BACK AT THE INN
As Kagato's eyes watched the Darien go up the stairs, he noticed that Firestar rushed out in a panic. When he sighed and looked back to the stairs, Uriel was coming down them. Maybe now the planning could begin.
Shadow's thoughts ran rampant as he left Aiyana's room and went to find some diapers. So much going on, and no answers. And everyone seemed to be doing anything but sitting down to come up with some, himself included. But things needed done...Selena needed cleaned and changed, and Aidan needed something to eat, whether he liked to admit it or not. And rest, the man definitely needed rest. Well, that would come soon enough.
Shadow made his way to his rooms, where he pulled out a few items from an extradimensional holding space he had acquired...diapers, some trail rations, and a few other minor things. He made his way back past Aiyana's room just in time to see Uriel come out the door and nearly bump into him. He nodded to Darien as he came up and looked into the room, and decided to let the man have his time with Aiyana. He had gotten Firestar's message about her leaving again around the same time, and his heart ached a bit as she left so soon...they had not even had the chance to really talk yet. With a sigh he tossed a ration pack in to Aidan. "Here, not the best tasting thing in the world, but it'll do for now." He also noticed that Aidan's wounds were healed, and he figured Uriel must have taken care of it...he decided to make his way downstairs and meet the others now. Mayhaps they could get some kind of planning done yet. That is while he was cleaning up Selena.
He sighed once more as he took a last look at Aiyana and made his way downstairs, where he saw a few of the others sitting around the table, and Selena talking to a new young lass...must be the one that was with Darien. He made his way slowly to the washbasin, and prepared to bathe Selena, without Firestar's help...heh, this oughta be a good one, never had to take care of one as young as herself. He looked to Kagato hopefully, silently inquiring as to whether he would help him. Then he glanced to Uriel, knowing the lad would probably get a wry chuckle out of the fact that Shadow didn't know what he was doing.
Kagato looked over at Shadow and hoped he guessed what he wanted right. "Luke warm is the best. He spoke those words as he rose up from the chair, noticing a nice indent in it, like he had been there for a long time. To tell the truth he never kept track of time, his mind wandered too much. He walked by Shadow and headed towards another part of the inn, where fresh towels were kept and searched through them. His fingers glided along the soft fabrics as he selected a wash rag and a towel to dry her with, they would probably need one too, but he chose not to get one. He sighed and turned as his feet caried him back to where Shadow and the others waited. A thought crossed his mind as he saw all of them, but he just shruged. "So lets get started."
Seeking pain was not something Darien ever did. It seemed to find him and eat away at him, each day a new pain took up the attempt. This was a rare moment, one of tears. Not heavy tears but they were there.
He knew there wasn't much he could do. He could be there standing all day, in hopes of her swift recovery, or he could try to help and only get into the way. He hadn't had any talent in the helping area for her. Kagato, he loved her and would most likely play her hero, Aidan would lay down life before his sister and find ultamate glory in the act, Joey was strange and last he saw in much pain, Abi the little worrier of the group would use her unique powers to help her friend missy yana, Shadow he seemed very powerful in the art of magic and that would come in very useful upon what ever journey the group made, and the last person he had noticed to be around that would be helpful were the children. He didn't really think the boy was as bad as he appeared, he would never underestamate the great power he had heard of in the boy but he would never think that the boy truly hate Aiyana. At least not fully.
Yes the elf who had nothing helpful to offer the group left. It was about 3 hours before he worked hismelf out of the room. He couldn't help the fact that he still loved the woman in the bed, and that if things had been different for him they would be together. But things are never different and this was how he felt things had to be. He climbed down the stairs and looked in on the group. He would always be there for her, and thus them. But he knew that he would just get in the way. A soft sigh and he turned out the door, going home for the night.
Not too far from the inn...Katrina walked through a forest. Slowly the young warrior inhaled the familiar air. No matter how many adventures she had gone on, something always dragged her back to the land of Rhy'Din. Katrina never called any place home, but Rhy'Din came very close. Something told her to stay away from the Inn. The warrior knew Aiyana was not well, but there was a sharp pain that struck through her every time she thought of going near the place. After a long pause, the decision was made. In the morning she would venture to see how the woman fared, warning pain or not. So much time had passed. Then again in the lands away from this realm, months were but weeks in Rhy'Din. Til morning she would find what was left of her pack and force herself to rest. Pools of deadly ice scanned the area about her.
Someone...something, was watching....
Something indeed had been watching her. Ever since she left the resting place of Jared the Brave a shadow of hatred and anger loomed about her. The warrior wanted whatever it was to be revealed so that she could fight it. She thirsted for blood and thrived for more kills. The patience and calm that she once held was drowned by vengeance and madness. Black shards in her icy orbs danced about violently. Within these last few days she's hunted much more than a dozen packs of wolves could possibly eat, trained more than her body should be able to handle, and resigned from the guild. Any who know Katrina are aware of her hatred for magic. Not only did Shadowheart manage to annoy her, but he sent her a message of magic. Had Katrina been in her usual state of mind perhaps she would have handled it better. So, she had resigned unofficially from the guild. Would it count? It all depends if her hot head can cool down. Perhaps she is in that teenage rebellious stage? Katrina is only 16.
Sitting sitting sitting and thinking was what Abi did those long days, then at last she rose from her spot and headed out. It would be useless to stay here any longer. There was an old book that needed to be found. One that her goddess told her of. Without hesitation or any words the child boomed out of the Inn and continued to run until her little feet could run no more. She tripped a few times and ignored the scrapes. The book was so far away, should she ask for some help? Her head shook at the thought. no can go backs now, waste of time. The rest of the way she took it fairly easy. The games she plays has kept this little one in fine shape. She reached the mountains by nightfall and decided to rest for a bit. What good would she be if her body was overly tired? She scanned the area about her and then sat beside a tree, with her back leaned against it. One hand rested on the hilt of her dagger while the other lay freely, ready to do whatever magic necessary. It took a while, but the child finally found some rest....
So much time has passed, has anyone noticed? The child had not returned yet, but she has gotten a book into her possession that might just help Aiyana. It did not come into her custody without a price. Something was stripped away from her. What could it have been? Ah, that is for others to perceive. She ventured back to the Inn at a rushed pace. Silver pools sparkled softly as she got closer to the place where time seemed to cease. Perhaps there was some sort of spell cast upon the place that altered the time of which things happened with what was going on about it. The child is a bit taller now. Little Abi might just turn out to be lady Abigail without anyone noticing. Don't worry folks, that won't happen for a while. The book was safely held to her chest as she ventured on. Missy Yana had to get better and somehow this book should help. If only she could understand the writing...
As Uriel and Shadow descended down the stairs to join the others...turmoil was at its peak in the body of the woman upstairs in the bed. The decaying corpse like body that now blinked in and out of existence was what was left of Aiyana Moonshyne.
Being ill for many months, later came to an awful truth. Her life force was being erased and many things were done to stop it, but all failed...it was only slowed down. Now the time was at hand. Time for destiny or devastation to rule. All futures depended on this one soul, time and every living thing also depended on her survival. As her mind and soul unraveled, so too did her memories and identity. Then the voice came and touched her fraying thoughts...and guided her.
"It is time....." No light only darkness...silence it swept over the last few strands of life essence. A tip of it struggled against annihilation.....
Outside the body...chaos began its reign. The sun was swallowed by stormy black clouds...the wind shrieked and howled, lightening spit the air, thunder cracking after. The earth began to shake and shudder. Uriel went stiff....it was happening, he watched as he reappeared and disappeared...heard his sister scream in a way he never heard before and it chilled him, for the first time Uriel felt the grip of fear. He levitated quickly to the nearest window as he watched the world start to crumble. Water dried up, earth liquefied and turned to mush and sinking sand, taking people, animals and buildings with it, including the playground and over half the cathedral...fires ceased to burn but boiled where ever water reared its head causing the air to go dense.
He fell suddenly and when he tried to rise he couldn't. It was then he realized that gravity had become imbalanced.
What happened next pierced his mind in agony as a thunderous boom split the air and ripped the ground asunder as energies were scattered and torn apart, making the powers known as "magic" dangerous and highly unstable to use. The animalistic scream outside alerted him the demon was freed from its prison...they had to leave here NOW before they all perished.
"Everyone hold on and keep a grip on your belongings." Before anyone could speak or make a move to block the teleportation, the hysterical Selena and company were moved to the cavern...Aiyana's hiding place. As the Demon rose in the air...its howl drowned out by Selena's..the creature dive bombed toward the inn.
Aidan, tired and haggard looking.. illuminated...his body faded, four bright balls remained and flew in the direction of the inn. The sacrifice was made....
Uriel watched as the lights disappeared and then flashed...a great image of the phoenix arose and created a protective dome around the building and the demon bounced off it. Uriel at the same time, wildly tried to focus his gift and create a shadowy shield around the entire cavern.....it faltered and shriveled...till he stabilized it, but it would not last long. With mage sight used, things could be viewed close up to see what was going on. He watched with rapture as Aidan's spirit formed a clear cube shield around his mother, her youthful body was restored and healthy looking. He knew it would remain like that as long as the "cube" remained around her. The demon tried again and exploded into the inn, shattering it. Only the master bedroom remained and part of the library. Chunks of the building collided with the Shockwave explosion and burst outward slamming into the hall and lot. Furniture melted and burned from the heat. Rubble and stone caved in at the spar ring and the Travelers shop was cracked and barely standing, looking like a shell of what it once was.
Delta stops from his training to take a quick glance up at the sky. "What the hell is that?" The ground under him quickly begins to turn to the liquid sand and slowly sucks him down in it. "Ahh! What is going on?" Delta struggles against the sand. He thrusts his hands down and slowly begins to charge of the energy he has stored in his body.He then quickly sends a discharge of the energy into the sand, propelling out. He floats into the air but begins to fall from the gravity change. "This is not right! something is dead wrong." He quickly moves to an area that is still hard and slowly being turned to sand. Presses his feet against the ground and shoots off to find someone he knows. His body is in no shape for this type of punishment. He has put himself through dangerous levels of training. He continues to run trying to find a familar presence or a way to get back to everyone. Everything finally returns back to normal and he stops his running. Collapsing where he stood from exhaustion. If someone didnt find him..or he didnt wake. Something else just might. He lays there, unmoving.
As the earth turned to quicksand the child let out a shrill cry. Destruction was about, just as it began in her homeland. For once in a long while fear consumed her very being. The book was held protectively against her body as the earth began to swallow her in. Before her form was sucked in fully Gaia came to the rescue. The large golden dragon swooped down and lifted her out with one if its great claws. Her mind was black and eyes remained wide open. If it not been for her uncle Axis' present, the child would truly have been dead. Or at least buried into the core of the earth until someone ventured deep enough to find the resting soul. The dragon soared through the dark skies and took the little prankster to her father's castle. She was left on the courtyard with the magnificant beast keeping a watchful eye about them. The little princess trembled as visions of the destruction seeped into her mind. She inhaled deeply and let out a painfilled cry. "MISSY YANA" then she fell into a deep sleep.
As Katrina made her rounds through the forest the rumbling ground shot alarm through her body. She spun about to see creatures and trees being sucked into the liquefied earth. Thoughts of her new formed pack being swallowed whole soared through her mind. Then the angel of death called her by name. It's sweet song lured her closer to the destruction. An endless slumber without pain, without worries, and without confusion. She fell into the trap and followed the angelic voice. Then reality snapped into her. Her senses became alert as she heard the soft whimpering of a wolf cub. The poor creature was trying the best it could to crawl out of the pit. Without hesitation she grabbed a long vine and hurled herself into the quicksand. It was a good thing that she was at the border of the "range" of destruction. One muscled arm scooped the cub up while the other pulled them out. Right before she reached the "safe" zone the vine snapped. Fingers dug into the edge of the solid ground and she hung there desperately fighting against the current. Her arm was threatening to tear off and pain soared through her body, but she did not release her grip. Then, just as soon as it all happened, it ceased. Half of her body was buried beneath the solid earth. The cub was safe, she set it on the ground and it remained beside the trapped woman whimpering softly. Icy pools looked about as she scanned the area for a way out. Trying to pull herself out would do more harm than good. The warrior remained deathly still. Rage and insanity slowly eased there way from her mind and lost control. The teen was trapped, but her mind was in control again
Rhy'Din, the entire land could feel the shudder of the earth and the clash of weather, but to most it was most likely ignored. And everything then went still...