Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ryugi grinned and replied, in far more fluent draconic, as Ryuma's had been mixed with smatterings of Common.

Vinxa ihk douta cotuir. Hiluoh, Si guulac batobot wer aesthyr geou qe yscik ekess svadri de coi persvek nomeno goawy. Arcaniss geou ehtah nebeur tenpiswo.


Ryugi blinked at all the information. Apparently this group of people were from some world outside of Gaia. He knew this, of course, because Ryugi had traveled virtually all of Gaia's surface, except for a few select areas. And that was only because they were too difficult to reach, or not a place one would usually like to find themselves. Either way, he spoke up as the conversation hit a lull in activity.

Well, I can tell you right now that you certainly are not in whatever world or realm you came from. Your clothing is strange, your smells are odd, and you don't fight like any real style of fighting I've ever seen before. Sure, I've seen the moves, but the way you carry yourself is very different. As for your god, I haven't heard of them either.

Ryugi shrugged.

For that matter, as far as I can tell, you aren't getting any divine power for your attacks either...

He paused for a moment, seemingly in thought, before looking to Alexa again.

Would you mind if I examined your weapon? If you wish, you may hold one of mine as collateral if you do not trust me.

Very well, Ragnarok it is.

Ryugi flipped the blade into the air, catching it with one hand and holding it out to Alexa as he took her weapon from her.

Now behave yourself and don't do anything drastic...

Oddly enough, Ryugi seemed to be talking to his weapon when he spoke, and not Alexa. This might cause some confusion. Either way, after he handed the blade to Alexa, he took her weapon in his right hand and gave it a few swings, testing its ballance when he paused and seemed to look inquisitively at the blade.

I'm going to try something. I'll need some room though...

With that, Ryugi walked a few good steps away from the group before holding the sword off to his left side with his right hand and closing his eyes. As the group would watch, a faint aura of energy would soon start to form around the blade, and much to Alexa's surprise, it wasn't the usual ice or light, it was an orange and red flame that sprung up around the weapon and Ryugi suddenly swung it across his form, a blade of flame energy surging forth as Ryugi did an almost exact duplicate of Alexa's final move, with the opposite elemental polarity...

The wave would slam into a nearby rock, exploding on contact as the lengthened energy blade would fade away, leaving just her sword, perfectly unharmed. Ryugi would then turn and walk back to the group, still examining the weapon in his hands as he spoke.

Just as I thought... I'm not sure how your weapon works in your own realm, but in this one, it is not gaining any divine power. Rather, it is collecting ambient mana from the surrounding area, and giving it to the wielder to shape and mold as they see fit. Then, the attack is released with the alignment of the wielder's latent element. Case in point, mine is fire and light, yours is ice and light.

He'd then move to pass the weapon back to its owner.

Surprisingly enough, this explains why you were unable to use your abilities after I negated your weapon with Sol Blade. it could no longer pull in magical energies until the effect wore off.

Ryugi may not have been what Alexa was used to when it came to fighters or paladins, but it seemed that he had an extensive knowledge of how her weapon worked in this realm, and how its magical energies worked as well...

As Ryugi gathered Ragnarok from an obviously strained Alexa, he spoke to Ra'Fiig his free hand shimmering with a glow of fire.

Don't misunderstand, I don't NEED weapons to control arcane energies. I have a spiritual connection with the fire and light elemental planes, a bond if you will.

All of my people do. If anything, I'm an elemental, drawing my power directly from the planes themselves, rather than by the divine favor of a deity.

My abilities stem from a connection with these natural forces. For me, its as biological an event as breathing or pumping blood through my veins.

He nodded to Ragnarok and Sol Blade.

Ragnarok is an ancient sword, a blade of legend among my people, once carried and used in battle by our greatest hero. It has recently gained sentience, and can grace me with it own power in combat, allowing us to fight alongside in combat as equal partners.

And Sol Blade here has no magical energy of its own. Its only ability is to change any magical energy that is shunted into it into an anti-magical pulse that negates energies around it equal to the level of energy placed into the blade.

He chuckled, smiling.

Of course, both of them function equally well as weapons in their own right as well.

Alexa was more than happy to return the overbearing Ragnarok for the Cosantóir. Had she exhibited less composure, she'd have clung to her prized possession like a child. Ryugi's revelation about his powers clearly bothered Alexa, but she said nothing. While her opinion of him had lowered a tad, she had already given him her trust. Unless he did anything to betray it, they'd get along reasonably enough. Well, as reasonably as she'd get along with a dragon, anyways.

"..."

Besides, he wasn't exactly a sorcerer or anything.

"Hmph. True elemental mastery is all but impossible for my people. Most of the world's energy is siphoned into a small number of sorcerers, so there isn't enough to go around."

With that Ra'Fiig backed away from the group for a brief moment, wandering a safe enough distance away. After a deep breath, Ra'Fiig went on a kicking exhibition, firing powerful gouts of flame into the sky with each strike. After a few moments of this, he returned to the group.

"Normally, my abilities are far more draining physically. For it to be this easy, your realm must be rich in arcane power."

Ra'Fiig grinned, clearly proud of this fact.

"I could get used to this."

Then came a self-righteous glare from Alexa, finding such talk to be immoral.

"You'll do no such thing."

Ryuma shrugged, speaking matter-of-factly.

"I'm pretty sure all our abilities are heightened here-- with the exception of Alexa of course."

Ryuma was very careful how he worded that last statement. To imply that Alexa's goddess provided a less than generous amount of energy would cost more than he was willing to pay. The idea that Alexa's clouded religious views hampered her overall potential, however, didn't elude him. It wasn't something he'd ever dare to bring up, either; she was the most powerful of the four of them in their home realm.

On the other hand, as though to prove his point, he stared hard at Ryugi's humanoid form, using his further heightened 'eyesight' to discern into the Dragon's genealogy further. After a few moments, he spoke.

"You're true form looks to be that of either a Gold or Volcanic dragon. Or both."

Ryuma scratched the back of his head.

"That is, if I'm not mistaken. My abilities aren't exactly the most reliable around here."

There was an eyeroll from Lynn.

"Ain't that the truth. At least you still HAVE abilities."

She didn't even bother hiding her jealousy. While she had no interest in fire or ice, she was beginning to feel more and more useless around here. She couldn't wait to return to their home realm, where having a lack of magical abilities was the norm.

*~*~*~*~*~*

A few minutes earlier:

Truth be told, had Tilly not-written in midair and continued to write in a mundane manner from the get go, Lynn would have lost interest and walked off long ago.

"I... was just seeing what you were doing."

Uneasy, Lynn walked away and went back to watching the meta-brawl. She was uneducated, not stupid. She knew when she was being a nuisance.

The field was set and ready, players shifting in their appointed positions as they awaited the snap of the ball. Their protective gear was mismatched, seemingly random garbage or actual forged peices seemingly thrown together with no sense or style. Here, a green skin wearing breastplate designed for an elf female much, much smaller than he was and doing so with the full knowledge that it was, infact, females armor. Despite their disheveled appearances and general mobish qualities, the intent of the day was made perfectly clear across the field. Where green grass would grow instead slick patches of blood stood waiting, bits of bone or metal stuck quite firmly in the dirt where their former owners had been driven down.

Cheering fans lined either side of the field, standing or sitting and of the same various array of races as the players armor. They screamed for blood, chanted names made so much garbled noise by the mass amount of noise being produced. Penants waved and snapped in the wind as they proclaimed fielty to one team or another or even a players loyal fans. The noise increased into a deafening roar as the ball snapped out, the football shaped pig bladder flying back into a players hand as the teams rushed in.

The noise of peoples voices was joined by the bone-crushing sounds of impact as humans and orcs collided and sent flying, screams of pain and rage, grunts of suprise as players found themselves on the ground or with new injuries gone unfelt. At one far corner however it seemed abit more onesided and the sudden fountaining of blood into the crowd drove the cheering fans on to new frenzy, mini brawls breaking out as people fought to even touch the crimson life fluid. One player held up another with one arm, gripping the chest strap to a rusted old pauldron and the better portion of the greenskins throat in the other. The killer wore different colors than either team, instead sporting an almost raven black vest and loose pants over high boots, silvery metal gleaming on the tips of the boots.

Blood dripped from each hand as atlast the man dropped his corpse prize, turning to the game at hand and rushing back in with a roar of bloodlust, lost amongst the greater noise of life around him. His tan skin gleamed with sweat and blood, both fluids coming in equal amounts as he once again collided with a mass of bodies, elbows and knees flying as space was sought, orcs and humans alike dropping to the ground clutching broken noses, or clutching nothing at all as the tried to draw breath through crushed windpipes. The runner was forgotten, his mission to take the ball to the endzone largely forgotten as people cheered on the slaughter in the center of the field as more and more players were drawn into the massive brawl.

Benches emptied out, the penalty box was torn apart and even players reserved to the medical tent rushed back to the undulating mob, leaving bits of themselves behind as they fought along the way. The stands poured forth in a flood of frenzied humanity, the wooden barriers groaning and snapping as bodies drove them over. Screams filled the air as people were trampled, and yet no one stopped their run to help, continuing on instead to run towards the fight. In all the chaos the small, aged, sick or incapable were forgotten and trampled under the punishing feet of the strong and blood thirsty. They were blind and hungry and one player had given them all the excuse they needed to feast.

So it was unsuprising that no one noticed the self same killer slipping free of the reaching grabbing mass, one booted foot smashing a knee cap before whipping around to drive the pointed toe through an eye. Each hand terminated in a gleam of silver and white, sprays of blood filling the air as the Hydra bit and bit again, letting the prey animals know who the true predator was. Limbs thumped to the ground and were forgotten by all but their owners, arms laying in pools of blood while their former owners screamed in pain and fear. No one could hear the sirens over the sound of the fight, and that was precisely what he had wanted.

Away he raced, sprinting dead on for the concession stands of this Macabre sporting event, signs and posters proudly proclaiming this to be "Blood Ball, open to all ages." The reality was far different than the clean sport that was displayed on each poster, handsome players in clean armor, no sign of the true blood shed that went on. Not that Damion minded, really he had only come to reclaim something that belonged to him. The swamp was his home, anything removed was an insult and had to be repaid in kind in the end.

The long legged humanoid cut between food stalls to at long last escape the small 'village' built up around the playing field, a capillary road snaking its' way between hills in a rough westward way. Damion had taken it several days before, following the trail of his intended prey down it like a bloodhound. Then it had been sunny and clear, promising players a good day for sport, where now dark clouds dominated, threatening thunder heads flashing in the distant horizon while grey cloud tendrils began to fill the sky.

He walked without fear in the open, the blood of the day beginning to dry on his skin as he walked to fall away in rust colored patches onto the ground. Wind gusted heavily down the road, buffeting at the elemental as he pressed on, head lowered to the forces of nature as they sought to drive him from the road. With the hunt over, he felt dead, hollowed out, but that only made it easier to press on even as the skies opened up above after an hour of walking, hard pelting rain that stung the skin painfully. Not even the Hydra could tolerate this, and even in his fugue state Damion recognized the need for shelter, antifreeze green eyes scanning the rapidly diminishing area of visibility for a place to hide for awhile. The faint outline of a building drew his attention like a moth to a flame.

To large to be anyones home, but too small to be anything bigger than a barn, it seemed like his only option at the moment and a lifeline he wouldn't pass up. Damion stepped off the road and into the muddy ground between himself and the building, running as effectively as he could with the muck sucking at his feet, threatening to trip him at every turn. Dips in the ground threatened to spill him while unseen rocks were smashed into the sole of his boot and threw off his step. The rain increased, pouring down with all the fury of a god while cutting visibility down to nothing. The Hydra quite nearly ran smack into the building, his outstretched hands saving him as they impacted into the stone wall, pulling at the seemingly hard material as a child pulled at clay, making an entrance just wide enough for the serpentine humanoid to slip into the building, laying on his belly and pulling himself through the hole.

The interior was not at all what he expected, rows and rows of pristine looking pews, the wood freshly stained and enameled so that it shined in the light of the candles that lined the room. A small podium stood at one end, opposite double doors. No religious emblems denoted who this small church was devoted too, and at a casual glance Damion could see no other doors or entryways but the double doors and the closing hole he had made. His footprints were left behind him as he moved forward, eyes scanning for danger and finding nothing. The still air held none of the normal scents that potential threats produced, and for amoment Damion felt he could relax, sitting down gently on a pew as water dripped from his hair and extremity's, mud caking to his boots slowly in the dry air. He was all alone here it seemed, and it was peaceful.

With a flash Tilly and Vargus would appear far away from the stadium, and even outside of Latent itself. Vargus would release the little muse's hand and pant for a moment, collecting herself. Teleportation, or what she called wind-walking, wasn't the easiest ability she had in her pool of talents, even less so when you were bulging from being pregnant. She caught her breath and looked around to make sure she had indeed found the right spot.

The sunlight and soft breeze floated across the plains, and the lone tree that the both of them now stood roughly twenty feet from. It was large, well kept, and almost a freak of nature that a single tree would spring up surrounded by nothing other than a sea of grass, but that's exactly what Vargus liked this spot. She'd seen it flying over the area at one point when she decided she was going to survey the area around her new home, and she'd fallen in love with the secluded spot almost instantly.

Her energy senses told her exactly what she wanted to know, there was no one around for as far as she could sense other than Tilly and herself. No one would bother them now.

Well then, I'm sorry it was so abrupt Miss Pace, but at least out here we'll be free to discuss things without being bothered by anyone. It's just you, me, the sunlight, the breeze, and the tree.

Vargus moved to lean against the tree and stooped down into a sitting position. Moving with a puffy tummy was proving rather frustrating. But with any luck her little girl would be born soon, and then she could lavish it with affection. She looked back to the little muse and smiled kindly.

Vargus' gaze softened and she gently placed a hand on the little muse's back, trying her best to console her with the touch as she could. Being empathic, Vargus could literally feel Tilly's own emotions wash over her, and made her feel a little sad as well, but this was not simply despair. There was something deep at work within the little muse that was causing all of this. Vargus felt very much like hugging the little muse, but somehow she didn't think that was what she wanted. Instead, she sighed.



Tilly didn't really have to say it for Vargus to understand some of what was troubling her. She'd seen the coy looks and subtle changes in Tilly's attitude while she was with Ryugi. She kept wondering why Ryugi didn't notice, but then again, Ryugi had always been a relatively single minded person when it came to love. Not that it was a bad thing. It made him incredibly loyal, but it also caused problems like this one. She suddenly felt like what she had said might not have been the best thing to say.

I'm sorry... I guess what I mean is, I can understand somewhat how you feel.

Love...isn't something that's easy to deal with when one can't openly express it. It tears at you, claws at your heart, and even when you want to be happy you feel like you can't be, because they're the only thing in the world that you feel can bring you happiness.

Vargus looked to the ground under her feet, as if lost in thought. It had been a very long time since she'd felt anything like what Tilly was feeling right now, but the sensations that she'd gone through were no less far from her mind. She remembered them well.