Welcome to Gaia! ::

There was a severe hurt in Po-ar's eyes. But the Tarnb-jin stood, watching Morrigan for a long moment, before turning to Konton.
"Do as you will." he spoke.
Konton laughed, "Delicious..." he looked to Vincent and Naga. "I still need the winged boy before I am finished here however."
A portal opened to Konton's realm and the demon smirked at Po-ar. It was clear that he was supposed to step through the dimension, but there was an obvious fear in his eyes.
"Come now, Po-ar... Surely you are not afraid..."
Po-ar shook his head. With one last glance to Morrigan, he stepped inside and vanished.

heart

Konton smiled, "Sounds wonderful. Shall we all go?" he asked, and suddenly the group was engulfed in the demon's portal.
But they did not appear in the blinding desert... rather, in a large throne room.
Konton took a seat on the throne. Demons lurked in the corners, in the shadows.
"Your ki," the winged beast spoke to Po-ar. "Will not work here. I took some... some new measures to ensure that your kind do not interfere with me ever again." he sighed. "The loss of the winged boy is, regretable... but no matter. He can not hide forever."
Po-ar, unbound, stood before Konton's throne. "You will never find him." the Tarnb-jin spoke, though there was no emotion in his voice.
Not even Morrigan's tears were penetrating through the Tarnb-jin's mind at this point.
An otherworldly darkness descended, shadowy mists beginning to swirl around Po-ar.
"You will make a fine meal, Tarnb-jin. As you must know by now, it is you and your kin who are to be responsible for my downfall. But now..." the demon beconed Po-ar forward with one claw, and, unable to control himself due to the mists, Po-ar came forward. Konton's claw grasped Po-ar by the chin when the Tarnb-jin was only a few inches away. "Now, I will rule Tarnbsei for all eternity... just as it should be."
Po-ar, did not fight back...

heart

Konton stopped, the spell over Po-ar breaking momentarily as the demon looked to her. "Your lover here is part of the problem, Morrigan." he spoke. "And I shall not let you purify yourself... not until that which is within you lives."
"No..." Po-ar whispered, his eyes glaring at Konton.
The demon looked to him, "What?"
"I said no. You will rid her of that... that THING."
Konton laughed, "Sorry to dissapoint you, Tarnb-jin... but that was not a part of our deal." he looked back to Morrigan. "I will tear your realm apart to find Aoikage if I must. The child can not hide from me forever... not when I get that which I must from Po-ar." he smiled. "Your lover here is a descendant of the winged Tarnb-jin, or did you not know this?"

heart

Herne was waiting for the druid in the middle of his death maze. He had decided to call out Amairgen and finish this business…now. The jar that Herne has once used to hold Maeve’s spirit was resting on an ancient stone alter. There were several cracks in the pottery. Maeve was leaning up against the wall, whimpering, sweat beading her brow.

Amairgen would not allow for Maeve's spirit to be destroyed, even if that meant coming here, in the land where nothing could ever grow.

The druid did not disappoint. Herne heard him before he saw him. One of his hounds leaped, flying at a sound in the darkness. There was as a scuffling sound, a yelping and then quiet. A torch flared and light was cast upon a great wolf with blood on its muzzle, tearing the dogs apart into pieces so small the hound was no longer a threat. More hounds leaped to avenger their fallen comrade. The wolf was large, and skillful, but eventually, he too was overpowered.

Herne walked over to the wolf, smirking. A long piece of greenwood by the wolf flared to life suddenly, vines and branches wrapping around the hounds and Herne, squeezing like a python. Herne silently applauded the druid's ingenuity, brining life to the lifeless land. But it wouldn't be enough.

The tree sickened and died within moments, branches drying and breaking with sickening spread. Sap turned into a foul-smelling poisonous ooze, fallen brown leaves.

The wolf snarled, backed away, snarling, which quickly turned into a painful whimper as freed hounds set upon him again. Pinned to the ground, Herne brushed himself off, and looked down at the wolf...who was rapidly shifting back into a familiar red-haired form.

"I recieved your message. So pleased you decide to come out of your cowardly hiding. Though why you still take the form of a boy, I cannot fathom."

Lief didn't even bother to reply or explain. Herne's talk was pointless banter; they both knew it.

"I…I will not let you…destroy another soul," he said wincing a little from the bites and poisons secreting from the dogs' teeth. He was immune to most poisons, at least partially, but it still hurt.

Herne smiled mockingly. "You failed, druid. You failed in your task. You know what has to come next."

Leif stared at Herne, sadness in his green eyes. He knew it would eventually come to this. The breaking of his geas, even more so than he had originally imagined, he knew, even as he was making plans with Morrigan and Po-ar, that it was all futile. One could not simply break geas without consequences. Not like this.

"Let her go, Herne. You have what you want, now release her, wherever she is. I know you're hurting her. I can't tell where she is but I know your hurting her spirit. Release her, I beg of you."

Herne smiled as he turned and walked back to the alter, the hounds dragging Lief and pulling the fallen druid to the top of the stone slab.

Lief's arms were numb. The dog’s teeth hadn't poisoned him, not quite, but his muscle control was all but none. If it had just been a normal attack he would have recovered with no trouble within the hour. Leif didn't have an hour.

Herne stood over him, dagger in hand. Lief could see the cracked jar by his own head. He winced as the blade penetrated the crook of his arm. Herne lifted the jar and soaked it into Amairgen's blood.

Lief sighed and closed his eyes, content. With his death, Maeve’s soul would be released. He still had to die…but at least it was something.

When he opened his eyes again, his expression changed into horror. Herne was drip pinging the noxious sap over the jar, corrupting the blood…and the magic.

"Herne, no!" Leif shouted, "You can't! You will—"

His words were cut off as the dagger plunged into his chest, right into his heart. Lief chocked, coughing and jerking violently. The jar exploded and Maeve screamed, only now Lief could here it, as well. He knew where she was now...now when it was too late...

Silence.

Lief was lying still on the alter, eyes still open in horror. The body of the youth changed into that of and elderly man, brown face lined with age, eyes a cloudy gray and a long sweeping gray beard.

Herne rolled the man off the alter and watched in satisfaction and watched as the roots of the corrupted and rotting tree lifted and drug the body beneath eh earth. A fitting end for the druid. Her turned his back to the dead tree and looked again where Maeve had been...smiling even as he found the place empty. He could not see her, he could not feel her presence. Her spirit had been destroyed.

Something wrapped around his neck and Herne gasped for air he was drug violently upwards. His dogs barked and yelped but could not get up the tree to rescue their master. The circled the trunk, tearing at it with claws and teeth. It did not hurt the tree...for the tree was dead to begin with. Neither did the sap harm the dogs for they themselves were already corrupted.

Herne cough and struggled with the branch that was wrapped around his neck, His feet were dangling twenty feet in the air. He couldn't draw breath. Then suddenly, he dropped.

Silence.

All was silent but for the fading whimpering of the dogs as they fled from the tree. Herne's motionless swayed was it hung limply, head lolling and tree branch still wrapped around a now-broken neck.

Silence.

From the rogue branch of the dead tree bloomed single leaf, spring-green in the land where nothing would grow.
--

Aoikage's eyes opened slowly and he sat up, staring at Pell-Mell in confusion. "Where are we?" he asked, looking about and, while the place was peaceful, a chill of fear ran through him.
The boy's back was exposed completely, newly healing scars criss crossing his body, his wings twitching as they stretched.

~~~

Ashuri watched Thom and the disaster with his sister for a long time. Trunks stood behind her, a hand on his wife's shoulder.
"I feel sorry for him..." she whispered.
Trunks shook his head, "There was nothing that could have been done, Ash-chan."
"But he lost his sister..." tears were in the woman's eyes. "He lost all that is truly important to him."

heart

"Is there not anything we can do for him?" Megumi asked from where she stood next to Imogene. "I mean... I don't speak sign language or anything but... but he's in so much pain."

~~~

Aoikage closed his eyes for a moment, "I think I am feeling better." he said, looking to Pell-Mell with a slight smile. "Not as exhausted as before... and... and certainly hungry..." he said with a slight blush.

heart

Aoikage looked at the berries in confusion, "You eat those?" he asked, "But they're so small."

~~~

The sight brought strange memories to Megumi's mind, memories that hurt. The girl turned, heading down the hill and away from the sadness.
'Why do I see myself in the same situation as Thom?' the young woman wondered.

heart

Megumi shook her head, "Nothing..." she whispered, but she did not look up at the other woman.

~~~

Reaching out a tentative hand, Aoikage took a few of the berries, "They won't hurt me?" he asked.

heart