Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tohru's gaze flicked out to the large stretch of mountains expanding rapidly before him. What he wouldn't give to still be in the Celestial Plane, under Master Ysaride's stiff stare. To Tohru's great disappointment, they hadn't stayed in the Plane for long. Instead, as they'd departed, Kasen had harped and berated him with curious questions of his endeavors with the greatest Dovaa of all time. Tohru had managed to keep his mouth shut for what he was pretty sure was an impressive amount of time, but... As they entered their home back on Eowyn, safely away from any prying ears, he'd told Kasen of how disappointed he was pretty sure Marcus had been in him. Tohru had expected it of course, but Kasen's only expression was shock.

Then the Gaili had scooped him up like he weighed nothing, hugged him, and promised that he would do everything in his power to train Tohru himself, so that next time, he'd be able to brag of his adventures a little. The young Kiandri had paled, and his first thought was to refuse any such training by Kasen's hand. His older brother hadn't the time to invest in Tohru's sake after all. But one cheery, determined, and very lovely brown-eyed look from his brother had silenced him, and he agreed with a tiny nod.

That felt like forever ago now. Over the next few years, Kasen trained his young charge in hand-to-hand combat, urging with no small degree of desperation for Tohru to take charge, and really come at him. The Kiandri adamantly refused. Not by word, of course, but his hesitant and fearful actions were enough to speak for him. So they focused more on magic. But Tohru hated his magic. He had no control over it, and even after years of being a Kiandri, he showed no aptitude for his lightning abilities at all.

Finally, Kasen had told him, "I think maybe something a little more hands-on will be good for you." Those brown orbs were tired as they lay on him. Tired and helpless, like they'd... given up on his training. Tohru usually cowered and retreated every time some beast came round the bend, and Kasen would eagerly defend him, but now, he'd wondered to the Cave alone, with not even Tennor at his side. Kasen wouldn't be here to defend him from any of the monsters that lay in its depths. Only Tohru... Tohru and his magic.

He was doomed.

He stepped forward hesitantly, gulping slightly as the Cave's opening loomed before him, but a flutter of wings from behind him made him whip around, and he stared up with widened, fearful golden orbs at a feathery Khehora coming to land just near him. With a whine, he pressed himself against the rocks.

Tohru whimpered as they passed him, squinting his eyes shut and hoping they weren't too cruel. From what he could see... It was an Orderite and a Khehora. Bonded, perhaps? He'd always been curious of the Bond, but... No creature deserved the torment of being connected with him... Orderites should respect Dovaa, but this guy could probably sense that something was wrong with... The boy passed through the cave entryway, not even sparing him a glance. The Kiandri blinked. Was he really so inconsequential...?

But if that guy was going in the Cave... Tohru couldn't do it alone. And maybe since he was an Orderite (and not a Dovaa), he couldn't sense the badness in Tohru? The Kiandri decided to follow him. And he entered the cave just in time to see a Ysali dragon fall to the boy's sword. And then two Dragon Orbs sprung forth, and two sets of bright eyes were turning on him. Tohru shrank away with a whimper as an arm was extended to him, holding out an orb. He wanted to take it... He needed the orbs to tell Marcus of his adventures. But he was terrified of approaching the other lad. Time stretched on, and he could see impatience flicker across the boy's face before he set the orb on the ground and moved on.

As the two disappeared, Tohru skittered forward. He picked the orb up from the ground, then looked ahead. Maybe the purple-haired boy wasn't violent. He certainly seemed capable of killing, so if he could do that so easily... Tohru moved steadily into the next room. When he arrived, the Khehora was fighting in the air with the next dragon, an Ayrala. The battle didn't last long, and soon they were both plummeting to earth, with the Aiskalan landing heavily atop the dying and bleeding dragon. Soon, it too popped into orbs.

Tohru shrunk away as the other male approached him. He glanced up briefly to meet his expression, then tucked his head down again. He certainly wouldn't describe the purple-haired boy's face as 'kind.' He looked a little frustrated, in fact... Oh no... Maybe he could see Tohru's badness...? He didn't think he'd done anything particularly aggravating, but... A grey orb was thrust under his nose, and Tohru's gaze was forced up. The other's teal gaze was sharp, and demanding, and the young Kiandri felt inclined to explain himself. "Please..." He whispered softly... "Let me go through the cave with you..." He asked.

The boy didn't look any less annoyed, but he seemed to soften somehow nonetheless... He shoved the orb into Tohru's hands, then nodded, gesturing for the Kiandri to follow him into the next chamber.

Mae groaned in annoyance. He had to let the Dovaa follow him. He was clearly to meek to defend himself, so sending him backwards through the dragon-filled rooms alone would probably get him killed. Whatever. With a shake of his head, he entered the next room. Another Ayrala. No sweat. He just had to shake his frustrations, and... Attack it! The Ayrala was quick, and used its powers of the air to help defend itself. But together, Mae and Darke were able to overpower it and finish it without expending too much energy. Another two orbs. "Hey. C'mon, you. Don't dally."

"You okay?" Mae asked as the little Dovaa stared down at the orb. The guy had to be a teenager, but he sure acted like a kid. His golden orbs turned up to meet Maeron's, and the Dovaa flinched away. He was so... meek and strange, and defenseless... Mae hadn't seen him attack once. And he stood at the back of the cave, half afraid of the Orderite, who had dragons to worry about, rather than some Dovaa... "Got a name? Mine's Mae."

Maeron groaned in annoyance. That little Dovaa brat hadn't even bothered to answer him! For whatever reason! Scowling, the Orderite trudged ahead after him, motioning for Darke to follow along. He was almost disappointed when he spotted another Kiandri. Another weak dragon. It didn't stand a chance! And... it didn't. Mae and Darke had no trouble dispatching it, their combined strength more than enough to overwhelm the beast. Mae wanted to get in there and fight stuff that was actually worth a challenge. And hanging back here with this brat was getting him nowhere... He continued ahead.

Mae and Darke on the other hand, held no fear of Firanis. Both seemed to realize that they technically had an elemental weakness to it, but that simply meant they needed to find more physical means of attacking! Mae still had his slingblade, and Darke had an ample amount of teeth and claws that he could use to bring the dragon down without too much effort. As long as they dodged and avoided fireballs, they were safe. And eventually, the Firani also fell to them.