it takes a spider...

[Ress]

Resplendent wood, 11

* A crackle then hiss of essence shot through the Imperial manse as the ghostly image of Quar-Zagot appeared before Empress Arachnia, looking distressed and a little tired*

" Empress, the people of Aranea are wondering what they have done to displease you. they have been sending sacrifices, but they say you have been sending giant killer spiders to them as a punishment... and I have been to each town, they all say that giant spiders have been showing up, and a few have claimed attacks. I am sending you this transmission from Ramoth to ask you, is this your work, do you know anything about this?... or is this something more sinister?"

[Arachnia of the Hour]

*Arachnia would turn a raised brow to Quar-Zagot and shake her head slowly* Of course that wasn't me. I might be displeased with them but I wouldn't willingly kill my own people simply because they betrayed me. They never actually harmed Ress so I will forgive them in time. I made it taboo to harm spiders to my people, I wouldn't turn any against them. Let them know that I will be there shortly to set things straight *The Empress stood up from her work and set it aside, brushing off her skirt before heading to her personal manse which was right outside since she was in the Imperial Manse. In moments she was on her way to the closest drop point to Aranea*

* The people of Aranea rushed to the manse and dropped to their knees and began worshiping and begging forgiveness from their goddess, hoping this would stop her onslaught and protect them from harm There were beasts laid out with the best parts of them burnt as offerings with expensive prayer strips and personal items as alters littered the area*

*Arachnia stepped out of her manse and surveyed the damage the spiders had done. Her gaze swept over the prostrate forms of her followers and she frowned slightly* My people, pick yourselves up and gather around. These spiders are not a punishment for your betrayal, but rather are an anomaly I intend to fix. While I am displeased that you chose to listen to the traitor over myself, I have more care for you than to end your lives without thought. Tell me what has been happening among my people. Are there any injured or dead? What sort of damages have we experienced?

* the group gathered round.. though they were all to frightened to say anything... all except one woman who stepped forward* " There have been no deaths... but our grain storage has been compromised. they broke in and leaped on the guards, but then quickly left as they got up and readied themselves to fight... we have never seen them kill.. but we have seen them with man sized cocoons on their back.. they undoubtedly have our townsmen in them"

Are there any people missing since the appearance of these spiders? Speak your name and know that any lies will be known *Arachnia seemed to relax a little as the conversation moved on. This woman had answered clearly and proved herself a leader among cowards. Perhaps she could make it so that she were no longer a coward..*

* they all looked at each other and muttered, trying to find anyone who knew someone who was missing* " I am Woven Word and, No... it looks like nobody is missing here... but the earth dragon, he mentioned that other towns are having these same problems... maybe they are bringing their kills here. Kideshen and Ramoth are experiencing these same attacks"

I see. I will speak with those cities as well and know that the problem will be solved *Arachnia's sensual smirk was turned onto the woman who had taken a risk and spoken up. Perhaps she would be rewarded* Has anyone opened up or attained one of the cocoons that they carry?

" no.. these spiders are too strong and swift for any of us to catch. but we have seen them move.. at least that's what the stories say. I am sorry to say we have no way of doing this" * She looked slightly defeated in this statement, shaking her head as she made the admittance*

Alright. So it's quite possible that these spiders are nothing but thieves. Take solace in knowing that none of you are missing or dead. Woven Word, I will speak with you again, perhaps in private... *Arachnia's gaze lingered on the woman for a moment longer. She was a beautiful woman and had a sense of propriety and duty. Ideas were falling into place in the Empress's mind* I will return. Woven Word, you will be in charge of keeping tallies of what has gone missing. That includes people, livestock, pets, grown food and any property damage. When I come back I will want a report. Are there any questions?

" No, we will do this. Thank you Empress Arachnia. We will wait for you" * The rest of the group began to disperse and went to taking tally of everything, from food, livestock, persons and personal effects*

Until next time, then *The Empress turned and went back inside her manse, now heading to Ramoth*

[Arachnia of the Hour]

*Arachnia stepped out of the manse and onto the area outside of Ramoth. She looked around to gather an idea of any destruction or people moping about. Her mind went through her options and swept her gaze through the area to see if there was anyone who could offer information. If not, it appeared that a trip into the city was pertinent. With the passing of Towering Oak her definite source was gone*


* The townspeople of Ramoth began to flock to the manse... if the ruling Exalts were coming here, there must be a good reason. They all waited patiently, until Arachnia stepped out. One of the citizens stepped forward and spoke up* " Is something wrong, Empress? I there something we can do for you?"


Yes, I believe that you can *she cast a sultry gaze at the speaker, a hand sweeping slowly down the side of her hip* There have been reports of rogue spiders in my personal enclave and I was told that you have also experienced them. Since I was not the one who sent them I am investigating the situation... *she let a smile peek at the corners of her lips* Can you help me?..


* Many of the men and a good deal of the women shivered as the sexy Empress flaunted herself at them. After a moment of composing himself, the man spoke up once more* "Spiders?! Yes! We have had a few spider attacks! We have found them over the mummified bodies of our countrymen!, so far, we have only seen them come out at night, sometimes crawling over our homes!"


Has anyone seen the inside of the sacs they carry? Please take a head count, has anyone gone missing since the spiders arrived. I do find... pleasure.. in honesty, so please tell me the hard facts and then any speculations *the Empress's eyes widened a little as she accentuated the word "hard" and returned to their normal half-lidded ecstasy. She was happy to see that she still had an effect on someone, Exalts were more resilient to her charms*


* Her words were once more met with a tension filled silence... until a rogue woman spoke up... perhaps trying to impress the empress* " There are no sacks, they leave the carcasses out for us to find!"


Are the sacs still on them? What has been done with the deceased? *Arachnia's black eyes focused on the woman and she offered her a look of interest, though of which kind was left for the woman to interpret*


* The man chimed in once more, before the woman could say anything* " There are no sacs we could find... I think we still have a body here..." * The crowd began to bustle, squabbling out to gather up the last corpse*


Alright, please show me *she walked towards the crowd, hips swaying as she moved and her silk skirt sliding against her legs. She pushed a lock of hair out of her face as she followed*


* A group of three people carried a blanket with a man sized object within it.When they dropped it at Arachnia's feet, it opened up, revealing a mummified corpse, all its fluids having been sucked from its body. A look of terror was permanently frozen on its dead face, a silent scream on its lips*


*she wrinkled her nose at the corpse and put a look of appropriate calculated dismay on her face. She sort of felt bad for the man, but the people needed to think that she cared more for him than she did* I see... Thank you for showing me. How long ago was this person found?


" Last night.... they attack about once per night... we are quite frightened. None of us know what these things are. Do you know what it is that causes this, Empress?"


I apologize, but without further investigation I cannot say that I do. I need to make another appointment but I will return before the evening and investigate the matter. While I am away please make a list of any missing persons and if any of those were among the bodies found. If the stress becomes too much pass the task on to someone else. There is no need for anyone to over-stress themselves for the sake of information *she pushed a look of compassion and empathy onto her face, somehow managing to maintain a sultry way about it all*


* The crowd nodded, the three now wrapping up the body and taking it back to wherever they take their dead* " Alright... that is what we will do. Thank you Empress"


Of course, and please keep the man so I can examine him further. If you need to cover or circle him in salt please do so, I will pay for the salt *Arachnia turned and went back into the manse to make a few manse calls. After her connection with Lirimana she made one to Ress*


* Ress's golden form appeared before her, looking slightly puzzled, and at the same time happy to see her* " Yes Arachnia? What can I do for you , my mate?


My Beloved there are attacks happening in Ramoth, Kideshen and my own Aranea. There are no confirmed deaths or disappearances in Aranea and I told Lirimana to conduct an investigation in Kideshen. I am currently in Ramoth investigating as they have suffered multiple casualties and say that one each night have died. They say that there are spiders spotted carrying man-sized sacs on their backs but so far only Ramoth has experienced death. I was planning on staying the night at Ramoth so that I may investigate further. Do you have any insight or would you like to join me? *she offered a truly warm and loving smile to her recently-re-acquired Mate, an expression that so far only he was privy to*


" Humm... " * Ress, being the calculating man he is thought about what was going on, trying not to let his emotions cloud his judgment. He heaved a sigh as he came to a conclusion* " I need to go check something... Once I look it over something, I will meet you, my mate. We will compare notes when we meet. Thank you, love. I can not wait to see you."


*her gaze swept over his golden image and she let a canine nibble her lip as she gave him a very powerful and very sincere look of desire, her voice throaty and deep* Neither can I...
*she ran a finger along the neck of her gown, allowing it to sink lower on her breasts until he could see the difference in material that was her lingerie. He only got a peek of her cleavage before she winked and ended the transmission. A soft sigh left her lips and she readjusted her clothes before going back out to the city and people of Ramoth* Alright, what work have we finished?


* The crowd had now diminished into a circle of ten people. they broke from the circle and turned to the Empress* " We have counted eight deaths in total. They have all been the exact same. dry and mummified"


And have they all happened at night? Were they all found in the same place? *she acknowledged each person with a slight nod of her head, a wisp of hair falling onto her breast as she did so*


" All at night, but all over the town. We got word that Bezair has also been plagued by these spiders. I guess this is an epidemic. What else can we do?"


Everyone should be inside tonight by dusk. I know that this may cause problems but I intend to have at least identified the culprit by the night's end. Emperor Ress will join me at some point this evening as well. We are offended by these attacks and will take prompt action. Would someone please show me the locations where each body was found starting at the first one?


" Alright.." *They began showing her around the town.at first, it seemed random, but a subtle pattern soon emerged... these were all places that were confined where few people could witness, and always done when the person was alone... but of course, the young and open spaces of the empire afforded few truly alone places."


*Arachnia followed in silence, stopping to inspect each area before going to the next one. The pattern had emerged and she realized that whatever they were dealing with was at least somewhat a tactical hunter. At a couple she picked up hair and some venom residue. When they had concluded the "tour" she smiled at the guide* Thank you, now if you could please direct me toward the body so I can examine it, I would be very grateful...


* Of course, they took their Empress right to the body. its dried up and cold corpse still holding that same look of horror*


*Arachnia bent down to examine the corpse, careful not to rip or sully her outfit in the process. She looked specifically for any hairs or venom residue for comparison but made sure she could still see anything extra that might show up* (( Per+Inv 4suxx))


*on the body, she found more hairs and venom*

*well, that only confirmed what she already suspected. She decided to go back to the attack sites and look for any potential entryway either near the attacks or in an apex point*(( Per+Inv 3 suxx))


* Arachnia would find that all the attacks were from above, when the victim was not aware... almost like these spiders were assassins*


*Arachnia hopped up on the rooftops to see if there were any more signs of the attackers and aid in their identity*


* Bits of adhesive could be found on the roof*

*Arachnia collected the adhesive as samples and went down to the ground from the roof*

[Arachnia of the Hour]

Resplendent Wood 11,

*Arachnia went and found the group from before, her samples with her so that she could go and examine them more thoroughly in her manse's facilities after asking a few more questions. She needed to get some of this done before the night in order to prevent any more deaths. She was going to have Quar watch Aranea and let the other Exalts know that they needed to watch for the giant spiders once she had finished outside*

I have a few more questions for you all. How many of you have seen the spiders in question and what do they look like? Of course by that I mean any particular colors, patterns, displays or mannerisms

*part of her mind drifted to Ress as she wondered what he was doing and how long it would be until she could be near him again. Despite the fact that she had gone to his cell every night while he was imprisoned she still felt deprived of his presence. Such thoughts showed on her face and she ran with it, moving her eyes from person to person until someone answered*

[Ress]

Resplendent wood, 11

" How many seen?.... last tally was about eight. When we saw the spiders... they are huge slender things with dripping mandibles and eight long powerful legs. they are dark in color and banded with yellow along their bodies. Do you know what these are? Is there anything you can do, Empress?"

* He stepped forward without thinking, contemplating in the back of his head weather or not to take her in his arms*

[Arachnia of the Hour]

Resplendent Wood 11,

Hmm...

*Arachnia thought about all the different gods, demons and elementals that she had ever heard of and narrowed them down to the spiders. It only took a moment before she had an answer and she nodded to the man*

Yes, I do know what they are. The spiders that you are besieged by are called Anhules and they are a type of first circle demon. Spread the word through the town that the sound of a dog barking brings them great pain and will ward them off. If you will excuse me, I need to find out if that's what the other cities have been experiencing and spread the word. Thank you for your help, I will return soon

*With a wink she turned around and headed back into the manse so that she could let the other Exalts know and organize a hunt. She felt a bit of sadness that she hadn't perfected her animal consumption so far that she could take the forms of demons otherwise she could have a new shape by the end of the night. Once she got into the manse she headed straight for the hearthroom to make a few calls. First call went to Lirimana, but she didn't get an answer*

What could that woman be doing?....

*The Empress sighed and set the coordinates for Kideshen. In moments she was at the edge of the city. At least she would get a look at the various undertakings Lirimana had for the city. After asking a few people for their overseer she found their location. When she arrived she found Lirimana and a man leaving a food establishment*

Lirimana, I see now what has kept you away from your manse...

*Arachnia purred a little as she looked at the couple, internally rolling her eyes at the tact of this woman. Dating when there were deaths in the empire? She hoped that the Twilight hadn't heard of them so she wouldn't have to be disappointed. That girl was going to be a lazy and sex-crazed being later in life, she could see it already*

[Arachnia of the Hour]

Resplendent Wood 11,

*Lirimana looked up at Arachnia and blinked. What was she doing here? The Twilight felt a flush of embarrassment that she was on a date and Arachnia had found her. Hopefully White Sand could wait a bit before the end of their date since Arachnia didn't idly drop by* Empress, what brings you here?...

*a hand went gently to her hip, resting lightly as she looked over Lirimana's date before responding* Have you been experiencing any sort of spider-oriented attacks in Kideshen?

*Lirimana nodded, figuring that there must be other problems within the empire if she was asking. At least it explained what she was doing here* Er, yes, actually. White Sand knew about them and he was telling me that these things are called Anhules. We have a web with a message here that instructs us to leave their home. Did you need something?

I do, actually. I had already figured out they were Anhules, and I have samples for future use. If you would come with me, we are on the way to pick up Dal'Lumen and solve this collectively. It would seem that the pest has spread to all of the cities and I wouldn't be surprised if they were also in Bezair. So far I've only heard of deaths in Ramoth and in my city there are no disappearances so far. I need to verify with them that the spiders look like Anhules, but given that there are not deaths I am not sure either way

There haven't been any reported deaths that I've heard of yet, but there have been a few kidnappings... *she looked apologetically at White Sand, wishing a little that Arachnia would have showed up a couple of hours later*

Alright *she turned her sultry eyes on White Sand, catching his gaze in hers and keeping him locked in* White Sand, please tell the others in the city that the sound of a dog barking will keep the Anhules at bay as it is extremely painful for them. I am also afraid that I must take your date away for a few hours, perhaps the whole night if that's what it takes, in order to solve this problem

*Lirimana sighed and kissed White Sand on the cheek* I'm sorry, I've gotta go.. See you later?

*Arachnia released the man from her gaze and smiled a little * I will do my best to have her home before bedtime, though I can't assure I won't keep her... *she let the idea trail off, insinuating all sorts of naughty things *

*Lirimana caught herself frowning and rearranged her face into it's normal expression. Arachnia was a temptress to everyone, if she didn't flirt with White Sand it would be out of the ordinary.. But still, she couldn't help but get a little worked up at that; he was her date, not Arachnia's... She wondered what Ress thought of Arachnia being so promiscuous. She started walking so that she could get Arachnia away from White Sand and gave him a wave * I'll see you later!

*Arachnia winked at White Sand as she left, trying not to laugh as she caught the frown on Lirimana's face. It would serve the girl right if the man fell for her instead. It would be payback for her hitting on Ress. At the same time she almost felt bad for the guy since he didn't know that Lirimana couldn't keep her legs closed. He would learn in due time, she supposed. In a few minutes they were back in the manse and making the call to Dal'Lumen*

*Not moments after he had entered the control room to his manse did the projection of Arachnia blink into existence in front of him. He looked around, surprised as he was just about to Dial Ress. Weird timing.. he thought to himself.* "Ah Empress, your timing is almost too good. I was just about to contact Ress! What can I do for you?"

*the silver shape smiled at the Zenith, almost knowingly, her voice a low and sexy purr* Quite a lot, I'm sure... But besides that, I need to ask if you have seen any yellow-banded spiders running around your city, or if there have been any kidnappings or deaths

*Dal tilted his head, a strange grin spanning his face.* "Why yes, that is exactly the reason I was going to call! A huge spider showed up on my doorstep with someone tied up on it's back, it escaped in time or a moment later it would have lost it's head... It was an Anhule, yes? It ran off in the direction of Kideshen too quickly for me to pursue it... So I had Sentinel attempt to track it. It seems Imperveress is having some Demon problems lately, I just delt with a Demjen on the river, something I'll have to talk to you more about."

a Demjen? That's not native here... *her brow furrowed and she look thoughtful for a moment* Yes, that was an Anhule, and like I've been telling the others, please inform your people that the sound of a dog barking causes them great pain and they will flee. It has to come from a dog and not a person pretending. I have just picked up Lirimana and you are next in line. I'm gathering the Exalts so that we can get to the bottom of this faster and hopefully end this tonight. Ress will be joining us at some point as well. So I will be nearby your manse in a few minutes


"Understood, I will be waiting on your arrival. I suggest we talk to sentinel once we gather together, should he have discovered their lair."

Alright *the transmission cut out and Arachnia set the manse into motion. Within a few minutes the manse was visible sitting right outside of Dal'Lumen's city*

*He sighed once Arachnia's projection dissipated, he knew that he had expended a good portion of his essence earlier in town and on the beach, but he would have to tough it out. As he was walking past his room on his way out of the manse he saw the pair of Axes propped up against the wall, and he thought it a shame such heirlooms were not put to use in such a situation. He Ran outside and down the street on the fastest path out of the city, soon the familiar manse was unveiled from behind the buildings around him and he continued to run his way all the way there. When he was upon the foot of the manse he walked to the entry way and found the other two waiting inside.* "Ahh... Well here we are again."

*Arachnia stood in wait, looking as sexy as ever, and she fixed her eyes on him when he came through* A necessary evil that our transportation is not more efficient. Something that will be fixed, I assure you. Shall we contact Sentinel, then? *her eyes gestured upwards while she addressed the A.I.* Sentinel, have you found the location of the Anhule's nest?

* As if out of nowhere, Emperor Ress walked over to the growing crowd of Exalts. He held a smirk upon his face as he stopped and put his knuckles on his hips, then a pleased nod to all who stood there. Unlike normal, he wore his orichalcum breastplate, abstractly decorated with unknown insignias and designs lost to time, and as always, he wore his crown of thunders and bracers* " It is good to see you all together once more... unfortunately, we are here for unfortunate reasons... but at any rate, I brought with me a little help should we need it... and perhaps it might be a good idea to call Roaring Wave to help us... but of course, that is up to Admiral Dal'Lumen"

Hello, my Darling *Arachnia made her way over to Ress and gave him a kiss on his cheek* I just asked Sentinel about finding their nest. Apparently Dal'Lumen has encountered one himself and Lirimana has a web note that tells us to leave. Ramoth has deaths and Aranea is fine


* A humm and click of Sentinel could be heard, followed by his familiar disembodied voice* " the Anhule nest has not been found. it is probably outside the range of the manses. I am sorry"

*Dal leaned his weight onto one leg and crossed his arms, looking thoughtful.* "Emperor! Ah It is an honor to have you with us! *He bowed respectfully* I'm sure he would like to be involved, so I don't see why we shouldn't include him."

*Lirimana smiled at Ress and gave him a nod of her head, not interested in fighting with Arachnia as well as the demons today. Besides, she had a hottie who was hopefully waiting for her in Kideshen* He's nearby, right?

* Ress nodded... then looked confused* " Anhules? I thought it was Aunkbut? I mean... I saw them in the tunnels with man sized cocoons attached to the walls. how could it not be them? the underground is crawling with them" * Seeing Dal'lumen bow, Ress smiled and bowed in return. he tried to keep things rather informal with other Solars, but pleasantries are such a nice distraction*

"Sentinel, were you able to record the path of the anhule that came from my manse at all? If it is out of sensor range then we know it is somewhere between here and Kideshen... which does narrow it down a little."

Aunkbut? No, my darling these are most definitely Anhules, unless the Aunkbut have yellow bands long their abdomens

*Lirimana blinked a little and looked at Ress* My.. er, friend? Well, White Sand knows about the Aunkbut, but I'd never heard of them before

* Sentinel's voice could be heard once more, as well as a dome of golden sunshine appeared before the exalts* " I am mapping the demon's course, as well as summoning the Terrestrial Exalt Roaring Wave"

"Thank you Sentinel." *He called up to the light* "Aunkbut.. What more demons in the Empire?"

* The dome began to grow definition on it, people's homes, the fields, the manse and then, a red line which marked the Anhules course... not to Kideshen or to Ramoth... but somewhere in between. If pressed, it would be closer to Ramoth* " This is the course.. and Roaring Wave is donning his equipment right now and will be here shortly"

* the Emperor shrugged a little, cocking his head a bit as he took his right hand off his hip and used his free hand to help punctuate his speech* "I am afraid I do not know what exactly these Aunkbut are, but they are a mystery to me.... maybe they are elementals, perhaps demons... or even some natural beast from a lost age"

White Sand told me that the Aunkbut are gentle beings that were created when the empire was complete and that they were created for doing maintenance on the Manses. They must look a lot alike to get confused with the Anhules, but the deaths couldn't possibly have been from them *Lirimana looked over at Ress and Dal'Lumen as she spoke*

"Well that is good news, perhaps one day we will be able to make use of them again." *He unfolded his arms and took a small step towards the scholarly two in the group.* "Since I have you here, I had something I wanted to ask you, its about the Demjen I confronted."

* Arachnia nodded, having been wondering how a Demjen had gotten so far away from its usual habitat* Alright, go on

" But what about all the cocoons in the tunnels?...?" * He looked back at Dal, then nodded* " What is that Admiral?"


*He began cautiously.* "Quie-Ra and I met with a mother and Son with a disturbing demonic problem. The boy is Half Lintha and possesses the power of the Demons eye, as such he is able to see that which is supernaturally hidden, such as dematerialized Gods, demons, and Essence. The boy is not the problem, he is kind-hearted and understands right and wrong, but the Demjen have been commanded by their master to try to convince the boy to behave... er.. well... Like a Lintha Pirate. So that's the summary, but I was able to ascertain the identity of their master and how I could contact him, I hope this will let me break his interest in the boy. It was the Jeweled Auditor, that was the Demons master but I do not know anything about such a being. Does that name ring any bells?"

*Lirimana nodded as she ran the name through her head and waited for Arachnia to fill them in since it was her who was asked. She put her mind towards the spider problem and looked at Ress* Perhaps they both have sacs? ((5suxx on Int+Lore roll for the Jeweled Auditor))

*Arachnia fixed her stare on Dal'Lumen and she dredged up the information on this demon* He is a second circle demon known for breaking taboos and Jeweled Auditor is a moniker, his real name is Gumela. He has an obsession with someone or something called Mayogio. The Demjen are his first circle demons and he is from the third circle demon known as Jacint . Gumela is a known partier and his breath can force people to give into their passions. Was that helpful, Dal'Lumen? Feel free to ask any more of your questions ((5 suxx on Jeweled Auditor))


"That does help, I wonder what do you think this demon wants with a half breed Lintha boy."

* He nodded to both Lirimana and Arachnia,unable to even come close on any of that information* "Well done with the information... it seems summoning this creature could be a risky undertaking... and a half lintha? I have heard stories of the lintha, but never saw one myself... are its parents lintha or was it a foundling? * Ress put his free hand to his chin as he thought, trying to picture a ravenous cannibalistic monster being half human*

Was his father someone of note withing the Lintha clans? *Arachnia started running off any of the Lintha names she knew, figuring that if he was the child of someone she could grab off the top of her head that it would make more sense. She wasn't as familiar with Western lore and notable figureheads as with other parts of the world* Or is his mother the Lintha?


"His mother is human, and I cant say that i know anything about the father, It seemed like a difficult subject for her. I will find out more, and as for this Demon, I don't think any of us could willingly let one of the children of our empire be harassed by demons that try to twist him into something evil without us trying to stop it! So When I know more I will know if I need to confront it, or if there is another way."

Alright, if you want me to speak with her woman to woman let me know. I promise I won't bite.. unless she wants me to.. As for her child and the demon, of course none of us want that, I'm not intrigued by the idea of hostile demons in the empire. Speaking of which, we have to deal with the Anhules and conduct more research on the Aunkbut

"Yes, I am sorry for that detour, now for the task at hand! I wonder Arachnia, it may be useful for us, do you have the power to transform yourself into a dog? Should we meet more of these Anhules perhaps we could avoid a fight if we can just scare them away."

" Of course... demons, in broad brush stroke terms, are not allowed within our fine empire... with very few exceptions. but speaking of which, when Roaring wave arrives, lets leave the manse behind... I have another method of travel which should be experimented with." * Ress tilted forward and backwards at his hips as he spoke, smirking the whole time, unable to hold in the pride at this new method... and almost like a summoning, roaring wave could be seen running to the circle of Exalts, holding his seemingly heavy jade to him as he ran. So it seemed, he had put his armor on a little too quickly* " I am here! Now... we are hunting demons?"

I don't have that shape in my retinue, but if you give me about an hour or two I can be back with one. Dogs were never useful for me before this time *Arachnia looked over to Roaring Wave and she nodded to him * You are here quickly, Wave. Would you like a moment to attune?

*Lirimana tried to picture the Empress as a happy tail-wagging dog and stifled laughter when Ress was the one she was "begging" for. This made her snort a little and she turned away and forced the snort into a cough and she turned back embarrassed* I'm sorry. Hey, Wave, good timing

* Roaring Wave heaved breath, having used all his strength to get here as quick as possible. he then stood up and began re-strapping himself into his armor* " Thank you.... I came here as fast as I could... while telling Tari she couldn't come"


*Dal raised an eyebrow at this new method of travel Ress seemed so excited about.* "Well I suppose it is up to you Arachnia, it would be useful indeed, and I'm sure you could find a dogs keen senses handy for the future.... Ahh my friend Roaring Wave, good to see you, we should be ready to leave soon, today we face 8 legs rather than 10 tentacles!"

*Arachnia nodded and took that as a hint. For senses she would use a bird instead, but perhaps there was a dog around here with a good nose she could use. She tried not to be picky that way but it was hard not to be sometimes* Then I suppose I will take my leave and return with a more useful shape for this mission. Approximately one and a half hours and I will be back. Where shall I find you or are you planning on waiting?


* Ress nodded, smiling to Arachnia and giving her a bow* " Once again, my mate, you have the right stuff. We will wait here untill you get back" * Ress put a hand on Roaring wave's shoulder, giving it a pat* "Welcome, child of Danna'd. I do believe we will be needing your services for today's undertaking"

*it took only a moment and she was flying off in bird shape to find someone's pet or a stray dog to rip out its throat and steal its shape*

*Dal Stepped forward and raised a hand to offer a suggestion, but was disappointed to see Arachnia leave before he did.* "If I might make a suggestion Emperor, wouldn't it be more... practical to begin searching while the Empress is away? Lives may be on the line, I think we could use every second to close in on these creatures origin."


" Humm" * Ress put his hand to his chin as he thought about it, but then gave a little nod* " I think you are right, Dal... but we can't go too far... but I know where to go. everyone, follow me * ress turned on his heels and began walking off in the direction of the southern part of the city... until they arrived at a landmark that had not existed before now. it was a mini layered structure ( like an Incan temple), about fifteen feet tall with an opening to one side* " Here it is... how I got from my manse, to here in a good amount of time"

*Lirimana followed the guys over to the structure, adjusting the spear at her back. When she had heard they were demon-hunting she had ran off and grabbed it while Arachnia was going to make the call to Dal'Lumen. Looked like it was a good thing, too. She leaned forward and inspected the structure* Is it some kind of tunnel?


* Roaring Wave marveled at this strange structure that apparently popped out of the ground* " Whatever it is... there is water down there.. I can smell it! * he began walking around the structure, then back to the opening* " so it did come out of the ground.. there is freshly turned soil around this thing... i guess its been hiding for a thousand years"

*Dal Squatted down at the foot of the structure and looked up at it* "Interesting... do these things connect to all the cities? If we travel in this thing will Arachnia have any trouble following us or should we leave some sort of sign for her to follow."'

If she's got a dog shape then shouldn't her nose be good enough for the tracking? She's got some crazy sixth sense for Ress so maybe she could find him no matter where he goes *Lirimana walked around the structure with interest*


" some kind of tunnel? that is exactly what it is. Alright... Sentinel! relay to Arachnia to meet us in Ramoth,please!" * Res nodded, before looking back, then going into the structure and letting its moving stair case carry him downward into the darkness.

*the sound of sentinel could be heard, followed by his voice* " Contacting right now"

*Arachnia was already hunting and she waved Sentinel away, taking note of what he said while hoping that her target wasn't scared away by the voice. This specimen was beautiful and majestic and was almost a shame to take, but it wasn't as though it was going to waste, so she let it end there*

*Lirimana walked onto the moving staircase and looked around as they went downward, making mental notes as she inspected the staircase itself, wondering if she could replicate this throughout the empire*

* Dal stood up and watched Ress walk into the tunnel, for some reason being underground was a little unsettling to him, where he came from any place where dark caves joined water wasn't a place to wonder around in. He took the fateful step into the Tunnel, trusting the fact that Ress had made it through well enough.* "Well I suppose that is true Lirimana, we should all just focus on being good and smelly for Arachnia to track us down, eh?"

* down in the depths of this tunnel, one could see something glowing almost as bright as daylight shining upwards from the bottom. Upon arriving at the opening, they would see what is making this glow... before them, just beyond a very well-masoned road, was a glowing river of multicolored water, and in it was a large boat shaped like a dragon and equipped with strange magitech monitors. this boat looked capable of carrying hundreds of people easily... but the most disturbing thing was the creatures crawling all over the far wall and ceiling. 10 foot long giant spider creatures, covered in grey fur large black eyes and a beak on their faces like a bird. the wall and ceiling was covered with webs, and attached to them were many man sized cocoons*

*Lirimana chuckled at Dal's comment and nodded, you can be stinky but I think I'll pass. Once they were down there she looked over at the spiders and smirked* These are probably the Aunkbut, we've heard about. At least, that's my guess

" these are the Canals. I am surprised we have gotten along without these for so long" * he walked over to a platform with a altar upon it. Ress placed his hand upon the altar, which then began to glow golden. a section of the far wall opened up, and from it, a smaller dragon boat appeared and stopped at the edge of the 'dock'* " this one is fitting for our needs... now then... we should keep an eye out for these 'Aunkbut'... they are suspected man killers ( everyone with compassion 3 or higher roll your compassion)"

"uh oh..." *Dals fascination with the contents of the tunnel were short lived at the sight of these Giant spiders. He noticed the cocoons soon after.* "Uhm... What do you suppose we would find inside those cocoons, they look about the right size..."

* Ress then got onto the smaller dragon boat then turned to the group... looking reminiscent of willy wonka when they were about to sail down the chocolate river*

*she walked over to one and grinned at Dal* Dare me to open one? Besides, did anyone ask what these spiders were? Couldn't they be Aunkbut, they have the sacs we've heard about..
((3 suxx Compassion roll)) *at the thought that there might really be people there Lirimana rips open a cocoon with the tip of her spear and tears it open, preparing to find a dead or dying person inside*


"Dare me nothing, I'll cut them down myself!" *he made a motion to go to the closest cocoon but was cut off when Lirimana did it first, he looked over her shoulder to see what might be inside.*{3 sxs compassion Roll}

* three Aunkbut hissed out at these meddling Solars and jumped down to the boats, arching their backs and opening their beaks in an imitating fashion, they growled as they closed in on the two. with a flick, ress summoned his bow from his bracer and grabbed an arrow from the quiver on his back, readying the arrow to bring death to any spider which lunges. and just as quickly, Roaring wave was on the boat, wielding his daiklaive one handed, intending to use the other to crush the last spider* * and from within the cocoon came pounds and pounds of cor, wheat, rice, oats, apples and mostly potatoes, making a pile on the floor of the dragon boat. the glow of the magical water beneath them making this look almost dreamlike*

*Lirimana's spear was already out but she trusted the guys to have her back as she looked inside the sac as it spilled out onto the bottom of the boat* Um, there is just a bunch of fruits and vegetables in here... Are they vegetarians? It would explain the parrot-beaks on these guys

*Dal saw what was inside and no sooner did the others draw their weapons did he spread his arms out attempting to quell any aggression before it started, he pulled on Lirimana to move away from the sack slowly and cautiously. He backed up to the other end of the boat where the others stood, and gave the spiders as much room as possible to gather up their food and hopefully leave peacefully.* "No no... Don't harm them, we are the thieves here just back up... easy... easy... Sorry my eight legged friends, you can have your food back." *He glanced back at the others as he kept backing away, hinting that they should do the same.*

* Both Wave and Ress listened to what Dal had said, not yet understanding, having not gotten a good look at what had fallen out of the cocoon. The closest Aunkbut's mane of grey fur began to glow many colors,but quickly stopped at a glowing gold color. with a slender foreleg, reached into its mane, to gather up what looked like glowing ink, of which it began to smear on the deck of the ship. the other three Aunkbut gathered up the food, then leaped to the far wall to attach it once more. it did not take long for one to see that this thing was writing... in old realm*

*Dal craned his neck to see what the Spider was trying to do on the deck, but cocked his head to the side, looking rather confused* "Uhm... that looks familiar, and I still can't read it, can you Lirimana?"

*Lirimana backed up with the others but leaned forward to read the Old Realm lettering, curious as to what they were saying* Yeah, hold on, it's Old Realm and they're not done... *she read back and forth across the symbols until she was finished and she looked at the others* They think we're robbing them and can't understand why since they protect us *she looked back at the spider and bowed her lower half down in apology. When she was righted she spoke to them in Old Realm* <Old Realm> I apologize for our ill manners. We were unaware of your existence until recently. There have been many sightings of large spiders with sacs on their backs and in some towns there are people dying or missing. I believe some people have mistaken you for the Anhules we are preparing to deal with at this moment. How can I make it up to you?

* the Aunkbut's previous writing began to lose its potency, fading away into nothingness, and son as it was gone. it began to write more. <old realm> 'you have not come to raid our food? There is nothing to forgive. We have been warring with our dark cousins for many weeks. We have wanted to ambush them, but most of us are allocated to working and are not soldiers. We want them gone and have left signs for them to do so... it has been many ages since Solars ruled here... the only one of us that is ancient enough to remember is our queen... you want to find the Anhule's hide?...we can show you' *

<Old Realm> We will dedicate the eradicating of the Anhules to you and your service then. When we are done I am sure that Emperor Ress would like to speak to your Queen. The Solars have not been here for long and there are also Lunars in residence, our Empress is also a spider, actually. But I digress, your aid in finding the Anhules would be very welcome. Please allow me a moment to tell my companions before we get started *Lirimana turned to the others and relayed to them what what going on* It looks like they haven't seen Solars in some time and they say that there is nothing to forgive since we weren't stealing their food. They say the Anhules are their cousins and they've been at war. I told them we would dedicate the ridding of the Anhules to their unwavering service to the empire, if you don't mind. They also have a Queen who is the only one to remember Solars. They've offered to show us the way to the Anhule nest


" So these spiders are intelligent? How surprising" * Ress slowly put away his arrow, then banished his bow* " those terms sound acceptable to me, we will also have to meet the Queen sometime.. but for now, we must wait for Arachnia"

* Roaring wave put his weapon away and shook his head a little, half hoping that this would be a fight of legend, like the ones during the shogunate* " alright, you guys are the boss"

*it was at that moment that a sleek and powerful gray wolf padded into the room, nose to the ground. It looked up after trying to maintain grace going down the escalator on four legs and stopped near the group. Obviously this was Arachnia since the wolves near Bezair hid in the forest away from the people. She cocked her head to the side at the spiders and the Exalt group. Her ears flicked back and forth in question, trying to conserve essence by not jumping between shapes*

*Dal lowered his arms, and stood up to his full height.* "They said all that? Well, looks like we have made ourselves some new friends, the enemy of our enemy one could say." *He turned to look at the Wolf that tapped it's way across the stone floor and smiled* "Good choice Arachnia! We have been acquainted with the Aunkbut in here, Lirimana says they have offered to lead us to our mutual enemies, come aboard and we will leave."

*Lirimana turned to the Aunbut* <Old Realm> I believe that we are ready to go. Please lead us to the Anhules *the Twilight stepped into the boat and took a seat* Off we go!


* Roaring wave also braced himself for whatever movement this thing might make.

Ress got to the helm and pressed the screen with his index finger. the boat hummed softly then gave a lurch. it moved to the center of the river, where the current seemed to be the strongest and was pulled along at rapid speeds in the direction of Ramoth. Reacting to this, the Aunkbut lead the way, crawling through the tunnel to Ramoth, leading the way to their common enemy.it took maybe a half hour or so before the boat began to slow, then came out into a larger opening, of which it promptly docked. Ress stepped off the boat and over to a closed archway. he pressed a hand against it, causing it to rise and form another moving staircase, one side going up and the other going down* " Ready when you all are

*Arachnia jumped into the boat just after Ress and she sat next to him and waited at attention for the trip. She seemed to be observing the area around them as they went. When they got out she did, too and followed them to another escalator. She looked at it with a bit of disdain, her expressions harder to hide in animal shapes. Those contraptions were a multitude of strange sensations to her sensitive pads and ears. Her nose was almost overloaded but she kept her slow breathing as she separated all of the scents around them. She nodded again at Ress's comment, as ready as she could be*

*Lirimana got out of the boat and went over to where Ress and Arachnia were, assuming that the Aunkbut were going to continue leading the way*


*Dal remembered his sea legs and hardly noticed when the boat lurched, he stood on the port bow watching ahead in, the keen look of a proper sailor in his eyes. When they had reached what must be their destination he hopped off the boat and smiled at the others as he immediately jumped on the moving staircase.*

* six Aunkbut scuttled off the ceiling and down through the opening and out into the world above, making sure they did not move so quickly they would outstrip the Exalts.*

*Ress followed them close behind*

Roaring wave waited for Dal, as he was his immediate commanding officer*

[Arachnia of the Hour]

Resplendent Wood 11,

* When the group emerged, they would find themselves in Ramoth, surrounded by many confused green haired locals, but when they saw the Exalts chasing the spiders that had been plaguing them, they began to cheer, shouting for the deaths of those who attacked them. The Aunkbut continued their scurry off in the direction of Kideshen, increasing their speed, trying to get there as fast as they could, while still showing the way*

*Dal'Lumen thumped Wave on the back and started off at a jog behind Ress, a smile crossing his face before turning away from Wave and the others. He wasn't exactly hiding his enthusiasm to feel the pulse of adrenaline and help save the day with his fellows.* " Not gunna let some old spiders out run you are you dragon?"

*Arachnia was still in her wolf shape, nose dipping to the ground every now and then as she kept picking up the scent of the Aunkbut just in case they got too far ahead. As the others started picking up speed she followed suit and loped ahead, secretly loving the run like she hadn't in any other shape. There was a strange freedom and exhilaration that went along with this and she found herself wanting to put on more speed, race to the front of her pack and feel the wind in her face. Her more human mind admonished at these thoughts and she kept close to Ress, his safety her primary concern at the moment*

* Wave followed close after Dal patted his back, smirking as he ran* " Never Admiral! I was just following the chain of command!"

* The spiders lead them deep out into the rurals, far from the prying eyes of Imperveress. those with a stronger nose could smell smoke in the distance, and after not too long, they could see it. a pyre burning somewhere in the woods. Closer still they scurried to where the fire was, until the sounds of loud chanting and yelling could be heard*

*Lirimana grimaced as everyone started running and she picked up her pace so she wouldn't get left behind. She found herself hoping that at least one person was as slow as she was, track having not been her forte in life. She really needed something to help her out with all of this crap.. Running, why on the recovering lands of Creation were they always running? Her hair brushed out behind her and she was glad she had worn the Perfected Boots she had grabbed from the Armoury... *

* Ress resisted the urge to bolt of in front, using the power of the crown of thunders, but he thought better of it, as there was strength in numbers, his silk emperor's garbs billowing about as he ran*

*A clearing could be seen in the distance, and in a matter of moments, they breached it. On the other side was a truly insulting sight. many hundreds of humans, praying at great stone statues of divine figures, and surrounding them, were the Anhules, keeping the captives from escaping. the pyre lay before the idols, where newly captured slaves were forced to throw their valuables in to be burnt.. it was not hard to see what this was... a prayer mill*

*Dal heard the distant shouts and reacted as any proper Zenith should and Drew his blades from his side and focused on the sound of them whistling and ringing through the wind, he extended his arms behind him allowing the hooks to drift a foot or so above the ground. He looked at Ress, wondering if he would call for a halt and see what was up ahead, or if they would charge blazing with the light of the sun into battle.*

*Arachnia could smell the fire long before they saw it and she was defensive before they reached the site. The smell of too many unwashed bodies made her snort and she rubbed her nose against her foreleg to get away from it, but to no avail. She took her post next to Ress, a low growl beginning to rumble deep in her throat*

*Lirimana slowly slid her spear out of its sheath, having seen the aggressive and defensive reactions of some of the others in the group. She brushed her hair out of her face, starting to wonder if she should invest in a different hairstyle since straight and down might become hazardous for combat, especially if there were women involved. A lot of women and some very low men seemed to think that it was a great idea to pull hair outside of sex. It so wasn't*

* Ress raised his hand to call for a stop, just as they got well within the clearing. he looked from side to side as to assess the situation, three Aunkbut in front of them were seen in a scuffle with a like number of Anhules, but as the element of surprise was on their side, the furry spiders swiftly triumphed over the infernal arachnids, creating that perfect opening the Exalts had needed* " What is the meaning of this? " * ress called out, causing many of the 'worshipers' to turn their dirty forms to look at their would be saviors. it seemed as though divine beings hellbent on worshipers thought little of the cleanliness of their 'followers'*


*Dal stopped and flourished his swords at his sides, as he slowly walked up to stand at Ress' shoulder. He attempted to look stoic and intimidating, and succeeded when he touched it up with a scowl around at the sight in front of him. He stood ready should any Anhules attempt to approach he would deflect any incoming attacks and remove any legs as the need arose. The lingering smirk within his mind grew as he remembered that Arachnia was their secret weapon.*

*Arachnia looked up at the others and huffed, her tail swishing once in disgust. Despite her new body the usual sultry voice that accompanied the Empress left the wolf's muzzle* Shall I scare the demons off or were you looking for a little more of a dent in their population first?

*Ress nodded, summoning his bow from the elsewhere in his bracer, and readying it, slowly reaching for his quiver* " Scare them off... I want as little chance for civilian injury as possible... remind me to put a bounty on Ahnules... one dirham per head".....

[glow=black,2,300]* The pyre exploded into an inferno for a moment, before returning to its previous burn. Soon followed the deep mocking voice of a southerner* " So, you have come to our kingdom? We don't take kindly to insurgence"[/glow]

*Arachnia chuckled to herself, her lupine shoulders attempting a shrug and she opened her mouth again as if she were going to speak, but this time out came a large amount of ferocious barking as loud as she could make it. She had to ensure that it reached the largest range, after all. The front of her body lowered and her paws spread out for balance. She did her best not to snarl and froth a bit at the mouth but it happened a little anyway. Her ears were laid back and her lips had curled to bare her teeth, thus making her look even more dangerous to those who wouldn't be fleeing in agony*

*Lirimana frowned at the prayer mill, managing to keep from wrinkling her nose in disgust at the smell even she was experiencing. She couldn't imagine the way it was for Arachnia in that shape. At the mention of the bounty from Ress she whistled a little* Hoo, that's a large sum of money. I just might- *as she was speaking the barking started and the voice erupted from the flames, their sentence also cut off by the Empress's loud and noisy barrage. It made her take a step to the side to mitigate the harshness to her ears and she had to resist the urge to call her a bad dog and tell her to shut up*

*Dal slowly turned his eyes in the direction of the voice and wordlessly pointed a shimmering blade at the source. Who would be foolish enough to claim the Rulers of the Empire insurgents within their own walls.*


[glow=black,2,300]* The barking worked as a charm, causing the Anhules to tremor and shake, dropping to their sides as if a huge magnifying glass were focusing a hot beam of death upon them. Once the barking stopped, the Anhules turned and ran in all different directions, shattering their resolve as well as their cohesive manner. the people of the prayer mill all gasped at the sight of the Anhules retreating, but more so at the sound of the disembodied voice. The Pyre Erupted once more, then died to glowing coals... leaving in its wake the form of a tall dark skinned smirking shirtless southern man with hair of fire pulled back into a ponytail, at either hip was a burning scimitar attached by a brown Auroch leather belt on his soot black shorts (app 4). he then spoke,causing the worshipers to continue their prayers* " So, the famed Solars... returned to damn creation. Don't worry, us Elementals have been taking care of Creation in ways that Solars and Gods alike could never do... now go back and crawl into whatever corner of mundane existence you Exalted from, lest you all get burnt"[/glow]

*He staggered a little, hit by the wall of ferocious barking from beside him, he winced and stuck a finger in his ear to chase away the ringing he was now experiencing. He mulled the idea of spider head hunting around, money wasn't really all that important to him being raised without ever having any and then suddenly coming into possesion of a rather valuable caravan. Perhaps having a little more could help his followers establish themselves a bit more quickly though. He tossed ideas back and forth for a while, trying to maintain a scary look on his face.*


[glow=teal,2,300]* and in a splash of water, a spray of leaves, a bolt of lightning and burrowing under the ground, four more elementals joined the fray. The first a tall western looking woman made of water with hair of sea foam and completely nude. She seemed to stand effortlessly on her toes, causing her figure to curve, jutting forward a bit like a mortal woman seeking 'attention'. A wry smile permanently at her lips. Her green seaweed eyes scanning the group as she said nothing*[/glow]

* The next, a wood elemental, looked like a hideous man made from bark, wearing clothing woven from still living moss in mockery of a king. he had two red glowing eyes and a crooked nose with a few leaves growing out of it. his hair was just a mesh of oak leaves. its exposed feet from under its moss clothing looked like two tree trunks that ended at roots, a snarl on its mossy hideous face (app:1)*

*Left behind by the lightning, a six foot multicolored hawk with bolts of static spraying off its smoothed feathers. Its eyes shifted in color and gave off pulsing light like the northern lights. it squatted a bit, as if preparing to strike (App 4)*

* the last was a more familiar looking Elemental. A stocky humanoid being made of solid stone, with a long tail with a scorpion stinger on the end, jagged quartz teeth and eyes like gems... this was a Jokun... but nothing like Quar (app 3 )*

*Lirimana looked from each being to the next, her mouth dropping just a little at the hot woman in her birthday suit... if only it was Lirimana's birthday... Ever since she had exalted she was surrounded by hot people! Everywhere she looked there was a good-looking someone just waiting for her to ogle. She couldn't help but stare mostly at the naked woman, however, doing her best not to be obvious about it. Her face was flushed pink and nibbled her lower lip a little*

*Dal looked back over at Ress, and shrugged at him, wondering how he would like to deal with this, just in case Dal's first ideas were undesirable.* "Well... what do you think Emperor?"

*Arachnia was still in her wolf shape, but only for a little longer as her shape dropped into a silver puddle before reforming in her deadly beastman shape, tattoos glittering softly now that she had dispelled the charm that hid them. Her black carapace glimmered a little near the firelight and she kept herself somewhat passive despite that now her Moonsilver gear was visible. Her Moonsilver Black Widow Razors remained on the bottom side of her abdomen where she had stashed them while in wolf shape. The Moonsilver sais she owned were at her waist where it connected to her arachnid abdomen. She stood back a little, still trying to be unassuming but not wanting to have to change shape just before any potential battles. Since they seemed hostile she felt that this was a better choice. She could always pass herself off as a bodyguard if they got offended*


* the Jokun chuckled, his tail swaying back and fourth as he cracked his knuckles in an intimidating way* "Look, they think they can fight us... have the rest of you measured them yet? its not impressive"

[glow=teal,2,300] * The Water elemental said nothing, simply nodded*[/glow]

* the bird gave a squawk*

*the wood elemental gave a toothy grin*

[glow=black,2,300]* The fire elemental spoke plainly in response* " Yes, their essence is laughable..... Exalts, We will give you this one opportunity, leave here now and we will give you five hundred more years to live... it is about that time will will amass enough followers to take all of this empire. then we will come for you[/glow]

*Dal stepped forward* "You would consider yourselves better rulers than we, when you kidnap and siphon power from others? By the looks of it your followers will die of disease and starvation before you could rally enough slaves to give you that power. Look at what you have done here, and tell me that you really deserve to rule anything at all."


* Ress Deliberated withing himself as everyone spoke, mulling over what Dal had said, and trying to come up with an idea, after all... Ress was not the strongest of Exalts and he knew it. but after a few moments knew the answer* " how about an event? A display of power for the victor to show their followers? After all, if you are so much stronger than all of us. What do you all think, Elemental kings?" <22 suxx>


[glow=black,2,300] *the Fire elemental's smirk faded as he took in Ress' words, then pulled out one of his flaming Scimitar and pointed it at Dal* " You are so full of Hot Air... but I kinda like that, I think that is a good idea... maybe we should show exactly how Elementals are better. I call dibs on the bald one"[/glow]

*the bird squawked and tossed his head at Ress* I will fight the precious "Emperor" *of course the bird had no fingers to make the marks in the air, but his voice inflected them just fine*

[glow=teal,2,300] * the Water elemental looked between them all, then nodded* "I'll take the easterner, she hasn't taken her eyes off me this whole time... it would be exquisite to allow her a glimpse at perfection before death"[/glow]

*the Jokun gestured towards Roaring Wave and crossed his arms in front of his chest* A Dragon Blooded should know their true place in the hierarchy, that one's mine

* the wood elemental licked his wooden teeth and grinned, his sap like saliva dripping onto his mossy face* " I'll take the spider... she is a common vermin and will be handled as such"

* Ress smiled, hoping he had made the right decision. with a sigh, he stepped forward holding out his hand to them all* " So then we have an accord? one on one, with no interruptions?, victims fall where they stand? Is there anything else?"

*Dal nodded at the Fire elemental, and accepted the challenge with a smirk.* "As you wish..." *Dal looked around at the grimy mass praying, rolled his eyes, grumbled and cleared his throat. He gave a quick look at Ress.* "Summoning foul demons, forcing the defenseless to worship you as slaves... No I think not Elemental. *He turned spun his head around to the crowd and shouted so all could hear.* "People of Imperveress! You have not been forsaken, we have come to save you! If you wish to be free then make it happen with your own power, there is hope! You feed your captors with your prayers, set yourselves free, and you shall never be slaves again. Choose freedom, or give in to your fear." {8 sxs convince the people to stop praying to the elementals and "turn their desires against them" by praying to the Exalts to save them.}

*Lirimana blinked as the nude woman decided that she was her opponent. See perfection? This woman was definitely full of herself. It was too bad since she was pretty hot. Her Third-Arm Glaive came to rest in front of her and she shrugged* Perfection? I've seen better

*Arachnia looked down at the Forest King and stared at him with her eight eyes. There was no point in arguing with power-crazed fools like these so she just kept quiet. Sorcery would be out of the question unless she could get a good one off before he reached her, but with the way things were turning out it didn't look like she would have that luxury. It was too bad since that was her preferred method of combat*

* the slaves began to chat amongst themselves. then began muttering soft prayers, thought it was difficult to tell who it was to*

[glow=black,2,300]* The Fire elemental looked around at the mortal worshipers, then shrugged* " not praying to us now?.. that is fine... when we are done here, you will have to pray to us harder" * the fire elemental looked to the others and barked out orders* " This clearing will be my battlefield! The rest of you find somewhere else!"[/glow]

* Ress balled his hand into a fist, then bowed to the elementals and backed away* Then it is done... we will see once and for all weather Elementals are the true rulers... or The Princes of Creation"

* Roaring Wave moved his kneck from side to side, making loud popping noises as he did, not at all afraid of the Jokun before him* " Let me get this straight. I get to pound this creature to mud and there is nothing anyone can do about it? I see no down side"


[glow=teal,2,300] * the water elemental sighed, her wry smile returning as she began to slide across the ground on her toes* " You heard him... lets go, cute little Solar. Such a shame I have to kill you!"[/glow]

* the Forrest king stomped the ground, causing a huge wooden cudgel to sprout from the ground, wrapped in vines, which quickly receded into the ground* " Prepare for your final breath, Spider.... and I hope you had fun with your second one" * He turned around and ran off into the forest, the trees moving out of his way as he walked*

*Lirimana sighed and started walking in the direction that the Elemental had chosen. The terrain here was all unfamiliar so it was only so much of a disadvantage. This was going to suck anyawy, what with a hottie like this to fight... At least her butt was cute* Why'd I get the hot one? I think that's playing dirty... Well, maybe not, the water of her body's pretty clean but I think the water in her head could use changing... *the Twilight sighed sadly at the predicament she'd found herself in*

*Arachnia remained silent, having a wrenching feeling when she had to walk away from Ress and leave him vulnerable. Best to make this as quick as possible and hurry back to make sure she didn't need to intervene. Normally she would just let the fighting go on, but this was Ress and she'd break every rule and have no honor just for him. She followed the King of the Wood to the random parts of the forest, having assumed he would pick a forest to fight in. That would have given him the biggest advantage after all. Such people had no honor, those that challenged and also chose the battle terrain. It should be the challenged party who chooses, but drunken fools paid no mind. She waited until he stopped to stop and watched him cautiously, feeling the area around her for the wildlife and what sort of dirty tricks he had. She wouldn't be surprised to find out he had an army that he considered his and would use against her*


*the Jokun walked off to a more open field and stood in the middle of it, not saying a word to the Dragon Blooded, an air of superiority about him*

*the Thunderbird hopped into the air and flew overhead to a zone that almost connected with Arachnia and the Forest King's with light trees and uneven ground* This way!

* Roaring Wave put his Daiklaive away as he followed the silent Jokun, letting out a loud 'ha!' as he followed* " Do not worry Admiral Dal'Lumen... this should not take long"

* Ress took a great leap into the air, landing on a branch in the direction of where the Thunderbird flew to. he looked back for a moment at the slaves and at Dal, giving them both a nod as if to say ' stay strong', then turned away and jumped off into the distance, right behind the bird* ( roll initiative)


*Dal shifted his weight to one leg and situated his arms so he could lean his head against his hand, watching the others depart to their battle grounds. Letting out a small smirk at Waves comment. He sighed, and looked up at the fire elemental dully.* "And so here we are..." *He clicked his tongue and readied his weapons.* "Admiral Dal'Lumen, Solar overseer of the sister cities of Beziar. Might I ask the honor of knowing my opponents name?"

(Jokun-1
Farasel-1
Lirimana-3
Ifrit-3
Thunderbird-3
Arachnia-4
Roaring wave-4
Dal-5
Ress-9 calculating starting ticks)

Ttruckhunter: (Ress-0
Dal-1
Roaring Wave-2
Arachnia-2
thunder Bird-3
Ifrit-3
Lirimana-3
Farasel-5
Jokun-5)

* Ress wrapped his legs around the top of an evergreen tree, as to stabilize himself in one spot. He smiled as he readied his bow and grabbed an arrow, a smile crossed his lips as he pulled it back and took aim at the thunderbird* " You made a grave mistake, elemental... And that was to obtain your own empire, rather than aiding me with mine. Take that lesson with you back to the dragon-lines!" * and with that, he let the broadhead arrow fly, singing from his bow and directly at the multicolored bird*

*The Thunderbird went still in the air for a moment as the arrows came at him. As soon as it was close enough the bird dropped onto the arrow, grabbing the shaft with it's clawed foot and used the momentum of the shot to spin in an aerial somersault. When he was coming back upright the bird launched the arrow back at Ress, the device now crackling with electrical energy as it hurtled towards its target. To give it an extra burst the bird gave a powerful flap of its wings so there was extra force behind the trajectory<counterattack>*

* Ress spring boarded off the tip of the tree just in time to see the foliage ignite into flames caused by electricity, Ress spun slightly within the air, rolling to one knee, which he used to slow the impact on a nearby branch. Ress gritted his teeth. this was no ordinary thunderbird and ress knew he would have to be on his guard for this fight*

(Ress-6
Dal-0
Roaring Wave-1
Arachnia-1
thunder Bird-2
Ifrit-2
Lirimana-2
Farasel-4
Jokun-4)

"Suit yourself..." *He slowly widened his stance, and closed his eyes. His dragon scale patterned Hook swords vibrated and sang as they slid down the length of each other's blades. Abruptly the swords came apart from each other and Dal opened his eyes, hard and predatory as they now were.* "I would just assume we didn't resort to senseless violence..." *A fluttering of silk could be heard in the soft forest breeze; its source Dal'Lumen Gently swaying and bending like a cobras warning dance to it's foes. Come near me and you shall regret it, translated the snakes dance.*

[Arachnia of the Hour]

(Ress-5
Dal-3
Roaring Wave-0
Arachnia-0
thunder Bird-1
Ifrit-1
Lirimana-1
Farasel-3
Jokun-3
King-3)

* Roaring Wave smiled as he looked on at the slow looking stony Jokun. This was apparently what Quar Zagot was... funny, this thing seemed to have no similarity to that noble Dragon. Wave cracked his knuckles in preparation* " Well, I hope your carcass will make a good conversation piece as a polished table for my family's home..." * And without a moment's notice, Roaring wave leaped to the side, planting both feet on a nearby tree, then leaped off in the direction of the Jokun, only to fake a kick, then land in front of him. The nimble Water Dragon then slid under the Jokun and did a back hand spring, wrapping his legs around the neck of the jokun and his arms around his scorpion like tail, trying to both crush the life out of the stony terror and deny him access to a potent weapon* ( 2 Bashing damage+Clinch)

*Arachnia kept alert for all of the small beings in the forest, memories of another time serving as a reminder of the power in numbers. With a thought and a whispered command her Black widow Razors crawled from her lower body and slipped into the forest as they readied to strike at the so-called "King" of this terrain. Realizing that this might be a good time to strike, she took his hesitation as an opportunity and slipped her sais into her hands while they settled. While he fell into a comfortable situation, the Empress refused to keep that stagnation and pushed herself forward, darting quickly to the fumbling Forest King and thrusting her sai at the handle of his club while sliding underneath it and locking the other sai in on the open half of his weapon. A flick of her wrists as she attempted to wrest the weapon from his hands and toss it out of reach* (2 surplus suxx on disarm roll))

(Ress-4
Dal-2
Roaring Wave-6
Arachnia-5
thunder Bird-0
Ifrit-0
Lirimana-0
Farasel-2
Jokun-2
King-2)

*the Thunderbird swooped down, closing his wings tight against his body and straightening himself out for maximum speed, his vicious beak pointed down as though in a spear-charging attack. Right on the cusp of too-late he banked in a half-circle so that he was behind Ress and threw open his wings, taloned feet shooting out and reaching for the Emperor's shoulders* ((1 suxx clinch roll))

[glow=black,2,300]* The Ifrit twirled his Scimitars in his hands, seeing Dal's form melt and move around as his charm took effect* " Oh, so there is something to you, huh? Well then, lets hope it is enough to at least save your life!" * The Ifrit 's body exploded in red and orange fire, bending his form slightly in the heat wave, and in that instant, he lunged forward and struck, first with his left scimitar, then followed up with his right, using the first swing's momentum to spin him into the second*( Ifrit's 2 swings: 6 attack suxx, 4 attack suxx)[/glow]

* Ress's seeing the great bird coming to try to grab him, even from behind and so swiftly, turned at the final moment and beat away the talons of the looming bird with his orichalcum bow, hooking his leg around the branch he stood on as to keep his balance* ( 5 opposed clench suxx)

*Lirimana sighed to herself as the air changed and the time for fighting was signalled. This Elemental came from the relatively passive mindset and were usually too far away from humanity and too difficult to find to deal with. Why this one was right in the thick of things and apparently aggressive confused her. She locked her spear in a way that she could defend if it came to that, but if she could avoid the fight altogether she would. Her stance wary and her spear following any movements the naked woman might make, Lirimana started talking* Miss Farasel, do you mind if I call you that? What are you doing so far from your home? I can help you go back if you're stuck *The Twilight did her very best to keep her eyes on the prize... er, the Farasel's face... and not on some of her other more moving body parts*


[glow=black,2,300]* The Ifrit's attacks bounced harmlessly off Dal's blades, but as soon as the two weapons collided, a great surge of heat traveled through them, causing them to burn hands and sear flesh. those flaming scimitars the elemental carried were obviously powerful artifacts* ( 2 Lethal fire damage to Dal )[/glow]

(Ress-3
Dal-1
Roaring Wave-5
Arachnia-4
thunder Bird-6
Ifrit-4
Lirimana-3
Farasel-2
Jokun-2
king-2)

(Ress-2
Dal-0
Roaring Wave-5
Arachnia-3
thunder Bird-5
Ifrit-3
Lirimana-2
Farasel-0
Jokun-0 king-0)

*the Jokun thrashed a little as he ran through a quick series of motions in a test to see where the grip was less potent. With his arms still free, he planted an elbow into each side of the Dragon-Blooded at the same time, a bit of a pincer move using the sharpest angle his arms could make. With a successive jab of his elbows he jerked his barbed tail downward as though he were trying to break the grip and then launched and swished his tail at an angle he guessed was at the man's face, intending a face-shredding effect* ((6 suxx resisted clinch roll. 4 suxx attack roll))

* Wave was surprised to see how strong this stone man was, not to mention how quick. and soon as he was pried off, he twisted his body around, rolling away before he could be stung by the deadly tail*

[glow=teal,2,300]* The Farasel smirked at Lirimana's words, not realizing that the spear she held was one of mystical significance* " So you would use a stick upon the waves? Alright then, little girl, I will embrace you then" *The form of the watery naked woman dissolved into waves that floated and blew like wind, spinning in a spiral around Lirimana's spear and down onto her body, crushing her and trying to squeeze the breath out of her, causing her to drown within her* (3 suxx clinch)[/glow]

*Lirimana's eyes grew wider for just a second and she grimaced* Ee! *using the tip of her spear as a spearhead (no pun intended) she jumped throught the swirling water and turned around quickly to face the Elemental to prevent being grabbed. She wasn't sure she could handle the crazy woman and her hot body squishing and squeezing.. just the thought made her blush and she set her jaw firm at herself and she looked back at the Farasel* Now that wasn't what I asked. Are you planning on answering me? *she kept her stance defensive, still trying to avoid a fight for at least a bit longer. If the woman went after her again she was going to have to put her down, but if there was a choice, she'd really rather not. Maybe they could be friends... lovers was a great option, too. The preferred one, actually*


* The hideous Forrest king gave another wooden toothy grin as it watched the huge dangerous weapon flew ot of his hands and over to the forest floor* Impressive.. but not impressive enough!" * The creature was then launched from the ground by a subterranean root which had dug itself out of the ground to help its elemental master. as he plummeted, a nearby bush picked up the cudgel and tossed it to the king.. just in time to bring it down upon the Spider Empress*

*They weren't supposed to be able to do that... Apparently the prayer power gave this foolish and mentally touched man an extra boost. At least she had ruled out a possibility in this web they were making. As he swung at her the Empress once more brought up her sais with their prongs braced against each other for a wider and more solidified defense. The ring of Moonsilver slipped through the air as she pushed back on the cudgel and forced her way forward. Usually she wasn't the fighter, but this was for Ress and there was no way she was going to lose*

*Dals eyes grew intense when he felt the pain but he did not cry out or grimace, punishment was in his eyes and he was suddenly very aware of what he was up against. He gripped the Blades in his hands and ignored the pain he felt for now. His Swords whipped backwards and he used the hilt of the blades in the palms of his hands to push the Ifrit back attempting to stun him and before the ifrit could recover he ran forward and planted a foot on his hip and flipped his legs over the ifrits shoulder, locking his head under his arm he swung his body around using the ifrits neck like a pole and drove his knees hard into the back of each of the ifrits legs. The effect of this spectacle of momentum would drive the legs out from under the ifrit hopefully leaving him sprawled out backwards with his head under dals arm. Dal planted his before he hit the ground and landed standing up, Cradling the Ifrits head. {9 Sxs Clinch}{Durability of oak activated}


[glow=black,2,300] "What?" * The Ifrit moved to parry, but could not move in time and was overpowered by the Zenith, he smirked though as he was grabbed, yelling out so that his encumbered self could still be heard* " so you think you are safer closer? Now you got me really hot!" * His whole body erupted in that red and orange wreath of flames, singeing Dal's clothing and making the nearby hook swords glow red hot* ( 4 fire damage - Hardness 8 = 0 lethal Damage)[/glow]

(Ress-0
Dal-4
Roaring Wave-3
Arachnia-1
thunder Bird-3
Ifrit-1
Lirimana-0
Farasel-5
Jokun-4
King-5)

[glow=teal,2,300] * The Farasel undulated as her form became more solid, an angry expression now on her face* " This is my empire and I will not leave it for anything!"[/glow]

Your empire? But you're from the deepest darkest oceans.... What brought you here in the first place? Did you have a position in the former empire? *Lirimana continued prying, despite the fact that this was supposed to be a fight. She was trying to mind her manners and not offend the woman, but if a middle-ground could be reached they could all learn from each other. A Farasel wasn't something usually seen so far from uncharted ocean depths so there was only so much information out there on them*

* Ress leaped off the branch he stood upon, holding his arms out above him, then caught the branch with his bow. The branch bent, then as it came back up, he pulled it and sent him flying through the air. As he flew above the thunder bird, he readied three arrows, drew them back on the bow, then began firing the glowing golden bolts into the back of the thunderbird* " Sadly, I thought you were at least half as strong as you up-talk yourself" * he then came to rest on a branch a few yards away, his bow still aimed at the ready for when needed*<6 lethal damage on Thunderbird>



*Dal consumed in the inferno stood and laughed heartily, his form warbly in the waves of heat produced by the Ifrit, he held tight.* "That's it huh? I've lived through greater heat on the islands Elemental! You still have the option of peace, and..." *he grunted his last word out as he squeezed down tight on the Ifrits neck* "REASON!"

[Arachnia of the Hour]

(Ress-6
Dal-3
Roaring Wave-2
Arachnia-0
thunder Bird-2
Ifrit-0
Lirimana-3
Farasel-4
Jokun-3
King-4)

[glow=black,2,300]* The Ifrit growled, flames escaping its fanged mouth, finding himself getting angrier as he listened to Dal's mocking words about 'reason' and 'the islands being hotter'. He was a fire elemental after all, and as such, had the right to inherit the wold that spawned him from necessity* " Reason?! How about Resin? Which is what I will burn you down into! * He began straining against the hold of the Zenith who grappled with him, his flames growing as the moments went on. Dal would feel the Hook Swords in his hands start to turn to liquid in his hands, unable to keep their integrity under the trauma of the flames* ( 7 suxx to break hold & 9 raw fire damage. 4 fire damage on Da)[/glow]

*the black spider Empress jumped upwards and twisted her body at the last second, pushing her trajectory over the top of the Forest King where she landed right behind him. Her front two legs lifted from her body and angled a puncturing strike downward at the trunk-like legs of the Forest King's legs so that they would thread through and stabilize in the dirt in front of his feet. The arms on Arachnia's torso reached forward and placed the sais at the elemental's neck up near his ears, the rest of her arms keeping him still* Now. *the command was made to her spiders who had been in hiding since the beginning of their trial*((2 damage))

*as commanded the Moonsilver automata darted out from their hiding places and leaped up onto the Forest King. In mere moments they had punctured their fangs into the elemental's neck and injected their melting poisons. As soon as their jobs were done they disappeared back into the foliage to wait*

* The Elemental King stood in wide eyed terror as the Empress stomped down on him, keeping him from moving, then placed her moonsilver sai's around his neck... but that was peanuts to the clockwork moonsilver spiders that climbed down into him and began biting him he cried out in pain as they pierced his barked skin... but then began to laugh. Softly at first, but then a full throated laugh that rang out through the forest, caring a few birds away and causing some trees to shake, as if laughing themselves* " And what were you expecting of this, Lunar? did you think you spiders would turn my insides to soup? Don't you know anything? Kings of the forest are immune to poisons!"

*Dal roared, his face chest and arms suffering under the oppressive heat. He cinched down harder on the ifrits throat, he took a step back and slowly began rotating in place.* {7 sxs maintain hold} (1 fire damage soaked.)

[glow=black,2,300]* The Ifrit was powerless to break the hold.. though he came strikingly close, could do nothing to get away*[/glow]

(Ress-4
Dal-1
Roaring Wave-0
Arachnia-3
thunder Bird-0
Ifrit-5
Lirimana-1
Farasel-2
Jokun-1
King-2)

* Roaring Wave leaped away from where he had landed, grabbing a branch from a nearby tree, then swung himself over the head of the Jokun, only to drive his knee down on the top of its stony head, trying to crack this thing in half... maybe it would look better as two tea tables rather than a single counter table* " No matter how proud the mountain, it is its destiny to be beaten into a sandy beach by the surf!" ( (3 bashing damage on Jokun )

*the Thunderbird shrieked as he was riddled with arrows and the pain seared through his body. The noises he made became louder until they sounded like thunder and after a moment it was believable that he was calling out thunder. And just as thunder predates lightning, so did the bird's sounds warn of the inevitable. His body became electrified and it focused in a huge bolt of lightning that struck the tree where the Emperor was, obviously uncaring for the plant's well being*

* Seeing the lightning coming down in all directions, ress began leaping about the branches, staying as far as he could from the burning branching and the rather harsh smells of ozone.. but despite all that, remained unharmed from the assault*

(Ress-3
Dal-0
Roaring Wave-5
Arachnia-2
thunder Bird-6
Ifrit-4
Lirimana-0
Farasel-1
Jokun-0
King-1)

[Arachnia of the Hour]

*the Jokun grunted slightly as the knee was brought down on his head and he tossed his hands up into the air and grabbed on to Roaring Wave's thighs as if to throw him, but instead his stinger came from behind and whipped hard at the Dragon Blooded's back*

* Roaring wave saw the attack coming, but was not about to get out of the way. in an act of desperation, reached out to grab the closing projectile... and to his surprise, caught it in his hand and tossed it to the side. he smirked sheepishly, then gave a laugh, starting to dance around as if he had already won the fight* " Oh really? looks like you are not as tough as you think, Jokun! It seems the no matter how much the mountain might crumble and fall, the ocean will simply swallow it into its crushing depths!"

*Lirimana looked over at the hesitating Farasel, hoping she was considering a change of heart* Miss Farasel? *despite the hope she was nurturing, Lirimana kept up a defense just in case the wily woman was actually planning a strike*

*The forest king strained and struggled against the restraints of the Spider Empress, but despite his great boasting and strength, he could not break the hold of the monster spider that held onto him. His look of wry glee quickly became that of terror, and the more he struggled, the greater the feeling of doom came over him*

*Arachnia dug the sides of the sais into his neck just a little as he began to struggle, her black eyes glittering as the end drew near. She let the fear soak him for a second and then ripped through his throat with a swift criss-cut slash through his thick neck. Sap oozed out of his neck-hole and Arachnia knelt down to pick up the reappeared black widow razors, leaping off to kill the Thunderbird if need be before his fear-filled head had even hit the ground, the headless corpse falling with a heavy thud to the earth. A few seconds later the body disappeared back into the dragon lines*

* Ress came to rest upon a branch, far from where he origionally had perched upon. His Caste mark burnned like the holy symbol it was upon his forehead, and his anima glowed around him, causing the forrest floor to glow as if lit by the sun itself. Ress reached back into his quiver, procuring three more arrows, of which he took aim and fired one of. At the same time, with godlike speed and grace, took off after his arrow, outrunning it and coming to land side opposite to the thunderbird. He turnned once more to face the electric avian. As before he fired yet another, only to take another dash, this time to the west, where he summersaulted, fiering his bow, then retrieveing two more arrows quicke than it took to blink an eye. catching a branch while upside down, he launched himself downward to the forrest floor, where yet another arrow had been fired. with a roll of his hips, he landed on his feet. Then with a bounding leap, made it up the trees around him and high into the air before the arrow got half as far, then fired one final arrow downward at the thunderbird, then braced himself as the six shots met in the center. hoping that in his haste, he did not overstep his physical capabilities.... how unfitting would it be to have beaten such an elemental... then fall to ones death?*


*The Thunderbird laughed harshly as he readied himself to dodge the onslaught of arrows and found out that the Emperor was much faster than he looked. His laughing was cut short as the first couple of arrows hit him and them he moved out of the way of another couple but not in time to avoid the last set of deadly projectiles. Now filled with anguish at his plight he managed to caw out a final jibe* This may be my end, but soon your madness will get you killed too, filthy solar!! *the bird's body plummeted to the earth, dissipating just as it hit the ground*


*Lirimana jumped back and locked her spear in beside her. In moments she was charging at the Farasel, thrusting the pointy end of her stick at the woman. Of course she didn't leave it at that, turning in a half-circle and then slashing downwards at the back of the elemental twice in succession, the crimson sash swishing in wait*


[glow=teal,2,300]* Surprised by the onslaught by the so far pacifistic Lirimana, the water elemental was unable to leap out of the way and was skewered a few times by the barrage of spear blades... but her body then began to quickly close the holes, filling them with water. she smiled as she did this, hoping to psyche out Lirimana with her seeming indestructibility... but this was a flawed ruse to a physician like lirimana, seeing the tell tale signs of pain upon her*[/glow]

* Wave, still pumped up by the show of power, ran up the front of the Jokun and leaped off his shoulder, bounding behind him, but grabbing his scorpion like tail as he jumped by. He used the momentum to swing him around and slam his knee into the chest of Jokun. He quickly followed up by punching him in the face with his free hand, then finished off by thrusting the stinger tail into the chest of the stony sentry* " Now we end this... enjoy your life as my furniture, Jokun!

I ref- aaAAGH!! *the Jokun's eyes became large and round as he stared in shock at the stinger that had been punched through his chest. His jaw fell a little as he slumped to his knees. With a tug the stinger was out and sand trickled and then cascaded down his stony body and onto the ground. The soon-empty husk clattered to the ground and the sand that was his lifeblood sparkled back into the air, rejoining the energy around them all. Now without life the solid and sturdy husk was left smoothed and glossy, the light reflecting off of it*

*Arachnia leaped over to Ress and his battlefield, her shape moving nimbly for her size and she appeared right as Ress was shooting off the final barrage of arrows. She had passed over the unconscious form of Dal'Lumen as she went to Ress, holding her arms out for her lover to jump into if he so cared* My Love, well done! *her Moonsilver Black Widow Razors had taken their place underneath her abdomen and her sais had been put back in their place at her joining segments, her black carapace clear of scrapes and the sap on her front legs were the only sign that she had even been involved in a fight at all*


[glow=teal,2,300] * The Farasel's body shot out in all directions like octopus tentacles, leaving only her bottom half the same as what it was. they whirled and swung wildly, showing the full furry of the angry ocean. fully intending to drown, then crush the sun-prince before her*[/glow]

*Lirimana hopped back and got out of the way of one attack, smacking it with her spear and repositioned in time to block another attack. Unfortunately for her she took a swing to the face and she was forced to stumble with the force of it. Before she could recover she took another blow to her hip but the rest were no match for the dual parrying pair of her spear and its long bloody sash as it swished and swayed in the way of some of the Farasel's attacks, moving as though it had a life of its own*

*at the end of the last assault the sash reached out and grabbed one of the tendrils, yanking it back so that the Farasel was pulled towards the business end of the Third-Arm Glaive. A quick thrust into the Farasel and Lirimana tossed her back like a fish into the ocean. The Twilight began to spin her spear in a circle, picking up speed quickly until it was so fast that it was almost like a vortex and the image was a blur. Lirimana ran forward and threw the singing weapon right into the blob of elemental and dove through the bottom-half of the woman. Coming out on the other side she jumped up and grabbed the body of her spear in one hand, turning in preparation for the Elemental's next attack*


[glow=teal,2,300]* Water sprayed in all directions as the spear penetrated the elemental. causing her to cry out in a way that sounded like a dolphin laughing. two tenticles came down to cover the wound the blade had made, trying to heal it quicker so that she might recover much faster. her legs crossed, then uncrossed quickly, causing her to spin rapidly in place. the free tenticles fanned out and began pummeling Lirimana*[/glow

Ungh! *Lirimana grunted in pain as she was hit again but she managed to put up a defense faster this time and she became a whirling flurry of blocks and dodges. Her caste mark flared and her hair rippled with the breeze of essence. It was time to end this, who knew what had happened to the others and if they were even alive... Steeling herself she ran at the Farasel, intending this to be the last time she would have to run at her again. Her whole body glowed around the edges as she put of herself in this attack. Playtime was over and she meant business* HAA!!!!


[glow=teal,2,300] * The Farasel's body hissed as steam was let off. the light of her solar powered weapon burning her as sure as any demon might. Unlike the other wounds, this one did not fill with water. her balance was now set off and she soon fell to the ground, prone and unable to do anything*[/glow]

*It hadn't gone as planned, but things were looking up, or at least the dying woman was. With her glowing form she looked down at the pool of water and shook her head* I'm sorry, Farasel, I hope you are remade into a more humble form... *Lirimana brought her spear down much like a sword in two strikes, saving the last as a two-handed jabbing into the ground; straight down and with as much force as her essence could bring into all three attacks*


[glow=teal,2,300] * The Farasel made the dolphin laugh once more.. but this time it warped into something more demonic as the light began melting her away into nothing. three seconds past, she was nothing more than a wet patch on the ground... void of all life*[/glow]

* In the distance, ress began to plummet back down to the forest floor. he stumbled in the air, hitting a few trees on his way down, but in the end, landed in the waiting arms of Empress Arachnia.. a little battered from the fall, and burnt from the fight... but in essence, was unharmed*

*Lirimana sighed and looked away for a moment before making her way back across the battlefields, sheathing her weapon. It seemed that Dal'Lumen had taken a pretty bad beating, and she would know since she had just found him on the ground barely conscious. The air felt different from before, though, and she was pretty sure that the glassy patches hadn't been there before. She knelt down next to Dal'Lumen and checked his vitals. Alive, but pretty well knocked out. She took a moment to patch him up and examine the scimitars that were still burning on the ground* Hmmm..... Mabija would like these, I think I'll give them to him as a present.... *looking out to the other fields she could make out Arachnia's large shape and assumed she was with Ress. It would be typical of their obsessed Empress to do just that. It was kind of unhealthy, really... With a little searching she found the scimitar sheaths and put them back where they should be and strapped them to her own weapon. Now came the hard part: dragging Dal'Lumen to the others. With some effort she started tugging him over there, making sure to move him in a way that wouldn't further injure him*

((Everyone gets 3 experience for this))