyone, so, why don't we do a time skip at some point that basically eliminates those characters from the story by marking them either KIA or MIA. MIA, just in case they come back.

Hmmm.... We shouldn't just forget about them, since we'll be needing the Queen for the plot. We could help you play as them, @Griff.

@Lilly yeah I'd feel bad if someone else played as them. But they will be important, at least the queen, so we cant just write them out of the plot completely

@Griff Well, we've got to do something. I don't think @Mademoinette will be back anytime soon. It seems we only have two choices. We either write them out/kill them off, or someone assumes control. There are no other options that I can see.

But she'll also be upset if we do nothing about her characters and Chrysos gets destroyed while they just sit back. If it's for a good reason that we control her characters, she'll probably forgive us.

I feel like if we absolutely have to use them than someone should take control of them, just to keep to plot going and maintain consistency in Chrysos

Brb I'm switching to my ds

I agree with @Griffin, I think we should only control them if absolutely necessary.

@Fade and @Griff. Those are good points, but who should be the one to temporarily adopt these excellent characters?

I feel like it'd be unfair if I took control of them mainly because I already play the leader of Aquilam.

@Griff Very well. Now, just to be clear, one would only be controlling Queen Pherial and only for as long as they need to, right? Or, will the chosen one be controlling all characters and continuing their plots, ex: Ambrilla and Doraon, and Viella and the war.

@Aggron I feel like just Pherial and maybe Viella, the others are more personal characters that aren't significant plot points to the entire rp, sort of.

Also we should probably start soon, we're 2 hours behind ^^;

Yeah XP We can always continue this in the chat room :p

Yes, let's start.

I can start today :3 Unless someone else wants to.

Go ahead @Lilly :p

Go for it @Lilly.

I could help with one of them. I don't do that much, anyway.

Hearing the voice of the draugr he hates behind him, the dark dragon Maldius closes his eyes and takes a sharp, deep breath. //How many did I actually destroy when I brought the cave down upon itself...? Now, how am I going to handle this?//

(Phew, I came back just in time. Sorry, I wasn't feeling well. xP)

( @Fade Aww, I'm sorry to hear that! Are you doing better now? :/ )

( @Fade Aw, are you alright?)

( @Lilly: I am, thanks. ^-^ Turns out I was just energy deprived from all the traveling I did yesterday. Eating helped some. ^^)

( @Fade Ahh, yeah, that'll do that to you. I'm glad you're better now ^-^ )

(To answer Maldy's question, about three fourths.)
{Minos continues his circling around Maldius, stopping every now and then to lift a large piece of rock to free a few draugrs that survived. The commander laughs and throws a rock at Maldius.}"Oi! Mold-ball! Why're you out here in broad daylight with no disguise magic?"

(Thanks guys!)

Maelstrom pumped his wings laboriously, the torn membrane of his mechanical wing threatening to buckle under the weight of his metal body. Still, he pressed on, intent on finding his partner in crime. His robotic soldier companion flew alongside him, ready to catch him should he falter.

( @Fade I hope you can get some rest soon.)

( @Griffin: I wish I could, but after this I've got a ton of studying to do. T-T a Thank you though! XD)

//Because I was a fool, that's why!// Maldius growls as the rock strikes an open wound, as if he wasn't in enough pain already. The dark dragon turns just enough to glare at the draugr commander, his eyesight blurring from the poison, but after a moment, he manages to focus them. "I have my reasons..." he mutters in reply. //Now, I can only hope that one of my allies finds me, and not more enemies...//

Erwen watched Maelstrom's escape and shakily stood up. He saw Azureus' struggle with the dragon-like machine and ran over to give her assistance.

( @Fade Well that sucks, I wish you luck.
You just reminded me that I have a lot of homework to do >.<)

As Maelstrom neared the forests in Aquilam, he could detect that sinister aura which he always felt when in Maldius' presence, but it was faint and waning. He glanced at his robotic companion, giving a silent order for it to depart back to his mountain cave. After it took off, the cyborg dragon slowed down, eyes scanning the trees below for the dark dragon.

{Azureus glares at the machine. //Maelstrom's weakness was his furnace. Perhaps these can be drowned with water as well.// Azureus begins to gather water from her surroundings and creates a swirling torrent around herself.}

( @Griffin: It sucks, huh? Hiding from it won't get it done though, unfortunately. T-T)

Mac watched Maelstrom fly away, before noticing the robotic creature standing in front of him. He growled at it, not wanting to fight again.

The nearly expressionless robotic soldier in front of Macgyver snarled back, but it made no move to attack him. Rather, it remained standing, planted between the grey and yellow dragon and Maelstrom.

{The draugr commander grins at Maldius.}"I don't know, that decision just seems stupid. Welp, let's get 'im, boys!"{The remaining draugrs (about 20 or so) all begin to slowly advance. A few archers begin to fire arrows at Maldius during their approach.}

The mechanical dragon before Azureus stared bak at her with hollow eyes, but before she could attack him with her water, it and its partner simultaneously turned around and took off, flying into the distance.

Erwen stopped and watched the two mechanical dragons fly away. He turned to Azureus and approached her. "Are you alright? Those things didn't hurt you did they?"

Maldius uses weak telekinesis to send the arrows off course, a few become stuck into the ground close to the dragon, however, none hit him. //I'll need all the strength I can muster for this...// he says in his mind, breathing out purple frost as a threat to the enemy.

{After seeing the machines retreat, Azureus drops the water and turns towards where Ardens is laying.}"No, but we still have wounded. And, the city has sustained considerable damage in some areas."{Sighing, she makes her way towards Ardens.}

A rush of wind approached the clearing where Maldius and the draugrs stood, and without warning, Maelstrom darted onto the scene, impacting the giant's chest with a ferocious roar. Not a second later, a dozen robot soldiers swooped after him. Three attacked the undead king's arms and torso, several others rushed into the crowd of smaller draugrs, breathing fire and creating chaos amongst their ranks, and the remaining two dropped down on either side of Maldius. The ones who landed beside the dark dragon stepped up to him and began to help him into his feet by supporting his wings. Maelstrom, on the other hand, teared at the giant's rotten flesh with his talons and beat his wings wildly in an attempt to overwhelm the king draugr.

Macgyver muttered under his breath, and turned to Azureus and Erwin. "What now?"

Erwen nodded. "Of course. I can take care of the damage." He followed Azureus with his eyes then averted his gaze to the damage surrounding him.

(Awesome entrance, Maelstrom! :D )

( @Lilly: Lol, thanks. XD)

Scratch straitened and spoke for the first time in what seemed like hours. "Maelstrom..." He hissed to Vitis.

Chaos suddenly descending around him like a cataclysmic storm, Maldius nearly unleashes a stream of ice at the closest creature to him, but he stops himself when he recognizes the golden metal of Maelstrom and his soldiers. He grins at the two machines that land beside him, rising up with their aid. //Ahh, my dear partner, Maelstrom! How lucky am I to have you as my ally...//

Sherry remains curled up on her bed in the infirmary, silently wishing for some friend of hers to return.

{Upon seeing the robot attack, the draugr commander drops his usual confident look and assumes one of utter confusion.}"W-what the bloody hell is this?!" {Minos becomes enraged at this sudden attack. Despite the impact, Minos does not fall over. He violently frees his arms from the machines and grabs Maelstrom by his furnace grating. He utters words for the first time.}"The Traitor of the South!"{Picking Maelstrom up nearly off the ground, he uses him as a battering ram to plow into Maldius. Letting go, he then reaches back and pulls the machine off his back and throws him into Maelstrom. While the rest of the draugrs join the fray, the commander runs to the edge of the crater and begins to frantically dig.}

{Vitis looks up at Scratch.}"Eh, what?"

Scratch muttered again. "He's with Maelstrom. They are fighting a monster...."

{Azureus approaches Ardens and examines him. The wounds on his neck and body have stopped bleeding and he's still breathing.}"Ardens, can you hear me?"{Ardens stirs a little and speaks in a low tone.}"Did we get him?"{Azureus just answers in an unenthusiastic tone.}"No. He got away. At least we know his weakness is water. Let's get you to the infirmary."{Ardens quickly replies with a slight tinge of panic in his voice.}"No, not there! I-I won't be able to--I mean, I don't want Sherry to see me this way. I know she won't like it, and I'd rather she just focus on healing."{Azureus look at Ardens with suspicion, but agrees with his reasoning.}"Very well, you can recover in my quarters. Let's go."{As she helps Ardens to his feet, he opens his eyes slightly. They're not black and red anymore. Now, they're like normal eyes, white with blue irises. Azureus nearly lets him fall upon seeing this.}
Ardens:"Hey, what's wrong?"
Azureus:".......Nothing."

Despite being impacted twice, Maelstrom showed little sign of weakness or surrender. After tumbling into his partner and soldiers then being tumbled by a comrade, the cyborg recovered his footing. "Go!" He shouted to the machines beside Maldius, which quickly spread their wings and took off, carrying Maldius between them. He then returned his attention to the escaping giant and launched himself after him. "You won't get away!" Blazing furnace mirroring his rage, Maelstrom exhaled a thick plume of fire onto Minos' back.

{Vitis eyes Scratch with curiosity.}"What do you mean? Who is?"

Erwen glanced over towards Azureus and Ardens and faltered slightly when seeing Ardens' changed eyes. He simply shook his head and began using his telekinetic abilities to move large amounts rubble from the main paths.

Maldius' eyes widen as Maelstrom crashes into him, and fights back a roar, the collision sending another wave of pain throughout his body. Then being suddenly lifted into the air, the dark dragon feels his strength leave him, and he opens his eyes enough to look down below.

( @Fade Actually, it was the commander that loves to insult Maldius that started digging, but I'll roll with this.){Minos reaches beneath the rubble and brings forth his mighty battleaxe. Swinging with all of his might through the flames, the axe collides with the side of Maelstrom's head, cracking the glass in his mechanical eye and knocking him sideways. However, the axe shatters from the impact and, to Minos' dismay, did no further damage to Maelstrom. On the other side of the crater, the ground gives way to reveal a large tunnel. The draugr commander yells out to Minos.}"Minos! We're outmatched! We need to go, now!"{Visibly upset about his favorite axe being ruined, Minos dashes across the crater towards the tunnel, shaking the ground as he goes. As the mechanical dragons fly with Maldius, one prowler managed to hitch a ride on one and is now hanging off of Maldius and stabbing him repeatedly.}

"Maldius, you dolt!" The blind dragon yelped, using all of his energy to follow on what was going on.

Mac muttered to himself, not getting a proper response. He sighed, and cleared his throuat loudly. "Um... Hate to be a bugger, but we've got a pretty big problem... If you haven't forgotten..."

( Blackice "MASTER I HAVE RETURNED!!
*run into wall* "....I'M OK!! )

(I'm so behind 'XD
Hi everyone! )

(Hey @Shadow!!)

(Hey Shadow! :D
@Aggron: Oh, really? Sorry about that. It's difficult multitasking. xP)

Agony shooting through his body with each stab, Maldius attempts to thrash his tail about, roaring furiously and with anguish. "GET OFF OF ME!!!"

(HI!! @Griffin!! And @fade! ! ^-^)

(Maldius: BLACKICE HELP ME, I'M BEING POKED WITH A KNIFE!!

Hey @Shadow!! ^v^ Maelstrom just saved Maldy-boi's sorry hide, and Vitis and Scratch are still back in Solaris :p )

{Azureus turns towards Mac momentarily.}"We know, Mac, but we've got other problems that need attention. We'll deal with Maelstrom after the city isn't burning."

{Vitis jumps up.}"What? He's not fighting that Bull-Monster, is he?"

(Oh, hi, @Shadow!)

(Hi!! @lilly and @Aggron and Turtle!
@lilly so were do you want Ice at? (He just been a quiet little husk :p )

Roaring in shock, Maelstrom lost his footing from the blow of Minos' axe and was sent crashing into the rubble. His mechanical eye flickered for a moment then died, leaving him with half-efficient vision. He snarled and pushed his way back onto his feet, but by then the majority of the draugrs had escaped underground. His soldiers, having made no move to follow after them as they had received no command, watched them leave before returning to their master. "After Maldius," he panted. Minus four robots which stayed behind to assure that the draugrs did not follow, Maelstrom and his companions made steady pursuit after Maldius.

*ensure, not assure

( @Shadow Hmm, I think Ice should be with Scratch and Vitis, I get the feeling they might be heading to Maldy-boi soon. :p )

Erwen cleared most of the rubble out of the way and distinguished the fires so no civilans would be injured. Having finished he walked over to the assembled dragons. "We all should return to the palace to discuss these problems. I'll send some workers here to finish the repairs."

{As Maelstrom flies away, Minos yells after him.}"This isn't over, Maelstrom! If you side with Maldius, you will share his fate!"{And with that, Minos and all of the draugrs disappear into the blackness.}

( @lilly ok I will see were I can hope in at :s)

Maelstrom heard the draugr's warning as he retreated, but he paid it no heed. As they approached Maldius and the two machines supporting him, one soldier from Maelstrom's group rushed forward and clamped its jaws around the draugr on Maldius, tearing him away and letting him fall. Maelstrom then flew ahead and lead the flight toward a rocky clearing near the mountains. Maelstrom and the two dragons with Maldius landed and set the dark dragon down, and the rest dispersed in different directions.

{Azureus nods to Erwen and passes Ardens off to some medics. She gives them orders and then speaks.}"Fine I'll meet you there."{She takes flight with the medics.}

{As it falls, the prowler makes very rude hand signals towards Maelstrom. Eventually, it disappears beneath the tree line.}

(*Tree canopy)

(Very rude hand signals. XD)

"I agree. We have much to discuss." Mac stated, eyeing everyone.
"I don't know! I can only see dragons, remember? But there is something there, I don't know what." Scratch hissed. "Maybe we should check up on him."

Maldius collapses once he's set on the ground, but after drawing several sharp, deep breaths, the dark dragon raises his head to look at his partner. "... Aahhh... Maelstrom, I am in your debt..."

Erwen sighed and turned to Mac. "Yes, we do. We need to begin looking for solutions quickly." He spreads his wings and takes to the air. After getting a good distance from the ground he shouts down to Mac. "We don't have all day, let's go!"

Ignoring the poisoned dragon's comment, Maelstrom stalked up to Maldius and looked down at him with his good eye. "Why did you do it?" he demanded bluntly.

{Vitis begins to speak to Scratch, his voice dripping with sarcasm and a hint of anger.}"Sure, let's go check up on him! How do you want to get there, hmmmm? Perhaps by flying carpet, or maybe I should get my personal dragon-servant to take us, cause god knows WE DON'T HAVE WINGS!!!"{Vitis then huffs in exasperation.}"Who's the dolt now?"

"I'm coming! Mind you, I just got a new leg! It's still quite stiff." Mac called back, flying as fast as he could up to Erwen.

Erwen nodded then turned towards the palace. He didn't look back to see if Mac was following as he flew towards it, his large wings helping him gain speed.

"Hmm...? Do what...? I've been looking for you all day..." Maldius replies, sounding rather oblivious, but knowing the real answer.

Mac flew towards the Palace, flapping his wings as quickly as he could.
"Granted, but I have legs." Scratch said simply. Without waiting for a response, the old dragon darted away as quickly as he could.

{Azureus arrives at the infirmary and walks up to Sherry.}"I'm back. Are you awake?"

{The medics put Ardens in a different room outside the infirmary and treat him there.}

"Do not mock me, partner," Maelstrom said in a low tone, stepping closer to the dark dragon until his shadow loomed over him. "What were your reasons for involving an innocent adolescent in the rage of your rebellion?" he questioned, referring to Sherry.

Sherry's ears perk up at Azureus' voice, and the dragonet quickly sits up. "Miss Azureus? What happened to Mister Xzar? Is he coming back?"

Erwen quickly lands by the entrance of the palace and looks up at the sky, waiting for Mac. He glanced at the guards passing him, escorting Chrysos visitors to their new housings. Erwen allowed a slight smile, the guards were acting quite hospitable for once.

{Vitis quickly gathers his loot and follows Scratch.}"Hey, how far is he?"

{Azureus sits in front of Sherry.}"No, not for a little while at least. I know today's been very hard for you today, but I need you to tell me what happened to your first guardian and exactly how you met 'Mr. Xzar.'"

Mac landed swiftly next to Erwen. He watched the guards escort the few Chrysos visitors, and nodded curtly to them. He sighed, walking through the palace doors. "Do you know how Sherry is doing? I heard that she got hurt..."

Scratch's only guide was his mind. "If we run very fast, I'd say not far. If you're fast, that is..."

Erwen's expression fell. "She was attacked, she's in the infirmary now if you'd like to see her. She didn't look too well when I saw her." From behind Mac, Erwen could see a guard quickly carrying a limp dragon towards the infirmary. "Sherry needs support right now, I'm sure she'd like visitors."

The dark dragon looks up at Maelstrom, still drawing sharp, pained breaths. "I... don't know what you're talking about, I left my servants behind in Solaris this morning while I came here, searching for you..."

{Vitis growls at Scratch.}"Didn't he say to stay in the city?"

Sherry's ears droop down again as she explains, "Adrianne and I went exploring in the mountains, and that's where we met Mister Xzar, we were talking for a bit, b-but then a bunch of snow and rocks came c-crashing down... Adrianne threw me out of the way, but it buried her... M-Mister Xzar went looking for her, but he couldn't find her... He told me he'd bring me here, though, so I could say goodbye to Mister King Lennox and my other friends, and then he'd take me back to Chrysos..." (continued...)

"Do not play dumb with me!" Maelstrom snarled, his pent-up anger entering his voice. He seized Maldius' neck and shoved him down, pinning his head onto the ground. "Why did you attack Sherry? I know it was you!" He brought his maw closer until he was eye-to-eye with the purple dragon.

Macgyver looked heartbroken. "Who would attack a dragonet? Especially a sweet one like Sherry?" He made his way to the infirmary. "Where did her guardian go? Adrianne was her name, right?"

Scratch stopped dead in his tracks. "I feel like he isn't safe. We're just being good servants. He'd want us to save him, right?"

{Vitis thinks for a moment.}"Mmmmmmmokay........But if he gets mad, it's on you. Where to now?"

Erwen followed Mac slowly. "I have no idea, right now we are lead to believe it was someone tied to Maldius." He picked up his pace so he was walking beside Macgyver. "There were no signs of her guardian when she returned, just Maelstrom disguised."

"This way." Scratch said, taking another turn.

"Sick bastards." Mac growled. "It makes me want to strangle whoever did it." Before walking into the infirmary, he turned back to Erwen. "What are you going to do with her? Most of the other young visitors have parents or guardians, and she seems to have neither at the moment."

Sherry sniffles a little, wiping away newly-formed tears from her eyes. "Then... there was the mean crow dragonet (Sherry thinks Crowley is a dragonet, because he's so small compared to everyone else.) who was saying mean things about me and Mister Xzar, and then me and Mister Xzar ate popsicles together." Smiling faintly at the memory, the dragonet remembers something Xzar told her, and grins, "Oh, and Mister Xzar told me a seeeecreeet, but I can't tell yoouuu, because I shouldn't go around promalagatoring it everywhere!"

(Sherry, I must say your ignorance is adorable. XD)

Maldius groans as his head is pinned to the ground, but he makes no attempt to struggle or resist. "What proof do you have, that I am the one who did this?"

Erwen sighed. "I'm letting her recover until she's back to perfect health. Then I'll probably send her with an escort back to Chrysos." He shook his head. "It's just too dangerous for her here now."

(Oh my god I love Sherry *o*)

{Azureus tilts her head at Sherry, a little amazed at how quickly she changed the subject and how not-devastated she was over the death of her original guardian.}"A secret? What secret, Sherry. Tell me."

(Haha, I'm glad you guys love her XD )

Sherry playfully sticks her tongue out at Azureus, tilting her head from side to side as she speaks, "Nnnnnope, I'm not tellliiinnng! It's a secret!"

(She's the only happy thing in my life. Lol jk)

Mac nodded curtly to Erwen, looking quite sad about the thought of Sherry leaving. He poked his head through the door of the infirmary. "Sherry?"

{Azureus sighs, but quickly comes up with a plan to get her to talk.}"But, Sherry, I need to know. You see, Mr. Xzar ran out very suddenly saying something about his past actions catching up to him. He could be in trouble. Anything you can tell us about him might be able to help us help him. Please tell me the secret, Sherry."

Maelstrom placed more pressure on Maldius' neck. "I know it was you. The talons that attacked Sherry were large and powerful. You are one of the few bigger dragons who uses illusion magic, and one of even fewer who knows of my existence. You are the only one who would have any reason to attack us, and I know that your intentions were not set on Sherry because she is not a potential threat. If your aim was for me, then why did you attack her?"

Erwen remained outside of the infirmary and watched the others as they tended to Sherry. But he was pulled from his thoughts as a servant of the palace approached him. "Your Majesty I have news for you."

Growling quietly, Maldius finally admits, "Yes... I attacked her, but what can I say? It isn't very fitting, for the leader of a rebellion to be eating dessert with a dragonet, is it? While I had been stirring hatred among the citizens of Solaris alongside my servants, you were revelling in the peace... Tell me, you're not turning soft, are you, Maelstrom?"

At this, Sherry's cheerfulness returns to concern. "Mister Xzar... might be in trouble...?" The sunny dragonet hesitates, then says, "OK... but you can't tell anyone! Mister Xzar is friends with Mister Maelstrom!"
Her ears perking up again when Macgyver calls her name, Sherry waves to him as he enters. "Hiiiyyaa, Mister Mac!"

Mac walked in, smiling at Sherry. "Hello, how are you feeling?"

Maelstrom's lips pulled back in a low growl upon Maldius' harsh assumptions. "My actions were for good reason," he retorted. "For the sake of staying undercover, I obliged to the dragonet's requests. I would not have killed her even to shut her up, as it is my policy to not shed innocent blood. If that bothers you, then we can call off our partnership and go back to being enemies. Right now." Maelstrom tightened his grip on Maldius' throat, reminding the dark dragon of the lesser position he was in at the moment.

Scratch continued to run without stopping. After what seemed to be quite awhile, he stopped. "Do you hear that?" The old dragon asked Vitis quietly. "Sounds like talking..."

(Sorry I fell asleep -.-
it's been crazy lately :p )

{Azureus nods silently to Sherry upon hearing the secret, then turns to Mac.}"Hey Mac, what brings you here?"

@Shadow: I get that. Glad you got some rest though. x) )

"Oh- Um- Nothing much, just checking up on this little fluffball." Mac said to Azureus, poking Sherry lightly with his tail.

{Vitis stops and listens.}"Yeah, I hear it too. This way."{Vitis silently creeps towards Maelstrom and Maldius' location.}"Stealth mode, activate."

Erwen steps away from the infirmary and turns to the servant. "Yes what is it?" The servant stands upright and delivers the information. "Sir, when the guards were collecting the Chrysos visitors they found your friend injured in the city. She was returned here to a room in the palace and is being tended to." Erwen nods and narrows his eyes. The servant bows their head then runs off.

The dark dragon squeezes his eyes shut as Maelstrom's grip tightens. "Oh, no need for that... I was only trying to remind you, Maelstrom... you are much too dignified than to be frolicking (sp?) around with little fur balls... I never wanted to call off our rebellion..." Feeling his physical strength leaving him rapidly, Maldius redirects his magic to keeping his body functioning. Blood loss gradually affects the mind, however, and not even the mighty Maldius can resist this...

Scratch listened in on the two dragons' conversation. He kept quiet and low to the ground, his knives out just in case.

Sherry giggles when Mac's tail nudges her, but then she turns a little more serious. "I got hurt today, Mister Mac. Something invisible hurt me!" she declares, pointing at her injured side.

Maldius' sarcastic prodding tempted Maelstrom to choke the poisoned dragon, but he refrained from doing so. //Any more and I'll kill the pathetic worm... Although...this would be the perfect time to finish him off and end this whole rebellion.// The temptation rose up even stronger this time, with Maldius in his talons and the chance to return peace to the land, but something inside him made him pause. Sherry's words faintly echoed in his mind: "Do you think Maldius has any friends?" Slowly, Maelstrom released the pressure on Maldius' throat and stepped back.

Mac smiled sadly down at Sherry. "I heard. But don't worry, nothing invisible is going to hurt you anymore. Because...." Playfully, Mac raised his real paw and set it on fire. "Mac's here!"

Erwen returned to the infirmary's doorway and entered. He slowly made his way to stand next to Mac and glanced at Sherry, making sure she looked okay. His negative expression remained but otherwise he looked calm.

(Gotta eat dinner. I'll be back soon!)

Sherry giggles and smiles at Macgyver. "Hooray! Ooh, are you a super hero, Mister Mac? Come to save the day?"

Maldius slowly lifts his head after Maelstrom releases him, his eyes darting around as he hesitates a moment. "... Hey, Maelstrom, what're we going to do now...?"

(Alrighty @Turtle!)

(Also, late, but that's ok, @Shadow, I'm happy you got some rest though :) )

(Sorry, back. xP)

"We?" Maelstrom echoed sourly, still upset with his decision to let Maldius live but forcing himself not to reconsider. "Right now, //you're// going to lay there like a squashed mushroom and reflect on your actions until you die from poisoning, and //I// will sit back and wait until I get an answer to my question." With that, Maelstrom plopped down on his rump and tucked his wings in, getting comfortable.

Maldius struggles to focus his eyes on Maelstrom. "What... question...?"

{Ardens wakes with a start. Taking a moment to fully realize where he is, he looks himself over.//The damage isn't too bad. I'll be fine. I felt a lot of souls return. I need to see what happened.//}

Scratch growled under his breath, using all of his mind set to control his anger.

Maelstrom let out a low growl of impatience. The effects of controlling so many robots for so long a time was beginning to kick in, and the cyborg could not find it worth it to make any physical attempts to work an answer out of the fading dragon. "My question was, why did you try killing Sherry instead of me, back in Aquilam?"

{Vitis wispers to scratch.}"We can't let him die! What do we do?"

"No, we can't...." Scratch whispers back. "Are you good at sneak attacking?"

(Brb!)

(Maelstrom to Vitis and Scratch: Just so you know, you're a little bit outnumbered right now. I'm also in a bad mood because your master is a pain in the tail.)

It takes a moment for Maldius to realize Maelstrom said something. "... Oh! I already told you. I-uh... was trying to..." He pauses a moment, then finally says, "I have no idea." The dark dragon then struggles to stand, holding up one paw and looking at it from an awkward angle. "Maaeeelll... I can't feel my feets anymore..."

( @Fade Alright :p

Btw @Turtlee, Sherry asked Mac a question :p )

{Vitis whispers back.}"Yes, but look, they're all metal! We can't deal with that! Wait, I've got an idea. Maybe he can get himself out if we just cure the poison. I've got a bag full of antidotes right here. It's just a matter of getting them to him. Do you think you can you draw those machines away?"

(Maldius: BlaaackIiiiiiiiice, where'd you gooo? I need my mediciiine with sugar!! ToT )

(Hey, gtg. brb.)

( @Aggron Alrighty :p )

(Ah missed that!)
Mac smiled. "I'm here to save the day!" He waved his flaming hand around, before putting the fire out.
Scratch grinned darkly. "I'll distract them, sure.... And I'll mess with 'ol Metal Head. This'll be fun...."

Erwen glanced at Mac with disinterest. "Yes, because a hero burns down his curtains daily." Erwen sat down and curled his tail around himself. "How are you feeling Sherry?"

(okay @Aggron)

(Back!)

Maelstrom flinched from Maldius' sudden, almost drunken-like behavior, and he leaned backwards, looking at him with disbelief and slight concern. "Maldius, what is seven plus twelve?"

(Blackice *Kicks Down door* "MASTER I WILL SAVE YOU!!"
sorry been distracted :p )

(First the window is harassed, and now the door?? Where has the value of propriety in people gone?!? XD)

Sherry smiles cheerfully at Mac and Erwen, happy to be with friends again. "I'm OK, Prince Erwen! I just miss Mister Xzar... Can you please tell me where he went?"

Maldius blinks, then suddenly grins, swishing his tail weakly. "Ahh, that's adding, right?! I can do that! It's..." After a good several minutes of looking at his claws and struggling mentally with the problem, the dark dragon grins at Maelstrom and states his answer. "A whole bunch."

(Maldius: AWESOME

@Shadow That's alright, I understand :) )

(Blackice ".... I think I need to get a bigger spoon...")

(I'll just have Scratch mess with Maelstrom until Aggron gets back.)

Scratch shot behind Maelstrom as quietly as he could.

"Oi! It's 19!" And with that, the old dragon picked up a pebble and threw it at the back of Maelstrom's head, before moving again.

(Oh my goodness, Maldius. TuT)

"He's lost it," Maelstrom muttered under his breath, then raised a hand in preparation to slap the senseless dragon. "Maldius, don't make me slap you."

Erwen smiles slightly. "It's good to hear you're getting better." He paused to think. "Sadly I don't know where Xzar went, he got away from us."

Spotting a red blur behind Maelstrom, Maldius tilts his head around and nearly falls over again. "SKITTLES!! Is that yoouuu!?"

Before he could fulfill his threat, Maelstrom vaguely felt something strike the back of his metallic skull, prompting him to whip his head around, but he did not spot any dragon. "Who goes there?" he snarled in annoyance.

The sunny little dragonet's ears droop upon hearing this news. "B-but why...? Why did he run away...? ... I miss him so much, Prince Erwen..."

(Wait, so Maldius can't even add numbers together, but he can recognize his subordinate just by catching a glimpse of him? I'm confused. X'D)

Erwen's expression changed to one of pity. "I don't know Sherry, I'm sure he'll return to see you though." He smiled again and patted her furry head.

"It's Maldius' little Hamster!" Scratch called with a mad laugh.
He threw another pebble, and another, and another....

( @Fade You also have to remember the curse that's eating away at him too, Maldius has seen Scratch enough to vaguely recognize him, but no one's asked him an addition problem in so long, that skill is fading away. If Mael had asked him the same question when Mal wasn't loopy, he still wouldn't have been able to answer it, the only difference would be that Maldy-boi would get SUPER SALTY at the fact he can't add anymore. XP )

//He's invisible... Maybe he's one of Maldius' subordinates. Too bad.// Giving in to his agitation, Maelstrom spun around and spread his wings. Exhaling deeply, he then breathed fire on the perimeters of the clearing, hoping to quell the stranger's teasing.

( @Lilly: Ahh, that makes sense. Yeah he'd probably get salty, because Maelstrom would also rub it in. XD

Also, brb again, sorry.)

Sherry sighs and looks down at the blanket she's covered with--one that she herself made. "... I'm just scared..."

(Back)

Erwen lifts one of his wings and lays it gently over Sherry. "There's no need to be afraid, we're here to protect you."

(wb @Aggron)

{Vitis, as quietly as he can, begins to slither invisible towards Maldius.//Lead him away, you blind fool, away!//}

(Welcome back, Aggron! :)
And alright, @Fade :p )

Sherry leans over the bed and tries to hug Erwen, tears starting to form in her eyes again. "But who will keep me safe when I go home...? Will I get to stay in Adrianne's house, even though she's... not here anymore? I-I won't have to work her forge, will I? I don't know how, and I'm not strong enough t-to do that, Prince Erwen...!"

(Back! Welcome back @Aggron!)

(brb I'll be back soon!)

Lol, somebody leves whenever somebody returns, and somebody returns just as another leaves.)

(Welcome back, @Fade! lol, yeah 'XD

Alrighty @Griff :p )

Scratch swiftly moved out of the way of Maelstrom's fire. "Down here, you bozo! Learn how to aim!"

{Azureus speaks up.}"Now, Sherry, I'm sure everything will be fine. Besides, you're not going right now, right? Just try to relax and focus on healing."

Maelstrom bared his teeth and whipped around, searching for the nuisance who dared interrupt his conversation - although, it was difficult to have a conversation when Maldius had lost a grip on his mind. "Show yourself!" he snarled.

Sherry gradually lets Erwen go, looking to the blanket on her lap again. "... Ok... but..." she says, turning to Macgyver, "Mister Mac, could you stay with me until Mister Xzar comes back... please?"

(If you want to be ironic as well as break Sherry's heart, Erwen or Azureus should say, "He's not coming back."

XD)

Mac, who had been watching the two talk, smiled softly at Sherry. "Of course, Sherry. You've done something great for me, so I'm returning the favor. I'll stay as long as you need me to."

"You've got to find me first! HAHA!" Scratch roared back to Maelstrom. Another pebble soared out of nowhere, hitting Maelstrom's head.

Maldius' head follows Scratch's every move. Even if the blind dragon had been hiding from his master with invisibility, the dark dragon would've been able to find him due to the signal given off by his collar. "Skittles, that //is// you, isn't it? OH! Does that mean Viiiiiiicky is here, too?" The delusional Maldius tilts his head opposite the way he had before, a dopey smile stretching across his maw. "Haha... all my friends are here..."

{Vitis finally gets to Maldius. He pours a bottle of antidote he opened earlier into some of Maldius' wounds.//I don't think that'll be enough.//Vitis waits for an opportunity to open another without being caught.}

What annoyed Maelstrom more than the insults was the pebbles that he was being pummeled by. They did not hurt in the least, but it was enough to drive him to pure insanity. With a furious roar, the cyborg beat his wings and took to the air, his robot soldiers following after him. //If I fly high up, he can't get more pebbles,// he deduced.

(Maldius, go to sleep.)

{//Aha! He's leaving!//Vitis takes this opportunity to apply as many antidotes as possible to Maldius' wounds. //Two, three......Four......//}

(back!)

Suddenly startled by Maelstrom's ascent to the sky, Maldius looks upward to him, but to save his life, he can't focus his eyes. "Okaayy, goodbye, Maaeeeelll!! Thanks for saving me from the giant weird monster and his army of pokey sticks!" Vaguely feeling something being poured into one of many wounds, he then turns around slowly, and with much effort. "What's that? ... Oh, it's you! Hey, I feel really... strange..." Maldius says to Vitis, attempting to rest his head on the serpent's neck.

Erwen nodded. "You'll be perfect for a babysitting job, Mac." Erwen retracts his wing and stands up. "I'm afraid I must go. I have other things to handle."

(Somebody put it out of its misery, please.)

Sherry smiles faintly at Macgyver, her large ears perking up again. "Thank you, Mister Mac! Thank you for staying with me!" She then turns to the King and nods her head in understanding. "Okay, bye-bye, Prince Erwen!"

( @Fade X'D

Maldius is going to be so angry about all this when he comes back to his senses.)

(Totally. Drats, Maelstrom should've videotaped him so that he could blackmail him in the future.)

Scratch grinned to himself. //Too high for pebbles, eh?//
"To think that dragons are scared of you!" He called to the Cyborg dragon. "Yet, you're friends with a living cotton ball!"
The blind dragon swiftly hurls one of his knifes into the air. The blade planted itself into one of Maelstrom's soilders.

{Vitis growls in annoyance at Maldius' behavior.}"Gah! Stop that! If you want to cuddle something, do it after I finish! Now, hold still! Ten.......Eleven....."

(Not-Loopy Maldius: You know... it's probably not a good thing that my servant is insulting my partner...)

Erwen bowed his head. "Good bye Sherry, I'm sure we'll be talking again real soon." And with that he turned and left the infirmary.

Maldius blows a short raspberry in reply, then notices some strange figure with his blurry vision, which he THINKS is a dragon. "HEY VICKY, WHO'S THAT!?" the delusional dragon shouts, lifting his head to look at a tree.

Scratch's knife cut into one of the tubes on the mechanical dragon's right wing, causing it to burst open and spew out steam. The soldier continued to fly up after Maelstrom until he noticed that his wing was no longer functioning correctly, although too late. Its right wing beat slower and slower with protesting whines, then finally stopped altogether. The machine floated in place for a second as its momentum stopped, head whipping about in confusion, then it plummeted back toward the earth, crashing into the rocks with a fatal crunch. //Blast that meddler!// Maelstrom thought as he watched it fall.

Mac chuckles to himself about Erwen's remark. "Maybe I could be a babysitter... Goodnight, Your Magesty." The yellow and grey dragon curled up on the floor, watching Sherry with tired eyes.

(You know, I think loopy Maldius is my new favorite character in TDS.)

( @Lilly Um, rasberry?){Vitis is becoming very annoyed by his seemingly drunk employer.}"That's a tree, moron. Eighteen, nineteen........Twenty! That's all of them. Now, we just wait."

Erwen marched down the hallway with the mixture of a scowl and annoyed expression on his face. He went up to a servant for directions to what room his 'friend' was being kept in then continued on his way. When Erwen reached the door he entered without even attempting to knock.

( @Fade Too bad for you, this'll likely be the only time Maldy-boi gets loopy like this, unless something unexpected comes up XP

@Aggron I thought it was always spelled "raspberry?" 'XD )

Sherry watches Erwen leave, then yawns, but feels a little worried when she remembers the nightmares she had last time. "... Mister Mac, do you know of any funny songs or stories you could tell me?"

(Maelstrom: Hmm, maybe I should try poisoning him again...?)

( @Lilly Fine, but what did you mean, "blows a small raspberry?")

"I think her name is Miiinnaaa..." the dark (not drunk) dragon mutters, finally giving up in the struggle against unconciousness, and Maldius' yellow eyes roll back into his head as his body collapses, his mind giving way to utter blackness.

(No way, he's totally drunk. Partied too hard with those draugrs and knocked himself out. Shameful.)

( @Aggron Ahh, it's an action, it's where you stick your tounge out and blow, it makes a noise and vibrates your tongue.

Can anyone else explain it better than I did? XD )

(To make a farting sound is the only other way I'd explain it. XD)

{Vitis rolls his eyes.}"Great, now what?"

( @Lilly Ok, I get it now.)

Mac thought for a moment. "Funny songs or stories? I might have o-" The dragon cut off, holding in a laugh. "Oooh I've got a fun story!" He said, grinning down at Sherry. "When I was younger, maybe Fifteen or Twenty, I was friends with a set of rambunctious dragons. I was diciplined and mannered, while they were crazy. I don't quite know why I was friends with them. Anyway... One night, my two friends got severely drun- Errrr... I mean they were a little loopy. So, me being dumb, allowed them to go for a fly. I joined them, of course. We ended up flying to the edge of the Capital, to this one mean farmer's home. Long story short, my one friend enchanted one of his cucumbers! It was a sort of 'revenge' thing, I guess. Well, the cucumber ended up going on a rampage, and the capital guard had to catch it! I think it's still locked up, screeching and barking. I have no idea where those friends are today, and there's no doubt in my mind that they're in jail." Mac finished, smiling at Sherry. "Okay, it's your turn to tell a story!"

Erwen glared down at the mess of a dragon on the ground. "You're causing me so much more trouble than I need at the moment."

Noxaura, who had been groaning in pain on the floor looked up at Erwen with wide eyes. "It's not my fault my head hurts."

(Wooooooow, Mac. XD)

(Mac is best storyteller 10/10)

{Seeing that Sherry is well looked after, Azureus leaves to tend to some other business.}

(Hey, just so you know, I might need to leave soon. I've been looking for a way to get Maelstrom out of the interaction so I don't ruin anything for you guys.)

The little dragonet blinks a moment, staring at Macgyver. She doesn't know how to feel about that story. "Oh... um... okay..." Sherry pauses a moment, thinking of a funny story she knows, and eventually her ears perk up. "Oh, I know! One time, Dad took me to a field of apple trees, and while we were picking apples, I saw a bunch of wolfies! Dad got out his flute and played a pretty song, and the wolfies liked Dad's music, so they decided to stay and play with us! I was a lot smaller back then, too, so I got to ride on one of the wolfies' back! It was so much fun! But eventually the wolfies had to go home, so we said goodbye, and we went home, too. The next day, Mom made apple pie, too! It was so good!" Sherry smiles happily as she recounts this story to Macgyver.

(Alright, @Fade, I guess you could always have Mael fly away if you need to?)

Macgyver looked at Sherry in pure confusion. "Wolves...Apples...Flutes...? Quite interesting, Sherry!"

( @Lilly: I guess so. Turtlee's not feeling well so I don't know if she's going to continue with Scratch, so I'm gonna try to wait a bit longer.)

( @Fade Ah, alright.

@Turtlee I hope you feel better soon :( *hugs*)

(I think I'm going to call it a night since my characters are away from the others now. Have a good night everyone!

And I hope you feel better soon @Turtle)

Maldius wheezes in his unconcious state, almost every breath sounding like it'll be his last. His muscles tense up every now and then, and he wears a somewhat pained look on his face.

(Yeah, I might go soon. My head is throbbing and my throats hurts.)

(In that case, I think we might as well call it a night, I have to be up early in the morning XP )

(Looks like everybody's shutting down at this time. Are you two going to continue, Lilly and Aggron? I think I could stay a bit longer if you will be.)

{Vitis gives a worried look.}"Why isn't the antidote working?! What's wrong?"

@Lilly Yeah, we should probably call it.

(Alright then. Goodnight guys! It was fun! ^-^)

Goodnight @Fade!