<div></div><br> <br>Kilsa stand at the docks near a small ship and a Pig captain, The two are exchange blows and laughing as the group approaches, "You fat badger, I swear I would have nominated my own snot as a noble before I expected you to make it." Kilsa laughed and punched the old heavy clan pig into the dirt. "Alright lass enough civil talk, I'll boat these folks for free since. " Kilsa turn to the crowd, "Alright we have a bit of an issue, The town of NearHave is pretty far north, I'll be sending you by boat to enter the town and clear out whatever ghost or creature has made the abandoned place a home. I want colateral damage to a minimum since we plan to move folk into the old houses with a little patchwork and rebuilding. Arimia, You'll be leading this operation with the exception of Mazurek here since I have no authority over him but I trust him with my life and know you can as well."<br> <br>Selena takes a short bow. "I'll keep my impact to a minimum unless there's no other option." she grins. "Sounds simple enough, though. Do you have anything else you can tell us about this place?"<br> <br>Arimia gives a small nod of her head, and ushers her golem onto the boat, though the raccoon stays on the shore for the moment. "How long of a journey is it? An' we'll try to keep from tearin' the town apart. But if the place is home to a bone dragon nest or somethin' I make no guarantee." She gives a shrug of her shoulders, looking at the others coming along.  <br> <br>Kiyasai stays behind Arimia, which makes her look a bit comic as she clutches the handle of her hammer as tightly as she can. "No, won't do anything to cause collateral damage, I promise. Won't let you down!" She seems nervous and eager at the same time.<br> <br>The large dragon crosses his arms and cocks his head a bit, "She will be leading this operation with the exception of myself?  What is that supposed to mean?"  Maz looks more confused than anything with the choice of wording, "Also, just how far north are we talking here?"  He steps up to Kiyasai and actually brushes her with his tail, "You fought admirably on the ship the other day, by the way."<br> <br>Kilsa looks at Mazurek, "You are a lightbringer and thus not under my direct authority, The rest here are Ironsoul Defenders who are employed by me. I would like you to follow order but I have to put faith into you doing the right thing." She smiled and answered the rest of the question, "The trip should be only three to four hours by this little boat." The Pig next to her grunted before giving her a light jab in the arm, "Eric here will be leading running the ship, This porker is as good a Captain as he is ugly." She joked but then looked very serious, "This is not going to be an easy mission, no scouts sent there have returned, I decided that a little tougher folk were needed." <br> <br>Selena nods, and turns to board the ship. "I didn't expect a cakewalk, Lady Ironsoul." she smiles. "But I prefer to ask nonetheless. Well then... What are we waiting for?"<br> <br>Arimia flicks her ears, listening to the badgers words. Once Kilsa is done talking she nods her head and starts walking toward the boat, arching her body in a stretch. "So send the golem in first, got it." She boards the boat then moves to lean over the side, saying to Selena, "Presumably for the rest of you to get onto the boat!" She calls out to Kilsa next, "We'll be back when the town is cleared out, Miss Ironsoul."<br> <br>Kiyasai blushes rather violently and turns around sharply, bumping into him and mewling. "T-thank you for the complement, sir. You were pretty good too!" She returns her attention to Kilsa. "No scouts huh? Are we keeping a lookout for any of them?" She gets onto the boat and wobbles a little, but gets her bearings.<br> <br>A nod from the dragon to the Badger, "Your entourage is growing rapidly, Lady Ironsoul.  As far as me being the only one present not of your House in any way, we have known one another far longer than I have been affiliated with Solicious or the Lightbringers."  He is rather open with his friendship toward the badger, giving her a tight hug before boarding the ship.<br> <br>Kilsa smile at Mazurek as the Ship starts to Move, "If you find a scout help them back but I don't think it likely." The Badger says as the ship is moving in full motion. The Captain smiles at everyone, "The lower deck have food and beds though the food aint the best and beds are hard as a frozen Fisk. Now you don't need to do much but sit back, relax and let the Flying Bacon do its thing." He chucked patting the side of the ship.<br> <br>Selena chuckles at the ship's name, and waves to Kilsa as the ship departs, turning to Arimia. "Yeah, that seemed to be it." She chuckles. "What do you reckon the chances of us finding any of the scouts alive is? And possessed or reanimated don't count."<br> <br>Arimia glances toward the pig as he speaks, then moves to sit down on the deck. "I'm fine up here," she says, as she settle somewhere she hopes will be out of the way and starts to go through her things, making sure everything is in order and preparing anything that needs to be prepared. At Selena's words she flicks her ears slightly and gives a small shake of her head. "Depends on what exactly happened there. But I'm thinkin' we won't find any. An' if any survived, they'll have ran an' hid. So findin' them would be more difficult."<br> <br>Kiyasai sits down on the ship and tries to get a hold of her seasickness, using the fresh air on the deck to try to keep herself from making a mess of her polished armor.<br> <br>Mazurek does not remain idle on board the ship during the trip.  He had noted the effects on Kiyasai with regard to seasickness and moved right over to join her, resting hands on her shoulders, "Once you have been on board boats a few times you will begin to get used to how they move.  I had the honor of being one of the first to experience the travel over the air on a flying ship. It was almost as though we weren't moving at all."<br> <br>Eric Chuckles at Kiyasai, "Ahh I've met many that don't have there sea legs yet. Big fella you might want to hold on to her for the next bit." Four pigs with Clever folk clan seals began to preform complex math on each corner of the shift. "Alright everyone hold on to something!" The captain says as his crew rushes down into the lower decks, "Hit it!" The front two Pigs begin preforming math that causes circles to appear on the sides of the ship that suck in water while the back two pigs cause the ship to rocket forward as if caught in a water fall. The four pigs seem unaffected while the captain is gripping to side for dear life. "Wooooooohoooooo!" The Pig screams over the rushing water.<br> <br>Selena nods in agreement with Arimia then looks over to Kiyasai. "I suppose we should take a look for seasickness-surpressants." she grins, before adding in a more serious tone; "Since it seems like we're going to be on the sea a lot." She sighs, though her eyes light up a little at Mazurek's mention of an airship. Choosing not to take any more time, she turns her attention to the ship and area around it. After all, it's pretty boring to just sit around doing nothing - that is, until the ship jets forwards, causing Selena to slide back a little before she regains her balance.<br> <br>Arimia continues to prepare her gear, though she looks up as the pigs start performing their mathmagic. She shifts slightly to brace herself against her golem, gathering up any loose bits of gear before the boat shoots forward. She returns her attention to her gear and starts to fiddle with a wrist mounted crossbow, making sure it's in working order before strapping it on. As she does this she calls out, loud enough to hear, "When I was comin' to Firmament from Cliffside, the caravan I was with, gaurding, traveled in a boat like this on a river part of the way! You'll get used to it quick enough!"<br> <br>"I'll be okay, I promise...just...*heave*" The leopardess would be green if she possibly could, but fur color doesn't easily change.<br> <br>Mazurek turns his attention to the captain when the crew begins to get ready for something.  Perhaps it was fortunate that he had chosen to settle into a three-legged crouch (Feet and tail) when he had gone over to the Snow Leopard, for all he needs to do is lean forward while using his tail to keep himself from bowling backward.  Of course, he grabs her when the ship starts to rocket forward, making sure she isn't going anywhere.  He apparently does not fear the fact that she just might upchuck over him, for he remains quite close to her, even hugging her to his larger body.<br> <br>The Ride continues at a steady pace for a few hours until the captain give the order to slow down, The area that the ship has slowly into is covered by a thin fog, the water is a sickening brown and dark shapes move in the distance. The Ship come to a stop near the shore as the captain hold out a few lanterns, "I will wait for you here for a maximum of eight days but I hope you'll be back much sooner than that, I don't like this area and all I know is do not eat the red berrys or stray off the path. Things here are ambush predators, stray off the paths and fifty things you didn't see eariler will kill you. Now take there lanterns and if you in a bind stick close to someone, probably the big guy." He points to Mazurek, "Now take this path and follow it you should reach Nearhaven in less than an hour."<br> <br>Selena peers through the fog, noting the figures slinking through it. "Right. Then we'll be off." She smiles. "Would anyone else like the fog gone?" She asks to nobody in particular, readying an air spell in the event she isn't the only one.<br> <br>Arimia gives a small frown and stands up. She grabs a lantern before her and her golem climb off the boat. She glances back at Selena's words and says, "If you all want it, sure. But while that fog may hide things from our view, it also hides us from theirs. In theory. "She looks forward along the path before saying, "My golem'll an' I'll go first, Selena, an' Kiyasai in the middle. Mazurek, you'll take the rear, if you don't mind. I think that'll offer the most as far as protecting the group."<br> <br>Mazurek smirks as he is singled out ... twice within ten seconds.  He takes a lantern and joins the group on the shore, "I am the largest here, so it only makes sense that I take the rear.  I can easily look over your heads to see what we need to see.  If any danger threatens, you can bet they're going to be fried."  He huffs a brief spurt of flame over the group's heads.<br> <br>The moment the flame exits Mazurek's mouth a chittering noise echos loudly and many faces back away in the fog. There is much movent in the distance but the faces are hard to indentify what sort of creature they are. "Well. Shout at me when you back I think I will be keeping my plank raised until then." He said while dashing up the ramp to safety, "Goooood Luck!" He shouts down to the group.<br> <br>Selena Shrugs and quashes her spell, only a small puff of wind leaving. "Fair enough, Arimia. My only comment to that is, they are native to this area. Chances are they're used to the fog." She sighs. "But You do have a point. My offer stands if you change your mind." She smiles, glancing ahead at the lurking creatures, brought to attention by Mazurek's fire. "...So. About that fog." She chuckles dryly, and readies herself for the chance of combat.<br> <br>Arimia flicks her ears slightly and hands her lantern, now lit, to her golem and falls in behind it. "Stay close enough that you can see through the fog. We don't want to get separated if the fog thickens." She glances at Selena and gives a small shrug of her shoulders, before saying, "If you want it gone, go ahead. But it's thin enough that it isn't a big problem yet. 'Sides. The captain said the things here are ambush predators. You get rid of their fog an' they might charge. You decide if gettin' rid of it is somethin' worth riskin' with the others. But do it while we move. I wanna get to Nearhaven as fast as we can, set up in a buildin' there so we can plan out what happens next. I don't like bein' exposed here on the beach." After saying that her golem starts to move forward and she follows along behind it, though slow enough for  the others to all catch up and fall in line.<br> <br>Mazurek chuckles upon noting the effects of the brief gout of flame he had done, "Well, it looks like our hosts here don't like the light too much.  Dispel the fog while we move if you can.  I'd say a 15 foot radius around us will suffice, no?"  He lets loose with another breath, this time of the air element directed to the side to see what sort of reaction the creatures have.<br> <br>The Creatures departs from the area that gets cleared out by the wind, A soft yelp is heard and a dead skrith is tossed at the groups feet. A soft sound of hissing come from the fog around the group and the smoke slowly become thicker, A distinct sound of boot on rocks can be heard as the smoke increases more and more. At his strongest breath Mazurek can can only push holes into the ultra thick fog. "Oi! Remember Stick Together." The Captain calls out from the ship.<br> <br>Selena nods to Arimia. "You and I both. Would it be worth making decoy lights with fire magic?" She asks. "Since Mazurek's flame seemed to get their attention so well, we could probably trick some of them if we need to. But the risk of attracting more also comes with that gambit." She offers, readying a spell on Mazurek's behalf. "Well. Let's see if I can do anything to this..." She shudders a little. "If that's even a good idea."<br> <br>Arimia glances down at the dead skrith, then says to her golem, "Toss that thing back at them." The golem reaches down and picks up the corpse, throwing it back into the think fog. That done she glances back over her shoulder and says, "Lets just move. If too bad, we'll do somethin' about it. But for now let's just take the captain's advice, stick to the path, and make our way to Nearhaven."<br> <br>Mazurek cracks his knuckles and digs into a pouch to swiitch out one of the gems that he has in his pendant.  Which one it is won't be known unless interrogated, but it does have the effect of making him stop the trial-and-error of breath attacks in favor of taking up the rear of the group moving forward, "Perhaps the Skrith was a warning for us to stop?"<br> <br>The skirth golem threw landed in the fog with a wet crunch before the sound of eating could be heard. The smoke after a short pause fade back to its normal thickness. The town is found easily enough but the place is deserted but a soft singing can be heard coming from the center along with a faint light, "Creators dun left me to die, Creators dun left me to fireeee, Creators dun left me alone to cryyyyy." The screams at the end is followed by silenct as the center of the town continues to glow. Many large building decorate the area and block a straight path to the down, a soft crackling seems to echo in everyone's ears but nothing that could make such a sound can be found.<br> <br>Selena chuckles. "Probably. But we're not here to run away." She shrugs. "Unless you have a better plan?" She asks, glancing over her shoulder at the imposing dragon. "Oh boy..." she shudders at the dismal lyrics and atmosphere.<br> <br>Arimia lets out a soft laugh and says, "I'm supposed to be afraid and run because they killed a skirth? If they toss a bone dragon corpse at me, I'll think about it." When they reach the town she glances around and gives a small frown, then heads for the nearest, most intact building. "Right. I say we wait until daytime. Don' know that it'll do anythin' about the fog or anythin' but we'll be fairly well rested at least." She doesn't seem upset by the singing though her eyes do flick toward the glow. "Though... We may want to check out that light before daytime, while we can see it. What do you all think?"<br> <br>Mazurek smirks while he spreads his wings and settles to a crouch, "I think that it would probably be a good idea to fly over the buildings to get to the voice quicker than skirting the town for a way inside.  Anyone want to join me?"  He looks reay to leap into the air.<br> <br>A Raccoon step from behind an alley way and darts down another alley way, she is giggling the whole way until scream reaches the groups ears, "Nooo! AH!!" The gruesome sounds of crunching and splashing is heard as the screams quickly die down to whimpers. As the group arrives to the sight of the screasm there is only a raccoon head with fancy ear piercings forming a latter on the outer edge of each ear. As the lanterns shine there is a message written in blood, "The first will be of cliffside." A rumbling occurs above the group as a blood covered elemental made of glass and mortar. The creature rushes Arimia.<br> <br>Selena yelps loudly at the sudden appearance of the rubble elemental, her immediate reaction being to push the mortar and glass of its form as far away as she can with a violent burst of earth mathemagic.<br> <br>Arimia lets out a soft laugh at the display, though her golem does move to defend the raccoon. "I faced death every day when I lived in Cliffside, an' twice a day durin' the winter times. I've come to terms with the fact  that one day, I'll be nothin' but a corpse. If you want to scare me of you'll have to do better than threaten my death with a false image." While her golem remains ready to defend her she turns to face those with her. "Whatever is going on here is going to try an' play mental games with us. So gettin' some sleep first is probably out of the question." Saying that she reaches down and properly seats the chakra gem for her torso, prompting several tentacles to grow out of her side. "So. Let's find out what is causin' all this."<br> <br>Mazurek notes that there were no takers for his offer for a direct approach and shrugs.  He does not head off alone, especially when things become more interesting.  After the belated attack on the group he can't help but ask, "This is the second time I have seen you burst forth with tentacles.  Are those meant f or a specific task or are they for just about anything?"<br> <br>The glass and mortar fall inert to the ground before a green light from the center of town rises up like a second moon and lands into the dead Raccoon who promptly stands up with her body made blood that harding into a similar form to Arimia, "SKRRRREEEEE!!" The creature screams before attacking the whole group.<br> <br>Selena shrugs. "You're forgetting that you're not the only person here that's from cliffside, Arimia. And not everyone shares your nerves." She chuckles sheepishly. "Even if it was a raccoon head, that could just as easily been for convenience. After all, how many other living things do you see here? She questions, bracing herself for combat with the bloody monstrosity.<br> <br>The creatures goes down hard and the light in the middle of the area dims a little, The head give a screech before bubbling into a pool of Ichor. The giggling is heard deeper in the town, "Its was just as dark when the shadows came. They killed everyone! Hehehehe." The gilish laughter echos off of all the alleys at the same time.<br> <br>Selena looks around the area worriedly. "That doesn't look good..." She groans, gesturing to the Ichor.<br> <br>Mazurek snorts, "Sounds like the female we are wanting to meet is quite insane in her own way.  Still, the offer to be the one to fly us right to her is still open."  He then eyes the two females, "So, I am in the company of Cliffsiders.  I suppose it is fortune that I should get to see the...good...side of the other nation I was a prisoner of."<br> <br>The serpentine, eight foot long dragon twists that had replaced the raccoon shifts and twists, until Arimia is standing there, tentacled. She glances at the other dragon and says, "They're just generally useful. 'Bout as strong as my arms, though not as nimble. No fingers, you know?" She walks toward the pool of ichor and kneels down for a closer look. "Think I've seen somethin' that causes this before. If it's the same thing." At the dragon's offer she turns back around and looks up at the sky. "I dunno about you, but I can't see much above us, an' it's dark. I have no clue what sort of flyin' predators are up there, an' don't want to try an' fight in mid-air."<br> <br>Selena shakes her head. "I might be from Cliffside, but that doesn't mean I liked it there either. I'm sorry to hear that, Mazurek." She offers. "Arimia, I can put a flare up if you'd like."<br> <br>Mazurek looks upward into the fog overhead, grimacing, "Alright, fine.  Last thing we need us to needlessly feed the creatures our tasty flesh."  A sigh before he returns his attention to the others, "You've seen this before?  Perhaps you can defeat whatever is doing this the same way as before?"<br> <br>Arimia gives a small shrug of her shoulders. "Through repeated and copious amounts of applied violence? Yeah. Maybe. The one we faced then wasn't entirely here. We were able to weaken it an' all." She looks around before pointing in the direction of the dimmed light. "So. Let's go look at the light. <br> <br>The sounds of bells echo loudly as a roar echos out a building nears to them collapse inwardly as something climbs beneath the ground and look at the pair, "Flesh..." The creature snorts and grunt with bloodly jagged teeth, "Fleeeesh." The creature steps out and is revealed to be dozens of corpses sewn on to a half rotted bone dragon. The Creature takes a few steps before collapsing under it own weight, "I hurt so badly....I need fleesh."<br> <br>Selena shudders a little and pivots to face the dragon. "Any suggestions..?" She asks quietly, preparing to try and dump pieces of the building's rubble into the dragon. "Any at all?"<br> <br>Arimia takes a couple of steps toward the sewn together 'dragon' and looks it over. She stops far enough that the creature can't get her with a burst of motion. "Who was it that mentioned animated corpses? 'Cause I wanna throw somethin' at them." She looks around and sighs, "Suggestions? It doesn't look much like it can move far or fast. As is indicated by it collapsing. So I suggest we ignore it an' find the source of everything."<br> <br>Mazurek turns toward the disturbance and the rotting corpse that is trying to communicate.  Brow raised he asks, "We did not summon you to try and toy with us.  However, just what do you need flesh for?  You're already dead and cannot possibly feel pain."  He turns his focus on Arimia, "Nobody spoke of corpses.  I only said my own tasty flesh and such.  Let's move on, then."  He takes the rear again when the group DOES move on.<br> <br>Selena nods. "But if it does manage to pull itself over, I don't want to be near it." She adds, putting some chunks of rubble onto the dragon for good measure.<br> <br>The Dragon reaches out pitifully, "Please....I hurt..." The dragon whimpers as its body is toppled with rubble. The creature doesn't even put up a fight, "Why..?" It wheezes as a path is knocked over from Selena's math, "Its so dark..." The dragon whimpers as it simply lays there the open path seems to lead closer to the green light. The only thing between the group and the light is a simple wall.<br> <br>Selena looks back at the dragon. "If you're still here when we're back, I'll see if there's anything I can do to help." She says. "But your first comment was 'I need flesh', and from the looks of it I can't do much about that either if you wanted someone alive to help." She sighs.<br> <br>Arimia flicks her ears and makes her way down the path revealed, skirting wide of the dragon, even if it is pinned down. When she reaches the wall she looks it over, tail flicking, before saying, "I know Miss Ironsoul wanted things as intact as possible, but I'm votin' we put a hole in this wall, rather than search for a way around." She glances back at Selena's words, and shakes her head slightly. "Look at it closer. It's made of corpses sewn together. Whatever did that is what's keepin' it in a semi-livin' state. Best thing for it is to find the cause of that, an' end it."<br> <br>Mazurek follows the two along the path, keeping his gaze on the dragon-flesh-golem-thing, "I once met another bone dragon who spoke.  It was hostile at first but actually wanted to converse after I breathed at it.  If you wish, large one, I can end your suffering through cleansing flames?"<br> <br>Selena nods back to Arimia, and lowers her voice. "I know, Arimia. But would you want it breathing down our necks later? As long as it can move, I have no doubt it would hunt us down for our bodies." She sighs. "It might be a complete abomination, but that doesn't mean I'm going to treat it any worse than I did. Some warm words never hurt." She smiles. "And walls? Walls can be rebuilt pretty easily. Shall I?" She offers.<br> <br>Arimia waves a hand at the wall and says, "Do it." She turns away then and walks back to Mazurek, saying, not unsympathetically, "I wouldn't. There is no guarantee that that would end it's sufferin', an' not add to it. Easiest way to end it's sufferin' an' everythin' else here, is to find the source, the thing that made it, whatever, an' destroy that."<br> <br>The creature look at Mazurek, "No....everyone....die...No burn." The rotting  dragon looks fearfully at the living one, "Dark...math" The Dragon opens its mouth to show that dozens of soul gems have been placed in it skull with screaming faces within them. "Fleeeesh?" He pleads again.<br> <br>Selena readies a spell for a moment, before reconsidering given the abundance of rubble. Instead, she chooses to pick up choice sections of rock and place a ramp over the wall, and back down on the other side. "Hopefully that'll suffice. If we have to, I can blast a hole in the wall later." She smiles.<br> <br>Arimia gives a small frown at the dragons words, and the sight of the soul gems. She sighs, then and says, "I'm going to try undoing the maths involved in that. Are either of you more skilled in dark mathmagic than I am?"<br> <br>Mazurek holds up a hand with one finger raised toward Arimia, "So you are another with many soul gems attached just to live.  Interesting.  I have another question for you.  How much of one's flesh do you need, and how often do you need it?  As one of the growing clan, I might be able to lend you some of myself a bit at a time."  He adds as an aside, "I have no knowledge of the dark arts.  Only the basic elements."<br> <br>Selena shakes her head. "I have no experience in Dark magic, sorry." she sighs. "I tend to keep away from it."<br> <br>The Dragon growls, "Flesh of.....Evil.....Bunny..." The dragon puts his only free claw in front of his face to keep Arimia or any of the others from trying to mess with him. "No....hurt... others.." The dragon speak between bony and rotted fingers.<br> <br>Arimia gives a small frown, moving around in front of the dragon, possibly closer than she should be, as she's close enough to reach out and touch it, looking over the form. "Evil bunny?" she asks, before giving a small shake of her head, "I ain't going to hurt you. I won't undo the maths if you don't want me to. But I do need to check a few things. I'm going to work with a bit of math to try an' figure out if you can... Survive independent of what did this. An' to make sure you can't be forced to come after us when we go, as a safety precaution."<br> <br>Selena looks back over to the dragon, raising an eyebrow at the mention of an 'evil bunny', before turning back around. "Any clue where the 'evil bunny' is, or is it one of the corpses stitched onto you?" she queries. "Could you give us some direction?" She asks.<br> <br>Mazurek chuckles, "Evil bunny?  I have a feeling that this bunny you speak of just might be the one who has been giggling so madly since we got here.  It just seems to always become that way in almost everything that I do."  He joins the others at the dragon and goes so far as to pet its bony/fleshy head, "You will be freed from your slavery soon."<br> <br>The group notices that the souls gems are powering the dragon but further down there nothing to show that the dragon itself is anything other than a warped bone dragon. Removing the souls gem wouldn't probably hurt it badly but removing them from the dragon would kill the occupants. The green light glow a bit and two Bloodly Arimia's appear with A dragon made of mortar and blood. "SKEEEEE!!!"<br> <br>The creature go down hard before a living metal Snow Leopard leaps off a near by building holing a glass covered wolf animated from flowing blood, neither speak before rushing the party. The Metal Leopard seems to be feeding some math into the Glass wolf.<br> <br>"Stop me whatever you do! Or...well... beat down the not me me..." Kiyasai growls and swings her hammer in deft motions before charging the glass wolf, hoping to smash it for good.<br> <br>Arimia looks over at the two creatures jumping down off the building. She looks them over briefly, then points at the metal leopard, saying, "Go show that thing that it's just a poor imitation of a golem."<br> <br>Selena glares down the glass doppelganger, cursing silently before forcing glass out of its form, with an apparrently useful effect. "What is going ON here?" She growls irritatedly.<br> <br>The Glass creature explodes and lands in a pile of gore and sharpened blade. The Metal Snow Leopard pause and mimics a pray before Charging the group and attempting to avenge the glass creature. "SKEEE SKEEE GRRRR!"<br> <br>Selena spits on the metal of the Priest. Part of her is wondering if she could salvage it for later use, but she brushes the thought aside. "Right, We need to find that 'Evil Bunny', right? The ramp I made over the wall is still there." She adds.<br> <br>Arimia gives a small nod of her head, saying, "Right. Walking walls of metal first." After that her golem starts it's way to, then up the ramp. She glances over at the bone dragon, ears flattening briefly, but turns and follows after her golem without saying anything to it. <br> <br>The priest hits the ground with a loud clange before standing back up, A hold in its chest reveals a pulsing heart. "Haaaate..." Dozens of green bolts hit the priest and it shines before dark math appears all over it body. "Haaaaattteeeee..."<br> <br>The metal creature is break apart into many small hunt of metal as the beating takes it toil and the dark math flees it body.<br> <br>Selena pants slightly, and looks down at the broken pieces of metal. "Well. That was... Lovely." She growls. "So! The 'evil bunny'!" She states. "Are we going to get looking for it?"<br> <br>Kiyasai is panting and heaving, having suffered quite a bit of damage and having been sent to the ground several times during the fight, muttering a curse and dropping the hammer to try to catch her breath. "W-we did it..."<br> <br>Arimia lets out a soft sigh as the metal thing collapses. At Selena's words she gives a small nod of her head, her and her golem starting back toward the ramp. She glances back at Kiyasai and says, "We aren't done yet. Come on."<br> <br>A string of terrible curses is heard from just over the wall, "I can't believe those lazy constructs failed!!" The voice screams as a another voice giggles. "Don't you laugh at me!!" A smack is hear and much more laughing. "Ugh I hate you!" More smacks are heard.<br> <br>Selena grins. "So, I think we've found them." She smiles, and lowers her voice. "I'm not bringing the wall down on whoever's over there. Sounds like there's a friendly on the other side. But it's an option, if we have no other way."<br> <br>Kiyasai nods and grabs her weapon to charge on, stalling right as the voices come, and then she's just spooked. "What am I hearing...some form of torture? Sounds like someone is being hit really hard." She points in the direction of the sound and frowns.<br> <br>Arimia flicks an ear and shakes her head slightly, saying, "Mad giggling doesn't mean they're friendly." She crests the wall and starts down the ramp on the other side alongside her golem, not at all giving an impression of being rushed. <br> <br>in the center of two is a large glowing rune of divine math, A bunny as large as a heavy folk stand with fist barried beating on a small Chinchila girl, "You lied!" the male screamed as he repeatly beat on the little female who just healed the damage and got back up to giggle some more. "Your going to die, Lazlo, your exicutioners are here." The girl giggle more as tentacles burst out of her arms and legs, "Lazzies going to die and I get to watch. heheheh"<br> <br>Selena follows Arimia up the ramp as fast as she can, a little unsettled by the tentacled chinchilla. She cringes slightly at the comments being thrown around, and whispers something across to Arimia.<br> <br>"There's the evil...rabbit?" Kiyasai stops cold in her tracks as she watches thr situation and frowns, but waits for orders.<br> <br>Arimia glances around the area briefly before jerking a thumb back over her shoulder, saying, "Actually, I was thinkin' about subduin' him an' just feedin' him alive to the dragon on the other side of the wall." She doesn't seem put out by the tentacles on the chincilla, but then, she has her own. She gives a small nod of her head at Selena's words, but doesn't say anything of her own in reply. She advances on the rune, stopping short of it and kneeling down to examine it.<br> <br>The enormous rabbit pales at the crew, "No. This isn't how it was suppose to happen. I'm sooo close." He begins to form complex match so rapidly that it seems like his hands blurring, "I gotta hurry I gotta hurry-" A tentacles smack his hand, "Oops sowwie." The chinchilla laughs before walking over to group but stoping at the edge of the circle, "Hmmm. I expected you to be more......Grizzly." The girl shrugs, "Soooo about that killing the rabbit.....get on that for me." She points to the rabbit frantically restarting the math, "At this rate I would say..... Fifteen minutes before this place is alot worse than it already is."<br> <br>Selena glances at the magical symbols, and back to the rabbit and Chinchilla. "Your call, Arimia." she mutters. "I can't much sense of this. But it looks like the Chinchilla is is powering it all."<br> <br>Arimia frowns and gives a small nod of her head. She stands up, saying, "Golem. Subdue the rabbit. Don't kill him." Which sends her golem stomping  toward Lazlo. She points her hand at the chincilla and says, "Kiya, Selena. Watch that thing. Just a guess, but from what I've seen, an' what I can tell about this circle, an' the one it's a part of... It isn't what it looks like." <br> <br>"I've read about this magic before. Crimes book, of course. The trick is usually hidden in the cloak that chinchilla is wearing." Kiyasai sagenods and primes an earth spell around her hands to make sure she doesn't lose grip of her war hammer, then squints. "It's probably a spell going to set off a larger one somewhere in the whole place around us...<br> <br>Lazlo looks at the golem approahing him and stomps the ground with foot while his hands continue to do math. A set of circles activatee from his foot and explode beneath  the golem knocking it back. "Awwww...Good try but you don't have to watch me. I can't leave even if I want to and trust me.... I want too." She giggles. "You still have about ten mintues to kill him before really bad things happen."<br> <br>Arimia flicks her ears as her golem is knocked back, but just orders it back in. As the golem is advancing, and hopefully keeping at least some of Lazlo's attention on it, she raises her wrist mounted crossbow, firing a bolt and aiding it with air magic to try and hit the rabbit in an arm or a hand. After doing this she says, without waiting to see if she hit, go for him. Try to subdue him, stop him, without killing him."<br> <br>Selena churns the ground under the Bunny's paws, changing the texture and features of it enough to disrupt his writing - though the actual effectiveness remains to be seen.<br> <br>Kiyasai is still watching the spell with some aplomb and trying her best to follow it, and failing that, she's late to the party as the other two mages take fire first, and she decides to try the more physical approach by sneaking from around the circle to give good old fashioned hammer treatment.<br> <br>The writing is disrupted as the ground shifts, "No." Lazlo screams before arrow peirce his hand leaving him unable to use that hand. "I didn't want to die here, I came sooo far, I almost perfected her." As the math is interrupted the chinchilla giggles while clutching her chest, "Lazlo your time has come and I'll be free of you but you....you will never be free of me." She cackled.<br> <br>Kiyasai sends her hammerhead into Lazlo's back in a controlled swing in an attempt to knock them out, getting a bit spooked by the chinchilla's words.<br> <br>Selena glares at the Bunny. "Are you going to explain yourself?" She gestures to the chinchilla. "And Mrs Doom, How's the clock going? How long do you think we have here?"<br> <br>Arimia walks toward Lazlo, reloading her crossbow as she does. She's careful to follow behind where her golem has already walked, though when the golem reaches the rabbit it goes still and she steps around it. She says to her golem, "If he moves, do unpleasant things to him," then starts to fish around in Lazlo's cloak, where she remembered the source of the math being.<br> <br>As the rabbit is knocked down by the hammer and the golem towers over him, "Noo..." he says weakly, "Creator Crused Math..." The object in his cloak is a brillant white soul gem with that almost hums with energy. "Hey thats mine!" She chuckles, "I would like it back...." She giggles and looks at Arimia, "Please? heheehe." The Chincilla giggles as the rabbit looks up, "Don't give it to her, Emma mustn't have that soul gem."<br> <br>Arimia looks over at the chinchilla, then back at the rabbit, listening to them both. She idly nudges his injured hand with a foot and asks, "Why mustn't she have it? What is it, and what is she?"<br> <br>Kiyasai glares at the soul gem and shivers. "If this is where my studies are going to lead...why are we going to continue to progress?? Break it please...it shouldn't be allowed to exist...we can study the fragments and be done with life..." The leopardess shivers, her armor rattling as she does.<br> <br>Selena looks across at the gem. "We're not here to argue about this now. And breaking it would destroy the math. Deal with the problem at hand first. My preferance it to keep it intact so we can study it. Find out what it does, so we can better combat it in future." She comments uneasily. "Not too much unlike your dissections." She adds, nodding to Kiyasai.<br> <br>The Chinchilla look at Kiyasai, "No you fool. Please heheheh. Give it to me and I'll make it worth so much more to you." She giggles nervously but her eyes say locked on the gem. "Not to mention that it belong to me. Heh, That fool Lazlo and his dark math ruined it. I-I-I will tell you everything if you give back the gem." Lazlo look at Emma with pure hatred, "You better of breaking the Creator crused stone before she get her mits on it."<br> <br>Arimia idly turns the gem over in her hands, examining it. Her ears flick as she catches the words being said. She doesn't immediately follow either suggestion however, instead shifting to step onto Lazlo's injured hand. "I had asked you a few questions. I will ask one more time. Why mustn't she have it, what is it, and what is she?"<br> <br>Selena looks across at the CHinchilla skeptically. "I'd like some answers as well. Arimia's just asked the questions. Are you going to explain what has been going on here, hmm?"<br> <br>'F-fine! I'll concede that much." Then Kiyasai backs off for a while and just watches, though ready to lash out if violence occurs. "Can we fix the dark magics?  We know a thing or two..."<br> <br>"AAAAAHHHH Because she isn't real!!" He cried out, "PLEASE GET OFF! SHE IS AN ELEMENTAL I MADE USING All THE ELEMENTS OF MATH COMBINED WITH A SOUUUUULGEM!" He howled pitifully, "SOME OF THE KINDCRAFT SHARD GOT TAINTED AND THAT IS WHY SHE IS SUCH A MONSTER!!" Emma giggle, "I didn't kill a whole town of folk AFTER a shadow attack. heh heh." She giggle, "I didn't make a guarding out of thier heheheh bodies." Emma countered, "I'm also not the one stuck in a divine math circle. Lazzie." She chuckled and somehow made a snapping noise with a tentacle.<br> <br>Selena quirks an eyebrow at Kiyasai. "Seems I can't take two steps without seeing another dark mage." She chuckles, before hearing the bunny's outburst. "And then what was the spell circle for?" She asks, turning to face the hulking figure. "You had all the time in the world to tell us, during Emma's rant."<br> <br>Arimia lets out a soft, contemplative noise, but steps off of the rabbit's hand. She turns and takes a few steps away, still staring at the soul gem. "Well. We have one vote for breakin' it. One for studyin' it. So I'm the decidin' factor." She lifts her soul pendant and idly examines the gems set into it, before lowering it again and tucking the soul gem into her vest. "It, an' the elemental, are comin' with us. She doesn't leave our sight, an' I'll hang onto the gem, a good distance away from her." She looks over at the rabbit on the ground before saying to her golem, "Take him an' feed him to the dragon."<br> <br>The bunny turn his head, "I won't tell." Emma chuckles, "I know hehehehe. This bunny wanted to have all math at the same time within his grasp, The gem is attunted to me, I wanted to use the energy to fix the fog, undo Legion and finally hahaahhaha erase this false existance. Maybe make myself into a tree or share a soul with a bone dragon. He can't undo the magic without powerful energy to shift the link from me to him." She giggle, "Oh... And I'll get revenge on him I figure that might be his biggest hahahah reason."<br> <br>"The shard getting corrupted...it's a possible story but...a summoned being isn't allowed to lie unless it's instructed...right?"  Of course, the decision is taken from her by Arimia and she seems to respect that decision, shaking her head softly. "One day you'll ruin yourself, Arimia. You know that?"<br> <br>Selena nods to Arimia. "As long as you let me take a look at it from time to time?" She asks, a little bit of a pleading tone punctuating the end of her sentence. "Is it possible you could become whole if the crystal is cleansed, Emma?" She asks. "As for the problems of the fog and 'Legion'... Would you be able to help us with that?" She asks the Chinchilla. "Since I have a feeling the bunny isn't going to."<br> <br>Emma smiles, "Only one way to find out. hehehe." She hold out her hand, "I can't step out of the circle but you can step in and out, heheh with your natural bodies. I know I can clear the fog and blood skriths that live in it, Legion might be harder but I owe it too him..." She looks a little said before chuckling again. "Don't you give her that gem, are you mad?" Lazlo screams.<br> <br>Selena shakes her head. "That's not what I suggested, Lazlo. But I might add that you haven't exactly been helpful either."<br> <br>Arimia gives a small shrug of her shoulders and says to the rabbit, "Maybe." She reaches into her vest and pulls the gem back out, staring at it. She takes a deep breath and looks from Selena to Kiyasai, then back to the gem. "In light of what they both said, and knowing either one or both of them could be lying about a number of things... What do you two think now?"<br> <br>"This." Kiyasai cuts the crap short and steps into the circle. Hey, she's the most armored person here! Tossing her herbs behind her, she treads into the boundary and waits.<br> <br>Selena looks forward to Kiyasai. "Are you sure that's a-" She starts, but cuts herself off as Kiyasai enters the circle. "I hope you know what you're doing." She says uneasily.<br> <br>Emma look at Kiyasai and blushes, "Miss Leopard, Oh my what do I do? I didn't even clean my circle." She chuckles and look at her strangely, "Soooo.... know any good jokes...." She looks at Kiyasai arkwardly as she shruged, "What? Was I supposed to eat her or something?"Emma laughs and moves really close to Kiyasai before licking her ear. "Naa... Not tasty at all."  Lazlo is slowly reaching with his freehand and wiggling his fingers slowly.<br> <br>Arimia watches as Kiyasai enters the circle, glancing briefly toward the rabbit. "Golem. I thought I told you to do unpleasant things to him if he moved." The golem lifts one leg, with the intent to stomp on his uninjured arm with a large, metal foot. She looks back over at Emma in the circle and walks over to stand just at the edge, still holding the soul gem in one hand. After a moment she simply extends that hand over the edge of the circle. <br> <br>Kiyasai shivers at the odd approach but doesn't complain, in fact trying to hide a giggle, and now just aiming to see if she can disarm the circle, though not knowing enough to do so. "Both of you don't come in yet. I need some backup in case they...do me in."<br> <br>Selena glares at the bunny, , quickly shifting a heavy pile of rubble on top of the bunny's free hand. "I'm sorry, Lazlo. But you're not offering me any comfort with your hands intact right now." She sighs, shaking her head. "Why won't you tell us anything anyway? Unless you have something to hide, I see no reason why we shouldn't side with Emma." She states, before turning back to Kiyasai with a short bow. "At your service, Kiyasai." She chuckles quietly.<br> <br>Emma slowly walks over and looks at the gem with out laughing. "Thank you." She grabs gem and looked over it carefully and looks to Kiyasai, "Time to die." SHe point the Soul gem at Kiyasai and flower petals grow out of the grown around the leopard. "Sorry hehe, I had too.." She suddenly stretches her jaw widely and eats the gem. For a moment she just stands there in a daze before all the math in the city begins deactivaing and only math powered thing is Arimia's Golem, "Legion..." She walks over to the wall that the group climbed over eariler and it vanishes as she gets close, "I'm so sorry. I won't let anyone hurt you again." She inscribs math over the whole dragon who suddenlt start growning back flesh and organs as the body around it start to heal as the soul gems are return to them. "Lucky you all werent truly dead hahah, just rotting hahaha." She walks back over to the group, "I have one last thing hehehehehehehe." She moves past the golem and grabs Lazlo, "You wanted to escape pain, fear and death? I won't let you." She giggle and preformed a powerful series of math. "You will experience pain and fear forever." A sudden series of sickening snaps occur as near every bone in his body fractures before his skin is covered in stone with his expressions still in a scream. Emma just giggles standing there.<br> <br>Kiyasai stands, afraid to touch any of the flower petals as a thick layer of earth covers her feet as protection, the leopardess hiding her fear very well as she growls. "I'll take you down with me." While she still can, she affords a backhanded swing at Emma, staying rooted to the spot the best she can.<br> <br>Kiyasai is midway through her attack and realizes that she should already be dead, and manages to veer her hammer off course to look like she dropped it in surprise. "Not funny." She says.<br> <br>Selena looks across at the dragon and Emma, boggling slightly at what had just happened. "...That... Was absolutely amazing, Emma. "If you aren't intent on... ending yourself, imagine what you could do for the rest of us? That was the most amazing display of Divine math I've ever seen..!" She gushes slightly. "I-if you still intend on 'sharing your soul' with legion or 'becoming a tree'..." She adds, before noticing Kiyasai's almost-attack. "You scare pretty easily." she snickers.<br> <br>Arimia flicks her ears, leveling her crossbow at Emma when she speaks to Kiyasai. Then as the flowers grow and the chinchilla says she was just kidding she rolls her eyes and lowers her arm. Her ears flick as the math vanishes from the area, and she watches with interest as she starts to work on the dragon. She walks over to join Emma by the rabbit and raises no complaint at the treatment, though she does give a small frown as he's covered in stone. "I suppose I won't be getting that bolt back, then. At least they'll have a statue." She glances at the elemental and says, "And now? After the fog an' all. You'd mentioned ending your false existence. But do you really want to? You could do a lot to help. The way you came to be is... I assume fairly horrible, but Promise can use some help."<br> <br>Emma looks Arimia and Selena, "I hate Promise. I only laugh because that all you can do when some monsters, " She points at Lazlo, "Makes other monsters hehehe." She laughs and places as tentacles over herself. "With the soul gem I have you would have more hehehehe moronr making more of me. I don't want that, if I did I would simply have let him succeed." She begins to trace a very simple pattern in the dirt. A low moan is heard in the distance and Emma chuckles, "The fog is gone and all the creatures are dead including 4532 Blood Skriths are now underground and the fog is gone." She watches as the sun rises, "Hey Leopard... Lazzie mentioned you were a priest, I want a prayer before I go. Seems funnier that way.."<br> <br>"Alright. I'll humor you." Kiyasai slips a vial out from her armor and pops the wax seal, starting to mumble the prayers and scatter the water on Emma, eyes closed.<br> <br>Arimia watches the priest do her thing for a couple of moments before walking toward the dragon, looking it over now that Emma's finished with it. Her tail flicks behind her, and she reaches up to unseat a chakra gem, causing her tentacles to recede. <br> <br>Selena chuckles quietly at Emma's response. "Fair enough. Thanks for your help, Emma..." She says quietly. " I hope you find peace, or whatever it is you're looking for." She smiles.<br> <br>Emma smiles at the prayer while laughing, "I hope to find that if someone remakes me somewhere you bunch will come and do the same as this time." She starts to shatter and shards of her flow into the dragon. "Hmmmm." The dragon rumbles as the unconcious folk around him start to stir, "Emma.. Says Thank you and.... That the priest doesn't taste very good." Legion flaps his wings and begins to take off leaving the group to tend to the folk waking up.<br> <br>Selena chuckles quietly and waves to the dragon as he flies off. "That pattern in the dirt..." she muses, taking a closer look at the symbols Emma had traced.<br> <br>"She's tasting the wrong places. I don't have fur /everywhere/ on me, you know. All she'd get is a hairball." Kiyasai complains mysteriously, then starts dusting the circle off with her feet to leave no trace of it behind, muttering a prayer for the stone figure as well and leaving some of the flower petals around him before returning to her duties to make sure the others are alright.<br> <br>Arimia flicks her tail and watches as the dragon flies off, then turns to Selena and Kiyasai. "Right. We have a bit more work to do. Get them on their feet, an' sorted out a bit, then we have to return to Firmament. Update Miss Ironsoul, an' get supplies to do a bit of rebuildin'. Selena, lookin' at the fancy stuff on the ground can wait." <br> <br>After taking the folk the group find out that they were eavk of the following years scouts, most of them don't remember what happened inside the dragon, After reboarding the ship and heading back to the Firmament the Ironsoul Defender's were reward with a pouch of coin as the Village of NearHaven was already in motion to be populated. Thanks to the effort of many brave soul gifted.