BoZV - Arc 5

[Tony]

Much like Alriik... Arne is quickly thrown off Silver's back by the lightning arcing across her. Hien quickly flies over and chirps with concern as Arne slowly stand back up. "It's ok, pal. I'm just a little shaken up is all." Hearing Rion yell out, the two got right back into the action. Charging at the canines, Arne brings the axe blade of his halberd down onto the head of one of them.

Pulling it back out, he start stabbing at a group of three of them... but not making contact as the quickly back away. He keeps this up... and they keep dodging, until he's able to group them all up. At which point, Hien exhales a blast of flame on top of them... setting the trio of beasts on fire.

[Bloodbane]

As Alriik dove in to deal with the canine beasts, Rion was left dealing with a charging and frenzied bear. Diving out of the way, he pursed his lips slightly as he channeled light magic through Shirosame, though this time he released the energy in the form of a blinding flash of light that dazed the creature, before rushing up and swinging upward, the motion of the sword sending a rapidly crystallizing formation of energy upward, colliding with the bear and sending it rolling backward.

As the energy dispersed, Rion raised Shirosame defensively, though as the bear made its way back to its feet, its gaze seemed to follow the aura of light; when Rion stepped forward the bear seemed to grunt, stepping back. It appeared the bear had decided this wasn't a fight it wanted to deal with, as it grunted again before turning and fleeing. "Well then... guess they're just riled up from the fighting." By the looks of things, Arne and Alriik had handled the other creatures as well, with the group being once again down to dealing with the bigger threat of an angry blighted dragon.

Rion nodded at Aqua's recommendation. "You got it..." he said, the glow around Shirosame remaining intense as he waited to see how Aqua intended to set the dragon up to be blinded.

[Arashi]

Aqua would successfully grab Silver's attention....until two of the wolves lunged on her and grasped on to her back and side. The beasts immediately drew her full attention away from the group. She snatched one of the wolves in her jaws and instantly killed it, but was struggling to grab the other one. It grappled tightly on to her side where the was no spikes to stop it, attempting to rip and tear and her hard scales. Another wolf then lunged on her other side.

She was distracted in trying to get the beasts off her, but that likely wouldn't last for long. Now was the time to think of something fast.

[Vic Alriikerson]

Alriik continued his assault on the beasts, cutting down any that would dare approach his captain. He kept on his feet, tense, ready to strike as they came. "C'mon! Keep it coming! I'm sure a few more and-" The beasts became wary, getting some distance... And Alriik would become serious. "... No, you don't get to run." He'd begin to charge after, flame erupting from his blade. And yet...

And for a second, he almost thought he saw a humanoid figure feeding on one of the beasts on the edge of the clearing... But the second Alriik did a double-take, the figure was gone. And that sight was enough to give him pause, the fire fading from the blade... Which was only relieved once Rion pulsed light into the katana once more, calming him a bit. He'd mutter to himself quietly. "Don't get crazy now..."


As the beasts made their retreat, Alriik would sigh. "They're... They're not important. Gotta remember I'm not on a hunt..." He'd step back, and grab his dragon tooth's abandoned other from the mud and ice. He'd slowly step back, individually twirling each sword. He'd stand scant steps from Aqua, back to her's. "Perimeter secure, Cap. Whatever y'all are gonna do, this is the time."

[Sorrum]

As Frida set off to goad the dragon Terra felt some misgivings about her plan. "I don't think this is a good idea Frida, I can't redirect fire like tha-" but before she could finish, the elf had already taken off. Terra called after her, but was cut off as suddenly an enormous feral wolf leaped out from the brush and knocked Terra on her back. She managed to get her hands up in time but the creature ended up sinking its fangs into her left forearm. Terra cried out in pain, and as her anger spiked her left arm was set ablaze. The wolf yipped and loosened its grip on her arm, then lunged forward intent on biting her face next. Terra wrestled with the creature, using one hand to keep its muzzle at a distance as the other hand slipped into the earth and came out with a heavy rock. The wolf snapped and snarled, Terra could feel its hot breath and the flecks of saliva from its maw. It fell dead a moment later as she smashed the side of its head in with her boulder.

When she moved to sit up Terra winced in pain, not wanting to put too much strain on her left arm. She instead pressed down with her right and a pillar of earth rose up beneath her. The slab tilted, shifting from a horizontal to a vertical position and moving Terra from flat on her back to up on her feet.

Aqua anticipated a quick counter attack from the dragon and looked back at Terra one last time, now staring wide eyed at the girl who clutched her left arm in pain. Did she miss something while she goaded the dragon? She looked like something bit her arm, then noticed the wolf laying limp nearby. Turning back around, now it was Silver who was being ambushed by the wild wolves as they growled and bit at her hide. Silver thrashed about and paid no mind to the elf. Her plan now in disarray, Aqua looked back again at Terra, holding herself up with a pillar of stone. A plan hatched in Aqua's head as she retreated back to her friend's side. "Terra, can you launch me above Silver with one of those?" She asked. "If I can attack from above, she won't have any chance of escaping with an enormous glacier on top of her."

"Yeah," Terra grunted, grimacing a bit from the pain. She thought about setting her arm ablaze again to cauterize the wound, but she suspected it'd be better to wait and clean it out first. As it was, blood streamed down her arm, flowing freely from the bite wound. But she could still fight. It could wait. "Yeah, coming right up."

Terra knelt down and pushed both hands through the earth. She grunted again with effort and pulled up an even larger slab of rock, holding it steady at a ninety degree angle so that Frida could climb on. On the elf's command Terra would strike the earth and launch her friend over the dragon like a catapult.

With little time to spare, Aqua jumped onto the rock and positioned herself, then as she watched Silver thrash about, waited until the beast had nearly snatched the attacking wolf from its back, when she shouted "Now!" At Aqua's signal Terra stamped her foot down, shifting plates below the ground and causing the rock that Aqua crouched upon to flip vertically, launching the elf in an arc that would carry her over the flailing dragon.

Aqua initially slid from the sudden movement and nearly lost her grip on the boulder as it flung skyward. But with no room for error she squeezed tight like her life depended on it. Just as the rock glided over Silver, Aqua created a glyph around the pulsing crystal in her hand and threw it down on the dragon, landing between two of the darkened spines on it's back. The glyphs would force all of the potent mana from inside the gem, forming thick sheets of ice and snow to pour out around the dragon in blinding speed. The wolf biting at the dragon was caught in the violent blizzard as it's body was completely encased. A high pitch screech came from the crystal as the last of it's mana poured out, followed by an intense rush of energy and light. When the light cleared, the attacking monsters had turned and fled from the sheer shock of the attack, and whether she was conscious or not Silver couldn't move a finger against the ton of ice that weighed down on her.

Aqua jumped from the boulder as it flew, aiming for the small pond where she caught the fish earlier. She wouldn't be so lucky though, and hit the waterbed at a shallow and smacked the ground hard. She slowly pulled herself up onto her elbows, noting the tenderness in her side and legs now. "O-ow..." she winced. There was definitely some broken ribs, but she was alive. She took another look at Silver encased in the ice, and let out a deep, exhausted breath. "..finally." She might have broken her weapon halfway, but at least they would survive. That's all that mattered to her in the end. Steadily, she stood up and made her way back to the battlefield, holding her right side gently and limping as she walked.

[Bloodbane]

Rion watched as Aqua and Terra worked together, with Aqua using the power of the forest to enhance her abilities to degrees he had never seen before. Meanwhile, the others had assisted in clearing a path for Aqua to land her spell, encasing Silver in a mass of ice to keep her from being much of a threat. 'If Silver somehow draws from the forest in this state...' Rion shook his head; he refused to let that possibility, remote as it may be, come to pass. As Aqua landed, he first approached Terra.

"This should help..." he said quietly, a warm glow shining through the armor of his left arm as he placed his hand near Terra's wound. Though his abilities lent themselves more to offensive magic, it seemed using the ambient energy of the forest would bring his healing capacity to a level as good as any light mage. He then stepped away from Terra once her wound began to glow, becoming enveloped in light as the spell began to take effect, before making his way to Aqua.

"I'll take it from here." he stated, as he took Shirosame in his hands, the blade glowing brightly as particles of light were drawn to it, only to condense and harden to encase the prismatic sword in crystal. As he raised the sword, a series of markings would appear across the exposed portions of his right arm, the pattern appearing to extend up his arm and across his chest judging by the glowing beneath his attire. "Whatever it takes, I'll get our friend back." he said as waves of colored light began to pulse outward, giving the same warm healing sensation to the other members of the group to begin treating their injuries as he made his way toward Silver.

"You hear that, Silver?!" he called out. "I've beaten the darkness before, and I'll do it again!"

With that, he ran headlong toward the bound dragon, pushing off of the ground and leaping toward one of the exposed dark spikes on the dragon's body, driving the crystallized sword into it. Almost immediately, the crystalline sheath appeared to spread across the spike, the crystal glowing with the prismatic energy of Shirosame as it started to spread across a portion of Silver's body. At first, it would almost seem like Rion was planning to do to her what he had done to the blighted creatures of Aldur, and completely eradicate the corruption from within... but his words had meant otherwise.

As the aura continued to pulse outward, Rion's markings glowed with a greater intensity as particles of mana from the crystallized structures around the area were drawn into him. In response, dark lightning began to lash out wildly from the dragon, only to be forced away as the arcs got near Rion, the shimmering light of a barrier indicating that he was protecting himself as best he could.

'It's working... I can do this...' he thought, watching as light continued to pulse from the crystallized portion, moving in waves across the blighted dragon's body. Soon enough, the corrupted features had started to recede, and though the lightning continued to strike outward, the bolts were becoming less frequent.

Over time, however, it was clear this was a far more difficult circumstance to push through; even with the aid of the energy from the Crystal Forest, the energy Rion was pushing out appeared to falter, only moving across Silver as his breathing became heavier. 'I have to... push through...' he continued to keep Shirosame fixed in place, though as the crystal started to dim and crumble it became harder to keep the blade steady as he struggled to keep it held. By this point, however, the features that had shown the monstrous form of Silver were returning to normal, and within the ice Silver had started to look more like the dragon form the party knew from before.

When the darkened spike that Shirosame was driven into finally began to give way to silver scales, Rion appeared to breath a sigh of relief, his arms dropping as he tried to keep Shirosame held in-hand. 'Took a lot out of me... can't hardly keep myself up...' Rion would attempt to push himself up so he could safely climb down, but it was clear that whatever he had done left him in a rather weakened state. Before anyone could help him, however, his eyes widened as he could feel the building charge in the air.

Whether it was simply residual dark energy, or a last act of defiance from the feral state Silver had been in, a bolt of black lightning jumped from Silver, striking Rion in the chest and launching him away from her. He hit the ground with a grunt, his chest plate smoldering from the impact as he lied motionless. The glowing markings finally faded as he lost consciousness, but if anyone approached they would notice that there was still an unusual glow coming from him, most notably from the point of impact as well as his armored arm. The chestpiece had been torn open, and so too had the fabric of his shirt... but rather than damaged or even exposed flesh underneath, what one would see would be highly unusual; a formation of glowing crystal, seemingly bound to Rion like a hardened layer of skin.

[Sorrum]

Aqua passed Alriik, Arne, and Hien on her way back to the campsite. "You guys alright?" She said, before seeing Rion light Terra up with healing magic. "Ah. Better do it now while we got the chance.." She said, glancing over at Silver. She smiled at Alriik and Arne. "You both did great. It looks like that all that commotion scared off the monsters who attacked us, with any luck we'll be able to rest. But uh, I don't think I'll be able to sleep with that sitting there." She said, looking at the dragon frozen inside the glacier. Their onslaught immobilized the dragon, but how long it stayed put was up to question.

She looked over at Rion, now holding Alriik's weapon high with a raised eyebrow. Waves of light entered her like a breath of fresh air, and she felt the pain in her side ease into tenderness, and her legs become more stable under her weight. She looked at the man again, noticing the markings on his arm. "..Hm?" But before she could raise any question, he stabbed the back of the dragon with the crystallized sword. Aqua stood tense. She knew that he tried to do this before, but failed. If he failed and Silver started moving, she'd have to do all she could to crush her inside the glacier, and it would be quite a gruesome end to the elf and dragon's friendship, what remained of it. That is, if she could pull it off.

As Rion worked, the black lightning appeared again. Aqua bit her lip, and started gathering mana. Whatever she could muster in this moment might be what keeps them all alive. She hoped for Rion's success but was now planning for the worst. Fortunately his efforts did seem to be working as Silver's monstrous features disappeared, although it was definitely wearing the swordsman out. She stayed her hand for now, but whispered to Arne and Alriik. "If this doesn't work, then we don't have any options left.."

Rion succeeded, gaining a sigh of relief from Aqua. Too soon though, black lightning struck him and sent him rocketing off the iceberg. Silver seemed to be normal? But what was normal for this thing? Aqua chose to focus on that and left Rion's care to the others, but noticed something was off. He seemed to be.. glowing from the wound she left on his arm. She'd look later with interest but right now she had to focus on the potential threat.

[Vic Alriikerson]

Alriik would sigh at Aqua's recommendation. “Look, if someone's gotta put her down… Might as well be me…. But let's watch the light show first.” He'd sigh, approaching his sword harness and swinging it back on, clamping it on his chest. He'd watch, at the ready as Rion did his best to heal his friend. “C'mon, man… Don't make me kill her…” But Rion's light began to shift Silver into a more normal shape, and Alriik relaxed a bit. “Okay… See, he's got i-“ and with that, it was Rion's turn to be sent flying from the dragon.

As he went soaring, Alriik would dart to the man, trying to be the first one there. His greatsword again on his back, he got between the dragon and his friend. “C’mon, tell me you’re alright…” He'd go to help Rion up… When he finally noticed the crystals forming on Rion’s chest. He'd begin to curse “Sh@t, what did she-“ before his realization. “... That’s not blight.” He’d look to the crystal trees for similarities, but… He didn’t think that was exactly 1-to-1 either. “…Looks like I’m not the only one with a story to tell, huh?” He’d, again, offer Rion assistance up.

[Swim]

After launching Frida through the air and watching her land in a pond Terra started over to make sure she was alright, but Rion intercepted her. "Oh, it's not that bad-" she started to say as he hovered a glowing hand over her arm. The healing magic took effect quickly, Terra felt the pain in her arm begin to subside. It was similar to the technique that Logan had used to heal her back in Eulene. She was grateful, but didn't want the Light Mage to exert too much effort on her behalf, not when there was still a blighted Silver to deal with. She trusted Rion to know what he was doing with regard to his own energy reserves, but it was anyone's guess just how long Frida's magic would keep the dragon still.

It seemed Rion had the same idea, so Terra left him to deal with Silver and made her way over to the pond. Frida was already up and moving back toward their group, but Terra wanted to take the opportunity to wash out the bite wound, even after Rion's healing. The wound stung as she cleaned it out, that wolf had had some huge fangs. She could fit her whole thumb into each of the tooth-marks. She'd rub a little dirt on it and ignite the arm once more to stop the bleeding. Once they'd made camp she'd throw a bandage over it to prevent any infection, but at this point she'd be fine.

Terra turned around and began walking back to her companions just in time to see Rion blasted away by a bolt of black lightning, despite Silver looking more normal and less blightey. She hurried over to join Alriik over at Rion's side and began examining the mage who'd just healed her a few moments ago. "Whoa, I'm not sure we should be moving him after a hit like that," she cautioned Alriik as the elf tried to help Rion up. "We might make it worse." The attack had torn through his chest plate and exposed not skin but a layer of crystal. She watched Alriik's eyes dart from Rion's chest to the crystal forest as he drew the same conclusion. Though to her, this looked more like the crystal formation under Dr. Logan's clinic. "What happened to you Rion?" Terra asked quietly to herself, not expecting the Light Mage to hear or answer. There was no wound for her to clean or cauterize, there wasn't anything she could really do for him medically. All she could do was try to make him comfortable and wait.

[Tony]

As the last of the beasts flee from the campsite, Arne and Hien turn their attention back towards Silver to find that the dragon had been successfully immobilized. The two start to relax as Aqua approaches them. "Yeah, we're fine. But what about you? You're not looking too good."

He wouldn't get an answer as everyone's attention is soon grabbed by Rion's light show... and the blight seemingly being removed from Silver. "That's... good, right? Because it seems like it's goo-" Arne gets cut off by Rion being sent flying and crashing into the ground. The duo quickly head over to check on their ally and are met with the peculiar sight of crystals seemingly growing from Rion's flesh. At which, Hien began chirping frantically in both concern and confusion. "That definitely doesn't seem like it's good."

[Arashi]

Silver could not do much with the ice holding her down. She was, at last, completely immobilized. She roared and snarled angrily while thrashing about as much as she could, but...she couldn't really move that much at all. However, one breath of fire...it could potentially ruin everything. Luckily though, her feral state didn't allow her to think clearly enough to use fire. Through all of this, she seemed completely un-phased by the obvious pain this sort of thing would cause.

As Rion plunged the sword in to her spike, the beast screeched. As the light magic did it's work and began to force the blight away, the dragon finally seemed to feel some sort of pain...but it would be worth it. Rion's efforts would not be in vain, as Silver returned to her normal state; her injuries hidden beneath the pile of ice on top of her.

She remained barely conscious for a moment.

"Why...why did I do that?", she thought. She was far too weak to speak at this point.

She would see the lightning strike Rion, and then fade out of consciousness. She would then shift back in to her human form, leaving her trapped under the ice...which presented an entirely new problem to deal with.

[Bloodbane]

"So... they died because of this power? ... Because of me?"

"There would have been no stopping the forces you all came up against. But by doing what they did... they saved you, and in doing so saved themselves from becoming thralls to the blight. If you had any doubts before, know this Rion; they sacrificed themselves knowing that you will be capable of finishing their fight someday. But while a loss like this is... difficult, I need you to understand you simply can't do this alone."

"You expect me to risk even more people this way? If the Swordsmen couldn't fight off these mages what makes you think anyone else could?!"

"They were powerful in their ways, yes... but there are few in this world like you. The ones who choose to help you along your way will find safety from the darkness, but what you witnessed was only the beginning; an awakening, so to speak. If you wish to avenge those who gave their lives for yours, then seek out the other crystal bearers... they will help you claim control over the power that lives within."

As Rion began to stir with a groan, he no longer heard the voice of the stranger who saved him that fateful day, but instead the voices of his comrades.

"C'mon, tell me you're alright..." "Whoa, I'm not sure we should me moving him after a hit like that. We might make it worse." "crap, what did she- ... That's not blight." "What happened to you Rion?" "... Looks like I'm not the only one with a story to tell, huh?" "That definitely doesn't seem like it's good."

Rion's eyes opened, though he found himself squinting briefly as his eyes adjusted to the light of the crystallized foliage. The dull aching feeling in his chest brought him to bring his right arm over, though he seemed about as confused as the others when he brought his hand up, neither feeling nor seeing blood, but the glow that came from the opening in his armor caused his eyes to widen as he pushed himself up to a seated position, lowering his head and confirming what the others had seen. The injury would likely have been severe given how it had torn through his armor... though as he looked to the others, the concern on his face matched theirs.

"It's nothing to worry about... I'll be all right, but I suppose I've got some explaining to do..." he said, before looking over and seeing where Silver had returned to a human form. "I... think we can set up camp now..." he looked to Alriik with a smirk as he took the outstretched hand; though he was back on his feet, it was clear that he was still extremely weary from the battle as he put his arm over the elf's shoulders. "Think I still need a breather, but I think this fellow was just getting started when everything kicked up."

After a second, he looked back over to the mound of ice, frowning slightly. "We should get her out of there..."

[Sorrum]

Aqua peered through the ice at Silver's transformation. She now looked like the girl she met back in Aldur, silhouetted by the campfire inside the glacier. It was a bitter sweet moment, for now Aqua was faced with the consequences that may come if she were to free the girl. There was no saying that her mind was not corrupted; even in her last moment she lashed out and injured Rion, taking him out of the fight. The idea left a bad taste in her mouth, and killing the girl without giving her a chance to explain herself would unjust, cruel, and would haunt the elf for the rest of her days. If she would rampage again, it would be up to the forces of Meribia to lay her low, and they wouldn't hesitate when she eventually made her way to the settlement.

Aqua approached the glacier, taking in it's enormity. Certainly, thousands of years of mana expelled at once would cause a massive explosion, but she'd never seen it happen before. She felt as though half of a warship laid in front of her. She carefully cut the ice apart, cleaving a path toward the girl. As she reached the center, she would pull the ice off around her and push it outside the tunnel she'd made. She then grabbed a hold of the girl, noticing now that their attacks had left damage on her body. Aqua winced at the sight of other wounds. Whatever she'd been through, she never took the time to treat any of the wounds inflicted on her. She wondered how long she'd been like this, in this state. Aqua pulled off her cloak and wrapped Silver in it, before carrying her out of the crystal tower and back to the campsite, noticing Rion's condition as she passed by.

"..What the hell? Is that from the lightning that hit you?" She would treat Silver's wounds, but after setting her down she hurried over to Rion's side. She looked over him for a moment, before issuing a command."..I've never seen anything like that.. but at any rate, let's get back to the fire, we can treat you and Silver together."

[Vic Alriikerson]

"C'mon, buddy. Let's get you sat down before I go do sword roll call." He'd assist Rion back over by the fire, taking a slow pace. "Hope you're right about not worrying about that. But I get being different. Either way, you did real good back there." He'd smirk to Rion as he helped him sit by the fire. "Be right back." He'd walk off, and go collect each blade, taking the time to clean each blade and speak something quietly to each blade.

He'd return in time, disguise completely ruined. He'd glance over to Aqua and Silver. "She gonna be alright?" He'd look over the dragon-girl's more sapient form, and well... He was surprised at how fragile she seemed. "Never seen a dragon look so... Weak, I guess." His word choice was probably not the best, but the look of concern on his face was genuine. "And, well..." He'd clear his throat. "If she doesn't need any immediate treatment, we got some time to kill..."

[Swim]

With both Rion and Silver seemingly unconscious it seemed apparent to Terra that they'd be spending the night where they were. They'd already begun to make camp but amid the fighting items had been knocked around. The fire was still going, but already had burned down low. Frida had been right, the wood in this forest did not burn long. The flames they produced were beautiful though, they burned with all the colors of the rainbow. Captivating though the fire was, Terra tore herself away to go fetch the additional logs they'd need for cooking and warmth.

Because of the fighting wood was not a difficult thing to gather. Normally Terra would have felt bad about burning the beautiful crystal trees but since they'd already been knocked over by a rampaging dragon there was no harm in collecting it. Once her arms were full of logs Terra started to head back to the group but something caught her eye. A dazzling crystal like so many others around her, but something about the way it glimmered in the flicker of the firelight called out to Terra, compelling her to pick it up out of the earth and take it back to the campsite. There was no way to know if the crystal was mature enough to use, but since it had already been torn from the plant it had grown on it couldn't hurt to take it with her.

By the time she returned Rion was coming around and Alriik was helping him make his way over to the fire. Terra lay the logs beside the fire and flashed him an encouraging smile, she was glad he seemed alright. He'd definitely have to explain the crystal growth on his chest though, it made her feel uneasy. Her thoughts went back to the earlier conversation where Alriik had asked what might happen if a person tried to bond with a crystal for power. Dark thoughts came to her unbidden. She'd liked Dr. Logan but what if he'd done something to Rion when he was a boy? She'd have to hear what Rion had to say on the matter.

Terra turned her attention over to Frida, who had just finished freeing Silver from the ice. The dragon had reverted back to her humanoid form and didn't show any lingering signs of blight corruption but Terra remained wary. She wasn't sure what to think regarding Silver, it might be best to reserve judgment until the girl had explained herself. At the moment Terra was more concerned that Celestrus might appear out of nowhere and drop some new monstrosity on them. She wasn't feeling particularly friendly toward the dragon at the moment.

Alriik was handling things better than Terra, concern was what she should be feeling right now, not hostility and mistrust. She'd get her answers, for now they could use the time to treat their wounds, both past and present. She knew that Alriik had things he wanted to share, and if he really was being hunted Terra was eager to know more so that she could better protect everyone. Then there were lingering questions about Vile Rai, about Frida's status as a princess, and about that elemental storm and inter-dimensional adventure they'd had. There was certainly plenty to talk about.