Twilight and Shadow

[Tismri]

Tismri looked about the desert, studying the landscape, which had shifted somewhat since she had last been here many years ago. That was likely the advantage to hiding in the desert; it is easy to forget directions in a place with relatively few landmarks. Still, finding the captured elves did not prove difficult.
The ritual has already begun, Ismrolde commented to her companions. Tismri could see clearly the torturous process of becoming a Shade on many of the elves' faces, and among them she recognized Aiten and his father.
We must work quickly if they are to be saved, she said, as Ismrolde dodged the fire attacks from the ground. She noticed in the distances a group of people swiftly running toward the site. It seemed Arya had also responded, and she began to feel hope that they may succeed in this venture.

Weiss spotted their prey at the same time as the others. They had been in pursuit for a long time, it felt like, but she still held out hope that they were not too late. She also spotted in the sky four dragons, two large enough to be from the elder days. It seems they were not the only ones to respond to this attack, but she couldn't help but wonder how Bromsland had reacted so quickly. Perhaps the queen contacted them and asked for more support. Whatever the answer, she was glad for their arrival.
The company of elves drew their blades and charged into their attack, sprinting faster than most humans could even follow. Weiss reached one man at the edge of the camp and ran him through with her blade before he even knew what hit him, and then everyone seemed to know they were there.

[Trinn]

The ring of metal filled the air as the dragon riders unsheathed their swords. Trinn twirled Vanta, preparing herself for the fray they were about to enter. She could see the shades in the distance, and each second their faces grew more defined. Her eyes finally alighted on Antien's figure, and she felt herself snarl with Thora as together they realized that the man they had come to rescue was being submitted to the whims of spirits. A yellow blur swept by, twirling through the sky to dodge fireballs and magic. Eva! Trinn stood up in the saddle, about to shout at them to remain with the group. Instead, she sat back down and urged Thora faster, and the great emerald dragon bore her wings down with more speed, the concussion of the air like thunder breaking from the sky.
***

When Eva had spotted Antien, her heart faltered in it's steady beating, and a pain twisted it sharply. An anguished sound whined from her throat as despair took hold. They were too late!
No! There is still a chance! Eos said, and burst forward with new speed. The jolt of it cleared Eva's head, and she steadied herself in the saddle and gripped the hilt of Aidale tightly. She had unsheathed the sword as soon as the shades had been spotted on the horizon. Eva held onto it now as if it were a lifeline.

After dodging several fireballs, Eos swooped down onto the shades. Opening her maw, she cleared a path through them with blazing fire, blindingly bright. The yellow dragon landed and slid to a stop, gouging the earth with her sharp talons. Twisting her head she snapped a shade in half, impaling him with a talon as she did so. It was evident he had been a newborn shade, still too drunk on his power to be careful.

Within half a second Eva was out of the saddle and dashing towards Antien. She dodged past the reaching arms of shades, knocked their weapons out of the way with her own sword, and quite often she felt the deep slice of a sword edge on her skin. She was blinded by her determination to reach Antien. And at last she did. It would be no use to go to him first. She needed to attack the shades that were performing the turning. Uttering a wild battle cry, Eva jumped at the closest shade, thrusting Aiedale at his heart.
***

The earth shuddered when Thora landed, causing many to loose their footing. The dragon hissed at the shades and swept her mammoth paw at them. Trinn dismounted and landed by her dragons side, slashing the head off of a shade as she did so. He disappeared in smoke, no doubt to reappear someplace else. "We have to help Eva!" She shouted to Thora, and together they pushed their way through the shades to give the young rider aide.

[Max452]

Tyrant's maroon eyes followed the daughter of Einar and Gianna with hungry glee; it had been awhile since he had tortured her. As he watched, he stealthy moved after her, ignoring the chaos that seemed to have erupted from the arrival of the ancients and another group that had been trailing them for some time; he wondered when they would attack. It intrigued the Shade greatly at how determined the Einar brat was to get to the ritual circle. He glanced over at the two elves that were struggling against the Spirits and then darted back to look at Eva. It struck him - the reason for determination - the moment he saw the seriousness and panic in her eyes. He traced her line of sight. The younger of the two elves. A sinister smile spread across Tyrant's pale features. The young Rider cared for this one. This was going to be far more entertaining! Quickly, he darted after her, wanting to relish in her pain and misery. He wanted to see her eyes the moment that elf was consumed by the Spirits. Oh yes, he would make her watch, force her to fight him, and then, he will have the pleasure of killing her. Excellent plan!

Tyrant drew his weapon - much to his luck - and blocked Eva's thrust to his heart the moment she sensed his presence. "Hello dearie." Tyrant cooed at her before laughing. "My, my, what fun shall we have today! Shall I dance with you first before I allow your friend to dance with you?" Tyrant cackled again, letting Eva know that he knew what she valued here and that he had no intention of allowing her to stop the transformation. His cackling stopped - replaced by a manic sneer - and he lunged his blade at her with one hand as the other began to chitter with lightening.

***
"Fools! Get up and fight!" Adonis sneered at some of the men that had fallen down from the sudden attack in their ranks. "The ritual must not be stopped!" He shouted over the sounds of blades clashing with blades. Adonis spotted one of the Ancients making way to the circle. He would not allow them to stop Katrina's plans. He sprinted after the Emerald rider, unsheathing his sword at the same time. He flipped over an elf fighting with a Shade, and landed deftly and unhindered toward his destination. He let out a war cry, as he charged his weapon at Rider Trinn.

***
Several dwarves, urgals, Shades, and elves, charged at Tismri and Weiss, intending to be fodder as several other magicians gathered together to unleash a mass wave of spells at the Ancient and Arya's group.

***
White flashes were the only things dominating Antien's vision as the ritual continued to call forth dark Spirits. It was as if his very essence was being pulled, squeezed and sliced apart all at once. He thought he felt a familiar calming presence, but deduced it to be a hallucination from the pain. He let out another painful shout as it seemed the spirits were thrashing more now; urgency and confusion seemed suddenly emit itself from them. He continued to struggle to hold them back, clenching his eyes tight in hopes to block them all out.

[Trinn]

In her distraction to reach Antien, Eva had not been paying attention to any of the shades faces. To her, a shade was just a shade, one and the same all of them. Her sword thrust was easily parried, and to her surprise, the shade she had attempted to slay spoke familiarly to her. Dread filled her gut when she dared to look into the face of her opponent. Tyrant! Her face paled as she remembered who exactly this shade was. The last time they had crossed blades, Eva had nearly died. Some internal instinct begged her to turn around and flee in the face of such a monster, but a stronger desire stayed her feet and made her hold her ground. Tyrant knew why she was here, and he was taunting her with that knowledge. Clenching her jaw, Eva dared to look again into the cruel maroon eyes of Tyrant, and this time she held his gaze. "My father slayed the man named Tyr Valentine once before. My mother tricked him when he thought he had killed her. Now I will kill his shade and be rid of his curse on my family forever!"

Now the time for talking had ended, and Tyrant pounced first. Eva was ready for him. She felt a new sort of focus that had before always seemed to evade her. There was too much at stake for her to be anything but in tune with herself, her blade, and the battlefield.

Aiedale's pale blade swept up and knocked aside Tyrant's attack. He was already falling back on his lightning. Eva had suspected he would. Muttering words in the ancient language and drawing energy from the orthoclase gemstone set in the hilt of Aiedale, Eva drew up a spell around herself.

The earth around her feet seemed to shimmer, and a second later hundreds of tiny stones and rocks flew into the air and covered her body head to toe, leaving only her eyes and breathing space alone. Covered in stone, she would be protected from the lightning. It was fortunate she had stored the energy she had in the gemstone, or else the spell would have taken too much out of her. And still the spell was draining the gemstone. She would have to try and kill Tyrant quickly.

Uttering a war cry, Eva charged at Tyrant. She cared not for the lightning flickering in his palm. Bringing Aiedale up sideways, Eva sliced horizontally at Tyrant's chest, following the motion with a quick upward disemboweling strike.
***

Trinn watched as an elf came her way, flipped over another, and landed easily before her. Vanta came up with natural ease to block her foe's weapon. She retaliated quickly to gain the offensive, sliding Vanta's emerald blade down that of the shades she locked the hilts together. It required only one hand. With her other hand she brought out a hidden dagger and thrust it quickly at the elf's heart.

[Max452]

OOC: I just had a flashback to Avatar with Toph! hahaha Awesome.

Tyrant gazed at the little red head with open contempt; her skills had improved. He was hoping to incapacitate her quickly so the ritual would go undisturbed! Of course, the contempt was also fueled from the brat's promise. Oh how he and the Spirit of Tyr hated her family. She would pay for her ignorance and lack of experience against him. The Shade snarled as he watched Eva encapsulate herself with rock, negating the full effectiveness of his lightening attack. Was he that predictable? He would have to work on that.

Tyrant met Eva's charge, expecting her yellow rider blade to directly at him; it seemed to be her fighting style the last time they had crossed blades, but was surprised when she moved it upward - that was new. Tyrant hissed and backed off. Anger rolled off of him as he felt the wound across his left cheek heal. That little girl managed to draw first blood! And even worse: he didn't even get to strike out at her. Boiling with irritation now, Tyrant decided not to play with his food any longer. With quick steps, Tyrant used the speed of his kind to move all around Eva, throwing kicks and punches behind and beside her rocked armor, planning to break it so that his bloodlusting blade could strike at her heart. There was another motive to Tyrant's new tactic as well: distract Eva long enough for her precious elf to turn into a Shade. He could not help the smirk that formed on his face when he heard Antien and his father scream once more; Antien's being the loudest as his father's voice was beginning to contort (a sign of the turning).

***
OOC: Hehe, Adonis isn't a Shade. Hehe.

Adonis' eyes flickered with momentary hesitation once he spotted how easily the Ancient deflected his attack. Of course. This was Rider Trinn. Out of the Ancients that had lived and tutored the riders in Bromsland, she was known to be the most vicious. No matter. Adonis had a task and Lady Katriana was the one to bring back order to this unbalanced infestation. He would have justice against his family! Justice that these Riders no longer upheld! With renewed determination, Adonis gripped his blade harder - having to use two hands to Trinn's one - to steady himself. He grunted, feeling the pressure from her strength. He spotted the dagger coming toward him and reacted quickly. Twisting himself, Adonis abandoned his blade as his hand instead went to grip Trinn's sword hand. Using her hand as a quick medium, Adonis flipped over and away from the oncoming dagger. He released his hold on Trinn and landed two arms length away; he was safe now but had relinquished his weapon to be so. He spotted one of the dwarves in his command fall and deftly rolled over to his left to retrieve the weapon before Rider Trinn could attack him whilst he was weaponless. He swung up the crude dwarven blade, ready once more to fight against the Ancient.

[Trinn]

OOC: That was my inspiration!

Eva did not let herself feel triumphant at having drawn first blood. The fight was long from over, and the tides could quickly change. And now Tyrant was moving with dizzying speed, which no average human would be able to keep up with. Eva was a young dragon rider, and she was only to keep up with Tyrant to barely parry and dodge his attacks. Still, he landed more strikes than she liked. His kicks and punches chipped off the stone surrounding her, but each time a stone or pebble was dislodged, another rose up to take its place. The spell drained energy quickly, and Eva knew it wouldn't last for very much longer. She cursed herself, knowing there was probably a better way she could have worded the spell.

A sudden agonized scream tore from the suffering elves lips, and Eva was painfully alert of Antien's voice there. Distracted, she could not push aside one of Tyrant's kicks. His foot caught her on her right side and the rocks exploded off of her, exposing her leather clad skin. The force of the kick sent Eva flying backwards, tumbling into the center of the circle. Wheezing from the air that had been knocked from her, Eva stood shakily and looked fully upon Antien. She wanted to cry and tear her hair out at the sight of his torment. "I'll save you, Antien." she said in a hoarse voice, briefly touching his face.

Wasting no more time, Eva turned and dashed at one of the shades who constructed the circle. Moving as fast as she could, Eva savagely thrust Aiedale at his heart.

While Eva attempted to break the circle, Eos was attempting to distract Tyrant. The young dragon pounced on Tyrant, swatting her large foot at him with outstretched talons. Flames billowed from her maw to double the power of the attack.
***

OOC: haha, oops! I'll modify that post!

The elf was agile and crafty, just as Trinn had suspected. It would be an unusual thing to meet an elf who wasn't either of those things. Following him with her eyes, she watched him dash away and promptly retrieve a weapon. The old dwarven sword would not be able to stand up long against a riders blade. Allowing the elf one moment of preparation, Trinn then lunged forward again. She closed the distance between them swiftly, and in a moment she was in front of Adonis assaulting him with sword thrusts and strikes.

Thora flew low across the battlefield, expertly spitting fire at the shades. She was careful not to char their allies.

[Max452]

OOC: No worries! I am actually debating whether or not to make him into a Shade, but who knows. lol.

Adonis knew he was outmatched the moment their blades collided. The emerald blade seemed to taunt him as he tried to push it make with the makeshift blade in his own hands. She was far superior than he was; she was an Ancient! An honorable one at that, for he had not missed the way she allowed him to retrieve a weapon. What mockery was this? If she be honorable as she appeared to be, why did those monstrosities still exist in this land!? He silently demanded as he continued to push his weight against the blade. He heard a light crackling sound and noticed the dwarven blade was beginning to splinter. Adonis gritted his teeth. He would not be taken! "Jierda!" Adonis commanded with one of hands, hoping to break Rider Trinn's bones.

***
A soft, calming balm seemed to have caressed itself against Antien during one of the most painful points during the ritual. It was a welcoming respite against the barrages of Spirits that vied to possess him. It took him a moment to recognize that presence, that voice. "Eva." Antien's whispered out of his painful daze, and for a brief moment of perfect clarity, Antien saw Eva before him. However, the perfection was brief as another wave of spirits assaulted his mind and body. He let out another cry, but it was one of defiance now; he had seen Eva and she had come for him, and that alone, gave him courage and hope to fight. With his mind more determined, Antien continued to fight off the creatures. He became even more hopeful when he felt a few them disappear.
~~~
The dying scream of a Shade reverberated around the ritual circle as Eva's blade rang straight into the creature's heart. Tyrant seethed as he watched the Shade erupt into a myriad of light; the shock distracting the other two who were trying to maintain the ritual - they stumbled briefly before returning to their task. Tyrant did not have time to react to Eva's slight as her bond appeared before him, snarling and snapping at him. He dodged the onslaught of flames, barely; half of his body was singed, but was repairing itself. "I'll kill you just as well, beast!" Tyrant snarled out, commanding a massive surge of electricity into his palm. He would kill her just as he had almost killed Gladia. He would kill them all! He yelled as he launched his attack.

[Trinn]

Blinding light burst from the impaled Shade. His skin seemed to crack and wrinkle, and an instant later he burst apart. Spirits screamed as they were freed from his torn body. Eva backed away from the shock of it, eyes wide as she witnessed the grand and terrifying death of a shade. It seemed that others had noticed it too. A few silent heartbeats passed afterwards, and then the fighting renewed in a frenzy. Eva moved on to the next Shade in the circle, but new she would not be as lucky as before. Hoping against hope, she struck again with Aiedale.
***

Eos roared out shrilly as she watched Tyrant's skin crisp away from half his body. She watched the lightning again form in his hand. Wards had been placed around her and Eva, but this lightning often held unspeakable power that breached the boundaries of wards. Eos braced herself for the impact, but what hit her was not the lightning.

Thora's great mass shoved Eos aside, sending the young dragon skidding out of the path of the lightning. The fury of the electricity struck the emerald dragon instead, and Thora roared out in pain.
***

Trinn pushed back at Adonis, giving no quarter. She could see the worry hiding behind his eyes. She could also see the slivers of cracks that were spreading up the dwarven blade. It wouldn't be long now.

The elf spoke his spell and Trinn did not worry. Her wards were strong and would easily deflect such a simple spell. However, an internal pain struck her and she faltered briefly. Intense heat and shock traveled up her spine, and she new instantly that Thora had been stricken with an unusual power. Are you allright! She cried out.

A little shock is all. Thora replied gruffly, and Trinn saw through her bonds eyes the figure of a shade commanding lightning. Thora's jaws opened and intense molten flame bore down on the evil creature.

It took only a second for her to assess the situation and recover herself. Trinn bore down on Adonis again, staring into his eyes with all the surety her age allowed her.

[Max452]

An air of uneasiness seemed to have encompassed the battlefield as the Shades felt one of their own kin's demise. They were more subdued, but still as deadly. A sinking feeling garnished itself at the bottom of Adonis stomach, but he could not adhere to it; Katriana did not allow failure. Adonis continued to fight and was grateful when a Shade had joined in on the battle. His gratitude was brief as he realized that this was a new Shade and was only, blindly, underestimating the Ancient; he was a Shade, but she, was far more experienced and powerful than he. He went to help the Shade, but the mad thing kept cackling as he practically banged his weapon against the Rider's blade.

***
Tyrant backed away from Thora, surprised that she had intervened. This whole mission was becoming bothersome! His maroon eyes widened as he spotted the large dragon open his mouth. Not again! He groaned, recalling the last time an Ancient dragon had tried to roast him; he could easily deflect, avoid, and survive a younger dragon's force, but an Ancient dragon was a different matter. It was as if the Shade was being thrown into the sun. Reacting quickly, Tyrant called upon the earth and sand to protect and encase him as the dragon's fiery power came rolling toward him.

***
With their comrade now gone, the Shades performing the ritual were more alert and weary of what was happening. The difficult part was that one of them had to continue with the ritual or it would end completely. The Shade that was being attacked next, forgoes his loyalty to the other and practically ran off to fight Eva, leaving the last Shade vulnerable. This Shade, was once an Kull - a powerful warrior once - and enjoy bathing himself in the blood of his enemies. The Shade Kull snorted, red eyes deadly as it lowered its head, horns at the ready. He roared and charged at Eva.

***
Another wave of Spirits had disappeared and Antien was able to fight back, but his energy was being spend faster for doing so. He felt a ripple of foreign memories and screamed once more. He continued to hear the chanting around him, but refused to give into despair. He trusted his mate.

[Trinn]

The fight with Adonis came to a brief halt as another intervened. Trinn backpedaled from the mad bombardment of the new shade. He had no rhythm or meaning to his attacks; it was sheer bloodrage. Annoyed and disgusted, Trinn flicked Vanta several times and easily disarmed the newborn. The shade blinked in surprise, and in that moment Trinn slid her riders blade into his heart. A cacophony of screams and light erupted from the newborn as the spirits broke free of their fleshy cage. Trinn watched them go for only a second, taking a brief moment to savor the knowledge that she had joined the ranks of those known as Shadeslayer.

Screaming out a battle cry, Trinn back flipped and landed behind Adonis. Vanta spun up as quick as the lightning that had struck Thora, searching for Adonis's heart.
***

Thora belched her flame for a whole minute before snapping her jaws closed. She blinked and studied the shades new form. A deep rumble in her throat announced her laughter. Bearing down on the shade, Thora began to beat at him with her great paws, like a cat playing with a mouse.

***

The sight of a kull shade made Eva pale with newfound fear. He looked more like a monster than any other breed of shade. Diving out of his way, Eva nimbly rolled to break the fall and then jumped back up. It seemed to do little good, as he was already upon her again. Sensing that she would not be able to keep him at bay with a sword, Eva met him with her own charge.

Jumping, she grabbed one of his horns and swung herself up onto his bulging shoulder. It was worse than riding a dragon for the first time. The kull threw his head back and struck Eva in the shoulder, knocking Aiedale from her grasp. Heart skipping wildly, Eva tried to think of her next move as she desperately clung to the back of the kull.

Eos appeared before them, solving Eva's problem. The yellow dragon sprang forward and swept her mace-like tail at the Kull shade. Eva jumped off the kull and landed on her hands and knees under her bond. She searched the muddy and bloody ground desperately for her sword.

[Max452]

OOC: Everyone is gonna be a Shadeslayer by the time this battle is over! lol

The blinding flash disorientated Adonis briefly as he groaned in agitation; another one was gone. He was amazed at how easily the Shade was dispatched by the Ancient, but not surprised; the infant Shades were useless until they learned to control their bloodlust. He managed to spot Rider Trinn move - she was faster than he - and hurried to make a counterattack. He spun himself around, swatting the dwarven blade at Vanta. There was a sickening crack as the blade broke in half. Pushed back by the recoil of the Rider's sword, Adonis backpeddled to avoid anymore strikes toward him. He tripped, but somersaulted backwards so that he was on his feet once more, though bent in a crouch. He unsheathed his long daggers and decided to fully go on the defensive. This was not as he had planned, but he would not allow Katriana's plans to be ruined.

***
Encased in the dirt cocoon, Tyrant quickly thought of a plan to defeat the emerald dragon. His thoughts were jarred when the heated barrier began to rumble and shake. The dragon was pounding on his hiding spot! Grinding his sharp teeth, Tyrant thought of another spell and quickly, but quietly began to burrow his way underground, hoping to surprise the dragon when he appeared elsewhere. The only problem was that it was going to take awhile... Tyrant hurried underground as he felt his rock coffin shatter above him...

***
The Kull Shade flew a good meter from Eos' attack. He cried out in pain and annoyance from the embedded spikes, but it did not last long as he began to heal quickly. Enraged, the Kull slammed against another Shade and elf battling (knocking them both down). He let out a bellowing roar and then charged once more at Eos and Eva, head down, but axe now out and flying at them as well by magic; the large blade swung around, intending to snap Eva's head off while the Kull Shade slammed into Eos.

[Trinn]

OOC: I think you're right lol!

Crawling desperately though the blood churned ground, Eva searched for Aiedale. Eos roared out a warning, and Eva looked quickly up to find the kull shade quickly recovering from the hit he had taken. Gritting her teeth, Eva made a hard decision. She ended the spell that had blessed her with a rocky cover. Stones and pebbles clattered like rain to the dirt. It was as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. "My Sword Aiedale, come to my hand!" She shouted, and soon a flash of bright yellow soared her way. Lurching to her feet, Eva daftly caught the hilt of her rider's blade and turned to the threat at hand.

The kull's giant sword was sailing her way, faster and faster as if fueled by magic. No doubt it was. There was no time for graceful maneuvers. Eva bent and dove back to the ground, dirt spraying up into her face. A great drove of wind passed over head as the sword whistled by just inches over her skull. Eos roared in outrage, and Eva could feel her bonds anger and pain. Scrambling up again, she turned to find the kull shade's horns impaled in her dragon's side. Eva could feel herself screaming, but she couldn't hear it. The only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Running faster than she ever had, Eva jumped onto the kulls back before he could dislodge himself from Eos's side. She held Aiedale aloft before slamming it down towards the kulls heart.
***

Thora's paw shattered the rock bud, raining debris on the fighters around her. Instantly she spotted the hole. Flinging back her head, Thora screamed out a roar. The shade had escaped her! Blood boiling, Thora ran a few paces through the battlefield before using the momentum to throw her mass laboriously back into the sky. She would find him again!
***

The pieces of the dwarven sword flew in all directions as it finally snapped from the pressure of Vanta. Trinn kept pace with Adonis, and she was upon him just as he finished revealing his next two weapons. Elven daggers that were obviously in better shape. They would hold up much longer, but Trinn did not plan on letting Adonis continue on much longer.

Twisting Vanta in intricate sword moves, Trinn continued to rain attacks down on Adonis. She had to be more careful this time, as it was always harder to fight two blades against one. "Surrender, elf, and we may show you mercy!" she shouted, her voice raising easily over the tumult of fighting.

[Max452]

A triumphant roar escaped the Kull Shade's mangled lips as he slammed into Eos. He pushed into the dragon deeply, twisting his head so that the wound would pierce more painfully. It was then he felt a light pressure on his back. The beast snarled, registering the rider that was upon his back. He tried to dislodge himself, but stopped when he felt cold steel slice through his body. His last registered thought was pain as his heart was struck. A shrilling echo erupted from the Kull has his body glowed and cracked. Within seconds, a loud snapping bang sounded, followed by the screaming voices of spirits; the kull shade was no more.

***
With his two daggers, Adonis found himself more suited against the Ancient rider. With dual blades, he was able to counter both defensively and offensively. He blocked with one hand, whilst the other would try to swipe at Rider Trinn's vital points, however, she always managed to snap away before he could do any real damage. He snarled at her offer. "Lies! What mercy do liars and hypocrites possess?" Adonis yelled out, seething as he recalled the murdering of his family. "We will purge your lying hides!" He continued to yell out, swiping faster as he concentrated his attacks at Trinn's core or neck.

***
Antien grunted as he was able to hold back the few Spirits that were trying to still possess him. It was a genuine relief for him to know that Eva had come for him, although, he would have a word with her about rushing into danger later. He was that confident in his mate's abilities. It was odd, he kept feeling the spirits lessen, but that did not ease his mind completely. They could feel his strong will and he them, so why were they slowing their attacks? It was then, he heard a piercing scream next to him and the rest of the spirits haunting him seemed to have fled toward it with glee, leaving him alone in peace.

Antien gasped as he fell to the ground, exhausted from the mental and physical battle against the spirits. His stomach churned from unease. Where had the Spirits gone? And then a cackling, eerie, scream erupted beside him. He turned his head slowly, feeling a pit in his stomach. No! He tried to deny the knowing feeling in his gut as he turned to see his father turned into a Shade. The ritual was complete, for the Spirits that plagued him had all gravitated toward his father. "NO!" Antien yelled, trying to get up; to avenge his father.

The final shade performing the ritual stumbled to the ground, completely exhausted as the newborn Shade stepped over him. His maroon eyes glazed around, accepting his new surroundings with ease. His eyes then darted to Antien with malice. He strolled over and grasped Antien by the neck, lifting him from the ground with ease - holding him high above him - desiring to squeeze the life out of him.

"Father!" Antien choked out, going against all elven beliefs that Shades were pure evil creature. He had a slight hope that he could reach his father, but it was all in vain. His father was gone.

"We are Vycus. We will kill you." A multitude of voices spoke as they squeezed Antien's throat tighter.

[Trinn]

OOC: Holy moly, Eva actually killed him! lol

Eva fell to the ground as the kull shade erupted underneath her. Blood streaked her face from his destruction. Barely registering the fact that she had killed an opponent that would have probably outmatched her on a completely one to one fight, Eva hurried closer to her bond. Eos had been grievously injured from the kull's formidable horns. Hot blood ran out of the wounds, and Eos lay panting. The kulls horns must have been stronger than any others, for it was a hard thing to cut through dragon scale. From the way Eos bled and acted, the kull must have come terrifyingly close to a vital organ. Though they were in the middle of a battlefield, Eva would take the time to heal her dragon. She would not lose her bond and let Eos suffer. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Eva placed her hands on Eos's tender side and spoke the necessary words.

The healing took longer than necessary. Eva had already spent all of the gems energy on her rock spell, and she had to be careful not to deplete all of her personal reserves. It was a risky procedure, but she was successful. When at last Eos was whole again, Eva felt fatigued and shaken. The battle may yet be far from over and it worried her greatly. She would have to find ways to garner more energy!

A sudden terrible scream returned her attention to Antien. Twisting sharply, Eva beheld Antien slowly being strangled by a shade that oddly, and eerily, resembled Antien himself. Pushing herself onwards, Eva dashed towards her love. She would not fail now! The ground trembled underfoot from Eos's footsteps. The dragon bounded after Eva, jumping and gliding to make her way towards Antien as well.

At last Eva reached him. Without thinking, she leaped at the offending shade to tackle him to the ground, if only to get him off of her mate.
***

"You are ignorant, elf, trapped in your own mind. I can help you, if only you'll stop this mad fight and listen to reason!" Trinn attempted to argue with the elf, though she had a feeling it would more likely than not be in vain. Once an idea settled in a persons mind, it was hard pressed to change. And this Katriana seemed to be blessed with a tricky tongue. Twisting her wrist at an odd angle, and shoving Vanta up and to the left, she attempted to disarm Adonis of one of his daggers.

[Max452]

OOC: Hehe Yup! It was cause he was stuck! lol. And! Antien trained her solely to fight against Shades! so yeah! Go Eva! lol.

Vycus felt the presence of the female rider just as Antien's face was turning into a fascinating reddish purple color. They were having so much fun making the elf's face turn color when they spotted the elf's eyes flicker passed his shoulder with clear concern. Vycus tilted its head toward their right, having spotted the red head coming straight at them. "How amusing." They simply replied as Eva tackled them down. She was surprisingly strong for someone so tiny. They skidded backward, bent forward slightly from the impact, but still managed to stay on their feet. Vycus still held a firm grip on Antien through the tussle as the other hand went to grip Eva's throat as well; they had no weapons but their hands at the moment. "You cannot defeat us; we are Vycus." They stated with mirth as they stared down at the girl that had tried to force them down. However, too arrogant with their own power, they did not spot the yellow dragon that had followed the girl...

OOC: feel free to play Vycus, trinn!

***
Adonis snarled at the Rider's lying words. "My mind is free from this poisonous world! You are the one that is blinded! You and those that follow the dark-skin Queen! I will see her blood stain this land!" Adonis shouted out trying to maintain the grip on his dagger, but Trinn's twist had made it soar free. The dagger spun away, leaving Adonis with only one dagger for defense. The elf did not seem deterred in the slightest as he attacked with the dagger - trying to distract the sword hand - while the other hand went to hit the Rider in the face.