Devil's Last Dance

[Camus]

Camus was vaguely aware of his surroundings; he opened his eyes and blinked several times, enjoying the sensation of the warm grass under his body. His brown tattoos were beginning to vanish back into his flesh. He was alive... he had survived an encounter with not one lunatic but two, Oona would be impressed. He fell back into unconsciousness. There was an impressive amount of snow surrounding them.

.................

"You jerk. You just spoiled a perfectly good series of taunts which I wholly intended to follow up on. Now it's just meaningless words and those wenches are probably still ransacking that town. Where the hell are we, anyway?"

Camus scoffed and tried to lift his head unsuccessfully.

‘What on earth is a jerk? Why do I only understand every second word of what you say, we speak the same language’

He muttered, he heard a distant crash and looked to the left of him, ODK was lying beside him, head to head. Blood was slowly weeping from the back of his friends head. Camus closed his eyes, the magic came easily, Druidic spells came naturally to him, he learnt them before he could speak, before he could walk, it was wielding the arcane that really exhausted him. Tiny daffodils began to sprout all around them, a root slowly grew from the ground, it had an ethereal green glow to it, it gently pressed against ODK’s wound and stopped growing.

Camus once again opened his eyes; he wasn’t sure if ODK had been healed or not, surely someone from the school would notice them eventually come to their aid. The snow was making a familiar crunching noise, as if somebody was walking over it, with a grunt Camus managed to pull himself into a sitting position. A torso was raised from the snow, like a snowman pulling itself together; the snow began to take a shape, the shape of Talisen Phoenix.

‘Keeper... wake up, look!’

He said shoving Odk in the shoulder. The snow sculpture opened its mouth gaping silently; its voice was a mixture between Talisen’s actual voice and the sound of snow crunching.

‘Help me...’

It wheezed.

[Moridanu]

*With wings of purest ebony, the raven flew above the clouds overlooking Morthika. Her dark eyes searched the land below her, before her inner radar led her towards Bendelsain. As she flew, the sound of her beating wings could be heard throughout the forest that surrounded the Avalon Academy on the fringes of Bendelsain. Focused as she was on her destination, she almost flew over ODK and Camus without a second glance, but one steady thump of her heart stopped her almost mid-flight. Slowing her pace, she dipped down lower, flying through the thick canopy as she searched, unwilling to let herself dare dream of seeing her beloved again.

As she grew closer to the Academy however, her heart gave that beat again and she knew that he was near. Around a rather large oak tree and past two elms, she saw him. He looked rather beaten up until Camus worked his magick, and the raven perched in a branch high above them as she watched, undetected for now. She was a barrage of emotions, and she was grateful for a few extra minutes to process what she would say to him after all this time.

She was pulled from her reprieve however, by the appearance of Talisen Phoenix. He gasped for help as he stumbled out of the forest, towards Camus and ODK. Her worry for her friend far outweighed her own emotional crisis and she let out a low sad caw as she began her descent, morphing into her human form as she did. When her feet touched the ground, Moridanu was clad in her battle garb as she moved quickly to help Talisen. Offering him her arm, she ushered him towards a nearby boulder to lean against so he could sit down. Unable to resist the occasional glance over at ODK, Moridanu blushed as she also avoided his gaze. *

[Elyza]

*Elyza failed to cast even the slightest of glances in the direction of the “Other” Demon Keeper. As her obsidian orbs were transfixed on the swirling mass of dark energy trapped beneath the glossy exterior of its mirrored prison, Elyza ran her hands lightly around the edge of the mirror. She could hear the energy as it crackled beneath her touch, eerily echoing the sounds of the flames that had only recently relinquished their claim upon the Dancing Devil Inn. Her heightened senses alerted her to his sudden change of direction as ODK charged towards her, and then suddenly, he was gone. Shrugging her shoulders, Elyza finally glanced up, noticing that the faun had also disappeared. Offering Discord a lopsided grin, she muttered

~There goes lunch Luv, ~ before her gaze turned back to the mirror. There was a black mass beneath the glass that appeared to be swimming through a sea of dark midnight blue and steel grey hues. It came dangerously close to the surface of the mirror before it swam back down into the murky depths of a dimension that Elyza had only dabbled with a few times before. It fascinated her, and her top two teeth gnawed at her plump bottom lip as she watched, transfixed. The invocation she had started earlier had now transcended into something that was past her level of existence. Words she did not know, in a language that she did not understand, flowed from her forked tongue, as her eyes glowed a deep golden red. She moved when she needed to, using her fingers to draw the necessary sigils and symbols on the mirrors smooth cold surface, though she had no real idea as to what she was drawing. She knew what she was doing though, and what would be, yet still she felt that human emotion of nervous excitement. As she watched the black mass reappeared in its ocean of darkness, swimming back up to the surface and pressing hard against the mirror. An intense scream of pure hatred and rage tore through Elyza’s entire being, and she dropped to the ground holding her head in agony as the Queen Bitch of all migraines rocked through her skull with the speed and power of a thousand storms. The darkness filled every inch of glass and Elyza squealed with delight as she stepped back.

The glass was now completely black. And still. Ominously still. With an arched brow, she noticed that the tavern had become deathly silent, as though the few remaining survivors were all holding their collective breaths. Tapping her foot impatiently as her brow furrowed in disappointment, Elyza waited for the big bang she had been anticipating. In her minds eye she saw the mirror that was hung at the end of the hall in Lucien’s wing of the Lair. It too was now completely black with no sign of movement or light shining through. Now was the time, yet there was nothing happening.

Sighing loudly in frustration, Elyza snarled ~Fuck this!~ and jumped into the mirror. She was torn to pieces, every part of her fiber was dissected and inspected by something bigger than she was, before she was put hastily back together in the hall of Lucien’s Lair. Seeking out Lucien, she strode down the familiar catacombs of the Lair, checking all of his usual haunts. He was nowhere to be seen, and his general informed her that Lucien was closer to the battle field than she had thought.

Pausing long enough to return to the suite of rooms she shared with Lucien for the briefest of moments, Elyza skipped back down the hallway towards the mirror and jumped inside. Her exit out of the mirror was somewhat less refined however, as she fell in a tumbled heap into the tavern of the Dancing Devil Inn. Her hair was a mass of electrified curls that still seemed to dance with a relentless current, while dark blood trickled from her bloodied nose and dripped into her mouth. Licking her lips, Elyza grinned over at Discord. ~Mmmm Tasty..~ as she rose and regained her posture slowly. Feeling the effects of her recent experiences, Elyza’s human shell was beginning to show the aftershock of such trauma. Disgusted by her sudden weakness, Elyza’s smile turned into a snarl as she glared at the mirror.

~Hurry the fuck up already!~ she growled as the mirror remained annoyingly stagnant. She hoped that Lucien would return home soon and find the message she had scrawled with lipstick on the mirror above their bed.

~Door is open baby. Do what Alice did.~

Smirking despite her snarl, Elyza wondered how long it would take him to figure out her clue. She could have told him exactly where the gateway was, but that would of spoiled her fun. She already had to comfort Dissy after the poor Luv missed out on her venison, and the temptation of playing with Lucien was just too hard to resist. Rocking back on her heels, she glanced over at Discord.

~Any minute now Luv.. in the meantime… whatcha wanna do? This place is getting boring.. ~*

[The Demon Auditor]

((ODK, Camus, and Mori, to be continued in Dawn of War in Avalon Academy))

[lucien]

Lucien was standing among his ranks of demons, ensuring that they knew their place and the penalty for breaking rank. He was asserting his dominance over one of the more arrogant, and foolish demons when he felt Elyza beginning the portal enchantment, he pushed some of his power over to her so that she would be able to maintain the energy needed to bridge the gap. A smile flit across the features of the dark one before his hand reached out deftly and buried itself deep in the chest of the arrogant demon. Immediately the demon's crimson eyes glazed over and rolled back into his head. The body fell limply to the ground seconds later, but Lucien's hand remained unmoved, it tore through the body as it fell. For a brief few moments Lucien seemed to be grasping something ethereal in his now closed hand, before allowing it to dissipate.

A scant few of the higher ranking demons knew what had just transpired, their fear for the man in the obsidian armor quickly spread to those who didn't understand at all. Finally, Lucien's hand returned to his side, and he spoke "I take it we are at an understanding then? Good." Lucien's tone was short and demanding. "I have other business to take care of." Lucien then began walking back through the ranks before stopping a few strides in. He turned and pointed a deathly finger in the direction of one of the groups. "You all are coming with me."

The group did as they were told and followed their master, they were heading toward his tent. Inside Lucien's tent was nothing more than a mirror. Without breaking stride Lucien walked right into the mirror and disappeared. The demons hesitated for but a moment before deciding it better to continue following than to try and figure out what was happening. After stepping through the mirror Lucien and his group of demons found their way to the portal Elyza had opened.

Lucien and the demons would walk through and appear inside the Dancing Devil Inn. Once on the other side Lucien would begin giving the demons their orders, which were simple, leave nothing standing, and no one alive. How it gets done is none of his concern, so long as it gets done.

[Moridanu]

*With wings that felt as though they were weighed down with lead, the raven flew above her kingdom, staring down in a sad state of shock to see just how much of Bendelsain had already burned. The forest that surrounded Bendelsain and most of Luciens Lair was already engulfed in flames, carried by a relentless wind that seemed to scream in an agonizing whirlwind of ash and soot. Though many parts of Bendelsain were still untouched, it was impossible to ignore the raging inferno in the centre of the township. The Dancing Devil Inn was under assault from Luciens horde of minions, and if Moridanu trusted her senses, she knew that Elyza and Discord were also nearby. Sharing Crowes thoughts with him, as well as her suspicion as to the presence of Luciens whores, the raven began to dive and morph into her human form, several yards away from the Inn. Waiting for Crowe to do the same, she stood in the shadows of the nearest store front, peering out through the smoky haze at the madness ensuing in front of and inside the Inn.*

CROWE:
*He followed her just as he would follow her to the end of the world, dropping down into the shadows of the store front. The building was surprisingly still standing with the intense heat consuming its floors and walls, which just stood as a testament to the strength of the building suffering years of torment from the rowdiest folk Bendelsain had to offer. He exchanged glances with Mori as he stared at the building. Surely Elyza and Discord were inside, judging by the stench of unadulterated cruelty in the air, with a hint of blood to go along with it. There was something else though. The demons he had seen rampaging through the streets were just a handful of fire demons bent on setting the city ablaze, but here there was more. There was another great power here. Perhaps his quick tongue had jinxed the situation and Lucien himself had come, and judging by the pack of horned demonic minions now emerging from what was left of the inn's doorway, he had brought some friends. Surely they couldn't have been summoned here. He whispered to Mori. "Did Elyza suddenly find a hidden talent for summoning packs of demons, or is something more going on here?"

ELYZA:

*The oppressive atmosphere within the tavern seemed to stretch around her and Elyza’s keen sense of hearing blessed her with the sound of Lucien’s horde marching towards the tavern. There was a loud clap of thunder overhead as the heavens finally erupted, spilling forth the rain that it had been promising for days. The rain came as a relief to those still battling the small but deadly outbreaks of fire that burned in and around the tavern and Inn, while providing the perfect cover for the sound of thousands of Lucien’s army marching through the portal that stood in the middle of the Dancing Devil Inn’s tavern. Or, what was left of the tavern. The timber floor that was still intact shook and trembled under the weight of millions of pounds of angry demon, as they followed Lucien’s orders and spilled out onto the streets of Bendelsain. People that were unlucky enough to be directly in their way were soon crushed beyond recognition and the screams of the tortured rose in the air with a sound that appealed like an angels song to Elyza.

Elyza watched with almost childlike wonder as Lucien marched his impressive army out into the streets of Bendelsain, where chaos soon ensued. After a few minutes of watching their impressive display, Elyza skipped over to Lucien and draped her self over his broad back, the Phoenix Blade dangling over his right shoulder. Licking his ear with her forked tongue, she purred

~Sorry we started without you master.. we got bored.~

ARIANWEN:

Outside the Inn, Arianwen was one of the people who had been battling the flames that had seemed immune to defeat until the gushing rain had quickly extinguished them. Now, she stood in the pouring rain, blinking rapidly while looking at first Rafia and then Berul. Listening carefully for movement inside the tavern, she heard a strange sound that was almost muffled by the rain. Glancing back at both men she asked

~You. Listen? You hear? Hear.. like.. marching..~

Just as the words left her lips, the first wave of Lucien’s demons marched out of what remained of the Dancing Devil Inn/Tavern. She recognized a few of the demons as Orcs, and noticed a few demonic looking ogres and trolls, but for the most part Arianwen was staring at the most hideous and horrifying sight she had ever seen. Feeling her heart drop to the pit of her stomach, Arianwen began to search feverishly for a weapon. Time proved to be her enemy however as she was soon attacked by an Orc wearing what appeared to be a human jaw bone as a helmet. Her canine inspired reflexes took over and she snarled at the Orc as she scrambled back to her feet, going into full attack mode despite the utmost certainty that she had mere moments to live. Arianwen Chandell had never backed down from a fight, and there was no way she was prepared to start now. She could only hope that the freshly arrived hero or the cat man would leap to her defense.

Moridanu watched in silent horror from her vantage point across the lane from the Dancing Devil Inn and Tavern. With Crowe by her side she held onto his strong right arm, drawing on his inner serenity as she forced herself to remain still and calm while she studied the scene before her. She nodded and stared hard at the tavern as he commented on Elyza’s sudden ability to conjure demons.

~This reeks of Lucien. Elyza might of opened the gate, but it was Lucien pulling the strings. ~

The pouring rain hindered her vision slightly, but she could see clearly enough to notice what appeared to a be a lone human girl gearing up to face the onslaught of demons that were now marching out of the gaping hole that had once been the front door of the tavern. Moridanu had fought Lucien’s hordes before, but despite the fact that this was not her first encounter with the vile creatures, she still shuddered at the mere sight of them. How this young girl could face them so fearlessly amazed and intrigued Moridanu and she marveled at this as she began to search around her for some debris. Finding half of a brick standing nearby within seconds, Moridanu heaved the medium chunk of concrete to her ear before she pulled back and then threw the brick directly at the Orcs head. Although it was wearing a helmet of some description, Moridanu smiled as she saw the brick hit it right between the eyes. The Orc stumbled and roared in her direction, giving the young woman enough time to scramble out of his way and retreat to the shadows.

Here, Arianwen began to search for something she could find to use as a weapon. Finding a wooden board that had been snapped in half, Arianwen picked it up and hoisted it above her shoulder. Two large nails stuck out of the wood and Arianwen turned the plank around so that the nails now faced the front. With wild eyes, she took a deep breath and stepped into the fray. Swinging the plank out in front of her, she gave a satisfied grunt as the nails embedded in the stomach of a rather fat Bodach. Yanking the nails out of it, she then whacked the board over its head, ducking at the same time as a troll swung an axe at her. The sound of the soldiers arriving bolstered her spirits and she grinned as she ducked another swipe from the troll and slammed her nailed board into the side of its face.

Moridanu watched this out of the corner of one eye as she and Crowe began to fight the demons that suddenly swarmed around them in the shadows. Satisfied that the woman could take care of herself for the time being, she drove her sword through the head of particularly tall Bodach, driving the blade up through its jaw until it poked out the top of its head. Copping a a rather nasty blow to her shoulder, Moridanu winced in pain before taking out her anger on the nearest demon. Whirling her head around quickly at the sound of horses hooves, she turned around to see the soldiers of Bendelsains Barracks running towards the tavern, weapons drawn. Considering how close the Barracks was to the Inn, it was somewhat questionable as to why they had not responded earlier to the attack, though Moridanu suspected it was because of the scattered troops who were away serving their current assignments. If she recalled correctly, there had been less than thirty troops left in the barracks themselves when she had last done her battle check. Her theory explained the handful of horses that were currently being ridden into battle, while majority of the hundred or so soldiers were on foot. With Crowe alongside her, they soon cleared their shadowy nook of the demons smart enough to find them, and Moridanu took a deep breath before she moved.

Stepping out of the shadows, Moridanu strode into the centre of the road. The pouring rain plastered her long auburn hair against her head, forming a thick helmet of dark red. Her emerald eyes flashed as she called out to every soldier before her. Despite the roar of Luciens hordes, the clanging of metal, the pouring rain and the tortured screams of her kingdom, Moridanus’ voice rang out loud and clear in the ear of every soldier that had sworn allegiance to herself and Kendelah.

~ Two missions before y’all. First mission: Defeat Luciens horde. Second mission. Gain entry into the tavern and dismantle transporter device. FOR KENDELAH!~

She turned to offer Crowe a hopeful grin as she wondered exactly what transporter device Lucien was using. Given the fact that the demolished tavern was nowhere big enough to have housed the thousands of demons that were now spilling out onto the street of Bendelsain, it made sense that he was he using a transporter device of some kind, though what it was exactly was anyone’s guess until they gained access into the tavern. She was thrown from her train of thought at the same time as she was knocked flying by something with horns on its hands. The same something picked her up as though she were a rag doll and threw her over five hundred feet away from the tavern. After a few moments to catch her breath, Moridanu heaved her sore body off the ground and glared back towards the tavern.

~I don’t think so..~ she muttered as she ran over to where her sword had fallen. ~ Ye don’t get rid of me that quickly..~

Raising the sword at the ready, Moridanu charged towards the battle before her, just as Elyza appeared in the doorway of the tavern.
The arrival of demons had slowed down enough to allow her a moment to survey the scene before her. Relishing the arrival of the soldiers, Elyza called out

~We got company!~ as her dark manic orbs locked on Crowe. ~ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! The bitch’s pet has been let out of his cage!~ Elyza squealed and ran back into the tavern to grab Discord. *[/color][/b]

[julton]

*Crowe nodded to Mori as she said aloud what they were both thinking. This was Lucien's work, although certainly Elyza had part in it. The demons, ranging from orcs to trolls to various little horned demonflesh monstrosities, began to swarm around them and Mori got to work with her sword. Crowe had only thought to bring his large two-handed sword since it stayed out of his way on his back. He would have to be careful in such close quarters. He found himself face to face with a pack of twisted fairielike creatures with fangs and horns and thick scaly hides that ran on the ground, presumably losing their ability to fly with their demonic corruption. He plucked a dagger from his boot and switched his large sword into his off hand to use as a shield and began clearing out their nook...

Berul followed Arianwen's keen sense of hearing with a recognition of thudding vibrations rolling through the earth under their feet. It was subtle, but he knew the feel of an army marching nearby, he had known many days of conflict in pursuit of balance. Again he was confronted with a leaning balance, but now it was different. There was great evil present, yes, but there was also great good. Before the force of good was scattered, threadbare, weakened by its preparations for defense on many fronts, but now... now he could feel the motions bringing good together, into one driving force. The balance still tipped, but not so far. His heart sank as he realized what it meant to have such a battle, one side of balance pitted against the other. He would again be forced to watch as many died and the balance swayed precariously like a platform on a needle, ready to tip and throw him off at any moment. For now though, he could fight for good on the lesser side of the balance. For the moment, he knew they needed it. He fought giant demonic beasts alongside Arianwen, throwing gut racking blows and tearing demon flesh from demonic bone and using the fallen enemies to fight those still standing, all the while trying to back them toward the approaching army of good and the relative safety of a battlefront with enemies only in front...

Crowe's muscles were finally warm, warmed by demon blood as well as the good exercise of spilling it. As soon as they had cleared their nook, he pushed out into the street to lay out Lucien's hordes inside out in the streets of Bendelsain, always keeping an eye on Mori, lending his strength and calm to her as she lent her strength and courage to him. They were quite a pair they were, and no rabble of orcs and trolls could stop them. On that note, he saw Mori take a blow to the shoulder and, as the brute lifted her into the air to hurl her down the street, its next memory would be of his raging bellow, a spray of orc blood as the unfortunate foe he was facing lost its head, and his two-handed sword plunging through its demonic blackened heart. He removed his sword and sprinted past demons and monsters, slaying all those in his way as he made his way again to Mori's side. He had surely been wounded at this point, and could not argue that he probably fared better behind an army than at the front, but this was fun and he would not leave the brave soldiers of Bendelsain to throw the first blows of battle without him. He stood now at Mori's side, a gash along his thigh and a break in his mail and leather coat where a small blade had squeezed through the links to stick him in the ribs leaving his blood trailing along with that of the demons he dispatched. As he broke through the lines of demons, he flashed Mori a crooked grin, wiping some greenish demon blood off along with some more reddish blood.
"Aye there are lots of 'em, but for the forces of darkness they seem quite colorful to me!"
He cracked a full smile and turned again to battle, nodding along with her goals for the day. Aye, it would be good to get in there and stop this madness, but surely the demon lord would find another way to get his demons into their homes and their lands to burn their forests and pillage their cities. He hadn't caught a glimpse of Elyza, but he felt that surely this battle would get worse and he would need to conserve his strength for the demon bitch. He could only hope that he could take Mori's pain away as surely she would suffer in the battle to come. He could only hope that they could go home at the end, and know that their people and their homes, all that they fought for, was safe.*

[Nightspinner]

It was just another day, but then again thats usually is when the trouble begins isn't? Right when your least expecting it. Daeryn was just sitting in the Dancing Devil Inn, flirting with a few girls and having a couple of drinks. He was even about to play a tune when all of hell broke loose. Literally. First, some elven women roars, purple lightening jumping all around her before she suddenly vanished. Daeryn had absolutely no idea what that was about, but it would probally mean he would need to find a new inn. So he began to pack his things, trying to ignore the two ladies that he knew were... dangerous. Demon Keeper? And whats with the faun? Whatever. I am so out of here. Then he left the Inn.

He didn't even take 6 steps before he felt a great draft that was comign from... within the inn? The smell of smoke and flames filled his nostrils. Magic? It has to be... He turned around slowly, wondering what was going on. Why am I still standing here? Without much more proding, he started to jog away from the tavern that was now bursting into flames. He could glimpse some figures which he coudl recognize as demons and see a few glimmers of magic here and there. Wow, glad I wasn't in there.

What happened was his luck being short lived. As if all of the beings of divinity above wanted to just show him just how close he was (and still is) close to death, orcs and trolls began to march out of the inn. His face, was calm. His thoughts were another story. DAMNIT!!! If only I had some back up! Then maybe I could deal with these demons! No sooner did he thought this as he ran, he caught a quick glimpse of two people. A girl and a feline man to be more precise. They're better than nothing! The only problem was the horde of creatures were beginning to catch up to him and cut him off. Or so they thought.

As the beasts drew closer, Daeryn smiled, laughing and drew out a deck of cards which he began to shuffle as he spoke. "I must say, this is quite the party gents, what with the display of fire and all the guests. Never did I witness such an event. Course, I just don't belong here. Its not you, its me. Your all ugly, and, well I am just far too good looking, so fair well!" As he said his fairwell, he drew a hand of 7 cards and threw them at the feet of the orcs. They flew through the air like arrows, and upon hitting the ground each card burst with lightening, sound, ice, and light, sending confusion among their ranks. And all the while, Daeryn jumped up top of the building behind him with a single graceful leap (with a great draft aiding him).

Without losing another moment, he began running and jumping from roof to roof toward the girl and feline. His green eyes observed the situation quickly. A troll is attacking the girl, and the girl only has a mere plank of wood. Better help her out. He leaped up into the air with grace, drawing his longsword out as he moved through the air. Upon landing he tumbled to soften the impact, moving past the troll's legs. As he tumbled, he sliced at the back of their legs, hoping to slice its achilles tendon. "Hey! Whos the girl buddy? She doesn't look like your type!" He said, trying to goad it into turning its attention to him. Course, he forgot to pay attention around him and got nicked on the arm by an orc. Luckily, he was still living. "Ow! That was my good shirt!" With a quick blur of speed, he brought out a knife from his sleeve and stabbed it into the stunned orc and quickly looked around for any other threat, keeping his attention on the troll that was too close for comfort.

OOC: Is this a good time to join in?

[Discord Lasarythe]

<>The food was coming…coming…coming…GONE?! With a roar of pure frustration Discord collapsed on the spot where Camus had once stood and pressed her face to the smoldering floorboard for a last whiff of the furball she wouldn’t be eating. In a last ditch effort to take something from the battle, she frantically licked the floor as her fisted, bloody hands pounded out her fury on either side of the now damp spot. Damp ash with the faintest trace of the faun who’d stepped in it coated her tongue to create a painful reminder that she was not sucking the blood from his still beating heart. Her head fell back and she released a mournful howl that reverberated within the barely standing walls of the Inn. Funnily enough, Elyza didn’t seem upset in the slightest about the escaped meal. Maybe that meant…they were outside!

With no grace whatsoever, Dissy leapt to her feet and charged passed Elyza and out the front door. She looked left and right wildly as she scrambled down the still smoking steps of the porch, but could neither smell nor see any sign of her food. Even the surviving townspeople had abandoned the area and were barely noticeable on the air. Dis’ hopes sank like the Titanic. She gazed forlornly down the empty street and her lower lip slid out to tremble. While she would have returned to her friend for comfort, she could tell on entering that Elyza was busy. Miffed beyond the telling of it, she continued to pout and her arms crossed over her chest as the ritual and accompanying chant began. This had better involve the food. Unaware that an interruption could ruin everything, for the world really does just revolved around her, she wandered over for a closer look at the changing mirror.<>

"You’re getting back Dissy’s food, Pet? Pretty please with eyeballs on top?"

<>But obviously in pain, Elyza must not have heard. Not even the eyeball part. She went from gripping her head in a vice grip to squealing and bouncing back, oblivious to Discord’s extreme suffering. The darkened mirror-turned-portal was not spitting out their missing meal or even showing its location. It was just black and made her skin tingle with the power it radiated. It did nothing at all for her hunger. She was ready to step forward and pry the distracted woman away from the stupid, non-food producing toy when suddenly Elyza swore, dove into it and disappeared. Fangs flashed as her lips pulled back in a snarl. Even her Pet was ditching her! The temptation to kick the mirror to pieces was overwhelming, but some small spurt of intelligence found and reminded her that it could prevent Elyza from ever coming back. That would probably suck. Still, Discord wasn’t the patient kind. She paced like a caged, wild animal around the deserted tavern, kicking debris in all directions and sneering randomly at nothing in particular.

This angry behavior continued until the mirror coughed her MIA friend unceremoniously back out onto the ash strewn floor in a pile of electrically charged hair and limbs. The dejection of being left behind, the heady scent of the fresh blood as it gushed from Elyza’s nose and mouth and the untamed hunger had Discord’s predatory nature up in arms. Her soulless eyes glazed as she circled slowly, inky black blood and drool trickling over her lips in equal amounts. Shiny and wet, her lips curved into a blood-chilling smile and she nodded agreeably at Elyza spoke<>

“Pet is tasty…so tasty.”

<>She was speaking again, but Dissy was too focused on the hunt to notice. At that inconvenient moment the weakened establishment shook under the force of hundreds of demon feet, sparing Elyza when it brought the dazed demoness back to her senses. The lack of attention from the only human she’d ever cared anything about and even the loss of her food paled in comparison to her feelings when Lucien stepped through the mirror with his demon horde in tow. So this was the cause of Elyza’s distraction. This arrogant pig in armor had stolen her away without even being here. Fury filled Dis’ vision with red, smothering her in its warmth as every muscle stiffened. The screams of the many dying mortals fell on deaf ears rather delight her as they always had before. The whites of her eyes clouded with darkness and narrowed dangerously, desperate to sear holes through the breastplate of Lucien’s armor and set fire to his chest cavity. Fire would burn inside him, but could not feed on a heart that wasn’t there. In a reality Dissy sorely hated, looks could not kill. Elyza’s use of the word “Master” had her choking on the growl that rolled steadily through parted lips. Her jaw clenched along with her fists and it was only through digging her jagged nails into her palms that she kept from clawing at him. She was hanging off him now, nuzzling and purring as though it were somehow pleasant. Such a creature hardly deserved to touch her Pet, especially not like that. The urge to heave was almost too great. While murder and chaos usually topped her list of fun things to do, she was- to say the least- disenchanted with the whole thing now that he was here. A party crasher of the highest order.<>

“Filth…”

<>The word dripped with disgust as she breathed it through clenched teeth. It would be lost in the racket, but her thoughts were hardly a secret. Nothing would please her more than to pull his intestines out through his mouth and nibble them for the hours it took him to die and he knew it well. Disappointment and hatred had electricity crackling around her hands in lightening quick, black tendrils. The gashes on her hands oozed with renewed vigor, quickly forming sizzling puddles on the floor at her feet. She went largely unnoticed by the army as it exited the Inn and flooded the streets. Familiar voices of the enemy drifted in through glassless windows and the sounds of battle soon followed. Moments ago it would have been a battle she would throw herself into with demented glee. Sadly, things had changed. With loyalty to none but herself in the bad times, it was easy enough to turn and walk away. She’d lifted her boot onto a sill blanketed in glass slivers from the recent explosion when she felt Eyza’s hand on her arm. She tensed and hissed, glaring furiously back over her shoulder.<>

“Pet invited the stinky, icky filth here to wreck it all, why not go play with him? Dissy was just here to tide Pet over for the pig it seems. Let the food get away and didn’t even care! Dissy’s food, Pet! Go fawn over “Master” then…”

<>Finishing with another sneer, Dis’ pulled herself up into the window facing the rear of the tavern and stood in the frame. The fighting had yet to come this far and they were mostly alone. Head bowed slightly, face hidden behind a curtain of matted hair, she spoke again though quietly and lacking her typical madness.<>

“You might have warned me he was coming, Elyza. I deserved to know.”

[lucien]

Once his demon horde was set to task, they needed no further instruction. They were told to do what they are best at, cause pain, death, and chaos. When Lucien finally took time to survey his surroundings, he noticed how much destruction had taken place before his arrival, Discord and Elyza had done well. Shortly after his thought of approval, the only one allowed to touch him draped herself across him, and ran her tongue along his ear.

"Are you enjoying playing with your new toy?" Lucien's deep voice would ask. The sounds of screams of pain, and death littered the night air, sounding like an Overture of Death. The demon's were destroying everything insight, they knew not to dissapoint Lucien.

"There is much more yet to do before this war is over." Lucien would then begin to make his way out of the Inn with a determined step. Once out into the streets he surveyed the damage, and the battle raging on. At first he must not have noticed The Bitch and her side kick, because he failed to notice them until Elyza called out that they had company.

With no wasted movements Lucien set on a path straight through the battle towards Moridanu. Perhaps the war will end here he thought. As he walked, many of the soldiers attempted to attack him. With out breaking stride Lucien either threw them to the side or killed them out right. Nothing would stand in his way of The Bitch.

[Oona Ondessa]

‘I think it’s best I meet you there, don’t loose that book...’

She sat flatly, her violet eyes finally pulling away from his, Oona took a deep breath in and slowly let out what sounded like a deep chant, two notes over and over again, she almost sounded like a wounded animal. It was less than 30 seconds before a huge stag cantered into the distance, it’s lifted its head in greeting, its large twisted black horns glinted in the sunlight. Oona gently pressed her hand against the creature’s muzzle.

‘Lord, move with all the swiftness the ancient spirits possess’

She whispered to her mount, she lifted herself with one smooth motion onto the creatures back, holding onto its horns she whistled shrilly. The beast ran. Faster than any stag could. Would.

She heard the sound of large wings beating above her, it was almost deafening. She urged her beast forward, to even Oona’s surprised it kicks its hind legs further and they sailed even faster, it almost felt like they were flying. Her black hair streamed behind her dramatically.

It didn’t take long. Oona’s mount sailed over a fence and landed with a thump, heavy smoke was in the air and the sound of battle was clear in her ears, Oona slid of her mount and whispered a farewell. Oona tugged at her long cloak pulling it off, she lifted something from her belt, her signature weapon. As far as Oona knew she was the only being on Morthika who could wield the ‘Tres’pashia’ it looked like a thin silver chain linked together in a hoop. It was beautiful; almost like a necklace.

Oona roared, leaping into battle, her chain swished through the air skillfully, swiping at Demons, slicing their throats open where they stood, one, two, three. Twelve. They all fell before they even knew what was happening, Oona tried to see through the chaos. Someone flew past her, powerful enough that she felt it like a physical force, she was knocked backwards flat on her back....

Lucien.

She cursed the name as she pulled herself up. But someone else had caught her eye in the distance... Discord.

‘I owe you pain!’

She roared above the sound of battle. Lucien all but forgotten.

[Moridanu]

*The air above and around her was thick and oppressive with the stench of death that wafted on a wind already laden by the smell of rotting flesh and the putrid breath of Lucien’s collective horde. Despite the deafening roar of the demons that surrounded her, the cries of her soldiers as they fought till the death,, and the steady hiss of the torrential rain that continued to fall; Moridanu glanced up to the heavens above as another sound reached her ears. A welcome pattern began to form as a loud long boom could be heard, followed by an equally loud snap as the wings of the largest and oldest dragon in Morthika flew towards Bendelsain.

As the large crimson wings of Mirtedaur came into view, Moridanu smiled up at her old friend despite her emerald orbs stinging from the pelting rain that seemed to be unrelenting in its punishing deluge. Her joy at seeing Mirtedaur again was short lived however, as her attention was diverted by the sudden rush of dark energy she felt coming straight at her.

Turning around quickly so that her long dark red hair whipped around her face, Moridanu’s eyes flashed as she saw Lucien in all his dark glory. As he strode purposefully towards her, his rage clearly etched all over his features, many of her fine and noble warriors gave their lives attempting to come between him and their Queen. Moridanu winced visibly as more men fell to their deaths, Lucien seemingly able to kill them with merely a look despite his attention never waivering from his intended victim.

Drawing her sword, Moridanu rushed forward only to be driven backwards by the sudden roaring fire ball that Mirtedaur aimed straight at Lucien. Although he was powerful enough to smite down those that opposed him on the ground, even he could not attack the large crimson beast of the sky, at best he could only hope to avoid Mirtedaurs’ fiery breath as the dragon roared and shot another large fire ball at Lucien once more. Shielding her eyes from the flames, Moridanu peered through the raging fire and smoke, her vision hindered enough so that she could not make out Lucien at all. Several orcs that had managed to leap out of the way of Mirtedaurs’ impressive fiery display now surrounded Moridanu and she called out to Crowe to assist her as she went into battle.

Nearby, Arianwen was having difficulty wrenching her plank out of the head of the orc who had made the mistake of being on the receiving end of the two large nails that stuck out at odd angles of the splintering wood. Finally pulling her board off with a loud pop, Arianwen gagged as she realised the popping sound had been one of the orcs eyeballs that had come away with the board, permanently attached via the longest of the two nails. As the lifeless body of the orc sagged to the ground, Arianwen swallowed the small amount of vomit that had threatened to erupt from her heaving gut as she stepped over the orc and swung the newly decorated board at a rather large troll. The board barely reached the trolls pelvic area, but the unadorned nail found a rather sensitve part of the troll, causing him to yowl and drop to his knees, allowing Arianwen the opportunity to place a flying kick at his large head. Noticing another person had arrived that seemed to have some special kind of playing cards at his disposal, Arianwen called out

~you… help..?~ as the troll lunged for her, grabbing her left leg and pulling it out from under her. Falling to the ground, Arianwen screamed as she dropped the plank of wood and began to hit out at the troll with nothing but her bare fists. Hoping that Rafia, Berul or the new arrival would help her before it was too late, Arianwen screamed again and closed her eyes against the inevitable.

The sound of these screams, combined with the cries of the wounded and dying soldiers, brought a smile to Elyza’s dark lips despite Discords sudden anger with her.

~Oh come now Luv, don’t be like that. You knew he would have to turn up sooner or later.. besides.. he brought all his friends to make this a real party!~ her eyes glittered with a delicious mixture of excitement and insanity.

~The bitch is here! So is her lap dog! And I do believe your favourite forest nymph has just made an appearance!~ Tugging on Discords sleeve, she grinned at her friend.

~Come on! Let’s get this party started!~ *

[Rafia Ragazzo]

Rafia erupted from the dust and debris, flinging himself onto the Trolls forearm and hand, he looked little more than a kitten, but he dug his claws into the Trolls skin, tearing and ripping, pulling at muscle and bone. With his bare feet he kicked out ferociously at the creatures face, aiming for the eyes. He roared deeply, the sound a wild cat would make. As much as he’d hate to admit it, he had become rather fond of the wolf girl, for the short time he had known. Very short time.

Rafia released hopefully he had done and job and Arianwen would be released, he moved towards her, standing over her protectively, his forearms were covered in blood and he heaved breathlessly.

((Excuse the EXTREME shortness of my post, not much i could say at this point, it'll be better next round ;D))

[julton]

*Berul had been busying himself using the bones of a particularly nasty horny little creature, a creature that had left its own mark across his left arm, to gut an orc that seemed to think it had him when his back was turned. Suddenly there was the cat man in a blaze of gory glory relieving the wolf girl from the grasp of a lanky troll creature. Also, seemingly out of nowhere, there was another newcomer with a flashy set of cards demonstrating his ability to squeeze out of a sticky situation. He thought he had seen all the surprises there were to see around here when suddenly everything erupted into a crazed mayhem of new faces mangling other new faces, some of which were ugly enough to begin with. He could only shake his head at the ensuing carnage. Such blood to be spilled in the war between light and dark, not for the first time, and certainly not for the last. The balance was costly to maintain and today he knew that whichever side emerged victorious from this conflict, his precious balance would emerge battered and broken and heedlessly swinging in one direction or another.
He had to focus his mind on survival now. It was the only thing he could come up with that was really worth being here for at the moment, the survival of those that gave so much to fight for what was in their hearts. He could fight for that, he could die for that, and certainly it was no great loss to rid the world of that monstrosity that single-mindedly stalked through his own minions on a direct course for that fierce looking woman who seemingly was in charge at the moment.
He took another moment to take stock of the situation, noting a sinister looking pair back where the demon lord had come from, an ancient looking dragon, a couple of armies, the red-head leader and her dark haired companion, a graceful and quite natural looking figure, and the four of them now stuck somewhere in the midst of it all. With another shrug of his shoulders he set about again using the simple weapon at his disposal, his body, saving those precious and powerful stones for his moment of dire need.
As usual, he did not utter unnecessary words to those around him. He did not seek to lead them to some end, just to keep them from harm. His bloodied hands and feet did grim work tearing and bludgeoning the horde of evil to keep his little corner of the battlefield free of the scum that sought to pass through.

[Crowe]

*He assessed the battlefield as they pressed the advantage of the sudden arrival of their army. Neither side had any particular advantage here and it seemed that, for all of his strategic thought and planning, it would all come down to who hit harder. He put a little extra umph into the next arc of his greatsword and the heavy-built demon creature that fell to it knew that its last moments witnessed a great tactician in the face of a bludgeon-off.
While his mind worked and calculated and beat against the wall of seeking advantage, there seemed to be a change in the mood of the battlefield followed by a change in the mood of his Mori, quite suddenly moving from a relatively confident ass-kicking mood to that burning hatred tinged with fear and intermingled with gut-wrenching disgust. It must be the arrival of that master of slugs Lucien. Indeed, the darkly grand figure strode through the masses doling out quick cold death to all in his path, not just those brave soldiers who fought this day for all good things in this world. Demon blood dripped slowly from his sword and the gore that covered everything oozed beneath his feet. The dark fluid of life spilled upon the battlefield felt the call of the lord of its release, Lucien who brings death and spills blood and spreads corruption, and it oozed slowly to him.
Suddenly there erupted great flames and Crowe's concentration was broken as the focus of his attention became a bright flare of light and fire. Crowe looked up to see the great dragon circling around to deliver more gouts of deadly flame onto their enemies and flashed a quick grin. It vanished smoothly to be replaced by another grim curiosity and dread as he looked back to wonder the fate of Lucien at the mercy of these blasts and saw his Mori in trouble. His body acted before his mind even caught up and he was upon the beasts, kicking and slashing with his great blade, skewering one and toppling another under the beheaded body of a third. His thoughts reached out to Mori, reassuring amid the great dreading fear and hatred held suspended in his mind.*
"Aye Mori, I'm here, and not a moment too soon it seems. Better keep your head up and eyes open belov... dear, we're in for quite a ride soon enough."