• Graded • Forged in Fire: Fighting

[Balthazar Black]

121 Ashan 720

Well... that explains a lot. Balthazar thought to himself after Faldrass explained why the stones pulled his blood to them like his mutation pulled small droplets of water towards him. Okay, so stop letting it have my blood then right? He wondered if freeing Faldrass would stop whatever the rocks were doing to him. Then his mind wandered to dragons. Dragons? What were dragons? He'd known a Necromancer who said something to him of dragons but that was so long ago Balthazar could hardly recall it now. Gone, not dead. Alright, well if they were gone then they weren't the problem right now.

Kura told them to back off but Ela wasn't having it. Balthazar agreed with Ela but he felt compelled to obey Kura because of her role. He shielded his eyes slightly when a sun-like light burst forth from the stone. So... it worked? It seemed to have helped at the very least. Balthazar watched Faldrass carefully to see how the introduction of the unusual stone had affected him. Faldrass seemed to appreciate it. Then Oram arrived with some good news. Some very good news. They had gathered all the stones and were on their way. Oram. He always got the job done. Balthazar nodded as a greeting to the adventurer when he arrived.

An immortal had come? Fascinating but really... Balthazar wasn't thinking much about that. The name Cassion went in one ear and out the other. All Balthazar was focused on was the stone in his hand and the strange glow coming from his blood as it moved towards the stone.

"What's the worst that can happen by given Faldrass the stones?" Balthazar mused as he followed Ela and Oram's lead and stepped towards the kneeling Induk. He set his rock with hers and in that moment made a poor decision.

He realized something. Something Faldrass had said... You're elemental song is muted. Kura had said no more magic and his body was inclined to agree with her but maybe it was just the Defiance spark. He'd moved through a lot of earth and if he did all that with the earth leeching his power the whole time, that must have been why he felt such severe overstepping... but he had other magics than Defiance. He had gentle magics. He'd attuned to Zach right after coming through the earth and it hadn't been nearly as painful as the rock swimming had been. Ringing... a little blood... a lot of useful information... how bad could it be?

You're an idiot, Balthazar Black... He probably was... but he was curious. Too curious not to try it out. That had always been his flaw. He could blame it on the volcano later. He could claim that it was the volcano draining him if anything went wrong... but if it worked then he just might be able to learn something. The shimmering around the barrier had been in his blood as well... there had to be something similar in their frequencies that could help. According to Oram, they had all of the stones anyways.

So as Balthazar set his stone down and he stood back, but he didn't wait. He tried to attune to Faldrass... and it hurt.

Balthazar had heard a lot of loud ringing noises but he had never heard something like what happened when he tried to attune to Faldrass. Every other noise in the room was drowned out as a beating noise filled his head. There was already blood coming from his eyes and his nose, but now blood began to drip down from his eyes as well. Balthazar swayed and stumbled backwards onto his butt. He was trying to keep upright but a crippling vertigo had set in. Stop. Stop! But it was too late. He was glad he'd been kneeling when he tried because it meant he had less distance to fall. Instead of his legs buckling and his head slamming into the ground, his arms buckled and he fell a small distance onto his back.

There, Balthazar laid back on the earth, clutching his head as his body unconsciously shook. Blood was slowly dripping from his tear ducts, ears, and nose but at least not his mouth! His eyes snapped shut as he tried to clear the sound from his mind but he couldn't... and eventually- after a lot of shaking, he lost consciousness.

► Show Spoiler

Skills Used
Meditation (Expert) and Discipline (Expert): To try and fail to cope with the overstepping.
Endurance (Competent): To cope with overstepping pains.
Attunement (Master): To attune to the Induk.

Overstepping Experienced: Headache so bad he passes out.

[Nir'wei]

Ash coated his tongue in a thin film. No water to wash it down, and no saliva to soak it away. Gunk in his eyes made it difficult to blink, but he couldn't tell what it was anymore. So many things failing. But it was only in these moments of utter peril, where there could be no question that his life was on the line, that true clarity seemed to settle in his mind like the rising tide, cleansing the doubts and the guilts and the worries like so much tangled seaweed upon the shore. "Gone, not dead. So they're still here, somewhere. Hidden, perhaps. Far away." His voice croaked, clearly parched and in much need of water long since evaporated during the friendly chat with a monster made of living fire. "Wolves. Spirits. Wardens. Dragons. Scattered. Weakened. Lost." Alone, they were almost defenceless. Was that how they had managed to capture and imprison Faldrass, by isolating him somehow from the other three and catching him all alone? "We must be together. And we must help. If we are to become... strong again." This was something not only for Faldrass, though. If Faldrass knew all this, was there a chance Lovalus might know too? Could their knowledge combined lead them to one? Perhaps he'd need to book off some time to return to Rharne when all was said and done. If he could ever make it out of bed again.

An outcome looking less and less likely by the second. "Ffffhhh. I'm holding you to your... damn gratitude." Just thinking about concentrating was now enough to send needles digging into his skull. Blazing hot needles, sticking deep into his brain and yanking back out again, over and over like the world's worst sewing competition. "Cause I'm gonna need... a little more to go on here!" Wait, think back. 'When they are together, they must be destroyed, with the spirit's help... she is water'. That's what he'd said. Was water therefore the key to solving the problem? Was it really that simple, to destroy the chains that held together a being of fire and magma? "Water. Water?" He had only a moment to glance up at Faldrass, a search for the slightest indication that he might be on the right path. Before he went ahead with it anyway and felt the wolves around him shuffle to give him space to rise.

"Put them all together!" Oram's arrival couldn't have come quicker, but considering his current state, blood-stained and dirt-coated, it really wasn't the time for pleasantries and greetings about now. He could only make it as high as his knees, practically crawling towards the space set before the pleading face of the living volcano. "And STAND FUCKING BACK." If this went wrong, he'd go the way of Balthazar, or worse. If it went right... uhh. He had no idea what would happen, actually, but he hoped it would at least give someone a clue.

"He said water." Both hands pressed against the rock, and Nir called upon Cyshe to form a Brightgleam Oasis. "And he said destroy. Kura... damn it all."

Cyshe looked on, helpless. "You've over-exerted yourself." The little spirit wasn't wrong. He should have utilised the Oasis earlier, considering its healing properties, but making it at an inopportune moment spelled inevitable death, rather than just extremely-likely death. Everything hurt-- no, everything burned. The idea that he could wield Cyshe in his current state was outright laughable, but at the mere thought of passing her hold to somebody else, he could feel the gentle rejection reverberating back from her. She wouldn't. Even if she could, she'd never allow herself to be held by someone else, especially in a room full of complete strangers, and not a Warden among them, Lake or otherwise.

They still had time, though. The Oasis would take five bits to fully form. "We need to break the stones. I can't summon my spirit weapon to break them... and I can't give it to you." For a brief, laughable moment, an image appeared in his head of Greyhide holding a Cysheblade between his jaws. "I... I don't know what to do." Was he about to go the way of Balthazar; torn asunder by the backlash of his abilities? "It hurts to think." Was all of this because of his earlier feud with Max - if he hadn't fought with her and taken the furious beating that he had, would he still have enough strength to lift Cyshe and break the shards?

It was the weight of his failures, crashing down on him all over again. If only he'd been better. If only he'd been smarter. Five, agonising bits, the pool would take to form fully. Would Faldrass even survive long enough to see the stones break... if they broke at all? "If you've got any solutions that don't involve magic, now's the time to use them!"

Brightgleam Oasis

A Warden of Lovalus ability:

It is in the purview of the Induk of Lake Lovalus to call water and life into existence anywhere. Once per trial a Warden may summon forth a magically infused spring that will eventually form a small pool over the next five bits. The water that is summoned has healing abilities and will slowly heal anyone touched with it’s water while in a fifty foot proximity to the spring. The water will have a faint turquoise glow and will rapidly heal flesh wounds that are soaked or doused in the water within five bits. This water can also be weaponized as weapons dipped in it will be highly effective against Flameborn and any other servants of Faldrun. Arrows will sink deeper, and blades or bludgeons touched by the Brightgleam waters will burn and scald opponents that are cut or hammered by them. The Oasis can also be planted and used like a trap to lure enemies of Faldrun into, this will cause intense scalding pain and will weaken them.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura was surprised that Ela didn't listen to her, that almost never happened. But she was right not to listen, and Kura felt a surge of pride in her sister. "Very good, pup. Smarter than I was this time." she said, smiling slightly at her sister as she watched things play out. Unfortunately, Faldrass wasn't quite free, perhaps it was the missing stones or they needed to do something else to free the Induk. Then one of the others arrived with two stones and some news that Kura found very unwelcome. "Oh, brilliant. The damn storyteller's here." she muttered, then nodded at his question. "Yeah, put your stones with the rest." she said.

When Balthazar asked what could happen if they gave Faldrass the stones, Kura gave a sort of half shrug. "Honestly, my biggest worry is that they could kill him. Not the kind of thing you want to happen." she said, before Balthazar paused a moment and then started bleeding quite badly from a lot of orifices. "Damnit, I said no more magic!" she snapped, jumping forward to try and keep him from falling to the floor. As Nir'wei made his way to the stones, Kura started pulling the injured mage away from the stones. When Nir called her name, Kura looked up, the nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. One moment." she said, before looking at the man who had brought the new stones. "Can you get him further back?" she called, carefully laying Balthazar down before she went back to Nir'wei.

Kura listened to Nir'wei's plan, and the difficulties he was having with it, then nodded. "I got one idea. It's not magic, it's divine powers, but it's gotten me out of plenty of scrapes before." she said, taking an arrow from her quiver and focusing her power on it, causing cracks to form across the arrow. "Will this Oasis form without you?" she asked him. When he said yes, she nodded. "Phelan, get him away from the stones. None of us need to be near the stones for this to work, and I'd like to minimize potential for backlash." she said, before looking up at Faldrass. "I've got some power from the Immortals. I intend to infuse this arrow with a power that'll let me hit the lot of them. If you got an objection to that, I'd like to hear it." she said, her tone calm. If no objection was forthcoming, Kura would step back and when the arrow was fully charged, she'd loose the multi-shot arrow at the stones.

Multi-Shot

Multi-Shot: Kura can focus on an arrow to have it splinter into multiple arrows once she fires it. The arrows spread out in a circular spread around the original arrow, and she has some control over whether they stay close or spread out once she fires the arrow. The longer she focuses on an arrow, the more it splits, creating up to ten additional arrows around the original, meaning she can fire up to eleven arrows at once. The more she arrows she creates, the more of a headache it gives her to use this power. Repeated use can cause her vision to blur for the next 24 breaks, causing "multiple vision" where she see's everything in two's or more. Her Fracturing scar manifests as a long scar on her left arm, running from her wrist to her shoulder. Repeated use of this power also causes this scar to ache badly. Also, using this power causes the original arrow to break into splinters once it hits a target, rendering it unrecoverable.

[Ela Wolfsdotter]

It worked.

It had actually worked. After however long he had waited, the Induk was free - even just a little. Ela had guessed well, and realistically it had been luck, but the girl had no other choice. It was the only outcome she saw with a chance of living. The only one that meant her and her loved ones were safe. Nothing but that mattered. As Faldrass kneeled down and whispered Ela nodded. "You're welcome" she whispered back quietly, stepping back as Oram arrived to announce the other stones and their soon to be arrival. With a small sigh of relief, Ela limped back over to her animals, kneeling down and turning her back to the rest of the scene. Her part was done. All she wanted now was to go home. The sooner she could the better.

"Luckier" Ela said, correcting Kura with as much of a warm smile as she could. She knew she'd taken a risk, of course, she had. All she cared about now was the risk working out. Whatever happened, she wanted to be out of here and gone. As she knelt down in front of Redfang, the cougar placed its head on her own, the two resting for a brief moment as Alrur came to her side. Behind her she could hear the sounds of people and movement, she could hear the ideas people had. If she had more energy she'd have been involved, tried to fix it with them, but she knew nothing about this place. She didn't really care either. So long as they did nothing to enrage Faldrass again, Ela wouldn't care much, and if they did she didn't imagine they'd live long enough to undo it. It was a dangerous game they were playing - one she had decided to leave to the others.

"We'll be home soon" she whispered, reassuring Redfang and Alrur with small soothing words, praying to Karen that this would be over soon.

[Darius Baer]

Arc 720, 120th of Ashan

Darius wasn't quite sure what he was doing there. That wasn't to suggest that he'd forgotten what had brought him to the island, or why he'd willingly ventured into the volcano, but the sight of an armoured Induk had a way of making a man question his decisions.

And yet, the fact that he was there was unavoidable, and it took him several trills to pull his gaze away from Faldrass to look at some of the others present. He recognised Balthazar, though he'd never seen the mage in such a state. And seeing Oram and Yeva provided some reassurance, even though it seemed that whatever they did in the unfamiliar cavern would pale in significance to whatever else the others had in mind. There were others who he wasn't sure if he'd met, plus a number of animals.

All in all, it was quite the gathering.

The bearded blond appeared to have arrived just as Oram began to speak, and he corrected the hunter.

"Three," he declared with a voice that sounded more confident than he felt. "We have three stones."

He lifted the bag that he had been holding since returning across the bridge, and the two stones inside collided, each one betraying the other's presence. Those, combined with Oram's contribution, appeared to be of some significance, and he followed the hunter's lead by cautiously stepping forward and emptying the contents of the bag that had once been Cassion's.

He went to move back to somewhere safe - if such a place existed - when Balthazar stepped forward and appeared to collapse in a bloodied mess. The seafarer was unsure of what was happening, but he willingly obeyed the instruction of a tall, pale woman, and grabbed hold of the mage by his arms and attempted to drag the man away.

In truth, Darius was grateful for the amount of activity that was being asked of him. It kept him busy focusing on small tasks, rather than gift him the time to contemplate what on Idalos was actually going on around him. He just hoped that his small actions would ultimately come to be small steps back towards Scalvoris Town, where he wished he could return to.

Skills

Discipline (Novice)
Endurance (Novice)
Strength (Novice)

[Pegasus]

Forged in Fire: Fighting........

Kura, Ela, Balthazar, Nir'wei, Yeva, Darius, Oram

"

Equipose....

"

Balance.

That moment of perfect balance, just before things tip over into another state of being.

That was what happened then. As Oram stepped forward, in fact, and the stones reached the proximity, one to the other, which made the events which followed inevitable. It felt, down there in the dark, like the world shook. Those who had been there with Faldrass some time would recognise the buzzing and vibrating- the static charge flying between the stones. Then Balthazar, then, finally, Darius.

The series of events which unfolded then changed the long-term future of Scalvoris - and in the short term, it saved them.

However, even as there was that moment, it soon descended - once more - into chaos.

Balthazar passed out, and there were animals to tend to. The reaction of the stones grew, strengthening, and strengthening again. Faldrass watched. Flames flickered across the visor of it's helmet as it knelt, it's vision trained on the chainstones which bound it to this place. The cavern shook - not from Faldrass, now, but as the stones grew in reaction, one to the other. It was exponential, how that static, lightning-charged reaction built. Not knowing what Nir'wei was doing, it lifted it's head. "

YOU SHOULD STAY BACK

" It sounded almost human, almost concerned. Almost. "

IT IS DAMAGING ME, AND YOU ARE MORE EASILY BROKEN THAN I. WATER. WATER IS NEEDED.

"

It didn't mention that, should the whole island sink into the ocean, that would do. But it was sort of inferred.

"

And then.....

"

As Tio 'unmeddled' things, things in the cavern changed. The lightning-reaction did not lessen in intensity, but it grew much more focused. Much more. From the chaotic fluctuations, it grew more and more focused, more and more intense, with it's brightness increasing so much that the ribbon of lightning between each stone was painful to look at.

Time ticked on. Faldrass nodded it's head as Kura made her suggestion. It said nothing, but it agreed. It seemed that the Induk was concentrating.

Things happened in other places, and time ticked.

And then, Nir'wei summoned the Brightgleam Oasis. The pounding in his head was enormous. It took a full five minutes, during which time Balthazar regained consciousness. In a contest for who felt the worst, who had the biggest headache and who was finding it hardest to function, Nir and Balth would be tied for the top spot.

But, with Cyshe's help, the Oasis began to form. "

NOW!

" Faldrass spoke and it's voice was urgent. And, so, Kura released her multi-shot.

And as the arrows hit, the world exploded. Bright light flashed and the ground shook. Dust flew into the air and then, there was silence.

"

It is over

", said Faldrass, stepping forward to them. Now, it was a tall human-sized, exuding power and yet, there was something in it's voice. "

You freed me. I am... I am free. Thank you

" It spoke to each of them, it seemed. It looked at each of them.

"

This is the Heart of Scalvoris. We will rebuild here

"

"

Too late to the party.....

"

As Tio and Cassion stood and watched, the Immortal (who had not in any way helped and who didn't want the gem that much) turned to Tio and smiled. "Time for us to leave, little godling." he said. They were unseen to the others there - like they weren't part of the story at all. No matter how much noise Tio made - none of the others saw him. But he got to see what happened.

Faldrass spoke to them all - each one. "

This is the Heart of Scalvoris. We will rebuild here

" it repeated. Then, it added. "

Will you join us?

"

.... and Karem's wolf arrived, ready to save the day.

"Knickers," said Sovar. "Sorry I'm late."

PC Specifics

All of you - this applies to all those named at the top of the thread. Not to Tio, I'm afraid.
1. Thank you so much for your patience here. This thread is now done. I will post up the review this time next week - please see below for specific issues I need you to address (either in PM with me, if you're not going to post - or in your final post, which you are more than encouraged to make).

2. Each of you have been asked that question by Faldrass. If your PC agrees, you will be a founder member of the new faction - the Fire Forged. This faction is already written, and ready to go. However, your PC doesn't know more than they do from this thread, so I'll post it after the review is up. Please let me know if you join the Fire Forged.

3. Please let me know any specific knowledge requests you have. Otherwise, I'll just go for broke.

Specifics
Yeva and Oram - you will be offered Cassions mark. Please let me know if you'd accept. Either way, I'll write it into the review.
Nir'wei - be aware that, should Nir agree to join the Fire Forged, he will become the first person to be a Warden of the Lake and Fire-Forged. This will bring with it specific abilities and responsibilities.
Ela - you will be offered Karem's mark. Please let me know if you'd accept. Either way, I'll write it into the review.

Please note these are not the only rewards. Just the ones that require an answer!

[Tio Silver]

Tio shrugged as Cassion turned down his offer, and instead took another moment to examine the strange little jewel he'd snatched. The shiny, glass-like surface seemed to shimmer prettily in the light, and idly the godling wondered what unspeakable chaotic power it possessed. Maybe he should throw it at someone and see what happened? Yeah, that sounded like the sort of idea that could never have horrific consequences!

He'd managed to push himself back up onto his knees in time for Cassion to poke fun at him again and receive a hearty slap on the back, and hissed as the impact against his freshly char-grilled skin stung like a horde of bees. As painful as it was however the slam did seem to somehow give him a sudden boost of energy, as if he'd just digested a fairly hearty meal, and with it Tio was able to stand up on his own two feet again and hobble after the road god as he led the way to the others.

They emerged into the main chamber where the giant fire demon resided (who was now much smaller and tamer looking. What had happened while he was gone?) As they arrived Tio yelled out "Yoohoo! Guess who's got two thumbs and killed Maxine's evil shadow demon twin sister? This guy!" He pointed to himself, then raised an eyebrow as not one of them so much as turned to look at him. "What, are you guys ignoring me now? Is this because I killed evil Maxine? Oh god, that was the real Maxine was it?" Still no response. Should he start flicking their ears? Oh, or maybe pull their trousers down and tie their shoelaces together! As he stepped forward to do just that Cassion spoke up.

"You can't be one of them any more. It simply isn't possible. You can pretend, and they'll believe you. But when they know what you are? That's a very different thing."

That... was actually pretty sad. Tio good cheer faded as he watched the mortals conversing with the fire demon, feeling a slight pang of something unpleasant in his chest. Loneliness. Did he wish he was there with them? Yeah... kinda. Being an Immortal came with so many cool perks, but not once since his return from exile in Emea had he felt properly connected to the world anymore. It was like being a Yludih all over again; looking the part, but knowing that beneath your skin you were different from them. Was this what his life was supposed to be like for the rest of eternity now? Watching silently and offering support from the sidelines? That seemed pretty tragic. He wanted to be different from the other Immortals; to be more active and involved in the world. But was that even possible?

"Hey Cassion... Were you ever a mortal?" He asked, trying to keep the note of longing out of his voice. "I always assumed that Auya and I were the first to achieve apotheosis, but now that I think about it maybe I was being naive. Is the reason you take such an interest in mortals because it's demanded by your domain, or because so understand a little what it's like to be one of them?"

In response to Cassion's offer to teach him in exchange for completing tasks Tio tilted his head as he considered it. Saoire had offered him something similar when he first became an Immortal and hadn't asked for anything in return, but he had turned her down then in order to enjoy Idalos again after being away for so long. Besides the thought of going back to school again was enough to make him shudder, even if it was to learn god-stuff. Cassion's offer, though harder, did sound more like the kind of hands-on, practical learning that suited him best.

"Alright, I'm in. What's first on the agenda?" He replied, tucking the stolen gem away into the inside left breast pocket of his waistcoat and turning to face the road god. He could handle any task Cassion could throw at him, and while he was at it could think about what he'd learnt from this whole adventure. He wasn't a hero, a mortal or even a proper Immortal yet, so then what was he? What was his goal now? He didn't know yet, but perhaps by unlocking more of his Immortal abilities from Cassion's trials he'd figure it out.

[Nir'wei]

He didn't want to be away from the Oasis. Even if he readily admitted that once the process started, it only needed Cyshe's proximity to charge. Even as Phelan nudged against his chest and pushed him back to a safe distance, even with Faldrass advising him to retreat, he didn't want to be away. Not when everything was still so unsure. What if the stones were somehow resistant to the energies? He could swing Cyshe, but he needed to be close and hold it himself with someone else swinging his limp arm for him.

It was strange. At the beginning, nothing had mattered other than stopping the eruption that would surely be the end of the island and everyone on it, human and otherwise. Some likely still held that to be true. Now, however, it seemed vital that they save Faldrass. The Induk was the key to so much; the dragons, whatever and wherever they were, the other Induk, perhaps even the sanctity and protection of the entire archipelago from future threats, such as the attacks of Immortals and other things. They could learn so much from him, and he'd seemed more than happy to teach and explain - more so even than the cryptic Lovalus and his mental projections of catastrophe and salvation. Whatever had imprisoned him and what purpose they saw in containing or harnessing him was still a burning curiosity in the front of his mind, desperate for answers.

The near-blinding lights of the charged lightning forced him to look away, and Phelan pushed until warm stone touched at his back. The wolf's silhouette at least protected him from the worst of the powerful explosion that otherwise might have temporarily blinded him, with his heightened senses, but when he gently pushed her aside, Faldrass was walking. Talking, quietly. The chains were gone, the Induk was free... they'd done it, then. The wave of relief that seemed to wash over his senses was almost enough to knock him unconscious, as if the tense ropes that had been supporting him all this time had suddenly snapped.

He almost didn't hear the rest, thanks to the ringing in his ears.

"Join him... do you think that's even possible?" Myrth asked with equal parts hesitation and curiosity.

Grey paused for thought. "It wouldn't hurt to ask, though, would it? Surely he wouldn't ask unless it was."

"And Lovalus?" Myrth shot back with a raised brow. "You think they'll be happy, sharing?" Well, to be fair, none of them knew what Lovalus thought about anything. Their mind wasn't exactly comparable to a mortals - like Sage, they seemed frankly too alien to understand things like jealousy or greed.

Nir'wei agreed. But for his part, he knew one thing and one thing above all else; none of them could do this alone. Lovalus, against the Flameborn. Faldrass and his kin, against those that imprisoned them. Alone and separated, they seemed to struggle without mortal Wardens to protect them and wield their strength, even holding all the raw power that Faldrass had shown without restraint. What would happen if they teamed up?

He wanted to find out. Even though his voice was soft and croaked, and he couldn't bring himself to stand before the soft-spoken Induk, he raised his hand and carefully nudged Phelan aside so that he could swallow a breath. "I will join you."

Then, a wolf appeared. Unmistakably one of Karem's. And he fell back against the wall once more, his head pounding abysmally. "Actually," Greyhide said aloud to Sovar, "you're just in time. Would you mind? I think this one's about to pass out... and that one's practically gone too," he said with a nod towards Balthazar.

[Oram Mednix]

It’s the end do do do-do do-do

Oram put down his stone and backed away as it joined its siblings in humming and crackling. He didn’t need to be told twice to stand well back. In fact, he didn’t even need to be told once. One of the women had pulled back the now-supine and apparently senseless Balthazar some way, and then called to him to pull the white-haired wizard farther back while she attended to the similarly indisposed Vaid’ner. What had they been *doing*? the traveler wondered, as he took Balthazar carefully under the arms and, with some effort, started to drag him farther back. The woman must be pretty strong, he thought as he did so, to have been able to manhandle Balthazar on her own like that.

Darius and Yeva appeared and brought the other stones. Oram smiled when he saw them; he was glad they were in one piece as he was. Even more immediate, though, was the fact that the larger mariner promptly relieved him of his Balthazar relocation efforts. Once the poor wizard was situated at a safe distance, Oram plumped down on the stone floor next to him. Slouched wearily forward, he was content to watch the proceedings henceforth, unless he was called upon to do something else…

Sitting there, he looked weary and almost as bedraggled as Balthazar lying next to him. As he thought this, Oram realized that he was still seeing what Tio and Cassion were seeing, which included himself somehow. The junior Immortal was seeing all of them, but apparently apart from Oram, none of them could see him. Which Tio himself gradually realized, and which he seemed saddened by, as Tio clearly wanted to brag about what he had just done. This involved someone named “Maxine”, a name which meant nothing to Oram, though at a guess it was connected with the shadow woman thing he had seen Tio fight earlier.

Oram cared little for Tio’s disappointment at not being able to brag to the rest of them, however; he was too tired, and too eager to see this whole thing end. Eager, as well, to go back to experiencing things that made sense to him, and which weren’t trying to bury him under tons of rock. But first, there were magic oases and explosions and light and vibrations and multiple-arrow-shooting to sit though. When it was done (it *was* done, wasn’t it?) the hunter’s ears were ringing and his eyes stinging with dust. Faldrass was smaller now, about man-sized, in fact. And Faldrass said: ”It is over.”

Oram let out a relieved sigh. Possibly the most relieved sigh he had in some time, at least since the one he had let out after the shadow ferret he and the others had fought outside Scalvoris finally stopped moving. He looked over at Balthazar, who had come to in the meantime, and gave him a weak smile.

“This is the Heart of Scalvoris. We will rebuild here” spoke the strange red being for whom they had risked so much today -was it still today? “Will you join us?” Oram had just realized that Faldrass had asked a question that he needed an answer when something else happened: a wolf appeared and spoke. Apologizing for being late? Was this some sort of joke? Oram shot a suspicious glare at Vaid’ner, but after several trills of glaring realized there was no satisfaction to be had there. He decided to ignore the wolf and address himself to Faldrass.

”I came here to help” he said to the being. ”I’d prefer to think I did, even though it was nothing like what I had in mind. If there’s more to do, well, I’d rather not leave stuff half-done. So I reckon I’ll join you, too.”

[Balthazar Black]

121 Ashan 720

Could I get five more bits? Balthazar wished he could have had such a clear thought when he awoke from his unconscious state but all he felt was pain. His ears were ringing and he had a headache that would have convinced a lesser man never to attune to anything ever again. Ever. His bloodshot eyes opened to find the cave full of people he recognized from various points in his life- Darius, Matchstick, and Oram. I'm dead. No, not dead. It wouldn't hurt so much if you were dead. Nir'wei was doing something but Balthazar couldn't focus on it. He was hardly aware of the ghosts of his past who'd come into the cave in the time since he lost consciousness... or... had they been there before? Balthazar couldn't remember much right before the fall and thinking hurt so he didn't try. He just tried to stay awake.

Faldrass said something urgently and Kura did something but Balthazar had no idea what was going on. Why am I here? Where am I? In the haze after a bad nap, Balthazar's memory was momentarily fuddled and the headache was keeping it that way. He wiped some of the blood off of his face but it still felt better to keep his eyes closed for the moment. It seemed like a good decision because even with his eyes closed he could see the bright light after Kura's arrows struck. The ground shook and Balthazar groaned in pain at the trembling. Be quite volcano. Please. And then it was. Another wolf showed up and Balthazar cast a glance at Sovar but he didn't say anything. He just gave him a small wave.

Then Faldrass spoke. Balthazar could hardly hear him over the ringing but the spirit had somewhat of a powerful voice. The mage opened his eyes slightly to gaze upon the surprisingly human-sized form of Faldrass as it continued to speak. This is the Heart of Scalvoris. We will rebuild here. We. We will. No kin to fire would ever refuse Faldrass. Even dazed and confused- in pain and with a headache that could split a mountain, Balthazar knew that. At least, he wouldn't. He couldn't refuse for the same reason he hadn't been able to resist trying to attune to Faldrass. Curiosity. So with no idea what he was signing up for, Balthazar agreed. Will you join us? "Yes." That was about all Balthazar managed to say before he stopped to grip his ears slightly. He didn't know why he thought it would make the ringing hurt less to cover his ears, but he tried all the same. When the pain didn't stop, Balthazar lowered himself into a more sprawled out position, laying on the ground. "This is a nice place."