Yo lads

Hi!

Mind If I Join You?

uh k

Ok, Thanks! How Are You?

Alright, I guess. You?

Good. I Like Your Comics and The Way You Draw, They're Pretty Cute!

Hey, thanks. Idk what to work on now though, any ideas?

Maybe You Could Work On Something For Halloween.

Also, I Hope You Don't Mind Me Saying This But...

You're Kinda Cute as Well.

Halloween, yeah. Like, what?

Also cheers, I guess

Maybe Your OCs and Your Friends OCs In Halloween Costumes?

That'd Be Pretty Cool

Hah, well uh, I'd do that but I don't even have an OC. Not really in this art circle, y'know?

Oh, I'm Sorry! I Didn't Know!

No prob, but yeah. Haven't done art for quite a while, just trying to get back on track.

It's Ok, Take Your Time.

So, Tell Me About Yourself. What Do You Like To Do?

@Radiant Ok. I'll reply now.

{Ana's lightning bolt traveled through Pugna's metal body and went into the ground harmlessly}
Pugna: "Magic. What a pathetic attempt at manipulating the world. All that ruckus and light show, and for what? A stream of electrons that couldn't even dent me?"
{As Pugna walks a bit closer, his matter cloud comes swirling behind him. His bow melts and disintegrates, joining the cloud. From the cloud comes countless molten particles, coming together to form a black bladed sword.}
Pugna: "Look upon my power. Behold my works and despair."

{As Sargon flew, Magnus ws not too far. He was near the center of the city, directing light keepers to help quarantine the cursed areas of the city.}

(Who the hell are these people??)

(Also, hi Aggron.)

Ana shifted backwards a few steps, keeping herself out of the creature's reach. 'Ha! You've got a sword, so what?' In a sudden movement, she charged at Pugna and pounced on him, activating her Ward as she did so.

Sargon's sharp eyes spotted the people on the ground immediately. With a falcon screech, he swooped downwards, landing in front of Magnus and shifting into his human form so Magnus could see who he was.

'I bring a report,' he said. 'From Commander Danse's group.'

(I don't know who those people are. You want to delete all their comments?)

{Pugna lifted his arms and blocked Ana's lunge at the ward. He didn't even budge.}
Pugna: "Weak. You're far too small a dragon to be throwing your weight around."
{Lifting his sword, he swings it at her, shattering her ward in the process.}

{Magnus turns to Sargon.}
"Proceed, scout."

(I don't know them either. I have no idea why they're here. XD
I'll delete the comments later when this room starts to get full.)

Ana let out a yelp and dived backwards as the sword struck, feeling it break through her magic. The barrier gave her some protection even as it shattered, slowing down Pugna's sword enough that it only cut her slightly before she managed to get out of his reach.

Panting, she retreated towards the rest of the group. 'Hey! Why aren't you idiots doing anything?'

'An Akhetian appeared and demanded that we return the light weapon,' Sargon responded. 'Commander Danse refused, and the squad is now fighting with it. He requested that I fly back and report to you.'

{Biceras, still pinned, very painfully turns to Ana. }
Biceras:"Jeeze, Ana,... don't you think I'd be doing something...if I wasn't pinned and...bleeding..."
{She's begin to look weak and her struggling is slowing. Some of the squad are trying unsuccessfully to dislodge the arrows. The rest are cowering back, clearly afraid of the Akhetian. Danse, on the other hand, has disappeared entirely.}
Pugna: "Foolish female, the do nothing, for they can do nothing. They recognize their-"
{He's cut off when Danse reappears and comes at incredible speed from behind Pugna, hitting the back of his knee with Biceras' hammer. Pugna stumbled and falls to one knee. Taking this opening, Danse draws his greatsword, comes around the front of Pugna, and stabs him in the throat with it, the blade penetrating his stone neck.}

{Magnus' expression turns dark at this.}
"Take me to them, scout. Morgana, Clayton, Karn, you and your squads, follow me!"

As soon as she saw Danse make his attack, Ana sprung forwards once again, swiping a paw and knocking Pugna's blade out of his hand.

----

Sargon nodded briefly, shifting back into falcon form and taking off. He started flying back to where Danse's squad were, keeping his flight low and slow so that everyone would be able to follow.

Pugna: "Insects!
{Pugna swats Danse down before grabbing Ana, taking advantage of her close proximity. With one hand, he lifts her up and slams her on her back, his metal limbs creaking the whole time. Putting a clawed metal foot onto her chest, he reaches towards his sword. The sword then dissipates and reforms in his hand.}

;-;

pls don't delet

{Magnus and his troops follow Sargon closely. Morgana was riding upon one of her massive beetles, flanked by two others, Clayton was to the left of Magnus with a battalion of heavily armored dragon shifters, and Karn brought up the rear with all battle mages.}

(AnimeGamingLuv99 and LCD-Dreams:
Don't take it personally, but please don't comment here. This is not your chatroom and I have no idea who you are.)

Just before Ana was slammed down, Armin - realising the danger - shifted into his hawk form and took off. He flew a short distance before crash-landing on the ground due to his injured wing.

Ana drew in a deep breath, then hit Pugna with a massive blast of green fire. She assumed that because he was made of metal, the flames would melt his exterior.

----

It wasn't long before the site of the skirmish came into view. //Here,// said Sargon telepathically, flying up and over a wall. On the other side was Ana trying to incinerate Pugna and the rest of the group standing about.

(Oh man, I forgot Armin was there. XD)
{Pugna puts his arm up to block the flames. Raising his sword, he brings it down, stabbing Ana through the abdomen.}

{Magnus runs toward the skirmish.}
Magnus: "Pugna!"
{Pugna turns to look at Magnus. Stepping off of Ana, he leaves the sword pinning Ana to the floor. His partially melted exterior begins to pull itself back into shape before solidifying.}
Magnus: "Stop this, Pugna. Leave."
Pugna: "Come now, Magnus, when Akhet gives an order, I'm obligated to follow it."

(That's alright, I forget my characters' existences regularly. XD)

Ana gave a howl of pain and fury as her flame breath flickered out against Pugna's arm. She tried to strike out at him with a paw, then shuddered and collapsed, seemingly unconscious, with the sword blade still embedded in her.

Sargon circled above the battle site. Then, slowly, he swooped down to the ground and shifted back. He threw a glance at Ana, but couldn't get near her without moving close to Pugna, so he instead went to stand by Armin, protecting the injured vampire from any further attack.

(Ooof, I hope she's not dead. Just like in Shacklestone, it was not my intention to kill Ana.)

{Magnus looks about at the wounded.}
"Pugna, I am the one who made the decision to take the weapons. Leave my people alone. Let me gather my wounded, then we'll settle this."
{Pugna considered this for am moment before pulling his sword out of Ana and turning to Magnus. With a few short words, Clayton and his dragon shifters began to carry away the wounded, finally freeing Biceras, scooping up Armin, and putting Ana on the back of a larger dragon. Pugna waits expectantly for them to be cleared, tapping the hilt of his sword rhythmically with a metal finger}

(Nah, I'll make her OK. I don't want her as a zombie in this. Though, maybe you should tone down your attacks little bit in the future. XD)

Sargon paused for a moment, watching the array of injured being carried away, not sure what to do. Then he slowly walked off, following the group who were all hastening away from the battle site.

On the larger dragon's back, Ana stirred weakly and muttered something incoherent before slipping back into unconsciousness. Armin, on the other hand, was still awake, just staying quiet and listening to the proceedings.

{As she was being carried away, Biceras looked over at her injured and unconscious compatriot.}
Biceras:"...Ana...Ana...Say something....please..."
{Once the wounded were cleared, Magnus stepped forward. To his left was Morgana and a beetle. To his right was Karn and his wizards.}
Magnus: "Ok, Pugna. It's just us. Bottom line. We need those weapons to win this war. Once we win, we'll gladly give them back. But if you want them now, you go through me."
Pugna: "That's fine by me. Defeating you will help my cause of proving Akhetian superiority."

'She won't say anything,' said Sargon as he walked alongside the group. 'I tried contacting her via telepathy a few moments ago. She's unconscious.' His voice was distant, and he kept glancing back to see what Pugna and Magnus were doing.

(This next part is a little long. I’ll probably do it during ShackleStone.)

(Alright.)

{Magnus smirks.}
"Pugna. Your arrogance blinds you. You could never defeat us."
Pugna: "We'll see about that."
{Pugna takes off like a shot, sword in hand, running towards Magnus' group. As he approaches, however, Karn's mages raise their hands and begin chanting an incantation. All at once, Pugna falls against the ground. In a circle around Pugna, all the grass has become flattened, and the small trees are flattened. Pugna begins to stand, shaky and slowly.}
Pugna: "Clever, Magnus, having your mages increase the strength of gravity right at my location. But, I am not made of water and meat. This cannot stop me."
Magnus: "Perhaps, but five-hundred tons of granite sure can."
Pugna: "Granite?"
{Morgana's beetle was holding a massive granite boulder in its mandibles. Dropping it over Pugna, the rock accelerated at an incredible speed due to the increased gravity. Once it fell upon him, it completely flattened and broke his form beyond repair. Pugna could not restore himself from that.
Releasing their enchantment, the mages put their arms down, breathing heavily.}

Hearing what sounded like a colossal crash, Sargon looked over his shoulder, and even Ana weakly stirred and tried to raise her head. But they had walked too far away from the battleground to see what was going on.

'What was THAT?' said Armin, from wherever he was. 'Sounded like a mountain falling over.'

"Sounds like the king dealt with Pugna."
{Clayton comments. By now, the group was approaching the medical tent.}
Clayton: "Sargon, do you know any way to make Ana force shift? She'll be easier to treat in human form."

'Unfortunately, no,' Sargon responded. 'I can only ask her to shift if she's conscious and aware enough to hear me. You'll have to do the best you can until then.'

Clayton: "Very well."
{All the wounded in human form are taken into the tent to be treated while Ana is treated outside.}
Clayton: "What about you? Are you hurt?"

Sargon shook his head distantly, his gaze on Ana. 'No. I wasn't involved in the fighting.'

{Clayton nods.} "ALright then. You can stay here with your friends or come help with the quarantine effort. Your choice."
{With that, Clayton and his squad head back.}

(For the next part, I'm going to cut back to the Will of Death arriving back at their hq. That's going to involve a bit with some prisoners that are all kinds of people. You're more than welcome to throw any of your unused characters into that group to give yourself some interaction in the other side of this story, as these sections will be quite long and give the basis for the next series of events. Any characters here will be guaranteed to not die or sustain any lasting harm for as long as they are captives.)

(That sounds fun! Give me a little while to go through my characters and choose some to throw in. You can go ahead and write the next bit if you want.
Are there any species/kinds of people that the prisoners can't be?)

(Nope, use whatever you want. :D)

{Meanwhile, the Will of Death arrive at their mountain fortress, battered and beaten. Dolorus comes in quickest, landing and unfolding his wings. From under his right falls a wounded Ardens. It seems Magnus' strike had prevented him from escaping, causing Dolorus to scoop him up off the battlefield. From his left wing falls Delilah, bleeding and unconscious. Clearly, Sargon's attacks and the light magic did more damage than it appeared, and she was only able to escape on pure adrenaline.}
Dolorus: "Take these to the infirmary, stat!"
{Some draugrs appear and begin to carry the pair away. As they went, they passed the dungeon level. This floor consisted of numerous and massive cells and cages filled with prisoners taken by the cult for their twisted dark magic experiments. As Delilah was carried passed, she momentarily awoke, perhaps from the pain of being moved. As she did, she looked to the prisoners, glimpsing something that made her eyes widen, something that she believed to be impossible, There, in the midst of the captives, was a dragonet, one that was all too familiar to her. As she passed, she weakly reached in its direction before losing consciousness once again.}
Delilah: "M-Mira?"

(Alright, I picked out two OCs I think I'll be using here. I haven't really drawn them on Colors before, so I'll throw you a link to their profiles on Toyhou.se, so you can see them if you need to.)

As the group passed through the dungeon, several captives stirred and turned to watch the procession. Some drew to the back of their cells in fear, while a few of the braver ones came up to the bars to watch.

In one small cell, an orange drake lifted her head and pricked up her ears, listening to the noise. She was blind. //That sounds like a lot of people. I wonder what's going on?//

In a larger cell right beside hers, a brown dragon with feathered hawk-like wings was crouched, watching Delilah and the others walk past. He didn't say anything, but was curious. He couldn't help noticing that many of the party seemed to be injured.

(Blind drake - https://toyhou.se/2810284.frida
Hawk dragon - https://toyhou.se/2513966.glade)

{After the necromancers passed, a few of the captives start to talk amongst each other. One is an old man in Glade's cell and the other is a vampire fledgling in Frida's cell.}
Old Man: "Did you see that? Those two looked like they met their match."
Fledgling: "C-could it be? Someone out their can beat them?"

'Well, isn't this great?' said Glade optimistically. 'Imagine if someone really did beat them, all of them...' He smiled a little, lost in happy thoughts. 'We could be free.'

Frida tilted her head to better listen to the quiet conversation from amongst the cells. 'Who was it? How did they look?'

(*There Lol I can't grammar today. XD)
{The old man looks to Glade.} "Perhaps there is hope for us yet."
{The fledgling sits and looks to Frida.}
Fledgling: "It was Delilah and Ardens. They were both bleeding pretty badly. I wonder if they'll die of their wounds. I hope they do."
Dolorus: "Now, now, I wouldn't call them beat."
{Slowly, the massive serpent approaches the cells.}
"I would just call it a minor setback. They've survived much worse. Speaking of surviving things, I need some strong subjects for some tests that may or may not kill you. Any volunteers?"

(Woop, this is Radiant.)

'Maybe they will--' said Frida, then stopped talking as she heard the slow slithering sound of Dolorus approaching.

Glade raised his head, an interested expression on his face. 'Tests? Will they hurt?' he asked politely.

Frida shook her head in disbelief. 'Why is he so calm about this? I know there's no point in panicking, but even so, he seems to not even care that he's a prisoner,' she muttered.

Old Man: "...You can't be serious, kid..."
{Dolorus tilts his head and squints his eyes.}
"Eeeh, I don't actually know. Every applicant so far has...well, died, so I couldn't ask them. So, you want to volunteer?"
{Dolorus then turns to Frida.}
"Why shouldn't he be calm and interested? His cooperation will help me push the boundaries of Dark Magic to unexplored heights!"
{He begins to approach Frida.}
"Would /you/ like to volunteer?"

'Wait!' said Glade. His expression had turned solemn as soon as he heard about the other volunteers dying. 'I'd like to volunteer. I'd rather it were me than anyone else. But, I'm sure nothing will go wrong anyway.'

'He's insane,' someone muttered from further along the row of cells. It was echoed by a murmur of agreement from several other prisoners.

'Dude, you realise you might not come back alive, don't you?' said Frida warningly.

{Vitis gives a twistedly devious grin.}
"So, you'll cooperate? Excellent! Draugrs! Take this one to the test chamber! And you should know, they only died because the experiment failed. If it goes well, you'll be fine."

Glade nodded politely and stood by passively, waiting for the draugrs to open his cell and lead him to wherever he was supposed to go.

'You're disgusting!' one of the captives further away snarled. 'You're killing people for no reason!'

Frida kept quiet this time, sitting at the front of her cell with a worried expression. //How many people have died from these tests? If he dies too... but I can't stop him.//

{The draugrs open the cage, causing most of the other captives to back all the way to the back.}
Draugr: "Step forth. Follow."

Glade left the cell without hesitation and obeyed the order. Meanwhile, half the prisoners in the dungeon were watching the scene with disbelief and some curiosity.

'Well, he's brave if nothing else,' muttered one person. 'It's too bad, though. He thinks he's saving everyone by sacrificing himself, but Dolorus will just come back another time for the rest of us.'

'Oh, shut up,' Frida muttered back, her ears flattening back in annoyance. 'Everyone here's so pessimistic. Maybe Glade actually has more sense than you.'

{Dolorus grins, watching Glade comply. After he leaves, the draugrs close the gate.}
Dolorus: "Yes, brave indeed. I am lucky to have such an upstanding individual as my test subject. Tell you what, if you survive, I'll give you some candy, as a token of my appreciation."
{As Dolorus left with Glade, a different necromancer appears.}
Necromancer: "Ok, I need some subjects. You lot!"
{He points to Frida's cage.}
"All of you but the blind one, this way!"
{More draugrs approach to open the gate.}

'Will you tell me about this experiment you're trying to do?' Glade asked as he padded after Dolorus. 'It must be quite dangerous if other people have died from it.'

'Hey!' Frida exclaimed. 'What're you doing? You freaks already took Glade, what do you want these people for?' As the draugrs opened the cell, she assumed an aggressive stance and bared her teeth at them, despite not being able to tell exactly where they were.

{Dolorus look Glade over.}
"Mmmm, ok, since you're being such a good boi. Basically, I am experimenting with "Dark Magic Possession". I am trying to develop a new spell that allows a dark magic mage to temporarily possess a being, without killing them. The specifics are quite complex, but that's the basic description."

{The necromancer points at Frida.}
"Draugrs! Restrain her! Take the rest!"
{With that, the draugrs rush into the cage and tackled Frida. They were all fabricated to be massively muscular, seemingly designed to restrain prisoners.}

'That sounds very interesting,' said Glade. 'But why have people died from it? I don't understand why possessing someone could cause them to die.'

Frida twisted her head around and sunk her teeth into one of the draugr's arms, though she seemed to realise that she had no chance of fending off so many opponents. She stopped resisting and went limp, though still kept her jaws closed over the draugr's arm.

{Dolorus gives a nervous smile.}
"Erm, well, the stress of having two souls in the same body can be a bit much for the mind. Basically, the added stress might...destroy the neurons in the brain, killing the host instantly, but I think I finally fixed that. That's why I need you."

{The draugrs forced her against the wall, ignoring her bite. The remainder of the draugrs forcibly dragged the other inhabitants out of the cage and down the hall, with much protest.}
Vampire Fledgling: "Let me go you freakin' maggot farms! Frida!"
{Once the other captives were away, the necromancer entered the cage and approached Frida.}
"Don't think this little act of rebellion will go unforgotten, sightless one. The first opportunity I have, I will recommend you for the Hydra program. I hope Delilah makes it especially painful."
{With that, he walks out, the draugrs release Frida, and close the gate behind themselves.}

'Oh, OK,' said Glade, sounding a little worried, but not overly so. 'Well, I hope it works out well!'

--------

As soon as the draugrs and necromancer left, Frida ran up to the bars and shouted after them.

'Freaks! I hope whoever beat up Delilah and Ardens does the same to you!'

Now finding herself alone in her cell, she wandered about for a while, before sitting down in a corner and wrapping her tail around herself for warmth. //I wonder if any of them will come back alive... I never realised how quiet this place was without those guys around...//

(Glade, don't say 'well' twice in the same sentence you stupid hawkdragon. XD)

{Dolorus nods before leading Glade to an ominous chamber. It was a circular room with a black altar in the middle with a messy desk in one corner and paint with brushes strewn about.}
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Here, lie down on your belly on the altar and spread your wings. Just let me get my things..."
{Dolorus slithers over to the desk and starts rummaging through the messy papers.}

{As Frida curls up, a voice from within her cell pipes up. It sounds like a little girl.}
"Fret not, Frida. None more shall perish past those who were taken from this cell. We will all be freed soon enough."

Glade did was he was told. //I wonder if this will work,// he thought, feeling almost excited despite the obvious danger. //Can he actually possess people? Will I still know what's going on if he's controlling my mind? Well, I guess I'll just have to find out.//

----

Frida's head snapped up instantly. She'd been certain there was no-one left in this cell. 'Who are you?' she asked.

{Gathering a bunch of papers and a brush with his weak telekinesis, he hovers over glade and starts to paint a rune circle on his back.}.
""Now, hold extremely still. One wrong rune could have fatal results."

{The voice spoke up calmly.}
"Don't be afraid. My name is Lucy. I'm a captive, same as you."

'Alright,' said Glade amicably, waiting.

----

'Why didn't they take you away like everybody else?' Frida turned in a circle, trying to pinpoint exactly where Lucy was standing and why she hadn't noticed her before. 'Huh, you must be really quiet,' she muttered to herself.

{After a few minutes, Dolorus finished the circle.}
"Ok, that's done. Just keep holding still, I'm going to try to perform the spell. Ok?"

{The dragonet is in the eastern corner of the cage, sitting still.}
Lucy: "I can avoid being seen when it so suits me. And yes, I am very quiet."

Glade just made a noise of acknowledgement. He was starting to get nervous, but he didn't move or give any sign of it. He was just starting to realise that he might actually be about to die.

----

Frida turned to face Lucy. 'How did they capture you in the first place if you can avoid being seen? Also, are you a dragon? You smell like one.'

{Dolorus started chanting something and closing in on Glade, eliciting an uneasy feeling.}

Lucy: "Yes, I am a dragonette. I was taken while I was asleep, so I never had the chance to escape."

Glade wisely stayed completely still, even though he was feeling more nervous by the minute. He hoped this wouldn't take too long.

----

'Huh...' Frida wondered if it was safe to trust this dragon, then decided that she couldn't really be in a worse situation than she already was. 'I was taken while out on a walk with my buddy Glade. He's the hawkdragon guy who was taken away by Dolorus just now.'

{All at once, Dolorus became a smoke-like mass and absorbed into Glade through the rune circle. To Glade, it would feel to him like passing out when Dolorus absorbed into him. He was now in control, and Glade's consciousness was pushed to some dark and lonely part of his own mind.}
Glade/Dolorus: "Hmmm. Well, I've never been this far. I'm normally ejected about this time."
{After walking about and testing Glade's body for a few minutes, he lies back down on the altar.}
"Ok, let's see if he survives..."
{With that, Dolorus' smoky mass exits through the runes and rematerializes. He then checks Glade.}
Dolorus: "Hm. He's still breathing! Eureka! I did it!"
{Grinning excitedly, Dolorus waits for Glade to wake up again.}

(By the way, what exactly is the Hydra program that the necromancer mentioned earlier?)

It took a minute or two for Glade to stir. Very slowly, he lifted his head, coming to the realisation that he was still alive. 'Hmm? What happened? Did it not work?' He looked around, seeing Dolorus grinning happily beside him.

"Yes, it worked, and, you're alive, ain'cha!? How do you feel?"
{Dolorus says excitedly, waiting for a response.}

Lucy: "How regrettable. Dolorus and his minions kidnap whoever they can find. It was nothing but bad luck that you were both kidnapped."

'I feel... OK,' replied Glade, sounding puzzled. 'I have a slight headache, but that's all. Did it /really/ work? Exactly how you'd intended?'

----

'I guess we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,' agreed Frida. 'So, you were saying earlier that you think we're all going to be free soon. How do you know that?'

"Pretty much." {The serpent replied excitedly.} "I'll have to conduct many, many more tests, across different species, just to see if this configuration will work. I suppose I'll try it again a few times with you in a bit, but for now, we'll just keep you under observation, for any short term effects. I suppose I..."
{He stops when another necromancer walks in. He goes up to Dolorus and whispers something in his ear.
Dolorus: "What is it, Ossius? Oh? She did what?...Really?...You're sure she was saying that?...Oh dear...I must attend to this immediately."
{The necromancer leaves and Dolorus turns back to Glade.}
"Hmm. It seems I am needed elsewhere. This draugr will take you back to the dungeon. Thank you for your participation."

Lucy: "I just know it. You don't have to believe me, but I know we'll be out of here eventually. I have faith that one of their ranks will finally see their wrongdoing and set us free."

(Hey, I asked a question back up there.)

Glade, who had watched with interest as the necromancer came into the room and said something to Dolorus, nodded in acceptance. 'Alright. You're welcome.' He climbed down from the table and followed the draugr out.

'I don't see how you can be so sure of something like that,' said Frida. ''Having faith' isn't the same as actually knowing something.' She lay down in a dog-like position, facing the cell door. 'I don't even know if Glade is going to come back.'

{As Dolous was slithering away, he stopped abruptly and turned back to Glade.}
"Oh, I nearly forgot."
{He produces a bag of candy and gives it to Glade.}
"Just as I promised. Bye!"
{With that, Dolorus slithers away and the draugr continues to lead Glade back.}

{Lucy lies down as well.} "I'm certain he'll turn up soon. Let's just wait."

(:/)

Glade looked down at the bag, sniffed it, smiled a little, and then returned to the dungeons. //I think everyone's going to be happy when they see I'm still alive. Maybe it will give them more hope.//

Frida said nothing. Just then, Glade walked through the entrance to the dungeon, and she stiffened, looking around and scenting the air. 'Hey, that isn't Glade, is it?'

(OH, crap, the question! I can't believe I forgot twice! XDD
Yeah, so the hydra program is just when Delilah takes unwilling victims, kills them, and makes them into those hydra constructs, like Wendigo. That was the question, right?)

{Lucy looks up.} "Yes, it is."
{The draugr walks up to Frida's cage, opens the door, and beckons Glade to enter.}

(Aaah, OK. Thanks for explaining. X) I guessed that was what it was. I just wanted to make sure, because I don't really want Glade or Frida turned into hydras in this RP. I'd like to keep them as they are.)

Glade immediately went over to Frida. 'That was so weird.'

'What did Dolorus want?' Frida asked. 'Some kind of experiment? You seem fine to me.'

'Yes. He's trying out a new kind of dark magic that lets him possess people. He wanted me to help him test it, and it worked!' Glade tore open the bag of candy he was holding, pulled out a piece, and ate it thoughtfully.

'Well, at least it didn't kill you or anything,' said Frida. 'But next time, can you please not let them drag you away for experiments? Next time you might NOT survive.' Smelling Glade's candy, she navigated her way over to the bag and took some.

(Of course not. I thought I personally guaranteed the safety of your characters before we started this section?)

{Lucy walks over to the candy bag and takes some as well.}
"You came back alive whereas all others didn't. That must say something about the experiment."

(You said they were guaranteed not to die or sustain serious harm. I wasn't sure if becoming a hydra counted among that.)

'I don't know why I was alright and other people weren't,' said Glade. 'It's a bit sad, really. I wish he hadn't needed to kill so many before he got the experiment to work. Who are you, by the way?' he added, noticing for the first time that he hadn't seen Lucy before.

'It was still an insane thing to do, going off with Dolorus like that,' Frida muttered, pushing her muzzle into the bag to pull out another candy.

(Becoming a hydra totally counts. XD)

{Lucy looks up at Glade.}
"My name is Lucy. It's nice to meet you. As for going with Dolorus, it was better for you to go than Frida. Being sightless, Frida had a higher chance of succumbing to the stress than you. It was the best possible outcome."

{Meanwhile, Dolorus arrives to where the necromancer lead him; The infirmary. Apparently, in delirious rage, Delilah had attacked one of her fellow necromancers. Facing away from the doorway , Delilah was standing still in a hunched posture, breathing raggedly. She was dressed in bloody bandages with blood dripping from her hands. In the corner was a necromancer, holding his half decayed face, staring at Delilah in terror. Ardens had recovered enough to stand and was standing to the side with some fire in his hand, just in case.}
Dolorus:"What happened?"
Ossius:"Well, she was having a rough time with the doc, struggling in a fevered dream as he tried to patch her up. Eventually...I'm not so sure exactly what happened, I guess he must have touched an open wound a little to roughly or something, but...she just turned on him and did that to his face, screaming a name I didn't recognize."
Dolorus:"Oh? What name?"
Ossius: "Mira. Know what she means?"
Delilah: "....Mira...Where...where is she? I saw her...you...you're keeping her...you...lied!"
{Delilah begins to aggressively approach the doc, making him scramble back, terrified.}
Doc: "Delilah! Stop! There is no Mira here! I, I don't even know who that is!"
Doc

Glade tilted his head and peered down at Lucy, then smiled. 'Well, thank you. I thought the same thing myself - it was better that I go than anyone else did.'

Frida looked between the two of them, flattening her ears in annoyance. 'I'm not that fragile. If Glade handled it fine, then I could have, too.'

Glade was busy poking his nose into the candy bag to find the last pieces, seeming content just to be back in the cell with people he knew.

(I'll reply in the morning, maybe during shacklestone.)

(Alright.)

{As Delilah approached the Doc, Dolorus flew between them.}
Delilah: "Dolorus....Where is she? I saw her...I..."
Dolorus: "Delilah...You're ill. Your mind isn't clear. Mira has been dead for two thousand years. Your mind deceives you."
{These words seem to hurt her, as she makes a pained expression.}
Delilah: "N-no...I...I saw her...S-she was there, in the..."
Dolorus: "Delilah, you need to sleep. You're not thinking clearly. Come on, dear, back to bed."
{Using his wings, Dolorus coaxes Delilah to get back into the bed.}

{Lucy looks between the two.} "So, where are you two from?"

'Nowhere in particular,' said Frida. 'My family lives in a cave in the countryside. There's nothing much over there except grass, trees and cliffs.'

'I'm from a hawkdragon tribe who lives higher up in the mountains,' said Glade. 'But I travel around a lot, and that's how I first met Frida.'

'His tribe doesn't like him,' added Frida in an undertone.

{Lucy looks to Glade.} "Why don't they like you? You seem nice enough."
{Then she looks to Frida.} "Does your family know where you are?"

Glade smiled, somewhat awkwardly. 'Well, that's kind of WHY they don't like me. Hawkdragon tribes have a very... warlike society. We establish ranks by fighting each other in Arenas, and the stronger you are, the more respected you are. I've never really liked fighting, and some people in my tribe think I'm a bit pathetic because of it.'

'They'll probably know I'm missing by now,' said Frida. 'But I doubt they know where I am.'

{Lucy nods in understanding.} "I see. Your warlike society frowns upon pleasantries. It's a shame, as violence can't resolve every situation. As for your family, Frida, it's better that they don't know where you are. They would not survive if they came here."

'It is,' said Frida in agreement. 'I wouldn't WANT them to risk their lives trying to get me out of here. I'll just find a way to save myself. Meanwhile, I guess we all just sit here and wait around.'

Glade was quiet, gazing thoughtfully into space. He looked to be running through possible escape scenarios in his mind.

{Lucy looks between the two.} "We will be free soon. And it will be by their doing. All we need to do is wait."

'I wish you'd tell us exactly what you think is going to happen,' said Frida wearily. 'All these cryptic comments aren't helping at all.'

{Before Lucy could answer, voices are heard coming from the corridor. It was the doctor, his face wrapped in bandages, and Dolorus. They were arguing.}
Doc: "This is absurd! Look at me! She does this to my face and you refuse to punish her?!"
Dolorus: "What do you expect me to do, Doc? She wasn't even aware of what she was doing."
Doc: "Still, this can't go unanswered. She's always had anger issues, this was only a matter of time. Until she's in her right mind and can get her temper under control, I refuse to treat her! I don't get paid enough for this shit!"

Glade and Frida both turned to listen as the pair walked on by. 'One of them is Dolorus, right?' whispered Frida. 'I don't recognise the other one at all. And I wonder who they're talking about?'

'If our enemies are arguing among themselves, then that must be good news for us,' said Glade excitedly.

{It seems that while Glade looked away, Lucy disappeared.}
Dolorus: "That's fair. Ardens knows some restoration, I'll appoint her treatment to him. I'll talk to her when she's feeling better, see if I can't get her to relax more often..."
Doc: "You'd better...There won't be a will of death if she kills us all in a mental break..."

'I don't really know what they're talking about,' whispered Glade as he listened. 'From what I gather, somebody attacked somebody.'

'Well, they do sound pretty unhappy,' Frida whispered back. 'And they just mentioned Ardens, so I guess he didn't die from his injuries. That's a shame.'

{After that, the Doc walked off. Dolorus then slithers into the dungeon and starts looking into the cages with curiosity.}
Dolorus: "Hmmm. Curious..."

'What's curious?' asked Glade politely, watching Dolorus through the bars. Most of the other prisoners had edged to the back of their cells as soon as the serpent showed himself.

{Dolorus finishes looking around before replying.}
"...Oh, umm, you guys haven't...seen a dragonet in these cages, have you? There shouldn't be one but...Someone said they saw one..."

Glade blinked.

'No, I haven't seen one,' he said, looking over his shoulder to make sure Lucy was invisible. 'You see? It's empty except for me and Frida.'

'And /I/ haven't seen anything,' said Frida humorously.

{Dolorus chuckles at Frida's comment.}
"Hehehe, nice one. Huh, I guess it was just a hallucination...makes sense..."
{He mutters.}
"Oh, Glade, let's do some more tests later. I think I might be on to some really cool stuff and there are ideas that I want to test. Not now though, I have a few other things to do."

'That's fine by me, sir,' replied Glade. 'And, if I might ask... who thought that there was someone else in this cell with us?'

{Dolorus looks at Glade curiously.}
"Delilah, when she was carried past, apparently saw someone...Someone who should no longer exist...But clearly, it was a hallucination brought about by her poor state. You don't need to concern yourself with that."

'Oh... OK,' said Glade, wishing he could know who Delilah thought she saw. Was there someone who the terrifying necromancer cared about? 'I'm sure she must have imagined it. We definitely haven't seen anyone.'

Frida snorted. 'You are way too nice to this guy,' she muttered.

{Dolorus nods at Glade, then chuckled at Frida.}
"Oh, come now, sightless one, a little courtesy never killed anyone. It wouldn't hurt to be a little light hearted, now would it? Anyway, I'll be back later. Until next time."
{With that, Dolorus slithers off.}

Frida stepped up to the bars. 'Maybe I'd be more courteous if I wasn't stuck in a foul-smelling room!' she growled after Dolorus, even though she knew he was probably out of earshot.

Glade had settled down comfortably, draping his feathered wings over himself for warmth. Though his posture was relaxed, he was scanning the cell with an expression of uncertainty. 'Um, Lucy? If you just disappeared because that guy showed up, it's safe to come back now,' he said, not even sure if Lucy was still there.

{Lucy walks out from behind Glade.}
"Thank you for not telling him I was here. Him having knowledge of my presence could cause some unpleasant outcomes."

'So, do you think Delilah really did see and recognise you earlier?' Glade asked. 'Why would she recognise you anyway? Do you KNOW her?'

{Lucy thinks for a moment.} "No, we don't know each other. I don't know why she would say she recognized me."

Glade wondered briefly if she was lying, but decided it would be rude to keep asking questions. 'Well, I'm sure we'll find out more soon,' he said, laying his head down on his front legs.

Frida was quiet, having stationed herself near the cell door to listen in case Dolorus or someone else came back.

(Hey, we should probably make a new room for this soon. You can post it if you want.)

(Sure. I'll do that later. I think it's time to cut back to Sargon and Ana for a bit now though. What do you think?)

(Sure! Time to see what the other side's been up to since they were last on-screen.)

(Ok. Also, the next room won't be up till tomorrow, so we'll just do what we can here today before it goes up.)

{Meanwhile, back at Carthage, everything seems to have quieted down. Guards were posted at the perimeter of the city, the infected sectors were quarantined, and there was no sign of any other hostiles. At the medical tent, Biceras was sitting in a cot with her arm slinged and her leg wrapped and splinted. While she heals a lot faster than humans, and medic-mages were helping her it would likely be a few hours before she could at least walk. Magnus was near the center of the city, going over strategies with his generals.}

Ana was lying on another cot inside the tent, asleep. She was in human form; apparently she'd woken up enough to transform after the skirmish, allowing the medics to better treat her. Not far away from her, Armin was sitting up on another cot, awake and looking bored.

Sargon, being the only uninjured one, wasn't in the tent. Instead, he was sitting on a wall in falcon form, listening to Magnus's discussions.