Everflame: The Shard

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

"That's not the shard chamber," Perra replied and pointed down to the floor. "It's way below us."
"Yeah over there is just one of the research chambers," Beem said, nodding at his own words.
"Anything useful in there?" Andreya asked. They shook their heads.
"Just odds and ends really. We can check but you really need Chosen." They nodded to each other in agreement, until a brief chill oozed through the walls and the clung together behind the general. The corridor seemed darker and Andreya stepped away from the outer wall.
"I guess it can't hurt. Leo," she said, and grabbed his shoulder. "You capable should I drag you? I really do not have time to put up with you right now. We'll do a quick check through that room and get the hell out, you understand?"





Aman pushed his head up against his master's palm, shivering in the pleasure of touch. His tongue lolled from his broken muzzle and he nodded with emphatic devotion before gesturing to the throng of twisted creatures around him. He pointed and direction, with speech near impossible from their shredded throats and mangled jaws. He directed them to swarm through the town, searching, grabbing and mutilating to either convert or just to kill any remaining survivors. The guards within the temple, now with their own weapons speared through their bodies, began searching the great dome.





Dim Lane huddled behind Aria's back, looking out at the mess of trees, bushes and twigs, seemingly merging together as an impenetrable mesh.
"I'm no use in this environment. Stones, buildings, underground, that's my world, not this. I haven't the eyes for--aAAGH!" He shrieked, pulled away in a green blur. A great green beast bristled with scales. The raven was held in its maw, teeth pressed against feathers and skin.
'Stay where you are,' came a voice. It came from nowhere, as though absence itself had spoken inside Aria's mind. 'You run, or you attack, I will eat him.' The beast bowed its head, with the panting, shrieking Dim Lane held in its jaws. There was a girl laid unconscious on his back. 'who are you?'

[Grace.E]

"My name is Aria Loray...I have lived in this forest for a long time...now please let go of my friend..we mean no harm...please, let him go..." there was no fear in her celestial voice as she stepped forward, her arm out stretched as she put the dagger she had out back in its sheath.  Now with both hands up, letting the beast know that the threat was gone. she glanced at the unconsious girl on its back. "Is ...she alright?" she asked.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Talin continued walking his way towards Tina City, clutching his head in one hand as new memories flooded in. These were even worse to process than the ones of Chronin, as the anatomy didn't match up with the person he was "inhabiting". Though one of them did bring about a sensation similar to the one that had pulled him out of that earlier mess, along with more history to compare to Chronin's "knowledge" of this 'Everflame'. Just when I finally get one life sorted out, another comes in and tries to jumble my head again... is there a reason I have to know the lives of two others? He then started to think about his possible punishment for 'returning from exile', which thankfully drove the memories away. I wonder if Tizz, or even Aria, will look me in the eye after all the mistakes I made...

[KittKat chunky~]

The leader of the pack hunkered to the ground as it choked and growled, angered. With a shudder it turned to face Neesa again and lunged, feral voice hissing out from slathering jaws, claws raking the earthen ground. As the beast leaped its maw widened, three tongues slicing out into the air towards the girl.






Imshi gulped at the air, lungs burning. As she ran her paw still clutched at Yenchi's, although by now it was he that was pulling her to run faster. "We have to-" She heaved another breath, clutching her side "-stop running Yenchi." At this he shook his head. His own breaths came controlled and low, his lithe form urging alongside Imshi to run faster. Beside him under her breath Imshi cursed the thickset figure she had inherited from her mother, one feathered wing falling limp as she ran.


"No Yenchi-" Imshi finally stumbled to a halt, doubled over in pain and out of breath "- We cant outrun them... We cant-" She wept silently as they both watched the pack surround them and slowly circle the pair.




Again the pack leader lunged and missed, shaking its head until its tongues lolled between needle fangs. With another long hiss the beast hunched down. It stared at Neesa with narrow eyes of glinting white, then up at the figure on the rooftop above her. The figure shook its head then leaped across to the wall, vaulting over into a sprint on the other side.


With a growl the beast stared at Neesa in contemplation, then turned and scrabbled into the tunnel. The long black tail flicked away into the darkness and as the creature skulked away into the darkness it gave a long hissing roar that was mimicked by the pack out in the fields beyond the wall of the city.

[kivabunny]

"yes, I think I remember fighting back, but I can't remember what I used."
Aeron looked down at his arms, they were hevily clad in muscle and scars, as if used to fighting with a heavy weapon.

[Cifero Windtail]

"Would... OOF!... Would these be your weapons?"
Viola slowly made her way over to Feuilly and Aeron, two large war hammers balanced on her shoulders. Once there, she set them down with a sigh of relief and collapsed, her sides heaving.
"Jesus," she said, "how much do these things WEIGH?"

[kivabunny]

"hmm..... they seem familiar"picking up the hammers, Aeron lost his balance, expecting lifting them to be difficult "woa! based on their size" aeron said catching his composure,"i would guess them to be about 35 pounds since they appear to be granite."he tossed one into the air and watched it spin, catching the haft in his hand before it hit the ground."they don't seem all that heavy.

[Cifero Windtail]

Both Viola and Feuilly looked at him in surprise.
"Actually, Aeron," Feuilly said, "it could just be that YOU are very strong..."
"Which seems to be the case, unless those muscles are just for show," Viola said, motioning to Aeron's strong arms.

[kivabunny]

"very strong?" Aeron asked curiously seeing their expressions "so i'm not normal?" confused he continued talking' "if im not normal then that means im different, which means i must be someone? who am i?"

[Cifero Windtail]

"Simple," Viola said. "You're Jean Valjean."
She cast an impish grin in Feuilly's direction.
Feuilly looked back at her in slight annoyance.
"I get it, my name's coincidentally funny," he said. "But please... enough with the jokes."
"Can't promise anything," the kangaroo said, grinning.
Feuilly turned back to Aeron.
"To answer your question," Feuilly said, "I'm pretty sure that your uniqueness qualifies you as an extraordinary man."

[kivabunny]

"Really?"aeron grabbed the two furs up in a bearhug squeezing the wind out of them "thats the nicest thing i remember anyone saying to me ever"

[Cifero Windtail]

Feuilly gagged as Aeron wrapped him and Viola in a crushing hug. He could tell Viola was having similar breathing problems.
"Aeron," he said hoarsely. "Can't.... breathe..."
 

[kivabunny]

"oops sorry!" aeron dropped them back to the ground "i guess i don't know my own stregnth"he said grinning

[Cifero Windtail]

Viola and Feuilly got back up slowly.
"Well," Viola said between breaths, "You do... *GASP*... have amnesia, so it's ... *GASP*... possible that you forgot how... *GASP*... strong you are...."
Feuilly, having recovered looked up at Aeron with a gleam in his eye.
"Hmm..." he said, rubbing his chin.

[Entaru]

Nero hummed to himself as his angels swept the city.  He didn't let on just how much energy he had spent in the last few hours.  He couldn't believe it but he was drained...if another Chosen showed up out of the blue, he wasn't sure if he could handle them alone.  Despite his boasts, he was weak...fragile..vunerable.  He needed more energy...more souls.  They'd have to destroy every town on the way to feed his army who would in turn feed him. 
 
He was so tired.....he felt a feeling he hadn't before.  Moving through the shuffling horrors he created, his mind drowning out the screams, he pushed his way into the place of worship raised in his honor and collapsed in a dark corner where no one could see him.  He needed to sleep.  His eyes drifted shut as he lay there, a cold chill running across his body.  He felt drowsy....weak...worthless.  He slowly drifted away, shivering at the cold that he created around him, and fell into sleep.