Welcome to Gaia! ::

True desire hmm? *Mastema watched with mild interest as Xol took over the stand off between him and Tegral. No doubt the cyborg would perform his little explosion on the other side of that rift. Mastema would relinquish his telekinetic concentration, and with the same grin he had a moment ago, would stand straight up and start restoring his destroyed arm* You have changed sides continually, Xol.... but your ability to surprise seldom seems to fade. Very well... I shall agree to your proposition for the moment. I have nothing to lose from it. However if you want more than an alliance you will have to make it clear. *He chuckled, more amused than in cold blood* Well then.... I believe my business here is done..... what of you? *For now, Mastema paid little mind to KB*

KB would've interupted about a saying of Servants and Masters, but Draconic sayings often made little sense, even to beings as old as Xol. Of course, KB had never aquired to Mastema's age, not that he expected Mas to be very old. Perhaps a few thousand years at most. In any case, KB felt that the discussion topic had gone astray from what ideas he held. If anything, speaking of Mastema's mate and offspring would have to be reserved for a later time.

Shrugging, the cloaked figure began to move away from the edge of the crater. The land was not a place for two, for only one could truly rule. KB didn't have any intention of having Mastema rule, and Xol's treachory would be overly expected. That left very few choices to 'ascend to the throne' though, there was always the boy.

"Hmmm, of course, you have many under your stead to which I would have to be on good terms with as well. Very well, as of right now you have temporary access to my Keep. However, I reserve the right to take it away as I see fit, of course. It shouldn't come to that though..."

"Hmmm, of course, you have many under your stead to which I would have to be on good terms with as well. Very well, as of right now you have temporary access to my Keep. However, I reserve the right to take it away as I see fit, of course. It shouldn't come to that though..."


With that, Xol's body transformed back into that of his more normal appearance. He knew it would take a bit to gain the trust of Mas, the same as it would take him to trust Mastema. Even though it would not be a full trust, more of an uneasy symbiosis. It would still be more reliable that any other of the alliances he had been in as of late. Besides, Mas had nothing to gain in bumping off Xol and vice versa aside from one less evil b*****d around. This made more of a tactical sense.

"I need to rest. It seems the evolution was more draining on my body that I had originally thought, but if you see fit to visit then I will humor your company."

With that, Xol was gone in a flash of black mist, leaving Mastema to think or follow.

Ka'rinth made his way into what was left of the place the dojo had once stood, Ah, of course all things shall return to the dust of the earth from which they arose. In life as in death may pain be it's own reward. As he spoke Ka'rinth's deep bass voice echoed into the night sky and his red eyes scanned the area. He paced slowly allowing the memories of a distant and recent pass to fill both of their minds. Perhaps together they could succeed where each had lost interest, a balance between skills, form, knowledge, and pure power. Ka'rinth and Shadow both laughed darkly as they reached the center of the crater and sitting crosslegged began brainstorming in their own manner.

Long fingers flexed and stretched as though the creature walking with his dark aura and burning red eyes tinged with madness had itchy palms. As he paced and thought leaving Ka'rinth alone to contemplate on his own, Shadow focused on his memories from the days he had lived in this place. He thought about the fights, the studies, the sweet betrayels, and of course, the screams of the people of Enid as they were massacred and all hope of their ressurection stripped away. A dark smile played across his lips as he turned and made his way away from the dojo, there was no longer anything here to draw his interest. No targets and no tools meant that he only needed to find some place that did possess them. Maybe it was time to visit an old area of the forest, one that was almost like a home to him. With that thought he faded into the shadows of the tree line and aimed himself at a portion of the forest that he had used to store important items from even himself.

"Found it!" Derrek exclaimed to no one in particular. It had taken him a while to sort through the magical strands that lay all around the wreckage. Many were Draeken's, frayed and charred from the massive release of energy. However, Derrek eventually managed to find one that lead to the North. *Far* to the North, if Derrek's guess was correct. Travelling there, even by horse, would take a long time. Deprived of the Dojo, Derrek was eager to find a safe sanctuary for himself. As such, he wished to reach the one person he'd become friends with over the time at the Dojo. But how to get there was the question. Derrek reached into his pocket and withdrew the orb of unbinding.

...well, why not? If Derrek's assumption was right, this orb could, if used correctly, allow something to partially escape the confines of reality and what was possible or not possible. If this were true, the doors to nearly anything, even the impossible, would open. No better time to try it than now. Lifting up the orb of unbinding. Looking down, he sought out the various threads he had seen which bound him to the world that lay around him. Picking at one, he saw that a few of the strands had begin to fray already. He could not determine what that thread governed, but it was not what he was looking for. After touching a three others Derrek tried a fifth. This was what he was looking for. This thread bound him to the natural laws of correspondance and distance. The orb glowed a dark blue as Derrek contemplated this. This could go horribly awry and cause untold damage. Was it worth the risk simply to experiment with magic?

Yes! A definitive move of his hand snapped the thread. When nothing monumental happened immediately afterwords, Derrek looked around for a moment. Nothing appeared wrong. Deciding it must have done nothing, Derrek took a step forward and found himself at the edge of the clearing. Turning around, Derrek saw that the distance he had covered in one step was farther than he ought to have. In fact, that one normal step had moved him ten feet forward. Deciding to experiment, he stepped again and was at the other edge of the clearing. This step had been farther than before, but Derrek had been concentrating. How far did this extend? Reaching out his hand, he grasped upwards and plucked a flower off the ground six feet to his left. Grinning, Derrek marveled at his success. His magic, combined with the snapping of that thread allowed him to attempt feats far greater than what he had imagined himself capable of. Turning to the North, Derrek silently wondered how many steps it would take him to reach Draeken's mansion. A single step and he was deep in the forest. Three more and he was out. Two beyond that and he was gone.

"Someone got thier panties in a bunch." Eva surveyed some of what remained. Bits of plant matter, and ashy wood.

Something caught her offguard. In the grass surrounding the crater from the forest, a small note lay, half burned. She walked over, and picked it up, read the contents, and threw it away.

"Bugger."