Welcome to Gaia! ::

◄ Ȥɪєɳ Ҭαʅʅɪɳɳ ►

"KARU!!!"

The youth elemental's cry rang out when he feared that he was going to loose Karuso again. Went running right at him, enveloping him in an embrace before everything went dark. The sensation of falling struck him and he felt his stomach in his throat. There was a distant rumble in the darkness, but there was flashes of venomous green and the sounds of many, many shattering mirrors and glass. Fearing it would cut into him, Zien shielded his head curled up a bit to protect his middle.

Nothing came though, no pain, not even a whisper of something moving against his exposed stomach from the torn material.

In his falling though Zien remembered, why he was there, and called into the darkness once more. "Karuso!!!"

Then drew mindless and numbing darkness took him and Zien knew nothing else.

- - - - -

First thing he was noticing as he roused, the ache all over his body; deep into the muscles and right down to his bones. So stiff, he feared moving would result in pain versus irritation and slow movements. Groaning in the back of his throat though, he listened to whatever else was around him.

The roar he had heard prier to waking up was louder and closer, a lot closer. But it wasn't threatening, no it was natural...like a waterfall, and rushing water, a very large waterfall. The cheery sounds of seagulls and the smell of damp earth filled his ears and nose. Zien felt the cool polished stone beneath his elemental hands that he lay on.

Laying on his side, Zien continued to try and decipher what was going on around him, when he heard shuffling of another body and heavy clothing. Then his name was being called, and not by just any body, not it was Karu calling him, and kneeling by him. Groaning again as she turned over onto his back, even lifting his eyelids felt like a chore. But he was glad to see the vampire's concerned handsome face.

"...gawd your face is a happy sight...I feel like I got ran over by a truck though...oooowwwwieeee," whined the young elemental but with lead filled limbs, it took the offered hand as Karu assisted him.

Looking around now though, he knew they were not in the same place they were. This was completely different though unfamiliar was a welcome sight compaired to the place they had been. Confused though, Zien frowned and furrowed his slim brows.

"Where the hell are we?"

═━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━═

◄ Ȥɪєɳ Ҭαʅʅɪɳɳ ►

Catching his barrings, and checking his standing capabilities, Zien used a near by wall. Though a bit dizzy at first, it passed quickly and soon the young elemental was joining Karu at the window. This place was not the same, very different, Karu not knowing where they were making him worry.

"This doesn't look anything like the island; we had no waterfalls," exclaimed the young man with his arms flailing, but whining as he felt his shoulder muscles protest. "Where's a hot-tub when you need one..."

Sighing and running a hand through his blonde and purple dyed hair, Zien turned to Karu as he called him. The dramatic pause made him worry about just what the vampire was going to bring up and the question he did, he scowled at it.

"She better be dead!" he snapped sharply, glaring at nothing as a few sparks went off in his hair and hands. "She has to be, we destroyed that realm of her's and anything in it. I remembering hearing her blood curtailing scream of pain...she's not dead, when I get my hands on her, Lamia will wish she was dead!"

It was a very sensitive topic for Zien. He had watched her kill Karu...it totally unhinged him and he couldn't bring himself to hope that his vampire was still alive. It would have hurt far too much and whatever sanity he had maintained would have been lost. Zien had cried himself to sleep many nights and he didn't want to revisit those days.

"We ripped that place apart, doesn't mean by doing so we got somewhere else right?"

═━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━═

◄ Ȥɪєɳ Ҭαʅʅɪɳɳ ►

He didn't dwell on it. Thoughts of Lamia still alive, even if it was in some shape or form, he didn't want to think about it. She was sneaky, and in the back of his mind, Zien wouldn't have been surprised if she had a 'back entrance' and a general 'backup plan' if everything failed. The elemental though never outward said anything or focused on it, just avoided and denied.

"I'm all for outside...if I don't fall down the bloody stairs of doom..." he grumbled out following Karu's lead.

__________________

Without incident, Zien was making it to the ground floor, touching down on dirt and grass at last. Looking to the skies, looking to the scenery around them, none of it was at all familiar. Seeming more foreign now then when they were peering out the window. The building themselves, Zien didn't remember on the island, the claw marks...well...he'd seen stranger things.

Karu's questions drew him back into reality versus his thoughts, and Zien shrugged. "I don't know...you're the arcane user dude, I'm the elemental dude..." he said with large gestures and fasual expressions. "All I can say is that the air feels more 'charge', and I have no other way of explaining it-"

Whatever Zien may have continued to say was quickly cut off by a rather large and loud resounding roar. Bouncing off of the hills and the pires around them. Clearly Karuso didn't know anything about it as it started him as much as Zien.

"What the blazing hell was that!!?" he cried out, drawing closer to his protective vampire. "Whatever it was...it was huge..." there was a nervous whine present in the young elemental's tone.

Sword out, and searching the skies the both of them. Imagine his surprise when out of no where a dragon...as there is no mistaking a dragon for what it was, landed on one of the scaling towers. Zien cried out, whatever words he did manage to say unrecognizable as he stumbled back. Karu was quick to guard him, which he would later consider to be heartwarming. What only shocked Zien more was the fact that there were two and both could talk.

Stumbling back, it was none so surprising that the rather klutzy elemental tripped over a collection of rocks and ended up on his back staring up at the two scaly beasts, both beautiful and deadly.

"....I don't wanna get eaten Karu...please don't piss them off..." he pleaded in a whiny still shocked voice.

═━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━═

◄ Ȥɪєɳ Ҭαʅʅɪɳɳ ►

The dragons didn't seem in a particular mood to eat something or find his skinny butt a decent meal. Either one being the case, Zien wasn't going to complain, however, didn't make any less at ease with them being around. Taking Karu's offered hand, he with no effort at all pulling him to his feet and tucking him close to his side.

The dragons said they were lost, was it that obvious? Zien would have said as much but Karu replied first. His words perhaps sounding a bit better then the elemental's. With everything going on, he was in a rather sarcastic mood, and he didn't think dragons would appreciate sarcasm right now. He was making a noticeable effort on his part to hold it back, but then the dragons mentioned guarding a crossing between worlds.

"Wait a minute...you're telling us, we're not even on the same planet anymore!? Some alter decisions or some sci-fi crap..." quiet put out at the knowledge, Zien never saw it coming when the dragons did their little mind it. However, it was not little as it left Zien groaning as he held his head. Telepathy or something like it, he never cared for it, though for the elemental it was automatic to resist, it was like pushing against a steel wall that was closing in on you; no hope what so ever.

It didn't last and eventually the presence gone, and he sighed in relief. Knowledge was there though, knowledge he hadn't had before, and in the end most helpful. Dragons themselves, were being helpful, in all their intimidating fashion. They rambled off some words and then they were gone, not even a burst of wind from their wings as if flown. Just vanished...leave it to dragons to have a dramatic exit.

Ruffeling his hair thinking and hurting his head more, he looked up as Karuso asked him a question; clearly doubting what just happened. Zien raised a brow though at the particularly long word he used. "...Karu remember, modern vocab here...but yes dragons were here, doing something with our heads and then sending us off to some strange city gawd knows where."

Groaning again, he held his head. This was a lot to take in and keep a hold off...the headache was only getting worse.

═━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━═

◄ Ȥɪєɳ Ҭαʅʅɪɳɳ ►

Still having difficulty grasping it all, it was graduly setting in though for Zien. "Least we aren't wondering about where we are, we know we don't know enough about this place to know. One of our long list of questions is answered at least...one of the more important ones..."

Zien was trying to be a bit positive here, looking for the silver lining. He had no worries about the girls, they were well and capable of looking after each other and themselves. The thing that nagged at the back of his mind that he refused to acknowledge was if they got through to here...did Lamia?

Haring the mention of moving on, Zien groaned. "....they could have least given us a ride there..."

The elemental however, didn't waste time by dillydallying. Zien was at Karu's side as they began their way towards the spire and the cliffs. The cliffs he wasn't fond of particular but, if the same earth here function as their own, Zien would be able to move it like all else. It was the distance that was the real kicker.

"...its so far away..."

═━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━═

◄ Ȥɪєɳ Ҭαʅʅɪɳɳ ►

Who knew what they would find on their way there. It was quiet a distance and even with an easier trek through the cliff faces with his elemental abilities, it was still going to be a long trip. So when the were starting to reach the water and mucky part of the rivers, Zien with a flick of his finger, raised up the river bed slightly like a platform within the water. Once past, portion by portion would return to normal.

He kept it up half way across the river, by then Karu brought up something else he wasn't fond of talking about. With good reason, Zien had blocked a lot of that out; Lamia and the fight with the Prince of Crows over Karuso's body. It hadn't been a pleasant sight or experience, Karu was already hard to beat and on powers the Crow came with and the girls and him were pretty much hopelessly out of luck in beating him. The harsher reality was staring into Karu face while the Prince was trying to kill them all. Zien found it particularly difficult after having to suffer the loss of him at first; harsher then th rest of them.

Upon seeing Karu, only he wasn't at the time, though Zien didn't know that, instinct had taken over and he had run up and drown his vampire knight in kisses and embraces. It was the out of character reaction from Karu that led them to know that it was Karu...but someone else wearing his face. After that realization, the young elemental couldn't bare to raise hand to him, let alone a fist full of earth or flame.

Sighing and forcing back the memories, the real harsh reality was clearly Karu didn't remember anything. Zien wasn't about to tell him anything either, already the vampire beat himself up about it enough. "Don't apologize...it wasn't you...it was the Prince that was doing it all, just wore you body like a business man wears a suit."

He hadn't been looking at him then, but as they slowed as the conversation grew more depressing, Zien gripped Karu's arm just above his elbow. It was hard to miss how sculpted and strong just by touch alone and through heavy cloth no less.

"Hey...don't beat yourself up about it, wasn't your fault. Lamia just used your body as a means to an end. Stop beating yourself up about it, we all handled it and we made it out alright."

With that Zien walked on, however, no spring in his step. He probably suffered the most in a psychological way. The Prince of Crows playing off of all of the elemental's insecurities and uncertainties. All the care he had for the vampire, the Prince spat it back with venom and spite. The only real injuries he had suffered was when he had been pinned face down by the mad Prince, and learned his like of torture a bit. Though nothing serious, the Prince had before to cut down the scarred lines of Zien's back from the attack that led him to meeting Karuso.

Zien would never tell him, because already his silver haired vampire had enough to bare on his broad shoulders.

"Come on then, we should get going...the city isn't going to walk its way to us," he said with a chuckle and a smile as he turned to look over his shoulder at Karu.

═━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━══━┈┈━═