The Ash War Part II (Closed)

[Nine the Ranger]

Ren Orrain - 'The Ebony Flash'

'Bartholomew'

'We stand on the brink of war, the precipice of destruction...'

Ren walked through the courtyard in silence. He watched two hybrid children play as he approached Fiera sitting on a bench. The sight caused a strange cocktail of warmth and tranquility to fill his body. The thought that their kinds coupd get along, sat right there within arms reach of the Knight and God. "God Fiera." Ren stated with a slight bow at the waist. This had caught even him by surprise. He had not adressed her as such before, why now? What was his subconscious telling him? How Fiera would react was up in the air, Ren could not predict anything. Hearing her ask about Mercury caused a slight smile to form on Ren's face. So much had happened over the past few days that he had almost forgotten completely about his beloved sword. "Not quite, I find myself here for a different reasons entirely." Ren's emerald gaze turned to the children. A heartwarming sight, even if they were aggressively scrapping with sticks.

Ren took a single step forward, his long legs letting him close the distance between himself and Fiera quickly and easily. He now stood just over a yard away from the Dragon God. "Although I would appreciate it's return should you be willing." For such a serious man Ren's tone was light. As if he were talking to a friend he hadn't seen in years. Gazing upon the white haired woman Ren found it hard to believe that not so long ago the two had fought. The fact that Fiera had referred to Mercury by it's name did not escape Ren. Did she do so as a courtesy, or out of respect? The two hybrids continued their duel and Ren found himself recalling similar experiences in the courtyard of Godsfall, fighting the other squires. Of course he always won even when several others decided to gang up on Ren. A breeze blew through the courtyard, causing the fringes of Ren's coat to flutter alongside it. "Peaceful." It was only in the lightest of whispers but that single word left Ren's mouth. Once again his subconscious was acting on it's own.

'Go forth my Son, and may the world shake before you...'

[The Winter Wyrm]

Seiji Seikatsu

the Eastern Swordmaster

Seiji kept his eyes on the road as he listened to Vyre make her mischief. He was being careful with how rough the road seemed to be so that the constant shaking of the carriage wasn't too taxing for his only passenger. There were a number of roads to take from Melchior that would eventually lead to Volud, and Seiji had picked the most direct, most often traveled route. Most of the trip was made in wide open areas, with trees, brush, and rocks closing in on the sides occasionally. If anyone were to be following them, Seiji would notice. There was little concealment for pursuers, just as there was little room for Seiji and Vyre to run. Vyre took her own precautions against pursuers, but Seiji also had his own contingency plan.

"If I were to die," Seiji glanced over his shoulder and looked at Vyre through the curtain that separated them, "I would wish for it to be a quiet one." He doubted that wish would ever be fulfilled. Maybe, just maybe, taking shelter under the Dragon God would make that a reality. At the same time, the mere prospect of possibly fighting against a God was unsettling to Seiji. Against humans, Seiji at least knew he had a chance of surviving. Against a God, surely only death awaited him. "But so long as Vyre-san does not blow me up, I am content with dying in any matter." He smiled over towards her jokingly, and turned his eyes back to the road.

They exited a forest pathway, and came out onto an expanse made of obsidian. The transition from the bumpy roads to a somewhat smoother surface was sudden, but welcomed. Seiji did not have the same condition that Vyre had, but the rocky roads had been uncomfortable. "Vyre-san, you can see the Obelisk from out here. We're getting close." Just over the horizon, Volud was coming into view. Above, Seiji could barely make out the shapes and shadows of the dragons in the sky. "Dragons as well. Real ones, not... What we saw in Melchior." Though, he could only faintly see them.

[The Winter Wyrm]

Alidia Kidna

Alidia didn't really get Sev. She was supposedly blind, but sometimes it looked like she was looking at something really far away. Alidia followed Sev's gaze and tried to read her expression, trying to figure out what Sev was looking at as she spoke to her . "Sev, what're you-" A sense of déjà-vu slammed into Alidia as she tried to ask Sev a question, and she almost felt sick from it. She had to sit back down, just to make sure she wasn't going to faint. She placed a hand against her face and shook her head to the side to get rid of the sudden nausea. It seemed like such a long time ago, but Alidia remembered her father having a similar expression many times. Like he was seeing something that wasn't there. Stored in the Ember was all of her father's memories and knowledge, but Alidia had yet to figure out what he had always been looking at.

"Disadvantage?" Alidia suddenly started giggling, looking at Sev with an arched brow. "I'm fighting them two on one. I'm not mad, but I'll take whatever advantage I can get." Her laughter subsided, and she placed her hands behind her on the bed. She leaned back, her hair falling out of her face and stretched her legs out in front of her. "By the way, are you really blind?" Immediately after asking the question, Alidia sat back up and quickly muttered "Oh crap".

"I mean, I didn't mean it to be rude or mean. It just looks like you're seeing something, sometimes." She scratched the side of her head and looked like she had just wounded a cat. "It's just... My father used to have that same look in his eyes."

[The Winter Wyrm]

Eve Ferys

Eve hung her head, exhaling heavily. She shook her head to the side and didn't bother to look up at the Prince. "Well then, you seem to have given this far more thought than I have." She scoffed at him, mocking him with her tone. She gazed at her hand, and followed the magical wiring under her skin with her eyes. She tapped her index finger against the table, and a wide crack spread across the table like a spider's webbing. She removed her hand, and table broke to pieces in front of her. She looked up from the tiny shreds, raising her head slowly to look at Krale again.

"You just don't get it, now do you?" For once, Eve's listless eyes showed a spark of life. Eve could see it in his eyes, that the Prince was sickened by looking at Eve. If Krale was repulsed by Eve, then Eve felt nothing but contempt for the pathetic boy. "Since your simple mind seems incapable of grasping such a minute thing, let me say it as plainly as I can." She stepped over the destroyed dining table, grabbed Krale by the shoulder, and slammed his face into the wall, all in one motion. She pinned him there, twisting his good arm behind his back, with a knee planted against his lower spine.

"Who's stench do you think will be all over the deaths of the Cardanis, if I kill them? Hmmm?" One twist of either her wrist or leg, and she could break the Prince. "Just how many damned people have you tipped off to you intents?" She lowered her voice to a low growl. "Marrok de Bayle? Seiji Seikatsu, Vyre Vialest?" She twisted his arm further and dug her knee deeper into his back. "Your ******** slut of a maid?" The Prince thought himself so incredibly sly, but he was so painfully mistaken. If he had any sense at all, he would have just stayed in his bed and continued to slowly die. "Do you wish to tell your DEAR father and sister that you plan on having them killed, while you're so keen on tipping people off? Tell me, should I run down the list and kill all who know who you really are?" She snarled, and threw Krale to the floor.

"This illness of yours only blinds fools. And the only one dimwitted enough to buy into it, is you." Before he could get up, Eve slammed her boot down onto Krale's bleeding wrist, and grinded her boot there. "Tread lightly, child." She kneeled next to him, grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head upward. "Else I will dispose of you, just like the rest of the trash."

[Nine the Ranger]

Krale Zevram - 'Prince of Alarath'

Krale opened his mouth to say one insignificant statement or another before he found himself slammed into the wall and tossed about the room like a rag doll. All the while there was no cries of agony, no pleading for mercy. Instead the prince managed to smile through the pain, even as he felt his frail little bones beginning to crack. Blood dripped from the prince's nose and mouth as well as a scrape above his right eye. "Just like all the others." Krale grinned, exposing his now pink teeth to the woman. His shoulders shook lightly with laughter. "Kill me now then, if you have the mind." Not a drop if hesitation. Krale had nothing to loose. "If not, then just watch as I take what I mine." Krale worked his way up, standing even as the Assassin held his hair. The abuse she'd put him through would only aid in his convincing performance. "Those who know only run, rather than face one sickly boy." Krale looked up into her eye's, mildly surprised by the small spark of life behind them. What had set her off? Or was she simply experiencing a bipolar mood swing? There was a cough before Krale spit up blood. He must gave cracked a rib as he was tossed around. "I'll tread lightly once it's all over. Once I am King." Krale smiled again, staring the woman straight in the eyes.

[The Winter Wyrm]

Eve Ferys

"Kill you?" Eve cackled at that, but there was no joy or amusement in her laugh. She let Krale get to his feet, even helped him to rise by yanking his hair upward. Though, the moment he was standing again, she swiped her foot at Krale's legs, and dropped him back to the floor hard. She had let go of his hair, so he would fall straight on his face. "Riddle me this, child. Why do you think everyone you've ever met, even your father and sister, have left you alive?" She spoke dryly and placed her boot on the back of Krale's head. Even if he tried to look up, she would force his face into the carpet further.

"Why do you think they've all let you keep living?" Eve knelt next to him using his head like a footstool, and stabbed her knife right into the floor and next to his face. "Because you're royalty? Because you think they fear you?" She shifted her weight on her foot, and twisted Krale's head so he would be looking right at her. "No, child. They keep you alive the same reason I'm going to let you live." She placed a finger against his face, and ran it through the blood that covered his mouth. Like a needle running across his skin, she smeared the red-ink across his face.

"Because you are nothing on your own." She stood back up, and kicked Krale in his abdomen. "You are no threat to anyone. Not to me, not to your father. Not to anyone on the entire face of Alarath." She retrieved her knife, and didn't bother to look at Krale. She was looking out the window, watching the sun slowly sink in the sky. "Consider yourself cut off. Call upon me, or any of my associates, and you will die." As she began walking towards the door, there was a sense of finality in her voice.

"And one final gift from me to you." She stopped in front of the door, and slowly pushed it open. "No one knows I'm here. But plenty knew you were paying the maid a visit." She glanced over to the side, towards the room Cana had gone. "I wonder what will happen to her, when someone's seen what she did to you?" With one final low chuckle, Eve exited the room and took her leave of the castle. The hallway was still abandoned, but would not be for much longer. The guards, the maids and all the rest of the nobles would be resuming their activities soon. They would see Krale's state, the bloodstained room, and would find Krale's missing hand within Cana's chambers, along with the knife she had used, with a trail of crimson leading the way.

[Nine the Ranger]

Krale Zevram - 'Prince of Alarath'

Through all the abuse, both physical and verbal, Krale smiled. His grin never faltered. Why? Because the Assassin was right. He was nothing. A insignificant piece of trash that no one would remember. Yet. Krale rolled onto his back and dabbed his fingers into the blood that dripped from his nose. Once again he would need a work around solution. Pushing himself to the wall Krale drew the a crude version of the Cardanis family crest. There was no doubt that that woman would attempt to frame Cana, thus he needed a scapegoat. Something to cast suspicions of some kind. What would be better than a message written by the dying prince himself with his own blood? A dry chuckle devolved into a coughing fit in which fresh blood splattered across his chin and chest. "I certainly...must thank you." Krale's words were strained, but somehow he had the thought that she would hear him. Working his way up to his feet Krale limped across the room to the window. Pushing it open his savored the breese across his now hot, sticky skin. It was now time. The prince slowly started to laugh to himself. Yes, it was time.

[Dirty Red Magus]

Rene Bipartite





Rene's eyes flickered slightly as she watched Marrok drink from the tea, noting the cringe. "Through studying you, you are giving benefits to the humans and their ruling standard far more than most nobles and knights of our lands. It is through this and common decency as our guest, I bow to you." Her words were spoken like she was reading from a dictionary. "I apologize for the taste of the tea as well. It is a herbal solution meant to help you recover faster from our experiments. It encourages your body's recovery of lost blood and bone matter, as well as energy expended, magical and physical. You only need a cup of it, however. Please tell me an alternative and I will be happy to serve it to you."

"Alidia is doing exceptionally well. Her dragon blood helps her recover in immediacy. I interviewed her just before coming here and she was fully recovered. She requested a final experiment: She wanted to duel two of my students and I have arranged it to take place shortly." When Marrok approached the dinner laid about before him, Rene stepped forward and began removing the metal covers from the various plates, revealing a myriad of different culinary delights ranging from exotics across the oceans to in-town specialties. She moved with a speed that managed to be graceful, the small clanks and noises from moving the tops belied her speed for an expert maid carefully working. All the while Seymour stood back dully, the grace of a guest was lost on the hermit.

"The two of us have been quite busy the last few days with Alidia and yourself. As it should be, we are finding out many different things which may prove exceedingly useful in future endeavors. Ever since I was made there has been a sector directly involved in trying to figure out a counter to the dragons. It has been exceedingly miraculous Alidia has been given to us. And what resonates within you seems to have ties to the demons, it is with that we have been able to mimic your blood to replicate a demon's to a 99.86% similarity. But that studying is secondary. We have demons -" Seymour fidgeted some, bumping into a dresser. Rene looked up at him and Seymour was quietly eyeing her. They both stared at one another for several seconds before Seymour looked away and Rene continued. "We have demons who supply us with blood and body tissue for studying."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Sev laughed at Alidia's question. "I understand. I get asked that a lot. I am blind - to this physical world around me. I can't see the walls surrounding us or the chair I am sitting on but... Ah, I am afraid if I told you more Rene might scold me. I am sorry." Sev frowned deeply before getting up. "I wish I could tell you more but Rene believes it to be very dangerous if more people found out about me. I don't even believe Master Salmar knows." Sev walked over to the doorway, her steps careful but precise as she mentally calculated each one. She slowly reached out to touch the wall, before turning to Alidia again. "Alexander and Reio are ready for the duel, I was supposed to get you and bring you there. I wish we could talk more, I've never met a dragon hybrid before."

Sev left, expecting the dragon hybrid to follow after. The halls they were in were bathed in an absolute black. Absolutely no light source was around them aside from a faint glow on Sev's staff that barely illuminated the small girl. The walked for several minutes, occasionally turning before Sev abruptly stopped, yelping slightly. "I'm so sorry, it must be completely dark for you!" She said like she had accidentally gravely injured Alidia. Sev tapped her cane and the faint glow on the top let out a pulse of brighter light. It was hardly enough to even illuminate Sev completely before dying down again. But several seconds later the walls around them started glowing. A blue line about midway up the white walls began emitting a bright light, enough to erase all darkness in the halls. "I am terribly sorry... I am so used to walking these halls by myself I forget sometimes..."

[Dirty Red Magus]

Vyre Vialest



Vyre frowned deeply, looking back at Seiji. "But you aren't going to die. You can't die, otherwise I wouldn't have accepted you." Vyre frowned further, doing all she can to shrink her size on the box as tears tried to form in her eyes. She sat on the box in silence, looking down at the floor as they reached the clearing, making weird noises as she tried to suppress crying.

As Seiji mentioned dragons, Vyre looked up. "Really?!" She asked excitedly, all traces of her sulking gone. She rushed up to where Seiji was, squinting in the distance. The obelisk stood there off in the distance, its size making itself known hundreds of miles all around. She peered around it and barely saw the beasts in the air, circling around the obelisk, some landing, some flying off. "You can barely see them!" She said it like it was Seiji's fault, before turning around and digging into a box before pulling out what looked like a weird brown can with a button at its side. She came up beside Seiji, holding the weird can up for the two of them to see. "Hiya!" She yelled, slapping the button at the side. The can popped into a large telescope, the force of its expansion striking Vyre straight in the chest, knocking her into the box she removed it from, and causing the telescope to land on Seiji's lap. Seconds later Vyre burst out of the box wearing a large metallic tea kettle on her head. "Hurry hurry hurry!" She shouted giddily, her voice ringing through the metal. "Look at them and tell me what types they are! Which ones are leaving and which ones are entering!" Only after she gave her command did Vyre attempt to remove the tea kettle, er efforts causing her to stumble back in the box as she fought with the inanimate object.

[Marrok de Bayle]

He listened, only cocking his head to look at Seymour bump into things before look back at Rene. "...thats a lot to take in on both accounts really, referring to my status and everything," Placing the cup back down he began poking and prodding the food thinking of what to eat first. "As for my drink, I prefer black coffee." He looked up with his eyes closed and a small smile on his face. "You know, Alidia...shes...different, very strong willed especially with all the events that have transpired. But this talk of demons is something I have heard once before...however...no matter how close they are, we are very different from each other." Finally deciding on some of the sea creatures he cut into a little of what seemed to be octopus before placing it in his mouth. Marrok's mind seemed to be in different places all of a sudden, he placed a hand over his head gathering himself. "I am hoping everything is going as planned, and that you are learning what seems to be something that is lacking in this area, I hope you give me a full copy of everything you find, as per our arrangement." He took another bite sighing lightly, this bleeding effect was really taking it's toll on his psyche. His wings crawled out of his back as he sat there. "...guessing you're still looking into these as well?"

[Dirty Red Magus]

Fiera Drachegott



Fiera snapped her fingers, a rough loud sound that released several sparks in her fingers. Moments later a guard appeared, running over to where Fiera sat. "God Fiera!" The man shouted his obedience to the draconic woman. She made a motion and the guard bent down to her level. She whispered something into his ear, and the man promptly nodded his head. "Yes, God Fiera!" He said before quickly leaving.

Fiera returned her attention to the two kids, whose fighting had calmed as the two were getting more and more tired. She drew a long breath of relief, almost certain one or the other was going to injure themselves. "Peaceful? It is as you humans call it, the calm before the war. Or as the dragons call it, the silence before the scream. " The two kids finally gave up on their scuffle, coming over to where Fiera was. One of them glanced over at Ren, but he didn't express confusion, disdain, or curiosity. It was just the wandering gaze of an active mind. Fiera leaned forward in her seat as the two children approached her, laughing at some joke. "Night is coming, you two should head to bed. In my private mess hall there is some food and drinks." Fiera pointed at a doorway that lead to the mess-hall as she instructed. The boy of the two was fixing to make some quip at Fiera before the girl pushed him, yelling 'tag', before running to the mess hall. The other boy quickly chased after her, both of them nearly running into the guard who held Ren's weapon.

The guard made it to Fiera, carrying Ren's Mercury. Fiera stood up and grabbed the weapon from the guard's hands. She turned to Ren, holding the weapon while it was still in its sheath. There was no dust or markings on the weapon, and looked like it had only recently been cleaned. "It is quite a decent weapon you have. If made by a smith from my home, it would certainly be worthy of a god. But," She flicked her wrist, sending the weapon briefly into the air in a twirl, catching it by the opposite end so the handle was facing Ren only a foot away. "It was made by humans, so is worthy of them." She kept smiling, but it now had a hint of coyness.

[Nine the Ranger]

Ren Orrain - 'The Ebony Flash'

'Bartholomew'

'We stand on the brink of war, the precipice of destruction...'

"The silence before the scream?" Ren repeated slowly as the two hybrid children left the courtyard. It was now only Ren and Fiera, alone. "There certainly is something poetic there." Ren turned back to the Dragon God, watching as she tossed his weapon about. To an observer it may have appeared that Fiera tossed Mercury about like a careless child but Ren could see it, the care she took to not drop or scuff the blade or it's scabbard. Even with such raw power there was an undeniable grace and elegance to Fiera's every movement. "Only the finest human smiths are allowed to forge weapons such as this, and it shows. Not once has it ever failed me." Ren's eyes met Fiera's as she offered the sword to him. He drew the long, silver blade and brought it up to his eyes to inspect it. "It has never dulled, it's blade never chipped." Ren met his own emerald gaze in his reflection. The knight faltered for a brief moment. The man he saw was one that he barely knew anymore. One that was turning his back on everything his family had stood for. "There is only one being that has survived this blade." Ren's wrist shifted, tilting Mercury to the side so that he could meet Fiera's eyes once again. "And had it a mind I'm sure that it would not appreciate the irony of it's current situation." Ren gave a soft sight before turning away towards the setting sun. "However." He returned the blade to its scabbard and pushed it back, firmly into Fiera's grasp. "Mercury is a blade befitting a knight, one who fights for King and Country." Slowly Ren turned around so that he did not face the Dragon God. Something about his next words caused him to be unable to face her. "That is something that I can bo longer do, and thus I am not worthy of such a fine sword." Ren's words hung in the air of the courtyard, almost echoing in the twilight.

'Go forth my Son, and may the world shake before you...'

[The Winter Wyrm]

Seiji Seikatsu

the Eastern Swordmaster

Listening to Vyre's soft sulking, Seiji felt a pang in his chest. They had always gotten along, and rarely did they fight, and hearing Vyre speak with such fondness towards Seiji made him look away from her. "Your father would not forgive me, if I died and left you alone." He whispered softly, and Vyre wouldn't be able to hear him over the sound of her own rummaging. He turned his eyes upward, trying to trace the paths the dragons took in the sky. At this distance, he wasn't able to predict their movements.

The telescope landed in his lap, and Seiji set the reigns aside for a moment. The horses were docile enough, that they would be able to lead themselves briefly. The ride was still smooth, and it was essentially a straight shot towards Volud at this point. "Let us see..." He raised the contraption, which he was not entirely sure how to use, and peered through the lenses. It took a moment of focusing, and searching the sky through the small glass lenses before he spotted the dragons.

"Red, green, black... It seems few are actually leaving, and most are just observing from the skies." He frowned, and had to set the telescope down to keep the horses from veering too far off course. They inched closer and closer to Volud, and Seiji knew that the aerial beasts had seen the two of them by now. He hid his own nervousness very well. There would be little he could do against a horde of dragons, reigning fire down upon them had they felt threatened. The undead dragon had possessed no intelligence, whereas these dragons Seiji assumed to be of a much higher caliber.

A few yards away from the Obelisk, Seiji stopped the carriage. "Vyre-san, we've arrived." In the sky, dozens of eyes were leering right at Seiji and Vyre. He could see the dragons a bit clearer, but didn't need to in order to feel their gaze. "Excuse me!" Seiji jumped out of the wagon, holding the stallions by the reigns and guided them forward slightly. "We have come here seeking refuge, and I would like to request permission to enter Volud." He glanced over his shoulder, to where Vyre stumbled in the carriage, and prayed she would not do anything that might provoke the dragons. He knew she meant well, but there were times when her motives were.... questionable.

[The Winter Wyrm]

Alidia Kidna

Alidia hopped from the bed and got to her feet. She felt better, knowing that Sev was used to being asked about her eyes. A puzzle was forming inside of Alidia's head, but she was still missing several pieces to solve it. What Sev said of herself, sounded something like what Alida's father had been able to do. Whatever Sev was seeing, however she was seeing, Alidia was starting to think it was the same thing that her father would see. The only difference between Sev and Cael seemed to be that Cael could also view the physical world. "Oh, it's okay. I was just curious." Ultimately, Alidia shrugged and followed after Sev as she left the room. She was beginning to get the idea that Rene was surrounded by secrets, her students included.

"Ahaha, you don't have to worry about me. I'm used to being in the dark." Alidia watched Sev panic slightly as she lit the hallway further and grinned. "Dragon eyes, I can see in the dark pretty well. Pretty far off things, too." She folded her hands behind her head she followed the blind girl, a little awkward having Sev lead the way towards where the fight would take place. If Reio and Alexander were ready, then so was Alidia. After this last test, maybe then she would get to go home. "But still, I'm a little surprised you came to get me. And not that jerk Seymour." Her animosity towards Seymour was made purely in jest now. Before, she had been upset that he hadn't remember her name. "He apparently asked Rene what cup size I was." She smiled with a sigh and shook her head at the thought. "Anyways, am I sparring with Rei and Alex in the same place they fought before?"

[Dirty Red Magus]

Fiera Drachegott



Fiera lightly laughed at the poetic comment. "Dragons are more than beasts of war, human. Something that seems to escape several of your kind." Her voice was soft, but hidden in it was partial contempt for the humans. Contempt that came from several sources, one from the king and god within Fiera who sought dominion over the species, and another from the mother within Fiera who has been growing within Fiera since she met Renske. She listened as Ren described the weapon and its origins. Most of it she had gathered from seeing the weapon drawn and used. It was a fine weapon indeed, as Fiera said, but a weapon for humans. "Constructed by the best blacksmiths. A weapon, however, is limited by that being. A human can make a weapon only to the limits of their past and experiences. A human who has seen dragons and demons is limited to those beings." She stopped for a moment in explaining her thoughts, looking over as a dragon approached, but then continued. "A hunter makes tools with experience to the game he has hunted. Same with a blacksmith, with the tools of this earth can only make tools to the things he perceives and understands. When I say this weapon was meant for humans, because it was made by a being who has perceived and experienced what humans have seen in this world. That is what I see in the weapon, and why it is for human hands."

"A weapon also goes beyond a title. To say your tool is fitting a knight and not yourself insults the weapons and knights. A weapon doesn't befit one group, it is a tool for its wielder and the only ones who aren't fitting are the ones physically incapable of wielding it. This weapon was crafted with care and precision. It isn't some brute, some gargantuan beast constructed to maim and murder, but made to protect. You fight because you have to, to protect those around you. A rapier is made to parry, defend, keep the wielder safe with its light weight. When it kills, it doesn't rip the flesh like an axe or crush it like a hammer. It pierces it with the smallest available opening, designed to end or incapacitate its opposition swiftly." She grabbed the weapon as Ren gave it back to her. "This weapon fits you more than you may believe." The dragon landed before Fiera, bowing its head low in her presence. The beasts eyes were nearly as tall as Fiera herself, but it still showed her utmost respect. Its breath would be almost scalding for Ren as it spoke.

"God Fiera, refugees from Melchior have arrived seeking shelter." Its voice was deep and monstrous, but at the same time submissive.

"Melchior... The same country we've been suspected of spying on us." Fiera looked down for a moment to think before speaking again. "Ira, where are they now?"

The large dragon stood up from its bow and looked back at where the main gates to their castle was. "They are closely watched just outside the main gates."

"I will see to them." The response caused Ira to look back at Fiera, but he made no response. "Go back to your duties, Ira." The tremendous wings of Ira spread out, raising above him before he stopped and looked down, not at Fiera, but Ren. "He is not a kid." Fiera said like she was reading the dragon's thoughts. "He won't fly off from your wings." Its caution sated, the dragon flew up high into the sky, causing a gust of air to appear. Fiera began walking towards the entrance, still holding Ren's weapon in her hand.

The gates before Seiji and Vyre began opening, the groans of obsidian grinding against obsidian was akin to great pieces of metal shifting. Behind the gates was Fiera, who walked out while they were partially open. She eyed Seiji, Vyre, and their storage. The air for the dragon god was saturated with an artificial sent of chemicals, some well known and others completely alien to her. "Who are you two, to come to the Obelisk of Dragons?" She simply asked. The question was basic, but her eyes were trained on Seiji like a wolf, and though they didn't show desire for harm, her gaze seemed like a weapon itself.